The Mombasa attacks have served two purposes. One is specifically to draw the Israelis further into a regional war on terror. The other is to demonstrate, by attempting to shoot down an airliner, that the reach of al Qaeda and its associates is potentially worldwide. Meanwhile, the view from Washington remains that this is an unconventional war that can be fought and won on American terms. There is still little interest in understanding where al Qaeda is coming from or why support for it may be increasing. The tragedy is that it may take more atrocities and much more loss of life before a deeper understanding begins to dawn, says an analysis by Foreign Policy in Focus.

The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has labelled the arrests of several high-level members of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) as a "chilling reminder" of the repression and intimidation faced by those opposed to the policies of President Robert Mugabe. This follows the arrest of five ZCTU members on December 9, including general secretary Wellington Chibhebhe.

In its new human rights working group on 'people of African descent', the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has placed Black Americans, Canadians, and other unspecified Black populations elsewhere, into the category "Western European and Other". The OHCHR is located in Geneva, Switzerland. Text of the official UN press release is included below. The "Working-Group on People of African Descent" is to follow up on concerns raised at the United Nations World Conference against Racism (WCAR) in Durban, South Africa, Aug/Sept. 2001. Racism and related issues are international human rights issues as well as domestic concerns within countries. Well thought-out structures are required to address them even if it means altering application of the UN's five-part division of the World. Otherwise this working group on or for "people of African Descent" shows distinct potential to possibly marginalise or trivialise significant populations, and that's just the beginning.

The Mouvement de liberation du Congo (MLC) and the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma), the two largest rebel factions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have reached a power-sharing agreement for a future transitional national government. However, the DRC government opposes the deal.
Related Link: Power-sharing talks resume in SA
http://ww.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31323

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has hailed the waiver of ex-President Hissene Habre's immunity by the Chadian government, saying it would pave the way for his prosecution in Belgium. It also opens the way for his indictment and extradition from Senegal where he lives in exile, HRW said in a news release.

The Rwandan-backed Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie (RCD-Goma) rebel movement last Friday claimed to have recaptured the mineral-rich town of Mwenga in South Kivu Province in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from a local Mayi-Mayi militia backed by Rwandan Hutu exiles.

The Sudanese government has agreed in principle to a proposal by the African Union (AU) that the Khartoum government meet its Asmara counterpart, according to Sudanese radio. The radio said on 6 December that the AU had invited the two governments to meet and discuss ways of reducing bilateral tension, which has been high for the past two months following accusations by Sudan that Eritrea was backing rebel forces fighting the government of President Umar al-Bashir.

Government troops retook Damara in the northeast of the Central African Republic (CAR) last Saturday after a two-hour battle against rebels loyal to the former army chief of staff, Gen Francois Bozize, Junior Defence Minister Xavier Yangongo told IRIN.

The US has issued a warning to the government of Swaziland saying that if it continues to ignore democratic principles its eligibility under the US African Growth and Opportunity Act will be reviewed.

Kenyan police appear to be using the November 28 attacks on Israeli tourists in Mombassa to justify a crackdown on refugees living in Nairobi, Human Rights Watch says. Since November 29, the police have conducted three large raids and dozens of arbitrary arrests against refugees from Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in several neighborhoods of Nairobi.
Related Link: Police deny refugee harassment
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=31300

Several well known human rights activists and members of Nigeria's civil society have been prevented from travelling out of the country in the past week by the Nigerian State Security Service (SSS), says CREDO, an International human rights organisation based in Senegal and London and focusing on work in Africa. CREDO said the "new wave" of repression by Nigeria's civil society was believed to be authorised by the highest levels of Nigeria's political and military establishment.

French soldiers have discovered a mass grave in the west of divided Ivory Coast, where rebels and loyalist forces have been locked in conflict since September, a French army spokesman said last Friday.

Population growth, land pressure and decreasing agricultural productivity have led to severe economic, ecological and social challenges in the Mulanje District of Malawi. As a result the area is experiencing structural violence, an extended socio-economic crisis, and the potential for violent conflict is slowly building up.

Although the government claims it has stopped acquiring farms, the listing and gazetting of commercial farms continues. The state of affairs has been interpreted by critics to mean there is continued confusion in the farming sector. More than 30 farms were listed in an Extraordinary Government Gazette under General Notices 610 A of 2002 and 610 B of 2002.

The strength of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) is to be expanded to a total of 8,700 military personnel and have its presence extended eastwards.

Residents fleeing the western city of Man told of corpses scattered in the streets. No one thought this could happen in Ivory Coast, but in Man, the fall from grace of this West African nation can be seen — and smelled.

The Swazi government's deliberate and flagrant disregard for the rule of law and its attempts to undermine the independence of the judiciary jeopardize long term protection of human rights in Swaziland, says Amnesty International.

CREDO, an organisation supporting freedom of expression and associated rights, has welcomed with caution the registration of 22 political parties in Nigeria this week. However, CREDO said in a statement that it was not the role of government to screen and register parties. “Rather an Independent Electoral Commission should merely recognise the existence of parties that notify it of their intention to participate in electoral processes, once they fulfil basic administrative procedure,” CREDO said.

A group of Islamists based in Somalia and linked to Al-Qa'ida has emerged as the prime suspect for last Thursday's bomb and missile attacks on Israeli tourists in Kenya, American officials claim.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has registered 22 new political parties, bringing the total number registered to 28. INEC Chairman Dr. Abel Guobadia said the commission had scrutinised the organisations and been satisfied with what it had found.