Summary

  • 'Massive oil spill' in Nigeria after bombings

  • Prominent Liberia politician found dead on beach

  • South Sudanese troops 'killed 50 by suffocation'

  • Controversial Nigerian general's 'reinstatement' condemned

  • Zimbabwean farmer evicted after 'land claim by UK doctor'

  • AU moves to withdraw from ICC

  • Email stories and comments to africalive@bbc.co.uk - Monday 1 February 2016

  • Get Involved: #BBCAfricaLive

  1. Scroll down for Monday's storiespublished at 18:24

    We'll be back tomorrow

    That's all for today from the BBC Africa Live page. Listen to the Africa Today podcast and keep up-to-date with developments across the continent on the BBC News website.  

    Today's African proverb: 

    Quote Message

    It's better to have an egg in the mouth than a hen in a cage"

    A Hausa proverb sent by Nurudeen Mohammed, Azare, Nigeria

    Click here to send us your African proverbs.

    We leave you with this photo of shark egg cases, containing a shark embryo and yolk supply, attached to a coral frond at an aquarium in South Africa's Cape Town city:

    Shark egg cases, also known as mermaid's purses, containing a shark embryo and yolk supply are attached to a coral frond at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa, 01 February 2016Image source, EPA
  2. Kenyatta the commanderpublished at 17:58

    uhuru kenyatta test drives new armoured vehicleImage source, Kenya Presidency

    In a photo opportunity even Russian leader Vladimir Putin would have been proud of, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was pictured at a ceremony earlier today to launch a new fleet of armoured personnel carriers (APCs). 

    Posting the photos on his official Facebook page, external, Mr Kenyatta said:

    "The purchase of the APCs is a very important milestone as it will go a long way in securing the frontier areas of our country. This way the police service will not have to depend on the military or other security agencies... to perform their duties."

    apcs drive past the presidentImage source, Kena P

    Kenya is still reeling after a deadly attack on a Kenyan army base in Somalia, in which Islamist militant group al-Shabab said it killed 100 soldiers. 

  3. Uganda general investigated over 'sinister plan'published at 17:40

    Uganda is “investigating reports that appear to link” renegade army General David Sejusa to groups that have “sinister plans” for civil disobedience, government spokesman Ofwono Opondo has said, Bloomberg news agency reports. 

    General Sejusa was detained on Sunday in the capital, Kampala. He went into exile in May 2013 after falling out with President Yoweri Museveni, but returned 18 months later. 

    He had accused Mr Museveni of trying to create a "political monarchy" and ruling over a "decadent system". The government denied the allegations. 

    Mr Museveni, 71, is seeking to extend his 30-year rule in elections due on 18 February. Seven opposition candidates, including former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, are running against him. 

    David Sejusa
    Image caption,

    Gen Sejusa was once a close ally of President Museveni

    Mr Opondo also warned foreign diplomats against interfering in the country’s politics, saying the government seeks “mutual respect to its sovereignty in accordance with international laws, norms and practices”, Bloomberg quotes him as saying in  an emailed statement. 

    Some diplomats “unduly meddle” in Uganda, and should raise issues through diplomatic channels, Mr Opondo said, without naming the diplomats. 

  4. Uganda unveils 'Africa's first solar bus'published at 17:01

    solar busImage source, Kiira motors

    A solar-powered bus described by its Ugandan makers as the first in Africa has been driven in public.

    Kiira Motors' Kayoola electric bus was shown off at a stadium in Uganda's capital, Kampala.

    One of its two batteries can be charged by solar panels on the roof which increases the vehicle's 80km (50-mile) range.

    The makers now hope to attract partners to help manufacture the bus for the mass market.

    Read the full BBC story

    solar powers on the roof of the busImage source, Kiira motors
    Image caption,

    Solar panels on the roof of the bus will top up the vehicle's battery

    Read more: Can Africa lead the way on renewable energy?

