Police scatter Togo opposition event amid tensions
Police in Togo have broken up an opposition news conference that was called to address a controversial constitutional reform.
On Monday, the parliament voted for a new constitution which changes the presidential system to a parliamentary one.
But with less than a month before legislative elections, the opposition fears the change will clear the way for the long-serving President, Faure Gnassingbe, to remain in power indefinitely.
Around 30 police officers armed with truncheons broke up the gathering called by opposition parties and civil society groups on Wednesday.
Police said the event in the capital, Lome, was not authorised.
Nathaniel Olympio, the event organiser, termed the new constitution a "coup" that seeks to deprive the Togolese people of the right to choose their president, AFP news agency reported.
"I call on the Togolese people to stand up and stop this disastrous plan," Mr Olympio said.
It is not clear when the changes, proposed by lawmakers mostly from the ruling Union for the Republic (UNIR), will come into force.
Museveni launches Uganda's first-ever Islamic bank
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has officially launched the country's first-ever interest-free commercial Islamic bank.
Salaam Bank Limited, a subsidiary of a Djibouti-based bank, is the first institution to offer Islamic financing in the country.
Mr Museveni said the institution had a potential to significantly contribute to the development of the country's financial sector and attract more Muslim investors.
"I encourage you to fight poverty and create wealth,” the president said shortly after launching the bank on Wednesday in the capital, Kampala.
In September last year, the Salaam bank was granted its first Islamic banking license after the Ugandan parliament passed legislation authorising Islamic banking, which Mr Museveni signed into law.
It is not allowed to pay and receive interest in Islamic banking, but rather it is based on profit sharing.
Police link prominent SA businessman to rapper's murder
A businessman who is a member of a powerful South African family has been linked to the murder of popular rapper AKA.
AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, and his close friend, Tibz Motsoane, were gunned down outside a restaurant in Durban on 10 February last year.
A statement presented to court by the investigating officer said that a company owned by businessman Sydney Mfundo Gcaba allegedly sent over 800,000 rand ($42,000; £33,000) to the bank account of one of the suspects currently on trial over the rapper's killing.
The payment was allegedly made a day after AKA's murder.
The prosecutor, citing phone records, also said that the suspect who received the money, Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, allegedly made a call to Mr Gcaba before the transaction was completed.
Mr Gcaba is yet to comment on the prosecutor's statement.
The prosecutor alleges that the money was then split equally between the seven suspects.
Mr Gwabeni said in an affidavit that he received the funds as payment for consultation services he provided to the company.
But the prosecutor argued that there's no evidence showing that Mr Gwabeni provided any services to the company to warrant the payment.
Mr Gcaba is a member of the powerful Gcaba family, which owns a taxi empire and several other businesses in the coastal KwaZulu-Natal province and across South Africa.
A motive for his alleged involvement in AKA's murder is yet to be established.
Senegal's opposition candidate
Bassirou Diomaye Faye has won Sunday’s election with 54.28% of the total votes, according to official provisional results released by the electoral commission on Wednesday.
Presidential candidates have until the end of Thursday to file appeals challenging Mr Faye's win, after which the Constitutional Council will confirm him as the president-elect.
Mr Faye's main challenger, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba of the ruling
coalition, secured 35.79% of total votes.
The election recorded a voter
turnout of 61%.
Mr Ba, along with several of the other 15 presidential contestants, have already conceded and congratulated Mr Faye. It is considered unlikely that they will appeal against the results.
Outgoing President Macky Sall had attempted to delay the polls
initially scheduled for February, which sparked violent protests and resulted
in three deaths.
Mr Faye has said he will rule Senegal with humility and fight
corruption.
He has also promised to put measures in place to address youth unemployment
and the high cost of living.
Expectations remain high for Africa's youngest democratically elected president.
A French court has reduced the life sentence of Liberian former rebel, Kunti Kamara, to 30 years in prison for his role during Liberia's civil war three decades ago.
At his first trial in 2022, following his arrest in France, he was found guilty of crimes against humanity and violence against civilians and given a life term, but appealed against the ruling.
