Africa Live: South Sudan's Machar 'wanted heavy weapons', Uganda naked protest debate

In Uganda, and much of East Africa, there's a debate raging about the form of protest chosen by the Ugandan university academic, Stella Nyanzi. 

She stripped to her underwear in protest at being evicted from her office at Makerere University. 

It's prompted a debate, not just on the merits of her protest, but on wider issues of feminism and patriarchy.

Focus on Africa's Patience Atuhaire discussed these matters with Acaye Elizabeth Pamela and Godiva Akullo.

Thousands of people have been marching in the Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, according to the French newspaper Le Monde.

AFPCopyright: AFP

AFPCopyright: AFP

The paper added that local government offices closed during the demonstration in the French territory.

France said it would send police to the island after several nights of protest last week, according to France 24.

A general strike began on 30 March with the goal of bringing benefit payments and civil service salaries in line with those of mainland France, the news service added.

More pictures have come through of the looting in Zambia's capital, Lusaka.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

AFPCopyright: AFP

Rwandan-owned shops have been targeted after accusations that Rwandans living in Zambia were responsible for a spate of murders.

Sixty shops have been looted. 

And the police have arrested more than 250 people. 

Burkinabe hip hop star Smockey was honoured by the Index on Censorship magazine.

He became its first music-in-exile fellow, an award which recognises musicians who perform despite enormous threats to their freedom. 

Smockey co-founded Le Balai Citoyen ("The Citizen's Broom"), a grassroots political movement, which took part in the 2014 protests that forced Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore to resign and flee the country.

Focus on Africa's Akwasi Sarpong caught up with him in London and talked music and politics.

The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) has lost touch with three African aid workers in northern Mali.

In a statement, the ICRC says the three were working in Abeibara, 140km north of Kidal.

The AP news agency reports that the three were distributing water in an area where Islamic militants are operating.

Christoph Luedi, head of the ICRC's delegation in Mali, said: "We are worried about our colleagues and we're doing everything we can to bring them back as quickly as possible." 

The ICRC said it was "in contact with all the parties in northern Mali to get its staff members back".

The news site Rede Angola is reporting that flooding hit Angola's capital, Luanda, for a second time in a week last night:

Rede AngolaCopyright: Rede Angola

The site says that among those affected are schools and shows a classroom with a lesson taking place, with at least five centimeters of water on the ground.

It goes on to say that the flood could exacerbate problems with mosquitoes.

Here's the view this morning from one driver in the suburb Viana:

Mozambique's Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho Rosario has made an emergency trip to Washington DC to hold talks with International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials, the AFP news agency is reporting.

It comes after the IMF suspended aid to the country after discovering that Mozambique had undisclosed additional debts of $1bn.

AFP quotes the head of the IMF's African Department Antoinette Sayeh saying that "the undisclosed borrowing... significantly changes our assessment of Mozambique's macroeconomic outlook".

She is now looking for an explanation from the prime minster.

There's bad news for Borussia Dortmund and Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is out of Wednesday's German Cup semi-final with a painful-sounding injury.

The German club have confirmed that Aubameyang has suffered "bone splintering" in his right toe. 

No recovery date has yet been set for the player.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Somalia's Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke has insisted that his government is "doing its best" to create opportunities in the country so urged people to "stop this dangerous journey of death" to Europe.

He added: 

Quote Message: There are numerous opportunities existing and emerging in the country hence the youth should deviate from pursuing this unwarranted journey. Ironically the Somali diaspora are coming back to their country to be part of its rebuilding and revitalising, thus contradicting the notion of fleeing."

There are numerous opportunities existing and emerging in the country hence the youth should deviate from pursuing this unwarranted journey. Ironically the Somali diaspora are coming back to their country to be part of its rebuilding and revitalising, thus contradicting the notion of fleeing."

He was reacting to the news that Somalis were among those who died when a boat capsized in the Mediterranean (see our 09:09 post).

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Rwandan Jean Serge has told the BBC's Meluse Kapatamoyo in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, that he can't believe what he's seen when it comes to the rioting and looting over the past two days.

Zambians are blaming Rwandans in the country for a spate of murders and this has sparked the looting of Rwandan-owned businesses (see 14:10 entry).

Cynthia NkhataCopyright: Cynthia Nkhata

Mr Serge, who has lived in Zambia for 20 years, said he was "upset and disappointed at the same time [as] we have always been brothers and sisters".

He added that though there are no physical injuries, Rwandans are mentally scarred.

"There is no plan except seeking solace in God," he said.

Sixty shops have been looted and more than 250 people have been arrested.

Border controlCopyright: Border control

At the moment, most migrants choosing to use people-smugglers to get to Europe via Italy come from sub-Saharan Africa.

Sandro Gozi, Italy's Secretary for European Affairs, told the BBC's Europe editor Katya Adler that in the long term there had to be less incentive for people to risk everything to come to Italy.

