Africa

 

 

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has said "all options are open" to deal with any threat to his country's water supply posed by an Ethiopian dam.

 

Mr Morsi said he was not "calling for war", but that he would not allow Egypt's water supply to be endangered.

 

Egypt was apparently caught by surprise when Ethiopia started diverting the Blue Nile last month, amid works to construct a hydroelectric dam.

 

The river is a tributary of the Nile, on which Egypt is heavily dependent.

 

The Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is a $4.7bn (£3.1bn) project that Ethiopia says will eventually provide 6,000 megawatts of power.

 

It says the Blue Nile will be slightly diverted but will then be able to follow its natural course.

 

"Egypt's water security cannot be violated at all," Mr Morsi said on Monday. "As president of the state, I confirm to you that all options are open."

 

"If Egypt is the Nile's gift, then the Nile is a gift to Egypt,'' he said, quoting popular sayings about the river in an emotive televised speech.

 

"The lives of the Egyptians are connected around it... as one great people. If it diminishes by one drop then our blood is the alternative."

 

Analysts say Mr Morsi could be using the issue to distract attention from severe domestic political and economic challenges.

 

Egypt is particularly dependant on water supply from the Nile, and its growing population has been placing that supply under increasing strain.

 

Sudan is also reliant on Nile waters.

 

Egypt cites a colonial era ruling to claim a right to the majority of the Nile's waters for itself and Sudan, but Ethiopia says the ruling is outdated.

 

Mr Morsi said Egypt had no objection to development projects on Nile basin states, "but on condition that those projects do not affect or damage Egypt's legal and historical rights".

 

Last week, Egyptian politicians were inadvertently heard on live TV proposing military action over the dam..

The presidency said Mr Mandela's condition was unchanged and confirmed that he was in intensive care.

 

His former wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, visited him on Monday.

 

Mr Mandela, 94, was admitted to hospital early on Saturday for the third time this year. He is being treated for a lung infection.

 

The government said in a statement: "President Jacob Zuma reiterates his call for South Africa to pray for Madiba and the family during this time." Madiba is Mr Mandela's clan name.

 

 

The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse in Johannesburg looks at how South Africa's newspapers have been covering the latest news about Nelson Mandela's health

In releasing the latest update, presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj also denied that visitors were being blocked from seeing Mr Mandela.

 

He said: "The reality is that the normal procedures when a patient is under intensive care are applying from the medical side.

 

"Therefore there are limitations on visitors and, you know, that when a person is in intensive care the doctors only allow some very close people to be there - it is not the way it is being presented in the media."

 

The presidency said Mr Mandela had been ill for some days at his Johannesburg home, with a recurrence of his long-standing lung problems.

 

He was admitted to hospital after his condition worsened at 01:30 on Saturday (23:30 GMT Friday).

 

'A fighter'The BBC's Karen Allen in Pretoria says there is a quiet hope that the man who led the fight against apartheid may regain his strength once again.

 

She says that many took heart from a visit on Sunday by Mr Mandela's daughter, Zindzi, who said that her father was "well" and "a fighter".

 

Mr Mandela's wife, Graca Machel, cancelled a scheduled appearance in London on Saturday to remain at her husband's bedside.

 

His eldest daughter, Zenani Mandela-Dlamini, was returning to South Africa from Argentina, where she is the ambassador, to visit her father, family sources said.

 

Prayers have been said in churches across the country for Mr Mandela.

 

Nelson Mandela served as president from 1994 to 1999.

 

He was previously imprisoned for 27 years, and is believed to have suffered damaged lungs while working in a prison quarry.

 

He contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while being held in jail on the windswept Robben Island.

 

He retired from public life in 2004 and has been rarely seen in public since.vvvvvvvvv

By Helen Briggs

 

 

 

Malnutrition is responsible for 45% of the global deaths of children under the age of five, research published in the Lancet medical journal suggests.

 

Poor nutrition leads to the deaths of about 3.1 million under-fives annually, it says.

 

An international team reviewed different causes of malnutrition in pregnancy and childhood.

 

They say the first 1,000 days of life - from conception to two years - have lasting consequences for health.

 

Malnutrition - which includes being overweight or obese as well as under-nourished - also has an economic impact.

 

According to a recent United Nations report, malnutrition is estimated to cost the world $3.5tn (£2.3tn) - or $500 for every person - in healthcare and lost productivity.A team led by Prof Robert Black, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, US, reviewed evidence on maternal and child under-nutrition and obesity in low-income and middle-income countries since 2008.

 

The team also assessed national and international progress on nutrition programmes.

 

Prof Black and colleagues say while some progress has been made in recent years, they estimate that more than 165 million children were affected by stunting (low height for age) and 50 million by wasting (low weight for height) in 2011.

 

An estimated 900,000 lives could be saved in 34 countries if 10 proven nutritional interventions were scaled-up to 90% of the world, they say.

 

"The nutritional consequences of the months during pregnancy and the conditions during the first two years of life have very important consequences for mortality and for adult chronic disease," Prof Black told BBC News.

 

"The early nutritional deficit results in developmental consequences for the individual and that has implications for their ability to succeed in school and ultimately in society to have the most productive jobs."

 

The researchers warn that countries will not break out of poverty unless nutrition becomes a global priority.

 

Dr Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of the Lancet, said: "If maternal and child nutrition can be optimised, the benefits will accrue and extend over generations, which is why we must work together now to seize this opportunity."

 

Experts working in development are gathering in London this weekend for a summit on nutrition hosted by the UK and Brazilian governments.

 

This will be followed by the annual summit of leaders from the G8 countries.

 

The Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign is calling for $1bn per year in additional aid money to be spent on malnutrition by 2015.

 

Enough Food for Everyone IF spokesperson Anita Tiessen said:

 

"These new figures confirm our worst fears - that hundreds of thousands more children are dying from malnutrition than we previously thought.

 

"We have made incredible progress in tackling child deaths around the world, but malnutrition remains the Achilles' heel in our efforts to prevent millions of needless deaths each year. We must urgently prioritise tackling hunger if we are to continue the progress we have made."

 

 

Nelson Mandela has been admitted to hospital with a lung infection, the office of South African President Jacob Zuma says.

 

In a statement on its website, it said the former president had had a lung infection for several days.

 

His condition deteriorated on Saturday morning and he was transferred to a hospital in Pretoria. He is said to be in a "serious but stable condition".

 

Mr Mandela, 94, has recently suffered a series of health problems.

 

His illness is described as a recurrence of a lung infection, which has troubled him repeatedly over recent years.

 

Mr Mandela, South Africa's first black president, was taken to hospital at about 01:30 local time.

 

In April he was released from hospital after a 10-day stay caused by pneumonia.

 

Mac Maharaj, South Africa's presidential spokesman, told the BBC he was receiving expert medical care.

 

Doctors were doing everything possible to make him comfortable and better, he added.

 

 

 

Journalists in Malawi, South Africa and Zambia came under attack in separate incidents this past week. All of the journalists affected practice as photojournalists. 

 

On Thursday, 30 May 2013, Malawian photojournalist Thoko Chikondi was punched several times by the chief parliamentary security officer at the parliament building as she went about her duties. She had been photographing a consumer rights advocate, John Kapito, who had just presented a petition to the national assembly. 

 

However, the chief security officer, identified as Youngson Chilinda, accused her of taking pictures without permission. An image which appears on the front page of today's (31 May) The Daily Times shows Chilinda with his fist raised towards the visibly-shaken female journalist while pulling her hair with the other hand. 

 

As a result of the assault, the photojournalist sustained bruises on her back and was treated at Kamuzu Central hospital in the capital, Lilongwe. The matter has since been reported to the Lingadzi Police Station. 

 

Chilinda is a retired soldier and has previously expressed political aspirations, losing out on a parliamentary seat in the last election in 2009. 

 

Anthony Kasunda, chairperson of the Malawi Chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Malawi) and chairperson of the MISA regional governing council, has condemned the assault on the journalist. 

 

“This is uncalled for and regrettable and a great shock to MISA. We strongly request parliament to investigate and discipline Chilinda. Parliament is a public place and Chikondi had every right to freely gather and report on what was happening at parliament. Such barbaric acts must stop,” Kasunda said. 

 

At the time of publishing this alert, it was not clear if Chilinda would be arrested. 

 

In South Africa, on 29 May 2013, photojournalist Motshwari Mofokeng was wounded in the chest when a security guard shot a rubber bullet directly at him. According to the 30 May edition of The Star, the daily newspaper Mofokeng reports for, the incident occurred while he was “covering an eviction of illegal residents living in a building once used as a factory.” 

 

In his own words, Mofokeng is quoted as saying: “I [was] shot in the chest, but (even) before that, I had been slapped twice. The guard had walked away from me as the pain intensified. We don't know who he is, or what led to the incident. But I'm sure he'll soon explain himself in a court of law.” 

 

Just before he fell to his knees after being shot, Mofokeng managed to capture the image the security guard shooting directly at him. The image, along with an inset of Mofokeng's chest wound, appeared on the front page of The Star on 30 May. 

 

The Star editor, Makhudu Sefara has said his newspaper will “exhaust every possible avenue to ensure that the man who shot Motshwari face the full brunt of the law.” 

 

He added: “Too many photographers have been beaten and even shot in the line of duty recently. Yesterday (Wednesday) they picked the wrong photographer and the wrong newspaper. We intend [to make] an example here and now before one of our colleagues is killed.” 

 

On Saturday, 25 May, Zambia Army personnel roughed up two photojournalists as they tried to capture pictures of dignitaries laying wreaths at the Freedom Statue as part of Zambia's commemoration of Africa Day. 

 

In an interview with MISA-Zambia, freelance photojournalist Jean Mandela Ndayesega and The Post newspaper photojournalist Salim Dawood, both confirmed they were roughed up when they refused to vacate the advantageous position they had stationed themselves at to capture good pictures of the event. 

 

“We tried to reason with them that we want to get good pictures of the event, but they would not listen to us and instead roughed us up”, Dawood explained. 

 

In an interview, the Zambia Army's public relations officer, Colonel Chris Musonda, said that his institution was ready to dialogue with MISA to ensure a conducive media operating environment in Zambia. “We are there for the people and we will be sure to address such matters,” Colonel Musonda said. 

 

MISA-Zambia chairperson, Nalumino Nalumino expressed disappointment at the manner in which the two photojournalists were handled by army personnel. 

 

“We wish to appeal to the Zambia[n] Army to orient their officers on how to handle the media during public events, because such incidents, if left unchecked, may lead to censorship on the part of the media and reduced access to information on the part of citizens who both the media and the army want to serve,” he said. 

 

MISA programme specialist for Media Freedom Monitoring & Research, Levi Kabwato, has described the journalists who came under fire this past week as “brave”. 

 

“They are all brave. The courage they displayed under fire is inspirational and for that we salute them. We are very relieved that none of them [were] seriously wounded or even lost their [lives],” Kabwato said. 

 

“Our promise to them, and all the journalists we serve in this region, is that we will continue to work hard in ensuring that the operating environment is not hostile and that journalist's rights are respected across [the] SADC [The South African Development Community],” he said. 

 

He added: “We also appeal to public officials and the wider public to familiarise themselves with the role of journalists in society. Some of these attacks wouldn't occur if there was sufficient understanding of the critical role played by journalists. We further ask all media houses to ensure that their staff have access to medical cover[age] and are equipped with tools and tactics that can enable them to prevent attacks when covering potentially dangerous beats.”

 

 

South African officials are investigating claims ex-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family stashed $1bn (£600m) in assets in the country.

 

Libya has reportedly called for help in repatriating diamonds, gold and cash.

 

The assets were being held by four banks and security companies in South Africa, reports quoting Libyan investigators say.

 

Some estimates suggest that Gaddafi's total foreign assets could be worth as much as $80bn.

 

Gaddafi was captured and killed as he tried to flee his home town of Sirte during Libya's political uprising in October 2011.

 

Any assets belonging to him or his family are firmly considered by many Libyans as state-owned property that should be returned.

 

"There was a group that approached Treasury claiming to represent the Libyan government and we are in the process of verifying their claims about assets that are in South Africa," a spokesman for South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan was quoted as saying by South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper.

 

Libyan embassy official Salah Marghani said that officials had "been appointed to investigate and secure assets in Africa on behalf of the people of Libya".

