Somalia acknowledges rape by soldiers

After months of denial, Somalia's government has for the first time acknowledged that its security forces were involved in rape cases that drew an international outcry by human rights groups.

Army commanders often denied accusations that soldiers were involved in a spate of rapes, attributing the crimes to al-Shabab fighters who allegedly wore army uniforms to smear the reputation of the military.

"Those few among the security forces who rape and rob our citizens must be fought and be defeated just like Shabab," President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said while speaking to military cadets at a training camp in the capital, Mogadishu, on Monday.

"Criminals who commit rape ought to be opposed just like [al]-Shabab," Mohamud said in a statement issued by his office.

He also affirmed that his government would "fight those who rape as he'd fight al-Shabab", referring to the rebel group fighting his government and the African Union forces in Somalia.

Decline in rapes

In March, the New York based Human Rights Watch accused Somalia's security forces and armed groups of raping and beating displaced Somalis who came to Mogadishu fleeing famine and armed conflict.

Somalia has begun military tribunals in which soldiers have been punished and the number of rapes have declined since then, residents say.

"The president's commitment to tackle abuses,including rape, by security forces, is an important first step but needs to be followed by concrete action, including proper vetting of police and military," Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said.

Malawi adjourns treason trial of ex-officials

A court in Malawi has adjourned a treason trial against the former foreign minister and other high-ranking former government officials until April 16.

Peter Mutharika, brother of Malawi's late president Bingu wa Mutharika, and other high-profile figures had been in court on Wednesday for allegedly trying to get the military to stage a coup. 

Ex-leader Mutharika died of a heart attack on April 5, 2012. According to Malawi’s constitution, the vice president is to be sworn in following the death of a sitting president.
The government contends that the accused officials undermined the constitution by plotting to prevent then-vice president Joyce Banda from being installed as president following Mutharika’s death.

Peter Mutharika, the former foreign minister who Bingu had allegedly been grooming for presidency, asked the military to assume power after his brother's death.

He is accused of seeking to block Banda from taking over.

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, speaking from Lilongwe, said the case was adjourned until next week Tuesday. 

Silence on Awkward Topics at Inauguration of Kenya’s President

NAIROBI, Kenya — Once again, a Kenyatta has taken the reins.

On Tuesday, under a brilliant blue sky flecked with a few puffs of crisp white clouds, Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Kenya’s first president, was sworn in as the nation’s fourth head of state amid a full day of pageantry, with a who’s who of Africa in attendance.

But there was a certain subject that no amount of sunshine or triumphant cannon fire could blast away: theInternational Criminal Court, which has charged Mr. Kenyatta with crimes against humanity.

Little digs — and not-so-little digs — were defiantly sprinkled into several of the celebratory speeches. Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, saluted Kenyans for what he called “the rejection of the blackmail of the International Criminal Court,” which he said was steered by “arrogant actors” to “install leaders of their choice in Africa and eliminate those they don’t like.”

Mozambique: Political Violence Rises

Members of a Mozambican opposition party’s militia killed four police officers in an attack on a provincial police station to try to free more than a dozen party members arrested in a police raid on their headquarters, the police said Friday. The opposition party, Renamo, confirmed that its members carried out the attack on Thursday in the town of Muxungue in Sofala Province, home of the party headquarters that the police had raided a day earlier. The party’s security chief, Osufo Madate, said the attack showed Renamo’s refusal to tolerate “oppression” by the governing party, Frelimo. The episode was one of the worst outbreaks of political violence in a decade and raised concerns about next year’s elections.