Drama from Stamford Bridge as Diego Costa scored a late equaliser to preserve Chelsea's unbeaten record

Jesse Lingard was on loan at Championship club Derby County this time last year

Diego Costa scored a late equaliser to preserve Chelsea's unbeaten record under interim boss Guus Hiddink and deny Manchester United a win.

United dominated early on, Thibaut Courtois producing a fine one-handed save to keep out Anthony Martial.

David de Gea saved well from Nemanja Matic's header before Jesse Lingard's fine turn and shot put United ahead.

Costa rescued a point in the 91st minute after rounding De Gea following Cesc Fabregas' pass.

United were moments away from moving to within four points of the top four when Costa scored his seventh goal in eight games.

Chelsea, who lost defender Kurt Zouma to a serious injury, remain 13th in the table.

This will feel like a defeat for United after a bright start and a wonderful goal to give them the lead.

Apart from the late equaliser, Louis van Gaal's side produced a display full of positives after recent criticism about the team's style.

They started well and offered more zip and energy than their cumbersome hosts.

Courtois' flying save to keep out Martial's curling attempt was excellent, while United forced 10 corners before the end of the first half.

The visitors looked set for a rare win over Chelsea when Lingard displayed terrific balance and agility to break the deadlock with a sublime spin and shot inside the area.

However, United's failure to hold out cost them dear, Costa pouncing from close range after a terrific Fabregas pass.

Chelsea captain John Terry, speaking to Sky Sports: "They started well but as the game grew on we grew into it. It was a great response, we've shown that character since the manager came in and that's good to see."

On the decision not to award a penalty for a handball against Daley Blind: "It was going in I think. It's difficult for the ref but inside the box? Going in? For me it’s got to be a penalty."

On his future at the club: "It’s a difficult one. The club is the most important thing but there’s no communication at the moment. I said what I had to say, that’s how it is. I've made it very clear I want to stay, but more important is getting up to where we should be in the table."

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, speaking to Sky Sports: "Deep frustration because we were the better team. Again. And we didn’t win. We had the better chances but we didn't win.

"We played a superb game until the last quarter. Then we did not keep the ball in the way I think we have to. Then, we were unlucky and we get a goal against us. It is unbelievable. We don’t reward ourselves.

"This is also because Chelsea is pushing with long balls and more aggression but nevertheless you have to keep the ball and be composed when you defend; you are not kicking the ball way without any meaning. Also we could have scored again after the first goal but you don’t reward yourselves. When you play such a game against a team like Chelsea, you have to reward yourself."

"When your aim is to be third or second or first then you need to win because the gap is already big. The gap is now bigger than before so that's not good.

"The equaliser we conceded is also defensive organisation, you have to be composed and then you can play them out, not kicking the ball away. And then all the free-kicks. I don’t think all the fouls were free-kicks but this referee gave a lot of free-kicks at the end of the game. The [injury] time was already over, the six minutes, and then he let [Chelsea] kick the corner and when we had a free pitch for us he whistles.

"He did that also in the first half. I think you cannot do that. Otherwise, you don’t let him kick the corner, because I don't think that is fair for two teams."

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal, speaking to BBC Sport: "I feel we didn't reward ourselves with a victory because we were the better team. Until the last quarter we played very well and could have scored more goals but you have to control the game better and we did not do that.

"It isn't a lack of concentration it is not being composed when you are defending. When we have the ball we have to keep the ball. We don't have to score.

"You need to give the right pass at the right moment and we did not do that [before Chelsea scored]. Chelsea are a very good team and you play like we played and don't reward yourself, it is frustrating.

"I cannot say I am disappointed about the performance, I am disappointed in the result. It is a big difference.

"When you want to be in the top three, which is our aim, you have to win these kind of games. The gap is growing and growing and that is not good. When you see this match you can only say we deserved to win, but we didn't win and it is happening a lot of times.

"We cannot afford it [lapses in concentration]."

