BBC News Africa

A rights activist in Sudan says sexual violence against women has become a deliberate tactic in the civil war which started in April.

Hala al-Karib, who runs the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, says 70% of documented cases of sexual violence are gang rape, and that the targeting of women and girls has become part of everyday reality.

She told the BBC's Newsday radio programme that both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had carried out attacks on women, but that the paramilitaries appeared to be using it as a tactic to intimidate communities.

A conference is being held in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, to highlight the impact of the war in Sudan on women.

• Read: Gang-raped and racially abused

Congo-Brazzaville has been observing a day of mourning after 31 people died in a stampede during an army recruitment drive at a stadium in the capital on Monday night.

The government ordered that flags fly at half-mast and drinking places shut as a mark of respect for the victims.

The government initially announced that 37 people had died in the stampede, but later revised the figure to 31.

About 145 people were injured, with 15 still in hospital.

An investigation is under way into the cause of the stampede.

Local sources told the BBC that young people aged between 18 and 25 years had gone in huge numbers at the stadium in Brazzaville in the hope of being recruited into the army.

Around 42% of young people are unemployed in Congo-Brazzaville, with many seeing the army as one of the few places where they can secure a job.

The army said it had suspended recruitment in Brazzaville following the stampede.

Abner Yonly/FacebookCopyright: Abner Yonly/Facebook

A US-based Liberian pilot, Abner Yonly, is due to arrive back in the country of his birth after becoming the first black person to complete a solo transatlantic flight in a single-engine aircraft, a 1976 Beechcraft Sundowner.

Mr Yonly embarked on his journey from Maryland in the US, and then crossed the North Atlantic from Canada to Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, the UK, France and Spain.

He reached the African continent in Morocco and has now safely landed in Dakar, Senegal.

Mr Yonly is expected to touch down in Liberia's Roberts International Airport at 16:00 GMT on Wednesday, according to his flight schedule.

In a motivational statement, Mr Yonly said he dreamt not only of being a pilot but a source of inspiration.

“While training, it occurred to me that instead of just learning how to fly, I could be a pacesetter and a source of inspiration for my generation – the millennials - to do something extraordinary," he said.

Mr Yonly wants to leave a mark on Liberians, especially "my peers born after 1980 who have not seen a Liberian-born pilot flying a plane".

"Our parents told us about Air Liberia flown by Liberian pilots. We never saw it. This is an eye-opener for them to know that dreams can be a reality if you set your sights on a goal and a dogged determination to achieve it," he added.

AFPCopyright: AFP

A Zimbabwean mother saved her son from the grips of a baboon's mouth after the animal tried to snatch him away, she told VOA (Voice of America).

Petronella Moyo said her 18-month-old child was playing in their Matabeleland home when the incident occurred last week.

She said she heard her son screaming and when she looked up, the baboon was dragging him away.

The baboon jumped on top of the house with her son hanging from its mouth and she said: "I feared the worst. I thought he was dead".

But she chased the baboon and managed to get her child back.

Ms Moyo's son sustained a few injuries but is expected to make a full recovery at Gwanda Provincial Hospital.

Baboons are generally indifferent to humans, but they do attack when provoked, and are potentially very dangerous because of their sharp teeth and claws.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Kenya's Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said that the national government will not provide funds for flood response efforts, as the country battles one of its worst floods in recent years.

The announcement comes after the governor of Mombasa, one of the counties most impacted by the ongoing floods, disputed Mr Gachagua's earlier claim that the government had sent counties 10bn Kenyan shillings ($65m;£52m) for flood response.

Last week, flash floods killed at least 13 people in Mombasa and three neighbouring counties.

"We are shocked to see governors complaining that they are yet to receive money for El Nino from the national government; such money is not coming," Mr Gachagua said on Wednesday.

"We expect them to use emergency money within their financial provision or reallocate money within their budget to intervene for the people they govern".

The Kenya Red Cross has updated the country's total flood-related death toll to 71.

The ongoing heavy rains and flooding - which are due to the El Niño weather phenomenon - have killed 130 people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, according to the non-profit Oxfam.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

A Ghanaian MP has apologised to English footballer Harry Maguire for comparing him with the country’s vice-president describing them as poor performers.

The MP had last year criticised Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia for Ghana’s poor economic performance, and likened him to what he said was Maguire’s poor performance as a player for scoring own goals.

But on Tuesday, the MP Isaac Adongo said the Manchester United defender had since turned around his fortunes.

“Mr Speaker, I now apologise to Harry Maguire. Today, Harry Maguire has turned the corner and he is a transformational footballer," he said in parliament during a budget debate.

He criticised Mr Bawumia's performance as vice-president and head of the Ghana’s Economic Management Team, which he said had driven the country more into debt and risked its economic performance.

[Harry Maguire] is now a key player for Manchester but as for our Maguire [Mr Bawumia] he is now roaming at the IMF with a cup in hand," he said.

Ghana is currently going through its worst economic crisis in a generation.

Last year, the inflation rate hit a record high of 54% - and is still running at more than 35%.

• How Ghana's central bank lost $5bn in one year

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Nigeria will supply more gas to Germany after the two countries signed a deal that will also include $500m (£399m) in renewable energy investments in the West African nation.

Nigeria’s presidency said the gas supply deal was signed at a business forum in Berlin between Riverside LNG project based in the Niger Delta and German company Johannes Schuetze Energy Import.

