That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team, but we'll be back on Thursday morning.

Until then 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 a woman herding sheep in the Tunisian town of Korba:

Image source, AFP

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, Reuters

Chad's government says it has pardoned and released 380 rebels who had been serving life sentences over the death of former President Idriss Déby.

He was killed two years ago after going to the front line to fight rebels from a group known as Front for Change and Concord in Chad.

In March more than 400 rebels were sentenced in a mass trial for acts of terrorism, recruitment of child soldiers and assaulting the head of state.

Most were pardoned by the former president's son - Mahamat Idriss Déby - who took office after his father's death.

The pardon did not apply to the rebel leader, Mahamat Mahdi Ali, who is on the run.

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

A court in Zimbabwe has fined the spokeswoman of the main opposition party $500 (£400) after convicting her of spreading false information on Twitter.

Fadzayi Mahere is a prominent lawyer and member of the Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC), which is challenging President Emmerson Mnangagwa in this year's elections.

She was arrested two years ago after posting a video in which people said a police officer had fatally struck a baby with a baton when in fact the child was alive and not injured.

Ms Mahere’s relatives sobbed in court as the verdict was read out. The prosecution had called for a jail term, but the magistrate decided to fine her.

The magistrate said Ms Mahere had undermined the authority of the police and should have verified the information.

The case is controversial as the law under which she was convicted no longer exists. The Constitutional Court struck it down because it violated freedom of speech. But the state continues to use it, especially against its critics.

A half-brother of Togo's President Faure Gnassingbé, who has been in prison since 2009 over a failed coup attempt, has been evacuated to Gabon because of his deteriorating health, one of his lawyers has confirmed to AFP news agency.

Kpatcha Gnassingbé, who suffers from diabetes, was being treated in a hospital in Gabon, Zeus Ajavon said.

"We have asked for his evacuation several times, because of the deteriorating state of his health. We appreciate this gesture," he added.

In 2011, Togo's Supreme Court sentenced Kpatcha Gnassingbé, the former defence minister, to 20 years in prison for plotting a coup against his half-brother.

He was arrested in 2009 as he sought refuge in the US embassy in Togo's capital, Lomé.

He had been in the military wing of a hospital in Lom since June 2021.

He has received no reply to his requests for a pardon, Mr Ajavon told AFP.

A documentary series examines the 2012 trial and speaks to a man cleared of Michaela McAreavey's murder.

Image source, Getty Images

The former governor of Nigeria's central bank, Muhammadu Sanusi, has warned that ethnic and religious divisions are at their worst in the country since the end of the Biafran civil war more than 50 years ago.

Speaking at a leadership colloquium in the main city Lagos on Tuesday, Mr Sanusi - who is also the former Emir of Kano - said:

The ex-governor's comments come as President Muhammadu Buhari prepares to hand power to Bola Tinubu after serving two terms, in May.

Mr Tinubu defeated his two main rivals - Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi - in fiercely contested presidential elections in February.

Both losing candidates have rejected the result, and are challenging it in court.

Mr Obi had hoped to become the first person from the Igbo ethnic group to be elected president.

He had also gained the backing of the huge Christian evangelical movement, in a campaign in which the two frontrunners - Mr Tinubu and Mr Abubakar - were Muslim.

"I felt this cool sensation crawling up my shirt" before spotting the snake, the pilot tells the BBC.

Image source, @CCCZimbabwe

A leading opposition politician in Zimbabwe, Fadzayi Mahere, has been convicted of communicating a falsehood by retweeting a video in 2021 alleging that a traffic officer had killed a baby.

It transpired that the child was alive, and had not sustained any injuries.

Magistrate Taurai Manwere said her tweet was reckless, and intended to undermine public confidence in the police. The magistrate said she should have first verified the information.

She has not yet been sentenced.

Ms Mahere's party - the Citzens' Coalition for Change (CCC) - condemned the conviction.

"She’s being persecuted for her political beliefs," it said.

The tiny creature, which was named Lidl, is said to be in good health and will now be rehomed.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

The South African government has decided to revoke a national state of disaster that it declared in February to address the electricity crisis.

