Ivory Coast's leader says the Ecowas bloc approved military intervention "as soon as possible".

President Cyril Ramaphosa approved his release, extending the same to more than 9,000 low-risk prisoners.

Richard Hamilton
BBC World Service Newsroom

West African army chiefs will meet on Saturday in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, to discuss the military coup in Niger.

Some reports suggest they will prepare plans for a military intervention.

It comes after the regional bloc, Ecowas, ordered the activation of a standby force, during a meeting in Nigeria on Thursday.

The European Union has said Niger's ousted president is being held in deteriorating conditions under house arrest, and has called for his immediate release.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said President Mohamed Bazoum and his family had been deprived of food, electricity and medical care for several days.

After a poor start to the 2023 Women's World Cup, Africa delivered its best ever performance at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

Gloria Aradi
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

The Tanzanian High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition to prevent a United Arab Emirates company from running Tanzania’s ports.

The petition had been filed by four Tanzanians opposed to a 2022 deal between Tanzania and UAE. Under the agreement, the Emirati logistics company DP World was to take over the management of some ports in mainland Tanzania.

Tanzania’s parliament approved the agreement on 10 June.

The deal drew criticism from several activists, citizens and opposition politicians, who saw it as the Tanzania’s government selling off their country.

Critics were particularly concerned that the agreement failed to specify when the management of the ports would revert to Tanzania.

In August, Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticised the Tanzanian government for harassing and detaining critics of the deal. It came after the government had on 19 June arrested and detained 18 individuals protesting against the agreement in the city of Dar es Salaam.

“Instead of clamping down on critics, the government should respect the right to freedom of expression and assembly, and listen to them,” said Oryem Nyeko, HRW’s Tanzania researcher.

The UAE firm has previously entered other deals to develop or manage African ports, including the Ain Sokhna port in Egypt, Berbera port in Somaliland, Bosaso port in Puntland and Banana port in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The UAE has also expressed interest in managing the Mombasa, Lamu and Kisumu ports in neighbouring Kenya.

Waihiga Mwaura
BBC News

Image source, EPA

West African leaders say the planning of troop deployment to Niger to restore democracy is ongoing, but it will only stop if the junta officially agree to hold talks with them.

The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security Abdel Fatau Musah has told the BBC in an exclusive interview that the junta is not willing to have direct contact with them, making negotiations difficult.

It is not clear when the military will be deployed but Ecowas says they are not going to dialogue forever.

Mr Musah says Ecowas will not allow the junta to rule for a short period like their counterparts in Burkina Faso and Mali.

Using irregular means of communication, Mr Musah says West African leaders have been able to reach out to ousted President Mohamed Bazoum - who they say is living under inhumane conditions in darkness and without proper medical attention.

The Ecowas official also says soldiers have tried to force Mr Bazoum into signing his resignation letter, but he has so far managed not to.

With a new government in place in Niger, the clock is ticking on how democracy will be returned to the landlocked country.

The deployment of troops is funded my member states and whilst external assistance is welcomed – the regional bloc says it will not ask for it.

The African Union has expressed "deep concern at the reported poor conditions" of ousted Niger President Mohamed Bazoum's detention.

It says such treatment of a democratically elected president at the hands of the coup leaders is "unacceptable".

In a statement, external, AU Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat called for the military leaders in Niger to urgently stop the escalation of relations with the regional organisation Ecowas.

He called for the immediate release of the deposed president while urging for the international community to “unite efforts to save [his] moral and physical integrity”.

The US and UN have already said they are concerned about the health and safety of Mr Bazoum, who has spent more than two weeks under house arrest.

Ecowas leaders have already approved armed intervention in the country and on Thursday agreed on plans to deploy a “standby” military force.

The coup leaders have warned they will defend themselves against any intervention.

Gloria Aradi
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, Getty Images

Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie has been handed the longest pre-charge court-approved detention in the country's history, following an extension of his stay in prison, a judge has said.

Mr Mackenzie has already been in custody for more than three months. On Thursday, the court allowed the state to detain him and his suspected accomplices for 47 more days.

Delivering his ruling at a court in the coastal Mombasa city, magistrate Yusuf Shikanda explained that the drastic decision was necessitated by the complex and unique nature of the case.

“This has to be the longest pre-charge detention sanctioned by the court in the history of Kenya,” he said.

He added: “The Shakahola saga is one of a kind. It has caused great social panic both nationally and internationally”.

Mr Mackenzie has been in detention on suspicion of leading a starvation cult that killed 427 of his church members.

However, the death toll is expected to rise as the Kenyan government continues the exhumation of bodies from the coastal Shakahola Forest, which served as the cult’s hideout.

The prosecution has argued that the extended detention was necessary as the state cannot not bring charges until the government exhumes all bodies and conducts DNA tests to ascertain their identities.

It further said that detaining the suspects would prevent them from contacting the 65 people rescued from the cult while also protecting the suspects from the risk of mob violence.

Mr Mackenzie has maintained his innocence in the deaths, and says his only sin is eating while in detention.

Image source, Getty Images

Davido has responded to a man who says , externalhe is riding a bike from Benue State all the way to Lagos to meet him, by tweeting that he won't be at home.

"Turn around I'm not home," wrote the Afrobeats superstar, who ironically has a hit song called "Unavailable".

The mega-fan, who identifies himself on Twitter as Emmiwuks, says he will not turn around and must present his gift to Davido, to congratulate the "living legend" on his latest "masterpiece" album Timeless.

The journey from Benue to Lagos is 800km (500 miles) and takes more than 13 hours by car, but six days on foot, according to Google Maps.

Currently, Emmiwuks is on day nine of his journey, according to his account on X, previously known as Twitter, where he has documented his journey and photographed himself in a couple of different states.

