washingtonpost.com - Africa

Obama Inspires Hope in Father's Homeland

Stephanie McCrummen — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

KISUMU, Kenya, Aug. 29 -- The few people awake before sunrise here Friday all seemed to be at the Camel's Joint Hotel, a low-ceilinged 24-hour cafe with neon lights, an open-pit grill and two posters of Sen. Barack Obama smiling down on rows of white Formica tables.

Foreign Investors Recognize Allure of Sub-Saharan Africa

Stephanie McCrummen — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

NAIROBI -- To a growing number of foreign investors, sub-Saharan Africa represents much more than the ethnic clashes, coups, bouts of genocide and natural disasters that have scarred many countries in the region. It represents dazzling opportunities to make money.

Mugabe's Party Loses Key Post

Post — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Aug. 25 -- Zimbabwe's main opposition party won the key post of parliament speaker Monday, dealing a blow to President Robert Mugabe's ruling party while negotiations are stalled over who will rule the country.

Sudanese Troops Attack Darfur Refugee Camp

Stephanie McCrummen — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

NAIROBI, Aug. 25 -- Sudanese government forces attacked one of Darfur's most volatile and heavily armed camps for displaced people Monday, provoking a gun battle in which as many as 27 civilians were killed and thousands were forced to flee the sprawling settlement, according to reports from aid ...

Gaddafi's Likely Heir Announces Timeout

Ellen Knickmeyer — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CAIRO, Aug. 22 -- Fresh from prodding Libya into ending a quarter-century of hostility toward the United States, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi's most influential son, announced this week that he planned to "disappear" from public life for a time.

Bombings Kill 12 On Second Day of Attacks in Algeria

Craig Whitlock — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

BERLIN, Aug. 20 -- Synchronized bombings killed 12 people in Algeria on Wednesday, a day after a suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed car into a police academy, killing 48. It was believed to be the deadliest stretch of violence to strike the North African country since its civil war in the...

Suicide Car Bomber Kills 43 in Algeria

Craig Whitlock — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

BERLIN, Aug. 19 -- A suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed car into an Algerian police academy early Tuesday, killing 43 people in the latest mass-casualty attack in the North African country.

Tsvangirai Says He'd Share Power With Mugabe

Donna Bryson — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 16 -- Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai would accept the prime minister's post and concede the presidency to President Robert Mugabe to settle a political crisis in his country, according to a document obtained Saturday by the Associated Press.

Excavations Show a Lush Life in the Sahara

David Brown — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The archaeological site at Gobero in the Eastern Sahara is not going to rewrite the history of Stone Age man, or even the history of settlement in North Africa, where desert and lake have played tag with each other for eons.

Hunt for Suspects In Embassy Bombings Elicits Anger in Kenya

Stephanie McCrummen — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

MALINDI, Kenya -- Almost 10 years to the day after the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, dozens of Kenyan anti-terrorism police busted their way into two homes in this sleepy resort town on the Indian Ocean.

In Africa, Hope for the Stigmatized: Fertility Clinics

Stephanie McCrummen — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

KAMPALA, Uganda -- In a country with one of the highest birthrates on Earth, where bearing children is considered a woman's singular purpose, Betty Apio leads an unusual life.

No Deadlock, Says Zimbabwe Opposition Leader

Post — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Aug. 13 -- Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Wednesday that his party remains committed to negotiating an end to Zimbabwe's political crisis amid reports that talks had deadlocked over who should wield executive powers in a proposed unity government.

Foreign Activists Manage to Pierce China's Broad Security Apparatus

Edward Cody — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:07:58 EDT

BEIJING, Aug. 7 -- China's intense efforts to block any protest that would mar the Olympic Games were challenged Wednesday by foreign activists equally bent on diverting attention to issues as varied as Tibetan independence, the crisis in Darfur and religious freedom.

Foreign Activists Manage to Pierce China's Broad Security Apparatus

Edward Cody — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

BEIJING, Aug. 6 -- China's intense efforts to block any protest that would mar the Olympic Games were challenged Wednesday by foreign activists equally bent on diverting attention to issues as varied as Tibetan independence, the crisis in Darfur and religious freedom.

