Image source, AFP

Following the UN report on the horrific abuses committed in South Sudan's conflict, including civilians having had their eyes gouged out, their throats slit or having been castrated, BBC World Service Africa editor Will Ross writes:

South Sudan only gained its independence seven years ago and despite the celebrations there were warnings that the road ahead would be tough - years of conflict against the Arab dominated Khartoum government had had a devastating impact.

But no-one predicted the catastrophe that has since engulfed the country.

Within two years President Salva Kiir had fallen out with his deputy Riek Machar.

That triggered the civil war which has now forced two million people to flee the country as refugees and has left another two million displaced within South Sudan.

Instead of committing to peace deals, the political leaders have torn the country apart in their effort to win the war.

Now, a team of UN human rights investigators has recommended 40 senior military officials in South Sudan should go on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

It says setting up a special court to try those responsible for the atrocities is the only way to stop what it calls the rampant devastation of millions of lives by South Sudan's leaders.

Image source, Chester Zoo

A trip into some of Nigeria's most remote forests has raised hopes for the survival of the world's rarest chimp.

The Nigeria-Cameroon chimp has been pictured by cameras set up at various locations within Gashaka Gumti National Park, which sits along the border of the two countries.

The team of researchers from Chester Zoo, who were working with the Nigeria National Park Service, also recorded the first sighting in the country of a giant pangolin.

It is a hugely exciting find, says Stuart Nixon, the Africa Field Programme Co-ordinator at Chester Zoo:

To read more about the researchers' discoveries, click here.

Dozens of police officers' homes have been destroyed by a fire in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The fire broke out this morning amid the homes inside the Central Police Station compound.

A number of local outlets report explosions were heard as the fire spread, but it was not entirely clear what started the blaze.

The Daily Nation, external says most of the officers were out on duty when the fire began.

It took firefighters two hours to put the blaze out, the newspaper added.

The Kenyan Red Cross said there had been no casualties reported.

Sammy Maina
BBC Monitoring, Nairobi

Angry villagers in the eastern Nigerian state of Anambra have set a church ablaze after its pastor conducted a wedding between a man and his teenager sister, the website of privately-owned daily Nigerian Tribune has reported.

The local community in Agba, Ekwulobia, termed the siblings' union as an abomination.

"In an apparent reaction to the unusual wedding, Agba Village youths who saw the marriage as an abomination set ablaze the church where the wedlock took place," the newspaper said.

According to the report, the siblings' older brother conducted the wedding, citing Biblical scriptures to back up his actions.

In a strange twist, far from condemning the act, the mother of the couple told local journalists that his son’s action was biblical, adding: “My son paid the dowry as required.”

Social media reports on the incident claim the brother, 25, had also impregnated the sister.

Image source, AFP

Two dual British-South African nationals have been kidnapped in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal region, leading the UK Foreign Office to warn tourists face the threat of violence from extremists linked to the Islamic State (IS) group.

The couple, who have not been named, were taken on 12 February while on holiday in the province.

They have not yet been found, and police say they are not yet sure of the motive.

But two people have been arrested in connection with the abduction - one of whom was detained two years ago in connection with the case of twin brothers accused of planning attacks ordered by IS.

News agency AFP says Sayfydeen Aslam Del Vecchio, 38, and Fatima Patel, 27, face charges of kidnapping.

They have not yet been asked to plead.

Meanwhile, the couple's car has been found near the coastal city of Durban, some 300km (185 miles) from Vryheid, where they were believed to have been holidaying.

It has been taken for forensic testing.

The UK Foreign Office said it was unable to give further details.

In a statement released to the BBC, it said:

Image source, AFP

The European Union has announced it is doubling its financial contribution to a security force mounted by the five countries of the Sahel region - Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, promised the extra $61m (£44m) at the start of an international donor conference in Brussels attended by 50 nations.

She also highlighted the need for development funds in the region, where the EU is investing nearly $10bn in its seven-year plan until 2020.

She said it was important for the region and also for Europe.

Chris Ewokor
BBC Africa, Abuja

Image source, AFP

Nigeria is still in shock as the fate of dozens of the missing Dapchi schoolgirls remains unknown.

The mood across the north-eastern Yobe State is that of sadness. Parents are inconsolable.

As for the local authorities, they have few facts to going on. They have not been able to ascertain the actual number of girls still missing.

The Yobe governor has now apologised for misinforming the public on claims that the girls have been rescued.

The attack on the girls’ school in Dapchi is increasingly looking like a repeat of the mass kidnapping from Chibok in 2014.

And, as usual, many Nigerians suspect they are witnessing the same circle of slow action and misinformation, with the Nigerian military remaining silent.

• Read our full story about the kidnaps on the BBC website here, and keep checking back for the latest updates with Africa Live.

The BBC is seeking a rising star of African journalism for the BBC World News Komla Dumor Award, now in its fourth year.

Journalists from across the continent are invited to apply for the award, which aims to uncover and promote fresh talent from Africa.

The winner will spend three months at the BBC headquarters in London, gaining skills and experience.

Applications close on 23 March 2018 at 23:59 GMT.

The award was established to honour Komla Dumor, an exceptional Ghanaian broadcaster and presenter for BBC World News, who died suddenly aged 41 in 2014.

This year's award is being launched from the Ghanaian capital Accra.

