Nollywood actor Godwin Nnadiekwe has been hospitalised with internal bleeding after being kicked in the chest by fellow actor Zubby Michael during a film shoot.

His management released an official statement on Saturday evening, confirming the incident and his condition.

“We regret to inform you that actor Godwin Nnadiekwe was rushed to the hospital this evening. He is undergoing treatment for internal bleeding following an incident involving a kick to the chest during filming with his colleague Zubby Michael,” the statement read.

“We are committed to providing the best possible care and will ensure timely updates are shared with the public and the AGN board. We appreciate your concern and well wishes for Godwin at this time. Please keep Godwin in your thoughts.”

Before the statement, Nnadiekwe had shared details of the incident on Instagram, clarifying that Michael’s kick was not part of the scripted action and stressing the need for stricter safety protocols on set.

“Just wanted to share an incident that happened on set a few days ago. This isn’t to call anyone out, but it’s a serious reminder to prioritise each other’s safety on set,” he wrote.

“During a scene, I received a kick to the chest from my colleague, which wasn’t part of the script or directed by the director. It has caused me serious pain. I had to get medication for my chest to feel better today. I did all this by myself. No assistance!”

Nnadiekwe also criticised the lack of medical support during the shoot and called for greater accountability in Nollywood productions.

“When we work without insurance policies or readily available first aid, unexpected physical actions like this—even if accidental—can have real consequences. Let us commit to sticking to the script and ensuring everyone feels safe and respected.

“What if something more serious had happened? Or if this had gone south? Every action on set, particularly physical ones, must be intentional and within the director’s vision.

“Please let us all look out for each other and ensure our sets are always safe spaces where everyone feels secure and protected. Our health and safety are paramount. Our well-being should always come first. Peace!!!”

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The most shocking thing for Jonathan, who had endured six gruelling months living and working underground in an abandoned South African gold mine, was the abuse he witnessed being meted out to children.

Some are recruited for cheap labour, but others are brought in specifically for sex, campaigners say.

Jonathan, now in his late 20s, had migrated to South Africa from a nearby country on the promise of making easy money working in one of its dozens of disused mines, closed by multinationals because they were no longer commercially viable.

We are protecting his full identity as he fears reprisals from the vicious criminal gangs that run the illegal mining industry for speaking to the media.

Details of what the young people were going though emerged after the death of dozens of illegal miners near the town of Stilfontein late last year when the mine was blockaded by police.

In a calm and steady voice, Jonathan describes the heat, long hours and limited food and sleeping options which took a toll on his body.

But an enduring memory is what happened to the underage miners in the shaft where he worked.

“I used to see these kids in the mine – teenagers actually, 15, 17-year-olds.

“Others used to take advantage of them sometimes. It was a little bit scary, and I wasn’t comfortable with it.”

He said they were raped by adult miners who promised to give them some of the gold they found in exchange for sex.

“If that kid is desperate for money, he will take the risk.”

Jonathan describes how the children would approach teams of miners for protection but “that team would have conditions”.

Sex was also used as punishment if the teenagers failed to complete a task for their team.

Jonathan says the children in the mine where he worked were all foreign and did not realise what they were getting themselves into.

Mining researcher and activist Makhotla Sefuli backs this up.

He says criminal gangs specifically target children to work in illegal mines across South Africa.

Many of them are abducted from neighbouring countries and trafficked. They are enticed by baseless promises of finding them employment in the formal mining industry.

“Their passports are confiscated when they get to South Africa… It is common knowledge that these young boys are being abused,” Mr Sefuli says.

The BBC has spoken to miners who worked in at least two other illegal mines who told us they saw children being abused in the shafts where they were working.

Tshepo, not his real name, says he saw older men forcing young boys to have sex with them underground.

“In some instances, they did it for the money. Some are recruited solely for that purpose, because of the financial incentives that will come with the practice of maybe trading sex underground.”

He adds that the abuse deeply affected the children.

“They change their behaviour patterns and have trust issues. They don’t want you to get close to them, because they feel that they can no longer trust anyone.”

South Africa’s illegal mining industry made global headlines last year following a standoff between police and miners at the Buffelsfontein gold mine, near the town of Stilfontein in the North West Province.

The authorities had been trying to curb illegal mining, which the government said cost South Africa’s economy $3.2bn (£2.6bn) in lost revenue last year.

They launched an operation called Vala Umgodi, or seal the hole, in December 2023, promising to take a tough stance on the gangs.

As part of the operation, the police limited the amount of food and water that went down the Stilfontein mine to, as one minister put it, “smoke out” the illegal miners. Officials said the men were refusing to come out for fear of being arrested.

Soon footage began to emerge from within the mine showing dozens of emaciated men begging to be rescued, as well as rows of body bags. Eventually a court ordered the authorities to save the men.

Among those brought up were many who said they were underage, but as a number of them were migrants without documents confirming how old they were, the authorities carried out medical tests to get an estimate.

Through this, the Department of Social Development (DSD) confirmed that 31 of the rescued Stilfontein miners were found to be children. They were all Mozambicans nationals and in November, 27 of them were repatriated.

Save the Children South Africa helped translate some of the interviews between the underage miners and the rescue workers.

“They went through trauma, because some of them also saw others being sexually exploited,” the charity’s CEO Gugu Xaba tells the BBC.

“Just the feeling that they may not come out of there destroyed those children mentally.

“The adult miners would start by grooming them, by acting like they like them.”

She says the children were then made to perform sexual acts on the adults and they were then raped, days after day.

“You find that the adult will have three or four of them that they are doing the same thing to.”

Ms Xaba says mining gangs recruit children because they are easier to manipulate and cheaper.

“Children don’t understand when you say: ‘I’ll pay you 20 rands ($1; £0.80) per day.’ The adults sometimes refuse to work, but children find themselves with no choice. So it’s easier to use a child to do the work. It’s easier to take a child who’s kind of voiceless and to bring them down there.”

Beyond being exploited financially, she says there are gangs that recruit children specifically for sex.

Many illegal miners spend months underground, rarely going up to the surface. Markets spring up underground to provide them with anything they need.

“Most children are trafficked in order to be used as sex slaves. And you’ve got a pimp who is taking the money, and it means every day this child is used as a commercial sex worker.”

The BBC asked the police and the DSD whether anyone would be charged over the sexual abuse allegations. They did not respond to our requests.

A source working on the Stilfontein miners’ cases said many of the children did not want to testify.

Meanwhile, the illegal mining industry continues to thrive.

And with an estimated 6,000 vacant mines potentially available to explore, it is a business that is unlikely to end anytime soon, leaving thousands of vulnerable children at risk.

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The practice, in use for the last two decades, has long been criticised by opposition politicians and rights campaigners who accuse the government of using courts martial to silence opponents, which it denies.

In a post on the X platform, parliament said the legislation had been passed.

The head of the military, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, praised the speaker of parliament and government lawmakers for passing the bill. “Today, you proved you are fearless patriots! Uganda will remember your courage and commitment,” he said on X.

Military spokesman Chris Magezi said the law “will deal decisively with armed violent criminals, deter the formation of militant political groups that seek to subvert democratic processes, and ensure national security is bound on a firm foundational base.”

During a debate on the law, opposition politician Jonathan Odur, said the legislation was “shallow, unreasonable and unconstitutional.”

“There’s no legal basis to provide for trial of civilians in the military court.”

The next step will be for President Yoweri Museveni to approve the law for it to take effect.

In a ruling in January, Uganda’s Supreme Court forbade military trials of civilians, saying the tribunals lacked legal competence to handle criminal trials in a fair and impartial manner.

The verdict forced authorities to transfer the trial of a major opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, who was undergoing military prosecution for offences including treason, to a civilian court.

Besigye, who has previously challenged incumbent Museveni four times in elections, was detained in neighbouring Kenya last year and brought to Uganda to face a military court.

His lawyers and his party, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), have called the charges politically motivated.

Opposition leader Bobi Wine was also in 2018 charged in a military court for alleged illegal possession of firearms although the charges against the pop star-turned-politician were later dropped.

Human Rights Watch has previously criticised Uganda’s military courts, saying they did not meet international judicial standards of competence, independence and impartiality.

The courts also routinely use evidence extracted through torture of defendants while also ignoring other key fair trial rules, the rights group said. The military denies the accusations.

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Declaring that “Africa’s time is now,” he said the continent has all it needs to lead in innovation—if only leaders and institutions remain committed to bold, tech-driven reforms.

Using Ghana as a beacon, Dr. Bawumia highlighted how digitisation has improved government transparency and expanded access to services.

He noted the implementation of a national digital property address system, the Ghana Card as a unique identifier, and a groundbreaking mobile money interoperability platform that has become a model for other countries.

He pointed out that digital platforms have allowed governments to collect revenue more efficiently, deliver social interventions with precision, and fight corruption through traceable transactions.

“When the systems work,” he stated, “the people benefit.”

His remarks echoed a broader theme of building trust in public institutions through smart technology.

Dr. Bawumia emphasised the need for Africa to build homegrown digital solutions.

“We cannot rely on imported systems that do not understand our unique challenges,” he warned.

He encouraged the continent’s entrepreneurs and developers to lead the next wave of African innovation and pledged Ghana’s support for regional tech collaboration.

His central message—that digital transformation is not a luxury but a necessity—resonated strongly with the students, scholars, and professionals present.

Sylvia Bongo, 62, and Nourredin Bongo, 33, were taken into custody shortly after Ali Bongo was toppled in a military coup more than a year and a half ago.

They had most recently been held in basement cells in the presidential palace in Libreville, one of the sources said.

The transfer to house arrest – where they have been reunited with Ali Bongo – came on May 9 after pressure from African Union officials for their release. On May 1, one of the sources said, they had been hospitalized after staging a hunger strike.

Sylvia Bongo and Nourredin Bongo stand accused of crimes including embezzlement and money laundering. Their supporters have said they were tortured in custody.

In an interview with Radio France Internationale in March, President Brice Oligui Nguema denied they had been tortured and said their trials would go ahead.

Gabon’s communications minister, Paul-Marie Gondjout, did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Nguema was elected to seven-year term last month with nearly 95% of the vote and sworn into office on May 3.

In a meeting on April 30, the African Union’s Peace and Security Council lifted its suspension of Gabon, which was imposed after the coup.

In a statement, the council called for the immediate release of Ali Bongo’s family and for guarantees that their rights and health would be protected.

A representative for the family said Sylvia and Nourredin Bongo would not make a public comment.

“This house arrest, which their lawyers have long been calling for, cannot be seen as clemency on the part of a government that has violated all the rights of the defence for more than 20 months,” said Alain Claude Bilie By Nze, a former prime minister under Bongo who ran in the election against Nguema.

“However, it is to be hoped that the trial, if it takes place, will respect all the legal guarantees of impartiality, fairness and transparency,” he said.

