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Home , 2008 in Djibouti, Andrey Denisov, An Yue Jiang, Carolyn McAskie, Emmanuel Kolini, Michel Ngakala

PROJECT ON BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD

AFRICA REPORT

Second Quarterly Report on Africa

April to June 2008

Volume: 2

Reports for the month of June 2008

Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Ijaz Shafi Gilani

Contributors

Abbas S Lamptey Snr Research Associate Reports on Sub-Saharan AFrica

Abdirisak Ismail Research Assistant Reports on East Africa

INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY ISLAMABAD BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD

AFRICA REPORT

Second Quarterly Report on Asia

April to June 2008

Volume: 2

Reports for June 2008

Department of Politics and International Relations International Islamic University Islamabad

2 BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD

AFRICA REPORT

Second Quarterly Report on Africa 2008

Volume: 2

Table of contents

Reports for the month of June

Week-1 June 04, 2008 117 Week-2 June 18, 2008 161 Week-3 June 25, 2008 207

Country profiles Sources

3

4 BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD Weekly Presentation: June 10, 2008 Sub-Saharan Africa Abbas S Lamptey Period: From May 18 to June 7, 2008 THE HEADLINES 1. -AFRICA RELATIONS

WEST AFRICA • : China - Nigeria, Our Major Development Partner: This Day (Lagos): 5 June 2008. • Nigeria: FG Rejects $2.5bn Chinese Loan: Vanguard (Lagos): 21 May 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • : China Denies Weapons Delivery: The Namibian (Windhoek): 22 May 2008. • Malawi: NGO Keeping an Eye On Govt's New Best Friend – China: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):26 May 2008. EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: China Oil Company Representatives Visiting Puntland: Garowe Online (Garowe): 29 May 2008. • Tanzania: Seventh Telecom Firm Enters Market: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam):5 June 2008. 2. PAN AFRICA

WEST AFRICA • Africa: Yar'Adua Explains Stand on Africom: allAfrica.com: 3 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Africa: Japan-Africa Outcome 'Inadequate': Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 30 May 2008. • Africa: Critics Target U.S. Military Command: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 2 June 2008. • Africa: World Economic Forum on Africa Opens: The Herald (): 6 June 2008. • Africa: Japan Plans to Double Aid to Continent: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo):26 May 2008. EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA

5 • : Barack Obama is Africa's Talisman: The Nation (Nairobi): EDITORIAL: 8 June 2008. • Africa: 40 Heads to Attend Tokyo Conference: New Vision (Kampala): 25 May 2008. • Africa: Is Biofuel The Continent's New Oil?: Business Daily (Nairobi):4 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Africa: Kagame Calls for an Integrated Continent: The New Times (Kigali): 7 June 2008. 3. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Burkina Faso: New Child Trafficking Law Hard to Enforce: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:4 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Pressure Mounts On Mugabe Over Violence: Zimbabwe Standard (Harare): 7 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • : Landmine Survivors Welcome Ban On Cluster Bombs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:4 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Kenya Dragging Feet in Kabuga Hunt, UN Told: The Nation (Nairobi):6 June 2008. • : Military Court Refuses to Try Muyinga Massacre Suspects: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne):3 June 2008. 4. REFUGEES, MIGRATION AND IDPs

WEST AFRICA • : Xenophobia - Mbeki Apologises to Yar’Adua: This Day (Lagos): 4 June 2008.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Dilemma for Citizens Hated in South Africa And Neglected At Home: The Nation (Nairobi):4 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: 424 Back From South Africa: The Nation (Nairobi): 4 June 2008. • Somalia: Immigrant Boat Missing in Libyan Waters: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 5 June 2008 CENTRAL AFRICA

6 • Congo-Kinshasa: Thousands Displaced After Rebel Attacks: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:5 June 2008. 5. HEALTH MATTERS (HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, TB)

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Ogun Seals 13 Drug Firms: Vanguard (Lagos): 6 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Funds Sought to Train New Category of Health Worker: Business Day (Johannesburg):5 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA

• Kenya: Obel Claims Discovery of Another Aids Drug: The Nation (Nairobi): 6 June 2008. • Uganda: New Anti-Malaria Product Tested: New Vision (Kampala): 5 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Expert Blames Aids, Ebola to Bush Meat: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 6 June 2008. 6. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • West Africa: Region is 'Ground Zero' for Climate Change – Egeland: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 2 June 2008. • Ghana: Country to Host International Tropical Timber Organisation Meeting: Public Agenda (Accra):6 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • : Bush Fires Main Threat to Environment: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo): 5 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • : Country Launches New Tree Planting Campaign: The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa):6 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Local Appointed On Environmental Body: The New Times (Kigali): 5 June 2008. 7. ENERGY

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Niger Delta Crisis Will Soon End, Bankole Assures U.S.: Leadership (Abuja):6 June 2008.

7 SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Govt to Penalise Excessive Electricity Users: BuaNews (Tshwane): 6 June 2008. • Namibia: Billion-Dollar Biofuels Production in Pipeline: The Namibian (Windhoek): 6 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Foreign Oil Workers Evacuated From Puntland Exploration Site: Garowe Online (Garowe): 7 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Govt Waives All Taxes On Diesel: The New Times (Kigali): 6 June 2008. 8. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

SOUTHERN AFRICA • PetroSA Seeks Global Partners for Projects in Country: Business Day (Johannesburg): 5 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Tanzania: Shilling And Economy Bask in Positive IMF Rating: The East African (Nairobi): 9 June 2008. 9. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Abacha Never Stole, Say Buhari, Babangida: This Day (Lagos): 9 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Was Never Arrested - Zim Police: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London):6 June 2008 EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Talks in Approach to Collapse: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 9 June 2008. 10. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Sierra Leone: Peacebuilding Commission Dele Arrives to Prepare Country: Concord Times (Freetown):3 June 2008. • Africa: U.S. Govt, G8 Undertakes Peacekeeping Initiative: The NEWS (Monrovia): 4 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Islamic Courts Spokesman Says on Way Forward: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu):31 May 2008.

8 • Sudan: Ugandan Shot Dead in Darfur: New Vision (Kampala): 29 May 2008. • Sudan: Abyei Oil Conflict Poses a Threat to Peace: The East African (Nairobi): 2 June 2008. • Somalia: Civil Society Groups Urge UN to Put Pressure on Politicians: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu):5 June 2008. • Uganda: LRA Asks for One Last Chance in Juba Talks: The Monitor (Kampala):7 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-: Security And Humanitarian Conditions Improve in Pool Region: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 6 June 2008. • Congo-Kinshasa: Monuc Blue Helmets Celebrate 60 Years of UN Peacekeeping: United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa): 30 May 2008. 11. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Al-Qaeda Threat - Group Chides Police Ig : Leadership (Abuja) :9 June 2008. • : Police Get 42 Fire Arms From Citizens: Angola Press Agency (): 6 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Four Held in Terror Probe: The Nation (Nairobi): 26 May 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Rebels Want UN to Investigate Camp Attack: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 5 June 2008. 12. NORTH AFRICA • Algeria: Four Condemned to Prison for Becoming Christian: Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi): 6 June 2008. • Algeria: Archbishop Asks State to Free Christian Convert: Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi):3 June 2008. • Algeria: Cartoonist, Newspaper Publisher And Editor Face Possible Prison Sentences in Defamation Case Over Cartoon of Former Army Chief: World Association of Newspapers (Paris): PRESS RELEASE: 4 June 2008. • Tunisia: 'Tunisia is a Role Model in the Region', Says Chief U.S. Commander of Africom: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 29 May 2008. • Liberia: Students in Commend President Sirleaf: The Inquirer (Monrovia): 29 May 2008.

9 • South Africa: Ugly Politics Aggravate Xenophobia: allAfrica.com: GUEST COLUMN: 4 June 2008. 13. NEWS COMMENTARIES

WEST AFRICA • Africa: China in Africa - Implications for U.S. Policy: United States Department of State (Washington, DC): DOCUMENT: 4 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Ugly Politics Aggravate Xenophobia: allAfrica.com: GUEST COLUMN: 4 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Africa: Africa Must Wake Up to the Anarchy: The Monitor (Kampala): EDITORIAL: 22 May 2008. • Africa: Beneficial Asia Relations Stalled By Lack of Vision: The Nation (Nairobi): OPINION: 1 June 2008. • Africa: Can the Continent Produce a New Intellectual to Redeem Herself: The Monitor (Kampala): COLUMN: 5 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Africa: Challenges to the Rule of Law: Fahamu (Oxford): OPINION: 5 June 2008. ------. THE REPORT IN DETAIL 14. CHINA -AFRICA RELATIONS

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: China - Nigeria, Our Major Development Partner: This Day (Lagos): 5 June 2008.

Special Representative of the Government of People's Republic of China, Ambassador Liu Guijin yesterday said his country was not a donor to African countries, but a development partner. Guijin made this statement at a lecture which was held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), adding that the relationship between the duo should strictly be commercial. He said China was averse to the donor policies of Western countries which aimed at reducing poverty alone.Also citing his country's relationship with Angola, the envoy said all countries sought the promotion of their basic interests-be it in economic, social or cultural sectors, though noted that their project "benefit our host countries, especially in terms of infrastructural development.He added that China's relationship with Nigeria "is premised on the principle of joint venture aimed at helping each other in some identified areas." He also advocated that interested Nigerians should be trained on how to communicate in Chinese language, a tool he believed would eliminate the barrier of communication during the cause of business transaction. He said: "China has made a great leap in industrialization and in no short time China will be the leading GDP country in the world." The envoy however said

10 China concentrated on the scientific approach to issues of development, depending on the sustainable strategic of development to achieve "our goals.

"As a nation, you have to decide how to cut your own hair. Because China will not decide that for her partner," Guijin said. He stated his country's plan to open free trade zones in Nigeria to her local commodities to flow into the Nigerian markets. He also said the plan would ease the flow of Nigeria's local goods into the Chinese markets. The envoy further stated that China had been doing well in the area of human development, saying for instance that more than 50 Nigerians had benefited Chinese scholarship in the past years.He assured that the plan to increase the number of beneficiaries had been perfected, hoping that it "will promote Sino-African relations in the 21st century. Guijin said: "China is more ready to share experience with Nigeria. Agricultural technologies are the top priority for Nigeria in particular and Africa in general and that training programme will help open the industrial pact of China to Nigeria."He however commended Nigeria for showing concerns when the recent natural disaster leading the death of over 60,000 persons struck the country unawares last month.

• Nigeria: FG Rejects $2.5bn Chinese Loan: Vanguard (Lagos): 21 May 2008.

THE Federal Government has finally bowed to pressure against the $2.5 billion loan offered by China in order to finance the nation's proposed new speed rail lines from Lagos to other parts of the country. Speaking at the Newsworld Magazine Leadership Forum in Abuja, yesterday, the Director-General (D-G) of the Debt Management Office (DMO). Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, said the decision was in line with the president Umaru Yar'Adua administration's position not to take non-concessionary loans.According to him, yes, it is true that the Chinese made the $2.5 billion loan available to us. Being available to us means that we could take it after negotiating it on terms that are acceptable to us. But this government has come out boldly to say it will not accept any non- concessionary loan.Dr. Nwankwo explained however, that the three arms of government were working on a legal framework which could make it possible for Nigerian private sector operators to access the loan which was provided for infrastructure development across the nation.

It will not be a public loan. It will be a private sector loan. The various arms of government are to fine tune the strategy through which private sector organisations can take that loan to finance infrastructure in power, rails and roads.Government is doing detailed works to ensure that while we maximise concessionary loans we come up with legal frameworks for the private sector to access such loans that can be used for financing infrastructure which were formally considered as government sole responsibilities.The Federal Government has re-negotiated the $2.5 billion loan secured by administration of former president .But when the present government came on board, it announced that the loan had to be re-viewed, as according to the government, the concessionary loan was not all that concessionary.Upon return from the Chinese trip with President Yar' Adua, the Minister of Finance, Dr. told journalists, under the previous administration, the Chinese government had extended basically two

11 facilities totalling $2.5bn to Nigeria. The first part of the facility was a $0.5billion which was supposed to be more concessionary. That was a government to government lending.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: China Denies Weapons Delivery: The Namibian (Windhoek): 22 May 2008.

AS the mystery around the six container-loads of arms destined for Zimbabwe deepened, the Chinese government yesterday denied that the ship An Yue Jiang had delivered the consignment of weapons. The Political Counsellor at the Chinese embassy in Namibia, Lin Jing, said reports about the delivery were "groundless and purely fictitious", as their sources had given them information to the contrary.

"If the arms are delivered, I will say they are. If not, I will say not," Lin said. Zimbabwe's deputy information minister Bright Matonga told the media over the weekend that they had taken delivery of the lethal cargo, consisting of three million rounds of assault rifle ammunition, 3 000 mortar rounds and 1 500 rocket-propelled grenades. "This is something I really can't explain. The best is to seek his side [of the story]," Lin said when asked why Matonga had confirmed delivery. Lin could also not give the current location of the ship or when it was expected back in China. According to him, the arms were a small part of the cargo on the ship, but it was heading home. As Matonga confirmed that the weapons had been received, South Africa's Business Day newspaper and the Mozambican online newspaper Canal de Moçambique this week published details of how the vessel got the weapons to Harare. Both claimed the arms were flown from the Congo- Brazzaville port of Ponta Negra to Harare in giant transport aircraft belonging to Avient Aviation, a UK-registered freight charter airline operating out of Zimbabwe. However, a spokesperson of Avient Aviation yesterday denied any involvement in the transport of the cargo. He said such reports were "false", as none of their aircraft had landed in Zimbabwe since February this year. The Namibian is also in possession of a letter from the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe, which states that the Ilyushin Il-76 belonging to Avient Aviation was last in that country on February 10. Civil society groups earlier expressed fear that President was planning to use force to storm back to power in the presidential runoff election that will be held on June 27. He has already deployed the army, police and intelligence units across Zimbabwe to campaign for him through intimidation and coercive tactics, prompting the United Nations to warn of violence getting out of hand.

• Malawi: NGO Keeping an Eye On Govt's New Best Friend – China: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):26 May 2008.

China continues to grow its presence in Africa, having just roped in the small southern African country of Malawi as another one of many trading partners on the continent.

But some Malawians have adopted a cautious attitude towards their government's new ally.

12 A local non-governmental organisation (NGO) is keeping an eye on the developing bilateral relationship, citing concerns about China's importation of its own labour and the dumping of cheap goods in other African states.

The National Statistical Office (NSO) in Malawi reports that trade between the latter and China has increased by a record 4,894 percent over the past three years.

China's relations with Malawi picked up noticeably when the two countries established diplomatic relations in December last year, a move which coincided with the southern African country severing its 41-year-old political ties with Taiwan.

Evidence shows that Chinese investment in some countries does not promote the interest of poor nationals, according to Mavuto Bamusi, the network coordinator of the Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC), which promotes human rights, including economic rights, in Malawi.

"We know that the Chinese usually bring in their own workers when they invest in poor countries and that they have been accused of dumping cheap goods on such countries' markets. Civil society will be quick to raise an alarm if such malpractices happen here," Bamusi told IPS.

He said the Chinese should not bring unskilled labour to Malawi but rather create employment for locals if their initiative is to be seen as an "honest investment".

Civil society in Malawi also frowns upon Chinese aid as lacking democratic tenets. NGOs say the terms of Chinese aid contradict the Paris Declaration, an international agreement adopted by more than 100 parties, including governments, in 2005 with the improvement of aid effectiveness as its aim.

The declaration emphasises transparency and accountability in the use of development resources.

The HRCC worries that Chinese aid and investment as agreed with Malawi do not include any component on the rule of law. "China is giving us an incomplete package with no guarantee of accountability," said Bamusi.

Malawi and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) this month (May 12) with a view to advancing bilateral trade relations between the two countries. Malawi hopes to boost trade in its agricultural products, especially tobacco, tea, cotton and sugar -- the backbone of the country's economy.China has also committed itself to investing in Malawi's tourism, banking and insurance sectors, as well as in mining and fertilizer and cement production.The MOU signed by Malawi and China comes hot on the heels of a visit to China by Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika in March to woo investors. The Asian economic giant pledged 286 million dollars in grants, aid and soft loans to Malawi during Mutharika's visit.Beijing also promised to assist Malawi with human resource development. The two countries signed trade, economic and cultural exchange

13 agreements. "I hope the private sector in Malawi will take advantage of my trip to forge further partnerships with our Chinese counterparts," Mutharika told press upon his return from China.The recent signing of the MOU happened during a visit by 43 Chinese businesspeople, led by Deputy Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng. He described his delegation as "high-powered".The Chinese struck several trade and investment deals with local entrepreneurs in the agricultural, banking and insurance sectors, among others.Malawi's Minister of Trade Henry Mussa is hoping that the country's agricultural products will find new markets in China as the country's exports benefit from preferential tariffs following the MOU.Recently Malawi's tobacco industry, for example, has been in disorder following wildly fluctuating prices. Protesting farmers forced frequent suspensions of the auction floors' business. "We would like our Chinese counterparts to start manufacturing cigarettes right here in the country," said Mussa.The country generates up to 70 percent of its foreign exchange earnings from agriculture, with the tobacco industry contributing 15 percent towards Malawi's gross domestic product. Tobacco and related industries provide livelihoods to about two million of the country's 13 million people.Malawi offers a conducive business environment and a favourable economic landscape for investment, according to a briefing that Suzanna Mjuweni, investment promotion manager of the Malawi Investment Promotion Agency (MIPA), made to the Chinese delegation."Malawi already boasts attractive trade and investment policies," said Mjuweni. She mentioned the accessibility of plentiful and cheap human capital as a guarantee of an encouraging business environment.Mjuweni also named Malawi's access to regional markets like the Southern African Development Community and the Common Market for East and Southern Africa as some of the factors that position the country as a conducive investment destination.

EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: China Oil Company Representatives Visiting Puntland: Garowe Online (Garowe): 29 May 2008.

Representatives from a Chinese state-owned oil company are currently visiting parts of Mudug region, in Somalia's semiautonomous State of Puntland, sources said. The representatives from the China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) were accompanied by unidentified Somali nationals and Puntland officials as the delegation toured parts of northern Mudug, the home region of interim Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf. Somalia's leader inked a secretive agreement with CNOOC in May 2006, but critics have accused President Yusuf of violating the country's constitution by failing to present the oil deal to lawmakers for ratification. Somali President Yusuf [left] and Adde Muse, the leader of Puntland According to sources in Galkayo, the capital of Mudug, members of the CNOOC delegation also includes representatives from the China International Oil and Gas (CIOG), a smaller company that was included in the original May 2006 agreement with the Somali President. Confidential sources in Galkayo and in the nation's capital, Mogadishu, tell Garowe Online that members of President Yusuf's family are CIOG shareholders, with their total investment estimated to be around 20% of the company.

The Chinese company officials' arrival in Puntland coincides with the landing of exploration equipment at the port of Bossaso last week. The equipment belongs to

14 Canada's Africa Oil Corp., a relatively small oil company that has reportedly began exploration activities in an area east of Bossaso as part of a January 2007 agreement with Puntland President Adde Muse. To date, Somalia does not have a comprehensive national oil law that would govern the management of the country's natural resources. Former Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, who introduced an oil law to parliament last year, eventually resigned after falling out with President Yusuf over oil contracts.

Somalia, on the eastern tip of Africa's Horn, has been mired in political anarchy since 1991 when the country's last effective ruler was overthrown by armed clans. Thousands of Ethiopian troops invaded parts of Somalia in December 2006 to protect President Yusuf's weak government in Mogadishu, which has been unable to exert much control except for a few neighborhoods in the capital. Critics of the ambitious exploration project have criticized Puntland leader Muse for lacking the constitutional authority to sign exploration agreements with foreign companies, arguing that Puntland is a region within federal Somalia. Others quickly point out that Somalia is ill-prepared for oil exploration, especially in light of the ongoing anti-Ethiopia insurgency that has razed whole areas of Mogadishu and other parts of the country. Some of Somalia's armed clans, who have fought bitter wars for nearly two decades over land ownership and control of resources, are militantly opposed to President Yusuf's interim government, especially in the southern regions where new Prime Minister Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein hails from. But the Prime Minister has not addressed the key issue of oil contracts since his appointment nearly seven months ago. Observers worry that oil exploration will add more fuel to a raging fire, reigniting old clan hostilities and pose a greater threat to the success of President Yusuf's Western-backed interim government.

• • • Tanzania: Seventh Telecom Firm Enters Market: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam):5 June 2008.

Excellentcom (T) Limited yesterday signed a $180 million (Sh216 billion) contract with Huawei Technologies of China.Under the pact, Huawei Technologie will start building Excellentcom's network to enable it to cover the whole country within 13 months.

Excellentcom (T) trades as HiTS Tanzania."We are determined to undertake the fastest roll-out plan in East Africa's mobile communication history," said HiTS Tanzania chief executive officer Gerhard May .His telecommunications company targets to have a network capacity that accommodates an initial two million customers.HiTS Tanzania is owned by HiTS Africa, the African telecoms investment arm of the Kuwait-based HiTS Telecom Holding KSC, and local investor Jitco and Excelsys.HiTS Africa controls 65 per cent of the shares in the company and Jitco takes the remaining 35 per cent.The company obtained licences for national network facilities, national network services and national application services from the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority in September last year.With the licences, the firm is free to operate in data and voice aspects of mobile communication technologies."Consequently, the Tanzania Investment Centre also acknowledges HiTS Tanzania as a major investor in the mobile communications

15 industry, said Mr May.According to him, the company plans to start its operations by the end of this year and create 500 jobs in the next three years.It plans to invest $500 million in five years.HiTS Africa is also rolling out a series of telecommunications operations in Africa using the global system for mobile (GSM) technology."We hold GSM licences in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea.We are also a shareholder in Atlantic Telecom in Liberia.Within five years, the company aims to have operations in more than eight countries," said May.Tanzania's population is growing at three per cent. The country's subscription for a telephone line is growing at 47 per cent.HiTS Tanzania becomes the seventh entrant into the country's mobile telecommunication industry.Other operators are Vodacom Tanzania, Celtel Tanzania, Tigo, Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited, Zantel and Benson Informatics.Eight million of Tanzania's 38 million population own mobile phones.But HiTS believes the market is still vast for it to operate profitably."With an estimated 80 per cent of Tanzanians not owning mobile phones, there are vast opportunities for HiTS," said HiTS Tanzania chairman Abdullah Mwinyi.According to him, studies indicate that the number of people owning mobile phones is expected to increase by between 15 and 18 million by 2015. "We hope we can achieve a market share of 15 per cent in the medium term," he said.

15. PAN AFRICA

WEST AFRICA • Africa: Yar'Adua Explains Stand on Africom: allAfrica.com: 3 June 2008.

President Umaru Yar'Adua reiterated in South Africa Tuesday that he had asked the United States to give military assistance to groupings of African nations, but that he had "never... even discussed the possibility" of Nigeria hosting the new U.S. Africa Command (Africom). Responding to a question at a news conference in Cape Town, Yar'Adua said Nigeria's position on Africom had been subject to "a lot of misinformation... [and] confusion" since he met President George W. Bush in Washington DC last December. He said he had asked Bush to help the African Union establish its planned "Africa Standby Force" (ASF), to be used for peacekeeping, and to assist West African nations to set up a "Gulf of Guinea Guard Force" to secure their maritime security. He had asked for training, equipment and logistics, he said. Now that the U.S. had established a separate military command for Africa, military aid would come through that command, but there was no question of Nigeria hosting it. "People need to realize, the Africa Command is not to do with African nations agreeing to anything," Yar'Adua said. "It is a defense policy of the Defense Department of the United States."

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Africa: Japan-Africa Outcome 'Inadequate': Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 30 May 2008.

A key document emerging from the fourth round of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) has failed to address HIV/AIDS in the region, says a non-governmental organisation.

16 The three-day deliberations near Japan's capital Tokyo ended Friday with an agreement on three documents - the Yokohama Declaration, the Yokohama Action Plan, and the TICAD Follow-Up Mechanism. But the action plan fails to undertake a commitment to ensuring universal access to the prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS by 2010, the Africa Japan Forum says. The forum called on the Japanese government to review the action plan, and to show leadership at the G8 summit of the major industrial nations in Hokkaido in Japan Jul. 7 to 9. In view of the fact that Africa bears 80 percent of the global AIDS burden, G8 countries acknowledged the need to scale up the fight against AIDS by committing themselves to universal access to treatment by 2010 at the St. Petersburg G8 summit in July 2006.

"Yet the Yokohama Action Plan fails to address and fully support, through financial and technical means, the attainment of universal access by 2010," the Africa Japan Forum's Masaki Inaba told IPS. The Africa Japan Forum welcomed the fact that the action plan recognises the role of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. It also lauded the Japanese government's decision to spend 560 million dollars to fight AIDS in the coming years. But the forum says that the amount pledged "still falls far short of what Japan should be committing as the world's second largest economy, and based on increasing requests from countries requiring funding from the Global Fund." Although prevention is key to dealing with the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS, in generalised epidemic prone areas such as sub-Saharan Africa, prevention, treatment and care must all be strengthened, says the forum. The action plan spells out a wide range of activities to be undertaken in the next five years. These encompass strengthening of health systems in Africa, improvement of maternal and child health, and measures against infectious diseases. Commenting on the Africa Japan Forum criticism, a senior Japanese foreign ministry official said: "There has been a dialogue with the NGOs and there will be dialogue with them; they are very important members of the TICAD process, so they have had and will have a chance to put forward their ideas." "There is no antagonism between my government and the NGOs," Shigeyuki Hiroki, the deputy director-general for international cooperation at the foreign ministry told IPS. Hiroki said TICAD IV had confirmed the twin principles of African ownership of its development and partnership with the international community for development. These have guided the TICAD process since its inception in 1993. The meetings have been held every five years since then.A second highlight was the discussion on the high food prices. Japan will mark a "significant portion" of a new 100 million dollar global emergency food assistance package for Africa to help cushion the impact of surging food prices, the foreign ministry official said. A third highlight was that the African countries came to realise that global warming calls for urgent steps. President Jaykaya Kikwete of Tanzania, who is also president of the African Union, noted that Africa bears more than its fair share of the consequences while contributing the least to global warming."We salute the Japanese leadership in attaining a broad global consensus on a practical mechanism to follow up on the Kyoto Protocol, and applaud the creation by Japan of the 10 billion dollar Climate Change Fund," Kikwete said. He asked that Japan set aside a fixed percentage of the Fund for Africa. The action plan sets out TICAD priorities over the next five years: boosting economic growth, ensuring human security, including the achievement of the

17 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), consolidation of peace and good governance, and addressing environmental issues such as climate change.

• Africa: Critics Target U.S. Military Command: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 2 June 2008.

In just a few months, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) -- Washington's latest military oversight structure for the continent -- is expected to be fully operational. Streamlining the image of the command is proving every bit as demanding as putting personnel and equipment in place, however. Controversy has surrounded AFRICOM on both sides of the Atlantic since the start of the initiative, and appears unlikely to fade any time soon.

The fledgling command, set to be up and running by October, was announced by the Department of Defense in February 2007 as a new body to co-ordinate U.S. military and security interests on the continent; previously, these interests were managed by three regional commands. AFRICOM has been operating under the United States European Command since October 2007, for the transition.What officials portrayed as a simple organisational realignment, many African and U.S. observers saw as the start of an increased U.S. military presence in Africa to secure resources, check China's rising power and bolster counter-terrorism efforts.The United States imported nearly 21 percent of its petroleum from Africa in 2007 -- more than came from the Persian Gulf -- according to data from the Energy Information Administration, the United States' official source of energy statistics. The National Intelligence Council, a government think tank, estimates that figure will rise to 25 percent by 2015.

"There's a steady flow of African countries that are exploring (for) oil" that creates a "pull factor towards Africa and push factor away from the Middle East," said Emira Woods, co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus (FPIF), noting technological advances in offshore drilling and the discovery of new oil deposits in certain countries. These include Ghana, Mauritania and Chad.FPIF is a liberal think tank headquartered in Washington that has been vocal in its opposition to the command.China is now the world's second largest consumer of oil after the United States, and has aggressively expanded its presence in Africa to secure natural resources. In 2007 trade between China and Africa was valued at 73 billion dollars -- up substantially from two billion dollars in 1999 -- and is expected to hit 100 billion dollars by 2010, said Khalid Malik, the United Nations resident co- ordinator for China. His comments were made during a speech delivered in April at the China-Africa Business Forum, held in Tanzania.Vince Crawley, the head of public affairs for AFRICOM, acknowledged that oil is a motivating factor in creating the command, but said the potential for a direct role for the U.S. military in protecting oil supplies is greatly exaggerated. So too, he said, is the idea that the command would counter the efforts of China.

"I don't wake up thinking about how to counter China," Crawley observed. "If there are interests that are consistent, like good governance or security, there's no reason we (the United States and China) can't work together."

18 The establishment of AFRICOM is a more ominous development for other observers, such as those under the umbrella of 'Resist AFRICOM', a coalition against the command formed by U.S.- and Africa-based organisations. AFRICOM is described on the coalition's website as " a piece of a broader shift in U.S. foreign policy -- a foreign policy that places an emphasis on defense above diplomacy." The command has vigorously rejected such assertions. "What's happened with AFRICOM is it put the spotlight on the U.S. military in Africa, but it (the military) was there already. It's fairly boring and bureaucratic when you look at it," said Crawley.U.S. military officials initially indicated that AFRICOM would combine military assistance with humanitarian efforts, a novel role for a U.S. military command.However, this development left certain analysts more troubled than reassured. Beth Tuckey, associate director of Program Development and Policy at the Africa Faith and Justice Network, a Washington-based advocacy group, has concerns about " the blending of military and civilian agencies and the overreach of the Department of Defense" that she believes could be brought about by AFRICOM.

Woods, in turn, sees AFRICOM as "putting a velvet glove of humanitarian aid over the fist of the military."To others, these concerns are misplaced. "The Pentagon (the headquarters of the defense department) is not trying to take over other agencies. It's trying to learn from mistakes and trying to use AFRICOM as a test for better integration," said Mauro De Lorenzo of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-minded think tank in Washington.Still, the U.S. government has since minimised the humanitarian role the command will play, emphasising AFRICOM's involvement in military co-operation and downplaying associations with aid work.Ostensibly, the U.S. military will now focus on training African security forces to deal with terrorism and other concerns. This could, for example, enable the African Union's (AU) African Standby Force (ASF) to intervene more effectively in conflicts, or help Nigerian security forces prevent militants from disrupting oil flow in the troubled Niger Delta. But certain analysts have not ruled out the possibility of AFRICOM taking a more active part in the affairs of African countries."Sending in the Marines to ensure oil supply is the next logical step," said Daniel Volman, director of the African Security Research Project in Washington -- and the author of numerous articles on U.S. security policy and African security issues."The U.S. would very much prefer for Nigeria and other countries to handle this on their own, just like humanitarian disasters, but there's an understanding that that may not work."

Few welcome mats

The possibility of an AFRICOM headquarters on the continent has also proved controversial, even though, said Crawley, "Neither the U.S. Department of Defense nor U.S. Africa Command have asked any African nation to host any element of the command."African countries have apparently understood the headquarters to involve putting more U.S. troops on the ground, this despite AFRICOM envisaging the creation of an administrative centre.Even traditional U.S. allies like Ghana and Nigeria rejected hosting the headquarters, and several African states have publicly renounced the U.S. military presence in Africa, although they continued to collaborate with Washington on security programmes.Shehu Barde, a spokesman for the Nigerian embassy in

19 Washington, said Abuja would prefer that the U.S. instead support regional military co- operation initiatives, like the AU's ASF."Nigeria is not among the countries that have called for the physical presence of AFRICOM on its territory, but would certainly wish that going forward whatever decision prevails on the subject reflects the consensus of the African countries," he noted. For its part, the Southern African Development Community indicated in an August 2007 statement that "it is better if the United States were involved with Africa from a distance rather than be present on the continent."Some commentators were even more direct. "U.S. military involvement in Africa has historically proven inimical to the interests of the African people," said Ezekiel Pajibo, director of the Center for Democratic Empowerment (CEDE), citing U.S. support for Liberian dictator Samuel Doe in the 1980s and 1990s and recent U.S. backing of Ethiopian troops in Somalia. "It would be a disaster for any African country to host AFRICOM."CEDE is a non- governmental organisation that operates from the Liberian capital, Monrovia.

These views notwithstanding, Liberia said it would be willing to host the headquarters, an offer Washington never officially responded to but is believed to have declined because of widespread regional opposition to hosting AFRICOM, especially from Nigeria."The prevailing mood on the continent is to keep AFRICOM out," said Wafula Okumu, head of the African Security Analysis Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, based in the South African capital -- Tshwane. "Due to this overwhelming opposition, the U.S. has decided to host AFRICOM in Stuttgart for now."Camp Lemonier -- a 1,500-person outpost in Djibouti that was established in 2003 -- remains the sole U.S. military base in Africa.During his five-country tour of Africa in February, U.S. President George Bush found himself having to allay fears about U.S. military activities in Africa."I know there's rumours in Ghana, 'All Bush is coming to do is try to convince you to put a big military base here'," he told journalists in the Ghanaian capital, Accra."That's baloney." But then came a hint that AFRICOM may yet establish a centre on the continent: "That doesn't mean we won't develop some kind of office somewhere in Africa. We haven't made our minds up. This is a new concept."

• Africa: World Economic Forum on Africa Opens: The Herald (Harare): 6 June 2008.

The World Economic Forum on Africa began here yesterday with African leaders registering optimism that the continent was on a sustainable growth path despite challenges such as the global food crisis, climate change, power and energy shortages. Speaking during the opening session, South African President said Africa was moving in the right direction, with efforts to bring about peace and stability yielding positive results across the continent. "As Africans, we have the capacity to confront our challenges and I am convinced that the continent is moving in the right direction. The process of bringing peace to the continent is irreversible," he said.

Ghanaian President John Kufuor, who said Africa should tap into its natural resources such as mineral resources, fertile lands and human resources to improve people’s lives, echoed his sentiments. The discovery of more oil deposits would augur well for the continent. "Africa may actually hold more oil reserves than any other continent," he said.

20 Mr Kufuor challenged Africans to put into perspective the challenges left behind by the colonial system, saying no meaningful progress would be achieved without taking into account the effects of colonialism. "We need leaders who use history to look ahead. Our former masters will continue to divide and rule us if we are not careful," he said to much applause. "If we are not going to tackle our problems without doing an in-depth analysis of colonialism, then we will not go anywhere." Also present at the opening plenary was Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika, who said Africa was not a poor continent but that it was its people who were poor, a condition that could be transformed through investment in agriculture. With the right policies, Africa had the capacity to supply the rest of the world with food. "Let us turn things around. It will be Africans who will save the rest of the world from the food crisis. Virtually every crop can grow in this country," he said. Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza also emphasised the need for sustainable peace as a basis for socio-economic development. "If we do not have peace it is not possible to develop our continent," he said. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who differed with other leaders on the effects of colonialism on the African landscape, challenged African leaders to pursue effective solutions to the challenges bedevilling the continent. He said instead of aid, Africa needed to attract more foreign direct investment. More than 800 delegates are attending the forum, whose theme is "Capitalising on Opportunity". The meeting seeks to address the challenges that Africa must address if it is to become a global force. Its agenda is built around five pillars which are re- engineering growth, unfinished business, innovate or perish, partnership without borders and licence to lead. "Building on the tremendous progress Africa has made over recent years, opportunities abound despite existing obstacles. During our meeting in Cape Town, leaders will, therefore, focus on how to capitalise on these unparalleled opportunities in order to overcome the continent's seemingly complex challenges," said World Economic Forum managing director Mr Borge Brende.

• Africa: Japan Plans to Double Aid to Continent: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo):26 May 2008.

The Japanese government plans to provide African countries, over the next five years, with grants and soft loans amounting to over six billion US dollars. This pledge is to be formally announced by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda during the fourth Japan-Africa summit (TICAD) which begins in Yokohama on Wednesday. The Japanese government has invited Mozambican President Armando Guebuza to make the keynote speech at the summit, in the name of the entire African continent. Guebuza will be accompanied by a delegation that includes Foreign Minister Oldemiro Baloi, and the Ministers of Planning and development, Aiuba Cuereneia, of Public Works, Felicio Zacarias, of Science and Technology, Venancio Massingue, of Education, Aires Aly, and of the Environment, Alcinda Abreu. According to reports in the Japanese press, Japan plans to provide grants of 260 billion yen (about two billion dollars) for Africa, and will set up a fund of 415 billion yen, to sustain a line of credit that will finance a range of socio-development projects. The line of credit will be managed by the Japanese International Development Bank, and it will allow a doubling a Japanese investment in African development. The priority for this aid will be infrastructures such as roads, bridges, schools and hospitals.

21

EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Barack Obama is Africa's Talisman: The Nation (Nairobi): EDITORIAL: 8 June 2008.

Kenyans are celebrating Senator Barack Obama's success in the US Democratic Party nomination, not because they expect goodies from him if he becomes the most powerful leader in the world; they know there won't be any. At one level they are doing so because of a sense of kinship. His father was Kenyan, after all. But the bigger reason is that he is a role model for almost a billion black people in the world today who are used to coming last in everything important. The black race is the poorest, least powerful, most unhealthy, least hopeful of them all. One of the least acknowledged facts of life is that being black is not the easiest thing in the world. A black person carried the legacy of slavery, colonialism and, increasingly, the failure of Africa to quickly pull itself out of the mire of poverty, war, hunger, disease and ignorance. Even promising countries such as South Africa and our own have had their moments of madness. In their secret hearts, Africans see in Sen Obama's victory a confirmation that a black person can be anything he or she wants to be if they work hard enough and are smart and lucky enough. IN DIPLOMACY THEY TALK ABOUT THE "ripe moment," when all factors arrange themselves to suit a deal. Sometimes all it takes to arrange those factors into a ripe moment for the beginning of a brighter future is optimism and faith. And that is what Sen Obama has done for Africans.

• Africa: 40 Heads to Attend Tokyo Conference: New Vision (Kampala): 25 May 2008.

AT least 40 African Heads of State, including President Yoweri Museveni, have confirmed their attendance of the Tokyo International Conference on Development, which opens tomorrow. Japanese foreign ministry officials said their vice-presidents and prime ministers would represent other African countries. The conference is a platform initiated by Japan in 1993 to create a blue print for infrastructure development, among other things, in Africa. "We want to play a major role in Africa," said Shigeyuki Hiroki, the deputy director general in charge of International Cooperation, at a news conference on Thursday. Beleaguered Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe is not attending the summit, according to the foreign affairs ministry. The conference is expected to address the issues of how to boost economic growth in Africa, ensure human security by achieving the Millennium Development Goals and to consolidate peace and good governance. It will also address environmental issues related to climate change. Japan recently announced that it would double development assistance to African countries. Besides the talks, an exhibition, dubbed 'Africa Fair, 2008,' has been organised by the Japanese External Trade Organization for African countries, to showcase their products.

• Africa: Is Biofuel The Continent's New Oil?: Business Daily (Nairobi):4 June 2008.

22 Over-reliance on fossil fuels has long drained national budgets. Fuel prices are rising by the day and with little control over internationally determined prices, governments are seeking alternatives to meet the fuel needs of a rising urban population. African governments are increasingly looking to biofuel as a viable way to do this. According to Njeri Wamukonya, an energy expert with the UN Environment Programme, worldwide investment in bioenergy reached $21 billion last year. "Governments in developed and developing countries are putting in place bioenergy targets, with the main drivers being the energy security, climate change and development concerns," says Wamukonya. The European Union, for example, has announced that it targets its member states to generate at least ten per cent of their energy from biofuels by 2020.

Natural resources

This increased demand for biofuel provides a market opportunity for the South, with its available natural resources. For instance, Brazil was producing 33 per cent of the world's biofuel ethanol by the end of last year. African countries are keen on transforming their expansive farmlands into the next 'oil fields'. The choices of crop are diverse - from corn to rapeseed and jatropha. Liquid biofuels include biodiesel derived from plant oils and bioethanol made from sugarcane, maize and other starchy crops. Global production of biofuels consists primarily of ethanol. According to Cornelis van der Waal, an industry analyst with Frost & Sullivan - a South Africa-based consultation company providing advice on development policies - Africa has great biofuel potential due to its vast arable land and workforce. He says, "Africa is by no means a current participant in the biofuels race compared to the rest of the world, but could potentially become the most important contributor to alternative fuels." "The question is not so much on whether Africa is ready for a biofuel revolution, but rather can Africa afford to miss the biofuels opportunity?" Lagging behind in the biofuel race.

A pan-African ministerial meeting held in March this year in Maputo, Mozambique, marked a turning point. African ministers responsible for energy development in their countries announced a declaration committing to increased research in the development of renewable energy - notably biofuels. This has made many investors take a keen interest in the production of biofuels in Africa. However, energy analysts say that investment in Africa has failed to take note of basic research needed. Despite well- established national agricultural research centres across Africa, there is little research to improve crops to yield more ethanol and biodiesel. Van der Waal says that many African countries investigating biofuels, such as Kenya and Mozambique, do not currently have a large enough capacity for biofuels research. He adds that biofuels research in Africa is inadequately funded, with most of it coming from governments and conducted in universities. According to van der Waal, African countries should follow Brazil's lead, where both the government and the private sector conduct research, sustaining an ethanol industry for more than 20 years. He says one of the continent's strong points is its capacity to combine government and private research on biofuels, something it is not yet taking advantage of. Current biofuels research also focuses too much on increased production efficiency rather than quality products, he says, adding that there are opportunities for many other biofuel products and applications besides ethanol and

23 biodiesel. For instance, home-use fuel, such as paraffin, wood and coal, could be replaced by ethanol gel, made by mixing ethanol with a thickening agent and water. The gel fuel burns without smoke, and so does not cause respiratory problems associated with current fuels used in the home.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Africa: Kagame Calls for an Integrated Continent: The New Times (Kigali): 7 June 2008.

The ongoing 8th edition of the Leon H Sullivan summit has attracted international attention to the Tanzanian town of Arusha and crucial African issues like tourism, investment and unity are being discussed. The summit, an Olympic like ceremony for African humanitarian and development experts, was addressed by 6 African heads of state and leading influential US famous figures of African decent.

The visiting presidents came from Mauritius, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Mozambique and Burundi's Vice president Ivy Sayinguvu. President chose to emphasize the need for African countries to put in place effective and speedy integration measures so that they can boot their volume of trade among themselves and the international community. Africa's volume of trade amounts to a meagre 10 per cent between African nations and only 2 per cent of the total global commercial activity, the President explained.

Kagame repeated his call for more efficient regional blocks as an effective measure for Africa to increase domestic investment and spur economic growth and development. The President first called for cross border reforms in customs operations in a speech he presented to the Commonwealth Heads of State's meeting in Kampala in November 2007. He stated that Africa needs to adopt a new mindset and effect corrective and collective measures to move into value addition and achieving knowledge based economies. Productive activities on the continent will increase and Africans will become less dependent on conventional physical infrastructure, which in its current state is absurd, Kagame continued. The Eighth Leon Sullivan Summit, whose theme is "Tourism and Infrastructure Development", is focusing on education, investment, environmental sustainability, energy, infrastructure and tourism. It aims at advancing physical and economic infrastructure, especially power, transport and information technology through regional economic community discussions. Especially power, transport and information technology through regional economic community discussions. Kagame was also given the torch as the host of the next Sullivan summit to be held in Kigali in 2010. While Rwanda is assured of hosting the next Leon H Sullivan, the country's fate in regard to joining the Commonwealth is still in the balance. However, last week, there were reports of hope as a team of senior officials from the Commonwealth secretariat were in the country to asses Rwanda's readiness to join the 53 brotherhood of nations largely united by their historical ties to Great Britain. The team held discussions with Rosemary Museminali the minister of Foreign affairs. Rwanda applied to join the Commonwealth in 1994.

24 Hunger pains

The global food prices crisis continues to make headlines in the international press; last week however, it was about an interesting dimension. During the UN food summit held in Rome last week to discuss the increasing food prices all over the world, the arrival of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe was described as 'obscene' by a British minister. The Zimbabwean ruler is banned from travelling to many western countries and used the immunity of the UN to go to Rome, where it was also reported that his wife Grace Mugabe is addicted to shopping for designer clothes. This comes at a time when over 4 million Zimbabweans are starving because of the high inflation and an acute shortage of maize. Mugabe who is ruling a country currently devoid of food supplies addressed the summit saying his land reform policies which have caused his country a lot of suffering were part of his solution to provide more Zimbabweans with land so they can farm and be able to prevent famine. Mugabe suggested that he is a modern day Robin Hood for poor black Zimbabweans. In the conference itself, several world leaders stressed that western countries were largely responsible for the food crisis because they have imposed huge trade barriers between themselves and the poorer countries therefore thwarting agricultural growth. The barriers have ensured that farmers in developing countries do not have funds to access agricultural and animal fertilizers to increase production. It was also revealed that developed countries were dishing out incentives to their farmers to grow maize for biofuels like ethanol instead of food. For his part, UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon said, "If not handled properly, this issue could trigger a cascade of other crises - affecting economic growth, social progress, and even political security around the world." Measures to improve access to food for vulnerable people include expanding aid, boosting smallholder production and minimising export restriction and import tariffs, he added. In Rwanda, the police arrested several agricultural traders who are accused of creating a cartel to fix high prices for food stuffs while the government had abolished all taxes on agricultural produce.

16. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Burkina Faso: New Child Trafficking Law Hard to Enforce: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:4 June 2008.

The Burkina Faso government has passed a new law that increases jail terms for traffickers from a maximum of five to 10 years, but child protection experts fear this will not stop child-trafficking, which the ministry of social welfare says is rising.

"The law [passed on 15 May] will do something," Naba Jérémie Wangré, project manager at the Burkina Faso Red Cross told IRIN, "but punishing the crime is not the whole answer ... to combat it you need to commit more resources to it, and that takes political will."

Since 2000 the police have intercepted 6,000 children thought to have been trafficked in Burkina Faso, according to the ministry of social welfare and national solidarity, which

25 fears a sharp rise in activity. "All provinces of the country are now affected by trafficking," said Saidou Ouédraogo, director of child protection at the ministry. Most recently, 32 children who were allegedly being sent to Mali to become Koranic students were intercepted in late May 2008 by the ministry and the Burkina Faso Red Cross at Ouahigouya in the north of the country.

Trafficking hubs

Trafficking origination hubs include Boucle du Mouhoun in the west of Burkina Faso, the Sahel in the north, from where many children are sent to Mali, often supposedly to attend Koranic schools, and Tapoa and Gnagnan provinces in the east, from where children are sent to Benin, according to the government. Children are increasingly being smuggled into Cote d'Ivoire to work on plantations, partly because demand for labour has increased as the country stabilises after its civil conflict. "There is currently calm in Cote d'Ivoire, so some farmers are trying to rebuild the manpower they lost during the crisis when labour was so rare," Wangré told IRIN. According to a ministry of welfare study, minors from Niger and Ghana often end up working as prostitutes in bars in the urban areas of Burkina Faso.

Tougher law but hard to enforce

"The new law criminalises child trafficking and increases the penalties for traffickers to the maximum, with ten years in prison," said Ouédraogo. It also expands the definition of exploitative labour, which is central to defining trafficking, to include children forced to become street beggars or work as domestic labourers. Mathurin Bonzi, director of programmes at Save the Children Canada, an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), said the law would be difficult to enforce because traffickers were always developing new ways of evading attention. "Traffickers continually transform their approach by using less policed rural roads and new border crossing points, such as Ghana instead of Cote d'Ivoire," he commented. Children were also increasingly being trafficked within Burkina Faso to work in the mining and cotton-producing zones in the west, which made it easier for traffickers to avoid being caught. Ouédraogo noted that when it is necessary to cross borders, the eased restrictions on the movement of people and goods among the ECOWAS countries could also make the traffickers' lives easier. Wangré pointed out that in the rare instances when a case went to trial, traffickers were unlikely to be prosecuted because judges often assumed that parents had freely entrusted their children to live with relatives abroad, in the hope that they would find work opportunities. "Do not ask these children to stay within their families if they cannot have a daily meal. In this situation they will go, whatever the dangers may be," he told IRIN.

Regional problem, regional approach

While toughening up anti-trafficking laws, country by country, is one answer, child protection experts say agencies need to develop better ways of working together to combat trafficking across borders. Save the Children Canada is pushing to set up a regional inter-agency group to fight trafficking in Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Cote

26 d'Ivoire and Ghana; the Burkina Faso Red Cross works with its fellow Red Cross branches across the region to intercept children who have been trafficked, and reunite them with their families. Such models could work well with the ECOWAS working group on child trafficking, through which countries pool resources to monitor cross- border trafficking, but other groups think the problem will only diminish if all the parties involved - parents, transporters, police forces and even children themselves - change their mindset and realise how high the risks are. This will not be easy. "Even when we reunite children," said Wangré, "many of them will voluntarily return to their trafficked destination when they realise they cannot find a better alternative."

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Pressure Mounts On Mugabe Over Violence: Zimbabwe Standard (Harare): 7 June 2008.

PRESSURE is mounting on President Robert Mugabe to cease immediately the relentless assault on dissenting voices ahead of this month's Presidential run-off election. Mugabe has been called upon to stop human rights abuses and allow United Nations observers into the country to monitor the run-off. The police, virtually shutting the door on a free and fair election, has banned MDC campaign rallies for the 27 June election. The MDC has said at least 65 of its supporters have been murdered since the 29 March elections, while more than 25 000, among them 10 000 children, have been displaced. Mugabe is denying opposition supporters food while aid agencies have been banned in what observers say is an attempt to use food assistance as bait for votes. Last week's detention and harassment of diplomats from the United States and Britain and the assault of a driver in Bindura by police and Zanu PF militia have given rise to condemnation from the international community. Both the US and British governments are furious over the incident in which five US and two British diplomats were detained for several hours at a police roadblock. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the incident "outrageous behaviour". Already Washington has raised the issue at the UN Security Council and protested strongly to the government, saying the incident underlined the harassment ordinary Zimbabweans faced every day. But Zanu PF spokesperson for elections Patrick Chinamasa said the government was "not shaken" by the uproar because there was no basis for the US to appeal to the UN as Zimbabwe was the "aggrieved" party. "Zimbabwe is actually the victim and complainant in an issue of extreme provocation by the US and UK diplomatic officers who have appointed themselves campaign managers for the opposition," he said. Chinamasa alleged the diplomats were seen distributing opposition campaign material for MDC-Tsvangirai in Bindura and refused to heed to police orders to stop at a roadblock.

US President George W Bush has called on international bodies to quickly send monitors and observers to Zimbabwe. "We urge the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union, the United Nations, and other international organisations to blanket the country with election and human rights monitors immediately," said Bush in a statement. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the detention of diplomats "mirrors the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans", who suffer intimidation and brutality of

27 Mugabe's regime on a daily basis. "It's a window into lives that in some cases are marked by brutal intimidation, by torture and, in fifty three cases that have been documented over the last few weeks, by death," he said. He said the world continued to "watch" the situation in Zimbabwe and stressed need for SADC countries and international bodies to monitor the elections. "And it's very important that the international community plays its role by ensuring that for the election on 27 June there are international monitors, properly accredited, who are able to ensure that despite the ravages in Zimbabwe at the moment ... there is an election that allows the democratic will of the Zimbabwean people to be heard loud and to be heard clear," Miliband said. On Friday, Tsvangirai was detained by the police for the second time in a week, blocking him from a campaign rally in Matabeleland. The MDC leader beat Mugabe in the March election but failed to win the majority needed to avoid a second ballot. South Africa President Thabo Mbeki, the SADC mediator on the Zimbabwe crisis, last week quickly intervene by contacting the government upon hearing Tsvangirai's detention, to ascertain the circumstances of the arrest. On the arrest of Tsvangirai in Matabeleland, Chinamasa said the MDC leader must abide by the country's laws. "He cannot travel in unregistered vehicles carrying youths with banned weapons. The police have an obligation to stamp out violence," said Chinamasa, who accused MDC of political violence. Bush has expressed concern over Mugabe's politicisation of food, after a ban on all non-governmental organisations from operating in the country, alleging they were campaigning for MDC. "We also are concerned by reports that misguided government policies are projected to result in one of the worst crop harvests in Zimbabwean history," said Bush European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, expressed concern over the food aid ban in a country where over four million people are surviving on food handouts "This ban must be lifted right away," Michel said. "I am deeply distressed to think that hundreds of thousands of people who depend on aid from the European Commission and others for their very survival now face an even more uncertain future. It is essential that relief workers be given unrestricted and secure access so they can provide assistance to the most vulnerable."

EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Landmine Survivors Welcome Ban On Cluster Bombs: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:4 June 2008.

Landmine survivors and campaigners in Uganda have welcomed the approval of a new comprehensive treaty to ban cluster bombs.

"As people who have been on the forefront of this campaign, we see the approval of the treaty as a major breakthrough and we pray that countries stick to the treaty," Margaret Arach, the chairperson of the Uganda Landmine Survivors Association, told IRIN on 3 June. On 30 May, after 10 days of intense negotiations at the Dublin Diplomatic Conference in Ireland, some 110 countries approved a treaty banning the usage, production or transfer of cluster bombs. However, countries such as the United States, and China opposed the treaty saying the bombs were useful on the battlefield. Arach said the bombs had killed and maimed many civilians and the ban was a "real" victory for humanity.

28 "Whoever is opposing the treaty is totally against the existence of the human race," she said. "Some of us lost our body parts to such deadly bombs and cannot regain them."

Cluster munitions or cluster bombs are air-dropped or ground-launched and eject a number of smaller sub-munitions (bomblets). The most common types are intended to kill enemy personnel and destroy vehicles. The treaty establishes a deadline for the destruction of all existing stocks of the weapons, and has since been hailed by thousands of campaigners around the world within the Cluster Munitions Coalition (CMC), a network of civil society organisations. The coalition says the treaty is as historical as the ban on anti-personnel landmines over a decade ago. It says cluster munitions were used in the northern Uganda war between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces in Gulu. However, the army spokesperson, Paddy Ankunda, denied that the army had used the bombs during the war, saying it was aware of their consequences. Ankunda said that the bombs being collected in northern Uganda were used by the LRA. This, however, could not be confirmed but reports indicate the LRA had initially been better armed than the Ugandan army, sourcing many of its weapons from Sudan. Whoever is opposing the treaty is totally against the existence of the human race.Piloya Monica, a victim of cluster bombs in northern Uganda and also chairperson of the Northern Uganda Landmine Survivors, said a number of people in northern Uganda were still vulnerable to the bombs in their villages of resettlement. "There are cases of so many unexploded bombs in villages where people are returning. [The] government should live up to its commitment of clearing these areas so that people are safe," she said. Monica added: "As victims in northern Uganda we are happy that our call is being taken seriously and we hope that there will be no [more] victims of such bombs in the future." Campaigners say cluster munitions do not distinguish between military targets and civilians so the humanitarian impact can be extreme. According to the CMC, 34 countries have produced more than 210 types of cluster munitions, while 14 states have used the weapons in at least 30 countries and territories. Of the 76 countries that have stockpiles of cluster munitions, 13 are African countries, according to the Coalition. Cluster bombs were first used in the Second World War and most of them were air- dropped, ground- or submarine-launched to release millions of bomblets. Cluster munitions are usually used to force suppression, destroy material and also block personnel movement.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Kenya Dragging Feet in Kabuga Hunt, UN Told: The Nation (Nairobi):6 June 2008.

Kenya is not doing enough to apprehend a Rwandan accused of crimes against humanity, the UN Security Council has been told. Mr Hassan Jallow, a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, said in a report to the council that while the Kenyan Government recently froze assets of one of Mr Kabuga's properties, "nothing else appeared to have been done." Kenya must now conduct an active search for Mr Kabuga, who has been seen several times in the country, Mr Jallow said. He suggested that the Security Council press Kenya to "urgently fulfil" its international obligations to cooperate in the hunt for the alleged orchestrator of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Mr Jallow's

29 concerns were echoed on Wednesday by US ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad, who said he was "troubled" by reports that Kenya is not cooperating adequately in the search for Mr Kabuga.There is documentary evidence of Mr Kabuga's entry into Kenya in 1994 as well as the issuance to him of a Kenya resident visa and a business permit, Mr Jallow told the council.

• Burundi: Military Court Refuses to Try Muyinga Massacre Suspects: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne):3 June 2008.

Military Court gathered since Monday to try alleged authors of the Muyinga massacres which occurred in the military camp near Mukoni ,northern Burundi, in September 2006, declared that it did not have jurisdiction to proceed with the case because of presence of discharged soldiers among the defendants. Twenty four soldiers and former servicemen are accused of murder of about 30 persons allegedly belonging to the opposition.They were arrested in September 2006.However, only 14 accused were present before the tribunal.The President of Tribunal, Colonel Leonidas Nkurunziza, said the decision took into consideration the constitution, penal code and code reorganizing the jurisdiction of military tribunals.It is alleged that the victims were murdered and later hurled into nearby Ruvubu River.The key architect of the alleged killings, Colonel Vital Bangirimana, who was then commander, has already fled the country since November and was sought under an international arrest warrant.According to the President of Association for Promotion of human and Prisoner Rights (APRODH), Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, only the International Criminal Court (ICC) was an appropriate body to try the case. Mbonimpa said that he was disappointed the way in which the case proceeded. "The national courts are unable to try the case, it is necessary to transfer it to ICC...we request its intervention", he said.

17. REFUGEES, MIGRATION AND IDPs

WEST AFRICA • South Africa: Xenophobia - Mbeki Apologises to Yar’Adua: This Day (Lagos): 4 June 2008.

South African President, Thabo Mbeki yesterday apologised to President Umaru Yar'Adua over the recent wave of xenophobic uprising targeted at Nigerians and other foreign nationals resident in his country.

Also yesterday, Nigerian and South African governments agreed to set up a team consisting of business people who are familiar with business conditions in both countries to assist in removing obstacles preventing the growth of Nigerian businesses in South Africa. Mbeki tendered his apology while holding talks with President Yar'Adua in Cape Town. Yar'Adua is on a three-day state visit to South Africa. The South African president said: "We extend an unreserved apology to the president with regard to these attacks that have taken place in some parts of our country, attacks against other Africans particularly." He said his government was "opposed to any manifestation of any xenophobia amongst our people. We are quite determined to make sure we protect the security of everybody but are also very, very keen that the process of the reintegration of

30 displaced people within communities from which they came is done as quickly as possible. Many of our communities are already indicating interest that the displaced people should return", he said." While responding, Yar'Adua expressed concerns about the uprisings that few weeks ago dislocated Nigerian businesses, and displaced the country's nationals.

"Nigeria expresses our deep concerns not only to the victims of the xenophobic attacks, but also to the government and people of South Africa because we have experienced these issues over the past and we know that hardly are these kind of issues spontaneous," he said. Yar'Adua also commended Mbeki for heeding the international call for the deployment of soldiers whose intervention eventually contained the uprising. He said Mbeki had made a determined effort to "put a stop to the situation," and lauded his decision to deploy the army to the streets to bring the violence under control. "It is important for authorities to stand firm and uphold the principles that will guide community relations and reject this kind of behaviour and this the South African government has done", he said. The two leaders also agreed on strengthening economic and political ties between the two countries. Mbeki confirmed that "Nigeria has the largest number of bilateral agreements with South Africa, more than any other country on the continent and probably around the world."

Mbeki, who has been facing hard times at home, added that economic development between the two countries was a prime goal. He also said it was important to promote greater investment by Nigerian companies in South Africa, which already has many businesses operating in Nigeria. Supporting his counterpart, Yar'Adua called his visit a "watershed" for relations between the two nations, stating that the duo could together promote African growth and development. However, yesterday's parley between the two leaders and their delegations also centred on how to create conditions conducive for the growth of Nigerian businesses in South Africa. In a joint press conference after the meeting, Mbeki said though Nigeria has the largest bi-lateral agreements with South Africa than any other country, the challenge has always been the implementation.He said both governments have agreed to strengthen the implementation apparatus and erase the challenges that have militated against agreements signed.

"We hold the view that it is very important to strengthen this partnership between Nigeria and South Africa in the interest of both countries and the continent. We also believe both countries have a positive impact on the development of the continent. Nigeria has the largest bi-lateral agreements with South Africa than any other country but one of the obstacles have been the implementations of these agreements."We are concerned to deepen the relationship in the area of economy which will include investments in each other's country. We are interested in seeing Nigerian businesses more active in South Africa."The South African government is very interested in opening the space because as you know there are many South African businesses in Nigeria and this is good."The team to be set up is made up of business people from Nigeria and South Africa that will be familiar with the business conditions of each country so that they can assist in unlocking the things that are blocking better trade between the two countries. "South African government will look at elements in terms of regulations that might be blocking the

31 intervention and participation of Nigerian companies in South African economy", he said. The South African President said the business group will focus on ensuring increased investment by investors from both countries and would find ways of addressing the challenge of implementing the numerous agreements entered into."We have put in place necessary processes that tend to encourage business partnership between the two countries. This will drive the common challenges of addressing the economic development of both countries", he said.Responding, President Yar'Adua said the economic, political, social and cultural cooperation which exist between both countries would be further strengthened through strategic partnership. "We will continue to cooperate in the economic, political fronts. We will continue with a high powered delegation visit to ensure a very active bi-national commission. This commission met a fortnight ago in Abuja and will continue to meet annually on a regular basis with the various sub-committees to consider all aspect of this partnership, to work out various frameworks, agreements and details of implementation of agreements signed".

While fielding questions from the media, President Yar'Adua used the opportunity to reiterate that Nigeria has never supported the establishment of the United States African Command (AFRICOM) on Nigerian soil."Nigeria has never agreed to host Africom. I had asked President Bush on my visit to the United States of America with respect to Africom, that what we need is for the US to assist the AU to establish the African standby force and to assist the Gulf of Guinea nations establish the Gulf of Guinea Guard Force. "Africom is part of US defence policy and has nothing to do with us. There are about four other commands like the Pacific Command, the European Command and the Middle East Command and now there is African command. "Whatever assistance expected is by training, supply of equipments and logistics to assist the AU establish the African Standby force consisting of a brigade in each of the regional groupings. We have a proposal to establish a Gulf of Guinea Force to enable the Gulf of Guinea nations see to the maritime security of our countries and that is what I asked President Bush to do", he said.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Dilemma for Citizens Hated in South Africa And Neglected At Home: The Nation (Nairobi):4 June 2008.

The killing of 62 foreigners, including about 12 Zimbabweans, in xenophobic attacks in South Africa shocked the world. Somalis demonstrate outside Parliament in Cape Town against recent xenophobic attacks. But even more shocking was that, just days after reports of the killings, many Zimbabweans were still ready to go to South Africa. From as early as 5am., people braved the cold, waiting for permits to go to South Africa. And as they waited, some discussed the chilling experiences their countrymen had undergone in Johannesburg, and Cape Town. "We are not deterred by the gory details of how our country men were killed. Even here we are killing each other, so what is there to fear?" asked Nelson Mwatse, 40. "We are starving and our neighbours are our only hope. If there is nothing they can do about our political situation, we do not think buying food from their country is too much to ask," added Jane Chari.

32 Feed daughters

Another man said that since he started buying food from South Africa for resale at home, he had been able to feed his wife and two daughters. "It does not make sense work in Zimbabwe because you do not make enough for accommodation in the worst suburbs in Harare. We are willing to take the risk in South Africa." The traders who crowd around Zimbabwe's popular bus station where foreign bound buses park were not deterred by reports of the bloody attacks either.

"What is left for us here when we cannot even choose our leaders? This is our life now. We spend a lot of time on the long trip to South Africa. Travelling on these buses is risky, but if we don't, we'll still die," said Tafara Sibanda, as he waited for a bus to Johannesburg on Saturday. Sibanda, a professional boiler maker, said he quit his job because of poor pay and had worked in South Africa briefly but could not continue because of the hostility of his South Africans, who accused him of refusing to join them whenever they took to industrial action to press for a pay rise. "Now I go there only to buy electrical tools and food to sell here," he said. But this is not the first time Zimbabweans have been the target of attacks in a neighbouring country. The Batswana have long complained about Zimbabweans, whom they accuse of invading their country. Since the economic melt-down in Zimbabwe, thousands have flocked to Botswana, with many in the country illegally forced to do odd jobs to survive. When they are arrested, they are rounded up, beaten up by chiefs, then sent back home. "Cases of Zimbabweans being murdered in Botswana are rare. They only occur in farming areas where many work as herdsmen and are paid paltry salaries, but they cannot demand more in case their employers inform the police and they get arrested. Life in Botswana is tough, but it's not worse than in Zimbabwe," said Titus Chokuda in Mbare as he waited for a bus to Francistown. In much of southern Africa, Zimbabweans are reputed to be hard working and intelligent. Botswana, and South Africa - which will host the 2010 World Cup - could benefit from their labour. But Chengetai Moyo, a nurse who worked in South Africa before moving to Botswana, said some foreign professionals in these countries see Zimbabweans as a threat to their own career prospects. "We are not welcome. South Africa has been tightening its visa requirements for Zimbabweans in the past two years and there are indications that Botswana might soon introduce visas. We persevere these hardships and harassment because it is the only way we can look after our families while we hope that the situation in our country will change," she explained. "Bread now costs Z$400 million and a kilogramme of beef meat Z$2 billion. There is no mealie-meal in the shops and workers cannot survive on their salaries," Moyo added.

Zimbabweans, as well as other foreigners, were accused of engaging in crime, and also of taking jobs meant for the local people. The Zimbabwe government has not condemned the attacks, although President Mugabe invited those abroad to return home and be given land. Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Mumbengegwi said last week that the Government had sent vehicles to transport those injured in the xenophobic attacks home."We are shocked that the government does not see that it has forced its own people to become refugees, which puts their lives at risk. More Zimbabweans will sacrifice their lives for survival because what they are asking for in South Africa is what they have been denied

33 at home - the right to life," political analyst Dr Stewart Zhomwe said. Estimates put the number of Zimbabweans in South Africa at 3 million, many of them there illegally or using fake work permits. According to the Zimbabwean immigration office, up to 1,000 illegal settlers are deported from South Africa every week, but half of them find their way back using illegal means. The Zimbabwe-South Africa border at Beitbridge is porous, with many possibly entry points, including swimming across the crocodile infested Limpopo River. Many Zimbabweans shop at Musina, a small town closer to the border.

"We just buy what we need and return home. We mean no harm to South Africans; we are desperate people as the shelves in all our supermarkets are empty," said Rosina Gumbo, a trader from Harare. She said some business people had been buying cars from South Africa and selling them back home but business had become difficult due to the heavy duties now imposed at the Zimbabwean border. Ms Gumbo said some victims of the attacks in South Africa whom they met on the bus back home had indicated they would not to return home. "They said they will try their luck in Zambia or Malawi," she said Ms Gumbo said South Africans were not happy with the bulk buying by Zimbabweans, claiming it was pushing up the prices of basic commodities. However, as the country prepares for a presidential run-off elections on June 27, many Zimbabweans are urging those who fled to return home and help bring the country back on course by voting. "Leaving the country is not a solution to the mess we are in. It will only result in poor voter turn-out," Dr Zhomwe said. The ruling party, Zanu PF launched its presidential run-off campaign last week, with 84-year-old President Mugabe telling his supporters to hit back if attacked by opposition supporters.

Mugabe, who appeared frail just before the March 29 elections, this time appeared healthier and strongly warned against any interference by Western countries, especially Britain and the US. He also threatened to expel the American ambassador, James McGee, who was recently summoned by Mr Mumbengegwi regarding his visit to victims of violence 40 kilometres outside Harare. Elsewhere, immigrant leaders in South Africa said that thousands of refugees frustrated at miserable living conditions were on the point of retaliating against a wave of xenophobic attacks. Tens of thousands of immigrants have been forced to take refuge at temporary shelters around the country after mobs began attacking migrants in squatter camps three weeks ago. "The tension is there, already, for a war," Deo Kabemba Bin Ngulu, a refugee leader from the Democratic Republic of Congo, told reporters.

Human rights groups have condemned the conditions in the tented refugee camps set up to house the displaced, with freezing temperatures at night and the threat of disease. "They are terrorised, they are traumatised ... and some of them (can) resort to violence because they think, now, everywhere is violence," said Somali businessman Hoosein Omar. The large Somali community in Cape Town, South Africa's second biggest city and top tourist attraction, has been a particular focus of anger from poorer residents of the city, who accuse the migrants of stealing their jobs. Hundreds of mostly Somali traders marched to parliament in Cape Town on Monday to protest against the anti-immigrant attacks.

34 "We are African. We are from this soil. I am not a foreigner ... and this soil is Africa," Abdul Kadir Karakoos, a Somali leader in Cape Town, told reporters. He said 600 Somalis had been killed in anti-immigrant violence in South Africa since 2002. More than 50,000 Mozambicans and Zimbabweans have returned home because of the unrest, which has now subsided. The violence started in a Johannesburg township on May 11 before spreading to other cities, with mobs wielding machetes and axes driving migrants from their homes. The medical humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders, said facilities for displaced refugees were inadequate.

EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: 424 Back From South Africa: The Nation (Nairobi): 4 June 2008.

A total of 424 Kenyans fleeing anti-foreigner attacks in South Africa have been brought back into the country. Foreign Affairs assistant minister Richard Onyonka said those who had returned would be issued with return air tickets to allow them to go back when the situation stabilises. He was speaking during the opening of a regional workshop on the Great Lakes region. He ruled out rehabilitation of the Kenyans in the form of employment. He said discussions between Kenya and South Africa over compensation of victims of the attacks had started.

Last batch

The last batch of about 100 people was expected in the country yesterday aboard a Kenya Airways flight. The assistant minister asked Kenyans in South Africa to report to the Kenyan high commission if they want to come home. "We have sent money to help bring back Kenyans who feel that South Africa is unsafe," he said. There were reports that some Kenyans had stayed behind to monitor the situation rather than return home. The orgy of xenophobic attacks started in Johannesburg's Alexandra township on May 11 and spread to cities such as Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town. The violence left 50 dead and nearly 30,000 displaced.

• • Somalia: Immigrant Boat Missing in Libyan Waters: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 5 June 2008.

Reports from Libya say that up to 60 Somali people are missing following they traveled with rickety boat from coast of Libya to Italia sources said. The boast has left from Libya on the fifth of May where waves of winds were thrashing the tides of the full shark sea. Its yet unknown where the missed boat about. One of the immigrant's traffickers who declined to disclose his name told Shabelle by phone from Libyan capital Tripoli that 100% the missing immigrants are drowned.

Some of reasons behind the drowning of these people were reported is that they traveled to the sea was getting higher tides. "They left as the blustery weather was beating the sea" the trafficker said. The missing and deadly sea voyages of the Somalis comes as More

35 than one hundred Somali immigrants traveling with rickety timber boats from Libya have started en route for Italy as more than 70 Somalis died after came to blows in the sea according to the survivors. Speaking to Shabelle radio by phone as he was onboard a boat on their way to italy one of the immigrants that is to say Yusuf Osman has declared that a boat aboard by more than 120 passengers has capsized after two Somali immigrants men have battled/punched in the boat that caused the boat to weigh down on one side and rolled over when most of the voyagers entirely stood up.

"I am now onboard boat with anticipation that I will safely touch down in Italy" Yusuf said in the interview as the phone speaker could be heard the sound of the sea's wave and tides. He also declared that there are hundreds of Somalis have additional plights in Libyan prisons those are committed to different abuses by Libyan prison guards. Else where Somali woman gave birth aboard a vessel carrying 38 illegal immigrants from North Africa to Italy on Thursday. The immigrants included seven women and were rescued by a coast guard vessel, 13 nautical miles south of Lampedusa off the coast of Sicily. The immigrants arrived after the Italian cabinet a number of new hardline measures to police asylum seekers and other immigrants. Also in the last weeks 92 immigrants, mostly Somalis, were rescued by the Italian coast guard from two different vessels after they called for help on a satellite phone. Thousands of illegal immigrants make the dangerous sea voyage from North Africa to Italy and other southern Mediterranean countries each year, in search of a better life. It's too early to say whether immigrants will be deterred by the tough new Italian 'security package' designed to combat crime and illegal immigration. Among the provisions approved by the cabinet is a measure in which an illegal immigrants would be considered criminals and therefore face prison terms of up to four years. The provision would also make it easier to expel illegal immigrants, and crack down on abuse of the asylum system. Italian authorities will also be able to detain immigrants in temporary centres for up to 18 months and conduct DNA tests on immigrants who want to join their relatives to make sure only close family members enter Italy. In April, more than 1,000 North Africans and some Somalis reached the island of Lampedusa, south-west of Sicily. Lampedusa is a tiny island that is closer to Africa than the European continent and a favourite drop off point for immigrant smugglers. One of the worst tragedy of Somalis has happened after May Allah bless them more than 13 somalis including women died after their boat capsized in the last week at Italian coast. Teary tributes were paid in Rome to 13 Somali immigrants who died at sea in a desperate attempt to reach Europe's shores. Hundreds of mourners filed past their coffins, laid out in front of Rome's city hall, paying last respects to the unnamed men and woman who sought better life but fell victims to cold and hunger instead at sea. Survivors of the nightmarish 16-day voyage, rescued last Sunday by Italian coastguards, said about 50 more corpses had been dumped at sea. "I am crying for my brothers," said on Somali mourner. About 150 Somali immigrants and several hundred other mourners stood in somber silence as 13 hearses arrived one by one and city officials placed the coffins on a raised platform.

Shock

36 The tragedy has traumatized many Italians and Rome responded with a formal ceremony to honour the dead at a vast square that was once the heart of the Roman empire."I came to express compassion with these people who fled their homeland in search of a better life only to find suffering and death," an elderly Roman woman said, crying and making the sign of the cross. Many Somali woman covered their faces in their headscarves, while others held high their national flag.

Deaths

At least 12 other African immigrants have died in two other shipwrecks off Italy in march, prompting shrill calls for granting safe passage to immigrants. Italy's government has enacted tough legislations to discourage immigrants from sneaking in. But unmindful of the lurking dangers, rickety old boats are still leaving Tunisia and Libya on a regular basis, packed with immigrants and heading straight for Italy's shores. Many of those on board, like the 13 Somalis, never make it.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Thousands Displaced After Rebel Attacks: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:5 June 2008.

Up to 5,000 people have been displaced following a Rwandan rebel attack on two civilian camps in a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo province of North Kivu, a humanitarian official said. "The Force armées pour la libération du Rwanda (FDLR) attacked two camps in Kinyando [on 4 June] where the residents of a neighbouring village had sought refuge after fleeing fighting between the FDLR and the Congolese army," Col. Jean-Paul Dietrich, a spokesperson for the United Nations Mission in the DRC (MONUC) said. Kinyando is located 70 km north of Goma, the main town in the province.

At least six people were killed and another 14 injured in the attack which displaced between 2,000 and 5,000 people, Dietrich said. The rebel atack was in reaction to military operations launched by the DRC's armed forces against Rwandan rebels in the villages, he said. The special representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC, Alan Doss, along with US and European Union representatives in the region condemned the "terrorist" acts against the civilian population. A team had also been sent to the area to assess the situation. Following increased security after the attacks, some of the displaced people had begun returning to the village, Dietrich said. The attack took place at a time when the government and two small Rwandan Hutu rebel groups were awaiting the implementation of a roadmap for their disarmament and demobilisation. The roadmap was announced in the town of Kisangani in late May. The FDLR declined did not participate in the Kisangani process and has disowned the roadmap.

18. HEALTH MATTERS (HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, TB)

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Ogun Seals 13 Drug Firms: Vanguard (Lagos): 6 June 2008.

37 OGUN State Government yesterday said it had sealed-off 13 pharmaceutical companies and 25 patent medicine stores in the last one year for operating illegally. The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abiodun Oduwole, said that the action was carried out by the inspection unit of the ministry, in collaboration with the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria. She said the pharmaceutical companies and stores were sealed for illegal operation and unethical practices. The Health Commissioner, Oduwole, said 210 patent medicine shop owners were advised to relocate their shops to meet the requirement for registration. She said that 77 community Pharmacies were recommended for registration/renewal, while 1,210 patent medicine shops were approved and licensed to operate. The commissioner said there had been an increased interaction at the community level with licensed patent medicine vendors and that the development had helped in ensuring quality pharmaceutical care in the state. She also said that drugs worth N815,720 were confiscated for various reasons. On drug abuse, she said that the Drug Abuse Control Committee in the ministry had established Drug Free Club in some secondary schools to curb the menace among adolescents.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Funds Sought to Train New Category of Health Worker: Business Day (Johannesburg):5 June 2008.

The health department is lobbying the treasury to increase its funding over the next three years to help pay for the training of a new category of healthcare workers ranked midway between a nurse and a doctor, called "clinical associates". The department hopes these staff, along with new mid-level categories for other disciplines such as pharmacy and physiotherapy, will help alleviate the skills shortages facing hospitals and clinics. The department has already secured donor funding from the World Health Organisation (R4,7m), the European Union (R15m), the US Centres for Disease Control, and the British government's international development department (R4,6m) to train the first 23 clinical associates, who were enrolled at the Walter Sisulu University in January. More students are due to start training at the Universities of Limpopo, Pretoria and the Witwatersrand once funding has been finalised. The universities are expected to enrol 76 students between them. According to the health department, it will provide students with bursaries, textbooks and a living allowance. It will finance improvements to the infrastructure needed to implement the programme. Ultimately, funding of the programme will be taken over by the provinces, said Health Minister Manto TshabalalaMsimang, who spoke about the initiative at a healthy lifestyles awareness event in Guguletu. She urged schoolchildren to get plenty of exercise.

EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA

• Kenya: Obel Claims Discovery of Another Aids Drug: The Nation (Nairobi): 6 June 2008.

Controversial Kenyan scientist Arthur Obel Thursday claimed he had yet again discovered a drug for HIV and Aids. Making the announcement in Mombasa in an exclusive interview, Prof Obel said his new drug, named OSCean could reduce an

38 infected person's viral load to zero. "The drug shall be launched on the 16th of June in Nairobi, and the initial treatments shall be offered free of charge for as long as the stocks can last," said Prof Obel, soon after opening the Third East African Project Management Summit at the Sarova Whitesands. But Medical Services assistant minister Danson Mungatana asked Prof Obel to immediately take the drug to be tested for efficacy by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board. "This is the procedure that all drugs in our market are expected to follow before they are put on the market," Mr Mungatana said. Speaking on telephone, Mr Mungatana said it was "impossible" at this stage to state whether the new drug works, until testing was carried out by professionals.

