Africa – 13 June 2014
The foreign minister spells out Pretoria’s policy of opening up trade with neighbours.
Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane says Africa must fight growing terrorism and instability caused by political conflicts. Photo: Oupa Nkosi
Increasing terrorism in Africa is a hindrance to the continent’s economic development and must be fought to the end, said Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane. She told the Mail & Guardian in a wide-ranging interview this week that economic development will top the agenda for her next five years in office, as South Africa strives to reap economic benefits from its foreign policy. Mail and Guardian
Nigeria faces high-noon moment
Boko Haram’s acts are a timely wake-up call for a nation that has slept through countless horrors.
Biafran rebel soldiers parade in a street in 1968 during the Biafran war. The Boko Haram issue has revived fears of another secessionist war in Nigeria. (AFP)
This may be the most critical moment in Nigeria for a generation. The threat of Boko Haram has been a fuse burning away in the powder keg of Nigerian political life for the past seven years, and has largely not been confronted. The political class, with a few distinguished exceptions, has long been in a state of smugness, complacency and collusion. A kind of informal high-grade corruption has become part of national life.Mail and Guardian
Human security implications of anti-gay law on sexual minorities in Nigeria
Following institutionalized discrimination against homosexuals in various African countries, a debate focusing on the human security implications of this is vital. Discrimination, arrests and violence towards real or perceived homosexuals negatively affect security, health care, the economy, human development and democracy. Pambazuka