Africa Live: DR Congo legal warning to Apple is 'first move' - lawyer

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. To keep up with news from the continent, visit the BBC Africa webpage.

And if audio is your thing, have a listen to the BBC's Focus on Africa and Africa Daily podcasts.

A reminder of Friday's wise words:

Quote Message: Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together." from An Ashanti proverb sent by Frank Osei Kwabena Asamoah in Obuasi, Ghana

Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together."

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo of children at Friday's Earth Day marathon in Cairo, Egypt.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Ayra Starr has said she is "prepared" for any criticism over her decision to open for US musician Chris Brown on his upcoming US tour.

Chris Brown's violent assault on his then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009 became one of the biggest news stories of that year.

Brown received five years' probation and a community service order for the assault.

When asked if she is aware that she may be criticised for touring with Brown because of said assault, Starr told the BBC's Focus on Africa podcast: "I'm prepared, I'm ready... I won't respond, I'll let people do their thing and I'm just going to work."

"Rihanna is my queen but I try to, like, separate my work".

Starr, who has rapidly become one of Africa's most popular musicians, said Rihanna is her "number one" and she would like to collaborate with the Barbados-born icon "by God's grace".

Starr recently finished recording her second album, The Year I Turned 21.

Listen to the full Focus on Africa episode here.

MVLCOLMCopyright: MVLCOLM

When Mozambican DJ and super-producer Tarico came up with a particularly energetic beat one day, he couldn’t have predicted how it would change his life and that of his two friends.

One of those friends, songwriter and vocalist Nelson Tivane, came up with the lyric "Yaba Buluku", inspired by the sound of coins jangling in a pocket

The other friend, Preck, belted out that lyric with his gravelly, powerful voice. It was an instant hit.

"After we concluded the song we went to a rural zone and we put a car with a big sound there, and we connected the song on the car and we saw many people dancing and ask ‘who is the owner of this song?’ Then we knew this song was going to be big!"Tarico recalls, chuckling.

None other than the African Giant, Burna Boy, realised the strength of Yaba Buluku and jumped on the remix, a move which had a massive impact on Tarico, Tivane and Preck.

"We were travelling all over Africa. Too many big artists were asking us for features. People started to know our face outside of Mozambique. We became internationals," says Nelson.

"And money! I bought a car, land and a house for my mother," adds Preck.

Now calling themselves Yaba Buluku Boyz, the trio dropped their first album, Donsa, on Friday.

Like the original hit, it is high-energy, danceable amapiano, and features big African names including Ghana’s dancehall king Shatta Wale, Timaya from Nigeria and Harmonize from Tanzania.

"Music for us is coming out naturally, it’s an organic thing," says Tivane,

"When Tarico is done with the beat, he shows the boys and we start to exchange ideas. When we get to the studio, it is magical, we feel the energy. I love all the songs on the album."

To hear the Yaba Buluku Boyz in conversation listen to This is Africa on BBC World Service radio and partner stations across Africa, and online here.

Read more about music from across Africa:

• Success allows me to explore my African roots, Akon says
• Angélique Kidjo on being hangry and Africa's tsunami of talent
• Cameroonian singer Mr Leo on finding the 'power of our voice'

BBC Africa DailyCopyright: BBC Africa Daily

A former police officer who helped suppress dissent during South Africa's apartheid era told the BBC youngsters like him were "basically brainwashed".

Lourens Groenewald spoke to the BBC's Africa Daily podcast ahead of the 30th anniversary of the fall apartheid, which takes place this Saturday.

Racial segregation was formalised by the National Party when it took over in 1948, introducing a variety of laws that made the black population second-class citizens.

But over the years, there was fierce resistance to the regime. Thousands of dissenters died, while leading political activists like Nelson Mandela and Robert Sobukwe were incarcerated.

Explaining why he joined the notorious police force, Mr Groenewald said: "We were young people, teenagers. We were basically brainwashed concerning racism, being a patriot for your nation and your people. That’s what we believed in,"

Sandile Swana, an activist operating in the township of Soweto, spoke about the views he himself held during those years: "My feeling towards white South Africans were that they were the principal obstacle that had to be removed on my path to self-realisation."

Apartheid officially came to an end when millions of people voted in the country’s very first democratic election on the 27 April 1994. While Mr Swana was initially excited about freedom, he is now disillusioned. "My children face terrible odds. There’s absolutely nothing [jobs-wise] for graduates."

• Listen to the full Africa Daily podcast here

AFPCopyright: AFP

Residents of Sierra Leone have described their frustration at the blackouts which have plagued the country in recent weeks.

The power cuts, which have hit cities including the capital, Freetown, have disrupted hospitals and daily life for many.

Fatmata Gassim, a second-year engineering student in Freetown, told the What in the World podcast: “There are so many things wrong with [Sierra Leone], especially electricity. Like you wake up one morning and poof, there is no [electricity]."

Ms Gassim, 19, is particularly frustrated as she relies completely on internet connectivity to study.

Most of Freetown’s power comes from a Turkish ship floating off the country’s coast. It has massively reduced electricity supply to the city - from 60 megawatts to 6 megawatts - because of unpaid bills.

