On Friday morning, Philo Ikonya and Jacob Odipo appeared before Resident Magistrate Ireri in Kibera Law courts to answer to charges brought against them for allegedly participating in an unlawful assembly. They had been arrested Thursday while demonstrating outside Integrity House in protest of the re-appointment of Aaron Ringera.

Though political instability, violence and chaos surround them, surgeons and backup teams dedicated to ending the misery of obstetric fistula continue their work in the failed state of Somalia. The gratitude of their patients keeps them going in the most desperate of situations.

“Artists in all countries shall be encouraged and helped to form associations. Their organisations shall receive the support they need to create their own structures and make their action effective”...This is a quote from the Final Declaration of the World Congress on the Implementation of the Recommendation Concerning the Status of the Artist held in Paris in 1997.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heard from a broad cross-section of Congolese society about how the United States can play a constructive role in bringing an end to the conflict and supporting local Congolese institutions. This is a letter from elected officials in the South Kivu province (one of the two most affected provinces by the wars of aggression against the Congolese people) that captures the essence of what many Congolese have argued since the first invasion in 1996. The world community cannot say that there are no answers or that the problem is too complex to comprehensively address.

The Zimbabwe Women Resource Centre and Network (ZWRCN) is seeking a competent, experienced and self motivated individual for the position of Programme Assistant – Gender HIV & Aids (GHIVA) Programme. WRCN is offering a competitive package for the candidate with the right qualifications and experience. Applications with certified copies of certificates, CV and other relevant documents must clearly state the position applied for and should be submitted no later than 6th September 2009.

At 6 am on Saturday, 06 Sept. 2009,t is reported that 300 heavily armed Borana and Somali gunmen attacked the Samburu tribe at Losesia, in Samburu District, near Archer's Post, approx 38 km from Lerata. In addition to killing 3 herdsmen and injuring 2 others, the militia stole 3765 head of cattle, 2635 goats and sheep, 141 camels, and 19 donkeys, according to Samburu East MP Raphael Letimelo. All livestock were removed in lorries.

Salary: Competitive terms and conditions will be offered
Based: Lilongwe, Malawi
Closing date: 17.09.2009
Starting date: January 2010

ICCO is the Interchurch Organisation for Development Co-operation and Kerk in Actie is part of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. Together they provide financial support and advice to local organisations and networks throughout the world that are dedicated to improving access to basic services, stimulating sustainable economic development and advancing peace and democracy. In the region Southern Africa, ICCO works in South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Madagascar. For this region, a Regional Office is currently being set up in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Duties & Responsibilities:
The finance officer is responsible for the financial aspects of relations/contracts between ICCO and partners. The job objective is accountability regarding the funding to local partners and programme coalitions, by assessing proposals and reports, and contributing to the quality and transparency of the financial management of the partner organisations.

• Financial analysis and assessment of partners, programme and project proposals
• Financial monitoring and evaluation of partners, programmes and projects
• Advise on preparation and review of plans, budgets, reports, and return on investment analysis
• Assess and advise on the financial capacity of partner organisations
• Facilitate capacity building and expert knowledge in financial administration and control

Qualifications
• Relevant degree in Finance and / or other relevant professional qualification
• Substantial experience in financial management of monitoring of projects
• Budgetary responsibility in an international environment
• Competence in use of financial software applications
• Experiences with institutional donors
• Strong interpersonal skills, attention to detail, discretion and high integrity
• Excellent language skills in English and French and/or Portuguese

Please send your CV with FO-ICCO in the subject line to Mission Talent Recruitment. [email]africa@missiontalent.com

Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

For more information on ICCO’s programmes, please visit our website

A group of European Union (EU) diplomats was due in Zimbabwe Friday for a series of high-level talks with the country's leaders on easing longstanding frosty relations between the two. The diplomats, led by Swedish International Development Co-operation Minister Gunilla Carlsson, were billed to meet President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Aurther Mutambara at the weekend.

The Gambian parliament has ratified a Supplementary Loan Agreement amounting to about US$ 5 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the financing of Artisanal Fisheries Development Project, according to official sources. The repayment period of the loan has been spread over 20 years after a seven-year grace period starting from the date the agreement was signed.

Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika has defended his decision to deport four senior foreign tobacco buyers for flouting minimum-price rules. "For a long time I've been warning these exploitative colonialists to pay fair prices to farmers," he said.

What is the role, relevance and effectiveness of PRSPs in supporting post-conflict recovery in Africa? This paper from the Economic Policy Research Centre in Uganda discusses challenges in developing PRSPs using case studies from Zambia, Malawi, Ghana, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Mozambique, Angola and Uganda. It concludes that not all post-conflict African countries have successfully developed PRSPs.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the harassment and intimidation campaign against journalists in Guinea and the consistent threats on freedom of expression since the advent of the military junta in the country. “Since the advent of the military junta, we have witnessed more and more threats, and arrests that are squarely designed to intimidate journalists,” declared Gabriel Baglo, Director of IFJ Africa Office.

Would you like to write a review for Pambazuka News? We are looking for people to write reviews for a number of books and academic papers. You can view the . Interested? E-mail us to let us know which title you are interested in and we’ll get in touch with you.

FORUM-ASIA is a founding member and host organisation of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN). The APRRN is a growing network of more than 100 civil society organisations and individuals committed to advancing the rights of refugees in the Asia Pacific Region through information sharing, mutual capacity building and joint advocacy. The APRRN Steering Committee, under the leadership of the Steering Committee Coordinator, provides strategic and policy direction to the APRRN.Closing date is 18 September 2009.

Rethinking AIDS 2009 will consist of talks that question the widely held dogma that HIV causes AIDS, including whether HIV exists, whether it is sexually transmitted, whether HIV tests are accurate and whether AIDS drugs are safe and effective. The social, psychologic and legal impacts of an HIV diagnosis will also be considered, as well as alternative health approaches for people whose health has been damaged by an HIV diagnosis, by the prescription of AIDS drugs or who have been diagnosed with an AIDS-defining illness.

Fertiliser subsidies have received a lot of attention, and praise for success in combating food shortages in Africa. The most notable case is that of Malawi, which introduced a fertiliser subsidy in 2005. In late 2007, the New York Times, for example, published an article hailing Malawi’s success in fighting famine. But in a new research paper, Professor Frank Ellis of the Regional Hunger and Vulnerability Programme (RHVP), argues that while fertiliser subsidies have a number of benefits, they also have limitations, and should not be seen as an alternative for other social protection measures for the poor — most notably, social cash transfers (pensions and child support grants, for example).

Although widely derided as an expensive toothless bulldog – and even as a fig leaf for the corrupt – the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission (KACC) is Kenya’s premiere statutory anti-corruption agency recognized as such by the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the African Union. It has been in operation since 2004 and has investigated among many other pending mega corruption Scandals.

Salary: Competitive terms and conditions will be offered
Based: Lilongwe, Malawi
Closing date: 17.09.2009
Starting date: January 2010

ICCO is the Interchurch Organisation for Development Co-operation and Kerk in Actie is part of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. Together they provide financial support and advice to local organisations and networks throughout the world that are dedicated to improving access to basic services, stimulating sustainable economic development and advancing peace and democracy. In the region Southern Africa, ICCO works in South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Madagascar. For this region, a Regional Office is currently being set up in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Duties & Responsibilities:
The main responsibility of the Programme Officer is the interaction with the partners and programme coalitions in one country of the region. The programme officer reports to the Regional Manager and works in a multidisciplinary team in direct cooperation with the Finance Officer. S/he will identify and facilitate multi-stakeholder programmes by applying 4 ICCO strategic roles in the programmatic approach: strategic financing, advocacy and lobby, capacity building and brokerage.
• Support programme coalitions to jointly develop and implement programmes
• Assess programme- and project proposals
• Review audit reports of projects and follow-up of recommendations
• Provide input to the financial planning, monitoring, capacity development of programmes and projects
• Control, evaluate and monitor ongoing contracts with local partners
• co-ordinate with other relevant actors in the region
• Contribute to learning, linking and coordinating research and knowledge
• Contribute to strategic policy development and to the development of the regional plan
• Contribute to fundraising opportunities.

Qualifications
• Educational background social sciences plus knowledge in one of the 3 main themes:
o Fair economic development (value chains; access to local and international markets);
o Access to basic services (food security; education; hiv/aids, water and sanitation);
o Democratization and peace building.
• Advanced knowledge of programme and project formulation, accountability requirements.
• Experience with funding of programmes and projects
• Experience with multi-stakeholder processes and institutional donors
• Good knowledge of economic, social and political situation in the region
• Excellent language skills in English (French and / or Portuguese an is added advantage)
• Relevant experience of assessment and analysis of project/programme plans.
• Negotiation, networking, facilitation and communication skills.

Please send your CV with PO-ICCO in the subject line to Mission Talent Recruitment. [email]africa@missiontalent.com
Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted. For more information on ICCO’s programmes please visit our website

The UN is helping Kenya prepare to mitigate the impact of potentially-lethal torrential rains anticipated in the last three months of the year due to the El Nino weather pattern. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) made this known in a statement issued on Thursday in New York, US.

President Robert Mugabe has lashed out at Western sanctions against him, condemning "bloody whites" for meddling in Zimbabwe's affairs, on the eve of a landmark European Union visit. "Who said the British and the Americans should rule over others? That's why we say down with you. We have not invited these bloody whites. They want to poke their nose into our own affairs. Refuse that," he said.