Deadly blasts hit Iraq

A number of deadly bomb attacks have hit several Iraqi cities, reportedly killing 23 people and injuring many others. According to the police, explosions were reported in Baghdad, Baquba, Kirkuk, Samarra, Dibis and Taji.

It appears that the security forces appear to be the main target. Iraq has seen an overall decline in violence in recent years, but isolated bomb attacks remain prevalent. According to the BBC, a number of attacks have been co-ordinated. They reportedly occurred in the following cities:

In Baghdad, a succession of at least five bomb blasts hit in various Shi'a neighbourhoods
Two car bombs reportedly went off in Kirkuk, 290km north of Baghdad
A suicide bomber killed a police officer in Baquba
Two car bombs targeted security forces in Samarra
A parked car exploded killing passers-by in Dibis
A roadside device exploded in Taji.
The bomb blasts, which ensued over a period of an hour and a half, also appear to have targeted the convoy of Health Minister Majeed Hamad Amin. The official was not injured.

According to Baghdad's military command spokesman Col Dhia al-Wakeel the attacks bore all the hallmarks of al-Qa'ida. He said: "They want to send a message that they can target the stability that has been achieved recently...This will not discourage our security forces."

Sources: BBC News, Reuters, WSJ

For more news and expert analysis about Iraq, please see Iraq Focus.

Yemen: Outbreaks of violence in Taez leave seven dead

Yemeni army and anti-government groups and tribal fighters have once again clashed in the city of Taez. Medical officials have told the BBC that seven people had been killed in the latest fighting, bringing the death toll to 30 since Thursday 1st December.

Taez, Yemen's second city, has been a site of major unrest during months of ongoing protests against President Abdullah Saleh's rule. Experts fear that the latest outbreaks of violence might threaten the power-transfer agreement recently signed by the president.

The deal reached last month saw Saleh hand over power to Vice President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi in return for immunity from prosecution

The Yemeni government is reportedly deploying einforcements to Taez in order to reinstall order in the city.

Although Saleh is no longer officially in power, he has recently made several announcements that have made many question his motives.

Sources: BBC News, Reuters, Bloomberg

For more news and expert analysis about Yemen, please see Yemen Focus.

Libya: A mass grave found within the grounds of Abu Salim prison

According to Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) a mass grave thought to contain up to 1,2700 human bodies has been found in the country's capital city of Tripoli. It is believed that the remains are of prisoners killed by security troops in 1996 in the Abu Salim prison.

The protests against Colonel Mu'ammar Qadhafi, who ruled Libya for 42 years, began as a demand to release the lawyer who represented the families of the prisoners.

NTC said it unearthed the site, a desert field scattered with bone fragments within the grounds of the Abu Salim prison, after questioning prison guards who had worked there when the prisoners were killed after protesting against their conditions.

It has been reported that several family members have visited the site, where excavations are set to begin shortly. Up to now, little has been known about the circumstance in which the prisoners died.

A few eyewitnesses spoke to the BBC about the fact that those killed were executed in their cells by grenades and sustained gunfire after a protest. Officials in the new government say they will need foreign forensic help to determine the circumstances of their deaths.

Sources: BBC News, Reuters, Bloomberg

For more news and expert analysis about Libya, please see Libya Focus and Libya Politics & Security.

Brazil to withdraw troops from Haiti

Brazil's Defence Minister Celso Amorim has said that the country plans to withdraw its troops from the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti. He said the gradual process of withdrawal would be co-ordinated with the UN and other South American nations.

Speaking to the BBC Amorim added: “We can't have a disorganised exit that creates a situation of chaos."

The situation in Haiti has improved since the mission began in 2004 following the overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Amorim noted that there had been two democratic elections since the force was deployed. He said: “Political science manuals teach that the second election shows that democracy has been established… In the medium and long term, it is not good for Haiti and it is not good for those who are there that the mission be perpetuated."

A timetable for the withdrawal is yet to be drawn-up. As Amorim noted the process would be gradual especially because Brazil's troops have responsibility for the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

There are more than 2,000 Brazilian troops in Haiti, out of a total UN force of around 12,000. Brazil was keen to take lead of the UN mission in a bid to play a greater role in regional security and gain a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Sources: BBC News, Reuters, WSJ

For more news and expert analysis about Brazil, please see Brazil Focus.

President Jonathan proposes one-term presidency limit

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has announced he will put in a request with MPs to ament current constitution so that future presidents serve a single, longer term in office. At present the constitution limits presidents to two four-year terms.

Nigerian press has been speculating that the suggested amendment would allow Jonathan to extend his own term. Jonathan, however, has said that the change would would not come into effect before he steps down.

AFP news agency quoted the president as saying: "If the proposed amendment is accepted by the National Assembly, the president assures that he will not in any way be a beneficiary."

Jonathan did not give details about how long the new term should be, but stipulated that the changes would allow politicians to concentrate on governance rather than re-election. According to the BBC, the new term would most likely be for the period of six years.

Jonathan relseased a statement saying, he was "was concerned about the acrimony which the issue of re-election every four years generates". The statement also said: "The nation is still smarting from the unrest, the desperation for power and the overheating of the polity that has attended each general election."

It is estimated that as many as 500 people were killed in violent clashes following the announcement of April's election results, which Jonathan won with nearly 60 per cent of the vote.