  5. Get plugged into the African art worldpublished at 17:10 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    Lifestyle and cultural blog Dynamic Africa has clearly spent a lot of time and effort putting together this list, external of the most high-profile African and Afro-diasporan art exhibitions happening around the world. 

    So next time you're in Addis Ababa or Berlin, Paris or London, Norway or simply surfing at home wherever you are, you can keep up with the big events in the African art world. 

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  6. Egyptian cartoonist freedpublished at 16:44 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    Egyptian cartoonist Islam GawishImage source, AP

    An Egyptian cartoonist known for mocking President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been released, a day after he was arrested for running a website without official permission.

    Islam Gawish's arrest had been strongly condemned by a group of opposition parties.    

    "We warn about the consequences of a return to the police state and the repression of freedoms," said the statement signed by eight parties, including the liberal Al-Dostour, founded by Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei.

    Egyptian officials confirmed that the cartoonist had been freed without any charges.

  7. Revised death toll after Boko Haram attackpublished at 16:18 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    Women and children sit among burnt houses after Boko Haram attacks at Dalori village on the outskirts of Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria on January 31, 2016Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    The militants torched homes in the village

    A total of 65 people were killed and 136 injured in Saturday's attack by Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram on a village near Maiduguri, the main city in the north-east, the government's national emergency management agency has said in a statement. 

    Earlier, Borno State health commissioner Haruna Mshelia put the number of people killed in Dalori village at 85. 

    Insurgents started shooting sporadically after entering the village on  Saturday, Nema said. 

    Residents fled and converged under a big tree but "unknown to them one of the suicide bombers sneaked into the midst of the gathering and detonated explosive devices", Nema added. 

  8. Liberia investigation after politician's deathpublished at 15:51 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    Jonathan Paye-Layleh
    BBC Africa, Monrovia

    The death of prominent Liberian politician Harry Greaves, whose body was found on a beach in the capital Monrovia on Sunday, will be "thoroughly investigated", the Liberian justice minister says.

    Bennedict Sannoh urged the public and media to wait for the outcome of forensic examinations on the body before coming to any "reckless conclusions". 

    beach where body was foundImage source, FrontPageAfrica
    Image caption,

    Local FrontPageAfrica says it has photographic evidence showing Greaves with a head wound

    Mr Greaves was a former close ally of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, but was dismissed after a row over oil contracts. 

    Previously, he had served as head of the country’s petroleum refining company and had recently been heading a campaign to open up the electricity market to private investors.

    A police spokesman said he had been missing for two days after he had gone to attend a meeting at a hotel in the eastern outskirts of Monrovia.  

    Local media have been covering the case closely, with many raising the possibility of foul play. 

  9. Ancient boat discovered in Egyptpublished at 15:39 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    Czech archaeologists have unearthed an ancient funerary boat near the Abusir pyramids south of Egypt's capital Cairo, officials say, the AFP news agency reports.

    The discovery of the more than 4,500-year-old remains of the wooden vessel, which archaeologists believe belonged to a prominent member of society, was made at the Abusir South cemetery, an antiquities ministry statement said. 

    While members of the team were clearing an ancient tomb, they found parts of the 18-metre-long (59-foot) boat covered in sand and lying on a bed of stones, the ministry added.

    "This is a highly unusual discovery since boats of such a size and construction were during this period reserved solely for top members of the society, who usually belonged to the royal family," the director of the Czech mission said in the statement. 

    A handout picture released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on February 1, 2016 shows workers at the site where Czech archaeologists discovered an ancient funerary boat in the Old Kingdom necropolis of Abu Sir, southwest of the capital CairoImage source, Ministry of Antiquities
    Image caption,

    Workers at the site of the discovery of the funerary boat

  10. Death toll in Boko Haram attack risespublished at 15:19 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    A mother sits mourning the death of her husband after Boko Haram attacks at Dalori village on the outskirts of Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria on January 31, 2016Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Much of the village was destroyed in the Boko Haram raid

    Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram killed at least 85 people in an attack on a village near Maiduguri, the main city in the north-east, a government official has said, the AFP news agency reports. 

