Image source, UNSom/Amisom

Somalia's MPs are about to start electing the country's president at the heavily guarded airport complex in Mogadishu because the rest of the capital is not safe.

A BBC reporter says the election hall is a converted aircraft hangar:

You can watch all the proceeding live via YouTube:

Traffic has been banned in the city, schools have been shut and a no fly zone imposed over Mogadishu to prevent attacks. 

Despite this, suspected militant Islamists fired mortar rounds close to the venue on Tuesday night.

Somalia, marred by religious and clan conflict, has not had a one-person one-vote democratic election since 1969.

It was followed by a coup, dictatorship and conflict involving clan militias and Islamist extremists.

The elections are seen as part of a lengthy and complex process to help the East African state rebuild its democracy and achieve stability.

More than 20,000 African Union troops are stationed in Somalia to prevent militant Islamist group al-Shabab from overthrowing the weak government.

More than 20 candidates are vying to become president, with the top three proceeding to a second round of voting and the top two from that round going forward to a third and final vote.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is standing for re-election and analysts say he is likely to be one of those who goes forward to the later rounds.

The airport is viewed as the most secure site and voting was moved there from a police academy because of growing security concerns.

Image source, UNSom/Amisom

Organisers say there are 314 MPs present so voting can start.

Shingai Nyoka
BBC Africa, Harare

A case brought to Zimbabwe's Constitutional Court by protest leader Promise Mkwananzi challenging President Robert Mugabe's rule has been dismissed on a technicality.

The Tajamuka pressure group leader wanted to prove that the 92-year-old president was unfit to hold office given his advanced age.

The court threw out the application, saying Mr Mkwananzi had failed to serve Mr Mugabe with the papers.

He has 30 days to address the technicalities and reapply.

Addressing the media outside court in the capital, Harare, he said he would be back and that Mr Mugabe must be held accountable for his actions.

A police commander in Laikipia in central Kenya has been airlifted to the capital, Nairobi, for specialised treatment after being shot during a gun fight with herdsmen, the Daily Nation newspaper reports: 

Mbelengo Mohare was leading an operation against pastoralists who have raided private farms in the past few months. 

He was rushed to a local hospital to receive treatment from where he was airlifted. 

Area county commissioner Onesmus Musyoki said the operation was still ongoing: 

"Officers are still on the ground and we will update you once we can confirm that the situation has been stabilised," Kenya's Star newspaper quotes him as saying. 

Read more: Are Kenya ranch invasions driven by drought or politics?

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has ordered the deployment of about 440 troops to maintain law and order in parliament for his annual state of the nation address on Thursday.

Opposition parties have condemned the decision as a "declaration of war".

Previous addresses by Mr Zuma in parliament have been marred by protests and brawls as opposition MPs demanded his resignation.

Mr Zuma has been dogged by corruption allegations for more than a decade.

Image source, AFP

Image source, EPA

Ethiopian runner Genzebe Dibaba has broken the women's 2,000m world record in  Spain at the indoor Miting International de Catalunya event.

Dibaba's time of 5:23.75 beat the time set by Romanian Gabriela Szabo in 1998 by almost seven seconds.

The 25-year-old now holds the indoors records in the 1,500m, the mile, 2,000m, 3,000m, two miles and 5,000m.

Outdoors, she also has world record in the 1,500m.

Today's African proverb:

Image source, AFP

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