Emery Makumeno
BBC News, Kinshasa

Image source, Getty Images

Famous Belgian action film hero Jean-Claude van Damme, also known as the Muscles from Brussels, says he is thrilled to have been given a Congolese diplomatic passport - and says he aims to get other stars to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"I am going to try to convince international stars like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Jacky Chan and many others,” the 61-year-old said in the capital, Kinshasa, as he accepted his passport and role as cultural, youth and wildlife ambassador for the country.

“There are also singers like Jennifer Lopez and footballers like Messi, Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo. They must come to the country to show that it is safe, to show that Congo can protect those in showbiz.”

DR Congo has faced decades of instability, with numerous armed groups still roaming the mineral-rich east of the country, killing, raping and looting.

A one-time martial arts champion, Van Damme went on to star in big-budget Hollywood action movies such as Cyborg, Kickboxer and Universal Soldier - and more recently voiced Master Croc in the Kung Fu Panda films

He is known for his tough guy persona.

He surprised people at the press conference by saying he had actually been born in DR Congo, explaining that he was “a native of Likasi”, a city in the south-east of the country.

This would have been in the year that the country gained its independence from Belgium.

He also highlighted the importance of attracting investment into DR Congo.

"DR Congo is worth $36tn [£27tn] in minerals... my job is to find investors who understand that they have to give first before receiving, and to have a maximum honesty with President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi."

However, some have questioned the actor's new passport, as DR Congo's constitution bans dual nationality.

The Ghanaian village of Adamorobe is unique in that 3% of its total population is deaf.

Nigerian monobob athlete Simidele Adeagbo is on a quest to change qualifying rules for the Winter Olympics, which she argues are biased against women.

Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

Image source, Getty Images

At least eight people have died in crocodile attacks this year in the Mozambican province of Manica bordering Zimbabwe.

The authorities are calling for the culling of the reptiles to reduce their population.

Authorities would soon get a company to collect crocodile eggs in order to reduce population growth, Rafael Manjate, the provincial director for environment said.

Most of the crocodile attacks occurred along rivers in the districts of Mossurize, Vanduzi and Machaze.

Mr Manjante said the reptiles were a threat to the lives of people especially those living along river banks.

"The most worrying example is the Vanduzi River, where there are many crocodile families, and it is a priority right now to look for a way to reduce them," he said.

The official also cited attacks by lions and elephants.

He called for help from the national government, saying the province did not have enough capacity to resolve human-wildlife conflicts.

Attacks by wild animals are common in rural areas, with flooding in recent months raising the risks of crocodile attacks along river banks.

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News

Image source, Ethiopian Prime Minister's Office

Ethiopia has called a joint investigation by rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleging war crimes in the Tigray region "unhelpful".

The government has however vowed to "examine" the accusations that include unlawful killings, forceful expulsion, and mass detentions.

The civil war in the country’s north, now in its 17th month, has left thousands dead and millions in need of aid.

The report, which came out following months of research and interviews with hundreds of people, was the not the first to allege grave abuses in Tigray.

It is also not the first report about which Addis Ababa has conveyed discontent.

Amnesty and HRW accused government allied forces from Amhara of waging "a campaign of ethnic cleansing" against Tigrayans with the approval and possible participation of federal authorities.

Without entirely rejecting the claims, the federal government accused the rights groups of overlooking abuses by Tigrayan forces and interfering in its internal matters relating to domestic boundaries.

Ethiopia’s civil war has been marked by allegations of crimes against civilians, in which all warring parties - including the army, its allies from Amhara and neighbouring Eritrea as well as Tigrayan rebels - have been accused by rights groups.

Samba Cyuzuzo
BBC Great Lakes

Image source, AFP

Rwanda is holding a subdued memorial at the Kigali genocide memorial, for the 1994 genocide that left about 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu moderates dead in just 100 days.

Similar events are being held at sites across districts - but they have been restricted to not more than two hours.

Rwanda has been holding low-key memorials of the genocide following the outbreak of the Covid pandemic.

Previously the government held weeklong events to commemorate the genocide.

This year the famous 'Walk to Remember' and night vigil at the Kigali main stadium have been suspended "to limit the spread of Covid”, the government said.

The genocide was sparked by the death of the Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, when his plane was shot down above Kigali airport on 6 April 1994.

Read more on this topic:

• Rwanda genocide: 100 days of slaughter
• Genocide hunters: Fight for Rwandan justice

Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon sign 18-year-old Ghana winger Abdul Fatawu Issahaku from Steadfast FC on a five-year deal.

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja

Nigerian gunmen who staged a deadly attack on a busy train last week have released one of the captives they abducted during the incident.

Some 168 people are missing and it is not clear how many of them were kidnapped for ransom - some may have gone home without telling the authorities.

Family sources have confirmed to the BBC that Alwan Hassan, the head of Nigeria’s Bank of Agriculture, was released on Wednesday evening.

The banker in his 60’s was the first captive to be freed.

In a video message, the gunmen said they released Mr Hassan because they "pity’’ him given his ‘"old age, the passionate pleas he made and in the spirit of Ramadan’’.

One of the gunmen said the government must meet their demands before they release the remaining "many abductees’’ - without mentioning those demands and the number of people they are still holding.

They also did not say which group they were working for. But they said they’re not seeking any ransom.

‘"What we need is not your money. You know our demands," they said, referring to the government.

