Guinea Votes in Tense, Delayed Parliamentary Elections

Guineans are voting in parliamentary elections that are two years overdue, amid ethnic and political violence. It's the first democratic parliamentary vote since Guinea's independence from France in 1958.

The vote was meant to have been held within six months of the inauguration of President Alpha Conde in 2010, but there have been numerous delays in how the poll should be organized, leading to deadly tensions that have killed more than 50 people over the past few months.

Elected lawmakers will replace a transitional council that has been in place since military rule came to an end in 2010, with more than 1,700 candidates competing for 114 seats in the national assembly. Five million people are expected to cast their vote.

No party is expected to win an outright majority, with coalition negotiations most likely needing to take place following the poll.

As Guinea is one of the poorest countries in the region, it is hoped that smooth elections will help resource-rich Guinea attract investors, who have dropped away from the mining sector due to the political unrest and collapse of metal prices.

Turbulent history

Guinea's decades of political instability followed its gaining independence from France in 1958. After this, the country was run by a succession of autocratic rulers. A military coup took place in December 2008, after the death of President Lansana Conte, who himself had taken power in a coup 24 years earlier.

In 2010, civilian rule was ushered in following a transition period and an election also noted by delays and violence.

"These elections will allow us to emerge from a chaotic five-year transition," Conde told reporters on Friday. Conde, from the Malinke ethnic group, understood to be Guinea's second-largest, leads the Rally of the Guinean People and claims to support socialism.

Conde's rival, Cellou Dalein Diallo, from the Fullani group that makes up about 40 percent of the population, heads the centrist liberal Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea. The opposition has accused Conde's camp and the electoral commission of planning to rig the vote.

Several hundred people had gathered at polling stations as they opened on Saturday morning, including Alkaly Cisse, who had queued at a school for more than an hour.

"I came today to vote and accomplish my duty because we need to create change that will get us out of this situation," Cisse, 60, said.

Calls for calm on anniversary of bloody protest

On Friday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a peaceful, transparent and credible election. A last-minute deal brokered by the UN allowed the vote to go ahead and calmed opposition fears.

If the vote is successful, it will also free up 140 million euros ($189 million) in aid from the European Union.

Saturday also marks the fourth anniversary of a massacre of about 150 pro-democracy demonstrators in the capital Conakry. The demonstrators were shot, stabbed, bludgeoned or trampled to death, after rallying against the military junta then in power.

African Leaders Say 'Unfinished Business' of Millennium Targets Must Be Completed

As the United Nations General Assembly continues its annual high-level segment, a host of African leaders stressed today that while the continent’s progress is beyond doubt, consolidating social and economic gains requires international, regional and local approaches that better protect African livelihoods and ensure that agreed development targets can be achieved.

In his address, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of Tanzania said that is vital to complete the “unfinished business” of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) so that Governments can make informed decisions about the shape of the post-2015 agenda. The theme of this year’s General Debate, “Setting the Stage” afforded an opportunity to closely examine the successes and gaps in MDG implementation.

One crucial element going forward will be to put in place effective financing mechanisms to ensure that developing countries will be supported in the effort to attain unmet Millennium targets and to make headway on the yet-to-be agreed successor Goals, which should be focused on sustainable development, he said.

President Kikwete went on to highlight Tanzania’s successes regarding Millennium targets for universal primary education, reducing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, and improving access to water and sanitation, among other gains. At the same time, Tanzania will continue to look to the United Nations to provide assistance and guidance in the final push towards the 2015 MDG deadline.

Giving the perspective of small island developing States (SIDS), Danny Faure, Vice-President of Seychelles said that the General Assembly evokes the spirit of humanity’s common cause better than any other institution. “Indeed, in this hall, we are reminded that there are no large nations or small nations; rich nations or poor nations; powerful nations nor weak nations- simply united nations,” he said.

Seychelles also emphasized that SIDS are perhaps more conscious than others, that very little can be achieved through isolation. “Our economy is built around its connectivity to the world economy. Our security is easily undermined by events beyond our control. And our environmental safety is also dependent on so many factors that occur beyond our borders,” he said, stressing that as the international community aimed to set sustainable development goals, it must keep in mind the “if we sustain our islands, then we will know we can sustain our planet.”

Manuel Domingos Vicente, Vice-President of Angola also reiterated the importance of the role of the UN as the driving force of global efforts to maintain peace, stability and economic and social development, stressing that it is therefore important to strengthen the capacity of the Organizations for conflict prevention and crisis management.

