With rebels in the heart of Chad's capital, N'Djamena, surrounding the presidential palace, the complex Darfur conflict is set to take a dramatic and unexpected turn. If President Idriss Déby's government falls by military coup, humanitarian aid operations feeding nearly 400,000 Sudanese refugees and displaced Chadians will be thrown into disarray, and half a dozen Darfur rebel movements taking refuge in Chad may be forced to move their bases back into the troubled Sudanese region. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The violence which has erupted in Kenya is reflective of internal tensions which have long simmered and a governing structure where too much power is held in the Presidency. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Cell phones are revolutionizing communication even in the most rural areas of Africa. See story from Christian Science Monitor

International observers have been criticized for doing too little – and too much – in the wake of Kenya's flawed Dec. 27 vote, which touched off a wave of ethnic killings. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Ranks of child soldiers swell again in Congo as fresh fighting in the east has ended a three-year lull in using child fighters. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Once considered a shining example of Africa's potential, Zimbabwe is now a country in the throes of its worst economic crisis in decades.  Critical shortages of food, fuel, foreign currency, and, in some areas, water beset a nation where the official inflation rate tops 7,600 percent. Some analysts believe the real figure is much higher and climbing fast.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

After years of affirmative action to correct racial inequalities left by decades of apartheid, management of the South African economy remains largely in white hands.   See story from Business Africa 

As President Olusegun Obasanjo steps down after eight years of rule, few Nigerians have seen any real benefit from the country's oil-driven economic progress.  Basic public services such as electricity and telephone service, remain unreliable.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

International pressure from the United Nations, Arab leaders, and the United States played a role in Sudan's concession this week to allow 3,000 UN peacekeepers into the country's troubled Darfur region.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

In Nigeria, militants are stepping up attacks in the wake of the country's fraudulent elections.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

In separate incidents over the weekend, suspected Sudanese rebels killed five African Union troops near the Sudan-Chad border, and suspected Sudanese janjaweed militiamen killed villagers in neighboring Chad. The violence has ratcheted up calls for a UN peacekeeper presence in the region.  See story from Christian Science Monitor  

Despite a history of poor agricultural performance, Ethopia has significant agricultural potential.  The African nation produces more maize than neighbors Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania combined and with proper development, the country could become a major exporter.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

As Ghana celebrates 50 years of independence, the lack of post-colonial progress is brought home by the fact that Ghana has done far better than most other African nations, but far worse than Asian countries that achieved independence at around the same time, such as India, Indonesia, and Malaysia.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

As African leaders met during African Union (AU) Summit Tuesday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, there were many questions about unfinished business.   Chief among them is the shaky AU peacekeeping force planned for war-ravaged Somalia. While a few African countries – Uganda, Nigeria, and Malawi – have pledged 2,500 of the 8,000 requested troops, most remain silent.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

Twelve years after the demise of apartheid, poverty in all racial groups remains one of the main challenges facing South Africa -- although opinions vary about how widespread it is. See story from Inter-Press

The South African policy of favoring black business after decades of white control - often seems more like a handout for the powerful few, rather than valuable assistance for the many. See story from Christian Science Monitor

With a decade of sustained economic growth, increasing demand for African minerals and oil, and a falling number of conflicts, the trend lines for some countries in sub-Saharan Africa are finally starting to look pretty good. A new World Bank report has gone as far as to say that 2005 may be the year when Africa "turned the corner" from poverty and debt to prosperity and wealth. In a continent that was once almost entirely dependent on foreign aid, there are now 16 countries that have achieved annual growth rates in excess of 4.5 percent for more than a decade. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Africa, Global Warming

As delegates gather in Kenya for a United Nations conference to set new targets to reduce fossil-fuel emissions after 2012, climate change is a present reality for many Africans. In Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Chad, people are already seeing the repercussions - including war. The conflict between herders and farmers in Sudan's Darfur region, where farm and grazing lands are being lost to desert, may be a harbinger of the future conflicts. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Twelve years after the demise of apartheid, poverty in all racial groups remains one of the main challenges facing South Africa --although opinions vary about how widespread it is. See story from Inter-Press

