Pambazuka News 488: Africa: Youth and resistance
Pambazuka News 488: Africa: Youth and resistance
The spread of digital technologies in the Middle East and Africa has generated the view that 'new media' open up political spaces for dissent, activism and emancipation. Cambridge University's Centre of Governance and Human Rights is convening a conference entitled 'New media, alternative politics' (14-16 October 2010) that will bring together researchers, academics, activists, journalists and policy makers to discuss whether and how new media empower an alternative politics and mobilise political change. A call for papers (and presentations) is now out, and can be found at
at times i stare at black pages of night's sky
at times i stare at blank screens of my mind.
i do so wish then, within my heart of hearts,
that one day i will write three new stanzas
that will paint in ink of poetry or philosophy
the paradise-like land of our national anthem:
a poem that will consult spirits of those poets
whose work wished for justice, peace, liberty
in a kenya of their times and fellow kenyans,
a poem that will let these spirits and our own
arise and defend the land against endeavours
of a few but formidable kenyans whose politics
plays chess with our future and ethnic heritage
a poem that will be a spirit itself like Harambee
binding us all as has Annan's National Accord
into one national force, which like the words
of the three stanzas of the national anthem,
gives the heart of the land a feeling of hope.
The world worked together to help bring South Africa's apartheid system to an end, writes Kader Asmal. So why allow such a system to live on in Israel/Palestine?
As oil giant Chevron faces off against Nigerian activists and their families over the company's alleged role in the deaths of two protestors in the Niger Delta in 1998, Dana Wagner discusses the case and its significance for corporate responsibility.
Stressing the importance of the geopolitical context behind the ongoing struggle over the status of Western Sahara, Yahia H. Zoubir discusses the role of international relations in shaping the evolution of the dispute.
As civil society organisations we are profoundly disturbed by the nature, content and potential impact of the homophobic stance taken by Jerry Matjila, South Africa's representative at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, on the 16th of June 2010. This stance is the latest in a string of problematic actions by South African representatives in international forums such as the UN.
Mamadou Goïta
Decades of recent history are witness to plots by ruthless dictators to enslave the minds of youth and perpetuate a one-party, one-leader rule; but one by one, these leaders failed and fell. Alemayehu G. Mariam writes that like his autocratic predecessors – Hitler, Mao, Stalin – Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will lose his bid to conform Ethiopia’s youth to his party mentality. What is less clear is how Ethiopia’s youth will react to the increasingly deplorable social and economic conditions their government is cultivating. Mariam cautions these marginalised youth are a ‘ticking bomb’. Conflict prevention, he writes, requires the older generation and youth in the diaspora to actively empower this sidelined generation.
The struggle for peace and security in Somalia, a country bereft of stable governance for more than two decades, has been severely prolonged by the external agencies and donors that form global the aid industry, writes Rasna Warah. Warah takes a look at what lies beyond the smoke screen of collection boxes and celebrity appeals – a distant reality from stolen food supplies and guerrilla warfare.
Nahed Nassr walks in the footsteps of migrant labour, through the experiences of two young men from Egypt, Mohamed and Salah. Both men have left their communities and families behind on a perilous journey to find work abroad. They talk about the danger and extreme insecurity migrant labourers face and the desperation that drives them to pursue it. The story of Mohamed and Salah is a shared experience of thousands of young Egyptian men who have either made the trip to find work or died trying to do it. The solution Egyptian and foreign authorities favour is heightened border controls, rather than tackling the root causes of the young generation’s suffering.
The situation in Jamaica and the Caribbean is connected to the plight of the black urban poor in the US and the relationship between former colonial powers and black Africa, writes Keith Noel.
Proposals to increase biomass electricity generation in Energy [R]evolution, Greenpeace’s new scenario to wean the world off fossil fuels, are totally out of step with common ecological sense, writes Jim Thomas.
Rober Molteno reviews ‘A House in Zambia: Recollections of the ANC and Oxfam at 250 Zambezi Road, Lusaka, 1967-97’, edited by Robin Palmer: a reflection on ‘Southern Africa’s twin struggles for political freedom and economic development’ through the window of an ordinary house with extraordinary occupants.
The infiltration of ‘gangsta’ culture into Sudanese refugee communities in Cairo has alerted hip hop artists in the city to the need to redirect the misplaced association between rap and gang-related violence, writes Nahed Nassr. Nassr investigates how the energy of this music can in fact be harnessed to encourage the rehabilitation and integration of these refugee gangsters into Egyptian society, as a tool for progress rather than as a way of life.
