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Live Reporting

Paul Bakibinga

All times stated are UK

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  1. Scroll down for Tuesday's stories

    We'll be back tomorrow.

    That's all from BBC Africa Live today. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or check the BBC News website.

    A reminder of today's wise words:

    Quote Message: You can't climb two trees at a time even if you have two legs." from An Oshiwambo proverb sent by Christopher Shimwele in Oshakati, Namibia
    An Oshiwambo proverb sent by Christopher Shimwele in Oshakati, Namibia

    Click here and scroll to the bottom to send us your African proverbs.

    And we leave you with this picture which is of late afternoon on Tubi island in Egypt as the light is fading, by Guillaume Bonn.

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  2. Ugandan parliament adjourns without debating constitutional change

    The Ugandan parliament has adjourned after a raucous day in which MPs brawled in the chamber amid accusations that some members were carrying firearms. See earlier post.

    The adjournment followed repeated procedural objections to attempts to begin a debate about a controversial proposed constitutional change.

    If the proposed change goes ahead on lifting the presidential age limit from 75, it could give President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for more than 30 years, a chance to stand for another term in office.

    Earlier, we also reported that today's parliamentary order paper did not show the removal of the age limit on the list. However, the BBC's Patience Atuhaire says the list was later amended.

    The state owned New Vision has tweeted that parliament is due to reconvene tomorrow at 14:00 local time (11:00 GMT)

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    The privately owned Observer newspaper quoted Afropop musician turned MP Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine, as saying:

    Quote Message: They think they have numbers, they think they have the army. But we have showed them that we can defeat them with music"
  3. Mauritian journalists arrested over disputed news story

    Yasine Mohabuth

    Port Louis, Mauritius

    Three journalists in Mauritius have been arrested for publishing a story that led to the resignation of the country's justice minister earlier this month.

    The journalists are the director of publications of the group La Sentinelle, which publishes the daily L'Express newspaper, Nad Sivaramen, and two of his colleagues, Axcel Chenney and Yasin Denmamode.

    They were allowed to return home today following two days of questioning.

    Police spokesperson Inspector Shiva Coothen said the three men would have to return for further questioning.

    The row followed the publication of a story by L'Express about an alleged money laundering scandal involving then Justice Minister Ravi Yerrigadoo.

    Mr Yerrigadoo denied the accusations but resigned after being asked to do so by the prime minister.

    Several days later, the journalists' source for the story withdrew his allegations and apologised to the ex-minister for damaging his reputation.

    He then accused the journalists of having used him to bring down Mr Yerrigadoo.

    The journalists say they are standing by their story and have the documentary evidence to support it, even if the source who provided the documents has now retracted his allegations.

    Mauritian journalists
    Image caption: Mauritian journalists Nad Sivaramen, Axcel Chenney and Yasin Denmamode
  4. Buhari 'under no obligation to explain illness'

    Muhammadu Buhari
    Image caption: Mr Buhari has spent much of this year in London

    Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has no obligation to reveal his medical condition, despite spending most of this year being treated abroad, Information Minister Lai Mohammed has told AFP news agency.

    Nigerians have been questioning what has been wrong with Mr Buhari and who has been paying for his extensive treatment in London.

    Civil society groups have demanded to know if taxpayers' money is being used.

    Quote Message: It's not strange at all for a sitting president to be ill and it's not strange either for the state to take care of his medical bill." from Lai Mohammed
    Lai Mohammed

    "I think there's so much speculation as to what he's been treated for. I think we would rather respect his privacy," said Mr Mohammed. "If Mr President feels like telling the world his ailment, so be it. I don't think he's under an obligation to tell anyone."

    Mr Buhari, 74, has said little about his ailments, other than that he has had blood transfusions and never felt as sick in his life.

    Asked if Mr Buhari would stand for president again in 2019, Mr Mohammed said: "If he's going to run that's left to him but right now, his major preoccupation is delivering on all his electoral promises."

    In other remarks, Mr Mohammed denied that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) separatist group, Nnamdi Kanu, was being held by the government.

    "He's not being held by government at all," he said, adding that he was probably "in hiding".

  5. Call for SA nationwide strike over corruption

    Milton Nkosi

    BBC Africa, Johannesburg

    The Congress of South African Trades Union (Cosatu) is staging a nationwide strike against corruption on Wednesday.

