PAMBAZUKA NEWS EDIÇÃO EM PORTUGUÊS 99: Muhammad Ali - Toda e qualquer homenagem é pouca
PAMBAZUKA NEWS EDIÇÃO EM PORTUGUÊS 99: Muhammad Ali - Toda e qualquer homenagem é pouca
A number of Cameroonian as well as internationally based logging companies have been sanctioned or are involved in ongoing legal cases brought by the Cameroonian Ministry of Environment and Forests (MINEF). Some of these cases result from the documentation of illegal logging by Ministry staff supported by Global Witness, says Global Witness in its latest field investigation reports that detail cases of illegal logging.
So how did things go in the third round of the title fight to save the world? SustainAbility--a London-based strategic management consultancy and think-tank dedicated to promoting sustainable development--sent representatives to both the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland and the World Social Forum (WSF) in Brazil.
There is no constant flow of HIV/AIDS coverage in the international media and there is an element of "new racism" in existing coverage that presents the epidemic as a black disease, leading to the neglect of the disease in other parts of the world.
IRIN PlusNews has launched a new service - the "Daily News Briefs". Sharply written, informative and original, the news briefs service was designed for use by radio stations. It is now available to regular subscribers who want a more comprehensive feed on HIV/AIDS news across Africa.
Declining numbers of women students pursuing science and technology courses in Kenya's institutions of higher learning are causing concern in this East African country. According to current Ministry of Education figures, women, who form 21.5 percent of Kenya's 45,000 university students, constitute less than 20 percent of students studying these courses.
Following an update from Secretary General Kofi Annan, the UN Security Council has commended steps taken by the authorities in Luanda towards full implementation of the Lusaka Protocol on peace in Angola.
A total of 10,000 people, or one third of the 30,000 anti-retro viral (ARV) users in sub-Saharan Africa, are in Uganda, the ministry of health announced this week. "Uganda has been able to achieve this because it has made a marathon roll out of Voluntary Counselling and Testing or VCT's, which is necessary if drug misuse, and eventual resistance is to be avoided," the Minister of State for Health, Mike Mukula, told IRIN on Wednesday.
The Southern African food crisis didn't appear overnight, nor is it the result of a single problem or issue. Natural, economic, health, political disasters and decisions all played their part. The Big Issue series looks at some of the major underlying reasons for the crisis, their impacts on the lives of ordinary people, and what can be done.
Three children have died in an outbreak of measles in the Middle Juba region of southern Somalia, according to an international aid agency operating in the area.
Any organization or individual wanting to get funds or establish partnership with OSISA, should send an initial letter of inquiry that shows how its own initiative relates to the mission, strategies and guidelines of OSISA. This letter should present the executive summary of the proposal and should include the project's goals and objectives, the activities of the project, the rationale and methodology, expected outputs, and a budget summarizing resources needed for the whole project and what is being requested from OSISA.
The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) has formally launched it's new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Program Guidelines. We hereby invite organisations to engage with OSISA on developing effective proposals for ICT's and Development in Southern Africa.
While the debacle over world cup cricket matches being played in Zimbabwe continues to attract headlines, there is mounting concern over the trial of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai, with many believing that the charges against him have been manufactured to remove the opposition leader from the Zimbabwean political landscape. Tsvangirai, Welshman Ncube, the MDC secretary-general and MP for Bulawayo North-East, and Renson Gasela, the shadow minister of agriculture and Gweru Rural MP, are facing charges of hiring Dickens & Madson, a Canadian-based political lobby firm owned by Ari Ben-Menashe, leading witness for the state, to plot the assassination of President Robert Mugabe and subsequent overthrow of the Zanu PF-led government. The three deny the charges, but could face the death penalty if convicted.
Evidence in the trial has so far consisted mainly of a video recording of a meeting between Ben-Menashe and Tsvangirai, in which Ben-Menashe says the two discussed “eliminating” Mugabe. The defence argues that the meeting was set up to trap Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai has claimed that he is innocent of all charges against him and that the videotape was heavily edited with the word “eliminate” taken out of context.
