News from Africa

I have three stories I would like to share with you. One about the treatment of children in Liberia by so-called UN peace-keepers, one about the fighting between Chad and Sudan and finally, one about the reporters complaints about the conditions of their safety. I guess it's a good thing they aren't forced to live there, eh? These articles are from CNN, so I will try to ascertain the truth.

Liberia:

MONROVIA, Liberia (Reuters) -- Sexual exploitation of girls as young as 8 is rife in refugee camps and communities in war-ravaged Liberia..."The girls reportedly ranged in age from 8 to 18 years, with girls of 12 years and upwards identified as being regularly involved in 'selling sex'," commonly referred to as "man business," it said.

Humanitarian workers, camp and government employees and teachers were having sex with young girls, along with U.N. peacekeepers, police officers, soldiers and former combatants.

Only one person was suspended from his post. I can see the UN is on the top of this, so to speak. Useless as ever.

Fighting in Chad: A rebel group which wants to oust it's current government is fighting. I'm not sure of the situation on the ground but when they discuss Darfur in this article, there have been over 400,000 people murdered. Not the 'tens of thousands' as they so nicely like to put it. Other then that, both articles so far appear to be pretty accurate.

Reports: Security is a very real issue in the Darfur/Chad regions. The only form of travel on the ground is dirt roads, and there is a very large area to cover. One must be very careful of the 'rebels' and the government's militias.

If you are interested in reading the entire articles, just click on the link. Have a nice day.

Category: Sudan, Chad, and Africa.