    At a news conference in Johannesburg, Bheki Ntshalintshali, the Secretary General of the trade union federation, said the protest would be "the mother of all marches".

    “The strike is about sending a message to government and the private sector that we are tired of corruption in our society,” he explained.

    The downing of tools will be supported by another partner of the governing African National Congress (ANC), the South African Communist Party (SACP).

    SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila said: "Marches will be across the country, we are participating in all these marches as the SACP in support of Cosatu. It’s not just another march and that’s it. We see it as a clear message to register our disdain and disgust at those who are stealing from our people."

    There are expected to be 13 marches in all major cities including the country’s economic hub Johannesburg, Cape Town and the coastal city of Durban.

    Even though the reason was not written in the official march application documents, the mass action protest will also be calling for President Jacob Zuma to step down.

    Mr Zuma’s old allies who propelled him to power 10 years ago have changed their tune. They want him to give way to the deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa.

  6. Challenges facing 'Angola's JLo'

    As we reported earlier, Angola's first new president for almost four decades has been sworn in. He is the former defence minister, Joao Lourenco. So who is he and what challenges will he face?

    Video content

    Video caption: Joao Lourenco is the country's first new president in 38 years.
  7. Fresh efforts for peace in Libya

    BBC World Service

    The United Nations has launched a new effort to end years of war and political upheaval in Libya.

    Delegates from the country's rival parliaments have come together for talks in neighbouring Tunisia. It's hoped they'll agree on amendments that will breathe life into a stalled peace plan.

    The aim is to make it possible to set up a transitional government that would run Libya until elections can be held.

    At the start of the talks the UN envoy, Ghassan Salame, called on the delegates to set aside their differences.

  8. Seven arrested in Egypt after raising rainbow flag at concert

    Egyptian police have arrested seven people after they were allegedly seen raising rainbow flags at a concert in Cairo last week, security sources say.

    The seven were reportedly detained on Monday for "promoting sexual deviancy", but have not yet been formally charged.

    Prosecutors opened an investigation after images from the concert by the Lebanese band Mashrou' Leila - whose lead singer is openly gay - went viral.

    Homosexuality is not explicitly criminalised under Egyptian law.

    But the authorities routinely arrest people suspected of engaging in consensual homosexual conduct on charges of "debauchery", "immorality" or "blasphemy".

    Read more.

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  9. Kenya police break up protest at election commission

    Tear gas fired at protesters

    Kenyan police have used batons and tear gas to break up a protest near the election commission headquarters in Nairobi.

    Protesters have been demanding the sacking and prosecution of senior officials there following the annulled presidential election last month, arguing that the officials favoured President Uhuru Kenyatta.

    Opposition leader Raila Odinga has accused the commission, the IEBC, of being a puppet of Mr Kenyatta's governing Jubilee party and said he won't be a candidate in the re-run election unless officials are taken to court.

    The IEBC chief, Ezra Chiloba, has rejected calls to resign and said he's committed to carrying out his responsibilities. See earlier post.

    On Tuesday, several hundred Odinga supporters gathered outside the commission's offices waving placards and chanting, "Chiloba out."

    Protester being detained
  10. Ugandan MP admits urinating in public

    A Ugandan member of parliament, Ibrahim Abiriga, has admitted urinating in public outside the Finance Ministry.

    "Yesterday, I was badly off. I wanted to urinate... I was urinating," Mr Abiriga said in a television interview.

    Asked why he had relieved himself on the ministry's fence, Mr Abiriga said: "Why not, why not? I was badly off. Can I keep on keeping urine on me?"

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    The MP is one of the promoters of a move to remove the presidential age limit clause from the Ugandan constitution, which could allow President Museveni to stand for another term in office.

  11. Why has US expanded travel ban to Chad and removed Sudan?

    Tomi Oladipo

    BBC Monitoring's Africa security correspondent

    Chadian soldiers

    President Trump's proclamation will come as a surprise to many Lake Chad Basin watchers, but US intelligence suggests that Chadian authorities have not been sharing information relating to public safety and terrorism with their US counterparts.

    The US also said that Chad, a mainly Muslim country, was a haven for jihadist groups but among the Lake Chad Basin nations, it has suffered the fewest attacks from Boko Haram militants.

    There is little to indicate that the activity of these groups in Chad is anywhere near as significant as in, for example, Nigeria, which recently received US support in an arms and aircraft deal.

