Africa highlights: Niger Delta Avengers deny ceasefire, Tanzanian charged over WhatsApp

Kofi Annan’s comments defending the International Criminal Court and rejecting accusation by African leaders that it is an anti-African institution and generated a heated debate on the BBC Africa Facebook page:

Quote Message: Well I totally disagree with him, despite technicalities of international law and all that, the ICC indeed targets African leadership mostly. But then again for one to be the UN chief you have to be voted in by the permanant five Security Council states among other requirements, that explains his stance on an issue which he knows clearly." from Francis Mupazviriwo

Well I totally disagree with him, despite technicalities of international law and all that, the ICC indeed targets African leadership mostly. But then again for one to be the UN chief you have to be voted in by the permanant five Security Council states among other requirements, that explains his stance on an issue which he knows clearly."

Quote Message: This guy is a sell-out!! Europe is surrounded by leaders who committed more crimes around the globe but the ICC don't care!!" from Samuel Cathy

This guy is a sell-out!! Europe is surrounded by leaders who committed more crimes around the globe but the ICC don't care!!"

Quote Message: African judicial systems are weaker..they tend to favour people who are in power..." from Kasika Kasika

African judicial systems are weaker..they tend to favour people who are in power..."

Quote Message: Funny how we rationalise things. Annan is called a sell-out for his statement yet our African leaders are often busy in Western capitals seeking aid later syphoned off in corrupt deals and putting their nations in more debt and we consider them heroes. from Michubu James

Funny how we rationalise things. Annan is called a sell-out for his statement yet our African leaders are often busy in Western capitals seeking aid later syphoned off in corrupt deals and putting their nations in more debt and we consider them heroes.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Ethiopia is contemplating full-scale war against Eritrea, an Eritrean official told the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, Reuters news agency reports.  

Eritrean presidential adviser, Yemane Ghebreab, went on to tell Reuters that he thought this because there had been a large build up of Ethiopian troops at the border. 

The two countries blame each other for clashes on the border on 12 June.

Read more about the clashes on the BBC News website.

The political party in DR Congo of ex-rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba has told the BBC Focus on Africa radio programme that he will appeal his 18-year sentence imposed by ICC judges (see earlier posts).

Bemba has been in custody since his arrest in May 2008.

Quote Message: “Eight years for Bemba at ICC is enough – we are preparing to appeal” from Eve Bazaiba, the MLC’s general-secretary

“Eight years for Bemba at ICC is enough – we are preparing to appeal”

His conviction relates to war crimes committed by his MLC fighters in the Central African Republic.

Bemba had sent more than 1,000 fighters to the CAR in 2002 to help then-President Ange Felix Patasse put down an attempted coup.

Amnesty International's Stephen Cockburn welcomed the sentencing:

Quote Message: The arrest, conviction and sentencing of Jean-Pierre Bemba sends out a strong signal that those who commit crimes under international law will ultimately be held responsible for their crimes

The arrest, conviction and sentencing of Jean-Pierre Bemba sends out a strong signal that those who commit crimes under international law will ultimately be held responsible for their crimes

Quote Message: It also sends a clear message that impunity for sexual violence as a tool of war will not be tolerated and makes clear that military commanders must take all necessary steps to prevent their subordinates."

It also sends a clear message that impunity for sexual violence as a tool of war will not be tolerated and makes clear that military commanders must take all necessary steps to prevent their subordinates."

Three men charged with sedition in The Gambia were tortured, AFP news agency quotes their lawyer as saying.

Defence lawyer Abdoulie Fatty said in court that the three men were beaten, threatened at gunpoint and forced to thumbprint confessions that were either dictated to them or written on their behalf.   

Ebrima Keita, Musa Fofana and Alasanna Jallow could face two years in jail.  

They are accused of saying President Yahya Jammeh disliked the country's majority ethnic group, the Mandinkas.  

A few weeks after their arrests, Mr Jammeh threatened to "wipe out" Mandinkas in a speech, accusing them of trying to destabilise the country by joining protests organised by the opposition.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Human rights group Amnesty International has demanded 21 political prisoners in Eritrea arrested more than 15 years ago are released.

It comes after Eritrea's foreign minister spoke for the first time about the prisoners.

The 11 politicians were arrested after they published an open letter to the government calling for reform. The 10 journalists were arrested over the following week.

Osman Saleh told Radio France International that the prisoners were all alive and would be tried “when the government decides". 

A judicial body that represents the state in Egypt - the Egyptian State Lawsuits Authority - has challenged today's court's annulment of a maritime borders agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Egypt's Nile News TV reports. 

