The conflict, which has been raging for over a year, is triggering major displacement and hunger crises.

For the latest updates, go to bbc.com/africalive

The correspondents of Le Monde and Libération were given 24 hours to leave the former French colony.

The home secretary is challenged over evidence that refugees were shot dead by police there in 2018.

Ugandan refugees who fled to Wales because of their sexuality share their experiences.

The extraordinary life of Ethiopian Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, whose unique work captured a nation.

The bank's president David Malpass says more transparency is needed when providing economic help.

Having found a lost wallet on the island of Lampedusa, Thomas Naadi embarks on a quest to find a missing migrant.

Should African governments join the West's chorus of concern over the Chinese-owned social media app?

It’s illegal in around 30 countries in Africa to be in a same-sex relationship and recently there’s been political debate in places such as Uganda and Ghana around stricter laws. We’ve also reported on the BBC in the past few months about violence against LGBT people in Kenya and Egypt, for example. The proposed new law in Uganda is awaiting the president’s assent, and if approved, it may see people who identify as gay, lesbian or queer imprisoned for life. We’ve spent the past few weeks making contact with some of those who are affected.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team - we'll be back on Monday morning, Nairobi time at bbc.com/africalive.

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

A reminder of Friday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo of a stuffed northern white rhino - it's one of our recent favourites:

Image source, EPA

Andrew Harding
BBC News, Pretoria

Image source, Reuters

Oscar Pistorius’s bid for parole has collapsed in chaos after South African officials suddenly revealed he had not yet served enough time in prison to qualify for early release.

The former Paralympic athlete is serving 13 years for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013.

For weeks, South African officials had insisted that Pistorius was eligible to apply for parole, having served half his sentence.

A parole board duly met on Friday, to hear evidence from Pistorius himself, from prison officials and social workers, and from relatives of the woman he murdered, Reeva Steenkamp.

But afterwards, instead of announcing a decision, embarrassed officials abruptly revealed that they’d made a mistake.

They’d received but ignored a letter from South Africa’s top appeals court, explaining that Pistorius needed to spend another year-and-a-half in prison before he could be considered for parole.

Friday’s hearing should never have happened. The confusion stems from the fact that Pistorius’s time in prison has been broken up by appeals and by a period of house arrest.

There’s disagreement about where to draw the half-way line.

Pistorius’s family have expressed dismay and are seeking legal clarification. The Steenkamp family have welcomed the fact that he won’t be released until August next year, at the earliest

Chris Ewokor
BBC News

Staff at a secondary school in Nigeria have been charged with manslaughter over the death of 12-year-old girl, with a trial expected to begin in May.

The Chrisland High School pupil died of asphyxiation and electrocution, an autopsy has shown.

Since her death, the school has been shut down. The same school was temporarily closed last year after an alleged case of sexual violence involving students on a trip to Dubai.

Recently, several other schools in Lagos have been closed after alleged incidents that resulted in the death of students - variously involving bullying, a fatal accident and a suspected drowning during a swimming lesson.

Parents and residents of various schools are calling for stricter monitoring.

Others have called for strong sanctions against the affected schools to ensure management are held to account and future tragedies are avoided.

Bushra Noor Mohamed
BBC News

Image source, Said Fadhaye/IOM

Six women and five men from Ethiopia are known to have died in a road accident in Somalia, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says.

They were being transported by smugglers who reportedly planned to take them to Yemen via the port city of Bosaso, the IOM adds.

But the lorry carrying them overturned on Tuesday, a short distance from Bosaso. The IOM has only just released the details.

Investigations into how it happened are still under way, but at this stage local authorities say they believe the lorry had a mechanical issue and that no other vehicle was involved.

They confirm that 11 bodies have been buried. At least 20 other passengers were injured, the IOM says.

"We have buried the bodies and injured ones are being treated at Bosaso General Hospital," Bosaso municipality representative Mohamed Jama told the BBC.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, .

Equatorial Guinea has suspended more than 300 fishing vessels for fraudulently flying its flag, Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang has said.

He said of the 368 vessels fishing under the Equato-guinean flag, only 20 were registered with the ministry of transport and the International Maritime Organisation.

"The rest have been suspended for fraud. The next step is to put in place control and contract acquisition policies for the legal use of our flag," he posted on Twitter on Thursday.

This is not the first time the country has taken action against vessels illegally flying its flag.

In April 2022, Equatorial Guinea suspended 395 vessels for illegally sailing under its flag.

It followed the sinking of Xelo - a fishing vessel - in Tunisian territorial waters.

The vessel, allegedly flying the Equatorial Guinea flag, sank under suspicious circumstances, prompting the country to file a criminal lawsuit against its owners.

Mr Obiang Mangue subsequently sought international assistance and urged other countries to report vessels illegally flying the Equatorial Guinea flag.

BBC World Service

Tunisia has introduced strict water rationing in the face of a prolonged drought that has severely depleted the country's main reservoirs.

The use of potable water on agricultural land is banned until the end of September, a move which the farmers' union says will result in a disastrous harvest.

Residents say that drinking water has been cut overnight in parts of the capital, Tunis, and in other cities in a bid to limit consumption.

Water levels in Tunisia's main dam have fallen to just 16% of maximum capacity.

DJ Edu
Presenter of This Is Africa on BBC World Service

Image source, Courtesy of the artist

The first song that Ashleigh Moyo, aka Shashl, ever wrote propelled her into the musical spotlight in 2017 - and led to her signing with one of the continent’s major record labels.

Universal Music Africa snapped up Shashl when she was still a teenager for No More, an R&B track. She was the first female musician from Zimbabwe to be taken on by the company.

Being so young and so new to music when she signed had its benefits and drawbacks.

"It put me on the map, which I needed to be. It helped me in a great way - I can now handle a lot of situations that people go through in the music industry," she says.

"But I was so young that I didn't have the freedom to be as creative as I [truly] was. I was still finding myself trying to figure out my sound, trying to figure out who I actually am and what I wanted to do in life."

The 23-year-old has since found her sound - a mix of R&B, Afrobeats, a bit of Afro-fusion. And she sings in Shona and in English.

Being the daughter of a former government minister meant that she grew up in a privileged way. But she wanted her music and her lyrics to appeal to less well-off Zimbabweans - and so she started visiting high-density residential areas so that she could try to relate to the sorts of issues most people endure on a daily basis.

"Stepping out my comfort zone and breaking out of my shell takes me places - and that’s exactly what I did," she recalls.

In 2021, she had a huge hit with Ghetto Buddies, which has had about 1.5 million listens so far, and which she sang in Shona.

"I feel it’s easier to break into a market when you are being more genuine," she reflects.

She won Best Newcomer at the Zimbabwe Music Awards, and was nominated for best female artist in the Southern African region at the African Muzik Magazine Awards the same year.

"The fact that what I love to do is being appreciated by people. It just fills my heart with so much joy."

It also made Shashl realise that her musical talent is special, and she doesn’t need to fit in with everyone else. "For the first time I told myself that you were born to stand out."

The name she performs under - Shashl - came about because she has an older sister called Sherris. They look very similar, which meant that relatives would often get them mixed up and end up calling her a combination of Sherris and Ashleigh.

Shashl plays 10 instruments - including guitar, marimba, mbira, violin and the cello.

"One day I will give a performance playing all of them - because I feel the world deserves it," she tells me.

To hear the full interview with Sashl, listen to This is Africa on BBC World Service radio and partner stations across Africa, and online here: bbcworldservice.com/thisisafrica, external

BBC World Service

At least 10 gold miners have been killed in an accident in northern Sudan, and more than 20 others injured.

Local media have blamed the collapse of the gold mine on the use of heavy machinery.

Accidents are not uncommon in Sudan's under-regulated mining industry.

Six months ago 11 people died in a similar incident in the same part of north Sudan, while other fatalities have been reported in the western Darfur region and Kordofan in the south.

Over two million people are believed to be working in artisanal mining in Sudan.

Andrew Harding
BBC News, Atteridgeville prison

Oscar Pistorius' family tell the BBC they are "seeking clarity" on the rules after his application for parole was declined on an unexpected technicality.

Prison officials had suddenly revealed new court advice that Pistorius was not eligible for parole until August.

• Get the latest BBC updates here

Patience Atuhaire
BBC News, Kampala

Ugandan troops have taken up peacekeeping duties in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of the East African Community Regional Force.

They will be expected to protect civilians in the areas of Bunagana, Kiwanja and Mabenga in Rutshuru territory.

The troops are also tasked with overseeng the withdrawal of the M23 rebels from an area they’ve occupied since last June.

The 2,000-strong force will also oversee the reopening of trade routes between the border town of Bunagana and the regional capital, Goma.

This is being seen a key milestone towards the full deployment of the regional force, which the East African Community countries see as part of a local solution to the long years of conflict in eastern DR Congo.