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Evidence suggests voice cloning tools were used to impersonate the ex-president of Sudan on TikTok.

Gabon is football crazy and it’s the dream of most young footballers to play internationally. But, in 2022 a long serving coach for youth national teams admitted to charges of raping, grooming, and exploiting young players. He faces up to 30 years in prison. For Assignment, BBC Africa Eye’s Khadidiatou Cissé travels to Gabon to investigate one of the biggest sexual abuse scandals in the history of football. She speaks with victims and eyewitnesses who reveal a shocking culture of sexual abuse and despair, with claims that many people knew, and many stayed silent. We follow a coach who, at personal risk, is determined to bring about change. Football’s world governing body, FIFA, is facing accusations of failing to take effective action over the scandal.

Presented by Khadidiatou Cissé Produced by Stephanie Stafford and Suzanne Vanhooymissen. BBC Eye editors Rebecca Henschke and Tom Watson Mixed by Neil Churchill Assignment series editor: Penny Murphy

(Image: Child holding football boots. Credit: BBC)

Ghana was once the shining star of Africa, with the fastest-growing economy in the world in 2019. But in 2022, it all came crashing down.

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

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 Tuesday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture of a farmer drying cocoa beans in Daloa, Ivory Coast.

Image source, Reuters

Hospital worker Fred Leparan attempted to sell a baby boy to an undercover BBC reporter.

Newsday
BBC World Service

The purpose of a month-long summit of Catholic church leaders in Rome is not to decide which "categories of people are important or not important”, a Nigerian bishop has told the BBC.

Catholic bishops from around the world converged at the Vatican on Wednesday for the synod, where they will take on crucial issues that have polarised the church. These topics include the blessing of gay couples, ordination of female deacons and extension of sacrament to divorced people.

But Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto Catholic Diocese has described the categorisation of the synod as “pitching conservatives versus radicals” as “media hysteria”.

“The reality of the situation is that the responsibility of the Holy Father is to uphold the teachings of Christ,” he told the BBC Newsday programme.

He said the purpose of the summit is for the Pope to have a discussion “with as many people over the issues that are troubling the world and how the church sees these issues”.

The bishop added that in Africa, Catholics were focused on presenting the church “in the image of the family”.

Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka

Eleven separate oppostion parties in Zambia have joined forces to condemn the "economic hardships", "poverty" and "unemployment" they say have risen under President Hakainde Hichilema.

Leaders from the parties - who held a joint press briefing on Wednesday - said they were deeply concerned and called for a national conference to discuss the state of the country.

In an open letter to President Hichilema, they listed 18 issues, among them "the very high price" of basic goods and the "arbitrary arrests and constant harassment of members of the opposition".

The letter also alleged that the government's promotion of "multinational, corporate, foreign and ultra-liberal policies [has] caused tremendous damage to the economy and to the wellbeing of our people”.

The Socialist Party, the All People’s Congress Party and former governing party the Patriotic Front, are among those that signed the letter.

The southern African country has experienced a three-year debt crisis - it became the first African nation to default on its debt payments during the Covid pandemic.

Despite being copper-rich, loans and high interest rates have severely restricted Zambia's ability to invest in critical social programmes and infrastructure.

In June, President Hichilema unveiled the outlines of a deal aimed at bringing Zambia out of the red.

Image source, Brian Inganga/BBC

A Kenyan hospital employee who was caught by the BBC selling a baby on the black market has been sentenced to 25 years in jail.

Fred Leparan, who worked at Nairobi's Mama Lucy Kibaki hospital, was filmed accepting $2,500 (£2,000) to sell a baby boy under the hospital's care.

He was arrested in 2020 following a BBC Africa Eye investigation and found guilty last month of child trafficking, child neglect and conspiracy to commit crime.

An Africa Eye reporter had initially approached Leparan posing as a potential buyer, after hearing from a source that the senior clinical social worker was involved in illegal child trafficking from the government-run hospital.

Leparan asked the undercover reporter, who said she and her husband had struggled to conceive, only cursory questions about their situation before agreeing to sell the baby boy.

On the day the baby boy and two other children were supposed to be transferred from the hospital to a state-run children's home, Leparan was filmed falsifying the transfer paperwork so that the home would expect two children, rather than three.

The BBC team ensured that all three children were delivered directly to the children's home, but filmed Leparan amending the paperwork and informing them that the child was theirs to take away.

A Kenyan court on Wednesday said Leparan will serve 25 years in prison, then spend 10 years on probation.

• Read the full Africa Eye 'baby stealers' investigation

Mame Diene and Woppa Diallo are the first duo to win the prestigious Caine Prize for African writing.

The United Nations has said it is "concerned" about violence linked to Liberia's upcoming elections.

On Friday, at least two people in the West African country died and 20 were injured during clashes between supporters of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change party and the opposition Unity Party, the United Nation's Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said.

These casualties occurred in the Foya district, while there have also been "outbreaks of violence" in the Nimba, Montserrado and Grand Cape Mount counties ahead of next Tuesday's general elections, the statement continued.

"Our office has also documented eight attacks on journalists by various political actors, two of which resulted in injuries," spokesperson Seif Magango said.

The OHCHR also condemned the use of language which "could amount to hate speech".

