Africa highlights: 'Impregnate opponents' call in Burundi, former oil minister charged

AFP/GettyCopyright: AFP/Getty

A former Nigerian oil minister and three election officials have been charged with money-laundering. 

The ex-minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been accused of bribing the officials before the 2015 elections. She was not present to enter a plea, and was described on the charge sheet as being at large. 

In the past she has rejected accusations that she was corrupt. 

Ms Alison-Madueke served under President Goodluck Jonathan. He lost the election to Muhamadu Buhari. 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says one of the three officials pleaded guilty, and the other two not guilty.

MOHAMED ELHAG/TWITTERCopyright: MOHAMED ELHAG/TWITTER

Earlier we reported on  UK filmmaker Phil Cox's description in the Guardian newspaper of being detained and tortured by the Sudanese authorities, who suspected him of being a spy.

While in Khartoum's Kobar prison, Mr Cox wrote that he met prisoners who had been jailed for a variety of reasons.

They included many who had been arrested for sharing text messages about a "day of disobedience" that saw many people simply stay at home instead of protesting in the streets.

The sentence for sharing such messages was three months, Mr Cox said.

Other prisoners included "young men who had tried to organise a football team on WhatsApp – but because they could mobilise 100 to 200 young sports enthusiasts, they were perceived as a threat". 

Yet more prisoners were former policemen, lawyers and academics, Mr Cox said. 

"Some had no idea why they were there. Many bore the marks of beatings and torture."  

Read more - Sudan civil disobedience: Why are people staying at home?

Cameroon-born model Mimi Mbah is receiving a lot of praise for standing up to racist bullies on social media. 

Ms Mbah was sent racist comments on Twitter by people who said she would be more beautiful if she had lighter skin. 

The US-based model responded:

Her response was retweeted more than 20,000 times attracted thousands of message of support and media attention.

She told  BuzzFeed  that she hopes that the attention her tweet has garnered will help her raise awareness that colourism still exists.

However the aspiring model finds herself continuing to fend off unwelcome comments on social media, the latest of which criticised her natural hair style: 

It comes days after a photo of former First Lady Michelle Obama emerged showing her wearing her hair in a natural style. 

The photo was widely praised on social media.

The Government of the Netherlands says its diplomat in Juba has met South Sudanese officials after a Dutch minister called South Sudanese leaders "bastards" during a fundraising TV appearance.

South Sudan had demanded an apology after Dutch Minister for International Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen said the country's leaders were "bastards who starve their own people.”

The Dutch government told the BBC it had no comment to make about what was said during the meeting.

In 2014 the Dutch government stopped sending aid for South Sudan through official channels because of what it described as a lack of will to stop the conflict there. Support was instead continued through NGOs and humanitarian organisations.

See earlier post for more details

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A South Sudanese rebel group, the National Salvation Front, has called for an investigation into what it says was the murder of innocent civilians by government troops in the small town of Pajok. 

More than 3,000 people have fled into neighbouring Uganda, and the UN refugee body says many are visibly in dire need of immediate humanitarian assistance. 

Some of the refugees say their loved ones were shot dead as they tried to flee, or were arrested and then killed. 

A South Sudanese army spokesman reportedly denied that his troops had attacked civilians, saying they had been fighting rebels in the area.

One refugee, who did not want to be named, told the BBC soldiers had arrived in Pajok on Sunday and began shooting people at random.

He said there had been beheadings, children had been attacked and looting had taken place.

Another refugee, 30-year-old farmer Password Okot, told Reuters how he lost two brothers. 

Having fled the initial fighting, he crept back to his home in Ywayaa village on Pajok's outskirts to collect his belongings. 

There he saw government soldiers grab his brother, 35-year-old mechanic Ayela Peter, from a crowd, tie his ankles, slit his throat and sling up his body in a doorway. 

"When they saw them slaughtering my brother, people scattered and started running. When they were running, they shot my other brother," Mr Okot said at the Ngoromoro border crossing.

BBCCopyright: BBC

BBCCopyright: BBC

BBCCopyright: BBC

BBCCopyright: BBC

Football fans in Kenya have criticised administrators of the local league after match officials used paper instead of an electronic board to do substitutions.

The BBC's Abdinoor Aden says that the fans feel that it was not a good show for the country as it prepares to host the African Nations Championship next year. 

Photo from fan at the game as received by AbdinoorCopyright: Photo from fan at the game as received by Abdinoor

Photo from fan at the game as received by AbdinoorCopyright: Photo from fan at the game as received by Abdinoor

The speaker of South Africa's National Assembly has scheduled a no-confidence vote against President Jacob Zuma for 18 April.

The move is driven by opposition parties who have been calling on Mr Zuma to resign following reported scandals and breach of ethics. 

In a media briefing earlier today the Secretary General Gwede Mantashe of the ruling ANC said the party's MPs will not support the motion. 

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Sierra Leone has called off tomorrow's scheduled auction of the 709-carat diamond - the world's largest uncut diamond - found in March in the eastern Kono district. 

Presidential spokesman Abdulai Bayraytay told me that the new date was 11 May. 

He said this was to allow for overseas-based bidders who've expressed interest to have a chance and potentially increase the value. 

Sources say four bidders have so far expressed interest in the stone found by a Christian pastor, Emmanuel Momoh.

Read : Sierra Leone pastor finds huge diamond in Kono

AFPCopyright: AFP

South African President Jacob Zuma told top officials of the African National Congress in December of his decision to dismiss former finance minister Pravin Gordhan, but the leaders persuaded him to delay the sacking, a top ANC official said, the Reuters news agency reports.

The party's deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte said that Mr Zuma's relationship with the widely respected former minister had broken down. 

Mr Duarte also said Mr Zuma would meet with the party's integrity commission on 9 April.

PACopyright: PA

South Africa's top court has dismissed an appeal by the department of environmental affairs to keep a moratorium on the domestic trade in rhino horn, according to court documents seen by Reuters on Wednesday. 

Pelham Jones, chairman of South Africa's Private Rhino Owners Association (PROA) which was one of the respondents in the case, told Reuters this meant that the sale of rhino horns was legal in South Africa.

A global ban in the horn trade, which is regulated by a UN convention, remains in place.

The PROA says that rhino horn can be obtained humanely from live animals and legalising the trade in rhino horns would mean more private ownership of rhinos, more funds for conservation and less pressure on wild rhino populations.

Just last month poachers killed two rhinos  during a vicious attack on an animal orphanage in South Africa.

Twelve white rhinos have also just left their native South Africa for a new life in a nearby country as part of an anti-poaching project.  

The country saw a decline in the numbers of rhinos killed for their prized horns in the first half of 2016, down to 702 from 796 the previous year.

However, the reduction came after several years of increases.

Poachers have even struck in Europe - killing a rhino at a zoo outside Paris before cutting off its horn.

Read more:

How can we save the rhino from poachers?

The park that shoots people to protect rhinos

'New plan' to help save endangered black rhino

Textile artist Billie Zangewa lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

Alongside almost 100 other African artists, her work was recently displayed at the Paris Art Fair 2017. 

She spoke to BBC News about why she likes making self portraits out of silk.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Cameroon coach Hugo Broos has insisted he wants to stay in the job, just a week after saying he was seriously considering his future.

The Belgian had  threatened to quit  over management and funding problems but after a meeting with sport authorities has changed his stance.

Broos also rejected speculation he had applied to be coach of Ghana, who have now  appointed Kwesi Appiah.

"I don't want to leave Cameroon," the 64-year-old Broos said.

"If I was going to leave Cameroon I would have done so a long time ago."

Broos also apologised for his comments in Brussels last month when he blamed poor preparation and delays to the players' pre-match meal for a 2-1 defeat by Guinea.

"I must have exaggerated and humiliated the Cameroonian people and I ask for forgiveness," he said.

Read the full story here

Kendall Jenner has been accused of undermining the  Black Lives Matter movement  in her new advert for Pepsi.

In it, she leaves a photoshoot to join protesters calling for love and peace, before handing a can to police as a peace offering.

The officer cracks a smile and the crowd cheers.

Critics think the ad is based on recent protests over police brutality against black people in America.

It's been criticised for painting a "privileged, white" supermodel as a peacemaker between civil rights activists and police.  

Pepsi said the ad "reflected people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony".  

Read the full story here

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has launched his plan to reinvigorate Nigeria's stalled economy.

He says it is a medium-term plan to restore growth and make the economy globally competitive.

Various of his aides have been tweeting photos from the event.

Not everyone is convinced though. Some Nigerians have been tweeting their comments under the #NERGP hashtag:

Mr Buhari's Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo meanwhile has been talking up Nigeria's chances of rebalancing its economy away from oil and towards technology:

Read more: How do you rebalance your economy?

We reported earlier  about a boat that had capsized off the coast of the East African island of Zanzibar and that nine people were reported missing.

The BBC's Sammy Awami is reporting that officials have rescued the missing passengers and everyone has been accounted for. 

EmpicsCopyright: Empics

Coventry have terminated the contract of Nigerian striker Yakubu by mutual consent.

The former Portsmouth and Everton forward  joined the Sky Blues  on a deal until the end of the season in February, having been released by Turkish side Kayserispor last summer.

Yakubu, 34, played three games for Coventry without scoring, but suffered a hamstring injury in a 3-1 defeat by Swindon on 25 February.

He was not involved in Sunday's EFL Trophy final victory at Wembley.

Coventry are bottom of League One, 13 points adrift of safety, with six games left to play.

President Jacob Zuma must be breathing a sigh of relief today following a decision by the ruling African National Congress's National Working Committee to back him after accepting his explanation of the controversial sacking of well regarded Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan. 

He certainly has crossed the first hurdle in his mission to stay in the job. 

Newspaper headlines are describing him as Teflon Don because of his survival skills. But this does not mean that he is completely off the hook. 

Opposition parties together with some in his own governing alliance are planning mass action through public protests and are still demanding for him to resign. 

The speaker of parliament is considering recalling a joint sitting for a vote of no confidence put forward by the Democratic Alliance. 

The Economic Freedom Fighters party has gone to court asking for permission to impeachment Mr Zuma. 

For now, however, Mr Zuma remains president of Africa’s oldest liberation movement.

We know that Congolese President Joseph Kabila was saying some important things when he addressed MPs earlier, but there was one other talking point.

And BBC Africa's security correspondent, who was following the speech today, has commented on the president's more hirsute appearance:

The usually clean-shaven president was today sporting a healthy looking moustache and a full head of hair instead of his trademark low-cut shave.    

We have however pulled this tweet from 2013 which shows that he was at least settled on growing the moustache - if a little less bushy:

Congolese President Jospeh Kabila has just wrapped up a wide-ranging speech to MPs in the capital Kinshasa. 

On the political front, he said that he will name a new prime minister in the next 48 hours, a post which is to be held by an opposition member as part of a deal brokered by the Catholic church. 

Mr Kabila also committed to holding elections later in the year but did not give a date. 

RTNCCopyright: RTNC