Mark Pivac
BBC World Service Newsroom

A group of Ugandans have started a lawsuit in Paris against the French oil giant, TotalEnergies, over two huge extraction projects in their country.

They allege human rights violations and want reparations for the denial of access to their lands.

TotalEnergies is leading a consortium that is drilling hundreds of exploratory wells and building a 1,500km (932 mile)-long oil pipeline that will cross several nature reserves in Uganda.

Meanwhile, British police have arrested 27 climate change activists protesting against the Ugandan projects who daubed paint on TotalEnergies’ London headquarters.

Dorcas Wangira
BBC Africa, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

The Kenyan government has completed the third phase of post-mortems on the bodies believed to be followers of a cult led by Paul Mackenzie Nthenge.

The process of exhumation had been halted until there was enough capacity to store and autopsy more bodies.

So far 338 post-mortems have been carried out on the bodies exhumed from the expansive Shakahola forest which is linked to the cult - 201 of which were of adults.

One-hundred-and-seventeen were children, but the ages of 20 others could not be established because they were badly decomposed.

One-hundred-and-thirty-one were male and 185 were female based on the coroner’s report, meanwhile 22 were too decayed to ascertain their sex.

At least 600 people are still missing, according to the Kenya Red Cross.

Kenya’s chief government pathologist, Dr Johansen Oduor, said that the post-mortem of a suspected leader in the cult, Joseph Juma Buyuka, who died in police custody will only be conducted after his family identifies his body.

"Performing a post-mortem on 338 bodies is not a simple thing. What we found is helping us learn more about the cause of death," Dr Odour said.

Even though some bodies had signs of strangulation and blunt-force trauma, starvation remains the cause of death in most cases.

A ruling to determine how long Mr Mackenzie and 28 other suspects, including his wife, will remain in police custody will be delivered on 3 July.

DJ Edu
Presenter of This Is Africa on BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

The Ghanaian rapper and singer Camidoh, maker of the hit 2022 single Sugarcane, opens up about PTSD in his new body of work called Love Is The Answer (L.I.T.A.).

“This really means a lot to me. I’ve been working on it for about two years, and these songs are talking about stuff I’ve been dealing with, especially track one, PTSD," Camidoh said.

"It’s talking about young people, young creative entrepreneurs trying to get things going, and then it’s like sad things come back to you in the middle of the night, your traumas come back to haunt you when no-one can hear you, when only you is dealing with it.”

Camidoh, 29, added that it is about authenticity and getting people on his side. If they see that you are human, then when you make a mistake they’ll cut you some slack, he said.

He also has another important message in his music - that people should embrace their natural beauty.

He said this was the inspiration for his song Brown Skin Girl, which is in collaboration with Stonebwoy.

"I’ve been preaching about people accepting themselves for who they are - our women, African women, accepting themselves for who they are," he said.

You can hear Camidoh in conversation with DJ Edu here.

Mark Poynting
BBC News

Africa lost around 3.6m ha (about 14,000 sq miles) of tree cover in 2022, according to new data, external.

This includes about 800,000 ha (3,000 sq miles) of primary - or old-growth - tropical forests, with the majority of that loss coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ghana has also seen a massive increase in tropical primary forest losses in recent years of about 70% - mostly in protected areas.

Losses have also accelerated in other countries, like Angola and Cameroon.

Nevertheless, there are countries - like Ivory Coast, Gabon and Madagascar - that have managed to reverse this trend, suggesting improvements are possible.

Primary tropical forests are critical for nature, climate and people.

For example, they take planet-warming carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, preventing further temperature rises.

Scientists warn this can't easily be done by newer trees planted elsewhere, because primary forests have developed over such a long period of time.

The increase in global deforestation – defined as human-caused, permanent removal of natural forest cover – followed pledges made by over 100 world leaders in 2021 to “halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030”.

Read more about it here.

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

Zimbabwe’s old enemy - triple-digit inflation - is back, after annual inflation doubled to almost 176% in June.

Consumer groups say the average family needs about 1m Zimbabwe dollars ($150; £117) for food alone every month, as prices rise almost daily.

Most people are struggling to afford groceries or are skipping meals according to the NGO Action Aid.

The Zimbabwean government blames currency speculators for the crash of the Zimbabwe dollar – which has lost more than 90% of its value since January.

