BBC News Africa

BBCCopyright: BBC

Unknown assailants have killed at least 90 people in a village in Ethiopia's western Benishangul-Gumuz state during a Wednesday dawn attack, residents have told the BBC.

The attack come a day after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, together with top government and military officials, visited the state to discuss the recurrence of ethnic-based violence.

A nurse at a local clinic told the BBC that more than 30 people who sustained wounds were admitted to the facility, some were in critical condition.

Some sustained gunshot wounds while others were stabbed, the nurse added.

Beyene Melese, a spokesperson for the state’s government blamed what he called "anti-peace elements" for the attack.

"The exact number of those killed is not determined yet, but there’s information that it’s very high,’ Mr Beyene told the BBC.

Dozens of civilians have been killed in the state in at least four attacks since September.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Tunisia will extend its nightly curfew until mid-January, health authorities have said.

The decision was announced on Tuesday night following the recommendations of the country's Covid-19 scientific committee.

More than 120,000 positive cases have been recorded since March but the majority of infections are from recent months.

The health ministry said the new strain of Covid-19 has not been recorded in Tunisia but added that the country was expected to roll out vaccines in April.

Official figures show that the death rate is averaging more than 40 a day and 77% of ICU beds across the country are now occupied.

But there is growing public frustration over the continued restrictive measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Read: Tunisia deploys police robot on lockdown patrol

The United Nations says the town of Bambari in the Central African Republic (CAR) has been retaken from rebels who seized it on Tuesday.

A spokesperson said UN peacekeepers and national security forces were in control, having pushed the militants back into the bush.

He said civilians who had fled the fighting were starting to return.

The CAR is due to hold elections on Sunday.

The government has accused the former president, François Bozizé, of joining up with armed groups in an attempt to stage a coup - something he has denied.

Russia and Rwanda have sent hundreds of additional troops to bolster the government, as the rebels try to advance towards the capital Bangui.

Watch: Why is Russia cosying up to the CAR?

AFPCopyright: AFP

A union representing lecturers in Nigeria has announced the suspension of a nine-month strike that has crippled learning at public universities.

Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, the national president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, told the BBC that the union decided to suspend the strike after "concrete agreements" were reached with the federal government on Tuesday.

Prof Ogunyemi said lecturers will return to the universities from Thursday but warned that the union would resume the strike action if the government failed to fulfil a return to work deal.

The union has been pushing the government to implement a 2009 agreement that promised equipment for universities and an increase in lecturers' pay.

The union said students will be invited back to universities after measures are put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.