Although the Paris criminal court reduced his sentence on Wednesday, it again found him guilty of the war crimes.
The prosecution had urged the court to uphold his life sentence.
Kamara was a regional commander of a faction of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy which fought the National Patriotic Front of former President Charles Taylor.
The conflict between 1989 and 2003 killed more than 250,000 people.
Wise words for Thursday 28 March 2024
Our African proverb of the day:
Quote Message: The forest yields when you are tired." from A Shona proverb sent by Kudzai Makomva in Harare, Zimbabwe
BBC journalist Victoria Uwonkunda returns to Rwanda for the first time after fleeing the genocide in 1994, to find out how the country, and its people, are healing.
Scroll down for Tuesday's stories
We're back on Thursday morning
That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now - we'll return with more updates on Thursday.
Quote Message: A dish that is going to be tasty will smell good when it boils." from A Wolof proverb sent by Coura Fall in Dakar, Senegal
A dish that is going to be tasty will smell good when it boils."
We leave you with this photo of people breaking their Ramadan fast in Cairo:
AFPCopyright: AFP
Kenya Airways reports profit for first time since 2017
One of Africa’s largest airlines, Kenya Airways, made an
operating profit in 2023 – the first time since 2017.
Chairman Michael Joseph called the $80m (£63m) excess a
"significant milestone", the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.
Part of the reason for the success was a more than 50%
jump in revenue thanks to an increase in passenger numbers.
Kenya Airways, which is partly owned by the government,
has had troubled recent past with huge debts and it was hit hard by the fallout
from the Covid pandemic.
"These figures highlight the airline's remarkable
performance over the year and provide encouraging signs of continued recovery
within the air transportation sector," Mr Joseph said in a statement
reported by AFP.
Relief as heatwave passes and schools set to re-open
Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba
South Sudan's government says all schools will reopen next week - they had been closed due to a severe heatwave that's seen temperatures soar well above 40C.
People are relieved that the rainy season is expected to begin soon. At least 15 people died because of last week's "excessive heat", according to the authorities.
They say teachers should remain cautious when students return, keeping any playground activities to the early morning and holding them preferably indoors.
The advice is also to ventilate classrooms, provide water for learners during school time, and monitor children – especially the young ones – for signs of heat exhaustion, and heatstroke, and alert medics in the eventuality of such cases.
The ministries of general education, health, and environment said they will continue to closely observe the weather conditions in South Sudan and will advise the public accordingly.
Cocoa prices at record high after drought hits harvests
BBC World Service
The price of cocoa hit a new record fuelled by climate change and adverse weather conditions - impacting a market that has already seen high Easter chocolate prices in Europe.
In the latest price hike, the cocoa bean traded above $10,000 (£8,000) per tonne on world commodity markets, $2,000 more than last week.
The world's largest cocoa exporters - Ivory Coast and Ghana - suffered poor harvests after droughts in February following heavy rains in December.
Popular brands of Easter eggs will now cost 50% more than last year, forcing companies to promote non-chocolate Easter treats like biscuit bunnies.
Live Reporting
Wycliffe Muia and Gloria Aradi
All times stated are UK
Get involved
- AKA:
The murdered rapper from South Africa 'destined for greatness'
- Senegal election result: Bassirou Diomaye Faye to become Africa's youngest elected president
AFPCopyright: AFP - Easter eggs costs rise as climate change hits crops
Latest PostPolice scatter Togo opposition event amid tensions
Police in Togo have broken up an opposition news conference that was called to address a controversial constitutional reform.
On Monday, the parliament voted for a new constitution which changes the presidential system to a parliamentary one.
But with less than a month before legislative elections, the opposition fears the change will clear the way for the long-serving President, Faure Gnassingbe, to remain in power indefinitely.
Around 30 police officers armed with truncheons broke up the gathering called by opposition parties and civil society groups on Wednesday.
Police said the event in the capital, Lome, was not authorised.
Nathaniel Olympio, the event organiser, termed the new constitution a "coup" that seeks to deprive the Togolese people of the right to choose their president, AFP news agency reported.
