Waihiga Mwaura
BBC News, Dakar

Senegal’s President Macky Sall has said that he had no regrets for his attempts to postpone elections that were due to be held last month, sparking deadly protests in the country.

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Sall said that the decision to delay the vote was not taken unilaterally, but was due to electoral concerns raised by members of parliament.

"I have no apology to make, I have done nothing wrong. I am speaking to you as president of the republic. All the actions that have been taken have been within the framework of the law and regulations," President Sall said.

His plans to delay the polls, which led to violent clashes and political tension across the country, were eventually overturned by the country’s top court.

The elections are due to be held on Sunday after a failed bid to push them to December.

Critics had accused the president of trying to extend his stay in power.

But Mr Sall insists that he will not stay a day longer even if Sunday’s vote presents no outright winner.

Last week, the main opposition leader and one of Mr Sall’s fiercest critics Ousmane Sonko and his party’s presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye were released from prison under a presidential amnesty.

President Sall denies that the charges against his rivals were politically motivated.

He is standing down after serving two terms in office.

His ruling coalition party Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) has picked 62-year-old Amadou Ba to run for the presidency.

Read more on Senegal election crisis:

• 'We feel betrayed by President Macky Sall'

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BBC teams report from the devastated capital and hear accounts of rapes and street executions from refugees.

Since conflict broke out in April 2023, it has been almost impossible for international media to report from Sudan. In that time, stories of horrific violence and sexual violence have been told by hundreds of thousands of people who have fled the country.

Feras Kilani, the BBC Arabic special correspondent, has just returned from Sudan, where he got a rare insight into life in the country. Mercy Juma, the BBC Africa correspondent also tells Lyse Doucet about the survivors of ethnic violence and sexual assault she met in Chad, the neighbouring country where hundreds of thousands have fled.

The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists around the world. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory

This episode was made by Richard Moran, Bethan Ashmead-Latham and Alix Pickles. The technical producers were Matt Hewitt and Hannah Montgomery. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Fulham first team coach Luis Boa Morte will leave his role with the Premier League side at the end of the season to take charge of Guinea-Bissau.

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has been accused of corruption while defence minister, which she denies.

Labour will try and reinsert some of the ten amendments to the draft law rejected by MPs on Monday.

Kenyans will now pay a 1.5% of their wages, intended to help build housing for the less well-off.

ADF militants, blamed for a series of deadly attacks, entered Uganda on Saturday, the army says.

Meet Matron Rose Amankwaah, a former medallist at the Commonwealth Games who has spent almost 50 years working for the NHS.

Shamiso Mosaka was removed from a flight by police officers after crew said she was being "abusive".

Authorities say the extreme heat could last for two weeks and bring temperatures of up to 45C (113F).

That's all from BBC Africa Live for now.

We're back on Wednesday, but until then there'll be an automated service here, plus you can get the latest news on our website or listen to our podcasts - Africa Daily and Focus on Africa.

Our African proverb of the day:

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And we leave you with this picture of the Cape Epic MTB race currently taking pace in South Africa:

Image source, EPA

Clients at Ethiopia's biggest commercial bank are being urged to return any money that isn't theirs.

Esther Ogola
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

A bill seeking to decriminalise Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in The Gambia has passed its latest parliamentary stage, known as the second reading.

Though FGM was criminalised in The Gambia in 2015, some seeking to overturn the ban argue that it violates religious freedom and is against the country's cultural practices.

The bill will now go to a committee of MPs for further consideration.

Survivors of FGM and activists had hoped it would be thrown out. They said that not only did the practice cause lifelong damage but it was also against a woman's right to bodily autonomy.

They have also argued that removing the ban on FGM would tarnish The Gambia’s human rights record.

There was a heated debate in parliament but in the end 42 members voted for the bill, four voted against, while one abstained.

Despite the ban being in place since 2015 it was not until convictions in 2023, when several women were jailed for performing FGM, did calls to reverse the ban gain momentum.

According to a recent survey, 73% of women in The Gambia have undergone FGM with 65% of those cut being under the age of five.

If the bill is passed, The Gambia would be the first country to have reversed a ban on FGM.

Azeezat Olaoluwa
BBC News, Lagos

Dozens of people including women and children have been kidnapped in a fresh attack in Nigeria's Kaduna state.

Eyewitnesses said the gunmen attacked Kajuru Station late on Sunday night. They also raided shops and stole food.

Kaduna's police spokesperson confirmed the incident to the BBC but did not say how many people had been taken. Residents have put the figure at more than 80.

This latest incident comes two days after about 15 people were abducted in the same area.

Earlier this month, more than 280 students were taken from the town of Kuriga, also in Kaduna state.

Last week, authorities said they would not pay a ransom for their release.

President Bola Tinubu’s assurances that he would empower the armed forces to tackle crime have come under close scrutiny following the recent wave of abductions.

Red more on Nigeria's kidnap crisis:

• Schoolboy recounts daring escape from bandits

Image source, Reuters

Namibia's magnificent sand dunes have often been a draw for tourists wanting to marvel at their scale, but now the past-time of sandboarding is providing an extra incentive to visit, the Reuters news agency reports.

It says that the seaside town of Swakopmund is seeing a sandboarding boom spurred by the increasing number of cruise ships docking nearby.

A sandboarder stands up or lies down as they speed down the dune, hitting speeds of up to 80kmh (50mph), Reuters says.

Image source, Reuters

"It is one of the best things to do around here," Londoner Aylin Yazan is quoted as saying.

Devon Waters, who helps the tourists get in the boards told Reuters that it has changed him a lot and enabled him to avoid a life of crime.

"It keeps me off the streets because we work here every day. It puts bread on the table," he said.

Image source, Reuters

Ahmed Rouaba
BBC News

Algeria has condemned a plan by Morocco to confiscate the premises of the Algerian embassy in Rabat.

Algeria severed diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2021, accusing Rabat of supporting "terrorist groups" involved in starting wildfires in the country.

Since then there has been a reduced staff at the embassy led by a junior diplomat.

Last Friday, Morocco announced a decision to confiscate properties owned by Algeria including land, houses and offices in Rabat as part of an extension of the premises of its ministry of foreign affairs.

This has sparked anger in Algiers.

"Morocco has entered a new phase in their provocative behaviour towards Algeria," Algeria's foreign ministry said in a statement.

It described the project as "a violation of the respect and the duty to protect diplomatic missions of sovereign states as stipulated in international law and principles".

The Algerian government vowed to respond to "this provocative behaviour with all the means deemed appropriate". It will explore "all legal avenues including within the United Nations to protect its interests".

Morocco is yet to comment.

The two neighbours have been at loggerheads for many years over the status of the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

Teklemariam Bekit
BBC News Tigrinya

Two Eritrean refugees were killed and six others were seriously injured after they were involved in a road accident on Kenya's Nakuru-Eldoret highway.

The refugees were traveling in a minibus-taxi which collided with a stationary truck parked beside the road.

The injured refugees are currently receiving treatment in a hospital.

One survivor told the BBC that the accident happened so suddenly that they could not explain how it occurred and could not see the lorry parked beside the road.

Several of the refugees have broken legs, fractured hands and complain of head pains.

According to a police report, the lorry had developed mechanical problems and was left unattended on the road without any warning signs.

Recently, desperate Eritrean refugees have set off from Ethiopia on a journey southward aiming for Uganda. They can often pay up to $2,000 (£1,600) in order to make the trip.

In December, five Eritreans who were heading to Uganda from Ethiopia were found dead in a boat accident on Kenya's Lake Turkana.

Similarly, last month, four Eritrean refugees were killed in a car accident near Meru, Kenya.

The controversial bill is likely to become law soon but deportation flights won't take off immediately.