Insecurity in Mogadishu Discourages
Somalis from Returning Home
Thousands of Somalis displaced
by the recent fighting in the Somali capital of Mogadishu
are reluctant to return to their homes because of insecurity.
Accoridng to the spokesmn for the UN refugee agency,
William Spindler, some of the displaced people are gradually
returning to certain areas of Mogadishu."Our
staff in the Somali capital report that people are only
returning to those parts of the city which were not
involved in the fighting."
UN Information Centres in
Sub-Saharan Africa Launch Websites
On
the occasion of World Telecommunication and Information
Society Day, UN Information Centres in Sub-Saharan Africa
launch websites to provide more information about the
UN and its activities in the region. The head of UNIC
Pretoria, Margaret Novicki, says the Internet is becoming
a good medium for providing information to local communities,
the media, governments and NGOs.
Head of UN-Habitat
Says Africa is Urbanizing Rapidly 
Urbanization around the world is happening at a very
fast pace. The process is even faster on the African
continent where 37 per cent of the population is already
living in towns and cities. The head of UN-Habitat,
Anna Tibairjuka recently told reporters at UN Headquarters
that the continent is urbanizing at a rate of around
4 per cent a year. "By
2030 Africa will cease to be a rural continent. So we
shall have Homo urbanus africanus."
Transcript
PREVIOUS
EDITION
Real Audio Listen and Download MP3
Head of UN Peacekeeping Says Darfur
Situation Remains Bad
The
process leading to the
deployment of a joint UN/AU force
in the Darfur region of Sudan
is slow. The head of UN
peacekeeping operations, Jean Marie Guehenno, says the
government and rebels must come to the conclusion that
there is no military option in Darfur. "The
first thing is to have a cease-fire. Neither the government,
nor the rebels have respected any cease-fire."
Africa Stands to Benefit from
an Arms Trade Treaty
Small
arms kill and maimed thousands of Africans. So, Africa
stands to benefit from a worldwide campaign for the
adoption of an international treaty to control arms
trade. Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Mary Robinson, has visited some of the African countries
affected by this problem. "I saw first hand
that it is the small arms that are the weapons of mass
destruction at ground level."
African Diplomat
Says Only Talks Can Resolve Zimbabwe Crisis 
Ambassador Legwaila Joseph Legwaila of Botswana who
has left the UN after serving in various capacities
for almost thirty years, shares his views on the Zimbabwe
crisis. He maintains that it is only diplomacy that
can help resolve this problem. He says that as
a diplomat he sees a lot of virtue in quet diplomacy.
Transcript
PILOT EDITION Real Audio
Tenth anniversary of the Rwandan
genocide: Why did the genocide happen? Why was the
UN unable to prevent the killings or stop the massacres?
What lessons have been learned? Transcript
