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.