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The group of Afrikaners arrived in the US on Monday after President Donald Trump granted them refugee status, saying they faced racial discrimination.

But Ramaphosa said those who wanted to leave were not happy with efforts to address the inequities of the apartheid past, terming their relocation a “sad moment for them”.

“As South Africans, we are resilient. We don’t run away from our problems. We must stay here and solve our problems. When you run away you are a coward, and that’s a real cowardly act,” he added.

Trump and his close ally, South Africa-born Elon Musk, have said there was a “genocide” of white farmers in South Africa – a claim that has been widely discredited.

The US has also accused the South African government of seizing land from white farmers without paying compensation.

More than 30 years after the end of decades of rule by South Africa’s white minority, black farmers own only a small fraction of the country’s best farmland, with the majority still in white hands, leading to anger over the slow pace of change.

In January President Ramaphosa signed a controversial law allowing the government to seize privately owned land without compensation in certain circumstances, when it is deemed “equitable and in the public interest”.

But the government says no land has yet been seized under the act.

• Racially charged row between Musk and South Africa over Starlink
• What’s really driving Trump’s fury with South Africa?

Trump has offered to resettle the white Afrikaners, descendants of mostly Dutch settlers, saying they were fleeing a “terrible situation” in South Africa.

Speaking on Monday at an agricultural exhibition in the Free State province, Ramaphosa said the Afrikaners were moving to the US because they were not “favourably disposed” to efforts aimed at addressing the country’s challenges.

“If you look at all national groups in our country, black and white, they’ve stayed in this country because it’s our country and we must not run away from our problems. We must stay here and solve our problems,” Ramaphosa said.

“I can bet you that they will be back soon because there is no country like South Africa,” he added.

His “coward” remark angered some social media users, who condemned it as an insult to aggrieved white South Africans.

The group of Afrikaners were welcomed by top US officials who claimed they had been “living under a shadow of violence and terror” in South Africa.

“Welcome to the land of the free,” Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau said as he received the South Africans who landed at Dulles airport near Washington DC on Monday.

Some held young children and waved small American flags in the arrival area adorned with red, white and blue balloons on the walls.

Earlier on Monday, President Ramaphosa told an Africa CEO forum in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, that he had recently told Trump during a phone call the US assessment of the situation was “not true”.

“We’re the only country on the continent where the colonisers came to stay and we have never driven them out of our country,” he added, dismissing claims Afrikaners were being persecuted.

Ramaphosa said dozens of white South Africans who arrived in the US on Monday “don’t fit the bill” for refugees.

According to the US embassy in South Africa, to be considered eligible for the refugee resettlement scheme, someone must be:

• Of South African nationality
• Afrikaner or from a racial minority
• Able to cite an incident of past persecution or fear of persecution in the future.

The South African leader said he was due to meet his US counterpart soon regarding the issue.

Trump has threatened to boycott the forthcoming G20 summit in South Africa unless the “situation is taken care of”.

Mamani Nassire, the minister of political reforms, read out the decree signed by military government president Assimi Goita on television.

“Political parties and organizations of a political nature are dissolved throughout the national territory,” Nassire said.

“It is forbidden for members of dissolved political parties and political organizations to hold any meetings,” he added, reading from the decree.

 

The announcement follows an increasing number of pro-democracy activists being kidnapped from the streets of the capital Bamako.

It also comes days after a pro-democracy protest was held.

 

Why did Mali’s junta ban political parties?

Mali has been under military rule since a pair of coups in 2020 and 2021 led by Goita. While the leader has assured the people that elections will be held, the promised ballot of February 2022 was delayed for “technical reasons.” No revised timeline for elections has been provided.

In April, ministers of the transitional government recommended extending Goita’s presidency until 2030.

On Monday, Mali’s National Transition Council, the transitional legislative body, voted in favor of the dissolution of political parties.

“This decision deals a severe blow to the reconciliation process that began last year,” wrote Mali’s former prime minister, Moussa Mara, on his X account.

Opposition leaders go missing after protests

Bamako has seen a wave of protests in recent weeks. Several hundred people took to the streets on May 3 and May 4, carrying placards and demanding a multi-party election.

A protest planned for May 9 led to the military government suspending all political activities in the country.

Several pro-democracy activists have since gone missing, sparking fears of a wider repression of dissent.

In a statement last week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that two opposition leaders had gone missing, suggesting they may have been “forcibly disappeared.”

The watchdog said one opposition leader was taken by “masked gunmen claiming to be gendarmes” on May 8 and another was taken on the same day by “unidentified men” outside Bamako.

Both leaders had been part of the protests on May 3.

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This new team will assist existing and potential clients in building their businesses and navigating the complexities of the African continent.

In addition to Edelman’s established network of vetted partners that span all 54 African countries, providing on-the-ground tactical support, this move positions Edelman Africa as the most connected communications advisory on the continent, making it the leading provider of communications advisory across the regions.

To build upon Edelman Africa’s already established teams in Southern and East Africa, the regional advisory team will be co-led by two external advisors, handpicked for their decades of experience across their respective regions: Kwame Senou, Executive Director of The Holding Opinion and Public (THOP) in Côte d’Ivoire, and Kamal Taibi, Founder & CEO of Stratëus Group in Morocco.

Navigating the Crisis of Grievance

Increasing market volatility, institutional failures, and growing mistrust of leaders in government, business, and media are symptoms of a crisis of grievance: a sense of unfairness and a lack of confidence in institutions to improve the continent and its respective countries. This issue was highlighted in the 2025 Edelman Global Trust Barometer Data.

For governments, multinational corporations, and NGOs hoping to expand their presence in Africa, building trust will be crucial to counter this sense of grievance.

“As our Trust research has shown, when institutions can’t be trusted to do what is right, levels of grievance arise. That’s why we must focus on increasing optimism and helping organisations rebuild trust in the local communities where they operate. This is especially important for those building their presence in Africa,” says Karena Crerar, CEO of Edelman Africa.

“Multinational corporations and other institutions can no longer afford to be out of touch. Nuanced, regional strategies must be in place to reflect Africa’s complex socioeconomic environments. You can’t transplant multinational business and communication models into a given country and hope they’ll stick. You need a top-down understanding of every market,” she adds.

“This launch marks a significant step forward in how we support our clients’ ambitions across Africa. By bringing together deep regional expertise with the global reach of Edelman, we’re equipping institutions with the insight and guidance they need to navigate complex markets, earn trust, and drive impact at scale. It’s a strategic move that reflects both the growing importance of Africa in global growth plans and our commitment to being a trusted partner on that journey,” says Justin Westcott, COO of Edelman EMEA.

Tailored Solutions for a Dynamic Continent

From public affairs influencing local policy to crisis communications, on-the-ground presence to regional analysis, this team will focus on not only tactical implementation in each country but also strategic regional advisory for clientele operating in multiple African markets.

“This is a pivotal moment, where our role is to navigate the complexities and deliver tailored solutions. West and Central Africa presents a dynamic landscape ripe with opportunities. Through this unique strategic alliance, we are well-positioned to support the ambitions of both global players and regional champions, driving meaningful impact across the region,” says Senou.

North Africa also offers compelling prospects, says Taibi: “The region’s strategic location bridging Europe, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa creates a hub for logistics and trade. Countries like Morocco and Egypt have become focal points for industries such as automotive manufacturing, energy transition, and agribusiness.”

Organisations working with Edelman on the continent will receive ongoing, bespoke advice based on their current organisational strategy and market expansion plans. They will then work alongside the advisors to understand all aspects of the market, region, neighbouring markets, and overall context.

“Our advisors will then guide clientele on a strategic approach, going beyond Public Relations and tactical implementation. Instead, they will help tailor organisational goals into a regionally nuanced, culturally sensitive communications programme focused on the stakeholders they want to reach. They will then work with our partner network across more than 50 African countries to implement these strategies and create the greatest possible positive impact for both the organisations and the communities in which they work,” says Crerar.

The ERA Structure:

Steering this advisory team will be Karena Crerar, Edelman Africa CEO, with the following advisors overseeing each region:

• Kwame Senou, Executive Director, THOP, Côte d’Ivoire (West and Central Africa)

• Kamal Taibi, Founder & CEO, Stratëus Group, Morocco (North Africa)

• Corazon Sefu, Edelman Kenya Managing Director (East Africa Advisor)

• Geraldine Mamburu, Edelman Africa Business Development Director (Southern Africa)

Karena Crerar, Edelman Africa CEO, says: “As a leading communications consultancy in Africa, and a global leader in Trust, now is our moment to spearhead the African growth agenda for our industry, our people, and our clients – both on the continent and in international markets where interest in our dynamic continent remains high.”

She continues: “We aim to advise our clients on the nuances of Africa through a country-specific, regional, and continent-wide lens, ensuring their communications create positive economic and social impact. This, alongside access to Edelman’s global capabilities, will allow us to design communication strategies for clients that drive meaningful change while fostering sustainable growth – helping us to push back against the crisis of grievance,” says Crerar.

The flooding, which affected the village of Kasaba, comes at a vulnerable moment for the Central African nation. Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have intensified an offensive in the eastern region since the start of the year, with thousands killed in fighting in the first two months of the year.

Samy Kalodji, administrator of Fizi territory in South Kivu province where the village is located, said late on Saturday that reports from the area “indicated more than 100 deaths.”

The affected area is still under the administration of Kinshasa and is not among the zones taken by M23.

Didier Luganywa, spokesperson for the South Kivu government, said in a statement the flooding incident occurred between Thursday night and Friday when torrential rains and strong winds caused the Kasaba river to overflow its banks.

The statement gave a toll of 62 confirmed deaths with 30 injured.

Local officials said the Kasaba area was only accessible via Lake Tanganyika and was not covered by the mobile phone network, which could delay humanitarian relief efforts.

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He pointed out that this can be achieved if leaders are transparent and account for loans acquired for economic development.

Speaking at the First African Union Debt Conference in Lome, Togo, President Mahama said borrowing must be tied to high-impact projects to reflect in the economic well-being of African people.

“Debt should serve the people. This means strengthening parliamentary oversight, enhancing public debt audits, and promoting open budget systems. According to the IMF, less than 40% of African countries publish detailed debt reports. This must change”, he said.

He stated that debt must be seen as a channel to undertake high-end projects that will directly improve the living conditions of people.

President Mahama called for a paradigm shift in the publication of debt accounts to boost investor confidence in African economies.

“If we are to shift from managing debt crises to unlocking debt as a tool for development, then Africa must adopt a new public debt management agenda rooted in foundational pillars. The first is transparency and accountability”.

Citing Ghana as an example, President Mahama said the government has decided to channel debt into productive sectors of the economy that will directly improve the conditions of Ghanaians.

He stated for example that Ghana has decided to heavily invest in agriculture and manufacturing to create sustainable jobs.

