Many soccer fans watching world cup match were in for a big shock as the raghing fire spread across the cinemas. According to the international Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) in the South Kivu province the accident killed a large number of children as well as women.

Accorindg to an estimated the explosion killed large number of people and the blast caused death as well as material damage.  Many people died while they were trying to put away the fire that caused the damage.

According to the reports from the UN organization Stabilization Mission in DRC, known as Monusco as a large number of people who at gathered at the site of the accident were unaware of the danger caused by oil leakage.

A large number of people who were air lifted to the provincial capital are being treated, but the locals are in need of basic necessities as well as physiological assistance. There is no special unit for burned people in the hospitals.

[Source: AP]

It has also been found that three of the suspects are having asylum status in South Africa. The prime accused have also appeared in the court and according to the prosecutors the suspects are from Tanzania, Somalia and Mozambique, he refused to disclose how long they have been living in South Africa.

The Rwandan ex army chief who had been living in exile is recovering from the gunshot. The real motive behind the attacks is yet to be disclosed in the next court hearing which is scheduled for July 14 as the investigating officers need enough time to establish the prime suspect’s immigration status.

Nyamwasa’s wife has a totally different interpretation of the assassination attempt and suspects the involvement of the Rwandan president in the crime. Paul Kagame who is the President of Rwanda was a close aide of the ex army chief but have fallen out now and Kagame considers Nyamwasa  as a strong political rival.

[Source: AP]

But despite all the political unrest, Pierre Nkurunziza remains unfazed and is all set to come out a winner. The presidential elections were supposed to bring about a transition in the war torn African nation, by bringing democracy and forming a  peaceful coalition deal with the rebels.

But the voters had very little choice as most of the opposition candidates  including the National Liberation Forces(FNL) pulled out of the elections claiming fraud. The aftermath of the violence wounded 60 civilians and killed at least 8  others.

From the observers point of view it was a poor turnout , especially in the Southern Bujumbura FNL bastion of Kanyosha were very few voters cast their votes. This is in high contrast to the turnout reported in the last month when hundreds of voters cast their votes in the local council polls.

Investigations are being conducted  and FNL has come under suspicion for propagating violence in the country. Some of the members of other opposition parties like the Movement of Solidarity and Development (MSD) have also been arrested in connection with the blasts.

[Source: Africa News Agency]

If Guinea’s democratic transition holds it will be the largest democracy as well as secular democracy in Africa. The transition could have enormously important global consequences as Guinea a  land rich in minerals, but the dictatorship of the military rule has thrown the riddled the people in poverty and disgrace.

The military has its authoritarian and intolerant models of governance where democracy remains an attainable prospect. But the first free vote in Guinea suggests that the road to democracy and stability in West Africa will be a smooth one. There have been many aggressive campaigns with candidates hosting rallies.

But it is the defense ministry’s promise to keep the military in the barracks during the period of elections is a favorable sign. According to statistics, over 4.2 million citizens cast their vote successfully in 17 foreign countries including Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

But lately the country’s transition to democracy has been upset by power struggles, riots, and military instigated terror lead by Camara at the Conakry stadium in the month of September during the year 2009. But Camara was hot by an aide and his deputy General Skuouba Konate backed the transition of the governing council and paved the way for a New Constitution in Guinea.

[Source: Al Jazeerah Bureau]

Another two blasts ripped through the Uhuru Park, reported the KTN (Kenyan television network).

The rally was essentially conducted to protest against the new draft of constitution which was to get voted on 4th August. Although the prime minister and president back it, yet several known politicians oppose it.

The blasts happened when the speech was on behind the crowd.

[Source: Kenyan reporting Agency]

Hungry malnourished children of Africa

Over 10 million people from four countries in west Africa are adversely affected by a severe drought according to aid agencies. Nigeria which is the worst affected country has some 7.1 million people who are suffering from hunger, with nearly half considered highly food insecure because of the loss of livestock and crops coupled with a surge in prices.

Just few days back Ethopis along with Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania signed a treaty on sharing nile water equally But there was strong opposition from neighboring Sudan and Eygpt who have major area of the river water. Egypt and Sudan have an veto power by which they can build project which can affect the flow of water.

The river Nile flows through 10 african nations, and one of teh major conflicts comes when it  comes to distribution of water.

