1. Burkina Faso confirms two civilians died in couppublished at 11:06 Greenwich Mean Time 21 February 2022

    BBC Monitoring
    The world through its media

    Burkina Faso’s coup leader Paul-Henri DamibaImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Paul-Henri Damiba was sworn in on 16 February as interim president

    Burkina Faso's transitional president, Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba, has called for an investigation to assess fatal events during the 24 January military coup.

    Two civilians were killed and a dozen others were injured by stray bullets during the military takeover, according to a statement released by the presidency.

    Mr Damiba ordered that the families of the victims be taken care of, reassuring them that all measures would be taken to support them.

    A girl who was among those injured is still waiting for a bullet to be removed from her lung, Radio Omega reported.

    Mr Damiba, who was sworn in on 16 February as interim president, has vowed to do everything possible to guarantee justice for all the people of Burkina Faso.

  2. Somalia, sexism and mepublished at 10:25 Greenwich Mean Time 21 February 2022

    What it is like trying to do a job in a culture where women traditionally take second place to men.

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  3. Ethiopians in Kenya rally over missing businessmanpublished at 10:06 Greenwich Mean Time 21 February 2022

    Ethiopians living in Nairobi demonstrate

    Ethiopians living in Kenya's capital Nairobi are holding demonstrations against the alleged abduction of a businessman three months ago.

    Samson Teklemichael was taken out of his car in broad daylight by people believed to be police officers.

    His whereabouts remains unknown and the Ethiopian embassy in Kenya has asked the government for information about him.

    Mr Samson's businesses are in the oil and gas industries, and he was reportedly coming from a meeting when he was abducted.

    Here are some photos of the demonstration taken by the BBC's Jeff Sauke:

    Ethiopians living in Nairobi demonstrate
    Ethiopians living in Nairobi demonstrate
  4. Nigeria seizes tonnes of hides on sale as foodpublished at 09:01 Greenwich Mean Time 21 February 2022

    Ishaq Khalid
    BBC News, Abuja

    A woman tries to buy cow skin, Nigeria's delicacy popularly called Pomo, displayed at Ketu Market in Lagos, on July 24, 2020Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Cow hides are cooked as a popular delicacy, known as ponmo

    Nigerian authorities say they have seized 120 tonnes of imported animal hides and skins in Lagos city.

    The hides were intercepted because of suspicions they had already been processed with chemicals for use in leather industries yet were now being sold as food, the national food and drug agency, Nafdac, said.

    In Nigeria, cow hides are cooked as a popular delicacy known as ponmo.

    It’s not yet clear from which countries the hides were imported from.

    Nafdac said seven suspects have been arrested.

    It added that the raids on warehouses were carried out following "several complaints" by members of the public regarding the distribution and sale of such products it described as "dangerous".

  5. Two held as Mozambican police seize 11 tuskspublished at 07:49 Greenwich Mean Time 21 February 2022

    Jose Tembe
    BBC News, Maputo

    Ivory trafficking is common in MozambiqueImage source, OPais
    Image caption,

    Police officers pretended to be buyers so as to arrest the suspects

    Mozambican authorities have seized 11 elephant ivory tusks from a house in the western city of Tete.

    Two people have been detained in connection with the case.

    The tusks were in a sack and weighed about 47 kilos (103 lbs) and were to be sold at about $16 (£12) a kilo, the police said.

    The detained suspects have denied involvement in the crime saying they only brokered the sale.

    The country's National Criminal Investigation Service spokeswoman, Celina Roque, said police officers pretended to be buyers so as to arrest the suspects.

    Last month, the police seized 50 elephant tusks from a house on the outskirts of the capital Maputo.

    Such cases are common in Mozambique and many do not come to the attention of the authorities - even as poaching remains a threat to wildlife.

    Unlicensed slaughter of any protected or prohibited species is punishable by penalties ranging from 12 to 16 years in prison.

  6. Dozens of Zimbabwe opposition supporters detainedpublished at 06:22 Greenwich Mean Time 21 February 2022

    BBC World Service

    Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party supporters gathered at Zimbabwe Grounds where party leader Nelson Chamisa gave the keynote address for the launch the new party in Harare, February 20 2020.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Thousands of opposition supporters gathered in the capital Harare

    At least 80 supporters of an opposition party in Zimbabwe remain in detention after they were arrested in the city of Masvingo over the weekend.

    They were rounded up ahead of a rally in the capital Harare on Sunday, which launched the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party's campaign for parliamentary by-elections next month, the party said.

    It's not clear if they've been charged.

    The CCC is led by Nelson Chamisa, the former leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) – which has suffered numerous splits since it was founded more than two decades ago.

    Thousands of Mr Chamisa’s supporters – many wearing T-shirts in the party's colour, yellow – gathered to greet him in Harare as the party held its first big rally ahead of the by-elections.

    The elections in March are for nearly 30 parliamentary constituencies, as well as local authority seats.

    Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party began campaigning earlier this month.

  7. Kenyans laud pilots for landing during Storm Eunicepublished at 05:41 Greenwich Mean Time 21 February 2022

    Kenyans online are praising two pilots working for the national carrier, Kenya Airways, for successfully landing planes amid Storm Eunice in Europe.