Ben-Menashe claims that Tsvangirai had offered him money to facilitate the assassination of Mugabe, initiate a coup d'etat, and install a transitional government, but his credibility has been damaged by his ties to the Zimbabwean government. According to the Zimbabwean Independent, Dickens and Madson received a US$400,000 contract from the Zimbabwean government last May. They were hired to try and improve Zimbabwe's image abroad.
The International Association of Political Consultants, a professional association of political advisers from more than 50 countries, has sharply criticized the trial. IAPC president Ken Feltman urged media organisations to focus on what he called a “bogus trial which could cause an innocent man to lose his life” and said the IAPC were “disturbed” that Ben Menashe was the star witness for the state. “We have learned that Ben Menashe’s firm, Dickens & Madson of Canada, was on President Mugabe’s payroll long before he met with Tsvangirai and had received $400,000 from the Mugabe government.” Feltman said although Ben Menashe had described himself as a political consultant, he was not nor ever had been a member of IAPC. “The directors of IAPC reject the contention that Morgan Tsvangirai is guilty of trying to plan an assassination and believe this is a plot organised by Ari Ben Menashe and financed by Mugabe as a means of eliminating Tsvangirai as a political opponent.”
Meanwhile, the latest round of quiet diplomacy is being conducted by South African President Thabo Mbeki and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has stressed “constructive engagement” to help Zimbabwe. Obasjano reportedly said: “We must help Zimbabwe out of its predicament and problem. We cannot do that if we become unduly and unnecessarily critical and antagonistic to Zimbabwe. We must remain constructively engaged with Zimbabwe. If there are points to be raised with Zimbabwe, like brothers we put ourselves in a room, we lock the door and we tell ourselves (the) truth.”
The continued emphasis on quiet diplomacy despite its failure is viewed with dismay by human rights and democracy groups. In late January, Amnesty International issued a statement saying the level of fear among human rights activists in Zimbabwe had never been greater. And in a report released at the end of January, Tony Reeler, a former director of the Amani Trust, described the “grim picture” painted by a number of reports on the organised violence and torture that has afflicted Zimbabwe since February 2000 and the absence of credible government attempts to stop them. Gross human rights abuses had been perpetrated, including summary executions; extra-judicial killings; disappearances; torture; mass psychological torture; political rape; rape; illegal arrests and unlawful detentions.
However, Mugabe continues to escape censure from African leaders for the human rights situation in Zimbabwe, something which Tsvangirai himself has described as being a result of a “dubious African brotherhood”. Obasanjo’s meeting with Mugabe this week apparently dealt with attempts to persuade Mugabe to implement reforms ahead of a Commonwealth meeting that would strengthen the case against renewing sanctions. This would in turn encourage Mugabe to implement more reforms. Mbeki, Obasanjo and Howard are due to meet in South Africa next month to review their decision to suspend Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth after Mugabe was re-elected last March in elections dismissed by Commonwealth observers as fraudulent. South Africa, Nigeria and Australia are tasked with reviewing the one-year suspension of Zimbabwe.
A further diplomatic triumph for Mugabe has been the hosting of preliminary games of the cricket world cup in Zimbabwe. England was the only country to announce the cancellation of their match in Zimbabwe, but this was mainly due to safety concerns as opposed to being a result of taking a politically principled position. The only official statement of solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe emanating from World Cup structures that suggested there may be moral problems with playing a game in a country where torture and starvation were taking place came from Zimbabwean cricketers Andrew Flower and Henry Olongo, who wore black armbands during their game against Namibia. “We cannot in good conscience take to the field and ignore the fact that millions of our compatriots are starving, unemployed and oppressed. We are aware that hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans may even die in the coming months through a combination of starvation, poverty and Aids. We are aware that many people have been unjustly imprisoned and tortured simply for expressing their opinions about what is happening in the country,” the pair said in a statement.
