Image source, EPA

Germany's foreign office has come under fire after taking aim at Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's tour of Africa using an unpopular generalisation about the continent.

In a tweet, Germany's foreign office had said: "The Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov is in Africa, not to see [leopard emoji], but to bluntly claim that Ukraine’s partners “want to destroy everything Russian”."

Many were angered by the suggestion that Africa's wildlife was the only thing worth bringing the Russian envoy to the continent.

Ebba Kalondo, the spokesperson to the African Union chairperson, wondered whether "the continent of Africa, its people and wildlife is a joke to you?"

Ms Kalondo noted that German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock recently visited the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia. "Did she come to see animals?" she posed, external.

"How many times should we tell you that Africa is more than seeing wild animals?" Kofi Yeboah tweeted, external.

"Using terrible stereotypes of Africa (“Africa is a vast landscape of wild animals in the bush”) to score a geopolitical upper cut to an adversary in a European war will not win you any African friends," added Zainab Usman, external.

On Wednesday, Germany agreed to send its Leopard tanks to Ukraine. For some time, it had resisted internal and external pressure to supply their tanks to the country.

More on this topic:

• How Russia has outflanked Ukraine in Africa

• How Russia forged closer ties with Africa

Image source, AFP

The South African regional bloc, Sadc, has expressed “deep concern” over the killing of Eswatini rights activist Thulani Maseko who was gunned down at home on Sunday.

A statement by the head of Sadc’s political and security organ, Namibian President Hage Geingob, said Mr Maseko was at the time of death heading a coalition set up to advocate for national dialogue to resolve the political crisis in the kingdom.

The bloc urged the Eswatini government to ensure that the matter “is swiftly, transparently and comprehensively investigated, and that any or all persons suspected of committing this heinous crime are brought to justice”.

While expressing its condolences to Mr Maseko’s family and the nation, Sadc called on the people to remain calm while the appropriate investigations are done and the matter is concluded.

It said dialogue should still be pursued to resolve the political and security challenges affecting the country.

It came as the US called for an impartial probe into the killing, saying it remained "deeply concerned about continuing violence in Eswatini" and urged political dialogue.

Over the last two years there have been waves of pro-democracy protests in Eswatini - the continent's last absolute monarchy.

Security forces in the country have frequently used excessive force to break up protests.

BBC World Service

The authorities in Nigeria say at least 27 Fulani herders were killed in an explosion near the border between the central states of Nasarawa and Benue on Tuesday.

The police say they are investigating the cause of the explosion.

The area has seen frequent disputes over resources between pastoral and farming communities.

Some local media reported that the explosion may have been a botched air strike by the Nigerian military - but this has not been independently confirmed.

Image source, AFP

A Kenyan court on Wednesday convicted a Venezuelan diplomat over the murder of the Latin American nation's acting ambassador 10 years ago at her official residence in the capital, Nairobi.

Dwight Sagaray, who was the Venezuelan embassy's first secretary, was found guilty of the killing of Olga Fonseca on 27 July 2012.

Three Kenyan nationals who had been charged alongside Mr Sagaray were also convicted.

The diplomat was tried for the murder after his diplomatic immunity was waived by Venezuela.

The court found that Mr Sagaray was heading the mission before the arrival of Ms Fonseca and was angered by her presence since he wanted to continue overseeing the embassy, Reuters news agency reports.

Ms Fonseca, 57, was killed less than two weeks after she started her new role in Nairobi on 15 July.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, Reuters

The United States government has announced a visa ban on some unnamed Nigerians “for undermining the democratic process in a recent Nigerian election”.

In a statement on Wednesday, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken described the action as a reflection of his government’s “commitment to supporting Nigeria’s aspiration to combat corruption and strengthen democracy and the rule of law”.

The senior US diplomat explained that the individuals affected will not be granted visas to enter the US, “under a policy to restrict visas of those believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Nigeria”.

He also said that their family members may also be subject to these restrictions.

“Additional persons who undermine the democratic process in Nigeria—including in the lead-up to, during, and following Nigeria’s 2023 elections—may be found ineligible for US visas under this policy,” the statement said further.

Mr Blinken, however, clarified that the visa ban was not targeted at the Nigerian people or the government.

It comes barely two months after the political counsellor at the US embassy in Nigeria, Rolf Olson, made a similar statement.

In the lead up to the Edo and Ondo governorship polls of 19 September and 10 October 2020, the US government had also announced visa restrictions on some individuals.

The country is due to hold general elections on 25 February.

• Nigeria elections 2023: What you need to know

Our proverb of the day:

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Viral videos of minerals with apparent electrical properties are not what they seem.

Burnley sign South Africa forward Lyle Foster from Belgian side KVC Westerlo on a four-and-a-half-year deal.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team until Thursday morning Nairobi time.

There will be an automated news feed until then. You can also get the latest from the BBC News website and listen to the Africa Today podcast.

A reminder of Wednesday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo of the national spokesperson of Uganda's police with two Arsenal fans who were among a group that was arrested on Monday for holding unlawful street celebrations after Sunday's win against Manchester United. They were later freed.

A summit on food security across Africa has heard calls for the continent to feed itself, rather than relying on aid or imports.

The current African Union chairman - Senegalese President Macky Sall - told the meeting in Dakar that Africa had huge potential that was not exploited.

According to the head of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, two-thirds of the world's uncultivated arable land is in Africa.

He said Africa can and must feed itself.

Tens of millions of people in East Africa and the Sahel region face hunger because of drought, conflict and a rise in the cost of food and fuel.

