Summary

  • Migrants shot dead while escaping Libyan camp

  • Uganda bans cars older than 15 years

  • Kenya's president unveils polygraph tests to fight corruption

  • Long queues for Super Eagles jerseys

  • Swaziland defies China pressure on Taiwan

  • Zimbabwe MP says women colleagues "do nothing"

  • Burkina Faso ends death penalty

  • UN sets South Sudan peace deadline

  • Nigeria health workers to return to work

  • Military might intervene in Madagascar

Live Reporting

  1. Madagascar minister warns of army intervention

    Will Ross
    Africa editor, BBC World Service

    Deputies, senators, mayors and members of the HVM presidential party gather at the Colyseum stadium in Antananarivo on May 26, 2018, in support of Madagascar"s President Hery Rajaonarimampianina.AFP

    The country has been hit by protests over electoral laws which the opposition says are designed to bar candidates from participating in this year's elections

    Madagascar's defence minister called on the country's leaders to end the political crisis - in other words put aside their disagreements and form a government of national unity.

    General Beni Xavier Rasolofonirina said if a solution was not found the security forces would intervene as a last resort.

    His threat comes almost a decade after a coup plunged Madagascar into turmoil.

    Elections are due later this year but as rival politicians try to outmanoeuvre each other through the courts, there is growing anger with the political leadership and it is not clear when the people of Madagascar will get a chance to vote.

  2. Nigeria health workers end strike

    Doctors at workAFP

    Health workers in Nigeria have suspended a six week strike that had nearly caused the total collapse of the country's hospitals.

    The decision was taken after the National Industrial Court offered to mediate between the government and the unions.

    Nurses, lab staff and other health professionals - but not doctors - were demanding a pay rise and better working conditions.

    Some patients are believed to have died as a result of the industrial action. Staff are expected to resume their work within three days.

  3. UN sets South Sudan peace deadline

    BBC World Service

    The UN Security Council has given South Sudan's warring sides a month to reach a peace deal, or face new sanctions.

    South Sudan's defence minister Kuol Manyang Juk and five other officials could have their assets frozen and face a travel ban if the factions do not comply.

    The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said the US, which pushed for the resolution, had lost patience.

    Ethiopia, which has hosted talks between the government and the rebels, was one of six countries that abstained arguing that the resolution undermined regional peace efforts.

    Civil war broke out in South Sudan five years ago after President Salva Kiir fell out with his then vice-president, Riek Machar.

  4. Burkina Faso abolishes the death penalty

    Francois Compaore, brother of the deposed Burkinabe president Blaise Compaore, looks on during a summit in Ouagadougou. Francois Compaore, brother of the deposed Burkinabe president Blaise Compaore, was released under judicial supervision on October 30, 2017,AFP

    Francois Compaore is wanted in the country over the killing of journalist Norbert Zongo

    Burkina Faso's parliament has adopted a new penal code which abolishes the death penalty.

    Justice Minister Rene Bagoro said the revised documents would clear the way for "more credible, equitable, accessible and effective justice in the application of criminal law", Associated Press reports.

    Local media believe that this move will pave the way for the extradition from France of Francois Compaore, the younger brother of former Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, who was ousted in a popular uprising in 2014.

    Mr Compaore fled to neighbouring Ivory Coast.

    He was taken into custody by French authorities last year in connection with the murder of Norbert Zongo, an investigative journalist.

    France does not normally extradite people to countries where the death penalty remains in force.

    The top French appeals court is due to deliver a verdict on Friday on whether Compaore should be extradited to his country.

    Read: Burkina Faso country profile

  5. Today's wise words

    Our African proverb of the day:

    A white goat disappears under the eyes of its shepherd."

    A Kamba proverb sent by Anthony Musembi, Vincent Musyoka and Daniel Syengo, all from Kenya

    Click here and scroll to the bottom to send us your African proverbs.

  6. Good morning

    Welcome back to Africa Live, where we will bring you the latest news and views from around the continent.

  7. Scroll down for Thursday's stories

    We'll be back tomorrow

    BBC Africa Live
    Natasha Booty & Farouk Chothia

    That's all from the Africa Live page until 08:00 GMT. In the meantime, keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or checking the BBC News website.

    A reminder of today's wise words:

    A bird on your bow cannot be killed."

    A Tonga proverb sent by Ceaser Chembezi in Lilongwe, Malawi.

    Click here and scroll to the bottom to send us your African proverbs.

    We leave you with this photo of a storm front approaching Cape Town in South Africa:

    A gull flies over Simonstown bay as a storm front approaches Cape Town, South Africa, 31 May 2018EPA

  8. Mozambique baggage handlers filmed opening bags

    Jose Tembe
    BBC Africa, Maputo

    An airport security firm is to lose its contract serving Mozambique's airports after its staff were caught on camera rifling through passengers' bags.

