A deadline for Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea to become Ebola-free passes today. The World Health Organization says 37 people are still infected in Guinea and Sierra Leone, but there are no cases in Liberia.

At the end of 2014 more than a thousand new cases were being reported every week. A spokeswoman for the UN's Ebola response team told the BBC people still needed to be educated about protecting themselves and that unsafe burials were still being carried out.

Image source, Getty Images

US President Barak Obama met with leaders of the West African countries worst affected by Ebola at the White House on Wednesday.

The BBC's Zenaida Macahdo tweets, external on the reaction in Mozambique to the xenophobic violence in South Africa: "Reports: #SouthAfrican workers at multinational Sasol in Mozambique abandon their posts in fear of retaliation for #xenophobicattacks in SA".

Rana Jawad
BBC News, Tunis

Russia says it is willing to supply arms to Libya's internationally recognised government if the United Nations arms embargo is lifted. Libya's prime minister is on a state visit to Russia lobbying for increased support. The past year has seen Libya torn apart by political and militia rivalry.

Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni criticised Western governments, accusing them of abandoning Libya, and described Russia and China as being key to helping them combat terrorism.

Image source, AP

Thousands of people have joined a march in Durban calling for peace in the wake of recent xenophobic attacks. Earlier supporters gathered at the city's Curries Fountain stadium.

Image source, APTN

African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has said the attacks on foreigners in and around the South African city of Durban are "unacceptable".

She added that "whatever the challenges we may be facing, no circumstances justify attacks on people, whether foreigners or locals".

Image source, Reuters

The BBC's Tulanana Bohela has been tracing the past of 21-year-old Rashid Mberesero, one of the suspects in the Garissa University College attack in Kenya in which 148 people died.

He is a Tanzanian citizen, but was found in the grounds of the college even though he was not studying or working there.

His step-father Salehe Amani told our reporter in the northern Tanzanian town of Gonja that he was surprised to hear the news of his arrest: "[He did] nothing beyond going to a religious school to pray. He was very close to God."

The Chinese firm POLY-GCL Petroleum Group Holdings Ltd should soon start exploratory drilling for natural gas in south-east Ethiopia, reports the Reuters, external news agency.

Several foreign companies have acquired licenses for gas drilling in Ethiopia in recent years. The East African region is expected to become a major source of Liquefied Natural Gas, Reuters reports.

Pumza Fihlani
BBC News, Johannesburg

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) says that it is investigating two complaints laid against the Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini. One of the complaints is "alleging hate speech and the violation of the right to life", SAHRC spokesperson Isaac Mangena told me.

This latest round of xenophobic attacks in Durban is believed to be linked to alleged comments made by the Zulu King some weeks ago telling migrants to go home. The king says his comments were mistranslated.

Image source, RAJESH JANTILAL/AFP/Getty Images

The European Union has released $56.7m (£38.2m) to Tanzania as part of an aid package which had been suspended over corruption allegations, Reuters news agency reports. The EU is part of a donor group that withheld nearly $500m (£337m) in budget support to Tanzania over the government's failure to investigate the allegations.

Brian Hungwe
BBC Africa, Harare

Zimbabwe's state-controlled newspaper The Herald has announced that the government has set up a cabinet committee to look into the xenophobic attacks in neighbouring South Africa. It says the government is ready to evacuate its citizens from the country.

Mayihlome Tshwete, the spokesperson for South Africa's home affairs ministry, is tweeting from the anti-xenophobia march in Durban: [These are] "the South Africans who should get as equal coverage as the criminals. The actions of a few don't represent us."

Image source, @MTshwete

As people in the South African city of Durban gather for a peace rally to protest against the recent wave of xenophobic violence, the city's deputy mayor has told the BBC the authorities are trying to talk to the communities involved to work out the problem.

Nomvuzo Shabalala told the BBC's Newsday programme that the violence involved both "a criminal element and those who have a real hatred [of foreigners] that we don't understand. But we are doing the best we can to make sure that everybody lives in harmony."

Image source, AP

Today's African proverb: "A man who does not know about war is likely to be the one who will rush to it." Sent by Mohamed Basal in Mogadishu, Somalia, and Mohamud Hussein Caate in Juba, South Sudan.

Welcome to the BBC Africa Live page. We are following news stories across the continent and will bring you updates throughout the day.