Lalla Sy
BBC News

Image source, AFP

Mali’s military has received two combat helicopters and two sophisticated radar systems from Russia to help in its fight against Islamist militants.

The junta, which seized power in 2020, has developed closer ties with Russia after a series of disagreements with France.

The former colonial power began withdrawing its troops from the West African nation last month after almost 10 years fighting the jihadist threat. About 75% of French troops are reported to have departed.

Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group are now believed to be helping Mali’s military, though the junta has refused to confirm their deployment.

France’s foreign minister said in an interview with France24 on Wednesday that Mali’s military leaders had become "hostage" to the mercenaries from Wagner.

Jean-Yves le Drian accused Wagner of being engaged in human rights abuses and preying on Mali’s resources.

But Mali’s Defence Minister Col Sadio Camara batted away such criticism, saying the equipment from Russia gave the army the autonomy it needed to battle insurgents.

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, NAF

Nigeria's military says it has killed 34 members of a motorbike gang in an air raid in the northern state of Kaduna.

It carried out the operation on Wednesday near Mangoro village, an air force spokesperson said.

Armed gangs, locally known as bandits, have stepped up attacks in recent months, carrying out killings and kidnappings for ransom.

In one of their most audacious attacks yet, bandits armed with explosives and guns ambushed a busy passenger train earlier this week that was travelling between the capital, Abuja, and the city of Kaduna.

They kidnapped a number of passengers for ransom and killed others.

The government is facing a lot of criticism for failing to end the violence despite deploying thousands of troops to fight the gangs and bombarding their forest hideouts.

More on Nigeria's kidnapping crisis:

• Letters replace phones in Nigeria's kidnap zone
• Outrage at Nigeria's brazen bandit attacks
• 'I was kidnapped and now only travel by train'

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

Kenya’s Supreme Court has ruled against President Uhuru Kenyatta’s plan to make broad constitutional changes, saying he had acted unlawfully.

Known as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), the government had sought to overturn its rejection by lower courts.

It was a lengthy ruling on a number of technical issues by the seven Supreme Court judges.

Some points went in the government’s favour, but in essence the ruling means the proposal cannot proceed.

A majority of the judges agreed with the lower courts that such changes to the constitution should be citizen-led - rather than initiated by a head of state.

They also said the creation of 70 new constituencies without public participation was unconstitutional.

As well as creating more MPs, the idea had been to expand the executive to include a prime minister and deputy prime ministers.

BBI was the brainchild of Mr Kenyatta and his former rival, opposition leader Raila Odinga - but it was not backed by Deputy President William Ruto, who has fallen out with his boss.

As a result it has become linked to the battle to succeed President Kenyatta, who is due to step down in August after serving two terms.

Emery Makumeno
BBC News, Kinshasa

Image source, AFP

The Democratic Republic of Congo's economy minister is set to leave office after he losing a no-confidence vote in parliament over the soaring cost of living.

Before the vote, Jean-Marie Kalumba had blamed hikes in the prices of oil, coal and cereals on the crisis in Ukraine.

He explained that DR Congo imported 55% of its wheat from Russia and 15% from Ukraine.

Imports had also been affected by the fact that sea-freight costs had risen by 700% in less than a year, he said.

But MPs were having none of it - and the majority voted for his removal less than a year since he took office.

Mr Kalumba is the first member in President Félix Tshisekedi's cabinet to voted out by parliament.

More on this topic:

• Ukraine war: What next for the African students who fled?
• Why so many African and Indian students were in

Augustine Eguavoen steps down as Nigeria boss after the Super Eagles fail to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News

Image source, AFP

Niger has announced a plan to recruit 5,000 soldiers to boost its fight against various Islamists militants groups that the army is battling.

It shows the seriousness of the situation the military faces - and is 3,000 more recruits than the army's usual annual intake.

The military said the recruitment - of those aged between 18 and 25 -would be done in May.

The landlocked West African nation is grappling with:

• Boko Haram fighters in the south, near its border with Nigeria
• And militants linked to Islamic State groups and al-Qaeda in the west, bordering Mali and Burkina Faso.

The recruitment comes as France plans to withdraw its troops from neighbouring Mali - potentially leaving a vacuum - after nearly a decade in the fight against extremist groups in the Sahel region.

Niger President Bazoum Mohammed had hoped the French troops would be redeployed to his country, but that has yet to be agreed on.

More on this topic:

• Sahel jihadists: West Africa faces up to policing its terror triangle
• Why France faces so much anger in West Africa

Chinaza, a Nigerian student, is scrambling to continue his studies since escaping the war in Ukraine.

