Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News

Image source, Dr Yilkal Kefale Asres/ Twitter

The head of the restive Amhara region in north-western Ethiopia has resigned amid ongoing violence that prompted a six-month state of emergency to be declared.

Yilkal Kefale led Ethiopia’s second most populous region for nearly two years.

His tenure has been marked by violence as a brutal civil war that broke out in neighbouring Tigray later expanded to Amhara resulting in civilian deaths, accusations of sexual abuse and a humanitarian crisis.

Since April, the region has seen sporadic clashes which earlier this month morphed into widespread unrest. Local militias opposing the federal government’s move to disband a regional paramilitary unit entered several cities and briefly controlled an airport.

An emergency summit of the region’s council in the capital Bahir Dar accepted the outgoing regional president’s resignation and appointed Arega Kebede to replace him.

Read more on this story:

• Why Ethiopia's Amhara militiamen are battling the army

Image source, Getty Images

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has banned the importation of second-hand clothes and electricity meters and cables.

The directive is aimed at creating jobs and developing Uganda’s manufacturing sector, including the textile industry.

“Stop buying second-hand clothes, these clothes are for dead people. When (whites) they die, they organise the clothes and bring them to Africa,” Mr Museveni said, according to the privately owned daily Daily Monitor, external.

President Museveni issued the directive while launching 10 factories that will manufacture electricity meters and cables in the eastern Uganda town of Mbale.

The factories, run by Chinese investors, are part of the Sino-Uganda Industrial Park, a project between the Ugandan government and Chinese investors.

Uganda’s neighbour Rwanda successfully banned the importation of second-hand clothes in 2018.

Other East African countries have also attempted to phase out second-hand clothing imports in the past.

Image source, Getty Images

Sierra Leone's government has said that it is ready to "establish an Embassy of Sierra Leone in Jerusalem", external.

This follows other countries like the US, Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo who have already opened embassies there.

Israel considers Jerusalem to be its capital - including East Jerusalem which it annexed in 1980.

But the move is not recognised by most of the international community.

Most countries have kept their embassies to Israel in Tel Aviv, as they think the status of Jerusalem should be decided in negotiations with the Palestinians - who claim it as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Wedaeli Chibelushi
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

An “emotional” coming-of-age drama about a child with albinism will become the first Zambian full-length film to be shown on Netflix.

Can You See Us?, directed by Zambian filmmaker Kenny Mumba, follows a young protagonist as he navigates "bullying, tragedy and cautious hope” as a result of his genetic condition.

People with albinism can have pale skin, white hair, short sight and a sensitivity to light.

Can You See Us? had its general release in 2022 and was screened in the "best feature film" and "best cinematography" categories at the Zambian film festival.

Mr Mumba's creation was also hailed by Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema, who called the film “gripping” and emotional”, external.

Just last month, another Zambian production, Supa Team 4, became the first original African animation series to be released on Netflix.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

Election observers from southern African countries have criticised the conduct of the poll in Zimbabwe where votes are being counted.

The regional body called SADC said the voting was peaceful, but that some aspects fell short of local laws and its own guidelines.

Late on Wednesday more than 40 poll monitors were arrested as they were trying to compile their own vote count to compare with the official tally.

The arrests have been condemned by rights groups.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is seeking re-election amid high unemployment and soaring inflation.

His main challenger is Nelson Chamisa of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change.

Image source, AFP

The United States treasury on Thursday announced the sanctioning of six Rwandans and Congolese alleged to have contributed to the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo).

“Each of these individuals is contributing to instability in the eastern DR Congo and, in many cases, perpetrating human rights abuses, including sexual violence and violence against children,” the US Department of State said in a statement, external.

The six include a commander in DR Congo's military, a brigadier in Rwanda's armed forces, and members of M23 group and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)

The sanctions will result in the freezing of the individuals’ assets in the US.

The sanctions also prohibit the individuals from engaging in business with Americans or receiving or benefitting from support in form of funds, goods, or services.

