Africa highlights: Malema accused of treason, 'All-night concert' for Papa Wemba

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Police in Egypt's capital, Cairo, have fired tear gas at anti-government demonstrators calling on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to leave office.

They also chanted "bread and freedom".

The protesters are angry at the government's decision to hand control of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.  

Dozens of people have been arrested and several other places were blocked off in a major operation by security forces across the country.

Jets and helicopters were circling over Cairo during the protest, Reuters news agency reports.

Life is becoming much tougher for Nigerians as Africa's largest economy suffers from dwindling oil revenue and price hikes.

Many are struggling to provide for their families - like Mama Martha. 

She told me she is a widow with nine children. 

She sells roasted maize, but her business is suffering because of the current economic hardship in the country. 

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 See our 16:16 post on the government plan to halt price increases.

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Papa Wemba, or Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, was rebellious, prolific, a style icon, at times notorious and always innovative, who was well known as one of the pioneers of modern Congolese soukous music.

But he was very clear about how he wanted to be remembered, according to the sleeve notes from his 1995 album Emotion.

"When people talk about Papa Wemba, I don't want them to say I am an African singer, or a world music singer," he said. "I would like people to say just 'singer'. Because that's what I am. A singer. Full stop."

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Read the full article by African music expert Rita Ray here

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has received a warm welcome in Iran's capital, Tehran. 

Mr Zuma and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani have signed a number of agreements to re-establish their trade relations following the lifting of international sanctions on Iran. 

The BBC's Milton Nkosi is travelling with Mr Zuma and spoke to Outside Source from Tehran:

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The daughter of  Burundian army general General Athanase Kararuza was wounded in the ambush on their vehicle in the capital, Bujumbura, military spokesman Gaspard Baratuza said, the Associated Press news agency reports. 

A security source had earler told AFP news agency that his daughter had died of her wounds in hospital. 

The general and his wife were killed in the attack by unknown gunmen, Col Baratuza confirmed, AP reports.

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A small but increasing group of African governments is blocking social media during elections. 

The BBC's Clare Spencer has been looking at how this is done and how people get around it.false

Read her article here. 

The so-called Islamic State (IS) group has claimed its first attack in Somalia. It says its militants targeted African Union troops in a bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu. 

IS has tried to establish itself in Somalia but has failed because of the presence of al-Shabaab, an affiliate of its rival, al-Qaeda.

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The statement from IS did not indicate when the attack was carried out or whether there were any casualties.

Meanwhile, Somalia's government says it has captured a wanted IS commander who had defected from al-Shabab.

IS has been attempting to win over Somali militants for more than a year, with the aim of gaining a foothold in East Africa.

Read: Rivalry among Somalia's jihadists

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the release of 10,000 tons of grain from the national reserve in a bid to halt food price increases, his office has said.

The economy of Africa's largest oil exporter has been battered by falling crude prices and a tight foreign currency policy, forcing prices to rise sharply.

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"All able-bodied" men and women living in camps for people displaced by militant Islamist group Boko Haram should be assisted to "immediately" return to farming, his spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement.  

Most of the displaced people were farmers before the militants seized their towns and villages, forcing them to flee. Government troops have now recaptured most of the territories.

Mr Shehu told the BBC Hausa service that details of the programme will be announced later. 

He defended the government's currency policy, saying the soaring food prices is being caused by some traders who are exploiting the situation to make huge profits.

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Egyptian security forces have arrested 23 protesters in Giza, west of Cairo, as they staged a protest against a recent government deal under which Egypt ceded sovereignty over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, the private Al-Masry al-Youm website has reported.

A source told the website that security forces had managed to disperse the rally staged in Nahia neighbourhood in Giza. 

Meanwhile, several Egyptian rights groups condemned the recent arrests of activists, lawyers and journalists. 

In a statement published on several news websites, including Al-Masry al-Youm, the groups reported the arrest of more than 90 people ahead of the anti-government demonstrations.

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Transformation in sport is a thorny issue here. South Africa's sporting codes are often criticised for being "too white", more than 20 years after the end of white minority rule.

But Spors Minister Fikile Mbalula announcement that four codes will be banned from bidding for international tournaments because they failed to meet racial quotas is likely to be met with fierce criticism by some in sport's circles who argue that players should be selected on merit instead of colour.

Those who support the quota system - one of the measures introduced by Nelson Mandela's government to make sport more racially inclusive - say black players would never be fielded if federations were not forced to.

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The honeymoon period is over here and South Africans are beginning to ask uncomfortable questions about the veracity of the "rainbow nation" concept.

Some say only once racism is addressed, across all sectors including sport, can the country look at doing away with affirmation action policies - and in the case of sport, leave it to the players to prove themselves on the field.

See 13:12 post for more details

Thousands of police and soldiers have been deployed across Egypt's capital, Cairo, and other cities ahead of planned anti-government demonstrations against government's decision to hand control of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. 

Security forces have sealed off several of the protestors' planned gathering points.

They've also taken up position around Tahrir Square - the focal point of Egypt's 2011 uprising. 

