The new border force is designed to curb rising illegal immigration - a major political issue.

Paul Njie
BBC News, Yaoundé

Image source, Reuters

Gabon’s interim President General Brice Oligui Nguema has revealed that members of the transitional National Assembly and senate will soon be appointed, affirming his government’s “commitment to social dialogue”.

He made the revelation on X, formerly known as Twitter, after meeting Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, during an official visit to Bangui on Wednesday.

It remains unclear when the appointments will be done, but the announcement comes amid negotiations to determine the individuals who should occupy the 70 seats in the National Assembly and 50 in the Senate.

In September, Gen Nguema appointed leaders of both legislative bodies, leaving room to complete the appointments of future members of parliament later.

The transitional president informed his CAR counterpart about the progress of the transition since Ali Bongo's was ousted, adding that they also "discussed continental and sub-regional news, the strengthening of our bilateral relations and the upcoming opening of embassies in our respective countries".

His visit to the CAR comes after previous meetings with the presidents of Equatorial Guinea and Congo-Brazzaville, seeking support for the lifting of sanctions on Gabon by regional bodies after the coup d'état.

Priya Sippy
BBC News

Image source, Calvin Quartey

Ghanaian dancer and social media star Ernest Raja Nettey, known as Official Starter, has told the BBC he was "happy and overjoyed" after Nigerian megastar Burna Boy acknowledged his dance video with a billboard poster.

In the video, Nettey is seen dancing with women who work at Makola market in Accra, Ghana, to Burna Boy’s recent song City Boys.

The video went viral , externalafter it was shared by Burna Boy - and currently has over three million views on TikTok.

In response to the video, Burna Boy purchased a billboard space at Makola market which read "Burna Boy loves the market women from the Happy Town Project".

He posted a video showing the moment , externalthe billboard was revealed on his Instagram.

“You all made my day. I hope I made yours,” he wrote.

Nettey told the BBC that he was "so happy and overjoyed" when he saw the billboard.

“I was so happy because it was the first time an artist did something like this for us,” he added.

“Right now, when the women are selling to their customers they are telling them - ‘look at me, I am on the billboard!’”

The Happy Town Project was started by Nettey after his mother, who was a market trader, died four years ago.

It has become known for its viral videos of him dancing with market women from Makola.

“They treat me like their son,” he said.

Police deny opposition leader's claims he was grabbed by 'goons' after landing at the airport.

Dorcas Wangira
Africa health correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Kenyan lawmakers are calling on the government to ban the sale of a brand of imported nicotine pouches widely sold in the country.

Health Minister Susan Nakhumicha told parliament that Velo was a rebrand of a British American Tobacco (BAT) nicotine pouch commonly known as Lyft, which was declared illegal in 2022 by the then Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe.

Mr Kagwe ordered the deregistration of Lyft after claims that it was licensed and registered illegally.

"Velo is imported from Hungary and distributed in the country by BAT Kenya Limited. No local manufacturer of nicotine pouches exists in the country therefore all nicotine pouches are imported," Ms Nakhumicha said.

The BBC has asked BAT for comment but has not had a response.

According to health experts, Kenya is experiencing a resurgence of highly addictive nicotine products which were banned by the Ministry of Health.

The Kenya Tobacco Control and Health Promotion Alliance, a civil society group, said in a statement that a ban on nicotine pouches would rescue a whole generation from death, disease and disability.

Kenya relies on a 2007 tobacco law to guide its decisions concerning tobacco products.

The health minister said a technical team would review the law and make further recommendations.

The island nation's highest court says the ban on gay sex does not reflect "indigenous values".

Alfred Lasteck
BBC News, Dar es Salaam

Image source, Getty Images

Banks in Tanzania are encouraging their customers to switch to electronic payments and online banking to minimise the possible disruption of financial services during the coming rains, which are expected to be heavier than usual because of El Niño.

This a natural climate phenomenon that occurs about every two to seven years - and affects weather patterns globally.

According to the Tanzania Meteorological Authority, El Niño could disrupt the coming short rainy season that lasts from October to December. Typically El Niño leads to flooding in northern areas, while some areas of the south get less rain than normal.

The central bank said this could have repercussions for essential sectors of the economy. It also urged financial institutions to increase transaction limits for customers and take out insurance to cover loans given to clients.

Meanwhile, the country’s disaster unit has advised those living in lowland areas to relocate in case of flooding.

