Summary

  • British colonialist's statue falls in South Africa

  • Lowest Ebola figures in nearly a year

  • Row over 'missing' students after Garissa massacre

  • Sierra Leone's VP to challenge sacking

Live Reporting

Hugo Williams and Farouk Chothia

  1. Goodnight - we'll be back tomorrow

    That concludes our Africa Live coverage for today. Download the Africa Today podcast and visit BBCAfrica.com for the latest news on the continent.

    And we leave you with this photo of an Ethiopia worshipper in Jerusalem's Old City ahead of the Orthodox Easter.

    An Ethiopian Orthodox worshipper in IsraelReuters

  2. Foreigners targeted

    Hundreds of foreigners living in the South African city of Durban have fled their homes after xenophobic attacks. They were targeted by some angry locals who accuse them of taking their jobs, which the immigrants deny.

    A man shaves in front of a tent on a sports field in Durban. Several hundred foreign nationals have sought refuge in the tents after xenophobia driven violence forced them to flee their homes.Reuters

    Many of the foreigners are now taking shelter in tents.

    Women with children, who are the first to receive food, stand on a sports field in Chatsworth in the south of DurbanReuters

    Charities have come to their aid, giving them food and other essentials.

  3. 'Fry Nigeria's big fish'

    A pressure group in Nigeria has called on President-elect Muhammadu Buhari to publicly declare his assets after he takes office on 29 May.

    In a statement, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project also said that Gen Buhari should not shy away from "frying big fish" accused of corruption.

  4. 'Colonial pain'

    People on the BBC Africa Facebook have been joining the debate over what should be done with controversial historic statues in South Africa.

    Banda Sekani says: "The statues need to be destroyed so that all memories of colonialism can be forgotten. By keeping the statues it reminds black South Africans of the colonial pain."

    Tabu Jasper says: " It's not about bringing the statues down, the problem is how can we unite all South Africans together no matter what colour we are."

    Jimmy Olowal says: " I think that Africans in general are becoming more concerned about their identity and so I don't think it is a good idea to keep the statue on campus."

    Students surround the decades old bronze statue of British colonialist Cecil John Rhodes, top left, as the statue is removed from the campus at the Cape Town University, Cape Town, South Africa,AP

    The statue was at the university for 81 years

  5. 'Warning to South Africa'

    Mohammed Allie
    BBC Africa, Cape Town

    When the crane removed Cecil Rhodes' statue, it was a huge victory for black South Africans fed up with a lack of education and job opportunities more than 20 years after apartheid ended.

    "We finally got the white man to sit down and listen to us," said a student who had campaigned for it to be taken down. Some were chanting "one settler; one bullet" - a sign that anger could boil over if the lives of black people do not improve.

    Students shout out as they climb on top of the decades old bronze statue of British colonialist Cecil John Rhodes, as the statue is removed from the campus at the Cape Town University, Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, 9 April 2015AP

    There was a mixed crowd watching - with many white academics and students also supporting its removal.

    But the whole affair serves as a wake-up call to South Africans to tackle racial inequality. People point to the fact that at the University of Cape Town there are only five black South African-born professors.

  6. Garissa dormitories

    A week since 148 people were killed in Kenya in an carefully planned attack by the Islamist group al-Shabab, the BBC has been given exclusive access to the university dormitories in Garissa University College where the students died. Watch Karen Allen's report.

    Quad inside Garissa University College

  7. #BringBackOurGirls

    In Nigeria, campaigners are taking part in a "peaceful walk" through the capital, Abuja, to raise awareness for the more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram. Next Tuesday it will be exactly a year since the Chibok girls were taken. BBC Hausa's Mohammed Kabir Mohammed sent these photos:

    campaigners in Abja walk in honour of the girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in April last year

    Campaigners have been tying red ribbons as they go to honour the 219 girls who are still missing.

    a campaigner ties a red ribbon to a lamp post in Abuja as part of a walk to remember the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram

  8. Grace Mugabe 'not interested' in presidency

    Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has denied that his wife Grace harbours ambitions to succeed him, the UK Guardian newspaper reports.

    "She doesn't have those ambitions. No, I don't think so. She has accepted the post of being secretary for women's affairs and she has got her own charity to care for," Mr Mugabe told the newspaper.

    Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (C) flanked by his daughter Bona (L) and his wife Grace (R) stand with some of the children who share the same birthday with him at the Elephant Hills Hotel in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, 28 February 2015EPA

    Mr Mugabe's wife Grace (R) entered the political fray last year

  9. Focus TV

    Coming up at 17:30 GMT on Focus on Africa TV on BBC World News:

    One week on from the Garissa attack, we have exclusive access to the dormitories where the students were staying when al-Shabab militants struck. We'll also have a report from Cape Town University, where a statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes has been removed. And in sport, we'll have more reaction to the choice of Gabon as the host of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

  10. Garissa bodies collected

    Milton Nkosi
    BBC News, Nairobi

    I have just been to Chiromo mortuary in Nairobi where I saw distraught relatives coming to take their loved ones home, for the last time.

    Near the entrance, pictures of those students who died in the Garissa University College massacre were lined up for identification. I saw the attached birth dates. Many of them were in their early twenties, some were born in 1994 and others in 1995. Funerals are expected to be held in the rolling hills and valleys of Kenya this weekend.

    relatives look on as coffins carrying a victim's body are loaded into a vehicle

    The bodies of those killed in the Garissa attacks are now being released to their families

  11. 'Racist symbol'

    The removal of the British colonialist's statue comes after weeks of protest by black students. They said it was a racist symbol, and leaders who fought minority rule in South Africa should be commemorated.

    The Cecil Rhodes statueEPA

    The statue has been taken away to a nearby construction site, according to local media.

  12. Occupation

    Students are occupying the pedestal where Rhodes stood.

  13. Celebrations

    Students are singing and dancing as they celebrate the statue's removal.

  14. Statue down

    The statue of Cecil Rhodes has been removed.

  15. 'Challenging patriarchy'

    Journalist Jenna Etheridge tweets from the University of Cape Town: "When we ask for Rhodes to fall, we are asking for patriarchy to fall," says student in front of statue. #RhodesHasFallen"

  16. 'Historic moment'

    The BBC's Mohammed Allie is at the University of Cape Town. He told BBC Focus On Africa radio that there's a "special atmosphere" for what is "a historic moment".

    Many people are taking photographs before the crane lifts the statue up and it is taken away to an undisclosed location.

    The statue of Cecil John Rhodes on 9 April 2015EPA

    The statue was defaced by black protesters

  17. Freedom songs

    A crowd has burst into singing freedom songs at South Africa's University of Cape Town, as people wait for the statue of Cecil Rhodes to be pulled down. It was to have happened 20 minutes ago, but there is a delay. You can follow events live via eNCA News's YouTube channel.

  18. Garissa suspect's mother speaks

    The mother of a Tanzanian man arrested in connection with the Garissa University College massacre has been speaking to local media. Fatma Ali told The Citizen newspaper that she was shocked by the arrest of her 21-year-old son, Rashid Charles Mberesero.

    She said he had passed his secondary school exams with "flying colours" and she had hoped that he would become a doctor.

    On Tuesday, a Kenyan court gave police permission to detain Mr Mberesero for 30 days, while investigations into the attack continue. He has not yet been brought to court on any charges.

    A relative holds a potrait of his relative as he watches her coffin being rolled out by Kenya Red Cross personnel at Chiromo funeral parlour in nairobi,AFP

    Most of the 148 people killed in the attack were students

  19. Pop plagiarism

    BBC Focus on Africa radio has reported on an Algerian singer who was recently found guilty of plagiarism in France for a song he released more than 20 years ago.

    Cheb KhaledGetty Images

    Cheb Khaled is known as the King of Rai music - a type of Algerian pop music with Arabic and French influences

    Cheb Khaled is reportedly appealing the verdict and the fine he was ordered to pay by a High Court in Paris. The lesser known Algerian musician Cheb Rabah claims to have written at least part of the song Didi, which was played at the opening ceremony of the football World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

    It reached the top 10 in the singles charts in France and cover versions of it have been made in at least five other languages.

  20. Silent protest

    In this photo, an arts student performs a silent protest in front of the statue, which is bound by straps connected to a crane prior to its removal.

    An arts student performs a silent protest in front of the statue of Cecil John Rhodes which is bound by straps connected to a crane prior to its removal from the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, 9 April 2015EPA