Karpowership is one of the world's biggest floating power plant operators, with several African states relying on it for electricity.

Ms Gassim said the blackouts were affecting countless aspects of her life.

"How do you iron your clothes, how do you make your food, how do you go to sleep? We pay our electricity bills so I don’t see why we should be forced to live like this,” she said.

Some other Freetown-dwellers told the BBC they were experiencing a power cut which had lasted for five days in a row.

They have had to rely on generators, go to neighbours’ houses for their electricity needs or just sit in the dark.

In other cities, like Bo and Kenema, residents are able to access some power, but still less than normal.

A filmmaker told the podcast he had been forced to use his laptop, with its relatively small screen, to edit his work, rather than use his usual desktop computer. The desktop keeps turning off or using up fuel from his generator.

Businesses like barbers, hotels and restaurants are also relying on generators, which heavily impacts their running costs.

Listen to What in the World - a podcast helping you make sense of what is happening around the globe - here.

The UN Human Rights Office has said it is "concerned" about authorities in Burkina Faso suspending broadcasts from the BBC and Voice of America.

As we mentioned earlier, the Burkinabè media regulator banned the platforms for a fortnight after they both covered a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report that accused the Burkina Faso army of massacring civilians.

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Marta Hurtado said in a statement: "Restrictions on media freedom and civic space must stop immediately. Freedom of expression including the right of access to information is crucial in any society, and even more so in the context of the transition in Burkina Faso."

The African Union (AU) has expressed "deep concern" about "escalating tensions between local communities" in a disputed area of northern Ethiopia.

More than 50,000 people have been displaced by this month's clashes in Alamata Town, Raya Alamata, Zata and Ofla - all part of a disputed area claimed by the Tigray region and neighbouring Amhara region.

The district had been under Tigrayan administration until war broke out between the federal government and Tigrayan forces in 2020. The Amhara forces, which fought alongside the federal army during the war, have since seized the areas.

According to a statement published on Friday, AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat "calls on both sides to urgently halt hostilities and ensure the safety of civilians to end the renewed displacement of the local population."

He also "calls for the commencement of the political dialogue, which is the most viable means to respond to the issues of contested areas".

The escalating violence threatens to disrupt the implementation of the peace agreement signed by the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in Pretoria, South Africa, in November 2022 that ended the civil war.

The Democratic Republic of Congo issuing a formal notice to Apple is the country's "first move" in a drive against the "exploitation" of its raw minerals, a lawyer representing DR Congo's government has told the BBC.

French lawyer William Bourdon spoke to the Newsday programme after the Democratic Republic of Congo accused Apple of using "illegally exploited" minerals in its products.

He was among a team of lawyers who on Thursday sent a formal notice to the tech giant on behalf of DR Congo, alleging that the minerals used by Apple come from mines where human rights are violated by rebels.

The notice warned of legal action if the alleged practice continues.

Apple has previously said there is no evidence any of its suppliers financed or benefited armed groups in DR Congo or any neighbouring country.

Mr Bourdon said: "This is the first move, we will continue. This is the first move of a new policy of the DRC. We want to moralise the way that raw materials are exploited in this country."

DR Congo's lawyers accuse Apple of buying minerals smuggled from eastern Congo into neighbouring Rwanda, where they are then laundered and integrated into the global supply chain.

Read more:

• UK minister asks if DR Congo is different nation to Rwanda
• TikTokers quit vaping over DR Congo mining concerns

Earlier, we reported that Kenya Airways had accused a military unit in the Democratic Republic of Congo of unfairly detaining its employees for a week.

A Kenyan official has now spoken on the matter, saying Kenya's mission in DR Congo capital, Kinshasa, was "engaging directly on the matter".

Korir Sing'Oei, Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said on social media platform X: "Kenya takes great exception to the arrest and detention of its nationals lawfully carrying out commercial activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo by authorities in DRC."

The Congolese authorities have not yet responded to Kenya's accusations. However, on Friday afternoon Reuters news agency reported that Patrick Muyaya, spokesperson for the DR Congo government, said he would give a response "later".

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Severe flooding has displaced hundreds of thousands of people across East Africa - and in Kenya rescue workers and authorities are "bracing" themselves for even more devastation.

"The situation continues to be very worrying. As of last night we were reporting over 60 people died across the country," Senator Edwin Sifuna, who represents the particularly hard-hit Nairobi County, told BBC Newsday.

The flooding has been caused by torrential rains linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon.

"Even just looking outside my window the clouds are already gathering. The weatherman tells us to expect even heavier rains over the next 72 hours," Mr Sifuna said, adding that rescue teams on the ground estimate that roughly 100,000 have been forced to flee their homes

Michael Aiyabei, head of disaster risk management, is also concerned.

"We are bracing for an even harder moment," he said.

At least 155 people in neighbouring Tanzania have died in the floods. In Burundi, nearly 100,000 people have been displaced.

Read more:

• Tanzania floods and landslides kill more than 150
• Four ways climate change affects extreme weather

• Dramatic rescue after bus swept away in Kenyan floods