POLITICS-LIBERIA: Rebels Demand Bonus for Giving Up Arms

Liberia has developed a programme to disarm some 40,000 combatants whose future seems uncertain after 14 years of a brutal war that also destabilised neighbouring countries.

POLITICS-BURUNDI: One Rebel Group Signs Peace Accord, Another Stays Out

South Africa believes it has notched up yet another Africa conflict resolution success with the signing in Pretoria on Sunday of the final details of a power-sharing agreement between Burundi's transitional government led by President Domitien Ndayizeye and rebel leader Pierre Nkurunziza.

POLITICS: U.S. Seeks Lasting Peace in Sudan

The American muscle has renewed hopes for a final peace settlement in the Sudan following this week's visit to Kenya by U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell.

CULTURE-ETHIOPIA: Documentary Captures Audiences Amidst ‘War’ Tensions

A documentary on seven ethnic groups making peace in the southern Ethiopian Rift Valley is capturing audiences in the capital Addis Ababa, as the peace process between Ethiopia and Eritrea teeters on the brink of collapse.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: The Melt Down of Liberty Continues Unabated

"Demonstrations here never last more than 10 minutes before the police move in," photojournalist Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi remarks casually.

POLITICS: UN Seeks to Transform Liberia from Failed State to Nation at Peace

Determined to transform Liberia from a failed state in turmoil to a nation at peace, a top UN envoy has unveiled plans to stave off a crisis that has destablised the sub-region.

POLITICS: Ethiopia, Eritrea Peace Process Plunged Into Crisis

Within a fortnight, the peace process between Ethiopia and Eritrea has swung from one end of the pendulum to the other - from optimism on all sides to, now, a crisis stage.

POLITICS-UGANDA: Women Join the Peace Wagon, As Rebels Wreak Havoc

Rosemary Nyeko is a bitter woman. She remembers how rebels ruined her life when they burned her house in northern Uganda last year.

TRADE: Arms Deal Plunges South Africa Into Its Worst Post-Apartheid Crisis

An arms deal worth about 3.9 billion U.S. dollars concluded between South Africa and several European multinationals has plunged South Africa into its worst post-apartheid political crisis.

POLITICS-SOMALIA: Hope for Peace, as Delegates Adopt Charter

If all goes well, Somalia may soon realise peace following adoption of a Transitional Federal Charter by delegates attending peace talks aimed at ending a long-standing conflict in that country.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: Officials Defy Mugabe’s Ultimatum, Hang Onto Farms

A government report into Zimbabwe's controversial land reform programme has opened a can of worms, throwing the spotlight on corruption surrounding the ownership of multiple farms by senior government officials and others close to the establishment.

CORRUPTION: It Still Pays to Dig Dirt

When Ida Tarbell published her articles on John D. Rockefeller's monopolistic excesses, the tycoon dubbed her ”Miss Tarbarrel”.. Years later in 1911 the U.S. Supreme Court declared his firm 'The Standard Oil' an ”unreasonable” monopoly, and ordered it dissolved.

PARAGUAY: Turning the Screws on Corruption – but Not Too Tight

The fight against corruption was one of the main campaign pledges of Paraguay's new President Nicanor Duarte, and several measures indicate that he has begun to rigorously crack down on graft.

TRANSPORT: Nigeria Turns to Foreign Contractors

Travellers describe the appalling state of the road in southeast Nigeria as hell on earth.

TRADE: Kenya Woos Investors

For years investors boycotted Kenya and went to do business next door in Uganda and Tanzania.

RIGHTS-AFRICA: Despite ‘Peace’, Children Still Making War in DRC

Although peace exits on paper in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the reality of war continues to plague its children, says a report released Tuesday by Amnesty International (AI).

POLITICS: Peacekeepers Secure Liberian Town, Warn All Fighters to Leave

West African peacekeepers from Guinea Bissau Wednesday said they were now in full control of the Liberian city of Kakata after days of sporadic battles between government forces and the main rebel group, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Development (LURD).

POLITICS-SUDAN: Crucial Talks to End Africa’s Longest War

International pressure is mounting on the government of Sudan and the main rebel movement, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), to make peace or risk sanctions.

CORRUPTION-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Poverty Fuels Corporate Bribery

Corporations stand accused of breeding corruption in Southern Africa as they pursue lucrative government contracts.

ENERGY-NIGERIA: Crude Oil Theft Costs Millions of Dollars

Nigeria lost 6.1 million barrels of crude oil, worth about 151 million U.S. dollars, to theft during the first quarter of this year, government officials say.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: U.S. Pullback Brakes Momentum, Experts Say

Washington's removal of U.S. marines from Monrovia to ships offshore will hurt the recovery of war-weary Liberia in both real and symbolic ways, say humanitarian and political experts.