The border crossing with Egypt is the only point of exit for Palestinians looking to flee Gaza.

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

Natasha Booty
BBC News

The UN says it has pulled its peacekeepers out of a camp in northern Mali earlier than planned, because "their lives were in danger".

It says its last convoy left the camp in Tessalit on Saturday. Mali's military leaders, who ordered the withdrawal of all UN and French troops earlier this year, says the Tessalit camp is now in its control.

Saturday's withdrawal happened "in an extremely tense and degraded security context putting in danger the lives of personnel", said the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, Minusma, in a statement seen by AFP.

With fewer international troops on the ground in Mali, it is feared that the country will be subject to worsening violence from powerful armed groups - including Islamist militants and Tuareg militias.

You may also be interested in:

• Why UN peacekeepers are being told to leave Mali
• What now for the country that bet its security on Wagner?
• Life in Timbuktu and Gao under siege by Islamist fighters

Natasha Booty
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

An unemployed gambler is celebrating after the money he won at a casino months ago has finally been paid into his account.

"I am so happy. Now my dream can get off the ground," Israel Mogotsi told South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper [paywall], external.

The newspaper says Mr Mogotsi won a total of 420,000 rand ($23,000; £19,000) in July playing bingo at the Carousel casino near Pretoria, which he agreed to receive in smaller monthly chunks.

But after the first two months, he says the payments stopped and he was left out of pocket and feeling "as if the carpet was ripped from under my feet".

The Sunday Times contacted Carousel casino after learning of Mr Mogotsi's ordeal, and a day later the outstanding cash was paid in full to his account.

Carousel casino, which is now relocating to a higher-income neighbourhood, explained that the payment delays had been caused by a processing backlog.

Simon Mogapi, the gambling control manager at the North West Gambling Board, told the Sunday Times they were aware of the dispute and oversaw the reaching of a final agreement.

As for bingo-winner Mr Mogotsi, he already has plans for how he'll invest his earnings in a new career.

"I want to buy four Ubers [taxis] and put them to work in the east of Pretoria."

Dakar wants to buy rings, watches and military decorations belonging to the nation's first president.

Many Nigerians have different names on different documents - which can be problematic for politicians.

Israel's pain over some 200 people kidnapped by Hamas overshadows the years of waiting for two hostages and soldiers' remains.

The PM met Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Egypt's president, calling for the Gaza border to reopen.

Israel's defence minister says the country's long-term plan is to cut ties completely with Gaza.

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 at BBCAfrica.com and listen to the Focus on Africa podcast for the stories behind the news.

A reminder of Friday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this shot of Liberian jollof being served at a festival in New York City - it's one of our favourite photos of the last week:

Image source, Getty Images

Paul Njie
BBC News, Yaoundé

Image source, AFP

Gabon’s constitutional court has rejected a request from a lawyer and several political parties to annul the presidential decree appointing members of the country’s transitional parliament.

Since 6 October when national assembly members and senators were appointed, they have not begun legislative work because of a complaint filed barely three days after their selection.

The parties argued that the appointments did not conform to the transitional charter and were full of anomalies.

While denouncing the over-representation of some parties in the transitional parliament, such as ousted President Ali Bongo’s PDG, they said President Brice Oligui Nguema had violated provisions of the charter by appointing 98 MPs instead of 70, and 70 senators instead of 50.

Executive bureau members of parliament had pushed for a revision of the charter to reflect the increase in the number of legislative seats in both houses.

The constitutional court found the complaints admissible on form but dismissed them on the argument they didn't comply with the law. The ruling means the country’s transitional parliament can now start work, paving the way for the installation of the lawmakers.

Danai Nesta Kupemba
BBC News

Image source, AFP

Two Zulu princes have been involved in a car crash in South Africa after returning from a court case contesting the line of succession.

Prince Simphiwe Zulu and Prince Vanana Zulu, royals within King Misuzulu kaZwlithini's inner circle, had been travelling from Pretoria to KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday evening when the incident happened.

The spokesperson, Prince Africa Zulu, says the princes are not in "critical" condition and only sustained "minor" injuries.

This accident comes as the Zulu royal family is embroiled in a legal squabble over King Misuzulu's claim to the throne.

Prince Simakade, his half-brother, wants the court to overturn President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recognition of King Misuzulu as the rightful heir and name him monarch instead.

He previously tried to stop the coronation of King Misuzulu - but his attempts were unsuccessful.

The Zulu royal family receives a household allowance of almost 80 million rand ($4.2m; £3.4m) and owns 30% of the land in Kwa-Zulu Natal province.

Read more: South Africa's Zulu royals: Who’s who in the fight for the throne

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Somaliland has condemned an announcement by Somalia's federal government that it would work closely with a self-appointed administration in disputed regions.

The self-declared republic said Somalia's decision to work with Sool, Sanaag and Ayn regions (SSC-Khatumo) was a "deliberate attack on Somaliland's statehood and territorial integrity".

In a statement on Thursday, Somalia's interior ministry said it welcomed the formation of the SSC-Khatumo administration.

It did not say Mogadishu was officially recognising SSC-Khatumo as an autonomous regional state.

Somaliland, however, accused the Somali government of formally recognising a "clan militia's authority over Las Anod", the capital of Sool region.

"The government of Somaliland firmly asserts that neither Somalia nor the clan militia have jurisdiction or claim over Las Anod," it added.

Somaliland's military and an SSC-Khatumo militia allied to the federal government in Mogadishu have been battling for control of Las Anod since February.

Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991 and has since been unsuccessfully seeking international recognition.

Image source, Rigathi Gachagua/X

Four women have died and 13 other people were seriously injured in Kenya during a crush before an event to celebrate Heroes, or Mashujaa, Day.

The accident occurred outside a stadium in Kericho County in Kenya's Rift Valley region.

Thousands of Kenyans had camped outside the venue, waiting to be let in by security officers when the crush happened.

Police say that the accident occurred at 06:00 local time (04:00GMT) on Friday, after a woman who was selling tea outside the stadium accidentally spilled tea, triggering fright among the crowd.

Police reports say that the spill caused the crowd to panic as they "mistook it for teargas being thrown at them", the Daily Nation newspaper reported.

President William Ruto and other political leaders attended the event hours afterwards.

Mashujaa Day celebrates those who fought for independence from British colonial rule.

Makuochi Okafor
BBC Africa health reporter

Image source, AFP

A dengue fever epidemic has been declared in Burkina Faso by the national health ministry, with a notable surge in deaths and new cases recorded last week.

The virus is transmitted by infected mosquitoes biting humans. Warming climates provide an environment in which the insects thrive.

More than 200 people have died this year in what is Burkina Faso's most deadly outbreak in recent years.

People are being urged to make use of free testing facilities and screenings. Dengue fever is often symptomless - but when people do have symptoms these can include high fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and a rash.

The health ministry estimates that more than 50,000 people have the virus, mostly in Burkina Faso's two biggest cities - Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso.

The World Health Organization recently warned that half the world’s population was now at risk of dengue fever, and that the disease was poised to emerge as a growing threat on the continent.

Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro asks why fans are so quick to "attack the goalkeepers" as pressure grows on Francis Uzoho.

Mohamud Abdisamad
BBC News Somali

Image source, Mohamud Abdisamad/BBC

Young activists and Muslim clerics in Somalia's capital city have mobilised hundreds of people in support of Palestinians in Gaza - many of whom have been left without food, water or shelter after Israel imposed a siege in retaliation for deadly attacks on its citizens by Hamas militants.

"Free Palestine, we stand by you!" shouted some at Friday's protest.

Others read from the Quran, and relgious leaders said Somalis should pray to Allah to spare the Palestinians' suffering.

Other African nations that have seen pro-Palestinian protests in recent days include South Africa, Tunisia, Morocco and Kenya.

Here are more photos from Friday's gathering in Mogadishu:

Image source, Mohamud Abdisamad/BBC

Image source, Mohamud Abdisamad/BBC

Image source, Mohamud Abdisamad/BBC

Anita Nkonge & AlFatih Wadidi
BBC News

Image source, AFP

Jaafar Abbakar’s four children are among 19 million students in Sudan who are out of school as the country marks six months since the brutal conflict began.

