Image source, AFP

Cases of severe malnutrition among children aged under five years in north-eastern Nigeria are fast increasing, an non-governmental organisation has warned.

FHI 360 said that a staggeringly high number of malnourished children - 15,781 - were admitted to its facilities between February and September for treatment, an increase of nearly 160% from last year.

“The situation in north-east Nigeria is grave, and increased support is needed to address the critical health and nutritional needs of communities, especially women and children,” the organisation added.

The UN children’s organisation (Unicef) has previously said that Nigeria has the second-highest rate of child stunting globally, which is caused by widespread malnutrition, particularly in the northern part of the country.

Unicef estimates that two million children in Nigeria suffer from malnutrition, but only 20% of these receive treatment.

Its data also shows that malnutrition contributes to 45% of the deaths of children aged under five years in Nigeria.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Reuters

Sudan’s army leader Lt Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has visited troops in two strategic bases in the capital, Khartoum, and its twin city of Omdurman, following battleground losses to rivals from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over the past week.

State-run Sudan TV broadcast his inspection of troops in Wadi Saidna and Karari bases on Tuesday.

Gen Burhan downplayed statements by the RSF that since 26 October it had seized three army headquarters in Darfur, hundreds of soldiers had defected to the group - including in Khartoum - and captured the airport in West Kordofan.

He accused the RSF of staging attacks despite the ongoing peace talks in Saudi Arabia, saying the military would "fight on".

But Gen Burhan said the army was committed to talks in Jeddah to end the war that erupted in mid-April.

The army had earlier said it was forced to withdraw from Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, because of a shortage of supplies.

Saudi Arabia, the US, the African Union (AU) and the trade bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) are leading mediation efforts.

Image source, Alia Fadera

A junior navy officer named by The Gambia's government as the mastermind of a foiled coup plot in December last year has been found guilty of treason and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

A high court on Tuesday ruled that Lance Corporal Sanna Fadera planned and attempted to unlawfully overthrow the democratically elected government of President Adama Barrow.

The authorities had charged Fadera and seven other soldiers with treason, conspiracy and inciting mutiny for their alleged role in the 2022 coup attempt.

The court acquitted three other military officers on Tuesday.

Another soldier has been on the run since the foiled coup attempt and is considered a fugitive.

The court also acquitted a police officer and two civilians who had been charged with concealing treason and conspiring to commit felony.

Before President Barrow came to power, the West African country was governed for two decades by Yahya Jammeh, who seized power in a coup in 1994, and foiled several attempts to overthrow him, before he lost the 2016 election.

Read more on the story:

• Gambia officer Sanna Fadera's sister denies he plotted coup attempt

Image source, AFP

Kenyans are protesting about a directive by the revenue authorities seeking to tax personal or household items worth $500 (£400) and above from visiting tourists and citizens returning to the country.

The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) says all goods whether new or used over that amount are subject to taxation.

The directive has sparked a public outcry, with many Kenyans saying that the move would scare away tourists.

A section of MPs said some KRA officials had been taking advantage of the directive to harass tourists, giving the country bad publicity.

Tourism Minister Alfred Mutua described the KRA move as one of the reasons the number of tourists visiting the country had been declining.

“You go to Rwanda, they don’t harass you. Does Rwanda not collect taxes? You go to South Africa, and they don’t harass you. In Dubai, they don’t harass you. So, why do our visitors face such challenges in Kenya? And we wonder why people are not coming to Kenya,” Mr Mutua said.

It is the latest in a series of new taxes introduced by President William Ruto's government. Critics say they are worsening the cost-of-living crisis.

This is despite the fact that Mr Ruto won elections last year with a promise to ease the financial difficulties of families.

Image source, AFP

A Ugandan court has ordered a US couple to pay their foster child about $28,000 (£23,000) in compensation after convicting them of cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment.

The compensation resulted from a plea deal, which led to the court dropping charges of aggravated trafficking and torture that could have led to the two being sentenced to life imprisonment or the death penalty.

The couple, Nicholas and Mackenzie Spencer, were arrested last year and charged with torturing the 10-year-old boy over two years.

