Waihiga Mwaura
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

Former Sudanese Finance Minister Ibrahim Elbadawi estimates that the seven-week conflict in his country has cost the economy at least $3.4bn (£2.7bn).

"This high-intensity violence… destroys supply chains. It destroys the economy of the capital," he told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme. He fears things could get worse.

"This could spiral into a large-scale violence. Civil war. That could splinter the country because unfortunately that is usually what happens in an ethnically divided society," he said.

With Sudan’s army suspending participation in the Jeddah ceasefire talks, Mr Elbadawi is very concerned about his motherland that was once touted as a beacon of hope in the region.

"Sudan was held in very optimistic perspective back in 1953… Unfortunately, Sudan has turned out as a country defined by conflicts, failed development and dysfunctional governments. In Sudan, we failed to manage social diversity," he said.

The former World Bank economist argues that once peace is restored, then the pursuit of justice should quickly follow.

"It is important to investigate the reason why this conflict started to begin with. There are people spoiling for a conflict and there should be sanctions on this group," he added.

For more you can watch the relaunched Focus on Africa at 17:30 BST on the BBC News Channel.

Former South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk says she feels "uncomfortable" wearing cricket kit after being dropped over fitness issues.

Image source, Getty Images

A South African court has dismissed an urgent application against the arrest of Nandipha Magudumana, a celebrity doctor who is the girlfriend and alleged accomplice of a convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester.

She wanted the court to declare her arrest in Tanzania illegal, saying due process was not followed.

While agreeing that certain aspects of the arrest were flawed, Judge Phillip Loubser found Dr Magudumana "was aware of the charges that would be levelled against her in South Africa.

"She consented to her removal. I find the application cannot succeed. It is dismissed with costs," he said.

Dr Magudumana will be held in custody and will continue to face several charges related to allegedly helping Bester escape from prison last May.

Her legal team has said they will study the judgment and take instructions from Dr Magudumana on how to proceed.

"An appeal is not off the table," her lawyer said.

The Newsroom
BBC World Service

Kenya has closed its diplomatic mission in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, as clashes intensify between the rival military forces.

The foreign ministry said the mission had remained open to support the evacuation of Kenyan citizens, but was now closed as it had come under threat from the fighting.

Nairobi has been supporting African initiatives to end the conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Image source, Redferns/Getty

Burna Boy has won rave reviews for his historic concert in London on Saturday - where he became the first African artist to headline a UK stadium.

Some 80,000 fans watched the Nigerian star's sellout show with a setlist spanning his decade-long career, from early hit Like to Party to the anthemic Last Last.

"Words can't explain my emotions right now... there's nothing else I'd dreamed more of," said the Grammy-winning star, who grew up partly in the British capital.

Burna Boy was flanked onstage by dozens of dancers and was joined by a succession of stars - including Stormzy, J Hus, Dave and Popcaan - during the two-hour set at the grounds of West Ham United football club.

"This isn't the first time African music is at the forefront," says Eddie Kadi who presents the Official UK Afrobeats Chart Show on BBC radio.

But, he says, we can credit afrobeats' huge popularity to the way it absorbs and transforms a variety of genres, and because young people from Africa's global diaspora have cemented African music in the cultures where they live.

Ugandan dance troupe Ghetto Kids missed out on the top three slots at the last stage of Britain’s Got Talent competition on Sunday, thanking fans for their "unwavering support through out the competition".

The group of six children are aged between six and 13, and came from impoverished backgrounds in Uganda's capital Kampala before being taken in and cared for by their guardian-turned-manager Dauda Kavuma.

Ghetto Kids was among the 10 finalists in the competition – which was won by Viggo Venn, a 33-year-old comedian from Norway. The second place was taken by 13-year-old dancer Lilliana Clifton while magician Cillian O’Connor, 14, came third.

The Ugandan group already made history after becoming the first act to be given a "golden buzzer" by one of the judges before they had even finished their performance - which sent them straight to the semi-final.

They then received the most public votes, giving them a place at the final alongside nine other contestants.

It has added to the group's already considerable fame - the Ghetto Kids already had millions of YouTube views under their belts before joining the UK talent show, and featured in a music video for US-Moroccan rap star French Montana in 2017.

The Newsroom
BBC World Service

Reports from Libya say that thousands of Egyptian migrants have been deported on foot back to Egypt.

A Libyan security source says that 4,000 migrants have been found during raids on people traffickers in the east of Libya.

An Egyptian security source has said that only about half of those rounded up were in Libya illegally - and they were the only ones who'd been deported.

Migration agencies say that there are about half a million migrants in Libya - many of whom are seeking to cross to Europe by boat, while others have found work and settled in the country.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News

Image source, AFP

Voters in the West African country of Guinea-Bissau are waiting for the results of Sunday’s vote to elect MPs.

Nearly one million out of the country’s two million population registered to vote in the legislative election that closed at 17:00 local time, according to the National Election Commission of Guinea-Bissau.

About 200 election observers, including 75 from the West Africa regional bloc Ecowas, witnessed the keenly contested vote, with none of the 22 political parties expected to win absolute majority in the polls.

The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), had traditionally been the leading party but is now in opposition despite having the biggest number of seats.

The largest party or coalition in parliament appoints the government under the current constitution. Still, the president has the power to dismiss it in certain circumstances - a situation that has led to political deadlocks in the past.

President Umaro Sissoco Embaló was elected in 2020 under the Madem-G15 party - which broke away from the PAIGC. Madem-G15 had the second highest number of seats.

Last year the president faced criticism after he dissolved parliament and appointed his own officials in government, three months after he said he had survived a coup attempt.

Cat Wiener
BBC World Service Newsroom

Image source, AFP

The Red Cross in Senegal says almost 360 people were injured in violence that broke out on Thursday after the opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison.

At least 16 people are known to have died in the clashes between demonstrators and security forces in the capital, Dakar, and Mr Sonko's home city of Zinguinchor.

Supporters of Mr Sonko say his conviction on charges of "corrupting" a young woman are politically motivated.

They have condemned what they called the "murderous repression" of the security forces.

On Sunday the situation appeared calm.

The government has restricted access to the mobile internet, to stop what it called "subversive messages" from being shared.

The Newsroom
BBC World Service

Image source, Reuters

The deputy head of Sudan's ruling council, Malik Agar, has welcomed negotiations for a further ceasefire but said no truce can hold until all forces are withdrawn from the capital.

There's been an alarming escalation of violence in Khartoum and in the western Darfur region since the negotiations in Saudi Arabia broke down last week.

Both the army and the rival paramilitary force, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accused each other of violating the truce, but negotiators have remained in Jeddah.

Mr Agar said the talks there represented the best hope of ending the fighting.

Sudanese military leader Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan recently appointed Mr Agar, a former rebel leader, to replace his former deputy Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, who heads the RSF.

Most of the troops in Khartoum are RSF fighters, and the army appears to have resumed its attempts to blast them out of the positions they're holding.

Our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

After eight-year-old Juwon, who has the ability to sense danger, gets removed from Bible class by her Sunday school teacher, she follows an agama lizard into the bowels of the Heaven’s Gate mega church.

Her journey into the labyrinth exposes the inner financial workings and hidden activities behind the scenes, plunging her deeper and deeper - until she is confronted by a spellbinding sermon and a congregation worshipping in a hypnotised frenzy.

Deeply moving and laugh-out-loud funny, Mission: Joy gives unprecedented access to the friendship between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the late Archbishop Tutu. The self-described ‘mischievous brothers’ were filmed over five days by an award-winning team who captured a relationship built on truth, honesty and, most importantly, joy.

The film goes behind the scenes at the Dalai Lama’s residence in Dharamsala, where Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama recount stories from their lives, both having lived through periods of incredible difficulty.

With genuine affection, mutual respect and a healthy dose of teasing, the two friends impart lessons gleaned from experience, ancient traditions and cutting-edge science to show that it is possible to live with joy in the face of all of life’s challenges, from the extraordinary to the mundane. Mission: Joy is an antidote for our times.

Artist and storyteller Laura Nyahuye reflects on life as a migrant in the city, and why elephants seem to have followed her from Zimbabwe to Coventry.

Recorded at the Contains Strong Language poetry and spoken word festival.

In just over a month world leaders will meet for a decisive climate change summit - we’ll ask if politicians are willing to accept the end of exponential economic growth in order to protect the planets resources. We’ll hear why gas prices are spiralling and ask why small energy firms weren’t better prepared to withstand rising prices. As a new high speed train line is planned for Egypt we’ll take a close look at this new infrastructure project and ask if it will help deliver new prosperity to a country dogged by economic troubles. And, we’ll hear from the song writers campaigning for clear credits on streaming platforms. Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Gareth Barlow.

How snatches of African rhythms overheard in Fitzrovia led Amit Chaudhuri to Graceland via Paul Simon.

Indian author, musician and international public intellectual Amit Chaudhuri presents a set of personal essays on the music and the songwriters that shaped his early life.

An Art and Adventure production Producer: Roger James Elsgood

It’s ten years since Libya’s dictator Col Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown. But the country’s still not a a democracy – or even a unified functioning state. The militias that brought down the dictatorship in 2011 never disbanded. They turned the country into a battleground, abducting and murdering countless citizens. Since last year, there’s been a ceasefire in the long civil war. Elections are planned. But how powerful are the militias – even now? And how hopeful are Libyans about their future? Reporter Tim Whewell, who covered the uprising in 2011, returns to find out what happened to Libya’s revolution. At spectacular horse-races in the city of Misrata, he meets Libyans who say they have more opportunities now than under Gaddafi. But many writers and activists have fled the country or gone silent, fearing they might disappear if they say anything that displeases armed groups. Some militias have officially been turned into security arms of the state. But that’s given them access to valuable state resources - and militia commanders are accused of becoming mafia bosses. Tim meets possible future leader Fathi Bashagha, who vows to tame the armed groups. But would he prosecute their commanders for past crimes? And can the eastern and western sides of Libya, effectively still under separate authorities despite a unity government, be brought together? Many think war may break out again, and some young Libyans, despairing for their country’s future, are even risking the dangerous passage across the Mediterranean, to emigrate.

Producer: Bob Howard

In this edition of Business Weekly, we look at why one of the poorest countries in Latin America, El Salvador, decided to make Bitcoin legal tender. We also find out what happened when the cryptocurrency crashed on the first day it was rolled out. We hear about the devastating economic effect of covid in Kenya as it rolls out further curfew restrictions. Also, in a few weeks’ time, the matriarch of European politics, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, will step down. We hear what issues are playing on the minds of German voters as they get ready to head to the polls. And for years Lamu, Kenya’s ancient trading port, has been in decline. But government hopes the opening of a vast, new facility means it can be a commercial superstar once more. Plus, the chief executive of Babbel, Arne Schepker tells us why the company is listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and whether lockdowns have impacted on people’s desire to learn languages. Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.