A journalist in Burkina Faso's capital reports that the military have blocked a key road near the office of the country's prime minister and are turning away people from accessing government buildings.

Most of the soldiers are wearing ski masks, Henry Wilkins says, adding that police officers say they have no idea what is going on.

"Many people still going about their daily business," he adds.

Shots were heard early Friday around Burkina Faso's presidential palace and the headquarters of its military junta, the AFP news agency reports quoting witnesses.

Main roads in the capital Ouagadougou have been blocked by soldiers.

Troops are stationed on the main crossroads of a neighbourhood that is home to the presidential and military junta headquarters, the agency reports.

The situation in Burkina Faso is confusing and it's unclear who is behind the deployment of soldiers in the capital, Ouagadougou, and around the presidential palace.

Gunfire has also been reported at military barracks elsewhere in the country.

It is however notable that bodies of 11 soldiers and 50 civilians were discovered on Monday in the northern town of Djibo after an ambush on Monday.

A military junta, led by Lt Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, seized power in January, promising an end to the Islamist insurgency that started in 2015, but violence still rages.

A local outlet reports that gunfire was heard at other military barracks located in towns across Burkina Faso.

The news site, Actualite Burkina Faso, has not named the towns.

Initial reports had only indicated heavy gunfire from the main military barracks in the capital, Ouagadougou.

State TV is off air and access to buildings near the national radio station has been restricted.

The situation is Burkina Faso's capital is confused after heavy gunfire was reported, news site Jeune Afrique reports.

Armed soldiers have taken positions at several points in Ouagadougou, it adds in a tweet.

Jeune Afrique also says that the country's leader, Lt-Col Paul-Henri Damiba, who seized power in January, is "in the capital and doing well".

Burkina Faso state TV is currently off-air, BBC Monitoring confirms, amid heavy gunfire in the capital, Ouagadougou.

There are soldiers along the main avenue leading to the presidency, and some areas near buildings around the national radio have been restricted.

Burkina Faso saw a military coup in January this year, with Lt-Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba seizing power.

On Thursday, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in the western Burkina Faso city of Bobo Dioulasso to demand his resignation.

The protesters reportedly blamed Lt-Col Damiba for the chaotic management of the security situation.

Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka

Image source, AFP

Former Zambia president Edgar Lungu says he is ready to face the law if he stole during his term.

Mr Lungu is unhappy that he, as well as his former government officials and family members, have been subjects of investigation for crimes allegedly committed when he was president.

He was particularly displeased that state investigators on Thursday went to a piece of land that he owns to carry out investigations.

Mr Lungu has since appealed to his successor Hakainde Hichilema to start the process of removing his constitutional immunity from prosecution so that he can clear his name.

“He who alleges, must prove and we will defend ourselves," he later told members of parliament and supporters from his Patriotic Front party who visited him.

"My urge is that may the president institute the lifting of my immunity by going to parliament to lay a case so that he can eventually prove what crimes I committed," he said.

Mr Lungu, who last year lost power to Mr Hichilema, has previously denied many allegations of corruption during his time as president.

Heavy gunfire has been heard in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, reports say. It has also been reported that state TV has gone off-air.

The Reuters news agency says that the gunfire is coming from the main army camp and some residential areas in the capital.

Multiple tweets indicate that there is a heavy army presence and some roads have been blocked.

The reports have not been verified.

Yemane Nagish
BBC Tigrinya

Image source, Tigray TV

Fresh air strikes against Ethiopia's northern Tigray region killed at least six people on Tuesday, an aid worker told the BBC, with rebel forces accusing neighbouring Eritrea of carrying out the attack.

The Eritrean government, whose troops previously fought alongside Ethiopian soldiers in the region, has not responded to the accusation.

Tuesday's attack targeted Adi-Daero town, located near the Eritrean border, the aid worker said.

He added that he saw people injured in the attack being taken to hospital by an ambulance.

The Tigrayan authorities say the air strikes were carried out "repeatedly" on Tuesday and destroyed residential houses.

The regional media run by the Tigray authorities aired footage of the devastation caused by the alleged attack.

The BBC is unable to verify the events. All means of communication have been cut off in the region and journalists have been denied access to the region.

However the BBC has analysed satellite images showing a major military build-up around Shiraro, a border town the Tigray forces had reportedly lost a few weeks ago.

The satellite images taken this month show troops and heavy artilleries positioned along the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Read more:

• Satellite images capture troop build-up near Eritrea border

Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

Image source, AFP

The Mozambican police chief has asked residents in areas recently attacked by jihadists in the northern Cabo Delgado province to resist the attackers.

In talks with the local population, Bernardino Rafael urged people to use all the means at their disposal and called for greater vigilance to protect the community.

“Now is not the time to run away. It’s time to resist. When they [the jihadists] enter our fields what we have to do is chase them and resist with a knife, a machete [or] a spear and then one of you runs to communicate to the security forces to join and chase these jihadists away,” he said.

He assured the population that the militants were being pursued and some had been killed during armed confrontations.

In Quissanga district, local residents, particularly the youth, asked for weapons to help defend their land from jihadist invasions.

The police chief assured that those who are qualified would be integrated into the local force - a group that works with government soldiers and international allies in the fight against terrorism.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

A video circulating on social media showing the bodies of soldiers reportedly shot dead by gunmen in south-east Nigeria has sparked public outrage.

