Summary

  • Jestina Mukoko was abducted and tortured by police in 2008

  • Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege wins Nobel Peace Prize

  • He has been recognised for his work against sexual violence

  • Rwandan activist granted bail

  • Ethiopia's PM re-elected as head of ruling coalition

  • Zimbabwe's economy '40% bigger'

  • Zambia returns money to UK government

  • Al-Shabab founder barred from running for office

  1. Scroll down for this week's storiespublished at 17:48 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    We'll be back on Monday

    BBC Africa Live
    Damian Zane

    That's all from BBC Africa Live for now. You can 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 Friday's proverb:

    Quote Message

    Maize yields more to a farmer with no teeth."

    Sent by James Ukongo Abraham Ujwok in Lafon, South Sudan, and Adutia Henry in Arua, Uganda.

    Click here to send us your African proverbs.

    We leave you with this image from our selection of the best pictures of the week. It shows Ghanaian women in the capital, Accra, looking on as the motorcade for US First Lady Melania Trump goes by.

    Two women holding bowls on their headsImage source, Reuters
  2. Zambian student dies after university protestpublished at 17:32 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    Kennedy Gondwe
    BBC News, Lusaka

    Zambia's governing PF party has called for an investigation after a final-year female student at the University of Zambia (Unza) died in the wake of a student protest last night against unpaid meal allowances.

    Vesper Shimuzhila suffocated after tear gas was thrown into her room as the protest turned violent.

    A fire also broke out.

    Police spokesperson Esther Katongo confirmed the death.

    She said officers from Lusaka Division rushed to calm the situation at Unza but due to the volatile situation, reinforcements were sought from a paramilitary battalion.

    Ms Katongo said officers managed to restore order after midnight.

  3. Ethiopia's PM cements position in governing coalitionpublished at 17:28 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    The governing EPRDF coalition in Ethiopia has voted to extend the chairmanship of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, cementing his authority as leader of the country. He won 176 votes out of 177.

    The election took place at the end of a three-day congress of the EPRDF.

    Mr Abiy was named prime minister in April after his predecessor resigned following three years of unrest.

    He has introduced sweeping reforms, including making peace with Ethiopia's former enemy, Eritrea.

    There has been a surge of ethnic violence since Mr Abiy came to power.

    The prime minister's chief of staff has been tweeting pictures from the conference:

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  4. Mukwege becomes 11th African winner of peace prizepublished at 16:39 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    Albert LuthuliImage source, Hulton Archive
    Image caption,

    Albert Luthuli was the first African to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1960

    Joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Congolese Denis Mukwege is the 11th African to have won the Nobel Peace.

    Previous African winners, external were:

    • 1960 Albert Luthuli - South Africa
    • 1978 Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat - Egypt
    • 1984 Desmond Tutu - South Africa
    • 1993 Nelson Mandela & FW de Klerk - South Africa
    • 2001 Kofi Annan - Ghana
    • 2004 Wangari Maathai - Kenya
    • 2005 Mohamed ElBaradei - Egypt
    • 2011 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee - Liberia

    In 2015 four Tunisian organisations known as the National Dialogue Quartet won the prize.

    Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee receiving prizeImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Liberians Leymah Gbowee (left) Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won the prize in 2011

  5. Elephant interrupts BBC reporter in mid-flowpublished at 16:25 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    "It's one of the great spectacles of Africa," says our reporter Ferdinand Omondi.

    But what happened next caused lots of giggles as one of the baby elephants made quite a splash.

    Giggling cameraman: Joe Inwood.

  6. Zimbabwe ordered to pay $150,000 over torture casepublished at 16:03 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    Zimbabwean Human rights activist and former political abductee Jestina Mukoko speaks at the launch of a booklet on enforced disappearances coinciding with the anniversary of the disappearance of Itai Dzamara on March 9, 2016 in HarareImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Jestina Mukoko was abducted in 2008

    A court in Zimbabwe has ruled that the state should pay pro-democracy activist Jestina Mukoko $150,000 (£115,000) for her torture and illegal detention in 2008.

    She was abducted, along with other activists, on 3 December 2008 and not seen for three weeks until she appeared in court facing terrorism charges.

    But it was found that she had been tortured.

    At the time, Ms Mukoko's lawyers said she had been subjected to simulated drowning, locked in a freezer and beaten.

    She was accused of taking part in a plot to topple then President Robert Mugabe, which she denied.

    "This outcome will not make up for the scars inflicted on her but ut will contribute to the healing process while emboldening those who may still be pursuing justice against the excesses of the state," her employers, the Zimbabwe Peace Project, said.

  7. Mozambique jihadist attacks 'have killed 90'published at 15:31 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    Jose Tembe
    BBC Africa, Maputo

    The Mozambican authorities say 90 people have died in all since Islamist militants attacks began last year in the north of the northern province of Cabo Delgado.

    The group, known locally as al-Shabab, was formed in 2015 as a religious organisation and has no known links to the Somali jihadist group of the same name.

