South Korea says it will send a military aircraft to evacuate its nationals in Sudan, the Yonhap news agency reports.

The plane carrying dozens of soldiers and medical staff is expected to depart later in the day, the agency said, quoting security sources.

Twenty-five South Korean citizens are stuck in Sudan but are known to be safe, media say.

More than 330 people have so far been killed in Sudan's power struggle that began last weekend.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

Guinea-Bissau has suspended five out of the seven magistrates under the military prosecutor for refusing to investigate a case about last year's attempted coup, state media reports.

“The president of the military court deemed the magistrates’ reluctance to handle the case of those charged with the attempted coup d’etat as insubordination,” military sources told the ANG website.

It added that the five magistrates stopped going to work on 13 April after presenting themselves to the chief of staff of the armed forces, Gen Biague Na N’Tan.

The magistrates said that the case was not within their jurisprudence and should be handled by the civil courts.

In February last year, unidentified gunmen stormed the government palace and held the president and prime minister hostage for over six hours before the military ended the siege.

Eighteen suspects have since been charged in connection with the incident.

Read more here:

• Many dead after coup attempt, president says

Image source, Getty Images

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has denied reports that the Ethiopian army had attacked Sudanese forces in the border area, and warned those spreading such reports to stop.

Mr Abiy said some people "were disseminating allegations to gain political mileage at a time the Ethiopian and Sudanese peoples are facing many challenges".

"We strongly condemn these allegations that are aimed at marring the cordial relations and neighbourliness between Ethiopia and Sudan," Mr Abiy said in a statement he issued in Arabic on Twitter, external.

The prime minister's comments follow reports that Ethiopian forces attacked Sudanese forces in the disputed, fertile al-Fashaga region on Tuesday, amid the continuing clashes between rival forces in Sudan.

Sudan and Ethiopia have been embroiled in a bitter dispute over the al-Fashaga region, with Khartoum sending troops there and seizing control of most of it in 2021.

Read more here:

• Why Ethiopia and Sudan have fallen out over al-Fashaga

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

Sudan’s military leader, Lt Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has called for unity on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr despite continuing clashes between his troops and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Speaking on state TV on Friday morning, Gen Burhan said Sudan would come out of the fighting "more united and stronger".

“We trust that we will overcome this crisis with wisdom and power, which protect the unity and security of our people and enable us to transition safely to democracy,” he said.

However, the military leader did not say whether the army would observe a 72-hour ceasefire announced by the RFS to honour Eid al-Fitr.

Sounds of gunfire were reported in Khartoum in the early hours of Friday, with the RSF accusing the army of staging a “sweeping attack” on the capital.

There have been a series of failed ceasefires since the violent power struggle broke out last weekend.

So far, at least 330 people have been killed and 3,200 others injured in the fighting, according to the World Health Organization.

An American citizen is confirmed to be among the dead, a US State Department spokesperson said on Thursday.

Read more here:

• Outside pressure mounts for Eid ceasefire in Sudan
• Khartoum residents fear food shortages amid fighting

Our proverb of the day:

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Officials wait on government response after Namibia drops out of joint bid for 2027 Afcon over lack of funding.

A healthy lioness is caught on camera in a reserve where the big cats have not been seen since 2004.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team until Friday morning - there will be an automated news feed here until then.

Check for the latest updates from Sudan 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 this photo of acclaimed Nigeria writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, speaking at the International Book Fair in Colombia on Wednesday.

Image source, AFP

Patience Atuhaire
BBC News, Kampala

Image source, AFP

Uganda’s ruling party has agreed that the anti-gay bill, passed by parliament a month ago, be sent back to the house for reconsideration.

At a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni, who is the party chairman, the MPs resolved on “proposals for improvement” to the bill, according to a statement from the caucus chairperson of the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

The bill prescribes life imprisonment for people identifying LGBT and the death penalty for what is referred to as aggravated homosexuality, among other clauses.

It is not yet clear what amendments the president would like to be made to the proposed law.

When legislation is passed by parliament, the president has about a month to sign it, veto it or return it to the MPs for amendment and re-tabling.

On several occasions, President Museveni has said the topic of homosexuality needs more discussion and understanding.

The bill was passed with majority support from across the ruling party and the opposition.

The ruling party dominates parliament - and their position on any legislation always prevails.

Critics have argued that the law promotes homophobia, is against the country’s constitution and that anyone suspected to be LGBT will be affected.

Grant Ferrett
BBC World Service

The US military is preparing for a possible evacuation of American embassy staff from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

US media reports say troops are being moved to a military base in Djibouti.

The Pentagon gave no details. Attempts by other countries to evacuate their citizens from Sudan have been abandoned because of safety fears.

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

Zimbabwe’s jailed opposition MP Job Sikhala appeared in court on Thursday on fresh charges of disorderly conduct.

His lawyer Obey Shava told the BBC that the charge relates to an incident in May 2022 in which Sikhala and his supporters allegedly confronted ruling Zanu-PF supporters at a rally and pelted them with stones, injuring a person in the process.