The South African policy of favoring black business after decades of white control - often seems more like a handout for the powerful few, rather than valuable assistance for the many. See story from Christian Science Monitor

With a decade of sustained economic growth, increasing demand for African minerals and oil, and a falling number of conflicts, the trend lines for some countries in sub-Saharan Africa are finally starting to look pretty good. A new World Bank report has gone as far as to say that 2005may be the year when Africa "turned the corner" from poverty and debt to prosperity and wealth. In a continent that was once almost entirely dependent on foreign aid, there are now 16 countries that have achieved annual growth rates in excess of 4.5 percent for more than a decade. See story from Christian Science Monitor

As delegates gather in Kenya for a United Nations conference to set new targets to reduce fossil-fuel emissions after 2012, climate change is a present reality for many Africans. In Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Chad, people are already seeing the repercussions - including war. The conflict between herders and farmers in Sudan's Darfur region, where farm and grazing lands are being lost to desert, may be a harbinger of the future conflicts. Seestory from Christian Science Monitor

There is new activism on American college campuses in support of UN intervention in Darfur. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Chad’s President Deby ordered two oil companies to cease operations, charging non payment of taxes in an apparent effort to renegotiate oil lease contracts.  See story from Christian Science Monitor

Nearly one-quarter of HIV-positive people in middle and low income countries who are in need of AIDS treatment are now receiving lifesaving antiretroviral drugs, the World Health Organization's director of HIV/AIDS reported.  See story from CBC 

International business and government leaders participated in a July summit in Nigeria to foster increased African development and better cooperation between the public and private sectors for this purpose. Former US President Clinton and World Bank President Wolfowitz were among the dignitaries addressing the conference. See Press Release

Life is difficult for relief workers in Eastern Chad who are coping with the stream of refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The incidence of new HIV infections appears to have stabilized for the first time in the 25-year history of AIDS, although the global pandemic will still have a deep, long-term impact, a new UN report said. See story from Agence France-Presse

The humanitarian disaster in Sudan's Darfur region, which the US labels a "genocide," has been growing steadily worse since it began in 2003. But it may have just turned a corner toward peaceful resolution. See story from Christian Science Monitor

A severe drought combined with the lack of effective government has created a desperate situation in Somalia. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Many young Africans are losing their virginity later, having fewer sexual partners and using more condoms - signs that the campaign against Aids is finally hitting home. HIV infection rates among young people are falling in many parts of East Africa for the first time, about five years after African leaders took the initiative against the virus and declared it an emergency on the world's poorest continent. See story from Reuters

Amid new escalation in fighting in the troubled Darfur region of Sudan, there is fresh pressure on the international community to step in to help stop the three-year-old conflict. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Masked, armed police stormed the offices of a leading Kenyan media company in a raid seen as punishment for reports criticizing the government's dismal record on corruption. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The situation in Sudan's Darfur region, already considered to be the world's most complex humanitarian emergency, is expected to worsen this year before it gets any better. Troubles are mounting on many fronts. Attacks on non-Arab villagers by Arab militias continue. Aid workers say their stores of grain and other essentials for the region's 2.8 million people who rely on food aid are nearly depleted. The conflict has spread into neighboring Chad. Sudan's government is cooperating less with Western nations and aid groups. And there is little likelihood that teams of UN peacekeepers will be in place to quell the troubles before next year. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The UN mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo has in recent months stepped up efforts to tame the country's lawless eastern region ahead of the first free presidential and parliamentary elections in more than 40 years, scheduled for April 29. Once criticized by the Congolese people and Western governments for its passivity, the world's largest United Nations peacekeeping operation has redefined itself as an aggressive and determined force. Yet, despite six years of peacekeeping efforts, UN spokespeople and analysts say the dozens of local and foreign militias based or lurking in the resource-rich but isolated east still endanger civilians and the electoral process. See story from Christian Science Monitor

For the first time since the start of the AIDS epidemic, researchers are reporting a decline in the percentage of men and women infected with HIV in southern Africa. The findings are from a study conducted in eastern Zimbabwe, where researchers speculate the AIDS prevention message is starting to have an effect. See story from Voice of America

