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 photo of a small ape clinging to the leg of someone at a camp for displaced people in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, where many people are in need of food aid because of a severe drought.

Image source, Reuters

Many of you have been sending us messages about Congolese music legend Papa Wemba, after his body was flown back the Democratic Republic of Congo, his home country (see earlier post at 12:13).

On the BBC Africa Facebook page, Alhagie Jobe in Dakar writes: 

"An artist never dies. In death, an artist becomes even greater."

Mohamed Bawa in Freetown says:   

"Papa Wamba you have gone but your is spirit still with us, never to be forgotten for your achievement. May your soul rest in perfect peace." 

Collins Malowa in Lusaka says: 

"Go well Papa Wemba, you did your part. Even in your death, your music lives on to speak a thousand words for you about life. We will miss you Papa."  

And one message sent to us via Whatsapp reads:

"Papa Wemba is now even greater than before. Rest In Peace flamboyant rumba star!!!"  

One Twitter user shared photos of the crowds waiting for Papa Wemba's body in the capital Kinshasa: 

Image source, AFP

Teodoro Obiang Nguema, leader of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea for 36 years, has been re-elected with 94% of the vote, according to official results.

He faced six opponents but the main opposition parties boycotted the poll.

The 73-year-old president came to power after overthrowing his uncle in a coup.

Equatorial Guinea has a small population and is one of Africa's largest oil producers.

Most people live in poverty, it has a poor human rights record and is ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. 

Jonathan Paye-Layleh
BBC Africa, Monrovia

Former football star George Weah looks set to declare his presidential candidacy for next year’s elections in Liberia.

The 49-year-old, who was Fifa’s 1995 player of the year, failed in his presidential bid in 2005 and is currently a senator for the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party representing the Monrovia region.

Hundreds of his young supporters have gathered at the party’s headquarters where the posters suggest he will announce his intentions.

One person appears to be taking advantage of the flash floods in Kenya's capital: 

So he's making $0.50 (£0.34) for each crossing.

See our 17:49 post for more on the floods.

An interview with the mother of the Sudanese student allegedly killed by security forces on Wednesday, sparking rare protests in the capital, Khartoum (see earlier entry at 16:02), is being widely circulated on Facebook, external.

Here's an excerpt from the interview, translated from Arabic:  

The student, who has been named as Mohammed Sadiq, was reportedly killed during a public debate on his university campus.

Flash floods after heavy downpours in Kenya's capital are making it impossible for people to get home from work this evening.

The BBC's Emmanuel Ignunza in Nairobi says after more than two hours trying to join one of the main highways, he gave up and returned to the BBC bureau in the city centre.

One reporter captured the scene at a major road that leads out of the centre:

Nairobi residents are angry that despite repeated promises by the local authorities to fix the poor drainage, nothing seems to have been done to fix the problem, our reporter says.

Some commuters end up stranded at work if the rain continues as it takes time for the water to subside.  

Their frustration is beautifully summed up by one cartoonist in the city:

This follows similar floods, which have brought traffic to a standstill in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam (see earlier post at 3:48).

Image source, AP

South African shoppers have flocked to the opening of one of Africa's largest malls outside Johannesburg, despite the country's current economic woes, reports the Associated Press news agency.

The "Mall of Africa", spanning 130,000 sq km (140,000 sq ft), registered 68,000 visitors by 13:00 local time  (16:00 GMT), a spokesman for the mall's owners told AP.

"It's the kind of number you get on 23 December," he said.

Before the opening of stores at 09:00, lines of people waited outside of international shops that have recently launched in South Africa.

Even the local wing of the governing African National Congress (ANC) party has been hailing the arrival of the shopping mecca on its Twitter page:

But quite a few people on social media have been poking fun at the apparent hysteria over the new mall:

Nigerian-born artist Laolu Senbajo is behind the Yoruba-inspired art in Beyonce's new visual album Lemonade.

BBC Africa's Leslie Goffe caught up with him in New York to find out what it was like working with the music star.

Thomas Naadi
BBC Africa, Accra

Ghana’s electoral commission has opened registration centres nationwide for a limited voter registration exercise today. 

The exercise gives previously unregistered and first-time voters above the age of 18 an opportunity to have their names entered on to the register of voters.

More than 1.2 million people are expected to be registered in the next 10 days. 

The chairperson of the electoral commission, Charlotte Osei, warned against anyone attempting to register twice and urged those who have simply lost their voter IDs to make a formal complaint to the electoral commission for a replacement.

Ghanaians head to the polls in November for presidential and parliamentary elections amidst concerns about irregularities with the countries voters register.

Martin Patience
BBC News, Nigeria correspondent

Nigeria’s President has ordered the security forces to crack down on cattle raiders accused of killing hundreds of people this year (see 09:31 post).

There has been growing public anger over the government’s failure to respond to these raids.

Nomadic herders from the Fulani ethnic group frequently clash with farming communities for access to land and water.

The conflict between the two groups is nothing new but this year there appears to have been an upsurge in the violence.

Earlier this week, police say seven people were killed in Enugu state – but locals claim the death toll was far higher.

In the most serious incident this year, hundreds of people were reportedly killed in Benue state in February. 

The violence left tens of thousands of people homeless.

Fulani herdsmen are blamed for most of the raids, but they say they are attacked by cattle raiders from farming communities and are just defending themselves.

