When a wildlife cameraman was invited to film the gradual exposure of a gorilla family to humans, deep in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he got a little too close for comfort to the group’s alpha male.
But, despite being terrified, Vianet Djenguet knew the almost 40-stone (254kg) primate didn’t want to hurt him. It was a test.
Anyone attempting to earn Mpungwe’s trust and become a friend needed to show respect.
“That charge is a way of saying, ‘Look I’ve got a family here, so back off’,” says Djenguet. “But if you stand your ground, it stops him moving forward.”
The gorilla reached out and grabbed Djenguet’s foot.
“I could feel the power of his hand,” says the cameraman. “I was quick enough to pull my foot back and then I completely froze.”
After he had charged, Mpungwe slid backwards down the hilly terrain and disappeared into the dense foliage.
Image caption,Djenguet grew up in neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville
The process – called habituation – can take between two and 10 years and involves tracking and following the animals through the 2,317 sq mile (6,000 sq km) forest.
It will only work if the group’s alpha male, the silverback, is willing to accept the humans – if he does, his family will too.
Mpungwe and his family are among the last remaining eastern lowland gorillas in DR Congo, and the ultimate aim of habituation is to save them from extinction.
Image caption,A female can give birth to a baby gorilla every four to six years
If successful, tourists will be able to visit the family, which will raise income to help protect the gorillas and their habitat.
This is the second attempt at habituating Mpungwe. A previous attempt in 2015 failed.
As an infant, Mpungwe was raised in a family of habituated gorillas, but he was then orphaned in 1996. The rest of his family were killed during a civil war – when the country was known as Zaire.
He roamed the forest, alone, says the park’s chief guide, Papa Lambert Mongane. Over the course of time, he met other wild families and “stole wild females”, says Mongane, until finally forming the family he has now.
Image caption,Adult males, such as Mpungwe, are called silverbacks after the distinctive silver hair on their backs
But like any protective patriarch, Mpungwe, who is now 35 years old, will do anything to keep his group of 23 gorillas safe. His family includes male and female gorillas plus babies.
Vianet Djenguet was invited to film the habituation process for three months for a BBC documentary. He had to trek through dense forest each day, following the endangered gorillas with an eight stone (50kg) camera and tripod.
Gorillas, who share about 98% of their DNA with humans, are just like us, he says. They mentally “photograph your face so they can remember exactly who you are”.
To show the gorillas he wanted to earn their trust, Djenguet says he had to act like them, mimicking their gestures and mannerisms – watching how they used their hands. When he beat his chest, the younger members of the group would beat theirs back.
“It just reminds me that we are so close to these creatures and they’re doing incredible work for us,” he says. “They are the gardeners of those forests that release oxygen for us.”
Image caption,A female gorilla will breastfeed its baby until it is three years old, says chief guide, Mongane
The female gorillas care in a similar way to human mothers, adds Djenguet. He observed a baby gorilla having a tantrum, but says the mother made sure her child stayed relaxed in a manner that reminded him of humans.
A female gives birth to a baby gorilla every four to six years, says Djenguet. This low reproduction rate makes it harder for the gorillas to recover from population decline.
Consecutive wars, from 1996-2003, hit the country’s gorilla population hard – explains the park’s chief guide, Mongane. During this period of political instability, many of the gorilla population were killed and eaten for bushmeat.
And poacher’s traps are still a deadly threat for the park’s gorillas.
Mpungwe’s son lost his foot when he got it caught in a trap, says Mongane, but the animal sensed what he needed to do to survive.
“He got up very early in the morning and plunged his feet into the river, leaving them in there for at least 10 minutes,” says Mongane. “In this way, he disinfected his wounds.”
Before the wars, there were 630 gorillas in the national park – he says – but there are now only believed to be 170, spread among 13 families.
Image caption,Eco-guards, seen here off-duty. Mongane says they would give their blood for the protection of the gorillas
Humans have also impacted the gorillas via deforestation – says Papa John Kahekwa, founder of Pole Pole Foundation, a community-led organisation working to protect the creatures.
The animals’ habitat is being encroached upon http://jusnarte.com/ by farmers growing crops, new villages being built or illegal logging. DR Congo lost 490,000 hectares (1.2m acres) of rainforest in 2020, according to Global Forest Watch.
As he followed Mpungwe’s family, Djenguet says he felt like the presence of humans was causing the animals to feel stressed at some moments – shown by the diarrhoea-like droppings they produced.
He says if there was enough money for conservation, the gorillas would not have to be part of eco-tourism.
