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Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Africa

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Human Rights Watch: Abuses by All Sides Fueling Crisis in Somalia

A new report by Human Rights Watch accuses all sides in the Somali conflict of committing war crimes. The report, "'You Don't Know Who to Blame’: War Crimes in Somalia," calls on all sides to immediately end abuses against civilians, hold those responsible to account, and ensure access to aid and free movement of people fleeing conflict and drought. The report is highly critical of the Islamist group al-Shabab, as well...
Aug 17, 2011 | Story
Horn of Africa Famine: Millions at Risk in "Deadly Cocktail" of War, Climate Change, Neoliberalism

The United Nations has called an emergency meeting to discuss the Horn of Africa drought, which it says has already claimed tens of thousands of lives. Famine was declared in two regions of Somalia on Wednesday where 3.7 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Another eight million people need food assistance in neighboring countries including Kenya and Ethiopia. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls the situation...
Jul 22, 2011 | Story
Famine in Somalia, Horn of Africa Described as "Worst Humanitarian Disaster in the World"

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has issued an urgent appeal over the crisis in Somalia, where more than 11 million people are in need of life-saving assistance as they face the worst drought in decades. The United Nations describes the Somali drought as the worst humanitarian disaster in the world, and a top U.N. official, Valerie Amos, urged the world to make the link between climate change and the drought. The extended drought is forcing...
Jul 13, 2011 | Story
Red Cross Provided with Location of Secret Somali Prison Used by CIA

Democracy Now! correspondent and The Nation investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill provides an International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson with the location of the secret prison used by the CIA he uncovered in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, which the Red Cross says it didn’t know existed. "There are scores of people that have been held without charge in this basement, some of them, as far as we can document, for more than...
Jul 13, 2011 | Story
Climate Chaos: Christian Parenti's New Book Exposes How Global Warming Could Lead to Global Warfare

Extreme weather from Texas to Somalia may indicate that a new era of climate war is upon us. Just this month, massive floods have shut down two nuclear power facilities in Nebraska. In New Mexico, the nation’s top nuclear weapons lab in Los Alamos is being threatened by an uncontrolled wildfire. Meanwhile, the United Nations warns the Horn of Africa is facing its worst drought in 60 years, affecting more than 10 million in Djibouti, Ethiopia,...
Jun 30, 2011 | Story
Amidst Poverty and Human Rights Abuses, Equatorial Guinea Builds Lavish City to Host African Union

African heads of state are convening today in Equatorial Guinea for a week-long African Union summit. There has been a wave of arrests leading up to the summit, with police detaining an estimated 100 people. Human Rights Watch reports Equatorial Guinea is rife with politically motivated harassment, arbitrary detentions and unlawful killings. The country’s government also faces criticism for spending an estimated $830 million to build a city...
Jun 23, 2011 | Story
Harvard, Vanderbilt, Spelman Exposed for Taking Part in “African Land Grab”

A new report raises questions about the connection of Harvard, Vanderbilt and other U.S. universities to European financial interests buying or leasing vast areas of African farmland. Called “Understanding Land Investment Deals in Africa,” the report by the Oakland Institute claims farmers in Africa are being driven off their lands to make way for new industrial farming projects backed by hedge funds seeking profits and foreign countries looking...
Jun 20, 2011 | Story
“There is a Women's Spring Beginning”: Playwright Eve Ensler and Congolese Activist Christine Schuler Deschryver on Gender Violence in Congo

A newly published study in the American Journal of Public Health estimates more than two million women have been raped in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2006. But women’s advocates say there is also positive news coming from the DRC. The group V-Day, a global movement to stop all forms of gender-based violence, recently held the opening ceremony for the City of Joy, a groundbreaking new community that will be run by women survivors of...
Jun 07, 2011 | Story
Johann Hari: Frenzy around Britain's Royal Wedding "Should Embarrass Us All"

Up to two billion people around the world tuned in to watch the British royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, a story which has dominated TV news for weeks. The wedding buzz offers a chance to look at the monarchy, Britain’s domestic policy, and how its colonial legacy around the world affects foreign affairs today. While all eyes were on the wedding procession and the first kiss, Democracy Now! spoke with Johann Hari, a columnist...
Apr 29, 2011 | Story
Human Rights Concerns Continue After Capture of Ivory Coast Strongman Laurent Gbagbo

Supporters of the internationally recognized Ivory Coast president, Alassane Ouattara, have captured strongman Laurent Gbagbo, ending a four-month standoff that left hundreds dead. Gbagbo had refused to leave office since the country’s presidential election in November, which the United Nations says Ouattara won. Although the political standoff has come to a close, Ivory Coast remains in deep turmoil. At least 1,000 people are thought to have...
Apr 12, 2011 | Story