Manchester Royal Infirmary doctor Abdulrahman Babiker made one of the last UK evacuation flights.

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

Image source, Getty Images

The divorce case between the daughter of Zimbabwe's former President Robert Mugabe and her husband has given a glimpse of the staggering wealth allegedly amassed by the family - including residential properties worth almost $80m (£64m).

Bona Mugabe, 33, filed for divorce from former airline pilot Simba Mutsahuni Chikore in March, and asked for the division of assets to be dealt with in a separate court case.

The BBC has seen court papers filed by Mr Chikore on 28 April in response to those of Ms Mugabe.

He demands joint custody of the couple’s three children and a share of the assets, which he says include at least 21 farms, some of which were acquired by the Mugabe family during the contentious takeover of white-owned farms about two decades ago, and despite the government's "one-man one-farm" policy.

Mr Chikore also lists 25 residential properties, including a mansion in Dubai - with a total value of around $80m, luxury vehicles, farming equipment and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.

He says the assets were acquired solely and jointly during their marriage, through inheritance and donations from the late president for work carried out on his behalf.

He adds that the assets he has listed are a drop in the ocean, compared to the wealth Ms Mugabe owns outright.

Zimbabweans have reacted with shock and outrage to the extent of the wealth allegedly amassed by just one of Mr Mugabe’s children.

Ms Mugabe has not commented on the claims but will have an opportunity to do so.

George Charamba, who was Mr Mugabe's spokesman and now serves in President Emmerson Mnangagwa's office, denied that the couple owned 21 farms.

"All Agricultural Land belongs to the State, with farmers using it on LEASE BASIS," he tweeted, external.

He added that no-one should "build any politics or arguments around so-called 21 farms allegedly owned by Cde Bona and her estraged hubby".

It is unclear when the divorce case - before a court in the capital, Harare - will end.

Ms Mugabe and Ms Chikore got married at a lavish wedding in 2014 that was attended by several African heads of state - and was broadcast live on state television.

Mr Mugabe died in 2019 at the age of 95, reportedly without leaving a will. He is survived by his wife Grace, Bona, two sons and a step-son.

He was in power in Zimbabwe from the time of independence in 1980 until he was ousted in 2017 by Mr Mnangagwa, his former ally-turned-rival.

Image source, Getty Images

Niam Ali is asking the government to "show empathy" to her family who are trapped in Khartoum.

South Africa fast bowler Shabnim Ismail announces her retirement from international cricket.

Richard Hamilton
BBC World Service Newsroom

A popular opposition politician in Zimbabwe has been convicted of obstruction of justice.

In a high-profile trial at a court in the capital Harare, Job Sikhala was found guilty almost a year after he was first arrested.

He was ordered to pay a fine of $600 (£480) or serve a six-month prison sentence.

His conviction bars him from contesting upcoming presidential and legislative elections due to be held in August.

The charges against him were based on a video in which he allegedly demanded justice for the murder of another opposition activist, whose mutilated body was found in a well.

Critics say the trial was politically motivated.

Former Tunisia captain Radhi Jaidi backs Sam Allardyce's leadership skills as his former Bolton manager takes charge at relegation-threatened Leeds.

Hanna Temuari
BBC News, Addis Ababa

Image source, Facebook/Qe'ee Oromoo

A historic round of peace talks between the Ethiopian government and the rebel Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) have ended without a deal to end the conflict in the vast Oromia region.

Government negotiator Redwan Hussein tweeted that talks had been "largely constructive", but "unfortunately it was not possible to reach an agreement on some issues during this round of the talks".

Understanding had been reached in some areas, but not on key political differences, Mr Redwan said.

He also acknowledged the need for talks to continue to resolve the conflict permanently and peacefully.

The two sides met in Tanzania in the first major initiative to end the rebellion in Oromia.

The OLA says it is fighting for "self-determination" for Oromia and has carried out a series of raids on government forces in the region.

The talks came about six months after Ethiopia's government reached a peace deal to end a bloody two-year war in the northern region of Tigray.

The OLA had allied itself with Tigrayan forces in a failed bid to overthrow the government.

Image source, UNHCR/Twitter

Many people fleeing Sudan are already refugees from other conflict-hit countries.

But without a passport, "you have to stay... until you get a travel document," says Salam Kanhoush who fled Syria in 2016 to start a new life in Sudan.

Mr Kanhoush is now running for his life for the second time.

He told the BBC's Newsday programme that he is still stuck at the border waiting to enter Ethiopia and seek asylum there.

“Life can change at any point and you find yourself in a situation like this. I’m trying to be optimistic, trying to find solutions, not to be emotional but of course frustration and anger find a way,” Mr Kanhoush said.

He remains hopeful that he will, in the near future, return to Sudan and reunite with his friends.

The UN says more than 100,000 people have fled Sudan since heavy fighting broke out between rival forces while a further 334,000 people have been displaced within the country.

A Sudanese doctor has told the BBC's Newsday programme that he woke up to the sounds of birds instead of gunfire in the capital, Khartoum, raising hopes that fighting between warring military factions may end.

"The situation is a bit calm now, the little birds are telling me that everything is going to be alright," Mohamed Gibbril says.

He had just qualified as a general practitioner when the conflict broke out on 15 April.

Speaking live to the BBC at 06:20 local time (04:20 GMT), Dr Gibbril said he heard the last sounds of gunfire where he lived in the east of the city on Tuesday night.

Later on Wednesday morning after this interview, local media reports said there was fighting near the presidential palace in central Khartoum.

Dr Gibbril said he felt helpless as the health system remained "totally collapsed".

"People are in dire need of medical attention and we lack equipment for basic response."

More than 500 people have been killed, more than 4,000 have been wounded, and more than 400,000 people have fled their homes because of the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

South Sudan - which is helping in efforts to mediate an end to the conflict - said the warring groups had agreed to a new seven-day truce, starting from May 4.

Previous ceasefire deals have been violated, as the two sides fight for power.

Heavy rains in Rwanda overnight led to floods and mudslides, leaving more than 100 people dead and destroying homes, shops and other buildings.

Here are some of the images of the destruction in Ngororero district in the west.

Image source, Getty Images

Zambian police have surrounded the house of ex-President Edgar Lungu in the capital, Lusaka, and demanded access to search it.

Mr Lungu's lawyer, Jonas Zimba has told Diamond TV that police officers are conducting a search, allegedly linked to the ownership of three motor vehicles and a title deed.

He said the search follows a complaint against the former first lady, Esther Lungu, over her suspicious ownership of the three motor vehicles.

Police have not yet issued a statement over the development.

The former ruling party, Patriotic Front (PF), have described the deployment as a breach of Mr Lungu's immunity as guaranteed by the law.

Mr Lungu lost power to Hakainde Hichilema in the August 2021 election.

After two decades of turmoil people in Darfur, west Sudan, are scared of being targets once again.

Image source, Met Police

Lawmakers in Nigeria have appealed to the UK justice authorities to “temper justice with mercy” over the sentencing of a Nigerian politician found guilty of organ trafficking.

Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife and a medical "middleman" were convicted in March for organ-trafficking plot, after they brought a 21-year-old man to the UK from Lagos.

Their sentencing is due on Friday.

The speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, described Ekweremadu as a "good man" with no prior convictions, while pleading for leniency.

The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) parliament has also written a letter to the UK authorities seeking clemency for the convicted politician.

Local media in Nigeria cited a letter by the Ecowas Speaker addressed to the chief clerk of the Old Bailey criminal court in London.

It was said to note that although Ecowas “stands against” the crime for which Ekweremadu had been convicted, it “believes that lessons have been learnt”.

The letter also described Ekweremadu as “a major asset to the Ecowas region”.

Samba Cyuzuzo
BBC Great Lakes

Image source, Rwanda Broadcasting Agency

The death toll from landslides and floods in Rwanda has now risen to more than 100 amid heavy rains in the country, the authorities have said.

The Rwandan public broadcaster, RBA, reports that 109 have so far died, 95 of those in the western province and 14 in the northern province.

Earlier, the governor of the country's western province had told the BBC that at least 50 had died after heavy rains pounded the region “all night”.

“Many houses collapsed on people, the provisional number of those who have died is now 55 and [there are] many injured,” governor François Habitegeko said.

He said the main roads in the province, including the new road snaking along Lake Kivu, “are not usable because of landslides”.

He said rescue activities in remote areas were under way with the number of victims likely to go up.

The Rwandan meteorological agency has warned of heavy rains throughout this month.

Image source, Kenyan foreign ministry

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has arrived in Kenya to follow up on the humanitarian and security situation in Sudan following weeks of clashes.

Mr Guterres was received on Wednesday morning by Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister Alfred Mutua at the main airport in the capital, Nairobi.

During his two-day visit, the UN chief will hold talks with President William Ruto and also meet all heads of UN agencies in Nairobi.

The warring military factions in Sudan have agreed to a seven-day truce starting on Thursday.

The Newsroom
BBC World Service

The UN's children's agency, Unicef, says recent global crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic have helped slow momentum in ending children marriages worldwide.

It, however, raises particular concern over the situation in sub-Saharan Africa, which it says appears to be bucking the overall trend for declining numbers.

In a new report, Unicef says the number of girls married off before reaching the age of 18 has been declining over the past decade, but that health and economic crises, armed conflict, and the effects of climate change are forcing some parents into marrying off their daughters.

It estimates that around 12 million girls globally become child brides each year, describing the practice as a clear violation of children's rights.

Image source, Getty Images

Nigerian authorities have dismissed accusations of ethnic bias during the evacuation of stranded nationals in Sudan.

This follows a viral video, external in which one of the Nigerians stranded in Sudan alleged that some of them were left behind during evacuation because of their ethnicity.

But in a statement on Tuesday, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (Nidcom) denied the accusations terming them “divisive and ridiculous".

Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the Nidcom spokesperson, said all those who converged at the prescribed locations were picked up, and have all been moved in 40 buses either towards Port Sudan or towards the Egyptian border.

He said priority was given to women, children and students, and were called according to their states in alphabetical order, beginning with the south-eastern Abia state.

"If some arrived after the stipulated time or did not show up at the point of pick up, they can’t blame it on anyone," Mr Balogun said.

Meanwhile the House of Representatives has invited the minister of foreign affairs, Nidcom, and the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) to appear before it to give an account of the evacuation status of Nigerians in Sudan.

The Newsroom
BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The UN's World Food Programme says its ability to resume deliveries of life-saving aid in Sudan will depend on whether the latest ceasefire agreement takes hold.

The warring military factions have agreed to a seven-day truce starting on Thursday but previous ceasefires have been repeatedly violated.

A WFP spokesperson, Leni Kinzli, told the BBC that the agency would prioritise emergency food distribution to pre-existing refugees as well as to people newly displaced by violence.

She said operations would be hampered by the looting of thousands of tonnes of food from warehouses in western Darfur region.

The exhibition has been named at the Museums + Heritage Awards, due to take place on 10 May.

Image source, AFP

Nigeria's food and drug control agency (Nafdac) says it is taking “swift action” to investigate a popular brand of noodles over alleged presence of a substance associated with increased risks of cancer.

The agency said in a statement it was conducting “random sampling and analysis of Indomie noodles, including the seasoning, for the presence of ethylene oxide".

It said it was extending the investigation to other brands of instant noodles in the Nigerian market.

Nafdac said the probe follows recall of the “special chicken flavour” noodle brands last week in Malaysia and Taiwan after the substance was detected in some samples.

Indofoods, the Indonesian food giant that makes Indomie, has however since defended the safety of its products.

The Nigerian agency said that the implicated brand was not registered for sale in Nigeria, noting that the ports authorities were on alert not to allow its importation.

"We assure the public that thorough investigation of the products will be conducted both at the factory and market levels and our findings will be communicated," it said.