Elected Leaders Ousted in Mauritania

Ahmed Mohamed and Todd Pitman — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania, Aug. 7 -- Army commanders ousted Mauritania's first freely elected president in two decades Wednesday after a bitter political fight over his overtures to Islamist radicals and ties to allies of a reviled former dictator.

U.S. May Have Taped Visits to Detainees

Josh White — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Bush administration informed all foreign intelligence and law enforcement teams visiting their citizens held at Guantanamo Bay that video and sound from their interrogation sessions would be recorded, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. The policy suggests that the United ...

Sudan Runners Focus on Games, Not Darfur

Stephanie McCrummen — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

KHARTOUM, Sudan -- When they first started training, they ran barefoot in the hot sand, or in borrowed spikes or whatever clunky sneakers they could buy at their local market. With inadequate equipment and facilities, Sudan's future Olympians raced in khaki shorts and jeans, in 105-degree heat, a...

In Khartoum, a Surreally Mundane Experience

Stephanie McCrummen — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:35:04 EDT

KHARTOUM, Sudan -- Sometimes, the things reporters do here in Africa can seem harrowing from afar. But up close, the experiences tend to be more Seinfeld than 24, more surreally mundane than high adventure. My recent eight-hour non-detention detention by Sudanese intelligence agents in Khartoum w...

Clinton Embraces Return to Ambassador Role

Anne E. Kornblut — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

KIGALI, Rwanda, Aug. 2 -- There will be no Clinton restoration -- not this year, at least. But the rehabilitation of Bill Clinton has begun.

Egyptian Judge Sentences Exiled Dissident to Prison for Writings in 'Foreign Press'

Ellen Knickmeyer — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CAIRO, Aug. 2 -- A prominent dissident who has urged the United States to tie financial aid to Egypt to democratic reform was sentenced to two years in prison Saturday.

Egyptian Dissident Sentenced to Two Years in Prison

Ellen Knickmeyer — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:58:57 EDT

CAIRO, Aug. 2 -- A prominent dissident who has urged the United States to tie financial aid to Egypt to democratic reform was sentenced to two years in prison Saturday.

Moving Past Life as a Rebel Slave

Ben de la Cruz — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

GULU, Uganda -- Catherine Ojok was cleaning off the tables in her windowless cafe when the first customers of the day walked in. It was 9 a.m., and the morning light peeked through the pale yellow curtain hanging in the doorway.

Zimbabwe Plans Changes to Currency

Angus Shaw — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

HARARE, Zimbabwe, July 27 -- Zimbabwe's bank chief plans new steps to address currency problems -- removing "more zeros" from the plummeting Zimbabwe dollar and raising the limit on cash withdrawals -- to tackle the country's runaway inflation and cash shortages, state media reported Sunday.

For Abducted Ugandans, An Elusive Reintegration

Stephanie McCrummen — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

OCULOKORI, Uganda -- He had escaped alone, running for his life through swamps and grassy savannas, leaving behind seven years of captivity in one of Africa's most sadistic rebel groups, the Lord's Resistance Army.

U.S. Broadens Sanctions to Pressure Mugabe

Dan Eggen — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

President Bush yesterday signed an executive order expanding sanctions against companies and individuals linked with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, part of an effort by Western nations to ratchet up the pressure on a government accused of killing and terrorizing political opponents in order to...

South African Named U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights

Colum Lynch — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

UNITED NATIONS, July 24 -- South African judge Navanethem Pillay was named Thursday as the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, culminating a remarkable ascent for a lawyer who was once barred from entering a judge's chamber during South Africa's apartheid era because of the color of her skin.

Liberia's New Lap of Luxury

Anita Huslin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Typically, you might expect hotel owner Robert L. Johnson to leave the spiel about bed linens and room decor to his marketing types.

