EU condemns 'horrific murder' in Nigeria

The European Union has condemned the "horrific murder by terrorists" of dozens of people, mostly students, in an attack on a secondary school in Nigeria. The attack, blamed on the rebel group Boko Haram, happened on Saturday at a school in Mamudo, Yobe, one of three states where the government declared a state of emergency in May in a push to rein in the group. "I condemn in the strongest possible terms the horrific murder by terrorists of some 30 innocent children and a teacher early on Saturday morning in a school in Mamudo town in northeastern Nigeria," Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, said on Sunday in a statement. Ashton promised Nigerians her "solidarity and determination to help them bring security, peace and reconciliation to the north", and called for those responsible to be brought to justice. Survivors of the dawn attack said gunmen rounded up students and staff at the school in Nigeria's restive northeast and placed them in a dormitory before throwing explosives inside and opening fire. A hospital official in nearby Potiskum said 42 people were killed. A spokesman for Nigeria's military, which often underplays casualty figures, said 20 students and one teacher were killed. Boko Haram, which means "Western education is a sin", has killed hundreds of students in attacks on schools in the region in recent months. Nigeria launched a major offensive against Boko Haram on May 15, battling anti-government fighters in the states of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno. The ongoing offensive has forced thousands of Nigerians from their homes into refuge in neighbouring countries of Niger and Cameroon. Schools closed Meanwhile, Yobe state has ordered the closure of all secondary schools after the massacre Saturday's massacre. Ibrahim Gaidam, the state's governor, "directed that all secondary schools in the state be closed down from Monday 8th July 2013 until a new academic session begins in September," a government statement said. The order came amid reports that soldiers involved in a shootout with fighters who were given refuge in one Nigerian village hut took revenge on the community by setting ablaze about 10 homes, according to refugees who fled to neighbouring Niger. Their stories indicate a pattern of Nigerian security forces punishing entire communities, including innocent civilians. Refugees spoke to an Associated Press reporter on a trip with Nigerian officials who are pleading with them to return home, visiting thousands who have fled across borders to escape an Islamic uprising and a military crackdown. Deputy governor Zannah Mustapha of Borno state visited Niger on Saturday, days after visiting more than 20,000 refugees in Cameroon. Mustapha promised "adequate security" would be provided to ensure their safety from further attacks in their northeastern hometown of Mallam Fatori. The refugees, among 6,240 recorded in Niger, indicated they are as scared of the Islamic extremists as they are of the soldiers who are supposed to protect them.

At least 11 dead as ship held by pirates sink off Somalia

At least four foreign crew members and seven Somali pirates died when a cargo ship that the pirates were holding to ransom off the Somali coast sank on Sunday, and 13 others were missing, a pirate who works with the gang said. The Malaysian-owned MV Albedo cargo vessel and its crew were hijacked 900 miles off Somalia on Nov. 26, 2010 while sailing from the United Arab Emirates to Kenya. "The ship has been gradually sinking for almost a week, but it sank totally last night," the pirate said on Monday by telephone from Haradheere, Somalia's main pirate base. "We have confirmed that four foreign (crew) and seven pirates died. We are missing 13 in total," said the pirate, who gave his name as Hussein. "We had no boats to save them." The Albedo had 23 crew from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Iran when it was seized. Hussein said the captain had died earlier and four of the crew had previously been taken off the ship. With four dead, this would leave 14 to be accounted for, and it was not clear why there was a discrepancy with the pirates' figures. The EU Naval Force, a European Union anti-piracy unit that protects merchant shipping off the Horn of Africa, said the whereabouts of 15 crew were still unclear. "EU Naval Force can confirm that the Malaysian flagged motor vessel MV Albedo, held by armed pirates at an anchorage close to the Somali coast, has sunk in rough seas," a statement on the force's website said. "An EU Naval Force warship and Maritime Patrol Aircraft have closed the sea area and are carrying out a search and rescue operation to search for any survivors. The whereabouts of the 15 crew members from MV Albedo is still to be confirmed." Some hostages are held on land while pirates demand ransoms from ship owners, with some kept onboard to maintain the ships. The number of attacks by Somali pirates has fallen over the last two years due to increased naval patrols and the presence of well-armed security teams on ships. The local administration said the Albedo had been the last ship held off Haradheere, because it had convinced many pirates to quit the business and given them training in legal trades. But piracy emanating from the lawless Horn of Africa may still cost the world economy about $18 billion a year, the World Bank said in a report in April.

Sad State Of Affairs In Kenya

African Statesmen

The more you realize the need to free yourself from the colonized complex, the more you'll discover your original virtues. - Sekou Touré.

African Statesmen

The gates of the future won't open before a few privileged ones, but they will yield to the combined thrust of peoples. - Sekou Touré.

African Statesmen

The right of existence extends to presence, conception, expression and action. - Sekou Touré

The 2007/2008 Post Election Violence In Kenya

The 2007/2008 Post Election Violence was, and will always be, a nightmare in the life and times of Kenyans.
The bungled election results were just a lame excuse for the communities that were raging with ill-feelings of revenge as a result of historical injustices committed to them by the past presidents (especially Jomo Kenyatta and Mwai Kibaki) to vent their anger on the Kikuyu and the communities perceived to be friendly to them.
Many innocent Kenyans (approximately 1,500) lost their lives, property destroyed and hundreds of thousands ended up being displaced internally.
This should never, ever happen again.It will take ordinary citizens to avoid a repeat of the same.Politicians should not be allowed to divide us along ethnic lines to achieve their personal and self-interests.