But in the shorter term, a cash deal had to be drawn up with North African countries to make it easier to send economic migrants and failed asylum seekers back home. 

The Italian government says the total of €1.8bn ($2.1bn; £1.4bn) so far put forward by the EU for the whole of Africa is laughable.

Read more on what Italians told Katya Adler about African immigration.

The Nigerian Government’s bid to have the witnesses protected in the trial of the country’s former national security adviser Sambo Dasuki has been rejected. 

A Federal High Court in the capital, Abuja, today said the government failed to prove that the lives of its witnesses were under any threat. 

The government wanted the witnesses to wear special masks and use fake names and addresses.

But in denying the request, the judge said the case is not associated with terrorism and there is no reason that the witnesses will be under threat. 

The former national security adviser has been standing trial for stealing $2.1bn from the arms budget as well as the illegal possession of arms. 

Col Dasuki denies the charges.

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As we mentioned in ourearlierposts a new bridge has opened in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam today.

This is a boon for commuters, but - as one photographer shows - the bridge is also rather beautiful:

Comedian Kiwewe shows the bridge off in an altogether different way:

In our 12:38 post we said the red carpet was out for Kenya's victorious rugby sevens team who won their first World Series title at the weekend in Singapore.

They have now landed in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, and were given a heroes' welcome, as this Kenyan sports journalist tweets:

Then they did get to step on that red carpet:

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There have been angry protests by hundreds of people in Cairo after a policeman shot dead a street vendor over what witnesses say was the price of a cup of tea. 

At least one other person was also shot and wounded in the incident in an eastern suburb of the Egyptian capital. 

 A senior police officer also said that the argument was over how much the tea cost. 

Video clips have been posted online, showing crowds smashing a police vehicle and chanting "the police are thugs". 

There has been a series of allegations of police brutality in recent months that have sparked angry protests.

The question of whether South Sudan's rebel leader Riek Machar will make his much-heralded return to the capital, Juba, has got very confusing.

The government have just said in a statement that Mr Machar has "indefinitely called off" the trip (see post below).

But Mr Machar's spokesman had earlier issued a statement that he was coming tomorrow.

The sticking point seems to be over whether his chief of staff General Simon Gatwech Dual will be given a permit to land - and Mr Machar's spokesman is now saying that the trip will be postponed until the general is allowed to come.

For its part, the government are not keen on him coming if it means arriving with lots of extra soldiers - more than the peace agreement allows - and a cache of heavy weapons.

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South Sudan's government has just released a statement on the failure of rebel leader Riek Machar to arrive in the capital, Juba, to take up his post as first vice-president in a new unity government - a move that's supposed to be a big step on the way to bringing an end to the civil war.

It says that Mr Machar has "indefinitely called off his coming to Juba".

The statement says the government was told today that "he wanted to come with an arsenal of arms... anti-tanks, laser guided missiles and heavy machine guns".

He also wanted to come with more soldiers, it says.

But the government argues that he "does not need any additional armed forces or arms in Juba".

It says that he should only come with 40 more rebels.

Here's part of the statement:

BBCCopyright: BBC

BBCCopyright: BBC

Football is considered a man's game, according to Mary Kinuthia.

This is a problem for her because she is the captain of Kenya's national women's football team.  

The team reached the finals of the 2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations which take place in November.

But this triumph has involved a fight off the pitch:

Quote Message: At times we have had to come out and go against our parents or guardians to be able to do what we like the most, to play football." from Kinuthia told BBC Sport.

At times we have had to come out and go against our parents or guardians to be able to do what we like the most, to play football."

It's the first appearance for Kenyan women at an international tournament.

Read more from BBC Sport's interview with Kinuthia.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Stella NyanziCopyright: Stella Nyanzi

A lot of people have been commenting on our Facebook post about Ugandan academic Stella Nyanzi stripping naked as a protest against the way she had been treated by Makerere University management.  

Beatrice Wanjiku from Thika in Kenya is among many commenters who think what she did was wrong:    

Quote Message: She represents an institution highly regarded in Africa. I believe she would have found a better avenue to sound her problems."

She represents an institution highly regarded in Africa. I believe she would have found a better avenue to sound her problems."

But Victor Ayeni Salvador thinks people shouldn't get so agitated about nakedness and suggests the action was necessary:  

Quote Message: When a lamb is pushed to a wall, it will fight back. Most of the men lambasting her have never been in her shoes."

When a lamb is pushed to a wall, it will fight back. Most of the men lambasting her have never been in her shoes."

Nana Damalie from Uganda's capital, Kampala, echoes this sentiment, saying the action was called for:  

Quote Message: Courts of law work only in favour of government... in favour of keeping Museveni in power till he dies! The weak will call it insane because culture doesn't allow it as if culture allows oppression of fellow human beings."

Courts of law work only in favour of government... in favour of keeping Museveni in power till he dies! The weak will call it insane because culture doesn't allow it as if culture allows oppression of fellow human beings."