More potent

OSCean is the fourth drug the Aids researcher has come up with, terming each subsequent discovery more potent than the previous one. It comes four years after Compound Q27 and 11 years after Pearl Omega, which was banned by the authorities.

• Uganda: New Anti-Malaria Product Tested: New Vision (Kampala): 5 June 2008.

MALARIA could be wiped out in Uganda if the Government approves the use of non- toxic natural plant extracts that have been proved to be effective in the fight against the disease in Egypt and South Africa. "We have sent our proposals to the Ministry of Health and National Environment Management Authority for approval. We want the project to be included in the national plan to eradicate malaria," said Dr. Walid A. Aly, the project manager of the Innovative Research and Development. "The vectors, which will be developed in laboratories, kill the larvae of mosquitoes that cause malaria. They are friendly to the environment," Walid, who holds a PhD in immunology and genetic engineering, told The New Vision that the $20m (sh34b) project was only awaiting government approval to kick off.

"This is the first project of this kind to be implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa. Uganda was chosen because of the type of mosquitoes found here and their breeding habits. If the project is implemented, malaria will be reduced by 80% in four years." He said the technique was the outcome of intensive research that was conducted in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, in 1996. Dr. Grace Nambatya, the head of the national chemotherapeutic laboratory in Wandegeya, Kampala, said tests had proved that the product was effective in breaking the breeding cycle of mosquitoes without causing any harm to the environment. "We have tested the product, which is extracted from plants and found it to be effective. It is a breakthrough in the fight against malaria," she said recently.

Malaria accounts for 40% of out-patients and 20% of in-patients in hospitals in Uganda. To fight the disease, the Government started indoor spraying of DDT in Oyam and Apac districts in April after the World Health Organisation warned of an increase in malaria and the Rift Valley fever due to increasing temperatures because of global warming. Other 15 endemic districts will also be sprayed, according to the director general of health services, Dr. Sam Zaramba. However, environmentalists and other people who are

39 against the use of DDT, like Conservative Party leader, John Ken Lukyamuzi, claim the chemical damages the human brain and causes cancer in the liver.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Expert Blames Aids, Ebola to Bush Meat: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 6 June 2008.

Consumption of bush meat may have fuelled the emergence of viral diseases including HIV/Aids and Ebola, among people in the Congo basin, a scientist warned yesterday. Dr John B. Flynn, director of Usaid-supported Central Africa regional programme for the environment said there is evidence that HIV has been transmitted to humans by wild chimpanzees, one of the most hunted animals inthe Congo basin.

He told the last session of the 8th Sullivan Summit that medical researchers were concerned that bush meat trade could not only eliminate primate pupulations in the area, but could also spread HIV/Aids. Ebola, monkey fox and related hemorrhagic fevers.

He said although some populations of wild chimpanzees tolerated closely-related SIV virus with few harmful effects, medical researchers were concerned that bush meat trade would eliminate the endangered chimpanzees and other primates. Should that happen, the potentially invaluable information that could have been provided by the on-going trials on the cure of Aids using primates would also disappear, the scientist further warned. According to him, the pool of viruses resident in wildlife populations, especially the primates, has created substantial threat of zonotic diseases transmissions from animals to humans through active hunting and consumption of wildlife.

"The bush meat issue is thus an issue of global concern. It is one of the most severe threats to manyh large and medium sized mammals in Central African forests," he said, adding that bush meat has also found its way on the dining tables in town markets in the region. Her said the dramatic reduction in mammal populations and the massive felling of trees could lead to ecological disruption of the complex ecosystem in the second largest tropical forest belt after the Amazon in South America. The World Resources Institute, a Washington-based global organisation dealing with natural resources, estimates that about 50 per cent of Central Africa's forests, under which the Congo basin falls, are under logging leases. "This means the commercial logging sector must be involved and cooperate in order to bring about forest conservation and sustainable use of the natural resources there," he pointed out. The Congo basin contains about 20 per cent of the world's moist tropical forests. Although deforestation there is relatively low compared with other tropical zones, scientists say the forest loss there is substantial, corresponding to 21,668 square kilometres for a 10 year period.The basin is believed to be the source of Africa's existing biological diversity. Of the estimated 8,000 plant species found there, about 80 per cent are endemic to the region, according to the expert. "It is also the riches area for fauna in terms of numbers and level of endemism, with 655 species of birds and 58 species of mammals, about half of them endemic to the area," Dr Flynn explained, adding that of these, 16 bird species and 23 mammal species are considered threatened. The region supports the world's largest population of lowland gorillas, chimpanzees,

40 bonobos (pygmy chimpanzees) and forest elephants. The Congo basin forest partnership was launched in 2002 in Johannesburg during the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) by the United States and South Africa along with 27 public and private partners to promote concervation of natural resources in Central African forests.

19. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • West Africa: Region is 'Ground Zero' for Climate Change – Egeland: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 2 June 2008.

The Sahel region of West Africa is "ground zero" for vulnerable communities struggling to adapt to climate change, the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on conflict, Jan Egeland, said on 2 June in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, as he began a mission to draw the world's attention to mounting social pressures in the region. "Many of the people here live on the edge even in normal times, so if there will be dramatic climate change as many predict, they will go over the cliff if there is no investment in adaptation," he said. In addition to Burkina Faso, Egeland, who was the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator from 2003 to 2006, will visit the capitals of Mali and Niger, and travel to Lake Chad in eastern Niger on the border with Nigeria and Chad, and Lake Saguibine in northern Mali. Both were once vast lakes that have since evaporated to become arid desert. Egeland said the Sahel, a mostly landlocked region of over 15 million inhabitants in west and central Africa, is facing a "lethal mix" of threats including climate change, rising food prices and the trafficking of arms and drugs into and via the region. He said he will be urging governments in the region to cooperate more effectively in dealing with climate change. "I am not among those who believe deterministically that climate change will lead to more conflict. It can also lead to more cooperation," he said. "Look at the water wars which we were predicting 15 to 20 years ago that didn't happen because people were able to cooperate." Last year, the UN Development Programme launched an appeal for donors to provide an additional US$84 billon in funds for climate change adaptation programmes, as well as scaling up their funding for humanitarian relief operations to help people in the developing world cope with the natural disasters - mainly droughts and floods - that climatologists predict will be increasingly frequent and severe until at least 2050. The Sahel is expected to experience higher temperatures and extreme peaks and troughs in rainfall, resulting in reduced agricultural outputs and disruptive migration as people move around the region searching for water, fertile land and jobs.

• Ghana: Country to Host International Tropical Timber Organisation Meeting: Public Agenda (Accra):6 June 2008.

From Monday the 9th to Thursday the 12th of June, 2008, Ghana will be hosting a Meeting of the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), which is a global commodity alliance of nations that consume and those that produce tropical timber. Membership stands at 60 and is comprised of 27 consumer countries mostly of the developed world, and 33 producer countries in South America, Africa and Asia. The ITTO, with its head office based in Yokohama, Japan, is one of many global instruments

41 adopted to ensure the sustainable management of tropical forest resources. The organization provides a mechanism for the exchange of information, development of policies on issues relating to sustainable forest management, international trade in timber and utilization of tropical timber. Members meet twice a year to deliberate on pertinent issues. The forthcoming Accra Meeting will be the second the ITTO has held in the country since 1995. Delegates will discuss the operational modalities of the future work of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC), which is the governing board of the ITTO and agree on the frequency of the Council's meetings. They will also deliberate on issues needed to be considered for the coming into force of the new International Tropical Timber Agreement, forged in 2006 (ITTA 2006). The ITTO was established under the International Tropical Timber Agreement of 1983 (ITTA 1983). This treaty guides the operations of the ITTO and is renegotiated periodically to take into account changes in global forest policies and the world timber trade.

Specific issues to be clarified during the Meeting include the operation of new thematic programmes that will guide ITTO's activities and lead to new sources of funding. The Meeting will also assess the possible impact of the ITTA 2006 on the operations of subsidiary committees of the ITTC as well as discuss the cycle for submission, review and funding of projects. For now, special arrangements have been made to allow project proposals submitted to the ITTO under its current six-month cycle to be approved and funded through an on-line process. In an interview, a Principal Planning Officer at the Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines, Tabi Agyarko, who is co-ordinating the Meeting, explained that as part of the agenda, there will be a one-day conference for the ITTO African member countries. They include Ghana, Liberia, Cote d' Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria, and Cameroon. The rest are Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and the Central African Republic. Mr. Agyarko said discussions at the conference will focus on regional challenges, while specific regional issues and development assistance needs within the ITTO context will be identified. Giving the background of the operations of the ITTO, he stated that ITTA 1983 under which the organization was established, remained in force for five years and was succeeded by the ITTA 1994, which was adopted in January 1994, but came into force on 1st January 1997. The ITTA 1994 has since been extended thrice and was scheduled to expire in December, 2007.

According to Mr. Agyarko the ITTA 2006, which is the focus for the forthcoming Accra Meeting, was finalized in January 2006 to replace ITTA 1994. He hinted that "this particular Agreement will operate for 10 years with the possibility of extensions of up to eight years." He however added that ITTO will continue to function under ITTA 1994, until the new Agreement is finally ratified. Throwing more light on the ITTA 2006, Mr. Agyarko explained that it builds on the foundation of the previous Agreements, focusing on the world tropical timber economy and sustainable management of the resource base. He said the Agreement takes into account the importance of the benefits provided by forests including environmental services such as protection of head waters of water bodies, and acknowledges the role of good governance in promoting sustainable forest management. Additionally, the Agreement takes into account the need for enhanced and predictable financial resources from a broader donor community. Mr. Agyarko indicated that as a member country of the ITTO, Ghana has benefited from about 32 projects and

42 pre-project activities to the tune of about $9.7 million. They include the establishment of a Wood Workers and Craftsmanship Village at Sokoban near Kumais, implementation of the Women and Tropical Forest Development Programme and the Quality Control and Standardization of Ghanaian Wood Products Project. He said Ghana will continue to benefit from project funding under the new Agreement. The country has also been privileged to chair the ITTC on two occasions.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Mozambique: Bush Fires Main Threat to Environment: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo): 5 June 2008.

The Mozambican government is trying to help rural communities understand that by preserving the environment they will contribute to success in the fight against poverty, declared the Deputy Minister for Environmental Coordination, Ana Chichava, in Maputo on Thursday.

Interviewed by Radio Mozambique, on the occasion of World Environment Day, Chichava warned that human activities, notably uncontrolled bush fires, are seriously damaging the Mozambican environment. The cost of the fires, usually set to clear land for farming, or to smoke out animals to be hunted, is enormous. She said that in the first half of 2007 alone, bush fires burnt 498,000 cashew trees, the source of a significant export crop. The cost of this damage was put at a million US dollars. Failure to control bush fires, said Chichava, meant that the country risked losing millions of hectares of forest every year, which had a serious impact on the poor communities that make a living from forest produce. The United Nations Eenvironment Programme (UNEP) has decided that the slogan for the 2008 World Environment Day is "Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy". Since climate change "is becoming the defining issue of our era", UNEP says it is asking countries, companies and communities "to focus on greenhouse gas emissions and how to reduce them". This year, the UN agency adds, "World Environment Day will highlight resources and initiatives that promote low carbon economies and life-styles, such as improved energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, forest conservation and eco-friendly consumption". Bush fires are probably Mozambique's main contribution to climate change. Chichava's Ministry has warned that the central provinces of Manica, Sofala, Tete and Zambezia are particularly at risk. The fires are usually set between June and September. Last year, the ministry calculates that four million hectares burned, and 60 per cent of the area lost was in the central region. The Environment Ministry wants to stop the same thing happening this year, and so has launched awareness programmes among rural communities. Chichava said that school programmes have been established to plant more trees, and the Ministry believes that all Mozambicans can play a role in reforestation. The Ministry of Education has also, in the revision of the school curriculum, included environmental matters in the primary and secondary school syllabus. The main commemorations of World Environment Day, chaired by Environment Minister Alcinda Abreu, are being held in Morrumbala district, Zambezia province. Morrumbala was chosen because the local authorities in this district have been undertaken what are regarded as encouraging environmental conservation initiatives.

43 EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Ethiopia: Country Launches New Tree Planting Campaign: The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa):6 June 2008.

Ethiopia marked World Environment Day by launching the second phase of the much acclaimed tree planting campaign, graced by the presence FDRE President Girma W.Giorgis, who along with government ministers, religious leaders, ambassadors, parliamentarians and other dignitaries planted three tree seedlings by way of officially launching the program and setting an example to the general public. Spearheaded by the National Millennium Festival Secretariat, Ethiopia planted over six hundred million tree seedlings in the first edition dubbed: Two Trees in year 2000.

This year's campaign to be named Three Trees in the Third Millennium is expected to mobilize more people who will be able to plant more trees the rest of the Ethiopian new year. The millennium Secretariat, in collaboration with Wise-Up, a local NGO working on HIV/AIDS, engaged over two hundred female commercial sex workers who devoted a half day planting trees around Entoto Mariam. Wise-UP designated a theme for the campaign :"One Earth, One Life Don't Waste it!!" to go along to that of World Environmental Day (WED). The idea behind the female commercial sex workers planting tree seedlings was that it would help remind everyone that not only should one endeavour to protect himself or herself from contracting HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases using condoms only but strive to save mother earth from all its peril by planting trees, Henock Alemayehu, the director of Wise-up said. Henock added that the organization sponsored 223 female commercial sex workers to plant trees at the Entoto site. The female sex workers on the planted three trees to symbolize the launch of the project together with the other dignitaries. The Wise-Up project is DKT Ethiopia's unbranded condom promotion activity targeting sex workers and their clients. Wise-Up is grounded in the belief that promoting condom use among sex workers and clients will reduce HIV and Sexual Transmitted Infectious (STI). "The prevalence HIV and STI is generally higher among these groups and also as these groups act as "bridging" populations of HIV/STI's to the general population, Henock added. Wise-Up has also participated in different occasions in promoting safe sex and condom usage.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Local Appointed On Environmental Body: The New Times (Kigali): 5 June 2008.

A Rwandan environmentalist, Madeleine Nyiratuza, has been appointed to spearhead a landmark forest restoration and ecological research effort in Africa. She was jointly picked by the US-based Great Ape Trust, Earthpark and Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA).

The development followed Nyiratuza's earlier appointment as the coordinator for the recently established Gishwati Area Conservation Programme in the Western Province. The appointment was based on Nyiratuza's academic strength, proven competence, and her zeal for involvement in community conservation programmes which has earned her

44 the much-needed experience, and thus an edge of over 29 other candidates. "Her credibility is based on the right mix of on-ground experience, academic preparation and commitment to local community involvement and awareness in conservation programmes," the Director of Great Ape Trust, Dr. Benjamin Beck, was quoted as saying in a communiqué. The Gishwati Area Conservation Programme is a collaborative programme between the Rwandan Government, Great Ape Trust, a scientific research facility, and Earthpark, a national environmental education centre based in the US. The programme seeks to reduce poverty threat and to promote conservation activities by improving water quality, controlling floods, promotion of eco-tourism and enhancing local employment. The project will also develop a chimpanzee field study site in Gishwati, and a 30 mile (50km) tree corridor to connect the Gishwati forest reserve and the chimpanzee's home range to Nyungwe Park.

20. ENERGY

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Niger Delta Crisis Will Soon End, Bankole Assures U.S.: Leadership (Abuja): 6 June 2008.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, has assured the United States of America of constitutional and legislative solutions to the lingering crisis in the Niger Delta, in addition to other measures aimed at making the area secure for all. Bankole disclosed this while speaking with top officials of the US State Department in Washington DC, saying the issues at stake in the Niger Delta is the concern of the House as they are the representatives of the people with concern for all their constituents. He added that all arms of the government have been making efforts to solve the problem.

Addressing concerns raised by officials of the State Department over insecurity and violence in the Niger Delta, good governance, accountability and transparency in the new administration in Nigeria, the Speaker said that the House has set the tone for the proposed Summit of Stakeholders in Niger Delta by the Federal Government through a similar forum it organized in the region with stakeholders late last year, adding that the upcoming summit will provide a strategy to deescalate the violence in the region.

He, however, said that efforts should also be made to monitor the huge fund already accruing to state governments in the region as this would have gone a long way in addressing some of the developmental issues fuelling the crisis if well utilized and accounted for, adding that the challenge is the lack of capacity of state legislatures to ask relevant questions on the funds they appropriate for the executives. Bankole pointed out that the legislature at the national level, particularly the House of Representatives, has begun to ask questions on appropriated fund with startling positive results. He requested US assistance in capacity- building and technical support in optimal performance of its constitutional roles in a democracy. He stated that the new administration in Nigeria has shown evidence of allowing the rule of law and due process in its relations with the legislature, stressing that this should be built upon to sustain and strengthen democracy in Nigeria.

45 Earlier on, Mr. Thomas Dougherty, the director of Office of West African Affairs, who represented the Director, National Security Council (Africa), Mr. Bobby Pitman, had said that since the inception of the new administration in Nigeria and the election of the new Speaker, US has been watching to see action on the issue of Niger Delta, transparency, accountability and good governance, adding that the US is interested in legislative actions in these areas. He expressed optimism on the initiatives enumerated by the Speaker in relation to the Summit on Niger Delta and the constitutional review, adding that he hopes it would provide a strategy for resolving the Niger Delta crisis. Pittman promised that the State Department would look into areas of support for the initiatives on Niger Delta and capacity-building for legislators as the issues are related, adding that good governance in the past would have greatly influenced the situation in Niger Delta positively.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Govt to Penalise Excessive Electricity Users: BuaNews (Tshwane): 6 June 2008.

The regulatory framework, which will enforce the Energy Conservation Programme (ECP) and penalise consumers who use electricity excessively, is being finalised. "We are finalising a regulatory framework to ensure that our Power Conservation Programme [PCP] is enforced," said Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica, Friday. "This is expected to be finalised by the end of June this year. The regulations provide for sanctions against excessive use and wastage of electricity. "These sanctions will be in the form of a tariff-based penalty, meaning excessive electricity users will pay more, especially where their excess adversely impacts upon the supply to other users."

The PCP seeks to ensure that South Africa reduces its electricity consumption by at least 3 000 Mega Watts (MW) in the next three years.

Delivering her 2008/09 Budget Vote, the minister said the country was facing an emergency with regard to the generation and supply of electricity. It is quite clear, she said, that unless drastic interventions and sacrifices are made we are going to be in this emergency situation for many years to come. "We have established the National Emergency Response Team (NERT), a partnership between government, business, labour and civil society, to mobilise all of us and ensure that, as South Africa Incorporated, we respond in a coordinated manner to the emergency." The minister highlighted that through the country's collective effort to be more energy conscious and through demand- side management, Eskom has so far been able to conserve at least 100 MW. An additional 1000 MW saving have been achieved through the energy saving efforts of the industrial sector and local government. "I would like to specifically thank the mining sector for their contribution to the energy saving campaign," she said. The Department of Minerals and Energy budget of R3.595 billion for the 2008/9 financial year indicates an increase of 5.21 percent from last year's budget of R2.925 billion of which 0.93 percent was unspent. The budget includes 79.77 percent that is to be transferred to state-owned entities of which 66.95 percent is set aside for Eskom's national electrification programme. Ms Sonjica said her department had finalised the Electricity Pricing Policy, and as agreed at the Electricity Summit this year, will be presenting this policy at

46 National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) within the next two weeks.

The newly drafted policy seeks to address the policy gaps that were identified at the Electricity Summit and will also guide the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) in their future price determinations. The intentions of the policy are to set a clear framework on determining electricity prices; achieve an appropriate balance between meeting social equity and economic growth; to create certainty and predictability; and to ensure long-term financial sustainability of the industry. With regard to the national electrification programme, the absence of bulk infrastructure, especially in rural areas, put a strain on the delivery of the programme said the minister.

"Last year R282 million had to be re-routed from electricity connections funds towards the development of bulk infrastructure, resulting in a reduced number of connections planned for the year. "We committed ourselves to building ten substations. I am pleased to report that we have completed all but one substation - Zwelethu substation. This was caused by the need to conform to environmental management issues," she said. This year, once more, R380 million of R1.4 billion allocated for the electrification programme, has been set aside for the building of another 10 substations. Ms Sonjica has also instructed her department to ensure that by the end of the 2008/09 financial year, all schools throughout the country are electrified.

• Namibia: Billion-Dollar Biofuels Production in Pipeline: The Namibian (Windhoek): 6 June 2008.

THE ninth Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has called on countries to engage in research and information exchange on biofuels. Dr Kirsten Probst, the advisor to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism on natural resources management, says the gathering also called on countries to develop sound policy frameworks that consider the development of sustainable standards for biofuels production and consumption. The meeting was held in Bonn, Germany, from May 19 to 30. Probst said agricultural biodiversity and biofuels received a lot of attention in the light of impacts of climate change on food security as well as the recent increase in food prices linked to the fact that some food-producing nations have turned their focus on producing more biofuels and less food. In Namibia, plans are afoot to set up a multi- billion dollar jatropha curcas project in the Kavango Region. The seeds of the Jatropha plant (olumono in Oshiwambo) produce oil that can used as biofuel. Kavango Bio-energy Ltd from England has invested N$3 billion in the project, which will be executed by Prime Investment Holdings in Namibia.

The proposed area for the project, which includes plantation and factory, spans from Katwitwi border post to Rundu and up to Divundu, where patches of land cleared before 1990 will be used. Namibia chaired the African preparatory meeting for the conference over the weekend of May 17 to 18, which consolidated country positions into one African position. The CBD was adopted in 1992 and 192 countries have acceded to it. Namibia

47 ratified the convention in 1997. The next CBD Conference of Parties will be held in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010.

EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Foreign Oil Workers Evacuated From Puntland Exploration Site: Garowe Online (Garowe): 7 June 2008.

A group of foreigners working in Somalia's Puntland regions have been evacuated from an oil exploration site set up last month, informed sources tell Garowe Online.

Six to eight foreign workers were secretly transported Friday night from the operations camp in Ufayn town, which is located 90km east of the port city of Bossaso, the northeastern region's economic hub. The workers are currently staying at an undisclosed location inside Bossaso, the sources added. Somali news agency Garowe Online conducted an independent inquiry into the evacuation and its causes, with emerging reports indicating that the foreign workers were evacuated for security-related reasons.

Earlier this week, clan elders in Ufayn town informed senior government officials in Puntland that they could not guarantee the personal safety of the foreigners - who are contracted by Canada-based Africa Oil Corp. Secret talks have been taking place in Bossaso and Ufayn all week, as Puntland officials and local elders tried to reach a settlement. According to insiders, elders representing the dominant clan in Ufayn have demanded that they receive the original contract signed between the Puntland government and Africa Oil. In response, Puntland President Adde Muse dispatched Liban Muse Bogor to Ufayn to convince the clan elders to support the ongoing exploration project. But local elders rejected Mr. Bogor's mediation efforts, with some elders openly questioning his role due to his position on the board of directors of Australian mining firm Range Resources, Ltd., Africa Oil's joint partner in the Puntland exploration project. The Puntland leader has not yet addressed these new developments, but confidential sources said the clan elders have pledged to protect vehicles, tents and other equipment at the exploration site in the mean time. Currently, clan militias under the order of the elders are standing guard at the operations camp in Ufayn, locals reported. Since mid-2005, Puntland leaders have been trying to explore for oil in Somalia, a Horn of Africa country mired in 18 years of political anarchy. Many armed clans in Puntland have opposed the exploration project from the onset, citing the lack of a strong national government in Somalia and the lack of legality and transparency in the ongoing push for exploration.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Govt Waives All Taxes On Diesel: The New Times (Kigali): 6 June 2008.

The Government has announced that it has waived all import duties on diesel as fuel prices continue to rise. This was disclosed by the State Minister for Industry and Investment Promotion, Vincent Karega.

48 According to a mini survey conducted in Kigali City, pump prices for petrol and diesel this week increased from Frw799 to Frw892. Kerosene increased from Frw721 to Frw814. The hikes have been blamed on the increase in oil prices worldwide, and the Government's move to guarantee a 100 percent duty-free diesel imports is one of the immediate efforts to avert a possible crisis. Fuel dealers have since been paying a 2 percent tax on diesel. Karega said in an interview that the increase in subsidies was necessary to keep the prices under check since diesel demand is increasingly growing compared to other fuel products like petrol and kerosene. "Diesel is used for lighting (generating power), running industries as well as heavy vehicles," Karega said. He added that if not highly subsidized, diesel pump prices could skyrocket, thereby forcing prices of essential commodities to go high and thus affecting the entire economy. However, the national revenue officials are wary of the development. Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) Deputy Commissioner General, Eugene Torero, said the waiver will lower Government revenue from imports, but hastened to add: "The increase is a necessary evil since fuel is pivotal to the economy." Subsidies on petrol have dropped to 72 percent from 98 percent, while kerosene has no subsidies as its taxes are already low (5 percent). "But the Government is proposing to subsidize kerosene since it's largely used by Rwandans for lighting and cooking, now that charcoal and cooking gas are expensive," Karega explained. He added that petrol subsidies have dropped because its price on the international market has not significantly increased compared to diesel prices. In the United Kingdom for example, the average price of a litre of petrol is now at about £1.14 (Frw1,198), while diesel prices have risen to an average of about £1.26 (Frw1, 325) per litre. The price of oil recently hit a record high - above $135 a barrel (117 litres) on the international market - more than twice its cost a year ago.

21. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

SOUTHERN AFRICA • PetroSA Seeks Global Partners for Projects in Country: Business Day (Johannesburg): 5 June 2008.

STATE-owned oil and gas company PetroSA is looking for international partners for its exploration and production project in Egypt. The move would enable PetroSA to share the costs of the oil production on the East Warda Block, which is in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt, the company said yesterday. As a result, its equity in the project would fall from 100% to 80%-60%, enabling PetroSA to maintain majority shareholding of the project, said Bradley Cerff, PetroSA's regional manager for east and west Africa.

Cerff said that in the pursuit of exploration and production opportunities, companies often made commitments to governments, and the oil and gas business was risky. "It is wise to get partners on board," he said. Cerff said PetroSA wanted the partners on board for the drilling activities, which it expected would begin in October . But he warned this could be delayed until the end of the first quarter next year owing to the unavailability of drilling rigs. A global shortage of rigs has led to exploration delays. PetroSA's new GM in Egypt, Saleem Soobader, said he was optimistic the search for partners would yield positive results. "Based on the results of the seismic reprocessing, we are confident this

49 opportunity will receive interest," he said. PetroSA opened an office in Cairo this week following the acquisition of the East Warda Block in 2005. PetroSA and Egypt's government entered into a concession agreement last year. The foray into Egypt is part of PetroSA's change in focus from local to international investments to ensure a secure supply of liquid fuels for SA.

EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Tanzania: Shilling And Economy Bask in Positive IMF Rating: The East African (Nairobi): 9 June 2008.

Is the Tanzanian shilling really overvalued? A new study by the International Monetary Fund has concluded that the country's exchange rate is "currently modestly undervalued." But the study predicts a slight strengthening of the currency vis a vis the hard currencies in the medium term, at levels consistent with a projected high GDP growth rate and expected recovery in the country's terms of trade.

It bases its optimistic view of the country's currency on the grounds that capital inflows into Tanzania could be higher than currently expected, with investors keen to take advantage of Tanzania's natural resources and strong macroeconomic policies. Tanzania's exchange rate has appreciated modestly in recent years, after a significant depreciation between 2000 and 2006.In the period when the currency was weak, it was mainly a reflection of Tanzania's higher inflation relative to its trading partners. But with inflation having hit single-digit levels, the currency started moving towards the real and effective level.

Following the sharp real appreciation of the currency in the second half of the 1990s, the Bank of Tanzania moved by reducing aid absorption in 2001, while the government continued to fully spend increasing levels of aid. This contributed to a rapid raise in the country's international reserves and encouraged depreciation of the exchange rate, particularly during 2002 and 2003. Since 2004, however, aid has been fully absorbed, and the coverage of the reserves has gradually declined. The current account deficit has widened, rising to 14 per cent of GDP in 2006/2007, but remains largely financed by highly concessional donor assistance. During April-July, Tanzania experienced significant portfolio inflows mainly in the form of receipts from privatisation transactions - estimated at about $250 million. The country absorbs aid at the level of 8.5 per cent of GDP compared with 4.5 per cent of GDP for FDI inflows.

But the Bank of Tanzania responded by purchasing most of these additional inflows, thereby resisting pressures for appreciation of the shilling. BoT also resorted to aggressive sale of Treasury bills. Starting from September 2007, BoT has relied mostly on sales of foreign exchange as opposed to T-bills, to mop up aid-related liquidity injections. As a result, the shilling appreciated markedly during the period September- December last year, but has recently returned to its August 2007 levels. Overall, the IMF continues to be upbeat about Tanzania's economy, predicting that growth was expected to reach 7.5 per cent this year, rising to eight per cent a year over the medium term. It says that the budget Tanzania is scheduled to table next week will aim at lowering the overall

50 budget deficit from an expected 11.2 per cent of GDP this year to 10.3 per cent next year. Following the recent rise in inflation, which reflects mainly the pass-through of global food and fuel prices, year-on-year inflation is targeted to fall to seven per cent by this month and to 5.5 per cent by mid-2009.

22. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Abacha Never Stole, Say Buhari, Babangida: This Day (Lagos): 9 June 2008.

The late military Head of State, Gen. , did not loot the national treasury contrary to the general impression, two military former heads of state have said.

Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who ruled Nigeria between 1983 and 1985, and his successor, Gen. , gave Abacha the clean bill in Kano yesterday after the rememberance prayers marking 10 years of the death of Abacha, who ruled between 1993 and 1998.Abacha was accused of stealing nearly £5 billion while in office, out of which over $1 billion has reportedly been recovered from various sources around the world.

But Babangida, who described Abacha as a "courageous, loyal and honest military head of state who stood for the unity and development of the country during his years in government", has dismissed the allegations.

He said the looting allegations against Abacha were unfounded and baseless, stressing that "it is not true that he looted public treasury. I knew who Abacha was because I was close to him".Babangida said: "Abacha was a courageous person who stood firmly in handling the affairs of the country during his regime."He added that the regime of Abacha brought positive changes in the country which should have been emulated.He said 10 years after the death of Abacha, his contributions to the nation's economy remain indelible."There is no doubt, during his administration as head of state, Abacha contributed his best to the nation's economy which we are still enjoying," he said.

Babangida's new position however contrasts with what he told Newswatch magazine in July 2000.He had said: "The revelations [on Abacha's loot] surprised me. I am surprised, because I didn't know."He had also explained that Abacha's death brought "relative stability", adding that "it gives us, oh well, let's see, there is hope after all".Babangida, in that interview, also blamed the society for allowing Abacha to grow into the dictator he became."I feel bad that society failed to realise that they have a duty to protect whatever values they hold dear to their hearts as far as this country is concerned. At any rate, there are people I like and do respect those who stood against the regime, who are not military officers but civilians who are able to speak out. They didn't mince words and if their views had been heard, he wouldn't have [done enough harm]," he had said in response to a question.

51 Buhari, in his own comments yesterday, described the allegations of looting against Abacha as "baseless", because according to him, "ten years after Abacha, those allegations remain unproven because of lack of facts".

While also commenting, former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who took over when Abacha died on June 8, 1998, commended his predecessor for initiating Vision 2010, saying that the economic vision of the present administration termed Vision 2020 is a replica of Abacha's 2010 initiative.Abubakar also tasked Nigerian politicians to concentrate on how best to contribute to national development instead wasting time and money investigating their predecessors, adding that probing past administrations "does not yield anything positive to the nation and should be discouraged".

Babangida also spoke on the probe of his government by the immediate past administration, saying: "We are still waiting for the outcome of the probe."The three former leaders sat close to one another during the special prayer session which started exactly 10am and lasted for over one hour at an open compound belonging to the family of the former head of state.The prayer session was attended by former Abacha's aides, Emirs of Hadejia, Gumel, Jema'a and Chief Fredrick Fasehun of Odua Peoples Congress (OPC).

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Was Never Arrested - Zim Police: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London):6 June 2008.

ZIMBABWE police have dismissed as false claims by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change party that their leader, was arrested and detained in Lupane, Bulawayo on Wednesday afternoon. Almost every major western media orgfanisation reported that the MDC-T leader had been 'arrested' and detained for nine hours. MDC-T spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the arrest was a blatant attempt to sabotage the opposition party's campaign. "Campaigning has become a nightmare for us. It appears they want to disrupt our campaign programme," he said.

Chief police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena yesterday issuede a statement saying said Tsvangirai's convoy of four cars was stopped at a routine roadblock in Lupane and it was discovered that one of the vehicles did not have proper registration. The vehicle was South African-registered and the driver failed to produce the relevant papers to show that the car was in Zimbabwe legally, according to Bvudzijena. The driver was asked to accompany the police officers to the nearest police station whereupon Tsvangirai's entire convoy, which had been cleared to proceed, decided to follow the driver. "He (the driver) produced photocopies of documents, yet the legal requirement is to produce original documents. "The driver was subsequently asked to accompany the police to the nearest police station and the whole convoy decided to escort him. "The driver was interviewed at the station after which the car was impounded and everyone left the police station. No one was ever arrested or detained. "We are

52 keeping the vehicle until we can verify how and where it entered the country," Asst Comm Bvudzijena said. Bvudzijena said where there is reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed, the police will not hesitate to investigate, whether that involves the MDC-T party or not. Tsvangirai spokesperson George Sibotshiwe seemed to confirm that this was not an arrest. He said Tsvangirai's motorcade was extensively searched by police, after which they told him and his officials to wait in their vehicles pending the arrival of a senior police officer. The MDC-T did not issue any other statement yesterday after they left the police station.

EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Talks in Djibouti Approach to Collapse: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 9 June 2008.

Following the peace between somali government and the opposition groups impeded yesterday the ARS members have been holding separate special meetings overnight to hammer out the talks. The ARS member's private talksin Camp Disk hotel have started after the UN special envoy for Somalia Ahmadu Ould Abdalla has announced that the talks have relatively failed. Some reports say that Djibouti authorities have intervened the face-off talks to solve the violence between political wishing groups. "Three Djiboutian officials arrived in the hotel to win over the opposing sides to talk together" government official who declined to identify told Shabelle. The talks halted after the two talking sides couldn't beat out their stiff conditions mainly the withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops from Somalia.

Also separate talks between the government officials are taking place in the similar hotel. Several politicians, traders, officials are coming in Djibouti day after day to witness the talks. Some sources close to the talks say that the Ethiopian troop's commander in Somalia General Gabre is at the conference hotel.

Speaking to Shabelle from the conference venue in Djibouti, YusufAli Aynteh, adviser for the leader of the opposition Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia (ARS), said the talks have been "suspended" by the UN after the Somali transitional government side refused to accept the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia. The UN Somali envoy Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said at a news conference in Djibouti that the talks will be closed without any result, without setting any date for the resumption of the talks which have been mediated by the UN, according to reports.

The talks, which began late last month, was attended by top leaders of the ARS but was boycotted by hard-line members of the Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia, causing the split of the opposition whose leaders have now moved from Asmara, the Eritrean capital, where it was formed, to Djibouti. The Islamist group Al-shaab, a splinter group of the ousted Islamic Courts Union, has also boycotted the talks saying they will not negotiate with Somali government as long as Ethiopian troops and other foreign forces are on Somali soil. Both sides at the talks did hold direct talks for the past weeks but UN mediators have been shuttling between them. The opposition delegation this week briefly withdrew from a seminar held for both sides in protest after Ethiopian ambassador in

53 Djibouti attended the seminar but returned when the UN asked all ambassadors not to attend the seminar. The Somali transitional government has maintained that the Ethiopian troops have come to Somalia with "the invitation by the legitimate Somali government" to help secure the war that ravaged the Horn of Africa nation.

The Somali and Ethiopian governments say that the Ethiopian troops will only leave when security is restored in the country or when other international forces are found to replace them. A joint Somali and Ethiopian forces ousted in December 2006 an Islamist movement that had been in control in much of southern and central Somalia. Ethiopian and Somali governments accused the movement of threatening the then weak transitional government and the national security of Ethiopia. Fighters of the movement have since regrouped and have been waging guerilla attacks on Somali government forces and the Ethiopian troops backing them. Nearly 2,600 African Union peacekeepers are currently deployed in Mogadishu. The troops, from Uganda and Burundi, are part of a planned UN authorized 8,000-strong African Union peacekeepers. Other African countries that pledged to contribute did not send their contingents due to logistical and security concerns. Plans are underway to replace the African Union peacekeepers with UN peacekeepers at some later date.

23. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Sierra Leone: Peacebuilding Commission Dele Arrives to Prepare Country: Concord Times (Freetown):3 June 2008.

A delegation from the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission yesterday arrived in the country to prepare the country ahead of the biannual review framework confab slated for June 19 2008 in New York. Ambassador Frank Majoor, Chairman of the Sierra Leone Country Specific Meeting (CSM), led the delegation. The delegation will hold consultations with the government and other key stakeholders on the implementation of the Sierra Leone Peace building Cooperation. During the delegation's visit they will discuss the ongoing work of the Commission and obtain first-hand information about developments in the country including preparations for the upcoming local council elections and the remaining peace building challenges. The delegation will interface President Koroma, Members of Parliament; government ministers, representatives of civil society, national electoral commission and the political parties registration commission, the United Nations country team, and the private sector. The Peace Building Commission is an inter-governmental body which was established in December 2005 by the United Nations with a mandate "to bring together all relevant actors to marshal resources and to advise on the proposed integrated strategies for post conflict peacebuilding and recovery."

• Africa: U.S. Govt, G8 Undertakes Peacekeeping Initiative: The NEWS (Monrovia): 4 June 2008.

54 Confronted with a shortage of capable peacekeepers and a limited ability to train soldiers and special police units for peace operations amid increasing demand, the United States and its Group of Eight (G8) partners agreed to a plan to meet the demand. The Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) is the United States' effort to meet the commitments in that plan.

An increase in the number of peacekeeping operations -- from four in 1988 to 20 in 2008 -- has resulted in a corresponding demand for peacekeepers; at the same time, fewer trained, equipped and effective forces have been available to respond. In recognition of these challenges, President Bush announced the creation of GPOI in April 2004. "It provides $660 million over five years to train 75,000 peacekeepers worldwide, with a focus on Africa," said Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer. The African focus reflects the sizeable percentage of peacekeeping missions that are needed there, she said. Through April 2008, the initiative has trained 39,518 military personnel from 43 countries in peacekeeping duties. This includes 2,719 soldiers trained as peacekeeping trainers. The GPOI training program is conducted at 18 peace operations training centers in Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, the Near East, South and Central Asia, and Latin America.

State officials say that 33,590 of the 39,518 peacekeepers trained through GPOI have deployed to 18 peacekeeping operations to date -- in such places as southern Sudan, Darfur, Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Somalia, Western Sahara, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Ethiopia and , the Solomon Islands, and the Central African Republic. An additional aspect of the initiative is to build sustainment and self-sufficiency capabilities in each GPOI partner country so it can, over the long term, prepare its own forces for peacekeeping operations, said Michael Larmas Smith, the GPOI program director in the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. The bureau has overall management responsibility for the program. Besides helping to train peacekeepers, the initiative also is designed to provide transportation and logistics to support peacekeeping forces, Smith said. The transportation and logistics support arrangement (TLSA) helps provide transportation for deploying peacekeepers, especially for nations that don't have that capability, and logistics support to sustain those units while they are in the field, Smith said. It was created in 2007, and five of the eight members of the G8 currently provide points of contact to assess potential TLSA requests.

Other peace operations personnel in short supply are stability police. Stability Police Units (SPUs) are gendarme-like or constabulary-like forces that fill the gap between military peacekeeping and traditional policing duties. Through GPOI, the United States has provided support to the Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (COESPU), an international center in Vicenza, Italy, that trains stability police trainers from around the world. The G8 major industrialized nations -- Canada, , Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States -- began recognizing the challenges to peace operations in early 2002, and in 2004 drafted a plan to manage the rising demand.

At the 2004 G8 Sea Island Summit in the United States, the group adopted the "Sea Island Action Plan." In the Sea Island Action Plan, G8 countries committed to train and

55 equip 75,000 peacekeepers worldwide by 2010, create a clearinghouse for exchanging information, develop a transportation and logistics support arrangement, and support an international training center for gendarme-like units to support peace operations. Bush discussed the concept of the initiative in his September 21, 2004, address at the opening of the 59th session of the U.N. General Assembly, saying that the world "must create permanent capabilities to respond to future crises." In particular, the president highlighted the need for "more effective means to stabilize regions in turmoil, and to halt religious violence and ethnic cleansing." "We're just responding to that need," Smith said. "For example, we've also helped initiate a Global Clearinghouse, where countries can exchange information and help coordinate efforts to enhance peace operations training and exercises." The first Global Clearinghouse was held in Washington in 2007.

EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Islamic Courts Spokesman Says on Way Forward: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu):31 May 2008.

Sheikh Mahmud Sheikh Ibrahim Suley, who contacted Shabelle radio, disclosed eight articles which, he said, formed the basis of the position of Islamic courts forces in Somalia. Sheikh Mahmud Sheikh Ibrahim Suley, the spokesman for the Union of Islamic Courts, held a press conferene on telephone and spoke of the political situation the country is going through and particularly the rift that has appeared between members of the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia and on reconciliation efforts. He said: When the leadership inside the country noted the unnecessary rift that has developed between members of the alliance and the irresponsible use of the media which created confuion among the populace, the leadership of the jihad and the resistance inside the country stated is position as follows:

a) Position of Islam regarding disagreement and separation.

b) Difficulties caused by insecurity.

c) Situation of the country under colonialism.

d) Disappointment of Somalis at home and abroad caused by rift between alliance members.

Sheikh Mahmud said the fight against Ethiopian troops and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia would continue.

He welcomed the talks with the UN regarding the removal of Ethiopian troops from the country but criticized the plan to deploy UN troops in Somalia. Here again is Shaykh Mahmud.

He added: We are stating the following to the Somali people.

56 1). That the leadership of the resistance inside the country is maintaining its unity and is urging the leaders who have disagreed to resolve their differences and safeguard unity.

2). That the leaders should stop making conflicting statements through the media.

3). That the differences will not affect the jihad and sruggle being waged inside the country which has weakened Ethiopia and its puppets.

4). That a committee of religious scholars be appointed to resolve the rift using Islamic Shari'ah that will state what is right and what is wrong.

5). That there are negotiations with the UN on the removal of Ethiopian troops from the country.

6). That Ethiopian troops and the warmongers claiming to be government who have massacred and displaced the Somali people should be brought before internaional court.

7). That the solution to Somalia's problem is not the deployment of foreign troops because this was tried before and they are in the country now but they have brought nothing except trouble.

8) That we welcome sincere reconciliation effort that will bring the various sections of the community together and that is free of foreign interference.

• • Sudan: Ugandan Shot Dead in Darfur: New Vision (Kampala): 29 May 2008.

A Ugandan officer working for international peacekeeping forces in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region has been found shot dead in his car, a spokesman for the UNAMID force said today. The spokesman said the peacekeeper's body was found on Wednesday evening near an outdoor market in the North Darfur capital of El Fasher, and an investigation was under way, according to Reuters. "We are peacekeepers. We are not here to participate in the conflict, so it is a shock to receive news of what happened," said the spokesman, Noureddine Mezni, who identified the officer as a police adviser with the joint U.N./African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Mezni said the Ugandan was the first peacekeeper to be killed in Darfur since UNAMID troops took over from a beleaguered African Union force at the beginning of the year. Others have died of natural causes. None of the officer's belongings were taken from the car, Mezni said, adding that it was too early to ascribe blame or motive for the attack. Sudan's state news agency SUNA described the killing as a "criminal" act.

• Sudan: Abyei Oil Conflict Poses a Threat to Peace: The East African (Nairobi): 2 June 2008.

57 North and Southern Sudan are on the brink of fresh war if the international community does not act fast to defuse the dispute in Abyei. Both representatives of the National Congress Party (NCP) in Khartoum and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in Nairobi, have issued veiled threats of imminent war if their demands are not met.

The oil-rich Abyei region is currently experiencing skirmishes, with several killed and thousands displaced, but the two partners in the 2005 peace deal continue trading accusations about who is responsible. But the major catalyst of the current clashes is the dispute over the Abyei boundary, following the rejection by Khartoum of the findings of the Abyei Boundary Commission that defined Abyei as the area of the nine Ngok Dinka chiefdoms that was transferred to Kordofan in 1905, a finding that was totally rejected by President Omar El-Bashir, last November. The SPLM accuses Khartoum of wanting to annex some sections of Abyei that traditionally belong to the South because they contain huge oil reservoirs. Apart from the prospects of war, the skirmishes in Abyei threaten to delay the country's first all-inclusive general election in 2009, in which the fist vice- president, Salva Kiir, is to challenge President El-Bashir for the national leadership. SPLM has called for unconditional withdrawal of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF ) and Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) to give room for the joint government. If not, SPLM has called for the deployment of UN forces until the dispute over the Abyei boundary is resolved, as the only way to avoid going back to war.

A statement from the Sudanese Embassy in Nairobi, quoting the Sudan News Service, noted that Abyei Commissioner, Mohammed Al-Durik Bakhet put the blame on the SPLM-appointed governor, Edward Lino, whom he accused of "inability to manage the region." Further, the governor is accused of appointing a 1,000-strong police force out of Ngok Ndika militias that lacked discipline and training.But John Andruga Duku, head of mission at the Government of Southern Sudan Kenya Liaison Office, dismissed the statement as character assassination and instead blamed Khartoum for delaying the establishment of a joint administration in Abyei and refusal to withdraw the SAF as per the peace deal signed in January 2005. According to Mr Duku, Mr Lino was appointed as a focal point to co-ordinate humanitarian assistance by the international community as it was clear that Khartoum was dragging its feet in implementing the joint administration in accordance with the peace deal. But Khartoum insists that his appointment was unilateral and a violation of the principle of joint government. The Abyei Protocol, which was signed nine months before the Sudanese peace deal, stated that residents of Abyei will enjoy dual status - being citizens of both North and South - until they vote in a referendum in 2011 on whether they want to belong to the south or the North. Abyei was meant to vote in a referendum six months before the South conducts a similar exercise to determine whether to remain in a united Sudan or independent South. While Khartoum blames the SPLA for the skirmishes, the southern government says Khartoum is arming the Misseriya - an Arab nomadic group - to drive out the population so as to redraw the boundary by force. Although the exact number of the displaced and those fleeing the skirmishes is yet to be established, it is estimated to be between 50,000 and 100,000. "We don't want to go back to war but SPLM will find it difficult to just look on as its people are killed. SPLA has the capacity to engage SAF any time," said Mr Duku, who called on

58 Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki - who is chairman of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) - to convene an extraordinary meeting to put pressure the international community to act. Historically, Abyei - which contains the bulk of the oil deposits in the South - has been occupied by the Ngok Dinka and the Misseriya. For decades, the two communities, who both keep cattle, abided by a traditional arrangement where during drought, the Misseriya could water their cattle in River Kiir, the only water course that continues to flow when there is drought in the region.

• Somalia: Civil Society Groups Urge UN to Put Pressure on Politicians: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu):5 June 2008.

Somali civil society groups have called the UN to impose sanctions on any side that opposes the ongoing peace talks in Djibouti between the Somali government and the Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia. More than nine organizations that represent Somali civil society groups have issued a statement in Djibouti asking the UN Security Council members who visited Djibouti to announce sanctions against any Somali leader who tries to undermine the Djibouti peace talks. The civil society groups also said such a move would help to tackle the violation of political power by Somali politicians in order to undermine any attempts aimed at finding a solution to the Somali problem. The groups also asked the UN to help in pulling Ethiopian forces out of Somalia. Lastly, the civil society groups urged relief agencies to increase efforts aimed at helping the Somali people afflicted by problems inside and outside Somalia.

• Uganda: LRA Asks for One Last Chance in Juba Talks: The Monitor (Kampala):7 June 2008.

The Lord's Resistance Army rebels have asked Uganda, the DR Congo together with the UN and the Government of South Sudan to stay a military strike against them as they explore a last chance to a peace settlement. The LRA chief negotiator, Dr James Obita, told Daily Monitor on Thursday from Juba, South Sudan, that a military option should be the very last resort.

"Any sensible person considers such agreement by those parties to use the military option against the LRA as not a good development for peace talks," Dr Obita said in reaction to the decision by military chiefs from DR Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and the UN's Monuc command to strike at LRA positions. "Let them give us the last chance. It is pointless for them to refuse to talk peace." The military chiefs agreed this week to rout the Joseph Kony-led rebels from their hideout in the jungles of northeast DR Congo. This follows Kony's failure to sign a painstakingly negotiated final peace agreement on April 10 at Nabanga on the Sudan-Congo border.

"We understand the frustration of the international community, the chief mediator, the government of Uganda and the people in northern Uganda but let's exercise restraint," Dr Obita said. He had earlier told the BBC that there was a gentleman's agreement that neither side would attack the other and that the government in Kampala had not informed him of any change to this. But Ugandan army spokesman Paddy Ankunda said: "Isn't

59 Obita part of the group that went to Ri-Kwang-Ba and waited four days [without Kony showing up to sign the peace agreement]? So what sense is he making by talking like that? We have said before that Kony can only find safety in the peace process. Short of that he either hands himself in or he is looked for."

The chief negotiator, Dr Riek Machar, could not be got for a comment as he was reported on official duty in Khartoum. But Dr Obita said the LRA peace delegation was due to meet Dr Machar, the chief mediator and vice-president of South Sudan, to discuss the way forward. Rwot David Acana, the paramount chief of the Acholi, has also called for restraint warning that military action against the LRA could plunge northern Uganda into another nightmare of fear and misery.

"The military option should wait," Rwot Acana told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. "Let's explore peaceful means... The people at home still have hope. If they have hope at home, the international community should also have hope."

Rwot Acana was in London to urge the British government -- a key donor to Uganda -- to keep supporting the peace process. Kony's snubbing of the mediators in April dashed hopes that he would sign the final deal to end over two decades of war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced 2 million more. Kony and his fighters are thought to move between camps in northeast Congo and neighbouring Central African Republic. Meanwhile, reports we could not independently verify say the LRA overran an SPLA barracks in Nabanga on Thursday killing the commander, a major, and injuring some 21 soldiers in a battle that lasted at least four hours.Diplomatic sources say the rebels struck the barracks in what appears to have been a pre-emptive strike after they suspected that the Ugandan army was using the place as a base to prepare attacks against their forces.Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court for multiple war crimes including massacres, rapes and abducting thousands of children to use as fighters and sex slaves.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Brazzaville: Security And Humanitarian Conditions Improve in Pool Region: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 6 June 2008.

Security and humanitarian conditions in the Pool region of the Republic of Congo have improved significantly in recent months despite a political deadlock that has prevented a key former rebel leader taking up his government post in the capital, Brazzaville, humanitarian officials have said. "Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has decided to leave the Congo because the humanitarian context has changed. It has improved considerably," Lai-Ling Lee, the head of the MSF mission in the country, said. "In 2007 we registered fewer incidents [in the Pool region] than in the years before," Lee reported. "We are handing over to the local authorities to provide the people with the necessary

60 interventions." MSF has been providing humanitarian assistance in the Pool region since 1998. The improved security has also allowed for the dismantling of road blocks erected by security forces and ex-combatants in the region.

"All the barriers have been removed," Col. Ibata Yhomby, the regional commander of the police force in Brazzaville, said. "The accomplishment of this operation is a great relief for the people of Pool." The Pool region was the most affected in the country's series of civil wars between 1998 and 2003. The war pitted the national army against former rebel leader Pasteur Ntoumi's figthers. The signing of a peace agreement between Ntoumi's party, Le Conseil national des républicains (CNR) and the government, in March 2003, ended the conflict. Ntoumi was appointed general delegate in charge of the promotion of peace and post-conflict reconstruction by presidential decree in May 2007 but is yet to take up his post. His party is calling for the formation of a security commission comprising law enforcement officers, ex-combatants and representatives of the civil society and human rights organisations. "If the reverend has still not taken [up] his post it is because of lethargy on the part of the government. The ball is in the government's court," CNR spokesman, Euloge Mpassi, said. "Ntoumi is still ready to come to Brazzaville to take up his position." However, according to the commissioner in charge of the reintegration of ex-combatants, Michel Ngakala, Ntoumi had not returned to Brazzaville simply because he did not wish to. "The war ended and he is free to move anywhere," Ngakala said. "Given that Ntoumi will take up the role as a civilian, he does not need any special formal provisions in order to be installed." "Taking up a civilian role does not require such structures which risk complicating the situation," he said. Initially, Ntoumi was scheduled to return to the capital on 10 September 2007 to take up his post, after spending at least 10 years in the bush. Despite improved security in the region, Ntoumi's ex-combatants are still terrorising the people in Pool, according to the director of the Congolese human rights watchdog, Roger Bouka Owoko. At least 5,000 of Ntoumi's forces are expected to take part in the country's demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration programme.

• Congo-Kinshasa: Monuc Blue Helmets Celebrate 60 Years of UN Peacekeeping: United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa): 30 May 2008.

MONUC blue helmets celebrated the 60th anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping with a ceremony in Kinshasa on Thursday 29 May 2008, in honour of the courage and sacrifice of thousands of soldiers worldwide that have given their lives for peace. In attendance was Alan Doss, Special Representative to the Secretary General in the DRC, MONUC Force Commander General Babacar Guy, DRC Defence Minster Chikez Diemu and DRC Interior Minister Denis Kalume. MONUC blue helmets in Kinshasa - namely the Uruguayan, Tunisian and Ghanaian battalions - as well as Kinshasa schoolchildren added colour to the event. In his speech, MONUC head Mr. Alan Doss reiterated the message of UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon, who said that "this anniversary is an occasion to celebrate, but also to mourn our fallen colleagues." "Each one is a hero. Today, we recommit ourselves to ensuring that their sacrifices are never forgotten, and the vital work of the blue helmets continues as long as they are needed." DRC Defence

61 Minsiter Chikez Diemu said that at the DRC's independence in 1960, UN peacekeepers came to the aid of a newborn country that was in danger of falling apart.

"How can we forget the role of the blue helmets who sacrificed their blood. There is no greater sacrifice or love than to give one's life in the search for peace. The unique message of thanks that we can give is to commit ourselves to unity, to consolidate the work of the blue helmets in Congo." A minute's silence for those fallen in the search of peace was followed by a poem from local Kinshasa schoolchildren entitled "A world of peace for children." The ceremony concluded with a presentation of cultural music and dance from the Uruguayan, Ghanaian and Tunisian peacekeepers.

Since MONUC's inception in 1999, a total of 93 blue helmets have died in the cause of peace, with 21 losing their lives in combat. Today there are more than 110,000 men and women peacekeepers from close to 120 countries deployed in conflict zones around the world. Since the inception of UN peacekeeping operations, more than 2,400 men and women have died serving the cause of peace, with 87 blue helmets dying in 2007.

24. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Al-Qaeda Threat - Group Chides Police Ig : Leadership (Abuja) :9 June 2008.

The Northern Network for Justice and Development (NNJD), has reacted, following recent reports in the media and inferences on the purported statement of the Inspector- General of Police on the supposed intelligence report on the globally renowned terrorist group, Al-qaeda alleged interest in Nigeria.

In a press conference led by its coordinator in Kaduna, the coordinator, Abdullahi Ali Kano said "The most effective way to prevent an unfortunate incident other than preparing it is to prevent it. This can only be achieved under an effective and genuine relationship between the Police and the people they protect and police. Sharing of information and collaboration in seeking understanding between the people and the police helps a lot in assisting the law enforcement body to carry out its duties efficiently. We do not have to witness acts of horror before we act as we do not know who will be the victims in cases as sensitive as this". Ali stressed "To say the least, some of the remarks are as unfair as they are insensitive. Responses to situations like this from any quarters requires more tact and caution than has been witnessed already. Nigeria is a complex country of diver's religions and ethno-religious orientations such that if information received is not properly managed, the consequences have not painted a nice picture". He noted that there are many terrorists' organisations in the world under the guise of one criterion or the other fighting causes they believe to be just, the world, the group opined allows such organisations to express themselves within the ambits of civilised conduct which does not pose danger to a country's citizen, but where the world differs with the organisations are basically in their methodologies characterized by orgies of violence and death. Arguing that "If there had been intelligence report on the activities

62 of this group, Nigerians, irrespective of their religions or ethnic affiliations, have right to be informed on actions taken to safeguard the lives and property of Nigerians".

SOUTHERN AFRICA

• Angola: Police Get 42 Fire Arms From Citizens: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 6 June 2008.

The provincial commander of the National Police in Namibe Province received from 27 May to 2 June this year 42 guns of diverse calibres, in the ambit of the disarmament campaign of the citizens in illegal possession of firearms.

According to the weekly report of the Provincial Police Command received Friday by ANGOP, the materials delivered consist of 36 guns of the AKM type, three KT and other explosive devices. Still in the same period, the citizens handed over 107 ammunitions and 38 bulltes magazines. In the previous week, the Police Command received 17 fire arms and 39 ammunitions.

EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Four Held in Terror Probe: The Nation (Nairobi): 26 May 2008.

Police in Likoni at the weekend arrested four people suspected of being involved in terror-related activities. Two of them were, however, released after spending hours at a police station in the area, where they were interrogated. Sources told the Nation that the four were arrested after investigations showed that they were in possession of weapons.

Not recovered

The weapons, which included a bomb and guns, were, however, not recovered by the police. On Saturday morning, the police raided a house in Shika Adabu in Likoni, where a middle-aged man and an 18-year-old Form Four student were arrested. The suspected man's wife said about 40 police officers raided their home at dawn and took her husband away. "When I demanded to know why they were arresting him, they told me that a gun had been stolen in Ethiopia and that they suspected it was in our house," said Fatuma Mwalimu at Utange on the North Coast, where she had gone to break the news to her mother. Later the police moved to Majengo, where they arrested two other men, one of Somali origin, after gathering information that they had weapons at their houses. The arrest took place at 11am after a dramatic car chase in Majengo during which roads were blocked.

Shot in the leg

63 The driver of the vehicle was shot in the leg as he attempted to escape but the second one surrendered. Sources claim that they were carrying cash in their saloon car when the chase started. The police ransacked houses of the two men and searched for the weapons and any other clues linking them to terrorism. The two were later released after being found not to have been in possession of any weapons. When contacted for a comment, Coast CID boss Bernard Mate, however, said he was not aware of any arrests. "If my men have arrested anybody, I am not aware," he said.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Rebels Want UN to Investigate Camp Attack: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 5 June 2008.

Rwandan rebels in DR Congo have dismissed reports that they attacked a displaced people's camp killing six and injuring more, instead demanding an investigation, RNA reports. According to the UN force in the country - MONUC -, elements of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), "opened fire on an internally displaced persons' camp in Kinyandoni, Rutshuru territory, over 70km north of the provincial capital Goma". An Area official told reporters he had learnt that the actual figure was "12 dead and 24 wounded" after holding discussions with the head of the Kinyandoni camp, which is home to more than 5,000 internally displaced persons.

The rebels - blamed by Rwanda for the Genocide here said in a statement - signed by their fugitive executive secretary Calixte Mbarushimana that they "categorically reject the false and propagandist accusations". Mr. Mbarushimana is subject an ongoing investigation by French prosecutors. "The FDLR is surprised by the ease with which MONUC is always quick to point the finger at the FDLR whenever abuses are committed in the Kivu region without even having commissioned any investigation", he said from Paris. To the 'public, media and international community' the rebels say that one of their objectives is "rather to ensure the protection of the civilian population particularly weak and vulnerable".

The 6,000-strong fighter force, remains considered a major threat to peace and stability in the greater Great Lakes region. They have increasingly found themselves under diplomatic and military pressure to abandon their struggle and return home, especially since the signing of the so-called Nairobi declaration. The declaration, which was signed by the leaders of the DR Congo and Rwanda in Nairobi on November 2007, is aimed at disarming and repatriating the rebels to their country of origin willingly or forcefully. The MONUC, which has already repatriated more than 6,000 FDLR elements back to Rwanda, has been pushing forward with its sensitization campaign for the return, while at the same time supporting redeployment of FARDC in the Kivus. This week, Rwanda and DR Congo officials met in Western province to map out next moves. Officials expressed satisfaction that efforts to dislodge the rebels were largely on course. The DR Congo army has been extending its positions in the two Kivu provinces before launching a military campaign to force the Rwandan rebels from their bases in the country.In February, UN investigators told the UN Security Council that the FDLR had established a

64 strong business network dealing in minerals and using the proceeds to finance their activities. The team reported that the rebels - along with others roaming the vast eastern DRC - had been forcefully recruiting children.

25. NORTH AFRICA • Algeria: Four Condemned to Prison for Becoming Christian: Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi): 6 June 2008.

Four Algerians who converted to Christianity have been condemned to prison and heavy fines, while two others were set free after renouncing their conversion.

The defence lawyer said the four were charged with "illegally practicing a non-Muslim faith," the French news agency AFP reported. Attorney Khelloudja Khalfoun said one of the converts was sentenced to six months in prison and fined USD3,087, while the other three were sentenced to two months in prison and fined USD1,544 each. The four converts, who were condemned by a court in Tiaret, refused to deny their faith, in contrast with the two others who were freed. Kheloudja told AFP that he would appeal the verdict, since only the ones who admitted they had converted were found guilty. "They were judged by the facts themselves, and therefore all should be guilty or all should be freed," he said. The group of six converts was sentenced after being arrested for participating in an "illegal" service. According to a law passed in February of 2006 on religious worship in Algeria, places of worship must be designated as such by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The court that handed down the verdict was the same court that tried Habiba Kouider, who was arrested on April 1 for carrying a Bible and "practicing a non-Muslim religion without a license." International media attention caused the judge to try to relieve some of the pressure by delaying her case and asking for an investigation. Another court in the city of Tissemsilt will issue a verdict against two other converts to Christianity on June 18, who were arrested on November 20, 2007, and condemned to two years in prison and fines of USD7,718. They appealed the verdict and are awaiting the results of the appeal.

• Algeria: Archbishop Asks State to Free Christian Convert: Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi):3 June 2008.

Archbishop Emeritus Henri Teissier of Algeria has called on the government to free Christian convert Habiba Kouider, arrested in April for practicing a non-Muslim religion. Kouider is facing a three-year prison sentence requested by prosecutors in the officially Muslim nation.

According to Vatican Radio, Kouider was found with a Bible and was detained by police. "I hope Habiba Kouider will be released since the judge in the case has expressed a different opinion from that of the prosecutor," the archbishop told the El Kabar newspaper. Ghechir Boudjema, president of the Algerian League of Human Rights, told Radio France Internationale that Kouider has done nothing illegal. "It is a good ruling because (the judge) said the police and prosecutors made a mistake by bringing charges against Habiba Kouider," he said. There is no law in Algeria that forbids owning a

65 religious book such as the Bible or the Koran, he added. In the same city of Tiaret, six Algerian Protestants have been accused of proselytism and were arrested as they left a home where they had met for prayer. Prosecutors are asking for the men to be sentenced to two years in prison for "practicing a religion in an unauthorized place." Algerian Minister of Religious Affairs, Bouabdallah Gholamallah, said the group was acting "outside the law" and was seeking to "constitute a (Christian) minority in order to support foreign interference in the internal affairs of Algeria."

• Algeria: Cartoonist, Newspaper Publisher And Editor Face Possible Prison Sentences in Defamation Case Over Cartoon of Former Army Chief: World Association of Newspapers (Paris): PRESS RELEASE: 4 June 2008.

The World Association of Newspapers, which is currently holding its 61st World Newspaper Congress and 15th World Editors Forum in Göteborg, Sweden, strongly condemns the continuing legal harassment exerted against the renowned Algerian cartoonist Ali Dilem.

In the latest defamation case brought against Dilem by the Defence Ministry, the State Prosecutor requested on 1st June a two-month prison sentence against the cartoonist, but also against the publisher of the daily newspaper Liberté, Ali Ouafak, and its managing editor, Farid Alilat. The humoristic cartoon that triggered the criminal charges portrayed Lt. Gen. Mohamed Lamari as he retired from his position of Chief of Staff of the Algerian army. It was published by Liberté in July 2004.

This is the third trial faced by Dilem since the beginning of 2008. He received a six- month suspended sentence in one instance while the other case is currently being appealed. Since he started his career 19 years ago, Dilem was prosecuted more than 50 times, mainly by the Presidential Office and the military.

In 2001, amendments known as the "Dilem amendments" were made to the Information Code and the Penal Code to prohibit the publication of material that offends the president, the parliament, the courts, or the army, and to increase the criminal sanctions against publishers, journalists or cartoonists for any violation. Ali Dilem was among the speakers at WAN's annual press freedom round table that this year addressed and defended the right of the press to publish content that might offend, shock and disturb. WAN and the world's press currently meeting in Sweden call on the Algerian authorities to halt the harassment campaign against Dilem and to ensure that all criminal charges against him and his colleagues are dropped. Moreover, WAN calls on the authorities to take all necessary steps to put an end to the intimidation and repression of the independent press in Algeria and to fully respect international standards of freedom of expression. The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom and the professional and business interests of newspapers world-wide. Representing 18,000 newspapers, its membership includes 77 national newspaper associations, newspaper companies and individual newspaper

66 executives in 102 countries, 12 news agencies and 11 regional and world-wide press groups.

• Tunisia: 'Tunisia is a Role Model in the Region', Says Chief U.S. Commander of Africom: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 29 May 2008.

General William. E. Ward, Chief US Commander of AFRICOM, said in a press point held on Thursday at the American Embassy in Tunis, that "Tunisia is a role model in the region" and notably insofar as "global education, social welfare, religious tolerance and women's emancipation which is an obstacle to the proliferation extremism", are concerned. General William E. Ward also said that his visit is part of the long-standing relations binding Tunisia and the United States that date back to the first friendship and peace treaty signed in 1789. He added that the visit was also an occasion to take cognizance of the professionalism and the high level reached by Tunisia 's military. General Ward also commemorated on May 27, the 63rd anniversary of "Memorial Day" at the American Memorial Cemetery in Tunis where U.S. servicemen who served in the North Africa campaign during World War II, are buried.

AFRICOM, which was set up in 2007, is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.

• Liberia: Students in Morocco Commend President Sirleaf: The Inquirer (Monrovia): 29 May 2008.

The Liberian Students Association in Morocco (LISAM) has commended President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for her outstanding support towards education. The students noted that education is the only wealth that every nation should provide for its citizens without any hesitation. In an open letter addressed to the President, a copy of which is in the possession of the INQUIRER under the signature of the association's president, Adam M. Dorley, Jr, rebuilding a nation's ruined educational system has been one of the key pillars in President Sirleaf administration's development plan. "Madam Sirleaf has strongly manifested a vibrant change in the system since her ascendancy to the presidency, one of which we recently benefited from through the Ministry of Education's scholarship allowance," they said. The letter dated April 2, 2008 further noted that it is apparent more than ever before in the educational sojourn that a token of encouragement from President Sirleaf's government, has removed the lines of despairs from LISAM faces and transformed it into the overzealous faces of hope and resilience. Concluding, the students praised President Sirleaf for her excellent performance demonstrated in the interest of their academic pursuit.

26. NEWS COMMENTARIES

WEST AFRICA • Africa: China in Africa - Implications for U.S. Policy: United States Department of State (Washington, DC): DOCUMENT: 4 June 2008.

Thomas J. Christensen and James Swan

67 The following is the statement of Thomas J. Christensen, Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and James Swan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs on China in Africa before the Subcommittee on African Affairs of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on China in Africa on June 4, 2008.

Mr. Chairman, Senator Isakson, and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to address the subject of China’s growing engagement with Africa and its ramifications for U.S. foreign policy.

China’s growing presence in Africa has generated significant discussion during the last several years. This attention reflects the reality that China has important and growing interests in Africa, including access to resources and markets, development of diplomatic ties, and Chinese claims of leadership in developing world. These objectives are not inherently incompatible with U.S. priorities and, in fact, may offer important opportunities for the continent. In general, we see China’s growing activity on the continent as a potentially positive force for economic development there, which is a goal we share with China and many others. As President Bush has said, we do not see a “zero- sum” competition with China for influence in Africa. Nor do we see evidence that China’s commercial or diplomatic activities in Africa are aimed at diminishing U.S. influence on the continent.

As Deputy Secretary Negroponte recently noted in testimony before the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee, policy differences in some areas should come as no surprise given the two countries’ very different demographic and economic conditions, histories and political systems. Our goal, as with other areas of the world, is to engage Chinese officials to try to define and expand a common agenda for Africa that ultimately will serve both our national interests and maximize the benefit Africa derives from U.S. and Chinese economic investment in the continent. We are actively looking for areas of complementarity and cooperation with the Chinese, while engaging at multiple levels on differences in approach to specific issues. Our regular high-level dialogues with China include the “Senior Dialogue” led by Deputy Secretary of State Negroponte, which focuses on political and security issues and the Treasury-led “Strategic Economic Dialogue,” which addresses bilateral and global economic issues. We also plan to begin this autumn a bilateral dialogue on development assistance led by the Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance Henrietta Fore and her counterpart in China’s Ministry of Commerce.

The State Department holds a regional sub-dialogue on Africa as part of the U.S.-China Senior Dialogue on security and political affairs. The sub-dialogue is led on our side by Assistant Secretary Jendayi Frazer. In addition to these formal dialogues, Assistant Secretary Frazer talks with her Chinese counterparts on an ongoing basis on a variety of issues, most recently hosting China’s Special Representative Liu Guijin in May. Special Envoy to Sudan Richard Williamson also regularly communicates with Ambassador Liu on Sudan. In September 2007, Ambassador Ruth Davis, Chief of Staff of the Bureau of African Affairs, traveled to China for a series of high-level meetings and public appearances aimed at explaining U.S.-Africa relations. And, of course, our diplomats in

68 Africa are in regular contact with their Chinese counterparts on the full range of issues on the continent.

China in Africa

China’s engagement with Africa is not new. Beijing initiated bilateral assistance to Africa in 1956 and, by its own account, has funded over 800 projects between 1957 and 2008. There are few capitals in Africa where China has not built a showpiece building, from a national sports stadium to a gleaming new ministry headquarters. Estimates of Chinese development assistance to Africa in this decade vary, but tend to fall around $1-$2 billion per year. This amount is still relatively modest in comparison to the annual contributions of $18 billion (including debt relief) provided by the European Union (EU) and member countries, $9 billion from multilateral institutions, and about $5 billion from the United States Government.

China’s economic and commercial engagement in Africa has dramatically increased and diversified during the last several years. Bilateral trade rose from $10 billion in 2000 to $70 billion in 2007, and China is now Africa’s second largest trading partner after the United States. Africa ran an overall trade surplus with China between 2004 and 2006, as it did with the United States, and it is clear that China, like the United States, has become an important source of both export revenue and investment for the continent. China’s direct investment in Africa increased from $491 million in 2003 to over $2.5 billion three years later and continues to grow. Africa is also becoming an important export market for Chinese consumer goods. Small, private Chinese investors have invested millions of dollars into opening enterprises in Africa that operate in textiles, light manufacturing, construction and agriculture. Recent media attention has focused on high-profile Chinese investments in Africa, such as the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China’s October 2007 purchase of a twenty-percent stake in South Africa’s Standard Bank, or a $9 billion loan and investment package for Congo that will be repaid in cobalt and copper from Congolese mines. China’s economic and commercial engagement in Africa should be understood in a broad context. Its activity has increased dramatically in recent years, but started from a relatively low base. As of 2006, the value of China’s trade with Africa was lower than with the Middle East or Latin America and was a minute percentage of its trade with the rest of Asia. On the investment side, China’s investment flow into Africa constituted only 2.9% of its global outward direct investment. China’s total direct investment stock in Africa accounted for only 1% of global foreign direct investment in Africa.

The composition of China’s involvement in Africa has changed greatly over the past decade. Whereas the foundation for China’s early interaction with Africa was the promotion of a shared leftist, anti-colonial ideology, the common ground now is mostly a convergence of economic interests in a global trading system. In many ways, China’s successful embrace of market-based economics and openness to most aspects of globalization can be a positive example for African nations. There also have been significant increases in two-way tourism, academic and non-governmental exchanges, and diplomatic initiatives. China has even modeled many of its engagement programs

69 after very successful U.S. exchanges on the continent. For example, historically, the United States has identified young emerging political and economic African leaders for exchange programs in the United States under something known as the “international visitors program.” China is now doing the same thing -- identifying members of parliament, local entrepreneurs, and well-placed government officials in such key ministries as Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, and Trade and Commerce for training and exchange programs in Beijing. China also funds trips by local traders and businesspeople to Africa to source Chinese consumer products. It funds sports teams and provides equipment for aspiring African Olympians. Since the year 2000, China’s primary public relations vehicle for promoting its African presence is the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which is held every three years.

China’s increased economic and commercial activity in Africa raises a variety of issues that African, Chinese, and other international experts are examining. Some Africans worry that the influx of low-cost goods from China undercuts local industry. We also hear concerns that Chinese infrastructure projects underutilize indigenous labor, finance, and resources. Chinese projects often employ imported Chinese workers and utilize imported raw materials. Observers have warned that China’s assistance efforts in Africa, which emphasize ‘no strings’ and are not predicated on the same kinds of conditionality as other countries’ aid programs, could endanger progress in promoting good governance and market reform in Africa. As Chinese companies’ presence on the continent expands, they will increasingly be expected to bolster indigenous capacity and contribute to long- term development. The U.S. government would like to engage the Chinese on how their economic policies in Africa can help produce better results for sustainable economic development if they conform to the international community’s broader initiatives for Africa. We remain steadfast in our belief that strong democratic institutions and protection of fundamental human rights are the foundations for sustainable economic growth. We remain concerned with a general lack of transparency regarding China’s foreign assistance practices in Africa, and are encouraging Beijing to more fully engage with other major bilateral and multilateral actors to ensure that aid supports the efforts of responsible African governments to be responsive to their people’s needs. As the U.S. and other creditor countries implement the enhanced Heavily-Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and provide debt relief to qualifying countries, transparency is key to understanding how creditors’ assistance packages fit with a borrowing country’s debt sustainability framework developed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. By its reluctance to coordinate with groups like the IMF and World Bank, we believe China misses an opportunity to make the most of its aid, loans, and investment in Africa. On occasion, it appears that China’s policies serve to undercut the efforts of others to use investment and development assistance to produce improved governance, which almost all credible research about development point to as essential to long-term, stable economic growth.

The international community has expressed similar concerns about the Chinese use of foreign assistance as a trade tool, as when African governments grant favorable treatment to Chinese project bids because such bids are tied directly to Chinese government development assistance packages. It is in China’s interest to demonstrate to the

70 international community that its policies in Africa are not driven solely by the desire to secure natural resources and access to markets and access to major infrastructure projects, and that the Chinese government is committed to improving the long-term welfare of people across the continent. When discussing China’s presence in Africa, it is important to highlight that China’s economy has become increasingly diversified and has numerous public and private economic actors that influence the African market. Chinese companies are active in financial markets, telecommunications, manufacturing, textiles, agro- business, and a variety of extractive industries. For example, we must distinguish between Chinese energy companies’ pursuit of exploration agreements and the Chinese government’s Africa policy. Certainly the Chinese Ministries of Commerce and Foreign Affairs promote access to natural resources and export markets for Chinese firms as part of their policies. But observers sometimes ascribe too much coordination and grand strategizing to the Chinese leadership’s policies toward the developing world. There are often exaggerated charges that Chinese firms’ activities or investment decisions are coordinated by the Chinese government as some sort of strategic gambit in the high- stakes game of global energy security. In reality, Chinese firms compete for profitable projects not only with more technologically and politically savvy international firms, but also with each other.

Contrary to what many assume, China’s large oil companies are not dominant players in Africa’s energy industry. With the important exception of Sudan, where the China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) is the major operator, Chinese oil companies are relatively minor players in Africa. In 2006, total output by all Chinese producers was approximately one-third of a single U.S. firm’s (ExxonMobil) African production. Some energy assets now held by Chinese companies were in the past run by international oil companies that found more profitable opportunities elsewhere in Africa. Africans themselves will, of course, largely shape the terms of their relations with China. While welcoming increased Chinese engagement, Africans have also signaled the importance of business practices that reinforce African Union and New Partnership for African Development principles on good governance. Chinese labor, environmental and quality- control standards have drawn extra scrutiny from many Africans. In Zambia, for example, anti-Chinese sentiment became an important election issue in 2005 when the opposition mobilized voters from the country’s copper belt following a deadly explosion at a Chinese-owned copper mine.

U.S.-China Engagement

Within the context of our senior- and policy-level discussions with the Chinese, we have identified a number of areas that would benefit from additional cooperation and burden- sharing. For example, with 1452 Chinese military, police, and observers serving on peacekeeping missions throughout Africa, China could play a greater role in coordinating with us on post-conflict security sector reform activities and in equipping and supporting African peacekeepers. In Liberia, for example, China has contributed to the U.S.-led rebuilding of that nation’s army. The U.S. Government trained staff and refurbished the Ministry of Defense headquarters while China provided vehicles and computer equipment. The United States is in the process of recruiting, vetting, training and

71 equipping a 2,000 man army and has rebuilt three military bases around Monrovia. China is providing some specialty training and is rebuilding at least one base up-country. Good communication between the U.S. and Chinese embassies on the ground has helped each party identify areas for inputs. We want to build on that success elsewhere in Africa.

