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In the early hours of Friday morning joint security services say they rescued two people who were abducted during an attack on a US convoy in the south-eastern Nigerian state of Anambra on Tuesday.

They are thought to be physically unharmed.

The police spokesman Ikenga Tochukwu did not give the identities of those who have been rescued, but did say that "operations are still ongoing and further details shall be communicated".

Seven people died in the attack, with Washington saying no US citizens were in the convoy, which was travelling in the state plagued by violence and a separatist insurgency.

You can read more about the attack here.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, AFP

Police in Nigeria's Anambra state say they have arrested two suspects who they believe are linked to Tuesday’s attack on a US convoy.

A total number of seven people were killed in the attack, according to preliminary investigations by the police.

Of the seven, three were US consulate officials and four were police escorts.

No US citizen was killed but two of the US consulate officials in the convoy are still missing. The police said they were taken away by the gunmen.

Anambra state police commissioner Echeng Echeng blamed the attack on suspected members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the armed wing of the separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob).

Mr Echeng did not provide any evidence to back up his claim that the separatists were responsible for the attack.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who condemned the attack on Wednesday, said the attack was carried out on personnel who were visiting a US-funded flood response project in the south-eastern Nigerian state.

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari also condemned the attack.

He said his government was committed to the safety of lives of the people and pledged that those behind the attack would be punished.

Image source, Getty Images

Some 82 Ghanaian police officers have sued the government accusing it of failing to promote them after they finished their studies under the country's study leave with pay policy.

Led by deputy inspector Kofi Osal, the officers say they were denied their deserved promotions as well as entry into police college after the successful completion of their studies during the 2017/2018 academic year.

They said the move was "unfair and unreasonable" and urged the Accra High Court to issue an order directing the police service to grant them the promotions.

Image source, AFP

A Tunisian court has released two students detained over a satirical song criticising the police.

It came after President Kais Saied called for their release, saying their detention was “unacceptable” amid a public uproar.

Youssef Chelbi and Dhia Nsir, aged 27 and 26, had posted a clip on TikTok and Facebook criticising the police treatment of detainees and laws against drug use.

Their arrest sparked online criticism with many Tunisians sharing the song.

There has been a wave of arrests this year of leading figures opposed to Mr Saied, who has ruled by decree since seizing power in 2021.

On Thursday, dozens of journalists held a demonstration against what they say are repressive anti-terror laws designed to intimidate the media.

They brandished placards outside the national journalists' union headquarters, declaring that liberty depends on press freedom.

Yusuf Akinpelu
BBC News, Lagos

Dozens of bodies have been buried in a mass grave following an attack on a community in Nigeria's Plateau state with many survivors fleeing the area.

Residents of Mwaghavul, a farming community in Mangu area of central Nigeria, told the BBC the assailants charged into their villages on Tuesday, shot indiscriminately before torching buildings.

A community leader told the BBC that "the gunmen invaded up to 17 villages" and that there were at least 85 people who died.

Deborah Samuel, a resident who escaped after hearing gunshots while at a market, said her father-in-law and four of her husband’s younger brothers were killed.

“We suddenly started hearing gunshots from different angles. We started running. I am still in pain of what has happened,” she said, cuddling her months-old baby.

Some of those who fled the attack have taken refuge at a private-run camp for internally displaced people.

It is unclear what caused the attack, but some residents suggest it’s a reprisal to a strike on a Fulani community in the past months.

Competition for land resources has often resulted into ethnic clashes between pastoralists and farmers.

Image source, Omar Wally

The Gambian army has apologised after some soldiers were seen pulling down campaign posters of opposition politician Mayor Taliba Ahmed Bensouda.

Mr Bensouda is running for re-election in Kanifing which is the biggest municipality in The Gambia. Political tensions have been rising ahead of Saturday's mayoral and regional elections in the country.

The soldiers' actions have caused outrage among Gambians who have condemned their behaviour.

In a statement, external on Thursday, the army said it was investigating the involved soldiers but termed their actions an isolated incident.

"We wish to assure the general public that appropriate actions will be taken against anyone found wanting. Meanwhile, we regret any inconvenience this unfortunate incident might have caused," the army said.

Mr Bensouda came to office in 2018 under the United Democratic Party (UDP), the original political home of President Adama Barrow.

But President Barrow later fell out with the UDP and formed his own National People's Party.

Many observers now say Mr Bensouda is likely to be the main challenger in the 2026 presidential election.

Richard Hamilton
BBC World Service Newsroom

Image source, AFP

The authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo say suspected militiamen have killed an engineer and three rangers from the Virunga National Park.

The Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) said armed men, thought to be Mai Mai fighters, attacked a convoy of its workers on Thursday morning.

Virunga is the oldest nature reserve in Africa and a renowned sanctuary for rare species, such as mountain gorillas.

It' has also become a hideout for the Mai Mai militias.

Various armed groups have plagued eastern Congo for decades.

