Rhoda Odhiambo
BBC West Africa correspondent, Lagos

Image source, AFP

One of Nigeria’s best known film directors and authors, Biyi Bandele, has died at the age of 54.

"He was taken from us much too soon," said his daughter Temi Bandele on Monday, announcing that he had died the day before in Lagos.

"He was a storyteller to his bones, with an unblinking perspective, singular voice and wisdom which spoke boldly through all of his art, in poetry, novels, plays and on screen."

Bandele was perhaps best known for directing the 2013 film Half of a Yellow Sun, adapted from the novel by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

He also directed Fifty, about modern African womanhood, which was screened at the 2015 London Film Festival. Later projects included directing two episodes of the Blood Sisters series on Netflix.

His friends and colleagues have described him as hardworking and committed.

"Biyi had an eye for a story, was always passionate about his work and had a great love for Yoruba culture. We will miss his dedication, cheerful spirit and collaborative nature. Rest in peace, dear friend," said Mo Abudu, the CEO of Ebony Life group, on Instagram.

Filmmaker Kenneth Gyang tweeted: "My heart is heavy. We were planning to make his book Burma Boy into a major motion picture. There were many others in the works."

Lalla Sy
BBC News

At least 17 soldiers and four civilians were killed on Sunday, with nine others missing, after an attack attributed to Islamists in the town of Tessit in the area close to the borders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which is frequently the scene of clashes and attacks.

There were at least two other jihadist attacks on Sunday - killing 12 civilians on Saturday in central Mali and five police officers on Sunday in the south-west.

The death toll from the attack in Tessit, however, is still provisional and likely to change - according to a Malian army statement released Monday.

The army said it had killed seven people in Tessit thought to be from the Islamic State in the Great Sahara, using drone and artillery support to set off explosives.

The Malian army also reported 22 wounded in its ranks, plus significant damage to civilian homes, including vehicles and military installations.

Mali has been under threat from Islamist militants since 2012, initially confined to the north but has spread to central and southern Mali, as well as to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Read more:

• Why coup leaders couldn't stop jihadist attacks
• Mali troops and suspected Russian fighters accused of massacre
• A quick guide to Mali's history

How voting unfolded in the race to decide who leads East Africa's powerhouse.

Guy Bandolo
BBC News, Yaoundé

Charity group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on Monday announced its withdrawal from two towns in Cameroon's English-speaking South-West region.

It said the decision to leave Kumba and Mamfe follows the arrest of four members of its local team.

The charity said a small team and adequate resources will still be maintained in the city of Buea.

MSF said it would also continue to work for the release of its staff and engage with the authorities for a safe and secure environment for its operations.

The demand for medical care is high in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, which have been plagued by a separatist conflict since 2017.

Several hospitals have been burned there - depriving locals of proper healthcare.

In December 2021, the spokesperson of the defence ministry, Colonel Cyrille Atonfack accused MSF of supporting the separatists after they helped a wounded rebel leader.

MSF denied the accusation, saying it treats people regardless of their ethnic, political or religious background.

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

You can also keep up to date on the BBC News website, or by listening to the 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 shot of South African table tennis star Zodwa Maphangain at the Commonwealth Games in England:

Image source, Reuters

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

Nigeria is threatening to withdraw from the regional group, Ecowas, following allegations that Nigerian candidates are being sidelined for jobs and promotions.

Some in Ecowas have also complained of nepotism - alleging that relatives and cronies are sometimes selected for posts.

Sidie Tunis, the Ecowas parliamentary speaker, has ordered all recruitment to the organisation be suspended, and created a panel to investigate alleged malpractice to report its findings within a week.

The Ecowas parliament leadership has said it will uphold and protect the rights of all citizens of the community to aspire to positions in any Ecowas institution, in line with the provisions of the body’s founding protocols.

The Economic Community of West African States, Ecowas, was established in 1975 to promote economic integration among its 15 member countries.

