Africa Live: Germany detains alleged Nigerian mafia members

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 Wednesday's wise words:

Quote Message: The earliest cow to the creek drinks clean water." from A Luyana/Lozi proverb sent by Mulako Sianga in Kitwe, Zambia

The earliest cow to the creek drinks clean water."

And we leave you with this photo from Kenya's capital Nairobi, where residents of the Mathare slum look on from their balconies following heavy rain and floods in the country.

AFPCopyright: AFP

University of Nigeria NsukkaCopyright: University of Nigeria Nsukka

A lecturer at one of Nigeria's leading universities - the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) - has been suspended following allegations that he sexually harassed a female student, a statement by the university has said.

The move comes after a video went viral on social media, showing a man in only his shorts and trying to hide his face as he is confronted by people in what appears to be an office.

In the video, a person says: “We have been following this case from day one, we have tracks, all the voice notes, and everything.”

Another one says. “A married woman for that matter, someone’s wife.”

The university said the lecturer has been suspended, pending the outcome of an investigation by a disciplinary panel.

He has not yet commented.

"For the record, the University of Nigeria has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct involving our staff and students,” the university statement said.

“As a university, we are committed to protecting our students from any form of abuse and exploitation,” it added.

Two Sudanese nationals and a South Sudanese citizen have been arrested by police in the UK after five migrants died in the English Channel.

The men were detained on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and entering the UK illegally.

Five people, including a seven-year-old girl, were killed in a crush on board a boat crossing the Channel.

The boat was carrying 112 people at the time of the tragedy.

Speaking after the arrest, National Crime Agency (NCA) Director of Investigations Craig Turner said: "This tragic incident once again demonstrates the threat to life posed by these crossings and brings into focus why it is so important to target the criminal gangs involved in organising them."

Officers have already conducted initial interviews with the men, who are aged 19 and 22.

Further interrogations will follow in the coming days.

Read the full report here.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has said that his country must take full responsibility for colonial-era abuses and that there are circumstances in which reparations should be paid.

President de Sousa has several times expressed regret for Portugal's role in enslaving and colonising Africans.

Now, he's said that in some cases it should "pay the costs" for wrongs done - such as when massacres took place under colonial rule, or where significant items were looted and never returned.

BBCCopyright: BBC

German police have arrested 11 Nigerian men suspected of being in a mafia group who orchestrated large-scale dating scams.

The Black Axe gang was involved in "multiple areas of criminal activity" globally, Bavarian police said in a statement.

In Germany, the organisation focuses on romance scams and money laundering, the force added.

The statement said: "Using false identities, the fraudsters for example signalled their intention to marry and in the course of further contact repeatedly demand money under various pretexts."

Globally, the gang's main areas of operation were "human-trafficking, fraud, money-laundering, prostitution and drug-trafficking".

The arrested suspects all hold Nigerian citizenship and are aged between 29 and 53.

They were detained on Tuesday in raids across the region of Bavaria following a police probe that lasted more than two years.

A 2021 BBC investigation of Black Axe unearthed evidence that the group had infiltrated politics in Nigeria and ran a killing operation spanning the globe.

Read more:

• Leaked documents shine spotlight on secretive Black Axe gang

Authorities in Tanzania have shut down five hydroelectric stations in a bid to reduce excess electricity in the national grid, the country's prime minister has said.

Kassim Majaliwa said the main plant, Mwalimu Nyerere Hydroelectric Station, has alone generated enough electricity to power major cities, including Dar es Salaam, the country’s commercial hub.

"We have turned off all these stations because the demand is low and the electricity production is too much, we have no allocation now, “ an official from state-run power company, Tanesco, said.

The 2,115 MW Julius Nyerere hydropower dam is said to be almost full with water, following heavy rains that started early this year.

A current spell of extreme weather has caused at least 58 deaths in Tanzania and devastated other East African nations like Kenya.

It is the first time Tanzania, which suffers chronic power shortages, has closed hydroelectric stations due to excess production.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The Tanzanian government has denied allegations that villagers have been subjected to abuses, including forced evictions, as part of a project to expand a national park in the south of the country.

On Tuesday, the World Bank said it had suspended its funding of a $150m (£120m) tourism project in Ruaha National Park, saying it was deeply concerned about the allegations.

“The Tanzanian government does not violate human rights when implementing all its projects, including this one being funded by the World Bank,” government spokesperson Mobhare Matinyi told state broadcaster TBC.

“What happened is that the World Bank received some reports from civil society organisations that cast some doubts on the project, alleging some human rights violations in the area. The reports are not true."

Known as Resilient Natural Resource Management for Tourism and Growth (Regrow), the project seeks to "improve the management of natural resources and tourism assets" in southern Tanzania, the World Bank previously said.

