Weather extremes threaten food security

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Floods leave Angolan returnees stranded

JOHANNESBURG, 6 January 2012 (IRIN) - Several thousand Angolan returnees from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are stranded by floods in northeastern Angola. They are among the first casualties of what promises to be a very wet rainy season in parts of southern Africa. full report

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Pick of the year 2011

JOHANNESBURG, 29 December 2011 (IRIN) - In 2011 the global economic crisis combined with poor governance, financial mismanagement and unpredictable rainfall to push several southern African countries to the point of crisis. Others responded to rising unemployment and increased pressure on national budgets by hardening their attitude towards immigrants and closing their borders to asylum-seekers. IRIN covered developments from all over the region, but the following stories consistently grabbed headlines: full report

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Counter-trafficking measures trail commitments

JOHANNESBURG, 12 December 2011 (IRIN) - At any given time, an estimated 130,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa are engaged in forced labour as a result of trafficking. It is a fraction of the global figure, which the International Labour Organization (ILO) puts at 2.5 million, but this highly lucrative and concealed crime is on the rise in Africa and traffickers usually operate with impunity. full report

CLIMATE CHANGE: Durban or bust - the Trans-African Caravan of Hope

KAMPALA, 2 December 2011 (IRIN) - Brandishing a plea for developed countries to make good their promises to reduce carbon emissions, 300 farmers, youths and activists took the scenic route to the COP17 conference in Durban, travelling more than 7,000km from Burundi in 17 days, through 10 eastern and southern African countries, aboard a convoy of buses draped in various national flags. full report

LESOTHO: Pastoralists fear land “modernization” act

MASERU, 1 December 2011 (IRIN) - Livestock herders in Lesotho are suspicious of the government’s motives for “modernizing” the land tenure system, fearing it will bring about a radical change in their way of life and deprive them of their birthright to land. full report

LESOTHO: Textile industry gets a lifeline

MASERU, 24 November 2011 (IRIN) - The Lesotho Government plans to spend 100 million maloti (US$12.7 million) over the next two years in an effort to breathe life into the crucial textile industry. full report

LESOTHO: Boys quit school to become men

MASERU, 17 November 2011 (IRIN) - A lack of legislation stipulating a minimum age at which boys in Lesotho can attend an initiation school and be circumcised has seen some as young as 12 dropping out of school and heading for the mountains. full report

LESOTHO: Dam-building continues despite controversy

MASERU, 11 November 2011 (IRIN) - The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) is building a third major dam, despite concerns about the welfare of thousands of villagers who lost their homes or land after the first dams were built in return for what many feel is inadequate compensation. full report

FOOD: Rumpus over GM food aid

JOHANNESBURG, 18 October 2011 (IRIN) - Genetically modified (GM) food aid bound for Africa has long been a bone of contention among governments, scientists, activists, consumers and aid workers. full report