Africa highlights: Iran 'demands Nigeria protect' Shias, Somalia aid workers killed

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Guinea's President Alpha Conde has been sworn in for a second term at a ceremony boycotted by opposition leaders. 

Mr Conde said he would "scrupulously" respect the constitution, and would strive to make the troubled West African state a model for peace and justice. 

Thirteen African heads of state attended the ceremony in the capital, Conakry. 

The opposition boycotted the ceremony after denouncing the October election as rigged.

South Africa has had three finance ministers in less than a week.   

The sacking of Nhlanhla Nene and the appointment of the little-known David van Rooyen last week led to a plunge in the value of the rand.

The BBC's Lerato Mbele profiles finance minister number three: Pravin Gordhan.

A roadside bomb has injured five Kenyan policemen, three of them seriously, in the northern town of Mandera, an official has said, Associated Press news agency reports.

It comes a day after one soldier was killed and two others were wounded in an ambush in the town where Somalia-based militant Islamist group al-Shabab is active.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the five officers were on patrol in the region that borders Somalia when the bomb blew up their truck, AP reports.

Kenya has experienced a wave of attacks by al-Shabab militants since it sent its troops to Somalia in 2011 to fight the militants.

South African President Jacob Zuma continues to be under pressure from Twitter users to resign, despite the fact that he reversed his decision to appoint the little-known David van Rooyen as finance minister and to give the portfolio to the respected Pravin Gordhan: 

A BBC Somali service producer tweets on the killing of two aid workers, including one from the UN refugee agency, in Somalia's capital: 

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Iran has called on Nigeria to take “prompt and serious” action to protect Shia Muslims after dozens of them were allegedly killed in a military crackdown in the north of the country, Tehran-based Tasnim news agency reports.  

"It is a worrying incident and prompt measures are needed to calm the situation," it quotes Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif as telling his Nigerian counterpart Geoffrey Onyeama in a phone call. 

Nigeria has not commented on the report.   

The pro-Iranian Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) said soldiers had killed hundreds of its members during clashes in northern Zaria city over the weekend. 

The military has not given casualty figures but said the clashes took place after IMN members attempted to assassinate army chief Gen Tukur Buratai.

The IMN enjoys tremendous support from Iran and many of its members are sponsored to go and study there. 

Most of Nigeria's Muslims are Sunnis but the number of Shias is increasing in some areas. 

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Introducing the third finance minister in five days, it was perhaps inevitable the government spokeswoman would get names wrong, confusing Pravin Gordhan, who was appointed on Sunday night, with Nhlanhla Nene, who was dismissed last week, Reuters news agency reports. 

In between came David van Rooyen, a little-known backbencher with no central government experience whose period in charge of the purse strings of Africa's most sophisticated economy lasted less than 100 hours. 

During that time, the rand fell 9% and bond yields soared as investors hit the panic button, fearing President Jacob Zuma had abandoned in dramatic style the fiscal discipline that has typified the ANC's approach to money in the two decades it has run the country since apartheid. 

"I see we've created a bit of excitement for you," Mr Gordhan, 66, said with a chuckle at the start of a news conference to mark his return to a role he filled to widespread acclaim from 2009 to 2014. 

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He then got down to the business at hand - trying to draw a line under the market turmoil and convince domestic and international investors that Pretoria and the ANC had not lost the plot, and remained committed to running a tight ship. 

"We will stay the course of sound fiscal management," he said. 

When it came to discussing Zuma's motives in axing Mr Nene before effecting a dramatic U-turn, Mr Gordhan trod carefully, refusing to reveal anything about the thinking of his boss. "There are times when you have to admit there was a miscalculation," he said. 

 As he wound up, there was room for one more moment of levity, Reuters says. 

In response to a comment about investors and South Africans resorting to valium to soothe shattered nerves, he interjected: "As a former pharmacist, I can say we have moved beyond valium."

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The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has named the final three contenders for its 2015 Player of the Year award.

Ivory Coast's Yaya Toure could be the first man to win the accolade five times.

The Manchester City star is up against Ghana and Swansea's Andre 'Dede' Ayew and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Gabon and Borussia Dortmund.

The winner is chosen by head coaches of the FA's affiliated to Caf and ‎will be announced at a gala on 7 January.

On Friday, Toure won the 2015 BBC African Footballer of the year.

Read the full story on BBC sport

Bodies of Shia Muslims killed in clashes with the Nigerian army in the northern city of Zaria are being taken away by the military, a spokesman of the pro-Iranian group has told the BBC.

Members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) clashed with the military over the weekend, leading to the deaths of dozens of people. 

"We have reports that bodies of our members killed outside the house of our leader [Ibrahim Zakzaky] are being evacuated in trucks by soldiers," IMN spokesman Ibrahim Musa told the BBC Hausa service.

"Hospital sources told us that about 300 bodies have been taken to the hospital by the military," he added. 

Residents of the area told the BBC soldiers had set up checkpoints on the streets leading to Sheikh Zakzaky's house.

Those killed during violence included Zakzaky's wife, son and the former IMN spokesman, the group says.

