Press review
- Sudan/ICC
Sudan and the International Criminal Court: a guide to the controversy
The request to indict Sudan’s president on charges of genocide and war crimes in Darfur is a historic moment in international justice. But is it wise? Will it bring peace in Sudan nearer or destabilise the country further? Alex de Waal presents the many sides of a vigorous debate. JL
15 July 200815 July 2008 - Zimbabwe
State-sponsored violence and coercion create fundamentally flawed election
27 June 200827 June 2008 - AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, PRESS RELEASE - ICT
Beyond the Last Computer
Phillip tries to place science into its human context, as well as describe the art of science. This is the first in a series of a rare in-depth scientific autobiographical essay from the perspective of a person of African descent.
Friday, 20 June 200820 June 2008 - Philip Emeagwali - Kenya
Proposed Truth Commission Bill Seriously Flawed
Kenya’s draft bill to establish a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission is flawed and should be amended, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch urged parliament to revise the bill before it becomes law.
Tue 20 May 200820 May 2008 - Human Rights Watch - Nigeria
Private universities and officials lock horns
The Catholic Church of Nigeria and the National Universities Commission are at loggerheads over the legal and academic status of seminaries and institutions affiliated to Nigerian universities.
Mon, 5 May 20086 May 2008 - Tunde Fatunde - Africa's next great Scramble
Africans in the Dark over the Congo River project
Advocates of the $80 billion Grand Inga Project on the Congo River project who met in London this week failed to include the voices of those who will be most affected if the dam is built.
African non-governmental organizations and the affected communities were pointedly excluded from participating in the London meeting. Instead, almost 100 representatives of governments, banks and the dam industry gathered to discuss financing the project's development. This flawed process bodes ill for the project's ability to reduce poverty in the region or to provide sustainable development.
Wed, 23 April 200823 April 2008 - Terri Hathaway - Angola
Gearing for election government closes human rights office
In preparation for the elections in September, the government has taken two actions indicating that they are planning a repressive campaign. They closed down the UN office on Human Rights in Luanda on April 1. They supported Mugabe’s election process and were completely uncritical. The Angolan leaders of the SADC monitoring team were quick to say that the election in Zimbabwe had been free and fair, before other monitors had time to make this evaluation. The government had also indicated earlier that they would supply police support in the event of a breakdown in order in Zimbabwe. JK
Wed, 16 April 200816 April 2008 - Southscan - Kenya
The New look cabinet
President Mwai Kibaki yesterday announced a new 42 Member Cabinet comprising the lead organ of the Grand Coalition government that follows from the February 28th National Accord. We take closer look at the composition of the cabinet.
Monday, 14 April 200814 April 2008 - News From Africa - Peace, Violence and Reconciliation
The Graves Are Not Yet
Excerpted from a speech delivered by Philip Emeagwali at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia at the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.
Monday, 7 April 2008
7 April 2008 - Philip Emeagwali - Toward the African Synod
Africa at the dawn of the 21st Century
The analysis of today's African society cannot be disregarded if we want an incisive theology. This Synod - which bears in its title the words reconciliation, justice and peace could gift us with a shared vision of what is happening in Africa and how we might be able to react as Christians.
Tuesday, 1 April 20081 April 2008 - Renato Kizito Sesana - South Africa
Zuma steps on Mbeki's toes with Angola visit
"The 1988 battle of Cuito Canavale changed the political landscape of the region by speeding up Namibia's independence and SA's liberation from apartheid. More than 4,800 people died during the conflict... Although SA has an existing bilateral agreement with Angola, Zuma has seemingly capitalised on gaps in the political repertoire between the two countries... Racked by almost 30 years of civil war, public infrastructure in Angola is weak. But because the country is abundant in natural resources, it is seen as an untapped investment opportunity."26 March 2008 - Hajra Omarjee - Africa
Moving beyond the justification of war
Many African states are former colonies of Britain. As a result, many African Churches have adopted Britain’s support of a just war. This concerns African countries because Africa is rife with feuds and ethnic rivalries. The Churches have to step in and remind church and political leaders to listen to the Archbishop’s suggestion that differenes can be sorted out non-retributively, in the direction of "creative non-violence" and gain the support of those of pacifist commitment and those who encourage non violent solutions. B.T.19 March 2008 - Media Centre, Ekklesia - Africa - America
George Bush Visits Africa to promote the US Africa Command
Horace Campbell look at Bush's visit as an attempt to further militarize the continent and consolidate US holding18 February 2008 - Horace Campbell - Kenya
Understanding the Kenyan Opposition
An analysis of Kenya's leading opposition party, ODM, and the three component elements described as the activist-intellectual left, the Moi-ist retrogressives, and the populists. The author argues that it is as a result of the different agendas of the elements in reference, that ODM has displayed conflicting strategies and consequently why future peace for Kenya may be uncertain depending on which element wins the day. NG11 February 2008 - Mukoma Wa Ngugi - Chad
Helping the injured amid the chaos
Violent clashes between rebels and government troops in N'Djamena have left hundreds injured, many dead and thousands fleeing the capital. Simon Ashmore, the ICRC's deputy head of operations for East Africa, says the ICRC is supporting the Red Cross of Chad as far as possible in tending to the injured and the dead, notably with one surgical team in place and another on the way.6 February 2008 - ICRC