Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka

Image source, Getty Images

Mistakes made during childbirth lead to the deaths of more than 100 babies in Zambia every week, Sylvia Masebo, the country’s minister of health, has said.

Between 10 to 15 women also die each week due to preventable complications from pregnancy or childbirth, the minister is quoted as saying by the state-owned Zambia Daily Mail.

The majority of these stillbirths, maternal and new-born deaths could be avoided through the provision of safe and quality care by skilled health professionals, she said.

She called for the adoption of “comprehensive health systems and community-based approaches”.

The minister made the comments at University Teaching Hospitals (UTH) in the capital, Lusaka, on Tuesday at an event to mark World Patient Safety Day.

Ms Masebo was appointed health minister in September, a month after President Hakainde Hichilema won elections promising to tackle corruption and end Zambia’s economic crisis.

The health ministry has in the past been riddled with accusations of corruption that include the procurement of expired drugs and defective condoms.

Since taking up the job, Ms Masebo has said she sees the decentralisation of health provision as a way overcoming these problems and dealing with bureaucracy.

During her visit to UTH, she was informed by staff about some of the difficulties they face in providing quality healthcare.

She was told that the hospital’s children wing currently owed more than three million Zambia kwacha ($170,000; £126,000) to local firms for drugs supplied in 2019 - a year when the institution only received three of its 12 monthly grants from government.

The health ministry relies heavily on donor funding for its budget – and health professionals are poorly paid and conditions are considered so poor that it is hard to retain staff, especially in rural areas.

This month, Ms Masebo said the government planned to recruit more than 11,000 health workers.

It is not clear whether the salaries have been raised – and whether they will be enough to tempt the more than 700 qualified doctors who are not employed in the health sector because of poor pay to take up the offer.

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News

Image source, AFP

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says that, for the first time in five months, it has delivered medical aid to the war-hit Ethiopia's northern region of Tigray.

The news is a rare glimmer of hope for Tigray, which continues to suffer from shortages of essential supplies, 15 months into the conflict.

The ICRC’s health co-ordinator in the country said the development was “a huge relief”.

The plane - which included essential drugs - arrived in the Tigrayan capital, Mekelle, on Wednesday and the ICRC plans to arrange more flights in the coming days, as well as send convoys by road.

This follows a pledge by the government in Addis Ababa to facilitate airlifts of essential food and medical supplies to the rebel-controlled region.

Though renewed fighting along the border between the Tigray and Afar regions may further complicate the delivery of aid by road.

The ICRC has previously said shortages of basic supplies have forced doctors in Tigray to reuse gloves and surgical equipment.

The World Health Organization recently said it had not been allowed to send medical supplies to Tigray since May last year.

Read more: Tigray hospital running out of food for starving children

Jonathan Paye-Layleh
BBC News, Monrovia

There is outrage in Liberia over the death of a 13-year-old girl after she was allegedly raped by a 47-year-old man in the capital, Monrovia.

It is the third horrific case of sexual assault involving a minor in the last month - and has prompted protests.

Blessing Molton died on Monday, a week after she was attacked - and a day before she was to undergo surgery, according to Liberia’s Frontpage newspaper.

Demonstrators gathered outside parliament on Tuesday to demand that more be done to end sexual violence.

They held up placards calling for an end to rape and justice for Blessing Molton.

In his annual message on Monday, President George Weah said his government was doing everything to tackle the menace.

An eyewitness caught in the stadium crush that killed eight people at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon describes the moment things went wrong.

Nigeria midfielder Alex Iwobi says Super Eagles fans "deserved more" following their exit from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Ghana-Burkina Faso border

Following Monday’s coup in Burkina Faso, the military announced the closure of the country’s borders.

But I have just travelled up from Ghana’s capital, Accra, to the main border post with Burkina Faso to find that it is open with traffic - mainly lorries - passing through.

It is a very busy road as Burkina Faso is landlocked and depends on Ghana’s sea port for imports.

Burkinabès also export lots of tomatoes to Ghana.

Locals on the Ghanaian side are not even aware that borders with its West African neighbour should be shut.

It is business as usual.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, PEN PINTER PRIZE

The European Union has strongly criticised the Ugandan authorities for rearresting the novelist, Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, moments after a court had ordered his release on bail.

His lawyer said plain-clothed men grabbed the author as soon as he stepped out of prison on Tuesday.

The EU statement described the action as a clear disrespect to the rule of law and called for Mr Rukirabashaija’s immediate release.

He was arrested in December after making unflattering remarks about President Yoweri Museveni and his son on social media.

In 2020 the author was interrogated over whether his book The Greedy Barbarian was about Mr Museveni.

He said he was tortured whilst in detention.

Last year won the Pen Pinter Prize for an international writer of courage.

Image source, Parliament of Ghana

Ghanaians online are loving their parliamentary speaker's new look.

Alban Bagbin wore a traditional outfit - with kente fabric and a crown that is worn by chiefs during ceremonies - on Tuesday when parliament reopened after the Christmas break.