The US dollar is also legal tender and most people prefer it, thus causing the local currency to lose value.

The government recently directed authorities to impose some duties and taxes exclusively in local currency in the hope that it would increase demand for the beleaguered Zimbabwe dollar.

Image source, Getty Images

Nigerian police authorities have announced plans to withdraw some police units from protecting and escorting VIPs, in favour of redeploying them to work on national security.

"While the protection of dignitaries remains paramount, it is imperative that we realign our priorities to address the escalating security challenges faced by the nation as a whole," police chief Olukayode Egbetokun said.

Those officers would only be replaced "where necessary", according to The Premium Times newspaper., external

Earlier this month, President Bola Tinubu made sweeping changes to Nigeria's defence personnel appointing new commanders to the security forces including the army, navy and air forces.

President Tinubu, who was sworn in last month, said fixing insecurity in Nigeria was one of his top priorities.

Under the previous administration of Muhammadu Buhari, security declined with the country currently facing a kidnapping-for-ransom crisis.

Three Kenyans have been charged in court for attempting to smuggle ants for export to China and France.

The three, a man and his wife and a postal company employee are accused of trying to export the ant species Messor Cephalotes without clearance from Kenya Wildlife Service.

They denied the charges and were freed on bail.

It was not clear for what reason the ants, which were said to be worth 300,000 shillings ($2,135; £1,677) were being sold.

A prosecutor urged the court to expedite the case as the lives of the ants that were produced in court were at stake.

A new mindset has helped propel a resurgent Zimbabwe into the final stage of World Cup qualifying.

Image source, Kenya Judiciary/Twitter

Kenya has launched an online register with records of all convicted sexual offenders which is expected to enhance justice for victims.

Chief Justice Martha Koome said the automation of the database, external “will ensure easy access to information on convicted sex offenders, facilitating expedited justice”.

She said this will help justice authorities to monitor and supervise sexual offenders after they are released from prison.

The public can also, upon request, get access to the database. The chief justice said this will enable them to take “take precautionary measures to protect themselves and their children".

“We are in effect sending a clear message that our society will not tolerate those who prey upon the vulnerable. We will hold them accountable, and their actions shall not go unnoticed or unpunished,” she said.

A former logger is leading her community to help regrow Madagascar’s rainforest by swapping tree seeds for healthcare.

Nkechi Ogbonna
West Africa Business Journalist, BBC News

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $1.8bn (£1.4bn) loan for Senegal to support the nation’s economic recovery while protecting it against future shocks.

The West African nation will receive an initial disbursement of about $216m, the IMF said in a statement on Monday following an executive board meeting.

The three-year loan facility will also support Senegal’s efforts to cope with the effects of climate change.

The international lender says the Russia-Ukraine war hindered the post-Covid-19 recovery, strained public finances, increased borrowing and depleted national reserves.

It however projects an 8.3% growth rate in 2023 as oil and gas production begins in the country.

As counting continues in Sierra Leone's hotly contested general election, the former mayor of Freetown has echoed opposition allegations that the tallying process is not transparent.

So far, around 60% of votes have been counted.

“He says he’s announced 60% but before he announces the remaining 40% there’s a need for everyone to be given access to the information," Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr of the opposition APC party told the BBC's Newsday programme.

"First to verify it because that’s what the law says. That’s what we’re asking for, anything short of that is definitely going to be questionable," Ms Aki-Sawyerr added.

So far, the incumbent President Julius Maada Bio appears to have a strong lead over his rival Samura Kamara.

Cat Wiener
BBC World Service Newsroom

Image source, AFP

The opposition candidate has called the provisional results in Sierra Leone "daylight robbery", alleging that his electoral agents were not allowed to verify the ballot counting.

With the majority of ballots counted, the incumbent, Julius Maada Bio, appears to have a strong lead over his main rival, Samura Kamara.

Tthe BBC's correspondent in the capital Freetown says Mr Bio's success can more likely be attributed to a series of strategic electoral alliances he made in the course of the campaign, including in opposition strongholds.

European Union observers have criticised the electoral commission for a lack of transparency, and noted incidents of violence in some regions during the vote.

The electoral commission in Sierra Leone has said it expects final results from Sunday's presidential election to be published later.