Two recent trials suggest that justice may prevail, says an article published by the Digital Freedom Network (http://www.dfn.org/news/zimbabwe/tsvang-trial.htm). The first is the dropping of charges against 41 white farmers who had refused to vacate their farms in protest of the government's land reform program that involves the involuntary seizure of land without adequate compensation. The second trial involved four MDC members, including Member of Parliament Job Sikhala, who were accused of plotting to overthrow the government. They filed a motion with the High Court in February to have their case dropped, claiming that a confession was coerced from them while under police custody. The judge ruled in their favour and dismissed the charges. But the DFN article also acknowledges that Mugabe has been known to fire judges and reverse their decisions on a whim and that if the court finds Tsvangirai guilty, then Mugabe would have succeeded in eliminating his political competition.
Just how far will the failure in quiet diplomacy extend? Having said little or nothing about Zimbabwe’s human rights record, it remains to be seen what Mbeki and Obasanjo would have to say if Tsvangirai was found guilty and sentenced to death. Not so long ago a similar exercise in quiet diplomacy involving a human rights activist, a South African president and a despotic ruler ended badly. In that case the characters were Ken Saro-Wiwa, South African President Nelson Mandela and General Sani Abacha of Nigeria. But lets hope that’s where the similarities end.
Links:
* Who should be sanctioned?
* Treason trial in secret session
http://allafrica.com/stories/200302110459.html
* Ben-Menashe a Crook, Say Tsvangirai's Defence Lawyers
http://allafrica.com/stories/200302040222.html
* African nations to drop Mugabe sanctions
PAMBAZUKA NEWS EDIÇÃO EM PORTUGUÊS 98: A União Africana e o Pan-africanismo 53 anos depois
PAMBAZUKA NEWS EDIÇÃO EM PORTUGUÊS 98: A União Africana e o Pan-africanismo 53 anos depois
Starting this week, refugees in Tanzanian camps will have their rations cut by up to 50 percent due to the lack of any "major food contributions" over the last six months, an employee of the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Monday. "Our pipeline is running on empty," Mario Leeflang, WFP pipeline officer, told IRIN from the Tanzanian commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.
Angolan authorities would have to show a greater commitment to financial transparency at an upcoming international donor conference if it is to succeed in securing the external support needed to kick-start its national reconstruction programme, analysts said on Monday.
Barely a month in power, the new government of President Mwai Kibaki is coming under fire from certain sectors regarding the latest senior appointments. The latest voice of discontent has come from the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) - Kenya chapter, which claimed that recent political appointments were particularly unfair to women.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reunited 140 children with their families in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in a two-day operation last week. "All the children were reunited with their families, from whom they had been separated for several months - or several years in some cases - owing to the conflict," the ICRC reported on 30 January.
The UN Mission (MONUC) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Saturday reported having received "alarming" information regarding troop movements on the part of the Kinshasa government, the Kigali government, the Kampala government, and various armed factions in eastern DRC, and warned of "imminent" attacks.
The governments of Sweden and the United Republic of Tanzania signed an agreement on 31 January under which Sweden will provide 455 million kronor (US $50 million) to support Tanzania's 2003-06 Primary Education Development Plan.
At least 12 people have been killed and more than 30 houses razed in three days of renewed ethnic violence in Nigeria's southern oil town of Warri, residents said on Monday.
The UN-NGO humanitarian coordination body in the Central African Republic (CAR) has set up a commission to identify all internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have fled war-ravaged parts of the country to Bangui, the capital, according to a local UN official.
At least 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a blast on Sunday in Nigeria's economic capital, Lagos, officials and rescue workers said. The police authorities said they were investigating the cause of the explosion, which was still unknown.
The UN Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia (EUE) has warned that resettlement programmes can devastate natural environments and threaten indigenous groups. It said "colossal deforestation" and widespread environmental damage almost always went hand in hand with such programmes.
