Africa

The leader of a Kenyan cult accused of encouraging his followers to starve themselves to death will be charged over a further 52 deaths at another village, prosecutors say. Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie was arrested in 2023 after 429 bodies, including children, were dug up from mass graves in the …

The United Nations says it is gravely concerned after a senior military leader in South Sudan urged his troops to “spare no-one” including “children, the elderly, and civilians” when they are deployed to opposition-held areas of the country. “Inflammatory rhetoric calling for violence against civilians, including the most vulnerable, is …

Uganda’s military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba has denied claims that soldiers assaulted Barbara Kyagulanyi, the wife of opposition leader Bobi Wine, during a raid at their home. Wine, who is in hiding, alleged on Saturday that his wife was held at gunpoint by military officers who assaulted her, taking away documents …

EPA/Shutterstock Tens of thousands of people in Mozambique are being rescued as rising waters continue to devastate the southern African nation – the worst flooding in a generation. Teams from Brazil, South Africa and the UK have been helping with life-saving rescue operations. “For me, this is the first time …

Mohamed Mohamed OsmanBBC World Service, El-Obeid, Sudan BBC Twins Makarem (left) and Ikram were in separate classrooms when the shelling began It had been a normal day for 18-year-old twins Makarem and Ikram when their school came under fire. Makarem was in an English literature class and Ikram was in …

The head of South Sudan’s armed forces has given soldiers seven days to “crush the rebellion” in the east that is a potential threat to the capital, Juba. Recently, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) has attacked and captured several areas in Jonglei state, a local journalist told …

Nigeria’s hopes of Olympic basketball success could receive a boost, with Orlando Magic’s Desmond Bane saying he wants to “make something happen” and recruit fellow NBA stars to D’Tigers’ cause. Bane is officially listed as American by the NBA but has Nigerian heritage and is yet to represent any nation …

Afcon has often provided a shop window for players to secure potentially life-changing, lucrative transfers. “We are the luckiest [generation] because the youngest, they’re going to wait every four years to play an Afcon,” Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore, who featured in his sixth Afcon in Morocco, told BBC Sport …

Ugandan police have detained a lawmaker, and close ally of opposition leader Bobi Wine, for his alleged role in election-related violence last week. Muwanga Kivumbi, a deputy leader of Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP), is accused of organising attacks on a police station and a vote-tallying centre after their electoral …

Military authorities in coup-prone Guinea-Bissau have scheduled presidential and legislative elections for 6 December, despite calls for a swifter transition to civilian rule. Transitional President Horta N’Tam signed a decree on Wednesday after meeting members of the National Transitional Council, military, and government officials, as well as representatives of the …

South Africa’s Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has said that the security forces are not yet able to defeat deadly criminal gangs, in a stark admission that underscores the scale of the country’s crime crisis. Gang violence, alongside robberies, accounts for many murders in South Africa, which has one of the …

The internet was shut during the general election, leaving many people without any income – or entertainment. BBC News

The health of detained veteran Ugandan opposition figure Kizza Besigye has “reached a critical and deteriorating state,” his party says, after he was taken overnight to a medical facility in the capital, Kampala. The 69-year-old politician was driven to a private medical facility under “heavy security,” the People’s Front for …

Malawi’s energy regulator has hiked petrol and diesel prices by more than 40%, marking the second time fuel costs gone up in four months. In a statement on Tuesday, the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) said the fixed pricing system of the previous government was “unsustainable” and had led to …

Thousands of Senegal fans join the parade to celebrate Afcon champions on their return home. BBC News

Togo has arrested and extradited Burkina Faso’s former leader to his home country, after authorities in Ouagadougou accused him of plotting to kill his successor. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba – who came to power in a coup in 2022 before himself being overthrown by Ibrahim Traoré eight months later – is …

Police in Nigeria have made one arrest as they investigate the death at 22 of popular singer Destiny Boy, whose real name was Afeez Adesina. Ogun state police’s homicide section is dealing with the case, it said in a brief statement. News of Destiny Boy’s death emerged on Sunday, sparking …

Andrew GiftBBC Africa, Sagamu BBC Adeniyi Kayode wore all black for his court appearance on Tuesday A chauffer who was driving Anthony Joshua when their car crashed killing two of the boxer’s friends has appeared in a court in Nigeria. Adeniyi Kayode, 46, was previously charged with four crimes, including …

Uganda’s opposition leader Bobi Wine has told the BBC he will not contest the results of Thursday’s election in court, citing a lack of confidence in the judiciary and has instead urged his supporters to take to the streets to peacefully protest. Speaking to the BBC from hiding, he said …

Molara Wood Renowned Nigerian master wood carver Kasali Akangbe Ogun has been buried following his death last week after a brief illness. He came from a long line of wood carvers from the Yoruba people, and took the tradition from his birthplace of Osogbo in the country’s south-west to the …