Sierra Leone coach John Keister says he received two death threats prior to naming his squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team, but we'll be back on Wednesday morning.

Until then you can find the latest updates on the BBC News website, or listen to our podcast Africa Today.

A reminder of our African proverb of the day:

We leave you with this photo of a man carrying plastic bottles in Maputo, Mozambique, taken by photographer Grég Escande:

Zambia has rescheduled the re-opening of schools because of concerns over Covid.

Teaching was supposed to start on 10 January, but this has been delayed to 24 January.

"The reason is that although we were prepared as a ministry for the re-opening of schools, the upswing is a danger," Minister of Education Douglas Syakalima is quoted as saying on the CGTN news website. , external

The government plans to use the period to implement protocols including deep cleaning of school premises, according to the same site.

Teachers have welcomed the decision, saying it will give schools time to put in place proper precautions to make sure staff and pupils are safe, according to Zambia's ZNBC news website. , external

A man who allegedly set fire to the Cape Town building was caught with explosives, prosecutors say.

Security forces use tear gas to disperse crowds as demonstrators block roads with burning tyres.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, Pen Pinter Prize

A court in Uganda has ordered the police to release a prominent author, Kakwenza Rukirabashaija.

He was arrested last week after criticising President Yoweri Museveni and his son Lt-Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba on social media.

A lawyer for the writer said he had not yet been released but he expected the authorities to comply with the court ruling.

Mr Rukirabashaija, who won this year's Pen Pinter Prize's International Writer of Courage award, had been due in court to face the charge of offensive communication.

It was not clear why he had not been presented in court.

Police in Kenya have arrested at least five people after a deadly attack in the northern village of Widhu Majembeni in Lamu county on Monday which left six people dead, and homes burnt down.

The attacks meted out on the victims included shooting, burning and one beheading, according to the AFP news agency.

So far, authorities say the attack is linked to land disputes.

"All the suspects are locals and we are talking to them to establish more over the attack," the police told Kenya's The Star paper. , external

The government has increased security in the area, according to the same site.

Basant Khaled, 17, took her own life in Egypt after allegedly being blackmailed with faked images.

Didier Bikorimana
BBC Great Lakes Service

Niger has temporarily suspended an order to expel eight high-profile Rwandans relocated there from Tanzania, allowing them to remain in the country for 30 days, pending a resolution.

They were political and military officials during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and had either been acquitted or released after serving their prison terms.

The move came hours after the seven-day deadline they had been given to leave Niger expired.

They relocated to Niger after the government there cut a deal with the United Nations in November to grant them permanent residence status, with Rwanda later saying it had been kept in the dark.

It urged Niger to ensure the individuals don’t become a threat to the security of the Great Lakes region.

Then in December, Niger decided to expel them, citing “diplomatic reasons”– prompting a move from an International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) judge to temporarily halt this action.

Rwanda maintains the eight are welcome back home, but one of them, former intelligence officer Innocent Sagahutu, told BBC Great Lakes last week they do not want to return to Rwanda, fearing for their safety.

With the Africa Cup of Nations around the corner, we look at what players, teams and club politics you need to know.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Sudanese security forces have fired tear gas in an effort to break up pro-democracy protests in the capital, Khartoum, and in Port Sudan.

People in several cities have been chanting slogans against the military and calling for the downfall of Sudan's ruling council.

It is headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan who led a military coup in October.

In Khartoum's neighbouring city, Omdurman, dozens of people set up barricades.

The protests come two days after the resignation of the civilian prime minister Abdalla Hamdok.

Fifty-six people have died during protests since the October coup, most were shot by security forces.

Read more:

• Sudan coup: Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigns after mass protests

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The leader of a notorious armed gang in Zamfara state, in northern Nigeria, is reported to have released more than 50 people who had recently been kidnapped.

Eyewitnesses saw buses full of hostages heading to the state capital, Gusau.

Officials have not said why the group's leader, Bello Turji, decided to release dozens of people.

It appears to be part of an effort to persuade the state government to grant him amnesty, local residents say.

The Nigerian Air Force says it has recently been targeting the bases of the criminal gangs behind the frequent kidnappings.

Two of the most wanted gang leaders had been killed, it said.

