Richard Kagoe
BBC News, Nairobi

The lead envoy at talks to end the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo has told delegates in Nairobi that he believed the Kinshasa government was committed to finding a lasting solution.

Uhuru Kenyatta - the former Kenyan president - welcomed armed groups active in eastern Congo who were joining the negotiations for the first time.

Last week, regional heads of state agreed to support a ceasefire between the Congolese army and M23 rebels, but warned they would not hesitate to use military action against any groups that didn't abide by the truce.

Omar Wally
Journalist, The Gambia

A glitch in a system used by the Central Bank of The Gambia triggered deposits of various amounts in US dollars to 27,000 accounts held in commercial banks.

Most of those affected were civil servants whose monthly salaries are at least $100 (£83). They received $20,000 (£16,000) in their accounts.

The Central Bank has blamed a failed data transfer system from commercial banks for the error, and has since blocked the affected accounts to allow for a reversal of the deposited money.

This incident happened weeks after unknown hackers claimed to have taken two terabytes of vital and sensitive data from the central bank.

The authorities however say the overpayments had no link to hacking.

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, Baba Azare

There is growing outrage in Nigeria over the arrest of a university student by security operatives after he allegedly defamed the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari in a Twitter post.

Aminu Adamu Mohammed has now been remanded in prison, his lawyer, Chijioke Kingsley Agu, has told the BBC.

He said his client was charged at a high court in the Maitama district in the capital, Abuja, on Tuesday.

Prosecutors alleged in the charge sheet that he posted a picture of Aisha Buhari on Twitter, and wrote in the Hausa language words that were roughly translated to mean that "Mama has embezzled monies meant for the poor".

The prosecution accused him of spreading false information.

The student denied the one-count charge of criminal defamation.

His lawyer said a bail application had been filed that he hoped would be considered within the next 48 hours.

The 23-year-old student was reportedly arrested earlier this month.

Mr Mohammed's parents have publicly implored Mrs Buhari to forgive their son. She has not yet commented.

The undergraduate is due to start his final exams next Monday along with his classmates. It is not yet clear whether he will be released so that he can do so.

Social media users and rights campaigners have criticised the Nigerian authorities for the treatment of the student and called for his immediate release.

Some say Nigerian officials are becoming increasingly intolerant of criticism.

Earlier this month two young TikTok users were fined and flogged in public after a court found them guilty of defaming the governor of the northern state of Kano in a video shared on social media.

Parents of Gambia's cough syrup victims narrate the last moments of their children.

A judge rules Usman Alkali Baba should spend three months in jail unless he reinstates an officer.

Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka

Zambia's leader has said he plans to sell the presidential jet his predecessor bought in his last months in office in controversial circumstances.

Hakainde Hichilema said he wants to recover $193m (£160m) that was spent to buy the Gulfstream 650.

"We do not support that extravagance, because we could have gotten a plane of capability, in terms of range, reliability for around $20 million,” Mr Hichilema said on Tuesday at a judiciary conference.

“So why did we have to spend $193 million on that piece of metal? We could have looked after the judiciary... we could have also bought a lot of school desks for the kids, we could have also invested in one or two border posts," he added.

Selling the plane will however not be straightforward as the Zambia Air Force has said that it is not a public but a military asset.

However, this has not stopped the anti-corruption body from launching an inquiry.

The agency announced on Wednesday that it was looking into how former president Edgar Lungu's government bought the jet at an inflated price, instead of "the then $65m standard price" months before he was defeated in the 2021 election.

The fate of the jet has divided public opinion; while some people support the president others argue that selling it would undermine the country's security.

Senegal players dedicate their World Cup win over Ecuador to the late Papa Bouba Diop, who starred for the country at the 2002 finals.

Grace Kuria
BBC News

Image source, Gladys Wanga/ Twitter

Several female candidates sitting for their final primary and secondary school exams have given birth, local news sites report.

Many have managed to continue with writing the exams but there was one tragic case on Tuesday of a 19-year-old who died after birth complications.

Velma Ochieng, a secondary school student in Homa Bay county in western Kenya, died shortly after a successful caesarean section delivery of a baby boy.

Cases of national examination candidates both at primary and secondary schools sitting exams while pregnant have become common.

The governor of Homa Bay county called for investigations into the circumstances leading to the loss of Velma’s life.

“We will continue our efforts to ensure no mother ever loses their life when bringing forth life especially if it can be avoided,” Gladys Wanga said.

In the south-western county of Narok 248 pregnant girls are among the candidates sitting the national exams.

County Commissioner Isaac Masinde said ambulances had been put on standby in case they needed to be rushed to hospital.

In neighbouring Kajiado county some 124 pregnant girls were registered as candidates.

Image source, AFP

The speaker of South Africa's parliament has received a report from a panel tasked to establish whether President Cyril Ramaphosa should face impeachment for allegedly covering up a crime.

The panel investigated the circumstances around an alleged cover-up of a robbery that took place at his private farm, Phala Phala, back in February 2020.

It handed over its report to Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula at a televised event on Wednesday morning.

Ms Mapisa-Nqakula said that the report will be made public on 6 December, according to local media reports.

President Ramaphosa denies any wrongdoing. He previously "pledged his full co-operation to the investigation" and said he was happy to be held accountable.

Read more:

• South Africa's clean President Ramaphosa faces his own scandal

Image source, Nigerian Presidency/Facebook

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Sahel insurgency have caused a proliferation of arms in the Lake Chad Basin countries.

He said weapons being used in Ukraine and Russia were "beginning to filter to the region" and arms used in the Libya war "continues to find [their] way" there.

