Somali National Army radio is reporting that the leader of the jihadist group al-Shabab has died, but this has been denied by the militants.

The report said Sheikh Ahmed Diriye, popularly known as Abu Ubeidah, died in the town of Jilib in southern Somalia after suffering from cancer for a year.

Abu Ubeidah took over the leadership of al-Shabab in 2014 after his predecessor Ahmed Godane was killed in an airstrike by the US military.

Before the rumours of his death spread, Kenyan and Somali media had reported that Ubeidah was suffering from a severe kidney problem and was bedridden.

There were also reports of jostling among senior al-Shabab officials to succeed him.

The militants have responded to the latest reports, saying he is alive and healthy - and that the claims of his death were made up by the Somali government to divert public attention from its own failures.