Week # 112, Dated 28 March- 3 April 2010
POLITICS OF SECURITY AND CONFLICT ISSUES
West Africa: In the first major bi-national agreement with an African country in a long time, the United States last week signed a historic comprehensive commission pact
with Nigeria under which the two countries would be cooperating in four areas i.e. trade and energy; Niger Delta; electoral reform; and peace and security.
Security has been beefed up at the airports in Nigeria following last week’s incident in which a commercial driver rammed into an Abuja-bound Arik airplane.
The leader of Guinea's ruling military junta visited France last week for talks on how to proceed towards a general election, but his ministers were denied visas due to the massacre of opposition supporters in late 2009.
Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior of Guinea Bissau was detained last week and later released by soldiers who threatened to kill him if there are any solidarity rallies by his supporters. The military however has denied that it attempted a coup after ousting the army's chief of staff, Admiral Jose Zamora Induta, and briefly detaining the PM.
Meanwhile UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the military and political leadership of Guinea-Bissau to resolve their differences peacefully and to maintain constitutional order and the rule of law, after the incident. Security sector reform remains the most crucial element to ensuring stability in Guinea-Bissau, according to a new United Nations report released today, which calls on the international community to support the country's efforts towards this goal.
Senegal's president said last week that the West African country was reclaiming three French military bases to mark its 50th year of independence from France. In Paris, however, officials said the bases' future was still under discussion.
South Africa: Last week a farmers' rights group in South Africa seized a residential property in Cape Town belonging to the Zimbabwe government. The group, Afriforum said it has taken the Zimbabwe government property as part of a "civil sanctions" campaign against President Robert Mugabe's government.
Zimbabwe’s President Mugabe has said that he will not swear Bennett (a senior member of the Movement for Democratic Change) into office until courts clear him of all outstanding charges.
Zimbabwe's first human rights and electoral commissions were sworn in by President Robert Mugabe last week. The creation of the two commissions is seen as crucial in moving the country towards free and fair elections.
Meanwhile Zimbabwe's political parties last week failed to meet the deadline set by South African President Jacob Zuma to resolve a power-sharing dispute that threatens to tear apart the country's coalition.
Central Africa: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has named a veteran United Nations official, Mr. Youssef Mahmoud of Tunisia, as his Acting Special Representative for the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT). Earlier this month the Security Council extended MINURCAT's mandate through 15 May.
According to a Rwandan military spokesperson attacks by the FDLR on the population of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have drastically reduced in the past months.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES IN DOMESTIC POLITICS
West Africa: Niger authorities arrested 618 suspects in raids last week aimed at curbing a crime wave in the capital, Niamey, where residents say serious food shortages and severe poverty have led to a surge in crime.
South Africa: According to reports thousands of construction workers are being laid off in Angola because the government has failed to settle over $2 billion in arrears to foreign firms rebuilding the African nation.
According to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) thousands of people living in the southeastern coast of Madagascar will have improved access to clean water when a new project launches in April to assist families affected by Tropical Storm Hubert.
Central Africa: A recent conference organized by the Congolese Women's League for Elections in collaboration with the UN aimed at boosting the efforts of women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and overcome decades of low female participation in politics.
Following the election of Rev. Mary Glasspool as the bishop of Los Angeles , Anglican Archbishop E
mmanuel Kolini of Rwanda has warned that the approval of a second openly homosexual bishop in the U.S. Episcopal Church will further tear apart the 77-million-member worldwide Anglican Communion.
West Africa: In the first major bi-national agreement with an African country in a long time, the United States last week signed a historic comprehensive commission pact
with Nigeria under which the two countries would be cooperating in four areas i.e. trade and energy; Niger Delta; electoral reform; and peace and security.Security has been beefed up at the airports in Nigeria following last week’s incident in which a commercial driver rammed into an Abuja-bound Arik airplane.
The leader of Guinea's ruling military junta visited France last week for talks on how to proceed towards a general election, but his ministers were denied visas due to the massacre of opposition supporters in late 2009.
Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior of Guinea Bissau was detained last week and later released by soldiers who threatened to kill him if there are any solidarity rallies by his supporters. The military however has denied that it attempted a coup after ousting the army's chief of staff, Admiral Jose Zamora Induta, and briefly detaining the PM.
Meanwhile UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the military and political leadership of Guinea-Bissau to resolve their differences peacefully and to maintain constitutional order and the rule of law, after the incident. Security sector reform remains the most crucial element to ensuring stability in Guinea-Bissau, according to a new United Nations report released today, which calls on the international community to support the country's efforts towards this goal.
Senegal's president said last week that the West African country was reclaiming three French military bases to mark its 50th year of independence from France. In Paris, however, officials said the bases' future was still under discussion.
South Africa: Last week a farmers' rights group in South Africa seized a residential property in Cape Town belonging to the Zimbabwe government. The group, Afriforum said it has taken the Zimbabwe government property as part of a "civil sanctions" campaign against President Robert Mugabe's government.
Zimbabwe’s President Mugabe has said that he will not swear Bennett (a senior member of the Movement for Democratic Change) into office until courts clear him of all outstanding charges.
Zimbabwe's first human rights and electoral commissions were sworn in by President Robert Mugabe last week. The creation of the two commissions is seen as crucial in moving the country towards free and fair elections.
Meanwhile Zimbabwe's political parties last week failed to meet the deadline set by South African President Jacob Zuma to resolve a power-sharing dispute that threatens to tear apart the country's coalition.
Central Africa: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has named a veteran United Nations official, Mr. Youssef Mahmoud of Tunisia, as his Acting Special Representative for the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT). Earlier this month the Security Council extended MINURCAT's mandate through 15 May.
According to a Rwandan military spokesperson attacks by the FDLR on the population of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have drastically reduced in the past months.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES IN DOMESTIC POLITICS
West Africa: Niger authorities arrested 618 suspects in raids last week aimed at curbing a crime wave in the capital, Niamey, where residents say serious food shortages and severe poverty have led to a surge in crime.
South Africa: According to reports thousands of construction workers are being laid off in Angola because the government has failed to settle over $2 billion in arrears to foreign firms rebuilding the African nation.
According to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) thousands of people living in the southeastern coast of Madagascar will have improved access to clean water when a new project launches in April to assist families affected by Tropical Storm Hubert.
Central Africa: A recent conference organized by the Congolese Women's League for Elections in collaboration with the UN aimed at boosting the efforts of women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and overcome decades of low female participation in politics.
Following the election of Rev. Mary Glasspool as the bishop of Los Angeles , Anglican Archbishop E
mmanuel Kolini of Rwanda has warned that the approval of a second openly homosexual bishop in the U.S. Episcopal Church will further tear apart the 77-million-member worldwide Anglican Communion.HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND DOMESTIC POLITICS
South Africa: Many houses in the capital of Zambia have been submerged due to the heavy rains being experienced compounded with poor drainage system. Lusaka is said to be built on top of a rock making it difficult for water to sink.
Meanwhile extensive flooding along the rivers of central and southern Mozambique during March, in tandem with persistent drought in other parts of the same areas, have left 465,000 people in need of food assistance, where aid agencies warn they lack enough resources to help.
According to reports an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF), described as "large" by South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), has claimed the lives of two people and poses a significant threat to livelihoods in major farming areas.
POLITICAL ECONOMY
South Africa: Shell Oil said last week that it was considering selling most of its service stations and other downstream assets in 21 African countries, as part of a wider effort to reduce its global refining and marketing exposure.
Central Africa: The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved a US$115.6m from the International Development Association to assist Rwanda implement its Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS). §
South Africa: Many houses in the capital of Zambia have been submerged due to the heavy rains being experienced compounded with poor drainage system. Lusaka is said to be built on top of a rock making it difficult for water to sink.
Meanwhile extensive flooding along the rivers of central and southern Mozambique during March, in tandem with persistent drought in other parts of the same areas, have left 465,000 people in need of food assistance, where aid agencies warn they lack enough resources to help.
According to reports an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF), described as "large" by South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), has claimed the lives of two people and poses a significant threat to livelihoods in major farming areas.
POLITICAL ECONOMY
South Africa: Shell Oil said last week that it was considering selling most of its service stations and other downstream assets in 21 African countries, as part of a wider effort to reduce its global refining and marketing exposure.
Central Africa: The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved a US$115.6m from the International Development Association to assist Rwanda implement its Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS). §
________________________________________________________
Business and Politics in the Muslim World (BPM)refers to the project entitled, "Globalized Business and Politics: A View from the Muslim World.' The blog development project has been undertaken and jointly developed by the Gilani Research Foundation and BPM as a free resource and social discussion tool.
Please Preview your comments before posting.
Business and Politics in the Muslim World (BPM)refers to the project entitled, "Globalized Business and Politics: A View from the Muslim World.' The blog development project has been undertaken and jointly developed by the Gilani Research Foundation and BPM as a free resource and social discussion tool.
Please Preview your comments before posting.
No comments:
Post a Comment