Mr Matinyi told a local newspaper that the World Bank has so far disbursed $125m (£101m) of its funding for Regrow, which launched in 2017.

Last year, American think-tank Oakland Institute reported that villagers had been raped by rangers and were being evicted from their land because the park was being expanded.

Oakland Institute also pointed to reports, from a Tanzanian MP and a community organisation, that rangers had allegedly killed villagers.

AFPCopyright: AFP

The replacement of a senior official in the Zulu monarchy in South Africa has sparked a row with the local Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) provincial government.

The traditional prime minister of the Zulu nation, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, accused the KZN government of terminating the employment of Inyosi Buzetsheni Mdletshe, who is King Misuzulu ka Zwelithini's praise singer and cultural adviser.

The provincial government has denied the allegation as "false reports".

In a statement Mr Buthelezi said Mr Mdletshe was integral to the king's royal duties.

He added that the row was the latest in a series of incidents where the KZN administration has treated King Zwelithini in "a disrespectful manner".

"His Majesty cautions the KZN government that the disdain with which they treat the royal family in general, and his majesty in particular, is an affront to the Zulu nation," Mr Buthelezi said.

The provincial government denied that they had ended Mr Mdletshe's employment prematurely. They said Mr Mdletshe had come to the end of a two-year extended contract and that a new praise singer had succeeded him.

"It would then not be prudent for the provincial government to have two praise singers who are paid by the government from the same budget, so that is where the issue is," the KZN government said in a statement.

The Zulu kingdom is the largest of South Africa's eight traditional monarchies that are officially recognised by the government, all of which are funded by taxpayers.

A residential building that was under construction in Ethiopia’s capital city has collapsed, killing seven people sleeping in a house next door.

The disaster happened early on Wednesday at around 05:00 local time (02:00 BST) in Addis Ketema, one of the busiest neighbourhood's in Addis Ababa, local media reported.

Nigatu Mamo, a spokesperson for the local authoritie, told the BBC the deceased include children aged four, 11 and 12.

"The victims lost their lives due to lack of air," Mamo added.

Reports say the police have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the collapse.

It is not the first time the area has experienced an incident of this kind - in 2022 at least six people died and seven others were injured after a building fell in Merkato, one of Africa’s biggest open markets.

Experts have said that poor quality structures and weak regulations are likely to have caused the buildings to collapse.

Seven members of a Muslim family in eastern Uganda have been arrested by the authorities for allegedly assaulting an 18-year-old girl who attended a church service, police are quoted as saying.

The girl was allegedly given 100 lashes with a cane by her uncle while five of her other uncles held her down, the Nile Post news website reported.

Footage appearing to show the girl being beaten went viral on social media, eliciting widespread condemnation among Ugandans.

The family has not yet commented.

The girl's uncles were arrested alongside her aunt, who is her primary guardian, police said.

They would remain in custody pending investigations, Samuel Semewo, an acting regional police spokesperson, was quoted as saying by the Daily Express news website.

It is still unclear what offences they will be charged with, but Mr Semewo told the Nile Post that the alleged actions amounted to assault or torture.

He also told the Daily Monitor newspaper the family members "pounced" on the girl "with lashes" and that she was "slowly recovering pending medical examinations".

A local representative of the national Muslim governing body said the alleged assault was "barbaric and inhumane" and not supported by the religion's principles, the Daily Monitor reported.

Several leaders and members of Islamist militant groups in West Africa have been sanctioned by the US for holding American citizens hostage.

They include leaders of the al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Mali-based al-Murabitoun.

“JNIM relies on hostage-taking and wrongful detention of civilians in order to gain leverage and instil fear, creating anguish and misery for the victims and their families,” Treasury official Brian E. Nelson said in a statement.

"Treasury will continue to use all tools at our disposal to hold accountable those who seek to hold our citizens hostage," he added.

The sanctioned militants assisted, sponsored, or supported the kidnapping or wrongful detention of US citizens in West Africa, a statement by the US Treasury said.

The US Treasury and Department of State, which both imposed the sanctions, said "all property and interests in property" held by the targetted individuals in the US were "blocked".

Americans are also banned from transacting with the sanctioned militants, who are from Mali, Algeria, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

The sanctions come as West Africa's troubled Sahel region battles a wave of insurgency from groups linked to both Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Kenya Railways/XCopyright: Kenya Railways/X

Flooding in Kenyan capital city Nairobi has "escalated to extreme levels" and local authorities are "clearly overwhelmed", a senator has warned.

Edwin Sifuna, who oversees Nairobi county, raised the alarm on social media platform X while posting footage showing an entire neighbourhood inundated by muddy floodwater.

In the clip, residents can be seen trapped on the roof of their house.

Hundreds of others in Nairobi and nearby areas were also marooned by floods following heavy rains overnight.

