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Aid workers in Ituri province in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo say thousands of displaced people have been arriving in the town of Beni.

They are fleeing a series of attacks by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) Islamist rebels in the province.

More than 90 people have been killed over the past week in attacks on at least 18 villages.

Attempts by the armies of DR Congo and Uganda to crush the rebels have made little progress.

More this topic:

• Inside view of the IS-linked ADF rebels

UN inspectors are trying to locate around two and a half tonnes of uranium ore.

After Covid lockdowns hit both demand and supply, production is at record levels, the UN says.

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Image source, Reuters

There have been chaotic scenes in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, where the opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, was pulled from his car as he was driving to court to face defamation charges.

Image source, AFP

The security forces were angered by the circuitous route Mr Sonko was taking and blocked his convoy.

There followed an angry confrontation between his supporters and riot police during which several people were injured and tear gas was fired.

Image source, AFP

Overnight there had been clashes outside his house which the police had sealed off.

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.

Nigerians are heading back to the polls on Saturday to vote in governorship and local assembly elections.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Niger on Wednesday on the second leg of his brief tour of African nations.

He is expected to announce more US support for Niger's fight against a jihadist insurgency that has forced millions of people from their homes in the Sahel.

The United States has been losing influence in Africa to China and Russia.

Mr Blinken is one of the many US officials who have been visiting the continent in recent months.

Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum was praised by his US counterpart last year for building democracy in a country that has witnessed numerous military coups.

A nuclear expert has told the BBC the uranium that has gone missing in Libya is not dangerous in its current form but those that took it must have been determined.

Scott Roecker, vice-president for Nuclear Materials Security at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, told the BBC’s Newsday programme:

Nuclear terrorism was not a concern, he said.

Mr Roecker said the uranium in the form of yellow cake was being stored in rudimentary drums that needed little protection - but the quantity taken, two and a half tonnes, was a lot - about a tenth of the material held at the Libyan facility, which is an insecure and lawless area where tribal groups are often fighting for control.

It was possible that a country wanted it for nuclear energy but in that scenario a state was more likely to purchase the uranium on the open market, he said.

Image source, Getty Images

Nigeria has sanctioned about 25 broadcast stations for failing to adhere to broadcasting laws while covering last month's general elections.

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has also issued a final warning to 16 others for various poll-related offences, local media said.

• Seventeen stations were accused of airing partisan content 24 hours prior to election
• Three were sanctioned for inciting comments
• Four were said to have aired divisive ethnic or religious content
• One was sanctioned for announcing results ahead of an official announcement by the electoral commission.

“Subversive discussions and reckless comments, capable of tearing us apart as a people were broadcast freely without proper gatekeeping. Ethics and professionalism were thrown overboard," the director-general of NBC, Balarabe Ilelah, said.

Mr Ilelah urged all broadcast stations to adhere to the provisions of laws on broadcasting ahead of Saturday’s gubernatorial and state assembly polls.

Image source, Getty Images

Dozens of Burkina Faso nationals in Tunisia have been repatriated back home in the wake of remarks made a few weeks ago by President Kais Saied about sub-Saharan African migrants.

Mr Saied said they were part of a conspiracy to change the country’s demographic composition, which triggered racially motivated abuse and violence against them.

On Wednesday, 64 passengers arrived at Burkina Faso's capital on a government-chartered plane.

They were welcomed in Ouagadougou by emotional relatives along with some government officials.

Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré, a minister in the foreign ministry, is quoted by the AFP news agency as saying that it was the government's responsibility "to look out for the security and well-being of its citizens".

He said this was the first contingent of people to arrive and that other groups would return through other arrangements.

Jessica McCallin
BBC World Service Newsroom

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says global cocaine production jumped to record levels over the past two years.

In a new report, the UNODC says cocaine use is increasing in Africa and Asia, as well as in traditional markets like Europe and the Americas.

It says coca cultivation in South America rose by 35% between 2021 and 2022.

It added that the past decade had seen new hubs for cocaine trafficking emerge in West and Central Africa.

The head of UNODC, Ghada Waly, said the potential for the cocaine market to expand in Africa and Asia was a dangerous reality.

You may also be interested in:

• Cocaine and Guinea-Bissau: How Africa's 'narco-state' is trying to kick its habit

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The authorities in South Africa have asked Twitter to take down a video that reportedly incites violence against those who will not participate in protest marches planned for 20 March.

The opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is organising nationwide marches to protest against the country's power crisis and has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign.

In a statement, external, the Film and Publication Board (FPB) said the video warns that any pupil wearing school uniform during the protests will be beaten up, as well as teachers and police officers.

The video was posted by a person claiming to be a member of EFF, it said.

“Internally, the FPB shall monitor the take-down by Twitter to ensure that no further dissemination or distribution by the public occurs," the board said.

Members of the public have been advised not to share, re-post or distribute the said video and offenders could face prosecution for disseminating or distributing prohibited content.

Police have said they will be on high alert to avert any violence as the Julius Malema-led EFF party vowed to "shut down" the entire country on Monday.

Mr Malema insists the protests are not illegal and has warned that anyone who attempts to stop them would "meet their maker", News24 reported, external.

Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

Image source, Mozambique presidency

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has announced the immediate allocation of close to $3.4m (£2.8m) for reconstruction in the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy.

