Africa highlights: Detained Congolese warlord 'ready to die', 'IS link' to Kenya attack

A report commissioned by actor and activist George Clooney, which accused South Sudan's political and military leaders of enriching themselves during the country's civil war, has been dismissed as "complete rubbish" by the government. 

"Yes, there is corruption in South Sudan but this report has fallen short of detailing the corruption," Ateny Wek Ateny, spokesman for President Salva Kiir told AFP news agency.

The report's authors spent two years collecting evidence and testimony on behalf of a new investigative unit - called The Sentry - which was co-founded by the US actor.  

A spokesman for the sacked Vice-President Riek Machar, who fled after fighting in the capital Juba in July and was heavily criticised in the report, dismissed it as "a baseless lie".

Earlier we featured the achievements of Nigerian para-athlete Lauritta Onye who took gold in the shot put in Rio

She is one of six gold medal winners for the country.

Roland Ezuruike is another, who took top spot in his powerlifting event. 

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Nigeria has now won a total of nine medals putting it 10th on the medal table, the top-placed African nation.

Nigeria's Olympic team only took home a bronze in football. But the country's Paralympians have outclassed the Olympians at every games since 1996.

Ethiopian Olympian Feyisa Lilesa has called on the US government to apply pressure over what he describes as brutality by his own government in putting down protests by the Oromo people. 

Mr Lilesa is now in the US, having decided not to return home after making an anti-government gesture at the end of his marathon race in Rio.   

In an article in the Washington Post, the silver medallist writes:

Quote Message: We in Ethiopia and people around the world see America as a beacon of democracy and promoter of human rights... I am asking the US government to demand an explanation from Ethi­o­pia and to condemn the brutal and unfair actions of the government.

We in Ethiopia and people around the world see America as a beacon of democracy and promoter of human rights... I am asking the US government to demand an explanation from Ethi­o­pia and to condemn the brutal and unfair actions of the government.

Quote Message: The United States needs to push hard for democracy in Ethiopia. I think that is the only thing that will keep my country together."

The United States needs to push hard for democracy in Ethiopia. I think that is the only thing that will keep my country together."

You can read the full piece at the link below and watch a special video, which tells the story of his time so far in the US:

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A media outlet for the co-called Islamic State says that the three women killed trying to attack the main police station in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa on Sunday were IS supporters. 

The women, wearing hijabs, entered the station saying they wanted to report a stolen phone, before launching a knife and petrol bomb attack, police say.  

A post made on an IS-affiliated account on the secure mobile messaging app Telegram claimed the connection, without offering further evidence. 

There are also reports of a letter, which has not been verified, purporting to be written by the women, in which they pledge allegiance to IS.

Most attacks in this region of Kenya tend to be claimed by Islamist militant group al-Shabab, a branch of which is linked to IS. 

Some of the leading voices in IT policy on the continent have been meeting in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, to look at ways to make sure that women aren't left behind by the digital revolution.

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Activists say that women are 50% less likely than men to be online.

One of those taking part is Dorothy Gordon from the Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT.       

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She told the BBC's Thomas Naadi that it is only through giving women access to digital technology that Africa's economies will improve.

People at the conference are urging African governments to aim to cut the high cost of connecting to the internet and expand free internet access in public places, including schools and clinics.

They say these measures should help more women get online.

The UN's Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, has said his office is concerned by "repeated allegations [in Ethiopia] of excessive and lethal use of force against protesters, enforced disappearances, and mass detentions, including of children, as well as by worrying restrictions on civil society, the media and opposition". 

He told a meeting of the UN's Human Rights Council in Geneva that he wanted to carry out an investigation, but was told that the government was looking into the issues.

He said: "I welcome a national effort, but believe the government should also consider the need for an independent, impartial and international effort to affirm or revise the allegations.

Quote Message: I find it mystifying we are not being given access to areas where the expertise of my Office can so clearly be of immediate and sustained assistance."

I find it mystifying we are not being given access to areas where the expertise of my Office can so clearly be of immediate and sustained assistance."

Ethiopia has been accused of a brutal crackdown of recent anti-government protests in the Oromo and Amhara regions of the country.

The government has denied this.

