Humanitarian agencies have expressed concern at the plight of Somali refugees camped in the northeastern Kenyan town of Mandera who, they say, were forcibly returned by police to Somalia. The temporary camp, known as Border Point 1, hosted some 3,000 refugees before the police arrived but was now empty, a humanitarian worker told IRIN on Thursday.

A Tanzanian parliamentary committee has urged the government to speed up the repatriation of more than half a million people who sought refuge in the country after fleeing civil strife in neighbouring countries.

Nigeria is among 17 countries blacklisted for financial crimes by the UN Financial Action Task Force, the CBN deputy governor, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, says.

Fighting in Burundi is escalating ahead of peace talks due to take place in Tanzania on Thursday. The Burundi army says it has killed more than 200 rebel fighters in fierce fighting over the past two weeks.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has described as "malicious" and "outrageous" allegations of corruption and mismanagement levelled against it by a group of Kenyan politicians over the agency's management of refugee camps in the northern part of the country.

Cameroon's main opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) party has ended a boycott of parliament and municipal councils in protest against "flawed legislative and local government elections".

A police disciplinary hearing on Tuesday recommended that the commander of the Cape Peninsula dog unit be fired over an alleged racist slur.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is to help Liberia's government provide emergency agricultural assistance to war-affected farmers through a project worth US $237,000.

The election of Armando Guebuza as the new secretary general of Mozambique’s ruling party, Frelimo, makes it certain that he will be the party’s presidential candidate in 2004. During over two decades in politics, Guebuza has driven some controversial policies and is known to have extensive business interests. He talked to allAfrica.com about his goals.

About 210 MDC members in Marange, Mutare West, have reportedly fled their homes after being tortured by Zanu PF youths camped at Bazel Bridge in the run-up to rural district council by-elections.

Burundi's Group of 10 Tutsi parties that signed the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement to return stability to the country have threatened to pull out of the deal unless their continued marginalisation within the transitional government ends, Bonesha FM radio reported on Monday.

Human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have increased throughout the national territory since the signing of the Sun City agreement, according to a newly-issued report from one of the primary Congolese rights organisations.

Ethiopia is facing a food shortfall of almost 200,000 tons until the end of the year, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.

A western human rights group on Tuesday called on the Zimbabwean government and NGOs to step up assistance to the growing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country, saying that although information was lacking on exactly how many people were on the move, aid to IDPs should not be delayed.

South Africa is awash with funding for HIV/Aids prevention and care. However, lack of management capacity, national strategies in their infancy and "shaky" co-operation between Pretoria and the provinces have the potential to result in major under-spending in fighting the epidemic. These points are made in an article in the latest issue of the South African Medical Journal.

You will have extensive background in media, information, communications, an understanding of conflict management issues and a conceptual grasp of contemporary development discourse. Panos Eastern Africa works with the media, policy-makers and international agencies throughout East Africa and the Horn to provide information and stimulate debate on developing issues.

The European Union (EU) has demanded a public inquiry into disturbances in Southern Ethiopia earlier this year, which left at least 128 dead.

Aid workers and experts say the response to the current food crisis in Southern Africa, which threatens an estimated 13 million people, has been hampered by donor fatigue, an unwillingness by rich nations to accept the scope of the crisis, and scepticism about the governments of countries receiving food aid.

Refugees in Ethiopia are to benefit from a US $1.7 million donation from the US government to help make up food shortages. The move follows appeals by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) which warned it may be forced to cut rations to thousands of refugees because of a shortfall. WFP said the drop in calories would have hit refugee women and children hardest. The pledge is part of a US $12.4 million donation to the World Food Programme to “fill critical gaps” in refugee feeding across Africa.

The European Union has released Euro 30 million (US $29.6 million) to provide urgent support for Angola's peace process. The funds fall within a Euro 125 million (US $ 123.6 million) plan for humanitarian and rehabilitation projects in the country.