    Footage filmed on a smartphone shows two workers looking through luggage about to board a plane from the capital, Maputo, to the central city of Chimoio.

    They were employed by private security firm Macro Seguranca which moves luggage from passenger check-in to the aeroplanes.

    The pair seemed relaxed, as if this was far from the first time they had tampered with passengers’ belongings.

    Macro Seguranca had been subcontracted by another company called MHS, whose boss said he was "shocked" by the "vandalism", adding:

    We are cancelling the contract and within 90 days we must hire another company to do this work. We also demand that Macro Seguranca initiates disciplinary, and possibly criminal proceedings against the two men, who can be clearly identified.”

  9. Rare blue whale spotted in Red Sea

    A rare blue whale has been sighted in the Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba for the first time, Egypt's environment ministry has said.

    Environment Minister Khaled Fahmy has ordered observation teams to track the whale and try to photograph it, it added in a statement.

    The International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists the blue whale, which can grow up to 30 metres (100 feet) in length, as "endangered". It is the largest animal on earth.

    The director of Egypt's Red Sea Reserves, Ahmed Ghallab, said the blue whale entered the Red Sea from the Indian Ocean through Bab al-Mandab and swam about 2,000km (1,240 miles) to the Gulf of Aqaba, the Egypt Independent news site reports.

    The whale may have lost its migration route while trying to reach cold areas in the north, the ministry was quoted as saying.

    A blue whale exhales through its blowhole, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, California on July 16, 2008AFP

    A blue whale exhales through its blowhole in the Pacific Ocean, in this file photo

  10. Freed prisoner's hope for Ethiopia reforms

    Prominent Ethiopian dissident Andargachew Tsege has been speaking to BBC Focus on Africa's Hassan Arouni about his abduction four years ago whilst en route to Eritrea, his imprisonment and his hopes for the future.

    Mr Tsege spent four years in detention in the country of his birth after the government accused him of plotting attacks and training opposition groups in Eritrea.

    His release has raised hopes of more political reforms in the country.

    Ethiopian politician, Andargachew Tsege, on his abduction and his hopes for the future

  11. South Africa affected by African swine fever

    Pigs feed on trash near Mamelodi township in Pretoria on June 16, 2010AFP

    South Africa has been hit by an outbreak of African swine fever, a highly contagious disease that causes fatal haemorrhages in pigs, the Ministry of Agriculture has said.

    The outbreak has been reported in the Springbok area of the Northern Cape province.

    The disease is transmitted through contact with other infected pigs or ticks and by feeding them with infected swill.

    In a statement, the ministry said pigs could become sick at a "rapid pace", and a "great number" could die, AFP news agency reports.

    The ministry called on farmers to be vigilant when buying pigs and to avoid feeding them unboiled kitchen waste which could carry the virus.

  12. Amnesty: 'Disband violent Ethiopia police unit'

    Will Ross
    Africa editor, BBC World Service

    A displaced Oromo girlAFP

    Many families have fled their homes because of conflict

    Leading rights group Amnesty International has called on the Ethiopian government to disband a police unit which is accused of carrying out human rights abuses in the Somali and Oromia regions of the country.

    The Liyu police unit was established by the Somali regional government as a counter-terrorism force but in recent months it has been accused of taking sides in an ethnic conflict between Oromos and Somalis.

    Amnesty says members of the unit burnt down almost 50 homes belonging to Oromo families earlier this week.

    The Somali regional authorities have in the past denied accusations that it is sanctioning the violence.

  13. New Uganda helicopter fails to take off

    A new helicopter bought by Uganda's police force has failed to fly.

    Journalists were invited to a ceremony to see deputy police chief Sabiiti Muzeeyi receive the helicopter, but the event ended abruptly after it failed to take off, local media reports.

    The helicopter - one of three bought from an Italian firm - apparently had a mechanical fault.

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  14. Jammeh sued over bogus Aids cure

    JammehEPA

    Yahya Jammeh claimed in 2007 that he had a cure for HIV/Aids

    Three victims of a fake Aids cure created by The Gambia's ex-President Yahya Jammeh have sued him for financial damages.

    It is the first case filed against Mr Jammeh in The Gambia's courts since he fled into exile last year, ending his 22-year-rule in the tiny West African state.

    Ousman Sowe, Lamin Ceesay and Fatou Jatta say they were among the first Gambians who were forced to give up anti-retroviral drugs, and drink home-made potions that made them vomit.

    Ms Jatta was quoted by The Gambia's Freedom newspaper as saying:

    My experience in the presidential treatment programme was a horror. I could have lost my life.”

