A 21-year secession war in Senegal's southern province of Casamance has finished, says the rebel leader. Jean-Marie Francois Biagui was speaking at a gathering of hundreds of rebel delegates in the Casamance capital, Ziguinchor.

After negotiations between Dr John Garang and the First Vice President, Ali Osman Taha, in Naivasha, Kenya, the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) have signed an agreement on one of the most contentious issues, security arrangements during the Interim Period. This marks an important step forward in the peace process and is an indication that a peace deal will be reached in the coming months, although probably not before the end of the year, according to the Sudan Focal Point Monthly Briefing, distributed in this briefing from the Africa Action Africa Policy E-Journal.

At least 200 trade union activists were arrested on Wednesday for participating in protests against soaring prices and high taxes in the latest crackdown on dissent in the troubled southern African country.

Mediatrice Ilibagiza, 38, is a widow and mother of three who, like thousands of other Rwandan women, lost her husband during Rwanda's 1994 genocide. She was also among the hundreds of women who were raped by Hutu militiamen known as the Interahamwe and soldiers of the old army, the Forces armees rwandaises, leaving her infected with HIV/AIDS.

Twelve people, most of them soldiers, have been arrested in Burkina Faso since last week allegedly for planning with a foreign country to overthrow the government of President Blaise Campaore, State Prosecutor Abdoulaye Barry told reporters on Tuesday.

Tens of thousands of people who have fled from Darfur in western Sudan to neighbouring Chad are "invisible" to the humanitarian community, receiving practically no assistance, according to Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF). "MSF is extremely concerned about the lack of assistance and protection for Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad," it said in a statement.

Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye and the leader of the strife-torn central African country's largest Hutu rebel group signed an agreement here early on Wednesday to implement a ceasefire deal hammered out late last year. The comprehensive agreement, signed by Ndayizeye and Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) leader Pierre Nkurunziza in the South African capital, included a compromise deal on political and military issues with both leaders declaring an immediate halt to hostilities.

While everyone is hoping for a permanent suspension of hostilities in Burundi, too little consideration is being given to what will happen when peace is reached and over one million uprooted Burundians rush home, says the International Crisis Group in its latest report. Burundi’s refugees and displaced persons have been waiting for the dividends of peace ever since the Arusha agreement was signed on 28 August 2000. The foreseeable disappointment of a large number of refugees who will be unable to recover their property upon return offers ideal political opportunities for those opposed to the peace process and risks destabilising any transition to peace right from the outset.

Since the atrocities of September 11th 2001, the leaders of the major international powers have been focused upon confronting what they perceive as the greatest threat to world security: the combination of weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism. Though those threats are very real, terror is nothing new for millions of people caught up in the world’s seemingly intractable conflicts. Since 2001, there have been trends which may have made civilians even more vulnerable than before, notes this report from Oxfam.

When Africa entered the final decade of the 20th century, interesting words had replaced the traditional political vocabulary. In came new catchwords like democracy, transparency, accountability and human rights. It was a tremendous improvement. Sadly, by the time the millennium dawned, these new words had lost their meaning and the continent had once again reverted to its previous wretched state. The blame in many ways lies with the continent’s political leaders and their foreign allies.

Perhaps it's true after all that prophets are readily dismissed, if not crucified as felons within their backyards. It's certainly true in Kenya, where a battle is afoot regarding the remains of "Field Marshall" Dedan Kimathi, a hero of Kenya's war of independence and a leader within Africa's inaugural guerrilla movement, the Mau Mau. But while Kimathi's body, currently buried in an unmarked grave within the grounds of a penitentiary, may yet find a more respectful home, his story only hints at the larger re-evaluation of the Mau Mau and their era.

At least 23 people, the majority of them women and children, were hacked or shot to death Monday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN said, in the first reported massacre since UN peacekeepers began patrolling the troubled northeast last month.

Religious leaders in southern Africa have pledged their commitment to help resolve some of the conflicts and civil strife inherent in the region in order to maintain peace and stability.

The conflict in northern Uganda, one of many forgotten wars around the globe, took a dramatic turn for the worse in June 2002 when a government offensive sparked fierce rebel retaliation. The LRA has abducted at least 8,000 children in the past year alone; and an estimated 25,000 have been taken since the beginning of rebel activity in the late 1980s.

Liberia's Interim President Moses Blah and the chairman of the main rebel group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) Sekou Damate Conneh, have traded accusations over last Wednesday's shootout in the capital, Monrovia in which nine people died.

The crisis facing Zimbabwe continues to eat away at the nation's economic and social fabric. While political party actors debate the possibilities for negotiations, the standard of living for the vast majority of Zimbabweans continues to decline drastically. This update from the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition outlines the critical concerns currently facing the Zimbabwean population, and then discusses scenarios for transition and prospects for settlement.

Many children die in developing countries without ever reaching a health facility. What stops caregivers from accessing medical services? Why are they accessed late? Are caregivers able to spot the symptoms and signs of severe illnesses? Research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine tackles this question in rural Ghana.

Despite concerted efforts by relief agencies, a recurring outbreak of cholera continues to affect Kasai Oriental Province and the city of Mbuji-Mayi, in particular, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the International Federation of the Red Cross reported last Thursday.

A row is raging in New Zealand after a leading broadcaster described UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as a "cheeky darkie". Paul Holmes, one of New Zealand's highest-profile and highest paid broadcasters, told his morning radio show audience: "We're not going to be told how to live our lives by a Ghanaian."

Thousands of attacks on white farmers in South Africa over the last 12 years were motivated by an intent to rob - fueled by poverty and unemployment - not by racism, a special committee investigating the attacks said.