Summary

  • Nigeria's President Buhari 'to return home from London on Sunday'

  • Somalis 'die in container truck' at DR Congo-Zambia border

  • Uganda 'intoxicated soldier' kills seven people

  • Kenya's High Court says anal testing can be used as proof of gay sex

  • Eritrea says more than 200 Ethiopian troops were killed in clashes this week

  • Ethiopia's security forces have killed more than 400 people in Oromo protest - rights group

  • Get Involved: #BBCAfricaLive WhatsApp: +44 7341070844

  • Email stories and comments to africalive@bbc.co.uk - Thursday 16 June 2016

  1. Scroll down for Thursday's storiespublished at 18:07 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    We'll be back tomorrow

    That's all from the BBC Africa Live page today. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or checking the BBC News website

    A reminder of today's wise words:

    Quote Message

    Today and tomorrow, little by little you will manage."

    A Hausa proverb sent by Blair Donkin, Dunedin, New Zealand.

    Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to send in your proverb.

    And we leave you with this picture of South African children watching a wreath-laying ceremony at the Hector Pieterson Memorial in Soweto on the 40th anniversary of the uprising against the introduction of Afrikaans in black schools: 

    Children wearing school uniforms watch the laying of wreaths, at the Hector Pieterson Memorial in Soweto, South Africa, Thursday, June 16, 2016Image source, AP
  2. Tanzania cracks down on fake phonespublished at 18:06 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    Tanzania's government says all counterfeit mobile phones in the country will be switched off at midnight.

    Counterfeit handsets lack authentic International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers that are crucial to identifying and tracking mobile phones.

    Such phones make it easy for some to escape detection and Tanzania faces threats from local and foreign Islamist militants, notably Somalia's al-Shabab.  

    Tanzania joins other African countries, including Cameroon, South Africa and Nigeria in trying to eliminate fake phones.

    The BBC's Sammy Awami reports that an estimated that 3% of Tanzanian phones are fake - and explains how Tanzanians can find out if they have a counterfeit one:

    Media caption,

    Tanzania's government says all counterfeit mobile phones will be switched off.

  3. Nigerian lawmaker hits back at US over sexual assault claimpublished at 17:56 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    Isa Sanusi
    BBC Africa, Abuja

    The US ambassador in Nigeria sent a letter to the speaker of the House of Representatives accusing some lawmakers of attempted rape and soliciting sex workers while on a visit to the US at the invitation of the US government. 

    But the lawmakers have denied the allegations and have threatened to sue the US government for character assassination.

    Ten lawmakers were invited to the International Visitor Leadership Program held between 7-13 April  in Cleveland, Ohio, and three of them were accused of gross misconduct. 

    In the letter, Ambassador James Entwistle said the Department of State had reports from employees of the Cleveland hotel that lawmaker Muhammed Gololo had allegedly grabbed a housekeeper in his hotel room and solicited her for sex. 

    Two other lawmakers allegedly requested hotel parking attendants to assist them to solicit prostitutes, the letter said.   

    In a response to the speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Gololo dimissed the allegation as "totally false, baseless and unfounded". 

    "I categorically deny that any such incident happened," he added. 

    Mr Goloo said he was demanding an apology from the US government over the allegations or would take legal action to clear his name:

    Copy of letter sent to the US embassyImage source, Screengrab

    When the BBC contacted the US embassy in Nigeria for comment, its spokesman Sean McIntosh said: "We do not comment on private diplomatic correspondence."   

  4. Coe helped to IAAF presidency by 'corrupt' Senegalese officialpublished at 17:52 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    Papa Massata Diack and Sebastian Coe
    Image caption,

    Papa Massata Diack (L) and Sebastian Coe (R)

    BBC Panorama has learnt that Lord Coe won the presidency of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) with the help of the Senegalese man at the centre of the sport's doping scandal.

    Text messages seen by the BBC suggest ex-IAAF consultant Papa Massata Diack, now wanted by Interpol, secured votes for Lord Coe's August election victory.

    The programme also suggests Coe may have misled UK parliament.

    The double British Olympic 1500m champion, 59, denies any wrongdoing.

    The text messages suggest Diack, son of the disgraced former IAAF president Lamine Diack, helped secure African delegate votes for Coe.

    Read the BBC Sport story for more, external.

  5. Kenya's chief justice hands over his flagspublished at 17:50 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    The hashtag #AdiosCJMutunga, external has been trending in Kenya today as Willy Mutunga retired as chief justice - on his 69th birthday:

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    End of twitter post

    He's actually retiring early as by law judges now need to hang up their robes at the age of 70.

    However, he decided to go now as elections are due to be held in August 2017 which would not allow enough time to appoint a new chief justice.

    He has spent much of his birthday handing over flags:

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post 2

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    End of twitter post 2
    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post 3

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    End of twitter post 3
  6. Rio hope for Kenyan athletespublished at 17:28 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    It looks like Kenyan athletes can breathe a sigh of relief – and will avoid a ban on attending the Olympic Games in Rio.

    The country’s sports minister has tweeted that the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has approved amendments that MPs made to anti-doping legislation last month:

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    End of twitter post

    Hassan Wario added that the legislation now just needed to get the presidential assent and then Kenya would be in full compliance.

    Wada had demanded changes last year after a spate of drugs scandals involving Kenyan athletes.

    In April, Kenya did create a national testing authority and make doping an offence punishable by imprisonment, but Wada cited "inconsistencies" in the legislation and declared Kenya "non-compliant" on 12 May - so parliament had to rush through further changes.

  7. Ugandans 'mourn' after shooting spreepublished at 17:18 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    A Ugandan army spokesman has named the soldier who killed seven people at a military police barracks near the capital, Kampala, as Sergeant Obua Isaac. 

    The spokesman added:  

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post

    Allow Twitter content?

    This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    End of twitter post
  8. Ivorian chemical waste victims 'win case against lawyers'published at 17:12 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    Photo taken on September 19, 2009 of two civil protection workers passing by a bulldozer clearing a site polluted with toxic waste at the Akouedo district in Abidjan.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Chemical waste was dumped in Ivory Coast

    Thousands of people owed financial compensation over the dumping of toxic waste by oil-trading group Trafigura in Ivory Coast have won their court claim against their lawyers in the UK, AFP news agency reports. 

    Trafigura agreed in 2009 to pay around $42.4m (£30m) to 30,000 people affected by the dumping of caustic soda and petroleum residues in the main city, Abidjan, in 2006. 

    However, 6,000 of the claimants were not paid after £6m of the money was fraudulently withdrawn from a bank account in Ivory Coast. 

    High Court judge Andrew Smith ruled that London-based legal firm Leigh Day, which represented the claimants, had been negligent in using an Ivorian bank account, leaving it open to embezzlement, AFP reports. 

    Lawyer Kalilou Fadiga, who acted against Leigh Day on  behalf of the claimants, was quoted by AFP as saying that the £6m was withdrawn by an organisation claiming to be the victims' representative, but which was in fact a "mechanism to embezzle". 

    He added: 

    Quote Message

    "It's a lesson for them [Leigh Day]. Not only should they be going round the world to try to help victims, but they shouldn't take their eyes of the ball about the ultimate goal which is to get compensation to the right people."

    Leigh Day hasn't commented on the report.

  9. get involved

    Get Involved: Your views on Buhari's returnpublished at 17:08 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    President Muhammadu Buhari take part in a panel discussion during the Anti-Corruption Summit London 2016, at Lancaster House in central London on May 12, 2016Image source, afp

    Our Facebook readers, external have reacted negatively to the announcement that Nigeria's President Muhammdu Buhari, 73, will return home on Sunday after resting and receiving treatment for an ear infection in the UK.  

    Himw Sam says: 

    Quote Message

    You can stay there forever, baba. After all the country is sinking in your hands."

    Roland Goure adds: 

    Quote Message

    African leaders - why can't you improve the medical system in your countries? You always go abroad for good treatment."

    Menkey Casey says: 

    Quote Message

    Corrupt Nigerian officials don't steal small money. They steal in the billions. They could have used the money to build modern hospitals to treat their own people."

  10. Africa's champion coffee maker prefers teapublished at 17:08 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    It is no secret that Kenya is one of the hottest spots to grab a great coffee in Africa.

    With the recent boom in roasteries and coffee shops there, more and more professional baristas are making an impression.

    Standing out above the rest is 26-year-old Martin Shabaya, who recently won the Africa Barista Championships, and is now headed to Ireland to represent Kenya at the World Championships.

    Despite all his successes, it turns out drinking coffee is not even his cup of tea:

    Media caption,

    Africa's champion coffee maker takes on the world

  11. Nigeria warns of mobile app launched by ISpublished at 17:00 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    Nigeria's government has warned parents that the Islamic State group has launched a new mobile phone application to promote jihad among children, under the guise of educating them.

    In a statement, Information Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed urged parents to make sure their children stayed away from the application Huroof (or Alphabets in Arabic), which teaches children the  Arabic alphabets with the aid of guns, military tanks and cannons.  

    He added: 

    Quote Message

    'The application utilises colourful illustrations that attract and engage the attention of young children."

    Huroof screengrabImage source, Huroof
    Image caption,

    A screenshot of the game

  12. Kenya anal-tests ruling 'unacceptable'published at 16:37 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    The decision by a Kenyan High Court to uphold the legality of anal tests on men suspected of engaging in homosexual sex (see earlier posts) is unacceptable, Amnesty International has said.

    Quote Message

    “Forcible anal examinations of men suspected of same-sex relationships is abhorrent, and violates the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment under international law. They should not be allowed to continue.

