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Live Reporting

Flora Drury and Farouk Chothia

All times stated are UK

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  1. Scroll down for Monday's stories

    We'll be back tomorrow

    That's all from BBC Africa Live today, which has had a special focus on the inauguration of former football star George Weah as the president of Liberia.

    You can keep up-to-date with this and more of 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: The chick which stays close to its mother will eat the grasshopper’s thigh." from An Akan proverb from Ghana sent by Hajia Rukky in Hillsboro, Oregon, US
    An Akan proverb from Ghana sent by Hajia Rukky in Hillsboro, Oregon, US

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

    And we leave you with this picture of some Liberians, queuing to see their new president take the reins of power in Monrovia earlier today:

    Liberians cheer as they stand in line to enter the inauguration off the President-elect, George Weah, at the Samuel Kanyon Doe stadium, in Monrovia, Liberia, 22 January 2018.
  2. Could caterpillars be the answer to malnutrition?

    Well, that is what Kahitouo Hein is hoping.

    Mr Hein, from Burkina Faso, would like to see all his neighbours enjoying treats like caterpillar cookies on a regular basis.

    However, first of all he needs to figure out how to make the shea caterpillar - available for just a few weeks a year - into a year-round sustainable staple for the whole population.

    Learn more by watching the video below, or listen to the whole programme from the World Service's CrowdScience here.

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  3. Which leader was on time for Weah's swearing in?

    Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo was on time for George Weah's inauguration as president of Liberia, but two leaders from francophone Africa were "naughty", sneaking in just before he took the oath of office, the AFP correspondent at the ceremony in Monrovia has tweeted:

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    Reuters news agency reports that nine African presidents attended the inauguration. Mr Akufo-Addo flanked by Sierra Leone's Ernest Bai Koroma (L) and Senegal's Macky Sall in the photo below:

    President of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma (L) President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo (C) and Senegal"s President Macky Sall are seen during new President elect George Weah"s swearing-in ceremony at Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia, Liberia,
  4. DRC deaths 'blatant violation of laws'

    Demonstrators kneel and chant slogans during a protest organised by Catholic activists in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo January 21, 2018
    Image caption: Demonstrators were protesting President Joseph Kabila step down

    Human rights group Amnesty International has denounced the deaths of at least six protesters in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a "blatant violation" of the country's laws.

    The protesters were demanding President Joseph Kabila leave power when security forces allegedly opened fire.

    As well as the six people killed, another 49 were injured, according to Monusco, the United Nations mission in the DR Congo.

    France has condemned the actions, while Jean-Mobert Senga, Amnesty International’s researcher on DR Congo, has called for those responsible to be held to account.

    He said:

    Quote Message: This brutal response by the security forces to peaceful protests goes to show once again that repression has become the norm in the DRC, in blatant violation of the country’s constitution and its international human rights obligations.
    Quote Message: Such repression must not be allowed to continue. Those suspected to be responsible for it at all levels must be held accountable in fair trials. The authorities must also immediately and unconditionally release all peaceful protesters who are detained.”

    Read more about the protests by clicking here.

  5. Somalis 'acquitted of Kenya airport blast'

    A court in Kenya has acquitted four Somali charged over an explosion at a coffee shop at the international airport in the capital, Nairobi, in 2014, AFP news agency reports.

    The men denied they were members of Somalia's militant Islamist group al-Shabab.

    Magistrate Roselyn Oganyo acquitted them of more than 12 counts, including possessing explosives and being unlawfully present in Kenya, the country and possessing explosives, AFP reports.

    The prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt that, the magistrate was quoted as saying.

    The explosion did not cause any casualties.

  6. Samuel Eto'o at Weah's inauguration

    Dressed in a suit, Cameroon football star Samuel Eto'o was snapped by a Reuters news agency photographer at the presidential inauguration of Africa's greatest footballer, George Weah:

    Cameroon international soccer player Samuel Eto'o arrives for Liberia's new President George Weah swearing-in ceremony at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia, Liberia, January 22, 2018.
  7. Museveni to press ahead with executions

    Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has vowed to enforce the death penalty again, dismissing opposition from non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

    "We believe in the Law of Moses; eye for an eye," he said in a tweet:

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    The last execution in Uganda was 13 years ago.

    Last week, Mr Museveni said he would "hang a few" at a graduation ceremony for prison wardens in the capital, Kamapala, on Thursday.