To that end, he underscored the importance of revitalizing the UN system, particularly the Security Council, “which should reflect a fair representation of all regions by increasing the number of its permanent members, thus adapting it to the realities of the contemporary world.

Also addressing the Assembly, Basile Ikouebe, Minister for Foreign Affairs and La Francophonie of Congo said most African countries are unlikely to achieve the MDGs by 2015. “Congo has made significant progress in the areas of education and maternal and child health, but also experienced some delays in the fight against poverty and the creation of decent jobs.”

As for the post-2015 period, Mr. Ikouebe reiterated the continued commitment of the Congo to the promotion of sustainable development, both at national, regional and international levels.

Yahya Jammeh, President of the Gambia said his Government is on track to achieve the MDG target for education as it has boosted net enrolment in primary education. Further, literacy rates were rising the Government is working diligently to close the gender gap in school enrolment.

Urging a post-2015 focus on the broader sustainability agenda agreed at the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, known informally as Rio+20, President Jammeh also declared before the Assembly that the three biggest threats to human existence are: “excessive greed; obsession with world domination by any means including the resolve to use nuclear, biological and chemical weapons; and homosexuality in all its forms and manifestations, which though very evil, anti-human as well as anti-Allah; is being promoted as a human right by some powers.”

Kenya: Israel Warned of Attacks

THE Israeli Embassy in Nairobi had warned of terror attacks this September targeting its citizens, according to briefs prepared by the National Intelligence Service.

The Westgate shopping mall is partly owned by Israeli citizens including Alex Trajtenberg. The popular Artcaffe on the ground floor where many people died is also Israeli owned.

The NIS forwarded the Israeli warning of potential attacks during the Jewish holidays between September 4 and 28 to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and details on September 13.

According to Haaretz newspaper, there were three Israeli citizens inside Westgate last Saturday but they all escaped safely.

It has long been known that Westgate was a potential target for terror attacks.

The NIS briefs circulated to security agencies and the National Security Council indicate that terrorists were targeting Westgate and the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi as early as September last year.

"The following suspected Al Shabaab operatives are in Nairobi and are planning to amount suicide attacks on undiclosed date, targeting Westgate Mall and Holy Family Basilica; Sheikh Abdiwelli Mohamed, Sheikh Husein andd Sheikh Hassan," an NIS brief dated September 21, 2012 stated.

The brief added that the three were believed to be in possession of two suicide vests, 12 hand grenades and two AK 47 rifles and had already surveyed the two targets.

"They are being assisted by Shekh Hassa alias Blackie of Majengo and Omar Ahmed Ali alias Jerry who are currently staying near Mamba Petrol Station and Huruma Mosque along Juja Road," the NIS brief added.

"The envisaged modus operandi include, but is not exclusive to, a Mumbai-attack style, where the operatives storm into a building with gun and grenades and probably hold hostages," said an NIS brief in February 2013.

On September 13, the National Security Council was informed that there were 15 Al-Shabaab Amniyat (Intelligence) operatives were preparing to enter Kenya as refugees.

The NIS brief indicated that an al-Shabaab leader, Mohamed Ade, based in Kenya sent fraudulent refugee documents to the Amniyat.

"The operatives have undergone a Swahili language course and are under the command of Moalin Ali and are to enter Kenya by mid-September," the brief said.

The day before the Westgate attack, the NIS reported that al Shabaab in Mombasa had been mobilised to hunt down NIS official, Nurdin Haji, identified by a local TV station as being behind the killing of Sheikh Aboud Rogo and Sheikh Samri Khan.

"During the month of September following a noticeable rise in the level of threat, specific briefs were made to the following National Security Council member; Cabinet Secretary, National Treasury; Cabinet Secretary, Interior; Cabinet Secretary, Foreign Affairs; Cabinet Secretary, Defence and Chief of Defence forces," the 32 page document says.

The brief said there was an increasing threat of terrorism and plans to launch simultaneous attacks in Nairobi and Mombasa on September 13 and September 20.

On August 26, the NIS prepared a brief indicating that unidentified al Shabaab operatives were planning to attack the Time Tower and Nyayo House on an unspecified date.

"They intend to use fire engines loaded with explosives to carry out the attacks," the brief said.

