African News Explained

Violence marred South Africa's election campaign on Wednesday. Johannesburg police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to separate supporters of the ANC, South Africa's ruling party, and supporters of the Democratic Alliance, the main opposition party. ANC militants threw molotov cocktails and bricks at members of the Democratic Alliance who were holding a march near ANC headquarters. RFI talked to political analyst Ebrahim Fakir in Johannesburg. You can follow Michel Arseneault on Twitter: @miko75011  

In Somali "wadahadal" means "coming together to talk". But  women are often excluded from this important stage of the political process. In the self-proclaimed autonomous state of Somaliland women face few restrictions but politics is still out of reach, says Suad Abdi, country manager of the NGO Progressio.  

Uganda's long-standing President Yoweri Museveni has been endorsed by the country's ruling NRM party to stand for reelection in the 2016 elections after 26 years in power. Twelve civil society groups are calling for a cap on presidential terms and a reform of the electoral commission. Bishop Zach Niringye, a retired assistant bishop and prominent activist for social justice, explains the campaign's objectives.

Negotiators attempting to secure the release of the South African hostage Pierre Korkie, who is being held in Yemen by Al Qaeda, say they have no proof that he is either alive or dead. Korkie was due to be executed by his captors on Saturday, unless they received a three million dollar ransom. Imtiaz Sooliman, the chairperson of the Charity Organization "Gift of the Givers", who negotiated the release of Korkie's wife Yolande a few weeks ago says all communication with the kidnappers has been lost.

Last Sunday Kenyan police fought running battles with Muslim youths in the northern city of Mombasa, leaving casualties among the police and the youth. Why are many Muslims becoming radicalised in a country that had never experienced it until a few years ago? David Bwakali posed this question and many others to Muslim youths in Nairobi and to the Director General of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims.

Niger is calling for Western intervention to eradicate a growing threat from radical Islamist fighters in Libya. Interior Minister Massoudou Hassoumi says the countries that overthrew Kadhafi must provide an "after-sales service". He told RFI that it would be legitimate for Nato countries to eradicate a "terrorist threat" in the south of Libya. Mark Schroeder, a security analyst at Stratfor, says that option is being debated in Western capitals.   You can follow Michel Arseneault on Twitter: @ m i k o 7 5 0 1 1

The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims has accused the police of profaning a mosque in Mombasa at the weekend and wants an inquiry in the police raid that triggered two days of deadly riots. More than 100 people have been arrested and charged in connection with the violence. The council's secretary general, Adan Wachu, says the police invaded the mosque at prayer time.

After visiting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia last week, David Miliband, the head of the International Rescue Committee shares his perspectives with RFI.  

In Addis Ababa, the African Union declared 2014 the Year of Agriculture for Africa. It launched a new campaign calling for African governments to commit to spend at least 10 per cent of national budgets on effective agriculture investments. So far, only eight countries kept their promise.  D'Banj,  a nigerian musician campaigning for agriculture in Africa,  comments on how it can help lift more than 85 million Africans out of poverty.

There have been many champions of Africa. But one Irishman stands out for his activism, especially his efforts against poverty. The singer-songwriter Bob Geldof is probably best known for Band Aid which raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia in 30 years ago. Now Geldof is supporting an initiative pushing African governments to spend 10 per cent of their budgets on agriculture. At present only eight African countries hit this target.

In Somalia, the US military carried out a missile strike on Sunday against a suspected militant leader with ties to the al-Shebab group. The hardline Shebab have been weakened in recent years following operations by African Union forces, Amisom. Meanwhile, there have been numerous political developments in the country – a new cabinet has been approved in recent days and last month a new prime minister was appointed – the second in just over a year. So what does the UN make of this, as it tries to help the government rebuild the country after years of civil war? RFI speaks to Nicholas Kay, the UN Special Representative for Somalia, on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Addis Ababa.