 

The newspaper printed extracts of letters from Libya's justice and finance ministers to their South African counterparts asking for help finding assets linked to Gaddafi, which might "have been illegally possessed, obtained, looted, deposited or hidden in South Africa".

 

It said Libyan investigators had met Mr Gordhan and President Jacob Zuma to discuss locating and returning the money.

 

 

Egypt’s highest court invalidated today the Islamist-dominated Senate and a panel that drafted the Constitution, throwing the country into fresh political uncertainty.

 

The Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) said the law governing the elections of the Shura Council was unconstitutional, as were the rules for the selection of the members of a committee that drafted the Constitution.

 

Presiding Judge Maher al-Beheiry said that the Shura Council should remain in place until the election of a new Parliament. It was not immediately clear whether the Shura Council would continue to legislate during this time.

 

Some judicial sources said the Shura Council, a historically powerless body which was thrust into a legislative role when Parliament was dissolved, now has no authority to make laws.

 

Prolong polarization

 

But others say the body’s powers will be restricted to issuing legislation governing the next elections. As for the Constitution, it will remain in place because it was adopted by a popular referendum, judicial sources said.

 

Despite the uncertainty over its impact, the ruling it will cast a dark shadow over the legitimacy of the Shura Council and the constitutional panel, which were touted by President Mohamed Morsi as shining examples of Egypt’s new democracy.

 

The Constitution was at the heart of a bitter conflict between Morsi’s mainly Islamist supporters and his opponents who slammed the text for failing to represent all Egyptians and stifling freedoms. Regardless of their consequences on the ground, the ruling is likely to prolong the polarizing political transition that followed Mubarak’s overthrow. Rival political groups disagree not just on policies but on the legitimacy of the basic institutions of government as well as the future course of the nation.

 

It will give heart to the mostly secular and liberal opposition, while providing fresh ammunition to the argument often repeated by the president’s supporters that the judiciary is filled with Mubarak loyalists determined to derail the nation’s political process

vv

Gunmen have attacked the main prison in Niger's capital, Niamey, killing at least two people, officials say.

 

They are thought to be members of the Islamist militant group, Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao).

 

Some of them are reported to have entered the prison, which has been surrounded by security forces.

 

The attack comes days after Mujao said it was behind suicide bombings at a military base and a French-operated uranium mine which killed 25 people.

 

Another group affiliated with al-Qaeda, the Signed-in-Blood Battalion of Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, later claimed that the assaults in Agadez and Arlit had been joint operations with Mujao.

 

It also said the attacks were retaliation for Niger's role in the French-led military offensive which drove Mujao and two other Islamist groups out of northern Mali earlier this year.

 

'Wanted for terrorism'

Residents said the gunmen launched the attack on the prison in Niamey at around 15:00 local time on Saturday.

 

"We were sitting there when we saw these armed men start to shoot at the guards... I saw several of them fall and not get back up," Ila Yaye, who lives near the prison, told the Reuters news agency.

Officials told the BBC the incident started when a prisoner grabbed a gun from a guard, and shot dead three guards and a civilian. The prisoner was believed to be a Sudanese member of Mujao.

 

Members of the group stationed outside the prison then opened fire, the officials said. Some were reported to have entered the building.

 

Nigerien gendarmes are reported to have later arrived at the prison to help the guards, who remained under fire for around 45 minutes. Police meanwhile blocked off roads leading to the facility.

 

Later, Niger's Justice Minister, Marou Amadou, said only two guards had been killed and another seriously wounded by four inmates.

 

Mr Amadou told the Associated Press that the inmates had been captured and the incident was being investigated.

 

"There are two versions of what happened, and right now we think it's more likely that they came from inside the jail," he added.

 

"These are people who are wanted for terrorism. We do not know how they were able to arm themselves inside the prison, and how they were able to get out to attack the guards."

 

Mr Amadou said it was too early to say which group was behind it.

 

Mujao is a splinter group of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which formally announced its existence following the abduction of three aid workers in Algeria in October 2011.

 

It says its objective is to spread jihad to West Africa rather than confine itself to the Sahel and Maghreb regions - the main focus of AQIM.