Image source, AFP

The International Organisation of French-speaking countries (OIF) has cut ties with Burundi, citing the lack of progress towards political dialogue to end the country's ongoing crisis.

In a statement, the OIF condemned the country's worsening security situation, and said it was ending all its programmes in the country, except those which directly benefit Burundian citizens and could "help lead to the re-establishment of democracy".

The OIF comprises 57 member states and governments. 

More than 400 people have died and a quarter of a million have fled the country since unrest broke out over President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision last year to run for a third term.

The Burundian government spokesman has been in combative mood, reacting to the news of their expulsion on Twitter: 

Despite the advice above, he used the OIF's own mother tongue to mock the organisation for overestimating its influence over Burundi: 

"It's as if the Francophone were a god and Burundi should bow down before this denial of its sovereignty" - translated from French below:

Read the full story on BBC Afrique (in French)

The cancer unit at Uganda's Mulago Hospital says it is looking for $1.8m (£1.3m) to buy a new radiotherapy machine.

We reported earlier (see 10.02 post) that the country’s only radiotherapy machine at Mulago, the main cancer unit in Uganda, had broken down. 

The unit's spokesperson Christine Namulindwa told the BBC on the phone from the capital, Kampala, that the hospital gets 44,000 new referrals a year from Uganda, as well as from neighbouring countries including Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. 

It is currently talking to the ministry of health to find a way to buy a new machine, but it is not clear when that will happen. 

Read the BBC News story for more details.

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Pope Francis has published new guidelines on family life that argue the Church should show more understanding of modern realities.

The document, external, based on two Synods on the issue, was eagerly awaited by the world's 1.3bn Roman Catholics.

Entitled "On Love in the Family", it does not change Catholic doctrine.

But it opens the way for bishops in each country to interpret doctrine to suit their own culture, the BBC's religion correspondent Caroline Wyatt says.

It details the Pope's views on family life, marriage, contraception and bringing up children.

The BBC spoke to several Catholic families about how their family values relate to the teachings of the Church.

Louis Doe Atsiatorme from Ghana said he had to get a special dispensation from the Church before he could marry a Methodist.

Read the BBC News story for more details and scroll down to watch the video from Ghana.  

Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto has said he forgives the "evil minds" behind the case brought against him at the International Criminal Court (ICC), which was dismissed earlier this week (see earlier entry at 09:28).

"The allegations that were made against me were criminal acts of evil minds that schemed, connived, colluded and fabricated a case against us," he said in a televised address.

His offer of forgiveness to witnesses in the case is unlikely to appease ICC prosecutors.

The prosecution said its case against Mr Ruto was undermined because of witnesses being bribed and intimidated throughout the trial. 

In his address, Mr Ruto said the government would not rest until every victim of the violence after the 2007 elections had been compensated.

Rights groups have complained that the government has not done enough for those affected. About 500,000 people were displaced.

Mr Ruto made no reference to establishing who was responsible for the violence, and left without answering any questions. 

None of the organisers of the violence following the December 2007 election have been convicted. 

Read more: Dismissal of Ruto case huge blow to ICC

President Ismail Omar Guelleh is seeking a fourth term in office.  

Unilag - the acronym by which the University of Lagos is known - is trending in Nigeria after the management decided to close down the institution.

It took this decision on Thursday after protests by students complaining about the poor supply of water and electricity on campus.

The BBC's Umar Shehu Elleman in Lagos says such amenities had deteriorated because of the scarcity of fuel, with many institutions having to rely on generators because of the poor electricity supply.

The ongoing fuel crisis was also given as a reason for shutting down the campus as students living off site were finding it difficult to travel, the university statement said.   

Our reporter says students are protesting this morning, angry about the closure.

Police are at the university, from where some people have been tweeting photos:

Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh has arrived to cast his vote on election day in the Horn of Africa nation.

A CCTV reporter has been tweeting from Djibouti's capital: 

Three opposition parties are asking voters to boycott the poll. 

Opposition figures say world powers have turned a blind eye to the country's shaky democratic process because of its strategic location on the Red Sea.

Read the BBC News story for more.

Uganda’s only radiotherapy machine has broken down, according to the country’s private Daily Monitor newspaper, external.

Cancer patients may have to wait until next year when a new one is expected to be installed for treatment.

Dr Jackson Orem, the director of Cancer Institute at Mulago hospital, told the Daily Monitor that patients who need radiotherapy to destroy cancerous cells have to be referred abroad at the moment.

Those who need palliative care would be put on morphine drugs as an alternative, he said.

“This machine usually breaks down and we have it repaired. It is not the first time. At the moment, unless a patient can afford to go to Nairobi in Kenya, there is not any other option,” Christine Namulindwa, the institute’s public relations officer is quoted as saying.

She said 75% of 44,000 patients currently registered would be affected by the breakdown, which happened three weeks ago.

Image source, AFP

Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto is addressing the media live for the first time since he was acquitted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity, related to the violence which broke out after the 2007 elections.

You can follow the live stream, external of the press conference on Citizen TV. 

Mr Ruto has said that the government would not rest until the victims of the violence, in which about 1,200 people died, receive justice. 

Mr Ruto has also been tweeting at the same time from his official account: 

Image source, iStock

Revelations from the Panama Papers show how a company based in Jersey, a British crown dependency, attempted to avoid paying $400m (£280m) in Capital Gains Tax to the Ugandan government, writes BBC Africa's Rob Wilson.  

Read the full story

Image source, AFP

Read more BBC coverage of the Panama Papers

Image source, AFP

Voters in Djibouti are going to the polls today as President Ismail Omar Guelleh seeks to extend his 17-year rule in the strategic Red Sea nation.

He is only the second president the country has had since independence from France in 1977.  

The opposition are angry that the president rescinded his earlier pledge not to seek a fourth term and some parties have chosen to boycott the election.

Read more about the background to the vote.

Today’s African proverb:

Image source, AFP

Welcome to the BBC Africa Live page where we'll be keeping  you up-to-date with developments on the continent today.