Koch, South Sudan – Cradles and baskets balanced on their heads, thousands of women and children streamed in from the bush to two outposts in the swamps of Koch county in Unity state, the heart of South Sudan’s civil war. “I came here because at home we have nothing – no food,” said Nyapar Kueth, lining up in Koch town with hundreds of colourfully robed women to receive sacks of grain from the World Food Programme (WFP). “We have been eating the fruits from the trees.” In August, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and his rival, former…
Author: AMA
Reality Check: Africa is not a country Do you speak African? Well, neither do the 1 billion people on the continent. Africa is home to 54 different nations, more than 2,000 languages and four of the world’s 10 fastest growing economies, but is often painted with a sweeping stroke of doom and gloom. In this week’s Reality Check, Mehdi Hasan exposes popular misconceptions about the African continent. Watch UpFront on Al Jazeera English on Fridays at 1930GMT. Follow UpFront on Twitter @AJUpFront and Facebook. http://bc05.ajnm.me/665003303001/201510/1747/665003303001_4528845972001_4528282766001.mp4 [Al Jazeera] The post Reality Check: Africa is not a country appeared first on African…
In this episode of UpFront, Mehdi Hasan speaks to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert about the Iran deal, a two-state solution and calls for him to be charged with war crimes. Hasan also exposes some of the greatest misconceptions about the continent of Africa, and asks a former KGB general about the real motives behind Russian air strikes in Syria. The Headliner: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Accused of wars crimes in Gaza and Lebanon and convicted for fraud, the former Israeli Prime Minister Olmert has been plagued by controversy throughout his political career. Despite this, many supporters…
An ambitious blueprint has been put forward to revitalize the capital of Rwanda. Kigali was destroyed by 100 days of killing in 1994 – the Rwandan genocide. The present population of about 1.2 million now is expected to triple by 2040, and the master plan envisions a city with high-rise buildings the could accommodate its growing population. In the master plan all the older shelters have to come down. In their place will be apartments, condos and commercial blocks. But the new development in Kigali will be too expensive for most of its current residents to live in. Al Jazeera’s…
The South African government is supporting a new board game for schools, meant to address a very serious issue. Each roll of the dice lands the players on a new question designed to educate young people about domestic violence and sexual abuse. The group with the best answer wins a point. It has been developed by the TEARS Foundation, which helps victims of rape. With the support of the South African government, it will soon be available in schools across the country. http://bc05.ajnm.me/665003303001/201510/2268/665003303001_4523995106001_4523819432001.mp4 By Tania Page [Al Jazeera] The post S Africa school game tackles domestic violence appeared first on…
Protesters have marched in Pretoria, Capetown and Durban, denouncing rampant corruption. The anti-corruption activists say the march was in support of transparent funding models for South Africa’s political parties. They say there is a need to bring an end to state-owned enterprises being used to benefit corrupt individuals. Since the African National Congress (ANC) took over, corrupt officials are said to have stolen a staggering $50bn. Is the ANC to blame? And can the scourge of corruption be stopped? Presenter: Mike Hanna Guests: Ayesha Kajee, political analyst. Bantu Holomisa, member of parliament and the president of the United Democratic Movement.…
A man accused of destroying historic sites in northern Mali has appeared before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. In the first case of its kind, Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi is accused of war crimes over the destruction of tombs and a mosque in the ancient city of Timbuktu. http://bc05.ajnm.me/665003303001/201509/1533/665003303001_4522036586001_4521899971001.mp4 Al Jazeera’s Barnaby Phillips reports. [Al Jazeera] The post Malian on war crimes trial for ruining historic sites appeared first on African Media Agency.
Between April and July 1994, more than 800,000 men, women and children, mostly from Rwanda’s Tutsi minority were slaughtered. In one of the worst atrocities in recent history, Hutu paramilitaries unleashed a bloodbath, killing every person they could find, as neighbours murdered neighbours. Sparked by the death of President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, when his plane was shot down above Kigali airport on 6 April 1994, Hutu extremists seized on his death to exterminate the Tutsi community. In Rwanda: From hatred to reconciliation, we explore the genocide through the prism of the media, exploring their role – both then and…
Renewed violence between Muslim and Christian communities in the Central African Republic (CAR) has killed at least 36 people and wounded at least 80 more, according to hospital workers. Sporadic gunfire could be heard in the capital, Bangui, on Monday, with journalists also citing multiple reports of widespread looting in the city, suggesting that tensions that began on Saturday had yet to subside. On Sunday, Doctors without Borders (MSF) said in a statement that their teams working in the city’s Mpoko camp, Castor hospital and Hôpital General had been pressed to activate mass-casualty plans to cope with an influx of…
At least four people have been fatally shot in the capital of the Central African Republic, according to hospital sources, as sectarian violence erupted on the city’s streets for a second day. Sunday’s clashes were aimed at derailing elections scheduled to take place next month, the government said. Armed Christian fighters roamed the streets and protesters erected barricades in Bangui, a day after at least 21 people were killed and another 100 were wounded when Muslims attacked a mainly Christian neighbourhood. The two days of clashes, sparked by the murder of a Muslim man, were the worst this year in…