This Sub-Regional Training and Programming Coordinator (SRTPC) is located in the Coastal West/Central region and is based out of Dakar, Senegal. The SRTPC provides the sub-regional posts with assistance in developing the professional and management skills of the training and programming staffs, including the Associate Peace Corps Directors.

As drought conditions spread north and famine threatens yet more African countries, Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade is coming under sharp criticism for ignoring early warnings from farmers.

This network is an initiative of the Dimitra Project coordination unit in West Africa, which covers seven countries. The network has been established in Senegal with the mission of expanding throughout these various countries. The fields of action of this network range from training and information for women,Äôs associations, to the creation of links between development partners, the development of local knowledge, action to promote solidarity amongst associations, and measures to support income-generation activities.

Findings from a preliminary study suggest that a drug combination that is the gold standard of HIV treatment in the developed world can help patients in developing countries as well. The new study, published in the July issue of the journal AIDS, followed up on a trial of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the African nation of Senegal.

Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade has broken ranks with the African Union on the issue of Madagascar by formally recognising Marc Ravalomanana as president of the island state.

The Senegalese army has ended a "clean-up" campaign it started on 21 June to restore security in Casamance, Southern Senegal, sources said on Tuesday. The military announced on 7 July that it had ceased operations, according to the sources, who added that the situation in Casamance had been calm in the past week.

The WWF is calling on the European Union to work with West African nations to avert a potentially catastrophic collapse in fish stocks that provide a much-needed source of food and income in countries such as Senegal and Mauritania.

Every time a parent gets ill or dies of HIV/AIDS, children become grossly vulnerable to hosts of physical, emotional and societal dangers.In the wake of today's AIDS crisis in Africa, at least 14 million orphans have been left grappling with the dangers associated with the disease. That number, according to a survey, is expected to double if nothing is done.

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees sent a mission to The Gambia on Tuesday to take stock of possible population displacement following an announcement last week by the Senegalese army that it had launched security operations in Casamance, a UNHCR source told IRIN on Wednesday. The Senegalese army announced last weekend that it had begun an operation to curb increased insecurity and banditry in Casamance, an area in southern Senegal that borders on The Gambia.

Your Excellency, I am writing on behalf of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), a non-profit, non-governmental organization advocating for a free press and freedom of expression around the world. We wish to express our concern about the state of press freedom in Senegal, in particular, with the recent sentencing of journalists Mamadou Oumar Ndiaye and Pape Ndiaye, publication
director and reporter, respectively, of the Dakar-based weekly Le Témoin.

The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN condemns the prison sentences handed out to journalists Mamadou Oumar Ndiaye and Pape Ndiaye in April 2002 for "defamation" and "insult". Mamadou Oumar Ndiaye and Pape Ndiaye, publication director and reporter respectively with the Dakar-based weekly Le Témoin, were each sentenced to four months' imprisonment without parole and fined a total of three million CFA francs (approx. US$4,110). The verdict stemmed from a complaint lodged by Victor Cabrita, the director of the Sainte Marie de Hann Catholic school, following a September 2001 article in Le Témoin that alleged financial malpractice at the school. The article also included remarks made by union members to the effect that Cabrita was "a slave driver and a racist". The two journalists are appealing the judgment.

The Senegal's African Women's Media Center (AWMC) has launched a comprehensive new manual to help women journalists report more effectively on HIV/AIDS.

In a letter to Justice Minister Basile Senghor, RSF expressed concern following the sentencing of Mamadou Oumar Ndiaye, publication director of the Dakar-based weekly "Le Témoin". "While not wishing to comment on the facts of the case, RSF recalls that a prison sentence with no parole for 'defamation' is viewed by international human rights bodies as 'disproportionate' to the harm suffered by the victim," stated Robert Ménard, the organisation's secretary-general.

The two rival presidents of Madagascar have signed a landmark power-sharing peace deal, late Thursday morning, in Senegal. The agreement, signed after more than 24 hours of feverish but determined African mediation, envisages a government of national reconciliation in Madagascar during a six-month democratic transition.

The divide between Africa and the West never seemed wider than after Zimbabwe's recent election. As Western governments condemned President Robert Mugabe, African presidents - all except one - rallied behind him or greeted his stolen victory with silence. The critical voice belonged to Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, who was elected president two years ago in this West African nation after struggling in the opposition for 26 years.

Prime Minister Boye has taken legal action against Guèye, "Le Tract" newspaper's publication director, for "insults to a member of the government" and "distribution of false news through the use of false or fabricated documents". Touré, Guèye's computer graphics technician, is being taken to court for "complicity". On 31 January 2002, the two journalists appeared before the examining judge in a Dakar court. Guèye's next hearing is scheduled for 11 February.

An ambitious education programme that hopes to put every child in Senegal into school by the end of the decade has been criticised by teachers. They fear that it will allow the government to abdicate its responsibilities and privatise education.

Environmental groups have welcomed the EU’s failure to secure a fisheries agreement with Senegal. WWF calls this a ‘positive sign’ that developing countries are becoming more prudent in weighing short-term economic gains against protecting their natural resources. WWF argue that while the EU aims to alleviate poverty in the
developing world its own heavily subsidised fleets have pushed small-scale local fisher folk to the side and damaged fragile ecosystems.

Senegalese witnessed in August the launch of an original concept in Internet and multimedia popularization, the Joko Clubs. The project is the brainchild of famous singer and composer Youssou N'Dour who surrounded himself with a very capable team to pull this technological and social experiment feat.