Art is often controversial. The South African government has ordered the removal of a tiny rabbit that was inserted into a statue of Nelson Mandela in Pretoria. The artists who built the nine-metre bronze statue added a rabbit into the ear of the statue - without asking for anyone's permission. Another sculpture, a statue of a god called Ngene, is at the heart of a new book by Nigerian novelist Okey Ndibe. Its title is Foreign Gods, incorporated, the name of a New York city gallery that sells statues of African deities. RFI spoke to Okey Ndibe, the author in Hartford, Connecticut. You can follow Michel Arseneault on Twitter: @miko75011  

We often hear about the plight of illegal migrants, in particular Africans making the journey to the Italian island of Lampedusa. But we don't know much about the criminals who run "the most ruthless travel agency on the planet". A book published in Italy meets the men who make big money smuggling tens of thousands of desperate people into Europe. Giampaolo Musumeci is one of the authors of Confessions of a People Smuggler.

South Sudan's neighbours are trying to broker a ceasefire amid fears that it may be too late to stop an all-out civil war in the country. But at least one, Uganda, has already been drawn into the conflict. President Yoweri Museveni has flown to the rescue of South Sudan's President, Salva Kiir, and Kampala even claims that its forces recaptured the strategic town of Bor at the weekend. Jair van der Linj, at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, comments.

Canada has cancelled a state visit by the Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan citing its disapproval of Nigeria's decision to enact a Same Sex Marriage Prohibition law last week. President Jonathan had been due to meet his Canadian counterpart, Stephen Harper, in his first official visit to the country next month. Nigeria is Canada's largest trading partner in Africa. UN Secretary General, Ban ki Moon was among several world leaders to express concern over the law that human rights defenders say is inhumane and draconian. The law also bans gay clubs, associations and the promotion of homosexuality. Those who break the law could face up to 14 years in prison. But the presidential spokesman Reuben Abati told reporters last week that the law has the overwhelming support of the Nigerian people. Frank Mba, Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Police Force accused human rights defenders of making unfounded allegations against the Nigerian Police Force in relation to the new law.

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan dismissed his military service chiefs on Thursday. Jonathan sacked the chiefs of the country's army, navy and air force, who have been waging the battle against the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency in the north of the country. Elizabeth Donnelly, an expert in Nigerian politics and current affairs, explains the reasons behind the decision and its political implications.  

Liberia's supreme court has barred the justice minister from practising law because she briefly released a jailed journalist on compassionate grounds last year. The court ruled that Christiana Tah was guilty of contempt of court when she allowed Rodney Sieh to go home for a month because he had malaria.  Sieh then returned to jail before being definitely released.

The Intergovernmental Authority Development's (IGAD) mediation team to South Sudan concluded its two day mission to Juba on Wednesday, during which they met with South Sudanese president Salva Kiir Mayardit. During the visit, President Kiir reaffirmed his full support for a political solution in the country and his government's commitment to unconditional negotiations on the cessation of hostilities to bring an end to the violence in his country.  The IGAD envoys also met 11 detained politicians arrested when violence broke out last month in the South Sudanese capital of Juba. The detainees expressed their support for the talks and said that their status as detainees should not be an impediment to reaching an agreement on and end to the violence. Ambassador Mahboub Maalim, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development's Executive Secretary, comments.

African leaders met in Chad on Thursday to discuss the future of Central African Republic (CAR). The summit was called by Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno and will bring together the 10 countries that make up the Economic Community of Central African States.  A Unicef official warned on Wednesday  that the CAR is heading for a humanitarian disaster, calling for urgent action to prevent deadly diseases from spreading in overcrowded refugee camps. Gregory Barrow of the World Food Programme comments.

No arrests have been made so far in connection with the killing of Patrick Karegeya, the former Rwandan spy, in South Africa last week. According to The Mail and Guardian, his alleged murderer entered the country on a fake South African passport. Karegeya founded an opposition party, the Rwandan National Congress, which has accused the Rwandan President of masterminding Karegeya's assassination. The killing has led critics to revisit other serious allegations against Paul Kagame. Judi Rever, an investigative journalist, has been documenting crimes that are being blamed on Kagame and his party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front.