Got a TV Licence?

You need one to watch live TV on any channel or device, and BBC programmes on iPlayer. It’s the law.

Find out more
I don’t have a TV Licence.

Live Reporting

Natasha Booty and Damian Zane

All times stated are UK

Get involved

  1. Scroll down for Wednesday's stories

    We'll be back tomorrow

    That's all from BBC Africa Live today. We'll be back tomorrow with the latest on these stories and more.

    In the meantime, you can keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or checking the BBC News website.

    A reminder of today's African proverb:

    Quote Message: He who rushes to the battlefield does not know that war is death." from An Igbo proverb sent by Chris Obidike in Owerri, Nigeria
    An Igbo proverb sent by Chris Obidike in Owerri, Nigeria

    Click here to send us your African proverbs.

    And we leave you with this picture taken off the coast of Senegal's capital, Dakar:

    View more on instagram
  2. Share of vote in Angola

    The results of Angola's general election have just been announced and the vote share and make up of parliament is as follows:

    • MPLA 61.07% - 150 MPs
    • Unita 26.67% - 51 MPs
    • Casa-CE 9.44% - 16 MPs

    The remainder of the votes went to smaller parties.

    Joao Lourenco will be inaugurated as the country's first new president since 1979 on 25 September.

    Joao Lourenco

    Joao Lourenco: Can 'Angola's JLo' fill Dos Santos' shoes? - BBC News

  3. Four arrested after 'car thieves walk naked' in Kenyan city

    Wanyama wa Chebusiri

    BBC Africa

    There was drama in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa when two suspected car thieves, one of them with a snake around his neck, walked naked through the streets.

    But it turned out to be a publicity stunt.

    The men, covered in mud, were said to have been bewitched after stealing a car.

    According to the Standard newspaper, the car owner had first reported his vehicle missing to the police but they could not find his vehicle.

    The owner was then advised to seek the help of a local witch doctor who demanded a fee of $1,000 (£765), the Standard adds.

    The witch doctor assured the car owner that the suspected thieves would be seen dancing naked in broad daylight on one of the busiest streets in Mombasa.

    But a policeman, quoted on a Kenyan TV station, said this was a publicity stunt and four people have now been arrested in connection with the incident: the witch doctor, the two naked men and the man who reported that his car was stolen.

    Grab form the video
  4. BreakingAngola's governing MPLA wins general election

    Angola's electoral commission has just announced that the MPLA - in power since 1975 - won last month's general election with 61.07% of the vote.

    Commission president Andre da Silva Neto said that the MPLA's Joao Lourenco is now president-elect - replacing Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has been president since 1979.

  5. Cholera outbreak hits camps for Nigeria's displaced

    Mary Harper

    Africa editor, BBC World Service

    The UN says cholera is spreading rapidly through camps sheltering people displaced by an Islamist insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria.

    It says more than 530 suspected cases had been registered in camps in Borno state, three times the number reported five days earlier.

    More than 20 people have died.

    Nearly two million people have been displaced by the conflict between Boko Haram militants and government forces.

    Last month the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, which is managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, allocated $10.5m (£8m) for life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable.

    A young child stands by a doorway in an IDP camp in Nigeria
    Image caption: The UN says that more than half of the displaced are children
  6. Angola's final election results being announced

    After a delay of more than two hours, the electoral commission is now announcing the final results from last month's general election.

    Angola's main TV channel is broadcasting a live feed from the results centre with pictures showing André da Silva Neto, the president of the electoral commission:

    Grab from live stream
  7. Thousands march against Togo's president

    As we reported earlier, massive anti-government demonstrations have been taking place in Togo's capital, Lomé, and at least nine other towns across the country.

    News agencies have been sharing photographs of the scene in Lomé:

    Protestors in Togo
    Image caption: 'Dictatorship feeds on silence and inaction' reads this protester's sign
    Protestors in Togo
    Image caption: Faure refers to President Faure Gnassingbé
    Protestors in Togo

    Protesters are heeding a call from the opposition to turn out and demand constitutional reform, to limit the maximum number of presidential terms.

    Access to the internet and social media networks are reported to be disrupted.

    In Kara, the third largest city in the north, supporters of the government prevented people from demonstrating.

    Referring to the protesters, Public Service Minister Gilbert Bawara said:

    Quote Message: We cannot ignore their worries... the problems have to be fixed once and for all.
    Quote Message: All the parties want these reforms - including the government - and we take the whole world as a witness to it."

