Summary

  • Kenya's Odinga makes election ultimatum

  • Flamboyant DR Congo politician indicted

  • Seychelles votes to decriminalise gay sex

  • Swazi king's plane "seized" in Canada

  • EgyptAir flight with 66 people on board plunges into sea

  • Freed Chibok girl meets Nigeria's president

  1. Scroll down for Thursday's storiespublished at 18:00

    We'll be back tomorrow

    That's all from BBC Africa Live today. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or checking the BBC News website.

    A reminder of today's wise words:

    Quote Message

    He who knows much speaks with silence."

    An Amharic proverb sent by Solomon Bizuneh, Gambella, Ethiopia.

    Click here to send us your Africa proverbs.

    And we leave you with a photo of a man walking past huge elephants painted by graffiti artist Falko in South Africa's main city Johannesburg:

    A man walks past huge elephants painted by graffiti artist "Falko" in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, 19 May 2016.Image source, EPA
  2. Buhari: No girl should be 'forced to marry'published at 17:57

    Here are some of the key comments from Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's statement after his meeting with freed Chibok girl Amina Ali Nkeki, and her four-month-old baby girl (see earlier post at 17:03).

    Quote Message

    Amina will receive the best care that the Nigerian government can afford. We will ensure that she gets the best medical, psychological, emotional and whatever other care she requires to make a full recovery and be reintegrated fully into society.

    Quote Message

    Yesterday, medical personnel from government and other NGOs examined her for a total of about five hours. Trauma experts from Unicef also met her.

    Quote Message

    Amina must be enabled to go back to school. No girl in Nigeria should be put through the brutality of forced marriage. Every girl has the right to an education and a life choice."

    Mr Buhari also said that Amina's rescue had given the government fresh hope of finding the 218 girls who are still being held by Boko Haram.

    See 17:03 post for more details 

    Read more: Who is Amina Ali Nkeki?

  3. EgyptAir crash: What we knowpublished at 17:49 BST 19 May 2016

    Here are some of key points about the EgyptAir crash: 

    • Egyptian minister says terrorism most likely cause of crash
    • Flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo went missing over Mediterranean
    • 66 people on board included 30 Egyptians, 15 French and 10 other nationalities
    • Greek minister says plane turned sharply and plunged before disappearance

    Media caption,

    EgyptAir - what do we know?

    EgyptAir Flight MS804 latest updates

  4. Kenyatta calls for end to protestspublished at 17:41 BST 19 May 2016

    Kenya's opposition politicians and supporters run away from tear gas, on May 9, 2016 in NairobiImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Police fired tear gas and used clubs to break up a protest on Monday

    Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has called on the opposition to stop its protests to demand that the electoral commission be dissolved and that a new one be formed ahead of general elections next year. 

    Mr Kenyatta said the opposition should "follow the law" if it wanted the current commission to be scrapped, a government statement posted on Facebook quotes him as saying, external

    He added: 

    Quote Message

    We cannot agree to do that which is against the law and our Constitution just to please a few individuals."

    Rights groups accused Kenya's security forces of using "gruesome violence" on Monday to put down an opposition protest in the capital, Nairobi. 

    Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is expected to run against Mr Kenyatta in the elections, told the BBC earlier that there would be no elections unless their demands over the electoral commission were met.

    See 14:00 post for more on Mr Odinga's warning

  5. Sudan wants UN force out of Darfurpublished at 17:39 BST 19 May 2016

    Sudan wants the UN-backed force in Darfur to leave when its mandate expires in June, on the grounds that rebel activity had receded and civilians are no longer under threat, Foreign Minister Kamal Ismail has said, Reuters news agency reports. 

    The joint African Union-United Nations force, known as Unamid, has been in Darfur since 2007 to curb violence between government forces and rebels. 

    Members of the UN-African Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID) patrol the area near the city of Nyala in Sudan's Darfur on January 12, 2015Image source, AFP

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) has an arrest warrant out for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, accusing him of genocide in Darfur. He has has denied the charges. 

    South Africa has already announced that it will be withdrawing its troops in Unamid over the next few months. 

