POLITICS-AFRICA: AU Summit Faces a Host of Crises

The annual summit of the African Union (AU) begins in Sudan’s dusty capital of Khartoum, Monday, amidst a political crisis in the Ivory Coast, famine in East Africa and conflict in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

CHALLENGES 2004-2005: Little Hope for Darfur

As 2004 draws to a close, the people in Sudan’s western province of Darfur have no reason to celebrate but flee the violence that has continued to spread in the volatile region, despite a ceasefire signed between the government and rebels in November.

HEALTH-BURKINA FASO: Activism Clashes With Tradition

Government and civil society representatives from around the world met in Kenya recently to debate how best to end female genital mutilation - a laudable effort. However, a case in Burkina Faso has exposed the limitations of their campaign.

POLITICS: Darfur Overshadows the Peace Process in South Sudan

The crisis in the Sudan’s western region of Darfur has overshadowed the peace process in the south of the country, where more than 2 million people have been killed since 1983.

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTHERN AFRICA: NEPAD Highlights Infrastructure Needs

"If you see a set of bright, shining lights at night, it's not a vehicle but a giraffe that got stuck in a pothole in the middle of the road. So, watch out," Zambians used to joke about the state of their roads a few years ago.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Champagne Tastes on Beer Money?

It was billed as a summit where a new future for Africa would be unveiled. African Union chief Alpha Oumar Konare laid out a 1.7 billion dollar plan that would help revitalise the troubled and marginalized continent.

POLITICS: Cleaning Up Africa's Image

Conflict resolution and poverty reduction will dominate the annual summit of the African Union (AU), to be held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, this week from Jul. 6 to 8.

POLITICS: An African Army, for Africans?

As the third annual summit of the African Union (AU) draws closer, the spotlight is falling on the organisation's newest branch: the Peace and Security Council, and its proposed standby force.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Arab Leaders Steal the Show At G8 Summit

Kenyan civil society activist Edward Oyugi says Africa's relations with the developed world amount to the continent holding out a begging bowl. But, African leaders insist they have a partnership with wealthy nations - one based on investment in return for good governance.

DEVELOPMENT: British Answer for Africa Raises Questions

The Commission for Africa appointed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair met for the first time this week to look for solutions to the many problems of the continent. Instead, it seemed only to invite questions about itself.

POLITICS-SWAZILAND: Uneasy Donors Stay Put – For the Time Being

The sacks of maize that are keeping Mbali Mthembu's family alive bear the stamp "United States of America". The 25- year-old mother of three collects her monthly food stipend from a distribution point near the village of Siphofaneni in Swaziland's eastern Lubombo region, which has been hard hit by three years of drought.

RIGHTS: Relocation of San an Immediate Talking Point at CIVICUS Conference

The World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS) has begun its biennial World Assembly with strong words from Botswana President Festus Mogae about the relocation of members of his country's San community. The assembly is being held in Botswana's capital, Gaborone.

ENERGY-SOUTHERN AFRICA: The Challenges of Getting Malawi Wired

It's a tale of delays, missed deadlines and the grinding problems that can dog large-scale infrastructure projects. Work to connect electricity lines between Malawi and neighbouring Mozambique was scheduled to have been completed by 2002. The deadline has now been shifted to 2005, however - and officials aren't ruling out 2006.

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: Water Management Crucial To Growth

Water management is set to play a crucial role in the development of travel and tourism industry in Africa in the coming years, according to experts.

ECONOMY-EAST AFRICA: Long-Awaited Customs Union is Established

Member states of the East African Community have signed a protocol for establishing a customs union that is expected to boost growth in the region.

POLITICS-AFRICA: An Underwhelming Response to the Pan-African Parliament

With less than a month to go before the first session of the African parliament, interest in the new legislature appears to be at a low in various parts of the continent.

DEVELOPMENT: ‘African Countries Should Get Down to Work’

Mao Tsetung once told former World Bank president Robert McNamara that "we plan to quadruple our GNP even without help from you." Africans are now being told to do as Mao said.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: The Talks That Never Were

With people still left guessing as to whether he intends holding formal talks with his country's opposition, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe added a new dimension to the drama this weekend when he was allegedly rushed to South Africa after collapsing at his home in Harare.

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: Seeds of Hope in the Agriculture Sector

Africa and other parts of the developing world are preparing to negotiate better access to the markets of wealthy countries at the next ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation, Ugandan Agriculture Minister Wilberforce Kisamba-Mugerwa said in Pretoria this week.

POLITICS: South Africa Forges Close Ties with France

South African President Thabo Mbeki's state visit to France this week was his fourth trip to that country this year.