A tweeter in Burkina Faso has posted these pictures of the explosion we just reported.

He says it is near the French embassy and prime minister's office:

Another tweeter has also posted pictures from another angle showing thick smoke rising:

An explosion has been heard at Burkina Faso's army headquarters in the capital Ouagadougou and black smoke could be seen billowing above, a witness told Reuters news agency.

We don't know much more but we will update you as soon as we do.

The northern white rhino could be extinct in the next few days if the world's last male does not regain health, its keepers at Kenya's Ol Pejeta conservancy have warned.

A statement said that the rhino, named Sudan, is ailing.

It added that everything was being done to help the rhino regain health.

"We are very concerned about him - he's extremely old for a rhino and we do not want him to suffer unnecessarily," it said.

Last year a dating account was set up on Tinder to highlight the rhino's plight.

Sudan, though an eligible bachelor, was deemed too old to mate.

His keepers said that at his age he could not mount a female even if a compatible partner was found.

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC Africa, Nairobi

Ethiopia's parliament has voted to approve a state of emergency declared last month aimed at quelling unrest in the country.

The parliament held an emergency session today despite it being a public holiday and voted overwhelmingly for the state of emergency announced last month.

But, in a sign of the growing divisions within the ruling coalition, more than 80 legislators opposed the measure saying it violated fundamental freedoms of the people.

In a state of emergency there is a ban on protests and display or broadcast of material that the state deems inciting.

The house is entirely controlled by the ruling Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front, which won all the seats in the last elections in 2015.

But Ethiopia is facing its worst political crisis in recent history following nearly three years of anti-government protests and last month’s abrupt resignation of the Prime minister – Hailemariam Desalegn.

Wrangles within the ruling party have threatened its three-decade grip on power, with opposition leaders calling for the formation of an interim government to deal with the crisis.

The ruling coalition has in the meantime begun the process of choosing Mr Hailemariam’s successor.

Image source, Getty Images

Three aid workers have been killed in Nigeria's notheastern town of Rann during an attack by militants at a military facility, news agency Reuters reports quoting a UN spokeswoman.

A fourth aid worker may also have been killed and another abducted, she is quoted as saying.

Those killed are all Nigeria nationals, she added.

A UN source told Reuters that militants from Islamist group Boko Haram, which has been operating in the region, are the suspected attackers.

Read: Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist group?

South African police have told Reuters news agency they were investigating the murder of a man whose remains were discovered in the boot of a burnt out Taxify car in Pretoria.

Taxify is a ride-hailing app similar to Uber.

He could be the latest victim of a turf war between meter taxi drivers and their app-based rivals, adds Reuters.

Conventional taxi drivers accuse the new motorists of stealing customers with cheaper fares.

Police already monitor hot spots as a number of Taxify and Uber cars have previously been torched in South Africa.

Image source, Reuters

Kenyan cartoonist Victor Ndula has caricatured the mix-up at Kenyatta National Hospital which led to doctors operating on the wrong patient.

The hospital has been smarting from several scandals, including a disturbing allegation of sex attacks targeting new mothers on their way to feed their babies, who are based in separate wards.

Image source, AFP

Five Kenyan policemen have been killed and three others injured in a suspected attack by Islamist militants al-Shabab in Fino area in the northern Mandera county.

The region's Deputy Commissioner Eric Oronyi estimated between 70 and 100 armed militants attacked a police camp early this morning and burned several shelters.

He said three other officers were wounded and one was in a serious condition, Reuters news agency reports.

Mr Oronyi said the attackers disabled a communication mast before attacking the camps.

“The communication mast [that was] being guarded by the police reservists was bombed and at the moment there is no [mobile phone] communication", privately-owned Daily Nation quoted him as saying. , external

The militant group, which operates from neighbouring Somalia, has previously targeted police and civilian convoys, raided homes and mines, and shot many people dead.

Mandera country shares a porous border with Somalia which has allowed the militants to operate with ease.

The Islamists group has claimed responsibility for the deaths of dozens of people in Mandera in the past year.

Read: Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?

Image source, Getty Images

A Kenyan doctor has been suspended after cutting open the head of the wrong patient.

One patient needed surgery on a blood clot on the brain while the other just needed nursing for swelling, The Daily Nation reports, external.

But, the newspaper goes on to report that "a horror mix-up of identification tags saw the wrong man wheeled into theatre".

The doctors did not realise the mistake "until hours into the surgery, when they discovered there was no blood clot in the brain", the Nation adds.

Kenyatta National Hospital said it deeply regretted the mistake and suspended the doctor, reports the Standard newspaper, external.

But the doctor's colleagues have protested the suspension, reports The Star, external, arguing it should be the person who put on the identification tag that should be punished.

The Nation goes on to report that the two patients are in good condition. It adds that the one who had a clot might not undergo surgery after all, after he improved significantly.

Our African proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs

Welcome to BBC Africa Live where we will bring you the latest news from around the continent.

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 podcastor checking the BBC News website.

A reminder of Thursday's wise words:

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

And we leave you with this photo of Nigerian blogger Asiyami Gold, external taken in Ghana's coastal town of Ada Foah:

Rana Jawad
BBC North Africa correspondent

Image source, AFP

At least six civilians have been killed and nine injured in a resurgence of fighting in recent weeks between Arab and Tebu ethnic communities in Libya’s southern oasis city of Sabha.

The country’s south has a reputation of being a hub for smuggling sub-Saharan African migrants.

The United Nations mission to Libya says civilians were killed in "indiscriminate fire" used by warring parties in Sebha.

