Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Communications Prof Dora Akuniyli yesterday insisted those aides close to President Umaru Yar’adua should be honest about his state of health if he remains unable to address government after his return from a Saudi hospital five days ago
Speaking with media in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, she said that, “It is in the best interest of the country if our president comes out to address us if he is in a position to do so. But if he is not in a position to do so, people around our president should be honest enough to come out and tell us the true situation of his health.”
Some Nigerian newspapers had yesterday quoted Akunyili as saying that a cabal around Yar’adua was dishing out orders in the name of the president, alleging that, “The cabal (around Yar’adua) wants to continue with their usual statement of ‘the President said and you must comply.”
“They want to continue dishing out instructions even when the president did not say so ... They sneaked him into this country in the night ... I think it’s something that is unnecessary and uncalled for,” she said.
Prof Akunyili is the first minister to openly criticize the handling of Yar’adua’s absence, raising the prospect of divisions within the cabinet. This led to Jonathan’s taking of executive powers on February 9, thereby ending months of state paralysis.
Akunyili was recently come under series of pressures when she was asked to step down especially when she insisted that she would only continue to take instructions from Jonathan who is currently the acting president.
On the resignation, she said, “If anybody comes up tomorrow to explain to me why it is necessary for me to resign so as to help stabilize the polity, I will not waste one minute.”
Meanwhile, a political group, the Future Nigeria group (FNG) said yesterday in Abuja that ailing President Umaru Yar’adua did not commit any offence or breach the constitution by not appearing in public five days after his return from Saudi Arabia.
In a statement the group said that the prompt directive by President Yar’adua to Acting President Goodluck Jonathan to oversee the affairs of the state while he recuperates is enough to show that the president means well for the country.
The group further cautioned people with unbridled desperation for power to stop their grid unless they want to thrown the nation into confusion.
50103 - 2010/03/02

Tripoli, march. 02 (press TV) -- Hundreds of Libyan students have protested outside the Swiss embassy in Tripoli against a recent referendum on the minaret ban in Switzerland.

Gathering in front of the Swiss Embassy on Monday, the protesters held pictures of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, chanted anti-Swiss slogans and called for a boycott of Swiss goods.

They also called for the respect of religions throughout the world.

Some 200 police in riot gear formed a cordon around the embassy, preventing the protesters from reaching the task force.

The protest comes just days after Gaddafi called for a holy war against the Swiss minaret vote.

Switzerland's government declined to comment on Gaddafi's remarks.

Libya's relations with Switzerland broke down in 2008 when Gaddafi's son Hannibal was detained in Geneva over his alleged abuse of domestic servants.

Four days after the brief July arrest, two Swiss businessmen Max Goeldi and Rashid Hamdani were charged with visa violations and illegal business activities and were initially sentenced to 16 months in jail.

A Libyan court later overturned Hamdani's sentence and allowed his departure while reducing Goeldi's jail term to four months.

Bern believes the businessmen's arrest to have been a retaliatory move which Tripoli denies.

Libya has also canceled flights to and from Switzerland, cut off oil supplies to the European state and withdrawn billions of dollars from Swiss banks.

Tensions have been ratcheted up another notch by Switzerland's alleged decision to blacklist 188 high-ranking Libyans, denying them entry permits.

Niamey, march. 02 (press TV) -- Niger's military junta leader Major Salou Djibo has nominated 20 ministers to the provisional government that include five military officers and five women.

The announcement came a day after Djibo declared in a message to his nation that no member of the military junta will be allowed to stand in the country's presidential election. The decision, he said, was taken to ensure an impartial transition of power to a civilian authority.

The five officers are to serve as ministers of national defense, youth and sports, water, environment and anti-desertification, transport and equipment. Interior and foreign ministers were also named.

The newly appointed Prime Minister Mahamadou Danda is to keep his position in the transitional government.