The brief added that NIS officers had entered the two clubs with concealed pistols and that Times Tower and Nyayo house "could easily be accessed using fake identification documents obtained from River Road".

On June 25, the NIS reported that Al-Shabaab had extended its recruitment across the country including areas such as Maua, Migori, Mumias, Eldoret and Kitale.

In April, the NIS reported increased activity by al Shabaab in Nairobi especially in Majengo Cell whose members were discreetly recruiting and indoctrinating the youth.

Western Sahara: Morocco Rights Violations Persist in W. Sahara - Rights Groups

Moroccan security forces persist in violating the human rights of Sahrawi people in Western Sahara, several months after the U.N. Security Council decided not to send human rights observers to the disputed territory, rights groups have said.

Western Sahara, a tract of desert the size of Britain that has lucrative phosphate reserves and may have offshore oil, is the focus of Africa's longest-running territorial dispute, between Morocco, which annexed it in 1975, and the Sahrawis' Polisario Front independence movement.

The conflict has resulted in some 165,000 Sahrawis crossing the border since 1976 to seek refuge in camps in Tindouf, southwestern Algeria, according to the Polisario. The UNHCR says it is officially providing aid to 90,000 "vulnerable" refugees.

Though life in the territory has improved since a U.N-brokered ceasefire in 1991, the Moroccan authorities are still systematically repressing the right of assembly and freedom of speech of the Sahrawis, the head of the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights, Santiago Canton, told Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"The Sahrawi people have been living under an oppressive regime for almost 40 years. They are put in jail for peaceful demonstrations and in some cases simply for raising a Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic flag," Canton said by telephone from New York.

There are currently 59 Sahrawi political prisoners in jail, 17 of them human rights activists, and they are subject to torture, beatings and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, the RFK Center said in a recent statement.

Amnesty International accused Morocco earlier this year of torturing six men arrested after calling for the territory's independence at a demonstration, a charge that Morocco dismissed as "pure lies."

Earlier this year, the U.N. secretary general, the U.N. rapporteur on torture and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed concerns about human rights violations in Western Sahara.

But the U.N. Security Council dropped demands for human rights observers in Western Sahara under pressure from Rabat, paving the way for a compromise that would allow the U.N. Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to be extended for another year.

"Since 1979, every single UN Peacekeeping Mission in the world has had a human rights mandate automatically, there is no question, except for MINURSO in Western Sahara," said Canton.

"It's ridiculous. We're not asking for sanctions, just a human rights monitoring mission. The inability to resolve this issue after so many years is a clear failure of the international community," he said.

"HUMAN RIGHTS"

"We are not talking about independence, but human rights, even though one is a consequence of the other," Canton said.

"The Moroccan government does not make that distinction for political reasons. They use independence as an instrument, to warn states not to get involved as this is an issue of sovereignty and that Western Sahara is their territory," he said.

Expanding the MINURSO mandate to include human rights observers would not be in the spirit of consensus and would undermine national sovereignty, which is a red line for all Moroccans, Deputy Secretary-General of the ruling Justice and Development Party Slimane Amrani told Maghreb Arabe Press (MAP), the state-run news agency.

France, Morocco's traditional protector on the U.N. Security Council, has previously vetoed resolutions on the issue, supporting Rabat unconditionally.

"Morocco has been very good at lobbying the U.N. Security Council in blocking MINURSO from having a human rights mandate. France, a permanent member of the Security Council, is particularly receptive due to historical and economic ties," said Canton.

"The situation requires not only a permanent presence by the United Nations, but a clear human rights mandate to ensure that such abuses do not continue and to send a clear message that the global community will not tolerate these violations," he said.

New discoveries involving cases where Sahrawis disappeared during the war further highlight the need for human rights monitoring to be included in the MINURSO mandate for Western Sahara, Amnesty International said in a recent statement on its website.

Human remains found by a shepherd in April 2013 in the Fadret Leguiaa area of Western Sahara were analysed by a team of Spanish forensic experts, who decided that eight people, including two children, were arrested in February 1976 by a Moroccan military patrol and executed by firearms on the spot, before being buried in two shallow graves, Amnesty said.

"The findings, 'The Oasis of Memory,' stand in stark contrast to those published by the Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH), the national human rights institution at the time, which was responsible for looking into cases of forced disappearance," Sirine Rached, North Africa researcher for Amnesty International, told Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"CCDH concluded that four of the eight were arrested between February and July and taken to military barracks in Smara, where they later died. The four others were not included in the CCDH lists of victims of enforced disappearances," Rached said by telephone from London.

"The differing conclusions raise questions on the accuracy of the CCDH report. It is likely that other remains are awaiting discovery in this and other areas of Western Sahara," said Rached.

"The mandate of MINURSO [should] be expanded to include a human rights component, not only to promote truth and justice for unresolved cases of past violations by the Moroccan authorities, as well as by the Polisario Front, but also to address fresh violations, which remain an ongoing source of concern in the region," Amnesty said.

Tanzania: New Report - Tanzania Forces Girls to Undergo Invasive Pregnancy Tests, Expels Pregnant Students

Albany, New York — Adolescent girls in Tanzania are routinely—and often without warning—subjected to invasive, mandatory pregnancy testing, which has led to more than 55,000 pregnant students expelled or forced to drop out of school in the last decade, according to a new report from the Center for Reproductive Rights.

The findings released today in Forced Out: Mandatory Pregnancy Testing and the Expulsion of Pregnant Students in Tanzanian Schools report on not only the vast numbers of young women affected by this degrading policy, but also the serious human rights implications of forced pregnancy testing and the expulsion of pregnant girls from school.

“Forcing adolescent girls to undergo pregnancy tests in Tanzanian schools is degrading and utterly discriminatory, and violates both national and international human rights law—regardless of whether these young women are pregnant or not,” said Lilian Sepúlveda, director of the Global Legal Program at the Center for Reproductive Rights.

"Denying pregnant girls their right to an education is a gross violation of fundamental human rights.”

In the report, the Center uncovered that these practices are being used by school officials to shame and scare adolescents in an effort to prevent premarital sex and pregnancy. However, schools fail to provide reproductive health education or services that could arm students with the information they need to prevent pregnancy. Not surprisingly, contraceptive use among adolescent girls in Tanzania remains minimal: only 10.7 percent of sexually active women aged 15-19 report using any birth control method.

“Adolescents have the same fundamental human rights as adults, and just like adults, should be able to access the tools they need to make informed choices about their reproductive health,” said Dr. Clement Julius Mashamba, advocate and the third Vice President of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

“By denying adolescents access to contraceptives and reproductive health education, schools are forcing pregnant girls into early childrearing at the expense of their education and other life goals.”

Forced Out revealed that in addition to lack of reproductive health education and services, the Tanzanian government has failed to address the high rates of sexual assault and early marriage in the country—two serious contributing factors to the instance of adolescent pregnancy.

According to a 2009 national survey commissioned by the United Nations Children's Fund, nearly three in 10 women between the ages of 13 and 24 in mainland Tanzania reported experiencing at least one instance of sexual violence before turning 18 years old. Adolescents from rural area and marginalized communities are more vulnerable to forced sexual encounters, placing them at an even greater risk of an unplanned pregnancy.

Although the Tanzanian government recognizes early marriage often leads to adolescent pregnancy, the country's own laws allow girls as young as 15 to be married—with 40 percent of adolescent girls in Tanzania married by the time they are 18, many of whom report being forced into sexual activity.

Among the report's various recommendations, the Center calls on the Tanzania government to immediately end the illegal practice of forced pregnancy testing in schools and ensure that adolescent girls can continue with their education during and after pregnancy.

“If the Tanzanian government really wants to curb the high adolescent pregnancy rate, the Ministry of Education must create and enforce policies to protect female students from sexual violence and coercion in schools,” said Evelyne Opondo, regional director for Africa at the Center.

“Furthermore, schools must be required to provide quality sexual and reproductive health education and Tanzanian law must be amended to align with international human rights law by raising the marriage age for women to 18 years old.”

The report details more than a dozen personal accounts of young women subjected to mandatory pregnancy testing in either primary or secondary school, many of whom describe the experience as shameful, terrifying and painful—and for those expelled they felt ostracized from their family and friends, and worse, that their chances at an education and future were ripped away.

“What hurt most for me was the way my family turned their back on me,” said Sikudhani (a pseudonym), one of the young women interviewed. “Even after I had a stillborn and wanted to go back to school, my mom said the family had given up on me and would not support my dreams for an education.”

In addition to interviewing former and current students from throughout the country, including Iringa, Kilimanjaro, Pwani, Dar es Salaam and Morogoro regions, the Center and Yale Law School's Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic interviewed more than 26 key stakeholders and experts in education, children's rights, and health, to better understand the legal and policy context in which these practices occur. The Center also reviewed government laws, regulations, policies, guidelines and studies pertaining to education, school health and adolescent health.

Sudan: Deadliest Day in Sudan's Fuel Subsidies Protests, Nationwide Internet Access Cut Off

Food is distributed by aid agencies.

Khartoum — The Sudanese government announced on Wednesday that orders were issued to the army to deploy to public government buildings and gas stations to protect from protesters who continued demonstrating against the decision to cut fuel subsidies.

Ahmed Bilal, the country’s information minister and government spokesperson, told the pro-government Ashorooq TV that the army was asked to move in against "outlaws".

"What we see confirms that they are not peaceful protesters but outlaws," Bilal said.

He also acknowledged reports of an internet shutdown saying that the government has exercised "plenty of self-restraint" but promised that the cyber-blackout will soon end.

The spokesperson accused unspecified elements of inciting the demonstrations which started on Monday in Sudan’s central state of Gezira and spread later to other parts of the country including Khartoum, Omdurman, Darfur and Eastern Sudan.

In Gezira state capital of Wad Madani, Bilal said, the protesters attacked more than 37 policemen before adding that only 5 people were killed on both sides.

Bilal also claimed that some of the protesters were carrying knives and firearms. He also denied reports that some of the forces joined hands with protesters.

The Sudanese 1st vice-president Ali Osman Taha who was addressing an event in Khartoum today, said that his government does not fear those demonstrations and insisted that the economic measures decided this week will remain in place.

But in an apparent bid to prevent escalation, the Khartoum state government announced that schools will be closed till next Monday. Many of the protests were comprised of students, eyewitnesses said.

This follows announcement of several universities this week that they will close in light of the unrest.

CONFLICTING DEATH FIGURES

Today’s demonstrations spread to down-town Khartoum and saw protesters setting fire in police stations and even buildings belonging to the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in south of the capital as well as gas stations.

Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters who threw rocks at them, burned tires and even blocked a main road in the capital.

The protestors chanted slogans which included "The people want the fall of the regime!", "Freedom, Freedom!".

It has been hard to ascertain the number of deaths in today’s demonstrations given the internet shut-down and suspension of transportation services. Businesses and shops were also closed as merchants feared looting.

The director of Omdurman hospital Osama Mortada told the BBC’s Arabic Service that 21 people sent to his hospital had died, and that about 80 were injured.

"All have gunshot wounds, some in the chest," he said.

Opposition figures put the death toll between 50-80 but there was no independent verification.

Despite government assertions that police did not use force, several eyewitnesses told Sudan Tribune they have seen dead friends or family members with bullet shots on their bodies.

Another eye witness in north Khartoum told Sudan Tribune that he saw security agents in plain-clothes fire live ammunition at protesters and beating some of them violently.

A Reuters reporter saw police fire tear-gas grenades into a crowd while hundreds of officers and plain-clothes security agents armed with guns or batons rushed to the city center. Others were sitting on the roof of government buildings. Security agents drove away some 20 protesters in pick-up trucks.

US CALLS FOR END TO VIOLENCE

The United States Embassy in Khartoum issued a statement today saying that is aware of the protests in Sudan with violence and damage to properties that ensued.

"We call on the authorities to respect the civil liberties of those protesting and, in particular, their right to assemble peacefully and express their views. We urge all parties to refrain from the use of violence," the embassy said.

"During this challenging time for Sudan, it is vital that all sides exercise caution and restraint" the statement read.

The Sudanese embassy in Washington said in a press release that the lifting of fuel subsidies was due to the US economic sanctions.

"Due to continuing economic sanctions against the peoples of Sudan, the Government of Sudan lifted subsidies for gasoline. Some citizens violently protested this necessary economic measure by burning government buildings, gasoline stations, shopping malls and private property. Some also attacked the police, who defended themselves while protecting public and private property," the embassy said.

It also denied imposing an internet blackout.

"The Government of Sudan did not block internet access. Among other targets, violent protesters burned facilities of Canar Telecommunications Company, which hosts the core base of internet services for Sudan. These fires resulted in continuing internet black outs across Sudan," it added.

"The Government of Sudan and Canar Telecom have now partially restored internet service and will work until internet access is fully restored".

