Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

There has been a sharp rise over the past fortnight of recorded cases of coronavirus in Mozambique after months when figures were either in decline or had stabilised.

From 13 new daily cases at the beginning of the month, that figure now stands at 250, statistics from data collation website Our World in Data, external show.

Over 1,000 cases have been recorded since Friday.

The large majority of these were found in the capital, Maputo, putting it at the centre of what looks like a fourth wave of infections in the country.

Mozambique neighbours South Africa which has seen a large increase in infections attributed to the Omicron variant.

Meanwhile, Mozambique's health ministry is relying on a mass vaccination campaign to help tackle the growing problem.

It has launched a programme of mobile vaccination units to try and cover as many people as possible.

Just over 1,900 people are recorded to have died from coronavirus in Mozambique since the outbreak began last year.

Image source, AFP

South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma has launched a new book titled The Words of A President: Jacob Zuma Speaks.

It comes just months after he was released from prison on medical parole. He was imprisoned earlier this year by the country's highest court after he refused to appear before a commission probing alleged corruption during his nine-year presidency.

Mr Zuma stepped down in 2018 as pressure over the allegations mounted.

He hopes the book will “set the record straight”, Mr Zuma's spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi said.

Journalist Karyn Maughan told the BBC's Newsday programme that it does not seem that the former president was the person who actually wrote the book.

"The disappointment here of course is that this does not appear, despite the title of the book, to be him in his own words. It really is about his supporters trying to defend his policies," she added.

The income from the sales will go towards paying off Mr Zuma's legal fees.

Oluwashina Okeleji
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

With just four weeks until the Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria have appointed technical director Augustine Eguavoen as interim coach after sacking Gernot Rohr.

It will be the former international defender's third stint in charge of the Super Eagles after managing the team from 2005 to 2007, prior to another stint as caretaker coach in 2010.

As a player, the 56-year-old represented the Super Eagles at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups.

Rohr, 68, departs as Nigeria's longest-serving manager after taking charge in August 2016 before leading them to the 2018 World Cup and a third-place finish at the 2019 Nations Cup.

But he came under intense criticism for poor results against lower-ranked opponents during 2022 World Cup qualifying.

Read more from BBC Africa Sport.

A video of a nine-year-old South African girl singing Franz Schubert's Ave Maria has captured people's hearts and racked up nearly half a million views on Twitter.

Gugulethu Ndzendze from East London has been making waves locally for some time, especially since her mother shared a video in September of her singing O Mio Babbino Caro.

Since then she has been invited to take part in a UK-based TV talent contest and will be singing at the opening of parliament next year, her father Bongani Ndzendze told South African news site IOL.

“Gugulethu is very talented, especially for someone her age. When her video was shared and went viral, it opened our eyes at how talented she is,” Bongani is quoted as saying.

On Twitter people have left comments reflecting how amazed they are at Gugulethu's abilities.

"Not much leaves me totally arrested, but this did. I feel like I’ve just listened to a major classical artist of tomorrow," one person said.

"That sounds like a voice that has studied for years, not like a 9 year old. Literal goosebumps listening to the smooth and effortless transitions," wrote another.

Patience Atuhaire
BBC News, Kampala

Image source, Getty Images

Medics working as interns in Uganda have announced an escalation of their strike for better pay.

The interns began their industrial action on 6 November, but they continued to work on emergencies and support some staff on hospital wards.

But a letter from the health ministry on Saturday ordered all medical interns who are on strike to leave the health facilities where they are based, within a week.

In response, all interns in public hospitals countrywide announced that from midnight on Sunday, they would cease all work.

Dr Lillian Nabwire, the president of the association of medical interns, told the BBC that medical interns had been taking industrial action since 2017. The government has made promises to increase pay, but salaries have not increased, she said.

Senior doctors are now covering critical care and emergencies, but have scaled down on out-patient services, a senior specialist told the BBC.

A new cohort of interns is meant to start their training in two months.

Interns need to complete a year-long placement in order to be licensed as qualified health workers. They are paid 750,000 Uganda shillings (about $200; £150) per month during this period.

