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Live Reporting

Lamine Konkobo, Hugo Williams and Damian Zane

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 the BBC Africa Livepage today. 

    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 our wise words:

    Quote Message: If the wicked were flames the world would be desolated." from A Yoruba proverb sent by Bode Babalola, Abuja, Nigeria
    A Yoruba proverb sent by Bode Babalola, Abuja, Nigeria

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

    And we leave you with this photo of Yahya Diop, aka Yekini, a giant of Senegalese wrestling in every sense of the word, who has announced his retirement after nearly a quarter-century in the ring. 

    Yekini stands
  2. Amisom and Somali army 'remain in control' of Afgoye

    The African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) has been tweeting about the al-Shabab attack on the town of Afgoye, near the capital, Mogadishu. 

    It insists that it and the Somali army are still in control of the town:

    View more on twitter

    VBIED means a car bomb.

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    View more on twitter
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  3. Adichie launches fierce criticism of Nigerian president

    Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has written a stinging critique of Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari in the New York Times.

    She starts off by saying that she welcomed his election in 2015, especially as it signalled a peaceful and democratic transfer of power.

    But that optimism is now gone and she says Mr Buhari missed his chance to change Nigeria.

    Ms Adichie attacks his initial policy of trying to support the currency, the naira, in the face of the overwhelming pressure for it to be devalued. 

    She is also critical of the attempt to ban the import of certain goods.

    Quote Message: His intentions, good as they well might be, are rooted in an outdated economic model and an infantile view of Nigerians. For him, it seems, patriotism is not a voluntary and flexible thing, with room for dissent, but a martial enterprise: to obey without questioning."

    She also discusses the insecurity in the country and the perception in the south of the country "that he promotes a northern Sunni Muslim agenda".

    Overall, she says:

    Quote Message: There is an ad hoc air to the government that does not inspire that vital ingredient for a stable economy: confidence."
    Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    Image caption: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has become one of the best known Nigerian voices outside of the country
  4. Gunshots still heard as night falls in Somali town

    Even though night has now fallen in the Somali town of Afgoye, residents have told the BBC's Ahmed Adan that they can still hear gunfire.

    The town - 30km north-west of the capital, Mogadishu - was attacked by al-Shabab militants earlier today.

    The residents added that it is not clear who is in control.

    One man told the BBC that all civilians are in hiding, making it very hard to know exactly what's going on.

    A Ugandan army spokesman, speaking for the African Union, said that al-Shabab fighters have been ousted from Afgoye, but that has not been confirmed.

    Al-Shabab militants marching
    Image caption: Islamist militant group al-Shabab has been fighting to overthrow the UN backed government
  5. DR Congo's Tshisekedi trashes deal to delay presidential vote

    Protesters in the DR Congo
    Image caption: The date of the presidential election has become a source of tension in the country

    The main opposition party in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Etienne Tshisekedi's UDPS, has slammed a deal agreed by the ruling party and one opposition faction to delay the presidential election until April 2018. 

    Under the proposal hammered out following government-backed talks in the capital, Kinshasa, President Joseph Kabila remains in power beyond December when his second, and last, term is due to come to an end. 

    But Jean-Marc Kabund, an official of Mr Tshisekedi's party, told AFP:

    Quote Message: As far as we are concerned, this deal is just a working document."

    A coalition of the opposition, known as the Rally and led by the UDPS, has vowed to step up pressure on President Kabila to abide by the constitution. 

    But the constitutional court has also agreed that the election can be postponed to help prepare a new voters list.   

    Protests last month against the delaying of the presidential election resulted in at least 50 deaths. 

  6. President Nkurunziza signs Burundi out of ICC

    President Nkurunziza of Burundi
    Image caption: President Nkurunziza is angry at the ICC for opening a preliminary investigation into last year's violence in Burundi

    Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza has signed into law a measure that pulls the country out of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    It has now become the first country to do that.

    Parliament voted last week to withdraw from Rome Statute, the 1998 treaty establishing the ICC. 

