BBC Africa Live
Dickens Olewe

That's all from BBC Africa Live for now. You can 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 Friday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you this picture of performers before the beach football final match between Senegal and Nigeria in Egypt's tourist resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Image source, Reuters

BBC World Service

The rights group, Amnesty International, has called on the United Nations to investigate reports that UN peacekeers in the Central African Republic left their posts as civilians were being massacred at a refugee camp last month.

Amnesty said as many as a 100 people were killed when an armed group attacked the camp at Alindao in the south.

According to multiple witnesses, peacekeepers from the UN mission Minusca retreated in an armoured vehicle, leaving up to 18,000 people unprotected.

On Thursday, the UN Security Council renewed Minusca's mandate for another year.

Egypt and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been voted BBC African Footballer of the Year for the second successive year.

The 26-year-old beat Medhi Benatia, Kalidou Koulibaly, Sadio Mane and Thomas Partey to the prize.

The Premier League's player of the year scored 44 goals in 52 games for Liverpool last season and helped them reach the Champions League final. He also scored twice for Egypt at this year's World Cup.

Image source, AFP

Nigeria has suspended activities of UN children's agency (Unicef) in the north-east part of the country accusing it of spying for Islamist militants operating in the area.

"[Unicef staff] train and deploy spies who support the insurgents and their sympathisers," the Nigerian military said in a statement.

These were "unwholesome practices that could further jeopardise the fight against terrorism and insurgency," it added.

The army said that Unicef had abdicated its role to look after children's well being and was instead engaged in undermining the army's counter-terrorism operations.

It accused Unicef of "spurious and unconfirmed allegations... on alleged violations of human rights by the military".

The news of the suspension has come as a surprise to many, including the organisation itself, which told the BBC it was verifying the information.

The north-east has been riven by a decade-long insurgency by Boko Haram and its splinter group Islamic State West Africa, in which more than 30,000 people have been killed and many more driven from their homes.

Aid organisations provide food and care to millions of people displaced by the fighting.

Tesfalem Araia
BBC Tigrinya

It is difficult to run a successful air carrier in Africa, as forecasts from the International Air Transport Association (Iata) earlier this week show.

It said net profits for airlines across Africa next year are expected to fall by 0.3%, a drop for the fourth consecutive year - and few African airlines are achieving the target of selling roughly six in 10 seats on an aircraft, the number needed in that region to break even.

But one company seems to be bucking this downward trend as the inauguration of a new route for Ethiopian Airlines this week shows.

Ethiopian Airlines’ Dreamliner jet landed at Manchester Airport in UK on Tuesday.

The airline already flies to and from the congested London Heathrow Airport where it couldn’t add additional flights.

Its CEO Tewolde Woldemariam, who was on the inaugural flight to Manchester, told the BBC the secret to its success was that it thrived in niche markets and its ability to compete with other airlines.

In the case of Manchester, it could now target the large African diaspora including Ethiopians and Eritreans in the north of England, he said.

The company, which calls itself the “The New Spirit of Africa”, is wholly state-owned.

But the government does not interfere in its day-to-day running, which allows its experienced staff to manage the business, said Mr Tewolde, who has worked with the airline for 34 years, said.

In his eight years at the helm, he says the airline has increased its fleet and destinations by more than 20%.

Ethiopian Airlines market relatively cheap tickets – and coupled with its connectivity in Africa – it seems to be one of the favoured airlines for those who want to travel to and around the continent.

Many West Africans were travelling out of Manchester on the maiden return flight.

Robert Misigaro
BBC Africa

Image source, BBC's Gildas Yihundimpundu

Affectionately called "Mama Dimanche" (Mother Sunday), Christine Ntahe feeds the street children in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura, every Sunday - and has done so for the last 25 years.

“The work I do is vital and it is very important,” the retired children’s radio presenter told the BBC Great Lakes service.

“Most of the children I have helped have all grown up now and have their own families. I can’t imagine what would have happened if we never stepped in.”

Image source, BBC's Gildas Yihundimpundu

When she started the charity kitchen in her back-yard, she cooked up meals for 15 children.

Now she accommodates hundreds of children – and she doesn’t just feed them a hot meal.

With the help of funds from donors, she also clothes them, finds them a place to sleep and sends them to school.

Asked about her proudest moment, she said: "It was the time a child I had taken off the street graduated from university.”

The 69-year-old former broadcaster has received many awards for her charity work, including one considered one of the highest accolades reserved for men.

The Bashingantahe Institution, a sort of committee of “wise men”, has admitted her – making her the only woman to ever been admitted in this exclusive group of traditional advisers.

Image source, BBC's Gildas Yihundimpundu

Ibrahim Haithar
BBC Monitoring, Nairobi

South Sudan has downplayed the US decision to cut financial aid to the country, the privately owned Eye Radio website, external has reported.

Information Minister Michael Makuei dismissed the announcement made on Thursday by John Bolton, President Donald Trump's national security adviser.

Mr Makuei said:

Mr Bolton, who was unveiling the US policy in Africa, made scathing comments against the leaders of South Sudan during the speech.

“We will not provide loans or more American resource to a South Sudanese government led by the same morally bankrupt leaders who perpetuate the horrific violence and made human suffering in South Sudan," he said.

Read more:

• US unveils plan to counter Russia and China influence

Alastair Leithead
BBC News

Ahead of crucial elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I spent six weeks travelling the Congo River - the country’s only superhighway.

The river is navigable from the capital, Kinshasa, 1,600km (990 miles) upstream to Kisangani, and it is the main route for transporting people and goods across the country.

There’s a real energy about life on the river - a place where people work, travel, live and trade.

If you actually want to experience what it was like going on the trip, you can watch my virtual reality (VR) series but you’ll need a viewing headset, or you can listen to a cutting-edge binaural radio documentary (with ordinary headphones).

• For how to watch in VR: Click here
• For how to listen in binaural sound: Click here

Image source, AFP

Shingai Nyoka
BBC Africa, Harare

Image source, AFP

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has pledged to make public a report into post-election violence that left six people dead and dozens injured.

The report, put together by an independent inquiry, is due to be released next week.

The military denied shooting civilians in a day of unrest in August that followed the contentious election.

The opposition alleged the 30 July vote, the first poll first since veteran leader Robert Mugabe was ousted, was rigged in favour of President Mnangagwa.

He narrowly avoided a second-round run-off, winning 50.7% of the vote.

The army said in its testimony to the commission that the opposition was to blame for the unrest.

Mr Mnangagwa made the announcement during Friday's opening of the ruling Zanu-PF party conference near the southern city of Bulawayo.

He also talked about other issues affecting the country, urging supporters to come up with solutions to its economic problems.

This year’s conference is set against the bleak backdrop of a doctors' wage strike and spiralling food prices.

Publication of the report is seen as an opportunity for President Mnangagwa to boost his waning popularity.

Lolu Tenabe is one of the only women superbike riders in Nigeria and says she's just as good as male competitors. She told BBC Minute: "Forget stereotypes, forget anything anyone tells you you can't do. Set your mind to it, and you'll get it."

The winner of the 2018 BBC African Footballer of the Year award will be announced later on Friday.

With voting closed, the winner will be revealed on Focus on Africa on World News and World Service Radio. The programmes start at 17.30 GMT.

You can follow live text coverage on the BBC Sport website from 17:15 GMT.

The nominees are Medhi Benatia (Morocco), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal), Sadio Mane (Senegal), Thomas Partey (Ghana) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt).

The shortlist was compiled by a panel of African football experts.

Liverpool forward Salah won last year's award.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP

A High Court judge in Kenya has ruled that deported lawyer and politician Miguna Miguna was tortured and treated inhumanely by state officials when they detained and forcibly removed him from the country earlier this year.

