Aid agencies are racing to position food and other relief supplies for some 18,000 men, women and children from Central African Republic who fled to southern Chad, most of whom have taken refuge next to the border. Rains due in the coming weeks will cut access to the refugees, aid workers say. Up to 100 Central Africans continue to pour into Chad each day, fleeing armed attacks on civilians and fighting between rebels and government forces in northern CAR.

After a demanding training session on the soccer pitch, the entire Black Aces football team has squeezed into a small, stuffy room at the club's headquarters in Witbank, a town northeast of Johannesburg, South Africa, for training of a different kind. The men are in various states of repose, leaning back in their seats and resting long legs on chairs, but the air is buzzing with testosterone and the repressed energy of men who are more accustomed to expressing themselves with their feet.

Amnesty International today called on the Ethiopian government to immediately disclose the names and fate of more than 35 people believed to be held by its security forces on political grounds since 24 April. Additional arrests have reportedly been carried out over the past several days and sources in the country have told Amnesty International that further arrests are expected.

The East Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSY) will be operational in June 2010 instead of June this year, according to a project official. The delay means that the cable, owned by African and international telecommunications operators, is again the subject of speculation and allegations about the lack of seriousness of the project developers. A rival project, the Sea Cable System (SEACOM), has already announced that it will be operational as scheduled in June this year.

Abahlali baseMjondolo will once again climb another high mountain for the first time when our struggle for the safety, dignity and equality of the poor ascends to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of South Africa. In 2005 when we formed our movement we committed ourselves to do whatever it takes to protect the rights, lives and future of the shack dwellers and the poor in South Africa. We are determined to defend our children, without compromising our future generation.

Ogeste Gelevasi sits in front of his humble house, looking out over fields of cassava and tobacco with a wide smile of contentment. He feels at home here in western Tanzania after almost 40 years as a refugee from neighbouring Burundi. For Ogeste, the country he fled aged two is a foreign country; that's why he, like an estimated 165,000 of the remaining so-called 1972 Burundians living in Mishamo and two other "old settlements," have decided to accept a landmark offer by the government to settle in Tanzania and apply for citizenship.

Environmental researchers predict Southern Africa will be hit heavily by climate change over the next 70 years. Agricultural production is projected to be halved - a development that will threaten the livelihoods of farmers in a region where 70 percent of the population are smallholder farmer

Results of a needs assessment by OUT LGBT-Wellbeing that showed that many homosexual people, among other risky behaviors, feel uncomfortable talking about safer sex, gave birth to the PRISM Lifestyle Centre to be launched in Tshwane on Friday 08 May 2009. This health and wellness centre is professionally staffed and offers all professional services free of charge but a R20 facility fee to cover administrative costs.

No Influenza A (H1N1) cases have yet been confirmed in Africa, causing medical experts to question whether this is due to good luck or the continent’s lack of fully-equipped influenza testing facilities. A (H1N1) cases have been confirmed in North and South America, Asia and Europe, but not yet Australasia or Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The availability of water purification tablets, digging of shallow wells in rural areas as well as privatisation of water services have resulted in more people in Somalia's self-declared republic of Somaliland gaining access to clean water and proper sanitation, officials said. At least 45-50 percent of the Somaliland population now has access to safe water, compared with 35 percent in 2000, according to Ali Sheikh Omar Qabil, director of environmental health in the Ministry of Health and Labour.

Leaders and representatives of journalists' trade unions, associations and press freedom organizations from 11 countries in Eastern Africa have resolved to carry out an effective and collective campaign against repressive media laws and the culture of impunity against journalists and the media as well as to collaborate to address working conditions of media professionals in the region to enhance quality and ethical journalism.

The Africa Commission has delivered its final set of recommendations. The Commission is proposing a new consensus for international development cooperation with Africa. Focus should be directed towards private sector-led growth, which creates jobs. The Commission also decided to take action. It will launch five ambitious initiatives aimed at creating job opportunities for Africa's youth.

Former news reader with the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project, Jestina Mukoko was on 6 May 2009 granted bail by Harare Magistrate, Catherine Chimanda after the defence reached a mutual agreement with the Attorney General’s office to that effect. Appearing on behalf of the State, Chris Mutangadura, told the court that there had been communication between the Defence counsel and the Attorney General, and the latter had consented to the bail of all the accused persons with the exception of freelance photojournalist Shadreck Manyere, and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) activists, Gandhi Mudzingwa and Kisimusi Dhlamini.

A French magistrate has ruled that a lawsuit against three African leaders accused of embezzlement is admissible. Presidents Omar Bongo of Gabon, Denis Sassou-Nguesso of Republic of Congo and Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea deny any wrongdoing. The French arm of anti-corruption group Transparency International has accused them of buying luxury homes and cars in France with African public funds

Since January 2009, Madagascar has been experiencing serious political unrest, characterized by sporadic demonstrations and violence in the capital city of Antananarivo and other main urban centres. As of 5 May, some 1,332 casualties, including 191 fatalities, have been recorded in hospitals by WHO. The situation has provoked a climate of fear and uncertainty, leading to a rise in unemployment in key sectors, as well as disruptions in social services. In addition, a number of aid projects throughout the country have been experiencing delays due to difficulties of access and implementation.

Darfur has welcomed the support from leaders across Africa who pledged to stand in solidarity with the civilians of Darfur as they meet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to construct a mandate for their future. According to a press statement issued by Africa Forum for former heads of state and government, the Elders and the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA) all welcomed the initiative.

Sudan's government says it will invite new aid groups to work in Darfur and allow those still operating there to expand their activities. The UN's head of humanitarian affairs welcomed the move. Sudan expelled 13 foreign aid groups in March after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

A way may be emerging for East African countries to circumvent the mess in telecommunications in the region - and it is rising out of the sea. From having no undersea cable links to the rest of the world, East Africa is now poised to have three. As a result, many businesses are investing in finger-sized underwater fibre-optic cables that will open doors to the rest of the world.

The World Bank's Inspection Panel Annual Report highlights the problem of access to information within several World Bank-financed projects. Many of the cases brought to the World Bank’s Inspection Panel (IP) for review concern allegations of a lack of transparency, according to the Inspection Panel’s latest annual report. Alleged violation of the Bank’s disclosure policy was raised in 22 of the 52 cases, which equates to 42 percent of all cases brought to the panel since its 1993 inception, according to a summary chart in the report.

Nigeria's federal government has condemned the post-election violence in the South-west state of Ekiti, where opposition party supporters have continued to protest the alleged rigging of the state's governorship re-run by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The re-run, ordered by the court, rounded off on Tuesday, when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the PDP candidate, Segun Oni, winner.