Sudan & Darfur by Gillian Lusk - Visa wants to grow in Africa

Gillian Lusk is Deputy Editor of the London-based fortnightly newsletter Africa Confidential and specialises in Sudanese matters. She lived in Sudan in 1975-1987, working most of that time as a journalist. She was Chairperson of the Sudan Studies Society of the United Kingdom (SSSUK) in 2000-2004. She writes and broadcasts regularly on Sudanese politics.

See her latest piece on The Sudan & The Darfur at Covert Action Quarterly.
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Spanish Red Cross to increase assistance for Sudan

The Spanish Red Cross will increase its assistance to Darfur, a spokesperson for the Red Cross said Tuesday. They said potable water and medical attention are of utmost importance to the displaced in the camps located south of Darfur, along the border of Chad:

Urgent assistance is specially needed in the camps of Abushok, Zam Zam, Fataborno and Kassab in Sudan, as well as the camps in Chad's Treguine.

The Red Cross of Spain has 14 delegates in the region, who collaborate with Sudan Red Crescent and Chad Red Cross. They distribute food and material for basic needs.

Article via ReliefWeb Aug 23, 2005 (Xinhua via COMTEX)
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Visa wants to grow in Africa

Iafrica.com article Aug 24 says card issuer Visa International is looking to double its presence in sub-Saharan Africa in the next five years. Visa would like to move into Sudan as they see it has having huge promise. They are also getting approaches from Eritrea and Somalia.

The article says inadequate infrastructure and a lack of credit records on customers remain a challenge for Visa in Africa. Cash also still remains king in much of this market, although there is a growing move towards cards.

Also, with regards to security - which has been a growing concern after recent breaches of certain banks systems - Visa and other card issuers are trying to move everybody towards chip technology which would help to reduce fraud significantly.

"This will eventually be the way everyone will transact," said a spokesman.
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The Military and the Left

Excerpt from a post by Minh at the State Of Flux blog entitled "The Military and the Left" -

"I wish more liberals have the view of Rosa Brooks of the LA Times - or at least listen to her. She may have identified the one of the problem why the Left is viewed as weak on National Security. That is why independent voters distrust the Left when it comes to the security of the United States.

Please read full post.

Tags: Sudan Darfur Africa Confidential Visa Gillian Lusk SSSUK Covert Action Quarterly Sudan Red Crescent Red Cross Spanish Chad Eritrea Somalia