The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) sounded the alarm on the worsening humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa today, noting that nearly five million children under the age of five in the region are now hungry. This marks an increase of 1 million since May, while the number of people in need of emergency assistance in the region has also risen, climbing from 20 million earlier this year to 24 million, the agency said.

Guinea’s military government, facing international sanctions and heavy strictures over a mass killing of unarmed demonstrators, is highlighting a recent agreement with a Chinese company that could provide it with billions of dollars.

RK Naik, who has died aged 81, was the only Indian to have served as a member of the central committee of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (Zapu), the resistance movement started in the then Southern Rhodesia in 1961. Ramanbhai Khandubhai Naik was born in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia; his parents had migrated there from Gujarat, India. When RK was three, his father died during one of his visits to India. The family stayed on and RK completed his matriculation in India before returning to Southern Rhodesia at the age of 16.

Targets to cut the number of hungry people in the world will not be met without greater international effort, UN food agencies have warned. The UN's annual report on global food security confirms that more than one billion people - a sixth of the world's population - are undernourished. It says the number of hungry people was growing before the economic crisis, which has made the situation worse.

In the wake of recent events in Guinea and in light of information related to the alleged commission of crimes under ICC jurisdiction, ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has confirmed that the situation in Guinea is under preliminary examination by his Office.

This is a video featuring a presentation on the role of women in peace-building efforts in the Casamance by Mme. Seynabou Male Cissé, coordinator of USOFORAL. She was invited to present on this topic by Leadership Africa USA that is running a leadership training program for young women in Casamance. The presentation is in French.

All public land will be identified, registered and handed over to a National Land Commission after the proposed National Land Policy becomes law. This will make it difficult for public land to be grabbed, a practice rampant in Kenya. There is no system for registration of public land and it is left to the Finance ministry permanent secretary, in whose name it is registered, to safeguard it.

African Union's top security organ, the Peace and Security Council (PSC), said targeted sanctions against Guinean junta leader, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, and other senior leaders of his regime would take effect on 17 October, 2009. At its 206th session at which it discussed the situation in Guinea and Niger, the PSC said targeted sanctions against the Guinean junta leader would take effect on Saturday and the list of those to be targeted would be known after a regional Summit on the same issue.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned attacks and harassment of Tunisian journalists after a series of incidents which suggest deliberate targeting of activists for independent journalism. In particular, the IFJ condemned the beating up of Zied El Heni, journalist for the daily Assahafa, that took place yesterday in Tunis. His blog, Tunisian journalist, was also shutdown for the 22nd time by the authorities.

Gender Links is commissioning commentary and opinion pieces and personal accounts or ‘I’ stories around different thematic areas on the impact of the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010 on the advancement of gender equality and women’s economic empowerment throughout the SADC region. The aim of the contributions are to highlight the gender dimensions of the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010 through people’s lived experiences and relevant opinion pieces.

Dear Ambassador,
As you are aware, the last two weeks have seen dramatic levels of violence in Guinea. A large part of this violence has been specifically aimed at women, particularly sexual violence. Reports tell of women being raped in public, being gang-raped, and being sexually assaulted with guns and knives, by members of the Guinean armed forces.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum is sad to announce the tragic death of our colleague, Keith Goddard, a champion of human and LGBT rights in Zimbabwe and on the world stage. Sadly, after a short illness, Keith died last night, Friday 9^th October at St Anne's Hospital in Harare. Keith sat on our Board of Directors and was the Director of our member organisation, Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ).

FIAN is pleased to announce the release of the new issue of the Right to Food and Nutrition WATCH. This year's edition focuses on the question of "Who controls the governance of the world food system?" - a burning issue in light of the current World Food Crisis. The WATCH, available in three languages, is a common endeavor of a Consortium of human rights organizations, social movements and development agencies.

This Report is on the recent Genocide at Bundu Waterfront in the Township axis of Port Harcourt in the Rivers State of Nigeria. The Report is presented by the National Union of Tenants of Nigeria and based, not only on newspaper publications, but more on the personal experiences by officials of the union who visited the scene and equally had interviews with leaders of the affected community who confirmed the incident and gave useful information to the union.

Poor South Africans could receive 70 kilowatts worth of free electricity if Eskom is granted a 45 percent "smoothed" tariff increase, says it's Chief Executive Jacob Maroga. "We recommend that it be increased to 70 kilowatts and that the cost be carried by industry," Maroga told reporters as the parastatal unveiled details of its Multi-Year Price Determination 2 (MYPD 2) for the three-year period, beginning in 2010 to 2013.

Botswana’s ruling party claimed victory in the country’s general election on Saturday extending President Ian Khama’s rule over the world’s largest diamond producer for another five years. Khama’s Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), in power since independence from Britain in 1966, said it had secured a majority of the parliamentary constituencies. “We have reached the 29 out of the 57,” Langston Motsete, a member of the BDP’s election committee, told Reuters.

The United Nations top envoy to the Côte d’Ivoire is slated to hold a series of meetings next week in a bid to jump-start a critical step threatening to disrupt the nation’s much-delayed presidential elections, scheduled for late next month. The initiative aims to give new impetus to efforts which would lead to the posting of the final voter list for the Côte d’Ivoire’s long-awaited polls, which were to have been held as far back as 2005 and are now scheduled for 29 November.

Africa in Democracy and Good Governance (ADG) gladly accepts interns interested in broadening their knowledge on a range of topics. Internship assignments vary in length according to the availability and academic requirements of the intern, as well as the needs of ADG and are available on a part-time and full-time basis throughout the year. Internship assignments also vary greatly in terms of content.

Applications are now open: The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program2010- 2011. The Program is especially designed to support candidates from groups that have historically lacked access to higher education. Eligible candidates who belong to marginalized and excluded groups and communities such as scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes, religious minorities, women, physically challenged and those with other kinds of socio-economic deprivation are encouraged to apply.

Forty years after the rights of Africa’s refugees were enshrined in a landmark convention, the continent’s leaders are due to make legal history again by adopting a new instrument to assist people displaced within the borders of their own country. The African Convention on the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa is the main agenda for the heads of state summit on refugees, returnees and IDPs in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, from 19-23 October.