How War, Oil and Politics Fuel Controversy in South Sudan’s Unity State
The recent move by the Unity State government to expel a UN diplomat for authoring a report that accused the SPLA of human rights abuses in the state follows a long line of controversial happenings that have dogged Unity since the 1980s. The expulsion of foreign individuals deemed undesirable by the authorities is usually the […]
Women Lack Access to Safe Abortions in Humanitarian Crises, Experts Say
Efforts to provide safe abortions in countries hit by conflict or disasters are being held back by a lack of information and funding, said health experts in London as they presented new research on the state of reproductive health in emergencies. The research found international health workers in South Sudan and Burkina Faso failed to […]
Do the Lives of the South Sudanese Really Matter to Kiir and Machar, or Anyone Else?
The forces allied to the two main parties to the conflict in South Sudan, President Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar, continue to inflict pain, suffering and despair on the South Sudanese people as a result of their unwillingness to take the necessary steps to end the civil war. Since fighting started in […]
Thousands of Women Arrive to Hear Jacob Zuma’s Speech
It was a morning of waiting in long queues in the hot Free State sun for the thousands of women streaming into the Harry Gwala stadium in Sasolburg for President Jacob Zuma’s Women’s Day address on Sunday. An Umkhonto we Sizwe compilation CD belted out the song Malibongwe, which refers to the saying “You touch […]
Oil Firms in Somalia Probed Over Graft Claims
Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has launched investigations into oil firms operating in Somalia over corruption allegations. The SFO is investigating Soma Oil & Gas Holdings Ltd, Soma Oil & Gas Exploration Ltd, and Soma Management Ltd over payment of about $600,000 to the Somalia Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources under the capacity building […]
Sierra Leone: Bogus Mutiny Claims
They were arrested in August 2013, incarcerated at the Pademba Road Male Correctional Centre for over 8 months without being charged to court. They were subsequently charged with 8 counts, ranging from conspiracy to commit mutiny, mutiny and failure to suppress mutiny. However, Yesterday, 13 of the alleged mutineers finally breathed an air of freedom […]
Justice Mathilda Twomey Appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Seychelles
President James A Michel has today, upon the unanimous recommendation of the Constitutional Appointments Authority, appointed Justice Mathilda Twomey, née Butler Payette, as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Seychelles. Mrs Twomey has had an illustrious career in the legal profession, serving as a barrister first in the Ocean Gate […]
Will Hissène Habré Receive a Fair Trial?
It is going to be a very busy few weeks for Senegalese lawyers Mbaye Sène, Mounirou Balane and Abdou Gniing. They have piles of documents – up to 16 gigabites of them, according to the Senegalese media – to go through before the trial of Chad’s former dictator Hissène Habré resumes in Dakar on 7 […]
Who Is Fleeing Africa for Europe?
Thousands of Africans are undertaking the perilous journey across the Mediterranean in pursuit of a better life. We take a look at their countries of origin and reasons for their flight. It is once again that time of the year when the Mediterranean Sea is awash with people fleeing their home countries. The risks involved […]
Rwandan Govt Unveils Market Infrastructure Master Plan
Government, yesterday, unveiled a new ‘market infrastructure master plan’ under which idle market structures in various parts of the country could be re-allocated to pave way for other ventures. Discussing the draft master plan at a validation workshop in Kigali, Francois Kanimba, the Minister for Trade and Industry, said some markets are not utilised because […]
