Egypt Muslim Brotherhood 'quits election'

"Egypt's main opposition movement the Muslim Brotherhood says it is withdrawing its candidates from the election run-off, reports say."

         The Islamist party, which is banned but runs candidates as independents backs out of the race due to the fact to them losing all seats in the first round elections. They claim that the election was rigged in  favour of NDP party member President Hosni Mubarak's. One of the Islamist party descibes the election as "scandalous."

'Two dead' as Morocco breaks up Western Sahara camp

"Two officials were killed and dozens injured as Moroccan security forces broke up a protest camp in Western Sahara, say reports." It was said that this was the biggest protest in  Laayoune over Moroccan rule in 35 years. The reason for this is because of the talks about Gadaym Izik camp and the 12000 people that are living there. However the violence comes hours before talks are scheduled to begin in the US on the future of the disputed territory. This is the first time that any protesters in the Western Sahara had used knives against government security officers.

Botswana anger at diamond boycott over Bushmen rights

     This boycott of diamonds coming from Botswana started because of the authorities illegally forcing the Basarwa from their ancestral lands in the Kalahari to make way for diamond mining.
     Survival International's director Stephen Corry told the BBC that, "What we want to happen is for the government of Botswana to stop treating them like third-class citizens and to stop having what is effectively a kind of neo-colonialist attitude towards them." The government has a history of not fulfilling the rights of

these people and it goes to show even more so no that they have no rights or as Stephen Corry said they are being treated as second class citizens.

      The campaign group also goes to say that the Government is ignoring a court case that stated four years ago that the Bushmen had been illegally forced from the Kalahari Game Reserve.

         However it is being told that the government and non-profits that are talking on behalf of the Bushmen are at the negotiation tables. The minister of the environment, wildlife and tourism told the BBC's that, "I don't believe you would want to see your own kind living in the dark ages in the middle of nowhere as a choice, when you know that the world has moved forward and has become so technological."We do not want to leave any of our people behind yet in the same breath we do not want any of our people to lose their culture." He also goes on to say that this mineral wealth will benefit everyone and challenges tourist to come  a judge for themselves.
   

 

Kenya's Wetangula steps aside over embassy allegations

    Kenya's foreign minister has stepped aside because of a growing investigation of the miss use of his ministry's funds for several land deals abroad. "
Mr Wetangula is a key cabinet figure and helped to form the coalition in 2008 that ended the post-poll violence." Mr Wetangula  is feeling that he is being hounded by office officials. He stated that, "I can assure you I will be back to the cabinet once the investigations are completed because I know I am innocent." In a parliamentary committee report, Kenya had lost 14 million dollars in a land project that was to take place in Japan. Money was also allegedly lost on embassy deals in Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan and Belgium. I hate to say it but this is one of the biggest obstacles that Africa will have to overcome to make a better future. If you can not trust your government, how will you be able to grow as coutries?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11636883

Sudan wants Darfur deal by end of 2010

     As of right now there is talks about trying to bring peace in the Sudan's western Darfur region. According to the BBC around 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million people have been driven out of their homes. However the Sudanese government does not wish to fully meet this problem and claims that only 10,000 people have died.
     Even with the grief that is going on there seems to be a small glimmer of hope for the people. However some of the rebel groups have shown no interest in entering the peace talks, but that is not going to stop the government start the talks to try and find a method that can satisfy the majority.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11621035

Rwanda rebel FDLR leader Mbarushimana held in France

         Callixte Mbarushimana, a leader of a FDLR rebel group based out of  Rwandan  was arrested in France. In a sealed warrant, Callixte Mbarushimana is accused of 11 counts of murder, rape and other crimes committed during the long conflict in DR Congo. Some fighters from the Hutu FDLR were recently accused of the mass rape of hundreds of people in eastern DR Congo. However with any group such as this they are saying they have commited no war crimes of any kind. However, some of the FDLR  leaders have been accused of taking part in the 1994 genocide of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda. "After a Tutsi-dominated group took power in Rwanda, they fled into what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, sparking years of unrest across the border."

"GOOD NEWS"

        The World Court said that as executive secretary of the FDLR, Mr Mbarushimana was criminally responsible for five counts of crimes against humanity and six counts of war crimes committed throughout 2009.

        In a statment, the court said Mr Mbarushimana had "personally and intentionally contributed to a common plan of conducting attacks against the civilian population" with the aim of creating a "humanitarian catastrophe." ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said Mr Mbarushimana's arrest was "a good day for justice" and marked a "crucial step in efforts to prosecute the massive sexual crimes committed in the DRC."

       We can only hope that someday that the Rebel leaders are all found or we can find a answear to why people would treat them as if their life is worth nothing.

       
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11517549
 

Possible Source of Stability in South Africa

Mobile Phone Banking Comes to South Africa. Will It Work?


Vodacom's M-Pesa mobile phone banking service is all the rage in Kenya, where in 3 years it jumped to 10 million customers in a country of 37 million. But as M-Pesa launches in South Africa, it will find a market full of similar services, from cash-transfer windows at grocery stores to Western Union.



A gentleman consults with a clerk at M-PESA in Nairobi, Kenya, in this Sept. 2007 file photo. Vodacom's M-Pesa mobile phone banking service is all the rage in Kenya, where in 3 years it jumped to 10 million customers in a country of 37 million.



Matthew Clark/The Christian Science Monitor/File

This is one of the articles that stood out to me the most that I was able to find. Having a way to give the poor sector of African countries a stable form of banking to some degree is the first step in a big way to help stabilize what some could say is a volatile area. All we can hope is that it goes well in the other areas of Southern Africa.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2010/0903/Mobile-Phone-Banking-Comes-to-South-Africa.-Will-It-Work