NGOs and humanitarian actors have highlighted the need to include displaced farm workers in emergency relief programmes in Zimbabwe. They also pointed out the need to include urban areas in nutrition assessments - as urbanites struggle to cope amid food shortages and a failing economy.
COSATU this week joined its alliance partner, the African National Congress (ANC), and millions of people across the world in support of a call against the US’s intention to attack Iraq. President Thabo Mbeki wrote in last week’s ANC Today that the destruction of any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq should be achieved peacefully and further stated that the ANC was not aware of information that suggested Iraq has not cooperated with the UN’s weapons inspectors team.
COSATU this week admitted that six of its affiliated trade unions were among those the labour department has found to be in contravention of the regulations of the Labour Relations Act and thus being targeted for possible action against them.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) general secretary has blamed lack of engagement and consultation within the tripartite alliance for the frequent differences between the African National Congress (ANC) and its partners, COSATU and the SA Communist Party.
The police detained Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, The Daily News Chief Photographer and two American reporters covering Zimbabwe’s food crisis, for almost seven hours in Bulawayo. The journalists were accused of unlawful entry into a Grain Marketing Board they had visited.
South Africa's ban on livestock products from Botswana and Zimbabwe will remain in force until authorities are satisfied there is no longer a risk of contamination from foot and mouth disease, a Department of Agriculture spokesman says.
The African Social Forum held in Addis Ababa earlier this month protested Nepad’s adoption as the economic policy of the African Union and its inclusion in the agreements reached by governments at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The Forum, which included representation from nearly 50 countries, debated the approach to the African Union. All the participants agreed on the need for African unity, but concern was expressed that the AU was being used as a vehicle for neoliberalism in the form of Nepad. There was agreement to strengthen the African Social Forum, with particular emphasis given to ensuring that it is built from the bottom up.
Can we accurately determine the benefits of water and sanitation projects? Until recently, success was seen in terms of input and output. But does this really tell us how sustainable the projects are? This report provides a methodology that measures potential outcomes for communities of water provision and sanitation.
Building on lessons learned from more than 20 years of natural resource-based development in rural Africa, this document presents principles and action steps intended to serve as a guide to investment there. Programmes that integrate nature (environmental management), wealth (economic concerns), and power (good governance) have shown promising results.
According to agencies monitoring the Swaziland famine only 20-40 percent of the farming land has been cultivated in central parts of Swaziland this year and those lands cultivated are expected to produce low yields.
AllAfrica.com is hosting a public forum on the status and direction of the campaign against Aids in Africa. Visit the web site to have you say.
A wave of strikes continued to sweep across the country this week as thousands of workers downed tools over various grievances. In the recent past, there has been a wave of workers strikes country-wide protesting exploitative employment.
Edison Mukwasi, 29, the former MDC youth provincial chairman for Harare province, died on Sunday at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare after his alleged torture by the police over the years. Mukwasi had been in and out of hospital after sustaining internal injuries after being allegedly tortured by the police.
Touched by the prevalent poverty among rural women, a non-governmental organisation is providing micro credit facilities to women at the grassroots with the conviction that it will empower them economically. The Women Organisation For Gender Issues (WOGI) grants small loans to women who have viable business proposals. The beneficiaries of the loans are expected to repay within a 12-month period. The loan is interest free.
This post requires an experienced person in developing strategies for conflict management and poverty reduction. Demonstrable knowledge of the governance issues in Africa will be essential. You will be responsible for advising and supporting Oxfam in Rwanda in applying conflict sensitive approaches to development and supporting a regional policy-working group to implement, monitor, evaluate and refine the Oxfam GB regional peace building and conflict management programme.
Oversee all project implementation; Meet regularly with local authorities to foster good will and support for all project activities; Ensure that all IRC projects are implemented in a timely and professional manner; Implement/revise and maintain a regular system of project evaluation and progress monitoring; Promote professional working relationships and resolve staff conflicts and concerns in a timely manner.
