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  1. This page is now closed

    For the latest updates, go to bbc.com/africalive.

  2. Scroll down for Friday's stories

    We'll be back on Monday

    That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. We'll be back on Monday morning with the latest news and views from around the continent at bbc.com/africalive.

    In the meantime, you can visit our website and listen to our Africa Today podcast.

    A reminder of Friday's wise words:

    Quote Message: He who does not like you will never utter a good word about you." from A Bemba proverb sent by Chishimba Milongo in Chongwe, Zambia
    A Bemba proverb sent by Chishimba Milongo in Chongwe, Zambia

    Click here to send us your African proverbs.

    And we leave you with this photo of a young boy diving into floodwater in Somalia's Beledweyne city, from our selection of the best photos from around the continent in the last week.

    Boy diving into water
  3. Malawi court refers VP graft case to High Court

    Peter Jegwa

    Lilongwe, Malawi

    Saulos Chilima
    Image caption: Vice Preisident Saulos Chilima says he is innocent

    A magistrate's court in the Malawian capital Lilongwe has sent a corruption case involving the country’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima to the High Court.

    Mr Chilima is accused of receiving $280,000 (£230,000) and other unnamed items from a British businessman by the Malawi Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB). He denies all six counts of wrongdoing.

    Mr Chilima was arrested last November and was granted court bail.

    At the time, the graft-busting body had said owing to its complexities it wanted the case moved from the lower court to the Financial Crimes Unit of the Malawi High Court.

    Chief Resident Magistrate Madalitso Khoswe Chimwaza has today granted the ACB’s wish and has committed the case to the High Court where it will be heard in the Financial and Economic Crimes Division.

    Mr Chilima is serving his second term as Malawi's vice-president having previously held the position during the reign of former president, Peter Mutharika, with whom he fell out.

    He was re-elected to the position in 2020 as the running mate of President Lazarus Chakwera with whom he went into an electoral alliance which defeated Mutharika.

    Ironically, the two campaigned on a platform of "clearing the rubble of corruption".

    Under Malawi law, the president has no power to fire his deputy, but when allegations against Mr Chilima were first made, President Chakwera publicly announced he would stop delegating any official duties to his deputy.

    In recent times however, the two are regularly seen together at public events.

  4. Nigerian authorities extend Seun Kuti's detention

    Seun Kuti
    Image caption: Seun Kuti is the son of legendary musician Fela Kuti

    Authorities in Nigeria have extended the detention of afrobeat singer Seun Kuti, son of musical pioneer Fela Kuti, by an extra four days.

    It is expended his detention will last until 22 May, local media reports.

    He had been arrested on Monday for allegedly assaulting a police officer.

    Police chief Usman Alkali Baba had ordered his detention on Saturday, but Mr Kuti decided to hand himself in at the start of the week.

    Kuti, 40, was "captured on video assaulting a police officer in uniform", the police spokesman added.

    Before his arrest, Kuti said on Twitter that the policeman had tried to kill him and his family, but he did not explain how.

    The musician has tweeted that he would give "full cooperation" to any investigation.

  5. Sudanese city likened to hell amid fighting

    Richard Hamilton

    BBC World Service Newsroom

    Harrowing reports have emerged of civilians caught up in fighting in the troubled Sudanese region of Darfur.

    A spokeswoman for the Norwegian Refugee Council Mathilde Vu described the city of El Geneina as hell, saying there was a complete disregard for the safety of residents.

    She said her colleagues could not cross the street because of sniper fire and that a bomb fell on the house of another aid worker, injuring her husband.

    The US has promised more than a $100m (£80m) in aid for Sudan and neighbouring countries to support displaced people as the fighting continues.

    The head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, announced the new assistance on a visit to Chad, which is hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees, mostly from Sudan.

    Read more about the conflict in Sudan here.

  6. Footage appears to show Greeks abandoned Africans at sea

    Tom Bayly

    BBC News

    Video footage has emerged that appears to show a group of 12 African migrants, including women and children, being rounded up by Greek coastguards on the island of Lesbos and abandoned at sea on an inflatable raft.

    The incident, alleged to have occurred last month, would be a violation of Greek, European Union and international law.

    The New York Times said it had verified and corroborated the footage filmed by an activist, Fayal Mulla.

    The Greek government - which has consistently denied migrant pushbacks - hasn't responded.

    The government recently defended what it called its “tough but fair” migration policies.

    The group were later rescued by Turkish coastguards whilst drifting in the Aegean Sea and taken to a detention center in Izmir.

  7. All musicians benefit from afrobeats' success - Florito

    DJ Edu

    Presenter of This Is Africa on BBC World Service

    Florito
    Image caption: Florito mostly sings in English, but is starting to incorporate Portuguese into his tracks

    A Namibian musician has told the BBC that all musicians are benefitting from the success of afrobeats worldwide, saying he never would have imaged his music would play in some countries like Brazil - but it does.

    "I’m grateful that my brothers and sisters are just opening more doors for us", Florito said.

    Born in Luanda of Angolan parents, he makes music that mixes afrobeats, amapiano and kwaito influences.

    He has released some big collaborations with Namibian veteran Gazza on the track Pull Up, and with Nigerian artist BNXN, formerly known as Buju, on his recent hit Stamina.

    What's more, his hit song Dalilah has received shout-outs from big stars like Wizkid and Diamond Platnumz.

    "Actually Dalilah is my ex-girlfriend. At that time I was with her. So I was at the studio with some friends, and my producer played the Dalilah beat. I started creating melodies and I recorded the song in two hours."