    One of the pilots, Ruth Karauri, landed at London's Heathrow airport while Clive Nyachieo landed at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

    Ms Karauri's landing was documented by a live streaming service viewed by millions of people.

    The Kenyan pilot later recorded a video at the cockpit with her first officer Ayoob Harunany, explaining how they landed:

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    Mr Nyachieo had landed shortly after a cargo flight abandoned landing at Schiphol airport because of the extreme weather conditions.

    Kenyans have been praising both pilots throughout the weekend.

    "#StormEunice also affected a large part of Europe and Capt Clive Nyachieo did an outstanding job landing the 787 at Amsterdam. Congrats!," Kenya's Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge tweeted., external

    "Salute to Captain Ruth Karauri. She's motivating aviators out there that it is possible irrespective of gender. Salute to Kenya Airways for producing competent and skilful personalities," Manuel wrote on Twitter., external

  8. Morocco protesters demand reform amid rising costspublished at 04:36 Greenwich Mean Time 21 February 2022

    BBC World Service

    Moroccans gather in front of the parliament in the capital Rabat to protest against rising prices, on February 20, 2022.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    There were protests across Morocco including in the capital, Rabat

    Protests broke out in cities across Morocco on Sunday against rising prices and to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the launch of a major reform movement.

    February 20th was a pro-reform and anti-corruption group born out of the Arab Spring uprisings that rocked the Middle East in 2011.

    Hundreds of people demonstrated in the North African country's city of Casablanca, brandishing banners calling for the release of political prisoners.

    Many speakers addressed the crowds, and lamented that none of their demands for social justice, gender equality among others, have been achieved in 11 years.

    There were similar protests in the capital, Rabat, and in Tangiers.

    Morocco's economy has been hit hard by drought and the coronavirus pandemic.

    A similar campaign has been taking place on social media platforms under the hashtag "no to price hikes".

    Some posted video footage of themselves on their bikes having abandoned their cars as they could not afford the higher petrol prices.

  9. Wise words for Monday 21 February 2022published at 04:36 Greenwich Mean Time 21 February 2022

    Our African proverb of the day:

    Quote Message

    The keeper of a loaned cow milks it, but is always looking out."

    A Luo proverb sent by Patric Juma in Kisumu, Kenya.

    A cow illustration

    Click here to send us your African proverbs.

  10. How the fight stands against Sahel jihadistspublished at 22:10 Greenwich Mean Time 17 February 2022

    The BBC's Anne Soy considers the impact of France's decision to withdraw troops from Mali.

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  11. Why the Ethiopia conflict matters to the worldpublished at 00:06 Greenwich Mean Time 15 November 2021

    The stability of the Horn of Africa in part rests on a peaceful resolution to Ethiopia's civil war.

    Read More
  12. Minister hopes to change travel tests by half-termpublished at 13:48 British Summer Time 8 October 2021

    The transport secretary plans to replace the expensive PCR Covid tests needed after entering the UK.

    Read More
  13. The near-death experience that made me a musicianpublished at 01:00 British Summer Time 19 May 2021

    Tony Kofi is the fifth of seven brothers and was raised by his Ghanaian parents in Nottingham in the late 1960s.

    At secondary school Tony was turned down for the music course he wanted to do, told he wasn’t focused enough, and directed to do woodwork instead. He stuck with woodwork as he was really good at it, and left school at the age of 16 to become a carpentry apprentice. A few months in, working on a house construction, he fell from the roof arch to the ground floor where he landed on his head. Tony says he experienced the fall in slow motion and he had clear visions of unknown faces and places and saw images of himself playing an instrument. During his recovery it was that image which kept coming back to him. Tony made the decision to quit his apprenticeship and announced his intention to become a musician. He bought a saxophone and taught himself how to play by ear, before earning a full scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in the US.

    Scroll forward many years, Tony is now a highly-acclaimed jazz saxophonist and credits the fall with turning his whole life around.

  14. I witnessed the plane crash that killed my sisterspublished at 01:00 British Summer Time 21 April 2021

    Harriet Ware-Austin grew up between the UK and Ethiopia where her father worked. It was a unique and wonderful upbringing but that all changed suddenly in April 1972 when East African Airways Flight 720 departed from Addis Ababa airport en route to England. On board were Harriet’s two older sisters who were travelling back to the UK for school. Harriet and her parents waved them goodbye from a viewing platform and watched the aeroplane taxi down the runway and briefly lift off. Tragedy struck when very soon afterwards the plane crashed down resulting in the deaths of 43 people including both of Harriet’s sisters, Jane aged fourteen and Caroline who was twelve.

    The family moved back to the UK and had to adapt to the silence of life without the two girls and the reluctance in society to talk openly about death and grief. The transition was a “horrible shock” and Harriet felt she had a responsibility to compensate for the loss of her siblings and to avoid making any trouble for her parents.

    This event has had a profound effect on Harriet’s life and the decisions she has made since. Now a human rights consultant, Harriet has recently decided to try and track down survivors and other relatives of the crash victims to find out how the course of their lives were also changed in that moment.

    Is there an extraordinary turning point in your life that you’d like to share? You can contact the programme at Lifechanging@bbc.co.uk