He said this was a major threat to the security of the regional countries of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria,

"Regrettably, the situation in the Sahel and the raging war in Ukraine serve as major sources of weapons and fighters that bolster the ranks of the terrorists in the region," he said at the summit for the Lake Chad region in the Nigerian capital, Abuja., external

Mr Buhari said the countries in the region must improve border security to stop arms trafficking, noting that the region faced a complex and dynamic security situation.

He said this was "increasingly influenced by the impact of climate change and other variables, including sadly, some external factors".

The summit - attended by presidents of Benin, Chad, Niger, Central African Republic, and representatives of the Cameroon and Libya - approved further joint army operations against Boko Haram and Islamic State group militants active in the region.

Image source, Getty Images

A Zambian student who died in Ukraine early this month had been fighting for the shadowy Russian mercenary group Wagner, the Reuters news agency quotes Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin as saying.

"Yes, I remember this guy well," Mr Prigozhin, who is head of the Wagner group, is quoted as saying in a written response to a question from a reporter.

Zambia had asked Moscow "to urgently provide information on the circumstances" surrounding Lemekhani Nyirenda's death.

The 23-year-old, a student at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, had been serving nine years in jail for a drug offence.

The circumstances of his release from prison are unknown, but Russia has offered freedom to some prisoners in exchange for fighting in its war in Ukraine.

Mr Prigozhin is quoted as saying that Nyirenda had died a "hero" and that he was "one of the first to break into the enemy trenches on 22 September".

Read more:

• What is Russia's Wagner Group of mercenaries in Ukraine?

Street celebrations erupted in Senegalese capital, Dakar, after the men's football national team advanced into the World Cup's knockout stages for only the second time in the country's history.

Senegal defeated Ecuador 2-1 on Tuesday night to finish as runners-up in Group A behind the Dutch.

The win saw Aliou Cissé's side set up a last-16 meeting with Group B winners England on Sunday (19:00 GMT).

Crowds poured to the streets of Dakar after the final whistle - many waving the country's flag while others chanted praise for the players.

One group of supporters went to the presidential palace where they were met by President Macky Sall.

Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

Image source, AFP

A Mozambican port has received its first ship in three years after activities there were stopped over jihadist attacks.

The cargo vessel carrying fuel, vehicles and other equipment docked at the Port of Mocimboa da Praia in the northern Cabo Delgado province, which has been wracked by jihadist violence for years.

The cargo belongs to companies supporting multinationals who have been exploiting natural gas in the area.

During a ceremony to reopen the port, Cabo Delgado’s governor Valige Tuabo said that the resumption of operations was a result of the restoration of security and the confidence of the partners to continue to invest and develop the region.

The general director of French energy giant TotalEnergies, Maxime Rabilloud, who was also present at the event, reaffirmed that his company would continue to support the government and the private sector in the rebuilding of the province.

TotalEnergies last year suspended operations at a site exploring a major gas field in the province after Islamist militants attacked a nearby town.

Its $20bn (£16.6bn) gas liquification plant in Mozambique is the largest foreign investment in Africa.

Since last year, troops from the southern Africa region and Rwanda have been helping local forces battle the jihadist insurgency in Cabo Delgado.

Image source, AFP

The US says it has "serious doubts" about the credibility of Equatorial Guinea's election results that saw the world's longest-serving president continue his 43-year-rule.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 80, secured almost 95% of votes, according to election officials.

"Given the scale of irregularities observed and the announced results giving the [ruling party] PDGE 94.9% of the vote, we have serious doubts about the credibility of the announced results," said US State Department, external spokesman Ned Price.

It said there were credible allegations of "significant election-related irregularities, including documented instances of fraud, intimidation, and coercion".

President Obiang seized power in 1979 after a military takeover and has survived several coup attempts. He has a strong grip on the oil-rich central African nation.

Image source, Getty Images

Kenyan ministers will forgo their salaries for one month in solidarity with people who have been affected by the ongoing drought in parts of the country.

A statement from the presidency, external said the cabinet agreed that the funds collected from all members of the cabinet would contribute to the state interventions to support the affected Kenyans.

It also noted the "unacceptably high" prices of the staple food maize, and pledged market support for farmers who were harvesting their crop.

A minister had earlier indicated that the country would be importing millions of tonnes of maize, but the cabinet noted that this would now be done in February in order to give the farmers a priority to sell their produce to the market.

Millions of Kenyans are currently facing hunger amid the ongoing drought and are in dire need of food aid.

Last week, the government announced a funds drive for Kenyans to donate to victims of the drought including through a mobile money platform.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, AFP

The high court in Nigeria has sentenced the country's police chief to three months in prison for disobeying a court order.

The ruling followed a lawsuit by a police officer who was dismissed in 1992.

The officer challenged his forced retirement, and his dismissal was later quashed in court.

The court found that Inspector General Usman Alkali Baba should serve the three-month jail sentence, unless he reinstates the police officer.

So far the police force has failed to comply.

In a statement, police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi described the decision as "astonishing".

He said the police force was studying the ruling to know what action to take.

“It is instructive to note that the case in point concerns an officer who was dismissed as far back as 1992, a few years after the current IGP joined the Nigeria Police Force,” he said.

He added that “the most recent judgement on the matter was given in 2011 which should ordinarily not fall under the direct purview of the current administration of the force”.

Our proverb of the day:

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Nigerians consider how to prevent drowning accidents after the son of the Afrobeats star died in a pool.

Elaliite and elkinstantonite are the new names but the Saar people in Somalia call it Nightfall.

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

In the meantime, you can get the latest news from our website and the Africa Today podcast.

A reminder of our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with these images from Qatar and Senegal of reaction to Senegal's 2-1 victory over Ecuador and qualification to the knock-out stages of the World Cup:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters