Janusz Walus is stabbed and wounded days before he was due to be released on parole.

BBC Sport Africa looks at what the continent's teams need to do to join Senegal and reach the last 16 at the World Cup.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, Reuters

In Chad trials are due to have begun inside a prison for around 400 protesters who were arrested last month during pro-democracy demonstrations.

Dozens of people were killed during the protests - rights groups said they were shot by the security forces.

Those arrested are being held in a remote prison, and lawyers have gone on strike to protest against their alleged mistreatment.

It's impossible to know whether the trials have actually begun - because they are taking place inside a maximum security prison in the Chadian desert hundreds of kilometres away from the capital, N'djamena.

Defence lawyers can't reach their clients and have now decided to stop attending any trials to protest against the mistreatment of the detainees.

The government says the 400 people going on trial orchestrated violence during last month's protests against military rule.

Officials said 50 demonstrators died but rights groups say the number is at least double that.

They accuse the security forces of shooting them dead and have called for an international inquiry.

Rhoda Odhiambo
BBC Africa Health Reporter

African countries are not on track to achieve a global target of ending HIV-related deaths by 2030, a new report says.

The UN report to mark World Aids Day, external on Thursday highlights the differences in the way that men and women are treated as well as punitive laws as the main barriers to reaching the goal.

The UN aims to ensure that:

• 90% of people living with HIV know their status
• 90% of those diagnosed are on treatment
• and 90% of those taking HIV drugs have achieved viral suppression – a state where the virus becomes undetectable thus preventing transmission

In sub-Saharan Africa, young women and girls aged from 15 to 24 years old are three times more likely to get HIV than men.

Nearly 5,000 new HIV infections are reported every week among this section of the population.

“African countries need to combine sexual reproductive health services, gender-based violence and HIV services in a such a way that they are tailored to meet the needs of the women and girls in different settings.” UNAids Executive Director Winnie Byanyima told journalists in Tanzania.

Ms Byanyima also called on governments to drop sections of their laws that have been cited by as stumbling blocks in preventing new infections.

“Punitive laws have been shown to block HIV service access and increase HIV risk. Harmful laws include the criminalisation of same-sex relations, transgender people, HIV exposure, non-disclosure and transmission, drug possession and use, and sex work,” she added.

Countries that criminalise those at a high risk of getting HIV saw less progress towards the testing and treatment targets over the last five years - with significantly lower percentages of people living with HIV knowing their status and achieving viral suppression than in countries that avoided criminalisation.

RTS,S jab will be given to five to 17-month-olds across the southern African nation.

Image source, AFP

Janusz Walus, who was about to be released on parole after serving nearly three decades in a South African jail for killing anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani, has been stabbed in prison, the department of correctional services has said.

"A detailed incident report is to be provided at a later stage, but what can be stated at this point is that inmate Walus is stable and... healthcare officials are providing the necessary care," a statement said, which described the stabbing as "unfortunate".

Walus killed Hani in 1993 in a failed attempt to derail South Africa's transition from white-minority rule to democratic rule.

He had been sentenced to death following his conviction in 1993, but it was later commuted to life after South Africa abolished the death penalty.

Hani's widow Limpho condemned the Constitutional Court's recent ruling to release Walus on parole as "truly diabolical".

It has sparked protests in different parts of the country.

Walus is a Polish immigrant whose South African citizenship was revoked in 2017.

The South African government has ruled out deporting him to Poland, saying he would serve his parole in the country.

In prison, he became a symbol for young Polish nationalists and fascists.

Ameyu Etana
BBC Afaan Oromoo

Ethiopia’s government has dashed any hopes of peace talks with rebels in the restive Oromia region. Expectations had been raised after federal negotiators sat down and made a deal with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) to end the two-year-long civil war in the north.

The Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which has also been fighting the federal government, at one time formed an alliance with the TPLF.

But an Oromia regional government spokesman, Hailu Adugna, has since told local media that the government has no plans to sit with a group “which has no chain of command or political agenda”.

The claim has been disputed by an OLA spokesperson who said it will continue to fight.

The rebels in Oromia have been accused of being involved in a number of deadly attacks, which it denies.

The authorities say that despite there being no talks they will continue to receive OLA youth who have opted to lay down their arms.

The situation in Oromia, the home region of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has been overshadowed by the war in Tigray, but attacks by different armed groups have continued unabated.

The authorities have been blamed for not protecting civilians.

The OLA is a splinter group of the Oromo Liberation Front, which is now a legally registered political party. As well as making an alliance with the TPLF, the OLA has also made deals with other rebels in the western part of the country to put pressure on Mr Abiy's government.

