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African Union summit – 2014 Year of Agriculture
African Union summit, Addis Ababa, January 2014
Radio France Internationale’s English service
A series of interviews and reports from the 22nd African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Includes coverage from the Executive Council and Assembly as well as stories on South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Libya, Algeria, the AU Immediate Response to Crises force and agriculture, the summit’s theme.
Mauritania’s oil minister discusses Mali conflict fallout
Taleb Ould Abdi Vall. Photo: Agence Mauritanienne d’Information.
As the French military intervention in northern Mali continues, many countries in the region have been affected by the fallout. Mauritania, which shares a 2,000-kilometre border with Mali, has seen the arrival of thousands of refugees and has increased military patrols to try and stop Islamist armed groups from penetrating its territory.
Interview: Taleb Ould Abdi Vall, Mauritania’s Minister of Oil, Energy and Mining, at Ifri think-tank
Eritreans protest outside Paris embassy
A group of Eritean political refugees protested outside Eritrea’s Paris embassy on Friday in a demonstration against President Isaias Afewerki. There have been similar demonstrations at Eritrea embassies in other European capitals in recent days, including London and Rome. This comes following a recently reported army mutiny in the Eritrean capital Asmara, when some 200 Eritrean soldiers briefly occupied the country’s Information Ministry.
Mitt, the Mormons, and a controversial temple in France
An architectural rendering of what the Mormon temple will look like in Le Chesnay. Photo: Intellectual Reserve Inc
As Mitt Romney continues to work toward his goal of replacing Barack Obama, one aspect of his past is achieving success after a long struggle — in France, not the US. French Mormons are preparing to break ground in construction of the country’s first temple, to be built in the leafy Paris suburb of Le Chesnay, right near the Palace of Versailles, one of the country’s major international tourism draws. The plan, though, is not without controversy.
London conference on Somalia attracts international attention
The London conference on Somalia opens to fanfare on Thursday hoping to improve the situation in a country described as the “world’s worst failed state”. Ahead of the conference the UN Security Council has approved a new resolution bolstering the African Union’s peacekeeping force in Somalia to 17,000 troops, in its fight against the Al-Shabaab rebels.
Kagame cleared of involvement in plane crash by French report
Tharcisse Karugarama. Photo: Rwandan government.
A French judicial report on Tuesday cleared Rwandan President Paul Kagame of involvement in the shooting down of a plane that sparked the 1994 genocide. The report was welcomed by Rwanda as a vindication of Kagame.
Interview: Rwandan Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama
Kabila leads DRC elections with half polling stations counted
Packets of ballot papers lying on the floor at the Fikin International compilation centre in Kinshasa
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s incumbent president Joseph Kabila is leading the presidential election, according to partial results announced on Sunday. The country’s electoral commission said Kabila leads his main rival Etienne Tshisekedi by over 1.5 million ballots.
Etienne Tshisekedi
Vital Kamerhe
Q&A Lambert Mende, DRC Communications Minister
Police ban rallies in DRC as violence erupts on final day of campaigning
With just two days two days left until voters go to the polls in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidential elections, police in Kinshasa have banned campaign rallies. This follows the death of a man near the airport where thousands of people had gathered to meet the election’s main rivals, Joseph Kabila and Etienne Tshisekedi.
Report: DRC elections – Possible delay
Libya will not be governed by extremists, says new PM
Abdurrahim el-Keib
In an exclusive interview on Tuesday Libya’s new interim Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keib told RFI that worries over the introduction of sharia law in Libya are unfounded. He says his new government will do its “best” to stop human rights abuses and investigate those that have already taken place.
Interview: Abdurrahim el-Keib, Libya’s new prime minister
Commonwealth Sec Gen Sharma on G20, Africa and human rights
Kamalesh Sharma, 2009. Photo: UNDP
Promoting the interests of Commonwealth countries was the primary focus of Commonwealth chief Kamalesh Sharma‘s meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday night, ahead of next week’s G20 finance ministers meeting.
Interview: Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary General, Commonwealth
Sharma represents 54 countries across the world, including a number from Africa. The Commonwealth recently observed elections in Zambia and has a team in place for this weekend’s elections in Cameroon. However, there are some criticisms over the Commonwealth’s approach to holding countries accountable for their human rights record.
