Africa news updates from the BBC

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team.

You can find the latest updates on the BBC News website, or listen to our Focus on Africa podcast.

A reminder of Tuesday's wise words:

Quote Message: The locust flies away but leaves hardship behind." from A Somali proverb sent by Ali Aman in the self-declared republic of Somaliland

The locust flies away but leaves hardship behind."

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

We leave you with this picture of a delegate arriving at national talks in Senegal that were called by embattled President Macky Sall:

AFPCopyright: AFP

Police in Zambia have arrested two male university students on suspicion of having sex with each other. The pair were subjected to invasive medical checks afterwards on police orders.

Zambia is a deeply conservative society where homosexual acts are illegal - and referred to as "against the order of nature" in the country’s constitution.

Police spokesman Rae Hamoonga alleged the two men were caught in a toilet cubicle together.

"The individuals were promptly taken to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) for medical examination, where it was confirmed by the attending doctor that the duo had engaged in unnatural acts. Both suspects are third-year medical students," he said.

A maximum penalty of 15 years in jail can be handed down for homosexual acts in Zambia.

In 2019, two men were sentenced to 15 years for having sex with each other. They were later pardoned by then-President Edgar Lungu.

The sentence led to a diplomatic row at the time - resulting in the recalling of the then-US Ambassador Daniel Foote who said he was "horrified" by the punishment meted out on the pair.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The authorities in Chad have said the country's delayed presidential elections will take place in May.

The vote is supposed to mark the end of a political transition that began in 2021, when former President Idriss Déby died after three decades in power.

In defiance of the constitution, his son Gen Mahamat Déby was named his successor and promised to return the country to civilian rule.

The transition was delayed and Mr Déby is expected to stand as a candidate.

Analysts say the electoral commission is far from neutral and the opposition fears an extension of the Déby dynasty in Chad.

More about Chad:

• Chad police get amnesty for Black Friday killings
• Who is Gen Mahamat Déby?

• Everything you need to know about Chad

Native Media LimitedCopyright: Native Media Limited

Nigerian media is reporting that TV sitcom The Johnsons is ending after 13 years.

Actor Charles Inojie, who plays family patriarch Lucky Jonhson, has thanked loyal fans and paid tribute to the show's "awesomeness and absolute magic".

He also praised the "outstanding roles" played by the actors and the production staff in making the show a success.

Close to 2,000 episodes of The Johnson have aired since the sitcom began in 2012.

It was produced by Native Media Limited and broadcast on Africa Magic.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Prominent Zimbabwean opposition politician and former finance minister Tendai Biti has been given a $300 (£236) fine and suspended six-month jail sentence after a magistrate found him guilty of verbal assault.

The court said he had shouted at a Russian businesswoman in 2020.

During the four year-long trial, witnesses testified that Biti - a top lawyer - advanced towards Tatiana Aleshina after a court hearing in 2020, and called her "stupid" and pointed a finger at her in a manner she believed was threatening.

Biti denied the accusation and had argued that the charge was not valid.

Biti’s lawyer Alec Muchadehama said they were extremely disappointed but not surprised by the sentence. They plan to appeal the charge and conviction.

90 Day FiancéCopyright: 90 Day Fiancé

US media reports that a popular Nigerian cast member of TV reality dating show 90 Day Fiancé has been found safe after going missing.

Michael Ilesanmi had reportedly been missing for three days, having left the home he shared with wife Angela Deem suddenly without any belongings. She spoke on social media to confirm his return.

Mr Ilesanmi has not yet spoken publicly about his disappearance.

The couple's relationship was often portrayed as physically and verbally abusive on the show and its spin-offs.

They met on Facebook and got married in 2020, but Mr Ilesanmi's US visa applications were initially unsuccessful. He finally obtained a visa and joined Ms Deem in the US state of Georgia in December.

90 Day Fiancé airs on the TLC cable channel, and follows US couples in relationships with foreigners.

They usually have 90 days to get married from the time they obtain an American K-1 fiancé visa.

Egypt's air force has dropped 45 tonnes of aid into northern and central Gaza. It said more will be delivered soon.

The Egyptian deliveries are crucial as last week the World Food Programme suspended deliveries in northern Gaza because supplies were being looted.

UN aid agencies say they are being systematically prevented from carrying out their work in Gaza, and their staff are being attacked.

The UN humanitarian agency, Ocha, said Israel soldiers had prevented a team from evacuating patients from Al Amal hospital in Khan Younis on Sunday.

It said patients were forced out of ambulances and the medical team were made to strip. It said this was not an isolated incident. Israel has yet to comment.

More on this topic:

• Live updates on Gaza from the BBC
• Hope for Gaza ceasefire by next week, says Biden

AFPCopyright: AFP

Nigeria's Central Bank has raised interest rates in an effort to curb inflation on a day when thousands of people have been protesting against the government's handling of the economy.

Inflation has reached almost 30%, leaving many millions struggling to afford food.

Last year, President Bola Tinubu scrapped a costly subsidy causing the price of fuel to triple. He also devalued the Nigerian currency - the naira - prompting a hike in the price of imports.

Those reforms have led to widespread anger.

Nigeria's finance minister Wale Edun told the BBC that people needed to be patient as the measures would in time benefit Nigeria's economy.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Scamming victims in Mozambique say they've been conned out of thousands of dollars by a fraudster who promised them jobs in Portugal that didn't exist.

Thirteen people in Mozambique's capital, Maputo, each paid between 20,000 and 60,000 meticais (between $310 and $940; or £250 and £740) to a man who said he would arrange their travel and papers.