The state of disaster meant it could use emergency procurement procedures with fewer bureaucratic delays in a bid to end severe power cuts.

There had been concern that this would open the door to further corruption in the state-owned power company, Eskom.

It has been mired in scandals and is more than $20bn (£16bn) in debt.

The government now says it can deal with the crisis through existing legislation.

Power cuts have eased in recent weeks but continue to affect all of South Africa on a daily basis.

South Africa's Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has also reversed a decision to exempt Eskom from declaring all of its expenditure.

The opposition had said the policy was an acceptance of corruption in the power sector.

Image source, Reuters

The newly established interim administration in Ethiopia's war-ravaged Tigray region has appointed a 27-member cabinet to steer a political transition in the area, local media report.

It comes after the federal government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) signed a peace accord to end a brutal war in the region.

New Tigray President Getachew Reda will be flanked by two vice-presidents - Gen Tsadkan Gebretensae and Gen Tadesse Werede, military commanders who fought the Ethiopian army in the recent war, the reports say.

Gen Tsadkan will have responsibility over decentralisation and democratisation, while Gen Tadesse will be the head of the peace and security secretariat.

There has been no official announcement yet, but the appointments have been widely reported in local media.

The new cabinet is dominated by the TPLF, but includes two members of Baytona, an opposition party allied with the TPLF.

On 23 March, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed Mr Getachew, the TPLF spokesman, as the interim leader of Tigray.

He takes over from Debretsion Gebremichael, who has stepped down after about five years in office.

Under his tenure, sharp differences emerged between the regional and federal governments, triggering a war that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

A court in Guinea has found three doctors guilty in connection with the death of young woman who was raped in hospital.

The government said in 2021 that M'Mah Sylla, had died in Tunisia where she had been evacuated for treatment after being raped.

The case caused a great deal of outrage in Guinea.

A court in the capital Conakry has now sentenced Daniel and Patrice Lamah to 15 years in prison and a third doctor, Celestin Millimouna - who is on the run - was given a 20-year sentence.

They were all found guilty of assault and battery as well as carrying out an abortion.

Patrice Lamah and Millimouna were also found guilty of rape.

Image source, Getty Images

Political parties in Liberia on Tuesday signed a peace accord to prevent violence ahead of October presidential and legislative elections.

President George Weah said the accord signed by 26 political parties shows the country's commitment to national stability during the polls.

“History has taught us that the risk of post-conflict countries to regress to war is extremely high. By any account, therefore, Liberia is a post-conflict success story,” Mr Weah said.

The pact obliges signatories and their supporters to uphold peaceful elections and resort to constitutional means if they are dissatisfied with the electoral process and outcomes.

Members of observer missions from the African Union, the European Union and other diplomats witnessed the signing of the accord.

The elections are expected to be hotly contested with the incumbent facing strong challenges from former vice-president Joseph Boakai of the former ruling Unity Party and Alexander Cummings of the Collaborating Political Parties.

Police in central Uganda have detained a Chinese national over a Tuesday morning road crash that killed two schoolchildren and left three others injured.

In a statement, police said Zhao Haizhanga allegedly knocked the pupils at Kamusenene village along Lubaali- Bukuya road in Kassanda district, as he attempted to overtake a truck loaded with logs.

"He killed two instantly and injured the other three yet to be identified," the police statement said.

The two bodies were taken to a local mortuary awaiting post-mortem.

Mr Haizhanga was detained by police as investigation on the incident continues.

Image source, Getty Images

A South African pilot is being hailed for successfully making an emergency landing after noticing a cobra coiled under his seat, local media report.

Rudolph Erasmus was flying four passengers from Cape Town to the northern town of Nelspruit on Monday morning but was forced to cut short the journey after he felt something cold on his body, he told Times Live news website, external.

"As I turned to my left and looked down, I saw the [Cape] cobra putting its head back underneath my seat," he is quoted as saying.

The bite of a Cape cobra can kill a man in 30 minutes.

South African civil aviation commissioner has hailed Mr Erasmus as a hero, news24 website reports, external.