After three fourth-placed finishes at the Olympics, Ivorian sprinter Marie-Josee Ta Lou is determined to make the Paris 2024 podium and keep inspiring people.

Police take Naira Marley into custody for questioning as they investigate MohBad's death.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, AFP

Around 400 people in Egypt have been arrested over “riot incidents” after President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi announced that he would run for a third term, according to local media.

President Sisi's remarks on Tuesday sparked a rare display of public anger - viral social media videos captured protests in the north-western city of Marsa Matrouh.

In the footage, people can be heard chanting "Sisi out" and calling for his decade-long regime to fall. Other videos showed clashes between demonstrators and the police.

The privately owned Al-Manassa, external news website quoted Saleh Abou-Attiya, the secretary-general of the Marsa Matrouh Bar Association, as saying that 400 people, mostly "young men", had been detained.

The former army chief has been in power since he helped oust Mohammed Morsi, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, in 2013 amid mass protests against his rule.

Activists say Mr Sisi's term in office has been marked by the brutal suppression of all opposition and the collapse of the Egyptian economy.

Egypt's presidential elections are scheduled to take place in December.

• Read more about President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi - the ruler with an iron grip

Image source, AFP

A South African minister and three other MPs from the governing African National Congress (ANC) party have been cleared of corruption by a parliamentary committee.

Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi and MPs Cedric Frolick, Mosebenzi Zwane and Winnie Ngwenya were implicated following an inquiry into allegations of large-scale corruption, commonly known as "state capture", under former President Jacob Zuma.

Mr Nxesi was accused of receiving payments from prominent businessman Edwin Sodi. The other three MPs were implicated in separate graft allegations.

On Tuesday, the parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests cleared the four lawmakers of any wrongdoing.

The Zondo commission - named after its chairperson Chief Justice Raymond Zondo - revealed widespread graft involving state-owned entities, in an inquiry that ran between 2018 to 2022.

No-one has been convicted in a criminal trial so far.

Current President Cyril Ramaphosa said recommendations from the inquiry would be implemented at an appropriate time.

Zuma resigned in 2018, a year before his second term in office was due to end, due to allegations of corruption.

More on this topic:

• South Africa's Zondo commission: Damning report exposes rampant corruption

Dozens of people have died following an explosion and fire at an illegal oil refinery in Nigeria's south.

The incident is said to have happened late on Sunday in Rivers state, but it was only widely reported on Tuesday.

The state commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Basil Igwebueze, confirmed the incident to BBC Pidgin.

He said that 18 people were burnt beyond recognition, while 25 were rescued.

Mr Igwebueze blamed people who vandalise oil pipelines and operate illegal refineries for the deadly incident.

Illegal refining is common in the region, with locals tapping oil from pipelines to sell.

Last year, more than 100 people died following an explosion at an illegal oil refinery in Imo state.

More on this topic:

• Inside Nigeria's dangerous - but lucrative - illegal oil refineries

Image source, Reuters

Streaming service provider Netflix has announced that it will end its free service in Kenya next month as it looks for ways to raise its revenue amid market competition.

In 2021, Netflix has allowed users in the East African country to access a limited selection of content without paying for a subscription. This was an attempt to tap into Kenya's growing streaming market.

In a statement, Netflix says the free plan will no longer be available from 1 November.

"No action will be required, your membership will be automatically cancelled when the free plan ends," the company said.

It encouraged its subscribers to upgrade to the various premium plans offered.

The move comes months after Netflix reduced subscription prices for its Kenyan subscribers. The streaming giant dropped its rates by 37% amid increasing competition from the likes of Showmax and DStv.

Image source, Getty Images

Nigerian police have taken into custody the singer and songwriter Naira Marley in connection with the death of Afrobeats star MohBad.

Lagos police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin said that Marley was being held "for interrogation and other investigation activities".

Marley shared on X that he was assisting authorities with the investigation into MohBad’s death and he was “meeting with the police with hopes for the truth to be uncovered and for justice to prevail”.

MohBad died mysteriously at a Lagos hospital on 12 September and was hurriedly buried by his family.

The death of the 27-year-old star triggered protests and calls for investigations from his fans, which led to police exhuming his body for an autopsy.

Fans particularly directed their anger towards Marley, who had signed MohBad under his Marlian Records music label.

MohBad left the label last year, after falling out with Marley.

Following his death, several videos of MohBad's complaining about his relationship with Marlian Records resurfaced.

It is thought to be the largest number of people ever to arrive in the Spanish archipelago in one go.

Dorcas Wangira
Africa health correspondent

The health authorities in Kenya are investigating an unidentified illness after more than 90 schoolgirls were admitted to hospital.

The students from Eregi Girls High School, located in the west of the country, had difficulties walking and symptoms of knee pain.

A senior education ministry official who visited the school on Tuesday told worried parents that the situation was under control.

He said classes would continue as normal for other pupils.

“The education department, the county government and public health department are giving a commitment that the children will be treated,” said Jared Obiero, the regional director of education.

Blood, urine and stool samples from the ill students were sent to laboratories in Kisumu, a neighbouring city, and the capital, Nairobi.

Conclusive results to determine the cause of the illness are expected later on Wednesday.