At least eight people have reportedly been killed and dozens wounded in the blast in Conakry.

The blast at the African country's only oil refinery blew out the windows of local houses, witnesses say.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has won a third term, gaining just under 90% of the vote, in an election held last week, the electoral commission has announced.

There were three candidates running against him - but none of them were considered major figures.

Mr Sisi first became president in 2014 - winning 97% of the vote. He won with the same share in 2018. This victory means that he will be in power until 2029, when he is barred by the constitution from running again.

Image source, Reuters

The Reuters news agency has just published some pictures from the scene of last night's blast at an oil terminal in Guinea's capital, Conakry.

At least eight people are thought to have died and dozens were wounded.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

DJ Edu
Presenter of This Is Africa on BBC World Service

Image source, Musa Keys/BBC

Amapiano star Musa Keys had just parked his car and was eating a bunny chow – a hollowed-out half loaf filled with South African-style curry – when he got the news of his Grammy nomination.

He’s up for the award in the Best African Music Performance category for Unavailable, a track he co-wrote and performed with afrobeats giant Davido. The ceremony is in February.

“I feel super great, amazing and I can't wait to bring it back home,” says the South African record producer, whose real name is Musa Appreciate Makamu.

At 23, Musa Keys is the youngest male African nominee.

He shot to fame in 2021 with his hit single Vula Mlomo, which explores the practice of giving a gift to a bride’s father and the themes of love and vulnerability. It was certified double platinum by South Africa’s recording industry.

Musa caught the music bug when he was a teenager in Polokwane, a city north of Johannesburg.

He had joined a friend who was rehearsing with a church music group, and he immediately fell in love with the piano.

He is confident about the rising global popularity of amapiano, the Nguni word for pianos.

It’s a blend of house, jazz and lounge music full of synths and percussive basslines - and was born in South Africa in the mid-2010s.

Musa points out that a lot of African artists are “doing this amapiano-infused music and that’s what’s making them really win”.

“Who would have thought that a sound from South Africa could help people outside the country to make it big out there,” he says.

He predicts that “amapiano is going to be as big as afrobeats” and thinks the genre should get its own category at the Grammys.

"That's something that I am personally fighting for,” he says.

Musa Keys has a new 5-track EP out called Becoming Him.

To hear DJ Edu in conversation with Musa, listen to This is Africa on BBC World Service radio and partner stations across Africa. You can also listen online here.

Mercy Juma
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, EPA

The judges at Uganda's Constitutional Court are now reviewing the written evidence they have received regarding the challenge to the country's new anti-homosexuality law, which imposes severe penalties for certain offences.

The lawyers from both sides of the case have agreed to conclude it by way of written submissions meaning there will be no oral presentations or hearings.

They will next convene in person when the court is to read the judgement - but no date has been announced for that.

Image source, EPA

The AFP news agency is now reporting that eight people were killed in the blast at a fuel depot in Guinea's capital, Conakry.

"Eight charred bodies were brought to the morgue of the Ignace Deen hospital," it quotes an official at the hospital as saying.

Earlier, the Reuters news agency reported that a police officer had said that eight people had died.

With heavyweight matches involving former winners, BBC Sport Africa previews Groups A to C at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Image source, Reuters

Guinea's military authorities have ordered the closure of all schools in the capital following an explosion at an oil terminal early on Monday.

The blast at the main hydrocarbon depot of the Guinea Oil Company in the Kaloum neighbourhood of Conakry caused a huge fire, forcing residents to flee the area.

No death toll has been confirmed but a senior police officer told the Reuters news agency that at least eight people were killed and 84 others injured in the incident.

The junta has ordered all private and public schools in the area to be shut and urged workers to stay home.

"Public and private sector workers, with the exception of the defence and security forces and those from the medical profession, are urged to stay at home," the statement added.

It also said all petrol stations except for emergency services should be closed in the area.

The cause of the fire is unknown, authorities said, and its "scale and consequences could have a direct impact on the population".

The government has urged people in the immediate area "to move away from the site" and assured that resources had been deployed to contain the fire and minimise its consequences.

Image source, William Ruto/X

Kenya and the European Union have signed a major economic partnership agreement (EPA) that will guarantee the East African country duty-free and unlimited access for select products into the EU, its biggest export market.

Kenyan President William Ruto and EU Commission chief Ursula Von Der Leyen were at a signing ceremony in Nairobi.

“At the core of this arrangement is our aspiration to put real money into the pockets of ordinary people: farmers, craftsmen and women, fabricators, transporters and various other kinds of workers who contribute to the manufacturing, intercontinental transport and last-mile delivery to consumers of various products that are a subject of the signing of this agreement,” President Ruto said.

Kenya is required to reciprocate by gradually opening its market to EU products.

The EU is Kenya's leading export destination and second-largest trading partner, totalling about €3.3 ($3.6bn;£2.8bn) of trade in 2022 - an increase of 27% compared to 2018.

Both the EU and Kenyan parliaments will have to ratify the deal to bring it into effect.

The EPA was initially meant for East African Community (EAC) members but all countries in the regional bloc, barring Kenya, abandoned the trade pact in 2014.

Read more from when the deal was first inked in June:

• Kenya-EU trade deal: Why the East African Community was left out

Mercy Juma
BBC News

Image source, Reuters

Uganda’s Constitutional Court is hearing a case challenging the anti-homosexuality law that came into effect in May.

It imposes severe punishments on those convicted of same sex acts including the death penalty for some crimes.

The law is being challenged by a group of both individuals and human rights organisations who argue it violates constitutional rights and freedoms.

The law has been called many things – draconian, inhumane and a violation of universal human rights.

Those bringing today's case argue that the parliamentary committee responsible did not take enough time to scrutinise it and did not allow any meaningful public participation.

They want the law - which has triggered Western sanctions against Uganda - to be declared unconstitutional and annulled.

They argue it violates a spectrum of constitutional rights and freedoms, including the right to equality and non-discrimination, the right to dignity and privacy and the right to freedom of expression and association.

Under the law, what is termed "aggravated homosexuality" is punishable with a death sentence.

Read more on this story:

• Gay Ugandan asks 'Where will I go?' as secret shelters under threat

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Reuters

Campaigns for the Democratic Republic of Congo's election are due to end today, two days before voters go to the polls.

Insecurity, health and education are among key issues that have dominated campaigns as the country gears up for the vote.

It is unclear whether the elections will take place in the restive east where dozens of armed groups are active.

The government is using aircraft from the Congolese army, Egyptian army and UN peacekeeping force Monusco to deploy the remaining election materials, government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said on Sunday.

More than a dozen candidates, including incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi, Nobel laureate Denis Mukwege and prominent opposition leader Moïse Katumbi have been cleared to vie for the presidency.

Human Rights Watch has raised alarm over election-related violence ahead of the vote.

Two parliamentary candidates were killed by unknown gunmen on Sunday as they campaigned for votes.

Read more on the leading candidates:

• Félix Tshisekedi: The man who vowed to make DR Congo the 'Germany of Africa'
• Martin Fayulu: The DR Congo election candidate who refuses to give up
• Moïse Katumbi: Businessman and football boss runs for DR Congo president

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, AFP

Somali forces have taken over the security of the presidential palace and the federal parliament building in the capital, Mogadishu, from the African Union mission in the country (Atmis) after 16 years.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud praised the national army for taking over the security responsibility of the country’s leaders, saying that the move showed the "recovery of the capacity and power" of the country's military, the state-owned Sonna news agency reported.

The takeover comes as Somali forces begin to assume responsibilities for the country's security as Atmis troops, who have been fighting al-Shabab and protecting key government installations since 2007, gradually withdraw.

At least 17,000 AU peacekeepers are expected to exit the Horn of Africa nation by the end of next year.

Image source, Getty Images

Several people are feared dead and dozens of others have been injured in Guinea's capital, Conakry, following an explosion at a fuel depot in the Kaloum neighbourhood.

The explosion occurred in the early hours of Monday - shortly after midnight - and was accompanied by a fire, AFP news agency reports.

Privately-owned Le Courrier de Conakry news website reports that at least four people have died and about 100 others have been injured in the incident.

"Yes, there are deaths and injuries," a senior police officer told Reuters news agency, adding that they were still doing the count.

