By Paul Ndiho in Washington DC
The outcome of Ghana's presidential run-off is too close to call and will be decided by voting on Friday in a single constituency where balloting has yet to take place, the electoral commission said on Tuesday.
In a twist to what was already a tense and closely fought race, the commission said the outstanding vote in the Tain constituency would determine the final result of the election in the West African state, the world's No. 2 producer of cocoa.
With votes counted from 229 of the 230 constituencies, John Atta Mills of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) held a slender lead with 50.13 per cent of the votes, while Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had 49.87 percent.
Only 23,050 votes separated the two.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Ghana opposition claims poll win
Tensions are high in Ghana as official results from the knife-edge run-off presidential poll are to be released.
Opposition candidate John Atta Mills claims he has won, but the governing NPP party insisted the result remained too close to call. Paul Ndiho has been monitoring the results as they come in very closely and files this report.
Opposition candidate John Atta Mills claims he has won, but the governing NPP party insisted the result remained too close to call. Paul Ndiho has been monitoring the results as they come in very closely and files this report.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Tanzania offers Burundian Refugess Citizenship
In a historic move, the Tanzanian government is offering citizenship to Burundian refugees and their families who fled their homeland in 1972. Burundi has been plagued by civil strife since it achieved independence from Belgium in 1962. Paul Ndiho has more.
Rich and Poor Nigerian Kids in a Photo Exhibition
Hundreds of Nigerian children from the richest and poorest homes in Lagos are beginning to document their lives in a photo exhibition meant to help educate the world about the extremes between the Rich and the poor in Africa's most populous nation. Paul Ndiho has the story
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
A look at how Somali pirates operate
As piracy explodes off Somalia's lawless coast, the questions become ever more stark: How can ragtag bands of Somali pirates stand up to international warships? And why not just shoot the bandits when they try to clamber aboard?
First, the pirates are not as ragtag as one might expect. And second, it's a big ocean.
In Somalia, pirates are well-funded, well-organized and have easy access to heavy weapons in a country that has been in tatters for nearly two decades. Pirates travel in open skiffs with outboard engines, working with larger ships that tow them far out to sea. They use satellite navigational and communications equipment and have an intimate knowledge of local waters, clambering aboard commercial vessels with ladders and grappling hooks.
Any blip on an unwary ship's radar screens, alerting the crew to nearby vessels, is likely to be mistaken for fishing trawlers or any number of smaller, non-threatening ships that take to the seas every day. Here is more...
First, the pirates are not as ragtag as one might expect. And second, it's a big ocean.
In Somalia, pirates are well-funded, well-organized and have easy access to heavy weapons in a country that has been in tatters for nearly two decades. Pirates travel in open skiffs with outboard engines, working with larger ships that tow them far out to sea. They use satellite navigational and communications equipment and have an intimate knowledge of local waters, clambering aboard commercial vessels with ladders and grappling hooks.
Any blip on an unwary ship's radar screens, alerting the crew to nearby vessels, is likely to be mistaken for fishing trawlers or any number of smaller, non-threatening ships that take to the seas every day. Here is more...
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Congo refugees flee over Ugandan border as ceasefire crumbles
Thousands of civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo fled into neighbouring Uganda after fresh fighting broke out between rebels and pro-government militia as the latest ceasefire collapsed.
Aid agencies estimated that at least 13,000 people had crossed the border since rebel commander Laurent Nkunda launched what his spokesman called "police operations" two days ago, almost doubling the number of recent Congolese refugees there.
"The stream of new arrivals continues. More and more people are arriving and we need to transport them away from the border to a safe place immediately," said Yumiko Takashima, from the United Nations refugee agency, which is working to relocate the refugees to a settlement at Nakivale, 220 miles east of the frontier. Paul Ndiho Has More on the story
Aid agencies estimated that at least 13,000 people had crossed the border since rebel commander Laurent Nkunda launched what his spokesman called "police operations" two days ago, almost doubling the number of recent Congolese refugees there.
"The stream of new arrivals continues. More and more people are arriving and we need to transport them away from the border to a safe place immediately," said Yumiko Takashima, from the United Nations refugee agency, which is working to relocate the refugees to a settlement at Nakivale, 220 miles east of the frontier. Paul Ndiho Has More on the story
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