Tonight’s presentation begins with articles from Niger, but first, some good news from Mali.
MALI
Last week I posted an item which reported that the speaker of the Mali parliament had asked the Algerian President for help in obtaining the release of hostages held by Taureg rebels.
Reuters AlertNet
Tuareg-led rebels release last 22 hostages in Mali
08 Mar 2008 15:19:08 GMT
BAMAKO, March 8 (Reuters) - Tuareg-led rebels in northern Mali have released the last 22 soldiers held hostages from a group of 36 captured last year, the presidency said in a statement on Saturday.
The soldiers, who were seized to the northeast of the town of Kidal more than 1,200 km (750 miles) from the capital Bamako, were released late on Friday, the communique said. It said Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi had helped in the release, and it also thanked the Algerian government for its mediation.
Tonight the country name heads are wiki links, so you can see the country location.
NIGER
AFP
Niger court imprisons journalist for discrediting judiciary
Thu Mar 6, 1:40 PM ET
NIAMEY (AFP) - A Niamey court Thursday sentenced the editor-in-chief of a private bi-monthly newspaper to a month in prison for criticising judicial rulings, legal sources told AFP.
Separately, last month it was announced that the secretary general of Reporters Without Borders had been denied a visa to attend a March 10 event in Niamey. The event will be in support of Moussa Kaka, a journalist who has been in prison since September, 2007.
Boubacar Diallo added that Mr Menard's visit would have "caused no harm" to the authorities, whose move would further damage Niger's already-tarnished reputation for detaining journalists.
NIGERIA
Bloomberg
This is weird. Is this weird? It might make sense, I don’t know.
Nigeria to Import Heavy Crude Oil From Venezuela
By Dulue Mbachu
March 7 (Bloomberg) -- Nigeria will import heavy crude from Venezuela for use in a state-run refinery, The Punch reported, citing Abubakar Yar'Adua, head of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp.
Nigeria, which pumps light crude, needs heavy crude for the production of lubricants and fuel oil at a refinery in the northern city of Kaduna, the Lagos-based newspaper said. The facility is due to restart next week after a recent upgrade.
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Nigeria has four refineries that can handle 425,000 barrels of crude oil daily. The facilities currently produce less than their capacity due to years of mismanagement and the sabotage of pipelines by militants in the southern Niger Delta region.
This Day
Nigeria/Niger Boundary Demarcation on Course – Minister
03.04.2008
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bagudu Hirse, has said that the Nigeria/Niger boundary demarcation process has reached an advanced stage. He made this known in a statement at the weekend in Niamey at the end of the 33rd Session of the Council of Ministers of Nigeria/ Niger Joint Commission for Cooperation.
Hirse said the Integrated Eco-System Management Project in the four shared watersheds, with a distance of 1,500 kilometers along the border, would soon be completed.
"The project, when completed, will address the problem of desertification, shortage of water and improved livestock production.``It will also encourage states and local governments along the border, to promote community-based initiatives that will curb rural to urban migration."
UN Press release via AllAfrica.com
West Africa: Cameroun - Nigeria Cooperation on Shared-Boundary Oil Fields Under Discussion
United Nations Office for West Africa (Dakar)
PRESS RELEASE
7 March 2008
Dakar
The Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission schedules to hold its XXIst session on 13 and 14 March 2008 in Yaoundé (Cameroon).
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Moreover, this session will allow the Mixed Commission to review the progress on the demarcation of the land boundary about which Cameroon and Nigeria have agreed on more than 830 kilometers so far. A geodetic network covering the entire length of the land boundary, estimated to 1,950 kilometers, has been established earlier this year, thanks to international funding with contributions from Cameroon, Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the European Union. This geodetic network shall be certified in the coming months, following a quality control to be undertaken by an independent team of experts.
The Cameroon/Nigeria Mixed Commission is a mechanism established by Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan on 15 November 2002 at the request of President Biya and President Obasanjo to follow-up on the implementation of the decision of the International Court of Justice on the border dispute. It is chaired by Special Representative of the Secretary-General Lamine Cissé.
I like stories displaying the constructive role played by the UN in places we don’t hear much about.
REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
This country is sometimes called Congo-Brazzaville in news reports. Brazzaville is the capital. This country is not the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which sometimes is called Congo-Kinshasa.
AP
Republic of Congo ends adoption ban
By LOUIS OKAMBA, Associated Press Writer
Thu Mar 6, 12:28 PM ET
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo - Central Africa's Republic of Congo lifted a ban on foreign adoptions Thursday, three months after it was instituted amid an uproar over attempts by a French charity to fly a planeload of children out of Chad.
