Africa highlights: S Sudan life sentences for corruption, Nigeria army 'purge' row

A new militant group in Nigeria has called for foreign mediators to broker talks with the government to end conflict in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. 

In a statement, the Niger Delta Avengers group said it  wanted multinational oil companies operating in the country to "commit independent mediators to this proposed dialogue" to "bring about a lasting peace". 

The NDA has carried out a wave of attacks since it was formed earlier this year, causing a sharp fall in oil production in Nigeria. 

The group says it is fighting for the region, which is badly affected by poverty and pollution caused by the oil industry, to get a greater share of its oil wealth.   

 "If need be we may review our earlier stance of not taking lives," the statement added.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Schooling has been badly affected in central Mozambique as fighting between government and opposition Renamo forces continues, a human rights campaigner tweets: 

Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has ordered the dismissal of a daughter of the former chief auditor who made allegations of massive corruption in the government, the Associated Press news agency reports. 

It says it has seen a copy of the presidential order firing Shorouk Hesham Genena as an aide in the administrative prosecution, without giving any reasons.

Last week her father, Hesham Genena, the former head of the Central Auditing Organization, stood trial on charges of spreading false news, following his dismissal by a similar presidential decree.

APCopyright: AP

BBCCopyright: BBC

A key part of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is breaking the fast at sunset. 

But some people are finding it difficult to find the right food for iftar. 

That includes men who are used to their wives making traditional dishes but whose work means they live away from their family.

Ali Sadiq told us that he lives in Nigeria's capital Abuja while his family is in Kaduna city, more than 160km (100 miles) away. 

BBCCopyright: BBC

So he has started going to a restaurant which makes local dishes. 

The owner, Hajiya Sadiya, says she has noticed an increase in customers during Ramadan.

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Incidentally she has also noticed that men tend to go for soup and porridge.

Our Facebook readers have been impressed by the interview we ran (see earlier post) with Nigeria’s first female mechanic Sandra Aguebo. 

Ade goodnews says: 

Quote Message: I am proud of her. That is a real woman. Go rule your world!"

I am proud of her. That is a real woman. Go rule your world!"

Vincent Loiu adds: 

Quote Message: Today, women can be whatever they aspire to be. "

Today, women can be whatever they aspire to be. "

Phathizwe Xolani Mathebula says: 

Quote Message: African women have been moving mountains for decades ... #longlive!

African women have been moving mountains for decades ... #longlive!

Raila OdingaCopyright: Raila Odinga

Earlier we reported that a Kenyan MP has been summoned for questioning by a official body after he allegedly called for the assassination of opposition leader Raila Odinga. 

The Star has now published a reaction from Mr Odinga's  Orange Democratic Movement, condeming Moses Kuria's speech. 

It says Mr Kuria is a significant player in any future talks about reforming the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which the opposition has been calling for:

Quote Message: Kuria is also supposed to be a negotiator seconded by the president to the envisaged talks on the future of IEBC. Kuria cannot be negotiating while calling for Raila’s assassination at the same time."

Kuria is also supposed to be a negotiator seconded by the president to the envisaged talks on the future of IEBC. Kuria cannot be negotiating while calling for Raila’s assassination at the same time."

Mr Kuria has not yet commented on the allegation that he called for Mr Odinga's killing.   

N20Copyright: N20

An aspiring Sudanese comedienne based in the United Arab Emirates has taken Arabic Facebook by storm, after a video of her impersonating various Arabic accents and stereotypes went viral.

Maha Abdelghaffar Jaafar's first video went viral early this year, with over 1.7 million views. She has since become a regular face on a Jordanian YouTube comedy channel. 

The 22-year-old bases her comedy on situations she observes on a daily basis in the UAE - particularly issues facing young women. But do some of her stereotypes go too far?

Watch the BBC Trending video here.

South Sudan's High Court has sentenced 16 people to life in prison for their roles in the loss of more than $14m (£9.8m) from the office of President Salva Kiir, reports the local Radio Eye on its website.   

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Eritrean forces have suffered "significant damage" in heavy fighting with Eritrean troops, Ethiopia's Information Minister Getachew Reda has told BBC Focus on Africa. 

He said Eritrea launched an assault on Ethiopian forces on Sunday and "today we have managed to thwart not just the attack, but also to neutralise any threat coming form that direction". 

Earlier Eritrea accused Ethiopia of starting the fighting, which broke out on the mutual border near the town of Tsorona.

See our  earlier post for more details. 

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Libya's $67bn national investment fund is seeking damages from Goldman Sachs, saying the bank encouraged it to make complex, money-losing investments.

The Libyan Investment Authority, which runs the fund, is looking to claw back $1.2bn (£840m) it says was lost through nine disputed trades conducted in 2008.

The Libyans said the trades were made under "undue influence".

Goldman said the claims were without merit and it would fight them vigorously.

The trial started today at the High Court in London.

Read the full BBC story here

A man who claimed to be a rainmaker a a village in South Sudan has been killed by angry residents, Eye Radio reports on its website. 

Taban Uyev was beaten to death last week over the accusation that he used his magic powers to prevent rainfall in Kediba in Amadi State, it reports.

