Bossaso is a case in point. According to The Economist, "Bossaso is an exit point from the Horn of Africa . . . This port in Northern Somalia already has 300,000 people . . . It is a raw place, entrepreneurial, resilient, armed to the teeth. It is also diseased, inadequate and famished." Islamists are also on the increase there. Already the powerful Islamic Militia dominates much of the southern part of Somalia.

Despite enormous international pressure on Khartoum, the countdown to carnage and the possibility of a mini-holocaust remains in Darfur. The UN peace plan has been trampled and the Sudanese government rejects UN peacekeepers. Aid groups and charities are also threatened from carrying out their work for those who desperately need help.

Clearly parts of Africa continue in appalling conflict and turmoil, with no end in sight. (Sources: The Guardian [London], Scotland on Sunday, The Economist.)