The Justice Ministry said in a statement that it had taken steps to "avoid anarchy" in the international adoption process.
Post-Bulletin
U.S.-owned fund settles $100 million Congo debt case
3/8/2008 6:47:04 AM
By Benoit Faucon
LONDON -- U.S.-controlled fund Kensington International Ltd. said Thursday it has settled a credit claim with the Republic of Congo after a series of lawsuits led to the freezing of some oil payments.
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Kensington, a Caymans Islands company and an affiliate of Elliott Associates LP, a $9.8 billion New York City hedge fund, was owed more that $100 million in debt and accrued interest after buying one of the country's debts.
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The Congolese government reacted by setting up a complex financial system of offshore accounts to help the country escape its creditors.
Documents unveiled in a Hong-Kong lawsuit launched by Kensington suggested some of these accounts may have paid for the luxurious lifestyle of the son of the country's president, Denis Christel Sassou-Nguesso. The documents were publicized by British non-governmental organization Global Witness.
RWANDA
Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne) via allAfrica.com
Rwanda: Country Becomes the 7th to Sign UN Agreement
7 March 2008
Arusha
Rwanda signed this week an agreement with the United Nations which will allow her to receive to its prisons people convicted of genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), becoming the seventh country to cooperate in this direction with the tribunal.
The other countries which have similar arrangements are: Mali, Benin, Swaziland, France, Italy and Sweden.
The New Times (Kigali) via allAfrica.com
Rwanda: House Names Team to Probe Fuel Irregularities
8 March 2008
James Buyinza
Kigali
Former Speaker Juvenal Nkusi has been elected to lead a parliamentary inquiry into allegations of gross mismanagement of public strategic fuel reserves.
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The Auditor General's report, which was released on Monday, indicates that billions of francs could have been lost due to lack of follow-up on behalf of government officials.
In her report, AG Evelyn Kamagaju cited a case of a Japanese fuel grant to the Government - which was supposed to be sold and proceeds injected into development projects - which was never recorded in books of accounts by either Minicom or the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (Minecofin).
One such irresponsible case involved businessman Alex Rubayiza, who took fuel on loan amounting to Frw18,293,143, and issued a cheque which bounced on November 9, 2005, but still no official knew until the AG's office brought it to Minicom's knowledge during its audit in August, 2007.
SENEGAL
Reuters AlertNet
Chad, Sudan to sign pact next week -Senegal's Wade
07 Mar 2008 17:29:01 GMT
PARIS, March 7 (Reuters) - The leaders of Chad and Sudan are ready to sign a peace agreement at a meeting in Dakar next week, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said on Friday.
Wade is to host talks between the two neighbouring countries intended to defuse conflict between them and help bring peace to the western Sudanese region of Darfur.
"We will have an agreement in two terms, an agreement in general terms and an implementation agreement," he told reporters after meeting French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris.
He said Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and Chadian President Idriss Deby would agree "to stop supporting opponents of the other on his own territory".
Too much disappointment in this region, but every little bit of hope is good. Blessed are the peacemakers.
The Independent
When fashion met famine: Benetton's Third World crusade
Sunday, 9 March 2008
Microcredits are the new black. That was the rather weak joke doing the rounds among the 200 international journalists who had travelled to the near-luxury of Dakar's best hotel to witness the launch of Benetton's new global communication campaign, Africa Works.
Alessandro Benetton, the appropriately elegant but surprisingly understated deputy chairman of the clothing giant, had flown into Senegal's steamy capital in West Africa to announce the company's decision to go into partnership with legendary African singer and anti-poverty campaigner Youssou N'Dour to support a new micro- credit system that they hope will prove a successful model for the rest of the continent.
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The latest scheme – called Birima after a former Senegalese king – will sanction loans for a longer period than other microcredit projects provided they can demonstrate a positive effect on the community and guarantee profits and development. If the model works, it will be launched throughout Africa.
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The interest rates for Birima are yet to be determined and the project will be run by a small team of modestly paid professionals. N'Dour will be the guarantor.
When it is the turn of Alessandro Benetton – the 44-year-old son of founder Luciano – to speak, he flatly refuses to say how much the company is spending on the campaign. However, there is no doubt the cost will run into many millions.
Africa Works will promote Birima. The press and TV campaign will run worldwide until early April. The company is also helping with the funding of the project.
Long article. Looks to me like Africa Works is to be an umbrella for Benetton’s efforts, with Birima being a first test project.
SIERRA LEONE
allGambian.net
Lawsuit Seeks Greater Freedom of Expression in Sierra Leone
07 Mar 2008
Journalists’ Group Challenges Libel Laws Used to Silence Critics
Accra and New York, March 3, 2008—Journalists in Sierra Leone are challenging laws that criminalize free speech and authorize prison terms of up to seven years those who criticize the government.
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The suit is the first direct challenge in West Africa to the criminal libel and false news laws that are common throughout much of the region. The Open Society Justice Initiative, the Freetown-based Society for Democratic Initiatives, and the Accra-based Media Foundation for West Africa, a media freedom watchdog, provided assistance with the suit.
The Open Society Justice Initiative is a George Soros project.
Concord Times (Freetown) via allAfrica.com
Sierra Leone: Helen Keller International Keen to Fight NTDs
5 March 2008
Ibrahim Tarawallie
Freetown
Hellen Keller International, a non-profitable NGO in Sierra Leone Tuesday held a consultative meeting with partners in the country to discuss the prevalence of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Sierra Leone.
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The Coalition for NTDs control in Sierra Leone led by Hellen Keller International is to receive funding from USAID to control diseases such as Onchocerciasis, Lymphatic filariasis, Schistosomiasis, Soil Transmitted Helminthes and trachoma for a three-year period.
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The mission of Helen Keller International is to save sight and lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.
The organization started operation in Sierra Leone in 2002 and they are working closely with the ministry of health and sanitation to ensure vitamin A supplementation to children between the ages of 6 and 59 months on a bi-annual basis.
SOMALIA
Sigh. We recognize a country called Somalia. What about Somaliland? From the wiki,
On May 18, 1991, the people of Somaliland declared independence from Somalia. However, it was not recognized by any other country or international organization.
The Independent
US fails a fourth time to hit al-Qa'ida suspect in Somalia
By Steve Bloomfield in Nairobi
Sunday, 9 March 2008
A US missile strike in Somalia, aimed at a man described by the Pentagon as a "known al-Qa'ida terrorist", succeeded only in hurting six civilians and killing three cows and a calf, the IoS has learned.
At least one Tomahawk missile was believed to have been fired from a US submarine off the Somali coast on Monday. It hit a shack in the small town of Dobley, four miles from the Kenyan border. Dobley is one of several towns and villages in southern Somalia that are now under the administration of Islamists connected to the former Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which briefly controlled most of southern and central Somalia in 2006.
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America's emphasis on the conflict in Somalia as a third front in the "war on terror" has perturbed aid workers, diplomats and analysts. The US backed an invasion by Ethiopia to oust the UIC and is resisting efforts by Somalia's new Prime Minister, Nur Adde, to make overtures to opposition groups that Washington insists are "terrorists".
Canadian Business
Islamist fighters seize 2nd strategic town in Somalia within 24 hours
Mohamed Olad Hassan, The Associated Press
March 7, 2008 - 7:56 p.m.
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Islamist insurgents killed five government soldiers while briefly taking a strategic town in central Somalia, police and residents said, the second such seizure within 24 hours.
The attack late Thursday took place in Belet Weyne, near a critical road junction that links Somalia to the border with Ethiopia. Hundreds of troops are stationed at the junction, which is also Ethiopia's main supply route.
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Islamist fighters have vowed to wage an Iraq-style war on the shaky western-backed transitional government after Somali troops supported by their Ethiopian allies chased the Islamists from power in December 2006.
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Since the Islamists launched their insurgency, thousands of Somalis have been killed. Somali government troops and officials come under daily attack and the UN-backed administration is viewed by many Somalis as corrupt and ineffective. The impoverished country is riven between warring clans and awash with weapons.
Christian Science Monitor
Chaotic Somalia keeps U.S. on terrorism watch
By Peter Grier
Wed Mar 5, 3:00 AM ET
Washington - In the ruined, chaotic state of Somalia the United States has long been engaged in a shadowy struggle with the forces of militant Islam. This US effort has two main goals: to prevent extremist groups from taking root in Somali society, and to counter notorious terrorist figures thought responsible for attacks throughout North and East Africa.
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Of course, to call the elements currently in power in Mogadishu a "government" perhaps is to overstate the case. Since the early 1990s, Somalia has been a nation in name only. No group is in position to control its borders. No one watches its coastline. Yet it is only a relatively short boat trip across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula.
SOUTH AFRICA
From the wiki,
The South African economy is the largest in Africa and 24th largest in the world.
Reuters
S.Africa worried about affordability of AIDS fight
Fri Mar 7, 9:51 AM ET
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa, which has one of the world's highest rates of HIV/AIDS, is worried a national programme to fight the disease could founder on a lack of financial resources, it said in a report to the United Nations.
An estimated 500,000 people in South Africa are infected with HIV/AIDS each year and close to 1,000 die of related ailments every day.
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President Thabo Mbeki's government has been criticized for not doing enough to halt the spread of the disease despite the heavy economic and human toll.
But in its strategic plan which runs from 2007 to 2011, the government has significantly ramped up spending and increased access to life-saving antiretroviral drugs.
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But exorbitant prices for antiretroviral drugs and a dire shortage of skilled medical personnel remained major challenges.
"It is estimated that at current prices the provision of antiretroviral therapy will account for about 40 percent of the total cost of the national strategic plan," said the report.
"This much-needed service will soon be unaffordable at current drug prices."
Earth Times
South Africa ruling party condemns Israeli blockade of Gaza
Posted : Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:48:06 GMT
Author : DPA
Johannesburg - South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday called for an end to Israel's blockade of Gaza, calling it a "flagrant breach of international law."In a statement the ANC also deplored Israel's "senseless killing" of Palestinian civilians and called for a resumption of Israel- Palestinian peace talks.
BuaNews (Tshwane) via allAfrica.com
South Africa: Electricity Consumption Down 1.2 Percent in Jan
7 March 2008
Bathandwa Mbola
Pretoria
Due to Eskom's frequent load shedding during January, South Africa's electricity consumption was down by about 1.2 percent for that month.
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"The reported electricity supply shortages contributed to the 1.2 percent decrease in the estimated consumption of electricity in January 2008 compared with January 2007," said Stats SA in a statement.
The country is currently facing an electricity shortage and Eskom has been forced resort to load shedding throughout the country.
SUDAN
Reuters
China urges Sudan to seek compromise in Darfur
By Chris Buckley
Fri Mar 7, 5:53 AM ET
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has urged Sudan to do more to stop fighting in Darfur and speed the arrival of more peacekeepers, Beijing's envoy on the crisis said, defending his country as a diplomatic bridge to help end the bloodshed.
China has faced widespread Western criticism that it has not used its oil, arms and business stakes in Sudan to press for an end to deadly havoc in the vast, arid Darfur region.
But back from talks in Khartoum and other capitals, Beijing envoy Liu Guijin on Friday defended his country as "working hard" on Sudan and others to end fighting, and said China could serve as a go-between bringing peace closer.
zawya
Iran-Sudan sign defence cooperation agreement
07 March 2008
Iran and Sudan signed a defence cooperation agreement at the end of a second round of negotiations between defence ministers of the two countries.
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Cooperation in the fields of technology, education, science, industry and exchange of expert delegations are among articles of the agreement as well as establishment of defence cooperation commission.
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General Najjar said, "Expansion of ties with Islamic and African countries, especially brotherly and friendly country of Sudan, is on top of Iran's foreign policy agenda.
Asahi Shimbun
Cambodia seeks Japan's help in Sudan peace mission
03/08/2008
KAZUTO TSUKAMOTO
Cambodia wants Japan's support for the Southeast Asian nation's first U.N. peacekeeping mission, which is becoming increasingly tense due to fighting in Sudan, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh said Friday.
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About 300 Cambodian Army corps engineers have been sent to Malakal in southern Sudan, mainly for demining, since April 2006, according to Tea.
The Cambodian troops, which have been cooperating with troops from India and Bangladesh, have removed a total of 1,613 mines so far, he said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura has proposed that the Self-Defense Forces be sent to Sudan to participate in the U.N. peacekeeping mission. But the security situation will likely lead to further calls in Japan for a more cautious approach.
SWAZILAND
IRIN via Reuters AlertNet
SWAZILAND: Worst labour strife in a decade
06 Mar 2008 17:14:42 GMT
MBABANE, 6 March 2008 (IRIN) - A bloody week of the worst labour strife in a decade has exposed cracks in the Swazi government's poverty-alleviation plan of creating thousands of low-paying jobs by promoting a textile industry.
In the strike action, which began on 3 March, workers participating in peaceful marches to demand better salaries have been teargassed and beaten by police, and at least a dozen have reportedly been injured. More than 16,000 workers, most of them women, have been affected by the strike action.
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Swaziland's textile industry is dominated by garment-making factories owned by Taiwanese immigrants who came to Swaziland in 2000/02 to take advantage of preferential trade conditions with the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, creating tens of thousands of employment opportunities.
The country is one of the few that has diplomatic ties with Taiwan and does not recognise the People's Republic of China. Taiwan returned the favour by encouraging its garment-makers to invest in Swaziland.
In turn, the Swazi government has offered tax holidays to incoming firms, and constructed factory shells that are sometimes leased for free of charge to large employers.