The situation in the Darfur region of Sudan continues to be difficult. The African Union force deployed there has been unsuccessful in fully maintaining peace as periodic militia raids continue. The UN has called for a larger UN presence to prevent these occurrences. See story from SBS.com

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton announced an initiative with nine drug companies he said would cut the cost of HIV/AIDS testing and treatment in 50 developing countries and help save hundreds of thousands of lives. The agreement between the Clinton Foundation and the drug companies aims to halve the cost of HIV/AIDS diagnosis and lower the price tag of second-line anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs by 30 percent or more. See story from BBC

To fight Al Qaeda, US troops in Africa build schools instead. More than 1,500 US troops are on a hearts-and-minds mission in the predominantly Muslim areas of East Africa. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The Congo conflict is the deadliest humanitarian crisis of the last 60 years but the world is still not doing enough to save lives, according to the Lancet Medical Journal. See story from Reuters

Eritrea and Ethiopia could face UN sanctions if they don't take steps to avert war. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Nigeria's government will provide all anti-retroviral drugs needed to fight HIV/Aids free of charge, a health ministry official says. After India and South Africa, Nigeria has the most HIV infections at 4m. See story from BBC

Despite significant improvement in economic growth, nearly half of the population on the African continent remains poor and jobless, a new study by the United Nations points out. Though various reasons are given for the failure of economic growth to reduce poverty, the U.N. researchers identify three major factors shaping this trend: the "inadequacy" of the growth rate, "low labor absorption" in the growth sectors, and "inequality in the distribution of opportunities." See story from One World Net

Tanzania, the union of mainland Tanganyika and Zanzibar Island, is a multicultural and multifaith country. This diversity is especially marked between mainland Christian and coastal Islamic areas, rendering development issues highly complex, especially in the context of the devastating HIV/AIDS pandemic. Despite being peaceful and politically stable, Tanzania's leaders have failed to build a stable economy and poverty is widespread. See story from One World Net

Nigeria is a country of vast human and natural capital, greatly enriched by cultural diversity; yet the majority of its people are suffering in the midst of this plenty. Blessed with the curse of black gold, Nigeria has been ridden with corruption and conflict over the control of oil and its operations. As economic prospects improve in parallel with the price of oil, President Olusegun Obasanjo faces the challenge of ethnic violence, especially between Muslims and Christians in northern states governed by Shari'a law. See story from One World Net

Post-colonial Namibia is a largely stable and peaceful country with a progressive constitution. However, democracy in Namibia has been weakened by poor delivery, ineffective civil society, nepotism and corruption. Although economic activity has diversified since independence, inequality has increased and rampant HIV/AIDS is undermining efforts to lift the burden of poverty. The agenda for the new government of President Hifikepunye Pohamba is therefore formidable, not least because of his stated determination to eliminate corruption from government and to press ahead with a sensitive land reform program. See story from One World Net

Landlocked and impoverished, the extent of the problems facing this large Sahelian nation of over 12 million people is staggering. In 2005, food shortages have again besieged much of the Sahel and in Mali 1.1 million people are in need of food aid. Respect for rule of law and real efforts to democratize and decentralize powers, however, have differentiated Mali from most of its neighbors and established the country as a relative "success story" which has attracted international praise and recognition. See story from One World Net

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. It is densely populated, has limited natural resources, suffers from severe environmental degradation and is being ravaged by HIV/AIDS. But unlike many other developing countries, Malawi is a functioning multi-party democracy with strong civil society institutions, a free press and a tradition of peace. See story from One World Net

In a region marked by conflict and instability, Ghana's consolidated democracy and coordinated development goals are a hopeful indicator of West Africa's potential, perhaps best symbolized by its most eminent national, Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations. However, peaceful democratic transition has yet to satisfy economic expectations, as the predominantly agricultural economy struggles to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding population. Regional disparities are reflected in unequal development progress, as the rural northern districts of the country strain to match the growth of the urban south, from which the ruling political party draws its support. See story from One World Net

