Africa Live this week: French TV sued over 'Burundi massacre' footage

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended the country's Chief Justice, Walter Onnoghen, three weeks before the general election in which he is seeking a second term in office.

His main challenger - Atiku Abubakar - called the decision "an act of dictatorship".

Mr Onnoghen is facing charges at a tribunal relating to failure to declare his personal assets before taking office in 2017.

Nigerian law requires senior civil servants and government officials to disclose personal assets as a way of fighting corruption.

Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad was named as acting Chief Justice, Mr Buhari's aide tweeted:

There were no details on the reason behind the move.

President Buhari has often accused the judiciary of frustrating his anti-corruption fight by unnecessarily delaying court cases or dismissing them altogether.

But the charges against the top judge relating to a failure to declare his assets and his subsequent suspension just before elections are widely seen as politically motivated.

As the head of the judiciary, Nigeria's chief justice plays a vital role in settling election disputes.

The suspension comes less than 24 hours before Mr Onnoghen is scheduled to swear-in members of election tribunals.

It is not immediately clear if the president has the powers to suspend the chief justice, who is currently standing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

On Thursday, an appeals court ordered the tribunal to stop the trial of Justice Onnoghen, saying it lacks the powers to do so.

Mohammed BondirigbumCopyright: Mohammed Bondirigbum

Traditional leaders, government officials and foreign dignitaries all gathered in Yendi town in northern Ghana to witness the coronation of a new traditional chief known locally as Yaa-Naa.

The event to crown Yaa-Naa Abubakari Mahama II was filled with pomp and fanfare amidst drumming and dancing.

Before his appointment he was the paramount chief of Savelugu traditional area in northern Ghana and a successful farmer.

As the Ya-Naa, he appoints all the important chiefs in the northern kingdom of Dagbon and becomes the overseer of the land of Dagbon, covering more than 4,000SqKm (1,544 sq miles) and with a population of one million people.

Dagbon had been without a Yaa-Naa following years of protracted chieftaincy disputes, which started after the death of Ya-Naa Yakubu Andani in 2002.

The delayed final funeral rites of two previous Yaa-Naas were conducted recently after a family peace deal.

The son of late Ya-Naa Yakubu Adani, Kampakuya Naa Yakubu Adani acted as the traditional leader until Friday's coronation of the new chief.

The crisis has stalled development in northern region, considered as one of the poorest in the country.

President Nana Akufor Addo, who attended the ceremony, called on the new chief to begin the process of reconciliation.

Traditional authorities are seen as a link between their subjects and the government.

They also help in bring development to their traditional areas. The coronation of the new chief is seen as a major step towards ensuring economic development in the area.

Mohammed BondirigbumCopyright: Mohammed Bondirigbum

AFPCopyright: AFP

Mozambique’s Supreme Court has ordered the preventive detention of former Finance Minister Manuel Chang should he be extradited from South Africa where he has been arrested in connection with a $2bn (£1.5bn) fraud scheme.

The judges also asked parliament to lift his immunity from prosecution, which he enjoys as former MP and minister.

He was taken in to custody in late December after a warrant was issued by the US authorities, who want to extradite him to New York to stand trial on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud and securities fraud.

US prosecutors say that through a series of financial transactions between approximately 2013 and 2016, Mr Chang and others created fraudulent maritime projects and used state-owned companies in Mozambique as fronts to raise loans, some arranged by Credit Suisse.

But Mozambique's government says it wants to prosecute 17 people alleged to be involved in the scandal, including Mr Chang who denies any wrongdoing.

It has now also requested Mr Chang's return - and the South African courts must now consider both extradition requests.

When Mozambique's government revealed in 2016 that it had taken the undisclosed loans, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and foreign donors to cut off support.

This triggered a currency collapse and a default on Mozambique’s sovereign debt. It is still struggling to overcome from the debt crisis.

The government says it wants to try the case in the hope that it can recover some of the money.

A journalist in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, has shared a video of former President Joseph Kabila leaving the official residence of the president.

The new resident of state house - Félix Tshisekedi - was sworn-in on Thursday and in the video below bids farewell to Mr Kabila, who then drives himself away:

AFPCopyright: AFP

Veteran Sudanese opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi has given his most overt backing to the protests against Omar al-Bashir, calling for the president's immediate resignation.

The 83-year-old, who once served as prime minister, was speaking at Friday prayers in the city of Omdurman, across the Nile from the capital, Khartoum, where for the past five weeks, there have been almost daily protests against the government.

On Thursday, three people were killed in what appeared to be the biggest demonstrations yet against Mr Bashir.

There have been further clashes on Friday in at least one town in central Sudan.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Nearly $1m (£914,000) in cash was stolen from a briefcase belonging to Zimbabwe's former President Robert Mugabe, the state-owned Herald newspaper reports - quoting "updated court documents".