The emerging water crisis in the Nile Basin, a lack of women participating in making a new constitution for Zimbabwe, the dark side of the overseas aid industry in Somalia, and the lengths some politicians will go to to hold onto power in Nigeria are among the stories featured in this week’s round-up of the African blogosphere, from Sokari Ekine.
Added to the raft of problems soccer-loving cynics have predicted will plague South Africa as a result of the World Cup is the threat of 'another dose of xenophobia' from both state and society, writes Patrick Bond. Allowing immigrants to be blamed for crime and joblessness, says Bond, is a ‘scapegoat’ strategy for the government’s failure to address root causes of the social stress, from mass unemployment and housing shortages, to ‘South Africa’s regional geopolitical interests which create more refugees than prosperity.’
The Black Consciousness Movement is barely acknowledged in commemorations of the Soweto uprising, yet the role it and its AZAPO cadres played in mobilising the masses was critical, writes Nelvis Qekema. June 16 does not ‘belong’ to the ANC, argues Qekema; it belongs to the people.
Ever since the World Commission on Dams report, there’s been some reluctance to use hydropower as a source of clean and cheap energy, writes Saliem Fakir. But as the demand for electricity surges across the continent, Fakir asks whether – in the absence of practical, clean alternatives – Africa should reconsider hydro projects to help power its development.
A recent report highlights the social backlash of international sporting events by documenting the preparation for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October. ‘The 2010 Commonwealth Games: Whose Wealth? Whose Commons?’, shows that the costs fall primarily on the local poor and marginalised, shocking numbers of whom are evicted and displaced. Despite clear indicators that a proposed host city will need to evict people to prepare for a sporting event, steps to protect the local population prior to accepting a host bid have not been taken by international organisers or national governments, reports Dana Wagner. While cities worldwide vie to host prestigious mega-events, history suggests that the resident poor will continue to pay, as thousands of South Africans and Indians have for events in 2010 alone.
Campaign groups remain concerned about the environmental impacts of Ethiopia’s Gibe 3 dam, following the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s approval of a $400 million loan towards its construction. Zhang Ke puts the hydropower project in context.
D2D (Detroit to Dakar) is an initiative that has brought together Africa-focused organisations from around the US, to coordinate activities and enhance participation at the US Social Forum in Detroit 22-26 June 2010. The goal of D2D is to promote issues related to Africa and the African diaspora, at the US Social Forum in Detroit while also making strategic links towards the World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal in early 2011.The statement that came out of the meeting follows.
Although initially encouraged by a book promising to discuss the important issue of ‘how the imperialist media has double standards’ in reporting oppression, genocide and terror depending on whether it is carried out by allies or enemies of the West, Michael Karadjis finds instead that Ed Herman and David Peterson’s 'The Politics of Genocide' is a ‘betrayal of everything it means to be of the left’.
Ghana’s World Cup victory over the United States was also victory for Pan-Africanism, writes Horace Campbell. With Africans around the world rallying in support of the Black Stars and unified in their celebrations of the win, the team gave us a glimpse of a 21st century continent that is ‘united, strong and peaceful’.
Progressio, the Development Planning Unit of University College London (UCL) and Somaliland Focus (UK) congratulate the people of Somaliland and the National Electoral Commission on a peaceful expression of the popular will at the conclusion of their mission to observe Somaliland’s presidential election on 26 June 2010.
“Pilgrimages,” a new project of the Chinua Achebe Center for African Writers and Artists at Bard College and Chimurenga, will send 14 African writers to 13 African cities, and one city in Brazil, for two weeks to explore the complexities of disparate urban landscapes. The writers will create 13 nonfiction travel-writing books about their trips that will capture each city as South Africa hosts Africa’s first World Cup. At the same time, the continent will be on display—to itself and to the world—to a greater degree than at any time since independence.
Football is by far the most popular sport throughout Africa. More than a sport, football in most African countries has deep political, social and economic ramifications. Yet, the game that garners this position is explicitly the men's game. What of the women's game? African women are playing football. In some nations, officials, both in sport and political realms, have actually prioritized the development of the women's game.
As South Africa prepares to host the 2010 World Cup finals, public and scholarly discourses have largely overlooked the consequences of interactions between global sport, professional leagues, and grassroots football. Yet analysing this dynamic is important because it challenges bold claims made by the Fdration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and South African boosters about the 2010 World Cup's capacity to deliver economic, political, and social benefits to the nation-state.