    It is believed to be making millions of dollars from selling timber and rubies.

    The head of Mozambique's police force, Bernadino Rafael, said security forces are making progress in fighting the group:

    "We have deactivated jihadist camps We have also detained 280 wrongdoers, 180 of whom are now on trial.

    "The defence and security forces continue working to ensure that people who live in conflict prone areas work with us. All 28 million Mozambicans need to help to win this fight against the insurgents.”

    Map of Mozambique
  8. Mukwege prize is a 'win for Africa'published at 14:55 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    The Nobel committee has been tweeting reactions to the announcement that Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege jointly won the Peace Prize.

    It quotes fellow Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee as saying that the award is "a win for Africa, especially for the women in Congo":

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  9. Zambian 73-year-old earns master's degreepublished at 14:42 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    Kennedy Gondwe
    BBC News, Lusaka

    Woman with graduation certificateImage source, Tangu Mhlanga Mazaba

    A 73 year-old Zambian woman has graduated with flying colours as a Master of Business Administration in leadership and wealth creation from the University of Lusaka.

    Tangu Mhlanga Mazaba, a mother of five and grandmother of 10, was among hundreds of students who graduated on Thursday.

    She told the BBC what made her go back to school:

    Quote Message

    I have always been concerned that as a person who was there when Zambia got independence in 1964, we have not done much to own our own economy.

    Quote Message

    That is why I took it upon myself to go back to school and achieve something that I have always felt strongly about. Zambia can only develop if Zambians are in charge of their wealth and economy.

    Quote Message

    On my part, I am already encouraging others by going around churches and talking to people to become self-sustaining and not always waiting for government’s help.”

    Ms Mazaba, who works as a registrar at the Lusaka Apex Medical University, says she also felt challenged by the people she was dealing with in her field.

    She said this was another reason that she enrolled for the programme that lasted slightly over a year.

    “I am always dealing with professors and other highly educated people so I thought why can’t I also go back to school?” she says.

    “It wasn’t easy; I mean during the day I needed to work and in the night do assignments.

    “But I was surrounded by a lot of loving people and my employers later gave me leave to study.”

  10. 'I was operating when I heard the news'published at 14:03 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    Joint Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege has given a brief telephone interview to the Nobel committee.

    Speaking from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he said that he was in the operating theatre when the news of the prize came through.

    "It was when I was operating and I heard people start to cry and it was so, so surprising," he said.

    "I can see in the face of many women how they are happy to be recognised and this is really so touching."

    Dr Mukwege has been recognised for the work that he has done with victims of sexual violence and he has become a leading expert on treating the injuries that the violence causes.

    Listen to the interview here:

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  11. Rapping in sign languagepublished at 13:41 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    Kenyan rapper Lal Daggy, whose real name is Douglas Munyendo, is deaf and doesn't speak, instead relaying his music through sign language.

    In this BBC Africa One Minute Story, he explains how he makes music and the enjoyment he gets from it.

    Video Journalist: Hassan Lali

  12. Zimbabwe's economy '40% larger'published at 13:11 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    Zimbabwe Economic Minister Professor Mthuli NcubeImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Mr Ncube says that new economy figures include the informal sector.

    Zimbabwe’s economy is now 40% larger after their statistics agency rebased key data.

    The Zimbabwe Mail quoted Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube as saying, “Our economy is bigger than we think and the new calculations took into account the large informal sector for the first time."

    Matt Mossman from African Arguments told Bloomberg in 2014 that:

    Quote Message

    [GDP rebasings] provide a clearer look at an economy, and in particular they capture where the most growth is coming from. But they also highlight the problem with GDP as a statistic – it’s never accurate, and often, in developing countries, it’s not even close."

    Zimbabwe’s economy faced a myriad of challenges under former President Robert Mugabe including high levels of unemployment and poverty which newly-elected President Emmerson Mnangagwa has pledged to end.

    The finance minister had earlier announced that the economy will grow by 6.3% this financial year buoyed by the agriculture and mining sector, reports news site Daily Maverick., external

  13. DR Congo government congratulates Mukwegepublished at 12:39 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    The Congolese Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege has been known as a critic of the government and President Joseph Kabila.

    At one point he said that "we are governed by people who don't love us", AFP news agency reports.

    But following the announcement that he had won the Nobel prize, government spokesperson Lambert Mende told AFP that the "government congratulates Dr Denis Mukwege for the very important work he does, although there are often disagreements between us.

    "We have had differences with [him] every time that he tried to politicise his work which however is important from a humanitarian standpoint. But now, we are satisfied with the Nobel Academy's recognition of the work of a compatriot."

    Denis Mukwege talking to colleaguesImage source, Getty
  14. Zambia returns $3.5m to UK governmentpublished at 12:13 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    Kennedy Gondwe
    BBC News, Lusaka

    Zambia has returned $3.5m (£2.7m) donated by the UK government after concerns were raised about how the money had been used, the state-owned Zambia Daily Mail reports, external.