Three people appeared in court on 10 January accused of stealing a suitcase containing $150,000, but Mr Mugabe says he lost much more.

In 2016, when he was still president, Mr Mugabe reportedly took the money to his rural home in Zvimba in a black briefcase, giving the suitcase to Constance Mugabe, a relative who also served as his housekeeper, for safe keeping.

Last March, four months after he had been forced out of office by the military, he asked for the briefcase, but Constance Mugabe said she did not know its whereabouts.

He later asked other staff to look for it - and this was when it was found but with only $78,000 inside, The Herald reports.

The suspected thieves allegedly spent the money on cars, homes and animals.

The United Nations in Mali says two of its peacekeepers have been killed after the convoy they were travelling in hit a mine.

Several others were injured, one of them seriously.

The incident took place near the town of Duenza in central Mali.

The peacekeeping mission was set up in 2012 after Islamist militants took control of much of the country.

They were pushed back by French troops, but have continued their attacks.

Read: World's most dangerous peacekeeping mission

AFPCopyright: AFP

The US and UK governments have threatened to impose visa bans against anyone found guilty of either instigating violence or plotting to rig the elections in Nigeria.

In separate statements on Thursday the two countries pledged their commitment to ensuring the 16 February elections would be free and fair.

This seems the strongest international warning so far to Nigerian politicians.

Polls in Africa’s most populous nation have often been fraught with controversies including allegations of manipulation of results, vote buying and violence.

A lot of Nigerian politicians are fond of travelling to the UK and US for holiday or business.

It is hoped the visa ban warning will strike home with those who may be plotting to undermine the 2019 election.

The British government says it will particularly monitor social media accounts encouraging violence during the elections.

The warning comes less than a week after former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo expressed doubts on the ability of Independent National Electoral Commission (Inect) to conduct a free fair and credible election.

Both Western countries issued a similar warning ahead of the 2015 election.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading south to areas where there is a greater risk of conflict.

The WHO said most of the cases reported this year have been in Katwa, south of the original centre of the outbreak, the eastern city of Beni.

There have also been cases recorded in the Kayina health zone, where fighting has made it difficult for health workers to monitor potential cases.

Kayina lies on the main route into the city of Goma on DR Congo's border with Rwanda, and the WHO said it would now send teams to Rwanda to boost preparedness there.

Almost 450 people have died during the current outbreak, which began in August.

Three students are in custody for allegedly attacking and killing a teacher who had confiscated their phone in a school in Kenya's Nakuru County, north-west of the capital.

The teacher, named as Peter Omare, was on his way to his house in the Hopewell High School compound when he was attacked, news site Capital FM reports.

Those suspected to be behind the attack are students at the school.

Elim Shafi, the deputy county commissioner for Nakuru county, confirmed the incident and told the BBC that police were investigating.

Area Chief David Kirui told the Star newspaper that the teacher was hit on the head with a blunt object that opened up his skull.

"He died a few minutes before we could rush him to the hospital,” Mr Kirui said.

The school director, Vitalis Kahenda, also told the Star that the teacher had confiscated a mobile phone from a student whom he spotted receiving it from two outsiders through the school's fence at around 18:00 local (15:00 GMT).

“He [the teacher] had shared information on the confiscated mobile phone but had not yet handed it over to the management since it was late. The school policy is such phones are confiscated and handed over to the administration,” Mr Kahenda is quoted as saying.

A decision by University of Pretoria to drop Afrikaans as a language of instruction has been criticised by South Africa's Finance Minister Tito Mboweni.

The university, which is based in the capital, Pretoria, said English would be used as the main language of instruction.

Mr Mboweni tweeted that the university "will regret" its decision.

The university's spokesperson Rikus Delport said the number of students registering Afrikaans as their home language decreased by more than 50%, prompting the change, News24 reports.

Mr Delport said the change - adopted in 2016 after "extensive extensive consultation from all interested parties" - would make the traditionally Afrikaans university be more inclusive.

Civil rights group AfriForum - which champions white-minory interests - said the decision undermined "social cohesion":

"AfriForum finds it worrisome that the university, notwithstanding many international research projects and expert opinions, still does not understand that unilingual education, in fact, undermines social cohesion and increases the potential for conflict and student non-performance."

South Africa's top six mother-tongue languages:

• Zulu:22.7%, Xhosa:16%, Afrikaans:13.5%, English:9.6%, Setswana:8%, Sesotho:7.6%
• South Africa has 11 official languages altogether
• English is the most commonly spoken language used officially and in business

Source: SA.info/Census 2011

A television producer in Algeria has died, more than two weeks after he set himself on fire because of what he said were unpaid wages.

