Africa: Faces in Words

New weekly update on the breaking stories in the African nations.

Courtesy: http://www.ircuk.org">The International Rescue Committee (IRC)

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Unseen, unheard; no one should be the bearer of these two words. Unfortunately, Africa is often in the forefront of this association.

Our common humanity should change this; we should never look away because it is too distant. Our commitment to one another, to human rights, and the ability to learn should always keep us connected no matter the severity and complexity of problems.

Important insights from last week, not to be missed

Sweden: Somaliland government accepts the forced return of asylum seekers - The news coming from asylum seekers in Sweden have confirmed to Medeshi that their lawyers told them that the Somaliland government requested asylum seekers from the country be retuned back through Hargeisa or Berbera airports. http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7449652-sweden-somaliland-government-accepts-the-forced-return-of-asylum-seekers

Rwanda’s Opposition Seeks Independent Investigation into Death of Top Party Official - Rwanda’s opposition Democratic Green Party has officially petitioned U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon requesting an independent investigation into what the group described as the assassination of its first vice president, Andre Kagwa Rwisereka. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Rwanda-Opposition-Petitions-UN-Over-Murder-of-Official--111163809.html

Nigerian Forces Raid Camps of Militants in Delta Region - Soldiers on Wednesday raided three militant camps hidden in the winding creeks of Nigeria’s oil-rich and restive southern delta, seizing heavy weaponry in an attack that the rebels said killed more than 100 people. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/02/world/africa/02nigeria.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Tanzania: Food Insecurity Still Haunts Country - FOOD insecurity and malnutrition is likely to increase in Tanzania due to the impact of climate change on agriculture, hence impacting further on the economy of individual households, it has been observed. http://allafrica.com/stories/201012011101.html

‘Lost Boys’ of South Sudan Lead Diaspora Voter Registration Drive - Hundreds of thousands of southern Sudanese who fled their homeland during Sudan's civil war are signing up to vote absentee in the January 9 independence referendum. Former war orphans, the so-called 'Lost Boys', are leading the absentee vote campaign at a registration center in the Ethiopian capital. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Lost-Boys-of-South-Sudan-Lead-Diaspora-Voter-Registration-Drive-111122654.html

Central African Republic Must Arrest Omar Al-Bashir During Visit - Amnesty International has called on the Central African Republic (CAR) to arrest wanted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and surrender him to the International Criminal Court (ICC), should he go ahead with his planned visit to the country today. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/central-african-republic-must-arrest-omar-al-bashir-during-visit-2010-12-01

Single Mothers in Morocco Abandoned Thousands of Babies Each Year - Thousands of babies are abandoned in Morocco every year because their single mothers are too afraid to face family and friends. Instead of just taking in abandoned children, one nonprofit has begun working with families to help single mothers find ways to keep their babies. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Single-Mothers-in-Morocco-Abandoned-Thousands-of-Babies-Each-Year-110979529.html

Mass grave of 25 black men found in Sudan’s Northern State - A group of gold prospectors in Sudan found a mass grave containing 25 corpses, all of them black men. The bodies were buried in an underground concrete room in the Dambo area, near Argo in Northern State. Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that the dead men were dressed in civilian clothes stained with blood, and seemed to have been shot dead. http://195.190.28.213/node/6439

Newborn Deaths at Zimbabwe settlement must be Investigated - The Zimbabwean government should urgently investigate the deaths of newborn babies at a settlement it created to re-house people made homeless by its mass forced eviction program five years ago, Amnesty International said in a report released today. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/newborn-deaths-zimbabwe-settlement-must-be-investigated-2010-12-02

Guinea: Witnesses Describe Security Force Excesses - Security forces in Guinea used excessive force and displayed a lack of political neutrality when responding to election-related violence, Human Rights Watch said today. The violence, between supporters of presidential candidates Alpha Condé and Cellou Dalein Diallo, and between protesters and security services, took place in Conakry, the capital, and other cities between November 15 and 19, 2010. At least seven people died, and 220 were wounded. http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/11/29/guinea-witnesses-describe-security-force-excesses

CAR military regains Birao - Seventy-one people, including 65 rebels, were killed last week in clashes between insurgents and government troops in the north-eastern Central African Republic, a CAR spokesperson said on Thursday. http://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/car-military-regains-birao-1.913082

Alysha Atma spends many hours working on projects that support and benefit the beleaguered people of African nations who spend way too much time off the western media's radar. This writer explains that she is a culmination of all her experiences, most importantly knowledge she says, and all that she still needs to learn; lessons of love, laughter and the extraordinary giving of both young and old. She says she has the enormous fortune of learning from the best; every person around her, and the amazing strength and fortitude of those she has never met but will always strive to listen to. "I continue to work and write because I believe in the power of community and the power of one, both contradictory to each other and yet can move together in a very powerful way. I feel a responsibility to use my place, freedoms and connections here in the US to stand up and yell for those who need my voice and actions. I have seen such strength in my fellow humans that I cannot even begin to comprehend, they have traveled distances, have gone without food, water, shelter and safety for days and weeks at a time. I have a responsibility as a fellow human to put our common humanity before anything else. Everyone deserves to look towards tomorrow, to dream of a safe future and to have a peaceful present." You can write to Alysha Atma at: alysha.atma@gmail.com