Azeezat Olaoluwa
BBC News, Lagos

Image source, Getty Images

China’s ambassador to Nigeria has told the BBC the visit by a Chinese naval fleet to Lagos is aimed at improving security in waters plagued by piracy and oil theft off West Africa and East Africa.

"Peace is not free, peace should be defended. So I think that we need military security collaboration, so Africa-China, Nigeria-China can do things to not only safeguard the peace, but to protect the vessels in the Gulf of Aden and also here in the Gulf of Guinea,” Cui Jianchun said.

Three Chinese military ships arrived in Nigeria on Sunday for a rare four-day visit.

Nigeria is a major oil supplier to China and just six months ago, a Chinese-built deep sea port costing $1bn (£787m) was opened in Lagos.

"The Nigerian navy can benefit from the Chinese partners. First they can exchange technology and also experiences," the ambassador said, adding that they could also build trust between the two sides.

He said he also believed the two countries could collaborate more when it came to infrastructure, technology and other areas.

In 2017, China opened its first overseas naval base in Djibouti and there has been speculation it may also want to set up a military base on Africa’s Atlantic coast.

Last year, US defence officials expressed concern about such ambitions.

But the Chinese ambassador sought to play down such fears: “We are working not to only serve Chinese nation… we are also working to do something for human progress and also harmony of the world.”

Before arriving in Nigeria, the Chinese naval fleet made four-day visits to Ivory Coast and Ghana.

They will be continuing to Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo before heading home.

More on Africa-China relations:

• Africa needs China and the US to work together
• Why African countries back China on human rights

Peter Musembi
BBC News, Africa Daily podcast

Image source, AFP

Botswana is urging UK parliamentarians to shelve or amend a bill that would ban the importation of wild animals’ body parts, like lion pelts, elephant tusks or zebra hides.

“It affects our business at home, the business around governance of our wildlife resources,” Environment Minister Philda Nani Kereng told the BBC’s Africa Daily podcast.

British MP Henry Smith told the BBC the law was intended to protect endangered species and that there were concerns about the source of money trophy hunters pay to kill animals.

But Ms Kereng, who is leading a delegation to London to lobby MPs like Mr Smith, said they needed to consult countries that would be affected – and invited the MPs to come to Botswana.

She said that in Botswana, which has a big elephant population, trophy hunting brought in much-needed funds to help communities living in close quarters with wildlife.

And in Botswana’s case hunting was well managed, there was transparency about how the money was spent and it prevented poaching, she said.

“Over the past year, through the community hunting quota, the communities received about £2m ($2.6m) in one hunting season,” Ms Kereng said.

“Poaching will be incentivised if people don’t see the value. People will lose tolerance for wildlife,” she warned.

Botswana MP Polson Majaga, travelling with the environment minister, said the money given to his 25,000 constituents, who live over a vast area often in competition with wild animals, was vital.

“Amend it [the bill] so I can take care of my people," he told the BBC, adding that the money raised was used to build fences around farms and make solar lights.

In April, Botswana successfully lobbied enough member countries of the Convention on Endangered Species of Fauna and Wildlife (Cites), which regulates the trade, to vote against proposed stricter protections for elephants, which would have introduced a ban on trophy hunting.

• LISTEN: Africa Daily: Should trophy hunting be allowed in Africa?

BBC Arabic's Sudan Lifeline radio

Image source, AFP

People in Omdurman, the city adjacent to Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, have told the BBC that conditions are dire after two days of intense clashes between rival military factions.

“In the neighbourhood where I dwell, al-Thawra, there is a single hospital that is still operating and providing services to the sick and injured, but it suffers from a major shortage of medical supplies and a lack of the working staff,” one resident told the BBC’s Sudan Lifeline programme.

Another person explained how they were struggling to find bread.

“A number of neighbourhood groceries and markets have been out of service for a long period of time and many merchants have abstained from selling their goods because of continued shelling and gunfire, which threaten their lives.”