Richard Hamilton
BBC World Service Newsroom

Image source, Getty Images

Zimbabwe has released about a fifth of all prisoners under a presidential amnesty order meant to decongest the country’s overcrowded jails.

The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) said more than 4,000 inmates - mostly men - were let out, in what it described as a noble gesture.

Violent criminals as well as those convicted of robbery, treason and public order offences were excluded.

Prisons in Zimbabwe are suffering from extreme overcrowding.

The move comes ahead of general elections in August.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is battling a cost of living crisis, high inflation and power cuts.

Our proverb of the day:

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Dr Ken Elliott, 88, and his wife were captured in Burkina Faso in 2016.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. We'll be back on Friday morning with the latest news and views from around the continent.

A reminder of Thursday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo of schoolchildren at a book fair in Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan:

Image source, Getty Images

Charles Haviland
BBC World Service Newsroom

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Dozens of journalists in Tunisia have held a demonstration against what they say are repressive anti-terror laws designed to intimidate the media.

They brandished placards outside the national journalists' union headquarters, declaring that liberty depends on press freedom.

On Tuesday an appeals court jailed a radio journalist, Khalifa Guesmi, for five years - increasing his earlier sentence by five times - for disclosing information about Tunisia's security services.

A police officer convicted of giving him information got 10 years in prison.

Critics accuse President Kais Saied of steering Tunisia towards dictatorship. The media rights group, Reporters Without Borders, said Mr Guesmi's sentence sent a "terrifying" message to the country's media.

Azeezat Olaoluwa
BBC News, Lagos

Image source, AFP

Medical services at teaching hospitals across Nigeria have been disrupted by a five-day strike by resident doctors who are demanding a salary increase of 200%.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors said it acted because the government had failed to honour agreements on pay and staff welfare.

"I brought my daughter for treatment for the first time but I have been told to go and bring her tomorrow. People are just seated hoping someone will attend to them," a father told the BBC outside Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.

The salary structure for doctors was implemented in 2009 and that makes it mandatory for the government to review their salaries every five years.

However, no salary review has ever been undertaken since then and that’s why resident doctors are asking for a 200% pay increases.

They are also calling for a withdrawal of a bill that seeks to stop doctors who have recently graduated from leaving the country until they have worked for five years.

The government has described the strike as illegal because doctors did not give the mandatory 21-day notice.

A mother-of-five tells the BBC how she escaped a Kenyan doomsday cult where at least 200 people died.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena has been likened to Manchester City's Pep Guardiola for his style on and off the pitch.

Omar Wally
Journalist, The Gambia

Image source, Omar Wally

With just two days to go before Gambian mayoral and regional elections, Gambian soldiers are going around pulling down the campaign posters of opposition politician Mayor Taliba Ahmed Bensouda.

Mr Bensouda is running for re-election in Kanifing which is the biggest municipality in The Gambia. He came to office in 2018 under the United Democratic Party (UDP), the original political home of President Adama Barrow.

But President Barrow later fell out with the UDP and formed his own National People's Party.

Many observers now say Mr Bensouda is likely to be the main challenger in the 2026 presidential election.

The army's actions have caused outrage among Gambians who've condemned its behaviour.

Gambians are calling on the military to stay out of politics and improve its poor image.

Image source, AFP

Four people have been arrested in Tunisia in connection with an attack outside a synagogue during an annual Jewish pilgrimage.

It happened a week ago on the historic island of Djerba. Six people died in total.

The gunman was a police officer, who killed three other officers and two Jewish worshippers. He was then shot dead himself by police.

Tunisian authorities have not called it a terror attack.

But President Kais Saied held a meeting with Muslim, Jewish and Christian faith leaders on Wednesday, stressing that Tunisia was a country of "tolerance and coexistence".

Richard Hamilton
BBC World Service Newsroom

Officials in central Nigeria say 85 people have died in several days of fighting between herders and farmers.

The violence broke out on Monday in Plateau state, which straddles the divide between Nigeria's mostly Muslim north and mainly Christian south, and which has struggled with inter-communal violence for years.

It's unclear what prompted the latest fighting, but tit-for-tat killings between herders and farmers often spiral into village raids by heavily armed gangs.

The State Emergency Management Agency, says thousands of people have been displaced by the attacks.

Tributes are pouring in for Zimbabwean jazz musician and producer, Kelly Rusike, who died on Wednesday in the capital, Harare.

He was part of the famous Rusike Brothers, who rose to fame in the 80s and 90s with hit songs including Cecilia, Saturday Night as well as the popular advert, Ngwerewere Sadza.

In a family statement, the Rusike Brothers said Kelly died after a long battle with diabetes.

"Kelly lived for his music and touched many lives through it. His music will forever live in our hearts," the statement added.

The veteran musician owned Shed Productions, a major recording production house in Zimbabwe that produced jingles and songs.

Social media users described Kelly as one of the best bass guitarists and jazz impresarios in Zimbabwe.

Ghanaians are desperate for help but the intervention may not deal with problems in the long term.