Africa Live this week: 29 August-4 September 2022

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

Until then you can find the latest updates on the BBC News website, or listen to our podcast Africa Today.

A reminder of our Africa proverb of the day:

Quote Message: Do not advise a person when he leaves, but when he returns." from A Nuer proverb sent by James Bol Reat in Juba, South Sudan

Do not advise a person when he leaves, but when he returns."

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture of a woman dancing in Nigeria's Adamawa State, as families of missing people gather to mark the International Day of the Disappeared. It's from our selection of the best photos from Africa.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Twenty baby mountain gorillas have been given names in a colourful ceremony in the foothills of the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda’s Musanze district in the north of the country.

A new gorilla family was also named at the 18th edition of the gorilla naming ceremony.

The naming is symbolic, and gorillas are not physically present at the event.

Thousands of Rwandans gathered to celebrate the special day dedicated to the rare mountain primates.

Babies from several gorilla families were given names either with a Rwandan cultural significance or with references to the importance of conservation.

International celebrities including conservationists and broadcasters, sports people, actors and musicians took part in the naming ceremony.

Prince Charles joined the event virtually and named a male baby gorilla Ubwuzuzanye – which means harmony.

In a brief message played at the event, the Prince of Wales said that the restoration of harmony and balance between nature, people and the planet is the most critical issue facing humanity.

More than 250 baby gorillas have been named since 2005 in several editions of Kwita Izina – which means "to give a name" in Kinyarwanda.

Gorilla conservation in east Africa’s great lakes region suffered from poaching and habitat encroachment for decades.

But over the last 20 years, the great apes have recovered from the brink of extinction.

Just over 1,000 mountain gorillas are found in the region, the only place in the world that is their natural habitat.

MC CaroCopyright: MC Caro

MC Caro always knew she was special, or to use her words, that she would be a public figure in future.

How did she know? Because of the reaction she got at school:

“Growing up people used to like listening to me, you know, [I was] this kind of kid where when you are doing something you are the most popular in the classroom, everybody knows when you’re in school, and when you’re not in school everybody knows.”

The young Caro loved Nigerian movies and she would hold her classmates spellbound with her blow-by-blow retelling of the dramas. She also used to get asked by her teachers to read and explain texts to her fellow pupils:

“It was kinda easier for my friends to understand from my perspective than that of the teacher, so everybody in class would be like we want Caro to explain the book to us.”

But it was only after a series of tragic events that Caro decided on a career in music.

First, her education at vocational college was derailed by the Ebola crisis.

She had to pull out of her course in secretarial science and computers. Then she got pregnant and had a terrible five months fighting for her new baby daughter’s life:

“It was the saddest thing that ever happened to me in my life. It was just me with my baby. We went from hospital to hospital, no sleep, and then we lost the battle.”

Caro decided then to move to a new community and start her life afresh. She started hanging out in studios and with friends doing music, and because she had no money, she made a smart calculation.

She realised the potential of the internet, and she also realised that her fellow Liberians are obsessed with politics.

One afternoon she recorded a 28 second freestyle in which she warns President George Weah that he better not disappoint, he better deliver on his promises to the people who voted him in.

“It went viral in seconds, Liberians from all around the world started sharing, and that’s how I got my opportunity to the industry.”

MC Caro went on to become the most successful female rapper in Liberia to date – she won best female rapper at Liberia’s MTN music awards in 2020, and in 2021 she released her debut album, King Caro.

You can hear DJ Edu’s conversation with MC Caro on This is Africa this Saturday, on BBC World Service radio and partner stations across Africa, as well as online here.

Survivors of an attack last week in a town in Ethiopia's western region have told the BBC that they have not received any help.

Residents said at least 55 people were killed. They said the Fano militia – affiliated with the Amhara ethnic group - was behind the attack, but there has not been any comment from them.

"My father Mosisa Jemma who was 108 years old was killed. He was a very old man who can’t get out of his house. People who were able to run and hide in the forest saved their lives," a local teacher told the BBC.

Another survivor gave details of the number of the victims.

‘’We have managed to bury 55 dead bodies. They include infants who were found in flood waters. Following the attack by Fano, people fled the area.’’

The authorities are yet comment on the incident, however Ethiopia’s human rights body told the BBC it will open an investigation.

Armed groups affiliated with different ethnic groups have been blamed for several attacks targeting civilians.

BBCCopyright: BBC

In a landmark ruling, a Kenyan judge has ordered that people convicted and imprisoned for defilement are at liberty to petition the High Court for a review of their sentences.

Defilement can include sexual acts with a child or an adult or incest committed by male persons.

High Court Judge John Mativo ruled that the guidance for minimum sentences was discriminatory.

"The mandatory minimum sentences violate an accused's rights under Article 27 of the Constitution," the ruling read.

Sentencing guidance say that defilement convicts should get a minimum of 11 years.

The ruling follows a petition to the court which argued that the mandatory minimum sentence provided for under the Sexual Offences Act impinged on the right to a fair trial guaranteed under Article 50 of the Constitution of Kenya.

Article 50 states: "Every person has the right to have any dispute that can be resolved by the application of law decided in a fair and public hearing before a court or, if appropriate, another independent and impartial tribunal or body."

“We are likely to see suspects in custody instructing lawyers to have sentences mitigated and retried for resentencing," lawyer John Lewis Onkendi told the BBC.

He added that the ruling means that judges and magistrates should have the liberty to impose the sentences they consider appropriate to the case.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Kenya’s Supreme Court has concluded hearing a petition seeking to overturn the outcome of the 9 August presidential election.

During Friday's proceedings, lawyers for the petitioners accused the electoral commission of failing to comply with orders to open servers for scrutiny.

Lawyers representing veteran politician Raila Odinga urged the court to nullify President-elect William Ruto’s win, citing alleged irregularities.

In their rebuttals, lawyers for the respondents, who include Mr Ruto and the electoral commission, mounted a spirited defence asking the court to dismiss the case because no evidence had been provided to prove the elections were rigged.

It will be an anxious wait for the ruling that could change Kenya's political landscape.

The judgement will be made on Monday.

Police in Zambia have detained an opposition politician for allegedly defaming President Hakainde Hichilema.

Sean Tembo, president of the Patriots for Economic Progress party and a harsh critic of Mr Hichilema, was picked up on Thursday evening and is still in police custody.

Though police have promised to issue a comprehensive statement on the arrest, Mr Tembo, who has announced a hunger strike, says he was arrested for allegedly defaming Mr Hichilema.

Three days ago, in reference to Zambia’s monthly review of fuel prices, he wrote on Twitter:

“Bally’s monthly menstruation is here again. Fuel prices to be reviewed tomorrow.”

Mr Hichilema is widely known as “Bally”, especially on social media.

His comments drew wide condemnation from a cross-section of Zambians while others felt arresting him was excessive.

“While the UPND is in power today and enjoying political power, they do not have the privilege to decide how people should criticize them. Again I say, Sean Tembo is not scared of being arrested, you are playing his game when you arrest him,” wrote musician and civil rights activist Chama Fumba aka Pilato.

“I do not agree with the criticism by Mr Sean Tembo, it’s very offensive and disappointing but we should never confuse the constitution with our emotions. People should be arrested for breaking the law not for upsetting us," he added.

Several people have recently been arrested under the defamation of the president law that carries a maximum three-year sentence, as calls to repeal it intensify.

BBCCopyright: BBC

A self-styled Ugandan prophet has been charged with assault, common assault and trafficking in persons.

Prophet Kintu Dennis of Hoima Empowerment Church International was seen in a widely shared online video whipping members of his church.

Police arrested the 42-year-old on Wednesday this week along with four other members of the church following complaints about the video.

He's recorded ordering church officials to go to the front of the church to be whipped or stop attending prayers and lose the privilege of handling his microphone.

All the while, the congregation watched as one by one the ushers received their beating and soft piano music played in the background.

Prophet Kintu told the investigators that he was only carrying out a demonstration of how Jesus treated those he found selling goods in church, a police statement said.

The authorities also allege that he was operating illegally.

A search carried out in his church found three sticks that police allege were being used to cane members of his congregation.

He had been remanded until 7 September.

Uganda has several evangelical churches operating throughout the country.

They are unregulated and many are run by self-appointed men and women of God.

SP Benjamin HundeyinCopyright: SP Benjamin Hundeyin

A popular Nigerian singer has been arrested for allegedly assaulting and abducting a police officer who had detained him.

Ice Prince, whose real name is Henry Zamani, was arrested at 03:00 on Friday for driving without car licence plates, said Lagos Police Command spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin.

“He, thereafter, abducted the police officer in his car, assaulted him, and threatened to throw him in the river. He has been arrested and would be arraigned today," Mr Hundeyin said.

There has been no comment from the musician or his team.

More than 30 suspected illegal miners were arrested on Thursday during a police operation in South Africa's Benoni town in Gauteng province, Sowetan Live reports.

The suspects, aged between 13 and 54, were found to have explosives and other mining equipment, said police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo.

He said they will all face charges for their activities, possessions and other crimes.

Lt-Col Masondo also said the detainees are all suspected to be undocumented foreign nationals and will therefore be processed by the department of home affairs.

Lawyers for the loser of Kenya's 9 August presidential elections are arguing his petition opposing the results at the Supreme Court in the capital, Nairobi.

They have shown video clips alleging that results forms were changed to favour president-elect WIlliam Ruto.

But these claims have been denied by lawyers for the electoral commission and those of Mr Ruto.

The seven Supreme Court judges will end the hearings in the coming hours to write a judgment which will be delivered next week on Monday.

Mr Odinga's official Twitter account has shared a photo of the veteran politician following the court proceedings on TV.

Residents in western Ethiopia say they are living in fear following attacks where at least 50 people are feared to have been killed in an area in Oromia region.

Local residents say security forces had recently left the area and are blaming members of the Fano militia group for the violence earlier in the week.

Houses were set on fire and properties were looted during the attacks.

The regional authorities have not yet responded to the BBC’s requests for comment.

While a brutal civil war in the country’s north recently restarted after a five-month truce, western Ethiopia has continued to see frequent violent attacks.

Other parts of the country have also continued to face recurring violence.