May 2006 in Africa

2006 January February March April May June July August September October November December

Ongoing events African Cup of Nations Horn of Africa food crisis Malawi food crisis Niger food crisis Zimbabwe home demolitions Ongoing armed conflicts Chad-Sudan conflict Civil war in Côte d'Ivoire Conflict in northern Uganda Darfur conflict in Sudan Ivorian Civil War Second Congo War

Events in Africa

This page deals with May 2006 events in or of interest to the continent of Africa.

May 18, 2006 (Thursday)

• US White House Press Secretary Tony Snow is unwilling to either confirm or deny U.S. financial and logistical support for the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism in Somalia. Previously, such accusations were denied. The current Prime Minister of Somalia, Ali Mohamed Gedi, criticized U.S. support for "criminals." (Philadelphia Inquirer)

May 16, 2006 (Tuesday)

• Darfur conflict: The United Nations Security Council votes unanimously to initiate the process which would lead to a UN peacekeeping force relieving the beleaguered African Union peacekeepers in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan. The Government of Sudan opposes the move. (BBC), (VoA)
• Chadian Information Minister Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor accuses the Government of Sudan of facilitating a new alliance between the Mahamat Nour's UFDC and the defected troops of Mahamat Nouri against the Déby administration. Neither group has confirmed or denied the merger. (CNN)
• A British-Ugandan team reports a substantial reduction in glacial cover atop the Rwenzori Mountains in Central Africa, attributable to increases in air temperature over the past four decades. This "Mountains of the Moon", according to 2nd century geographer Ptolemy, is one of the sources of the Nile, and is projected in the study to disappear in two decades. (BBC)

May 15, 2006 (Monday)

• The United States State Department announces it will re-establish diplomatic ties with Libya and remove it from its list of states that sponsor terrorism. (CNN)

12 May 2006 (Friday)

• A pipeline explosion on the outskirts of Nigeria's biggest city Lagos kills about 100 people. Vandals were tapping into the pipeline to steal oil when the blast erupted.(Aljazeera)
• Explosions in the Ethiopian Addis Ababa kills three people and injures at least 21 in the latest of a series of mysterious blasts to strike Addis Ababa this year. (Reuters)
• Heavy fighting flares anew on in the lawless Somali capital Mogadishu as Islamic militia and transitional government forces clash for a sixth day with little respite. (CNN)

11 May 2006 (Thursday)

• Thousands of riot police beat and arrest protesters and journalists as the Egyptian government clamps down on a demonstration organized to support pro-reform judges. (Guardian Unlimited)

10 May 2006 (Wednesday)

• The United Nations envoy for Somalia, urges leaders in the Somali capital to end hostilities that have bloodied the streets of Mogadishu.(IRINnews)

9 May 2006 (Tuesday)

• Former South African deputy president Jacob Zuma is acquitted of rape charges.(Reuters)
• Sudan: The force commander of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) urges a quick and significant deployment of United Nations troops in Darfur to help implement a peace deal struck in the Abuja, Nigerian last week.(Reuters)

5 May 2006 (Friday)

• The US government appoints Col. James L. Dew Jr. as its Senior Military Advisor to the Government of Liberia.(The Inquirer)

2 May 2006 (Tuesday)

• Egyptian health ministry official says the spread of the H5N1 avian virus has come under control. He said the threat posed has by no means passed, despite the fact that the last human case has now fully recovered. (allAfrica.com)

1 May 2006 (Monday)

• The African Union (AU) defers an April 30 deadline for rival parties in Sudan's Darfur conflict to agree peace after rebels expressed "reservations" about the draft deal and refused to sign. (IRINnews)
• Oprah Winfrey, announces plans to place Liberia on the front burner of donor and philanthropist attention by highlighting the plight of women and children.(allAfrica.com)

Events in Africa by month

2007 in Africa: January February March April May June July August September October November December
2006 in Africa: January February March April May June July August September October November December
2005 in Africa: October November December

News collections and sources

• Wikipedia:News collections and sources.
• Wikipedia:News sources - This has much of the same material organised in a hierarchical manner to help encourage NPOV in our news reporting.
• allAfrica.com
• Reuters, Africa
• ReliefWeb
• UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
• UN News Centre