Readers on the BBC Africa Facebook page have reacted strongly to the conflict in Burundi, as 28 people - including a former defence minister - go on trial for allegedly plotting to overthrow President Pierre Nkurunziza in May:

Hamza Yusuph says: "In many Africans countries, the judicial system is not independent. There is no clear separation of power between state bodies. There is no doubt that the accused will go to hell."  

Danny Chebor says: "Burundi is on fire... People are maiming and killing each other. Where did humanity go to? Why are African leaders so heartless to cling in power even when innocent people are dying? What happened to dialogue?"

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The Islamic State group is extending its territory inside Libya, aiming to gain access to the country's oil wells, France's defence minister says.

The group is now looking to move inland from its stronghold in the coastal town of Sirte, Jean-Yves Le Drian told France's RTL radio.

Libya's rival governments are due to sign a UN-backed agreement on Wednesday to form a unity government.

Libya has descended into chaos since long-serving leader Col Gaddafi was killed four years ago in a Nato-backed campaign to overthrow him. Sirte was his birthplace. 

Computer scientist Nky Iweka gave up her day job a few years ago to dedicate herself to Nigerian cuisine.

Her mission is to introduce her passion to the world, which she does at home in London, where she has set up a Nigerian pop-up restaurant.

We have selected this photo from @thanabster of a lone spectator in a Nairobi stadium is our #regramtheweekend pick.The caption just says "when your squad cancels on you". 

Each Monday we check Instagram for a picture posted over the weekend. To be featured tag your pics with#regramtheweekend.

A Saudi military commander and an Emirati officer are reported to be among a number of Gulf, Yemeni and Sudanese soldiers killed in Yemen.

They appear to have been killed by a missile fired by Houthi rebels at troops from the Saudi-led coalition seeking to restore Yemen's government.

Rebel and government sources said the attack, in the province of Taiz, left dozens of coalition troops dead.

The Saudi state news agency quoted a coalition statement as saying Saudi Col Abdullah al-Sahyan, pictured below, and Emirati officer Sultan al-Ketbi were killed early while "carrying out their duties in following up the progress of operations of liberating" Taiz province.

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Six students have been sentenced to three years in jail each by a court in Tunisia on charges of homosexuality, their lawyer has said, AFP news agency reports. 

The accused were given the maximum term by the court in the central city of  Kairouan under a controversial article of the criminal code that criminalises sex between men, Boutheina Karkni said.

The young men were arrested a few weeks ago after "neighbours denounced them" and were made to undergo anal tests, she added.

Human rights activists have condemned the ruling that was handed out last week, AFP reports.

Mr Karkni said they have all appealed against the ruling and the hearing will start in the next few weeks in the city of Sousse.

In September, a court in the city sentenced a student to a year in prison on charges of homosexuality, also after an anal test.

He was released in November pending an appeal hearing expected on Thursday.

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Kenya's anti-corruption body has withdrawn its threat to arrest opposition leader Raila Odinga for failing to appear before it to give evidence on his claim that some $1.3bn ($860m) had gone missing from the government.

Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) chief Halaqe  Waqo said Mr Odinga had met their requirements by making a written submission through his lawyers. 

The alleged missing money was from $2.4bn worth of Eurobonds sold on the Irish stock exchange last year, and was intended to be spent on infrastructure and to ease domestic borrowing.

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Nigeria's former national security adviser has appeared in court in the capital, Abuja, charged with fraud, money laundering and criminal breach of trust.

Sambo Dasuki denies the allegations and says the case is politically motivated.

He was arrested with some of his associates two weeks ago by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).

A government investigation panel indicted Mr Dasuki for allegedly diverting $2bn (£1.3bn) meant to buy equipment for the fight against Boko Haram Islamist militants.

He was accused of awarding phantom contracts to buy 12 helicopters, four fighter jets and ammunition. 

Mr Dasuki appeared in court together with a former finance director in his office, Shuaibu Salisu, and a former general manager of the state oil company, Aminu Babakusa.

They have all pleaded not guilty. The trial continues tomorrow.

At least 14 people have been killed and two others seriously wounded in an attack on a village in Plateau state, in central Nigeria.

The attack on Kwata-Zawan village happened last night when gunmen stormed the village, broke into houses and shot their victims dead.

It is not clear who the attackers were, but the state has been witnessing ethnic and religious bloodshed for more than a decade. 

An elder in the village, Gregory Gong, told the BBC that the dead have already been buried while the injured are receiving treatment in hospital.

The police and the villagers say they have yet to identify the assailants.

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In his first press conference as South Africa's third finance minister within a week, Pravin Gordhan has moved to reassure investors and South Africans after the turmoil that was created by the sudden sacking of Nhlanhla Nene last week.

He was replaced by the little-known David van Rooyen, who was in office for only two working days.

Mr Gordhan said he would continue to manage the state's finances in a "fiscally responsible manner".

He also spoke about South Africa's state-owned businesses saying that many will need to be reformed.

"We do require a bit of national reflection on how we want to manage state resources... We are guardians of public resources and we should do this in a responsible way," he said.

And he warned that they should not be used as a "personal toy" by some to extract money.