Before breaking up for the holidays, he had asked MPs to ditch formal attire like suits and promote locally made traditional outfits.

The speaker said he would do so for ceremonial occasions - and tweeted a photo of his regalia for parliament's opening session:

The response on Twitter was one of approval.

"And that's how a Speaker of Parliament in Ghana dresses, in full African attire. This is beautiful," wrote @ibrahimmalcolm, external.

@SirRay92, external tweeted: "You look splendid Mr Speaker. This is good for Ghana for that matter Africa. Keep it up Sir."

Coach Tom Saintfiet says he wants The Gambia, ranked 150th in the world, to be "respected" and regular participants at the Africa Cup of Nations.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Uganda’s military spy chief Maj Gen Abel Kandiho has been removed from his position weeks after the US imposed financial sanctions on him over alleged human rights abuses.

Maj Gen Kandiho, who was replaced as head of Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) by Maj Gen James Birungi, has been posted to South Sudan to head the Security Monitoring Mechanism, according to a Uganda army statement, external.

The transfer comes just days after President Yoweri Museveni’s son, Lt Gen Kainerugaba Muhoozi, visited Rwanda for talks with President Paul Kagame - a trip that marked warming relations between the neighbouring countries after years of tensions.

Rwanda had earlier accused Maj Gen Kandiho of working with its dissidents.

Maj Gen Kandiho’s deputy has also been redeployed - to head the State House Anti-Corruption Unit.

Essex spin bowler Simon Harmer is named in South Africa's Test squad for next month's tour to New Zealand.

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

The UN has condemned the killing of civilians in cattle raids at Jonglei state in eastern South Sudan.

The UN’s peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan (Unmiss) says armed youth from Murle community carried out attacks and cattle raids in Dungrut and Machined villages, killing 32 people from the Dinka Bor community.

A number of children were reported to have drowned in the river while fleeing from the attackers.

Unmiss is concerned that the attacks have led to people fleeing their homes.

Jonglei state was recently affected by flooding and has in the past seen inter-ethnic conflict.

Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

Image source, Opais

A VIP entourage in Mozambique was swept away in a river in western Mozambique as Tropical Storm Ana batters the country.

The governor of Tete province and Tete city’s mayor were returning from surveying damage wrought by the storm when the four cars in their convoy were whipped away by the River Rovubwe - though they were rescued along with most of the other passengers.

However, three people, including a journalist, are still missing.

At least 15 people in Mozambique have died across the country as a result of the storm, relief authorities say.

Tete province has been worst affected. Six people, including children, have died there - most of them after being crushed by falling walls.

The city of Tete has been disconnected from Moatise district after the bridge on River Rovubwe, a tributary of the major Zambezi River, collapsed.

Ana first hit the north of the country on Monday and has left a trail of destruction that includes homes, hospitals, schools, electricity pylons and bridges.

Although the tropical storm has dissipated, meteorologists say heavy rains, strong winds and thunderstorms will continue in central and northern regions.

Five people have been charged in court after a video was shared widely showing a South African councillor being dragged on the floor inside a building.

The female Eastern Cape councillor, Nanziwe Rulashe, reportedly disagreed with officials and she was dragged out of her offices while kicking and screaming.

Security men seen in the video have been charged with assault and the head of the security at the municipality offices suspended.

A video of the incident has been shared widely:

Ms Rulashe said the incident had traumatised her family and friends.

Some South Africans online have expressed anger at the manhandling of the councillor.

"Wow this is unbelievable. Her dignity has a human being taken just like that," Sanele Makhanya tweeted, external.

At least nine people, including a child, have died following floods and mudslides in Kisoro district in south-western Uganda.

Eight of the bodies had been retrieved by Tuesday afternoon, the Ugandan Red Cross said.

"The ninth is a child that was caught up by the mudslide while running. So no-one knows where exactly to dig," it said.

The heavy rains destroyed homes, roads and other infrastructure.

On Wednesday, the Red Cross said it was providing emergency relief for some 300 families affected by the disaster.

The organisation had earlier tweeted images showing some of the damage:

BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

The US State Department has approved the sale of 12 military transport planes to Egypt, in a deal worth more than $2bn (£1.4bn).

Air defence radar systems and other related equipment are also being sold for another $300m.

The arms sales come despite recent criticism from the US President Joe Biden's administration of Egypt's human rights record.

In September, Washington placed on hold $130m in military aid already budgeted for Egypt.

Officials cited Cairo's failure to improve the rights situation.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The Senegalese army says two of its soldiers have been killed and nine are missing after clashes in The Gambia, a country almost totally surrounded by Senegal.

The troops were part of the West African peacekeeping mission that has been deployed in The Gambia for the past five years.

Senegal's military says the men clashed with southern Senegalese separatists illegally smuggling timber.

It said the separatists were probably holding the nine hostage.

One of the insurgents also died.

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Monday's deadly stampede exposed the troubling side of the Africa Cup of Nations, writes Maher Mezahi.

Liverpool's Sadio Mane scores as Senegal beat nine-man Cape Verde 2-0 in the last 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations, but is then forced off with concussion.