Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has told the African Union (AU) that the continent is the "hostage" of Russia's war in Ukraine, the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.

The president's speech comes nearly 10 weeks after he first asked to address the continental body. A second request was also rebuffed.

On Monday, Mr Zelensky also said the global grain crisis would last as long as Russia's "colonial war", AFP reports.

Sharing the news of the address, the chairperson of the AU commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, tweeted that the African Union had reiterated the "urgent need for dialogue to end the conflict".

Much of the world has supported Ukraine in the face of the Russian advance, but diplomatically Africa has been divided.

In March, 17 African countries abstained in a UN vote to condemn the invasion and calling for the immediate withdrawal of its forces. Eritrea was one of only five countries in the world that voted against Russian sanctions.

The continent is also feeling the effect of rising wheat prices which have been partly caused by the conflict.

On a recent visit to Russia, Senegal's President Macky Sall said African countries were innocent victims of the war. He appealed to Ukraine and Russia to help ease their suffering.

In response to Monday's address, President Sall said that "Africa remains committed to respecting the rules of international law, the peaceful resolution of conflicts and freedom of trade".

Jonathan Paye-Layleh
BBC News, Monrovia

The last batch of 268 Ivorian refugees in Liberia, some of whom had been in the country for more than 20 years, have been repatriated.

The Ivorian refugees started streaming across the border into Liberia in 2010 when violence broke out following a hotly contested presidential election.

Political violence and uncertainty since that election has sent more refugees across the border into Liberia.

The weekend repatriation of the last batch of these refugees was overseen by Filippo Grandi, the head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

The evacuation means those opting to remain in Liberia would now be there as ordinary Ivorian citizens living in a foreign country, the UNHCR chief said.

Mr Grandi was expected to make a formal declaration in the Ivorian city of Abidjan later on Monday about the status of the asylum seekers who choose to remain.

Shortly before crossing the border with the refugees, he told journalists in the Liberian border town of Butuo that more than 90% of Ivorians had now returned to their country.

"The country [Ivory Coast] is peaceful, it’s prosperous, it’s reconciled and they have a bright future there,” he said.

He added that a small number of refugees had opted to stay in Liberia because they had some links there, including by marriage.

He said Liberia had agreed they could stay there under its protection.

The Liberian refugee agency has lately called on the Ivorian government to grant passports to its citizens remaining in Liberia in order to process them as Ivorian nationals living in Liberia.

Mr Grandi tweeted about the event:

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur hopes to chase down world number one Iga Swiatek after moving up to a career-high third in the WTA rankings.

A superb all-round display from Anthony Hawkins-Kay helps Jersey beat Kenya by 96 runs in ICC Challenge League B.

The gold tooth of the assassinated Congolese independence hero and PM was all that remained of Mr Lumumba.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

The army in Burkina Faso says at least 128 jihadist fighters have been killed in three military operations.

It says both air and ground security operations were intensified between mid-May and mid-June.

Burkina Faso has suffered frequent jihadist attacks since 2015.

Last month militants raided the town of Seytenga in the northern Sahel region killing more than 80 people and displacing thousands.

In January the military seized power in a coup, blaming the government for failing to tackle the insecurity.

Image source, EPA

In a dignified ceremony in the Belgian capital, Brussels, the only known remains of Congolese independence leader Patrice Lumumba were returned to his family.

The gold-crowned tooth of the executed leader was taken by a Belgian policeman who had been charged with disposing of the body of Congo's first prime minister.

Lumumba's daughter, Juliana, gave an emotional speech at the ceremony:

Image source, AFP

Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo also spoke:

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

Image source, AFP

Hundreds of Zimbabwe’s public sector health workers have gone on strike over low wages and poor working conditions.

It follows a worsening economic crisis that has seen thousands of health workers leave public service in the last three years.

The cost of food and services has more than doubled recently as a result of the war in Ukraine and the annual inflation reached just over 130% in May - one of the highest in the world.

Nurses, senior doctors and radiographers are among those expected to withdraw their services on Monday.

Union leaders acknowledge that patients may die as a result of the strike, but say they cannot feed their families.

They added that the government had refused to engage them.

On Saturday, the government said it would double wages in July, but a union official has told the BBC that the amount proposed would still be below a living wage.

