Image source, Getty Images

A spokesman for the anti-Kigali Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group and an FDLR intelligence officer have been charged with terrorism-related offences in Rwanda.

Nkaka Ignace and Jean-Pierre Nsekanabo were deported from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) two months ago, reports the Reuters news agency.

They have been charged with six offences including membership of a terrorist group, taking part in terrorist activities and inciting others to commit terrorism.

Mr Ignace confessed to some charges but denied others, saying he had been influenced to topple President Paul Kagame's government by superiors in the rebel group.

"I apologise for having been given negative information about Rwanda," he told the court.

The defendants have asked to be freed on bail.

The rebel group operates from neighbouring countries and is mainly composed of former Rwandan soldiers and ethnic Hutu militiamen who fled into eastern DR Congo after the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

Around 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed during the genocide.

BBC World Service

Tanzania says it is planning to ban single-use plastic bags shortly.

Environment Minister January Makamba told parliament it was possible that a ban could come into force in July.

The announcement comes two days after Kenya called on Uganda and Tanzania to take action against the use of plastic bags in an attempt to prevent them from being smuggled into its territory.

In 2017 Kenya introduced one of the world's strictest bans on plastic bags, penalising their use with four years in prison or fines of $40,000 (£31,000).

Kenya and Rwanda are the only East African countries that have prohibited the production, import, sale and use of single-use plastic bags.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Protesters outside the army headquarters in Sudan say they are now completely surrounded by the security forces.

For the past 48 hours they've defied a curfew to call for the resignation of President Omar al-Bashir.

An attempt by the security forces to break up the demonstration early on Monday was thwarted by elements of the military, who defended the crowd when they came under fire.

The demonstrators say two people - a protester and a soldier - were killed.

Meanwhile, the interior ministry said that six people died in the capital, Khartoum, during protests over the weekend.

More than 50 others were injured and almost 2,500 demonstrators were arrested.

A Ugandan government spokesman said that the US president should sort out problems in his own country before having a go at Uganda.

Ofwono Opondo was responding to a tweet from President Donald Trump which said that people wouldn't feel safe going to Uganda until the kidnappers of a US citizen and her Ugandan guide had been caught (see earlier entry).

The two were released on Sunday.

Mr Opondo hit back on Twitter saying that "there are more gun deaths in the US than kidnaps in Uganda".

He added that Uganda will continue to strengthen security.

Image source, AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron has described Africa as "the continent of the future", but it may also save his country's language from the decline it is experiencing elsewhere in the world.

There are thought to be 300 million French speakers worldwide - 44% of whom are living in sub-Saharan Africa. And in 30 years' time it's thought that 85% of French speakers will be living on the continent.

This is having an impact on the language.

French is adapting to the reality of being a second or third language for most of its speakers in Africa, boosting its role as a lingua franca rather than a native language for most.

In March, France's culture ministry announced that a new digital Francophone Dictionary would be launched, employing a "collective approach" to words from all over the French-speaking world.

French is mixed with local phrases in every African country where it is spoken, creating a rich new vocabulary from the continent that diverges considerably from the French spoken back in "L'Hexagone" (France).

New words or phrases include:

• Wesh?- a slang phrase used in France to mean "what's up?" from the Algerian dialect of Arabic
• Je suis enjaillé(e) de toi- a phrase used in Ivory Coast meaning "I really like you". "Enjailler" is a slang word from Nouchi, Ivorian patois, which some say derives from the English "enjoy"
• Deuxième bureau- a phrase used in DR Congo. Its literal translation is "second office", but it means "mistress"

Read more from Jennifer O'Mahony: Why the future of French is African

Reports that the only functioning airport in Libya's capital, Tripoli, has been hit by an airstrike have been confirmed.

Flights at Mitiga airport, which is about 10km (six miles) east of the centre of the city have now been suspended..

Four missiles targeted members of the RADA militia force, which controls the airport, an eyewitness told the BBC.

There are no casualty figures.

Mitiga airport, in Libya's capital, Tripoli, has been hit by an airstrike, according to its Facebook page, external.