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink, speaking to Sky Sports: "I am happy with the reaction of the team. Manchester United did a good job in the first half and in the beginning of the second, they are not an easy team to beat. But we deserved a point. We dropped too far back after the first 20 minutes when they dominated us but later on we closed a little more. They made a beautiful goal - without good marking from our side - but after I think the team reacted very well."

On Kurt Zouma's injury: "Tomorrow we know more, but if you have this injury - and everyone has seen how bad it is - hyper-extension is always bad. I had this same problem once and it hurts. But let's hope and see tomorrow what the MRIs will show."

Arsenal beat Bournemouth

Arsenal maintained their record of not losing a Premier League game in which they had a two-goal lead at half-time since November 2010 (at home to Spurs)

Arsenal scored twice in 88 first-half seconds to overwhelm Bournemouth and move level on points with second-placed Tottenham.

Mesut Ozil lashed the ball home from 12 yards for the Gunners' opener, before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain drifted in from the right and scored with a low shot.

Bournemouth played some slick football at times and had more attempts at goal, but their finishing was poor.

Matt Ritchie was the chief culprit, with none of his five shots on target.

"Back to basics for Arsenal. Petr Cech made a huge difference with the clean sheet mentality and nothing went past Gabriel. After going 2-0 up in the first half it was an old-fashioned display of defensive quality. And the same again might just work well for them against Leicester next week."

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, speaking to Sky Sports: "The game was won in the first half really. The boys responded really well and we go back to winning ways. Hopefully we can keep this run going now.

"I am pleased for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. It was a good performance from him today and hopefully he can keep up the form."

Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini, speaking to Sky Sports: "It was a good team effort. I am very happy for the team. We have a tough game next week against Leicester and we have to win it."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, speaking to BBC Sport: "We had a strong start, with good finishing and we controlled the game. We beat a good side, it was three difficult points but three very important points for us because we had not won for a while.

"We lost a bit of our urgency in the second half. We lost the killer instinct to get the third goal and on top of that Bournemouth are physically a strong team.

"It was a must-win game for us today. Leicester have made a big impression in the last week after their results. They suddenly become the favourite in the Premier League and it makes our game a big game."

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe, speaking to BBC Sport: "We were slow out the blocks today, which is unlike us. If you give a team like Arsenal time on the ball they will punish you.

"We were much-improved in the second half without getting that goal to put them under pressure. We kept going, kept fighting, and if we had got that goal back with say 20 minutes to go, it would have made for an interesting finish. We got into some really good positions without the cutting edge we have had in recent weeks."

Why some African governments are clamping down on churches

Charismatic churches are popular in West Africa, particularly Nigeria

Some governments and organisations in Africa are starting to think churches should be held accountable to a being other than God.

Of concern to many with interests in the Christian faith are the "prophet of God" or "man of God" churches.

These are led by self-proclaimed prophets or messengers who are believed by their millions of devoted followers to have the power to perform a range of miracles from healing the sick, curing Aids and even raising the dead.

But who dares take on these seemingly untouchable men?

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta recently called for the regulation of churches.

The government there says the move is aimed at stamping out bogus churches.

"They are thieves and not preachers. We have to consult and know how to remove them," the president is quoting as saying by Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation.

When approached for comment on the scepticism around their sometimes bizarre practices, the response is often a variation of "we are being targeted" or "the Bible says the man of God will face opposition. Christ himself faced opposition".

But the controversy is not unique to Kenya.

Nigerian evangelist TB Joshua made news following a building collapse at his Synagogue Church of All Nations church in Lagos, which killed 116 people.

A coroner's report blamed the collapse on shoddy work, saying the structure had not met safety standards but Mr Joshua's church denied this, instead blaming the collapse on a mysterious plane which had been flying above the double-storey shortly before it was reduced to rubble.

Of those killed, more than 80 were from South Africa, illustrating the international nature of some of the bigger churches.

