Image source, Reuters

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a new cabinet in which, for the first time in the country's history, half of all ministers are women.

Mr Ramaphosa, whose African National Congress party won a general election earlier this month, has slimmed down what he called a bloated cabinet from 36 to 28 ministers.

He appears to have removed those who have been implicated in alleged corruption or so-called "state capture", reports South Afirca's Times Live website, external.

Mr Ramaphosa has pledged to root out corruption, but correspondents say eyebrows have been raised that he retained Deputy President David Mabuza.

Mr Mabuza, a close ally of former President Jacob Zuma, denies allegations of involvement in political killings and illegal tenders.

In another unexpected move, Mr Ramaphosa has appointed the veteran opposition politician, Patricia de Lille, as minister of infrastructure development.

Image source, EPA

Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya has filed an appeal to Switzerland's federal supreme court in response to losing her case against restricting testosterone levels in female runners.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) had rejected the South African's challenge against the new rules imposed by athletics' governing body IAAF.

The 28-year-old said: "I am a woman and world-class athlete.

"The IAAF will not drug me or stop me from being who I am."

A statement issued on Wednesday said that Semenya will ask the Swiss court "to set aside the decision of the Cas in its entirety", and said the focus of the appeal will be on "fundamental human rights".

Read the full BBC story here

The head of Boeing has described the fatal crashes of two of its aircraft as a "defining moment" for the company.

Speaking to CBS television, Dennis Muilenburg said sorry to the families of the 346 people killed in separate disasters within months of each other in Ethiopia and Indonesia.

"I do personally apologise to the families... we feel terrible about these accidents," he said.

In April, a few weeks after the Ethiopia Airlines crash, Mr Muilenburg had said sorry on behalf of the company.

That apology was "too little, too late" for the pilot's father, Getachew Tessema.

Both the Ethiopian and Indonesian crashes involved the 737 Max model, Boeing's most lucrative aircraft.

Its anti-stall system has been identified as the common factor in both crashes. All the planes have been grounded since the Ethiopia Airlines disaster in March and are unlikely to fly again before August.

In the interview, Mr Muilenberg reiterated his company's commitment to safety.

Read more: What went wrong inside Boeing's cockpit?

Thursday's African proverb:

Image source, George Wafula

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

Welcome to Thursday's BBC Africa Live where we'll be keeping you up to date with news and developments across the continent.

BBC Africa Live
Neil Arun & Ashley Lime

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 BBCAfrica.com.

A reminder of our wise words of the day:

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

And we leave you with this picture of the stars in Tunisia:

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari says he has not acquired any major assets since he began his first term as president in 2015, the Daily Trust newspaper reports., external

Mr Buhari was required by law to provide a fresh declaration of his assets before he was sworn in for a second term on Wednesday.

According to the Daily Trust, the latest declaration states that the president's assets are largely unchanged since his previous declaration in 2015. In other words, he has not acquired any new homes, shares or bank accounts in Nigeria or abroad.

"The president owns five houses in Kaduna, Daura, Kano and Abuja, and two undeveloped plots of land, one in Kano and the other in Port Harcourt," the paper said, quoting the president's office.

"Buhari also has farms, an orchard, ranch, livestock including 270 cattle, 25 sheep, five horses, a variety of birds and a number of economic trees," the paper added.

Mr Buhari has cultivated a reputation for probity, in contrast to the popular view of Nigerian politicians. His campaign adopted a broom as its symbol, representing his stated mission to clean up politics.

Killian Chimtom Ngala
BBC News, Yaoundé

The jailed leader of Cameroon's Anglophone separatist movement has issued his conditions for entering a dialogue with the government: a full ceasefire, and the release of all prisoners detained in the three-year conflict.

Both sides have said dialogue is the only way to stop the violence - but significant obstacles remain.

Sisseku Ayuk Tabe, the president of the self-declared Ambazonian republic, wrote in a letter from his prison cell that any dialogue would have to include negotiating the terms of independence for Cameroon's two English-speaking regions.

However, separation is the one topic the government will not discuss - a position reiterated this week by Cameroon's External Relations Minister, LeJeune Mbella Mbella.

That is not the only point of disagreement. While the separatists want the talks to be brokered by the United Nations and held outside Cameroon, the minister said the peace process must be home-brewed. The government has continually insisted that the conflict be settled without foreign intervention.

Cameroon is officially a bilingual country, but English speakers say they have been marginalized.

