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We leave you with a photo of a Libyan man celebrating a victory over Islamist militants in the eastern coastal city of Benghazi.

Image source, Getty Images

Rana Jawad
BBC North Africa correspondent, Tunis

The gains in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi by the controversial Gen Haftar give him a stronger hand in the country's volatile political landscape, and puts military actors in eastern and western Libya on a near equal-footing in terms of territorial control.

The general and his political backers will now be emboldened to demand a greater say in who leads the army under the proposed unity government.

But the already faltering peace process could go back to square one as politicians and militiamen in the west, who are vehemently opposed to the general, harden their attitude.

One MP in the west, who played a key role in getting the big Misrata brigades to support the peace process, has already launched a scathing attack on Gen Haftar, calling him a "dictatorial coup leader".

Image source, AFP

Seventeen Nigerians have been arrested after attempting to cross the border into Niger on their way to Libya with no valid papers, a senior Nigerian immigration official said, AFP news agency reports. 

The 17 were intercepted in batches at a border crossing with Niger, said the head of immigration for Katsina state, Ahmed Alhaji Alfa. 

"Our investigation revealed that their mission was to cross border en route to Agadez in Niger and then to Libya," he added. 

"We believe their final destination was Europe through the dangerous voyage across the (Mediterranean) sea." 

Human trafficking is a major organised crime issue in Nigeria, where victims, most of them young women and girls, are smuggled into Niger then Libya before a final destination in Europe.

People across Africa are taking to Twitter ahead of tonight's European Champions League match between Arsenal and Barcelona which kicks off at 19:45GMT.

The general opinion is that Barcelona will win, but there some optimistic Gunners fans:

One Twitter user has used a well-known photograph of Arsenal fans asking for Divine intervention:

And one fan in Ghana offers a chink of hope for Arsenal:

A spokesman for Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has been tweeting comments from his meeting with King Salman of Saudi Arabia:

The two countries have now agreed to work towards stabilising the oil market and raising the price of oil.

It's the first day of the continent's cycling championships in Morocco and Nambia's Vera Adrian won the individual time trial event, cycling 27km in 46 minutes 47 seconds.

Rwanda's Jeanne d'Arc Girubuntu came a close second and Namibia's Vera Adrian came third  - 11 seconds behind the winner.

Image source, UCI

The race was made up of female elite riders from 10 African countries: Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Rwanda, Namibia and Mauritius.

Image source, UCI

Yusuf Ibrahim Yakasai
BBC Africa, Kano, Nigeria

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has suspended a traditional leader for allegedly defiling a 13-year-old girl and infecting her with HIV, in the northern Nigerian city.

Musa Muhammad, who is the village head of Goron Maje in Dambatta local council, was arrested following a complaint from the victim’s parents, the head of the state religious police Abba Kabiru Sufi told me.

"We took the girl to a hospital and she was tested positive for the virus," Mr Sufi added.

The Emir of Kano has now suspended Mr Muhammad from his position pending an investigation into the matter. 

There has been an increase in child sexual abuse cases in Kano in recent years, but this will surely stand out considering the calibre of the accused person.

Mr Muhammad has not commented on the accusation.

Moroccan and Spanish police have detained four people suspected of recruiting jihadists for the so-called Islamic State group (IS), AFP news agency reports.

One of the men was a former Guantanamo prisoner who received military training in Afghanistan.

The four - three Spaniards and one Moroccan - were "willing to commit terrorist acts on Spanish soil," police said, adding they had allegedly made contacts to acquire weapons and substances used to make explosives.

They were detained in Spain's north African enclave of Ceuta and the Moroccan city of Nador.

Police said the brother of one of the cell members had carried out a suicide attack in Syria for IS.

Pumza Fihlani
BBC News, Johannesburg

A South African court has sentenced a Czech fugitive to 35 years in jail for a string of charges including attempted murder and kidnapping.

The charges against Radovan Krejcir, seen as the kingpin of Johannesburg's criminal underworld, date back to 2013. 

Krejcir was accused of ordering the kidnapping of Bheki Lukhele, whose brother disappeared with a 25kg (55lbs) of drugs belonging to Krejcir.

The South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg heard that Mr Lukhele was assaulted and had boiling water poured over his head by Krejcir. 

Months prior to his arrest in 2013, he made local headlines when he survived a hit on his life when a car fitted with remote-control guns hidden behind its license plates fired at him as he entered his business premises.

Krejcir was pictured (right) in court by a South African news outlet:

There's a major water conference under way in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, with policy makers discussing improving access to water and sanitation.

Nearly 500km (300 miles) to the east of the city is the Dadab refugee camp, where the BBC's Ahmed Adan has been photographing the consequences of a lack of water infrastructure.

The Somali refugees who live there have to queue up every morning to get 20 litres of water a day.

The UN has dug boreholes to get to the ground water.

The water shortage has been exacerbated by the prolonged drought that the region is experiencing.