“It would be much easier to just leave them in the forest and let them be free,” he says. “You have to be cruel to be kind, and this is the pure example of it.”
Saving the eastern lowland gorilla is a difficult balancing act and, to succeed, it needs the support of the park’s human neighbours who will also benefit from eco-tourism.
When local communities have income, says Kahekwa, they will prevent others in the village from harming the gorillas and their habitat. “In that way, gorillas must pay for their own survival,” he adds.
Image caption,Gorillas are the gardeners of the forests which release oxygen for us, says Djenguet
But there are other difficulties. In the mid-1980s to early 1990s, 7,000 tourists a year came to visit the national park, says Kahekwa. Since the wars, about 150 arrive each month. The security situation in much of eastern DR Congo, where most of the gorillas live, remains unstable.
Prior to Mpungwe’s habituation, the park had only one group of habituated gorillas for tourists to visit, led by the silverback, Bonane. Mpungwe is now considered half-habituated, according to the eco-guards in the park. Although he has been visited by some tourists, his group is not as habituated as Bonane’s.
As Djenguet’s three months filming the gorillas came to an end, getting closer to the group every day, he says he felt Mpungwe and his family had “almost adopted” him, an experience he describes as humbling.
“They let me in,” he says.
On his last day of filming, Mpungwe rose up and beat his chest to Djenguet, as if to say goodbye. If he ever returned, Djenguet believes Mpungwe will remember him.
Moses Lugalia has joined Kenya’s budding electric vehicle revolution – by exchanging the noisy roar of his petrol motorbike for the gentle hum of an electric one.
Motorbike taxis are everywhere in Kenya, as in many African countries, because they are cheaper than cars, and can be better for navigating the notorious traffic jams in the capital, Nairobi.
Mr Lugalia has been in the motorbike taxi business for five years, transporting people and goods around Nairobi.
He would spend about 1,000 Kenyan shillings a day – just over $6 (£5) – on fuel when he used a petrol bike.
Nairobi drivers earn on average about $10-15 a day, according to the country’s Boda-Boda Association.
Since going electric, Mr Lugalia says he spends no more than $1.42 a day – so his profits are now up and that makes him very happy.
“Because of the cost of petrol, I am able to save a lot more using my electric bike,” says Mr Lugalia with a smile.
Instead of filling up with petrol, Mr Lugalia now swaps the bike’s electric battery once, sometimes twice, a day at one of the growing number of swap stations in Nairobi. A fully charged battery will allow him to drive for about 80km (50 miles), almost a whole day’s work.
“Electric is the future in Kenya,” Mr Lugalia tells the BBC.
The Kenyan government thinks so too. President William Ruto launched a national “e-mobility” programme on 1 September 2023.
Motorbikes and three-wheeled tuk-tuks, or auto rickshaws, are the centrepiece of a move to make transport green and reduce air pollution.
The government hopes the prospect of cheaper running costs will create a gearshift in the minds of other drivers of the ubiquitous boda-bodas, most of whom still use petrol or diesel.
Image caption,Boda-bodas are one of the most common ways to get around Nairobi
Taking a boda-boda is a convenient, fast and cheap way to get around.
But many of the motorcycles are old, poorly maintained and big polluters. Although they produce less carbon dioxide than cars, they release more nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons – which affect air quality and the climate.
Nairobi is one of the world’s most heavily congested cities. Its population swells from about 4.5 million to more than six million people during rush-hours.
The daily gridlock can be a choking nightmare for commuters – transport accounts for about 40% of Nairobi’s air pollution, and globally for about 20% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Clean Air Fund.
Other major climate change culprits are deforestation, agriculture, manufacturing, and the open burning of waste.
Africa contributes only 2% to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but it suffers disproportionately from climate change, according to the UN Environment Programme.
Nevertheless, Kenya’s government sees a shift to green transport as vital to help meet its climate goals. It wants more than 200,000 electric bikes on the road by the end of 2024.
On average e-bikes emit 75% less total greenhouse gases.
So far only about 2,000 boda-boda drivers have switched from petrol to electric.
Image caption,Boda-bodas can be the quickest way to navigate Nairobi’s notorious traffic jams
In many ways, Kenya is an ideal market for electric motorbikes. About 85% of its electricity is renewable, generated by hydro, solar, geothermal, and wind.
Kenya has experienced some devastating droughts in recent years – which affects hydro-power – but there is significant room to grow its geothermal, solar and wind capacity.
A handful of Kenyan start-ups have taken advantage of this and set up shop in the past three years, manufacturing, designing, assembling and selling electric motorcycles.