    Read more: The president who made people take his bogus HIV cure

  15. Buhari approves Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill

    Ishaq Khalid
    BBC Africa, Abuja

    Muhammadu Buhari speaks during a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, April 30, 2018Getty Images

    Muhammadu Buhari, 75, will seek a second term next year

    Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, 75, has approved a law to reduce age limits to serve in political office, making it easier for younger candidates to run in next year’s election.

    The Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill says a 35-year-old can serve as president - the previous threshold was 40.

    Anyone who is 25 or above can be state and federal representatives. Previously it was 30.

    But the age to be a state governor or a senator remains 35.

    Youth groups had waged a strong campaign to reduce the age limit, saying it would encourage youth participation in politics.

    Mr Buhari is running for a second term in elections due next year.

  16. Two charged for plotting to extend Niger president's rule

    President Mahamadou IssoufouAFP

    President Mahamadou Issoufou is serving his second and final term in office

    Two men who called on Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou to extend his rule by serving an extra term in office have been charged with "plotting to destroy or change the constitutional system", reports French-language news site RFI.

    During their detention in the southern city of Zinder, Salissou Ibrahim and Issoufou Brah are said to have told investigators: "We are young citizens who have appreciated President Mahamadou Issoufou's development efforts over the last eight years."

    But the leader of Niger's ruling PNDS party, Mohamed Bazoum, said the men's actions were gravely serious:

    A third mandate in Niger means a coup d’etat. It is our party's goal to stabilise this country and make progress."

    Mr Salissou and Mr Issoufou's message is said to have spread rapidly on social media.

    Elections are due in Niger in 2021, at which point President Issoufou will have served the maximum of two terms allowed by the constitution.

    Niger fell victim to a series of coups and political instability following its independence from France in 1960.

  17. Mozambique targets Chinese mining firm

    Will Ross
    Africa editor, BBC World Service

    Leading rights group Amnesty International has welcomed a decision by Mozambique's government to suspend the activities of a Chinese company which it had accused of irresponsible mining.

    Haiyu had put an entire village in Nampula province at risk of being washed into the Indian Ocean, Amnesty said.

    The mining of sand dunes for various minerals altered the landscape so severely that this likely caused the flash floods in 2015 which destroyed almost 50 homes, the rights group added.

    The Chinese government had previously dismissed Amnesty's claims.

    The company is suspended pending an environmental impact study.

    A fisherman pulls a net on the main beach on March 8, 2018 in Mocimboa da Praia, MozambiqueAFP

    Mozambique pristine beaches are increasingly under threat

  18. Intense clashes in eastern Libya

    BBC World Service

    The United Nations says the battle for control of the eastern Libyan city of Derna has intensified, and that humanitarian conditions there are increasingly dire.

    A UN report said there had been heavy clashes between forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar and local fighters.

    Residential areas have been hit in shelling and air raids. Almost no aid has got through to the besieged city since mid-March.

    According to the report, electricity and water supplies have been cut off.

    Derna is the only city in the east of Libya that still lies outside General Hafta's control.

    A map showing the location of the city of Derna in relation to Libya's capital, Tripoli.

  19. Police deployed to 'gold rush' village

    Gold barsAFP

    South Africa is a leading producer of gold

    Police have been deployed to a small village in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province where thousands of people are reported to have flocked in search of gold.

    Local mayor Dixie Nciki told News24 that the discovery was made in KwaMachi village last week by construction workers who were digging for stones to be used for road paving.

    "They did not get the usual black quarry that they are used to," she said. "Instead, they discovered a material that looked like gold."

    The news quickly spread, attracting buyers from further afield. Villagers have reportedly been digging away with axes, pickaxes and shovels day and night to capitalise on the demand.

    But it is not yet known whether the material they have found is real gold or fool's gold, Ms Nciki told News24. She adds that samples have been sent away for laboratory testing.

  20. Ten Kenya financial institutions probed

    A total of 10 financial institutions suspected of handling money allegedly stolen from Kenya's National Youth Service (NYS) will be investigated, the director of criminal investigations has confirmed to Reuters news agency.

    Nine are commercial banks and one a financial co-operative society, the local Daily Nation newspaper reported.

    The list of lenders, according to the newspaper, included Barclays Bank, Standard Charted and East Africa's biggest bank by assets, KCB Group.

    George Kinoti, the director of criminal investigations, told Reuters the list was accurate.

    About 40 civil servants and 14 private sector individuals were charged on Monday over the alleged theft of $78m (£59m) from the youth agency.

    Today, about 200 people marched through the capital, Nairobi, to condemn "high level" corruption in Kenya.

    Protesters

    Public anger is rising over corruption in Kenya