Nicolas Negoce
BBC News

Image source, AFP

At least 60 people were killed on Monday in an explosion at a make-shift gold mine in a village near Gaoua in south-west Burkina Faso.

Dozens more people were injured, including women and children

It happened as explosives stored near a gold panning site blew up, local officials and witnesses said.

Most of the injured people were evacuated to the Gaoua regional hospital.

A regional prosecutor who visited the scene said an investigation had been opened into the tragedy.

Accidents are frequent at unauthorised mining operations in some African countries, with safety regulation often minimal or non-existent.

Our African proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

President Buhari says the success of local rice production means prices will drop - but they haven't.

Kenya and Zimbabwe will play in South Africa's Currie Cup as the two countries prepare for 2023 Rugby World Cup qualifiers later this year.

That is all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. There will be an automated news feed here until we're back on Tuesday morning.

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

A reminder of our wise words of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo of boys herding cattle in Binga, Zimbabwe:

Pumza Fihlani
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, Reuters

South Africa's health ministry says people over the age of 18 will now be allowed to "mix" their vaccines.

It means, for example, that those who took the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be eligible to receive a booster dose of Pfizer.

The new regulations mean there is now a shorter waiting period between the first and second dose.

From Wednesday, the interval between the first and the second doses of the Pfizer jab will be reduced from six weeks to three weeks.

There will now also be a shorter waiting period of two months for a booster dose for those who’ve taken the Johnson & Johnson shot.

Until recently scientists around the world have been divided on the merits and safety of mixing vaccines.

It's been done in parts of Europe and in the US.

About 31 million doses have been administered in South Africa so far, and officials hope these latest measures will boost uptake.

The sculpture taken in Benin City in 1897 was obtained by the University of Aberdeen in 1957.

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

The head of one of South Sudan's top private universities says the country's institutions must invest in research.

"As South Sudanese, don't be left behind in the world. Be aware of the world in which we live, the dot-com-generation world. Anything that is not documented in research is not valuable," said Chancellor Kenneth Mutuma Wyne to graduating students of Starford International University College of South Sudan.

"There are Europeans who become experts on South Sudan – because South Sudanese don't write research about South Sudan. We are tired of non-Africans writing research about Africa," he added.

The message at the weekend ceremony resonated with many, including Ruot George Wal Mut, who used to live in a UN refugee camp and has just graduated with a degree in international relations and diplomacy:

"It is time for us to believe in ourselves and in our local expertise, and not to rely so much on foreign skills. If this advice is taken seriously and implemented, it will change the situation in South Sudan."

He said the day marked a "double celebration" for him - "my graduation and also the birth of my baby girl just a few hours after my graduation. I am very, very happy," he told the BBC.

Image source, Ruot George Wal Mut/Facebook

South Sudan's private universities are considered more competitive than its public ones, but the $200 (£147) fee per semester is off limits for most in the country given the dire economic situation.

Burundi qualify for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations for the first ever time after beating Djibouti 11-1 on aggregate.

Why suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari has fallen out of favour in Nigeria.

Image source, AFP

Lawmakers in Mali have unanimously approved a plan allowing the military junta to rule for up to five years.

No date has yet been set for future polls.

Elections had been due last month but were cancelled by Mali's military leaders, prompting economic sanctions by regional bloc Ecowas.

Mali is now taking legal action to lift sanctions imposed by West Africa's monetary union, Uemoa, as it battles a debt crisis.

More about Mali:

• Why are French troops leaving Mali?
• Mali names coup leader Col Assimi Goïta as transitional president

Issa Abdull
BBC News

Somalia's President Mohamed Farmaajo has rejected an oil revenue sharing deal signed by the petroleum ministry and an American firm.

Coastline Exploration said it had signed seven deals related to offshore oil and gas exploration.

"Somalia contains the largest remaining unexplored set of basins situated in warm waters in the world, external. We are honoured and excited to be part of its future development," it added in a statement.

But a statement from Somalia's presidency announced the “nullification” of the deal, saying Mr Farmaajo had not been consulted.

It added that the deal contravened a presidential decree forbidding such agreements during an election year.

The petroleum ministry and Coastline Exploration have not yet commented on the presidency's statement.

Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble has also rejected the deal.

On Sunday, Somalia’s auditor-general said he had lodged a legal case with the attorney-general.

He claimed the petroleum ministry had signed an “unlawful agreement” which puts at risk Somali resources and the coming generation”.

He has also asked the ministry of internal affairs to launch an investigation into the matter.

The development indicates a lack of coordination among different government departments, as the country gears up to complete much-delayed elections.

BBC World Service

The International Court of Justice has resumed public hearings into allegations that the government of Myanmar committed genocide against the Muslim Rohingya minority.

Myanmar's military rulers argue that The Gambia - which filed the case - does not have the jurisdiction to do so.

The military, who seized power last year, have also replaced the Nobel peace prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, as their representative at the hearings.

