November 9, 2012 News Round-Up

October 29 - November 5, 2012

AFRICAN INTERNAL RELATIONS

BBC News: "Rwanda's General Nyamwasa in South Africa refugee case" (October 29, 2012)
Two human rights groups have asked a South African court to revoke the refugee status of former Rwanda army chief Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20130243

allAfrica News: "Tanzania: Border With Malawi Fraudulent – Elders" (November 1, 2012)
Elders in Kyela have turned the heat on Malawi saying it is Tanzania that historically owns a big chunk of that country's territory, rather than for the central African nation to claim 100 per cent ownership of Lake Nyasa, which it shares with Tanzania.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201211010208.html?aa_source=mf-hdlns

Jeune Afrique: "Crise malienne : à Ouagadougou, Ansar Eddine se veut ouvert à 'une solution négociée'" (November 5, 2012)
On November 4, mediation in Ouagadougou initiated discussions with Ansar Eddine, a Islamist group that controls the region of northern Mali. While a military intervention is being prepared, the challenge is to push discussions on the organization of Iyad Ag Ghali so that it breaks its ties with the terrorists of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAWEB20121105093635/mali-terrorisme-aqmi-cedeaocrise-malienne-a-ouagadougou-ansar-eddine-se-veut-ouvert-a-une-solution-negociee.html

Jeune Afrique: "Gabon : des réfugiés acceptent de rentrer au Congo" (November 5, 2012)
One hundred Congolese refugees in Gabon, who opposed their deportation procedure applied for reentry to their country to the Gabonese authorities who have finally agreed to return to their country.
http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAWEB20121105170850/congo-gabon-immigration-hcrgabon-des-refugies-acceptent-de-rentrer-au-congo.html

Jeune Afrique: "Nord-Kivu : un accrochage à la frontière RDC-Rwanda fait au moins un mort" (November 5, 2012)
At least one Congolese soldier was killed Saturday, Nov. 3, during a clash between Congolese and Rwandan soldiers in the border area shared by the two countries in North Kivu.
http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAWEB20121105083448/rwanda-paul-kagame-joseph-kabila-fdlrnord-kivu-un-accrochage-a-la-frontiere-rdc-rwanda-fait-au-moins-un-mort.html

VOA News: "ECOWAS to Explore Dual Strategy Against Mali Militants" (November 5, 2012)
West African allies continue to explore a dual strategy against the al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants who seized northern Mali in April. ECOWAS - the Economic Community of West African States - is working to open negotiations with local armed groups, while finalizing its request for a U.N. intervention mandate to deploy regional troops to Mali.
http://www.voanews.com/content/article/1539644.html

AFRICAN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

VOA News: "Burundi Seeks International Support for Development" (October 29, 2012)
The Republic of Burundi is seeking support from international donors for a new four-year development plan. The United Nations Development Program is hosting a two-day conference, bringing together representatives of the Burundian government and foreign governments as well as donor agencies.
http://www.voanews.com/content/burundi-seeks-international-support-for-development/1535637.html

BBC News: "Casablanca bombing suspect arrested by German police" (October 30, 2012)
German police have arrested a man in connection with a deadly suicide bombing in Casablanca in 2003.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20147622

VOA News: "Armed Intervention for Mali Being Finalized" (October 30, 2012)
International officials are finalizing plans for deploying troops and sending military support to Mali to help it retake the north of the country from al-Qaida-linked militants who seized control in April.
http://www.voanews.com/content/armed-intervention-in-northern-mali-being-finalized/1536107.html

VOA News: "Britain and Ireland Suspend Aid to Uganda after Millions Go Missing" (October 31, 2012)
Britain has joined Ireland in suspending aid to Uganda's office of the prime minister.  The move comes after a draft report by Ugandan's auditor-general found that over $15 million [€12 million] in aid had been transferred to unauthorized accounts in the office of the Ugandan prime minister.
http://www.voanews.com/content/donors-suspend-aid-to-uganda-over-corruption/1536840.html

VOA News: "Sudan's Iran Alliance Under Scrutiny" (October 31, 2012)
Sudan's accusation that Israel bombed a Khartoum weapons plant last week has drawn attention to long-standing Israeli complaints of alleged Sudanese cooperation with Iran in smuggling weapons to Palestinian militants.
http://www.voanews.com/content/article/1536472.html

VOA News: "Some Zimbabwe Restrictions Lifted, but Money Remains Tight" (October 31, 2012)
The International Monetary Fund says it has relaxed restrictions on technical assistance to Zimbabwe. Analysts say the Tuesday announcement, though, does not mean the southern African nation can access loans.
http://www.voanews.com/content/some_zimbabwe_restrictions_lifted_but_money_remains_tight/1536702.html

BBC News: "Russian and Estonian crew freed in Nigeria" (November 1, 2012)
Russian and Estonian sailors abducted from a French-owned ship off Nigeria's coast last month have been freed, a Nigerian military spokesman has said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20168426

CHAD

RFI: "Tchad : le secteur public entame trois nouveaux jours de grève" (November 5, 2012)
The public sector workers in Chad resumed their strike. They will disengage for three days for the third consecutive week. The origin of this movement of anger is a difference of interpretation of an agreement to increase wages. After two months of strike with minimum service workers went on a total strike.
http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20121105-tchad-le-secteur-public-entame-trois-nouveaux-jours-greve

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

The New York Times: "Noted Women's Rights Activist in Congo Eludes Group of Gunmen" (October 26, 2012)**
A leading human rights activist from the Democratic Republic of Congo said that he had narrowly escaped what appeared to be an assassination attempt when gunmen infiltrated his home, took his children hostage and killed a security guard in a spray of bullets before fleeing in the family car.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/27/world/africa/human-rights-doctor-in-congo-eludes-gunmen.html?ref=africa

ETHIOPIA

VOA News: "Ethiopia Presents New Islamic Council" (November 5, 2012)
The Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Council has presented their newly elected executive members.  Many Ethiopian Muslims demonstrated against the election process of the Islamic Council for the past 10 months.
http://www.voanews.com/content/ethiopia_presents_new_islamic_council/1539512.html

GUINEA

VOA News: "Guinean Opposition Protests Makeup of Electoral Commission" (October 31, 2012)
Guinea's opposition is protesting the makeup of the electoral commission, appealing to the country's highest court and threatening street demonstrations.  It is the latest phase in the sometimes violent battle between the ruling party and the opposition over long-overdue legislative polls.
http://www.voanews.com/content/guinean-opposition-protests-makeup-of-electoral-commission/1536685.html

LIBERIA

allAfrica News: "Liberia: Snowe - Robert Sirleaf Is an American Citizen" (October 31, 2012)
Montserrado County District #6 (formally district #5) Representative, Edwin M. Snowe, has called on President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to immediately discharge her son, Mr. Robert A. Sirleaf from all Liberian government activities and subsequently turn him over to the Ministry of Justice for prosecution.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201210310964.html?aa_source=mf-hdlns

LIBYA 

BBC News: "Gunmen occupy Libyan parliament" (November 1, 2012)
Dozens of gunmen have occupied Libya's parliament to register their anger over the formation of the new government.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20170826

MALAWI

BBC News: "Malawi suspends laws against homosexual relationships" (November 5, 2012)
Malawi has suspended laws against same-sex relationships pending a decision on whether to repeal the legislation, the justice minister has said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20209802

MOZAMBIQUE

allAfrica News: "Mozambique: Renamo's Leader Returns to Bush" (October 30, 2012)

Opposition leader Afonso Dhlakama and 800 former guerrillas have decamped to their old military base. Is this a tactic of negotiation or a retreat from it?
http://allafrica.com/stories/201210301541.html?aa_source=mf-hdlns

NIGERIA

VOA News: "Humanitarian Crisis Looms After Deadly Nigerian Floods" (October 30, 2012)
Flooding in Nigeria has killed nearly 150 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others this year. As families continue to languish in squalid camps short of food, water, shelter and the most basic of health care, this natural disaster is rapidly turning into a humanitarian crisis.
http://www.voanews.com/content/humanitarian_crisis_looms_after_deadly_nigerian_floods/1536206.html

VOA News: "Amnesty: Nigerian Security Making Insurgency Worse" (November 1, 2012)
Amnesty International says actions taken by Nigeria's security forces to combat Islamist militant group Boko Haram are exacerbating the insurgency.
http://www.voanews.com/content/amnesty-international-nigeria-boko-haram-nigeria/1537420.html

BBC News: "Gunmen attack Nigerian police station; kill 2 cops" (November 4, 2012)
Gunmen attacked a police station in northeast Nigeria, killing two officers, the head of the police force in Yobe State said. The attackers, believed to be connected to the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, fired a rocket into the police station near the state capital, said police Commissioner Patrick Egbuniwe. One of the officers was killed by the blast, the other came under fire while responding to the attack.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/04/world/africa/nigeria-violence/index.html?hpt=iaf_c2

BBC News: "Biafra protests: Nigeria police in mass arrests" (November 5, 2012)
At least 100 people have been charged with treason in south-eastern Nigeria after a march supporting independence for Biafra, their lawyer says.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20209365

Reuters Africa: "Nigeria floods kill 363 people, displace 2.1 million –agency" (November 5, 2012)
Nigeria's worst flooding in at least half a century has killed 363 people since the start of July and displaced 2.1 million people, an emergency agency said on Monday.
http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE8A402K20121105

Reuters Africa: "Nigeria president under pressure to act on oil graft report" (November 5, 2012)
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is coming under increasing pressure to tackle government corruption after an oil probe released last week showing billions of dollars of lost state revenues sparked a political row.
http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE8A402520121105

RWANDA

BBC News: "Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire jailed" (October 30, 2012)
Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has been found guilty at her treason trial and sentenced to eight years in jail.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20138698

SOMALIA

Al Jazeera: "Somalia prime minister unveils leaner cabinet" (November 5, 2012)
Abdi Farah Shirdon Saaid appoints 10 ministers, including a woman who will serve as foreign minister.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/11/20121154432538201.html

SOUTH AFRICA

BBC News: "South Africa's census: Racial divide continuing" (October 30, 2012)
The income of white South African households is six times higher than black ones, new census figures reveal.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20138322

RFI: "A l'approche du congrès de l'ANC, l'étau judiciaire se resserre autour de Jacob Zuma" (November 5, 2012)
Cases in which President Jacob Zuma is involved are multiplying as he tries to keep his job as head of the ANC. Monday, November 29, he had to face a cartoonist who he is suing for defamation. He preferred to retract his claim at the last minute. Wednesday, a justice requested the publication of records exonerate him in a corruption case dating back to 2008. But again, the defense chose to dodge.
http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20121105-approche-congres-anc-etau-judiciaire-resserre-autour-jacob-zuma

SOUTH SUDAN

Al Jazeera: "South Sudan expels UN human rights official" (November 5, 2012)
Officials accuse unnamed UN staffer of publishing "unethical" reports, as UN calls expulsion a "breach of obligations".
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/11/201211416420561324.html

TUNISIA

Al Jazeera: "Tunisian president extends state of emergency" (October 31, 2012)
A three-month extension comes after Salafists attack police station in the capital, injuring several.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/10/2012103123162368949.html

Jeune Afrique: "Tunisie : un mort lors d'affrontements entre islamistes radicaux et forces de l'ordre" (October 31, 2012)
Clashes between security forces and Islamist radicals killed one insurgent on, Tuesday, Oct. 30, in the suburbs of Tunis. The announcement of the arrest of a Salafist suspected of having injured the head of the Public Security Brigade of Manouba, Wissem Ben Slimane, was behind the violence.
http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAWEB20121031091220/tunisie-violence-affrontement-islamistetunisie-un-mort-lors-d-affrontements-entre-islamistes-radicaux-et-forces-de-l-ordre.html

UGANDA

BBC News: "Uganda's Media Council bans State of the Nation play" (October 31, 2012)
Uganda's authorities have banned a play that criticizes President Yoweri Museveni's government, the play's co-director John Ssegawa has said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20155281

BBC News: "Uganda delays fake mobile switch-off date until 2013" (November 1, 2012)
Uganda has delayed plans to switch off "fake" mobile phones until July 2013.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20168609