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U.N. pushes Africans to send peacekeepers to Somalia
The Security Council urged the African Union on Friday to quickly send peacekeepers to Somalia so that Ethiopia could withdraw its forces and the government could lift its emergency security measures. (Reuters, 6:27 p.m.)
Election violence kills 100 in Congo
Days of clashes between security forces and demonstrators claiming electoral fraud have left nearly 100 people dead in several southwestern Congo towns, humanitarian and rights groups said Friday. (AP, 5:22 p.m.)
China's Hu tells Sudan it must solve Darfur issue
Chinese President Hu Jintao told Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Friday Khartoum had to resolve the four-year-old conflict in Darfur, a source said after talks between the two leaders. (Reuters, 2:43 p.m.)
Women, not men, choose spouses on island
He was 14 when the girl entered his grass-covered hut and placed a plate of steaming fish in front of him. Like all men on this African isle, Carvadju Jose Nananghe knew exactly what it meant. Refusing was not an option. His heart pounding, he lifted the aromatic dish, prepared with an ancient recipe, to his lips, agreeing in one ... (AP, 2:12 p.m.)
Somali attacks kill 5, Islamist opposes peace force
A senior Islamist leader on Friday rejected the prospect of African peacekeepers for Somalia, as fresh violence in the capital killed five civilians and underscored the continued threat in the war-ravaged country. (Reuters, 12:13 p.m.)
Bird flu death alarms some Nigerians, others shrug
Nigeria's first human death from bird flu has jolted some people into taking chicken off the menu, but live poultry markets are still busy with buyers. (Reuters, 8:22 a.m.)
Kenya holding 2 Americans as suspects
Two Americans were among at least 10 foreigners caught by Kenyan police at the Somali border after allegedly fighting with Somalia's ousted Islamic movement, an official said Friday. (AP, 2:21 p.m.)
Ethiopia says foiled Eritrean-backed attack
Ethiopia foiled an Eritrean-backed attack that had targeted the African Union summit attended by some 40 heads of states in Addis Ababa this week, an Ethiopian police statement said on Friday. (Reuters, 5:33 a.m.)
Chinese president pushes Sudan on Darfur
Chinese President Hu Jintao told Sudan's leader on Friday he must give the United Nations a bigger role in trying to resolve the conflict in Darfur and also said China wanted to do more business with its key African ally, Sudan state media reported. (AP, 7:22 p.m.)
Chinese president brings aid to Liberia
MONROVIA, Liberia -- Thousands of cheering Liberians lined the streets of the capital yesterday to greet President Hu Jintao of China, who pledged more than $35 million to aid recovery after one of Africa's most ruinous civil wars. ()
Ethiopia says it foiled Eritrean attack
Ethiopia's government said Thursday it had foiled a bomb attack by bitter rival Eritrea targeting an African leaders summit. (AP, 2/1/07)
Government blames Mogadishu attack on Islamists
MOGADISHU - Mortar bombs and rockets struck parts of Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Thursday in an attack a government security source blamed on Islamists. (Reuters, 2/1/07)
U.S. looks at diplomatic presence in Somalia
The United States is considering whether to have a diplomatic presence in Somalia, where Islamists were ousted from the capital at the end of last year, the State Department said on Thursday. (Reuters, 2/1/07)
Mortar and rocket attack kills three in Mogadishu
Mortar bombs and rockets struck parts of Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Thursday, killing at least three people, witnesses said. (Reuters, 2/1/07)
Qaeda figure slams Libya for softening line on nurses case
A top al Qaeda militant labeled Libya's leadership "hateful infidels" over signs it may review the case of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death, according to a Web video posted on Thursday. (Reuters, 2/1/07)
At least 37 killed in west Congo violence
At least 37 people have been killed in clashes between security forces and opposition supporters protesting against the results of governorship polls in Congo's most western province, officials said on Thursday. (Reuters, 2/1/07)
Chad rebels attack border town, gov't blames Sudan
Rebels fighting to overthrow Chad's President Idriss Deby attacked the eastern town of Adre on the border with Darfur on Thursday, in a raid the Chadian government said had been launched from neighboring Sudan. (Reuters, 2/1/07)
Murdered bin Laden relative to be flown to Saudi Arabia
