1. Wise words for Tuesday 28 November 2023published at 04:32 Greenwich Mean Time 28 November 2023

    Our proverb of the day:

    Quote Message

    When you see a frog climb a fence, you know that the ground is hot."

    A Krio proverb from Sierra Leone sent by Sigismond Wilson in Oklahoma, the US

    Click here to send us your African proverbs.

  2. Was Sierra Leone violence an attempted coup?published at 19:01 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    Armed men attacked a military barracks and a prison in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone on November 26th.

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  3. Scroll down for Monday's storiespublished at 18:20 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    We'll be back on Tuesday

    That's it from the BBC Africa Live team for now. There'll be an automated feed until we're back on Tuesday morning Nairobi time.

    In the meantime you can listen to the BBC Focus on Africa podcast here. Was there an attempted coup in Sierra Leone? That's one of the topics it explores, following the attack on a military barracks and a prison in the capital Freetown.

    A reminder of our wise words of the day:

    Quote Message

    If you throw ashes, ashes will follow you."

    A Krio proverb from Sierra Leone sent by Harold Wilson in Maryland, the US

    Click here to send us your African proverbs.

    We leave you with a photo from Senegal's Dakar Carnival:

    Senegalese people wearing traditional face paints and clothes, perform dances belonging to ethnic group ''Lebu'' settled in Yoff village, during the 4th Dakar Carnival where they celebrate their cultural richness and expressing the diversity of traditional and modern cultural heritage at Kossoupe Beach in Dakar, Senegal on November 26, 202Image source, Getty Images
  4. Thirteen soldiers killed in Sierra Leone violencepublished at 17:28 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    The government is determining if armed attacks on the capital, Freetown, were an attempted coup.

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  5. Nigeria passenger adamant plane flew to wrong citypublished at 17:20 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    A politician who was on a plane that landed in the wrong city in Nigeria has told BBC Igbo that he felt "insulted" by the airline's refusal to issue a proper apology for the mistake.

    The United Nigeria Airlines plane flew from the city of Lagos and was due to land in the capital, Abuja.

    Instead, it landed more than 450km (280 miles) away in another city, Asaba.

    United Nigeria Airlines said the flight had been diverted to Asaba because of "poor destination weather".

    But in a BBC Igbo interview, passenger Salihu Tanko Yakasai - who ran for the governorship of Kano state in elections earlier this year - said the "sky was clear", and the pilot announced that he had received the "wrong flight plan" from Lagos.

    He added that the announcement came after the plane's doors had been opened, and some passengers were "agitated" as they could see they were not in Abuja.

    The flight crew had earlier made an announcement, welcoming passengers to Abuja, Mr Yakasai said.

    His account is similar to a passenger who said on X, formerly Twitter, that "upon arrival, the cabin crew confidently announced that we’ve arrived in Abuja only for us to realise we landed in Asaba", adding that “apparently, our pilot was given [the] wrong flight plan from Lagos”.

    In its statement United Nigeria Airlines said: "At all material time, the pilot of the aircraft was aware of the temporary diversion and was properly briefed.

    "However, a wrong announcement was made by cabin crew upon landing safely in Asaba, creating confusion among passengers."

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said it was investigating the incident.

  6. Attack in Sierra Leone left 19 dead - armypublished at 16:09 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    The army in Sierra Leone says that 19 people were killed during the attack on a military barracks and prisons in the capital, Freetown, on Sunday.

    The dead included 13 soldiers, three assailants, as well as a police officer, a civilian, and a private security guard, Col Issa Bangura said.

    A further eight people were wounded, he added.

    Three people have so far been arrested in what the government has called a co-ordinated attack aimed at threatening Sierra Leone's security.

  7. What was agreed at COP27?published at 16:02 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    New money for climate damage, but little progress on emissions. A round up of what was agreed in Egypt last year.