Arguably the greatest marathon runner in history, Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge still has three races he wants to make his mark on.

Teklemariam Bekit
BBC News Tigrinya

Image source, Getty Images

The US is gravely concerned about accounts of alleged atrocities committed by Tigrayan forces in Amhara and Afar regions of Ethiopia, State Department spokesman Ned Price has said.

The department has urged all armed actors to stop using violence against civilians and urged the authorities to investigate the allegations.

Last week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tigrayan forces summarily executed dozens of civilians in “apparent war crimes” in two towns under their control in Amhara region.

Witnesses described to HRW investigators that they saw Tigrayan fighters in Chenna and Kobo villages kill a total of 49 civilians in separate incidents.

The executions occurred between 31 August and 9 September this year, the rights watchdog said.

It called on the UN to establish an international inquiry into war crimes and probe abuses by all parties in the conflict.

The US has also called for the cessation of hostiles and negotiations to start without any precondition.

The conflict erupted on 4 November last year when Ethiopia's government launched an offensive to oust the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) after its fighters captured federal military bases in Tigray.

Since then, the fighting has expanded to neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar, forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes.

Recently, the Ethiopian military regained towns and cities previously controlled by Tigray militants in the Afar and Amhara areas.

Ethiopia's year-long conflict has created a massive humanitarian disaster, with thousands of people killed and at least nine million people in desperate need of help.

More on Ethiopian civil war:

• Ethiopia’s Tigray war: The short, medium and long story
• What's stopping aid from getting into Tigray?
• How the West has fallen out with Ethiopia's PM

Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

Image source, AFP

The Mozambique branch of the French oil and gas company, Total Energies, has returned to the violence-hit Cabo Delgado province.

It has opened an information office in the city of Pemba, nine months after suspending its activities over concerns about insecurity in the region - after a militant attack in the nearby town of Palma in March in which dozens of people were killed.

The information office, launched on Saturday, is meant to ease communication between interested parties in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exploration project in the Rovuma basin

Laila Chilemba, a Total Energies official, said it would resolve the complex problem of communication between the different groups involved in the project.

The local governor has welcomed the move by Total Energies.

Read more:

• Mozambique conflict: What's behind the unrest?

Image source, AFP

Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane, has finished second runner-up in the Miss Universe contest held in Israel.

The annual pageant was won by Miss India, Harnaaz Sandhu, with Paraguay's Nadia Ferreira finishing as first runner-up.

South Africa’s government withdrew support for Ms Mswane in the contest, to protest against Israel's treatment of Palestinians, although organisers said the pageant should not be politicised.

The arts and culture ministry said that "the atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians are well documented" and it could not "in good conscience associate itself with such".

Israel has in the past denied committing atrocities against Palestinians.

Minister Nathi Mthethwa said that Ms Mswane should have withdrawn for the sake of South Africa's global standing.

The pageant has tweeted a video of the moment Miss South Africa was announced the second runner-up:

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, AFP

The West African regional bloc, Ecowas, has expressed ‘’strong concerns’’ over delays in Mali's transition to civilian rule.

It warned of additional economic sanctions if "no concrete progress" was made to hold fresh elections scheduled for late February.

Mali witnessed military coups in August 2020 and May 2021, with the most recent leading to the overthrow of President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane.

Ecowas also warned that there were no clear indications of a return to constitutional order in neighbouring Guinea - three months after the military toppled President Alpha Condé.

Guinea's military junta had pledged to hold elections within six months of taking over power.

But the bloc said Guinea’s leaders have assured them that a National Transition Council will be in place by the end of December and that council will propose a timetable.

The regional leaders, who met in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, also discussed the deteriorating security situation in the region where armed groups have stepped up violence in several countries including Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria.

Image source, AFP

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has tested positive for Covid-19 and is being treated for mild symptoms.

Mr Ramaphosa started feeling unwell on Sunday after leaving the state memorial service of South Africa’s last apartheid president, FW de Klerk, in Cape Town, according to a statement from the presidency, external.

People who had contact with the president on the day have been advised to watch for symptoms or to get tested.

The president is fully vaccinated and has delegated all his responsibilities to Deputy President David Mabuza.

President Ramaphosa returned last Wednesday from a trip to Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Senegal.

The presidency said he and his delegation were tested for Covid in all the countries they visited. It added that the president had tested negative on his return.

The highly contagious Omicron variant, which has prompted global concern, was first identified in South Africa last month.

Read more:

• South Africa new cases surge as Omicron spreads
• Omicron: How do you detect it?

Our African proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

Documents suggest the feared 'cult' has infiltrated Nigerian politics and launched a global fraud operation.

A BBC investigation into Black Axe has unearthed new evidence of political infiltration, and a scamming and killing operation spanning the globe.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has replaced all the acting state governors who were appointed by the country's military leader following a coup in October.

Mr Hamdok was returned to his post less than a month after being ousted, under a deal with the coup leader, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The prime minister also recently replaced several ministers who had been appointed by the military – some were closely linked to the former oppressive ruler, President Omar al-Bashir.

Many Sudanese are extremely angry that the military is still playing a role in the country's political scene and more protests are expected on Monday.

Nigeria could ban flights coming in from the UK, as well as Canada, Saudi Arabia and Argentina, according to leaked comments from the country's aviation minister.

The proposed move would be in retaliation to flights to those countries from Nigeria being restricted over the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Nigeria was added to the UK's so-called red list earlier this month, meaning that people arriving from Nigeria had to go into quarantine in a designated hotel at their own expense.

The only countries which appear on the UK's red list are African nations leading to accusations of discrimination.

In recorded comments leaked to the media, Nigerian Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika said: "We have given our input in aviation, it is not acceptable by us and we recommend that those countries – Canada, the UK, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina - be also put on red list, as they did similarly to us."

The ban, if approved, could be imposed on Monday or Tuesday, he said.

“Once they are put on the red list, which means they are banned, of course, their airlines will be banned. I’m so sorry, we are going through a difficult moment, but we have to do it in the interest of our country," Mr Sirika said according to the Punch newspaper, external.

Tigray forces had left Lalibela 11 days ago as federal forces and their allies had been advancing.

Reckya Madougou becomes the second opposition figure to be convicted in Benin in less than a week.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

There are reports from north-west Nigeria that gunmen have kidnapped at least 11 people, including a Muslim cleric, in two separate attacks.

They happened on Friday and Saturday in the Sabon Birni area of Sokoto state.

Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Maj Gen Ali Monguno was visiting the region at the time and reiterated the government’s commitment to tackling growing insecurity.

Dozens of passengers were killed in Sokoto state last week when gunmen ambushed and set fire to their bus.

On Friday, there were protests in several cities calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to do more to stop the attacks.

Image source, AFP

In his eulogy to South Africa's last president of apartheid South Africa, FW de Klerk, President Cyril Ramaphosa tried to strike a balance between acknowledging the ill feeling there is still towards him and his contribution to creating a democratic country.

De Klerk, who died last month at 85, was instrumental in leading the country's white minority towards accepting the dismantling of the racist apartheid system in the 1990s.

At the same time, he was a beneficiary of that system and responsible for some of its crimes.

Speaking at a state memorial service in Cape Town, President Ramaphosa said that De Klerk's 1990 address calling for the release from prison of the leader of the anti-apartheid struggle, Nelson Mandela, was a "brave act".

He also praised his "courage and conviction".

But Mr Ramaphosa added that it was important to recognise that "his contribution and his legacy remain contested".

"We can neither ignore nor must we seek to dismiss the anger and the pain and the disappointment of those who recall the place FW de Klerk occupied in the hierarchy of an oppressive state."

Nevertheless he "played an important role in the evolution of our new democracy whether we like it or not".

Before the memorial service, police broke up a small protest outside Cape Town's Groote Kerk with demonstrators demanding "justice for apartheid victims".

Read more:

• FW de Klerk: The man who still divides South Africa