Since Thursday, dozens of activists have been arrested without charge. Three journalists have been detained today.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry has said it will respond with extreme rigour to any attempt to disturb the public order.

Kenya's police have fired tear gas into a crowd of opposition supporters who were marching to demand the dissolution of the country's electoral commission ahead of next year's election. 

The BBC's Peter Njoroge captures the standoff in this video:

The decision by Uganda to build a pipeline to export its oil through Tanzania to the port of Tanga, instead of Lamu in Kenya, signals possible cracks in the unity of the East African Community (EAC).

Foreign investors have been encouraged by the rapid development of the EAC to drive economic development in the region, but Tanzania has not always been a cheerleader for the economic bloc.

Tanzania has kept one foot in other trading groups like Comesa and it seemed that the EAC has been driven forward by Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.

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Uganda has discovered huge reserves of oil in the region close to Lake Albert and Kenya had been banking on building a pipeline to export its own oil and as well as its neighbour’s crude through the port of Lamu.

Tanzania has torpedoed that plan by playing up to the fears of the French energy group Total about the security of the planned pipeline in northern Kenya, close to Somalia and therefore a possible target for attacks by militant Islamist group al-Shabaab.

Aly Khan Satchu, the chief executive of Rich Management consultancy in Nairobi, told me that it is a “blow to Kenya’s ambitions to be an oil and gas hub.”

He also believes it is a political coup for Tanzania’s President John Magufuli. 

“It is a geo-political win,” he insisted.

“Where Tanzanian national interest is at issue he will do everything he can to win the business,” he said.

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Uganda has been criticised for taking too long to develop the oil reserves which were first discovered in large quantities on the shores of Lake Albert in 2006.

Last year Uganda’s oil minister, Irene Muloni, told me that the country hoped to develop its oil soon. 

“If it can start producing by 2017 that would be fantastic,” she said.

Three energy companies, Total of France, the Chinese giant CNOOC and the Irish firm Tullow Oil are developing the reserves, but industry insiders believe the crude may not come on stream for another 10 years.

Mr Magufuli has been nicknamed the Bulldozer and now his country’s partners in the EAC and the oil industry have experienced the determination of his political drive to break down any barriers to economic growth.

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The chief of staff of South Sudan's rebel leader Riek Machar has landed at the international airport in the capital, Juba. 

Simon Gatwech Dual was accompanied by more than 100 soldiers. 

 See previous post

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The waiting game in South Sudan rolls on into a second week: when will the rebel leader Riek Machar return to the capital, Juba, allowing a unity government to be formed to end more than two years of civil war?

There's growing international frustration at the delays. The US, for example, holds Mr Machar accountable for making new demands early last week – but says the government is at fault for not giving him flight clearance this weekend.

The latest is that the head of his rebel army is due today in Juba – but Mr Machar not until tomorrow at the earliest.

In the mean time, Jubans are getting on with life – at the weekend alone people had a choice of attending a major inter-communal wrestling tournament, going to a comedy evening or watching a basketball game, as well as usual activities like going to church.

The politics may be on hold at the moment – but life certainly continues.

Read: Obstacles to a lasting peace

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Ivory Coast will host an all-night concert on Wednesday as a tribute to Congolese rumba star Papa Wemba after he died on stage during a festival in Abidjan on Sunday, organisers have said, AFP news agency reports. 

Family members were also heading to Ivory Coast's main city to arrange to repatriate his body to his homeland, it reports.

Papa Wemba, one of the biggest names in African music for the past 40 years, died after falling ill on Sunday during a performance at the Urban Music Festival of Anoumabo. He was 66. 

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The festival organisers said a "big artistic wake" would be held on Wednesday evening to mark the sudden death of the "king of Congolese rumba". 

"More than 100 national and international singers and musicians will succeed each other on stage from 9pm until dawn," the organisers said in a statement. 

See: Papa Wemba playlist

Four South African sport federations have been banned by the government from hosting international tournaments as punishment for failing to include enough black players in their teams. 

The ban affects athletics, cricket, rugby and netball.

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  The country's sport minister has been tweeting about it:  

Benin's music star Angelique Kidjo has been speaking to the BBC Newshour radio programme about the death of Papa Wemba and Prince: 

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South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) has accused left-wing politician Julius Malema of treason after he warned that the government will be overthrown through the "barrel of the gun" if it continued to use the security forces to put down peaceful protests.

"These remarks are a call to violence, are inflammatory, treasonable and seditious and should be treated with extreme seriousness," ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said in a statement.

"The ANC calls on state authorities to urgently investigate this matter and act against such conduct," he added.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mr Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, said the 2014 elections in South Africa's heartland of Gauteng were rigged, and he warned against rigging in local government elections due in August. 

"Part of the revolutionary duty is to fight and we are not ashamed if the need arises for us to take up arms and fight. We will fight," he said. 

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The ANC accused Mr Malema of violating the electoral code ahead of local government elections in August.  

"The remarks made by Mr Malema are a clear incitement to people to commit acts of violence, which is against the laws of the Republic," Mr Kodwa added.