More on this topic:

• What are El Niño and La Niña, and how do they change the weather?

Egyptians are gripped by a dramatic start to their country's early presidential election campaign.

Image source, Reuters

Burkina Faso’s interim leader has replaced the head of the country’s paramilitary police, more than a week after the ruling junta said it had averted a coup attempt.

Ibrahim Traoré on Wednesday appointed Lt Col Kouagri Natama to replace Lt Col Evrard Somda, who had led the national gendarmerie since last year.

Mr Traoré also changed the officers charged with managing logistics and equipment within the Burkinabe army and the gendarmerie.

Last week, Burkina Faso’s junta arrested four police officers on suspicion that they participated in a “plot against state security”.

According to the French-language news publication Jeune Afrique, two of the detained police officers worked under the national gendarmerie and were Mr Somda's close associates.

His replacement previously led the police in the northern Kaya region, where Mr Traore's unit was stationed.

Image source, AFP

South African supermarkets are rationing eggs as the country grapples with a shortage of poultry products amid a severe outbreak of avian flu.

Some supermarkets have limited the number of eggs that customers can buy to six, local media report.

Major retail chain Woolworths told local media outlet News24 that it had "implemented a limit on whole egg purchases in our stores to six eggs per customer".

Pick n Pay, another chain, reportedly asked people to "shop responsibly" and would limit purchases per customer to one or two egg packs.

Producers have been warning of a shortage of eggs and poultry meat due to the outbreak and impact of power cuts on the industry.

The agriculture ministry last week said that over 2.5 million chickens had been killed, with five of the eight provinces affected by the outbreak.

Image source, AFP

An official working for Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has denied accusations that Mr Tinubu presented a forged university diploma to the country’s electoral body.

During a hearing on Tuesday, an official from the Chicago State University (CSU) said Mr Tinubu graduated from the university in 1979.

However, the official added that the university could not verify the authenticity of the diploma that Mr Tinubu presented to Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) as the university does not keep copies of student diplomas.

He also testified that the signature, logo, and seal in the certificate Mr Tinubu presented to Inec and varied from those in the other certificates issued by the CSU in Mr Tinubu's graduation year.

Atiku Abubakar, who ran against Mr Tinubu in Nigeria's February presidential elections had petitioned a US court to order CSU to release Mr Tinubu’s academic records.

He intended to use the records to prove his case that Mr Tinubu's election should be nullified as he allegedly presented forged university papers to Inec.

Temitope Ajayi, Mr Tinubu’s special assistant on media and publicity on Wednesday said that “the claim that President Tinubu submitted fake certificate to Inec does not make sense” as Mr Tinubu already had the university certificate".

He also said the replacement certificate Mr Tinubu presented to Inec was valid as the CSU official had confirmed that "replacements for lost certificates are done by vendors not the university".

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, Reuters

The main opposition party in Uganda says its leader Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine has been arrested at Entebbe International Airport as he returned from abroad.

The National Unity Party had been planning to hold rallies and described his arrest as "cowardly".

A video recording on social media showed Bobi Wine being grabbed by a group of men as he stepped out of the plane.

Screen grabs from another video appeared to show the leader at his home later, in the company of the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Mathias Mpuuga.

Ahead of Mr Kyagulanyi's return, the police had said a planned procession from the airport was illegal.

President Yoweri Museveni - who has been in power since 1986 - has been criticised for being increasingly intolerant of the opposition.

Bobi Wine has been arrested numerous times and has faced many charges including treason.

Rights groups say the authorities have long used trumped-up charges to oppress the opposition.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

A Ugandan tribal king has returned home to a hero's welcome, seven years after dozens of people were killed during a police raid on his palace.

Jubilant crowds lined the streets of Kasese for the arrival of the Rwenzururu King, Charles Wesley Mumbere.

In 2016 he was accused of commanding a militia from his palace with the aim of breaking away to create an independent state.

The Ugandan government said just over 100 people were killed during the police operation but rights groups said many more died.

King Mumbere and dozens of others faced several charges including treason, murder and terrorism but prosecutors dropped the case after they applied for amnesty.

The Rwenzururu kingdom of ethnic Bakonzo people has a history of separatist leanings and long-simmering tensions with the Ugandan government.

President Ruto announces his biggest cabinet shake-up since he took office more than a year ago.

Zimbabwe's 'forgotten' first black cricketer Henry Olonga felt 'hated' for 20 years after risking his life with a protest against Robert Mugabe.

The 2030 World Cup will be held across Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Spain, Portugal and Morocco, Fifa confirms.

Image source, AFP

Mauritius has reversed a colonial-era law that criminalised same-sex relations.

On Wednesday, the country’s Supreme Court declared that Section 250 of the Mauritian Criminal Code, which dates back to 1898, was unconstitutional.

Under the law, individuals found guilty of engaging in same-sex relations were at risk of being jailed for up to five years.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court stated that the abolished law did not “reflect any indigenous Mauritian values but was inherited as part of our colonial history from Britain”.

The decision to repeal the anti-homosexuality law goes back to October 2019, when four young Mauritians from the rights group Young Queer Alliance filed a legal challenge against the anti-homosexuality law for “violating their fundamental rights and freedom”.

The United Nations and several human rights groups have commended the ruling.

“The UN welcomes the decision of Mauritius to join the growing list of African countries protecting the human rights of everyone, including LGBTQI+ people,” UNAids said in a statement.

With the ruling, Mauritius joins the growing list of African countries that have either decriminalised or legalised same-sex relationships, including Angola, Botswana, Seychelles and Mozambique.

Image source, Getty Images

Kenyan President William Ruto has announced a major cabinet reshuffle placing the foreign affairs ministry under the chief minister's office and reassigning seven other ministers.

It comes after the president publicly criticised his ministers recently, accusing some of them of being clueless about their portfolios.

President Ruto says the changes are meant to "optimise performance and enhance service delivery as set out in the administration's manifesto".

The foreign affairs ministry will now be headed by the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, with the previous minister Alfred Mutua now heading the tourism ministry.

Mr Mutua had in May said that Kenya had entered a deal for legal migration for work in Canada but the North American nation later denied such an agreement and warned against fraudulent immigration schemes.

In recent weeks, Mr Mutua has been the public face of Kenya's offer to deploy 1,000 policemen to Haiti.

Also affected is the former trade minister Moses Kuria, who will now head the public service ministry.

Mr Kuria has in recent times faced criticism over what has been seen as his arrogant approach when addressing the high cost of living crisis in Kenya.

He has also previously stirred controversy over his remarks against a Chinese-owned shop selling cheap household goods in Kenya. He was also recently snubbed by the US Trade Representative during her recent visit to Kenya.

Kenya has recently seen a series of opposition protests against the rising cost of living and tax hikes put in place by the government.

Image source, Reuters

Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga has questioned the country's decision to lead a peacekeeping mission in Haiti to combat gang violence there, terming it a "wrong move".

Mr Odinga, in an interview with a local TV station on Thursday, said the planned police deployment in Haiti was not Kenya's priority, adding that the East African region already had "enough problems".

"Before you even come to Africa, Haiti is at the doorstep of the United States which is the most powerful nation in the world. What is it that is so unique about Kenya that it is being chosen to lead the multinational force in Haiti?" Mr Odinga said.

Mr Odinga said the situation in Haiti was dangerous, warning that the planned deployment risked the lives of the Kenyan police.

"When coffins start arriving here, that's when we shall regret. Haiti is dangerous and there's a possibility our police will encounter problems there," he said.

"The problem in Haiti is political, it does not just require guns, it requires talks," Mr Odinga added.

On Monday, the United Nations Security Council approved the deployment for a year with a review after nine months.

Kenya's President William Ruto pledged “not to fail the people of Haiti”.

However, some critics have opposed the move, expressing doubt over the ability of Kenyan police to take on Haiti's gangs.

More on this topic: Haiti crisis: Can Kenyan police officers defeat the gangs?

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Human rights groups have criticised the fact that a UN-backed inquiry into abuses committed in Ethiopia will end its work next week after member countries chose not to renew its mandate.

The International Commission of Human Rights Experts (ICHREE) said Ethiopia's military had committed war crimes during the conflict in Tigray, saying Eritrean soldiers were behind widespread sexual assaults.

It also accused Tigrayan rebel fighters of serious atrocities.

Human Rights Watch has described the decision not to renew the mandate of the UN backed inquiry as "scandalous".

Even though the war in Tigray is officially over, the ICHREE said earlier this week, there was a high risk that atrocities would continue in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has always opposed the work of ICHREE, describing it as politically motivated.