LWOB is seeking lawyers interested in a)assisting with development of the project, b)assisting with the drafting of funding proposals, c)being a link in a Lawyer to Lawyer (L2L)linkage with South African lawyers or d)travelling to South Africa (possibly self funded) to assist with an evaluation of the problem and potential solutions.
UNDP Sudan Country Office is in a transitional phase, having terminated many projects that were initiated in its earlier cycles of assistance. It has prepared a forward looking Country Co-operation Framework (CCF) covering the period 2002-2006, which has been approved by the Executive Board in September 2002. The new programme focuses on peace planning and peace building and improving governance and environmental management.
Following failure of the short and long rains, the Horn of Africa is currently faced with a severe and extensive drought with adverse effects on the survival of people and livestock across the countries. Immediate issues are the limited availability and accessibility of food, water for both humans and livestock, human and livestock health and nutrition, and household purchasing capacity.
The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria has given Namibia 113 US million dollars over five years in what could prove to be a turning point in the country's campaign to fight the three diseases, analysts say.
Pedzisayi Ruhanya, the deputy news editor of The Daily News and Ishmael Mafundikwa a freelance journalist have been arrested for allegedly obstructing police duties. Ruhanya was manhandled by 3 policemen and dragged into a police vehicle. The two are locked up at the Harare Central police station.
Applications are now open for the III International Human Rights Colloquium to be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from May 26 to June 6, 2003. The theme of the Colloquium is The Rule of Law and the Construction of Peace. The primary objective of the Colloquium is to strengthen new leadership and to enhance the capacity of human rights activists to improve the performance of their own organisations.
Continued deaths due to HIV/Aids related illness continue to claim a vast human resource and threatens to largely affect the labour sector, the Ministry of Labour has said.
The International Committee of the World Social Forum has agreed that India would be the host for the next WSF in 2004.
Zambia will offer thousands of hectares of free farmland in a bid to end persistent food shortages and encourage agricultural exports, finance ministry officials said this week.
Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has expressed concern about the arbitrary detention of journalist Kadima Mukombe. The Radio Kilimandjaro host has been detained at the Tshikapa central prison, in the country's southern region, for the past month.
The International Federation of Journalists has called on the authorities in Zimbabwe to end the persecution of The Daily News and its staff. The newspaper is facing closure because of new registration rules, which the IFJ says "are designed to force media to toe the government line or face extinction."
Guinean League of Human Rights Vice-president Mr. Joao Vas Mane was arrested on January 29, 2003 and is being held without charge in Guinea-Bissau. Write to the authorities and lobby for his release and an end to the harassment of human rights defenders in the country.
Senior Muslim figures who recently underwent voluntary HIV tests were praised this week by health officials for "leading by example, rather than just talking about what people should do". The leaders, who included 14 sheikhs, imams and religious teachers from around Tanzania, chose to undergo the tests following a meeting earlier this month, during which Muslims discussed their role in the prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania.
The first survey of Swazis' sexual behaviour and attitudes toward HIV/AIDS has found that high awareness of the pandemic has not translated into less risk-taking behaviour, and that HIV-positive people remain unwilling to admit their status.
The Foundation for Human Rights Initiative publishes a thematic bi-annual human rights journal called "The Defender". We are currently looking for information and submissions on the theme 'Human Rights and Freedom of Expression'.
Social Movements Indaba puts its full support behind Anti-War marches to take place across South Africa on 15th February and encourages people to join the countrywide marches.
At no point in history have business corporations generated such fabulous profits across such vast territories. Yet there is still no international legislation to monitor the effects they have or to hold them responsible for their actions. Visit OneWorld's web site for all the latest news and information on the Corporate Accountability debate.
You guys have a great publication. I love your editorials. My husband and I sponsor a conservation program in Africa and your section on grants has given me some excellent leads. You have a great balance of information. Thank you so much.
Kenya's new Special Envoy for Somalia Bethwel Kiplagat, speaking in Eldoret, where he is now in charge of the peace process for Somalia. Kiplagat was appointed by the new Kenyan government that won elections last December. He takes over from Elijah Mwangale as chairman of the IGAD technical committee that is organizing the peace talks.
This conference stems from the need for HIV/AIDS interventions to be based on sound information about the medium and long-term demographic, social and economic consequences of HIV/AIDS. Towards that end, the organisers have invited 50 researchers to present papers derived from rigorous empirical research.
ISGM is a USAID program implemented by Pact and MWENGO. The program supports the strengthening of the capacity of Regional African Organisations-Consortia-Associations working in Food Security (FS) and/or Conflict, Mitigation and Response (CPMR) in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) through promotion of innovation and increased strategic co-ordination. As part of the process towards the achievement of this objective and to fill in the gaps identified through organisational capacity assessments, Pact/MWENGO offer and support training workshops on strategic planning; boards and governance; ideology and identity; food security; conflict prevention, mitigation and response, organisational effectiveness and participatory project development and management.
The Refugee Council works at the heart of what is arguably the country’s most controversial social issue of the day. It is viewed as the leading authority on refugee issues in the UK and is striving to influence policy and legislation in the UK, Europe and internationally. The new Chief Executive will lead the organisation through a future that faces great change, ensuring that the interests of refugees and asylum seekers are represented robustly to decision-makers at the highest levels.
In Ghana, picking up the telephone to call your auntie can require a lot of patience and some gritting of teeth. When making a call from mobile to fixed lines, almost half of telephone calls do not go through because of system failures. Businesses often have receptionists who spend most of their time just dialing numbers until they get through. Setting up an Internet café in such conditions is not ideal, but Mark Davies, an experienced ICT entrepreneur, recognised the demand and today he is the CEO of BusyInternet Accra, the biggest Internet cafe in Africa.
Is there anybody with data on Uganda's human resource potential and migration of the same from Uganda? I would like to know the consequences of such migration on the development of the nation. For instance how many Uganda graduates are in the UK and USA and how much tax does the UK earn per Ugandan there?
As part of a study into Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Rural and Low-Income Communities in Africa, field researchers from Gamos and their in-country partners have been undertaking detailed research and data collection in different sample locations in three countries - Botswana, Ghana and Uganda. "In many countries in Africa," begins the report prepared by Dr Scott and Dr McKemey of Gamos, "the recent uptake of telecommunications services has exceeded all predictions, proving that there is an unexpectedly high demand for services.
Enormous benefits can be derived from ICTs as a tool for development. This will require the mainstreaming of information and knowledge concerns within the broad range of societal goals, with focus on development policy, as well as sectoral and cross-sectoral policies. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), approved by the United Nations Millennium Assembly, provide a powerful methodological and political framework for using ICTs to achieve this. Read the key points of the draft action plan for the second Preparatory Committee Meeting (PrepCom II) for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to be held in Geneva (Switzerland) from 17 - 28 February 2003.
Pula is the newsletter of the Association for Progressive Communications Africa Women (APC-Africa-Women). Pula aims to promote and profile the work and activities of women's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives in Africa and to act as a communicative tool to link women to each other and to initiatives and opportunities. To subscribe or unsubscribe email [email protected]
Nekolera Gyange (I Run My Own Business) in Uganda uses radio to provide marginalised businesspeople - especially the self-employed - with a voice to influence environment and policy decisions, a platform for discussion, and a channel to receive information for their businesses. A CD Rom and video describing the programme have been produced.
A wide-ranging introduction to Wole Soyinka's dramatic literature and an in-depth and comprehensive study of satire in fourteen of Soyinka's plays from Childe Internationale to King Baabu, and the sketches in Before the Blackout. Ebewo treats satire as an instrument of criticism, a literary genre and an institution in society. He explores the history and definition of satire in various cultural contexts, approaching Soyinka as an African satirist influenced by Western and African satirical modes.
What kind of agriculture do we need to feed the world? World leaders have committed themselves to halving hunger by the year 2015 as a first step towards food for all. But is this an achievable target? John Madeley's new book shows we already have the experience on which to base a new approach to agricultural production and feeding the world's whole population. Millions need better access to the land from which the market forced them, and a more equitable income distribution so that the poor can afford the available food. This is part of the solution. But the other part is an innovative, multi-faceted move away from a monoculture production system dependent on ever more tractors and fossil fuels, dangerous chemicals, and hybrid seeds monopolized by a handful of giant corporations.
We are told, day in and day out, that there is only one way forward for the world: globalized free market capitalism. Yet more and more people know, as Harry Shutt points out, that this way lacks all vision for the future of humanity, is empty of social responsibility and environmental care, and will not, he argues, even deliver a stable economy or secure political future.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has turned down a request by the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari for the date of the presidential polls to be adjusted. In a February 3 letter to the INEC, Buhari asked for an adjustment, saying the elections - due for Saturday, April 19 - fell within the Christian holy week of Easter.
The government of Sudan and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army have committed themselves to "effect the immediate voluntary return" of civilian populations displaced in the country's main oil-producing area, Western Upper Nile (WUN), to their homes.
Defence lawyers in the treason trial of MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and two senior party officials have described the State's star witness, Ari Ben-Menashe, as "an internationally-renowned crook".
Four wives of African presidents joined hundreds of women in Addis Ababa on Tuesday to call for zero tolerance to female genital mutilation. The wives of leaders from Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mali and Guinea condemned the traditional practice as barbaric and called for international action against it.
Malnutrition rates in Ethiopia are gradually increasing despite widespread efforts to help millions of people facing starvation in the country, according to aid organisations.
Pressure is mounting on Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa to step down and call fresh elections following damaging testimony before the Supreme Court suggesting electoral fraud helped him into office last year.
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is to inject CA $20 million (about US $13.2 million) into a project to support education in Mozambique through the procurement of learning and teaching materials.
Officials in the district of Lira, northern Uganda, have launched an appeal to finance 36 temporary "learning centres" for children displaced by insecurity caused by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group.
Activists in the Republic of Congo (ROC) have called on the government to bring outdated laws on human rights into line with international conventions, and to ratify the International Criminal Court. The appeal was issued on 31 January, at the conclusion of a major multi-sectoral human rights conference held in the capital, Brazzaville.
The post apartheid government has greatly expanded water service; but in many rural villages, the resulting water price increases have placed the cost of water beyond the reach of many. The push to lure private companies to buy utilities has led to water shutoffs and the worst cholera epidemic in the nation's history.
One hundred and fifty Liberian refugee children at the Buduburam Camp in the Central Region have been neglected by their biological parents and are having to fend for themselves.
Heavy flooding in 2000 and 2001 and a subsequent drought and food crisis have had an extraordinarily negative impact on children in Mozambique, Save the Children Fund (SCF) said in a new report.
An outbreak of yellow fever in Guinea had killed 24 people by 23 January out of 43 cases in southern Guinea's Macenta and Kerouane prefectures, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on Monday.
The number of cholera cases reported in the northern Mozambican province of Nampula has now reached 65, since the first case was diagnosed about two weeks ago, reports Wednesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".
Amnesty International delegates visiting the Sudan in the first official mission allowed for 13 years welcomed the growing openness in the country, but expressed concern at continuing arbitrary and incommunicado detention, unfair trials as well as the forced recruitment of children and displacement of civilians by all sides in the armed conflict.
Although swift food aid deliveries have mitigated a humanitarian crisis in southern Africa, a horrifying new disaster looms as HIV/AIDS ravages the region, threatening the very existence of whole countries, two United Nations envoys warned after a weeklong inter-agency mission to the region.
On Wednesday, 22nd January, 2003, the IMF convened, at its headquarters in Washington, a formidable array of bankers, lawyers, judges, academics and NGOs to discuss and debate its proposals for what will effectively be a new international insolvency framework for sovereign debtors. The IMF's proposal is known as the Sovereign Debt Restructuring Mechanism (SDRM). Jubilee Research says the mechanism will not return countries to viability and will entrench a role for the IMF in international law.
When the author Aminatta Forna returned to Rogbonko, the village in Sierra Leone where her late father was born, she found a community too poor to educate its children. So she decided to found a school.
Invasive species are devastating Africa's wetlands, crowding out native species and costing billions of dollars in environmental and economic damage, warns a new report from international conservation groups. The groups have released a booklet describing the seven worst offenders, hoping to draw attention to the problem and promote ways of controlling - and perhaps profiting from - the invaders.
Hoping to make sustainable living more "cool," the United Nations Environment Programme is launching a new initiative aimed at improving the image of environmentally friendly lifestyle choices. The plan, devised with the help of social scientists, was announced Tuesday at the agency's weeklong Governing Council meeting in Nairobi.
When summer rains returned to Southern Africa in 2003, following a year of drought, malaria experts predicted incidences of malaria would surge. Regional tourism boards have cautioned visitors to take preventive medicines before visiting countries in the region, and mosquito eradication measures have been stepped up. Thus far, a new malaria epidemic has been avoided, with no reports as of January of extensive illness. But the malaria season is just beginning, and will extend through April.
The Mandela Park Anti-Eviction Campaign, responding to issues raised in community meetings, has opened a school at Andile Nose Community Centre, in Govan Mbeki Road, Khayelitsha. This school is a response to the exclusion of students from government schools because they cannot afford school fees, or because they are too old.
A tornado tore through remote villages in central Congo, killing 164 people, destroying homes and ruining crops, the country's top health official said Wednesday.
A high-profile delegation from Japan will visit the former Transkei on Friday to mark the completion of 20 schools, thanks to R62m (7,5 million US dollars) in Japanese Grant Aid. Funding of R62m for a further 20 schools was then granted, mainly in the Umtata-area (Alfred Nzo district).
The Aids Programme of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCAP) donated school fees and uniforms worth N$15 000 to orphans and other vulnerable children in the Rehoboth area on Monday. The beneficiaries were identified through ELCAP's home-based care programmes.
The government of the Central African Republic has sent troops from its Congolese allies to stop a rebel advance on the CAR's second largest military base.
The Lesaoana Intermediate School in the rural eastern Free State village of Sehlajaneng boasts a computer center that is set to change the learning experience of its pupils, thanks to the Telkom Foundation. The equipment comes from the Telkom Foundation's Adopt-A-Project programme.
Visit the e-activism page of Kubatana.net to find out just how bad the harassment of the media in Zimbabwe is - and how you can take action to support free expression.
The Daily Dispatch reports that a centre for mentally disabled in East London is still waiting for funding which was alledgedly promised by the National Development Agency (NDA) in 2000. Mfesane Training Centre was allocated R73 000 on 2 October 2001 but only received the funding agreement for signature in September 2002. The grant is currently being processed by the NDA's finance department, and the NDA programme administrator says it is likely to be transferred to the Centre by the end of February 2003.
According to The Mercury, the South African National Aids Council (SANAC) - now constituted as a legal entity - has been appointed principal recipient of funding to South Africa from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. SANAC will act as an intermediary grantmaker, disbursing grants to organisations and initiatives, monitoring their progress and reporting back to the Fund.
On 5 February 2003, police arrested Chali Nondo, chief reporter of "The Monitor" newspaper, and charged him with "publishing false news with intent to cause fear and alarm to the public". The journalist is being held at Woodlands police station in Lusaka and has been denied bond. The Inter-African Network for Human Rights and Development (AFRONET) has strongly condemned the police action. Their statement on the arrest is available through the web link provided.