"We need all national emergency services mobilised to save lives," Mr Sifuna said.

The East African nation has been witnessing heavy rains for weeks.

On Wednesday morning, Kenya Railways said the floods had affected rail lines, making it hard for trains to operate.

The company said safety concerns had compelled it to suspend services.

Major highways, including Mombasa Road and Thika Road, were submerged by floodwater, causing traffic jams during peak hours in the morning.

The busy Namanga Road, heading to the Tanzanian border, was overwhelmed after the nearby Athi River burst its banks on Wednesday morning.

Red Cross Kenya says its response teams are operating in most of the flooded areas, evacuating families to safety and providing other life-saving interventions.

Residents of some estates in Nairobi have also been left homeless after their houses were submerged by the raging floods.

The downpours are forecast to continue.

Kenya Red Cross/XCopyright: Kenya Red Cross/X

About 35 people have died since last month in flooding and more than 100,000 affected, according to the UN, which cites Red Cross figures in the most recent update.

Top UN officials have raised the alarm over the UK parliament's approval of a controversial bill that paves the way for asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda.

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, aimed to deter migrants from entering the UK illegally, was passed after months of wrangling ended in a parliamentary showdown on Monday night.

Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, in a joint statement on Tuesday called on the UK government to reconsider its plan.

They warned the policy would have a "harmful impact" on human rights and refugee protection.

Mr Grandi said the arrangement with Rwanda seeks to shift responsibility for refugee protection and that the legislation marks a "breach of the Refugee Convention".

On his part, Mr Turk said it “seriously hinders the rule of law in the UK and sets a perilous precedent globally”.

Charities have also hit out at the scheme, with leading human rights groups describing it as a "breach of international law".

But Rwanda said it was "pleased" by the approval of the bill and "look[s] forward to welcoming those relocated to Kigali".

Rishi Sunak, the UK's prime minister, described the bill as "landmark legislation". He added that flights to Rwanda would take off within 10 to 12 weeks.

Read more on the UK's Rwanda asylum bill:

• What is the UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda?

• UK asylum deal: Is Rwanda a land of safety or fear?

EPACopyright: EPA

Negotiations between the government and striking doctors have collapsed, prolonging the suffering of Kenyans seeking healthcare in public hospitals.

The strike, organised by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), is entering its second month.

The union's grievances include pay disputes and the failure to hire trainee doctors.

KMPDU officials did not turn up to a crucial meeting on Tuesday, called by Kenyan Head of Public Service Felix Koskei following days of negotiations.

After a cabinet meeting chaired by President William Ruto, the government said that the doctors' grievances had been addressed, except for the disagreement on intern doctors' salaries.

The government called the demand to pay intern doctors $1,500 (£1200) "unsustainable". It insisted that it can only pay a $520 monthly stipend to the interns.

The doctors' union rejected the proposed return-to-work offer, saying the contentious issue of internship compensation was non-negotiable.

Mr Koskei accused the doctors of flouting court orders and backtracking on agreements reached during the meetings.

The striking doctors also want the Kenyan government to fully cater for their medical insurance cover, honour agreements on promotions, and improve their working conditions.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Botswana’s foreign minister has told a South African TV channel that the British government approached his country to ask whether it would be willing to receive migrants deported from the UK.

He didn’t say when the approach was made.

It follows unconfirmed reports earlier this month in the British press that the UK government was seeking to replicate its controversial Rwanda scheme in Botswana, Armenia, Ivory Coast and Costa Rica.

Speaking in a phone interview on Newzroom Afrika, Lemogang Kwape said Botswana refused the request. He added that contact was made by Britain's foreign secretary and its minister for Africa through "diplomatic channels".

Mr Kwape said Botswana was unable to accept migrants from Britain because it was dealing with its own immigration issues.

"The British government does not want these people in their country so they want to ferry them to a faraway country….To receive unwanted immigrants from another country while we’re dealing with our own problems in the region would be unfair to Botswana," he said.

Read more:

• What is the UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda and how many could go?

Nigerian authorities have closed a high-end school in the capital, Abuja, over alleged bullying incidents involving some of its students, local media reported.

Videos appearing to show students at the Lead British International School assaulting their peers have been circulated on social media.

The videos sparked sharp criticism online and angry parents were seen storming the school.

On Tuesday, the school authorities announced a three-day closure to enable them to probe the matter.

Kabiru Musa, a senior education official, told the Punch news website that the country's Minister of Women Affairs Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye ordered the closure of the school.

In a statement, the school said it was "deeply concerned" about the reported incidents of bullying, pledging to conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter.

The school, established in 2007, offers a British curriculum blended with the Nigerian education system.

It is rated as one of the most expensive schools in Nigeria, according to the local media.