The crisis started as a strike in 2016 over the use of French in schools and courts. The ensuing conflict has killed at least 2000 people. The UN says more than half a million Cameroonians have been internally displaced, a figure the government disputes.

President Muhammadu Buhari's supporters may be celebrating his inauguration to a second term in office on Wednesday, but his administration faces many challenges.

The economy is among the biggest of these. Youth unemployment is at a staggering 50%, and many young Nigerians are worried about the lack of opportunities - as seen in this video shot in Rivers State.

Mohanad Hashim
BBC Focus on Africa

Image source, Getty Images

The Sudanese Professionals Association, an umbrella group that has been spearheading protests against the country's military junta, has condemned soldiers for their role in deadly clashes in Khartoum.

One woman was killed and several people were injured in the violence along the capital's Nile Avenue.

A statement issued by the Sudanese Professionals Association on Twitter criticised the "reckless and irresponsible" actions by soldiers, and urged the army to "ensure the safety and security of all citizens".

The statement also urged the protesters to exercise restraint on the second day of a two-day public strike.

The protesters forced the army to oust long-standing leader Omar al-Bashir from power last month.

However, the military has not met the protesters' central demand - that they hand over power to a civilian administration.

A Rwandan genocide survivor touring all 30 of the country's districts says he has been struck by the kindness of the people he has encountered on the way.

Hyppolite Ntigurirwa is halfway through a 1,500km (932 mile) "peace walk", marking 25 years since the 100-day genocide of 1994.

Image source, Dylan Cuddy/Be The Peace Walk

Image source, Dylan Cuddy/Be The Peace Walk

"People give us food, people give us shelter," Hyppolite told BBC Focus on Africa.

He says he was perhaps most touched by the support of a young girl who wanted to join the walk and even offered to carry his bags but found they were too heavy.

Image source, Dylan Cuddy/Be The Peace Walk

Now aged 32, Hyppolite was seven years old at the time of the genocide. He says the trauma of the past still gives him nightmares.

"My dad was killed in front of me and fed to the dogs," he told the BBC, adding that he was able to survive by hiding under corpses in a mass grave.

"Forgiving is a journey and you can only do it if you think about the generations to come. It's the hardest path you can take but it’s the one that can bring what we want in the world.”

Today, Hyppolite says that his family have gone to great efforts to "invite these people who we knew who killed my relatives and my cousins... They now come in our ceremonies and they enjoy what we enjoy."

He hopes his 100-day walk can bring together other Rwandans in the same spirit. He says anyone he encounters is welcome to join him.

Image source, Dylan Cuddy/Be The Peace Walk

Read more on this topic:

• Hyppolite Ntigurirwa's website, external (external link)
• Rwanda genocide: 100 days of slaughter
• Why I forgave the man who killed my children
• More about Rwanda

Popular Ugandan child rapper Fresh Kid has started his first day at his new school, according to the privately owned television station NTV Uganda.

The station showed pictures of the seven year old, whose real name is Patrick Ssenyonjo, entering the compound of Kampala Parents' School, accompanied by his father and others.

Fresh Kid, a former pupil of St Agnes Primary School, was enrolled at the high-end school after winning a scholarship.

The young rapper was at the centre of a controversy in March after Youth minister Florence Nakiwala ordered him to stop making music and focus on his studies.

During Ramadan, Muslims will often gather at the end of the daily fast to share food with one another.

In Senegal, a group of young volunteers is going further, providing snacks and drinks for commuters who will not make it home in time to break the fast. This year the group hopes to hand out 40,000 free meals.

Video Journalist: Alassane Dia for BBC Afrique.

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC Africa, Nairobi

The Eritrean government has welcomed the impending removal of the country from a blacklist of nations that the US accuses of "not fully co-operating" with anti-terrorism efforts.

Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel told the BBC that the "categorisation was erroneous” in the first place, adding that the country's removal from the list was “better late than never”.

“Eritrea’s track record on fighting terrorism has been impeccable throughout the past decades," he said.

The US put Eritrea in the category in May 2017, basing its decision on allegations that the Eritrean government had been funding the al-Shabab militant group, based in Somalia. The US has designated the group a terrorist organisation.

Those very allegations had earlier in 2009 led the UN Security Council to impose a two-way arms embargo on the country. The sanctions also included targeted travel bans and asset freezes against individuals in the government of President Isaias Afewerki.