In a joint declaration, the parties known as Daraja, PDP Annour, PMT Albarka and Uni-Independants condemned "the use of arms and violence as a way of resolving political differences among Nigerien people."

This was the first reaction of the former ruling coalition to the coup launched by the country's military against the regime of Mamadou Tandja.

The Supreme Council for Restoration of Democracy seized power on February 18, suspended the constitution of the uranium-rich west African state, dissolved the cabinet and promised to organize elections at the end of a transition period, whose length has yet to be decided.

Lome, march. 02 (france24) -- Troops and police cast ballots in preliminary voting Monday for a presidential election in Togo that is seen as a test of the small west African country's democratic progress after decades of dictatorship.

The defence and security forces were called out to vote three days before the rest of the electorate so that they can keep guard when the country as a whole goes to the polls on Thursday.
An AFP correspondent saw long queues outside polling booths at a military regimental camp and the gendamerie headquarters -- the two largest voting centres in the Togolese capital Lome.

"The early voting will allow Togo's armed forces to be free on election day," Togo's chief of general staff, General Essofa Ayeva, told journalists.

Most of the polling stations in Lome opened as planned at 7:00 am (0700 GMT) and voting was scheduled to close at 5:00 pm (1700 GMT).

The number of voting security personnel was not disclosed, but they were casting their ballots at 126 centres in camps and gendarmeries across the country.

Not a single incident was recorded by midday, security officials told AFP.

Presidential elections in Togo in the past have been followed by bloody violence, including in 2005, after the death of former dictator General Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled for 38 years.

When Eyadema died, the military installed his son Faure Gnassingbe in power, causing a domestic and international outcry. Gnassingbe then stood down, and went on to win an election with the help of the ruling Togolese People's Rally.

The violence that followed the disputed vote left up to 800 dead according to various sources, but the United Nations put the toll at between 400 to 500 deaths.

This time round, as he seeks a second term in office, Gnassingbe has made a passionate call for peaceful polls, urging that "we must avoid at all costs to create fresh tensions".

Togo's first democratic election in 15 years was a parliamentary poll in 2007, which led to the resumption of aid by major donors including the European Union.

The EU had cut off aid in 1993 because of the country's human rights record.

"It is the interest of the Togolese people, including politicians, to prove to the international community that the well organised legislative election was not coincidental," one Lome-based diplomat warned ahead of Thursday's poll.

Gnassingbe's second term bid faces challenges from six other candidates in Thursday's poll in the country of some six million people.

Campaigning, which opened on February 16, is due to end at midnight Tuesday. The vote count is set to start as soon as the polling stations close.

Bern, march. 02 (press Tv) -- Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son Hannibal, whose arrest is at the heart of the 18-month diplomatic row between Bern and Tripoli, has visited a jailed Swiss businessman.

Max Goeldi, who was transferred to a jail last week to serve a four-month sentence, was detained with another Swiss businessman, Rashid Hamdani, four days after the brief July 2008 arrest of Hannibal at a Geneva hotel.

"I am happy for this occasion which enabled me to meet you, and I hope that justice takes its course and things are remedied," Goeldi told Hannibal during the meeting at Al-Jadaida prison

Goeldi's lawyer and several journalists were present at the meeting, according to the AFP news agency.

Following their arrest, the Swiss nationals were prevented from leaving Libya, charged with visa manipulation and initially sentenced to 16 months in jail

A Libyan court later overturned Hamdani's sentence and allowed his departure, also reducing Goeldi's jail term to four months.

While Bern says the businessmen's arrest was a retaliatory move, Tripoli denies that the move was in any way related to the Geneva incident.

However, relations have steadily spiraled downward ever since.

Libya's first response to Hannibal's arrest was to cancel all flights to Switzerland, cut oil supplies, and threaten to withdraw billions from Swiss banks.

Later, the eccentric Libyan leader called on the United Nations to abolish Switzerland as a state and divide it between neighboring countries.

Last Month, Gaddafi called for a holy war against Switzerland over a recent Swiss ban on the construction of minarets.

In February, Libya suspended visas to Schengen countries, following Switzerland's alleged decision to blacklist 188 high-ranking Libyans, denying them entry permits.

washington, march. 02 (france24) -- President Barack Obama announced Monday he was extending US sanctions on Robert Mugabe's regime for another year, saying Zimbabwe's deep political crisis remained unresolved.

Both the European Union and the United States maintain a travel ban and asset freeze on Mugabe, his wife and inner circle in protest at disputed elections and alleged human rights abuses by his government.

"I am continuing for one year the national emergency with respect to the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe's democratic processes or institutions," Obama said in a statement.

In July 2008, the US Treasury Department tightened the screws on sanctions against the Mugabe regime one last time under former president George W. Bush, slapping punitive measures against 17 companies or entities and an Omani national for their links to the government.

The southern African country is struggling to recover from a crisis that saw inflation peak at 321 million percent and supermarkets run out of food.

The crisis forced Mugabe and his rival Morgan Tsvangirai to form a power-sharing government last year to mend the economy and ease political tensions in the aftermath of a presidential run-off election in which Mugabe was sole candidate.

But economic recovery has not been as fast as anticipated while political tensions persist.

"The crisis constituted by the actions and policies of certain members of the government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe's democratic processes or institutions has not been resolved," added Obama, who has labeled Mugabe a "dictator."

"These actions and policies continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States. For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue this national emergency and to maintain in force the sanctions to respond to this threat."

Zimbabwe's descent into political and economic crisis began 10 years ago, when Mugabe lost a referendum on a new constitution that would have expanded the powers of a man who has ruled since independence in 1980.

Niamey, feb. 28 (PRESS TV)-- Niger's coup leader says no member of the military junta will be allowed to stand in the country's presidential election.

Junta leader Salou Djibo says the decision has been taken to ensure an impartial transition of power to civilian authority.

"To ensure a serene and impartial transition, we pledge that no member of the Supreme Council or of the transition government will be a candidate in the coming presidential elections," Djibo said on state radio on Sunday.

However, the date of the presidential election has not yet been announced.

The junta seized power on February 18, overthrowing long-time president Mamadou Tandja.

President Tandja had remained in office by amending the part of the Constitution that had barred him from running for re-election.

nairobi, feb. 28 (kbc) -- The Grand Coalition Government is unified and firmly focused on serving Kenyans and delivering harmonized pledges made by the coalition partners during the electioneering period, President Kibaki has stated.

Speaking at the Holy Family Basilica Sunday where he and Prime Minister Raila Odinga attended a church service to mark the second anniversary since the signing of the National Accord, President Kibaki affirmed that the coalition partners are in agreement on the necessary reforms that need to be instituted to catapult the nation into the league of prospered nations.

February 28th was designated as the day of National Unity and Thanksgiving for the Kenyan people to thank God for His mercy, love and for holding the country together.

President Kibaki confirmed that the signing of the National Accord was preceded by mutual agreement as national leaders that they both shared the dreams of the nation's founding fathers of building a prosperous nation devoid of ignorance, disease and poverty.

The President declared that the Government was steadfast in generating wealth and enough opportunities to guarantee the Kenyan people decent livelihoods.

Expressing joy for the restoration of peace in the country, the Head of State urged Kenyans to desist from selfishness and to embrace free entrepreneurship that guarantees the welfare of majority in the society.

He further called on leaders and individual citizens to play their rightful roles in promoting peace and contribute towards building of a stable, democratic and prosperous nation.

With regard to constitution, President Kibaki appealed to parliamentarians to build the necessary consensus once the new document was tabled in parliament in order to safeguard the wishes of majority Kenyans and to facilitate its speedy enactment.

On his part the Prime Minister asserted that ‘no plenty' can be found within the country's border as espoused in the national anthem, ‘plenty be found within our borders', unless there was stability and unity in the nation.

