Lalla Sy
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Burkina Faso's transition government has announced that the remains of President Thomas Sankara and his 12 companions assassinated on 15 October 1987 will be reburied later this month, at the Thomas Sankara Memorial in the capital, Ouagadougou.

This decision is the result of consultations within the Armed Forces, the families of the victims, the customary and religious authorities and the International Committee of the Thomas Sankara Memorial, according to a statement issued on Friday.

The bodies of Sankara and his companions of the People's Democratic Revolution (RDP) were exhumed on 25 May 2015 as part of a judicial process to make sure the remains were indeed his.

Seen as "Africa's Che Guevara", the anti-imperialist revolutionary was hastily buried with 12 others after he was ousted in a 1987 coup.

Permission for an exhumation was denied during the rule of his successor, Blaise Compaoré, who left office in 2014 amid street protests.

Mr Compaoré received a life sentence in absentia for his role in the assassination of Sankara.

Sankara's reburial will be done according to customary funeral rites followed by religious and military ceremonies.

Read more: Thomas Sankara's legacy

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, Getty Images

Emergency agencies in Nigeria say 24 people have been rescued from a collapsed building in Abuja and three people have died after suffering fatal injuries.

The three-storey structure with a basement was under construction when it came down on Thursday morning trapping an unidentified number of people, many of them workers.

The building is believed to have been planned for a commercial complex in Gwarinpa, a sprawling residential suburb of the Nigerian capital.

A combined team of emergency and security agencies, including some construction companies with heavy duty equipment, was mobilised to the scene of the incident, and worked overnight digging through the rubble to try to save people trapped in the collapsed building.

Abbas Idris, head of the Federal Capital Territory’s Emergency Agency in Abuja, told the BBC that it had been a battle to rescue the people and that the building was poor quality: "We discovered that a lot of corners have been cut, there are substandard materials used in this construction."

Image source, AFP

Nigeria's outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to deal with the cash crunch in the country which is causing chaotic scenes as people try to get their hands on new naira notes.

After 10 February the old notes will become worthless but can be exchanged for a further seven days at the country's central bank.

"I am aware of the cash shortages and hardship being faced by people and businesses, on account of the Naira redesign," President Buhari tweeted.

"I want to assure that we are doing everything to resolve these issues. Nigerians should expect significant improvements between now and the February 10 deadline," he continued.

One video showed people fighting at an ATM to get money. Another showed a man stripping down to his underwear as he was waiting at the bank, as we reported on Thursday.

The deadline to exchange the money was supposed to have been 31 January, but it was extended by 10 days to give more people in rural areas time to get the new notes, the central bank's governor had said.

When the bank announced in October that the 1,000 ($2.18; £1.75), 500 and 200 naira notes were to be replaced, it said 80% of the notes in circulation were outside banks.

The central bank believes that with the redesigned currency it will have a better understanding of the money circulating in the economy so it can better manage inflation.

Read more on this story:

• Nigeria's CBN naira deadline: Hunting out savings from under mattresses

Willie Kimani, his client and driver were abducted, tortured, killed and their bodies dumped in a river.

Pope Francis has arrived at the airport in South Sudan's capital, Juba, on the second leg of his latest visit to the continent.

Thousands have turned out to greet him.

He is in the conflict-hit country to spread a message of peace and, in an unprecedented move, he will be joined by two other Christian leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

Read more on the visit:

• Pope and archbishop on historic peace mission to South Sudan

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

A retired Catholic archbishop has described the killing of civilians on the eve of the historic visit of Pope Francis to South Sudan as “embarrassing”.

At least 21 people were killed in a cattle raid in a reprisal attack on cattle camp in Kajo-Keji County of Central Equatoria.

“It is surely embarrassing because in a way South Sudanese are saying 'we don’t care whether you (the Pope) are here or not, we will continue living our lives as before,' but it is that idea of caring there that the Pope wants to bring back,” Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako, the Archbishop Emeritus of Khartoum, told the BBC.

Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields, are due to arrive in the capital Juba on Friday to encourage peace and reconciliation in the country riven by conflict.

On Thursday, the Archbishop of Canterbury said he was "horrified" by the attack on the eve of his visit.

"It is a story too often heard across South Sudan. I again appeal for a different way: for South Sudan to come together for a just peace," he posted on Twitter., external

South Sudan has continued to experience widespread violence and ethnic tensions, despite a 2018 peace deal signed by rivals President Salva Kiir and former rebel leader and now Vice-President, Machar.

Cardinal Zubeir told the BBC that it was time for the South Sudanese people to fight for their dignity, instead of continuously killing themselves.

