Nkechi Ogbonna
BBC News, Lagos

Image source, AFP

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has responded to criticism over the decision to explore possible military intervention in Niger over last month's coup.

He insisted that this, and the ultimatum given to Niger’s military coup leaders to reinstate the ousted president, was the Ecowas regional bloc's decision and not a Nigerian mandate.

It comes as Mr Tinubu, who is also the current Ecowas chairman, has been under fire for supposedly canvassing for military intervention in Niger.

A spokesperson for the Nigerian government said the president "has deemed it necessary to state unequivocally that the mandate and ultimatum issued by Ecowas is that of Ecowas’ position”.

In a statement, the spokesperson also says the financial sanctions against Niger are imposed by Ecowas.

Ecowas had said it prefers a diplomatic and political resolution aimed at restoring Niger’s elected President Mohamed Bazoum. It said a military intervention would be a “last option", should the junta remain defiant.

Following the expiration of the Ecowas deadline on Sunday, Ecowas heads of state will be meeting on Thursday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, where deliberations on the next line of action on Niger will be in focus.

Nomsa Maseko
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, Getty Images

Five people, including a 40-year-old British national and a police officer have died in violent protests related to the taxi strike in Cape Town, South Africa.

This comes after a week-long strike was called by the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco).

The strike was in response to what the drivers called "heavy-handed tactics" by law enforcement authorities.

The UK issued a South Africa travel warning after the strike was listed as a high security threat.

The taxi strike is expected to continue after negotiations broke down between Santaco and the provincial government led by the Democratic Alliance.

Meanwhile Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has ordered the immediate release of minibus taxis impounded by the city authorities.

She said the legislation used by the city had been executed and implemented wrongly.

Taxi drivers and owners claimed their vehicles were being targeted and impounded for minor offences such as not wearing a seat belt and illegally driving on the emergency lane, whereas other motorists were merely issued fines for similar offences.

Image source, AFP

Liberian authorities have arrested and handed over a former Sierra Leonean police chief accused by his country of planning a coup against President Julius Maada Bio's government.

Liberian Information Minister Ledgerhood Rennie said in a statement on Tuesday that Mohammed Y Toure was arrested “at the request of the Sierra Leonean authorities on the allegation of helping plan subversive activities intended to unseat [Mr Bio’s] government”.

He said Liberia had decided to hand the ex-police chief over to Sierra Leone as requested following preliminary investigations.

He added that Sierra Leone had given assurances that his rights would be respected, including the right to a fair and speedy trial.

However, Liberia's Independent National Commission on Human Rights cautioned against the extradition, citing the risk of surrendered persons facing "physical abuse, unfair trial or excessive punishment" by the requesting government.

In a statement, it also reminded Liberia's government of its obligations including refusing extradition requests if the offence "is regarded as a political offence or as an offence connected with a political offence".

The ex-police chief has been residing in Liberia since last year. He was among officers dismissed from the Sierra Leone police force in 2020, while others were forced into retirement, local media report.

His deportation comes more than a week after the police in Sierra Leone accused unnamed individuals “at home and abroad” of planning violent protests.

Last week, the police said they had arrested several people including unnamed senior military officers, for "working to undermine the peace and tranquillity of the state".

Our proverb of the day:

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False claims have been circulating online since the military took over in Niger.

Zambia forward Fashion Sakala leaves Rangers to join Al-Fayha in Saudi Arabia for an undisclosed fee.

A police officer and a British national are among those killed since the strikes began, police say.

There are concerns the Russian mercenary group may be gaining influence in the country.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks about the Black Sea grain deal and the current instability in Niger.

Players union Fifpro believes Nigeria's World Cup stars are owed payments dating back to 2021 but the Nigeria Football Federation says contracts will be "respected".

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team - we'll be back on Wednesday 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:

And we leave you with this picture from the Women's World Cup - where Morocco are sadly down and out of the competition after losing 4-0 to France:

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Two months after they stopped sending critical food aid to Ethiopia over concerns donations were being diverted from those in need, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has decided to resume supplies in one region.

Tigray, in the north of the country, is in dire need after a two-year civil war, which ended last November, that led to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians.

Incremental supplies have begun in Tigray under a new monitoring process, the WFP said on Tuesday, first with "15kg pre-packed bags of wheat to just over 100,000 people".

Millions of people across the country are at a risk of severe food shortage.

USAid, which also cut food supplies to Ethiopia around the same time as WFP, told journalists on Tuesday that it had no plans to resume operations.

An Eritrean cultural festival held in Toronto, Canada has been cancelled by city officials after violent protests broke out between attendees and opponents of the Eritrean government.

According to local reports, the protesters say proceeds of the three-day annual festival are used to support the Eritrean government which has been described by human rights groups as one of the world’s most repressive regimes.

The divisions within Eritrea over the rule of President Isaias Afwerki have spilled over into the diaspora.

In recent weeks, protesters have disrupted similar festivals in Germany and Sweden.

In a statement online, external, the Eritrean Canadian Community Center (ECCC) of Metropolitan Toronto, describing itself as a "non-political, charitable organization", said while it was not associated with the festival, they were "deeply concerned" by the turn of events.

“While ECCC is not affiliated with any of the organizers, we have consistently received numerous concerns from our community members regarding the event organizers’ close ties to the Eritrean government,” it added.

Nicolas Négoce
BBC News, Dakar

Image source, AFP

The French lawyer for Senegal's opposition leader and presidential hopeful Ousmane Sonko arrived back in Paris on Tuesday morning after being expelled from the West African country.

Juan Branco had entered Senegal several days ago to represent Mr Sonko despite an arrest warrant issued against him.

He was eventually detained on Sunday on charges of assault, conspiracy, dissemination of false news, acts likely to compromise public security or cause serious political unrest, illegal stay and contempt of court, according to his lawyers.

"He was taken out of prison on Monday morning and presented to the judge, who notified him of his placement under judicial supervision,” said one of his lawyers, Robin Binsard.

Mr Branco was then handed over to the police for deportation, says his lawyer, adding, "the minister of the interior issued an order to expel him".

Mr Branco had refused to eat and drink while in detention, Senegalese Justice Minister Ismaïla Madior Fall told the BBC.

His client, Ousmane Sonko, is still receiving care at Dakar's main hospital, according to the opposition leader's now-dissolved party, the Patriots of Senegal (Pastef).

Mr Branco had particularly attracted attention by announcing a complaint in France in June against the Senegalese president for "crimes against humanity" when Dakar had just experienced its worst unrest in years.

He also asked the International Criminal Court in The Hague to investigate President Macky Sall.

Charles Haviland
BBC World Service Newsroom

Image source, AFP

Leaders of Niger's ruling military junta say they can't accept a high-level diplomatic visit because there'd be a risk to the visitors' security.

Delegates from the regional grouping Ecowas, the African Union and the United Nations had been due to fly in today.

But the coup leaders told Ecowas that sanctions and the threat of invasion from the bloc had created public anger, so the delegation couldn't be hosted with calm and in security.

They added that Niger's land and air borders were closed.

Reports from the capital Niamey say many people have greeted the coup as a breath of fresh air, even though the toppled President, Mohamed Bazoum, was democratically elected.

Washington has warned there's a danger Russian Wagner mercenaries will take advantage of Niger's coup.

BBC Great Lakes

Survivors of the Rwandan genocide say they are stunned by UN judges who ruled that a war crimes suspect should be considered for release and have his trial suspended indefinitely, because he has dementia.

Félicien Kabuga, now in his late 80s, was one of the last suspects sought by the tribunal prosecuting crimes committed during the 1994. He was arrested in France after two decades on the run and pleaded not guilty.

Mr Kabuga's age and health should not come into it, Philibert Gakwenzire of Rwanda genocide survivors’ group Ibuka tells BBC Great Lakes:

Mr Gakwenzire says the ruling only sends a message of impunity to other genocide suspects.

Summing up Mr Kabuga’s trial, Mr Gakwenzire used this French saying: "C'est une montagne qui accouche d'une souris". Or, in English, It's like a mountain giving birth to mouse.

Essentially, that there were high hopes for justice, but little to nothing came of it.

Nomsa Maseko
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa’s Transport Minister, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has ordered the immediate release of impounded minibus taxis by the City of Cape Town.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, she said the legislation used by the city had been "executed and implemented wrongly" and added that "it doesn't exist" under current laws.

This comes after a week-long strike was called by the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco). The strike was in response to what the drivers called "heavy-handed tactics" by law enforcement authorities.

Taxi drivers and owners claimed their vehicles were being impounded for minor offences such as not wearing a seat belt and illegally driving on the emergency lane, whereas other motorists were merely issued fines for similar offences.

The strike by taxi operators have became increasingly violent with buses, private and municipal vehicles were set alight.

Five people including a 40-year-old British national have died in the violence.

The UK issued a travel warning after the strike was listed as a high security threat for UK tourists visiting South Africa.

Image source, Getty Images

Authorities in Nigeria’s south-eastern Enugu state have banned the unlicensed use of vehicles with tinted glasses, in the latest effort to curb criminal activities.

Owners of vehicles with tinted glasses in the state have until 4 September to obtain permits from the police.

The authorities will impound vehicles in default and fine their owners, state official Prof Chidiebere Onyia said in a statement.

Nigerian police stopped issuing permits for tinted vehicles across the country in 2021, following complaints of people using fake licences and police harassing car owners.

The directive came as the government sought to develop a new protocol for issuing the permits. It however exempted vehicles with factory-fitted tinted glass.

The use of tinted vehicles is prevalent in Enugu, including by criminals who use the vehicles to commit crimes like robbery and kidnapping.

The ban has been welcomed by some vehicle dealers in the state.

Collins P, the owner of Chinweuba Automobile company, told the BBC Newsday programme, that criminals cover their vehicle glasses with tinted film from unauthorised vendors, making it easy for them to commit crime.

“If you want to have your car tinted, you need to have a permit, you take your car to the police. If the tinted glass is factory-fitted, they will issue you a licence and will have your data so that if in case anything happens tomorrow, they can call you for questioning,” he said.

Nomsa Maseko
BBC News, Johannesburg

A man who was accused of killing four-year-old Bokgabo Poo has been found not guilty by a South African court.

Ntokozo Zikhali pleaded not guilty to several charges including rape, mutilation of a body, defeating the ends of justice and violating a corpse.

The court acquitted Mr Zikhali due to insufficient evidence.

This is despite the police saying that the accused took officers to an open field where the girl was killed last October in Watville, a township east of Johannesburg.

Judge Ian Cox ruled that the evidence of Mr Zikhali's involvement in this pointing-out process was inadmissible.

Judge Cox found that though the accused's rights were read out to him during his arrest, the police may not have adequately warned him that participating in a pointing-out process was not obligatory.

The little girl was last seen on CCTV footage, skipping alongside the man who was accused of promising her sweets if she agreed to accompany him to an unknown location.

The next day, a 63-year-old woman who was sweeping her yard found the leg of a child in a shallow grave. About 800m away, more body parts were discovered.

The gruesome murder of the child sparked outrage and protests in a country with one of the highest murder rates in the world.

Bokgabo Poo’s dismembered body was found with some body parts still missing, in two separate locations.

Mr Zikhali is also facing separate rape charges and is currently on trial accused of violating a nine-year-old girl who lives in the same neighbourhood.

A group of 13 Ghanaians have finished an inter-continental road trip from Accra to the UK's capital city of London, helped part of the way by a mechanic who was the only female member of crew.

Nana Afua Serwaa Adusei told BBC Newsday she tasted the best fish of her life in Mauritania, and would never forget the sight of a nomadic Fulani family travelling on their pack of donkeys.

She says travelling with the Wanderlust team "expanded the boundaries of her expertise" across a range of climatic conditions.

Their journey began on 23 July and ended on 6 August, with the aim of raising funds for rural primary schools in Ghana.

Ms Adusei also hopes the press coverage around their trip will "demystify" this kind of travel for fellow Africans, adding "if others can come from Europe to Africa, we can equally go there".