They are also teaming up with creditors to offer cheap loans, which is the only way boda-boda drivers can afford to buy their own vehicles.
Mr Lugalia sold off his old petrol bike and used some of the proceeds to make a down-payment for an electric bike – and then paid the rest of the $1,500 in daily instalments over a year.
He now owns the bike outright – but not the battery.
“That wouldn’t make economic and business sense,” says Steve Juma, the co-founder of electric bike company Ecobodaa, as the battery is the most expensive part of an electric bike.
It would almost double the cost.
So sellers retain ownership of the battery and have set up about several hundred battery-swap points in the capital – in shopping malls, petrol stations and fast food outlets.
Mr Lugalia says he has no trouble finding a place where he can swap over batteries. Using an app on his phone, he can open a cabinet, place his spent lithium battery into an empty locker, and take out a fully charged one from another locker.
But if you go beyond the city, it is a different story – and that is a huge disincentive for most boda-boda drivers I spoke to when I was in Nairobi.
“You can’t go to a remote area where there is no charging system for the battery,” one man said, explaining why he was not yet ready to go green.
While others said they did not want electric bikes because of the perception that they were more expensive to buy than petrol ones. And others say the range of an electric bike – between 60 and 80km – is too limiting.
The government, however, sees a future where all Kenyan streets echo with the quiet hum of e-motorcycles and wants to eventually phase out traditional boda-bodas altogether.
There is still a long way to go, given how limited the electric vehicle infrastructure is beyond Nairobi.
Image caption,There are already some initiatives to cut emissions on Nairobi’s roads
But the government says the private sector, which is already investing in Nairobi, can play a pivotal role elsewhere too.
“We are confident that if we succeed in establishing proper infrastructure in Nairobi, that will encourage the same investors to invest,” Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, Kipchumba Murkomen, told the BBC
Some companies have already announced ambitious plans.
Masalule Kituyi of Roam says the company will be producing 8,000 electric motorcycles by next year.
Spiro, which operates in Kenya, Benin, Togo, Rwanda and Uganda, plans to set up 3,000 battery-charging and swapping stations across Kenya.
And by the end of 2024, another Nairobi-based start-up, Arc-Ride, wants to build 1,000 electric vehicles and set up more than 300 battery stations in Nairobi.
Women drivers only make up 1% of the industry, but Arc-Ride believes electric bikes might attract more into the business. It has approached some to test-drive its new e-boda motorcycles – including Carol Kamal.
She studied journalism but cannot http://kueceng.com/ find a job in that field, so turned to boda-boda driving.
She was so impressed by the electric boda-boda’s efficiency and quietness that she’s now saving up to go electric.
The allegations of abuse in a secretive Lagos compound span almost 20 years.
The Synagogue Church of All Nations did not respond to the allegations but said previous claims have been unfounded.
TB Joshua, who died in 2021, was a charismatic and hugely successful preacher and televangelist who had an immense global following.
The BBC’s findings over a two-year investigation include:
Dozens of eyewitness accounts of physical violence or torture carried out by Joshua, including instances of child abuse and people being whipped and chained
Numerous women who say they were sexually assaulted by Joshua, with a number claiming they were repeatedly raped for years inside the compound
Multiple allegations of forced abortions inside the church following the alleged rapes by Joshua, including one woman who says she had five terminations
Multiple first-hand accounts detailing how Joshua faked his “miracle healings”, which were broadcast to millions of people around the world
One of the victims, a British woman, called Rae, was 21 years old when she abandoned her degree at Brighton University in 2002 and was recruited into the church. She spent the next 12 years as one of Joshua’s so-called “disciples” inside his maze-like concrete compound in Lagos.
A shocking journey into a maze of manipulation and terrifying abuse perpetrated by one of the most powerful religious figures of the 21st Century
“We all thought we were in heaven, but we were in hell, and in hell terrible things happen,” she told the BBC.
Rae says she was sexually assaulted by Joshua and subjected to a form of solitary confinement for two years. The abuse was so severe, she says she attempted suicide multiple times inside the compound.
The Synagogue Church of All Nations [Scoan] has a global following, operating a Christian TV channel called Emmanuel TV and social media networks with millions of viewers. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, tens of thousands of pilgrims from Europe, the Americas, South East Asia and Africa travelled to the church in Nigeria to witness Joshua performing “healing miracles”. At least 150 visitors lived with him as disciples inside his compound in Lagos, sometimes for decades.
