BBC News Africa

That's it from the BBC Africa Live team for now. There will be an automated service until Wednesday morning.

You can also catch up with the news by listening to our Africa Today podcast.

A reminder of our wise words of the day:

Quote Message: A silent tongue does not betray its owner." from Sent by Jacob Ekele and Abdul Jakusko, both from Nigeria

A silent tongue does not betray its owner."

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture of a beach market in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic Republic of Congo posted on Instagram:

A rescue charity says that around 60 migrants are presumed dead after their boat caught fire off the Libyan coast last week.

More than 100 people were travelling on the wooden boat in an attempted Mediterranean crossing.

Forty-five people were rescued and five bodies were recovered. Survivors say the passengers were from many different countries, including Sudan, Syria and Egypt.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Burundi will wait for more research to establish the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines before administering them, the country's health minister has said.

Dr Thadee Ndikumana said the country was “not against vaccines” but there was no certainty on their possible side effects.

“Looking at the rate of people who recover from the disease, we have chosen to wait," he said, adding that 96% of people who catch the virus recover from it.

Countries in the region including Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya have already started their immunisation campaigns.

Burundi has so far officially recorded 2,618 coronavirus cases with just six deaths since the first case was detected at the end of March last year.

The minister defended the government against allegations that the rate of infections could be higher, saying it was based on the number of people who had been diagnosed and tested positive by official health facilities.

Kenya has run out of ICU beds as the country deals with a surge in Covid-19 cases, the doctors' union has said.

Healthcare workers were among those admitted at various hospitals across the country, Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) said in a statement.

Several doctors have been sharing their experiences on social media, describing heart-breaking scenes they are witnessing in hospitals across the country.

Kenya's Director General for Health, Patrick Amoth, told a media briefing on Tuesday that a national study had found the presence of coronavirus variants first detected in South Africa and the UK.

"Most [cases] of the South African variant have been picked from our border with Tanzania, especially in people with a history of travel from Tanzania," Dr Amoth said.

Citizen TV tweeted part of his briefing:

A recent study found Kenya has about 537 ICU beds and just under 300 ventilators.

The country has reported 122,000 Covid-19 cases and 2,000 deaths.

The brother of a well-known critic of Liberia's President George Weah has been fired from a government job following pressure from the ruling Congress for Democratic Change party (CDC).

The appointment of Oliver Dillion as director of port and border entries at the transport ministry’s was rescinded after CDC Chairman Mulbah Morlue told the appointing minister that the ruling party had qualified people to do the job.

Mr Dillion’s brother, Darius, twice defeated candidates of the ruling party in recent elections to become senator of the capital, Monrovia.

CDC's action runs contrary to the intent of the Liberian constitution which allows employment opportunities for all, irrespective of political or other considerations.

Mr Dillion has not publicly expressed his political affiliation.

But his firing also undermines the power of cabinet ministers to make appointments.

President Weah's office has not commented.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Algeria will play Zambia in an Africa Cup of Nations qualification match without its main stars, including Manchester City striker Riyad Mahrez and Real Betis central defender Aissa Mandi.

The African champions have already secured a place in the finals of the delayed tournament but they will go to Lusaka with an ambition to maintain their unbeaten run that goes back to November 2018.

The Desert Foxes will also play without Saidi Benrahma (West Ham United), Ismail Bennacer ( AC Milan), and Rami Bensebaini (Borussia Mönchengladbach).

Playing without their main stars would be a real challenge for the defending champions but manager Djamel Belmadi believes "it is an opportunity for new players to show their abilities and fight for a place in the starting team."

The official portrait of the new president of Tanzania has been released.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in last week as the sixth leader of Tanzania after her successor John Magufuli died from heart complications last week.

He will be buried on Friday.

Director of Presidential Communication, TanzaniaCopyright: Director of Presidential Communication, Tanzania

President Samia becomes Africa's only current female political head of state - the Ethiopian presidency is a largely ceremonial role - and joins a short list of women on the continent to have run their countries.

The 61-year-old is affectionately known as Mama Samia.

She had served as vice-president to President Magufuli since 2015.

Where he appeared impulsive, not afraid to speak off the cuff and let his feelings be known, Ms Samia is more thoughtful and considered.

She is also said to be a good listener who believes in following the correct procedures.

Read more about President Samia.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, has acknowledged for first time that troops from neighbouring Eritrea have been taking part in the conflict in the northern region of Tigray.

For months both countries have denied that troops crossed the border.

Addressing the Ethiopian parliament, Mr Abiy said he had spoken to Eritrean officials about allegations that soldiers from Eritrea had carried out atrocities in Tigray.