Rwanda Threatens Darfur Pullout if U.N. Removes General

Colum Lynch — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

UNITED NATIONS, July 23 -- Rwanda has warned that it will withdraw its 3,000 peacekeepers from a U.N.-backed mission in the Darfur region of Sudan if the United Nations refuses to retain an alleged Rwandan war criminal as its second-highest-ranking commander there, according to U.S. and U.N. offi...

Zimbabwe Crisis Talks to Begin in South Africa

Craig Timberg — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:25:00 EDT

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai agreed Monday to start urgent negotiations toward forming a new government, a first but very tentative step toward ending the nation's political stalemate.

Zimbabwean Rivals Agree to Negotiations

Craig Timberg — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

In Burkina Faso, Running Afoul of Mr. X

Kevin Sullivan — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:25:00 EDT

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso -- He came at us like a hound chasing a squirrel.

In Africa, One Family's Struggle With the Global Food Crisis

Kevin Sullivan — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:23:00 EDT

LOUDA, Burkina Faso -- All day, Ruth Bamogo hacked at the ground with an iron hoe, trying to coax sorghum out of the hard, red dirt.

Indictment of Sudanese Leader Seen as Threat to Peacekeepers

Colum Lynch — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

UNITED NATIONS -- Six days before Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir was charged with genocide, a group of 200 fighters on horseback, supported by more than 40 vehicles mounted with machine guns, carried out the bloodiest and most sophisticated ambush yet on a fledgling U.N. and African...

Africa's Last and Least

Kevin Sullivan — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso After she woke in the dark to sweep city streets, after she walked an hour to buy less than $2 worth of food, after she cooked for two hours in the searing noon heat, Fanta Lingani served her family's only meal of the day. First she set out a bowl of corn mush, seasoned ...

Indictment of Sudanese Leader Seen as Threat to Peacekeepers

Colum Lynch — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:48:04 EDT

Report: U.S. Africa Aid Is Increasingly Military

Stephanie McCrummen — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

NAIROBI, July 17 -- U.S. aid to Africa is becoming increasingly militarized, resulting in skewed priorities and less attention to longer-term development projects that could lead to greater stability across the continent, according to a report released Thursday by the advocacy group Refugees Inte...

Last Call at the Hyatt

Ellen Knickmeyer — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CAIRO -- Diners in the revolving restaurant on the 41st floor of Cairo's Grand Hyatt once could count on a certain order to things: As surely as the torpid Nile coursed below and the Pyramids loomed in the distance, the whiskey, beer and wine flowed for hotel guests.

Connection to Mugabe Threatens South African President's Legacy

Craig Timberg — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

JOHANNESBURG -- At first glance they are nothing alike. Zimbabwe's aging president, Robert Mugabe, is, at 84, among the last of a generation of African Big Men, clinging to power through brutal repression. South Africa's suave President Thabo Mbeki, nearly two decades younger, rules by popular...

Sudan Vows to Fight Charges Of Genocide Against Its Leader

Stephanie McCrummen and Nora Boustany — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

NAIROBI, July 14 -- The Sudanese government defiantly rejected International Criminal Court charges of genocide against President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Monday, vowing to fight them "legally and diplomatically" instead of retaliating against U.N. peacekeepers, aid workers or residents of Darfur, a...

U.N. Zimbabwe Measure Vetoed by Russia, China

Colum Lynch — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

UNITED NATIONS, July 11 -- Russia and China on Friday vetoed a U.S.-sponsored Security Council resolution that would have imposed an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and sanctioned President Robert Mugabe and his top advisers for rigging the country's presidential elections.

Sudan Leader To Be Charged With Genocide

Colum Lynch and Nora Boustany — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

UNITED NATIONS, July 10 -- The chief prosecutor of the Internationals Criminal Court will seek an arrest warrant Monday for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, charging him with genocide and crimes against humanity in the orchestration of a campaign of violence that led to the deaths of hun...

At Summit, More Promises of African Aid

Michael Abramowitz — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

RUSUTSU, Japan, July 9 -- The United States and other members of the Group of Eight industrialized countries this week reiterated their commitment to doubling aid to Africa by 2010, seeking to assuage growing concern that they will miss the ambitious targets they set three years ago in Gleneagles...