In South Africa, two churches - Rabboni Ministries and End Times Disciples Ministries - made headlines here when the churches posted images of their leaders feeding followers snakes and rats, or instructing congregants to drink petrol and eat grass.

The images caused a nationwide outcry.

At the time, the man dubbed the "snake pastor" by local media, Prophet Penuel Mnguni, said he was "doing God's work and didn't need to explain God's ways to people".

Having tried to contact the prophet a number of times without success, I set off to locate him in the last place he was known to hold services.

In the scorching Pretoria heat and after hours of driving, one resident, in extension 13 in Soshanguve, a township outside the capital, told me my search was futile.

"It's Sunday but you won't find him anywhere here. He'll never come back here. We burnt his church and chased him away," he said.

"Some people threatened to kill him if he ever returns. People here are angry at what he did - that's why he ran away."

A few other people confirmed the "ban" and that seems to be the end of that.

Some organisations are also curious about the business of the church.

South Africa's Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CLR) which summoned 40 churches, said their wide-ranging sessions found that "commercialisation is definitely there… and abuse of people's belief systems".

"The sector needs to be regulated," CLR chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva told the BBC.

"We've found that other religions such as Islam and the Jewish religion are systematised for disciplinary codes and monitoring but Christianity, because of its volatility in terms of anyone being able to start up their own church, we feel there is a need for regulation, self-regulation," she said.

The challenge though becomes - whose role this should be, the government or the church body itself?

Pastor Conrad Mbewe, of the Kabwata Baptist Church in Zambia, says charismatic churches have a stronghold on the continent because "Africans are hugely spiritual".

Most people in Africa are deeply religious

"Africans do not question the existence of God as in the case with many in the Western World," said Mr Mbewe.

"It is believed that there needs to be conduit that enables communication between humans of the various layers of spiritual beings, which include angels, demons and spirits. They see these prophets as messengers from God," he said.

He told me that financial swindling and sexual abuse were a concern for church leaders in Zambia.

"We have been made aware of incidents of sexual abuse, which is said to take place when they attend overnight church gatherings."

There is evidence that bogus churches target vulnerable people, Ms Mkhwanazi-Xaluva told me.

"Issues of poverty and unemployment are at the core of people's reliance on these types of churches. We've found this group is incredibly desperate and will do whatever they are told do if promised it will change their lives."

The South African constitution allows for "freedom of religion"

Some African churches are big enough to hold thousands of worshippers

This means the constitution protects everyone's religion, as long as it acts within ambit of the law - this also makes it easy for anyone to start a church.

Reverend Moss Nthla of the Evangelical Alliance of South Africa, which has more than three million members, accepts that the Christian family is facing many challenges but says the government cannot be called upon to address spiritual matters.

"It is difficult to see how the government would regulate churches; we've ... reports of politicians themselves being faithful members of some of these controversial churches - some of which are a law unto themselves."

But what can be done?

"There needs to be at the very least, a bare minimum standard that we as Christians can set and adhere to and any church found to be operating outside of that needs to be stigmatised. We would have failed as church leaders if we do nothing," said Reverend Nthla.

Baby Rescued From Taiwan Earthquake Rubble

A six-month-old baby girl has been rescued from the rubble of an apartment building that collapsed after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan.

Rescue teams are continuing their efforts to find the more than 100 people who remain unaccounted for following the collapse of the 17-storey block in the southern city of Tainan.

The baby girl was rescued after more than 30 hours under the ruins of the building and was taken to hospital.

At least 23 people are known to have died in the quake, which struck at around 4am local time on Saturday.

Sixteen of those killed were in the collapsed Wei-guan Golden Dragon Building.

Around 120 people are still under the rubble of the residential block, with most of them trapped deep in the wreckage, the government said.

Taiwanese media say bodies continue to be found, including those of two sisters aged 18 and 23.

Tainan Mayor William Lai said: "Right now we are in the midst of trying to rescue over ten people.