The OLA says it is fighting to secure full autonomy for the Oromo people and has been labelled a terrorist organisation by the government.

Grace Kuria
BBC News

Namibia's Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is edging closer to becoming the country's first female president.

The 70-year-old has just been elected as vice-president of the governing party Swapo, which has been in power since independence in 1990 and has won every election with a large majority.

This makes her the frontrunner to succeed President Hage Geingob, who will be stepping down, as Swapo's presidential candidate for the 2024 elections.

“We have now a female comrade who may take over the presidency of Swapo and also the presidency of the republic,” President Geingob said at the elective congress.

Ms Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is minister of international relations and cooperation, beat Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and Environment Minister Pohamba Shifeta.

Image source, Baba Azare

The family of a Nigerian university student who has been allegedly detained by security services based at the presidency and held without trial, have appealed to First Lady Aisha Buhari to forgive their son.

Aminu Adamu Mohammed's parents said they believe that their son was arrested because of comments that he allegedly made in June about Mrs Buhari's appearance.

According to reports, the student commented on a picture of the president's wife accusing her of getting fat on public funds.

The Nigerian branch of Amnesty International has called for the immediate and unconditional release of the 23-year-old, who it says has been unlawfully detained.

Neither the first lady nor the president's office have commented on the reports of his detention.

Mr Mohammed's parents said it took several days before they learned of his disappearance.

Hi father said he received a short phone call from his son, who said he was in Abuja after the security forces picked him up for something that he posted on Twitter about Mrs Buhari.

The student's uncle, Shehu Baba Azare, told the BBC that the family hoped he would be freed soon.

In a direct appeal to Mrs Buhari he said: "First lady, please forgive him and let him go seeing as you are a mother - this is what we are hoping for."

The incident occurred days after a court ordered the release of the far-right killer of Chris Hani.

Grace Nyenyezi Khombe
BBC News

Image source, D Poland/PATH

Malawi has begun a large-scale infant vaccination campaign against malaria which is the world's first-ever campaign of its kind, World Health Organization (WHO) country representative Dr Neema Kimambo has said.

The health authorities are using the only vaccine against the disease to be recommended by the WHO.

The RTS,S vaccine, as it's known, has been through rounds of testing in Malawi, Ghana and Kenya over the past few years.

In the most recent phase of testing, since 2019, the WHO has supported the vaccination of 360,000 children per year across the three countries.

Early trials showed that more than 30% of the 5-to-17-month-olds who received it were protected. This low level of efficacy has meant that some have questioned whether it is worth the cost.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which backs vaccine development, is not directly supporting the roll out as it feels that other tools to fight malaria as well as other vaccines being tested may be a better use of funds, the development news website Devex has reported., external

RTS,S, developed by pharmaceutical company GSK, has been more than three decades in the making.

While the vaccine has a relatively low level of effectiveness, it has raised hopes of saving some of the more than 400,000 people who die annually from the mosquito-borne disease, most of them children in Africa.

In 2020, more than four million people in Malawi caught malaria and out of those at least 2,500, most under the age of five, were confirmed to have died from the illness.

The country’s national malaria control programme manager Dr Michael Kayange told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that the vaccine should now prevent some of these deaths.

“We’re quite aware of its low efficacy... [but] in malaria control there is no single intervention that does it all. We’re not saying that the malaria vaccine has come to eliminate malaria but it’s one tool towards malaria elimination."

Other measures include the distribution treated mosquito bed nets.

The vaccine will be administered through the regular immunisation programme which reaches all corners of the country.

Dr Kayange said this will ensure that all children under five, even in the remotest parts of the country, will be covered.

The roll out began in Malawi's central region in the district of Mchinji. Eleven of the country's 28 districts will be covered in the first part of the roll out and the authorities expect to vaccinate 330,000 children.

The vaccine needs to be given four times - once a month for three months and then a fourth dose 18 months later.

Goalkeeper Andre Onana leaves Cameroon's World Cup squad, saying there has been 'no will' to find a solution after he was suspended for disciplinary reasons.

Mohammed Kudus gets praise from Ghana's coach and senior players after the midfielder's starring display in their World Cup win over South Korea.

Image source, Getty Images

Wigan Athletic have appointed former Ivory Caost, Arsenal and Manchester City defender Kolo Toure as their new manager on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

The 41-year-old replaces Leam Richardson after he was sacked by the Championship club earlier this month.

The Ivorian has spent the past five years coaching at Celtic and Leicester City under Brendan Rodgers but this is his first role in management.

Toure's first game in charge will be the trip to Millwall on 10 December.

Wigan are 22nd in the table, but won their last game against Blackpool before the break for the World Cup.

