http://www.irinnews.org/Updated everydayen-gbWed, 24 Apr 2013 10:30:52 GMTWed, 24 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>ZIGUINCHOR 24 April 2013 (IRIN) - Over half of the mined land in Senegal’s southern Casamance region has been cleared, according to the government’s anti-mines action centre, CNAMS, which says it is on track to reach the 2015 goal of the Ottawa treaty to eliminate such weapons.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97907/Demining-speeds-up-in-Senegal-s-Casamance-regionZIGUINCHOR 24 April 2013 (IRIN) - Over half of the mined land in Senegal’s southern Casamance region has been cleared, according to the government’s anti-mines action centre, CNAMS, which says it is on track to reach the 2015 goal of the Ottawa treaty to eliminate such weapons.]]>Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 21 March 2013 (IRIN) - Education experts gathered in the Senegalese capital Dakar this week to discuss what priorities should look like once the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expire in 2015. The conclusion: more focus on quality and how to measure it; on equity and access for hard-to-reach children; and on what should happen during the first three years of secondary school.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97695/Drive-for-quality-in-global-education-post-2015DAKAR 21 March 2013 (IRIN) - Education experts gathered in the Senegalese capital Dakar this week to discuss what priorities should look like once the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expire in 2015. The conclusion: more focus on quality and how to measure it; on equity and access for hard-to-reach children; and on what should happen during the first three years of secondary school.]]>Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 04 March 2013 (IRIN) - The annual gearing-up of humanitarian programmes to treat the chronic problems of vulnerable Sahelians is a clear sign that development there is not working. As a result, the Sahel is at the centre of the debate on the need to boost vulnerable people's resilience to shocks.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97590/Analysis-The-R-word-Rhetoric-versus-reality-in-the-SahelDAKAR 04 March 2013 (IRIN) - The annual gearing-up of humanitarian programmes to treat the chronic problems of vulnerable Sahelians is a clear sign that development there is not working. As a result, the Sahel is at the centre of the debate on the need to boost vulnerable people's resilience to shocks.]]>Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 27 February 2013 (IRIN) - New data from the World Bank has revealed that African migrants pay more to send money home to their families than any other migrant group in the world.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97557/African-migrants-pay-high-prices-to-send-money-homeJOHANNESBURG 27 February 2013 (IRIN) - New data from the World Bank has revealed that African migrants pay more to send money home to their families than any other migrant group in the world.]]>Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 19 February 2013 (IRIN) - The 2013 Sahel Regional Strategy calls for US$1.66 billion to help meet humanitarian needs and build up resilience among vulnerable groups - an identical figure to the 2012 crisis appeal - even though aid agencies estimate the number of Sahelians at risk of going hungry this year has dropped 44 percent to 10.3 million. IRIN spoke to aid agency representatives to find out why the ask has remained constant.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97505/Why-the-Sahel-needs-1-6-billion-again-this-yearDAKAR 19 February 2013 (IRIN) - The 2013 Sahel Regional Strategy calls for US$1.66 billion to help meet humanitarian needs and build up resilience among vulnerable groups - an identical figure to the 2012 crisis appeal - even though aid agencies estimate the number of Sahelians at risk of going hungry this year has dropped 44 percent to 10.3 million. IRIN spoke to aid agency representatives to find out why the ask has remained constant.]]>Mon, 18 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 18 February 2013 (IRIN) - Militant Islamists fleeing northern Mali under pressure from French forces could undermine security in neighbouring countries from where some of the fighters are believed to hail. They could also attract the support of sympathetic militias in the region, and even target countries with large expatriate communities, analysts say.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97494/The-regional-threat-posed-by-Mali-s-militantsDAKAR 18 February 2013 (IRIN) - Militant Islamists fleeing northern Mali under pressure from French forces could undermine security in neighbouring countries from where some of the fighters are believed to hail. They could also attract the support of sympathetic militias in the region, and even target countries with large expatriate communities, analysts say.]]>Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 09 February 2013 (IRIN) - The special court set up to try ex-Chadian President Hissène Habré officially opened its investigations on 8 February in Senegal, making it the first time a former African leader faces trial in another African country.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97444/SENEGAL-Habré-investigations-mark-turning-point-for-African-justiceDAKAR 09 February 2013 (IRIN) - The special court set up to try ex-Chadian President Hissène Habré officially opened its investigations on 8 February in Senegal, making it the first time a former African leader faces trial in another African country.]]>Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 18 January 2013 (IRIN) - Africa could reduce its poverty levels faster by focusing more on the production of staples rather than export crops, according to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97278/In-Brief-Staples-not-export-crops-key-to-tackling-Africa-s-poverty-reportNAIROBI 18 January 2013 (IRIN) - Africa could reduce its poverty levels faster by focusing more on the production of staples rather than export crops, according to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).]]>Tue, 08 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>PK6/ROSSO/NOUAKCHOTT 08 January 2013 (IRIN) - Nearly 25,000 Mauritanian refugees who had sheltered in Senegal for two decades after fleeing violence in 1989, have returned home since 2008, but despite extensive efforts to resettle them in their original villages many lack ID papers and/or access to their old farmland.