Summary

  • Military promise to hand over to civilian rule

  • Crowds remain on streets of capital

  • Night-time curfew ignored

  • Protesters urged to 'protect revolution'

  • Defence minister to lead military council

  • Ex-President Bashir arrested

  • Three-month state of emergency in place

  • Election promised in two years

  • Military expected to brief diplomats

  • AU condemns military rule

  • US calls for civilian-led transition

  • Plus other stories from the continent

  1. Scroll down for Friday's storiespublished at 17:31 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    We'll be back next week

    That's all from BBC Africa Live for now, but you can keep up-to-date with the latest developments in Sudan and other stories from across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or check the BBC News website.

    A reminder of Friday's wise words:

    Quote Message

    You don't need to teach a snake how to lie down."

    A Kono proverb from Sierra Leone sent by Derek Fletcher, Cleckheaton, UK

    And we leave you with this picture of a Sudanese woman handing a soldier a bottle of water during a rally demanding a civilian body to lead the transition to democracy, outside the army headquarters in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

    A Sudanese woman hands a soldier a bottle of water during a rally demanding a civilian body to lead the transition to democracy, outside the army headquarters in the Sudanese capital KhartoumImage source, Getty Images
  2. Sudan's coup worries our Resident Presidentpublished at 17:30 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    As events unfold in Sudan, at least one of our satirical resident presidents is looking over his shoulder, with some trepidation...

    Media caption,

    One of our presidents is feeling the cold hand of history on his shoulder

  3. Sudan: Protesters remain resolute to achieve their goalspublished at 17:26 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    Our colleagues at BBC Focus on Africa radio have been speaking to a Sudanese protester to get her reaction about the offer by a senior member of the military council, that took power on Thursday.

    Lt Gen Omar Zain al-Abidin said that the army will help the protesters to achieve their aspirations, but would not tolerate chaos.

    Samahir told Focus on Africa that protests would continue until they achieve their goals:

    Quote Message

    The sit in, it’s gonna be the same tonight and every night. The statements [by the army], the decisions that have been set are absolutely unsatisfactory. It’s just a change of faces so nothing changed.

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    Everything is still the same for us. Right now the faces involved in the security council – they’re still the same people that have been involved in killing the protesters… and they’re part of the regime.

    Quote Message

    The fact that the president is not in place anymore and they bring his vice president to become our new president is not satisfactory. The council that has been formed is of all the members who have been attacking the protesters on the streets for the past few months.

    Quote Message

    They must go. From day one the demands have been clear – they must go. They cannot be inclusive. They’re the people who have destroyed Sudan and they cannot fix it.

    Quote Message

    What we’ve heard is there’s a split inside the military. A lot of officers are on the side of the protesters but the head officers are still part of the regime. The regime is still in places. They just replaced al-Bashir so it’s still not satisfactory."

  4. Jumia listing is 'a big deal' for Africapublished at 17:20 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    The listing of Jumia, Africa's largest e-commerce firm, on the New York stock market is a watershed moment for the continent, a top US investment analyst has told the BBC.

    Rosa Whitaker, who was first ever US assistant trade representative for Africa, who now runs her own investment firm specialising in Africa, said that US investors should see the listing as an opportunity.

    Jumia is listing 17.6% of the company at $14.50 a share, giving the company "unicorn" status - which is the term used for a technology start-up worth $1bn-plus.

    It is the first tech start-up from Africa to float on Wall Street.

    Watch Ms Whitaker's interview below:

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    In another interview, Tokunboh Ishmael, the chairperson of The African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, told the BBC that Jumia demonstrates what's possible - what can be developed - and highlights the enormous opportunities in Africa.

    Watch the interview below:

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  5. Ethiopia 'foils al-Shabab attack'published at 17:03 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    Kalkidan Yibeltal
    BBC Amharic Service, Addis Ababa

    Ethiopia has foiled a planned attack by suspects backed by Islamist militant group al-Shabab in the capital, Addis Ababa, its attorney general has said.

    Berhanu Tsegaye said that suspects were targeting popular areas in the capital.

    He told journalists that the suspects, whose number he didn't disclose, had been arrested and that investigations were ongoing.

    The Somalia-based al-Shabab militants has previously threatened to attack Ethiopia following the country’s military involvement in Somalia.

    But unlike neighbouring countries, terror attacks are rare in Ethiopia.

  6. Fire engulfs the 'Roof of Africa' heritage sitepublished at 16:24 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    Ashagre Hailu
    BBC News Amharic, Editor

    Ethiopia's authorities have asked for help from South Africa and Kenya to put out a fire that has been burning for days in the Simien Mountain National Park in the country's northern Amhara region.

