Image source, AFP

France has begun withdrawing its troops from Niger on the orders of the junta, the AFP news agency reports.

"The first troops have left," the spokesperson for the French chief of staff is quoted as saying.

Earlier, Niger's army said the departure would begin on Tuesday under escort from Nigerien forces.

Tensions between the two countries began in July after a coup in which the democratically-elected president and French ally Mohamed Bazoum was ousted.

About 1,500 French soldiers have been assisting in the fight against Islamist militants.

Read more on the background to this story:

• 'France takes us for idiots' - Inside coup-hit Niger

Image source, Getty Images

A man who goes by the name Dr Matthew Lani on TikTok has been accused by health authorities in South Africa of impersonating a medical doctor.

The bogus doctor, reported to be in his 20s, appears on the app wearing scrubs in a public hospital, giving medical advice to TikTokers.

"Lani managed to weave his way into the system, pretending to be in the employ of Helen Joseph Hospital, where he moved around," Gauteng province’s health department has said in a statement, external.

It has opened up a criminal case against the man, saying it is a criminal offence to practise when not registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

He had "assumed various pseudo-medical roles falsely presenting himself as an employee of the department”, the statement said.

The name that he alleged to be his real identity - Dr Sanele Zingelwa – actually belonged to a second-year medical intern at a local hospital, the health department said.

The real Sanele Zingelwa had since opened up a case of identity fraud with the police, it added.

The fake doctor has alleged he is a medical graduate of the Witwatersrand Medical School and the “youngest” doctor to own a pharmaceutical company in the country.

The University of the Witwatersrand said in a statement, external: “The university cannot find any person who graduated by the name of Matthew Bongani Zingelwa or Sanele Zingelwa in recent years. We are requesting ‘Dr Matthew Lani’ to retract any such claim with immediate effect.”

The Gauteng authorities say the incident has highlighted the need to improve who has access to health facilities and improve employee identification processes.

Dr Matthew Lani's account no longer appears to be available on TikTok.

The musician's song Water has inspired a viral dance challenge on TikTok.

Mayeni Jones
BBC News

Image source, AFP

The military junta in Niger says the withdrawal of French troops from its territory will begin on Tuesday.

There have been tensions between the two countries since a coup in July overthrew the democratically elected president and French ally, Mohamed Bazoum.

The junta said they would be escorting the first convoy of French soldiers out of the country. It’s not clear how they’ll be leaving.

Land borders with neighbouring Benin and Nigeria to the south are still closed.

But others with Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad, which are also under military rule, remain open.

About 1,500 French soldiers have been helping Nigerien forces fight militants affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

The junta requested the French leave in August, accusing them of trying to reinstate President Bazoum by force.

There have been protests outside a base housing French troops in the capital, Niamey, for weeks

French President Emmanuel Macron initially refused to withdraw the troops, but eventually agreed to the request last month, saying they would be gone by the end of the year.

Niger was seen as one of the West’s last allies in the Sahel region in the war against terror.

France’s influence there has been waning following a wave of coups across some of its former colonies.

More on this topic:

• 'France takes us for idiots' - Inside coup-hit Niger

NBA star Joel Embiid's decision to represent the USA over Cameroon is "very disappointing" for Africa and has "annoyed" Cameroon.

Image source, Getty Images

The viral hit Water by 21-year-old South African singer Tyla has made this week’s Billboard Hot 100, after trending for several weeks on TikTok.

It is the first solo song by a South African musician to make it to the US singles chart since jazz legend Hugh Masekela’s 1968 Grazing in the Grass.

“I’m a South African girl born and raised in Johannesburg. This is crazy,” Tyla tweeted on Monday night.

The Amapiano musician’s song debuted at number 67 and has inspired the viral water dance challenge on TikTok, resulting in it being used more than 500,000 times in videos posted on the app.

Amapiano is a South African style of electronic dance music.

The Billboard Hot 100 is the most popular music ranking chart in the US, published each week by Billboard magazine.

Billboard announced Tyla’s entry on Monday night, ahead of the release of this week’s full list on Tuesday.

Water has already broken several other records on Spotify and YouTube.

Image source, Getty Images

Rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Rwanda of using repressive tactics to target its critics abroad, including those who have sought international protection.

“The combination of physical violence, including killings and enforced disappearances, surveillance, misuse of law enforcement - both domestic and international - abuses against relatives in Rwanda… constitute clear efforts to isolate potential critics,” it says.

