Tuesday, June 9

East Africa roundup

-A campaign to distribute Michaela Wrong's new book on Kenyan corruption more widely in the country (Nation):

Fear of libel cases has prevented Kenyan booksellers from stocking the book. The new plan is to break the bookseller boycott by distributing over 5,100 copies, for free or at discount prices.

“The plan is to get the book to those Kenyans who cannot afford to travel themselves and don’t have credit cards — to access it,” the author says in an email over the new move.

-From Reuters, a look at the arms business in Somalia. This fellow seems rather blunt:
Sitting on a mat at home between taking orders for arms on his two mobile phones, Osman Bare gives thanks for the riches flowing from Somalia's war.

"I have only been in the weapon business five years, but I have erected three villas. I have also opened shops for my two wives," said the 40-year-old, one of about 400 Somali men operating in Mogadishu's main weapons market.

"Peace means bankruptcy for us."


-A Tanzanian, Ahmed Ghailani, is the first Guantanamo detainee to be transferred to the United States (Washington Post)
Ghailani faces multiple charges and, if convicted, could face the death penalty for his role in the bombing of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, which killed 224 people, including 12 Americans.

-Somalia, already greatly under-reported, is about to become more so. From Inside Somalia:
Nearly thirty journalists in Mogadishu have agreed to cease reporting events following the killing of two staff members of Radio Shabelle on Sunday.
...
The journalist have gathered in Mogadishu and announced that the risk to their lives does not warrant reporting unless warring sides respect rights of journalists and freedom of reporting.

-And Gabon's president is, indeed, dead. (RFI)

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