The governor of Kaduna state Nasir el-Rufai has blamed elements from the militant group Boko Haram for the attack.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

A 19-year-old demonstrator was shot and killed by security forces during the latest protests against last year's coup, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said.

Police also stormed a hospital in the capital, Khartoum, and fired tear gas inside the wards on Wednesday.

Ninety-four protesters are now known to have died since Sudanese army officers derailed the transition to civilian rule in October.

Image source, Getty Images

Kenyan standards regulator is reportedly investigating the safety of popular chocolate Kinder Joy that has been recalled elsewhere in Europe over health concerns.

The Kenya Bureau of Standards told the Business Daily newspaper, external that samples of the products in the Kenyan market would be tested.

The Food Standards Agency in the UK recalled products by Italian chocolate-maker Ferrero – the producer of Kinder Joy - this week over a link to 63 cases of salmonella mostly in young children.

Ferrero said that none of its Kinder products released for sale had tested positive for salmonella.

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can cause symptoms including diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps in humans.

More cases have reportedly been recorded in Europe, including Ireland, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, AFP

A motorcade of former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan was involved in a road crash in the capital, Abuja.

The Wednesday evening accident claimed the lives of two policemen attached to him.

His spokesman Ikechukwu Eze told the BBC that the former president was not personally affected in the accident.

Mr Eze said it was only the vehicle carrying the policemen that skidded off the road when the driver lost control.

It occurred when Mr Jonathan, who is a special envoy of the regional bloc Ecowas, was leaving the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to his residence in the city.

Mr Jonathan has expressed deep sadness over the death of the two police officers, the spokesman said in a statement.

Two other policemen sustained injuries in the crash and were taken to a hospital for medical attention.

Azeezat Olaoluwa
Women’s affairs reporter, BBC News, Lagos

Image source, AFP

A Nigerian court has ordered the government to enforce the country's gender policy which stipulates that 35% of appointments in public offices be reserved for women.

Justice Donatus Okorowo's ruling has been hailed by rights campaigners.

Nigerian women groups have been calling for more women representation in political and appointive positions.

Activist Mufuliat Fijabi, who was present during the ruling, told local media that she was happy with the judgement.

This comes as Nigerian lawmakers are expected to vote again on three of the five rejected gender equality bills this week.

Parliament rescinded its decision last month after women groups held protests across the country.

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has dismissed a move by the prime minister to expel the African Union’s special representative in the country.

Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble earlier said that Francisco Madeira had been declared persona non grata for engaging in “acts that are incompatible with his status”.

In a statement, he said that the AU representative had 48 hours to leave the country.

But dismissing the move, Mr Farmajo said the government “doesn't endorse any illegal action” and “our foreign policy is not anchored on emotions and vested interests against Mr Madeira”.

The counter action comes amid a long-running fractious relationship between President Farmajo and the prime minister.

Political tensions between the two have been blamed for delays in concluding parliamentary elections that have been running since last February.

Mr Madeira, who is from Mozambique, was appointed to the AU position in 2015.

Lalla Sy
BBC News, Abidjan

Image source, AFP

Burkina Faso’s ousted President Roch Kaboré has been allowed to return to his home in the capital, Ouagadougou, the military government said in a statement.

Mr Kaboré was under house arrest in a ministerial villa in the capital since January when he was ousted in a coup led by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, who is now the head of state.

His party confirmed to the BBC that he had been freed, without giving further details.

The announcement of his release comes after weeks of consultations.

It also follows calls by the international community for his freedom.

The government added that measures were being taken to ensure his safety.

BBC World Service

The military authorities in Mali say they have opened an investigation into an alleged massacre of civilians by Malian troops and foreign fighters.

Mali's army said last Friday that it had killed more than 200 Islamist militants during 10 days of fighting in the central Moura region.

But the United States, the EU and the UN have called for an independent investigation into reports that hundreds of civilians were killed by government troops and Russian mercenaries known as the Wagner group.

Thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed in Mali's 10-year conflict with Islamist militants.

More on this story:

• Mali troops and suspected Russian fighters accused of massacre

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The Grammy-award winner speaks to the BBC about the joy of his win and desire to never be pigeon-holed.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team. There'll 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.

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We leave you with a photo from an exhibition in France's southern city of Marseilles - it is a painting of Emir Abdelkader, the Algerian military hero who resisted French colonisation

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The widow of Burkina Faso's Marxist revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara has welcomed a tribunal's decision to give his successor, ex-President Blaise Compaoré, a life sentence in absentia for involvement in murdering her husband in 1987.

"I think that the people of Burkina Faso and the public opinion now know who is Thomas Sankara, who is the man, who is the politician, what he wanted, and also what the people who assassinated him wanted. From that point of view I am relieved because we know who he is," Miriam Sankara said.

Family member Mousbila Sankara said he hoped the verdict would bring closure.

"We hope that this will serve as a lesson, in an educational sense, to everyone, to the victim's families, to the public, and others. Because this is something that has affected not only local people, but supporters outside the country. So we are hoping that this verdict will diffuse the resentment we had," he said.

Sankara, 37, was gunned down along with 12 others during the 1987 coup that brought Compaoré to power.

He remains a hero for many because of his anti-imperialist stance and austere lifestyle.

Compaoré is living in exile, and did not co-operate with the tribunal that convicted him.

• Read more: Thomas Sankara murder: Ex-Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré found guilty

Nigeria midfielder Kelechi Nwakali makes a series of allegations against Huesca after having his contract terminated, which the Spanish club deny.