The report has been published as the UK's Supreme Court hears the British government’s appeal against a ruling blocking its plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.

The UK should not consider Rwanda a safe country, it said.

“[The] findings highlight that Rwanda is not a country the UK should rely upon to uphold international standards or the rule of law when it comes to asylum seekers,” said Yasmine Ahmed, the HRW’s UK director.

Rwanda denies the allegations, with government spokesperson Yolande Makolo accusing HRW of "distorting the reality" and “advancing a politicised agenda”.

In its report, the HRW said it had interviewed about 150 people across the globe covering the period since President Paul Kagame’s election win in 2017.

It said it had documented abuse against Rwandans living in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, the UK and the US, as well as their relatives in Rwanda.

More on this topic:

• Rwanda Supreme Court showdown: What do we know?
• UK asylum deal: Is Rwanda a land of safety or fear?

President George Weah is facing a strong challenge from the opposition in his bid for a second term.

Neth Nahara accused President João Lourenço of "anarchy and disorganisation".

Image source, Getty Images

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken to ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum to reiterate his support for a democratically elected government.

He reiterated that “a democratically elected, civilian-led government presents the best opportunity to ensure that Niger remains a strong partner in security and development in the region," US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement on Monday, external.

Mr Bazoum was deposed in a military coup on 26 July and he and his family have since been detained.

The US “called for the immediate release of all those unjustly detained following the military takeover”, Mr Miller said.

The junta, led by Gen Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani, has set up a transitional government and earlier announced a three-year transition period that was rejected by the regional group Ecowas.

Ecowas has been trying to negotiate with the coup leaders and had warned that it was ready to send troops if diplomacy failed.

More on the military takeover:

• 'France takes us for idiots' - Inside coup-hit Niger

Emery Makumeno
BBC News, Kinshasa

Image source, AFP

The government in the Democratic Republic of Congo says the East African regional force has been unable to restore peace in the east of country and must leave by December.

"They have not been able to resolve the problem," government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said on Monday.

The M23 rebels had refused to withdraw from the areas under their occupation in accordance with agreements signed in Luanda, Angola, last year, he said.

A meeting of the regional East African Community (EAC) heads of states “should rule on the incapacity of the regional force” to deal with the issue, he added.

Since last November, troops from Uganda, Burundi, South Sudan and Kenya have been deployed as part of the EAC force to restore peace in the troubled North Kivu province.

The mineral-rich region has been mired in conflict for at least two decades, with different armed groups operating there despite the presence of UN peacekeeping forces since 1999.

Last year, EAC leaders ordered the M23 to cease fire and withdraw to Mount Sabinyo, on the DR Congo side of the border with Uganda.

The M23 stopped their withdrawal in April after Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi excluded them from talks.

Mr Tshisekedi, who is seeking re-election in December, recently called on the large UN force to begin leaving this year instead of next year as initially planned.

More on this topic:

• DR Congo conflict: Why Kenyan troops are joining the battle

BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

Liberians are voting in presidential and parliamentary elections.

Nineteen candidates are hoping to replace the incumbent, former football star George Weah, who is seeking a second term.

The two main challengers are former Vice-President Joseph Boakai and the businessman Alexander Cummings.

Both were in an alliance of opposition parties but the coalition broke up after disagreements over who should run for president.

Despite some progress in terms of education and the supply of electricity, critics say there has been widespread corruption during Mr Weah's time in power.

He is pledging to build new roads, a timely subject during elections in the rainy season when large parts of Liberia's network are cut off from the capital, Monrovia.

Mr Weah came to power in 2017 on a wave of popular support after two previous unsuccessful attempts.

More on this topic:

• Voters head to polls as George Weah faces Joseph Boakai
• Liberia's George Weah faces demands for war crimes court

Thomas Naadi
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Algeria has announced it has suspended its efforts to mediate the political crisis in Niger following the coup in July.

Its foreign affairs ministry said in a statement on Monday that declarations from the Nigerien authorities had raised “legitimate questions about their real willingness to follow through on their acceptance of Algerian mediation”.

It has now put the process on hold pending a commitment from the junta to continue with mediation.

Last month, Niger accepted Algeria’s offer to mediate in its political crisis aimed at returning the country to constitutional rule.

In August, Algeria had proposed a six-month transition period led by a civilian authority.

But the head of the junta, Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani, who seized power in July, wanted a three-year transition period.

