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African press review 13 March 2014

Another look at the diplomatic issues surrounding the murders of exiled Rwandans in South Africa, investment in emerging economies, and yesterday's strike at Kenyan public universities ... all in today's papers.

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"South Africa treads softly over Rwanda murder claims," reads one of the main headlines in this morning's Johannesburg-based financial paper, BusinessDay.

All week, we've been talking about a diplomatic row between Pretoria and Kigali about alleged Rwandan involvement in attacks, at least one of them fatal, which have taken place on South African soil.

Yesterday, according to BusinessDay, South Africa accused three Rwandan diplomats of being linked to the murder and attempted murder of prominent exiles living in South Africa. But, says the financial daily, Jacob Zuma has chosen not to aggravate the confrontation with President Paul Kagame’s government.

After assailants raided the Johannesburg home of exiled Rwandan general Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa earlier this month, Pretoria ordered three Rwandan diplomats to leave the country. Rwanda retaliated immediately, expelling six South African diplomats from Kigali.

Rwanda’s former external intelligence chief, Patrick Karegeya, was found murdered in a Johannesburg hotel room on 1 January last.

Yesterday, South African Justice Minister Jeff Radebe said the three expelled envoys had diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention. Despite clear evidence connecting them to murder and attempted murder, their immunity meant they could not be charged.

According to the Rwandan pro-government New Times, Foreign Affairs minister Louise Mushikiwabo has said Rwanda was justified in showing six South African diplomats the door in retaliation for the three Rwandan expulsions from Pretoria.

She pointed out that the victim of this month's Johannesburg raid, Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, had been convicted in Rwanda of being behind a string of grenade attacks in Kigali.

The minister went on to say that good diplomatic relations would be better served by South Africa addressing the illegal activities of protected Rwandan fugitives on their soil. "Rwandan fugitives continue to engage in terrorist acts back home," according to Mushikiwabo. "Despite repeated promises from Pretoria, the problem is unresolved."

BusinessDay also reports that emerging markets have received the cold shoulder for a third year running from one of Europe’s top-rated equity analysts. The negative oiutlook is based on concerns over China’s economic prospects and lower commodity prices.

While many foreign investors are expressing interest in the higher rates on offer in frontier markets such as Africa, JPMorgan’s European equity strategists are warning investors to focus on developed markets and profit from the recovery under way in periphery countries in Europe.

One analyst says emerging markets such as South Africa, which have unstable politics, deficits, labour unrest and infrastructure challenges, encourage investors to look for safer bets in countries with stable currencies.

The real potential lies in financial and consumer stocks in Europe, thanks to growth prospects of nearly three per cent this year - and in the potential from countries on the periphery such as Italy, Ireland, Portugal and Greece, where interest rates are at a 30-year low.

In Algeria, Le Soir d'Algérie reports that the National Moudjahidine Organisation has decided not to support out-going president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in his attempt to win a fourth mandate. The National Moudjahidine Organisation, of which Bouteflika is the honorary president, has consistently supported him since 1999.

Following a meeting of the organisation's national secretariat earlier this week, the organisatin called for a show of responsibility by the electorate, in view of the challenges facing the nation. There was no specific mention of the ailing president, who suffered a stroke last year and has rarely been seen in public since.

Le Soir d'Algérie says the Moujahidine have thus opted for neutrality.

But the situation may not be as clear and simple as all that. According to the website All About Algeria, some factions of the National Moudjahidine Organisation are openly hostile to a fourth mandate for the outgoing president, and have called for unequivocal support for his leading opponent, Ali Benflis.

In Kenya, according to the front page of this morning's Standard newspaper, learning in public universities was paralysed yesterday after lecturers and non-teaching staff went on strike in defiance of a court order.

The strikers' representatives failed to turn up at the Industrial Court and insisted they had not been served with the orders suspending the strike. They say the dispute will continue until their pay dispute is resolved.

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