The Commonwealth is working with its members in Africa on improving accountability and adherence to International Humanitarian Law

Even in times of war and conflict, countries are governed by international laws to minimise the suffering of civilians and those no longer taking part in hostilities.

by Richard Lee

Leaders of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) took a momentous decision in Maputo over the weekend—to shut the doors of the SADC Tribunal, preventing the region’s citizens from seeking justice for human rights abuses.

The shocking decision, which was taken at the annual summit of SADC Heads of State and Government in Maputo, not only left the tribunal in limbo but also rendered it completely toothless by denying individual access to the court.

‘Strengthening jurisprudence of equality on violence against women’

Judges and magistrates from fourteen Southern and Eastern African Commonwealth countries will meet in Gaborone, Botswana on 26 and 27 March 2012 to discuss strategies to strengthen judicial activism in cases of violence against women.

The meeting forms part of the work mandated by the Commonwealth Plan of Action (PoA) for Gender Equality 2005-2015.

Brussels, 12 December 2011
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PRESSE 480

The Council today approved the concept for a new Common Security and Defence Policy mission to support regional maritime capacity building in the Horn of Africa and Western Indian Ocean states. This decision kicks off operational planning for the mission.

Contexte géneral

Pandémie H1N1: la pandémie continue de se propager dans notre Région. Le nombre de pays touchés est resté identique mais au 24 juillet 2009, un total de 185 cas sans décès avait été notifié dans 12 pays. AFRO maintient son appel aux états membres pour qu'ils intensifient la surveillance. Inondations: Nous avons commencé le suivi des inondations dans les pays de l'Afrique de l'Ouest car la saison des pluies continue. D'autres épidémies notamment de méningite dans la ceinture méningitique continuent.

Situation dans les pays

Crises Aiguës

Instead of the usual depiction of conflicts as countrywide and defined by national boundaries, this map displays distinct conflict-affected areas in Africa as sub-national and transnational pockets of insecurity, violence, and armed aggression.  Areas of conflict were drawn around locations of reported conflict incidents in 2007 and 2008, as well as concentrations of internally displaced persons and cross-border rebel bases and refugee camps in neighboring countries.  This depiction of areas of conflict more accurately displays where conflict has been occurring

Executive Summary

The tsunami of December 26, 2004 devastated thousands of communities along the coastline of the Indian Ocean. More than 240,000 people were killed. Tens of thousands went missing and are presumed dead, and more than a million people were displaced. Those most affected by the tsunami were the poor, including fi sher folk, coastal workers with small retail or tourist businesses, workers in the tourism industry, migrants, and those who farmed close to coastal areas. The majority of those who died were women and children.

Immediately following the tsunami, international

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR DEMOCRACY, CONFLICT, AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE (DCHA)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
BUREAU FOR ASIA AND THE NEAR EAST (ANE)

Indonesia (12/26 tsunami)	128,645 dead ƒ¦, 37,063 missing ƒ¦	532,898 displaced ƒ¦
Indonesia (3/28 earthquake)	394 dead - 626 dead	34,000 displaced
Sri Lanka	31,147 dead, 4,115 missing ¤	519,063 displaced¤
India