    It will take a year for the withdrawal to take effect and in that time Burundi will remain under the court's jurisdiction.

    The official decree that pulls Burundi out of ICC

    Last year, African heads of state agreed to look at ways the continent could withdraw from the ICC as a bloc.

    Many people have complained that it is biased against the continent.

  7. 'People in hiding' in Somali town of Afgoye

    We've been posting updates on an al-Shebab attack in the Somali town of Afgoye, 30km north-west of the capital, Mogadishu.

    News agencies are now reporting additional details.

    Reuters is quoting local authorities as saying that four people died when a car bomb rammed into a police station in the town.

    It also carries the disputed claim from al-Shabab that it is in control of Afgoye.

    AFP is quoting a resident as saying that the attack came as a surprise, adding that "people are hiding in their houses and those who stayed outside have fled." 

    "We don't know who is controlling the city so far because heavy exchange of gunfire is going on," he added.

    Somalia and AU soldiers
    Image caption: AU and Somali soldiers have been based in Afgoye
  8. Nigeria tries to ban university diploma courses

    Abdullahi Kaura Abubakar

    BBC Africa, Abuja

    Nigeria’s National Universities Commission (NUC) has abolished all diploma - sub-degree level - programmes at the country’s universities. 

    The NUC says it wants universities to concentrate on providing quality education to train people to run the country’s public service. 

    Its head Abubakar Adamu Rasheed told university vice-chancellors that it was the job of polytechnics to run diploma courses.

    Critics say that over the years, Nigerian universities introduced the diplomas to gain income rather than improve people's knowledge.

    And this has taken its toll on the standard of education.

    But it is very unlikely this ban will be adhered to. The government has tried and failed to get rid of diploma courses at universities in the past.

    Graduating students
  9. South Sudan warns Machar not to return until 2018

    Soldiers on a boat carrying automatic weapons and RPGs
    Image caption: The government says its forces control 95% or more of the country

    South Sudan's presidential spokesman has issued a rebuke to sacked Vice-President Riek Machar, who is currently in exile in South Africa, having fled the capital, Juba, in July.  

    Ateny Wek Ateny told the BBC's Focus on Africa radio that he "felt sorry" for Mr Machar, who told the BBC earlier that half of the country was still in the hands of his SPLM-IO rebel forces. 

    Quote Message: The government controls 95 or 99.9% [of territory]... He is trying to fool those who are not aware of the map of South Sudan.
    Quote Message: I felt sorry for him, because if his forces were controlling half the country.... he wouldn't have left Juba."

    Asked whether Mr Machar could still negotiate a peace deal with President Salva Kiir, the spokesman said that that stage had passed "a long time ago" and the government no longer even considered him to be the leader of the SPLM-IO. 

    On Mr Machar's vow to return to the country, Mr Ateny said:

    Quote Message: If he wants to come back to South Sudan, he should only come back to South Sudan after 2018, when the transitional government of national unity has come to an end and the election is called."
  10. Police post attacked in Somalia's Afgoye town

    The Ugandan contingent of the African Union force in Somalia (Amisom) is, along with Somali troops, responsible for the security around the area of Afgoye, which has come under attack today.

    The Ugandan army spokesman in Somalia, Captain Jimmy Omara, told the BBC's Catherine Byaruhanga that the al-Shabab militants have attacked a police post.

    He added that Somali and AU forces have been sent there to reinforce the position.

    He said that the police post was attacked by a car bomb.

    Afgoye is approximately 30km (19 miles) from the capital, Mogadishu.

  11. Heavy fighting in Somalia's Afgoye town

    We're getting more information about the al-Shebab attack on the Somali town of Afgoye, which is close to the capital, Mogadishu (see previous entry).

    Residents have told the BBC Somali service that many people including civilians and government soldiers have been injured in the fighting. 

    The heaviest clashes are going on near the local government offices and Afgoye police headquarters.

