Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has appointed a new prime minister:
[Abdi Farah Shirdon] Saaid, a political newcomer, has been a prominent businessman in neighbouring Kenya and is married to Asha Haji Elmi, an influential Somali peace activist.
A Western diplomat said Saaid had a reputation for being above Somalia’s notoriously volatile clan politics, similar to the new president, and the news of his appointment would be welcomed by foreign governments.
“Like all the decisions the new president has made so far, this is a good one, and Somalia is on a bit of a roll with the election of (Mohamed Osman) Jawaari as parliament speaker and Mohamud as president,” the diplomatic source told the Reuters news agency.
Mohamud, a former academic and a political newcomer himself, was elected president in a secret ballot on September 10, a result hailed by his supporters as a vote for change in the Horn of Africa state ravaged by war and anarchy since 1991.
Saaid’s appointment as the prime minister will have to be approved by Somali legislators, diplomatic sources said.
VOA:
Ethiopian Muslims will elect a new Islamic Council this Sunday, October 7. The election has stirred protest among many Muslims who believe the government is trying to influence the Council.
A protest erupted after the Friday prayer at the Anwar mosque, the largest mosque in Addis Ababa. People were waving yellow papers, symbolizing a warning card for the government and the crowd was chanting for about 20 minutes, shouting slogans such as “let our voice be heard” and “release the prisoners.” Dozens of protesters were brought to a police station during and after the demonstration.
The anger behind the protest started earlier this year, as some Muslims accused the government of interfering with religious affairs by trying to promote a more liberal form of Islam from Lebanon, known as al-Abhash.
Peter Tinti: “Understanding Algeria’s Northern Mali Policy”
In the recent killing of students in Nigeria’s Adamawa State, the prior destruction of mobile phone towers by Boko Haram seems to have contributed to victims’ difficulties in placing calls to warn others.
Two explosions in Nigeria’s Taraba State, in the town of Jailingo, occurred respectively on Thursday and on Friday/Saturday night, killing at least two persons and wounding at least nineteen.
Micah Zenko wonders, “Foreign governments and peoples ask for international humanitarian interventions all the time, so why do we only pay attention to some and ignore others?”
An unexpected cabinet reshuffle in Guinea.
IRIN reports on a cholera outbreak on the Kenya-Somalia border.
What else is happening?
Sahel Blog 
Chinua Achebe writes about Nigeria’s Civil War: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/02/biafran-war-nigeria-mediocrity-persecution-igbo
This probably isn’t of interest to this blog (which is focused on Islam and the Sahel), but it help explains the inter-ethnic tensions in Nigeria and why many Nigerians are ambivalent about the concept of “Nigeria”.
Who, if any, are the power horses behind our genteel President? Solving that conundrum will ease our minds:
[…]
But getting back to the election process, I’m confused as to how a seemingly good man came out on top in an election riddled with corruption, slander and intimidation? He must have had some powerful supporters pushing him to the top but just who are they? If we’re able to answer that question (which is no easy task) then we will better understand what Hassan Sheikh’s presidency will bring, and whether he is at the steering wheel of his own government or not.
http://developsomalia.blogspot.ca/2012/10/expectations-too-high-for-new-president.html?m=1