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African press review 20 May 2013

The Nigerian army's operation in the northeast against Boko Haram and Raila Odinga's future plans in Kenya are among the stories in today's African press..

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The Nigerian front pages this Monday morning are dominated by news of the on-going army offensive against Boko Haram militants in the northeast of the country.

"War against secessionists rages" reads the main headline in the Lagos-based, privately owned Guardian.

Various reports inside the paper explain that 14 terrorists have been killed in the latest clashes, and 20 captured. Three soldiers have been killed, with one missing.

The authorities in the United States have urged the Nigerian army to show restraint and not violate human rights as it pursues the militants.

Secretary of State John Kerry said at the weekend that there were credible allegations of gross human rights violations by the Nigerian military.

Last November, Amnesty International accused Nigeria’s security forces of carrying out widespread abuses in their campaign against Boko Haram, including extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture.

The Daily Trust, published in Abuja, says thousands of people have fled the border towns of Borno and Yobe states into neighbouring Niger to avoid being caught up in the military operation aimed at rooting out insurgents.

Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states have been under a state of emergency since last Monday.

The top story in this morning's Kenyan Standard has former Prime Minister Raila Odinga declaring he is not interested in a State job. This follows speculation that President Uhuru Kenyatta was considering him for a posting.

Raila was categorical that President Uhuru had neither offered him a job nor had he asked for one from the Jubilee Government.

“I have a job already. I am working for the people of Kenya and my hands are full,” he said yesterday at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Nairobi where he attended a service.

Raila had an unsuccessful run for the presidency under the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy in the March presidential vote.

He challenged President Uhuru’s victory but the Supreme Court upheld the result.

On Sunday, according to The Standard, Raila said he was dismayed by reports suggesting that the reason he was yet to announce his next move was because he is waiting for a job from the Government.

Regional newspaper, The East African, reports that fraudsters have stolen at least 15 million euros from Kenyan banks over the past year, in schemes hatched by technology-savvy bank employees.

And that's only the tip of the iceberg. Security experts say the amounts reported reflect only a small portion of the real losses suffered, because banks prefer internal disciplinary measures in cases involving thieving employees.

“Of all the risks, reputational risk is the worst. Most banks would rather keep cases of attempted fraud or actual fraud under wraps, to avoid the damage disclosure would do to their reputation,” said a security director at a top financial institution. “Most of these cases involve bank employees,” he added.

The latest fraud data show at least half of the crimes reported had a bank employee involved.

A top banker estimates the amounts lost could be more than triple those actually reported.

You have to go a long way down the website of South African financial paper, BusinessDay, to find any mention of the woes of the platinum industry. But that doesn't mean that all is well in the sector.

According to BusinessDay, the turf war over union membership in the platinum belt threatened to erupt into more violence this week,following the murders of three people in the area and a dispute over occupation of offices on the mines.

Platinum companies remain on edge, with tensions having been raised further by a statement issued by Anglo American Platinum last week saying it plans to sack 6,000 workers to remain profitable - a move that the National Union of Mineworkers described as a “declaration of war”.

While Amplats and Lonmin faced strident threats from the unions, their share prices also came under pressure. So far this year, the price of platinum has shed 12% of its value on global markets.

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