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By clinging to a paternalistic attitude and an antiquated Washington Consensus, the United States has opened up space for a broad Chinese role in Africa
South Africa: Outcry and Protest
The arrival of democracy in South Africa brought with it unprecedented freedom for its media. No longer shackled by the myriad of laws it had to endure under apartheid, the right to freedom of expression had now been enshrined in its new negotiated Constitution
Famine in Somalia: From Worst to Better
Red Cross Food convoys have completed their distribution of emergency rations to nearly one million Somalis aimed to tide them over until harvest season
While security and defense contracting in Africa is nothing new, the awarding of another multi-million dollar contract by the US State Department to a controversial private security operation is perhaps indicative of just how thinly stretched the US military is becoming
Global Health: The Beginning of the End of AIDS?
Simply put, the AIDS response is rightly viewed as one of the greatest success stories in modern global public health
Kenya: Floods, Rains Wreak Havoc
Heavy rains in Kenya have washed away bridges and rendered many roads impassable, complicating efforts to reach thousands of people made homeless by the flooding
Caravan of Hope Seeks Awareness of Climate Change Impacts
Brandishing a plea for developed countries to make good their promises to reduce carbon emissions, 300 farmers, youths and activists took the scenic route to the COP17 conference in Durban, travelling more than 7,000km from Burundi in 17 days, through 10 eastern and southern African countries, aboard a convoy of buses draped in various national flags
Lesotho: Pastoralists Fear Land 'Modernization' Act
Livestock herders in Lesotho are suspicious of the government's motives for 'modernizing' the land tenure system, fearing it will bring about a radical change in their way of life and deprive them of their birthright to land
Donors Deliver Despite Sanctions on Madagascar
After more than two years of political crisis, Madagascar finally appears to be moving towards the restoration of democracy. A new prime minister has been appointed, and elections are planned for 2012. Donors who suspended aid to the impoverished island nation are watching these developments closely
Pre-election politics and planned development schemes have fuelled an upsurge in inter-communal killings and forced displacement in Kenya's northern Isiolo area, which if left unaddressed, is likely to escalate
Niger Delta Still Unstable Despite Amnesty
Two years after the Nigerian government granted amnesty to militants fighting mainly for development and job opportunities in the oil-rich Niger River Delta, violence has diminished, and oil revenues have increased. But analysts argue that the amnesty programme is flawed and will not lead to long-term peace
Across the road from Maiduguri railway station, in the corner of a now abandoned property, a leefy neem tree provides a canopy for the remains of a mosque flattened by the Nigerian army
The Rising Threat from Nigeria's Boko Haram Militant Group
Boko Haram, which means 'Western education is sinful' in Hausa, was established in 2002 in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria's Borno state. It has since spread to several other northern and central Nigerian states
Gaddafi's Death: Mission Accomplished!
One dictator less is good, the mission has been accomplished and whatever else is happening in Libya is just mundane
South Africa Launches New HIV, TB Plan
South Africa has chosen World AIDS Day 2011 to launch its new national strategic plan that, for the first time, will guide not only the national fight against HIV but also tuberculosis (TB) until 2016. The document contains several major policy changes, including the immediate provision of lifelong antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to all HIV-positive mothers and TB patients, as well as a focus on positive prevention
Malawi: The Rush to Rationalize on AIDS Response
As international HIV funding declines, nations are bracing for a future with less money and tougher choices. In countries like donor-dependent Malawi, a new UNAIDS tool is already beginning to shape how to rationalize their HIV responses to cope with the altered circumstances
Better Funding Key to Improving Rural Kenya HIV Care
Kenya's estimated funding gap in providing HIV services until 2013 is estimated at $1.67 billion. In 2010, the national budget set aside an unprecedented $10.5 million - for the purchase of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, but much more money is required
International Security: Balanced Transition
'Starting from scratch' is the term used widely to describe the challenges faced by the world's newest state, the Republic of South Sudan. More recently, it has been used to describe the difficulties to be faced in Libya. While the two states are in entirely different situations both face similar difficulties in what is effectively nation building in a post-war context
Somalia: Telling The Story Against All Odds
Independent media continues to function in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, despite the killing of two journalists since the beginning of the year and the exile of 50 others after receiving death threats. Ten radio stations and a TV station operate in the city
