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.
Sudan: Bashir and Kiir fail to reach full deal over contested areas
Khartoum/Wau (Sudan/South Sudan)— Sudan President Omer Al-Bashir and his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir Mayardit managed, after another round of marathon talks on Wednesday, to strike a deal on border security issues but failed to do likewise on contested border regions including Abyei. Read >
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Sudan Tribune (France)
Zimbabwe: For gays, voting season is the mean season
Harare (Zimbabwe) — For Zimbabwe's gay community, voting season is a time of dread. As political temperatures rise ahead of expected elections next year, gays and lesbians are being targeted by police in an apparent strategy to win over voters. Read >
Thursday, 27 September 2012
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
Southern Africa: New urgency to rethink dam projects
Johannesburg (South Africa) — The massive hydropower dams built on the Zambezi River, the largest river system in Southern Africa, not only supply power to major economies in the region but also help mitigate annual floods. But as electricity demands grow and rising global temperatures affect rainfall patterns, the dams will be unable to meet energy needs or control floods, warns a new study. Read >
Thursday, 27 September 2012
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
Kenya: Land and communal clashes increase as country gears up for elections (analysis)
In the last six weeks there have been a number of violent clashes in areas of Kenya where the existing political, social and religious structures are contested or fail to meet the subsistence or security needs of the local populations. Many derive from long-lasting grievances, which periodically reach the pitch of violence, but usually simmer just below the surface. As soon as elections approach, the actions of politicians, both local and national, are frequently the trigger for violence. Read >
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
African Arguments, by Keith Somerville
South Africa: Zuma hits back as mining unrest spreads(analysis)
A rousing welcome at a national trades union conference and a belated wage deal at the Marikana platinum mines are the first signs that President Jacob Zuma is fighting back. Read >
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Africa Confidential
Congo: DRC blame game sucks in UN
New York (USA) - The blame game over the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kivus region has sucked in the United Nations, with analysts citing the ineffectiveness of its peacekeeping force. Read >
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
The East African (Kenya), by Kevin Kelley, special correspondent
South Sudan: African Union proposal over Abyei accepted with mixed reactions
Khartoum (Sudan) — South Sudan on Sunday accepted a peace proposal by the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP) which has been mediating talks between the two former warring parties to break deadlock over a number of issues including contested region of Abyei. Read >
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Sudan Tribune (France)
Côte d’Ivoire: Reluctant farewell to arms
Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) - In his black boots and green fatigues – complete with arm patches bearing the name of the national army, Forces Republicaines de Côte d’Ivoire – Ousmane Kone looked every bit the soldier as he stood guard over an electricity and water distribution company one Tuesday afternoon in Abidjan. Read >
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Inter Press Service (IPS)
Kenya: Quiet deal with China on modern railway line
Nairobi (Kenya) - Kenya has turned to China to fund the building of a new standard gauge railway line between Mombasa and Nairobi, potentially upsetting current infrastructure arrangements with its neighbours. Read >
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
The East African (Kenya)