Image source, Getty Images

The number of women and girls undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) has risen by 15% in the past eight years, according to the UN’s children’s agency Unicef, external.

There are now 230 million women and girls around the world who have been subjected to genital cutting, says Unicef, which is 30 million more than the previous data.

Most of these are in Africa, with more than 144 million cases, followed by Asia (80 million) and Middle East (six million).

Around 40% girls and women who have undergone female genital mutilation live in countries affected by conflict or instability, including Ethiopia, Nigeria and Sudan.

But Unicef also says that there has been a progressive decline in others.

Some of the countries where FGM cases have declined are Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Kenya.

However, Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti and Mali still have high numbers, with at least 89% of the women there between 15 and 49 years having undergone the cut.

"We're also seeing a worrying trend that more girls are subjected to the practice at younger ages, many before their fifth birthday," Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell says.

Image source, Getty Images

Animal authorities in Uganda have reportedly banned the sale of meat in the capital, Kampala, as part of restrictions to curb an outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease, which affects animals.

"Movement of cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and their products and by-products from, to, through and within Kampala Capital City Authority, Kampala District, is prohibited until further notice," the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries said in a letter cited by several local media.

"Livestock markets, slaughter places, including butcheries, loading grounds and animal shows in the entire district is hereby closed with immediate effect."

The letter is dated 1 March but was received by Kampala authorities on Thursday, privately owned Daily Monitor newspaper reports.

A city official told the newspaper that they will work with other agencies to enforce the quarantine measures, but local media say butcheries in the city are still operational.

Highly infectious, foot-and-mouth disease causes fever and painful blisters inside the mouth and under the hooves - and can be fatal for young animals.

Wazir Khamsin
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

The world's largest cryptocurrency firm, Binance, has begun stopping all transactions using Nigeria's local currency - as a dispute continues with the authorities.

The Nigerian government has accused the company of causing the naira to lose value, by manipulating foreign exchange rates.

The central bank governor has also claimed that cryptocurrency firms are being used for money laundering.

Last week officials demanded almost $10bn (£8bn) in compensation from Binance.

With the weakening of the naira, many Nigerians see crypto exchanges as a way to protect their savings.

More on this topic:

• Nigeria orders Binance to pay $10bn
• Why Nigeria is a global leader in Bitcoin trade
• What is cryptocurrency and how does it work?

Image source, Ghana Ministry of Finance

Tributes are being paid to Ghana's Deputy Finance Minister John Kumah, who died of an undisclosed illness on Thursday.

He was aged 45.

Kumah died in the company of his doctor while an ambulance was taking him from Ejisu - the constituency where was MP - to the capital, Accra, about 235km (146 miles) away.

"We decided this morning to take him to Accra so that he takes the next available flight to continue his treatment in Germany," Kumah's spokesperson, Bismarck Owusu Twumasi, told Ghana's Citi FM radio station on Thursday, external.

"Unfortunately he was not fit enough to board the plane so we decided to take [an] ambulance and take him to Accra," Mr Twumasi added.

Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has led the country in paying tributes to Mr Kumah.

"His warmth, humility, and genuine concern for others endeared him to me and to all who crossed his path," President Akufo-Addo said on X.

The president also highlighted Kumah's "unwavering dedication to service, his tireless commitment to the betterment of our nation, and his profound passion for uplifting the lives of the people of Ejisu and Ghana".

Mr Twumasi said Kumah's demise was a loss to his constituents.

Kumah was also a lawyer, preacher and entrepreneur.

He is survived by a wife and six children.

As the 13th African Games begin in Ghana, BBC Sport Africa speaks to stars and key figures about the event’s potentially uncertain future.

Armand Mouko
BBC Afrique

Image source, AFP

Senegal's national electoral commission says there's no cause for alarm over its preparedness to conduct the presidential election on 24 March.

It's been a joyful mood in Senegal as the government finally fixed a day for the delayed presidential election.

But there are concerns the electoral commission may not have enough time.

The commission has assured Senegalese that they have nothing to worry about, with an official telling the BBC that they are not under any pressure.

The official said electoral materials had already been sent to the regional offices and their teams mobilised before elections were postponed early last month.

The move to hold elections before 2 April, when the mandate of President Macky Sall comes to an end, ends the crisis that divided the country and led to protests for weeks.

Prior to Wednesday's announcement, authorities had attempted to postpone the original 25 February poll to December, which resulted in the political crisis.

Image source, Ghana National Democratic Congress/X

Ghana's main opposition party National Democratic Congress (NDC) has selected a former education minister as the running mate for its presidential candidate John Mahama in December polls.

Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, 72, was Ghana's education minister between 2013 and 2017.

She is also the first female vice-chancellor of a public university in the West African country.

NDC said in a statement , externalthat Prof Opoku-Agyemang is "a trailblazer for women in leadership across Ghana".

"Her nomination underscores the NDC's unwavering commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and the empowerment of women in leadership roles," the party added.

Prof Opoku-Agyemang previously partnered with Mr Mahama, a former president, in the 2020 presidential polls, but the pair failed to stop current President Nana Akufo-Addo's bid for a second term.

Her selection in 2020 made history as it was the first time a major political party in Ghana chose a female vice-presidential candidate.

If elected, she will make history as Ghana's first female vice-president.

A Nigerian Air Force trainer aircraft was involved in a “minor mishap” but two pilots came out of the crash unharmed, the air force said.

It happened near a military airfield in the northern Kaduna state at 14:35 local time (13:45 GMT).

The pilots had been returning from a routine training flight, the air force said.

"Luckily both pilots came out of the crash unscathed," the air force spokesman, Edward Gabkwet, said in a statement.

No further details were provided.

The air force has ordered an investigation to determine the immediate cause of the crash.

Nigeria has suffered a number of military air crashes in recent years.

In 2021, Nigeria's army chief Ibrahim Attahiru was killed in a plane crash in Kaduna.

Image source, AFP

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has denied reports that it has signed a military co-operation agreement with Russia.

"There is, to date, no military co-operation agreement signed recently between Russia and the Democratic Republic of Congo," the ministry of communication and media said in a statement , externalon Thursday.

The denial follows an article published by Russian state-owned news agency TASS , externalon Tuesday, which said that Russia’s government had approved a draft military co-operation agreement with DR Congo.

TASS, citing a government document, reported that the agreement entailed joint drills and exercises, military training and "visits by warships and warplanes at an invitation or request".

DR Congo says the draft agreement in question was initiated by the two countries in 1999, but is yet to be signed.

"Currently, there is no bilateral discussion between the two parties for the effective implementation of this draft agreement. Under current conditions, the Democratic Republic of Congo is not considering any either," the communications ministry added.

Russia has been boosting its military deals with African countries as it seeks to extend its political influence on the continent.

Through the Wagner mercenary group, Russia has been providing military assistance to the Central African Republic and the junta-led governments of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

Read more:

• Wagner in Africa: How the Russian mercenary group has rebranded
• Russia-Africa summit: Putin seeks to extend influence

Nada Tawfik
BBC News

Image source, AFP

The UN Secretary General has called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan.

After nearly a year of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Antonio Guterres urged the warring parties to halt hostilities during the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

His appeal comes as UN Security Council members are negotiating a British draft resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access - which could be voted on as soon as Friday.

The UN Secretary General said a cessation of hostilities must lead to a definitive silencing of the guns - and set out a firm path towards lasting peace.

He warned that the humanitarian crisis in Sudan was reaching colossal proportions and that the human rights situation continued to spiral out of control.

After nearly a year, at least 14,000 people have been killed.

The war risks triggering the world's largest hunger crisis, with reports of children dying from malnutrition - and it is already the biggest displacement crisis on earth.

Image source, Getty Images

South African music star Tyla has cancelled her highly-awaited debut world tour two weeks before it was due to begin, citing an injury.

"For the past year I've been silently suffering with an injury that has tragically worsened," she shared on Instagram on Thursday, without disclosing the nature of the injury.

"I've seen doctors and specialists with high hopes but the pain has only become more agonising as has the severity of the situation," she added.

Tyla, who last month won a Grammy for her viral hit Water, was scheduled to begin her tour on 21 March in Norway's capital, Oslo.

But she said in her post that "continuing any festival or tour dates would jeopardise my long-term health and safety".

The injury has also forced her to cancel her planned April appearance at the Coachella music festival, US media report.

She added that those who bought her concert tickets in North America will be refunded, while her tour dates in UK and Europe will be rescheduled.

Read more about Tyla:

• BBC Sound of 2024: South Africa's Tyla says 'people are not ready' for debut album
• Tyla’s racial identity: South African singer sparks culture war

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A selection of the best photos from across the African continent this week.

Fredrick Omungu opened his business in the morning to discover the animal hiding under the counter.

Kelly Smith appears in court on trafficking charges following the disappearance of her six-year-old.

There have been widespread protests since the president postponed the election last month.

Niger's army chief says it will be operational as soon as possible, without giving details of its size.

People in Francis Ngannou's hometown in Cameroon, Batie, are confident their man can beat Anthony Joshua when the two fight in Saudi Arabia.

The country is demanding that the US lifts the new measures against President Mnangagwa and others.

As Anthony Joshua prepares to face Cameroon's Francis Ngannou, the Nigerian town of Sagamu will be rooting for the man it sees as its own.