The Pharaohs of Egypt claimed the enormous scalp of the Ivory Coast as they won their last 16 clash on spot kicks 5-4 in Douala on Wednesday evening. Eric Bailly missed the crucial spot kick for the Elephants while star man, Mohamed Salah converted to send his team through. The second game was almost a carbon-copy with no goals scored over 120 minutes between Mali and Equatorial Guinea. But it was the Northern Thunder who won 6-5 on penalties after Mali's, Falaye Sacko had his effort saved.

The Pharaohs played a goalless draw with the Elephants of Ivory Coast in Douala but went on to win after a penalty shoot-out. The seven-time champions are still on course to stretch their record.

FRANCE 24 spoke to Ramy Shaath, an Egytian-Palestinian activist who spent two and half years in jail in Egypt on accusations of aiding a terrorist group. He was a member of several secular political groups and a co-founder of the pro-Palestinian BDS movement. Shaath, who was never formally charged, described the conditions of his arrest, detention and finally his release from jail on January 8. He claimed "arbitrary detentions and arrests" increasingly account for "the majority" of inmates in Egyptian jails under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. He also said he understood that he was expected to keep silent following his release and had already received threats.

Egypt came back from a Sofiane Boufal penalty to claim a 2-1 victory over Morocco in their quarter final match on Sunday. Mohamed Salah equalised for the Pharao's before setting up Trézéguet in extra time to knock out the Atlas Lions. In the other game, Senegal's Sadio Mané returned to set up Famara Diedhiou for their opener only for Equatorial Guinea to respond through Jannick Buyla. But Cheikhou Kouyaté & Ismaïla Sarr made sure of the 3-1 win for the Lions of Teranga.

ECOWAS leaders hold an emergency summit in Ghana after a series of coups on the continent. Also, Mali's cotton sector is hit hard by ECOWAS measures after its military coup. In Nigeria, an explosion on an oil vessel off the coast sparks fears of environmental damage; the fate of 10 crew members is also still unclear. And Egypt beat Cameroon on penalties to reach the Africa Cup of Nations final.

Egypt will be aiming to win a record-extending eighth Cup of Nations title when they face Senegal in Sunday's final.

Sadio Mane scored the winning spot-kick as Senegal claimed a first ever Africa Cup of Nations title with a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over seven-time winners Egypt following a 0-0 draw in the decider in Yaounde on Sunday.

The Lions of Teranga reign supreme! Senegal have put a new name on the AFCON trophy after beating Egypt 4-2 on penalties. It was a final of the goalkeepers as Senegal's Edouard Mendy and Egypt's Mohamed Abou Gabal, aka Gabaski, made some stunning saves to keep out the opposition. Gabal in particular thwarted a 5th minute Sadio Mané penalty. But after no team could be separated after 120 minutes, Mané made amends from the penalty spot to send his team into delirium. Jean-Emile Jammine is joined by Sports Editor Simon Harding, Sports Reporter James Vasina and Eurosport's Ruben Slagter for this special edition.

In Durban, Romario Valentine, a young eco-warrior, dedicates his weekends to beach cleanups, environment classes and protecting the planet. Instead of opening gifts on his birthdays, he concentrates on crowdfunding.

A Turkish court has ordered that activist Osman Kavala must stay in jail, where he has been for four years without conviction. He is being held on an espionage charge widely seen as fabricated.

Police in South Africa say 72 people have been killed and over 1,200 have been arrested in unrest set off by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma. In a statement Tuesday night, police Maj. Gen. Mathapelo Peters said many of the deaths were caused by stampedes when shops were being looted.

Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate began her activism back in 2019 by staging a solo climate protest at the gates of the Ugandan parliament, before going on to co-found both the Rise Up Movement and Fridays for Future Uganda. She is currently in Paris as part of a delegation of Ugandan and Tanzanian activists who are fighting to drum up opposition to a huge oil pipeline under construction in East Africa. She joined us for Perspective to tell us more about her activism, her hopes for her meeting with Pope Francis and how she feels about being dubbed the African Greta Thunberg.