The tropical storm made landfall over the weekend for the second time in a month and the country has received more than a year's worth of rainfall in the past four weeks.

At least 53 people have died while hundreds of thousands are at risk of a humanitarian crisis, according to local agencies.

President Nyusi said the amount would be spent on rebuilding schools and destroyed infrastructure, but acknowledged it was not enough.

The government has reduced docking charges for ships carrying emergency products meant for the affected communities.

The president also extended the terms of a commission mandated to work on national recovery after extreme weather conditions.

On Wednesday, Mr Nyusi visited the areas severely affected by the cyclone in the country’s central province of Zambezia.

Image source, Rwanda presidency/Twitter

Fifa boss Gianni Infantino has attended the inauguration of an upgraded stadium in Rwanda's capital, renamed in honour of the Brazilian football legend Pele who died in December last year.

The multi-sports 22,000-seater ground, initially known as Kigali Regional Stadium, is now called the Kigali Pele Stadium.

The ceremony, which happened on the side-lines of the 73rd Fifa Congress in Rwanda's capital, Kigali, on Wednesday, was presided over by President Paul Kagame.

The 67-year-old leader - a fervent supporter of English Premier League side Arsenal - thanked Mr Infantino for giving the country an opportunity to honour Pele, according to The News Times, external.

He is quoted as saying the footballer, who is arguably the greatest player ever, "brought the world together through sports" and served as an inspiration for many.

Mr Infantino said the renaming of the stadium was the best way to keep Pele's football memories alive.

"Pele left us but he is always with us,” Mr Infantino said.

Image source, AFP

Nigeria will hold its first census in 17 years in May instead of the end of March, the information minister announced on Wednesday, citing delayed gubernatorial elections.

The elections for new governors was pushed by a week to 18 March.

It is still unclear when in May the census will be held in Africa's most-populous country.

"I believe because of the rescheduling of the elections, they [the National Population Commission] cannot commence the census as scheduled," Lai Mohammed told reporters.

The results of the census determines the sharing of oil revenues and political representation.

The last census was held in March 2006, with the results released the following year - putting the population at 140 million.

The country's population is now estimated at more than 200 million. It is expected to be the third most-populous country in the world after China and India by 2050, according to the UN.

Jessica McCallin
BBC World Service Newsroom

Image source, Getty Images

The UN's nuclear watchdog says it is trying to locate around two and a half tonnes of uranium that has gone missing from a site in Libya not under government control.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said its inspectors found that 10 drums containing uranium ore had disappeared when they visited the undisclosed site on Tuesday.

They are now trying to establish what happened and how the nuclear material was removed.

Inspectors fear the uranium could pose a radiological risk as well as nuclear security concerns.

They had intended to visit the location last year, but the trip had to be postponed because of fighting between different Libyan militias.

The King told men and women who escaped the Darfur genocide by boat: "I'm so glad you're safe here".

Tropical Storm Freddy kills more than 200 people as government promises to intensify rescue efforts.

BBC Monitoring
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The Kenya Meteorological Department has advised Kenyans to plant drought-resistant crops due to expected depressed rains, the privately-owned Kenyans.co.ke website reports.

The department's climate services assistant director, Richard Muita, advised farmers to consider beans, cassava and vegetables, rather than maize, the staple food.

"The level of moisture in the soil is normally zero. Although there may be storms at the start, they may not cancel out the deficit.

"We have beans, potatoes, cassava, vegetables, millet, and sorghum. They mature in two-three months, and then you have food. You can use the surplus to sell and buy maize."

Mr Muita also advised Kenyans to harvest water during the rainy season, with a number of regions, such as Western Kenya, expected to experience rains from mid-March.

At least 2.5m children are out of school amid Kenya's worst drought in 40 years, according to the UN children's agency, Unicef.

The number of Kenyans in need of food aid has risen by nearly two million since July 2022, according to government estimates.

Papa Atou Diaw
BBC Afrique

The death toll from last week's ferry accident in Gabon has risen to 21, local officials say, after divers recovered more bodies.

The vessel named Esther Miracle was carrying 161 passengers from the capital Libreville to Port-Gentil when it sank on Thursday close to the coastal village of Nyonie.

"All passengers were wearing life jackets," said public prosecutor André Patrick Roponat, who assured that rescue teams were still exploring the boat "to see if other bodies are trapped".

According to the lead search officer, 350 soldiers, patrol boats, shuttles, diving robots and radars were deployed for the operation.

But for the families of the missing victims, hope of finding their loved ones alive is fading.

"My four children have not been found... the families are only losing hope," lamented a mother interviewed by the BBC.

The authorities have suspended operations of the vessel's owner Royal Cost until further notice.

Reports say the ferry, which started operations in November last year, was overloaded and was likely carrying livestock too.

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Image source, Abiy Ahmed/ Twitter

The US Secretary of State has highlighted the importance of implementing in full the peace agreement between the federal government and Tigrayan forces during lengthy talks with the Ethiopian prime minister.

Antony Blinken said there had to be accountability for atrocities perpetrated by all sides during the two-year conflict and human rights monitors should be given access to areas ravaged by the fighting which was brought to an end last November.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the two men discussed strengthening relations which had cooled during the conflict between federal forces, their Eritrean allies and the Tigrayans.

Mr Blinken, who also met Tigrayan officials, announced a further $330m (£247m) in aid for Ethiopia.