Michael Kaloki
BBC News, Nairobi

Kenya on Monday received about 30,000 metric tonnes of wheat from Ukraine to help families affected by drought and famine.

The donation is part of Ukraine's humanitarian programme.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who received the shipment, said the donation will go to at least 5.4 million Kenyans who are facing starvation.

The UN's World Food Programme has supported the delivery. The donation has also been financed by several countries including Norway, Belgium, Italy, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom.

The programme has delivered more than 140,000 tonnes of wheat to African nations since November 2022.

Click here to hear more on this story on BBC Focus on Africa radio.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, Reuters

One of the defeated opposition candidates in Nigeria's presidential election has formally challenged the results in a petition filed at a court tribunal in the capital, Abuja.

Peter Obi of the Labour Party came third in last month's poll behind Atiku Abubakar and victor Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.

A spokesperson for Mr Obi's presidential campaign told the BBC on Tuesday that their petition argues that Mr Tinubu should not have been eligible to run for the top office.

It also raises questions on the processes leading to the outcome of the election and the announcement of a winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, he added.

Mr Abubakar, the who ran for president with the Peoples Democratic Party, has also vowed to challenge the election results.

Election disputes take months to be resolved in Nigeria, despite the constitution stipulating that they should be concluded, where possible, before a candidate is sworn into office.

This year's election was the tightest presidential race since the end of military rule in 1999, but international observers said it lacked transparency and there were operational failures.

The electoral commission has acknowledged that there were major technical hitches which affected the uploading of election results on its server.

More on Nigeria's presidential elections:

• Can Nigeria's election result be overturned?
• Who is Peter Obi of the Labour Party?

Image source, AFP

Ethiopia's government has rejected a statement by the US alleging that members of its forces, along with Eritrean and Amhara forces, committed war crimes during the two-year war.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the US statement "selective" and "inflammatory" saying "the partisan and divisive approach from the US is ill-advised".

It said that it was "untimely", coming shortly after Ethiopia launched a national consultation on transitional justice policy aiming to bring peace and reconciliation.

"For no apparent reason, the statement appears to exonerate one party from certain allegations of human rights violations such as rape and other forms sexual violence despite the clear and overwhelming evidence about its culpability," the ministry said.

It said the US statement would "be used to advance highly polarised campaigns pitting one community against others in the country".

On Monday, the US said it had determined that all warring parties in the brutal war in northern Ethiopia had committed war crimes.

It also accused the Ethiopian and Eritrean Defence forces as well as Amhara forces of committing crimes against humanity including murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence and persecution.

Image source, Ousmane Sonko/Facebook

Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has accused the country's president of leading a "strategy of terror" to drive out political opponents, and says he's survived a brutal attack on his "physical safety".

He also alleges that police sprayed him with a toxic liquid and that he has sent his clothes abroad for testing.

President Macky Sall has yet to comment on Mr Sonko's statement, which he's filmed from a hospital bed, external four days after he was pulled from his car while driving to court to face defamation charges.

The security forces had been angered by the circuitous route Mr Sonko was taking and blocked his convoy, leading to angry confrontation between his supporters and riot police.

Mr Sonko is accused of discrediting the Minister of Tourism Mame Mbaye Niang, but says the real purpose of the trial is to disqualify him from running for the presidency.

Meanwhile, Senegal's president has told French media that it wouldn't be unconstitutional for him to seek a controversial third term in power.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

The government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has said it is documenting allegations of human rights violations committed in Monday’s protests by both police and demonstrators.

In a statement, the commission called on the government's police watchdog to also investigate reports of vandalism, arrests, injuries and use of live fire by police officers.

"Police officers should be able to isolate and arrest violent protesters who are in breach of peace and at the same time protect those who are innocent during the demonstrations," the KNCHR said, external.

"The commission further affirms that any human rights violation or abuse in the context of these demonstrations must be investigated promptly, thoroughly and impartially.”

The protests against the high cost of living and alleged electoral malpractices turned violent in several opposition strongholds, including parts of Nairobi and the west of the country.

Image source, Getty Images

Authorities in Malawi say the number of people who are still missing following Storm Freddy has risen from 349 to 427, as more countries continue to send humanitarian aid.

Malawi's Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) on Monday said it received rapid assessment reports from 15 affected regions in the country.

"As of Monday, 20th March 2023, the number of displaced people is at 508,244. The death toll has risen from 476 to 499, with 1,332 injuries," DoDMA said in a statement, external.

Several countries including the UK, Tanzania and Zambia have sent teams to help in rescue operations.

The storm struck Mozambique and Malawi last week for the second time in a month, destroying scores of homes and triggering widespread floods.

Malawi’s government has set up over 500 camps across the country’s southern region, where up to 10 districts have been affected.

Image source, Getty Images

Forty-three Facebook content moderators in Kenya are suing the social media site's parent company Meta for unfair dismissal.

The moderators say they lost their jobs with Sama, a Kenya-based firm contracted to moderate Facebook content, for organising a union, the Reuters news agency reports.

They also say they were blacklisted from applying for the same roles at another outsourcing firm, Majorel, after Facebook switched contractors.

In January, 260 content moderators working at Facebook's moderation hub in Nairobi were told they would be made redundant by Sama, the outsourcing firm which has run the office since 2019, said Foxglove, a technology rights group which is supporting the lawsuit.

"The redundancy being undertaken is unlawful because no genuine nor justifiable reason was given for the redundancy," the moderators said in their court petition.

Meta is yet to comment on the matter.

Sama has told the BBC it "has not been served" legal action yet "by any entity" on this matter, insists that is has "followed Kenyan law in every aspect", and says that "discontinuing the content moderation business was a difficult decision that we made when Sama shifted its focus to computer vision data annotation technology platform and solutions".

Last month, Meta filed an appeal in Kenya challenging a ruling which said it could be sued even though it has no official presence in the East African country.

Image source, Getty Images

Namibian activists have vowed to go on with protests against unemployment despite a police ban, as the country marks 33 years of independence on Tuesday.

Inspector General of Police Joseph Shikongo on Monday directed the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) to choose another day to protest.

Mr Shikongo said holding protests on independence day "may cause feelings of hostility".

NEFF activists have, however, said they will go on with their demonstrations and accused the government of undermining their rights by deciding when to protest.

NEFF activist Michael Amushelelo has called on unemployed youth to join the nationwide protest. He said unemployment in the country was now a national crisis.

He said Namibia would celebrate 33 years of "high unemployment, high poverty, corrupt governance, looting and mismanagement of the country", local media reported.

Last week, President Hage Geingob dismissed calls by some MPs to declare youth unemployment a national crisis, but agreed it was a "serious problem" that could push young people to terrorism for survival.

President Geingob said the government planned to create close to 3,000 new jobs in the police, prisons and in the army, in an attempt to address the unemployment issue.

The Namibian government last week shelved plans to serve extra dishes like Greek salad to VIPs during the independence day celebrations, following criticism on social media.

Official events to mark 33 years of independence are being held in Outapi, the capital of the northern region of Omusati.

Hanna Temuari
BBC News, Addis Ababa

Image source, Reuters

The US says it has determined that all warring parties in the brutal war in northern Ethiopia have committed war crimes.

Speaking on Monday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who visited Ethiopia last week and met Ethiopian government and Tigrayan officials, said his department had carefully reviewed the laws and the facts to determine the crimes.

He accused members of the Ethiopian National Defence Force, Eritrean Defence Forces, Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Amhara forces of committing war crimes during the two-year bloody conflict.

He also blamed the Ethiopian and Eritrean Defence forces as well as Amhara forces of committing crimes against humanity including murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence and persecution.

"Many of these actions were not random or a mere by product of war. They were calculated and deliberate," he said.

He urged the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea as well as the TPLF to hold those responsible for these atrocities accountable.

None of the accused forces have commented yet on the latest accusation.

A landmark cessation of hostilities agreement was signed in November 2022 between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF, ending the conflict believed to have cost hundreds of thousands of lives.

On Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Council is expected to hear a briefing of a Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia, an independent group mandated to investigate the reported human rights crimes.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, Reuters

Senegal's president has rejected claims that it would be unconstitutional for him to seek a controversial third mandate.

Macky Sall's comments in an interview with the French magazine L'Express are likely to fuel an already tense political climate.

The constitution in Senegal was amended in 2016 to shorten a presidential term from seven to five years.

It states that no-one can serve more than two consecutive terms which the opposition says clearly prevents Mr Sall from running in next year's election.

Critics of Mr Sall accuse his government of using the courts to sideline the opposition politician, Ousmane Sonko.