    In recent years crime has risen, with 20 women murdered in four months in the capital Kampala last year. Some critics say police put more effort into targeting President Museveni's opponents than into catching criminals.

    But rights groups said that executing prisoners will not end crime, and the government should focus on strengthening the police's capacity to investigate crime.

  8. Inmates on the run in Ghana after jailbreak

    Thomas Naadi

    BBC Africa, Accra

    Ghanaian police officer Emile Gyebi addresses police and paramilitary officers waiting to be deployed at the metropolitan police headquarters in Tamale on December 6, 2016 on the eve of the presidential and parliamentary elections.
    Image caption: People are questioning the police's abilities after the breakout (stock image)

    Police in Ghana are questioning a number of suspects picked up in connection with a jailbreak in the capital, Accra, which left one officer dead and seven inmates on the run.

    Gunmen raided the Kwabenya District police headquarters on Sunday morning, freeing six Ghanaians and a Nigerian.

    The police officer on duty, who tried to stop them, sustained fatal injuries during the attack and died hours later in hospital.

    The police have released images of the escapees and are urging the public to volunteer information that will lead to their arrest.

    The gunmen who carried out the deadly attack are still at large, despite the police making a number of arrests in connection with the incident.

    Many in Ghana are now questioning the capacity of the police to maintain law and order.

  9. Escaped crocodiles menace Mozambique community

    Jose Tembe

    BBC Africa, Maputo

    Nile crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus, Okavango Delta, Botswana

    A Mozambique neighbourhood is being terrorised by crocodiles believed to have once belonged to a local businessman.

    The crocodiles are thought to have escaped from a protected area during the rainy season, making their new homes in pools of water and drainage ditches in the heart of the Beira municipality neighbourhood.

    Isabel Matos, the head of the Manga Loforte administrative post in Sofala province, says three crocodiles have been spotted hiding in ditches since the beginning of the year.

    Ms Matos says there is no record of anybody being hurt, revealing the residents have even managed to kill one of the animals.

    All the same, she said, it was a worrying situation, and the owner of the land has been warned to take action before the animals attack someone.

  10. How much longer will Zuma be spared?

    Andrew Harding

    BBC News, Johannesburg

    African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa (L) reatcs as he celebrates the Congress" 106th anniversary celebrations with President of South Africa Jacob Zuma, in East London, South Africa, January 13, 2018.
    Image caption: Cyril Ramaphosa (left) took over as ANC leader from Jacob Zuma (right) in December

    These are dizzying times in South African politics.

    President Jacob Zuma’s authority seems to be draining away by the hour.

    For years, he’s been accused of stacking ministries and state institutions with corrupt cronies.

    He’s denied that.

    But in the last few days, his perceived allies at the scandal-ridden state power company, Eskom, have been pushed out.

    A court has ordered the seizure of assets linked to Mr Zuma’s close friends, the Guptas - a business family fighting off allegations of massive corruption.

    And once loyal ministers are frantically back-peddling, and pledging their support for Mr Zuma’s deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa.

    He now controls the governing African National Congress (ANC), and is moving fast to consolidate his authority, and restore the battered reputation of South Africa’s government and economy.

    Mr Ramaphosa talks of sparing Mr Zuma from humiliation. But for how much longer?

    There is a mood of eager anticipation here, and, for the most part, of renewed optimism.

    • Read our earlier post on the ANC's decision here.
  11. Euphoria and hope in Monrovia's stadium

    Tamasin Ford

    BBC Africa, Monrovia

    Video content

    Video caption: Euphoric fans see George Weah become Liberia's president

    Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has exited the stage and George Weah has been sworn in as the 24th President of Liberia - and what better place to do it than a football stadium?

    Africa’s most celebrated footballer now holds the highest seat in the land here.

    Fans are euphoric, they’ve packed out the stadium, sleeping here overnight just to get a glimpse of "the country giant", as they call him.

    But they’re desperate that his glittering football success can be translated off the pitch.

  12. Weah has 'short window of opportunity'

    George Weah speaks during his swearing-in ceremony at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia, Liberia, January 22, 2018.
    Image caption: George Weah was a senator before he was elected president

    Former football star George Weah will be under pressure from his supporters to deliver on his election promises following the euphoria around his inauguration as Liberia's president.

    More than 60% of the country's 4.6m citizens are under 25, and many voted for him in the hope that he will boost the economy and create jobs.

    Speaking to AFP news agency, Elizabeth Donnelly, a research fellow at the UK-based Chatam House think tank, said:

    Quote Message: He will need to manage expectations carefully: this window of optimism will be short.
    Quote Message: Weah has already stated that he will seek more investment into the private sector.
    Quote Message: He understands that Liberia has a large youth population, whose expectations and needs he must satisfy.
    Quote Message: This means tangible change in terms of visible civil infrastructure, and it means more jobs and opportunity.
    Quote Message: But the reality is there is also a political establishment whose expectations he will also try to meet."
  13. Women protest in Kenya

    Mercy Juma

    BBC Africa, Nairobi

    Protesters in Kenya
    Image caption: Kenyan women want greater political representation

    More than 400 women's rights campaigners have held demonstrations in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, demanding the implementation of a constitutional requirement that at least one-third of MPs should be women.

    At the moment, only 19% are women, falling below the legal stipulation.

    The protesters handed in a letter at President Uhuru Kenyatta's office, asking him to prioritise the appointment of women in his new cabinet.

    Mr Kenyatta has so far named an all-male partial cabinet, although vacancies remain.

  14. Pitch invasion at Weah inauguration

    A France24 correspondent covering the presidential inauguration of ex-football star George Weah has tweeted:

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  15. Zuma to remain in office - for now

    Lebo Diseko

    BBC News, Johannesburg

    Cyril Ramaphosa sings before delivering the main speech during the ANC 106th anniversary celebrations at ABSA Stadium, East London, South Africa, 13 January 2018.
    Image caption: Cyril Ramaphosa is a likely successor to Jacob Zuma

    A senior leader of South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) has dismissed speculation that the party is about to sack Jacob Zuma as the country's president.

    Speaking at a press conference after a meeting of the party's top decision making-body, ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule said:

    Quote Message: We have not arrived at the decision [that] Zuma must go or not go."

    There has been intense speculation about Mr Zuma's future following the election of his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa, as ANC leader in December.

    Mr Zuma has been dogged by corruption allegations throughout his presidency, and his critics fear that the party will lose votes in next year's general election if he remains in office until then.

    Read more: Zuma 'no longer attending' Liberia inauguration

  16. Photo of Weah taking oath

    Reuters news agency has just filed this photo of Liberia's President George Weah taking the oath of office in front of about 35,000 people at a football stadium in the capital, Monrovia:

    iberia"s new President George Weah raises his hand during the swearing-in ceremony at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia, Liberia, January 22, 2018.
  17. Weah: 'I cannot do it alone'

    Liberia"s former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the new President elect George Weah speak during his swearing-in ceremony at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Monrovia, Liberia, January 22
    Image caption: George Weah and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the inauguration in Monrovia

    George Weah has begun his presidency with a rousing call to all Liberians - promising to do "more than his share" in advancing the country.

    However, he warned he was unable to do it alone.

    Speaking at the Samuel Doe Stadium in the capital, Monrovia, he said:

    Quote Message: I will do more than my fair share to meet you expectations - but I ask you to meet mine, for I cannot do this alone."

    Mr Weah also used his inaugural speech to praise Liberia's strong ties with countries like the US and China, stressing their importance in helping reach the country's full potential.

    He also spoke of the European Union, telling the tens of thousands who had gathered to watch him become president today that the continent would "always have a special place in my heart".

    Mr Weah played football at clubs in France and the UK during the late 1980s and 1990s, becoming the first African to win the coveted Fifa World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or.

    Speaking today, he added:

    Quote Message: Without Europe, George Weah would not be standing here."

    AFP news agency also quoted him as saying:

    Quote Message: I have spent many years of my life in stadiums, but today is a feeling like no other."
  18. Hear George Weah speak

    Liberian radio station Hottfm 107.9 has shared this video of George Weah speaking after his inauguration on their Facebook page:

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  19. Weah: 'I've never felt like this'

    Former footballer George Weah is speaking to the crowds crammed inside Samuel Doe Stadium, Monrovia, after becoming Liberia's president.

    Mr Weah addressed jubilant crowds following the country's first transition between democratically-elected leaders since 1944.

    France24 journalist Cath Norris-Trent tweeted:

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