This week nine nominees for ambassadorial posts to Africa stood before the United States Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee. AllAfrica has the details on the nominees and their backgrounds. The posts to be filled include posts to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Ghana, Liberia, Togo, Malawi, Zambia, Cape Verde, and Botswana.
Freedom House has released its annual survey (and accompanying “critical tools”) on press freedom around the globe. For the sixth straight year press freedom has deteriorated worldwide with Africa among the worst regions. In Sub-Saharan Africa the Freedom House tallies indicate that 23 countries rate as “not free, ” with Eritrea as the worst (and Zimbabwe next). Eighteen qualify as partially free. And only seven rate as “free,” including Mauritius (which receives the highest score in Sub-Saharan Africa), Ghana, Mali, Cape Verde, Sao Tome & Principe, South Africa, and Namibia.