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 to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo of two men riding on a motorcycle in Ghana's capital city of Accra.

Tulanana Bohela
BBC Africa, Dar es Salaam

These women call themselves "wanawake xpress" a group of graffiti artists.

They were trained for seven weeks by a male graffiti group called Wachata before showcasing their work at a bus stop in Tanzania's commercial capital of Dar es Salaam.

Image source, AFP

Zambia's President Edgar Lungu has been defending his decision to invoke emergency powers, saying he was bringing sanity to the country.

However this has caused confusion. Has he or hasn't he declared a state of emergency?

Zambian lawyer Makebi Zulu clarified the situation when he spoke to BBC's Focus on Africa programme:

Minister Zulu went on to say that the president had simply raised "threat levels", the highest of which is a state of emergency.

The heightened state of alert now means that police now have powers to stop and search without a warrant.

He added that within seven days of the president's declaration, the state of alertness will be debated in parliament as to whether it is necessary.

A court in the Democratic Republic of Congo city of Mbuji Mayi has found seven government soldiers guilty of killing members of a militia group in the central Kasai region, the Reuters news agency reports.

A video of the incident which appeared in February showed soldiers shooting people, some of them young women, at point blank range provoking international condemnation.

Two army majors were sentenced to 20 years, two others received death sentences.

Three others were sentenced to 15 years for murder and improperly disposing of weapons. Defence lawyer Jimmy Bashile told Reuters that the soldiers would appeal against their convictions.

More than 3,000 people have been killed and 1.3 million displaced since the start of an insurrection last August by the Kamuina Nsapu militia, which demands that the government withdraws its forces from the Kasai.

At least 52 mass graves have been found in the region.

The Congolese government has denied that there's a systemic use of excessive force, saying that the prosecutions show its justice system has the ability to deal with crimes committed in the conflict.

The UN and Human Rights Watch voted last month to establish an international investigation.

Read:DR Congo's Kasai conflict: Voodoo rebels take on Kabila

Rana Jawad
BBC North Africa correspondent, Tunis

Libya's Prime Minister Fayez Mustafa al-Sarraj has congratulated the people of the eastern city of Benghazi following the city being declared "fully liberated" earlier this week from extremist groups.

This follows three years of skirmishes and clashes between a self styled army and local Islamist militias.

Here is his statement in part:

Image source, AFP

Senegal international and Liverpool forward Sadio Mane is set to return to training within 10 days after recovering from a knee injury.

Mane, 25, needed surgery and missed the final eight games of last season after picking up the injury during a 3-1 win over Everton on 1 April.

He is set to miss Liverpool's opening pre-season friendlies.

"He will continue to be monitored and assessed by the club's medical staff to ensure he returns in the best shape," said a Liverpool statement., external

Mane scored 13 goals in 27 Premier League games after signing from Southampton for $44 (£34m) in June 2016.

Read full story

Image source, Getty Images

Thomas Naadi
BBC Africa, Accra

A magistrate court in Ghana has discharged 13 suspects linked to the murder of a military commander in May in the central region of Denkyira Obuasi, after the state failed to establish a substantive case against them.

According to the prosecutor the suspects will be used as witnesses against 19 others who are still facing charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Major Maxwell Adam Mahama was attacked and lynched while he was out jogging.

Residents say they mistook him for an armed robber after he was found carrying a weapon while dressed in plain clothes.

The act was condemned nationwide and the military commander was given a state burial.

Following the incident, the police arrested 32 suspects, 13 others are still at large.

Image source, AFP

Andrew Harding
BBC News, Johannesburg

The International Criminal Court has ruled that South Africa’s government acted unlawfully when it failed to arrest Sudan’s President Omar al- Bashir when he visited the country in 2015.

Mr Bashir is the first person ever to be charged by the court with genocide and has a warrant of arrest against him.

In a sense, the court was merely stating the obvious. Few people seriously expected South Africa’s lawyers to win the legal argument, and they were duly brushed aside today.

