Guinea's opposition party, Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), has announced the death of one of its detained spokespersons.
Roger Bamba who was detained in September - just before the October polls - was taken to the hospital on Wednesday but died that evening.
A member of the party's communications unit Joachim Baba Milimono said: "We regret to announce the death of Roger Bamba, communicator of the UFDG. He was detained on 6 September 2020 and held without trial at the central prison, Conde regime's famous prison."
The official added that the deceased "was transported to the Ignace Deen hospital on the evening of Wednesday, 16 December, for emergency care where he died on the same evening".
At a press conference on Wednesday, UFDG's leader Cellou Dalein Diallo denounced the arbitrary arrest and the illegal detention of his supporters by President Alpha Conde.
AFPCopyright: AFP
UFDG's Cellou Dalein Diallo was President Alpha Conde's main challengerImage caption: UFDG's Cellou Dalein Diallo was President Alpha Conde's main challenger
Ethiopia offers cash reward in hunt for Tigray leaders
Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News, Addis Ababa
Tigray TVCopyright: Tigray TV
Nothing has been heard from the TPLF leaders in recent days but they had vowed to continue fighting the federal troopsImage caption: Nothing has been heard from the TPLF leaders in recent days but they had vowed to continue fighting the federal troops
Ethiopia's defence ministry has announced a
reward of 10 million-birr ($256,000) for tips leading to the arrest of Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) figures that the government says are
wanted.
The announcement of was made on Friday by Lt Gen Asrat Denero who said the reward was meant to help arrest the wanted individuals quickly.
Last month arrest warrants were issued for more than 60 senior
leaders of the TPLF.
More arrest warrants were later issued for dozens of other
current and former army officials.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last month announced the end of the military offensive after Tigray's capital, Mekelle, fell to the federal army.
Nothing has been heard from the TPLF leaders in recent days, but they had earlier vowed to continue fighting until federal troops - whom they
call invaders - leave Tigray.
The whereabouts of many of the TPLF leaders including its
chairman Debrestion Gebremichael are unknown.
The government had earlier said
that it had apprehended just two top TPLF figures.
One of them, former speaker
of the upper house of parliament Keria Ibrahim, was said to have surrendered to authorities more than two weeks ago but she has not been seen since.
It is also not clear if she has been taken to any court.
BreakingBurundi's ex-president Buyoya dies at 71
Didier Bikorimana
BBC Great Lakes Service
AFPCopyright: AFP
Former President of Burundi Pierre Buyoya has died aged 71,
his cousin and a diplomatic source have confirmed to the BBC.
The family source said he died in Paris on Thursday
due to Covid-19 complications.
The retired army major had two spells in power for a total of 13
years after overthrowing his predecessors.
In October, he was sentenced in absentia to life
imprisonment by a Burundi court accused of assassinating the country’s first
democratically elected President Melchior Ndadaye in 1993 – which sparked the
killing of an estimated 300,000 people.
He denied any wrongdoing.
Last month, he resigned from an African Union role as envoy
to the Sahel region, saying he wanted to devote more time on clearing his name.
Video caption: After Sam Jalloh's best friend was killed, he vowed to get away - through tennis.After Sam Jalloh's best friend was killed, he vowed to get away - through tennis.
Sam Jalloh saw his best friend killed in front of him. He vowed to get away - and tennis was his way out.
Ethiopia probing cross-border attack on Sudanese troops
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Thousands of Ethiopians have fled to Sudan from Tigray regionImage caption: Thousands of Ethiopians have fled to Sudan from Tigray region
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said his government is "closely following" a cross-border attack on Sudanese troops by Ethiopian forces and militia.
Sudan's army on Wednesday issued a statement saying one of its units was hit by "an ambush by Ethiopian forces and militias inside Sudanese territories", AFP reported.
There were "casualties and damage".
Mr Abiy has said such incidents will not break the bond between the two countries as "we always use dialogue to resolve issues".
"Those fanning discord clearly do not understand the strength of our historical ties," he tweeted.
Tens of thousands of Ethiopian refugees have fled to Sudan since November when Ethiopian federal troops started fighting with Tigray regional forces.
Moroccan man jailed for life over foiled Paris train attack
Hugh Schofield
BBC News, Paris
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Four men were convictedImage caption: Four men were convicted
A Moroccan man who tried to carry out a gun attack on a high-speed train between Brussels and Paris in August 2015 has been sentenced to life in prison by a French court.
Three other men were found guilty of helping the 31-year-old plan the attack. They were given sentences of between seven and 27 years as accomplices.
Ayoub el-Khazzani was overpowered by fellow passengers on the Thalys train, including two off-duty American soldiers.
He had boarded the train with a kalashnkov and a pistol hidden in his back-pack, but when he emerged from the lavatory ready to shoot he was immediately confronted by fellow-passengers.
In the fight that followed his gun initially failed to fire, and he was overpowered and delivered to the police.
In his summing up, the judge said there was no doubt el-Khazzani had intended to carry out a mass-killing.
He’d only failed because of an unlikely combination of circumstances, and the bravery of those who intervened.
El-Khazzani had come to Europe from Syria earlier in 2015 in the company of an Islamic State agent called Abdelhamid Abaooud.
He was the man who three months later organised the Bataclan and street café massacres in Paris.
UN donates $35m aid for civilians in Tigray
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Nearly 50,000 have already crossed the border to neighbouring Sudan.Image caption: Nearly 50,000 have already crossed the border to neighbouring Sudan.
The United Nations has announced a $35m (£26m) emergency aid package for civilians caught up in the fighting in Ethiopia’s Tigray region.
Government forces have been battling Tigray fighters since 4 November.
The UN said $25m will be used to purchase medicines for the sick and injured civilians in Ethiopia, and to buy food and drinking water.
A further $10.6m will be used to provide shelter, health care and drinking water for the tens of thousands of refugees who have fled to neighbouring Sudan.
“Conflicts like this are hard to stop once they get out of control, the lives they extinguish cannot be brought back, and the grievances they create are long lasting. Right now, children are cut off from help. We need unfettered access now,” UN emergency relief coordinator, Mark Lowcock, said.
Kenya senators uphold Nairobi governor's impeachment
Emmanuel Igunza
BBC News, Nairobi
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Mike Sonko is popular among youthsImage caption: Mike Sonko is popular among youths
The governor of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, Mike Sonko Mbuvi, has been removed from office
after the senate upheld his impeachment by the regional assembly.
Senators found Mr Sonko guilty of four charges including gross violation of
the constitution, abuse of office, gross misconduct and other crimes under the
national law.
Among allegations filed against
him by Nairobi county legislators were accusations of using public monies to
fund his daughter's trip to New York in 2018 and misuse of bursary funds for
underprivileged children in Nairobi.
Mr Sonko, known for his flashy
lifestyle and clothes that include gold jewellery, denied the charges claiming he
was a victim of corrupt cartels in Nairobi, which are fighting his attempts to
stop public looting.
The ousted governor is no
stranger to controversy. Prison authorities in Kenya recently accused him of
escaping from a maximum facility 20 years ago. Mr Sonko has publicly admitted
to the prison break during a live television interview.
Last December, he was
arrested on suspicion of corruption.
He once included bottles of
Hennessy as part of Covid-19 sanitation kits distributed to Nairobians claiming
“ the alcohol content in the drink could stop coronavirus".
Mr Sonko was elected Nairobi governor in 2017 on a ticket of President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee Party.
But the two have since fallen
out with President Kenyatta forcing through a deal that saw major functions of
the county moved to the national government.
Mr Kenyatta also appointed a
serving military general to run the county, and in effect making Mr Sonko a
ceremonial governor
Sonko, who took part in the ceremony
to hand over the county functions, later claimed that he had been drunk while
signing the documents.
A populist, who started his
political career in Eastlands Nairobi, the former governor enjoys massive
support among the youth in poor and slum areas of the capital.
He runs his own Sonko Rescue
Team - which provide ambulances, fire engines, hearses and wedding
limousines to residents of the capital. But critics accuse his outfit of being a
parallel public service provider with no clear source of funding.
Residents of Nairobi will now
have to go for a by-election in 60 days as Mr Sonko has no serving
deputy.
He becomes the second sitting
governor to be impeached after Kiambu county’s Ferdinand Waititu was removed
from office in January facing similar charges. Mr Waititu denied any wrongdoing.
Friday's wise words
Our proverb of the day:
Quote Message: He who toils in the sun enjoys the shade." from A Swahili proverb sent by Nelson E. Msuya in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Quote Message: People would prefer to keep the meat longer in their mouths, but the magnet at the throat does not permit it." from A Yoruba proverb from Nigeria sent by Bosun Oshodi-Glover in London, UK.
People would prefer to keep the meat longer in their mouths, but the magnet at the throat does not permit it."
Lusaka mayor defends stadium wedding amid Covid-19
BBC Focus on Africa radio
The mayor of Zambia's capital, Lusaka, has stirred a bit of controversy by planning to hold his wedding in a stadium in the city while the coronavirus measures say weddings should be limited to 50 people.
