BBC World Service

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The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, is due to meet his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame for talks in the Angolan capital, Luanda, this week to try to resolve the crisis in eastern DR Congo.

The Angolan president's office said the talks would take place on Wednesday.

There's been a resurgence of rebel activity and heightened tensions between DR Congo and Rwanda.

Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels.

Kigali accuses the Congolese government of shelling its territory.

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC News

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Sudan's military leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has said the army will make way for a civilian government.

In a televised speech, he said the armed forces would not stand in the way of a democratic transition and was committed to working towards elections.

He said the military would no longer be involved in talks to end the country’s political crisis, with its place in the negotiations taken up by civil society groups.

But Gen Burhan fell short of giving a timeline of when the handover will happen.

It is a huge concession for the army, which has been under increased pressure from pro-democracy protesters who have been holding regular protests across Sudan.

The army seized power in a coup last October after ousting the civilian-led government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

Gen Burhan has previously reneged on a commitment to a democratic transition.

Earlier the authorities freed 145 activists who had been detained during protests on 30 June.

More than 100 people have been killed since the military coup in October.

Read more on this topic:

• How Sudan's generals betrayed my generation
• Sudan protesters: Ready to die for freedom
• Sudan's feared secret police make a comeback
• Coups in Africa: Why they don't spell the end of democracy

Our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team for Monday. There will be an automated news feed until we're back on Tuesday 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 photograph taken by Esther Nsapu, who is based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, of two girls who have just finished washing the dishes in the waters of Lake Tanganyika:

Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Accra

Image source, Getty Images

Primary and secondary school teachers across Ghana say they're embarking on a strike because their cost of living allowances aren't being paid.

They say the allowance, which is 20% of their basic salary, is essential to cushion them from biting economic hardship.

Inflation is at its highest level in 18 years, and the mineral-rich West African country may soon have to borrow more money to pay public sector workers.

A team from the IMF is expected in Ghana this week to begin talks with the government on a bail-out package.

The teaching strike declared on Monday will be observed by non-teaching staff too.

It comes after Ghana's government failed to meet a 30 June deadline set by union leaders during the course of negotiations.

Guy Bandolo
BBC News

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Forty-four footballers are being investigated in Cameroon on suspicion of faking their ages or their identities.

Most of the players hail from amateur clubs and a few are from local leagues, says Cameroon's football-governing body Fecafoot.

If found guilty they face a six-month suspension from matches, a Fecafoot offiicial told the BBC.

A number of club presidents who are accused of being complicit are also being called to these Fecafoot hearings, which are all being held behind closed doors.

Accusations of age fraud are common in Cameroon. In 2016, 14 Cameroonian players were suspended by the country for a few days before the U17 Africa Cup of Nations.

Their true ages were revealed with the help of MRI scans, that provide detailed images of the inside of the body.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

The Catholic church in the north-western Nigerian state of Kaduna says a priest has been kidnapped, amid a spate of similar incidents.

Colleagues of Father Emmanuel Silas realised he had been abducted after he didn't show up for mass on Monday morning and was nowhere to be seen in his living quarters, according to Father John Mark who spoke to the BBC.

On Saturday two Catholic priests were abducted in the southern state of Edo, and last week a priest was taken from his home near the city of Auchi in the same region and later found dead.

The security services in Nigeria are struggling to combat an upsurge in criminal killings and kidnappings for ransom across the country.

Mark Pivac
BBC World Service Newsroom

Spanish police say they have seized six underwater drones built to smuggle large amounts of illicit drugs remotely from Morocco.

They said the unmanned submarines - each capable of carrying 200kg (31 stone) - had more than enough range to cover the 15km (9 miles) journey across the Strait of Gibraltar.

They said trafficking gangs were supplying drugs to criminals in France, Denmark, Italy, as well as Spain.

Eight people were arrested in the police operation, in Barcelona, and in the southern provinces of Malaga and Cadiz.

Patricia Oyella
BBC News

Image source, AFP

The president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, has called for a political solution to the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

In an interview with the state broadcaster, he said the current hostilities couldn't be solved by force alone.

Two weeks ago East African leaders ratified the formation of a regional military force in the troubled region, amid a resurgence of rebel activity and heightened tensions between DR Congo and Rwanda.

Kigali accuses the Congolese government of shelling its territory. Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels.

On the migrant deal with the UK, President Kagame said the country had space for Rwandans as well as other nationalities.

You may also be interested in:

• Land of safety - or fear? Why Rwanda divides opinion

• Who are DR Congo's M23 rebels and what do they want?
• Why Belgium is returning a Congolese hero's golden tooth
• 'My life has changed thanks to coffee'

BBC World Service

A United Nations mission in Libya says it is likely that there are many more mass graves in the town of Tarhouna where hundreds of bodies have already been found in recent years.

"Despite the continued efforts of the Libyan authorities to recover the mass graves in Tarhouna, reports suggest there are still over 200 people missing, a matter which has caused indescribable suffering for their families who have the right to know what happened to their loved ones," said one of the members of mission's members, Mohamed Auajjar.