The PM noted that the Kenyan dream was well captured in the national anthem but cautioned that the citizens must embrace unity in diversity.

The Prime Minister said that while Kenyans were entitled to their opinion over the coalition government, he stated that many reforms had been instituted towards building a better country.

He declared that the draft constitution was entering its last stages and urged legislators to critically look into the supreme law once tabled in parliament and ensure that the aspirations of majority Kenyans are shielded.

The Prime Minister asked religious organizations to pray God to give Parliamentarians wisdom, courage and strength to conclude the remaining stages of the constitution making process.

In his sermon, Catholic Church head John Cardinal Njue urged Kenyans to live harmoniously and prayed God to guide Kenyan leaders in building a meaningful heritage for the future generations.

He appealed to worshippers and leaders to appreciate diversity and its richness as well as to protect the wellbeing of every citizen adding that God had blessed Kenyans with a beautiful nation.

Cardinal Njue cautioned that the nation must remain focused on its agenda of building a prosperous and stable country failure to which many temptations and challenges that lay on the path will undermine the vision.

KHARTOUM, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese authorities Wednesday released 57 militants of the Darfur's rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) who had been convicted for their involvement of an attack on Omdurman city in May 2008.

The move came one day after the Sudanese government inked a ceasefire agreement with the key Darfur rebel group in a big step toward ending seven years of conflicts in the western Sudanese region.

Sudanese Minister of Justice Abdul-Basit Sabdarat announced that the step came in accordance with an order issued by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, adding that the Sudanese leader had increased the percentage of JEM members to be released from 30 percent to 50 percent of those detained in connection with the Omdurman attack.

"Fifty of the prisoners released had been sentenced to death," said Sabdarat at a press conference in the federal prison of Kober, where the JEM militants had been jailed.

The minister expressed hope that efforts would be expedited to reach agreements so that the remaining JEM prisoners would be released.

He said the remaining JEM prisoners would be released in batches in accordance with the progress of the talks.

Bashir recently canceled death sentences against convicted JEM members and ordered release of 30 percent of them after Khartoum and JEM signed a framework agreement in Chad prior to comprehensive peace talks between the two sides.

The deal was followed by a ceasefire agreement signed between the two sides late Tuesday in the Qatari capital of Doha.

KHARTOUM, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Saturday rejected demands by some political parties to postpone the general elections, scheduled for April this year.

"There are some who call for postponement of the elections under several pretexts, but the elections will be held on its scheduled time," said al-Bashir when a dressing a people's gathering in Khartoum Saturday.

He called on the Sudanese political forces to resort to the voting boxes, saying that "the Darfur issue was a pretext for some to demand postponement of the elections, but after the signing of the framework agreement with the Justice and Equality Movement ( JEM), Darfur will live in full peace and great stability."

"Every body should let the Sudanese people decide through the voting boxes," he added.

Multi-party elections, the first of its kind since 1986, are scheduled to be held in Sudan on April this year. The elections have been stipulated by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), inked between north and south Sudan in 2005, which ended a two- decade civil war between the two sides.

ALGIERS, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The chief of Algeria's police Ali Tounsi was shot dead on Thursday at his office in the capital by one of his aides, local Echorouk newspaper reported.

According to the paper, Colonel Ali Tounsi was gunned down by head of the police helicopter unit Weldtash Shoeib during a meeting at the former's office in the police headquarters.

Shoeib, a 64-year-old retired army colonel, was hired by the Directorate General of National Security (DGSN) to be in charge of the police's chopper unit, sources told the paper.

Eyewitnesses said that Shoeib asked for a private talk with Tounsi prior to a meeting of senior security officials, where it was set to discuss penalties against Shoeib over irregularities.

Cairo, Feb. 27 (al jazeera) -- Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court has authorised the sale of Egyptian gas to Israel, overruling a previous verdict by a lower court.