A Portuguese suspect found with 13 Mozambican passports in his possession has been detained by the police. Two other Mozambican nationals are also being held.

One of the victims said he was desperate to work in Portugal, and so like many others he paid the fake fixer by remote transfer, despite never meeting him in person.

"Whenever I phoned, he said 'in a meeting and I can't talk now'," the victim says.

Another woman who was conned says she is now jobless after ending her contract in Mozambique because she thought a new one awaited her in Portugal.

"The message I would like to give to others is just be very careful about this", she says.

BBC Good FoodCopyright: BBC Good Food

During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, value-added tax (VAT) will be removed from Zanzibar's imported sugar in an effort to make life more affordable.

Traders are also being told by the president "there is no excuse" to hike their food prices.

Sugar shortages mean prices have rocketed over the past three months in Tanzania and in its semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar.

Their governments say low production is to blame.

While visiting markets on Monday, Zanzibar’s President Hussein Ali Mwinyi said the government was tackling inflation but that some dishonest traders still kept prices artificially high - including for locally produced cassava, fish, vegetables and fruits.

"Stop unnecessary price hikes during Ramadan, causing inconvenience to most of the poor," he said.

Zanzibar has a Muslim-majority population. The month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, is due to begin in less than two weeks.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The Italian government says three people from the same family who were kidnapped in Mali in May 2022 have been released.

The husband, wife and son - called Rocco Langone, Maria Donata Caivano and Giovanni Langone - were seized from Koutiala, close to the border with Burkina Faso.

It is not yet clear what happened to their Togolese domestic worker who was also abducted.

A group linked to al-Qaeda was reportedly behind the kidnappping.

The Italian couple are Jehovah’s Witnesses and were planning to set up a church.

The government in Rome said despite their long detention, the three freed hostages were in good health and would be repatriated.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Sudan's ongoing civil conflict, now entering its tenth month, has intensified an already dire humanitarian situation, with close to nine million people displaced internally, according to the UN.

Additionally, a recent internet blackout has further impeded access to critical services, including financial transactions and communication channels.

Amid this crisis, Sudanese facing displacement have sought alternative avenues for internet connectivity.

Notably, Elon Musk's satellite-based internet service, Starlink, has emerged as a crucial lifeline, facilitating access to essential online resources.

BBC Africa Daily’s Alan Kasujja spoke to Suliman Baldo, head of the Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker, who shed light on the innovative use of Starlink by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who are said to be leasing out internet access to civilians.

"People rely on cash transfers through banking applications to survive in their places of exile," he said.

• Listen to the full episode here

90 Day FiancéCopyright: 90 Day Fiancé

A popular Nigerian cast member of the US reality dating TV show 90 Day Fiancé has been missing in the US since last Friday, his wife says.

Michael Ilesanmi's whereabouts remain unknown after he left the house he shared with his wife without his belongings, his wife, Angela Deem, said in a livestream on TikTok. She says the police have been alerted.

The couple met on Facebook and got married in 2020, but Mr Ilesanmi's US visa applications were initially unsuccessful.

He finally obtained a visa and joined Ms Deem in the US state of Georgia last December.

Fans of 90 Day Fiancé are speculating on the circumstances of the disappearance, as the couple's relationship was often portrayed as physically and verbally abusive on the show and its spin-offs.

The show airs on the TLC cable channel, and follows US couples in relationships with foreigners.

They usually have 90 days to get married from the time they obtain an American K-1 fiancé visa.

Gauteng Health DepartmentCopyright: Gauteng Health Department

South Africa’s Gauteng provincial health department has warned residents not to pay healthcare workers directly after a bogus doctor’s alleged attempt to solicit, in its words, "a bribe" at the country’s biggest hospital.

The woman, reportedly wore green scrubs which had the name "Dr Zulu" printed on them, is alleged to have asked a patient’s escort at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital to give her 700 rand ($36; £29) for assistance.

The escort grew suspicious when the woman, who has not been named, said they should meet at a pedestrian gate to make the payment.

When approached, she was unable to produce her credentials, and later arrested. The woman posing as a medic has not yet spoken about the incident.

The Gauteng health department urged members of the public to be aware of such scams.

"If there are any fees payable in the hospital, this will be done at patient administration and an invoice will be issued to indicate exactly what the patient is paying for," it said in a statement.

People pretending to be registered medics have become a major concern in South Africa, with the health ministry saying last year that more than 120 people had been arrested in connection with allegedly bogus qualifications over the previous three years.

Popular TikToker Matthew Lani last year claimed to be a registered medical doctor with a degree from Wits University in Johannesburg, but this was denied by the institution and the country’s Health Professions Council of South Africa. He later admitted that he was not a doctor, then charges that he had impersonated a medic were dropped.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

South Africa has announced that 499 rhinos were illegally killed last year, marking a significant increase from the 448 rhinos poached in the previous year.

Most of the rhinos - 406 of them - were killed on state properties and 93 in private parks, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said in a statement on Tuesday.

One park in particular is taking the brunt, said Minister Barnara Creecy:

Quote Message: The pressure again has been felt in the KwaZulu-Natal province with Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park facing the brunt of poaching cases - losing 307 of the total national poaching loss."

The pressure again has been felt in the KwaZulu-Natal province with Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park facing the brunt of poaching cases - losing 307 of the total national poaching loss."

She said teams were continuing "to work tirelessly in an attempt to slow this relentless pressure".

South Africa hosts the highest number of the endangered animals in the world and is among the countries hardest hit by poaching.

Poachers hunt animals like rhinos to sell their horns - as there is great demand for the horn in countries in Asia.