More than 4,000 residents in Ghana's south-east have had to flee their homes because of flooding.

As a result of the Akosombo Dam overflowing, homes and farms have been destroyed by raging waters along the banks of the River Volta.

Essential services have been disrupted, with water and electricity cut off in some of the areas.

On Friday, the Ghanaian government said thousands of people, "in at least nine districts", had been displaced.

Elsewhere, the UN-affiliated Global Disaster and Coordination System said it had recorded seven injuries.

Ghana's Volta River Authority had previously asked residents to move to higher ground as water levels upstream of the dam continued to rise due to heavy rains.

Mina al-Lami
Jihadist media specialist, BBC Monitoring

Al-Qaeda's West African branch has announced the death of a Malian hostage in its custody, naming him as Idriss Sanogo, and saying he died of an unspecified illness.

The Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) group extended its condolences to the man's family. JNIM also laid the blame on the Malian government, saying the state had failed to negotiate Mr Sanogo's release.

The group relayed the news in a brief statement on Thursday via social media.

It gave little information about Mr Sanogo, apart from saying he was born in 1952 and had been captured by JNIM militants in the Malian city of Timbuktu three years ago.

In early May 2020, a few mainstream news outlets reported the kidnapping of a government official - "the prefect of the Gourma-Rharous circle" in the Timbuktu region - naming him as "Drissa Sanogo" and "Idrissa Sonogo".

Until Thursday, JNIM had not publicly mentioned it was holding Mr Sanogo.

In its latest statement, the al-Qaeda group held the government "fully responsible" for the death of Mr Sanogo, saying Bamako had "neglected his case... despite knowing of his health conditions".

The militant group said its demands were "simple" and "known to all": "you free our brother, we free your brother" - suggesting that the jihadist group had probably demanded the release of one or a number of its militants in return for Mr Sanogo.

The Malian government has not yet responded to JNIM's statement.

The Africa-focused Institute for Security Studies (ISS) said in a recent report that the kidnapping of local people in Mali and Burkina Faso has increased, and accused JNIM of being a key culprit.

The deal comes after junta leader Capt Traore asked President Putin to help set up a nuclear plant.

Two South Africans have been killed in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) announced the news on Friday, but did not reveal the identity of those who had died.

"The Department of International Relations and Cooperation can confirm that we have been notified that two South African nationals have died in this ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel,” said Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela.

“The verification process is currently under way because one of the individuals is reported to have an Israeli ID number, so we need to determine whether there is dual citizenship or what the picture is."

Speaking on behalf of government, Mr Monyela expressed condolences to the individuals' loved ones.

He said: "Our missions in Ramallah and Tel Aviv are coordinating efforts and also rendering consular assistance and services to the families of our nationals."

The war began after Hamas militants launched a deadly attack on Israel over the weekend.

More than 2,700 people in Israel and Gaza have since been killed.

Image source, Getty Images

Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali and Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum have been nominated for this year’s Men’s World Athlete of the Year award.

The athletes are the only two male African athletes nominated to the top award this year, out of the total 11 nominees.

Both Kiptum and Bakkali are in contention for the award, which is one of the most prestigious athletics awards, after displaying exceptional performances.

In August, Bakkali, 27, won his second consecutive 3000m steeplechase world championship.

Kiptum, 23, won the London Marathon in April, setting the second-fastest time for the course.

On 8 October, he made history by completing the Chicago Marathon in two hours and 35 seconds, setting the fastest marathon time on record and breaking fellow countryman Eliud Kipchoge’s previous record.

The winners will be announced on 11 December after international voting by fans and athletics experts.

Image source, AFP

Kenya's interior minister has said that the country will send assessment delegations to Haiti before deploying police officers to address gang violence there.

"There will be other pre-mission visits to Haiti by different players before our officers set foot there," Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki told a parliamentary committee on Thursday.

In August, Kenya sent its first fact-finding mission to Haiti.

Mr Kindiki also said that the officers were equipped to take on Haiti's gangs as they had been successfully deployed to several countries before, including Namibia, Cambodia, the former Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Sierra Leone.

He added that police officers were part of the Kenyan security forces currently deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and South Sudan.

He has, however, said that the deployment will happen after passing all the legal requirements, including approval by the parliament and the senate.

Last week, the UN approved the deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti but a court on Monday temporarily stopped it, pending a ruling on whether it is a constitutional.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Burkina Faso and Russia are scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the West African nation, according to the state-run AIB news agency.

The agreement will be a culmination of talks the Burkinabè military ruler, Capt Ibrahim Traoré, had with Russian President Vladimir Putin in July, during the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow.

"The MoU will be signed between Rosatom, the Russian federal atomic energy agency, and the Burkinabe ministry of energy, on the sidelines of Russian Energy Week 2023," AIB said.

About 20% of Burkina Faso's population have access to electricity, external - one of the lowest rates in the world, according to the International Energy Atomic Agency (IAEA).

Having fallen out with most of its traditional Western partners, including former colonial power France, Burkina Faso has turned to Russia for economic and military support.

Image source, AFP

The Democratic Republic of Congo will reduce restrictions in two conflict-hit areas where a state of siege - essentially martial law - has been in force for two years.

President Félix Tshisekedi said in a televised address on Thursday night that he had decided on "a gradual and progressive easing" of restrictions in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri.

The state of siege was imposed in 2021 in order to suppress unrest in the region.

The president said he would lift a curfew that had been imposed, allow the free movement of people and goods and restore the right to peaceful demonstration and assembly.

It comes just months before the general elections, to be held on 20 December, in which Mr Tshisekedi is seeking re-election.

"This is all the more important as the various players involved in the electoral process are entitled to participate fully and without hindrance," he said.

The stage of siege has been criticised by human rights groups who say it has led to mass detentions and restrictions on movement.

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

Nigerian sprinter Divine Oduduru is given a six-year ban for committing two doping violations.

Holders Senegal will face Cameroon in the group stage of next year's Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast while hosts Ivory Coast are pitted with Nigeria.

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

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 Thursday's wise words:

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And we leave you with this picture of Trinity Cathedral in Monrovia, Liberia:

Image source, AFP

Moses Kollie Garzeawu
Journalist, Monrovia

While Liberians await the results of Tuesday's general election, a top EU observer has accused politicians who are already in office of overspending on their electoral campaigns and using government resources for them.

Neither President George Weah nor other incumbent politicians have commented on the claim.

Andreas Schieder, who's heading the EU's election observation mission, told the BBC these actions flouted the rules of Liberia's electoral code.

"During the campaign we observed a lot of issues - and one of such major issues was the lack of level playing fields as it relates the economic side, they used financial supremacy and the other one is they used state resources [including houses, cars and other utilities]," he told the BBC.

Laws on financing regulations in Liberia's election state that:

"Election expenses shall not be incurred or authorized by a candidate or party beyond the Liberian dollar equivalent of $2m (£1.6m) for president, and $1m for vice-president."

The EU observer head also hailed the turnout and said voters took part peacefully.

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

The war in Sudan and the international response shows "a catastrophic failure of humanity and shameful neglect", says the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Sudan's army has been fighting the paramilitary Rapid Suffort Forces since April, killing thousands and displacing more than five million people.

As the six-month mark approaches this weekend, MSF is calling for an "immediate, substantial escalation" of the aid response.

On Wednesday, the United Nations Humans Rights Council voted to set up an independent fact-finding mission to investigate abuses in Sudan.

It urged the warring parties to cease their atrocities, lay down their weapons and allow safe humanitarian access.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

A Kenyan court has ruled it was illegal for the government to lift a ban on logging because the public had not been consulted.

In July, President William Ruto, who has cast himself as a climate change campaigner, said lifting the moratorium was aimed at creating jobs.

The Environmental and Land Court did however allow the felling of 5,000 hectares of mature forest to go ahead.

In a separate case, the same court dismissed a lawsuit challenging a government decision to allow the importation and cultivation of genetically modified crops.

Last year, the Kenyan government lifted a decade-old ban on GM crops as it faced an extreme drought.

The Law Society of Kenya launched a court challenge, arguing the decision was unconstitutional as there were concerns over the safety of the crops.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The constitutional court in Madagascar says the presidential election is to be postponed by a week.

Voting will now take place on 16 November.

Madagascar has seen a sharp rise in political tension with supporters of opposition candidates staging protests over the fairness of the entire election exercise.

Last weekend, ex-President Marc Ravalomanana said he'd sustained a leg injury when police and soldiers fired tear gas to disperse a gathering of his supporters.

Sylvia Bongo was under house arrest, but a judge says she should be held in jail ahead of a trial.

Alfred Lasteck
BBC News, Dar es Salaam

It's still unclear what has happened to two Tanzanian students who've been missing in Israel since the weekend.

The pair have not been heard from since Hamas militants launched a deadly attack at the weekend, according to officials.

Tanzania’s ambassador to Israel, Alex Kallua, told the BBC that the two students cannot be named until their whereabouts are confirmed.

Efforts to find them have so far failed but Tanzania is "still monitoring the situation" and "working with Israeli authorities to establish the fate of these two students… there’s nothing much that we can add for now because we don’t have accurate information", says Ambassador Kallua.

Ian Wafula
Security reporter, BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

The Democratic Republic of Congo is warning that around 1.5 million voters living in areas controlled by the M23 rebel group will be unable to take part in elections in December.

Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said they were in the process of resettling an additional one million people displaced by conflict in the region.

He added that it might be difficult for the electoral commission to access areas under "M23 and Rwanda" adding that calling off the election was not an option.

DR Congo has previously accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group - a charge that Rwanda has consistently denied. The M23 is largely made up of ethnic Tutsis, the same group which dominates the government in Rwanda.

The M23 rebel group is in control of Rutshuru and parts of Masisi in North Kivu province. It claims it wants to protect Tutsis against militant Hutu groups, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

Rwanda's spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told the BBC that Rwanda cannot be blamed for DR Congo's decision to arm, finance and integrate sanctioned illegal armed groups into their army - in a reference to the FDLR.

She added that the biggest problem was DR Congo’s failure to govern and accused them of continuously violating agreed regional peace processes.