Daily News on the Issues Affecting Africa for October 29th

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 the war in the DRC, US actions against Al-Shabaab in Somalia, elections in Madagascar, former Liberian leader in UK prison, violence in Mozambique, US efforts to capture Kony, the struggle for Sudanese territory Abyei, and Nigerien migrants.

UN to hold emergency session on DR Congo war
The UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on a new surge in fighting in eastern DR Congo amid reports of the killing of a peacekeeper and the discovery of two mass graves. MONUSCO, the UN mission in eastern Congo, said a Tanzanian officer had been killed in Kiwanja, where peacekeepers joined the Congolese army to drive out M23 rebels on the third day of clashes since a fresh flare-up in violence on Friday. – Al Jazeera
To read more, please visit the Al Jazeera site here

U.S. strike kills 2 top Shabab members in Somalia
A United States military strike hit a vehicle carrying senior members of an al-Qaeda-linked militant group in Somalia on Monday, killing at least two people including the group's top explosives expert, a militant and a government intelligence official said. A senior United States military official says there was a U.S. counterterrorism strike against a terrorist target in Somalia Monday but would give no further details. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no authorization to discuss the strike publicly. – USA Today
To read more, please visit the USA Today site here

Madagascar election is free and fair, observers say
International observers have described Madagascar's presidential election as free and transparent, as results slowly come through.  Friday's poll was the first to be held on the island since a coup in 2009. Preliminary results show that an ally of the ousted leader Marc Ravalomanana has taken an early lead. Full results could take as long as a week to emerge.  – BBC
To read more, please visit the BBC site here

Liberia: selon sa famille, 'Charles Taylor est maltraité en prison au Royaume-Uni'
La famille de Charles Taylor a dénoncé, mardi, les conditions de détention de l'ancien président du Liberia, qui purge sa peine de 50 ans de prison en Grande-Bretagne. – Jeune Afrique
Pour en lire plus, veuillez visiter le site Jeune Afrique ici

UN chief voices concern at escalation of violence in Mozambique
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced concern at the recent escalation of violence in Mozambique between government forces and members of the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO).  "The Secretary-General calls on all parties to refrain from any act that can threaten the peace and stability that has prevailed during the past 21 years, since the 1992 Rome General Peace Accords," said a statement issued last night by Mr. Ban's spokesperson. – UN News Centre
To read more, please visit the UN News Centre site here

East Africa: Report – U.S. intensifying effort to help catch Kony
A new report says the United States is intensifying efforts to help catch fugitive African warlord Joseph Kony.  According to The Washington Post, the U.S. military has asked the White House to temporarily base Osprey aircraft in Uganda. It says the aircraft, which can land like helicopters but fly like planes, would allow U.S. and African troops searching for Kony to cover a broader area and more quickly assault his camps.  The Post says the move, if authorized, would nearly double the number of U.S. troops in Uganda, now capped at 100.  – allAfrica
To read more, please visit the allAfrica site here

Big fight over a small place
More than two years after Sudan's southerners voted for a country of their own, some people in lands along the new border with the old rump Sudan remain in limbo. Acuil Akol comes from Abyei, a triangle of contested territory whose residents are mostly Ngok-Dinka, an offshoot of South Sudan's largest tribe. He and his neighbours were meant to have a vote in 2011 to decide whether to join the south. But rows over who is entitled to vote have delayed it. Tired of waiting, he is now leading efforts to stage an unofficial referendum to "tell the world what we want." – The Economist
To read more, please visit the Economist site here

Niger migrants die of thirst in desert on way to Algeria
About 40 migrants from Niger en route to Algeria have died of thirst after their vehicle broke down in the desert south of the Sahara, local officials told AFP on Monday. Police said 19 people survived the ordeal. – France 24
To read more, please visit the France 24 site here