RIGHTS-KENYA: Police Torture Said to Be on the Rise

As the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (Jun. 26) approaches, human rights activists in Kenya have alleged that police torture there is increasing.

EDUCATION-AFRICA: Breaking the Link Between Pregnancy and Dropping Out

Teenage pregnancy has often dealt a mortal blow to the educational aspirations of girls in Africa. But, laws compelling schools to re-admit these young mothers could hold the key to solving this problem.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Jitters About the Congo

A substantial build-up of troops along the Democratic Republic of Congo’s border with Rwanda has sparked fears of renewed conflict in central Africa.

REFUGEE DAY-SUDAN: The Desperate Plight of Darfur

"The toll on children is most worrying," says James Elder, Communications Officer for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), about the situation in Darfur, western Sudan.

REFUGEE DAY: Pending Asylum, a Cat and Mouse Game With Police

A man who wishes to be identified as Soyu Mokili has discovered that the streets of South Africa's main commercial city, Johannesburg, are not paved with gold in the way he expected.

POLITICS-SUDAN: Bringing the Protocols to the People

An association of churches, donor organisations and other groups has unveiled a plan to acquaint Sudanese communities with peace protocols that have been signed to end their country's long-running civil war.

EDUCATION-KENYA: ‘Schooling for All’ an Empty Slogan for Disabled Children

The introduction of free primary education in Kenya has been hailed in the country. However, it appears that disabled children are not benefiting from the programme, because government has failed to equip schools to meet their needs.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Upbeat on Globalisation, Although Southern Africa Lags

Africans feel relatively positive about globalisation and the United States, although the enthusiasm for both is markedly weaker among Southern Africans and Tanzanians than among people in other parts of the continent, according to a major survey of seven sub-Saharan African nations.

DEVELOPMENT-KENYA: Communities Lend a Hand in the Fight Against Crime

"I have been carjacked three times in the last five months. It is a miracle how I am still alive after the three horrific incidents. Sometimes I think I am dreaming," says Chris Namunyu, a banker in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

POLITICS-SUDAN: Peacekeepers a "Drop in the Ocean" – But Welcome Nonetheless

Rebels in south Sudan have welcomed the United Nations’ weekend decision to send a peacekeeping mission to the country to monitor agreements that would end Africa’s longest running civil war.

ECONOMY-KENYA: Budget Stirs Controversy

Hopes of creating a debt-free Kenya seem to have been dashed following an announcement this week by government to resort to borrowing to meet its budget deficit of about 730 million dollars.

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.

HEALTH-AFRICA: Religious Leaders Focus on AIDS

A meeting of over 187 church leaders from across Africa has highlighted the role of female clergy in fighting the AIDS pandemic that has swept the continent.

HEALTH-KENYA: Enforcement of Abortion Law Problematic

Calls for Kenyan officials to clamp down on abortion were sounded anew this week, during a requiem mass for 15 aborted foetuses discovered near a river in the capital, Nairobi.

RIGHTS-SUDAN: Darfur ‘World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis’

Everyone seems to agree on the severity of the crisis that threatens some two million people in the Sudanese region of Darfur, but governments are focussing on a response based on humanitarian aid, while human rights groups are calling for urgent protection for the civilian population.

RIGHTS-UGANDA: Odds Are Stacked Against Prosecuting Child Molesters

Incidents of sexual abuse, particularly of children, appear to be on the rise in Uganda. However, this apparent increase has not been matched by a similar rise in prosecutions. Instead, many families are still choosing to settle the cases out of court – despite the effect this could have on abuse victims.

LABOUR-KENYA: Trimming the Civil Service – Visionary or Unnecessary?

With large-scale retrenchments looming over Kenya’s civil service, union officials say they have presented research to government showing that the ranks of public employees are already being substantially thinned by retirement and other factors.

POLITICS-SUDAN: Another Step Towards Lasting Peace

Sudan has edged closer to a final peace deal after the government and rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army signed three protocols Wednesday night (May 26) that are crucial to ending Africa’s longest-running civil war.

POLITICS-KENYA: New Constitution Takes Up Cudgels For Women

As the clock ticks closer to the deadline for introducing a new constitution in Kenya, Atsango Chesoni – for one – is filled with anticipation at the coming change.

HEALTH-UGANDA: Condoms Take a Back Seat to Abstinence With U.S. AIDS Money

Uganda will receive over 90 million dollars this year from the United States to assist it with preventing and treating AIDS. Activists fear, however, that Washington may be showing too great a preference for abstinence-based programmes in its allocation of these funds – and that alternative prevention efforts such as condom distribution could suffer as a result.

POLITICS-SUDAN: Church Leaders Join Chorus of Concern Over Darfur

A delegation from the All Africa Conference of Churches has thrown its weight behind efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's western Darfur province, created by what some describe as a campaign of ethnic cleansing.