Ameyu Etana
BBC Afaan Oromoo

Image source, AFP

Amnesty International has called on the authorities in Ethiopia to immediately lift restrictions on several social media networks that began a month ago.

The blocked sites include Facebook, Messenger, TikTok, Telegram and YouTube. It is not a complete internet shutdown.

No official reason has been given for blocking them, though it happened following a split in the popular Orthodox Church, which raised tensions in the deeply religious country.

At the time each side had planned rival rallies as a show of strength – but the demonstrations were banned and the stand-off appears to have eased since then.

Social media content creators in Ethiopia have complained that traffic is down, though some people have been using virtual private network (VPN) software to access the sites.

Demand for VPNs in Ethiopia over the last month peaked at one point by 3,651%, according to London-based VPN research firm TOP10VPN.

Flavia Mwangovya, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for east and southern Africa, has urged the authorities “to lift this blockade without delay and to end this culture of interfering with people's right to express themselves and to seek and receive information”.

Internet shutdowns have been a common tactic used by the government.

Some areas of the northern region of Tigray, where a brutal two-year conflict came to an end in November, remain without access to the internet.

Government supporters say internet shutdowns are intended to curb the spread of false and inflammatory messages, and to ease tensions.

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

Having formed to the north-west of Australia more than 30 days ago, storm Freddy is still going and could end up in the record books for the longest-lasting tropical storm on record.

The World Meteorological Organization is currently analysing the weather system to see if its longevity is indeed record-breaking.

Over the past week or so it has bounced between southern Mozambique and coastal Madagascar.

However, it is now strengthening again and its last act is to head back to Mozambique, as a cyclone once more, with wind gusts in excess of 160km/h (99.4mph) and a coastal storm surge.

Expected to make landfall on the coast of central Mozambique late on Friday, as winds gradually ease, flooding will become the major hazard.

Between 30cm and 50cm (11.8in and 19.8in) of rain could fall in central Mozambique and southern Malawi over the weekend, with devastating floods possible over a large area.

Into next week, impactful rain will also occur over parts of Zimbabwe and southern Zambia.

This however, could be the last act of this long-lasting storm.

Mayeni Jones
BBC News, Lagos

Six people have been confirmed dead after a bus and a train collided in the Nigerian city of Lagos.

Seventy-one people were injured, 29 of them critically.

The accident happened on Thursday morning during rush hour and both vehicles were carrying commuters.

You can see how far the train dragged the bus in my tweet from the scene of the crash in Ikeja:

The coach was taking civil servants to work while the train was shuttling commuters from the outskirts of Lagos into the city.

At the site of the crash, the wreckage has been cleared but shards of glass and blood can still be seen.

Cars have started driving across the tracks once more.

The BBC spoke to angry bystanders who complained about the lack of a barrier separating the tracks from the road.

They said it was the second accident like this in a year.

The injured have been moved to a nearby hospital and the bodies of those killed are now in a mortuary.

The governor of Lagos has declared three days of mourning and a half work day on Friday. Flags will also fly at half-mast.

Pumza Fihlani
BBC News, Johannesburg

The case against a retired teacher who is wanted for sexual assault accusations in the UK and South Africa has been postponed until 19 May for further investigations.

The 76-year-old made a brief appearance in the Wynberg Magistrates' Court in Cape Town on Thursday.

Wearing a dark grey suit, he looked frail and used a cane to help him walk.

He is accused of molesting a pupil in South Africa nearly 40 years ago. The retired teacher has yet to enter a plea since his arrest in December when this allegation against him was made.

He has been referred to in the South African media as “Mr P”, following a court order that he cannot be named.

Mr P is also wanted in the UK in connection with at least 42 charges of sexual abuse by former pupils of two prestigious boys' schools in the UK between 1970 and 1990, allegations he has denied.

In 2018, UK authorities wrote to South Africa’s justice ministry to request that he be extradited to face the charges.

Mr P, who lives in an upmarket retirement village in Cape Town’s Rondebosch suburb, is fighting the extradition.

According to his court papers, the accusations by UK prosecutors are “too broad, vague… and embarrassing”.

Another reason for the delay in the extradition process has been a question of jurisdiction.

Local courts need to determine if South Africa and the UK are still bound by an extradition treaty, which was in place when the UK was still part of the European Union.

Mr P has argued that the treaty lapsed after Brexit. South Africa’s prosecutors are trying to get the courts to review the argument on jurisdiction.

The retired teacher was arrested after a pupil, identified as “Luke” - which is not his real name - reported the alleged abuse to Cape Town police after a BBC documentary aired in South Africa.

The pupil alleged that when Mr P was a teacher in Cape Town he repeatedly sexually molested him.

The Newsroom
BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

Tunisia's President Kais Saied has announced that municipal councils elected in 2018 are to be dissolved and replaced by what he called special delegations.

The councils were seen as one of the democratic gains achieved in Tunisia after the uprising in 2011 that overthrew the autocratic regime of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.

The councils are dominated by what are now the main opposition parties to Mr Saied, who is increasingly imposing what his critics say is one-man rule.

He said the new councils would also be elected, but under new rules that he will write.

More on this topic:

• Democrats, despots and the fight for power

Image source, AFP

Kenya's Trade Minister Moses Kuria has said the dollar shortage in the country is beyond the government's control.

Mr Kuria told MPs that the shortage was a global issue but also blamed Kenya's culture of importing things that can be manufactured locally.

"You cannot be crying that we have problems with dollars when we are importing everything," he said.

He called for incentives to encourage local manufacturers and protect them from foreign competitors.

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has directed commercial banks to ration dollars following a shortage of the currency, local media outlets report.

Analysts have blamed the CBK for the dollar crisis, saying the regulator introduced tough rules in the interbank currency market.

But the regulator has repeatedly maintained that Kenya has sufficient foreign currency reserves to meet demand.

The Kenyan shilling has lost 9% against the dollar in over a year, pushing up the cost of living.

Meet Mauritania's 'Meharists', a camel-riding police unit combating jihadist groups in the Sahel.

The Newsroom
BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The governor of North Kivu province in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo says at least 36 villagers have been killed in an attack by a rebel group.

Carly Nzanzu Kasivita posted on social media that the village of Mukondi had been burnt to the ground by the ADF, which allies itself with Islamists but seems more intent on exploiting the region's mineral riches.

He called for more troops to be deployed to neighbouring villages south of the city of Beni to prevent further attacks.

Andrew Gift
BBC Pidgin, Lagos

Image source, Nema

A dramatic collision between a passenger bus and train in the neighbourhood of Ikeja in the Nigeria’s city of Lagos has left three people dead.

Rescuers helped another 84 people from the wreckage on Thursday morning.

Image source, Nema

Image source, Nema

Ibrahim Farinloye from the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) said a train coming into Lagos from Abeokuta ploughed into the bus carrying state government staff as it tried to get over the railway crossing.

Crowds gathered during the rescue operation, trying to help.

The wrecked coach has now been loaded on to a lorry to be towed away.

Image source, Nema

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, EPA

Kenya’s Trade Minister Moses Kuria has said that a Chinese-run retail business in the capital, Nairobi, “is a middle-class conspiracy”.

He told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday that the China Square shop does not benefit low income earners who are the majority contributors to the economy.

Mr Kuria said he had no intention to frustrate investors from China, but was preventing “the country from becoming the dumping ground for sub-standard goods”.

China Square resumed operations on 6 March after it closed its doors for two weeks amid inspections by Kenya’s Anti-Counterfeit Authority.

"I cannot frustrate investors but some people are dumping [fake products] on us," said Mr Kuria.

He added that plans were under way to establish a “Kenya Square”, which would rival the Chinese business accused of undercutting prices that have affected small traders.

More on this story:

• China Square: The cheap Chinese shop at the centre of Kenya row

Casualties are feared after a collision between a train and a passenger bus in Nigeria's commercial hub of Lagos, local reports say.

The accident reportedly happened at a railway crossing in Ikeja area on the mainland of Lagos

Eyewitnesses have told the BBC that the bus was dragged for a distance by the train.

Footage and photos on social media show a huge crowd around the scene and passengers with bloodied faces.

