In Brief

Flooding in Mozambique MAPUTO – Parts of the central Mozambican city of Quelimane, capital of Zambezia province, are under water, after 339,2 millimetres of rain fell in 24 hours.This is more rain than the city would normally expect in the entire month of January.

Indeed, according to a statement from the government’s relief agency, the National Disasters Management Institute (INGC), the average rainfall in Quelimane for the final ten days of January over the past decade has been 98,2 millimetres. In some of the low lying neighbourhoods of Quelimane the waters are now a metre deep, and at least 400 families have been forced out of their homes.The Mozambican electricity company, EDM, was forced to halt the flow of power to Quelimane, for safety reasons, at 02.00 on Sunday morning.The torrential rains are also affecting several other districts in Zambezia, particularly Mocuba, Maganja da Costa, Mopeia, Gurue and Chinde.Flooding in the province is likely to worsen, since the foreast is for continued rain in the next 24 hours.* More ethnic violence expected NEW YORK – Rwanda faces a new round of ethnic violence if it fails to prosecute those who have killed witnesses and survivors of a 1994 genocide, Human Rights Watch said on Sunday.The New York-based group said dozens of genocide survivors and others involved in the traditional gacaca process, where those accused in the 1994 genocide are being tried, have been killed in recent years.The Human Rights Watch report said that in November the murder of a genocide survivor – whose uncle is a gacaca judge – sparked reprisal killings of four children and four adults.Sixteen genocide survivors were killed in 2005 and seven in 2006, Human Rights Watch said, citing Rwandan officials.Survivor groups estimate that number to be around 20 deaths annually for the past several years.* Spain ready to take Libyan children with HIV BRUSSELS – Spain has told Libya it is ready to treat some of the hundreds of children with HIV whose case has raised tensions between the West and Tripoli over six foreign medics condemned to death for infecting them.”We have expressed our willingness,” Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told reporters in Brussels on Monday before discussions on the issue with other EU ministers.He said the offer had been made to the Libyan government, but no numbers had been mentioned.Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor were found guilty in December of deliberately starting an HIV outbreak at a hospital in Benghazi in eastern Libya.More than 430 children were infected and at least 50 have died.Nampa-AIM-Reuters-APIn some of the low lying neighbourhoods of Quelimane the waters are now a metre deep, and at least 400 families have been forced out of their homes.The Mozambican electricity company, EDM, was forced to halt the flow of power to Quelimane, for safety reasons, at 02.00 on Sunday morning.The torrential rains are also affecting several other districts in Zambezia, particularly Mocuba, Maganja da Costa, Mopeia, Gurue and Chinde.Flooding in the province is likely to worsen, since the foreast is for continued rain in the next 24 hours.* More ethnic violence expected NEW YORK – Rwanda faces a new round of ethnic violence if it fails to prosecute those who have killed witnesses and survivors of a 1994 genocide, Human Rights Watch said on Sunday.The New York-based group said dozens of genocide survivors and others involved in the traditional gacaca process, where those accused in the 1994 genocide are being tried, have been killed in recent years.The Human Rights Watch report said that in November the murder of a genocide survivor – whose uncle is a gacaca judge – sparked reprisal killings of four children and four adults.Sixteen genocide survivors were killed in 2005 and seven in 2006, Human Rights Watch said, citing Rwandan officials.Survivor groups estimate that number to be around 20 deaths annually for the past several years.* Spain ready to take Libyan children with HIV BRUSSELS – Spain has told Libya it is ready to treat some of the hundreds of children with HIV whose case has raised tensions between the West and Tripoli over six foreign medics condemned to death for infecting them.”We have expressed our willingness,” Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told reporters in Brussels on Monday before discussions on the issue with other EU ministers.He said the offer had been made to the Libyan government, but no numbers had been mentioned.Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor were found guilty in December of deliberately starting an HIV outbreak at a hospital in Benghazi in eastern Libya.More than 430 children were infected and at least 50 have died.Nampa-AIM-Reuters-AP