Killian Ngala Chimtom
BBC Africa, Yaounde

Image source, EPA

The legal tussle over Cameroon’s presidential election, held on 7 October, began on Tuesday with the Constitutional Council expected to adjudicate on 18 petitions that require the election to be either totally or partially annulled.

At least 100 members of the security forces surrounded the premises. Inside, all 11 members of the council, as well as some aggrieved candidates, their lawyers and supporters of various political parties, took up positions in the court room.

Those bringing petitions include Joshua Osih of the Social Democratic Front and Cabral Libii of the Univers party. They say the elections were mired in fraud and should be completely annulled.

Even Maurice Kamto, who had earlier proclaimed himself victor in the election, was in court to call for the cancellation of the vote in seven of Cameroon’s 10 administrative regions.

He says there were far too many irregularities.

The Constitutional Council has at most six days to decide on the petitions, and at the same time go through the final tallies of the election made available to it by the electoral commission on Monday.

It has to declare the result by 22 October at the latest.

US forces killed 60 al-Shabab militants in an airstrike last Friday on Harardere in central Somalia, the US military has said in a statement that updated the figure from four.

The "precision airstrike" carried out in coordination with the Somali government did not kill any civilians, the military adds.

It calls it "the largest airstrike against al-Shabab" for nearly a year.

In November last year the US said it had killed "100 terrorists".

While Madagascar has qualified for the Afcon finals from Group A, the latest round of matches in Group B has left that group wide open with two more rounds to go.

African minnows Comoros held Morocco to a 2-2 draw at home with a last-minute equaliser.

In the other group B match Malawi and Cameroon drew 0-0.

Malawi's government has tweeted these pictures:

Malawi, Morocco and Comoros can all still qualify for the Afcon finals to be held in Cameroon next year.

Egypt have become the latest team to qualify after winning their Group J match against eSwatini 2-0.

Image source, AFP

The UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, says it's concerned by the "fast-developing humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo sparked by mass returns from Angola over the last two weeks".

The return of Congolese, who had been working in the informal mining sector, came after the Angolan government issued an order to expel them.

"Mass expulsions are contrary to obligations under the African Charter and we ask both sides to respect the human rights of those affected," the UNHCR said in a statement, external.

There have been unconfirmed reports that a number of these migrants have been brutalised and even killed by Angolan forces before being deported, says the BBC's Louise Dewast in DR Congo capital, Kinshasa.

The reason for this crackdown remains unclear.

For many years, Congolese migrants have been living in Angola, where they dig for diamonds in artisanal mines.

It could be linked to an attempt by the new Angolan government to take control over its mining industry.

Namibian airport workers struggled to stop a runaway luggage train that was being blown across the tarmac with its sides flapping like sails, The Namibian newspaper reports.

The paper has uploaded a video on Facebook showing four men sprinting to catch the train.

The first man to reach it failed to halt it, but it appears that the train stopped once a vehicle got in its way.

The airport authorities are investigating whether it could have damaged the aeroplanes on the tarmac.

Madagascar have made it through to the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals for the first time after beating Equatorial Guinea 1-0 at home.

Thailand-based midfielder Njiva Rakotoharimalala scored the only goal of the game right at the end of the first half.

The result puts Madagascar on 10 points in Group A to guarantee them a place in next year's finals, which are set to be hosted by Cameroon.

It will be the first time that 24 teams will feature in the competition.

Senegal will join them in the finals if they can win in Sudan later on Tuesday.

There are two more qualifying rounds left to play, one in November, and the final matches will be in March next year.

Image source, AFP

We've been reporting on the news that Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appointed a new cabinet with 10 of the 20 positions going to women.

In his speech to parliament outlining the changes he said that women would help in the fight against corruption as he said they were more efficient and "less corrupt than men".

Mr Abiy also said he wanted to empower minority groups who had not held key positions before.

Image source, Reuters

Milton Nkosi
BBC Africa, Johannesburg

Image source, AFP

The leader of South Africa's opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has backed his deputy Floyd Shivambu, who has been implicated in a banking corruption scandal.

Mr Malema told a packed news conference in Johannesburg that the EFF has “full confidence” in Mr Shivambu.

“The deputy president [of the party] has taken the EFF in his confidence. We have no reason to doubt him. The EFF has not been mentioned in the report,” Mr Malema said.

Mr Shivambu, a long time comrade of Mr Malema’s, has been accused of receiving R10m ($700,000; £530,000) from his brother Brian Shivambu.