Vumani Mkhize
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, Getty Images

A South African woman who went on a spending spree after erroneously receiving nearly $1m (£700,000) in her bank account has been found guilty of theft and jailed for five years.

Sibongile Mani received 14m rand instead of her monthly student grant of 1,400 rand in June 2017 and started spending it immediately, the court heard during her trial.

The money came from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) - through payment services firm IntelliMali - while she was a student at Walter Sisulu University.

Ms Mani did not report the error - instead, within two hours of receiving it, she started spending the money.

By the time her account was blocked, she had used nearly $70,000 in 48 places across the country in 73 days.

It went on weaves, mobile phones, alcohol, bedding, gift cards and luxury goods.

In handing down her judgment, East London Regional Magistrate Twanette Olivier noted that it was remarkable that Ms Mani had managed to splurge so much across the country each day.

She said that many students would have been affected had IntelliMali not paid back the money she had spent.

The magistrate also noted that the spending was inspired by "greed not need", dismissing an argument that she was a victim of an impoverished background.

“The only sentence that is appropriate is direct imprisonment," she said.

Ms Mani's lawyer said her client would appeal at a hearing on 11 April.

The case has sparked nationwide debate, with some seeing what she did as justifiable in a country with one of the most unequal societies in the world - and where a lot more is lost through corruption.

The five-year sentence has also drawn widespread criticism, with many feeling it was too harsh for a young first-time offender who happened to come across a large amount of money in her account.

The 31-year-old will be eligible for parole after serving one third of her five-year sentence.

Image source, Getty Images

Zambia's energy minister says the country will go ahead with plans to import electrical poles despite a call for them to be sourced locally.

Many had felt the government should fulfil its pre-election promise to help local entrepreneurs and farmers by procuring the treated wooden poles at home.

But Energy Minister Peter Chibwe said it was more "prudent" to procure the poles at factory costs from abroad.

His statement added that importing the poles would lead to a "serious reduction in cutting down of trees for making charcoal and hence the slowing down of deforestation in Zambia at a time we are facing effects of climate change".

Mr Chibwe said the poles would help clear 60,000 pending connections through the better distribution of power.

Other items to be imported include insulators, earthing materials, transformers and cables.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Two states in Somalia are yet to conclude voting for their parliamentary seats as a 31 March deadline lapses.

The country uses a complex and indirect system - a one-person-one-vote election has not be held for more than 50 years.

MPs are chosen by delegates appointed by clan elders and members of civil society who are selected by regional state officials. The MPs then vote for a new president.

Six seats are yet to be voted in for south-central Hirshabelle state, while southern Jubbaland is yet to fill 16 seats because of an ongoing political tussle.

More than 90% of the country’s 275 parliamentary seats have been filled and the MPs are expected to be sworn in next month.

Somalia risks losing economic and security support from regional and international partners over consistent election delays - several deadlines have been missed since February 2021.

US sanctions against unnamed individuals linked to the election delays have failed to hasten the process.

Kenyan police say they have taken disciplinary action against a policeman filmed forcing his way into a private car through a window on a busy road in the capital.

The incident, which has been shared widely on social media, was captured by a local TV crew in Nairobi's central business district.

The clip shows the policeman in uniform forcefully entering the vehicle through the passenger window before ejecting the driver, who walks away.

The policeman then drives the vehicle away with the passenger.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations on Twitter, external said there appeared to be some argument that “degenerated into an ugly scene”.

“The cop took one step back, removed his cap and shoved his left foot through the co-driver’s window gaining entry to the vehicle, with little regard to the passenger occupying the passenger seat,” it said about the incident.

It noted that the “distasteful conduct” of the policeman had attracted online condemnation

The National Police Service said the officer had been identified and action was being taken.

“We reiterate that it is imperative for individual police officers to discharge their mandate professionally, diligently and with high levels of discipline,” it said.

Kenyan police are often accused of brutality.

Image source, AFP

The Supreme Court in Kenya is due to rule on a controversial government-backed proposal aimed at amending the country's constitution and potentially expanding the executive and legislature.

Known as the Building Bridges Initiative, it has already been rejected by the High Court and the Court of Appeal as unconstitutional.

The attorney-general and two others appealed over four main issues, including whether a sitting president can initiate a constitutional amendment process without going through parliament.

The debate over the initiative is closely linked to the battle to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is due to step down in August after serving two terms.

Critics see the proposal to expand the executive arm of government as a way to reward politicians.

President Kenyatta and opposition politician Raila Odinga support it, arguing that they will end the winner-take-all structure of Kenyan politics.

Deputy President William Ruto, who has fallen out with Mr Kenyatta, opposes the initiative.