• Find out more about the award and whether you are eligible to enter by clicking here
• You can also spread the word on social media using the hashtag #BBCKomlaAward.

A court in South Sudan has sentenced a former South African colonel to death by hanging for conspiring against President Salva Kiir's government.

William John Endley, who served as an adviser to South Sudanese rebel leader and former Vice-President Riek Machar, was arrested in August 2016.

His photo has been tweeted by a privately-owned South Sudanese radio station:

Defence lawyer Gardit Abel Gar sais he would appeal against the ruling, describing it as a miscarriage of justice.

A spokesman for South Africa's Department of International Relations said they would be briefed by their embassy in South Sudan, "and we will take it from there", Reuters new agency reports.

South Sudan has been plunged in conflict since 2013 after a power struggle broke out between Mr Kiir and Mr Machar, former allies who turned into bitter foes.

See our earlier post about mothers being raped in front of their children

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has "forgiven" a newsreader who accidentally killed him off during a live TV broadcast.

Peter Ndoro - a former BBC journalist who now works for South Africa's SABC - mistakenly said Mr Ramaphosa had died on Wednesday, 14 February.

He had meant to say Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of Zimbabwe's opposition, had passed away.

Mr Tsvangirai died the same day former President Jacob Zuma stepped down.

Mr Ndoro has been off air since - but this morning revealed he would be back on SABC this Monday after Mr Ramaphosa "graciously" accepted his apology.

To be fair, it did not seem as if the accidental announcement had bothered Mr Ramaphosa in the slightest.

A suggestion Mr Ndoro had lost his job over the incident left Mr Ramaphosa looking "visibly shocked", according to the privately owned News24 site, external.

It is not the first time that Mr Ndoro has had a slip of the tongue which put someone in their grave earlier than they should have been....

Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Geneva

Image source, AFP

Children in South Sudan have been forced to watch their mothers being raped and killed, civilians have been tortured and mutilated, and villages have been destroyed on an industrial scale.

These are some of the horrific abuses that a team of UN human rights investigators has detailed in a report published about the conflict in South Sudan.

The investigators say evidence suggests that more than 40 senior officials, among them five colonels and three state governors, may bear individual responsibility for the most serious violations.

The report will be presented to the UN human Rights Council in Geneva, but its real purpose is to provide evidence for a proposed hybrid court to try alleged war criminals.

But the court has still to be set up: South Sudan's parliament has not yet approved it.

Our African proverb of the day:

Welcome back to BBC Africa Live, where we resume our coverage of the latest news and views from around the continent.

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

And we leave you with this photo of family and friend spending the afternoon on a beach in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu:

Ethiopia is building one of Africa's biggest dams, which will generate huge amounts of electricity to power its industrial revolution and to sell to surrounding countries.

But by diverting the flow of the Blue Nile, Ethiopia could anger neighbouring Egypt and Sudan.

You can experience the scale of the dam in Virtual Reality on the BBC site.

More from BBC Focus on Africa radio.

Beverly Ochieng
BBC Monitoring

South African immigration officials have raided a television station, ANN7, formerly owned by the controversial and wealthy Indian-born Gupta family.

"Our officials visited the ANN7 Studios to verify information related to visas of certain individuals employed by the organisation,” the Home Affairs department said in a statement quoted by The New Age newspaper, external, which was also previously owned by the family.

Other South African media reported that the immigration officers were checking whether or not the work permits of staff members from India, including ten managers, had expired.

Image source, South African government

ANN7is a 24-hour news channel that was launched in 2013.

The Gupta family sold the TV station and The New Age newspaper in August to former South African government spokesman Mzwanele Manyi, an avid supporter of ousted President Jacob Zuma.

The Guptas are accused of wielding enormous political influence and accessing millions worth of government contracts through corrupt deals during Mr Zuma's rule.

The family and Mr Zuma have denied all allegations of corruption.

Kenyans have been poking fun at their MPs after they complained about the shortage of toilet paper and running water in the parliamentary complex's washrooms, the poor quality of food and tea they are served, and the fact that treadmills and bicycles in their gym do not work:

One Twitter user referred to US President Donald Trump's now infamous description of African nations as 'shitholes':

The Ghana Rugby Union is trying to get young people involved by promoting the sport in schools and young Ghanaian women are taking up the challenge.

The BBC's Thomas Naadi meets some of the players and one of the female coaches championing them:

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, Science Photo Library

Health authorities in South Africa say 172 people have died this year from the food-borne bacteria, listeria.

Most of the more than 900 cases of listeriosis were in Gauteng province.

The government has not confirmed the source of the outbreak and has urged people not to panic unnecessarily as it tries to find the reason for the spike in cases.

The bacteria can be found in unpasteurised milk, meat and soft cheeses and the symptoms include high temperatures, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Image source, Mountzion General Assembly

The mother of a South African self-styled prophet who sprayed his followers with the insecticide, Doom, has said she would follow her son to prison if he is jailed.

Lethebo Rabalago - widely known as the Doom Pastor - was found guilty of assault earlier this month and has not yet been sentenced.

His mother, Everista Rabalago, told a magistrate's court in Limpopo province that she couldn't face being without her son:

Rabalago - who runs the Mount Zion General Assembly - was arrested after it emerged he had used the product in 2016 to "cure" his followers of various ailments, including cancer and HIV.

Read more: Clamping down on bogus preachers