Africa

The Project involves the planting of trees along a 7000 kilometer east-west extension from Dakar, the capital of Senegal, to Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, to reduce the impact of desertification. Senegal has called upon the international community to support the “Great Green Wall” project that will contribute to environmental protection.

On October 4, the Moroccan capital, Rabat, became a platform for the launch of World March for Peace and Non-violence. During this extraordinary day, the entire city saw a march of residents, associations, artists and elected representatives who wanted to give a public demonstration of their commitment to a world without violence and war.

Nearly 1000 people belonging to various ethnic groups involved in conflict of civil war last year, today walked together united in peace and non-violence in Kisumu, a city located on the banks of Lake Victoria. Leading the march walked those who suffer most from violence in the world: Children.

Among the official ceremonies for Peace Day, and by invitation of the Government of Zambia, the World March for Peace and Nonviolence has been officially announced. During the opening ceremony for the March, the Minister of Information and Communications and the African country’s Representative to the United Nations have publicly joined this inaugural global march.

Noufou Tiendrebeogo, President of the Muslim Student’s Association AEEMB which includes more than 100,000 members, explained: “We are becoming a member of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence because the promotion of peace (the root of the word Islam) is the very essence of the Muslim religion and the sine qua non for development”.

Sarah Onyango “Obama”, grandmother of the US President endorsed the World March for Peace and Nonviolence, welcoming the idea behind it, she prevailed upon others to support the initiative. She wishes everyone to “come together and take responsibility for transforming the world into a world without wars and a world with abundant openings of reconciliation and prosperity”.

Crisis talks to end months of political instability in Madagascar have collapsed as the parties failed to agree who should hold key posts in a transitional government. Ousted president Marc Ravalomanana and his successor Andry Rajoelina remained deadlocked over who should occupy the presidency in the interim government, the African Union – which is brokering the talks – said.

The commander of the UN-African Union peacekeeping force in the Sudanese region of Darfur, Rodolpho Adada, says the mission has been a success. He says there are no longer any major bloodbaths and the conflict has diminished. Mr Adada does not deny that the region is plagued by instability; however, he says that ordinary bandits are the major cause of the troubles.

For the past eight years, a teacher native to Kenya has been dedicated to recuperating computers and other electronic items discarded for trash. After repairing them with a team of computer experts, he sends them to students in Kenya who have no access to these technologies. Jude Ndambuki developed a new bartering system: “if you plant 100 trees I will give you a computer.”

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has ordered Eritrea to pay neighbouring Ethiopia seven million euros in compensation for damage inflicted on each other during the war between 1998 and 2000. The international tribunal said it specified the extra money because Eritrea had begun the conflict. Both countries have agreed to the ruling.