Cameroonians are grappling with a fuel price hike as well as soaring food costs.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News

Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi has condemned the violence in Chad following the deadly attack on the headquarters of the National Security Agency (ANSE).

Several people were killed in Wednesday's assault.

Mr Tshisekedi expressed concerns that the developments in Chad “are likely to disrupt the process of political transition", with a presidential election scheduled for 6 May.

Mr Tshisekedi expressed his solidarity with the transitional authorities in the country.

He welcomed their decision for a quick "investigation to shed full light on the events in question with a view to identifying those responsible" and take them to court.

This is the first major reaction outside Chad since the alleged attack, which the government has been blamed on the opposition Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF).

The party denies it, saying its officials were there to look for the body of a member who had been arrested and then killed. It accuses soldiers of opening fire on its members.

It comes amid concerns over the whereabouts of the leader of the party, Yaya Dillo.

There has been tension in the Chadian capital N'djamena, amid heavy gunfire in several areas including the headquarter of the opposition party.

Kyle Zeeman
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, eNCA

Five of the seven men accused of being involved in the murder of South African rapper Kiernan Forbes, popularly known as AKA, and his close friend, celebrity chef and entrepreneur Tebello "Tibz" Motshoane, have made an initial court appearance.

The proceedings, which were broadcast live on several South African TV channels, have now been postponed until next week.

When the five first walked into the dock, they stood looking down with their faces covered.

The prosecutor read out 10 charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

AKA and Motshoane were gunned down outside a restaurant in the coastal city of Durban a year ago. The murder shocked South Africa, which has one of the highest crime rates in the world

Court proceedings were watched on by AKA's father, Tony Forbes, Police Minister Bheki Cele and the province's police commissioner Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

The state asked for a postponement for further investigation.

It said it planned to add two other suspects recently arrested in Eswatini to the case, adding to the delay.

The prosecutor said their extradition process was currently under way. He would not be drawn on when this would likely be concluded, but said it could take a few months.

The five accused did not make any comment in court but their lawyers said they would apply for bail, which the state intends to oppose.

Speaking to the eNCA news channel, Mr Forbes said he had prepared himself to face his son's alleged murderers.

"I want to look them in the eye," he said. "I hope this is the start of a phase where we learn who did this, who commissioned this and the appropriate punishment is given."

Interviewed during a break in court he commented on the suspects having their faces covered. He said "we should be able to see who they are".

The five were later ordered to remove their face coverings.

More on this story:

• Seven suspects arrested for South African rapper's killing
• The murdered rapper from South Africa 'destined for greatness'

Image source, Kyambogo University/X

Torrential rains in Uganda have felled one of the country's oldest and most historic trees.

The tree was believed to be more than 150 years old and was located in modern-day Kyambogo University, about eight kilometres (five miles) east of the capital, Kampala.

It fell during heavy rains on Monday night, the university shared on X, external, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.

It is believed that the tree was located next to the palace of Kabaka Muteesa I, the 30th monarch of the Buganda kingdom, East Africa's largest traditional monarchy.

The king's guests would often await or meet him under the shade of the majestic Canarium tree, known locally as Omuwafu.

It is believed that the first Europeans to enter Uganda - explorers James Augustus Grant and John Hanning Speke - sat under the tree as they waited to meet King Muteesa I in 1862.

It is also believed that King Muteesa I and Welsh-born American explorer Henry Morton Stanley sat under the tree in 1875 to write a letter to the Queen of England, inviting missionary teachers to the kingdom.

Most recently, the university said "the tree has been providing shade to students during discussion time and cultural meetings...as well as yielding edible fruits known as Empafu".

Image source, Reuters

Trade unions in Guinea have called off a nationwide protest after the government fulfilled one of their key demands by releasing detained press union leader, Sekou Jamal Pendessa.

Mr Pendessa was jailed last month for protesting against the restrictions imposed by the ruling military junta, including internet limitations and the blocking of radio and TV channels.

