Former Ivorian rebels head south to secure run-off poll
According to the official sources, an estimated 500 soldiers of Côte d’Ivoire’s former rebel faction are being deployed in the southern and government-controlled region ahead of the run-off poll to beef up security alongside pro-government troops. In Abidjan,1,500 government troops left on Monday to the north and mainly rebel-controlled region where they will team up with their former enemy Forces Armée des Forces Nouvelles (FAFN) troops to ensure a violence-free elections in the muslim-dominated area. General Philippe Mangou, the Cote d’Ivoire defence minister said that the exchange of forces was designed to send a message to the civilians that there was no rift between the two armed forces. He added “This will also help to quell the rising tension in the country ahead of the runoff poll,” which is scheduled for November 28 between the incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo and Mr Alassane Dramane Ouattara.
Blaise Compaore re-elected president of Burkina Faso
The Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore who has been in power since 1987, has been re-elected. According to RFI and the Sidwaya newspaper which said that the findings were based on local poll counts the incumbent had garnered over 81 % of the total votes cast with his closest Mr. Hama Arba Diallo, a northern challenger garnering fewer than 8% of the vote. However, the main challengers Mr. Hama Arba Diallo, Mr. Benewende Stanislas Sankara and two others have vowed to reject the outcome citing serious irregularities in the poll. Monitors from the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said the election were "transparent".
The Presidential election in Nigeria set for April 2011
Nigeria has rescheduled its presidential election for 16 April 2011 a week after legislative polls, electoral officials have announced after lawmakers approved constitutional changes allowing for the delay .The elections were due in January 2011 but the country's election agency, under intense pressure to organise a credible vote in a country with a long history of fraud, asked for more time to prepare.