Africa Highlights: Zimbabwe's white farmers launch compensation bid, Uganda terror suspects get life

A Ghanaian villager is to fulfill his lifelong dream of making the Hajj after he spotted a drone and asked the people flying it:

Quote Message: Can you make it a little bigger and take me to Mecca?”

Can you make it a little bigger and take me to Mecca?”

The drone was being operated by a Turkish film crew on location in Ghana.

Al-Hassan Abdullah's story soon went viral on Turkish social media, later catching the attention of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu who then arranged to send Mr Abdullah on pilgrimage.

Mr Abdullah has been flown to Turkey's main city Istanbul, from where he told Anadolu news agency:

Quote Message: I am grateful to God and I pray to everyone who helped this dream come true. The Turkish state’s assistance is valuable for me and I believe this will help improve friendship and brotherhood between Muslims.”

I am grateful to God and I pray to everyone who helped this dream come true. The Turkish state’s assistance is valuable for me and I believe this will help improve friendship and brotherhood between Muslims.”

The first day of this year's Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, is expected on August 30.

South Africa's biggest mobile operator Vodacom has been dealing with very unhappy customers following a technical hitch which began on Monday, and has drained some subscribers' call credit and data allowance, IOL reports.

Customers have been taking to Twitter to complain about the issue and to demand refunds:

The company said that it was aware of what it called "a billing issue" and added that it would refund the affected customers:

BBCCopyright: BBC

Six men, including the leader of a Muslim sect in Uganda, have been given sentences ranging from life imprisonment to 30 years in prison for committing acts of terrorism.

Tabliq sect leader Sheikh Yunus Kamoga and his followers were found guilty of threatening and inciting violence against other Muslim clerics, some of whom have been killed.

Three judges of Uganda’s High Court decided that their actions contributed to the murders of 13 Muslim leaders who have been killed in the country since 2012.

The actions cited include holding rallies, printing leaflets and uttering threats on loudspeakers against other clerics.

Most of the killings were carried out by gunmen riding on the back of motorbikes. The most recent attack happened last year when a cleric and his bodyguard were killed as their vehicle travelled on a motorway.

Authorities are now under pressure to find the real killers after Sheikh Kamoga and his followers were acquitted of the crimes.

Some of the Tabliq sect followers who had gathered outside the court criticised the sentences, saying they were orchestrated by the government and that they will be appealing to have them overturned.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The United Nations children's agency, Unicef, says it is extremely concerned about an increase in the use of children as suicide bombers in northeastern Nigeria.

In a statement issued today Unicef said four times as many cases had been recorded so far this year, compared to the whole of last year.

In the document, Unicef uses the term "human bombs" instead of "suicide bombers" to refer to the phenomenon.

Unicef says this tactic is an atrocity causing fear and suspicion of children released by the militants.

The Islamist militant group Boko Haram, operating in north-east Nigeria, has been running a brutal campaign in the region for the past eight years, claiming 20,000 lives and driving over two million people from their homes.

Since January this year, Unicef has recorded 83 cases of children being used as suicide bombers.

Of that number 55 were girls who were mostly under the age of 15, 27 were boys, and in one case a bomb was strapped to a baby being carried by a young girl.

Boko Haram has regularly used children in its insurgency, from abducting hundreds of schoolgirls as sexual slaves to forcibly recruiting boys as child soldiers.

BBCCopyright: BBC

A successful test flight from the south Atlantic island of St Helena is raising hopes that regular flights between the territory and South Africa will resume.

The South African aircraft used today is operated by private airline SA Airlink.

St Helena, a British overseas territory, can at present only be reached by ship but rough seas mean the crossing takes around one week.

Today's test flight took only six hours from Johannesburg via a re-fuelling stopover in neighbouring Namibia, and the aircraft has been conducting trials known as ‘circuits and bumps’.

This is when the aircraft circles the runway, approaches and touches the wheels on the ground before immediately taking off again for another circuit.

