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

Natasha Booty
BBC Africa Live

That's it from BBC Africa Live for now. You can follow the latest news on the BBC Africa website or listen to the Africa Today podcast.

A reminder of our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this snapshot from Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo, taken by photographer Robert Nzaou:

Jonathan Paye-Layleh
BBC Africa, Monrovia

A radio station known for being critical of the Liberian government has been kept off air for the second day after armed police blocked staff's access to the tower that hosts the station's transmitter.

Roots FM, a popular Monrovia radio station which broadcasts on 102.7FM, is owned by the opposition political commentator Henry Costa.

Just last week, station equipment worth around $10,000 (£7,760) was stolen and damaged by unidentified gunmen. Among the stolen items was Roots FM's transmitter, which fans crowdfunded to replace with a new one that police are now cordoning off.

The government condemned last week's attack, promising a police investigation.

Three weeks ago, a similar attack on the station forced it off air for several days.

Liberia's Information Minister Eugene Nagbe said the police presence at Roots FM was part of an ongoing investigation into the station's previous complaint that it had been vandalised, and had its transmitter stolen away by armed men.

But that statement was rubbished by outspoken opposition politician Yekeh Kolubah, who said the government simply wants to silence critical views.

Naima Mohamud
BBC Somali service

Several Somali traders have stopped importing khat from Kenya following a diplomatic row between the two countries, in a show of solidarity with their government.

They say they will instead focus on trading with Ethiopia.

At the weekend, Kenya recalled its ambassador to Mogadishu and ordered Somalia's envoy in Nairobi to leave, after Somalia allegedly auctioned off oil and gas reserves in disputed maritime territories.

A group of Kenyan khat exporters said in a statement on Monday that their trade was an easy target "whenever [Somalia] wants to seek attention from Kenya".

"We should be bracing for the worst," the Nyambene Miraa Traders Association added.

Khat farmers face losing 90% of the market if the diplomatic spat between Kenya and Somalia remains unsolved, the BBC's Qalib Barud reports.

Somali traders import about 50 tonnes of the mild narcotic every day.

Image source, Getty Images

Chiwetel Ejiofor has defended his latest film from criticism over its poor use of Chichewa, Malawi's official language aside from English.

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, out on Netflix on 1 March, tells the real-life story of Malawian William Kamkwamba, who built his own windmill and used it to provide electricity for his village. Dialogue in the film switches between English and Chichewa, which is subtitled, and many of the cast are from outside Malawi.

When the trailer first appeared some on social media questioned director Chiwetel Ejiofor's use of the language. “Does Hollywood think Africans all sound the same? The accents are so bad,” commented one person in Blantyre.

Ejiofor told BBC Focus on Africa's Paul Bakibinga that the actors' sensibilities were more important to him during the casting process than their familiarity with Chichewa.

Watch the full trailer here and decide for yourself:

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Former rebels running the administration of the city of Kidal in northern Mali have reversed a controversial decision to impose new laws including a ban on alcohol and strengthening the power of Islamic judges.

The Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) is a coalition of Tuareg and Arab groups that fought to create an independent state during the 2012 rebellion.

The group signed a peace deal with the government in 2015 and has been in charge of Kidal where the Malian state has no significant presence.

There is concern over possible links between the former rebels and Islamist militant groups operating in the region.

The attempt to impose new laws was seen as a violation of the peace agreement.

Image source, Getty Images

Three policemen were killed by a suicide bomber on Monday night in Egypt's capital, Cairo, near the famous Khan el-Khalili bazaar.

Two other officers were wounded in the attack, AFP news agency reports, citing the country's interior ministry.

"As security forces surrounded the man and were about to stop him and bring him under control, an explosive device in his possession detonated," AFP quotes the ministry's statement as saying.

It is not known if the attacker had links to a militant group, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Police successfully defused a bomb near a mosque in Cairo's twin city of Giza on Friday, and the interior ministry said that Monday's suicide bomber was being pursued in connection with that foiled bomb attack.

Attacks on central Cairo have been rare under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who has enforced a security crackdown since overthrowing his predecessor in 2013 following a populist uprising.

Ruth Nesoba
BBC Africa

Image source, AFP

A Tanzanian court has sentenced Yang Fenglan, a prominent Chinese businesswoman dubbed the "Ivory Queen", to 15 years in jail.

She was accused of leading one of Africa's biggest ivory smuggling rings, illegally exporting more than $2.5m (£1.7m) worth of elephant tusks to East Asia.

Fenglan, 69, denied the charges.

She was arrested after a high-speed car chase in October 2015 and charged with ivory smuggling between 2000 and 2014.

Investigators say she was a key link between poachers in East Africa and buyers in China for more than a decade.

The BBC's Humphrey Mgonja in Dar Es Salaam reports that the Tanzanian state is to repossess Fenglan's property to recover the proceeds from her businesses.

BBC World Service

Egypt says security forces have killed 16 militants in two raids in the city of el-Arish in the Sinai peninsula.

The interior ministry said the jihadists were planning a series of attacks against vital installations and key figures in the area.

Police seized weapons, ammunition and explosive belts in the second hideout.

The army and police operation to eliminate an Islamist insurgency in Sinai began in February last year.

On Monday, three police officers were killed by a suicide bomber in the capital, Cairo.