Air Strikes Hit Al-Shabaab Base in Southern Somalia
Suspected Kenyan jet fighters have reportedly carried out air strikes in the town of Badhadhe in the southern region of Lower Jubba
Government Clash With al-Shabaab Claims at Least Seven
At least seven people were killed and five others wounded in fighting between government forces backed by Kenyan troops and Al-Shabaab
One Million Need Food Assistance in Zimbabwe
After a thin harvest, Rudo Mangwere, 32, a farmer in Chirumhanzu district, some 200km southwest of Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, has resorted to selling wild honey by the roadside to beat hunger. She is one of just over a million rural Zimbabweans who will struggle to feed themselves for the next four months
Uganda: The LRA's Legacy in the North
Economic and social recovery in northern Uganda has been slow, despite more than US$600 million having been spent in foreign aid in the years since the LRA was active there. According to development agencies and local communities, many are still living in abject poverty and in constant fear of a return of the LRA
Ethiopia: Cautionary Migration Tales are No Deterrent
Ethiopians are on the move. Not only are more rural people relocating to towns and cities, but the number of Ethiopians leaving the country has also ballooned in the last few years
Tunisia's New Premier Faces Islamic Test
All eyes will be on Tunisia's Hamadi Jebali, the Arab Spring's first democratically elected Islamist leader
Kenya: Insecurity Undermines Aid Access in Dadaab
Humanitarian activities in the world's largest refugee complex have been restricted to essential services amid worsening security exemplified by the abduction of two Spanish aid workers and the earlier abduction of a Kenyan NGO driver in the eastern Kenyan facility
Thousands Flee Congo Election Tension
At least 3,500 people have arrived by boat in recent days in Congo's capital, fearing violence in the run-up to the announcement of the outcome of the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Avoiding Ethnically-Driven Elections in Guinea
Politics remain ethnically divisive in Guinea a year after violent clashes marred a bitterly divided Presidential election. Analysts and civil servants say more concerted reconciliation efforts between ethnic groups are needed on the part of the President and opposition leaders to avoid another pitched battle in upcoming legislative elections
Somalia: Mohamud Mohamed Ali, 'Two years later, I am back to square one'
Mohamud Mohamed Ali, 21, was a high-school student when he fled the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in June 2009, in fear of being forcibly recruited into Al-Shabaab. His dangerous journey ultimately took him to South Africa
Somalia: Yemen Returnee Numbers Soar
Continuing unrest and xenophobia in Yemen have prompted an upsurge in the number of migrants and refugees returning to Somalia, with up to 6,000 reported to have travelled back across the Red Sea
Kenya's Invasion of Somalia Raises Controversy
Al-Shabaab's ambition for a proxy war in other countries, plus its recent kidnappings of foreigners in Kenya, has ignited Kenya's rage, spurring a military incursion by Kenya into southern Somalia. The incursion has raised many questions
The last year or so has seen a significant change in piracy activities, which has led to considerable successes for these terrors of the high seas
Ivory-Coast: En Route to Recovery?
'Restoration' appears to be the leitmotiv of the administration under former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), now president of the Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara
Nigeria is a country so unwieldy in its size, and so complex in its politics and structures, that it necessitates a certain level of assumption, together with an understanding of the detail of its interlinking internal dynamics. Its diversity and influence demand a nuanced engagement; its scale necessitates a broad-brush and bold approach
Migrants Targeted in Somaliland
Migrants in Somaliland, especially those from Ethiopia, have increasingly come under attack since the government in the self-declared independent state ordered employers to fire all 'illegal foreigners' as part of its commitment to expelling them from the territory, according to rights organizations
Zimbabwe: Thousands of Girls Forced Out of Education
Poverty, abuse and cultural practices are preventing a third of Zimbabwean girls from attending primary school and 67 percent from attending secondary school, denying them a basic education, according to a recent study which found alarming dropout rates for girls
Europe's Woes Make Their Way Across the Mediterranean
Europe's seemingly intractable financial crisis is threatening to make itself felt across the Mediterranean in the economies of North Africa that can least afford another blow, economists say
Guide to Egypt's First Post-Revolution Elections
Millions of Egyptians will head to the polls on November 28th in the first parliamentary vote after a popular uprising ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule
Ghana: Dismantling Elmina Castle
Lying along the West African coast, Ghana is the latest entrant to the club of African oil producers
Al-Qaeda is having a near-death experience, so why is the Obama administration opening a new front against terrorism in Africa?
