· April, 2013

Stories about Sub-Saharan Africa from April, 2013

Surprise Candidates for Madagascar Elections

  28 April 2013

Update:  Here is the full list of the 49 candidates [fr] for the presidential elections. It does not include the current president of the transition. As the deadline to submit candidacies for the Malagasy presidential elections ends today (28/04), a few surprising candidates have allegedly come forth. While the earlier candidates...

What Do Mozambique's Artists Need?

  24 April 2013

April 2013's “Open Terrace” will focus on Artists and ‘Houses of Culture’ [pt] from the Northern province of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. The initiative takes place every month, bringing together people from diverse backgrounds to debate public issues. On December 2012, Global Voices reported on an Open Terrace dedicated to transparency...

Attempted Coup d'Etat in Comoros

  22 April 2013

Comoros police forces state that they have arrested Congolese and Chadian mercenaries in an attempted coup over the week-end. Linfo.re adds that [fr]: Army commanders did not want to engage in an open conflict with the mercenaries. They believe that “any Comoran casualties over protecting an elite cast is itself a act...

Banned Occupy Nigeria Documentary Goes Viral

  18 April 2013

A Nigerian documentary about the government's removal of a fuel subsidy last year, which sparked the country's Occupy Nigeria protest, has gone viral on the Nigerian blogosphere after authorities banned the film.

Children Back in Guinea Bissau After Senegal Fire

  18 April 2013

The blog of the Association of Friends of Children (AMIC) reported [fr] that 20 ‘talib’ children from Guinea-Bissau who had been caught in a raging fire at an Islamic school in the capital of Senegal, Dakar, in early March, have now been handed back to their families. As Rising Voices reported back in...

Mozambique: Coal mine blocked in protest

  17 April 2013

Mozambique's @Verdade newspaper is reporting on Facebook that about 500 residents of neighborhoods resettled by Brazilian mining company Vale are blocking road access to its coal mine in Moatize, Tete province. The peaceful protest is for greater compensation. The paper is reporting the rail line is also disrupted.

Madagascar's Economy Falling Behind Africa's

  17 April 2013

While sub-Saharan Africa's economic growth is projected to “outpace the global average“, a study by M. Razafindrakoto et al. from IRD (The Institute of Research on Development) published earlier this month unpacks the causes of Madagascar's economy lagging behind its African counterparts [fr] (Via Madagoravox).

Guinea-Bissau President Caught up in ‘Arms for Drugs’ Conspiracy

  15 April 2013

A drug and arms trafficking scheme in Guinea Bissau appears to go straight to the top. On the eve of the first anniversary of a military coup in Guinea Bissau that thwarted last year's presidential elections, US court documents seemed to implicate the country's interim president in a failed plan to smuggle weapons to Colombian rebels and cocaine into Guinea Bissau.

Madagascar's Presidential Candidates

  14 April 2013

The presidential elections are set for July 24, 2013 in Madagascar. According to Ben from mada-tribune.com, the first candidates to have submitted their dossiers [fr] to the special electoral court are: Hajo Andrianainarivelo, Jean Lahiniriko et Roland Ratsiraka are the first to have filed their candidacies. Dr. Jean-Louis Robinson, Pierrot...

São Tomé and Príncipe: Petition Against Deforestation

  12 April 2013

Raul Jorge, a Santomean citizen, launched a petition [fr] against deforestation in São Tomé and Príncipe, addressed to the current Prime Minister Gabriel Costa. The petition has already gathered more than 700 signatures. In October 2012, Global Voices reported about the situation; in response netizens published videos and a Facebook...

Zambian Activist Arrested After Speaking Out for Gay Rights

  10 April 2013

Gay rights activist Paul Kasonkomona was arrested in Zambia after he appeared on live television arguing that the country, which criminalises homosexual acts, should respect same-sex relationships. His arrest came a week after four all-male couples attempted to get married in Zambia's capital city.

Djibouti: Arrests follow ‘Democratic’ Elections

  10 April 2013

Several opposition leaders were arrested in Djibouti after demonstrations which followed the February 22, 2013 general elections. The elections saw yet another victory for the party in power, the People's Rally for Progress. President Ismail Omar Guelleh, who has ruled since 1999, received 80% of votes cast, leading to allegations of fraud on a massive scale. Arrests were still continuing at the time of writing, April 2013.

VIDEO: Guinea-Bissau Community Radio Serves People, Not Politics

  6 April 2013

Guinea-Bissau's community radio does much more than fill local airwaves with music, according to the documentary "Voice of the Population". Stations have saved lives during a cholera outbreak, fought against illegal logging, and pushed back against gender discrimination, all the while uniting local communities around the rich musicality of Guinea-Bissau.

Judge Orders Arrest of Indecently Dressed Women in Zambia

  5 April 2013

A female high court judge in Zambia has directed police to start arresting indecently dressed women. The order is allegedly an attempt to curb the problem, but some Zambians have accused the judge of indirectly blaming women for their own assaults.

About our Sub-Saharan Africa coverage

Zita Zage
Zita Zage is the Anglophone Africa Editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.

Jean Sovon
Jean Sovon is the Francophone Africa. Editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.

Dércio Tsandzana
Dércio Tsandzana is the Lusophone (Portuguese) editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.