Africa highlights: Friday 21 July 2017 as it happened

Summary

Trespassing baboon released back into wilderness
Guineans pray for Nigeria's sick president
Victim in coma after stone throwing at Morocco protest
One fifth of Congo mining revenue 'goes missing'
Moroccan police use tear gas on protesters
Tanzania opposition politician arrested

Live Reporting

Clare Spencer and Natasha Booty

One fifth of DR Congo mining revenue 'goes missing'published at 10:53 British Summer Time 21 July 2017
Image source, AFP
Image caption,
DR Congo is the world's largest producer of copper
Anti-corruption campaign group Global Witness says, external 20% of mining revenue in the Democratic Republic of Congo, $750m (£576m) over the last three years, has failed to reach the country's treasury.
“For years revenues have leaked from Congo’s mining sector into offshore shell companies. Now we can see that even revenues paid to government bodies in Congo are going missing before they reach the treasury,” says Global Witness Senior Campaigner Pete Jones.
Global Witness says this the money is going missing due to corruption and mismanagement.
The government has previously denied allegations of corruption in its mining sector.
Despite being Africa’s top copper producer and the world’s largest supplier of cobalt, DR Congo is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Will Cameroon be ready to host a bigger Africa Cup of Nations?published at 10:20 British Summer Time 21 July 2017
Matthew Kenyon
BBC Africa Sport
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Cameroon won the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in February
We reported earlier about the decision by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to expand the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) from 16 to 24 teams and moving the competition to June/July.
Implementing the changes for the next tournament, less than two years away, heaps more pressure on the hosts of Afcon 2019 Cameroon.
Caf say they'll go on an inspection tour in September to check on progress, with the country already facing questions over its preparations. The 50% increase in participants intensifies that.
Cameroon sports minister Ismael Bidoung told Reuters news agency:
Quote Message
I would like to reassure the national and international opinion that the government is fully committed to fulfilling the Caf's specifications and to date, no Caf mission has reported any delay in preparations."
Meanwhile Morocco have made it clear they would be prepared to step in if needed.
Read more on the BBC News website.
Egypt's Uighurs fear deportation to Chinapublished at 09:32 British Summer Time 21 July 2017
Some Chinese Muslim Uighurs have gone into hiding amid a wave of arrests in Egypt in the past two weeks.
Egypt says the detainees are illegal immigrants, but human rights activists say the Uighurs are at serious risk of arbitrary detention and torture if they are deported to China.
China has cracked down on the ethnic minority community after accusing some of militancy.
Abu Moustafa, who has fled from Egypt to Turkey, told the BBC that his fellow Chinese Muslims would "be treated like animals" if forced to return to China.
Media caption,
Egypt's Uighurs fear deportation to China
Africa Cup of Nations moves to Junepublished at 09:22 British Summer Time 21 July 2017
Image source, Getty Images
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations will be held in June and July, the Confederation of African Football has confirmed.
The tournament is usually held in January and February, causing disputes with European clubs who had to release players in the middle of the season.
Afcon 2019 Cameroon will be contested by 24 teams, instead of 16.
The changes were rubber-stamped by the CAF executive committee in a meeting in the Moroccan capital Rabat yesterday.
Read more on the BBC Sport website.
Tanzanian opposition figure held after denouncing presidentpublished at 09:02 British Summer Time 21 July 2017
Tanzanian opposition politician Tundu Lissu was arrested on Thursday, reports AFP news agency.
No reasons were given for the arrest of Lissu, but it comes three days after having called President John Magufuli a "dictator".
On Monday Mr Lissu told reporters that repeated arrests of senior party members were intended to muzzle any opposition to Mr Magufuli. He called for "the dictator and his government, to be isolated politically, diplomatically and economically," reports AFP.
Government spokesman Hassan Abbas reacted to Lissu's comments earlier this week by saying in a statement "the government will not accept that someone, or a group of people, abuse the freedom of expression".
Mr Lissu, who is a member of the main opposition party Chadema, serves as the chief whip of the opposition in parliament and also leads Tanzania's bar association, was arrested at Dar es Salaam airport as he attempted to take a plane to Rwanda, a Chadema spokesman told AFP.
Moroccan police use tear gas on protesterspublished at 09:01 British Summer Time 21 July 2017
BBC World Service
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Riot police fired tear gas towards protesters during a demonstration yesterday
Moroccan police have used tear gas to break up an anti-government demonstration.
Hundreds of people had gathered yesterday in the northern port of al-Hoceima despite an official ban.
Security forces had set up checkpoints to block people from joining the protest.
The city has experienced weeks of unrest.
Public anger spilled onto the streets last year after a local man was crushed to death in a rubbish truck trying to retrieve confiscated swordfish.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Good morningpublished at 08:59 British Summer Time 21 July 2017
Welcome to BBC Africa Live where we will bring you the latest news from around the continent.
Today's wise words are:
Quote Message
One cannot compete with an elephant in defecating."
A Luo proverb sent by Sharon Onyango in Siaya, Kenya
Image source, Getty Images