Full Coverage: Central Africa

28.04.2006 The Congo’s first free elections in 40 years should be a major step toward ending the country’s long conflict, but if not carried out properly could trigger further unrest, the International Crisis Group warns.

28.04.2006 A recent spate of attacks in South Darfur State seems to constitute a new military offensive by the Sudanese government and puts the lives of tens of thousands of people at risk, regional analysts have warned.

27.04.2006 Children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to endure some of the most inhumane treatment found anywhere in the world, despite outward signs of progress, according to a new report.
* The War the World Forgot

27.04.2006 Children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to endure some of the most inhumane treatment found anywhere in the world, despite outward signs of progress, according to a new report by the Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict.

26.04.2006 Resources are being stretched to the limits as hunger and militia attacks drive Chadians to seek international assistance in the remote border areas of eastern Chad. Refugee camps established to aid Sudanese refugees are running low on supplies due to the influx of displaced Chadians.

24.04.2006 Nine men detained for homosexuality in Cameroon have been acquitted of all charges after being detained for almost a year.

19.04.2006 "Even the sound of a car made people run into the bush. This pervasive fear amongst the population is what struck me the most," says Simon Collins, a doctor working in the Central African Republic.

17.04.2006 Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno has promised that 200,000 refugees from Sudan's Darfur region will not be forcibly returned, the head of the UN refugee agency said after a telephone conversation on Sunday.

14.04.2006 Seven officers were sentenced to life in prison by a military court for crimes against humanity stemming from the rape of at least 119 women and girls in 2003. The verdict, which was applauded by the UN, was delivered in the presence of the victims, who also received reparation of damages.

14.04.2006 The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative Regional Network for West & Central Africa was launched in Dakar yesterday by a partnership of UN agencies, national and local governments and NGOs.

13.04.2006 In an audio interview, a Médecins Sans Frontiéres team member in Chad discusses the increased violence, the health of the refugees, and the upcoming rainy season, which, it is feared, may worsen conditions and help spread disease.

13.04.2006 With rebels moving towards N’Djamena, and fears of an impending coup intensifying in Chad, the country's refugee population is increasingly vulnerable and at risk of displacement.

11.04.2006 More food and peacekeepers are arriving in Central Katanga, DR Congo - where mortality rates "are well above emergency thresholds" - but few agencies are operating there, says an update by an international refugee group.
* DRC: 'Ketudi Byakudya' - We don't have enough food

06.04.2006 Four years after the end of the Angolan civil war, the bloody plight of the country’s elephants is worsening with a doubling in the illegal ivory trade over the last 12 to 18 months, according to two environmental groups.

04.04.2006 A regional response is needed to end the appalling and deteriorating conflicts in Uganda, Sudan and Chad, a leading refugee action group has told UN envoy Jan Egeland, who is on a nine-day visit to the area.
* Sudan bans UN emergency relief chief’s plane
* Two decades of conflict take toll on northern Uganda
* See also: Opinion and Analysis

04.04.2006 The UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator is urged to see the linkages between conflicts and formulate a truly regional response to the crises in neighboring Sudan, Uganda, and Chad as he visits the region this week.

03.04.2006 Two rival armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo are attempting to replenish their ranks by recruiting child soldiers--including many former soldiers who had already passed through a release and reunification program. Amnesty International called the situation "alarming" Friday.