Full Coverage: Africa

30.11.2004 Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world with many difficult development hurdles to face, but for the first time its major political parties have run campaigns about issues in a real climate of competition, says journalist Paola Rolletta in Maputo. Voters will choose lawmakers and a head of state Wednesday.

30.11.2004 As the new Somali president and prime minister begin to assemble their cabinet, with hopes of returning a stable government to Mogadishu in January for the first time since 1991, NGOs are demanding that women be given "significant ministries" to reflect their true position in Somali society.

30.11.2004 The prospects for peace are better now than anytime in the past 20 years; Sudanese leaders and the international aid community must seize this opportunity and come through for the people of the long-embattled country, the UN said Tuesday.

30.11.2004 Solidarity will be the theme when members of civil society demonstrate outside Zimbabwean embassies on December 10th, International Human Rights Day. New legislation seeks to further restrict civil society in the country, which has seen a steady exodus of skilled professionals in recent months and years.

30.11.2004 The epidemic’s impact on women and girls is the focus of this year’s World AIDS Day, and the IMF will be targeted by AIDS activists Wednesday charging that its policies exacerbate the problem in poor countries.

30.11.2004 Despite the threat of expulsion by the Sudanese government for making political statements, Save the Children continues to warn that the peace accord has had no immediate impact and that "ethnic violence and civil war will continue to complicate relief efforts".

30.11.2004 The unsuccessful, undemocratic and unfair policies imposed on copper-rich Zambia by the IMF and the World Bank have made it one of the poorest countries. The policies include trade liberalisation, removal of legal restrictions on prices, privatization and others.

29.11.2004 A chiusura dell’anno proclamato dalla Nazioni Unite contro la schiavitù, Bolzano - , la città della convivenza interetnica che ha dato vita alla prima consulta degli immigrati - ospita il 3-4 dicembre la World Social Agenda. Saranno protagoniste le associazioni per la cooperazione internazionale altoatesine e molte scuole in un expò immerso nell'arte moderna dell'Accademia Europea. Una due giorni per finalmente riconoscere che la schiavitù ancora esiste. Dalle barche di clandestini che solcano i nostri mari agli eserciti di bambini soldato o lavoratori, dal turismo sessuale alla tratta delle schiave costrette alla prostituzione.

29.11.2004 While the promise of a mine-free world is now "within reach," governments must do more to help landmine survivors and get mines out of the ground quickly, said campaigners at the opening of a major worldwide conference Monday.

29.11.2004 Juba, sud Sudan. «Arriveranno anche qui?» chiede Lolè uscendo dal mio ufficio. «Non so. Forse, ma non subito» gli rispondo. Lolè è sieropositivo. È venuto a chiedermi dei farmaci antiretrovirali. Ha già perso una moglie e sta per perdere la seconda; anche uno dei figli è sieropositivo in seguito ad una trasfusione. In Africa, il continente più colpito, le cifre sono da capogiro. Secondo l'ultimo rapporto di Unaids (l'agenzia Onu per la lotta contro l'Aids), superano i 25 milioni i malati di Aids nel continente: 3 milioni hanno contratto il virus nel 2004 che in un anno ha mietuto 2 milioni e 300 mila vite. Ma un nuovo, preoccupante fenomeno si sta affacciando anche qui: le nuove vittime sono le donne. Il rischio di contagio per loro è 2,5 volte superiore rispetto agli uomini.
di S.S.

27.11.2004 Rwanda's Godeliève Mukasarasi, winner of Rights & Democracy's 2004 John Humphrey Freedom Award, arrived on the weekend to visit Halifax, Moncton, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. The presentation ceremony takes place on the eve of International Human Rights Day. A survivor of the 1994 genocide, Ms. Mukasarasi has gone on to make an invaluable contribution to the promotion of human rights and democratic development in Rwanda.

26.11.2004 Senza porre alcun vincolo al consorzio costruttore, la Banca mondiale ha approvato questa settimana garanzie pari ad un totale di 125 milioni di dollari per il controverso West Africa Gas Pipeline Project (WAGP). Il consorzio costruttore è capeggiato dalla Chevron Texaco e vede la partecipazione, tramite la Shell Nigeria, anche dell'AGIP. Il progetto consisterà in un gasdotto lungo 690 km per il trasporto di gas dalla Nigeria fino in Ghana, attraverso il Togo e il Benin, allo scopo di sviluppare il settore energetico di questi tre paesi, ma in particolare aumentare il potenziale di produzione energetica in Ghana.

26.11.2004 The Zimbabwe parliament has passed the controversial NGO bill on to its third reading. An amendment has been effected to clause 32 and this amendment means that there maybe a six months grace period for non-profit organisations to register under the new act.

26.11.2004 Keskisen Afrikan tilanne on jännittynyt äärimmilleen, kun Ruanda on ilmoittanut harkitsevansa joukkojen lähettämistä naapurimaahan Kongon demokraattiseen tasavaltaan. Ruandan viranomaiset ovat ilmoittaneet YK:lle haluavansa jäljittää Kongossa toimivat kapinalliset, joiden se uskoo valmistelevan hyökkäystä Ruandaan.

26.11.2004 An estimated six million mines laid during 27 years of civil war still litter Angola's countryside. They have left a trail of physical destruction - disabling one in every 415 Angolans - as well as psychological trauma.

26.11.2004 Passions are heating up in the troubled region of Central Africa as Rwanda has threatened to invade neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo to track down rebels it claims are preparing an attack on Rwanda from that country. One Congolese official believes Rwanda is looking for a pretense to attack his country.

26.11.2004 In Zimbabwe, Pact, a U.S. non-profit, has partnered with three local organizations to create post-HIV test clubs called “Moving On.” With a cadre of local doctors, pharmacists, ministers, herbalists, and nutritionists, the clubs provide advice, referral services, peer counseling and access to affordable condoms to anyone who has taken the HIV test, regardless of the outcome.

25.11.2004 Dopo le speranze suscitate dai negoziati tra il governo Sudanese e il gruppo ribelle SPLM/A, l’attesa pacificazione nell’infuocato Sud Sudan potrebbe provocare un’ulteriore diffusione del virus dell’HIV, da cui è già affetto il 2,6% della popolazione adulta della regione, secondo le stime contenute in un recente rapporto dell’Unfpa (United Nations Population Fund). Condividendo le preoccupazioni dell’Unfapa, il consigliere regionale dell’Unicef per l’Aids nell’Africa orientale e meridionale, David Alnwick, afferma: “In poche parole, il Sud Sudan è un disastro in attesa di scoppiare”.

25.11.2004 Participants at the first Round Table on Community Media and Sustainable Development held in Marrakesh have recommended a development fund for community radio in Africa. The Declaration of Marrakesh proposes a stronger partnership between civil society and donor agencies to support community media initiatives.

24.11.2004 As treatment of numerous HIV/AIDs patients in South Africa becomes unmanageable, an AIDS treatment program called Sizophila Project has started experimenting with cell phones to build an easy communication system between doctors and patients. The project implementing a database software and cellphones to track patient records and call medical attendants, has been successful in providing timely medical assistance to the patients.