Peter "Just Loves Flying"

Egypt’s ruling generals play risky game with US.

The generals may be betting the U.S. cannot afford to cut relations with Egypt — a cornerstone of American Mideast policy

The Contest Over Peace and Security in Africa.

The dominant interventionist approach to peace and security in Africa by-passes the hard work of creating domestic political consensus and instead imposes models of government favoured by western powers

The Pop Star and the President – By Tim Judah | Foreign Policy.

The big news this week is that Abdoulaye Wade, Senegal’s geriatric president, is breathing a sigh of relief. The constitution says he can only run for two consecutive terms, but on Friday the constitutional court of this West African country ruled that this did not apply to him. It also decided that Youssou N’Dour, the global pop superstar and the country’s greatest export, who had thrown his hat into the ring, was not eligible to run.

Nigeria’s Boko Haram killed 935 people since 2009-report – AlertNet.

The Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram has killed at least 935 people since it launched an uprising in 2009, including more than 250 in the first weeks of this year, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday

IRIN Africa | NIGERIA: Boko Haram displaced fear returning home | Nigeria | Governance | Security | Urban Risk.

KANO, 19 January 2012 (IRIN) – Many of the tens of thousands of civilians who have fled their homes following a string of deadly attacks by “terrorist group” Boko Haram in northern Nigeria over recent weeks have not yet been able to return home – or been offered any shelter by the authorities.

IRIN Africa | COTE D’IVOIRE: Loss of relief aid could threaten fragile peace | Cote d’Ivoire | Aid Policy | Food Security | Governance | Refugees/IDPs | Security.

 Nine months after fighting ended in Côte d’Ivoire, at least 15,000 displaced people are still in camps, many of the half million returnees require food aid, the groundwork for reconciliation in many parts of the west has not yet been laid – and aid workers are worried funding will dry up, threatening the fragile peace.