The public health system has collapsed over the last 20 years due to neglect and poor administration.

Read more:

• Zimbabwe clinics struggle for nurses after exodus to the UK

Image source, Getty Images

South African Sean Davison has been released from three years of house arrest after being found guilty in 2019 of premeditated murder for helping three people to kill themselves.

“I do not regret for one minute what I did,” he is quoted by the Times Live news site as saying.

The 59 year old was arrested in September 2018 in connection with the death of his friend in 2013, who had become a quadriplegic after a car accident.

He was given a sentence of eight years in total, five of which were suspended.

Assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal in South Africa.

New Zealand-born Davison is a forensic scientist and is the founder of right-to-die organisation, DignitySA.

Image source, Reuters

Ethiopia is hosting a conference sponsored by China on improving peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.

It's the first gathering of its kind, coming four months after Beijing appointed a veteran diplomat, Xue Bing, as special envoy to the region.

Officials from several East African countries are taking part.

China - which has invested heavily in Ethiopia and neighbouring countries - is increasingly concerned about regional instability.

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News

Image source, AFP

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called the "horrific" killing of scores of ethnic minorities in attacks in the country’s west "unacceptable" saying restoring peace and security is his government’s priority.

There is no official figure for the death toll in Saturday’s attacks but some reports suggest it could be more than 100.

The prime minister is often criticised for failing to deal with the worsening insecurity across Ethiopia.

There’s been an unprecedented surge in communal violence and ethnic conflicts since he came to power four years ago.

Now Mr Abiy says his administration has "zero tolerance" for the killings of civilians.

The most recent incident was in western Oromia, the country’s largest region.

Witnesses told the BBC people were buried in mass graves and houses were set ablaze when members of the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) launched attacks on villages inhabited by minority ethnic Amharas.

The group denies carrying out the attacks and blames the government instead.

Fighting between the government and the OLA has been reported in western Oromia prompting concerns that civilians could be caught in the crossfire.

Rhoda Odhiambo
BBC West Africa correspondent, Lagos

Three people have died and two others injured after an attack on two churches in Kaduna state, north-west Nigeria.

The state's Commissioner of Internal Security Samuel Aruwan said an unknown number of criminals on motorcycles entered four villages in co-ordinated attacks robbing people and later targeted Maranatha Baptist and St. Moses Catholic churches.

Mr Aruwan added that several people had also been kidnapped.

“The bandits looted shops and stole some valuables from villages. Police officers are patrolling the area. Investigations are ongoing.” he said in a statement.

Kaduna state acting governor Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe has condemned the attack and called on the police to speed up their investigations.

Nigeria is struggling to curb a deadly wave of kidnappings for ransom by armed gangs who frequently target unprotected rural communities, schools and motorists on highways.

Earlier this month, attackers targeted a church in the south-west of the country killing 40 people.

Read more:

• Nigeria's Owo church massacre: Who are the victims?

Forward Asisat Oshoala says Nigeria must not be complacent when they defend their Women's Africa Cup of Nations crown.

Image source, Jelle Vermeersch

The Belgian authorities have handed the tooth belonging to Congo independence leader Patrice Lumumba to his family in a ceremony in Brussels.

It is the only part of him that is thought to still exist after he was executed and then his body dissolved in acid in 1961.

Belgium was the former colonial power and an official inquiry said that some members of its government at the time "were morally responsible for circumstances leading to the death".

The man overseeing the destruction of the body, Belgian policeman Gerard Soete took the tooth as a "kind of hunting trophy", he later said.

Read more:

• Patrice Lumumba: Why a tooth is all that remains of the Congolese hero - BBC News

Anne Soy
BBC News, Kigali

Image source, Getty Images

Delegates attending the Commonwealth summit - hosted this year by Rwanda - begin work later on Monday at a series of opening forums.

The week-long summit is expected to attract over 5,000 participants from government, business, and civil society under the theme "Delivering a Common Future".

Foreign ministers from the 54 Commonwealth countries are due to meet on Thursday, followed by the heads of government summit two days later.

This year's meeting has an agenda about climate change, economic development and opportunities for young people, with 60% of the Commonwealth population under the age of 30.

