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Eritrea accuses four Britons of espionage and terrorism

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 00:43:43 GMT

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Eritrea

Sources [edit]

"Eritrea accuses four detained Britons of 'espionage' and 'terrorism'" — The Daily Telegraph, June 10, 2011
"Eritrea claims seized Britons are 'terrorists'" — The Independent, June 10, 2011

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New ocean forming in African desert

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:16:31 GMT

Thursday, November 5, 2009

The African Wikinews Portal has more African news:

Geologists have confirmed that the African continent is being torn in two, forming a new ocean. An international collaboration has shown that a 35 mile long rift in the Afar region of the Ethiopian desert, which opened in 2005, is likely to be the beginning of a new sea.

The recent study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, brings together seismic data from the formation of the rift, showing that it is driven by similar processes to those at the bottom of oceans.

African and Arabian tectonic plates meet in the desert, and have been slowly pulling apart for roughly 30 million years. The same movement has also been parting the Red Sea. But this is only at a speed of less than 1 inch per year.

The sudden cracking in 2005, referred to by geologists as a "mega-dike intrusion", opened up a rift over 20 feet wide in places. The study has found that this happened over only a few days. According to Cindy Ebinger, a co-author of the study from the University of Rochester: "We know that seafloor ridges are created by a similar intrusion of magma into a rift, but we never knew that a huge length of the ridge could break open at once like this."

The investigation was led by Professor Atalay Ayele of Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. As well as Rochester, other groups involved included Eritrea Institute of Technology; National Yemen Seismological Observatory Center; University of Leeds, United Kingdom; Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, France; and Columbia University, New York.

"The whole point of this study is to learn whether what is happening in Ethiopia is like what is happening at the bottom of the ocean where it's almost impossible for us to go," said Ebinger. "Because of the unprecedented cross-border collaboration behind this research, we now know that the answer is yes, it is analogous."

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Sources [edit]

"African Desert Rift Confirmed as New Ocean in the Making" — University of Rochester, November 2, 2009
"Giant Crack in Africa Will Create a New Ocean" — LiveScience, November 2, 2009

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Djibouti says war with Eritrea is inevitable unless UN intervenes

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:46:29 GMT

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Politics and conflicts

Sources [edit]

"Djiboutian, Eritrean leaders speak at U.N." — Middle East Times, October 24, 2008
"Djibouti says Eritrea risking war" — BBC News Online, October 24, 2008

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United Nations requests US$700 million in aid for East Africa to avoid famine

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:17:43 GMT

Saturday, September 20, 2008

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The United Nations has called for wealthy donor nations to donate US$700 million (£382 million or €484 million) in emergency aid for Eastern Africa to prevent widespread famine. Since the start of 2008 the number of people living in hunger in the region has almost doubled to seventeen million, according to the UN.

UN emergency relief co-ordinator John Holmes states that food levels are dangerously low in much of Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Northern Kenya and Uganda. The area, known as the 'Horn of Africa', has seen drought, war and high food prices all worsen the situation. Holmes has warned that the levels of those in need could rise still further.

A total of $1.4 billion is to be raised for the period from now to the year's end, but at least $716 million of that remains to be found. "We may need significant funds after that period - this is not the end of the story," warned Holmes.

"We can avoid the situations of the 1980s and the 1990s which were genuine famines at different times. But we do need extra resources, very quickly indeed if we are going to avoid going back to famine situations," he said. He says Ethiopia and Somalia are in the worst states, with six million Ethiopians requiring emergency support and 43% of Somalia's population in a similar predicament.

He described locals saying that the situation has never been as bad since 1928, when vast amounts of livestock died. They say rain is needed within the next few months if there is to be any grazing and cereal crops are impossible in the near future, it being well into 2009 before anything may be ready to harvest.

The number of hungry people in the world rose by 75 million last year to 925 million. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation says high food prices are to blame for the crisis.

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Sources [edit]

"Boost Africa aid by $700m, UN says" — ABC News, September 20, 2008
"Hunger levels soar in East Africa" — BBC News Online, September 20, 2008

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African nations gather to support a ban on cluster bombs

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:36:13 GMT

Thursday, April 3, 2008

An American B-1b Lancer drops cluster bombs.
Image: U.S. Air Force.