“The second is productive, efficient, and responsible borrowing. Borrowing must be tied to high-impact projects that deliver tangible returns to our people. In Ghana, we are prioritizing value-added agriculture, renewable energy, road and digital infrastructure, as well as the health and education sectors”, he said.

The African Union Conference on Debt is a three-day event held under the theme: “Africa’s Public Debt Management Agenda: Restoring and Safeguarding Debt Sustainability.”

This conference convened AU Member States, policymakers, financial experts, and key stakeholders, including representatives from Ministries of Finance, African Central Banks, Regional Economic Communities, African Multilateral Financial Institutions, and Civil Society Organizations.

The Conference focused on ways to facilitate knowledge exchange and share cutting-edge practices in debt management in African Union Member States.

It is also aimed at formulating a position on the needed reforms to the current global financial architecture to address the current debt crisis on the continent.

The conference will also help formulate and discuss innovative debt financing mechanisms for securing new financing while maintaining debt sustainability.

His message has resonated across Africa and beyond, with his admirers seeing him as following in the footsteps of African heroes like Burkina Faso’s very own Thomas Sankara – a Marxist revolutionary who is sometimes referred to as “Africa’s Che Guevara”.

“Traoré’s impact is huge. I have even heard politicians and authors in countries like Kenya [in East Africa] say: ‘This is it. He is the man’,” Beverly Ochieng, a senior researcher at global consultancy firm Control Risks, told the BBC.

“His messages reflect the age we are living in, when many Africans are questioning the relationship with the West, and why there is still so much poverty in such a resource-rich continent,” she said.

After seizing power in a coup in 2022, Traoré’s regime ditched former colonial power France in favour of a strong alliance with Russia, that has included the deployment of a Russian paramilitary brigade, and adopted left-wing economic policies.

This included setting up a state-owned mining company, requiring foreign firms to give it a 15% stake in their local operations and to transfer skills to Burkinabé people.

The rule also applied to Russian miner Nordgold, which was given a licence in late April for its latest investment in Burkina Faso’s gold industry.

As part of what Traoré calls a “revolution” to ensure Burkina Faso benefits from its mineral wealth, the junta is also building a gold refinery and establishing national gold reserves for the first time in the nation’s history.

However, Western-owned firms appear to be facing a tough time, with Australia-headquartered Sarama Resources launching arbitration proceedings against Burkina Faso in late 2024 following the withdrawal of an exploration licence.

The junta has also nationalised two gold mines previously owned by a London-listed firm, and said last month that it planned to take control of more foreign-owned mines.

Enoch Randy Aikins, a researcher at South Africa’s Institute for Security Studies, told the BBC that Traoré’s radical reforms had increased his popularity in Africa.

“He is now arguably Africa’s most popular, if not favourite, president,” Mr Aikins said.

His popularity has been fuelled through social media, including many misleading posts intended to bolster his revolutionary image.

AI-generated videos of music stars like R Kelly, Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Beyoncé are seen immortalising him through song – though they have done nothing of the sort.

Ms Ochieng said that Traoré first caught the attention of Africans when he spoke at the Russia-Africa summit in 2023, telling African leaders to “stop behaving like puppets who dance every time the imperialists pull the strings”.

This speech was heavily publicised by Russian media, which has become a major player in promoting Traoré’s pan-Africanist image.

Thanks to his rhetoric and pushed by a slick social media campaign, his appeal has spread around the world, including among African-Americans and Black Britons, Ms Ochieng noted.

“Everyone who has experienced racism, colonialism and slavery can relate to his messages,” Ms Ochieng said, pointing out that African-American rapper Meek Mill had posted about him on X late last year, saying how much he liked his “energy and heart” – though he was ridiculed for mixing up names by referring to Traoré as Burkina Faso and later deleted the post.

But France’s president is not a fan, describing Traoré as part of a “baroque alliance between self-proclaimed pan-Africans and neo-imperialists”.

Emmanuel Macron was also referring to Russia and China, whom he accused, in a 2023 speech, of provoking coups in Africa’s former French colonies, and hypocritically stirring up old arguments over sovereignty and colonial exploitation.

Traoré’s popularity comes even though he has failed to fulfil his pledge to quell a 10-year Islamist insurgency that has fuelled ethnic divisions and has now spread to once-peaceful neighbours like Benin.

His junta has also cracked down on dissent, including the opposition, media and civil society groups and punished critics, among them medics and magistrates, by sending them to the front-lines of the war against the jihadists.

For Rinaldo Depagne, the Africa deputy director of the International Crisis Group think-tank, Traoré commands such support because “he is young in a country with a young population” – the median age is 17.7 years.

“He is media-savvy, and uses the past to build his popularity as a reincarnation of Sankara,” he told the BBC.

“And he knows the art of politics – how to make a nation completely traumatised by war feel there is a better future. He is really good at that game.”

Sankara rose to power in a coup in 1983 at the age of 33, rallied the nation under the motto “Fatherland or death, we will win!”, and was killed four years later in another coup that put Burkina Faso back in France’s political orbit until Traoré’s seizure of power.

Ghanaian security analyst Prof Kwesi Aning, who previously worked at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, said the popularity of the military leader reflected a political shift taking place on the continent, especially in West Africa.

A 2024 survey in 39 countries by Afrobarometer showed a drop in support for democracy, although it remained the most popular form of government.

“Democracy has failed to give hope to the youth. It has not delivered jobs or better education and health,” Prof Aning told the BBC.

He said Traoré was “offering an alternative, and re-capturing the spirit of two historic epochs”:

• The post-independence era, when there were leaders like Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah and Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia
• And a later era with Sankara and Ghana’s Jerry Rawlings, whose coup in 1979 “was also very popular at the time”.

It was Traoré who stole the show at the inauguration of Ghana’s President John Mahama in January, when he arrived wearing battle fatigues with a pistol in his holster.

“There were already 21 heads of state there, but when Traoré walked in, the place lit up. Even my president’s bodyguards were running after him,” Prof Aning said.

Traoré offered a sharply contrasting image to some of the continent’s other leaders, who struggled to walk but clung to power by rigging elections, he said.

“Traoré is stylish and confident, with a very open face and a small smile. He is also a powerful orator, and presents himself as a man of the people.”

In a sign that his Russian-allied junta has made some progress on the economic front, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank have given a generally upbeat assessment.

In a statement in early April, the IMF said that despite a “challenging humanitarian and security” environment, the economy was expected to remain “robust” in 2025, and the regime had made “commendable progress” in raising domestic revenue, containing the public wage bill, and increasing spending on education, health and social protection.

As for the World Bank, it said that inflation had surged from 0.7% in 2023 to 4.2% in 2024, but the extreme poverty rate, which refers to people living on less than $2.15 [£1.61] a day, had fallen by almost two percentage points to 24.9% because of “robust growth” in the agriculture and services sectors.

Despite these reports from US-based financial institutions, relations with both France and America have been frosty.

A recent example being the claim by the head of the US Africa Command, Gen Michael Langley, that Traoré was using Burkina Faso’s gold reserves for his junta’s protection rather than the nation’s benefit.

This appeared to be a reference to the long-standing view of the US, and some of its African allies, that Russian forces were propping up Traoré in exchange for a stake in Burkina Faso’s gold industry – undermining the military ruler’s image as a leader who expelled French troops in 2023 to reclaim the country’s sovereignty.

Gen Langley’s comments, made in early April during a US Senate committee hearing, triggered an uproar among the captain’s supporters, who felt their hero was being smeared.

This was further inflamed when shortly afterwards, the Burkinabé junta said it had foiled a coup plot, alleging the plotters were based in neighbouring Ivory Coast – where Gen Langley then made a visit.

Ivory Coast denied being involved in any plot, while the US Africa Command said Gen Langley’s visit had focused on addressing “common security challenges” – including “violent extremism”.

But the junta took the opportunity to organise one of its biggest rallies in Burkina Faso’s capital over fears that “imperialists” and their “lackeys” were trying to depose the captain.

“Because Colin Powell lied, Iraq was destroyed. Barack Obama lied, Gaddafi was killed. But this time, their lies won’t affect us,” one protester, musician Ocibi Johann, told the Associated Press news agency.

Rallies in solidarity with Traoré were also held abroad, including in London, on the same day.

He took to social media afterwards, posting in French and English, to express his gratitude to them for sharing his vision “for a new Burkina Faso and a new Africa”, adding: “Together, in solidarity, we will defeat imperialism and neo-colonialism for a free, dignified and sovereign Africa.”

It is impossible to say how things will end for the young captain, but he – along with military leaders in Mali and Niger – have certainly shaken up West Africa, and other states have followed their example by ordering French forces to leave.

The three military-ruled neighbours have also pulled out of the regional trade and security grouping Ecowas, formed their own alliance, and have ended free trade in the region by announcing the imposition of a 0.5% tariff on goods coming into their countries.

Mr Aikins said Traoré could learn from others, pointing out that when Rawlings took power in Ghana at the age of 32, he was known as “Junior Jesus” but after 19 years he left a mixed legacy – he had been unable to stem corruption despite helping to create an “enduring” democracy.

For a “lasting legacy”, Mr Aikins said, Traoré should focus on achieving peace and building strong state institutions to bring about good governance rather than “personalising” power and cracking down on dissent.

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South African National Parks (SANParks) and the Endangered Wildlife Trust said it was one of the largest vulture poisoning events in Southern Africa.

Officials from the organisations suspect poachers are to blame as they are increasingly using agricultural toxins to target species whose body parts are in demand for traditional medicine.

Some of the vultures rescued are classified as endangered or critically endangered, including the white-backed vulture.

The rescue was made possible by a wildlife-poisoning detection system in a remote section of the Kruger park.

After being alerted to suspicious activity, the rangers who arrived on site discovered 116 dead vultures near an elephant carcass laced with poison.

The death toll later rose to 123 vultures as more birds died on the way to a rehabilitation centre.

SANParks spokesperson Ike Phaahla told Reuters it was not clear which species the poachers were targeting but said the incident was concerning because the vultures that were killed only breed once a year.

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This call was made during a visit by the Coalition, alongside environmental NGO A Rocha Ghana, to the Ghana Mine Repository and Tracking Control Centre, which monitors earth-moving equipment within mining concessions.

Speaking at the visit on Wednesday, May 7, the Coalition’s Convenor, Dr. Ken Ashigbey, emphasized that expanding the tracking system would enable security agencies to more effectively detect and prevent illegal mining operations across the country.

“These excavators are not mobile phones you can hide in your pocket,” Dr. Ashigbey stated. “With proper tracking and QR code identification, police should be able to monitor and verify whether equipment is being used lawfully.”

Dr. Ashigbey called on the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and the Minerals Commission to scale up the initiative, urging more robust measures to crack down on galamsey.

Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ending mining activities in Ghana’s forest reserves. As part of a broader 120-day action plan to reform the mining sector, President Mahama announced plans to amend the Minerals and Mining Act, 2003 (Act 703), to permanently outlaw mining in protected forest areas.

“Seven out of nine reserves have been reclaimed, and illegal miners have been flushed out,” President Mahama stated, adding that a legislative instrument—L.I. 2462—was presented to Parliament on March 20, 2025, to remove the president’s discretionary power to permit mining in forest reserves.

The proposed reforms also include tougher enforcement measures, collaboration with stakeholders, and the reclamation of degraded lands.

Malema said the UK had no “substantial justification” for its decision, and he saw it as an “attempt to silence a dissenting political perspective”.

In a leaked letter to Malema’s deputy, the UK High Commissioner to South Africa, Antony Phillipson, said the Home Office had been unable to process his visa application in time for his trip.

Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, is a fierce critic of what he sees as “Western imperialism”, and also advocates the nationalisation of white-owned land in South Africa.

A Home Office spokesperson told the BBC that they do not comment on individual cases.

In a post on X, the EFF said the High Commission had “actively delayed the processing and approval” of their leader’s visa so that he could not speak at the University of Cambridge on 10 May.

He had been invited by the university’s African Society to address its Africa Together Conference, the EFF added.

In his letter, which the BBC has been told is genuine, Mr Phillipson said that he wanted to “personally apologise” that the Home Office in the UK had been “unable to process the application in time owing to the necessary steps required to consider visa applications and the unfortunate timing of some recent UK Bank Holidays”.

He added that he had taken a “personal interest in the issue” over the last week.

“I recognise that this will be deeply disappointing, especially as the delegation applied in advance and some paid for priority service,” Mr Phillipson said, in the letter to the EFF’s Godrich Gardee.

Mr Phillipson added that the Home Office had agreed to refund the application fee.

Malema said on X that the EFF delegation had been promised that “everything would be sorted”, but received a “regret letter just hours before our departure”.

“This is unacceptable and spineless,” he added.

The UK had a bank, or public, holiday on 5 May.

His 46-year-old wife has been arrested in connection with the death of her husband, Patrick Bainomugisha, who was reportedly killed on the night of April 13, 2025, in Kaniga 1 Village, according to preliminary police investigations.

The alleged murder stemmed from a domestic dispute. Local security committee chairperson, Michael Tindyebwa, said the suspect told him at the police station that she “hit Bainomugisha with a club on the back of the neck by mistake during a domestic quarrel,” resulting in his immediate death, after which she buried him.

Rwengwe Sub-county chairperson, Frank Mukama, said residents gathered at Bainomugisha’s home after he had been missing since before Easter.

By Sunday evening, police had been deployed to secure the premises while awaiting the court order to enter the bedroom where the body is believed to be buried.

Buhweju Resident District Commissioner, Pulkeria Muhindo, emphasized the need for due process.

“We cannot just exhume the body of the deceased because it needs a court process,” she said.

Muhindo added that the suspect is in custody and urged family heads to fulfill their responsibilities to prevent domestic violence. She noted that the wife accused the deceased of neglecting his family duties, particularly in paying school fees.

“The cause of the murder is domestic violence, and it was a very unfortunate incident resulting from misunderstandings between the couple. The suspect accused the deceased of not catering for the children, especially in terms of paying school fees,” she stated.

Buhweju District Police Commander, Tumusiime, added that the suspect, Nshemererwe, was apprehended on April 14 in Mbarara City while attempting to flee, and is currently detained at Buhweju Police Station.

The exhumation of Bainomugisha’s body is pending the necessary legal procedures.

Widely shared video clips show the footwear striking the president’s left arm as he held it aloft while he was speaking.

Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura condemned what happened and called for those behind it to be “apprehended”. “What would happen if we all decided to throw shoes at each other? What values are we teaching our children?” he asked in post on X calling for the institution of the presidency to be respected.

Kenyan media are reporting that three people have been arrested, but the police have not confirmed this.

Some MPs have also criticised the shoe-throwing, which has been described as a major security lapse.

Dennis Itumbi, a senior official in the president’s office, has described the incident as a “moment that got out of hand” suggesting that it happened by accident.

On Facebook, he shared a video taken from a different angle, which he said showed a person lifting a shoe “in jest, pretending to be a camera” and another person slapping it away, “annoyed that the ‘shoe-cam’ blocked his view”.

“Unfortunately, it flew forward… straight toward the president,” he said.

The president was addressing a crowd at a public event in the western county of Migori as part of a three-day tour of the region where he has been launching and commissioning development projects.

While the views of some ordinary Kenyans chime with the feeling that the shoe-throwing was disrespectful, others have suggested that it reflected frustrations over the state of the economy.

An official video of the event shared by the president on X does not show the shoe incident, which appears to have happened off-camera.

However, commotion within the crowd is briefly seen. The president is heard asking his security officers, who may have been about to look for the culprit, to leave the people in the audience alone.

The screen then goes blank before and minutes later the video shows other people speaking at the rally.

The shoe-throwing comes amid growing concerns over the safety of public officials. Last week, an opposition MP was shot dead in the capital, Nairobi, by gunmen on a motorcycle in a suspected assassination.

Nelson Koech, an MP in the president’s party, said Sunday’s incident was an “affront to our democracy” adding that “we have taken a joke too far”.

“You can imagine if that shoe was a bullet… people joke about the security of the president. It took a very bold step for someone to take their shoe and throw it at the president.

“We must secure the head of state,” he told local station Citizen TV.

Migori is in a region considered to be a stronghold of veteran opposition politician Raila Odinga, who ran against Ruto in the 2022 presidential election, but who has since made a deal with the president.

The agreement signed in March between Odinga and Ruto was “to help ease the prevailing tension in the country”, following deadly anti-tax demonstrations last year.

Since he became president in 2022, Ruto has faced protests from Kenyans frustrated with the cost of living and increased taxes.

At a ceremony attended by 16 other African heads of state at a packed stadium north of the capital Libreville, the former leader of the military junta was sworn in for a seven-year term.

Nguema, 50, who served under Omar Bongo and his son Ali Bongo, has vowed to reduce rampant youth unemployment in the oil-rich nation and pursue education reforms.

“Today we celebrate democratic renewal,” he said during his swearing-in.

“I promise to serve, protect and unite all Gabonese, that is the meaning of my oath.”

Nguema also promised “a different Gabon, in line with our aspirations […] we will diversify our economy through the transformation of our raw materials.”

How did Nguema come to power?

Nguema swept elections on April 12 with nearly 95% of the vote, defeating seven other candidates, including outgoing Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who finished second with just 3%. None of the other six candidates scored more than 1%.

His inauguration ends 19 months of military rule since he led the coup that ousted Ali Bongo — who is also his cousin — in August 2023.

At the time, Nguema had vowed to restore civilian rule through “free, transparent and credible elections” after a transitional period.

During that transition, he launched multiple construction projects in a bid to boost Gabon’s severely lacking infrastructure, including its aging electricity grid which suffers frequent power cuts.

He also vowed to crack down on corruption in the country, which is saddled by massive debt that is forecast to reach 80 percent of GDP this year.

Despite enjoying vast oil riches, a third of Gabon’s 2.3 million people live in poverty, while youth unemployment is around 40%.

Gabon will hold legislative and local elections in September.

Who else attended the inauguration ceremony?

Gambian President Adama Barrow, Senegal’s Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Djibouti’s Ismail Omar Guelleh and Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo were all in attendance.

The respective presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, Felix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame, also attended the ceremony.

The two Central African neighbors are currently engaged in talks to halt the fighting in the eastern DRC.

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The women were reportedly offering sexual services for an additional charge during massage sessions, a practice that has become increasingly common in some massage parlours in Harare, where it is used to attract more clients.

The women, including four teenagers, have appeared in court facing charges of soliciting for pr0stitution after allegedly advertising massage and sexual services on social media platforms.

The women were arrested after a police sting operation, where officers posed as potential clients responding to an online advert offering massage sessions with additional sexual services for US$20.

The arrested women, who protected their identities by covering their faces, were escorted by police officers without shoes and directed to the court.

They are charged under Section 81(b)(2) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, which criminalizes soliciting for prostitution.

The group appeared before Harare magistrate Tapiwa Banda but were not asked to plead.

The case has been postponed to Tuesday, May 6, for bail consideration, with the nine women remaining in custody until then

Kelly Smith, her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn were arrested after Smith’s daughter, Joshlin, went missing from outside her home in Saldanha Bay, near Cape Town, in February last year.

Appollis and Van Rhyn were also found guilty on Friday of kidnapping and trafficking Joshlin. All three had previously pleaded not guilty to to these charges.

Joshlin’s disappearance sent shockwaves across South Africa and despite a highly publicised search for her, she is yet to be found.

This development marks a significant political transformation in the small West African nation, where Gnassingbé’s family has held power for nearly six decades.

The constitutional reform, passed amid strong opposition and public outcry, has redefined Togo’s governance structure, with executive authority now vested in the Chair of the Council of Ministers, while the presidency becomes a largely ceremonial role.

In a parallel move, the Togolese National Assembly has elected Jean-Lucien Kwassi Lanyo Savi de Tové, a former Minister of Trade (2007–2009) and seasoned opposition figure, as President of the Republic.

Under the new constitution, his role is largely symbolic, stripped of executive powers.

The revised constitution, adopted by the National Assembly in April 2024 and officially promulgated the following month, stipulates that the Chairman of the Council of Ministers must come from the majority party in Parliament.

That position currently belongs to Gnassingbé’s Union for the Republic (UNIR) party, which secured 108 out of 113 seats in legislative elections last year, elections widely condemned by the opposition as a “masquerade”.

Critics argue that the constitutional overhaul is a calculated manoeuvre by Gnassingbé to extend his grip on power indefinitely, especially as his final presidential term under the old constitution approaches its end in 2025.

“Fully aware that his current mandate is his last under the previous system, Faure Gnassingbé, with the support of a National Assembly whose mandate has already expired, engineered this reform to retain power indefinitely,” said Professor Aimé Gogué, leader of the opposition Alliance for Democracy and Integral Development (ADDI). “Under this new parliamentary arrangement, he can rule for decades, unchecked.”

The reform has drawn strong condemnation from opposition parties and civil society organisations, locally and internationally, who view the process as undemocratic and designed to consolidate authoritarian rule.

Gnassingbé, who turns 59 on 6th June, first assumed the presidency in 2005 following the death of his father, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who had ruled Togo with an iron fist for 38 years.

As the political dynamics shift under the new parliamentary framework, questions remain about democratic accountability, institutional legitimacy, and the future of opposition politics in Togo.

The operation, codenamed Safe Wheels, took place from March 17 to 30, 2025 and involved national law enforcement agencies across 12 West African countries, including Ghana and Nigeria.