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  8. Nigeria probe after plane lands at 'wrong' airportpublished at 15:46 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    PlaneImage source, @NigeriaCAA
    Image caption,

    Nigeria has more than 10 airlines flying domestically

    The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority says it has launched an investigation following reports that a plane due to land in the capital, Abuja, landed more than 450km (280 miles) away in the city of Asaba.

    It added that it wanted to assure travellers that it would leave "no stone unturned" to ensure safety in the aviation industry.

    Earlier, United Nigeria Airlines said the Sunday flight from the city of Lagos to Abuja had temporarily been diverted to Asaba in Delta state because of bad weather.

    It said the wrong announcement was made to passengers when the plane landed in Asaba, and it wanted to apologise for the "misunderstanding".

    A traveller had said on X,, external formerly Twitter, that "upon arrival, the cabin crew confidently announced that we’ve arrived in Abuja only for us to realise we landed in Asaba", adding that “apparently, our pilot was given [the] wrong flight plan from Lagos”.

  9. HIV rates drop in South Africa - surveypublished at 15:21 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    Tom Bayly
    BBC News

    A village health worker checking the antiretroviral drugs for a patientImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    An increasing number of patients are taking anti-retroviral drugs

    South Africa has recorded a fall in the number of people living with HIV, according to a new survey released on Monday.

    The study, conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council, found that 12.7% of the country's population are infected with the virus that leads to Aids.

    The number was down from 14% when the survey was last conducted five years ago.

    The team behind the research said there was no clear reason behind the fall, but added that the growing use of anti-retroviral therapy medicines (ARVs) had radically changed the prospects for those living with the virus.

    South Africa has been one of the worst-hit countries in the Aids epidemic of the past four decades that has killed tens of millions of people.

  10. Family awaits body of Tanzanian killed in Hamas attackpublished at 14:00 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    Alfred Laestack
    BBC News, Rombo

    Clemence MtengaImage source, MASHAV Israel
    Image caption,

    Clemence Mtenga was studying agriculture in Israel

    Burial arrangements are being made for Tanzanian student Clemence Mtenga, who was killed after Hamas launched an unprecedented assault on Israel on 7 October.

    Relatives and friends have gathered at his home village in Tanzania's northern district of Rombo in the Kilimanjaro region in anticipation of the arrival of his body.

    “We expect to receive the body today, Monday, and do the burial on Tuesday. The authorities confirmed that and we are waiting,” family spokesperson Boniface Mtenga told the BBC.

    Grave
    Image caption,

    The grave of Clemence Mtenga is being dug

    A week ago, Tanzanian authorities announced that the 22-year-old had been killed in the attack carried out by Hamas.

    He had been in Israel as part of his agriculture studies and was living and working in a kibbutz near the border with Gaza.

    Mr Mtenga's body was due to have arrived on Friday, but there was a delay.

    The authorities are still trying to find out what has happened to the other missing Tanzanian student, Joshua Mollel.

  11. Time to understand homosexuality - Ghana cardinalpublished at 12:59 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    Cardinal Peter Turkson is at odds with bishops in his country, who back a harsh anti-gay proposal.

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  12. Deal signed to revive extinct dodo in Mauritiuspublished at 12:46 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    Yasine Mohabuth
    Port Louis, Mauritius

    Science Photo LibraryImage source, Science Photo Library
    Image caption,

    The dodo became extinct in the 17th Century

    US-based biotechnology and genetic engineering firm Colossal Biosciences has signed an agreement with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation to help bring back the dodo from extinction.

    “The dodo, a bird intimately woven in the DNA of Mauritius, is also sadly iconic for the role mankind played in its extinction. It also symbolises efforts to prevent species extinctions,” said Vikash Tatayah, conservation director at the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation.

    “We are so grateful for Colossal’s technologies and the promise to return this iconic species, extinct since the 1680s, to its native environment,” he added.

    The dodo became extinct in the 17th Century, around 100 years after it was first discovered.

    The agreement comes about 10 months after Colossal Biosciences announced its plans to help revive and rewild the flightless dodo, which was native to Mauritius.