"I call on the Togolese people to stand up and stop this disastrous plan," Mr Olympio said.
It is not clear when the changes, proposed by lawmakers mostly from the ruling Union for the Republic (UNIR), will come into force.
Nigeria insecurity a ‘rude shock’ – defence chief
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, speaks to the BBC.
Is George the man to lead Nigeria permanently?
By Oluwashina Okeleji
Sports Writer
Interim boss Finidi George hopes to get the Nigeria job permanently, but mixed results in friendlies have brought criticism.
Read moreMuseveni launches Uganda's first-ever Islamic bank
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has officially launched the country's first-ever interest-free commercial Islamic bank.
Salaam Bank Limited, a subsidiary of a Djibouti-based bank, is the first institution to offer Islamic financing in the country.
Mr Museveni said the institution had a potential to significantly contribute to the development of the country's financial sector and attract more Muslim investors.
"I encourage you to fight poverty and create wealth,” the president said shortly after launching the bank on Wednesday in the capital, Kampala.
In September last year, the Salaam bank was granted its first Islamic banking license after the Ugandan parliament passed legislation authorising Islamic banking, which Mr Museveni signed into law.
It is not allowed to pay and receive interest in Islamic banking, but rather it is based on profit sharing.
Police link prominent SA businessman to rapper's murder
A businessman who is a member of a powerful South African family has been linked to the murder of popular rapper AKA.
AKA, real name Kiernan Forbes, and his close friend, Tibz Motsoane, were gunned down outside a restaurant in Durban on 10 February last year.
A statement presented to court by the investigating officer said that a company owned by businessman Sydney Mfundo Gcaba allegedly sent over 800,000 rand ($42,000; £33,000) to the bank account of one of the suspects currently on trial over the rapper's killing.
The payment was allegedly made a day after AKA's murder.
The prosecutor, citing phone records, also said that the suspect who received the money, Mziwethemba Harvey Gwabeni, allegedly made a call to Mr Gcaba before the transaction was completed.
Mr Gcaba is yet to comment on the prosecutor's statement.
The prosecutor alleges that the money was then split equally between the seven suspects.
Mr Gwabeni said in an affidavit that he received the funds as payment for consultation services he provided to the company.
But the prosecutor argued that there's no evidence showing that Mr Gwabeni provided any services to the company to warrant the payment.
Mr Gcaba is a member of the powerful Gcaba family, which owns a taxi empire and several other businesses in the coastal KwaZulu-Natal province and across South Africa.
A motive for his alleged involvement in AKA's murder is yet to be established.
Read more:
Poll results show large win for Senegal's Faye
Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Dakar
Senegal's opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye has won Sunday’s election with 54.28% of the total votes, according to official provisional results released by the electoral commission on Wednesday.
Presidential candidates have until the end of Thursday to file appeals challenging Mr Faye's win, after which the Constitutional Council will confirm him as the president-elect.
Mr Faye's main challenger, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba of the ruling coalition, secured 35.79% of total votes.
The election recorded a voter turnout of 61%.
Mr Ba, along with several of the other 15 presidential contestants, have already conceded and congratulated Mr Faye. It is considered unlikely that they will appeal against the results.
Outgoing President Macky Sall had attempted to delay the polls initially scheduled for February, which sparked violent protests and resulted in three deaths.
Mr Faye has said he will rule Senegal with humility and fight corruption.
He has also promised to put measures in place to address youth unemployment and the high cost of living.
Expectations remain high for Africa's youngest democratically elected president.
Read more:
Court shortens Liberian ex-rebel leader's life sentence
The Newsroom
BBC World Service
A French court has reduced the life sentence of Liberian former rebel, Kunti Kamara, to 30 years in prison for his role during Liberia's civil war three decades ago.
At his first trial in 2022, following his arrest in France, he was found guilty of crimes against humanity and violence against civilians and given a life term, but appealed against the ruling.
Although the Paris criminal court reduced his sentence on Wednesday, it again found him guilty of the war crimes.
