Sadio Mane says Senegal's players are determined to ease the pressure on coach Aliou Cisse by winning the Africa Cup of Nations.

Former Cameroon star Roger Milla believes current captain Vincent Aboubakar could become one of Africa's greatest ever players.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team until Friday morning Nairobi time.

You can keep up with latest events in Guinea-Bissau on our website, or listen to the Africa Today podcast.

Here's a reminder of Thursday's wise words:

And we leave you with this photo of a Barbary lioness and her cubs in Morocco:

Image source, AFP

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

West African leaders meeting in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, have decided not to impose further sanctions on Burkina Faso following last month's coup there.

They instead called for a short transition to civilian rule and the release of the ousted President Roch Kaboré.

Last year the 15-member bloc imposed sanctions on Mali and Guinea following military takeovers there. Adding to the region's turmoil this week was an attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau.

More on this topic:

• Are military takeovers on the rise in Africa?
• Guinea-Bissau: The 'narco-state' trying to kick its drug habit
• Return of the military strongmen to West Africa

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

A man accused of being a key financial backer of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda has appeared before a court in The Hague.

Félicien Kabuga is charged with genocide and crimes against humanity, which he has previously denied.

During the pre-trial hearing he asked for a new lawyer, after having criticised his defence team.

Mr Kabuga, 88, had been one of the most wanted genocide suspects, until his arrest in France two years ago.

The former businessman is accused of having paid for the militias that carried out the massacres.

He also helped set up and fund Radio Milles Collines - the radio station that encouraged people to kill ethnic Tutsis.

Mohamed Fajah Barrie
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Cameroon football great Roger Milla has told the BBC he has faith his country can go on to win its sixth Africa Cup of Nations.

"I think that if we can get past Egypt, Cameroon will be favourites for this Nations Cup," he said ahead of the two sides' semi-final on Thursday at 19:00 GMT.

"Egypt is a very good footballing nation and they’ve proved that over the years," he added. "But we also have our little team that is not bad. [Cameroon] might not have the technique of the Egyptians, but this team has the hunger to win and the power to block any team."

Milla also argues that Cameroonian striker Vincent Aboubakar is not only the best player of the tournament, but "could be one of the greatest African footballers", adding:

"Unfortunately, two years ago he suffered a very serious injury which sidelined him... [Now] when you see him playing, you can see a man who is motivated to catch up on lost time, and to make his country win. It's no coincidence if he is the best scorer of this Afcon."

BBC Focus on Africa radio

Huge security challenges in the Sahel, "disillusionment" with democracy, plus the "complacence shown [towards] the coup d'etat in Chad" failing to deter other nations - these are all to blame for Africa's rash of coups, according to one expert.

Said Djinnit is a veteran Algerian diplomat who has worked for the United Nations and the African Union at the highest levels, including mediating in past coups.

"The perennial problem and contradiction is between democracy and security," he tells BBC Focus on Africa radio, saying those in power all too often "give precedence to security rather than democracy".

"When there was a coup in Mauritania some 10 years ago, countries in the region gave consideration to their own security."

Mr Djinnit has tried to help create the architecture to "coup-proof" countries through transnational institutions like the AU and Ecowas. He tells the BBC that the agreed definition of what constitutes a coup needs to be updated.

There's the "classic coup" of the military stepping in and seizing power, but there's also the democratic coup, he says - where an "incumbent government manipulates the constitution to perpetuate itself in power".

Diplomacy and governance are key in his opinion - given that sanctions appear not to deter coups, and "the military solution" of deploying AU forces isn't one he has much faith in either.

"It has to do with the key role of the African Union to continue working and promoting the governance agenda of the continent," he says.

Gabon's football federation insists it can investigate alleged widespread paedophilia within its community despite claims it is not fit to do so.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

There are concerns over the possible environmental impact of an explosion on an oil production vessel off the coast of Nigeria.

It is still not clear how much oil has spilled into the sea, and the fate of its 10 crew members is also unknown.

The vessel can hold up to two million barrels of oil, but an industry source said there were about 50,000 barrels in storage when it exploded on Thursday morning.

Soon after, footage from the scene near Warri in the Niger Delta showed a huge cloud of dark smoke billowing from the Trinity Spirit which was on fire and partly submerged:

Rhoda Odhiambo
BBC health reporter, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

A 20-year study on the use of treated mosquito bed nets in Tanzania, external has found that children who sleep under them at an early age are more likely to survive into adulthood.

This rare, long-term study sought to debunk a theory claiming that preventing malaria in early life could make people more vulnerable later in life due to a lack of immunity.