He denies the charge. Mr Shava said the case was postponed to May after the prosecution said it was not ready to proceed.

It is not clear why it has taken almost a year for the case to be brought before the court.

The opposition Citizens Coalition for Change described the accusations as ongoing political persecution.

Mr Sikhala has been arrested dozens of times.

The UN's head has appealed to Sudan's fighting forces to implement a ceasefire over the Muslim holiday of Eid, which falls over the weekend.

"I think this is the right moment for a ceasefire to hold, and this ceasefire is absolutely crucial at the present moment," Antonio Guterres said.

Earlier in the day, the head of the RSF, which is one of the sides in the conflict, suggested he was open to the idea in an interview with Al Jazeera.

BBC World Service

The main opposition party in Tunisia, Ennahda, has condemned the imprisonment of its leader as politically motivated.

A judge ordered the jailing of Rached Ghannouchi - a prominent critic of President Kais Saied - early on Thursday.

Mr Ghannouchi was arrested on Monday, accused of plotting against state security and making "inciting statements'.

Ennahda said his detention would not resolve Tunisia's crippling crisis.

This week, the authorities banned the party from holding meetings and closed the headquarters of the main opposition coalition, the Salvation Front.

The US said the Tunisian leader's latest actions represented a troubling escalation.

Mr Ghannouchi was the speaker of the Tunisian parliament until it was abolished by President Saied in 2021.

Read more: Is democracy in Tunisia under threat?

Salford's Harold Riley, the only artist ever granted a sitting with Nelson Mandela, has died aged 88.

Image source, AFP

The UN has warned that, external between 10,000 and 20,000 people have fled Sudan amid bitter fighting there, to seek safety in neighbouring Chad.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said it was "greatly alarmed by the escalating violence in Sudan" and said the majority of those arriving in Chad were women and children.

"The initial, most pressing, needs are water, food, shelter, health care, child protection, and prevention of gender-based violence," a statement from the body added.

It is not clear how the six-day long conflict will end. Two humanitarian ceasefires have failed, and the head of Sudan's army, who is at the heart of the conflict, told Al Jazeera on Thursday that he does not see negotiating with a rival paramilitary group as an option.

The violence has caused widespread suffering, with Sudanese people stranded in their homes unable to access adequate food and clean water.

Read more about why the conflict in Sudan matters here.

Former Indomitable Lions captain Stephane Mbia calls for Samuel Eto'o to act as peacemaker as moves made to tempt Andre Onana out of international retirement.

Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the armed forces and in effect Sudan's president, has told Al Jazeera, external that he does not see anyone he can negotiate with in the opposing side to end Sudan's conflict.

Sudan's army and the paramilitary group, the RSF, have been fighting for the past six days in a bitter power struggle.

Since the 2021 coup, Sudan has been run by a council of generals, led by the leader of the army and the head of the RSF.

Read a basic guide to the Sudan conflict here.

With fierce fighting in Sudan cutting off supplies, people are travelling to the famous river in order to survive.

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

South Sudan’s Minister of Petroleum Puot Kang Chol has expressed concerns that the ongoing fighting in Sudan will have a dire consequence on the economies of both countries if it continues.

Deadly fighting between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has entered its sixth days.

“The Ministry of Petroleum is deeply concerned over the continued military clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in the Republic of Sudan, and we express our regret for the loss of lives and injuries, including amongst civilians,” Mr Kang told reporters in the capital, Juba, on Thursday.

“We urge all the warring parties to immediately cease hostilities, restore calm, and call on all actors to return to dialogue and resolve the current crisis in Sudan which directly and equally affects the economies and social welfare of both of our beloved countries,” he added.

He also said the violence had not yet affected production and exportation of South Sudan’s oil.

“All our old-field facilities such as pipelines, pump stations, field processing facilities, field surface facilities and export marine terminal in the Republic of Sudan are well protected and safe from any damage and we continue to produce and export an average of 196,141 barrels of crude oil per day from all our oil fields in South Sudan as I speak,” Mr Kang said.

But he said all South Sudanese personnel and assets based in Sudan could be relocated to safer locations if necessary.

South Sudan continues to transport its crude oil to the international market through a port in eastern Sudan. Sudan in return receives transit and processing fees from South Sudan.

Image source, AFP

At least nine children have been killed and 50 others injured in Sudan where fighting has continued for a sixth day, the UN children's agency Unicef says.

Some children are sheltering in schools and care centres, the agency adds, meanwhile hospitals have been forced to evacuate children as shelling has moved closer.

“The fighting has disrupted critical, life-saving care for an estimated 50,000 severely acutely malnourished children. These vulnerable children need ongoing, round-the-clock care, which is being put at risk by the escalating violence," Unicef has said in a statement.

It said if the violence is not stopped, "children will continue to pay the price".

Over $40m (£32m) of vaccines and insulin are at risk of spoiling due to unprecedented power cuts in the ongoing Sudan crisis, Unicef said.

As things stand than 270 people have died in the violence since Saturday, according to a statement from the US embassy in Khartoum.