7 Troops Killed In Sudan Ambush

Stephanie McCrummen — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

NAIROBI, July 9 -- Seven peacekeepers were killed and seven critically injured when their convoy was ambushed in Darfur, the biggest hit so far on the struggling United Nations-African Union force that took charge in January, officials said Wednesday.

U.S. Joins G-8 Plan To Halve Emissions

Michael Abramowitz — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

RUSUTSU, Japan, July 9 -- The United States for the first time joined the major industrialized countries Tuesday in committing to try to halve greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050. President Bush immediately began promoting the plan with skeptical developing country leaders who would be crucial to its...

Bush Facing Rebuffs On Key Issues at G-8

Michael Abramowitz — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

RUSUTSU, Japan, July 8 -- President Bush has worked hard over the past few years to cultivate good relations with many world leaders, but as a summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations got underway Monday, he was once again discovering the limitations of those efforts.

African Immigrants Among Obama's Enthusiastic Backers

Darryl Fears — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A catered fundraiser for Sen. Barack Obama was held recently at Duke's City, an upscale restaurant and bar nestled amid the hip new condominiums in the District's U Street corridor, where up-and-coming white professionals are slowly taking over an area that was once mostly black.

Inside Mugabe's Violent Crackdown

Craig Timberg — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- President Robert Mugabe summoned his top security officials to a government training center near his rural home in central Zimbabwe on the afternoon of March 30. In a voice barely audible at first, he informed the leaders of the state security apparatus that had enforced his rule...

Peacekeepers in Darfur Hobbled by Need

Stephanie McCrummen — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

EL FASHER, Sudan -- Nearly a year after its creation, a joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission to Darfur is struggling, with fewer than half the soldiers promised, broken-down equipment, government obstacles, and what commanders say are the unrealistically high expectations of a world that...

Obama Calls for National Service

Jonathan Weisman — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

COLORADO SPRINGS, July 2 -- Continuing to press the themes of values, faith and patriotism, Sen. Barack Obama exhorted Americans on Wednesday "to step into the strong currents of history" and volunteer for service to their country, pledging to dramatically expand opportunities for those accepting...

Mugabe Rival Sets Conditions For Talks

Post — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

HARARE, Zimbabwe, July 2 -- Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Wednesday that he would not consider joining a unity government as a junior partner to President Robert Mugabe, whom he has accused of beating, torturing and killing his way to reelection last week.

Congolese Accused of Recruiting Child Soldiers Ordered Set Free

Nora Boustany — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Judges at the International Criminal Court on Wednesday ordered the release of the court's first defendant, a Congolese warlord charged with the coercive recruitment of thousands of child soldiers, saying he could not receive a fair trial due to withheld evidence.

Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Will Not Join Unity Government

Post — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:22:58 EDT

HARARE, Zimbabwe, July 2--Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai announced Wednesday that he would not join a unity government as a junior partner to President Robert Mugabe, who he has accused of beating, torturing and murdering his way to re-election last week.

Africa's Hungry Horn

Stephanie McCrummen — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

EL BARDE, Somalia -- Not too long ago, Irad Hussein Ali considered himself a lucky man.

Mugabe Tells African Peers To Examine Own Records

Ellen Knickmeyer — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, July 1 -- A defiant President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Tuesday fended off an effort by African leaders to sanction him for his country's recent election violence, telling them that their claims to power were no more legitimate than his.

African Leaders Plan to Discuss Mugabe's Future

Ellen Knickmeyer — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, June 30 -- African leaders allowed Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to take his seat at a summit here Monday, but controversy over the coercion and violence surrounding his recent reelection prompted some of the leaders to begin discussing how to end his 28-year rule.

Zimbabwe's Mugabe Officially Sworn In

Post — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

HARARE, Zimbabwe, June 29 -- President Robert Mugabe cemented his government's hold over Zimbabwe on Sunday with the announcement of his overwhelming election victory followed by an inauguration before the approving gazes of the military leaders who engineered his brutal political comeback.