But the Security Council lifted the measures in November 2018, saying there had been no proof to back the claims that Eritrea was supporting terrorist groups in the region.

Eritrea had been vindicated. It even called for compensation for the years of what it termed “unjustified sanctions” that had done great damage to the country’s economy.

Many of the latest changes are the result of a peace deal that Eritrea signed with neighbouring Ethiopia last July, ending two decades of a bitter border dispute.

Eritrea has often been described as one of the most secretive countries in the world. It continues to be condemned by human rights groups for various abuses - including its indefinite military conscription.

Image source, AFP

Mayeni Jones
BBC News, Abuja

Unlike 2015, there was no speech from President Buhari this time round - he simply read his oath. Following his swearing in, the old national and defence flags were lowered and new ones hoisted, to mark the beginning of his second term.

Today’s ceremony has been a low-key affair, with few foreign dignitaries present - they have instead been invited to attend the country’s Democracy Day on 12 June. According to the ministry of information, Nigeria cannot afford to hold two major celebrations in two weeks.

The president’s inauguration comes as the country is facing sluggish economic growth, following a global slump in the price of oil, the country’s main export.

Security was another key election issue. Although the government says it has defeated the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, there are concerns about broader insecurity across the country, highlighted by a rise in kidnappings-for-ransom.

With a growing youthful population keen for change, President Buhari will face immense pressure to deliver on his election promises.

Image source, AFP

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, was also sworn in for a second term on Wednesday.

The president was greeted by bagpipers and a military guard of honour as he arrived for the ceremony at a stadium in Abuja.

The 76-year-old leader's first term in office was dogged by rumours about his health, as he was forced to spend long periods abroad, seeking treatment for an unspecified condition.

Mr Buhari was re-elected in February, when he won 56% of votes against 41% for his nearest rival, Atiku Abubakar.

Mr Abubakar and his allies have mounted a legal challenge to the election result, describing it as a "sham".

Read more:

Nigeria's 'new broom' president in profile

Muhammadu Buhari has been sworn in for a second term as president of Nigeria at a ceremony in the capital, Abuja.

The president took his oath of office in traditional dress - simple white robes and an embroidered hat.

"I do solemnly swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria," he said. "I will preserve, protect and defend the constitution."

Mr Buhari's to-do list includes reviving a weak economy and tackling rampant corruption and insecurity.

Image source, AFP

Nigeria is preparing to swear in president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, at a ceremony in Abuja on Wednesday.

Similar ceremonies are also taking place in provincial capitals across the country for swearing in governors-elect.

Here is a selection of photos sent in by BBC correspondents at the various locations.

Image source, Ishaq Khalid/BBC

Image source, Ishaq Khalid/BBC

Image source, Adedayo Okedare/BBC

Image source, Mansur Abubakar/BBC

Image source, BBC Pidgin

Ethiopia says it recognises the sovereignty of Somalia over the whole of its territory despite a list on the ministry of foreign affairs website suggesting that Somaliland, which has declared itself independent of Somalia in 1991, is a separate country.

Somaliland's independence has not been recognised by any country.

The Ethiopian website also listed Puntland, a semi-autonomous area within Somalia, as a separate country.

"There are many issues with the website and we are looking into it," spokesperson Nabiyat Getachew told BBC Afaan Oromoo.

He pointed out that the list shows that Ethiopia's ambassador is in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and that there are consul generals in the other places.

Some former Somali government ministers have involved themselves in the row.

Referring to the earlier mistake on the website that showed a map of Ethiopia covering most of Somalia, Abdi Aynte said on Twitter, external: "If they said the first one was a mistake, what will they say about this? There is a long-standing culture of denying the unity and sovereignty of Somalia."

Former Foreign Minister Yusuf Garaad also tweeted, external: "Our government should not be quiet in the way they have been quiet about the map."

Teklemariam Bekit
BBC Tigrinya

The United States government is set to remove Eritrea from its list of countries deemed not to be cooperating fully with US counter-terror efforts, the AP news agency reports, external.

Iran, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela are still on the US list, it adds.

In March last year, a US congressional delegation visited Eritrea seeking to strengthen relations with the country.

After the warming of relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea that began just over a year ago, Asmara has made great diplomatic efforts in the region, and with the wider international community, to improve its standing.

It had largely been isolated after having been accused of supporting the Somalia-based militant al-Shabab group. Eritrea always denied this.

Last November, the UN Security Council lifted the sanctions imposed on Eritrea over the allegation.