Newspapers Raided, Staff Assaulted Following Threats By Official - The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports that a government vehicle was used to ransack the offices of two Senegalese independent newspapers on Sunday. The attacks came just three days after a top official threatened unspecified retaliation against the papers over critical stories. [AA Network - Senegal]

Libya Said to Fund Infrastructure - Officicials - Libya has decided to grant Investment fund to Somalia through Sahel-Saharan Investment and Trade Bank. This was made known by a source close to the organization in Cotonou capital of Benin where the 10th summit of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, CEN-SAD, is being held since Tuesday. [AA Network - Libya]

DDR Gets Under Way for 30,000 Ex-Combatants - A long-delayed process of reintegrating into civilian life some 30,000 combatants who took part in the Republic of Congo's 1998-2003 civil war began in Kinkala, the main town in the devastated Pool region, on 9 June. [AA Network - Congo Brazzaville]

Gorilla Monument Unveiled in City Centre - The first giant gorilla monument that reflects Rwanda's tourism resource has been erected at one of Kigali City's roundabouts in the city centre. [AA Network - Rwanda]

World Bank Contractor Sanctioned for Fraudulent Practices - The World Bank today announced that it has debarred Générale de l'Ingénierie des Travaux et de l'Equipement (GENITE), a firm based in Senegal, and Mr. Aliou Niang, a Senegalese national and sole owner of GENITE, for fraudulent practices by GENITE in relation to two Bank-financed projects in Senegal. [AA Network - Senegal]

Libya Said to Fund Infrastructure - Officicials - Libya has decided to grant Investment fund to Somalia through Sahel-Saharan Investment and Trade Bank. This was made known by a source close to the organization in Cotonou capital of Benin where the 10th summit of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, CEN-SAD, is being held since Tuesday. [AA Network - Libya]

Officers Misappropriate Public Funds - Misappropriation of public funds and tardiness in record keeping and theft are costing tax payers huge amounts of Pula each year says Auditor General's report. [AA Network - Botswana]

Minister's Son Dies After Chopper Lands On Him - A minister's son died in Canada after a helicopter fell on him and burst into flames. [AA Network - Kenya]

Casamance Heavily Dependent On Slowly Rising Tourism Income - Tourists are once again heading to Casamance as visitor areas are perceived to be safe from the troubles, but some industry experts worry that the numbers could plummet again with the recent upsurge in violence, seriously jeopardising the region's economy. [AA Network - Senegal]

Lack of Peace Accord Hampers Demining in Casamance - After years of delays linked to instability in strife-torn Casamance, the government finally launched a landmine clearance programme in the region in February 2008, but lack of adherence to the 2004 peace accord is hampering progress. [AA Network - Senegal]

Cassamance Displaced Fear Return - Stéphanie Malak was injured by a landmine in 1998 when her village, was attacked, allegedly by rebels from the Movement for Democratic Change (MFDC), and then mined. She fled with her family to Ziguinchor where she is trying to make ends meet. She told IRIN her story. [AA Network - Senegal]

Villagers Mutilated By Armed Men in Casamance - Armed men claiming to represent the rebel group Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) attacked twenty villagers from Tampe 15 km east of the regional capital Ziguinchor on 7 May and hacked each of their left ears with machetes, according to the victims and the Senegalese army. [AA Network - Senegal]

Darfur May Enter New Cycle of Violence, Says UN Official - The Darfur conflict could lapse soon into another major cycle of violence and large-scale human displacement unless the parties retreat from their recent state of confrontation, the top United Nations peacekeeping official told the Security Council today. [AA Network - Sudan]

More Crude Oil Discovered in Western Uganda - Tullow Oil plc, one of the two companies prospecting oil in western Uganda has announced the successful drilling of another oil well at Taitai 1 in Butiaba, Bulisa District. [AA Network - Uganda]