President Thabo Mbeki is to petition UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urgently to get UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to be more aggressive in defending civilians in the war-torn country, or to make way for African intervention, the Sunday Times reported in an early edition.

Since the 19th century, South Africa's economy has been sustained by the migration of cheap labour from neighbouring countries. But the end of apartheid, the consequent search for a new national identity and the accompanying tensions of a nation in transition have also fuelled deep suspicion and hostility against such migrants, who are now viewed increasingly as 'aliens'.

South Africa's Freedom of Expression Institute has called for the withdrawal of the draft Anti-Terrorism Bill, saying that, if passed, it will impact seriously on individual civil and political liberties such as the rights to freedom of expression, association, security of the person, belief, opinion, assembly and demonstration.

With President Robert Mugabe virtually hanging on by the thread because of Zimbabwe's fast deteriorating economic crisis, all Presidents Thabo Mbeki, Olusegun Obasanjo and Bakili Muluzi needed to do was to apply a little pressure to bring Mugabe to the negotiating table without any preconditions by him. But a golden opportunity to relieve Zimbabweans of the pain wrought upon them by the retrogressive policies of this government has been lost - all because Mbeki and company would rather have solidarity with the ageing dictator than with the long-suffering masses of Zimbabwe.

Is environmental degradation set to create new waves of displaced people seeking asylum in the north? Will refugee camps and shantytowns foster civil disorder, pandemics and political extremism to threaten the interests of the developed world? Or is the concept of ‘environmental refugee’ a dangerous distraction from central issues of development and conflict resolution?

The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) is working to eliminate any opposition to its victory in elections scheduled before the end of 2003, Human Rights Watch says in a new briefing paper. The briefing paper, "Preparing for Elections: Tightening Control in the Name of Unity" examines the Rwandan government's effort to eliminate the Democratic Republican Movement (MDR), the second largest party in the country after the RPF.

Mauritian sugar cane farmers breathed a sigh of relief as a severe tropical storm passed over the Indian Ocean island without incident. The country's weather services had previously issued a "cyclone warning, class one" and urged residents to stock up on adequate emergency supplies.

International non-governmental organisations working in Congo have been closely following the recent progress made in the DRC on the road to peace and democracy. We consider the successful end of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue and the imminent installation of the transitional government as important steps on the way to re-establishing rule of law in DRC.

Thousands of Somali refugees at Dadaab in northeastern Kenya have been left homeless after heavy rains destroyed hundreds of shelters last week, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported.

Central African Republic refugees living in the Republic of Congo have asked to be repatriated. In a statement made available to IRIN on Thursday in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, the 257 refugees recalled how they arrived in the country following a failed coup of 28 May 2001 led by former President Andre Kolingba.

Angry demonstrations broke out last week at a refugee camp in western Uganda over the government’s decision to relocate thousands of Sudanese refugees to two locations in the West Nile region of northern Uganda.

Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says it will launch a mass action campaign to demonstrate people's "displeasure" with the government of President Robert Mugabe. Following an inconclusive visit on Monday by three senior African presidents trying to open a dialogue between Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, MDC spokesperson Paul Nyathi said "our premise was talks can only yield something if further pressure is brought to bear on Mugabe."
Related Links:
* MDC CALLS FOR TALKS ON TRANSITIONAL GOVT
http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=33850
* HARARE MAYOR RETURNS TO WORK
http://www.africapulse.org.za/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=12…
* ZIMBABWE: WORKERS FIRED FOR PARTICIPATING IN NATIONAL STAYAWAY
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1197

The latest mission by the South African and Nigerian presidents to Harare appears to have yielded them Robert Mugabe’s favourite award: "The Order of the Dangling Carrot.’’ After Mugabe's 45 years in politics, from organiser of mob violence to state president, his methods are only too well known to Zimbabweans, says this comment from ZWNEWS.

A week after the transfer of the presidency from a Tutsi to a Hutu, the first wave of Burundian refugees arrived in Burundi, aid agencies said on Tuesday.

The US embassy in the Republic of Congo announced on Tuesday a contribution of 30,500,000 francs CFA (US $54,668) in support of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Pool Region who have sought refuge near the capital, Brazzaville, to escape fighting between Ninja rebels and government forces.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR has expressed alarm over the deteriorating state of sanitation in the Dadaab refugee camp, northeastern Kenya, where thousands of Somali refugees have been affected by floods.

A prominent refugee organisation in Uganda has condemned the government's refusal to listen to Sudanese refugees at a camp in western Uganda, who are unhappy over plans to move them north, closer to the Sudanese border.

Togo's Constitutional Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal filed by opposition leader, Gilchrist Olympio, seeking to validate his candidature for the 1 June presidential elections, crushing all hopes for Olympio to run against his long-time opponent and incumbent President Gnassingbe Eyadema.

Ethiopia's judiciary is failing to prevent widespread human rights abuses, a landmark conference on federalism, conflict and peace building heard on Wednesday.

This book by Patrick Chabal, first published in 1983 by Cambridge University Press, and now issued for the first time in paperback with a new preface, tells the story of Amilcar Cabral who, as head of the PAIGC, Guinea-Bissau’s nationalist movement, became one of Africa’s foremost revolutionary leaders.