Malawi’s former president, Peter Mutharika, has refused to allow the national anti-corruption body to question him about allegations of tax fraud.

Under Malawian law presidents are entitled to import goods without paying tax, but eyebrows were raised when $6.6m (£4.8m) worth of cement was purchased tax-free in 2019 using President Mutharika’s exemption code.

It later transpired that some aides of the former president were using the president’s tax exemption code to import goods

The latest statement from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) says it intends to interview the former president, but he released his own statement saying he had a right to remain silent.

In his statement, Mutharika claimed he had already been questioned by police over the matter last August. In it he also accuses ACB of pre-emptively freezing his bank account as part of “a sustained political witch hunt” that is “intended to humiliate and taunt me psychologically”.

There are reports from Mozambique that the army – along with troops from Rwanda – have retaken a base from Islamist militants in the northern Cabo Delgado province.

It is hard to verify exactly what happened but it has been widely reported that the jihadist base at Awasse was captured by Rwandan and government troops after a serious gun battle.

This could make it easier to retake the nearby coastal town of Mocimboa da Praia, which was seized by the Islamist militant fighters seized it a year ago.

President Filipe Nyusi recently welcomed the arrival of Rwandan troops who have just been joined by several hundred from Botswana.

It is part of a regional effort to help Mozambique fight back against the jihadists to contain a growing rebellion in the gas-rich area.

The government in Maputo hopes the arrival of foreign troops is going to help stop a rebellion that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and forced the closure of a multibillion-dollar gas project.

But some analysts point to examples elsewhere on the continent where the intervention of foreign troops and an overreliance on a military solution have seen conflicts spread.

Kenenisa Bekele, the second-fastest marathon runner of all time, has broken his silence after being snubbed by Ethiopia’s Olympic Committee.

The 39-year-old hinted that his career was far from over.

“Unfortunately, I am not selected for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. At the moment, I’m working hard and training well. There is still some unfinished business,” he posted on Instagram.

Kenenisa, who already has three Olympic gold medals to his name, was not shortlisted to represent Ethiopia at the Tokyo Games after he boycotted trials in May.

He has previously accused some people of working against his selection and had said he was unhappy about the timing of the trials.

Ethiopia’s marathon team will be led by Shura Kitata, who outran Kenya’s Eluid Kipchoge to win the London Marathon in October 2020.

Thousands of young Ethiopians have rallied in central Addis Ababa to join the army, part of a recruitment drive across the country to fight rebels in the northern region of Tigray.

The parade in the capital’s Meskel Square for the recruits before they left for training has been broadcast live on Ethiopian Television (ETV), the national broadcaster.

They seem to be aimed at showing support for the government’s military engagement in Tigray as well as encouraging others to enlist, he says.

Those at the venue were waving flags and chanting slogans like: “Don’t touch Ethiopia” and “Long live Ethiopia”, ETV reports.

According to Reuters, women and men in plastic sandals and baseball caps printed with phrases like “Ethiopia is calling” took part in the event, which was also attended by the defence minister and the capital’s mayor.

Community elders were seen blessing the recruits, who gave several reasons for joining up.

One 25-year-old said it was to continue the legacy of his father, an army veteran. Elsewhere it was the lure of paid work that attracted an 18-year-old.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was the former ruling party of Tigray.

It was ousted in November by the army after it fell out with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed over his political reforms, though the TPLF’s capture of federal military bases in Tigray was the catalyst for the invasion.

The government withdrew and unilaterally declared a ceasefire, but the rebels say it should be a negotiated cessation of hostilities.

The media in Libya has reported that Mohammed al-Kani, one of the war-torn country’s most infamous militiamen, has been killed in the town of Tarhuna.

Al-Kani was accused of murdering men, women and children in the small town south-east of the capital, Tripoli.

He and his family had terrorised the town for years – but were defeated by forces aligned to the UN-backed government in June 2020.

He went underground and is said to have died in an exchange of fire with security forces who had gone to arrest him at a hideout.

Footage shared widely on social media shows jubilant people in the streets of Tarhuna celebrating his death.