Democracy in Revolution: the Mediterranean Moment
By showing us the possibility of democracy in revolution, the Mediterranean has ignited a revolution in democracy, one that is redefining the meaning of both terms
Kenyan Government Must Account For Mount Elgon Disappearances
Human rights activists are calling on the Kenyan government to account for the whereabouts of more than 300 people who disappeared following a land conflict that gripped the western Mount Elgon region and a 2008 military offensive against the militia behind it
Xenophobia and Fear Follow Nairobi Blasts
Grenade attacks on a pub and a bus stop in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, which resulted in one death and several injuries, have left many living in fear, while Kenyan Somalis and Somali refugees say they feel they have become terror suspects by virtue of their ethnicity
Kenya: Sexual Violence Still Major Urban Threat
Reports of gender-based violence are on the rise in Kenya's cities, and experts say the police must improve their handling of cases of sexual assault to build public trust in the security and justice systems
Zimbabwe: Small-Scale Farmers Choose Tobacco Over Maize
Zimbabwe's small-scale farmers are favoring tobacco over maize because they are paid immediately on delivery, while the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), the state-run cereal distribution monopoly, often takes months to pay for the staple, say some small-scale farmers
Rumpus Over Genetically Modified Food Aid in Africa
Genetically modified food aid bound for Africa has long been a bone of contention among governments, scientists, activists, consumers and aid workers
Senegal: Demining Machine Clears Path For Better Future
A new demining bulldozer is speeding up mine clearance in the Casamance region of southern Senegal, where fighting between separatists and government forces has been ongoing since 1982
Somalia: African Union Forces Attack Al Shabaab's Strongholds
At least 20 people were slain and 26 injured after Somali government forces backed by African Union peacekeepers attacked Al Shabaab forces in the northern part of Mogadishu, the insurgent group's last strongholds in the capital
Worst Forms of Child Labor Still Widespread in Africa
The law does not necessarily make much difference when it comes to child labor. In Guinea and Mauritania the worst forms of child labor persist despite it being banned by law, leading child protection experts to call for a better understanding of the dynamics behind it
South Africa: Deportations of Zimbabwean Migrants Set to Resume
After months of rumor and speculation, South Africa's Department of Home Affairs appears to have quietly lifted a moratorium on deportations of undocumented Zimbabweans who did not apply for legal status through the Zimbabwe Documentation Process (ZDP)
Uganda: New facility to Concentrate on Cancer
Uganda has one of the highest rates of infection-related cancers in the world. Exploring the links between infections and cancer will be one of the main roles of a new research and treatment centre in Kampala
Africa: Why Involving Men is Crucial
The involvement of men is key to the success of the gender-equality movement, but changing long-held social structures and convincing men of the importance of equal opportunities for women will not happen overnight, experts say
Great Game in the Horn of Africa
The United States is deploying a 100-man mission to assist the Ugandan government in tracking down the remnants of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a force that has devastated northern Uganda and its environs since 1987. But why now, in 2011, is the U.S. government making this commitment to combat the LRA?
The Western Sahara is the last country in Africa that has not been correctly decolonised -- instead, the right of the Sahrawi people to post-colonial independence has been frozen in time
Beyond Good Versus Evil: Fighting Somalia's Perpetual War
Somalia has suffered de facto secessions, appalling destruction and humanitarian disasters -- but still both the war and the Somali people march on. Can the international community help find a way out of conflict in Somalia, or is it blundering into yet another categorical mistake?
Heavy Casualties as Somali Forces Attack Rebel Stronghold
Somali forces backed by African Union (AMISOM) peacekeepers launched a pre-dawn attack on one of Al Shabaab's last strongholds, killing more than 14 people and injuring scores more, officials and witnesses said
Somali Forces Seize District in Lower Jubba from Insurgents
Government forces and local pro-government fighters backed by Kenyan troops have overtaken Ras Kamboni, a strategic district and a stronghold of Al-Shabaab in the Lower Jubba region of south Somalia
Hard Times Lead Young Somalis to Delay Marriage
Confusion accompanies every Somali thinking about marriage due to the course of conflict and instability in the country in the past two decades. Unemployment, lawlessness, fear and the lack of a united central government have left Somalia's young men and women in despair with less appetite to marriage
Zimbabwe: Poverty Alleviation Program Targets Kids
Orphans and vulnerable children from more than 80,000 households in Zimbabwe are set to benefit from a three-year government and donor-funded program to cushion them from the worst effects of poverty
Is Africa New Breeding Place for Terrorism?