The ongoing violence represents a fresh security challenge to Nigeria, which is currently fighting Boko Haram militants in the north-east and faces growing unrest in the oil-rich southern Niger Delta region.

Image source, AFP

A new book is out documenting Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie's exile in the UK in late 1930s. 

Called Imperial Exile, it's written by former BBC journalist Keith Bowers and shows the difficulties faced by the royal family who fled Ethiopia after then-Italian leader Mussolini invaded in 1936.

He told BBC Africa's Akwasi Sarpong about the late emperor's time in Bath, where he had a butler called Jesus.

Haruna Shehu Tangaza
BBC Africa, Abuja

The defence ministers of Nigeria and France have signed a security agreement, which includes arms procurement.

It's a boost for the Nigerian military’s fight against Boko Haram as it tries to end its seven-year insurgency.

Nigeria has had problems in the past acquiring arms because of reported human rights abuses.

President Muhammadu Buhari won elections last year promising to improve the military’s human right’s record.

France agreed to help equip Nigeria’s elite land and marine forces, a statement issued after the meeting in the capital, Abuja, said.

Areas of training for Nigerian forces were also agreed.

Regional armies have recaptured most territory from Boko Haram control in the last year, but the militants are still active.

France also said it would assist in the analysis of recovered Boko Haram assets.

The very existence of Africa's elephants is threatened by poachers, traffickers and Asia's appetite for ivory, reports the BBC's Africa correspondent Alastair Leithead, who has spent months carrying out a special investigation into the illegal trade. 

Click here to read the full piece

Here's an extract from part of his investigation, where he spent time with park rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo:

Flying into the gun battle to rescue the rangers, the park's helicopter took a number of hits.

“It's not a nice feeling. It sounds like hail on a roof - the rounds coming past,” says pilot Frank Molteno, who was lucky to survive, and only just succeeded in getting the badly damaged helicopter back to base.

“That situation was a hot extraction - I didn't really have a choice - the guys were under extreme duress.” Here in Garamba it seems more like war than conservation.

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Nigeria's anti-corruption agency has arrested the managing director of one of Nigeria's leading banks.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Nnamdi Okonkwo of Fidelity Bank had been detained as part of an ongoing investigation but gave no further details.

There has been no word so far from Mr Okonkwo.

The EFCC has made a number of high-profile arrests since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power last year promising to crack down on corruption.

Sudanese police fired have fired tear gas at hundreds of students in the capital, Khartoum, in a second day of protests after the killing of a student at a campus demonstration on Wednesday, Reuters News agency reports.

Protesters chanted: "Killing of a student, killing of a nation, down with military rule", Reuters adds, noting that it was unusual for the demonstrations to take place in the centre of Khartoum.

There were further clashes later when hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the University of Khartoum campus.

Students had initially demonstrated on Wednesday against government plans to sell off Khartoum University buildings, before gunmen in plain clothes opened fire on them, allegedly killing a 20-year-old student. 

Pro-democracy activists have been posting photos of the protests on social media:

Read a profile of Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and more on the history of University of Khartoum.

Nick Cavell
BBC Africa Sport

Image source, AFP

Egypt are guaranteed to have a finalist at the delayed Women's World Squash Championships in Malaysia.

Nouran Gohar held off a brave fightback to beat France's Camille Serme in five games.

Gohar took a two game lead but Serme won the next two to force a deciding game which the Egyptian finally won to progress. 

She will face her Egyptian compatriot Nour El Sherbini in the last four - after her win over Malaysia's Nicol David, who was aiming for a ninth world title  

In the other semi-final a third Egyptian Raneem El Welily will face top-seeded Laura Massaro of England - who prevented making it an all Egyptian last four as she beat Omneya Abdel Kawy.

El Welily had earlier sealed her place in a fourth World Championship semi-final with a win over Amanda Sobhy of the United States.

Sammy Awami
BBC Africa, Dar es Salaam

It’s a tough day to be a commuter here in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam, but some taxis ventured out and about.

A day’s worth of rain has left streets flooded, with most traffic at a standstill.  

Heavy rains likes these expose Dar es Salaam's poor drainage systems.

Abdinoor Aden
BBC Africa, Nairobi

Hundreds of passengers have been stranded in Kenya because pilots at Kenya Airways have gone on strike.

At least 10 Kenya Airways flights in major airports across the country have been cancelled today.

The company has just posted a new statement on Twitter about the disruption:

The pilots are calling for the removal of the airline’s chief executive after plans were announced last month to sack 600 employees in an attempt to save money.

The pilots’ association, Kalpa, blames incompetence and poor management for the company’s losses.

The pilots have also criticised a partnership between the Kenya Airways and Dutch company, KLM, saying that it was a “one-sided affair”.

After intervention by the transport minister on Wednesday, the pilots had agreed to postpone their action until June – but went back on that agreement leading to the transport chaos.

An Egyptian police officer has been suspended and is under investigation for allegedly shooting and wounding a minibus driver in the capital Cairo.

The interior ministry said a heated argument escalated into a fight after the policeman told the driver he was blocking the road.

Other bus drivers joined the fight by attacking the policeman, who then allegedly shot the driver in the groin.

Egypt has seen a series of allegations of police brutality in recent months.

In a statement, the interior ministry said the officer Ahmed Samir Nassar had been suspended and referred for prosecution over the incident.

Read the full BBC News story