The cohesion of the coalition of 10 rebel commanders - termed 'Ouattara's forces' by the international media - may yet turn out to be fragile, says this article from the South African Institute of International Affairs. 'The former rebels will want to be rewarded for ousting Laurent Gbagbo, firstly with posts in the new army, and secondly with guarantees of impunity. And they will be reluctant to start any disarmament, a pre-requisite to any meaningful security reform.'

'My father died when I was three years old. Armed bandits killed him one evening as he was coming home. Every night I remember this scene before falling asleep,' says Mariam Ibrahim, a 20-year-old Somali who grew up amid civil war. Mariam is one of 170,000 refugees of the Libyan conflict who were able to cross the Tunisian-Libyan border. She was nine months pregnant when she arrived in Choucha refugee camp accompanied by her husband. Mariam has since given birth to her first child, a girl, in a tent set up by the Red Crescent.

Africans should think about the real reasons why western countries are waging war on Libya, writes Jean-Paul Pougala, in an analysis that traces the country’s role in shaping the African Union and the development of the continent.

More than 800 people have died in south Sudan violence since January and almost 94,000 people fled their homes, posing a major challenge for the fledgling state, the top UN aid official for the region warned. The nation in waiting has seen an upsurge in bloody clashes since January's largely peaceful referendum, in which southerners voted almost unanimously to split with the north. The number of people displaced by violence has doubled in the past month to 93,780 people, according to figures released by Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan.

This footage from the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) posted to shows the beating of a protestor during a protest in Ficksburg in the eastern Free State.

The man who died after being beaten by police at a service delivery protest in Ficksburg was trying to help an elderly man when he was attacked. The brutal beating and shooting of Ficksburg resident Andries Tatane, 33, was screened to millions of South Africans last night on SABC News. The footage showed police officers cornering him during the protests in the Free State, and then several police officers beating him with batons.

The international criminal justice project is gaining momentum but ‘do we even agree on what kind of justice we are asking for?’ asks Jeanne M. Woods. ‘If Africa is ever to determine its own destiny, Africa must build its own institutions, tailored to its own history and realities, as slow and as painful a process as this might be.’

The exodus of migrants streaming out of Libya due to ongoing unrest has highlighted the heavy dependence of some countries on remittances from their citizens working abroad. In several countries this flow has now become choked. 'With thousands returning home the economic impact of the unrest in Libya is that remittances will be reduced,' Dr. Mizanur Rahman, economist and research fellow at the National University of Singapore told IPS. Recent World Bank statistics indicate that developing countries got more than 325 billion dollars last year from migrant worker remittances, outstripping foreign direct investment and development assistance combined.

Dozens of minors interviewed by Amnesty International for a new report had joined the Chadian army and armed opposition groups in the east. The report found that 80 per cent of the estimated 7,000-10,000 child soldiers recruited in Chad are associated with armed groups, while the remaining 20 per cent are involved with the country’s armed forces. These UN estimates also indicate that they may have been used as combatants.

The personal security noose seems to be tightening on Malawi’s civil society leaders, with Dorothy Ngoma, who has fled her home after receiving threats, being the latest target. Ngoma, who is executive director of the National Organisation of Nurses and Midwives, said she suspected the cause of the threats could be rooted in her close association with activist Undule Mwakasungula, executive director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) - whose offices were attacked last month.

A group of human rights activists led by Kenya National Commission on Human Rights commissioner Hassan Omar have been denied entry into Uganda. The four were detained at Entebbe Airport by immigration officials despite having secured an appointment with the Ugandan Chief Justice over the continued detention of activist Al-Amin Kimathi.

In defiance of a global recession that halved Africa’s growth, military spending on the continent rose by 5.2 per cent, a new study shows. The region's total military expenditure in 2010 in real terms was an estimated $30.1 billion, according to new analysis from the Stockhom International Peace Research Institute. Angola, recovering from three decades of civil war, set the pace with a 19 per cent increase in real terms, or $600 million in 2009 prices.

A new report released by the US Department of State documents the ongoing violation of human rights and basic freedoms by the government of Equatorial Guinea against its citizens, the group EG Justice has said. The report’s findings strongly contradict the Equatoguinean government’s claim that it has 'turned the page' and disassociated itself from the abuses that have marred the country for decades, EG Justice says.

Another war with Eritrea? A water war with Egypt? Alemayehu G. Mariam deconstructs Meles Zenawi's latest war talk.

South Africa's the Mail&Guardian newspaper has obtained access to surveillance footage taken inside the Kimberley Prison, showing beatings and the humiliation of prisoners at the hands of warders. Visit their Youtube page to view the footage.

When Nigerian political refugee Barry Wuganaale heard on television that Shell would be fracking for gas in the Karoo, he nearly choked on his dinner. 'I was shocked. I didn’t need to think twice about opposing this. South Africa has no experience of Shell operating upstream. You know them at the pumps here, but not drilling,' Wuganaale said. 'I am from the Ogoni people in the Nigeria. We know Shell. What Shell has done to the Ogoni people and to the Nigerian state, I don’t wish to be repeated on anyone.'

AfriForum youth leader Ernst Roets on Monday (11 April) testified that ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema promised his delegation a repeat of the Shell House massacre if they marched to his offices to complain about the singing of the song Dubul' ibhunu. Malema, who is facing charges of hate speech in the Johannesburg high court, publicly sang the contentious liberation song repeatedly during March and April last year.

An African Union (AU) bid to halt Libya's civil war, led by South Africa's President Jacob Zuma, collapsed within hours on Monday (11 April) after Muammar Gaddafi's forces shelled a besieged city and rebels said there could be no deal unless he was toppled. The rebel rejection came less than 24 hours after Zuma, head of the AU's mission, said Gaddafi had accepted the plan, including a ceasefire proposal for the conflict in this North African desert state.

Judges at the International Criminal Court last week warned the six post-election violence suspects against making public comments that might inflame tensions. But Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri, one of the key organisers of Monday’s 'homecoming' rally at Nairobi’s Uhuru Park for the six suspects, said the judges’ warning does not apply to them. During their appearance at the court on Thursday and Friday, the ICC judges cautioned the six suspects against uttering statements in public that may once again raise public tensions.

United Nations and French helicopters have fired rockets on the residence of Laurent Gbagbo, Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent president, in Abidjan. Sunday's violence comes after forces loyal to Gbagbo fired on Alassane Outtara, the president-elect's hotel headquarters, on Saturday. Gbagbo, who has ruled Cote d'Ivoire since 2000, is defended by about 1,000 men, while the UN peacekeeping mission has about 12,000 troops.