Leaders attending the meeting have been urged to re-commit to a pledge agreed two decades ago to devote 10% of government budgets to agriculture and rural development.

Alfred Lasteck
BBC News, Dar es Salaam

High prices of basic foods and supplies in Tanzania can be effectively managed by a new constitution, opposition leader Tundu Lissu told a massive rally in Dar es Salaam hours after he arrived back after six years of self-imposed exile.

He said the high cost of living was a fundamental political problem.

"I don't have the legal authority to reduce the prices of food and other commodities in the country, I don't have it... for now, I just have the right talk about it and other challenges," he said.

The opposition leader returned home after the government recently lifted a ban on political rallies.

The ban, imposed by former President John Magufuli in 2016, allowed only elected politicians to conduct rallies in their constituencies.

Mr Lissu was shot 16 times in an assassination attempt in 2017 in the country's capital, Dodoma, and has spent most of the years since in Belgium.

He returned for a few months in 2020 to challenge Mr Magufuli in a presidential election where he only secured 13% of the votes.

His Chadema party rejected the outcome over claims of widespread irregularities.

Rhoda Odhiambo
BBC Africa health reporter, Nairobi

Malawi has recorded more than 1,000 cholera deaths since the outbreak started in March last year.

This is the highest figure the country has ever recorded for a cholera outbreak.

There are fears health officials are struggling to contain the outbreak as they are running low on medical supplies including vaccines – most of which were used up last week.

More than 30,000 infections have been reported in Malawi.

Most cases and deaths have been recorded in the capital, Lilongwe and Blantyre, where the opening of schools was delayed to control the spread of cholera.

The widespread cases are linked to the impact of climate change that caused extensive flooding last year and destroyed the country's water and sanitation systems.

Health Minister Khumbize Chiponda has urged people to use safe water and observe basic hygiene, but very few people have access to safe water and improved sanitation facilities.

Two weeks ago, the country launched an international appeal asking for medical supplies to contain the outbreak.

The health ministry has also asked the World Health Organization to assist them in getting 7.6 million doses of cholera vaccines.

However, with only two manufacturers producing this vaccine and a global cholera outbreak, it’s unlikely that they’ll get them any time soon.

Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Accra

The authorities in Ghana are investigating the circumstances that led to the drowning of eight schoolchildren on Lake Volta in the south-eastern region.

Local authorities say 12 other children, who were on board the capsized boat, survived Tuesday's accident.

The group was travelling from Atikagome fishing village to the Wayokope community where their school is located

The bodies of five boys and three girls between the ages of five and 12 died have been retrieved, Ghana’s National Disaster Management Organisation said.

The incident has ignited calls for the government to improve transport infrastructure in rural communities.

Boat accidents are frequent on Lake Volta partly due to overloading, poorly constructed boats, and the presence of tree stumps in the water.

In April last year, seven people died in a similar accident.

Omar Wally
Journalist, The Gambia

A court in The Gambia has dropped charges against three military officers alleged to have taken part in last month's coup plot.

Two civilians who had been detained were also freed.

However, another four military officers and one police officer, including alleged ringleader Lance Corporal Sana Fadera, will face new charges next week.

They did not enter a plea during Wednesday's court appearance.

Families of the freed officers and civilians celebrated after they were released from custody.

Read:

• Gambia officer Sanna Fadera's sister denies he plotted coup attempt

In a sign of growing tensions, Rwanda says it took "defensive action" against a plane in its airspace.

BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

A court in Mauritania has begun hearing the corruption trial of a former president who's accused of amassing a fortune of more than $70m (£56m) during his time in office.

Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz appeared in court in Nouakchott with nine other defendants.

His lawyers said he rejected the accusations against him and that his arrest at home on the eve of the trial amounted to kidnapping.

The former leader stepped down in 2019. He has accused his successor Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of turning the legal system against him.

The quarter-final line-up for the African Nations Championship guarantees the trophy will be going to a first-time winner.

Jonathan Paye-Layleh
BBC News, Monrovia

Image source, Getty Images

Liberia's President George Weah has so far delivered on 24 of his 292 campaign promises ahead of the October general elections in which he will be seeking to retain the job, a civil society organisation tracking his government's performance has said.

"That constitutes 8% of the promises," Eddie Jarwolo from the respected Naymote Partners for Democratic Development told the BBC.

Fighting corruption, a main factor in Liberia's underdevelopment, was key in Mr Weah’s inaugural address in 2018.

However, in the last five years Mr Weah and top officials have instead come under criticism for allegedly amassing wealth and building fabulous private properties, much to the disappointment of their grassroots supporters.

There have been frequent reports of shady deals involving key government actors and a lack of accountability on how millions of dollars of state funds have been spent.

Maxson Kpakio from Justice Forum Liberia, an established advocacy group, said he was “hugely disappointed in the Weah administration because for five years we are yet to see foreign direct investments; all we see is corruption and hardships”.

The chairman of the governing Congress for Democratic Change party, Mulbah Morlue, dismissed the criticisms.

He told the BBC that the development achievements of Mr Weah's government "are countless", naming the construction of roads and hospitals.

He added that because of Mr Weah's track-record, the re-election of the former football star was certain in October.

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg resigns from his position as president of the Egyptian Referees Committee after only five months in charge.

Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu has returned from self-imposed exile, six years after he was shot numerous times during an assassination attempt.

He said he'd decided to go home because of the lifting of a ban on opposition political rallies earlier this month.

Cheering supporters greeted Mr Lissu, who waved from the open-top car taking him from Dar es Salaam airport to a rally nearby.

The defeated former presidential candidate says he hopes that Tanzania's governing CCM party is ready for a more open style of politics.