Africa Live this week: 15-21 April 2024

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. To keep up with news from the continent, visit the BBC Africa webpage.

And if audio is your thing, have a listen to the BBC's Focus on Africa and Africa Daily podcasts.

A reminder of Thursday's wise words:

Quote Message: The papaya tree which bears sweet fruit always has a stick under it" from An Akan proverb sent by Kwabens Kankam Boakye in Kumasi, Ghana

The papaya tree which bears sweet fruit always has a stick under it"

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo of a fisherman preparing to cast off in Oranjeville, South Africa:

AFPCopyright: AFP

This is "a most unfortunate day for the nation at large", President Ruto has said at a press conference called in the wake of the chopper crash.

"Our motherland has lost one of her most valiant generals," he added while paying tribute to Gen Francis Ogolla.

"The sorrow we all feel about his passing is shared by all the people of Kenya," he said while announcing a three-day period of national mourning.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Tigrayan fighters in northern Ethiopia have reportedly taken control of more disputed areas on the border with the Amhara region, forcing residents to flee their homes.

Fighting flared up on Saturday after Tigray fighters were accused of advancing towards Alamata, a major town, in the disputed Raya district.

Officials in Kobo, a neighbouring Amhara town, told the BBC that"“many" people were arriving in recent days fleeing the clashes.

In a strongly worded statement released on Wednesday, the Amhara regional government accused Tigrayan forces of launching an "invasion" and threatened action against it.

The Tigrayan forces are yet to comment on these latest accusations but Getachew Reda, the head of the interim administration in Tigray, had previously blamed some unnamed "die-hard enemies" for the flare up.

The district had been under the southern Tigray administration until war broke out between the federal government and Tigrayan forces in 2020. The Amhara forces, which fought alongside the federal army during the war, have since seized the areas.

The federal authorities have not commented on the latest clashes, but they had previously said disputed areas would be under the army’s control until a resolution was reached.

The escalation threatens to disrupt the implementation of the peace agreement signed by the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in Pretoria, South Africa, in November 2022 that ended the civil war.

Campaign group Survival International has accused the UN's cultural organisation, Unesco, of complicity in the forcible eviction and abuse of indigenous people.

In a report to mark World Heritage Day, it says serious abuses are being committed in the name of conservation at several Unesco World Heritage Sites in Africa and Asia.

Unesco has issued a statement to the BBC strongly contesting the allegations.

It says it has made respect for the rights of indigenous people a fundamental principle in the management of its sites.

The BBC's Africa security correspondent in Nairobi, Ian Wafula, reports that President William Ruto has convened an urgent meeting of the National Security Council following the helicopter crash, according to spokesman Hussein Mohamed.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Details of the Kenyan military helicopter crash are still sketchy, but here is some of what we do know:

• A military helicopter has gone down on the border of West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet counties in Kenya’s Rift Valley
• Government spokeman Isaac Mwaura has confirmed that there has been a crash but has urged Kenyans to stay calm and avoid speculation
• There has been no official confirmation over who was on board
• Local media are reporting that senior military figures were on the helicopter
• Rescue and recovery teams have been dispatched to the crash site to give assistance and to assess the situation
• Kenyans are awaiting a statement from President William Ruto due anytime

Kenyan TV channel NTV is reporting that according to a police spokesperson five of those on board the military helicopter that has crashed were killed. There were three survivors, the police are reported to have said.

The Reuters news agency is also reporting those figures quoting an anonymous police source. The three survivors are being treated in hospital, it adds.

Spokesperson for Kenya's government Isaac Mwaura has urged Kenyans to "stay calm and avoid any speculation whatsoever at this critical juncture".

His message on X follows news that a military helicopter has crashed with reports that some senior officers were on board.

"An official communication concerning the Military Aircraft Crash shall be issued soon," the spokesman said.

The French government says a decision by Burkina Faso to expel three of its diplomats was based on unfounded allegations.

Earlier the foreign ministry in Ouagadougou said the three advisers in the French embassy had been ordered to leave, because of what it called subversive activities.

Some reports suggest they had been meeting civil society activists.

Since coming to power in a coup in 2022, Burkina Faso's military rulers have distanced themselves from the former colonial power.

They have has forced French troops to leave the country, suspended some Francophone media and demanded that Paris recall its ambassador.

EPACopyright: EPA

Nearly half of Zambia’s population has been affected by the on-going drought with the country needing about $940m (£760m) in aid.

During a national address, Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema said the money is rerquired to “effectively implement immediate life-saving and life-sustaining humanitarian and recovery needs”.

He said “9.8 million of our people have been adversely affected by the drought”.

“Of these, 6.6 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance."

Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi have also declared states of disasters due to the drought that is sweeping much of Southern Africa.

Mr Hichilema said the effects of the drought were mostly observed in the agriculture sector were one million hectares of planted maize had been adversely affected. Maize meal is Zambia’s staple food.

“With a heavy heart, on behalf of our government and the people of Zambia, we hereby appeal to the international community, our partners within the country, the private sector, the church and civil society organisations, to support our plan financially and materially, in mitigating the devastating effects of the drought,” the president said.

