Africa highlights: Nigeria fuel scarcity 'mayhem' warning, Rwanda genocide remembered

Anslem BesigyeCopyright: Anslem Besigye

Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye's son has gone one better than his father and managed to win an election for president. 

Not of a country, admittedly, but of a university club. 

Anslem Besigye, a student at Oxford University, won his bid to become president of the Oxford Union, one of the most prestigious debating societies in the world.

His father was arrested on many different occasions before, during and after his attempt to unseat President Yoweri Museveni, who won a fifth term in elections in February.

His mother, who is the Executive Director of charity Oxfam International, tweeted about his victory: 

She responded with a smiley emoji to one of her followers, teasing her about her son enjoying a slightly smoother ride than his father in his bid for the presidency: 

AFPCopyright: AFP

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has urged discipline within the rank and file of veterans of the liberation war.

Addressing the veterans in the capital, Harare, Mr Mugabe climbed down on earlier threats that he was going to deal with those amongst them who had attacked his wife Grace Mugabe.

There had been some criticism of her alleged presidential ambitions, which had created tension between the veterans and the president.  

But Mr Mugabe said that the veterans should close ranks and focus on fighting external enemies.

The president also promised to look into their welfare issues. 

AFPCopyright: AFP

The hashtag #Kwibuka22 (meaning "Remembering" in the Kinyarwanda language) has been trending across East Africa today as Rwandans gathered to mark the 22nd anniversary of the genocide.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame was joined in the capital, Kigali, by the Tanzanian leader to light the flame of remembrance, which will burn for 100 days, the same length of time it took for 800,000 people to be killed in the violence. 

Thousands of people thronged the streets of Kigali to take part in a remembrance walk...

...though the pouring rain eventually forced organisers to call it off. 

One Rwandan journalist saw an eerie parallel in the day's forbidding weather:

Read more about the Rwandan genocide: 

• 100 days of slaughter
• A good man in Rwanda

Nigeria's fuel scarcity has left many motorists frustrated with the hours they have to spend queuing up for a drop of the black gold.

BBCCopyright: BBC

But people are still not clear what's behind the problem this time.

The BBC's Nigeria reporter Martin Patience has been looking at the issue and says there are three main issues which have held up fuel imports:

1. Outstanding debts - The current government says it inherited massive fuel subsidy debts from the previous administration, and it took time to pay those off.
2. Currency crisis - There is a shortage of foreign exchange in the country making it harder to import fuel.
3. Fuel subsidy dispute - The government and the fuel sellers are arguing over whether the government should continue to subsidise fuel despite the fall in the oil price

Kenya could be banned from the Olympics if it does not pass new anti-doping rules by a new World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) deadline of 2 May.

Kenya has already missed two deadlines to show it is tackling cheating in sport - 11 February and 5 April.

If Kenya does not legislate to create a new national anti-doping agency, it will be declared non-compliant and move a step closer to missing the Rio Games.

Meanwhile Ethiopia has been given until November to perform mass doping tests.

Since 2011, more than 40 Kenyan athletes have failed drugs tests and the country has been placed on a watch-list of nations at risk of breaching the Wada code and told to take legal steps to toughen its anti-doping procedures.

Read more on BBC Sport.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

UN representative in the Sahel Toby Lanzer is travelling in north-east Nigeria at the moment and has been tweeting some of what he's seen.

He's met some of those displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency and praises people in the city of Maiduguri for their willingness to host them.

He also highlights the sanitation situation and the associated public health risks:

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Algeria are back as Africa's top team in Fifa's ranking for April, while Cape Verde slip from the summit to sixth.

Moving up from third to first, Algeria have re-established themselves, helped by a 7-1 thrashing of Ethiopia in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

In contrast, Cape Verde were beaten twice by Morocco.

And Nigeria have tumbled to 14th in Africa and 67th in the world after being eliminated from qualifying for the 2017 Nations Cup.