    Al-shabab says its fighters have taken over the town, but the regional governor told BBC Somali says government soldiers are still involved in fighting.

    Ugandas defence force personnel patrol in the town of Afgoye south of Mogadishu atop an armoured vehicle
    Image caption: African Union soldiers along with Somali government forces have been operating in Afgoye
  12. Al-Shabab enter key town close to Somalia's capital

    Fighters from the Islamist militant al-Shabab group have entered Afgoye, a strategic town just 30km from the capital, Mogadishu, local residents have told the BBC.

    They said that militants can be seen in many parts of the town.

    Al-Shabab were ousted from Afgoye in May 2012 by African Union forces.

    Afgoye is a very significant town, reports the BBC's Ahmed Adan, as it's on one of the two roads out of Mogadishu and connects the capital to south-west Somalia.

    Map of Somalia
  13. Seven African athletes in the running for Athlete of the Year

    Following some stunning African performances on the track at the Rio Olympics, seven African competitors, four men and three women, have been shortlisted for the male and female Athlete of the Year awards run by the IAAF, athletics' governing body.

    For the women:

    Almaz Ayana by the stadium score board

    For the men:

    Wayde van Niekerk by the stadium board

    Ten men and 10 women have been shortlisted and the winner will be announced on 2 December.

  14. 'Some released' in Ethiopia after mass arrests

    We reported on the Africa Live page yesterday that 1,000 people had been arrested in the Ethiopian town of Sebeta, 20km (12 miles) south-west of the capital, Addis Ababa.

    The arrests came just over a week after factories and warehouses in the town were targeted by anti-government protesters.

    The people detained were suspected of being involved.

    Today the AP news agency is quoting the town's mayor as saying that while most of those arrested were still being investigated, some have now been released.

    Under the current state of emergency in Ethiopia people can be arrested without a warrant and detained for the duration of the emergency.

    Ethiopian factory destroyed by fire
    Image caption: A Turkish-owned fabric factory was one of the businesses targeted in Sebeta

    Read more: Seven things banned under Ethiopia's state of emergency

  15. If the US election was taking place in Africa...

    The current US presidential election campaign has been a generation defining moment.

    The hard-fought campaign between Republican candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic Party rival Hillary Clinton is becoming increasingly vitriolic.

    The increasing tension along with Mr Trump's allegations that the election will be rigged has got some people thinking about how this could be reported if the vote was taking place in an African country.

    People are using #Nov8AfricanEdition to share their thoughts.

    View more on twitter
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    One person reminds us of an incident that happened during Nigeria's vote count in 2015, this time the New Jersey governor and Trump supporter is the one getting agitated:

    View more on twitter

    And could Nigeria's former president ride to the rescue?

    Goodluck Jonathan
    Image caption: Is this man ready to save the USA?
  16. Why are people fighting over caterpillars in DR Congo?

    Poly Muzalia

    BBC Africa, Kinshasa

    A person eats grilled caterpillars with olive oil

    At least 16 people have been killed in inter-ethnic clashes in Katanaga province, in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a row over a disputed caterpillar tax.

    Caterpillars are a delicacy in western DR Congo in the area around the capital, Kinshasa, which is hundreds of miles from Katanga, where the deadly clashes occurred.

    The insects are harvested from trees, smoked and often eaten with sauce.

    Caterpillars are an unlikely cause of conflict in the country, particularly in Katanga.

    That province is not known for its love of eating caterpillars and people have certainly never killed for them before.

    But there is a running feud in the area between Batwa - who are also known as pygmies - and other ethnic groups.

    Pygmies are native to the region but they feel they are marginalised, with unequal access to resources and education.

    So when they felt that one of their main sources of income was being subject to an unfair tax, the result was violence.

  17. Released Chibok girls 'should be educated abroad'

    21 Chibok girls released in Nigeria
    Image caption: The released girls have now been reunited with their families

    Nigeria's government is negotiating the release of a further 83 of the missing Chibok schoolgirls, but more than 100 others appear unwilling to leave their captors, a community leader has told the AP news agency.