He has been taking breaks to rest, he says.

Whilst on his journey he has been pictured with a large poster of Davido attached to his bike.

He has also had to undergo a bike repair, he says.

Read more about Davido here.

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News, Addis Ababa

Image source, Reuters

Israel has announced it's evacuated in a special flight over 200 of its citizens and Ethiopian Jews from two cities in the Amhara region affected by recent violence and moved them to the country’s capital Addis Ababa.

Amhara is home to thousands of members of the Jewish community.

In a statement Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’d directed the evacuees to be moved out of combat areas and that they would leave for Israel.

Relative calm continues to be reported in the biggest cities in the Amhara region amid recent intense clashes between the army and local militias.

The army said it regained control in key regions but residents in some smaller towns and rural districts say local militias are still in charge.

Meanwhile the US and the UK have joined hands with three other countries - Japan, Australia and New Zealand - to express concerns over deteriorating security in Ethiopia.

A joint statement released on Friday says recent violence in the country’s Amhara and Oromia regions “have resulted in civilian deaths and instability".

The UN’s Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia earlier said it was “deeply concerned” by the recent insecurity and called on the government to adhere to “the principles of necessity, proportionality, and non-discrimination” in implementing a state of emergency declared in connection with the violence.

Malawi netball legend Mary Waya says the 'biggest challenge' faced by female players in Africa continues to be the behaviour of male coaches.

Image source, AFP

The US says it appreciates West African regional bloc Ecowas’ determination to explore all options for the peaceful resolution of the coup in Niger after the group approved a “standby” military force.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sad he was joining Ecowas leadership in their call for constitutional order in Niger following the 26 July military coup that toppled President Mohamed Bazoum.

In a statement, he said the US would hold the Niger junta accountable for the safety of Mr Bazoum, his family, and detained members of his government.

The US and the UN earlier said they were concerned about the health and safety of the deposed president, who has spent more than two weeks under house arrest.

The junta ignored a Sunday deadline to reinstate Mr Bazoum or face military intervention.

Instead the military leaders have named a new cabinet to run the country.

Nomsa Maseko
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, Reuters

South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma has been freed from serving further time in prison after being granted a remission status.

Remission status is granted to low-risk and non-violent offenders.

Justice Minister Ronald Lamola told the media that the remission decision was taken to address overcrowding in prisons. He says that this "remission process" started in April.

Zuma handed himself over at Escourt prison, in KwaZulu-Natal at 0600 local time (0400GMT) on Friday, and was “admitted” into the system, South Africa’s Commissioner of Prisons Makgothi Thobakgale said.

He was then released an hour later under a special remission process. The remission status was approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa to more than 9,000 low-risk prisoners

Zuma was sentenced in June 2021 to 15 months in jail for contempt of court after refusing to testify before a panel probing financial sleaze and cronyism under his presidency.

He was however freed on medical parole just two months into his term.

His jailing sparked protests that descended into riots and looting that left more than 350 dead.

An appeals court last November found the release was illegally granted and ordered Zuma back to prison to finish his sentence. Last month, the constitutional court rejected an attempt to overturn this decision.

Image source, Addis Ababa City Administration

Ethiopian authorities say they have been cracking down on hotels, bars and entertainment joints in the capital city where it alleges gay sexual activities are taking place.

The Addis Ababa Peace and Security Administration Bureau, a government body, said it was taking action "against institutions where homosexual acts are being carried out".

In a statement on Facebook, external, the city authority said the actions came after tip-offs from the public, and said it had already raided a guest house.

It has asked the public to report such activities to the police, adding that it will continue raids in other places.

Gay sex is outlawed in Ethiopia, but there haven't been any recent reports of cases or convictions linked to homosexual acts.

Earlier this week, an LGBT advocacy group, House of Guramayle, said Ethiopia was witnessing “unprecedented attacks on individuals based on their real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity”.

It called for human rights groups locally and elsewhere to condemn such attacks, and urged social media platforms to deal with hate speech videos calling for violence.

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BBC research reveals that women in Africa spend up to 13% of their income on menstrual products.

A selection of the best photos from the African continent and beyond.

Deposed president Mohamed Bazoum's party also claims he is being detained under "cruel" conditions.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team - we'll be back on Friday morning.

Until then you can find the latest updates at BBCAfrica.com and listen to the Focus on Africa podcast for stories behind the news.

A reminder of our wise words of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

We leave you with this picture from the Moussem festival in Morocco:

Image source, AFP

Waihiga Mwaura
BBC Focus on Africa TV

Image source, Getty Images

Serge Brammertz, the chief prosecutor at the Arusha-based International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, has warned that the international justice system needs to invest more in tracking suspects.

He was speaking to BBC Focus on Africa TV after a UN court ordered the indefinite suspension of the war crimes trial of Rwandan genocide suspect Félicien Kabuga due to his dementia, and that he be considered for release.

Mr Kabuga was arrested in 2020, after being on the run for two decades.

The prosecutor also challenged countries that do not want to extradite suspects to urgently set up mechanisms to prosecute these suspects within their borders.

"Time is running out for the pursuit of justice and this case very much shows that justice delayed in some cases can be justice denied," Mr Brammertz told the BBC.

The UN tribunal also rejected plans for a streamlined alternative procedure, contrary to the wishes of the prosecutor.

"Even though the accused is somehow in the middle of the proceedings and their rights need to be respected, however we are also here speaking of something much bigger than the individual who is prosecuted," Mr Brammertz said.

"It is also about thousands of victims. The historical record of the genocide. One needs to balance the situation of the accused, which is important but also look at the administration of justice."

Mr Brammertz however remains bullish that the fight for justice for the genocide survivors is far from complete.