BBC World Service

The Indonesian government is investigating claims that some of its peacekeepers attempted to smuggle weapons while returning from a UN mission in Sudan. 

Several Indonesian police officers were arrested by the Sudanese authorities last week on suspicion they were trying to leave the country with 29 Kalashnikov rifles and approximately 70 other guns inside their luggage. 

Indonesia's foreign ministry spokesperson said they believed the luggage did not belong to the police officers, and there were inconsistencies in the information they had received.   

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Mozambique on the latest leg of his Africa visit, reports AP news agency.

Mr Erdogan arrived in the Mozambican capital of Maputo from Tanzania:

Image source, AFP

He also plans to visit Madagascar before returning to Turkey on Wednesday. 

He is asking governments to crack down on institutions linked to Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric accused of trying to overthrow him last year, AFP reports.

Mr Gulen denies being involved in the the coup plot.  

Read more: Turkey's post-coup crackdown hits 'Gulen schools' worldwide

Image source, Getty Images

Democratic Republic of Congo opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi has headed to Belgium for medical treatment, AFP news agency reports.

It adds that this comes just as his party is trying to negotiate a power-sharing deal following President Laurent Kabila's failure to step down when hs term ended last month.

The country's influential Catholic bishops brokered the deal where Mr Tshisekedi was supposed to head a transitional body until elections are held towards the end of this year.

Image source, AFP

Schools have opened in Swaziland under a new government order to teach only Christianity, leading to criticism that it is fuelling intolerance towards other religions, AFP news agency reports. 

The education ministry last week instructed all head teachers to ensure that the syllabus would not mention any religion other than Christianity, it adds. 

It quotes Sahid Matsebula, a Swazi-born Muslim who works for a mosque near the capital, Mbabane, that the policy could worsen religious friction in the tiny kingdom:  

The new policy comes after public complaints over Asian and Muslim migration into the country led parliament to set up a commission of enquiry last year, AFP reports. 

Some illegal migrants have since been deported, and Minister of Commerce and Trade Jabulani Mabuza told parliament that a law making it harder for foreigners to set up businesses in Swaziland was in the pipeline, the agency adds.

Stephen Masilela, the president of the Swaziland Conference of Churches, welcomed the new syllabus: 

Swaziland, ruled by King Mswati III since 1986, has a tiny Muslim population.

The Christian-only policy for schools has also been criticised by columnist Nomsa Mbuli in the Times of Swaziland, external: 

Image source, AFP

Fuchsia Dunlop
BBC News

We reported earlier that police in South Africa have achieved a major breakthrough in investigations against a suspected Chinese syndicate involved in the illegal slaughter and trade of donkey meat and skins.

This isn't the first time the Chinese demand for donkeys has been in the news recently.

In September Niger banned the export of donkeys, warning that a three-fold increase in trade was threatening its donkey population.

Gelatin made from donkey skin is highly prized in China as a medicinal tonic, thought to nourish the blood, boost the immune system and act as a general pick-me-up. It is sometimes referred to as one of the "three nourishing treasures" (zi bu san bao), along with ginseng and the antlers of young deer.

The most famous donkey gelatin is produced in Dong'e County in north-eastern Shandong Province, where it is traditionally made with the local well-water.

Image source, Getty Images

Donkey gelatin is sometimes mixed with walnuts, goji berries and other tonic foods and sold in dark, gummy slabs that can be eaten as a snack.

Health and longevity is a Chinese national obsession, and tonic foods like this are often lavishly packaged and presented as expensive gifts.

Aside from gelatin, donkey meat is a delicacy in some Chinese regions, especially in the north of the country.

Here, the lean meat is often simmered in a richly-spiced broth, and then cooled, sliced and served with a refreshing dip of chopped garlic and vinegar. The meat has a fine, dense texture and a marvellous flavour that's a little reminiscent of beef.

In northern Hebei province, one famous snack is the lu rou huo shao, in which chopped, spiced donkey meat is mixed with fresh green chilli and stuffed into a layered pastry - its name is sometimes translated into English as a "donkey burger".

Donkey meat may also be made into soups and stews.

As the Chinese middle classes have grown richer, demand for donkey gelatin and other tonic delicacies has soared - in January the New York Times reported , externalthat a shortage of donkey gelatin had encouraged a boom in imitation products.

Image source, Getty

The US government has approved a deal to sell 14 aircraft to the Kenyan military for about $418m (£335m), the US Defense Security Co-operation Agency has said, external. 

The aircraft would be used in the fight against the Islamist militants al-Shabab, which is headquartered in Somalia and has carried out some of its deadliest attacks in Kenya, the agency added.

It said the aircraft, called Air Tractors, would be able to get much closer to the fighting than the current F-5 fleet.

The sale "contributes to the foreign policy and national security" of the US as Kenya is a regional leader in the fight against al-Shabab, the agency says.

Nick Cavell
BBC Africa Sport, Franceville, Gabon

Image source, Khaled Desouki

One of the favourites to win the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations title Algeria are booking their tickets home after managing just two draws and a loss in Gabon. 

Algeria had to win to have any chance of progressing and in the end they couldn’t even do that and drew 2-2 to Senegal. 

Here's the analysis of the game:

Even a win wouldn’t have helped Algeria in the end as Tunisia easily beat Zimbabwe 4-2 to claim the second place from Group B. 

On Saturday Tunisia will take on Burkina Faso and Senegal against Cameroon in the quarter-finals.

Group C is decided today with all four teams able to progress and all four teams in danger of being knocked out.

Ivory Coast against Morocco sees Frenchman Herve Renard lead the Atlas Lions against the team he lead to the title two years ago. 

At the same time, 1900GMT, Togo plays Morocco.

Naziru Mikailu
BBC Abuja editor

The number of people mistakenly killed by Nigeria's military in an air strike on a camp for people who fled militant Islamist group Boko Haram has risen to 236, an official in the emergency services has told the BBC. 

Refugees and aid workers were among those killed when the military bombed Rann, near the border with Cameroon, last week, thinking it was a Boko Haram base. 

It was the biggest known botched air strike by the military since it began fighting the militants in 2009. 

Read: Who are Boko Haram?

Image source, AFP

Police in South Africa have achieved a major breakthrough in investigations against a suspected Chinese syndicate involved in the illegal slaughter and trade of donkey meat and skins, the local Mail & Guardian newspaper reports, external. 

More than 5,000 donkey hides were found in a shack and a metal container on a farm near Benoni city in Gauteng province, in the biggest such discovery in South Africa, it reports.

No arrests were made but investigators were hoping that workers there will be able to identify members of the syndicate involved in transporting the hides, the newspaper adds.

The skins, which had been treated with salt, were neatly stacked and hidden behind old furniture and sets of garden tools.

The gelatin in donkey hides is used in medicinal tonics, aphrodisiacs and anti-ageing creams in China. 

The trade - both legal and illegal - is worth millions of dollars, and have threatened the donkey population of some African states. 

Nigeria and Burkina Faso banned the export of donkeys last year.

Image source, AFP

The Gambia's new President Adama Barrow has appointed an influential woman who was once allied with his ousted predecessor Yahya Jammeh - and then joined the winning coalition, threatening him with prosecution - as his vice-president. 

But doubts are being raised over whether Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang qualifies for the post because of her age, as a BBC reporter in The Gambia tweets:    

Mr Barrow has not yet commented on the issue.  

Ms Jallow-Tambajang once served as the former authoritarian ruler's Minister of Health and Social Welfare, but was forced into exile after falling out with him, The Gambia's Freedom newspaper reports, external. 

She later played a vital role in forming the coalition which defeated him in the 1 December election, and was the first to publicly threaten him with prosecution, external for crimes committed during his rule, contradicting the position of Mr Barrow.

Mr Jammeh went into exile on Saturday after pressure from regional leaders, and as Senegaese-led forces entered The Gambia threatening to capture him. 

Read: Life after Jammeh

Image source, Get

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