Africa news

Well, three countries, anyway.

Voting continues in Sudan as southern Sudanese vote on whether or not to establish a separate nation. It hasn't all been peaceful, sadly, but people are voting. Robin Denney, a virtual friend of mine, is there as an agricultural missionary of the Episcopal Church and has some on-the-ground reports and helpful background on the situation at her blog.

Interesting developments in Tunisia (didn't expect that, did you?) where weeks of protests over the authoritarian government continue. It started when a man (an unemployed college graduate) set himself on fire because the government shut down his vegetable stand when he didn't have the proper paperwork. Really, the events there are incredible.

UN vehicle set on fire in Abidjan

And finally, in Cote d'Ivoire, the standoff continues between President Gbagbo and President- elect (by most counts) Ouattara. Sahel Blog has a great round-up of all the latest news reports. The latest news is that "Forces loyal to incumbent Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo have attacked several UN vehicles in the country's main city, Abidjan, the UN says." This comes after two days of clashes between Gbagbo and Ouattara supporters. It certainly sounds like things are intensifying, with no resolution in sight.

Please keep all these countries in your prayers.