Meles Zenawi said “Some people in Egypt have old-fashioned ideas based on the assumption that the Nile water belongs to Egypt, and that Egypt has a right to decide who gets what, and that the upper [Nile basin] countries are unable to use the Nile water because they will be unstable and they will be poor,” he said.

“These circumstances have changed and changed forever. Ethiopia is not unstable. Ethiopia is still poor, but it is able to cover the necessary resources to build whatever infrastructure and dams it wants on the Nile water.”

“A government official told me that Egypt does not oppose the development of these countries,” he said.

“But at the end of the day, Egypt does not want to see the flow of the Nile and the water share of the Nile being hindered or reduced.”

Egypt and Sudan fear that if other contries use the water, then there may be shortage  of water.
[Al Jazeera News Agency]

The SPLM Vice Chairman said “We decided that Yasir [Arman] should end his campaign for the presidency of the Republic,”, the capital city of Kenya, Khartoum has majority supporters of Yasir Arman and is giving a tough competition to Omar al-bashir. Although Yasir is a Muslim from north but Joined SPLM when he was fighting the government in the north. He was a official at high post in SPLM until 2005, later when the peace agreement accord was struck putting the war on hold between north and south.

If Yasir withdraws from the election then Omar al Bashir’s chances of winning the election is high as he was the credible opponent. This might result in a very bad outcome in the relationship between the two parties, NCP and SPLM. The referendum which is due next year, whither north and south will stay united will depend on this issue.

Earlier a coalition of opposite parties had a meeting and had decided to boycott elections, after their calls to postponed the election on April 11 was disapproved. They said it’s impossible to hold a fair and free poll by the scheduled date and many candidates have not been given the fair opportunities to carry out significant electoral campaigns in the volatile country.

The opposition parties wants the polls to postponed until November, citing a continued conflict in Darfur and unresolved complaints of electoral irregularities. They are going to meet on Thursday to make final decision on the boycott.

[Sources: Al jazeera]

somalia al shabab spokesman

Somalia’s Al shabab group announced that they are all set to confront US and that they are not scared of the worlds superpower. Speaking to journalists, the spokesman of the group, Ali Mahmoud Rajhi said that now they are even more sure that they are on the right path since the tie-up of US with the Somali government.

The Al-shabab fighters had confronted US in 1993 in which US faced heavy causalities and humiliation, including the one in which dead bodies of US soldiers were dragged in the streets. The group is confident that once again they would fight with that zeal.

The Al-Shabab fighters will now be facing air offensive from the US, aimed at rooting out the group from its locations. The Somali troops were being trained by US for a long time now, but this time US would be sending its army to support the troops.

Continuing the program of building the nation, US had involved itself in so called relief efforts in Somali along with the UN forces. However, US along with its allies faced terrible disaster when the Al shabab fighters drove them off the land.

In October 1993, the battle which is named as the “Battle of Mogadishu”, ended up with heavy causalities from US army. Mohammed Farah Aidid, the warlord who took part in Al Shabab fighters operation, killed more than 18 US soldiers in just a single day, and dragged their bodies on the streets of Mogadishu.

The secretary general of opposition coalition said “We in the opposition are doing everything we can to show that we do not agree with this,Nobody can really tell when we can go to the elections now, and that is a serious threat to peace in Cote D’Ivoire,” he said.

Protesters have set ablaze a bus belonging to national transport company in the main city of Abidjan.

The transport company manager, Thomas Koffi said “There was a vandal amongst the bus passengers who sprayed the bus with flammable liquid,”

Several cocoa warehouse were closed in the East Abengourou by the protesters, and in some places roads were also blocked, especially the route between Yamoussoukro and Bouake, were the rebels are in majority.

Blaise Compaore, the president of Burkina Faso, a mediator in this crisis said “[The facilitator would like] to encourage president Laurent Gbagbo to act quickly to relaunch the electoral process to preserve progress made so far and … and ensure it is completed,”

The country which is teh largest producer of cocoa is currently without any governmnet or electoral body, on the other hand the opposition denied recognising the new rule.

Anne Ouloto a spokeswoman for opposition party said “We cannot let this dictatorship establish itself,”.

The independant PIIT party also condemned this move.

Guillaume Soro, ex-rebel leader and current prime minister, siad he is meeting with all parties to start a new government and to organise presidential elections as early as possible.

Ivory Coast was one of Africa’s economically independently, boasting a modern, cosmopolitan capital which lured tens of thousands of immigrants from poorer neighboring nations.

[Source: PTI news  agency]