I am looking forward to 14 April, in common with most people living in Somaliland. It will be the first time ever that I vote in my homeland. Having missed the December municipal elections, the prospect of taking part in a free and fair election to choose the next president of Somaliland will not only be a new experience, but given what it has taken us to get here, a deeply rewarding one. The people whose job it is to ensure that the elections fulfil our expectations are the six men and one woman who make up the National Electoral Commission (NEC). Their task is not an enviable one, given the unique circumstances of Somaliland.

A multilateral human rights committee has praised Mali for progress made in the area of human rights but has asked it to provide information on various issues, including developments since the end of a rebellion by Tuareg nomads in the 1990s in the north of the country.

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) expressed grave concern on Tuesday over reports of violence against women in Mali. Apart from forced marriages and polygamy, which are common, 24 percent of Malian women marry before the age of 15 years and 94 percent undergo female genital mutilation (FGM), OMCT said in a report to the UN Human Rights Committee.

Mali – a poor, landlocked country in West Africa – became the seventh Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) to reach ‘Completion Point’ under the World Bank and IMF’s enhanced HIPC initiative on March 7. Mali had already received some debt cancellation under HIPC. Mali is the first country for almost a year to receive any write-off of debt under the HIPC initiative, which campaigners have criticised for failing to keep to the schedules promised to the international Jubilee 2000 campaign.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our views and our concerns regarding the important efforts currently underway on the Somali National Reconciliation Conference in Eldoret (Kenya). We refer to conference procedural matters, individual rights versus clan rights, the disastrous state of human rights in the country, constitutional rights, judicial review, war crimes tribunal, the land question, and the need for affirmative action.

Women in Mali face high risks during pregnancy and childbirth, and about one in 19 die from pregnancy-related causes, the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights reported last Wednesday. A third of deaths among women aged 15-49 were due to complications resulting from pregnancy and childbirth, according to the institution.

karti@somali-civilsociety.org, previously known as Somali Civil Society News, is delivered by email every two weeks and is part of a project that aims for the achievement of permanent respect for human rights, justice through rule of law, pluralism, good governance and sustainable peace in Somalia and Somaliland. The name of the newsletter has been changed to karti@somali-civilsociety.org to ensure synergy between this newsletter and the one that is also produced periodically by the NOVIB Somalia project that is also known as KARTI. For more information on this project visit http://www.somali-civilsociety.org. The newsletter contains links to stories about the Horn of Africa region in various content categories. For free subscription send an email to editor@somali-civilsociety.org

A sustained financial and diplomatic commitment from the United States to conflict resolution in Africa was crucial to regional and international security, with the historical role that the US had played in destabilizing many African countries giving Washington a "unique responsibility" to engage with African efforts to achieve peace and stability, according to a new Africa Action report entitled "Africa Policy for a New Era: Ending Segregation in U.S. Foreign Relations." At a media briefing launching the report Adotei Akwei, Africa Advocacy Director of Amnesty International USA, said "the U.S. pre-occupation with the geo-strategic value of African countries in the 'war on terrorism' must not trump efforts to promote human rights and advance democracy."

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has provided return and reintegration assistance to 293 illiterate and impoverished Malian children trafficked to work as domestic and agricultural labourers in Cote d'Ivoire.

How do urban women manage their health in their day-to-day lives? Can the organisation of living space lead to poor health? What health challenges are presented by communal living? These questions are explored in research from University Laval, Quebec, into health practices in a squatter commune in Mali.

karti@somali-civilsociety.org, previously known as Somali Civil Society News, is delivered by email every two weeks and is part of a project that aims for the achievement of permanent respect for human rights, justice through rule of law, pluralism, good governance and sustainable peace in Somalia and Somaliland. The name of the newsletter has been changed to karti@somali-civilsociety.org to ensure synergy between this newsletter and the one that is also produced periodically by the NOVIB Somalia project that is also known as KARTI. For more information on this project visit http://www.somali-civilsociety.org. The newsletter contains links to stories about the Horn of Africa region in various content categories. For free subscription send an email to editor@somali-civilsociety.org

Tony Blair would recognise the message at once: education, education, education. He might be a little less familiar with Taklitin walet Farati's means of delivery, which is from the back of a dusty donkey as she plods from village to village in northern Mali. All educators face obstacles, but this 40-year-old widow faces more than most in one of the remotest regions of one of Africa's poorest countries, where 70 per cent of the population is illiterate. Her specific mission is the schooling of young girls, and both the poverty and the traditions of the people are against her.

Somali Civil Society News is delivered by email every two weeks and is part of a project that aims for the achievement of permanent respect for human rights, justice through rule of law, pluralism, good governance and sustainable peace in Somalia and Somaliland. For more information on this project visit http://www.somali-civilsociety.org. The newsletter contains links to stories about the Horn of Africa region in various content categories. For free subscription send an email to editor@somali-civilsociety.org

The Sudanese government has agreed in principle to a proposal by the African Union (AU) that the Khartoum government meet its Asmara counterpart, according to Sudanese radio. The radio said on 6 December that the AU had invited the two governments to meet and discuss ways of reducing bilateral tension, which has been high for the past two months following accusations by Sudan that Eritrea was backing rebel forces fighting the government of President Umar al-Bashir.

Somali Civil Society News is delivered by email every two weeks and is part of a project that aims for the achievement of permanent respect for human rights, justice through rule of law, pluralism, good governance and sustainable peace in Somalia and Somaliland. For more information on this project visit http://www.somali-civilsociety.org. The newsletter contains links to stories about the Horn of Africa region in various content categories. For free subscription send an email to editor@somali-civilsociety.org

Provide technical assistance, managing/administering contractors and grantees, monitoring and evaluation, program communication, and donor coordination. Advanced degree with a specialization in public health, expertise in RH/FP, and child survival required.

The government of the vast, poverty-stricken west African state of Mali resigned without public explanation on Saturday after only four months in office, but President Amadou Toumani Toure asked his prime minister to remain in office.

At least 1,600 people from Côte d’Ivoire have sought refuge in Mali since a 19 September coup attempt sparked off fighting between the Ivorian army and mutinous soldiers, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Activities (OCHA) reported on Tuesday.

Malian musician Salif Keita has a new CD and will perform its mostly acoustic songs as part of a US tour in October. He talked to Sean Barlow and Banning Eyre of Afropop Worldwide about his new work -and about the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Mali.

I would like to thank the fine women and men of Pambazuka, who very skilfully design such a comprehensive newsletter of information on all issues affecting Mother Africa.

Your work impacts not only on Africa, but on global issues of immense concerns and shared values, in the interests of mankind. I am a practitioner in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, Electoral Assistance and Democratisation, Humanitarian and Sustainable Development around the world.

I salute your commitment and dedication to making humanity and our beautiful planet a much better place in which to live. No doubts, through our individual and collective efforts and endeavours, we can make a difference around the world regardless of geographical location(s).

God bless you all and please kindly keep up the wonderful work for the sake of humanity.

Malick Ceesay
Sustainable International Development Program, Heller Graduate School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University