UNITED NATIONS
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Integrated Regional Information Network
BOTSWANA: Bushmen defy government

IRIN reported on Friday that groups of Botswana's Gana and Gwi Bushmen, also known as the Basarwa, were reported to be returning to their homes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in defiance of government attempts at forcing them to settle elsewhere.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID)878

MALAWI: Numbers in need of aid increase

The week ended with a warning that the number of people at risk in Malawi's food shortage crisis has soared from 500,000 to 2.1 million.

In a statement after his tour of Malawi, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa, James Morris, said he was "greatly heartened by the clear commitment and relentless efforts of relief workers and Malawian communities".

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID)875

IRIN reported on Tuesday that two people have been killed, and leading members of a lobby group opposed to a third term for President Bakili Muluzi have either been arrested, or face arrest, as political tensions rise in Malawi.

Behind the crisis is a failed attempt in July to change the constitution to allow Muluzi to run for a third term of office. The lobby group the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and human rights NGOs and churches, oppose a third term for Muluzi.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID)808

MOZAMBIQUE-NAMIBIA: Canada aids landmine action

Canada will contribute about US $900,000 for vital landmine clearance in Mozambique and to support landmine victims in Namibia.

The announcement was made in Mozambique during a visit by Susan Whelan, Canada's minister for international cooperation.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID)856

IRIN reported on Wednesday that Mozambique's two main political parties have been unable to agree on changes to electoral laws ahead of legislative elections due next year, sparking speculation that the election could be delayed.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID)832

ZAMBIA: Focus on anti-corruption campaign

An anti-corruption campaign by Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has helped transform his image from dubious victor in an illegitimate election, to that of a crusader out to cleanse the country of his predecessor's alleged sleaze, IRIN reported on Thursday.

But human rights groups have begun to voice concern that the investigations are increasingly looking like a witch-hunt aimed at settling old political scores.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID)858

ZIMBABWE: Libya provides financing facility for fuel

Cash-strapped Zimbabwe received a US $360 million financing facility from Libya this week to cover the importation of fuel for another year.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID)877

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Thursday that malnutrition rates in the the country were increasing at an alarming rate as the new planting season approaches.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID)855

UNICEF also said that 10 people had died out of 350 new cases of cholera in southern Zimbabwe since the beginning of August.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID)838

Ten of the country's commercial farmers this week won a legal round against the government's "fast-track" land reform programme, setting a precedent for farmers arrested for refusing to leave their land last month.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID)812

And with close to six million people facing critical food shortages, aid agencies have proposed a low-cost irrigation method that could save thousands of Zimbabwe's communal farmers time, money and energy for growing their crops.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID)785

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Food aid urgently needed: McAskie

Food aid is urgently needed in Southern Africa before planning for the region's recovery can begin, Carolyn McAskie, Deputy Emergency Coordinator in the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) said on Thursday.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID)861

Humanitarian efforts received a boost on Tuesday when the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies signed an agreement in Malawi for an "operational partnership" as part of their response to the food crisis in Southern Africa.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID)811

ANGOLA: Aid agencies call for more support

The UN's food agency on Friday said derelict roads and landmines continued to hamper relief efforts. In its latest update, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported that there had been a mass return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their areas of origin.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org./report.asp?ReportID)876

On Thursday the World Bank (WB) said it supported post-war reconstruction in Angola but emphasised the need for financial transparency. Following a recent visit to the country, a WB team said it would fund a national reconstruction programme worth US $120 million.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org./report.asp?ReportID)857

IRIN reported on Monday that the WFP would provide food aid to former rebel UNITA soldiers. The agency said it needed an extra 44,000 mt of emergency food aid. The current WFP operation has only been 22 percent funded.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org./report.asp?ReportID)782

NAMIBIA: Namibia committed to fair land redistribution

The government this week moved to assure the Commonwealth that Namibia would not emulate Zimbabwe's controversial land reform programme. Prime Minister Theo Ben Gurirab said the government was committed to the principle of 'willing buyer/willing seller'.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org./report.asp?ReportID)809

Namibia's ailing fishing industry received a lifeline on Monday with the announcement that South Africa would allow the country limited access to its pelagic fish stocks. The assistance followed an urgent request from the Namibian ministry of fisheries following a sharp decline in their pilchard stocks.

More details: http://www.irinnews.org./report.asp?ReportID)783

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