The summit is normally held every two years, but was postponed in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic.

The choice of Rwanda as a host has courted some controversy because of its human rights record.

The Commonwealth is a group of countries that, in the main, were once governed by Britain - but others, such as Rwanda and Mozambique have opted to join.

Read more:

• Prince Charles faces awkward trip after Rwanda row
• What is the Rwanda asylum plan?

Emery Makumeno
BBC News, Kinshasa

Image source, Getty Images

Congolese Nobel Peace Prize winner Dénis Mukwege and Interior Minister Daniel Aselo have called for an end to reported attacks targeting ethnic Tutsis living in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Scenes of people carrying machetes while hunting for Tutsis in the capital, Kinshasa, and other major towns circulated on social media over the weekend.

Audio and video clips were also shared that identified the whereabouts of Tutsis.

The attacks come amid rising tensions between DR Congo and neighbouring Rwanda.

DR Congo accuses Rwanda of backing Congolese rebels and has halted all trade and co-operation agreements.

Rwanda has denied supporting the M23 rebel group - a Tutsi-led group.

Last week, an anti-Rwanda demonstration resulted in the looting of Rwandan-owned shops in the eastern town of Goma.

Patricia Oyella
BBC News, Kampala

Image source, Reuters

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for a meeting of the East African Community heads of state on Monday to discuss peace and security in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a government statement.

Mr Kenyatta, who is currently the head of the bloc, had last Wednesday urged the immediate deployment of a regional force to stop the violence in eastern DR Congo.

DR Congo is however opposed to Rwanda being part of the proposed regional force and has suspended bilateral relations with Kigali.

It accuses Rwanda of backing M23 rebels who recently captured the border town of Bunagana.

President Félix Tshisekedi also accused Rwanda of seeking to occupy his country to exploit its minerals and asked the UK to pressure Kigali to stop its aggression.

Rwanda denies the allegations.

Tensions between the two countries have escalated in recent weeks with anti-Rwanda protests reported in Kinshasa and in the east.

Three days ago, a Congolese soldier opened fire at Rwandan security officers at a border post, injuring two police officers. The soldier was shot dead.

Kenya is the host and facilitator of direct peace talks between the DR Congo government and the different rebel forces.

The dialogue is however yet to yield any results.

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

Image source, SPLM / IO

South Sudan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Manawa Peter Gatkuoth Gual has died in a hospital in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, South Sudan's government has announced.

First Vice-President Riek Machar said the minister was flown to Egypt on Friday after developing chest pains in the capital, Juba.

He underwent surgery on Saturday and died at 05:00 local time on Sunday, Mr Machar said.

“Mr Manawa was a strong student leader during his university days as well as a leader in the youth movement in Sudan. He was a committed nationalist. He was a strong believer in reforms in the Republic of South Sudan,” Mr Machar said in a condolence message to the family.

In his condolence message, President Salva Kiir said he received the news of the death of Mr Manawa with “profound sorrow.”

The late minister was also a member of the political bureau of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO).

His father, the late Peter Gatkuoth Gual, was a prominent South Sudanese politician.

Emery Makumeno
BBC News, Kinshasa

Image source, Getty Images

The final touches are being put to a newly built mausoleum in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital, Kinshasa, that will hold the gold-crowned tooth of independence hero Patrice Lumumba.

The tooth is the only known remains of Mr Lumumba who served as prime minister at independence in 1960 before he was shot dead by a firing squad in 1961.

It is set to be returned to the family at a ceremony in Brussels on Monday.

The mausoleum was designed by a Chinese architect.

The Chinese ambassador has tweeted a video of Mr Lumumba's statue being mounted at the mausoleum.

More on this story:

• Patrice Lumumba: Why a tooth is all that remains of the Congolese hero

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

At least 20 civilians have been killed in attacks blamed on jihadist fighters in northern Mali, a regional official there says.

The violence on Saturday was near the city of Gao.

The official told the French news agency that the situation was very worrying with many civilians fleeing as the Islamist militants carried out atrocities.

The UN says the security situation in the Gao and Ménaka regions has deteriorated sharply.

Earlier on Sunday a UN peacekeeper was killed by a mine in Kidal in the north.