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Egypt is trying to prevent the sale of a bust of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun at an auction in London early next month at the Christie's auction house.

The Egyptian embassy in London has also contacted the British Foreign Office and Christie's demanding that the auction be stopped and the statue be returned to Egypt.

It also called on Christie's to stop the sale of other antiquities set to be auctioned in early July.

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities has contacted Christie's auction house, as well as Unesco, in a bid to block the sale of the boy pharaoh's statue, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Facebook on 10 June.

Egypt has also requested documentation proving the ownership of the statue and pointing to Egypt's right to it in accordance with past and current Egyptian law.

In its online catalogue, external, the auction house says the bust dates from more than 3,000 years ago.

It describes it as: "A remarkable representation of the young king as the god Amen."

Image source, Getty Images

A group of more than 100 African writers, intellectuals and activists have written an open letter to Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki , externalcalling on him to "restore" his country to its "rightful place in the family of African nations".

The authors, including Nigerian playwright Wole Soyinka, US-Ethiopian writer Maaza Mengiste and Kenyan anti-corruption campaigner John Githongo express solidarity with the people of Eritrea, adding: "Eritrea has been described as the most closed society on our continent."

They call on the president to, among other things, release imprisoned journalists.

Their statement also said:

The letter writers want to send a delegation to the capital, Asmara, to talk to the president "as well as with ordinary citizens, including journalists, writers, and other persons currently in prison".

One of the signatories, Rafael Marques, told the BBC that it was "long overdue for us Africans to come together and express our solidarity to those who need the most in the continent.

"We just came to the point at which we decided to act."

There has been no response so far from the Eritrean government.

Read: Is Eritrea coming in from the cold?

Rwanda's Foreign Minister Richard Sezibera has told Rwandans that they should still not travel to neighbouring Uganda despite the busiest common border post temporarily reopening on Monday.

"The travel advisory has not changed... that you are strongly advised not to travel," Mr Sezibera is quoted by the pro-government New Times newspaper, external.

On Monday, Rwanda announced that after having been closed for more than three months, the main crossing at Gatuna would reopen to allow heavy goods vehicles to cross. This was described as a way to test new infrastructure at the border.

A diplomatic feud between the two countries stopped most cross-border movements, a situation that has had a huge effect on business and daily life for families in both countries.

For its part, Uganda has said that its citizens should still not travel to Rwanda.

Government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo also said that Ugandan lorries would not use the Gatuna border crossing: "We do not want to ask people to divert their trucks when these people are saying it's only for 10 days."

Kenyan police have shot and wounded a man brandishing a knife after he climbed into the grounds of state house in the capital, Nairobi, a police report says.

The police have said the man is a 25-year-old fifth year university student of mechanical science.

He pulled out the knife after being challenged by officers at the gate where he climbed over. He was then shot and wounded on the left shoulder, the police report adds.

He has been detained and is being treated in hospital.

Mali’s president, who is cutting short a trip to Switzerland following the massacre of about 100 people on Monday, has urged his Malians to come together.

Before leaving for home, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said the country's affairs could not be driven by a cycle of revenge and vendetta.

In a message shared on Twitter, he condemned the "barbarous act that nothing could justify" and called on people's sense of "responsibility and citizenship" in not taking the violence further.

The Democratic Republic of Congo faces many challenges, not least the Ebola outbreak in the east and the current measles epidemic.

Meanwhile, on the margins of society, almost ignored, have come regular reports of prisoners dying in jails.

In the town of Mbanza Ngungu in Kongo Central Province, at least 40 prisoners died over an 18-month period.

Officials blame poor conditions in the prison, while human rights activists say prisoners are starving.

Video journalists: Poly Muzalia and Emery Makumeno for BBC Afrique.

Louise Dewast
BBC Africa

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali has sent aerial support to the area where nearly 100 people were killed so as to prevent a new attack.

A team of UN human rights investigators is also assisting Malian authorities in their investigation of the massacre.

