Guinea mounts joint patrols against criminals in Conakry

Joint patrols comprising the antiriot and military police (gendarmerie) have been set up to track down armed criminals who have created lots of insecurity in the Guinean capital, sources confirmed here Friday.

Launched a few days ago, the patrols have already arrested several armed robbers, and others that have committed rapes and scrap metal thieves.

Despite these measures, criminals have threatened the Ratoma commune residents who burnt one of the criminals to death a week ago.

Last week-end, the armed gangs raided a district by attacking inhabitants and burnt down a vehicle.

Police sources have blamed the rising criminality in Conakry on the circulation of small arms in the country and on high youth unemployment.

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Ethiopia, Sudan discussion border incident that killed 19

Ethiopia and Sudan have begun discussion at the weekend in Addis Ababa after last week’s border incident that left 19 Sudanese dead.

Sudan accused Ethiopian troops of attacking its military camp at the border that caused the deaths, but Ethiopia denied the allegation without giving details.

Accordingy, a Sudanese government delegation led by the chief of Sudan’s intelligence forces, Salah Gosh, is in Addis Ababa discussing the two countries relation with the Ethiopian FM Seyum Mesfin.

It was with this background that the Sudanese delegation are visiting Ethiopia since Friday.

Ethiopian Television (ETV) has since reported that the two countries will strengthen ways of resolving “minor” border clashes.

The two countries are in a process to demarcate their border which was decided 100 years ago.

Ethiopia is importing oil and gas from Sudan while the former is expected to soon begin suppling electricity to Sudan 2009.

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Mali, Democratic Alliance rebel group consult in Algiers

Representatives of the Government of Mali and the rebel 23 May Democratic Alliance for Change, are currently pursuing dialogue in Algeria with the view to restore peace and security in the northern Malian region of Kidal, diplomatic sources told APA here.

The discussions are taking place in an appeased atmosphere with a “willingness” to achieve results for unity and harmony between all Malians, the sources said.

Algeria brokered and is facilitating the talks “in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Algiers agreement” signed in July 2006.

Both parties reaffirmed their “commitment” to the conflict settlement framework and pledged to implement it for the good of Mali and its people, the sources added.

Facilitator Abdelkrim Gheraieb, the Algerian ambassador to Bamako, is “actively” seeking to harmonise both parties’ views to “promote understanding, strengthen confidence and ensure conduciveness to the return to normalcy in the region.

“This is crucial to move forward and, beyond, to consolidate peace and security in and revive the development of the Kidal region”, the sources said.

Observers said the meeting has a “primary concern to ensure better implementation of the commitments under the Algiers Agreement” and “reflect the commitment of all actors to normalise the situation and move toward providing the best security to the region in order to put the process on track to meeting the region’s development conditions”.

The Algerian facilitator, “supported by state officials, is acting in this direction with a view to advance the process on the field”.

Officials close to the case and to the Algerian Prime Minister said “reports that the Prime Minister is directly involved in monitoring the discussions are sheer fancy and are in any case unfounded”.

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Unidentified gunmen kill 3 IDPs in Mogadishu suburb

Unidentified gunmen shot dead three Somali internally displaced persons (IDPs) assisting the local and the international aid workers to distribute food in a refugee camp at Elasha on the outskirts of Mogadishu, witnesses said on Friday.

“About five masked men armed with pistols came to our camp, they ordered us to get into our make shift houses and then after few minutes we heard shoots and found three of our men, the leader of the camp and two of his assistants lying there dead ,” an IDP, Aden Norow told APA by telephone.

“The men then disappeared into the bush, as we could see in the distance the lights of a vehicle apparently waiting to them away,” said another eyewitness, Salad Mo’alim Husein.

“One of the victims died on the spot, while the other two died later at the near by Hawa-abdi Hospital,” said Asha one of the refugee camp leaders in the area.

“We do not know why our colleagues, were targeted but we suspect, it is because they were active in the recent protests against the killings of the aid workers,” “some one wants to silence us we do not know who,” said Abdow Dahir Mudey.

Meanwhile, at least 10 people were killed within the last 28 hours and 15 others wounded in a renewed clan clashes in southern Somalia.

The clashes broke out on Thursday around Buriyo and Bagdad villages, 100 km west of Kismayo of the Lower-Jubba region and continued to Friday morning.

“The tribal militias fought here two months ago, but later their elders brokered a cease fire and other agreements, now it has been broken,” said a local elder Sheikh Abdi Duulane. “Most of those killed and wounded were the combatants,” he added

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Two of nine missing Chinese found dead off Madagascan coast

Two of the nine Chinese missing off Madagascar’s northeast island of Sainte Marie (500 km northeast of the capital Antananarivo), were found dead on Monday, reported the Chinese news agency Xinhua Tuesday.

The nine Chinese, eight businessmen from Taiwan and another one from Heilongjiang Province, have been missing since last Thursday, when they set off on board a ship to Tanjona Masoala coast on an inspecting mission, added Xinhua.

The two dead Chinese were found by the Madagascan rescue team near Tanjona Masoala, (600 km northeast of Antananarivo), while search is still going on by the Madagascan navy, the coast guard and the police, added Xinhua.

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Death toll of job applicants in Nigeria rises to 23

The death toll recorded during the recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in different centres on Saturday has risen to 23 while the number of persons hospitalised is put at 80.

According to officials of the Immigration service, the casualties include eight deaths in Kaduna, four in Ilorin, three each in Enugu and Osun State, while one died in Bauchi.

The deaths were recorded during the rigourous exercises conducted, which included jogging and running to establish the physical fitness of would-be recruits.

The officials said that most of the casualties were recorded during or immediately after the race for 225,000 applicants who turned up for the recruitment exercise meant for only 4000 slots.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, retired Major-General Godwin Abbe, has commiserated with the families of the applicants who lost their lives during the Nigeria Immigration Service and Nigeria Prisons Service recruitment exercises.

Abbe said in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tope Ajakaiye, Wednesday in Abuja that the loss of lives during the exercises on 12 July was regrettable.

“The Minister wishes to assure Nigerians that the exercises were held in the interest of all.

He said that the physical exercise aspect, which involved a 3.2-km race in 20 minutes, was aimed at testing and ensuring the physical fitness of applicants.

“It was done in accordance with the tradition of selection and recruitment of persons in the military and the paramilitary services,’’ the statement said.

According to the statement, in doing that, adequate arrangements were made to provide ambulances and first-aid services at all venues in the event of emergency.

“The arrangements were done not withstanding that applicants were required to provide certificates of physical fitness prior to the commencement of the exercise.

“The unfortunate incident is being investigated with a view to ensuring that it does not occur again in future exercises,’’ the statement added.

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