Image source, Getty Images

A man who sold potato chips cooked in dirty oil from a power transformer has been sentenced by a court in Kenya.

Elijah Mwangi Muthoga was arrested just over a year ago in possession of 11 litres of the oil at a hotel he runs in Nyandarua County.

He must now serve a two-year prison sentence or pay a fine of 200,000 shillings ($1,570; £1,300).

A harsher sentence of 10 years in prison or a 10m shilling fine was handed to Zachary Mwangi Gitau, the man found guilty of procuring the oil for Muthoga by vandalising a power transformer.

The policy led to a nationwide shortage of cash, with people sleeping outside banks.

In northern Liberia, a yellow bus is travelling from school to school to teach students how to use computers.

Image source, Getty Images

Ghana will require all fishing vessels operating in its waters to fit electronic monitors, the country's Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development told the BBC's Newsday programme.

"The electronic monitoring system with have cameras and we have tied this to the licensing of the vessel to be able to go for fishing," Mavis Hawa Koomson said.

She said that the monitoring will not only track the vessels but also, through attached cameras, allow authorities to deal with claims of abuse of Ghanaian workers by Chinese vessel operators.

The move comes after Ghana committed to ensuring 100% electronic monitoring of its industrial fisheries at the One Ocean conference in Panama City.

It’s hoped the new policy will help Ghana better manage its marine resources.

• More on this topic: Abuse, corruption and death on Chinese vessels

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

The government appointed Human Rights Commission in Ethiopia has strongly criticised the security forces for beating people and using live bullets against a crowd in the capital, Addis Ababa.

It says at least one person was killed and many others were injured.

People had gathered on Thursday to celebrate a holiday commemorating the country's victory over Italian invaders in the late 19th Century at the Battle of Adwa.

Tear gas was fired inside one of the city's historic Orthodox Christian churches.

The Ethiopian authorities have been reluctant to allow crowds on the streets since protests were called following a split in the influential Orthodox Church.

For three weeks most social media platforms have been blocked.

Russia's embassy in Kenya has been showing support to a push by local leaders to condemn what they allege is a promotion of LGBT culture.

It follows last week’s Supreme Court ruling which allows the LGBT community to register lobby groups in Kenya.

Supporters say the judges were asserting a right to association as given to all citizens, but opponents, including President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga, accused the judges of promoting "un-African" values.

Many have wrongly interpreted the judgement as giving the LGBT community freedom to get married in Kenya - which the Russian embassy has been keen to exploit.

One of the embassy's tweets , externalsaid: "Vladimir #Putin, external: “As long as I'm president, we will have ''dad'' and ''mum''”.

Another, external said: "The West will come for more. Traditional values shall be protected, otherwise humanity is doomed."

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

The UN has condemned the presence of South Sudanese soldiers in the southern part of Abyei, an oil-rich border area being contested by Sudan and South Sudan.

The UN peacekeeping force, called the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abye (Unisfa) says “uniformed personnel” were spotted in Abyei on Tuesday.

It said it was "deeply worried" the development would further exacerbate the conflict and cause a humanitarian crisis for civilians living in the area.

South Sudan's army spokesperson, Maj Gen Lul Ruai Koang, has denied the presence of government soldiers in Abyei.

Unisfa said Abyei remains a “weapon-free area” that should not have the presence of any force.

“Unisfa condemns the renewed fighting within and around the borders of Abyei Box and urges all parties to ceasefire and allow the political process to resolve the lingering crisis,” it said in a statement.

It urged both countries to respect the UN Security Council resolution on demilitarization of Abyei.

Image source, AFP

A man who survived a hyena attack two years ago has been killed by an elephant in Makueni county in eastern Kenya, local media report.

Seventy-two-year-old Musili Musembi is said to have been trampled on by an elephant as he walked home on Wednesday night.

Human-wildlife conflicts are common in the area that borders the vast Tsavo East National Park, with residents complaining of attacks and destruction of their crops by wildlife.

In 2020, the deceased is said to have fought off a hyena that attacked his livestock, sustaining an injury on his left hand.

On Thursday, angry residents demanded a meeting with the minister in charge of wildlife. They also wanted the Kenya Wildlife Service to put down the rogue elephant.

Police are said to have fired in the air to disperse the residents to retrieve Mr Musembi’s body, which was later taken to a hospital mortuary in Kibwezi town.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Breakaway Somaliland has warned over an impending attack, external on its territories by troops from the neighbouring Somali region of Puntland and vowed to defend itself against any aggression.

In a statement, Somaliland’s defence ministry said it received credible intelligence indicating that members of the Puntland Security Force (PSF) and Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) were planning to attack its military over the next few days.

Somaliland says it is taking the threats seriously and has taken all the necessary steps to safeguard its people and territories.

It has also urged the international community to condemn the “unjustified act of aggression” and support its right to self-defence.

The move is seen as an escalation in tensions over the past two months in disputed territories whose ownership is claimed by both Puntland and Somaliland.

The statement was issued hours after the local administration ruled out that clan militias fighting against Somaliland troops were getting help from Puntland and Somali government troops.

Image source, Getty Images

Nigeria's President-elect Bola Tinubu will relocate to a military facility in the capital, Abuja, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, according to his campaign team.

"The president-elect will be moving into Defence House, in Maitama, FCT, where he will spend the next couple of months, and from where he will move into the Presidential Villa," it said in a tweet.

It did not specify when Mr Tinubu will move to the facility.

The president-elect will receive briefings and hold key meetings at the location, a local newspaper reports.

Outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari had also moved into the facility ahead of his swearing-in in May 2015, it adds.

Mr Tinubu of the ruling APC party was declared the presidential election winner with 37%.

Opposition parties have said they will challenge the result in court. They have 21 days from the day the results were announced to challenge the result at Nigeria's highest appeal court.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

The United States is offering a reward of up to $5m (£4.1m) for information that helps capture the leader of a rebel group in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo which has ties to the Islamic State group.

The US State Department said under the command of Seka Musa Baluku, the Allied Democratic Forces had killed, maimed, raped and abducted civilians including children.

The ADF leader is originally from Uganda, where the group first carried out attacks in the 1990s.

In 2021 the US labelled the ADF a terrorist organisation. It is one of dozens of armed groups active in eastern DR Congo.

Read more: Who are the ADF?

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News, Addis Ababa

Image source, Gett

Tensions remain in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, after police targeted civilians who held parallel celebrations to mark Adwa Victory Day on Thursday.

The day marks victory over Italian invaders in the famous Battle of Adwa in 1896 by the army of Emperor Menelik II, the founder of modern-day Ethiopia.

Police fired tear gas inside a historical Orthodox Christian church where some people had sought refuge after hundreds of people were dispersed from a city square named after Menelik II.

Residents told the BBC that police also blocked all ways leading to the square, which one described as “unprecedented”.

The official celebrations were held at Meskel Square, the city’s main square, which is uncommon for this particular holiday. Senior army and government officials were in attendance.

Several people who sustained injuries were reportedly admitted to hospitals.

An opposition party, the National Movement of the Amhara, said one its members was killed by bullets fired by security forces. The BBC has not independently confirmed the claim.

A statement by the government communications office blamed individuals it claimed wanted to “create disturbances”.

It admitted that “some people” were injured in the church including those who were attending religious services.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, US State Department

The US has announced a reward of up to $5m (£4.1m) for information on Seka Musa Baluku, the leader of the Islamic State group-linked ADF militia in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The wanted ADF leader is a Ugandan national who is likely in his late 40s, according to the US State Department.

“Under Seka Musa Baluku’s leadership, the group targets, kills, maims, rapes, and commits other sexual violence and engages in abduction of civilians, including children,” the department's Rewards for Justice programme said in a statement., external

It said the “group also recruits and uses children during attacks and for forced labour” in the Beni territory of eastern DR Congo.

The group is accused of killing thousands of Congolese civilians and carrying out bomb attacks in Uganda. In 2020 alone, the group is said to have killed over 849 civilians, according to the UN Security Council.

Image source, Getty Images

The Tunisian authorities have banned an opposition rally that was due to take place on Sunday.

Members of the opposition coalition that called it are suspected of crimes against the state.

A Tunisian official said the coalition’s request for the rally had "not been approved as some of its leaders are suspected of plotting against state security".

In the past month, the authorities have launched a wave of arrests of key figures including rivals and critics of President Kais Saied, with dozens of them held.

On Thursday, police arrested Sadok Chourou and Habib Ellouz - two senior officials of the main opposition party Ennahda.

The party said the arrests were meant to "terrorise the opposition" and called on Tunisians to join the planned protests.

The country has been in a deepening political and economic crisis, amid protests by Tunisians frustrated with the economy and against Mr Saied's near-total power.

In 2021, Mr Saied shut down the parliament and moved to rule by decree before rewriting Tunisia’s constitution.

A selection of the best photos from across Africa and beyond this week.

“My dad beat me.” How the physical punishment of a child changed the lives of a Nigerian family forever. Behaviour which was the norm for a mother who grew up in Nigeria was treated as assault in the UK. Thanks for listening. Let us know what you think. #TheComb Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com

Mauritanian President Mohamed ould Ghazouani tells the BBC what's behind his country’s security success.

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

The top US commander in Africa has downplayed the recent joint naval exercise by Russia, China and South Africa in the Indian Ocean.

General Michael Langley said America offered much more valuable security partnerships to African countries but would not force them to pick nations to corporate militarily with.

Gen Langley described the joint naval exercise as power projection by Russia and China.

South Africa sent more than 400 troops to the exercise while Russia sent a battleship armed with hypersonic missiles.

South Africa has denied the training amounted to an endorsement of the war in Ukraine.

Gen Langley also warned of the growing involvement of Russia’s Wanger Group in conflicts across Africa, saying they were a destabilising force.

Mercenaries from the group have fought in the Central Africa Republic, Libya and Mali.

Read more: Why is South Africa's navy joining exercises with Russia and China?

The dusky tetraka is a small bird with a distinctive yellow throat that lives on the ground.

Image source, AFP

Black Africans don’t feel safe in Tunisia because they have become a “target” because of their skin colour, a student from sub-Saharan Africa in Tunisia tells the BBC’s Africa Daily programme.

A woman, who only wanted to be identified as Mary, says that some people’s homes have been “set on fire”, others “beaten up,” and some have received verbal insults.

There are even taxi drivers who are refusing to drive black Africans, Mary continues.

Mary says the rise in racism comes after President Kais Saied last week said that illegal migration was a "plot" to cause demographic change in Tunisia, and accused "illegal hordes" of being behind rising crime.

Dozens of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have since been detained, as Ivory Coast and Guinea say they are sending specially charted planes to bring back their nationals.

“It’s like you’re not welcome in your own continent,” Mary continues.

She says she has some Tunisian friends who have tried to support her, and intends to stay in the country just a few more months to finish her studies.

Read more about the race row in Tunisia here.

Or listen to the Africa Daily podcast here