African news wire - Boston.com

Latest news from the wires:

Muslim political group in Egypt faces challenge from within

CAIRO - He was a boy in the mosques of Alexandria when the Muslim Brotherhood took him into its fold, inviting him to soccer matches and trips to the seaside. (Boston Globe, 12 a.m.)

South African party leader strives to reassure world

JOHANNESBURG - Jacob Zuma has a problem: He scares some people. The leader of the ruling African National Congress, now in line to become South Africa's next president, faces unresolved corruption allegations. He has advocated virginity tests, opposed gay marriage, and supported reinstating the death penalty. (Boston Globe, 12 a.m.)

Zimbabwe opposition leader threatens to quit gov't

Zimbabwe's opposition leader threatened Sunday to pull out of a national unity government if President Robert Mugabe refuses to cede control of key ministries. (AP, 10/12/08)

Tsvangirai warns on power-sharing deal

Zimbabwe's opposition MDC will walk away from a power-sharing deal if new mediation efforts fail to break a deadlock over cabinet posts, the party's leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Sunday. (Reuters, 10/12/08)

Somali region raids 1 of many hijacked ships

Somali forces raided one of the many ships hijacked off the country's coast Sunday as a deadline loomed in a standoff aboard another, arms-laden vessel, officials said. (AP, 10/12/08)

Another ship seized off Somali coast as pirates issue threat

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Armed pirates have hijacked a massive Greek tanker off the Somali coast, officials said yesterday, as Western nations prepared to send more warships to the area to help end a standoff aboard a cargo ship laden with tanks and weapons. (Boston Globe, 10/12/08)

Mugabe tightens grip on military

JOHANNESBURG - In a step that could jeopardize a painstakingly negotiated power-sharing deal in Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe has declared that his party will retain ministries that control the military and the police, state media reported yesterday. The crucial Finance Ministry was still in dispute. (Boston Globe, 10/12/08)

Machel: Schools must act against trafficking

Graca Machel, a Mozambican human rights campaigner and the country's former first lady, appealed to schools Saturday to take more action to prevent children being kidnapped and sold into prostitution. (AP, 10/11/08)

More Burundi troops deploy in Mogadishu

Two African Union military planes braved rebel threats to land in Mogadishu on Saturday carrying 400 Burundian reinforcements for a peacekeeping force. (Reuters, 10/11/08)

Kenya's elephants send text messages to rangers

The text message from the elephant flashed across Richard Lesowapir's screen: Kimani was heading for neighboring farms. (AP, 10/11/08)

U.S. warns of "Al-Qaeda" group threat in Sudan

The United States said on Saturday a group called "Al Qaeda in the Land of the Two Niles" has threatened its citizens and allies in Sudan, adding to fears of a growing extremist presence in the country. (Reuters, 10/11/08)

2nd ship seized as pirates threaten to blow up 1st

Armed pirates hijacked a massive tanker as world powers on Saturday headed toward the Somali coast to end a two-week standoff aboard a ship laden with tanks and weapons, officials said. (AP, 10/11/08)

Mugabe hands key ministries to own party, angers MDC

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has allocated three important government ministries to his ZANU-PF party, angering the opposition and threatening a power-sharing deal. (Reuters, 10/11/08)

Zimbabwe's president claims key ministries

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, locked in a standoff with the opposition in power-sharing talks, went ahead Saturday and laid claim to all key ministries as he tries to retain his iron grip on the struggling southern African nation. (AP, 10/11/08)

Pirates threaten to destroy ship

KENYA NAIROBI - The pirates who hijacked an arms-laden Ukrainian tanker off Somalia issued an ultimatum yesterday and threatened to destroy the ship if no ransom is paid, a spokesman for the bandits said. The MV Faina is surrounded by US warships, and a Russian frigate is heading toward the scene, raising the stakes for a possible commando-style raid on ... (Boston Globe, 10/11/08)

Libya cuts Swiss oil and economic ties in protest

Libya said on Friday it would withdraw $7 billion of assets in Swiss banks, cut economic ties with Switzerland and stop supplying it with oil to protest against poor treatment of Libyan diplomats and businessmen. (Reuters, 10/11/08)

Congo gives U.N. council "proof" of Rwanda incursion

Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday gave the U.N. Security Council nearly three dozen photographs which it said supported its accusation that Rwandan government soldiers invaded and attacked eastern Congo this week. (Reuters, 10/11/08)

Congo names new prime minister

Congo's President Joseph Kabila named a new prime minister following the resignation of 83-year-old Antoine Gizenga. (AP, 10/10/08)

Democratic Congo names budget minister as premier

Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila named Budget Minister Adolphe Muzito as prime minister on Friday, according to a presidential decree read out on state television. (Reuters, 10/10/08)

Bodies, perhaps of migrants, wash ashore in Yemen

Dozens of bodies washed ashore Friday in Yemen after smugglers threw nearly 150 Somali migrants overboard in shark-infested waters, the latest such tragedy in one of the most lawless stretches of ocean in the world. (AP, 10/10/08)

U.N. urges Congo-Rwanda talks to avert war

The United Nations urged Congo and Rwanda on Friday to hold talks to avoid a war after Kinshasa accused its eastern neighbor of sending troops over the border to back Congolese rebels. (Reuters, 10/10/08)

Zimbabwe leaders call for Mbeki to break deadlock

Zimbabwe's leaders have agreed that power-sharing talks have broken down over the allocation of Cabinet posts and called Friday for former South African President Thabo Mbeki to mediate an end to the deadlock. (AP, 10/10/08)

2 expats appeal for release in Somalia

Two foreign aid workers appealed for their freedom Friday in the Somali capital, surrounded by armed kidnappers who seized them last month in a restive region of Ethiopia, local media reported. (AP, 10/10/08)

Global crisis may worsen Africa's hunger: U.N

The global financial crisis could hamper efforts to alleviate hunger in Africa, the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa said Friday. (Reuters, 10/10/08)

Zimbabwe's rivals agree to seek Mbeki mediation

Zimbabwe's political rivals agreed on Friday to seek renewed mediation from former South African President Thabo Mbeki to try to end deadlock over posts in a unity government, the sides said. (Reuters, 10/10/08)

100 Somalis feared dead off Yemen coast: UNHCR

About 100 migrants believed to be mainly Somalis are missing and feared dead after being forced overboard by smugglers off the coast of Yemen, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday. (Reuters, 10/10/08)

WHO probing deaths from mystery disease in SAfrica

The U.N. health agency says it is investigating a mystery disease that killed three people in the South African city of Johannesburg. (AP, 10/10/08)

Hijackers of ship off Somalia issue ultimatum

The pirates who hijacked an arms-laden Ukrainian tanker off Somalia issued an ultimatum Friday and threatened to destroy the ship if no ransom is paid, a spokesman for the bandits said. (AP, 10/10/08)

Libya paying terror victims

WASHINGTON - Libya has started making payments into a nearly $2 billion fund to compensate the families of American victims of Libyan-linked terror attacks in the 1980s, another step in the full normalization of long-strained ties between Washington and Tripoli, the State Department said yesterday. (Boston Globe, 10/10/08)

Sudan leader says allegations against him "fabricated"

Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said Thursday that war crimes allegations against him were fabricated and the people would decide in elections next year if the country's rulers were criminals. (Reuters, 10/9/08)

Libya halts oil shipments to Switzerland

Libya said Thursday it has halted oil shipments to Switzerland, three months after the arrest of Moammar Gadhafi's son in Geneva sparked a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. (AP, 10/9/08)

U.S. says Libya puts "substantial" money in fund

Libya has deposited a "substantial" sum of money into a $1.8 billion fund for victims of terrorism but payments can be made only when Tripoli gives the remaining agreed amount, the United States said on Thursday. (Reuters, 10/9/08)

UN food program finds hunger in rural Zimbabwe

Some rural Zimbabweans facing one of the hungriest years they could remember have been forced to live on a meal a day and in some cases only on wild fruits, the U.N. food aid agency said Thursday. (AP, 10/9/08)

Aircraft bombs Islamist stronghold in Somalia

An unidentified aircraft bombed an Islamist rebel stronghold in Somalia on Thursday, witnesses said, but it was unclear if there were any casualties. (Reuters, 10/9/08)

South Africa will sell ivory to Japan, China

The South African government will press ahead with plans to sell just over 51 tons of ivory to China and Japan under a special exemption to the international ban on the trade. (AP, 10/9/08)

US: Libya begins payments for US terror victims

Libya has started making payments into a fund to compensate the families of American victims of Libyan-linked terror attacks in the 1980s, another step in the full normalization of long-strained ties between Washington and Tripoli, a senior U.S. official said Thursday. (AP, 10/9/08)

Libya said to begin payments for US terror victims

A senior U.S. official says Libya has started to make payments into a fund to compensate the families of American victims of Libyan-linked terror attacks in the 1980s. (AP, 10/9/08)

Record inflation pressures Zimbabwe parties

Zimbabwe's annual inflation hit a record 231 million percent and prospects for rescuing the ruined economy dimmed on Thursday after the opposition said no progress had been made on forming a power-sharing cabinet. (Reuters, 10/9/08)

Don't cut aid to Africa, AU head pleads to world

The chairman of the African Union (AU) urged the world on Thursday not to row back on aid to the world's poorest continent due to the financial crisis. (Reuters, 10/9/08)

Zimbabwe opposition: Power-sharing deadlocked

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai says power-sharing talks with longtime ruler Robert Mugabe are deadlocked over the division of Cabinet posts. (AP, 10/9/08)

Zimbabwe inflation hits 231 million percent

Zimbabwe's state Herald newspaper quotes official statistics saying annual inflation in Zimbabwe has hit 231 million percent. (AP, 10/9/08)

Migrant boat capsizes off Morocco; at least 1 dead

Morocco's official news agency says a boat carrying around 50 migrants has capsized in rough seas and the coast guard is searching for survivors. At least one body has been found. (AP, 10/9/08)

Somali pirates free Japanese tanker for ransom

Somali pirates freed a Japanese chemical tanker and its crew on Thursday after a $1.6 million ransom was paid, a regional government official said. (Reuters, 10/9/08)

Mbeki loyalists may form breakaway party

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's former defense minister launched a scathing attack yesterday against the ruling African National Congress and suggested that hundreds of members loyal to ousted president Thabo Mbeki were on the verge of forming a breakaway party. (Boston Globe, 10/9/08)