That's all from BBC Africa Live today. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or check the BBC News website.  

A reminder of today's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture of rice crop harvesting in Embu, Kenya:  

Nigeria is no stranger to fuel shortages but it seems things are worse than ever.

Thousands of people have been forced to sleep outside filling stations in the hope of buying petrol, some have returned day after day with no joy.

The petroleum minister has said things should be back to normal in a few days. But after weeks of these kinds of promises, Nigerians are finding that hard to believe.

The BBC’s Ayo Bello hit the streets of Lagos to find out more:

Phillippa Yaa de Villiers, who is mixed race, was adopted as a baby by a white couple in South Africa.

She didn't find out she was adopted until she became involved in anti-apartheid politics at university. 

She went on to become an award winning writer. 

On BBC World Service's Conversation programme, she reads one of her most popular poems, Come Back Afrika, which is about meeting her biological father who is from Ghana.

Security forces in Eritrea's capital Asmara have killed several young conscripts who tried to escape the convoy they were travelling in, according to opposition media outlets.

There were also civilian casualties after some of the recruits' friends and family used a bus to block the road to help them escape, according to the unconfirmed reports, external.

Conscription in Eritrea is compulsory.

The Eritrean authorities have not commented on the alleged incident.

Read the full BBC story here 

In the past few months clashes between taxi and Uber drivers in Kenya's capital Nairobi have escalated so much that the police and transport ministry have been forced to step in.

Uber driver Benard Kariuki told the BBC's Ferdinand Omondi that Uber drivers can earn more than traditional taxi drivers in the city.

But there's a catch. He is scared for his safety:

He is betting on the attacks stopping. 

And our correspondent reports that, as the rides are cheaper demand for Uber drivers is unlikely to wane soon.

Watch Ferdinand Omondi take an Uber ride in Nairobi.

Image source, AFP

Angola's government says it has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for help after the crash in oil prices ravaged its finances, AFP news agency reports. 

The IMF said discussions would begin next week in Washington on what could be a three-year support plan for the government, the agency reports. 

Angola is Africa's biggest oil producer after Nigeria, and heavily dependent on export earnings to finance government projects. 

A journalist based in Guyana, Carinya Sharples, has pointed out that the Bajan singer Rihanna's latest music video appears to make a tribute to Ghanaian undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who covers his face with beads. She noticed the similarity when she was researching the singer's lyrics, external.

One of the dancers in the video for her song called Work has a very similar covering to the journalist's:

Image source, YouTube

Here's what Mr Anas wore when he was interviewed by the BBC's Sammy Darko to remain incognito:

Mr Anas shook the Ghanaian judiciary last year when he released a film on judges allegedly taking bribes.

There is no indication from Rihanna that it is nothing more than a coincidence. 

But if it is a tribute, it wouldn't be the first time, as Ghanaians took to covering their faces in the same way last year:

Watch Mr Anas taking off his beads on Focus on Africa last year:

Image source, AFP

The head of Libya's Tripoli-based government said he would not hand over over power to a UN-backed unity government, contradicting an earlier statement by the justice ministry, AFP news agency reports. 

Khalifa Ghweil, chief of Tripoli's so-called National Salvation Government, issued a statement calling on ministers not to stand down and threatening to prosecute anyone who cooperates with the new government, it reports. 

The top political hashtag in Africa in 2015 was #NigeriaDecides, which was used during Nigeria's presidential election, says a study by Portland communications agency.

Their “How Africa Tweets” report, external says African tweets tend to be more political than in other continents.

It found 10% of the most popular African hashtags in 2015 related to politics, compared with 2% of hashtags in the US and UK. 

The agency analysed 1.6 billion geo-located tweets and the top 5,000 hashtags on the continent. 

It found that English is by far the most dominant language on Twitter in Africa, and Egyptians tweet the most.

People have been picking through the report and, aptly, tweeting their favourite bits:

Prime Ndikumagenge
BBC Africa, Bujumbura

Image source, Getty Images

Burundi has repatriated the body of a former Rwandan minister following his sudden death in prison a week ago. 

Jacques Bihozagara was arrested nearly four months ago by Burundi's intelligence services on suspicion of being a spy.  

The cause of his death remains unknown, and his relatives in Rwanda are demanding an autopsy.

Rwanda's government has asked the Burundian authorities to give details of his death and detention, which it describes as illegal. 

Mr Bihozagara was a retired ambassador and former youth minister in Rwanda.

South Africa will hold  local government elections on 3 August, in the first major test of support for the governing African National Congress (ANC) since a ruling by the country's highest court that President Jacob Zuma breached the constitution when he failed to repay government money used to upgrade his private home. 

Mr Zuma called on people, external to register to vote "so that together we continue to re-affirm and deepen our democracy". 

Image source, AFP

His critics regard him as South Africa's worst leader since apartheid ended in 1994, and are demanding his resignation. 

Today, civil society and religious groups announced that they are launching a nationwide campaign to force him to step down. 

Those who have backed the campaign include former judge Zac Yacoob, former ambassador to the UK Cheryl Carolus, and former trade union leader Zwelinzima Vavi, the local News24 site reports, external.

An influential ANC branch in the main city Johannesburg, where the party's electoral support is under serious threat from the opposition, has also said that Mr Zuma should resign, or face disciplinary action within the party, News24 reports. 

Image source, AFP

However, other influential groups in the ANC, including its Women's League and Youth League, say they still have full confidence in Mr Zuma. 

Top ANC officials in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, two of the most powerful regions in the party, have also come out in support of Mr Zuma, local media reports.

He has said that while some people are spending sleepless nights plotting against him, he intends to continue leading South Africa.

See our 11:02 post for more details  

There have been over 1,000 comments on our Facebook post asking for your tips on how to survive Nigeria’s fuel crisis, external.

Here are a few of the suggestions:

Haruna Isa Musa Yaro, who is from Nigeria's capital Abuja but lives in Dubai, thinks nuclear power is the way. 

He defends President Muhammadu Buhari against critics who complained he is using fuel to travel to a conference in the US while his citizens sit in queues:

Meanwhile, Perry Dzivenu in Accra, Ghana, suggests Nigeria copies his country to deal with the problem:

Well, these suggestions that could take time to implement. In the meantime people are stuck in queues.

So, Kenechi C Anene in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, gives his tips on how he avoids using fuel:

If you haven’t gone as far as to give up the air conditioning and the car then you’re stuck with the queues.

So we want to know what you are doing to keep yourselves occupied.

Get in contact:

• WhatsApp: +447341070844
• Email: africalive@bbc.co.uk
• Comment on Facebook, external
• Tweet us, external on @bbcafrica

Alastair Leithead
BBC Africa correspondent

The mistress of a British artist shot in the heart by an unknown gunman outside her house in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, 15 years ago has appeared at the inquest into his death. 

Professional hunter Natasha Illum Berg said she and Tonio Trzebinski had fallen in love and were planning a life together, but before his murder he had been "physically scared" of his wife Anna who'd found out about their affair.

The circumstances surrounding the unsolved murder, in an upscale neighbourhood of Nairobi, are being picked over in detail by the inquest into his death. 

The 41-year old British artist was shot in the heart outside his mistress's home in October 2001. 

The hunter, who was 30 at the time, described how in love they were and how they were "planning a future together" when he was killed. 

She told the court how he was "extremely scared" of his wife who had slashed his paintings with a knife when she found out about their affair, saying he told her "you have no idea what she is capable of".

Ms Trzebinski told the inquest that allegations she might have arranged his killing were "deeply, deeply offensive." 

The case has been compared to the unsolved "white mischief" murder of the British Earl of Errol, killed by a single bullet in the same neighbourhood 60 years earlier. 

More witnesses are due to be called as the inquest continues.

Image source, AFP

Business tycoon Patrice Talon has been sworn in as Benin's new president after winning last month's elections. 

 The 57-year-old, dubbed the King of Cotton because of his business interests in the industry, was inaugurated at the Charles de Gaulle stadium in the capital Porto-Novo. 