The gory video, which appeared to have been filmed after an attack, showed crowds of people around what looked like a security vehicle with an inscription of “army” written on both sides.

Two bodies were lying separately on the ground while two others were inside the car in a pool of blood.

The source of the undated video has not been confirmed.

The police and the army are yet to make any statement on the incident.

But the governor of Anambra state has condemned the attack on the military.

Local media had reported that gunmen had killed four soldiers and a civilian in the state on Wednesday.

People have expressed worry and anger over incessant attacks by militant groups in the state, mostly targeting security agencies, government officials and public facilities.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Mali presidency

Mali's transitional authorities have received a delegation of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) for talks on the fate of 46 Ivorian soldiers detained in the country since 10 July.

Mali's military leader Col Assimi Goïta welcomed the Ecowas leaders as they arrived at the Modibo Keita International Airport in Bamako on Thursday, according to the Malian presidency on Facebook., external

The delegation comprises Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, his Gambian counterpart Adama Barrow, Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs Robert Dussey and mediator for Mali Goodluck Jonathan.

The military-led government had postponed the arrival of the Ecowas delegation to Thursday, citing "calendar constraints". They had been due to arrive two days earlier.

Senegalese President Macky Sall and his Togolese counterpart, Faure Gnassingbe, were to be part of the delegation announced last Thursday, during an extraordinary Ecowas session the same day in New York, on the side-lines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Ecowas chairperson Umaro Sissoco Embalo had hinted at fresh sanctions for Mali if it continued to detain the 46 Ivorian soldiers.

Mali's Foreign Minister, Abdoulaye Diop, said his country would not obey any order on the detention of the soldiers, accused of being mercenaries.

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Adidas says an Algerian palace inspired the design, but Morocco says it is cultural appropriation.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for today. There will be an automated news feed until Friday morning Nairobi time.

You can keep up to date on the BBC News website, or by listening to the Africa Today podcast.

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And we leave you with these pictures of Thursday's protest in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, against the military government:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

A court rules that Tsitsi Dangarembga incited violence by walking with a sign calling for reform.

Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Accra

Image source, AFP

The Ghana Football Association has suspended the country’s Premier League indefinitely.

It follows a court case brought by the side Ashanti Gold, also known as Ashgold, to place an injunction on the league, until a court case ends on 14 October.

In a statement the Ghana FA said that it would seek redress to ensure the prompt return of the league, to avoid further disruption because of the upcoming World Cup.

The suspension is likely to affect sponsors, players and officials.

Ashgold filed another lawsuit at the human rights court against the Ghana FA when the club was demoted to Division Two.

According to the Ghana FA, the club was found culpable of match-fixing and manipulation when they defeated Inter Allies football club 7-0 in the previous league season.

Ashgold argued that the FA had infringed on their rights with its ruling. The Premier League was scheduled to have its fourth round of matches this weekend.

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja

Candidates for next February’s presidential elections in Nigeria have signed an agreement promising to run peaceful campaigns.

They’ve also agreed to respect electoral laws before, during and after the elections to ensure a violence-free process.

In a recorded video message to the signing ceremony in Abuja, outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari urged candidates to run "issue-based campaigns", shun "personal attacks, insults and incitement" and avoid spreading fake news.

Mr Buhari is serving his second and final term in office and the election will be to choose his successor.

Campaigning for the crucial election in Africa’s largest democracy officially started on Wednesday.

Elections in Nigeria are usually held in a tense atmosphere.

The National Peace Accord initiative was first introduced during the 2015 election season – following post-election violence in 2011 when hundreds of people were killed.

Image source, AFP

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

Image source, Getty Images

The courtroom gasped and the two accused stood motionless as the verdict was pronounced.

Acclaimed author Tsitsi Dangarembga and friend Julie Barnes: "Guilty of inciting public violence and breaching the peace", came the judgement.

Critics say freedom of speech was on trial here.

The two women were arrested for holding placards on the side of a main road that called for a better Zimbabwe, for reforms and for the release from jail of two government critics.

They say they were merely exercising their constitutional rights.

But the magistrate ruled that by protesting on a public road intended could have provoked the public to protest.

The sentence is a fine of 70,000 Zimbabwe dollars ($110; £100) or three months in jail if they can’t pay.

They have agreed to pay the fine and have until Tuesday to do so.

If they reoffend within the next five years they will be jailed for six months.

It comes amid criticism of a government crackdown on opponents.

Patience Atuhaire
BBC News, Kampala

Soon Ugandans who need organ transplants will no longer have to travel abroad, thanks to a new law allowing the procedure in the country.

Kidney patients are currently the biggest group in need of transplants in Uganda. There is just one dialysis unit in the whole country.

A kidney transplant can cost at least $30,000 (£27,000) abroad, but experts say this could come down to about $8,000 if done within the country.

The new law will clear the way for transplantation centres and a national waiting list of organ recipients to be created, but also contains stringent measures in case of organ trafficking or abuse of donors' rights.

Operating an illegal transplant clinic or harvesting organs from a living person without their consent may attract life imprisonment.

Parliament has approved the new transplant law meaning that it will come into force as soon as the president gives his assent - which is largely a formality, because assent is almost always given.

Read more: Uganda's transplant revolution brings hope to thousands