Africa News Update
Africa News Update offers news, background and feature articles from African sources twice weekly. The newsletter is free of charge and is edited by the Norwegian Council for Africa. Some of the articles may be shortened.
Senegal: Who will stop president Wade?
Dakar (Senegal) - Less than a month before Senegal’s elections, the country’s top court decided who was and wasn’t allowed to run for president. In was incumbent Abdoulaye Wade, term limits be damned; out was singer Youssou N’Dour. Senegalese opposition reacted furiously, but it’s going take a much more coordinated response to unseat Wade. Read >
Thursday, 02 February 2012
The Daily Maverick (South Africa), by Simon Allison
Gambia: The Senegalese electoral crisis, the Casamance and the Gambia's complex position
Serrekunda (Gambia) - It was on 23rd June 2011 tens of thousands of sovereign Senegalese from diverse backgrounds and political persuasions marched as one force to occupy the headquarters of the Senegalese Parliament to block attempts to amend the Senegalese Constitution. Despite the use of batons and tear gas the people's resistance could not be broken and the government had to yield to the demands of the people by abandoning its plan. Read >
Thursday, 02 February 2012
Foroyaa Newspaper (Gambia)
Tunisia: Controversial political rapper arrested in unclear circumstances
Tunisia (Tunisia) - Anis Mrabti, a young Tunisian rapper better known by his stage name Volcanis, was arrested at his house on January 25th. Read >
Thursday, 02 February 2012
Tunisia Live (Tunisia)
Egypt: Bend it like Mubarak
Oxford, United Kingdom - Football is fine to a point. When all eyes are on a spherical piece of leather being chased, headed, passed, netted or bended by a Beckham, Owen or an Abou-Trika, or. But not when ball is not played or politics is turned into a ball. As on Port Said's Black Wednesday! Read >
Thursday, 02 February 2012
Al Jazeera, by Larbi Sadiki*
Nigeria: How Qaqa, Boko Haram spokesman, was arrested
Kaduna (Nigeria) - In a joint operation involving the military and officials of the Department of State Security (DSS), the spokes-man of Boko Haram, Abu Qaqa, was arrested at about 4 O'clock Wednesday morning at Kaduna, Kaduna State. Read >
Thursday, 02 February 2012
This Day (Lagos)
Africa: China's love of Africa (editorial)
Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) - The $200 Million New Headquarters of the African Union a gift from China - is another confirmation of the continent's inability to get things done by itself. Almost 50 years after the formation of the Organisation of African Unity, OAU, the AU's forebear, the continent could not afford the AU's new edifice that has cast a permanent role for China in Africa. Read >
Thursday, 02 February 2012
The Vanguard (Nigeria)
Zimbabwe: Mugabe's AU rant "a sign of panic"
London (UK) - Robert Mugabe's reported rant against the African Union (AU) and its handling of the crisis in Libya last year, is a sign that the ageing leader is 'panicked'. Read >
Thursday, 02 February 2012
SW Radio Africa (UK/Zimbabwe)
Rwanda: Two journalists jailed, accused of defaming Kagame
Kigali (Rwanda), by Special Correspondent - The ruling of the case against two Rwanda female journalists accused by the state of publishing information to ignite public disorder and creating ethnic divisions was on Tuesday deferred to February 17. Read >
Thursday, 02 February 2012
The East African (Kenya)
South Africa: Long jail sentences to men who killed lesbian in hate crime
Cape Town (South Africa) — Four men were jailed for 18 years each by a Cape Town court on Wednesday for stabbing and stoning 19-year-old lesbian Zoliswa Nkonyana to death in 2006. Read >
Thursday, 02 February 2012
Sapa (South Africa)