Image source, Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to outline new Africa policy ahead of his visit to four African countries beginning from Monday.

He is expected to visit Gabon for an environmental summit, then Angola, Congo-Brazzaville and the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

It comes as Paris seeks to counter growing Russian and Chinese influence in the region.

Anti-French sentiment has been running high in some of its former colonies in the Sahel.

Last month, Burkina Faso gave France a month to withdraw its 400 special forces, and announced the official ending of the French military operation in the country a week ago.

In Mali, French troops withdrew from the country after the military government there started working with the Russian private military contractor Wagner.

The Russian group has also been operating in the Central African Republic.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, AFP

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar is on course to win Nigeria's presidential election.

The party said on Twitter that Mr Abubakar was “securing the highest number of valid votes cast as well as the statutory 25% in at least two thirds of the states”.

This is despite the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) only declaring official results from one out of Nigeria's 36 states.

The candidate of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) party, Bola Tinubu, won most of the votes from south-western Ekiti state, receiving 201,494 votes.

Mr Abubakar received 89,554 votes while Peter Obi of Labour Party got 11,397 votes.

Inec chairperson Mahmood Yakubu said the commission would announce some of the results from the other states at 10:00 GMT on Monday.

Inec said on Sunday that it was working to fix glitches on its election results viewing portal.

Final presidential results are expected to be declared by 1 March. The vote on Saturday was marred by pockets of violence, widespread delays and logistical problems.

The Economic Community of West African States' (Ecowas) election observer mission described the election as generally peaceful and with a massive voter turnout.

More on the three leading presidential candidates:

• Bola Tinubu, ‘Mr fix it’ seeking Nigerian presidency
• Peter Obi, Nigeria’s wildcard presidential candidate
• Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s perennial presidential candidate

A Ugandan nurse has won plaudits after making a treacherous climb on an improvised wooden staircase over a ridge to deliver vaccines to children in a remote village in the eastern part of the country.

The nurse, identified as Agnes Nambozo, was filmed making the steep climb on her way to vaccinate children in Masheluse village.

Health Minister Jane Aceng hailed her as "nurse of the year".

But some Twitter users in the country said the footage was an indictment of the government's poor record on infrastructure.

"It's a shame after over 50 years of self-rule citizens have to be subjected to this nonsense," said Chris Ngaruthi, external.

"I am very sure she will be a happy person if she is awarded a safe way to reach her people when providing medical care," said Eve Zalwango, external.

Mayeni Jones
BBC News, Lagos

Image source, AF

Initial results have started trickling in Nigeria’s most competitive general election since it transitioned to democracy 24 years ago.

Saturday’s polls went relatively smoothly but were hampered by delays and some instances of violence.

Results from just one state out of 36 and the federal capital territory have been announced.

The candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, won the small south-western state of Ekiti.

But it’s still too early to predict who will win the presidency.

The results announcement came more than 24 hours after polls officially closed, despite a new electronic system meant to speed up the publication of data from polling stations.

The delay has fuelled rumours of foul play in a country with a history of ballot rigging and vote buying.

The parties of the two main opposition candidates, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party, and surprise third candidate, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, have condemned the delay.

The electoral commission has apologised for the slow pace of the new electronic system, blaming teething problems.

Nigeria’s next president will have a number of challenges to tackle including an ailing economy and rising insecurity.

Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

Image source, AFP

Bodies from a cemetery on the banks of the Umbeluze river near the Mozambican capital, Maputo, have been swept by floods into nearby residences and spread across farms.

Televised images showed the effects of the raging waters that flooded many neighbourhoods in Boane district, about 25km south-west of the capital, and beyond.

The scattered bodies are reported to be endangering public health.

Members of the community spent the weekend collecting the corpses.

The affected cemetery is more than three decades old and holds many unidentified graves.

Tropical Cyclone Freddy made landfall in the country on Friday leading to major flooding across the region.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The United Nations Human Rights Council begins a mammoth five-week session in Geneva starting on Monday.

The council promotes human rights worldwide and investigates violations.

It's expected to focus on Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The agenda also covers alleged war crimes in Ethiopia, and the suppression of women in Afghanistan and Iran.

The council will also look at Myanmar, South Sudan, North Korea and Belarus. However, member states decided not to discuss China's alleged abuses against its Muslim Uyghur community.

This session will be opened by the UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres.

More on this story:

• Tigray war: Eritrean soldiers accused of rape despite peace deal

Lucrative fishing contracts are at the centre of a corruption trial encompassing both countries.

Several Nigerians have stepped in to make sure their ballots were cast and the officials were able to count the votes.

The first of Nigeria's 36 states announces results, with more expected on Monday morning.

The BBC's Mayeni Jones spent the election day in Nigeria reporting for various BBC News platforms including online, radio, TV and digital.

Sophie Buchaillard lives in hope that she will one day find out what happened to her friend.

Why a West African country with a rich musical scene has such strong links to Jamaica.

Vote counting is under way in Nigeria's tightest presidential election since military rule ended in 1999.

Security incidents and logistical problems hold up the country's crucial presidential election.

Long queues have formed at polling stations in Nigeria as millions vote in the most competitive presidential election since military rule ended.

Can hosts South Africa upset five-time champions Australia in the Women's T20 World Cup final on Sunday?

How voting unfolded in the race to decide who leads Africa's most populous nation.

Saad Lamjarred, who is famous on the Arab music scene, gets six years in jail for raping a woman in Paris.

Stolen images of an adult entertainment star are being used to con victims out of thousands of dollars.

Relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia have historically been difficult. Eritrea won independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year war. A bitter border war between the two countries began a few years later. But by 2020, Eritrea sent troops to fight alongside the Ethiopian government against rebel forces in its northern Tigray region.

Kalkidan Yibeltal is a BBC correspondent in Addis Ababa. He explains the complex history between the two countries, and looks at the tentative peace now emerging in Tigray.

Presenter: Claire Graham Producer: Owen McFadden