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who has been attending a conference in Switzerland, says he is returning to the country on Tuesday.

The government says the perpetrators are suspected terrorists, but an official from the area said he believed members of the Fulani ethnic group were responsible for the attack on the Dogon village.

Members of both communities often clash over access to land and water, but the Dogons also accuse the Fulanis of having ties to extremist groups. Fulanis say that Dogon hunters form militias and attack them.

In March, the slaughter of more than 130 Fulani herdsmen in central Mali was blamed by some on the Dogons.

Intercommunal violence has increased in recent months and is compounded by the presence of armed groups with ties to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Last week, the UN warned about the risk of atrocities and called for a redeployment of its peacekeeping forces on the ground to central Mali.

The top US diplomat for Africa is going to Sudan this week amid the unrest there, the state department says.

Tibor Nagy, the US assistant secretary for Africa, will "call for a cessation of attacks against civilians".

Workers have staged a national strike, which began on Sunday, to pressurise the ruling military government to make way for civilian rule.

Four people were killed on the first day of the strike after security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition.

The state department said Mr Nagy would "urge parties to work towards creating an enabling environment" for talks between the two sides to resume.

He will also discuss the situation with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, who has been trying to mediate between the military council and the opposition in Sudan, before later travelling to Mozambique and South Africa.

Read more:

• Government propaganda trip goes off script
• Is Sudan a new regional battleground?
• Return of Sudan's feared Janjaweed

Bekele Atoma Boru
BBC Horn of Africa

Image source, Ilu Abba Bor Zone communication office

A 21-year-old Ethiopian woman has told BBC that she took one of her secondary school leaving exams 30 minutes after giving birth on Monday.

Almaz Derese, who is from Metu in western Ethiopia, had hoped to sit the tests before her baby was born, but the exams were postponed because of Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

She went into labour on Monday shortly before the first paper was due to start.

“Because I was rushing to sit for the exam, my labour wasn’t difficult at all,” Ms Almaz told BBC Afaan Oromoo.

She took her English, Amharic and maths exams in the Karl Metu hospital, but hopes to take the remaining tests at the exam centre over the next two days.

The new mother said that studying while being pregnant was not a problem and she did not want to wait until next year to graduate.

Monday’s exams went well, she added.

Her husband Tadese Tulu told the BBC that he had to persuade the school to allow her to take the exams at the hospital.

Ms Almaz now wants to take a two-year course that will prepare her for university.

Her baby son is said to be doing well.

Image source, Ilu Abba Bor Zone communication office

Gaius Kowene
BBC Africa, Kinshasa

Image source, Getty Images

A measles epidemic has been declared in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The country’s health ministry says it has recorded 87,000 suspected cases since the start of the year.

Cases of measles have now been reported in 23 of DR Congo's 26 provinces, both in urban and rural areas.

Measles, while highly contagious, is preventable with the right vaccines.

However, the disease has repeatedly flared in the country in recent years due to poor infrastructure, insecurity and an under-equipped public health system.

So far, measles is believed to have killed more than 1,500 people here since the beginning of this year, most of the victims being children under five.

The health ministry declared the epidemic on Monday.

Sources within the country's vaccination programme told the BBC they are currently raising funds to organise a preventive vaccination campaign to stop the spread of the virus to unaffected areas.

More than two million children were vaccinated against measles in April and another 1.4 million are being targeted by a campaign that will start in the next few days in health zones with measles cases.

In a statement, medical charity Doctors Without Borders warned this measles epidemic risks being the country’s deadliest since the disease’s strong resurgence in 2011-2012.

Our proverb of the day:

Click here 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 the 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 Guinea-Bissau:

The singer Masego is from Virginia in the US but has a Tswana name.

Masego means blessings in the language spoken in Botswana and South Africa.

The musician, whose real name is Micah Davis, took on the name after he started researching his mother's South African ancestry.

Listen to his interview with the BBC's Hannah Ajala:

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Nineteen people have been killed in a village in the northern district of Arbinda, security officials in Burkina Faso say.

Dozens of armed men are said to have carried out the assault, which took place on a market day.

There have been several attacks in Arbinda in recent months, many carried out by jihadists.

Image source, AFP

There are also ethnic clashes.

The numerous Islamist militant groups in Burkina Faso have increased their activity over the past few years.

They often target Christian clerics or Muslim imams they don't consider hard-line enough.

Recent attacks in Burkina Faso:

• 11 May: Four foreign hostages - from France, the US and Korea - are freed in Burkina Faso, but a tour guide and two French soldiers are killed in the process
• 12 May: Gunmen kill six people including a priest during Mass in a church in Dablo before burning the building down
• 13 May: Four Catholics taking part in a procession honouring the Virgin Mary are killed by gunmen in Zimtenga, in the north of the country
• 26 May: Armed men kill four Catholic congregants at Sunday Mass in the town of Toulfé

Read more: Burkina Faso's war against militant Islamists

Image source, AFP

The Sudanese authorities have deported three leading members of the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).

The opposition group's deputy leader Yasir Arman, the secretary Ismail Jalan and the spokesman Mubarak Ardol were released from detention earlier on Monday.

They have been put on a plane to South Sudan.

Their removal comes on the second day of a campaign of civil disobedience that has closed many businesses in the capital, Khartoum.

Protesters are trying to force the military to hand over power to a civilian-led government.

Read more: Sudanese businesses shut in strike against military rulers

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Ethiopia's parliament has postponed its plans to hold a national census by one year, citing security concerns.

Hundreds of people have been killed and nearly three million displaced in recent ethnic violence.

The postponement is likely to affect Ethiopia's plans to hold an election next year, as the census is a crucial step towards demarcating constituencies.

This is not the first time it has been delayed.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has implemented significant reforms since he took office a year ago but has struggled to contain escalating ethnic tensions.

Read: The leader promising to heal a nation

Usman Minjibir
BBC Hausa, Abuja

Image source, AFP

The Nigerian army has said in a tweet that its troops have killed nine key media personalities from the Islamic State of West African Province (Iswap).

It also published pictures and names of the nine people it says were killed.

The military says that the nine are known for their contribution to the group’s online media propaganda and adds that they have destroyed the group’s capacity to spread their ideas online.

The statement, on Twitter, did not say when and where the operation took place.

There has been no response from Iswap.

This is not the first time Nigerian military have made such a claim. On several occasions, it said it had killed or dispersed Islamist militants, which then turned out not to be true.

Read: Brutal IS tactics rekindle new fears in Nigeria

Image source, Getty Images

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the retirement letter of the chief justice, Walter Onnoghen, after his conviction earlier this year.

In April he was convicted of falsely declaring his assets after failing to reveal the money he held in foreign bank accounts.

The law requires senior civil servants and government officials to declare their assets before taking office as a way to monitor wrongdoing.

He was the country's most senior judge and this is the first time a chief justice in Nigeria has been put on trial and convicted.

He has not commented on his conviction or retirement.

BBC World Service

The Sudanese authorities have released a leading member of the rebel group Sudan People's Liberation Movement North.

Yasir Arman, who had only recently returned to Sudan after years in exile, was arrested in his home in Khartoum and detained for five days.

Mr Arman was convicted for involvement in an uprising that began in 2011 in Blue Nile State and sentenced to death in absentia.

The authorities also freed two other prominent members of the movement, including its secretary, Ismail Jalab, and its spokesperson, Mubarak Ardol who were arrested after they had met Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week.

Their release comes on the second day of a campaign of civil disobedience that has closed many offices and services in the capital Khartoum.

The opposition says this will continue until power is transferred to a civilian administration.

But the military council said it was stepping up the deployment of security forces.

More than 100 people have been killed since the military's crackdown of the pro-democracy movement.

Read more: Sudanese businesses shut in strike against military rulers