Tunisia immigration crisis

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1, South Africa, DR Congo sign hydropower dam deal

The leaders of South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo have signed nearly 40 trade agreements including one to revive a hydroelectric scheme.

The Grand Inga Dam project is a series of seven proposed hydroelectric power stations across the Congo river.

If built as planned, it would be the largest of its kind in the world.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the agreements with his counterpart Felix Tshisekedi in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa.

South Africa is experiencing a massive electricity crisis with frequent power cuts.

2. Rival Libyan sides agree to share oil revenue

Rival sides in politically divided Libya have agreed to set up a committee to oversee the sharing of oil revenues.

Eastern military strongman Khalifa Haftar had threated to force the shut-down of oil production unless the UN-backed Tripoli-based government agreed to address the issue.

Libya sits on Africa’s biggest oil reserves but friction between administrations in the east and west have severely hampered production.

Crude oil provides the main source of revenue for the country, which has been plagued by unrest since a Nato-backed revolt in 2011 toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

3. Migrants attacked in Tunisia and 'thrown off balconies'

Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have been attacked in the Tunisian city of Sfax, with dozens reportedly wounded.

The unrest was triggered by the killing of a Tunisian man on Monday during an altercation with several migrants.

A non-governmental group said that in reprisal attacks, some migrants were thrown from balconies and others attacked with swords.

Women and children were among those targeted.

Witnesses say that dozens have been forced out of the city, which is a key departure point for people seeking to enter the European Union by sailing to the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Tunisia urged to stop 'expulsion' of black African migrants

Tunisia urged to stop 'expulsion' of black African migrants

The Tunisian authorities should to immediately halt what have been described as "collective expulsions" of sub-Saharan migrants, the New York-based organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) says.

HRW says that in the past few days Tunisia has expelled several hundred black African migrants and asylum seekers, including children and pregnant women from the port city Sfax, close to the Libyan border.

It says they have been left stranded and in dire conditions in a remote desert area.

“The Tunisian government should halt collective expulsions and urgently enable humanitarian access to the African migrants and asylum seekers already expelled to a dangerous area... with little food and no medical assistance,” said Lauren Seibert, refugee and migrant rights researcher at HRW.

The recent unrest was triggered by the killing of a Tunisian man during a brawl between Tunisians and migrants in Sfax, on 3 July. Tension continued to escalate, leading to a surge in racially motivated attacks.

HRW urged the Tunisian government to conduct a thorough investigation into the reported abuses and hold the responsible security forces accountable.

Tensions have increased in Tunisia since President Kais Saied alleged that the migrants were part of a conspiracy to change the demographic composition of the North African country.

China navy wants to protect dangerous seas off Nigeria

China’s ambassador to Nigeria has told the BBC the visit by a Chinese naval fleet to Lagos is aimed at improving security in waters plagued by piracy and oil theft off West Africa and East Africa.

"Peace is not free, peace should be defended. So I think that we need military security collaboration, so Africa-China, Nigeria-China can do things to not only safeguard the peace, but to protect the vessels in the Gulf of Aden and also here in the Gulf of Guinea,” Cui Jianchun said.

Three Chinese military ships arrived in Nigeria on Sunday for a rare four-day visit.

Nigeria is a major oil supplier to China and just six months ago, a Chinese-built deep sea port costing $1bn (£787m) was opened in Lagos.

"The Nigerian navy can benefit from the Chinese partners. First they can exchange technology and also experiences," the ambassador said, adding that they could also build trust between the two sides.

He said he also believed the two countries could collaborate more when it came to infrastructure, technology and other areas.

In 2017, China opened its first overseas naval base in Djibouti and there has been speculation it may also want to set up a military base on Africa’s Atlantic coast.

Last year, US defence officials expressed concern about such ambitions.

But the Chinese ambassador sought to play down such fears: “We are working not to only serve Chinese nation… we are also working to do something for human progress and also harmony of the world.”

Before arriving in Nigeria, the Chinese naval fleet made four-day visits to Ivory Coast and Ghana.

They will be continuing to Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo before heading home.

Kylian Mbappé 'honoured' to be in Cameroon

French football star Kylian Mbappé says he is "honoured" to be visiting Cameroon, his country "of origin".

"I'm so happy to be here," he added, saying that people have shown him so much "love".

Earlier, football fans described  the excitement they felt about the trip.

"We've all been awaiting the moment and its finally here," 

"It's a huge boost for Cameroon, not just for Cameroon but for the entire continent," the fan added. "Having him around shows that home is home - you have to come back to your home."

The 24-year-old French football captain and PSG striker - who was born in Paris, France, to a Cameroonian father - also met the country's Prime Minister Joseph Ngute on Friday, along with other officials.

It's his first trip to Cameroon since he was a teenager.

The sporting star has also been meeting other Cameroonian sports figures, such as MMA star Francis Ngannou, with whom he was pictured smiling.

He also played basketball with former Chicago Bulls star Joakim Noah at Noah's court, where he was pictured with a crowd of onlookers watching the game. He later played football against the Cameroonian team Vent d'Etoudi FC, Reuters reports.

Mbappé is also carrying out humanitarian work on his trip on behalf of his foundation, which seeks to help young people achieve their goals.

Cameroonian journalist Henry Tataw Ekambi told BBC Newsday that one of the first things Mbappé did when he landed was to visit a school for "children with hearing and speech disabilities that his foundation is funding".

"We are pushing hard for a bright future in Cameroon," Reuters quotes him as saying.

The player's future at his current club PSG has been unclear after he said he would not extend his contract with the Parisian side beyond 2024.

Mbappé, who joined PSG in 2017 initially on loan from Monaco before a 180m euros (£165.7m) transfer, has scored 212 goals in 260 games for the club.

He also played on the French team when they won the World Cup in 2018.