[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on Mali, South Sudan, Somalia, Mauritania, Djibouti, and Comoros Islands and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the On the Margins Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each month's roundup to info@jadaliyya.com.]
Mauritania
Haratin: Biram Dah Abeid To Stand For President In Mauritanian Election The announcement of Mr. Biram Dah Abeid’s candidature for the next presidential elections, which will be held in July 2014.
ولد حرمة : ولد عبد العزيز تحول بعد 2009 إلى جشع يبحث عن الثراء (نص المقابلة) Former minister Sheikh Mokhtar argued that President Abdel Aziz has behaved in an increasingly corrupt manner since 2009.
دعوى قضائية ضد مصريين متهمين بالاعتداء على موريتانيين Members of an Egyptian delegation at the opening of a cultural center are accused of assaulting Mauritanians who criticized the Egyptian regime.
Building Resilience in Africa's Desert Through a Twin Track Approach This strategy aims to tackle the immediate challenges, while working to reduce vulnerability when drought next strikes.
EU Confirms New Support to Mauritania During High Level Visit EU expected to announce 195 million euros in the areas of food security, rule of law, and healthcare for the years 2014-2020.
Arab Investors Look to Mauritania At the first Mauritania Investment Forum, participant signed five investment agreements worth 625 million euros.
Mauritania Police Arrest Rappers The detentions came in response to an online video entitled: "It started from Nouakchott," which provoked a wave of protests from the more conservative fringes of society.
Mauritania: Writer, Blogger, “Apostate” Young writer facing execution and the repudiation of his family and society. Challenging Prophet Muhammad’s decisions was enough to label him an apostate.
Mauritania drill disappointment hits Tullow Oil shares Oil group brushes off Statoil bid talk after higher exploration write-offs knock full-year profits.
Mauritania’s new sports minister: "I never watched a game in my life" Mauritania’s sports sector has been facing several issues due to a lack of knowledge in the field of previous sports ministers.
The Libraries of Chinguetti Five ancient libraries nearly unchanged since medieval times are slowly being eaten by the desert.
Somalia
Piracy and terrorism: why Somalia? With the new film Captain Phillips now out, former kidnap victim Colin Freeman reports on the causes and prevalence of piracy in Somalia.
Somalia’s civil war: Pushing it across the borders The most recent efforts to squash the insurgency at home may push it abroad.
Analysis on the new twenty-five cabinet members The author reports on the reasons behind the delay in the nomination process of the new cabinet, which has taken much longer than usual.
Women Shouldn’t Live in Fear of Rape Human Rights Watch calls on Somalia’s new cabinet to take a number of crucial steps, including implementing a five-point plan to curtail sexual violence.
Finland’s first Somali author: ’Somalia’s more than war and FGM’ Novelist Nura Farah discusses her new novel about a woman in Somalia seeking to become a poet.
Ethiopia’s New Strategy towards Somalia Ahmed Abdi argues that Ethiopian strategy towards Somalia is presently focused on the policy of “divide and rule.”
Tale of Somalia's World Championship bandy team warms the heart Bandy is a sport few have heard of but the tale of a group of refugees from Somalia on the ice in Sweden is truly uplifting.
Comoros
Fighting Corruption in Comoros, Cameroon, and Madagascar Comoros, Cameroon, and Madagascar all rank highly in the levels of corruption. Global Voices discusses strategies for their reduction.
Zanzibar, Comoro enhance ties Following a visit to Zanzibar by Comoros President Ali Mohamed Shain, Zanzibar and Comoros have discussed ways to enhance ties particularly in education and tourism.
Malaria eradication: Cure all? A novel approach, using drugs instead of insecticides, may make it easier to eliminate malaria. But it is not without controversy.
The China-Comoros malaria eradication experiment Review of an article that analyzes the controversial effort to eradicate malaria using treatment developed from a Chinese herb by expert Deborah Brautigam.
Fighting Corruption in Comoros According to Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index, Comoros is ranked 127th out of 177 countries with a score of twenty-eight points.