Facing widespread economic challenges, South Africans criticise the country's proposed sponsorship deal of Tottenham Hotspur.

South Sudanese people are gathering in huge numbers at Juba International Airport to receive Pope Francis.

The Catholic leader will be in the country for three days, after having completed a three-day trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The visit, alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury and the most senior figure in the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, is historic and has taken years to plan.

The religious leaders aim to bring hope and to encourage leaders to find a lasting peace in South Sudan, which has faced years of conflict.

Image source, Nichola Mandil/ BBC

Image source, Nichola Mandil/ BBC

The only woman running to be president of Nigeria in this month's elections has told the BBC’s Peter Okwoche that women “are not respected” in the country.

Chichi Ojei from the Allied Peoples Movement said people have told her she must be “out of” her “mind” to be running and that having a female president in Nigeria is “not possible”.

Ms Ojei said that the answer to Nigeria’s problems can be solved with a female president, despite the fact women are treated as “the underdog” in the country.

Ms Ojei is not expected to garner a large amount of support in the 25 February vote.

Nigerians are currently battling a struggle to get fuel and access to new naira bank notes ahead of the crucial vote.

More about Nigeria's elections:

• RIVERS STATE: The oil land with no electricity
• PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES: The allegations against the top contenders
• DISINFORMATION: The influencers paid to manipulate your vote
• BASIC GUIDE: What you need to know about Nigeria's elections
• FULL COVERAGE: Nigeria Elections 2023

Pope Francis is on a three-day trip in South Sudan. Here is what you need to know about this visit.

Chiagozie Nwonwu
BBC, Lagos

Image source, Reuters

The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has disowned two letters making the rounds among social media users in Nigeria on the alleged activities of presidential candidate Bola Tinubu.

The agency said the two letters were forgeries.

The first letter surfaced on Twitter in late January and is a purported reply to an enquiry to the agency on the alleged activities of Mr Tinubu.

It was viewed hundreds of thousands of times by Twitter users in the country.

The NCA told the BBC that it had denied the letter when it was drawn to their attention.

The second letter appeared to “challenge” the first letter.

It suggested that the NCA was threatening to take legal action against a rival presidential campaign team, which it claimed, forged the first letter.

The NCA has confirmed to the BBC that the second letter did not come from them.

The NCA is a law enforcement agency in the UK that focuses on local and international cybercrime, human trafficking, drug trafficking, organised crime, economic crime and weapons trafficking.

A recent investigation by the BBC disinformation unit found that political parties and campaigns in Nigeria were using social media influencers to spread disinformation to discredit their political rivals.

Nigerians will go to the polls on 25 February to elect a new president.

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

A Kenyan court has sentenced to death a former Kenyan policeman for the killing of a prominent human rights lawyer and two other people more than six years ago.

Two other ex-policemen and a civilian were sentenced to between 20 and 30 years in prison for the murder of lawyer Willie Kimani, his client and a taxi driver in June 2016.

The four were last year each found guilty of three counts including murder.

All the four can appeal their conviction and sentencing within 14 days.

In her judgement, Justice Jessie Lessit said evidence produced during the trial had shown that the murders were premeditated and the victims brutally tortured and killed.

The bodies of Willie Kimani, Josephat Mwendwa and Joseph Muiruri were found after they had been dumped in a river on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi.

Mr Kimani was defending motorbike taxi driver Josephat Mwenda who had accused policeman Fredrick Leliman - one of the three officers found guilty - of shooting him for no reason at a traffic stop in 2015.

Mr Kimani, Mr Mwenda and their taxi driver Joseph Muiruri were last seen on 23 June 2016 at a police station.

Their mutilated bodies were recovered two weeks later in a river almost 100km (62 miles) from the city.

Image source, Getty Images

Kenya's former President Uhuru Kenyatta has had his security detail significantly cut back, as relations with his successor William Ruto sour over calls for tax scrutiny on the Kenyatta family's vast wealth.

The head of police told journalists, external that the changes were guided by police regulations on the security of a retired president.

"He is very safe and secure... Whatever has been done is in good faith," Inspector General Japheth Koome said on Friday.

Mr Kenyatta's security of 96 elite officers has been reduced to 25 while the former First Lady has five, the Daily Nation reports.

Former influential ministers during President Kenyatta's tenure have also had their security whittled down.

President Ruto allies have been calling for investigations into tax waivers enjoyed by the Kenyatta family during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s reign.

Mr Ruto this week accused tax cheats of funding recent opposition rallies.

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

A Kenyan court is due to sentence three former policemen and a civilian over the 2016 killing of prominent human rights lawyer Willie Kimani.