Image caption,Rae spent 12 years in Joshua’s compound
More than 25 former “disciples” spoke to the BBC – from the UK, Nigeria, US, South Africa, Ghana, Namibia and Germany – giving powerful corroborating testimony about their experiences within the church, with the most recent experiences in 2019. Many victims were in their teens when they first joined. In some of the British cases, their transport to Lagos was paid for by Joshua, in co-ordination with other UK churches.
Rae and multiple other interviewees compared their experiences to being in a cult.
Jessica Kaimu, from Namibia, says her ordeal lasted more than five years. She says she was 17 when Joshua first raped her, and that subsequent instances of rape by TB Joshua led to her having five forced abortions while there.
“These were backdoor type… medical treatments that we were going through… it could have killed us,” she told the BBC.
Other interviewees say they were stripped and beaten with electrical cables and horse whips, and routinely denied sleep.
On his death in June 2021, TB Joshua was hailed as one of the most influential pastors in African history. Rising from poverty, he built an evangelical empire that counted dozens of political leaders, celebrities and international footballers among his associates.
He did, however, http://lepassaja.com/ attract some controversy during his lifetime when a guesthouse for church pilgrims collapsed in 2014, killing at least 116 people.
Image caption,Inside Synagogue Church of all Nations in Lagos, founded by TB Joshua
By Charlie Northcott & Helen Spooner
BBC News, Africa Eye
TB Joshua, a charismatic Nigerian leader of one of the world’s biggest evangelical churches, secretly committed sexual crimes on a mass scale, a BBC investigation spanning three continents has found. Testimony from dozens of survivors suggests Joshua was abusing and raping young women from around the world several times a week for nearly 20 years.
Warning: Contains accounts of torture, rape and self-harm
The last time many of her friends saw her was at university in Brighton. She had been studying graphic design, living in a shared house 25 minutes from the sea. Rae was bright and popular.
“For me, it was like she died, but I couldn’t grieve her,” says Carla, Rae’s best friend at the time.
Carla knew where Rae had gone. But the truth of it was hard to explain to their friends. A few weeks previously, she and Rae had travelled to Nigeria together, in search of a mysterious man who could seemingly heal people with his hands. He was a Christian pastor, with a black beard, in white robes. His name was TB Joshua. His followers called him “The Prophet”.
Rae and Carla planned to visit his church, the Synagogue Church of All Nations [Scoan], for just one week. But Rae never came home. She had moved into Joshua’s compound.
“I left her there,” says Carla, tears flowing freely. “Never will I ever forgive myself for that.”
The church looms like a gothic temple over the Ikotun neighbourhood in Lagos, Africa’s largest city. Joshua designed all 12 storeys of the compound adjoining it, where he lived alongside many of his followers. He oversaw the construction of the multiple staircases to his bedroom. The three doors to it, in and out. The hidden prayer room full of tiny mirrors. The “clinic” downstairs.
We have interviewed many people who lived inside. They paint a picture of a concrete labyrinth; a nightmarish world where reality slipped away and horrors unfolded.
Numerous women say they were sexually assaulted by Joshua, with a number claiming they were repeatedly raped behind closed doors. Some say they were forced to have abortions after becoming pregnant.
Image caption,Carla (left) with Rae – she says she is devastated that she came home without her best friend
“On the outside I look normal, but I’m not,” she says.
When Rae talks about her years in Lagos, her lips tighten. She talks breathlessly. At times, the colour visibly drains from her face. She spent 12 years inside Joshua’s compound.
“This story is like a horror story. It’s like something you watch in fiction, but it’s true.”
The two-year investigation, in collaboration with international media platform openDemocracy, has involved more than 15 BBC journalists across three continents. They gathered archive video recordings, documents, and hundreds of hours of interviews to corroborate Rae’s testimony and uncover further harrowing stories. More than 25 eyewitnesses and alleged victims, from the UK, Nigeria, Ghana, US, South Africa and Germany, http://frutangjeruk.com/ have provided accounts of what it was like inside Joshua’s compound, with the most recent experiences in 2019.
However, an investigation by the BBC has uncovered more than a decade of allegations of rape and torture by him inside his compound in Lagos.
Joshua amassed great wealth throughout his career, possessing a fleet of cars and travelling via private jet.
But his beginnings were far more humble. Born Temitope Balogun Joshua to a poor family on 12 June 1963, he was raised by a Muslim uncle after his Christian father died.
One of the claims he made was that he had been in his mother’s womb for 15 months.
He also said that during his early days, he experienced a three-day trance in which he was called to serve God.
“I am your God. I am giving you a divine commission to go and carry out the work of the heavenly father,” Joshua declared.
It was then that he started the Synagogue, Church of All Nations (Scoan), with eight members.
Joshua and Scoan rose to prominence in the late 1990s, amid an explosion of “miracle” programmes performed by pastors on Nigerian TV.
Tens of thousands of followers from Nigeria and around the world would regularly attend his services in Lagos, Nigeria’s biggest city, in an attempt to be healed and hear the preacher’s “prophecies”.
Joshua also took his ministry on tour, visiting other African countries, the UK, US, and nations in South America.
Image caption,Men and women used to fall during “healing” sessions at the Synagogue Church of All Nations
Officials asked Joshua to tell infected followers in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone – the worst affected countries – not to travel to Joshua’s Lagos church for healing.
He agreed to suspend some of the church’s healing programmes but is also said to have sent 4,000 bottles of “anointing water” to Sierra Leone, falsely claiming they could cure the disease.
Joshua’s anointing water was always in high demand – in 2013 a rush for the bottles at his church in Ghana led to the death of four people in a stampede.
Many criticised the preacher following the incident but police in Ghana said it was difficult to apportion blame.
The preacher never faced charges, despite a coroner in a Lagos court saying that “the church was culpable because of criminal negligence”.
Although thousands packed his churches, Joshua always struggled to be accepted by his peers.
Ostracised by both the Christian Association of Nigeria (Can) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), he was described as an “impostor” who belonged to a group of “occults” that had infiltrated Christianity.
“He was rough. He was crude. His methods were unorthodox,” Abimbola Adelakun, assistant professor in the African Studies Department at the University of Texas, told the BBC in 2021.
While the growth of the internet and social media helped him spread his message, it also revealed increasing opposition to Joshua and other wealthy mega-church pastors.
Some critics took issue with Joshua – known as “the prophet” by his followers – claiming to have predicted numerous events, from the death of Michael Jackson, to the disappearance of the Malaysian plane MH370 in 2014.
Before Jackson’s death in 2009, TB Joshua told his congregation : “In his own area he is famous. He is known everywhere. Great. Too great. Because I see something will begin to happen to that star and that will likely end in him to pack his load and go to the journey of no return but I don’t know when that journey [is].”
Six months later, Joshua used the star’s shock death as proof that he could supposedly see the future.
Despite making such outlandish claims, Joshua had numerous high-profile followers.
South African politician Julius Malema, Malawi’s former President Joyce Banda, long-time Zimbabwe opposition leader, the late Morgan Tsvangirai and the former president of Ghana, the late John Atta Mills, are among the prominent Africans who paid homage to Joshua while he was alive.
Image caption,Joshua’s followers used to call him “the prophet”
Joshua career really took off when he began preaching on Emmanuel TV, a television station run by Scoan.
Along with being a platform for his sermons, the station broadcast accounts of people who said their lives were changed for the better because of the preacher’s ministry.
Testimonies included stories about financial prosperity, inexplicable recoveries from illness and even people supposedly being awakened from the dead.
Joshua was also known for his charity work, for which Nigeria’s former president, the late Umaru Yar’Adua, awarded him the Order of the Federal Republic, one of the country’s highest honours.
When the preacher died – http://cerahkanla.com of a cause that was never made public – mourners travelled from across the globe to Lagos for his burial service.
His wife, Evelyn Joshua, took over as head of the the church. They had three children.
Holders Senegal will look to defend the title they won in Cameroon in February 2022, when the Teranga Lions beat Egypt 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out following a 0-0 draw in the final.
Below are the squads which have been announced for the tournament, which culminates with the final on 11 February.
The deadline for submitting 27-man squads was on 3 January, but countries can make changes before their opening matches should injuries occur.
Algeria
Goalkeepers: Anthony Mandrea (Caen, France), Rais Mbolhi (CR Belouizdad, Algeria), Oussama Benbot (USM Alger, Algeria), Moustapha Zeghba (Damac, Saudi Arabia).
Defenders: Youcef Atal (Nice, France), Kevin van den Kerkhof (Metz, France), Rayan Ait Nouri (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England), Yasser Larouci (Sheffield United, England), Aissa Mandi (Villarreal, Spain), Mohamed Amine Tougai (Esperance Tunis, Tunisia), Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Ahmed Touba (Lecce, Italy), Zineddine Belaid (USM Alger, Algeria).
Defenders: Eddie Afonso, To Carneiro, Kinito, Inacio Miguel (all Petro Atletico, Angola), Loide Augusto (Alanyaspor, Turkey), Jonathan Buatu (Valenciennes, France), Nurio Fortuna (Gent, Belgium), Kialonda Gaspar (Estrela Amadora, Portugal).
Midfielders: Beni (Casa Pia, Portugal), Estrela (Erzurumspor, Turkey), Fredy (Eyupspor, Turkey), Keliano Manuel (Estrela Amadora, Portugal), Bruno Paz (Konyaspor, Turkey) Show (Maccabi Haifa, Israel).
Goalkeepers: Andre Onana (Manchester United, England), Fabrice Ondoa (Nimes, France), Devis Epassy (Abha, Saudi Arabia) Simon Ngapandouetnbu (Marseille, France).
Defenders: Christopher Wooh (Rennes, France), Junior Tchamadeu (Stoke, England), Nouhou Tolo (Seattle Sounders, USA), Darlin Yongwa (Lorient, France), Oumar Gonzalez (Al Raed, Saudi Arabia), Harold Moukoudi (AEK Athens, Greece), Jean Charles Castelletto (Nantes, France), Malcom Bokele (Bordeaux, France), Enzo Tchato (Montpellier, France).
Forwards: Vincent Aboubakar (Besiktas, Turkey), Georges-Kevin Nkoudou (Damac, Saudi Arabia), Clinton Njie (Sivasspor, Turkey), Karl Toko Ekambi (Abha, Saudi Arabia), Faris Moumbagna (Bodo/Glimt, Norway), Frank Magri (Toulouse, France), Moumi Ngamaleu (Dynamo Moscow, Russia).
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El Shenawy (Al Ahly, Egypt), Ahmed El Shenawy (Pyramids, Egypt), Gabaski (National Bank of Egypt, Egypt), Mohamed Sobhi (Zamalek, Egypt).
Defenders: Ahmed Hegazy (Al Ittihad, Saudi Arabia), Mohamed Abdelmonem, Mohamed Hany, Yasser Ibrahim (all Al Ahly, Egypt), Ali Gabr, Ahmed Samy, Mohamed Hamdy (all Pyramids, Egypt), Omar Kamal (Future, Egypt), Ahmed Fatouh (Zamalek, Egypt).
Goalkeepers: Jesus Owono (Alaves, Spain), Manuel Sapunga (Polokwane City, South Africa), Aitor Embela (Soneja, Spain).
Defenders: Basilio Ndong (Universitatea Craiova, Romania), Carlos Akapo (San Jose Earthquakes, USA), Charles Ondo (Huddersfield Town, England), Marvin Anieboh (Illescas, Spain), Nestor Senra (Real Aviles, Spain), Jose Elo (Merida, Spain), Esteban Orozco (Arges Pitesti, Romania).
Midfielders: Jannick Buyla (Logrones, Spain), Alex Balboa (Alaves, Spain), Federico Bikoro (Club Africain, Tunisia), Iban Salvador (Miedz Legnica, Poland), Jose Machin (Monza, Italy), Santiago Eneme (MFK Vyskov, Czech Republic), Josete Miranda (Niki Volos, Greece), Pablo Ganet (Alcoyano, Spain).
Forwards: Noe Ela (Numancia, Spain), Jose Nabil (Cano Sport, Equatorial Guinea), Emilio Nsue (Intercity, Spain), Salomon Obama (Santa Coloma, Andorra), Luis Nlavo (Braga B, Portugal).
Forwards: Alieu Fadera (Genk, Belgium), Assan Ceesay (Damac, Saudi Arabia), Musa Barrow (Al Taawoun, Saudi Arabia), Ebrima Colley (Young Boys, Switzerland), Yankuba Minteh (Feyenoord, Netherlands), Muhammed Badamosi (Al Hazem, Saudi Arabia), Ali Sowe (Ankaragucu, Turkey).
Ghana
Goalkeepers: Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St Gallen, Switzerland), Richard Ofori (Orlando Pirates, South Africa), Joe Wollacott (Hibernian, Scotland).
Defenders: Daniel Amartey (Leicester City, England), Alexander Djiku (Fenerbahce, Turkey), Abdul Fatawu Hamidu (Medeama, Ghana), Gideon Mensah (Auxerre, France), Denis Odoi (Club Bruges, Belgium), Nicholas Opoku (Amiens, France), Mohammed Salisu (Monaco, France), Kingsley Schindler (Samsunspor, Turkey), Alidu Seidu (Clermont, France).
Midfielders: Majeed Ashimeru (Anderlecht, Belgium), Osman Bukari (Red Star Belgrade, Serbia), Baba Iddrisu (Mallorca, Spain), Ransford Konigsdorffer (Hamburg, Germany), Mohammed Kudus (West Ham, England), Richmond Lamptey (Asante Kotoko, Ghana), Elisha Owusu (Auxerre, France), Joseph Paintsil (Genk, Belgium), Salis Abdul Samed (Lens, France).
Forwards: Andre Ayew (Le Havre, France), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace, England), Ernest Nuamah (RWD Molenbeek, Belgium), Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth, England), Jonathan Sowah (Medeama, Ghana), Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao, Spain).
Image caption,The deal has caused outrage in Somalia
The defence minister of the self-declared republic of Somaliland has become the latest casualty of the row over a controversial agreement that is causing ructions in the Horn of Africa.
Somalia – which considers Somaliland to be part of its territory – reacted angrily to the 1 January deal, calling it an act of aggression.
Both the US and the African Union have backed the territorial integrity of Somalia and urged all parties to cool tensions.
What was agreed?
The exact wording of the deal signed by the leaders of Ethiopia and Somalia has not been made public, which is a problem as there are differing versions of what the two sides agreed in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
An MoU is a statement of intent rather than a legally binding agreement but what seems clear is that Somaliland is ready to grant Ethiopia access to the sea for commercial traffic through a port, although it is not clear which port that would be.
There is also a military aspect. Somaliland has said it could lease a section of the coast to Ethiopia’s navy, which has been confirmed by Addis Ababa.
In return, Somaliland will get a share in Ethiopia Airlines, the country’s successful national carrier.
But where things get sticky is whether Ethiopia said it would recognise Somaliland as an independent state – something which no other country has done in the 30 years since the former British colony said it was leaving Somalia.
On the day of the signing, Somaliland’s President Muse Bihi Abdi said the agreement included a section stating that Ethiopia would recognise Somaliland as an independent country at some point in the future.
Ethiopia has not confirmed this. Instead, in its attempt to clarify what was in the MoU, the government on 3 January said the deal included “provisions… to make an in-depth assessment towards taking a position regarding the efforts of Somaliland to gain recognition”.
The day after the MoU was signed, Somalia described the deal as an act of “aggression” that was an “impediment to… peace and stability”. It also recalled its ambassador from Addis Ababa.
On Sunday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud stepped up the rhetoric saying: “We will defend our country, we will defend it by all means necessary and seek the support of any ally willing to help us.”
He also called on youths “to prepare for the defence of our country”.
Last week there were protests in Mogadishu against the deal with tens of thousands turning up to express their opposition.
What is the status of Somaliland?
Somaliland, a former British protectorate, declared itself independent from Somalia in 1991 and has all the trappings of a country, including a working political system, regular elections, a police force and its own currency.
Over the decades it has also escaped much of the chaos and violence that have hit Somalia.
But its independence has not been recognised by any country.
If, as Somaliland said, Ethiopia has agreed to recognise it at some point, it would have a profound impact on the Horn of Africa region.
What has Ethiopia said?
Prime Minister Abiy last year described access to the sea as an existential issue.
Ethiopia lost its ports when Eritrea seceded in the early 1990s. With more than 100 million people, it is the most populous landlocked country in the world.
Mr Abiy’s statement raised fears that Ethiopia could try to achieve its goal by force.
It has described the deal with Somaliland as historic, and emphasised that its intentions are peaceful.
“The position announced by the government is strongly rooted in a desire to not engage in war with anyone,” Ethiopia’s communications office said.
But in an oblique reference to the controversy, Mr Abiy said on X on Sunday that “if we expect things to happen in ways that we are used to or know or can predict, [opportunities] may pass us”.
He added that some sometimes “out of the box” thinking was needed to achieve goals.
What have others said?
On 3 January, African Union commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat called for calm and mutual respect “to de-escalate the simmering tension” between Ethiopia and Somalia.
US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller also said that his country was concerned by reports that Ethiopia would recognise Somaliland’s independence.
“We join other partners in expressing our serious concern as well about the resulting spike in tensions in the Horn of Africa,” he added in a press briefing.
Turkey, http://blejermot.com/ which plays a significant role in Somalia, stated its “commitment to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Somalia.
And Egypt has also pledged support for Somalia. President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi told his Somali counterpart that Egypt stood by Somalia and supported “its security and stability”.
Image caption,Dr Betta Edu is the youngest minister in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet
By Mansur Abubakar in Abuja & Wedaeli Chibelushi in London
BBC News
Nigeria’s president has suspended a minister over the alleged diversion of more than 585 million naira ($640,000; £500,000) of public money into a personal bank account.