Yusuf Akinpelu
BBC News, Lagos

Image source, Reuters

The Commonwealth Observer Group has said a “lack of clarity” on how Sierra Leone presidential election results are being tallied has led to charges of a lack of transparency.

It urged the electoral commission to ensure more transparency while announcing the remaining results.

With 60% of the polling stations tallied, the commission had said incumbent Julius Maada Bio was in the lead followed by his closest challenger Samura Kamara of the All People's Congress (APC).

The chairman of the observer group, Yemi Osinbajo, said in a statement that the election has been “largely peaceful”. There were, however, reports of logistical challenges which caused delays on election day, he said.

“We were impressed by the significant turn-out of voters and the largely peaceful conduct of elections, a testimony to the will of the people to consolidate the democratic gains of Sierra Leone,” Mr Osinbajo said.

Azeezat Olaoluwa
BBC News, Lagos

Image source, AFP

Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio has urged all citizens in the country to keep the peace and continue to respect all public order laws.

In an address to the nation on Monday, President Bio said every person has a stake in maintaining peace during and after the announcement of election results.

"Citizens must not incite violence or associate with violent action. Avoid all provocative and retaliatory actions for everyone's sake."

President Bio, who is seeking re-election, is in an early lead with more than a million votes in the provincial results released by the electoral commission. The final results will be announced within 48 hours from Monday afternoon.

On Monday, many schools, offices and shops were closed in Freetown due to fear of post-election violence.

The president urged the police and security forces to exercise restraint when enforcing the law.

"Every citizen's constitutional rights are equally important and must be respected at all times and in all circumstances," he said.

In order to win in the first round a presidential hopeful must secure 55% of the valid votes cast - otherwise there will be a run-off between the top two candidates two weeks after the announcement of the final results.

This was the case in 2018 with a run-off between Mr Bio and opponent Samura Kamara.

Cat Wiener
BBC World Service Newsroom

Image source, AFP

A unilateral ceasefire declared by the head of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces is due to come into effect today for the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Adha, which starts on Wednesday.

The pause in the conflict with the Sudanese army was announced in an audio recording broadcast on Al Arabiya television by the leader of the RSF, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.

He said it would be in force on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Gen Hemedti also condemned abuses carried out against civilians - including those perpetrated by his own forces.

The RSF has been accused of being behind violations in Darfur.

Our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

On 1 July 2024, Biniam Girmay made history as the first black African rider to win a stage of cycling’s biggest race: the Tour de France. After a hard upbringing as one of six children in the Eritrean capital Asmara, he has become one of the most talented riders from the continent in the sport’s history.

In 2023, Matt Warwick discovered what Girmay's victories have meant for Eritrea and Eritreans, as well as the rest of Africa. He tells the story of his extraordinary early life and examines the significance of what his achievements can mean for such an accessible sport, which, after more than 100 years, remains almost completely white European.

That's all for today from the BBC Africa Live team, but we'll be back on Tuesday morning.

In the meantime you can catch up with the latest news on the BBC News website or listen to the BBC Focus on Africa podcast.

A reminder of our African proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture of the work of Kenyan graffiti artist Bhupi Jethwa, popularly known as WiseTwo, on a wall in the capital, Nairobi:

Image source, EPA

BBC Focus on Africa

Image source, Getty Images

Economist Bogolo Kenewendo made the headlines five years ago after becoming, at 30, Botswana's trade minister and one of the youngest, if not the youngest, government ministers in the world.

She is now the UN Climate Champion’s Special Advisor for Africa.

But in an interview with the BBC Focus on Africa podcast she has spoken about the sexual harassment and discrimination faced by women at the top of politics.

Looking back at her 19 months in the job she spoke about how she "survived the environment".

"When you're a young woman in such a space there are a lot of innuendos - how you got the job - but even those who you work with, fighting off sexual advances or even harassment in some cases.

"There was a severe case that happened and I reported it to my principals and there was action," she told the BBC's Audrey Brown without going into more details.

"What surprised me was that they thought it was an isolated case, which it wasn't. They quickly learnt that it wasn't an isolated case and so it was taken care of."

She added that as a result she felt empowered to bring bills to parliament that dealt with the protection of women and children.

• Listen to the edition of Focus on Africa