Youcef Goucem, 61, carried out the act of self-harm inside the offices of Dzair TV.

The channel said it regretted "a commercial dispute that had unfortunately turned into a drama" and that Mr Goucem had been reassured that his pay claim - which dated back to 2017 - was being processed.

AFPCopyright: AFP

A defamation case lodged by Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza against a French TV channel, a Belgian lawyer and a Burundian writer has begun at a court in France's capital, Paris.

Mr Nkurunziza says that three years ago France 3 broadcast footage showing scenes of a massacre allegedly carried out on one of his properties by the ruling party’s youth wing.

But he says that the footage was not recorded in Burundi but somewhere in West Africa.

A ticker bar over the footage said "Proof of acts of violence in Burundi", alleging it was filmed in Karuzi, north-west of the capital, Bujumbura.

It was aired at the peak of election-related violence in Burundi in 2016.

It purported to show members of the Burundian opposition, who “were assassinated before being castrated and having their throats slit by enthusiastic executioners", France24 reports.

It also had footage of people speaking in Hausa, a language that is not spoken in Burundi or any of its neighbouring countries, France24 said.

After Mr Nkurunziza raised his concerns about the footage, France 3 apologised.

A Belgian lawyer, Bernard Maingain, is believed to have handed the video to the French channel while the Burundian writer David Gakunzi was interviewed on air about the footage.

The Burundian government has been criticised by the international community for alleged human rights abuses blamed on its security agencies and the ruling party's youth wing known as Imbonerakure.

Authorities in Burundi have always rejected the allegations as fabrications.

The case continues.

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A Labour Court in South Africa has ruled as "unlawful" the suspension of a teacher from a school the North West province for allegedly seating pupils based on their race, local media reports.

Elana Barkhuizen was suspended on 10 January after an image of white and black pupils seating at separate desks was shared online.

The image had been initially posted on a parents' WhatsApp group.

Sello Lehari, the education minister for the North West province, said the Schweizer-Reneke school's explanation was that "the learners were separated according to those who could understand Afrikaans and English".

The picture sparked protests leading to tense confrontations between white and black residents inside and outside the school premises.

In her defence, Ms Barkhuizen said she was not the one who had sat the children.

She said she was only supervising them because her class was next door and only took the photograph to send to parents who were inquiring about their children, The Citizen news site reports.

She said the school authorities did not listen to her explanation.

The teacher who sat the pupils remains in the school despite Ms Lehari saying two more people were going to be suspended, News24 reports.

Labour Court Judge Connie Prinsloo found Ms Barkhuizen had not been given a hearing before being suspended.

"I am very happy. I want to thank everybody who supported and was there for me. I am happy that justice has been served," Ms Barkhuizen said after the ruling.

Though the judge ruled that she could return to the school on Friday she opted to apply for leave for a few days, which has been granted, News24 reports.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Three people were killed on Thursday in Sudan as anti-government protests spread to more towns in the country, the Central Committee of Sudan’s Doctors, an organisation playing a key role in the demonstrations, said.

Officials report that 30 people have died since protests broke out on 19 December, but rights groups say the number is much higher.

Protest leaders have called for Friday prayers to be held in public places today, a move that could be viewed as being provocative.

Two of the dead were university students – one was hit by a bullet directly to his chest and another tortured allegedly by security forces, the doctors' group said.

On Thursday, thousands took to the streets in what has been described as the biggest day yet of anti-government protests.

Rising prices of fuel and bread triggered the demonstrations in December.

But in recent weeks, protesters have been demanding an end to President Omar al-Bashir’s 30-year rule.

Government forces have responded with teargas, bullets and arrests.

Hundreds of protesters including opposition figures, activists and journalists have been arrested. Some international journalists have had their accreditation revoked.

Read more: Medics on the front line

The post that appeared here about Zimbabwean activist Pastor Evan Mawarire has been withdrawn as it was issued in error by the Reuters news agency.

Our proverb of the day:

Quote Message: When a person eats beans, wait for them at the water fountain." from A Kanuri proverb sent by Ahmad Hussein, Ati, Chad, and Muktar Goni Hassan, Maiduguri, Nigeria

When a person eats beans, wait for them at the water fountain."

Click here and scroll to the bottom to send us your African proverbs.

Welcome back to BBC Africa Live where we will bring you the latest news from around the continent.

That's all from BBC Africa Live for now. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or check the BBC News website.

A reminder of today's wise words:

Quote Message: Snails are not involved with anything concerning blood." from A Krio proverb sent by Mohamed Folorunso in Freetown, Sierra Leone

Snails are not involved with anything concerning blood."

Click here and scroll to the bottom to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture from Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa: