Africa Live this week: 15-21 May 2023

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A Kenyan world-record holding athlete has been provisionally suspended over an alleged doping violation, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) says.

In 2020 Rhonex Kipruto broke the 10k road race world record in Valencia.

He also won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships for his performance in the 10,000m race.

A hearing will decide his final fate.

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“South Africa is stumbling into a hunger pandemic” and needs to remove VAT on chicken so that families can feed themselves properly, a trade advocacy group has told the BBC’s Newsday programme.

Francois Baird of the Fair Play Movement has warned that regular load shedding, or power blackouts, in South Africa was also contributing to the problem.

“The real effect is on the health of the nation,” Mr Baird said, adding that rising inflation and unemployment meant many people could no longer afford to pay for food.

He said that 27% of children under five were stunted in South Africa because mothers don’t get enough protein while pregnant and this carries on after the children are born, adding that the problem was worse in rural areas.

“Everything possible must be done also to assist small farmers."

He said that reducing the cost of chicken by removing VAT would help address this, as chicken was a major source of protein for many people in South Africa.

He added that food prices were outpacing people's salaries, warning that an essential basket of food costs more than the minimum wage per month.

You can listen to Newsday here.

Kenya presidency/TwitterCopyright: Kenya presidency/Twitter

Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga has denied holding political truce talks with President William Ruto in their three meetings over the weekend.

Mr Odinga on Tuesday termed his meeting with President Ruto at a burial in central Nyandarua county and later at two local football matches as “chance meetings” that had nothing to do with the political situation in the country.

The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition leader had in 2018 entered into a post-election agreement with former President Uhuru Kenyatta— popularly known as the "handshake".

He has been under constant attacks by the ruling Kenya Kwanza administration that his anti-government demonstrations were a plan to force a political handshake with President Ruto.

"We did not talk about anything other than football. For the record, we don’t want any handshake with the government and we have not asked for it," Mr Odinga said.

The three meetings between the president and the former prime minister had sparked rumours of imminent political truce between the two rivals.

Both camps shared pictures of the president and Mr Odinga sitting at close range, sharing heartily in the football matches.

This comes as Mr Odinga threatens to call for fresh protests over the Finance Bill 2023 which proposes more taxes on Kenyans.

Prince’s Trust InternationalCopyright: Prince’s Trust International

A Tanzanian teen has won the Amal Clooney Women’s Empowerment Award in London for her efforts to support girls' education.

The annual Prince’s Trust Awards recognise young people who have succeeded against the odds, improved their chances in life and had a positive impact on their local community.

Award winner Zamana was recognised after launching her own campaign to support and encourage girls to stay in school in Tanzania.

Through her “Allow Me To Study” campaign, Zamana focuses on helping schoolgirls and their parents understand the importance of completing their education.

“This award means so much to me. Every girl in my community has a dream for her future, just like girls all over the world. My dream is for more girls to stay in school,” Zamana said after receiving the award on Tuesday night in London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Following the ceremony, Zamana will later on Wednesday meet King Charles III during a reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the winners’ achievements.

Founded by the King, Prince’s Trust International supports young people across 18 countries through employment, education and enterprise programmes.

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Fast food giant KFC has dismissed claims by a South African entrepreneur accusing the company of stealing his idea of a local dish known as kota, local media report.

Romeo Malepe accuses KFC of appropriating his idea of a chicken kota that the fast food chain is launching.

Kota, also known locally as Sphatlo, is a big sandwich with multiple ingredients stuffed into a quarter loaf of bread, wrapped and eaten on the go.

Mr Malepe told a local publication that his idea for a “Streetwise Kota” was stolen while looking for a partnership with the chain.

Mr Malepe is also said to have taken to social media recently to condemn the fast-food chain for allegedly taking his idea which he said he developed four years ago.

But KFC has denied the claims in a statement to South African media , saying it was “no secret that kota is a famous South African meal and the limited-edition KFC Sphatlho is a result of an internal product development process”.

It said that for over 50 years, the chain had been inspired by the South African heritage and culture to develop local innovative products in their menu.

“We will continue to use South African food trends as inspiration to bring relevant products to our fans across South Africa,” KFC was quoted as saying.

AFPCopyright: AFP

The United Nations is urgently seeking some $3bn (£2.4bn) to fund humanitarian operations in Sudan.

It's expecting more than a million people to flee the country as fighting rages between the army and rival militia forces.

The UN's humanitarian affairs co-ordinator, Ramesh Rajasingham, said more than half Sudan's population - 25 million people - needed aid and protection.

He says it's the highest number ever seen in the country.

Access for aid agencies remains a huge challenge.

Supplies have been looted and aid workers attacked since the conflict erupted a month ago.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Two human rights organisations have accused the Egyptian authorities of having arbitrarily detained - and in some cases tortured - women and girls related to suspected members of the Islamic State group (IS).

Human Rights Watch and the Sinai Foundation for Human Rights say the detentions often appear to have been used to put pressure on family members suspected of links to Egyptian jihadists affiliated to IS.

Lawyers and witnesses interviewed for the report say the aim was to provide information on suspected jihadists or to get them to turn themselves in.

The report says some of the women and girls had themselves been victims of the IS-linked group.

