The recent uprisings that have affected almost every country in the Middle East and North Africa region are indicative of deep structural issues that are facing societies in these countries. Calls for democracy, economic reforms, employment opportunities and greater accountability require us to question the development model pursued in the region by institutions like the World Bank and the underlying assumptions that may have led to the failure of this model, says this article from the Bank Information Centre.

The Second Committee of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which focuses on economic and finance policy, released in January a draft resolution on external debt sustainability and development. The text of the draft resolution on external debt sustainability recognises the important role of debt relief, debt restructuring and debt cancellation for the purpose of debt crisis prevention as well as for mitigating the adverse impact of the world financial and economic crisis in developing countries.

There is a wide recognition that regional integration is crucial for the prosperous future of African countries' economic progress, with some of the highest tariffs facing African countries being imposed by their neighbours, regional economic integration remains a challenge and only a very small percentage of African countries exports are being traded regionally. Visit the Chatham House website for a document summarising an event held at Chatham House which explored the prospects for an African free trade area.

Last March, donors pledged billions of US dollars for the reconstruction of Haiti, after an earthquake devastated the country. But a year later, a group of 40 Haitian organisations finds that ‘nothing significant has really been undertaken’. Instead Haitian players have been excluded from strategic decision-making and the ‘millions of people affected directly or indirectly by the earthquake continue to face the consequences in destitution, and with no support whatsoever.’

Firoze Manji, founder and editor-in-chief of Pambazuka News,

Hundreds of Swazis have been arrested after they took to the streets on 12 and 13 April, to demonstrate against the monarchy. Swaziland’s King Mswati has presided over a ‘system of governance’ that protest organisers say has left the country’s ‘people divided, poor and powerless’. Sokari Ekine reports on southern Africa’s first uprising and provides updates on the situation in Djibouti, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire and Libya.

Nigeria’s elections got off to a bad start, postponed by the electoral commission chairman after some citizens had already cast their votes. Is it just incompetence, or are there more sinister forces at play, asks Sokari Ekine.

Rising unemployment in South Africa is spelling disaster for the country's black population, reports Al Jazeera in this video, as it highlights the prevalence of unemployment amongst youth both with and without educational qualifications.

Ugandan police have fired tear gas during a walk-to-work protest in the capital, Kampala, and arrested several opposition politicians behind it. For the second time this week, people were asked to walk to work to protest against rising fuel and food prices. Police tried to arrest opposition leader Kizza Besigye, but a group of his supporters shielded him.

The Mozambican government has just introduced new subsidies to cushion the blow of rising food prices. But will they be enough to deflate popular protests? Alcino Moiana thinks not.

In the two months since pro-democracy rebels rose up, eastern Libya has faced food and fuel shortages, media blackouts, power outages and the total disruption of social services. And with a long-time government prohibition on all NGOs and international humanitarian agencies barred from filling the void, the citizens of Benghazi are on their own and have set up their own structures to provide for themselves.

Egypt's prosecutor general has ordered the detention of former President Hosni Mubarak, ahead of an investigation into corruption and abuse allegations. He is reported to be in an 'unstable condition' a day after being admitted to hospital with heart problems. He has been ordered detained for 15 days. His sons Alaa and Gamal have also been detained.

Angola, Africa's second-biggest crude oil producer, has denied a report that it lost almost $6 billion in illicit capital flows in 2009. Calculations provided to Reuters by Washington-based watchdog Global Financial Integrity (GFI) suggest funds equivalent to nearly a sixth of the annual budget went missing in the last year for which data are available. In a rare response from the usually tight-lipped government, the finance ministry denied there was anything suspicious about the discrepancies highlighted by GFI.

As the protest campaign grows in Swaziland, and alarming reports grow of a security clampdown, African democracy institute Idasa has called on Swaziland to avoid further bloodshed and a repeat of the crises in conflict-ridden Libya and Ivory Coast – urging parties in the mounting conflict in that country to aim towards building an environment that is conducive to dialogue and negotiations. Idasa says it recognises citizens’ right to protest and make their voices heard, and sees the demonstrations as a clear indication of the determination, commitment and willingness of the people of Swaziland to pursue democratic reform.

Some 1.5 billion people live in countries affected by repeated cycles of political and criminal violence, and no low-income fragile or conflict-affected country has yet to achieve a single Millennium Development Goal. Fixing the economic, political, and security problems that disrupt development and trap fragile states in cycles of violence requires strengthening national institutions and improving governance in ways that prioritise citizen security, justice, and jobs, according to a new report from the World Bank. The World Development Report 2011 notes that at least 1.5 billion people are still affected by current violence or its legacies.

Kenya's suspended Higher Education minister William Ruto has been cleared of graft charges involving irregular allocation of a forest land. Also acquitted were Ruto's co-accused Baringo Central MP Sammy Mwaita and Joshua Kulei.

As Nigeria goes to the polls to elect a new president, a wind of change is moving through the political landscape of this emerging democracy. Young Nigerians are adamant that it is time their voice and vote counted. 'Our culture has used the issue of respect to silence the youth for a long time. I don’t think it was intentional but it’s a case where if you are young, you are seen and not heard and you only speak when spoken to,' says Nosariemme Garrick, 26, the co-founder of Vote or Quench, a non-partisan youth empowerment organisation that uses social media to engage young Nigerians, at home and in the diaspora.

Cameroon's parliament stripped its electoral body of the right to announce provisional results in future elections, and opposition parties called the move a 'foul game' by President Paul Biya to steal another term. The government proposed the change in light of the violent post-election crisis in Ivory Coast, where electoral commission results showing incumbent Laurent Gbagbo's loss were quickly reversed by the country's highest court.

A court has ordered militant supporters of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to stop exhuming hundreds of skeletons they say were the victims of colonial-era massacres. The judge said the exhumations violated all international protocols on investigating suspected human rights violations and amounted to 'interference or tampering with crime scenes'.

The party of Zimbabwe’s prime minister said on Thursday (07 April) that 14 people were hurt after youths attacked scores of mourners at a memorial service. The ceremony was being held to remember four party activists slain during the election violence in 2008. An independent Christian group known as Heal Zimbabwe Trust organised the ceremony. It has held services for victims of political violence across the country since the 2008 poll.