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The UN's peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (Unmiss) has expressed concern over the increase in violence that's targeting aid workers in different parts of the country.

It says in May, more than $1m (£725,000) of humanitarian supplies and assets were looted and destroyed during armed attacks in Gumuruk in the east of the country.

This affected the delivery of assistance to an estimated 130,000 people.

“South Sudan is increasingly becoming one of the most dangerous places to operate for humanitarian workers," Unmiss chief Nicholas Haysom told reporters in the capital, Juba.

"This year alone, four humanitarian workers have been killed in the line of duty. These acts of criminality must stop... Those who perpetrate violence and loot should be brought to justice."

A group of Ghanaian MPs has drawn up a draft bill which, among other things, proposes a 10-year jail term for people who promote LGBT+ activities through mainstream or social media.

The bill has been submitted to Ghana’s speaker of parliament for review.

Also under the draft measure, titled the Promotion of Proper Human Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, individuals who engage in non-heterosexual sex could face a fine or a prison term of up to three years.

The bill's lead sponsor, opposition MP Sam Nartey George, told the BBC that the lawmakers believed this was not a human rights issue.

Some Ghanaians have expressed concern about its potential to violate the rights of members of the LGBT+ community and activists.

The bill is likely to be passed, although there could be some ammendments.

Top government officials, including the speaker of parliament, have already indicated a desire to enact anti-homosexuality laws.

Ghana’s criminal code outlaws what it describes as "unnatural" carnal knowledge but does not explicitly mention LGBT people.

Read more:

• Being gay in Ghana: LGBT community is ‘under attack'

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Ten Nigerians who hijacked a Chinese fishing vessel and kidnapped crew members in May last year have been sentenced to 12 years, the first custodial sentence under an anti-piracy law passed in 2019.

A Federal High Court judge also ordered the guilty men to pay a fine of $600 (£435) and said they were "an embarrassment to the nation" that had "impacted the economy negatively", the Reuters news agency reports.

In August last year, a court in southern Nigeria made the first convictions under the new anti-piracy law when it fined three men for hijacking a tanker off the coast of Equatorial Guinea and securing a $200,000 ransom for the crew.

The merchant shipping industry has long pressed Nigeria to take action in the seas in the region, which have been dubbed “pirate alley”.

The area accounts for over 90% of maritime kidnappings globally, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

Social media in Liberia is awash again with criticism of politicians after the most senior minister in the office of President George Weah buried his mother in an expensive mausoleum this week.

The structure, which resembles a house, was built by Presidential Affairs Minister Nathaniel McGill. It has a pyramid-style roof, columns and all the attributes of a modern royal home.

The specially designed tomb is placed in the middle.

Talk show host Henry Costa - a vocal critic of President Weah - shared a video of the mausoleum under construction on his Facebook page:

Many have taken to social media to condemn the move as wasteful spending in a poor country.

“The extravagance I saw today shocked me to my core,” said Benjamin Yeagar, a critic, writing on Facebook.

“This was a complete insensitive display of wealth.”

Another commenter Stanley Cooper added: “With all that opulence, did the madam wake up from the grave? Useless showmanship!”

But Abdul Kanneh, who supports Mr McGill, said that “only heartless individuals will bully someone who is grieving for the loss of his/her love one. This is no politics, it is called EVIL.”

Just last week, a junior minister working under Mr McGill came under spotlight when he was seen in a video splashing champagne on an expensive SUV he had bought for his wife as a birthday gift.

Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine has pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics to avoid a possible match with Israeli Tohar Butbul, Algerian media have reported.

Nourine, who fights in the 73kg category, was drawn to face Sudanese Mohamed Abderasoul in the first round. He could then go on to face Butbul but has he decided not to compete.

Two years ago the Algerian athlete withdrew from the 2019 World Championship to avoid facing the Israeli opponent.

Nourine's action is part of a protest against Israel, Algerian media said.

Algeria has expressed "deep concerns" over reports that Morocco had used software to spy on "Algerian officials and citizens".

The foreign ministry said in a statement that having been "directly targeted, Algeria reserves the right to respond".

An investigation conducted by several Western media outlets revealed that the Moroccan secret service used software that had been developed in Israel to spy on Algerian political and military officials.

"Algeria is ready to take part in any international effort to establish the truth about these crimes threatening global peace and security," the Algerian statement added.

Morocco has denied the claims made against its secret services and intends to sue the organisations behind the information.

Algeria and Morocco have a frosty relationship over the disputed territory of Western Sahara that is claimed by Rabat. Algeria backs the Polisario movement leading the fight for independence.

Read more:

• Pegasus: Who are the alleged victims of spyware targeting?

Uganda Foreign Affairs MinistryCopyright: Uganda Foreign Affairs Ministry

A Ugandan weightlifter who went missing from a pre-Olympics camp in western Japan has been flown home a few hours before the official start of the Games.

Julius Ssekitoleko is currently being held at Uganda police headquarters to determine whether or not he had committed a crime, CID Spokesperson Charles Twino said.

He left the camp a week ago and was later found by the authorities buying a railway ticket.