Top 10 African sides in Fifa's rankings for April (world ranking in brackets)

1. Algeria (33)

2. Ivory Coast (34)

3. Ghana 38)

4. Senegal (43)

5. Egypt (44)

6. Cape Verde (47)

7. Tunisia (47)

8. DR Congo (51)

9. Guinea 58)

10. Congo (59)

Tanzania's former President Jakaya Kikwete now has a lot more time on his hands since stepping down last November.

He's still involved in some diplomatic activity as the African Union's envoy to Libya, but he also has other things to be getting on with.

He told the BBC's Tulanana Bohela that there is much less stress in his life, and his most favourite thing is to take care of his grandchildren.

He can also look after his cattle and his pineapple farm.

Nigeria's junior oil minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu has been explaining the measures that are being taken to deal with the current fuel scarcity to staff at the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation 

A transcript from a podcast distributed to staff shows that he thinks "mayhem" could result from the fuel scarcity issue if it's not resolved.

In recent weeks Nigerians have been spending hours in queues to fill up their cars and diesel generators, because of a lack of fuel in the country.

Mr Kachikwu is quoted as saying:

Quote Message: Fuel queues, don't make any mistake about it... is the single most difficult item, which if not solved can bring down the polity and can create a mayhem here, so it is something that we have focused on."

Fuel queues, don't make any mistake about it... is the single most difficult item, which if not solved can bring down the polity and can create a mayhem here, so it is something that we have focused on."

The minister outlined what he saw as the cause of the shortages.

Firstly, he said that a lack of foreign exchange in the country has meant importers have found it difficult to buy the refined fuel from abroad.

Secondly he said there had been a large number of "pipeline disruptions", which have affected supply.

He added that things should be resolved by next week.

APCopyright: AP

AFPCopyright: AFP

The government of Djibouti has apologised after a BBC team in the country to cover upcoming elections was detained incommunicado for 19 hours and then expelled from the country. 

In a statement sent to the BBC, it said:

Quote Message: Government officials were not aware of the incident involving the BBC team, which resulted from the actions of the security services. We offer our apologies to the BBC and the journalists concerned for this regrettable incident. However, it does appear that the BBC team... did not provide full and accurate information regarding their reporting intentions when they applied for their accreditations." from Djibouti government spokesman Naguib Ali Taher

Government officials were not aware of the incident involving the BBC team, which resulted from the actions of the security services. We offer our apologies to the BBC and the journalists concerned for this regrettable incident. However, it does appear that the BBC team... did not provide full and accurate information regarding their reporting intentions when they applied for their accreditations."

The BBC team denies this and says it was in regular contact with the foreign ministry about its plans ahead of the trip. 

Media watchdog the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement (see tweet below):

"The expulsion of a news crew after they had interviewed the foreign minister and an opposition figure is an act of censorship, and casts doubt on the fairness and transparency of this poll."

Read more: All you need to know about the Djibouti election

Security forces have fired teargas and warning shots in the Chadian capital N'Djamena, to disperse groups protesting at the trial of a group of pro-democracy activists, AFP news agency reports. 

The state prosecutor is requesting six-month jail terms for the five defendants, who had called for President Idriss Deby not to stand for a fifth term in elections due on Sunday, local media report.

A crowd of about 200 people gathered outside the court, shouting: "Free our heroes, the defenders of social justice."

One Chadian human rights organisation has been tweeting photos which it says show the protests: 

A Chadian news website has posted photos of the protesters holding up signs saying "Enough is Enough" and "Get lost Deby". 

The case has been adjourned till 14 April. 

Read more about Chad

New Togo coach Claude LeRoy has told BBC Sport he is aware he faces a tough job but took it because he wants to revitalise football in the country.

LeRoy, 68, has replaced Tom Saintfiet, with Togo struggling in 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying and the country's domestic football in a poor state.

A BBC Africa Sport reporter has been tweeting about the story:

LeRoy also spoke about Emmanuel Adebayor, who has had a troubled relationship with the national team and only just returned to the side from self-imposed exile:

"I don't like the term 'star player' because when you see a star in the sky it is completely dark around it. I prefer a player to be like the sun, shining light on all the people around them. Star players belong in individual sport, not in football. I will try to explain this to him.  