But the new verdict on Saturday stipulated that Egypt should monitor the price and quantity of its exports and ensure it met local energy needs before exporting.

The ruling ends a legal battle that caused a public controversy which focused on the price of gas sold to Israel, and reflected Israel’s unpopularity among Egyptians despite a 1979 peace accord.

Gas started flowing to Israel through a pipeline for the first time in May 2008 under an agreement signed in 2005 for the supply of 1.7 billion cubic meters a year over 20 years.

Sovereignty issue

Mohamed al-Husseini, the most senior judge of the panel which issued the verdict said: "It is not within the jurisdiction of the courts to hear appeals against the government's decision to export gas to eastern Mediterranean markets, including Israel. It was a sovereign decision."

In November 2008, a Cairo court overruled the government's decision to allow the exports after a group of lawyers filed a suit against the state, saying the Israelis were buying the gas at prices below international prices.

The Egyptian government is reluctant to reveal the price it receives for natural gas exports.

A court ruled in February 2009 that gas exports could continue pending a review of the November ruling, although the government had ignored the verdict anyway.

Against the principle

Some Egyptian leftists and Arab nationalists oppose the sale of gas to Israel in principle , having fought four wars against the Jewish state between 1948 and 1973 before making peace in 1979.

Egypt exports gas to Israel and Arab states by pipeline and also ships liquefied natural gas (LNG) abroad.

In 2008 it said it would not sign any new gas export contracts until 2010 in order to meet rising local demand.

Egypt's privately owned East Mediterranean Gas (EMG) began exporting fuel to the state-owned Israel Electric Corp in May 2005, after agreeing to supply 1.7 billion cubic metres (5.6 billion cubic feet) a year for 20 years.

Earlier this month, Ampal-American Israel Corp, which has a 12.5 per cent interest in EMG, said a September 2009 deal to increase the supply to 42 billion cubic metres had come into force.

It said the contract was worth roughly six billion dollars (4.4 billion euros).

BAMAKO, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Though the junta has promised elections to get Niger back to civilian rule, the country's future hangs in the balance as the coup met condemnation from around the world.

The need to stabilize the situation, President Mamadou Tandja's future and the maneuver of the international community all pose great challenges to the military regime.

Coup leaders have already launched contacts with regional organizations to explain why they launched the coup in order to win support.

Colonel Djibrilla Hima, one of the coup leaders, told West African leaders in Mali that they will hold elections once the situation was stabilized.

"We plan to organize elections but first we have to stabilize the situation," Hima said, hinting an election is impossible at present due to the volatile situation.

Meanwhile, the military junta has faced mounting pressure as Niger's political opposition urged swift elections to restore civilian rule. The UN, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and many foreign governments have also condemned the coup.

The African Union (AU) said in a statement on Saturday that it had decided to suspend the participation of Niger in all activities of the AU until the restoration of constitutional order in the country.

Hima said he had won "understanding" after he explained the reason for the coup to the region's leaders gathered in the Malian capital of Bamako for a summit.

He said elections will be organized at "a right moment," adding they had to "ally the people and create conditions" for such a poll.

A delegation from the 15-nation ECOWAS led by former Nigerian leader Abdulsalami Abubakar, has arrived overnight for political consultations following Thursday's military coup.

Former ECOWAS President Mohammed Ibn Chambas told reporters in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Friday that the team would make contacts with those in authority.

President Mamadou Tandja was held captive and his whereabouts remain unclear after a group of soldiers in armored vehicles stormed the presidential palace on Thursday. Several soldiers were killed in crossfire with presidential guards.

"The government is dissolved," said a spokesman for the military junta, which claims itself as the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy, in a statement on state television.

The junta described the coup as "successful" in putting an end to the tense political situation in the country.

The junta spokesman also called on the people of Niger and the international community to have faith in the junta's ideals which "could turn Niger into an example of democracy and of good governance."

There had been political tension in Niger since President Mamadou Tandja dissolved parliament and conducted a referendum to extend his two-term tenure last year.