The body of a relative of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden shot dead in Madagascar was flown to his family home in Saudi Arabia on Thursday after an autopsy. (Reuters, 2/1/07)
Samples from dead Nigerian in UK for H5N1 tests
Samples from a dead Nigerian woman believed to be sub-Saharan Africa's first fatality from bird flu arrived on Thursday at a laboratory in Britain for testing, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. (Reuters, 2/1/07)
Somalis protest foreign peacekeepers
Hundreds of supporters of Somalia's ousted Islamic courts council demonstrated in the capital Thursday against an imminent deployment of foreign peacekeepers. (AP, 2/1/07)
Nigeria reports its 1st bird flu fatality
LAGOS, Nigeria -- Bird flu has claimed its first human victim in Africa's most-populous nation, killing a young Nigerian woman due to graduate from a university and be married this year, officials and the victim's fiance said yesterday. (Boston Globe, 2/1/07)
Sudan can prosecute atrocities, minister says
KHARTOUM, Sudan -- The Sudanese can do a better job prosecuting crimes in Darfur than anyone else, Sudan's justice minister said yesterday, asserting international courts have no valid reason to investigate suspects in the vast area of western Sudan. (Boston Globe, 2/1/07)
Peacekeepers coming to Somalia
MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Three battalions of peacekeepers from Uganda and Nigeria will be airlifted as soon as possible into Somalia amid rising violence that threatens the government's grip on power, an African Union official said yesterday. (Boston Globe, 2/1/07)
Somalis linger on edge of despair
KEBRI BEYAH, Ethiopia SUN-BLEACHED RAGS haphazardly draped over sticks -- this is the housing style in this refugee camp in eastern Ethiopia that is a temporary shelter for 16,000 Somalis. They come mostly from Mogadishu, where until December the Islamic courts were imposing their strict Sharia order. Others come from the Baidoa region, where the transitional federal government was stationed ... (Boston Globe, 2/1/07)
Wife of anti-apartheid hero Tambo dies
Adelaide Tambo, widow of South African anti-apartheid hero Oliver Tambo and a stalwart in the struggle against racial segregation, died Wednesday, officials said. She was 77. (AP, 1/31/07)
Bird flu claims first human life in West Africa
Nigeria confirmed the first human death from the H5N1 virus in sub-Saharan Africa on Wednesday after tests on a dead woman showed she had contracted bird flu. (Reuters, 1/31/07)
Activists report on Nigeria corruption
A human rights group said Wednesday its study of one of Nigeria's oil-producing states found that officials squandered or stole public money, some hospitals required patients to bring their own beds, and schools were running out of chalk. (AP, 1/31/07)
Saudi relative of bin Laden killed
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a brother-in-law of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a raid on his home in Madagascar, the victim's brother said on Wednesday. (Reuters, 1/31/07)
Four suspected bird flu deaths in Nigeria, official says
Four Nigerians are suspected to have died from H5N1 bird flu, but tests on three of the victims were inconclusive and the virus was confirmed scientifically in only one case, a senior health official said on Wednesday. (Reuters, 1/31/07)
Somali peacekeeping mission to go ahead
Three battalions of peacekeepers from Uganda and Nigeria are ready to be deployed in Somalia and will be airlifted in as soon as possible, a senior AU official said Wednesday. (AP, 1/31/07)
China's Hu starts tour to strengthen Africa ties
Chinese President Hu Jintao began his second African tour in a year on Wednesday to boost ties with a continent that has many of the oil and commodity reserves the Asian giant needs for its ballooning economy. (Reuters, 1/31/07)
More peacekeepers heading to Somalia
Three battalions of peacekeepers from Uganda and Nigeria will be airlifted as soon as possible into Somalia amid rising violence that threatens the government's grip on power, an African Union official said Wednesday. (AP, 1/31/07)
Health group picks finalists for director
WASHINGTON -- The board overseeing the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria has narrowed the choice for its new executive director to three candidates -- two European global health specialists and an African physician who has quickly established a system of AIDS treatment centers in Uganda, officials confirmed yesterday. (Boston Globe, 1/31/07)
Africa struggles to raise Somalia force
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- An African summit ended today with a proposed peacekeeping force for Somalia still lacking firm commitments for thousands of troops, despite fears that the country could plunge back into anarchy. (Boston Globe, 1/31/07)
China bringing gifts to Africa
BEIJING -- Wooing Africa ever more intensely, President Hu Jintao returned to the region yesterday on his second trip in nine months, toting huge loan offers and pledging not to meddle in the continent's affairs. (Boston Globe, 1/31/07)
All-female U.N. peacekeeping unit arrives in Liberia
The first all-female U.N. peacekeeping unit, made up of 103 women from India, arrived in Liberia on Tuesday to help the West African nation recover from 14 years of on-and-off civil war. (Reuters, 1/30/07)
Uganda awaits "Last King of Scotland"
Paul Mwesigwa was a child during the rule of Idi Amin, Uganda's former dictator, and like many of his countrymen he finds it hard to write off Africa's most notorious leader as a total villain. (Reuters, 1/30/07)
Africa still trying to raise Somalia force
An African summit ended on Wednesday with a proposed peacekeeping force for Somalia still lacking firm commitments for thousands of troops, despite fears the country could plunge back into anarchy. (Reuters, 1/30/07)
African summit ends still short on Somalia force
An African summit ended on Wednesday with a proposed peacekeeping force for Somalia still lacking firm commitments for thousands of troops. (Reuters, 1/30/07)
U.N. agency pressures Ban on climate crisis summit
The U.N. environment agency pressed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday to call an emergency climate summit amid dire reports about the risks from global warming. (Reuters, 1/30/07)
Gaddafi agrees to review case of medics condemned to death
Italy's prime minister said on Tuesday he had appealed to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to spare the lives of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death for infecting hundreds of children with HIV. (Reuters, 1/30/07)
Somali Islamists threaten AU peacekeepers
A Somali Islamist group threatened on Tuesday to fight any peacekeeping troops sent to their country as African leaders struggled to put together an international force for the anarchic Horn of Africa nation. (Reuters, 1/30/07)
Correction: Morocco-Journalists-Fined
In stories Jan. 15 and Jan. 21 about an editor and reporter convicted in Morocco for insulting Islam, The Associated Press erroneously reported that a court barred them from any journalistic activity for two months. They were barred from writing for their magazine Nichane for two months but not from working for other publications. (AP, 1/30/07)
AIDS rising among S.Africa's rich, best-educated
South Africa's AIDS epidemic, often regarded by health workers as a disease of the poor, is in fact spreading quickly among the country's richest and best educated people, researchers said on Tuesday. (Reuters, 1/30/07)
U.N.'s Ban says delays on Darfur force unacceptable
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday unacceptable delays were preventing help reaching millions of victims of Darfur's bloodshed, but negotiations on deploying U.N. peacekeepers were making only slow progress. (Reuters, 1/30/07)
Chad says world still has "head in sand" on Darfur
Chad President Idriss Deby accused Sudan on Tuesday of waging a genocidal "racial war" in Darfur and complained that African and international leaders were shying away from confronting Khartoum squarely on the issue. (Reuters, 1/30/07)
Somali leader agrees to reconciliation
Somalia's president agreed Tuesday to a national reconciliation conference to try to end 16 years of anarchy, under pressure from African governments considering sending peacekeepers to help him stabilize his country. (AP, 1/30/07)
Conflict in Darfur dominates African Union summit
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Bloodshed in Sudan's Darfur region dominated the African Union summit yesterday, undermining Sudan's bid to lead the bloc as the UN chief said scorched-earth military policies are "a terrifying feature of life" in the vast, arid area. (Boston Globe, 1/30/07)
Crumbling Guinea struggles for progress
Entire neighborhoods in the capital haven't had electricity or running water for years. The central bank is in such bad shape it sometimes turns to the black market to replenish hard currency reserves. Doctors joke the best medicine for the sick is Air France -- a plane ride out of the country. (AP, 1/29/07)
Global court ready for first trial of Congo suspect
The International Criminal Court ruled on Monday there was enough evidence against a Congolese militia leader to launch the new court's first trial. (Reuters, 1/29/07)
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