Full Coverage: Africa

31.12.2004 The UK government daily cranks up its tsunami aid pledges; rich governments everywhere boast of their generosity - but does this mean less for Sudan, Congo and other disaster zones? Oxfam is already concerned.

31.12.2004 A national government in exile and a self-declared regional government operating in the area of tsunami devastation may not be the ideal platform for effective coordination of aid in Somalia. But out of chaos, the seeds of eventual stability may be sown.

30.12.2004 Poverty and HIV/AIDS are the biggest challenges to Namibia meeting the Millennium Development Goals, Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab has stated. Although the country suffers the 7th highest infection rate in the world, development aid is dropping, due in part to Namibia's classification as a middle-income country. The country has islands of wealth in a sea of poverty.

30.12.2004

Pondicherry fishing village after the tsunami © M S Swaminathan Research Foundation

Latest report from the World Health Organization (WHO) puts the number of people displaced by last weekend’s the tidal waves at five million. Eleven countries across six time zones were affected, including Seychelles, Kenya and Tanzania. More than 80,000 people are confirmed dead, with more than 32,000 occurring in the Indonesian regions of Aceh and north Sumatra. Nearly 30 international organizations are already providing relief services in different communities. The UN launched an initial appeal for $130 million ahead of a much vaster appeal scheduled for January 6.

30.12.2004 Following their first ever “face-to-face” meeting earlier this week, representatives of the Ugandan government and the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army are due to sign a ceasefire accord Friday. The accord is expected to be a forerunner to formal negotiations to end the 18-year conflict that has displaced more than 1.6 million people.

29.12.2004 Tre radio private di Toamasina, città portuale della costa est dell’isola di Madagascar, sono state chiuse dal governo dopo aver ospitato sulle loro onde l’intervento di alcune personalità dell’opposizione. Radio Ny Antsika (RNA), Sky FM e Radio Feon'i Toamasina (RFT) non emettono più dal 10 dicembre scorso e i loro responsabili sono stati convocati dalla gendarmeria locale per essere interrogati. Intanto in Etiopia è stata riabilitata l'Associazione dei giornalisti etiopi dopo 13 mesi di messa al bando.

29.12.2004 Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is sending many additional emergency aid workers to South Asia over the coming days, to assist with relief for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. Assessments are already underway in India, Thailand and Malaysia. Other staff are travelling to Sri Lanka and Sumatra island in Indonesia.

29.12.2004 As internet and mobile phones are growing in Africa steadily, bridging digital divide seems feasible in this continent.

28.12.2004 As Tunisia prepares itself to host the second phase of WSIS on November 16-18, 2005, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali expressed his hope in the Summit saying that it will help in "reducing the digital divide between the industrialized nations and the developing countries.”

28.12.2004 Rhinoceroses, elephants and other species of interest to tourists will soon roam the beautiful Nechasar National Park courtesy of a contract between the Ethiopian government and African Parks Foundation of the Netherlands. On the outskirts of the park, some 2,000 families who were relocated from its grounds are squatting with other hard up families in a village where they have no access to basic conveniences or infrastructure.

27.12.2004 FAO and UNICEF commissioned a study to assess the feasibility of building a network to connect some 20 radio stations in the rural areas of Niger and finally link the network to internet. The need to conduct a technology assessment for selecting the appropriate media for creating the network has been emphasised.

27.12.2004 Tidal waves provoked by the earthquake near the Indonesian island of Sumatra Sunday affected coastal communities from south east Asia to Somalia in the Horn of Africa. Sri Lanka suffered the highest toll with about 13,000 deaths confirmed so far.

23.12.2004 Africa's capacity to assess the impact of climate change and prepare coping strategies is not on a par with the capacity of rich countries to aggravate the problem. Can Tony Blair join up the thinking on his two stated priorities for the G8?

23.12.2004 One of Sudan's two deadly conflicts may be close to ending this week as officials said they expect to finalize a comprehensive peace agreement within a few days. The deal would cover national power-sharing arrangements and administration of territories while imposing a permanent ceasefire after 21 years of fighting.

22.12.2004 From Dec. 11-14, Women's Learning Partnership (WLP) in cooperation with its partner in Morocco, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM), convened the Maghreb Regional Learning Institute to train women's rights activists to become better trainers and advocates for women's equal participation in civil society. Institute participants included 26 activists from Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia. They discussed how to communicate effectively to influence decision-makers and mobilize the public, and how to translate organizational visions into compelling messages that resonate with various groups and constituencies. Participants plan to work together to build regional cooperation as well as strengthen national advocacy networks to advance women's rights.

22.12.2004 Medici Senza Frontiere (Msf) riporta l'uccisione nel sud del Darfur di un suo collaboratore sudanese, la seconda negli ultimi tre mesi. Secondo fonti attendibili l'operatore è stato ucciso venerdì scorso davanti al magazzino di Msf quando era fuori servizio durante un attacco condotto dalle truppe governative sudanesi a Labado, nel Sud del Darfur. A Labado erano presenti 38 operatori locali di Msf, ma a tutt'oggi non si hanno notizie di 29 di loro. Msf è attiva a Labado dal settembre 2004 ed è l'unica organizzazione internazionale che ha fornito assistenza medica continua alla popolazione del posto.

22.12.2004 Little violence, no reported cheating and a fantastic 83% turnout. Ghana's recent parliamentary election proves that Africa can do democracy just as well if not better than European countries.

22.12.2004 After a week of fighting that displaced tens of thousands and may or may not have involved Rwandan troops,Congolese dissident leaders agreed to a ceasefire Tuesday. The UN mission to the country immediately announced that peacekeepers and humanitarian aid would be sent to the region.

22.12.2004 Following the deaths of four staff, the Director-General of Save the Children announces with great regret that the charity's presence in Darfur will have to be suspended.

22.12.2004 Just weeks after the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended the complete abolition of the death penalty and days after neighboring Senegal did away with the practice, Sierra Leone's High Court sentenced ten to death for treason Monday.