It was conducted by Ifakara Health Institute, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health institute.

More than 6,700 children were monitored between 1998 and 2018 in Ulanga and Kilombero districts in rural Tanzania, where malaria is endemic.

Some 600 children died while the study was taking place, which means that survival rates are not representative of all births.

Anne Ngugi
BBC Swahili

Image source, Lucy Nyawira

A Kenyan pastor has told the BBC about her decision to hide her HIV-positive status from her husband for many years.

As a young woman it had crossed Lucy Nyawira’s mind that she might have the virus as she had had several partners before her marriage, and a number of people in her family had been also diagnosed with it.

However, she did not go for a test until she became pregnant in 2005, a few years after her marriage.

"I tested positive after tests during a prenatal clinic and I was scared to death," she said.

The stigma associated with the virus plunged her into depression - and she was unable at first to tell anyone about her situation.

She even breastfed her son, against the advice of doctors - as there is a chance of mother-to-baby transmission.

Ms Nyawira would often listen to sad funeral songs, and her husband suspected something was wrong - but she was just not able to open up.

When her son became ill as a toddler, the whole family was tested for HIV. She was very relieved to discover that her son and husband were negative.

Her husband then knew she had HIV - and she was grateful he agreed to stay in the marriage, yet they did not talk about her diagnosis as a family, it seemed they were all in denial.

However, by this time she had opened up to her church leaders - and this helped her accept her HIV status and influenced her decision to become a pastor herself.

It also emboldened her to eventually open up to her wider family.

With their acceptance, she then went public with her status - and for the last two years has been touring churches and other forums to speak about her experience.

The pastor wants to take away the stigma around HIV, so others do not suffer like she did.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The president of Ghana has warned that West Africa is in great danger as a result of recent coups in the region.

At a key meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), Nana Akufo-Addo - the chair of the regional body - described last year's military takeover in Mali as "contagious".

He said there was a need to respond collectively and decisively to stop the trend from devastating the entire region.

The Ecowas meeting in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, was called in response to last month's coup in Burkina Faso.

Last year the 15-member bloc imposed sanctions on Mali and Guinea following military takeovers there.

Adding to the region's turmoil was a gun attack on Tuesday on the president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo. Officials described that as an attempt to seize power.

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

Ten people have died in Zimbabwe after being swept away while trying to cross a swollen river close to the border with Mozambique.

These are the first deaths to be announced in the country as a result of Tropical Storm Ana, which has killed more than 80 people in other southern African countries.

More than 100,000 people have also been made homeless in Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique as a result of severe flooding.

Officials in Zimbabwe say homes, crops, bridges and schools have also been destroyed.

Another tropical cyclone is heading towards the region. Storm Batsirai is expected to make landfall in Madagascar on Saturday with winds in excess of 200km/h (124mph).

Image source, EPA

Yasine Mohabuth
BBC News, Port Louis

Image source, Defimedia.info

A bus driver has been killed in a road accident on the north-west coast of Mauritius - the only death linked to Cyclone Batsirai.

The bus driver was riding his motorcycle to report to work early on Thursday morning when he hit a tree that had fallen blocking the road.

The tree had been destabilised by the cyclone's gusts of up to 155 km/h (96pmh).

Mauritius' cyclone alert had been lifted on Thursday at 04:10 local time (00:10 GMT), after which the driver left his house to report to work.

Aged 55, he had given about 20 years of service at Triolet Bus Service (TBS), a privately owned transport company.

TBS Director Viraj Nundlall said he was "saddened", and described the deceased as an exemplary employee who "fulfilled his civic duty to transport passengers".

Road users have been urged to be cautious because there are pockets of fog and debris on the road.

There is currently an advisory of strong swells and strong winds, while several stations are still recording gusts of around 100km/h.

These showers are causing water to accumulate, and rivers are flooding. The public is strictly advised not to venture into these risky areas.

More than 1,000 homes are still without electricity.

In the neighbouring island of Réunion, 12 people have been injured in incidents caused by the cyclone.

Image source, AFP

A key meeting of West African leaders has begun in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, following several coups in the region as well as worsening instability as a result of jihadist violence.

The Economic Community of West African States, or Ecowas, has just sent two delegations to Burkina Faso after the military seized power there last month.

The 15-member bloc has suspended Burkina Faso's membership.

Over the last year Ecowas has imposed sanctions on Mali and Guinea following coups there and a reluctance by the military leaders to restore civilian rule.