  6. Buhari 'delighted' at Chibok girl's freedompublished at 17:03 BST 19 May 2016

    President Buhari meets Amina (L) and her babyImage source, Re
    Image caption,

    Amina gave birth while in Boko Haram captivity

    Nigeria's President Buhari has been speaking at his meeting with freed Chibok girl Amina Ali Nkeki:

    Quote Message

    Like all Nigerians and many others around the world, I am delighted that Amina has regained her freedom"

    Mr Buhari added that his government would do everything possible to improve the life of 19-year-old Amina:

    Quote Message

    The continuation of her education must be a priority for the government."

  7. 'Deadly crash' in Burkina Fasopublished at 16:51 BST 19 May 2016

     At least 24 people have been killed and 36 injured in a collision between a bus and lorry in Burkina Faso, officials say, AFP news agency reports. 

    The collision happened at around midnight on the main road between the capital, Ouagadougou and the western city of Bobo-Dioulasso, the agency quotes officials as saying. 

    Twenty-eight of the 36 wounded are said to be in a critical condition. 

  8. Video: Buhari meets baby of freed Chibok girlpublished at 16:40 BST 19 May 2016

    The official Twitter account of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has posted a video of his meeting with the freed Chibok girl Amina Ali Nkeki and her baby in Abuja:

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    Read more: Who is Amina Ali Nkeki?

  9. Chadian on EgyptAir flight 'had just lost his mother'published at 16:34 BST 19 May 2016

    A spokesman for Chad's embassy in France, Muhammed Allamine, has confirmed a Chadian citizen had been on board the EgyptAir plane which crashed into the Mediterranean. 

    "He just lost his mother actually," Mr Allamine said. "He was going to Chad to mourn his mother. He [was] going to give condolences to his family."

    Mr Allamine added that the man, whom he did not name, had been a student at France's leading military academy in Saint Cyr.

  10. Buhari and Chibok girl meetpublished at 16:20 BST 19 May 2016

    Haruna Shehu Tangaza
    BBC Africa, Abuja

    Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari is now meeting freed Chibok girl Amina Ali Nkeki, her four-month-old baby girl and her mother at the presidential palace in Abuja - a day after she was rescued from Boko Haram captivity. 

    President Buhari cradles the baby with Amina standing by
    Image caption,

    President Buhari cradles the baby of freed Chibok girl Amina (l)

  11. How did the plane change direction?published at 16:10 BST 19 May 2016

    Based on what Greek authorities have said, this is how it appears flight MS804 changed direction in the moments before it disappeared while flying from Paris to Cairo

    Graphic
  12. Place card for Chibok girl at president's tablepublished at 15:58 BST 19 May 2016

    A place card has been created for the freed Chibok girl who is due to meet Nigeria's leader Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential mansion, according to this tweet: 

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  13. 'Arrest warrant' for DR Congo football tycoonpublished at 15:49 BST 19 May 2016

    Mr Katumbi (R) in this archive shotImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Mr Katumbi (R) has dismissed the allegations as false

    A football tycoon in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Moise Katumbi, has been charged with recruiting foreign mercenaries, a government spokesman has said, AFP news agency reports.

    Mr Katumbi announced about two weeks ago that he will be running for the presidency in elections due in November. 

    Government spokesman Lambert Mende told AFP that an arrest warrant had been issued for Mr Katumbi, the owner of TP Mazembe football. 

    Mr Katumbi has previously described as a "grotesque lie" the allegation that he had recruited mercenaries, and said it was aimed at preventing him from contesting elections. 

    It is unclear whether elections will be held in November, and whether President Joseph Kabila plans to step down after two terms in office. 

    Read more; Could football boss become DR Congo president?

  14. What's it like being a chieftain and radio DJ?published at 15:47 BST 19 May 2016

    Ghana has several royal chieftains who rule their regions, administering ancestral land and enjoying traditional privileges.

    It’s a respected position within Ghanaian society. 

    Nana Ansah Kwao IV juggles his royal duties with his job as radio host. 

