BURUNDI: UN extends Mission but could end it in 2006, 22/Dec/05
NAIROBI, 22 December (IRIN) - The UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN Mission in Burundi on Wednesday for six months until 1 July 2006, noting that the Mission could end thereafter. ... Full Report... Email Report

DRC: Supporters of constitution in strong position at polls, 21/Dec/05
KINSHASA , 21 December (IRIN) - Initial trends in the Democratic Republic of Congo's constitutional referendum show overwhelming support for the document, which, if approved, should clear the way for general elections in 2006. ... Full Report... Email Report

TANZANIA: Kikwete sworn-in as 4th president, 21/Dec/05
DAR ES SALAAM, 21 December (IRIN) - Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, who won a landslide victory in last weeks presidential elections in Tanzania, was sworn-in on Wednesday at a colourful ceremony in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.t... Full Report... Email Report

CONGO: EU, gov't sign US $73.8-million road building deal, 20/Dec/05
BRAZZAVILLE, 20 December (IRIN) - The European Union and the Congolese government have signed a 40-billion-franc-CFA deal (US $73.85 million) to build a road linking the capital, Brazzaville, with the town of Kinkala in the Pool Department. ... Full Report... Email Report

DRC: Referendum continues into second day, 19/Dec/05
GOMA, 19 December (IRIN) - Voters continued trickling into polling stations throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday for the second day of voting on the country's new draft constitution. ... Full Report... Email Report

BURUNDI: UN to start troop pullout on Wednesday, 16/Dec/05
BUJUMBURA, 16 December (IRIN) - Some 180 soldiers in a Mozambican contingent are set to leave Burundi on Wednesday, marking the start of the withdrawal of the UN Mission there known as ONUB. ... Full Report... Email Report

TANZANIA: Dozens reportedly displaced in post election violence in Zanzibar, 16/Dec/05
STONE TOWN, ZANZIBAR, 16 December (IRIN) - At least 60 people from the town of Tumbatu, off the northwest coast of Tanzania's semiautonomous island of Zanzibar, have taken refuge in nearby Nungwi following election violence between supporters of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi and the... Full Report... Email Report

BURUNDI: Demonstration ends in front of UNHCR headquarters, 16/Dec/05
BUJUMBURA, 16 December (IRIN) - Some 150 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ended a sit-in on Friday in front of the headquarters of the UN refugees agency in Burundi, UNHCR. ... Full Report... Email Report

BURUNDI: UN appeals for US $128m in humanitarian aid for 2006, 15/Dec/05
BUJUMBURA, 15 December (IRIN) - Much of the US $128 million in humanitarian aid to Burundi that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs appealed for on Wednesday will not be for emergency relief. ... Full Report... Email Report

CONGO: Rural residents left high and dry for lack of clean water, 15/Dec/05
BRAZZAVILLE, 15 December (IRIN) - Although the Republic of Congo is one of Central Africa's wettest countries, the majority of its rural population has no drinkable water due to a lack of infrastructure.... Full Report... Email Report

DRC: Stakes high for vote on draft constitution, 15/Dec/05
KINSHASA, 15 December (IRIN) - Almost 25 million voters in the DRC could prepare the way for the country's first presidential and parliamentary elections if they accept the draft constitution that is to be presented to them on Sunday in a referendum, senior diplomats said in... Full Report... Email Report

TANZANIA: Mkapa leaves a socialist state more liberalised, 13/Dec/05
DAR ES SALAAM, 13 December (IRIN) - After two consecutive five-year terms, Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa will retire after elections on 14 December. Known as a brilliant and largely socialist politician, he nonetheless adopted a pragmatic approach in his efforts to improve the... Full Report... Email Report

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Police stops rally by unpaid civil servants , 12/Dec/05
BANGUI, 12 December (IRIN) - Around 100 riot police stopped striking civil servants in the Central African Republic from holding a rally in the capital Bangui on Saturday by sealing off the headquarters of the largest trade union. ... Full Report... Email Report

DRC: World Bank approves US $125-million grant for reconstruction, 9/Dec/05
NAIROBI, 9 December (IRIN) - The World Bank has approved a US $125-million grant to help the Democratic Republic of Congo rebuild its agricultural production and enhance food security, the bank said on Thursday. ... Full Report... Email Report

CONGO: Profile of ex-Prime Minister Bernard Kolelas, 9/Dec/05
BRAZZAVILLE, 9 December (IRIN) - The parliament of the Republic of Congo (ROC) overturned on Tuesday a death sentence against former Prime Minister Bernard Kolelas, opposition leader and founder of one of the groups that participated in armed conflicts that rocked the country during... Full Report... Email Report

BURUNDI: Nkurunziza optimistic about education, security, 8/Dec/05
BRUSSELS, 8 December (IRIN) - During his four-day visit to Belgium, Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza called on leaders of the European Union to drum up support for peace-building and development in his war-torn country. The following are excerpts from an interview in... Full Report... Email Report

BURUNDI: Germany grants Bujumbura 9.5 million euros to fight poverty, 7/Dec/05
AMSTERDAM, 7 December (IRIN) - Germany has granted Burundi 9.5 million euros (US $11.1 million) for a one-year programme aimed at reducing poverty across the country by providing safe drinking water, fighting HIV/AIDS and promoting peace and reconciliation, a German government... Full Report... Email Report

GREAT LAKES: Returning refugees risk being displaced, 6/Dec/05
NAIROBI, 6 December (IRIN) - Tens of thousands of refugees in the Great Lakes region have started returning home, but without adequate support they could reignite conflicts and end up joining the millions of people displaced within their own countries, a senior UN official said... Full Report... Email Report

DRC: Rescue, recovery teams search lake for quake victims , 6/Dec/05
KINSHASA, 6 December (IRIN) - The search for possible victims of an earthquake near the lakeside town of Kalemie in eastern Congo continued along the shores of Lake Tanganyika on Tuesday, humanitarian and provincial authorities in Goma, capital of North Kivu Province, said. ... Full Report... Email Report

DRC: Relief efforts blocked in northern Katanga as fighting continues, 6/Dec/05
NAIROBI, 6 December (IRIN) - Medecins Sans Frontieres says that the army in northern Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo has blocked relief workers from entering the area since beginning a military campaign against local militias there in mid-November. ... Full Report... Email Report