More than 12,600 vehicles were inspected during the operation, resulting in the seizure of over 75 vehicles and the launch of 18 new investigations into vehicle crime and its links to organised criminal networks.

According to INTERPOL, the majority of stolen vehicles were traced to Canada, while others were identified as having been stolen in France, Germany and the Netherlands. Toyota, Peugeot and Honda were the most commonly recovered makes.

“Each year, hundreds of thousands of vehicles are stolen around the world, yet the initial theft is often only the beginning of a vehicle’s journey into the global criminal underworld,” said David Caunter, INTERPOL’s Director of Organized and Emerging Crime.

“Stolen vehicles are trafficked across the globe, traded for drugs and other illicit commodities, enriching organized crime groups and even terrorists.

INTERPOL’s SMV (Stolen Motor Vehicle) database is the strongest tool we have to track stolen vehicles and identify the criminals involved in this global trade,” he added.

The SMV database, which INTERPOL provides to its 196 member states, allowed officers in the region to check suspicious vehicles and immediately confirm their status. In 2024 alone, the database helped identify around 270,000 stolen vehicles globally.

In Nigeria, the operation uncovered six high-end vehicles—four of which bore signs of forced entry—hidden in freight containers arriving in Lagos from Canada. The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) confirmed that all six vehicles, including Toyota and Lexus models, had been reported stolen in Canada in 2024. Investigations are ongoing in collaboration with Canada’s INTERPOL National Central Bureau.

In support of Safe Wheels, INTERPOL deployed nine officers and experts from its SMV Task Force, including a specialist from Canada, to assist local law enforcement in Benin, Cabo Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo.

The operation was carried out under Project Drive Out, a new partnership between INTERPOL and the Government of Canada aimed at curbing vehicle theft and the illegal trade in auto parts. Funding for the project was provided by Canada.

The participating INTERPOL member countries included Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo. Daily, law enforcement teams in these countries established an average of 46 checkpoints to inspect vehicles and track trafficked units.

Officials say the successful coordination of Safe Wheels highlights the growing threat of transnational vehicle crime in West Africa, often linked to broader networks of smuggling and illicit trade.

The operation marks a significant step in regional efforts to clamp down on organised vehicle theft and bolster international policing cooperation.

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The 41-year-old, who has seized power twice, was named transitional president after his last coup in 2021.

At the time, he promised to hold elections the following year – but has since reneged, in a blow to efforts to restore multi-party rule in the West African state.

A national conference organised by the regime – but boycotted by leading opposition parties – has now recommended naming Gen Goïta president until 2030.

He has not yet commented on the recommendation, but the conference was seen as an attempt to legitimise his bid to remain in power.

Over the weekend, an opposition leader, Mohamed Salia Touré, told the AFP news agency that suppressing the multi-party system would be a “historic error”.

The conference also recommended suspending anything to do with elections until there was peace in the country, according to a document seen by AFP.

The military government has been trying to quell jihadist violence unleashed by groups linked with the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda.

Since taking power, the junta leader has formed an alliance with coup leaders in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, pivoting the region towards Russia after drastically reducing ties with former colonial power France.

Gen Goïta has also withdrawn Mali from the regional bloc ECOWAS over its demands to restore diplomatic rule. Burkina Faso and Niger have also left the grouping.

He first staged a coup in August 2020, overthrowing then-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta after huge anti-government protests over his rule and his handling of the jihadist insurgency.

Gen Goïta handed power to an interim government that was to oversee the transition to elections within 18 months.

He had sought to lead that government, but ECOWAS insisted on a civilian leader.

Unhappy with the performance of the civilian transitional arrangement, he seized power again in May 2021.

He was a colonel at the time, but became a five-star general last year.

It follows a BBC Africa Eye investigation, exposing members of the security forces who shot dead three protesters at Kenya’s parliament, igniting public outrage and demands for justice.

Amnesty International and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) said the officers identified in the documentary should “face the law”.

Kenya’s government spokesman has responded by saying “every life is important”, the police watchdog is conducting an investigation and criticised the BBC documentary for being “one-sided”.

“Those who did the documentary should have sought government opinion… so that they can be fair and balanced,” Isaac Mwaura said.

“For example, they show the parliament being burnt, but they don’t show who is doing it; they seem to minimise the vandalisation that happened in parliament.”

He admitted the protesters had legitimate concerns about the finance bill but said: “We cannot have a country that also is led through anarchy and mayhem.”

The BBC had asked the government to take part in the documentary.

It was briefly discussed in Kenya’s parliament on Tuesday when MP John Kiarie accused the BBC of “pushing a foreign agenda”, while another MP, Millie Odhiambo, said the government and parliament should deal with the aftermath of the protests “soberly”, without gagging the media.

“The BBC documentary has created more anger among young people… You can’t stop the media,” Odhiambo said.

In response to the documentary before it was aired, the police service said the force could not investigate itself, adding that Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) was responsible for investigating alleged misconduct.

The Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) told the BBC the IPOA had not forwarded any request to look into any of its personnel involved in the operations at parliament.

BBC Africa Eye’s Blood Parliament documentary revealed how security forces brutally responded to youthful protesters who breached Kenya’s parliament on 25 June 2024, the day lawmakers voted to approve the proposed tax hikes.

The controversial finance bill was aimed at raising $2.7bn (£2bn) the government said it needed to cut its reliance on external borrowing – but had sparked widespread.

Using open-source data and user-generated content, the BBC’s analysis of more than 5,000 images identified uniformed security personnel – a policeman and soldier – who opened fire, killing three unarmed protesters at parliament.

The wider clampdown by the security forces on a series of protests against the finance bill left at least 65 people dead, resulted in the forcible disappearance of 89 others and the arrest of thousands, according to Amnesty International.

The Kenyan government put the death toll at 42.

On Monday, the BBC said it had cancelled a private screening of the documentary in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, “due to pressure from the authorities”.

“We are very disappointed not to have been able to share the documentary and panel discussion as planned,” a BBC spokesperson said.

“In the meantime, audiences can watch the film on BBC Africa’s YouTube channel,” the spokesperson added.

Amnesty said the documentary corroborated the group’s earlier report that “unnecessary and excessive lethal force was used against protesters”.

It called on the police and the army to “publicly state the actions being taken with regard to the findings of the BBC exposé”.

The rights group urged Kenyans to sign a petition calling for a public inquiry into the killings during what were dubbed the #OccupyParliament protests.

The KHRC said the BBC documentary revealed how “organised criminals in police and military uniforms” were deployed “to murder innocent Kenyans”.

It said the “responsibility rests with [President William] Ruto, who must be held accountable for these deaths”.

Kenyans expressed their anger online, pressing the government to hold security officers accountable for the killings and injuries of peaceful protesters.

Ruto has previously defended police against accusations of brutality and recently warned Kenyans against commenting on military matters.

Police have also repeatedly denied involvement in the abductions and killings. No officers have been charged.

On Monday, following the release of the BBC Africa Eye documentary, the IPOA gave an update on the investigations.

The authority revealed that so far, of the 60 deaths under investigation, 41 involved gunshot wounds.

The IPOA said it had completed 22 investigations, while it was actively pursuing 36, and that two cases were currently before the courts.

The investigating agency said it had recorded 233 injury cases during the demonstrations.

In a statement, the main opposition coalition said the “execution of peaceful protesters was premeditated and sanctioned at the highest levels”.

Mr Mwaura said the documentary risked “inciting Kenyans to violence” while one legislator called for the BBC to be banned in Kenya.

George Peter Kaluma, said that the 37-minute-long documentary risked “destabilising” the country.

But a senator, Edwin Sifuna, defended the documentary saying there were no “fabrications” in it.

“We must encourage these stories to be told from all angles for the sake of truth and justice. Those who are uncomfortable with this are wrestling with their own consciences and we cannot help them with that,” Sifuna posted on X.

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Local media report that a meeting scheduled for April 22 at the headquarters of the general staff—expected to include several army officers—was first postponed and later cancelled after the invited officers failed to appear.

According to Radio France Internationale (RFI), a large number of people were seen gathering at the Mogho Naaba Palace, the seat of traditional authority in Burkina Faso. Among them were army personnel and families of missing civilians, further highlighting the growing tension in the West African country.

A cabinet meeting was also held on April 24 at the presidential palace under tight security. Sniffer dogs and helicopters were deployed in the area during the meeting.

Some military camps were placed under high alert. Military vehicles were stationed at the entrance of the General Baba Sy military camp in the southern part of the capital.

The government of Captain Ibrahim Traoré has called for mass demonstrations on April 30 in support of the regime. The main objective is to condemn what the government calls “Western interference,” particularly following accusations by U.S. General Michael Langley that Burkina Faso’s gold reserves were being diverted to fund its security apparatus.

On April 22, Burkina Faso’s military government announced it had foiled a “major plot” to overthrow the junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

Authorities say they discovered the plot after intercepting communications between a high-ranking Burkinabé military officer and terrorist leaders.

Security Minister Mahamadou Sana stated on national television that the conspirators included current and former soldiers, along with terrorist collaborators. He identified Captain René David Ouédraogo as one of the soldiers involved in the plan. Ouédraogo is currently on the run.

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The tragic incident occurred on Thursday and quickly went viral, with footage capturing the final moments of the entertainer as he appeared visibly distressed before collapsing.

Disturbing, who was also a cobbler and musician, had gained prominence through his active involvement in the Justice for Mohbad movement.

In a statement shared on TikTok, his wife, Omowunmi, revealed that he struck his head against a stone during the fall.

She explained that she was in the kitchen at the time when neighbours alerted her to the emergency.

“Yesterday morning, my husband was on TikTok Live while I cooked his food. Suddenly, he had a seizure, fell, and hit his head on a stone. Blood was coming out of his head. A young boy and some neighbours saw him, thought he had fainted, and poured water on him. They called me from the kitchen,” she said.

He was rushed to the hospital, where doctors placed him on oxygen. However, he sadly passed away on Friday morning.

Omowunmi further revealed that the late TikToker had a medical history of seizures and was undergoing treatment, dismissing online speculation that his death was the result of a spiritual attack.

“The last time he had a seizure was in February. It is purely a medical issue,” she said.

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Mac-Albert Hengari was arrested on Saturday after allegedly attempting to bribe the victim, now 21, to withdraw the case against him, the police say.

Hengari, 59, who has denied any wrongdoing, appeared in court on Monday and was denied bail.

This is the first major scandal for Namibia’s first female President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, since she took office last month.

The statement from the president’s office did not indicate the reasons for the dismissal but said Hengari had also been dismissed from the National Assembly.

Hengari was nominated to parliament by the president to represent the ruling party, Swapo.

He is under investigation for multiple charges related to the case including kidnapping, rape and assault, police say.

