Formal education rarely reaches pastoral communities. Schools usually promote the values and practices of dominant cultures and do not prioritise the needs of marginalised populations. In African states with significant numbers of pastoral and other nomadic groups, there are calls for education to cater for this sector - on political, environmental, economic and health-related grounds. There is considerable pressure for pastoral education to be institutionalised but could there be a non-formal and community-based alternative?

The U.N. Security Council should take immediate steps to protect civilians in Darfur and impose sanctions on Sudanese officials as well as government-backed militias, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Security Council members ahead of a resolution on the crisis in Sudan’s western Darfur region. A draft resolution proposed by the United States considers the situation in Darfur to be a threat to international peace and security under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter. The text calls on the Sudanese government to disarm the Janjaweed militias it has armed and supported. It also imposes travel and arms sanctions on members of the Janjaweed, but fails to extend these sanctions to the government officials backing these militias.