    He told What’s Up Africa's Ikkena Azuike what it's like to be a chief:

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  15. Freed Chibok girl: How Nigeria's press has covered the storypublished at 15:36 BST 19 May 2016

    BBC Monitoring

    In their widespread coverage of the rescued Chibok girl, many of Nigeria's online papers have delved into the human stories behind the news.

    Most papers have published the army's pictures of a timid girl cradling her baby.

    Punch newspaper website's report quoted Amina as saying when she met her emotional mother: "Please Mum, take it easy, relax. I never thought I would ever see you again, wipe your tears..."

    A woman carries placard to press for the release of missing Chibok school girls during a rally by civil society in Lagos on May 5, 2014.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    A global campaign was launched to draw attention to the abductions

    Many readers in their comments to the Vanguard and Daily Nation congratulate the military for its success and cheer the "amiable" President Buhari.

    But social media posts have highlighted inconsistencies, such as conflicting accounts on whether it was a military rescue operation or if she was found by local vigilante groups who have been defending communities against Boko Haram. 

    Read: Boko Haram 'took my children

  16. Was Egypt plane brought down by 'terrorists'?published at 15:14 BST 19 May 2016

    Egypt's civil aviation minister Sherif FathyImage source, AFP

    Egypt's civil aviation minister Sherif Fathy says the possibility that "terrorism" caused the EgypAir flight to crash cannot be ruled out.

     Addressing the media, he said:

    Quote Message

    Let's not try to jump to the side that is trying to identify this as a technical failure - on the contrary. The situation may point - and I say 'may' because I don't want to speculate and I don't want to go to assumptions like others - but if you analyse the situation properly, the possibility of having a different action, or having a terror attack, is higher than the possibility of having a technical [fault]."

    Read: Plane made 'sharp turns before plunging'

  17. Photo of Chibok girl at presidential mansionpublished at 15:10 BST 19 May 2016

    Haruna Shehu Tangaza
    BBC Africa, Abuja

    Amina Ali sitting in a leather-backed chair

    With her face covered, rescued Chibok girl Amina Ali is now seated along side her mother at the presidential palace in Abuja, waiting for the arrival of Mr. Buhari.

    See previous entries for full details. 

  18. Rescued Chibok girl arrives at presidential palacepublished at 15:01 BST 19 May 2016
    Breaking

    Haruna Shehu Tangaza
    BBC Africa, Abuja

    In the past few minutes, freed Chibok girl Amina Ali Nkeki has arrived at the presidential palace in Abuja to meet Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari.

  19. Uganda introduces public smoking banpublished at 14:48 BST 19 May 2016

    Catherine Byaruhanga
    BBC Africa Uganda correspondent

    Stringent new anti-smoking legislation has come into effect in Uganda. 

    From today, people lighting up in bars, restaurants or hotels face being $60 fined or imprisoned for up to two months. 

    Smokers must be at least 50 metres away from a public building. 

    The new law also bans the sale of electronic cigarettes and flavoured tobacco, which has recently become very popular in the clubs of the capital Kampala. 

    It's unclear how rigidly police will enforce the legislation, given the number of other crimes they have to deal with.

    Smoking is not common in Uganda. But the authorities have been worried about the rise of diseases like cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure and their connection to the habit.

    Ugandan man lights up cigaretteImage source, AFP
  20. Caf investigates 'assault on referee'published at 14:44 BST 19 May 2016

    Eric Otogo-Castane was one of the referees at the Under-20 World Cup last yearImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Eric Otogo-Castane was one of the referees at the Under-20 World Cup last year

    The Confederation of African Football says it is investigating a Sudanese official after he appeared to hit Gabonese referee Eric Otogo-Castane in the face. 

    The incident occurred in the 84th minute of Wednesday's Confederation Cup match between Sudan's Al Merreikh and Kawkab Marrakech of Morocco.

    Caf is reviewing the incident and awaiting the match officials' report.

    Al Merreikh's Hatim Mohamed Ahmed is alleged to have hit the referee. 

    Read the full BBC Sport story