Situated on the western flank of Africa's major power, Nigeria, the Republic of Benin continues to exert an influence beyond its relatively small population of 7.9 million and its weak economic standing. For the past 15 years, Benin has been at the forefront of African democratization with a series of free and fair elections. Yet the country remains beset with numerous problems, not least the desperate poverty and entrenched corruption, as evidenced by its consistent ranking towards the bottom of the Human Development Index. See story from One World Net

Egypt is at the nexus of the Arab world. Its 'geographical genius'-astride the Suez Canal and at the pivot of Africa and Asia-has for millennia ensured its regional importance. As the largest city in the Arab world, Cairo dominates political, intellectual and cultural currents from Morocco to Dubai. However, in terms of human development, Egypt lags behind many of its richer Arab neighbors. The aspirations of 70 million Egyptians for peace and prosperity depend not only on events at home, but also on events across the Middle East. See story from One World Net

Eritrea is yet to escape the shadow of the conflict with Ethiopia which led to its emergence in 1993 as the newest nation in Africa. The governance and military cultures that survive from the war years are not perceived by the international donor community as the ideal platform for human development, let alone for the survival strategies necessary to stave off the crippling effect of successive years of drought. See story from One World Net

Ethopia is one of the oldest states in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a history that traces back to Biblical times. The country has preserved its ancient traditions and its own distinct language and alphabet, Amharic. However, poverty, food insecurity and conflict with Eritrea remain critical issues for Ethiopia's leadership to resolve, in parallel with the introduction of true democracy. Events since the May 2005 election have not been conducive to the desperate need to preserve the effective support of the international community. See story from One World Net

South Africa has made progress in the fight against corruption, but more needs to be done to eradicate the vice, say analysts. See story from Inter Press Service

With a few radical ideas and a band of scrappy followers armed with hoes and pitchforks, a self-taught economist from Kenya is trying to set Africa free - liberate it from the billions of dollars in aid it receives every year from rich countries. He's encouraging traditional farmers to think like entrepreneurs and develop their own new methods and tools. And he's persuading agribusiness firms to view residents here not as famine victims but as potential customers. By connecting producers and suppliers, he aims to jump-start new markets, and break dependence on food aid. See story from Christian Science Monitor

In recent days and weeks a number of high-profile politicians across the continent have been accused of great acts of disloyalty. But critics say the charges often have less to do with national betrayal than stifling dissent, and observers say the practice is exposing how a winner-take-all political paradigm still prevails across Africa, even in countries that have made significant democratic strides. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Despite the push for regional democracy, political strong man tactics remain the norm on the continent. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Somewhat surprisingly, global violent conflicts have decreased including those in Africa. To a significant extent, UN peacekeeping activities have contributed to the decline. See story from Christian Science Monitor

South Africa has taken its first action to expropriate white-owned farmland as restitution for the racially motivated takeover of the property forty years ago. But it is unlikely that South Africa will pursue a land redistribution policy similar to neighboring Zimbabwe. See story from Knight Ridder

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a former World Bank official and grandmother of six, is a front-runner in the race for President of Liberia. Yet she's hardly the only politically active woman on the continent. Across Africa, voters are increasingly putting their hope in women as capable and upstanding saviors - partly in a "throw the male bums out" reaction to continued corruption. Rwanda has the world's highest ratio of women in parliament - 49 percent. Also, of the 50 legislatures with the most female members, 11 are in Africa. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Sierra Leone faces a spectrum of challenges, from explosive youth unemployment to taking legitimate control of its rich mineral resources, as the United Nations peacekeeping mission winds down and the next phase of the West African country's development begins. See story from UN News Center

Kenya has long been known as one of East Africa's more stable countries. These days, however, it more closely resembles some of its troubled neighbors. Politicians have angrily accused one another of taking bribes. Crowds have pelted speakers with stones. Rallies have turned into bloody melees. The source of the tension is a debate over a new constitution to replace the document that was drawn up when Kenya gained independence from Britain in 1963. Kenyans are to vote Nov. 21 on the new charter, which enshrines a bill of rights, protects the land rights of indigenous peoples, provides for a stronger president and a weaker prime minister, allows dual citizenship and places the Muslim religious courts under parliamentary authority. See story from Knight Ridder