Mr Sonko is currently facing two court cases that could threaten his eligibility for the election.

The group of South African singers wowed 19th Century British audiences but also faced discrimination.

A good childcare system is essential in most modern economies. Yet in many countries, childcare is only available to the wealthy, and the burden of care falls disproportionately on women - effectively barring them from the workforce.

People often point to Scandinavian countries as the gold standard in childcare, but in other corners of the world people are working with women and communities to set up affordable childcare solutions - enabling mothers at the bottom of the income scale get back into the workforce and helping children get a head start.

We travel to Burkina Faso to visit a project that brings mobile childcare to parents working as outdoor manual labourers – to benefit both the economy, children's safety and ensuring future generation get access to education. And we visit Nairobi’s informal settlements, where one company is breathing new life into existing childcare centres.

Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer/Reporter: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Sound Mix: Gareth Jones Editor: Penny Murphy

Email: peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk Image: Childcare in Kenya (Credit: Daniel Macharia, Kidogo)

A good childcare system is essential in most modern economies. Yet in many countries, childcare is only available to the wealthy, and the burden of care falls disproportionately on women - effectively barring them from the workforce.

People often point to Scandinavian countries as the gold standard in childcare, but in other corners of the world people are working with women and communities to set up affordable childcare solutions - enabling mothers at the bottom of the income scale get back into the workforce and helping children get a head start.

We travel to Burkina Faso to visit a project that brings mobile childcare to parents working as outdoor manual labourers – to benefit both the economy, children's safety and ensuring future generation get access to education. And we visit Nairobi’s informal settlements, where one company is breathing new life into existing childcare centres.

Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer/Reporter: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Sound Mix: Gareth Jones Editor: Penny Murphy

Email: peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk Image: Childcare in Kenya (Credit: Daniel Macharia, Kidogo)

Police crack down on the biggest opposition-led protest since President Ruto took office last year.

Uganda's long distance champions on their 'family' ties and how they hope to inspire future success for their nation.

As search and rescue operations continue in Malawi in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Freddy, some of the country’s biggest musicians have been supporting relief efforts.

“It’s been an historic time for us. We haven’t been in this situation before. I was in Blantyre and I experienced this first-hand,” musician Bucci tells BBC Focus on Africa radio.

He has been visiting temporary shelters across the southern city to deliver food and clothing donations, saying:

“There are around 15 school blocks accommodating thousands of people. They are completely filled with people displaced from their homes. But we are still setting up tents outside of the blocks just to accommodate the rest of the victims that could not fit in the blocks. It is an ugly scene.”

He also shared that some areas in southern Malawi are unreachable and people are facing severe food shortages.

The star has released a new song called One Malawi, which he says he composed to "remind Malawians we are a strong-spirited nation".

Bucci, along with several other musicians, are organising a fundraising concert this week to support people displaced by the storm.

More than 400 people have died in the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Freddy.

The journalist and aid worker are finally released after efforts by Nigerien authorities.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

There have been major political upsets in some states in Nigeria, as official results from Sunday's governorship elections are announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The New Nigeria People’s Party, formed just months to the poll, defeated the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) party to win the governor seat in Kano - the country's largest state and economic hub of the north.

A similar upset was registered in neighbouring Sokoto state where the APC candidate clinched the governorship seat, defeating the People's Democracy Party in its stronghold.

Down south, incumbent governor of Lagos Babajide Sanwo-Olu, of the APC, has been re-elected to oversee the affairs of Nigeria’s economic hub for another term of four years.

He defeated Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party.

Lagos is the home state of president-elect Bola Tinubu, who won last month’s disputed presidential polls.

The governorship and state assembly elections are the second and final part of Nigeria’s general elections but low voter turnout as well as incidents of violence, voter intimidation, vote buying, and ballot box snatching by armed groups marred the polls in parts of the country.

A French journalist and an American aid worker have both been released after years being held hostage by Islamist militants in West Africa.

Olivier Dubois was kidnapped almost two years ago while reporting in Mali near the northern city of Gao. Mr Dubois was held by a jihadist group linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim).

The aid worker, Jeffery Woodke, was kidnapped in Niger more than six years ago.

It is not clear what led to their release but both men are now in Niamey, the capital of Niger.

Half of the deaths are thought to be in children, and many thousands more will die, a report says.