1. Militants in Nigeria's Niger Delta region have kidnapped a Scottish oil worker and killed his police guard.

[Take a look at the site for Sweet Crude, a film that discusses the other side of Niger Delta militancy.  MEND tried non-violent opposition for years but Shell is still trying to force residents off their land.]

Also this: 
Nigeria's President ( Read more... )

HIV-positive couples are being paired up for marriage by a northern Nigerian state in an attempt to reduce the spread of the disease.



( This is not what I consider solid reasoning. I don't know about you... )

I posted about the penis theft panic that hit Kinshasa when I was last there in April, and Reuters had picked up the story too.

At least one person commented that it was a common concern in west Africa in addition to DR Congo, and apparently Harpers has now picked up the scent in A Mind Dismembered: In Search of the Magical Penis Thieves.

BBC reports that there will be no third term for Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo.

IRIN points out that six months must now elapse before the bill can be re-presented to the Senate, if Obsanjo’s third term supporters wish to.

In DR Congo, the training of 20 civilian and military personnel is in progress in France, to show that that country is dedicated to enforcing the rule of law. This training is an important step in light of recent events in Katanga province: 49,000 people have fled fighting there between the Congolese army and the Mayi-Mayi rebel militia.

( Read more... )