washingtonpost.com - Africa

Former Finnish President Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Howard Schneider — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:14:58 EDT

Former president of Finland Martti Ahtisaari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today for a career of diplomatic work that has helped resolve violent crises on three continents over the past 20 years.

Mbeki Loyalist Assails ANC

Karin Brulliard — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 8 -- South Africa's former defense minister on Wednesday launched a scathing attack against the ruling African National Congress and suggested that hundreds of members loyal to ousted president Thabo Mbeki were on the verge of forming a breakaway party.

Zimbabwe Cabinet Talks Stalled, Opposition Says

Karin Brulliard — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 7 -- Talks on the structure of Zimbabwe's unity government are deadlocked more than three weeks after the signing of a historic power-sharing deal, the country's main opposition party said Tuesday.

Somalia Embraces Foreign Assistance Against Pirates

Ellen Knickmeyer — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CAIRO, Oct. 1 -- With U.S. warships offshore and a Russian missile frigate on the way, Somalia's president, Abdullahi Yusuf, said Wednesday that he welcomed international intervention against Somali pirates roaming a main East-West shipping route.

U.S. Navy Bolsters Watch Over Ship Seized by Somali Pirates

Ellen Knickmeyer — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CAIRO, Sept. 29 -- The U.S. Navy on Monday strengthened its force of warships standing watch over a hijacked Ukrainian-operated vessel off Somalia, intent on ensuring that the pirates holding the vessel do not unload its cargo of 33 Soviet-designed T-72 tanks and other arms, a U.S. Navy spokesman...

Low-Profile U.N. Chief Struggles as Diplomatic Peacemaker

Colum Lynch — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

UNITED NATIONS -- In the days after Georgian and Russian troops marched into the separatist province of South Ossetia, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon frantically telephoned key leaders and offered the United Nations' diplomatic help in stemming further violence. But Russian President Dmitry Medvedev...

Zulus Eagerly Defy Ban on Virginity Test

Karin Brulliard — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

NONGOMA, South Africa -- One week before, Nonhlanhla Mhkize had risen early, walked to her tribal chief's home, climbed a desolate hill and lain on a blanket for what leaders of her Zulu culture call an "inspection" of her genitals. Now the teenager glowed as she held up a document she had earned...

ANC's Motlanthe Takes the Helm In South Africa

Karin Brulliard — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 25 -- Kgalema Motlanthe, a former union leader and political prisoner, was sworn in as South Africa's caretaker president Thursday in a ceremony during which he pledged to keep the nation on course during its most turbulent political period since the end of apartheid.

World Leaders Embrace Goal of Ending Malaria Deaths by 2015

Philip Rucker — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 -- With a dramatic series of announcements Thursday, world leaders declared what experts just two years ago considered virtually impossible: They believe the number of deaths caused by malaria can fall from more than 1 million annually to zero by 2015.

S. African Leader's Cabinet Resigns

Karin Brulliard — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 23 -- The office of ousted South African President Thabo Mbeki announced Tuesday that his deputy president, 10 cabinet ministers and three deputy ministers were resigning, an exodus that sent tremors through the markets of Africa's biggest economy and stoked fears of a political...

South African President Announces Resignation in TV Address

Karin Brulliard — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 21 -- South African President Thabo Mbeki announced Sunday that he had formally resigned and would vacate the office he has held for nine years as soon as the nation's Parliament selects a successor.

S. Africa's Mbeki Agrees to Step Down

Karin Brulliard — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 20 -- South African President Thabo Mbeki, a former liberation leader and architect of his nation's post-apartheid democracy, agreed to resign Saturday after the top ranks of his party voted to recall him months before the end of his second and final term.

U.S. Backed U.N. General Despite Evidence of Abuses

Colum Lynch — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

UNITED NATIONS -- The Bush administration's support for the appointment of a Rwandan general to a top U.N. peacekeeping job in Sudan last year came despite a warning from the State Department human rights bureau that there was "credible evidence" linking the officer to human rights abuses in Rwanda...

Power-Sharing Deal Is Signed In Zimbabwe

Karin Brulliard — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 15 -- President Robert Mugabe ceded a large share of control over Zimbabwe's government Monday, in a power-sharing agreement that loosened his absolute hold over a nation he helped lead to independence nearly three decades ago.

From Boom to Bust in Nigeria

Will Connors — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria -- Uche was the triggerman for his gang of thieves. When gang members stole oil from pipelines or cellphones from passersby, he made sure no one got in their way.

S. Africa's Zuma Is Victorious in Court

Karin Brulliard — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

PIETERMARITZBURG, South Africa, Sept. 12 -- A South African judge dismissed corruption charges against ruling party leader Jacob Zuma on Friday, likely clearing the path for the former freedom fighter to become the nation's president next year.

Egyptian Policy Imperils Refugees, Migrants at Israel's Door

Ellen Knickmeyer — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CAIRO -- Egyptian security forces are killing an increasing number of Darfurian refugees and other African migrants attempting to cross from Egypt's Sinai desert into Israel in pursuit of jobs and a better life, according to refugees, human rights groups and the Egyptian government.

Zimbabwe Factions Reach Deal

Post — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Sept. 11 -- Zimbabwe's rival political factions have agreed to a power-sharing deal intended to end the nation's political crisis, South African President Thabo Mbeki told reporters here Thursday night.

Residents Angry at Pace Of Rescue in Cairo Slum

Ellen Knickmeyer — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CAIRO, Sept. 8 -- Residents pounded riot police with fists and stones Monday outside an illegal slum crushed by a massive rockslide three days earlier. Egypt's Interior Ministry said rescue workers had recovered 41 bodies, but residents said they thought hundreds remained buried.

Rice: U.S. Has Aided In Nuclear Regulation

Glenn Kessler — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

RABAT, Morocco, Sept. 7 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday defended the Bush administration's record on restraining the spread of nuclear weapons, asserting that the record shows "we have left this situation or this issue in far better shape than we found it."

In Kenya, Some Fear That Fissures Remain

Stephanie McCrummen — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

NAIROBI -- In Kenya these days, tourists are slowly returning to safari camps across the Masai Mara game reserve. The economy is hobbling back to life, and the country's once-feuding political leaders often shake hands and exchange conciliatory words in public.

In Tunisia and Algeria, Rice Asks for Cooperation

Glenn Kessler — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

ALGIERS, Sept. 7 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressed leaders of two oil-rich, autocratic North African countries on Saturday for better cooperation on counterterrorism and help in reducing the number of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

Delays, Shortages Mark First Voting in Angola in 16 Years

Casimiro Siona — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

LUANDA, Angola, Sept. 5 -- Angola stumbled on the road to democracy Friday, as long lines and a shortage of ballots and voting officials marred its first elections in 16 years.

Rice and Gaddafi Hammer at Wall Built by Decades of Animosity

Glenn Kessler — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

TRIPOLI, Libya, Sept. 5 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Friday night with Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, whom former President Reagan once labeled "this mad dog of the Middle East," signaling a new chapter in U.S.-Libyan relations.

Aid Plane Crashes in E. Congo; 17 Aboard

Stephanie McCrummen — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

NAIROBI, Sept. 2 -- A small plane carrying 17 passengers and crew members on a humanitarian mission crashed in a mountainous region of eastern Congo on Monday evening, and there appeared to be no survivors, U.N. officials said Tuesday.

U.S., Libya Neither Friends Nor Enemies, Gaddafi Says Before Rice's Visit

Ellen Knickmeyer — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CAIRO, Sept. 1 -- Libya and the United States are no longer enemies but are not quite friends, Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi said Monday, days before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to arrive there.

In Africa, a New Middle-Income Consumerism

Stephanie McCrummen — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

KAMPALA, Uganda -- Meet Denis Ruharo, an entrepreneur with a master's degree, a man who carries a BlackBerry and two Nokia cellphones, buys organic greens at a grocery store and sometimes does business over a cold Nile beer at a club called Silk.

Religion and Science Blend in a Centuries-Old Ritual

Ellen Knickmeyer — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

HELWAN, Egypt, Aug. 30 -- In sync with the sun and the moon, the traditions of 1,400 years and the acts of Muslims all over the world, members of one of Egypt's seven official moon-sighting committees pulled into a parking lot high on a ridge overlooking hazy Cairo at sunset Saturday.

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.