BBC News Africa

Sudanese anti-coup protesters have taken to the streets to denounce sexual violence against women, after a university student was allegedly gang-raped by soldiers in the capital, Khartoum, on Monday.

On social media, activists have launched a hashtag that translates from Arabic as "They will not break you" in a show of solidarity with victims of sexual violence.

The rape reportedly took place after security forces fired tear gas into a minibus. It was carrying some people who had earlier been protesting against the military government - angered by last year's coup and the rising cost of living.

Eyewitnesses say as passengers left the vehicle they were beaten and their possessions were stolen.

They say the woman was separated from her travelling companion and then reportedly attacked by eight soldiers.

Residents in the area heard screams and rushed to rescue her.

Several women were raped in protests against the military junta late last year.

The use of sexual violence as a weapon is not new to Sudan. Human rights groups have documented the rape of hundreds of women in the war in Darfur.

Staff at the University of Bahr El-Ghazal in Wau are demanding that six months of unpaid salaries be paid to them, a week after a similar demand by University of Juba employees was seemingly ignored.

Faculty members of both institutions have been staging protests in recent days, and are calling on the government to settle all pay arrears across all five of South Sudan's public universities.

"A hungry man is angry," read one banner carried by University of Bahr El-Ghazal staff during protests on Monday.

A photo of it was shared in solidarity on Facebook by the vice-chancellor of the University of Juba, Prof John Akec:

Prof John Akec/FacebookCopyright: Prof John Akec/Facebook

Meanwhile, the BBC understands that South Sudan's education minister is to call an emergency meeting with leaders of all five public universities on Wednesday to discuss the matter.

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A key suspect in the filmed sexual assault of a diplomat has told a Kenyan court that he tried to flee the country once he saw photos of himself all over social media.

Zachariah Nyaora Obadia appeared in Nairobi's Milimani Law Courts on Tuesday, a day after police arrested him at the Tanzanian border, and will now be detained by police while investigations continue.

The woman he and other men are accused of publicly assaulting on a busy road in Nairobi earlier this month is a UN worker, who has not been named for legal reasons.

Witnesses told local media she was involved in an accident with a motorcycle taxi operator.

"She's traumatised, she’s a foreigner - if it was you [a Kenyan], you would feel the trauma. It must be worse for her, she would need counselling," her lawyer Philip Murgor told the BBC.

"The action taken is long overdue, but it is never too late to do the right thing," Mr Murgor added.

Mr Nyaora, who is a motorcycle taxi operator, was positively identified by his wife and relatives in the outrageous clip that has since gone viral.

That video sparked public outrage and led to President Uhuru Kenyatta ordering a crackdown on motorbike taxi operators and hundreds of arrests.

TwitterCopyright: Twitter

A story about a South African surgeon performing pioneering surgery on a patient with hearing loss has been widely shared on social media - but it is three years old.

In March 2019 Mashudu Tshifularo did successfully perform transplant surgery using ear bones made from 3D-printing technology.

The story was widely covered at that time and also published on the South African government’s website and by the University of Pretoria, where the doctor heads a department on diseases of the ears, nose and throat.

The team operated on a middle-aged male patient whose middle ear had been damaged in a car accident.

The post that recently went viral on Twitter had a link to a live audio conversation, indicating the user may have used the story about the surgeon to promote that.

Some Twitter users replied to the tweet, pointing out that it was old.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Israel has imposed restrictions on Ethiopian pilgrims travelling to the country for the upcoming Easter holiday.

The Israeli authorities said that because of the war in the north of Ethiopia they were worried that many of the visitors would not return home.

Tourist agencies have confirmed to the BBC that Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority had issued a letter to say that Ethiopia Christian pilgrims should apply for permits individually.

The move has been met with criticism from Israeli tour operators.

The head of the Israel Incoming Tour Operators Association is quoted by the Times of Israel as saying it was "severely discriminatory" as it only applied to Ethiopians.