Read the full BBC story

The aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has criticised international donors for what it calls a severe lack of medicine in South Sudan.

Foreign donors often provide drugs and other basic services in the country. 

MSF said patients were having to travel long distances to get anti-malarial medicine, as many health centres and clinics were closed because of the lack of drugs. 

More than two million people have been displaced by the civil war in South Sudan, and many are living in temporary accommodation with poor hygiene.  

MSF has tweeted the full statement from its official account: 

The Nigerian Army says 800 Boko Haram fighters have given themselves up in the last few weeks as part of Operation Safe Corridor, which aims to rehabilitate Nigerians who took up arms against the state.

The defence spokesman says the armed forces are committed to helping citizens who show remorse.

The repentant militants are housed in camps, and after being de-radicalised they are set to be trained in various skills to help them get a job. 

As positive as this arrangement sounds, there are many here who doubt if society is ready and willing to accept the ex-fighters.

It’s likely that many victims of the cruelty of these former gunmen may find it difficult to forgive. 

The north-east of Nigeria has been torn apart bu the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced more than a million others since it began seven years ago.  

AFPCopyright: AFP

In an act that Kenya's Chief Justice Willy Mutunga says upholds "the values of transparency and accountability", he has published photographs of his wealth declaration on Twitter.

Some of the pictures detail expense claims, including a $3,300 (£2,300) living allowance for a 13-day trip to the US in 2012.

Justice Mutunga also gives salary details, which show that in 2015 he earned a gross salary of more than 16m Kenyan shillings ($160,000 , £113,000), and paid 4.8m shillings ($47,000, £33,000) in tax.

The documents also show that he has 33m shillings ($326,000, £230,000) worth of property.

Justice Mutunga says he will soon be subject to a forensic audit.  

Egyptian officials are briefing Italian counterparts in Rome on the progress of an investigation into the torture and murder of student Giulio Regeni.

The Cambridge student's murder outside Cairo earlier this year has shone a light on Egypt's human rights record.

Egyptian police and prosecutors are expected to share initial findings of their investigation, which has faced strong Italian criticism.

Regeni, 28, disappeared on his way to meet a friend on 25 January.

His body, mutilated and showing signs of torture, was found in a ditch on 3 February.  

APCopyright: AP

Read the full BBC News story

South Sudan's opposition leader Riek Machar has confirmed that he will be returning to the capital, Juba, on 18 April.

Mr Machar is due to take up the position of vice president in a a new unity government created by a peace deal aimed at ending the civil war, which began in December 2013.

Fighting between Mr Machar's rebels and President Salva Kiir's government troops has displaced more than two million people in the world's youngest nation. 

In a letter to the head of the body monitoring the peace process Mr Machar said he will "form with President [Salva] Kiir the Transitional Government of National Unity and hold the Transitional National Council of Ministers".

There had been some concerns about the delays in the implementation of the deal, which was signed last August.

The Focus on Africa radio editor has tweeted a photo of the letter:

South Africa's constitution was the first in the world to protect people from discrimination because of their sexual orientation. 

The country was also the first in Africa to legalise same-sex marriage. 

But after a spate of murders, gay people say more needs to be done to stop hate crimes.  

James Fletcher has been investigating for BBC Radio 4's Crossing Continents programme. 

Read his online piece here and listen to the full documentary "Born Free, Killed by Hate in South Africa" below:

The BBC's Brian Hungwe in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, reports that President Robert Mugabe has arrived for a meeting with the country's war veterans to discuss tensions within the governing Zanu-PF party.

BBCCopyright: BBC

He adds that liberation war songs were sung as the president arrived, but he did not come with his wife, Grace Mugabe, who some accuse of trying to lobby to become the next head of state.

Some of the veterans want to discuss her influence.

Many are displaying their loyalty to Mr Mugabe, holding up placards with the slogan "Tokudai Hatikurasai" - or "We love you, we won't abandon you".

BBCCopyright: BBC