Boko Haram captives shown in Nigeria army photos
Historic right to die ruling in South Africa
Burundi university shut as protests continue
France vows no mercy over CAR sex abuse allegations
Nigeria and South Africa leaders talk amid diplomatic row
That's it from us today. Listen to the Africa Today podcast and keep up-to-date with stories from across the continent on the BBC News website.
We leave you with this photo of South African tennis player Kevin Anderson returning a ball to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain in their second round match at the Millennium Estoril Open in Portugal:
Image source, EPASomaliland's President Ahmed Silanyo has introduced a ban on plastic bags to stop the litter and environmental damage that they cause, as can be seen in this photo from the capital, Hargeisa.
Image source, Mohamed MidhiqThe president has given traders 120 days to use up all their supplies and after that they will be expected to use alternatives to plastic.
The move is part of a wider sanitation drive to help clean up the country.
Image source, Mohamed Midhiq The Burundi Red Cross says 15 protesters have been wounded in clashes with police on the fifth day of protests against President Nkurunziza's bid for a third term, Reuters news agency reports.
Image source, ReutersIn one incident, a policeman's car burnt after protesters intercepted him at a barricade in the capital, Bujumbura.
Nigeria's government says it will make a $790m (£500m) subsidy payment to fuel sellers in an effort to ease the petrol shortage in the country.
For the last few weeks there have been long queues of cars at petrol stations as the sellers have complained they are owed money by the government.
But it has not had an effect on the waiting yet, reports the BBC's Kaura Abubakar in Nigeria. He says that there is still heavy traffic in some places caused by the long queues for petrol.
On the BBC Africa Facebook, external, people have been reacting to the admission by Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery that security officers ignored intelligence reports warning of an attack by militant Islamists on Garissa University College (see earlier post).
James Monty Grey-Johnson comments: "One-hundred-and-forty-eight people lost their lives as a result of their carelessness. Such complacency is beyond criminal. These officials should be fully prosecuted and sentenced to long prison terms. They should also be made to apologise publicly to the victims' families."
Gichuki Muriithi adds: "This is gross negligence. Sacking is not enough. Let them be behind bars."
The 65-year-old South African who won a court case giving him the right to commit euthanasia died without being aware of the landmark ruling, South Africa's Business Day newspaper reports, external.
Robin Stransham-Ford had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, and had been receiving medical care from a doctor who specialised in palliative care.
The terminally ill South African who won a court case earlier today giving him the right to take his own life has died "peacefully of natural causes", campaign group Dignity SA has said.
Robin Stransham-Ford, 65, was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in 2013 (see earlier post).
The International Monetary Fund and World Bank have announced $1.1bn (£715m) in debt relief for Chad.
Campaign group Jubilee USA Network welcomed the decision, saying it will free up much needed money for education and health in Chad, one of Africa's poorest countries.
As of 2013, Chad owed $2.2bn to foreign lenders and spent over $100m annually paying off debt, it added.
A fitness revival is taking place in Zambia with people keen to swap health tips, reports the BBC's Meluse Kapatamoyo in the capital, Lusaka.
The fitness teacher Makungo Muyembe has been hosting a 30-day aerobics marathon at the national sports centre.
One of the Lycra-clad participants, Owen Mutali, told our reporter that he had been "quite big" before starting regular exercise 18 months ago. Now, he said, he is "fit and healthy".
Listen to the report here, external.
Jonathan Paye-Layleh
BBC Africa, Monrovia
A senior US official has praised "the response and resilience" of Liberians in fighting Ebola as he attended a ceremony in the capital, Monrovia, to close a treatment unit that the US had helped set up at the height of the outbreak last year.
Surgeon Gen Vivek Murthy told President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf that the unit's closure was "not the end of our partnership, but it is a milestone in that partnership".
Image source, AFPThe Ebola outbreak was declared a global health emergency
Piers Edwards
BBC Africa sport
Zimbabwe's cricket officials have confirmed that they will become the first test-playing nation to tour Pakistan since the attack by gunmen on the visiting Sri Lankan team in 2009.
