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

A reminder of today's wise words:

Click here and scroll to the bottom to send us your African proverbs .

And we leave you with this picture of an artist busy at work in Ghana's coastal town of Kokrobite: 

James Copnall
Africa editor, BBC World Service

The Sudanese state news agency says a paramilitary group, known as the Rapid Support Forces, has arrested five leading human traffickers near the borders in the northeast of the country. 

The RSF's commander Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemeti' told the news agency that those arrested were of different nationalities, and members of their gangs fled into neighbouring Libya. 

The RSF's role in tackling human trafficking and migration is controversial. It has been accused of numerous human rights violations. 

Rights groups have complained that money the European Union gives to Sudan to stop migration should not go to the RSF.

Image source, Reuters

Eleven Somalis won seats in municipal elections in Finland yesterday, increasing their representation from six.

It shows that more Somalis are getting involved in politics in the Scandinavian state, and their influence has slowly grown since the first batch arrived as refugees in the early 1990s,

Somalis number only about 18,000 in a country with a population of about five million. 

Some of the Somalis elected yesterday hope to become MPs one day.

Zambia's main opposition UPND party has shared photos of what it says is the damaged caused by police during a raid on the home of its leader Hakainde Hichilema in an upmarket suburb of the capital, Lusaka: 

Mr Hichilema has been detained and questioned by police for allegedly committing treason, according to his lawyer. 

See earlier post for more details

Nigerians have been reacting to pictures shared on Facebook and Twitter of a male road safety officer in Nigeria's Rivers state cutting the hair of female workers apparently because they violated guidelines on hairstyles. 

Image source, FRSC NIGERIA

The pictures were posted on the Facebook page of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) but have since been removed. 

They have been strongly condemned on Twitter: 

Following the angry reactions, the head of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi, has ordered the recall of Mr Kumapayi from Rivers state to its headquarters in the capital, reports the BBC's Chris Ewokor from Abuja. 

Our corresondent adds that Nigerians have also accused Mr Kumapayi of "brutish leadership", and of leaving workers "demoralised". 

Mr Kumapayi has not yet commented, but he has some defenders, including one man who said the women should have adhered to the FRSC's hairstyle rules rather than denouncing someone who was simply doing his job as "wicked and heartless". 

(see earlier post)

South Africa's main opposition party has asked the parliamentary speaker Baleka Mbete to postpone next Tuesday's no-confidence motion against President Jacob Zuma until the Constitutional Court rules on whether the vote can be held in secret. 

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane tweeted:

The governing African National Congress, which has a majority in parliament, has said it will vote against the 18 April motion. 

Opposition parties hope that a secret ballot would allow dissenting members to support the motion.  

Read: Battle for soul of ANC

Lawyers in English-speaking parts of Cameroon will end their strike to demand an end to discrimination early next month, the head of their legal body has said. 

However, the strike's end is conditional on the release of two lawyers who were detained following the outbreak of protests, Jackson Ngnie Kamga said in a statement. 

English-speaking lawyers have been boycotting legal proceedings since October to protest against the use of French in courts and schools in Anglophone regions. 

They are also opposed to the employment of court workers who do not understand the application of British common law. 

Cameroon was colonised by Germany in the 19th Century and then split into British and French areas after World War One. 

Later, areas controlled by Britain and France joined to form Cameroon after the colonial powers withdrew in the 1960s.

French-speaking Cameroonians form the majority in the central African state. 

Read: Why Cameroon blocked the internet?

Image source, AFP

The main opposition politician in Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema has been detained and questioned by police for committing "treason", his lawyer Jack Mwiimbu has said. 

However, he has not yet been formally charged and "we are definitely challenging the police action", Mr Mwiimbu added.  

Police have not yet commented. However, on Sunday, the authorities accused Mr Hichelema of obstructing President Edgar Lungu's motorcade. 

Mr Hichilema's party, the United Party for National Development has denied any wrongdoing. 

It also complained that when the police raided Mr Hichilema's house, they fired tear gas canisters into the building. 

