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As Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma steps down as the head of the African Union Commission, will she take over from her ex-husband as president of South Africa?

For two decades Ms Dlamini-Zuma has been the quiet juggernaut of South African politics. Tough, highly educated, competent, aloof, and most importantly, rarely out of a job.

The 67-year-old medical doctor has served in the cabinets of all four of South Africa's post-apartheid presidents - demonstrating an instinct for political survival and a capacity for endurance shared by few of her colleagues. Since 1994 she has been minister of health, foreign affairs and home affairs.

But now comes what may be Ms Dlamini-Zuma's defining challenge.

After four years away from South Africa's fractious political battles, as chairperson of the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, she is poised to return home to run for the leadership of the governing ANC this December - a job that could, in turn, catapult her to the country's presidency in the 2019 national elections.

Read the fill BBC story here

 Morocco regained membership of the African Union (AU) after the backing of the overwhelming majority of states, AFP new agency reports.  

 There was a very long debate but 39 of our 54 states approved the return of Morocco, even if the Western Sahara question remains," Senegalese President Macky Sall told journalists. 

People have been reacting on Twitter to the decision: 

Morocco has been readmitted as a member of the African Union (AU), reports the BBC's Emmanuel Igunza from the AU heads of state summit in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. 

It lobbied intensely to rejoin the AU, some 30 years after it left the now-defunct Organisation of African Union after it recognised Western Sahara as an independent state. 

Morocco regards it as part of its territory. 

Image source, AFP

Five members of a controversial religious sect in Benin have died from asphyxiation after they locked themselves into prayer rooms and burned incense and charcoal as they waited for the world to end, residents and a survivor have said, Reuters news agency reports. 

The sect, whose name in French translates as the "Very Holy Church of Jesus Christ of Baname", has thousands of followers across the West African state and is strongly opposed to the local voodoo culture.

Image source, AFP

The group's young leader, Vicentia Chanvoukini, known by her followers as "Lady Perfect", has proclaimed herself a god.

Several people were hospitalised with respiratory problems following the weekend incident in Adjarra town, some five kilometres (3 miles) north-east of the capital, Porto Novo. 

One of them, Yves Aboua, said church members were told to stay in their prayer rooms so that they would not be "not to be held accountable" when the world ended, Reuters reported. 

It also quoted him as saying: 

Kenyans are reacting to the failure of Foreign Minister Amina Mohammed to clinch the post of African Union commission chief. 

Ms Mohammed was seen as a front-runner but she lost to her Chadian counterpart Mouassa Faki Mahamat after seven rounds of voting. 

People are using #WhyAminaLos, externalt to celebrate her defeat and to mock her candidacy while others are congratulating her. 

Her candidacy divided Kenyans along political lines and the messages being shared on Twitter reflect these divisions:  

Others want the public to ask the government to account for the money that was spent campaigning for Ms Mohammed's candidacy: 

Image source, AFP

Here are some key facts about new African Union commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat: 

*Age: 56 (born on 21 June 1960 in Biltine in eastern Chad)

* Political career:  Minister of foreign affairs until this afternoon and prime minister from 2003 to 2005

* His dream: An Africa where the "sound of guns will be drowned out by cultural songs and rumbling factories"

* His pledge: To streamline the bureaucracy in the AU during his four-year term in office and to promote development and security.

Kenya's government has congratulated Chad's foreign minister Moussa Faki Mahamat after he beat his Kenyan counterpart Amina Mohammed in the race for the chairmanship of the African Union (AU) commission. 

"We pledge to work with him to defend the pan-African agenda of integration for Africa, as well as democracy, sovereignty and prosperity for all of its people, the statement said. 

Image source, AFP

It also paid tribute to Ms Mohammed, saying, her candidacy marked the "re-emergence of Kenya at the very heart of the pan-African project."

Ghana's former deputy foreign mInister Thomas Kwesi Quartey was chosen as Mr Faki's deputy. 

Gabon's Stade d'Oyem hosted its last match of the African Cup of Nations yesterday between Ghana and Ghana. 

The newly built stadium is located deep in the jungle in northern Gabon making it difficult for fans to access it. 

The BBC's Piers Edwards looks at the fate of the 20,000 seater stadium: 

The African Cup of Nations enters its final week in the central African nation of Gabon. Only four teams remain to challenge for the continent's biggest football crown. 

We look back at the story so far and the mouthwatering matches to look forward to: 

Image source, Getty Images

All 86 wives of Nigerian Muhammadu Bello Masaba were around him when he died on Saturday at the age of 93, his spokesman has told AFP news agency. 

Salahu Bello said Mr Masaba, affectionately known as Baba or father, had left "a legacy of trust, compassion and submission to the will of Allah". 

 He added:

In 2008, an Islamic court in Nigeria ruled he was unlawfully married to 86 women,  and told him he could keep only four. 

