Dumiso Dabengwa, the senior Zanu-PF member who has rebelled against President Robert Mugabe to back Simba Makoni, says the ruling party needs reform to save Zimbabwe from ”falling into the wrong hands”. ”This is a rescue operation,” Dabengwa said after appearing with Makoni in public for the first time.

The contest for the presidency in Zimbabwe has begun, with candidates preparing manifestos and travelling the length and breadth of the country to drum up support. The Mail & Guardian looks at the tactics, insults, prospects and problems of the three contenders in Zimbabwe.

Sudan’s Abyei region is a possible trouble spot from which conflict could resume, three years after a comprehensive agreement was signed to end civil war between the north and south, the United Nations special envoy to Sudan has warned. The oil-rich region, which lies between north and south Sudan, has experienced an administrative and political vacuum after disagreements over its status.

All three main candidates in Zimbab-we’s presidential race launch their campaigns this Saturday, taking the race into top gear. But the excitement in the campaign contrasts sharply with the massive administrative chaos that is dogging preparations for the elections.

Simba Makoni chose a five-star hotel to announce his candidacy for Zimbabwe’s presidency recently, but he will have to get down in the trenches if he is to pose a serious threat to President Robert Mugabe. His announcement whipped up a great deal of enthusiasm among a Zimbabwean electorate demoralised by the opposition’s failure at the weekend to agree on a united front against Mugabe.

The Southern African region is at risk of not meeting the millennium development goal on poverty eradication, as power outages become a daily occurrence. Countries including Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa experience regular electricity cuts, leading to outages at clinics and schools — key public facilities essential to meeting the goals.