Zimbabwean women are dressing in black today in solidarity with rape victims.

The country's security officers have been accused of assaulting women during operations to quell a week-long protest against rise in fuel prices.

Police say that despite media reports of sexual assaults only one woman had recorded a charge of rape by soldiers.

Those taking part in the campaign - dubbed #BlackWednesday - have been sharing videos and pictures on Twitter.

Men have also been taking part in the protest:

Three militia leaders operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have surrendered, AFP news agency reports quoting local officials.

Among those who gave themselves up is Mubiayi Dewayi. He is accused of publicly beheading the wife of a former administrator of Luebo territory.

Luebo administrator Joseph Mutshipayi said Mr Dewayi "came out of the bush with 60 militiamen".

"He gave us four AK 47 rifles and ammunition," he said, adding that they had expressed a desire to work in the army.

Earlier this week 600 other rebels in the Kasai region laid down their weapons, saying they were ending their uprising. They they turned themselves in as a sign of support for new President Felix Tshisekedi.

Read more: The Voddo rebels of Kasai

An investigation by police in Zimbabwe says the military was behind the reported murder, rape and assault of civilians during operations to quell protests sparked by the rise in fuel prices, the UK Guardian reports. , external

Citing internal police documents the news site said men wearing army “uniforms” or “camouflage” took part in the assaults, including the rape of a 15-year-old girl.

Officially, the police has blamed the violence on "rogue elements" who have stolen police uniforms.

On Tuesday, a policeman was arrested after he was captured on camera assaulting a man.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa said that he was "appalled" when he saw the footage filmed by Sky News.

Image source, .

Professors and lecturers at the University of Khartoum, Sudan's oldest and most-respected educational establishment, have held a sit-in protest on campus against President Omar al-Bashir's government.

"More than 300 professors and lecturers of the university held a sit-in today inside the campus," Mamduh al-Hassan, the group's spokesman told AFP news agency.

He said that 531 university staff members had signed and listed several demands including that a transitional government be formed.

They maintain that President Bashir is unfit to rule Sudan and the people can't possibly wait for the general elections, but admit getting him out of office will be difficult.

The month-long countrywide protests have been marred by violence and arrests of protesters.

Officials say that 30 people have been killed but right groups put the number at 40.

The death toll from the two migrant boats that sank off the coast of Djibouti has risen to 31, UN migration agency IOM has said.

The incident on Tuesday occurred about 30 minutes after the overloaded boats set off in heavy seas from Godoria.

Sixteen people have been found alive but many more are missing.

One survivor said there were 130 people on his boat, but was not able to say how many passengers were on the other vessel.

"This tragic event demonstrates the risks that vulnerable migrants face as they innocently search for better lives," the IOM's Lalini Veerassamy said in a statement.

Djibouti has in recent years become a transit point for migrants hoping to find work on the Arabian Peninsula.

A Kenyan man who suffered brain damage after a botched surgery at a hospital in the country's capital, Nairobi, in 2005, has been awarded 44.5m Kenya shillings ($440,000;£336,000) by a High Court, local media report.

The court ruled that the man sustained hypoxic brain damage (denial of oxygen to a body organ) due to the negligence of a doctor at the Nairobi Hospital who administered anesthesia on him, The Star newspaper reports., external

The legal action was pursued by the man's parents who said that the brain damage left him with the mental capacity of a six-year-old, according to Citizen TV.

In his ruling, High Court judge George Odunga also awarded the parents $100,000.

Nairobi Hospital and the surgery anesthetist were ordered to pay the money.

Image source, .

On 16 January, Ahmed Hussein-Suale, a Ghanaian investigative journalist who had collaborated with the BBC, was shot dead near his family home in the capital, Accra.

Unidentified men on motorbikes shot him three times as he drove home.

Police believe he was assassinated because of his work.

Ghanaian MP Kennedy Agyapong had circulated photos of Hussein-Suale and called for retribution against him because of his reporting.

The journalist was a member of Tiger Eye Private Investigations and had investigated corruption in Ghana's football leagues.

The undercover report on cash gifts led to a lifetime ban for the former head of Ghana's Football Association.

BBC Africa Eye made a documentary about the scandal last year after gaining access to the investigation led by journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who runs Tiger Eye.

The BBC's Joel Gunter has taken look at the life and death of Hussein-Suale, reporting that as well as his own three children, the journalist had taken in a nephew - the son of a brother who died in the line of duty as a policeman - and he supported numerous extended family members.

He covered university fees, contributed to wedding funds and paid for the upkeep on houses.

His brother Kamil said he was naturally generous: "That is how we were raised. If you have something small, you share."

• Read more Joel Gunter's full report: Murder in Accra

Image source, Getty Images

Sudanese security forces have detained the daughter of opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi, Reuters news agency reports, quoting her sister.

Two security vehicles arrived at Mariam Sadiq al-Mahdi's home on Wednesday morning and took her away, Rabah Sadiq al-Mahdi said.

Mariam is the deputy leader of the Umma Party, headed by her 83-year-old father.

Last week, Sadiq al-Mahdi, who once served as prime minister, gave his backing to protests and called on President Omar al-Bashir to resign.

His daughter's arrest comes a day after a top security official ordered the release of people arrested during the government's crackdown on protests.

• Read: What's behind Sudan's protests

Image source, Getty Images

An MP in Ivory Coast has been sentenced to one year in prison and fined $520 (£400) for spreading false news and incitement to violence, BBC Afrique reports.

Alain Lobognon had tweeted on 9 January that the chief prosecutor was planning to order the arrest of another lawmaker.

But the prosecutor denied this and said the tweet had caused demonstrations.

Mr Lobognon’s lawyer said his client would appeal the decision.

He added that Mr Lobognon was being targeted because he was close to Guillaume Soro, a former rebel leader and prime minster, who is now the speaker of the National Assembly.

