WHY CAN'T WE BE MORE LIKE AFRICA?

-- "From Wednesday, protests are banned in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo, says its governor.   Anyone in breach of this will be arrested.  And missiles are flying above civilians' homes as fighters fire heavy artillery in Goma's city centre. ‘It is a very densely populated area... there are lots of victims in terms of civilians,' International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson Myriam Favier says. The mineral-rich east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been dogged by conflict for more than 30 years, since the 1994 Rwandan genocide." --

And it's everywhere...

-- "The reported disappearance of more than 80 government critics over the last six months has caused a huge public backlash in Kenya. The country has a history of state-sponsored abductions, and some Kenyans fear they are returning to that dark past." --

And...

-- "'We live in terror,' whispers Layla over the phone so nobody can hear. She fled Sudan with her husband and six children early last year in search of safety and is now in Libya." --