BBC News Africa

The government in Benin has introduced two new military medals, as the army battles a growing threat from Islamist groups.

It said one of the medals - the Combatant's Cross - was for soldiers killed or wounded in combat.

Benin had not previously faced an external security threat, but over the last three years there have been several incursions from Burkina Faso, where the violence has displaced nearly two million people.

Earlier this year the military in Benin launched a recruitment drive for 5,000 additional troops to help reinforce the border.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Thousands of people have descended on the northern Ethiopian city of Aksum to celebrate a religious holiday for the first time in three years.

Festivities had been paused because of the civil war in the Tigray region that ended a year ago.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Aksum -which was the site of an alleged massacre soon after the war began in November 2020 - is the country's holiest city for Orthodox Christians.

It is said to be the home of the Ark of the Covenant, which contains the 10 commandments handed down to Moses by God.

Aksum has become the focus for the annual festival of St Mary and the city is a major pilgrimage destination with people coming from all over the country and beyond.

BBCCopyright: BBC

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Cameroon’s Health Minister Dr Manaouda Malachie has urged the population to trust the government’s health policy, amid growing scepticism over the malaria vaccines which arrived the country nine days ago.

In a statement on Wednesday, he detailed the benefits of the RTS,S vaccine in the fight against malaria, praising the outcome of the testing phase in Kenya, Ghana, and Malawi.

“Based on the efficacy of the results obtained, the introduction of this vaccine... will make it possible to cover the entire childhood, and depending on the coverage rate, avoid about 2,000 deaths among children under five years of age every year,” Dr. Malachie said.

The Word Health Organization says that RTS,S can "prevent around 75% of malaria episodes".

Cameroon is the first country in Africa to receive the RTS,S vaccines since the end of the pilot phase.

But in a country where vaccine hesitancy is rife, the government has been unable to completely change the minds of many Cameroonians who continue to oppose the arrival of the more than 330,000 vaccine doses.

“We grew up in a tropical area, so we’re used to malaria. I don’t know why they must administer the vaccines to children,” one local resident told the BBC.

She also revealed: “I won’t vaccinate my children; even in school, I won’t allow them to do it.”

Every year, Cameroon records six million malaria cases with 4,000 deaths in health facilities, according to the WHO. Most of those affected are children below five years old.

Ahmed SalihiCopyright: Ahmed Salihi

The Somali authorities say more than a million people have now been forced to abandon their homes in the country due to floods caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon. The heaviest rains in more than two decades have caused widespread destruction, displacement and death across the Horn of Africa.

It comes as world leaders gather in Dubai to discuss the climate crisis at the COP28 summit.

• Follow our live coverage of COP28

At least 270 people are reported to have died in Somalia, Kenya and southern Ethiopia as the continental region, which is just coming out of prolonged drought, braces for further torrential rains.

In Somalia alone more than 100 people have died in flash floods.

Whole towns have been submerged forcing nearly their entire population to seek shelter elsewhere. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has said the country is in a critical state.

Neighbouring Ethiopia and Kenya are also dealing with widespread floods.

The situation is expected to get more dire as heavy rains are predicted to continue to early next year.

The World Food Programme says the situation compounds the food security crisis in the region. There are also fears of disease outbreaks.

Humanitarian organisations are calling on world leaders meeting at COP28, to remember countries – like those in the Horn of Africa – which are vulnerable to the effects of climate change while contributing the least to it.

Read more about El Niño and its impact:

• Somalia floods: Bodies unearthed and bridges swept away
• What are El Niño and La Niña, and how do they change the weather?

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Ugandan opposition leader and former pop star Bobi Wine has told the BBC "we grow and we transform" after being asked about homophobic lyrics to one of his songs that reportedly got him banned from the UK a decade ago.

The ban has apparently been lifted and he is now back in the UK for a visit captioning a photo of himself outside BBC's London office on Wednesday: "London, it's been 10 long years!"

Addressing the controversial song which appeared to encourage people to be violent towards gay people he told the BBC's World Tonight programme:

Quote Message: We grow and we transform... I'm a product of very many second chances and I want to be known for [being] a leader that is respectful and inclusive for everybody."

We grow and we transform... I'm a product of very many second chances and I want to be known for [being] a leader that is respectful and inclusive for everybody."

Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, ran unsuccessfully against Uganda's long-serving President, Yoweri Museveni, in the 2021 election.

The opposition leader, who came second, disputed the results which saw Mr Museveni win his sixth elected term in office.

Looking to the 2026 election, Bobi Wine called on the UK, EU and US to put conditions on their collaboration with Uganda that included the respect for democracy and free-and-fair elections.

He said if those were in place then he would definitely win in three years time.

Read more about Bobi Wine:

• Bobi Wine: Uganda's 'ghetto president'

At least 23 people have died in a new cholera outbreak that hit communities displaced by recent flooding in eastern Ethiopia, the charity Save the Children says.

In a statement on Thursday the UK-based relief agency has said more than 770 cases of cholera have been confirmed in just two weeks in the Somali region, the area worst hit by the recent flooding and unusually heavy rains.

The downpours have affected a 1.5 million people across the country with the numbers forced to leave their homes reaching 600,000, the UN said.

But only 10% of those affected are currently receiving aid as Ethiopia continues to struggle with gaps in funding, it added.

More than 90 districts across Ethiopia have reported cases of cholera with Save the Children warning the situation could worsen as more rains are expected in at least three regions.

The heavy rains that hit Ethiopia, along with Somalia and Kenya, are induced by the El Niño weather phenomenon as well as another known as the Indian Ocean Dipole.