Mr Soro and President Alassane Ouattara have recently fallen out ahead of elections next year.

The transfer window for many European leagues is about to close, as the trading period is aligned across many countries.

However none of the 52 Fifa-listed African leagues have identical transfer windows.

Some figures within African football have called for a unified window across the continent.

BBC Sport Africa’s Isaac Fanin explains.

University lecturers in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, have called for further anti-government protests on Wednesday.

A planned sit-in at the main campus was announced after the authorities in Sudan ordered the release of everyone who'd been detained during more than a month of demonstrations against President Omar al-Bashir.

The lecturers have also published online a document calling for the peaceful transfer of power.

Earlier one activist Louay Mustashar told the BBC that protests would continue because the underlying political and economic problems had not been resolved.

He said it remained to be seen if the prisoner release would go ahead.

Campaigners say that more than 1,000 protesters have been detained.

Image source, a

Read our earlier entry from a medic: 'Protesters are getting braver'

At least 28 people have died after two boats capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the UN migration agency says.

The incident occurred about 30 minutes after the overloaded boats set off in heavy seas from Godoria on Tuesday.

One survivor said there were 130 people on his boat, but was not able to say how many passengers were on the other vessel.

A rescue and recovery operation is ongoing.

Djibouti has in recent years become a transit point for migrants heading to find work on the Arabian Peninsula.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

An influential Congolese organisation that had denounced December's presidential elections as fraudulent says it will not call for further protests challenging the result.

The CLC coalition of lay Roman Catholic leaders has told the BBC that following the inauguration last week of Felix Tshisekedi, it will not back demonstrations opposing him.

One of Mr Tshisekedi's rivals, Martin Fayulu, insists the poll was rigged. But correspondents say he will find it difficult to mobilise support without the backing of the Catholic Church.

The CLC was instrumental in calling mass demonstrations against former President Joseph Kabila, who stepped down after 18 years in office.

It was the first peaceful transfer of power in the country in nearly 60 years.

Our proverb of the day:

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

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

Dickens Olewe
BBC Africa Live

That's all from BBC Africa Live for now. 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 our wise words:

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

And we leave you with this picture a man from Ethiopia's Kara ethnic group covered with decorative paint and ornaments.

A policeman captured on video assaulting a civilian has been arrested, Zimbabwe police say.

The officer identified as Contable Mukamire was part of a group of three officers recorded on Saturday by a Sky News cameraman assaulting a man who had been arrested.

The information ministry shared the police statement.

Police say that Mr Mukamire was not on official duty when the incident happened because he was serving a suspension.

"The security services have always been emphasising that bogus and rogue elements are responsible for acts of lawlessness, which are tarnishing good standing of the security forces," the statement said.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa had said that he was "appalled" when he saw the footage of the officers beating the civilian.

Image source, AFP

The High Court has ordered the release on bail of the activist and pastor Evan Mawarire who is accused of subverting the government.

He was arrested on 16 January amid protests against soaring fuel prices.

He was later charged with inciting violence, but he denied any wrongdoing.

The pastor gained fame as a figurehead of the #ThisFlag protests against the former president, Robert Mugabe, in 2016.

He was cleared in 2017 on charges of attempting a violent overthrow of the government.

Earlier on Tuesday, hundreds of lawyers marched through the streets of the capital, Harare, to demand justice for the more than 1,000 people who have been arrested during a security crackdown following recent protests.

Those charged have been denied bail and human rights lawyers accuse the government of instructing the judiciary.

African teams have emerged the winners of a global innovation competition held by the British Council.

The competition, called #IdeasChangeLives, received more than 2,000 entries from individuals and organisations around the world.

Stanlab from Nigeria and Mhub from Malawi were declared the joint winners.

Stanlab is a virtual 3D science laboratory. It gives schools with no laboratories the possibility to teach their students practical science skills online. The hope is to reach more than half of Nigeria's 12 million students.

Image source, Courtesy of the entrant

Mhub is Malawian community-based technology project to help girls by using different platforms, such as text messages, to inform them about issues around sexual assault, reproductive health rights, early marriage and human trafficking. It aims to reach more than 10,000 vulnerable women and girls - often in remote rural or displaced communities - to help them understand their rights.

Image source, Courtesy of the entrant

Each winner will receive £20,000 ($26,000) seed funding.

A proposal from Ghana, DigiCop, was commended by judges and will receive £10,000 to develop its business plan.

Image source, Getty Images

Mozambique's parliament has voted to lift immunity for ex-Finance Minister and serving MP Manuel Chang, who is in detention in South Africa in connection with a $2bn (£1.5bn) fraud scheme.

Mr Chang was taken into custody in late December after a warrant was issued by the US authorities, who want to extradite him to New York to stand trial on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud and securities fraud.

US prosecutors say that through a series of financial transactions between approximately 2013 and 2016, Mr Chang and others created fraudulent maritime projects and used state-owned companies in Mozambique as fronts to raise loans, some arranged by Credit Suisse.

But Mozambique's government says it wants to prosecute 17 people alleged to be involved in the scandal, including Mr Chang who denies any wrongdoing.

It has requested Mr Chang's return - and the South African courts must now consider both extradition requests.

Antonio Amelia, the deputy speaker of the Mozambican parliament, said removing Mr Chang's immunity was supported by parliament's Commission on Constitutional and Legal Affairs.

MPs from the ruling Frelimo party backed the moved, which was opposed by opposition members.

When Mozambique's government revealed in 2016 that it had taken out undisclosed loans, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and foreign donors cut off support.

This triggered a currency collapse and a default on Mozambique’s sovereign debt. It is still struggling to overcome from the debt crisis.

The government says it wants to try the case in the hope that it can recover some of the money.