On Monday he appeared before a magistrates’ court in the capital Windhoek facing a charge of obstructing the course of justice.

He and his co-accused will remain in custody until 3 June when the next hearing is scheduled. They were denied bail on the grounds that they could be a flight risk and could seek to contact witnesses.

The opposition Independent Patriots for Change said Hengari’s arrest “on allegations of rape, kidnapping and forced abortion” was a “profound failure of leadership and exposes the hollowness of government rhetoric on gender-based violence”.

It said the case came against a backdrop of “widespread gender violence”, with 4,814 gender-violence cases reported last year. The country has a population of three million.

The party also criticised the vetting process, saying the president had appointed Hengari “despite a criminal investigation having allegedly been opened in November 2024”.

President Nandi-Ndaitwah last month unveiled a cabinet described as ground-breaking for female representation – with nine out 14 members being women, including the vice-president.

The 72-year-old won November’s election with a 58% share of the vote.

She is a long-term member of Swapo – which has been in power since the country gained independence in 1990 after a long struggle against apartheid South Africa.

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Nwachukwu was found guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of his wife on April 8, 2022.

The judge held that the prosecution had proven the burden of proof placed on it by law and subsequently found the defendant guilty.

Nwachukwu was arraigned on June 3, 2022, by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), on behalf of the Federal Government, on a 23-count charge.

The charges included culpable homicide punishable with death, criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, criminal intimidation of children, spousal battery, and others.

During the trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two children of the late Osinachi, who testified as the fourth and fifth prosecution witnesses (PW4 and PW5), respectively. The prosecution also tendered 25 documents as exhibits before the court.

The defendant testified in his defense and called four other witnesses, tendering four exhibits.

Before sentencing, the defendant’s counsel, Reginald Nwali, pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgment. Similarly, the prosecution counsel, Mrs. Aderonke Imala, urged the court to give force to the law as stipulated.

Justice Nwosu-Iheme subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1, while he was sentenced to two years in prison each on Counts 2, 3, 8, 9, 12, 13, and 18.

The court also sentenced the defendant to six months in prison on Count 10, three years in prison on Count 11, and fined him N500,000 and N200,000 on Counts 6 and 7, respectively.

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The World Bank made this projection in its Africa Pulse report, released on the sidelines of the ongoing Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, DC.

The report, among other findings, painted a dire picture of poverty in Nigeria, noting that while economic activity has shown some positive signs, the underlying challenges associated with resource dependence and fragility are expected to escalate poverty levels. This requires focused and effective governance reforms and inclusive economic policies.

The report noted that while Nigeria saw higher-than-expected economic growth in the final quarter of 2024, particularly in its non-oil sector, the country’s status as a resource-rich and fragile nation means it faces a concerning outlook for poverty reduction.

The report indicates that poverty rates in resource-rich, fragile countries, including Nigeria, are expected to increase by 3.6 percentage points between 2022 and 2027. This makes Nigeria part of the only group in Sub-Saharan Africa with a projected rise in poverty.

The report stated: “Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest extreme poverty rate globally, and a large share of the poor is concentrated in a few countries. About 80 percent of the world’s estimated 695 million extreme poor resided in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024, compared to 8 percent in South Asia, 2% in East Asia and the Pacific, 5 percent in the Middle East and North Africa, and 3 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

“Within Sub-Saharan Africa, half of the 560 million extreme poor in 2024 resided in four countries. Non-resource-rich countries are expected to continue reducing poverty faster than resource-rich countries.”

“Thanks to higher prices of agricultural commodities, non-resource-rich countries will see higher growth overall, despite fiscal pressures. Conversely, resource-rich countries are not expected to grow at the same rate given decelerating oil prices. As a result, resource-rich countries are expected to see less progress in terms of poverty reduction.”

“Importantly, poverty in resource-rich, fragile countries (which include large countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria) is expected to increase by 3.6 percentage points over 2022–2027, being the only group in the region with increasing poverty rates.”

“This follows a well-established pattern: resource wealth combined with fragility or conflict is associated with the highest poverty rates—an average poverty rate of 46% in 2024, 13 percentage points above non-fragile, resource-rich countries.”

“Meanwhile, non-resource-rich, non-fragile countries saw the biggest gains in poverty reduction since 2000 and fully closed the gap in poverty with other non-resource-rich countries by 2010.”

Consequently, the report suggests that for resource-rich countries like Nigeria, improving fiscal management and developing a stronger fiscal contract with citizens is crucial.

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The authorities had previously said that only eight soldiers were killed.

The revised figure makes it the deadliest known attack since insurgents began operating in northern Benin at the beginning of the decade.

The attack has been claimed by an al-Qaeda-linked group – Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, (Jnim), which is based in Mali but has in recent years expanded its operations to neighbouring countries.

The jihadist group had said it killed 70 soldiers in raids on two military posts in the north, according to intelligence group SITE.

Jnim is one of several jihadist groups operating in West Africa’s Sahel region, especially Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military governments are struggling to contain the insurgency.

Benin and Togo have seen a rise in jihadist activity in recent years, as groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda spread to the south.

“Heavy losses for the nation,” wrote presidential spokesman Serge Nonvignon in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Another government spokesperson, Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji, said that Benin was determined to continue the fight against the jihadists.

“We won’t give in… I can assure you that sooner or later, sooner or later, we will win,” he said.

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The three countries, all under military rule, have officially exited ECOWAS after more than a year of diplomatic tensions.

Relations between ECOWAS and the trio have remained strained since military takeovers occurred in Mali in 2020, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Niger in 2023.

Following the coup in Niger, ECOWAS imposed severe sanctions on the country, including border closures, a no-fly zone for all commercial flights, and the freezing of central bank assets.

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Security Minister Mahamadou Sana said the coup attempt was led by current and former soldiers working with “terrorist leaders”. The intention was to attack the presidential palace last week, he added.

The aim of the plan was to “sow total chaos, and place the country under the supervision of an international organisation”, Sana said on state television on Monday.

It is the latest of several claims of attempts to remove the junta leader who seized power in 2022 amid increasing militant attacks.

Burkina Faso, like its Sahel neighbours, has been battling armed jihadist groups, with an estimated 40% of the country under their control

Despite promises by Capt Traoré’s military government to improve security and even seeking new security partnerships with Russia, the situation remains dire with frequent attacks from insurgents.

In this latest coup attempt, which happened last week but details of which have only just been released, Sana said the plotters attempted to use Burkinabe religious and traditional leaders to sway army officers into backing the plan.

“The manoeuvre was to culminate, according to the terrorist plotters’ plan, on Wednesday 16 April, 2025 in an assault on the presidency of (Burkina) Faso by a group of soldiers recruited by the nation’s enemies,” he said.

“The brains outside the country are all located in Ivory Coast,” he added, naming in particular two former army officers, believed to be behind the plot.

He said “sensitive information was passed on to “terrorists” to increase attacks on the military and civilians and “incite a revolt against the authorities”.

Last week, several military personnel, including two officers, were arrested for planning to “destabilise” the government, security sources told the AFP news agency.

The Ivorian authorities have not yet commented on claims it hosted the plotters but the Burkinabe junta has often blamed its southern neighbour of supporting its opponents in exile.

The latest claim comes months after Ouagadougou said it thwarted another “destabilisation” plot against the junta last November.

Burkina Faso, along with two other military-led states – Mali and Niger, has broken away from the regional West African bloc, Ecowas, to form a new alliance.

They have cut ties with former colonial power France and allied with Russia instead.

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Michael Sang Correa was found guilty of being part of a conspiracy to commit torture against suspected opponents while serving under a military unit known as the “Junglers”.

“The torture inflicted by Michael Sang Correa and his co-conspirators is abhorrent,” the Justice Department said.

It follows a week-long trial in Denver, Colorado, under a rarely used law that prosecutes crimes committed outside the US.

Correa was first detained in the US in 2019 for overstaying his visa, three years after settling in Denver where he reportedly worked as a day labourer.

The 46-year-old was charged in 2020 with torture and conspiracy to commit the torture of at least six people in The Gambia under a seldom-used law that allows people to be tried by the US judicial system for torture allegedly committed abroad.

He is the first non-US citizen to be convicted on torture charges in a federal district court for crimes committed overseas, according to the Department of Justice. The law has only been used twice since it was enacted in 1994 but both of the previous cases were brought against US citizens.

The Department of Justice said Correa “tried to evade responsibility for his crimes in The Gambia by coming to the US and hiding his past”.

“But we found him, we investigated him,” said Matthew Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

The evidence at trial showed that Correa and his fellow Junglers tortured five people accused of plotting a coup against Jammeh.

The victims, including high-profile members of Jammeh’s inner circle who fell out with him, told the jury how they were tortured by being electrocuted and smothered with plastic bags.

“Correa and his co-conspirators beat, stabbed, burned, and electrocuted the victims,” the Justice Department said.

Prosecutors on Tuesday said Correa “played an integral role in inflicting this torture on the victims”.

He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the five torture counts and the count of conspiracy to commit torture, the Justice Department said.

His lawyers had argued that Correa was a low-ranking soldier who only obeyed orders from his superiors.

But while the jury agreed that there was evidence that the Junglers lived in “constant fear,” prosecutors said at trial that some Junglers had refused to obey orders to torture victims.

“This conviction sends a clear message that perpetrators of human rights violations cannot escape accountability, regardless of where they commit their crimes,” said Sirra Ndow, chairperson of the Alliance of Victim-Led Organisations in The Gambia, (AVLO).

Jammeh, who seized power in 1994, foiled several attempts to overthrow him before he lost an election in 2016 to Adama Barrow in a surprise defeat.

His rule was characterised by allegations of human rights abuses and state repression, which he denied.

He went into exile in Equatorial Guinea after his defeat, though he remains an influential figure in The Gambia.

A Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), held between 2019 and 2021, unearthed the crimes committed under Jammeh and recommended prosecution for those who were involved.

Last year, Jammeh’s former interior minister was sentenced to 20 years in jail by a Swiss court for crimes against humanity.

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Last week, the RSF launched an intense ground and aerial assault on refugee camps surrounding the city of El-Fasher in an attempt to seize the last state capital in Darfur held by their rival, the Sudanese army.

The two warring sides have been locked in a bloody power struggle since April 2023. This has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and forced millions to flee their homes.

The UN said it had verified 148 killings between Thursday and Saturday, but warned the toll was much higher.

UN spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told the BBC their verification process was still ongoing and their number didn’t include Sunday’s violence.

“Credible sources have reported more than 400 killed,” said Ms Shamdasani.

At least nine humanitarian aid workers were among those killed, the UN said.

The refugee camps that surround El-Fasher – Zamzam and Abu Shouk – provide temporary homes to more than 700,000 people, many of whom are facing famine-like conditions.

In a statement released on Saturday, the RSF said it was not responsible for attacks on civilians and that scenes of killing in Zamzam were staged to discredit its forces.

The following day, the group said it had completed a “successful liberation” of the camp from Sudan’s army. The RSF accused the army of using Zamzam as “a military barracks, and innocent civilians as human shields”.

El-Fasher is the last major town in Darfur under army control and has been under siege by the RSF for a year. Sudan’s brutal civil war will enter its third year on Tuesday.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk called on all parties involved to “renew their resolve to take meaningful steps towards resolving the conflict”.

Ahead of a conference on Tuesday in London to mark the conflict’s two-year anniversary, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced a £120m food and aid package for Sudan.

He said Sudan’s stability is “vital for our national security”.

The UK will co-host the talks alongside the African Union and European Union.

Gwaska Dankarami was said to have been a high-value target who reportedly served as second-in-command to an Islamic State-linked leader.

The alleged gang leader had been hiding in the Munumu Forest, with authorities reporting that several other criminal hideouts were also destroyed across the state on Friday.

His apparent death comes after bandits kidnapped 43 villagers and killed four others in a deadly attack on a village called Maigora in the northern Katsina State earlier this week.

The police had said that it deployed security forces in pursuit of the kidnappers.

However, this is not the first time Dankarami’s death has been reported.

In 2022, the Nigerian Airforce claimed to have killed him in a similar operation.

The Katsina State commissioner for internal security and home affairs, Nasir Mua’zu, said the killing was a significant milestone in the fight against banditry in the state.

“It is expedient to state that this successful mission has significantly disrupted the criminal networks that have long terrorised communities across Faskari, Kankara, Bakori, Malumfashi, and Kafur,” Mua’zu added.

Security forces said they had also recovered and destroyed two machine guns and locally fabricated shotguns.

In a separate operation on Thursday, security forces killed six bandits, including their commander, while several other bandits escaped with bullet wounds.

Seven motorcycles were also intercepted and recovered during the intelligence-led operation.

Katsina, the home state of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, has witnessed sporadic attacks by bandits and kidnappers that have claimed many lives.

The state governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has expressed the government’s determination to eliminate criminals and ensure every forest is thoroughly monitored to protect residents.

The authorities said that the operations are part of a broader effort to restore stability in the state and the north-west region of Nigeria, which has witnessed repeated banditry attacks.

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Ahead of the vote, critics argued that the new constitution and electoral code were designed to give Oligui Nguema a comfortable pathway to the top job.

Some opposition heavyweights who could have posed a serious political challenge were excluded from the race.

His election victory consolidates his grip on power, nearly two years after he masterminded the demise of President Ali Bongo, whose family had been in power in Gabon since 1967.

Oligui Nguema, 50, faced seven other candidates, including former Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-by-Nze, who served under the Bongo regime, and two stalwarts of the former ruling PDG party, Stéphane Germain Iloko and Alain Simplice Boungouères.

“Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema is elected [president] by absolute majority of votes cast, with 575,222 votes,” Interior Minister Hermann Immongault announced.

His main challenger, Bilie-by-Nze, received just over 3% of the votes.

More than seven out of 10 registered voters took part in the poll, which the authorities and some observers hailed as signifying the election took place transparently and peacefully.

There were complaints of instances of irregularities in the process, however.

At some polling stations the vote was delayed, while some voters on the electoral roll were not able to find where they were meant to cast their ballot.

Bilie-by-Nze said he was particularly concerned by claims that in some places unmarked ballot papers were not kept in a secure location, and that he feared they could be used to stuff ballot boxes.

Oligui Nguema’s victory brings him a seven-year mandate and the resources to tackle the corruption and bad governance that characterised the Bongos’ time in power.

The highly articulate former commander of the elite Republican Guard proved to be very popular among a population relieved to be rid of dynastic rule, promising to rid the country of the ill that had tainted Gabon’s image.

The small oil- and timber-rich central African nation is home to just 2.5 million people.

Despite its resources, about 35% of the population still live below the poverty line of $2 (£1.50) a day.

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Babagana Zulum called for more military assistance for soldiers fighting the insurgency.

The Nigerian government has downplayed the governor’s fears, saying security in the country has improved in the last 18 months.

Borno state has been at the centre of a 15-year insurgency by Boko Haram, which has forced more than two million people to flee their homes and killed more than 40,000.

At the height of its insurgency in 2015, Boko Haram controlled huge areas in Borno state before being beaten back.

The militant group gained international notoriety in April 2014 when it kidnapped more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok, also in Borno state.

Following a relative lull, the militants have been targeting army bases, police stations and rural communities.

In January, an ambush by the Boko Haram breakaway faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), reportedly killed at least 20 Nigerian soldiers, while another attack in the same period left 40 farmers dead.

Governor Zulum said it was disheartening that the group now attacked and kidnapped people in many communities almost on a daily basis.

In a meeting with national security officials, he said that Borno State was “losing ground” against the jihadists.

Security analysts say the concentration of soldiers in north-western Nigeria to deal with banditry and kidnappings has led to a reduction in the number of troops on the frontline with Boko Haram in Borno and other parts of the north-east.

The fight against the militants became even more challenging after neighbouring Niger withdrew its troops from a regional force set up to tackle the jihadist group.

Another analyst, Hamisu Sani, told the BBC that it wouldn’t be easy to defeat Boko Haram, but it wasn’t impossible.

“No matter how our military weakens them, they can always regroup and will remain a threat,” he said.

“The solution would be to crush the fighters in their entirety – which is possible given the right support to our military.”

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On Sunday, Mali accused its northern neighbour of being a sponsor and exporter of terrorism after Algeria attacked one of its drones last week.

A strongly worded statement from Mali’s foreign ministry challenged Algeria’s earlier explanation that the unmanned surveillance aircraft had violated its airspace.

The statement described the downing of the drone as a “hostile premeditated action”. Algeria described the allegations as “lacking in seriousness [and they]… warrant no attention or response”.

Mali’s armed forces are fighting ethnic Tuareg separatists in the north. They have a stronghold in the town of Tinzaoutin, which straddles the Mali-Algeria border.

The shooting down of the drone raised diplomatic tensions, as Mali, along with its allies Niger and Burkina Faso, recalled their ambassadors from Algiers.

Last year, the three junta-led countries formed a regional bloc, the Alliance of Sahel States, known by its French acronym AES.

In their joint statement condemning Algeria, they said the shooting down of the drone “prevented the neutralisation of a terrorist group that was planning terrorist acts against the AES”.

Mali has also summoned the Algerian ambassador in Bamako over the incident, declaring that it would file a complaint with “international bodies”. It also withdrew from a regional security grouping that includes Algeria.

In its response on Monday, Algeria said it noted the Malian and AES statements with “deep dismay”. It described Mali’s allegations as an attempt to divert attention away from its own failures.

It also said this was the third violation of its airspace in recent months.

“Due to the repeated violations of our airspace by Mali, the Algerian government has decided to close it to air traffic coming from or to Mali, effective today,” Algeria’s defence ministry said on Monday.

Last Wednesday, Algeria acknowledged that it had shot down an “armed reconnaissance drone” close to Tinzaoutin saying it had “penetrated our airspace over a distance of 2km”.

But the junta in Bamako denied that the drone had violated Algeria’s airspace. It said that the aircraft’s wreckage was found 9.5km inside its borders.

Giving more details on Monday, Algeria said that the aircraft had entered its airspace “then exited before returning on an attack trajectory”.

Mali regularly accuses Algeria of giving shelter to Tuareg armed groups.

The north African country once served as a key mediator during more than a decade of conflict between Mali and the separatists. Their relations have soured since 2020 after the military took power in Bamako.

Algeria recently deployed troops along its borders to prevent the infiltration of militants and weapons from jihadist groups who operate in Mali and other countries in West Africa’s Sahel region.

The trip is aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and promoting Ghanaian businesses abroad under the government’s Economic Diplomacy Blueprint.

As part of the visit, Mr. Ablakwa toured businessman, Sir Sam Jonah’s 501-hectare real estate development in River Park estate.

The project is a partnership between Dr. Jonah’s investment firm, Jonah Capital and Mobus Property and Houses for Africa.

The CEO of Mobus/Houses of Africa Nigeria, Kojo Ansah Mensah, welcomed the Minister on behalf of the project’s Ghanaian founders — Sir Dr. Sam Jonah, KBE, and Ehunabobrim Nana Prah Agyensaim VI, King of the Owirenkyi Kingdom.

Mr Ablakwa, who doubles as the North Tongu MP, commended Nigerian authorities, including the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, for their support in safeguarding investor interests.

He emphasised Ghana’s commitment to assisting its businesses abroad: “Let River Park be a clarion call for Ghanaian and Nigerian businesses to build legacies together,” he declared.

In a post on Facebook, Mr. Ablakwa touted the River Park Estate as an “enduring symbol of Ghanaian enterprise and cross-border collaboration,” and assured developers of diplomatic support to navigate local challenges in Nigeria.

Timothy Omotoso had denied the 32 charges in a trial that was broadcast live and gained huge interest across the country.

In 2018, one witness told the court she had been raped by the pastor, who ran a church in the city of Port Elizabeth, when she was 14 years old.

When delivering the verdict on Wednesday, the judge presiding over the trial said that Mr. Omotoso had been found not guilty because prosecutors had mishandled the case.

South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) shared a similar assessment, saying that “former prosecutors in the case acted improperly and the accused were not sufficiently cross-examined by the state.”

The NPA said it would now “consider its legal options” and that the drawn-out nature of the trial was partly down to Mr. Omotoso filing numerous legal challenges.

For his part, Mr. Omotoso told the media he thanked God for the verdict.

His co-accused, Lusanda Sulani and Zikiswa Sitho, were also found not guilty.

Mr. Omotoso was dramatically arrested at an airport in 2017 as he sought to leave the country.

His trial was the first prominent rape case to be broadcast live in a country where sexual violence is rampant.

The hearings attracted huge interest and raised difficult questions about victims’ rights, impartiality, and whether justice is best served by having television cameras in courtrooms.

Following Wednesday’s verdict, Mr. Omotoso will be deported to Nigeria, South African media outlet News24 reported.

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Outrage has spread in Somalia after an eight-year-old girl, who had been missing for six months, was found living with a man who said he was her husband.

The girl was reported missing by her family in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland last September.

Months later, it emerged the girl’s father had consented for her to be married to an adult named Sheikh Mahmoud.

Security forces surrounded the man’s house last week and forced they way in after he locked himself in a room with the girl.

The incident has sparked anger on social media and public protests in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.

It has also prompted fresh debates about child protection laws, as currently there is no minimum legal age for marriage.

“What’s more shocking than the tragedy itself are the allegations of abduction and the fact that her family had no knowledge of her whereabouts for months,” Fadumo Ahmed, chairperson of leading rights group the Somali Women Vision Organisation, told the BBC.

“We trust the responsible institutions to take the right and necessary legal action.”

According to the eight-year-old’s uncle, she was taken from her home in the city of Bosaso last September by a female relative. This relative said she was escorting the child on a trip to see another a uncle.

But months later, a video surfaced online, showing the girl reciting the Quran.

Her family subsequently launched a search for the child – it is unclear why they did not do this sooner.

They discovered she was in the Carmo area, living with Sheikh Mahmoud.

Sheikh Mahmoud initially said he was solely teaching the girl the Quran. But after legal complaints were filed, he changed his statement, saying he had married the girl with her father’s consent.

When asked by the BBC how he justified marrying an eight-year-old, Sheikh Mahmoud said that the traditions of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, along with that of the Shafi’i school of thought, allowed child marriage.

After the BBC questioned his reasoning – citing opposition from numerous Somali Islamic scholars  – Sheikh Mahmoud maintained that he would not abandon the marriage.

Puntland’s police and human rights authorities intervened on 25 March, removing the girl from the man’s home after her family filed a complaint.

The girl is now back with her family, Puntland’s police force told the BBC.

Additionally, an investigation into the case has been launched, government officials have said.

Child marriage remains prevalent in Somalia.

According to a report published in 2020 by the United Nations Population Fund and the Somali government, 35% of women aged between 20 and 24 in the country were married before the age of 18. In 2017 this figure stood at 45%.

The rate of child marriage is driven by various factors, including poverty, insecurity and traditional customs that often disregard a girl’s age in wedding arrangements.

In an attempt to tackle this issue, Somalia’s ministry of women and human rights submitted a draft child rights bill to parliament in 2023.

However, the proposal was sent back after MPs objected to certain provisions. The bill is expected to be reintroduced, but there is no clear timeline for this.

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The West African nations, run by juntas that have taken power in coups in recent years, have formed an alliance known as the Confederation of Sahel States (AES).

The grouping expelled French and other Western forces and turned towards Russia for military support.

Their foreign ministers will visit Moscow on April 3 and 4 and hold meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at his invitation, the statement said.

“The Moscow meeting represents an important step in establishing strategic, pragmatic, dynamic, and supportive cooperation and partnership relations in areas of common interest between the AES and Russia,” the ministries said.

It referred to this week’s visit as the first session of “AES-Russia consultations.”

The three countries’ armies are fighting a jihadist insurgency that has spread across the region south of the Sahara since it first took root in Mali 13 years ago.

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Assembled locally by Belayneh Kindie Metal Engineering Complex, with components imported from China, the new fleet is equipped with an integrated Intelligent Transportation System and Fare Collection System technologies, as reported by the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday.

These electric buses have now begun providing a convenient commuting option for the city’s residents along the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes.

The buses are designed to enhance the public transport network in Addis Ababa. They are environmentally friendly, producing zero emissions, and offer a comfortable ride with ample capacity for passengers, according to Ethiopian Minister of Transport and Logistics Alemu Sime.

Minister Sime also noted that the electric buses will use dedicated bus lanes, ensuring faster travel for commuters. They are expected to significantly alleviate the current public transport shortage in the city and provide a more comfortable, efficient, and sustainable commuting option for residents.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Transport and Logistics reports that over 100,000 electric vehicles are already on the road across the country, with plans to increase this number to 500,000 within the next decade. This initiative aims to replace 95% of fuel-powered vehicles with electric alternatives.

To accelerate the transition to electric mobility, the Ethiopian government imposed a ban on the import of gasoline and diesel vehicles early last year in response to the global surge in fuel prices.

“In cabinet somebody’s sleeping at 10 hours – the question is where were they… if you can start conking there? To me that is a crime, a serous crime,” Hichilema said during a swearing-in ceremony for a new minister.

He did not spell out what exactly he meant by “indulgence” but local media have interpreted this as referring to excessive alcohol drinking and late-night partying.

The president warned that such behaviour risked exposing state secrets and delayed service delivery to the public.

Hichilema won a landslide victory in 2021 with ambitious plans to turn around the economy of Africa’s second largest copper producer.

Since assuming office, he has sacked several senior officials including ministers over performance issues.

Speaking on Monday as he welcomed newly appointed Local Government Minister Gift Sialubalo, the president said he has now gone public with his concerns about cabinet members after saying it in private “over and over”.

Without naming anyone, he said that some ministers “develop a knack” of revealing confidential state information on social media “especially during happy hours”.

“I have advised cabinet that we must have a self-censure. When you’re in public office you must have… self-control, not to over-indulge,” the president added.

Citing the Bible, he warned such behaviour could lead to self-destruction.

“So how do you participate in a meeting when you are sleeping? The message is very clear: you are not interested in cabinet deliberations on behalf of Zambians. So why are you sitting there?” he asked.

The president is expected to seek a second term in next year’s general election. He could face stiff competition from his predecessor, Edgar Lungu, who has mounted a political come back but is currently barred from running.

The Alliance of Sahel States began in 2023 as a security pact between the military rulers of the three countries, who all took power in coups in recent years. It has since grown into an aspiring economic union with plans for biometric passports and closer economic and military ties.

The levy was agreed on Friday and will take effect immediately. It will affect all goods imported from outside the three countries, but will not include humanitarian aid, the statement said. It will “finance the activities” of the bloc, it said, without giving details.

The move ends free trade across West Africa, whose states have for decades fallen under the umbrella of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and highlights the rift between the three states that border the Sahara Desert and influential democracies like Nigeria and Ghana to the south.

The juntas of the three countries announced plans to leave ECOWAS last year, accusing the bloc of failing to assist in their fight against Islamist insurgents and ending insecurity.

ECOWAS had imposed economic, political and financial sanctions on the three in a bid to force them to return to constitutional order, to little effect.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are some of the poorest countries in the world and have been overrun by an armed Islamist insurgency over the past decade.

The violence, committed by groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State, has killed thousands, forced millions to flee, and eroded faith in the democratically elected governments that initially struggled to contain it.

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Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province militants have mainly operated in the northeast of Nigeria, attacking security forces and civilians and killing and displacing tens of thousands of people.

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In the latest assault, Boko Haram insurgents and ISWAP fighters struck an army base in the Wajiroko area of Borno State at about 2100 GMT on Monday and set military equipment on fire, the sources said.

One of the soldiers in the Wajiroko brigade said at least four soldiers had been killed and several others injured, including the brigade commander.

Armed fighters in light tactical vehicles also stormed an outpost in Wulgo, a village about 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) from the Cameroonian border town of Fotokol, killing 12 soldiers and injuring a dozen others, Cameroon’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

A military source who asked not to be named told Reuters the raid that targeted soldiers who are fighting the insurgency as part of a multinational task force took place between midnight and 3 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

The source added the militants were suspected to have initially launched their attack using drones before advancing with a ground assault. “They looted an important stockpile of weapons,” the source said.

Videos shared on social media showed bloodied bodies lying on the ground after the attack, charred patrol vehicles and damaged buildings. Reuters could not independently verify those videos.

A Nigerian army spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. Cameroon army spokesperson Cyrille Serge Atonfack Guemo confirmed the attack but said the casualty figures were still unclear.

Makinta Modu, a member of a local militia recruited to help the Nigerian army, said in the Wajiroko attack militants overran an army “forward operation base”.

“Around 10:30 p.m. (2130 GMT) air force fighter jets came for reinforcement … and killed many of the ISWAP fighters that captured the military base,” Modu said. It was not clear whether the army had regained control over the base.

Although weakened by military assaults and internal fighting over the years, Boko Haram and ISWAP have stepped up attacks on military and civilian targets in Borno this year.

An Islamist insurgency has plagued the northeast of Africa’s most populous country for more than a decade, while kidnapping and banditry are rampant in the northwest and gang and separatist violence is common in the southeast.

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Mnangagwa, who took charge after a military coup that ousted longtime ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017, is facing growing dissent within his ZANU-PF party, which has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.

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Some veterans of the Southern African country’s war of independence have called for countrywide protests on March 31 to force Mnangagwa to step down. They accuse him of deepening the country’s economic crisis and plotting to extend his rule beyond 2028 when his second term is due to end.

Mnangagwa denies those accusations and on Wednesday warned against “people who want to disturb our peace” during a ZANU-PF meeting in the capital Harare.

Analysts say Mnangagwa appears to be increasingly worried about his grip on power has been trying to bolster his position by shaking up the military, police and intelligence leadership.

Tuesday’s removal of Anselem Sanyatwe, Zimbabwe’s second most powerful general and head of the army, was the third such reshuffle by Mnangagwa in recent months. Mnangagwa also removed the chief of police and head of Zimbabwe’s intelligence service.

Political analyst Eldred Masunungure told the privately owned Newsday newspaper that Mnangagwa appeared to be “protecting himself against a potential coup”.

The anti-Mnangagwa war veterans want to replace him with Constantino Chiwenga, a retired general who led the coup against Mugabe and is now the country’s vice president.

Although diminishing in number and advancing in age, the independence war veterans remain influential in Zimbabwe’s politics and retain strong ties with its security chiefs, after fighting alongside them during the liberation struggle.

In his previous role as head of the presidential guard under Mugabe, Sanyatwe played a key role in the 2017 coup. He also oversaw the deployment of soldiers who shot dead six people and injured many others during post-election unrest in August 2018.

Sanyatwe, a close ally of Chiwenga, has been appointed sports minister, replacing Kirsty Coventry, who was elected president of the International Olympic Committee on March 20.

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Among the eight listed countries, six are in Africa.

The global health agency warned that Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Haiti, and Ukraine could exhaust their supply of HIV treatments in the coming months.

“The disruptions to HIV programs could undo 20 years of progress,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference.

He added that this could lead to over 10 million additional HIV cases and three million HIV-related deaths.

Efforts to tackle HIV, polio, malaria, and tuberculosis have been significantly impacted by the U.S. foreign aid pause, implemented by President Donald Trump shortly after he took office in January.

The WHO-coordinated Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network, which has over 700 sites worldwide, also faces imminent shutdown, the agency said. This comes at a time when measles is making a comeback in the United States.

The United States has a “responsibility to ensure that if it withdraws direct funding for countries, it’s done in an orderly and humane way that allows them to find alternative sources of funding,” Ghebreyesus added on Monday.

Funding shortages could also force 80% of WHO-supported essential healthcare services in Afghanistan to close, the agency said in a separate statement.

As of March 4, 167 health facilities had shut down due to funding shortages, and without urgent intervention, over 220 more facilities could close by June.

The United States’ plans to exit the WHO have also forced the UN agency, which typically receives about a fifth of its overall annual funding from the U.S., to freeze hiring and initiate budget cuts.

The WHO announced on Monday that it plans to cut its funding target for emergency operations to $872 million from $1.2 billion in the 2026-2027 budget period.