Across Africa in five minutes

Ghana

The president’s plans for a cathedral in Ghana costing $200m (£144m) have come under fire in a week when thousands have been protesting against economic hardship and saying the money could be better spent elsewhere.

A board member of the national cathedral project defended President Nana Akufo-Addo, saying the plan was intended to unify Ghanaians.

Ethiopia

A UN expert has urged all armed groups in Ethiopia’s Tigray region to take steps to protect Eritrean refugees.

Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker, the special rapporteur for human rights in Eritrea, said there were credible reports that government forces and their allies as well as the Tigray rebels had committed grave human rights abuses.

“Eritrean refugees have been singled out, targeted and victimised by both sides for their perceived collaboration with the other side in the conflict,” he said.

Mozambique

A new boss is taking over the running of Mozambique’s Ndlavela Women’s Penitentiary, where it was found that inmates there had been forced into prostitution. Herminia Nhamuze was sworn in as the new director, replacing Albertina Dimande.

She had been removed in June during investigations into the allegations first exposed by an anti-corruption organisation.

Ethiopia

One hundred trucks of food and medicines a day are needed in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray to save lives, the UN’s emergency relief coordinator says.

Speaking in Geneva on his return from Ethiopia, Martin Griffiths said a humanitarian ceasefire was a glaring necessity in order to allow aid deliveries into the warring region.

The UN estimates that 5.2 million people, or 90% of Tigray population, are in need.

Tanzania

The trial of Tanzania’s opposition leader Freeman Mbowe has been postponed until next Friday. His party Chadema told the BBC that the case has been pushed after the Director of Public Prosecutions sought to have the case handled by a higher court.

Mr Mbowe and three of his co-accused were taken back into remand custody after their brief appearance at a court in Dar es Salaam.

Egypt

An Egyptian army propaganda video appears to show troops carrying out extrajudicial killings, human rights campaign group Amnesty International says. The army posted the images on social media earlier this week in an update on its war against militants in the Sinai peninsula.

Amnesty says it has analysed the footage, and it includes a scene in which a soldier shoots a person who is asleep in a makeshift tent.

Sudan

A Sudanese court has sentenced six members of a paramilitary group to death for killing protesters during the 2019 demonstrations over fuel and food shortages. The shooting of the six protesters, who included four schoolchildren, sparked days over violent protests across Sudan.

Issuing the sentence, Judge Ahmed Hassan al-Rahma said the six members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) used unnecessary and excessive force during the July 2019 protests.

Tunisia

Tunisian President Kais Saied has sacked more regional governors, as he continues to implement a range of exceptional measures. The senior officials in Monastir, Medenine and Zaghouan were all dismissed.

This followed the recent sacking of the governor of Sfax. Late last month, the president sacked Tunisia’s Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspended parliament.

Burkina Faso

Suspected jihadists in Burkina Faso have killed 30 people in the north of the country, officials say.

Armed men targeted villages near the border with Niger on Wednesday, before opening fire on security forces who responded to the raids. Eleven civilians are among the dead.

Uganda

Uganda’s foreign ministry has said it was not informed that Kenya’s deputy president was planning a visit earlier this week. There has been confusion over why Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto was stopped from flying out of Kenya to Uganda on Monday.

Kenyan immigration officials said he needed clearance from the president, but Mr Ruto said this wasn’t the case and he was travelling in a personal capacity.

South Africa

South Africa’s jailed former President Jacob Zuma has been admitted to hospital, less than a week before he is due in court on further charges of corruption.

The South African prison department said a routine examination at the jail in Kwazulu Natal, where Mr Zuma is being held, prompted the authorities to take him to a hospital outside the prison

Nigeria

The Nigerian military says it has killed at least 78 gunmen belonging to what it calls criminal gangs during an aerial bombardment of their hideouts in the north-west of the country. Many fighters were killed as they tried to escape the air strikes on motorbikes, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet said.

In recent weeks the Nigerian security forces have intensified operations against these armed networks of sophisticated criminals.

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