    He’s currently working on an EP with seven tracks and is shooting videos in both Angola and Nigeria.

    "The future is bright. It’s going to be a beautiful year for me and my fans because I’m going to be releasing more music," he said.

    To hear the full interview with Florito, listen to This is Africa on BBC World Service radio and partner stations across Africa, and online here.

  8. Miss Black Belgium runner-up proud to represent Tigray

    Yemane Nagish

    BBC Tigrinya

    Rahwa Kinfe, Miss Black Belgium
    Image caption: Rahwa Kinfe said she she was happy to represent Tigray culture and values

    A young woman who sought asylum in Belgium after fleeing the Tigray conflict in northern Ethiopia has finished second in the Miss Black Belgium 2023 beauty contest.

    Rahwa Kinfe has told the BBC that she was proud to introduce Tigrayan culture and values in the international arena.

    “I was very happy to participate when I learned that it is a great forum where I can speak out about the sexual violence against our mothers and sisters in Tigray,” she said.

    Ms Rahwa said most contestants represented their country in the competition but she did not. She says she was allowed to instead represent her region, Tigray, after telling the organisers that it had its own flag, culture and history.

    Many young Tigrayans, including Ms Rahwa, have developed a strong sense of Tigrayan identity as a result of the two-year civil war.

    “Many people don't know what happened in Tigray,” she said, adding that she was happy to be able to speak out about the abuses committed against women in Tigray during the bloody war which started in November 2020.

    Both sides were accused of atrocities, include ethnic cleansing and sexual violence.

    The war, which ended in November last year following the signing of a peace deal between the federal government and Tigray leadership, caused the deaths of an estimated half a million civilians in the region.

    Many women and girls were subjected to rape and sexual violence during the conflict, which were documented by human rights groups.

    Rahwa, who went to Belgium in March last year, was born and raised in the historic city of Aksum, Tigray.

    She had worked as an air hostess for the national airline for five years. She says she and many other Tigrayans then living in the capital Addis Ababa and other cities were arrested “because of our identity” after the outbreak of the civil war.

    “Many of my friends were arrested, and we had no way out. When I was released, I came to Belgium to save my life,” she told the BBC.

    She says the competition has opened up other opportunities. She says she was offered a "Golden Ticket" allowing her to compete directly in the Miss Belgium pageant.

    Rahwa Kinfe
    Image caption: Rahwa Kinfe has a strong sense of Tigrayan identity
  9. SA to buy emergency power to keep lights on - VP

    Marina Van Biljon uses a kettle in her home during loadshedding in Frankfort on May 10, 2023.
    Image caption: Eskom’s board has reportedly approved three emergency procurement programmes that await MPs' approval

    South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile has said the government was hoping its emergency procurement programmes would bring an end to the energy crisis in the country.

    State-owned power company Eskom’s board has approved three emergency procurement programmes that now only require the approval of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, which will host hearings on Friday, local media reported.

    "Apart from appointing the minister of electricity, we have announced we are now embarking on procuring emergency power. Government is determined to keep the lights on," Mr Mashatile said on Thursday.

    He said, in some instances, Eskom would use diesel to keep the lights on, adding that the government was still committed to renewable energy.

    His remarks came shortly after Eskom issued a statement on Wednesday warning that the country’s power system was severely constrained, with a high likelihood of prolonged power outages during winter.

  10. Gay refugees face serious rights abuses in Kenya - Amnesty

    Man in Kenya with Pride flag
    Image caption: Anti-gay rhetoric has been rising in Kenya, amid protest to protect LGBT rights

    LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers in Kenya are facing serious human rights abuses, including rape, says a joint report by Amnesty International and a Nairobi-based gay rights group.

    The report released on Friday said hundreds of gay people, who are among more than 200,000 refugees and asylum seekers in north-western Kakuma camp, experience "extreme discrimination and violence".

    "Perpetrators of violence and intimidation targeting LGBTI individuals can commit their crimes with almost total impunity, enabled by the lack of adequate responses from the police," Amnesty and the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) said in a statement.

    Researchers interviewed 41 people between 2018 and February 2023 who described facing "hate crimes, violence, including rape, and other serious human rights abuses".

    Most of the refugees and asylum seekers interviewed reported having suffered assaults, threats and intimidation in Kakuma camp, most of them more than once, because of their sexual orientation.

    Based on the findings, Amnesty International and NGLHRC said that the Kakuma refugee camp complex was not safe for LGBTQ asylum seekers and refugees.

    The rights organisations urged the Kenyan government to uphold the rights to life, protection against inhuman treatment and freedom from non-discrimination of everyone, including LGBTQ people.

  11. Sudan's Burhan sacks paramilitary leader as his deputy

    Hemedti (left) and Gen Burhan (right)
    Image caption: Hemedti (left) served as Gen Burhan's deputy in the ruling Sovereign Council since the October 2021 coup

    Sudan’s army chief Lt Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has sacked his deputy and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.

    Both Gen Burhan and Hemedti have served as chairman and deputy of the ruling Sovereign Council respectively, since the October 2021 military coup.

    In a decree released on Friday, Gen Burhan appointed former rebel leader Malik Agar as his deputy. Mr Agar is also a Sovereign Council member.

    He directed the secretariat of the Sovereign Council and the relevant state authorities to immediately effect the decree.

    The army chief had last month dissolved the RSF and designated its fighters as rebels after a power struggle erupted between the rival forces.

    The country has since plunged into deadly fighting and turmoil.