Can sports—and if so how—serve as a vehicle for reconciliation and increased social cohesion in countries wrecked by civil conflict? This article analyses the case of South Africa and its experiences in the sports sector since the fall of apartheid, in an effort to explore the processes necessary to understand the potential sports may hold for peace building. By identifying initiatives in South Africa employed at the national, community and individual level of analysis, the article outlines the possible effects of sports on reconciliation in divided states.
Call Mr. Robeson, an award-winning one-man play about the famous African American actor, singer and civil rights pioneer is to be performed at Rich Mix, Bethnal Green on Thursday to Saturday 29 to 31 July 2010. The play ends its current Spring/Summer tour of England and Northern Ireland with these Rich Mix dates before settling into a three-week residency at Edinburgh Fringe in August. Oliver Carruthers, Arts and Cultural Officer at Rich Mix said, “Rich Mix’s raison d’aitre is to showcase culture from and about BAME artists of the highest caliber, and from what we have heard of Call Mr. Robeson, this really is just such a piece – one which we are very proud and pleased to present to the people of London.”
The agency tasked with implementing the Anti-Counterfeit Act of 2008 in Kenya is unaware of the Constitutional Court’s suspension of the law’s application to medicines. Moreover, a large multinational pharmaceutical company has offered to assist the agency in implementing the law with regards to medicines despite the court decision.
In this week's roundup of emerging powers news, inviting Africans to G8 meeting termed as " just window-dressing", Nigeria's First Bank eyes equity stake in Chinese Bank, the effect of a strong Yuan on Kenyan consumers, and ICBC loan for Gibe Project draws controversy.
July 1 marked the moment when the East African Community common market protocol kicked into operation. But Ugandan women face several obstacles before they will benefit from the boost that the protocol gives to the free movement of goods, labour and capital. Regional integration, which began with the signing of the east African customs union protocol in 2005, has increased export opportunities and expanded production in the agricultural sector where women predominate, cultivating 80 percent of agricultural products taken across borders.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has received credible reports that in the last two days 250 Eritrean refugees were forced into trucks “like cattle” and transported from Misrata prison in Libya to Sabha detention centre, situated on the edge of the Sahara. CSW has spoken directly to some of the refugees, who report that prior to being relocated, the group endured beatings, electric shocks and other mistreatment administered by members of the Libyan military, who had suddenly descended on the prison.
Kenyan politicians have been accused of plundering state coffers after awarding themselves a monthly pay rise of nearly 25%, making them some of the best-paid legislators in the world. After resisting calls to pay income tax for years, MPs finally agreed to pay the tax, but only after giving themselves a sweetener of 240,000 shillings (£1,960) taking their monthly pay to 1,091,000 shillings (£8,920).
ABANTU for Development in collaboration with the United Nations Millennium Campaign- Africa Regional Office, FEMNET and other partners, launched the East African Caravan on Maternal Health in one of Kenya’s biggest slum, Kibera. The launch welcomed the attendance of rural women and men, school boys and girls, UN representatives, Ambassadors, medical doctors and other dignitarie
As the SADC Heads of State will be meeting in Windhoek, Namibia in August 2010, the ordinary peoples of Southern Africa will also converge at the Catholic Cathedral Hall in Windhoek on the 15th – 16th of August 2010 under the auspices of the Southern Africa Peoples’ Solidarity Network (SAPSN).
Part of improving the levels of quality in education and health is providing infrastructure that responds to global needs in terms of skills, technology and sports, writes Victor Modiba. One of the critical success factors to the growth of the South African economy is infrastructure investment. Key areas of government expenditure, which account for more than half of the total public sector infrastructure investment and incorporate all spheres, are: provincial and local roads, bulk water infrastructure and water supply networks, energy distribution, housing, schools and clinics, business centres, sports facilities, and multi-purpose government service centres, including police stations, courts and correctional facilities.
The Journal of Pan African Studies (JPAS) invites papers for a special issue on Politics and African Literature. This issue will explore how writers create, address and interrogate Pan-African solidarities through works of fiction, poetry, prose and other communication arts
DRL seeks proposals to build the capacity of local civil society and nongovernmental organizations to advocate against discrimination based on sexual orientation. Capacity building may include, but is not limited to, efforts on coalition building within the countries and the region, decriminalization efforts, public advocacy, legislation, litigation strategies, strategies for promoting advocates’ safety, and media sensitivity (including building professionalism). T
Ubhejane is marketed by a charlatan named Zeblon Gwala as a cure for AIDS. On 22 June 2010 it was incorrectly reported in Business Report that Ubhejane was registered with the Medicines Control Council (MCC). Ubhejane has not been registered as a medicine in South Africa. There is no evidence that it is of any benefit to people with HIV.
Southern African trade ministers have pledged to sign a significantly scaled down economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) before the end of 2010. Could this be the conclusion to years of divisive negotiations? It was a mere sentence in the draft minutes of the meeting of Southern African Development Community (SADC) ministers in Gaborone on Jun 17: "Ministers noted the strategy proposed by senior officials aimed at concluding an inclusive EPA by the end of 2010."
The Together We Can End Human Trafficking radio spots and presenter's guide are designed to help radio stations join in the fight against human trafficking leading up to, during, and after the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa. 3 radio spots were produced to address various aspects of human trafficking, and provide information on resources of where to go to report cases of trafficking.
The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and the University of Ghana are pleased to announce the international symposium ”The Dream, The Reality: Re-assessments of African Independence”, to be held in Accra, Ghana, from 27th to 29th of September 2010. The symposium constitutes the central event in the inaugural issue of the Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Intellectual & Cultural Festival Week, a bi-annual event to be held under the Kwame Nkrumah Chair in African Studies.
African democracy institute Idasa is to hold a conference in Nairobi, Kenya, from 8-10 November, on "Governance and Small-scale Agriculture in West Africa". It will examine governance and public investment processes and how these are shaping small-scale agriculture in the region.
Tunisia plans to lease over 9,641 hectares of farmland to foreign investors this year to help increase agricultural production and exports, a government official said on Friday. The official from the Agency of Agricultural Investment said the government would invite foreign investors to bid for the leases on July 30 and would pick the winners later this year.
As the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) transforms into a stabilization force, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stressed that the world body’s main priority of protecting civilians will continue. Last month, the Security Council passed a resolution authorizing the withdrawal of up to 2,000 UN military personnel – from an existing strength of 19,815 – by today from areas where security has improved enough to allow their removal.
In the newly opened red brick Lubango health clinic, a long line of Angolans wait their turn to see one of the two Cuban doctors working here. The doctors were assigned to provide health care to some 30,000 people in the southern province of Huila. The Lubango clinic is one of several that have recently opened across Angola. The clinics are symbols of hope for a country once plagued by one of the world’s longest civil wars, which ended in 2002 and left a severely damaged health-care system in its wake.
Across some of South Africa’s most impoverished neighbourhoods, a youth photography programme is helping students document their lives – while also raising wider awareness of their communities’ struggles. The Umuzi Photo Club is run entirely by a volunteer staff of dedicated teachers and organizers. The innovative organization integrates technical and creative skills with organic community development, helping young people see their communities – and find solutions to problems – in new ways.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Saturday that his country would never be able to repay the 'historical debts' it owes Africa, and proposed a relations hip between Brazil and Africa that transcends trade and commerce. President Lula, who spoke as the first Brazil-ECOWAS summit got underway on the Island of Sal in Cape Verde, said conditions must be built to ensure the transfer of technology to Africa ''so that they can produce what we are producing''.
Despite holding several meetings, aimed at fixing a date for the often-postponed elections, Guinean authorities have again failed to come up with a date. The latest in the series of meetings, involving President Laurent Gbagbo, his major opponents, Henri Konan Bedie, Allasane Dramane Ouattara, the representative of the mediator (Blaise Compaore), officials of the country's independent electoral commission (CEI), was held Wednesday in the capital, Abidjan, and it also failed to come up with a date.
The candidate of the Union for democratic forces in Guinea (UFDG), Cellou Dalein Diallo, who won 39.72% of the votes, and Alpha Conde, of the Rally for Guinean people (RPG), who got 20.67%, will compete for the secon d round of the Guinea presidential election, the country's National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) ruled. Announcing the result of the 27 June elections, CENI said the leader of the Union for Republican forces (UFR), Sidya Toure, came third with 15.60%, followed by Lansana Kouyate, of the party for hope and national development (PEDN), with 7.75 %.
In appreciation of the tremendous progress made by the authorities in Niger to return the country to constitutional order, ECOWAS leaders decided here Friday that the country can once again attend the meetings of the regional bloc, albeit as an observer. Niger's suspension could be totally lifted if the ongoing political transition programme in the country culminates in the restoration of democracy by March 2011, as contained in the transition time-table rolled out by the ruling junta.