Mr Hichilema still disputes the results of last August's election, in which he came second to Mr Lungu. 

See earlier post for more details

We reported earlier that the International Organization for Migration has uncovered a disturbing new trend in people smuggling in Libya - migrants being bought and sold as slaves ( see earlier entry ) . 

IOM has just shared images of some of the captives with us. 

Image source, IOM

A  Nigerian road safety officer in the southern Rivers state has been recalled from his station after pictures of him cutting the hair of female employees during an inspection parade were widely shared on social media. 

Andrew Kumapayi is seen using a pair of scissors to cut the women's hair reportedly to conform to an acceptable hairstyle.

Boboye Oyeyemi, the head of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), recalled Mr Kumapayi following angry reactions on Twitter and Facebook.       

The FRSC has a rule which forbids female officers from having any hairstyle that drops past their collar. 

Shingai Nyoka
BBC Africa, Harare

A court in Zimbabwe has relaxed bail conditions for Evan Mawarire, a pastor who gained fame last year for leading anti-government protests under the banner #ThisFlag. 

Mr Mawarire was charged in February with inciting the overthrow of President Robert Mugabe's government.

He had been arrested at Harare's airport after he returned from a six-month self exile in the US. 

In a post on Facebook he says that he has been ordered to report to the police station every two weeks instead of twice a week. 

His passport has also been returned temporarily:

Read:Zimbabwe's pastor 'hero': #ThisFlag preacher

Image source, Re

South Africa's highest court will hear an application by the opposition United Democratic Movement (UDM) to force parliament to hold a secret vote on President Jacob Zuma's future. 

The party took the case to the Constitutional Court after Speaker Baleka Mbete said that parliamentary rules do not allow for a secret ballot. 

The opposition believes that a secret vote will make it easier for MPs of the governing African National Congress (ANC) to vote against Mr Zuma. 

Th UDM leader has tweeted a copy of the court's decision:  

The no-confidence motion in Mr Zuma is due to be debated on Tuesday, but will have to be postponed until the court makes a ruling, Mr Holomisa said. 

He added:

The ANC has about 249 MPs out of 400. A simple majority is needed to vote out the president. 

Tens of thousands of people protested last week to demand Mr Zuma's resignation, accusing him of being corrupt and reckless with the economy. 

He denies the allegation, and his allies say he will remain in office until his term ends in 2019  

See earlier post for more details  

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is reporting a disturbing new trend in people smuggling in Libya - migrants being bought and sold as slaves. 

Libya is a focal point for migrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, but the IOM says more and more migrants, without identity papers and with no more money to pay smugglers, are being openly sold into slavery. 

Migrants interviewed by the IOM report being prevented by people smugglers from reaching the Libyan coast, and instead being taken to town squares or parking lots, where they are then sold as slaves. 

They are held in warehouses or abandoned buildings, and forced to work. 

Some migrants said they were beaten daily, and made to call their families to demand ransom money. 

IOM staff who managed to gain access to some detention centres found evidence of systematic malnutrition, sexual abuse, and even murder. 

The emergence of slave markets is, the IOM says, a disturbing new trend in the already dire situation for migrants in Libya.

Image source, AFP

Read: The untold story of drowned mgrants

BBC World Service

The UN refugee agency has issued a renewed warning of the risk of mass deaths from starvation in Somalia, South Sudan, north-east Nigeria and Yemen. 

UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said drought, conflict and a lack of funding meant that an avoidable humanitarian crisis was fast becoming inevitable. 

He told reporters in Geneva there were fears of a worse situation than in 2011, when a drought in the Horn of Africa killed more than 250,000 people. 

The UN has asked for $4,4bn (£3,5bn) dollars to address the problem, but has only received about $1bn. 

Read: Why are there still famines?

Image source, Reuters

Crystal Palace defender Pape Souare has posted a video on Twitter of him running for the first time after a car crash in September. 

The Senegalese told the BBC in December that he was unsure when he would recover. "I don't know about my injury. I don't know if I can get back or not," 

"I just put everything in the hands of God and we will see."  he said.   