Activists are asking for greater political and economic rights.

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• What is behind Ethiopia's wave of protests?

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A former Congolese rebel commander who is on trial for war crimes at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague has said he is "ready to die" rather than endure the conditions he is being held in, the Reuters news agency reports.

Bosco Ntaganda who is accused of using child soldiers, keeping women as sex slaves, and murder in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2002-2003 went on hunger strike last week, Reuters adds.

"I have no possibility to see my wife and children again under normal conditions. This is the reason I have lost all hope. This is why I am ready to die," Ntaganda said in a statement read out by his defence lawyer. 

Ntaganda pleaded not guilty to all 18 charges at the start of his trial last year. 

Profile: Bosco Ntaganda the Congolese 'Terminator'

Heads of state from the East African regional group Igad have called on the African Union force in the country to help ensure that the elections due on 31 October are peaceful.

They were meeting in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The first gathering of heads of state in the city since Igad was founded 30 years ago.

The Ugandan and Kenyan presidents as well as the Ethiopian prime minister were all there.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Somali government announced that it has lifted the ban on imports of the narcotic leaf khat from Kenya. 

The ban was announced a week ago, and it has cost Kenyan exporters a lot of money in lost trade.

A group of female activists known as Women 4 Uganda have been released following their arrest at a protest earlier (see previous entry). 

People have been tweeting photos in support of the women, using the hashtag #katibahakunamchezo, which means "No joking with the constitution" in Swahili.

They were arrested earlier after protesting against a plan to remove the age limit for judges (currently 75), which some in Uganda suspect is laying the ground for similar legislation to allow presidents to run for office beyond 75. 

President Yoweri Museveni is 72. 

A fundraising event for the victims of the weekend's earthquake in Tanzania has raised nearly $600,000 (£450,000).

Sixteen people died and hundreds of others were made homeless when the earthquake struck in Bukoba, northern Tanzania.

The fundraiser was held at state house this afternoon and involved foreign missions, business people, companies, religious organisations and wealthy individuals. 

There has also been an informal campaign on social media and Whatsapp urging people to support the victims.

The BBC heard the experiences of one victim:

South Africa has barred controversial US pastor Steven Anderson from visiting the country because of his critical remarks about homosexuality.

The home affairs minister said he was refused a visa as the constitution prohibits hate speech.

Mr Anderson posted the news on his church's Facebook page, where he said he "felt sorry" for South Africans who do not live in a country where religious freedom exists.

He said he would still visit Botswana.

The people commenting underneath are not very sympathetic:

Quote Message: In South Africa, We are just fine and don't need your sympathy against anything. There are better ways of spreading the Word of God than insulting authorities." from Magate Phala

In South Africa, We are just fine and don't need your sympathy against anything. There are better ways of spreading the Word of God than insulting authorities."

Quote Message: Ours is a constitutional democracy and we have neither time nor space for bigoted fools who think some members of our society do not deserve respect." from Lacoste Mokwena

Ours is a constitutional democracy and we have neither time nor space for bigoted fools who think some members of our society do not deserve respect."

Quote Message: If you think you are going to come to Botswana and insult us, then we are going to lock you up. This is Botswana my brother not a play ground." from Pat Wasetso

If you think you are going to come to Botswana and insult us, then we are going to lock you up. This is Botswana my brother not a play ground."

The only opposition party in the Democratic Republic of Congo that had agreed to take part in AU-led talks to try and calm the political situation in the country has pulled out.

The UNC leader Vital Kamerhe said he did not agree with a plan to hold local elections before a contentious presidential election due in November.

"We realised that they wanted to lead us to a dead end. That's why we decided to walk out. This is not negotiable," Mr Kamare told BBC Afrique.

The largest opposition coalition led by veteran politician Etienne Tshisekedi and a group of parties backing presidential hopeful Moïse Katumbi are not part of the talks.

They have accused Mr Kabila of purposely blocking the electoral process in order extend his time in power beyond December - the end of his second and last term.

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Muslims in Nigeria are still celebrating Eid al-Adha as the festival enters its second day.

Here in Bauchi, the celebrations are going on peacefully but they are low key.