Mr Masaba refused, saying he did not breach Islamic law.   

At the time, all 86 wives and 20 of their 170 children protested outside the ministry of justice in the central city of Niger to show support of him. 

See earlier post for more details

Image source, AFP

Chad's foreign minister Moussa Faki has been elected as chairman of the African Union (AU) commission, succeeding South Africa's Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a Chadian official has told Reuters news agency. 

Mr Faki's main challenger in the last round of voting at the AU summit in Ethiopia was Kenya's foreign minister Amina Mohamed, Reuters added.

The AFP news agency is also quoting diplomats as saying that Fakire will be next AU commission chief.  

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has praised African countries for being among the world's largest and most generous hosts of refugees. 

 Mr Guterres, who was speaking at an African Union summit in Ethiopia, said the continent was keeping its borders open at a time when some of the most developed countries were closing theirs. 

His comments are being interpreted by correspondents as a veiled criticism of the executive order issued by President Donald Trump suspending immigration from seven mainly-Muslim countries.

Fatuma Hassan,a Somali refugee in Kenya, says she never married to avoid complicating efforts to move to the US:

Protests have intensified against President Trump's temporary ban on travellers coming into the US from a group of mainly-Muslim countries. 

Mr Trump has accused the media of misrepresenting the new rules as a ban on Muslims.

So how has this affected those on the continent hoping to settle in the United States? Particularly those of Somali origin?

Fauzia Mohamud, a Somali refugee living in Kenya, says the US travel ban has crushed all her hopes:

Kenyan politicians are busy pushing their supporters to register to vote ahead of the 8 August general elections. 

The registration has so far not met anticipated targets and several politicians and government bureaucrats have suggested controversial ideas to get people to register. 

An opposition member of parliament called on women to deny their partners sex unless they register. 

Deputy President William Ruto is now asking women to refuse to go on a date with men who do not have a voters' card. 

Cartoonist Gaddo has been mocking politicians who have seemingly prioritised shoring up their political support instead of focusing on the suffering of people exposed to the ongoing drought: 

Image source, Reuters

The African Union (AU) was facing one of its "greatest tests" after US President Donald Trump banned citizens from seven countries - including three in Africa - from entering the country, AU commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has said. 

Speaking at the pan-African body's annual smmit in Ethiopia, she said the world was entering "very turbulent times":

 Mr Trump's executive order, signed on Friday, halted the entire US refugee programme for 120 days, indefinitely banned Syrian refugees and suspended all nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries - including Somalia, Sudan, Libya.  

Those who were already mid-flight were detained on arrival - even if they held valid US visas or other immigration permits. It is not known how many others were turned away at airports overseas as they tried to board flights to the US.  

In a statement, Mr Trump said visas would once again be issued once "the most secure policies" were in place.  

Read: Victims vent fury

Egypt knocked out Morocco to reach the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals as substitute Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim prodded home a dramatic 87th-minute winner.

Mohammed Salah had twice been denied by Munir Mohamedi, but prior to the goal Morocco missed a host of good chances.

Aziz Bouhaddouz failed to connect with a cross from two yards out, before seeing a header deflected just wide.

And Morocco defender Romain Saiss and midfielder Mbark Boussoufa were both denied by the crossbar.

Egypt go on to play Burkina Faso, who beat Tunisia 2-0 in their quarter-final on Saturday.

In Sunday's other quarter-final, Ghana beat DR Congo 2-1 to set up a meeting with Cameroon, who knocked out Senegal.

The semifinal matches will be played on the 1 and 2 February. 

Image source, Getty Images

Tanzania's government has suspended mining at a site in Geita town in the north-western region, where 15 artisan miners were rescued yesterday after being trapped underground for three days, to assess the safety of mines. 

Fourteen Tanzanians and one Chinese were rescued from the Chinese-owned gold mine, called RZ Gold mine. 

BBC Swahili reporter Halima Nyanza, who witnessed the rescue mission yesterday, said the mood at the scene was both emotional and jubilant as relatives watched the miners being brought up. 

The trapped miners looked weak and in need of emergencey treatment. They were quickly taken to a nearby health centre

An investigation to determine what what caused the accident is under way but this is not an isolated incident. 

In November , Tanzania hailed the "miraculous" rescue of five miners who were trapped underground for more than 40 days. 

The majority of the miners are from surrounding villages and sometimes include children.

If they find gold, they sell it to a dealer - and live off the money for a few weeks before going back underground.

There are many small gold mines in western Tanzania. Most of them are largely unregulated, with little or no health and safety considerations.

Image source, bb

Image source, Government of Nigeria

Nigeria's government will not tolerate the destruction of national monuments, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said. 

He gave the assurance when he visited the site of a monument, a 190-year-old Brazilian-styled building built by returning slaves, destroyed by private developers in the commercial capital, Lagos. 

In a statement, he said the government would fight in court to regain the site with the aim of rebuilding the monument :