Rhoda
Rhoda Odhiambo, BBC News

One of the most active volcanoes in the world - Mount Nyiragongo in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo - is spewing huge clouds of black smoke and volcanic ash into the sky.

Photos posted on social media show Mount Nyiragongo’s crater filled with hot lava.

Geologists from Goma’s Volcano Observatory say it is not yet flowing, but they have noticed an increase in seismic activity.

The observatory’s director, Celestin Kasereka, told the BBC sporadic explosions were responsible for the smoke and ash that can be seen across the city of Goma. Despite this, Nyiragongo is unlikely to erupt, he said.

Residents have been advised to stay calm, but this will be difficult for many, as the devastating impact caused by last May’s eruption is still fresh in their minds.

It led to the deaths of 32 people, and forced thousands from their homes.

Many fled to neighbouring Rwanda while others are still living in temporary camps in Goma.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has condemned sanctions imposed on Eritrea, as he concluded a visit to the one-party state long been regarded as a pariah by Western powers.

Mr Wang held talks with President Isaias Afwerki, and invited him to China to strengthen their "strategic partnership", Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Meskel said.

The foreign ministers of the two nations issued a joint statement after the meeting, condemning "interferences in the internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of democracy and human rights".

"The Chinese side stands against any unilateral sanctions on Eritrea," it added.

Mr Yemane has been tweeting about the visit:

Mr Wang is now in Kenya, and will then go to Comoros.

Jean Claude Mwambutsa
BBC Great Lakes, Kigali

Image source, Getty Images

Eleven people have died in Rwanda's south eastern district of Bugesera since Christmas Day after drinking a local brew made from bananas, the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) has confirmed.

Four other are reported to be in hospital for treatment.

High levels of methanol, found in the stomachs of victims who drank the brew, could be linked to the deaths, according to the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority.

Five people have been arrested, including the brewery's owner, the RIB has confirmed.

The brewery was operating without a licence, and its operations have been suspended, the RIB added

A countrywide campaign has been launched to clamp down on unauthorized local brews.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

Medical staff in Ethiopia's war-hit Tigray region say patients - including children - are dying as a result of a blockade that's preventing medicine and other life-saving supplies from reaching hospitals.

Doctors from the region's biggest facility in Mekelle say surgeries have not been possible due to a lack of intravenous fluids and anaesthetics.

In a statement, staff at Ayder Referral Hospital say, external frequent electricity cuts and an irregular supply of oxygen have resulted in patient deaths while the neurosurgery team has no working scanners.

The Ethiopian government and officials from the Tigray People's Liberation Front have blamed each other for impeding the delivery of aid including medical supplies.

The UN recently said some health servcies had been halted in Tigray due to a shortage of essential drugs.

As Cameroon prepares to host the much-delayed Africa Cup of Nations competition, what shape is the country in?

Image source, Getty Images

The fast-food chain, KFC, has promised Kenyan customers that it will secure local supplies of potatoes following a backlash when it ran out of imports.

Its restaurants in Kenya had stopped serving fries because of disruption to shipping caused by Covid.

But Kenyans pointed out that local farmers had ample stocks of potatoes.

Some on social media called for a boycott of KFC, questioning why it needed to bring in the vegetable from Egypt.

A representative for the chain said suppliers had to go through quality assurance.

KFC is the latest firm to be hit by Covid disruption.

A chip shortage in Japan has limited McDonalds customers to one small portion of fries per person.

Attendances at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon will be capped at between 60 and 80% of capacity because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) says the authorities in Ethiopian have lifted a five-month-long suspension on its humanitarian work.

"We look forward to resume our many years of humanitarian operations for refugees in Ethiopia," the organisation said.

The authorities in Ethiopia had suspended NRC and other humanitarian organisations over what they termed as misinformation.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

At least two inmates were shot dead and two others are being treated after an attempted jailbreak in Kosere prison in Nigeria' s south-western Osun State.

A spokesperson for the prisons, now known as Nigeria correctional centre, told the BBC that some inmates had injured a warder and were about to force their way out of the facility when security men stopped them.

He said the four inmates were shot and the others who wanted to escape ran back.

The incident happened on Tuesday.

The prison warder who was injured is receiving treatment and is in a stable condition.

In the last two years, Nigeria has witnessed more than a dozen jail breaks with hundreds of inmates escaping.

Several security guards were also killed in some of the incidents.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Eritrean Government

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Eritrea in Tuesday in the first stop on a three-nation Africa tour that will also take him to Kenya and Comoros.

Eritrean Minister of Information Yemane Meskel, in a post on Twitter, external, said that Mr Wang was received by Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and other senior officials at the Asmara International Airport.

Yemane said Wang will be in the country for two days, and will hold talks with the foreign minister and later with President Isaias Afwerki.

China has stepped up efforts to use Covid-19 vaccine donations to cement its influence in Africa, amid renewed warnings by the US to African partners about the so-called debt trap diplomacy.

Zambia are on standby to play at the Africa Cup of Nations should Zimbabwe be banned by Fifa ahead of Sunday's start of the competition.

Image source, Getty Images

A mother and her months-old baby were trampled to death by an elephant in south-eastern Zimbabwe.

The woman, who had been visiting relatives in rural Chipinge district on New Year’s Day, was on her way back home when an elephant charged at them.

Zimbabwe Parks Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo said the elephant suddenly attacked and killed the two on the spot.

The elephant has since been killed.

Human-wildlife conflict is common in some rural parts of Zimbabwe.

Nine people have died and dozens are missing after a boat accident in Tanzania.

The boat was heading to Panza island from Pemba when the accident happened. The passengers had been due to attend a funeral at Panza.

Only six have been rescued alive and are receiving medical attention.

Pemba regional police commander Richard Thadei Mchomvu said the cause of the accident was unknown.

He said the boat had about 40 people but the exact number is unknown.

"The captain has not been found and the weather was not bad, so we do not know the exact cause because it seems the problem was not the wind," Mr Mchovu told the BBC.

Rescue efforts were halted on Tuesday evening and resumed on Wednesday morning.

Image source, Getty Images

Thousands of ethnic Tigrayans deported from Saudi Arabia have been “detained, mistreated, and forcibly disappeared” in Ethiopia, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says in a new report., external

It says Tigrayans who have experienced horrific abuse as undocumented migrants in Saudi custody were locked up in detention facilities after being forcibly returned to Ethiopia.

The deportations and the subsequent abuse happened as the government forces fought against Tigrayan rebels in the war that began in November 2020.

Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians have migrated to Saudi Arabia searching for work over the years and many end up being held for various periods in overcrowded, unsanitary, and abusive conditions.

Tens of thousands were repatriated last year in an agreement between the two countries, with ethnic Tigrayans comprising 40% of the returnees between December 2020 and June last year.

Ethnic Tigrayans were singled out and held in the capital Addis Ababa and elsewhere against their will, according to to HRW.

"Ethiopian authorities are persecuting Tigrayans deported from Saudi Arabia by wrongfully detaining and forcibly disappearing them," said Nadia Hardman, a refugee and migrant rights researcher at HRW.

The Ethiopian government has previously denied targeting Tigrayans on the basis of their ethnicity.

Some of the Tigrayans suffered physical abuse, including beatings with rubber or wooden rods, the HRW report said.

“Saudi Arabia should stop contributing to this abuse by ending the forced return of Tigrayans to Ethiopia and allowing them to seek asylum or resettlement in third countries,” Ms Hardman added.

Ugandan opposition leader and musician Bobi Wine has just released a song entitled Ogenda, a Luganda word that loosely translates as "You will fall".

The song is made directly for President Yoweri Museveni's ears because he has turned his back on his word to bring democracy to the country, he says.

Bobi Wine told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that he had to expose the crimes committed under the president's regime hence the graphic images used in the video.

"The regime in Uganda has invested a whole lot of money to cover up the atrocities," he said.

Bobi Wine said the media in Uganda is gagged and the only way to expose the rot is through music.

"Justice can only happen when we expose the crimes, that is why we continue bringing it up, that is the only way we can fight back," he said.

Here is the full interview:

Eagan Salla
BBC News, Dar es Salaam

Image source, AFP

Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan has lashed out at some top officials who have been criticising her government for taking loans from international bodies.

In a televised address from state house, she said foreign aid was helping her government fulfil its social and development agenda.

The president was receiving progress reports from ministers on how the Covid-19 funds received from development partners had been utilised.

She said unlike other countries that had used such funds to buy protective gear like gloves and masks, Tanzania had used the funds prudently to build new health centres and medical facilities.

She said the money was also being used to put up new classrooms and learning facilities in many parts of the country.

She said she felt betrayed by those who had been criticising her government for taking the loans.

“It’s sad when a person you trust with so much government responsibility does that to you,” she said.

It came a day after parliamentary speaker Job Ndugai made a public apology following his earlier remarks thought to be criticising President Samia's government over the loans.

Last week, Tanzania signed a $1.9bn (£1.4bn) contract with a Turkish contractor to build a 368km (228 miles) third phase of a planned standard-gauge railway link.

Image source, Getty Images

The US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, will travel to Ethiopia this week to told talks with the authorities about the ongoing civil war.

The US State Department said that Mr Feltman was "to engage with senior officials regarding the prospects for a broader peace".

The rebels have in recent times withdrawn to their stronghold Tigray region in the north of Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian government said its troops would not pursue the rebels into the region.

"We do believe this offers an opportunity for both sides to halt combat operations and come to the negotiating table," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

The special envoy's visit comes after the US removed trade privileges for Ethiopia over rights abuse claims.

BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

The United States, Norway, Britain and the European Union have warned the Sudanese military against appointing their own prime minister, saying it would risk plunging the nation into conflict.

The countries said they would not support a prime minister or government appointed without the involvement of a broad range of civilian stakeholders.

The former prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, resigned on Sunday amid a political deadlock and widespread protests resulting from October's military coup.

The Western countries again voiced alarm at the military's actions against protesters - more than 50 have been killed since the coup.

On Tuesday in several cities, security forces fired tear gas to disperse large crowds demonstrating against military rule.

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A fridge designed for areas with no electricity is now helping dispense Covid vaccines in Kenya.