"At the moment, the rescue force consists of special search teams from various counties and cities across Taiwan who have come to provide assistance."

The building's lower floors collapsed on top of each other in the earthquake and then the whole structure toppled, raising questions about the quality of the materials and workmanship used in its construction in the 1990s.

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Can Nigeria replicate same? As Tunisia builds anti-terror barrier

The barrier is designed to be impassable by vehicles

Tunisia says it has completed the first part of a 200km (125-mile) barrier along its border with Libya, designed to deter terrorism.

The barrier is made of sand banks and water trenches.

It was announced last summer after 38 people were killed on a beach by a gunman said to have trained in Libya.

Tunisia's defence minister said the second phase of the project would involve installing electronic equipment with the help of Germany and the US.

Security forces said the defences - which aim to make the border impassable by vehicles - had already helped to reduce smuggling.

The barrier is made out of water trenches and sand banks

"Today we finished closing it off, and this will help us protect our border, and stop the threat," said Defence Minister Farhat Horchani on Saturday.

More than 3,000 Tunisians have left to fight with the Islamic State (IS) group and other Islamist militants in Syria and Iraq but Mr Horchani said many had since returned to join the group in Libya.

Libya has been beset by instability since the overthrow of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and currently has two rival governments.

IS took control of Sirte, Gaddafi's hometown, last year.

The barrier came about with assistance from the US and Germany

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Reds' Coach Lijnders: Walkout Didn't Affect Us

Liverpool coach Pep Lijnders said a supporter protest did not contribute to the team's late collapse against Sunderland at Anfield on Saturday.

The home side were 2-0 up through goals from Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana when a significant number of fans carried out a plan to walk out in the 77th minute in a protest at next season's ticket prices.

Sunderland went on to score twice in the final eight minutes and deny Liverpool a first win in four games in the absence of their unwell manager Jurgen Klopp.

But Lijnders denied that the mass exit made a difference and claimed the result did not reflect the Reds' performance.

"I don't think so," he said. "That's my personal opinion. We have one of the best supporter groups in the world, so if they want to make a statement they have the right to make a statement.

"That didn't influence at all our confidence or our way of playing.

"[The result is] disappointing but there's a big 'but'. The scoreboard never lies, but today it did a little bit because we dominated the game.

"We played for 82 minutes good and we became better throughout the game. It's difficult straight after to make an evaluation, but in my opinion what we did for 82 minutes was excellent."

Sunderland's first goal was an Adam Johnson free-kick that squirmed through Simon Mignolet's attempted save after Alberto Moreno had fouled Wahbi Khazri.

Lijnders disputed the award and cleared Mignolet of blame, saying: "It's never easy when the ball goes really down and bounces before the line."

And he gave an update on Klopp's condition, saying: "He's doing well. He couldn't be here today but it was a relief we knew he was okay."

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Grumbling in the military!

Some military officers are grumbling over alleged alteration of the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service (HTACOS) contained in the Armed Forces Act, according to Sunday Vanguard.

Some of the aggrieved professionals in the military said that several medical doctors, engineers, lawyers, chartered accountants and architects had allegedly resigned from the three services: Army, Navy and Air Force. 

The officers, who did not want their names published for fear of being punished, said,  because of the bad impression some people had about the military in the past, coupled with alleged poor remuneration, the Armed Forces Council, drawing its powers under the Armed Forces Act, authored a document known as the Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service (HTACOS) to attract graduates to the force. “The HTACOS reorganized the ranks of the Armed Forces and drew up clear equivalents among the rank and file in the three services (the superior officer ranks were never an issue)”, the officers said in a document, Sunday Vanguard reported. 

“Importantly, the HTACOS introduced incentives to lure the professional class into the Armed Forces. Before then, the three services had their individual arrangements: the Army Council, the Navy Council and the Air Council were each responsible for the administration of their respective spheres of influence. 

