In 1986, over 100,000 Southern Sudanese in Magwi County fled to Uganda to take up refuge. They were settled in camps in northern Uganda, notably in Achol-pii, Adjumani, Kiryandongo and later in other camps. Following the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the SPLA/M and the Government in Khartoum in 2005, thousands of these refugees were repatriated with the help of the UNHCR to their original homes in Southern Sudan. In Magwi County, these homes are: Agoro, Omeo, Magwi, Obbo, Palwar, Lobone, Pajok and Panyikwara. According to the recent Sudanese census, there are 170,000 persons in Magwi County.

As mobile and web technologies become increasingly accessible to those living in remote poverty around the world, the potential to expand access to health care to underserved populations becomes ever more real. It’s exciting to see the many ways that innovative people and organizations are able to take advantage of the spread of technology to make positive social change. Ushahidi, an open-source platform that can be used by anyone to collect and visualize user-generated information, is an excellent example. They’re using mobile and web technology – including social media platforms like Twitter – to capture critical up-to-date reports from individuals in crisis areas through crowd-sourcing and filtering

The Centre for Citizens’ Participation on the African Union (CCP-AU) seeks an Executive Director to provide strategic direction as well as operational and administrative oversight to the organisation. Based in Kenya (with potential relocation of the position to Addis Ababa) the Executive Director will work closely with and report to the CCP-AU Board of Directors.

The worldwide eradication of smallpox may, inadvertently, have helped spread HIV infection, scientists believe. Experts say the vaccine used to wipe out smallpox offered some protection against the Aids virus and, now it is no longer used, HIV has flourished. The US investigators said trials indicated the smallpox jab interferes with how well HIV multiplies.

About two million South African train commuters were left stranded as two major transport unions widened a strike which began last week. The unions have called on their members working for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) to stop working in a dispute over pay.

Recent homophobic statements by religious leaders and government authorities risk undermining Zambia's fight against HIV/AIDS, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Zambian leaders on May 17, 2010. Human Rights Watch called on government authorities to condemn statements that could discourage men who have sex with men from seeking health care and erode their fundamental human rights, and to reaffirm the importance of HIV testing and treatment for these men.

The World Bank has described its recent increase of 3.13 percent in the voting power of emerging economies as a reform "to enhance voice and participation of developing and transition countries". But the shift has actually decreased a third of African countries’ share of votes.

More than 100 civil society organizations from around the globe signed on to a letter demanding an end to all fossil fuel projects at the World Bank with aims other than energy access for the poor. Until the Bank halts the financing of such projects, bringing them into line with the G20 and APEC pledges to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, these CSOs will oppose the Bank's recapitalization ask.

The conviction and sentencing of two men in Malawi based on their sexual orientation presents a serious threat to the country’s AIDS response. Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga were this week sentenced to 14 years in prison with hard labour for "indecent practices between males" and "unnatural offenses."
“The criminalization of individuals based on their sexual orientation is not just a human rights issue - it also undermines investment in HIV and AIDS as it drives sexual behavior underground and creates an environment where HIV can more easily spread”, says Prof. Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund.

Eleven militia members have been sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo for their part in an attack that left two UN staff dead. During the attack, in April in the town of Mbandaka, local militia overwhelmed UN and government troops and briefly seized the airport.

Human Rights Watch has expressed disappointment at the Burundian government's decision to withdraw the work authorization of Neela Ghoshal, Human Rights Watch's researcher in Burundi. The government made its decision following Human Rights Watch's publication of a report last week on pre-election violence in the country.

In Copenhagen, donor countries pledged to raise US$30 billion in “fast start funds” and an additional US$100 billion a year by 2020 to invest in reducing emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change. Though the commitments are clear, the delivery is uncertain. By the June UNFCCC meetings in Bonn, countries will need to start drafting a set of decisions on the financial architecture to manage and distribute these climate funds.

''The rebel leader asked me two things: 'Do you want us to be your husbands? Or do you want us to rape you?'. "Congolese mother-of-eight Clementine speaks in a quiet and hesitant voice: "I chose to be raped." She explains: "I told myself, if I tell them that I want to be their wife, they will kill my husband. I didn't want my children growing up saying the one that made our father die is our mother."

Foreign aid programs continue to pour funds into what seems like Africa’s bottomless bucket. Illicit financial flows out of Africa are twice the amount of foreign aid into the region. Between 1970 and 2008, according to a study by Global Financial Integrity (GFI), illicit flows from Africa totaled at least $854 billion, and could reach as high as $1.8 trillion when taking into account missing data from certain countries and other conduits of illicit flows not captured in the study.

In 2009 the world witnessed more people displaced within their country by conflict and violence than at any point since the mid-1990s. An alarming total of 27.1 million were internally displaced at the end of the year, says a report launched in London by John Holmes, the UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator and Elisabeth Rasmusson, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) Secretary General. According to the report Internal Displacement: Global Overview of Trends and Developments in 2009, the number of IDPs continued to rise last year, predominantly due to long-running internal conflicts

YES-Ghana is seeking a highly motivated and capable Communications Officer to manage its corporate communications agenda. The position is based in Accra and the holder shall report to the Executive Director.

Families left homeless by a landslide on the slopes of a volcano which left 54 people missing in the Democratic Republic of Congo will be relocated, the UN says. A UN spokesperson told the BBC that some 250 homes had been destroyed. An overflowing river caused a landslide at the weekend on the slopes of Nyiragongo volcano, near the eastern town of Goma.

The Ugandan rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) slaughtered 96 civilians and abducted dozens more between January and early April 2010 in a brutal killing campaign in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch has said. There has been no letup of LRA atrocities since Human Rights Watch reported on a deadly LRA rampage that took place in December 2009.

Niger's government needs another 45 billion CFA francs ($85.24 million) in food aid after a new survey found 500,000 more people than previously thought will face severe food shortages this year, the government said. The new survey, carried out in April and published on Thursday, showed that 3.3 million people, or 22.2 percent of Niger's population, are facing severe food insecurity. Previous estimates put the figure at 2.7 million.

Eight of Africa’s best known musicians are calling for commitment to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in a song, video and advocacy campaign that was launched today. It will be featured before, during and after the World Cup 2010, the first one to be hosted in Africa, the continent least likely to achieve the MDGs. 8 Goals for Africa features Yvonne Chaka Chaka from South Africa, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angelique Kidjo from Benin, Oliver Mtukudzi from Zimbabwe, Eric Wainaina from Kenya, Baaba Maal from Senegal, and the Soweto Gospel Choir from South Africa.