Women's Hospital International and Fertility CentreCopyright: Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre

A 70-year-old Ugandan woman has just had twins after becoming pregnant through IVF treatment, becoming the oldest woman in Africa to give birth, according to the hospital where she had the babies.

The Women's Hospital International and Fertility Centre in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, said Safina Namukwaya delivered a boy and a girl.

"This story isn't just about medical success; it's about the strength and resilience of the human spirit," the hospital said on Facebook, following Ms Namukwaya's successful caesarean delivery on Wednesday.

Ms Namukwaya told privately owned NTV channel that it was her second delivery in three years, after she gave birth to a girl in 2020.

She added that she had experienced multiple difficulties during the pregnancy, including desertion by the children's father.

"Men don't like to be told that you are carrying more than one child. Ever since I was admitted here, my man has never showed up," she said.

Ms Namukwaya said she did not know how she would manage to raise the children, but was happy to have them after years of enduring stigma and ridicule for being childless.

"One time, a very young boy heckled at me saying I had been cursed by my mother to die without a child," she said.

SA government communications (GCIS)Copyright: SA government communications (GCIS)

South Africa has received a consignment of 450 gasoline generators donated by China to alleviate the country's severe power cuts.

The generators have arrived in South Africa but will be officially received on Thursday by Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.

“The generators will be used as backup to alleviate the impacts of load shedding in the delivery of services in clinics, schools and courts,” the presidency said on Tuesday.

The donation is part of the Technical Assistance Programme that China and South Africa signed during August's BRICS summit in Johannesburg.

In the deal, China deal promised to donate emergency equipment worth 167m rand ($8.9m; £7m) and a development grant of 500m rand.

South Africa has struggled with power cuts, referred to as load-shedding, in recent years, causing much frustration.

Millions of people are without lights every day - sometimes for up to 10 hours - in cities and towns across South Africa.

AFPCopyright: AFP

The government in the Democratic Republic of Congo has expressed regret at the European Union’s decision to withdraw its electoral observation mission from the country.

DR Congo is set to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on 20 December, with 23 candidates running for president, amid a tense political climate.

The cancellation of the observer mission came as discussions on the EU mission's deployment were ongoing, according to the state-run ACP news agency.

In a statement, the government said it was committed to successfully holding the elections with transparency, inclusiveness and freedom, and would welcome all observer missions wishing to work "in accordance with the laws and regulations of DR Congo".

The EU said it withdrew its election observation team after it failed to obtain the necessary authorisation to deploy essential communication equipment such as satellite telephones and internet kits.

Between 80 to 100 EU observers were due to be deployed to monitor the 20 December general elections.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Nigerian music star Rema has cancelled all his shows in December to focus on his health.

In an Instagram story post, the Afrobeats star said he had neglected his health due to constant tours.

Instagram/heisremaCopyright: Instagram/heisrema

The star, who had shows lined up across Nigeria and in South Africa later this year, said it was now time to recuperate.

“Breaks my heart to say that I won’t be performing anywhere this December. Been years of touring I’ve ignored my health and I need time to recuperate. 2024 we go again love,” he said.

The star has had a string of of musical successes this year, with his near-ubiquitous song Calm Down, which he sings with Selena Gomez, smashing multiple streaming and chart records.

The song has emerged the most shazammed of 2023 globally and was last week awarded the best Afrobeats song at the Billboard Music Awards.

Earlier in the month, he wowed football legends at the Ballon D'Or awards, days after Calm Down made history by becoming the longest-charting and most successful African song of all time on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.

Reacting to Rema’s decision to cancel his shows, fellow Nigerian star Davido has praised his accomplishments.

“The job isn't easy physically and mentally! You’ve done Africa and the world proud beyond expectations. Get some rest king [and] come back stronger,” he said.

• Red-hot Afrobeats star Rema doesn’t intend to calm down

Bobi Wine/XCopyright: Bobi Wine/X

Ugandan opposition MP and former music star Bobi Wine has made his first trip to the UK in a decade, more than three weeks after the UK government lifted a reported nine-year visa ban against him.

"London, it's been 10 long years!" he captioned a photo of himself outside BBC's London office on Wednesday.

Bobi Wine had allegedly been banned from visiting UK after the release of his 2014 song "Burn Dem", which rights groups said contained lyrics inciting homophobic attacks.

Bobi Wine was denied a UK visa shortly after releasing the song, forcing him to cancel two planned shows in the country.

At the time, the UK Home Office declined to confirm whether it had banned Bobi Wine's entry when it was contacted by the Guardian newspaper.

On 5 November, Bobi Wine, real name Robert Kyagulanyi, said that he was finally able to return to the UK.

"I am very glad to inform you that the ban against me from entering the UK has finally been overturned, and I will soon be visiting the UK after more than 10 years," Bobi Wine shared on X.

He added that his legal team had relentlessly fought for the lifting of the travel ban.

He said the legal team had argued that it was "unfair" for the UK government to grant entry to Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, whom he branded "a world-renowned tyrant", while banning him and "many others [who] are trying to build a free and democratic country".

Four Moroccan migrants died off Spain’s southern coast, near Cadiz, with four others being taken to hospital for severe hypothermia.

The bodies of the four, who apparently drowned, were found on Wednesday near their boat that had been carrying 32 other migrants.

Twenty-seven of the occupants were reportedly forced by the crew to jump off the boat into the sea, and 23 of them were rescued alive.

The police have opened an inquiry into the incident.

Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister and Labour Minister, Yolanda Diaz, said she was “horrified” by the news.

“Something very profound is failing when those who come in search of a better life only find death. We will not look the other way,” she said, while calling for European action.

Spain is one of the main entry points for migrants departing from North Africa into Europe, with tens of thousands of arrivals in the past year alone.