Tuesday, 16 August 2016

Africa Live: African yellow fever 'could hit Europe', Ethiopians 'killed with shovels'

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www.bbc.com/africalive

Summary

  1. Warning that African yellow fever outbreak could spread to other continents
  2. Mauritania's anti-slavery campaigners "tortured" in prison
  3. Kenya's David Rudisha retains 800m crown
  4. Get Involved: #BBCAfricaLive WhatsApp: +44 7341070844
  5. Email stories and comments to africalive@bbc.co.uk - Tuesday 16 August 2016

Live reporting

By Hugo Williams and Farouk Chothia

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Ethiopians killed with 'sticks and shovels'

South Sudanese refugees in neighbouring Ethiopia have been charged in court with murdering 10 Ethiopians with sticks and shovels, Reuters news agency reports.
The 23 are alleged to have carried out the killings at a refugee camp in Ethiopia's western Gambella province in April in retaliation for a car accident in which two refugee children died, it reports.
They have not yet pleaded.
Reuters quotes the charge sheet as saying that the "gruesome" murders were planned in advance and two women were among the dead.
The charge sheet added:
The 10 victims were all innocent Ethiopian civilians who were only employed as construction workers at the site."
More than 270,000 South Sudanese are taking refuge in Gambella, having fled violence which has hit their home country since it became independent in 2011.
BBC

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    • 'Mass arrests' in Zambia after protests

    AFP
    Zambia is one of the most stable countries in Africa
    Police in Zambia have arrested 133 people protesting against the re-election of President Edgar Lungu after his main opponent Hakainde Hichilema alleged that the poll was rigged, a senior officer has said, Reuters news agency reports.
    Riots broke out in most parts of the Southern Province, including the popular tourist city of Livingstone, the Zambia Times reports.
    Its police chief Godwin Phiri told Reuters that protesters "targeted perceived supporters of the ruling party, destroying their property".
    He added:  
    It is like this was well planned and they were just waiting for the winner to be declared. Calm has now returned following the arrests.
    Mr Hichilema says he plans to mount a legal challenge against the result, alleging widespread fraud.
    Mr Lungu was declared the winner with 50.35% in Thursday's vote, just over the 50% threshold needed to avoid a second round.
    Mr Hichilema obtained 47.67% of the vote, according to official results.
    AFP
    Mr Lungu was first elected president in 2015 following the death of his predecssor Michael Sata

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    • The great-grandmother coaching SA's new Olympic star

    South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk broke Michael Johnson's 17-year-old 400m world record to sensationally win Olympic gold at Rio 2016.
    Johnson has even hinted that van Niekerk could be a worthy successor to Usain Bolt as athletics' next big star.
    The South African is coached by Anna Botha, a 74-year-old great-grandmother, who also coached former 100m world champion Frankie Fredericks,
    So did she know Wayde would be a world record breaker from the start? The veteran Namibian-born coach has been speaking to the BBC's Mo Allie:
    You need to install Flash Player to play this content.
    Video: Who is Wayde van Niekerk?

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    • David Rudisha: The fastest policeman on the planet

    David Rudisha
    David Rudisha shown in full police uniform in June
    After David Rudisha's stunning defence of his 800m Olympic title overnight, could one of the secrets to his success on the track be his other job as a Kenyan police officer?
    Kenyan journalist Elias Makori told the BBC's Newsday programme why serving in national services could be a huge boost for the country's athletes:
    They get focused when they are working in the forces and they are given lots of time off from work to train."
    You need to install Flash Player to play this content.

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    • Marikana massacre: UK firm accused of reneging on housing promise

    Matthew Davies
    Editor, BBC Africa Business Report
    It's four years since 34 striking platinum miners were shot dead by police near Marikana in South Africa.
    A new report by Amnesty International shows the owners of the Marikana mine, the British company Lonmin, have done little to improve the living conditions of thousands of workers.
    In the wake of the killings four years ago, Lonmin had promised to supply homes for several thousands of its workers. To date, claims Amnesty International, the company has built just three houses, while workers continue to live in shacks in informal settlements close to the Marikana mine.
    AP
    People in Marikana still use pit latrines
    Lonmin itself acknowledges that 13,500 of its workers are still in need of formal accommodation, but also says that the challenges are huge and that this is not an undertaking that a single mining company can do on its own.
    Amnesty says that Lonmin is in breach of a legal agreement with the government to improve housing at the mine and, as such, the authorities should either enforce the agreement or revoke Lonmin's mining licence.

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    • Egyptian Judoka sent home for Olympics handshake snub

    Getty Images
    Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby has been sent home from the Olympics after he refused to shake the hand of Israeli opponent Or Sasson after their bout.
    The 34-year-old was "strongly reprimanded" by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after his first-round loss on Friday.
    The IOC say his conduct was "against the spirit of friendship embodied in the Olympic values".
    The Egyptian Olympic Committee condemned El Shehaby and sent him home.
    Read the full BBC Sport story

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    • Rio 2016: David Rudisha retains 800m crown

    David Rudisha became the first athlete since New Zealand's Peter Snell in 1964 to retain the men's 800m Olympic title.
    The 27-year-old Kenyan hit the front with about 300m to go after compatriot Alfred Kipketer sprinted clear on the first lap of the race.
    Rudisha finished in one minute 42.15 seconds, ahead of Algeria's Taoufik Makhloufi and fast-finishing American Clayton Murphy.
    "I am so excited," said Rudisha. "It is the greatest moment of my career."
    Makhloufi ran a new national record of one minute 42.61 seconds and Murphy clocked a personal best of one minute 42.93 seconds in a bizarre race.
    Read the full BBC story here
    Getty Images

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    • Mauritania anti-slavery activists 'tortured'

    Thirteen anti-slavery campaigners in Mauritania have told a court they had been tortured in custody following their arrest on charges of inviting a rebellion, their lawyer has said, AFP news agency reports.
    The activists had named their torturers and had demanded that action be taken against them, said Brahim Ould Ebetty, representing the members of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA).
    He told AFP:
    One by one, the thirteen spoke out against the forms of torture they had been subjected to in custody."
    The group was arrested last month after a protest in a slum community in the capital, Nouakchott, against moves to forcibly relocate them as the country prepared for a one-day Arab League summit.
    A protest to demand the release of the 13 was held earlier this month in  Senegal's capital, Dakar:
    AFP
    Slavery is illegal in Mauritania, but it is still practised by some people. 

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    • Yellow fever 'could spread from Africa to Europe'

    BBC World Service
    The British charity Save the Children has warned that a yellow fever outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola could soon spread to Europe, the Americas and Asia.
    In the largest global outbreak in 30 years, nearly 400 people suspected of having the disease have died in both countries.
    Reuters
    An emergency vaccination programme is under way in DR Congo
    Yellow fever is spread through infected Aedes Egypti mosquitoes, which are present in many Western countries.
    The World Health Organisation says no new cases have been reported in Angola since June, raising hopes that the epidemic could be brought under control.
    Read: Angola's front line against yellow fever

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    Welcome to the BBC Africa Live page, where we'll bring you the latest updates from around the continent.

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