Alfred Lasteck & Will Ross
BBC News, Dar es Salaam & London

Image source, Getty Images

The Tanzanian government has denied allegations that villagers have been subjected to abuses, including forced evictions, as part of a project to expand a national park in the south of the country.

On Tuesday, the World Bank said it had suspended its funding of a $150m (£120m) tourism project in Ruaha National Park, saying it was deeply concerned about the allegations.

“The Tanzanian government does not violate human rights when implementing all its projects, including this one being funded by the World Bank,” government spokesperson Mobhare Matinyi told state broadcaster TBC.

“What happened is that the World Bank received some reports from civil society organisations that cast some doubts on the project, alleging some human rights violations in the area. The reports are not true."

Known as Resilient Natural Resource Management for Tourism and Growth (Regrow), the project seeks to "improve the management of natural resources and tourism assets" in southern Tanzania, the World Bank previously said.

Mr Matinyi told a local newspaper that the World Bank has so far disbursed $125m (£101m) of its funding for Regrow, which launched in 2017.

Last year, American think-tank Oakland Institute reported that villagers had been raped by rangers and were being evicted from their land because the park was being expanded.

Oakland Institute also pointed to reports, from a Tanzanian MP and a community organisation, that rangers had allegedly killed villagers.

Russ Cook, nicknamed “Hardest Geezer”, crossed the finish line in Tunisia after 352 days on 7 April.

Image source, AFP

The replacement of a senior official in the Zulu monarchy in South Africa has sparked a row with the local Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) provincial government.

The traditional prime minister of the Zulu nation, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, accused the KZN government of terminating the employment of Inyosi Buzetsheni Mdletshe, who is King Misuzulu ka Zwelithini's praise singer and cultural adviser.

The provincial government has denied the allegation as "false reports".

In a statement Mr Buthelezi said Mr Mdletshe was integral to the king's royal duties.

He added that the row was the latest in a series of incidents where the KZN administration has treated King Zwelithini in "a disrespectful manner".

"His Majesty cautions the KZN government that the disdain with which they treat the royal family in general, and his majesty in particular, is an affront to the Zulu nation," Mr Buthelezi said.

The provincial government denied that they had ended Mr Mdletshe's employment prematurely. They said Mr Mdletshe had come to the end of a two-year extended contract and that a new praise singer had succeeded him.

"It would then not be prudent for the provincial government to have two praise singers who are paid by the government from the same budget, so that is where the issue is," the KZN government said in a statement.

The Zulu kingdom is the largest of South Africa's eight traditional monarchies that are officially recognised by the government, all of which are funded by taxpayers.

Ameyu Etana
BBC Afaan Oromoo

A residential building that was under construction in Ethiopia’s capital city has collapsed, killing seven people sleeping in a house next door.

The disaster happened early on Wednesday at around 05:00 local time (02:00 BST) in Addis Ketema, one of the busiest neighbourhood's in Addis Ababa, local media reported.

Nigatu Mamo, a spokesperson for the local authoritie, told the BBC the deceased include children aged four, 11 and 12.

"The victims lost their lives due to lack of air," Mamo added.

Reports say the police have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the collapse.

It is not the first time the area has experienced an incident of this kind - in 2022 at least six people died and seven others were injured after a building fell in Merkato, one of Africa’s biggest open markets.

Experts have said that poor quality structures and weak regulations are likely to have caused the buildings to collapse.

Andrew Kamanga, the president of the Football Association of Zambia, is arrested and charged with money laundering offences.

Seven members of a Muslim family in eastern Uganda have been arrested by the authorities for allegedly assaulting an 18-year-old girl who attended a church service, police are quoted as saying.

The girl was allegedly given 100 lashes with a cane by her uncle while five of her other uncles held her down, the Nile Post news website reported, external.

Footage appearing to show the girl being beaten went viral on social media, eliciting widespread condemnation among Ugandans.

The family has not yet commented.

The girl's uncles were arrested alongside her aunt, who is her primary guardian, police said.

They would remain in custody pending investigations, Samuel Semewo, an acting regional police spokesperson, was quoted as saying by the Daily Express news website., external

It is still unclear what offences they will be charged with, but Mr Semewo told the Nile Post that the alleged actions amounted to assault or torture.

He also told the Daily Monitor newspaper, external the family members "pounced" on the girl "with lashes" and that she was "slowly recovering pending medical examinations".

A local representative of the national Muslim governing body said the alleged assault was "barbaric and inhumane" and not supported by the religion's principles, the Daily Monitor reported.

Several leaders and members of Islamist militant groups in West Africa have been sanctioned by the US for holding American citizens hostage.

They include leaders of the al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Mali-based al-Murabitoun.

“JNIM relies on hostage-taking and wrongful detention of civilians in order to gain leverage and instil fear, creating anguish and misery for the victims and their families,” Treasury official Brian E. Nelson said in a statement.

"Treasury will continue to use all tools at our disposal to hold accountable those who seek to hold our citizens hostage," he added.

The sanctioned militants assisted, sponsored, or supported the kidnapping or wrongful detention of US citizens in West Africa, a statement by the US Treasury said.

The US Treasury and Department of State, which both imposed the sanctions, said "all property and interests in property" held by the targetted individuals in the US were "blocked".

Americans are also banned from transacting with the sanctioned militants, who are from Mali, Algeria, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

The sanctions come as West Africa's troubled Sahel region battles a wave of insurgency from groups linked to both Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Image source, Kenya Railways/X

Flooding in Kenyan capital city Nairobi has "escalated to extreme levels" and local authorities are "clearly overwhelmed", a senator has warned.

Edwin Sifuna, who oversees Nairobi county, raised the alarm on social media platform X while posting footage showing an entire neighbourhood inundated by muddy floodwater, external.

In the clip, residents can be seen trapped on the roof of their house.

Hundreds of others in Nairobi and nearby areas were also marooned by floods following heavy rains overnight.

"We need all national emergency services mobilised to save lives," Mr Sifuna said.

The East African nation has been witnessing heavy rains for weeks.

On Wednesday morning, Kenya Railways said the floods had affected rail lines, making it hard for trains to operate.

The company said safety concerns had compelled it to suspend services.

Major highways, including Mombasa Road and Thika Road, were submerged by floodwater, causing traffic jams during peak hours in the morning.

The busy Namanga Road, heading to the Tanzanian border, was overwhelmed after the nearby Athi River burst its banks on Wednesday morning.

Red Cross Kenya says its response teams are operating in most of the flooded areas, evacuating families to safety and providing other life-saving interventions, external.

Residents of some estates in Nairobi have also been left homeless after their houses were submerged by the raging floods.

The downpours are forecast to continue.

Image source, Kenya Red Cross/X

About 35 people have died since last month in flooding and more than 100,000 affected, according to the UN, which cites Red Cross figures in the most recent update.

Top UN officials have raised the alarm over the UK parliament's approval of a controversial bill that paves the way for asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda.

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, aimed to deter migrants from entering the UK illegally, was passed after months of wrangling ended in a parliamentary showdown on Monday night.

Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, in a joint statement on Tuesday called on the UK government to reconsider its plan.

They warned the policy would have a "harmful impact" on human rights and refugee protection.

Mr Grandi said the arrangement with Rwanda seeks to shift responsibility for refugee protection and that the legislation marks a "breach of the Refugee Convention".

On his part, Mr Turk said it “seriously hinders the rule of law in the UK and sets a perilous precedent globally”.

Charities have also hit out at the scheme, with leading human rights groups describing it as a "breach of international law".

But Rwanda said it was "pleased" by the approval of the bill and "look[s] forward to welcoming those relocated to Kigali".

Rishi Sunak, the UK's prime minister, described the bill as "landmark legislation". He added that flights to Rwanda would take off within 10 to 12 weeks.

Read more on the UK's Rwanda asylum bill:

• What is the UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda?

• UK asylum deal: Is Rwanda a land of safety or fear?

Image source, EPA

Negotiations between the government and striking doctors have collapsed, prolonging the suffering of Kenyans seeking healthcare in public hospitals.

The strike, organised by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), is entering its second month.