He didn't admit that Eritrean soldiers had been deployed in Ethiopian towns, where rights groups allege they have committed atrocities including killing unarmed civilians.

Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians have been displaced since the war began in November.

To many observers it's long been clear that Mr Abiy struck a deal with the Eritrean president to combine forces and oust a common enemy - the regional government in Tigray.

AFPCopyright: AFP

The runner-up in Niger’s recent election has denounced a court ruling that upheld Mohamed Bazoum as the winner.

Mahamane Ousmane - who was president in the 1990s before being overthrown in a coup - still maintains he won.

He's called on people throughout the country to take part in a peaceful protest march, without giving a date.

A spokesman for the governing party urged people to ignore the call.

With President Mahamadou Issoufou stepping down after two terms, the swearing in of Mr Bazoum next month will be the first ever democratic transfer of power in Niger.

AirteamimagesCopyright: Airteamimages

Kenya Airways has made a record net loss of $332m (£241m) in 2020, compared to $118 million the previous year.

The 179% increase in loss has been attributed to a complete shutdown in international air travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The national carrier reported that passenger numbers reduced by 65.7% to 1.8 million in the reported year, leading to a $473m loss in revenue.

“The Covid-19 outbreak in 2020 was beyond anyone’s prediction and its impact on the industry is expected to continue affecting air travel demand for the next two to three years,” said the airline's chairman Michael Joseph.

The airline laid off 650 workers last year, put the remaining staff on pay cuts, sold assets and redirected some passenger planes to cargo business.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts that African airlines could lose up to $6bn in revenues, affecting 172,000 aviation sector jobs in 2020.

Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has told MPs that soldiers found to have committed atrocities during the military offensive in the northern Tigray region will be held "accountable".

It comes days after the UN said it had agreed to Ethiopia's request for a joint investigation into allegations of human rights abuses in Tigray.

The US has described the violence in Tigray as ethnic cleansing.

Mr Abiy told parliament on Tuesday that "any soldier responsible for raping our women and looting communities in the region will be held accountable as their mission is to protect", according to a tweet by his office.

The prime minister ordered the military offensive in November last year after fighters allied to the regional administration in Tigray attacked a military base housing government troops.

The fighting has reportedly killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands.

The United Nations is urging Somalia leaders to continue with informal consultative meetings to reach a consensus on the delayed elections.

This comes after leaders of regional states of Jubbaland and Puntland boycotted informal talks that had been planned to start in Mogadishu on Monday.

The regional leaders have demanded that talks be led by the international community rather than the federal government.

On Sunday, the UN, the US, Canada, the African Union and several European nations had called on Somalia’s political leaders to “show leadership” by reaching an agreement.

The first term of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also known as "Farmajo", ended on 8 February without the election of a successor - throwing the country into a crisis.

The elections have been delayed because of regional squabbles over how power is distributed - and a row over a new election commission.

Fifty-seven Kenyans who flouted Covid-19 public health measures will clean streets and markets in the capital, Nairobi, for a week as part of community service punishment.

The 57 were arraigned in court on Monday and released on a community service order.

Wearing of face masks in public spaces is mandatory in Kenya although there is laxity in adherence.

Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), which runs the capital city, said they will be expected to work from 08:00-17:00 local time (05:00-1400 GMT) every day for a week.

The work includes the cleaning up of the main farm produce markets of Marikiti and Muthurua markets in the city, as well as the often filthy Nairobi River.

“Police will re-arrest and arraign in court those who do not abide for a stiffer punishment,” NMS added.

The Nigerian authorities have announced the resumption of catering services on domestic and international flights.

The services were banned last year as part of measures to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Nigeria’s Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika said the decision was taken in light of businesses that had been affected by the ban.

The protocols for the resumption of the services, however, will be announced in due course by the civil aviation authority, NCAA, he said.

“The [presidential task force on Covid-19] has decided that this catering service resumes immediately while the process and procedure will be communicated to the airlines via NCAA in due course,” he said at a media briefing on Monday.

The authorities also reiterated their plan to resume flights in Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu airports.

Gambian lawmakers on Monday voted to uphold a ban on skin bleaching following a heated debate in parliament, state media reports.

The attorney general presented the bill on the prohibition of skin bleaching for consideration, according to a list of business in parliament posted on Twitter.

He argued that criminalising people for using cosmetic products was an unfair punishment, the AFP news agency reports.

But lawmakers were in favour of maintaining the ban.

"The chemicals used in the production of skin-bleaching creams is hazardous to human health," Momodou Camara, an MP, was quoted as saying by AFP.

The West African country banned skin bleaching in 1996 during the rule of Yahya Jammeh - who was in power for more than 20 years.