Despite the world response to the immediate problem in West Africa, the aid will have virtually no long-term impact on Africa's chronic hunger problem as the number of hungry Africans will grow over the next 20 years unless local governments and international donors change their spending priorities. See story from Knight Ridder

The United Nations Human Development report ranking 177 nations according to levels of prosperity showed the bottom 20 were all in sub- Saharan Africa, evidence of the grim plight of the continent. See story from News24.com

Congo has some of the world's biggest gold deposits. But for years competition to reap its riches has helped fuel armed conflict, including a 1998-2003 war that resulted in up to four million deaths. There is now a growing effort to halt the resource related violence. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Cell phones are revolutionizing Africa in more ways than just communication. In South Africa, they are a high-tech solution designed to help poor people here who never have had access to banks, cash machines, or credit cards. And it's another example of using digital technology to fast forward development in remote areas. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Nearly 200,000 people in a remote corner of Congo share one doctor, three nurses and a hospital most cannot reach, let alone afford. The collapse of the state health system, violence by militia and government soldiers and a lack of outside help have raised death rates in Mitwaba territory in northern Katanga to five times levels usually found in Africa, the relief workers say. See story from Reuters

the only region in the world becoming less and less able to feed itself. Reasons include the relentless spread of desert and drought, high population growth, bad governance, and the world community's flawed hunger-response system. See story from Christian Science Monitor

elected a national unity government, penned a peace agreement with rebels in Sudan's troubled Darfur region, increased its flow of oil, and reinforced its status as a valuable partner in the US fight against global terrorism. See story from Christian Science Monitor

to change his ways. The shift in attitude, if it lasts, could mark a new period in Zimbabwe's ongoing crisis - one that tilts the situation toward resolution, thus removing a big blot on Africa's global reputation and helping free Zimbabweans from authoritarianism, soaring inflation, increasing poverty, and hunger. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Sub-Saharan Africa's traditionally rural-based society is fast disappearing, with more than half its roughly 700 million people seen living in urban areas by 2030 according to a UN report. The unchecked flows of rural poor seeking better lives has put an unbearable strain on the capital cities. See story from Reuters

Among ordinary Africans, feelings about debt relief and aid money are far more nuanced than many Westerners may realize. Africans interviewed this week, from farmers to artists to health workers, say they are grateful for the outpouring of sentiment but they also said there was a dangerous disconnect between what the industrialized nations see as solutions and what Africans believe they need. Instead of debt relief and more aid, many Africans said they wanted the G-8 to focus on ending corruption and on improving roads, courts, banking and secondary education. See story from Washington Post

But it is not clear that debt relief, or even substantially increased aid flows, will be enough to produce success where so many previous development efforts have failed. Critics of aid have long pointed out that corrupt or incompetent governments will waste any hand-outs they are given-indeed, by providing funds that such governments can use to maintain their hold on power, aid donors can even make things worse. See story from the Economist

George Bush and Tony Blair have agreed that America will funnel more money towards Africa, and the G8 has reached a deal on broad-based debt relief. But if rich countries are really serious about poverty reduction, they should also curb subsidies that keep out products from the poor world. But Mr Blair has so far failed to secure Mr Bush's support for doubling aid flows to Africa, as recommended by Britain's Commission for Africa in March. Aid matters, because debt forgiveness alone, though it may help struggling countries to get their fiscal houses in order, will not heal the millions who die each year from preventable disease, nor lift those living on less than a dollar a day out of their extreme poverty. See story from The Economist

A U.S. promise to disperse 674 million dollars for famine relief in Africa has disappointed independent development groups, who decried the proposal as a sham that offers too little in face of the continent's mounting crises. Pres. George W. Bush announced the funding in response to humanitarian emergencies in Africa. Some 414 million dollars of this sum will be provided immediately to avert famine in the Horn of Africa. But despite intensive lobbying, Blair failed to cash in on his political capital with the U.S. president to get Bush to give more than a verbal commitment to consider a plan to cancel the debt owed by Africa's most impoverished nations. He also failed to get a pledge from the U.S. to double aid to Africa, as recommended by his Commission for Africa. See story from InterPress Service