Read more on this topic:

• Kenya's BBI blocked in scathing court verdict for President Kenyatta
• Is Kenya building bridges to nowhere?

Image source, Getty Images

Tunisian President Kais Saïed has dissolved parliament, which he suspended eight months ago following mass protests.

It came after MPs convened online on Wednesday and voted to repeal presidential decrees that have given him near total power since last year.

The president termed the parliament's move a "coup attempt".

He said parliament had "lost its legitimacy" and had "betrayed" the nation - and the MPs responsible would be prosecuted.

Mr Saïed suspended parliament, assumed executive powers and moved to rewrite the constitution eight months ago. He has since ruled by decree.

Since then, anger at economic conditions in Tunisia has sparked street protests, some involving clashes with the police.

More on this story:

• Tunisians question whether life is better after Arab Spring

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja

More than a dozen people including women and children fleeing attacks by armed gangs have drowned in the central Nigerian state of Niger when their boat capsized.

Emergency officials say eight bodies, including those of two women and six children, have been recovered while five people are still missing.

A search and rescue operation is under way.

The victims from the village of Galkogo were fleeing a deadly attack by gunmen on their community on Tuesday.

Their boat then capsized on a major river. Some managed to escape but many drowned. Officials say the boat was weak and overloaded.

Armed gangs, locally known as bandits, have stepped up attacks in northern Nigeria displacing nearly a million people.

On Monday, they attacked a busy passenger train travelling from the capital, Abuja, to the northern city of Kaduna killing, nearly a dozen people and kidnapping others.

The government is facing severe criticism for failing to tackle the worsening violence despite deploying thousands of troops.

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Hundreds of migrants, many of them minors, are ending up in prison in Italy charged with trafficking.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team. There will be an automated news feed here until we're back on Thursday morning.

You can also keep up to date on the BBC News website, or by listening to the Africa Today podcast.

A reminder of our wise words of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture of members of the Algerian military in Algiers as the country's president met US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken earlier on Wednesday:

Image source, AFP

Ameyu Etana
BBC Afaan Oromoo

Eighteen people have died and at least 15 others have been injured in an attack by armed men in Fentalle, an area of Ethiopia’s Oromia region.

The dead include three federal police officers and members of a local militia who were returning from an operation, according to a local leader in the region, Ababu Wako.

The reason behind the attack is not yet clear and it is currently under investigation.

Regional authorities suspect armed men from a neighbouring region might be behind the incident.

There have long been disputes over territory in the area.

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa is to dispose of more than 90,000 Pfizer Covid vaccines at the end of this month, when they are due to expire.

It is the country’s first such disposal of coronavirus-related material.

Another 900,000 doses are due to expire in May, and 10.5 million more by the end of July.

The health department says it has enough stock in hand of both Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson to vaccinate all eligible citizens. But the Pfizer vaccine has a short shelf life of nine months compared to Johnson & Johnson’s 24 months.

South Africa, which has been the epicentre of the Covid outbreak on the continent, has imported or received donations of more than 39 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the last year and more than 20 million of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The authorities are also facing vaccine hesitancy as the pandemic weakens.

About 44% of South African adults have been fully vaccinated against Covid, which falls below an initial target of 67%.

Read more:

• The women fighting South Africa's 'infodemic'

Image source, AFP

The BBC has been allowed to resume its operations in Burundi, three years after it was banned from the country.

Burundi's media authority - the National Communications Council (CNC) - made the announcement after a meeting on Wednesday in the commercial city of Bujumbura.

The BBC had its licence withdrawn on 29 March 2019 - and no reporter was allowed to work for or pass information on to the broadcaster.

It followed BBC reports that it said had damaged the reputation of the government of the late President Pierre Nkunrunziza - in particular an investigation into alleged secret torture sites used to silence dissent, which it had dismissed as “fake news”.

At the time of the ban Burundi had 1.3 million BBC viewers and listeners in the country.

The move was condemned by rights groups - Amnesty International said it formed part of "brazen efforts by the Burundian authorities to silence the media".

CNC boss Vestine Nahimana told the press briefing the council took the decision to allow BBC radio to start operating immediately after a request from the broadcaster.

She explained that President Évariste Ndayishimiye had initiated the easing of restrictions on sanctioned news outlets.

The current president, who is Mr Nkunrunziza’s chosen successor, came to power after winning elections in 2020 - a few months earlier than expected as Mr Nkunrunziza died in office.

Since he has been in power, frosty relations with the US and EU have eased. Sanctions were lifted in February after what Washington called "significantly decreased violence" and some political reforms.