The message said, “Moments ago Mitiga international airport was bombed by a warplane.”

There are no details on what was hit, but some pictures are being shared on Twitter of smoke rising from nearby the airport:

Forces under Gen Khalifa Haftar began advanced from the east on Thursday with the aim of taking Tripoli, clashing with groups backing the UN-backed government.

Image source, Wild Frontiers Uganda

US President Donald Trump has turned to Uganda for his latest tweet.

Last week's kidnapping of US citizen Kimberly Endicott and her guide Jean-Paul Mirenge, who were released on Sunday, is on his mind.

Mr Trump suggested the kidnapping could have an impact on tourism saying that the abductors must be found "before people will safe in going there".

Earlier, President Museveni had tweeted that his country was safe for Ugandans and tourists.

He blamed the kidnapping on "isolated pockets of criminals".

The two who were abducted were set upon as they drove through the Queen Elizabeth National Park on the evening of 2 April.

Ugandan police said then that kidnappers used one of their phones to demand a ransom of $500,000 (£383,435).

It is not clear if that was paid.

US tourist and safari guide freed after kidnap in Uganda

Image source, Reuters

A South African court has recommended that Mozambique's former Finance Minister Manuel Chang should be extradited to the US, where he is wanted on corruption charges.

"There is sufficient evidence to warrant a prosecution [in the US], on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, securities fraud and money laundering," Magistrate William Schutte said according to South African online news publication News24, external.

The former finance minister had fought against the extradition to the US, arguing he would get a fairer trial in Mozambique.

US authorities issued a warrant for Mr Chang last year, over his role in borrowing $2bn (£1.5bn) which the US believes was fraudulent. He was arrested in South Africa on 30 December and has been detained since.

The judge's ruling is, however, only a recommendation and the final say lies with Justice Minister Michael Masutha.

Image source, Getty Images

The Ethiopian presence in the US is noticeable soon after you land in Washington DC, writes journalist James Jeffrey.

Their ubiquitous presence - behind the counter at Starbucks or the wheels of taxis - in the bastion of American government symbolises the two pillars of this alliance.

The Ethiopian diaspora across America - the second largest community after Nigerians - has played an enormous role in influencing ongoing political reforms that have rocked Ethiopia since the beginning of 2018.

These have included the opening of borders, the freeing of political prisoners, the lifting of restrictions on media, and the opening of political space to previously banned groups, as well as a significant redistribution of power within the ruling coalition government.

Image source, ESFNA

Expatriate Ethiopians run numerous TV stations and online media which are beamed into Ethiopian homes or to smartphones more than 11,000 kilometres away in the motherland - often, in the past, with a message critical of the government.

At the same time, US foreign policy significantly influenced last year's seismic events and is helping the Ethiopian government prepare the country for crucial national elections in 2020.

Community leader Tewodrose Tirfe has one explanation for this close relationship:

"Because Ethiopia was not colonised, it was able to have a formal direct relationship with the US that goes back to 1903 when the US representative handed his papers to Emperor Menelik."

Read more on the the relationship between the Ethiopia and the US.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Several videos of the protests in Khartoum are being shared on social media.

In some you can see demonstrators sheltering behind military vehicles as loud gunfire rings out. They are dramatic, chaotic scenes but as soldiers shoot in the air some troops appear to be siding with the protesters:

During the more than three months of demonstrations the army has mostly been on the sidelines, whilst security forces including the notorious National Intelligence Services have tried to crush the protest movement.

There may be some differences of opinion over how to deal with the protests but crucially there is no evidence that President Omar al-Bashir has lost the support of the military and that gives him the power to ignore the protesters' calls.

Ghana-born actor Kobna Holdbrook-Smith won the best actor prize at London's prestigious Olivier Awards for his lead role in a musical about the life of Tina Turner.

Holdbrook-Smith plays her husband Ike Turner.

The Olivier Awards celebrate the best performances in London's theatres.

Accepting the award, an emotional Holdbrook-Smith thanked "all my family in Ghana".