    Opposition leaders say the government is merely playing for time and have called for a second day of protests tomorrow.

  8. Tunisia's PM unveils new cabinet focused on reform

    Rana Jawad

    BBC North Africa correspondent, Tunis

    Youssef Chahed

    Tunisia's Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has named a new cabinet.

    This latest cabinet reshuffle was expected on Monday, but weeks of political rifts over new appointments delayed the announcement and it appears the prime minister wanted to ensure he had backing from the major political parties before publishing the list.

    The key changes being made are in the security and finance sectors.

    The new Interior Minister General Lotfi Brahem previously headed up the National Guard.

    The defence minister has also been replaced, and the cabinet now has a newly created Ministry for Economic Reforms which will be led by Taoufik Rajhi, a former economic adviser to the prime minister.

    The country is under increased pressure from international organisations and European donors to introduce new economic measures to cut public spending.

    Tunisia's parliament still needs to vote on the new cabinet line-up for final approval, although it’s unlikely to be challenged.

  9. 'Heavy police presence' in Angola's capital

    A researcher from Human Rights Watch has shared pictures of policemen on the streets of Angola's capital, Luanda, ahead of the expected announcement of the final results from last month's general election.

    She says there's a "heavy police presence":

    View more on twitter
  10. 'Unprecedented' turnout at Togo protests

    Hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters have turned out across Togo today to demand constitutional reform, AFP reports, despite the government's attempt to appease them.

    A draft bill to reduce the presidential term limit to a maximum of two has been dismissed by the opposition as merely playing for time.

    They are calling for President Faure Gnassingbe to step down and and bring an end to his family’s 50 years in power.

    AFP news agency quotes an Amnesty International spokesperson as saying "at least 100,000" people have been protesting in the capital, Lomé.

    Opposition party leader Jean-Pierre Fabre has called the demonstration "unprecedented".

  11. South Sudan general stopped from going to Kenya to identify daughter

    Ibrahim Haithar

    BBC Monitoring, Nairobi

    South Sudan’s former army chief General Paul Malong has been denied permission to travel to Kenya's capital, Nairobi, his wife told Amsterdam-based Radio Tamazuj today.

    General Pail Malong had asked President Salva Kiir to allow him to go for DNA sampling after his daughter died when a fire broke out at Moi Girls School in Nairobi last weekend.

    According to Gen Malong’s wife, his blood pressure shot up after President Kiir rejected his request to go to Nairobi.

    He has been confined to his home in Juba by the government for security reasons.

    The general's wife urged the government to announce charges against him instead of restricting his movement.

    Earlier today, one schoolgirl appeared in court in connection with the fire, which the government says was started deliberately, and she has been detained for seven days.

    People looking anxious after school fire
    Image caption: Nine people died in Saturday's fire
  12. Angolan results announcement delayed

    Angola's electoral commission was expected to announce the final results from last month's general election at 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT), but this has now been delayed.

    The BBC understands that this is because there was a last-minute change to the venue for the announcement.

  13. Angolan TV hosts 'democracy party' ahead of official election results

    We're expecting the official results of Angola's elections, held last month, this afternoon.

    And ahead of the announcement, Angola's international TV channel is hosting what it calls a 'democracy party' with entertainers singing about peace and guests praising democracy in the country.

    Screen grab showing studio

    Angola's main opposition parties have complained about irregularities in the results announced so far - which showed the governing party in the lead - but these have been dismissed by the electoral commission.

    You can watch the live stream here.

  14. US airstrike 'kills three militants' in Somalia

    US forces, with the help of the Somalia government, have carried out what the Pentagon called a "precision airstrike" in central Somalia killing three al-Shabab militants, a statement from the Department of Defense says.

    It adds that the airstrike took place in the Bay region, 75km west of the capital, Mogadishu.

    The US is supporting the Somali government in its efforts to regain control of the country from Islamist militants.

    Last month, US forces were accused of killing civilians in an attack on an al-Shabab-held area.

  15. Ramaphosa: I need to take responsibility for affair

    Milton Nkosi

    BBC Africa, Johannesburg

    South Africa’s Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa began his parliamentary question session with short statement addressing the sex scandal that he has been embroiled in.

    Earlier this week, he admitted to having an extra-marital affair, but denied reports of multiple affairs.

    Today, addressing parliament's presiding officer, Mr Ramaphosa said: “I thought I should do something unprecedented and start off with a matter that has embroiled me in my personal life.”

    Then a visibly subdued deputy president made this promise: “I will be addressing this matter in a day or two. I do need to take responsibility and be accountable."

    Mr Ramaphosa is one of the front-runners to succeed President Jacob Zuma as head of the governing ANC, when it elects a new leader in December.

    Some MPs from the opposition benches were heard shouting: “Resign, resign!”

    Cyril Ramaphosa
    Image caption: Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this week said he was the target of a smear campaign
  16. Uhuru Kenyatta's party objects to new election team

    Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee party has said that nine members of the electoral commission's special team that will help organise the presidential election re-run are "known to be partisan".

    The commission, the IEBC, has brought in new members to work on the 17 October vote, which was ordered after the Supreme Court annulled last month's election result.

    The Nasa alliance of Mr Kenyatta's main rival, Raila Odinga, called for changes in the IEBC make-up immediately after the annulment was announced last Friday.

    And this was one of its conditions laid out yesterday for taking part in next month's re-run.

    It is not clear if the IEBC set up the special team in response to Nasa's call.

    In a letter to the IEBC, Jubilee says it has a "strong objection" to the deployment of this new team.

    Supreme Court judges
    Image caption: The Supreme Court annulled the election by a four to two majority
  17. Another missed cabinet meeting for Nigeria's President Buhari

    A student paints a portrait of Buhari

    For the second time since President Buhari's return from extended medical leave in London, Nigeria's weekly cabinet meeting has been cancelled.

    Information Minister Lai Mohammed said in a statement that today's meeting is not taking place “due to inadequate time to prepare the documents”.

    Mr Mohammed’s statement adds that a two-day public holiday on Friday and Monday to mark the Islamic Eid-el-Kabir celebrations had left little time to prepare for the weekly meeting.

    President Buhari led his first cabinet meeting last week since taking leave for an unspecified illness.

    His absence sparked numerous protests, including demands that he should resign, as well as calls for more transparency about the president's condition.

    The 74-year-old president has been working from home since his return on 19 August, blaming a rodent infestation for keeping him out of his office.

  18. Togo protesters not swayed by president's pledge

    Ata Ahli Ahebla

    BBC Afrique

    We reported earlier that opposition protests in Togo are going ahead today despite the government's attempt to mollify protesters with a draft bill that would limit presidential terms.

    Local sources tell me that demonstrations have already started in many cities of the country, and opposition groups are calling for more protests tomorrow in Togo and its diaspora.

    Togo's President Faure Gnassingbe has called on parliament to examine proposed a change to the constitution setting a limit of two presidential terms.

    The draft was presented last night during a cabinet meeting.

    Mr Gnassingbe has explained that this move is to preserve peace in the country, but the opposition believes he is playing for time and says he should step down immediately, to bring an end to his family’s 50 years in power.

    View more on twitter

    This entry has been amended to clarify the current status of the draft bill.

  19. 'Deadly fire at Ethiopia stadium construction site covered up'

    The deaths of seven people in a fire at a major construction site in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, have been covered up, reports the Addis Standard online magazine.

    The magazine has spoken to some of the nearly dozen others who were injured in the blaze as well as the site manager to confirm the incident, which happened last month at the huge Adey Ababa stadium construction project.

    But there has been no official comment on the fire that is reported to have started when a gas cylinder exploded, witnesses told Addis Standard.

    The magazine also details the different ways the 200 Chinese and 800 Ethiopian workers are treated on the site.

    It alleges that the Ethiopian workers do not have the proper safety clothes.

    It has also tweeted some more details:

    View more on twitter
    View more on twitter

    Earlier this year, people were sharing pictures of what the completed stadium will look like:

    View more on twitter
  20. Four dead in Kenya 'land dispute'

    Ferdinand Omondi

    BBC Africa, Nairobi

    Four people have been killed in a new wave of attacks in Kenya’s coastal region of Lamu.

    Residents of the village where it happened have blocked the main road with boulders and burning tyres to express their frustration at the latest killings, which police say are caused by fights for resources.

    Armed men are said to have conducted house raids by night, calling the victims out by name and shooting them dead.

    No suspects have been charged.

    Lamu County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo said he suspected that nomadic herdsmen were behind the killings.

    He ruled out any involvement of Islamist militants, saying this attack was motivated by a fight for land, noting that the killers knew their victims by name.