British national Sarra Eljak and her family spent days trying to get on a RAF flight back to UK.

Image source, Getty Images

A 20-year-old woman in northern Nigeria has sued her dad for forcing her to marry a stranger, local media report.

Fatima Aliyu’s lawyer told a Sharia (Islamic) court in Kaduna state that she already had someone she loves.

He said that the woman was not suing the father out of disrespect for him.

The father told the court that his late parents had chosen the groom for his daughter when they were alive and he wanted to respect their wishes.

Judge Malam Aiyeku Abdulrahman ruled that while the father has the right to choose a husband for his daughter, forced marriage was not encouraged.

He advised the man to be patient with his daughter.

“Allow her to present the person she wants to marry and if you are pleased with his religion and character, you allow her to get married,” the Punch quoted the judge as saying.

People affected by floods and landslides in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) "are still in dire need" of humanitarian assistance, a program specialist from aid group Corus International has told the BBC's Newsday programme.

On Monday authorities announced that the death toll had reached more than 400, and that number is expected to increase Jean Claude Nzay said.

“We’re talking about people who have lost everything”, Mr Nazy said, adding that people have been so traumatised they "cannot even cry".

Floods and landslides hit two villages in eastern DR Congo last week, and since then people have been digging through the mud with their hands in a desperate search for missing relatives.

Mr Nzay added that authorities need to set up psychological centres where people can openly talk about their grief.

Read more about the floods in DR Congo here.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

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Little information continues to be released publicly on the progress of the Saudi-US mediated talks in Jeddah between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that began on 6 May.

But SAF leader Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Monday told Egypt's Al-Qahera News TV that "there is no use in sitting at the negotiating table in Saudi Arabia” without a genuine ceasefire.

Gen Burhan said he welcomed all initiatives that aim to stop bloodshed but stressed that the RSF must give up its weapons.

A Saudi diplomat had earlier told AFP news agency that the discussions have yielded “no major progress”.

Numerous ceasefires have been violated since the conflict erupted on 15 April.

Image source, Reuters

Ugandan health authorities have allayed fears that coronavirus could be driving the wave of cough and flu, which is sweeping through the country.

Local media reported increased cases of people being bedridden for days or losing their voices with the onset of an intense cough, flu and fever.

In a number of cases, children have failed to respond to medication and some have had to be admitted to hospital and placed on oxygen machines, Daily Monitor reported.

The Department of Infectious Disease Control said the outbreak was a "normal flu".

“From our surveillance system, there is no indication of increased cases of Covid-19,” Dr Patrick Tusiime, the commissioner for communicable diseases prevention and control said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that Covid-19 no longer represents a global health emergency because of the general decline in cases.

The WHO, however, warned that many people with severe Covid-19 are still admitted to hospitals and so, countries should carry on with their internal mitigation measures against the disease.

Gunmen have attacked a church in north-west Nigeria's Kaduna state, kidnapping at least 25 members of the congregation.

According to an official from the Christian Association of Nigeria, the gunmen burst into the Bege Baptist Church in Chikun initially abducting 40 people but 15 managed to escape.

A police spokesman confirmed there had been an attack but gave no details.

Over the last two years, there have been frequent mass kidnappings by criminal gangs that are not thought to be linked to the Islamist militants, active in parts of northern Nigeria.

Kidnappers often demand ransom before releasing the hostages.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

The Sudanese army has released two activists it had detained after accusing them of supporting the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The activists were detained on Sunday while driving a "stolen" ambulance, according to the army.

In a statement, external, the army said It freed them on Monday after ascertaining their identity.

The two men reportedly had their heads shaved before they were released.

The army urged activists "to co-ordinate" with its troops in case of similar movements in future, "to avoid any confusion".

Pro-democracy activists, known as Resistance Committees, had denied the army's allegations of backing the RSF.

The activists demanded their members' release, saying they were volunteers helping those wounded in fighting between the army and the RSF.

Resistance Committees have also called for an end to the conflict which has killed hundreds and wounded thousands.

The groups were crucial in mobilising weeks of street protests to demand a return to democratic rule after Sudan's warring generals seized power in 2019.

The activists have been holding anti-military protests since the army overthrew a civilian-led transitional government in 2021.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

A court in Senegal has handed a six-month suspended sentence and a $300,000 (£270,000) fine to a leading opposition politician who intends to run in next year's presidential elections.

Ousmane Sonko - who was found guilty of defaming the country's tourism minister - received a two month suspended sentence in March.

But the prosecution called for a heavier sentence following an appeal.

Mr Sonko did not appear in court on Monday for the appeal hearing and announced he would no longer respond to court summonses unless his security could be guaranteed.

Correspondents say the opposition sees the entire trial as an attempt to ensure Mr Sonko cannot stand for president.

The incumbent, Macky Sall, may seek a third term despite the constitution's two term limit.

Peter Jegwa
Lilongwe, Malawi

Image source, AFP

A high court in Malawi has ordered education authorities to admit learners with dreadlocks in public schools across the country.

The court, sitting in the eastern city of Zomba, was ruling on a petition brought by two Rastafarian children who were refused admission to public schools in 2016 and 2010.

The two learners have, however, been attending school after they obtained a court injunction.

Talks between the Rastafarian community in Malawi and the country's attorney general to settle the matter have failed resulting in a prolonged legal suit, whose determination was made on Monday.