A militia operated by a group of brothers carried out a campaign of mass execution, kidnapping and torture between 2016 and 2020 in Tarhouna.

The UN mission says satellite imagery has revealed evidence suggesting that there may be as many as 100 more mass graves still to be uncovered.

It has called on the Libyan government that's based in Tripoli to continue the search.

Read more: How six brothers - and their lions - terrorised a Libyan town

Mark Pivac
BBC World Service Newsroom

Egypt's foreign currency reserves have had a welcome boost after the Suez Canal posted record revenues for the latest fiscal year.

The head of the canal authority, Osama Rabie, said the $7bn (£5.7bn) earned in the 12 months to the end of June was more than 20% higher than the previous record.

He said recent global crises proved the importance of the canal to the world's supply chains.

The waterway, linking the Red Sea with the Mediterranean, carries about a 10th of all maritime trade.

Image source, AFP

The latest Ebola outbreak has been contained within three months thanks to a "swift" and "robust response" in the Democratic Republic of Congo, says the World Health Organization (WHO).

Four people have died since this outbreak - the country's 14th since 1976 - was declared in April in the western city of Mbandaka.

Three of those who died were considered "confirmed cases" and one was considered a "probable" case, the global health body said.

The WHO will continue to monitor the situation in case of any "flare-ups", but in a statement it praised the Congolese authorities. The UN organisation worked together with the government to roll out vaccinations, testing, contract tracing, infection prevention and control, as well as community engagement.

"This outbreak response shows that by bolstering preparedness, disease surveillance and swift detection, we can stay a step ahead," said WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti in a statement on Monday.

Learn more:

• Why Ebola is so dangerous
• Why it keeps coming back

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, Getty Images

A haul of heroin hidden inside packs of baby food has been intercepted at Lagos' main airport, according to an anti-drugs force.

Three suspects have been arrested in connection with smuggling 23kg (50lb) of the drug on a South African Airways from Johannesburg, said National Drug Law Enforcement Agency spokesman Femi Babafemi on Sunday.

In a separate case, the anti-drugs agency said a public transport driver was arrested at the same airport on suspicion of "ingesting 90 pellets of cocaine" before attempting to board a flight to Dubai.

Officials in Nigeria have often described the prevalence of drug consumption in the country as alarming and endemic. It is also a transit point for various illicit drugs.

Patience Atuhaire
BBC News, Kampala

Image source, AFP

The army in Uganda has denied reports that it is attempting to destabilise Ethiopia by training and providing support to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been at war with the Ethiopian government since 2020.

The reports seem to have first emerged around May on Ethiopian online outlets.

Ugandan Army Spokesperson Brigadier Felix Kulayigye tweeted on Sunday that the alleged attempts by Uganda to destabilise Ethiopia were a total fabrication.

A detailed article appeared last week in an online outlet based in New Zealand, along with a list of Ugandan senior army officers and others from across the security forces, who are allegedly spearheading the training operation in the central Ugandan district of Masaka.

The document indicates that over 4,000 Tigrayan soldiers were to be trained in four separate facilities in Uganda.

It further claims that the training operation is being supported by the US and Egypt.

One of the senior officers named in the report is the President’s son and commander of the Ugandan land forces General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who in 2021 tweeted in support of the Tigrayan forces, referring to them as “brothers”.

It is not clear yet if the document is authentic or part of a fake news campaign. The New Zealand website, known as Scoop, said it could not verify the source or whether the details were accurate or not.

But there are some inconsistencies. It names James Kabarebe as a former defence minister in Uganda, but the country has never had a minister by that name in the position.

Brigadier Kulayigye also tweeted that the alleged collaboration between Uganda and South Sudan in the operation was untrue, because the Ugandan ambassador to South Sudan, who is named as a coordinator of part of the operation, had never met with a South Sudanese general named in the report.

Uganda has a history of getting involved in conflicts across the east and Horn of Africa. Its army is currently fighting a rebel group of Ugandan origin in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

It was the first to deploy to Somalia to fight the al-Shabab militants as part of an African Union force, and was involved in securing the government in South Sudan when clashes broke out between President Salva Kiir and his then-deputy’s forces in 2013.

Uganda also clashed with the Rwandan army in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in the early 2000s.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, Getty Images

Police in southern Nigeria say they've launched a manhunt for two Catholic priests who were kidnapped at the weekend in Edo state.

The two men - Father Udo Peter and Father Philemon Oboh - were abducted by gunmen along a motorway linking the cities of Benin and Auchi.

It comes a week after gunmen killed a priest, Father Christopher Odia, near Auchi.

In a separate development, the authorities in the north-western state of Zamfara, have recruited more than 9,000 people who they call "community protection guards" to fight criminals.

At the end of last month the state governor urged people to buy guns to defend themselves against so-called bandits.

Related stories:

• Nigerian outrage at brazen bandit attacks
• Nigeria Owo church attack: Blood on the altar
• Nigeria's kidnapping crisis: Should ransom payments be banned?