The country is a signed up member of the ICC and knows the rules.

But in Africa, this is as much about the politics as the law.

The continent was once a big supporter of the ICC, but now South Africa, and several other countries, are getting cold feet, convinced the court is unfairly targeting Africans, and arguing that building up local institutions would be a better way forward.

Today the ICC put its foot down. But fairly gently. It could have referred South Africa to the United Nations Security Council. It chose not to.

Image source, AFP

The cost of diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa could double to almost $60bn (£46bn) annually, as growing cases of obesity leads to a rapid increase of the disease, AFP news agency reports quoting a report by The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, external.

According to the research in 2015, the total cost of diabetes was nearly $20bn or 1% of sub-Saharan Africa's total economic production.

This included the cost of medicines, hospital stays, and loss of labour productivity due to illness or death.

Rifat Atun from Harvard University, who is the lead author of the report, says "in its current state, sub-Saharan Africa is not at all prepared for the increasing burden of diabetes caused by rapid, ongoing societal transitions,"

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 1.5 million deaths in 2012 were directly caused by diabetes.

A planned football match between two top clubs in Malawi went ahead despite eight people being killed and dozens others injured in a stampede as they tried to enter the stadium.

The BBC's Frank Kandu says the 40,000 capacity Bingu National Stadium in the capital, Lilongwe was packed for the match, in which Nyasa Big Bullets beat Silver Strikers.

President Peter Mutharika who had said he was "shocked" by the incident did not attend the match which was part of the independence day celebrations.

He was instead represented by Sports Minister Henry Mussah.

Police boss Lexan Kachama told Reuters that seven children and one adult were killed in the stampede and he expected the number to rise.

One of two Kenyan policemen who went missing yesterday after gunmen from Islamist militants group al-Shabab attacked a police post and a school in Pandanguo area in Lamu county has been found alive, the Daily Nation reports. , external

He was among 19 policemen who were stationed at the police post when militants attacked in a dawn raid and engaged them in a day-long gunfight.

According to a police statement three police officers were killed during the clashes.

One of the residents told the Daily Nation that security services recovered a police vehicle that the militants had commandeered.

He said that foodstuff and drugs that had been stolen at a local hospital were found in the vehicle.

Another resident told the newspaper that the attackers were youthful and spoke Kiswahili, one of Kenya's official languages and widely-spoken in the coastal area.

Reports yesterday said that over 200 militants took part in the attack.

Read:Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?

Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu has defended his announcement last night, to move towards declaring a state of emergency, saying he was bringing sanity to the country.

He vowed to operate within the constitution.

But his political opponents see things very differently. They point to the suspension of opposition MPs, to a media clampdown, and to the arrest of the opposition leader Hakainde Hichilehma, who is now in prison, facing treason charges for a traffic incident involving the President’s motorcade.

The growing fear is that President Lungu is pushing the nation towards dictatorship – a charge he rejected today.

The President sought to reassure investors, saying he and his government would stick to the law at all times.

Image source, Reuters

Former Nigeria striker Emmanuel Emenike has joined Greek champions Olympiakos from Turkish club Fenerbahce.

The 30-year-old has signed a two-year deal and cost around $2.8m ( £2.1m)

After struggling with injuries and a lack of first-team football last season, Olympiakos provides him with a platform that includes the European Champions League next season.

"I know there are big expectations from the fans and club, but I am ready," Emenike told BBC Sport.

"I've joined the most succesful club in Greek football and I want give my best for the team,"

Emenike, who retired from international football in 2015, made 93 appearances in all competitions during his time at Fenerbahce scoring 25 goals

Read full story

Image source, Getty Images

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has ruled that South Africa erred by not arresting Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir when he visited the country in 2015.

It said that Mr Bashir did not enjoy diplomatic immunity and therefore should have been arrested and handed over to the court's prosecutor for his alleged role in the conflict in Darfur.