Hajia4Reall/InstagramCopyright: Hajia4Reall/Instagram

Ghanaian musician and influencer Mona Faiz Montrage, who was extradited to the US from the UK over an alleged $2m (£1.6m) romance scam, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

She appeared before a judge on Monday but is still in custody until all bail conditions are met.

Prosecutors said she was charged with conspiracy to commit and committing wire fraud and money laundering, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment.

She was also charged with receipt of stolen money, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail, and conspiracy to receive stolen money, with a maximum of five years.

Montrage, popularly known as Hajia4Reall, and her alleged criminal enterprise are accused of engaging in fraud including romance scams between 2013 and 2019.

They had allegedly targeted older American men, women and businesses.

Prosecutors said they sent a series of emails, text messages and social media messages to trick victims into believing they were in a romantic relationship - and then exploited them for monetary gains.

In one instance, she is alleged to have extorted about $89,000 through 82 wire transfers after sending the victim a fake traditional marriage certificate.

Prosecutors have also alleged she swindled people under false pretences.

Montrage is an influential musician in Ghana with over four million followers on Instagram. There has been a feeling of shock and disappointment in Ghana.

But US prosecutors have said the charges against her are accusations and she is innocent until proven guilty.

She will reappear in court on 28 June.

Kenya foreign affairs ministry/TwitterCopyright: Kenya foreign affairs ministry/Twitter

The Canadian government has denied reports that Kenyans can now travel to the country for job opportunities.

This follows an announcement by Kenya's Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua on Tuesday that Kenyans would now be able to go and live or work in Canada.

Mr Mutua, who was on an official visit to the country, said he held a meeting with the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada (IRCC) Sean Fraser and agreed on the various migration opportunities.

He said the process for those who wish to go to Canada was simple but required diligence.

"Disinformation is circulating which suggests that special programs are welcoming Kenyan immigrants. This is false, and the immigration programs referenced do not exist," IRCC said in a statement .

The IRCC said for accurate information on how to move to Canada, Kenyans should visit the country's immigration website.

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A Sudanese doctors' union has said that the civilian death toll from the ongoing fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has risen to 822, with 3,215 others wounded.

Confrontations that broke out on 15 April have worsened despite truce talks in the Saudi port city of Jeddah and the signing of a "declaration of principles" on 11 May to protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian aid.

"The city of El-Geneina in West Darfur state experienced the worst violence since the start of the conflict...[with] 280 deaths, and more than 160 injuries in the last two days alone," the Sudanese Doctors' Syndicate said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

According to the doctors, the other cities where civilians died in the clashes include the capital Khartoum and the adjoining cities of Bahri and Omdurman, as well as El Obeid (also Al-Obeid), capital of North Kordofan State.

The conflict, now in its second month, has also displaced nearly a million people from their homes, according to the UN.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Ten more bodies have been recovered in the Kenya’s coastal forest where people are reported to have been made to starve to death after joining a doomsday cult.

This brings to 211 the number of bodies recovered as the police continue investigating the deaths.

After a two-day break, the exhumation process in the vast Shakahola forest continued on Tuesday.

Of the new bodies found by the government’s forensic team, two were children.

Three members of the religious cult were rescued in a critical condition after starving in the forest and were taken to hospital for stabilisation.

Those reported missing at the tracing centres remain at 610.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Police in Nigeria say gunmen have attacked a US convoy, killing four people, including two personnel from the US consulate and two police officers.

Three others were kidnapped before their vehicle was set on fire.

The attack took place in south-eastern Anambra state. A rescue and recovery operation is under way.

No US citizens were in the convoy and there were no details regarding the convoy’s presence in the state.

A Nigerian state police spokesperson expressed regret that the convoy entered the state “without recourse to the police in the area or any security agency”.

The US said its mission in Nigeria was working with Nigerian security services to investigate the incident.

“The security of our personnel is always paramount, and we take extensive precautions when organising trips to the field,” the US State Department said.

Violence in the south-east of the country is just one of the many issues facing president-elect Bola Tinubu, who takes the helm of Africa's most populous nation later this month..

Spiros Richard Hagabimana/TwitterCopyright: Spiros Richard Hagabimana/Twitter

Burundi-born ex-policeman Spiros Richard Hagabimana is seeking to become Greece’s first black MP, in a country where migrants rarely hold public offices.

He is contesting in the south-eastern Piraeus II electoral district under the conservative New Democracy party, in the 21 May election.

"Piraeus is the place where I studied, learned my first Greek words, worked and live. Through this area, I learned to love Greece," one of Mr Hagabimana's poll posters on Twitter reads.

The 54-year-old told the Reuters news agency how as a police officer he was jailed in Burundi in 2015 for refusing to open fire on anti-government protesters.

He was later released from jail with the help of Greek authorities and returned to Athens in 2016.

Mr Hagabimana first arrived in Greece in 1991 on a scholarship to study at the Naval Academy. He graduated in 1996 but was forced to seek asylum in Greece as Burundi was then embroiled in a military coup, Reuters reports.

He received Greek citizenship in 2005 and in the same year he returned to Burundi for peacekeeping efforts with the UN.

He says the colour of his skin should not be the focus in the upcoming elections.

Our proverb of the day:

Quote Message: You cannot partition the buttocks equally with one hand." from An Igbo proverb sent by Ifiala Inyang in Lagos, Nigeria.

You cannot partition the buttocks equally with one hand."

Click here to send us your African proverbs.