Daily News on the Issues Affecting Africa for September 24th

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 al-Shabaab and the attack at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Nigeria's oil export issues, Malawians fleeing from Tanzania, the EU mission in the DRC, Mali's new president's promises for the future, and challenges of the polio vaccine in Nigeria.

Nairobi attack is sign of al-Shabaab's shifting survival strategies, U.S. officials say
A carefully choreographed assault on Kenya's most upscale shopping mall was described by U.S. counterterrorism officials Monday as evidence that the militant group al-Shabaab has turned its energies toward regional attacks after losing power and territory in its home base of Somalia.  Smoke continued to billow from the Westgate mall in Nairobi on Monday as Kenyan security forces pursued a team of al-Shabaab gunmen who have killed at least 62 people and wounded dozens in a rampage that began Saturday. – Washington Post
To read more, please visit the Washington Post site here

Somalia's Al-Shabab: 4 Things to Know
Al-Shabab, the Somali group that has claimed responsibility for the attack on a Nairobi mall, began as a group fighting inside its homeland. But it has evolved into an al-Qaida affiliate that draws members from other countries and views Somalia as a front in the war against the West. Here are some key things to know about the group. – NPR
To read more, please visit the NPR site here

Nigeria's Criminal Crude: International Options to Combat the Export of Stolen Oil
Nigerian crude oil is being stolen on an industrial scale. Nigeria lost at least 100,000 barrels of oil per day, around 5% of total output, in the first quarter of 2013 to theft from its onshore and swamp operations alone. Some of what is stolen is exported. Proceeds are laundered through world financial centres and used to buy assets in and outside Nigeria, polluting markets and financial institutions overseas, and creating reputational, political and legal hazards. It could also compromise parts of the legitimate oil business. – Chatham House
To read more, please visit the Chatham House site here

Malawians flee xenophobic attacks in Tanzania
Scores of undocumented Malawians who have been resident in Tanzania started arriving home on Monday with the few possessions they could carry as they ran away from beatings and confiscation of their property by Tanzanian security forces. Many Malawians are stranded as they do not have transport home, but they face the risk of being beaten and raped if they are women, witness told Nyasa Times in Mzuzu. A total of 1,030 Malawians were netted in a clean-up operation code named (Hurricane in the Swahili language) against illegal immigrants. – Nyasa Times
To read more, please visit the Nyasa Times site here

EU extends DRC support missions
The Council of the European Union said Monday it extended two security programs for the Democratic Republic of Congo for the last time. The council said Monday it extended a mandate for a European Union police force advisory mission in DRC. The year-long mandate is aimed at assisting with security sector reform in the country. A separate mission provides assistance for Congolese authorities working on national defense issues.  Combined, the two missions are allocated $20 million in funding through September 2014. – UPI
To read more, please visit the UPI site here

Mali's new president vows to better equip army after 2012 mutiny
Mali's new president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita vowed Sunday to go to all lengths to better equip the national army, in a bid to prevent a repeat of the 2012 mutiny over the lack of resources to fight rebels in the north.  Faced with an intensifying rebellion from Tuaregs and allied Islamists, scores of Malian soldiers mutinied and launched a coup in March last year, angry at the low level of support they were getting from the state. – Defense News
To read more, please visit the Defense News site here

Nigeria: Who Still Refuses Polio Vaccine?
After several endorsements for polio vaccine from eminent Nigerians, including the revered Sultan of Sokoto Muhammed Sa'ad Abubakar III, it appears strange that some people still refuse to let their children and wards benefit from the life-saving vaccines. Or what reason did 102 residents of Niger State have for clinging to wicked rumours spread by the uninformed?  According to media reports, Dr Aliyu Shehu Yabagi, the state's director of the Primary Health Care Development Agency, revealed that 102 people have been arrested, prosecuted and either fined or jailed for refusing to allow polio vaccines to be administered on their children and wards in the past two years. Some of the arrested people, he disclosed, "paid fines for their action while others served various jail terms to serve as a deterrent to others". Yabagi also stated that the State House of Assembly was working on a bill to criminalise preaching against the acceptance of polio vaccines, with a huge fine or jail term for convicted offenders. – allAfrica
To read more, please visit the allAfrica site here