"We are delighted that Kolo has become the new manager of Wigan Athletic Football Club, and the board are pleased that he is the man to take us forward," chief executive Malachy Brannigan told the club website., external

Read more on BBC Sport.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

Angola's Attorney-General Helder Pitta Groz has confirmed that his country has issued an arrest warrant for former President Jose Eduardo dos Santos' daughter, Isabel dos Santos, according to reports on the Angola24Horas website , externaland the Angop website, external.

Mr Groz said that the Angolan authorities were working with Interpol to find Ms Dos Santos.

She has been charged by Angolan authorities with mismanagement and embezzlement of public funds when she headed the state oil firm, Sonangol.

The government has filed several civil and criminal lawsuits demanding more than $5bn (£4.1bn) from her. Ms Dos Santos has denied the charges.

In an interview with The New York Times , externalshe said that she was available for questioning.

“My address is known, my whereabouts are known,” she told the newspaper.

“I’m not a fugitive. I’m not hiding from anyone,” she added, saying that she was living in London.

She also described the accusations as politically motivated.

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

Image source, AFP

A UN panel of experts on human rights in South Sudan has called on the government to investigate and prosecute top officials for their alleged role in sexual violence.

It said the government should immediately remove from office and investigate state governors and county commissioners linked to systematic rape.

The panel made the call during the ongoing international conference on preventing sexual violence in conflict being hosted in London.

“Nowhere in the world do you find so many women who experience conflict by being repeatedly gang raped... while the men responsible are promoted and rewarded,” said Yasmin Sooka, the chairperson of the panel.

“This year we have seen the most dehumanising sexual violence in South Sudan for which the government bears responsibility because of its failure over many years to hold individuals accountable,” said Prof Andrew Clapham, another member of the panel.

He singled out Unity state as among the areas most affected.

A delegation from the South Sudan government is also attending the conference. But they have not issued any official statement in response to the panel’s statement.

Image source, Reuters

South Africa has granted permanent residence to Janusz Walus, a far-right gunman who killed anti-apartheid hero Chris Hani in 1993, to allow him serve his parole in the country.

Last week, the country's constitutional court ordered the release of Walus on parole after almost three decades in prison.

Chief Justice Ray Zondo said refusal to grant him parole was "irrational".

The parole order has been very controversial in South Africa. Hani's widow Limpho condemned the ruling as "truly diabolical" and there have been protests against the decision.

Walus is a Polish immigrant whose South African citizenship was revoked in 2017.

In a statement, external, Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi said Walus was granted permanent residence on condition he may not use any travel document or passport issued by the embassy of Poland.

He also dismissed fears that Walus would serve his parole in Poland.

"The Department of Home Affairs would not be involved in any deportation process of Mr Walus to the Republic of Poland," he said.

Three people are being treated for dehydration after the 11-day voyage from Lagos in Nigeria.

Image source, Getty Images

The US Justice Department has announced charges against three men who allegedly funded separatist fighters in Cameroon.

The three US citizens of Cameroonian origin were arrested on Monday and appeared in court on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to support kidnappings and use of weapons of mass destruction in a foreign country.

Each man held a senior position in an organisation that supported and directed the Ambazonian Restoration Forces, according to the Justice Department.

They "allegedly solicited and raised funds for equipment, supplies, weapons and explosive materials to be used in attacks against Cameroonian government personnel, security forces and property, along with other civilians believed to be enabling the government".

The funds were raised through online chat applications and payment platforms from individuals located in the US and abroad, the department said in a statement, external.

Read more on Cameroon's Anglophone crisis:

• Red Dragons and Tigers - the rebels fighting for independence
• Why separatists in Cameroon and Nigeria have united

Rhoda Odhiambo
BBC Health Reporter

Image source, AFP

Civil society groups in Kenya are complaining about a chronic shortage of free condoms across the country.

The life-saving products are usually imported and distributed for free but due to high taxes suppliers are no longer providing Kenya with free condoms.

The activists want the government to remove taxes on the products as it will help in reducing new HIV infections.

Kenya needs about 455 million condoms annually, but the government is only able to procure 150 million.

Condoms are central to campaigns to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhoea and chlamydia.

However, for the last two years, a specific brand that the government has been distributing for free has been hard to find in public hospitals across Kenya.

Civil society groups have put the blame on the government's high import taxes.

A packet that has three condoms goes for about $1 – a cost too high for many.

Kenya records about 34,000 new HIV infections annually. However, since 2020, there has been a steady increase especially among sex workers.

And there are fears that, Kenya could roll back on the gains made over the years in tackling HIV