Posted at 7:3211 Sep Torrential rain brings devastating floods to parts of Africa 01:33 African floods Millions of people have been affected by floods in sub-Saharan Africa; in Senegal a year's worth of rain fell in just 24 hours. Posted at 4:2311 Sep Scores of Senegalese troops test positive for Covid-19 afp The peacekeeping mission in The Gambia, deployed by regional bloc Ecowas in 2012, mainly consists of Senegalese soldiers. The Senegalese army says about 100 of its soldiers from the peacekeeping mission in The Gambia have tested positive for coronavirus. The military contingent composed of 600 soldiers was returning home. They have been quarantined in Toubacouta, on Senegalese territory near the border with The Gambia, as a precautionary measure. Those who tested positive are asymptomatic. More tests are being done. The peacekeeping mission in The Gambia, deployed by regional bloc Ecowas in 2012, mainly consists of Senegalese soldiers. It was deployed to force former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh to hand over power to his elected successor Adama Barrow and to assist the new Gambian administration to address security challenges. The mission's mandate was extended during the last Ecowas meeting at the request of President Barrow. Posted at 4:187 Sep 'Rainfall of three months' hits Senegal in a day 00:48 'Rainfall of three months' hits Senegal in a day Senegal's President Macky Sall has launched an emergency aid plan after a seven-hour downpour caused widespread flooding. The water minister said there had been more rain in a single day than the total amount that usually falls during the three-month rainy season. There has been widespread damage and most parts of the country are flooded. Posted at 9:461 Sep Akon moves ahead with 'Akon City' in Senegal Getty Images US R&B singer Akon, who has been talking since 2018 about building a new city in Senegal, said at a press conference on Monday that construction work will start next year. He said that the identities of the investors cannot be revealed but that a third of the $6bn (£5bn) funding had been secured. The architect behind the city, Hussein Bakri, said the city's population would eventually reach 300,000. Akon, whose real name is Alioune Badara Thiam, marketed the city directly to African Americans. He explained he had "ran into a lot of African-Americans that didn’t really understand their culture... So I wanted to build a city or a project like this that will give them the motivation to know that there is a home back home," AFP news agency quotes the singer, who was born in the US to Senegalese parents, as saying. "As you come in from America, or Europe or anywhere in the diaspora, and you feel like you want to visit Africa, we want Senegal to be your first stop," he said. Posted at 3:451 Sep Senegal reopens universities for in-person learning Seydina Alioune Djigo BBC News, Dakar Getty Images Cheikh Anta Diop University, pictured, has more than 71,000 students The authorities in Senegal have started to gradually reopen the country's eight universities for in-person learning after they were closed for more than five months because of the coronavirus pandemic. Reopening will depend on the capacities of respective institutions to comply with Covid- 19 safety protocols. Online courses will continue for students still waiting to be recalled. At Cheikh Anta Diop University in the capital Dakar - the largest in the country with more than 71,000 students - departments will reopen depending on their capacities to enforce safety measures. Most undergraduate students are expected to resume learning there this week. Senegal has more than 190,000 students in institutions of higher education, 65% of whom are in public universities. The country continues to register about 100 new Covid-19 cases daily. Posted at 1:161 Sep Senegal's first female professional surfer Khadjou Sambe, 25, defied social expectations to ride the Atlantic waves. Read more Posted at 7:5921 Aug Senegal seeks to move huge ammonium nitrate stock Peter Mwai BBC Reality Check The Dakar stockpile is almost as big as that which exploded in Beirut, causing massive destruction. Read more Posted at 4:0414 Aug Challenges of working on Senegal's Covid-19 frontline 02:45 Coronavirus: Challenges of working on Senegal's Covid-19 frontline Professor Ndeye Coumba Touré Kane is advocating for a greater use of face masks in Senegal. Posted at 0:545 Aug Bringing Covid-19 news to Senegal's deaf community 01:40 Coronavirus: Bringing Covid-19 news to Senegal's deaf community Student Naomie Koffie's summaries of the news in sign language have won praise from the president