Aviation experts say this is necessary in high winds can sometime set off the aircraft’s windshear warning system, as was captured during a test flight in 2016.

St Helena has a new airport which took five years to build at a cost of $365m (£285m) to the British taxpayer.

It was scheduled to open in May 2016 for commercial operators but this has been delayed indefinitely.

Which country makes the best Jollof rice? Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, The Gambia or Sierra Leone?

The so-called Jollof wars show no sign of slowing down, but in an apparent spirit of reconciliation some are declaring today World Jollof Day.

Here's a selection of mouth-watering tributes we've spotted:

Food lovers in Nigeria attended the very first Jollof festival in the commercial capital Lagos at the weekend. Here's a taste:

UGANDA POLICECopyright: UGANDA POLICE

Uganda police say they have arrested a number of suspects over a recent spate of killings of women near the capital, Kampala.

The Inspector General of Police, Kale Kayihura, said that a suspect had confessed to killing eight women on the orders of businessmen.

The murders were for ritual sacrifices, Gen Kayihura told residents of Nansana municipality.

Local media say 17 women have been killed in a gruesome manner since May.

Police spokesman Asan Kasingye told the BBC that while the murders occurred in the same district, they were not all related.

ISAAC KASAMANICopyright: ISAAC KASAMANI

He said that in the majority of cases, the victims were sex workers who had been raped and strangled in isolated places in "the wee hours of the morning".

"Two were students," he said, adding that in five cases the women had been killed by their estranged partners.

Mr Kasingye said the municipalities were at least 60 km (40 miles) apart.

He said that Gen Kayihura was reacting to local media reports that the police had failed to apprehend the culprits.

"In all but one of the cases the suspects have been apprehended," Mr Kasingye said.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Nigeria’s President Buhari will spend three months working from home following his return to Nigeria after receiving medical treatment in London. This is due to damage caused to his office by rodents.

A presidential spokesman told the BBC that Buhari’s office is being renovated after rodents damaged his furniture and air conditioning units.

He added that while Mr Buhari is unable to work from his office in its present state, working from home would not affect his productivity in any way.

President Buhari returned to Nigeria on Saturday, after spending more than 100 days in London receiving medical treatment.

He has since been criticised on social media for failing to make mention of his health issues in an address to the nation on Monday morning.

Four suspects have been arrested in Morocco after a video emerged on social media showing a group of men sexually molesting a woman on a bus.

The footage, posted on Sunday, shows the young men laughing while assaulting the woman, who reportedly has leaning difficulties. People across the world have taken to social media voice their outrage:

Arrests were made in the city of Casablanca yesterday, the public transport company M'Dina Bus said in a statement (in French).

An investigation was under way, it added.

A police statement said that the 24-year-old woman had learning difficulties, and that no complaint was filed by the victim or driver before the video was released.

M'Dina Bus made reference to accusations that the bus driver did not help the woman, saying:

"At this stage, contrary to commentary on social media, we cannot confirm that the driver failed to react," adding that the video - under one minute long - was too short to tell.

Less than two weeks ago, Moroccan media reported on a video showing a large group of men following a young woman walking alone in the northern city of Tangier.

A court in Uganda's capital, Kampala has sentenced six terrorism suspects to life imprisonment.

The men were among 14 people arrested during investigations into the killing of Muslim clerics in 2014.

They had however been cleared of the murder of the Muslim leaders, but the terrorism charge was later applied.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

White farmers who lost their farms under Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe's controversial land seizure programme have launched a new legal initiative to "to seek justice and compensation" for the loss of their farms and livelihoods, New Zimbabwe reports.

Around 4,500 of them were forcefully removed from their own land and only a few hundred white farm owners still operate in the country,The South African reports.

The farmers are represented by South African civil rights group, AfriForum, who have taken their case to the Southern African Community Development Community (SADC).

Their petition reads in part:

Quote Message: On August 16 and 17, 2017 formal notice to initiate proceedings were served by the farmers' legal team on President Robert Mugabe, three of his ministers and the Zimbabwean government collectively under the Southern African Community Development Community (SADC) Finance and Investment Protocol."

On August 16 and 17, 2017 formal notice to initiate proceedings were served by the farmers' legal team on President Robert Mugabe, three of his ministers and the Zimbabwean government collectively under the Southern African Community Development Community (SADC) Finance and Investment Protocol."

The land seizures, which began in 2000, turned violent as some white farmers, who were resisting eviction from their properties, were targeted and killed.

Mr Mugabe recently defended the perpetrators of the killings, saying in this year's National Heroes Day main celebrations in Harare:

Quote Message: Yes, we have those [white farmers] who were killed when they resisted. We will never prosecute those who killed them. I ask: Why we should arrest them?"

Yes, we have those [white farmers] who were killed when they resisted. We will never prosecute those who killed them. I ask: Why we should arrest them?"

Supporters of Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari have marched in the capital, Abuja, to back his presidency.

They carried banners praising his leadership.

One read, "The legend is back. We are moving forward".

BBCCopyright: BBC

The march is seen as a retort to an opposition protest held two week ago which criticised the continued absence of the Nigerian leader, who was at that time in the UK on medical leave, and called on him to resign.

Mr Buhari returned to the country on Saturday after a three-month stay in the UK, for treatment of a medical condition which has not been disclosed.

His spokesman says that Mr Buhari is working from home as his office undergoes renovation.

BBCCopyright: BBC

BBCCopyright: BBC

AFPCopyright: AFP

Family and friends of the former Libyan Prime Minister, Ali Zeidan, say he has been kidnapped, and for eight days, no one has heard from him.

In 2013, Mr Zeidan was held briefly by a militia when he was still prime minister.

At that time, his relationship with several armed groups in Tripoli had deteriorated, because they felt he was trying to diminish their role in the city.

An eyewitness told the BBC that the militia responsible for Mr Zeidan's kidnapping this time around is the Tripoli Revolutionary Brigade, which is nominally controlled by the government in Tripoli.

Karam Khaled says he was travelling with Mr Zeidan on an official visit and were at a hotel secured by the presidential guard:

Quote Message: We tried to stop them from taking [Mr Zeidan] but there were too many of them.

We tried to stop them from taking [Mr Zeidan] but there were too many of them.

Quote Message: It became clear that the presidential council is under this militia's control, and not the other way around.

It became clear that the presidential council is under this militia's control, and not the other way around.

Quote Message: They kidnapped Mr Zeidan, and our sources tell us he is being held in an abandoned building that used to be a hotel.

They kidnapped Mr Zeidan, and our sources tell us he is being held in an abandoned building that used to be a hotel.

Ali Zeidan's daughter, Inas, told the BBC that the family is "very, very worried about his health", adding that Mr Zeidan has "health issues" and that his family is "trying to make sure he's getting his medication".

"We don't know how well he's doing," she told the BBC.

Staff at the hotel where Mr Zeidan was abducted have declined to speak to the BBC over secutiry fears.

Abdel Nabi Almawly, an MP from the Parliament based in East Libya, held a meeting with Mr. Zidan in Tripoli hours before he was abducted. When he spoke to me, Mr Almawly questioned the Libyan Prime Minister's handling of the matter:

Quote Message: How is there this silence over a former official who was a symbol of the state?

How is there this silence over a former official who was a symbol of the state?

Quote Message: If there is a legal issue it should be dealt with through a warrant from the Prosecutor General's office, and there isn't one!"

If there is a legal issue it should be dealt with through a warrant from the Prosecutor General's office, and there isn't one!"

The Prosecutor General's office would not comment when contacted by the BBC.

Mr Zeidan secretly left the country in 2014, shortly after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament, and after the prosecutor general issued an arrest warrant for alleged financial irregularities.

Two university students in South Africa have developed a free app which gives users guidance on their basic rights when dealing with law enforcement.

The idea came to Michael de la Hunt and Jed da Silva when they found that many of their peers had no idea how to access legal advice when stopped by the police.

Listen to Michael de la Hunt explain how the app works:

More highlights from BBC Focus on Africa radio.

Political campaigns in the run-up to Kenya's election on 8 August saw an unprecedented use of social media.

Candidates used social platforms to share videos, pictures and hashtags to promote their policies and engage with their supporters.

OdipoDev, a data analytics start-up based in Kenya, has been looking at the connection between social media use and the election results.

It found that popularity on social media did not necessarily correspond to votes.

Watch their analysis below:

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Pierre-Claver Maganga Moussavou, Gabon's newly named vice-president, is one of two opposition politicians appointed to key government positions.

The other, René Ndemezo'o Obiang, becomes president of Gabon's economic and social council (CES). He was previously the campaign chief for presidential challenger Jean Ping in last year's disputed elections.

The two appointees took part in reconciliation talks earlier this year with President Ali Bongo Ondimba's governing Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG).

In so doing, Mr Ndemezo'o Obiang defied the wishes of his candidate Jean Ping who has boycotted the process, maintaining his claim that he won the 2016 presidential poll.

Mr Maganga Moussavou, who leads the Social Democratic Party (PDS), previously served as a minister under the late president Omar Bongo Odimba.

His son, Biendi Maganga Moussavou, remains in post as minister for small and medium enterprises (PME).

Gabon has been waiting for a new government to be formed since May.

The majority PDG and the opposition are expected to approve a series of political reforms.

PACopyright: PA

Nigerian-born, English footballer Eniola Aluko has accused England's Football Association (FA) of discrimination.

The footballer, 30, has accused the Women's Football team manager Mark Sampson of "bullying and discrimination", says anti-racism campaign group Kick It Out.

Sampson, 34, has been cleared of wrongdoing by two investigations and vehemently denies Aluko's claims.

But details given by Aluko in a BBC interview on Monday "throw new light on the allegations", Kick It Out said.

The Chelsea Ladies player alleges Sampson made a "racist comment" about her family in Nigeria being infected with the Ebola virus. Sampson vehemently denies saying this.

The FA said the allegation arose in informal correspondence and was not included in Aluko's subsequent complaint, or it would have been investigated.

A three-month independent investigation by barrister Katharine Newton did not uphold any of the complaints and cleared Sampson and the FA of any wrongdoing.

Aluko, however, has claimed the investigation and a previous FA inquiry were "flawed".

Read the full story on BBC Sport.

Rwandan Women Rising is a new book by Swanee Hunt, a former US ambassador, who over a period of 17 years collected testimonies from 90 Rwandan women.

In her book she highlights the key roles women played in rebuilding the country after the 1994 genocide.

She spoke to BBC Newsday presenter Alan Kasujja about the lessons to be drawn from the women's stories:

AFPCopyright: AFP

A lawyer for Gabriella Engels, the South African model who was allegedly assaulted by Zimbabwe's First Lady Grace Mugabe, has told the BBC he will be making an application in the high court in Pretoria to challenge the diplomatic immunity accorded to Mrs Mugabe.

Willie Spies told the BBC Newsday that Ms Engels' legal team considered the incident to be an "assault with the intention to cause grave bodily harm".

He added that Mrs Mugabe did not deserve to be given immunity and that the South African government had acted unlawfully:

Quote Message: Our laws with regard to diplomatic immunity are clear on two matters.

Our laws with regard to diplomatic immunity are clear on two matters.

Quote Message: One is that immunity is not appropriate where there was injury to a person, [the other is that] immunity is not relevant when a grave crime was committed.

One is that immunity is not appropriate where there was injury to a person, [the other is that] immunity is not relevant when a grave crime was committed.

Quote Message: Assault with the intention to cause grave bodily harm is a crime that could be classified as a grave crime." from Willie Spies Gabriella Engels' legal team

Assault with the intention to cause grave bodily harm is a crime that could be classified as a grave crime."

He says that the legal team will make a review application in the court so that a judge can "make a finding on whether the decision was lawful or whether it can be set aside".