"Great airmanship indeed which saved all lives on board," Poppy Khosa is quoted as saying.

The pilot said he was unsure if he should tell his passengers after spotting the snake during the flight. He said he didn't want to cause a panic.

“I just said, 'listen, there's a problem. The snake is inside the aircraft. I've got a feeling it's under my seat so we are going to have to get the plane on the ground as soon as possible,” he is quoted as saying.

He managed to make an emergency landing at Welkom.

Engineers who stripped the plane did not find the rogue reptile, Mr Erasmus said.

He hopes to fly the plane again on Wednesday.

BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

Nigeria's Senate has approved the China Development Bank as the new financier for a rail project, which is set to cost close to a billion dollars.

Another Chinese lender had been due to fund the line between Kaduna and Kano - the largest city in the north - but it pulled out in 2020.

When President Muhammadu Buhari came to power eight years ago, he prioritised upgrading the country's poor transport network and power supply.

However, funding has been a major constraint.

Parliament has approved several billion dollars worth of loans from Chinese and other international lenders but funds have yet to materialise.

When president-elect Bola Tinubu takes over in May, he will inherit a raft of challenges including double-digit inflation and widespread insecurity.

Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga has made fresh demands that risk rocking the bipartisan talks opened by President William Ruto on Sunday.

The two were rivals in last year's presidential election and have agreed to hold talks on the reconstitution of the electoral commission after the opposition suspended protests.

President Ruto insists the bi-partisan talks should be done through parliament, and has not commented on the opposition's demands for the agenda to also include the soaring cost of living.

On Tuesday Mr Odinga said the rising prices has to be discussed and insisted President Ruto should expand the talks beyond parliament.

He said a strictly parliamentary process may not address their concerns and proposed broad-based talks akin to what led to the 2008 National Accord - a post-election deal brokered by the then UN chief Koffi Annan.

"We assure our people and Kenyans that our eyes are firmly on the ball, and reiterate that we shall go back to the people at the earliest sign of lack of seriousness by the other side," Mr Odinga said.

The opposition chief also claimed there were attempts to tamper with the electoral servers, which he demands to be forensically audited.

The ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party has accused Mr Odinga of holding the proposed talks at ransom and dismissed his fresh demands as unreasonable.

Speaking in Rwanda on Tuesday, President Ruto ruled out the possibility of any agreement that would co-opt the opposition into his government.

Mr Odinga had last month launched twice-a-week protests to push for what he termed as electoral justice and action on the cost-of-living crisis.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

An organisation which oversees the anti -doping programme for international athletics has said that Kenyan athletes are being assisted by local medical experts to cover up doping offences.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) reached the conclusion after two athletes used similar stories to explain medical irregularities.

The runners, Eglay Nafuna Nalyanya and Betty Lempus, had allegedly produced forged paperwork to support their claim to have had an intramuscular injection at the same hospital.

Athletics Kenya said last week that it had been promised $5m (£4m) a year to combat doping.

Image source, Rwanda presidency/Twitter

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has said he is looking forward to retiring and handing over power after 23 years in office.

Speaking at a joint press briefing with his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, Mr Kagame said a succession plan was being actively discussed by the ruling party, terming his retirement an "inevitability".

Mr Kagame said he was not necessarily interested in choosing his successor but rather creating an environment that would give rise to people who can lead.

"We have been having this discussion within our [ruling] party since 2010 but circumstances, challenges and history of Rwanda tend to dictate certain things," he said.

He said his retirement was an issue that has to be discussed "sooner or later".

"I'm sure one day I may join journalism in my old age. I'm looking forward to that," Mr Kagame said.

His comments come days after the country's ruling party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi), elected its first woman vice-chairperson.

President Kagame retained the chairmanship position. He has led the party since 1998.

This was not the first time Mr Kagame has talked about retirement. In December 2022, he said he had no problem becoming an ordinary senior citizen.

Mr Kagame has been president of the East African nation since 2000. A controversial referendum in 2015 removed a two-term constitutional limit for presidents.

The president last year told a French TV channel he would stand for president again , externalat the next election in 2024.

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