Nearly 300 children, most of them below the age of two, have been evacuated from the capital.

Azeezat Olaoluwa
Women’s affairs reporter, BBC News, Lagos

Image source, Getty Images

Nigeria’s outgoing parliament has finally passed a bill that aims to prevent the sexual harassment of university students.

Once it is signed into law by newly elected President Bola Tinubu it will be illegal for lecturers to make any sexual advances towards students.

Those who do have sexual relationships with their students could face up to 14 years in jail.

The anti-sexual harassment bill was originally introduced in 2016 but did not pass both houses of parliament.

It was reintroduced by the senate in 2019 following a BBC investigation that uncovered alleged sexual misconduct by lecturers in Nigeria and Ghana.

BBC Africa Eye’s Sex for Grades documentary prompted outrage, but the bill was further delayed as the house of representatives wanted some changes - and two parliamentary committees had to come to an agreement on the final wording.

Outgoing lawmakers are trying to wrap up business before newly elected MPs are sworn in next week.

A student told BBC news she was happy about the development and hoped President Tinubu would pass it into law soon.

Earlier in the month, a group of students had issued a statement to express their displeasure that the National Assembly had failed to pass it in time for his predecessor - President Muhammadu Buhari - to assent to it before leaving office.

Watch:

• 'Sex for grades': Undercover in West African universities

Rhoda Odhiambo
BBC Focus on Africa TV

Image source, Getty Images

The UN has declared an end to a Marburg outbreak in Equatorial Guinea that has officially killed 12 people since February.

"The outbreak… ended today with no new cases reported over the past 42 days after the last patient was discharged from treatment," the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said.

The highly infectious disease is similar to Ebola, but there are no vaccines or anti-viral treatments approved to treat the virus. It has a fatality rate of up to 88%, according to the WHO, external.

It is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials.

The true death toll from the outbreak is likely to have been higher than the 12 officially recorded, because 23 people who came into contact with victims died without being tested - and it is too dangerous to do post-mortems.

The four patients who recovered from the disease have been enrolled in a survivors- programme. They are receiving psychosocial and other post-recovery support measures.

It was Equatorial Guinea's first-ever outbreak of the disease, affecting four of its eight provinces

Peter Mwai
BBC Verify

Image source, Reuters

Massive fires are burning in an area of Sudan’s capital that houses an arms factory following clashes between paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters and the army.

Images of the blazes in the Yarmouk area in the west of the city are being posted on social media and are visible on satellite images.

The RSF said it had taken control of the area, where there are number of factories, a military complex as well as oil and fuel storage facilities.

It blamed the armed forces for attacking the area on Wednesday and causing the infernos.

We have not been able to verify how the fires started, but images from Nasa on Wednesday show heat signatures picked up by satellite at several locations in the area.

The RSF also posted on Twitter a video showing its fighters inside a building, with one of them saying they were in a warehouse that stored weapons.

It is not clear when or for how long they were there.

At one point, the fighters are outside and a mosque is visible in the background. We have matched this to a mosque just north of the Yarmouk area.

Sudan’s armed forces have not commented officially on the fighting there.

Image source, Nasa

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

Saudi Arabia has condemned an attack on its embassy in Sudan’s capital "in the strongest terms".

The Saudi foreign ministry blamed armed groups for storming and vandalising the building in Khartoum, adding that the property and housing of Saudi employees had also been vandalised.

Saudi Arabia, along with the US, has taken a leading role in trying to engage with the warring sides since the conflict erupted in mid-April.

The kingdom totally rejected “all forms of violence and vandalism against diplomatic missions and representations", the foreign ministry statement said.

It also stressed the importance of confronting groups that it said were trying to undermine the restoration of stability and security in Sudan.

The statement, posted on Twitter, external, did not specify which groups were behind the attack.

The warring factions involve the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group - the two falling out since taking power together in a coup in October 2021.

Saudi media outlets have sought to maintain a neutral stance in their coverage of the conflict. On Thursday, Saudi news website Al Arabiya reported that last month the army had said it could no longer provide protection for diplomatic missions, accusing the RSF of attacking embassies.

Until last week, Saudi Arabia had been hosting ceasefire talks in Jeddah between the rivals.

A frequently violated humanitarian truce, which began on 22 May, officially expired on Saturday evening.

The US secretary of state was in Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Wednesday where the two countries again pledged to continue efforts to end the fighting which is now in its seventh week.

Image source, AFP

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa’s opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party is facing a backlash for its decision to invite a Kenyan academic to give a lecture in July at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Prof Patrick "PLO" Lumumba is alleged to hold homophobic views - and last month congratulated Uganda’s president for “defying Western countries and doing the right thing” by signing an anti-gay bill into law.

The lecture he has been asked to deliver is part of events to mark the 10th anniversary of the EFF party founded by firebrand politician Julius Malema.

It is scheduled to be held at UCT’s Sarah Baartman Hall.

Some UCT staff and students have demanded that he not be allowed to give the address there as his presence would signal the institution's acceptance of his “homophobic stance”, local media report.

Other South Africans on social media have asked the EFF to withdraw the invitation.

However, the party is standing by its decision, with Mr Malema saying, external that “allowing different views makes a discourse even more exciting”.

The EFF had held demonstrations in April outside the Ugandan embassy in the capital, Pretoria, to express its opposition to the anti-homosexuality bill.

Uganda now has among the harshest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world. South Africa's constitution was the first in the world to protect people from discrimination because of their sexual orientation.

Prof Lumumba, 60, is a respected Kenyan lawyer, and was director of the Kenya School of Law for four years and before that had headed the now-defunct Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission for a year.

Image source, Reuters

Nearly 300 children have been safely rescued from an orphanage in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, aid agencies say.

They had been staying at the Mygoma Orphanage, where more than 70 children are reported to have died from hunger and illness since the conflict in Sudan broke out in mid-April.

The orphanage was in an area of the city "where the conflict has been raging", according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Aged between one month and 15 years, the 297 children have been taken to Wad Madani, about 200km (125 miles) from Khartoum, it said.

They are now at a transit centre and the UN children’s agency (Unicef) says it is working with the relevant authorities in identifying foster families for them.

“The safe movement of these incredibly vulnerable children to a place of safety offers a ray of light in the midst of the ongoing conflict in Sudan,” said Mandeep O’Brien, a Unicef representative.

You may be interested in:

• The unsung heroes keeping Khartoum residents alive
• What to do with the dead bodies in Khartoum

Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Accra

Image source, Getty Images

The slaughter, sale and consumption of meat has been banned for a month in a northern region of Ghana because of a deadly anthrax outbreak.

Anthrax is a highly contagious bacterial disease that affects livestock and can be transmitted to humans.

The movement of animals, such as cows, sheep, goats, pigs and donkeys, has also been banned in Upper East Region to avoid the spread of the disease.

One person has so far died and 13 suspected cases have been identified.

There are suspicions they ate anthrax-infected beef. Reports say at least 30 animals have died from anthrax.

Medics are tracing the contacts of those affected and efforts to vaccinate animals free of charge to contain the spread of the disease have also been stepped up.

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have spoken over the phone about the upcoming peace mission by six Africa leaders to Russia and Ukraine.

"President Putin has welcomed the initiative by African heads of state and expressed his desire to receive the peace mission,” a statement from the South African presidency said, external.

On Tuesday, the African leaders involved had held discussions “exploring ways of bringing an end to the conflict”, it added.

The other leaders in the peace bid are from the Comoros, Egypt, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia - and according to a statement from the presidency on Wednesday all said they were available to travel in mid-June, external.

"The leaders agreed that they would engage with both President Putin and President [Volodymyr] Zelensky on the elements for a ceasefire and a lasting peace in the region."

Their foreign ministers were now in the process of finalising the elements of a road-map to peace, it added.

Separately a Russia-Africa summit is scheduled to take place at the end of July in St Petersburg, the presidency said.

You may be interested in:

• How Putin has given South Africa a big diplomatic headache

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, AFP

Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has replaced two state governors, state-run new agency Suna reports.

It comes as fighting intensifies in the capital, Khartoum, and other areas between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - the two seized power in a coup in October 2021 but are now involved in a power struggle.

Gen Burhan dismissed North Kordofan state governor Fadlallah Mohamed Ali al-Tom, and Sennar state's Al-Alim Ibrahim al-Nour. Caretaker governors have been appointed.

No reason was given for their dismissal.

Parts of North Kordofan have witnessed fierce battles between the warring parties though there has been no fighting in Sennar state.

At least 883 civilians have been killed and more than 3,800 others wounded since the conflict erupted on 15 April.

Image source, Getty Images

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is due to lead a delegation of government leaders to Hammasnkraal, a township north of the capital, Pretoria, where there was a deadly outbreak of cholera.

Mr Ramaphosa said the outbreak had caused devastation and government agencies had been working on measures to contain the spread of the disease.

His visit follows the death of at least 26 people, mostly in Hammanskraal, the epicentre of the outbreak.

More than 130 residents have been treated for the waterborne disease.

Image source, AFP

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has said he has contracted Covid-19 after one of three tests conducted on him turned out positive.

Mr Museveni, who gave a state of the nation address earlier on Wednesday, said he had developed a slight cold, prompting him to get tested.

The permanent secretary at the health ministry, Diana Atwine, said the president had developed mild flu-like symptoms but was in good health and would continue his duties.

She said the president would adhere to standard operating procedures for Covid cases while performing his role.

Uganda had some of the strictest measures in Africa to limit the spread of the virus at the height of the pandemic, including long curfews and closure of schools and businesses.

The country fully reopened in February 2022.

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Some Khartoum residents have become accidental undertakers to stop corpses being left on the streets.

A museum says it is being unfairly punished for showing ancient Egypt's influence on black artists.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. We'll be back on Thursday morning.

Until then you can follow the latest news at BBCAfrica.com or listen to our new Focus on Africa podcast.

A reminder of Wednesday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

We leave you with a photo of someone looking at a Zambian work of art by Nolan Oswald Dennis at the Liverpool Biennial in the UK on Wednesday.

Image source, AFP

Nour Abida
Focus on Africa podcast

A prominent Nigerian-British sports journalist has said that "drastic" measures are needed to stop racism in football.

Talking to the BBC's new Focus on Africa podcast, Osasu Obayiuwana, who was also a member of Fifa's anti-racism task force, said it was an endless cycle.

“It's the same old thing. Something happens. Everyone says: 'This is so terrible, we have to do something about it.' And after a while it dies down and it's going to happen again. And it will happen again until some drastic measures are taken to make it so uncomfortable for clubs and federations to tolerate."

His comments come after seven people were punished for acts of racism towards Real Madrid's Brazil forward Vinicius Jr, including four men who were fined $64,000 (£51,700).

While serving on the task force, Obayiuwana advocated stronger measures to combat racism.

However, the task force was disbanded after just three years.

“As a task force, we were advisory, we didn't have enforcement powers. So all we could do was to discuss the issues and make recommendations," Obayiuwana said.

"But in the three years that we were together, we only had about three meetings, and I made it clear to people that that was grossly inadequate for a problem that is endemic and doing so much damage to the image of football."

On FIFA's website , externalit says it is "resolutely against racism" and has "strengthened" its disciplinary rules.

According to Obayiuwana, Spain and Italy are the major flashpoints of racism in European football.

“These are very powerful countries within the football system. And I think that if Fifa has to start taking direct action against them on these issues, there might be political repercussions."

Last month Spain's La Liga requested more power to punish incidents of racism.

"We are convinced that if we had those powers, within months we would get rid of this problem," the league's president Javier Tebas told the BBC.

Under Spanish law, La Liga can identify and report racist cases, but not impose sanctions.

For more, listen to the Focus on Africa podcast here.

Félicien Kabuga, alleged to have financed Hutu militias, was arrested in France after 26 years on the run.

Nicola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has created a regional crisis that has security and economic repercussions, a senior official with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Geneva, has warned.

“The impact of this crisis on South Sudan is multiple – there is an economic impact which is very serious because good parts of the northern part of South Sudan were very much dependent on the economy of Sudan," said the UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Raouf Mazou.

"So, it is a regional crisis having security considerations, but also very important economic considerations,” Mr Mazou continued, adding that Chad had echoed similar concerns.

Since the start of the conflict in Sudan in April, refugees have fled across the border to South Sudan, the majority of whom are South Sudanese returnees who are now coming back to the country they had once been forced to flee.

They are arriving alongside refugees from Sudan and various other countries.

The number of new arrivals into South Sudan this week has surpassed the 100,000 mark, the UNHCR says.

Mr Mazou told reporters in the capital, Juba, on Tuesday that about 7,000 registered refugees had entered South Sudan since the conflict in Sudan began.

Among them were 3,500 Sudanese refugees, 2,600 Ethiopians, 1,800 Eritreans and other nationalities.

Mr Mazou said in total, 400,000 Sudanese refugees had fled Sudan to neighbouring countries.

Read more: The Eritrean refugees caught between two crises

BBC World Service

A South African court has thrown out a private prosecution brought by the former president, Jacob Zuma, against a senior state prosecutor and a journalist.

Mr Zuma had claimed that Billy Downer and Karyn Maughan leaked his confidential records.

Ms Maughan's lawyer argued that Mr Zuma had pressed charges because he didn't like the way she had reported a corruption case against the former president.

The Pietermaritzburg court ruled that the private prosecution violated press freedom and South Africa's constitution.

The court also ruled that Mr Zuma is forbidden from further pursuing these charges privately.

Mr Downer is the lead prosecutor in Mr Zuma's corruption trial, which has been repeatedly delayed.