Sources: BBC News, Reuters, AFP

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

Nigerian army accused of killing 23 in Maiduguri

Amnesty International believes Nigeria's security forces have killed 23 people in the city of Maiduguri. The organisation said the Nigerian army opened fire without provocation on Saturday 23rd July, after a bomb explosion in the northern city. It also accused army members of burning a marketplace. A military spokesman dismissed the allegations as "outright lies".

AFP news agency quoted army spokesman Lt Col Hassan Isijeh Mohammed as saying: "The fire that burnt homes, shops and vehicles was caused by the impact of the explosion of the bomb detonated by the Boko Haram attackers."

Maiduguri is home to one of Nigeria's biggest militant Islamist group's, Boko Haram, which has recently carried out a number of bombings and attacks across Nigeria.

Amnesty International has urged Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan to look into the shootings, saying: "The Nigerian authorities must immediately put a stop to unlawful killings by the security forces."

According to a number of sources, the bomb blast killed at least three security officials. Some speculate that the residents of Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, are now more fearful of the army than the Islamist militants.

Just last month, Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima admitted that the army had been guilty of excesses in the city and has potentially killed innocent civilians while battling with Boko Haram.

Sources: BBC News, The Nation Newspaper, AFP

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

Brazil launches welfare scheme to eradicate poverty

The Brazilian government has launched a welfare scheme to eradicate poverty by 2014. The initiative aims to utilise the current programme in place, credited with helping 20 million Brazilians climb-out of poverty over the past decade.

The country's President Dilama Rousseff said the scheme was her government's key priority. Brazil's rapid economic development has increased the country's living standards, but aroung 16 million people still live in severe poverty on less than 70 reais a month.

Speaking to the BBC, Brazil's Social Development Minister Tereza Campello, said: “A country that has grown like Brazil can't be content with just having a big social programme like the Family Grant.”

The Family Grant programme pays up to 242 reais a month, to mothers, depending on their income and number of children, to ensure their children attend school and are vaccinated. The aim of the Brasil Sem Miseria (Brazil Without Poverty) scheme is to expand this programme as well as the country's health and education initiatives, and invest more money into the country's poorest regions.

Campello said the government was going to ensure that the poor have access to all the programmes. She added: "And for that we need to change the mindset that it is up to a poor person to come to the state, and ensure that the state reaches out to the poor person…"We want to eradicate extreme poverty by 2014 and make Brazil the first developing country to achieve the first of the UN's Millennium Development Goals.”

Sources: BBC News, AFP, Reuters

For more news and expert analysis about Brazil, please see Brazil Focus.

Sudan: SPLM rejects Ahmad Haroun's win

Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM) has officially rejected the election victory of North Sudan's ruling National Congress Party's (NCP) candidate, Ahmad Haroun, on account of alleged war crimes in Darfur.

Haroun was declared the winner of the governorship poll in the oil-rich South Kordofan State, defeating his closest opponent and SPLM's candidate Abdul Aziz Al-Hilu by some 6,500 votes. SPLM said the vote was rigged.

Haroun is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly mobilising Arab militias to commit genocide, against black Africans residing in Darfur, during his time as a minister in the region in 2003-4. He has contested the allegations, saying they were not ture.

Speaking on behalf of the party yesterday 15th May, Head of SPLM, Yasir Arman, noted: “We will not accept these results because the vote was rigged.” Experts fear that this latest incident might provoke violence in the region where more than 1.5 million people have died during the decades of conflict.

Many believe that the ongoing tensions between the North and the South - quelled by a 2005 peace deal which paved the way for the South's independence - will flare-up again if various frustrated groups and individuals take up-arms once more.

Speaking to the BBC an official from the Justice Africa think-tank, Hafiz Mohamed, said: "These people were fighting for 20 years and their aspirations are not fulfilled...The way things are going, it's leading to a deadlock, which will end up with people carrying arms to release their frustration…If it starts, no-one can stop it – it will affect the south, it will affect the north. With the war in Darfur, we are heading for dangerous times."

Sources: BBC News, Los Angeles Times, Sudan Tribute, Sudan Vision

For more news and expert analysis about the Sahara region, please see Sahara Focus.

Nigeria: Army given shoot-to-kill orders in the city of Jos

Nigerian Army has been given orders to shoot-to-kill in order to maintain peace and order in the city of Jos. Army officers patrolling the city received the orders following a killing of a Muslim electoral worker by a Christian mob.

A military spokesman Capt Charles Ekeocha told the BBC, "We are ordered to protect civilians and quell violence by any means necessary."

The killing on Monday 17th January highlighted the tensions between Nigeria's two dominant religious factions, as the country continues to struggle to register 70 million eligible voters before April's presidential election.

According to Ekeocha, the new orders permit soldiers to kill anyone trying to incite unrest, harm civilians or attempt to destroy a home, a church or a mosque in Jos and surrounding areas. The Army has been present in the city since the violence commenced last year, leaving more than 500 dead.

"The best option is to make sure you stop the person…Even if it means taking the person's life, it is OK," said Ekeocha. He also warned community leaders that the military would fire at anyone attempting to cause an uprising.

Sources: BBC News, AP, All Africa, Reuters

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.