    Last month, the UK froze aid funding to Zambia, after its government admitted that money intended for poor families in the social cash transfer programme had gone missing.

    The move followed allegations of corruption within President Edgar Lungu's administration.

    The Zambia Daily Mail quotes President Edgar Lungu’s spokesperson Amos Chanda, who confirmed during a press briefing the money was returned on Monday.

    President Mr Lungu sacked Social Welfare Minister Emerine Kabanshi last month, making her the first casualty of an investigation into what happened to the missing money.

    Ireland, Sweden and Finland have also frozen aid to the country.

  15. Rwandan activist Diane Rwigara granted bailpublished at 11:41 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    Diane Rwigara and her mother in court

    Rwandan activist Diane Rwigara and her mother have been released on bail by a court in the capital, Kigali.

    Ms Rwigara is facing charges of fraud and inciting insurrection in connection with her attempt to run for president in 2017.

    Her mother had been charged with incitement, discrimination and sectarianism

    The prosecution said that while it respects the decision to grant bail it disagrees with it:

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    Among the bail conditions, the Rwigaras will have to seek permission to leave Kigali and also submit their travel documents to the authorities.

    Ms Rwigara's supporters celebrated in court when the decision was made:

    People celebrating in court

    Among those who cheered the decision at the court was Victoire Ingabire - another opposition politician - who was released from prison last month after serving part of her sentence for threatening state security, reports the BBC's Tomi Oladipo.

    Ms Rwigara is a renowned women's activist in Rwanda and had hoped to challenge President Paul Kagame in the 2017 election.

    But her bid was unsuccessful when she was disqualified after investigators alleged that she had committed an electoral offence by collecting forged signatures to endorse her candidacy.

    Mr Kagame won the election with 99% of the vote.

    She, and her mother, deny the charges against them.

  16. Kenya arrests five Chinese over illegal security firmpublished at 11:31 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    The Kenyan authorities have arrested five Chinese nationals in the capital, Nairobi, over allegations of running an illegal security company and posing a "threat to national security".

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    Items such as military uniforms, teargas canisters, radios, boots and even metal detectors were recovered from their office in a Nairobi suburb.

    The immigration department also said that none of them had work permits.

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    The five men have been detained while the authorities continue their investigation.

    Their arrest comes barely one month after a Chinese national was deported from Kenya after making racist remarks about President Uhuru Kenyatta and other Kenyans.

  17. Mukwege made enemies in DR Congopublished at 11:16 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    Mary Harper
    Africa editor, BBC World Service

    Joint Nobel Peace Prize winner Congolese Denis Mukwege has been fearless in his condemnation of all sides in the conflict in his country for using sexual violence as a weapon of war.

    This has made him enemies.

    He escaped an assassination attempt six years ago, during which his guard was killed.

    Now he works and lives under the protection of UN peacekeepers.

    Dr Mukwege set up Panzi hospital in the eastern city of Bukavu nearly 20 years ago, shortly after he had his first experience of treating a woman who had been raped and mutilated by armed men.

    His hospital treats more than 3,500 women a year.

    Sometimes Dr Mukwege performs as many as 10 operations a day.

    Dr Denis Mukwege, a French-trained gynecologist, checks out after performing surgery on November 2, 2007 in Panzi hospitalImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Dr Mukwege's hospital is in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo

  18. 'Leading expert on treating rape victims'published at 11:02 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    Louise Dewast
    Kinshasa, DR Congo

    Denis MukwegeImage source, AFP

    The 63-year-old surgeon, Denis Mukwege, who has just been announced as the joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is a gynaecologist who has treated more than 50,000 women.

    They were victims of extreme violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo – a region plagued by armed groups.

    He is the world's leading expert on how to repair the internal physical damage caused by gang rape.

    The doctor, who is currently in the eastern town of Bukavu, has been a long-time critic of the current government.

    Dr Mukwege has won several international prizes, including the European Union's Sakharov Prize.

  19. Rape 'is used to destroy the community'published at 10:47 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    In 2014, joint Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege told the BBC:

    Quote Message

    Rape is used like a weapon to destroy all the communities, destroy families. It is very bad, not only for women but all the community.

    Quote Message

    Most of these rapes are happening in front of the family and it is only to show that 'I am strong'."

    Dr Mukwege has been awarded the Peace Prize for his work treating victims of sexual violence who have been targeted in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    Listen to more of his 2014 interview here:

  20. Mukwege 'put his personal security at risk'published at 10:37 British Summer Time 5 October 2018

    Joint Nobel Peace Prize winner Congolese Denis Mukwege has been praised for his determination to speak out against the use of sexual violence in war.

    He won the prize alongside Yazidi activist Nadia Murad.

    In its statement, external, the Nobel committee said:

    Quote Message

    [They] have both put their personal security at risk by courageously combating war crimes and seeking justice for the victims.

    Quote Message

    They have thereby promoted the fraternity of nations through the application of principles of international law."