Africa highlights: Ethiopia Olympian 'overwhelmed by support', anti-Mugabe march to go ahead

The family of the Ethiopian runner who is planning to seek asylum in the US after staging a protest at the Olympic Games in Rio has been speaking to the Reuters news agency from their home in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

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Feyisa Lelisa's wife Iftu Mulisa spoke about how she felt when her husband crossed his arms at the finish line in solidarity with protesters from the Oromo ethnic group:

Quote Message: I was very scared at the time but I wasn't surprised because I know him. He was burning inside when he sees on social media all these dead bodies... people being beaten and people being arrested. So I was not surprised because I know he had a lot of anger inside."

I was very scared at the time but I wasn't surprised because I know him. He was burning inside when he sees on social media all these dead bodies... people being beaten and people being arrested. So I was not surprised because I know he had a lot of anger inside."

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His daughter Soko Feyisa had a brief message for her father, currently in Rio while lawyers prepare his US asylum request:

Quote Message: Baba I miss you, where are you?" from Soko Feyisa, daughter

Baba I miss you, where are you?"

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

And his mother Biritu Fulasa cast doubt on the government's assertion that her son would be treated as a hero if he returned to Ethiopia: 

Quote Message: Do you really believe what the government is saying? I don't believe so. He should stay there. I would have liked him to come but what can I do? I was crying too much the other day but now I am feeling better. I want him to stay there."

Do you really believe what the government is saying? I don't believe so. He should stay there. I would have liked him to come but what can I do? I was crying too much the other day but now I am feeling better. I want him to stay there."

What is behind Ethiopia's wave of protests?

Kenyan Olympic marathon runner Wesley Korir has been very vocal on Twitter about the way Kenyan administrators have treated the athletes in Rio.

But now he is on his way home:

Earlier he criticised the accommodation that had been arranged for the athletes once they left the Olympic village in Rio, sharing photos of the shanty town in which the team was staying.

He said the athletes had experienced hell and he would demand action when he returned home. 

It is not known whether he is travelling with the rest of the Kenyan team. 

Kenya's Sports Minister Hassan Wario said the government was disbanding the country's Olympic committee over the poor management of the team in Rio.

As a Senegalese worker, Mbayang Diop, faces the death penalty in Saudi Arabia over the alleged murder of her employer, BBC Afrique has been speaking to a woman who has just returned from working there.

Anta Cisse says she was lured by the promise of a better life and stable income, but her three-month stint turned into a nightmare.

Ms Cisse had her passport taken by her employer and she says she was woken up in the middle of the night:

Quote Message: They want you to work throughout the day without taking a break. And when you start arguing, then it’s the beginning of your problems. My employer wanted me to go in the kitchen and wash dishes. But I couldn’t do that, at night I was very tired and wanted to sleep, but she didn’t like that."

They want you to work throughout the day without taking a break. And when you start arguing, then it’s the beginning of your problems. My employer wanted me to go in the kitchen and wash dishes. But I couldn’t do that, at night I was very tired and wanted to sleep, but she didn’t like that."

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She says she was unable to get in touch with her family, but in the end managed to persuade her employer to let her go.

Ms Cisse says she is happy to be back in Senegal even though she does not have a job at the moment.

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After photos of French police appearing to enforce a "burkini ban" on a woman in the southern town of Nice were published on Wednesday, our reporter Rana Jawad in Tunisia, a former French colony, has been down to the beach to find out what women there think about the whole debate. Listen below:

Why do some people find the burkini offensive?

The Tanzanian authorities have banned political parties from holding meetings, saying they breed hatred and incite violence against the security forces.

The ban comes the day after four police officers were killed in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. 

The police described the attack as politically motivated. 

Opposition parties say the government is trying to stifle democracy. 

In June, political rallies were banned. The authorities have also clamped down on the media. 

Algeria international Nabil Bentaleb has joined German side Schalke 04 on a season-long loan from English Premier League side Tottenham.

Bentaleb played only 13 times for Spurs last season because of injuries.

The 21-year-old midfielder has not trained with the Tottenham first-team since July after being told he was not in manager Mauricio Pochettino's plans.

"He is 100% fit but we must give him time to integrate into the team," Schalke director Christian Heidel said.

Read the full BBC Sport story

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Kenyan music stars Sauti Sol are with the BBC's Akwasi Sarpong  in our London studio right now.

You can watch here on Facebook Live.

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The Ethiopian Olympic marathon runner Feyisa Lilesa who made an anti-government gesture when he crossed the line on Sunday has told the BBC's Emmanuel Igunza that he is overwhelmed by the worldwide support he has received.

He made the gesture in support of the Oromo protesters.

Lilesa was talking on the phone from Rio de Janeiro and told Emmanuel that he will stay there while his lawyer continues working on an asylum request to the US. 

He did not fly back home with the rest of the team earlier this week, insisting that he faces arrest or death if he goes to Ethiopia. 

Lilesa however did say he has been in touch with his wife and children who are safe in the capital, Addis Ababa.  

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Ethiopia's Olympic marathon runner Feyisa Lilesa will not lose his silver medal despite making a political protest as he finished the race on Sunday.

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He crossed his arms above his head in solidarity with protesters from his Oromo ethnic group in Ethiopia.

There were concerns that he could be sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as rule 50 of the Olympic charter bans political displays or protests.

In an email to the BBC, an IOC spokesperson said: "We spoke to the athlete and reminded him of the Olympic charter."

The spokesperson added that no further action would be taken.