    Pogu Bitrus, head of the Chibok Development Association told AP those who are unwilling may have been radicalised by Boko Haram or be ashamed to return home because they have had babies after being forced to marry their captors. 

    Mr Bitrus said the 21 Chibok girls freed last week in the first negotiated release between Nigeria's government and Boko Haram should be educated abroad, because they will probably face stigma in Nigeria.

    Read more: How did Nigeria secure the release of 21 Chibok girls? 

  18. 'Fires burning' all around Buhari after #TheOtherRoom

    View more on twitter

    The reporter for Reuters news agency in Lagos has shared this cartoon from the local Business Day website, depicting the different challenges President Muhammadu Buhari is taking on as fires. 

    There is a fire called "corruption", one called "Boko Haram", one referring to a secessionist movement for Biafra (MASSOB) and even one representing his own APC party.

    But the fire Mr Buhari is kneeling next to is labelled "the other room", a reference to controversial comments he made about his wife last week after she gave an interview to the BBC critical of his presidency:

    "I don't know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room," he said while on a visit to Germany, standing next to Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is arguably the most powerful woman in the world. 

    His comments sent social media into meltdown, causing #theotherroom to trend on Twitter, with many critical of what they saw as an outdated portrayal of women's role in society. 

    So is Mr Buhari trying to blow the fire out, or get it going? 

    By declining to apologise for his comments, and appearing to stand by them, perhaps the cartoonist is implying that the president is fanning the flames of the controversy: 

    In an interview with German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle on Sunday, he replied to a question from his male interviewer about the criticism surrounding his comments: 

    Quote Message: I am sure you have a house, you know where your kitchen is, you know where your living room is... and I believe your wife looks after all that, even if she is working.
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    Buhari: My wife belongs in the kitchen

  19. Senegal wrestling legend taps out for good

    Abdourahmane Dia

    BBC Afrique

    The gargantuan Yekini pictured before a fight

    Media in Senegal have been paying tribute to wrestler Yahya Diop, aka Yekini, who has announced his retirement from the sport.

    Wrestling is one of the most popular sports in Senegal.

    The 42-year-old held the title of “king of the Arena” for 15 years before being beaten by the younger Balla Gaye 2. 

    He said that after 24 years in wrestling, he thought this was the right time to retire. 

    He went by the name Yekini, in reference to the late Nigerian footballer, whose Yoruba name signified “strength and winner spirit”.

    In the course of his professional career and his 22 fights, he won 19 times, lost twice and had one draw in Senegalese traditional wrestling. 

    He was also a member of the Senegalese national team and won the title of African champion in Greco-Roman wrestling on multiple occasions. 

    Senegalese wrestling has become big business and he is said to be one of the richest wrestlers in the country. 

    Most big fights are broadcast live on television. 

    Isabelle Sambou of Senegal (red) and Carol Huynh of Canada compete in the Women's Freestyle 48 kg Wrestling on Day 12 of the London 2012 Olympic Games
    Image caption: Wrestling is popular among men and women in Senegal, which sends teams to the Olympics
  20. Kenyatta to anti-corruption officials: Do your job

    Wanyama wa Chebusiri

    BBC Africa

    Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has blamed his public officials for frustrating the government’s efforts to fight corruption in the country. 

    A visibly upset president lamented that several arms of the government charged with fighting corruption were reluctant to carry out their responsibilities.

    At an anti-corruption meeting he said: 

    Quote Message: I stand accused that the executive is not doing enough. What do you want me to do?
    Quote Message: We want to deal with corruption because it hurts the Kenyan people it hurts the Kenyan economy.
    Quote Message: Those charged with the responsibility don't throw the blame game... do your job, do your job, to the satisfaction of Kenyans in the shortest possible time."

    Critics of the government point an accusing finger at the president's administration for abetting corruption, especially among the ruling elite.

    Kenya ranks 139th out of 168 countries in Transparency International's perception of corruption index.

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