A vicious power struggle between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in mid-April causing a major humanitarian crisis and forcing nearly three million people from their homes.

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

Image source, AFP

Zimbabwean human rights defenders are celebrating after the High Court threw out a case against two opposition politicians accused of fabricating a story about being abducted while in police custody and later tortured and sexually assaulted.

The court said the state had failed to prove that MP Joana Mamombe and activist Cecilia Chimbiri, from the opposition Citizen’s Coalition for Change (CCC) party, had been lying.

They had been accused of tarnishing the image of the state. The case was being heard in the magistrate's court but the two appealed to the High Court to have the charges thrown out. A third woman charged along with them went into exile.

The prosecution says it will appeal.

The CCC had said their continued prosecution was an abuse of state institutions.

The two women, along with a youth activist, were first arrested in May 2020 for flouting Covid rules for taking part in a small street protest saying the lockdown was causing widespread hunger.

Ms Chimbiri told the BBC how they were taken from a police station by men in plain clothes and driven to a location about 80km (50 miles) north of the capital, Harare.

She said the three women were thrown into a pit and subjected to hours of beatings and sexual assault.

The alarm was raised when they went missing and the police initially confirmed their arrest, but later retracted the statement.

The three were later dumped at night - well over 24 hours after their alleged abduction - at the roadside on the outskirts of Bindura.

They were charged whilst in a private hospital where they were being treated for their injuries, days after they were found.

The South African sprinter says he has taken inspiration from last year's "overwhelming" World Championships.

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News, Addis Ababa

Image source, AFP

The killing of a security chief in a town in Ethiopia’s Amhara region has led to a night-time curfew and increased tensions.

Since April the security situation in Amhara has been deteriorating following the decision to disband the region’s paramilitary group .

Each of the country’s states have had their own special forces, but the government has moved to bring them under the military and police.

Deadly anti-government protests broke out in response in Amhara.

The curfew was imposed in Shewa Robit town after Abdu Hussein, the head of the local security department, was gunned down by unknown assailants on Tuesday.

It is the third such killing in as many days in Amhara. A police chief and security head in another district had previously been shot dead.

The authorities in Shewa Robit, which is around 200km (124 miles) north-east of the country’s capital, Addis Ababa, have prohibited the movement of individuals and vehicles after 18:00 local time.

The Amhara special forces helped the Ethiopian army fight Tigrayan fighters who had launched a rebellion in 2020 against Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.

The conflict ended last November with the signing of a peace accord.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

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Somali forces have assumed security responsibilities in five of six sectors where African Union (AU) troops have been deployed.

The defence ministry said it appreciated the "sacrifices" made over the years by the AU mission and the countries which had contributed soldiers - Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.

The statement came after the scheduled withdrawal of 2,000 AU troops - expected to have left by 30 June.

Most of the military bases so far handed over are located in the Lower Shabelle region and were operated by the Burundian contingent of the mission.

Another 3,000 AU soldiers are expected to leave by the end of September - with the entire force due to be out of Somalia by the close of 2024.

The AU has helping the fragile Somali government fight the al-Shabab Islamist militant group since 2007.

You may be interested in:

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Tracy Bircham
BBC World Service newsroom

Image source, Getty Images

Scientists in the United States says they have discovered that elephants eat a varied diet, with individuals choosing among hundreds of plants to suit their needs and appetites.

In a study, researchers at Brown University analysed plant DNA found in elephant dung in Kenya.

They discovered that an individual elephant's diet, of grasses, leaves, fruits and roots, was far more varied than previously known - even among families that foraged together.

They said it was even more apparent in female elephants who were pregnant or feeding their young.

The scientists hope this dietary knowledge will help with the conservation of wild elephants.

Image source, AFP

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has said the country's long-delayed elections will be held next year as planned.

President Kiir said he would run for re-election in the polls, the first since the country gained independence.

No other candidate has declared their candidacy but First Vice-President Riek Machar is also expected to run.

Mr Kiir has been president since independence in 2011 after a long-running civil war.