“However, these were haphazard and proved to be of doubtful efficiency. Then the Armed Forces Council decided that it was better to have uniformity and thus took out time to thrash out policies and regulations that apply to all the services in equal force; hence, the coming of the Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service.

“The HTACOS set out some incentives to make a career in the Armed Forces an attractive prospect for professionals.” The aggrieved military officers further explained, “Whenever the Armed Forces advertise vacancies and request applications from the public, they dangle carrots before prospective applicants who are professionals. 

“This they do by stipulating a higher age limit at which medical doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants, architects and holders of doctorate degrees in fields relevant to individual services can enter any of the services through the Direct Short Service Commission.

“While the age limit is 27 years for ordinary graduates, it is 30 years for professionals. This is obviously in recognition of the fact that professionals spend more years to qualify to practice their disciplines than their ordinary-graduate colleagues. 

“By Chapter 5, Article 3 of the HTACOS, professionals joining any of the services through the Direct Short Service Commission will be commissioned in the same rank with their colleagues who are ordinary graduates. 

“However, the former will enjoy two years’ seniority over the latter. This balances out what would have amounted to a Greek gift under the higher age limit entry. How? Every rank in the services has a run-out date, the maximum date at which its holder must retire if he is not promoted.

“For instance, the run-out date for a Lieutenant in the Army is 39. If he is not promoted to Captain by that age, he will be compulsorily retired. Thus, the higher age limit entry level for professionals brings an officer closer to his run-out date and exposes him to the risk of premature retirement. 

“An officer who joins the service at the age of 30 has only nine years to make the rank of Lieutenant while his ordinary-graduate colleague has twelve. Thus, the two years’ seniority given to the professional class extends their run-out date to eleven years and accordingly cushions the negative effect of entering the services at a higher age limit. 

“A lot of professionals poured into the armed forces as a result of these incentives, and have since moved through the ranks. However, the policy is not without its critics. 

“The critics mostly comprise officers already in service who feel miffed that the two years’ seniority given to their juniors propels the former to become their mates, sometimes even their seniors. It is possible that it is these same persons who have inspired this about-face by the leadership of the armed forces.

“The HTACOS, currently in force, is the 2012 (Revised Edition). Recently, the three services wrote letters to their officers enjoying the two years’ seniority in which they notified the officers that their seniority had been withdrawn.

“They also published their respective seniority lists reflecting the said withdrawal of seniority. Curiously, this action is not backed by any law. The new policy clearly flouts the HTACOS which is an instrument authored by the Armed Forces Council under the power of delegated legislation.

“The Armed Forces Council is established by Section 4 of the Armed Forces Act with no less a personality than the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander in-Chief of the Armed Forces as its Chairman. 

“The Minister of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff and Chief of Air Staff are members. The HTACOS, being a delegated legislation, has the force of law and cannot be departed from at will. Interestingly, Paragraph 1 of the certification page states as follows: ‘This HTACOS Officers 2012 (Revised) has been reviewed to ensure uniform implementation and it supersedes the previous HTACOS (2007). The contents are to be strictly observed on all occasions and interpreted reasonably and intelligently, with due regard to the interest of the services . . .’“The proper thing for the management of the Armed Forces to do is to review the HTACOS to remove the two years’ seniority for professionals joining the services. But even then, it cannot affect officers who are already enjoying the privilege.

“This is because the HTACOS cannot be made to apply retroactively. As Section 6(i) (b) and (c) of the Interpretation Act, stipulates: ‘The repeal of an enactment shall not – (b) affect the previous operation of the enactment or anything duly done or suffered under the enactment;   (c) affect any right, privilege, obligation or liability accrued or incurred under the enactment.” 

Faulting the action of the three services, the officers said, “By their action, the leadership of the Armed Forces has unlawfully pushed officers closer to their run-out dates. And by reducing their seniority, a lot of officers are now on ‘borrowed’ ranks.  “This is because without the two years’ seniority factored in, many of them would not be due for promotion to their current ranks. What this means is the absurdity that an officer, say a Lieutenant Colonel, affected by this action, is, in reality, a Major. 