Kediba Payam has had not enough rainfall for the last two months, making it hard for the communities to cultivate their farmland.

A similar incident occurred in Torit County in August when youths killed a man accused of causing a drought.  

Sevelyn GatCopyright: Sevelyn Gat

A Kenyan woman who became famous for photoshopping herself into other people's holiday pictures is flying out to China for real today:

Entrepreneur Sam Gichuru, who tweeted this picture of Sevelyn Gat at the airport, in what we believe is a real photo, raised enough money from his friends to pay for the trip to China.

BBC Newsbeat reported in March that Ms Gat became famous because the images were so bad that people liked her pictures on Facebook thousands of times.

Sevelyn GatCopyright: Sevelyn Gat

Sevelyn GatCopyright: Sevelyn Gat

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has left court after the first day of his sentencing hearing.

Our reporters at the court are tweeting the latest updates:

We reported earlier that while a psychologist claimed Pistorius was a "broken man", the prosecutor said he "threw temper tantrums" in prison.

He faces a jail term of at least 15 years.

Beatings, forced evictions and arson - just some of the accusations levelled at Ivory Coast’s Forestry Development Agency today by Human Rights Watch (HRW).  

The rights group says people living in the country’s protected forests live in fear of arbitrary evictions, extortion and physical abuse by forest conservationists and authorities.  

Ivory Coast has lost more than 90% of its rainforest since its independence from France in 1960 and it’s still losing 200,000 hectares every year.  

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I recently went to the south-west of the country, where much of the only remaining forest is, and the level of deforestation is incredible.  

Charred skeletons of once majestic rainforest trees protrude from the ground; too big to be felled, so they are burnt instead.  

The government wants to restore at least 20% of its land to forest by 2020 and these forced evictions have been a big part of this plan.

HRW West Africa researcher Jim Wormington said: 

Quote Message: The Forestry Development Agency, a state agency under the Water and Forests Ministry, regularly evicts farmers without warning, often burning their homes and possessions in the process.

The Forestry Development Agency, a state agency under the Water and Forests Ministry, regularly evicts farmers without warning, often burning their homes and possessions in the process.

Quote Message: Families are being violently evicted from the land on which they have lived and worked for years, and are seeing everything they own destroyed in an instant."

Families are being violently evicted from the land on which they have lived and worked for years, and are seeing everything they own destroyed in an instant."

When Nigeria’s first female mechanic Sandra Aguebor started training at a local garage people thought she was crazy:

 Young kids would wait for her outside the gates shouting at her that ‘this is not a job for woman’. But Sandra persisted. 

Years later she runs her own garage and has trained hundreds of other women through her Lady Mechanic Initiative.  

On this week’s episode of The Conversation, Sandra talks to Patrice Banks, another mechanic who gave up a well-paid job in engineering to set up Girls Auto Clinic to help women learn about cars as she was tired of being an “auto airhead”. 

You can hear the full conversation here:  

AFPCopyright: AFP

 A journey inside Oscar Pistorius's  mind - that's what we had at the sentencing hearing of the former athletics star following his conviction for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. 

Criminal psychologist Jonathan Scholtz has spent the day detailing Pistorius's mental state, describing him as a "broken" man who suffered from depression. 

Dr Scholtz was called by the defence to help Pistorius get a lesser sentence than the minimum 15 years that the prosecution is demanding. 

Chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel poked holes in the doctor's evidence. 

He argued that Pistorius had shown no remorse throughout the trial and the judge should keep that in mind. 

Mr Nel told the court that Pistorius only regretted the effect that killing Steenkamp had on his own life. 

Pistorius, in a dark pinstripe suit, cast a lonely figure in court. Whatever the outcome the one-time sports hero will be sentenced for murder. 

BBCCopyright: BBC

It's not clear why fighting along the Ethiopia-Eritrea border has erupted now as neither country has given any reasons.

But in recent months both sides have upped the rhetoric with the latest verbal salvo coming from Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki during celebrations to mark 25 years of the country's independence.

He accused Ethiopia of being hostile to Eritrea's sovereignty.

Earlier this year, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said his country was ready to take "proportionate military action against Eritrea" for what he described as "continuous acts of provocation and destabilisation of Ethiopia".

Read: Why so many people try to flee Eritrea? 

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

A coalition of human rights groups say there have been break-ins at the offices of more than 28 non-governmental organisations in Uganda since 2012 and no-one has been brought to justice.

They added that in a recent break-in the intruders beat a security guard to death.

The group said the NGOs were all known for their work on sensitive subjects - including corruption, land rights and for criticizing government policies.  

Amnesty International's Sarah Jackson said: 

Quote Message: The lack of accountability and persistent impunity for attacks on human rights defenders and their offices sends a message that authorities condone and tolerate such attacks."

The lack of accountability and persistent impunity for attacks on human rights defenders and their offices sends a message that authorities condone and tolerate such attacks."

An anti-crime group in South Africa tweets on an unusual request of a gang which robbed a shop in the main city, Johannesburg.

Watch more from the BBC News website on the trend for expensive Brazilian hair.