    Borno State health Commissioner Haruna Mshelia said 75 bodies were brought to hospitals, while 10 others had been buried on Sunday. 

    He gave the new toll today while briefing the state deputy governor on the attack in Dalori, some 12km (seven miles) from Maiduguri, the former headquarters of Boko Haram.

    The attack came despite a claim by Nigeria President Mumhammdu Buhari that Boko Haram had been "technically defeated". 

  11. Diack son to challenge life banpublished at 14:32 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    papa diackImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Papa Diack has been accused of causing "unprecedented damage" to athletics

    Papa Massata Diack, son of Senegalese ex-world athletics chief Lamine Diack, will appeal to have his life ban from athletics lifted at The Court of Arbitration for Sport.   

    Mr Diack, a former consultant for world athletics' governing body the IAAF, is currently the subject of an Interpol notice, seeking his arrest for questioning in France.

    Senegal has rejected a request for his extradition. 

    Mr Diack is accused of trying to solicit bribes worth hundreds of thousands of pounds by blackmailing athletes who had failed drug tests. 

    He has denied the accusations against him.

    His father is being investigated over allegations that he took payments for deferring sanctions against Russian drugs cheats while head of the IAAF.  

  12. 'Massive oil spill' in Nigeriapublished at 14:25 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    Multiple bombings of oil pipelines in Nigeria's southern Bayelsa state have caused thousands of barrels of oil to pollute waterways, farms and fishing grounds, residents say, the Associated Press news agency reports. 

    The spill was "massive - the biggest in years'', community leader Eke-Spiff Erempagamo is quoted as saying.  

    Oil flowed unchecked for two days from the Agip oil pipelines, fishermen said. 

    A spokesman for Italian parent company ENI said 16,000 barrels of oil per day were lost and the company was working on resuming production, AP reports. 

    Residents blamed the explosions on Thursday and Friday on militants who want a bigger share of oil revenues for the producing states.

    reeks and vegetations devastated as a result of spills from oil thieves in the Niger Delta on March 22, 2013Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Oil spills in the Niger Delta have resulted in environmental devastation over the years

  13. 'Thank you, school' campaign in Kenyapublished at 14:02 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    Kenya has launched a campaign called Ahsante Shule - meaning 'Thank you, school' in Kiswahili, to encourage former students to assist their old schools with resources, and to share tips with pupils.

    BBC Africa's Peter Njoroge sent us these photos of people taking part in the campaign in the capital, Nairobi: 

    Aditi Shah displaying her board with her advice to pupils
    Joseph Oudo a former pupil
    Pauline Wanja is a former student at kagwe Girls
  14. Deadly mortar attack in Somaliapublished at 13:36 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    A child has been killed and six others wounded in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, after mortar shells targeted Villa Somalia, the main government complex which includes the presidential palace, police have said, the AFP news agency reports. 

    Witnesses said they heard as many as five explosions. 

    "There was a mortar attack near the presidential palace, but several of the rounds struck civilian neighbourhoods," Somali police officer Abdirahman Siyad is quoted as saying. 

    "An innocent child died and a number of others were wounded," he added. 

    Abdi Moalim Hussein, who lives nearby, said some of the shells smashed into houses. 

    "I saw six wounded civilians, some of them seriously," Mr Hussein said. 

    No group has said it carried out the attack but militant Islamist group al-Shabab is waging an insurgency in Somalia to overthrow the government. 

    The African Union has some 22,000 troops fighting the militants in Somalia. 

    Africa Union peacekeepers man the entrance to the presidential palace February 23, 2009 in the embattled Somalia capital MogadishuImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    The presidential palace is heavily guarded by AU troops

  15. Egypt Christians face blasphemy chargepublished at 13:26 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    Tourists walk outside the Hanging Church in the Coptic Christian neighbourhood of old Cairo on April 10, 2015Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Christians are a small minority in mainly Muslim Egypt

    Three Coptic Christian students in Egypt will stand trial on Thursday on charges of blaspheming Islam, their lawyer, Maher Naguib, has told the Associated Press news agency. 

