Daily News on Issues Affecting Africa for July 8th

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: the escape of some Nigerian women from Boko Haram, curfew in South Sudan, Mozambique's story of growth, and Ebola in West Africa.

Nigerian Women and Girls Escape Boko Haram Captors

Nigerian security officials have confirmed that 63 women and girls abducted by Islamist extremists two weeks ago have escaped. The group is still holding more than 200 schoolgirls seized in April. The abducted women and girls managed to escape while their captors were engaged in a major battle with government soldiers, local media quoted officials as saying.

To Read More from AllAfrica Click Here

Half of a Yellow Sun film approved by Nigeria censors

It was set to open in Nigerian cinemas in April, but the country's film board found some scenes "objectionable". It is not clear if changes have been made to satisfy the censors, but last month the film's distributor said it had agreed to edit some scenes. The film is based on the best-selling novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. More than a million people died in Nigeria's 1967-70 civil war and it still remains a sensitive subject. It was feared by some that the film, which is seen as sympathetic to the Biafran separatist cause, could stoke ethnic tensions.

To Read More from BBC Africa Click Here

South Sudanese interior minister issues shoot-to-kill orders against curfew violators

July 7, 2014 (JUBA) – South Sudanese authorities have ordered security forces to shoot dead anyone found to be violating a renewed night curfew imposed by the government as tension continues to rise over federalism debate in the country. Interior minister Aleu Ayieny Aleu on Monday ordered his security operatives to go on a "shoot-to-kill" mission against night-time curfew violators, which the government has resolved to impose daily from 8pm to 6am.

To Read More from the Sudan Tribune Click Here

Can Mozambique's growth story be sustained?

Forecast to grow at 8% per year over the next five years, Mozambique is benefiting from mineral wealth and infrastructure development following a 30-year civil war and from a favourable macroeconomic environment. However, the southern African country has a very low GDP per capita (US$655). It is now facing the challenge of developing its wealth of natural resources, particularly the gas sector, so that this benefits the population at large and leads to sustainable growth.

To Read More from How We Made it in Africa Click Here

Ebola in West Africa: A Perfect Storm

NEARLY six months after Guinea registered its first cases of the Ebola virus, the outbreak is still spreading. A World Health Organization statement last week said 467 people had died from the illness, which has been confirmed in more than 60 communities in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, including the capital cities of the former two countries.

To Read More from the Economist Click Here