vestigative series... >> we have to get out of here... south sudan: country of dreams only on al jazeera america polls open in sue sudan's president election amid opposition boycott. omar al bashir almost certain to retain power. ♪ ♪ ♪ hello and welcome to al jazerra, live from our headquarters in doha, i am elizabeth pa ran am. also ahead. >> i am running for president. >> hillary clinton makes toe visual and answers the race for the white house. saudi rape i can't rejects iran's demands to stop air strikes in yemen blaming teheran for fueling violence.

plus. >> reporter: i am andy gallagher on the islands in costa rica where we will be sewing you how a woman's collective has worked hard to save these unique mangrove swamps. ♪ ♪ we begin with sudan where polling stations have now opened for presidential and pardon me lament are you elections the first since the south split away from sudan in 2011. the buildup to the vote has been marred by predictions that it would be snubbed by voters and opposition boycott. incumbent president omar al bashir has ruled the country troy 26 years and is expected to retain power. there are 15 other people running alongside him for president. according to the national election commission, six of those are sponsored by political parties and the rest are independent. but many of the more established parties have chosen to boycott the election including the large

he have opposition group. the main complaint is that the vote will not be free and fair and that there is no chance anyone but omar al bashir will win. let's go to our correspondence agent catherine soi now she is live for us in the capital khartoum. given how many people are expected to boycott the bow what is the atmosphere like there as polls are open. i am at a polling station where president omar bashier is expected to vote in a couple of hours. it's now exactly 8:00, polls open now. but let me just move away from the shot so that john can show you the background behind me. there is actually no one -- we are told this is the situation in several other polling stations at least here in khartoum but it's still early days being elizabeth this is an exercise that will take three days and we can't really tell

whether the boycott that has been called for by the opposition is going to impact on the voter turn out until the end of voting on wednesday. but we have talked to a lot of people in the streets since we came here they are -- many of those we talk to are frustrated, elizabeth. they are frustrate about this leadership talking about the need for change. they are saying that they deserve a better life. they don't see what president bashier is going do differently that he hasn't already been doing. [ audio difficulties ] >> reporter: some of these young men have lived for as long as omar al al bashir has been president. he had in the past said that he would not seek reelection, but it's almost certain he will likely win this election. a 25-year-old university student from darfur, most of his family has been displaced by the

conflict there. he blames the president for failing to keep the peace. >> translator: he always makes promises in campaigns but after he win he is doesn't keep them. his government don't kill people. he's a liar. >> reporter: president bashier is indicted by the international criminal court for war crimes in darfur also under his watch rebels from blue nile and south states in the mountains took up arms against the government. many people have been killed and million displaced from those regions. sue fan's economy has suffered for years because of sanctions and international isolation it's one of the most corrupt countries in the world according to thans apparently international but bashier says he has done a lot including the creation of south sudan. >> i challenge anybody to come and talk to me and make a

comparison since when they did since the time of independence from then and what omar bashier has done since then in health, in industry, in social system. >> reporter: in his campaign the president has promised to the deal with the security problem in parts of the country over the national dialogue. and peer head the process of rewriting the contusion. when you walk around khartoum, most of the campaign posters you find are of omar al bashir, it's as if he is the only one campaign being but the opposition will tell you because he has the resources, the state power and his government has silences decenting voices when we go crack downs and arbitrary arrests. but it doesn't matter to them who is at the top her concern is how they are life will improve. >> translator: there no difference between the old and new government i just want my

business to be good for my children and i. >> reporter: do you have a majority's card? >> no i don't have. >> reporter: he and his friends tell me even they were registered they would not vote. they say there is no one to vote for. >> catherine it doesn't just seem like people inside sudan are frustrated with the process the u.s., u.k., and norway have said that they are greatly disappointed that an environment conducive to par advertise pa tory and credible elections doesn't exist in saw dan. given that saw doon needs aid does he care how the elections are being viewed overseas? >> reporter: yeah, we spoke to some of his officials and senior officials of the ruling party and they said these lexes are elections are credible. and what you are saying about the u.s. and great britain is

the same line being shared by the main opposition parties here who have called for a boycott of the elections. they say that the environment is not conducive for multi-party elections. that omar al bashir is cracking down on the opposition. have been -- have muzzled the president as well. they say that they wanted a national dialogue ahead of the election. a national dialogue that is going to address a governance issues that addresses security and that is also going to talk about the rewriting of a constitution now omar al bashir and his supporters say that they have done everything that they can to make sure that this dialogue is in place that they are committed to a dialogue in account fact, bashier in many of his campaigns said he is committed to the dialogue and that will be one of his priorities going forward to spearhead the dialogue as well as bringing peace to blew nile and darfur states as well.