But Miles Sampa defended his decision on BBC Focus on Africa radio by saying that it wasn't his choice but "the people of Lusaka told me that they wanted to attend the wedding".
His said that a pre-wedding event at his home was mobbed by hundreds of people.
To avoid overcrowding, he has decided to hold the wedding ceremony and reception in the stadium the day after Christmas and let people in on a first-come-first-serve basis.
He added that coronavirus safety measures would be in place.
He also tweeted that he has hired security from a local bodybuilding club:
Answering criticism that he could delay the nuptials he said: "I'm not going to wait until corona disappears - my bride might run away!"
Video content
Video caption: Miles Sampa has invited the whole city, but doesn’t know how many will attendMiles Sampa has invited the whole city, but doesn’t know how many will attend
Mozambique to pardon prisoners with exemplary behaviour
Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo
Mozambican President Filipe
Nyusi has said he intends to pardon all prisoners who have served at least half their sentences and have shown “exemplary
behaviour” while in prison.
The leader will also pardon the elderly prisoners and those who are
chronically ill.
President Nyusi on Wednesday said that although some of those previously pardoned had gone back to committing crime, it was no reason to deny pardon to those who have shown good behaviour.
Justice Minister Helena Kida told reporters that about 1,800 prisoners will
benefit from President Nyusi’s pardon.
She said that they will all be released by
the end of December.
The presidential pardon is expected to ease the pressure on Mozambique’s
overcrowded prisons.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, conditions in the
jails have become a threat to the health of inmates.
In April this year, parliament passed an amnesty law, specifically to deal
with overcrowding and halt the spread of Covid-19 within the prisons.
That amnesty released 5,032 prisoners serving sentences of one year or less.
Ghana police disperse election protesters with water cannon
Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service
Police in Ghana have used water cannon to disperse opposition supporters who are contesting the result of the recent presidential election.
They had gathered outside the headquarters of Ghana's electoral commission in the capital, Accra, where tyres were set on fire.
The NDC's candidate, former President John Mahama, lost to the incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo who got just over 51% of the votes.
Similar protests have been held in other regions.
The police said some arrests were made.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Supporters of President Nana Akufo-Addo celebrated last weekImage caption: Supporters of President Nana Akufo-Addo celebrated last week
Video caption: Meet South Africa's record-breaking skateboarder Jean-Marc Johannes.Meet South Africa's record-breaking skateboarder Jean-Marc Johannes.
South Africa's record-breaking skateboarder Jean-Marc Johannes on what putting his sport into the Olympics will mean for the continent.
'Ugliest orchid in the world' found in Madagascar
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
A plant described as "the ugliest orchid in the world" is among the 156 new species identified and named by London's Royal Botanic Gardens and its partners.
The Gastrodia agnicellus was found in a forest in Madagascar and its 11mm flowers "are small, brown and rather ugly", researchers say.
The plants are normally known for their beauty.
"The orchid depends on fungi for nutrition and has no leaves or any other photosynthetic tissue," they add in a statement.
Among other newly named plants was a "a strange shrub encountered by botanist Wessel Swanepoel in the semi-desert of southern Namibia".
After investigation, researchers found that "the plant’s DNA fitted the cabbage order, but none of the known families in this order".
The plant actually turned out to be part of a new genus and new family of plants and it has been called Tiganophyton karasense.
Tiganophyton translates as "frying pan plant" because of the shape of its leaves.
BreakingBoko Haram release video 'of kidnapped boys'
Mayeni Jones
BBC News, Nigeria
Gail KankaraCopyright: Gail Kankara
The boys were taken from the Government Science Secondary School in Katsina last FridayImage caption: The boys were taken from the Government Science Secondary School in Katsina last Friday
A video has emerged, reportedly from the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram, showing dozens of young boys in a forest begging for the
Nigerian armed forces to stop looking for them.
Boko Haram released an audio
message earlier in the week saying they were behind the kidnapping of
hundreds of schoolboys in north-western Nigeria.
A website with links to the
group says the latest video is of the pupils taken from Kankara school last
Friday.
It’s a distressing watch.
The six-minute video features a boy in
the foreground. His clothes and face are dishevelled. Dozens of children, some
that appear to be very young, stand in the background, pleading.
In a mix of
English and Hausa the main speaker says they were kidnapped by Boko Haram
leader Abubakar Shekau's gang.
He says some of the boys have been killed by
fighter jets and calls for schools to be closed, excluding Koranic schools.
He
adds that all the troops who have been sent to help them, should be sent back.
At one point his voice appears to break and the other children begin to cry.
The attack is first of its kind in north-western Nigeria. The authorities say
it was carried out by local gangs connected to Boko Haram.