Ssekitoleko's mother, pregnant wife and government officials who had travelled to Uganda's Entebbe airport to meet him on Friday morning did not get an opportunity to greet him on arrival.

In a statement, the ministry of foreign affairs said the athlete was being "rehabilitated".

It said the government would "help him understand how such acts of misconduct cannot only affect him as an athlete but also other athletes in the sports sector and the nation at large".

When he disappeared, Ssekitoleko had left a note saying he wanted to stay in Japan and work.

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Suspected members of a militant group in the Democratic Republic of Congo have shot dead 16 people who were returning from a weekly market.

The ambush took place in the east of the country.

Hospital officials in the town of Oicha say the victims include six women and a child.

The attackers are believed to belong to the Allied Democratic Forces - one of several militias operating in eastern Congo.

The group is accused of having killed hundreds of civilians since the Congolese army launched an operation against them last year.

Read more:

• Allied Democratic Forces: The Ugandan rebels working with IS in DR Congo

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A committee of US lawmakers has expressed concern over the arrest of the Tanzanian opposition leader Freeman Mbowe and 11 other officials.

It said the arrests had "unfortunately minimised any hope" for a more democratic society, according to a statement by Karen Bass, the chairperson of US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa.

She said President Samia Suluhu Hassan had appeared "to be on a different path for leading Tanzania forward to a more democratic society” after taking over from President John Magufuli, who died in March.

The Tanzanian police on Thursday said Mr Mbowe would face various charges including conspiracy to commit terrorist acts and killing government officials.

Police spokesman David Misime said the opposition leader was not arrested for organising a rally over constitutional reforms in Mwanza as widely reported.

Mr Mbowe has denied the accusations and his party Chadema quoted him saying that he was ready "for the fabricated case... I am not afraid."

Until now, Mr Mbowe and his co-accused have not been taken to court and the police say they are holding them for further questioning.

Wednesday's arrests in Mwanza have attracted wide criticism including from human rights bodies.

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The UN Human Rights Committee has found that Mauritius’ new identity card laws violate privacy rights.

The findings were made after a Mauritian citizen sought the committee's help after the highest court ruled that the new laws were “in the interest of public order”.

The 2013 National Identity Card Act requires every citizen to apply for a new identity card that carries fingerprints and biometric data in a microchip.

Maharajah Madhewoo had expressed concerns over data safety and violation of privacy rights.

He had taken the government to court and the supreme court in 2015 ruled that even though there was expert evidence showing the data retention was insecure and difficult to protect, it was necessary for public order.

The government had introduced the requirements to prevent fraudsters from obtaining fake documents.

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Thirteen civilians have been killed in clashes in the Central African Republic, the UN peacekeeping mission in the country says.

The Minusca mission said it "found 13 lifeless bodies" in Bongboto, about 300km (186 miles) from the capital Bangui.

it said in a statement that it would establish facts on "this unfortunate incident" and ensure that the suspects are brought to justice for the crimes.

The country has been in turmoil since 2013 when Muslim rebels from the Seleka umbrella group seized power in the majority Christian country.

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Rwandan forces deployed to help contain an Islamist insurgency have killed at least 30 jihadists, security officials in Mozambique say.

They said the troops were patrolling a forest near the northern port town of Palma when they encountered the militants.

About 1,000 Rwandan soldiers were sent to Mozambique earlier this month.

The southern African regional bloc Sadc is also deploying troops and Portuguese forces are helping to train the Mozambican army.

About 800,000 people have been displaced by the four-year insurgency. Thousands of people have been killed.

Read more:

• Mozambique Palma attack: 'I had to pay a bribe to flee'

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Kenya has begun using drones to identify mosquito breeding sites in the country and kill them at the larval stage.

Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe said the drones will help in accessing hard-to-reach areas especially in counties where malaria is prevalent.

The drones will be spraying a non-toxic, bio-degradable control substance to kill mosquito larvae.

This will ensure the mosquitoes do not breed as the fight against malaria continues.

The technology was introduced to the Kenyan government by the Malaria Council - a public-private-community partnership fighting malaria in Kenya - the health minister said.

Malaria is one of the top three causes of death in Kenya among children below five years old.

Tanzania and Malawi are some of the African countries also using this technology to fight malaria.

Nigeria Air ForceCopyright: Nigeria Air Force

Nigeria has received the first six of 12 military aircraft it bought from the United States, which are expected to boost its efforts in tackling violence by various armed groups.

The A-29 Super Tucano planes landed in the northern city of Kano on Thursday afternoon and were received by Defence Minister Bashir Magashi and other military chiefs.

Nigeria had placed an order for a dozen military planes from the US, which took a few years to manufacture.

The remaining six are expected to arrive in the country in October, Nigeria's Air Force spokesperson Edward Gabkwet told the BBC.

The planes are expected to help in surveillance and airstrikes against insurgents and other criminal gangs.

The country is grappling with an insurgency by Boko Haram that has raged for more than decade killing hundreds of thousands of people and displacing millions of others mainly in the north-east.

Armed criminal gangs have also stepped up violence including killings and kidnappings for ransom across the West African country.

On Sunday bandits shot down a military plane in the north-west, in a rare case of a military jet being brought down by a criminal gang.