Djibouti
مباحثات بين السلطة والمعارضة في جيبوتي للخروج من الأزمة السياسية President Guelleh met with a senior opposition leader in France as part of the country’s political dialogue.
المعارضة في جيبوتي تشيد ببدء الحوار مع رئيس البلاد Djbouti’s opposition expressed optimism about a dialogue with the President on the political crisis that began with the disputed legislative elections in 2013.
World Press Photo of the Year African migrants in Djibouti trying to get a phone signal from Somalia.
America's terror war in the Horn of Africa Audio report by BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner from the US military base in Djibouti where US military operations counter "violent extremism".
US military steps up operations in the Horn of Africa The US is dramatically increasing the tempo of its military operations in an effort to counter violent extremism, in the wake of last year's Westgate attack.
Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf speaks to Frank Gardner Video interview of Djibouti’s foreign minister with BBC’s security correspondent on the increased US military operations.
IXP launched in Djibouti The launch of the Internet Exchange Point aims to reduce latency, improve connection speeds and lower costs for network operators and internet users in East Africa.
Mali
World Report 2014: Mali Human Rights Watch's annual report on Mali.
Que font les Suisses au Mali ? Dans les coulisses d'une médiation très discrète What are the Swiss doing in Mali? Behind the scenes in a very discreet mediation.
Le Mali après Serval: éviter la rechute Mali after Serval: avoiding the relapse.
Retour sur la bataille décisive de Konna The author provides a look back at the decisive battle of Konna.
Une vidéo de télé-réalité souligne les insuffisances de l'éducation au Mali A reality-television video highlights the shortcomings of education in Mali.
The Race to Save Mali’s Priceless Artifacts When jihadists overran Timbuktu last year, residents mounted a secret operation to evacuate the town’s irreplaceable medieval manuscripts.
How Music in Mail is Thriving Despite Attempts to Ban It A discussion of a recent documentary about music in Mali, which includes several videos with popular songs.
Mali-based guitarist Habib Koite writes about home Senegalese guitarist Habib Koite – a longtime resident of Mali – discusses life in his country of residence including the recent conflict.
Tinariwen: Mali romanticism from the heartlands of America Grammy-winning Tuareg rebel-rockers Tinariwen have been forced abroad by the crisis in Mali – but they sound better than ever.
South Sudan
South Sudan's Rebel Leader Reik Machar Says the Fighting Isn't Over In a telephone interview, rebel leader Reik Machar said that he regretted the deaths in the conflict but they were “events of war.”
Museveni plays peacemaker by day and combatant by night in South Sudan Despite Uganda’s membership in IGAD, President Musaveni is heavily involved in supporting the government forces in South Sudan.
South Sudan's president gets help: The neighbours take sides How the fears of an economic poison for the region due to a prolonged civil war has led to the growth of regional support for Salva Kiir.
South Sudan invites new international investment into oil sector South Sudan is keen to welcome increased foreign investment into its oil sector, declaring the country safer than Iraq and Afghanistan.
South Sudan is divided by the spoils of oil, not ethnicity The author depicts how the competition for oil is at the root of the current violence, and asserts that the West needs to use its influence to end it.
Was South Sudan a mistake? With the world's newest country on the brink of collapse, the wisdom of separating north and south Sudan is in question.
In Pictures: South Sudan cease-fire Rival politicians signed a deal to end violence, but many worry fighting could continue.
Video: Escaping South Sudan violence Despite suffering violence and loss, those that manage to get out of South Sudan are the lucky ones.
Thinking outside the ethnic box in S Sudan Interpreting conflict as merely ethnic is not only superficial but also dangerous if it drives policy and peace deals.
La situation sanitaire dans un camp de Juba est une "bombe à retardement" Doctors Without Borders warns about the dangerous health situation in Juba’s biggest camp labeling it as “time bomb”.
Le gouvernement et les rebelles signent un cessez-le-feu A cease fire is signed between the government and the rebels.
Poursuite des affrontements malgré le cessez-le-feu The author reports on the continued fighting despite the cease-fire agreement.