BBC News Africa

That's it from the BBC Africa Live team this week. There will be an automated service until Monday morning.

A reminder of our proverb of the day:

Quote Message: It is not from my mouth that people will learn that the king's mother is a witch." from A Yoruba proverb sent by Adegbule Idowu Daniel, Ibadan, Nigeria

It is not from my mouth that people will learn that the king's mother is a witch."

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture shared by Botswana's former president Ian Khama on Facebook, channelling his inner leopard.

Ian KhamaCopyright: Ian Khama

Nigeria's Minister of Transport, Chibuike Amaechi, has dismissed allegations that the country offered its sovereignty as collateral when signing a $400m (£300m) loan with China.

The loan agreement - signed in 2014 with China's Export-Import Bank - contained a clause about Nigeria waiving its immunity on sovereignty if it defaults on repayment.

Lawmakers had questioned the intent of the clause and many in the country speculated that it had conceded the country's sovereignty to China, but Mr Amacehi has told the BBC that is not the case.

"The [Chinese] are saying that if we are unable to pay then we should go to court according to the agreement," he said.

He accused the country's main opposition party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), of misinterpreting the clause to mean that the Chinese would appoint administrators to govern Nigeria if the country was unable to repay the loan.

People in The Gambia have been complaining of a shortage of fish, which is the primary source of protein for many in the country.

The finger of blame has been pointed at Chinese trawlers accused of over-fishing in Gambian waters, with allegations of bribery of officials to look the other way.

Journalist, Mustapha K Darboe of the Malagen news website helped break the story and has been speaking to the BBC's Esau Williams.

Listen:

BBCCopyright: BBC

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said that air strikes have been conducted in the northern region of Tigray, days after he announced a military operation there.

The strikes hit sites in and around the regional capital Mekelle and destroyed heavy artillery including rocket launchers, Mr Abiy said in a statement broadcast by state-affiliated Fana.

On Wednesday, Mr Abiy announced a military operation against Tigray after he alleged that regional troops had attacked a military command post hosting federal troops.

The army's deputy chief of staff has accused regional troops loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) of treason.

The TPLF used to be the dominant force in Ethiopia's ruling coalition but its power has waned since Mr Abiy became prime minister in 2018.

Read more: Ethiopia PM Abiy insists military operation is limited

ICCCopyright: ICC

A Kenyan lawyer has appeared in front of judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) five years after it issued a warrant for his arrest.

The prosecutor charged Paul Gicheru and two others with obstructing the course of justice and interfering with the prosecutors' witnesses.

He surrendered to the court on Monday, five years after an arrest warrant was issued against him.

He is accused of operating a scheme to approach witnesses, and bribe them to withdraw their testimonies.

Mr Gicheru, speaking from the court's detention centre in The Hague, told the court via video link that the allegations against him were false.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto were among six people indicted by the ICC for their alleged role in violence which broke out after the disputed 2007 election.

The ICC prosecutor eventually abandoned the cases, blaming witness interference.

More than 1,000 people were killed, and hundreds raped and sexually abused during the violence.

The question looming over this witness-tampering case, is whether it might reveal new information that could impact upon the Kenyan deputy president - the war crimes case against Mr Kenyatta is considered closed "unless and until" the prosecutor submits new evidence.

The UN-backed government in Libya says at least 10 more bodies have been found in mass graves in the town of Tarhouna, south of the capital, Tripoli.

The area used to be a stronghold of forces allied with the eastern-based commander, General Khalifa Haftar.

Dozens of corpses have been discovered in mass burial sites and elsewhere since the town was captured by pro-government fighters earlier this year.

AFPCopyright: AFP

South Africa’s department of home affairs has said that they have started the process of deporting 20 migrants, mostly from African countries, who were part of a months-long protest against xenophobia.

The protests began in October 2019 in Cape Town with a sit-in outside the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

They were demanding to be relocated to a third country outside South Africa and didn’t want to return to their countries of origin.

They said they were experiencing poor treatment and discrimination and no longer felt safe in South Africa after a surge of xenophobic attacks in the country’s townships.

South Africa’s home affairs department has said the deportation of 20 migrants followed due process and was confirmed by the court earlier this week.

More migrants are expected to be deported.

Read more:

• Refugees in South Africa: 'Give us a place where we can be safe'