African News Explained

In South Sudan fresh fighting has broken out between government forces and rebels as regional peace brokers failed to get ceasefire talks off the ground in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. Rebels in South Sudan say they have killed an army general during fighting near the town of Bor, a claim immediately denied by the government. This comes amid diplomatic efforts for peace talks - Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir is expected in the South Sudanese capital Juba today for talks with his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir. Nearly two-hundred thousand people have already been displaced by the three-week conflict and there are fears that the crisis could lead to the disintegration of the world's youngest nation.  One man who helped campaign for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement which led to the creation of South Sudan, is Eric Reeves, a researcher at Smith College, who has been watching the crisis unfold.

Italy's navy has rescued 233 migrants from a boat off the island of Lampedusa. As is often the case they include a number of Eritrean youths. Eritreans have been fleeing their country to avoid the so-called National Service under which they live and work in dire conditions for years. Meron Estefanos, an Eritrean-born Swedish broadcaster and researcher, has interviewed many migrants whom she calls "hostages." She comments on their long trek to Europe via Egypt's Sinai desert. You can follow Michel Arseneault on Twitter: @miko75011

Youth groups across Europe have launched a campaign to "Stop National Service Slavery in Eritrea".  Every year, thousands of Eritreans are required to work in dire conditions for unspecified periods, which can sometimes run into decades. Campaigners say the National Service is why so many Eritreans put their lives at risk trying to reach Europe via the Sinai desert.  Political scientist Mirjam van Reisen says the European Union should take action against a country which she describes as a "failed state." You can follow Michel Arseneault on Twitter: @miko75011

Israel's parliament has approved a law under which illegal migrants from Africa can be detained for up to a year without trial, the latest in a series of measures aimed at reducing the numbers of Africans entering the country. Today we hear from a young Eritrean who asked that his name not be used. After crossing the Egyptian border, he was kidnapped and tortured by smugglers until his relatives and friends paid a huge ransom for his release. He was then abandonned at the border between Egypt and Israel. RFI caught up with him at the European Parliament in Brussels. You can follow Michel Arseneault on Twitter: @miko75011

Twenty-five thousand armed men from the Nuer tribe in South Sudan marched recently towards Bor, the capital of Jonglei State. They are called the "White Army" and come from a traditional cattle-raising tribe called the Lou. The army's name originates from the ashes they smear on their skin to deter insects. RFI spoke to Paan Luel Wel, a South Sudanese blogger, about who this group is, where they come from, and how they are involved in the mounting ethnic tension in the country.

The International Criminal Court has postponed the trial of Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta for alleged crimes against humanity. On Thursday, the chief prosecutor of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, said there was not enough evidence for the trial to open in February as originally planned. Kenyatta is accused of masterminding ethnic violence after the 2007 presidential elections which left more than 1,000 people dead. RFI spoke to Fergal Gaynor, a lawyer representing 20,000 victims who don't want to see the case dropped.  

Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa delivered his first budget speech on Thursday, forecasting that Zimbabwe's economy will grow by more than six per cent next year. Chinamasa hailed a future of political and economic stability. Harare-based economist John Robertson says that there will not be much to cheer about in 2014.  

Thursday's European Union Summit in Brussels will focus on, among other issues, the Central African Republic. So what's likely to come out of the talks? a question RFI put to Patrick Lambrechts, the Deputy Head of Unit for Central Africa, at the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department.  

South Sudan's deposed vice-president Riek Machar is reported to have gone into hiding after a flareup which President Salva Kiir said was a coup attempt. Machar leads a dissident group within the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and is seen as the main challenger to Kiir. SPLM spokesperson Suzanne Jambo confirms reports party members were among people arrested Tuesday.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir says he has defeated an attempted coup, closing borders and imposing a dusk-to-dawn curfew until further notice. Kiir blamed the fighting that broke out at a barracks in the capital on Riek Machar, his former vice-president. Earlier this discusses what happened on the streets of Juba.

Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour has announced the holding of a referendum on the 14th and 15th January on a new draft constitution. The new constitution will be the first step towards democratic rule and it will replace the controversial one approved by referendum in 2012, seven months before the military ousted former President Mohammed Morsi, in July. According to the transitional road map established by the military interim government, the constitutional referendum will be followed by both parliamentary and presidential elections by the middle of next year. Adel El-Adawy, an Egypt specialist from the Washington Institute, comments about the draft constitution and the pending political transition.

Islamic insurgents have claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on military targets in Maiduguri. A large number of weapons were seized. During a recent visit to Paris Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan talked to RFI about security in Africa, starting what role Europe can play.

Thamsanqa Jantjie the sign-language interpreter at Nelson Mandela's memorial ceremony claimed he signed nonsense during the service because he was suffering a schizophrenic episode and hallucinating. Jabulani Blose, the head of a South African organisation for deaf people, says the government needs to take action on this issue.

French Defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says that pacifying the Central African Republic will be more difficult than France's intervention in Mali because identifying the enemy will not be nearly as simple. Aline Leboeuf, an Africa analyst at Paris thinktank Ifri, believes France may be in the Central African Republic for the long haul. You can follow Michel Arseneault on Twitter: @ m i k o 7 5 0 1 1 

The UN is urging Ghana to eradicate modern-day slavery. Gulnara Shahinian, UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, says Accra should do more to combat child labour. Boys as young as four are working as fishermen in some coastal towns, she says.

A United Nations report has called for investigations into rights abuses committed by traditional hunters in Côte d'Ivoire. These hunters, called Dozos, are said to have killed more than 200 people in the past 5 years. Dozos are also being blamed for hundreds of cases of looting, arson and extortion. The report was prepared by the UN Mission in Côte d’Ivoire and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.  Melissa Labonté, a Côte d'Ivoire expert from Fordham University in New York, says Dozos are a de facto militia.

Worldwide commemorations took place over the weekend for the life of the former South African president Nelson Mandela, including in Scotland, where he was awarded the keys to the city of Glasgow in 1981. Mandela had a special relationship with Scotland. It was there that he picked up the key to the city and to a number of English cities in one joint ceremony after he was released from prison. Brian Filling, a prominent Scottish anti-Apartheid activist, comments on how at one time supporting Mandela wasn't common.

One of the main themes of this week's Africa-France summit in Paris is peace and security in Africa. Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama explains why his country is a haven of stability while many other African states are wracked by strife.

As French troops gear up for a mission in the Central African Republic, President François Hollande welcomes 40 African heads of state at a summit on peace and security. He wants to change France's gendarme of Africa image, although the CAR intervention follows this year's mission to Mali. We spoke to a foreign policy expert on how African leaders can reconcile post-colonial politics with accepting French military support.

Although the Dutch are once again celebrating the arrival of Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas today, a controversy has been raging over the portrayal of his servant, Black Pete. Some in the Netherlands argue that this child's tale perpetuates a negative stereotype of Africans and people of African descent, and the debate has even attracted the attention of the United Nations. Geor Hintzen, a Dutch researcher of the Hague University, comments.