    Quote Message

    It is also absurd as the government has no business proving or disproving consensual homosexual activity. It’s a violation of the right to privacy."

    Amnesty International's Muthoni Wanyeki

    Men kissing in KenyaImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Homosexual acts are illegal in Kenya, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

    The UK-based rights group also lists some of the treaties that Kenya has ratified and which, it says, forced anal exams violate: 

    • Convention against Torture
    • International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
    • African Convention on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

  13. Children 'killed' in Uganda shootingpublished at 16:09 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    Patience Atuhaire
    BBC Africa, Kampala

    Three children and four women were shot dead by a soldier at the military police barracks outside Uganda's capital, Kampala. 

    Military police spokesman Major Edward Birungi said the soldier had also been shot dead.

    He was on duty, and was said to have got drunk and intoxicated on marijuana.

    He is said to have had problems with his wife, and went on a shooting spree as he searched for her. However, she managed to escape.

    Of the  women who died, one was a soldier and the other three were the wives of soldiers.

  14. 'Fatal shooting' at Uganda barrackspublished at 15:58 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    Patience Atuhaire
    BBC Africa, Kampala

    Eight people have died in a shooting at a military police barracks outside Uganda's capital, Kampala.

    I'll bring you more details as soon as I get them. 

  15. Sudan 'biggest host of South Sudanese refugees'published at 15:34 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    Sudan is hosting 232,000 refugees who fled conflict which broke out in South Sudan in 2013, the UN has said.

    South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011, but plunged into a civil war two years later. 

    "As of the beginning of June 2016, Sudan hosts the largest number of refugees who have fled South Sudan and sought refuge in neighbouring countries," said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 

    A woman walks outside her shelter in the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Malakal, on June 14, 2016.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    An estimated 2.2 million fled their homes because of the conflict

  16. Togo 'seizes' contaminated chickenpublished at 15:24 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    Blame Ekoue
    BBC Africa, Lome

    Togolese authorities have destroyed 5,000 tonnes of contaminated frozen chickens imported from an unnamed European country. 

    In a statement, the government said the chickens were seized a few days ago at Togo's main harbour following a tip-off from European Union health officials.

    The chickens tested positive for the salmonella bacteria.

    A boy chases a chicken ahead of a Voodoo ceremony on January 10, 2012 in Ouidah, Benin.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Togo could see a boost in the sale of fresh chickens

    Many people here are now scared of buying frozen chicken. 

    Last year, Togolese authorities seized 24 tons of contaminated fish imported from China by a Togolese company. 

  17. Soweto uprising: The students who changed South Africapublished at 14:55 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    On 16 June 1976, thousands of South African students took to the streets of Soweto to protest against the apartheid regime.

    Hundreds were killed in the police response, which profoundly changed the country’s social and political landscape.

    The BBC's Chris Parkinson took his camera to the same streets with a survivor, as well as students from a local Soweto school to hear what happened and how things have changed.

    Media caption,

    Soweto uprising: The students who changed South Africa

  18. Nigeria's President Buhari 'in perfect health'published at 14:22 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari is to return home from London on Sunday, the AFP news agency quotes his deputy as saying. 

    Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo told reporters in Abuja:

    Quote Message

    I spoke with him yesterday evening and I think it is just the best that he takes the weekend off… [he is] in perfect health and ready to resume work on Monday morning."

    It was announced on 6 June that the 73-year-old president was taking 10 days off “to rest” and would also see an ear, nose and throat specialist for a persistent ear infection during his time in the UK capital.   

    President BuhariImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    President Buhari had cancelled three official engagements in the weeks before his trip

  19. EgyptAir plane's voice recorder foundpublished at 14:21 British Summer Time 16 June 2016
    Breaking

    Cockpit voice recorder of crashed EgyptAir flight found in Mediterranean, Egyptian investigators say.

  20. Somalis 'suffocate to death' in fish truckpublished at 13:49 British Summer Time 16 June 2016

    A total of 18 Somalis have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo after travelling from neighbouring Zambia in a container truck packed with fish, Zambian police say. 

    Hudson Namachila, the Luapula province police commissioner, said 11 suffocated to death in the truck while another seven later died after the authorities in DR Congo rejected help from Zambia.

    The truck stopped just after it had crossed the border into DR Congo because of the knocking from the passengers in the back.

    Mr Namachila told the BBC's Kennedy Gondwe in Lusaka that DR Congo had now shut the border with Zambia and had arrested the two Zambian drivers and the Somalis who had survived the journey. 

    When Zambia's security forces went across the border yesterday, they found there were 44 Somalis: 11 dead, 20 "gasping for breath" and 13 who were OK, he said.

    The number of dead had since risen to 18, but DR Congo's authorities were still refusing "humanitarian" aid from Zambia on the grounds that it could not operate across its border, the police commissioner said. 

    DR Congo has not yet commented on the allegation. 

    Mr Namachila said he did not know who the Somalis were and why they were travelling in the container truck.