Human rights groups hope the case can bring some justice for the Rohingyas.

More on this topic:

• The Gambian who took Aung San Suu Kyi to the world court

Teklemariam Bekit
BBC News Tigrinya

Image source, EBS

An Eritrean man separated from his mother when he was a child has been reunited with her 47 years later.

His mother, Zenebech, made an emotional appearance on Ethiopian TV channel EBS days ago, saying her daily prayer was "to see my son before I die".

Mussie Kahsay Tesfagergis surprised her with a phone call soon after, and flew from his home in the United States to Ethiopia where his mother now lives.

Mussie became teary-eyed as he arrived at the airport, recalling his mother. When asked what what gift he had brought his mother, he replied: "Myself."

Mother and son were introduced at a ceremony hosted by the family and EBS. Mussie said he had no real memory of her, but knew her face from photographs.

They sobbed as they hugged one another.

"I feel happy when I see my mother after all these years. This is the happiest day of my life," Mussie said.

"I'd love to kiss the sky, but I couldn't reach it. I owe my gratitude to all Ethiopians," his mother said.

Mussie's long-lost brother said: "I am really happy - I had only seen him in a photo."

Mussie was taken as a child by his Eritrean father who was an air force mechanic, and travelled to Asmara, the capital, with his two brothers.

They left their mother in 1966, during the reign of Haile Selassie. Zenebech never heard from her sons again.

But she received a letter during the Derg period, stating that one son had gone to the bush to fight alongside the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) and the other two had moved abroad.

Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka

Police in Zambia have blocked a protest by doctors who want to be employed by the government.

Police in riot gear stopped the medics from marching up to State House in Lusaka, where the doctors wanted an audience with President Hakainde Hichilema.

One of the marching doctors, Wallace Ndumba, told privately-owned Diamond television that medics will no longer offer free service as volunteers because of unfulfilled promises to give them paid employment.

More 800 doctors are unemployed in the country and they are hoping to be employed in the forthcoming recruitment round of health personnel.

Recently, Zambia's Minister of Health Sylvia Masebo said the recruitment of 11,200 medics will begin in March.

Barcelona's Asisat Oshoala is ruled out of Nigeria's crucial 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie in Ivory Coast.

Berhanu Gemechu
BBC News Afaan Oromoo

An armed Amhara group is accused of killing dozens of people and looted property in the Gidda Ayana district of Oromia state.

The district's top official, Adane Alamirew, confirmed the attack but said he was unable to identify the number of people killed and the extent of the damage due to the insecurity in the area.

A resident in one of the two villages targeted by the attackers told the BBC that at least eight people were killed and nearly 100 houses belonging to civilians were set ablaze.

There have been other attacks in Gidda Ayana and other neighbouring districts of East Wollega zone for several months now, resulting in the death of civilians, loss of property and displacement of thousands of people.

Residents say they are targeted by the armed Amhara group as well as the government for allegedly harbouring the rebel Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), which the Ethiopian government has labelled a terrorist group.

Mr Adane accused the Amhara group, OLA and another rebel group from the neighbouring region of Benishangul-Gumuz for destabilising the district.

He said OLA was behind the growing antipathy between Oromo and Amhara ethnic groups, with the two having co-existed peacefully for many years.

However OLA has repeatedly denied targeting any of ethnic groups living in Oromia.

The ex-footballer was shot dead in his taxi - a job that highlighted post-retirement challenges.

Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka

Image source, Zambian Presidency

Zambian sculptor and art teacher Sydney Siansangu says it is humbling that his art pieces have made it to the Vatican.

Mr Siansangu is making headlines in Zambia after two of his sculptures were given to Pope Francis at the Vatican as presents by President Hakainde Hichilema last week.

"First and foremost, I am humbled and greatly appreciative especially for the publicity. It's a normal feeling because my works are in many high-profile places," he told the BBC.

The pieces are part of his latest serious dubbed "Our Legacy".

"For example, my name may have already been known probably with The Vatican because of some commissioned work at the headquarters of all Jesuits in Africa and Madagascar. Others include late Magufuli [Tanzania's former president], President of Botswana, King of Morocco, King of United Arab Emirates. So the feeling is normal except that this has wide publicity," he said.

One of the pieces presented to the Pope was made from various tree species, copper wire and grey marble.

Image source, Sydney Siansangu

The sculpture has a traditional musical horn, an abstracted musical drum, shakers and rattles. The fusion of the musical instruments nods to Zambian cultural rites, and produces a harmonious and melodious sound.

"[The] musical horn can be played to gather people for a specific meeting and so is a drum. In most cases, shakers and rattles are played as accompanying instruments to provide some simple yet sharp sounds.

"Copper wire as usual in my works is a symbol of identity that also plays a key role to enhance aesthetics," he added.

Image source, Sydney Siansangu

Veteran Sierra Leone forward Kei Kamara says joining Major League Soccer side CF Montreal is a "dream come true".