Uganda’s former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ezra Suruma, has expressed doubt that the government will have the capacity to appropriately utilise expected oil revenues, given problems of corruption, weak budgertary control and lack of ability to absorb an injection of cash. 'I must say that oil frightens me as a possible source of instability if it is not carefully managed. We have had severe political instability since independence. Some of us who still carry or bear the scars of that instability are careful when looking at these issues to ensure that this instability does not come back,' he told a conference.

Thirty-five years after his death, marked on 12 September, Steve Biko's legacy remains. In this lecture, celebrated novelist Ben Okri reflects on the meaning of Biko's life and writings for Africa. He concludes that there are three Africas: the one that we see every day; the one that they write about and the real magical Africa that we don’t see unfolding through all the difficulties of our time. The full transcript is available and a podcast of the lecture can be listened to here.

More than a year after civil unrest broke out in Burkina Faso, observers and analysts say despite some progress, and sustained support for President Blaise Compaoré, tension between his government and the population remains. Stability in Burkina Faso is vital for regional stability, said a Western diplomat, given the recent conflict in Côte d’Ivoire and the current situation in Mali.

President Zuma has appointed Judge Ian Farlam to head up a Commission of Inquiry into the massacre at Marikana. But is it the appropriate mechanism for dealing with the most pressing issue that needs to be addressed about Marikana: the fact that more than 34 people were killed by police on 16 August in circumstances that were, to put it in the mildest terms, highly questionable?

Dear Editor

I have just read the article by Ebiem. While, of course, many people died during both the political riots before the war and during the war there is certainly another way of looking at these deaths.

I don't think he mentions the massacre in the North? I believe the final tally at the morgues there was around 7,000. The myth went up to 53,000.

I worked in both UCH Ibadan during the war where some Igbo soldiers were treated alongside Federal soldiers and in Port Harcourt after the war.

I know that the strafing of Awka and other parts of Igboland was very serious but in PH there was only one house damaged. Also the number of civilian injuries were very few indeed unlike the wars that came later elsewhere in the world.

Another thing, he mentions Biafrans as if they were different from Igbo people. Does he refer to other people from the South East? If so I doubt if they would want to be included. And finally who started the war?

In general I challenge his figures and I would like to hear other comments about this sad event in the past.

The Segeju, a minority community at the Kenyan coast, has undergone forced assimilation perpetrated by the government over the years and is now in serious danger of losing its culture and language. The political consequences are there for all to see.

It is a new year
Ethiopian New Year
I smell flower
Yellow flower
Ethio flavour

And there, I see her
My sweet, my lover
Red is her colour
She is far but near

She melts my heart
Like chocolate
Dark brown sweet

She is my summer
My red flower
And now am falling
My heart is warming
My soul is dancing
So don’t come winter
To change the colour
Of my red flower

It is a New Year
Ethiopian New Year
A new beginning
Let’s be forgiving
Let’s stop bittering
And start greening

Love is a winner
Basta grudger
The sky is clear
So nothing to fear

Life is so short
So why we fight
Let’s just enjoy it
As we can lose it
Before we know it

There is a New Year
And new flower
Around the corner
Yellow flower
Better than power
That makes us bitter
That feeds us anger
That kills our love
And our poor dove

It is a new year
Ethiopian New Year
Fresh flower
Breathe in the air
We shall have no fear
As we catch fire
As we desire
Deep in our heart
For love as we melt

Workers at Lonmin's Marikana mine, west of Pretoria, have just accepted an offer of a 22 per cent overall pay increase, ending weeks of bloody strikes in which dozens died. Police brutality and the exploitation of workers were the defining features of the strike.

Ethiopian ruling party the People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), has confirmed Mr Hailemariam Desalegn as country's Prime Minister. The leader picked to succeed the late Meles Zenawi last month will be sworn in when the country's parliament reconvenes next month. Mr Hailemariam also becomes chairman of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), the ruling coalition of parties.