"We need to play more games against more quality opposition - that was the main thrust for me for this tour," Alistair Campbell, the managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket, told the BBC.
Image source, ReutersZimbabwe will tour Pakistan next month
He added that officials in Pakistan, who made the invitation, have told Zimbabwe that their squad will be given "state-level security".
Zimbabwe will play three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches between 22 and 31 May. All the matches will take place in Lahore, which is where the attack took place.
The attack left six policemen and a civilian dead, with several Sri Lankan players injured.
Nigeria's military has published some pictures of the people it says it has rescued from Boko Haram as it battles with the militant group in the Sambisa Forest in the north-east of the country.
Image source, Nigeria militaryIt gives very few details about who is pictured but says that nearly 300 women and children living "under very severe and inhuman conditions" have been freed in the last few days.
Maj Gen Chris Olukolade has said that the operation against Boko Haram will continue and there will be "no sanctuary for them".
A South African group campaigning for terminally ill people to be allowed to end their lives has been giving more reaction to today's legal ruling on the right to die.
The High Court in Pretoria said that a doctor could help 65-year-old Robin Stransham-Ford end his life.
Sean Davison from Dignity SA told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme: "Defining how we die is part of defining our humanity and this court has said it's a human right to die with dignity."
South Africa's state prosecutors say they will appeal against the court decision (see earlier post).
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern over the "serious ceasefire violations" in Mali over the past few days.
Mr Ban has called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities" in northern Mali, his spokesman says, external.
Since Monday there have been two rebel attacks on different towns in the north of the country.
A ceasefire was signed in 2014 and a peace process between the government and Tuareg rebels is on-going.
Alex Duval Smith
Bamako, Mali
A resident of Timbuktu has told me that a French attack helicopter has just flown low over the city several times. French troops are patrolling with the Malian army which is ''out in force'' in the city.
Based at Timbuktu airport, the French special forces had not previously been seen on the ground during the past three days.
The French do not ordinarily have an attack helicopter at Timbuktu, suggesting this has been flown up from the French base in Gao in response to the attempted rebel attack on Timbuktu earlier this week.
The group Afro-Japanese has been performing at the Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe.
The musicians are from Japan, but their song in the Shona language, Runyararo mu Zimbabwe meaning peace in Zimbabwe, drew a lot of interest, reports the BBC's Brian Hungwe.
The festival ends on Sunday with a concert by Malian musician Salif Keita.
The BBC's Nomsa Maseko has been tweeting, external photos of "awesome graffiti" from Jeppestown in Johannesburg:
South Africa's state prosecutors say they will appeal against a historic court ruling which gives a terminally ill man the right to end his life (see earlier post).
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said the NPA was disappointed with the ruling which was "precedent-setting" and had "far-reaching implications" from a health and constitutional point of view.
Campaign group Dignity SA said it would welcome an appeal as a chance to test the right to die against the constitution, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Alex Duval Smith
Bamako, Mali
Senior officials of the UN mission in Mali, known by the acronym Minusma, are in contact with Tuareg rebels who attempted to enter the ancient northern city of Timbuktu on Tuesday and Wednesday.
UN special representative Mongi Hamd is ''in and out of crisis meetings'', said an employee at Minusma's headquarters in the capital, Bamako.
Elsewhere in northern Mali, there are reports of clashes involving pro-government militias and Tuareg rebels, who are fighting under the banner of the Coordination of Movements for Azawad.
Amid conflicting claims and counterclaims, it is still unclear who is in control of the north-western town of Lere.
BBC Monitoring
The hashtag #BurundiIsAfricaToo is trending in Kenya as people condemn African leaders for failing to speak out against President Pieere Nkurunziza's third-term bid.
User @ChrisRambo_ says other African leaders never want to get involved.
Image source, TwitterAnother user @IamLaleti says the world should not ignore what is going on.
Image source, TwitterAnd @MonicMukami thinks that young people will prevail against presidents extending their rule.
Image source, Twitter