Our dialogue on Darfur is ongoing and is producing important results. After years of acting primarily to protect Khartoum from international pressure, since late 2006 China has shown an increased willingness to engage with the international community on Darfur, and has applied diplomatic pressure on the Government of Sudan to change its behavior, as well as to engage in a political process for a peaceful negotiation to the Darfur conflict. China voted for UNSC Resolution 1769 that created the hybrid United Nations African Mission in Darfur, but has at times acquiesced in the Government of Sudan’s opposition to its full implementation. China has pledged up to 300 military engineers, of whom 140 have been dispatched, making China the first non-African Troop Contributing Country to deploy in Darfur. China has also become more involved in responding to the humanitarian crisis, providing some direct assistance and donating U.S. $1.8 million U.S. dollars to the Darfur region and the African Union Special Mission. We have welcomed this positive change in Chinese policy, but have also told China frankly that it could do a lot more. The Sudanese Government continues to use violence against civilians and rebels in Darfur, and renege on key elements of the UNAMID deployment. China enjoys significant influence with the Government of Sudan due to its investments in the country’s energy sector, and we have asked China to exercise its leverage to pressure Khartoum to work toward a negotiated solution in Darfur. We have also asked the Chinese government to halt its companies’ substantial arms trade with Sudan because of the likelihood that some Chinese-origin armaments are being used by the Sudanese government in Darfur, in contravention of UNSCR 1591. The proliferation of lethal conventional weapons in Africa contributes to instability and endangers China’s long- term interests on the continent. In the same spirit we have pushed the Chinese government to reconsider the wisdom of retaining close military relations with repressive regimes on the continent. Perceptions of Chinese support of African leaders such as Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, who rule through guns and intimidation, harms China’s image and undermines it ability to play the role of responsible stakeholder in Africa’s affairs. In non-security areas such as health, China and the U.S. are pursuing potentially complementary programs to eradicate malaria, polio, and other endemic diseases. In agriculture, the U.S. and Chinese Ambassadors in Ethiopia arranged exchanges to observe demonstration farms each country had built to increase agricultural capacity. The U.S. and Chinese Ambassadors in Angola have also agreed to identify a joint development project in the agriculture sector. We have encouraged our Embassy country teams all over Africa to identify potential areas of cooperation in the multiple sectors and engage with Chinese counterparts to the benefit of African populations. The State Department has also attempted to bring Chinese, U.S. and African civil society together by supporting conferences and symposiums. For example, the NGO Vital Voices held a Summit for African Women in Cape Town, South Africa in January 2007, in which a small contingent of Chinese women participated. A follow up symposium for Chinese and African women entrepreneurs in Shanghai was held in September 2007 to further cooperation.

72 Conclusion

International concerns about China’s increasing commercial and diplomatic presence in Africa must be considered within the wider context of questions about the ramifications of China’s rise as a global economic and political actor. These questions are particularly acute because of our bilateral trade deficit with China and the perception that China’s growing demand for natural resources is contributing upward pressure on global commodity prices during a potential global economic slowdown.

But the big questions for the United States in discussions of China-in-Africa are not based in concerns about the U.S.-China bilateral economic relationship but rather in our foreign policy priorities for Africa, which are promoting democracy, human rights, political stability, good governance, and sustainable economic development to improve the health, education and living standards of the continent’s population. China already is making a substantial contribution to the continent’s economic development, and we believe that it can play an even more important role in the future. In that spirit, we engage at multiple levels to influence Chinese actions on issues such as good governance, human rights, and transparency – issues that we believe should play as prominent a role in Chinese Africa policy as in ours.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Ugly Politics Aggravate Xenophobia: allAfrica.com: GUEST COLUMN: 4 June 2008.

The attacks on migrants from elsewhere in Africa in South Africa recently are not simply a result of xenophobia. They are a product of ugly, debased politics in which mainstream political activity becomes fused with lawlessness and vengeance, write AllAfrica guest columnists Terence Corrigan and Faten Aggad.

South Africans have been shaken by the recent eruption of mob violence targeting foreigners living among us. At this writing, some 62 people have been killed, while tens of thousands have lost property or fled their homes. South Africa's reputation as a proponent of human rights and cooperation has been tarnished, and both Nigeria and Kenya are reportedly seeking compensation for losses suffered by their citizens.

The attacks have raised questions about the malaise from which South Africa appears to suffer. "Xenophobia," the common categorisation of the attacks, cannot on its own explain the violence. After all, South Africans have been living alongside foreign nationals for decades. This suggests that other factors are involved. We need to understand what they are – urgently.

One of them is the inability of the existing democratic process to mitigate conflict. A constitutional democracy allows conflicting ideas of what is appropriate, morally good or simply the best option, to be openly debated, incorporated in policy and then judged by the electorate. The latter may reject the solutions on offer, but democracy will have channelled the conflict into the marketplace of ideas rather than onto a battlefield.

73 Citizens of a constitutional democracy should feel bound to respect the law, but on the clear understanding that they have the right, within the law, to challenge policies and laws with which they disagree.

In South Africa in recent weeks we have seen people choose another way of expressing their grievances. For whatever complex reasons – preliminary observations suggest they include anger at competition for jobs and services, envy at the perceived success of foreigners, and suspicion of other cultures – significant numbers of people regard migration and the presence of foreigners as "an issue" – over which they are prepared to kill. South African policy on immigration has been uneven. On the one hand, it has procedures for and restrictions on people wanting to immigrate to South Africa. The government's Department of Home Affairs' website says quite bluntly: "South Africa can accommodate only a certain number of immigrants. ... [it] has a vast reserve of unskilled and semi-skilled workers who are entitled to employment opportunities and to an economically viable lifestyle for themselves and their families." On the other hand, there is a "shoulder-shrugging" approach on the part of policy-makers. For close on a decade, an emphasis on border security was rejected. A 1999 White Paper on migration noted that "the migration system must not heavily rely for its success on actions taken to secure the country's land and sea borders from people willing to cross them illegally."

Since then, Zimbabwe has collapsed economically, sending millions into South Africa through its northern border. The government refused to recognise the crisis and President Thabo Mbeki airily claimed that it made no sense to build Chinese walls between the two countries. The upshot is that large numbers of Zimbabweans are forced to earn a living illegally in South Africa. As resentment at the presence of migrants grew among South Africans, the government failed to confront it. On the ground, the political system failed to channel people's grievances into formal channels, perhaps because of the absence of adequate political structures through which people can express fears and preferences. (For instance, South African members of Parliament are chosen from party lists and do not formally represent geographical constituencies.) The failures may speak also to a lack of understanding on the part of ordinary people as to how they can make themselves heard, or to a political culture in which the dominance of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) for the foreseeable future has made debate and proper engagement seem unnecessary.

So what we are seeing is much more than xenophobia; it's ugly, debased politics. News reports of mobs setting upon foreigners while singing the signature song of the new ANC leader, Jacob Zuma (for which he cannot, it must be said, be held responsible, and which he has condemned) are a nasty illustration of this. In the minds of the mob, there is a fusion of organised, mainstream politics with lawlessness and vengeance.

South Africa should remember that recent violence on the streets is only the latest in a series of similar outbreaks – two years ago, it happened in the town of Khutsong, west of Johannesburg, when a community was to be reallocated to another provincial government. Straws in the wind? Migrations and xenophobia have been political issues in many parts of the world throughout history. The Roman empire experienced severe

74 stresses after non-Romans settled in it. Japan closed itself off to the outside world between the 17th and 19th centuries, largely as a reaction to the spread of foreign ideas, particularly Christianity. And during the 19th century, the influx of impoverished, Catholic Irish to the United States and Australia was often bitterly resented; businesses would display signs saying "Help wanted – No Irish Need Apply". Today, promises to "get tough" on illegal immigration are a feature of many societies. Immigration is an abiding issue for debate in the United States. Parties and politicians with tough policies on immigration are prominent in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Denmark. Botswana is experiencing resentment at the recent influx of Zimbabweans.

Perhaps what any country can learn from elsewhere is the need to encourage intelligent, effective policy engagement. In most democracies facing migration difficulties, migration and xenophobia become political issues, and can be handled within democratic political structures. The solutions offered may be good or bad, but as long as the issues are dealt with within the political system, constitutional democracy functions. It may be imperfect – there are no magic solutions – but it's far better than what we have seen in South Africa over the past weeks. Policy engagement by citizens enables their views to be aired, but also teaches them the limitations of solutions. So while South Africa has the right to decide who should be allowed in, enforcing this will be difficult and expensive and may come at the cost of other social services. This is a trade-off that informed, free, engaged citizens will need to make and be willing to take responsibility for. If we choose to misread the problem, and insist that tough measures are the only way to deal with xenophobia, democracy itself will eventually be the casualty.

Terence Corrigan and Faten Aggad work on the Governance and African Peer Review Mechanism programme of the South African Institute of International Affairs.

EAST AFRICA/ HORN OF AFRICA • Africa: Africa Must Wake Up to the Anarchy: The Monitor (Kampala): EDITORIAL: 22 May 2008.

Egyptian police shot and wounded a Sudanese nab to prevent him from crossing the border illegally to Israel (Daily Monitor May 20 Pg. 6). South Africa: Ugandans are getting increasingly caught up in the wave of anti-foreigner violence that has rocked South Africa in recent days. At least 30 people (foreigners) had been killed by Monday evening.

Uganda: Army, police evict Balaalo (New Vision May 19 Pg.1). The three stories and the many that have been reported previously or never reported paint an ever gloomy picture of a continent which remains the most under-developed, with the worst living conditions for its people yet with some of the longest serving leaders (read rulers).

The anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa presents a wake up call for African leaders to look beyond the confines imposed by their own lifestyles in fortified presidential palaces, long presidential convoys, barricaded streets, private jets and brigades of soldiers

75 but no leadership at all to the people they are supposed to lead. Holding onto small fiefdoms the African leaders who also top as the longest serving on the globe have fallen deeply out of touch with their populations leaving them to devour each other as they blame one another for their dire economic woes. We witnessed this in Kenya in January though the cause here was a stolen opportunity for people to make their verdict. We have witnessed Zimbabwe sink ever deeper into anarchy, Sudan is devouring its own in the Darfur region as it has done for decades to the people of the South.

Food riots in Cameroon recently all paint to an absence of leadership on the continent. Where is the leadership from President Thabo Mbeki or Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal--the champions of Nepad? What about the other initiatives that see our leaders shake hands while the continent wallows and bleeds? It is understandably hard to try to read the frustrations that help whip up such nonsensical emotion that results in cold blood murders against innocent people. Hard economic conditions at home are pushing many Africans to leave their communities in search of better fortunes elsewhere. Their new communities are attacking them to justify their own economic misery.

The continental leadership needs to re-evaluate itself, the African Union, Nepad, regional groupings like Comesa, Ecowas, East African Community etc must stand up to the challenge.

• Africa: Beneficial Asia Relations Stalled By Lack of Vision: The Nation (Nairobi): OPINION: 1 June 2008.

Asia's interest in Africa is the new scramble for Africa. But it is a scramble in which the Asian giants are reluctant to wade fully into because of the problems Africa insists on creating for itself.

In 2006, China kicked off the African party by hosting leaders from virtually all the African nations. Many pledges were made and the Africans went back with goodies aplenty.

China's thirst for resources continues unabated, and although it is fair to say that both China and a number of African countries have come away with benefits no matter how skewed in favour of China, the relationship has been dogged by controversy. India has long eyed Africa's business opportunities as well, but its approach has tended to be ad hoc and piecemeal, and often all rhetoric and no real substance, except in terms of exporting labour to Africa. This is hardly surprising, considering that developing countries do not tend to work closely together especially when they belong to different continents.

China is of course also a developing country, but one which is particularly keen to learn from the mistakes of its fellow developing countries, and to offer them ideological leadership. India, on the other hand, is more and more like an appendage of the Western economic sphere of influence, something it shares with Africa.

76 And India has long yearned to join that most exclusive of clubs - a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. It is the dream of every country that assumes the status of a global economic power. And India is certainly an economic force to contend with. The political equation of gaining a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, or in the case of Taiwan, simply being allowed to join the UN, requires block support.

And that is where Africa comes in. When India held its first party for African leaders last month, following in China's footsteps, all the talk about collaboration in education, food security, industrial growth and so forth was underpinned by a little-talked about subtext, Africa's support for India's UN dreams.

Africa is more powerful than it realises but it lacks vision and political instability remains a stumbling block.

And because it consistently fails to present itself as a unified, powerful player in these political flirtations, it ends up being treated like a political football. It is sad to see our presidents and prime ministers in their expensive dark suits and embroidered floral robes being feted in the capitals of Asia, made to sign agreements to allow access to their economies and then being palmed off with promises of aid. Aid! In this day and age. At least the Indians did not go on and on about aid. Instead they spoke of partnerships, whatever that means.

Last week, African leaders were on the latest feeding frenzy, this time in the Japanese city of Yokohama. They ate sushi and drank sake. And sat solemnly as Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda promised to double aid within five years. Aid again!

When are people going to realise that no country ever achieved economic independence and industrial growth on the basis of aid. Well, alright, so Europe absorbed $13 billion of America's largesse 50 years ago, equivalent to up to $70 billion today, if not more. But because of the way it was structured and executed, the Marshall Plan succeeded in changing Europe from a continent devastated by war to the economic giant it is today. Aid in Africa has done little to change the continent's fortunes. A lot of the so-called official development assistance ends up in the black hole of institutionalised graft. The so-called soft loans end up becoming a millstone around the necks of millions who never benefited from the handouts.

China, India and Japan and all those who say they "like to help" should start thinking outside the box, as it were. Soft loans will not help develop Africa. If anything, they condemn the continent to reliance on even more aid. If they really want to help, let them urge their private enterprises to open factories in Africa and thus create employment.

Instead of couching aid in the form of contracts for constructing roads, dams and bridges, however needed they are, let them also build industrial estates and establish links with clusters of local suppliers, including jua kali operators. The turnaround of the Thai economy in the eighties owes a lot to the massive investments by the largest Japanese manufacturers who were at the time anxious to escape the high costs of labour and

77 production in their native Japan. They did not just build roads, they built a solid industrial base. Will Mr Fukuda urge the Toyotas and Mitsubishis to build factories up and down Africa, much as they do in North America and Europe? Of course not, because Africa is not perceived as a viable consumer market. It is only good for exploitation of raw materials. Asian leaders can hold all the summit meetings they like, but they will not develop Africa with "soft loans". But we cannot blame them for being cautious. One wonders what the South African delegation is telling the CEOs of Japanese corporates about the xenophobic attacks that have rocked their country.

Professor Ken Kamoche is an academic and a writer.

• Africa: Can the Continent Produce a New Intellectual to Redeem Herself: The Monitor (Kampala): COLUMN: 5 June 2008.

Omar Kalinge Nnyago

Africa's problems are numerous. Three of these, namely poverty, disease and ignorance stand out. African nations have tried out solutions, with varying successes.

Mwalimu Nyerere's Ujamaa (African Socialism?) is one of them. Not entirely a failure, it nevertheless did not achieve the transformation he had dreamt for his people. It is possible the programme lacked sufficient African intellectual input. We shall return to the intellectual factor later. Tackling Africa's problems has been made more difficult by the nature of leadership on much of the continent which was taught to view power as a means of "consumption" rather than "production."

In Uganda to be in power is figuratively understood as "eating", not "working", or "producing". This has shaped the way Ugandans view power and the responsibilities they expect of a leader. So, inefficiency, corruption and other unethical behaviour on the part of leaders do not sufficiently bother most people. This explains why voters can return an MP over and over again, even when it is on record that she/he has never uttered a word on the floor of the House. The typical Ugandan's view of power also explains why even when the most blatant cases of corruption, even at the highest places, are reported, people won't take to the streets to express their anger. Deep down they know that they would do the same if they had been in the in the minister's shoes. Most Ugandans would rather admire the minister's sprawling housing estate and gigantic four wheel drive than ask where all that wealth could have come from, without any declared other sources of income.

There is the strong argument that the state which European colonialists imposed on Africa did not have strong internal social groups, such as indigenous property owning classes, financially independent civil society or widely acceptable traditional rulers to institutionalise the state. The political elite that was handed over the new African state at independence was based on education rather than standing in society or wealth. They therefore regarded the state as a source of income. Since the governing elites had no source of income other than the government, state resources were understood to be for

78 personal enrichment and retention of power. (Veen, 2004). The matter of the African elite that took over power from the colonialists needs to be investigated further. Most were educated by the European conquerors to enable them serve the colonialists' interests even long after they were gone. The elite in Africa looks at their village compatriots as ignorant and illiterate, while the rural folk look at the elite as agents of foreign culture and economic interests. Hostility and mistrust exist between the two, since relationships between them is based on top-down development dictates passed on by the elite to the 'ignorant' masses. How do we produce a new African intellectual that is not delinked from her community? Because the future of Africa depends not on western intellectuals that only serve as the vanguard to neo-colonialism. The tragedy of Africa is that the African intellectual possesses extensive knowledge which is not relevant to their communities. The peculiar situation here is that knowledge of the principles and patterns of African civilisation remained with ordinary "uncertificated" men and women, especially in rural areas. The western educated African intellectual got lost and irrelevant as an intellectual who could develop African civilisation further. Another tragedy of Africa, after colonialism, is that her intellectuals abdicated their role as developers of an African civilisation.

Our view is that there must be concerted effort to breed a new African intellectual who will be the product of learning with the so-called "uncertificated" African, often in the local language. Until universities in Africa start hosting professors who cannot speak English or French, but perhaps only their Luganda, Luo or Zulu, to infuse the lost, hitherto unwritten African knowledge into the new learning systems, Africa will become extinct as a distinct entity.

Unless an African Management or Public Administration textbook can be written by this new African intellectual, there is no future in parroting western management or other theories that have little or often no relevance to the African setting.

CENTRAL AFRICA • . Africa: Challenges to the Rule of Law: Fahamu (Oxford): OPINION: 5 June 2008.

Dieu-Donné Wedi Djamba

Dieu-Donné Wedi Djamba argues that the march toward democracy in Africa is not only under threat by dictators using dictatorial means to stay in power, but also by democratically elected leaders who use democratic processes to cement their hold over power.

Due to the legacy of authoritarian regimes, the is facing a challenge in establishing the Rule of Law. But what raises concerns is that there is a trend toward disregarding pillars of the Rule of Law such as the Constitution or free and fair elections by those who currently rule their respective countries soon after being democratically elected. Instead of being implemented, the Rule of Law moves one step forward and two

79 steps back, holding back society through anti-democratic practices such as electoral fraud, the violation or the review of the Constitution by the democratic elected leaders.

1. ELECTORAL FRAUD

Change of governments and those in poweris one of the characteristics of democracy and this has to be done through free and fair elections. With different authoritarian regimes, the Global South witnessed several so-called presidential elections with either a single candidate or many candidates without any chance of winning. An example is Chad where in the 2006 presidential elections; the president was re-elected with ninety nine percent. In Zaire(currently DRC) during Mobutu's time or in Togo where as the world watched, a military government adopted the façade of democracy. There is the other kind of electoral fraud such as presidential elections in Zimbabwe.

But, if the mass frauds during these elections are organised by those who originally came into power by an anti -democratic way (coup, rebellion, revolution) and try to maintain themselves in power through so-called elections, the Global South faces a new challenge where the democratically elected leaders who once in power do not hesitate to use any illegal practice in order to win elections. The leading maxim seems to be "As I am now here it is forever." In this regard. The recent Kenyan crisis is a loud example of the attempt to hold back the Rule of Law by a democratic elected leader. Indeed Kenya was deeply affected by a bloody crisis that left more than one thousand killed and thousands displaced, churches, shops and houses burned, all caused of an electoral coup by president Mwai Kibaki who came in power in 2002 after democratic elections that ended the long authoritarian regime started with Jomo Kenyatta in 1963 and continued by Daniel Arap Moi in 1978. These last elections took Kenya five years.

2. THE VIOLATION OR REVIEW OF THE CONSTITUTION

As it is well known, in the authoritarian regime, the leader designs the Constitution to meet his political needs. Unfortunately this practice is becoming more and more prelevant amongst leaders who were democratically. Indeed, in the Global South, the Constitution, one of the pillars of the Rule of Law is coveted by those who have the duty to protect it.

In this regard, last February 2008 the Global South witnessed the violation of the Constitution by the Congolese president democratically elected Joseph Kabila and the prime minister Antoine Gizega who appointed magistrates in violation of the Congolese Constitution . But the threat is also found in the review of the Constitution which aims to increase the power of the Head of the State or to allow him to remain in power through unlimited terms. Furthermore, there is currently an attempt to review the Constitution by the dictator of Cameroon Paul Biya the one who has been in power since 1984. The review aims to allow him to be candidate in the next lections. Let us hope he will not succeed. Indeed, despite the fact Biya's authoritarianism, the people of Cameroon are offering a real opposition to the review of the Constitution. But the attempt to change the Constitution is not only made by the authoritarian leaders such as Paul Biya in

80 Cameroon, but also by those democratically elected in their respective countries. The review of Constitution was attempted in Nigeria by the now former president Olusegun Obasanjo who tried through Parliament to review the provision limiting the number of terms a president may serve. He failed because the majority in Parliament voted against the amendment.

In addition, the same attempt was made by the current president of Venezuela Hugo Chavez. But contrary to the Nigerian president the president of Venezuela tried to increase his power through a referendum, but still fortunately - he failed.

CONCLUSION

The establishment of the Rule of Law is one of major challenges in the Global South. Unfortunately, while people are focused on achieving this noble objective, others are working to hold back the process.

Therefore, there is a need for the Civil society as a whole to intesify its watch dog role vis-à-vis not only where the Rule of Law still has to be established but also where it has already been established. Indeed, today the Rule of Law is threatened in the DRC, Kenya, Venezuela and Nigeria. Tomorrow may be under threat in other countries.

As the Global South is struggling to end the culture of presidents for life, the slogan "as I am now here it is forever" has to be banned because it is taking the march toward a Rule of Law in the Global South two steps back for every step forward. The end result is gross human rights violations.

*Dieu-Donné WEDI DJAMBA is a lawyer(Advocate) at the Lubumbashi Bar Association a Researcher in Transitional Justice and an Assistant Lecturer in the College of Law in Lubumbashi in the DRC.

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81 BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD Weekly Presentation: June 17, 2008 Sub-Saharan Africa Abbas S Lamptey Period: From June 8 to June 14 2008 THE HEADLINES

1. CHINA -AFRICA RELATIONS

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Alleged Maltreatment, Bui Workers Want Govt Intervention: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 13 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zambia: More Chinese in Love With Country: The Times of Zambia (Ndola):13 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: China 'Will Not Meddle' in Country's Affairs: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London): 10 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • East Africa: EADB Receives Credit From China: The Monitor (Kampala): 11 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • China's Thirst for Oil: International Crisis Group (Brussels): PRESS RELEASE: 9 June 2008. 2. PAN AFRICA

WEST AFRICA • Continent Military - 34 Countries to Meet in Nigeria: This Day (Lagos): 11 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • High Food Prices Here for Another Five Years: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 12 June 2008. • Cultural Double Standards Undercut HIV/Aids Fight: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 13 June 2008. • Seeking a Common Position On Climate Change: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 12 June 2008. • Continent Civil Society Leads the Way: The Namibian (Windhoek): 13 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Experts Ready With Draft Proposal to Merge AU Courts: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 11 June 2008. • Women Bear the Brunt of Conflict: The Nation (Nairobi): 8 June 2008. • Groups Urge Strong Convention to Protect IDPs: Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi): 13 June 2008.

82 • Continent Losing Massive Forest Cover: Business Daily (Nairobi): 11 June 2008. 3. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Mali: Religious Leaders Oppose Abolition of Death Penalty: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 June 2008. • Nigeria: Man Nabbed With 22 Pregnant Girls: This Day (Lagos): 10 June 2008. • Sierra Leone: Child Labour Worst: Concord Times (Freetown): 12 June 2008. • Ghana: Child Labour Still Prevalent, LRC Calls for Affirmative Action: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra):13 June 2008. • Gambia: Mob Violence And Murder Feared After President's Gay Beheading Threat: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 12 June 2008. • Liberia: UN Mission Builds Safe House for Victims of Sexual Violence: UN News Service (New York):14 June 2008.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Women Say Regional Aids Plan Falls Short: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 10 June 2008. • South Africa: Many Victims 'Were From SA': Business Day (Johannesburg): 13 June 2008. • South Africa: UN Agrees to Assist With Repatriation: Cape Argus (Cape Town): 12 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: Army Boosts Mugabe Campaign: Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): 13 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: Biti Faces Treason Charges: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London): 12 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: More Pressure On Mugabe As Prominent African Leaders Call for End to Violence: SW Radio Africa (London): 13 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Detained for Two Hours in Kwekwe: SW Radio Africa (London): 12 June 2008. • Mozambique: Diogo Awarded 2008 Global Women's Leadership Award: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo): 9 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Uganda is Holy Land - Israeli Bishop: New Vision (Kampala): 9 June 2008. • Madagascar: Local Women 'Wake Up' to Their Rights: America.gov (Washington, DC): 3 June 2008. • Ethiopia: Western Allies Ignoring Govt Abuses, Report Says: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 12 June 2008. • Sudan: Sanctions On Khartoum Urged: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 13 June 2008.

83 • Uganda: Prisons Run Out of Latrines: The Monitor (Kampala): 11 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Four Soldiers Arrested to Face Trial Over 1994 Killings: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 12 June 2008. • Rwanda: Religious Leaders Denounce Spanish And French Indictments: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 13 June 2008. • Cameroon: 70 Percent of Prisoners Are Suffering Illegal Detention: The Post (Buea): 12 June 2008. • Congo-Kinshasa: Sexual Abuse Widespread Among Fresh Wave Deportees From Angola: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 June 2008. 4. REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Cape Verde: Oiling the Wheels of Temporary Migration: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 12 June 2008. • Nigeria: Bakassi Boils Again, 300 Citizens Declared Missing: This Day (Lagos): 12 June 2008. • Sierra Leone: UNCHR Declares End of Refugee Status for Salone: Concord Times (Freetown): 10 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Mbeki Laments Xenophobia Toll On Country's Image: Business Day (Johannesburg): 12 June 2008. • South Africa: UN Refugee Chief, Lesotho Leader Discuss Xenophobic Attacks: UN News Service (New York): 11 June 2008. • Zambia: Rising Levels of Resentment Towards Zimbabweans: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 9 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Ethiopia: ICRC Repatriates 415 Civilians From Eritrea: The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa): 13 June 2008. • Uganda: Pader Sets Up Smaller IDP Camps: New Vision (Kampala): 11 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Central African Republic: 'We Fear We Will Never See Our Husbands Again': UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 June 2008. • Central African Republic: UN Says 1,400 Villagers Displaced By Bandits: UN News Service (New York): 11 June 2008.

5. HEALTH MATTERS (HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, TB)

WEST AFRICA • West Africa: Outbreak of Polio Prompts Mass Vaccination Campaign: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 13 June 2008.

84 • Ghana: Free Maternity Care: Public Agenda (Accra): 13 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: It's All Over for Rath: Health-e (Cape Town): 13 June 2008. • Mozambique: Civil Society Critical of Government Response to Aids: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo): 13 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Dodgy Drugs Hamper Fight Against Malaria: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 13 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Brazzaville: Fight Against Malaria Stepped Up: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 13 June 2008. 6. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Newmont Gets Green Light to Mine in Forest: Public Agenda (Accra): 13 June 2008. • Nigeria: Fishing, the Israeli Style: This Day (Lagos):12 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Rich Polluters Must Pay Up for Climate Change: Cape Argus (Cape Town): 12 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Stop Smuggling Timber, Traders Told: New Vision (Kampala): 10 June 2008. • Tanzania: Construction of Environment Centre Begins: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 12 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Cameroon: Environmentalists Decry Deforestation, Pollution: The Post (Buea): 12 June 2008. 7. ENERGY

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Yar'Adua to Declare National Power Emergency Next Month: This Day (Lagos): 14 June 2008. • Nigeria: Country to Double Oil Output: Daily Trust (Abuja): 13 June 2008. • Nigeria: Our Interest in Niger Delta, by U.S.: This Day (Lagos): 12 June 2008. • Nigeria: FG Drops Charges Against Mend Leader Atatah: Vanguard (Lagos): 11 June 2008. • Nigeria: Delta Recovers 260 Oil Wells From Ondo: Vanguard (Lagos): 11 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Government Won't Be Cutting Fuel Levy: BuaNews (Tshwane): 12 June 2008.

85 EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Construction of Oil Refinery Starts: The Monitor (Kampala): 13 June 2008. • Uganda: Bunyoro Demands Share of Revenue From Lake Albert Oil: The Monitor (Kampala): 14 June 2008. • Uganda: High Oil Prices Worry Food Dealers: New Vision (Kampala): 12 June 2008. • Tanzania: Energy Sector a Pain in Economy During 2007/8: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 11 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Official Denies Apologizing to UN Delegation Over Fuel Episode: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 10 June 2008.

8. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Invest in Stock Market, OTM Urges Muslims: Daily Trust (Abuja): 13 June 2008. • Nigeria: Delta Lawmakers Angry With Shell Over Sack of 80 Percent Deltans: Vanguard (Lagos): 13 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • East Africa: Budgets to Ease Food Crisis: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 13 June 2008. • Tanzania: Economy Defies Rising Fuel Prices: The Nation (Nairobi): 13 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Government Cedes Tea Factory to British Firm: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 13 June 2008. 9. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Tempers in Niger Delta Over Summit: Vanguard (Lagos): 14 June 2008. • Nigeria: Yar'Adua Sets December 2009 for New Electoral System: This Day (Lagos): 14 June 2008. • Liberia: Senator Under Probe for Massacre: The NEWS (Monrovia): 13 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Mbeki Pushes for GNU: Financial Gazette (Harare): 12 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: Dabengwa Backs Tsvangirai: Zimbabwe Standard (Harare): 14 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: SADC Observers Begin Deploying for Run-Off Election: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London): 13 June 2008.

86 EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Museveni to Offer Package for North: The Monitor (Kampala): 14 June 2008. 10. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT SOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • West Africa: Heads of UN Peace Missions Meet in Dakar: United Nations (New York): PRESS RELEASE: 13 June 2008. • Côte d'Ivoire: On Last Leg of African Trip, Security Council Discusses Polls: UN News Service (New York): 9 June 2008. • West Africa: Gun Running Worsening: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 12 June 2008. • Liberia: Traditional Leaders Discuss Peace, Reconciliation: The NEWS (Monrovia): 9 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Opposition Says Implementation of Djibouti Pact Condition for Cease-Fire: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 13 June 2008. • Somalia: Scholars Skeptical About Recent Djibouti Agreement: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 13 June 2008. • Sudan: Funding Shortfall Forces UN to Cut Back Air Service for Aid Workers: UN News Service (New York): 10 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Burundi: Rebel Leader's Return a Boon for Peace Prospects: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 12 June 2008. • Burundi: FNL Rebels 'Still Recruiting Children': UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 9 June 2008. • Congo-Kinshasa: Monuc Report On the Bas Congo Violence in February/March 2008: United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa): PRESS RELEASE: 13 June 2008. • Central African Republic: UN Peacebuilding Commission Adds Country to Its Agenda: UN News Service (New York): 12 June 2008.

11. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Militants Abduct Father of Oil Magnate: Vanguard (Lagos): 13 June 2008. • Nigeria: Al-Qaeda Threat - Group Chides Police Ig: Leadership (Abuja): 9 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Pressure Builds On Tsvangirai to Accept Deal And Avoid Elections: The Nation (Nairobi): 13 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

87 • East Africa: Security Council Urges Ceasefire After Deadly Clashes Between Eritrea, Djibouti: UN News Service (New York): 13 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Chad: Rebels Seen Moving Again in East: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 13 June 2008. 12. NORTH AFRICA • Mauritania: Torture of Alleged Islamists Widespread: Amnesty International: PRESS RELEASE: 13 June 2008. • Tunisia: Emergency Relief Reaches Victims of Chinese Earthquake: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 10 June 2008. • Egypt: Govt Forcibly Returns Up to 1,400 Asylum Seekers From Eritrea: Amnesty International: PRESS RELEASE: 13 June 2008. • Libya: Eleven Demonstration Organisers Sentenced to Six to 25 Years in Prison: Human Rights Watch Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 12 June 2008. • Tunisia: President Ben Ali Underscores 'Human Dimension' of Development Model: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 14 June 2008. • Tunisia: Recent Measures Taken to Boost Justice And Human Rights System Highlighted: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 7 June 2008. • Tunisia: President Ben Ali Reasserts the Need to Consolidate the Foundations of the Union for the Mediterranean: Tunisia Online (Tunis) : 10 June 2008. • Egypt Welcomes Cease-Fire Agreement in Somalia: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 11 June 2008. • Egypt: Defamation Case Launched Against Blogger for Reporting On Environmental Pollution is First of Its Kind: Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (Cairo): PRESS RELEASE: 9 June 2008. • Morocco: Politician Alleges Government Behind Cartoon Protest: Committee to Protect Journalists (New York): PRESS RELEASE: 9 June 2008. 13. NEWS COMMENTARIES

WEST AFRICA • Continent, Failed States And Purpose of Government: Daily Trust (Abuja): OPINION: 12 June 2008 • Ghana: Oil, Millionaires And the Poor : Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra) : ANALYSIS : 10 June 2008. • Japan's Global Leadership And The Continent's Development Concerns: Public Agenda (Accra) : OPINION 9 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Would President Obama be Good for Africa?: allAfrica.com : GUEST COLUMN : 12 June 2008. • The Coming Crisis in Africa: The Namibian (Windhoek): COLUMN: 13 June 2008.

88 EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Are Kings And Modern Presidents the Same?: The Monitor (Kampala): OPINION : 14 June 2008.

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THE REPORT IN DETAIL

14. CHINA -AFRICA RELATIONS

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Alleged Maltreatment, Bui Workers Want Govt Intervention: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 13 June 2008.

Ghanaian workers at the Bui hydroelectric Power site have called on Government, the Labour Commission, Trade Union Congress of Ghana (TUC), and the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), to come to their aid, as the working conditions at the site were terrible. The workers complained over poor working conditions such as inadequate salary, poor accommodation, transportation, lack of protective gear, poor safety and security measures, intimidation and sexual harassment on female workers by the Chinese. According to the workers, all these complainst were put before the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Tain, Bintu Ibrahim Farizana, when she paid her first familiarization visit to the site, and interacted with the workers, she has failed to do something about the situation. The workers said the DCE was informed about the problems, and some grievances encountered after their recruitment to work at the site, but to their amazement, the DCE who they thought was there in their interest, had rather disappointed them, making the depressed. According to the workers, some of the comments made by the DCE were so irritating that they even wanted to attack her. The workers allege that when they complained about their salaries and mode of payment, the DCE referred to them as ingrates, who did not appreciate anything good. They quoted her as saying that the current minimum wage in the country was GH¢2.25p, therefore she did not understand why they were not satisfied with the GH¢3.00 they were receiving daily. The DCE also rubbished the claim by the workers that they were sleeping in cubicles. They again quoted the DCE as saying that she did not even get such a facility to use during her school days, and that they were lucky to have them. On their transportation system, where the workers are conveyed to and from work in a tipper truck, which is also used for carrying sand and stone, the DCE said they were very lucky to have means of transport, to and from work

89 on a daily basis, because they used to walk for several miles to their various farms before the Bui project. When The Chronicle contacted the DCE at her office, she admitted she visited the site and interacted with the workers, who disclosed all the above-mentioned problems to her, and members of the Assembly, who accompanied her. She, however, refuted the allegations that she was insensitive to their plight, adding that she even interacted with the authorities in charge, led by one Mr. Boateng, to do something about the working conditions at the site, because she witnessed lots of the complaint by the workers herself. On the salary of the workers, the DCE said she advised the workers to have patience, since that was a subject for negotiations, as the minimum wage in the country was GH¢2.25p, but the Chinese were paying GH¢3.00. Madam Bintu said the workers were advised to manage the current accommodation situation, because there were not enough to cater for all. She said the allegation of sexual harassment by the Chinese, against the female workers, was put forward alongside other intimidations, which she discussed with the authorities at an indoor meeting, and promised that she would take the matter up till the situation improved. She was however surprised to hear the workers making such wild allegations of insensitivity on her part, and appealed for their cooperation, instead of accusations, to make life at the site congenial, in the interest of the country.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zambia: More Chinese in Love With Country: The Times of Zambia (Ndola):13 June 2008.

MORE Chinese investors have expressed interest to invest in the mining sector, Commerce, Trade and Industry minister, Felix Mutati has said.

Mr Mutati said in Chambishi yesterday that apart from the 50 companies that had already indicated that they would set up industries in the economic zone, more wished to invest in projects like agro processing.

The minister who toured projects at China's Non-Ferrous African Mining Company (NFAMC) said 10,000 jobs would be created after the completion of smelter as well as West and East Ore Bodies with a total investment of US$1.5 billion. He said total investment of US$ 800 million would be spent on the two ore bodies thereby creating about 5,000 jobs in the country. Mr Mutati said a total investment of about US$ 300 million had been spent so far on CCS construction and that by the time of completion, US$ 800 million would have been spent where another 5,000 jobs would be created. "So when we combine these projects, about 10,000 jobs will be created with a total investment of US$1.5 billion," he said. Mr Mutati said all these projects were meant to create jobs and wealth in an effort to reduce poverty in the country. The minister who was accompanied by Copperbelt Minister Mwansa Mbulakulima, said he was aware that power had already been tapped and that a 30-kilometre water pipe had been laid at CCS. He said Government would work on the land and work permit issue to ensure that the project was moving smoothly. Speaking earlier, NFAMC chief executive officer Luo Xingeng said the production of copper kept increasing by the day. Mr Luo appealed to the minister to help the company process work permits for 163 expatriates as

90 the company was facing difficulties in doing so. He also said that the company had problems with the land issue, as part of its licensing area had three farms. The company was allocated about 10 hectares of land but only seven hectares of land was available. Mr Luo said that the WOB, which would be operational at the end of 2010 was a big investment for the country and was hopeful that it would improve the booming economy.

• Zimbabwe: China 'Will Not Meddle' in Country's Affairs: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London): 10 June 2008.

CHINA has told a group of local and international journalists currently in Beijing that Zimbabweans are able to solve their own problems without outside interference and Zimbabwe can realize stability and prosperity on its own. Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry's deputy director general, Qin Gang, told the journalists on Sunday that Zimbabweans were capable of solving their problems without interference from the outside world. Speaking at an international press conference in Beijing, China, US Deputy Assistant Secretaries, Thomas Christensen and James Swan, pressed China to take a tough stance on Zimbabwe like western countries had done. "China has all along upheld the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs," said Gang. "We believe that people of Zimbabwe are capable of addressing their own questions and Zimbabwe can realize stability and development," Gang told a group of 22 journalists from English speaking Africa who are visiting China at the invitation of that country's government. The two-week professional tour is also aimed at promoting mutual understanding and friendly relations between China and African countries. Gang said that China would like to see a speedy resolution of the crisis in Darfur (Sudan). "China supports the proper resolution of the Darfur issue through dialogue and consultation based on respecting Sudan's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We have made proactive efforts to this end, including sending peacekeeping engineering unit to the Darfur region," said Gang. He continued, "I could share with you more information in this regard. China has committed to sending a 315-member engineering unit, among which 143 have already been deployed there. "The rest will leave for Darfur once the UN equipment is ready. I can assure you that China's efforts for the proper resolution of the Darfur issue are by no means less or weaker than any other country. "It is imperative to further promote the proper settlement of the issue by the tri-partite coordination mechanism of the Sudanese Government, the African Union and the United Nations, to press ahead with in a balanced way the double-track strategy of political negotiation and peacekeeping deployment in particular. We hope countries, those having concerns over the Darfur issue in particular could make further efforts together with China."

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • East Africa: EADB Receives Credit From China: The Monitor (Kampala): 11 June 2008.

Florence Namasinga

The East African Development Bank has received a line of credit of $30 million from China Development Bank in an effort to promote economic growth and

91 development. It is the first time CDB is extending this kind of Credit to East Africa. The funds, according to EADB, will benefit enterprises engaged in productive economic activities in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Under the terms of the facility, the projects/enterprises should be in geographically located and must carry Chinese content. In an interview, EADB Senior Project Manager Robert Wabbi said that by having Chinese content, it means that part of the loan funds should be used to procure services, items and goods from China. He said the content may vary from project to project but the projects in question may be required to carry about 50 per cent Chinese content. Development partner like IMF and World Bank have time and again been criticised for extending aid to African countries with conditions attached. China which has not been known for giving such conditions seems to be taking the same direction. With such conditions tied to funds, it means more than half of the aid directly benefit the donor instead of the intended recipient. For instance if 50 percent of the funded project has to carry Chinese content, it means that the donor country continue benefiting from the extended loan. Analysts say recent Chinese interventions in Africa particularly East Africa seem to be China's effort to extend its economic and political influence on the continent. This follows China's come back as an economic giant with one of the fastest growing economies in the world. With such a fast growing economy, Asian tiger could be tempted to extend its influence and spread its wings to developing economies, East African countries inclusive.

CENTRAL AFRICA • China's Thirst for Oil: International Crisis Group (Brussels): PRESS RELEASE: 9 June 2008.

The fear of China "locking up" energy supplies around the world is misplaced, and other countries should cooperate with it to ensure a more cooperative international environment on both energy and wider security issues. China's Thirst for Oil, the latest report from the International Crisis Group, examines China's need for energy and assesses the impact of Beijing's energy policies on the resolution of conflict by looking at Sudan and Iran as case studies. China's need for energy is growing faster than that of any other country. Self-sufficient until 1993, China's three decades of rapid economic growth have led it to look abroad to meet its energy needs. While its approach until now has been characterised by oil mercantilism, physical control of supplies and distrust of international markets, it is increasingly recognising the value of treating oil as a commodity and adopting a more open approach towards international energy markets and cooperation. Chinese companies' investment in oil exploration and extraction in countries and regions suffering from deadly conflict has sometimes led China to take positions counterproductive to conflict resolution, for example in the early stages of the Darfur conflict. At the same time, Beijing is willing to play a more constructive role as it increasingly engages with the international system and learns the limits of a foreign policy based on the traditional principle of non-interference. According to Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt, Crisis Group's China Adviser and North East Asia Project Director, "As policy options are formulated in the international community for ending crisis and resolving conflict, in the right conditions, China can play an important role in the solution." International cooperation will be

92 facilitated by a better understanding of Chinese energy policy and behaviour. While many in the country's leadership recognise that domestic policy must focus more on conservation, efficiency, reducing pollution, diversifying the energy mix and upgrading clean technologies, both policymaking and implementation are hindered by conflicting interests at the central, provincial, local and private levels. The need for a coherent energy policy and institutional apparatus to manage energy is more urgent than ever. The rest of the world's interest in China's quest for energy security has never been greater. "Energy security is not a zero-sum game", says Charles Esser, Crisis Group's Energy Analyst. "Integrating China into cooperative arrangements presents a chance to enhance global energy security".

15. PAN AFRICA

WEST AFRICA • Continent Military - 34 Countries to Meet in Nigeria: This Day (Lagos): 11 June 2008.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Andrew Azazi, yesterday disclosed that the Nigerian military and the United States European Command will host 34 countries in Nigeria from July 13 to 28 to discuss the communication needs of the proposed African Standby Force. He also disclosed that in order to avoid a repeat of what happened last month where 46 Nigerian peacekeepers died in a road accident on their way home from Sudan, Nigeria had concluded plans from July 8th to start airlifting Nigerian troops participating in peacekeeping operations to the nearest airport to their base. Azazi during a conference on defence transformation in Nigeria's military said the cooperation is to ensure that all the five standby brigades in the African Standby Force in case of operations will be able to communicate with one another other. He said the exercise tagged 'African Endeavour' is in conjunction with the European Union and that Nigeria was working hard to be a leading partner in everything that has to do with defence and security not just in West Africa but in Africa as a whole. Also speaking on ECOWAS Standby Force, the Gulf of Guinea Guard and the role Nigeria will play, Azazi stressed that the defence transformation also takes into consideration Nigeria's responsibility in ECOWAS, African Union and the Gulf of Guinea On the welfare of troops during peacekeeping, Azazi said a lot of things had been put in place to better the lot of peacekeepers.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • High Food Prices Here for Another Five Years: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 12 June 2008.

Hundred million people worldwide -- mostly from developing countries -- may sink deeper into poverty when food prices continue to rise, the World Bank predicts. "The majority of those affected are living above the poverty line of one dollar a day. They will find themselves below this mark. That is worrisome," said Danny Leipziger, the World Bank's vice president for poverty reduction and economic management, at the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE). The meeting, themed

93 "People, Politics, and Globalisation", took place in Cape Town, South Africa, from June 9-11. It was organised by the World Bank and the South African government's treasury department. Leipziger's prediction comes in spite of the optimistic findings of the World Bank's Global Development Finance report that economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa is due to increase further this year. One of the findings of the report, launched at the ABCDE conference, is that while global economic growth will slow down from 3.7 percent in 2007 to 2.7 percent this year, various developing regions will see their economies grow. Sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, is expected to increase economic growth with an average of 6.5 percent by the end of 2008 -- the highest growth rate the region has experienced in 38 years. Leipziger explained that the "figures in the report apply to the macro economy. Problems such as rising food prices hardly have an impact on a macro-economic level but are visible and noticeable at household level". The food prices will not continue to rise forever, said Leipziger: "They will drop eventually. According to our estimates it will take four to five years before the situation stabilises. However, that does not mean that the food prices will drop back to the level where they were a few years ago." The drivers behind the surging food prices are numerous. What makes it difficult to find a solution to the problem is the fact that many of these drivers are interlinked, according to Professor Sheryl Hendriks, director of the African Centre for Food Security at the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban, South Africa. "The ever-increasing oil prices form part of the causes. When fuel goes up, food prices increase too," she said. Another cause can be found on the supply side which does not meet the growing demand for food. The cultivation of crops for biofuel is one of the culprits. "The demand for and production of biofuel are increasing while agricultural production for food is declining. This has an impact on food prices," Justin Lin, chief economist at the World Bank, pointed out. The subsidies put in place by the European Union and U.S. governments to lure farmers into biofuel production instead of the cultivation of crops for food is not helping the situation, said Lin. "There is nothing good about these subsidies," added Michael Spence, 2001 Nobel Prize Economics Laureate and the chair of the World Bank's commission on growth. "The United States and European Union make it more attractive for their farmers to plant crops for fuel instead of for food. "As a result of this, the food supply has decreased and does not meet the demand. This has resulted in higher food prices." Developing countries - African states included -- are hardest hit by the food crisis. According to Spence, "people in poor countries use a large part of their household income on food. They are the prime victims". But he emphasised that the situation is not all doom and gloom. "There is a huge opportunity for Africa. This continent is resource-rich compared with other parts of the world. The wealth could be invested in and used for programmes that promote job creation and boost agricultural production." Lin argued that more was need. For Africa to increase its agricultural production, new technologies are crucial. This requires infrastructure too. "New technologies need to be localised and adapted to individual African countries. What works in China or Brazil, does not necessarily work in Africa." Lesetja Kganyago, director general of the South African government's treasury department, agreed that the introduction of new technologies is important. But there are other ways to boost African agriculture. "We need to make it attractive to our farmers to produce crops for food. What we should not do, however, is implement protectionist tariff barriers," he insisted. "We can't use these techniques to protect our farmers and our

94 agricultural industry. We cannot forget that we once fought against the tariffs implemented by Europe and the United States. By using the same tactic (of raising tariffs) we would undermine our attempts to enter the world market," Kganyago argued.

• Cultural Double Standards Undercut HIV/Aids Fight: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 13 June 2008.

The United Nations says religion and culture continue to have a significant impact -- both good and bad -- on the spread and prevention of HIV/AIDS worldwide. The practice of male circumcision, prevalent in some cultures, has decreased the risk of HIV transmission in men, while male sexual promiscuity in some societies has put married women at high risk of contracting the deadly disease. But the jury is still out on polygamy -- where men demand their right to have multiple wives -- long considered a key factor in the spread of HIV infections in Africa. A 248-page study by the U.N. Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa (CHGA), released last week, says the evidence on polygamy is inconsistent. "Polygamous behaviour has been considered one of the major factors promoting the spread of HIV in Africa, where higher rates of HIV infection often are found in areas with high rates of polygamy," it noted. Still, in Ghana, where 44 percent of marriages in the north are polygamous, the prevalence of HIV infection was the lowest. As of December 2007, there was an estimated 33.2 million people worldwide living with HIV, according to the United Nations. But the annual number of AIDS deaths has declined, from 3.9 million in 2001 to 2.1 million in 2007. The cultural double standards on the sexual behaviour of men and women are also a key factor in the spread of HIV/AIDS. At a CGHA interactive session in Africa, one participant is quoted as saying: "In our societies, men have a 'cultural license' to demand sex, unprotected, at any time, and the woman cannot say no, even if she knows he is infected. This has to change." "In our polygamous society," another participant complained, "it is accepted that men have multiple partners, while women have to be faithful to one." The role of religion, on the other hand, has often been a positive factor in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Conscious of the importance of religion in most societies, the United Nations is deploying religious leaders and faith-based organisations to raise awareness on AIDS. Under its HIV/AIDS regional programme in the Arab states, the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) held its first-ever training programme on AIDS awareness for 135 Sunni and Shiite religious leaders in Bahrain last year. In Somalia, some 130 religious leaders attended seminars, while 500 women attended lectures on HIV/AIDS. And in Djibouti, 24 imams have received voluntary counseling and testing for HIV, thereby reducing the social stigma attached to the disease. The United Nations also says that HIV/AIDS education kits, with references from the Quran or the Bible, are increasingly popular advocacy tools for religious leaders worldwide. The government of Morocco is using these kits for HIV education to all 31,000 imams in that country. Sr. Maura O' Donohue of Caritas International says that governments give a very rosy picture of what is happening in their countries. "But they very rarely acknowledge that NGOs, faith-based organisations, and other grassroots organisations are providing at least 30 percent of the services for five percent of the money," she added. Addressing a panel discussion on the margins of a high-level General Assembly meeting on AIDS, the executive director of the U.N. Development Fund for

95 Women (UNIFEM), Ines Alberdi, said because HIV is most often transmitted sexually, unequal relationships between men and women, together with gender stereotypes, fuel its spread. "We need to empower young women to know and exercise their rights -- to education, health services, economic opportunities, and freedom from violence," she said. Secondly, she said, "We need to find ways to engage men and boys in combating gender- based stereotypes and behaviour that fuel this (AIDS) pandemic, starting in the home." "Action is needed to promote male behaviour that is based on respect for women's rights, responsibility, and that is non-violence and non-abusive," she declared. She also quoted Elizabeth Mataka, the U.N. special envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa, who said that in addition to more money, "We need to use those funds to be bold, and challenge the cultures and norms that generate behaviours like violence against women and perpetuate the spread of this deadly pandemic." Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, executive director of the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), said: "We need to pay more attention to women and young people, especially those who are living with HIV, and engage them as experts in the response." "Young people have called for greater engagement in plans, policies and programmes and a dramatic expansion of AIDS education and youth-friendly services. Let us work with them to scale up the services they need," she told IPS. Obaid also said: "We need to integrate interventions for AIDS and for sexual and reproductive health so that they are mutually reinforcing." The overwhelming majority of HIV infections, she pointed out, are sexually transmitted or associated with pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. Thus, integrated services are essential to meet the needs of women and couples. To be effective, we must redouble efforts to address gender inequities, she added. At the conclusion of the high-level meeting, Jun. 10-12, the president of the General Assembly, Srgjan Kerim, said that an effective response to the pandemic must have human rights and gender equality at its core. Besides several heads of state and health ministers, the participants at the meeting also included more than 500 representatives from civil society organisations. Linda Hartke, of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, was more blunt. "We have heard millions of words and hundreds of speakers in these three days and all of them agree that the response to HIV is urgent, and shamefully that we are falling behind." "All governments must do more and do better, turning the words into actions. And each and every citizen is called to hold their government accountable," she added. Meanwhile about 60 non-governmental organisations signed a statement urging national governments and the U.N. system to keep their promises to men and girls who continue to be at an alarming risk of HIV infection and of receiving inadequate prevention, treatment, care and support. These shortcomings, the statement said, was the result of persisting social, cultural and economic subordination, structural inequalities, as well as pervasive violence in homes, communities, schools, workplaces, streets, markets, police stations, hospitals, and situations of institutional confinement.

• Seeking a Common Position On Climate Change: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 12 June 2008.

The Twelfth African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) ended five days of deliberations today with governments and civil society agreed -- separately -- on the importance of developing a common position for Africa at next year's climate

96 change talks in Copenhagen. "Climate change is the defining human development and security issue of our generation. Those responsible should compensate the people whose livelihoods have been destroyed as a result," said Ewah Eleri, director of the International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development in Nigeria. Eleri was speaking at a joint press briefing on the sidelines of the conference by 20 civil society organisations (CSOs) from across the continent. The groups said Africa contributes least to greenhouse gas emissions, yet millions of Africans were being forced to daily deal with devastating impacts of climate change. Eleri said mandatory compensation must be paid to Africa by global polluters. He was particularly critical of the suggestion that African governments should obtain loans to fund climate change adaptation. "You don't burn someone's house and then offer them a loan to rebuild it," said Eleri. Omokaro Osayade, project officer for environmental group Friends of the Earth Nigeria agreed. "Just as Africa is emerging from a horrible debt trap, we could be re-indebted by developed countries and told to use loans to deal with the horrible damage that has been done to us. We are opposed to re- indebting of the African people by way of climate adaptation loans." The CSOs called on developed countries to contribute at least one percent of their gross domestic product to the climate change adaptation fund. It is estimated that at least $1 billion is needed to help Africa adapt to climate change. Environmental groups raised several key issues for African governments to address such as the failure of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to deliver the benefits promised to African countries. They said that the CDM simply allows rich countries to continue polluting in exchange for funding projects in developing countries. They also identified a need for investment in affordable renewable energy technologies so that African states can develop their economies with low carbon emissions, and called for precautionary regulations to ensure that the development of biofuels does not threaten food security in Africa.

Inside the conference proper: The formal outcome of the conference was in some ways more circumspect. African environment ministers agreed to establish a work programme with clear milestones for the development of a common position. Delegates proposed that an African expert panel on climate change be formed, on which senior officials will work in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, the New Economic Partnership for African Development secretariat and the Commission of the African Union to define African focal points for the Framework Convention on Climate Change. Algeria will host the first meeting of the panel in October 2008; and a special session of environment ministers to adopt a final common position at the end of June 2009 in the margins of the 13th African Union Summit. The conference proposed that Africa should seek agreement on a future global emissions reduction regime under which all developed countries would by 2020 reduce their emissions to 35-40 percent below 1990 levels, and by 2050 have cut emissions dramatically to between 5 and 10 percent of the 1990 baseline. These emissions targets are what is believed to be necessary to stabilise the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at 450 parts per million of carbon dioxide equivalent in the atmosphere -- the level which scientists at the influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimate global warming will cause no more than a 2 degrees celsius change in global average temperature and thus avoid catastrophic effects. "The Bali Action Plan and Bali Roadmap offered Africa the opportunity to build consensus on the complex issues of climate change and sustainable development, to the

97 benefit of the continent," said South Africa's environment minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk. He succeeds the Republic of Congo's Environment minister, André Okombi Salissa, as chair of AMCEN for the next two years. "We will ensure that we go to the negotiations united because that is what we want as Africans to be united. A lot of countries in Africa have already committed themselves to cutting carbon emissions by 2050. We want developed countries to commit themselves to the 2025 emission targets," van Schalkwyk said.

• Continent Civil Society Leads the Way: The Namibian (Windhoek): 13 June 2008.

PROMINENT African leaders from across civil society yesterday issued a public call for an end to violence and intimidation in Zimbabwe ahead of the presidential run-off elections at the end of the month. In so doing they have put Africa's political leadership - so loath to take a stance to date - to shame. An open letter, signed by former heads of state, business leaders, academics and leading campaigners, calls for appropriate conditions to be met for the citizens of Zimbabwe to express their political will. With few exceptions, African leaders, especially on the southern part of the continent, have adopted a cautious approach to the Zimbabwe situation, resorting to what was termed 'silent diplomacy' in trying to deal with an intransigent long-serving head of state, Robert Mugabe. At the time of going to press, MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai had once again been arrested; MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti was also held on his return from South Africa, and there were rumours he would be charged with treason. The MDC has been largely unable to hold rallies in the election run-up, with their meetings constantly banned or being broken up. These are hardly conditions promoting free and fair elections, and Zimbabweans continue to struggle to eke out a living and exercise free choices in the oppressive atmosphere which prevails.

Among others, the letter from civil society leadership called for:

• An end to the violence and intimidation and the restoration of full access for humanitarian and aid agencies; • An adequate number of independent electoral observers, both during the election process and to verify the results; and • A call to African leaders at all levels - pan-African, regional and national - and their institutions to ensure the achievement of these objectives.

The letter is supported by signatories which constitute a veritable who's who of Africa's most respected personalities. They include two former UN Secretary Generals, Kofi Annan and Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Professor Kwame Appiah, Professor of Philosophy at Princeton, several former African Presidents, including Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique, Ketumile Masire of Botswana, Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, Salim Ahmed Salim, former Prime Minister of Tanzania and former Secretary General of the then OAU, Richard Goldstone, former Judge of the Constitutional Court in South Africa, Graca Machel, as well as artists and musicians such as Angelique Kidjo and Youssou n'Dour; and civil society activists

98 such as Wangari Maathai, Nobel Laureate and founder of the Green Belt movement in Kenya, and the list goes on. The appeal is an African initiative supported by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation. The letter says that "as Africans we consider the forthcoming elections to be critical. We are aware of the attention of the world. More significantly, we are conscious of the huge number of Africans who want to see a stable, democratic and peaceful Zimbabwe". The run-off elections will be held on June 27, and it is of course a well-known fact by now that the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) polled the majority of votes in the presidential ballot, but (apparently) not enough to avoid the re-run, although said results were never officially disclosed. All citizens and civil society groups are invited to counter-sign the letter at a special website www.zimbabwe-27June.com, and we would encourage Namibians to add their voice to the call for a free and fair election process in Zimbabwe, especially in the absence of any definitive leadership from our political elite in this regard.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Experts Ready With Draft Proposal to Merge AU Courts: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 11 June 2008.

The African Union experts have completed a draft proposal for the merger of the African Human Rights Court and the African Court of Justice "so as to have an effective single African judicial organ". The draft, according to the Arusha-based African Human Right Court President Justice Gerard Niyungeko, would be presented at the end of this month during the Summit of African Heads in Egypt. Justice Niyungeko told reporters Wednesday that currently the eleven judges of the court are holding an ordinary session to finalise Rules of Procedure and other related issues. The session will end on 20 June. The first African Human Rights Court has also expressed concern over delay in construction of its temporary structure at Tengeru, on the outskirts of Ausha town, and which may affect its effective take off. Justice Niyungeko said that the construction's delay would render difficulties in housing its permanent staff, now on the final stage of their recruitment. The Tengeru-located court is expected to take at least one year before it is ready. Architects have estimated to take between five to seven years to complete the permanent construction. "The delay will further compound the operations of the Court which upon finalizing its Rules of Procedure will start receiving cases," he told Hirondelle Agency. He also reiterated the member states to ratify the protocol establishing the African Court. So far only 24 member states out of 53 African Union (AU) have ratified the Protocol. "Only Burkina Faso and Mali have issued declaration accepting the Court's competence to entertain cases from individuals and NGOs, he added. Among early countries which have ratified the Protocol include Rwanda, which had seen one of the worst forms of human killings of the modern century in 1994. Tanzania, regarded as an African model of justice and democracy, ratified the Protocol in February 2006, which paved the way for her to host the Court. Other countries are: Algeria , Burkina Faso , Burundi , Cote d'Ivoire, Comoros , Kenya , Gabon , Gambia , Ghana , Libya ,Lesotho,Madagascar,Mozambique,Mauritania,Mauritius,Nigeria,Niger, South Africa, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia and Uganda. The Court, unlike other organs of AU, was

99 empowered to give binding judgements which are enforceable against parties. The Court was established by the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Protocol adopted by members states in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in June 1998. The Protocol entered into force in January 2004. The Court started its operations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in November 2006 but moved to its permanent seat in Arusha in August, last year. It is only the President of the Court who is permanent resident so far.

• Women Bear the Brunt of Conflict: The Nation (Nairobi): 8 June 2008.

Appalling. Inhuman. Atrocious. They are some of the words that describe the gruesome acts committed against women in times of war or during the kind of conflict that gripped the country at the beginning of this year, or even as part of age-old cultural practices that continue to persist across Africa, a continent already sagging under the weight of grinding poverty and social ills. Records at the Nairobi Women's Hospital, which treats victims of sexual violence, show that the youngest rape victim during the country's post-election crisis was one month old and the oldest was 98. "Majority of the women had been gang-raped," says Urgent Action Fund Africa executive Kaari Murungi whose organisation donated Sh700,000 to the hospital at the height of the crisis in January as part of their mandate to respond rapidly to assist women in conflict situations. Ms Murungi says that the near anarchy early this year caused an increase in cases of rape, even though some victims did not report the crime for fear of rejection from their families. "Criminals had taken advantage of the protests and became opportunistic because of the breakdown in law and order. Like in every situation of conflict, the incidents increased," the women's rights activist, who is also a lawyer, said. "For some of the women, it was not just rape. It was cruel, especially where the men who raped them used gun butts and other objects. In 80 per cent of the cases, it was gang rape. This was torture." And these sexual offences were not only committed during the period of post-election violence but also in some camps for the internally displaced where, according to the Urgent Action Fund, women were forced to have sex in exchange for food. Worse forms: According to researchers, what happened to women in Kenya has been replicated in several conflict-ridden countries across Africa, sometimes in worse forms. And in most cases, the perpetrators are let off scot-free. The long-drawn-out conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been one of the worst for women victims of sexual assault. In a newspaper article published in November last year, the UN's undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, Mr John Holmes, wrote a heart-rending account of his interaction with rape victims in eastern DRC. "From the start, sexual violence has been a particularly awful - and shockingly common - feature of the conflict in Congo. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable in this predatory environment, with rape and other forms of sexual abuse committed by all sides on an astonishing scale. "Since 2005, more than 32,000 cases of rape and sexual violence have been registered in South Kivu alone," Mr Holmes wrote. "But that's only a fraction of the total; many - perhaps most - attacks go unreported. Victims of rape are held in shame by Congolese society and frequently are ostracised by their families and communities. The ripple effect of these attacks goes far beyond the individual victim, destroying family and community bonds and leaving children orphaned and/or HIV-

100 positive." Raped her in turns: Mr Holmes wrote the article immediately after visiting a 16-year-old girl in a hospital ward in the eastern DRC. She narrated to him her experience at the hands of fighters known as the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). They had raped her in turns and then shot her. "This sexual violence is an affront not only to the body but to the soul and dignity of every woman assaulted. It is a stain on everyone with influence or authority in Congolese society. Yet somehow it continues, amid widespread indifference and in a climate of impunity, with no functioning justice system to speak of. Yet, even though women bear the brunt of conflict, they are often sidelined during the writing of peace accords to resolve these conflicts. But there are women in the midst of the misery who have determined to look for beauty in the ashes by engaging in peace-making activities, convinced that when the conflict is eradicated, the cases of sexual violence will dwindle. Two women's rights activists in eastern DRC, Ms Rose Mutombo and Ms Immaculee Birhaheka, are at the forefront in campaigning for a women-specific agenda in conflict resolution efforts that have been going on for over a decade. "In eastern Congo, the first groups to organise for peace were women, including abandoned wives of soldiers and survivors of atrocities," Ms Mutombo and Ms Birhaheka wrote in a paper published in the Urgent Action Fund newsletter. The Urgent Action Fund has also been involved in educating pygmy women in DRC who have become the target of superstitious men who believe eating their victims' genitals will bring them good luck in war. “Armed groups in the DRC have been known to eat the genitals of female pygmies before going to war in order to make them superhuman and invincible," Ms Murungi told the Sunday Nation. In neighbouring Rwanda, rape was widespread during the 1994 genocide that left about a million people dead in just 100 days of inhumanity. However, Rwanda, according Ms Gloriose Bazigaga who fights for women's rights, has been reversing the effects of the genocide that the world ignored for too long. "There's great political will to incorporate women. The succession law on women is now in place. Women form 30 per cent of decision-making positions; a woman heads the human rights commission," Ms Bazigaga wrote in an Urgent Action Fund publication. Gender equality :Rwanda has also had success with the traditional courts known as the Gacaca. "In the Gacaca tribunals, women form 26 per cent of the judges. This is a traditional court, which, originally, did not include women and it is therefore a milestone towards gender equality," she wrote. It is not just the abuse visited on women by men that is worrying, but also abuse by women on women as demonstrated by the cases of breast-ironing in Cameroon. "They flatten the breasts with a huge hot piece of stone and hot towels to make sure that the girls are not attractive to men," said Kavinya Makau an assistant programme officer at Urgent Action Fund. Breast-ironing is normally executed by the girl's female relatives ostensibly to ensure she remains a virgin until she marries. Statistics show that 26 per cent of women in Cameroon have undergone breast-ironing. However, Urgent Action Fund, an international non-governmental organisation based in Nairobi, has been involved in sponsoring organisations that have exposed such practices and sought to stop them. The organisation is funded by local and foreign foundations.

• Groups Urge Strong Convention to Protect IDPs: Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi): 13 June 2008.

101 International advocacy groups have called on the African Union to revise and swiftly adopt its draft 'Convention for the Prevention of Internal Displacement and the Protection of and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons in Africa'. Adoption of a legally-binding Convention would send an important signal to the rest of the world about the seriousness with which Africa, home to around half of the global total of internally displaced persons (IDPs), considers the issue, the organizations said. But Amnesty International, IDP Action, the International Federation for Human Rights, and Refugees International said important changes first need to be made to the draft to ensure that it can become an effective instrument for protecting and assisting IDPs. The groups proposed that the AU amend references to displacement stemming from 'lack of development', which would blur the conventional boundary - the element of coercion to the act of moving - between IDPs and internal migrants and dramatically multiply the number of those considered as IDPs in Africa. Instead, the Convention should narrow the concept of displacement due to 'lack of development' to cases of displacement caused by discriminatory policies which result in violations of the economic and social rights of particular groups or those living in particular geographic areas. The AU should strengthen the Convention's line on non-discrimination throughout the draft and through the addition of a clause specifically asserting the basic principle that IDPs "shall enjoy, in full equality, the same rights and freedoms under international and domestic law as do other persons in their country. They shall not be discriminated against in the enjoyment of any rights and freedoms on the ground that they are internally displaced". The Convention draft should also be amended to outline in more detail the responsibilities of states for monitoring and ensuring adherence to the Convention. States should provide adequate resources to enable implementation of the Convention at national level and submit public reports to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights on the measures they undertake. There are approximately 12 million IDPs in Africa, of a global total of around 25 million. Unlike refugees, who fall under the protection of international instruments such as the Organisation of African Unity Convention Governing the Special Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa and the United Nations (UN) Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and who have a specialist UN agency to assist them, there are no comparable standards or mechanisms to safeguard the rights of IDPs. Their own state is often unable or unwilling to assist and protect them and the international community is often unable or unwilling to intervene. In 2006, the AU initiated a process to adopt a Convention focused specifically on the rights of IDPs. To date a draft text has been discussed among a group of experts, drawn from AU member states and including representatives of various UN agencies. The Convention is expected to be ready for ratification by state from later this year.

• Continent Losing Massive Forest Cover: Business Daily (Nairobi): 11 June 2008.

A recently launched report by UNEP shows Africa is losing four million hectares of forest cover every year and brings vividly to light the impact of development policies, population growth, climate change and conflicts on the environment. The report titled Africa: ATLAS OF OUR CHANGING ENVIRONMENT, which was done in conjunction with various environmental partners across the continent, concludes

102 that the continent is losing trees two-times faster than the current rate of deforestation across the world. The report is the latest effort - based on evidence on the ground - to educate the public and government policy makers to come up with policies to change the worsening environmental conditions of the continent. "The results of this report are actions of the last 30 years," said Satinder Bindra, director of the division of communication and public information. The atlas shows the changing environment in photographs and satellite imagery in before and after pictures that cover a span of 35 years. The report brings to light the impact of development policies, population growth, climate change and conflicts on the environment. The 400-page publication captures the disappearing glaciers of Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya, drying up lakes like Lake Chad which used to the sixth largest lake in the world 40 years ago and is now just one-tenth of its original size. The atlas also points out some countries' efforts in fighting climate change. In Kenya, for instance, concerted policies have helped reduce the wanton destruction of the Mt.Kenya forests. Although the report does not cover the developmental programmes on the ground, it gives a broad analysis and shows potential degradation hotspots.Mr Bindra said the report is timely as the new agreement on climate change convention to be held in Copenhagen in 2009 will show the people concerned the impact of climate change in the African continent. "They will want tougher rules countries emissions and African countries will demand more money to climate proof their countries," he said. It took two years of extensive scientific research at a cost of $700,000 (Sh44.1 million). The book contains over 600 satellite images, ground photographs and over 150 maps which cover every African country in over 100 locations. Satellite pictures, often taken three decades apart, show expanding cities, pollution, deforestation and climate change were damaging the African environment despite glimmers of improvement in some areas. "Africa is losing more than 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres) of forest every year- twice the world's average deforestation rate," according to a statement by the UN Environment Programme (Unep) about the 400-page atlas, prepared for a meeting of African environment ministers in Johannesburg. Four million hectares is roughly the size of Switzerland or slightly bigger than the US state of Maryland. Photographs show recent scars in forests in countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Nigeria and Rwanda. It notes that forest loss was a major concern in 35 countries in Africa. And it shows that environmental change extends beyond the well-known shrinking of the snow cap on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa's highest peak at 5,895 metres (19,340ft), or the drying up of Lake Chad. On the Ugandan border with Democratic Republic of Congo, for instance, glaciers on the Ruwenzori Mountains where the highest peak is 5,109 metres shrunk by half between 1987 and 2003, it states. Trees and shrubs had been cut from the Jebel Marra foothills in Sudan, partly because of an influx of refugees from the conflict in Darfur. "The atlas ... clearly demonstrates the vulnerability of people in the region to forces often outside their control, including the shrinking of glaciers in Uganda and Tanzania and impacts on water supplies linked with climate change," Unep executive director, Achim Steiner, said in a statement. The atlas said 300 million people faced water scarcity and that areas in sub-Saharan Africa experiencing shortages were expected to increase by almost a third by 2050. "Climate change is emerging as a driving force behind many of these problems," it said. Almost 200 governments have agreed to work out a new UN treaty by the end of 2009 to slow climate change, blamed

103 mainly on emissions of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels. But the atlas said there were signs of hope. "There are many places across Africa where people have taken action- where there are more trees than 30 years ago, where wetlands have sprung back and where land degradation has been countered," Steiner said. Among examples, the report showed that action to prevent over-grazing had helped a national park in south- eastern Tunisia. A project to expand wetlands in Mauritania was also helping to control flooding and improve livelihoods.

16. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Mali: Religious Leaders Oppose Abolition of Death Penalty: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 June 2008.

A new bill to abolish the death penalty is sparking hot debate in the National Assembly amid protests from Islamic groups who say abolishing it goes against Islamic principles. "Our recommendations focus on maintaining the death penalty in conformity with Islamic principles," said Boubacar Camara, an Imam and a member of the High Islamic Council of Mali (HCIM). "The Islamic Council refuses to endorse a legal decision that is fundamentally opposed to what God and His Prophet have decreed." President Amadou Toumani Touré introduced the bill to abolish the death penalty in a speech he delivered in September 2007 but protests from religious groups and the opposition parties Union Nationale pour la Renaissance (UNPR) in November and December 2007 put the bill on hold. It is now being debated once again, and if passed by the National Assembly the President would initiate a process to amend all other laws referring to the death penalty, including the penal code. Though the death penalty has not been enforced in Mali since 1979, the controversy is one of principle over practice, according to Lamine Keita, communication officer at the department of justice.

Anti-abolitionists: Banning the death penalty goes against Islamic principles and would weaken the state's ability to deter crimes, according to Camara. "The death penalty is defined in Islam as a legitimate act of retaliation, as enacted by God in the Koran," he told IRIN. "According to the Koran it allows one to preserve human life and social stability. Its abolition would open the way to widespread insecurity, anarchy, and general social instability." Under the Koran the death penalty is a "required and unequivocal requirement" in criminal cases involving deliberate attacks on human life, according to Camara. Thierno Hady Thiam, chairman of the Islamic council, agrees the nation's security is at stake. "We should simply abandon the bill because it could undermine the security foundations of the state and society. For instance [crimes such as] high treason committed against the state or complicity with external enemies or coups d'etat would be seen as less dangerous to attempt." The same groups have expressed opposition to a proposed amendment to the family law in Mali, claiming it too goes against Islamic principles. But it is not only religious groups who oppose the ban. According to one observer, opposition cuts across many sections of society. Amadaou Togo, an adviser in the justice ministry told IRIN abolishing the death penalty would be inappropriate in Mali. "It is unfair to ask authorities to adopt... a legal document which includes clauses

104 that go against citizens' religious and moral sensitivities. Clearly there is no way that they [the authorities] can fight for ideas that are imported from societies whose practices and customs are a million miles from ours," he argued.

Pro-abolitionists : But human rights groups welcome the President's actions. "We salute the head of state in abolishing the death penalty in Mali," Brahima Koné, president of the Malian Association for Human Rights (AMDH) said. "The death penalty is anti- constitutional, given that article one of the constitution proclaims the sanctity of human life." Koné continued, "For years, we have recommended the death penalty be abolished, particularly given the possibility of errors in making a legal pronouncement in a state like Mali where medical services lack the means to detect the mental state of offenders." And according to AMDH records, when analysing the link between the death penalty and crimes committed in other countries, it does not deter crime. "The president should not maintain the death penalty for the simple reason that it is not a deterrent," Koné added. Though it has not been enforced for many years Koné fears maintaining the death penalty in law is risky because it could be abused by political groups in the future. The human rights organisation Amnesty International has been running a campaign pushing Parliament to adopt the bill since 2007. "Two-thirds of the world's countries have abolished the death penalty since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948," said Adama Sangaré from Mali Amnesty International, "and Mali should join them." And according to Sangaré, some members of the Muslim community are supporting Amnesty's campaign, arguing in their interpretation of the Koran, it is forbidden to kill.

Other concerns : While it is far from certain that the bill will be passed, even if the President does succeed, amending all related laws will be time-consuming and complicated estimates Lamine Keita, communications officer in the Justice ministry But Ladji Samaké, head of the country's prisons hopes passing the bill will catalyse a wider overhaul of the country's incarceration system, which he says is currently characterised by poor facilities and overcrowding. "We need to put in place better prison facilities, and set up detention centres for prisoners with psychological problems - that is the most important next step," he told IRIN. The authorities should ensure that those people who are not condemned to death are confined for life so they do not present a danger to society, he added. Neither side looks ready to shift as the debate continues, and several members of Parliament are calling for the justice ministry to hold a day of discussion between all interested parties to try to find a way forward. "We need to canvas civil society's voices on the issue and try to get out of this impasse," Samaké told IRIN.

• Nigeria: Man Nabbed With 22 Pregnant Girls: This Day (Lagos): 10 June 2008.

A medical doctor, who is the proprietor of a maternity hospital where under-aged girls allegedly breed babies for sale, was yesterday arrested in Enugu. The man, identified as Dr Kenneth Akunna, was arrested by officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), at Zik Avenue. Enugu. Commandant of the Corps, Mr Desmond Agu, after the arrest, also paraded 22 pregnant girls whose ages ranged

105 between 15 and 18 years, and had been in the maternity home, apparently waiting to give birth. Agu told newsmen that the Command raided the home, following a tip-off about a woman, whose name was given as Mrs Bene Aguocha, who allegedly sourced a baby from the home and had planned to travel to Lagos with the body. He explained that on getting the information, his officers moved fast to arrest the lady, adding that it was during interrogation that the woman made confessional statements that she bought the baby from the home for the sum of N340,000. Aguocha was also said to have disclosed that she was directed to the home by another woman in Enugu . Agu said his commandant plans to hand over the suspects, including the doctor, the woman who was caught with the baby and the girls to appropriate authorities for more investigations. But Akunnna insisted that he did not commit any crime, adding that his maternity was duly registered as a Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO) with the Enugu State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development. He also said apart from registering with Enugu Ministry of Women Affairs, his establishment was also registered with other authorities charged with such responsibilities. He denied being involved in sales of children, adding that what his organisation does was simply child fostering. According to him, the pregnant girls remain with the home until they deliver and the babies are handed over to appropriate quarters for the next action, adding that he charges between N10,000 and N20,000, and was into the business to discourage young girls from abortion or dumping babies into gutters and pit toilets. He said he had been in the business for over 30 years. At the home was a mild drama, featuring officers of the Civil Defence Corps and the Police, who had claimed that the Corps had no clearance from the station to embark on the exercise. The Police arrested some officers of the Corps who were later released following the intervention of the state commissioner of police, Mr Sulieman Fakai.

• Sierra Leone: Child Labour Worst: Concord Times (Freetown): 12 June 2008.

Latest data released yesterday to mark World Day Against Child Labour has indicated that in Sierra Leone and five other African countries more than half of all children between the ages of 7-14 are child labourers. The new technical report published by ILO's international programme on the elimination of child labour (IPEC) was based on surveys of child labour in 34 countries from all regions of the world.

Exactly two months ago the UN child agency, Unicef released findings of its assessment titled: "Child labour and school attendance: Evidence from MICS and DHS surveys," suggesting further that the situation was worst in Sierra Leone with 78.0 per cent after Niger 77.5 and the Central African Republic with 71.1 per cent. Child labour is defined according to the number of hours worked and the type of activity a child engages in, depending on the age of the child. Meanwhile, country representative of UNICEF has praised the promulgation of a child right bill that became law in early June 2007, particularly because children in the country were exposed to violence, exploitation, abuse and deprivation. "Almost one half of children aged 5-14 years are engaged in some form of child labour. About 11 per cent of children are orphans and 20 per cent do not live with their biological parents," Geert Cappelaere observed. However, the historical

106 experience of Europe and the United States and the current situation in many parts of the developing world has shown that legislation alone is not sufficient to eliminate child labour. To develop effective policies it is necessary to understand why children work so that the underlying causes can be addressed. Also education has been identified as the right response to child labour. Thus, as part of its efforts to strengthen action to tackle child labour by boosting access to education, the ILO is coordinating the work of an inter-agency partnership, the Global Task Force on Child Labour and Education for All, which brings together UN agencies, teachers, and civil society representatives, to strengthen measures to help child labourers. "We must work for every child's right to education so no child has to work for survival. The goal is quality education for children and decent work for adults," said ILO director-general Juan Somavia. The overall situation is that terrible as statistics provided by UNESCO show that the number of children involved in economic activities has been falling; although there remained 191 million children aged 5-14 who are engaged in some kind of economic activity. Of this number 165 million were involved in child labour.

• Ghana: Child Labour Still Prevalent, LRC Calls for Affirmative Action: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra):13 June 2008.

In spite of the fact that various international conventions, and the Children's Act of Ghana, guard against child labour, there are still traits of its existence in the country. It is estimated that approximately two million of children living in Ghana, are engaged in child labour. This represents 20% of the entire children's population of the country. Almost 250,000 of these children were said to be living under hazardous forms of child labour. Meanwhile, Article 28 (2) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic prohibits labour, which is considered to be injurious to the health, education or development of the child. With yesterday marking World Day against Child Labour, the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) in Accra, took the opportunity to remind Ghanaians, and foreign nationals alike, that "we are currently not fully honouring our commitment to protect our children from hazardous and exploitative forms of labour." This was contained in a statement, signed by the Project Coordinator of Human Trafficking and Child Labour Projects, at the LRC, Dzifa Ami Gakpleazi. Ghana is signatory to three international treaties, which ban certain practices of child labour, including the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and the International Labour Organisation's (ILO's) Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour. Additionally, Ghana has passed its own laws on child labour. The Children's Act is one of such laws in Ghana, which bans all types of exploitative labour, and echoes the 1992 Constitution's prohibition, by defining this type of labour as that, which denies a child of health, education or development. Its also bans a number of child labour practices, that it considers to be 'hazardous'. In spite of these, the LRC believes that all forms of exploitative labour (whether explicitly listed as hazardous by law or not), continue to persist in the country. It considers these facts as extremely disappointing, not just because of the hard reality that exists for child labourers in Ghana, but also because the laws to protect them have already been passed. Though it is fact that many of the root causes of child labour, go beyond detection and enforcement, poverty, lack of economic opportunities, social mobilisation and other macro-economic and

107 demographic issues are all major factors. The LRC has entreated Ghanaians, and for that matter central government, not to forgo improvements in the enforcement of the law. The Children's Act, which requires any witnessed infractions be reported, was passed a decade ago, whilst the Labour Act, which was passed into law in 2003, required regular inspections of work places, to check incidences of child labour. Though these laws should have made children working in hazardous conditions a rarity, the LRC noted that "sadly, this is not the case." "The fact that we have acknowledged this responsibility as a country, and still continue to avoid tackling the problem headlong, makes this situation more troubling," it emphasised. As a people, it noted that if Ghanaians are not noticing, reporting or enforcing these infractions, then our well-thought out laws would be nothing but "meaningless pieces of paper put together." It has thus stressed the need for the number of labour inspectors in the country to be increased, or better still be proactive. It has also stressed the urgent need, for government to establish fund and children's desk, at the office of the Attorney General, with the hope that such a division could use the power of the office, to coordinate with other programmes and projects, and focusing their energy on issues relating to protection of children. "Not only will these provide more resources to address the problem, but the Children's Desk, when properly funded, can take responsibility and be evaluated, depending on the improvements that are made," it noted. The LRC further stated that Ghana, as a country, needs more resources to ensure specialised professionals, who will be held accountable. In the last analysis, it emphasised that "it is time for the government, not just to acknowledge its responsibility, but to take it."

• Gambia: Mob Violence And Murder Feared After President's Gay Beheading Threat: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 12 June 2008.

President of The Gambia Yahya Jammeh, who in mid-May reportedly threatened to expel or behead lesbian and gay people the country, should fully retract his comments, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the President on 10 June. President Jammeh has retracted his threat to kill homosexual people, but not the threat to expel them, the HRW statement said. His comments, which HRW says were made in a speech in May, "encourage hatred... [and] contribute to a climate in which basic rights can be assaulted with impunity". Scott Long, director of HRW's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Programme said: "It is very dangerous when political leaders turn to homophobic statements to try to drum up political support. When statements like this are made, violence often follows - sometimes immediately and sometimes further down the line. It makes people think these are people that it is safe to attack," Long told IRIN in a telephone interview from New York. In the letter to President Jammeh, HRW's Juliana Cano Nieto, a researcher with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Programme said, "Neither religion nor culture can justify calls to mob violence and murder."

Terror: According to reports of President Jammeh's comments quoted by HRW, he gave homosexuals 24 hours to leave the country and threatened to seek out and arrest gays and expel them from their homes. According to the BBC the President also vowed to "cut off

108 the head" of any homosexual, and to impose stricter laws banning homosexuality. The Gambian newspaper the Daily Observer quoted him as saying: "We are in a Muslim dominated country and I will not and shall never accept such individuals [homosexuals] in this country." On 16 May, the day after the President's speech, Gambian police arrested two men from Senegal, apparently on suspicion of being homosexuals. "People in the under-cover gay and lesbian community are terrified," said HRW's Long. "These statements drive them further under cover - this just intensifies the climate of fear." The long-term impact will depend on how civil society reacts, according to Long. "What happened in Zimbabwe for instance, is instructive. Mugabe demonised gay people there in 1994 and...Eventually the same kind of tactics of stigma and hatred that were used against lesbian and gays, graduated into a broader attack on everyone's human rights."

Defying international covenants :According to Human Rights Watch, President Jammeh's statements go against the African Charter on Human and People's Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights both of which Gambia has signed up to. Article 26 of the African charter provides that "every individual shall have the duty to respect and consider his fellow beings without discrimination, and to maintain relations aimed at promoting, safeguarding and reinforcing mutual respect and tolerance". According to Long there is some leverage for legal bodies to take the case forward. The UN human rights committee under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which examines violations of human rights could look into it. And there is "a possibility of bringing this to bear" with the African Commission on Human Rights, which is increasingly active in looking at the causes of violence in Africa.

Stricter national law: Homosexual acts are illegal in Gambia - Article 144 of the criminal code punishes consensual sexual acts between men with 14 years in prison, while in 2005 the law was updated to include women, according to a May 2008 report by the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA). Eleven West African countries deem homosexual acts illegal, as do 86 UN member states, according to the ILGA. "Ex- British colonies tend to have the worst laws because they tend to relate directly back to Victorian legislation and do not relate to African culture or history - they're colonial relics," Long pointed out. And the law may get stricter still. According to the BBC the President announced he will soon come up with a new law banning homosexual practices in the country, which will be more stringent than any found in other states, "including Iran".

International leverage: European Union member governments, under the Slovenian Presidency have prepared a joint statement and are currently in discussion with the Gambian ministry of foreign affairs over the issue, according to Graham Birse, the acting British high commissioner. One government representative told IRIN, "We decided we should come up with a common message and we are all aligned with it," adding, "Obviously we don't agree with the President's statements." But for Long the strongest leverage international organisations have is "to shame and embarrass the president". And he thinks these efforts may be having some effect - President Jammeh has since denied any decapitation comments. In the meantime, Human Rights Watch is monitoring the government's next steps and keeping track of how the police and others are acting on his

109 statements. "We are monitoring situation through contacts in-country to keep track of what the police and others are doing as a result of the statements, and we're waiting to see the government's next move," Long told IRIN. "If you can attack even these most marginalised people, it could set a precedent for attacking wider human rights."

• Liberia: UN Mission Builds Safe House for Victims of Sexual Violence: UN News Service (New York):14 June 2008.

The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has built a new safe house for survivors of sexual violence in the capital, Monrovia, and helped refurbish a former jail to ease overcrowding in the West African country's prison system.

The safe house, which has been handed over to a local non-governmental organization (NGO) to operate, was built as part of a $24,000 project that was also supported by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). The head of UNMIL and the Secretary-General's Special Representative in Liberia, Ellen Margrethe Løj, handed over the keys to the safe house in a ceremony yesterday in Monrovia. She stressed that sexual and other forms of gender- based violence must be stopped if the country is to fully advance after years of civil war and misrule. "Any woman or girl who falls victim to this sort of violence, especially rape, is really having her possibilities for contributing to society greatly diminished," Ms. Løj said. At the safe house, the survivors and victims receive psychosocial support, basic literacy and numeric skills development, vocational training and other life skills, such as information about reproductive health and HIV/AIDS awareness. In Zwedru, the capital of Grand Gedeh county in eastern Liberia, UNMIL has helped re-open the rehabilitated National Palace of Corrections, which will become the country's largest prison facility. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, the Deputy UN Envoy in Liberia, said she hoped the changes made to the centre will greatly improve both the living conditions for prisoners and the working conditions for correctional staff. "We must look to this facility to provide not only immediate security to society by housing those committed by the courts, but also to provide those persons with a fresh start in life and an opportunity for a brighter and more purposeful future when they eventually rejoin society upon release," she said. First opened in 1979, the National Palace of Corrections - which has room for 294 prisoners - operated for a decade until the civil war prompted its closure. UNMIL staff has given Liberian corrections officers training in human rights, fair treatment and helping inmates learn skills to be useful members of society.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Women Say Regional Aids Plan Falls Short: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 10 June 2008.

Despite the admirable progress made by some African countries in preventing and treating HIV/AIDS since 2000, 14 million Africans have died of AIDS in that time span, and an additional 17 million have been infected, says a new report on HIV/AIDS on the continent. According to the report "Securing Our Future" launched Monday by the Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa, the disease is reducing capacity in all social and economic sectors, undermining and slowing the

110 overall development of the region. It estimates that by 2020, the nine most severely hit sub-Saharan countries may lose 13-26 percent of their agricultural workers to AIDS -- people who are also household heads, mothers and fathers of young children, and have many more roles that contribute to their societies.

The report was released as heads of state, diplomats and civil society groups gathered at U.N. headquarters Tuesday for a two-day high-level meeting to review progress since the General Assembly issued a major declaration on HIV/AIDS in 2001 and to seek renewed commitments for funding and political will to tackle the disease. The commission on Africa presented an action plan calling for a stronger policy and programmatic response in the areas of prevention, treatment and financing, including a new donor framework for funding. Speaking at a press conference, Peter Piot, the head of UNAIDS, said the report "addresses not only medical and health aspects", but also the impact of the disease on governance, answering questions such as: "What should African countries do? What are the impacts on society beyond the health sector? Does it affect the capacity of continuing resilience particularly in Southern Africa in terms of public service that can be provided, and private sector, and what it can do to labour, and et cetera?" However, some civil society representatives said the commission had fallen short in its mission. "It is disappointing that the report does not focus on the key current challenges in Africa, such as governments' failure to meet their Abuja commitment to allocate 15 percent of their budgets to health, the threat to the funding and political commitment to the universal access [to treatment] goal by 2010," Aditi Sharma of Action Aid, an international NGO, told IPS. She also cited rising fatalities from tuberculosis, the threat posed by drug- resistant strains of HIV, and "the growing criminalisation of HIV transmission across the region." Both Sharma and Olayide Akanni of the Nigerian group Journalists against AIDS said that although the report identified many of the key drivers of HIV/AIDS, it failed to offer concrete solutions on what should be done. "It's not that the recommendations are bad, but they are not strong enough and fail to address women's issues," Akanni told IPS. Both NGO representatives were very critical that the report did not pay enough attention to gender equality and violence against women as key aspects of the pandemic. The commission was largely male-dominated, with women comprising only six of the 19 members. In light of the fact that 61 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa are women and girls, Sharma told IPS that "it is very disappointing not to have a strong focus -- or even a separate chapter -- on women given the feminisation of the pandemic." "We are condemning the lack of action and resources to tackle the feminisation of the pandemic by governments and calling on them to put in place specific programmes with dedicated budgets to promote and protect women's rights -- such as the right to health and education, the right to inherit property, the right to land and livelihoods, the right to live free of violence and sexual and reproductive health and rights," she told IPS. "I would've really expected, as an activist, a strong recommendation on how to improve in terms of political accountability of African governments," Sharma added. "We are also calling for greater involvement and leadership of women's rights advocates, especially women living with HIV, in the design and implementation of national and regional AIDS responses," she continued. Speaking on Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed the critical role of tackling the epidemic as "a prerequisite" for reaching almost all of the Millennium Development

111 Goals set by world leaders in 2000 to significantly reduce hunger, poverty and malnutrition, and promote gender equality, among other things, by 2015. Progress toward the Millennium Development Goals at their midpoint will be reviewed by the General Assembly this September.

• South Africa: Many Victims 'Were From SA': Business Day (Johannesburg): 13 June 2008.

TWENTY-one of the 62 people who died in the recent xenophobic violence were South Africans. Chief government spokesman Themba Maseko said yesterday a report from the inter-ministerial task team investigating the xenophobic attacks of the past month had confirmed that 62 people died in the violence. The government was considering a national day of healing as a means of paying respect to all who lost their lives. The majority of the deaths (53) were in . A significant number of bodies still remained unidentified because they were carrying no official means of identification. "The next key challenge is the reintegration of the victims of violence back into the communities within two months," Maseko said. "While the government acknowledges that this will be a very complex process, it is unavoidable as shelters in open fields and a community hall is unsustainable." He said the government would work with all stakeholders to ensure ideal conditions were created for the reintegration process, which would involve dialogue and consultation bet-ween local communities and the displaced foreign nationals. "The reintegration process is quite advanced in Western Cape and involves professional mediators and conflict resolution specialists," Maseko said. He insisted that the refugee camps would not become a permanent feature and would be closed after two months.

• South Africa: UN Agrees to Assist With Repatriation: Cape Argus (Cape Town): 12 June 2008.

The UN has agreed to assist with the "voluntary repatriation" of refugees affected by the xenophobic attacks last month, says Mayor Helen Zille. She and city officials met UN southern Africa representative Sanda Kimbimbi and other UN officials on Wednesday night to find solutions to the aftermath of the violence. Zille told the Cape Argus that an estimated 2 000 refugees had requested repatriation. The UN would also be help with local integration, coupled with financial assistance. The International Office for Migration would assist asylum seekers and immigrants with their documents and registration.

Meanwhile, leaders at the Soetwater safety site claim they have been left in the dark over their future and have yet to meet the province for discussions. More than 10 buses turned up at the camp on Tuesday night to remove thousands of immigrants as part of the provincial government's re-integration plan, but the people refused to leave. An agreement was reached that they would not be moved until discussions were held between immigrant community leaders and the province. "First we were victims of xenophobic violence, now we are victims at the hands of the government," said Pastor Al-ain Mwamba Kazadi, who heads the Soetwater Refugee Leadership Committee. "We

112 cannot move if we don't know where they are taking us, that is not the way you treat human beings."

After a meeting of camp leaders, ward councillors, volunteers and civil society yesterday, chaired by Simon Liell-Cock of the Far South Peninsula Community Forum, a list of demands was compiled. The list, which was sent to Zille and Premier Ebrahim Rasool, stipulated that, among other things, the Soetwater group would move only if they were given a list of community halls set aside for their accommodation and were given prior warning of when they would be moved, with the option to veto the proposed location. They also requested a contract guaranteeing that they would not be evicted from their new locations. The group also asked that leaders be able to assess the relocation destinations before the move and that police were not present during their move. The group further expressed their disapproval at being moved after dark and requested that the relocation takes place in daylight. Jeremy Michaels, head of communications for the Western Cape government, said there had been "constant and ongoing" talks with Soetwater leaders. "While we have been talking to the leadership through this entire situation, it is becoming abundantly clear that the solution to the situation is a complex one." He said that while the province had gone to great lengths to break through the language barrier, it appeared poor communication between leaders and the rest of the immigrants had been partly to blame for the perception that the government had not been holding discussions.

• Zimbabwe: Army Boosts Mugabe Campaign: Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): 13 June 2008.

STATE security forces reportedly deployed countrywide on a military-style campaign to rescue beleaguered President Robert Mugabe ahead of the critical presidential election run-off have taken an increasingly active role in a bid to block opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai from succeeding as the next president of Zimbabwe. This has poisoned the campaign environment and dramatically tilted the playing field ahead of the run-off in two weeks' time. There is now a pervasive climate of fear surrounding the poll as the wave of terror rippling through the rural areas rises. Tsvangirai was yesterday arrested in Kwekwe -- for the third time inside a week -- while campaigning. He was released but then arrested again in Gweru. Numerous senior party officials and supporters have also been arrested of late including Tendai Biti yesterday. Evidence soldiers are directly involved in Mugabe's campaign mounted this week after two soldiers -- assaulted by opposition supporters during clashes in rival campaigns -- admitted in court documents that they had been rallying support for Mugabe in Mashonaland Central.

According to court records (137-8/05/2008), Zecks Kanhukamwe, a member of the Zimbabwe National Army, and Petros Nyaguwa, an officer in the Presidential Guard, were assaulted by 26 MDC activists after they tried to force villagers in Mashonaland Central's Kodzwa village to attend a Zanu PF rally. The two are now key state witness in the trial of the 26 opposition members who are accused of allegedly beating them. Documents say Kanhukamwe was also part of the group that addressed a Zanu PF rally at Kodzwa village on May 28.

113 Zanu PF's strategy is multi-pronged and involves use of propaganda, blocking access to the state media, dishing out inducements like food, especially maize, to villagers, banning non-governmental organisations allegedly campaigning for Tsvangirai, and taking charge of the electoral process using the police. The abuse of postal ballots is also now part of the strategy to ensure Mugabe wins by fair means or foul. Massive economic and security resources have been mobilised to underpin the tactics. The MDC and human rights groups blame the deployment of the army for the prevailing political violence which has claimed at least 66 lives, mainly those of opposition supporters. The army has however distanced itself from violence, although human rights groups insist it is involved.

In a written response to the Independent yesterday, army deputy director of public relations, Major Alphios Makotore said he could not discuss soldiers' deployments in the media. Last night Zanu PF media committee chairperson, Patrick Chinamasa denied that the army is campaigning for Zanu PF. Before the March 29 elections, Tsvangirai and his party were able to campaign freely and access the countryside without barriers. They also had access, albeit limited, to state media.

However, a strong security fire wall has been built to block Tsvangirai from penetrating deep into rural areas to campaign. Mugabe meanwhile has a free rein to campaign with extraordinary intensity. While Mugabe has commandeered state resources -- including the security machinery to campaign for him -- Tsvangirai's rallies are being blocked to limit his access to the voters. Tsvangirai was arrested last week on the campaign trail in Lupane and only released nearly nine hours later. Sources said the opposition chief was arrested by the police to stop him from getting to Lupane where a provincial meeting of the Joint Operations Command (JOC) was taking place. Brigadier-General Khumalo is said to have addressed the meeting. For the purposes of the runoff, JOC is meeting at provincial levels to deal with regional issues.

Prior to his arrest last week, Tsvangirai was forced to abort a rally at Manama Mission outside Gwanda after he was warned by state security agents along the way that he was heading for danger. Tsvangirai later said the military has staged a de facto coup by seizing control of vast swathes of the country and declaring them no-go areas for him. Tsvangirai's campaign advance party heading for Manama were told that if they proceeded, the police could not guarantee their security given the presence of potentially hostile military units. "I don't mind soldiers having an opinion about who they want to vote for, but certainly a coercive military strategy to force people to support a particular candidate and to be active in the campaign has very dangerous consequences," Tsvangirai said later. "That must be discouraged, they are opening up the military to being involved in politics, which is dangerous for our democracy. It's tantamount to a military coup."

The involvement of state agents in Mugabe's campaign became clearer last week after CIO Deputy Director-General Mernard Muzariri warned villagers at Nyamahobogo Primary School in Mt Darwin in Mashonaland Central there would be an outbreak of war if Mugabe is defeated on June 27. Khumalo is said to be part of a group of at least 200 senior army officers deployed nationwide to campaign for Mugabe. The team is understood to be divided into 10 provinces led by senior army commanders. It said the

114 military was deployed on April 8 after the key JOC and Zanu PF politburo meetings on April 4. The politburo resolved Zanu PF must use a "warlike/military-style" campaign strategy to ensure Mugabe wins. Reports claim Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) commander General Constantine Chiwenga, Zimbabwe National Army commander Lieutenant -General Phillip Sibanda, Major-General N Dube, Major-General Last Mugova and Colonel S Mudambo are coordinating the military operation. Chiwenga, Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri, Prison commissioner retired Major- General Paradzai Zimondi, Army Chief of staff Major-General Martin Chedondo and Brigadier-General D Sigauke have said they would not accept Tsvangirai even if he wins.

• Zimbabwe: Biti Faces Treason Charges: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London): 12 June 2008.

THE Secretary General of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change, Tendai Biti, will be charged with treason and faces a possible death sentence if convicted, according to a ort by the police today. Police spokesperson, Wayne Bvudzijena issued a statement saying: "We are charging him with treason and communicating and publishing false statements prejudicial to the state. For the treason charge he faces the death penalty or life in prison." He added: "Biti is in police custody and we are still investigating the matter." The treason charge relates to an MDC-T transition document which was alleged to have been penned by Biti and which discussed changing Zimbabwe's government. "He will be charged with contravening Section 20 of the criminal law codification for publishing a document that was explaining a transitional strategy around March 26 which in its case is a treasonous charge," he said.

The opposition MDC-T party dismissed the document as a forgery.

US Ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee said he had seen the original MDC-T's transition document which he described as a routine plan for any political party. He added that the "forged version had circulated that raised issues not contained in the genuine document." McGee called on Zimbabwe's neighbors to intervene saying the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) should send more observers to ensure peace before and during the vote. The second charge refers to accusations that Biti announced election results before the official count was released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). Bvudzijena said that Biti made false statements 'prejudicial to the state'. Under Zimbabwean law, only the official body the ZEC is mandated to announce results. Prior to the March 29 harmonized election Zimbabwe's service chiefs had issued a chilling warning against the announcement of results by anyone not mandated to do so. They said that they were "not going to allow a situation where individuals arrogate themselves the role of election officials and announce themselves winners at any stage of the electoral process." They added: "The authority of counting votes and announcing the winners is vested in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in accordance with law. We warn anyone of such inclination that we will not tolerate any such pronouncements as they have the effect of trying to take the law into their own hands thereby fomenting disorder and mayhem. Everyone is therefore advised to follow the law." The police commissioner said Biti was in police custody, but did not

115 reveal where he was being held. Biti will be charged "as soon as we are through with our investigation," said Bvudzijena. Meanwhile, Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai who was detained earlier this afternoon by police while on his campaign trail has been released. Tsvangirai was detained at a roadblock near the central town of Kwekwe on the way to an election rally.

• Zimbabwe: More Pressure On Mugabe As Prominent African Leaders Call for End to Violence: SW Radio Africa (London): 13 June 2008.

The pressure on Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF to end their brutal campaign against the opposition and innocent civilians intensified on Friday, when a group of 40 prominent African leaders and influential celebrities issued an open letter calling for an end to violence and intimidation, ahead of the presidential run-off elections on June 27. The impressive list includes many respected former heads of state, including Mozambique's Joaquim Chissano and Botswana's Festus Mogae, musicians and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors Youssou N'Dour and Angelique Kidjo, Nobel Laureate and Chairman of The Elders Desmond Tutu, and former United Nations Secretary-Generals Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Kofi Annan. The African leaders urged the Zimbabwe government to end the violent campaign that has gripped the country since the March 29th elections, when the ruling party lost their parliamentary majority for the first time ever. They also called for the full resumption of field operations by humanitarian aid groups that were suspended by government last week. Their appeal falls well in line with previous calls by African leaders for 'an African solution to African problems' because all the signatories are African. Notably, none of the current African heads of state are included. Many of them have maintained a deafening silence on the Zimbabwe crisis. Anglican Bishop Rubin Phillip in South Africa said he was immediately supportive of the initiative when he learned of it. He called it a commendable, non-violent approach that publicises the widespread abuse that is taking place in Zimbabwe. He added that it also sends a strong message to the Zimbabwe government that the world will not tolerate what they are doing. However, Bishop Phillip believes that what is needed are the voices of current African leaders. He said: "It is alarming that they are silent in the face of all the abuses in Zimbabwe. If they do not speak it is as though they are supportive of what is happening there."

The open letter read in part: "Whatever the outcome of the election, it will be vital for all Zimbabweans to come together in a spirit of reconciliation to secure Zimbabwe's future. We further call upon African leaders at all levels - pan-African, regional and national - and their institutions to ensure the achievement of these objectives." the letter said. The government of Botswana also spoke out strongly on Friday. A statement form Botswana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said they had summoned the Zimbabwean Ambassador Thomas Mandigora on Thursday, to express strong concern over the latest arrests and detentions of MDC leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and his Secretary General Tendai Biti. The statement said: "The repeated arrests and detentions are unacceptable and deserve condemnation as they violate the Principles and Objectives of the SADC Treaty."

116 • Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Detained for Two Hours in Kwekwe: SW Radio Africa (London): 12 June 2008.

MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai spent two hours detained at Kwekwe police station after his trailblazing road show campaign was stopped from entering the town. Police mounted a roadblock outside KweKwe when word got to the authorities that the MDC leader's new campaign strategy was attracting huge crowds. Luke Tamborinyoka, the party's director of information, said Tsvangirai was travelling in a personalised bus painted in party colours. His motorcade travelled through Chegutu and Kadoma, before it was halted in Kwekwe. 'People are stopping whatever they are doing to wave at the bus. It's causing a lot of excitement among the people but at the same time the authorities have mounted an unprecedented campaign to disrupt his campaigning,' Tamborinyoka said. In Chegutu Tsvangirai's convoy passed by the home of an MDC candidate in the March elections. As soon as the motorcade had left, scores of Zanu-PF youths stormed the home and attacked its occupants, leaving a trail of destruction. Tamborinyoka said after the motorcade passed through Kadoma, state security agents descended on people who were waving at the bus. 'This is total madness. But no amount of intimidation can stop the juggernaut, it's rolling all the way to run-off day where we will re-run and re-win,' Tamborinyoka said. A statement by the MDC late afternoon said that upon on his release Tsvangirai and his entourage of 20 people immediately resumed their campaign meeting, thronged by a crowd of enthusiastic supporters in Kwekwe. From there the MDC leader was expected to proceed to Gweru, where he was scheduled to address a business meeting and later meet with journalists at the Gweru press club.

• Mozambique: Diogo Awarded 2008 Global Women's Leadership Award: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo): 9 June 2008.

Mozambican Prime Minister Luisa Diogo on Friday received the 2008 Global Women's leadership Award, at the annual Global Summit of Women, held in Hanoi. This summit is very much a business event, and indeed proudly describes itself as "Davos for Women". Among the sponsors of this year's summit were such companies as Microsoft, IBM, Daimler, and Deutsche Telecom, as well as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Accepting the award, Diogo told the summit that Mozambique is among the top three countries in Africa in terms of women's participation in politics - 37 per cent of parliamentary deputies are women, as are 26 per cent of government ministers. Lower leadership levels were once almost exclusively male preserves - but now two out of the 11 provincial governors and 21 out of 128 district administrators are women. As for the economy, Diogo claimed that women "play a remarkable role in areas such as the informal sector, the tourism and hotel industry, and in real estate". The government, she stressed, was "committed to creating a favourable business environment that promotes equal opportunities for both men and women". This had been expressed in measures such as the thorough overhaul of the Commercial Code (a document that was over a century old), and the sweeping away of red tape hindering the growth of private business. Investment in

117 women's education was key, Diogo added, and in Mozambique's case had "heavily focused on girls' enrolment and the placing of proper incentives so as to have girls continue their schooling from the earliest stages of their education through to the complete empowerment of their personality". Diogo admitted that "despite the progress made, there is still a long way to go to ensure full women's empowerment and the full implementation of women's human rights agenda. Access to and controls over economic resources remain conditioned by traditions that place women in a subordinate position with lower social status". Speaking to reporters in Maputo on Monday, Diogo said she regarded this award "as another incentive to go on working on behalf of Mozambique and its women". "These prizes never mean the work is finished", she stressed. "They act as a stimulus, and give us encouragement". Women had made considerable political advances in Mozambique, she said, "but now we need to advance in terms of the economic empowerment of women. This is what will give women genuine autonomy". Asked about the threat of AIDS, Diogo (who is chairperson of the National AIDS Council) claimed that the Mozambican rollout of the anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment that prolongs the lives of HIV-positive people was quite unequalled. In just a couple of years, Mozambique had moved from a situation where ARV therapy could only be obtained in a handful of clinics in the major cities to one where ARV drugs are available in all 128 of the country's districts. The challenge now, she said, was to ensure "more direct contact with the communities" in the fight against AIDS. The latest statistics on HIV prevalence suggest that the infection rate has stabilized. 16 per cent of the population aged between 15 and 49 are HIV-positive, much the same percentage as in 2004.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Uganda is Holy Land - Israeli Bishop: New Vision (Kampala): 9 June 2008.

UGANDA is a holy land, the president bishop of the Anglican province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, the Rev. Anis Mouneer, has said. He urged Christians to emulate the Uganda martyrs, who shed their blood and died for the sake of the gospel. "I believe that today you (Christians) continue to write the wonderful story of the Church in Uganda and in the rest of Africa in the same spirit as the martyrs." Mouneer, who on Friday was presiding over the ninth graduation ceremony at the Uganda Christian University (UCU), Mukono, asked Christians to desist from individualism. Citing the breakaway of churches, he warned that individualism led to divisions. Mouneer called for the preservation of African culture and heritage. "Our generation was told the western story again and again until we forgot our own African story. "This has led us to believe that only what comes from the West is the best. This is not true." He decried the poverty, high infant mortality, injustice, illiteracy, spread of HIV/AIDS, tribal conflicts and wars on the continent. "We can't deny that in Africa we face major and sometimes fatal challenges. This sounds very depressing but, fortunately, the amazing growth of Christianity gives us real hope." Anglican archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, also the university chancellor, challenged graduates to become 'ministers' even before getting employed. "Some of you may feel that society owes you something because of your years of hard study and the money you have paid to get a degree," he

118 said. "But in fact, you have been blessed above many of your peers because God chose you for his moment from all eternity." But Orombi drew murmurs, with some students shouting "UCU is a profit company" when he said the university was founded not for material benefit, but to offer the riches of education to young people. Prof. Stephen Noll, the vice-chancellor, urged the graduates to bear children. He said there were better health and economic opportunities today that would enable families survive than in the past. "Some European countries have a negative population rate that will have disastrous social consequences in the future." A total of 805 students got diplomas and degrees.

• Madagascar: Local Women 'Wake Up' to Their Rights: America.gov (Washington, DC): 3 June 2008.

Rabary is a passionate advocate for women's rights and human rights. She is the president of the nationwide non-governmental organization S.O.S. to Human Rights Victims, which was created in 1999 to assist victims of human rights abuses in Madagascar. S.O.S. also works to educate citizens of this island nation in the Indian Ocean about their rights. In 2003, in collaboration with women law graduates in the city of Fianarantsoa, S.O.S opened Madagascar's first legal clinic that counsels primarily women. Named Mifohaza (Wake Up), the clinic educates women about their inheritance, family, domestic and work rights. The clinic, which handles more than 2,000 cases per year, is a proven success in a country plagued by corruption and a weak judiciary system. Rabary and her legal experts also travel around the county to raise public awareness of human rights and to handle cases involving domestic violence, land issues, torture under interrogation and other issues. Rabary has fought for human rights both inside and outside Madagascar's government. She has taught human rights at Madagascar's School of Nursing and Midwifery since 1995, and from 1994 to 1996 worked as the director of well-being of families and children at the Ministry of Population. From 1998 to 2002, she was a member of the National Assembly. In 2002, she took her fight to protect human rights to the international level by filing a lawsuit with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights against violations of human rights in Madagascar. The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized her work. In the same year, Rabary initiated the first international colloquium on human rights in the Indian Ocean region. She spoke in Geneva in 2004 before the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination about racial intolerance in Madagascar. In 2007, she represented Malagasy civil society before the U.N High Commissioner for Human Rights on the issue of torture in Madagascar. Rabary was nominated for the U.S. Secretary of State's 2008 Women of Courage Award. The award, founded in 2007 by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, celebrates exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for women's rights and advancement.

• Ethiopia: Western Allies Ignoring Govt Abuses, Report Says: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 12 June 2008.

Since a battle last year against rebels in eastern Ethiopia's Somali Region, Ethiopia's government and armed forces have been committing war crimes and crimes against humanity by subjecting ethnic Somali nomads to executions, torture

119 and rape, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released Thursday. The pattern of abuses by Ethiopian government forces is not new. Eyewitness accounts of atrocities, including the destruction and burning of villages, forced relocations of civilians, summary executions, and violent acts of rape and torture, date back more than a decade. Yet according to the new 130-page report, "Collective Punishment: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity in the Ogaden Area of Ethiopia's Somali Regional State", these abuses have intensified over the last year. In April 2007, the rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) killed more than 70 Chinese and Ethiopian civilians, after an attack on a Chinese-run oil installation in the Ogaden area of the Somali Region. In response, Ethiopian forces launched a brutal counterinsurgency campaign in five zones of the Somali Region that has included deliberate and repeated attacks on civilian populations in an attempt to wipe out the roots of the rebellion, HRW says. "The Ethiopian army's answer to the rebels has been to viciously attack civilians in the Ogaden," said Georgette Gagnon, HRW's Africa director. "These widespread and systematic atrocities amount to crimes against humanity." Villagers and nomads have been ordered by the Ethiopian government to relocate from small villages and pastoralist settlements to designated larger towns throughout the conflict-affected zones. Thousands of civilians have fled to neighbouring countries. Civilians who refuse evacuation from their villages have been killed, while settlements have been burned and water sources and wells destroyed, HRW says. Others have been detained in military barracks where they are subjected to regular beatings, torture and rape. In the report, a 31-year-old shopkeeper gave this account of the treatment of detainees by Ethiopian soldiers. "They started beating me with the backs of their AK-47 guns. They hit me once with the gun in my face, and then started beating me. They also hit me with the gun barrel in my teeth, and broke one of my teeth. Then they started beating me with a fan belt on my back and my feet. It lasted for more than one hour. Then they tied both my legs and lifted me upside down to the ceiling with a rope, and kept beating me more, saying I had to confess. For two months, we underwent this same ordeal, being taken from our rooms at night and being beaten and tortured." HRW has documented reports of 87 villages and nomadic settlements that were forcefully evacuated and partially or totally burned during government military operations between June 2006 and August 2007. Over 150 individuals have been executed, usually in demonstration killings, with Ethiopian soldiers targeting suspected ONLF members or supporters. HRW believes that these documented cases represent a small fraction of the actual abuses.Since mid-2007, the government has taken a series of actions aimed at cutting off economic support to the ONLF, including imposing a trade blockade on the war-torn region, manipulating food distribution by restricting access to water and food, and obstructing humanitarian aid donated to the country. The Ethiopian government denies all allegations of abuses against civilians, but has responded by restricting access to the region to journalists, human rights groups, and aid organisations. "The government's attacks on civilians, its trade blockade, and restrictions on aid amount to the illegal collective punishment of tens of thousands of people," said Gagnon. "Unless humanitarian agencies get immediate access to independently assess the needs and monitor food distribution, more lives will be lost." Despite the mounting evidence of abuses, HRW says, major western governments have failed to speak out on the matter. "The international community by and large has been shamefully quiet about these abuses," Chris Albin-Lackey, a senior researcher with

120 HRW's Africa Division, told IPS. He believes that international donors are well aware of the scope of the problem but have refused to publicly criticise the Ethiopian government's conduct, or even to raise the issue forcefully behind closed doors. This is largely because Western governments, such as the United States, Britain and European Union, rely on the Ethiopian government as a key African ally in the "war on terror". It is one of the largest recipients of overseas development assistance in this unstable region, receiving nearly 2.0 billion dollars in aid each year. Because donor governments and companies are fearful that a robust stance on human rights will rupture diplomatic relations, the violations occurring in Ethiopia have been actively ignored, HRW says. The U.S. government, a strong Ethiopian ally in counter-terrorism efforts, has refrained from even expressing mild concern. HRW urges governments to start taking action to end the war crimes committed by the Ethiopian government. "If there is one key recommendation to our reporting, it's that the pattern of failing to respond to these abuses has to end now and a serious investigation into these abuses should be held accountable not to be carried out by the Ethiopian government itself," Albin-Lackey said.

• Sudan: Sanctions On Khartoum Urged: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 13 June 2008.

The European Union has been urged to impose sanctions on Sudan over its refusal to apprehend two men accused of crimes against humanity in the country's deeply troubled western province of Darfur. Foreign ministers from the EU's 27 governments will meet Jun. 16 to discuss the Khartoum government's non-compliance with the International Criminal Court (ICC). Last year the ICC issued arrest warrants for the arrest of Ahmed Haroun, Sudan's minister for humanitarian affairs, and Ali Kosheib, a leading figure in the Janjaweed bandits who are accused of carrying out widespread killings in Darfur as a proxy force for the Khartoum government. Both men face 51 counts of serious crimes, including murder, rape, forcing people from their homes, and persecution. Human rights activists are outraged that not only has the government of Sudan ignored orders to hand over the men, it has effectively promoted Haroun by giving him a greater say in the handling of the Darfur crisis. In September 2007, he was given responsibility for hearing complaints from those affected by the violence in Darfur; he has also been tasked with liaising with the United Nations and the African Union on issues relating to the province's security. Kosheib was in custody at the time the arrest warrant was issued. But in October 2007, Khartoum announced that he had been released, claiming that there was not sufficient evidence against him.

In May this year, the European Parliament called on EU governments to impose what it described as "targeted and punitive measures" on those Sudanese officials who are believed to be directly responsible for not complying with the ICC. These would include freezing any assets that they hold, denying them access to European banks, and forbidding them from doing business with European firms.

Salih Mahmoud Osman, a Sudanese lawyer who has been campaigning for the perpetrators of crimes in Darfur to be brought to justice, said that the EU has a "special responsibility" to take robust action against Khartoum because the Union has been a

121 supporter of the International Criminal Court. According to UN estimates, some 300,000 people have been killed since fighting erupted in Darfur five years ago. Up to three million people are living in refugee camps after being uprooted by the violence, with most of these unable to return home as the security situation remains dire. "More than a year after the arrest warrants were issued, girls as young as eight continue to be raped," said Osman. "Diplomats have too often allowed the need for justice to be set aside for other priorities. Now is the time for the international community to act." Osman rejected suggestions that arresting war criminals might impede efforts to broker a peace agreement between the various armed groups in Sudan. "On the contrary, justice helps support the process of peace," he argued. "The priority today should be justice and accountability." The EU foreign ministers who meet next week in Luxembourg are to hear an update on the Darfur dossier from Luis Moreno Ocampo, the ICC's prosecutor. While diplomats say that the ministers will issue a statement deploring the lack of cooperation with the ICC, it is not yet clear if they will impose sanctions. Hans-Gert Pöttering, the European Parliament's president, said that the EU "has not only a moral but also a legal obligation to do everything in its power to help ensure these criminals are prosecuted and punished." Lotte Leicht, director of the Brussels office of Human Rights Watch, recalled that EU governments indicated earlier this year that they would adopt punitive measures against a group of Sudanese officials unless they meet the ICC's demands. "It would be profoundly useful if the EU not just supports the ICC in theory but when push comes to shove," she said. Activists believe that Sudan is legally required under the UN's Charter to satisfy the demands of the ICC. Osman has also asked the EU to formally reprimand China over its close political and economic links with Sudan. "China has been a real problem in the (UN) Security Council because whenever there is a draft resolution to be adopted related to the situation in Darfur, it is always China that is blocking the resolution," he told IPS. "The Sudanese government is depending immensely on China because it is providing helicopter gunships and aircraft that are used in aerial bombardment and destroying villages and communities. "The international community should send a message to China that it is not acceptable to support a government that is committing genocide against its own people." In a letter sent to Dimitrij Rupel, the Swedish foreign minister who will chair next week's discussion with his EU counterparts, several campaign groups have insisted that the Union needs to demonstrate that Sudan's rejection of ICC demands "will come at a price." The letter was signed by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies in Egypt, Collectif Urgence Darfour in France, the Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, and the International Federation for Human Rights.

• Uganda: Prisons Run Out of Latrines: The Monitor (Kampala): 11 June 2008.

Hygienic conditions in prisons countrywide have reached a very worrisome state, Prison Service authorities told Parliament yesterday. Uganda Prisons Service officials led by the Accounting Officer, Mr Simon Kimono, said inmates now ease themselves in buckets and in some prisons they use polythene bags. "Due to over congestion in prisons, everything has run down," Mr Kimono said. "Latrines fill almost every after two weeks and we are forced to dig up new ones. We have now run short of land.” He said

122 sometimes inmates make long queues to access the few toilets. The officials made the revelations while appearing before the Public Accounts Committee to respond to queries raised in the Auditor General's report for the financial year ended 2006. Their concerns were confirmed in the Auditor General's report which noted that most of the prisons which were inspected accommodated more inmates than their intended capacity while others required renovation. "We appeal to Parliament to help us overcome the overcrowding in prisons that has caused a strain on the limited resources. The courts should also expedite trials to avoid over congestion," Mr Kimono said. The Acting Chairperson of PAC, Mr Ssebuliba Mutumba said Prison authorities requested for shs90 billion way back to expand all prison cells in the country, but only Shs 132 million is released annually. He said Uganda's prisons were built to accommodate up to 9,000 prisoners but they are currently housing 48,000 prisoners in 222 prisons countrywide. The government allocates Shs132 billion annually for the Uganda Prisons Service but the MPs heard yesterday that most of it goes to paying staff salaries and feeding inmates. The officials said they need Shs90 billion to cater for the expansion of the cells, put up new wards and houses for staff. According to the AG's report for the financial year ended 2003, over 500 inmates in Kigo Prison were sharing a pit latrine.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Four Soldiers Arrested to Face Trial Over 1994 Killings: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 12 June 2008.

The Rwandan military Wednesday arrested four soldiers, including a Brigadier General, for alleged killings of 13 clergymen during the 1994 genocide, according to the spokesman of the Rwanda army. However, it was not clear where in Rwanda the soldiers were arrested. A statement availed to independent Hirondelle Agency by the army's spokesman, Major Jill Rutaremara, said that "the suspects will appear in court soon." The arrested are Brigadier-General Wilson Gumisiriza, Major Wilson Ukwishaka, Captain John Butera and Captain (retired) Dieudonne Rukeba. Among the 13 killed clergymen included Archbishop of Kigali Vincent Nsengiyumva, Bishop of Byumba Joseph Ruzindana and Bishop of Kabgayi, Thadee Nsengiyumya, who was also then President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Rwanda. The arrests follow last week's disclosure by the Prosecutor of International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Justice Hassan Jallow, before the UN Security Council that some soldiers of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) had committed atrocities during the genocide. The UN has estimated that about 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in the April-July slaughter. "It has been established that on 5 June, 1994, RPF soldiers had killed 13 clergymen and two other civilians at Gitarama [central Rwanda]", Mr Jallow told the UN when tabling his six-monthly report of the Court's exit strategy. RPF is currently in power under President Paul Kagame. Justice Jallow added that some of the perpetrators are reportedly to have died, while others are serving within the Rwanda army. Rwanda shared concurrent jurisdiction with the tribunal over such offences and the ICTR will monitor the trial, he said. Justice Jallow's predecessor, Swiss Carla Del Ponte, was the first to disclose over the RPF investigations during her tenure as the ICTR prosecutor between 1999 and 2003. The Rwandan government in the past has been furious over the investigations and even reached a boiling point by refusing

123 to co-operate with the UN tribunal and once even denied entry visa to Carla Del Ponte.

• Rwanda: Religious Leaders Denounce Spanish And French Indictments: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 13 June 2008.

The Spanish and French judges that have indicted senior government officials over alleged war crimes have undermined the integrity of Rwanda which is completely unacceptable, leaders of major religious sects said on Friday. Rwanda is an independent country whose territorial integrity has to be respected contrary to recent flawed indictments, the four leaders said in a joint-statement after a workshop in which they had been addressed by Senior Regional Presidential Envoy Dr. Richard Sezibera. In November 2006, French judge Jean Louis Brugiuere indicted 9 senior Rwandan army officers holding them responsible for the downing of President Juvenal Habyarimana's plane in 1994 thereby causing the death of French citizens. In the plane were 12 people including three French crew. In February this year, Spanish Judge Fernando Andreu Merelles released his investigation calling for the arrest of 40 army officers on war crimes and death of Spanish nuns. In both indictments, President Paul Kagame himself is subject but the judges left him off the indictments owing to his immunity as Head of State. Numerous blocks of societies in the country have come out in total support of the government's position that these are just foreign moves aimed at undermining Rwanda and its people. The religious leaders' statement signatories included Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini - the Anglican archbishop of Rwanda and the country's Islamic leader Mufti Sheikh Swaleh Harelimana - both prominent voices. They want the international community to disregard the indictments as, according to them, they simply serve to destabilize Rwanda and the region. Dr. Richard Sezibera had earlier told his audience that they have a very big role to play in spreading the gospel of peace in the region that has seen its brunt of conflict.

• Cameroon: 70 Percent of Prisoners Are Suffering Illegal Detention: The Post (Buea): 12 June 2008.

The Chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, NCHRF, Dr. Divine Chemuta Banda, has stated that 70 percent of inmates in prisons are being detained illegally. He made the statement in a chat with The Post in Yaounde on June 10. According to the NCHRF Chairman, the percentage of people under abusive detention since 2003 has not changed despite the institution of the new Criminal Procedure Code that provides for the presumption of innocence. The Post gathered that apart from the abusive custody of people for years without trial, the detention conditions are appalling. It was hinted that some detainees, especially in the Douala New Bell Prison, do not even have a place to sleep.

NCHRF officials assessed that the detention conditions have improved from what used to obtain during the pre-2003 period.A penitentiary officer, who spoke to The Post anonymously, acknowledged the horrible detention conditions. He said the Justice

124 Ministry is aware of the appalling conditions and measures have been taken to remedy the situation. He noted that the Ministry is working in partnership with the European Union Delegation in Cameroon to decongest prisons. He revealed that a new prison to decongest Kondengui has been constructed and prisoners will soon be transferred to the new site. Also, Dr. Chemuta said the Commission still registers complaints of people being tortured in detention cells. He condemned situations where security forces abandon citizens in distress on grounds that there is no fuel. "We want law enforcement officers to understand that the promotion of human rights is also good for their interest," Dr. Chemuta said.Meanwhile, it was gathered that the major violations registered by the Commission have to do with abusive dismissals from work, refusal to register workers with an insurance scheme, squabbles over landed property, break in family ties etc. According to the Commission's 2007 report, over 2000 complainants of human rights abuse were recorded.Some of the human rights violations recorded at the NCHRF headquarters and its branch offices of Bamenda and Buea included: 77 cases on right to accommodation, 85 on right to fair trial, 81 on right to physical and moral integrity, 76 for basic detainee rights, 66 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, and 132 cases on right to property. Other categories included 48 cases on right to work, 18 on right to nourishment, 15 on abuse of power and authority, 47 on torture and inhuman and degrading treatment, two on right to safety and security and 18 cases on right to life were also recorded. Corruption and influence peddling had a record of 17 cases. A NCHRF official commented that many Cameroonians whose rights are being trampled upon are suffering silently because of their ignorance of the various instruments that give them the leeway to pursue perpetrators.

• Congo-Kinshasa: Sexual Abuse Widespread Among Fresh Wave Deportees From Angola: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 June 2008.

Most women arriving in parts of the province of Kasai Occidental in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) among a new wave of some 27,000 deportees from Angola, have been sexually abused, a local health official said. "There are many injured people and 80 percent of the women [who arrived] had been raped," Pierre Didi Mpata, a doctor and director of an NGO running a local health centre in Kamako village. The village is located along the Congolese border with Angola. According to Kemal Saiki, the spokesman for the UN mission in DRC, MONUC, some 22,230 DRC citizens sent back from Angola between the end of May and 9 June were now between Kahungua and Tembo, some 95 kilometres from the Angolan border. "The numbers keep growing," he said, adding that those expelled lacked adequate food and blankets. "They have nothing and are exhausted after their long walk." An additional 5,000 are now located in Kamako, also in Kasai Occidental province, he said. Among the people who had been sexually abused was Caroline Lomelo (name changed), a mother of two. Lomelo spoke with difficulty as she was attended to at the health centre. "I was badly beaten up and raped by five Angolan police officers when they forcefully expelled us," she said. Lomelo returned to the DRC five days ago from Angola. According to Mpata, Lomelo can barely stand because she has a sexually transmitted infection. She is also six months pregnant. "She is in danger of having an abortion because of the [gonorrhoea]

125 infection she contracted," Mpata said. Lomelo, who was training to be a nurse, said she had gone to Angola from her home town of Lodja, in the central province of Kasai Oriental, to look for her brother. They have nothing and are exhausted after their long walk There are other patients who are waiting to be operated on at the health centre after they suffered internal injuries due to the sexual violence, according to Mpata. "It's a miracle they survived," he said. Those who had returned were living in churches and schools where supplies of basic items were inadequate, Mpata said. They had arrived in the DRC after walking for at least 100 km. On 5 December 2007, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) denounced what it described as "the pervasive and systematic use of rape and violence perpetrated by the Angolan army during the expulsions of Congolese migrants working in diamond mines in the Angolan province of Lunda Norte". Previous mass expulsions in the area had been halted by an agreement between the two countries. The Angolan authorities began to expel illegal immigrants from the country in December 2003, targeting illegal workers in its diamond mines near the border with the DRC.

17. REFUGEES ,IDPs AND MIGRATION ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Cape Verde: Oiling the Wheels of Temporary Migration: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 12 June 2008.

Under the watchful eye of "Fortress Europe", the EU has entered into a pilot partnership with Cape Verde based on the "circular migration" model, under which legal migrants are able to move back and forth without major restrictions. Starting in January 2009, a three- year trial will make it easier for people to move between Cape Verde and several countries in the European bloc, engaging in temporary work. The project is being coordinated from Lisbon, "and Spain, France and Luxembourg have joined," the head of the Portuguese Institute for Development Support (IPAD), Manuel Correia, told IPS.

The European Council of Justice and Interior Ministers selected Cape Verde, a former Portuguese island colony off West Africa, and Moldova, which is not an EU member country, for a pilot experiment that will flexibilise the movement of people from other countries into and out of the EU. A joint declaration on a mobility partnership was signed by the EU and Cape Verde in Luxembourg on Jun. 5. International economic and social indicators, as well as different reports about democracy and respect for human rights, place Cape Verde ahead of the vast majority of African countries. This small republic of 4,033 square kilometres and 511,000 people spread out over 10 islands, 640 kilometres from the coast of Senegal, is remarkable for having a similar number of its citizens living abroad. Receptor countries, in descending order, include the United States, Portugal, the Netherlands, Angola, Senegal, Spain, Brazil, Canada, Italy and Germany. The plan for circular mobility aims to "streamline the migration process, but not to eliminate the need for EU visas for migrants from Cape Verde, nor to establish an extraordinary legalisation process for undocumented migrants," Correia said. "The idea is also to provide Cape Verde with well-qualified workers from among its own nationals living in other countries," said the head of IPAD, saying that, for example, "a Cape Verdean medical specialist working in Europe would be able to go home for a while without having to

126 worry about getting back into the EU." Circular migration would enable "better control of the flow of migration, which, as is well-known, includes illegal trafficking and subsequent exploitation of human beings," he said. Next week, just before France takes over the EU presidency for the second half of this year, Cape Verdean President Pedro Pires will meet in Paris with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy, from whom he hopes to receive solid support for "creating the conditions for legal Cape Verdean migration," Pires told Portuguese journalists early this month. Pires will remind Sarkozy of Cape Verde's cooperation in preventing the islands from being used as a "trampoline" for illegal migrants attempting to reach Europe. This, together with its favourable ranking in international indicators of human rights and democracy, "has attracted the support of various European countries" for the circular migration experiment to be carried out with Cape Verde, Correia said. "As for Moldova, I don't know the details, but I do know that it is a very similar arrangement, adapted to Eastern Europe," he said, predicting that "the results of this pilot study will no doubt lead to new guidelines" in the field of migration.

The mobility partnership between the EU and Cape Verde "will facilitate circulation of people between their territories, and in the cases of both legal (permanent) migration and temporary circular migration, there could be real cooperation on matters of migration and development, and preventing and fighting illegal migration," Correia said. In December 2007, at the end of Portugal's presidency of the EU, which rotates every six months, the European Council (the heads of state and government of the 27 member countries) recommended seeking dialogue with Cape Verde about a pilot partnership on migration. The EU and Cape Verde agreed to step up dialogue and cooperation, along the lines of the Global Approach developed by the EU, for improved migration management, which should boost legal (as opposed to undocumented) migration, and strengthen the links between migration and development as well as the fight against trafficking in persons, an EU press release issued the day of the signing ceremony said. Practical measures in advance of the implementation of the pilot mobility partnership on Jan. 1, 2009 include creating a joint centre in Cidade da Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, which will accept applications for short-stay visas and build Cape Verde's capacity to manage migration procedures efficiently. The joint centre will also "implement measures for the information, integration and protection of migrants and returnees, and develop job opportunities both in Cape Verde and abroad," the EU statement said. Cape Verde will benefit in particular from the short-stay opportunities for its nationals in EU countries. The remittances they send home will be an important source of income for Cape Verde, where economic activities are mainly limited to tourism. The EU, for its part, will benefit and burnish its image by having a valuable African ally in the fight against what governments call "illegal" migrants, and activists call "undocumented" migrants. For the EU private sector, the agreement will mean a flow of relatively cheap workers, on temporary contracts that involve no pension fund obligations, who will accept jobs that European citizens are no longer willing to perform.

• Nigeria: Bakassi Boils Again, 300 Citizens Declared Missing: This Day (Lagos): 12 June 2008.

127 Barely two months to the August 18, 2008 date for Nigeria's pull-out from the remaining parts of Bakassi Peninsula, there are fears of a possible showdown between Nigeria and the Republic of Cameroon following reprisals from the gendarmes after recent clashes with suspected militants in the area. Already, Nigerians in the Peninsula have declared 300 of their compatriots missing, while more than 1000 refugees, mostly women and children, have arrived Ikang Central in the New Bakassi Local Government area in Cross River State. Cameroonian Armed Forces have also condoned off the northern axis of the Peninsula already handed over by Nigeria on August 14, 2006 and stationed military gunboats in the area less than 12 miles to Ikang. The build-up may not be unconnected with the reported abduction and killing on Monday of a Cameroonian Divisional Officer, Felix Morfan, and other members of a Cameroonian patrol team by suspected Nigerian militants. When THISDAY visited the Refugee Camp at Government Primary School, Ikang Central, it was a tale of woes as the refugees recounted their ordeal in the hands of the Cameroonians. Senator Florence Ita-Giwa was supervising distribution of relief materials to the refugees.

The refugees were cramped into a block of three classrooms, while on the school field was a mass of people as they jostled to get a place to lay their heads. The people said more than 300 Nigerians, mostly men, are still missing while thousands of others are trapped in Archibong, Akwa, Ineunya, Amomoto, Mission Field, Nyam-Nsung and other villages in the northern axis of the Peninsula condoned off by the Cameroonian authorities. Mr. Godwin Edet Bassey said he escaped Tuesday night from Archibong Town through a bush path to the sea because the gendarmes had blocked all exit points in the village. He said he witnessed the Monday clash between the gendarmes and the militants. According to him, the Divisional Officer (DO), Morfan, and other officers had raided a suspected hide-out of militants in the area but did not meet anybody in the place except empty bottles of soft drinks. He said the DO and the patrol team however met the militants on their way back and on confronting the militants, a man he gave his name simply as "Colonel" brought out his pistol to shoot the militants. Enraged by the action, the militants reportedly sunk the patrol boat and killed five of the officers including the DO and "Colonel" while two others escaped into the village.

Bassey said the militants used an engine saw to cut the dead body of the DO to bits which they packed into a sack and sped off with. He said following the incident, the gendarmes sealed off the area and deployed several military boats into the area with their soldiers coming from all parts of the Peninsula and South-western Cameroon. Mrs. Suoyo John, 50 years old and mother of eight children, said they had to flee Nkan Ekure Fishing Camp Monday night because of fears of reprisal on the camp by the gendarmes following the clash with the militants. She said the Cameroon-ians did not allow the youths and the men to leave the settlement as they were seen to be part of the people that attacked the patrol team. She said she did not know the whereabouts of her four sons who were fishing in the high seas before the incident. Suoyo, an Ijaw, said she did not know any other place to call home as she had spent her entire adult life in the area and wondered why the Cameroonians were suddenly hostile to them. Mr. Ita Udo Inyang, who said he is about 80 years old, also told THISDAY that he had to flee Ineunya Fisgig Camp for fear of the gendarmes whom he said had started harassing the villagers.

128 Chairman of the Bakassi Resettlement Committee, Ita-Giwa, described the situation as pathetic and unexpected. She said she was informed that the Cameroonians had sealed off the area and would not let any males leave the peninsula and that was the reason why mostly women and children could escape to the refugee camp. "So now, only women and children came out. In fact, I have some children that came out without both parents. And a woman actually, right there at the beach side, went into labour and had a baby there," she said. She said the Resettlement Committee was planning towards the August 18, 2008 pull-out date but did not foresee a refugee situation. "We are waiting for August. Really I was not preparing for this because I did not foresee a refugee situation because I believe the relationship between the two countries has been cordial," she said. The Headmaster of the School, Pastor Evogor Ememg, said Ita-Giwa had been responsible for the feeding of the refugees since Monday night when they started arriving. He said he had already admitted 210 refugees of school age to join other pupils of the school so that their studies would not be disrupted. He however expressed fears that with the increasing wave of refugees, the school might not be able to cope. The Executive Secretary of Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr. Vincent Aqua, said the agency was arranging immediate relief materials such as food, mats, mattresses, blankets and health care facilities. He said there was need to build more makeshift accommodation in the camp to take care of the refugees from 16 fishing camps. Aqua also said SEMA was assessing the situation and would inform the National Emergency management Agency (NEMA) about the situation.

• Sierra Leone: UNCHR Declares End of Refugee Status for Salone: Concord Times (Freetown): 10 June 2008.

The United Nations refugee agency on Friday said it was ending refugee status for Sierra Leoneans who fled the country during the civil war due to positive changes so far observed in the country. "There has been a fundamental change since peace was declared in January 2002," said Jennifer Pagonis, spokeswoman of the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR). She added that the proposed termination of services to refugees would take effect by end of this year after consultations with governments of the main countries of asylum and Sierra Leone. According to UNHCR, about 43,000 refugees from Sierra Leone are still living in exile and that The Gambia, Guinea, Liberia and Nigeria are among key host countries. The agency said it would help refugees in sub- Saharan countries who want to return to their home countries voluntarily before the end of the year and others who are not qualify for asylum status after 2008 would have to legalise their stay in host countries if they do not wish to return to Sierra Leone. Up to a third of the country's six million citizens were displaced during the height of the conflict. Many have since returned. Last November, Liberia said it was granting citizenship to 2,600 Sierra Leoneans who chose to stay in the country. The UN mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) completed its withdrawal from the country in January 2006.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Mbeki Laments Xenophobia Toll On Country's Image: Business Day (Johannesburg): 12 June 2008.

129 In his most comprehensive response yet to the recent xenophobic violence, President Thabo Mbeki yesterday acknowledged that the attacks had done enormous harm to SA's standing in the world. At the time of the attacks on immigrants in SA's townships Mbeki was sharply criticised for failing to provide leadership during the crisis and for continuing to travel the world, leaving the rest of the government to put out fires as best they could.

A sombre Mbeki, introducing his budget vote in the National Assembly, said while the violence was the work of a tiny minority of South Africans, "these cowardly attacks have shamed all of us and have soiled the good name of our country, which was earned through centuries of bitter and heroic struggles in pursuit of a humane and just society free of racism, sexism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance". He said seven years ago the United Nations (UN) chose to use SA as the host for a conference on racism and xenophobia precisely because of what SA had done to end racist rule and build a nonracial society. "Both through the struggle against , as well as in the manner in which we defied formidable odds to find a peaceful political solution, we gave hope that it was possible for the peoples of the world to be united in their diversity," Mbeki said. "However, events of the last few weeks -- of criminal attacks on immigrants -- have impacted negatively on our collective standing as frontline troops in the global struggle for a humane and tolerant world.”I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many South Africans who have united across the country to take a stance against these attacks, thus affirming our ubuntu and the pan-African values that made our country worthy of hosting the UN conference against racism. I am also encouraged that some affected communities stood firm against the instigation of violence and went a step further to protect their immigrant neighbours." During the debate Mbeki came under a spirited opposition attack for a series of failures, ranging from his leadership during the violence, the electricity crisis, his alleged support for Zimbabwe, his suspension of National Director of Public Prosecutions Vusi Pikoli and his support for suspended police commissioner Jackie Selebi. Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentary leader Sandra Botha said that while it would be dishonest to claim the Presidency had not achieved any successes in a number of critical areas, it had failed to provide the leadership required. She cited Pikoli, Selebi and the failure to deliver services as reasons for questioning the efficacy of the Presidency. "The Ukhahlamba district in Eastern Cape is such a presidential node. Yet, when 140 infants recently perished because of diarrhoea contracted from impurities in drinking water and were rendered untreatable by the shortage of basic medicines at local hospitals, the lack of response from the Presidency was chilling. "The women in these poor areas are subject to poverty and abuse. The children are subjected to the highest child rape incidences in the world -- more than 60 children get raped per day. Yet we have under the Presidency the Office of the Status of Women, the Office of the Rights of the Child and the National Youth Commission that are supposed to address their needs, but have seemingly failed to do so year after year. "It was in Alexandra township ... that the horrifying xenophobic violence we have been experiencing, originally exploded. Here we saw the poor turn on the poor in a most brutal fashion, at least partially out of frustration with their economic situation and living conditions -- something the president has yet to acknowledge. "This is not the kind of Presidency we deserve," Botha said. Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi

130 reminded Mbeki that as then home affairs minister he had been dragged into court by his cabinet boss (Mbeki) and while he tried to develop an immigration policy that would have prevented the flood of immigrants into SA, all Mbeki did was surround him with "spooks".

• South Africa: UN Refugee Chief, Lesotho Leader Discuss Xenophobic Attacks: UN News Service (New York): 11 June 2008.

The United Nations refugee chief has held talks with the Prime Minister of Lesotho on the recent wave of xenophobic attacks in neighbouring South Africa that have left some 60 people dead and tens of thousands of foreigners homeless. Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and Pakalitha Mosisili also discussed the agency's operations across Southern Africa and the growing role of regional bodies in dealing with migration issues during their talks, held in Geneva yesterday. Mr. Guterres said last month's attacks in South Africa, which sparked a chorus of concern from senior UN officials and support from UNHCR for the newly homeless, were the result of extreme poverty. "In such situations scapegoats are often foreigners, including refugees and asylum-seekers," he said. "But xenophobia is not specific to South Africa - it is a global problem and we see it also in some developed countries." Mr. Guterres added that his office in the South African city of Pretoria is continuing to work closely with the South African Government to meet the immediate humanitarian needs of the victims of the violence.

• Zambia: Rising Levels of Resentment Towards Zimbabweans: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 9 June 2008.

Zimbabweans seeking greener pastures in neighbouring Zambia - and an escape from the election violence wracking the country - are becoming increasingly concerned at the rising levels of contempt directed against them. "We are being treated with a lot of indignation. Everywhere we go, we are being treated like lesser human beings; it's like as long as you are a Zimbabwean woman in Zambia, then you are a prostitute [sex worker], which is not the case," Patience Ndhlobvu, a Zimbabwean cross-border trader in the Zambian capital Lusaka, told IRIN. "I personally take strong exception to that; this is not fair, it's not a situation of our own making ... Zambians have been very good to us, but it's like things are changing [now]. Everyone is suddenly saying bad things about us. Just the other day, someone called me a prostitute as I was selling my products [sweets, chocolates and biscuits] in town." South Africa boast the continent's largest economy and is a first choice destination for Zimbabweans seeking to escape the more than 80 percent unemployment rate and an inflation rate unofficially estimated at more than one million percent. However, recent attacks by South Africans against foreign nationals, which has killed over 60 people and displaced tens of thousands, has seen an influx of about 25,000 Zimbabweans from South Africa to Zambia according to the Red Cross, more than double the number already thought to be in the country. Levy Mwanawasa, Zambia's president and chairman of the regional body the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), reportedly said the country did not have the capacity to host any more foreign nationals or refugees, as it was developing its former refugee

131 camps into specialist institutions such as skills training centres. Zambia was host to about 300,000 refugees fleeing the Great Lakes conflicts and the Angolan civil war during the 1990s; numbers have since fallen to about 113,000 following the repatriations of Rwandese, Congolese and Angolan nationals. Mike Mulongoti, Zambia's information minister and chief government spokesperson, said there was a concern Zimbabwe's presidential run-off elections on 27 June could precipitate the migration of yet more Zimbabweans to neighbouring states.

Rising tensions between neighbours: The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) won the 29 March parliamentary poll and almost snatched a first-round victory in the presidential ballot. But 60 people have since died in political violence following the elections, according to the MDC. We are continuously being inconvenienced as a people of Zambia. We can't continue to deny that there's something wrong going on there [in Zimbabwe] because their people are now coming onto our soil in thousands "We are continuously being inconvenienced as a people of Zambia," Mulongoti told IRIN. "We can't continue to deny that there's something wrong going on there [in Zimbabwe] because their people are now coming onto our soil in thousands. They [Zimbabweans] are all over the place." Zambia's diplomatic relations with Zimbabwe are strained - in part as a result of Mwanawasa convening an extraordinary SADC summit ahead of the 29 March election. Mugabe refused to attend the Lusaka meeting and his government launched vitriolic attacks against Zambia, along with Botswana and Tanzania, for doing the bidding of Britain, in "a campaign for speedy regime change in Zimbabwe". "As the government of Zambia, we take strong exception to the Zimbabwean government's recent unwarranted attacks on us in the media. How long are we going to tolerate this? How long are we going to host these people? We did it during the struggle for freedom," Mulongoti said. Lee Habasonda, executive director of the regional good governance and human rights watchdog, the Southern African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes [SACCORD], told IRIN South Africa's xenophobic attacks, which appear to target Zimbabweans more than others, could spread to other countries if Zimbabwe's economic meltdown was not addressed.

Zimbabweans resented in the region:"The thing is, it's not just here in Zambia where Zimbabweans are being resented, even in Botswana, even in Mozambique, and even in Malawi the situation is the same. We have a lot of them coming to do businesses in unacceptable fields such as in the sex trade," Habasonda said. In April 2008, Zambian immigration officials deported about 60 Zimbabwean suspected sex workers from Livingstone, the country's tourism capital. The Immigration Department is attempting to curb the influx of Zimbabwean immigrants through Zambia's Southern Province border posts of Chirundu, Kazungula and Kariba, "but it's difficult to completely clamp down on these illegal immigrants because they don't require any visas to enter Zambia. Some of them come with a day's permit as visitors but never go back," an immigration official, who declined to be identified, told IRIN. "On average, we are having over 200 Zimbabweans crossing into Zambia every day," he said. Zimbabwe's run-off presidential election could be the trigger for far larger numbers. "We are all keenly watching the situation in Zimbabwe. Whatever happens in Zimbabwe has a bearing on Zambia," Neo Simutanyi, a senior political science lecturer at the University of Zambia, told IRIN.

132 "Clearly, the people of Zimbabwe want change, but chances of a free and fair election run-off are very slim. What we foresee taking place in Zimbabwe is a possible military coup or armed rebellion if the ruling ZANU-PF goes through, which will be very bad for Zambia and the region as a whole."

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Ethiopia: ICRC Repatriates 415 Civilians From Eritrea: The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa): 13 June 2008.

The international Committee of the Red Cross (ICRO) said on Wednesday it repatriated 400 persons from Eritrea to Ethiopia. This number includes a former prisoner of war who it said requested to be repatriated in the same operation, and 15 civilians were repatriated from Ethiopia to Eritrea. Acting in its capacity as a neutral and independent intermediary, the ICRC carried out this repatriation based on the consent of each individual and with the cooperation of the authorities, the Geneva-based aid agency said in a media statement. ICRC delegates based in Eritrea and an ambulance team of the Eritrean Red Cross accompanied the civilians going to Ethiopia on the first part of their journey from Asmara, Eritrea's capital, to the border.At the crossing point at Mereb River, located between the towns of Adi Quala in Eritrea and Rama in Ethiopia, the group was met by ICRC delegates based in Ethiopia, before being placed in the care of the Ethiopian authorities. Likewise, 1CRC delegates based in Ethiopia accompanied the civilians going to Eritrea to the border where they were met by ICRC delegates based in Eritrea, before being placed in the care of the Eritrean authorities. The ICRG has assisted people affected by the 1998-2000 armed conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea regaidhig their repatriation since June 2000 and strives to ensure compliance with the rules and principles of International Humanitarian Law; in particular, the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

• Uganda: Pader Sets Up Smaller IDP Camps: New Vision (Kampala): 11 June 2008.

PADER district has established 455 new satellite camps for the internally displaced people who have left the main camps, the LC5 chairman has said. Peter Odok W'Oceng added that the people were moving from the camps near their homes and cultivating their formerly abandoned fields as they prepared to finally resettle home. He observed that the Juba-Peace talks, which had stalled, greatly contributed in building confidence among the people, who were gradually returning to their villages. The resettlement was more evident in the southern part of the district, the chairman pointed out. Odok, however, lamented that in the northeastern areas, residents were afraid of leaving the camps due to incessant raids by Karimojong cattle rustlers. Odok commended the various charities working in the region for helping in the reintegration of the people. He was last week addressing councillors in the district council hall during the reading of the draft budget and the three- year district development plan 2008-11. The district council, he noted, had formulated the plan whose focus would be improving the quality of life and increasing household income. The making of the plan, the LC5 chief said, had involved extensive consultations

133 with residents. "Pader has been insecure for over 21 years and this has exacerbated poverty."

CENTRAL AFRICA • Central African Republic: 'We Fear We Will Never See Our Husbands Again': UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 June 2008.

Years of armed conflict and banditry have wreaked havoc in northwestern Central African Republic (CAR). For many in this region, especially cattle-raising communities, by far the worst threat is posed by criminals who kidnap heads of families or children for exorbitant ransoms. This often forces people to sell their entire herds to secure the release of their relatives. Aroun Gombo is a member of the Mbororo ethnic group, for whom cattle-raising has long been a way of life. She is also one of the hundreds of thousands of people internally displaced by violence in northern CAR. She now lives in the town of Paoua, where she heads an association of Mbororo women.

"Those among us whose husbands have fled to Cameroon to save their lives would like to see them again but we fear we won't, given what they have suffered at the hands of the bandits: killings, cattle theft, kidnapping and physical violence. "We've also heard that the cattle-herders who left for Cameroon won't come back because they are well-treated there. What's to become of the wives who don't want to leave Paoua to go abroad? Cameroon isn't going to turn us into spinsters! Peace is coming now and we are going to set ourselves up in a new camp. "We have barely managed to escape the abuses of the bandits in our various camps set up in the centre of Paoua. It all began with our husbands and children being taken hostage. We had to sell cattle to raise the ransoms. Some wives had to pay between 10 and 12 million CFA francs, depending on the number of hostages, so many of us have no cattle left. "Even when ransoms were paid the bandits sometimes killed cattle-herders or their children. Many of us women have no husband, most of us are widows, even me. Thanks to the help of the Danish Refugee Council we have some small businesses, selling fritters, or cooking oil, or we farm a bit; but all of us want to become cattle-raisers again, it is our vocation."

• Central African Republic: UN Says 1,400 Villagers Displaced By Bandits: UN News Service (New York): 11 June 2008.

About 1,400 displaced people are living in the village of Kamba Kota in the north of the Central African Republic in terrible health and security conditions after fleeing attacks by armed bandits on their villages, according to a report today from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Since the beginning of the year there has been a surge in attacks by bandits across the northern CAR. Groups of between 10 and 30 armed men - known locally as "coupeurs de route" or "zaraguinas" - roam the region, killing or assaulting villagers and travellers, kidnapping both children and adults, looting property and burning homes. In this case, the bandits reportedly killed 37 people in villages to the north of Kamba Kota in Ouham province. The joint mission of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the UN Office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA), who located

134 the displaced people, have expressed concern about their health and security. Currently they depend on river water and cassava leaves for food, while living in huts made of branches and foliage. Access to health care is problematic since the local health centre charges fees. However, with help from aid agencies they have been able to start building a school which will soon be operational. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 1 million people in the northern CAR have been affected by either civil conflict or the banditry, with nearly 200,000 internally displaced and another 108,000 fleeing as refugees to neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Sudan.

18. HEALTH MATTERS (HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, TB)

WEST AFRICA • West Africa: Outbreak of Polio Prompts Mass Vaccination Campaign: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 13 June 2008.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the governments of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali are launching a cross-border polio vaccination campaign today following an April 2008 report of a polio case at Tillabéry in southwest Niger, 100km from the borders of Mali and Burkina Faso. The campaign will target the Gao region in Mali, north-eastern Burkina Faso, and southern Niger, including Maradi, Tahoua and the capital, Niamey. "Hundreds of thousands of children will be vaccinated, the majority of them in Niger, to avoid the virus spreading into neighbouring countries," Mathieu Kamwa, coordinator of the WHO West Africa office told IRIN. "We will pay particular attention to populations that frequently move across the borders of these three countries," said Kamwa. The campaign aims to create a polio barrier to prevent the spread of the virus in polio-free areas of the three countries. WHO officials fear the re- emergence of polio in Tillabéry, which has been free of the virus for three years, because of its proximity to the borders Burkina Faso and Mali. Burkina Faso and Mali have had no reported polio cases since 2004 and both are on their way to receiving certification as polio-free countries in October 2008. Niger meanwhile reported nine cases in 2008. Tillabéry is 180km from Nigeria, where 21 percent of the world's polio cases were reported in 2007 making it one of four countries in the world alongside India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, where polio is still endemic. According to WHO's Kamwa, 247 cases of polio have been reported in Nigeria since January 2008. Polio mainly affects children under five years old, with one in 200 infections leading to irreversible paralysis, according to the WHO.

• Ghana: Free Maternity Care: Public Agenda (Accra): 13 June 2008.

Government has waived the full cost of maternity care in all health facilities across the country. The relief is a directive by President John Agyekum Kufuor and takes full effect from July 1, 2008. A release from the Ministry of Information says the move is part of government's vision aimed at reducing child mortality and improving maternal health as envisaged in the Millennium Development Goal. Meanwhile, a special fund

135 has been created through the National health Insurance Scheme for full reimbursement of claims by health facilities for services delivered under the relief package. Government therefore enjoins the public to observe and take full advantage of the package.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: It's All Over for Rath: Health-e (Cape Town): 13 June 2008.

The Cape High Court landed the final nail in the coffin of vitamin salesman Matthias Rath's South African operations and delivered a blow to organisations peddling untested remedies when it ruled that the German doctor's clinical trials were unlawful. Judge Dumisani Zondi interdicted Rath, his foundation, his former employee David Rasnick and employee Alexandra Niewicki from conducting any further unauthorized clinical trials in South Africa. Rath and his cohorts were further ordered to stop publishing advertisements concerning the medicinal effects of his flagship multi- vitamin, Vita-Cell "on persons with AIDS pending the submission of VitaCell to the MCC to review its medicinal claims". Delivering his judgment, which was over in a few minutes, Zondi said health minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and her director- general Thami Mseleku were under a duty to take reasonable measures to prevent Rath and his co-respondents from conducting unauthorized clinical trials and preventing them from publishing advertisements concerning the medicinal effects of Vita-Cell on people living with HIV. Zondi further ordered Tshabalala-Msimang and Mseleku to take reasonable measures to investigate Rath's operations and to take further action depending on the results.

Nathan Geffen of the Treatment Action Campaign, the main drivers behind the court action, described the judgment as a victory for the rule of law and scientific governance which he said had been contested by the health minister and president. "They created a culture of impunity allowing charlatans like Matthias Rath to deceive vulnerable people into taking snake oils," said Geffen. He said it was important to remember that people had died taking the vitamins and that it was due to the health minister and president failing "to stop this quackery". Geffen said the judgment would have an impact on the operations of others such as Christine Qunta, a director of Comforters Healing Gift which sells products claiming to cure AIDS, "the minister's good friend" Tine van de Maas who touts garlic and olive oil as well as truck driver Zeblon Gwala who sells Ubhejane. Geffen said it was worrying that Gwala was operating in KwaZulu-Natal, the epicentre of the AIDS epidemic, "where he acts with impunity". Geffen and others who addressed the media called for the health minister to be fired. The police, health department, human rights commission and directorate of public prosecutions have up to now failed to act against three distributors of untested AIDS remedies despite the fact that their unlawful actions were reported months and years ago.

In April this year, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) lodged a complaint with the Medicines Control Council and Law Enforcement Unit of the health department against Gwala, who sells Ubhejane in unlabelled plastic bottles to people living with HIV.

136 The TAC has accused Gwala of breaching the Medicines Act by selling and continuing to sell an unregistered medicine that is eligible for registration. The TAC further claimed that Gwala breached the Medicines Act by selling Ubhejane in unlabelled bottles and by making false and misleading claims about the concoction in at least one newspaper advertisement. Gwala, who mainly distributes his product in KwaZulu-Natal, has made no secret of the fact that he believes antiretrovirals are toxic and should not be used in conjunction with his concoction. Gwala recently shared the podium with the national health minister at a meeting organized by the KwaZulu-Natal health department. In a report, in possession of Health-e, a KwaZulu-Natal doctor tells of a 36-year-old patient who had been on antiretroviral treatment for 15 months. "He was doing well, with no reported side-effects and complications," the doctor said. The young man consulted a traditional healer who stopped the ARV treatment and gave the patient Ubhejane. Within two weeks the patient developed complications and died. "It was a case of sadness as the patient was doing extremely well with his CD4 count raised from 24 to 384 with his viral load suppressed," the doctor reported. "We win some and lose some, but we are facing a huge challenge of dealing with such cases and it is an unending, continuous battle that we are facing," he added. Sibane Mngadi, spokesperson for health department, failed to respond to questions pertaining to the complaint against Gwala. The Democratic Alliance, who also laid a charge against Gwala with the Director for Public Prosecutions, confirmed that no progress had been made. In October last year the TAC laid a formal complaint against Comforter's Healing Gift (CHG), Freddie Isaacs and Christine Qunta. Isaacs and Qunta are co- directors of CHG. Isaacs had reportedly told an undercover journalism students posing as a patient that the pills cure AIDS.

In a complaint lodged with Advocate Rodney de Kock, Director of Public Prosecutions, the TAC said it had prima facie evidence that CHG had breached the Medicines Act by selling unregistered medicines as a cure for AIDS. The TAC also brought the complaint to the attention of the South African Human Rights Commission, the Medicines Control Council and the Law Enforcement Unit at the health department. The TAC has confirmed that it has received no reply from the Prosecutor or the Human Rights Commission. The Democratic Alliance has in the interim submitted a complaint to the police. The police, Human Rights Commission and health department failed to comment despite being given several weeks to do so. The third charge involves Secomet, a Stellenbosch based company selling various remedies for various infections, including tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Secomet makes several medical claims on its website, which the TAC said was also in breach of the Medicines Act. The TAC said there was also evidence that Secomet founder Steven Leivers and former UCT professor Girish Kotwal had conducted unauthorized experiments on people. The TAC laid a charge with the police two years ago, in November 2006. A timeline released by the TAC documents the case being passed from one investigator to another with very little evidence of any progress. At one stage the docket was passed to the MCC after Leiver indicated to police that the council had given them permission to distribute a tonic. The SAPS failed to respond to questions relating to the investigation.

• Mozambique: Civil Society Critical of Government Response to Aids: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo): 13 June 2008.

137 Civil society bodies, affiliated to the Mozambican Network of Associations against HIV/AIDS (MONASO), say they are not satisfied with the government's response to the epidemic. These organisations claim that the government has not involved them in drawing up the strategic plans for the fight against the disease. Speaking in Maputo on Thursday, on the eve of a National Civil Society Conference on HIV/AIDS, MONASO representatives said that when the two successive strategic plans (PEN 1 and 2) were written, civil society was not called upon to contribute. "We are not satisfied with the political response to the fight against HIV/AIDS, because we are not being involved in drafting the strategic plans against this pandemic", they said. "As civil society, we should make our contribution to the government's response to this disease". MONASO, in partnership with other national and foreign NGOs, decided to hold the National Conference (which has been postponed on several occasions) to present its contribution to the third strategic plan, PEN 3, which should be implemented as from 2009.

"Through this meeting we want to contribute so that PEN 3 responds to the desires of civil society", said MONASO. About 600 people from across Mozambique are expected to attend the Conference. The meeting will also assess the activities undertaken by civil society bodies in preventing and fighting against HIV/AIDS, and evaluate implementation of the existing policies and strategies to halt the spread of the disease. The conference begins on Friday and is scheduled to end on Monday. The government will be represented through the Health Ministry and the National AIDS Council (CNCS). The latest statistics show that HIV prevalence in Mozambique has stabilized at about 16 per cent of the population aged between 15 and 49. there are thought to be about 1.6 million HIV positive Mozambicans.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Dodgy Drugs Hamper Fight Against Malaria: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 13 June 2008.

The presence of large quantities of ineffective or counterfeit anti-malarial drugs on the Kenyan market is hampering efforts to fight the disease, according to health officials. "Some of the counterfeit drugs are substandard and usually do not have the active ingredients required to treat malaria," Dorothy Otieno, an officer in the Ministry of Medical Services' malarial control division, told IRIN. She said patients using counterfeit drugs were at great risk. "Can you imagine giving someone who is sick those drugs? Sometimes it's just chalk, they could die," she said. Officials from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, a government regulatory body under the Medical Services Ministry, recently confiscated thousands of counterfeit Artemisinin-based malaria drugs in a shop in Nairobi. The company that manufactured the drugs was ordered to recall the entire batch.

Study: The results of a study of anti-malarials on sale in six African countries found that 16 of 42 tested drugs (some 38 percent) on the Kenyan market were ineffective in treating the disease. According to the study, published in May 2008 and funded by Africa Fighting Malaria, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in South Africa and the USA, "the public health impact of this crisis... must be staggering." "Artemisinin

138 monotherapy, which the World Health Organization rejects as inherently substandard treatment even when its dosage is correct, remains common in Africa," it reported. As is the case in most of Africa, Kenyan health authorities recommend the use of Artemisinin- based combination therapy (ACT) to treat malaria, since mono-therapy drugs have been found to be ineffective and to increase the resistance of the malaria-causing parasite to treatment. A study by the Kenyan government also found many substandard anti-malarial drugs on the market, but it put the proportion at a much lower 16 percent. Speaking of the authors of the Africa Fighting Malaria Study, Joseph Yano, the legal officer at the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, told IRIN. "I do not know what parameters they used and what motivation they had, since they did not involve us." He said the study was not extensive enough for its findings to be conclusive. "Our [government] study was much wider, we went to all eight provinces in Kenya, and took samples from all public, mission [religious] and private hospitals," he said. Nevertheless, he added, the presence of ineffective drugs "undermines the confidence in our public health sector".

Porous borders: Yano attributed the proliferation of such drugs to the country's porous borders. "One can bring them [in] as personal effects, which is common, or through the ports," he said, adding that the board had only 40 inspectors to cover the whole country. He said the Kenyan legal system was not supportive enough. "The courts treat the offences very lightly, and we need to sensitise our courts on stringent punishment guidelines." An estimated 1.5 million people die of malaria worldwide out of 500 million cases recorded each year, according to the African Medical and Research Foundation. At least 80 percent of the cases were in sub-Saharan Africa. The government procures 17 million doses of ACT at a cost of 1.5 billion shillings (US $24 million) every year, according to an assistant minister of medical services, Danson Mungatana. Other efforts targeting malaria control have also been spearheaded by the government and donors, including the nationwide distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets in malaria-endemic areas of Coast, Nyanza, Western and parts of Rift Valley provinces. This has reduced the number of children under five who were dying annually from over 34,000 to 16,000 in 2007, Otieno said.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Brazzaville: Fight Against Malaria Stepped Up: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 13 June 2008.

A campaign to boost the use of impregnated bed nets to combat malaria was launched on 13 June in the Republic of Congo, where the disease is responsible for almost a quarter of all deaths of children under five.

"The programme will help reduce malaria morbidity and mortality," said Olivier Diby, of Global Business Consulting, one of the private sector partners in the campaign run by the Congolese government, the World Health Organization and the UN Children's Fund. Other partners include the MTN Foundation and Bayer Environmental Science. In October 2007 Congo President announced that antimalarial treatment would be provided free of charge for children up to the age of five and for pregnant women. Under the campaign bed nets will be impregnated or re-impregnated at

139 designated sites or in people's homes. In Congo, malaria is the cause of half the cases of hospitalisation of children under five and 17 percent of underweight newborns, according to government sources. The disease kills over 21,000 children every year in Congo. According to a study conducted in 2005, 76 percent of the population did not sleep under impregnated nets. In 2007 the Japanese government gave Congo more than 300,000 impregnated nets.

19. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Newmont Gets Green Light to Mine in Forest: Public Agenda (Accra): 13 June 2008.

The Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, Ms. Esther Obeng Dapaah has given clear indications that Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) will be given a permit to commence operations at the controversial Akyem Ajenua Bepo forest by the end of the year. She broke the news in a statement issued on her behalf when the Birim North District had its version of this year's People's Assembly.

The Ghana News Agency quoted her as saying that the commencement of the project will not only pave way for land owners to get reasonable compensation for their crops but make it possible for the farmers to get annual grounds rent she had personally initiated. Ms. Dapaah was optimistic that Newmont's operation will create job opportunities for the people and at the same time enhance the living standards of the communities. However, the Executive Director of WACAM, Mr. Daniel Owusu Koranteng has slammed the new twist to Akyem Ajenua Bepo controversy, describing the government's change of mind " as very disappointing in the wake of a public forum scheduled for the 4th of July this year between the company and other stakeholders." He said Ms. Dapaah's change of mind coming shortly after her widely publicized confession during the 12th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XII) that the nation had benefited minimally from mining smacked of double standards. "With such a decision already taken it is worthless for the people to even continue with the public forum since the outcome will not have any effect on the decision by government to give the concession to Newmont," he added.

Mr. Owusu Koranteng was of the view that for the government to go ahead and give NGGL the concession in spite of the many concerns raised by the communities is another example of ignoring people's concerns in making public policy. He indicated that the draft revised Environmental Impact statement document prepared by the company shows that the company has not completed all necessary procedures needed have the permit. According to him, any decision by government to give the company the permit to operate would lead to the loss of heritage and archaeological resources, including some significant historic places.

In addition, the forest serves as water shed for many water bodies and the destruction would significantly affect the rivers in the region. On the statement by the Minister that it

140 was her own initiative that made that made the company to decide to pay ground rent, Mr. Owusu Koranteng said she was throwing dust into their eyes since it was not her role to negotiate on behalf of the farmers. He said that the farmers have the right to negotiate with the company based on articles 72, 73 and 74 of the Minerals and Mining Act 703. The compensation principle of the Act includes compensation for land and other forms of compensation.

He urged the government to consider the petition of about 215 farmers who during the early part of this year petitioned the government not to give the company the license to operate in the forest. Mean while the Sector Minister on Monday announced that government would invest $87million into the forestry sector within the next two years. According to Media reports, out of the amount would be invested in local community- based institutions within the forestry sector, in addition to the restoration of degraded natural resources. The Minister noted that Africa's enormous forests resources are coming under increasing pressure resulting in deforestation which has led to a significant loss of soil fertility, increased soil erosion, water depletion, soil water pollution and loss of biodiversity. She said since 2002 about 103,000 hectares of degraded forest have been replanted, adding that over 200,000 people have been employed in plantation establishment throughout the country.

• Nigeria: Fishing, the Israeli Style: This Day (Lagos):12 June 2008.

Collaboration between the Abia State government and the State of Israel, facilitated by the Niger Delta Development Commission, is going to witness an explosion in fish farming in the state in no distant future. With the rise in the prices of staple foods and the spirited efforts of the Federal Government to ameliorate the effect of global food shortages, Nigeria appears to be coming to terms with the import of long neglect of agriculture.

While food crops, especially grains are attracting much attention there is also the need to promote the production of food proteins. In furtherance to this objective, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Abia State is collaborating with the Israeli embassy in Nigeria to enhance fish production in the state by training fish farmers in modern methods of aquaculture. To underline the importance of this venture in Nigeria's quest for self sufficiency in food production, the Israeli Ambassador in Nigeria Mr. Moshe Ram, top embassy staff as well as operators of the public and private sectors of the Israeli economy were in Abia State recently to be part of the opening ceremony of the international course on aquaculture held at Umuorgu-Okeikpe in Ukwa-West Local Government Area of the state. The State Government was represented by the Deputy Governor, Comrade Chris Akomas and other top government functionaries. Other several important dignitaries attended the ceremony.

The aquaculture training programme was a product of the partnership between the Israeli Embassy in Nigeria and NDDC. The joint effort was not lost on the state government which commended both parties for the initiative to bring development to God's own state. The Deputy Governor said the present administration has put in place an enabling

141 environment for business to thrive in the state hence he called on both local and foreign investors to avail themselves of the opportunity and invest in the state. The Israeli envoy commended NDDC, Abia State for reaching out to his nation for the technical assistance needed to make the training in aquaculture a reality. He noted that his visit to the state with top officials of the embassy and operators in public sector was not only to train fish farmers but also to explore other areas of economic collaboration with the state.

The Israeli aquaculture experts, Dr Itzhak Bejerano and Mr. Igal Magen were on hand to impart their knowledge and expertise to the fish farmers. They were of the view that fish farming offers an alternative solution to the increasing market demand for fish protein. Bekerano explained that fish farming remains the principal form of aquaculture though other methods exist which fall under marine culture. This involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures usually for food.

The fish farming expert pointed out that there were two main sources of fish production in his country, namely fish farming and fishing both at sea and on land. He was optimistic that the participants in the aquaculture training programme would benefit immensely from Israeli expertise and then go ahead to apply the knowledge to accelerate economic development in Abia and Nigeria in general. Apart from the present benefits, the experts listed future benefits to include promoting research in aquaculture and marine biotechnology as well as encouraging scientific publications in aquaculture and marine biotechnology. NDDC Commissioner for Abia State, Mr. Aloysius Nwagboso, a lawyer and facilitator of the experts visit, was both commended by the state government and the Israeli Ambassador for his dogged commitment in bringing a project that would empower the citizenry. The Israeli envoy noted particularly that Nwagboso's leadership training and education in Israel has not only become an asset, but also further solidified their faith in Abia as an investment destination. Nwagboso said the aquaculture project was in line with the master plan of the NDDC which is targeted at bringing sustainable development to the Niger Delta States. He described the project as people-oriented, conceived not only to empower the Abia people because of the multiplier effect on the economy but also to ensure that the state is carried along in the developmental agenda of NDDC.

The Abia representative in the NDDC used the opportunity to reel out the achievements of the NDDC in its seven years of existence, noting that it has undertaken no fewer than 2,000 infrastructural projects and various human developmental programmes. He specifically stated that Abia has benefited to the tune of 190 projects in the last seven years, with 99 projects already completed while the rest are at various stages of completion. The breakdown showed that there are 76 education projects, health 10, electrification 55, roads 13, water 43, two projects in agriculture and one in erosion control. According to Nwagboso, NDDC has adopted a holistic approach to problems of the state by ensuring that its projects in the state are people-oriented. He assured the Abia people that the NDDC will give every part of the state sense of belonging, stressing that the commission has prioritised its operation by identifying the critical areas that need attention for maximum benefits. He commended the state of Israel for their support and urged them to continue to support government developmental effort in the state. The visit of Mr. Ram and his team was not only about business and agriculture as culture also

142 came into play with the Israeli Ambassador conferred with a prestigious chieftaincy title of Nwannedinamba of Ukwa land (our sibling in Diaspora) by the Ukwa community. The cultural display took the centre stage after the ambassador had flagged off the aquaculture training programme and visited NDDC provided fish farm. He later held on interactive meeting with the members of the Aba Chamber of Commerce, Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA) and other business concerns where it was agreed that more business opportunities would be explored and existing economic ties consolidated. He was also treated to a state banquet. Since the restoration of diplomatic ties with Israel, the country has become one of Nigeria's leading trading partners in the Middle East and Nigeria has benefited in the Israeli ample technological expertise in agriculture, construction industry and other fields. The aquaculture programme is yet one of such benefits. It is a vindication of the former Ibrahim Babangida Administration for restoring diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992 after 19 years of frosty relationship. In adducing reasons for the rapprochement, Babangida had noted the need for Nigeria to place greater premium on international economic relations that must be guided by mutual economic advantages rather than purely political or ideological considerations. The Federal Government then was also guided by the famous dictum in international relations that there is no permanent friend or enemies but permanent interests.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Rich Polluters Must Pay Up for Climate Change: Cape Argus (Cape Town): 12 June 2008.

At least USD50-billion is needed to help Africa's nearly one billion people adapt to climate change, and the global polluters most responsible for causing this change must pay mandatory compensation, say African NGOs. In a media statement released on Wednesday, during the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, several groups said it was unfair that millions of Africans were having to live daily with the devastating impacts of climate change, yet had been least responsible for causing it. They were particularly incensed at suggestions that African countries should take loans to fund adaptation strategies. Johannes Chigwada, a Zimbabwean climate change consultant, said the climate change crisis was not of Africa's making, but could be its undoing. The groups called for the rich, developed countries to contribute at least one percent of GDP to the climate change adaptation fund, over and above existing aid commitments. Edna Kaptoyo, programme officer for the Kenyan Indigenous Information Network, said many Africans in rural areas did not understand the climate changes. "Some groups are concerned that these impacts are as a result of something they did wrong to their ancestors and feel that they are being punished. "And women, responsible for gathering water, fuel and feeding their families, have been particularly hard hit. "The most vulnerable groups - including women, children and pastoralists - should be targeted for special support," she said.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Stop Smuggling Timber, Traders Told: New Vision (Kampala): 10 June 2008.

143 TRADERS in Hoima and Masindi districts have been cautioned against smuggling timber to neighbouring countries. "Uganda is losing a lot of money through the smuggled timber, which goes to southern Sudan without being taxed. This even aggravates the depletion of the country's forests," said Hudson Andrua, the director of natural forests at the National Forestry Authority. He also cautioned district forest officers to be vigilant and thoroughly vet timber dealers before giving them licenses. The forest chief added that some traders in the region were exporting raw timber to Juba in South Sudan, which violates the forestry authority guidelines. "The environment ministry slapped a ban on the exportation of raw timber in 1987, which is still on." Andrua was over the weekend addressing forest officers during a joint performance review meeting at Kibaale Hotel in Kibaale district. The officers were drawn from the districts of Hoima, Masindi, Lira, Masaka, Kabarole, Mukono and Mubende. "The National Forestry Authority and district forestry departments will conduct joint operations to arrest people depleting the natural forest cover in the country," Andrua stated. He urged people to make it their duty to protect forests because they play an important role in bringing rain and breaking wind. To adequately protect forests from illegal activities, the participants suggested more officers should be recruited in the districts. Districts have one forest officer and at least two forest rangers who cannot effectively monitor the activities.

• Tanzania: Construction of Environment Centre Begins: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 12 June 2008.

The Musoma Municipal Council in Mara Region has begun building an institute to be used in offering environmental education in the region. The Lake Victoria Regional Local Authorities Cooperation (LVRLAC) is financing the project that seeks to minimize environmental hazards caused by human activities in Lake Victoria. "LVRLAC will provide Sh50 million, and we will contribute the remaining Sh6 million of the total sum needed for the project," municipal director Fredrick Ntakabanyula said during the project's launch ceremony. The centre will be used to offer environmental education in the municipality and neighbouring districts in the region. The institute will also offer knowledge on rainwater harvesting, use of solar energy, livestock food processing and production of high quality tree seedlings. It is also expected to benefit primary and secondary school students as well as other stakeholders in the region. Mr Ntakabanyula said there would be a classroom providing environmental education to primary and secondary school pupils, institutions engaged in environmental conservation and members of the public in general. The centre would also have an expansive garden for Mwanza residents to relax in after working hours. Mwanza mayor Swahib Ibrahim launched construction of the centre on behalf of Mara Regional Commissioner Issa Machibya. Mr Machibya said in his speech that the council should engage a competent contractor to start building the centre without delay, adding that he would closely follow its progress. "Since this project is near in my office, I will be closely following the project's progress and will be making frequent surprise visits to the site," the RC said, and thanked LVRLAC for its support. He added that project had the full support of the Government to ensure it realised its goals. LVRLAC is a network organisation made up of over 80 local authorities situated along the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Speaking at the same occasion, LVRLAC secretary-general Julius Odongo

144 called for proper utilisation of the centre upon its completion. "Musoma municipality has been a strong member of LVRLAC, and we are hopeful it will embrace this project and make it shine. Other councils in this region should also benefit from it," Mr Odongo said. The function was also attended by senior municipality experts, councillors and local leaders at the ward and village levels.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Cameroon: Environmentalists Decry Deforestation, Pollution: The Post (Buea): 12 June 2008.

The irrational use of waste and the indiscriminate felling of trees for fuel became the concern of environmentalists during this year's World Environment Day celebrations in Yaounde. Officials in the Ministry of the Environment and the Protection of Nature, MINEP, and the Coordinator of the United Nations System in Cameroon, called for the rational use of energy at the end of activities marking the Environment Day on June 5. The United Nations System Coordinator expressed concern on how pollution and the poor management of waste affect the health of local inhabitants.The coordinator also said the world is gripped by a carbon habit, which, according to her, should be discouraged in order to protect the environment. Against this backdrop, the US Ambassador to Cameroon, Janet Garvey, said the US Embassy supports a community-based waste management project put in place by Centre International pour la Recuperation, CIPRE. The aim, according to the Garvey, is to bring together many stakeholders in the sorting, collection and management of urban household waste.She said one of the most important aspects of reducing waste is awareness. The diplomats pointed out that poor farming habits such as the felling and burning of trees deplete the soil and releases a lot of carbonic gases, which also deplete the ozone layer, causing climate change. This year's Environment Day, which was celebrated under the theme; "Kick the Habit" saw the planting of 30,000 trees in Yaounde under the supervision of MINEP.Also, the Secretary General at MINEP, Patrick Akwa Kum Bong, advised citizens to stop using carbon- emitting substances and resort to the use of low fuel consuming equipment. To him, changing habits is just one of many things that we should do in order to effectively fight global warming.In a series of sketches, members of the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment, GLOBE, demonstrated the need to protect the environment.

20. ENERGY

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Yar'Adua to Declare National Power Emergency Next Month: This Day (Lagos): 14 June 2008.

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday in Paris, France announced that his administration would formally declare a state of emergency in Nigeria's power sector next month.

The 36 states of the federation have equally agreed to withdraw N585 billion (the equivalent of $5 billion) from the excess crude account to support the financing of

145 power projects across the country during the emergency period. A statement signed by Special Adviser to the President on Communications, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, said Yar'Adua, who was on a visit to France, disclosed this while responding to concerns expressed by prospective French investors over current power supply problems in Nigeria. The President said under the emergency which would be in force for three years, the federal and state governments would set aside $5 billion for the rehabilitation and expansion of Nigeria's power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure. The President told the gathering of French businessmen that after the three-year emergency period, Nigeria's generation and distribution infrastructure would be privatised while its transmission infrastructure will remain under the control of a state-owned company. He said Nigeria would seek additional financing from international finance institutions for the rehabilitation and expansion of its power infrastructure, adding that his administration intends to establish a proper framework for the incremental increase in Nigeria's power generation capacity to about 50,000 megawatts by the year 2020. President Yar'Adua invited the French businessmen to take greater advantage of the immense investment opportunities thrown up in all sectors of the Nigerian economy by the deregulation and privatisation policies of the Federal Government. Before leaving Paris for Abuja, President Yar'Adua met with African Ambassadors to France. He told them that as Africa's representatives in one of the world's major economies; they have a duty to make the continent's case for equity to its development partners and to present its perspectives on the critical socio-economic, developmental and political issues in a fast-globalising world. The President said: "In the reality of today's world, you have a responsibility and obligation as Africans to form yourselves into a functional, pro-active and effective synergy to drive our continent's quest for regeneration." In the meantime, as the Federal Government is concluding arrangements to declare a state of emergency in the power sector, the 36 states consented to withdraw N585 billion from the excess crude account to support the financing of power projects across the country.

The total amount in the excess crude account stood at $18 billion as at May this year.

Although details of how the funds will be withdrawn were not disclosed, the amount for each state will be released to the Federal Government for the projects according to the revenue sharing formula. The Federal Government will meet with the 36 states of the Federation on June 19 and unveil the framework and the financing details for the much- awaited state of emergency in the power sector. Finance Minister of State, Mr. Remi Babalola who disclosed the consensus reached by the states after the monthly meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) held in Abuja yesterday, said the state governments unanimously agreed to withdraw the money from the account and such will not repaid, until the proceeds which will be shared according to the revenue formula after the assets are privatised. "We are going to take $5 billion from the excess crude account. It has been approved by the FAAC that it should be put into power projects based on the inputs that will come from Mr. President and if that is done, the three tiers will own a substantial part of the power infrastructure according to their share of the revenue formula. "There will be no repayment. But once those assets are privatised, the proceeds will be shared according to their revenue formula." Babalola also said the 36 states and the Federal Government unanimously agreed that the Nigerian Customs

146 Service (NCS) and the Federal Inland Revenue service (FIRS) should not debit the Federation Account with bank charges charged them. Meanwhile, the three tiers of government shared a total of N436.51 billion for the month of May as against N431.75 billion distributed in the previous month. A communiqué signed by the Accountant- General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Ibrahim Dankwambo stated N316.73 billion was shared as statutory revenue allocation and N31.90 billion as value added tax (VAT) while N87.87 billion was used as budget augmentation for the month.

• Nigeria: Country to Double Oil Output: Daily Trust (Abuja): 13 June 2008.

The Federal Government is working towards increasing Nigeria's crude oil production capacity from the current two million barrels per day to four million barrels per day by the year 2010, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua said in Paris, France yesterday. The president, who is on a three-day state visit to France, spoke to reporters at the Elysee Palace after he held talks with French President Nicholas Sarkozy.Yar'Adua said he had discussed rising crude oil prices with the French President and assured him that Nigeria's preference was for "stable, sustainable and predictable oil prices", rather than unpredictable prices which, he said, cannot help anyone in the long run. President Yar'Adua also announced that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) would operate the oil prospecting license covering the Ogoni area after the withdrawal of Shell from Ogoniland. The license is currently held by the NNPC/Shell joint venture. He expressed the belief that with the departure of Shell from their land, the Ogoni would now "calm down". He said President Sarkozy assured him of French logistic support for the enhancement of maritime security and surveillance capabilities of the Gulf of Guinea nations to protect the region's energy resources. President Yar'Adua also said the French President and himself agreed on the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Nigeria and France in view of the strategic importance of both countries to the development of the African continent. On Zimbabwe, Yar'Adua said that it was not true that African leaders have refused to take a stand on the situation in that country. "Our position is that the laws of Zimbabwe should be observed, that the run-off elections must be free and fair and the election dispute resolved according to the rule of law," he said. He also announced that Nigeria's former Head of State, General would head a thirty-man ECOWAS team to observe the run-off elections in Zimbabwe.

• Nigeria: Our Interest in Niger Delta, by U.S.: This Day (Lagos): 12 June 2008.

The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms. Robin Renee Sanders, has said the preoccupation of her country in the Niger Delta region is to offer humanitarian intervention, education and promotion of dialogue as a way of affecting the oil- producing communities positively. She ruled out any military intervention despite her country's perceived military and technological capability to fish out the militants and protect US economic interest in the region. Sanders acknowledged Nigeria's ability to understand that the agitation of the people on political and environmental issues are

147 genuine, but said the US would only come in to be of assistance in the humanitarian efforts. The ambassador was speaking during a courtesy visit to THISDAY corporate headquarters in Lagos, yesterday, the first to any Nigerian media house since she assumed office last year. She said the issue of oil price jumping up after every attack in the area affects everybody in the world and not only the US. "There is a legitimate concern in the Niger Delta both politically and economically. The political dialogue has to be spearheaded by Nigeria," she said, adding that her country has in place conflict resolution, entrepreneurial, education and sundry programmes to complement the efforts of the Nigerian government. She said she has visited to the region to see things for herself and know the recurring issues at stake which, according to her, go beyond humanitarian needs but extend to development issues. On the relationship between US private sector and its Nigerian counterpart, the envoy said: "The government is working to create a bilateral framework that needs to be there for a stronger business relationship. We're working with the Nigerian government on a bilateral investment treaty. We have businesses in Nigeria but ironically we don't have a bilateral investment treaty." She noted that American businesses in Nigeria are not as big as they should be, but her mission was working hard to improve private sector partnership. She said that this gives meaning to the ongoing seminars being organised by the embassy at different place in Nigeria. The seminar held in Abuja is focused on power sector and financing opportunities that are inherent therein. "Tomorrow (today) there will be another two-day seminar in Lagos that will focus on other sectors as well. We have agriculture, trade, and economic development," she said. On agriculture, Sanders noted that President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has made it part of his seven-point agenda and said the embassy, with USAID, is working in several areas to improve yield, research, food production and how to get entrepreneurial expertise in this area. On the complaint of Nigerians about consular services, Sanders said people need to understand that the services follow the process of rule of law. Her words: " The visa and immigration process is the rule of law process and I think people have to recognise that but what I have tasked myself is that people have to be treated politely when they come, even if one has to be turned down for the visa". She said there is and improvement on how people are being treated and said that she wants that to continue. She wants visa seekers to respect the online, rule of law and transparency process but added that 70 per cent of those who apply get visas.

• Nigeria: FG Drops Charges Against Mend Leader Atatah: Vanguard (Lagos): 11 June 2008.

The Federal Government has dropped the charges against Chief Edward Atatah one of the leaders of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) who was even as the charges against his counterpart, Henry Okah was increased to 55.

Okah's counsel, Mr. Femi Falana disclosed this yesterday (Tuesday) while cornered by journalists after the secret hearing of his client saying fresh charges have been added to the initial ones. He said Atatah was released by 4p.m. on Monday and should be re-united with his family at the time he was speaking to journalists. Pressed further, he said there was a limit to which he could disclose since there was a standing order of the court that the trial be conducted in secret. However, the lawyer confirmed that he has filed an

148 appeal against the ruling that the trial be in secret and is awaiting a date for its commencement. On the state of his client he said he was in high spirit during the trial adding that further hearing in the case was fixed for July 7. Security operatives yesterday cordoned off the Federal High Court in Jos as the trial of Henry Okah, the Niger Delta militant, resumed. Reports say that as early as 7 a.m., a combination of mobile and conventional policemen blocked all roads leading to the High Court. Journalists were also barred from covering the proceedings, which were being conducted in camera. A mobile policeman said they have directives from above not to allow anyone in there. The cordoning off of the area caused a traffic congestion along the major roads near the court. Henry Okah is being tried by the Federal Government on 55- count charges, which include treason. The court had, on May 2, ordered that henceforth Okah's trial would be in camera in the interest of national security. The presiding Judge, Mr Stephen Adah, said that journalists would only be invited when the need arose. However, counsel to Okah, Mr Femi Falana, objected, saying that other cases of treason had been done in public in the past and wondered why the departure now.

• Nigeria: Delta Recovers 260 Oil Wells From Ondo: Vanguard (Lagos): 11 June 2008.

A Federal High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State yesterday nullified the ceding of Ugbede community land in Warri North of Delta State to Ondo State, declaring the ceding of the land and about 260 oil wells as null, illegal and unconstitutional. Justice Nnamadi, in his judgement in the suit brought by Ugbede community, challenging the transfer of their land to Ondo State, upheld the argument of the plaintiffs. The matter dragged on for long on the strength of the different applications and objections raised by Ondo State, challenging the suit. Ondo State had in its preliminary objection, contended, amongst others, that the plaintiffs lacked the locus standi to bring the action. It also argued that the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter and that the suit disclosed no reasonable cause of action against the respondents. But the court agreed to take the objection alongside the substantive suit. The plaintiffs, meanwhile, prayed the court to discountenance the contention of Ondo State and grant their requests.

The plaintiffs in the substantive suit had asked the court to determine, whether their land could be ceded to another state without complying with section 8(2) of the 1999 constitution, which provides: "An Act of the National Assembly for the purpose of boundary adjustment of any existing state shall only be passed,

(a) a request for the boundary adjustment, supported by two-third majority of members (representing the area demanding and the area affected by the boundary adjustment) in each of the following, namely:

(i) the Senate and the House of Representatives;

(ii) the House of Assembly in respect of the area; and

(iii) the local government council in respect of the area."

149 The plaintiffs had also argued that they never wanted or agreed to cede their land to Ondo State, as such, the Delta State government and the Edo State government could unilaterally cede the land to Ondo. The court in its judgement granted the prayers of the plaintiffs. Counsel to the plaintiffs, Prof Itse Sagay (SAN), who spoke to Vanguard after the judgement, commended same, adding, "in spite of the preliminary objection brought to delay the matter, the court graciously decided to hear the objection with the substantive matter and held that the respondents did not comply with the provision of section 8(2) in ceding Ugbebe land to Ondo State." On the implication of the judgement, he said: "The land of my clients will be returned to them, because the purported ceding was not constitutional in the first place. Ondo State will not have to pay Delta State all the money they have collected from the oil wells in the community, which runs into billions of naira. "If they want to cede Ugbebe land to Ondo State, they have to follow the constitution and I am certain that Ondo will never get the land because my clients have said that they are not interested in joining Ondo State, because with the illegal ceding, we had a situation where the same people were overnight split into two different states. "They got away with it during Obasanjo's regime by trying to steal some part of Delta State and they thought they could get away with it forever, because he (Obasanjo) was then in power, but the court did not allow the illegality to stand," he added.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Government Won't Be Cutting Fuel Levy: BuaNews (Tshwane): 12 June 2008.

Government would not consider cutting fuel levies but would instead look at other proposals to bring down escalating fuel prices, Government spokesperson, Themba Maseko said on Thursday. Briefing the media following a post-Cabinet meeting, Mr Maseko said Cabinet discussed the fuel levy proposal and noted that South Africa's levy was a specific tax which was adjusted once a year and which remained constant irrespective of changes to the fuel prices. He said that this differed from a percentage- based duty that would fluctuate along with the changes in fuel prices. The current levy on diesel is 111 cents and 127 cents on petrol per litre; the Road Accident Fund Levy is 46.5 cents per litre and the Southern African Customs Union levy is 4 cents per litre. "These levy amounts remain the same for a full year irrespective of changes in the price of fuel," said Mr Maseko. He said the meeting resolved that the Ministers of Finance and Minerals and Energy should consult further with a view to identifying the most desirable, practical and possible ways of mitigating the impact of the rising cost of fuel on food prices and other goods and services. Mr Maseko said that a task team was looking at other ways to make the impact of escalating costs less, particularly on the poor. "We are looking at for instance the possibility of exempting certain foodstuffs from VAT," he said. The ministers will present a package of proposals to Cabinet in the near future. Meanwhile, in his Budget Speech on Wednesday, President Thabo Mbeki said that during the course of 2007, food prices increased by over 10 percent, hitting the poorest the hardest. He said that it was mainly driven by global factors and poor weather at home in 2006, the price of a 12.5 kg bag of mealie meal, the staple diet for most South Africans, went from about R37 to R49.

150 EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Construction of Oil Refinery Starts: The Monitor (Kampala): 13 June 2008.

Construction of the long-awaited oil refinery in Hoima District has started, according to the Minister of State for Energy, Mr Simon D'ujanga. Mr D'ujanga said the governments in conjunction with Tullow Oil Company from Ireland have started the construction expected to produce 400 barrels of diesel and kerosene every day to cater for the local demand. "Next year, Kerosene and Diesel will be produced in Uganda. We shall start with heavy oil and if the flow is good then we shall start producing petrol," Mr D'ujanga said on Friday while opening the National Technology Conference organised by Uganda Institute of Professional Engineers at Hotel Africana. Uganda is expected to produce its first oil products by August next year. The minister said the plant would also produce 100 mega watts as a by-product to supplement the meagre power supply in the country. The remarks come at a time when fuel and oil prices are increasing, influencing the prices of both luxury and essential commodities. "Uganda imports 1.2 million litres of diesel but almost half of it is used for power production. This makes it very expensive as a unit of electricity produced by diesel costs 24 cents," the minister said adding, "Drought has taught us a lesson, the water is not enough to produce enough energy for the rural and urban markets." In the past year, water levels on Lake Victoria have tremendously dropped, which consequently reduced the amount of hydro power production. He said the Ministry of Energy will soon embark on recruiting staff to work on the processing plant and encouraged local universities and institutes of higher learning to introduce petroleum or oil refinery courses. "It's high time our universities and tertiary institutions of learning introduced such courses," he said. Although Uganda discovered oil deposits in early 2006, the country is yet to enact a policy on oil and gas resources. However, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Mr Daudi Migereko says the national oil and gas policy will be ready soon with provisions on payment, use and management of petroleum revenues.

• Uganda: Bunyoro Demands Share of Revenue From Lake Albert Oil: The Monitor (Kampala): 14 June 2008.

Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom has maintained its demand for a share on oil revenues.

Speaking at his 14th coronation anniversary at his Karuziika palace in Hoima Town on Wednesday, the Omukama of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom Solomon Gafabusa Iguru asked government to come out clearly and state the share in revenues that the kingdom will get from oil exploitation. The Banyoro were commemorating the day when their King assumed the throne on June 11, 1994. Cultural institutions were abolished in 1967 under the Obote I regime. "Bunyoro is not happy because government has not declared our share of oil revenues. The government should respond positively to our request," Omukama Iguru said. The Kingdom authorities have for a long time demanded for a share ranging from 17 per cent to 52 per cent since oil was discovered on the shores of Lake Albert in 2006. Oil explorers have discovered commercially viable oil deposits in the Albertine region. The kingdom is looking forward to gain from the oil extraction to

151 rebuild the kingdom's infrastructure and strengthen the social and economic welfare of the people.

The King requested the government to operationalise the regional tier system of governance in Bunyoro. The system was halted after Buganda rejected it and instead demanded Federo. "Buganda has its own concerns, for us we need the regional tier government" Omukama Iguru said. The tier system is seen as the best way to guarantee Bunyoro's share from oil since the region will have powers to share regional resources. Iguru also cautioned the emigrant settlers to appreciate and respect Bunyoro's cultures and traditions. "When you accept to be assimilated you will all be my people and you will coexist with the indigenous people," he said. Bunyoro is a hotbed of ethnic and land conflicts. The emigrant Bakiga are at loggerheads with the Banyoro in Kibaale District. The Banyoro accuse the Bakiga of grabbing their ancestral land and having a political grand scheme to "colonise" them by occupying all political posts in the district. Clashes erupted between the two ethnic communities in 2002 when Mr Fred Ahaabwe Rulemera won the district LC5 seat. The Banyoro protested his victory claiming they cannot be led by an immigrant. Clashes erupted which caused loss of lives and property. There is a raging crisis in Buliisa District between the Bagungu and the itinerant pastoralists popularly known as Balaalo. The Bagungu accuse the pastoralists of grabbing their ancestral land. The two ethnic communities are scrambling for the ownership of a 40 square mile piece of land covering the villages of Waiga, Kichoke, Kataleba and Bugana. While the Bagungu claim the disputed land is their ancestral home, the Balaalo say they bought it from respective landlords at a cost of Shs800 million. Attempts by the government to resolve the standoff by relocating the pastoralists to Kiboga District faltered after they obtained a court injunction blocking their eviction. Omukama Iguru urged his subjects to obtain titles to protect their land from being grabbed. The Second Deputy Premier, Mr Henry Muganwa Kajura who represented President Museveni as chief guest, said the government appreciates the role of cultural institutions in national development.

• Uganda: High Oil Prices Worry Food Dealers: New Vision (Kampala): 12 June 2008.

DEALERS in food items have expressed concern that food prices will continue to rise as long as the world oil price remained high. "Fuel prices determine the food prices since agricultural products need to be transported from rural areas to urban markets," noted Fatuma Lwere, a maize flour dealer at Nakasero Market. "The Government cannot control the world fuel prices. Food will, therefore, remain costly." In a bid to reduce transport costs, Dr. Suruma in his speech proposed to scrap Value Added Tax (VAT) on trucks above 3.3 tonnes. But Lwere is convinced that transporters will continue charging high fares, arguing that the vendors were not able to interpret the budget proposals. "If transporters charge lower prices, food dealers will reduce the prices as well," she explained. Joan Seguya, a dealer in pesticides on Ben Kiwanuka Street in the city centre, said the budget proposals will not make a difference to his business. "We request the Government to reduce import duty for pesticides. "It would benefit the farmers and food producers as well." Beef dealers also expressed concern that meat prices are were likely

152 to go up further. According to Hajji Badru Zziwa, a beef dealer at Kampala City Abattoirs, the Government should reduce taxes on fuel. "Our Government charges higher taxes on fuel compared to other countries in the East African region. This makes life expensive."

• Tanzania: Energy Sector a Pain in Economy During 2007/8: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 11 June 2008.

The 2007/08 financial year is described as a bad year for the local currency, as it lost ground against all major currencies. The National Bureau of Statistics reports show that the currency has shown a recovery path since January this year. However, economists believe that the 2007/08 was a bad year for the Tanzanian shilling, which create big implications to the economy. Low exports of goods and services and higher levels of imports of even locally available goods was noticed. A section of economists favour import controls, while others urge prioritising of exports enhance flows of foreign exchange. The shilling lost about 10 per cent of its exchange value against major currencies over the past year, a Sh6.89 loss of purchasing power for the year ending April this year to Sh69.11 from Sh76 recorded in April last year from late 2000. Depreciation hampers competitiveness and raises import costs, CTI economists Hussein Kamote noted, saying that currency vulnerability remains. Importers' appetite for foreign exchange, amid insufficient forex inflows from donors, tourism and mainly agricultural exports creates net imbalances. The shilling lost about 6.3 per cent of its value against the dollar during the year, depreciating steadily since July 2001, when it stood at Sh888 to one US dollar. Losing a half of its value, it now trades at Sh1,200 to the dollar, from Sh1,269 early June last year. implying a shade of stability despite long term depreciation. Donor inflows, tourism receipts, seasonal earnings from mainly agricultural exports and central bank intervention marginally stabilised the shilling. The current account deficit rose to $1,978.4 million in March this year from $1,597.5 million in the corresponding period a year earlier. Imports of goods and services increased by 12.9 per cent in the year, while exports grew by 7.9 per cent, implying a shortfall in currency flows, implying that the longer term trend is a weakening of the local unit. Producers hurt by imports urge limiting foreign competition by using tariffs, quotas, subsidies and embargoes, urged Kamote, feigning ignorance of commitments under the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union. Critics point out that protectionism is a harmful outgrowth of depreciation, with any protective barriers inviting retaliation from trading partners. International trade suffers under retaliatory protectionism, with consumers losing the benefits of better quality, lower prices and a broader choice of goods and services, they added.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Official Denies Apologizing to UN Delegation Over Fuel Episode: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 10 June 2008.

153 Government of Rwanda did not in anyway apologise to the UN Security Council delegation that was stranded in Kigali on Monday morning - but instead "expressed sympathy", the official who intervened to their rescue has clarified. "I did not apologise on behalf of the government simply our government had done what it had to do to facilitate the passage of the delegation ranging from flight clearance and crossing the border without passports for some, etc. etc", Ambassador Joseph Mutaboba told RNA on Tuesday. RNA ran a story yesterday quoting Al Jazeera TV suggesting that after the delegation found itself at the Kigali airport with no jet fuel, American company CALTEX declined to refuel their aircraft unless they paid $20.000 (about Rwf 10million) cash. It was also reported that Ambassador Joseph Mutaboba intervened and actually apologized on behalf of government to the senior UN diplomats about their fate. "What I made clear to the delegation was that CALTEX is a private company that has its own ways of running business and the government could not impose (on) them anything" said Amb. Mutaboba, the Secretary General in the Ministry of the Interior and a long time UN diplomat. "I could not therefore apologise on behalf of the private company. I expressed sympathy for the delays they were in but caused by their own making." The Rwanda senior official came to let the Envoys continue their journey to Ivory Coast - the next leg of their Africa tour. They had been from DR Congo after coming from Sudan and Chad. Fearing to get engrained into the long and bureaucratic maneuvers that people demanding payment from the UN have to always endure, CALTEX refused to refuel the Envoys' aircraft unless they paid cash. The fuel company did not want to accept credit cards on cheques from the UN - notoriously slow at paying - but cash for the fuel. The diplomats had to search among themselves from their own wallets to pay $20.000 for the fuel. Interestingly, new information available to RNA now suggests that the episode was the making of the diplomats themselves and the crew aboard the aircraft. According to Ambassador Mutaboba, the diplomats confirmed to their MONUC (UN Mission to Congo) office in Kigali that they had cash with them. However, as Ambassador Mutaboba put it: "When they reached here, the crew that had lied to the delegation said they only had 7000 USD!!!" The Security Council ambassadors are on a trip to promote peacekeeping operations and other efforts to end some of the most intractable conflicts in Africa. Clarification: France's Envoy to the UN Security Council and who was also on the delegation is Ambassador Jean Maurice Ripert NOT Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere. The later is the former French Envoy to world body.

21. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Invest in Stock Market, OTM Urges Muslims: Daily Trust (Abuja): 13 June 2008.

Organization of Tadhamunul Muslimeen (OTM) has called on Muslims to invest in the capital market by buying shares. In a communiqué issued at the end of its second national conference held at Arisekola Central Mosque in Ibadan, the group stressed the need for Muslims to be conversant with news in the financial market. The communiqué underscored the need for Muslims to acquire practical experience on the operations of Stock Exchange and Foreign Exchange (FOREX) markets. The forum organized by the

154 professional division of the organization pointed out that currency trading (FOREX) market is allowed in Islam for as long as it only involves the exchange of different currencies. The conference themed: 'Economic Freedom; A Sustenance for Dawah' noted that most people today are wallowing in abject poverty because of poor financial planning. It said that poverty is not an attribute of Islam as Allah has abundant wealth to provide for its creatures, adding that Islam is not against honest acquisition of wealth. While canvassing for the establishment of more Islamic oriented financial institutions, the conference underlined the need to consider the concepts of trust and accountability to God in all dealings among people. The communiqué spoke of the need for all Muslims to assess the past to be able to know the weakness of the present and consequently plan for the future. It resolved 'that Muslim professionals should not only be competent in their disciplines but also be role models for others as highlighted by the teachings of Islam.' The communiqué read in part: "That Muslim professionals being the group recognized by government should endeavour to be good ambassadors of Islam by exhibiting the virtues of trust, transparency and honesty in their affairs.”That Muslims should invest in the capital market by buying shares that are permitted in Islam and that sources of Halal (permissible means of sustenance or livelihood) are not limited thereby making giving up to poverty due to laziness and lack of thinking and understanding potential dangers to greatness and development." Noting that people are exposed to stress because of continuous thinking on investment options and strategies, it highlighted the need to devise defensive mechanism to combat stressful situations that account for 'wear and tear' of bodies' experiences. The conference attended by professionals in various fields of studies featured three lectures on " 'Portfolio Management; Unlimited Wealth Creation by Habila Yusuf ', 'Untapped Benefits and Inherent Dangers in Forex Trading by Shefiu Badmos' and 'Stress and Stress Management by Dr Kaamil Olawale."

• Nigeria: Delta Lawmakers Angry With Shell Over Sack of 80 Percent Deltans: Vanguard (Lagos): 13 June 2008.

MEMBERS of the Delta State House of Assembly, yesterday, expressed sadness that management of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) went ahead to sack 2,500 workers, out of which 80 percent are Deltans. The members' anger were aggravated when the company's General Manager, West, Cor Zegelaar, in Warri failed to honour the invitation by appearing during yesterday's sitting as resaved on Tuesday. Almost all the members who spoke on the issue were bitter with the action of the company. But, in a sharp reaction, the SPDC spokesman, Mr Precious Okolobo, said "the letter from the Assembly inviting SPDC to appear before it on June 12, 2008, arrived our office in Warri at 10am on June 12, 2008. It was, therefore, not possible for SPDC to appear before the Assembly that same day. We are informing the Assembly of the situation. It added that "SPDC holds the Delta State House of Assembly in high esteem as a key arm of the present democratic dispensation, and will continue to co-operate with it in the discharge of its legislative responsibilities." Member, representing Warri South West, Mr. Daniel Mayuku, who spoke first when it was realised that the General Manager shunned the invitation of the House, told the House that "today, I am a very sad man because about 80 percent of Deltans had their employment terminated by Shell between Tuesday and

155 Wednesday. It is sad that among the sacked 2,500 workers, 80 percent are Deltans. Worst still, they ignored the invitation of this House. I think this is a threat to democracy, a threat to livelihood of Deltans and the whole of us." Mr. Abel Oshevire, representing Ughelli North II, said "some of us are ready to carry placards. I am from an oil bearing community and I will be in the forefront to carry placard because my life is also at stake. Let them (Shell) pack and go and we can fall back on agriculture because without Shell we can survive", he stated. Meanwhile, the House has extended another invitation to the company to appear on Wednesday next week, failing which the Speaker, Martins Okonta, said "if they refuse to show up, we will now know that they are the ones instigating the Niger Delta militants."

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • East Africa: Budgets to Ease Food Crisis: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 13 June 2008.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, in their budget proposals for the 2008-2009 financial year, announced measures to cushion their populations against soaring food prices. "The government has zero-rated VAT [Value Added Tax] on wheat flour, milk, and maize flour," Amos Kimunya, the Kenyan finance minister, said during the reading of the budget in Nairobi on 12 June. The budget was read concurrently with those of Uganda and Tanzania. Kimunya said he would also be proposing to remove tax on bread and rice while reducing the import duty on wheat to 10 percent from 35. The Kenyan government, he said, would also allow for the tax free importation of maize so as to boost the country's strategic grain reserve to eight million bags. "This would help dampen the pressure on maize prices." Post election violence that especially affected the fertile Rift Valley region early in the year led to a reduced maize harvest. Additional funding had also been allocated for the resettlement of internally displaced persons.

Regional fertilizer factory? Discussions are under way with Uganda and Tanzania on setting up a regional fertilizer factory to offset high costs and ensure long-term sustainable supplies, he said. The cost of fertilizer has almost tripled in Kenya since the beginning of 2008. Further provisions will be made to give farmers access to affordable credit. At least 25,000 farmers have benefited from 3 billion shillings (US$48 million) provided under an existing seasonal credit loans scheme, Kimunya said. Other proposals included the scaling up of agricultural extension facilities for farmers, at a cost of 744 million ($12 million) along with the expansion of the wholesale fresh product infrastructure to promote business and increase agricultural productivity. "If the prices of basic commodities such as sugar and flour, are high then the farmers also increase the prices of their fresh produce so that they can meet these costs," Steven Karatu, a trader at the Marikiti market, the main fresh produce market in Nairobi, said.

No price controls: The price for 1kg of maize meal is now between 80 and 90 Kenyan shillings ($1.45) up from 50 ($1.29) in 2007. While Karatu welcomed the new measures outlined in the budget, especially the tax cuts, he said he would have liked to have seen price controls introduced. "Local retailers might not even adjust their prices downwards, or they reduce them by 50 cents, which does not really make a difference," he said. "If

156 there was a control, saying that the flour will cost only 50 shillings, then we would be guaranteed that we will buy it at that price. Right now prices vary everywhere," he said.

Uganda: In Uganda, proposals were made to improve agricultural production by increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the agricultural extension service through the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) programme. NAADS is aiming to develop a demand driven, farmer-led agricultural service delivery system targeting poor subsistence farmers, with special emphasis on women, youth and people with disabilities. The allocation to NAADS went up by 62 percent bringing the total allocation to 97 billion Ugandan shillings ($59 million), Uganda's finance minister, Ezra Suruma, said. The additional funding would help purchase farming inputs. An additional 50 billion Ugandan shillings ($30 million) was allocated as credit guarantees for banks that provided loans for agriculture. Suruma also proposed exempting income arising out of new agro-processing investments from income tax starting in July. To mitigate the effect of soaring transportation cost on food prices, there would also be tax exemption for trucks with a loading capacity of at least 3.5 tonnes.

Commercial farming in Tanzania: In Tanzania, the finance minister, Mustafa Mkulo, said the government was encouraging investment in large-scale commercial farming. "Tanzania has vast arable land and the weather is reliable." he said."Rising food prices should be used as an opportunity for the people to earn more income, rather than a curse," he said. Rising food prices should be used as an opportunity for the people to earn more income, rather than a curse. In the short-term, Mkulo said, measures aimed at addressing the global food crisis locally were being contemplated, including either the banning of exports or increasing export charges. Kenya's budget also allocated 1.5 billion shillings to a fund to increase job opportunities for the youth. At least four billion Kenyan shillings ($64.5 million) had also been set up for the civil contingency fund, drought relief and budget reserve for use in emergency situations. Other key proposals in the Ugandan budget included the improvement of water storage from the current level of 48 percent to 52 percent of projected national demand, in addition to the allocation of an additional 37.2 billion Ugandan shillings ($23 million) for the Peace Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP) for northern Uganda. The PRDP was launched in 2007 with the aim of eradicating poverty and improving the welfare of the people of northern Uganda.

• Tanzania: Economy Defies Rising Fuel Prices: The Nation (Nairobi): 13 June 2008.

Tanzania defied rising fuel prices and a drop in export earnings to post a 7.1 per cent economic growth in 2007.

This was an improvement from the 6.7 per cent posted the previous year. During that period, the country's Gross Domestic Product grew to TSh20.9 trillion (Sh992 billion) compared to the previous TSh17.94 trillion (Sh886.6 billion) recorded in 2006. As a result, the per-capita income rose to TSh548,338 compared to TSh478,434 in 2006. Finance minister, Mustafa Mkulo Thursday said the economy was projected to grow by 7.8 per cent in the next financial year. Giving the state of the economy report in

157 Parliament ahead of the main Budget, he said short and medium term plans would see the growth rise from 8.1 per cent in 2009, 8.8 per cent in 2010 to 9.2 per cent by 2011.

Mining: This projection would set the country on the path to realising its mini-tiger economic objectives aiming at pulling a majority of Tanzanians out of poverty through creation of more jobs and income earning opportunities. Mr Mkulo credited the phenomenal leap in the information and communication (ICT) sector for last year's good performance. The sector grew by 20.1 per cent. Other sectors that contributed to the impressive growth included mining (10.7 per cent), financial services (10.2 per cent), commerce (9.8 per cent), construction (9.7 per cent), health (8.8 per cent) and Agriculture (four per cent). He said 412,608 jobs were created between 2005 and 2007 while the government was able to reduce the national debt from $7.2 billion to $7.0 billion. Inflation rose to 9.7 per cent two months ago but the minister was optimistic the level would finally settle at less than seven per cent in the coming year. The minister said for effective monitoring and recording of growth, the Tanzanian government had re-arranged a new cluster of four economic growth indicators as opposed to nine that were used in the past. The new indicators are Agriculture, Livestock, Hunting and Forestry; Fisheries; Industries and Construction; and Services.

The first cluster grew from 3.8 to 4 per cent in 2007 mainly due to higher crop and livestock production. However the growth in the forestry and hunting dropped from 4.6 to 2.9 percent last year due to a clampdown on illegal logging and export. To cushion the drop in agricultural contribution to the national wealth, the minister said the government would double efforts in irrigation, grade rural access roads, create new crop markets and review licensing in forestry and hunting. He said the fisheries sector recorded a drop from 5 to 4.5 per cent, mainly due to poor harvesting, environmental destruction and sabotage by traders. The industrial and construction sector offered the best opportunities for growth in 2007 as it rose from 8.5 to 9.5 per cent due to availability of natural gas and stability in power supply. However, mining dropped from 15.6 to 10.7 per cent. On the services sector, the minister said that although the ICT sector grew by 20.1 per cent it only added 2.3 per cent to the national wealth. The government introduced a 0.3 percent Alternative Minimum Tax of the turnover on companies making losses for three consecutive years. The new tax was aimed at the otherwise lucrative mining industry. According to the law, companies that post losses annually cannot pay a 30 per cent corporate tax, a move that has been mainly benefiting the mining sector which for the past decade has been declaring losses. Currently, the total turnover in mining sector annually is estimated to be $1billion. Presenting his TSh7.2 trillion (KSh372 billion) budget Thursday, Mr Mkulo said the Government had decided to amend the Income Tax Act CAP 332, to check companies that have been declaring losses to avoid paying corporate tax. "Such corporate entities make commercial profits, however when incorporating tax adjustments they record losses on account of generous investment incentives that are provided in the legislation including accelerated capital deductions and investment allowances," the minister said, explaining why the government introduced the amendment. However, he failed to implement major tax reforms, shifting the burden to other traditional sources of revenues. During the past decade, there has been a heated debate on the taxation system granted to the mining sector, with legislators and the public

158 calling for major reforms in the industry. Gold mining companies pay royalties of three per cent on profit, while a five per cent tax is levied on diamonds and other gemstones. Early last month, the Presidential Committee on Mining Review proposed a 40 to 70 per cent increase in royalties paid by the mining companies. Tanzania's budget is about half that of Kenya, which was Thursday estimated at Sh760 billion. But according to the UK high commissioner to Tanazania, the budget is equal to what Britons spend on DVD machines annually. The envoy, Mr Philip Parham, said the national budget was also equal to what gamblers lose annually in his country. "I am ashamed to say it's a third of the estimated value of food thrown away in the UK each year," he said. "And that is what the government of this country has to provide education, healthcare, infrastructure and security for nearly 40 million people in a territory four times the size of the UK. Think about it."

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Government Cedes Tea Factory to British Firm: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 13 June 2008.

From 55% ownership stake, British tea firm LAB International has acquired another 35% from government making it almost the sole controlling power for the Pfunda Tea Company, RNA reports. Cabinet decided on Wednesday to cede 35% of its forty percent stake at $ 667,906 (about Rwf 350 million). As for the 10 percent, government wants it given to the factory's workers. In 2004, LAB International bought its majority stake at $ 1,060,160 (about Rwf 5.8 billion). According to government privatization plan for the company - combining the tea factory and large plantations in Western Rwanda, the government would transfer some shares to the local investors. UK based tea trading company committed to invest $ 1 million during the next five years in order to develop the tea factory as well as the plantations, and to take back all the employees in place today, at their current conditions, and to keep them for one year at least. In a related development, government has also sold its Fibre Optic to Lap Green - the Libyan firm that bought Rwandatel - state telecom company at $ 2.8 million. The firm was also given licence to operate the mobile phone service. Cabinet also extended the operating licence for private and dominant mobile operator MTN.

22. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Tempers in Niger Delta Over Summit: Vanguard (Lagos): 14 June 2008.

Tempers are flaring in the Niger Delta over the move by the Federal Government to convene a summit to address the oil region's problems as eminent people from the area are kicking against it. The eminent people from the Niger Delta are querying government's intention to organise the summit on the grounds that it amounts to a waste of time as suggestions and proposals needed to develop the region had been made available to the authorities who, they claimed, chose to act as if there was nothing before

159 them. They are equally aggrieved that a non-Niger Delta, Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari, is being proposed by government to chair the summit. Former deputy premier of the defunct Midwestern Region and Isoko leader, Chief James Otobo, said the mere mention of Gambari to chair the summit and the proposal was "politically silly" while the former national chairman of the Association of Traditional Rulers of Oil Minerals Producing Communities of Nigeria, ATROMPCON, Pere Charles Ayemi-Botu of Seimbiri Kingdom, Delta State, viewed the summit proposal as not only an insult but also a slap on Niger Deltans. The facilitator of the Niger Delta Democratic Union, NDDU, Mr. Akpo Mudiago-Odje, said government was wide off the mark on the summit proposal. To veteran politician, Senator Francis Okpozo, "the problem is not with the solutions to the Niger Delta crisis". According to him, "So many solutions have been proffered, the problem is with the implementation of the solutions by the Federal Government. President Umaru Yar'Adua should start with the implementation and forget the summit". But the minister of special duties, Elder Godsday Orubebe, who is among government officials packaging the summit, said that there were structural defects in the several reports / recommendations of the past critics of the summit were devotedly holding unto. All the eminent people from the Niger Delta spoke to Sunday Vanguard on the proposed summit weekend.

• Nigeria: Yar'Adua Sets December 2009 for New Electoral System: This Day (Lagos): 14 June 2008.

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has set December 2009 as target date for the introduction of the electoral reforms promised by his administration to ensure long-term political stability in the country. In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Communications, Olusegun Adeniyi, Yar'Adua also disclosed that within the context of the electoral reforms, his administration will consider measures to ensure that the estimated five million Nigerians in the diaspora are able to vote in future elections.

Yar'Adua made the disclosure while addressing Nigerians resident in France at the residence of the Nigerian Ambassador to France in Paris, during his state visit to the country. He said that the National Electoral Reform Committee was working very hard to conclude its work by the end of this year. "We are hoping that by the end of 2009 we will have an electoral process that will provide Nigeria with what it requires to establish long- term political stability and entrench a culture of democracy and the rule of law. "We are absolutely committed to the quest to imbue the nation with real democracy and the rule of law, and we will do whatever is necessary to succeed," he said. President Yar'Adua said that the country had the resources and capability to achieve the objective of becoming one of the twenty most developed economies in the world by the year 2020.

All Nigerians must identify with the vision and commit themselves to attaining the political stability, peace and security needed to make it realisable. The President also spoke of his Administration's determination to reform Nigeria 's petroleum and gas sector to ensure that the downstream sector is well established and becomes self-sufficient in the processing of the country's oil and gas resources. He said that the Federal Government's

160 objective in this regard was to make the sector a key "enabler" for rapid industrialisation of the country and to make Nigeria the leading producer of petrochemicals in Africa . President Yar'Adua also told them that his delegation had had "very fruitful discussions" with the French authorities in the course of his state visit, saying that the talks had laid the foundation for a new effort to confront the developmental challenges facing Nigeria and other African nations. At talks with the President of the National Assembly of France, Mr. Bermand Accoyer, President Yar'Adua had called for greater foreign investment in Africa. "What we want from France as a country is more investment. We are grateful for all the assistance by way of aid. Aid is good but trade is far better. What we need in Africa is investment. For Africa to attain the Millennium Development Goals, we have to improve in the area of infrastructure. We will require the partnership of our friends, especially France, for the attainment of this objective, he told Mr. Accoyer.

• Liberia: Senator Under Probe for Massacre: The NEWS (Monrovia): 13 June 2008.

Margibi County Senator Roland Kaine was Thursday invited by the Ministry of Justice in connection with the massacre of more than 13 persons in Bassa Town, Margibi County. Senator Kaine was called to assist the police with investigation over circumstances surrounding the incident. The Director of Price Analysis at the Ministry of Commerce, Charles Bennie had accused Senator Kaine of masterminding the killings of men who had gone to work on his father's farm. Speaking at the police headquarters on Capitol Hill, Senator Kaine denied that he masterminded the killings. Senator Kaine said he would cooperate with police to facilitate the investigation. The Margibi County Senator was accompanied to the Police headquarters by four of his Senate colleagues Gloria Scott, Abel Massalay, Frederick Cherue and James Momo. Kaine said he was concerned about the number of persons who lost their lives. Earlier, Senate President Pro-tempore Isaac Nyenabo disclosed that the Justice Ministry wrote plenary requesting it to allow Senator Kaine to assist with the investigation into the massacre of the men. Nyenabo described the act as disastrous, barbaric and called on the Justice Ministry to investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice. A survivor of the massacre, Moko Gibson, said he and his colleagues were attacked last Saturday by men using AK-47 raffles and machetes.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Mbeki Pushes for GNU: Financial Gazette (Harare): 12 June 2008.

FORMER ZANU-PF politburo member is in South Africa in connection with President Thabo Mbeki's last ditch attempts to forge a government of national unity (GNU) bringing together President Robert Mugabe and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Makoni, who came a distant third in the March 29 presidential election, has been in South Africa since last week. On Tuesday he was in Pretoria and Johannesburg on his way from the World Economic Forum conference allegedly at the behest of Mbeki who, sources claim, is eager for the run-off to be forgone. Mbeki's moves to win a negotiated

161 settlement have resulted in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) delaying the deployment of between 200 and 400 observers, highly placed sources said.

Makoni confirmed in an interview with South Africa's Kaya FM on Tuesday that negotiations were underway, adding that the prevailing political environment was not conducive for staging a run-off whose outcome will be acceptable to both President Mugabe and Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai has already indicated that his party would not accept a win by President Mugabe, accusing the incumbent of sponsoring a violent campaign in the countryside to decimate MDC structures and displace its supporters. At the same time, President Mugabe's wife, Grace, has vowed that Tsvangirai will never "see the inside of State House", President Mugabe's official residence, echoing earlier threats by army generals that they will never salute any leader other than the veteran nationalist. A murderous campaign for the run-off has led to the death of about 70 people from both camps since the disputed March 29 election in which Tsvangirai outpolled President Mugabe but did not win enough votes to avoid a run-off. Yesterday Mbeki voiced his concern over the escalation of violence ahead of the run-off. "We are at one with SADC and most of the international community that the incidents of violence and reported disruption of electoral activities of some of the parties are a cause for serious concern and should be addressed with all urgency," he told South African lawmakers yesterday. Mbeki's reluctance to publicly criticise President Mugabe's administration has infuriated Tsvangirai who allegedly has called for the South African leader to be stripped of his role in a controversial letter disputed by Pretoria. Tsvangirai's re-election campaign has faced serious disruptions from the Zimbabwean authorities and police twice detained him last week. Tsvangirai claims that ZANU-PF militia and state security agents had so far killed 66 of his supporters.

According to the police, MDC supporters early this week murdered a war veteran in skirmishes in Bikita while four alleged ZANU-PF supporters were injured during disturbances in Masvingo province. "At the moment, we are doing whatever we can to ensure that we do not experience major problems in the presidential second-round elections set for June 27," Mbeki said. "We do hope that friends of the people of Zimbabwe, who seek nothing more than freedom for the people of that country to elect a government of their choice and overcome the current socio-economic crisis, will work together in pursuit of these objectives," he added. A GNU, African diplomats say, could torpedo the staging of the June 27 presidential run-off if it succeeds. In his interview in South Africa, Makoni was quick to point out that such delicate diplomacy cannot be conducted in public or through the media, hence the secretive nature of the discussions. "I am convinced that the last thing Zimbabwe and the people need is another election. Zimbabweans right now need a government of national unity. Negotiations are presently going," he said. "Diplomacy by nature cannot be done in the public domain." Sources said Mbeki, about whose role as mediator in the hard-to-resolve Zimbabwean crisis Tsvangirai has cast aspersions, was secretly exerting pressure on both President Mugabe and the MDC leader to forgo the run-off. The sources said the South African leader was unperturbed by MDC charges that he was not an honest broker in a stinging letter written to him by the MDC leader outlining a string of complaints. "Makoni has been bought into President Mbeki's scheme of things. After meetings this week, the

162 negotiations shift into the next and final stage of directly engaging both President Mugabe and Tsvangirai, who, to all intents and purposes, are not averse to the idea", said an African diplomat privy to the negotiations. "But the problem is who will call the shots in the negotiated settlement." Apparently the sticking point is who will head the transitional government. Both Tsvangirai and President Mugabe seem to assign to the run-off the role of final arbiter. Makoni on Tuesday held a press conference after meetings with President Mbeki's pointman, at which he openly indicated he supported the idea of a government of national unity. "Between now and June 27, we believe that an election cannot be conducted...the people will be short-changed," Makoni told journalists. "The only point of departure is who will lead us... who will be the top person," he said. Mbeki has sought the opinions of other political players in Zimbabwe, including academics, the clergy as well as the smaller formation of the MDC on a political settlement. Tsvangirai insiders claimed the media had also been complicit in campaigning for a GNU, saying the international media had been at the forefront. Tsvangirai on Tuesday appeared to rubbish reports that his party was in talks with ZANU-PF to forge a government of national unity in the wake of an upsurge in political violence.

He described the media reports claiming the June 27 run-off could be called off and that he was in line to be appointed prime minister in a unity government, as mere speculation. He said he and the MDC were ready to "finish" off President Mugabe in the second round of polling despite conceding that the conditions were not conducive for the staging of any election. "There has been growing momentum of a government of national unity. Speculation is rife on this issue with some saying negotiations are taking place, others saying an agreement has already been signed. Nothing can be further from the truth," said Tsvangirai. He said after the announcement of the run-off election date by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on May 16, no one could change it: "Unless Robert Mugabe concedes defeat. It therefore means that a government of national unity negotiated before the run-off does not arise." Bur veteran politician and former ZANU-PF treasurer Enos Nkala was singing a different tune from Tsvangirai's yesterday. He said the June 27 presidential run-off should be called off because the poll will not produce any real winner. Nkala, at whose house ZANU was formed as a breakaway faction from ZAPU predicted President Mugabe would lose massively if he went ahead with the elections because people blamed him for the misery they were experiencing. No amount of intimidation or violence would change the result, he said. Nkala said the solution was for President Mugabe and Tsvangirai to talk and come up with a GNU. He called on church leaders, progressive chiefs, leaders of civic organisations as well as retired politicians, to facilitate talks between the two leaders.

"Our priority should be to bring about peace so that we can rebuild our country. So (President) Mugabe and Tsvangirai have to talk. Right now, they are both to blame for the present chaos in the country. (President) Mugabe is sponsoring thugs who are perpetrating this violence and so is Tsvangirai." Nkala, who was number three in ZANU- PF before resigning from both the government and the party in the late 1980s following the Willowvale Motor Industries scandal, said the onus to kick-start the talks was on President Mugabe. He said President Mugabe had adopted a policy of reconciliation in 1980 when ZANU-PF realised that although it had won the elections it could not run the

163 country effectively without incorporating ZAPU and the whites under Ian Smith. "We had won the elections by an overwhelming majority (57 out of 80 seats) but we realised that for us to be able to rebuild our country we needed total peace. We could only get the peace if we all came together and worked as one," Nkala said. "We invited Smith to Quorn Avenue (President Mugabe's residence in Mount Pleasant) and told him about our plan and when he agreed we asked him to address the nation on radio and television to reassure the whites about our policy. We also invited General Peter Walls and asked him to remain commander of the army with his main task being to integrate the three warring armies-- the former Rhodesian forces, ZANLA and ZIPRA. "We then invited Joshua Nkomo to become head of state as the country's ceremonial president but he opted to join the government as Minister of Home Affairs, and we agreed to that. It was all give and take." Nkala said ZANU-PF had to forgo a lot of things over which it had gone to war to promote the policy of reconciliation. The situation was much tougher in 1980 than it is today so he did not see any reason why Zimbabweans could not talk to find a lasting solution to the country's problems. When reminded that it was easier for ZANU-PF then to take the lead because it had won the elections and was therefore inviting people to join it in government, Nkala said the question of who should preside over the government was immaterial at the moment. "(President) Mugabe or even Tsvangirai can lead. We can't destroy our country because of personalities. We need dedicated Zimbabweans to steer us out of this situation. We don't need outsiders such as (President Thabo) Mbeki, SADC, the British or the United States. We need local wisdom from the churches, civil society and retired politicians so that we can come up with a consensus." South African media reported on Tuesday that ZANU-PF and MDC were engaged in eleventh-hour talks -- mediated by Mbeki -- to salvage a solution to the political stalemate. The reports claimed Mbeki continued to play a central role in trying to reconcile the two sides despite MDC criticism of the way he has handled the crisis. The reports said negotiators from both parties fear the June 27 run-off could prove too "dicey." A run-off cannot avoid the prospect of a hung-parliament, which will be unable to make decisions or if either President Mugabe or Tsvangirai wins. The papers said one option being discussed was a "Kenya-style" government of national unity, with President Mugabe remaining head of state and Tsvangirai becoming prime minister. The South African press said President Mugabe feared that if he lost, even after all the violence, he would then be at the mercy of Tsvangirai and his group. The papers further claimed that for his part Tsvangirai feared that he could lose the election, despite already having "one foot in". But Tsvangirai dismissed suggestions of a Kenyan style GNU saying that the situation in Zimbabwe was different. "We wish to state that the Kenyan model of government of national unity is not an option because here the people have clearly spoken and our circumstances are different." Bright Matonga, the Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity, told international news agencies that a government of national unity could be good for Zimbabwe. "Whoever wins the presidential election will need the other parties to be able to govern. We need each other," said Matonga.

• Zimbabwe: Dabengwa Backs Tsvangirai: Zimbabwe Standard (Harare): 14 June 2008.

164 Former Home Affairs Minister, Dumiso Dabengwa has thrown his weight behind the MDC's Morgan Tsvangirai ahead of the 27 June presidential election run-off. In the 29 March poll, he backed Simba Makoni, who came third. Dabengwa declared his position last Friday as three provinces of Makoni's Kusile/Mavambo project -- Matabeleland North and South and Bulawayo -- met to strategise ahead of the run-off, which pits Tsvangirai against President Robert Mugabe. The former Zipra commander's stance, which differs sharply with Makoni's proposal of a negotiated settlement, is likely to be adopted by the provinces at the workshop that ends today. This is likely to boost Tsvangirai's campaign as the bulk of Makoni's eight percent of the vote came from Matabeleland after Dabengwa ended up as the only Zanu PF heavyweight to openly support the former finance minister. Dabengwa said although they felt that Makoni's campaign was let down by the failure of his high-profile backers in Zanu PF to come out in the open ahead of the election, there was no chance he would return to Zanu PF. "We have tried to push for the cancellation of the run-off because Zimbabweans spoke loudly that no candidate could go it alone and there was a need for a government of national unity," Dabengwa said.

"The MDC was agreeable to the talks and the Zanu PF people that we spoke to agreed but none of them had the guts to approach Mugabe with the proposals." The former Zanu PF politburo member said talks on a government of national unity were doomed. "This is why, personally, I am saying it is better to prepare for the run-off by going back to our pledge to the people not to support Mugabe, no matter what." On the nature of the campaign he said there were concerns from the Kusile co-coordinators in the provinces that if they campaigned openly they would become targets of political violence engulfing the country. The MDC says at least 65 of its supporters have been murdered and tens of thousands others displaced by Zanu PF militias campaigning for Mugabe. "A decision will be made at this workshop on how we will conduct the campaign but strong views have come out that we must not be reckless in the way we do things as we might also become targets," he said. He said as a former ZIPRA commander he had tried to reason with war veterans in Matabeleland not to join the terror campaign against villagers who were backing the MDC. Levels of violence similar to those in most Mashonaland provinces would be unfortunate for people of Matabeleland who are still recovering from the Gukurahundi massacres that claimed the lives of more than 20 000 civilians, he added. Meanwhile, the Kusile c-ordinators who presented reports at the workshop so far were unanimous that the project should throw its weight behind Tsvangirai. "Some of our people are saying they didn't vote for Makoni but chose Tsvangirai because he looked hungrier for change," said a representative from Matabeleland North. A senior official in the project said Makoni would be forced to go with the "wishes of the people" and back Tsvangirai. Some felt that Makoni was positioning himself for a role in the unity government to an extent that he did not want to lose the trust of Zanu PF by openly backing Tsvangirai. Makoni could not be reached for comment.

• Zimbabwe: SADC Observers Begin Deploying for Run-Off Election: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London): 13 June 2008.

165 MORE than 100 observers from the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) were deployed across Zimbabwe on Thursday ahead of the June 27 run-off presidential election, the 14-nation regional bloc said. "We are now ready for deployment. Today is our D-day. Today we are now going out," Thanki Mothae, director of Sadc's secretariat on politics, defence and security, told reporters in Harare. Mothae said 120 observers were being deployed across Zimbabwe in the first wave of deployments. More than 400 are expected to be in place by polling day. "We had earlier anticipated that we would have 300 observers or so but based on the responses from member countries we will have more than 400 by polling day," said Mothae. Observer missions from the African Union and the Pan-African Parliament are also due to deploy before Election Day. In a follow- up report from the March 29 harmonized election, Sadc expressed its concern over mounting levels of violence and apportioned the blame to both the MDC-T and Zanu PF parties. Mothae said it was important that the latest Sadc mission was even-handed in its approach. "Let's be very careful on the statements we are going to make out there. We are not here to take sides but to help the people of Zimbabwe," he said.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Museveni to Offer Package for North: The Monitor (Kampala): 14 June 2008.

President Museveni has directed the NRM Secretariat to come up with a special financial package for historical party cadres in northern Uganda. Mr Museveni made the directive while meeting NRM London Chapter leaders at the Inter-Continental Hotel on Thursday. "We should strive to eliminate the wrong propaganda by our political opponents that NRM does not support people in northern Uganda and also make sure that our party wins the next elections in this region," Mr Museveni is quoted to have said by his Press Secretary Tamale Mirundi on Thursday. The NRM has consistently lost elections to the opposition in northern Uganda partly because of the fallout over a two-decade war that has only recently ended. The President was in London partly to attend a Commonwealth meeting on the reform of international institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Mr Museveni said the only person with a genuine reason to hate him from the north is Lt. Col. John Ogole, a key military commander under the Obote II government. "Ogole was sent by Milton Obote to dislodge me from the Luweero Triangle during the liberation war and I defeated him," Mr Museveni is reported to have said. Lt. Col. Ogole lives in exile in the UK. The President said when Idi Amin took over power in 1971, he started by killing Acholi and Langi but Mr Museveni was one of those who opposed him. He said he also opposed the killing of some Uganda Army soldiers from West Nile in 1979. After the removal of Amin's government, soldiers sought revenge for the atrocities Amin, a West Niler, had committed. "In 1985 following the removal of Obote II by Okello Lutwa and group, the Acholi turned against Langi," Mr Mirundi quoted his boss. "These killings were stopped by NRM when we took over." He added that on assumption of power in January 1986, Kampala dwellers wanted to kill people from northern Uganda and, indeed, two soldiers he did not name were killed by a mob chanting "tubookye" - let's burn them. After this incident, the President said he issued an order that those killing northerners should be shot on sight and the killing stopped. "My principle and that of NRM is to defeat the oppressor," President Museveni

166 reportedly said. "The question of north and south does not arise." Turning to the Buganda Kingdom government at Mengo with which the central government is engaged in a war of words over proposed land reforms, Mr Museveni reportedly said he has always stood with the people of Buganda. He, however, added: "If they [Baganda] want to fall on their own, let them go ahead." On his party's preparations for the 2011 general elections, Mr Museveni said the NRM will conduct primaries as early as possible to identify those who will stand to avoid independents. He said independents come as a result of disagreements in the party. An NRM London Chapter leader, Mr Magomu Mashate, told the President that the ruling party is receiving a lot of people crossing over from other political parties. "Northerners who had shunned NRM are now joining the party in droves," Mr Mashate reportedly said. "Our London Chapter wants to set up money-generating projects to sustain NRM activities."

23. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT SOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • West Africa: Heads of UN Peace Missions Meet in Dakar: United Nations (New York): PRESS RELEASE: 13 June 2008.

A high-level meeting of Heads of UN peace missions in West Africa will be held in Dakar on 13 and 14 June 2008. The meeting will be chaired by Mr. Said Djinnit of the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA). Mr. Y.J. Choi of the UN mission in Cote d'Ivoire, Ms. Margrethe Løj of the UN mission in Liberia and Mr. Shola Omoregie of the UN support office for peace consolidation in Guinea-Bissau will participate. The high-level meeting, which aims at furthering progress in harmonizing policies and activities of the UN presences in West Africa, will review the overall situation in the subregion and discuss specific cross-border issues of regional interest. The first high- level meeting of UN missions in West Africa was held in November 2003 in Freetown, Sierra Leone at which Heads of missions agreed to maintain a regular mechanism of consultation. Welcoming this initiative, the members of the UN Security Council have called for UN presences in West Africa to take concrete steps towards the implementation of a regional approach, including pulling together UN assets across the region and exploiting synergies between the missions to achieve greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness. This meeting is the thirteenth of its kind.

• Côte d'Ivoire: On Last Leg of African Trip, Security Council Discusses Polls: UN News Service (New York): 9 June 2008.

The Security Council mission touring Africa met today with officials in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, where they discussed the ongoing peace process in the West African nation and the presidential election slated for later this year. The delegation, led by Ambassador Michel Kafando of Burkina Faso, was briefed by Choi Yong Jin, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, and other senior officials of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (UNOCI). Council members met with a cross-section of Ivorian civil society, with opposition figure Alassane Ouattara, with the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission and with military officials, including the UN Force Commander and the

167 Chief of Staff of the Ivorian Army. They also held meetings with the team in charge of the logistical preparations for the planned November presidential election and with the Special Representative of the Facilitator of the Ivorian peace process. A meeting with President Laurent Gbagbo is also planned. The Council mission arrived in Côte d'Ivoire from the Democratic (DRC), where it met on Saturday with President Joseph Kabila in Kinshasa. They discussed the reform of the security and judicial sectors, the disarmament and national reconciliation processes, and the implementation of the Goma Agreement between the Government and various armed groups, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters. "They also touched on continued UN-DRC cooperation, sexual violence and issues related to war crimes investigations by the International Criminal Court," she added. On Sunday, the delegation visited a UN-run camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the north-eastern town of Goma and held discussions with the people living there, as well as with UN humanitarian staff working in the camp. They also met with the Mixed Commission on the follow-up mechanism to the Goma Agreement and with representatives of female victims of sexual violence. The Council team will return to New York tomorrow, having visited Djibouti, Sudan, Chad, DRC and Côte d'Ivoire on their 10-day trip.

• West Africa: Gun Running Worsening: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 12 June 2008.

Mali has become an established transit route for weapons heading from West Africa's increasingly peaceful coastal states to active conflicts in West and Central Africa, an ECOWAS expert has warned. "There are two factors on the supply side - stabilisation in Cote d'Ivoire and in Guinea Conakry," said Jonathan Sandy, small arms programme manager with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Bamako, who says regional monitoring has shown a steady uptick in the number of guns entering Mali over the last five years. "On the demand side, some of the weapons stay in Mali and are used for criminality. Others go to active conflicts in the north of Mali, in Niger, Chad and even as far away as Sudan," he said. Violence between the Malian army and Touareg rebels in northern Mali has escalated in recent months, with 20 rebels reportedly killed this week in the heaviest fighting since a rebel assault in May killed 25 people. The Malian national arms commission says the weapons it has seized range from sophisticated automatic weapons to ancient revolvers. The seized weapons were manufactured in countries including the United States, China, Egypt, Italy, the Czech Republic and Russia, according to the arms commission. In the Timbuktu region of northern Mali, arms commission officials said they have collected over 1,300 illegal weapons over the last five years, but that at least 5,500 weapons are still in circulation in that region alone. 450,000 people live in the Timbuktu region. ECOWAS has also registered a 100 percent increase in the number of arms being manufactured locally over the last five years. "It's a good source of employment, but our concern is that it is not regulated," Sandy said. Ahmed Hamid Maiga, head of the arms commission in Timbuktu, said deepening poverty, a declining agricultural sector, and rampant population growth explains increasing domestic demand for weapons. "People have got to eat and drink," he said. "People think if they get a gun they will get something to eat. There are many cases of fights between pastoralists and cultivators. Other people fight over access to water

168 sources." ECOWAS's Sandy said strengthening national arms commissions in Mali and around the region and improving information and awareness is the best way to stop the spread of weapons.

• Liberia: Traditional Leaders Discuss Peace, Reconciliation: The NEWS (Monrovia): 9 June 2008.

About 150 traditional leaders from Lofa, Nimba, Bong, Rivercess and Grand Bassa counties have been brainstorming on Liberia's peace and reconciliation process at a three- day traditional leadership training in Gbarnga, Bong County. The training program, organized by the United States-based group, Carter Center in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, focused on a number of issues including rape, justice system, rule of law, sexual and gender-based violence as well as human rights. Following the three-day training, the traditional leaders recommended that if peace, reconciliation and the rule of law must be realized, traditional leadership training should also be taken to the villages, towns, clans and chiefdoms. The leaders want the National Traditional Council to be separated from the Ministry of Internal Affairs if, in their words, lasting democracy and the rule of law must prevail in the country. The traditional leaders also suggested that chiefs and other local government officials be put on government's payroll because they believe that dignity and respect would come to them if this was done. The Chiefs also said justice system could be improved if scholarships were given to Liberians to study law and after graduation, they go to their respective counties to practice. They are requesting that government grant them permission to adjudicate cases where there are no judicial officials at the moment, and noted that land dispute in the rural parts of Liberia was becoming a daily problem. In remark, Bong County Superintendent Rennie Jackson said the training was part of government's way of decentralizing its development agenda, and appealed to the government to consider the recommendations from the traditional leaders.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Opposition Says Implementation of Djibouti Pact Condition for Cease-Fire: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 13 June 2008.

Officials of the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia [ARS] who are in Djibouti said they will continue with their resistance to foreign troops until there is a confirmation on the implementation of the recently signed agreement. Speaking to the reporters in Djibouti Abdirahman Abdishakur who is among ARS members in Djibouti said they are not responsible for opposition members who are not satisfied with the agreements signed between his group and the government. He added that the agreement does mean an end to resistance until the agreement with the government and international community has been implemented. Abdirahman Abdishakur also said they will reconsider the agreement if any of the points agreed is either changed or delayed in its implementation. "I would therefore like to tell those who are suspicious of the agreement to be satisfied with it. I will talk about the rumours that the Alliance condemns those engaged in the resistance. That has been a big misinterpretation. What it meant was that the Alliance is not responsible for the individual groups that are engaged in the resistance and that it is taking responsibility

169 for the agreement and those who implement it and can take charge of it. "But those who do not honour the agreement are not part of the alliance and we will not be responsible for them. It has been widely misinterpreted. We are not stopping the resistance which we have been engaged in the past. We said we will stop fighting if Ethiopian troops withdraw from the country and be replaced by UN peacekeepers from friendly countries" he said. The ARS official said the United Nations was satisfied with the way things were currently going unless changes were made by the other party. "A security committee headed by the United Nations will be formed comprising of five individuals. It will be the committee's responsibility to oversee there is cease-fire, withdrawal of Ethiopian troops and how the other peacekeepers are to be deployed in Somalia. Our forces [ARS] will be recognized and if we, Somalis, reconcile and a political solution is found. Our [forces] will be integrated in the Somali police and army. The security committee will be in charge of it all in collaboration with the United Nations" he added. Also Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad, the chairman of the Alliance for Re-Liberation of Somalia [ARS], has said that the alliance is carrying out a liberation operation in order to remove the Ethiopian forces from Somalia. In an exclusive interview with Al-Jazeera, Sheikh Sharif said that all resistance groups support negotiations with the government in order to set a timetable for the departure of the Ethiopian forces from the country. "We are carrying out a liberation operation now. In case the Ethiopian forces leave, with whom will l fight then? If a timetable was set for the departure of the Ethiopian forces, with whom will they fight? The whole resistance supports negotiations because fighting is intended to find a solution via negotiations; this is what happened, and negotiations are ongoing, the results, and what the whole resistance wants is to remove the Ethiopian forces" he said. Sharif has been leading the ARS members took part Djibouti peace talks where they've signed peace agreement with the transitional government. Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein and Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) chief Sheikh Sharif Ahmed signed the accord late Monday. The outcome of the talks was rebuffed by senior islamist leaders including Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys."I do not believe that the outcome of this conference will have any impact on the resistance in Somalia. We shall continue fighting until we liberate our country from the enemies of Allah," Aweys told Mogadishu-based Shabelle radio. "The aim of the meeting was to derail the holy war in the country," added Aweys, a hardline cleric designated a terrorist by the United States for suspected links to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network. Aweys is a member of the ARS, an opposition umbrella group dominated by Islamists and based in the Eritrean capital Asmara. While some Islamist leaders and influential clan leaders joined the talks, Aweys and other hardline Islamists stayed away, saying they would not participate unless Ethiopian troops backing government forces pulled out of Somalia. They also insisted the conference was biased. According to the accord, Ethiopian troops would withdraw after the United Nations deployed peacekeepers from countries friendly to Somalia -- excluding neighbouring states -- within 120 days after the armistice takes effect. On May 15, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution opening the way to a gradual return of UN staff to Somalia and possibly resulting in the deployment of peacekeepers there, but did not set a timetable. But Aweys said the new truce did not set a deadline for the pullout of Ethiopian troops, who deployed at the end of 2006 and ousted Islamists from south and central Somalia. "The agreement does not offer a timetable of the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces. It is not clear when they will leave,"

170 Aweys added. The Islamists have waged a guerrilla war since then, which according to international rights groups and aid agencies has left at least 6,000 civilians dead. The country has been plagued by an uninterrupted civil war since the 1991 overthrow of president Mohamed Siad Barre. A string of previous peace initiatives and truce deals have failed.

• Somalia: Scholars Skeptical About Recent Djibouti Agreement: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 13 June 2008.

Some Somali scholars are sceptical about the recent agreement reached in Djibouti between the government and opposition. [Among the points that brought about suspicion and confusion are the ones relating to the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops and the stand Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia [ARS] is to take on other armed groups that are fighting in the country. Idris Hasan Farah, a Somali scholar, who was closely following the situation and is currently in Finland, said the point regarding the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops is not very clear. Idris said the way the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops is written does not have any difference with the previous pledge by Ethiopian government that it will withdraw its troops once UN peace keepers are deployed in Somalia. Idiris reiterated that the point is not clear and requires more clarification. Idris also spoke on the point requiring the ARS to not involve in activities with groups that are not part of the agreement and are involved in the fighting. Idiris said the point is meant to cause divisions among the various groups that are fighting Ethiopia. "That point is very vague and is a difficult one to understand. Ethiopian and government forces are the ones causing trouble in the country engaging in murder and looting. So to say separate yourselves from groups that are fighting in the country "He said. Idris Hasan Farah said it is not clear whether Ethiopian troops will withdraw when UN peacekeepers are deployed in the country because the number of troops required to maintain peace in the country have not been specified and was only vaguely stated that peace keepers will be deployed. He added even if 10,000 troops are deployed the Somali government can claim they are not enough to maintain peace where as if 500 troops are deployed, the opposition can claim they are enough for peacekeeping. Since the signing of the 11 point agreement between government and opposition in Djibouti, the civil society groups have expressed mixed reactions about ways the 11 points can be implemented in order to find a solution to the country's political deadlock. Some members of the armed groups fighting in Mogadishu termed the agreement as one favouring Ethiopian government and not at all beneficial to groups involved in the struggle where as the opposition members who signed the agreement said it was a major achievement because Ethiopian troops will withdraw within a period of four months. The agreement articles signed in Djibouti are as follows:

171 In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent and the most Merciful

AGREEMENT BETWEEN

THE TRANSITIONAL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF SOMALIA (TFG)

And

THE ALLIANCE FOR THE RE-LIBERATION OF SOMALIA (ARS)

1.The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and the Alliance for Re- liberation of Somalia (ARS) attending a meeting from 31 May to 9 June 2008 in Djibouti, facilitated by the UN. They are hereafter referred to as "the Parties".

2. The Parties gave their respective analyses of the 18 year old crisis and made proposals aimed at restoring trust, confidence and at ending the conflict. Their discussion led to the present Agreement.

3. The primary requirement of this Agreement is to: ensure the cessation of all armed confrontation and a political settlement for a durable peace; promote a peaceful environment; avoid a security vacuum; facilitate the protection of the population and the unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance and call for the convening of a reconstruction and development conference.

4. The Parties noted that: a. Over the past eighteen years, Somalia has suffered massive human losses, insecurity and vast destruction of its physical infrastructure and other vital public investments. A whole generation of young people and adults has been sacrificed or denied education and development; b. The human and humanitarian situation is continuously deteriorating. At the same time, the country's international image and standing have been seriously undermined; c. This tragic situation, and the fact that eighteen years of war and conflict have brought neither durable peace nor stability and inspired by patriotic and religious examples of compromise.

5. Decided to: a. Reaffirm the dignity, sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Somalia; b. Take courageous measures to finally bring this situation to an end and resolve the crisis through peaceful means.

6. Agreed on:

172 a. The termination of all acts of armed confrontation by the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) and its allies and by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and its allies;

b. The cessation of armed confrontation shall come into force thirty (30) days from the signing of this agreement throughout the national territory; c. The cessation of armed confrontation is approved for an initial period of ninety (90) days, renewable.

7. The Parties agreed from the date of coming into effect of this Agreement:

a. To request the United Nations, consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 1814 and within a period of one hundred and twenty (120) days, to authorize and deploy an international stabilization force from countries that are friends of Somalia excluding neighboring states; b. Within a period of 120 days of the signing of this agreement the TFG will act in accordance with the decision that has already been taken by the Ethiopian Government to withdraw its troops from Somalia after the deployment of a sufficient number of UN Forces; c. The ARS shall, through a solemn public statement, cease and condemn all acts of armed violence in Somalia and dissociate itself from any armed groups or individuals that do not adhere to the terms of this Agreement.

8. To ensure the effective implementation of this Agreement, the Parties agree to: a. Undertake all necessary measures to ensure unhindered humanitarian access and assistance to affected populations; b. Refrain from declarations and actions inconsistent with the peaceful spirit of this Agreement; c. Establish a Joint Security Committee to follow up the implementation of security arrangements within fifteen (15) days of the signing of this Agreement. The composition and mandate of this Committee, chaired by the UN, shall be adopted within the same period.

9. A High Level Committee, chaired by the UN, should be established within fifteen (15) days of the signing of this Agreement to follow up on issues relating to the political cooperation between the Parties and concerns over justice and reconciliation. These issues will be discussed at a conference to be organized by 30 July 2008.

10. The Parties will work with all other relevant Somali stakeholders to ensure the full and effective implementation of this agreement.

173 11. The Parties call on the international community to help provide the adequate resources for the implementation and follow-up of this Agreement. The Parties also consider it a priority to convene within the next six (6) months an international conference aimed at addressing Somalia's Reconstruction and Development.

Djibouti .9 June 2008

Transitional Federal Government, Alliance for Re-Liberation of Somalia, United Nations. Observer States: France, United Kingdom, United States, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Djibouti. Observer Groups: African Union, League of Arab States, Organization of Islamic Conference, European Union.

• Sudan: Funding Shortfall Forces UN to Cut Back Air Service for Aid Workers: UN News Service (New York): 10 June 2008.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today it will have to cut back on its air service in Sudan due to lack of funds, curtailing the ability of 14,000 aid workers to travel to Darfur and other parts of the strife-torn nation. The Humanitarian Air Service (WFP-HAS), run by WFP on behalf of the entire humanitarian community in Sudan, needs $20 million by 15 June to avoid cuts and maintain full service through the coming months. The total shortfall is $48 million on the $77 million budget for this year. WFP's Representative in Sudan, Kenro Oshidari said the agency has been facing the possible closure of the air service since March because of lack of funding. "The measures announced today are aimed to keep vital services going for longer, while we wait for new funding to be confirmed," he stated. WFP-HAS will have to cut one helicopter immediately - bringing the fleet down to five - and two fixed-wing aircraft on 19 June, in addition to raising fees for helicopter flights in Darfur starting 1 July. Some 3,000 humanitarian workers use WFP helicopters each month to reach remote parts of Darfur, where travel by road is impossible due to insecurity, banditry or poor road conditions. "Undoubtedly, this is a blow to the humanitarian effort in Sudan. The impact will be felt by vulnerable people who depend on the international community for crucial services," he said. Mr. Oshidari added that the cuts will also reduce the ability to respond to urgent medical evacuation requests and staff relocations because of insecurity. Last year, WFP- HAS carried out 267 security and medical evacuations. So far this year, donors have provided $13.2 million in confirmed contributions to WFP-HAS, about 17 per cent of the required budget.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Burundi: Rebel Leader's Return a Boon for Peace Prospects: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 12 June 2008.

The return from exile of a key rebel leader is a significant development in Burundi's search for peace, but his group and the government need to quickly overcome mutual suspicions and make compromises, according to observers. "The fact that [Agathon] Rwasa accepted to come to Bujumbura and that talks [took place] in South Africa are good indicators," said Henri Boshoff, an analyst with the Institute for Security Studies

174 (ISS) in South Africa. "For the first time, he will directly be part of the talks group." Rwasa, leader of Burundi's last active armed opposition group, the Palipehutu-Forces nationales de libération (FNL), returned from years of exile in Tanzania on 30 May. Observers said he returned under immense international and regional pressure to pursue peace. "It is time to look forward and build lasting peace and stability in Burundi," he told cheering supporters at Bujumbura airport. "We are ready to lay down our weapons and bring our combatants to assembly areas." Days later he flew to South Africa for two days of talks. "The government of Burundi and Palipehutu-FNL renounced violence and undertook to resolve all their differences by dialogue," a communiqué issued after the talks said. There was also a broad agreement for the group to be accommodated into Burundi's political and military institutions. Since Rwasa's return, the guns have been silent. Should they remain so, aid workers in Bujumbura said, many of about 330,000 Burundian refugees in neighbouring countries, and an estimated 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), could be encouraged to go back home. "The FNL never advocated using weapons," FNL spokesman Pasteur Habimana told IRIN on 6 June. "It was forced to because talks failed. Now that talks are back on, it is out of the question that the farmers will take [up] arms." Three days earlier, President Pierre Nkurunziza had hailed the presence of FNL leaders in Bujumbura, but warned against further recruitment of fighters. "Recruitment might delay the process to assemble the combatants," he told reporters. Then he hinted that he wanted FNL fighters to leave the bush soon. "I am calling on the Political Directorate [part of the mediation mechanism] to do everything possible so that the [FNL] combatants assemble as quickly as possible," he added. However, Habimana urged patience. "The combatants are getting ready to go to cantonment sites, but nothing has been agreed yet on what they would become afterwards," he told IRIN in Bujumbura. "There has to be a political accord and technical force agreement [on] what happens when they leave the cantonments." Observers read mutual suspicion in the two positions. "Some confidence-building is necessary," a political commentator in Bujumbura, who requested anonymity, said. "The FNL leaders still fear to talk openly about their plans. On the other hand, the government has yet to say what exactly it is putting on the table." Himself a former guerrilla leader, Nkurunziza was elected president in 2005 under an agreement brokered by the African Union and the UN. The FNL refused to be part of that pact, but months later signed a separate agreement with the government. That deal soon stalled, however, and clashes resumed.

Still in the woods: Ordinary Burundians remain cautious - closely watching developments. "It is difficult to believe that the clashes are about to end - until all the people [FNL fighters] in the hills come down," said taxi driver Ramathan Asuman. The hills of Bujumbura Rural province, where hundreds of FNL fighters are believed to be holed up, tower over the city. "In the past, the FNL have come into town ostensibly to talk and days later walked back to the hills to resume shelling us," Asuman added. It was from these hills that FNL fire power came raining down on the suburb of Kabezi, 20 km from the capital, in May - shattering expectations among many Burundians that the government and the FNL were about to clinch a new deal to end conflict which has over 15 years killed an estimated 300,000 people. The May attack left 33 people dead and prompted at least 20,000 to flee their homes. It violated a September 2006 ceasefire agreement and led Nkurunziza to call for sanctions against the FNL. Eventually, the army

175 pushed the rebels back into the hills. On 25 May, the FNL agreed a new ceasefire with the government. Three days later, the police released 102 detainees, alleged FNL supporters, in 'a gesture of good faith from the government'. Some Bujumbura residents faulted the timing of the president's appeal for sanctions. "One can understand the frustration, but he should have been more tactful - the FNL was already under [international] pressure to stop fighting," a businessman who requested anonymity told IRIN. "What he did was to build more mistrust." Then the police rounded up hundreds more suspected FNL supporters. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), at least 300 people were detained 'solely as suspected members of a movement long opposed to the government'. Many remain in custody - reportedly crowded into irregular detention sites, including military installations. "Some people have been in detention for weeks, even though Burundian law clearly prohibits holding anyone without charge for more than seven days," Alison Des Forges, senior advisor to HRW's Africa division, said.

Outstanding issues: Since Rwasa's return, the FNL has resumed attending meetings of the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism in Bujumbura, which it had quit in July 2007, and discussed the cantonment of its fighters. The group claims to have 15,000 men, but sources in Bujumbura put their strength at no more than 3,000, including hundreds of children. FNL military spokesman Anatole Bacanamwo said they would like three cantonment sites set up in each of the provinces where their presence is greatest. These include Bujumbura Rural, Bubanza, Kayanza and Cibitoke. So far the government is insisting on two sites countrywide, saying the FNL numbers do not justify many sites. Other sticking points were yet to be tackled - including power-sharing, the constitutional recognition of the FNL as a political party and demobilisation of fighters. Habimana declined to discuss the power-sharing arrangements the FNL would propose. "We cannot share a cow when we do not have it yet," he said. "It would be a mistake." The ISS's Boshoff said the group would have to make compromises. "I do not think power-sharing will occur; what is the basis? I do not think the FNL fighters are that significant any more," he told IRIN on 10 June. "They will have to accept whatever they are given - they cannot afford to be picky any more."

It is time to look forward and build lasting peace and stability in Burundi: Habimana wants Palipehutu-FNL to be recognised as a political party. As far as the government is concerned, the group must first change its name, which is short for Party for the Liberation of the Hutu People. The government pointed out that another FNL wing gained official recognition only after it changed its name to Palipe-Agakiza. "Anything related to changing the name of Palipehutu-FNL must refer to the constitution which actually orders political parties with an ethnic brand to change their names," explained presidential spokesman Leonidas Hatungimana. Habimana dismissed the idea of a name change. "If the parliament does not amend the constitution, we shall request a referendum," he said.

• Burundi: FNL Rebels 'Still Recruiting Children': UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 9 June 2008.

176 Burundi's last active armed opposition group, the Forces nationales de libération (FNL), has continued to recruit children into its ranks despite recent moves to end rebellion, a senior official said. 'Children who have just sat for their national test [primary school examinations] are being recruited by the FNL,' Pascal Nyabenda, governor of Bubanza province said. 'Recruitment is going on in Musigati, Rugazi and Gihanga communes.' FNL spokesman Pasteur Habimana denied that his group was recruiting and using child soldiers. But he admitted, without giving numbers, that the FNL had some children in its camps. 'We have no child soldiers - the children who are with us are those who lost parents during the war,' he told IRIN in the capital, Bujumbura, on 6 June. 'They came to us because they had no other protection.' The FNL, he added, had 'enough combatants and does not need any more'. The group claims to have 15,000 men, but sources in Bujumbura put their strength at no more than 3,000, including hundreds of children. 'We will hand over the children that we have to the relevant authorities as soon as possible,' Habimana added. On 6 May, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, called for the immediate release of all children in the hands of the FNL. Welcoming the release of 232 child soldiers after months of negotiations involving the government, civil society, UN agencies and a faction of the FNL, she said: 'Grave concern remains for the approximately 500 children associated with the FNL of Agathon Rwasa.' The group, according to the Coalition to Stop Child Soldiers, was in 2004 reported to be forcibly recruiting and using children for frontline duties, to transport ammunition, carry the wounded or dead and for intelligence gathering activities. The rebels later recruited from bands of street children in Bujumbura and from schools, according to the Coalition, which cited the case of 48 children recruited in Bururi and Ngozi provinces in April and May 2007. 'Some captured child soldiers said they had been promised cars and other Luxury goods if they enlisted,' the Coalition said in its 2008 report. An estimated 6,000 to 7,000 child soldiers are estimated to have fought alongside the various armed groups over the years of Burundi's conflict. According to the UN, more than 3,500 have been demobilised since 2004. These include child soldiers from the former government's armed forces, militias, and all armed opposition groups - including 500 who were demobilised from the FNL in 2007, and those released in May. Rwasa returned to Bujumbura on 30 May, under intense international pressure, and is expected to urge his supporters to lay down their arms and denounce rebellion. Aid workers say his return should expedite Burundi's peace process.

• Congo-Kinshasa: Monuc Report On the Bas Congo Violence in February/March 2008: United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa): PRESS RELEASE: 13 June 2008.

A multidisciplinary team led by the United Nations Office for Human Rights was deployed in Bas Congo province from 17 -28 March 2008, to inquire into the violent incidents that took place between the Congolese National Police (PNC) and Bundu Dia Kongo* (BDK) members in Bas Congo, in February and March 2008. Since October 2007, tensions were reported between BDK members and the local authorities in several Bas Congo cities and villages. On 28 February 2008, the DRC government launched operations to restore state authority in the whole of the province. These police operations were carried out by the Rapid Intervention Force and the Integrated Police Unit, sent

177 from Kinshasa to respond to a series of criminal acts made by the BDK, which included murder, attacks and the taking over of state authority in certain areas of Bas Congo. The investigation concluded that at least 100 people, mainly BDK members, were killed during the operations launched by the PNC on 28 February 2008, in the province of Bas Congo. The PNC were deemed responsible for the destruction of more than 200 buildings (churches, houses of BDK members as well as houses of civilians with no links to the BDK) in several Bas Congo villages, as well as the looting of many houses in the province. More than 150 BDK members were arrested during the violence, and several of them were victims of torture or cruel and degrading treatment. MONUC recommends that measures are taken by the Congolese Government so that the PNC is sufficiently equipped and trained to manage situations such as those which occurred in Bas Congo. MONUC also recommends that the Congolese legal authorities open an investigation into the crimes and the serious violations of the human rights presented in the report, so that the presumed authors of these criminal acts are judged and condemned in accordance with the law. *Bundu dia Kongo (BDK): Politico-cultural movement, created in June 1969. Present in most of Bas Congo province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bundu dia Kongo's motto is "to fight for the defence, the protection and the promotion of the rights and interests of the Kongo people throughout the world."

• Central African Republic: UN Peacebuilding Commission Adds Country to Its Agenda: UN News Service (New York): 12 June 2008.

The Central African Republic (CAR) today became the fourth country to be placed on the agenda of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, which was set up to help countries emerging from conflict avoid the slide back into war or chaos. The 31-member body, meeting at UN Headquarters in New York, agreed to the CAR move after a request earlier this year from the Government of the impoverished country, which has also been beset by armed attacks, widespread banditry and massive internal displacement in recent months. CAR joins Burundi, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone on the agenda of the Peacebuilding Commission, which was established by the UN at the end of 2005. It is tasked with marshalling resources from around the world and providing strategic advice to post-conflict States. President François Bozizé told today's meeting that the CAR is emerging from a long cycle of recurring socio-economic and political crises and that his Government is working to rebuild State institutions, particularly the judiciary.

24. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Militants Abduct Father of Oil Magnate: Vanguard (Lagos): 13 June 2008.

THE peace in Opobo was shattered in the early hours of yesterday as suspected militants shot their way into the residence of an oil magnate, Mr. Festus MacPepple, and abducted his septuagenarian father, Mr. Henry Pepple. They also killed his guard. Spokesman of the Joint Task Force and army PRO in the state, Lieutenant Col. Sagi Musa, confirmed the abduction. According to community sources, the gun men numbering about thirty

178 stormed the residence at about 3am. They allegedly detonated dynamites at will and shot sporadically to wade off any intruder. With the aid of the explosives the sources said the gun men were able to access the bullet proof doors to abduct the old man. The community sources said that no resistance could come from the neighbourhood because of the heavy shelling from the boys. "The shooting was too much that nobody dared to come out. People were so scared that they feared that militants have invaded the island. It was not until this morning (yesterday) that people actually realised that the whole essence of the gunshots was the kidnap of Mr. MacPepple." It could not be confirmed if any group had claimed responsibility for the action. It is also not clear if any ransom demand had been made.

• Nigeria: Al-Qaeda Threat - Group Chides Police Ig: Leadership (Abuja): 9 June 2008.

The Northern Network for Justice and Development (NNJD), has reacted, following recent reports in the media and inferences on the purported statement of the Inspector- General of Police on the supposed intelligence report on the globally renowned terrorist group, Al-qaeda alleged interest in Nigeria. In a press conference led by its coordinator in Kaduna, the coordinator, Abdullahi Ali Kano said "The most effective way to prevent an unfortunate incident other than preparing it is to prevent it. This can only be achieved under an effective and genuine relationship between the Police and the people they protect and police. Sharing of information and collaboration in seeking understanding between the people and the police helps a lot in assisting the law enforcement body to carry out its duties efficiently. We do not have to witness acts of horror before we act as we do not know who will be the victims in cases as sensitive as this". Ali stressed "To say the least, some of the remarks are as unfair as they are insensitive. Responses to situations like this from any quarters requires more tact and caution than has been witnessed already. Nigeria is a complex country of diver's religions and ethno-religious orientations such that if information received is not properly managed, the consequences have not painted a nice picture". He noted that there are many terrorists' organisations in the world under the guise of one criterion or the other fighting causes they believe to be just, the world, the group opined allows such organisations to express themselves within the ambits of civilised conduct which does not pose danger to a country's citizen, but where the world differs with the organisations are basically in their methodologies characterized by orgies of violence and death. Arguing that "If there had been intelligence report on the activities of this group, Nigerians, irrespective of their religions or ethnic affiliations, have right to be informed on actions taken to safeguard the lives and property of Nigerians".

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Pressure Builds On Tsvangirai to Accept Deal And Avoid Elections: The Nation (Nairobi): 13 June 2008.

The push for a government of national unity is threatening to derail Zimbabwe's main opposition leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai's plan to finish off President Robert Mugabe in

179 the June 27 presidential run-off election, with his major backers withholding their endorsement in favour of calls to cancel the poll. Meanwhile, late today, Zimbabwe police arrested the opposition MDC's secretary general as he flew in today ahead of the June 27 presidential run-off vote and detained party leader Morgan Tsvangirai for the third time this month. MDC officials said party secretary general Tendai Biti was detained as he stepped off a plane at Harare airport. Mr Biti, the party's number three, left the country soon after disputed March 29 elections to gather African support. Police spokesman, Wayne Bvudzijena said Biti had been arrested over the opposition's early announcement of results from the elections. "He was wanted in connection with the premature announcement of results before the official announcement of results by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission," he said. Mr Chris Mhike, a lawyer acting for the MDC, said an urgent court application would be made to force authorities to bring Mr Biti to court as soon as possible. Mr Tsvangirai was detained at a roadblock on his way to address a campaign rally today, the party said. He was detained by police twice last week and held for several hours on both occasions. Elsewhere, South African President Thabo Mbeki, who was mandated by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to mediate between Zanu PF and MDC, has reportedly been pressing the opposition to agree to a transitional government, because of rising violence. And, former Zambian president, Dr Kenneth Kaunda has added to the pressure on Mr Tsvangirai with a public call for him to accept the post of prime minister under a Mr Mugabe presidency.

He said it was "important for each one of them (political leaders) to remember that they have a duty and, indeed, they owe it to that great country, to start afresh". In Zimbabwe, the opposition is under intense political and violent pressure to agree to call off the poll and join a coalition government led by Mr Mugabe. Mr Tsvangirai, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, won the first round of the elections in March but narrowly failed to win an outright majority. He has rejected any agreement that leaves Mr Mugabe in office and says there can be no agreement on power sharing before a run-off vote because he is confident of victory. "Mugabe will lose," Mr Tsvangirai said. "It's just a formality to go and campaign, the people have already decided." But the support the has been banking on to achieve that victory has not been forthcoming, with ruling Zanu PF defector, Dr Simba Makoni who garnered eight percent of the vote in the four way presidential race now taking center stage in the push for the transitional government. The smaller faction of the MDC led by Professor is reportedly divided on the run-off with some senior official preferring to support a transitional government instead of Mr Tsvangirai's final push. Those calling for the transitional government argue that there is no hope for a free and fair election in Zimbabwe because of the worsening violence, which the opposition says has claimed the lives of more than 60 of its supporters and displaced tens of thousands.

Is not conducive: Dr Makoni says the current environment of instability and violence is not conducive for a free and fair election. "We are convinced that the last thing Zimbabwe and the people need is another election," he said recently. "Between now and June 27 we believe that an election cannot be conducted the people will be short changed." He revealed that the negotiations between the ruling Zanu PF and the MDC were taking place and both leaders - Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai respectively - were

180 agreed that a transitional government would resolve the problem of Zimbabwe. Analysts fear that if Mr Tsvangirai's backers in the opposition do not take a decision soon on whether to endorse his candidature and continue with their push for government of national unity, they will deliver victory to Mr Mugabe. Already, Mr Tsvangirai can not campaign in the former Zanu PF rural strongholds that have been sealed off by President Mugabe's militant supporters who have been blamed for most of the violence rocking the country. There is also concern among some opposition politicians that, if the MDC insists on taking power, the government will use escalating state-sponsored violence as a pretext to call off the polls at the last minute and impose emergency rule. Professor Welshman Ncube, the secretary general of the smaller faction of the MDC said a decision was likely to be made on Friday on whether to endorse Mr Tsvangirai. But he admitted there were divisions in the faction over strategy as some members felt that the main MDC wanted to divide the group by secretly approaching their Members of Parliament and councillors to campaign for Mr Tsvangirai. "There are some who are going to our members, councilors, Members of Parliament and others in leadership positions and asking them to campaign with them without our knowledge," Prof Ncube said.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • East Africa: Security Council Urges Ceasefire After Deadly Clashes Between Eritrea, Djibouti: UN News Service (New York): 13 June 2008.

The Security Council has called on Djibouti and Eritrea to agree to a ceasefire after several days of fighting along their joint border that has led to several deaths and dozens of wounded. Voicing "strong concern about the serious incidents that occurred on 10 June," the Council condemned Eritrean military action against Djibouti in Ras Doumeira and Doumeira Island, according to a statement read out last night by Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad of the United States, which holds the rotating Council presidency this month. "The Security Council calls upon the parties to commit to a ceasefire and urges both parties, in particular Eritrea, to show maximum restraint and withdraw forces to the status-quo ante. "The Security Council urges both parties, in particular Eritrea, to cooperate and engage in diplomatic efforts to resolve the matter peacefully and in a manner consistent with international law." The 15-member panel welcomed the efforts of the African Union, the Arab League and individual States to end the crisis and encouraged Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to use his good offices and reach out to both countries "to determine arrangements for decreasing the military presence along the border and to develop confidence-building measures to resolve the border situation."

CENTRAL AFRICA • Chad: Rebels Seen Moving Again in East: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 13 June 2008.

Two columns of armed fighters are moving close to areas where aid operations are ongoing in eastern Chad, aid workers in the area said on 13 June. "The local authorities have already run away from Goz Beida town," an aid worker based in Goz Beida told IRIN by telephone. "Two columns of rebels have been seen, one near Goz Beida and the

181 other near Abeche. The governor told us we should call the EUFOR [European Union Force] troops to protect us because the rebels are coming," the aid official said. The rebel sightings come following several news reports of clashes between rebels and the Chadian army close to Abeche, and reports that a Chadian army helicopter was shot down on Thursday 12 June. Also on 12 June state media in Chad reported the government spokesperson Mahamat Hissene as saying in a statement that: "Mercenaries in the pay of Sudan entered Chadian territory on 11 June between Ade and Amdjerena" in eastern Chad. Chad and Sudan have frequently accused each other of backing anti-government rebels over the last three years. Groups of armed fighters reportedly based in the Darfur region of Sudan have crossed the border twice to attack the Chadian capital N'djamena, first in 2006 and again in March this year. Both times they were repelled after days of bloody street fighting with the Chadian army. There have also been frequent skirmishes in the eastern provinces of Chad and near the border with Sudan. When the outer defenses of the Sudan capital Khartoum were breached by rebels in May this year, the government accused Chad of backing those groups, a charge denied by Chad. While Chad's government and army have been preoccupied with defending against rebel attacks, more than 150,000 Chadians have been internally displaced by militias which are operating with total impunity in the east. Hundreds of villages have been looted and many Chadians killed and maimed. Analysts and observers had speculated that the anti- government rebels might make another push to seize N'djamena before heavy rains which usually last from July until October would make it impossible for them to cross the country from Sudan. A European Union military deployment, EUFOR, is currently on the ground in eastern Chad, mandated to protect the 12 camps housing Sudanese refugees from Darfur. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) operates there, as well as non- governmental organisations and local civil society groups. Aid agencies have complained that EUFOR is failing to properly protect them amid a deteriorating security environment.

Should the rebels succeed in seizing the capital, diplomats and analysts fear that the country could descend into factionalised warfare.

25. NORTH AFRICA • Mauritania: Torture of Alleged Islamists Widespread: Amnesty International: PRESS RELEASE: 13 June 2008.

Amnesty International is concerned about the persistent use of torture in Mauritania to extract confessions – especially from those accused of links with Islamic groups.

In May 2008, approximately 40 people accused of involvement in armed terrorist attacks, allegedly launched by members of al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), were detained incommunicado for more than 20 days. Some were tortured. According to Amnesty International the torture occurred under the provisions of an anti-terrorist law that allows serious human rights violations. During a research mission to Mauritania in February 2008, former detainees told Amnesty International about a form of torture called “the jaguar”. One former detainee described this form of torture: “During questioning, they tied my hands under my knees and put a metal bar under my knees and

182 suspended me from the ceiling in the ‘jaguar’ position. Then they started to hit me.”Some detainees were also deprived of sleep and burned with cigarettes. Detainees who were victims of torture complained to the prosecutor about their treatment but, to Amnesty International’s knowledge, the prosecutor has taken no measures against the perpetrators of these acts. These practices have been publicly denounced by the Mauritanian Bar Association and the Mauritanian Human Rights Association, but there has been no public reaction from the government about the allegations. During an audience granted to the Amnesty International delegation in January 2008, Mauritanian President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi gave assurances that torture was no longer tolerated in Mauritania since he came to power.

Background information: Mauritanian law allows for a detention period of 15 days for anyone accused of “crimes and offences against the internal or external security of the state”, the charge most commonly made against those accused of links with alleged terrorist groups. This already excessive period of custody has not been respected in the case of the alleged Islamists arrested in May 2008. They have been detained incommunicado for more than 20 days and have not been permitted to see their lawyers or families, even though the law authorises them to do so. These practices are contrary to the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, reviewed in 2007 after the new government came to power, which forbids the “physical or moral ill-treatment” of anyone held in detention and states that the family of the detainee must be informed of their arrest “without delay”. For security offences, the period of detention after arrest cannot be longer than 15 days. Amnesty International called on Mauritanian President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi to give clear instructions to the security forces to halt any practices amounting to torture or other forms of ill-treatment. The organization also called for all those suspected of torture or ill-treatment to be immediately suspended from their posts and for an independent judicial inquiry to be immediately opened so that those responsible can be brought to justice.

• Tunisia: Emergency Relief Reaches Victims of Chinese Earthquake: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 10 June 2008.

A cargo load of Tunisian emergency relief aid reached early this week, the city of Chengdu , capital of China 's Sichuan province, which was recently hit by a powerful earthquake which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. Chinese officials who met the Tunisian military plane, asked Tunisia 's Ambassador in Beijing to convey their thanks to President Ben Ali for Tunisia 's noble gesture towards the victims of the earthquake. The relief aid comprises basic food stuff, clothing and tents as well as other relief useful relief items. Immediately following the catastrophe, President Ben Ali had sent a message of condolences to Chinese President Hu Jintao, expressing the compassion and sympathy of the Tunisian government and people to China.

• Egypt: Govt Forcibly Returns Up to 1,400 Asylum Seekers From Eritrea: Amnesty International: PRESS RELEASE: 13 June 2008.

183 The Egyptian authorities forcibly returned a group of around 200 asylum-seekers to Eritrea in the night of 11 June, and are preparing to forcibly return a further 1,400. In Eritrea they will be at risk of torture and other ill-treatment. The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Egypt has not been granted access to any of the Eritreans to assess their asylum claims, despite repeated requests. The authorities appear to have scheduled a number of special flights to Eritrea. A group of 169 Eritrean asylum- seekers could be returned as early as the evening of 12 June: they were moved from Nasr al Nuba police station near Aswan city, where they had been detained, to Central Security Forces camp in Shallal, south of Aswan. Hundreds of Eritrean asylum-seekers are detained in several police stations near Aswan city. Dozens of others are detained in Al- Qanater prison near the capital, Cairo. Around 700 are detained near the Red Sea cities of Hurghada and Marsa Alam. Lawyers representing the asylum-seekers held in Aswan believe that 200 of those held in Hurghada are being transported to Aswan, in preparation for forcible return. The 200 asylum-seekers deported on 11 June had been detained in a Central security forces camp in Shallal in Aswan city. They were told they would be transported to the UNHCR office in Cairo. Their lawyers tried to reach them the same evening to offer medication and food but could not get to them. The Eritreans were then taken to Aswan International airport and put on a special EgyptAir flight to Eritrea. Most asylum-seekers returned to Eritrea are likely to be arbitrarily detained incommunicado in inhumane conditions from weeks to years. They will be at serious risk of torture or other ill-treatment, particularly those who have fled from compulsory military service. Since the end of February, flows of Eritrean asylum-seekers have reached Egypt either via its southern border with Sudan or by sea, south of the city of Hurghada. Others are recognized as refugees by the UNHCR in Sudan, and are fleeing Sudan to avoid being forcibly returned to Eritrea by the Sudanese authorities.

Hundreds of the Eritrean asylum-seekers in Aswan were charged with illegal entry in Egypt and were sentenced to a suspended one-month prison term. They were however kept in administrative detention by orders of the Ministry of Interior, as granted under the Emergency law in Egypt.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued guidelines to all governments opposing return to Eritrea of rejected Eritrean asylum seekers on the grounds of the record of serious human rights violations in Eritrea. These guidelines are still in force. Refugees and asylum-seekers returned to Eritrea have been detained incommunicado, and tortured. Two asylum- seekers returned to Eritrea by the German authorities on 14 May are believed to have been arrested on arrival, and have not been seen since. Another asylum-seeker returned from the UK in November 2007 was detained in inhumane conditions and ill-treated before being released. Thousands of people are detained incommunicado in Eritrea, in secret and indefinitely, without charge or trial. They have been arrested for suspected opposition to the government, practicing their religious beliefs as members of banned evangelical or other churches, evading military conscription or trying to flee the country. Military service is compulsory for all men and women aged 18 to 40. There is no limit on length of service. There is no exemption for conscientious objectors, and no alternative non-military service. The usual punishment for evading military service is detention and

184 torture: this can include having hands and feet tied behind the back in a painful position known as "the helicopter".

• Libya: Eleven Demonstration Organisers Sentenced to Six to 25 Years in Prison: Human Rights Watch Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 12 June 2008.

The Libyan government should exonerate and release 11 peaceful political activists convicted on politically motivated charges, Human Rights Watch said today. A state security court in Tripoli on June 10 reportedly sentenced the men to six to 25 years in prison.

The men are part of a group of 14 arrested in February 2007 for planning a demonstration to commemorate the death of 11 people during a clash between protesters and police a year earlier. In May 2008, the authorities released one of the men, Jum'a Boufayed, and a second man, 'Adil Humaid, was released on June 10. A third man, 'Abd al-Rahman al- Qotaiwi, has been missing since his arrest. "In Libya today, just planning to criticize the government can land you in jail for years," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The government should throw out these bogus convictions immediately." The trial of the remaining 11 men was conducted by the state security court, which was created in August 2007 to handle political cases. It is reportedly located inside Abu Salim prison in Tripoli, a facility run by Libya's Internal Security Agency. Information about the trial and verdict came from the Libyan émigré website al- Mostakbal ( http://www.libya-almostakbal.net/index.html ), which has closely monitored the case and spoke with two people who observed the courtroom proceedings. The men were reportedly convicted of planning to overthrow the government and meeting with an official from a foreign government, apparently a US embassy official in Tripoli. They were found innocent of arms possession. In recent years, Libya has sought to foster better relations with the United States and European countries, in part by seeking to improve its human rights image. "The Libyan government has been trying to patch up its notoriously poor human rights record," said Whitson. "But no patch is big enough to cover the blatant violation of these men's rights." One of the defendants, Jamal Ahmad al-Haji, is a writer and government critic. In an article he issued a few days before his arrest, he called for "freedom, democracy, a constitutional state, and law" in Libya. Jamal al-Haji holds Danish citizenship, which the Libyan government has refused to recognize. The authorities have refused Danish government requests to visit al-Haji, in violation of Libya's obligations under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. The main organizer of the planned demonstration, Idris Boufayed, who lived in Switzerland for 16 years, was sentenced to 25 years. He is suffering from advanced lung cancer. "The Libyan authorities should throw out the political charges against all these men and make sure Idris Boufayed is free and able to get the medical care he needs," Whitson said. On May 28, al-Watan, a pro-government newspaper, reported that an official "medical committee" had consented to Boufayed's release on medical grounds. The meaning of the decision remains unclear.

185 The Qadhafi Foundation run by Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi, son of Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi, has announced that it is working on Idris Boufayed's behalf, given his failing health.

The men convicted, released, or still missing are:

Convicted: 1. Al-Mahdi Humaid (there are five Humaid brothers) - 15 years;2. Al-Sadiq Salih Humaid - 15 years ;3. Faraj Humaid - 15 years;4. 'Ali Humaid - 15 years;5. Ahmad Yusif al-'Ubaidi - six years;6. 'Ala' al-Dirsi - six years;7. Jamal al-Haji - 12 years;8. Dr. Idris Boufayed - 25 years;9. Farid al-Zuwi - six years;10. Bashir al-Haris - six years;11. Al-Sadiq Qashut - six years.Released:12. 'Adil Humaid - released June 10, 2008;13. Jum'a Boufayed (brother of Dr. Idris Boufayed) - released May 27, 2008.Missing: 14. 'Abd al-Rahman al-Qotaiwi .

• Tunisia: President Ben Ali Underscores 'Human Dimension' of Development Model: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 14 June 2008.

In a written statement published in the "2008 Tunisia Report" issued by the Oxford Business Group, one of the leading international publications aiming at analyzing the performances of emerging markets, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali underscored the modernizing of the Tunisian economy which has made the country a "centre that is well prepared to attract foreign investors". The Tunisian President said that the country's economic and social reforms, were carried out "without losing sight of the human dimension", adding that "such dimensions should be highlighted, as they remain the very essence and the ultimate objective of this process, ensuring peace, political stability and social progress". "Within this framework lies our initiative for the creation of a World Solidarity Fund, established through a resolution adopted by the United Nation ", he said. Reviewing Tunisia's achievements in terms of socio-economic progress, President Ben Ali noted that international rating agencies highlighted Tunisia's position and the continuous improvement of its ranking in terms of attracting investment; citing the 2007- 2008 latest Davos report on global competitiveness which ranked "Tunisia first in Africa and the Arab Maghreb and 32nd globally, ahead of some 20 European countries". President Ben Ali also highlighted the "social impact" of Tunisia 's economic success, saying that "our social peace is indeed an additional asset, sustaining our endeavour to make Tunisia a pole of attraction for investors from all parts of the world". "Nearly 3000 foreign firms operate in Tunisia in various sectors. They have contributed to creating thousands of jobs and reducing unemployment. On the other hand, they have benefited from the available incentives, modern infrastructure and Tunisian know how in all fields", writes President Ben Ali. "Prompted by the positive results we have attained, despite difficult regional and international conditions" said the Tunisian Head of State, the country "will endeavour to accomplish further gains", relying on "national abilities, as well as on cooperation with our brothers and friends from all parts of the world who, in confidence, have opted for Tunisia ". President Ben Ali concludes his statement by saying that "Investors in Tunisia will receive the warm welcome and attention needed to help their work and pursuit of success". Covering some 236 pages, The Report: Tunisia 2008 of the Oxford Business Group, also includes a variety of analysis, interviews and

186 highlights of the various sectors of Tunisia 's economy, politics and culture. Its coverage of the country's performances, challenges and prospective growth, make of it an essential guide for understanding Tunisia 's varied economy and society, but also for identifying the country's strong points and competitive edge when it comes to investing in Tunisia.

• Tunisia: Recent Measures Taken to Boost Justice And Human Rights System Highlighted: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 7 June 2008.

During a press point held on Saturday in Tunis, Mr Bechir Tekkari, the Justice and Human Rights Minister, highlighted the latest measures taken during a cabinet meetings held respectively on May 21 and June 4, 2008, destined to boost Tunisia's Human Rights system by reforming some of the current aspects of the legislation relative to preventive custody, public interest work, and the rehabilitation of detainees into social life. The Minister stressed that these measures were taken following President Ben Ali's visit to the Mornaguia penitentiary rehabilitation institution on May 21, stressing the need to prevent recidivism, the importance of vocational training and the fight against illiteracy. Mr Tekkari also highlighted the need to ensure the reintegration of detainees, which he said had prompted the issuing of at least two new measures, namely cancelling of parts of the criminal record, and alleviating measures for recovering their rights. Answering journalists' questions on the latest acts of violence that occurred in Redeyef , in the Governorate of Gafsa, Mr Tekkari, said these events in Tunisia 'are exceptional'. He also said that whatever the reasons behind these acts of violence, development efforts in Tunisia were comprehensive and didn't not exclude any region. On the application submitted by the organisation, Human Rights Watch to visit Tunisian prisons, the minister pointed out that Tunisia did not object in any way to the application, reminding the journalists of similar agreements with the International Red Cross, which is entitled to visit Tunisian penitentiary institutions. He also pointed out that a draft agreement between the concerned services in the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and Human Rights Watch is currently under study to confer a legal platform to the visit of Tunisian prisons and penitentiary institutions.

• Tunisia: President Ben Ali Reasserts the Need to Consolidate the Foundations of the Union for the Mediterranean: Tunisia Online (Tunis) : 10 June 2008.

President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali reasserted on Tuesday the need to consolidate the foundations of the Union for the Mediterranean, and to make it an area of dialogue, partnership and solidarity based development, as well as a haven for peace, security and stability. The statement was made in Tripoli where the Tunisian President took part in a consultation Summit on the Union for the Mediterranean which gathered Libya's Leader, Moammar Kadhafi, as well as Presidents Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria, Sidi Mohamed Ould Sheikh Abdellahi of Mauritania, Bachar El Assad of Syria and the Moroccan Prime Minister, Abbas Fessi. On July 2008, Paris will host the Summit of Heads of States of the

187 Union for the Mediterranean, under the chairmanship of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who initiated the idea of a Union for the Mediterranean .

• Egypt Welcomes Cease-Fire Agreement in Somalia: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 11 June 2008.

Egypt welcomed on Wednesday welcomed the cease-fire agreement reached in Djibouti Monday [9 June] between the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu-al-Ghayt hailed in statements the important role of the UN special representative of the secretary-general. He also expressed appreciation of the government of Djibouti for hosting the talks. The next period needs more efforts to implement the agreement and end armed clashes in the country, Abu-al-Ghayt said. He called for a comprehensive political process to achieve national reconciliation in Somalia . Egypt was close to all parties during the talks and helped bridge differences in points of views, said Abu-al-Ghayt. He added that Egypt was ready to continue support to the Somali rivals to assure the success of the national reconciliation efforts in light of its close contacts with all sides. The Somali government and opposition figures signed an eleventh-hour peace deal aimed at ending 17 years of conflict, but Islamic insurgents at the heart of a recent escalation in violence are not included in the agreement.

• Egypt: Defamation Case Launched Against Blogger for Reporting On Environmental Pollution is First of Its Kind: Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (Cairo): PRESS RELEASE: 9 June 2008.

According to ANHRI and the "Mosawah" Association for Human Rights, on 9 June 2008 the Azzohour Court of Port Said is expected to begin reviewing a unique case filed by Trust Chemicals Inc. against blogger Tamer Mabrouk. Tamer Mabrouk is the owner of "The Truth Blog". The blogger is accused of defamation for posting information that revealed that Trust Chemical had dumped chemicals into Manzallah Lake and the Suez Canal. Tamer Mabrouk also reported on harsh working conditions in the company. These conditions are the reasons behind a recent worker sit-in, where workers asked for access to copies of their contracts and demanded that the company stop firing workers arbitrarily. A surprising detail of Trust Chemical's case is that the blogger did not directly write about the company, which is necessary for a valid defamation case. Tamer Mabrouk's blog story consisted only of photographs of the chemical dumping and reports of violations of workers' rights at the company. The blogged photos were noticed by the government newspaper "Almasaa", which lead the paper to describe the company as "the death factory in Port Said." "This case aims to silence the voice of a blogger who is writing about the crime of polluting a lake that connects many cities and governorates in Egypt," said Rawda Ahmed, a lawyer at ANHRI. "The photos and the documents being published by the blogger are evidence of a very dangerous human rights violation and should lead to an investigation of the company that is threatening the health of millions of Egyptians and at the same time arbitrarily firing hundreds of contracted workers," Ahmed added. "Mosawah" secretary Hany al-Gibaly remarked, "This case is a new episode in the persecution of internet bloggers. Tamer has unveiled a critical case of pollution in Port

188 Said that is no less dangerous than Agrium's, so we must support the role he is playing." ANHRI and "Mosawah" are questioning who suspended the campaign which was launched by some governmental and independent newspapers to prevent the dumping of chemical waste in one of Egypt's most important lakes. Tamer Mabrouk has uncovered the details of this crime through his blog. According to the two organisations, Trust Chemicals Inc. is trying to silence the blogger and is threatening to jail him in an attempt to bypass the crime of manipulating and endangering the health of millions of Egyptian citizens.

• Morocco: Politician Alleges Government Behind Cartoon Protest: Committee to Protect Journalists (New York): PRESS RELEASE: 9 June 2008.

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Moroccan authorities to investigate disturbing allegations that former high-ranking Interior Ministry official was the instigator of a demonstration in 2006 in Casablanca against an independent weekly for reporting on controversial Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed. Mustapha Ramid, a leading member of parliament and the opposition Justice and Development Party, told the independent weekly "" on May 24 and the independent daily "Al Massae" on June 4 that El Himma had contacted two members of the general secretariat of the party, urging them to demonstrate against the paper. El Himma has not commented publicly on the accusations. On February 11, 2006, "Le Journal Hebdomadaire" reported on the controversial cartoons and ran an Agence France-Presse photograph showing a reader holding a Paris daily that had reproduced the drawings. The newspaper also took the precaution of inking out the minute image to avoid controversy. Even with the precautions, journalists say Casablanca authorities staged a demonstration in front of "Le Journal Hebdomadaire"'s offices. Independent newspapers identified civil servants who arrived in government vehicles to take part in the demonstration. Many told reporters that they were instructed by the ministry of the interior to do so. "We are alarmed by this allegation that a government official instigated the demonstration against 'Le Journal Hebdomadaire'," said CPJ Middle East Senior Program Coordinator Joel Campagna. "The Moroccan authorities should immediately carry out a thorough investigation into these allegations and ensure that any government official who incited demonstrations against this newspaper is held to account. Failure to do so would suggest the government condones such acts of intimidation against the media." CPJ's repeated requests for comment to Moroccan authorities remain unanswered. Former Communication Minister Nabil Benabdallah told a CPJ delegation in 2007 that state television made a mistake in its coverage of "Le Journal Hebdomadaire". The station, 2M, accused the magazine of "running against public opinion by taking up positions against the sacred values of our country." El Himma was a long-time close aide to King Mohamed VI and is currently an influential member of parliament.

26. NEWS COMMENTARIES

WEST AFRICA

189 • Continent, Failed States And Purpose of Government: Daily Trust (Abuja): OPINION: 12 June 2008. Tunji Ajibade Abuja .

Nation-states have evolved in the past couple of centuries in Europe. Now that continent is moving on to a new level, since 1959, it introduced the new idea of a continental union of states. Now the European Union, EU, is alive and kicking. But Europe did not give birth to nation-states or a continental one alone; it also shows the world what the purpose of government should be. It did in the last two centuries or so and has succeeded in it.

By now, governments in Europe and other advanced nations know what is expected of them. The matter of the purpose of any government with regard to its people is settled. But it isn't in Africa; the very continent with more than half of the world's fifty failed states. Political philosophers have theorised as to where a government stands in relation to the governed. The theorists are many. However, their conclusions invariably show that a government is a summation of the will of the people, an entity to which all submit to have their affairs managed on behalf of all. In that case, people have a duty to the government and the government in turn has a duty to the people. A government is to look after the welfare of its people. In fact, it is the mind of the people as it does the thinking, looks into the future and plans as well as implements in the overall interest. There is an element of creativity to governance here as the government must create opportunities for all. Governments in advanced nations do these and much more. They almost get it right as things stand. That's the situation where governments on the African continent always get it wrong. They don't even seem to appear to understand why they are in power in the first place. It's why states fail one after the other on this continent more than in any other. The UN has a definition of what a failed state is and it's different from the general perception.

Until a nation disintegrates into war, the Somalia, Sierra Leone and Liberian type, many still consider it functional. This is why Robert Mugabe beats his chest in Zimbabwe. The roof has been blown off his house, yet the man thinks he still has a house. The UN view however is that by the time a constituted government no longer performs the core functions required of it to its people, it has failed. On that score, even Nigeria can only be said to be just one step away from this category.

That's because its government has abdicated its responsibilities; it's incapable of carrying out its duties to the people. The evidence litters the whole place. Of course, it's equally easy to see when any government is up to its task. There are examples. The US government recently looked at its population growth for the next few years and made projections for the infrastructure that will be needed. It promptly budgeted well over a billion dollars on expansion of such. That's just for expansion, there's the maintenance aspect of the existing ones. One can wager that the office of statistics in Nigeria, for instance, has no idea of the infrastructure that needs to be expanded as the population in the nation's capital city keeps growing, not to mention the entire nation. That governments in Africa are the way they are doesn't come as a surprise. How many of them emerged is one fundamental problem. Some emerged through military coups.

190 Others emerged after they slaughtered their opponents in bush wars and took control of the capital city. Yet others came to power following fraudulent elections. Governments such as these have no plan, no strategy, no vision, not even the slightest idea of how the problems facing their people should be best confronted. This is the bane of many nations in Africa; a vital reason why they keep heading downhill following years of mismanagement and misrule. This is in contrast to what obtains in Europe or in the United States of America where every American already knows what Candidate X plans to do long before he got to the White House. This did not happen in Nigeria in the pre- April 2007 general elections period, for instance. Is it surprising that the current administration appears unprepared and has lost even one year after it arrived in power? However, there are a few examples of nations that failed but made it back to the top. Spain is one. In the past, that country used to be a source of shame to Europe. It was under totalitarian rule; it was a total chaos.

With a change of government, that has changed. Spain has come a long way within the last three decades to resemble the rest of Europe. Germany that was forced to its feet in the Second World War is another. West Germany rose from the ruins of the war in just about twenty years to become a major economic powerhouse in Europe where it gave even Britain, the victor, a run for its money. This is the result of a German government that knew its purpose and pursued it. It provided purposeful and visionary leadership.

Down the Indian Ocean, previously corrupt and misruled Singapore is another nation that is seeing better times. On the other side of the world in the United States of America, its southern states have come a long way from the era of slavery, racial segregation and economic downturn following the American Civil War to stand tall in the scheme of things. The above goes to show that Africa can have its problem tackled and come out on top. But making governments to sit up to carry out their purposes is central to this. This requires attention from outside the territory of each nation. For governments must simply be made to work. In cases where attempts have been made to use NGOs to pass aids to people while by-passing the governments, it's been a total wreck. The influence of a government is that pervasive. The Sudanese government made a mess of all attempts to help the people in Darfur by refusing to cooperate with foreign aid agencies. In Myanmar or Burma, the government, an outright failure, did the same in the recent disaster that hit the country.

The same is happening in Zimbabwe. Effectively a failed state, the government now requires that aid agencies and NGOs that feed four million of its people should re- register, an attempt to victimise opposition supporters. All these buttress the point that governments simply have to be made to fulfil their purpose. In this direction, there is need for the international community to set a road map; to set priorities, to make governments know that the business of every government is the business of the people and it is what it must face squarely. Each department of government should have a list of 'must do' where the masses are concerned. This will also be the scorecard at the end of the day. Public finance must be closely monitored.

191 Cash flow should not be the only thing required of governments but balance sheets of where funds come from and where they end up as well. Corruption, fingered as the number one problem in African countries, should be tackled by using the naming and shaming approach. This, surely, will serve as deterrent to leaders that administer for their own comforts rather than carry out their purpose to the people.

Ajibade, an author, wrote from Abuja.

• Ghana: Oil, Millionaires And the Poor: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): ANALYSIS: 10 June 2008. Edmond Gyebi (Tamale)

The question hanging today in the dusty Ghanaian air is: creating few millionaires out of the oil yet to be tapped or putting in place sustainable structures that will ensure lasting prosperity for millions of Ghanaians who have suffered too long? This is what we all want to be sure of. We are all interested in which direction if we take is likely to build for us a new Ghana. A new Ghana which is respected by even those who have never taken as serious and only see us as tame gorillas, a new Ghana with a prosperous economy, a new Ghana which has recaptured its lost hope and can see an incredible bright future. But it is like we are going to fall into the oil trap. Already some Ghanaians have started having fantasies of becoming extremely rich to be accepted as a member of the millionaires club.

God bless whoever pushed the idea of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) into the heads of Rawlings, his men and women to invest in the oil exploration and also Kufuor, his men and women who did not abandon the project. Ghana is to become a proud member of global oil producers by 2010. By either late 2009 or 2010 Tano Basin of the Gulf of Guinea in the Western Region is to start oil production. When production starts, it is expected that 60,000 barrels of oil will flow in a day and this will be increased to 300,000 barrels a day by 2012. Also Kosmos Energy has a good story for Ghanaians. Its oil field at West Cape Three Points also in Western Region is the largest discovery in deep water West Africa and potentially the largest single field discovery in the region.

According to the story, first oil production is to start by 2010. These stories make the oil production from Saltpond field no story. Saltpond field produces 700 barrels a day, which is so insignificant. And Ghana is to make about 51% share of the revenue from the oil production. What a fortune!

It is therefore time for Ghana to become a truly land of great opportunity for millions of Ghanaians to succeed here and not to go to South Africa to be chased out. This is the time for lessons in basic virtues, like integrity, self-denial, hard work, self-reliance, ambition and courage. This is the time to infuse into the Ghanaian a spirit of enterprise and focus our attention to things that will most benefit us all not just a privileged few among us. The story coming from the oil producing countries should make us wiser. In those countries today, millionaires have been created out of the oil boom but the rich-poor gap is growing wider by the day. The poor are getting poorer than when they did not boast of millionaires. And that security for the rich is a big problem. Yes, it is good to create millionaires out of our own resources but it is better to make sure that they live in society

192 where every family poor and rich can live in a decent home in decent neighbourhood, where children can play in parks and not the streets of slums, where no home is unsafe or unsanitary, where a good well motivated doctor and a well equipped hospital are neither too far away nor too expensive and also where the water is clean and the air is pure and our streets are safe all the time. Rockefeller of America created his wealth out of the commodity as important as oil. He became a well recognised American millionaire but Rockefeller devoted much of his life and resources to charity. He endowed the University of Chicago and went to the extent of setting up a foundation to dispense millions of dollars to educational and health efforts not only in his country, U.S. but around the world. It is on record that Wal-Mart gave rural Americans, people of modest means, more choice and quality for less cost. Its founder, Sam Walton, became the richest man in the world. When he died in 1992, his fortune was worth about 28 billion dollars.

The ambitions of these millionaires were to improve the quality of life for millions of people. And they did. This is real legacy. It points to the ethical heart of those who have: help to others. Without it, wealth is meaningless. There is nothing wrong to be very prosperous beyond imagination, but what is the purpose? You can dream to become so rich, but once you get more than enough, it is a blessing to picture what you can do with your good fortune. There is the need to search for the meaning. Helping poor people to get out of their poverty will bring the meaning. Today everyone is talking about making a fortune from the oil yet to be produced. It is dangerous for us to build our economy from oil alone. Rather we should think of diversifying our economy away from the oil dependency. Russia and Nigeria have fallen into the oil trap. They have become lazy riding on the back of oil money.

They are not too much interested in the needed modernisation of the manufacture sector and dealing with the devil called corruption. Ray Kroc, an eminent American used a shrewd real estate strategy to turn a faltering hamburger franchise operation into a fast- food empire. Another American, Mary Kay Ash, built a billion-dollar direct sales cosmetics company by preaching a message of economic empowerment to women.

There were many millionaires in America and elsewhere who made good profits from not oil but commodities like flour, sugar and tobacco they traded. There were others who made money from working on their farms. They built their fortune slowly on reputation, connections and attention to detail. They were passionate patriot. Their large fortune had a strong influence over the future of their beloved country. They became the financiers of their country. All these people have something in common: uncompromising vision, a willingness to take great risks and exceptional business acumen. They did not only amass great wealth for themselves, their families and their friends, they revolutionalized business and contributed so much in shaping societies. Indeed, names like Morgan, Rockefeller and now Gates are virtual synonyms for great wealth. But there is one thing that should be upheld, and it is that the success stories of these fantastic millionaires are far from just greed.

What we need in Ghana today, are people with larger-than-life ambition to provide inspired leadership and hard work to make and sell, to organise and finance, to discern

193 and serve the needs and desires of others. They will have to help put in place sustainable structures that will ensure that the less privileged have employment to earn them decent income that will give them at least the basic things they need to make their lives reasonably enjoyable. Then the millionaires can be secured and have their peace to enjoy their wealth. We should also make sure that the communities that will produce the oil will have a good share of the wealth. Those communities should become modern towns with all the good things that will even get other people from other towns to want to go and settle there.

Else the oil production will become a curse. The signals coming from Western Region should tell us that they will not sit down to be cheated this time. They will fight to have the share of the wealth from their land. Western Region has given mass wealth to Ghana from natural resources and food but the region remains poor. With the 700 barrels of oil coming from Saltpond a day, it should have been more pleasant living at that small town which has a place in the history of the independence of Ghana.

Let it take 20 years to tell whether the oil helped us or hurt us, but it should be said that certainly the oil did not leave us where we once found ourselves.

• Japan's Global Leadership And The Continent's Development Concerns: Public Agenda (Accra) : OPINION 9 June 2008. Obiageli Ezekwesili (Accra)

Two events this year - the recent Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV) and the Group of Eight Summit in July - present unique opportunities for Japan to demonstrate its fruitful partnership with the African continent and global leadership on sustainable development. At the conference, Africa's story was the headline. The sub-text was clearly about the significant strides the region had been making to secure economic growth, improve social well-being, and foster environmental protection. The TICAD conference takes place once every five years. And the privilege of hosting the Group of Eight Summit on Japanese soil comes only once every eight years. These platforms provide an opportunity to catalyze actions and forge partnerships that will make sustainable development a reality across Africa.

Africa is on the rise. Economic growth is up, conflicts are down, and there is a growing sense of optimism across the continent. The steady pace at which many African economies are growing - averaging 5.4 percent a year for the past three years - would be a source of envy for many industrialized countries. On the business front, Africa is increasingly competitive. Ghana and Kenya were ranked among the top 10 business- friendly economies in 2008, even as the latter has suffered a temporary setback. More children are going to school, and remaining in school. Health indicators are up, and child mortality is decreasing. Nearly half of Sub-Saharan Africa's population lives in countries that are rich in oil, gas or hard mineral resources. The unprecedented boom in commodity prices offers new opportunities to mobilize mineral wealth for sustainable development.

194 But as recent events have shown, development gains are fragile. New risks are emerging: soaring prices of basic food grains, rising incidence of vector-borne diseases such as malaria, and increasingly, threats posed by a changing climate. In the past year, wheat price has gone up by 120%. Rice prices have skyrocketed to near historic levels - rising about 75% globally (see Figure 1). Painful as these price increases are to the consumers in industrialized countries, they strike an even more devastating blow to the world's poorest people - children, as young as four or five, forced to flee the safety of their rural communities to fight for food in teeming cities; mothers deprived of nutrition for healthy babies. For these families, food purchases account for anywhere between 50 to 75 percent of income, leaving no margin for survival. Over the last couple of months, riots have broken out in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, Mozambique, and Senegal. According to World Bank estimates, the price spike could push over 100 million people deeper into poverty, wiping out seven years of hard-won development gains.

The World Bank is doing its part, and strengthening its cooperation with its partners, including Japan. World Bank President Robert Zoellick recently called for a "New Deal on Global Food Policy" that was endorsed by 180 ministers. To help African countries cope with the food crisis, the World Bank is making $100 million available to Burundi, Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Cote-d'Ivoire, while countries survey their needs for further support. In May, 16 African countries met in South Africa to prepare action plans to respond to high food prices. This timely initiative, under the auspices of the African Union and New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is a prime example of African-led efforts for African development, and worthy of international support.

Japan's Development Experiences and Lessons for Africa

Japan's dramatic success in transforming its post-war economy and emergence as an industrial superpower hold powerful lessons for African development. Japan's formidable technological prowess and financial muscle can address critical development deficits, in Africa, and beyond. Going forward, two areas - agriculture and infrastructure development - come to mind where Japanese interventions could deliver lasting development results. Agriculture is a life line of African economies, frequently accounting for one-third to one-half of the gross domestic product of many nations. Boosting productivity on millions of small farms is vital for generating broad-based growth, increasing food availability and cutting poverty. Over a generation ago, the Green Revolution boosted food production in Asia and Latin America, transforming food-deficit countries into grain exporters. But it bypassed Africa. A new, greener revolution, with a smaller ecological footprint is urgently needed for Africa. For many Africans, rice is food. With Japanese support, the New Rices for Africa (NERICAs) program is spelling hope. Nations in western Africa pay $2 billion annually for imported rice. A bigger push, involving the private sector is needed for rice and other staple crops - beans, cassava, maize, pearl millet, sorghum and other crops that are a mainstay of African diets. Cutting-edge agricultural technologies are necessary for raising farm productivity, and Japan has a lot to offer in this area, including support for agricultural R&D. The World Bank recognizes the importance of the farm sector. Our flagship 2008

195 World Development Report focused on the importance of agriculture for sustainable development. We are nearly doubling our agricultural lending, from $450 million to $800 million in Africa. We are heartened that Japan is contributing $100 million for emergency food assistance programs, providing a much needed boost. And it is gratifying that the food crisis will feature prominently at the Group of Eight Summit, heeding Prime Minister Fukuda's call for more attention on this crucial area.

The second priority area is infrastructure development.

Africa faces huge challenges in this area. Poor infrastructure is weakening Africa's ability to provide its citizens with decent education and health services, and preventing farmers from accessing lucrative regional and overseas markets. Japan's massive and unparalleled domestic investments in infrastructure and water resources management offer useful lessons for Africa. The fact that only one in four Africans has access to electricity, and less than five percent of Africa's hydropower potential has been tapped shows the great potential for infusing technology-led private sector investment in this area. Japan's focus on sustained investments in hydraulic infrastructure to regulate river flows, improve water and sanitation services in booming urban centers, providing reliable irrigation, and improving flood control offer important lessons for all developing countries. Japan's scaled-up investments in African infrastructure provide a much-needed booster effect, giving Japan the moral authority to highlight Africa's infrastructure challenges during the Group of Eight Summit.

Japan has long been a steadfast supporter of the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's concessional financing arm for the poorest countries. Thanks also to Japan's support, the 15th replenishment of IDA netted $42 billion to finance the fight against poverty over the next three years. Some 40 African heads of state came together for the TICAD meeting hosted by the Government of Japan. We are at the mid- point in our journey to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that have a target date of 2015. Sub-Saharan Africa will not achieve the first MDG of halving poverty and hunger by 2015. Eighty percent of countries in the region show poor progress on improved sanitation, and 44 percent of the population still lacks access to clean water. The region lost 9 percent of its forest cover between 1990 and 2005. And with over 22 million people infected with HIV virus, Sub-Saharan Africa is tragically the global epicenter of the disease. These are the hard facts. But there is also place for human imagination, to think beyond the narrow confines of problems, marshal the power of collective action, and grasp new opportunities. In that sense, the storied locales of Yokohama and Hokkaido Toyako could well serve as the launching pad for new initiatives in international development cooperation, and become the new "Kyoto" of focused poverty reduction efforts.

It is my fervent hope that by working together, Japan, the World Bank, and the international community can lay the foundations for strengthened development cooperation to achieve the MDGs, and help Africa reach its full potential. That must be the enduring legacy of TICAD and the Group of Eight Summit.

196 The writer is World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region. The paper was first published by the Japanese mass circulation daily, Nikkei.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Would President Obama be Good for Africa?: allAfrica.com : GUEST COLUMN : 12 June 2008. George Katito (Johannesburg)

If Barack Obama is elected President of the United States, becoming the world’s most powerful leader, what difference would it make to America’s engagement with Africa? Will the son of a Kenyan do things differently from his predecessors, and will Africa benefit?

At the very least, an Obama presidency could give the U.S. an opportunity to regain the world’s trust. A new face to American power could help salvage the country’s tarnished image. This would depend on decisive action to resolve the protracted war in Iraq – a costly quagmire that has claimed over 4,000 American lives and those of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. It will not be an easy task. Obama’s critics argue that he is naïve and that reconciling the deep rifts in Iraq will require much more than he appreciates. Nonetheless, a change of tack in the Middle East is likely to redefine how the rest of the world, including Africa, perceives and engages with the U.S. Apart from improving confidence in the moral authority of the United States as a global leader, the election of Obama could see the country take a stronger stance on the conflict in the Darfur region – an African security issue that Obama’s young support base takes seriously. On a rhetorical level, Senator Obama has said all the right things about resolving the crisis – including calling for a well-equipped peacekeeping force for the region. He has also played a leading role, with fellow Democratic Senator Harry Reid, in securing U.S. $20 million for the African Union’s Darfur force. The influence of Obama’s top advisor on Africa, Susan Rice, is expected to push an Obama administration into squeezing Sudan’s leadership and pressurizing the global community to bring a speedy resolution to the conflict. Dr. Rice feels strongly about Darfur, has reportedly hinted at U.S. military intervention in the region and could be critical in developing a more muscular U.S. engagement in the issue.

Nonetheless, whether a President Obama will engage with Africa where it really matters is doubtful. For Africa, it is critical that he articulates a clear position on trade with the continent. This is an area to which he has not given explicit attention.

African countries would be eager for a concrete U.S. commitment to do away with the subsidisation of American farmers. The controversial U.S. agricultural subsidies (along with similar policies in Europe and elsewhere) deny African farmers the opportunity to enter the U.S. market freely and sell their goods on a level playing field. Furthermore, American farmers, buoyed by state subsidies, can market their produce at artificially low prices and flood developing markets with cheap produce. Whether Obama would be able to reverse this is questionable. Support for cotton subsidies among U.S. lawmakers remains strong – they recently passed a farm bill worth U.S. $290 billion that will

197 maintain subsidies to domestic farmers, a move that is likely to cost African and other cotton farmers U.S. $3 billion in potential revenue each year. A President Obama would also likely focus on domestic policy. Running on a Democratic Party ticket demands that he deliver on issues close to the hearts and minds of his support base. This will likely result in a left-leaning budget with greater spending to ensure affordable healthcare, provide more citizens with access to education and ensure higher minimum wages and the protection of domestic jobs.

But would Republican candidate John McCain be a more engaged U.S. President on Africa? Maybe. McCain has called for the international community to engage with Africa’s leaders on the root cause of most of the continent’s most pressing problems – poor governance. He has called for what he calls a “League of Democracies” to promote democratic governance and he has made somewhat fuzzy calls for the U.S. to “strongly engage” with African governments to promote transparent government and “the rule of law”. McCain’s philosophy, if developed into a set of concrete goals to support African efforts to promote transparent government such as the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), could penetrate better the roots of what ails African countries, and redefine U.S. engagement in a more meaningful manner.

Nevertheless, the prospect of Barack Obama in office is tantalising. But it would be a disappointing non-event for Africa if he failed to grab the opportunity to tackle issues that matter to the whole developing world: trade and partnering African governments to improve governance on the continent being foremost among them.

George Katito is a researcher on the Governance and APRM Project of the South African Institute of International Affairs.

• The Coming Crisis in Africa: The Namibian (Windhoek): COLUMN: 13 June 2008: Alexatus T. Kaure (Windhoek)

"OUR ship of state is today sinking! A few are manipulating the system to their advantage, but our intellectuals, our women, our youth, the masses, are flushed down the drain. All our systems, educational, economic, health is in shambles.

Yet we persist in our national obtuseness ...No, to be, we have to think deeply...we must shun the simplistic solutions now being proffered." As Africa continues to face growing domestic, social, and economic problems - in fact a crisis to be exact - we must take the admonition of Ken Saro-Wiwa quoted above seriously. But are we? Looking at the record of our past decade in Namibia and other countries in the region and beyond, it is obvious that we are trapped in the politics of symbolism - a lot of talk, conferences, seminars, forums and of course, endless foreign travels by the elite. Last week world leaders, for example, were attending a conference in Rome, Italy, to discuss the global food crisis and what can be done to resolve it.

The problem, as usual, is always more severe in Africa when compared to other continents. The irony of all this is that Africa is supposed to be the world's breadbasket

198 continent. We cannot go to the moon, build fighter planes or develop nuclear weapons and technology yet. But surely we can produce enough food to feed our people. We have one of the largest continents with diverse climatic and weather conditions. We have enough human and physical resources to spur development. But nobody in power has any intention of doing anything about the many problems. If one looks at the domestic policies of our Government for the past two decades or so, one does not see any serious proposal about what to do about the serious problems of education, health, food shortages, landlessness, homelessness, crime, joblessness, etc.

Most of these are problems that can be solved easily. Yet we are happy to concentrate on those problems that are currently beyond our reach and capacity. Our pre-occupation with HIV-AIDS is beyond comprehension. Not that this is not important health issue worthy of our attention.

It is. But we tend to ignore the deeper question underpinning all these problems, or at best we only give lip service to it. This is the issue of poverty, which is rampant and deepening while countries like China are reducing poverty substantially, and in an ironic twist actually making use of Africa's resources to do so. It is quite clear that the poor are more prone to the skyrocketing food and fuel prices. They have limited access to health facilities and school for their children. They have no access to land - especially in cities and towns where to build their houses. And they are thus the ones who end up on the streets, homeless. And this is because countries like Namibia have made the prices of land beyond the reach of their people. As one commentator put it some years ago: land has now become a rich man's hobby.

My argument here is simple: in order to solve many of the problems Africa faces today, we must critically and realistically address the problem of poverty. The idea that poverty is somehow inevitable has trapped us in stale paradigms. And the best we can do, we are told, is to alleviate or reduce it. As the saying goes: the mailman doesn't write the letters, he just delivers them. That's how I think of my work sometimes. I spent a good part of the last 18 years since Namibia's Independence expressing indignation at the persistence of hunger, homelessness and poverty in an otherwise affluent country by African standards. I therefore find the myth of 'poverty will always be with us' rather debilitating. With its abundant and richly endowed resources, our continent has the capacity to adequately support all of us and not just a few chosen people. Why do people have to take to the streets in African cities to fight for food? The problem is that we inherited and live by an economic system that depends on and generates and perpetuates poverty.

And bad governments, economic and political policies, and sometimes sheer neglect on the continent have worsened the situation as well.

The mounting economic and social problems facing Africa always led to demand for interventions - some really spurious - and short-term services provision from governments and sometimes the private sector. For example, the Namibian Cabinet has been debating the high food and fuel prices and a report is soon to be handed to President Hifikepunye Pohamba. We are also told that last month African finance ministers met in

199 Maputo to address the same issue. And, of course, private companies would usually donate blankets and foodstuffs to the so-called needy, the poor, some of these really just public relations gimmicks. Now, these are all done to soften the edges of this very harsh economic system and to ease the pain, thus giving the appearance of an effective response without actually solving the problems. In the end, these kinds of short-term, palliative interventions by the elite are only meant to save face and often allow the problems to worsen over the long-term. We really have to think deeper about the African condition - especially the leaders and scholars. Our people are looking for answers and opportunities as well.

But how do we do this if Africa's place in the world is still precarious and contested? We have been reduced to providers of resources and opportunities to others and ourselves have been too slow or lazy to grab those opportunities to improve the human condition on the continent. Although the current fuel prices and food shortages are affecting many people globally, we must regard our condition as unique and constituting a crisis given the sheer number of people affected in Africa.

And as Claus Offe has written: "Major policy innovations and breakthroughs have become possible only after the respective problems were successfully dramatised as a 'crisis'" Thus without breaking radically from the way we think, live and structure our societies and economies, we cannot hope to eliminate poverty in Africa.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Are Kings And Modern Presidents the Same?: The Monitor (Kampala): OPINION : 14 June 2008:Margaret Wokuri

On May 28, 2008 the Constituent Assembly in Nepal overwhelmingly voted to abolish the 240-year old monarch in favour of a republic. The choice of the republic over the monarch follows several related activities.

In 2005, King Gyanendra who had been under a constitutional monarch usurped the executive powers and established an autocracy over Nepal. In response, the main opposition parties formed an alliance that culminated in the signing of the 12-point agreement. Part of this agreement read; The Nepalese people are fed up with the Monarch under Gyanendra's rule, the economic situation has worsened, development activity has come to a standstill and corruption has flourished- Democratic freedoms stand suspended. As much as one third of the budget goes to the military- textbooks are taxed to buy guns. It is reported that when Gyanendra assumed power in 2001, he increased his remuneration and nobody dared audit the royal expenditure. There was luxury amongst the royals while the children died of diarrhea, dysentery and malaria. Parliament was dissolved and there was a total ban on press and civil rights.

200 Back home, as the Nepalese were declaring a republic, President Museveni while presiding over the African Day at the Pan African Square, is also quoted to have said that traditional institutions have no place in modern politics. 'Traditional institutions have no place- Museveni (Daily Monitor May 28, 2008). While I am persuaded to agree with the President on the position of traditional institutions, the problem is that I have particularly not found any difference between traditional leadership and the NRM regime of modern politics. Just a few similarities: It's documented that strong traditional societies lived by invading neighbourhoods where victorious armies would carry back war booty including women who would either be slaves or be married to the chiefs. This can be compared to the modern day politics where Uganda was found guilty of plundering neighbouring Congo, and yes, the soldiers did not disappoint either; a few months later some Congolese women followed their ' husbands' to Uganda.

Recently, media reports have again indicated that Ugandan 'peacekeepers' at the border with Kenya are crossing into neighbouring territory and plundering timber and stealing cattle from Kenya government farms (Sunday Monitor, June 1). Secondly, in modern politics, presidents are supposed to relinquish power because of the presupposition that no one is born a ruler like it is under traditional leadership. Under the NRM however, the presidential limitation to power and leadership was done away with in 2005 by the lifting of term limits. As we speak one is free to rule till cows come home purportedly as long as the people still want him or her. We forget that even traditional kings also confessed love/ approval from their subjects. To sum up this comparison, kings/ queens were always fountains of honour christened in modern day politics as 'visionary' leadership. The official luxury in palaces is very vivid in the presidential huge convoys and servants at State House. The authoritarian rule of the kings/queens is reflected in the present day muzzling of press and civil rights. Is there any reason for one to prefer modern leadership?

------END TEXT ------.

201 BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD Weekly Presentation: June 24, 2008 Sub-Saharan Africa Abbas S Lamptey Period: From June 15 to June 21 2008 THE HEADLINES

27. CHINA -AFRICA RELATIONS

WEST AFRICA • West Africa: Ecowas Positions for $10bn Chinese Aid: This Day (Lagos):17 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Mujuru Hails China-Zim Relations: The Herald (Harare):18 June 2008. • Namibia: Chinese Plan Sparks Outcry: The Namibian (Windhoek):20 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Eritrea: Country And PRC Sign Agreement: Shabait.com (Asmara):17 June 2008. • Uganda: Chinese Firm to Invest Sh4.8b in Spare Parts Plant: New Vision (Kampala):17 June 2008. • Kenya: Chinese Lead Company Roll-Out Stopped: Business Daily (Nairobi):15 June 2008. 28. PAN AFRICA

WEST AFRICA • Despite Increasing Evidence That Targeted Aid is Getting Good Results, the G8 are Falling Further Behind on Meeting Their Commitments, Says the 2008 Data Report: Debt Aids Trade Africa (London): PRESS RELEASE 18 June 2008. • Asian Investment in Continent is Skyrocketing: Public Agenda (Accra): 20 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • 'Africa Will Not Meddle in Zimbabwe's Internal Affairs': The Herald (Harare):20 June 2008. • Civil Society Warns Food Crisis Can Eat Into MDG Gains: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 20 June 2008. • Concerns Over Chinese Investment And Working Conditions: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):16 June 2008. • Chasing China: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):18 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

202 • Africa: Muslim Body Eyes Continent for Business: New Vision (Kampala): 17 June 2008. • Africa: Outstanding Sustainable Energy Projects Win Global Green Awards: Ashden Awards (London): PRESS RELEASE: 19 June 2008. 29. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Women Cry for More Representation in Parliament: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra):20 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Terror On Eve of Poll: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 19 June 2008. • Swaziland: Traditional Governor Urges Harsh Punishment of Critical Journalists: Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek): PRESS RELEASE: 17 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Sudan: Account for Civilians Arrested in Khartoum: Human Rights Watch (Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 17 June 2008. • Uganda: U.S. Accuses LRA of Abuses, Calls for a Quick Peaceful Solution: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 18 June 2008. • Africa: UN Human Rights Chief Urges Egypt to Stop Deporting Eritrean Asylum-Seekers: UN News Service (New York):19 June 2008. • Conservatives in Anglican Church Opt for Split: The Nation (Nairobi):20 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Burundi: Constitutional Court Decision Unseats 22 Lawmakers: Human Rights Watch (Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 17 June 2008. • Congo-Kinshasa: All Sides Continue to Violate Human Rights, UN Report Finds: UN News Service (New York): 18 June 2008. • Rwanda: President Kagame Attacks Catholic Head Over Remarks On RPF Trial: Hirondelle News Agency Lausanne):19 June 2008. 30. REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Bakassi - FG Wants Displacement of Citizens Probed: This Day (Lagos):18 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Political Parties Unite in Condemnation of Recent Violence: BuaNews (Tshwane):20 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: For Vision 2030 to Succeed, Coalition Should Pull Down All Immigration Walls: The Nation (Nairobi): 14 June 2008. • East Africa: Citizens Face One of World's Worst Humanitarian Crises, UN Refugee Chief Warns: UN News Service (New York):19 June 2008.

203 CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: 700 Refugees Seeking Asylum: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali):19 June 2008. • Chad: Aid Resumes As Conflict Abates: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:19 June 2008.

31. HEALTH MATTERS (HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, TB)

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Country to Use SMS to Fight Fake Drugs: Public Agenda (Accra):20 June 2008. • Nigeria: Cancer on the Loose: Vanguard (Lagos):16 June 2008. • Nigeria: NAFDAC Blames Upsurge in Kidney Failure On Bad Salt: Vanguard (Lagos):20 June 2008. • Sierra Leone: Appeals to Bring Back Doctors Abroad: Concord Times (Freetown):19 June 2008 SOUTHERN AFRICA • Southern Africa: SADC in Joint Malaria Proposal: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone):17 June 2008. • Botswana: HIV Puts Strain On Blood Reserves: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone):17 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: 'Cut'(circumcise) to Boost War On Aids: The Nation (Nairobi):19 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Minisante Targets 95 Percent Birth Deliveries in Health Facilities in 2012: The New Times (Kigali):19 June 2008. • Cameroon: Buea Blood Bank Empty: The Post (Buea): 16 June 2008. 32. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Allanblackia - A New Link Between Rural Poverty Reduction and Forest Conservation: Public Agenda (Accra): 20 June 2008. • Nigeria: Environmentalists Urge Coal Mining to Save Forests: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:16 June 2008. • Nigeria: Desert Threatens 35 Million People – Minister: Daily Trust (Abuja):19 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Mozambique: Charcoal Production Must Be Controlled: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo):16 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Madagascar: New Eco-Deals Protect Unique Forests: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 19 June 2008. • Kenya: Metal Refinery Ordered to Close: The Nation (Nairobi):18 June 2008.

204 CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Ups and Downs in Combating Desertification and Drought: The New Times (Kigali):17 June 2008. 33. ENERGY

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Illegal Oil Bunkerers Blow-Up Chevron, Texaco Pipeline: Vanguard (Lagos):21 June 2008. • Nigeria: Senate Rejects Legalisation of Excess Crude Account: Leadership (Abuja):20 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Mozambique: Preferred Crops for Biofuel: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo):20 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Costly Oil Angers OIC States: New Vision (Kampala):19 June 2008. • Tanzania: Electricity Restored to Zanzibar: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam):19 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: AG Uncovers More Rot in Fuel Deals : The New Times (Kigali):20 June 2008. 34. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: 2,600 Rural Enterprises Receive IFAD And AfDB Support: Public Agenda (Accra):20 June 2008. • Nigeria: Institute Tasks Microfinance Firms On Food Security: Leadership (Abuja):20 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Angola: 40 Countries to Attend African Roads Congress: Angola Press Agency (Luanda):20 June 2008. • Namibia: Economists Hail VAT Exemption: New Era (Windhoek):20 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: OIC Calls for More Business Ventures: New Vision (Kampala):19 June 2008. • Kenya: President Calls for Action On Food Prices: Business Daily (Nairobi):19 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Cameroon: Acquisition of New Cranes Raises Hopes: Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé):19 June 2008. • Congo-Brazzaville: Gunning for Biofuel: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 19 June 2008. • Rwanda: Dubai World 'In Discussions' for Tea Factories: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali):18 June 2008.

205

35. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe Gets Message From Angolan President: Angola Press Agency (Luanda):21 June 2008.

• Zimbabwe: Violence Threatens Credibility of Next Week's Polls – Ban: UN News Service (New York):18 June 2008.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Equatorial Guinea: Mann Completes Testimony, Thatcher Extradition Appeal: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London):20 June 2008.

36. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT SOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Côte d'Ivoire: Country Eligible for UN Peacebuilding Fund - Secretary- General: UN News Service (New York):19 June 2008. • Nigeria: Delta Oil Communities Reject FG Summit: Vanguard (Lagos):18 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Chissano to Brief UN On Juba Peace Talks: New Vision (Kampala):19 June 2008. • Somalia: National Reconciliation Commission Calls Alshabab for Talks: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu):18 June 2008. • Uganda: Kony Emissary in Kampala for Talks: The Monitor (Kampala): 17 June 2008. • Sudan: UN Offers to Raise Abyei Peacekeepers: The Monitor (Kampala):16 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Burundi: Cantonment of Rebel FNL Fighters Set to Begin: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:17 June 2008. • Rwanda: Leave Bad Past Behind, Kagame Tells Leaders: The New Times (Kigali):17 June 2008. 37. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

WEST AFRICA • West Africa: Stakeholders Brainstorm On Educational Challenges in Ouagadougou: Leadership (Abuja):20 June 2008. • Nigeria: Militants Attack Shell's Bonga Field: This Day (Lagos):20 June 2008. • Côte d'Ivoire: Ex-Rebel Uprising Threatens Disarmament Process: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:19 June 2008.

206 EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Bring Back Deported Youths, Say Clerics: The Nation (Nairobi):16 June 2008. • Uganda: Terrorism Tops OIC Ministers' Meeting: The Monitor (Kampala):20 June 2008. • Uganda: Museveni Questions U.S. Definition of Terrorism: The Monitor (Kampala):19 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Central Africa: Central African Countries Becoming Impatient With Rebels - UN Envoy: UN News Service (New York):20 June 2008. 38. NORTH AFRICA • Morocco: Al-Jazeera Bureau Chief Charged With Publishing False Information, His Press Accreditation Cancelled: Reporters sans Frontières (Paris):17 June 2008. • Egypt: Poverty And Ignorance Behind Extremist Attacks, Bishop Says: Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi):17 June 2008. • Rwanda: Electrogaz Partners With Tunis Company to Supply Cheap Electricity: The New Times (Kigali):19 June 2008. 39. NEWS COMMENTARIES

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: We Haven't Given Up On the New SA: Cape Argus (Cape Town): OPINION: 20 June 2008. • Africa: Ties With China a Major Driver of Growth in Continent: Business Day (Johannesburg): OPINION: 18 June 2008. • Africa: China in Africa - Mercantilist Predator, Development Partner Or Both? : New Era (Windhoek): 20 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Africa: History Can Be Cruel for Eritrea, Ethiopia: allAfrica.com: GUEST COLUMN: 17 June 2008. • Ethiopia: A Tangled Political Landscape Raises Questions About African Ally of the U.S. : Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):ANALYSIS :21 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: The Asian Miracle - Lessons for Policy Makers. Part 1: The New Times (Kigali) : 17 June 2008: Prof. Nshuti P Manasseh: [email protected].: • Rwanda: The Asian Miracle - Lessons for Policy Makers. Part 2 : The New Times (Kigali) :17 June 2008 : Prof. Nshuti P Manasseh: [email protected]: ------.

40. CHINA -AFRICA RELATIONS

WEST AFRICA

207 • West Africa: Ecowas Positions for $10bn Chinese Aid: This Day (Lagos):17 June 2008.

The Vice-President of ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Jean de Dieu Somda, said yesterday that the regional body is strategising and working towards attracting a fair share of Chinese aid and investment funds to Africa. Somda disclosed this in Abuja at the start of the first ECOWAS-China economic and trade forum, which kicked off with the visit of a delegation from China Council for the Promotion of International Trade led by its Vice Chairman, Dong Songgen.

The delegation will be visiting the region June 15-24, which will be complimented by a China-ECOWAS economic and trade forum scheduled for Beijing between September 23 and 26 this year. This came amidst fears by some stakeholders over cheap and inferior Chinese products in the Nigerian market. The President of the African Business Roundtable, Alhaji Babamanga Tukur, said he would wish to see Chinese industries transplanted in Africa instead of raw materials being removed from the continent for factories in Asia.

Tukur, who doubles as chairman of the NEPAD Business Group, noted also that China does not have a proper trade structure in Africa. He urged the delegation to ensure that the Chinese trade mission which is being planned for Egypt is also cited in West Africa.

The aid and funds were some of the outcomes of the China-African summit of November 3-5, 2006. China pledged then to double aid to the continent from the 2006 levels to $10 billion by 2009. The country was also to allocate $5 billion to China-Africa Development Fund Co. Ltd, managed by China Development Bank, to finance investment projects in Africa. Additionally, debts by some African countries owed the Asian nation were to be cancelled and market access for African goods to China improved. China was again to construct 30 hospitals and 100 rural schools in the continent.

The Chinese trade delegation undertook working visit of Abuja Monday when it met with ECOWAS ambassadors accredited to Nigeria, officials of the commission as well as representatives of Nigerian foreign affairs, African Business Roundtable and NEPAD Business Group. The delegation is leaving Abuja today for Lagos where it will be received by the Nigerian private sector, including the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

After Nigeria, the delegation is conducting similar working visit in Cote d'Ivoire with a stopover in Accra and Burkina Faso and another stopover in Niamey. "China is a force to reckon with in the global economy. The country's $1.3 trillion foreign reserve, unmatched by any nation in the world is proof of the Chinese trade council's efficiency", he added.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

• Zimbabwe: Mujuru Hails China-Zim Relations: The Herald (Harare):18 June 2008.

GOVERNMENT is committed to fostering a strong working relationship with China in agricultural development, Vice-President Joice Mujuru said yesterday.

208 Speaking after meeting a high-powered delegation from the China National Machinery and Equipment Company in Harare, Cde Mujuru hailed co-operation between the two governments."I would like to express our gratitude to the Chinese Government for being an all-weather friend from the days of our liberation struggle. The arrival of the equipment fits in well with our Government's Look East policy and vision of empowering our people as enunciated by President Mugabe," she said. Government was happy with the progress made by the Chinese company in the delivery of components for assembling 1 000 tractors and 1 500 motorbikes."We have already received most of the equipment we ordered from China and this equipment is being used to assemble tractors and motorbikes at various centres in the country," she said.The Vice-President hailed the Chinese company for sub-contracting Zimbabwean companies to provide back up service."I would also like to express Government's commitment to ensure that the equipment is put under good use while we are also grateful to CNMEC for providing experts who are helping in assembling the equipment," she said. CNMEC general manager, Mr Yang Yinan said his company was committed to honour its contract with the Zimbabwe Government."We have managed to bring most of the equipment we have been contracted to deliver to Zimbabwe except for components of 70 combine harvesters that are currently at Beira in Mozambique and would be in the country soon," he said.Mr Yang said his company was contracted to provide services to the Ministries of Agriculture, Agriculture Engineering, Mechanisation, and Irrigation and Water Resources and Infrastructural Development as part of a US$20 million contract signed between the two governments in 2006.The team is in the country following up on the delivery of the equipment that has been ordered by the Government as part of the soon to be launched Fourth Phase of the Agricultural Mechanisation Programme.The company, one of China's largest State-owned firms, has been contracted to deliver components of tractors,combine harvesters, irrigation equipment, agro-chemicals, fertilizers and motorbikes for agriculture extension officers.

• Namibia: Chinese Plan Sparks Outcry: The Namibian (Windhoek):20 June 2008.

A CHINESE offer to build a new military academy at Okahandja, a huge project valued at N$70-75 million, has again raised issues of unfair competition and non-compliance with local labour legislation by Chinese construction companies. These companies are specifically accused of failing to pay an industry minimum wage of N$8.43 per hour, not paying any contributions to the Social Security Commission or registering any form of pension fund for their local workers, as required by law. No local architect/s and/or quantity surveyor/s appear to be involved, raising questions over construction standards and pricing of inputs. Plans circulating for the building, referred to as the 'Comprehensive Teaching Building of Namibian Military Academy' shows a 7 430 square metre construction, to be built on a 43 000 square metre site on Okahandja's southern outskirts. The Institute of Architectural Design in Gansu, China drew up the complete plans for the new military academy in December 2006.

CONFIRMATION: The local Chinese Embassy confirmed that it was part of a military aid package, but no other details were immediately available. It is not included in the latest Ministry of Defence budget figures, but appears to be part of an expansion plan that has seen the military expand the Keetmanshoop base, as well as construct a new air force base at Karibib. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Petrus Shivute, also confirmed that such a deal was being negotiated, but said the project was still under

209 negotiation and was unlikely to happen in the current financial year. "There are still many issues to be negotiated," Shivute said in a brief telephonic interview some time ago. "It is there but there is no final agreement yet. If construction will start, if at all, it will not be this year, maybe two years," he added. Shivute declined to discuss any specifics, including suggestions that the deal is to be linked to the purchase of Chinese military equipment. Local quantity surveyors estimated the value of the building at N$70 - N$75 million, excluding civil and landscaping work. It was also not clear if the building was to be put out to tender, once negotiations were completed. But local architects have warned that should the deal go ahead on the basis of the Chinese architectural plans, it would be in violation of regulations reserving certain kinds of works for local architects.In terms of Section 24(2) of the Architects' and Quantity Surveyors Act (Act 13 of 1979), only locally registered architects and quantity surveyors may draw up plans and oversee construction of public structures exceeding 500 square metres. While there were plans to change them, these regulations - issued under Proclamation 4508 of 12 August 1981 - were still in force, President of the Namibian Council for Architects and Quantity Surveyors, Paul Munting, pointed out. "Any architect whose plans are to be used in construction of a public building of this size has to be either registered locally as an architect, or be affiliated to a local [architectural] practice," Munting said. In terms of Government Gazette No 3780 of February 5 2007, any construction company that employs someone for more than two days per week is also obliged to establish a pension fund for such workers. Such funds have to be legally registered with the Namibian Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa). While 87 local construction firms contribute to the Building Workers Pension Fund, no Chinese firms were members of this firm, said trustee of the Fund, Albert Reussing. Namfisa's Ebben Kalondo insisted on a complete list of local Chinese construction firms before they would check if such firms had registered the requisite pension fund with them.Reussing also pointed out that local construction companies, in terms of the industry-wide agreement with the unions, provided certain minimum working standards and protective clothing such as overalls, work boots and hard hats, which the Chinese firms did not.

Accusations 'unfair': CHINESE construction companies plan to form their own professional association to enforce adherence to local legislation, and will also be taking steps to join the local professional architectural and quantity surveying bodies, the Chinese Embassy says. Economic Counsellor Zhang, reacting to criticism from local construction firms over alleged cut-throat business practives, pleaded for more understanding between Chinese and Namibian firms. But at the same time, he accused Namibian construction firms of attempting to "elbow out" foreign competition. The Namibian government had the right to decide who to appoint on big projects, he insisted. A decision was taken recently to set up a Chinese version of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) to enforce a disciplinary code among Chinese contractrors, Zhang said. "First and foremost, it will be to correct misdeeds, to follow up and criticise [members] who have done wrong and pay compensation where necessary," he said.As for accusations that Chinese state-owned firms failed to pay the minimum wage to construction labourers, the Chinese Embassy had yet to receive any complaint from the Ministry of Labour, he said.There were well-known Namibian firms who also failed to pay the minimum wage, he claimed.The larger problem was also that " ...Namibian workers are not so hardworking", he said.He however skirted issues of alleged non-compliance with affirmative action quotas and non-adherence to legal requirements to set up pension funds for workers, as demanded by Section 42 of the Labour Act.Problems between Chinese and Namibian firms were largely because of the small Namibian economy, which led to "jealousy", he surmised.Instead of attacking Chinese firms, local

210 firms could learn from them in terms of new techniques and materials, which could benefit the economy as a whole, he said.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Eritrea: Country And PRC Sign Agreement: Shabait.com (Asmara):17 June 2008.

In accordance with the over 80-million Yen agreement reached between the governments of Eritrea and the People's Republic of China (PRC) to expand the Adi- Keih College of Arts and Social Science, a document was today signed between the two countries for beginning the construction works. The document was signed by Dr. Ogbagebriel Beraki, Dean of the College, on the Eritrean side, and Mr. Zuo Zhao Qing, Vice General Manager of China Shanxi Construction Engineering (Group) and Corporation, on the side of the PRC. The construction works is expected to begin in the next few months and get finalized within 20 months.

• Uganda: Chinese Firm to Invest Sh4.8b in Spare Parts Plant: New Vision (Kampala):17 June 2008.

THE Union International Automobile Parts, a Chinese-based firm, is to invest over sh4.8b in a motor vehicle spare parts factory. Yu Hua, the managing director, explained last week that plans had been finalised to set up the plant.

"We have discovered there are investment opportunities in areas of spare parts and all we are looking for is a convenient place for the factory," Hua said.Hua was speaking at the opening of the company's first showroom in Kampala. He asked the Uganda Investment Authority to find them land for the multi-billion project.The company manufacturers filters, air cleaners, water pumps, shock absorbers, spark plugs, all types of gaskets and other automobile accessories.Hua said when the company is established, every thing would be Ugandan. “It is going to be a Ugandan company, employing Ugandans and exactly everything would be made here," Hua said. He said they would expand regionally.establishing other sister companies in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi to exploit the investment opportunities the East African region.

"The East African people are so good. They are hospitable and there is ready market for our manufactured goods," Hua said.Union International Automobile Parts has branches in Chicago, Dubai and Japan.

• Kenya: Chinese Lead Company Roll-Out Stopped: Business Daily (Nairobi):15 June 2008.

A Chinese firm has been barred from setting up a lead recycling plant in Nakuru until an environmental assessment is done.

The High Court granted temporary orders stopping Xhianghui International (K) from proceeding with the plans until a case lodged against it by a group of Nakuru stakeholders is heard and determined. The order granted by Lady Justice Murugi Mugo effectively stops both the Nakuru Municipal Council and the National Environmental

211 Management Authority (Nema) from granting the Chinese firm operating licences. Last month, Mr Charles Ng'ang'a Njenga, Mr. David Njuguna Wanganga, Prof. Njoroge Karanja, Dr. Julius Kariuki, Mr Allan Kamanda, Dr. K. Mwangi, Dr. Godfrey Obwanga, Dr. Isaac Ng'etich, Dr. Kenneth Mbatti, Dr. Nyekuri Wenyaa and Dr. Joseph Kibet Morogo moved to court seeking orders to bar the lead smelting and battery manufacturing plant from beginning operations until an independent environmental impact assessment was done. The group also sought orders to compel the firm to include stakeholders at all stages of the environmental audit. The temporary injunction is a setback to the firm which had earlier indicated it would be ready roll out its operation from last month. The stakeholders are seeking an assurance that the lead handling firm will not pose health risks to the Nakuru residents and the nearby food handling premises.

They are also seeking assurance that effluent discharged from the factory will not endanger the wildlife at the nearby Lake Nakuru National Park. Xhianghui International is to use old tyres to fire its blast furnaces, a method that the firm says will enable it extract oil during the lead recycling process. The applicants argue that the battery manufacturing firm would be emitting sulphur dioxide and lead powder which is harmful effects on residents of Nakuru town and the wildlife. The suit also accuses Nema and the Nakuru Municipal Council of allowing the lead smelting company to operate disregarding its effects on environment and the people. They are anxious that the plant does not have the globally recommended technologies making it a major health risk to the residents of Nakuru, their animals and the wildlife. Although the plant is located in Industrial Area, the applicants point out it is very near food processing companies such as Unga Limited, National Cereals and Produce Board, New KCC Limited and Spin Knit Dairies among others as their source of worry. The petitioners said the local authority had violated environmental regulations requiring it to to consult the people in the neighbourhood like those in estates like London, Hilton, Githiga, Kiamunyi, Aden and Githima before allowing the project to commence.

41. PAN AFRICA

WEST AFRICA • Despite Increasing Evidence That Targeted Aid is Getting Good Results, the G8 are Falling Further Behind on Meeting Their Commitments, Says the 2008 Data Report: Debt Aids Trade Africa (London): PRESS RELEASE 18 June 2008.

The DATA Report 2008, released today by ONE, the global anti-poverty organization, shows the G8 are falling further behind on the commitment they made in 2005 to contribute an additional $22 billion in assistance to Africa by 2010. According to The DATA Report 2008, the G8 are halfway to the 2010 deadline, but so far have only delivered $3 billion, or 14 percent, of the $22 billion commitment. If the G8 continue at their current pace, they will collectively fall far short of where they pledged to be by 2010.

212 While the pace of delivery is deeply concerning, the good news is that the assistance that has been delivered is making a real, measurable difference on the ground in lives saved and futures brightened. Because of recent increases in development assistance:

• 2.1 million Africans are on life-saving AIDS medication, up from only 50,000 in 2002,26 million children were immunized and against a group of life-threatening diseases between 2001 and 2006,

• 29 million African children were able to enter school for the first time as a direct result of debt relief and increased assistance between 1999 and 2005,

• By 2007, 59 million bed nets had been distributed by the Global Fund alone, helping to dramatically reduce malaria rates in countries such as Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia.

These statistics make clear that targeted development assistance, implemented in partnership with effective African leadership, works. There are no more excuses for not delivering quickly on what the G8 promised. The DATA Report lays out a clear roadmap for how the G8 can get on track to meet their 2010 goals by scaling up measures that have been proven to work.

In the foreword to the 2008 DATA Report, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond M Tutu, now also serving as International Patron to DATA and ONE, writes:

"We want to achieve success not through a hand out, but through hard work, persistence, creativity and a true partnership with the developed world. We're not there yet, but we have the roadmap to get there if the West keeps the commitments it made, with such fanfare, at Gleneagles and if African leaders keep their promises to their citizens too.

According to the 2008 DATA Report, while the G8 as a whole are off track, some countries are doing better than others and, equally important, some made more substantial promises than others. The European members of the G8 - France, Germany, Italy and the UK – made the biggest promises to Africa as a percentage of their national wealth and together are responsible for 75 percent of the $22 billion committed. While the scope of their commitments should be applauded, they are off track to meet them.

Writing in his foreword, Archbishop Tutu speaks directly to the importance of Europe keeping the commitments it has made: "Intentions are one thing, follow through is another and I am deeply worried that France, Germany and Italy are not going to keep the promises they made to Africa in 2005, because then all of Europe will be behind. President Sarkozy, Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister Berlusconi need to hear more from their citizens on this subject if they are to make the right decisions, both for Europe and Africa," writes Archbishop Tutu.

The 2008 DATA Report contains extensive detail on the state of each country's progress towards the 2010 commitment. Highlights from each country are below:

213 • France's assistance to sub-Saharan Africa decreased by $66m between 2006 and 2007 even though global ODA increased. It is still off track, despite moving its goal of allocating 0.7% of GNI to ODA from 2012 to 2015.

• Germany is off track in 2007 despite posting significant increases in development assistance to sub-Saharan Africa. Further increases are planned for 2008, but in order to reach the 2010 target these annual increases will need to grow.

• Italy, which will host the G8 in 2009, has made very ambitious commitments but the country is also hugely off track. Good progress was made in 2007 to restore previous cuts in assistance to Africa and 2008 estimates reveal solid increases, but Italy must ensure these are sustained and not one-time payments.

• Japan has fulfilled a very weak commitment to double bilateral ODA to Africa from a 2003 baseline, but in 2007 it also cut ODA to the region and global ODA has fallen for two years running. Japan's announcement at TICAD that it would double aid to Africa, applied only to bilateral assistance, omitting multilateral assistance from its pledge. More is needed from the hosts of this year's G8 Summit.

• The UK has increased its overall volume of ODA to Africa more than any other G8 country. Despite a recent slowdown in increases, longer term budget commitments show that the UK will come close to meeting 2010 targets.

• The USA is currently off track on its ODA commitment, but DATA estimates that it has sufficient increases in the pipeline to fulfil its commitment by 2010.

• Canada reduced ODA to sub-Saharan African in 2007. Plans for 2008 show improvement, but not enough to be on track to keep its commitments to Africa.

Over the past three years the G8 as a collective has increased assistance to Africa by $1 billion year over year. In a new estimation by DATA of G8 budget projections, the G8 is expected to increase assistance to Africa in 2008 by $2.6 billion. This is an important improvement over previous years, but still far from what is needed. The G8 would need to increase assistance to Africa by $6.4 billion in 2008 in order to be on track to meet their 2010 commitment.While progress to date has been underwhelming, the DATA Report makes clear that it is still possible for the G8 to keep its historic commitment to Africa. Whether or not they are kept is up to the leaders of the G8 and the citizens in whose name the promises were made. The successes that have been achieved to date should refuel efforts to meet the 2010 targetIt was citizen activism that led the G8 to make the 2005 commitments to Africa in the wake of Live 8 and a global campaign aimed at making poverty history. Given the G8's slow pace in delivering on that promise, it's clear that citizen pressure will once again have to be applied to ensure that promise is kept. To help mobilize citizens to encourage their governments to keep their promises to Africa, DATA and ONE are launching an email petition to G8 leaders.

214 • Asian Investment in Continent is Skyrocketing: Public Agenda (Accra): 20 June 2008.

Sub-Saharan Africa is enjoying the best period of sustained growth since independence. About 17 non oil-producing countries (representing about 35% of Africa's population) have grown at about 5% on average for the past 10 years, thanks to better macroeconomic policies, rising investment and greater private-sector activity.However, this year the mood at the conference was more sombre.Leaders were asked whether Kenya's recent explosion into ethnic violence exposed Africa's soft underbelly - its failure to deal with tribalism. Investors wanted to know what the likelihood was that other nations were also living the lie of unity when below the surface ethnic tensions simmered.

Ghana's president John Kufuor said it was possible that any other African country could go the way of Kenya because of the artificial boundaries drawn by colonialism and the failure by subsequent leaders to tackle the problem of tribalism at its roots.

Kenya's new prime minister, Raila Odinga, blamed the country's descent into anarchy on bad governance. Post-colonial leaders had failed to unite the country; instead, they had used ethnicity as a basis for disbursing resources. "The mediocrity with which Africa has been ruled is responsible for its underdevelopment," Odinga said, lashing out at the continent's leaders for remaining silent about the electoral crisis in Zimbabwe.Conference co-chair and Industrial Development Corp chair Wendy Luhabe said a thread running through many sessions was the lack of leadership in Africa, which made it a challenge for the continent to capitalise on many unprecedented opportunities.

This included a lack of business leadership.SA president Thabo Mbeki disagreed. African leaders, he said, generally had greater clarity about the need to establish stable democratic systems and showed greater acceptance of the role of the private sector as an engine for growth than a decade ago. He insisted: "Africa is moving in the right direction."The International Monetary Fund's recent World Economic Outlook forecasts that sub-Saharan Africa will achieve 6,6% economic growth this year (compared with only 1,3% for advanced economies) on the back of the commodities boom.Growth is supported by robust expansion in the region's non oil-exporting countries, where domestic demand and investment have responded to improved policies and structural reforms to the extent that manufactured export volumes now represent a much larger share of regional GDP than commodity exports.

Continued demand from Asia for Africa's raw materials, as well as robust internal demand dynamics, should strengthen the region's resilience to a slowdown in the advanced economies, delegates heard.Much of Africa's new found confidence is derived from skyrocketing Asian trade and investment in the continent. Net private capital flows reached record levels in 2007, led by strong foreign direct investment, while exports from Africa to Asia have tripled in the past five years, making Asia Africa's third-largest trading partner after the EU and the US.

"Africa is sitting on a golden egg. The fact that the big emerging market countries are willing to invest in Africa is spurring the US and Europe to take a second look," says World Bank economic adviser Harry Broadman.He says the interest of US and European private equity firms and global fund managers has mushroomed over the past

215 year, as they realise that China and India are likely to get first-mover advantages and because Africa offers returns way in excess of the developed world.Broadman feels this is all to the good as long as African governments exercise their leverage and drive a hard bargain with investors. Consequently, China's recent US$9bn investment in the DRC (the biggest of its kind in Africa) has been hailed as a landmark deal because the DRC government has obtained, in exchange for access to copper and cobalt, Chinese investment in infrastructure, including about 3 800 km of road, 3 200 km of railway, 32 hospitals, 145 health centres and two universities.

"To be sure, the overwhelming bulk of Africa's exports to Asia today is natural resources," Broadman concedes. "But what's new is that there is far more than oil that is being invested in. This is an important opportunity for growth."Asian investment could also help the continent deal with the food crisis; India and China have successfully raised their agricultural productivity after extensive reforms of the sector.Malawian president Bingu Mutharika expressed optimism that the world's food shortage would be solved in Africa, noting that Malawi had managed to turn itself into a net exporter of food since 2004 and had enough available land to grow more rice in a short period.However, the magnitude of the task should not be underestimated. Africa's agricultural output has dwindled from 1960s levels, resulting in the continent becoming a marginal player. Only 4% of land is irrigated in Africa, compared with 40% in South Asia.

Ambassador Liu Guijin, China's special representative on African affairs, told a session on Sino-African relations that China had committed itself politically to assist African food production and was in discussions with several African countries on ways to expand agricultural co-operation. It had already sent more than 500 experts to Ethiopia, he said.But many expressed the fear that, in the short term, high oil and food prices could undo the developmental gains of the past 10 years and push thousands back into poverty.Odinga agreed with ANC president Jacob Zuma that the food crisis was a time bomb for all politicians, "because hungry people are angry people", while US assistant secretary for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, warned that food riots could worsen political tensions in a fragile country and give a government an excuse to crack down on the opposition, setting back democracy.That positive momentum is building seems undeniable, but what is equally true is that 300m Africans remain in dire poverty and that most African countries will be unable to meet the millennium development goals, even with 6% growth rates. Africa still faces the same problems it has for decades - illiteracy, poverty and underdevelopment.In terms of infrastructure, it remains the most under invested continent. For WEF delegates these are seen as vast opportunities. Africa is being given a second chance; it had better not blow it.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • 'Africa Will Not Meddle in Zimbabwe's Internal Affairs': The Herald (Harare):20 June 2008.

AFRICA will not interfere in Zimbabwe's internal affairs and will continue to assist the country to resolve its problems through Sadc, visiting Namibian Defence Forces chief Lieutenant-General Martin Shalli has said.

Addressing journalists soon after his arrival at Harare International Airport yesterday, Lt- Gen Shalli said: "Zimbabwe remains a member of the international community and the

216 region will assist it through its problems.""The Namibian government's position is very clear. It is not in our interest as Africa to interfere in another African country's internal affairs. Sadc has (South African) President (Thabo) Mbeki who is mediating," Lt-Gen Shalli said.He condemned the xenophobic attacks that rocked South Africa last month, saying Africans should tolerate one another."It is very unfortunate. It was not supposed to happen. Africa belongs to Africans and people should be allowed to live wherever they want to live," he said.Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantine Chiwenga welcomed his Namibian counterpart, who will be in the country on a four-day official visit. The two defence chiefs will discuss co-operation between their forces.Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola helped the Democratic Republic of Congo repel Ugandan and Rwandan-backed rebels in 1998 under a Sadc military intervention code- named "Operation Sovereign Legitimacy".Lt-Gen Shalli - who is accompanied by his wife - Mrs Fenny Etuttole Shalli, will take time to visit the Victoria Falls during his stay.

• Civil Society Warns Food Crisis Can Eat Into MDG Gains: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 20 June 2008.

Progress that has already been achieved towards Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) may be reversed due to the current global food crisis, it is emerging at the eighth CIVICUS World Assembly.The Jun. 18-21 event being held in Glasgow, Scotland, for the third year in a row, brings together about 1,000 delegates from civil society organisations from 111 countries."Countries may be taken back many years. It is a tale of one step forward, two steps backwards. I am not sure we will be able to talk about significant progress on MDGs because of the toll food crisis has taken on economies of developing countries," Irfan Mufti, campaign manager with the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) said in an interview with IPS.

Global food prices have been increasing in the recent past, but have spiralled out of control in the last few months, sparking protests from several parts of the world.According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, the world's poorest people, are, and will be hardest hit by the global rise in food prices. The Washington- based body says poor people in developing countries spend more than half of their overall budget on food. "For the 160 million people worldwide who survive on less than 50 cents a days, food price inflation will spell disaster," says a May 16 statement from the organisation.Their governments are expected to adjust to the situation. "Whatever little reserves these countries had built, they are spending it on the giant leap in food prices. There are hardly any reserves to spend on social services, how will these countries ensure and guarantee achievement of MDGs?" Mufti asked.CIVICUS is appealing for global responsibility to ensure that countries achieve the MDGs by the 2015 deadline. They are urging donor nations to honour their 1970 pledge of contributing 0.7 percent of their Gross National Income (GNI) as development assistance to poor countries."Governments (third world) cannot do it alone. They need the political will of the developed nations as well. Rich countries need to increase the quantity of assistance if progress on MDGs has to be made," Mufti said.In an interview with IPS, financing for gender equality expert, Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, executive director of the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF), reiterated that rich nations had reneged on their promise to allocate part of the GNI to fight poverty in poor countries. "This is a lack of accountability on the part of the donor countries. If there is no accountability, we will not achieve the set goals. They should live their word," she urged.The AWDF is the first all-Africa fund to finance programmes that develop and promote women's leadership and issues like

217 economic empowerment that are high on the agenda of the African women's movement.The CIVICUS plea for global responsibility comes in the wake of the MDG Call to Action, an initiative launched last year by Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, to encourage the international community to speed up progress to reach the MDGs."We have made significant progress in many countries and on every continent. But at halfway to 2015, we are off track," Sarah Kline, DFID Call to Action team leader said.Many countries have made progress in education, the second MDG goal. The number of new children enrolled increased by 70 percent in sub-Saharan Africa and 88 percent in developing regions between 2004 and 2005, according to U.N. statistics. However, 75 million children of primary school age are not in school - most of these from sub-Saharan Africa. And, though enrollment has increased, there are concerns about the quality of education.Unfortunately, progress in women's empowerment is far off-track in Africa. Currently, female representation in parliament is at 16.6 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa and 21.8 percent in the developing regions, according to U.N. statistics of 2007. This is way below the gender equality target of 50/5.The other goal is combating HIV/AIDS (goal 6). Even in countries where overall HIV prevalence is low or has been reduced, the number of infected women is still on the rise. "We need to look at what is fuelling the disease. Issues of violence against women must be addressed very specifically with the relevant legislation. This is far lacking in most of Africa," Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, general secretary of the global Young Women's Christian Association said.Studies show that violence against women in Africa, particularly when they demand to have protected sex with their spouses, puts them at the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Women are at the centre of efforts to meet this and other MDG goals.

• Concerns Over Chinese Investment And Working Conditions: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):16 June 2008.

Chinese investment in African countries comes with few strings attached - which is exactly what concerns civil society organisations.During the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE) held last week various members of African civil society organisations expressed concern about the terms of China's increasing activities on the continent.

The World Bank conference, organised with South Africa's treasury department, ran from June 9 to 11 in Cape Town, South Africa."Zambian civil society agrees that international finance is needed for development and it should not matter whether the assistance comes from Europe or China," said Stephen Muyakwa, an agricultural economist in Zambia and chairperson of the Zambian Civil Society Trade Network."But there are some problems with Chinese loans and development aid. First of all, loans offered by China are not transparent and neither do they come with conditions on how the money should be spent. This could fuel corruption, as African governments are free to use the money as they wish. This could have negative results."Muyakwa contended that loans or any form of foreign finance should come with strict conditions. "You can't just hand over a blank cheque to the minister of finance and assume everything will be okay. We the people need to know how the money will be spent. And China, or any other donor, needs to hold the recipient authorities accountable for that."

According to Muyakwa, governments should be watchful when accepting Chinese loans and development aid. "There might be hidden intentions. These offers of loans and

218 infrastructural development usually seem to come with no strings attached."Unfortunately it has happened more than once that China decided to claim a mine or a stake in a forest reserve - just like that. You can't just give, make people think that there are no strings attached and then expect something. We rather want a donor country to say that you want to buy the mine, instead of claiming it as if it were part of the loan," Muyakwa argued.Luis Brites Pereira, deputy director of the Centre for Globalisation and Governance at the Nova University of Lisbon in Portugal, told the conference that there could a danger in accepting too many loans from China.

"Chinese loans seem favourable due to low interest rates. Therefore, the chances of accumulating debt are high. Recipient countries need to manage their finances carefully."Pereira also confirmed that the large Chinese companies dominating industries such as clothing and textiles are pushing African enterprises out of business.Another point of concern among African civil society is the influx of Chinese labourers in Africa, a continent where millions of people are unemployed."Not too long ago, the governments of Cameroon and China made a deal in which China would build roads and infrastructure such as stadiums and sports fields," according to Marie Tamoifo Nkom, spokesperson for the African Youth Diaspora Forum (AYDF) in Cameroon, an organisation aimed at engaging young African emigrants their continent's social, economic, and political development."Everyone was happy, first of all because Cameroon is in great need of sports facilities for the youth. Second of all, this project would mean job creation. Unfortunately, the latter did not happen as the Chinese brought their own labourers."Muyakwa is also worried about Chinese working conditions: "Last year, operations at a Chinese-owned coal mine in the south of Zambia were suspended due to unsafe working conditions. Most labourers were half naked and didn't have protective clothing, dust masks, hard hats or shoes.""When a cabinet minister attempted to visit to the mine, Chinese managers prevented her from doing so. They said it was 'their mine'. In the end the minister was given a tour. According to the minister's report, the labourers were treated like animals. The mine was closed for a short while but then opened again."Muyakwa recalled another incident that caused a stir in Zambia. "Two years ago about 50 Zambian miners were killed in an accident at an explosive factory. The bizarre thing is that no Chinese employee got hurt or killed. This makes you wonder about how committed the Chinese are to make a difference in Africa or whether they here only to serve themselves."According to the International Monetary Fund, exports from Africa to China increased with more than 40 percent between 2001 and 2006. Imports from China to Africa increased 35 percent. The total trade from China to Africa is estimated 55 billion dollar per year and is expected to grow to 100 billion dollar by 2010.

• Chasing China: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):18 June 2008.

A 500 million-dollar development assistance package to Africa marks a new move by Russia to catch up with Chinese expansion into Africa."During the Cold War the U.S. and the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the ) competed for influence in Africa by granting development assistance to ideologically sympathetic clients. When the Soviet Union and its economy collapsed in 1991, that competition came to an end," Tom Wheeler, research fellow at the South African Institute of International Affairs told IPS from Braamfontein in South Africa.

219 "As a minerals producer and producer of oil and gas, Russia sees a way of strengthening its role in a multi-polar world by buying into Africa's mineral resources. Now Russia is seeking to achieve in Africa through capitalism what the Soviet Union failed to achieve through communism."Russia will have to compete for Africa's resources with Europe, the United States, India, China, Japan and South Korea. There remain questions how far the new moves will take Russia, particularly given the rapid advance by China.

Russia and China have irreconcilable geopolitical interests in Africa. Russia is resource- rich while China is relatively resource-poor. "But both countries have an economic- expansionist agenda and lots of cash reserves to invest in Africa's economy," Bright Simons, development director at IMANI, a think tank based in Ghanaian capital Accra told IPS. The IMANI Centre for Policy Studies is a non-profit organisation for educating the public on policy issues concerning business, government and civil society."But still, Russia's influence in Africa is not really pronounced after the Cold War," Simons said. "The pro-Russian African states are not many. Even worse, Russia's trade with Africa is paltry, making its economic clout next to negligible."African countries may not be overenthusiastic about alignment with Russia after three of Russia's competitors in the 'BRIC framework' (Brazil, Russia, India and China) have held high-level summits with Africa as a continental bloc (most recently India), Simons said."But if Russia wants to expand the scope of its engagement with Africa, it will have to pay closer attention to burnishing or branding its image in Africa," said Simons, who has researched Sino- African economic cooperation for many years.

Russia is pushing ahead in that direction. Addressing a large gathering of the African community last week, Foreign Minister said Russian companies are expanding their activities on the continent, and that Russian investment in Africa is increasing."Steady economic and social development is largely determined by the level of stability in the region. We welcome the efforts of the African states to settle and prevent conflicts. For our part, we are interested in expanding cooperation, particularly in the creation of an African anti-crisis potential," Lavrov said.Mikhail Afanasiev, Russian ambassador to Ethiopia, who announced the 500 million dollar development aid package, explained that his country's policy in international development assistance is primarily to fight hunger, poverty, infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS and to address other development related problems on the continent.He declined to mention specific areas, or which countries will benefit directly from the assistance.

"Assistance to the African countries will be offered in accordance with the recommendations of the UN organisations, including the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), international financial organisations, as well as upon individual requests from African countries themselves -- without any political strings," Afanasiev told IPS from Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

"Russia's activities within the framework of international development assistance do not mean rivalry with any country, including China, and are dictated by the necessity of helping to establish a democratic world order, based on principles of equality and partnership, as well as by obligations assumed within the framework of the Group of Eight (G8, the eight most industrialised nations)."But influence has long come into the aid business. Prior to the Soviet break-up, several African countries were officially considered "socialism oriented" -- Algeria, Libya, Zimbabwe, Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia,

220 Madagascar, Benin, Congo (Brazzaville), Angola, Mozambique, Tanzania, Mali, Zambia and Cape Verde. Besides, Sudan, Ghana, Somalia and Guinea were also considered socialist earlier.

But that does not now make them 'pro-Russia'. "A few African countries are showing some interest simply because they want to strengthen economic ties with Russia for their benefit," Dmitri Bondarenko, deputy director at the African Studies Institute under the Russian Academy of Sciences told IPS. "Although there are clear prospects for economic cooperation between Russia and African countries, the progress is very slow."

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Africa: Muslim Body Eyes Continent for Business: New Vision (Kampala): 17 June 2008.

THE Secretary General of the Organisation of The Islamic Conference, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, urged the business community in member states to contribute to the prosperity and development of the Muslim community. The Secretary General made the call at the opening of the Business Forum held in Kampala on the role of the private sector in enhancing trade and investment in joint venture projects between OIC member states.The OIC chief pointed out that 2008 has been the African year for the OIC, as could be seen from the Islamic Summit hosted in Dakar, Senegal.The summit adopted the amended charter of the Organisation in addition to the ratification of several key resolutions slated to implement the 10-year programme of action. The programme was adopted at the extraordinary summit held in Mecca. The resolutions will contribute to the development of OIC member states in general and African countries, in particular.Ihsanoglu raised the question as to what would hamper the investment in real development project, in agriculture as well as industrial production and services.

• Africa: Outstanding Sustainable Energy Projects Win Global Green Awards: Ashden Awards (London): PRESS RELEASE: 19 June 2008.

Tonight, the world’s leading green energy prize awarded £60,000 to three African sustainable energy pioneers in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda. Kenyan Nobel Prize laureate Wangari Maathai presented the Ashden Awards to the Gaia Association (Ethiopia), Kisingani Smith Group (Tanzania) and Fruits of the Nile (Uganda).

Dr Wangari Maathai said tonight: “We are here tonight to celebrate these wonderful energy pioneers, who are responding to the needs of their communities. They have decided to take action in the face of huge challenges, displaying not just patience and persistence, but a sense of urgency and determination. We salute these sustainability champions and the Ashden Awards, who help to make their work better known so that they can continue to inspire others.”

The African Ashden Award winners are: The Gaia Association, an organisation working with the UNHCR in the Kebribeyah refugee camp near Ethiopia’s border with Somalia, is transforming the lives of refugees by distributing stoves that use ethanol fuel,

221 a by-product of the sugar industry. The area around the Kebribiyah camp, home to 17,000 Somalian refugees, has suffered severe deforestation and women were always in danger of attack when they went out to collect fuel wood. The new stoves are healthier and more efficient – and families can avoid using wood altogether. Now Ethiopian manufacturers are producing the stoves locally.

Sarah Butler-Sloss, founder and chair of the Ashden Awards said:

“Our judges were enormously impressed with the enthusiasm for the stoves among refugee women. Not only did the stoves prevent wood-collection, with its associated dangers and environmental impacts, they were also much safer, quicker and more pleasant to use, in particular avoiding the risk of respiratory and eye diseases from smoke inhalation.”

Accepting the Ashden Award on behalf of Gaia Association, Milkyas Debebe said:

“The Ethiopian people, especially women and children and our growing refugee population, suffer increasingly from poor energy choices and energy poverty. Gaia is pioneering ethanol stoves and fuel, using Ethiopia’s natural resources. With support from the UNHCR and the Ethiopian government we are helping both Ethiopians and refugees. This Award will help us to reach more people in need.”

The blacksmiths of the Kisingani Smith Group (KSG), working in Njombe near the Southern highlands of Tanzania, have trained 120 young people to build efficient stoves that burn sawdust from local timber businesses and improved wood stoves – 3,500 have been sold since 2005. Locals can pay back the stove’s cost in a few months and save on charcoal and wood. Alongside this work KSG has planted over 100 hectares of fuel wood plantation and 24 hectares of restored indigenous forest. Many trainees have gone on to set up clean stove enterprises in other areas.

Sarah Butler-Sloss said: “We are delighted to be recognising the extraordinary work of KSG, whose members have not benefited from higher education, or extensive external support. They have simply used their practical abilities and commitment to make a difference – giving skills and income-generation potential to young people, and developing and selling effective wood-saving stoves, using designs which could be followed by any blacksmith.”

Accepting the report on behalf of KSG, John and Reuben Mtitu said:“Our Ashden Award is not just an acknowledgement of KSG, but a support to help us invest and scale up our scheme, and ensure its sustainability. Our plan is to produce 40,000 more stoves by 2012.”Fruits of the Nile, a company in Njeru, Southern Uganda, is helping farmers in Uganda harness the sun to dry fresh fruit for export. It works with a network of 120 producers – mainly women -who dry the fruit in simple wood-framed driers under the sun and send it to the Fruits of the Nile factory for sorting and packing. Meticulous procedures are followed throughout. Around 1,400 people earn an income from the business, benefiting at least 8,000 family members. The company is working towards organic and Fair Trade certification.

Sarah Butler-Sloss said of Fruits of the Nile: “Our judges were impressed that the increase of skills and income along the supply chain starts with the farmers, all of whom

222 are trained in organic production, and that the benefits then multiply all the way along, providing a whole community with an enhanced standard of living, as well as improving the environment. Fruits of the Nile are skilfully managing a complex operation, with considerable potential for growth. The constraint is securing the markets for the dried fruit, but we hope that Ashden Award recognition will help with that.” Accepting the Award, Angello Ndyaguma of Fruits of the Nile said: “I am delighted that we have won an Ashden Award. Our fruit-drying project provides solar driers to process fruit during the high season, from which the rural poor get income using environmentally friendly technology. With this award, I wish to take the project to higher levels by improving our service delivery and reaching more farming communities.”His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Patron of The Ashden Awards, personally congratulated this year’s Ashden Awards winners at a separate meeting. A Clarence House spokesperson said:"The Prince of Wales was deeply encouraged to learn of the solutions demonstrated by the Ashden Awards that can reduce our dependency on a carbon economy. His Royal Highness was particularly impressed by the local sustainable energy initiatives recognised and promoted by the Awards, which not only meet the needs of communities, but tackle climate change and further sustainable development."

42. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Women Cry for More Representation in Parliament: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra):20 June 2008.

The Women Commissioners at the various tertiary institutions in the country have called on the political parties to bring more women on board if they want to win the upcoming elections.

They made this known at a seminar organized by the Women Commissioners of the National Union of Ghana students (NUGS) and that of the Ghana National Union of Polytechnics Students (GNUPS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, on the theme "Women empowerment; the role of the Ghanaian Women in leadership".Dignitaries like Nana Oye Lithur, Mrs. Magdalene Kanae, Hajia Alima Mahama, the Minister of Women and Children Affairs, and over 60 women Commissioners in the country attended the program.The GNUPS commissioner, Miss Adiza, in her address said, "This year is our year, as we are set to advocate for more women in governance". She noted that political parties who have more women vying in the various constituencies have better chances in the elections.Mrs. Magdalene Kannae of the Institute of Local Government Studies, on her part said women play important roles in the development of our communities and the country. She cited her ladyship, Georgina Wood, Patricia Appiagyei of the Kumasi Metropolitan assembly and Hajia Alima Mahama among others.She urged women to engage in politics, saying "the Presidential slot is not beyond the women in Ghana". She commended the current government for pushing more women into influential positions and also helping to increase the statistic of women in politics.Mrs. Kannae encouraged women to unite and to fight against discrimination. She further encouraged Institutions to embrace women into their fold. "The position of Vice Chancellor is yet to be occupied by women in our tertiary institutions" she said.The Minister of Women and Children Affairs, Hajia Alima Mahama in her speech advised young women to choose husbands who fit into their

223 career. She was happy that the Ministry's budget, which stood at 0.08% would be increased in 2009 for it to be more gender responsive. She told the gathering that the Ministry had received an amount of 42 million pounds from the British government to help in fighting for the rights of women and children in the country. She said, The Ministry pressurized the government to appoint Women into the District Assemblies and the government is making significant efforts towards this.The Minister, who has successfully presented and defended Ghana's records on women advancement in the United Nations, and provided leadership through the passage of the Domestic Violence Bill, Human Trafficking Act as well as ratification of Conventions of both the AU and UN. She is also the brain behind the building of the Gambaga Girls Senior High School through funds she mobilized from her constituency to promote the Girl child education in the country. "Though, as the first African country to attain independence, Ghana's politics still lacks women," she added and entreated women in the country to vote for their fellow women contestants in the various constituencies.Nana Oye Lithur, a gender activist and lawyer also encouraged women to nurture their constituencies now, if they want to contest and win elections tomorrow. "The political representation of women is low," she added. She alos stressed on the fact that if women were given the nod, they would and can manage the country better. Lithur made allusion to Yaa Asantewaa of Ghana and advised females to emulate some of these women who made positive impacts on their nations.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Terror On Eve of Poll: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 19 June 2008.

The run-up to the Zimbabwe presidential run-off elections next week is taking a different dimension as clashes between President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai's supporters escalate.One of the observers of the election told Mmegi last night that the situation is bad.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, she says it is clear the ruling party supporters are not going to concede defeat and they attack anybody they suspect to be loyal to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). "During the day the situation looks normal. But when evening comes, boys supporting the ruling ZANU-PF will just pick anybody they suspect to be a member of the opposition for a beating. Sometimes they will just pick members of a family and beat or even kill them. It is even worse that they seem to have adopted a system of amputation. They just chop off people's hands," she says. She added that the fights are mainly caused by retaliation citing incidences where the opposition will fight back after one of their own has been attacked or vice versa.

In Harare, she says, they only see people wearing ZANU-PF t-shirts while in the rural areas, the observers witness people's houses being burned down. "In Mashonaland and Manicaland, we have come across houses that were burned down. Travelling in rural areas is dangerous because you will come across a roadblock mounted by boys and you have to explain to them what you are going to do in their territory. You will also come across police roadblocks every five kilometres," she explains. She says that in most cases, soldiers go to rural areas in plain clothes. She confirmed that people are killing each other as reported in the international media.But the source is confident that though there is violence, Zimbabweans have shown the will to effect change in their country. "The systems have collapsed, there is anarchy, but the people are adamant that the

224 elections should go on because they have hope that positive results for the opposition will be another step to a better living," she notes.

Tsvangirai's recent arrests, she says were meant to disrupt his campaign but the secretary general of MDC, Tendai Biti, is still in jail facing treason charges.The Botswana government dispatched 50 observers last week. SADC has pledged to double the number of its observers from the 162 that went there during the March elections. The SADC Parliamentary Forum was not invited to the elections. The Harare regime was apparently not impressed by the final report of the forum's observer team that was headed by Duke Lefhoko during the 2000 Zimbabwean polls. Lefhoko's team had issued a very critical report saying the elections were not free and fair.

• Swaziland: Traditional Governor Urges Harsh Punishment of Critical Journalists: Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek): PRESS RELEASE: 17 June 2008.

Traditional authorities in Swaziland continue to harass and intimidate the media, particularly in instances when the Swazi monarchy faces criticism.

On 14 June 2008, the traditional governor, Jim Gama, who is regarded as the traditional prime minister, launched a scathing attack on the print media and threatened journalists for what he claimed was "negative reporting" on a national gathering called by King Mswati III at Ludzidzini royal kraal, the traditional capital.Without specifying any media outlet or journalist, Gama accused the print media of having reported negatively about the national gathering, where people had been called to debate national issues under a forum called "Peoples' Parliament".Speaking in the presence of King Mswati III, Gama, in his threats, said the offending journalists should be punished using "umphini", which in Swazi traditional folklore is tantamount to capital punishment.

Gama, addressing the King, said: "Your Majesty, you gave them the freedom to write and with that freedom they are now disrespecting you. You want the same people who are in this kraal to buy that paper that has created a wrong picture about that is happening here."He said the newspaper instead should have reported that the royal kraal was filled to the brim (in response to the King's summons) and that Swazis loved their king.The threats coincided with an impassioned apology which the privately-owned "Times of Swaziland" newspaper published on 15 June, following a story that appeared on 13 June, which claimed that government was to use a 15 million Euro allocation to pay for the national gathering. The budget allocation is reserved for national celebrations.

In its apology, the "Times of Swaziland" said the story created the impression that the national gathering, which lasted three days, would consume the entire 15 million Euros. The newspaper apologized profusely to the monarchy and traditional authorities for the "wrong" impression created by its article.This new threat against the media comes as the MISA-Swaziland chapter completes a study on censorship in Swazi newsrooms. The study, conducted on behalf of MISA-Swaziland by a journalism professor of the University of Swaziland, found that the monarchy was by far the main threat to press freedom in Swaziland, being responsible for most of the direct censorship taking place in Swazi newsrooms.

225 As a result of constant intimidation by the King and his circle of traditional advisors, the media in Swaziland are too scared to criticize the King or anything connected or close to him.MISA-Swaziland frowns on intimidation of any kind directed against the media, and will use the findings of the recent study on censorship to target the King's court to educate traditionalists about the role of media in society.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Sudan: Account for Civilians Arrested in Khartoum: Human Rights Watch (Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 17 June 2008.

The Sudanese government should immediately account for the hundreds of men, women, and children arrested in Khartoum since a rebel attack on the capital in May 2008, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. The government should also bring to justice those responsible for the torture and mistreatment of detainees.The 28-page report, "Crackdown in Khartoum: Mass Arrests, Torture, and Disappearances Since the May 10 Attack," documents Sudanese government repression in Khartoum following the May 10 attack by the Darfur-based rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). Eyewitnesses suggest that more than 60 civilians were killed during the fighting. The government has detained hundreds of people but has provided no information on their identities, whereabouts, or any charges against them. Most of the people arrested were, or appeared to be, from Sudan's Darfur region, indicative of a discriminatory intent.

"Hundreds of people in Khartoum have been rounded up because they are from Darfur, and brutally beaten and thrown into overcrowded jails where some have died," said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "The Sudanese authorities should account for every individual and charge them with a cognizable crime or immediately release them.""Crackdown in Khartoum" is based on more than 30 interviews conducted by Human Rights Watch in May 2008, including interviews with released detainees and relatives of people who have been "disappeared." Human Right Watch has collected the names of more than 200 people whom the Sudanese National Intelligence Security Services (NISS) are believed to have arrested since May 10. Some former detainees claimed that the total number of those arrested may be as high as 3,000.Eyewitnesses reported to Human Rights Watch the deaths of at least 10 people in detention from ill-treatment and poor conditions in prisons and secret detention centers. In a large number of cases, the Sudanese government has provided no information on the identities of individuals arrested, their whereabouts, or the charges against them - a practice that amounts to an enforced disappearance in violation of international law.One released detainee told Human Rights Watch:"During [the six days in detention] some people were taken away for questioning and were tortured, and some of them never came back. One of the methods used to torture people was to make them balance on their knees and elbows on the concrete floor out in the sun for hours, which burns after awhile. Every day, two to three people die in the prison because of lack of food and water or the torture."Censorship of Sudanese media and persecution of journalists and human rights defenders have also increased in the aftermath of the May 10 attack. Authorities have prevented newspapers from publishing articles that are seen as critical of the government, including its role in the May 10 events, the ongoing arrests, and other topics regarded as sensitive to the authorities, such as Darfur and recent fighting in

226 Abyei, a disputed oil-rich area on the border between north and south Sudan."Cracking down on rights activists and journalists shows Khartoum's contempt for freedom of expression," said Gagnon. "Authorities should stop harassing journalists and human rights defenders."Human Right Watch urged the international community to immediately and publicly call on Sudan to end all arbitrary arrests and detention; promptly release all detainees for whom there is no legal basis for detention, or charge them with a legally cognizable offense; inform the detainees' families of their whereabouts; and immediately end all use of torture and other mistreatment of detainees.

• Uganda: U.S. Accuses LRA of Abuses, Calls for a Quick Peaceful Solution: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 18 June 2008.

The United States has accused Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels of committing various abuses against civilians including abductions in recent attacks in three African countries."The United States condemns the recent LRA attacks on Sudanese Peoples' Liberation Army forces at Nabanga, Sudan, and elsewhere, as well as the LRA's abductions and other abuses of innocent civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Southern Sudan," said a statement issued on 18 June.

In an apparent reference to recent threats by Uganda to resume military operations against the LRA, the statement added: "The United States continues to support a peaceful end to the 22-year-old conflict between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda. We call on LRA leader Joseph Kony to sign and adhere to the Final Peace Agreement (FPA) negotiated in talks that have now concluded in Juba, Sudan." The US also pledged its support in the implementation of the agreement in areas of reconciliation, reintegration and development in northern Uganda. "We will continue to support regional initiatives to protect the citizens of these countries," the statement added.

Gun battles in Nimule: This came amid reports of weekend gun battles between suspected Ugandan rebel fighters and south Sudanese forces in the border town of Nimule where one rebel was killed and three captured, according to the Ugandan military."A group of LRA rebels infiltrated the areas of Pagali [50km from the Ugandan border] in southern Sudan, abducted two people and later released one. They now seem to be heading to Kajo Keji and we suspect that they are heading back to the Democratic Republic of Congo," Captain Chris Magezi, acting Ugandan army spokesman, said.He said that although the military had remained on alert, it suspected that the rebels were moving towards these areas to unearth arms caches."It is not the first time that they [the LRA] are making these movements. We suspect that they want to reach some arms in an attempt to replenish their supplies. But in the process they loot food and abduct people," Magezi said.Asked about reports of increased Ugandan army deployments along the border with Sudan, Magezi said there had been a precautionary build-up to block the rebels crossing back to northern Uganda.Captain Ronald Kakurungu, the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) northern region spokesman, told IRIN: "If they attempt to cross over to Uganda, we shall hit them, but certainly I don't think they will make that attempt because they know they will get a bloody nose," he said. The UPDF is the national army.

227 LRA crimes: Human rights groups have accused the LRA of forcefully recruiting child soldiers and forcing abducted female children to become sex slaves.In April, LRA leader Joseph Kony refused to sign a final peace deal, brokered by Southern Sudan, saying he did not understand how it addressed the indictments imposed on him and other LRA leaders by the International Criminal Court (ICC).Along with four of his commanders Kony is charged by the ICC with carrying out abductions, killings, rape and conscription of Ugandan children as fighters among other war crimes.The LRA rebels had also been accused of abducting nearly 30,000 children in northern Uganda. The rebels were committing similar crimes in Sudan, Congo and the CAR, according to some humanitarian organisations.A recent report by the US-based Human Rights Watch said that since February the LRA had "carried out at least 100 abductions and perhaps more in the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Southern Sudan".On 5 June, the LRA attacked a southern Sudanese army outpost near the border with the DRC, killing at least 20 people, among them 14 members of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army. The LRA rebellion had led to the deaths of thousands and displaced millions in northern Uganda.

• Africa: UN Human Rights Chief Urges Egypt to Stop Deporting Eritrean Asylum-Seekers: UN News Service (New York):19 June 2008.

The top United Nations human rights official said she was "alarmed" by reports that Egypt has deported some 700 Eritrean-asylum seekers in the past few days, and called on authorities to halt any further forced returns.

"People who could well be at risk in their home country should never be sent back before their asylum claims have been properly addressed," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said in a statement."Egypt should respect its international obligations not to send home anyone who could face torture or other serious forms of ill treatment, as may well be the case with those who have apparently been deported in recent days," she added.According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Egypt has seen a surge of Eritreans entering the country illegally in recent months by land from Sudan or directly from Eritrea via the Red Sea.On 15 June, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to High Commissioner António Guterres reaffirming Egypt's commitment to uphold its international obligations relating to the protection of refugees and to grant UNHCR in Cairo access to Eritrean citizens who have entered Egypt illegally.Ms. Arbour welcomed the Egyptian Government's decision to grant UNHCR staff limited access to the asylum-seekers in order to determine their refugee status.She urged authorities to immediately stop any further deportation of Eritreans until their asylum status has been properly clarified.

• Conservatives in Anglican Church Opt for Split: The Nation (Nairobi):20 June 2008.

Hard-line church leaders have formally declared the end of the world-wide , saying they can no longer be associated with liberals who tolerate homosexual clergy, says a report leaked to a UK newspaper on Wednesday. The formal pronouncement of the schism is contained in an 89-page document titled "The Way, the Truth and the Life", which has been drawn up by conservative Anglicans ahead of the

228 break-away Gafcon summit next week. The summit is designed for Anglicans with a more traditional view of the scriptures and opposed to the ordination of homosexual priests. It is seen by many as an alternative to the Lambeth summit of the Anglican church in the UK next month.

According to the report, published in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, the traditionalists say that Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the Anglican community, can no longer hold the Church together.

Serious crisis: They warned that the Church was gripped by its most serious crisis since the Reformation and that it could only be saved by the repentance of the Americans who triggered the row by ordaining a homosexual bishop, the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, five years ago. The document is said to have the support of heads of key African churches including Nigeria, Uganda and Rwanda. This year, a number of Anglican delegations - known as sees - have said they will not attend the Lambeth conference over the issue of the ordination of homosexual bishops within the Episcopal church in the United States. However at the end of last month, Anglican church sources revealed that 620 of the possible 880 bishops in the Anglican Communion had said they would attend. Officials calculate that about ten per cent of sees are vacant. Only Nigeria with its 141 bishops and Uganda with its 31 bishops have said they will definitely not be attending. This leaves fewer than 20 bishops unaccounted for.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Burundi: Constitutional Court Decision Unseats 22 Lawmakers: Human Rights Watch (Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 17 June 2008.

The ousting of 22 National Assembly members, following a Constitutional Court decision that they could not sit as "independents," raises serious concerns about double standards given that other independent deputies supporting the government remain in parliament, Human Rights Watch said today. The affected parliamentarians had been elected as members of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (Conseil national pour la défense de la démocratie-Forces pour la défense de la démocratie, CNDD-FDD), but had left or been expelled from the party following internal divisions."The CNDD-FDD is trying to pull a fast move to halt the erosion of its power in parliament," said Alison Des Forges, senior adviser to Human Rights Watch's Africa division. "The court's endorsement of this move sets a dangerous precedent for future political life, raising fears among Burundians that basic political rights can arbitrarily be stripped away."The CNDD-FDD, a former rebel movement that became a political party in 2003, handily won elections in 2005. In accordance with a system of proportional representation set out in the constitution and electoral law, CNDD-FDD won the majority of the seats in the National Assembly. Factional struggle split the party in 2007 with a score of assembly members withdrawing from its ranks. In addition, former First Vice-president of the National Assembly Alice Nzomukunda was expelled from the party in 2008.With the defection of 22 members, the CNDD-FDD could no longer control the National Assembly, leaving the body so paralyzed that it failed to pass a single law during its recent three-month session. At the request of CNDD-FDD leader Jérémie Ngendakumana, National Assembly president Pie Ntavyohanyuma, also a CNDD-FDD member, asked the Constitutional Court in a letter dated May 30 to

229 determine whether persons who had left the CNDD-FDD could continue to sit as members of the National Assembly.

After less than two days of deliberation - with unprecedented speed, according to Burundian magistrates - the Constitutional Court ruled on June 6 that the former party members were occupying their seats in violation of the constitution. The court based its decision largely on its interpretation of article 169 of the constitution, which provides that candidates "cannot be elected and sit in the National Assembly" unless their party has received at least 2 percent of the popular vote. Because "independents" did not win more than 2 percent of the vote in 2005, non-aligned parliamentarians such as the 22 former CNDD-FDD members could not remain in the assembly.The 22 deputies were not the first to leave their parties, but were the first to be expelled from Parliament as a result. In March 2008, when the opposition party Front for Democracy in Burundi (Front pour la Démocratie au Burundi, Frodebu) expelled several of its members who were closely aligned with CNDD-FDD, they were allowed to keep their assembly seats. Constitutional and electoral law specify that parliamentarians may lose their seats through death, resignation, permanent incapacity, unjustified absences, or a prison sentence of more than 12 months, but there is no explicit provision for expulsion following changes in political party membership. When the constitution was being written, drafters considered but rejected a provision that would have ousted assembly members who changed party affiliation. Many Burundian jurists interpret article 169 as applicable only during an election.When parliamentarians were expelled from Frodebu, Assembly President Ntavyohanyuma made no request for the court to examine their status. Nor did he mention them in his May 30 letter, although the logic of the letter would suggest they had been occupying their seats unconstitutionally for months. Following the court's decision, the chairman of Frodebu asked the assembly president on June 9 to submit the question to the court, but as of June 16, Ntavyohanyuma had not responded to his request.

Burundian jurists, members of opposition parties, representatives of civil society, religious leaders, and the Bashingantahe (a council of respected elders), criticized the court's decision as a deliberate and politically influenced interpretation of the constitution which could lead to future rights violations. One of the expelled representatives told Human Rights Watch, "You lose everything, you lose the whole country if you start violating the constitution." Critics suggested that National Assembly President Ntavyohanyuma's obvious partiality in calling for the expulsion of renegade deputies was part of a CNDD-FDD strategy to hang onto power in order to be well-placed for elections scheduled for 2010. Several Burundian lawyers and rights activists questioned why the diplomatic community had not commented on the decision. One lawyer told Human Rights Watch, "Everyone is afraid of 2010. If the CNDD-FDD sees that they can violate the constitution and the diplomats remain silent, they can do whatever they want to stay in power. We fear a repeat of Kenya or Zimbabwe." The court decision cannot be appealed, but in a similar previous case, the president of the National Assembly reinstated expelled deputies. "The CNDD-FDD should reconsider this effort to edge out its competitors," said Des Forges. "Party leaders should encourage the assembly president to use his authority to bring the dissidents back to the chamber and start addressing the pressing problems of the people of Burundi."

230 • Congo-Kinshasa: All Sides Continue to Violate Human Rights, UN Report Finds: UN News Service (New York): 18 June 2008.

Government troops, national police, foreign groups and local militia in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to contribute to deteriorating human rights conditions, the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the country (MONUC) said in a report released today.The report, assessing the human rights situation in the DRC in April, found that both the armed forces - known as FARDC - and the police (PNC) are among the main violators, including through rapes and acts of torture.

The inspector-general of the FARDC has been suspended from duty for shooting a 20- year-old street dweller in Kinshasa, the capital, while FARDC members have carried out armed robberies, extortion and many arbitrary arrests.The number of violations by Congolese police also rose over the previous month's figures, with at least two killings, 13 rape cases and more than 100 arbitrary arrests or acts of detention.Other segments of the security service, as well as armed militia - including the Patriotic Resistance Front in Ituri (FPRI) and the National Congress for the Defence of the Congolese People (CNDP) - have also been implicated in human rights abuses, such as illegal detention, beatings and arrests.The report also found that the Government had responded by prosecuting some soldiers, with five men recently given jail sentences ranging from five years to 15 years for the raping of minors.But it also noted that, at a time when the number of jailbreaks is mounting, the Government continues to deny access to prisons in many parts of the vast country to MONUC's human rights officials.

• Rwanda: President Kagame Attacks Catholic Head Over Remarks On RPF Trial: Hirondelle News Agency Lausanne): 19 June 2008.

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has made a scathing attack on the recent remarks by the Head of the Catholic Church in Rwanda, Archbishop Thadee Ntihinyurwa, who opted that the trial of the four Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) soldiers alleged to have killed members of the Catholic clergy during the 1994 genocide, was best to have it conducted outside Rwanda in the interest of justice.

The Archbishop had told foreign media in an interview last week that he was not convinced that the church's lost clergy would get justice, citing possible interference from government authorities. "Justice can only be rendered by foreigners not Rwandans that are most likely to be compromised by the establishment" claimed Ntihinyurwa. According to the Rwanda's pro-government newspaper, New Times, President Kagame instead reminded the Church that it failed the people of Rwanda in 1994 and that he was surprised that opposition was coming from someone who, in the past, had been subject to investigations into his personal role in the genocide. Ntihinyurwa was then Bishop of Cyangugu at the time of genocide until 1996, when he was named to succeed Archbishop Vincent Nsengiyumva, who was among 13 clergymen allegedly killed by the RPF soldiers on 5 June 1994 in Kabgayi, Muhanga District., central Rwanda.

231 The four soldiers have already appeared this week before the Rwandan Military Court and two of them have pleaded guilty. However, all four are held in detention because investigations have not been completed.

According to ICTR Prosecutor, Justice Hassan Jallow, Rwanda shared concurrent jurisdiction with the tribunal over such offences and that the UN Court would monitor the trial. However, he has warned that the trial can be retracted if it lacked transparency. "The other day the Pope apologized to Americans for crimes by members of the clergy. I am waiting for the day when they will do the same for the people of Rwanda," President Kagame remarked during his monthly press briefing in Kigali on Wednesday. He also reiterated his anguish over issue of indictments by Spanish and French judges over members of RPF for the 1994 genocide. "They use the law when it suits their purposes," Kagame said, adding that he would raise the issue of indicting foreigners for 1994 genocide at the African Union Summit scheduled for Egypt later this month. The Rwandan government in the past has been furious over the RPF investigations and even reached a boiling point by refusing to co-operate with the UN tribunal and once even denied entry visa to then ICTR Prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte.

43. REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Bakassi - FG Wants Displacement of Citizens Probed: This Day (Lagos):18 June 2008.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief , has urged Cameroonian authorities to investigate the displacement of about 50,000 Nigerians from Northern Bakassi following a recent clash. He, however, gave the assurance that Nigeria would also fish out Nigerians behind the clash and bring them to justice. Maduekwe made this call when he met with the Cameroonian Charge D'affaires in Nigeria , Mr David Sinou in Abuja, yesterday, where he said the two nations must find a way to live peacefully and emphasis the ties between them. "The trouble these people are making is not approved by their government and the government of both countries would deal decisively with criminal elements creating problems and making innocent residents, whether Nigerians or Cameroonian objects of harassment," he said. He said matters concerning Nigerians must be adequately addressed to strenghten bilateral relationship. He said communication between the two countries must be strengthened, so that things would not go wrong and "if there is something that has gone wrong, any misconception could be corrected." Sinou expressed appreciation at Nigeria 's understanding and gave the assurance that his country was not resting on its oars over the Bakassi issue.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Political Parties Unite in Condemnation of Recent Violence: BuaNews (Tshwane):20 June 2008.

South Africa's political parties were united in their strong condemnation of the recent attacks against fellow Africans in various parts of the country during May, which displaced up to 32 000 people.

232 During a joint sitting of parliament on Thursday, that saw both houses speaking out on the issue, speaker after speaker mounted the podium in the National Assembly and denounced the wave of spontaneous violence in May that saw people from neighbouring countries being assaulted and in some cases killed. Leading the debate on a parliamentary report that probed the violence was MP Obed Bapela, who said that the attacks took place in the poorest areas of the country, and then it was "only in the corners of these communities" where the attacks were initiated. Only "a few people" launched the attacks that began in the township of Alexandra in Gauteng last month and spread as far as Cape Town.