Ameyu Etana
BBC News Afaan Oromoo

Police say they have arrested a senior member of the banned Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in the border town of Moyale.

Mahammed Amme was disguised as a different person at the time, officers say. The OLA has not commented on the arrest.

The OLA is an ally of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) - both of which have been designated terrorist groups by the Ethiopian parliament.

Mr Mahammed is deputy head of the OLA's southern command and is wanted by law enforcement bodies.

Kenyan authorities also accuse the OLA group for the fluid security situation in its territory.

Last year, long-time head of southern command of the group, Gollicha Dhenge, defected to the Ethiopian government.

Dickens Olewe
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, Getty Images

The suspension of voting in four areas, including in some of most closely watched gubernatorial races, is the sort of news the electoral commission chairman would have not wanted to announce on the eve of a consequential general election.

Wafula Chebukati already suffers from a crisis of confidence after the presidential election he was in charge of five years ago was annulled and re-run.

Tuesday's election was meant to redeem him, but after the stream of concerning news today, his task just got harder.

In the last few hours Mr Chebukati has had to dismiss several electoral officials because of alleged improper meetings with candidates, a vehicle carrying voting material was attacked by the public and items damaged, and a kit that was to be used to verify voters and send results has been reported missing in another region.

He has sought to reassure Kenyans that the commission was prepared to run the election but his words now ring hollow.

If the administrative problems continue to mount in the hours ahead and become especially acute when polls open on Tuesday, then the electoral commission will have a full blown crisis on its hand.

At the moment, many Kenyans are hoping that the day’s events were an aberration and that the commission will be up to the task to deliver a fair and credible election.

Senegal coach Aliou Cisse says clubs should not take precedence over national teams after the Africa Cup of Nations was criticised.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

South Africa's minister of international relations has called for more effort to be made to resolve the war in Ukraine through dialogue.

Speaking after a meeting with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, Naledi Pandor said South Africa abhorred war.

She also called for an even-handed approach to international issues - saying the world should be equally concerned about what's happening to the people of Palestine as the people of Ukraine.

Relations with the US have been somewhat strained in recent months as South Africa, a regional superpower, remained neutral in the Ukraine war.

Mr Blinken is also due to visit Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It was announced earlier that voting has been suspended in four places in Kenya following problems with ballot papers.

It affects the governorship elections in the counties of Mombasa and Kakamega, and MP elections in the constituencies of Kacheliba and Pokot South.

No date has yet been set for when those delayed elections will happen, according to the head of the electoral body, the IEBC.

Mercy Juma
BBC News, Nairobi

Voters in Kenya must present their national identification cards in order to cast their ballot, and there have been long queues at issuing centres as people rush to collect the cards before Tuesday's polls.

Hundreds thronged the Huduma Centre in Kibra, Nairobi, and an official there said he was shocked "to see all these people" when he arrived on Tuesday morning.

"Where have they been all these days?" he asked.

A woman in the queue told the BBC that she had lost her ID card a while back and then applied for a new one, and would be "so devastated if I do not get my replacement today".

Meanwhile residents in Nairobi have been visiting their polling stations and scanning the names on the registers put on the walls, to check whether they are on the list and in which streams in the polling station they will be voting.

Roncliffe Odit & Gladys Kigo
BBC News

Security has been stepped up in various parts of Kenya ahead of Tuesday's general election - including the lakeside city of Kisumu.

It's the home and stronghold of presidential candidate Raila Odinga.

Kisumu has also witnessed violent post-election protests in the past and it is among the six counties that have been marked as high risk with potential for some degree of electoral violence.

Earlier, uniformed security officers were deployed to different areas and polling stations.

Last week, the US embassy in Nairobi issued a warning to its citizens against travelling to Kisumu.

Mercy Juma
BBC News, Nairobi

The head of Kenya's electoral body has suspended voting in four places in the country, following a mix-up in the printing of ballot papers.

The areas affected are the counties Mombasa and Kakamega where gubernatorial elections will not happen, and Pokot South and Kacheliba constituencies where constituents will not cast ballots for MPs.

Details and images of the candidates listed on the ballots were wrong, said Chairman Wafula Chebukati of Kenya's electoral body, the IEBC.

Last week, the IEBC suspended elections in four wards following the deaths of candidates, under various circumstances.

On Tuesday, Kenyans will be electing a new president as well as legislators and county administrations.

Aboubakar Famau
BBC News, Mombasa

There has been confusion on Kenya's coast, following a mix-up of ballot papers between Mombasa county and the neighbouring Kilifi county.

The error was spotted at an election material distribution centre, prompting concern from rights group Haki Africa who told the BBC they feared the problem might not be sorted in time for Tuesday morning when voting begins:

Officials from Kenya's electoral commission, the IEBC, have appealed to Mombasa residents to remain calm, and assured people that the problem will be addressed in good time.

"There has been a bit of a mix-up. But that is an issue which is within our means. We have already communicated to the relevant authority, and it's being worked on,” says Sudi Masha of the IEBC.

Mombasa county has 641,000 registered voters with a total of 1,041 polling centres.

Former Nigeria international Victor Moses is facing a long lay-off after suffering an Achilles injury playing for club side Spartak Moscow.

David Wafula
BBC News

Security has been beefed up in Kenya’s Rift Valley region ahead of Tuesday's general election.

Demonstrations have been banned during the voting period, and Rift Valley Regional Police Commissioner Mohamed Maalim has warned that anyone intending to disrupt the elections will face the full force of the law.

He said at least two police officers will guard each of the 1,230 polling stations in the region, and no idling will be allowed.

Nine people have been arrested and then released on bail following reports that election leaflets containing hate speech had been circulating in parts of the region.

The Kerio Valley is a hotspot for banditry but Mr Maalim says they have taken charge and and assured people that there would be a peaceful voting process in the area.

The area has been under a dusk-to-dawn curfew which has been relaxed for three days to allow voting to take place.

The Rift Valley region is home to 14 of Kenya's 47 counties, accounting for the highest total numbers of voters at 5.34 million.

Long jumper Ese Brume hopes a gold rush by Nigeria's women at the Commonwealth Games can inspire girls in the country to take up sport.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

Cambodia plans to deport a Nigerian man who tested positive for monkeypox while in neighbouring Thailand and then entered Cambodia last month, privately-owned Nigerian daily The Nation has reported., external

The 27-year-old male patient, who has not been named, is being treated in hospital and will then be deported after recovery and barred from re-entering Cambodia for three years, the newspaper said, citing Cambodian officials.

If it goes ahead it would be the first time someone has been deported to Nigeria over their monkeypox status.

Thai officials said the man , externalwas not admitted to hospital before leaving the country as his condition was not considered severe.

More about monkeypox:

• What is monkeypox and how do you catch it?
• Monkeypox and gay men: Separating stigma from health advice
• Monkeypox guidance from the World Health Organization, external

Dickens Olewe
BBC News, Nairobi

On the eve of Kenya's much-awaited election there's little activity at a polling centre in Milimani primary school in the capital, Nairobi.

Parts of the voters' register that had been put up on the main gate, to allow people to check their eligibility, were scattered on the ground.

"No-one tore them, it's strong winds", the school guard told me, and quickly offered better alternatives than paper sticking tape that should have been used.

Two women in the school compound, the only other people there, told me they were polling clerks and were there because they had not received any communication from the electoral commission.

"We were hoping to see them here, I'm supposed to be a clerk at this centre tomorrow but I don't know what's happening, we were trained over the weekend," one told me.

Nearby, at Kilimani primary school it was a similar situation with no presence of police officers or electoral commission staff.

The school guard told me I was "early" and that the material was on its way.

"I'll be the first one to vote tomorrow," he said, unprompted, then pointed at his house in the school compound, likely sensing that I didn't believe him.