Daily News on Issues Affecting Africa for June 19th

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 elections in Africa, Mali, South African history, politics in Mozambique and SA, and the Renaissance Dam project.

Mugabe Files Application to Delay July Election
Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said on Wednesday he had filed papers "yesterday [Tuesday]" that sought "a postponement of the date for the harmonised elections from July 31 2013 to August 14, 2013". Zimbabwe's Constitutional Court ordered Mugabe two weeks ago to hold the poll by the end of July, but Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has rejected his rival's declaration, saying it was too early and accusing him of creating a political crisis. On Saturday, Southern African leaders meeting at a summit in Mozambique told Zimbabwe to ask its courts to extend the deadline.
To read more visit the Mail & Guardian site here

Mali signs ceasefire deal with Tuareg rebels [video]
The Mali government has signed a ceasefire deal with Tuareg separatist rebels, paving the way for the government troops and civilian administrators to return to the northern, rebel-held town of Kidal before planned election next month, the Reuters news agency has reported. The agreement was reached after nearly two weeks of talks mediated by regional powers, the United Nations and the European Union in neighbouring Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou. Mali's chief negotiator earlier on Tuesday said a deal had been reached after 10 days of often tense negotiations that would allow the army to enter the town to secure it before the July 28 presidential ballot.
To watch the video visit the Al Jazeera English here

Liberia Troop Ready to Take Off for Peacekeeping Duties in Mali
An infantry platoon-size unit of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) departs the country on Thursday, June 20, to join the Africa International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA). They will be embedded into the Nigerian battalion, with First Lieutenant Nathaniel Waka serving as Commander of the platoon unit. This will be the first time that Liberia is participating in peacekeeping operations in 52 years.
To read more visit the Front Page Africa site here

African migrants 'left to die' sue Spanish, French militaries
Two survivors of a dinghy tragedy that killed 63 migrants in the Mediterranean lodged fresh legal complaints today in Paris and Madrid, accusing the French and Spanish military of failing to come to the aid of people in danger. The harrowing case known as the boat "left-to-die" was first revealed by the Guardian in 2011 and raised serious questions about the role of Nato naval vessels and military aircraft after a tiny dinghy crammed with 72 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa ran out of fuel and drifted for two weeks along one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The passengers died one by one, despite numerous distress calls, while Nato allies engaged in the operation against Muammar Gaddafi were in the waters nearby but did not help.
To read more visit the Mail & Guardian site here

100 Years After South Africa's Land Act [video]
South Africa is marking the centenary of the 1913 Natives' Land Act, a piece of legislation which effectively excluded the black population from the ownership of some 90% of the country's land. Since the beginning of democracy land redistribution has been a thorny issue with many still waiting to reclaim their stolen land.
To watch the video visit the AllAfrica site here

Egypt and Ethiopia agree to bridge dam divide
Ethiopia and Egypt have agreed to hold further talks on the impact of a huge Ethiopian dam project to quell tensions between the two countries over water-sharing. "We agreed that we will start immediately on consultations at both the technical level... and the political level," Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr told reporters after meeting in Addis Ababa with his Ethiopian counterpart Tedros Adhanom on Tuesday. The countries have been embroiled in a heated dispute after Ethiopia began diverting the Blue Nile River last month for the construction of the 6,000 megawatt Grand Renaissance Dam.
To read more visit the Al Jazeera English site here

Mozambique's Renamo threatens to paralyze vital coal railway
The Renamo opposition party, a former guerrilla organization, threatened on Wednesday to paralyze the only railway line out of Mozambique's vast coalfields in an effort to hurt the government. Renamo information chief Jeronimo Malagueta told a news conference in Maputo that disruption of the Sena line connecting the northwest region of Tete to the Indian Ocean port of Beira would last "as long as it takes". Renamo would "paralyze the movement of trains", he added. "From Thursday June 20 we will take action to make the logistics of the country fragile," he said, without providing details. The line is used predominantly by Brazil's Vale and London-listed Rio Tinto.
To read more visit the Reuter's site here

Inefficiency at port hurting trade in EA (Kenya)
Inefficiencies facing the clearance and movement of cargo from Mombasa port through the Northern Corridor are to blame for the high costs of doing business in East Africa. Kenya had a strong and thriving private sector in the region but the significant bottlenecks were gradually pushing away investors, said Industrialization Cabinet Secretary Aden Mohammed Tuesday. "Despite Kenya being the regional business hub in East Africa, high costs notably in transport and energy and other significant bottlenecks are driving the costs of doing business ultimately high," said Mr Mohammed.
To read more visit the Nation site here

Nigeria: Gunmen On 38 Motorcycles Invade Zamfara Village, Kill 32
More than 32 persons were reported killed in the early hours of Tuesday when gunmen numbering about 150 attacked Kizara village in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara. The heavily armed gunmen, who came on 38 motorcycles, invaded the village at about 4 a.m., shooting sporadically at anybody in sight. An eye-witnesses told newsmen that the attackers set several houses and shops in the village on fire.
To read more visit the AllAfrica site here

Basic Education lashes out at Equal Education's 'white adults'
Basic Educaiton Minister Angie Motshekga on Tuesday accused Equal Education of being disingenuous. She questioned the group's interest in the education of African children. Her department's spokesperson also called the nongovernmental organisation's court appearance a "gimmick". " ... To suddenly see a group of white adults organising black African children with half-truths can only be opportunistic, patronising and simply dishonest to say the least," Mothsekga said on Tuesday. The nongovernmental organisation said it was shocked and disappointed by Motshekga's comments.
To read more visit the Mail & Guardian site here