>> catherine, thank you very much for that update. that's our correspondent catherine soi joining us from the sudanese capital khartoum. hillary clinton has formerly launched her presidential campaign. she is the overwhelming favorite to capture the democratic party nomination. she's already hopped in a van and started drive to the u.s. state iowa the first stop of presidential hopefuls. tom ackerman reports from des moines. >> reporter: hillary clinton made the announcement without any cheering crowds or spot lit stage. the message delivered instead in a glossy two-minute video featuring a diverse mix of middle class americans voicing their personal hopes for the future. >> every day americans need a champion and i want to be that champion. >> reporter: clinton's first campaign stop will be the state of iowa to win the democratic party's popular caucus there. it's where up start barack obama beater in 2008.

with a grass root effort that showed her route to the white house should not have been taken for granted. before her arrival parents watching over their children play football told us hillary ought to do better if she doesn't campaign like the inevitable winner. >> she has to action like a second tier candidate and play it hard if she wants to win it. that's going to be her challenge if she really wants it, she's going to have to show it. >> reporter: this time, clinton will frame hermes i think through more intimate home style gatherings focusing on women's workplace issues and narrowing the country's economic disparities the republican hopefuls who already consider clinton their probable opponents in the elect are attacking what they see as her vulnerabilities. >> i think the thing is about the clintons there is a certain sense that they think they are above the law. and there is also this grand had hypocrisy for the clintons in the sense that we have this whole thing this war on women thing that they like to talk about, and yet hillary clinton

has taken money from countries that rape victims or publicly lash. >> reporter: clinton will face criticisms in the democratic primary campaign buzz so far no one has emerge today formerly challenge her. this state's talk cusses talk can you go caucuses many months away. at least 14 people killed in two separate attacks egypt's sinai pa his los angeles in one of the attacks a suicide bomber detonated his vehicle at the entrance to a large police station in the provincial capital. at least six people were killed including five policemen. rescue workers are searching through the rubble and the death toll is expected to rise. saudi rape i can't has refused calls from iran to stop its aerial bombardment of yemen at a press conference franked lie the french foreign minister, the saudi foreign minister

accused teheran of fueling the cycle of violence, there has been more fighting in yemen and funerals have been held for three saudi soldiers killed by shelling across the border. mohammed vall reports. >> reporter: saudi families in the boarder city mourning the death of their loved ones. the body of one of three soldiers killed by houthi mortar shells on friday is about to be burysed. theburied. the government's representative is here to convey the king's sympathies. the conflict is spilling over in to saudi arabia. now there are fears that the kingdom may be forced to order a ground invasion. saudi arabia and yep end share a 1,800-kilometer border. control over this fast territory has never been easy. hundreds of refugees are heading north. this latest wave includes dozens of yemenis somalis and eying open vinnies. they are here inethiopians.

they are not only running away from the conflict but also worsening life conditions in yemen. most of these people arrived on foot as they crossed the boarder there was fresh fighting nearby and fighter jets flew in the opposite direction. >> translator: i am from is dar i came here speaking i job and the situation in yemen is miserable only war and he can know,s life there has become difficult. >> translator: we arrived to yemen by sea. then we took the road across until we entered saudi arabia. at first we were only 30, then another 20 people joined us. when we were captured the middleman that managed -- arranged our he is statement took off and i paid him 500. >> reporter: with a daily average of eight raids the coalition strikes say the strikes are breaking the houthis and slowly causing them to lose

the fight. >> translator: we are targeted a number of caves, they have been convert in to weapons and ammunition stores, they have also become command centers we destroyed them. >> reporter: saudi arabia says it has managed to muster the support of major tribes in yemen, a general mobilization has been announced amongst tribes to confront the houthis and the forces loyal to former president saleh. but many believe that without a unified command to coordinate their operations even those tribes may not be able to tip the scale in favor of the anti-houthi campaign. mohammed vall. al jazerra on the sought i border with yemen. we have a lot more coming on al jazerra. a safe haven from somalis fleeing violence now the refugees camp is under threat. we'll hear from the people living there. plus. >> reporter: reporting on how a

nonstop blockade by bang had dish's political opposition is hurting the country's garment exports. here in 10 years. >> nasa steps in to help protect the future of the planet. >> the tropics regulate our climate. >> techknow heads to costa rica to see how one rainforest is fighting back. >> wow! some of these are amazing. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is my selfie, what can you tell me about my future? >> can affect and surprise us. >> don't try this at home. >> "techknow" - where technology meets humanity. tomorrow, 6:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