But Israeli authorities defended their decision, saying many tourist groups from Ethiopia have stayed in the country "illegally" in the past few years - something they fear could be exacerbated by the ongoing civil war.

The 16-month-old conflict is continuing to impact millions across the country’s north.

A spokesperson for Ethiopia’s foreign ministry told the BBC that he was not aware of the decision by Israel.

Ethiopia's tourism sector has also been hit hard by the fighting as many of the country’s most-celebrated destinations are unreachable.

One tour operator in Addis Ababa, which works with counterparts in Israel to arrange the pilgrimages, told the BBC that the decision was bad news for his business already suffering from the war and pandemic-related restrictions.

Nappy.coCopyright: Nappy.co

Police in Kenya say they have charged a man with "intent to impersonate", after he admitted trying to sit an exam on behalf of his father.

George Barasa Makokha was arrested at Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School in Busia after staff became suspicious and contacted the police, local media reported on Monday.

Mr Makokha's father was reportedly enrolled as a private candidate at the school where he was scheduled to take a final year exam in English.

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Mozambique must reduce its reliance on imported cereals, the government says, warning that current wheat and fertiliser shortages may result in price rises.

By 2030 Mozambique plans to produce all of its own rice, Agricultural Minister Celso Correia said on Monday.

It is one of several African nations reliant on wheat imports from Ukraine, now struggling as European nation enters its third week of conflict with Russian invaders.

Read more:

• War in Ukraine unleashes 'hell on earth' for food prices
• Oil, students and bread - Africa's links to Ukraine
• Is Nigeria exaggerating its rice production figures?

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Digital and mobile app money lenders in Kenya have been given until the end of September to either apply for an operating licence or cease operations.

The Central Bank of Kenya Governor Peter Njoroge says regulations governing the lenders will be gazetted later this month, meaning all the apps will be regulated by the government.

They've often been accused of predatory behaviour, high interest rates and customer harassment for those who failed to pay the loans on time.

The government has since early 2020 blocked digital lenders from listing defaulters with Credit Reference Bureaus - saying the companies had abused the system.

These lenders are popular in Kenya because of their fast loan processing.

Somalia has appealed for international help to feed about 6.9 million people facing severe food and water shortages.

In a statement, the Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble said the dire situation had already forced half a million Somalis to flee their homes in search of food and water. Many could die unless they got urgent assistance, he warned.

"The drought situation in Somalia needs quick action and urgent humanitarian aid," he added, saying the country is experiencing its worst drought since 2011.

His appeal came hours after state TV reported that three people had died from extreme hunger in south-western Somalia, where a militant blockade has worsened the condition for thousands.

Al-Shabab militants has taken advantage of the humanitarian situation to distribute food and water in regions under its control in the south-west.

Thousands of children reportedly dropped out of school amid the severe drought in Somalia.

The UN warned last year that millions of people across Somalia were facing extreme hunger as a result of worsening drought conditions.

An estimated 13 million people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia are facing food insecurity and water scarcity, according to the UN.

EPACopyright: EPA

A court in Zimbabwe has dismissed a request by New York Times freelancer Jeffrey Moyo to be acquitted of charges of violating immigration rules.

Mr Moyo's lawyers had argued that the prosecution had failed to make its case.

The magistrate in Bulawayo, the second-largest city in Zimbabwe, ruled that the journalist must defend himself against the criminal charges.

Mr Moyo was arrested last May and charged with facilitating the fraudulent entry into Zimbabwe of two colleagues, by providing them with fake media accreditation cards.

The two New York Times journalists, Christina Goldbaum and Joao Silva, were later deported.

Mr Moyo denies the charges and says the media cards were issued by the Zimbabwe Media Commission.

Journalists wanting to practise or cover news stories in Zimbabwe are required to first register with the state media regulator.

The trial will resume on 28 April.

AFPCopyright: AFP

There has been a surge in the killing of civilians in Mali by soldiers and jihadists, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.

The rights body said at least 107 civilians – including traders, village chiefs and children – had been killed in central and south-western Mali since December.

Soldiers have been blamed for at least 71 civilian deaths over the period while jihadists were linked to 36 deaths.

HRW called it a "dramatic spike" and said it needed to the investigated.

Mali's army has in the past been accused of human rights abuses but denied the allegations.

Foreign troops are in the process of exiting the country that is currently run by a military junta that ousted the president in 2020.

Mali's conflict between the army, ethnic militants and jihadists has been going on for a decade.

Thousands have been killed in the conflict.

Ugandan police have arrested a suspected prominent recruiter and coordinator of the Allied Democratic Forces rebel group.

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said Abdallah Kabanda Musa, alias Mogo, was arrested in central Uganda while allegedly plotting attacks against security agencies and prominent individuals.

He said a loaded rifle, 11 mobile phones and a computer storage device with "radical materials" were recovered in a raid on the suspect's home.

The security agencies suspect he was part of the group that coordinated attacks at the central police station in Kampala in November last year.

The attacks prompted the Ugandan army to cross the border into the Democratic Republic of Congo to fight Islamic State (IS)-linked militants.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Kenyans will from Tuesday pay more for fuel as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to affect the price of crude oil and refined products.

The East African country’s petroleum regulator said the price of petrol and diesel will increase by five Kenyan shillings ($0.044: £0.034)

The fuel prices regulator said the price of kerosene, which is used in many poor Kenyan households to cook, “remains unchanged”.

Kenya’s petroleum subsidy programme has kept fuel prices unchanged for four months in a row.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Brent crude oil hit a 14-year high. The price of essential commodities is expected to go up in the East African country.

AFPCopyright: AFP

The authorities in Chad have handed over former Central African Republic (CAR) militia leader to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom was the leader of an anti-Balaka militia and is suspected of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in 2013 and 2014.

His arrest warrant was issued in 2018.

The ICC said Mr Mokom, 43, is suspected of being responsible for extermination, forcible transfer of population, torture, mutilation and enlistment of child soldiers among other crimes.

The Hague-based court said Mr Mokom appearance before a pre-trial chamber will take place in due course, according to a statement.

Violence in CAR started in March 2013 after Muslim rebels, known as Seleka, seized power. Their rule made the Christian rebels to form the opposing anti-Balaka militias.

Thousands were killed and at least a million people displaced in CAR since 2013, according to the UN.

Several leaders from both rebel groups were arrested for crimes committed against civilians.

Chadian soldiers acted as peacekeepers in CAR after the 2013 violence but withdrew after they were accused of siding with the Muslim rebels.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Somalia is likely to miss a deadline to conclude long-delayed parliamentary elections as political disagreements continue in the country.

The federal government had set a deadline of March 15 to complete the polls, but more than 50 seats in the legislature are yet to be filled. This could in turn delay further the election of a new president who is normally selected indirectly by MPs.

Somalia has already missed several deadlines to conclude voting for the lower house of parliament since February last year.

About 220 of the seats in the 275-member chamber have been filled so far. The delays in electing a new parliament and president have thrown the country into a political crisis.

The country has struggled to elect new leaders because of wrangles over the composition of electoral boards and political mistrust between President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmajo" and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble.

President Farmajo, as he’s popularly known, was elected in 2017 but has struggled to fulfil key promises including fighting al-Qaeda linked al-Shabab, which controls many parts of Somalia. He had also pledged to fight corruption, but his critics say much of that has not been achieved.

AFPCopyright: AFP

The security forces in Sudan have fired tear gas at people protesting against sharp rises in the cost of bread and fuel.

Marches have been held across the country. Demonstrators said live bullets were used against them in the south-eastern city of Damazin.

On Sunday, the price of bread increased by more than 40%. The cost of fuel is also soaring.

The United Nations says a third of Sudan's population is already reliant on aid. The situation has deteriorated since last year's coup which led to the suspension of crucial donor funds.

Read more: Sudan protesters: Ready to die for freedom