The left-back, who joined Palace from French club Lille in January 2015, had to be cut free from his car by a team of firefighters.

Souare said he remembered "everything" about the crash and admitted he felt "very lucky" to be alive.

"I got my leg broke, and my jaw, and I couldn't eat for the first month, but now I can eat, I can try to eat a little bit," he said.

The news will be a welcome boost to his club who are buoyed by last night's English Premier League win against Arsenal. 

Image source, .

Milton Nkosi
BBC Africa, Johannesburg

Image source, AFP

Ex-South African President Thabo Mbeki’s entry into the ring in the fight for the soul of the governing African National Congress (ANC) adds to the woes of his embattled successor, Jacob Zuma.

By calling on ANC MPs to put country before party in next week's parliamentary vote on Mr Zuma's future ( see earlier post ), the former head of state has emboldened the president's critics within the governing party which has been in power since the end of minority rule in 1994.

Mr Mbeki is not the only one who is speaking out against his old ANC comrade.

Senior ANC MP Makhosi Khoza has been brave to come out in public against President Zuma, at a time when there is considerable pressure to toe the party line.

Speaking on local radio this morning, Ms Khoza said that the ANC should never have let things get to the point where the party has to use its parliamentary majority to protect the president.

Earlier, she lamented that the “politics of patronage has finally claimed the sanity of the ANC’s leadership. A triumphant story has tuned tragic in my lifetime.”

Referring to the parliamentary motion brought by the opposition to vote out Mr Zuma, she said: 

Image source, AFP

Staunch supporters of Mr Zuma have been publicly warning MPs to vote for him to remain in office - or risk serious consequences.

The ANC has a majority of more than 60% in parliament, but the opposition is hoping that its MPs would break rank to vote with them. 

They have accused Mr Zuma of being a "crooked presdent" and of being a "wrecking ball".

He denies the allegation. 

The latest bid to oust him came after a midnight cabinet reshuffle which saw him sack both the respected Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan and his deputy, Mcebisi Jonas, a decision which led global rating agencies to downgrade South Africa to junk status. 

Condemning their dismissal at the time, ANC parliamentary chief whip Jackson Mthembu said:

But Mr Mthembu has said that ANC MPs will reject the opposition motion, in line with a decision by its top leadership, which includes Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is seen as a potential successor to Mr Zuma.

Explaining their decision last week, Mr Mantashe said:

Read: South Africa's tough road out of junk status

South African artist Lady Skollie has unveiled her first ever solo exhibition in London.

The centrepiece is a mural entitled 'Khoisan Kween Mother', drawing on her Khoisan roots. 

The Khoisan are the indigenous people of southern Africa who have lived in the region for thousands of years.

Lady Skollie told the BBC's In The Studio programme that she sees the work as a 'regal and fierce' representation of herself, created in the style of a Khoisan cave painting.

Zambia's opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema blocked President Edgar Lungu's motorcade on Sunday, according to a statement from the president's spokesman, the Reuters news agency reports. 

Amos Chanda said that Mr Hichilema's motorcade maintained its lane instead of getting off the road. 

It is unclear if the incident is related to the subsequent raid on Mr Hichilema's home in the capital, Lusaka. 

The opposition leader is currently at a police station. 

He had told South Africa's Daily Maverick publication that the president wants to kill him. 

Mr Hichilema was granted bail in October after being charged with sedition, a move his team said was an attempt by the ruling party to silence dissent. 

See previous post for more details

Zambia's main opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) is tweeting that its leader Hakainde Hichilema is now at a police station in the capital, Lusaka, following the raid on his home by the security forces. 

See earlier post for more details

Image source, AFP

Niger's government  has shut down the main university in the capital, Niamey, in response to violent protests by students who have been demanding better living conditions.

The move comes a day after clashes between police and students resulted in one reported death.

Education Minister Mohammed Ben Omar says the University of Niamey will remain closed until further notice.

Mr Ben Omar added in a statement:

Police used tear gas to quell the student protest on Monday. 

The demonstrators responded by throwing stones at the security forces.