But conflict continued even after independence - civil war broke out in 2013 when the president fell out with Mr Machar.

A power-sharing agreement was signed between the warring parties in August 2018 in a bid to bring the five-year civil war to an end.

The mandate of the transitional government, which was due to end in 2022, was extended to allow the leaders to address challenges with the implementation of the peace agreement.

On Tuesday, Mr Kiir said those challenges would be addressed "before the elections" set for December next year.

Our proverb of the day:

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Macky Sall caught many people off-guard with his decision not to seek a third term.

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, last year's beaten Wimbledon finalist, wins her first round tie with Poland's Magdalena Frech 6-3 6-3.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. There will be an automated news feed here until we're back on Tuesday morning.

In the meantime you can get more from BBCAfrica.com and listen to the new BBC Focus on Africa podcast.

A reminder of our wise words of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo taken at the recent Ojude Oba festival in Ijebu, Nigeria:

Image source, AFP

BBC Arabic's Sudan Lifeline radio

Doctors Sudan say there is a life-threatening shortage of chemotherapy for children because months of fighting between the country's two rival generals has destroyed many health facilities.

Only one specialist oncology centre remains - it's at Al-Zarra Hospital in the city of Wad Medani.

They've already used up about 80% of their chemotherapy supplies because they're having to treat patients coming in from all over the country, says medic Mirghani Talal.

Dr Talal told the BBC it's a real struggle, because the treatment has to be rigorously followed:

Image source, AFP

Botswana has signed a revised deal with mining giant De Beers, that will see the country's share in diamond production increase from 25% to 50% within the next decade.

The Southern African nation is the world's biggest producer of diamonds and De Beers has been under pressure from falling prices and growing competition, says the Reuters news agency.

The two parties - jointly known as Debswana - have also agreed a 25-year extension to DeBeers' mining licences.

In a joint statement announcing the deal on Friday, they said it "reflects the aspirations of the people of Botswana" and "propels both Botswana and De Beers forward".

Zimbabwe fail to qualify for the 2023 Cricket World Cup as Scotland wrap up 31-run victory in Bulawayo.

Labour's Dame Diana Johnson asks the PM if he has a plan if the court appeal fails over sending migrants to Rwanda.

Nkechi Ogbonna
West Africa Business Journalist, BBC News

Millions of Nigerians who work as market traders or informal business owners are to be targeted for Value Added Tax (VAT) payments, the authorities have announced.

As many as 40 million people fall into this category, according to Nigeria’s federal tax agency and the Market Traders Association (Matan), which both say they want to widen the country’s tax net.

Under the plans, market traders are to be issued a digital ID with a unique tax identification number - or "TIN" - which tracks their turnover and remittances to Nigeria's federal revenue service.

The body says just over 10% of Nigeria's government revenue is generated from taxes, one of the world’s lowest proportions. Most of the revenue is generated from crude oil sales.

In the last 30 days, Africa's largest economy has embarked on a series of economic and fiscal reforms, which President Bola Tinubu's new administration hopes can steer the country out of its current economic crisis marred by soaring inflation, a high cost of living and dwindling government revenues.

Portia Modise says South Africa "suppressed" her as a player and backs the team's reported strike before the Women's World Cup.

Dorcas Wangira
Africa health correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Over the past decade growing numbers of women in Kenya have been opting to have fewer children, according to new data.

But the government says Kenyans should not worry, since the country’s population will still continue to grow based on the findings from the Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS).

It shows that the fertility rate - meaning the number of children born - has declined from 3.9 children per woman in 2014 to 3.4 children in 2022.

That means it's highly likely that a woman aged between 15 and 49 in Kenya these days will opt to have three children instead of four.

In 1989, women of this child-bearing age had as many as seven children.

Health experts say the increased access to family planning methods has reduced the total fertility rate. More women are also delaying childbirth in search of higher levels of education.

According to the report, the increasing cost of living in the country has also affected child-rearing choices.

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