The head of a notorious and powerful paramilitary group says he is ready to meet Sudan's army chief to de-escalate recent tensions, according to mediators.

Local reports say Western envoys have met the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Gen Mohamed 'Hemeti' Dagalo a day after the Sudanese army accused the RSF of sowing conflict.

The country was supposed to be transitioning to civilian ruler following the 2019 ouster of long-time President Omar al-Bashir.

But a coup two years later halted that process. A second attempt to move to civilian rule has been held up because of tensions between the RSF and the army.

Part of the transition plans involve integrating the RSF into the national army, but when this was discussed last month the RSF soon began redeploying units in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere.

Four die after allegedly refusing food on the orders of a pastor who wanted them to get to heaven.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News

Police have yet to comment on reports that at least eight people have been shot dead by bandits who broke into their homes in north-western Nigerian.

Four other people were injured in the attacks, which a local government official says happened on Wednesday night in the Zangon Kataf area of Kaduna state.

It is the latest in a wave of violent incidents in Nigeria where armed gangs recently abducted at least 80 children in Zamfara state. The West African regional block condemned the abduction and called for the release of the children.

In another development, a traditional ruler has been kidnapped in central Kogi state after the assailants killed a palace worker. It comes after bandits killed more than 70 people in two separate attacks in the central state of Benue last week.

A similar attack on a camp for internally displaced people last Friday left dozens of people killed and others injured.

Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Accra

Image source, AFP

Burkina Faso's military government has set a target of recapturing 40% of territory lost to militant groups, announcing a "general mobilisation" to give them "all necessary means" to do so.

Almost half of the country is currently outside state control as a result of the insurgency which began in 2015.

Last week, 44 civilians were killed following an attack on the villages of Kourakou and Tondobiin the north-east near the country’s border with Niger.

A statement on Thursday by Defence Minister Col Maj Kassoum Coulibaly said the new measures would "give a legal framework to all the actions to be implemented to deal with the situation that Burkina Faso is experiencing".

It is thought it could include a state of emergency in parts of the country, although the full details of the guidelines are not yet clear.

The so-called "general mobilisation" also guarantees the government freedom of action to deal with terrorist threats. Burkina Faso’s parliament passed a law in 2020 to recruit Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland, an auxiliary civilian army to support the fight against terrorists.

More news from the country:

• Why love is complicated in Burkina Faso
• Thomas Sankara's widow boycotts reburial of African icon
• Coups that promised - and failed - to bring safety
• All the latest updates from Burkina Faso

Image source, Getty Images

Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi on Thursday denied allegations that he planned to replace his deputy Slumber Tsogwane.

This follows speculation that Mr Masisi would fire his deputy after the 2024 general elections.

Speaking after chairing a meeting of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), President Masisi said Mr Tsogwane had been a hardworking vice-president since his appointment to the position in 2018.

"I'm very comfortable with Slumber taking up the leadership of this country if something happens to me," Mr Masisi said, adding that there was no vacancy in the vice-presidency.

He said he had never planned with anyone or held any meetings with his cabinet to replace Mr Tsogwane.

A convicted rapist and murderer who escaped from jail last year has appeared in court for the first time since his re-arrest earlier this month.

Thabo Bester, the so-called "Facebook rapist" who used the social media site to lure victims, has alleged at Friday's hearing that his ID number is incorrectly listed on documents and that it is not safe for him to eat prison food in case somebody poisons him.

Instead he wants his lawyers to provide his meals, and he has refused to eat for the past 48 hours.

His lawyers said Bester would not apply for bail but argued he maintains the right to do so at a later date.

Bester's case has now been postponed until next month.

Warren Bull
BBC World Service Newsroom

A court of appeal in Morocco has greatly increased the jail sentences given to three men for repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl.

In a case that sparked public outrage, two weeks ago a lower court convicted the men of indecent assault, and sentenced them to between 18 months and two years in prison.

The appeals court in Rabat has now revised the sentences to 20 years in jail for the main defendant, and 10 years for the other two.

The court heard that the girl, who is now 12, gave birth to a baby last year, and a DNA test confirmed that one of the attackers was the father.

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, Kenya Space Agency

SpaceX has aborted the launch of Kenya’s first earth observation satellite due to bad weather.

The launch director stopped the Falcon 9 rocket just 29 seconds before it blasted into space from the Vandenberg Force base in California US.

Another attempt will be made on Saturday.

The launch has now been postponed twice this week due to poor weather.

Kenya’s Taifa-1 Satellite is among 51 other satellites and orbital vehicles that are scheduled to be deployed on the Transporter 7 mission.

It will be used to gather data for agriculture, land and environment monitoring.

The satellite would be the 50th deployed by African nations. So far, 14 countries in the continent have sent satellites into space, with many of them opting for commercial companies like SpaceX for their launches.

Nigeria's Prince Tega Wanogho on why Super Bowl victory with the Kansas City Chiefs still feels 'like a dream'.

Image source, Getty Images

Activists of the Bring Back Our Girls movement (BBOG) on Thursday commemorated the ninth anniversary of the abduction of scores of Nigerian schoolgirls by Boko Haram militants.

Ninety-eight of the 276 students kidnapped by the militants from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, in the north-eastern Borno State, are still in captivity.

The incident sparked local and international outrage with leaders and activists exerting pressure on the Nigerian government to act.

So far, 178 of the girls have escaped but many of returned home traumatised, some with children sired by Boko Haram militants, local media report.

“Our hearts remain broken at the failure to close this shameful chapter in our country’s history as promised by President Muhammadu Buhari in his address to the nation in 2015 and various times subsequently," BBOG said in a statement.

“Provide closure for parents on the fate of their daughters who they have reason to believe are dead," the statement added.

Asabe Kwambura, who was the head of Chibok school at the time of the abduction, told the Daily Trust newspaper that she was yet to recover from the shock.

The chairman of the Chibok Parents Association, Yakubu Nkenki, appealed to the government to seek the release of the remaining girls.

In a statement, Amnesty International Nigeria said parents of the Chibok girls are "living in anguish" stressing that the missing girls should be returned home to their families and all those responsible face justice.

An overview of the media in DR Congo, including links to broadcasters and newspapers.

South African rapist and murderer Thabo Bester is expected to appear in court on Friday following his recapture last week in Tanzania, after he had faked his death in prison.

Thabo Bester is facing fresh charges, including escaping from lawful custody and violation of a dead body, police said.

He will appear before the Bloemfontein magistrate court, the police spokesperson said, but it's unclear if he will appear in person.

Bester was serving a life sentence at the time of his escape after being convicted in 2012 for the rape and murder of his model girlfriend Nomfundo Tyhulu.

He was deported from Tanzania on Thursday in a specially chartered plane and taken to a high-security prison in the capital, Pretoria.

Image source, Getty Images

Four people were on Thursday found dead and nearly a dozen others hospitalised in Kenya's coastal Kilifi county, after being rescued while waiting the imminent end of the world.

Police said the group was found in a forest where they had been living for several days after being told a local preacher to fast while "waiting to meet Jesus".

The authorities said they rescued 11 people - six of them were emaciated and in critical condition.

Police said they will resume a search for more members of the group on Friday morning following reports that others were still in the forest.

Police are reported to have found a fresh grave in the forest which will be investigated on Friday.

The worshippers belong to Good News International Church that is led by a local pastor who has been on police radar for allegedly urging his followers to starve to death in order to reach heaven faster.

The pastor is currently out on police bail after he was charged last month over the death of two children whose parents are among his followers.

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa's Justice Minister Ronald Lamola told lawmakers on Thursday that he will not resign over the escape of rapist and murderer, Thabo Bester, from a privately-run prison.

Bester was flown to South Africa on Thursday in a specially chartered plane, following his arrest in Tanzania last week.

He is known as the "Facebook rapist" for using the social networking site to lure his victims.

His girlfriend, celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana, who was arrested with him, was also deported.

The minister apologised for the prison break and said he took full responsibility.

"I am not going to resign because I did what I was supposed to do," Ronald Lamola told a parliamentary committee on justice.

He said the department of correctional services has a duty of ensuring inmates were kept in custody until the end of their sentences.

Three Nigerian policemen have been sacked for unprofessional conduct after being filmed firing in the air to salute a popular singer.

The three officers were on escort duties with singer Dauda Adamu Kahutu, popular by his stage name Rarara, when they fired shots as he made his way into his car.

Rarara is known to have close ties with the ruling party.

Charges against the officers were misuse of firearms, wastage of live ammunition and abuse of power, police said.

Their dismissals were announced on Thursday by police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi.

He said the decision was taken following complaints after footage of the incident went viral on social media.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

Two pastors of an Angolan religious sect, army of faith, have been arrested for allegedly donning replicas of Angolan Armed Forces uniforms, local media report.

Novo Jornal website reports that the two were arrested on Wednesday by officers from Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) "with red pins similar to the ones worn by army generals".

SIC spokesperson Manuel Halaiwa is quoted as saying the two will be charged with illegal use of military uniform and exercising illegal religious activities "because their sect is not registered".

It follows a viral video that showed the two pastors presiding over a ceremony attended by more than 80 youths - some of whom were dressed in replicas of army uniform.

The VOA recently reported that the government had launched a crackdown, external on unregistered churches and those that purport to perform miracles.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have said that they will not disarm or demobilise as long as there is no direct political dialogue with the government in Kinshasa.

A rebel spokesman, Lawrence Kanyuka, issued the statement on Twitter after the Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi said there would be no political negotiations with the rebels.

Mr Tshisekedi said that - under an agreement negotiated by regional states - the M23 rebels are expected to demobilise before returning to civilian life.

Under the brokered peace deal, the group has been withdrawing from areas it had captured.

Over the last 18 months, around three quarters of a million people have been displaced by the fighting.

More on the DR Congo conflict:

• What is M23 and why is DR Congo riven by conflict?

Our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

That is all from the BBC Africa Live team for now, we will be back on Friday morning. There will be an automated news feed here until then.

You can also get the latest on the BBC News website and listen to the Africa Today podcast.

A reminder of Thursday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with a photo of two women sewing wigs at a market in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Image source, AFP

Mike Thomson
BBC World Service News

Press freedom in Algeria has been further restricted following a law passed by the country’s parliament.

The measure tightens media ownership rules and empowers courts to force journalists to reveal their sources.

Domestic media outlets will be banned from receiving overseas funding and dual-nationals prevented from owning press or broadcasting companies.

Algeria ranks 134 out of 180 countries in the latest Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index.

Read more on press issues in Algeria:

• Algeria jails journalist Ihsane el-Kadi as old guard asserts power