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97187/Mauritania-s-ex-refugees-want-land-ID-cardsPK6/ROSSO/NOUAKCHOTT 08 January 2013 (IRIN) - Nearly 25,000 Mauritanian refugees who had sheltered in Senegal for two decades after fleeing violence in 1989, have returned home since 2008, but despite extensive efforts to resettle them in their original villages many lack ID papers and/or access to their old farmland.]]>Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>NEW YORK 02 January 2013 (IRIN) - In Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare (population 3,000,000), a man relieves himself in the dirt next to his tin shack, holding his nose to ward off the stench of a nearby overflowing latrine. In Ramallah (population 300,000) in the occupied Palestinian territory a 14-year-old girl wakes with menstrual cramps - and skips class because her school lacks a washroom where she can clean herself in private. In Bangladesh’s mega-capital (population 12 million), a monsoon-season flash flood leaves thousands with cholera.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97161/Urban-water-woesNEW YORK 02 January 2013 (IRIN) - In Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare (population 3,000,000), a man relieves himself in the dirt next to his tin shack, holding his nose to ward off the stench of a nearby overflowing latrine. In Ramallah (population 300,000) in the occupied Palestinian territory a 14-year-old girl wakes with menstrual cramps - and skips class because her school lacks a washroom where she can clean herself in private. In Bangladesh’s mega-capital (population 12 million), a monsoon-season flash flood leaves thousands with cholera.]]>Thu, 27 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>ZIGUINCHOR 27 December 2012 (IRIN) - People in at least 44 villages in Casamance, southern Senegal, can once again cultivate their fields and rice paddies thanks to Italian government-funded demining efforts, though over 100 other villages - abandoned more than 10 years ago - remain no-go areas.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97127/SENEGAL-Casamance-recovers-more-land-lost-to-landminesZIGUINCHOR 27 December 2012 (IRIN) - People in at least 44 villages in Casamance, southern Senegal, can once again cultivate their fields and rice paddies thanks to Italian government-funded demining efforts, though over 100 other villages - abandoned more than 10 years ago - remain no-go areas.]]>Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 20 December 2012 (IRIN) - Despite good rains across much of the Sahel this year, 1.4 million children are expected to be malnourished - up from one million in 2012, according to the 2013 Sahel regional strategy.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97093/SAHEL-Malnourished-to-remain-above-one-million-in-2013DAKAR 20 December 2012 (IRIN) - Despite good rains across much of the Sahel this year, 1.4 million children are expected to be malnourished - up from one million in 2012, according to the 2013 Sahel regional strategy.]]>Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 18 December 2012 (IRIN) - Over 700,000 people could be displaced if military intervention goes ahead next year in northern Mali, according to preliminary estimates by humanitarian agencies, who stress that the numbers are just approximations.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97076/MALI-Humanitarian-impact-of-armed-interventionDAKAR 18 December 2012 (IRIN) - Over 700,000 people could be displaced if military intervention goes ahead next year in northern Mali, according to preliminary estimates by humanitarian agencies, who stress that the numbers are just approximations.]]>Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>ZIGUINCHOR 12 December 2012 (IRIN) - Peanut farmers and peanut oil producers in Senegal’s southern province of Casamance have threatened to block exports of locally grown peanuts, saying there are insufficient nuts for the home market, and that such a move will affect local livelihoods.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97025/SENEGAL-Casamance-peanut-farmers-threaten-to-block-exportsZIGUINCHOR 12 December 2012 (IRIN) - Peanut farmers and peanut oil producers in Senegal’s southern province of Casamance have threatened to block exports of locally grown peanuts, saying there are insufficient nuts for the home market, and that such a move will affect local livelihoods.]]>Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 06 December 2012 (IRIN) - The African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) 2009, also known as the Kampala Convention, came into force on 6 December; it is the world’s first legally binding instrument to cater specifically to people displaced within their own countries.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96984/IDPs-African-IDP-Convention-comes-into-forceNAIROBI 06 December 2012 (IRIN) - The African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) 2009, also known as the Kampala Convention, came into force on 6 December; it is the world’s first legally binding instrument to cater specifically to people displaced within their own countries.]]>Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 21 November 2012 (IRIN) - One in four Senegalese migrants returns home within five years, according to the French National Institute of Demographic Research (INED). Many are armed with new skills that could help drive development, but most receive little support to reintegrate into their families or to target their skills, representing a wasted resource, say migrant support organizations in Senegal.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96778/In-Depth-Helping-returnees-turn-a-profit-in-SenegalDAKAR 21 November 2012 (IRIN) - One in four Senegalese migrants returns home within five years, according to the French National Institute of Demographic Research (INED). Many are armed with new skills that could help drive development, but most receive little support to reintegrate into their families or to target their skills, representing a wasted resource, say migrant support organizations in Senegal.]]>Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 20 November 2012 (IRIN) - Health workers currently immunizing thousands of children and young adults against Meningitis A in Benin are currently doing so without having to spend days preparing ice packs and sourcing generators and fridges to load on trucks because the vaccine has now won approval for being kept at up to 40 degrees Celsius for as long as four days.