Firehiwot Kassa
BBC News Amharic

A newborn baby was found alive next to her dead mother during a wave of recent mass killings in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, a family relation has told the BBC.

The relative says Ansha Seid, a 25-year-old mother of three, was killed just two weeks after giving birth to her daughter.

“She was lying next to her 15-day-old daughter. She was shot in the back, but I had no idea the baby was still alive. We found her breathing, which was surprising. It was a miracle,” the unnamed relative said, describing the moment.

Ms Ansha's two other children also survived after hiding in a corn field, but are still traumatised. Her younger sister however did not make it, while her elder sister was injured and was admitted to hospital.

The killing spree was carried out on 18 June in five villages of the Gimbi district in western Ethiopia. Those targeted were minority ethnic Amharas living in the region.

Many people lost entire families or dozens of their kin, witnesses and survivors have told the BBC. Their pain and grief is still fresh two weeks after it happened.

Most of those killed were women and children – including newborn babies.

Mohammed Yesuf, a 64-year-old survivor, lost more than a dozen children and grandchildren including a newborn, while others were injured.

"I buried 33 family members and relatives, including 22 of my children and grandchildren," he said.

“I wish I had died,” he said, sobbing.

The rebel Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) has been accused of carrying out the deadly attack – but the group has denied the recent allegation, claiming that it was committed by a government-backed militia group.

According to Ms Ansha’s relatives, the men were in the field when the rebels invaded the villages and opened fire that Saturday morning.

“The insurgents killed people door to door. They were dragged from their home in one area and shot together in the bush"

Ms Ansha was among those killed in the bush, along with other women and children.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office said a total of 338 people were killed and investigations were ongoing. Mr Abiy described the violence as “unacceptable”.

Some estimates indicate the deaths could be higher.

The Amhara Association in America estimates the death toll could be more than 600 and has identified 455 victims by name.

Nomsa Maseko
BBC Southern Africa correspondent

Image source, AFP

The authorities in South Africa’s Nelson Mandela Bay are racing against time to prevent taps from running dry.

This is known as "Day Zero" and would see close to two million residents without water. A prolonged drought and poor management of water infrastructure have been blamed for the crisis.

A strict water-saving regime has been implemented, as the effects of the climate crisis are being felt in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The poorest neighbourhoods are already suffering where normal access to water is through communal taps which don't work on most days.

Millions of litres of clean water goes down the drain every single day due to leaking pipes.

Newspapers and street pole advertisements serve as a daily reminder that residents are only allowed to use no more than 50 litres of water per person per day.

"We're looking [at] plus or minus 10 days that is left into the dams as we speak," said city's water distribution manager Joseph Tsatsire

"We're installing floating pumps into two of our dams... this means that we will be able to get access to dead water that is below the extraction point in the dams."

Activists have warned of a possible humanitarian crisis, prompting aid organisations to address the government's slow response.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

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Burkina Faso’s former president, Roch Kaboré, has been granted “total freedom” by the military generals who overthrew him in a coup in January.

The move is part of reconciliation efforts, the Radio Omega website reported, external on Sunday

Mr Kaboré was allowed to return to his family home in the capital, Ougadougou, in April after being placed under house arrest since the coup.

His party, the People's Movement for Progress (MPP), said the former leader has since "neither been free to move, free to receive certain people nor to communicate".

The military junta on Sunday reaffirmed “the total release of the former head of state” as part of “dynamics of strengthening social cohesion and national reconciliation”.

Junta leader Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba met Mr Kaboré last month to discuss security, the transition to civilian rule and other matters of national interest.

Caroline Hawley
BBC News

Image source, AFP

A letter signed by 34 British MPs and Lords has been delivered to the Egyptian embassy expressing their opposition to the imprisonment of a British national in Egypt.

The group hopes that Alaa Abdel Fattah's "release will indeed be secured soon, and that he will be allowed to travel to the United Kingdom".

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is expected to visit London for talks with UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.

This comes after Ms Truss confirmed to parliament on last month that she "is working very hard to secure [Alaa’s] release" and would be bringing it up with Mr Shoukry at an upcoming visit to London.

Monday will be Mr Alaa’s 94th day of hunger strike.

It will also be his sister’s 23rd day of hunger strike.

"I have now lost 8.6% of my bodyweight. I started this strike because I wanted to shine some small light on what Alaa is going through. And I can tell you: I’m exhausted, I’m weak. But I know that Alaa is not going to give up, and we are never going to give up on him either," Mona Seif said.

BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

Egyptian officials say that two women have now been killed in shark attacks while swimming in the Red Sea.

The environment ministry says the attacks occurred within 600m (1,970 ft) of each other.

The authorities had earlier announced that an Austrian woman in her 60s had died of her injuries on Friday .

A Romanian woman in her 40s is now also said to have been killed.

The incidents happened in the Hurghada region, which is a major tourist resort.

Several beaches have been closed in the area as a result.