"The past two or three years have witnessed a number of optimistic developments in West Africa: the destructive war in Sierra Leone ended in 2002, a UN-backed War Crimes tribunal was set up in Freetown, intervention by thousands of UN troops have succeeded in disarming Liberia's neurotic militias, and other countries conducted successful elections. Ivory Coast, alas, has now become the new the festering sour on the region. This must not be allowed to continue," writes Lansana Gberie in a commentary for the website http://www.zmag.org

The recent spate of attacks on civilians in northern and eastern Uganda by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels has raised fears that the brutal 19-year old conflict is "not yet over", a top religious leader in the region said. "We have in the past been hoodwinked that rebel activities were on the wane, only [for such activities] to resurface with renewed vigour and brutality. Widespread attacks in many areas are not the signs of a group weakened," Archbishop John Baptist Odama said on Wednesday.

1. Five years after the first international South-North consultation on debt was held in Dakar, Senegal, representatives from 51 countries convened the second, 'Resistance and Alternatives to Debt Domination', from 28 to 30 September 2005 in Havana, Cuba. We marked the 20th anniversary of the historic Havana meetings that focused the world's attention on the true nature of the debt crisis and strengthened the resistance to the payment of enslaving debt.

2. We, Southern and Northern people's movements and organizations, agree to work together to promote international recognition of the peoples and countries of the South as social, ecological, cultural and financial creditors of the North. We demand that Northern governments recognize these debts, caused by policies of plunder in violation of human rights, including the right to sovereignty and self-determination.

Africa's adoption of the social forum movement continues to deepen with the upcoming second edition of the Southern African Social Forum (SASF) to be held from 13-15 October in Harare, Zimbabwe. This year's theme 'People's Resistance to Neo-Liberalism' will bring together thousands from community-based groups, social movements and civil society organisations. The gathering acts as a preparation event for the African Social Forum to be held later this year and the World Social Forum (WSF) to be held early next year. For the first time, Africa is slated to host the WSF in 2007, Nairobi, Kenya. The Southern African Social Forum (SASF) is a continuation of the Africa Social Forum, (ASF) that takes place annually, since Bamako (2002), as a prelude to the WSF that was initiated in Port Alegre (Brazil) in 2001. The WSF annual event is deliberately organized to coincide with the World Economic Forum (Davos). The timing is meant to signify civil society opposition voices to the high-level one-sided pro globalization and neo liberalism deliberations between the world leaders and international financial institutions.