Global warming linked to carbon emissions will have its worst impact in Africa. See story from Reuters

They don't always see eye to eye. But US religious leaders across the theological and political spectrums have found a common cause: ending global poverty and hunger, particularly in Africa. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Peace talks between the Government of Sudan and Darfur's two rebel groups, are scheduled to start on June 10, 2005 in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. A previous round of talks there stalled in December, and since then the African Union has been working to revive negotiations. See story from UN News Service

The latest scramble in Africa is for oil. The reserves, for which Western oil companies pay hundreds of millions of pounds in "signing bonuses" merely for the right to sink exploration wells, may eventually match the Middle East's. But there is little evidence that the additions of revenue will improve the economic lot of ordinary Africans. See story from Sunday Herald

The Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria outlined the financial needs that need to be substantially increased so that projects on prevention, testing, treatment and care for HIV/AIDS orphans may work properly.

The most affected area in the world is Africa, where an alarming number of children are losing their parents to HIV/AIDS. According to the survey, by 2010 there will be 40 million orphaned children whose parents died of AIDS, 95% coming from sub-Saharan Africa. See story from Christianity Today

The trial of Schabir Shaik, a disgraced Indian businessman, and the revelation of his close links to Jacob Zuma, the embattled vice-president, have opened a window on the rampant political corruption at the heart of modern South Africa. See story from the Sunday Times

Across Cape Town, township residents have been fighting with riot police armed with rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades in scenes that echo the anti- apartheid riots of the 1980s. This time, though, the focus of anger is the ruling African National Congress and its failure to push through improvements long promised since the end of white rule.

See story from Telegraph

The world's worst humanitarian crisis continues to unfold in Sudan's western region of Darfur. More than two million people are estimated to have fled their homes and at least 180,000 are thought to have died during the crisis. Sudan's government and the pro-government Arab militias are accused of war crimes against the region's black African population, although the United Nations has stopped short of terming it a genocide. See story from BBC

The campaign to bring low-priced drugs to HIV/AIDS sufferers in poor countries has met unexpected resistance: Governments receiving discounted essential medicines are taxing these products before selling them to the individuals for whom they are meant. The resulting difference in price is significant, in some cases critical. In South Africa, Emma, who is 19 years old and HIV-positive, quietly tells her story. A month's supply of anti-retroviral triple therapy is likely to cost about $101 for the drugs alone. Of this amount, $14 is paid directly to the South African government in sales tax. To Emma, and many other women, the tax means she can't afford decent food for a whole week. She begins to cry and says, "My two children [HIV- positive as well, though currently not on treatment] also don't have enough to eat." See story from Weekly Standard

Not everything that is happening in Africa is negative. Africa's economies grew by more than 5 percent last year - their biggest expansion in eight years. Central Africa's oil boom spurred 14.4 percent growth for that region. Foreign investment and exports have increased substantially. Internet and cell phone use is growing faster in Africa than anywhere else. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The latest scramble in Africa is for oil. The reserves, for which Western oil companies pay hundreds of millions of pounds in "signing bonuses" merely for the right to sink exploration wells, may eventually match the Middle East's. But there is little evidence that the additions of revenue will improve the economic lot of ordinary Africans. See story from Sunday Herald

The Executive Director of theGlobal Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria outlined the financial needs that need to be substantially increased so that projects on prevention, testing, treatment and care for HIV/AIDS orphans may work properly.