A coalition of organisations is to submit an alternative report to the UN Human Rights Committee to inform its review of Kenya’s Third Periodic Report at its 105th Session (9 - 27 July 2012) on the implementation of the Provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in relation to torture. The report seeks to highlight the prevalent incidences of torture and related human rights violations in Kenya as serious concerns remain in this area. The overall conclusion is that whilst Kenya has endeavoured to include the principles of the ICCPR in its newly promulgated Constitution of 2010 and legislative framework, there continue to be important legislative and administrative gaps that still provide challenges towards full implementation of the ICCPR as specified in subsequent chapters.

The UN Human Rights Office has released a new publication on sexual orientation and gender identity in international human rights law. It sets out the source and scope of some of the core legal obligations that States have to protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The 60-page booklet is designed as a tool for States, to help them better understand the nature of their obligations and the steps required to meet them, as well as for civil society activists, human rights defenders and others seeking to hold Governments to account for breaches of international human rights law.

Somalia’s new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud says he is willing to begin talks with the armed group al-Shabab. In an exclusive video interview with Al Jazeera's Peter Greste, he outlines his key concerns for Somalia.

'It’s possible that two children died so that you could have that mobile phone,' says Jean-Bertin, a 34-year-old Congolese activist who wants to end the 'absolute silence' around the crimes committed in his country to exploit strategic raw materials like coltan. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has at least 64 per cent of worldwide reserves of coltan, the colloquial African name for a dull black ore composed of two minerals, columbite and tantalite.

Tanzania has experienced several crises since October 2010 general elections, including some which have resulted in violence and death. This Global Voices post reports on a list made by blogger Dunia Duara of events fuelled by different kinds of crises or conflicts, which recently have caused serious problems in Tanzania.

American ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and three officials were killed when a mob attacked the US consulate in Benghazi on 12 September. The protest arguably emerged out of a long-standing sense of humiliation and anger at the West.

Change is here. Visit any town in Kenya and, if you know where to look, you will not miss a pub, clinic, youth center, church yard, school or social hall where gays and lesbians meet to relax or discuss issues of concern to them.

In the course of my departure from Pambazuka News, I have been overwhelmed by the number of letters I have received from readers – too many for me to thank individually. Thank you to all of you who wrote or called.??

I also want to give thanks to the contribution, talent, tenacity and commitment of the small team of editors who worked with under great duress recently to ensure the regular publication of this unique pan-African e-newsletter and website. ??

The team, comprising of Patrick Burnett (South Africa), Tidiane Kassé (Senegal), and Henry Makori (Kenya), has decided to continue publishing Pambazuka News for as long as they are able to. ??

I write to urge all contributors and readers to support the team in their efforts. There continues to be a critical need for a platform such as Pambazuka News to support the struggle for freedom and justice.?

PAMBAZUKA NEWS STAFF REPLY: As the staff of Pambazuka News who have worked under Firoze Manji, in some cases for many years, we would like to pay tribute to his enormous commitment to the publication and what it stands for.??

Firoze worked tirelessly and passionately on Pambazuka News since it began over 10 years ago. He has signed off on nearly 600 English editions and nearly 300 French editions.??

When Pambazuka News began, it was a tiny email list with a handful of subscribers; against the odds it is now a major platform for news, views and activism. Firoze's time at Pambazuka News spanned global events that have changed our world: under his editorship activists from all backgrounds and causes, civil society professionals, Pan-Africanists, academics, global justice advocates, bloggers, tweeters and more have been able to come together and share views and opinions on these events in a way that was not possible to do before. In the process they have enriched their work and critical alliances and exchanges have been forged, taking forward the movement for social justice. The extent of this achievement should not be underestimated.??

On a personal note, we would like to publicly thank Firoze for sharing with us his fierce intellect and his willingness to transfer skills and in the process impart knowledge and learning to those around him. Pambazuka News will sorely miss, but not forget, his leadership.

Even the one tilling a soft ground retires, says a popular Ugandan saying, but President Museveni insists that there is nobody to replace him.

A new book on the celebrated Zimbabwean writer, with rare archival materials, adds fresh angles to the debate about his contribution to African literature.

After half-a-century of independence, life in Jamaica is marked by low wages, high prices, mass unemployment and depreciation of the national currency. The task of fulfilling the promise of independence lies with the Jamaican people.