President Jacob Zuma's government has been arguing that the ICC demands were incompatible with South African law which accords diplomatic immunity to heads of states.

The ruling African National Congress is currently pushing for the withdrawal of South Africa from the ICC, a move that has been criticised by human rights groups.

(see earlier report)

Image source, ICC

Malawi's police boss Lexan Kachama says that seven children and one adult were killed in the stampede at the Bingu National Stadium in the capital, Lilongwe.

He added that he expects the number of those killed in the tragedy to rise, the Reuters news agency reports.

Mr Kachama said that people who had gathered outside the stadium ahead of a football match between two of the top sides in the country had tried to force their way into the stadium.

An eyewitness however told Reuters that the stampede occurred because "police lost control" and used teargas to disperse the crowds that were fighting to find seats in the 40,000 capacity stadium.

At least eight people have been killed and 40 others injured following a stampede at a football stadium at Malawi's Bingu National Stadium in the capital, Lilongwe.

Thousands of people had gathered at the 40,000 capacity stadium ahead of a match between the country’s top sides Nyasa Big Bullets and Silver Strikers as part of independence day celebrations.

The BBC's Frank Kandu reports that the stadium gates were to be opened at 06:30am local time to allow for a steady flow of fans for the free match but they were opened three hours later.

Fans then tried force their way in leading to a stampede.

President Peter Mutharika said he was shocked and said he will be visiting the bereaved families:

The authorities have launched investigations.

Zambia clinched a place in the Cosafa Cup final with a 4-2 win over Tanzania in South Africa.

Justin Shonga scored twice for Zambia.

They will now play Zimbabwe in Sunday's final after they edged past Lesotho 4-3 in the other semi-final of the southern African regional championship.

Zambia coach Wedson Nyirenda said it was a major achievement:

"We came with a new team and for them to get to the final is a major achievement ".

Zambia were among the top six seeds and only entered at the quarter-final stage and will be much fresher for the deciding game as they seek a record fifth success.

Read full story

Image source, .

Sammy Awami
BBC Africa, Dar es Salaam

A group of 18 international rights organisations has told the Tanzanian government to stop threatening local civil society organisations which champion gay rights and the right for teenage mothers to return to school.

Last week, the government threatened to deregister any organisation which continued to campaign for schoolgirls who get pregnant to be allowed to return to school after giving birth.

In the latest criticism of President John Magufuli's crackdown on dissent, the group has called on the government to let organisations operate without any fear of reprisals.

Signed by organisations including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya, the joint statement, external has expressed solidarity with 25 local organisations which last week jointly supported the re-entry to school for teenage mothers

They have also challenged President Magufuli's administration to focus more on educating citizens without any form of discrimination.

Last month, Mr Magufuli stated that, as long as he is a president, no pregnant student will be allowed to go back to school.

His statement reiterates the country's education law which forbids teenage mothers from returning to school.

Image source, Human Rights Watch

A South African trade union has defended prison officers for organising an erotic dance show for prison inmates last month as part of annual Youth Day celebrations, AFP news agency is reporting.

The Public Servants Association (PSA) trade union, in a statement, says that the performers were not strippers as they were "not half naked as alleged".

Pictures of the entertainers dressed in black lingerie and knee-high boots dancing with prisoners in orange gear, at the high-security Johannesburg Correctional Centre jail, went viral.

A member of group is reported to have told the Sowetan newspaper that they were not strippers but professional street dancers called Sexy Lingerie and Boys group.

Authorities suspended 13 prison staff over the incident.

The PSA statement says that an innocent dance had been turned into something ugly:

Image source, Durban CrimeN All

Image source, Durban Crime N all

The trade union has to challenge the prison officers's suspension, AFP reports.

Veterans of the Biafran War, which began 50 years ago this week, remember what it was like to fight on the front line and explain why they still support independence from Nigeria.

They say they don't want a return to the conflict but a referendum to allow the people to determine their future: