According to the BBC, Somalia has vowed to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a move that would leave the US as the only nation not to back the accord. The UN which is celebrating 20 years since the agreement was put into force, welcomed Somalia’s announcement. Analysts say the Somali government has little authority and its rulings are largely unenforceable. - Friday 20 November 2009 - 15:40

The Presidents of Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi are due to sign a common market treaty later today. The leaders are expected to agree to the free movement of people and goods across the region in the hope that it will lead to greater economic clout, states Business Daily Africa. The common market should come into effect in July 2010. - Friday 20 November 2009 - 15:40

The Ugandan Cabinet held a special meeting in Kampala yesterday to discuss progress on the Land Amendment Bill and the probe into the 2007 Commonwealth summit expenditure. According to All Africa, the National Guidance Minister Kabakumba Masiko said the Land Bill, which is currently before Parliament, is expected to enter its final stage next week. The Bill seeks to protect occupants on registered land from being evicted without a court order. - Friday 20 November 2009 - 15:38

The European Commission has signed a €677 million development pact with Nigeria, aimed at tackling corruption and promoting peace. A substantial amount of the funding will be spent on resolving conflicts in the oil-rich and crime-plagued Niger Delta, the EU’s development chief said. The money will also target electoral reform and the improvement human rights. Some Nigerian citizens doubt the money will get to its intended targets, notes Reuters. - Friday 20 November 2009 - 15:37

Sierra Leone has launched an initiative to enlist youths as crime-fighting volunteers in Freetown. Police chief Chris Charley said the capital, which is being destroyed by criminality, would be divided into 860 zones with 10 youth volunteers in each, writes BBC. The volunteers are expected to help the police tackle endemic problems like anti-social behavior and armed robbery. - Friday 20 November 2009 - 15:19

An Ethiopian court has convicted 27 people accused on conspiring to create public chaos in an attempt to bring down Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s government. A three-judge panel handed down guilty verdicts for 27 out of 46 defendants in the so-called Ginbot Seven case. Thirteen others who are not in custody, had previously been convicted in absentia. The remaining six were acquitted. Some of the defendants could face the death penalty, notes VOA. - Friday 20 November 2009 - 14:40

The Egyptian government has recalled its ambassador to Algeria following complaints about violence towards football fans, reports Al Jazeera. The move comes after Algeria’s ambassador in Cairo was summoned to the Egyptian foreign ministry. Sudan has also summoned the Egyptian envoy in Khartoum; angry at Egyptian media coverage of the game’s aftermath. According to the AFP, Egypt also suspended its membership of the Union of North African Football Federations on Thursday. - Friday 20 November 2009 - 14:24

The US has declared that it holds evidence that South African mercenaries are training supporters of Guinea’s military junta. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, William Fitzgerald told the BBC that mercenaries had been seen at a camp south of Conakry. South African officials have already promised to investigate the reports. - Thursday 19 November 2009 - 13:46

The captain of a chemical tanker captured by Somali pirates earlier this week off has died of a gunshot wound sustained when the ship was attacked, reports UPI. The MV Theresa VIII and its 28 North Korean crew members was seized 290km northwest of Seychelles despite efforts to fend them off. - Thursday 19 November 2009 - 13:37

Zimbabwean security forces have started withdrawing from the country’s eastern diamond fields to meet recommendations by the Kimberley Process and criticism over human rights abuses, states The Zimbabwe Guardian. Mines Minister Obert Mpofu said Zimbabwe had complied with more than 90% of the requirements set by the global watchdog Kimberly Process Certification (KPCS), which monitors trade in conflict diamonds. - Thursday 19 November 2009 - 13:27