This is after the child’s nanny filed a police report alleging that the couple repeatedly subjected the child to inhumane treatment.

On Tuesday, they pleaded guilty to the charges of cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, working without permits and staying in Uganda unlawfully, for which they were fined 4.86m Ugandan shillings ($1,285).

But Tuesday's ruling has angered some child rights activists who termed it "a mockery of justice".

Activist Proscovia Najjumba questioned how the court allowed the couple to "walk away" after accepting they had "mistreated a child", the AFP news agency reported.

Court documents showed that the couple served the child cold food, made him sleep on a bare wooden platform without bedding and forced him to squat “in an awkward position”.

Image source, AFP

Mali's Tuareg rebels say they have taken over a base in the northern city of Kidal vacated by the UN peacekeepers on Tuesday.

The UN mission in Mali (Minusma) said it had ended its presence in Kidal in a hurry after its last convoy of peacekeepers suffered two explosive attacks on the way to Gao, another key town in the north.

The Tuareg coalition claimed victory on social media, saying it was in control of the Kidal base.

A local official told the AFP news agency that the rebels occupied the camp immediately after it was vacated by the UN mission.

It was the third and last camp to be evacuated by the mission in the Kidal region, which has been hit by jihadist and separatist violence.

The other two camps were at Tessalit and Aguelhok.

The separatist groups, which had earlier agreed to a ceasefire with authorities, have recently resumed hostilities in the area. They oppose peacekeepers handing over their camps to the Malian army.

Mali's military government has demanded that the UN force leave the country by the end of the year, saying its decade-long mission against Islamist militants had failed.

Nkechi Ogbonna
West Africa business journalist, BBC News

Image source, Reuters

The US says it will reinstate Mauritania’s benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) programme following an eligibility review.

The reinstatement will be done in January next year after the north-west African country made "substantial and measurable progress on worker rights and eliminating forced labour", the US trade office says.

The trade benefits were suspended in 2019 following concerns over workers' rights violations in Mauritania.

Mauritania's reinstatement follows US President Joe Biden’s announcement on Tuesday to terminate the Agoa benefits for Gabon, Niger, Uganda and the Central African Republic (CAR).

The US said Gabon's and Niger's Agoa eligibility was terminated because of recent coups, while Uganda's and CAR's benefits were terminated because of human rights violations.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea have all previously been expelled from Agoa after military takeovers in those countries.

Mauritania's economy is dominated by extractive industries, mainly oil and minerals, which account for over three-quarters of exports. Fisheries, animal and plant farming also contribute a huge percentage to the government’s revenues.

The US-Africa trade programme, introduced in 2000, gives eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US for more than 1,800 products.

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Wheelbarrows are carted around in search of community centres and churches willing to share water.

This is the extraordinary, blood-curdling story of a dictator you may never have heard of. From 1968-79, the African nation of Equatorial Guinea was helmed by its first, and to date only, freely elected president. Initially, Francisco Macías Nguema was seen by the Spanish colonial authorities as a safe choice. He proved to be anything but. Things went off the rails at an astonishing rate, as Macías rapidly turned the country into what would be called the 'Dachau of Africa'. His is a tale of sheer opportunism on the way up, and drug-fuelled paranoia on the way down...

Narrated by Paul McGann. A Noiser production, written by Sean Coleman.

King Charles acknowledged the "wrongdoings" of the colonial era during his state visit to Kenya.

King Charles said felt "great sorrow" for the Empire's actions during Kenya's struggle for independence.

A French couple cry foul after receiving only €150 for a mask that later fetched €4.2m at auction.

South Africa's record-breaking Springboks rugby team have arrived home to a heroes' welcome.

Interior ministry calls on citizens to provide information on escaped prisoners to prevent "terrorist acts".

Matthew Lani had been picked up after entering a hospital and accused of impersonating a doctor.

The record-breaking team were met at the airport in Johannesburg by a huge, rapturous crowd.

Rights group Amnesty International makes damning allegations against the social media giant.

Uganda, Gabon, Niger and the CAR are accused of violating rights or not making democratic progress.

A rival presidential hopeful said Moïse Katumbi was not eligible to run on the grounds of nationality.