Somaliland's opposition leader Ahmed Silanyo, has been declared winner of the presidential elections held in the self-declared Republic last weekend, the electoral body said. Silanyo, who stood on the platform of the Kulmiye Party, secured nearly 50 per cent of the vote, defeating incumbent President Dahir Riyale Kahin, who garnered more than 33 per cent of the votes.
The United Nations has launched its first compilation of the best practices for its peacekeepers and other workers to prevent, deter and respond to the use of rape as a war tactic. The booklet, titled: "Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence - An Analytical Inventory of Peacekeeping Practice", was launched at the UN headquarters in New York, US.
Amnesty International calls on the government of Zimbabwe to immediately and unconditionally release detained human rights defender, Farai Maguwu. He has been in custody since 3 June 2010, when he presented himself to the police and was arrested on allegations of “publishing or communication false information prejudicial to the state.” A Harare Magistrate denied Maguwu bail following state submissions that more time was needed to continue with investigations. Maguwu’s bail application was repeatedly postponed before being heard by the court.
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai should pull out of the government of national unity to prevent his Movement for Democratic Change from becoming irrelevant, the head of Zimbabwe's National Constitutional Alliance said. Lovemore Madhuku told delegates to a conference held by rights group Zimbabwe Democracy Now at the University of the Witwatersrand yesterday that the MDC could lose credibility and support if it did not act soon.
On June 17th, the third panafrican conference on best practices in ICT in francophone Africa opened in Ouagadougou, Burkina-Faso [fr]. While the conference focused on strategies to curb cyber-criminality, the Togolese blogosphere is embracing the potential of information technology for development, especially women and young people.
At least 220 people were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo when an overturned oil tanker exploded and set fire to parts of a village. Scores more were injured in the accident in Sange, near the border with Burundi. Some of those who died were trying to collect leaking fuel, but others were trapped inside buildings, including a cinema, by the fire.
A court in South Africa has found the country's former chief of police Jackie Selebi guilty of corruption. Selebi, also a former president of Interpol, was accused of having links to organised crime and accepting bribes worth 1.2m rand ($156,000, £103,000). But the court found him not guilty of perverting the course of justice. Selebi had denied both charges.
A debt relief programme worth $12.3bn (£8.1bn) has been agreed for the Democratic Republic of Congo, it has been announced. The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank said the country had made good efforts to reform its economy and governance in recent years.
The Egyptian authorities have charged two plain-clothed police officers in connection with the death of a 28-year-old man in Alexandria a month ago. Witnesses say Khaled Said died after he was dragged out of an internet cafe and beaten up. The government says he swallowed a packet of drugs and choked.
Sudan has released Islamist opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi. Mr Turabi has spent a month and a half in detention after authorities arrested him in May and closed his party's newspaper. His wife alleged he had been apprehended after he repeated an allegation that the country's elections had been rigged.
The UN is to set up a single agency dedicated to promote the rights of women and girls around the world. The UN General Assembly voted in favour of the body after four years of negotiations. The new UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women will be referred to as UN Women, officials said.
What is the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to support processes of democratisation and empowerment in developing countries? This report, prepared for the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, outlines the theoretical background to discussions on ICTs and democracy, and presents case studies from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.
The FIFA headquarters are nestled into a secluded spot on the hill overlooking Zurich, one of the richest cities in the world. Here a glass of coke will cost you R60 at a restaurant. The city, set around a lake with snow capped mountains in the background, is picture perfect in a chocolate boxy kind of way. But it’s not just a twee live-in European theme park pretending to be a city. Zurich is also home to squats, innovative housing and artists’ collectives, large immigrant communities, a thriving music scene and political dissidents from around the world.
Around 170,000 people were internally displaced in eastern Chad and living in 38 camps in mid-2010, as a result of internal armed conflict, inter-ethnic violence over land and natural resources, and attacks by bandits against civilians. The majority of internally displaced people (IDPs) had little or no means of sustaining themselves, making humanitarian assistance vital. Chad also hosts 270,000 Sudanese refugees in 12 camps along the eastern border with Sudan, and 81,000 Central African refugees in 11 camps along the southern border with CAR.
Drive a few hours north-east of Khartoum towards Kassala, near the Sudanese border with Eritrea, and you will come across one of the UN refugee agency's most striking achievements in the region – acre after acre of trees, stretching into the distance. UNHCR has planted more than 19 million of them in a programme, launched a quarter-of-a-century ago, to green the denuded landscape of eastern Sudan. Species of acacia, neem, eucalyptus and many others, now cover almost 28,400 hectares of once barren land.