The country's military authorities have not yet commented on the incident, including whether any deaths have occurred.

Conakry's two main hospitals, Ignace Deen and Donka are inundated with multiple injured patients, AFP reports.

The explosion blew off roofs and windows from buildings in the area, causing significant damage and forcing several to flee.

Kaloum is Conakry's administrative centre where the presidency and most of the ministries are located.

A local resident has told AFP that police have barricaded the port area and firefighters have gone to the site of the explosion.

Sudan's foreign affairs ministry has ordered three Chadian diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours, in retaliation for a similar move by Chad.

Chad's government had on Saturday declared four Sudanese diplomats attached to Sudan's embassy in N'Djamena as "persona non grata" and ordered their exit from the country within 72 hours.

It made the decision after two Sudanese officials accused Chad's government of interfering in the ongoing conflict in Khartoum by supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

"The recurrence of such statements by Sudanese authorities with regards to Chad and its government is simply not acceptable, hostile, and masks a hidden agenda," a spokesperson of Chad's government was quoted as saying in a statement by the Reuters news agency.

Thomas Naadi
BBC News

Vote counting is under way in Chad after polls closed on Sunday in a controversial referendum on a new constitution.

Chadian authorities told the BBC that the voter turnout was "satisfactory" but reports suggest that there was a lack of enthusiasm among voters.

The vote is an important step in the transition to constitutional rule next year but it has been widely seen as an attempt by the military-led government to consolidate power.

It comes after more than a year of brutal crackdowns against pro-democracy protesters.

Some opposition parties and civil society organisations had called for a boycott of the referendum, citing a lack of transparency and fairness in the process.

Provisional results are expected to be announced on 24 December, with the Supreme Court due to validate them four days later.

The proposals are widely expected to be adopted, paving the way for general elections late next year.

Image source, Getty Images

A faction of South Africa's Zulu royal family has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of meddling in the family's affairs and fuelling divisions, days after the president said he would appeal against a court decision invalidating his coronation of Zulu King Misuzulu ka Zwelithini.

Prince Thokozani Zulu, a supporter of the king's half-brother Prince Simakade Zulu, on Sunday told local media that President Ramaphosa's conduct had "foiled any possible attempt to engage" with the new king.

He also accused Mr Ramaphosa of taking sides in the family succession feud.

Prince Simakade and King Misuzulu, who was officially crowned king by President Ramaphosa last year, have been battling for the throne since the 2021 death of their father King Goodwill Zwelithini.

The court ruling has reignited tensions between the family factions aligned to the two, despite the judge stressing that his ruling did not determine the rightful king, but whether the president had followed proper procedures before recognising King Misuzulu as the monarch.

Under South African law, the president gives official recognition to the new king, paving the way for him to be treated like a constitutional monarch and to be funded by the government.

Image source, Kenyan presidency/X

Kenyan President William Ruto says he rejected a demand to arrest politicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo who launched an alliance with rebels in Nairobi on Friday.

It was then that Corneille Nangaa, the former head of DR Congo's electoral body, announced in a hotel in the Kenyan capital that he was creating a political-military alliance with M23 rebels and other armed groups with the aim of restoring peace.

Mr Nangaa was flanked by M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa.

The move sparked an angry response from the Congolese government who warned Kenya of “consequences” for hosting him.

President Ruto, who spoke to Kenyan journalists in an interview on Sunday, said he refused to heed the request to arrest the DR Congo politicians, terming it "undemocratic".

"Kenya is a democracy. We cannot arrest anybody who has issued a statement. We do not arrest people for making statements, we arrest criminals," Mr Ruto added.

On Saturday, the Congolese government summoned the Kenyan ambassador in Kinshasa and also recalled its ambassador to Nairobi for "consultation".

In response, Mr Ruto said it was DR Congo's right to do so, "but I cannot arrest anybody merely because they issued a statement. That is undemocratic, and that is not how Kenya is."

Kenya's foreign ministry earlier said it "strongly disassociates" from DR Congo's internal affairs, adding that it had begun investigating the matter.

DR Congo is gearing up for elections on Wednesday with worsening insecurity in the eastern region, where more than 100 armed groups, including M23, operate.

Our African proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.