The union's grievances include pay disputes and the failure to hire trainee doctors.

KMPDU officials did not turn up to a crucial meeting on Tuesday, called by Kenyan Head of Public Service Felix Koskei following days of negotiations.

After a cabinet meeting chaired by President William Ruto, the government said that the doctors' grievances had been addressed, except for the disagreement on intern doctors' salaries.

The government called the demand to pay intern doctors $1,500 (£1200) "unsustainable". It insisted that it can only pay a $520 monthly stipend to the interns.

The doctors' union rejected the proposed return-to-work offer, saying the contentious issue of internship compensation was non-negotiable.

Mr Koskei accused the doctors of flouting court orders and backtracking on agreements reached during the meetings.

The striking doctors also want the Kenyan government to fully cater for their medical insurance cover, honour agreements on promotions, and improve their working conditions.

Jenny Hill
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, Getty Images

Botswana’s foreign minister has told a South African TV channel that the British government approached his country to ask whether it would be willing to receive migrants deported from the UK.

He didn’t say when the approach was made.

It follows unconfirmed reports earlier this month in the British press that the UK government was seeking to replicate its controversial Rwanda scheme in Botswana, Armenia, Ivory Coast and Costa Rica.

Speaking in a phone interview on Newzroom Afrika, external, Lemogang Kwape said Botswana refused the request. He added that contact was made by Britain's foreign secretary and its minister for Africa through "diplomatic channels".

Mr Kwape said Botswana was unable to accept migrants from Britain because it was dealing with its own immigration issues.

"The British government does not want these people in their country so they want to ferry them to a faraway country….To receive unwanted immigrants from another country while we’re dealing with our own problems in the region would be unfair to Botswana," he said.

Read more:

• What is the UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda and how many could go?, external

Nigerian authorities have closed a high-end school in the capital, Abuja, over alleged bullying incidents involving some of its students, local media reported.

Videos appearing to show students at the Lead British International School assaulting their peers have been circulated on social media.

The videos sparked sharp criticism online and angry parents were seen storming the school.

On Tuesday, the school authorities announced a three-day closure to enable them to probe the matter.

Kabiru Musa, a senior education official, told the Punch news website that the country's Minister of Women Affairs Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye ordered the closure of the school.

In a statement, the school said it was "deeply concerned" about the reported incidents of bullying, pledging to conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter.

The school, established in 2007, offers a British curriculum blended with the Nigerian education system.

It is rated as one of the most expensive schools in Nigeria, according to the local media.

Image source, National Police Service

A five-year-old boy who had been marooned by floods was on Tuesday rescued by a police helicopter in Yatta, about 120km (75 miles) from Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

The boy "had been left behind by his father when the water level started rising," police said.

The International Centre for Humanitarian Affairs, a non-profit, captured the boy's location using drones. The organisation then alerted the police, who sent a rescue helicopter from Nairobi.

An initial attempt to rescue the child by boat had failed due to unfavourable weather conditions, the Kenya Red Cross said.

"The child, visibly shaken by the ordeal after being stranded for quite a long period, was safely rescued and taken to a nearby hospital for care," it added.

Heavy rains have been pounding Kenya and wider East Africa in recent days, triggering severe flooding and widespread devastation.

In Kenya, flooding has occured in 23 of the country's 47 counties, trapping dozens.

More than 188 people have been saved since the onset of the floods, the Kenya Red Cross said on Tuesday.

It added that the flooding has displaced just over 11,200 households, submerged 27,716 acres of land and killed over 4,800 farm animals.

About 35 people have reportedly died since last month in flooding, according to the UN, which cites Red Cross figures in the most recent update.

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Officials say those aboard were returning home to Ethiopia from Yemen and some are still missing.

It follows allegations of evictions and other rights abuses during the expansion of a national park.

The prime minister says it "underscores" the importance of his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

The consumer protection agency has summoned the owner in its investigation into racism allegations.

Uganda appoint Abhay Sharma as head coach of their men's side on a three-year deal before the T20 World Cup.

Parliamentary stand-off ends, opening the way for asylum seekers to be sent to the African country.