Their latest report says people were also targeted by snipers, and they came under fire while at home, on the road and even at the hospital.

Sporadic fighting in recent weeks has been between a force allied to the military commander in Libya’s East, and the Tebu community.

A Western diplomat described the escalation of violence to the BBC as “a mess”. Observers worry that the latest fighting is fueling ethnic and racial divides there.

It isn’t clear what triggered the clashes in recent weeks, but in the past the fighting there has been over territorial control.

Busayo Iruemiobe
BBC News Pidgin

Image source, Press Bonhams

The niece of the woman featured in a painting that sold for £1.2m ($1.65m) yesterday has said her aunt will be clueless about the buzz her painting is creating.

Ben Enwonwu's 1974 painting of the Ife princess Adetutu Ademiluyi, known as Tutu, went missing for 40 years, only to mysteriously turn up in a London flat recently.

Ms Ademiluyi's niece, Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, was at the auction of the painting yesterday and told me that her aunt was not caught up in the hype:

"When we contacted her about the painting after it had been found, she didn’t think it was a big deal. She didn’t understand the magnitude.

“Hopefully, when we go back and tell her it sold for over a million pounds then she'll probably realise,’’ Ms Ademiluyi added.

Ms Ademiluyi described her aunt, who is married and in her 60s, as deeply traditional and conservative.

As many as 300 teachers have been detained in Cameroon for the last two days after protesting about their pay and conditions, our reporter in Yaoundé confirms.

They were arrested after demonstrating outside the prime minister's office on Tuesday - with many complaining that they had not been paid their salaries for fourteen months.

Our reporter Randy Jo Sa'ah says they were also protesting the lack of regard for their status as teachers, a grievance dating back 20 years.

The government had earlier said it would resolve their pay complaints.

Andrew Harding
BBC News, Johannesburg

Three suspects were remanded in custody today in South Africa over a missing couple who had been kidnapped last month in a case with suspected links to so-called Islamic State.

The suspects were briefly in court today. Two of them - a man and woman accused of links to IS - are facing terrorism charges.

Horticulturalists Rodney Saunders and his wife Rachel were hunting for rare seeds in the countryside when they were kidnapped.

Their blood-stained car was later found abandoned near Durban.

Tens of thousands of pounds has reportedly been drained from their bank accounts.

The couple have dual South African and British citizenship.

After a fortnight of trying to keep their investigation out of the media and the public eye, the authorities here have changed tack, urging people to call in if they have any information.

Much about the case remains a mystery.

While the British Foreign Office has updated its website, linking the kidnappings to the perceived threat of terrorism in South Africa, the authorities here insist there is no wider danger to the public.

Image source, AFP

Gupta-linked companies have taken to court their bid to stop the bank they trade with from closing its South African operations, reports TimesLive, external.

The news site quotes Judge Ntendeya Mavundla at the High Court in Pretoria as describing the relationship between the companies and the Bank of Baroda as an unhappy marriage where one of the parties is holding out for a divorce.

The Indian-born Gupta family have long been under the spotlight, facing accusations they have a corrupt relationship with former President Jacob Zuma. Mr Zuma and the Guptas deny any wrongdoing.

Since Mr Zuma resigned his post last month, police have raided the Gupta family home, one of the Gupta brothers - Ajay - has been named as a "fugitive from justice" by South Africa's chief prosecutor, and a Gupta nephew has appeared in court in connection with a dairy farm fraud case.

Thirteen Gupta-linked companies have made the application to stop the Bank of Baroda from closing operations in South Africa at the end of this month.

Last year, a court ordered the Bank of Baroda to keep open the accounts of Gupta-linked companies, after South Africa's four major banks had decided to stop doing business with the family.

A judgement is expected in the current case on 12 March, Times Live reports.

Milton Nkosi
BBC Africa, Johannesburg

Image source, Getty Images

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has moved to reassure fears of land grabs following a parliamentary vote on expropriation without compensation.

While addressing the house of traditional leaders in parliament, President Ramaphosa said the process of land redistribution would be handled with care.

He said: “What this moment requires is for people to engage – there’s no need for anyone to panic and start to beat the war drum.

“Today we have a great opportunity to address the land question but to address it in a way that will make sure that our economy continues to grow, make sure that our agricultural production keeps going up and make sure that indeed there is food security in our country.”

President Ramaphosa, who is seen as a business-friendly leader went on to argue land redistribution should be equitable.

"We are going to make sure that we come up with solutions that will address this matter once and for all. This original sin that was committed when our country was colonised must be resolved and as it is being resolved it must be resolved in a way that will take South Africa forward.

Recalling the Mandela spirit of reconciliation he said that South Africans have always handled difficult matters in the country through dialogue, adding “this is what we are going to do on this matter.”

His comments come after the radical opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party tabled a motion on Tuesday that was supported by the ANC to expropriate land without pay.

The constitution will need to be amended to do this.

Image source, Getty Images

Zimbabwe's president says a "long list" of loot has been returned to Zimbabwe, reports the government-controlled Herald newspaper, external.

In November, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces gave a three-month deadline for people to return funds.

The deadline passed yesterday.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is quoted in Bulawayo 24, external as being happy with the result:

The article goes on to quote the president as saying the people who haven't returned money will be chased.

Graffiti artist Zeinixx says she uses street murals to uplift other women.

She encourages early screenings for breast and cervix cancer with her murals and also calls for equal pay.

"At first I was the only woman doing graffiti... people would come up to me and ask 'are you OK?'", the Senegalese artist tells BBC Minute. "You're a girl and you do graffiti?"

She adds: " Art has no gender. If you want to do something, go ahead."