♪ ♪ good to have you with us, ill am am elizabeth in doha, these are the top stories on al jazerra. polls have now opened in sue damn's general lexes but it's being boycotted by many opposition parties omar al bashir has ruled the country for 26 years he's the favorite to win the president hal race. hillary clinton has launched her bid to become the first

female president. the former second of state is expect today begin campaign in iowa on tuesday. and saudi arabia has rejected iran's commands to stop bombing yemen. there have been more air strikes and fighting in northern yemen and funerals have been held for three saudi soldiers killed by houthi mortar attacks. two embassies have been attacked in the libyan capital triply an he can please heard at the moroccoan embassy and an earl tack gunmen killed two security officers outside the korean embassy shots fired from a car. fighter loyal to isil say they are behind the attack. to syria now where a government air trying reportedly killed five teachers and school children in a school in aleppo. the air raid was reported to have been the saudi side. both sides have been accused of

fire indies criminal naturally at civilians. people living in kenya in a camp are asking the government to reconsidering closing it. the kenyan government has given them three months to relocate the camp as one of the largest heldsterring around half a million somali refugees that his fled civil war. mohamed a did youdow is there. >> reporter: this is part of a complex of refugees near the kenya-somalia border. a come dwighting refugees fleeing the civil ward in somalia. the continuance of this camp now remained in doubt. kenyan government witness all refugees rez located within three months, it's a position supported by leaders from northeast kenya who themselves are ethnic somalis. >> today all security forces cannot enter the camp. guns are formed, al shabab cells are there what we say to this, we have had enough. we want them to be relocated 30-kilometer on his the onside of somalia.

>> reporter: the refugees deny accusations, al-shabab cells operate in their camps. over the years the camps were meant for 9,000 people have received waves of refugees fleeing conflict and drought pushing the population in the camp to his almost a half a million people. despite the tough conditions here most refugees see them as a better alternative to life in somalia. we mel ellingers from the community in a crisis meet. >> translator: going back to somalia is not an option for us even the leader of so knowledge that are not safe they have to travel to camps belong to go the peacekeepers. if kenya is tired of hosting us then we request to be sent to a third country reu6789 it's not the first time the kenyan government has called for the repatriot action of the refugees. the voluntary return of more than 2,000 refugees in the past

year. the latest call by the kenyan government is its boldest so far. the threat that kenya will forcefully remove the refugees if the u.n. doesn't is what has the refugees worried most. they have this warning for the kenyan authorities. >> translator: if we have returned against our will, then with thousands of young men among us will join al show bob they will have no option but to join the group. it's the only thing that will give tell relevance. >> reporter: u.n. officials say it will be impossible to close the camps and that any move to relocate the refugees must first be agreed upon by kenyan and somalia authorities. mohamed adow, al jazerra, at the refugees camps in northern kenya. nigeria's president electric mohammed bahar i has made more gains in regional elects. for the first time since the end of military rule in 1999 his party will control boat of the prelsey is governorship of lagos

state of 21 million people the most important stayed in nigeria. violent frost on his the west coast of central africa following the death of a senior opposition leader. witnesses say opposition supporters set fire to the embassy while rioting in the streets of the capital. they accuse the government of poisoning andré who died on sunday. he was 57 years old and ran for the presidency in 2009. now, bangladesh's booming garment industry has been left reeling by transport blockades called for by the opposition. it's trying to force early elections by blocking access to major cities. some factories have had thousands of orders canceled this year because buyers are losing faith in their ability to deliver. a report from central bangladesh. >> reporter: here at the giant factory thousands of garment workers hurry to fill honored. it's what they have to do to survive. but these days, once honored is

finished instead of being delivered, the clothes could easily just end up sitting around in storage. that's because of violence like this. bangladesh's opposition wants elections and they have called for a transportation blockade to president their point. that's led to violence that's killed more than 100 people this year. buses and trucks have been burned. the government blames the opposition who deny their involvement. many of those dead are drivers of these buses and trucks. >> translator: my vehicle is insured but so what if i get killed on the road by a petrol bomb then will the insurance bring me back. it can buy a new car but can't bring me back to my wife. it won't stop my children from becoming orphans. >> reporter: with drivers afraid to work the garment industry has suffered. >> translator: if the shipment is late what is the buyer

supposed to do. the clothing city is a seasonal business if my order doesn't reach the market in time they are no longer of value. >> reporter: many brands name companies are getting fed up as bangladesh enters a third year of violent political instability instability. >> trying to not take more risks so they are putting some orders in different countries. so that they don't want to put all of their eggs in one basket. >> reporter: plenty of businesses have been effected by the blockade. but none are as significant as the garment industry. it accounts for 80% of bangladesh's exports. with all of these boxes sitting here waiting to be shipped out. that's valuable foreign exchange not coming in to the country. this is especially bad news for the millions of people who see the industry as a path out of poverty. while the world is finally paying attention to their often

dangerous working conditions, they are now having to contends with a new threat to their livelihoods. the leader of south africa's opposition the democratic alliance says she won't stand for rewill he reelection at the party's congress next month. helen says the party needs new leadership but she will continue as the mere of western cape problem ins until 2019. a former journalist and anti-apartheid campaigner has led the party since 2007. chinese media says a former state assets chief has gone on trial accused of bribery and abuse of power. he was also chairman of petro china's stayed-owned parents company. it was the target of swing corruption investigation with several senior figures being detained. petro china limited is asia's biggest oil producer. now, hundreds of thousands of brazilians have taken to the streets to protest they are angry about the struggle economy

and corruption scandal that's implicated politicians from the president's party. now, a group women in costa rica are getting international recognition for their fight to save a vital mangrove swamp from destruction. andy gallagher reports from the island of cheetah. >> reporter: these days the fishermen on costa rica's largest island are making a good living from the sea. fish are plentiful and work is constant but it wasn't always that way. in previous years over fishing and the mismanagement of the vital mangroves spelled environmental and economic ruin. but it was a future that 13 of the island's women refuse today accept. the collective as they have become known began to take things in to their own hands. >> translator: we used to sell muscles clams and shrimp. so they were important to us, but now we can't find any. we benefited from them, but we ran out. mainly because we over exploited them so we decided to make this

nursery to protect the main groves. >> reporter: but change didn't come easily. and the vision these women had faced challenges from the island's fishermen and evening their own husbands. >> translator: one of the biggest and most serious problems that we had when we began to organize was the prevailing macho culture. we couldn't get past that attitude from the men and it wasn't until we started to get results that the fishermen changed their minds. then they asked for our help. >> reporter: that help involved getting the fishermen to give up their gill nets in favor of traditional hand lines. a technique that has helped fish stocks replenish. gabriel cruz tells us this is a responsible fishing area where the mangroves are cherished at marine nurseries and fish are allowed to reproduce it's here the women have made the most progress. in past years man droves were being cut down for fire word or replaced with shrimp pools

through training sketch saying, that's no longer happening. what this woman's collective has done here then is change an entire way of life, but in the process, they have begun to work on preserving this wonderfully unique mangrove swamp and are now getting international attention for the work they have done here. and that recognition is helping bringing grants and more training to insure that this island continues to flourish. andy gallagher, al jazerra costa rica. to australia now where the government is saying parents who refuse to vaccinate their children may lose benefits. new policy could see them miss out of thousands of dollars. >> this is essential a no jab no pay policy from this government. it's a very important public health announcement. it's a very important measure to keep our children and our families as safe as possible. a team of scientists in australia say that they have developed a technique that could

revolutionize solar power production, our correspondent andrew thomas reports from newcastle. >> reporter: it looks almost like an act of worship. but this is science. mirrored panels known as helio stats turn in unison towards a tower. they collect onto it a powerful glow. sun slight this could revolutionize the way the sun creates electricity. it's the latest frontier for solar power. >> really these types of projects are really pushing the boundaries a little about also demonstrate exactly what the potential of the technology is. >> reporter: the technology works by concentrating sunlight on a single point. lid wick there is heated to extreme temperatures almost 600 degrees celsius creating super critical steam. that drives a turbine at high speed and high pressure to create power. the steam and turbine part of the technology isn't new it's

the use. sun's energy to create team career create steam that powers it. >> nothing he can pert of the world's electricities comes from steam and turbine. all we are doing here is changing the front end and having concentrated sun to make that hot fluid replacing the normal heat production which normally comes from coal or gas or bio mess or even nuclear. >> reporter: but the potential is enormous, it wouldn't take huge areas of sun-baked land to create big quantities of power. this is just a prototype but the hope is in years to come there could be fields of solar mirrors in deserts all over the world. one just 50-kilometers by 50-kilometers could provide enough electricity for a quarter of all of australia's needs. at the moment, the technology is very expensive. and recent falls in the price of toss you would fossil fuels don't help

make green alternative correct competitive but this could represent the best chance for solar to play a big role in lex tri production. andrew thomas, al jazerra newcastle australia. and a reminder that you can always keep up-to-date with the news on our website at aljazerra.com. >> on the weekend edition of "america tonight," firing lines. [ gunfire ] the nra takes a clear shot at controlling the law. >> we have 200,000 people. we're powerful, and we don't mind putting that power to work for our constituents. >> i found out a long time ago that there is only one way to deal with bullies, that is to stand up to them. >> christof putzel on the gun