Africa highlights: Russian warplanes for Nigeria, popular South African gospel singer dies

News has travelled the world that an organised gang based in Ghana ran a fake embassy selling real US visas for $6,000 (£4,700) for "about a decade". How did they get away with it for so long?

The US State Department says Ghanaian and Turkish organised crime rings were running the fake embassy complete with a US flag and a portrait of President Barack Obama "unhindered... for about a decade".

The faded building couldn't have looked more different to the real embassy.

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Military operations against the Islamic State (IS) group in Libya's Site city are ongoing, Ahmed Hadia, a spokesman for troops battling the militants, has told the BBC. 

 Earlier, another spokesman was quoted by AFP news as saying that troops loyal to Libya's UN-backed government had taken full control of Sirte. 

Mr Hadia denied this, saying: "The millitary operations are still ongoing.”

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A new map by Tanzania, which shows it owns half of the disputed Lake Malawi/Lake Nyasa, has stirred a fresh row with Malawi which says that the map is "wrong".

Tanzania’s map shows the north-eastern part of the lake being part its territory but Malawi claims full ownership.

Malawi has since asked for intervention from the United Nations, African Union and other international organizations, Malawi's The Nation newspaper reports.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Rejoice Shumba said Malawi's has written to key institutions, asking them to disregard Tanzania’s map.

The paper quotes her as saying:

Quote Message: “Government indeed wrote a letter to protest the new map. We did not want some countries and organizations to start recognising and using the wrong map as advanced by Tanzania”.

“Government indeed wrote a letter to protest the new map. We did not want some countries and organizations to start recognising and using the wrong map as advanced by Tanzania”.

For decades, the two countries have failed to resolve the boundary dispute over the lake which is the third largest in Africa and potentially rich in oil and gas.

This is not the first time Malawi has objected to Tanzania’s map.

Tensions escalated from 2011 when Malawi began oil exploration activities on the lake.

Tanzania's government is yet to respond on the new development.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Some of the 1,400 sub-Saharan migrants rounded up in Algeria and taken to a detention centre, where they are awaiting their deportation, have been telling their experiences to the news site Le Monde Afrique. 

On Malian migrant, Mahamadou, told the news site: 

Quote Message: The riot police came... They shouted at us: 'Get on board the bus; we are taking you to the station and then we will set you free'. But ever since, we are still waiting to be released."

The riot police came... They shouted at us: 'Get on board the bus; we are taking you to the station and then we will set you free'. But ever since, we are still waiting to be released."

A father of a family among the detained migrants said: 

Quote Message: Last Thursday in the evening, the security forces came to collect our belongings. They then took us away and robbed us of everything: our luggage, our mattresses. So far, they gave us no explanation."

Last Thursday in the evening, the security forces came to collect our belongings. They then took us away and robbed us of everything: our luggage, our mattresses. So far, they gave us no explanation."

Senegal's President Macy Sall has  called for African armies to be  better equipped and trained to deal with the threat posed by militant Islamists. 

 "The terrorists are not choir boys," Mr Sall said at a peace and security forum in the capital, Dakar. 

He added that the conflict in Mali turned it into "the bloodiest theatre in the history of [UN] peacekeeping missions".

 "The truth is that in most of our countries, the armies are not up to the mark. Today, we have to make internal efforts to raise their levels," Mr Sall said.

AFPCopyright: AFP

A journalist tells the BBC's Outside Source programme how she met a Kenyan headteacher who is guarding pupils in school during holidays to help them avoid undergoing female genital mutilation:

AFPCopyright: AFP

Leading rights group Amnesty International has welcomed a Gambian court's decision to free on bail opposition leader Ousainou Darboe and 18 others who were arrested in April for demanding the release of their colleague Solo Sandeng.

In a statement, Amnesty said: 

Quote Message: "The release of Ousainou Darboe and the 18 other peaceful protesters on bail is a big moment for them and their families, and we hope that this positive step indicates that they will be fully acquitted in due course.

"The release of Ousainou Darboe and the 18 other peaceful protesters on bail is a big moment for them and their families, and we hope that this positive step indicates that they will be fully acquitted in due course.

Quote Message: “We must also not forget others prisoners of conscience who still languish in jail simply for having expressed their opinion or participated in peaceful protests.

“We must also not forget others prisoners of conscience who still languish in jail simply for having expressed their opinion or participated in peaceful protests.

Quote Message: These include three Imams arrested by the security forces over a year ago and not seen since. Their only ‘crime’ - presenting a petition to the government."

These include three Imams arrested by the security forces over a year ago and not seen since. Their only ‘crime’ - presenting a petition to the government."

In an interview with The Gambia's Point newspaper, President-elect Adama Barrow said he would free all political prisoners, if Yahya Jammeh failed to release them before he stepped down in January. 

Mr Barrow,a property developer, scored a stunning victory over the authoritarian ruler in elections last week. 

Read: The man in charge for 22 years 

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AfCopyright: Af

Ghana's main opposition candidate Nana Akufo-Addo has told the BBC he is confident of winning Wednesday presidential election. 

Mr Addo, a third-time candidate, is up against President John Dramani Mahama and five other candidates. 

In an interview with the BBC's Akwasi Sarpong, he said voters will give him a chance this time around because he represents the best option: 

Quote Message: The circumstances of the country are such that I think the ruling party has run out of credit. The performance has been poor. The management of the economy has been poor. And it has meant a lot of difficulties for the Ghanaian people. Lot of people don't have work. Income level is very fragile. The cost of living is very high. There is a great deal of despondency across the country."

The circumstances of the country are such that I think the ruling party has run out of credit. The performance has been poor. The management of the economy has been poor. And it has meant a lot of difficulties for the Ghanaian people. Lot of people don't have work. Income level is very fragile. The cost of living is very high. There is a great deal of despondency across the country."

Mr Akufo-Addo, the flagbrearer of the New Patriotic Party,  praised the electoral commission's preparations for the poll:

Quote Message: If [the arrangements] are carried out and respected, they should give us a credible election. [I mean] the legal arrangements that are in place and the administrative formalities that we have to go through are sound."

If [the arrangements] are carried out and respected, they should give us a credible election. [I mean] the legal arrangements that are in place and the administrative formalities that we have to go through are sound."

Mr Akufo-Addo called on his supporters to come out in large numbers to vote: 

Quote Message: They have to all come out and vote, be part of the process - not just of the voting but the observing of the process. That's what I am expecting our supporters to do."

They have to all come out and vote, be part of the process - not just of the voting but the observing of the process. That's what I am expecting our supporters to do."

Kenya's Education Minister Fred Matinag'i has said that all international schools must start teaching the country's history and Kiswahili, one of the official languages, from April, Capital News reports. 

There are British, American and other international schools in Kenya with their own curricula. 

They are especially popular with middle-class families. 

Mr Matinag'i also said that teachers recruited by these schools, usually directly, will have to be vetted and approved by Kenya's Teachers Service Commission, the report says.  

The regional head of Amnesty international in West Africa is sharing more details about the release of Gambia's opposition leader Ousainou Darboe and 18 other members of his UDP party after the appeals court ruled they should be released on bail. 

He says that's there's been a carnival atmosphere outside the court:

Another member of the rights organisation has also a shared a picture from outside the court:

By turning to Russia and Pakistan to buy war planes and helicopters, Nigeria has shown that it is not dependent on the US. 

Many thought that after the election of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, the US would relax the arms embargo imposed on Nigeria because of its alleged poor human rights record. 

But the chances of the embargo being lifted are slim, especially after the military was accused by rights groups of committing widespread atrocities against the minority Shia population in the north and the secessionists campaigning for the creation of Biafra state in the south-east. 

Only recently a report in Nigeria's Punch newspaper said the US blocked Brazil from selling US-manufactured light attack aircraft to Nigeria when the deal was almost done. 

Nigeria has shown it has other options and says the warplanes and helicopters it has ordered from Russia and Pakistan are needed to ensure that the gains it has made against militant Islamist group Boko Haram are not reversed. 

* See earlier post for more details

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A rights organisation in Somalia has taken advantage of the mannequin challenge, where people maintain a chosen pose without moving, to highlight the ongoing conflict in Somalia and the forced recruitment of child soldiers by Islamist militant group al-Shabab. 

#DropTheGunPickUPThePen aims to rescue the children and put them in school.

Watch the video below: 

AFPCopyright: AFP

Gambia's appeals court has ruled that longtime opposition leader Ousainou Darboe and 18 other members of his UDP party should be released on bail.

They were arrested in April for taking part in an "unauthorised demonstration" which called for electoral reforms. 