The four, Fredrick Leliman, Stephen Cheburet, Sylvia Wanjiku and Peter Ngugi, were last year found guilty of the murder of Mr Kimani, his client Josephat Mwendwa and taxi driver Joseph Muiruri.

The wife of the late lawyer and his family have already arrived at the packed courthouse in the capital, Nairobi.

The bodies of Mr Kimani and the two others were found after they had been dumped in a river on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi.

The lawyer was defending Mr Mwendwa, a motorbike taxi driver who had accused Mr Leliman - one of the three officers found guilty - of shooting him for no reason at a traffic stop in 2015.

Mr Kimani, Mr Mwendwa and Mr Muiruri were last seen on 23 June 2016 at a police station.

Their mutilated bodies were recovered two weeks later in a river almost 100km (62 miles) from the city.

The sentencing comes at a time when Kenya’s police service is under yet more scrutiny over extrajudicial killings and abductions.

President William Ruto has already disbanded several special units accused of murder and kidnappings of civilians

An increasing number of medical graduates are finding alternative ways to make a living.

Pupils in South Africa's Free State province were filmed flipping a police car on Thursday after going on the rampage over the alleged death of their schoolmate.

The child is alleged to have taken their life after being bullied by a teacher, the Times Live site reports quoting a local police spokesperson.

“It is reported that the child left a suicide note to say what caused the death and then the learners at the school picketed and it became violent,” Warrant Officer Peter Mabizela is quoted as saying

Pupils from surrounding schools converged at Tlotlisong Secondary School where they held two police officers and teachers hostage inside the school, Mr Mabizela added.

The pupils turned a police vehicle on its side amid cheers. It took additional police units to disperse them from the school.

Five minors were arrested for public violence and will appear in court soon, police said.

BBC World Service

Image source, Reuters

Pope Francis will on Friday travel from the Democratic Republic of Congo to South Sudan as he continues what the Roman Catholic Church is calling a pilgrimage for peace in Africa.

It's the first visit by a pontiff since South Sudan gained independence in 2011 and Francis will be joined in the capital, Juba, by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

The pope is honouring a promise to visit the country which he made in 2019 when he welcomed South Sudan's rival leaders, President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar.

Pope Francis concluded his visit to the DR Congo by urging young people to shun corruption.

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, Reuters

The United States has called for the immediate re-arrest of a Sudanese man convicted of the killing of an American diplomat 15 years ago.

The US State Department has also summoned Sudan’s ambassador to Washington over the controversial release of the convict, Abdel Raouf Abu Zaid.

Zaid was facing the death penalty over the killing of diplomat John Granville and his Sudanese driver Abdel Rahman Abbas on New Year’s Day in 2008.

The US has described as false Sudan's claims that the family of Mr Granville had forgiven the killer.

The State Department denied that the release was part of an agreement between the two countries.

In 2020, Sudan’s transitional government agreed to pay about $335m (£274m) as compensation related to the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000 and the killing of Mr Granville.

Mr Granville and his Sudanese colleague Mr Abbas both worked for the US Agency for International Development in Sudan. They were shot and killed by gunmen as they left a New Year party in 2008.

Guy Bandolo
BBC News, Yaoundé

Image source, AFP

Several people have been arrested in Cameroon over the murder of a prominent journalist Martinez Zogo, the presidency said on Thursday.

It did not reveal the identities of the suspected people or their number.

A statement said the suspects were being interrogated to determine the level of their alleged involvement and the identities of all the people connected to the murder that happened two weeks ago.

For the first time since Mr Zogo's body was found, President Paul Biya paid a "special tribute” to him and expressed his “heartfelt condolences” to his family.

The radio host was found dead on 22 January after going missing for five days. His decomposing naked body was found near the capital, Yaoundé, after his alleged abduction by unknown men on 17 January.

He was the director of the privately owned Amplitude FM and hosted a popular radio show called "Embouteillage" or Traffic Jam.

He had recently talked on air about an alleged embezzlement case involving a wealthy businessman and top officials.

Image source, Getty Images

Children were injured on Thursday when railing collapsed at a stadium in Sierra Leone where the president and first lady were distributing free sanitary pads, news agencies report.

Videos on social media show crowds rushing out of a stadium in the city of Bo, with many carrying people who appeared to be injured, the AFP news agency reports.

“My heart goes out to all the children affected and the families of the kids that sustained injuries in the unfortunate incident at the Bo Stadium today,” President Julius Maada Bio tweeted.

“Our medical team are working assiduously to administer medical attention to the injured.”

The number of casualties was not immediately clear.

The accident happened when a "short section of metal guardrail on one of the levels of the stadium came apart", a statement from the government’s office of the press secretary is quoted as saying.