Mauritania: “Don't Touch my Nationality” March Broken by Police

On November 28, 2012, Mauritanian police dispersed [ar] a march organized by “Don't touch my nationality” movement and arrested their coordinator Birane Wane [en]. The opposition group was asking for the trial of all those involved in the killing of black officers in the Mauritanian army in the 90's during...

Wiping Out Ethiopia's History for the Sake of Development

Ethiopian netizens react to unconfirmed reports circulating online that iconic statues of Emperor Menelik II and Pope Abule Petros might be destroyed because of the construction of an Addis Ababa rail tunnel.

Nairobi Pulls Together During Matatu Vehicle Strike

On Thursday 29 November, most Nairobi city dwellers woke up to the harsh reality of the public service transport system going rogue. The Kenyan public service vehicles popularly known as matatus were demonstrating against the latest Traffic Amendment 2012.

Tortured Sudanese Female Journalist Speaks Up

Sudanese journalist Sumaya Ismail Hundosa, 34, was abducted from near her house on October 29, 2012, later to be found thrown inside a mud pit in a remote area in Khartoum on November 2, 2012, five days after her abduction. As the details of Hundosa's unprecedented torture unfolded, Sudanese netizens largely responded with shock and outrage, showing sympathy and solidarity with the journalist, writes Usamah Mohamed

Young Volunteers Training to Free Northern Mali

Young volunteers engage to liberate Northern Mali. Meanwhile, Jemal Oumar and Bakari Gueye report that extremists in Northern Mali target women with curfews and arrests.

Time for Civil Rule in Mauritania

Mauritanian blogger Ahmed Jedou calls [ar] says it is high time his country had civil rule. He blogs: “Today it is obvious that the military look at us as if we are a ball they are playing with. Our war should be for the establishment of a civil state which...

Mauritania: February 25th Movement says “No to Guardianship” of France

Mauritania is undergoing a period of great political uncertainty due to the evacuation for medical reasons of President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz after he was shot on October 13, 2012. While Mauritania was preparing for his return, many citizens were left wondering what political role France would play in the current situation.

Impunity Prevails over State of Law in Guinea

Arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, rigged trials and executions are not difficult to find in Guinea's history. The impunity enjoyed by the officials guilty of these crimes is reviewed by different observers from Guinea.

Mozambican Newspaper Wins Innovation Grant to Develop a “Citizen Desk”

Global Voices partner in Mozambique, @Verdade newspaper, is one of the winners of the African News Innovation Challenge, ICFJ announced today, November 28, 2012. The innovation grant will be used to implement a “Citizen Desk” in partnership with Sourcefabric: “a tool that allows news organisations to create a mobile-optimised platform for...

Angola's Sophisticated Censorship

The 37 years of independence of Angola don't translate into more press freedom. Rather, the model of Angolan censorship is getting increasingly sophisticated. The most recent attack was against the "Semanário Angolense" (Angolan Weekly), condemned to the fire for reproducing a critical speech by Isaias Samakuva, the President of the opposition party, UNITA.

Is Meles Zenawi's Ghost Haunting Ethiopians?

Although Meles Zenawi, the late Ethiopian Prime Minister, was formally declared dead three months ago after months of speculation about his whereabouts, his ghost shows no sign of loosening its grip over Ethiopians.

Are Zambia's Miners Paying More in Taxes than Mining Companies?

A podcast (Taxcast) by Tax Justice Network titled 'Zambian miners paying more tax than mining company' has been posted online claiming that miners pay more tax than the multi-national mining companies they work for.

Côte d'Ivoire: Online Campaign Says No to Holding Multiple Public Offices

Ivorian bloggers have initiated a campaign for a real public debate on the issue of parliamentarians simultaneously holding multiple elected offices in Côte d'Ivoire. Tired of seeing parliamentarians also being mayors or presidents of local councils, these netizens are using social media and organizing a petition.

99 Trees from Famed Avenue of the Baobabs in Madagascar Burnt Down

Mauritanians Protest French Interference

The coordination of Mauritanian Opposition held a massive rally on Wednesday [November 21] asking France to stop interfering in the country's politics.  The protesters also reiterated their demands to end the military regime in Mauritania.

Mauritania: “Knowledge for All” Campaign to Collect 30,000 Books

A group of Mauritanian activists initiated a Facebook campaign entitled “Knowledge for all” [ar], which aiming to gather 30,000 books before Mauritania's Independence day [Nov 28] and hand them to the National Library. The campaign was met by great enthusiasm from Mauritanian intellectuals and figures, who praised the campaign and and donated many books. Hussein Ould...

Ivorian and Russian Bloggers Make Light of the Electoral Fiasco for the Presidency of the French Conservative Party

Ivorians should abstain from bombing the Head Quarters of the UMP (The main Conservative Party) in France and help them move forward with the recount. Notre Vision in Côte d'Ivoire draws a humourous parallel [fr] between the fiasco during the latest election [fr] to select the new leader of the UMP party...

Legal Framework in Madagascar Not Adequate for Size of New Gold Mines

Total Bemolanga Watch reports that [fr] awyers in Madagascar estimated that the legal framework of the mining code was not conceived to apply to the shear size of the new gold mining exploitations [mg] that have been developping in Ambatondrazaka, Madagascar. The World Bank and the IMF have just implemented a new fund...

Widespread Elephant Poaching in Mozambique Reserve Uncovered

A news report published by the newspaper @Verdade at the end of October 2012, unmasks illegal hunting of elephants in the Mareja Reserve, in the Northern region of Mozambique, in Cabo Delgado. According to the article, the "massacre" has taken on "gigantic proportions".

Zambian Phone Apps Gather Country's News in One Place

After an Android phone app that allows Zambians to participate in the on-going constitution making process was developed, a couple of new apps, Zambia News Daily and The Zambian, which collate news about the country from a number of online sources, have appeared on the market.

Mauritanian Teachers Break into Education Minister's Office

A group of secondary school teachers broke into and entered the office of the Minister of Education in protest against the arbitrary transfer of 120 teachers following their participation in last year's strikes.