Our weekly round-up of must-read stories you might have missed. In focus this week: Eleven elephants have been killed in the Tsavo conservation in the past two weeks; Libyan authorities should seize a historic opportunity to promote and protect women’s rights as the country transitions from four decades of dictatorship; The Lord’s Resistance Army’s decades-long reign of terror can be stopped if the international community helps the African Union capture fugitive warlord Joseph Kony and his henchmen.
11 elephants poached in Tsavo, herders suspected to be behind the killings – May 24, 2013
Eleven elephants have been killed in the Tsavo conservation in the past two weeks. Three male elephants aged between 35 and 40 years were gunned down at Mbale and Kalonzo ranches in Tsavo while eight carcasses were last week found by rangers in Ndara. Julius Kimani, the Kenya Wildlife Services senior assistant director in-charge of Tsavo Ecosystem, said poachers hacked off the elephants tusks. He blamed the increase in poaching in the private ranches adjacent to Tsavo National Park to herders whom he said are armed with sophisticated guns. Kimani said KWS has strengthened its law enforcement capacity and enhanced collaboration with other security agencies to address poaching. He said the elephants were killed when an operation led by Coast police boss Aggrey Adoli to flush out illegal herders began. Most of the herders do not have documents to show that they have leased the ranches, said the police boss. Mbale group ranch was on the spot light last year following many cases of poaching on the 40,000 acre land…
Libya: Seize Chance to Protect Women’s Rights – May 26, 2013
Libyan authorities should seize a historic opportunity to promote and protect women’s rights as the country transitions from four decades of dictatorship, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. The parliament, government, and other bodies should ensure that women can participate actively and equally in the drafting of the new constitution and the reform of legislation that affect their lives, Human Rights Watch said. “Libyan women are at a pivotal moment in their country’s history with the drafting of a new constitution and the start of legislative reform,” said Liesl Gerntholtz, women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch. “If Libya misses this opportunity to lay the legal foundation for women’s rights, it could lead to serious violations for years to come.” The 40-page report, “A Revolution for All: Women’s Rights in the New Libya,” highlights key steps that Libya should take to meet its international obligations by firmly rejecting gender-based discrimination in both law and practice…
US says Lord’s Resistance Army can be stopped – May 29, 2013
The U.N. Security Council and the United States said Wednesday that the Lord’s Resistance Army’s decades-long reign of terror can be stopped if the international community helps the African Union capture fugitive warlord Joseph Kony and his henchmen. In a briefing to the council, the head of the U.N. Office for Central Africa, Abou Moussa, applauded the African Union’s recent decision to dispatch a Uganda-led brigade of some 5,000 troops to hunt down Kony, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. The Lord’s Resistance Army has ranged across Uganda, Congo, and the Central African Republic, and is now believed holed up in Kafia Kingi, Sudan, near the border with the Central African Republic. “It must be stopped once and for all,” U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said Wednesday. “Our goal of permanently ending the LRA threat is within reach, but it will require sustained regional leadership and international support.” Other African countries contributing troops to the anti-Kony brigade are the Central African Republic Congo, and South Sudan. President Barack Obama has sent U.S. military advisers to aid the dragnet. But Moussa said only the Ugandans are ready to take to the field…