Image source, AFP

The popular Afrobeats singer Teni has dismissed rumours there was an attempt to kidnap her in Nigeria's southern Rivers state, after a video emerged, external over the weekend which showed a commotion during her performance there during which she left the stage.

Some people were running and loud bangs could be heard in the background.

Police later confirmed that shots were fired by security operatives to restore order and not kidnappers, according to Nigeria's Vanguard paper. , external

On her Instagram account, the popular musician expressed gratitude about escaping the incident safely.

"Myself and entire team are safe and back home now," she wrote.

"It all happened so fast there was no incidence of attempted kidnap," Teni continued. "A fight started out backstage and that lead to a stampede," she said.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Security forces in Sudan have deployed across the capital, Khartoum, and other cities ahead of new demonstrations.

Pro-democracy activists in Sudan announced fresh protests amid a deepening political crisis following the resignation of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok late on Sunday.

Protesters would be heading to the presidential palace until "victory is achieved" the Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA), a coalition of trade unions leading the campaign against military rule said.

Fifty-six people have died during protests since the military coup in October - most were shot by security forces.

The authorities have frequently blocked internet and phone services to prevent mass gatherings.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

A South African judicial panel that examined allegations of high-level corruption during former President Jacob Zuma’s tenure will hand over the first, external of its three-part report to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday.

The panel was chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and has been investigating allegations of “state capture”, corruption and fraud in the public sector during Zuma’s time in power between 2009 and 2018.

The remaining parts of the report are expected to be handed over to Mr Ramaphosa before the end of next month.

The group Democracy in Action has filed a case at the high court in Johannesburg against the submission of the report to Mr Ramaphosa, arguing he “is conflicted” and had been implicated in corruption.

Mr Ramaphosa has previously said he "resisted" corruption whilst he served as Mr Zuma's deputy, according to the Reuters News agency. , external

Zuma is accused, among other things, of allowing an Indian business family with close links to him to siphon state assets.

The former president and the family deny any wrongdoing.

He was sentenced to 15 months in prison in June after he failed to attend the inquiry, arguing that the chair of the panel was biased.

Zuma resigned in 2018, a year before his second term in office was due to end.

Read more:

• State capture: Zuma, the Guptas, and the sale of South Africa
• Two faces of South Africa's corruption battle

Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania and The Gambia are in Group F of the Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off in Cameroon on 9 January.

Teenage Roma forward Felix Afena-Gyan misses out on Ghana's final squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.

The fire first broke out on Sunday and completely destroyed the National Assembly, or lower chamber.

Image source, Getty Images

The Kenyan branch of the American fast-food restaurant, KFC, has run out of fries it says.

“Ya'll loved our chips a little too much, and we've run out. Sorry! Our team is working hard to resolve the issue,” the chain tweeted on Monday., external

The cause of the shortage is a shipping delay caused by the pandemic, according to Business Daily Africa., external

“Ships have been delayed for more than a month now, but we are working hard to restore as the first containers are arriving in the port tomorrow,” the firm’s chief executive for East Africa, Jacques Theunissen, said in an interview with the business news website on Monday.

The company does not source potatoes locally, Mr Theunissen told them.

"The reason we cannot buy local at the moment is all suppliers need to go through the global QA approval process and we cannot bypass that even if we run out to ensure that our food is safe for consumption by our customers," Mr Theunissen continued.

On Twitter, some KFC customers expressed anger that the restaurant imports potatoes.

"This is unacceptable and a ridicule to our hardworking farmers across our Nation," one person wrote.

If they "cannot purchase the potatoes from Kenyan Suppliers, then we all have the moral right to #BoycottKFC" another wrote.

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed the central bank governor and appointed a replacement.

The dismissal of Dier Tong Ngor was announced in a presidential decree read on the national broadcaster on Monday night.

No reasons were given for his sacking.

He was replaced by Moses Makur Deng who has been a director-general in charge of banks’ supervision and research at the bank.

South Sudan’s economy is driven by oil, which accounts for nearly 90% of the country’s national budget.

The economy is in a bad shape due to the conflict and the drop in global oil price as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.

Some South Sudanese online have welcomed the appointment of Mr Deng and urged him to improve the economy.