Image source, Reuters

Three South African navy submariners have died and four others injured after being washed off the deck of a submarine by high waves.

The vessel was off the coast near Cape Town when the seven crew members were swept away.

A helicopter was delivering supplies during a refuelling operation at the time, the AFP news agency reports.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in a statement said the submariners were participating in a navy exercise at the time of the incident, external.

“All seven members were recovered, but sadly there were three fatalities, with one senior officer in critical condition," the army said.

Five others were saved in a subsequent rescue operation, it added.

Police said an inquest was opened after the naval incident.

The accident came after a weekend of high winds and rough seas. The South African Weather Service had warned of “damaging waves” in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Image source, AFP

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has said that the country will spend 120bn dirhams ($11.6bn; £9.4bn) to rebuild the regions destroyed by the 8 September earthquake.

The funds will also be used to support the more than 4.2 million people in the provinces most impacted by the earthquake.

The palace said on Wednesday said that the funds would be used to "rehouse affected people, reconstruct homes and restore infrastructure" over a five-year period.

The 6.8-magnitude earthquake, the strongest to hit Morocco in more than 60 years, killed more than 2,900 people and injured more than 5,000 others.

The earthquake also destroyed infrastructure and more than 50,000 homes in the High Atlas Mountains.

So far, Morocco has received $700m in donations to help with its earthquake recovery plan.

The country plans to make up the deficit using funds allocated by the Moroccan government, international aid and continued donations to the earthquake recovery fund.

Read more about the earthquake's aftermath:

• The scars, the rubble and the spirit to rebuild
• Before and after pictures show devastation

Image source, AFP

Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi has called for a speedier withdrawal of the UN force in his country to begin this year.

He told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that he had instructed his government to begin talks with the UN to bring forward “the start of this progressive withdrawal from December 2024 to December 2023”.

Mr Tshisekedi said the mission - known by the acronym Monusco - had failed to bring peace in the country despite being there for about 25 years, adding that it was "illusory and counterproductive to continue to cling” to the force to maintain peace.

Image source, AFP

"It is time for our country to take full control of its destiny and become the main actor in its own stability,” he told his audience in New York.

Monusco has almost 18,000 personnel in the country, including more than 12,000 soldiers, making it the second-largest UN mission globally.

But it has become increasingly unpopular in recent years and has faced several protests since last year.

Protesters accuse them of failing to protect civilians against decades of attacks from the many rebels that operate in the mineral-rich east of the country.

Elections are due to be held in DR Congo in late December. Prompted by the anti-UN protests, it was agreed that the force would begin its withdrawal the following month.

Last year, an East African force was deployed to eastern DR Congo to aid the Congolese military quell fighting there - though it too has faced criticism.

Our proverb of the day:

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Shamim Allu used to walk on crutches after militants shot her at a Kenyan shopping mall a decade ago.

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

There will be an automated news feed here until then, plus you can get the latest updates at BBCAfrica.com and find out about stories behind the news on the Focus on Africa podcast.

A reminder of Wednesday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this image of South African firefighters preparing to intervene at the scene of a fire in a building housing offices of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) in Johannesburg.

Image source, AFP

Ameyu Etana
BBC Afaan Oromoo

Ethiopia has dismissed a viral video issued by al-Shabab in which the Islamist militant group says it attacked an Ethiopian convoy in Somalia killing 167 soldiers.

The Ethiopian military issued a statement saying it had completely thwarted an attempted attack on Sunday by 450 al-Shabab militants.

Col Feyisa Ayele, the commander of Ethiopia's contingent in Somalia, said al-Shabab had also left three explosive-laden vehicles on a road, which his troops had destroyed. He did not mention any Ethiopian casualties in his statement.

It is rare for Ethiopia’s army to respond to reports of attacks in Somalia, where its troops are supporting the government in its bid to wipe out the al-Qaeda-affiliated militants.

Residents told the Reuters news agency the clashes took place near the southern-western town of Rab Dhure, around 20km (12 miles) from the Ethiopian border.

Samba Cyuzuzo
BBC Great Lakes

Image source, Getty Images

Rwandans have expressed delight after Unesco added five sites to its prestigious World Heritage list on Wednesday.

Nyungwe National Park, a biodiverse rainforest, earned recognition for its unique flora and fauna, including the endangered eastern chimpanzee and golden monkey.

Arcos Network, a Rwandan based conservation NGO called the development “exciting”. It’s leader Sam Kanyamibwa told the BBC that “it proves Rwanda’s efforts and conservation policy, that is commended globally, works”.

Additionally, four genocide memorial sites joined the list.

Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero sites commemorate the tragic events of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, where an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered.

More than 20 new sites could be be added on the current list of world heritage sites with “outstanding universal value to humanity”. However, the global distribution of the sites has been a matter of debate amongst many.

Europe only has more than a third of the sites, and countries like France or Germany have more than 50 each.

Before this addition, 27 countries, including 12 African nations, lacked any inscribed sites on the World Heritage list.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, Reuters

The military-appointed prime minister in Niger, Ali Lamine Zeine, has held talks with the European Union (EU) envoy to the country, despite strained relations with the bloc.

The EU has threatened to impose sanctions on Niger in response to July's coup.

Earlier this month the envoy, Salvador Pinto da França, complained that he had been denied access to the French embassy.

The French ambassador was staying there after being ordered to leave the country by the junta.

In a separate development, Switzerland and Denmark are reported to have resumed humanitarian activities in Niger less than two months after suspending them because of the coup.

Demonstrators want to know how popular 27-year-old singer MohBad died last week.

Some 90 primary school students are in hospital after eating muffins suspected to be laced with cannabis in South Africa.

The incident, which took place in Soshanguve township, north of Pretoria, came to the attention of the authorities after students displayed symptoms of nausea, stomach cramps and vomiting.

Gauteng Education Member of the Executive Council (MEC) Matome Chiloane expressed his concern and said that investigations were ongoing.

“This is concerning for us and we call for patience from parents while investigations are under way and learners are recovering," he said.

"We implore learners to be vigilant of what they purchase and consume, and be cautious of who they purchase food from. We wish all affected learners speedy recovery.”

The students, aged between six and 14, are alleged to have bought the laced muffins from a street vendor on their way to school. Teachers witnessed strange behaviour from the students in class and immediately called emergency services for support.

Police were also called to further investigate and identify the suspected vendor.

Ancient timber preserved in a riverbed suggests humans were building wooden structures 500,000 years ago.

Image source, Getty Images

A notorious Kenyan murderer who was serving two life sentences in the United States for killing two elderly women has been killed by his cellmate.

Prison officers found 50-year-old Billy Chemirmir dead in his cell at the Coffield Unit prison in Texas on Tuesday morning.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said that Chemirmir had been killed on Monday night.

A US court sentenced Chemirmir to life in prison in 2022 for killing 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris and 87-year-old Mary Brooks.

He had been indicted on charges of killing 20 other elderly people in north Texas over two years.

The authorities said that Chemirmir posed as a caregiver or maintenance worker to access care homes.

He targeted elderly women at the facilities, often robbing them of valuables like jewellery before killing them.

Chemirmir was arrested in March 2018 after a 91-year-old woman he targeted at her independent living community apartment reported him to authorities.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Burkina Faso’s transitional parliament has unanimously voted to send troops to neighbouring Niger, where the military seized power on 26 July.

State TV quoted Defence Minister Col Maj Kassoum Coulibaly as saying the troops will have a three-month renewable stay in Niger, “fighting terrorism and contributing to stabilising Sahel states”.

Burkina Faso’s interim cabinet on 30 August approved the deployment of troops to Niger in anticipation of a planned military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas).

Burkina Faso and Mali are among the few countries that have backed Niger's military junta, which is under pressure from Ecowas to restore the democratically elected government or risk further sanctions and possible regional military intervention.

Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali have also signed an agreement to set up a joint body to co-ordinate efforts aimed at tackling “common challenges”, including a jihadist insurgency, general insecurity and underdevelopment.

President Paul Kagame, who has been in office since 2000, has faced criticism from rights groups.

Fasikaw Menberu
BBC Amharic

Image source, AFP

Dozens of civilians were killed in drone strikes in Ethiopian towns in the Amhara region on Sunday, residents have told the BBC.

One resident of Quarit who requested anonymity said two separate drone attacks occurred in the area. In one of these attacks, the resident alleged that "at least 30 people were killed".

Another resident who visited the areas affected by the drone attacks said that the strikes happened far from active conflict zones and in areas with no apparent militant activity at the time. He said the second drone attack took place in a forest "so there were no casualties".

Another drone strike in Dembecha town is said to have resulted in the deaths of about 18 people. A resident there told the BBC that the attack occurred near Michael's Church and he had assisted in recovering bodies.

There has been no response from the authorities regarding the alleged drone strikes despite attempts by the BBC to contact them.

Last month the BBC reported deaths of more than 30 civilians and 50 injuries from drone attacks in Fnote Salam in the region.

The months-long conflict between Fano forces and federal troops, which arose from government directives to integrate the militia into the formal security structure, peaked in early August.

A recent UN report has documented more than 180 deaths as a result of this conflict since July. It further indicates that more than 1,000 people have been arrested in Amhara since the declaration of a state of emergency.

Recently, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) accused government security forces of extrajudicial killings in some parts of the Amhara region.

President Volodymyr Zelensky says establishing grain facilities in Africa will boost food security.

Image source, AFP

The European Union has announced that it is suspending financial aid to Zimbabwe’s electoral body because of concerns about the its practices in the contested August elections.

Since 2022, the EU has been one of the donors to a project to improve the capacity of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).

The project, which is run by the United Nations Development Programme, was to end in December 2024.

The EU had contributed $4.7m (£3.7m), some of which has been spent.

However, the EU said on Tuesday that it would step back from the project, which “is currently under scrutiny due to concerns raised by several international election observers regarding the independence and transparency of ZEC during the 2023 elections”.

The union also said that the funding withdrawal will promote responsible management of EU development funds.

The EU has started the aid suspension process and has communicated the plan to Zec and Zimbabwe’s finance ministry.

However, the union said it would continue monitoring developments in Zimbabwe and could resume support.

In 2013, a group of al-Shabab militants attacked a shopping mall in Nairobi leaving 67 people dead.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The state prosecutor in Gabon says the eldest son of the ousted president, Ali Bongo, and several of his political allies have been charged with corruption.

Noureddin Bongo Valentin, who's 31, was arrested shortly after last month's coup.

National TV showed images of him and some of his father's close allies in front of suitcases of cash it said had been seized from their homes.

They have not commented on the allegations.

The military seized power soon after Ali Bongo was declared the winner of Gabon's presidential election.

He had been in office since 2009 when he succeeded his father who had ruled the country for 41 years.

Correction: This story has been updated to remove a reference to treason