Floyd Shivambu rejects the accusation calling it "pure insanity".

The report, commissioned by South Africa's central bank, listed Brian Shivambu as one of the people who received money from the collapsed bank.

A forensic report into the collapse of VBS Mutual said about 2bn rand ($140m, £100m) was "looted".

Mr Malema explained how the party concluded that its deputy president was innocent.

“We looked at his financial statement and we cannot locate any money from VBS. We have asked for statements as far back as 2014 and we are satisfied.”

But he was quick to add: “I’m not scared of Floyd. I’ve never been scared of anyone. If Floyd has stolen money he will be punished.”

Image source, Instagram/Katie Meyler

The CEO of a US-backed academy in Liberia has temporarily resigned after a report found that dozens of girls were allegedly raped by an employee.

Katie Meyler, the CEO of charity More Than Me, announced she would step aside after a report by ProPublica and Time magazine , externalrevealed the abuse.

More Than Me says they have taken steps to safeguard girls at the school, which is devoted to women's empowerment.

The group has also created a panel to review the investigation.

The non-governmental organisation's advisory board recommended an independent investigation into allegations of widespread abuse and negligence at the institution, which exists to protect young Liberian girls from sexual abuse and exploitation.

In a statement on Monday, a committee of seven Liberian government agencies said it met twice since the story was published on Thursday, with the aim "to taking the appropriate legal actions to protect the children and ensure they are safe", Time magazine reported, external.

Read the full BBC story: More Than Me CEO temporarily resigns amid Liberia rape scandal - BBC News

Thirteen men, women and children were shot dead in cold blood by African Union peacekeepers serving in the Central African Republic in 2014.

Three Congolese soldiers were convicted of war crimes over the massacre and sentenced to three years in jail.

Families of the victims are calling for justice, with the soldiers now released after serving their sentences.

US-based Human Rights Watch describes the incident as one of the worst massacres by peacekeepers in Africa.

Watch this video report by Catherine Byaruhanga and produced by Joe Inwood:

BBC World Service

Levels of hunger in the Democratic Republic of Congo have doubled since last year according to a new report by the UN and the Congolese government, external.

It says close to half of all children under the age of five are suffering from malnutrition and more than 13 million people, nearly a fifth of the Congolese population, do not have enough food.

In addition to a poor harvest, the report says the crisis is especially acute in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in eastern DR Congo where violence has displaced thousands.

It warns that farmers there are scared of working in their fields and young people are joining armed groups and going into prostitution to find money for food.

At least four people died and dozens more were injured when a train derailed near Morocco's capital Rabat, reports say.

The incident occurred in Bouknadel, on the Atlantic coast between the capital and the city of Kenitra.

Videos and photos appearing on social media show a train carriage flipped on its side.

Earlier reports in the Moroccan press suggested that two trains had collided, but this is not the case.

In Nigeria's capital. Abuja, #BringBackOurGirls activists have held a demonstration in the wake of the killing of aid worker Hauwa Liman by Islamist militants, reports BBC Pidgin's Dooshima Abu.

Ms Liman was taken with two others in the northern Nigerian town of Rann last March. Fellow midwife Saifura Ahmed Khorsa was killed last month.

A 15-year-old schoolgirl is being held by the same militant group, Islamic State's West Africa Province, which is affiliated to the Islamic State group and is a faction of the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram.

The #BringBackOurGirls movement began after more than 200 girls were kidnapped from a school in Chibok, north-east Nigeria, in April 2014.

For more on this story: Boko Haram faction kills second aid worker in Nigeria

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Angola's President Joao Lourenco says illegal immigration linked to diamond mining has reached alarming levels.

In a speech to parliament he said the government was going to reform the mining sector and commercialise the diamond industry.

Since the beginning of the month tens of thousands of people have been deported - most to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Some of those forced to leave say Angolan police and soldiers shot dozens of people dead and looted homes during the operation to clear out immigrants.

The Angolan police denied the reports.

Children can be heard chanting "Kanye" and "Welcome Kanye West" as the US rapper is seen handing out pairs of his branded sneakers in his latest Twitter update on his trip to Uganda.

Ye - who was previously known as Kanye West - has been live broadcasting footage of the event, but it is not clear exactly where it's taking place:

Ye and his wife Kim Kardashian arrived in Uganda last Friday to record parts of his new album which is due out next month.

On Monday, President Yoweri Museveni met the couple at State House and gave them Ugandan names.

Ye was given the name Kanyesigye, which means "Ï trust" and Kardashian was given the name Kemigisha, which means "the one with blessings from God".