Image source, AFP

More troops have been deployed to the army headquarters in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, where thousands of protesters have been demonstrating since Saturday, calling for the resignation of President Omar al-Bashir and the end of his government.

Barricades have been put up by soldiers who've also blocked nearby roads.

Information Minister Hassan Ismail is quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying that "the crowd in front of the [military] general command has been cleared completely, in a way that resulted in no casualties among all parties."

He also dismissed reports that some soldiers are helping the protesters saying that "the security apparatus are coherent together and working with positive energy and in harmony".

BBC World Service

Fighting south of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, has forced more than 2,000 people to flee their homes and that many civilians are trapped, the UN says.

The country's internationally-recognised government said at least 32 of its fighters had been killed since the military commander, Khalifa Haftar, launched an assault on the city last week.

His forces say 14 of their men have died.

The European Union has urged the warring parties to declare a truce and return to negotiations.

A UN call for a brief, humanitarian ceasefire on Sunday was ignored.

James Copnall
BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The Sudanese state has numerous armed groups and there are signs of tensions between them.

The demonstrators accuse the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of attempting to drive them away from the protest.

The RSF is a militia loyal to President Omar al-Bashir which is made up of former members of the Janjaweed, the fighters accused of carrying out many atrocities in Darfur.

Over the past 48 hours, several protesters have told the BBC that members of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have protected them from the NISS and RSF.

However, many Sudanese still distrust the armed forces, because of their role in keeping President Bashir in power and their conduct in the country's succession of civil wars.

Some analysts believe that mid-ranking SAF officers are sympathetic to the protesters, with the top brass more likely to be loyal to the president. But the position of all the armed groups is one of the key questions in Sudan today.

We've been reporting that Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered foreign nationals to leave mining sites in Zamfara state, in the north-west of the country, blaming them for an upsurge in banditry and kidnappings.

But for some this is clearly not enough action.

A clip of influential journalist Kadaria Ahmed speaking at a protest highlighting the insecurity in Zamfara is being shared online.

In an impassioned speech Ms Ahmed, whose family is from Zamfara, accuses the government of not treating the people there as citizens entitled to security. She alleges that dozens of people are being killed or kidnapped every day.

"We demand that Zamfara is made secure," she says.

"The leaders of the north have let us down."

In a tweet on Sunday, President Buhari said he was not "indifferent to the senseless killings and kidnapping" and said people should not "politicise" the situation.

Ms Ahmed wrote a piece for us on Zamfara last year.

Dakar is known as one of the most fitness-focused cities in Africa, and the keep-fit craze has even reached its elderly residents.

We meet a group on one of Senegal capital's beaches, who explain why working out has worked wonders for them.

Video Journalist: Alassane Dia.

A female referee in Ghana was attacked after a match at the weekend involving Prison Ladies FC, Pulse Ghana reports., external

One local journalist has shared some pictures of the alleged incident which appear to show the referee, named by Pulse as Theresa Bremansu, being harassed by a player:

Prison Ladies FC lost the match against Ampem Darkoa and the players were reportedly angry that Bremansu did not add more injury time.

GhanaSoccerNet , externalquotes the referee as saying she was attacked by a prison officer.

"I cried for help but nobody came to my rescue," she reportedly said.

"I called for his arrest and nobody moved a finger."

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has tweeted that his country is safe for Ugandans and tourists. He made the comments in the wake of the rescue of an American tourist and her local guide who were abducted last week.

The police said it worked with the military and wildlife service to get the two - Kimberley Sue Endecott and Jean-Paul Mirenge - back from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Referring to the kidnappers, President Museveni said: "We shall deal with these isolated pockets of criminals..

The kidnappers had demanded a ransom of $500,000 (£383,000). A safari company said money was handed over, though it didn't say how much.

Read more here.

"I ran. I just ran and kept running," a Sudanese protester told BBC Newsday's James Copnall, as she recalled how tear gas was fired to disperse crowds demanding President Omar al-Bashir resignation in the capital, Khartoum.

Listen to her description of events here:

See earlier post