"The project will supply energy from Nigeria to Germany at 850,000 tonnes per annum, expanding to 1.2 million tonnes per annum," said David Ige, a partner in the Nigerian project. The first gas under the deal will be exported to Germany in 2026.

The Union Bank of Nigeria and the DWS Group also signed a deal for the German firm to invest $500m in renewable energy projects in Nigeria.

Germany is also in talks with electronics giant Siemens to help Nigeria, which experiences frequent power blackouts, to improve electricity supply, according to German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged more investments in Nigeria’s critical minerals and energy sectors during talks with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja in October.

AFPCopyright: AFP

South Sudan’s People Defence Forces (SSPDF) has been accused of attacking civilians in the Sunday morning ambush that left 40 people dead in the disputed area of Abyei.

Sultaan Bulabek, the leader of the nine chiefdoms in Abyei, told the BBC that soldiers carried out co-ordinated attacks in several villages alongside armed youth from the Twic county of Warrap state.

He claimed that the attack was meant to push the Ngok community out of their homes.

A resident who spoke to the BBC anonymously said his cousin was killed in the attack, adding that they could not retrieve the body from the scene because of heavy artillery.

Maj Gen Akuei Ajou, the commander of SSPDF's third division, denied the allegations, saying the purpose of the force was to protect people between Twic and Abyei.

He added that youth from Abyei were behind the attack on a military base that killed seven soldiers and civilians including children on 13 November.

A joint statement by the embassies of Norway, the UK and the US urged South Sudan to pull out its troops from Abyei to prevent further escalation of the violence.

Abyei has been the subject of a long-running dispute between Sudan and South Sudan.

Last week, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of its peacekeepers by a year. The troops have been in Abyei since 2011.

Ugandan health authorities are investigating an unidentified disease outbreak that has killed at least 12 people in a span of two weeks in Kyotera district in the central region.

Affected patients had rashes on the skin which kept widening, before dying in a matter of days. Some had swollen limbs.

Uganda’s Ministry of Health has collected fresh skin samples from one of the patients who died at a local general hospital last week.

Its findings are yet to be shared with the public.

Local district health officials say some patients were seeking treatment from traditional healers instead of going to health facilities.

They said it had become difficult to prevent some of the patients from doing so since the disease was unknown.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Former Johannesburg mayor Thapelo Amad has stirred controversy after he posted a photo of himself brandishing a rifle in support of Palestinian group Hamas.

"We stand with Hamas, Hamas stands with us, together we Palestin [sic] and Palestin [sic] will be free. With our souls, with our blood, we will conquer Al AQSA," Mr Amad captioned the photo shared on Tuesday, which he has since deleted.

Some X users say that the photo, along with the language used in the caption, promote hate and incite violence.

"The text of his tweet is particularly troubling given its militant tone and the implicit support for a group known for its violent tactics," X user Tim Flack said, adding that he had filed a complaint against Mr Amad with the South African Human Rights Commission.

Other users on the platform have defended Mr Amad's message, but said that the photo of the gun was unnecessary.

AFPCopyright: AFP

The Ethiopian government says the latest round of peace talks with the rebel group Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) has failed to end with an agreement.

One of the government's negotiators, Redwan Hussein, blamed the OLA, accusing it of an "obstructive approach" and making "unrealistic demands".

The government "regrets this unfortunate turn of events," Mr Redwan said on X (formerly Twitter).

In response, OLA said the Ethiopian government was only interested in co-opting it "rather than beginning to address the fundamental problems that underlie the county´s seemingly insurmountable security and political challenges".

"A historical opportunity to take a leap in the right direction has been lost because of Ethiopian government failed to course correct,” it said.

The OLA, which the federal government has designated a terrorist organisation has been fighting the government for the last four years, citing what it calls the oppression of the Oromo ethnic group.

The talks between the government and OLA, held in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam, hoped to bring peace for Ethiopia’s largest Oromia region.

In the neighbouring Amhara region, a conflict has been escalating between the army and a militia which the government has been trying to disband.

Nine people were killed on Tuesday by gunmen who raided a weekly market in Bamenyam town in the west of Cameroon.

The attack on the town, which is located in the French-speaking area of Bamboutos, is suspected to have been carried out by separatist fighters, who want to establish an independent state in the neighbouring English-speaking region.

The separatist conflict has festered since 2017, with Cameroon's minority English-speaking community complaining that they have been marginalised by the government dominated by a French-speaking majority.

More than 6,000 people have died in the conflict and close to a million others displaced.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

South African members of parliament have voted to close the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and to suspend all diplomatic relations.

The governing African National Congress - which dominates parliament - has long been critical of Israel and it supported the motion in parliament.

The motion called for the closure of the embassy and suspension of ties until Israel agrees to a ceasefire and commits to binding negotiations.

It was passed by 248 votes to 91. As it did so, some members shouted “free, free Palestine”.

Ahead of the vote in South Africa, Israel recalled its ambassador “for consultations” – a move it said followed the “the latest South African statements”.

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently referred Israel to the International Criminal Court for potential war crimes and recalled South Africa's diplomats from Israel.

He chaired a virtual summit of the Brics group of countries on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Gaza.

His language was blunt, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and also denouncing what he called the collective punishment of Palestinian civilians.

Israel has said its actions in Gaza are ones of self-defence and its aim is to eliminate Hamas.

• Israel recalls its ambassador from South Africa