Nigerians who have their hair natural styled in dreadlocks sometimes find themselves viewed in a negative light.

The police are accused of profiling young Nigerians who’ve had their hair styled this way, suspecting them of being in gangs.

Ehiz ‘Dada Boy Ehiz’ Okoeguale, a TV presenter and Ade Balogun, a "loctician" don’t believe they need to explain their natural hair styles to anyone.

Dada Boy Ehiz told the BBC:

Ade Balogun said:

Watch more here:

Calls for the resumption of the dialogue between the military in Sudan and protest leaders will get louder today as a regional delegation led by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is expected in the capital, Khartoum.

The faltering discussions on a transition to civilian rule came to a halt after Monday's violence which saw dozens killed when security forces broke up pro-democracy protests.

Talks between the Transitional Military Council and protest leaders followed the overthrow of long-time leader President Omar el-Bashir in April.

But the protesters don't appear to be in any mood to restart discussions with what they call the "Coup Council".

"We are closely monitoring some poisonous calls by the Coup Council for resumption of the negotiations, in blatant disregard of the innocent lives we have lost," the Forces for Freedom and Change, external (FFC) said in a statement.

The FFC have demanded:

• those responsible for Monday's violence to be called to account
• full transfer of power to a civilian government
• the dissolution of the Rapid Support Forces blamed for Monday's violence

The FFC also repeated its call for civil disobedience.

Image source, AFP

The head of oil-giant BP in Senegal has described its activities as reported in a BBC investigation into corruption in Senegal's oil and gas sector as "deceptive and false", AFP news agency reports.

Speaking in the capital, Dakar, Geraud Moussarie called figures quoted in the report "so fake and exaggerated that it is complete fantasy," AFP adds.

The investigation published by BBC Panorama and Africa Eye found that BP had agreed to pay Timis Corporation, run by the Romanian-Australian business tycoon Frank Timis, between $9bn (£7bn) and $12bn in royalty payments for its stake in off-shore gas exploration blocks.

Mr Timis has also denied any wrongdoing.

"Even in a scenario with highly favourable technical and economic conditions, royalties payable to Timis Corporation by BP would not equal even 1% of what the Republic of Senegal could receive," Mr Moussarie is quoted as saying.

On Wednesday, President Macky Sall promised to following the BBC investigation.

A statement issued by the government said the "serious and false allegations" had "no foundation".

In response, the BBC said: "We reject this allegation and stand by our investigation. It was conducted to the highest editorial standards."

Prior to Mr Moussarie's statement BP had already said that the BBC programme was a "misleading portrayal" of its business in Senegal and rejected the accusations as "absurd".

Demonstrators are expected to take to the streets on Friday in Liberia to express anger over President George Weah's alleged poor handling of the economy and perceptions that corruption is on the rise.

The Council of Patriots - a coalition of politicians, students and civil society groups - has called on people to come out to, in its words, "save the state".

"We will remain in the streets until our demands are addressed... We will not leave the streets until we get results," protest leader and talk-show host Henry Costa is quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

People are stocking up on food ahead of the demonstration fearing that there could be trouble for the next few days, AFP news agency reports.

"I came to the market to get some food provisions for the family for at least seven days, because the way this protest news is going we don't know how long it will go on for," Samantha Wongbay told AFP.

One focus for people's anger is the apparent disappearance of state funds.

Their anger centres on two scandals:

1. Revelations last year that $15.5bn Liberian dollars ($104m, £82m) of freshly minted currency had disappeared from Liberia's ports
2. The mismanagement of a $25m cash injection into the economy last year.

Read more: Where are Liberia's missing millions? - BBC News

Image source, AFP

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is expected in Sudan on Friday to mediate between the country's military rulers and the opposition protest movement.

His visit follows the killing of dozens of pro-democracy demonstrators by the security forces this week.

On Thursday, the African Union (AU) suspended Sudan and warned of further action unless power was transferred from the military to a civilian-led transitional authority.

Soldiers from a notorious paramilitary unit, the Rapid Support Forces, accused of carrying out the shootings are still deployed in large numbers across Sudan, reportedly harassing civilians and instilling fear.

The Sudanese health ministry says 61 people died in the violence , but doctors linked to the opposition alliance say more than 100 civilians were shot dead.

