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  1. Fears for political prisoner needing surgery in Algeria

    BBC World Service

    Ten human rights organisations have demanded that an Algerian political activist be released from jail so that he can have life-saving heart surgery.

    Amnesty International says Abdallah Benaoum's health has deteriorated rapidly, but his requests to be transferred to hospital have been turned down:

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    Mr Benaoum was detained late last year after he posted criticism of the authorities on social media.

  2. Video content

    Video caption: The state of shipbuilding in South Africa

    The BBC takes a look at the current state of the shipbuilding market in South Africa.

  3. Video content

    Video caption: How Zanzibar's boat men are surviving the pandemic

    Hajib Mwalimu and other boat men in Zanzibar have been severely affected by the pandemic.

  4. Sahel worries top UN humanitarian 'most'

    The UN's humanitarian chief has told BBC Focus on Africa that the "place that worries [him] most" is the central Sahel.

    Mark Lowcock of Ocha pointed to conflicts arising from people having to compete for already strained resources - and the combination of "low development", high poverty, accelerating climate change and rapid population growth.

    "You're seeing clashes, for example, between farming families and families who make a living through nomadic pastoralism," Mr Lowcock said.

    "All of those things, together with the fact that this is not the region where the empowerment of women and girls is advanced as much as in some other places, are causing grievances."

    His comments come as the UN hopes to raise $1bn (£770m) with a virtual donor conference hosted with Denmark, Germany and the EU.

    Armed militia operate in the Sahel, which has become a frontline in the war against Islamist militancy for almost a decade.

    "The extremist groups are one manifestation of that, there's also an uptick in organised crime," Mr Lowcock told the BBC.

    He said that people being forced from their homes is "a symptom of these underlying problems".

    "Not much short of two million people are now displaced across the region - a massive increase over the last couple of years."

    Listen in full:

    Video content

    Video caption: Mark Lowcock says more than 13 million people in the region need help
  5. Misinformation spreads following Guinea election

    Linnete Bahati

    BBC Monitoring Disinformation Team

    Crowds on the streets in Guinea
    Image caption: Crowds on the streets of Conakry on Monday after Cellou Dalein Diallo claimed victory despite no official election results

    Guinea's government has condemned the spread of "fake news" online following the first round of Guinea's presidential elections on Sunday.

    Minister of Foreign Affairs Mamadi Touré denounced as "completely false" a video circulating online claiming to be a recording of a phone call made by President Alpha Condé conceding defeat to his rival Cellou Dalein Diallo.

    He dismissed another viral post claiming that diplomats were putting pressure on President Condé "to accept defeat and that he was trying to "negotiate a second round to avoid humiliation in the first round".

    Official results have not yet been announced, despite a declaration of victory by opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo on Monday.

    Guinea's electoral commission said it was the only body authorised to declare the results.

    More on Guinea:

  6. Lagos curfew defied by #EndSARS protesters

    Protesters in the Lekki and Alausa areas of Lagos have not dispersed, more than 20 minutes after a curfew kicked in.

    They are singing the national anthem at the Lekki toll gate.

    No security officers have been spotted at either site yet, the BBC's Nduka Orjinmo reports.

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  7. Nigeria to deploy anti-riot police and fortify prisons

    Ishaq Khalid

    BBC News, Abuja

    Nigeria's police chief Mohammed Adamu has ordered the immediate nationwide deployment of the anti-riot police unit – the Police Mobile Force (PMF) – "to protect lives and property of all Nigerians and secure critical national infrastructure across the country".

    The Inspector-General has also ordered massive deployment of police officers to strengthen security around prisons nationwide.

    In a statement, the police said the orders are coming on the "heels of increasing attacks including acts of arson and malicious damage to public and private facilities."

  8. Video content

    Video caption: Freedom of speech lessons will continue, says French minister

    Mr Paty is to be posthumously awarded the French Legion of Honour, the country's highest award.