Daily News on the Issues Affecting Africa for December 17th

Continue reading for a summary of recent news stories relating to some of the most pressing issues on the continent. We draw on a wide range of respected news sources, both from Africa itself and around the world. The themes of today's In the News post are updates on violence in South Sudan, rebel conflict in the DRC, instability in Mozambique, the conflict in CAR, economic interest in Zimbabwe, the ANC party in South Africa, and legal punishment for a player in the Rwandan genocide.

South Sudan: Gunfire continues in tense capital Juba
Fresh gunfire erupted overnight in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, a day after the government said it had quashed an attempted coup. There were reports of heavy weapons being fired near the presidential palace and in many other parts of Juba. Several thousand people have taken refuge at two United Nations compounds. – BBC
To read more, please visit the BBC site here.

Congo's army accused of abuse as rebels regroup in Rwanda
Recently defeated M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have continued to recruit in neighboring Rwanda while the Congolese army has been involved in human rights abuses and corruption, according to a confidential U.N. report. – Reuters
To read more, please visit the Reuters site here.

Mozambique on the edge: civil war threatens to reverse progress
In 2012, Mozambique appeared on the list of the 50 most peaceful countries in the world in a report published by UK organisation Global Peace Index. One year later and it is on the verge of a new civil war that could slow down progress in a country already considered by the UNDP to be the third poorest in the world. – The Guardian
To read more, please visit the Guardian site here.

Muslims, Christians unite amid Bangui religious violence
Sectarian conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) has killed hundreds and displaced thousands in recent weeks. But in some parts of the capital of Bangui, Muslim and Christian neighbours still look out for each other. – France 24
To read more, please visit the France 24 site here.

Zimbabwe marange diamonds draw 'much' interest in Antwerp
The first auction of diamonds originating from Zimbabwe's eastern Marange fields following the removal of European Union sanctions has attracted "much interest," the Antwerp World Diamond Centre said. The auction of stones totaling 300,000 carats closes tomorrow in the Belgian city. AWDC spokeswoman Karen Rentmeesters said details of the prices fetched by the gems are confidential. – Bloomberg
To read more, please visit the Bloomberg site here.

A bleak future for the ANC
On April 29 South African public television was invited by the governing ANC, the party of Nelson Mandela, to film an exclusive and very special event. Led by the state president, Jacob Zuma, the party's top six officials arrived at Mandela's Johannesburg home - where he was recovering after yet another stint in hospital for his recurring lung infection - and posed for the cameras with him. In the ghoulish footage that was released afterwards Mandela is silent, stoic, and opens his mouth once to make a gagging sound. Zuma and his team, sitting around him, are beaming and trying to make small talk.  – Al Jazeera
To read more, please visit the Al Jazeera site here.

Rwandan ex-mayor handed 25 years for genocide
The UN tribunal for Rwanda on Monday handed a 25-year jail term to a former mayor found guilty of genocide for the 1994 bulldozing of a church with 2 000 people inside. Gregoire Ndahimana, now in his early 60s and mayor of Kivumu district in western Rwanda at the time of the 1994 genocide, had initially been sentenced to 15 years in jail in 2011. – News 24
To read more, please visit the News 24 site here.