Angola’s future is dark after ten years of peace
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, (IPS) – Angola is celebrating 10 years of peace on Apr. 4. Since the end of its 27-year- long civil war in 2002, the country’s economy has prospered thanks to oil. But experts fear that parliamentary elections later this year could return the country to violence and instability. Only a small [...]
The disabled are left to fend for themselves in the Democratic Republic of Congo
KIKWIT, DR Congo, (IPS) – The outlook for people living with disabilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains bleak, despite a variety of efforts to improve their lot and bring them in from the margins of society. ”There are roughly 9.1 million people with disabilities in Congo, 11 percent of the total population of 60 [...]
Rwandan refugees fear a cessation of refugee status by the UNHCR
JOHANNESBURG (IPS) – They should be wary of each other. The historical conflict between their ethnicities has resulted in Africa’s largest genocide. But Claude Kayitare sits on the verandah of a popular Johannesburg restaurant, chatting to his friend, Theogene Nshimyimana. It seems an easy friendship, a sight that does not raise eyebrows in South Africa, but [...]
Implementing Peace and Security Architecture (I): Central Africa
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, November 7, 2011 – African Press Organization (APO) — More than a decade after the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) was requested by the African Union (AU) to give life to a new peace and security architecture, political and security cooperation on the continent is still in need of [...]
There is no hope for free and fair elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo
JOHANNESBURG (IPS) – With six weeks to go before the presidential and parliamentary elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, civil society organisations say the elections will not be fair, as many doubt the ability of the country’s electoral authorities to ensure transparency. The DRC is set to go to the polls on Nov. 28, in [...]
DRC parliament adopts bill to create specialised court for serious violations of human rights
KINSHASA, (IPS) – The Democratic Republic of Congo’s parliament this month adopted a bill creating a Specialised Court for serious violations of human rights. The involvement of jurists from outside the DRC in running the court has quickly become a major talking point. The legislation, adopted on Aug. 12, says the new court will deal with [...]
Kinshasha hit by water shortages
KINSHASA (IPS) - In recent months, no one in the Congolese capital has been spared the effects of water shortages. Where spending entire days criss-crossing Kinshasa in search of water with battered containers in hand was previously the unhappy task of women and children, now men in suits have joined the fray. ”I know of many of [...]
Sixteen people die as U.N. aircraft crash at Kinshasha airport
KINSHASA, April 4, 2011 (AFP) – At least 16 people were killed when an aircraft operated by the UN mission in Democratic Republic of Congo crashed on landing at Kinshasa airport Monday, an AFP correspondent witnessed. The aircraft broke up into several pieces when it hit the runway in torrential rain as the pilot was trying [...]
Angolan government says it will take “serious measures” against anyone seeking power through protests
LUANDA, February 22, 2011 (AFP) – An anonymous call for a mass protest in Angola on March 6 has drawn a warning from the ruling MPLA party, which threatened to take “serious measures” against anyone seeking power in the streets. Rumours have been circulating on the Internet for several days of a protest against President Jose [...]
$3.75 billion in state revenue lost to corruption in Cameroon
YAOUNDE, February 10, 2011 (AFP) – Cameroon lost some 2.8 billion euros ($3.75 billion) in state revenue between 1998 and 2004 through corruption, according to an official report seen by AFP. Illegal forestry in particular was responsible for losses averaging some 152 million euros a year, the National Anti-Corruption Commission report said, quoting an investigation by [...]