They were later sentenced to three years ahead of the 1 December polls. 

Mr Darboe's imprisonment led to the rise of president-elect Adama Barrow who beat the incumbent and long-serving ruler Yahya Jammeh.

Read: A Trump-like shock

Kidney failure caused the death of South Africa's gospel music star Sfiso Ncwane, family spokesman Mhlo Gumede has said.

See previous post for more details

Popular South African gospel singer Sfiso Ncwane has died at the age of 37.

The cause of his death is unclear, but unconfirmed reports say he died at a hospital in the main city, Johannesburg, this morning.

He was reported to have been admitted after coughing blood late on Sunday.

One of Ncwane’s hit songs Kulungile Baba, a Zulu phrase for "it is well father", is playing on some local radio stations as news of his passing spreads.

The singer made headlines in 2015 when he bought his pastor a Mercedes Benz worth about $137,300 (£108,000), saying it was to thank him because his prayers had saved his life when he suffered a heart attack. 

Many South Africans have taken to social media to share their shock at the news.

Five countries in West Africa have decided to stop importing "dirty fuels" from Europe, the UN Environment Programme says.

A report by campaign group Public Eye in September alleged that European companies were exploiting weak regulations in West Africa to export fuels with high levels of sulphur.

Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Ivory Coast have agreed on the ban, the UN agency said.

The move will help more than 250 million people breath safer and cleaner air, it added. 

Nigeria’s Environment Minister Amina Mohamed is quoted in the agency's statement as saying: 

Quote Message: “For 20 years Nigeria has not been able to address the vehicle pollution crisis due to the poor fuels we have been importing. Today we are taking a huge leap forward – limiting sulfur in fuels from 3000 parts per million to 50 parts per million, this will result in major air quality benefits in our cities and will allow us to set modern vehicle standards.”

“For 20 years Nigeria has not been able to address the vehicle pollution crisis due to the poor fuels we have been importing. Today we are taking a huge leap forward – limiting sulfur in fuels from 3000 parts per million to 50 parts per million, this will result in major air quality benefits in our cities and will allow us to set modern vehicle standards.”

AFPCopyright: AFP

UN Environment head Erik Solheim said:  

Quote Message: West Africa is sending a strong message that it is no longer accepting dirty fuels from Europe. Their decision to set strict new standards for cleaner, safer fuels and advanced vehicle emission standards shows they are placing the health of their people first.

West Africa is sending a strong message that it is no longer accepting dirty fuels from Europe. Their decision to set strict new standards for cleaner, safer fuels and advanced vehicle emission standards shows they are placing the health of their people first.

Quote Message: Their move is an example for countries around the world to follow. Air pollution is killing millions of people every year and we need to ensure that all countries urgently introduce cleaner fuels and vehicles to help reduce the shocking statistics.

Their move is an example for countries around the world to follow. Air pollution is killing millions of people every year and we need to ensure that all countries urgently introduce cleaner fuels and vehicles to help reduce the shocking statistics.

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The European Union has delayed the publication of a report on the August controversial presidential election in Gabon which was narrowly won by President Ali Bongo, the AFP news agency reports. 

This followed a request by Gabon's  government, which said the report could not be released while Mr Bongo was abroad, in China, AFP adds. 

Opposition candidate, Jean Ping - who lost by 6,000 votes, according to official results - insists he won the election. 

The EU now expects to release the report on 12 December. 

Mr Bongo's victory prompted deadly protests, leading the International Criminal Court to launch a preliminary investigation into the violence.   

AFPCopyright: AFP

Libyan forces, backed by US air strikes, have taken full control of Sirte, the former headquarters of the Islamic State (IS) group, a spokesman has said. 

The final cluster of buildings in the Ghiza Bahriya neighbourhood, where the militants were holding out, had fallen to troops led by brigades from Misrata, spokesman Rida Issa said. 

Read: What next for IS in Libya?

Nigeria and Morocco have agreed to construct a gas pipeline that will connect the two nations and some other African countries to Europe. 

The agreement was reached during a visit by the Morocco's King Mohammed to the Nigerian capital Abuja at the weekend. Nigeria and Morocco have also agreed to develop other businesses such as production of fertilisers for farming. 

Africa's richest man, the Nigerian entrepreneur Aliko Dangote, said the deal would be very good for both economies.