The presumed death of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin will test the resilience of operations by thousands of mercenaries active in Africa's Sahel region.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The UN says the war in Sudan is having a devastating impact on the whole country and could tip the entire region into a humanitarian catastrophe.

Fighting between the army and a paramilitary force began in April and is spreading.

The UN says hundreds of thousands of children are severely malnourished and are at imminent risk of death if left untreated.

The UN's Humanitarian Co-ordinator says hunger, disease and displacement are threatening to totally destroy Sudan.

There have been many grim reports about the impact of the war but Martin Griffiths is suggesting that if the fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces continues, the whole region will face dire consequences.

This week the charity Save The Children said because of the violence it had been forced to close down dozens of its nutrition facilities.

It said more than 30,000 children were missing out on treatment and as a result close to 500 had died.

Both men were asylum seekers, with the attack happening at government-approved accommodation.

Image source, Getty Images

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has warned Catholic believers against engaging in practices that he says glorifies poverty and which a government spokesperson described as "cult-like" behaviour., external

He was alluding to a Catholic pilgrimage that took place in June, the New Times paper reports., external

"If I ever hear about this again, that people travelled to go and worship poverty, I will bring trucks and round them up and imprison them, and only release them when the poverty mentality has left them," Mr Kagame is quoted by the AFP news agency as telling a youth conference in the capital, Kigali, on Wednesday.

"No-one must worship poverty. Do not ever do that again," he said.

The government clarified Mr Kagame's comments, saying he was not referencing - as had been reported - the world-famous Catholic site in Kibeho where the Virgin Mary is thought to have appeared.

"President Kagame did not at any point mention a specific pilgrimage site, and certainly not Kibeho," spokesperson Yolande Makolo told the AFP news agency.

Ms Makolo added that the president was likely referring to "an informal pilgrimage-type event that takes place in Rutsiro district".

She also said that the President's point in making his remarks "was to encourage young Rwandans to be ambitious & work hard".

At this event, faithful carry out a three-day pilgrimage that ends on a hill called Our Lady of the Poor, Rwanda's New Times reports.

Debutants South Sudan and Cape Verde can shine at the Basketball World Cup 2023 after continuing their remarkable stories by qualifying.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, AFP

Floods caused by torrential rains have killed 32 people in Niger in recent months, the state-owned ANP news agency reported on Thursday.

"Tahoua [southern region] is the most bereaved with 12 dead, followed by Maradi [south] with 10 and Zinder [south] with six," the report said, citing updated figures from a department of the Interior ministry.

"Two deaths were reported in Tillaberi [western region], one in Niamey [capital] and one in Diffa [south-eastern region]."

According to the report, nine were killed after the houses they were staying in collapsed, while 23 perished by drowning.

Deadly torrential rains hit landlocked Niger every rainy season, which generally lasts between three and four months, from mid-June to mid-October.

Image source, Nigerian presidency

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has called for an immediate resolution to disagreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that affected flights and issuing of visas.

The UAE last year stopped issuing visas to Nigerians following the suspension of flights by the Emirates airline after it was unable to repatriate funds from the West African country due to forex restrictions.

Emirates said then that it had failed to make progress after “making considerable efforts to initiate dialogue with the relevant authorities” to find a viable solution

On Thursday, the president said the matter should be resolved “immediately” noting that he was ready to” personally” intervene in the matter.

“We should look at the issues as a family problem, and resolve it amicably… We must work together. We need to agree on core aviation and immigration issues," he said.

He spoke as he received the UAE ambassador, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, at state house in the capital, Abuja.

Mr Al-Shamsi said he had been working on 24 agreements with the Nigerian government adding that “these are small issues, all within a family, and they will be resolved”.

Image source, AFP

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen will next month visit Eswatini, its only African ally, as she seeks to reinforce ties between the two nations.

She will attend celebrations to mark the country’s independence day and King Mswati III’s birthday during the visit.

Her trip, between 5 and 7 September, will also mark 55 years of the countries’ bilateral relations.

Taiwan is claimed by China as its own territory with no right to state-to-state relations. It has formal ties with only 13 countries including Eswatini.

Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Roy Lee is quoted as telling reporters that the Taiwanese president’s visit is not to compete with Chinese President’s Xi Jinping visit to neighbouring South Africa this week.

Ms Tsai last visited Eswatini in 2018. It is the only African country that maintains diplomatic relations with the Asian island after Burkina Faso switched to China in May 2018, external.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The coup leader in Niger, Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani, has signed an order allowing the fellow military governments of Mali and Burkina Faso to send their troops into his country to help defend against an attack.

The announcement was made after the foreign ministers of Burkina Faso, Olivia Rouamba, and Mali, Abdoulaye Diop, visited Gen Tchiani in Niamey on Thursday.

The West African regional bloc Ecowas has threatened to use force to reinstate the democratically elected president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, who was deposed by a group of army officers last month.

It's been trying to negotiate with the coup leaders but has warned it's ready to send troops if diplomacy fails.

Our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

Fears over Mali's future are growing - it relies on Wagner for security but the group's leader is now believed to be dead.

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

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. Join us again on Friday morning.

There will be an automated news feed until then, plus you can get the latest updates on the BBC News website or listen to the Focus on Africa podcast.

A reminder of Thursday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

We leave you with this photo of the Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi (in navy) dancing at the opening this week of a national cultural festival in the capital, Maputo.

Image source, Mozambican presidency

Farai Sevenzo
Journalist, Harare

Image source, EPA

There is no denying it - Zimbabwe’s elections, when they roll around every five years, are like a familiar tune.

Millions of citizens are remembered by their MPs for the brief period of furious campaigning: the citizens dance, get free regalia as well as chicken and chips as they head to the ballot.

Yet everyone knows how the song will end - the Zanu-PF party that has been in power since independence is likely to keep the presidential reins firmly in its grasp.

But there have been some surprises as early parliamentary results come in.

Floyd Mayweather Jr, the US boxer adept with his fists, was visiting last month at the invitation of political aspirant Scott Sakupwanya.

While the residents of Mabvuku, a traditional opposition stronghold in the capital, Harare, mobbed the boxing legend at local gyms during his tour, they ended up rejecting the Zanu-PF candidate at the polls.

Mr Sakupwanya will probably now go back to mining gold, where he has made his money.

Others have been sore in defeat. Over in Chinhoyi, north-west of Harare, a losing candidate for the ruling party, Thomas Chidzomba, has locked up a borehole he had sunk for the benefit of a community in need of water because they voted for someone else. Leslie Mhangwa, from the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party, retained his seat.

Around Harare’s populous southern neighbourhoods, election day itself was quiet like a Sunday morning, but the streets were littered with leaflets urging residents to “stay at home” because the vote would be “rigged”. The fake message pretended to be from CCC leader Nelson Chamisa.

Image source, Farai Sevenzo

Tactics like this have become the norm.

If the elections are a kind of game between the ruling party and the opposition, then the government-appointed electoral commission is meant to be some kind of referee.

Yet anecdotal evidence displays a staggering lack of competence on the part of the commission. Whole areas were left with no ballot papers and other needs - pushing the poll into a second day.

A single mother left her two toddlers alone to go and vote in Harare’s Kuwadzana suburb, where she was registered.

But she waited for four hours for the ballot papers to arrive and gave up as the August sun began to sink to return to her children.

Violence, such as it has been recorded, has not matched the murdering heights of previous elections. But isn’t that always the way the song ends? It’s not the polls that matter, it’s the aftermath.

Zimbabweans are strapping themselves in and praying citizens will not be felled by the bullets as they were back in August 2018 when at least six people died after troops intervened to curb protests in the capital.