Tandja's opponents condemned the August 2009 referendum that would allow Tandja, who was scheduled to step down in December 2009 after the expiration of two five-year terms, to stay in power till 2012.

BAMAKO, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Niger's coup junta promised Saturday to organize elections, but failed to specify a date two days after a coup that ousted President Mamadou Tandja.

"We plan to organize elections but first we have to stabilize the situation," Colonel Djibrilla Hima, one of the coup leaders, told reporters in Mali.

The military junta is facing mounting pressure as Niger's political opposition urged for swift elections to restore civilian rule. The UN and many foreign governments have also condemned the coup.

The African Union (AU) said in a statement on Saturday that it had decided to suspend the participation of Niger in all activities of the AU until the restoration of constitutional order in the country.

Hima said he had won "understanding" after he explained the reason for the coup to the region's leaders gathered in the Malian capital of Bamako for a summit.

He said elections will be organized at "a right moment," adding that they had to "ally the people and create conditions" for such a poll.

A group of soldiers launched a coup on Thursday in the Nigerien capital of Niamey, seizing the president, suspending the constitution and dissolving the government.

There had been political tension in Niger since Tandja dissolved parliament and conducted a referendum to extend his two-term tenure.

The opposition condemned the August 2009 referendum that would allow Tandja, who was scheduled to step down in December 2009 after the expiration of two five-year terms, to stay in power till 2012.

SANAA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Yemen has closed off main waterways leading to its seacoasts at the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea in a bid to prevent "African infiltrators" from entering its soil, the Interior Ministry said Sunday.

The ministry has already commanded the Police Coast Guard (PCG) at the coastal provinces on the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea to shut out the main waterways to ward off African illegal immigrants from infiltrating into the Yemeni territories, read a statement issued by the ministry on its website.

It said this step came in line with the efforts exerted by the Yemeni government to bar "terrorist elements in the Horn of Africa" from sneaking to the Yemeni soil, specially after Somali- based wing of al-Qaida Young Mujahideen (al-Shabab al-Mujahideen) announced its intention to support the Yemeni-based branch of al- Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

"The security agencies have been keeping the Somali refugees in Yemen under constant surveillance," said the ministry, confirming - at the same time that the Yemeni government's commitment to meet obligations towards supporting Somali refugees has not changed.

"The government is keen to continually providing appropriate living conditions for their (Somali refugees) stay on its territory," the ministry added.

Sanaa government, which is stepping up efforts to solve a discontent among southern separate group and implement economic reforms after it ends a six-year fighting with northern Shiite rebels, came under mounting pressure from Washington to turn its focus on fighting al-Qaida affiliate activating within its borders.

Though Yemeni government has long welcomed Somali refugees fleeing their war-torn country and sailing to Yemen, the government is now particularly concerned that al-Qaida infiltrators could be among those new arrivals, local media said.

Yemen hosts 78,000 Somali refugees by the end of 2009 out of 171,000 total registered refugees, according to statistics of the UN refugee agency. Interior Ministry officials say many more Somalis are still unregistered.

MOGADISHU, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- "I nearly became a pirate," 28- year-old Dji told Xinhua correspondents Saturday at a clinic run by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), in the capital city of a country which has not seen an effective central government since 1991.

Dji is the name this young man invented for safety reasons. He came to the AMISOM's medical services to get medicine for his family members. Being a journalist, Dji is among the very few Mogadishu residents that can speak English.

Dji told Xinhua he likes his profession. "I like this job, if the militants stop me I can tell them I am a journalist."

However, this young guy could have become a pirate, a profession that this Horn of Africa nation is internationally famous for these days.

"I know some people who are in this trade, some are even my relatives," Dji said. He mentioned that one of his uncles is with the pirate network and has actually offered Dji a job in the condemnable but sometimes highly lucrative business.