Algeria had also objected to a military solution to the crisis in Niger following threats by the regional bloc Ecowas of a possible military intervention to restore democracy.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who is also the chairman of the regional bloc, had welcomed the mediation process, but this latest development will further frustrate efforts to resolve the political crisis in Niger.

More on the takeover:

• Niger coup: Simple guide to what's happening

Our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

The authorities made serious errors both before and after last month's tragedy in Derna, the BBC is told.

Mike Wooldridge and Tanzanian development worker Mary Ndaro report on the opportunities and challenges for Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's commercial centre, and one of Africa’s fastest growing cities. Some six million people currently call Dar es Salaam home, but the city’s population has grown by a whopping 40% in just a decade. By the 2030s it is projected to become a megacity with a population of more than 10 million. Getting around cities like Dar es Salaam can be not only stressful but expensive, negotiating roads clogged with cars and choked with fumes, but the city is now investing in transport infrastructure to keep people moving.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team - we'll be back on Tuesday 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 Monday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this image form an exhibition in Cape Twon, South Africa in honour of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu who died in 2021 at the age of 90:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, SAIF

Sunday Igboho Adeyemo, who has campaigned for an independent Yoruba nation in Nigeria, has been freed in Benin where he had been detained after fleeing Nigeria in 2021, the AFP news agency reports quoting his lawyer.

"He has been freed and he has left Benin," attorney Ibrahim Salami told AFP. There was no comment from the Benin authorities.

Mr Adeyemo first achieved some notoriety in Nigeria in October 2020 when he used the country's independence day to call for the creation of an independent Yoruba republic, although he was widely ridiculed for the idea at the time.

But he later became a lightning rod for grievances related to land rights.

He fled Nigeria in 2021 after authorities raided his home in Ibadan as they cracked down on separatists figures.

Nigeria then asked Benin to detain him.

Mr Adeyemo has thanked Benin's President Patrice Talon in a social media video, AFP reports.

Read more on this story:

• Sunday Igboho: The Nigerian separatist who wants a Yoruba nation

Ian Wafula
Security reporter, BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, Reuters

A Kenyan high court has blocked the government’s plans to deploy police officers to Haiti or any other country pending the hearing of a petition.

The judge cited issues raised in the application as being of national importance and public interest.

One of the petitioners, former presidential candidate Ekuru Aukot said the proposed deployment was unconstitutional.

It is argued that there is a question mark over whether regular police can actually be deployed on international assignments.

Mr Aukot added the country could not afford to spare 1,000 officers before addressing insecurity at home.

Last week ethnic clashes in western Kenya left seven people dead.

And recently the coastal region of Lamu has seen attacks from the Somalia-based al-Shabab militant group. The area is now under curfew.

Speaking on Sunday, the interior minister stressed that the deployment would not compromise the safety and security of the country.

The court will issue further directions at the end of October.

Marco Oriunto
BBC World Service

Image source, EPA

Eritrean Halofom Sultan, 43, who lives in Tel Aviv, has been part of a group from his community helping collect clothes, water and essential items for those in southern Israel affected by the conflict there.

He told the BBC that he hopes actions like this will help Israelis have a different view of Eritreans living in Israel.

In September, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "a red line” had been crossed after 170 people were injured during violent clashes between politically opposed groups of Eritreans living in Tel Aviv.

“Many Israelis see us as dangerous people and have negative attitude towards African refugees. But the participation of the Eritrean community with the Israeli activities may have a positive impact.”

In 2018, Mr Sultan served as the chairperson of the Community of Eritrean Asylum Seekers in Israel, an organisation set up to support Eritreans at a time when the Israeli government was planning to deport African migrants under a scheme called the Procedure for Deportation to Third Countries., external

He said he was woken on Saturday morning to the sound of sirens blaring across Tel Aviv.

"I heard the... bombardment. It was shocking. Then I looked at my phone to see the news.”

Mr Sultan said that while sirens were going off in Tel Aviv, he received a call from a fellow national living in Rehovot, to the south.

“He was telling his children to take shelter. I could hear from his phone the sound of sirens and two rockets landing there at the same time.”

Reading about hostages being taken, Mr Sultan contacted other Eritreans living in Ashkelon, near the border with Gaza.

He says so far he hasn’t heard of any Eritreans who have been kidnapped or killed.

The UN's refugee agency estimates there are more than 53,000 asylum seekers in Israel, the vast majority of them being from Eritrea and Sudan.