The prosecution had urged the court to uphold his life sentence.
Kamara was a regional commander of a faction of the United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy which fought the National Patriotic Front of former President Charles Taylor.
The conflict between 1989 and 2003 killed more than 250,000 people.
Wise words for Thursday 28 March 2024
Our African proverb of the day:
Click here to send us your African proverbs.
Ex-Sierra Leone defender Bangura dies in bus crash
By Mohamed Fajah Barrie
BBC Sport Africa, Sierra Leone
Former Sierra Leone international Lamin Bangura dies aged 59 after a road accident in the West African nation.
Read moreSenegal country profile
Provides an overview of Senegal, including key dates and facts about this west African country.
Read moreEx-president's son led heroin gang to finance coup
By Gloria Aradi
BBC News
Malam Bacai Sanha Jr smuggled drugs to fund a coup in Guinea-Bissau, US authorities say.
Read moreChad register upset in Afcon 2025 preliminaries
Chad beat Mauritius in preliminary qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations as Eswatini, Liberia and South Sudan also go through.
Read moreSouth Africa orders 'dysfunctional' colleges to close
By Wycliffe Muia
BBC News
Some 13,000 students are stranded at the four colleges, accused of fabricating exam results.
Read moreTunisian firebrand's killers sentenced to death
By Natasha Booty & Tom Bayly
BBC News
After a decade-long wait, six people are found guilty of the murder of politician Chokri Belaïd.
Read moreWhat is at stake in South Africa's election?
By Damian Zane
BBC News
The ANC has governed since the end of apartheid, but its vote could fall below 50% for the first time.
Read moreRwanda 30 years on
BBC journalist Victoria Uwonkunda returns to Rwanda for the first time after fleeing the genocide in 1994, to find out how the country, and its people, are healing.
Scroll down for Tuesday's stories
We're back on Thursday morning
That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now - we'll return with more updates on Thursday.
In the meantime you can listen to the BBC Focus on Africa podcast here.
A reminder of Tuesday's wise words:
We leave you with this photo of people breaking their Ramadan fast in Cairo:
Kenya Airways reports profit for first time since 2017
One of Africa’s largest airlines, Kenya Airways, made an operating profit in 2023 – the first time since 2017.
Chairman Michael Joseph called the $80m (£63m) excess a "significant milestone", the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.
Part of the reason for the success was a more than 50% jump in revenue thanks to an increase in passenger numbers.
Kenya Airways, which is partly owned by the government, has had troubled recent past with huge debts and it was hit hard by the fallout from the Covid pandemic.
"These figures highlight the airline's remarkable performance over the year and provide encouraging signs of continued recovery within the air transportation sector," Mr Joseph said in a statement reported by AFP.
Relief as heatwave passes and schools set to re-open
Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba
South Sudan's government says all schools will reopen next week - they had been closed due to a severe heatwave that's seen temperatures soar well above 40C.
People are relieved that the rainy season is expected to begin soon. At least 15 people died because of last week's "excessive heat", according to the authorities.
They say teachers should remain cautious when students return, keeping any playground activities to the early morning and holding them preferably indoors.
The advice is also to ventilate classrooms, provide water for learners during school time, and monitor children – especially the young ones – for signs of heat exhaustion, and heatstroke, and alert medics in the eventuality of such cases.
The ministries of general education, health, and environment said they will continue to closely observe the weather conditions in South Sudan and will advise the public accordingly.
Cocoa prices at record high after drought hits harvests
BBC World Service
The price of cocoa hit a new record fuelled by climate change and adverse weather conditions - impacting a market that has already seen high Easter chocolate prices in Europe.
In the latest price hike, the cocoa bean traded above $10,000 (£8,000) per tonne on world commodity markets, $2,000 more than last week.
The world's largest cocoa exporters - Ivory Coast and Ghana - suffered poor harvests after droughts in February following heavy rains in December.
Popular brands of Easter eggs will now cost 50% more than last year, forcing companies to promote non-chocolate Easter treats like biscuit bunnies.
Read more on this story: