People are sharing images of destruction left after heavy downpours in and near Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown.

The BBC's Umaru Fofana says that a mudslide struck in early morning and dozens are feared buried.

Alex Duval Smith
BBC News

A terrorist attack in the Sahel had been expected.

Residents of Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, had noticed more police road blocks in the past few days.

In neighbouring central Mali, the United Nations mission, Minusma, had requested that staff and contractors avoid using rural roads.

For nearly two years now northern Mali's terrorist challenge has grown into a regional problem, with attacks by al-Qaeda affiliates in Burkina Faso, Niger and Ivory Coast.

Even though the Ouagadougou attack was not prevented, the fact that Mali and Burkina Faso were on alert suggests Minusma's intelligence-gathering operation is bearing fruit.

France is spearheading fund-raising for a regional anti-terror force, the G5 Sahel, which would be drawn from the armies of Mauritania, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

Image source, Reuters

We've just been speaking to our Sierra Leone reporter, Umaru Fofana, who's at the scene of the mudslide in an area called Regent, which is near the capital, Freetown.

He said that dozens of houses have been completely covered in mud after heavy rains caused a hillside to collapse.

He said the mudslide happened at around 06:00 local time (06:00 GMT) meaning that many people could have been at home asleep.

Dozens of people are feared trapped after a heavy downpour triggered a mudslide in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown.

The BBC's Umaru Fofana has tweeted a picture of the mudslide:

Zambia's opposition leader, Hakainde Hichilema, who is facing treason charges has pleaded not gulity in the capital, Lusaka, the BBC's Kennedy Gondwe reports.

His trial resumes on Wednesday.

Kenya's capital, Nairobi, is slowly returning to its bustling and vibrant self after days of empty streets following fears of the post election violence, the BBC's Cyriaque Muhawenayo reports.

This comes as the opposition called for a stay away in protest over the result of last week's election, which it lost.

Roads have begun to fill up with cars and pedestrians are lining the streets as people go about their businesses.

And a BBC reporter in another part of the city is saying that event some of those people who back opposition leader Raila Odinga are back at work:

Burkina Faso's President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has condemned what he called a despicable and cowardly terrorist attack in the capital, Ouagadougou, in which at least 18 people died.

The authorities say two assailants who opened fire on a Turkish restaurant have been killed.

Security forces are continuing to search the area, and an inquiry has been opened.

Image source, AFP

France's President Emmanuel Macron has also condemned the attack.

At least one French national is thought to have been killed.

Zambian authorities have barred foreign journalists from a court where opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema is appearing on treason charges.

A senior court official, Neto Zulu, told AFP that the journalists' accreditation had been withdrawn.

"We initially withdrew the cards to activate the barcodes in good faith [but] unfortunately your applications have now been rejected."

Mr Hichilema has been in custody since April after he was accused of endangering the life of President Edgar Lungu when a convoy he was travelling in failed to give way to the president's motorcade.

A lawyer from Mr Hichilema's United Party for National Development told AFP that the party expected the charges to be dropped.

Image source, AFP

Some Kenyans who are active on Twitter are using a hashtag to encourage people to get back to work despite the opposition call to stay away in protest over last week's election result.

They have been using #TurudiKaziniChallenge, external, Swahili for "let's return to work" to share pictures of normalcy returning in the country:

The strike call has received a mixed response across Kenya.

Ibrahim Haithar
BBC Monitoring, Nairobi

South Sudanese government forces have denied that they have lost control of the key border town of Pagak to rebel fighters, which they captured last week.

"Our forces are based near the bridge, and the rebels are in Nyambura area which is located about 10km away from Pagak," Dickson Gatluak Jock, military spokesman for the country's First Vice-President, Taban Deng Gai, told the Netherlands-based Radio Tamazujwebsite, external.

Rebel fighters allied to former First Vice-President Riek Machar have however claimed the recapture of the strategic town near the Ethiopian border after heavy fighting with government forces on 12 August.

Rebel spokesman, Brig-Gen William Gatjiath Deng said “a 6,000-strong force mobilised by Juba to displace civilians, protect Palouch oil fields, and lure dubious businesses to invest in oil were defeated," US-based website South Sudan NewsAgency, external says.

Brig-Gen Gatjiath also claimed that the defeated government forces fled to Ethiopia, adding their troops seized large amounts of weapons and ammunition and are now in full control of the town.

Pagak has been the capital of the country's main rebel group, Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition led by former First Vice-President Riek Machar.

Its recapture will be a big boost to rebel forces who have recently suffered a string of losses in the hands of government troops.

Image source, AFP

Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa is bustling as usual despite the opposition leader Raila Odinga calling for a stay away over last week's election result, which he is disputing.

The BBC's Hassan Lali has snapped these photos of the city this morning:

Mombasa is seen as an opposition stronghold.

Africa picked up six medals, including three golds, on the last day of the World Athletics Championships in London.

South Africa's Caster Semenya stormed home in the 800m, recording the fastest time this year, one minute 55 seconds. Burundi's Francine Niyonsaba came second.

Image source, AFP

Kenya picked up two golds.

Helen Obiri won the 5000m, beating Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana into second place:

Image source, Reuters

And Elijah Manangoi won the 1500m and his compatriot Timothy Cheruiyot came second, meaning that Kenya ended the night with three more medals.

Image source, Getty

Overall, the USA topped the medals table, Kenya came second and South Africa came third:

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, EPA

Eighteen people have been killed and about 20 have been wounded in a "terrorist attack" in the centre of the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, the government says.

Gunmen opened fire on customers seated outside a restaurant, witnesses were quoted as saying.

The attack is now over, authorities say, with at least two assailants killed by security forces.

A jihadist attack on a nearby cafe killed 30 people in January last year.

There are fears that the latest attack is the work of one of the affiliates of al-Qaeda that are active in the Sahel region, the BBC's Alex Duval Smith reports.

Image source, Reuters

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Normalcy is slowly returning in Kisumu city in western Kenya, a bastion of opposition support, a day after opposition leader Raila Odinga called for a stay away from work to protest what he said was a stolen election and police brutality.

The BBC's Emmanuel Igunza in Kisumu reports that some businesses have opened but that other areas remain tense and empty:

A community news organisation in Kibera slum in the capital Nairobi, another base of opposition support, has also been posting updates:

Other reports from the capital, Niarobi, say that traffic is not as heavy as usual suggesting that some are staying away from work, but it is not clear if this is a response to the opposition call or because they fear an outbreak of violence.

Mr Odinga lost to President Uhuru Kenyatta in last week's presidential election, which he said was marred by fraud. His allegations have however been dismissed by the electoral commission and independent observers.

Kenyan police have however been accused of responding violently to protests with some deaths reported.

The treason trial of Zambia's opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema is due to start at the high court in the capital, Lusaka.

He was arrested in April after the convoy he was travelling in allegedly refused to give way to President Edgar Lungu's motorcade when they were both travelling to an event in the west of the country.

The state argues that Mr Hichilema endangered the life of the president.

The opposition leader, who lost a closely fought presidential election last year, has been in custody ever since.

Last week, the Commonwealth said that it would broker talks between the two sides in order to resolve the situation.

The opposition has been saying that the government has been becoming increasingly dictatorial.

Image source, Reuters

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