    The 220 sq-km (84 sq-miles) park, in Ethiopia's highlands, is sometimes called the "Roof of Africa" as it forms the largest continuous area of elevation on the continent.

    The park is listed as a World Heritage Site, and according to Unesco is home to some rare animals such as "the Gelada baboon, the Simien fox and the Walia ibex, a goat found nowhere else in the world".

    Tadesse Yigzaw, one of the officials at the park, told BBC the fire was spreading to gorges and difficult terrain, and they were struggling to control it.

    Volunteers and residents have also joined in the effort to put out the blaze.

    Another fire broke out in the park last month, destroying 340 hectares (840 acres) of forest and grass.

    It is not known how either of the fires started.

    This is a promotional video of the park shared on YouTube.

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  7. Are military takeovers on the rise in Africa?published at 15:43 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    The ouster of Sudan President Omar al-Bashir is the latest successful coup in that country.

    Mr Bashir himself took power following a military coup in 1989 and prior to that there had been 13 coup attempts in Sudan, some successful and some not.

    BBC's Reality Check team has been looking back at Sudan's history of military interventions, and the wider picture across the African continent.

    Read the full story on the BBC website.

    Map of successful coups in Africa
  8. Africa Cup of Nations 2019 draw - all you need to knowpublished at 15:13 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    The Africa Cup of Nations draw takes place on Friday 19:00 GMT with many fans waiting to discover their countries' fate.

    The tournament, which is in Egypt, is the biggest yet with 24 teams and the first to be held in Europe's summer rather than January or February.

    It will take place from 21 June to 19 July, meaning European-based players will not need to miss club games.

    Cameroon are the defending champions, beating Egypt in the 2017 final.

    More on this story on the BBC African football page.

    Wilfried Zaha, Riyad Mahrez, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are among the players likely to play at Afcon 2019Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Wilfried Zaha, Riyad Mahrez, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are among the players likely to play at Afcon 2019

  9. Will the ICC's highest-profile fugitive face trial?published at 14:40 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    Anna Holligan
    BBC News, The Hague

    Omar al-BashirImage source, AFP

    The toppling of 75-year-old man Omar al-Bashir as Sudan’s president has raised the possibility of him standing trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he’s wanted on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Darfur.

    He was the first sitting president of a country to be indicted by the ICC and the first person to be charged with genocide.

    Mr Bashir, who denies the allegations, has been wanted by the ICC in The Hague for more than a decade.

    The fact he’s continued to travel extensively throughout Africa and the Middle East has served to highlight the impotence of a court, which depends upon countries co-operation to actually arrest and surrender suspects.

    So what hope of that happening now?

    Lt-Gen Omar Zain al-Abidin, the head of the political military committee, addressing a press conference said, "Bashir will be tried in our judicial system”.

    “No Sudanese will be extradited to face trial in a foreign court.”

    You can understand their logic based on self-interest, some of the people still in power might be implicated in the crimes attributed to Mr Bashir, including attempts to destroy two ethnic groups loyal to rebels opposed to the Sudanese regime.

    But the military did acknowledge a future civilian government might choose to deal with the matter differently.

    Backdoor discussions will be taking place with various international stakeholders to obtain some international support - and the extradition of this court’s most high-profile fugitive might be a powerful negotiation card.

    The African Union could be a key player here - which has consistently "defended" the former president and sought to undermine the legitimacy of the ICC.

    It’s too early, and situation still too volatile, to say with any certainty whether a man whose iron grip on power was until relatively recently considered un-removable will ever find himself facing international justice.

    The court is for now staying silent - in public at least.

    The prosecutor is undoubtedly dusting off case files and trying to ascertain whether investigators will, for the first time ever, actually be able to visit the region to try to gather evidence of crimes that were allegedly committed years ago.

  10. 'South Sudan airspace closed'published at 14:16 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    A radio station run by the United Nations' mission in South Sudan reports that commercial flights in and out of the main airport in the capital, Juba, have been suspended or delayed following Thursday's coup in Sudan.

    The military council that toppled Sudan President Omar al-Bashir announced the closure of the airspace.

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  11. 'Economic crisis toppled Bashir'published at 13:38 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    Deposed Sudan President Omar al-Bashir is the latest leader to be forced out of power because of an economic crisis, Bloomberg reports.

    Mr Bashir's inability to manage a shortage of foreign exchange that sent inflation soaring and hammered living standards was the cause for his downfall, the report says.

    Protests against his government began in December and were mostly about economic issues but later morphed into pressure to remove him from office.

    The same issues forced long-standing rulers from Algeria to Zimbabwe to leave office.

    Sudan’s economic woes can be traced back to the secession of South Sudan in 2011, which saw it lose almost all its oil fields and 60% of fiscal revenue.