The president also received his own pair of sneakers from the rapper.

Image source, AFP

BBC World Service

Image source, Getty

The Kenyan government says it is investigating dozens of primary and secondary schools over allegations that people are attempting to cheat in national exams.

Education Minister Amina Mohammed said cartels had been identified that were selling exam papers to parents and students ahead of tests later this month.

She said extra measures were being taken to safeguard the exams.

Exam cheating has been a serious issue in Kenya for some years.

Writing in Kenya's Star newspaper , externalthe East African education charity, Uweza, is calling for educational reforms saying children are under too much pressure to pass the exams at all costs including breaking the law.

Two years ago, the government banned schoolchildren from entering exam rooms with clipboards and geometry set boxes in a bid to curb cheating,

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC Amharic, Addis Ababa

Image source, Gett

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appointed the country's first female defence minister in a new cabinet in which half the posts are taken up by women.

Aisha Mohammed, from the country's Afar region in the north-east, had served as construction minister before being picked to head the ministry of defence.

Prime Minister Abiy has slimmed down the cabinet from 28 portfolios to 20, which includes the new ministry of peace.

Announcing the changes in parliament, the prime minister said that his reform process needed to continue to address the structural and strategic problems that pushed the country into chaos.

Since coming to power in April, Mr Abiy has introduced a series of reforms which has transformed the political landscape in the country.

Mufuriat Kami, who served as the speaker of the parliament for the past five months, has been appointed as Minister of Peace

She will be overseeing the country’s intelligence and security apparatus including the Federal Police Commission.

The prime minister's chief of staff has tweeted the full cabinet list:

Nigeria's army has launched a cyber-warfare division to help tackle fake news that can "distract and misinform public opinion" and help fight against terrorist activities online, army chief Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai has announced.

"The intrinsic features of cyberspace can be easily exploited for information warfare by actors with malicious intent to plant and disseminate fake news," Gen Buratai added at the launch of the new division.

The general also said that the army would launch a mobile phone app to help people report alleged human rights abuses by soldiers.

People will be able to upload videos to back up their claims, which they will be able to submit anonymously.

You can read more on the army's Facebook page:

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

Angola is planning to close down "illegal" churches starting November, nearly a month after the state made public legislation to regulate religious activity, online newspaper Jornal de Angola has reported.

"Religious denominations that are illegal in Angola will be closed starting in November, the national director for religious issues at the Ministry of Culture, Francisco de Castro Maria, said," the website reported.

The move is expected to impact foreign-led churches in Angola, as "Mr Castro Maria affirmed that 50% of the churches in the country are established by foreigners from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Brazil, Nigeria and Senegal".

Defending the plan, Culture Minister Carolina Cerqueira said that while the government was neutral, it was forced to act against unregistered bodies which "exercise commercial activities or which are a threat to human rights and against the principals of urban life and positive coexistence".

More than 1,000 churches are waiting to pass the legal process, with the government giving unregistered denominations a month after the 4 October publication to regularise their status.

However, the discussion has been in the pipeline since as early as 28 August, when the council of ministers passed proposed legislation on freedom of religion, faith and worship to establish more rigorous conditions for the legalisation of religious activities in the country.

Boko Haram militants have killed a female aid worker, Hauwa Mohammed Liman, held by the group since March, the Nigerian government has confirmed.

Ms Liman worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross in north-east Nigeria as a nurse.

In September, the jihadist group killed a midwife taken at the same time.

The militants have also been holding a 15-year-old schoolgirl and another medical worker.

On Sunday, the ICRC appealed for their lives to be spared as a deadline issued by the militants approached.

Nigerian Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed said on Monday the government was "deeply pained" by news of the killing, but added it would "keep the negotiations open and continue to work to free the innocent women who remain in the custody of their abductors".

The ICRC's Patricia Danzi told the BBC's Newsday programme that the news of Ms Liman's death was devastating for the aid community and also for the "women, daughters and mothers of northern Nigeria".

Listen to her interview:

Ms Liman and Alice Khorsa were kidnapped alongside midwife Saifura Hussaini Ahmed Khorsa in March while working in the town of Rann with the ICRC.

A schoolgirl who is also being held was among 110 girls kidnapped from a school in the town of Dapchi in February. Most of the other students were freed but the girl, who refused to convert to Islam, remains in captivity.

Ms Khorsa was killed last month and the faction holding her - known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province - threatened to kill another hostage by Monday if their demands were not met.