 "With my term I will exercise state power with dignity and simplicity," Mr Talon said, in a short inauguration speech, AFP news agency reports. 

"I will serve as the president with humility, selflessness and sacrifice for the welfare of all," he added. 

Earlier, he and outgoing President Boni Yayi hugged each other after a meeting at the presidential palace in what was a show of goodwill, AFP reports. 

In 2012, Mr Talon was accused of masterminding a plot to poison Mr Yayi, an allegation he denied. 

Mr Talon defeated Mr Yayi's preferred successor, former banker Lionel Zinsou, in the elections. 

Mr Yayi did not contest the election, abiding by the constitution which required him to step down after two terms.

Martin Patience
BBC News, Nigeria correspondent

Image source, AFP

There is growing pressure on one of Nigeria’s most senior politicians to resign following allegations made in the Panama Papers data leak about the tax affairs of public figures. 

Senate President Bukola Saraki is currently on trial accused of buying property with stolen money and failing to declare his assets. 

He has pleaded not guilty to 13 charges relating to the eight years he spent as a regional governor.   

The timing is purely coincidental, but as his trial got underway, news emerged of fresh allegations relating to Mr Saraki’s financial affairs.  

Nigeria's Premium Times Times newspaper, one of the partner organisations working on the Panama Papers, reported that the politician’s family held four undeclared offshore assets, including a multi-million dollar property in London.  

In a statement, Mr Saraki, denied any wrongdoing and said that he had declared all his assets according to the law.  

Since being elected last year, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to root out official corruption. 

If found guilty at his trial in Nigeria, Mr Saraki could be barred from public office and face time in jail. 

Read: Tax havens and the new politics

Image source, AP

Nigerians have been reacting to plans by the military to set up a camp to rehabilitate repentant Boko Haram militants  

One expert said there is a lack of deradicalisation experts in Nigeria to staff the camp.

The head of the department of crime management at Tatari Ali Polytechnic in Bauchi,  Abdullahi Yalwa, added that the militants stigmatised, and this would be a barrier to getting them back into communities to lead normal lives. 

But he told me that establishing such camp is a good idea because "bullets can only kill terrorists but cannot kill terrorism".

The military has not yet released full details of their plan, but they say they will offer militants vocational training so that can "contribute meaningfully to the economic growth of their fatherland". 

See our 09:03 post for more on this story

Tomi Oladipo
BBC Africa security correspondent

Djibouti is clearly a little nervous about democracy, as within 48 hours of arriving to report on the forthcoming elections, I was among a three-man BBC team detained and expelled without explanation. 

Read my full story 

Image source, Getty Images

Claude LeRoy has just told the BBC's Nick Cavell that he is becoming the new coach of Togo's national football team.

The 68-year-old will take over from Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet.

The Frenchman has worked on the continent for almost 30 years and has coached  a record eight African Nations Cup finals. 

His first job will be to persuade striker Emmanuel Adebayor to return to the national team on a more consistent basis.

Read more on BBC Sport

Ferdinand Omondi
BBC Africa, Mombasa

Image source, AFP

The number of people affected by malaria in Kenya has fallen sharply, according to a survey carried out by the ministry of health.  

Six years ago 11% of Kenyans were contracting the disease, but that has dropped to 8%. 

The report attributes this to greater use of mosquito nets and quicker treatment.  

It adds: 

• Six out of 10 homes have at least one mosquito net treated with insecticide
• Nearly six out of 10 children now sleep under a net
• More than half of pregnant women use them, and receive other preventative treatments
• Malaria accounts for 16% of all outpatient attendance at medical facilities
•  It remains most prevalent in western Kenya around Lake Victoria where nearly 3 in ten children tested positive.

Dozens of women took to the streets of Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, today to demonstrate against Kuwait's government over the alleged abuse of workers in the Gulf state. 

The nation has been shocked by harrowing accounts in the media of Zimbabwean women who had their passports seized upon arrival in Kuwait, worked for close to a year without a salary and were forced to be sex slaves. 

However, several women were arrested for taking part in the demonstration: 

The women were bundled into a police van:

MP Thabitha Khumalo was among the protesters: