ZIMBABWE’S CONDITION WORSENING

Conditions for ordinary Zimbabweans are growing ever more desperate as the political crisis continues, says human rights group Amnesty International. In a report, Amnesty warns that many people are at risk of extreme hunger after a failed agricultural season.
It says many victims of the political violence that followed the March elections were subsistence farmers. [...]

CHARLES TAYLOR’S SON CONVICTED

A Miami jury has convicted the son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor for torture and conspiracy. “Chuckie” Taylor – who was born in the United States as Charles McArthur Emmanuel – faces a possible life sentence for the crimes.
They were committed between 1999 and 2003, a period when he was in charge of [...]

CAMEROUNIAN OIL VESSEL CREW SEIZED

The ship’s owners said those taken hostage were seven French nationals, two Cameroonians and a Tunisian.
The pirates attacked the vessel at an oilfield near the Cameroonian coast in the Gulf of Guinea.
There have been a number of attacks against oil installations in Gulf of Guinea states over the past year.
SOURCED FROM REUTERS

DRC FACES HUGE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

Fierce fighting between government and rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo has caused a humanitarian catastrophe, the Red Cross says.  Diplomatic efforts are under way to end the crisis, which has threatened to spill over into neighbouring Rwanda.
A tense ceasefire is holding in the eastern city of Goma, where tens of thousands [...]

ZAMBIANS SET TO ELECT NEW PRESIDENT

Zambians are going to the polls to elect a new president to replace Levy Mwanawasa, who died in August after suffering a stroke. The two main contenders in the poll are acting president Rupiah Banda and opposition leader Michael Sata.
Police are on high alert for what is expected to be a close vote. The [...]

DRC CRISIS WORSENS; REBELS SURROUND GOMA

There are reports of chaotic scenes in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as police try to arrest soldiers whom the UN says seem out of control. UN radio says nine people were shot amid gunfire and looting. A BBC reporter saw a body with bullet wounds.
The UN says it is very concerned [...]

IVORY AUCTION OPENS AMID CONTROVERSY

The first officially sanctioned sale of ivory in southern Africa for almost a decade opened on Tuesday. Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe will auction more than 100 tonnes of ivory from stockpiles to buyers from China and Japan.
The money raised will go into elephant conservation projects. Some environment groups say the sales encourage [...]

ZIMBABWE TALKS FAIL TO END IMPASSE

A summit of African leaders in Zimbabwe has failed to end the country’s political deadlock. The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) says a larger, regional summit should be held soon to try to reach a deal.
The key sticking point in Monday’s talks was control of the home affairs ministry, which controls the police.A power-sharing [...]

CHINA CONDEMNS SUDAN OIL KILLINGS

China has condemned the killing of five of its citizens in Sudan, calling it as a terrorist act, but said it would continue to invest in the country.Foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu urged the Sudanese government to do all it could to protect Chinese residents and property.
The five were among nine Chinese oil workers [...]

DRC BOILS,ARMY FLEES REBELS HEAD FOR GOMA

Government troops in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are withdrawing from their positions in Kibumba which is under attack by Tutsi rebels. General Laurent Nkunda’s fighters have also opened up a new front 50km further north in Rubare, near Uganda.
Rebels say their next target is the regional capital Goma, home to the UN headquarters, [...]