How sad it is to acknowledge that often, the death of one individual on this continent so frequently ignites a spark of hope for the future in the heart of a community, a people, or a nation, and not only among the closely affected peoples themselves but far and wide, triggering off a palpable sigh of relief and optimism that is echoed in the observation caucuses of other nations, sometimes of the most conflicting, incompatible ideologies. One such sigh was heard in recent times after the death of one of the most incalcitrant warlords that the condition of colonialism ever brought to be on this continent. Even while recognising that such moments of hope may be illusory, there is nonetheless an instinctual response that the worst is over, that the route is now open to social recovery, healing, and rebirth. It speaks a lot to the formative character and ongoing dilemma of a continent that the simple demise of one individual or a handful of individuals becomes necessary in order to commence the process of regeneration, or rebirth of a dying community of people. In this case, the individual - Jonas Savimbi - was not even a possessor of the national mantle of leadership.

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General elections are to be held in Guinea-Bissau on 23 February, President Kumba Yala announced on Monday. The announcement came just over a week after Yala dissolved parliament and dismissed the Social Renovation Party (PRS) cabinet led by Prime Minister Almara Nhasse, replacing it with a caretaker administration.

With Rwandan refugees in Tanzania increasingly eager to go home, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Tuesday that it had stepped up its operations to facilitate their return.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP), the oil giant ChevronTexaco Corporation, and the Angolan government have signed an agreement to form a public-private partnership to support small business development in Angola.

In line with DFID's new Southern Africa strategy to support poverty elimination, DFID has invested R1 billion in the Eastern Cape. The funding involves a 3-5 year partnership between the Eastern Cape government and the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

Kiambu small-scale farmer Benson Kinuthia wants to sell his four cows. The reason is that he has found a new love in dairy goats that are easier to feed and earn him more income.
Kinuthia is one of 30 residents of Central Kenya's Kamuchege village in Lari, Kiambu district, whose experiment with dairy goats has earned them accolades. They've won trophies at the national agricultural show and the success of their dairy goat experiment has caused a small rural community to focus on a hitherto unknown source of nutrient - goat milk -
also said to have medicinal value.

Often some government and donor officials have denied that Malawi will privatise nearly every lifeline. But progress indicates that the government intends to privatise institutions providing food security in Malawi, water, electricity and more. This will translate into the livelihood of the people being at the mercy of 'forces of the market'. This privatisation behaviour has been opposed by civil society, says this briefing from the Malawi Economic Justice Network.

The first clear indications of how the World Bank and IMF are going to conduct Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA) are now available. A number of the pilot studies have been completed and a conference was recently held in Washington DC. NGOs have expressed concern that their objectives of opening up debates about different social and economic policy options are not being met through the current approaches. The World Bank and the IMF, under pressure from NGOs and some governments, have agreed to introduce more systematic analysis of the likely poverty impact of policies proposed in their loans. NGOs have argued that PSIA should look at macro-level policy alternatives, not just at the 'fine-tuning', timing and sequencing of pre-determined policies.

The trickle-down theory of development advanced by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund has been a failure, says a document by the World Council of Churches. "Authentic human development can never be achieved when the ultimate goal is the amassing of wealth and material goods, creating an unquenchable thirst for more power, profits and possessions. An alternative approach is required that allows us to express "development" and "economy" in relation to our common vocation to live in right relationships with our neighbours," says the document.

Now that the New Partnership for Africa's Development has reneged on its original plan to subject the character and quality of national governance in Africa to peer review, the need for a method to improve the way the continent governs itself is more urgent than ever, according to a Financial Times commentary by Robert Rotberg, director of the programme on intrastate conflict at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and president of the World Peace Foundation.

CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organisations, is inviting applications for national partners to participate in its Civil Society Index 2003-04. The Index is an action-research project that assesses the state of civil society in countries around the world with a view to creating a knowledge base and an impetus for civil society strengthening initiatives. The Index was successfully piloted in 14 countries around the world and CIVICUS is now launching the first full implementation phase in approximately 25 countries. The Index will be implemented by civil society organisations at the country level, in close partnership with CIVICUS.

The High Court of Malawi has overturned a Presidential banning order on demonstations. Justice Edward Twea said the order was "unconstitutional and wholly unreasonable".

Morgan Tsvangerai of Zimbabwe was awarded the Democracy Medal by the International Association of Political Consultants (IAPC). Mr. Tsvangerai was an unsuccessful candidate for the presidency of Zimbabwe in last year's elections. I am delighted about this award, for Morgan Tsvangerai is presently under the threat of capital punishment in Zimbabwe. He is charged with a conspiracy to assassinate the president, Robert Mugabe. The factual basis of the charges is flawed and viewed as entirely false by the international legal and political communities. It is my hope that the IAPC's Democracy Medal will inspire Morgan Tsvangerai and his loyal supporters to continue their fight for democratic change in Zimbabwe.

Michael Carmichael, The Oxford Centre for Public Affairs

Jubilee and Khulumani want to issue a warning to FW de Klerk that, if he continues to apologise for Apartheid and support those who have benefited and still benefit from Apartheid, our organisations will be left with no option but to put his role in perpetrating Apartheid crimes back in the spotlight. Last week, De Klerk suggested that support for the claim (filed by Jubilee South Africa and the Khulumani Support Group against international banks and companies that supported the Apartheid Regime) will impede foreign investment in South Africa and hamper the progress to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). Today, it has come to light that de Klerk has given open support to the Swiss banks and asked them to oppose and resist the case before the US courts.

To the surprise of the Attorney-General's Office, a magistrate in the central Mozambican province of Sofala has granted provisional freedom to Jose Beirao, former provincial director of finance, who is accused of stealing 22 billion meticais (about 925,000 US dollars) of state funds.

Ivory Coast's rebels last Wednesday rejected the president's offer to hold a referendum on the constitution, saying it was a diversion and had no effect on peace talks aimed at ending a bloody two-month rebellion in one of West Africa's economic hubs. Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo said Tuesday he would hold a referendum next year on whether to amend the constitution.

The US has warned Nigeria that it will support international sanctions starting as early as next month if it fails to fall into line with a global campaign against money laundering. Western diplomats in Nigeria are urging the country's parliament to pass laws proposed by President Olusegun Obasanjo in an attempt to avert punitive action threatened last month by the Financial Action Task Force, an anti-money-laundering body set up by leading industrialised nations.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of their joint programme, The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, wish to express their deepest concern regarding recent official declarations threatening the existence of independent non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and more generally freedom of association in Zimbabwe. Our organisations have been informed that during a Parliamentary Assembly session, on 13 November, the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Cde Patrick Chinamasa, released a list of NGOs which he presented as a threat to national security.

Corruption and a food crisis were to blame for Malawi's failure to honour financial agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the finance minister has said. The fund suspended $47 million in aid to Malawi after the government failed to implement agreed fiscal discipline measures. Other donors, including Britain, the US and the European Union, have also withheld funds.