Along with Mr Abiy, a representative from Egypt is expected to be in Sudan as well as the AU's peace and security commissioner, Smail Chergui.

Read more:

• The warlord who may control Sudan's future

• Sudan's crisis: What you need to know

Our proverb of the day:

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

Welcome to BBC Africa Live where we'll be keeping you up to date with news and developments on this continent.

BBC Africa Live
Clare Spencer, Esther Namuhisa & Damian Zane

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:

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

And we leave you with this picture from South African artist Nobukho Nqaba:

Image source, AFP

Several women have told the BBC about their ordeal after being arrested by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The women said they were repeatedly beaten with sticks and threatened with execution.

When told to run for their lives, some of the young men opened fire.

They spoke of other victims who were forced to drink sewage water and were urinated on.

The militia, formerly known as the Janjaweed, is a brutal group that has terrorised the Darfur region for years.

It is commanded by the number two in Sudan's ruling military council - Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo - known as Hemeti.

Image source, AFP

A story saying Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has invited a million immigrants from individual countries to come to his country is spreading.

Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana and the Philippines have all been targeted.

The articles have been circulating online and on social media.

But the stories aren't true.

These stories are all false but they're built on the back of Canada's immigration policy announced earlier this year - that the Canadian government plans to attract one million immigrants over a period of three years.

Click here to read more of BBC Reality Check's investigation.

Image source, Getty Images

The US ambassador to Malawi has been forced to hurriedly leave the main opposition party's headquarters as police fired tear gas.

Police were firing the tear gas at protesters outside who were demonstrating against alleged election fraud during the 21 May presidential election.

The heavily armed police surrounded offices of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), where the ambassador was visiting leader of opposition, Lazarus Chakwera.

"It was my farewell call and I was saying thank you for the friendship and for the important role that he has done for Malawi over the four-and-a-half years I have been in Malawi," US ambassador Virginia Palmer told AFP.

"Just as we finished the meeting, apparently rocks were thrown and the police responded with tear gas.

"There was tear gas flying around but my security people came and we proceeded without incident."

Peter Mutharika was named winner in the presidential election but the opposition refuse to recognise the results and they have been organising nationwide protests.

Ade Daramy
Letter from Africa, The Gambia

Image source, Getty Images

Gambia's truth commission hearings on the human rights abuses during Yahya Jammeh's rule have become must-watch viewing.

The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) was formed to establish a "historical record of the nature, causes and extent of violations and abuses of human rights committed during the period July 1994 to January 2017" - a specific period encompassing the 22-year reign of the now-exiled president.

The hearings are broadcast daily on independent TV and radio.

From Mondays to Thursdays, sometimes for five or six hours, everyone who has a TV or radio seems transfixed.

In a bus, taxi or in offices, you regularly hear people ask each other, usually with incredulity: "Did you hear so-and-so's testimony?"

"I can't believe Gambians did this to other Gambians," has become the most commonly heard statement in the country.

What the hearings have revealed, and continue to reveal, is the unpeeling of a layer of barely believable horror, and a rude awakening for the nation - forcing it to see itself in a new and often harsh light.

Read more on the BBC News website: Torture revelations transfix The Gambia

A Ugandan journalist has tweeted this picture of an elephant dead on the main road, which leads to the north-east of the country:

Elephant road-kill is quite a common occurrence and many believe the perpetrators are speeding bus drivers, says the BBC's Patience Atuhaire.

Ishaq Khalid
BBC Africa, Abuja

Image source, Boko Haram

The shadowy leader of the Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has appeared in a new video - the first in nearly a year.

In the latest one, released to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, the Boko Haram leader spoke in Arabic and appeared to have visual impairment, judging by the way he struggled to read his prepared text.

In his message the elusive leader denounced democracy and defended his group's ideology of hatred for secular education and anything associated with Western culture.

This is nothing new, but timing of the video’s release is significant and seems to be sending a direct message to the Nigerian government.

President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn-in for a second term just last week as the country clocks 20 years since the return of democracy - a system of government Shekau's Boko Haram is trying to overthrow to impose a strict system of Islamic law.