Egypt's State Council, an administrative court, earlier quashed a government decision to hand control of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

Its decision only becomes legally binding if approved by the country's High Administrative Court.

How will the European Union referendum affect Africans living in the United Kingdom?

According to the 2011 UK census, there are nearly one million black Africans living in the country - including recent migrants and others who may have been born in the UK to African parents or grandparents.

BBC Focus on Africa's Paul Bakibinga reports from the south-western city of Bristol, home to a large African population and an area particularly known for its Somali community.

The maritime border agreement, which an Egyptian judge has quashed today, was signed earlier this year between Egypt and Saudi Arabia and took many Egyptians at the time by surprise.

Since then, protesters have taken to the streets calling the arrangement unconstitutional, and accusing the government of giving away Egyptian territories in return for aid packages and investments worth billions of dollars from Saudi Arabia, a strong backer of President Sisi.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Some of these protesters were arrested and charged with disrupting public order. A few are still behind bars.

The lawsuit was filed by a number of prominent human rights lawyers, headed by a former presidential candidate, Khaled Ali.

When the verdict was issued, many cheered inside the courtroom, chanting "the islands are Egyptian". 

But the legal battle has not come to an end yet, because the decision can be appealed.

Read more on the BBC News website.

The Niger Delta Avengers - a new militant group in Nigeria’s southern oil region that has been active this year - has denied reports that it has agreed to a one-month ceasefire.

A petroleum ministry official, who asked not to be identified, told the Reuters news agency earlier that the ceasefire was agreed last week when a government delegation, led by the oil minister, held talks with community leaders and state governors.

The official is quoted as saying:

Quote Message: It was very difficult getting the Niger Delta Avengers to the negotiating table, but we eventually did through a proxy channel and achieved the truce.

It was very difficult getting the Niger Delta Avengers to the negotiating table, but we eventually did through a proxy channel and achieved the truce.

Quote Message: Government requested more than a month but since they insisted a month we have no choice than to oblige them. Government will use this period of respite to come up with a master plan for the region."

Government requested more than a month but since they insisted a month we have no choice than to oblige them. Government will use this period of respite to come up with a master plan for the region."

Read more read Chris Ewokor's piece on Niger Delta Avengers.

OtherCopyright: Other

Ethiopian Tsgabu Grmay will be the first-ever Ethiopian to compete in the cycling event Tour de France which starts on 2 July. 

The 24-year-old will be on the Lampre team with Portugese former world champion Rui Costa.

Back in 2012 he told the BBC that he wanted to be the first African to win the Tour de France.

Read more from Grmay's 2012 interview on the BBC Sport website.

Many BBC Africa Facebook commentators have reacted positively to the news that charities working in Kenya risk losing their licences (see earlier posts) if they fail to comply with rules that stipulate that foreigners should not be employed if there are Kenyans who can do the job:

Quote Message: Well done Kenya this practice should apply to all African countries." from Dee Et Alem

Well done Kenya this practice should apply to all African countries."

Quote Message: Really good, it's more or less the same as our indigenisation law in Zimbabwe." from Douglass Tinashe Runesu

Really good, it's more or less the same as our indigenisation law in Zimbabwe."

Quote Message: When South Sudan issued the same decree, the whole East Africa got bitter until South Sudan gov't apologised... bravo Kenya." from Awadi Lupai

When South Sudan issued the same decree, the whole East Africa got bitter until South Sudan gov't apologised... bravo Kenya."

Others were more cautious in their response:  

Quote Message: The government needs to be careful. NGOs employ expatriates not only because there are no qualified locals, but: 1. For sharing of experiences from outside Kenya, 2. Some employ nationals who are from the countries from which the NGOs originate." from Bl Mureverwi

The government needs to be careful. NGOs employ expatriates not only because there are no qualified locals, but: 1. For sharing of experiences from outside Kenya, 2. Some employ nationals who are from the countries from which the NGOs originate."

Quote Message: While Kenyans are celebrating this, their fellow in the diaspora should expect the same treatment." from Mark Sakuti

While Kenyans are celebrating this, their fellow in the diaspora should expect the same treatment."

But Lansana Konneh fears the ruling will backfire:

Quote Message: These are foreign-funded humanitarian organisations operating in less developed countries and helping to improve the lives of the people. They have their own work ethics - zero tolerance for corruptions and nepotism- trained expertise, etc. It's not the business of any government to tell them who they should employ. The Kenyan government should create employment opportunities for its own people rather than harass these organisations."

These are foreign-funded humanitarian organisations operating in less developed countries and helping to improve the lives of the people. They have their own work ethics - zero tolerance for corruptions and nepotism- trained expertise, etc. It's not the business of any government to tell them who they should employ. The Kenyan government should create employment opportunities for its own people rather than harass these organisations."