    At the time, Vice Media reported that the team involved in the project envisaged the return of a “proxy” version, external of the bird - a species with edited DNA and not an exact clone.

    The team was led by US-based evolutionary scientist Professor Beth Shapiro, who was quoted by the BBC in 2022 as saying that they had managed to sequence the DNA of a dodo.

    According to the partnership agreement signed by Colossal Biosciences and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, they will also work on the genetic rescue of the pink pigeon.

    There are roughly 500 of them left in Mauritius, and the birds are threatened from a lack of genetic diversity.

    Colossal’s Avian Genomics Group will support in identifying lost diversity from historical samples and use its gene-editing technology to confer key diversity back into the pink pigeon population.

  13. Streets of Freetown mostly deserted after attackpublished at 12:08 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    Richard Hamilton
    BBC World Service newsroom

    The streets of Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, are still mostly empty despite the government lifting a nationwide curfew following an attack on a military barracks.

    Earlier the government said security forces had repelled what it called renegade soldiers who attempted to break into a military armoury in Freetown on Sunday.

  14. Sierra Leone attack was co-ordinated - ministerpublished at 10:40 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    Chernor Bah, Minister Of Information and Civic Education, Government of Sierra Leone speaks onstage during Global Citizen NOW: Climate Sessions 2023 at Guastavino's on September 21, 2023 in New York CityImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Information Minister Chernor Bah says some of the insurrectionists have been arrested

    Sierra Leone's information minister has said that Sunday's armed attacks on key installations amounted to a planned and co-ordinated attack on the security of the country.

    But Chernor Bah told the BBC that the culprits, including current and former military officials, had failed.

    He said those captured were being interrogated.

    A manhunt is under way for further insurrectionists, and for some prisoners who had escaped when jails were attacked.

    A nationwide curfew has been lifted but a night-time curfew will still be in force.

  15. Nigeria airline sorry for 'wrong' airport landingpublished at 09:54 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    A Nigerian airline has apologised for a "misunderstanding" after passengers were told they had arrived at their destination, Abuja, when they had in fact landed more than 450km (280 miles) away in another city, Asaba.

    United Nigeria Airlines said the Sunday flight from the city of Lagos, to the capital, Abuja, had temporarily been diverted to Asaba in Delta state, because of bad weather.

    It said the wrong announcement was made to passengers when the plane landed in Asaba, creating confusion.

    “Upon arrival, the cabin crew confidently announced that we’ve arrived in Abuja only for us to realise we landed in Asaba,” a traveller said on X, external, formerly Twitter, adding that “apparently, our pilot was given wrong flight plan from Lagos”.

    But the airline said the aircraft pilot was aware of the temporary diversion and was properly briefed.

    “We sincerely apologise for the misunderstanding on our [flight]. We are currently taking steps to prevent similar occurrences in the future,” it said in a statement. , external

    It said the flight had eventually landed safely in Abuja.

  16. Inquiry in SA cricket player's pro-Israel commentspublished at 08:49 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    South Africa's cricket governing body has opened an independent inquiry into alleged pro-Israel comments made by the captain of the national under-19 cricket team, David Teeger.

    “Yes, I’ve been [given] this award, and yes, I’m now the rising star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel," Teeger, 18, reportedly said last month at an award ceremony for Jewish achievers.

    "And I’d like to dedicate it to the state of Israel and every single soldier fighting so that we can live and thrive in the diaspora.”

    Cricket South Africa (CSA) said an independent inquiry would determine whether Teeger's comments violated its code of conduct or that of his team, Central Gauteng Lions.

    The South African activist group Palestine Solidarity Alliance had filed a complaint with CSA and other sports bodies for Teeger's suspension from both the national team and his Gauteng-based team over what they termed as his "provocative, biased and inflammatory" comments.

    Teeger has not addressed his alleged comments or the investigation.

