New York Times (A1 in New York version): Radical Islamists Slip Easily into Kenya
Today’s New York Times features a story on the United States’ anxiety about radical Islam in Kenya. It reports that a thin, dusty line is the only thing separating Kenya, one of the Western world’s closest allies in Africa, from the Shabab, a radical Islamist militia that has taken over much of southern Somalia. In most places, this line, the official international border, is not even marked, let alone protected. Kenya is widely seen as a frontline state against the Islamist extremism smoldering across the Horn of Africa, but a growing fear is that the Shabab or its foreign jihadist allies will infiltrate Kenya and attack some of the tens of thousands of Westerners living in the country, possibly in a major strike like Al Qaeda did in 1998.

Wall Street Journal: UK Seeks Caps for Suits Against Poor Countries
The U.K. government is considering legislation to cap the amount poor countries can be sued for by funds that have bought the countries’ debt on the cheap. The proposals would seek to stop creditors going to U.K. courts to demand higher payouts from the 40 nations on the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries list. A similar bill has been introduced in the U.S. Congress. Most of the countries on the HIPC list have benefited from debt reduction initiatives that have seen wealthy nations and multilateral institutions, like the International Monetary Fund, forgive much of their debt.

Reuters: Protests Erupt in South African Townships
Violent protests in South African townships, the worst since President Jacob Zuma took office, spread on Wednesday, piling pressure the government to deliver on promises of help for the poor three months after elections. The country’s poor claim that they have not yet seen economic benefits since white minority rule ended. But the government is limited by South Africa’s first recession in 17 years, and is wary of any policies that might discourage local or foreign investment. The unrest also undermines South Africa’s hope of showing a positive image with less than a year to go before the World Cup finals.

Financial Times: Vested Interests Block Reform
The Financial Times reports that 10 years after the Nigeria’s transition from military to civilian rule, progress towards reversing decades of declining living standards and restoring the social contract between the government and the people is still agonizingly slow. On paper, President Umaru Yar’Adua’s reforms in energy, power and infrastructure seem like they could transform the country’s economic prospects. Faith in his government’s ability to deliver, however, is evaporating. Against a deteriorating global economic backdrop, Mr Yar’Adua has struggled to muster the political strength to overcome the elite special interest groups blocking reform.

The Financial Times has launched a special report on Nigeria, including multiple articles and videos. You can find it here.

-Grace Lamb-Atkinson