Catherine Byaruhanga
BBC Africa, Kampala

Image source, Allan Atulinda/BBC

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has promoted his son to the rank of lieutenant general - the second highest position in the army.

Lt Gen Kainerugaba Muhoozi is considered a likely successor to 74-year-old President Museveni, but denies any immediate plans to enter politics.

In the last six years, Lt Gen Muhoozi has been promoted three times and now sits one rank below President Museveni, who is a general.

Although he has served as Commander of Uganda’s Special Forces, his critics have questioned whether his promotions match his military experience.

Since 2017, he has served as presidential adviser for special operations, which is seen as a civilian position.

Several other officers who have worked closely with Lt Gen Muhoozi have also been promoted. In total, more than 2,000 soldiers were promoted.

Much of the army's old guard who helped President Museveni come to power following a five-year rebellion have either retired or are preparing to do so soon.

A Tanzanian court is to sentence a 69-year-old Chinese woman for her role in trafficking tusks from more than 400 elephants, reports AFP.

Yang Fenglan, dubbed the "Ivory Queen", was convicted in Dar es Salaam of trafficking 860 tusks between 2000 and 2014, according to the news agency.

It says two Tanzanian men were also found guilty for their role in the illegal trade.

The court has not yet announced their sentences, but Fenlan faces up to 30 years in prison, AFP says.

Read more:

• Who is the 'Ivory Queen'?
• South Africa rhino poaching: 'Bribes paid to court syndicate'

BBC World Service

A small beach-side South African restaurant specialising in local seafood has won the top prize at the inaugural World Restaurant Awards in Paris.

The Wolfgat, whose six staff have no formal training, opened two years ago in a cottage and cave on the remote beach at Paternoster, in West Cape province.

Head Chef Kobus van der Merwe forages daily for ingredients on the seashore.

He has promised not to hike prices after winning the prize, with the tasting menu currently costing $60 (£46).

Ferdinand Omondi
BBC Africa, Nairobi

A man arrested for trying to smuggle his baby out of a hospital in Kenya because he could not afford to pay the $500 (£387) bill has escaped a jail sentence.

Boniface Murage, 22, instead received a suspended three-month sentence, meaning he can be at home with the child.

It was a story that touched and enraged many Kenyans. Mr Murage attempted to smuggle his one-month-old baby out of the Kenyatta National Hospital without paying but was caught by security guards.

Offers of help poured in later - a lawyer offered pro-bono services, and well-wishers paid Mr Murage's bill. Others offered him money.

In court, he pleaded guilty and was at risk of a jail sentence. But Magistrate Muthoni Nzibe released him, on condition that he doesn’t commit any wrong within three months.

Image source, AFP

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.

BBC Africa Live
Farouk Chothia

That's it from BBC Africa Live for now. You can follow the latest news on the BBC Africa website or listen to the Africa Today podcast.

A reminder of our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo of footballers swimming in Mombasa, Kenya:

Image source, AFP

The two main parties contesting Nigeria's controversy-hit presidential and parliament election say they will resume campaigning, despite the election commission saying this is not allowed ahead of the rescheduled vote on Saturday.

President Muhammadu Buhari's ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) disagreed with the "illegal pronouncement" of the commission, party chairman Adams Oshiomhole said.

The APC would end its campaign at midnight on Thursday, "as provided for by the Electoral Act", Mr Oshiomhole added.

He was speaking after a crisis meeting of the party to discuss the commission's dramatic postponement of the elections about five hours before polls were due to open on Saturday, 16 February.

The main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) also indicated that it would resume campaigning.

The commission's prohibition of campaigning was "erroneous", and "directly in conflict "with the Electoral Act", the PDP said in a statement.

Image source, Reuters

Former Vice-President Atikau Abubakar is Mr Buhari's main challenger in the presidential race.

Read: The superpower with no power

Corruption-related charges against the son of Mozambique's ex-President Armando Guebuza are politically motivated, his lawyer has been quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

Ndambi Guebuza, the eldest of the former's president's four children, was arrested in the capital, Maputo, over a $2bn (£1.5bn) government debt scandal.

Lawyer Alexandre Chivale said Ndambi Guebuza believed that his arrest was an attempt by the ruling Frelimo party to "sacrifice the Guebuza family" ahead of elections later this year, AFP reports.

Ndambi Guebuza was remanded in custody after appearing in court in Maputo, Mr Chivale added.

See earlier post for more details

In the second episode of the BBC's What's New's series on mixed identity, we meet 13-year old Karim from London, who has a mother from Spain and a father from Morocco.

The BBC's Nora Fakim went to meet him:

Campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned the abduction of more than 160 schoolchildren in mainly English-speaking Cameroon by suspected armed separatists.

About 20 gunmen seized the children from a Catholic school on Saturday, before freeing them the next day, the government said.

The abductions highlighted "the despicable lengths to which armed separatists groups will go to try to enforce a school boycott on children who have the right to attend class if they want to", the deputy director of HRW's Africa division, Ida Sawyer, said.

"Armed separatists are destroying the futures of those they purport to fight for," Ms Sawyer added.

The abductions took place in Kumbo, the second-largest city in Cameroon's North-West region.

Armed groups are waging a rebellion to demand independence for the North-West and South-West, where English is the dominant language.

The separatists say English-speaking people face discrimination in mainly French-speaking Cameroon. The government denies the allegation.

See earlier post

Read: Lingering cultural colonialism