It appears Shekau is trying to signal that he and his group are still around even though in reality the Boko Haram faction allied to the Islamic State (IS) group is seen to be more active and is believed to be behind most of the recent attacks in north-eastern Nigeria.

Shekau, who has led Boko Haram for a decade, forged an alliance with IS in 2015, renaming the group “Islamic State West African province” (Iswap).

But the following year the group split after IS sacked Shekau, reportedly for his indiscriminate attacks on civilians - including Muslims, women and children.

Shekau then continued to lead Boko Haram with Iswap operating separately.

It could also been seen as a jibe at the military, which recently said that its offensive had defeated his Boko Haram faction, though it admitted that Iswap was still a challenge.

The 10-year insurgency in Nigeria - and several other countries - has killed more than 20,000 people and forced millions of others from their homes.

Read: Abubukar Shekau in profile

Thomas Naadi
BBC Africa, Accra

Police in Ghana are searching for an unspecified number of gunmen who they say abducted two Canadian nationals on Tuesday.

The two Canadian women were abducted at gunpoint and bundled into a vehicle outside their apartment in Kumasi, Ghana's second largest city.

The Canadians, aged 19 and 20, were volunteers for Young Challenge International - a non-governmental organisation in Ghana.

The Canadian embassy in the country is collaborating with Ghanaian authorities to find the victims.

This isn’t the first time a foreign national has been abducted in Kumasi.

Two months ago a 30-year-old Indian man was abducted in a similar fashion. He was later rescued by the police.

Image source, Getty Images

Fifa has confirmed that the Confederation of African Football President Ahmad is being questioned by authorities in France.

A statement from football's world governing body says it is "in relation to allegations related to his mandate while President of Caf."

It added that "Fifa is unaware of the details surrounding this investigation and is therefore not in a position to make any comment on it specifically.

"Fifa is asking the French authorities for any information that might be relevant to investigations taking place within its Ethics Committee."

Read on the BBC Sport website.

The African Union (AU) has suspended Sudan from all AU activities following the deadly crackdown against protesters.

The body's Peace and Security Council tweeted that the suspension comes into effect immediately and will continue until the country establishes a civilian-led transitional authority.

It said this was the only way out of the crisis.

The suspension comes after members of the security forces shot dead dozens of protesters in the capital, Khartoum.

The crackdown began with a violent dispersal of the protest movement’s main sit-in camp, outside the military headquarters in Khartoum on Monday.

The Sudanese health ministry says 61 people have died in the violence - including three security personnel who were stabbed to death.

However, doctors linked to the opposition protest movement say more than 100 civilians were shot dead by the security forces.

Egyptian security forces have killed 14 suspected militants during a raid in Sinai Peninsula in response to a deadly checkpoint attack, AFP news agency quotes authorities as saying.

This adds to the deaths we reported on Wednesday.

Wednesday's attack killed eight Egyptian police officers and five militants, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.

The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) later said it was behind the attack.

The ministry said they followed the escaped suspects and found a hideout in an empty lot.

The security forces surrounded the suspected militants before engaging "in a heavy shootout", it added.

They found 14 guns, three explosive devices and two explosive belts in their possession.

AFP also received a video recording from a police officer, who wished to remain anonymous, of a military plane destroying a tank hijacked by a militant.

Read more:

• 'War crimes' being committed in Sinai - report
• Who are Egypt's militant groups?

The Sudanese authorities now say that 61 people were killed in Monday's violence, when security forces dispersed pro-democracy protesters, Reuters news agency reports quoting the director general of the health ministry.

Earlier in the day, the official death toll stood at 46. The authorities disputed the figure of 100 deaths given by medics.

Suleiman Abdel Jabbar told Reuters that 52 of those killed in Khartoum were civilians who died after being shot and three security officials who were stabbed. Nine of those who died were killed outside of the capital.

Of the 61 documented cases, 52 were from the capital Khartoum and they included 49 civilians killed by gunfire and three security personnel who died from stab wounds.

Image source, AFP

A leopard has killed a toddler in South Africa's Kruger National Park, the park authorities have said, external.

They add that the 30-month-old was killed on Wednesday night.

The leopard was shot dead.

The park authorities went on to say in their statement that these events are very rare but gave reasons why they can happen: