Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The UN says nearly 1.5 million people in southern Madagascar are facing hunger because of a severe drought, exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenom. 

The UN food agency said the maize crop in the region of Androy was down by 80% this year, external. 

Other staples, including cassava, are also in short supply. People are trying to cope by consuming seeds and selling their farm tools and animals.   

Read more: Grappling with drought in South Africa

South Sudan is the world's youngest country and much of its recent history, both before and since independence, has been characterised by violence, as this BBC video shows:

Image source, AFP

A Rwandan Hutu rebel commander wanted for atrocities committed on Congolese soil has been arrested in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Habyarimana Mucebo, a senior member of the Rwandan FDLR rebel group, was captured in Rutshuru, north-eastern DR Congo.

Members of the FDLR fled into DR Congo after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

The slaughter of some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus sparked years of unrest in the region.

Mr Mucebo, the FDLR intelligence chief, has been taken into custody for interrogation, the army says.

Most senior figures of the group are wanted by Rwanda for their alleged role in the 1994 killings.

Mr Mucebo's arrest is not linked to genocide charges as initially reported.

Congolese officials accuse him of links to atrocities blamed on the FDLR.

Read the full BBC story here

Image source, Reuters

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has asked for a postponement of a court hearing, aimed at blocking the release of a report by the country's top anti-corruption body, as he needed more time to prepare for the case, the local BusinessLive news site reports, external.

Mr Zuma's request came after a former MP from the governing African National Congress (ANC), Vytjie Mentor, intervened in the case to oppose Mr Zuma's bid to block the report's release. 

The public protector's office had investigated allegations that the president had an improper relationship with the wealthy Gupta family.

Ms Mentor alleged earlier this year that a member of the family had offered her a ministerial post in exchange for business favours. 

The Guptas and Mr Zuma denied all wrongdoing. 

Mr Zuma had asked for more time to respond to Ms Mentor's intervention in the case, BusinessLive reports.  

The public protector's office has withheld releasing the report, pending the outcome of the court case. 

Read: South Africa's corruption crusader

Chipiliro Kansilanga
BBC World Service

Image source, Daily Times

Malawi's police chief has cautioned that there will be consequences for police officers who use WhatsApp and other social media platforms while on duty, the DailyTimes newspaper reports, external.

Inspector General Lexten Kachama said he was worried that some police officers, particularly newly recruited "young girls", were disregarding their duties and spending time on their mobile phones instead.

He said there will be consequences if the trend continued.

The paper quotes him as saying:

Sometimes the expression on someone's face in a picture encapsulates a feeling so well that it gets shared in hundreds of memes.

A picture of a young African school child has been doing the rounds recently:

Image source, Nairaland

But who is he?

Step forward Chicago-based artist Solomon Adufah who said he took the picture in Ghana at an art project he was running, and the boy is called Jake.

Mr Adufah has said on Instagram that the image was captured just after "each kid received a brand new set of crayons, pencils, toys and other wonderful goodies. The expressions on their faces were heartfelt".

The artist has used the opportunity to try and raise money for an education charity, external.

Read more: The sceptical Third World child meme

BBC World Service

The Libyan navy says about 100 migrants are missing after their boat ran into trouble on its way to Europe. 

The navy said it was able to rescue only 20 survivors, who were from various African countries. 

Their rubber dinghy set off from Garabulli, east of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. 

It sank on Wednesday after being battered by high waves. 

The UN says 2016 is now the deadliest year for migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Europe, with more than 3,800 people killed.

Image source, EPA

Read: How are the ages of child migrants verified? 

BBC World Service

Rights groups in Japan are calling for the release of a Nigerian woman who is being held in solitary confinement after her asylum request was rejected. 

Elizabeth Aruoriwo Obueza was detained two weeks ago after the authorities dismissed her claim that she needed to stay in Japan to avoid religious persecution at home. 

Since then, she has spent more than 22 hours a day in a small cell. 

Japan rejected 99% of asylum requests last year, accepting 27 refugees. 

Ms Obueza's lawyer has told the BBC that she is being targeted by the authorities because she petitioned the Japanese government for better conditions for asylum seekers.

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Eritrea's information minister has dismissed as "rubbish" allegations that two Eritrean pilots have defected to arch-enemy Ethiopia. 

Yemane Ghebremeskal told me that this is not the first time that the Red Sea Afar Democratic Organisation has made such false allegations.

See earlier post for more details 

Two fighter pilots from Eritrea have defected to Ethiopia, an Eritrean opposition group has told the Associated Press news agency.

Nasredin Ahmed Ali, spokesman for the Ethiopia-based Red Sea Afar Democratic Organisation is quoted as saying:"The two pilots flew their small-sized fighter jets to Mekelle [northern Ethiopia] on Wednesday morning."

He also named the pilots and described them as very experienced.

AP also quotes a resident in Mekelle saying that Ethiopian jets were flying over head in an unusual pattern on Wednesday.

Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war from 1998 to 2000, but there are no diplomatic relations between the two as the peace deal which ended the conflict has not been fully implemented.

Neither government has commented on the reported defection.

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

The 12 African countries who are using the CFA currency, which is pegged to the euro and guaranteed by France, are sabotaging their own economies, French economist Bruno Tinel suggests in a piece for the Jeune Afrique newspaper, external. 

The CFA currency is a controversial colonial legacy which former UN Deputy Secretary General Carlos Lopez described last month as an outdated monetary mechanism. 

Mr Tinel and three African economists co-wrote Emancipating Africa from Monetary Servitude, a book out this month which makes the point that the CFA is not fit for purpose. 

Mr Tinel writes in his piece for Jeune Afrique: 

He says the problem is that the CFA, being a strong currency, means that imports are cheap and exports are expensive, making it difficult to encourage home-grown industries.

So these countries are locked into a cycle of providing raw materials rather than adding value to them.

Image source, AFP

Nigeria's former First Lady Patience Jonathan is suing the anti-corruption agency for $200m (£160m) for freezing some of her bank accounts, the private Vanguard newspaper reports, external.  

She has filed court papers, demanding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) unfreeze the accounts and pay her compensation for infringing on her rights. 

About 100 women protested outside the High Court in the main city, Lagos, to show their support for Mrs Jonathan. 

The EFCC froze some of her accounts on 22 September as it investigated allegations of money-laundering against her. Reports at the time said that $15m had been frozen.  

She has denied any wrongdoing.  

The judge set 7 December for hearing her case against the EFCC. 

Last year, her husband Goodluck Jonathan became the first sitting president in Nigeria to give up power voluntarily after losing elections. 

His successor Muhammadu Buhari won the poll on a promise to tackle corruption. 

Read: Nigeria in profile 

The Kenyan authorities have introduced a dusk-to-dawn curfew in parts of Mandera county, the site of an attack on a guesthouse on Tuesday in which 12 people were killed.

A notice, signed by Interior Minister Joseph Nkaisserry, said that during the curfew people should "remain indoors" from 6.30pm to 6.30am.

Image source, Kenya Government

We've posted an entry on images which appear to show South Africa's President Jacob Zuma dozing in parliament, but he is not the only African head of state caught with their eyes closed.

It's happened to Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, in power since 1980, on a number of occasions.

In April this year he appeared to briefly nod off during a press conference in Japan with Prime Minister Prime Minister Shinzo Abe:

In September 2012, a photographer caught him with his eyes closed during a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York:

Image source, AFP

In 2014, Ugandan TV station NTV suggested that President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, was napping in parliament, the Guardian newspaper, external reported at the time.

The station said he has his eyes closed.

A government spokesman said that he was in fact meditating. NTV was temporarily banned form covering presidential events.

BBC Monitoring
News from around the globe

Al-Shabab fighters have killed two civilians in Somalia's south-western Tiyeglow town after they seized it following the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops on Wednesday, the privately owned Somali Dhacdo.com, external website is reporting.

The militant Islamist group accused the two men of working with Ethiopian and Somali troops.

Reports say hundreds of families have fled the town after al-Shabab's seizure of it.

MP Mohamed Isack Hussein, who hails from Tiyeglow, said most residents fled to areas in Hiiraan, Bay and Bakool regions.

See earlier post for more details

Kenyan police have arrested the 21-year-old caretaker of the hotel where 12 people were killed in an attack claimed by militant Isalmist group al-Shabab on Tuesday, the private Daily Nation newspaper reports, external.

Abdirahman Ali is suspected to have aided the attackers during their raid on the hotel in north-easter Mandera town, it quotes the anti-terrorism unit as saying.

He has not yet commented on the allegation. 

The anti-terrorism police are seeking a court order to continue holding Mr Ali as detectives carry on with their investigations, the Daily Nation reports. 

Read: Why is al-Shabab targeting Kenya?

Image source, AFP

Nigeria has appealed to Emirates Airline not to stop flying from Dubai to the capital, Abuja, saying it was trying to deal with a currency crisis and fuel shortages that have hit a number of airlines' operations.

Last week, Emirates said it would suspend its four times a week service between Dubai and Abuja from 30 October.

Nigeria's Minister of State for Aviation Hadi Sirika said he had told an Emirates West African executive that the government was aware of the challenges facing airlines and was working hard to resolve them, Reuters news agency reports.

In South Africa, all attention yesterday was focused on what Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan had to say in parliament.

With the economy under pressure, questions over education funding and the finance minister himself embroiled in a political row, Mr Gordhan's mini-budget statement was eagerly awaited.

But this morning, South Africans are waking up to the news that President Jacob Zuma may have nodded off during the minister's lengthy statement.

The Times Live, external news website reckons that he was dozing:

Others are coming up with alternative explanations:

And the Rand Daily Mail, external news site has five possible interpretations:

• I was checking my Twitter timeline
• My ear was itchy, I was rubbing it on my shoulder
• I was trying to listen to what ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu was muttering under his breath behind me
• I concentrate better when my eyes are closed
• Sleep is just an alternative state of consciousness.

On the video from parliament's You Tube, external channel Mr Zuma is shown as being awake just over a minute later. 

(Go to one hour 13 minutes 13 seconds to see him with his eyes closed and then one hour 14 minutes and 53 seconds to see him awake.)

His office has not yet commented on the reports. 

BBC Monitoring
News from around the globe

Image source, AFP

Fighters from the militant Islamic State (IS) group have withdrawn from the ancient Red Sea town of Qandala in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland, a day after capturing it, residents have told the respected privately owned Dhacdo website. 

Puntland's forces had started an operation to flush out the militants but it is unclear whether this led to their withdrawal. 

A large number of residents fled their homes on Wednesday after the fighters entered the town. 

The leader of IS in Somalia, Sheikh Abdiqadir Mumin, was seen in the town on Wednesday, holding talks with the local traditional elders. 

The group hoisted the IS flag in the town's administrative headquarters and the main police station, according to a local official. 

The US put Mr Mumin on a sanctions list in September because of his militant Islamist activities. 

 A year ago, a group of Puntland fighters in the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group pledged allegiance to IS.

Read: Al-Shabab wants IS to back off in Somalia

Our African proverb of the day:

Image source, AFP

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