SA hostage still held in Mali

Paris - Following the release of Franco-Serbian Serge Lazarevic, held captive in north Africa since 24 November 2011, three European hostages remain in the sub-Saharan region.

A Swede, a Dutchman and a Briton who also holds a South African passport were kidnapped one day later in Timbuktu, northern Mali.

A fourth man from Germany was killed trying to resist his captors.

All of the kidnappings were claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which released two photos to back up their claim.

Namibia unveils human rights plan

Windhoek - Namibia’s ombudsman on Tuesday announced the country’s first human rights action plan for implementation over five years.

"In order to mark the upcoming 25th independence anniversary of Namibia next March we should show a stronger desire to entrench human rights principles more effectively," Ombudsman John Walters said at the launch in Windhoek.

"No country has a perfect human rights record, including Namibia; we acknowledge that we face a number of imperfections, gaps or challenges, but to address them we need a national plan to address the human rights concerns of all Namibians," Walters added.

Nigeria security agencies accused of killings

Abuja - Nigeria's human rights commission (NHRC) on Tuesday accused the country's security agencies of systematic extra-judicial killings, describing the lack of due process as the most frequently violated human right.

NHRC said that most of the complaints received by the commission - which also include loss of rights to education, shelter and health - involved extra-judicial killings by Nigeria's security agencies and police.

Nigeria, which according to UN data is one of the countries with the highest number of human rights violations, is tackling an insurgency in the country's north-east.

France: Cargo plane detained in Nigeria has no weapons

A Russian cargo plane that Nigerian authorities detained on Saturday had no weapons on it but was carrying two French army helicopters out of Central African Republic, the French ambassador said on Monday.

The Antonov 124 had been travelling from Bangui to the Chadian capital N'Djamena but made an emergency landing in Kano because of traffic congestion at N'Djamena airport, the statement from Jacques Champagne de Labriolle said, adding that Kano was the "closest airport facility".

The plane was allowed to take off from Kano on Monday evening, the Russian embassy in Nigeria said on its official Twitter account.

My loyalty to Mugabe unquestionable, says Mujuru

Harare - Zimbabwe's vice president, accused last week by President Robert Mugabe of treachery and corruption and purged from the ruling party, dismissed the charges against her on Tuesday as "ridiculous" and said she had faced threats to her life.

At a congress of their ruling Zanu-PF party on 4 December, the 90-year-old Mugabe denounced Joice Mujuru, until just a few months ago his presumed successor, as leader of a "treacherous cabal" bent on removing him from power.

The denunciation was the culmination of a three-month campaign against Mujuru, 59, by Zimbabwe's state media and Mugabe's 49-year-old wife Grace.