The country's unions umbrella group, the Guinean Trade Union Movement, said on Wednesday that it would be resuming negotiations over its remaining demands with the transitional government.

Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah, who was sworn in on Tuesday, had asked the unions to suspend the strike and promised to address their concerns.

The unions are demanding the reduction of food prices amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis as well as the end of restrictions.

Guinea has been under military rule since a coup in September 2021 and is expected to hold elections to restore democratic rule in 10 months.

Image source, AFP

South Africa’s provincial government in KwaZulu-Natal has announced plans to build a new palace for the Zulu monarch King Misuzulu kaZwelithini

The KwaZulu-Natal premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube made the announcement during her State of the Province Address on Wednesday.

The plan for a new palace is in line with Zulu customs that dictate that the king’s residence should not be in his late father’s palace, local media report.

Ms Dube-Ncube in her speech said she was encouraged by the cordial relations between her government and the Zulu king.

“In consultation with His Majesty, we are finalising plans to build a new palace for the king in Nongoma,” she said.

She added that the government would continue to “provide administrative and logistical support” to the reigning king, just as it did with the late monarch.

It comes amid a continued legal dispute challenging the king’s legitimacy.

In December, a court ruled that President Cyril Ramaphosa's official crowning of the new Zulu king was "unlawful and invalid".

It ordered an inquiry into whether the king’s accession to the throne was in line with customary laws.

More on the Zulu monarchy:

• The pomp and celebrations as new Zulu king crowned
• Zulu royals and rebels - the fight for the throne
• Death of a Zulu king: 'He is planted, not buried'

Iwájú is a coming of age story set in a futuristic version of Lagos.

Barbara Plett Usher
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

The UK's Minister for the Armed Forces has offered to personally meet the family of a Kenyan woman allegedly murdered more than a decade ago by a British soldier.

James Heappey told the BBC he "absolutely" understood the pain of the relatives of Agnes Wanjiru, whose body was discovered in 2012 in a septic tank near a British military base in Nanyuki, central Kenya.

Speaking to the BBC during a visit to the country, he said: "I absolutely understand their pain...I am happy to meet and discuss and sympathise and understand as best I can".

During an earlier visit to Kenya, Mr Heappey had suggested a meeting between British officials and Ms Wanjiru's family, but none has since taken place.

In October last year the family wrote an open letter to King Charles saying “British officials don’t seem to care” about the case, and asked the monarch for a visit during his trip to the country.

The author of the letter, Ms Wanjiru’s niece Esther Njoki, welcomed Mr Heappey’s offer with “a warm heart” and said she hoped that “justice would be served and prevail this year”.

“It’s been 12 years of pain…and frustration,” she told the BBC. “Every time they come, they promise, but their promises, they are unkept… And we are worried that time is really moving and nothing has been done.”

The minister told the BBC that Kenya had not formally asked for the extradition of suspects, but the UK would support any requests that are made “up to and including charging and an extradition”.

Seven years after Ms Wanjiru's death, a Kenyan inquest concluded that she had been murdered by one or two British soldiers.

Following reports of an alleged cover-up, Kenya's Department of Criminal Investigations opened an inquiry, but has yet to charge anyone.

Mr Heappey said he sympathised with the family's anger at how long the process is taking.

But he clarified that any meeting would not be about accepting culpability on behalf of the UK while the legal investigation continued.

Image source, Getty Images

The United States has said it is “deeply troubled” by the passing in Ghana of a stringent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, which it says threatens constitutional freedoms.

“The bill would also undermine Ghana’s valuable public health, media and civic spaces, and economy,” the US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

It has called for the “review of the constitutionality of the bill”.

The new bill passed on Wednesday imposes a prison sentence of up to three years for anyone convicted of identifying as LGBTQ+. It also imposes a maximum five-year jail term for forming or funding LGBTQ+ groups.

The passing of the bill has been criticised by rights organisations and other groups.

Rightify Ghana strongly condemned “this regressive legislation, which poses a grave threat to the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ+ individuals in the country”.

UNAids executive director Winnie Byanyima said the bill, if it becomes law, could incite violence by Ghanaians against their fellow citizens.

She said that it will “obstruct access to life-saving services, undercut social protection, and jeopardise Ghana's development success".

The bill will be presented to President Nana Akufo-Addo after which he’ll have seven days to notify the speaker of parliament whether he assents to the bill or not, according to Ghana’s constitution.

Should he refuse, he then has 14 days to give reasons why, including provisions which in his view should be reconsidered by parliament.

Nkechi Ogbonna
West Africa business journalist, BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Two senior executives from the global cryptocurrency exchange platform Binance have been in Nigeria over allegations of “fixing the country’s exchange rate”.

The executives arrived in Nigeria to discuss the suspension of the trading platform with Nigerian authorities. The pair were detained on Wednesday.

Bayo Onanuga, the presidential spokesman, accused the Binance of fixing the country’s exchange rates and assuming the role of the central bank, in an interview with local media on Wednesday.

“If we don’t clamp down on Binance, [it] will destroy the economy of this country. They just fix the rate,” he added.

The country’s Central Bank Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, said that about $26bn (£20bn) had passed through Binance Nigeria in cryptocurrency trades through “sources and users who we cannot adequately identify” on Tuesday.

Binance officials are yet to respond to the claims.

Last December, Nigerian authorities lifted a two-year ban imposed on cryptocurrency transactions over what they described as money laundering and terrorism financing risks posed by cryptocurrency in the country.

This government's clampdown on Binance is among the measures it believes would save the local naira currency, which has depreciated by almost 70% in the last eight months.

Makuochi Okafor
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

At least 17 schoolchildren across five schools in Nigeria's north-eastern Yobe state have died after an outbreak of meningitis, authorities have confirmed.

Among the deceased are students in primary schools and others in boarding secondary schools, the state commissioner for education, Mohammed Sani-Idris, told the BBC.

A total of 473 suspected cases have been recorded so far, he said.

Meningitis is an infection which causes an acute inflammation of the outer layers of the brain and spinal cord. It can be life-threatening unless diagnosed and treated early.

Vaccination is an effective way of preventing meningitis.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had earlier in the year put out a public health advisory on the disease.

It highlighted that the dry season could “increase the risk of infection, especially with crowding and poor ventilation”.

Most cases of the disease in Nigeria are reported in what has been termed the "Meningitis Belt," which covers all 19 states in the northern region.

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The battle to keep the peace between people and elephants in northern Botswana. The earth’s largest land mammal, the elephant, is an endangered species. Poaching, habitat loss and disease have decimated elephant populations. But not in Botswana, which has the world’s biggest population of elephants. In the north of the country, in the area around the remarkable Okavango Delta (the world’s largest inland delta), elephant numbers are growing and they outnumber people. This can pose serious problems for the human population, particularly local subsistence farmers. A crop raid by elephants can destroy a family’s annual food supply overnight. Elephants also pose a risk to life in their daily commute between their feeding grounds and their water sources. John Murphy travels to the top of the Okavango Delta, to see what efforts are being made to keep both people and elephants safe, and to persuade locals that these giant animals are an asset not a liability. He also explores threats from further afield to this green jewel in the desert, the Okavango Delta, which animals and people alike depend on.

Several people were killed in the attack, the government says, blaming an opposition party.

More than 50 correspondents and presenters urge Israel and Egypt to allow them to enter Gaza.

Dominic Ongwen was convicted of crimes including rape, kidnapping and murder by the ICC.

Lawmakers approve a tough new bill, but rights groups say it threatens basic freedoms.

Historic series Iwájú presents a futuristic version of Lagos but where inequalities still persist.

Mamadou Oury Bah, who is due to set up a new government, says he will work to alleviate hardships.

President Bola Tinubu says the levy should not be used to frustrate potential investors.