Renesys Corp., a company that maps the pathways of the Internet, said according to Associated Press that it could not confirm whether the blackout was government-orchestrated. But the outage recalls a similarly dramatic outage in Egypt, Sudan’s neighbour, when authorities shut off Internet access during that country’s 2011 uprising.

"It’s either a government-directed thing or some very catastrophic technological failure that just happens to coincide with violent riots happening in the city," said senior analyst Doug Madory. He said it was almost a "total blackout."

ECONOMY ON THE BRINK

On Monday, the Sudanese cabinet formally endorsed a decision that has been circulated the night before by which prices of gasoline and diesel were increased by almost 100%.

A gallon of gasoline now costs 21 Sudanese pounds ($4.77 based on official exchange rate) compared to 12.5 pounds ($2.84).

Diesel also went from 8 pounds ($1.81) a gallon to 14 pounds ($3.18).

Cooking gas cylinders are now are priced at 25 pounds ($5.68) from 15 pounds ($3.40).

The cabinet also raised the US dollar exchange rate for importing purposes to 5.7 pounds compared to 4.4. The black market rate now stands at 8.2.

Senior Sudanese officials including president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir have defended the measure saying the only alternative would be an economic collapse as the state budget can no longer continue offering the generous subsidies on petroleum products to its people.

Sudan’s oil boom that fuelled an unprecedented economic growth and a relative prosperity over the last decade came to an end with the independence of South Sudan which housed around three quarters of the crude reserves prior to the country’s partition.

Last year the Sudanese government rolled out an austerity package that saw a scaling back of fuel and sugar subsidies as well as cutting the number of ministries. It also effectively devalued the beleaguered currency with the goal of reducing exchange rate parity with the black market.

But the economic picture remained bleak with inflation rates at double digit figures which pushed ordinary Sudanese to dig deeper into their pockets to pay for food and other basic commodities.

The Sudanese pound also continued its free fall against the US dollar reaching 8.2 in the black market this week compared to an official rate of 4.4.

The decline of the local currency and shortage of Forex meant that Sudan will pay more to import food which is vital to plug the deficiency in local food production. It also hurt businessmen and foreign companies that desperately seek to repatriate profits abroad.

This year’s round of subsidy cuts nearly doubled gasoline and diesel prices which is sure to be felt across the board and will likely create a domino effect on prices of other goods and services such as transportation tariffs which were already increased by 25% in Khartoum.

Egypt court bans Muslim Brotherhood 'activities'

The army portrays its crackdown on the Brotherhood as a fight against terrorism

A court in Egypt has banned "all activities" by the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Cairo Court for Urgent Matters said the ruling applied to the Islamist movement, its non-governmental organisation and any affiliated groups.

It also ordered the interim government to seize the Brotherhood's funds and form a panel to administer its frozen assets until any appeal had been heard.

The military authorities have launched a crackdown on the group since ousting President Mohammed Morsi on 3 July.

Dozens of senior figures, including its general guide Mohammed Badie, have been detained on suspicion of inciting violence and murder.

Hundreds of people demanding Mr Morsi's reinstatement, most of them Brotherhood members, have also been killed in clashes with security forces, who portray the crackdown as a struggle against "terrorism".

'Totalitarian decision'

The 85-year-old Islamist movement was banned by Egypt's military rulers in 1954, but registered an NGO called the Muslim Brotherhood Association in March in response to a court case bought by opponents who contested its legal status.

The Brotherhood also has a legally registered political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), which was set up in 2011 as a "non-theocratic" group after the uprising that forced President Hosni Mubarak from power.

Following Mr Morsi's overthrow and the suspension of the Islamist-friendly 2012 constitution, the Cairo administrative court and the social solidarity ministry were tasked with reviewing the Brotherhood's legal status.

Monday's ruling by the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters bans the Brotherhood itself, the NGO, as well as "any institution derived from or belonging to the Brotherhood" or "receiving financial support from it". It is not clear if it applies to the charities and social services linked to the Brotherhood, including schools and hospitals.

A leading Brotherhood member, Ibrahim Mounir, described the ruling as a "totalitarian decision" but insisted the group would not disappear.

"It will remain with God's help, not by the orders by the judiciary of al-Sisi,'' he told al-Jazeera Mubashir Misr TV, referring to the head of the armed forces Gen Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.

The court did not reveal the grounds for the ruling, but it was prompted by a lawsuit filed by the leftist National Progressive Unionist Party, also known as Tagammu, which accused the Brotherhood of being "terrorist" and "exploiting religion in political slogans".

Earlier this month, a judicial panel issued a non-binding recommendation to an administrative court supporting one legal challenge, which argued that the NGO registration was illegal because the Brotherhood-led government had effectively issued a licence to itself.

Social Solidarity Minister Ahmed al-Borai is also reported to have decided separately to dissolve the Brotherhood's NGO. He told Dream TV on Saturday that he would soon publish a statement outlining his reasons.

Nairobi attack: Kenya's President Kenyatta says siege over

President Uhuru Kenyatta: "We have shamed and defeated our attackers"

The four-day siege involving suspected Islamist militants at Nairobi's Westgate shopping centre is over, Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta says.

Five attackers were shot dead by troops and 11 suspects were in custody, he said in a TV address to the nation.

Kenya has "shamed and defeated our attackers" but the "losses are immense", he said, confirming that 61 civilians and six soldiers had died.

Three days of national mourning have been declared, starting on Wednesday.

President Kenyatta said that several bodies - including those of "terrorists" - were thought to be trapped under rubble after three floors of the building collapsed following a blaze on Monday.

Some 175 people were injured in the attack; 62 people remain in hospital and many others are being treated for shock and are undergoing counselling.

"I promise that we shall have a full accountability for the mindless destruction, deaths, pain, loss and suffering we have all undergone as a national family.

"These cowards will meet justice, as will their accomplices and patrons, wherever they are," he said.

At least 18 foreigners are among the dead, including six Britons, as well as citizens from France, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, Peru, India, Ghana, South Africa and China.

Continued threat

The militants stormed the Westgate centre on Saturday, throwing grenades and firing on shoppers and staff.

Somali Islamist group al-Shabab said it had carried out the attack in retaliation for Kenyan army operations in Somalia.

The president said he could not confirm reports that a British national and two or three US citizens were involved in the attacks, but he said forensic experts were carrying out tests to ascertain their nationalities.

In an interview with the US TV programme PBS Newshour, Kenya's Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said the Americans were 18 or 19 years old, of Somali or Arab origin.

Her remarks have fuelled media speculation about the possible involvement of Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of one of the men who carried out attacks on London's transport system on 7 July 2005.

But a Twitter post from al-Shabab on Tuesday evening dismissed claims that women were involved in the attack. The group said it "categorically" denied involvement of any woman".

The group said: "We have an adequate number of young men who are fully committed and we do not employ our sisters in such military operations."

President Barack Obama called the events in Nairobi a "terrible outrage" and said the US was providing all the co-operation it could to Kenya.

Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said those behind the attacks "must be held accountable."

Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has repeatedly threatened attacks on Kenyan soil if Nairobi did not pull its troops out of Somalia.

There are about 4,000 Kenyan troops in the south of Somalia as part of an African Union force supporting Somali government forces.

Al-Shabab is fighting to create an Islamic state in Somalia.

Despite being pushed out of key cities in the past two years, it remains in control of smaller towns and large swathes of the countryside.

UN special representative for Somalia Nicholas Kay called on Tuesday for a fresh surge in African troops to Somalia to counter an estimated 5,000 al-Shabab fighters.

Jan Sithole: Swaziland activist elected MP

Jan Sithole has been campaigning for change in Swaziland for many years

Leading pro-democracy activist Jan Sithole has told the BBC he will be able to bring change to Swaziland, after being elected to parliament.

He becomes one of 55 independent MPs after last week's polls in which political parties could not take part.

Mr Sithole, 60, leads the Swaziland Democratic Party (Swadepa).

King Mswati III, 45, is Africa's last absolute monarch, with the powers to rule by decree and dissolve the parliament whenever he wants.

But Mr Sithole denied that he would be powerless to bring about change.

"Action takes place in parliament," he told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme, stressing he was still a critic of the current system.

The Swadepa leader, who was elected as an independent candidate, said one of the first things he would do would be to bring a bill of rights to parliament.

The constitution guarantees the freedom of expression, association and the press but laws enacting these freedoms have not been passed, he said.

For example, the long-standing ban on political parties has not yet been overturned, although they are now allowed to register.

According to official results, 46 of the 55 lawmakers were new to parliament, the AFP news agency reports.

While King Mswati's family has ruled Swaziland since the 1800s there has been growing criticism of his large family's lavish lifestyle at a time when many in the country live below the poverty line.

He recently announced that he would be taking his 15th wife, an 18-year-old beauty queen whom he spotted at the annual reed dance.

King Mswati has been criticised for his lavish lifestyle

Kenya: We Have Control of All Westgate Floors - Ole Lenku

Cabinet Secretary for Interior Joseph Ole Lenku has said that in the ongoing security operation at the Westgate shopping mall, the Kenyan forces have control of all the floors of the building.

In a joint press briefing with Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo and Chief of Staff General Julius Karangi, Ole Lenku said that the number of hostages in the building has reduced.

“The number of hostages in the building is minimal if at all there are any left in the building,” Ole Lenku said. He added that the lists compiled from crisis centres of those missing has only very few persons unaccounted for.

The cabinet secretary also said that the number of those still receiving treatment resulting from the initial attack has reduced to below 50 down from the initial government figure of 175.

Ole Lenku also placed the number of fatalities at 62 a difference of seven from the number given by Kenya Red Cross services which has been conducting emergency services since Saturday.

Karangi also briefing the press added that the identities of the attackers are known and that the group of attackers is composed of multi-nationals.

Karangi said that a dark cloud of billowing smoke that could be seen from the general area of the shopping complex was a fire the terrorists had lit in the supermarket section of the building to try and divert the attention of the Kenyan forces as they attempted to escape.

“The ploy to burn mattresses was a tactic by the terrorists in a bid to try to escape,” Karangi said adding that the terrorists should surrender because, the Kenyan forces would not relent in the operation.

Karangi concluded that security has been heightened in all points of entry into the country. He said that the attackers at the mall were all men contrary to earlier reports that a lady wanted by the American and British governments dubbed the “White Widow”, was leading the operation. The siege of the shopping mall is now in its third day.

Kenya: More Hostages Freed At Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya

PHOTO ESSAY: Push to Free Kenya Mall Hostages

Security forces have freed some hostages in the Nairobi shopping mall siege, Kenya's police chief said shortly after a series of loud blasts. The siege at the Westgate mall in Nairobi is in its third day.

Police announced that they would continue to move in on the attackers at the Nairobi mall. They have given no estimate for how many hostages remain inside.

"Thumbs up to our multiagency team, we have just managed to rescue some hostages," police chief David Kimaiyo wrote in a message on Twitter on Monday, the third day of the standoff. "We're increasingly gaining advantage of the attackers."

In apparent retaliation for Kenyan military actions against Islamists in Somalia, Al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab militants attacked the mall on Saturday, throwing grenades, firing machine guns at shoppers, and ultimately killing 69 people. Upon entering the shopping center, the militants reportedly specifically targeted non-Muslims. They have since been holed up in the building with hostages and are surrounded by Kenyan security forces.

As police announced successes on Monday, news agencies reported multiple large blasts and a barrage of gunfire. Black and grey smoke rose up from the mall.

Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph Lenku said at a press conference that two of the gunmen had been killed.

'A speedy conclusion'

Security forces tweeted Sunday that they would launch an operation to end the assault. However, the security forces did not announce how many assailants remained in the building.

"Most of the hostages have been rescued and security forces have taken control of most parts of the building," the Kenya Defence Forces wrote. "All efforts are under way to bring this matter to a speedy conclusion."

Early Monday, the Kenya Red Cross announced that 63 people remained missing, believed to include hostages as well as people killed during the three-day siege. Lenku said that "a few" hostages remain in the mall, but would not give exact figures.

Al-Shabab has threatened to kill the hostages if the military or police use force. However, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta promised in a nationwide address Sunday that the attackers would "not get away with their despicable acts."

"We will punish the masterminds swiftly, and indeed very painfully," he said, revealing that his nephew and nephew's fiancee were among those killed.

Toll could rise

The Westgate mall, which is located in a wealthy area of Nairobi where many UN workers and diplomats live, is frequented by many foreign nationals in the city.

Both Kenyans and foreigners were confirmed dead in the attack, with British, French, Indian, Canadian, Dutch, Ghanaian and Chinese citizens reported among those killed. More than 175 people were injured in the siege, and officials said the death toll could rise after security forces have had the opportunity to conduct a complete search of the complex.

It is the deadliest attack in Kenya since 200 people were killed in the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi by al Qaeda's East Africa cell.

On Monday, the International Criminal Court suspended the atrocities trial of Kenya's vice president, William Ruto, for one week while the country deals with the hostage situation.