South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) is preparing to choose a new party leader to succeed President Jacob Zuma. The main candidates are the current deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and former cabinet minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, President Zuma's ex-wife. Whoever wins is likely to succeed Mr Zuma as South African president. But their bitter leadership battle has raised fears that the ANC could split before national elections in 2019.

Zimbabwe's new President Emmerson Mnangagwa is seeking the removal of sanctions imposed by Western countries, saying they are crippling national development.

The BBC reports that Mnangagwa also indicated that elections due next July could be brought forward.

Speaking to governing Zanu-PF party leaders, Mr Mnangagwa said the government would do everything to make sure they were credible, free and fair.

Zimbabwe's government has ordered that civil servants be paid their salaries before Christmas, breaking from the policy of the former regime of Robert Mugabe which delayed payments because of a severe cash crisis, the state-run Herald newspaper.

Soldiers, who played a key role in ousting Mr Mugabe, and health workers would be paid tomorrow, while the remaining civil servants would be paid by 21 December, the report adds.

Rwanda's ban on the water-pipe tobacco known as shisha has predictably sparked reaction from across the region.

Some are sceptical about government's decision to ban it, saying it is a plot to protect cigarette sales which unlike shisha bring tax revenue:

A suicide bomber has killed at least 18 police officers during a parade at a training centre in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, the BBC reports. At least 15 other people were wounded, officials said. The bomber, disguised as a policeman, blew himself up at the General Kaahiye Police Academy.

A suicide bomber disguised as a policeman blew himself up inside a police training camp in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Thursday and killed at least 15 officers, officials said.

Police spokesman Major Mohamed Hussein said the attacker had explosives strapped to his body and infiltrated the General Kahiye Police Training Academy during an early morning parade.

“So far 15 have died and 17 others were injured,” Abdullahi Nur, another police official, told Reuters.