Adding to the region's turmoil was a gun attack on Tuesday on the president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló. Officials described that as an attempt to seize power.

You may also be interested in:

• Are military takeovers on the rise in Africa?
• Guinea-Bissau: The 'narco-state' trying to kick its drug habit
• Return of the military strongmen to West Africa

South African cyclist Nic Dlamini will lead and mentor a new-look Team Qhubeka as they compete as a UCI Continental team in 2022.

John Hutchinson
BBC Weather

Cyclone Batsirai is an intense tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 90 knots (165km/hr) and gusts up to 230km/hr.

The cyclone is currently almost 200km north-north-west of Réunion and the current forecast from MétéoFrance is for the system to maintain intense tropical cyclone status until landfall in Madagascar on Saturday, although some temporary weakening may occur if it undergoes an eyewall replacement cycle.

Réunion has been on a red cyclone alert since Wednesday evening. Gusts at the Gillot airport have reached 76mph with heavy rain affecting much of the island, especially across the high ground of the south, east and centre. Conditions should start to improve later today.

The current forecast has Batsirai moving westwards over the next few days before making landfall in eastern Madagascar, likely between between Vatomandry and Mananjary, around the middle of the day on Saturday. The rainfall associated with Batsirai is likely to begin from Friday.

At the time of landfall, Batsirai is still expected to be an intense tropical cyclone with sustained winds of close to 200km/hr.

There are indications that some eastern parts of Madagascar could see 400-500mm of rain by the end of the weekend. Average monthly rainfall for Mananjary in February is around 360mm and so it is possible that more than a month’s worth of rain falls in a few days.

Madagascar was recently affected by floods from the beginnings of tropical storm Ana earlier this month which brought 200-300mm of rain across the northern half of Madagascar.

Batsirai will compound those issues and could bring further devastating floods and landslides and wind and rain damage, although the track is much farther south than Ana.

The cyclone will weaken as it crosses Madagascar but could re-strengthen again to a tropical cyclone as it moves into the Mozambique channel.

Landfall in Inhambane province of Mozambique next week is still possible but there is still a lot of uncertainty on the track of Batsirai after it moves across Madagascar.

Parts of Mozambique also suffered from Ana bringing extra reason for close monitoring of possible changes in the track.

There is also a moderate risk of another tropical storm developing at the end of the week well to the east of Madagascar, although this is not currently expected to impact any of the islands.

Image source, Football Association Malawi

A group of Malawians living in the US have given a cash reward to footballers who represented the country in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) games in Cameroon.

This is after the team reached the knock-out phase of the tournament for the first time.

The country's football association said it had received 2.8m Malawian kwacha ($154,000; £114,000) from a group of football-loving Malawians.

"Each player pocketed K95,000 while the team’s equipment manager and security officer got K70,000 each," read a statement from the association.

The Malawians in the diaspora raised the money through a WhatsApp group.

Group chairman Tonny Chirwa said they had given the players the money as a token of appreciation for a job well done and as motivation for them to continue working hard and aiming high.

President Lazarus Chakwera had also the footballers a cash reward if they got a "desired result" in their game against Senegal and proceeded to the round of 16.

Malawi achieved a goalless draw in their game with Senegal and proceeded to the round of 16 where they lost to Morocco.

Mayeni Jones
BBC News, Lagos

An oil production vessel has exploded off the coast of Nigeria with 10 crew members on board.

Footage from the scene shows huge plumes of smoke coming from the sinking ship, parts of which are on fire:

The Trinity Spirit is a floating oil production and storage vessel based in Warri in the Niger Delta, and has capacity to hold up to two million barrels of oil a day.

Its owner, Shebah Exploration and Production, told agencies that investigations were under way to establish the cause of the explosion.

The Niger Delta has suffered from environmental pollution caused by oil production for decades. Oil spills and gas flaring have destroyed large swathes of the region’s ecosystem and caused health issues in local populations.

The Delta is the centre of oil production in Nigeria, but locals say they’ve received too small a share of the wealth it generates. Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer.

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The French defence minister, Florence Parly, is on a two-day visit to Niger as part of plans to devise a new security strategy for the Sahel.

This follows mounting tensions with neighbouring Mali's military leaders, including the expulsion of the French ambassador earlier this week.

Germany has called into question its military mission in Mali, where it has 1,000 troops serving as part of a United Nations force.

The European Union says it will make a decision by mid-February on whether to withdraw all of its troops serving in a special unit in Mali which fights Islamist militants.

You may also be interested in:

• Why France faces so much anger in West Africa

• Russian mercenary plan triggers alarm in West Africa