A 39-nation coalition in Africa passed a declaration on Tuesday to ban cluster bombs in a nearly unanimous vote. The gathering in Lukasa, Zambia was the first meeting of the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) in Africa.

"Africa is ready for Dublin," summarised Zambian delegate Robert Mtonga, referring to the upcoming May 19-30 meeting in Ireland to discuss a global ban on the weapons. "Too often Africa's voice is pushed to the margins in international decision-making. But in banning cluster bombs worldwide, a common African voice will speak volumes and win the day".

	Too often Africa's voice is pushed to the margins in international decision-making. But in banning cluster bombs worldwide, a common African voice will speak volumes and win the day.
—Robert Mtonga, Zambian delegate

Mtonga was critical of South Africa, the lone voice against Monday's decision and the continent's largest producer and stockpiler of cluster bombs, and called on the country to destroy its munitions and join the coalition to outlaw their use. Egypt, the only other African nation to produce the controversial weapons, voiced support for the ban.

"Strong political will" was credited with the resolution, by CMC co-ordinator Thomas Nash in recognising the drive "to stop the proliferation of this outdated weapon".

In a released statement the CMC said that 19 African countries, including South Africa, have endorsed the Wellington Declaration. The Wellington Declaration is the basis for the upcoming negotiations at the Dublin Diplomatic Conference in Ireland in May.

While countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom have tabled the idea of a "transition period" during which time cluster bombs would remain a legitimate weapon of war, the African delegation was resolutely against the idea, calling for an immediate ban.

Cluster munitions are dropped from aircraft, opening in mid-air and releasing a large number of smaller explosives over a wide area. Writer Theodora Williams stated that their use usually results in "...the death and maiming of thousands of innocent civilians".

There are currently 13 African nations that possess cluster bombs although Uganda has recently announced they are destroying their stockpiles. The weapons have been used in eight African conflicts in the past 35 years. In addition to Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria and the Sudan, other nations known to have used the weapons are the former Yugoslavia, Eritrea, France, Israel, the Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the United States, China, Russia, and Israel have resisted any ban on cluster bombs, arguing that they can be used in self-defense. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the United States has lobbied allies to create loopholes in the upcoming Oslo treaty, to allow for the use of cluster bombs. Reuters reported that a U.S. official had stated that cluster bombs should not be banned if they are used responsibly in state conflicts.

In October 2007, Uganda became the first African country to state it would destroy its cluster bomb stockpiles. Uganda has announced a pan-African meeting to take place after the Dublin meeting, which would seek to garner support for the signing of a treaty in Oslo set to take place in December 2008. The weapons have been used in eight African conflicts in the past 35 years.

The CMC is an international network composed of over 250 civil society organizations in 60 countries, with the stated aim of protecting civilians from cluster munitions. Members of the CMC have been working to complete an international treaty to ban cluster munitions by 2008.

At the February CMC committee meeting in New Zealand, only 82 of the 122 nations present endorsed a draft ban on the production, usage or storage of cluster bombs.

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Sources [edit]

Learn more about Cluster bomb and Cluster Munition Coalition on Wikipedia.

Agence France-Presse. "SA ‘must destroy cluster bomb stockpile’" — The Times, April 1, 2008
Moses Magadza. "Zimbabwe: Need for Cluster Bomb Ban Treaty" — The Herald (Zimbabwe), April 1, 2008
International Campaign to Ban Landmines. "Strong landmark African Declaration to ban cluster bombs - only South Africa calls for exceptions to the ban" — Press Release, April 1, 2008
Hugh Macleod. "Nations working to ban cluster bombs" — San Francisco Chronicle, March 17, 2008

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Five Europeans are released in Ethiopia

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 15:46:03 GMT

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

United Kingdom

Sources [edit]

"Ethiopia group release confirmed" — BBC World News Online, March 13, 2007
"Ethiopia Hostages Freed" — Sky News, March 13, 2007

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