African press review 18 November 2011

Kenya's campaign against al-Shebab rebels in Somalia and the latest controversy surrounding Sepp Blatter, the head of world's football association, Fifa, dominate Friday's African papers.

Kenyan papers are dominated by the army’s campaign against Somali al-Shebab Islamists said to be behind terrorist attacks in the country. The Standard reports that Somali government troops and Kenya Defence Forces smoked al-Shebab fighters out of a major stronghold near the border town of Kolbio, with “sustained ground and air attacks” on Wednesday.

The Daily Nation says Kenyan troops are preparing to launch a fresh offensive to capture the southern town of Kismayu after forces in the central sector of the operation reached the edge of Afmadow Town. The operation is part of a deal reached with the leaders of Uganda and Burundi providing the bulk of African Union forces in Somalia. The campaign constitutes a major strategic shift which could change the face of the Somalia war, according to the Daily Nation.

The Nation takes up an attempt by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to secure Chinese protection from attacks by the United States and Europe. The veteran ruler, barred from travelling to the US and the European Union due to human rights violations, is on an official visit to China where he met acting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday.

According to the paper, Mugabe called on Russia and China to provide a buffer against the “Anglo-Saxon alliance’s expansionist agenda", given what Nato did in Libya and threats posed to Syria and Iran.

The Daily Nation recalls that at the height of Zimbabwe’s political problems, Russia and China repeatedly blocked EU and US attempts to have the United Nations Security Council impose sanctions on the Southern African country.

The Kenyan Standard also unveils a new World Bank/African Union scheme launched this week aimed at lowering the cost of sending money to Africa. The scheme entitled “Send Money Africa” works like a database, through an interface, where migrants workers from 15 sender countries can compare and contrast the cost that remittance services charged by providers to send a particular amount to 27 receiving countries.

An estimated 29.6 billion euros is sent to 120 million people in Africa every year, at a rate of 12 per cent as opposed to a global average cost of nine per cent, according to the World Bank.

Friday’s African papers lead a “charge” on the racism “faux pas” of FIFA president Sepp Blatter.South Africa’s Mail and Guardian highlights calls by Britain's sports minister Hugh Robertson on Sepp Blatter to resign, after downplaying the extent of racism in the sport. Blatter said in a television interview that disputes on the pitch involving racist abuse should be resolved by a handshake.

Nigeria’s Guardian newspaper underlines that Blatter’s comments are the latest controversy to hit Fifa, since the 75-year-old took over world football’s governing governing body in 1998. Sepp Blatter, the paper notes, had previously caused outrage when he compared Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Manchester United to Real Madrid as slavery, suggesting in another interview that the women’s game needed to be improved by “tighter shorts”.