BBC World Service

Egyptian state media has declared that Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has won a second term as president, winning more than 90% of votes counted so far.

His victory had been seen as a foregone conclusion as he faced only one little known challenger.

The main focus has instead been on the turn out, with the authorities using a variety of means to urge people to vote.

State media is saying that more than 23 million people voted in the election that ended on Wednesday out of 60 million registered voters.

This is not a final figure, but it falls short of the percentage that voted in the previous election.

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Botswana's President Ian Khama, 65, has wrapped up a nationwide "farewell tour" as he prepares to step down on Saturday after a decade in power, AFP news agency reports.

Mr Khama's decision is in sharp contrast to some other African leaders who have tried to change the constitution to extend their rule.

Mr Khama is stepping down 18 months before the next election is due, and will hand power to his deputy, President Mokgweetsi Masisi.

He has toured all of Botswana's 57 constituencies since December, in a long goodbye to his supporters in a country which has a population of about 2.2 million.

In his ancestral village on Tuesday, he rejected pleas from villagers to remain in office, saying he took office only because his predecessor, Festus Mogae, persuaded him to do so, AFP reports.

"I was a soldier, I didn't have interest to join politics, I had future plans, away from politics," he told the crowd of thousands.

He will be succeeded by Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi, a full 18 months before elections.

Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka

Zambia’s former Vice-President Nevers Mumba has been given a three-month jail sentence by a magistrate court in Lusaka.

Mr Mumba, leader of the former ruling party, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy, was convicted of giving false information to a police officer.

In 2016 he stormed into the nation’s broadcaster to complain about a story the station had aired.

Mr Mumba was also charged with criminal trespass but was acquitted in that case.

However, the court found that when Mr Mumba entered the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) two years ago, he lied he had an appointment with the news editor of the institution.

Magistrate David Simusamba said as much as ZNBC was a public institution, access was restricted as visitors to the premises needed to be screened.

The magistrate said Mr Mumba is free to appeal the imprisonment imposed on him.

A prominent opposition figure in Kenya, Miguna Miguna, has been deported from the country again. It's part of an ongoing row over his citizenship status.

Kenyan officials had previously expelled Mr Miguna following his role in the mock swearing-in of opposition leader Raila Odinga as "the people's president".

One of the politician's lawyers, Cliff Ombete, told BBC Newsday he had witnessed the deportation of Miguna Miguna:

A BBC correspondent has tweeted selfies of Kenyan opposition lawyer Miguna Miguna from hospital in Dubai:

Many countries have a problem of university students dropping out before completing their courses.

In Australia it's one in three students, in South Africa around 32%, in the UK about 10% and in the United States 45% of students fail to graduate.

Lack of money is often the main cause. And because those who can't afford the fees don't graduate, their lack of a degree restricts them in the job market.

In Kenya, many students are forced to stop or defer their university studies for lack of funds.

Kevin Oswago, Mackline Owiti and Felix Abony share their stories with BBC Newsday's David Whitty:

It appears no expense was spared for the lavish wedding of the daughter of Africa's richest man last weekend.

Billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo were among the guests at Fatima Dangote's wedding to Jamil Abubakar, and Afrobeats superstar Davido performed for the new couple.

Pulse Nigeria reports, external that each guest was given a Rolex as a wedding souvenir.

Wedding stylist Jeremiah Ogbodo, known as SwankyJerry, has now taken to social media to say he was handsomely rewarded for his job outfitting the bride and groom - and was “paid more than enough to fly in the best Hollywood stylist".

But he hasn't revealed the exact amount, saying that "if I say how much I was paid on this job now people will say I'm bragging".

Here's a look at the bride and groom's outfits:

Kenyan opposition figure Miguna Miguna says he was beaten and drugged before being forcibly removed from the country for a second time.

The deportation came after a court held top officials in contempt for failing to obey orders to release him from the airport where he was being held.

Kenyan officials say the lawyer - who holds dual Canadian nationality - is not a citizen.

But Mr Miguna, who was flown to Dubai, says their motives are political.

In a Facebook post, he wrote: "I woke up in Dubai and the despots are here insisting that I must travel on to London. I’m sick. I need medical treatment."

Our African proverb of the day:

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

Image source, AFP

Welcome back to BBC Africa Live, where we will bring you the latest news and views from around the continent on Thursday, 29 March.

And keep scrolling down if you want to catch up on the news from earlier in the week.

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 Wednesday's wise words:

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

And we leave you with this photo of two lions in South Africa.

A Kenyan High Court judge has convicted three state officials of contempt of court for refusing to obey court orders in relation to the detention of opposition politician Miguna Miguna.

Judge Odunga had ordered the interior minister, the head of police and a top official at the immigration department to appear in court for their failure to release Mr Miguna.

"There is no immunity to impunity. No man is above the law and no man is below it," Citizen TV reports Mr Odunga as having said.

The judge ordered the three state officials to appear before him tomorrow morning for sentencing :

Mr Miguna has been held at the airport since his return to the country on Monday.

See our earlier post for more on this story.

BBC World Service

Moroccan security officials have arrested a man suspected of the attempted rape of a young girl.

The assault, which was filmed, shows the girl being forcibly undressed and sexually molested - prompting widespread anger and denunciations in the media.

The country's minister for women and the family described the attack as barbaric.

Last month, the Moroccan parliament adopted a law on sexual violence against women.

For the first time, it made various forms of harassment and aggression against women a criminal offence.

But human rights rights groups said it didn't go far enough.

In an article about the law, external, Human Rights Watch pointed out that "it requires survivors to file for criminal prosecution to obtain protection, which few can do. Nor does it set out duties of police, prosecutors, and investigative judges in domestic violence cases, or fund women’s shelters."

Suspected rebels have killed 11 people in Beni, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, news agency Reuters reports.

Local Mayor Nyonyi Bwanakawa told the agency the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group was behind the attack.

A local human rights activist said the attackers were armed with machetes and hatchets.

Officials say that at least 1,000 civilians have been killed in similar attacks since 2014.

Independent experts have however blamed DR Congo soldiers for the killings.

DR Congo and Uganda launched a joint military offensive against the ADF in January after the group was blamed for killing 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers during an attack in December.

The ADF was formed in late 1990s by a puritanical Muslim sect in the Ruwenzori mountains of western Uganda.

Image source, Getty Images

Tanzania has charged six opposition leaders with sedition and inciting violence, news agency Reuters reports.

The group were further charged with participating in an illegal protest last month that resulted in the death of a student.

All six are members of the opposition CHADEMA party, and the arrested include its chairman, Freeman Mbowe.

Critics of the government say the men are innocent and that those in power are trying to silence their opponents.

Zitto Kabwe, the leader of the opposition ACT Wazalendo party tweeted:

Opponents of Tanzanian President John Magufuli said there has been a crackdown on government criticism since he took power in 2015.

Other Western countries have similarly expressed concern over allegations of human rights abuses.

BBC Sport

Image source, Alkass

The Ethiopian coach Abraham Mebratu has made history by leading Yemen's national football team to the Asian Cup finals.

It's the first time that Yemen has qualified for the international tournament.

The team won its place in the 2019 championship after beating Nepal 2-1 yesterday.

"It's surreal that we achieved this feat despite the campaign being full of difficulties and challenges," Mr Mebratu told BBC Sport. "Due to the fact that there is a war in Yemen, there hasn't been a league competition since 2014."

"This dire situation has been very challenging and daunting when it comes to assembling a national team for the qualifier," he added. "Nonetheless, we finally managed to get a good squad to go all the way to the finals."

The ongoing conflict meant that the team couldn't play any of its matches at home though it still managed to score four wins and two draws.

Mr Mebratu, who has been in charge of the senior national team since March 2016, previously led the Yemen to the finals of the Asian Under-23 Cup in 2013.

Image source, Getty Images

President Idriss Deby is set to govern Chad until 2033 if a recommendation made by his party is approved, news agency Reuters reports.

A report issued by allied politicians, business leaders and traditional chiefs has proposed a presidential term limit for the country's leaders from 2021.

The proposed changes include a six-year rather than five-year presidential term, limited to a maximum of two terms.

Mr Deby, who came to power in 1990, will be 81 by the time his final terms ends.

The opposition has dismissed the proposed changes as a plot to create a monarchy.

Chad, an ally of Western nations in the fight against Islamist militants in West and Central Africa, has faced strikes and protests in recent months over economic woes caused by low prices for its chief export, oil.

Read: Chad country profile

Thomas Naadi
BBC Africa, Accra

A group called Ghana First, made up students and politicians, gathered in the capital Accra to protest against a security cooperation agreement with the US.

Ghana’s parliament endorsed the controversial deal last Friday amidst opposition boycott and protest.

The protesters, numbering over 1,000, want President Akufo-Addo to reject the co-operation agreement.

Image source, Thomas Naadi Bitlegma/BBC

The deal which will allow US forces and equipment to be deployed in Ghana is seen as undermining the country’s sovereignty.

It also requires Ghana to provide unimpeded access to agreed facilities and areas to US forces and their contractors.

Protesters are also unhappy that the US will be able to use Ghana’s radio spectrum for free and be exempted from paying tax on equipment imported into the country.

They say that the presence of US troops could expose the country to terrorist attacks.

The government, however, says the deal is a renewal of an existing agreement and they feel it’s in the best interest of Ghana.

The country signed similar agreements in 1998 and 2015.

But this particular one has some additional terms which weren’t in previous pacts.

Two separate lawsuits have already been filed against the government at the Supreme Court to challenge the deal.

It comes amid an increase in activity by militant jihadist groups in West Africa. This may explain why the US wants to increase its presence in the region.

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Somalia has urged the United Nations to take action against the construction of an Emirati military base in the self-declared republic of Somaliland.

Somalia's ambassador to the UN, Abukar Osman, said it should take the necessary steps to stop the UAE's project which he described as a violation of international law.

The country also plans to help train Somaliland's security forces.

A Dubai-based company, DP World, is developing the port at Berbera, where the military facility is based.

Somaliland - which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 - insists it will continue with the ventures.

Image source, Pierre Tostee/MRP Foundation

The South African triathlete Mhlengi Gwala has said he forgives the men who hacked at his leg with a chainsaw earlier this month.

Mr Gwala was attacked early this month while training near the university of KwaZulu-Natal, with the motives for the assault still unknown.

Speaking to the news site the Mercury, external, Mr Gwala said: “It is quite clear that they did not know what they were doing and they were wasting their time. If I saw them today, I would honestly not know what to say to them. But I do know that as a person I have to forgive and let this go so I can be able to continue with my life."

Mr Gwala is still recovering though he said he can now put weight on his foot and his doctors expect he'll be able to walk soon.

Surgeons at St Augustine's hospital in Durban spent five hours repairing his tendon, nerves and skin following the attack.

Police have not yet made any arrests though it was reported that jealousy may have been a motive for the attack.

Read more: Mhlengi Gwala: Thousands raised for chainsaw attack athlete