Image source, Getty Images

Animal rights groups are angered by a $150,000 (£114,000) "state-of-the-art" donkey meat abattoir" due to open in Zimbabwe at the end of the month, the government-owned Herald news site reports, external.

In a joint statement, five groups - Aware Trust Zimbabwe, Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Zimbabwe, Lupane Youth for Development Trust, the Zimbabwe National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Spana - said:

Donkey meat is considered a delicacy in China, and the country's dwindling donkey population has drawn buyers to Africa.

The animal's skin is also boiled to produce gelatin, a key ingredient in a traditional Chinese remedy called ejiao which is used to treat coughs, anaemia and heavy menstruation and can sell for up to $388 (£300) per kilo.

Other African countries - including Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal - have banned China from buying their donkey skins because demand has become unsustainable.

BBC World Service

The new head of the auditing firm KPMG South Africa has apologised for mistakes in the work of the troubled company.

Mhalamu Dlomu was testifying in parliament about the firm's involvement in an influence-peddling scandal linked to controversial business associates of President Jacob Zuma, the Gupta family.

Image source, Reuters

She said that people would be held accountable if they had failed in their duties, but that no systemic problems have been found in the company.

The Guptas are accused of improperly influencing South African government contracts - allegations they and President Zuma deny.

Read: Zuma and the Guptas.

Rape and sexual slavery have been used "as a tactic of war" across the Central African Republic during nearly five years of conflict, says Human Rights Watch, external (HRW).

The rights group says army commanders tolerate "widespread sexual violence" committed by their troops and in some cases appear to have ordered it or committed it themselves.

The two main parties in the sectarian conflict are the largely Muslim Seleka group and the predominantly Christian militia known as “anti-balaka”.

HRW reported 305 cases of rape and sexual slavery against 296 women and girls by members of armed groups between early 2013 and mid-2017.

However, it says the true number is likely to be much higher, as victims may not report sexual violence given the stigma. The rights group also says its report was limited by security-related restrictions.

Image source, AFP

Three Chinese nationals and 22 other suspected illegal money-changers have been arrested in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, and more than $55,000 (£41,500) seized, in a new crackdown on the black market, the state-owned Herald newspaper reports, external.

The group has been charged with contravening the Exchange Controls Act after they were caught "red-handed ilegally trading money", the newspaper quoted prosecutor Francesca Mukumbiri as saying.

Their activities had a negative impact on a the economy, and if convicted they would face a lengthy prison sentence, she added.

The group has not yet pleaded to the charges.

Zimbabwe is in a deep economic crisis, forcing it to abandon its currency in favour of foreign currencies.

However, it has run out of US dollars and introduced bond notes as a substitute.

The group was allegedly caught with bond notes, dollars, and the currencies of South Africa, Botswana and Tanzania, the Herald reported.

Image source, AFP

Three US soldiers have been killed and two others wounded in an ambush in Niger near the border with Mali, reports say.

Several Nigerien soldiers are also said to have died in the attack.

US Africa Command said, external the patrol had come under "hostile fire" and was working to confirm the details.

The US army has been providing training to Niger's army to help combat Islamist militants in the region, including the North African branch of al-Qaeda.

Read more on the BBC News website.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, AFP

Sudan has severed diplomatic relations with North Korea to satisfy US conditions for the lifting of economic sanctions, the UK-based Financial Times reports.

Washington is expected to announce its decision on whether to fully lift the sanctions on 12 October.

A senior Sudanese official yesterday said that they had met all the required conditions and expect the sanctions to be lifted.

In July, US President Donald Trump delayed his decision to permanently lift the economic embargo on Sudan by three months.

Economic sanctions were imposed against the country after the state was labelled a "sponsor of terrorism".

Read: 'We Sudanese feel like pariahs'.

Image source, Alamy

A suspected monkeypox outbreak has hit Nigeria's southern Bayelsa State, with at least 10 people quarantined because of fears that they have contracted the viral infection, health officials are quoted by local media as saying.

The 10 include a doctor, and efforts are being made to trace 49 other people who had contact with those thought to be infected by the virus, the privately owned Punch newspaper reports, external.

Monkeypox is a rare smallpox-like disease, which is not usually fatal to humans.

The Punch quoted Bayelsa State Health Commissioner Ebitimitula Etebu as saying that the outbreak had not yet been confirmed and samples of the virus had been sent to the World Health Organization (WHO) laboratory in Senegal for tests.

The results would indicate whether there was an outbreak, he said, adding:

Our African proverb of the day:

Image source, Getty Images

Welcome to BBC Africa Live where we will bring you the latest news from around the continent.