|
US envoy in peace mission to DRCongo region
The United States' senior envoy for Africa is shuttling between central African capitals seeking an end to violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the State Department said Monday. Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson has been in the Great Lakes region of Africa since the weekend trying to end the crisis in North Kivu, where the M23 rebel army has seized a swathe of mineral-rich territory. AFP
US expresses concern over UN force in DR Congo
The United States expressed concern Monday that a "relatively modest" group of M23 rebels was able to seize ground in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, despite the UN peacekeeping presence. AFP
Could Rwanda's Alleged Support for M23 Backfire?
According to the latest reports, M23 leader Sultani Makenga is in Kampala, Uganda, for peace talks at the invitation of the Ugandan military. This comes days after a meeting in Kampala by more than ten presidents from the Great Lakes region in an attempt to find a way out of the latest chapter in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) turbulent story. Think Africa Press
Defining Peacekeeping Downward: The U.N. Debacle in Eastern Congo[...]The townspeople, who looked up to see the first of 1,000 or so guerrillas marching on the city, began walking and running toward the city center, carrying their children and anything else they could. After a short while they were overtaken - by two large trucks packed with foreign soldiers from the U.N. peacekeeping force for Congo, Monusco. Mandated to protect Congo's civilians, with 19,000 men in uniform and costing $1.4 billion a year, the world's biggest and most expensive peacekeeping operation was literally leaving its charges in its dust. Later in the day Monusco, far better armed and more numerous than the rebels, simply stood and watched as the M23 - easterners who oppose the central government in Kinshasa - took Goma almost without firing a shot. France called Monusco's conduct "absurd." The Congolese were less forgiving. Time
Libya drone planes: protection or peeve?
One year after Libyan rebels dislodged the Kadhafi government, many still struggle with the aftershocks of the civil war. Even as life returns to normal and the new government takes control, signs of instability and security fears persist. Most telling of them is the unnerving sound of reconnaissance planes hovering over Libyan cities. Magharebia
Mohammed Morsi: Abe Lincoln in Disguise or Another Mubarak?
At this point, we don't really know if Morsi is on a path to installing himself as a "new pharaoh" or whether he is genuinely trying to build a more inclusive Egypt. The Atlantic
Pressure Grows on Egyptian Leader After Judicial Decree
Cracks appeared on Sunday in the government of President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt, as he faces mounting pressure over his sweeping decree seeking to elevate his edicts above the reach of any court until a new constitution is approved. Mr. Morsi's justice minister began arguing publicly for a retreat. At least three other senior advisers resigned over the measure. The New York Times
'Kony out of touch with his commanders'
A former escort of Maj. Gen. Caeser Acellam, has revealed that the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Joseph Kony, has lost contact with all his commanders following intensive pursuit by the UPDF and the American commandos. New Vision
South Sudan: a country failing to thrive after the euphoria of independence
A new country isn't a new toy. It isn't a new computer that you unwrap from its box, all shiny and modern and clean. You don't plug it into the wall, switch it on and live happily ever after. A new country, almost by definition these days given the long-established hierarchy of states, means quite the opposite: it means that something, somewhere, has gone very badly wrong. A new country is a damaged country, a broken country, a country that is starting again from scratch. Welcome to South Sudan. The Guardian
Somali Mogadishu businessman Ahmed Nure Awdiini killed
Prominent Somali businessman Ahmed Nure Awdiini has been shot dead at point-blank range in the capital, Mogadishu, police have said. More than 100 people have been arrested for questioning over his killing, police said. Mr Awdiini was the head of the business community in Somalia's biggest market, Bakara. BBC
Nigeria gunmen attack Abuja Sars police HQ
Two police officers have been killed when a "large number of gunmen" attacked a Nigerian police base in the capital, Abuja, enabling five suspected robbers to escape, police say. A police statement said the attack was repelled but that 30 detainees escaped, 25 of whom were recaptured. BBC
Côte d'Ivoire: Defusing Tensions
President Alassane Ouattara's coalition is walking a dangerous path toward polarisation by repeating mistakes made by previous governments that could ultimately lead Côte d'Ivoire back to crisis. International Crisis Group
Mali PM in France for intervention talks
Mali's Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra has arrived in Paris for talks with senior officials to plan a military intervention to regain control of the country's north from Islamists. RFI
Al-Qaeda complicating anti-slavery drive in Mali
Since the coup that unseated Mali's president, Amadou Toumani Touré, this past summer, most Africa watchers have worried about the growing influence of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). This week, western African states are expected to submit a report to the United Nations on how they would go about driving the Islamists out of Mali. Radio Canada
Tunisia: 40 Islamists on hunger strike
At least 40 Tunisian Islamist prisoners are still on hunger strike, the justice ministry said on Monday, hours after announcing that the almost two-week protest had ended. "After checking, only some of the strikers have ended [their protest]. We have no set number because it changes all the time," said ministry official Fadhel Saihi. News 24
Why donor cuts have Uganda very worried
With an estimated Shs200 billion in expected foreign aid frozen, it is increasingly feared that education, health, and the justice law and order sectors, among others, will soon not be able to function normally. Over the past few weeks, Sweden, Ireland, Norway, Britain and Denmark have suspended aid to Uganda following reports that huge sums of money for the Peace, Recovery and Development programmes in northern Uganda ended up in private bank accounts of officials in the Prime Minister's Office. Daily Monitor
Iran warships returning to Sudan: military
Iranian warships will return to Sudan on Friday, the armed forces said, one month after a similar port call followed Khartoum's accusation that Israel bombed a military factory. Sudan's links to Iran have come under scrutiny after Khartoum accused Israel of the October 23 strike against the Yarmouk compound, which led to speculation that Iranian weapons were stored or manufactured at the factory in Khartoum. Think Africa Press
Kenyan Police Urged to Tackle Crime
Prime Minister Raila Odinga has directed security forces to step up and stem cases of lawlessness in the country. This comes in the wake of a series of muggings, thefts, kidnappings and armed robberies by local gangs. allAfrica
Did misunderstanding lead to horrific Nigeria mob killings?
It may have been a simple misunderstanding that led to a horrific lynching. On October 5, four University of Port Harcourt students, Chiadika Biringa, Ugonna Obuzor, Lloyd Toku, and Tekena Elkanah left campus for the village of Aluu. According to Biringa's mother Chinwe, Obuzor was owed some money and he asked his three classmates to accompany him to the village to collect on the debt. CNN
Africa Rising
[...] This story is not about the Africa you think you know. The usual images are painted in the darkest colors. At the end of the 20th century, we are repeatedly reminded, Africa is a nightmarish world where chaos reigns. Nothing works. Poverty and corruption rule. War, famine and pestilence pay repeated calls. The land, air, water are raped, fouled, polluted. Chronic instability gives way to lifelong dictatorship. Every nation's hand is out, begging aid from distrustful donors. Endlessly disappointed, 740 million people sink into hopelessness. Time
Israel defence equipment dealers eye African security market
Israeli defence equipment manufacturers are looking to Africa as their next big market as they seek a share of the continent's growing defence spending. Israel currently controls less than one per cent of Africa's weapons market and is seeking a larger share as an increasingly richer Africa will spend more to meet growing public and private security needs. The East African | 
