East Africa : News

News : East Africa : News

The top United Nations official in Sudan today welcomed the agreement to end the deadly fighting between Government forces and the former southern rebels in the disputed Abyei area, which has forced thousands of civilians to flee this week. (AllAfrica)

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has called for an investigation into allegations of torture committed by security forces deployed in the clash-torn Mt Elgon district in western Kenya. (AllAfrica)

The Security Council today called on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to continue contingency plans to deploy a possible United Nations peacekeeping operation in strife-torn Somalia and to relocate its political office from neighbouring Kenya. (AllAfrica)

The Grand Coalition Cabinet meeting on Thursday failed to reach a decision on how to handle Mungiki and other armed groups. (AllAfrica)

The United Nations has evacuated most of its staff from the Sudanese town of Abyei, located in a disputed oil-rich area, amid continued shooting between Government forces and the former southern rebels with whom they reached a peace deal in January 2005. (AllAfrica)

The top United Nations refugee official, beginning a five-day visit to Yemen, today called on the international community to bolster its assistance to Somali refugees who have reached the Middle East country after making the perilous crossing of the Gulf of Aden. (AllAfrica)

In a bid to fight procurement corruption in public offices, the government has issued prices for common consumer goods that are clearly at odds with the surging market rates. (AllAfrica)

Kenya's draft bill to establish a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission is flawed and should be amended, Human Rights Watch said. (AllAfrica)

The Government plans to review its taxation structure in this year's national Budget to get especially the mining companies to pay more, the Finance minister says. (AllAfrica)

ODM has voiced concerns over alleged irregularities in last year's General Election to a team formed to investigate the polls fiasco. (AllAfrica)

An international conference scheduled to be held next week in Addis Ababa is expected to call for global action on poverty, discrimination and lack of access to basic services for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), organizers said on Thursday. (AllAfrica)

Thousands of people have fled Abyei town after two days of clashes between Sudanese government troops and the southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). (AllAfrica)

Today marks the fifth day since security personnel picked up from Pemba, eight people suspected to have been behind a memorandum presented to the United Nations offices in Dar es Salaam, calling for the island's secession from Zanzibar and the Union Government. (AllAfrica)

Tanzania joined the whole world yesterday in marking what has dubbed the International Day of the Family. (AllAfrica)

A UK-based environment group has urged Tata Chemicals Limited of India and its Tanzanian partner, National Development Corporation (NDC), not to disturb Lake Natron area environment. (AllAfrica)

President Jakaya Kikwete yesterday appealed to the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi and the opposition Civic United Front (CUF) to resume Mwafaka talks to end the two-month standoff. (AllAfrica)

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has written to the Attorney-General recommending the prosecution of nine senior security officials over the ongoing military operation in Mt Elgon. (AllAfrica)

People who committed crimes in the post-election violence period might have a chance to apply for amnesty if Parliament enacts a proposed Bill. (AllAfrica)

Chronic truancy continues to plague the National Dialogue and Reconciliation talks. (AllAfrica)

Parliament made a historic move this week by passing a Private Member's Motion allowing him to draft a Bill limiting the number of Cabinet ministers. (AllAfrica)

DISARM all former LRA rebels and people holding illegal guns in the north to achieve total peace in the war-torn region, activists have said. The recommendation is contained in a 24-page report by the Civil Society Organisations for Peace in Northern Uganda. (AllAfrica)

At least two trials involving nine defendants are expected to spill over to next year and will not be able to meet the UN Security Council's deadline of December,2008, cautions the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Justice Dennis Byron. (AllAfrica)

Burundi's defense minister, Major-General Niyoyankana Germain, spoke with reports Thursday at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, the Somali capital. (AllAfrica)

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today called on the Ethiopian authorities to drop charges against Alemayehu Mahtemework, the editor of monthly entertainment magazine Enku, and three others who were arrested with him after the publication of a cover story about a jailed popular singer. (AllAfrica)

Ghosts of the defunct Movement political system have returned to haunt the government, as two former deputy directors of the Movement Secretariat are claiming over Shs60 million in compensation. (AllAfrica)

Tullow Oil of UK has discovered more petroleum deposits in the exploration Block 2 of Lake Albert basin in Western Uganda, confirming the widespread of the oil resource in the area. (AllAfrica)

It's quite disheartening looking at the colossal billions of shillings lost in inflated road construction costs in connivance between the Road Agency Formation Unit (Rafu), a government agency, and the contractors. (AllAfrica)

Tanesco customers can now pay their electricity bills with CRDB bank cards following the launching of the service in Dar es Salaam yesterday. (AllAfrica)

The government of Kenya has restored the diplomatic status of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), a protestant and evangelical church body. (AllAfrica)

A huge debate over a government proposal to scrap religious education from the school curriculum may now come to an end following passage in Parliament of a law which recommends the teaching of religious education. (AllAfrica)

EL OBEID Tuesday, May 13, 2008 (IRIN) - Several hundred kilometres from the simmering conflicts between pastoralists and farmers [over natural resources] in Sudan's Darfur region, the two communities in the village of Gereigikh in North Kordofan State have learnt to cool the tension with watermelons. (IRIN)