Mr Miguna, a fiery opposition politician, was first deported in February after taking part in the mock inauguration of opposition leader Raila Odinga as the "people's president".

Mr Odinga had refused to accept defeat in last year's election.

Mr Miguna was deported for a second-time in March when he attempted to re-enter the country.

The government argued that Mr Miguna had lost Kenyan citizenship after he acquired a Canadian passport in the 1990s when he sought political asylum.

However, Judge Chacha Mwita ruled that Mr Miguna "was not an immigrant to Canada and therefore he could not lose Kenyan citizenship when he acquired Canadian citizenship".

He ordered Interior Minister Fred Matiangi and the Permanent Secretary for Immigration Gordon Kihalangwa to pay ($68,000, £54,000) in damages and costs to Mr Miguna.

This, the judge said, was to deter future violations.

Ameyu Etana
BBC Afaan Oromo

Oromo traditional leader Abba Gadaa Kura Jarso has blamed the Ethiopian government for not solving recurring ethnic clashes in the southern border town of Moyale, 700km (434miles) from the capital, Addis Ababa.

‘‘It is the government that sold the land of Borena [Oromos]. Therefore, it has to solve it,’’ he told the BBC during his recent visit to Kenya.

He argues the land belongs to Oromo community and not those from the Somali ethnic group: ‘‘With the existence of two flags in Moyale town, peace will not come."

Ethnic Somalis living in the area also claim the ownership of the land.

This week, fresh clashes in the town claimed dozens of lives while more than 100 were reportedly injured.

Mr Abba Gadaa is the custodian of Oromo traditions among the Borena Oromos who reside in southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya.

Ethnic clashes in Ethiopia have undermined the reforms being undertaken by the country's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who came to office in April.

The story of 27-year-old Tom Junior Mako marrying his two wives at the same ceremony has captivated Kenyans in the past few days.

The businessman from from Kajiado County, south of the capital, Nairobi, married Elizabeth Simaloi, 25, and Joyce Tikoiyan, 23.

The two young women are students at a local university.

There had been reports that the wedding took place in a church, which would make it unlawful.

"I want to clear the air. My wedding was customary and had nothing to do with the church. There are people posting misleading information on social media that my wedding was presided over by pastors," Mr Mako told the Star newspaper. , external

He said he chose to marry two wives because both of them loved him. He did not want to offend any of them.

"This is a message I'm sending to modern cheating husbands who pretend to love one woman and yet they have others on the side.

"I'm being sincere to my wives because I will not have any other reason to marry another woman. I believe the two will satisfy me."

The two women told the Star they love their husband were happy with the arrangement.

“He is our love, we chose to do what he wanted – the two of us are his wives,” Ms Tikoiyan said.

The BBC's Peter Njoroge snapped these photos of the trio:

Avoiding meat and dairy products is one of the biggest ways to reduce your environmental impact, according to recent scientific studies.

But what is the difference between beef and chicken? Does a bowl of rice produce more climate warming greenhouse gases than a plate of chips? Is wine more environmentally friendly than beer?

To find out the climate impact of what you eat and drink, choose from one of the 34 items in our calculator and pick how often you have it.

Click to launch the interactive content, external.

Image source, Design by Prina Shah, development by Felix Stephenson and Becky Rush.

Aaron Akinyemi

Image source, Getty Images

Dozens of businesses have converged in South Africa's capital Pretoria for what local media are reporting is Africa's first ever cannabis expo.

The four-day event showcases "innovative products" and businesses that promote the medicinal, agricultural and lifestyle benefits of marijuana.

The expo, which is also taking place this week in Johannesburg, allows visitors to meet industry experts, learn about cannabis laws around the world, and get free legal advice.

However, no cannabis will be allowed to be consumed at the event. Visitors were advised to smoke beforehand or risk possible arrest if found with any marijuana.

Priced at 10,000 Rand ($694:£552), the exhibition fee was criticised by some as "elitist".