As we mentioned earlier, we are asking on Twitter about entrepreneurship.

Here are a few tweeters' suggestions for the benefits of doing business in Africa:

Which just leaves one question: What are witty fingers?

A Tanzanian is facing charges after he allegedly shared comments on Whatsapp calling President John Magufuli an imbecile.

Mulokozi Kyaruzi has been charged under the controversial cybercrime law.

He is the second person to be charged under the law for insulting the president.

The law was highly criticised for infringing freedom of expression when it was enacted last year.

Here is the statement of the offence:

BBCCopyright: BBC

Here's a translation of what he is alleged to have said:

Quote Message: “Doesn’t [President John Magufuli] have advisers? Isn’t he advisable? Or is he simply an idiot? He is such an imbecile; he doesn’t consider the law in place before opening his mouth! Or is he sick of 'Mnyika-disease'?”

“Doesn’t [President John Magufuli] have advisers? Isn’t he advisable? Or is he simply an idiot? He is such an imbecile; he doesn’t consider the law in place before opening his mouth! Or is he sick of 'Mnyika-disease'?”

Mnyika, mentioned in the statement, refers to John Mnyika, a young and very vocal opposition MP.

Read more about Tanzania's controversial cybercrime law.

More and more people are making a living by sharing content online, via YouTube, blogs or other social media sites.

Recently, some of Africa's most successful bloggers met in Senegal's capital, Dakar, to share ideas.

Two of them, a Kenyan and Guinean told BBC Focus on Africa what it takes to stand out in the digital world.

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We reported earlier that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President had warned that Kenyan sports men and women could have to take extra drugs tests to compete in the Olympics in August.

This is because they are marked as non-compliant by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

The BBC's Nick Cavell has pointed out that at his press conference IOC head Thomas Bach only seemed to mention Russia and Kenya - but according to the Wada site Mexico and Spain are also non-compliant too.

An IOC press release clarifies that Spain is non-compliant for administrative reasons.

“At this moment, three National Anti-Doping Organisations (Nados) – Kenya, Russia and Spain – are non-compliant for different reasons. The non-compliance declaration of the Spanish Nado is for administrative reasons only and does not affect the doping-control system,” the statement says.

But Mexico, despite being on the non-compliant list on the Wada website, is not named in the IOC press release.

Last month, Kenya's parliament rushed through further anti-doping legislation that Wada demanded after a spate of drugs scandals involving Kenyan athletes. Wada is reported to have approved these changes - but has not done so officially at a board level.

Read more on BBC Sport

Over on our Twitter account we are asking what qualities you need to start a business.

A company based in Washington which helps new African ideas get off the ground has responded:

EPACopyright: EPA

Whilst reading Jean-Pierre Bemba's sentence at the ICC (see earlier posts), Judge Sylvia Steiner noted that most of the many murders by the former Congolese rebel leader's MLC fighters in the Central African Republic had occurred when people resisted pillaging.

Rapes, often involving gang rapes, were “especially sadistic” and committed with "particular cruelty" and entire families were often victimised in turn.

The judge recounted one witness as saying that pillaging had taken place in practically every town that the MLC had entered and the rebels went to every single house and took whatever they wanted.

She said these crimes were a result of Bemba’s failure to exercise proper control of his fighters - and that he had command over logistics and discipline.

Bemba has visited CAR in November 2002 - providing arms, ammunition and reinforcements. Despite knowledge of the crimes, he repeatedly failed to take genuine measure to stop them, she said.

The gravity of Bemba's conduct was further underlined by his position as head of the political and armed wing of the MLC and his education, the judge said.

Judge Steiner said that the prosecution had requested a 25-year sentence; the defence said it should be within a 12-14 year range.

She said the chamber, which opted for an 18-year sentence, could have sentenced up him to a maximum of 30 years – and in exceptional circumstances it could have been life imprisonment.

Our sports journalists are tweeting about the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president's latest announcement:

ICC Judge Sylvia Steiner read out the sentence for Jean-Pierre Bemba as follows:

• Murder as a war crime – 16 years
• Murder as a crime against humanity - 16 years
• Rape as a war crime - 18 years
• Rape as a crime against humanity - 18 years
• Pillaging as a war crime - 16 years.

She said the sentences would run concurrently and would also take into account time already spent in jail since his arrest on 20 May 2008.

So Bemba is effectively sentenced to spend the next 10 years behind bars for the crimes his fighters committed in 2002/3 over four and a half months in the CAR.