Besides the current food insecurity, Zambia has implemented eight-hour long electricity rationing periods to conserve power as most of the country’s energy is from hydro sources.

PACopyright: PA

The marathon world record holder, Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum, will be honoured at the London Marathon on Sunday.

The 24-year-old died alongside his coach, Rwanda's Gervais Hakizimana, in a car accident in western Kenya in February.

Kiptum was set to compete in this year’s London Marathon, where he was looking to win for the second year in a row.

The event will begin with a tribute to Kiptum.

"What we will be doing... is celebrating him," event director Hugh Brasher said in an interview with BBC Sport Today.

"And we will be saying some words beforehand and asking all the participants to participate in 30 seconds of applause for Kelvin - for the life that we didn't know, for the man that we didn't know, but also for what he had achieved, for the man that he was and for the tragic passing of his life earlier this year."

Kiptum had set records in all the three marathons he ran in his short-lived career.

He set the course record at the last London Marathon.

Shortly after, he ran the fastest marathon in history in Chicago, setting a record of 2:00.35.

Kiptum also set the fastest debut marathon time at his first marathon in Valencia.

The Rotterdam Marathon, in which Kiptum planned to race, also paid tribute to him last Sunday. Participants, including Kiptum's wife Asenath Rotich, took part in a minute's silence in his honour.

More on Kelvin Kiptum:

• The Kenyan marathon runner destined for greatness
• From borrowing shoes to breaking world records

GettyCopyright: Getty

The airport in the South African city of Cape Town has been named as the best airport on the continent in a customer survey by the consumer ratings organisation Skytrax.

Globally, Cape Town is ranked 54th. It has seen its position on the list drop in recent years - in 2020 it came 23rd.

Two other South African airports, Durban and Johannesburg, came second and third respectively in the continental listing.

The airport in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa was ranked seventh in Africa and Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport came 10th.

Nigerian ArmyCopyright: Nigerian Army

One more of the female students abducted by militants from a secondary school in north-east Nigeria a decade ago has been rescued, the army says.

The army said on Thursday that it had rescued the young woman, who is five months pregnant, along with her three children.

The abduction of the 276 girls from their school in north-eastern Nigeria in 2014 by Boko Haram militants shocked the world and sparked a global campaign to #BringBackOurGirls, which included former US First Lady Michelle Obama.

More than 180 girls have either since escaped or been freed from Boko Haram hideouts in Sambisa forest in north-eastern Borno state.

Some of the freed and rescued girls have returned home pregnant or with children.

About 90 others are still missing and are suspected to still be held by the militants.

Read more:

• Chibok girls feel let down 10 years after Nigeria kidnapping
• Parents of kidnapped children heartbroken - again

EPACopyright: EPA

Burkina Faso has expelled three French diplomats for engaging in "subversive activities", the Burkinabe foreign affairs ministry said in a notice to France.

The notice dated 16 April did not reveal the nature of the activities.

The diplomats, who include two political advisers at the French embassy in Ouagadougou, have been asked "to leave the territory of Burkina Faso within the next 48 hours”, the notice added.

Relations between Burkina Faso and its former colonial power France have soured since Capt Ibrahim Traoré seized power in a coup in September 2022.

The junta leader has pivoted Burkina Faso towards Russia, ending its close ties with former colonial power France.

Under his rule, several French diplomats have been expelled and France's military base in the country shut down.

Read more on the Sahel:

• Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso to form joint force to fight jihadists
• Why does France have military bases in Africa?

South Africa has now gone for 21 consecutive days without power cuts, the first time such a streak has been achieved in nearly two years.

"The last time Eskom achieved a similar milestone was in June 2022, with 20 consecutive days without load shedding," state-owned power company Eskom said in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement added that Eskom would continue to suspend the power cuts, known locally as loads hedding, "until further notice".

It attributed the stabilisation of power supply to reduced demand for electricity, adequate emergency power reserves and an improvement in its electricity generation capacity.

But some South Africans have voiced scepticism on social media, speculating that the reduced power cuts could be a scheme by the ruling government to appease voters, ahead of next month's crucial general election.

South Africa reached the height of its energy crisis last year, with several homes and businesses going without power for up to 16 hours a day.

Read more from South Africa:

• South Africa election 2024: When is the poll and what is at stake for the ANC?
• South Africa election 2024: ‘You see skeletons’ - the deadly migrant crossing

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The Central African Republic and France have agreed on a roadmap to boost bilateral cooperation, as both countries strive to revive strained ties.

It follows a meeting in Paris on Wednesday between CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera and French President Emmanuel Macron.

President Touadera’s visit to France, the second in over six months, signals growing efforts by both countries to smoothen relations, which were strained after the CAR government started heavily depending on military and political support from Russia.

Though the exact details of the agreement remain unclear, the roadmap “aims to establish the framework of a constructive partnership that respects the sovereignty of the state," according to a joint statement from both countries.

It will also “contribute to stability, strengthen national cohesion as wide as possible and support the economic and social development of the country [CAR],” the statement added.

French influence in CAR has waned, despite Paris' condemnation of alleged gross human rights violations by the Russian paramilitary group, Wagner, in its former colony.

France might use the new cooperation window to restore its stained image in the CAR, where anti-French sentiments have surged over the years.