Speaking after the race in Rio, Lilesa explained his protest by saying: "The Ethiopian government are killing the Oromo people and taking their land and resources so the Oromo people are protesting and I support the protest as I am Oromo."

He is now said to be seeking political asylum.

South Africa's Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has garnered a lot of sympathy following his refusal to answer a summons from the country's elite police unit, the Hawks.

They want to talk to him about allegations that he set up a rogue spy unit when he was in charge of the country's revenue service, which he denies.

Some in South Africa suspect that there are political motives behind the accusation.

The privately owned eNCA news has shared a cartoon of an encircled Mr Gordhan trying to protect the economy:

Uganda's Winnie Byanyima is currently head of Oxfam International after a long career in government and opposition politics at home.

She's also the wife of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye.

And Kenya's Citizen TV focused on her marital status to promote one of its shows.

And Ms Byanyima was not happy:

And she's got a lot of support on Twitter:

Kenya's Olympic committee has said it's not going anywhere despite a government order disbanding it, the BBC's Wanyama Chebusiri reports.

We've reported that Sports Minster Hassan Wario wanted to break up the committee over accommodation, travel and equipment problems at the Rio Olympics.

But the secretary general of the Olympic committee, Francis Paul, has responded saying that  the minister had no powers to disband the body.

He said the committee was an autonomous body free from what he described as “government interference”.

Kenya won 13 medals in Rio, including six golds - the highest placed African country.

AFPCopyright: AFP

AFPCopyright: AFP

The party of Gabon's President Ali Bongo is feeling generous, two days ahead of the country's presidential elections. 

The Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) has been giving out mobile phones, freezers, washing machines and other domestic appliances to people in the capital, Libreville, according to the BBC Afrique reporter on the ground. 

The gifts were distributed at a rally attended by thousands of activists and supporters of the PDG party.

One woman, Naelle, told the BBC:

"I didn't have anything to do, so I went. There was a long queue. When our turn came, they gave us a prize, but on the condition that we identified ourselves. Then they gave us a stamp on our hands. I received an Ipad and my neighbour got a freezer."

So what did people think lay behind this generosity? 

"I suppose it was so we vote for Ali Bongo", another woman at the rally, Gwenaelle, told our reporter.  

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The leading opposition candidate in Saturday's poll is Jean Ping, a former head of the African Union Commission.

Gabon is a major oil producer, but a third of its population live in poverty, according to the World Bank.    

Read more about Gabon

A coalition of Zimbabwean opposition parties and civil society groups, including the #ThisFlag movement, have said that they are determined to go ahead with a planned anti-government march tomorrow in the capital, Harare, the BBC's Brian Hungwe reports.

The police had written to the organisers asking them to call it off.

The people behind the demonstration are calling for comprehensive political reforms ahead of the 2018 elections. 

Didymus Mutasa of Zimbabwe People First told journalists:

Quote Message: We are calling upon all the people of Zimbabwe to come out in their numbers so that we make a loud national expression."

We are calling upon all the people of Zimbabwe to come out in their numbers so that we make a loud national expression."

There have been a series of demonstrations against the government in recent months.

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It looked like the paparazzi were out in force at Johannesburg's OR Tambo airport this morning:

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But the star in question wasn't a human celebrity, but rather a tiger who had arrived after a four-day journey from a zoo in Gaza, the AP news agency reports.

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The Bengal tiger, known as Laziz, had been transported in a wooden base, but his handlers say the animal was in a good condition, AP adds.

Laziz was one of the few animals left in Khan Younis Zoo in South Gaza, dubbed the "world's worst zoo".

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The move by the Kenyan government to disband the National Olympic Committee (see previous entries) could lead to the country being suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which does not allow government interference in the running of the body. 

Kuwait is currently suspended by the IOC for government interference and their athletes had to compete as part of a team of Independent Olympic Athletes at the recent games in Rio.

In a statement dealing with Kuwait's situation, the IOC it would "withhold all financial assistance" from the country as a result of the suspension. 

Kenya could face similar sanctions if the IOC takes issue with its decision.

The Somali government's official Twitter profile has confirmed reports of a robbery at the country's central bank:

A journalist for Voice of America has been tweeting updates from the capital, Mogadishu, about the theft of the $530,000 (£401,000):

This is what the building itself looks like:

Many Kenyans have been expressing their frustration online over the organisational failures of their own sports administrators the Rio 2016 Olympics. 

There are those who are not convinced that Sports Minister Hassan Wario's decision to disband the country's Olympic committee will address the problems (see entries below):

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We've been getting more details of what Kenya's Sports Minister Hassan Wario said when he disbanded the national Olympic committee.

Speaking to journalists in the capital, Nairobi, he first praised the performance of the athletes and the way country overcame suspicions about doping.

He then turned his fire on the administrators:

Quote Message: You are all aware of the troubles... that have dampened the spirits and the pride of the people of Kenya."

You are all aware of the troubles... that have dampened the spirits and the pride of the people of Kenya."

He then described a string of problems over accommodation and travel, to the provision of sports kits "that never reached the athletes as required".

Quote Message: These allegations... pose an immediate threat that will adversely affect the stability and reputation of the Olympic Games in this country."

These allegations... pose an immediate threat that will adversely affect the stability and reputation of the Olympic Games in this country."

Mr Wario then announced that he has set up an investigation into what went wrong.

The news comes as one of the athletes, Wesley Korir, has been complaining about Kenyan Olympians being put up in accommodation in a shanty town following the closure of the Olympic village.