BBC World Service

There are reports from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo of fighting between government forces and the M23 militia.

Local peopl in Rutshuru district close to DR Congo's borders with Uganda and Rwanda say there have been violent clashes since Sunday.

The Congolese army has launched an offensive against the recently resurgent M23, which it says is supported by Rwanda.

A regional force is being created to tackle the group and other rebel militia, with Burundi having already deployed troops inside DR Congo.

BBC World Service

At least nine people have been killed in the east of Madagascar after officers opened fire on a crowd that had gathered outside the police station in the town of Ikongo.

More than 40 others were wounded in the incident.

Police said they had opened fire to protect the station and the families inside from a mob which wanted to mete out summary justice to a gang suspected of kidnap and murder.

They had been detained after an albino child was abducted and its mother killed.

A local doctor said as many as 14 people had died.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The Electoral Commission in Angola has declared President João Lourenço and his MPLA party the winners of last week's national elections.

It took just over 51% of the vote, with the opposition Unita party polling its best-ever result at close to 44%.

Unita had rejected the provisional results announced on Thursday, alleging the count had been marred by irregularities.

The MPLA has been in government since independence in 1975, with the country ruled until 2017 by José Eduardo dos Santos, who died last month.

Mr Lourenço will be serving his second term as president.

Read the full story here

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Chad’s national dialogue has been suspended after some stakeholders rejected the composition of the steering committee, pro-government website Alwihda reports.

The proposed steering committee was rejected by a section of delegates, who felt that the “names were not reflective of the country’s fabric”.

"Anger immediately spread in the meeting room after former Prime Minister Guelengdouksia Ouaidou read out the proposed list of names," the report said.

The disagreement forced the chairperson of the Organising Committee for the Inclusive National Dialogue (CODNI), Acheikh Ibni Oumar, to suspend the session at the Palace of Arts and Culture until Tuesday.

According to the proposed list, Gali Ngote Gata was named as president of the committee, Abrahim Breme as first vice-president and Mahamat Allahou Taher as second vice-president.

The national dialogue kicked off on 20 August following the signing, in Doha, of a broad-based agreement between President Mahamat Idris Deby and dozens of politico-military groups.

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, AFP

A federal high court in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, has rejected a request to extradite a suspended senior police officer to the US to face fraud charges.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari has been implicated in a case of money laundering, fraud and other crimes involving a Nigerian social media influencer Ramon Abbas, alias Hushpuppi.

Hushpuppi pleaded guilty in California to money laundering and also claimed he had paid a bribe to Mr Kyari to arrest a syndicate member with whom he had fallen out.

The US authorities then declared the Nigerian police officer wanted and sought his extradition to stand trial.

But on Monday, a judge at the high court in Abuja dismissed an application by Nigerian attorney-general Abubakar Malami for Mr Kyari’s extradition.

Justice Inyang Ekwo said the request to surrender Mr Kyari to the US would not be granted because he was already standing trial for another offence in Nigeria.

Mr Kyari is being tried in a separate case in Nigeria for alleged links to drug traffickers.

The suspended police officer has denied the allegations in both cases.

Last year, the US authorities said Hushpuppi’s internet fraud activities had cost his victims nearly $24m (£20m).

Before his suspension last year due to the allegations against him, Mr Kyari headed an elite team of police officers praised for fighting violent crimes and internet fraud.

Ivory Coast beat Cape Verde 77-69 to claim the first of five places for African sides at the 2023 Basketball World Cup.

Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the victim of a violent robbery at his home in the early hours of Monday morning.

A Kenyan wildlife conservancy says it has been observing increased fights between members of rhino species that are "known to be very social".

The Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia county says its patrol team witnessed two weeks ago an intense fight between two southern white rhinos that left an 11-year old bull with “multiple lacerations and penetrative wounds from the other bull's horn”.

It attributes the fights to declining pasture and water in the region affecting grazing animals.

“The team determined the cause of the fight to be the diminished pasture, due to the drought, he had travelled a long distance in search of food leading him to another bull's home,” the conservancy says.

“More and more, we are observing fights among this species that are otherwise known to be very social," said Samuel Mutisya, Ol Pejeta’s head of conservation.

The conservancy has shared a picture of the injured rhino named Jayjay, which it says is now doing better after treatment.