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  12. Jumia: 'Africa's Amazon' in landmark stock market listingpublished at 13:11 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    Jumia delivers products using motorcycle taxisImage source, Getty Images

    Shares in Africa's largest e-commerce retailer are set to start trading in New York on Friday in a move that could pave the way for other tech start-ups from the continent.

    Jumia is listing up to 18% of its shares, giving it "unicorn" status - a technology start-up worth $1bn-plus.

    It is the first tech start-up from Africa to float in New York.

    The so-called "Africa's Amazon" has 4 million customers on a continent where just 1% of retail sales are via online.

    Jumia was founded in Lagos, Nigeria, by two French entrepreneurs in 2012 and now offers services to most of the African population, in countries such as South Africa, Tanzania, Egypt and Ivory Coast.

    Its largest shareholder is MTN, Africa's biggest telecoms company.

    Read the full story on the BBC website

  13. Rango and Malawi's first lady: Man granted bailpublished at 12:53 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    A man in Malawi was released from custody on Thursday after spending two days in jail for saying the first lady, Gertrude Mutharika, looked like a computer-animated Hollywood character, news site Malawi 24 reports., external

    Another site Nyasa Times reports that the man, external, Tumpale Mwakibinga, likened Mrs Mutharika to Rango, a pet chameleon voiced by Johnny Depp in the 2011 film.

    A magistrate court in Blantyre granted him bail of $140 (£106) and ordered him not to post anything on social media relating to the first lady, the reports say.

    According to Malawi 24, his trial is due to start on 31 May, 10 days after elections in which President Peter Mutharika is seeking a second term.

    A Twitter user shared an image of the first lady and Rango.

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  14. London's unlikely link with Sudanese demonstrationspublished at 12:51 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    A pub in London has become a hotspot for Sudanese activists and protesters have a special chant for it.

    Sudanese activists have been demonstrating in solidarity with people in Khartoum since December 2018.

    Long-time President Omar al-Bashir was overthrown and arrested on Thursday after months of street protests.

    But thousands of protesters have vowed to stay out on the streets in defiance of a curfew imposed by the country's new military council, which demonstrators say is part of the same regime.

  15. Militants abduct Cuban doctors in Kenyapublished at 11:52 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    BBC World Service

    Reports from Kenya say that suspected Islamist militants have killed a police officer and abducted two Cuban doctors working in Mandera County - a volatile area in the north-east of the country.

    Kenyan media reports say the gunmen, who are suspected to be al-Shabab militants, are believed to have taken their hostages to neighbouring Somalia.

    Al-Shabab has conducted frequent assaults in Mandera, which borders Somalia, to put pressure on the Kenyan government to withdraw its troops from Somalia.

    Map showing location of Mandera
  16. Planned protests in Algeriapublished at 11:23 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    BBC World Service

    There's increased security in the Algerian capital, Algiers, where mass protests are again planned.

    Demonstrators, who have gathered every Friday for the past two months, want the removal of the interim head of state, Abdelkader Bensalah.

    He was appointed earlier this week after the resignation of the veteran leader, Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

    Mr Bensalah, 77, has promised not to contest elections scheduled for early July. But the protesters say he can't be trusted.

  17. In other news...published at 11:22 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    • We will continue to monitor developments in Sudan but we also want to keep you up to date with other stories from continent.
  18. 'We shall not extradite Bashir'published at 11:09 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    An image grab from a broadcast on Sudan TV shows Lieutenant General Omar Zain al-Abdin, the head of the political military committee assigned by the chief of the new military council,Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Lt Gen Omar Zain al-Abdin, the head of the political military committee, addressing a press conference

    "Bashir will be tried in our judicial system," Lt Gen Omar Zain al-Abidin has told a just concluded media briefing.

    "We will have zero tolerance for those who kill citizens," he said.

    He added that no Sudanese will be extradited to face trial in a foreign court as long as the military council was in power, but added that a future civilian government might choose to deal with the matter differently.

    Mr Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur, in the west of the country.

    The conflict began in 2003 after rebels took up arms alleging the government was discriminating people from the region. Hundreds of thousands were killed in the crisis.

  19. 'Bashir is in custody'published at 10:47 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    "Former Sudan President Omar al-Bashir is in custody", Lt Gen Omar Zain al-Abidin, from the military council, has told a press conference, answering a question about the whereabouts of the longtime ruler.

  20. Video of protesters defying military curfewpublished at 10:33 British Summer Time 12 April 2019

    A Twitter user has shared a video of protesters chanting in the early hours of Friday as they defied a 22:00 to 04:00 local time curfew that was imposed by military authorities who deposed President Omar al-Bashir.

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