Judge Zione Ntaba ruled that barring children with dreadlocks from attending school was a breach of their right to education.

"The Ministry of Education should issue a statement to allow all children of the Rastafarian community with dreadlocks to be allowed in class. The circular should be done by 30th June," Justice Ntaba ordered.

The case was filed by three human rights organisations on behalf of the Rastafarian community in the country.

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That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. We'll be back on Tuesday morning with the latest news and views from around the continent.

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We leave you with a photo from a fashion show in Soweto, South Africa:

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Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

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Southern African countries have agreed to deploy forces to the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo where dozens of rebel groups are fighting.

The decision was reached at a meeting of the regional body SADC, attended by several heads of state, including DR Congo's Felix Tshisekedi.

Since December an East African regional military force has been deployed in eastern DR Congo, mainly in response to the threat posed by the M23 rebel group.

It is widely reported to be backed by Rwanda although Kigali denies it.

Since it re-launched a rebellion in late 2021 close to a million people have been displaced.

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

Image source, Nichola Mandil

The special envoy of Sudan's army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has met South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir to discuss ways to end the war in Khartoum.

President Kiir was chosen by the regional bloc, Igad, to spearhead mediation efforts to end the fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

But the decision of the warring parties to attend ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia has fuelled speculation that the regional mediation effort has been ignored.

At a press conference in South Sudan's capital Juba, Dafalla al-Haj Ali tried to address the concern, saying he wanted to say "high and loud" that Igad was not being side-lined.

“We have full confidence in President Salva Kiir,” he added.

Mr Kiir stressed the importance of the conflict ending, and said that no country should take advantage of it to weaken Sudan.

Read: Sudan mediators face tough choices

Tsitsi Dangarembga was convicted last year of inciting violence by carrying a placard calling for reform.

The former foreign minister of Sudan, Mariam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, says she doubts the rival military factions can agree on a genuine ceasefire due to their deep mistrust.

Representatives of the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are currently meeting in Saudi Arabia.

In an interview with BBC Focus on Africa radio, the ex-minister said that officials loyal to former President Omar al-Bashir were trying to ensure the army's fight against the RSF continued.

She added that people calling for peace, including herself, were increasingly being labelled as traitors.

She described the war as senseless, and said that fighters did not want to help civilians get out of the capital, Khartoum, as they were using them as human shields.

Millions of residents are facing increasing hardships and dwindling supplies of essential goods.

Phone and internet companies have also been shutting down their services due to lack of fuel.

Some 40,000 people have fled fighting in Sudan to go to South Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries.

Image source, Getty Images

Acclaimed Zimbabwean author Tsitsi Dangarembga has won an appeal against her conviction for inciting violence by carrying a placard calling for political reform.

Ms Dangarembga paid a fine of about $110 (£100) to avoid serving a three-month jail term last year, following her conviction in a magistrate's court.

She challenged the ruling in the high court, which has now acquitted her.

Ms Dangarembga is one of Zimbabwe's most famous authors. Her novel, This Mournable Body, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2020.

In the same year, she was arrested for walking along a road in the capital, Harare, holding a placard which called for political reform and the release of two government critics.

In a ruling that was widely condemned, the magistrate said the protest could have incited other people to join, and cause a breach of peace.

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa's government says it will launch an urgent appeal against a court ruling that hospitals, schools and police stations be exempt from power cuts - or that they be provided with alternative sources of energy like generators.

The decision was taken to avoid "undue risk" to the national grid, at a time when the government was trying to end load shedding, Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan said in a statement on Twitter.

South Africa has been hit with power cuts lasting up to 10 hours, seriously disrupting the day-to-day lives of people and having a damaging effect on public services and businesses.

Following legal action brought by trade unions and opposition parties, a high court ordered the government last week to “take all reasonable steps” within 60 days to ensure that hospitals, schools and police stations are not affected by power cuts.

Analysts said the ruling would have huge financial costs for the government, and it would find it difficult to implement.

Botswana was hit by a nationwide electricity blackout shortly after midnight following a "grid disturbance", the state's power utility has said on Twitter, external.

Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) said it was investigating the cause of the "grid disturbance".

It led to an outage at two power plants, and a transmission power line that connects the country to neighbouring South Africa, BPC said.

"We are currently restarting both our power generation plants," BPC added.

Load-shedding - meaning rotating power cuts - has been introduced in the meantime.

Botswana had occasional power cuts last year, for the first time since 2015, according to South Africa's News24 website, external.

BBC Monitoring

An official of Ethiopia's ruling Prosperity Party (PP) has been gunned down in the north-eastern Afar region, just two weeks after another official was killed in the north-western Amhara region, the private media outlet Tikvah Ethiopia has posted, external on its Telegram account.

The official was killed while on his way from Adama, a city in the Oromia region, to Awash town in Afar, Tikvah quoted the party as saying.

It blamed unnamed "terrorists" for the killing.

On 27 April, the PP head of Amhara, Girma Yeshitla, was killed in an ambush.

Girma was frequently targeted on social media by users who branded him a "traitor" over his close relationship with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The authorities blamed the attack on the Fano militia and said it was in retaliation for plans to disband regional forces and integrate them into the national security services.

The exercise that began in April sparked violent protests in Amhara.

Opposition parties have called for dialogue between local leaders and the federal government to prevent armed confrontations.