Rhinoceroses - of which there are five species - are the second-largest land mammal after elephants, and are extremely threatened by poaching and habitat loss.

The white rhinoceros consists of two sub-species: the southern white rhino and the much rarer and critically endangered northern white rhino.

BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

The Barcelona footballer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been the victim of a violent robbery in his home.

The club said four armed men had broken into the Gabonese striker's house early on Monday, and forced him to open a safe.

The men made off with the jewels that were kept there.

There have been several break-ins in footballers' homes in Spain, but most of them have taken place when the stars have been playing.

Richard Kagoe
BBC Africa, Nairobi

Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga says he is confident that the Supreme Court will grant his request to overturn the result of the 9 August election, which saw his rival, William Ruto, announced president-elect, citing solid evidence in the case.

Mr Odinga took 48.8% of the vote, compared to Mr Ruto's 50.5%, but Mr Odinga does not accept these results.

In a BBC interview, he also said he would respect the outcome of the court’s decision and that the judgment could have major implications on electoral processes across Africa.

He added that the future of democracy in Africa was at stake, citing retrogression in some African countries.

Read more:

• Win or lose, why Raila Odinga's election challenge matters
• What's the basis for Raila Odinga's challenge?

Two former top officials from South Africa's state-owned ports and freight rail company, who were arrested earlier on Monday, have been granted bail.

The high-profile ex-Transnet heads, Brian Molefe and Anoj Singh, face charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering during former President Jacob Zuma’s time in office as we reported earlier.

There are allegations that the controversial Gupta brothers, who currently live in the UAE, received benefits from the deal.

The brothers have previously denied wrongdoing.

Both Mr Molefe and Mr Singh intend to plead not guilty to the charges they face, their lawyers say.

Sudan and Ghana take significant first-leg advantages in final CHAN 2022 qualifiers.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

At least six people have been killed after torrential rains caused flash floods and landslides in parts of Sierra Leone's capital Freetown, privately-owned Sierra Leone Telegraph website reported, external.

The six, including a family of three, were killed after a mudslide destroyed two homes in an informal settlement in Looking Town, situated on a steep slope above the Kissy neighbourhood.

Freetown Mayor, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, visited areas affected by the heavy rains and urged those affected to move to safe grounds.

“Like many other informal settlements, there is no road to the community, it is accessed via a 15-minute walk along a narrow footpath. As I spoke with survivors and neighbours, I could clearly see a huge boulder positioned precariously above the community. A poignant reminder of the risk of disaster this community lives with daily,” the website quoted Ms Aki-Sawyerr as saying.

She thanked the different agencies that came to the aid of the affected residents.

Reports on social media say the landslide swept away houses in Looking Town, while in Tengbeh Town, Kanikay and Kaningo, homes were submerged in water and roadways became flowing rivers.

This is the second spate of heavy rains in Freetown in the last two weeks.

Nomsa Maseko
BBC Southern Africa correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Two former top officials from South Africa's state-owned ports and freight rail company Transnet have been arrested by elite police unit The Hawks, for alleged corruption during former President Jacob Zuma’s time in office.

The high-profile arrests of Brian Molefe, who was the CEO, and Anoj Singh, who was the company’s chief financial officer, were made early on Monday morning.

Lawyers for Mr Anoj maintain his innocence, according to South Africa's News 24 website., external

Mr Molefe says he intends to plead not guilty, according to the same source.

Both parties have been linked to a multimillion-dollar fraud and corruption case in which a bribe was allegedly paid to an organisation to buy more than 1,000 trains.

The accused, who are currently appearing in court, are facing charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering.

It is alleged the controversial Gupta brothers, who are yet to be extradited from the UAE, received kickbacks from the deal.

They have previously denied allegations of corruption.

The arrests come after the judicial commission of enquiry led by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo heard incriminating evidence about how executives from various government-owned entities were involved in corruption.

The corruption allegedly benefited those close to former President Zuma who was ousted in 2018, as well as top officials of the ruling ANC party and private business people.

Earlier this year, several other high-profile people were arrested for their alleged involvement in the case.

Read more:

• South Africa's Zondo commission: Damning report exposes rampant corruption
• State capture: Zuma, the Guptas, and the sale of South Africa

Ann Ngugi
BBC News, Mombasa

A Kenyan politician running for governor in Mombasa county, coastal region, had to wait for aides to bring his original ID to his polling station after he forgot it.

Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir of Raila Odinga's ODM party needed to produce the document to identify himself as a registered voter.

He was later allowed to vote at his Mvita constituency after producing the document.

His opponent, Hassan Sarai Omar, of William Ruto's UDA party also voted in Mvita constituency.

The ongoing elections for eight elective seats are a test for Mr Odinga and Mr Ruto's parties as they await the Supreme Court ruling on presidential election petitions.

Mombasa's current governor Hassan Joho who has served two terms decried low voter turn-out after he voted.

Mombasa and Kakamega counties had their gubernatorial elections delayed because of a mix-up in ballot papers.

Kenya had its general elections on 9 August and 45 governors from across the country were sworn in on Thursday.

Kenyan cyclist Suleiman Kangagi dies following a high-speed crash in a race in the United States on Saturday.

BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

The French energy ministry has confirmed reports that talks are under way between gas giant Engie and Algeria's Sonatrach to potentially increase gas imports to France.

Reports on Sunday suggested a 50% boost being discussed.

The development comes soon after President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Algiers.

Gas makes up a fifth of France's energy needs, with Algeria covering just over 8% of that.

Algeria is Europe’s biggest gas supplier after Russia and Norway.

Image source, Joey Ndlovu

A South African man who literally went the extra mile to prove his love for his woman has set online users in a frenzy and has been trending on social media.

The 57-year-old man, identified as Joseph Kagiso Ndlovu, ran a 90km (56-mile) ultra-marathon to propose to a woman named Prudence.

He was pictured holding a banner asking the woman to marry him, as he approached the finish line of the the Comrades Marathon on Sunday.

"Prudence will you marry me? Run 90k for you," read the banner.

Local media and online users have been having a field day talking about the lengths to which the man had to go to woo his lover.

Mr Ndlovu told the BBC on Monday that Prudence Dick, who was at the race to support him, said yes to his proposal.

He said they have been dating since the beginning of this year and plan to get married sometime next year.

He added that this was the seventh time he was taking part in the marathon and that she was the main motivation for his participation this time especially after a two-year break.

Image source, Joey Ndlovu

Earlier, it was not clear she had accepted the proposal and some people online had been egging her on to accept the proposal.

"As a country, we deserve the answer to the proposal. Cameraman please seek out Prudence. We are invested now" another tweep said., external

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Fighting has continued to be reported in northern Ethiopia’s Amhara region - bordering Tigray - after a five-month humanitarian truce was shattered last week.

Tigrayan forces took the Amhara town of Kobo on Saturday after pushing southwards near the border. The army had earlier said it was withdrawing from the town to avoid the risk of a high number of casualties.

Residents of nearby towns and villages who have talked to the BBC say fighting has continued in the mountain ranges close by and the situation remain volatile.

Meanwhile authorities in Woldia and Dessie - the two major Amhara cities near the area - have imposed partial night-time curfews.

Ethiopian regional governments, including Oromia and the Somali region in the east have expressed solidarity with the army and the Amhara and Afar regions that are the scenes of the renewed clashes.

At the height of the war last year, various regions sent forces to the frontlines.

There are widespread claims on social media that Tigrayan borders with neighbouring Eritrea could also see the return of active fighting.

Senior Tigrayan official Getachew Reda has claimed members of the Ethiopian army’s eastern command crossed borders to join efforts with Eritrean allies.

The BBC has so far not been able to confirm any of these claims.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has not publicly spoken since the resumption of the fighting, has travelled to Algeria on an official work trip.

Image source, Getty Images

Kenyans are voting in some areas where polls had been postponed because of mix-ups in ballot papers.

Polling stations have already opened and no incidents have been reported so far.

People in Mombasa county in the coast region and Kakamega in the west are voting for governors in hotly contested elections.

The voters will also be electing MPs for four constituencies - Kacheliba and Pokot South (West Pokot county), Rongai (Nakuru county) and Kitui Rural (Kitui county).

Two county assembly representative seats will also be filled on Monday.

The elections were previously rescheduled for 23 August but were postponed after what electoral body chairperson said was intimidation and harassment of poll officials.

Kenyans voted in a general election on 9 August.