Archive for the ‘Africa’ Category

AU Summit Extends Peacekeeping in Darfur


By Franz Wild Abidjan03 July 2006African leaders meeting at an African Union summit in Gambia on Sunday agreed to extend the mandate of their peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur region until at least December.  The summit also endorsed Senegal's decision to try Chad's former  dictator Hissene Habre on war crimes charges.    U.N. ...

South African-made Toyota Corollas head to Europe


The South African subsidiary of motor company Toyota is expected to export its locally produced Toyota Corollas from Durban to Europe starting next year. This is a move set to build up the economy of KwaZulu-Natal.The decision was taken after a meeting on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan ...

Demonstration Against Ongoing Violence In Mogadishu, Somalia


By Ashenafi Abedje Washington, DC17 May 2006Thousands of Somalis rallied today in the countrys main city, Mogadishu, demanding an end to the ongoing violence. The demonstration was held at a football stadium controlled by the Islamic Courts Union one of two groups involved in the latest fighting. The rally ...

UN Program Finds Environment Degradation Triggers Conflict in Sudan


By Lisa Schlein Geneva22 June 2007The U.N. Environment Program says environmental degradation is triggering tensions and conflict in Sudan. A new study foresees no long lasting peace in Sudan unless widespread and rapidly accelerating environmental deterioration is urgently addressed. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva where the UNEP study ...

US Says it Does Not Want to See Somalia Become Terrorist Haven


By VOA News 06 June 2006The United States has expressed concern that Somalia could become a haven for terrorists, amid claims by Islamic militias that they have taken control of the capital Mogadishu. The U.S. position was put forward by a State Department spokesman Monday, after the chairman of Mogadishu's ...

Zimbabwe #39;s Tsvangirai Warns of #39;Serious Conflict #39; If Crisis Not Resolved


By Patience Rusere Washington, DC09 June 2006Founding President Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change warned the government Friday of the potential for serious conflict unless there was progress on a broad range of political issues. His remarks amounted to an ultimatum to President Robert Mugabe to join ...

Harare Targets Bakers as Bread Prices Continue to Rise


By Carole Gombakomba Washington, DC21 June 2006The Zimbabwean government has moved to crack down on what it alleges are price gougers exploiting critical shortages of bread and other essential items. The state-run Herald newspaper reported that police arrested some 17 bakers Tuesday in what the authorities dubbed Operation Chingwa, or ...

In Ghana, Rumors of Politicians Employing 419 Scams


By Peter Clottey Washington, DC25 July 2006In Ghana, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) warns against politicians who are using what are known as 419 scams.  It specifically accuses the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) of engaging in such acts to recruit members.  419 is the Nigerian criminal code that deals with ...

Peace Talks Between LRA, Ugandan Government Set to Resume


By Douglas Mpuga Washington, DC31 July 2006The leader of Ugandas Lords Resistance Army (LRA) is expected to hold talks today with Sudanese mediators who want the rebels to disarm. The meeting is to take place at the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. Vincent Otti, the deputy ...

Eighth African Renaissance Annual Festival Underway


By Angel Tabe Washington, DC25 May 2006The eighth African Renaissance Annual Festival is underway in Durban, South Africa. The weeklong event began Monday, May 22nd, and has attracted participants from 17 African countries, as well as countries outside Africa, including the United States. Andre Kapila is a spokesperson for the ...

Bakassi Residents Accept Land Transfer to Cameroon


By Gilbert da Costa Abuja23 June 2006Preparations are under way for transfer of the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula from Nigeria to Cameroon. Initial outrage over the decision seems to have died down, and residents are agreeing to be resettled in Nigeria prior to the transfer of sovereignty over the peninsula.The traditional ...

Nigerian Militants Free Korean Hostages


By Gilbert da Costa Abuja08 June 2006Local officials in Port Harcourt confirmed the release of the five hostages late Thursday. The Koreans were abducted from a a natural gas plant in the Niger Delta on Wednesday.The freed men were said to be in good condition when they were brought to ...