Nigeria and Saudi Arabia have agreed to work together to ensure a "stable oil market" and to support a rebound in the price, a spokesman for Nigeria's president said.

President Muhammadu Buhari is in Riyadh to discuss with Saudi Arabia's King Salman ways to stabilise crude oil prices. 

The two leaders "committed themselves to doing all that is possible to stabilize the market and rebound the oil price", Garba Shehu said in a statement.

Both leaders admitted their economies have been hit hard by the recent oil price slump, he added. 

A Saudi newspaper has tweeted photos of Mr Buhari and King Salman:

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC Africa, Nairobi

Kenyan police say the pilot, Alistair Llewelyn, who was captured on camera in what looks like an assault on a policewoman, is a British citizen.

The video has gone viral on social media with many angry Kenyans calling for his deportation.

Police spokesperson George Kinoti said that Mr Llewelyn is due in court on Wednesday and will face assault charges.

Image source, Citizen TV Royal Media Services

The government in Mozambique should investigate alleged human rights abuses committed by its army in Tete province in the north, Human Rights Watch says, external.

Six thousand people have fled across the Malawian border and are now living in makeshift camps following attempts by the army to disarm opposition Renamo militia.

HRW researchers spoke to some of those who have fled, who told them that they fled army abuses and were scared about returning home.

The refugees said that soldiers killed family members and abused others.

HRW says that tensions have increased between the governing Frelimo party and the opposition since the 2014 election.

Image source, Human Rights Watch

Islamist militias in Libya have lost two major areas in the eastern city of Benghazi, military sources and residents have told the BBC.

"People are celebrating on the streets," a resident said.

Fighters loyal to anti-Islamist Gen Khalifa Haftar are reported to have taken over the port, a hospital and have cut off a key weapons supply line.

Thousands have fled more than a year of fighting in Benghazi, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising.

Once in the Libyan army, Gen Haftar fought with revolutionaries to overthrow long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.

BBC North Africa correspondent Rana Jawad says the chaos has allowed Islamic State fighters to gain a foothold in the country, and some are believed to be fighting with other Islamist militias in Benghazi.

Read more from BBC News

Image source, AFP

Meluse Kapatamoyo
BBC Africa, Lusaka, Zambia

Zambia's Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has confiscated 24kg of cocaine - its highest ever seizure.

DEC public relations officer Theresa Katongo told journalists that it came after the arrest of two Zambians and a Tanzanian for drug trafficking.

The three suspects were arrested in different locations with the help of the Zambia Police Service. 

Other items confiscated seized include a pistol with 15 rounds ammunition and mobile phones. 

The suspects will appear in court soon. 

Image source, Zambia DEC

The UN's human rights office says it's "concerned by the tense post-electoral situation in Uganda".

In a statement, external it cites reports of two people being killed and the arrest of opposition members in the aftermath of Thursday's presidential and parliamentary elections.

It also says that it is "concerned about the intimidating display of force used on Friday by Ugandan police and military forces" when it entered the offices of the main opposition FDC party.

Last week, the US Secretary of State told President Yoweri Museveni, external of his concerns with the detention of opposition members and the shutting down of social media sites during the election.

Image source, AFP

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC Africa, Nairobi

The white pilot who was captured on camera in Kenya allegedly assaulting a uniformed policewoman has surrendered himself to a police station in the capital, Nairobi. 

Alistair Llewelyn is currently being questioned and is due to appear in court on Wednesday. 

He had been hired to fly Deputy President William Ruto to a political rally in Central Kenya over the weekend, when the incident occurred.

Watch the video of the incident below:

South Africa's University of Free State (UFS) has suspended classes following clashes between protesting students and spectators at a rugby match last night.

Social media footage showed black protesters walking in a line across the pitch during the game between UFS and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, before hundreds of white spectators ran on to try to force them off.

"The Bloemfontein and South Campuses are closed from 23 to 24 February 2016 and no academic and administrative services are available," UFS said in a statement., external

Students have also been attacking apartheid monuments and daubing graffiti on several buildings.  

The situation has now been brought under control and an investigation has been launched, it added.

The protesters were demanding an end to the outsourcing of employment of cleaners at the institution, Eyewitness news reports, external.

Image source, SNS

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has agreed to coach Zamalek, the Egyptian club have announced.

The 57-year-old will take over from former Tottenham striker Mido, who was sacked two weeks ago.

A statement on Zamalek's official website said: "Murtaza Mansour, chairman of the club, has confirmed that Alex McLeish has signed with him in principle to lead the first team."

McLeish left Genk last summer after a season with the Belgian club.

Read the full BBC sport story here

Opposition parties in Niger have rejected the first partial results of Sunday's presidential and parliamentary elections, the AFP news agency reports.

"We cannot recognise them such as they have been proclaimed so far," a spokesman for the opposition coalition, Aboubacar Cisse, said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) is expected to announce the final result later this week.   

The run-up to the vote was marred by accusations of repression and a row over identification documents.  

President Mahamadou Issoufou is hoping to secure a second term in the impoverished West African nation.