Changing face of land disputes in Liberia
The Liberia Land Commission, which was set up in 2009 to help settle land disputes between returning refugees and their neighbours, is making significant headway, say land experts, but non-conflict related land disputes are increasing, most of them as a result of weak land laws.
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More Reports
Cape Town's asylum seekers struggle to get documented
CAPE TOWN,
16 May 2013
(IRIN) -
When Jean Baptiste*, a medical student from Lubumbashi, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), arrived in South Africa in September 2012, he headed straight for Cape Town, where he knew he would be able to stay with his brother. No one at the border told him that it was no longer possible to apply for asylum in Cape Town.
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Microcredit helps small businesses buck the system in Madagascar
TOLIARA,
16 May 2013
(IRIN) -
Justine Sija, 60, begins her day at 4am, when she buys catch from local fishermen to hawk on the streets of St Augustin Village, in Madagascar’s southern Atsimo-Andrefana Region. The work is hard, but in the last year, access to microcredit has boosted both her business and her hope for the future.
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Call for oil revenues to improve living standards in Congo
BRAZZAVILLE,
15 May 2013
(IRIN) -
Congo, which is heavily dependent on revenue from the oil industry, has been declared as “conforming to” a global standard that aims to ensure transparency of payments for natural resources; NGOs hope the announcement will improve the lives of the poor.
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Quelling xenophobia in South Africa's townships
PHILIPPI,
14 May 2013
(IRIN) -
This week marks five years since tensions between foreigners and South Africans living in impoverished communities across the country erupted in xenophobic violence, leaving more than 60 people dead and tens of thousands displaced, their homes and businesses robbed and abandoned.
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Uganda grapples with paediatric vaccine shortages
KAMPALA,
14 May 2013
(IRIN) -
Ugandan children are going unimmunized as the country grapples with persistent and widespread vaccine shortages, the result of insufficient funds and inefficient procurement and supply systems, officials say.
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