Others, meanwhile said the price was justified.

Tlotlo Tswaelo, owner of the Pot Head Apparel clothing brand, told eNCA:, external "We wanted to be on this platform knowing what it can do. The exposure from this is something we can really benefit from in the future."

Expo director Silus Howarth added: "If you're a small business owner, the price of our stands is not that expensive if you consider...what you can make at the Cannabis Expo and how many people you can engage with."

In September, South Africa's constitutional court legalised the use and cultivation of cannabis in private spaces. However, the trade and distribution of marijuana remains illegal.

Chris Ewokor
BBC Africa, Abuja

Campaigns for February's general election in Nigeria enter a critical stage with vice presidential candidates taking part in a debate at 18:00 GMT.

Five candidates are expected to participate but the focus will be on Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party and Peter Obi from the main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP).

The two politicians are formidable opponents. Both of them have been in government at different levels.

Mr Osinbajo, a law professor, was a former commissioner of justice in south-west Lagos state before becoming vice-president in 2015.

Mr Obi is an economist and was the governor of south-eastern Anambra state for eight years.

Both men are expected to tell Nigerians how they would help their principals steer the ship of state and address the myriads of problems facing the country: from a struggling economy to insecurity.

Image source, Reuters

Several people are reported to have been killed in southern Somalia as violence erupted following the arrest of a former al-Shabab commander set to contest regional elections.

At least 11 people, including soldiers and civilians, died in Baidoa during clashes involving supporters of Mukhtar Robow, sources told the BBC.

The government has accused Mr Robow of being a security threat.

He is seeking the presidency of South West state in next week's election.

News of Mr Robow's arrest early on Thursday triggered street protests in Baidoa, the regional capital.

The BBC's Ibrahim Adan in the capital, Mogadishu, says the nationality of the soldiers who were killed is not clear. Ethiopian troops, who form part of the African Union force in the country, have a base in the city.

Mr Robow was a spokesman for the jihadist al-Shabab group and once served as its deputy leader before defecting last year.

Read the full story on the BBC website

A baby girl who was admitted to an Ebola treatment centre just six days after birth has now recovered from the virus, health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have announced.

The baby is now the world's youngest survivor of what the World Health Organization (WHO) calls the world’s second-deadliest Ebola outbreak.

Her mother who had Ebola died during childbirth.

Health authorities say the baby is a “young miracle”.

She was discharged from a hospital in the conflict-ridden northern city of Beni on Wednesday, where she had received around-the-clock care for weeks.

“She went home in the arms of her father and her aunt,” the ministry said.

They tweeted a picture of the caregivers and the baby on Thursday:

Few cases of infections in babies have been reported but experts suspect transmission might happen via breast milk or close contact with infected parents, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Ebola is typically spread by infected bodily fluids.

Children now account for more than one-third of all cases, according to the UN children's agency Unicef.

A total of 426 cases of the virus have now been reported in and around Beni, according to WHO.

Almost 209 people have died in the current Ebola outbreak.

More than 11,000 people died and more than 28,000 were infected in West Africa between 2014 and 2016 - the deadliest occurrence of the disease since its discovery in 1976.

Former South Africa President Jacob Zuma has recorded a video message to announce that he had joined Twitter.

He says he felt it was necessary to join and be part of the "conversation".

The account currently has just over 5,000 followers.

Most of the Twitter users who have responded to his message have welcomed him to the platform with many saying "welcome baba".

In his second post, Mr Zuma debunked a tweet from an account alleging that a bank account has been set up to raise money for him.

A court ruled on Thursday that Mr Zuma must pay back the money provided for his legal fees.

It is estimated that the state has paid between $1m (£792,000) and $2.2m in legal costs for him as he battles fraud, corruption and money laundering charges.

The 16 charges stem from hundreds of payments made to him in relation to a 1990s arms procurement deal.

Mr Zuma denies any wrongdoing.