  17. Sierra Leone lifts indefinite curfewpublished at 07:46 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    Charles Haviland
    BBC World Service newsroom

    A man is questioned by Sierra leonean military police at a road block in Freetown on November 26, 2023.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    President Julius Maada Bio says calm has been restored in Sierra Leone

    Sierra Leone has lifted an indefinite nationwide curfew imposed on Sunday after armed men attacked a military barrack and prisons in the capital, Freetown.

    A new night curfew will begin from 21:00 to 06:00 local time every day "until further notice".

    President Julius Maada Bio addressed the nation, saying most of the leaders of Sunday's unrest had been arrested and will be held accountable.

    Calm had been restored, he added.

    Mr Bio described the events as an attack on democracy, but did not name the perpetrators or speak of an attempted coup.

    Earlier on Sunday the government said "renegade soldiers" were to blame and that they had tried to break into the armoury at the barracks.

    The assailants are said to have freed some prison inmates and abducted others.

    President Bio was re-elected in June, but in August some military officers were arrested, accused of plotting a coup against him.

  18. Niger solar plant begins operations after sanctionspublished at 07:11 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    A member of the Nigerien Military is stationed in front of solar panels that pump borehole water to irrigate the site of the Irhazer project, financed by France near Agadez, in the northern desert of Niger, on November 8, 2019.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Solar energy has great potential in Niger

    Niger has started running its biggest solar power plant, intended to help with a shortage in electricity triggered by the coup in July.

    Nigeria - which accounted for 70% of Niger's power - cut its electricity supply in August after neighbouring countries imposed sanctions on Nigerien military leaders who overthrew elected President Mohamed Bazoum.

    Most of Niger has since then suffered frequent blackouts.

    On Sunday, Energy Minister Mahaman Moustapha Barke said the supply of electricity had improved in the capital, Niamey, and other towns since the solar plant came online.

    The plant, built by a French consortium, was initiated in 2018 and inaugurated on 5 July this year. French relations with the Nigerien junta have soured since the coup.

    The plant has more than 55,000 solar panels and can generate 30 megawatts of electricity.

    It had been due to begin operations in August but that was delayed following the coup when many of the technical operators left.

    The French embassy in Mali said it noted the "operational launch" of the plant but warned that it faced operational risks as it “could not be finalised under the conditions initially planned”.

    Mr Barke said the technical workers who remained had helped make the plant operational.

  19. Outrage as four bodies found on Kenyan farmpublished at 06:19 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    Maize field after Harvest seasonImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    The men are said to have been collecting maize left over from a recent harvest (stock photo)

    Four bodies were on Sunday discovered at a farm reportedly owned by the Kenyan military, prompting outrage from locals.

    The four young men are alleged to have trespassed on to the farm near a Kenyan army barracks in Uasin Gishu county, in the Rift Valley region, to collect maize left over from a recent harvest when they were allegedly caught and beaten to death by the farm's guards on Saturday night.

    Locals said that some of the bodies had gunshot wounds.

    Four other men who had also gone on to the farm are undergoing treatment for injuries, including gunshot wounds and bruises, at a local hospital.

    Locals have expressed anger, saying that the guards should have arrested the young men instead of using lethal force against them.

    “They were poor young men struggling to make ends meet. Collecting maize remains was a sign that they were poor and needed to be assisted but not be killed,” a local told Kenya's privately owned Standard newspaper.

    A police official said the killings were being investigated.

    The Kenya Defence Forces have not commented on the matter.

  20. German priest kidnapped last year in Mali freedpublished at 05:26 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November 2023

    David Bamford
    BBC World Service newsroom

    An Africa-based religious charity says that a German missionary kidnapped a year ago in Mali has been freed by Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda.

    Missionaries for Africa said that Father Hans Joachim Lohre was seized in the capital, Bamako.

    No details are known about the circumstances of his release.

    The governments of Germany and Mali have made no comment.

    Father Lohre has lived in Mali for 30 years, teaching inter-religious dialogue at a mixed Islamic-Christian institute.

    Kidnappings of foreigners frequently occur in Mali, though rarely in the capital.