ECOWAS Meeting Comes To A Close In Monrovia


By James Butty Washington, DC16 May 2006Foreign ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have ended a one-day meeting in the Liberian capital, Monrovia.  A review of the material issued at the end of the meeting addressed the security situation in the region and how to revive ...

Ose Muhima Speaks About the Upcoming DRC Elections


By James Butty Washington, DC28 July 2006Campaigning continues in the Democratic Republic of Congo, just two days before Sundays first multi-party elections in more than 40 years. Professor Ose Muhima, a leader of the Renewal for Development and Democracy Party (RDDP), is one of 33 presidential candidates. He told VOA ...

Fuel Truck Blast Kills 35 in Benin


By VOA News 25 May 2006Officials in Benin say a tanker truck has exploded, killing 35 people who were stealing fuel when it ignited. Hospital workers say another 80 people were wounded in the accident Thursday, many of them seriously. Reports say the truck had either broken down or run ...

UN Peacekeepers Freed, Journalist Killed in Congo


By David Lewis Kinshasa09 July 2006Congolese militia fighters released Saturday the five remaining Nepalese U.N. peacekeepers they have been holding since late May, U.N. officials have said. In other developments, gunmen killed a journalist who was a vocal critic of Congos government. Nearly six weeks after they were seized during ...

19 Members of Somalia #39;s Cabinet Resign


By Alisha Ryu Mogadishu27 July 2006Nineteen Cabinet ministers in Somalia's fragile secular interim government in Baidoa resigned Thursday, possibly in an attempt to facilitate a power-sharing deal with rival Islamists. Meanwhile, the Islamists strengthened their grip on power, accepting the peaceful surrender of its last rival secular militia in Mogadishu. ...

The G8 Summit One Year Later


By Joe De Capua Washington, DC03 July 2006Its been a year since the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. At the summit, many promises were made and goals set for relieving debt and boosting development in sub-Saharan Africa. A new reports been released on how well the G8 nations fulfilled those ...

Lack of Human Rights Language Cited at UN Small Arms Review Conference


By Joe De Capua Washington03 July 2006The UN review conference on small arms has entered its final week and theres growing controversy over the latest draft of the summits final document. Critics say the document no longer contains any reference to human rights and international humanitarian law. One of the ...

Activists Mixed Over Britain #39;s Offer to Jail Taylor


By Nico Colombant Abidjan15 June 2006Human rights activists are giving mixed reviews to a decision by Britain to jail Charles Taylor if Liberia's former president is convicted for his role during Sierra Leone's civil war.  The decision paves the way for the trial to be held in The Hague.The Dutch ...

Niger Confirms New Bird Flu Outbreak


By VOA News 02 June 2006Officials in Niger report a new outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.Government officials Friday said tests have confirmed the presence of H5N1 in the village of Boko Maigao, in southern Niger.Thousands of birds were slaughtered after scientists detected H5N1 in two other ...

Ivorians Express Disappointment After Annan Visit


By Franz Wild Abidjan06 July 2006People from several sides of Ivory Coast's conflict are disappointed at the results of a meeting between the government and rebels that was chaired by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. Franz Wild reports for VOA from Abidjan that highly politicized Ivorian newspapers said the meeting ...

Darfur #39;s Refugees Struggle to Recover from Trauma


By Nico Colombant Chad29 May 2006Sudan's war in the Darfur region has been devastating, marked by attacks in which pro-government militias have burned villages, killed people in front of their relatives, and raped young girls.  A peace deal was signed recently with a major rebel faction, but for many victims ...

Prominent Kenyans Banned From Entering US


By Cathy Majtenyi Nairobi24 May 2006The United States has banned a former aide to Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and three prominent Kenyan businessmen from entering the United States under U.S. anti-corruption legislation.  Former presidential aide Alfred Getonga, who had been dismissed three months earlier, and tycoons Jimmy Wanjigi, Deepak Kamani ...

Kofi Annan To Visit Zimbabwe


By Ashenafi Abedje Washington, DC31 May 2006UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says he still plans to visit Zimbabwe to see the outcome of a slum clearance operation that displaced about 700,000 people. Mr. Annan's statement contradicts one by a government spokesperson, who says the invitation has been cancelled. George Charamba ...
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