"Two years ago, my uncle came to Mogadishu and asked me to join them. I was totally astonished then. I had no idea what a pirate is like but by instinct I trust my uncle," he said.

Dji also heard rumors that this uncle is very rich, with big house, servants, and even some property in neighboring Kenya. What amazed this young man the most was that Uncle Rich only have to work for once in months.

"That is attractive, and the job could be so easy for me. They need somebody to negotiate in English, I can speak English," he said. Further more, his uncle provided for him a "trusted link", without which it would be very hard to step into the network.

After serious consideration, Dji gave up this offer. "I am badly in need of money, but I know money should not be earned in that way."

He explained that the pirates initially operated under the banner of "driving off foreign fishing ships", but gradually they did whatever they could to grab money.

"Now what they care about is money, they can even kill people for that," he said.

Instead of falling into the ditch of notorious piracy, Dji now becomes a journalist, a job that enables him to tell the true happenings of this war-ravaged city and a country deeply submerged in crisis.

Somalia, the Horn of Africa nation, has been plagued by civil strife since the overthrow of military strongman Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Islamist rebels run much of south and center of the country while the Somali government control small parts of the restive capital Mogadishu.

Some less than 5,000 AU peacekeepers, mainly contributed by Uganda and Burundi, are being based here to help Somalia's transitional government to control key sites as the airport and sea ports, as well as important government buildings.

The lack of a strong central government and long-lasting conflicts have provided breeding ground for pirates, who have made the Somali waters one of the world's most dangerous sea routes for commercial ships.

KHARTOUM, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese government said on Saturday it expected that a comprehensive peace agreement for ending the Darfur crisis would be reached before mid March this year.

"We agreed to reach a final agreement for the issue before March 15 this year," Ghazi Salahuddin, Sudanese Presidential Adviser, who is also in charge of the Darfur file, told reporters in Khartoum upon return from the Chadian capital of N'djamena where a framework agreement was signed between Khartoum and the Darfur's rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

The Sudanese official said the framework agreement, which was signed today, constituted an important approach for the peace in Darfur.

"We hope this agreement will be the end for the Darfur issue, particularly in its military aspect," he said.

"Ceasefire is the most important part of this agreement. This agreement shall be valid as of today. We hope to speed up this item to reach a written and abiding agreement that tackles the issue of military arrangements and leads to a full cessation of all military operations," he added.

In the meantime, the Sudanese presidential adviser refuted that the bilateral talks between the government and JEM, under the patronage of the Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno, was a violation of the Doha track, saying that "the assumptions that these talks are outside the Doha framework are wrong."

"These talks in fact constitute a boost to the Doha talks. These talks do not mean neglecting the other armed groups within the Arab- African initiative, led by the Qatar State," he added.

The Sudanese government and JEM on Saturday signed a framework agreement in Chad where the agreement stipulated a ceasefire between the movement and the Sudanese authorities to be followed by peace negotiations between the two sides.

A final agreement is expected to be signed on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, in the presence of the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his Chadian counterpart Idriss Deby Itno, who played the role of mediator between the two sides.

In a related development, the Sudanese president on Saturday canceled the death sentences earlier issued against some JEM members who were accused of being involved in the JEM forces' attack on Omdurman in May 2008.

ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) decided to suspend the participation of Niger in all activities of the AU until the effective restoration of constitutional order in the country, as it existed before the referendum of Aug. 4 2009, a statement released to media said on Saturday.

According to the statement, the Peace and Security Council of the AU, at its 216th meeting held on Feb. 19, took note of the briefing made by the Commission on the situation in Niger and condemned the seizure of power by force that took place in Niger on Feb. 18.

The statement stressed that the relevant AU instruments systematically condemn any unconstitutional change of government and demanded the speedy return to constitutional order based on democratic institutions and process.

AU reiterated its appreciation and strong support for the efforts of the West African bloc ECOWAS, particularly through the mediation led by General Abdulsalami Abubakar, aimed at facilitating the early resolution of the crisis in Niger and the democratic functioning of the institutions of the country, with the participation and support of all the political forces, and encouraged it to pursue its action.

