West Africa Archives

MEDIA-KENYA: Culture of Intimidation Resurfaces

Mitch Odero, a veteran Kenyan journalist, remembers vividly how he used to be locked up behind bars for publishing investigative reports which exposed the government.

POLITICS: UN Troops Start Liberia Mission

By Lansana Fofana

The UN Mission in Liberia officially began Wednesday as most of the 200 American troops deployed in the West African country had pulled out.

RIGHTS-SENEGAL: Wedding Night Death Sparks Debate on Domestic Violence

By IPS Correspondents

Dieynaba Hamady Sow, 12, died on May 31 from haemorrhaging caused by sexual intercourse on her wedding night after she was forced to marry her 35-year-old cousin.

ENERGY-NIGERIA: Rumours of Price Hike Trigger Fuel Queues

By Toye Olori

Economic activities in Nigeria's largest city Lagos have been paralysed as rumours of an impending fuel price hike prompted long queues at filling stations.

RIGHTS: Indigenous Peoples Push for Restitution

By IPS Correspondents

Their ultimate goal is to set up a truth and reconciliation commission to redress colonial injustices that stripped them of their heritage.

SPORTS-AFRICA: Prestigious Continental Games Kick Off Next Week

By Toye Olori

Nigeria hosts the 8th All African Games in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, next week. The games, the most prestigious on the continent, will be attended by 7,000 athletes, 1,500 journalists and over 10,000 fans from across Africa.

HEALTH-AFRICA: Demands for Anti-AIDS Drugs Grow Louder

By IPS Correspondents

From the UN headquarters in New York to Nairobi, the conference venue for the 13th International Conference on AIDS in Africa, the focus this week fell sharply on extending access to treatment with anti-retroviral drugs.

RIGHTS-NIGERIA: Amina Lawal Escapes Death by Stoning

By Toye Olori

Amina Lawal, condemned to death by stoning in Katsina State, northern Nigeria, for adultery last year, has been set free.

RIGHTS: A New Wall of Stigma Proving to Be a Setback in the Fight Against AIDS

By IPS Correspondents

"I lost my job after my employer came to know my HIV status. My children were chased from school and my relatives stopped visiting me," says Evelyne Apondi, whose husband succumbed to the disease two years ago.

HEALTH-AFRICA: Initiative to Fight AIDS From All Fronts

By IPS Correspondents

The silence in the room is chilling as everybody pays attention to an AIDS verse by children from a Nairobi-based institution caring for AIDS orphans.

HEALTH: A New AIDS Wave Washing Over Africa, Devastating Families

By IPS Correspondents

They are like babies now, says Prudence Mabele about the people living with AIDS she cares for as a volunteer in South Africa. "Some wear nappies; I need to wash and feed them."

RIGHTS-GUINEA: Women Fight to Overcome Cultural Barriers

By Saliou Samb

Idiatou Balde, in her late 30s, exhibits and sells indigo-tinted fabrics in an up market in Conakry, the capital of Guinea.

ENVIRONMENT-AFRICA: Renewed Efforts to Protect Endangered Species

By IPS Correspondents

The President of Madagascar Marc Ravalomanana has announced that his country intends increasing its protected forest, wetland and marine ecosystems from 1.7 to six million hectares.

TECHNOLOGY-AFRICA: Women Find Reason for Optimism in Internet Usage

By James Hall

Slowly, but effectively, the Internet is empowering women in Africa to follow events as they have never witnessed before. The latest case in point is the women in Somalia who have been following their country's peace talks in neighbouring Kenya via Internet usage.

TRANSPORT: Nigeria Moots the Idea of Banning Night Travel to Curb Accidents

By Toye Olori

Nigeria is mooting the idea of banning night travels by luxury buses to curb road accidents which are claiming thousands of lives yearly.

CULTURE-NIGERIA: Ritual Killings Resurface on the Campus

By Toye Olori

Tough measures introduced in the 1990s to curb the activities of cults in the higher institutions of learning in Nigeria seem to be failing.

POLITICS: World Antes Up for Iraq Not Humanitarian Crises – Report

By Thalif Deen

The international community is so obsessed with its fight against global terrorism that it continues to neglect ongoing humanitarian crises in Africa and Asia, a leading aid organisation complained Tuesday.

POLITICS-GUINEA BISSAU: Military Coup Derails Democratic Process

By Lansana Fofana

"The military of Guinea Bissau has taken this action because the government is abusing the constitution and seems incapable of resolving the country's mounting political and economic problems," says Verissimo Correia Seabre, the army General who led Sunday's coup.