The number of casualties is unclear but the bus was carrying Lagos state government workers, reports add.

This is a breaking story and details will follow.

Image source, AFP

Tanzania's president has said her country's East African neighbours are facing a foreign currency reserve crisis.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan said Tanzania had received requests to offer guarantees for their fuel imports.

She made the remarks on Wednesday while discussing Tanzania's economic footing.

Mrs Samia said Tanzania's economy was the most economically stable in the region at the moment.

Image source, AFP

The UN Security Council has extended sanctions and an arms embargo against Sudan by a year.

The 15-member council voted to renew the mandate of the panel of experts charged with monitoring and implementing the sanctions and embargo until 12 March next year.

Thirteen countries voted in favour of the motion with Russia and China abstaining.

China’s representative Dai Bing said the sanctions were "outdated and should be lifted because things have improved on the ground".

Russia’s Dmitry Polyanskiy said the “sanctions regime did not reflect the situation in Darfur” and was “preventing the Sudan government from state-building and achieving socioeconomic development”.

US representative John Kelley said he endorsed a continuation of monitoring and reporting.

He added that progress on benchmarks anchored in the Juba peace deal signed in 2020 would "move Sudan and its people towards the peace and prosperity they deserve".

Sudan has been in economic and political turmoil since 2021 when the Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan-led junta overthrew and took power from the civilian-led transitional government.

The coup derailed the transition to civilian rule following the ousting in 2019 of long-time leader Omar al-Bashir.

Image source, Getty Images

Kenya has imposed an indefinite ban on milk powder imports to cushion local processors and farmers from surplus production and low prices in anticipation of the long rains.

The rainy season is expected to improve fodder production and significantly boost local milk production - hence reducing the need for imports.

The Kenya Dairy Board said it would continue to monitor the production and demand dynamics of the commodity before lifting the ban.

The board has also suspended the issuance of import permits.

Although the move may earn farmers higher prices, it is likely to raise the price of milk powder.

The ban is seen to go against the East Africa Community (EAC) free-trade agreements on free movement of goods and services and the common market.

Uganda and Rwanda are the two leading African countries from which Kenya imports dairy products.

An unprecedented long drought in the region has resulted in the current high milk prices.

The Newsroom
BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

A German company says it has signed a memorandum of understanding for a $34bn (£29bn) green energy project in Mauritania.

Egyptian and Emirati firms are also part of the deal.

The facility will produce up to eight million tonnes of green hydrogen and other hydrogen-based products annually in Mauritania.

The first phase is due to be completed in five years time.

Germany is involved with a number of clean energy projects in Africa as it moves away from dependency on fuel imports from Russia and tries to meet climate targets.

Green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.

Image source, AFP

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has sacked his foreign minister, less than a week after dismissing the defence and interior ministers.

No explanation was given for the dismissal of Mayiik Ayii Deng, which was announced in a decree on the state television.

The sacked minister is an ally of Mr Kiir, and previously served as the minister in the president's office.

Last week’s sackings have threatened to derail a peace deal with opposition leader First Vice-President Riek Machar.

The opposition called for the reinstatement of Angelina Teny, who Mr Kiir dismissed as defence minister and handed the position to his party. Mrs Teny is also Mr Machar’s wife.

The UN called for the parties to "exercise restraint and engage in a collegial spirit in order to resolve such sensitive national issues”.

Image source, Getty Images

Nigeria's electoral commission has postponed elections for state governors and local assemblies by one week.

The polls had been scheduled to take place on Saturday. They will now be held on 18 March.

Nigeria's opposition had asked to check electronic voting machines. A court rejected their complaint. But the electoral commission said the legal challenge had held up preparations and the machines would not be ready in time.

It is not uncommon for elections to be delayed in the country.

In 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections were postponed for a week. The electoral body cited logistical issues.

The opposition has disputed last month's election victory by President- elect Bolu Tinubu.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) introduced the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the first time as part of new technologies used in this year's elections in a bid to improve transparency.

But observer groups and opposition parties said huge delays in voting and failures in the system when uploading tallies allowed for ballot disparities during the presidential election.

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