    Chad has been, in Washington's words, "an important and valuable" partner in the fight against Islamist militancy and its capital Ndjamena is home to the headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) formed to tackle Boko Haram.

    Read more.

  12. Chaos in Uganda parliament after gun accusation

    There have been chaotic scenes in the Ugandan parliament after an MP was accused of bringing a firearm into the chamber.

    The speaker of parliament ordered security to carry out a search of those present.

    Scuffles broke out and some were seen throwing chairs.

    The MPs were supposed to be debating the removal of the presidential age limit clause in Uganda's constitution. See earlier post.

    The state minister for water, Ronald Kibuule, was reportedly accused by opposition members of being among those armed - an accusation he angrily denied.

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  13. Kenya opposition: We did not have access to the server

    Kenya's chief prosecutor has ordered police to investigate allegations by the governing Jubilee party that two senior officials from the opposition Nasa coalition were given access to the computer server which held the results of the presidential vote.

    That vote was cancelled and a re-run is due to be held on 26 October. One of those named is Musalia Mudavadi, Nasa's chief campaigner. Focus on Africa's Akwasi Sarpong asked him what he made of the allegations:

    Video content

    Video caption: Musalia Mudavadi, NASA's chief campaigner, responds to allegations of illegal access
  14. The world’s most dangerous UN mission

    Over the weekend three UN peacekeepers in Mali lost their lives when their convoy was hit by a landmine near Gao.

    There are frequent attacks by armed groups in Mali against Malian troops and the UN forces there. Most of the attacks are attributed to Al Qaeda affiliates in the Sahel region.

    MINUSMA, the UN mission in Mali has lost more than 130 peacekeepers in the last four years, more than a quarter of all UN human losses combined. So how can the mission's forces be better protected?

    The BBC's Nkem Ifejika spoke to Koen Davidse, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Mali.

    Video content

    Video caption: What more needs to be done to protect UN peacekeepers in Mali?
  15. BA investigates racist comments about Nigerian passengers

    BBC World Service

    British Airways has started an investigation into a video showing a woman wearing the company's uniform making racist comments about Nigerian passengers.

    In the clip, the woman wearing the uniform of an air hostess says she is about to fly to Nigeria. She says passengers would ask for more leg room because of the size of their genitals.

    She also imitates Nigerian passengers making demands for more food and drink. According to a report in the British press, the clip was circulated among BA cabin staff, who reported it to the company.

  16. Kenya election head rejects resignation calls

    The chief executive of Kenya's election commission, Ezra Chiloba, has said he is not thinking of resigning, despite the heavy criticism his organisation has received from the opposition following the annulled presidential election.

    Kenya police have taken up positions outside the commission's headquarters, after the opposition said protesters would gather there to demand the removal of senior officials.

    Mr Chiloba said he had a responsibility to discharge his duties. Watch him speak below:

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  17. Angolan leader Joao Lourenco is sworn in

    Joao Lourenco
    Image caption: Joao Lourenco congratulated by Angola's long term leader Dos Santos

    Angola's new president has been sworn in at a ceremony in Luanda.

    Joao Lourenco took the oath a month after the governing MPLA won elections.

    Mr Lourenco, a former defence minister, replaces Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, who stood down after 38 years in power.

    See earlier post.

    Joao Lourenco signing after taking oath of office
  18. Watch: Why is Africa building a Great Green Wall?

    Eleven countries are planting a wall of trees from east to west across Africa, just under the southern edge of the Sahara desert.

    The goal is to fight the effects of climate change by reversing desertification. Watch the video below:

    Video content

    Video caption: A solution that's slowing desertification on the front lines of climate change

    Listen to Thomas Fessy's radio documentary on the Great Green Wall via the link below:

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  19. Why are people wearing red headbands in Uganda?

    A debate on the removal of the presidential age limit clause in Uganda's constitution was expected to take place today. However the Daily Monitor newspaper is reporting that this may not happen as the topic is missing on the day’s Order Paper which has been circulated by parliament.

    The paper explains that an Order Paper lists the issues that lawmakers are meant to discuss on a particular day, but this can be amended even on the floor of parliament.

    Meanwhile Ugandans have been sharing pictures of themselves wearing the red ribbon that has become a symbol of protest against lifting the age limit.

    #Togikwatako is Luganda for "Don't touch it "- in reference to the constitution.

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