“Disincentivised and demoralized, several officers in the three services have since resigned so that the services run the real risk of eventually starving themselves of the services of these professionals that they had paid odds over for.

“The policy somersault or policy reversal is not only illogical and ill-timed but also without any legal foundation. At a time the country is reeling from the violent work of insurgents, the action couldn’t come at a worse time.  “The officers and men of our armed forces have an onerous task on their hands waging the war on terror. They surely do not need the distraction of having their ranks tampered with. It is an irresponsible thing for anyone to contemplate, let alone do.  

“The Armed Forces are created by law and must operate in conformity with the law. The HTACOS is the only document that regulates the command, retirement, payment of retirement benefits, promotion and discipline of officers and men of the three services of the Armed Forces. It is a sacred document indeed and ought to be treated as such.

“Unfortunately, the authorities of the Armed Forces are not doing this at the moment. What this means is that it is at the mercy of the whims and caprices and can be violated any day the authorities feel so inclined.

“A serviceman could get his rank yanked off with no justification, have his benefits halved or quartered or be thrust into some other unsavoury situation that he never signed up for. “This will not only threaten but effectively jeopardize the livelihood and careers of tens of thousands of our servicemen and their dependants who put their lives on the line everyday in defence of our nation.   “It is a scary thought, and one that continues to send shivers down the spines of not just officers but also the rank and file of the armed services. The HTACOS is essentially a contract between the armed forces and its officers.  “It is inconceivable that anybody will deign to conduct the affairs of the Armed Forces in flagrant violation of its clear and elaborate provisions.”

China to invest $60bn in Nigeria

The People’s Republic of China has said it will invest $60bn in Nigeria.

Chargé d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Mr. Qin Jian, who said this in a statement commemorating the 45th anniversary of its diplomatic activities in Nigeria, described economic cooperation between both countries as fruitful, The Punch reported.

Qin said China was willing to integrate its development with independent and sustainable development of Nigeria and other African countries, so as achieve common development.

He noted that at the “successful and historic” second edition of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed five major pillars for China-Africa relations.

According to the Chinese envoy, China and Africa should seek equality and mutual trust in politics, cooperation in economy, mutual learning in civilisation, mutual assistance in security and unity and coordination in international affairs.

Qin said, “(China’s) 10 key cooperation plans with Africa in the fields of industrialisation, agriculture modernisation, infrastructure, etc. will serve as an all-around blueprint for China’s cooperation with Africa in a period to come and symbolise that China-Africa relations will take a big stride and enter a new era.

“To fulfil the 10 plans, China has pledged 60 billion US dollars in development funding to Africa. When carrying out cooperation with Africa, China sticks to the principle of ‘Four noes and three priorities.’

“These include attaching no political conditions, interfering in no African country’s internal affairs, raising no demanding requirements and making no empty promises.”

Among the listed priorities of the Asian nation were Africa’s demands, improvement of African people’s livelihood and enhancement of Africa’s capacity for independent development.

Woman who escaped husband's plot to kill her confronts him at her own funeral: 'I felt like somebody who had risen again'

It’s hard to tell what the most shocking part of Noela Rukundo’s story is.

Is it that her husband paid $7,000 to have her killed by hitmen because he thought she would leave him for another man?

Or that the assassins decided to pocket the money and spare her so she could live to tell the tale?

Or is it that Rukundo confronted her husband, Balenga Kalala, at her own funeral before she had him locked up for his murderous plot?

Nearly a year after Rukundo, a Burundi native who lives in Melbourne, Australia, narrowly escaped death and confronted her would-be murderer, she told BBC News the unbelievable account.

“I felt like somebody who had risen again,” Rukundo told BBC of the experience of living to confront her killer husband on Feb. 22 of last year.