The most affected area in the world is Africa, where an alarming number of children are losing their parents to HIV/AIDS. According to the survey, by 2010 there will be 40 million orphaned children whose parents died of AIDS, 95% coming from sub-Saharan Africa. See story from Christianity Today

The trial of Schabir Shaik, a disgraced Indian businessman, and the revelation of his close links to Jacob Zuma, the embattled vice-president, have opened a window on the rampant political corruption at the heart of modern South Africa. See story from the Sunday Times

Across Cape Town, township residents have been fighting with riot police armed with rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades in scenes that echo the anti- apartheid riots of the 1980s. This time, though, the focus of anger is the ruling African National Congress and its failure to push through improvements long promised since the end of white rule. See story from Telegraph

The world's worst humanitarian crisis continues to unfold in Sudan's western region of Darfur. More than two million people are estimated to have fled their homes and at least 180,000 are thought to have died during the crisis. Sudan's government and the pro-government Arab militias are accused of war crimes against the region's black African population, although the United Nations has stopped short of terming it a genocide. See story from BBC

The campaign to bring low-priced drugs to HIV/AIDS sufferers in poor countries has met unexpected resistance: Governments receiving discounted essential medicines are taxing these products before selling them to the individuals for whom they are meant. The resulting difference in price is significant, in some cases critical. In South Africa, Emma, who is 19 years old and HIV-positive, quietly tells her story. A month's supply of anti-retroviral triple therapy is likely to cost about $101 for the drugs alone. Of this amount, $14 is paid directly to the South African government in sales tax. To Emma, and many other women, the tax means she can't afford decent food for a whole week. She begins to cry and says, "My two children [HIV- positive as well, though currently not on treatment] also don't have enough to eat." See story from Weekly Standard

Not everything that is happening in Africa is negative. Africa's economies grew by more than 5 percent last year - their biggest expansion in eight years. Central Africa's oil boom spurred 14.4 percent growth for that region. Foreign investment and exports have increased substantially. Internet and cell phone use is growing faster in Africa than anywhere else. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Messages about how to prevent HIV have been spread to all corners of Africa. Although awareness levels are higher than they have ever been, the pace at which the virus is spreading continues to accelerate. The real hurdle is translating awareness into behavior change, and the effort often runs up against longstanding and strongly held cultural values. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The world's worst humanitarian crisis continues to unfold in Sudan's western region of Darfur. More than one million people have fled their homes and up to 50,000 people have been killed. Pro-government Arab militias are accused of ethnic cleansing and even genocide against the region's black African population. See current background briefing by BBC

If the solution to the problems in Sudan seems complex, the roots of the problem are perhaps more so. See story from Christian Science Monitor A summary of the key events in the Dafur tragedy in Western Sudan. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Africa is getting poorer and hungrier as life expectancy continues its precipitous decline in the countries hardest hit by the AIDS pandemic, according to the recently released U.N. development report. It said that infants born now in seven nations with high rates of HIV infection can expect to live less than 40 years. The report also said the sub-Saharan African region as a whole was getting poorer, with the prospect that rising numbers of Africans would subsist on less than $1 a day in the years to come. Of the 177 nations included in the U.N. Development Index, African nations occupied all but three of the last 30 places. The bleak statistical portrait does not spare South Africa, the region's economic powerhouse, which celebrated a decade of post- apartheid democracy this year. Instead the report shows that shows that South Africans are worse off today than they were when apartheid ended. See story from New York Times

Time is running out for the Kenyan government to prove its commitment to the fight against corruption. Despite the promises of reform by President Mwai Kibaki, most observers agree that grand corruption has returned to Kenya. See story from South Africa Independent Online

Race - not religion - is the fundamental fault line in Sudan, though religion has certainly added fuel to the fire in the south. Indeed, since independence from the British in 1956, the demon of Sudan has been race. The Arab north, except for brief periods when token Africans were included in government, has exclusively held political and military power. To protest political exclusion, military repression, enslavement, and economic exploitation, Africans in the south have risen against the state. See story from Christian Science Monitor

A year-long congressional audit of President Bush 's international AIDS relief plan found policy constraints that could handcuff the agencies charged with carrying out the highly touted five-year, $15 billion effort to prevent millions of AIDS deaths. See story from USA Today

A decade after the end of apartheid, Soweto--the collection of infamous predominantly black townships outside Johannesburg--is slowly becoming a more agreeable place to live and work. See story from Chicago Tribune

African leaders pledged to use a new United Nations-style security body to quell Africa's many wars but warned the eventual success of the European-funded venture depended on the continent's readiness to pay its costs. See story from Independent

Protestors in several Congolese cities have blamed the UN for failing to prevent the eastern town of Bukavu from falling to dissident soldiers. Recent fighting in the east has sparked fears that DR Congo's fragile peace process may be unraveling. See story from BBC

After more than a year of virtually ignoring the biggest humanitarian crisis on the planet, the world's most powerful nations are suddenly paying attention to the conflict in western Sudan. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The US government appears to have performed a u-turn by opening the way for American approval and purchase of cheap "pirated" copies of Aids drugs to save the lives of the poor in the regions of the world hardest hit by the pandemic. See story from The Guardian However, Africa and AIDS activists are assailing the proposal not only as a new attempt to delay the delivery of desperately needed, low-cost generic drugs to needy AIDS victims in Africa and the Caribbean, but also as an effort to undermine the World Health Organisation's (WHO) own expedited approval process which has already authorized the use of generics by the World Bank ,the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. See story from One World Net

Activist groups concerned about Africa expressed deep disappointment Thursday with what they called a failure of the leaders of the Group of Eight (G-8) richest nations to respond seriously to the ongoing crises that afflict the region. They were particularly downcast about the G-8's refusal to grant comprehensive debt relief to the continent's poorest nations and the failure to commit major new funds to combating the HIV epidemic which is killing roughly 6,000 Africans every day. See story from One World Net

Democracy's record in South Africa thus far looks mixed. Certainly, life is better for many newly enfranchised nonwhite citizens. The government, dominated by the African National Congress (ANC) which retained its parliamentary majority in the polls Wednesday, has made a priority of delivering safe water, electricity, roads, and schools to far-flung black communities. Meanwhile, many whites have seen living standards decline after the privileges they once kept for themselves were stripped away. HIV/AIDS has spread alarmingly fast. The government's response has been marred by ideology, and until recently has been very ineffective. But so far, South Africa's crowning achievement has been to address major political and social differences without the use of force. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Some 810,000 African tribes- people in the Darfur region of western Sudan have fled their homes trying to escape a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Arab militias, which are apparently backed by Sudan's government. See story from Christian Science Monitor

U.S. Africa and AIDS activists are increasing pressure on the Bush administration to abandon its apparent efforts to block the use of U.S. aid to purchase life- preserving, generic anti-AIDS drugs for needy Africans, about 6,000 of whom die every day from the disease. See story from Inter Press Service

As the new year begins, Africa--so often besieged by wars--is seeing a period of growing peace. For the first time in five years, no major wars are roiling the continent, even if low- level conflicts still smolder. See story from Christian Science Monitor

The Chinese economic juggernaut and its thirst for minerals and markets has increasingly brought it to Africa. They are active in Zimbabwe because its hills are rich with gold and the world's second-largest platinum reserves. In Sudan, Angola, and along the Gulf of Guinea, the Asian giant is guzzling the continent's vast oil supply. The Chinese activism on the continent which includes breaking western trading embargoes and bestowing outlandish gifts on corrupt leaders complicates the Bush Administration's pro-democracy efforts. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Production of a generic version of the most widely used combination of AIDS drugs could expand treatment for patients in 13 African countries based on the approval of the United States Food and Drug Administration. See story from BBC

From conflicts in Sudan, Congo, and Ivory Coast to a boom in Internet use, smooth elections in several countries, and a fresh focus on women and AIDS, the headlines in 2004 gave cause for hope - and concern. For 2005, one theme stands out: Africa tackling its problems without much outside help. The Christian Science Monitor reviews the important challenges facing Africa during the coming year. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Amid considerable fanfare in Nairobi, Kenya, a peace agreement was signed ended the North - South conflict in Sudan. But the agreement does not resolve the separate problem which has emerged in the Dafur area of the country. See story from Christian Science Monitor

Although the signing in Kenya of a final peace accord marks a formal end to 21 years of war between the government of Sudan and southern rebels, human rights groups and other observers are growing more worried about the continued violence in the western region of Darfur. They are also concerned that both major parties to the peace accord, the National Islamic Front (NIF) government and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLA/M), may not fully comply, even though a ceasefire negotiated in 2002 has held up remarkably well since then. See story from One World Net