More than 10,000 schools have closed because of war between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has devastated many areas of the country - including the capital, Khartoum, and its twin city of Omdurman.

Mr Abbakar and his family are among those who now live in one of an estimated 170 schools that are serving as emergency shelters for people displaced by the fighting.

But even if schools were to reopen, his children are not ready to go back, he says.

"It is difficult because of psychological reasons. Under such situations, a person cannot go to school. There are no promising signs that the war will end."

Mr Abbakar, who fled Umbada near Omdurman to eastern Gedaref state, tries to keep his children occupied in their new home, which he hopes will be temporary.

"I try to educate them as much as possible. We can't do much, but we do what we can to help but it's not sustainable.

"We try to revise with them at home and redirect their attention to the academic year so that they forget the effects of the war for a while."

For his 15-year-old daughter Eram, it is more than school work that is at stake. She says she desperately misses her school friends: "After we separated, there was no communication between us."

The UN children’s agency (Unicef) estimates that even before the war broke out nearly seven million children were out of school because of poverty and instability.

The conflict has pushed an additional six-and-a-half million children out of classrooms in areas where there is fighting - and another five million have been affected by the school closures, it says.

Unicef and other non-governmental organisations are supporting initiatives like e-learning platforms, but these cannot be considered an alternative to formal education, and the government should open schools as soon as possible, it says.

DJ Edu
Presenter of This Is Africa on BBC World Service

Image source, Thomsen Photography

Maurice Kirya’s latst track Sirina Time, which dropped in September, is bold and fresh, much to the delight of old and new fans alike.

It combines neo-soul with Kirya's unique mwooyo sound.

Mwooyo, which means "soul" in the Luganda language, is a blend of Afro-soul, R&B, hip hop and jazz elements – but always with Ugandan traditional folk at its heart.

Kirya's had a long and distinguished musical career. Like his siblings, he followed in the musical footsteps of his piano- and guitar-playing grandfather.

The artist's solo career kicked off in the early 2000s, and he had a big hit with the song Bindamu in 2005 in collaboration with Tanzanian hip hop star A.Y.

In 2010 he won the coveted Discoveries prize, which is awarded by French radio station RFI. That led to concerts in Paris and a tour across Africa.

He's released six albums, the latest of which was Road to Kirya last year.

That album was written during the Covid pandemic, when he was in The Netherlands.

"Everything seemed to go to shambles. Music was my way of staying sane in such a trying time."

The singer-songwriter believes the fears and uncertainties of that time made the album a better product: "When you write music from a place of pain, you waste no melody, you waste no lyric."

Kirya’s also an actor, most recently appearing in Netflix film The Girl in the Yellow Jumper. He’s best-known for global blockbusters The Last King of Scotland, starring alongside Forrest Whittaker, and the Queen of Katwe with Lupita Nyongo'o. His dream is to compose the soundtrack for a film that he acts in.

In 2021, Kirya launched his own coffee brand – The Sound Cup – in Uganda and The Netherlands, just one of several business ventures.

And, inspired by his own humble background, he also does humanitarian work with young people and refugees.

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

Danai Nesta Kupemba
BBC News

A spokeswoman for the African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) has resigned, after accusing the party of failing to see the "Jewish side of the story" in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Gabriella Nechama Farber, who represented the Gauteng chapter, announced her resignation on Thursday on social media.

She condemned the ANC for taking nine days to condemn Hamas for the "atrocities" they committed in Israel and said, "there is no space for a proud Jew to belong in the ANC".

Ms Farber also accused the Minister of International Relations Naledi Pandor of giving "support" to Hamas following a phone call Ms Pandor had taken from the leader of the group earlier this week.

Ms Pandor has denied supporting Hamas.

"It has become starkly clear that the organisation is unable to stand with the Jewish people during this time, engage faithfully and fairly with both parties or see my, the Jewish, side of the story," Ms Farber wrote.

Ms Farber concluded her letter by stating she would "no longer serve the country under the banner" of the ANC.