Abidjan/Amsterdam, 19 September 2011 – Up to sixteen civilians have been killed during an attack on Zriglo, a village in Southwest Ivory Coast just south of the town of Taï, late last week. Up to 50 houses were burned and most of the population fled into the forests. The attack on Zriglo is part of the ongoing violence in Southwest Ivory Coast. Whereas the situation in major cities has grown calmer following the conflict between supporters of former president Gbagbo and the new president Ouattara, in several rural areas of Ivory Coast the violence continues with civilians as the main... Continue Reading
MTWARA, 19 September 2011 (IRIN) – Near the coastal town of Mtwara, Tanzania’s border with Mozambique is marked only by the River Ruvuma which is wide and relatively shallow at this point just before it drains into the Indian Ocean. Young men loll in small, wooden boats checking their cell phones and waiting for passengers to ferry across to the other side, but business has been slow in the last two months since groups of migrants desperate to complete a journey that began thousands of kilometres to the north stopped arriving at the river’s banks. “For the last two or... Continue Reading
ZWEDRU, 6 September 2011 (IRIN) – With fear still rife among the Ivoirian refugees remaining in eastern Liberia, NGO the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which is managing refugee camps in Grand Gedeh County, is working to ensure refugee camps are apolitical and weapon-free. “This cannot become a political environment… it is the only way to make sure people are safe,” said Steve Anyia, NRC’s manager of Solo refugee camp, 25km from Zwedru, in Grand Gedeh County, eastern Liberia. Several of the refugees milling around Solo camp wore Gbagbo victory T-shirts. “I do not like these T-shirts,” Anyia said angrily as... Continue Reading
The international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières MSF (Doctors Without Borders) is assisting wounded patients in the town of Galcayo in the Mudug region of Somalia. Heavy fighting broke out in the town on Thursday 1 September, leading to many casualties including among civilians. The hospital in Galcayo North, partly supported by MSF, has treated 60 wounded, most of them civilians, while 20 wounded have been treated so far at an MSF-run hospital in the southern part of the city. Until now, the fighting is reported to have claimed 18 lives. “MSF is extremely concerned about the high number... Continue Reading
By: Augustine N. Myers – A local Network comprising about 40 civil society organizations, including Community leaders, Youth, Women, and Disabled Groups, has been established in Margibi County, the Republic of Liberia. The Human Rights and Budget Monitoring Network is intended to among other things, ensure the investigation of the County Development Funds and other Social Development Funds for Margibi County, and how they impact the lives of citizens of the County. Speaking Friday at the official launch of the Network in Kakata, Margibi County, the Junior Senator of the County, Roland Kaine, extolled the establishment of the Civil Society Budget Monitoring and Human... Continue Reading