Is Africa becoming a new breeding place for terrorism? How fast is the spread of these terrorist groups in Africa? Who are their sponsors?
Western powers must accept responsibility for their detrimental influence in the Congo and fulfill their obligation to help structure stability in the war-ravaged country
The international community, particularly the United States, is pursuing a dual-track policy that encourages the very warlordism that is pulling Somalia apart at the seams
Refugees Still Vulnerable in Southern Kordofan
Thousands of people who fled insecurity in Sudan's Southern Kordofan State to neighboring South Sudan's Unity State remain vulnerable, amid humanitarian access and security concerns
Al Shabaab Attacks Kill 16 at Key Somali Border Town
Militant Islamist group Al Shabaab launched an attack on a key government-controlled border town near Kenya, killing at least 16 people and wounding about 30 others, witnesses said
Insurgents Take Over Key Somali Border Town
Militant group Al-Shabaab took over the border town of El-Wak in the Gedo region from government forces who had controlled the town since early this year
Government Soldier Kills 10 at Mogadishu Refugee Camp
A government soldier fired on residents of a refugee camp in Mogadishu, killing 10 and wounding others, witnesses said
Kenya's Risky Intervention into Somalia
Kenya's military intervention to target Al-Shabaab in Somalia is likely to worsen the plight of millions of food-insecure civilians and could increase popular support for the Islamist insurgents, aid workers and analysts warn
Children Tempted With a Phone to Carry a Gun
Civil society sources in Mogadishu estimate there are between 1,000 and 2,000 children in the ranks of Somalia's Al-Shabab insurgency, some as young as nine. IRIN spoke to relatives and child protection advocates about the group's recruitment methods
African Drought Response: Lessons Still to Learn
Move away from 'food-first' responses and lay more stress on water and livelihoods; intervene early -- it saves money and lives: These are a couple of the lessons emerging from the past four years of drought response, according to the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance
Bono's African Philanthropy Could Use a Remix
Bono's new ONE campaign to help with famine in the Horn of Africa ignores the political causes of the crisis
The Dadaab Camps: The Daemon in the Detail
The tragedy unfolding across the Horn of Africa following prolonged drought in the region has been a prominent news feature around the world. The increased attention has been critical in raising funds for the aid effort and prioritising the disaster in the global conscience
Dadaab Camps: A Day in the Life of a Refugee
Moulid Iftin Hujale has spent 14 of his 24 years in the world's largest refugee complex, Dadaab, in eastern Kenya, close to his home country, Somalia. As well as working with an NGO in the complex's Ifo camp, Hujale is a writer and freelance journalist
Somali Media Press on with Work Despite Deadly Challenges
Somalia is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Despite intimidating officials, death threats, and even death, media workers there insist they must continue their work
Is current U.S. foreign policy in Africa following a blueprint drawn up almost eight years ago by the right-wing Heritage Foundation, one of the most conservative think tanks in the world?
Kenya: NCDs and HIV Fight for Limited Resources
The crowd of health issues jostling for a share of Kenya's inadequate health budget is expanding, with activists calling for an increase in resources for the management of non-communicable diseases, which account for more than 50 percent of hospital deaths and admissions
Kenya: Thousands of Children to be Immunized Amid Polio Outbreak
Health officials are on high alert after three cases of the Wild Polio Virus Type 1 were recently recorded in western Kenya
Horn of Africa Migrants Beaten, Deported, Imprisoned
Around May of this year, the movement of migrants from the Horn of Africa across the River Ruvuma began reversing in direction. According to immigration authorities in Mtwara, groups of migrants, stripped of their belongings and clothing, and many bearing the marks of severe beatings, began appearing near the river
Rights Groups Report on Somalia Downplayed
Somalia's military court chief downplayed a report by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch on Somalia government's executions against its soldiers
Congo Refugees Unwilling to Return Home
The refugee status of 9,500 people from the Republic of Congo, who have been in neighboring Gabon since the late '90s, expired on 31 July, but many are still reluctant to return home
New Cash Transfer Program to Reach Most Vulnerable Communities
In an effort to help some of the most vulnerable people in one of Ethiopia's most food insecure regions, the government of Tigray has launched a pilot scheme to transfer cash to those least able to earn money for themselves. If successful, it could be adopted country-wide
Climate of Fear Ahead of Gambia Presidential Elections
Somalia Seeks More Troops Against Al-Shabaab
Somali Pirates Grow More Daring
Somali Border Town Feels the Refugee Pressure
Hungry Kenyan Families Sending Children Out to Beg
Cholera Soars in Lake Chad Basin Countries
Somalia: Pro-government Rally Held in Mogadishu
Kenya: 'Perfect Storm' Brewing Among Urban Poor
Somali Forces and African Union Peacekeepers Gradually Expand Control In Mogadishu
Somali President: Combat Operations Against Al-Shabaab Will Continue
Al-Shabab Pullout: The Beginning Of The End in Somalia?
Africa: Tough Choices As Food Prices Continue To Rise
Nigeria: Jail Threat for Polio Vaccination Refuseniks
Congo: Implement Anti-Discrimination Law, Urge Indigenous Peoples
Congo: High-Tech Measures To Curb Illegal Fishing In Congo
Raw Sewage Kills in Madagascar
Tanzania: Violence Against Children Rampant
Maternal Deaths Quadruple In South Africa
African Horn Migrants Heading South 'Pushed Backwards'
Drought Has Kenyans Running on Empty
Drought and HIV: A Dangerous Combination
Security Risks Overshadow Aid Delivery Efforts in Kenya
Drought Exacerbates Conflict in Turkana
Kenyan Farmers Reap Rewards of Switching to Maize
Uganda War Crimes Trial May Affect LRA Defections
Egypt Taking on the Hepatitis C Virus
Brazil and IBSA: Blueprint for Future Cooperation?
Al-Shabaab Offer Somalis Kinder and Gentler Face
Mogadishu Hospitals Running Out of Medicine
Kenya Feels the Strain as Somali Refugee Numbers Soar
Ethiopia: Floods Pose New Threat to Food Security
Somalia's Pirates: Ransom Cash 'Easy Come Easy Go'
Understanding Nigeria's Boko Haram Radicals
Defending Democracy in Cote d'Ivoire
South Africa's Land Reform Crisis
Ten Million at Risk as Drought Strikes African Horn
South Sudan Teeters Weeks Before Independence
Conflict In Sudan's Southern Kordofan Region
Michael David: 'My Duty Was Cleaning Guns And Shining Boots'
Insecurity and Land Conflicts Threaten Peace In Sudan's Upper Nile State
All Wheat Varieties Will Have To Be Replaced
Children Unprotected as Polio Spreads in Chad
New Insight Into Male Sex Work and HIV Epidemic in Africa
Somalia Power Struggle Could Intensify As Premier Quits
Angola's 'Sans Papiers' Violently Deported In New Wave Of Expulsions
Severe Drought and High Food Prices Hit Pastoralists In Africa
Egyptians Doubt Spy Who Loved Me
Road Closures, Bombings and Landmines Hit Southern Sudan Food Supplies
Somali Minister Confirms Death of al Qaeda Spearhead
Why Sudan's Peace Is in Jeopardy
Is Alarm About Seven Billion People Just Modern-day Eugenics?
Seven Billion People: So Why Do Some Fear Population Decline?
The World Is Finally Fighting Off the Infection of Neoliberalism
Guide to Egypt's First Post-Revolution Elections
Egyptians Feel Less Secure on Streets and in Wallets
Congress' Bipartisan Vice Is Cowardice
Ongoing Conflicts You May Not Be Paying Attention To But Should
African Hydropower: Damming at What Cost?
A 'Reverse Beauty Pageant' for Tyrants
What the Egyptian Uprising Means for Investors
Revolution and the Muslim World
Tunisia's Lessons for Repressive Regimes
Tunisia: A Popular Uprising But Then What?
Unrest in Tunisia and Ivory Coast Send Tremors Through Africa
Nigerian Elections: Levelling the Playing Fields
Nigerian Elections: Changing of the Old Guard?
Colonialism Still at Heart of Africa's Growing Pains
Sudan's Referendum: Prickly Interdependence
Africa: Agriculture's Final Frontier
George Clooney Urges Obama and Media To Focus On Sudan
12 Reasons to Invest in Africa
The Tyranny of Unity in Zimbabwe
The Challenge of Reconciliation in Kenya
Africa - Wild Fruits of Africa Potent Weapon Against Malnutrition
Yemen's Problems Are Ours, Too
Fight Against Terrorism Could Shift to Yemen
Why International Aid Does Not Alleviate Poverty