Tuesday April 27, 2010
Bashir Wins Sudan Election
President Omar al-Bashir has retained power in Sudan, winning 68 cent of the presidential vote according to official results. His closest rival, Yasir Arman, still received 21.7 per cent of the vote despite having withdrawn his candidature weeks before the election.
In the semi-autonomous South, national Vice President Salva Kiir has also retained his position as President of the South Sudan government with a whooping 93 per cent victory, trailed by Lam Akol with seven per cent.
The election was a key milestone in a comprehensive peace agreement that ended a two decade north-south civil war, and it sets the stage for a 2011 independence referendum in which South Sudan will decide whether to secede into a new republic. [PE]
Kenya Inches Closer to Malaria Vaccine
Kenya could develop its first malaria vaccine by 2015, two local research bodies have announced in Nairobi. Researchers from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) say the vaccine will be launched as a routine vaccination exercise targeting children aged between 6-12 weeks and those aged between 5-17 months.
Malaria is the leading cause of death among children under the age of five in Kenya.[PE]
South Africa Opposition Lauds Zuma HIV Disclosure
South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has lauded President Jacob Zuma's decision to declare his HIV-negative status, calling the move a ‘positive effort’ towards the country’s fight against HIV/AIDS.
The DA’s parliamentary leader, Athol Trollip, praised Zuma for setting an example by making his status public, but urged him to follow it up with “appropriate behaviour”. Zuma's personal life has raised concerns since his 2006 rape trial, in which he admitted to having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman.
President Jacob Zuma announced his status in Johannesburg last Sunday while launching a government campaign to combat HIV/AIDS through counselling and testing. The campaign aims to get 15 million South Africans tested by June 2011. [PE]
Nigerian Ruling Party leader Faces Fraud Charges
The chairman of Nigeria’s ruling People’s Democratic Party (Party) has been arraigned in court, charged with a string of corruption allegations.
The PDP Chairman, Vincent Ogbulafor, appeared Monday before a court in Abuja to face 16 counts of theft of public money during his tenure as a cabinet minister, as well as complicity in a 2001 conspiracy to defraud the Nigerian government of about $1.5 million. [PE]