    They are accused of appearing in a video mocking Muslim prayers, AP reports. 

    The students' teacher, also a Christian, was tried separately on the same charges. 

    He fled the town and was sentenced to three-years imprisonment in absentia last year. Mr Naguib said he would appeal against the ruling.

    Christians make up about 10% of Egypt's population. 

  16. Lions discovered in Ethiopia parkpublished at 13:11

    An Ethiopian lion pictured on February 18, 2015Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    The lions are thought to be of the Central African sub-species

    A previously unknown population of at least 100 lions has been discovered by a wildlife charity in a remote park in north-western Ethiopia.

    Born Free Foundation said it had obtained camera trap images and identified lion tracks in the Alatash area close to the border with Sudan.

    The area is thought to have lost all its lions in the 20th Century because of hunting and habitat destruction.

    Read the full BBC story here

  17. The art of planning very different weddingspublished at 12:46 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    Ghanaian couples from all kinds of backgrounds choose Gloria Buckman Yankson to plan their weddings. 

    She says the celebrations traditionally start with the engagement and continue to the reception. Gloria, who has made her name as one of Ghana's leading entrepreneurs and businesswomen, says keeping your cool is essential in this job and reveals what happens when things don't quite go according to plan.  

    For this week's edition of The Conversation on BBC World Service radio, Gloria has been chatting to Indian wedding planner Vithika Agarwal, who often oversees extravagant five-day celebrations with huge budgets: 

    Media caption,

    Vithika Agarwal (L) and Gloria Buckman Yankso (R)

  18. Gbagbo trial 'banned in Equatorial Guinea'published at 12:18 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo arrives to attend the inauguration of Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari at the Eagles Square in Abuja, on May 29, 2015Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Mr Obiang is accused of being an authoritarian ruler

    State-owned television in Equatorial Guinea has been banned from broadcasting the crimes against humanity trial of Ivory Coast's former President Laurent Gbagbo, at the International Criminal Court, the AFP news agency reports. 

    The ban had been imposed because of Mr Gbagbo's "friendship" with Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema, and because of the principle of "non-intervention in another country's internal affairs", an unnamed state media official is quoted as saying.  

    The RTNGE network in Spanish is watched by around 85% of the population, AFP reports.

    Critics accuse Mr Obiang, who has been in power since 1979, of being one of Africa's most repressive rulers.   

    Mr Gbagbo is the first former head of state to be tried by the ICC. 

    The charges against him are linked to post-election violence in Ivory Coast  in 2010-2011.  

  19. Football: Seydou Doumbia to join Newcastlepublished at 10:43

    Seydou Doumbia of PFC CSKA Moscow celebrates after scoring a goal during the Russian Premier League match between PFC CSKA Moscow and FC Amkar Perm at the Arena Khimki Stadium on August 30, 2013 in Khimki, RussiaImage source, Getty Images

    Newcastle have signed Ivory Coast striker Seydou Doumbia on loan from Roma, subject to a medical.  

    Read the BBC Sport story here

  20. Long sentences for Sithole killerspublished at 11:25 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February 2016

    protests over xenophobia attacksImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    The attacks sparked widespread protests

    A South African court has sentenced two men to lengthy jail terms, following their conviction for the widely publicised murder of a Mozambican man during last year's wave of xenophobic attacks. 

    Mthinta Bhengu and Sifundi Mzimzela were sentenced to 17 and 10 years respectively for the murder of Emmanuel Sithole, whose death in Johannesburg was caught on camera and became one of the defining images of last April's wave of xenophobic attacks. 

    The judge at the high court in Johannesburg described his murder as "senseless and brutal". 

    A reporter for local Eyewitness News has been tweeting from the court: