Image source, AFP

A lawyer for victims of crimes committed by armed groups in Timbuktu, Mali, is calling on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute more militant Islamists for their role in the nearly two-year occupation of northern Mali. 

Mayombo Kassongo represented the victims in the trial at The Hague of Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi. He was sentenced on Tuesday to a nine-year prison term for damage to cultural artefacts in Timbuktu. 

Mr Kassongo hailed al-Mahdi's sentencing, describing it as a strong signal that impunity will no longer be guaranteed for the destruction of cultural monuments. 

He now wants the ICC to prosecute more members of the armed groups who were operating in northern Mali for what he calls "blood crimes". 

The lawyer told BBC Afrique:  

Related stories:

The vandal of Timbuktu

Why Timbuktu war crimes case matters

The top official who led the Kenya Olympics team to Rio has been charged with stealing $256,000 ( £196,000) meant for accommodation of the country's athletics officials, the Daily Nation newspaper reports. , external

The charge alleges that Mr Stephen arap Soi stole money from the sports ministry in 20 July.

Francis Paul, secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya, the body in charge of logistics for the Games, and Rio Olympics team manager Pius Ochieng are also facing charges related to the Games, the paper reports. 

The case follows widely reported incidences of mismanagement and disorganisation in the Kenyan team before and during the Rio Games. 

Some Kenyan athletes complained that they did not receive kits donated by global sporting giant, Nike. 

While some of the coaches and officials who accompanied the team also complained that they missed out on accommodation.

The case will be heard on 24 October.  

Image source, .

Boubacar Diallo
BBC Afrique, Conakry

Image source, AFP

In Guinea, relatives of the more than 150 protesters killed seven years ago in an army crack-down on a demonstration against the ex-junta regime are holding memorial services.

The commemorations are being led by Avipa, a coalition of relatives who lost loved ones in the violence. 

On 28 September 2009 soldiers stormed the Stadium of Conakry where thousands of opposition activists were gathered in protest against the military rule. 

They then opened fire.

Then junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara is accused of ordering the massacre, but he denies it.

To this day, only four officers have been sentenced to prison terms for the killings and Avipa is campaigning for more justice. 

Avipa deputy chairman Yero Dioulde Dia told BBC Afrique: 

Image source, AFP

Mauritius international goalkeeper Joseph Kinsley Steward Leopold has been arrested for drug dealing.

A team of the Anti-Drug Smuggling Unit searched the 27-year-old's home in Port Louis and found 22 doses of heroin and a further one gram of the drug.

Equipment used in the preparation and packaging of heroin, including razor blades and scales, were also seized.

Leopold is the first-choice goalkeeper for Mauritius Professional Football League champions team ASPL 2000.

He was also the reserve goalkeeper for the national team during the last Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

Read the full story

Image source, .

African presidents and foreign minsters have been sharing their thoughts following the death of Israel's former president and prime minister Shimon Peres at the age of 93.

Kenya's president said he met Mr Peres recently:

Mr Kenyatta tweeted four further messages.

Gabon's president has also tweeted: "I want to salute the memory of Shimon Peres, great statesman and tireless peace ambassador."

Rwanda's foreign minister has also added her voice:

But with the wider public Mr Peres' legacy is not uncontroversial.

While some on social media have dwelt on his involvement in the Oslo peace accords signed with the Palestinians, others have brought up other aspects of his life.

In 2010, the Guardian newspaper, external reported that in 1975, when he was defence minister, Mr Peres was involved in negotiations with South Africa over selling the country nuclear warheads.

Israel denied , externalthat the negotiations took place.

In 1976, while he was still defence minister, Mr Peres oversaw the rescue of hostages in Entebbe, Uganda. They were on a plane on its way from Israel to France when it was hijacked and forced to land in Uganda.

South Africa's telecom giant MTN has denied allegations by Nigeria's lawmakers that it repatriated millions of dollars to South Africa, the Reuters news agency reports. 

In a statement it says that “the allegations made against MTN are completely unfounded and without any merit,” the report says.

We reported yesterday that lawmakers in Nigeria's upper house of parliament had decided to investigate an allegation that the company illegally transferred nearly $14bn (£11bn) out of the country between 2006 and 2016.

The allegation was made in a motion submitted by Senator Dino Melaye which said the money had been repatriated "illegally" out of Nigeria by MTN through its bankers   

With 62 million subscribers, Nigeria is the company's biggest market. 

The investigation comes just three months after MTN agreed to pay a reduced fine of about $1bn in a settlement with the Nigerian  government over unregistered Sim cards.

Image source, AFP

Pumza Fihlani
BBC News, Johannesburg

The cost of destruction to property in South Africa’s tertiary institutions following weeks of protests has reached 600m rand ($44m; £34m), according to Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande. 

The minister said this was damage that the country could not afford and added at it unfortunate that the government would have to foot the bill. 

Students have been protesting in various parts of country following an announcement by Mr Nzimande that universities can increase their tuition fees by up to 8%. 

The protesting students are demanding free education, which was a promise made by the ruling African National Congress when it took power in 1994. 

Some institutions have had to suspend lecturers in the last couple of weeks and heighten police presence on campuses. 

Last year saw similar protests, forcing President Jacob Zuma to freeze fee hikes for the year. 

Image source, AP

Seychelles President James Michel, who came to power in 2004, has announced that he will hand over power to his deputy in October, the Reuters news agency reports. 

"Vice-President Danny Faure will succeed me and finish my remaining four years," the statement quotes Mr Michel as saying, giving no reason for his resignation, the report says.

The development follows political gains by the opposition coalition Linyon Demokratik (LDS), which won 19 seats in the 33 member parliament, ending the 39-year domination of Seychelles People's Progressive Front in this month's election. 

The opposition dominated parliament followed their win by voting to reduce the presidential term limit to two instead of three. 

Image source, AF

Abdullahi Kaura Abubakar
BBC Africa, Abuja

The Nigeria military has denied that anyone was killed in Boko Haram attacks on Tuesday in villages near the town of Chibok, except for a vigilante member who was injured. 

We had reported information from a security source who had said that the Islamist militant group hoisted its flag in three villages.

But the army spokesman Col Sani Kukasheka Usman said that no flags were raised.

He added that the militants were chased away and wounded by the military.

Image source, AFP

Tanzania's President John Magufuli has suspended two local officials from the earthquake hit north-western region of Kagera for allegedly opening a separate account to handle donated funds for the victims of the 10 September earthquake which killed 19 people. 

The president said in a statement that he had suspended Kagera's Regional Administrative Secretary Amantius Msole and Bukoba Municipal council Director Steven Makonda for opening an account with the same name as the government's account. 

The statement says the government account is called "Kamati Maafa Kagera" (fund for Kagera). 

The Prime Minister has also suspended the Municipal council chief accountant Simbaufoo Swai, the Citizen newspaper reports, external. 

The officials have not made any comment.

Human Rights Watch, external (HRW) says inmates at one of Egypt's most notorious prisons are routinely abused and tortured. 

Prisoners in the maximum security wing of Cairo's Tora facility have described in a new report how they were beaten, starved, kept in windowless cells too small to lie down in and deprived of medicine. 

HRW says the conditions are believed to have contributed to deaths of at least six political prisoners last year. 

Egyptian government officials have declined to comment on the allegations.

South Africa's Institute of Race Relations, external (IRR) has described the high number of young people in neither employment or education as a "powder keg".

In a new report it says the youth unemployment rate is 46.7% adding that "despite all warnings, there seems so little official urgency in dealing with it".   

"These are the people who are on the streets with nothing to do and this should be addressed‚" IRR head of research Thuthukani Ndebele said, Business Day, external reports.

South Africa has one of the largest economies on the continent, but it is currently struggling to grow.

Image source, AFP

Today’s African proverb:

Image source, AFP

Click here and scroll to the bottom to send us your African proverbs. 

Welcome to the BBC Africa Live page where we'll be keeping you up-to-date with news stories on the continent.