The coup attempt in Burundi by a group of junior army officers is over and the perpetrators have surrendered, Defence Minister Cyrille Ndayirukiye announced on Thursday. A group of about 30 soldiers, led by Lieutenant Gaston Ntakarutimana, briefly took over the state radio and television station on Wednesday and announced that the hitherto unknown Front de la Jeunesse Patriotique (FJP) had taken control of the country. President Pierre Buyoya was away in Gabon at the time, but has since retur...read more

The malnutrition figures just in from Kasika, near Bukavu, had Claude Jibidar and his World Food Programme (WFP) team in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) more than a little confused. Like many parts of the DRC they had had little or no access to Kasika since war began in the DRC 32 months ago. "We didn’t know quite what to expect not having had access to the area for so long," said Jibidar, "but we certainly didn’t expect what we found."

Asylum seekers not in possession of permits issued under a new refugee act will be treated as illegal immigrants from next month, the South African government has announced. In a joint communiqué with UNHCR, South Africa's department of home affairs said decisions would be made by the end of April on the thousands of asylum seekers in the country. Those successful would receive a new refugee identity card, unsuccessful applicants would be treated as illegal aliens, the communiqué added.

The Chairperson of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) was assaulted and two lawyers working for the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum narrowly escaped in ZANU (PF) instigated violence in the Chikomba constituency on April 7.

SVTG has received confirmed information that 54 people were arrested on 10 April 3, 2001 in Green Square, Khartoum following the cancellation of an Easter ceremony on April 10. More than 50 Christian protesters - almost all from the predominantly Christian south - convicted of taking part in the demonstration against the government order were beaten.

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