A statement from President Bola Tinubu’s office said he had ordered an investigation into Dr Edu’s ministry.
Dr Edu has denied any wrongdoing.
Her office said she had approved the transfer into a personal account, which was not in her name, but said it was for the “implementation of grants to vulnerable groups”.
The suspension of a minister is a rare occurrence in Nigeria – Dr Edu is the first to lose their job since President Tinubu took office in May last year.
His predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, sacked only two ministers during his eight-year tenure.
Last week, local media reported on a leaked document that allegedly showed Dr Edu instructing a senior treasury official to transfer the money to the personal account of Bridget Oniyelu, the accountant for the government’s Grants for Vulnerable Groups initiative.
Reports that Dr Edu had asked for the funds be moved to a personal account, rather than a government one, caused outrage.
Mr Tinubu called for an investigation into the transfer on Sunday.
He asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for a “thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation,” said a statement released on Monday.
Mr Tinubu asked http://asiafyas.com/ Dr Edu to comply with the investigation. He also called for the reform of government institutions that run National Social Investments Programmes (NSIP) – initiatives like the Grant for Vulnerable Groups that aim to tackle poverty – stressing a need to “win back lost public confidence”.
The rise is largely due to the war being fought between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar and Somalia also contributed.
Research by the London-based charity is used by international forums such as the UN. It has also presented its evidence to the UK’s Parliament.
In 2023, AOAV identified at least 7,307 explosive incidents around the globe, up from 4,322 recorded the previous year.
The attacks caused the deaths of at least 15,305 civilians, accounting for a rise of 122% from 2022. Tens of thousands more were injured.
AOAV describes Israel’s war in Gaza as “a major cause for such a dramatic increase” in civilian casualties, accounting for around one third of the global total.
It recorded 920 incidents of explosive weapons use in Gaza, resulting in 9,334 people being killed. That is lower than other estimates.
AOAV says its data does not capture all harm, but does highlight clear trends in explosive violence. It says the data includes reports from reputable media organisations.
AOAV says the use of air-launched weapons across the globe increased by 226% in 2023 – rising from 519 incidents in 2022 to 1,694 last year.
Israel has repeatedly stated it has taken unprecedented steps to avoid civilian casualties, including issuing warnings in advance of air strikes.
But AOAV’s research shows that when explosive weapons are used in populated areas, the vast majority of those injured are likely to be civilians.
AOAV’s director, Iain Overton, says its data should be a stark warning to states that using explosive weapons in urban areas disproportionately impacts civilians.
The charity also recorded a significant increase in the use of ground-launched weapons in 2023.
Israel ‘most injurious state actor’
Across the globe state actors were responsible for 77% of the civilian casualties caused by explosives.
AOAV says Israel “was by far the most injurious state actor in 2023”, with more than 1,000 attacks leading to 12,950 civilian casualties – dead and injured.
Russia was second, with its war in Ukraine causing 8,351 civilian casualties.
Ongoing conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar, Syria and Somalia also contributed to the highest civilian casualties recorded by AOAV since 2010.
Non-state actors, including http://buerinas.com/ militants and proscribed groups, were also behind the increase in the use of explosive weapons last year. However, AOAV recorded the number of civilians killed by non-state actors as falling by 8%.
The FDA’s decision could open the door for other states to follow suit.
The major policy shift overrides decades of opposition from the US pharmaceutical industry.
The industry’s major lobbying group has already indicated it will try to intervene.
Florida estimates the programme, which allows the import of certain prescription drugs used to treat conditions such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, hepatitis C and mental illness, will save state taxpayers up to $150m (£118m) a year.
The sky-high costs of prescription drugs have been an ongoing political issue in the US, where prices are among the highest in the world.
According to a report by the OECD group of industrialised nations, the US spends more than double the average amount spent by other member countries on prescription medicines per capita.
For example, where the UK paid approximately £246 ($314) per head in 2023, the US paid $1,139.
In a statement announcing the FDA’s authorisation, Commissioner Robert Califf said the administration would continue to work with states and Indian tribes on these proposals.
“These proposals must demonstrate the programmes would result in significant cost savings to consumers without adding risk of exposure to unsafe or ineffective drugs,” he said.
Florida’s approval does come with requirements, including how the drugs are labelled and ensuring they meet FDA specifications and standards.
There will also be restrictions on who can access the imported drugs.
The FDA’s decision comes after President Joe Biden’s executive order in 2021 – which directed federal agencies to work with states on lowering costs through importation plans.