According to the statement, AU welcomes the mission that the Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union intends to immediately undertake to Niamey, together with the president of the ECOWAS Commission and the special representative of the United Nations secretary-general for West Africa.

ALGIERS, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Algerian security forces killed three terrorists and arrested as many in operations in the north, local el-Khabar newspaper reported Saturday.

According to the paper, two terrorists were killed and another was arrested on Thursday night in an ambush by government troops in Azeffoun district, Tizi Ouzou province. The report did not give further details on the operation.

Security forces also killed a terrorist in Dellys, Boumerdes province, and arrested two others during a combing operation in the city, local sources told the paper.

Algeria has faced an increasing threat by Islamist militants since the 1990s. The security forces have recently launched massive military operations against pro-al-Qaida groups, including al-Qaida in Islamic Maghreb.

ABIDJAN, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed and 12 others seriously injured on Friday in Cote d'Ivoire's central west town of Gbagbo, 230 km from the economic capital Abidjan, a sad day marking an escalation in the crisis linked to the presidential elections.

The clash erupted between the security forces and hundreds of protesters against the dissolution of government and the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) by President Laurent Gbagbo last week.

The Ivorian News Agency (AIP) quoted hospital sources as reporting that at least five people were killed and 12 others injured by the bullets during the confrontations.

The demonstrations were organized by youths who claimed to belong to the opposition Assembly of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP). They were demanding the re-establishment of CEI dissolved on Feb. 12.

For days, protests against the decision taken by President Gbagbo have been staged in Abidjan and other cities in the West African country. The opposition accuses Gbagbo of play "delay tactics" to abort another planned polls set for late February and early March.

The country has postponed the long overdue vote several times since 2005. when Gbagbo's term of office expired.

On Wednesday, the areas of Treichville, Marcory and Koumassi in Abidjan witnessed protests during which a number of buses belonging to the Abidjan Transport Company were smashed and set on fire.

On the same day, in the political and administrative capital of Yamoussoukro, the youths of the opposition camp also took to the streets and the police arrested 10 people.

The opposition protests were reported elsewhere in the cities of Bondoukou, Daoukro, Dimbokro, M'bahiakro, Toumodi, Abengourou, Didievi and Tiebissou.

The opposition parties, including the Assembly of Republicans (RDR) led by Alassane Ouattara and the Democratic Party of Cote d'lvoire (PDCI) headed by Henri Konan Bedie, both under the umbrella of the RHDP, have called on their supporters to oppose "by all means" the decision to dissolve the government and CEI, saying they do not recognize Gbagbo as the president any longer.

Reappointed to the position of the prime minister, Guillaume Soro, who is also the leader of the ex-rebel New Forces (FN), continues consultations to form a new government expected at the end of the week. Soro was named the prime minister under a peace accord signed with Gbagbo in 2007.

The problem is that the RHDP has tied their participation in the government to the re-eastablishment of CEI.

The hope for a new government looks dim in the wake of the Gbagbo clash. "We have a number of people injured, some of them very seriously and they have been evacuated to the town's general hospital," the leader of PDCI youth wing Konan Gildas told AIP.

Things are getting worse, Konan warned. "They were going to remain on the streets until (president) Gbagbo reverses his unpopular and undemocratic decisions," he added.

In the beginning of this week, the presidential camp denounced the "acts of vandalism and sabotage" by the opposition.

The turmoil is reminiscent of tensions several years ago. A voter list controversy led to a military coup attempt against Gbagbo in 2002 and then to a civil war. The country has yet to move out of the war shadow with Gbagbo's administration controlling the south and the FN still holding the north. The current standoff came out of a similar voter list spat, in which Gbagbo's supporters accused the CEI chief of putting some suspected names on the list in favor of the FN, while the latter denied the charges.