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has reiterated that country's long-held view and called for international financial institutions to be overhauled to give developing economies a greater say. Addressing a session of the Group of 20 (G-20) in Toronto at the weekend, Mr Zuma said it was time for the group’s leaders to take the initiative with regard to the reform of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
At an energy consultation on June 29 for which it took weeks to finalize a date, 25 Egyptians from various segments of society, including NGOs, academic institutions, and private firms, all had one clear message for the World Bank to think about when designing its new energy strategy: "focus on renewable energy projects."
38 countries still criminalize same-sex relationships between consenting adults in Africa, four with death penalty. The map was launched together with the 4th edition of the State-Sponsored Homophobia published by ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. The report is a collection of legislation criminalising consensual sexual acts between persons of the same sex in private over the age of consent*. Maps are available in French, English, Portuguese and Spanish.
The MSMGF is pleased to announce the launch of our newest policy brief, HIV Prevention with MSM: Balancing Evidence with Rights-based Principles of Practice. This document details the current context for the development and implementation of HIV prevention efforts targeting MSM, provides an overview of available MSM-specific HIV prevention strategies, and offers a look at recent guidelines from global health institutions. Recommendations emphasize the importance of respecting the role of MSM in efforts to determine research, policy, and program priorities, as well as other core principles of practice that are often overlooked in policy discussions.
The International Federation of the Journalists (IFJ) has strongly condemned the bomb attack against eight journalists on Tuesday, 29th June 2010, the injury of another journalist on July 1st and the arrest of two journalists in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia. “We condemn these senseless attacks which had caused lot of injuries, to innocent civilians including those of our colleagues” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of IFJ Africa office. “It is a stark reminder of the dangers the Somali media are exposed to in their daily work. We demand an urgent reaction from the Transitional Government to ensure their protection.”
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has expressed deep concern over the arrest on Saturday, 26th June ,2010 of Hadis Mohemed Hadis, editor of the online paper Baadiyenews.com, an independent website published in Somaliland. Hadis is charged with “serious crimes”. “The criminal charges slammed on our colleague are fabricated with the intention to intimidate and muzzle the independent media. Hadis is charged with a “criminal offence” for simply doing his duty in a professional way” said Gabriel Baglo, Director of IFJ Africa Office.
The United Nations envoy dealing with Western Sahara is holding consultations in the capitals of the nations comprising the so-called Group of Friends, a diplomatic cluster working to help resolve the dispute over the territory. Christopher Ross, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, started his latest trip on 21 June, and has so far visited London, Paris and Madrid. He is scheduled to visit Washington and Moscow at a later date.
Although the flow of Somali refugees into neighbouring countries has weakened, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today cautioned that the Horn of Africa nation’s security and humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. Compared to last year, the number of Somalis arriving in Kenya and Yemen – the two countries which have received the greatest number of Somali refugees – are down sharply.
It has been revealed that between 10 to 15 percent of Cameroonians suffer from Hepatitis B, C and D. This gives a total population of over two million Cameroonians. This revelation was made recently during celebrations marking the World Day of Viral-Hepatitis in Yaounde under the auspices of the Minister of Public Health, Andre Mama Fouda.
Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa was detained for almost three hours at Germany’s Munich airport on Thursday, when he was on his way to attend the European Union-Zimbabwe talks in Brussels, Belgium. Chinamasa was part of a three-member ministerial delegation that flew to Brussels via Germany. The other two are head of delegation Energy Minister, Elton Mangoma and International Cooperation Minister, Priscilla Mishairabwi-Mushonga.
President Jacob Zuma has declared that African leaders aimed to deliver on their commitments to allocate 15% of their budgets to health care and to allocate an amount for maternal, newborn and child health care.
The average American waits less than a second for Google to respond to a search query. In most of Africa, it takes three seconds to do the same thing. This two-second difference may not seem a drastic, but such a delay typifies the gap between Internet use in Africa and other parts of the world. Despite slow connection speed, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization estimates the number of internet users in Africa has grown an astounding 1,809.8 percent in the past decade; this is almost three times the combined rate of the rest of the world. Despite this increase, only 3.9 percent of Africa's population uses the Internet.
Participants to the just concluded West and Central Africa Com (WECA) conference in Dakar, Senegal, are hopeful that Africa, like other developed continents of the world, would soon experience full broadband revolution. Majority of speakers, who were concerned about the poor state of infrastructure in Africa, called on telecom operators from various countries in Africa, especially those from West and Central Africa, to intensify efforts in building networks that would accommodate the expected broadband revolution.