As this week is has hosted the midterm elections in America, I felt that a voting-related blog about Africa was appropriate.  Luckily, the Sunday Times held an article about voting for presidential elections in Ivory Coast.  This vote was the first in ten years.  Here’s the New York Times article:

After Delays, A Vote for President in Ivory Coast

Hi guys, this week I have two article to share with you.  The first is some news on Uganda – which is the main African country that benefits from the work that Hope for Africa does with our partners.  Western and Asian nations are interested in possibly building an oil refinery in Uganda, which would promote Uganda’s economic growth, according to this Wall Street Journal article: Global Oil Cos Interested in Building Uganda\’s 200,000 BPD Refinery.

Also, there was an article in the New York Times Friday about Liberia’s president, the first woman ever to be elected to head of state of an African country.  Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her administration are “uncompromising” in their faith in Liberia after its 14-year civil war that ended in 2003.  It’s a long article, but completely worth the read: An Uncompromising Woman

Enjoy, and let me know if there is any news that you would like to bring forward!

Audrey

Hey you guys,

My name is Audrey, and I am the new blogger for Hope for Africa.  On the front page of the New York Times this morning was an article that caught my eye, so I decided to post it here.  There have recently been a number of killings in Nigeria that authorities have determined are being done by a radical Islamic sect.  There was a prison break last month that freed 700 prisoners, including many people who had been linked with the Islamic sect when it was suppressed last year, so it is easy to see how the authorities have come to the conclusion that this sect is once again responsible.

Here is a link to the online article from the Times for further information: Killings in Nigeria Are Linked to Islamic Sect (New York Times)

Our first meeting of the fall 2010 semester is fast approaching.  We have exciting new events to discuss, so mark your calendars.  We can’t wait to see you there.

We’ll be summing up the yard sale and talking about everything we have coming up. Bring yo friends!

This past weekend, the HFA group hosted a local yard sale. It was a huge success. Over a grand was raised and most of the donated items were sold. The left over products were donated to the Angel Ranch earlier today. For those of you that do not know, the Angel Ranch is a local organization that houses and helps out abused children.

The yard sale did not only raise money for future activities, but it also got the name out there. Everyone that came to look and shop, learned about the organization and its goals. We thank all that came out and supported Hope for Africa. And we also give a big thanks for all the volunteers that took time out of their weekend to organize and run the event. Thank you!

Awaking for the morning chores, local citizens were greeted with armed raiders attacking their village. Around thirty-five lives were claimed in this fierce shoot out, eight of those were children. An unknown number of wounded were taken to the hospital.

On Tuesday, these raiders attacked Kanampiu House are in the Laikipia district of Kenya. Their goal was not just to kill the inhabitants here, but to steal cattle. After the shooting stopped, over 10,00 head of cattle were stolen.

Witnesses told reporters that these raids are a common occurrence. They happen to surrounding villages and other pastoral communities. They call these violent acts, “cattle rustling”.

To add to the heinousness of this crime, the Naibor police have been suspected of having involvement. When medical and security workers came to survey the scene, they were at utter disbelief. The grounds were littered with bodies of citizens and animals, and some wounded were still waiting patiently for help.

Though the workers were there to help, and asses the situation, they were not all welcomed. Some villagers claimed that they knew about the attack, and that it was actually planned by the Nairobi senior security officers. They said that the attack was planned a week before it happened.

No matter what is done to prevent these raids, they still continue. They are a common occurence, and many loose their lives and cattle in affect. Though most occur between neighboring villages, some can lead to cross-border attacks. Some communities from the neighbouring countries,Uganda and Ethiopia, stage cross boarder attacks. The worst case happened 2000, when over 70 people were killed when armed raiders believed to be from Ethiopia attacked a village called Turbi in Kenya’s Marsabit District.