“When I got out of the car, he saw me straight away. He put his hands on his head and said, ‘Is it my eyes? Is it a ghost?” she said.

Days earlier, Rukundo had been in her native Burundi for her mother’s funeral.

Saddened by her mother’s death, she phoned her husband from her hotel room before she planned to turn in early.

“He told me to go outside for the fresh air,” Rukundo said.

“I didn’t think anything, I just thought that he cared about me, that he was worried about me.”

But, instead, it was a ploy for Rukundo to step out onto the balcony, where an armed man waited for her.

“He just told me, ‘Don’t scream. If you start screaming, I will shoot you. They’re going to catch me, but you? You will already be dead.”

Rukundo was taken hostage by a group of men, driven to a building, tied to a chair and questioned, still unaware her husband was behind the plot.

“They ask me, ‘What did you do this man? Why has this man asked us to kill you?’ And then I tell them, ‘Which man? Because I don’t have any problem with anybody.’ They say, ‘Your husband!’ I say, ‘My husband can’t kill me, you are lying!’ And then they slap me.”

Rukundo didn’t believe the hitmen until they called her husband, who uttered orders that she says she’d never forget.

“Kill her,” she heard her husband’s voice say over the phone.

“I heard his voice. I heard him. I felt like my head was going to blow up,” she told BBC News.

Kalala is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo and moved to Australia as a refugee in 2004 after a rebel army plundered his village and killed his wife and son, The ABC reported.

Rukundo, who has five children from a previous relationship, also arrived in Australia that year and the two met through their respective social workers.

They married, set up a new life for themselves in a new country and had three children of their own together.

“I give him, beautiful and handsome, two boys and one girl. So I don’t know why he choose to kill me," Rukundo said.

As luck would have it, however, the assassins stopped short of killing her because they refused to kill women and children.

Instead, they left her on the side of the road after two days in captivity, gave her a memory card with recorded conversations with her husband about the murder plot, and ordered her to get out of the country in 80 hours.

They proceeded to extort more money out of Kalala and informed him that the deed was done, setting him up for the surprise of a lifetime. 

After Kalala told family and friends that Rukundo had died in a tragic accident, he would see the woman he believed to be dead at her own funeral.

“It was around 7:30 p.m. He was in front of the house. People have been inside mourning with him,” Rukundo told BBC.

“I was stood just looking at him. He was scared, he didn’t believe it. Then he starts walking towards me, slowly, like he was walking on broken glass.”

“Then he said, ‘Noela, is it you?’ Then he start screaming, ‘I’m sorry for everything!'” she recalled.

Rukundo reported the crime to Melbourne police and on Dec. 11, Kalala pleaded guilty to incitement to murder.

He was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Rukundo said she will find a way to move on from the harrowing experience and care for her eight children.

“My situation, my past life? That is gone. I’m starting a new life now,” she said.As luck would have it, however, the assassins stopped short of killing her because they refused to kill women and children.

Instead, they left her on the side of the road after two days in captivity, gave her a memory card with recorded conversations with her husband about the murder plot, and ordered her to get out of the country in 80 hours.

They proceeded to extort more money out of Kalala and informed him that the deed was done, setting him up for the surprise of a lifetime. 

After Kalala told family and friends that Rukundo had died in a tragic accident, he would see the woman he believed to be dead at her own funeral.

“It was around 7:30 p.m. He was in front of the house. People have been inside mourning with him,” Rukundo told BBC.

“I was stood just looking at him. He was scared, he didn’t believe it. Then he starts walking towards me, slowly, like he was walking on broken glass.”

“Then he said, ‘Noela, is it you?’ Then he start screaming, ‘I’m sorry for everything!'” she recalled.

Rukundo reported the crime to Melbourne police and on Dec. 11, Kalala pleaded guilty to incitement to murder.

He was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Rukundo said she will find a way to move on from the harrowing experience and care for her eight children.

“My situation, my past life? That is gone. I’m starting a new life now,” she said.

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