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96827/HEALTH-Breaking-out-of-the-cold-chainDAKAR 20 November 2012 (IRIN) - Health workers currently immunizing thousands of children and young adults against Meningitis A in Benin are currently doing so without having to spend days preparing ice packs and sourcing generators and fridges to load on trucks because the vaccine has now won approval for being kept at up to 40 degrees Celsius for as long as four days.]]>Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 09 October 2012 (IRIN) - Services to inform communities about the climate are available in higher-income countries, but are not reaching the people most in need of them in developing countries due to lack of government investment and a disconnect between experts and communities facing extreme weather.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96493/CLIMATE-CHANGE-Tackling-the-information-voidBANGKOK 09 October 2012 (IRIN) - Services to inform communities about the climate are available in higher-income countries, but are not reaching the people most in need of them in developing countries due to lack of government investment and a disconnect between experts and communities facing extreme weather.]]>Wed, 26 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>NIAMEY 26 September 2012 (IRIN) - The government of Niger and aid agencies are scrambling to clean and repair thousands of schools that were damaged in the flooding from rains in July and August, which displaced over 500,000 people and killed over 80, in an effort to return children to school as soon as possible.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96395/NIGER-Agencies-scramble-to-repair-schools-after-floodsNIAMEY 26 September 2012 (IRIN) - The government of Niger and aid agencies are scrambling to clean and repair thousands of schools that were damaged in the flooding from rains in July and August, which displaced over 500,000 people and killed over 80, in an effort to return children to school as soon as possible.]]>Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 14 September 2012 (IRIN) - An active monsoon and above normal temperatures triggered heavy downpours and flash floods during this year’s rainy season across West Africa and the Sahel, killing hundreds of people, displacing hundreds of thousands more and devastating farms in some of the countries already hit by a severe drought and acute food shortages.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96313/WEST-AFRICA-After-the-drought-floods-and-harvest-worriesDAKAR 14 September 2012 (IRIN) - An active monsoon and above normal temperatures triggered heavy downpours and flash floods during this year’s rainy season across West Africa and the Sahel, killing hundreds of people, displacing hundreds of thousands more and devastating farms in some of the countries already hit by a severe drought and acute food shortages.]]>Thu, 09 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>KOLDA 09 August 2012 (IRIN) - Only a handful of births are registered in the remote Kolda region of southern Senegal, but a new mobile phone application that allows parents to text the details of a newborn to obtain a birth certificate could cut down school drop-outs when the children are older.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96066/SENEGAL-Texting-for-birth-certificatesKOLDA 09 August 2012 (IRIN) - Only a handful of births are registered in the remote Kolda region of southern Senegal, but a new mobile phone application that allows parents to text the details of a newborn to obtain a birth certificate could cut down school drop-outs when the children are older.]]>Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 18 July 2012 (IRIN) - Senegal stopped renewing agreements allowing European fishing vessels in its waters in 2006, but now an expanding artisanal fleet and local industrial boats enjoying exclusivity under lax regulations are being blamed for malpractice and degrading the country’s main economic and food resource.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95893/SENEGAL-Overfishing-culprits-and-consequencesDAKAR 18 July 2012 (IRIN) - Senegal stopped renewing agreements allowing European fishing vessels in its waters in 2006, but now an expanding artisanal fleet and local industrial boats enjoying exclusivity under lax regulations are being blamed for malpractice and degrading the country’s main economic and food resource.]]>Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>ZIGUINCHOR 13 July 2012 (IRIN) - As the cashew harvesting season draws to a close, producers in the Casamance region of southern Senegal are starting to organize themselves so as to have more say in the price that will be set for their product.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95859/SENEGAL-Making-cashews-payZIGUINCHOR 13 July 2012 (IRIN) - As the cashew harvesting season draws to a close, producers in the Casamance region of southern Senegal are starting to organize themselves so as to have more say in the price that will be set for their product.]]>Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>ZIGUINCHOR 12 July 2012 (IRIN) - Removing the landmines from villages, farms and plantations of Casamance in southern Senegal has taken several years to get up to speed, but now demining teams may be forced to step down, hampering the country’s ability to reach its Ottawa Treaty goal of eliminating anti-personnel mines by 2016.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95848/SENEGAL-Demining-faces-slow-downZIGUINCHOR 12 July 2012 (IRIN) - Removing the landmines from villages, farms and plantations of Casamance in southern Senegal has taken several years to get up to speed, but now demining teams may be forced to step down, hampering the country’s ability to reach its Ottawa Treaty goal of eliminating anti-personnel mines by 2016.]]>Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 03 July 2012 (IRIN) - In conflict-hit West African countries, husbands often pose a greater threat to women’s lives than an armed assailant, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said in a recent report, but even in more stable countries, violence against women is hard to eradicate.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95788/WEST-AFRICA-Husbands-worse-threat-to-women-than-gunmenDAKAR 03 July 2012 (IRIN) - In conflict-hit West African countries, husbands often pose a greater threat to women’s lives than an armed assailant, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said in a recent report, but even in more stable countries, violence against women is hard to eradicate.]]>