The recession, which has left people short of money, has denied many here the opportunity to make an animal sacrifice as recommended by Islam during the festivity. 

Aliyu Baraya, a pensioner, told me that this year, he is only thinking about how to feed his family rather than with buying a ram.

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Notwithstanding the economic hardship, it seems it is business as usual for some children in Bauchi. 

They can been seen at recreational centres playing in the sun.

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Some of them told me that though their parents could not afford to buy them new clothes, they were having a nice time playing on the swings.

Islamic clerics, on the other hand, are using the annual  festivities to renew calls for the authorities and the well-to-do to help improve the economy and assist the less privileged in the society.

Several African leaders have now been spotted on the red carpet for the extraordinary summit for regional body Igad in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. 

It's the first regional summit of African heads of state to be held in Somalia since Igad was founded 30 years ago.

The country has been plagued by civil war and, in recent years, an insurgency by Islamist militant group al-Shabab.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn was pictured (in a white jacket) chatting with Somali President Hassan Sheik Mohamed. 

The Somali leader has described the hosting of the summit as "a great moment... after more than two decades of anarchy".

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has also been pictured at the event:

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is also there. 

However, the leaders of Djibouti, South Sudan and Sudan, who had also been expected to attend, have not turned up. 

Zimbabwe's police has decided to use powers under the public order security act to ban public demonstrations from Friday until 15 October. 

The last ban was introduced using a different procedure, which was ruled invalid by the High Court.

We are yet to hear if human rights groups will contest the current ban in court. 

But it shows rising anxiety from the police at the recent rise in protests, which have often turned violent. 

President Robert Mugabe has promised “painful” measures against protests. 

Public anger could still boil over with or without the ban. 

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Phiona Mutesi, who grew up in the Katwe slum in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, has become the subject of a Disney movie.The Queen of Katwe tells how she dropped out of school early, but started playing chess aged nine, becoming a grandmaster. It stars Oscar winner Lupita Ny’ongo and British-born Nigerian actor David Oyelowo.She tells BBC Africa she hopes her life story will inspire others.  

Residents in the Tunisian town of Fernana, north-west of the capital Tunis, have tried to disrupt the water supply to Tunis in protest at dire economic conditions, local media report.

The protests followed the funeral of a young man who died after setting himself alight, following a reported argument with a city hall official, the reports added.

Private Mosaique FM radio reported that protesters tried to storm the main water distribution station in the Jantura area after attending the funeral of Wessam al-Nasri.

Residents have been calling for "the right to development" as they live in an area that "suffers from poverty and marginalisation", the station adds.

The Arab Spring began in Tunisia following the death of a street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, who became so angry at his poor prospects that he set himself alight  in December 2010. 

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Questions have been raised in South Africa about a home loan that was given to President Jacob Zuma by the little-known VBS Bank to pay back the controversial non-security refurbishments to his rural home in Nkandla. 

The Presidency issued a statement on Monday, announcing that Mr Zuma has transferred the amount of more than $500,000 (£380,000) to the SA Reserve Bank (SARB). This was ordered by the Constitutional Court at the end of March.

Mr Zuma will repay the loan over the next 20 years.

According to local newspapers, some have questioned how it is that a 74-year-old qualified for a loan, well in excess of his income and whether this was a case for reckless lending. 

The wholly black-owned bank is said to have only four branches in the country.  

But explaining his choice of financier, the president said it was “one of the few financial institutions, which offer home loans in respect of land owned by traditional authorities”. 

Meanwhile South Africa's main opposition, Democratic Alliance had demanded to see the proof of payment. 

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Scottish nurse Pauline Cafferkey, who survived Ebola after contracting the virus in Sierra Leone in 2014 may not face charges of dishonesty at a misconduct hearing, it has emerged.

The UK's Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) alleged that Ms Cafferkey allowed a wrong temperature to be recorded when she returned to Heathrow and left a screening area without flagging it up.

But it said she had no case to answer over dishonesty and her judgement may have been impaired due to illness.

The panel at the misconduct hearing is yet to decide whether to accept the NMC's move to have the dishonesty allegation dropped.

The hearing will resume later on Tuesday.

Read more on BBC News Online.

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