However, the possibility that a so-called "third force" or organised grouping was behind the violence was ruled out, said Mr Bapela, who pointed out that the attacks took place in the poorest areas of already indigent neighbourhoods. A number of other factors played a role in the wave of attacks directed against people from other countries that shocked the country and "dented" South Africa's image abroad, Mr Bapela said. Key among these were intolerant attitudes, towards people from other countries, that were a result of ignorance and lack of international awareness by South Africans, which facilitated the creation of a climate of jealously and suspicion which was in turn exploited by criminal elements, mostly youths. Explaining the absence of a sense of solidarity with the Africans from among the continent's 53 states, many of which gave refuge to South African exiles during apartheid, Mr Bapela said that average age of the youths arrested for during the violence was between 16 and 22. Being prosecuted in special courts on charges ranging from assault and murder to looting and housebreaking, these youths were only a few years old when the country began its transformation in 1994, and were largely ignorant of the African values and beliefs carried by their elders, he said. Furthermore, the changes in the world today and the massive migration the world is seeing have led to a situation where there are over six million people from other countries living in South Africa at present, against the approximately 500 000 present in the country before 1994. While people from other countries are contributing to the vibrancy of the economy, there is also a perception among many South Africans that they are competing for scarce resources at a time when unemployment is also very high, the MP said. While the growth in the country's gross domestic product has been averaging around 5 percent over the past few years, unemployment levels are sitting at around 40 percent and over 12 million South Africans - a quarter of the population - are receiving some form of social grant. While lack of knowledge and awareness about other African nationals and cultures also provided a context in which to understand the violence, the African National Congress MP said a perception in communities that people from other countries were usurping resources such as jobs, houses and even women also helped create the atmosphere of suspicion. "People are beginning to say that 'they are taking our jobs, they are taking our women, they are taking our houses'," Mr Bapela said, adding that no evidence was found to support any such "rumours", and that social relations are in some cases "breaking down". At the same time, the number of undocumented people from other countries in South Africa "remains a concern", he said, echoing the findings of the parliamentary task force that probed the violence - which led to over 60 deaths. The country's porous borders and the question of the police - and not the army - being responsible for patrolling them, as well as the issue of corruption, particularly in the Department of Home Affairs, which has been plaguing the country for some years now, were also raised as key concerns. However, "we are all Africans", said Mr Bapela, adding that this would be the ringing slogan of a national campaign being launched to create deeper awareness among South Africans and facilitate the reintegration of people from other countries wishing to remain in the country. This

233 campaign phrase was echoed by Motsoko Pheko, of the Pan Africanist Congress, who simply said that "Africans cannot be foreigners in Africa". He added that he understood that about one-third of the approximately 60 people whose deaths were directly linked to the attacks were actually South African citizens. Sheila Camerer of the Democratic Alliance praised the parliamentary probe and report as "laudably inclusive, consultative and thorough", and added her voice to the strong condemnation of the attacks, which shocked South Africa and the world. However, she pointed out that the government "must shoulder responsibility" for the situation, pointing out that the failure to process people from other countries was a "short-term catalyst" to the recent violence. It is poverty-stricken South Africans who also bear the brunt of this shortcoming, adding that the parliamentary team spoke to some people who had lived in South Africa for over 15 years, yet this period was not enough to escape the recent violence. Ms Camerer told the National Assembly at the same time, the police, as well as many members of local governments and civil society, "did a wonderful job", adding that short-term, medium- term and long-term strategies were needed to adequately deal with the problem. Providing further context for the extreme poverty characteristic of the areas afflicted by the violence is the fact that in many cases people began building their own shacks on the same land on which destroyed dwellings stood, within 24 hours after people from other countries were being chased away, she said. Going forward, what is of crucial importance, she said, is that leadership must be provided by parliament, which must also assess the entire legislative framework governing the question of foreign nationals, while addressing corruption in the Department of Home Affairs. Police capacity to deal with any possible future, similar outbreaks of violence must also be assessed, while MPs should continue to closely monitor the reintegration process as well as monitor the prosecution in special courts of those arrested during the violence.

Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool raised some optimism in the House when he pointed out that in the province, of the 19 000 people displaced, by Thursday morning around 8 250 people were being catered for as displaced, suggesting that over 10 000 people had already been re-absorbed into one or another of society's fabrics. Other political parties in the house also condemned the attacks, with one MP warning that leadership must desist from "scapegoating and denials" while the country undergoes a healing process; another MP warned of the danger of complacency among South Africans. Such complacency can lead to "blind spots", said the MP, adding that it was often an impulse for "wounded" and "injured" people - not necessarily in the physical sense - to wound another as a result. Pieter Mulder of the Freedom Front Plus party said care should be taken around allowing six million people from other countries to compete with South Africans for resources. South Africa must "protect its own citizens against immigration", he said, pointing to neighbouring Botswana's "strong rules" about admission to the country. He also asked whether anyone could have predicted a year ago that South Africa's national football squad, Bafana Bafana, would be needing extra security in the African capitals it is playing in. Attention was drawn by another MP to the use of the derogatory expression, "amakwerekwere", a word constructed in South Africa to describe people from other countries, particularly fellow Africans; a plea was made to attempt to discourage use of this "ugly word", to remove it from the national lexicon. Warnings to criminals were heard, a call was made for "easy access to conflict resolution processes", while the words "never again" resonated throughout the House. The work of the many institutions, NGOs and suchlike, government, civil society, the churches and mosques, other charities, business groups and unions and individuals who assisted with support for the displaced, with relief efforts, with disaster management, with sympathy

234 and humanitarian effort, was roundly praised and commended across the political spectrum.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: For Vision 2030 to Succeed, Coalition Should Pull Down All Immigration Walls: The Nation (Nairobi): 14 June 2008.

President Kibaki finally launched Vision 2030 this week after the country walked an arduous, 45-year journey. The vision is built on three pillars - an annual and sustained growth rate of 10 per cent, a just and cohesive society and an accountable political leadership. And to realise it as anchored in the three pillars, the Government proposes massive investment in three areas - science and technology, equitable access to social services and an enabling regulatory framework.

Vision 2030 is a noble idea and all Kenyans must give it a chance. But my only beef is the road map, which will need multi-billion-dollar investment, money which we do not have. Our total exports last year amounted to a mere $3.2 billion (Sh202 billion), while imports were $6.1 billion Sh384 billion), leaving us with a negative trade balance of $2.9 billion (Sh182 billion). Our tax collections fill the loophole in addition to paying salaries, leaving nothing for anything else.

Phenomenal growth: Countries that have achieved phenomenal growth have economies based on knowledge, services as well as industrial and natural resources. As none of these are available to donors and us now are not keen to hold an immediate fund-Kenya conference as they have repeatedly done for Afghanistan, whence then is our salvation? My advice to the Government is: Pull down the immigration walls. Let every one who wants to come to Kenya do so, except criminals fleeing an offence that carries a death penalty in our country, and terrorists. The entry points on the border as well as sea and airports ought to be removed to allow all foreigners who want to settle or work here to come in with the world's least restrictive immigration rules. By having tough rules on immigration, Kenya is hypocritical and empty as we have nothing to fear from or lose to immigrants, but everything to gain. The US is arguably the richest and most powerful empire in history, and is likely to remain so for a long time to come.

China may most likely be the competitor, but it has a long way to go, and only when it starts producing and exporting hi-tech industrial and technology products, and not clothes, shoes and furniture will this happen. Empires and great nations in each historical epoch are built on the latest technology of the time, courtesy of their people.

The US' might is built on the backs of immigrants, both legal and illegal, since the Mayflower landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on November 11, 1620. Though statistics vary, it is generally agreed that the immigrants make up 16 per cent of America's population, and increase every year by about 2 million illegal immigrants. Such immigrants now number nearly 20 million, with Mexicans alone estimated at 12 million. In spite of much political rhetoric in the US, to close its borders on immigrants, those deported are in a few thousands and can never dent the inflow.

235 There are several myths against immigrants, some of which are that they do not pay taxes, take up jobs meant for locals, are criminals and increase crime and that they create religious, ethnic and political tensions. These myths are just that - myths. Xenophobic attacks such as in South Africa and in isolated places in Italy are because of false ideas. In fact, of all developed countries, it is only Italy and Switzerland that have elected coalition governments with parties having anti-immigrant policies. Two countries cannot be used against immigrants in general. By and large, immigrants are greatly motivated people who go abroad seeking opportunities to better their lives and climb up the social ladder.

They are also often highly educated and skilled. It is said that 40 per cent of all people with PhD degrees in America are foreign-born. Foreign Policy, that most prestigious and highly respected American journal, said in its edition of February, 2008, that countries with the most favourable and best immigration policies in the world are Ireland, Spain, Canada and Israel. And this is not accidental. They have a deliberate open-door policy to foreigners on meeting basic qualifications, and they hardly deport those who gain entry initially illegally. And the four countries have the world's most resilient economies.

Immigration Act:Kenya has made immigration difficult for reasons I have never understood. The Immigration Act, Cap. 172, read together with Chapter VI of the Constitution, make coming to Kenya a difficult process for immigrants, legal or illegal.

A foreigner is allowed to work in the country once the Immigration Department is satisfied that there is no Kenyan qualified for the job applied for, or that he wishes to make an investment. Immigration occasionally gets the flak from Transparency International and even the Government, but the truth is the opposite. It is one of the few Government departments that actually work efficiently within the current laws. In allowing unhindered access to foreigners, the country will be the beneficiary. As we do not have enough trained professionals, including engineers, technologists, researchers, teachers, doctors as well as ICT and finance experts, an open-door policy will allow an influx of these groups.

Until President Yoweri Museveni brought despotic sanity to Uganda, Kenyans were beneficiaries of highly trained and motivated Ugandan teachers. I remember all my Ugandan high school teachers and university professors. My A" Level class was always among the top five in national rankings, but when the Ugandans returned home at the end of "A" Level classes in Kenya, it disappeared even from the top 50. The arguments used against immigrants are relevant only in rich and welfare states like the Scandinavian countries as the governments are obligated to provide services to all. However, the rest of the world that do not provide universal social and welfare services have no arguments to fight immigrants. In the beautiful America, immigrants pay taxes exceeding $162 billion and you cannot say they are joy-riders. The immigrant population, mainly the 3 million that have fled the sclerotic and tyrannical regime of comrade Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, are engaged by and large in income-generating activities. There is no proof of the claim that immigrants jeopardise a country's development or harmony. Spain is in fact engaged in creating a potpourri of culture and races. Australia and Canada are opening their vast lands to all races and religions. A mixture of races, tribes, religions and cultures can only create an eclectic and vibrant nation-state and a healthy competition. Inherent in all groups of people is ethno-nationalism, that is the urge to

236 dominate the rest, and if no blood is shed in such competition, why should anybody complain?

To jumpstart the attainment of Vision 2030 will be possible only with a massive inflow of immigrants. We need to set the immigrants criterion of only four minimums: graduate education or expert skill in any field or capital investment of a minimum of $100,000 (Sh6.3 million) or an investment that employs at least 15 Kenyans. Once an immigrant meets any of these, we should not care whether they are tax-dodgers from their countries or serial divorcees. Lichtenstein and other investment havens have a no- questions-asked policy to foreign investors.

The parameters should be economic, not moral. The passengers of Mayflower wanted a place where they could worship in freedom and till the land without inhibition. In America, they found both. I hear our immigration laws are being reviewed; let them be reviewed for purposes of opening our doors to all - legal and illegal. Our institutions will deal with those who break our laws or abuse our hospitality. But so long as the foreigners respect our laws and customs, Kenya must offer them the opportunity to prosper. For in their prosperity, Kenya, too, will prosper. A true vision enables natives, immigrants and strangers to find their promised land in a country and realise their dreams.

Kenya must not disappoint them, but do as Plymouth did to pilgrims escaping England.

• East Africa: Citizens Face One of World's Worst Humanitarian Crises, UN Refugee Chief Warns: UN News Service (New York):19 June 2008.

The United Nations refugee chief has spotlighted the plight of hundreds of thousands of displaced Somalis and Kenyans on the eve of World Refugee Day, calling on the international community to accelerate its efforts to help people in both countries return safely to their former homes.

Visiting Dadaab refugee camp yesterday on the Kenyan-Somali border, where he then stayed overnight, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) António Guterres described the plight facing Somalis as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Mr. Guterres stressed the urgency for a political solution to the deadly conflict wracking Somalia, which has not had a functioning national government since 1991.

"Only peace can solve the problems of the 200,000 people living in Dadaab in such dramatic circumstances," he said, noting that the camp has swelled to more than double its planned capacity when it was established 16 years ago.

"Children have been born here in this camp. They are now in secondary school and still there is no peace in Somalia," a female refugee told Mr. Guterres. The most recent statistics indicate there are about 457,000 Somali refugees around the world, with the most in Kenya, but many others in Ethiopia, Djibouti and Yemen. Another 1 million people are internally displaced in Somalia. Noting that World Refugee Day is being celebrated tomorrow, the High Commissioner pledged greater support from the agency to alleviate the situation faced by Somalis. He also visited internally displaced Kenyans

237 in the town of Naivasha, where they have been living after deadly post-election violence broke out at the start of the year.

Although more than 195,000 Kenyans have returned home since the violence subsided, about 43,000 remain in camps around the country, including two such camps in Naivasha. Mr. Guterres told internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the Naivasha camps that his visit was "an expression of solidarity with the Government and the people of Kenya." UNHCR has provided tents and other aid supplies to displaced Kenyans this year, and trained many local relief workers. “A camp should only be a short-term solution, but we try to make it as dignified as possible for those who must spend time there. Our biggest wish is that you will soon be able to go home in safety and dignity."As part of its activities to mark World Refugee Day, UNHCR is also launching a pioneering application with the social networking website Facebook to raise funds and awareness about refugee protection.The application, launched today, provides a variety of activities for Facebook users - estimated at more than 80 million - which are then matched by donations from UNHCR partners. Claudia Gisiger-Gonzalez, senior external relations officer for UNHCR, said the arrangement was "a cutting-edge experiment" for the agency that brings together technology and new media tools to promote its work.UNHCR is already using other popular social networking websites, including YouTube, MySpace, Twitter, Digg, Reddit and Deli.cio.us.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: 700 Refugees Seeking Asylum: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali):19 June 2008.

Up to seven hundred and three (703) refugees from largely DR Congo and Burundi want Rwanda as their home fleeing from 'political and ethic' persecution, according to the UN refugee agency - UNHCR.

Figures from the Agency indicate that 574 have fled lawless RDC, another 119 coming in from Burundi - that is struggling to end years of war and ethnic strife. Other countries account for the remaining 10 asylum seekers. "In most cases when people flee (their countries) they are often running from political persecution, ethnic persecution and several other factors", Ms. JoAnna Pollonais - External Relations Officer of the Agency's Kigali Office told RNA on Thursday. "In the case of DR Congo and Burundi, these people will most likely run to the nearest place - in this case Rwanda". Ms. Pollonais said the asylum status of the 703 have been "decided on a case by case basis" to have them determined as genuine complaints. The figures provided to RNA by the UNHCR Office in Kigali have been released to coincide with World Refugee Day June 20 with various activities lined across the country.In Rwanda, there is a sizeable refugee population comprised of mainly Congolese and Burundian nationals. Currently, according figures from the Agency, there is a considerable group of urban-based refugees, as well as 4 refugee camps and 2 transit centres housing 55,699 people throughout the country.

In 2008 alone, 3,307 Rwandan refugees returned home to begin the process of integration and to start a new phase of their lives. In May alone, some 555 Rwandans have returned. Government here announced last month that it intended to national ID cards to all refugees - which would essentially avail them with rights to even seek health

238 care and hold bank accounts. However, DR Congo and Uganda remain the biggest recipients of Rwandan refugees holding 34,017 and 20,952 respectively. Congo- Brazzaville and Malawi are also harbouring sizable numbers. In the years following the Genocide, some 3.2 million Rwandan refugees have returned, and UN refugee agency says it wants thousands others still hesitant and have been living in several African countries.

Genocidaires in Malawi? :Other countries where Rwandans have fled include Cameroon, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Togo and Mozambique. Interestingly, as an unlikely destination, Malawi stands out as the top recipient of Rwandans seeking asylum. There is another 1,222 who are in camps as refugees. Some 3,555 are seeking asylum there, as some 3,280 have decided to take Uganda as their home. In September last year, President Paul Kagame was in Malawi for a three day visit and part of his discussion with his host Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika centered on how Rwandans in that country could be repatriated. According to African Rights - that has been tracking down Genocide fugitives - Malawi is another country where there are many Genocidaires 'especially given the close ties between the Rwandese communities in Malawi and Zambia'. The secretary general of the DR Congo based Rwandan rebels - FDLR - in Malawi, Frodouald Ntawulikura, a former state radio journalist where he is said to have made incendiary speeches - lived for a long time in Zambia. Refugees in Rwanda are spread in 7 camps across the country. They include Kiziba camp, Gihembe camp, Nkamira Transit Center (TC) and Nyagatare TC - all in western province neighbouring DR Congo. Others are Gihembe camp - in Northern Rwanda, Nyabiheke camp - in Eastern province. Kigali is home to what the Agency calls urban refugees.

• Chad: Aid Resumes As Conflict Abates: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:19 June 2008.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR resumed its humanitarian operations in all 12 refugee camps along Chad's eastern border with Sudan on 17 June as conflict abated in the east. "It appears that the situation is returning to normal, and so we are going back to the camps," said Annette Rehrl, spokesperson for UNHCR. Calm was restored as the Chadian government claimed victory on 17 June following fighting with rebels in Am Zoer, a town 89km northeast of Abeche, which left 161 rebels and three government soldiers dead according to Chadian military spokesperson Mahamat Hassan Abakar, speaking on the radio on 17 June. These figures have not been confirmed by rebel leaders.

Abakar said the army had seized 61 vehicles, as well as weapons and ammunition, during the fighting. According to a journalist in Am Zoer, dead bodies and burned vehicles can still be seen on the town's streets. "It is the end of the Sudanese adventure," said governor of Ouaddai region, Bichara Issa Djadallah, echoing Chadian government accusations - denied by Sudan - that its eastern neighbour is behind the attacks. According to government sources, rebels are now scattered across the area and some have returned to Sudan. Rebel columns entered eastern Chad on 13 June, and attempted to take the towns of Goz Beida, Am-Dam, and Biltine. Rebels commanders told journalists that their objective was the capital N'djamena, which rebels also attacked in February. Major General Touka Ramadan Korei, commander of operations for the Chadian army, announced on the radio, "the intention of the mercenaries was to attack Abeche, but they fell into our trap." In Abeche people are now going about their daily

239 business. "The market is teeming with people as usual," said one resident. "Chad is very volatile and it's very difficult to predict what may happen next here," UNHCR's Rehrl said.

44. HEALTH MATTERS (HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, TB)

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Country to Use SMS to Fight Fake Drugs: Public Agenda (Accra):20 June 2008.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that more than 30% of drugs could lead to the horrid healthcare crises that fake drugs often unleash. The rate of fake drugs is between 10 to 30% in developing countries.

As Ghana explores ways to enhance the adoption of technology and new concepts of regulating drugs to enhance health service delivery, Ghanaians could be able to successfully use SMS text messages to authenticate drugs by the end of this year. The technology trial initiative by mPedigree, early this year afforded Ghanaian consumers in Accra and Kumasi the chance to pick the code on a drug, (Efpack Junior Products ) by sending SMS to 1393 to any of the networks and had responses instantly that quality was assured. According to Mr. Ashifi Gogo, Technology Consultant of mPedigree, the text message is free and can be sent by consumers who do not even have credit on their mobile phones.

Launched in 2007, mPedigree the initiative actively engages stakeholders in developing nations towards safer drugs via a combination of stepped up enforcement and carefully crafted technology. mPedigree, seeks to build a system first in Ghana, and then throughout Africa, that tracks drugs from their original producers all the way to the pharmacy shelves, allowing each buyer in the chain to ensure that they're dealing with a legitimate product. Speaking at the maiden stakeholder symposium in Accra, named "Innovation for Health Governance", collaboration between the Ministry of Health and its partners, Mr. Gogo explained that the large scale trial will include more stakeholders. He assured that fake drug manufacturers cannot duplicate codes because each code works only once. He recalled that since it was a fresh service, trial survey agents were stationed to provide assistance in the authentication process when needed. The Executive Director of the Ghana Food and Drugs Board, Mr. Emmanuel Agyarko described the text message innovation as timely to combat counterfeit drugs.

He noted that now counterfeiting is becoming a huge criminal industry because it is not only medicine but anything of value is counterfeited. Mr Agyarko said drug and arms cartels among others are eventually moving from such risky ventures to counterfeiting because punishment when caught is not so intense. He regretted that counterfeiting has become a biggest challenge to Ghana as consumers are not engaging enough. "It is our collective efforts that will counter counterfeiting because there is not a single solution to the problem." He announced that the FDB will together with stakeholders hold a national dialogue on counterfeiting as it needs to be brought into perspective. Organizers of the stakeholders' symposium say that in order to allow for critical and practice oriented dialogue and discussion, it will be organised around case studies. This year, apart from mPedigree, One Global Standard (GS1), a global standards regime in supply chain

240 management will look at how global standards may be successfully adopted into local health contexts towards greater efficiency. Also, Ghana is a pilot country for the roll-out of Medical Transparency Alliance (MeTA) programme with an objective to relief consumers of the burden of drug affordability, accessibility and quality. Further, the National Health Insurance Authority has identified a number of ICT interventions such as diagnostic groups modeling, as critical in its quest to deliver. The symposium will consider what metrics would be appropriate in measuring goal appropriateness.

• Nigeria: Cancer on the Loose: Vanguard (Lagos):16 June 2008.

Recently, the National Consultative Committee on Cancer in Nigeria (NCCC) revealed that Nigeria lacks qualified personnel and equipment to manage the treatment of cancer even as reports filtered in that about 100,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed annually nationwide. Chairman, of the Consultative Committee, Prof. Abayomi Durosinmi-Etti, has continuously bemoaned the state of cancer treatment in the country, stating that at the existing rate of population growth, only one radiotherapy machine is available to about 20 million Nigerians.

Clinical services for cancer are grossly inadequate and poorly distributed. There are only a handful of functioning radiotherapy equipment; access to radio therapy is seriously limited by high cost; latest diagnostic methods are not widely available; scope for multidisciplinary cancer care is limited even as the average cancer patient presents with advanced disease, and physicians have limited access to treatments that offer the prospect of prolonged survival. It is therefore no surprise that every year, cancer continues to kill more Nigerians than HIV& AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined, yet only a little more than passing attention is committed to the management and control of the cancer menace. In this report, Sola Ogundipe & Chioma Obinna, take a bird's eyeview of the current scenario and future prospects for cancer management in the country. They observe that, with a not too solid National Cancer Control Programme, coupled with the apparent lack of accessibility, non-availability and unaffordability of treatment initiatives, low capacity for management of cancer ailments, and the already precarious national health indices, cancer will continue to remain loose in Nigeria, unleashing the full potential of its deluge of ill health in unmitigated proportions upon the hapless populace. On CNN's May 27, 2008 edition of Larry King Live, the show featured the topic on "Cell Phones: Are They Dangerous?" Among those who spoke were Dr. Keith Black, Head of Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles with Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon and CNN's chief medical correspondent. The debate was on the risk of cell phone use and development of cancer. "There's a significant correlation between the side that one uses [a] cell phone on and the side that you develop the brain tumour on," Black had stressed three years ago. But taking an opposing view was Howard Frumkin of Emory University and more recently the Centers for Diseases Control (CDC). "This is a very low probability kind of a thing approaching zero probability," Frumkin said, "There's no evidence to support the idea that brain tumour resulted from cell phone use." So, at the end of the day, there was a stalemate. But the question remains. Are mobile phones more dangerous than smoking as cancer-causing agents? An expert put it like this: "Admittedly, sources of electromagnetic fields, such as equipment using electricity, television, radio, computers, mobile telephones, microwave ovens as well as radars and equipment used in industry have seen an unprecedented increase, but the carcinogenicity of these fields is not clear." But research also notes that

241 the hazard posed to the general population by cell phone use can only be determined on the basis of extrapolation using mathematical models. In other words, there is no way of concretely measuring to what extent cell phone use or environmental pollution is responsible for the increased cancer rates within the general population. The average Nigerian smoking as cancer-causing agents? An expert put it like this: "Admittedly, sources of electromagnetic fields, such as equipment using electricity, television, radio, computers, mobile telephones, microwave ovens as well as radars and equipment used in industry have seen an unprecedented increase, but the carcinogenicity of these fields is not clear." But research also notes that the hazard posed to the general population by cell phone use can only be determined on the basis of extrapolation using mathematical models. In other words, there is no way of concretely measuring to what extent cell phone use or environmental pollution is responsible for the increased cancer rates within the general population. The average Nigerian would probably be indifferent to this debate. Rather, he or she would be more interested in unraveling what is behind the surge in cancer-related deaths in recent times. Initially, it was thought some key cancer rates were flat or declining, but on further study it turned out they're going up. A significant proportion of cases (depending on cancer type) don't get reported promptly to the cancer data registry-in fact, it can take anywhere from 4 to 17 years following initial diagnosis before most (99-plus per cent) cancers are counted. The missing cases can make early trend reports misleadingly rosy.

Notwithstanding, there are few disputes that rates for many common cancers are on the way up; or cancer incidence rises rapidly with age between 40 and 80; or that environmental factors, including lifestyle choices such as diet, are the chief drivers behind the climb, accounting for anywhere from 65 to 90 per cent of human cancer. One thing is clear though: female breast cancer rates are up, prostate cancer rates are up. The bottom line is that too many persons are dying too soon from the ravages of cancer. This is the immediate worry and the list of casualities is quite long.

Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, died at 65 from lung cancer. Before he passed on, Yemi Tella, erstwhile Under-17 World Golden eaglets' Coach, was diagnosed with cancer of the lungs. Afro-reggae musician and crusader, Evangelist Sunny Okosuns, recently died of colon cancer at the age of 61. Even human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Gani Fawehimi, was recently diagnosed with cancer of the lungs. Worse still, countless Nigerian women are being felled by breast cancer and cervical cancer, just as the hundreds of men are succumbing to prostate and colon cancers. In most quarters, the blame is being placed on food, personal health habits, water pollution, lack of medical care, and other factors. But, a few observers have queried whether anyone has looked at the possibility of lead being one of the causes. A general argument is this: As the Chinese face criticism for their use of lead in toys and other products, who is to say that the reason their women are plagued with breast and cervical cancer isn't the result of the lead that they are using in the products that we use here in Nigeria? Cancer is no stranger in this country either. So, are we ingesting the same type of toxic metal that the Chinese are ingesting? Almost everything we use are made in China. A look at most consumer items at disposal today tells the story. "Look at your dinner or lunch plate. Check your car, ballpen, cell phone, bedding, carpets, clothing, toys, electronics, food, etc. It's amazing that we all haven't already died of toxic poisoning. What about the environment? Is cancer increasing because we've destroyed the environment? For years we've heard about the chemicals and emissions that have dire implications for health. We have heard of breast cancer rising sharply. We also hear cancer is increasing because we now live long enough to get it, thanks to modern medicine's success against

242 illnesses that used to kill people at an earlier age. What's the story? Is cancer really more common, and if so, why?" More questions than answers. The truth really, according to experts is that it would take a Nobel prize to figure out answers to all these posers. Vanguard Features gathered that although the environment may be polluted by a range of toxic organic compounds that may accumulate in the body's fatty tissue, in most cases, these compounds are only recognized as a carcinogenic hazard to humans when small clusters of people have been heavily subjected to either occupational exposures or exposures resulting from industrial breakdowns or malfunctions.

• Nigeria: NAFDAC Blames Upsurge in Kidney Failure On Bad Salt: Vanguard (Lagos):20 June 2008.

AS part of ways to address the rising case of kidney failure and other related maladies Nigerians have been told to stop buying salt in very large quantity.

Deputy director incharge of food and water, Abuja office of NAFDAC, Mrs. Patricia Monwuba who gave this advice in Port Harcourt said because of the long time it takes to finish them they lose their iodiozed elements. She urged marketers of salt to now begin to sell in retail sizes of 1kg. According to her only iodized salt was proper for consumption. And this is found in local salts. Adding that when these local salts are sold in large quantity they lose this essential element. She urged marketers to sell local salts in household or retail pack sizes of 1kg and below. "This is to ensure good keeping of quality salt as well as retention of iodine content up till consumption point. The age- long practice of packaging iodized salt in 25 kg pack size, which is poured out into dirty basins and dispensed with dirty cups in open markets, exposes the salt to cross contamination from hazardous environmental conditions and appreciable loss of the iodine content. The iodine compound in the salt decomposes fast under hash weather and environmental conditions".

• Sierra Leone: Appeals to Bring Back Doctors Abroad: Concord Times (Freetown):19 June 2008.

Minister of health and sanitation has appealed to Sierra Leonean medical practitioners in the diaspora to return home and help improve the health sector. Dr Soccoh Kabia made this appeal in a meeting with Sierra Leonean 'stakeholders' resident in New Jersey, United States of America. He said Sierra Leone's health sector is faced with problems of human resources. "Lots of doctors, nurses and other health care personnel had left the country because of the poor conditions of service and inadequate salaries and remunerations," he said. He said the country has the capacity and the resources and if only its citizens are patriotic, it could be developed. Dr. Kabia said because of the brain- drain hospitals and clinics in the country were understaffed, with some big hospitals like the Makeni government hospital having only one resident doctor. He said the All Peoples Congress government was busy putting in place programmes that would enable them recruit doctors and nurses from the diaspora and Africa to return home and work. He said the government's next aim was to equip hospitals and ensure that drugs and other medical supplies were available. Dr. Kabia affirmed that structures would be put in place to ensure accountability and that drugs and medical supplies remain in the hospitals so that patients have access to them. He revealed government's plans to upgrade tertiary hospitals like Connaught, Cottage, the Kissy Mental Home and government hospitals in

243 the provinces. "The emergency department and the intensive care unit of Connaught Hospital would also be upgraded," he said.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Southern Africa: SADC in Joint Malaria Proposal: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone):17 June 2008.

Botswana, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Mozambique and Zambia have drafted a joint proposal to the United Nations Global Fund to Fight HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis for malaria, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional coordinator for malaria programmes, Lieutenant Colonel Kaka Mudambo, has said. "We are putting the final touches on the joint proposal," Mudambo said. "We are currently incorporating suggestions from health experts." His remarks come barely a month after the six SADC countries held a series of meetings styled the Zambezi River Expedition beginning at the source of the Zambezi River in the Kaleni Hills in Zambia on April 3 ending at the point where the mighty river empties into the Indian Ocean in Mozambique on May 31, a distance of about 3 000 kilometres.

Health experts and journalists used inflatable boats to traverse the Zambezi River, reaching out to communities in remote villages on the banks of the river. The expedition was meant to raise awareness on malaria, the second largest killer disease in SADC after HIV/AIDS. Insecticide-treated mosquito nets and anti-malaria medication were also provided to the villagers. The Zambezi River Expedition is steering the Roll Back Malaria campaign, a partnership launched in 1998 by the WHO, UNICEF, UNDP and the World Bank aiming at cutting malaria deaths in half by 2010.

Mudambo said the region is seeking funding for the six countries in Round 8 of the anti- malaria campaign. He expressed hope that the proposal to the Global Fund would meet the deadline of July 1. If the joint proposal succeeds, he added, the money will be used to intensify existing malaria programmes including vector control, the use of insecticides and treated mosquito nets, and the distribution of information and education campaign material. The joint application by the six SADC governments is the region's first for malaria projects. It is consistent with the theme of Africa Malaria Day, 'Malaria - A Disease Without Borders' and the slogan 'United to Combat Malaria.' Through their joint efforts, said Mudambo, the six SADC countries intend to facilitate access of patients to clinics. "For example, it will be possible for a malaria patient from one country in the joint proposal to receive treatment at a nearby health centre closest to them even if it is in another country, as long as it is in the region," he explained.

• Botswana: HIV Puts Strain On Blood Reserves: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone):17 June 2008.

The high HIV prevalence rate across the country has caused a considerable reduction in blood donations, the Botswana Red Cross president, Nomsa Mbere has said. Speaking during the World Blood Donor Day on Saturday, Mbere said HIV infections have reduced the pool of blood donors while simultaneously increasing blood utilisation demands. She said statistics for the first quarter of 2008 indicate that HIV-related transfusions alone are equivalent to all the units used for accidents and maternity cases. "The result is that some patients have had to go without much needed transfusion in the face of acute

244 blood shortages," Mbere said. She added that only two percent of the blood-donated came from regular blood donors. She said that this is as a result of fears and misconceptions that may deter people from donating blood. However, she asserted that healthy people should be encouraged to donate blood because this has personal and social benefits and minimal risks.

Mbere noted that donating blood ensures regular health checks, encourages maintenance of healthy lifestyles and earns recognition from the community. She said for the National Blood Service, donating blood is a life-saving measure in emergencies and life-threatening situations. Mbere said HIV, hepatitis viruses and other transfusion transmissible infections are lower among voluntary, unpaid donors. She said 60 percent of the blood collected comes from secondary school students. Blood donation drives and volunteers who visit centres in Gaborone and Francistown account for 40 percent. Mbere said through improved donor screening and testing, the rate of discarded blood has been reduced by 10 percent in the last four years. The discard rate due to HIV alone has been reduced by five percent to 2.1 percent. "This increase in the level of blood safety reflects the efforts made by multiple players in promoting risk reduction and screening capacity," Mbere said. She added that Botswana has managed to meet World Health Organisation (WHO) targets of ensuring blood safety by the year 2012. According to the strategy, 75 percent of all African countries will have adopted and implemented national blood transfusion policies and have at least 80 percent of blood collected from voluntary non-remunerated blood donors. The strategy calls for donated blood to be tested for HIV and at least 80 percent of other transfusion transmissible infections. Mbere said Botswana is one of the few countries that have managed to reach these targets before the 2012 deadline. "We could not have achieved these results without the commitment of thousands of donors whose blood is donated for purely altruistic reasons." She however said Botswana is still faced with a challenge of how to expand the pool of regular donors to fulfill the volume requirements.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: 'Cut' (circumcise) to Boost War On Aids: The Nation (Nairobi):19 June 2008.

A national circumcision programme will be launched soon in a campaign to reduce HIV infections. The campaign is spearheaded by the National Aids Control Council. Mr Peter Mutie, the council's head of communications, said on Wednesday that a policy and an implementation plan have been finalised. Studies have shown that the foreskin's inner surface is a suitable breeding ground for the deadly virus and its removal can significantly reduce one's chances of being infected. Mr Mutie said the council would embark on a countrywide campaign to sensitise Kenyans on the importance of circumcision in the fight against Aids. "Experts recommend complete removal of the foreskin and since most communities circumcise differently, all will need to be educated on the recommended method," he said. Traditional circumcisers will have to abandon the outdated practice of using one knife to operate on many initiates. Doctors will also use the programme to educate initiates on HIV and Aids, with emphasis on the fact that circumcision does not provide immunity against infection, Mr Mutie said at the start of a three-day national conference on Aids. Those attending the talks in Nairobi are expected to propose new strategies to prevent Aids infections and to reduce stigma faced by people living with the disease.

245 Aids orphans : Information minister Samuel Poghisio said that although the fight against Aids was yielding fruits, taking care of the large number of orphans is still a challenge. There are 1.2 million Aids orphans in the country. Some 60,000 people are infected with Aids annually. Mr Philip Waweru of the National Organisation of Peer Educators called on insurers to offer insurance to those living with the disease to help curb Aids stigma in the workplace.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Minisante Targets 95 Percent Birth Deliveries in Health Facilities in 2012: The New Times (Kigali):19 June 2008.

The Ministry of Health intends to increase the number of women delivering from hospitals from the current 52 percent to 95 percent by 2012.

"There is need to achieve the EDPRS goals in 2012 for economic development and poverty reduction," the Minister of Health, Jean Damascène Ntawukuliryayo said. He was addressing journalists at a press conference yesterday where he presented a report of major achievements in the health sector in the last two-and-a-half years. He said that the first part of the year, 87 Doctors and 1,032 nurses were recruited, while 93 doctors went for Masters' degree.

The ministry also signed performance contracts with several bodies affiliated to the ministry and set standards in operating procedures for external and internal clients. Ntawukuriryayo said that for the past two years, health services had tremendously improved and infant mortality rate reduced.

Among other targets for 2012 is to increase the use of modern family planning methods from 27 percent to 70 percent. Meanwhile, from 1990 to 2008 child mortality rate reduced by 30 percent, while children below five years reduced by 33 percent in 18 years. The infant mortality rate also reduced from 86 per 1000 live births to 62, while under-five mortality rate reduced from 152 per 1000 to 103 per 1000. Ntawukuriryayo also said that there is a small reduction in the prevalence of anaemia among children and women, from 56 percent to 48 percent and 33 percent to 27 percent respectively, due to people's lack of proper hygiene and bad eating habits.

• Cameroon: Buea Blood Bank Empty: The Post (Buea): 16 June 2008.

Mention blood bank, images of bottles filled with blood stocked in a hospital fridge come to mind. But one of the morbid experiences at hospitals is; blood is hardly at hand for transfusion. Saturday, June 14, was World Blood Donors Day. And The Post visited Buea Provincial Hospital Annex. Reason: to see if there was blood in its bank.To our utter surprise, Medical Technologist, Remmie Monjowa Lekunze Njumbe, disclosed that the hospital's blood bank was absolutely empty. Lekunze lamented that for some time now, they have not had voluntary donors like in the past."We used to have voluntary donors donating to the blood bank. But in most cases, family members of patients have to look for somebody, either within the family or a friend, to donate blood. Sometimes, those of us in the laboratory usually look through our records to find those who had

246 donated before and call them to come and help," said Lekunze.On the number of blood transfusions that they could perform at a time, the medic said they could perform between 50 and 55 blood transfusions a month. Quizzed on the purity and safety of the blood, she said they usually test the blood pressure of the donor, the temperature, and haemoglobin level, and if they establish that they are OK, they perform a test match between the donor and the patient to see if the patient can receive the blood without a disparity. "Normally we test the blood, we perform the test for syphilis, HIV I &II, Hepatitis B&C. But as you know, there is a window period. Now that we have to take the blood directly from the donors, sometimes there can be a risk of infection even though we do test the blood very well to ascertain that it is infection free," Lekunze said. Talking on the quantity of blood that could be drained from a donor, she said only 450 mils can be removed at a particular time."We can say a pint which is 500 mils, because normally a blood bag will tell you that it is 500 but there is anti-coagulant inside it which is about 63 mils, that increases the 450 mils to about mils 500," the laboratory technologist said. On whether that quantity, is enough to resuscitate a person suffering from blood shortage, Lekunze said it depends on the degree of anaemia in the patient."You know, we have various types of anaemia. Somebody might be bleeding profusely and in that case, we need to give the person about three or four pints of blood.

Others might have illnesses that will warrant us to give more than a pint of blood, but that won't be sufficient if we have only one donor," she said.Lekunze said a pint of blood costs FCFA 12,000 to a recipient. She prefers to use the word compensation because, according to her, if the blood were to be sold, coupled with all the concomitant tests, it would cost a fortune. To the blood donor, she said, they usually offer them a plate of food and drink to invigorate them."There is no ideal meal or drink for blood donors. They simply have to eat something heavy and after the donation, they have to drink something. Some people think it is to replenish the blood but that is not the case, because sometimes there is imbalance and all that, so they just need to drink something to gain their balance," Lekunze explained. She implored the population not to worry about the tests because they usually do anonymous donation."At times we simply test the haemoglobin and if it is all right, we suck out the blood into our blood bag and tag a number to it and the donor goes away. If they want to know their result, they can come back for it but if they don't want to know, fine. What we do is that when we collect the blood, we start testing them, the good one, we store in the blood bank and the infected one, we discard," said Lekunze.She stated that many patients have lost their lives because of unavailability of blood in the bank. Lekunze also pointed out that she has been hearing of some purported NGOs and associations in the media, who claim that they have been donating blood to patients but she has never seen any of them at the hospital donating. She requested the supposed NGOs to come and arrest the situation of the blood bank at the Buea Provincial Hospital Annex.She called on the general public to come to the hospital and donate blood, and save lives.

45. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Allanblackia - A New Link Between Rural Poverty Reduction and Forest Conservation: Public Agenda (Accra): 20 June 2008.

247 Thanks to the NOVELLA Africa Project, the Allanblackia plant has now gained the prominence it deserves, as an economic tree with great potential to reduce poverty, particularly in rural communities where it occurs. It is one of the wild plant species, from whose seeds, oil is extracted by local communities for various purposes such as producing local soap and for cooking. But in the case of the latter, other nut oil (particularly palm kernel oil) is mixed with it to make it more acceptable. It used to be un- popular among local communities because of the perception that the oil was inferior in quality to other locally found fat producing crops. The good news is that oil from the species may be used as a substitute for palm oil to produce commercial products such as margarine and soaps. Research conducted by Unilever indicates that Allanblackia oil has a higher melting point and congeals easily at room temperature. Its special fatty acid composition (of roughly 60% stearic and 35% oleic acids) gives it unique physical and nutritional properties, and a great potential for use in manufacturing novel products. The Allanblackia is a typical tropical rain forest belt tree species, most often found occurring in the same areas where cocoa thrives. Thus, Allanblackia is commonly found in the Western, Central, Eastern and Ashanti regions, and possibly in parts of the Brong-Ahafo. In 2002, the Novella Initiative was born by four core partners namely Unilever, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) and the World Agro-forestry Centre (ICRAF). The aim was to purposely improve the sustainable development of the Allanblackia plant through the implementation of the NOVELLA Africa Project in Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania.

The main target and beneficiary groups of the project were the rural poor communities, who collected and sold Allanblackia seeds for processing into oil. Other beneficiaries at the local levels included small scale private sector companies, haulage contractors, nurserymen, input suppliers and millers. Thus right from its onset, the project identified various employment avenues for local people that were not too capital intensive and rather required diligence on one hand and a team work spirit on the other. It had a national focus, which was to develop a new export commodity which will add further value to the country's national resources, reduce poverty and ensure sustainable forest management. The global aim of the NOVELLA Africa Project was to ensure that supply of edible oil or edible oil based products was from sustainable sources and that it would help conserve the tropical forests of Africa. The trust was to address concerns raised by international consumers about the likely environmental and socio-economic impacts of such a project. The main concern for the environmentalists was that the project did not in any way alter the balance in nature, in view of the magnitude of the collection of seeds involved. Even though the seeds of Allanblackia are not suitable for human consumption, they form part of major stable foods of some animals in the wild, which in turn form a vital part of the bush meat chain. Another unique Public Private Partnership was formed in Ghana to assist and facilitate the implementation of the project. Members were the IUCN, Unilever, the International Tree Seed Centre (ITSC), ICRAF, Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), SNV and Novel Ghana. The primary goal of this particular partnership was to ensure the success of the novelty project from seed collection by local communities through processing to marketing, by investigating and promoting aspects related to its social acceptability, environmental sustainability and financial viability. Its ultimate objective was to secure the commercial viability of the extraction and uses of the Allanblackia fruit. Through the partnership, the "Allanblackia: Standard Setting and Sustainable Supply Chain Management Project," was also initiated with the IUCN as the main implementer through its local partners in Ghana including the USAID funded Technoserve, FORIG and the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA). Funding was provided by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of Switzerland. In an

248 interview, the IUCN Co-ordinator for the project, Mr. Samuel Kofi Nyame, explained that "it was launched in March 2005 to compliment the efforts of the Novella Project." He said the main goals of the project, which will officially end in June 2008, were to develop guidelines to direct activities in all parts of the Allanblackia supply chain, to ensure that the supply chain is managed in a sustainable way, and t ascertain that local actors in Ghana have the capacity to ntually take over the supply chain. According to Mr. Nyame "initial activities essentially investigated the socio-economic, ecological and species related impacts of the commercialization of Allanblackia." He said this was to enable them put in place measures that will ensure sustainable harvesting as well as the equitable sharing of benefits among stakeholders. Asked if environmental concerns have been well catered for in the implementation process, Mr. Nyame, who is also a conservation expert said one activity being implemented under the project, is "Forest Landscape Restoration." He stressed that "Allanblackia provides a unique opportunity to use a native tree species with environmental and economic benefits to restore degraded forest landscapes in Ghana."

Mr. Nyame recalled that Ghana like many tropical countries, experienced a period of exotic species plantations resulting in negative consequences for local biodiversity and livelihoods. He was optimistic that the use of the Allanblackia tree in the "Forest Landscape Restoration Project will yield positive environmental and socio-economic results. The thick and hard bark of the Allanblackia tree makes it relatively resistant against forest fires. The species is consequently valued by communities in the semi- deciduous forest landscapes for its capacity to reduce the risk of fires. Also, Allanblackia casts only a minimal shade with its narrow crown and is relatively difficult to eliminate as it sprouts easily. Smallholder involvement in Allanblackia planting can help enhance the integrity of forest landscapes even as incorporating the species into farming systems will contribute to improved landscape connectivity. In spite of these advantages, Mr. Nyame was quick to point out that "the use of Allanblackia in forest landscape restoration while being beneficial may generate risks to biodiversity if not well managed." He said such risks included the possibility of over-harvesting seed sources with negative impacts on the regeneration of the species, transforming Allanblackia into a plantation tree contrary to the objectives of the current project, and the possibility of habitat disturbance by seed collectors a phenomenon unfavourable for wildlife conservation." Mr. Nyame was equally certain that "these risks can be minimised by promoting legislation that favours the sustainable use of Allanblackia along with other natural resources, enhances livelihood security and forest governance, promotes wild animal species which are dependent on Allanblackia fruits and seeds like the brush-tailed porcupine, and ensuring that the use of Allanblackia does not eradicate the local gene pool of species on the landscape." But the real question is can the Allanblackia enhance the livelihood of communities? Mr. Nyame in answering said "the Allanblackia project is a careful blend of the resources, expertise and interests of public, private and community organisations to pursue a commercial and developmental agenda that is beneficial to all parties based on respect, trust, commitment and a strong orientation towards the future." With a hint of excitement in his voice, the IUCN official stated "already Allanblackia seeds are bringing additional income to rural poor communities. Poor families which were unable to meet certain basic needs currently feel relieved as they are able to provide some of such needs with revenue from the sale of Allanblackia seeds."

249 • Nigeria: Environmentalists Urge Coal Mining to Save Forests: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:16 June 2008.

Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua said on 13 June that the country's energy infrastructure has become so decrepit he will soon have to call a 'state of emergency'.

Nigerian environmental experts are urging the government to consider reintroducing coal mining to end the crisis, a move they say would also slow forest loss and desertification. "Nigeria has an estimated 3 billion metric tonnes of coal reserves, the largest in Africa, which it should exploit for domestic use to stave off reliance on wood fuel which causes deforestation", said Kabiru Yammama, a consultant on rural energy, citing a 1998 report of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) which warned that by 2020 "all the forests in Nigeria will disappear" if the current rate of deforestation is maintained. Yammama, who heads a Nigerian non-governmental organisation called Green Shield of Nations, said forests in northern Nigeria have "almost all vanished", and lumberjacks are now moving towards the rain forests in the south, felling and burning trees for firewood and charcoal. "Coal provides one of the best alternative sources of energy for Nigeria due to its availability, easy usage and high heat emission", Yammama said, explaining that domestically refined oil products are too expensive for most Nigerians, and that investment in this area would therefore do little to stop deforestation as most people would still burn cheaper wood and charcoal. At the moment, Green Shield of Nations estimates deforestation at around 400,000 hectares per year, mostly in the north. The country's 140 million inhabitants burn over 40 million tonnes of firewood annually, according to a 1999 survey by the NGO.

Desertification : According to Yammama, 35 percent of arable land in the north has been overrun by the desert, which is encroaching at a rate of between eight and 30 hectares annually, affecting the livelihoods of over 55 million people, more than the combined population of Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Mauritania. These estimates have been confirmed by Nigeria's National Meteorological Agency (NIMET) in a March 2008 report which said crop yield in the north dropped by 20 percent in 2007, in part due to an early end of the rainy season but also because of desertification. Yammama said there is a direct link between the tree felling and the desert's spread. In Nigeria's northern neighbour, Niger, planting thousands of new trees has been found to stop or at least slow desertification.

Better alternative: The NGO's proposal, to increase coal production, is the opposite of government policy. Coal production has been slashed from 77,000 tonnes per annum in 1990 to around 6,000 tonnes in 2004. And the investment priority at the moment is improving domestic oil refining, according to Abubakar Sambo, head of the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), a state-run energy think-tank. Among the factors responsible for the decline in coal mining are obsolete equipment causing an increase in production costs, Sambo said, and the revocation last year of all mining licenses, pending a privatisation process. "Coal is a better alternative", ECN's Sambo said. But he warned that Nigeria will have to import costly clean-coal technology to avoid gas emissions which contribute to global warming. The country will also have to set up enough coal mines, a capital intensive task that would require the participation of foreign investors, he said. "Despite the inherent problems associated with coal mining I believe in three to five years Nigeria can start exploiting coal in enough quantities to meet

250 domestic and industrial energy demand and save our forests from extinction", Sambo said.

• Nigeria: Desert Threatens 35 Million People – Minister: Daily Trust (Abuja):19 June 2008.

Desertification remains one of the most serious environmental problems threatening the survival of more than 35 million people in Nigeria, Mrs Halima Alao, the Minister of Environment said yesterday. Alao said this in Bauchi during the 2008 World Desertification Day summit being hosted by the state government.

She said that the rate at which desert was ravaging most productive lands jeopardised agricultural support system in the northern parts of country. According to her, the problem is aggravated by rapid deforestation for fuel wood and climate change which is the key factor in the global food crisis. To combat adesertification, she said the ministry has adopted a number of strategies including the development of a national action programme in line with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The Minister noted that the nation's natural resources are currently facing greater threats than before. "Many areas are undergoing rapid deforestation, degradation and desertification as a result of our activities which is compounded by global climate change. "Activities such as bush burning and illegal felling of trees must be discouraged," she stressed. She said the ministry will do everything possible to reverse the process of desert encroachment and save the lives of millions of Nigerians under threat. To achieve this objective, she said the ministry ias planning the first National Environment Summit aimed at charting a cause for the development of an "all encompassing environmental policy". Alao called on all states affected by desert encroachment to strengthen their relationship with the ministry to achieve a common goal to combat desert encroachment.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Mozambique: Charcoal Production Must Be Controlled: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo):16 June 2008.

The Mozambican government should strengthen its capacity to inspect the exploitation and transport of charcoal in order to reduce its contribution to deforestation. This is one of the recommendations from a study on "The Maputo City Charcoal Marketing Chain", presented on Monday, the first day of an international conference on "Charcoal and Communities".

The study notes that much charcoal production is entirely informal, since many of the producers have no licences. Only those who transport the charcoal to the city, where they sell it, hold licences. "Care is still not being taken to replant the tree species cut down for charcoal, although this measure is observed when trees are logged for timber", the study remarked. To make matters worse, the trees were being hacked down in an entirely disorganized fashion, which will make reforestation more difficult. The study recommends better, less wasteful techniques for producing charcoal, as well as the use of cheaper alternative fuels, which will reduce the pressure on forests near Maputo. Speaking at the opening of the conference, the Deputy Agriculture Minister, Catarina

251 Pajume, said that charcoal production leads to considerable deforestation, causing environmental problems in many African countries. "Despite the government's efforts to control the use of forest resources, along the main roads in Mozambique we witness a reduction in plant cover, and charcoal production is one of the main causes of this", she said. This amounted to an attack on the natural resources on which many households depend, and charcoal production was thus "contributing to a worsening of poverty", Pajume added. About 70 per cent of the energy consumed in Maputo comes from charcoal, and the situation is likely to be similar in the other major cities. Charcoal producers are relatively well off. By producing 20 to 30 sacks of charcoal a month, a producer can earn between 100 and 150 dollars - which is much more than the statutory minimum wage (of less than 70 dollars a month). Some 150,000 families are believed to make their living from charcoal. The real money, however, is made by the transporters, who can earn 15 times more than the producers. Pajume said that, in Mozambique as in many other African countries, the demand for charcoal has been growing as a result of migration from the countryside to the cities. Charcoal remains relatively cheap, and so is the fuel of choice for poor households that are not connected to the electricity grid, and regard bottled gas as far too expensive. But if exploitation of the forests continued at the current pace, then charcoal would become scarce and the price would rise. "If action is not taken to ensure efficient production of traditional fuels, this may lead to reduced production such that the urban requirements can no longer be met", said Pajume.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Madagascar: New Eco-Deals Protect Unique Forests: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 19 June 2008.

Madagascar has signed a series of environment agreements to protect unique forests and support local communities as part of a commitment by the government to ramp up environmental protection on the Indian Ocean island.

In its largest ever debt-for-nature swap, Madagascar signed a deal with France this month, in which US$20 million of debt owed to the former colonial power was put into a conservation fund, the Foundation for Protected Areas and Biodiversity (FPAB). "Thanks to this, the money will go into the protection of the Malagasy environment instead of to France," Nani Ratsifandrihamanana, the environment director of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) told IRIN. Her organisation played a crucial role in brokering the deal that will help protect Madagascar's forests, home to many of the world's most fascinating creatures. Nearly all the island's land mammals, over 90 percent of its reptiles and 80 percent of its plants are found nowhere else.

In a separate deal, Madagascar committed itself to selling nine million tons of carbon offsets to help protect its forests. The money will be used to protect the vast Makira forest, one of several under threat as a result of the poverty of the overwhelmingly rural population. Scientists say deforestation in the tropics contributes to about 20 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions and that reducing deforestation is one of the quickest ways to fight climate change. Deforestation in Africa is twice as high as anywhere else in the world, where some 13 million hectares of forest are cleared every year. Thanks to this, the money will go into the protection of the Malagasy environment. Conservation International (CI), a non-profit environmental group, said the main drivers of deforestation in Madagascar were slash-and-burn agriculture, charcoal production for

252 use in towns and cities, mining, and the conversion of forest to plant maize. Reducing deforestation is a hard battle to win because more than 75 percent of the island's 18 million people are rural and depend on land and natural resources. The new carbon credit deal, managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), based at the Bronx Zoo in the US, represents an innovative way to tackle the problem. Offset schemes allow polluters to pay for emission cuts in other countries, while providing a source of precious foreign currency to developing countries. The Malagasy government has had some success in forest protection in recent years and has been able to increase the number and size of protected areas. According to environmentalists, the rate of deforestation has been dramatically cut in some of these areas.

• Kenya: Metal Refinery Ordered to Close: The Nation (Nairobi):18 June 2008.

The Municipal Council of Mombasa has ordered a company closed over public health concerns. A letter from the council's medical officer of health dated June 12, 2008, ordered Metal Refinery EPZ to cease operations after failing to take measures to safeguard public health and the environment.

According to an inspection report, complaints were received from residents about smelters spewing lead particles into the air and open surface water drainage. The inspection team, led by the chairman of the council's Public Health Committee, Dr Jamada Swaleh Chidagaya noted lack of a well protected place for processing and melting lead materials. Other areas of concern included lack of proper drainage for the premises, lack of pre-treatment of waste to remove lead elements before disposal and lack of approved plans, occupation permit and drainage certificate.

Complained: The company has to meet all the requirements set by the inspection team before it can resume operations. Dr Chidagaya said the council would also close another company this week for a similar reason. About 500 residents of Ashton village in Jomvu complained of deteriorating health following the opening of a battery manufacturing factory in the neighbourhood. They said since the factory started operations, several birds had died after drinking water seeping through a wall. Some food crops had also started turning yellow. According to one of the residents, Ms Saumu Nyakodondo, the problem started following the onset of the rains.

Eyesight: "Several primary school children have been experiencing persistent coughs while some residents have been having problems with their eyesight and experiencing general body weakness. "We reported the matter to the management who took the dead birds and some soil for tests," she said. The National Environmental Management Authority had also sent a team of inspectors to assess the situation.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Ups and Downs in Combating Desertification and Drought: The New Times (Kigali):17 June 2008.

June 17 is a day set by the UN to combat desertification and drought world wide. However, as we celebrate the day, a number of issues related to environmental degradation remain unanswered and much of the world is indeed in trouble. Arid,

253 semiarid, dry sub-humid areas cover a significant portion of the earth's landscape. Desertification is becoming a common scenario today and all this is attributable to the effects of human activities on the natural environment.

Desertification and droughts affect many around the world. These are mostly the poor people in the least developed countries around the world. Africa which harbours the world's largest desert is the most affected continent. The Sahara desert in Northern Africa covers a third of the continent's landscape. The desert, which has been evolving for thousands of years, is still expanding and moving southwards towards the Sahel (a dry band that separates the Sahara from the Savannah). In Africa constant deforestation and burning of the trees is "inevitable" as people are always seeking land to plant and grow more crops. The survival of most of Africa's population is dependent on growing food crops. With the hardships associated with dry and arid lands, populations have kept on migrating to greener lands and this has in turn eradicated the green areas in these new settlements. Desertification is not only a result of deforestation. Current unexpected climate changes are largely blamed on the activities of the industrialized and developed countries as more and more waste gases are emitted from industries and factories, the kinetics of their transfer are left to the earth's natural mechanism and cycle.

The accumulating concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and global warming have resulted in a rise in extreme weather patterns. This has greatly contributed to the increased droughts and heavy rains that have tremendously affected the already weakened soils. The irony of this is that the least developed countries in Africa are affected the most. The unpredictable heavy rains and droughts are a result of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by the developed countries. Currently Ethiopia is suffering and being weighed down as a result of this. The short rains left farmers devastated and unable to plant food and the hunger pangs are now part of their lives. Though the country looks green in some areas there is no food to harvest. The pastoral and farming communities in the south and southeast regions have been engulfed by a 'Green Drought'. This has left millions of Ethiopians in need of emergency food relief and the figure is likely to keep rising. This green drought has resulted in the heavy loss of livestock and limited food supply as a result of the soaring food, fuel and fertilizer prices which are linked to the global food crisis. This inevitably leaves desperation and helplessness among Ethiopians.

Whether the industrialized countries fully understand the impact they have on other vulnerable nations or not, the future of these countries is doomed. On the other hand, it would be a moral failure if developed countries do not quickly step forward and provide funds to underdeveloped countries that are suffering as a result of the climate changes caused by their industries. These trends of events have continued to smooth the progress of desertification in Africa. As anyone knows the livelihood of people living in dry and arid places is not easy due to the prevalence of poverty. In Africa, the majority of the economies are agro-based and depend on the productivity of the land and that is why economic development and desertification remain interdependent. To combat desertification and droughts, national governments will have to play a major role because their positive involvement is what matters in Africa. The reclamation and rehabilitation of degraded land, combating soil loss, water management and restoring green vegetation will help curb the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen the resilience of affected countries. In addition to these, scientific research and technological innovation will be required to address challenges of drought and

254 desertification. There is a lot of information regarding environmental protection and what is needed is simply their implementation. Women are a powerful tool when it comes to overcoming desertification and drought and their role, especially in rural areas, should be recognized so as to encourage the rest of the community to get involved. Unfortunately whenever there is progress, setbacks always manifest themselves. The efforts put in place to combat desertification and droughts do not always meet the proposed expectations. This is because of the mismanagement of funds, high illiteracy levels of the people and poor infrastructure in the affected areas is a major setback. However, all is not lost if the countries affected can put in place tangible mechanisms to combat desertification and drought.

46. ENERGY

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Illegal Oil Bunkerers Blow-Up Chevron, Texaco Pipeline: Vanguard (Lagos):21 June 2008.

ILLEGAL oil bunkerers in Delta State, who are angry that the Joint Task Force (JTF) on the Niger-Delta has stopped their means of livelihood, Thursday night, blew up Chevron and Texaco oil pipeline between Olero Creek and Abiteye Flow Station in the state. Saturday Vanguard was told, last night, that one of the criminals who planted the explosives was injured in the process but the information could not be authenticated at press time. Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan hinted recently that illegal bunkerers who are not happy with the manner the new Commander of the JTF in the state had moved against their activities were planning to cause crisis in the waterways.

Commander of the JTF, Brigadier-General Nanven Rimtip confirmed the bombing of the pipeline when contacted yesterday. He said that the extent of damage was being assessed and that the Chevron-Texaco Oil Company was already doing something about it. Investigation by Saturday Vanguard showed that illegal bunkering business has not been booming for the operators since Brigadier-General Rimtip assumed duty in the state. He even threatened to deal with any member of the task force found to be colluding with the bunkerers and that had sent shockwaves down the spine of his men involved in the racket. Brigadier-General Rimtip told Saturday Vanguard that he would not relent in his determination to stop illegal bunkering in Delta and Bayelsa states despite the challenges before him, saying, "I will do everything to stop them. I will not compromise my integrity." It was gathered that illegal bunkerers had tried to influence Brigadier General Rimtip with money so he will turn a blind eye to their activities, but he defiantly refused, saying that he did not come to make money with his job as Commander of the task force. Rimtip said he was aware that the illegal bunkerers and their sponsors had vowed to make trouble for him if he does not co-operate with them, but, insisted that he would not succumb to their intimidation. Chairman of the Delta Water-ways Security Committee (DWSC) and Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr. George Timinimi whose committee has been able to maintain calm in the state since Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan set up the body, last year, told Saturday Vanguard that the attack was not by militants, but, by illegal bunkerers. He said the DWSC was aware that the JTF had in recent times waged a successful war against illegal bunkerers and wondered why the bunkerers should express their anger against the JTF for doing a good job by vandalizing Chevron and Texaco pipeline.

255 • Nigeria: Senate Rejects Legalisation of Excess Crude Account: Leadership (Abuja):20 June 2008.

The Senate yesterday rejected the attempt to legalise the operation of the unconstitutional excess crude account through a bill sponsored by Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, forcing her to withdraw the bill.

After her lead debate, Senator Obasanjo-Bello, who said the Act when passed would create the excess crude oil reserve fund for the regulation, development, management and investment of same, to safeguard long-term interest of Nigerians through the use of the proceeds, was opposed by majority of the Senators who contributed to the debate. They insisted that the excess crude account which the federal government already operated was an illegality as the constitution provided for the federation account to accommodate all monies accruing to the federal government. Senator Ikechukwu Obiora (PDP – Anambra South), through a constitutional point of order, said the bill was in contravention of section 162 of the 1999 constitution. Obiora said, "Senator Iyabo- Obasanjo wants to create a leeway for withdrawals from the federation account. The excess crude account has been an aberation, we must take time to differentiate between the consolidated revenue fund of one tier of government and the federation account belonging to all". Section 162 of the 1999 constitution states: "The federation shall maintain a special account to be called 'the Federation Account' into which shall be paid all revenues collected by the government of the federation, except the process from personal income tax of the personnel of the armed forces of the federation…" Also citing senate standing rule 89, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo hurriedly withdrew her bill. She was initially hesitant to present the bill for second reading probably because she perceived those who would support her were not in plenary yesterday as most of them travelled with the Senate leader, Teslim Folarin, to Ibadan for the eight-day Muslim prayers of late Chief Adedibu.

Asked why the illegality had been allowed to persist, he said their duty as legislators were to make laws for the good governance of the nation and to bring up platforms for the attainment of constitutional provisions, and that "we have made it clear, the laws are there. It's the executive arm of government arm which have been committing this illegality. It behoves on the state governors to go to supreme court to stop it and seek redress". Obiora pointed out that in 2002 in a case involving the Attorney-General of the federation, AGF and the Attorney-General of Abia State, the Supreme Court made it clear that an amount of money which the country receives as a sovereign nation and is not paid into the federation account is an illegality, adding, "that is the reason I brought out this constitutional point of order which has made her (Iyabo) withdraw her bill". Explaining further, Obiora said only tiers of government, example a state whose projected budget was, say, N10 billion, but got N12 billion in a fiscal year, could say it has N2 billion excess, but that the situation was not the same with the federation account as all monies were supposed to be paid into it without calling an excess. The excess crude account was operated by President Olusegun Obasanjo, father of Senator Iyabo, sponsor of the bill in the wake of the astronomical rise in oil price in the international market far and above the budgetary benchmark since 1999..leadership later, Senator Obiora stated: "Putting it succinctly, the so-called excess crude account which the federal government has maintained in the past eight years is an illegality, unconstitutionality. Every money must go into the federation account and must be

256 shared in line with the revenue sharing formula which has been approved and assented to by the National Assembly and the executive arm".

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Mozambique: Preferred Crops for Biofuel: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo):20 June 2008.

A preliminary study on biofuel production in Mozambique has suggested that the most appropriate crops to use would be sunflower, sugar cane and sweet sorghum, reports Friday's issue of the independent newsheet "Mediafax". According to Edward Hoyt, a consultant for the company Ecoenergy, charged with drawing up the study, which will be used by the government in designing a definitive biofuels strategy for Mozambique, ethanol and biodiesel can be produced from these crops at low cost. Furthermore, they are already grown in the country, and many peasant farmers are already familiar with them. This study was financed by the World Bank and the Italian government, in order to assess the viability of producing, using and exporting biofuels in Mozambique. But the biofuels strategy has suffered a blow with the announcement by the Portuguese vegetable oil company Iberol that it is abandoning its soya and sunflower plantations in Mozambique. Iberol had intended to produce biofuels from sunflower, but the chairperson of the Nutasa group, of which Iberol is part, Joao Rodrigues, told the Portuguese news agency LUSA that it had run into "many difficulties", notably the theft of the crop at harvest time, and the shortage of skilled labour. Rodrigues blamed this on "social problems", notably food shortages among the population. "How can I make vegetable oil for fuel when the people living in front of the plantation don't have oil to make food?", he asked. "It didn't go well, and it's not worth wasting any more effort". Iberal would only return to biofuels project in Mozambique, he added, if they were backed by development finance institutions, and also contained a social component. In other words, if donors financed the project, Iberol would be happy to manage it. Nutasa entered Mozambique in 2002 when it purchased the Monapo Industrial Company (CIM), in the northern province of Nampula, from another Portuguese group, Entreposto. Despite the Iberal withdrawal, Nutasa remains involved in soap and oil production, and in livestock.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Costly Oil Angers OIC States: New Vision (Kampala):19 June 2008.

THE Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) is demanding a say in the setting of world oil prices, which it says are stunting economies and threatening the human race. Delegates from member states, meeting in Kampala, have called for the OIC's intervention to address runaway oil prices, warning that failure to do so could lead to destruction of mankind. They said they needed to set up an OIC task force to look into ways of lowering oil prices. They were also concerned about the skyrocketing cost of food globally, which they said was hurting OIC member states. They agreed that spiralling food prices, coupled with record-breaking oil prices, were making life increasingly difficult in member states.

"The global oil crisis has been the most distressing and burdensome occurrence in recent times, hence it is a matter of utmost concern for both the world at large as well as

257 for member states in the organisation," the Malaysian foreign affairs minister, Dr. Rais Yatim, noted.

"The $138 per barrel price of crude oil has stunted economies and exposed a large segment of society to the hazards of painful living. Almost every item of need in the marketplace now costs more. "From rice and wheat to transportation and services; from vegetables to other food products; all have chalked up the price scale so much that if present trends continue, not to mention the oft-mentioned $200 per barrel possibility, our people in 57 countries would inevitably suffer beyond normal comprehension," Yatim expounded. He noted that in developing countries, people are coerced to spend 50% of their income on food and fuel. The effects, according to the minister, include many Asian economies being forced to reduce or stop fuel subsidies. He said growth would plummet sharply as a result, leading to social unrest. He added that there would also be corporate failures, a lot of mergers and acquisitions, inflated shipping costs and increased civil wars in oil producing countries.

The OIC blamed the escalating prices on speculators and exploiters making everybody else a victim, including the oil producers. "If we (the Islamic world) produce the bulk of the oil, why can't we be party to deciding what is a fair and equitable price? Unless OPEC returns to arrest the situation, mankind will cross the border of self destruction," the doctor warned. The Sierra Leonian foreign affairs minister, Zainab Hawa Bangura, said the OIC should address the two issues because they were becoming a serious recipe for the destabilisation of democratic countries. The OIC Secretary General, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, noted that the economies of many OIC member states were agrobased and the rise in domestic food production in most of them had not kept pace with rapid population growth. He said in addition to this, many suffer from natural disasters such as drought and floods, leading to insufficient in food production. He assured members that the OIC had set up a number of programmes of action to ensure food security in member states. Ihsanoglu did not elaborate on the programmes, but said they would be geared towards agricultural development. He warned, however, that the solution would not be instant, but that action must be taken, and the OIC was committed to it. He noted that the US consumes 25% of the world's oil output.

• Tanzania: Electricity Restored to Zanzibar: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam):19 June 2008.

The power blackout which rocked Zanzibar for four weeks finally ended yesterday when electricity was restored. A statement sent to newsrooms by the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, said electricity yesterday showed a positive result after successful repairs of a cable supplying Zanzibar with power from mainland Tanzania.

The statement stated that electricity returned in some parts of Zanzibar. The situation returned to normal as repairs to an underwater cable were finalized. This led to the initial restoration of power in the isles, the statement said. "Today's (yesterday) successful testing of the underwater cable and initial restoration of power has led to the rapid restoration of the supply to the entire island but economic recovery will be challenging," it said.

258 Many sectors need financial support and Government resources were critically depleted during the power crisis which lasted for four weeks when the isles remained in darkness. Economic sectors adversely affected by the power outage are agriculture, tourism and small scale businesses. As a result the blackout severely reduced the government's income as tax revenues and financial resources were drained in order for the government to address this most urgent issue. Meanwhile, the team leader of the Disaster Assessment and Coordination Mechanism (UNDAC), Mr Pierre Gelas, said though the initial restoration of electricity in the isle was successful, there is a lot to do in order to solve the power problem. "So far indications are that electricity is coming back to Zanzibar slowly. But that does not mean the problem is solved, as lots of challenges still remain for the island to fully recover from the crisis", he said. The power blackout had caused inconveniences to the people of Zanzibar, especially Unguja. The revolutionary government had to work day and night to rectify the situation, but the problem kept Zanzibar in the dark for four weeks. UN experts landed in the isle ten days ago and cooperated with the government in resolving technical faults in the underwater cable supplying power from mainland Tanzania. They advised that more assistance be rendered to deal with the effects of the crisis. The power outage stretched generator capacity to the limit in order to provide power to water pumps, health facilities and social services. As part of coordinated UN support to Zanzibar, UNICEF provided 12 back-up power generators to reactivate water pumps that have been out of service since May 21. The group of experts from the UNDAC will leave the country tomorrow after completing their ten-day mission.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: AG Uncovers More Rot in Fuel Deals : The New Times (Kigali):20 June 2008.

New details have emerged showing how billions of taxpayers' money was lost through shady fuel deals and irresponsible handling of Government fuel reserves. The Auditor General Evelyn Kamagaju, who first raised the issue of mismanagement of Government fuel stocks in her 2006 report - sparking nearly a two-month inquiry by a parliamentary ad hoc commission - has now released new information that reveals the rot that has been going on in the fuel sector.

In a May 14, 2008 letter addressed to Senate President Dr. Vincent Biruta and the Speaker Chamber of Deputies, Alfred Mukezamfura, Kamagaju spilled the beans on a number of deals that have made Government incur heavy losses or likely to suffer more through illegal marriages with oil companies. "On 2 November, 2005, cabinet agreed that Kobil Rwanda Oil Company leases state oil depots at Gatsata and buys Shell petrol stations. Cabinet further agreed that the said leasing and purchase would be subjected to negotiations between Kobil Rwanda and the Rwanda Government. However, I did not see any evidence of negotiations between Kobil and the Rwanda Government," reads part of the letter whose copy The New Times obtained. The letter was copied to the President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice and the Prosecutor General. A seven-member Chamber of Deputies ad hoc commission led by Juvenal Nkusi this week confirmed that there was no agreement between the Government and Kobil, despite the latter having acquired Shell shares in PetroRwanda - a former state-owned petroleum company.

Ghost company: Both Kamagaju and the Nkusi commission expressed worries that in the event of any losses on the part of Kobil, the Government was likely to suffer the

259 consequences since Kobil Rwanda Oil Company is a ghost company by Rwandan laws. "From documents available, including confirmation from the Nyarugenge Higher Instance Court, legally, Kobil Rwanda Oil Company does not exist," the AG said in her letter. Officially, Shell shares in PetroRwanda were bought by Kenya Oil Company (Kenol), only for the latter to put the management of its Rwanda businesses into the hands of Kobil, which is said to be its subsidiary. "Currently, Kobil manages the Gatsata Depot but it is not clear under what arrangements. There is no agreement between the Government of Rwanda and Kobil regarding the management of Gatsata depot and the management of Government fuel stock," Kamagaju said. She added that it was strange that Kobil, a company that is unregistered, is using Shell tax file/TIN number, adding that "it appears Shell initiated the process of selling its business in Rwanda immediately after expiry of its licence."

The AG indicated that Kobil also applied and got approval for an Investors' licence in 2006, which amounts to the oil company getting a ten-year licence. "I have also seen Kobil's tax returns filed with Rwanda Revenue Authority, including 2005 Shell tax losses. Government may be losing taxes. This needs to be investigated further," Kamagaju warned. She further revealed that the Government had not taken any action on fuel losses amounting to 246,816 litres (attributed to Shell Rwanda) and another 129,899 litres (attributed to the Ministry of Commerce officials) as highlighted in her 2004 report. The AG also reiterated that the Ministry of Commerce (Minicom) does not maintain any stock records for both the strategic fuel and the Japanese grant. The Government has, since 2006, been receiving fuel grants from the Government of Japan, whose proceeds both the AG and the Nkusi Commission said were never reflected in the State's Consolidated Financial Statements.

Govt lost over Frw400m in four months: "We compiled a stock movement schedule from available records which revealed unreconciled differences of 301,244 litres of petrol and 149,480 litres of diesel," she noted, adding that during the same time, her office also established another 249,953 litres of diesel that were unclear, and which need to be substantiated by Minicom. The document also shows that the Government suffered a loss of Frw429,088,440 between October 2006 and February 2007 as a result of Minicom selling both the Japanese fuel grant and strategic fuel stock below cost price. "Government may not be able to replenish its strategic stock from sale proceeds ..If the Government is to replace the strategic fuel that was sold between November 2006 and February 2007, it would have to add up to over Frw400,000,000, otherwise the sale proceeds would procure much less quantities," the AG continued in her letter.

'Evaporation' cost: Also in question is an operational loss of 65,217 litres of petrol which Minicom took responsibility for without putting to task Total - the firm that manages Kabuye storage facilities - to explain how the loss came about.The House Commission said that according to Total, the litres evaporated, but the AG has challenged that too, arguing that the proportion of the loss was too much considering that the lost fuel was part of only 1,268,901 litres of unleaded fuel at the time. She indicated that the fuel that allegedly evaporated represented 5.14 percent of the total litres, which is far much higher that the standard 0.3 percent. The AG also highlighted cases where Minicom officials gave out fuel as loans to dealers without any interest, but still failed to recover it on time, causing delays spanning from 38 days to three years. "Moreover these loans are not recorded in Minicom books as debts." Both the parliamentary probe team and Kamagaju pointed out the long delays by dealers to repay the Government fuel and the

260 expiry of repayment cheques worth Frw1,888,421,266 held by Minicom but not banked on time. Although Minicom officials say the expiry was a result of delays in creation of a separate bank account for proceeds from the sale of Japanese fuel grants, the AG insists she never received "satisfactory explanation for the unusual delays." In addition, both the Nkusi Commission and AG say that dealers who took Government fuel both on loan and on credit, never gave securities, thus the risk of non-recovery was very high.

Dalbit saga : On the controversial Dalbit Petroleum deal which saw former Commerce Minister Protais Mitali (now Youth Minister) award a tender to the Kenyan firm in total disregard of the law, Kamagaju said she did not get any verifiable evidence that indicated there was a crisis to justify the hurried procurement at a high cost. " .there is no document indicating how the procurement decision was arrived at, how the supplier was identified and how the price was negotiated." The deal included 4 million litres worth $3.4 million after the Government slashed the volume from 10 million litres when it obtained the first consignment of the Japanese fuel grant. The deal, which was initiated by former Commerce Minister James Musoni (now Finance Minister) was, according to officials, sanctioned in the interest of the nation to curtail a possible crisis, an argument most MPs have rejected. However, despite the seriousness of the issues raised by the AG, the Chamber of Deputies never discussed that information this week when deputies were discussing the Nkusi Commission report. Observers say the MPs avoided opening a 'Pandora's Box' at a time when they are left with less than two months to the end of their mandate. Next parliamentary elections are due in September.

47. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: 2,600 Rural Enterprises Receive IFAD And AfDB Support: Public Agenda (Accra):20 June 2008.

Over GH¢720,000 have been disbursed since 2003 as credit to support over 2,600 micro-credit and small enterprises. This has been made possible by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) under the Rural Enterprises Project (REP) Out of the business being supported 59 per cent are female managed with loan recovery about 86 per cent.

This was disclosed by Mr. Kwasi Attah-Antwi, Project Coordinator of the REP at the inauguration of the Rural Technology Facility (RTF) in Salaga in the East Gonja District on Monday. "The second phase of the REP has since 2003 reached over 112,000 people including 58,000 women with various project services with 52,500 trained in various community-based skills trade and small business management",he said. He said the beneficiaries have also being trained in improved production services, basic engineering skills and health, environmental management and banking culture. Mr Attah- Antwi said the project is now operational in 66 districts nationwide with 53 new participating districts and 13 old ones carried over from first phase of the project and spread accross the 10 regions of the country. He noted that in the Northern Region the project is being implemented in seven districts namely; West Mamprusi, East Mamprusi, East Gonja, Central Gonja, West Gonja, Zabzugu/Tatale and Bole Districts. Mr. Attah- Antwi said the establishment of the RTF with support from GRATIS and the district assemblies provides another avenue for the alleviating of poverty through the promotion

261 of engineering/technology based rural micro-enterprises. Ms. Gifty Ohene Konadu, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industries and Presidents Special Initiatives (PSI) who commissioned the RTF said under the REP the government was establishing 18 RTFs country-wide to support the transfer of technology to farmers, agro-processors, metal based artisans and micro and small entrepreneurs. Ms. Ohene Konadu said the RTFs were equipped to improve upon the technology base of the districts with the primary aim of training local crafts- persons to improve their technical skills. Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, urged the people to live in peace to attract more projects. He appealed to the Ministry of Tourism to try to develop the Salaga slave trade sites to attract tourist and hinted that there were plans to develop the smock weaving industry in Daboya. Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, Minister of Water Resources Works and Housing assured the people that the Salaga water problem would soon be solved and said it would be extended to the RTF centre to ensure regular supply of water to the artisans.

• • • • Nigeria: Institute Tasks Microfinance Firms On Food Security: Leadership (Abuja):20 June 2008.

Worried about the problem of food shortage in the country, the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science has implored the microfinance institutions and banks to review upward their funding of small-scale and large scale livestock farms in line with the government's food security programme. The Institute has also enjoined states and local governments to subsidise animal farm inputs as well as collaborate with the private sector to develop livestock product sales outlets in the country. The President of the Institute, Professor Placid Njoku, made the call yesterday while delivering the 42nd anniversary lecture of the Department of Animal Science, University of Ibadan . In the lecture entitled "Repositioning Animal Science for the Millennium", Njoku stressed the need for government to review the curriculum for animal science and the training facilities as well as accreditation of animal science programmes. Njoku who until recently was the Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Umudike also canvassed massive employment of professional animal scientists to manage government's equity in all livestock departments and farms. While urging the authorities to provide quasi-large scale livestock farms for student immersion and entrepreneurial development, he called for splitting the departments of Livestock and Pest Control Services in the federal and state civil service into department of Animal Production and department of Veterinary, Pest Control and Quarantine Services.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Angola: 40 Countries to Attend African Roads Congress: Angola Press Agency (Luanda):20 June 2008.

At least 40 countries have confirmed their participation at the II African Congress of Roads, scheduled for 26-28 June in the country's capital, Luanda, the organising commission has said. The commission's coordinator, Herculano do Nascimento, who would not mention the countries' names, noted that the meeting will gather experts,

262 national and foreign businesspeople belonging to the sector to discuss issues related to Africa's traffic system and outline effective cooperation policies for harmonious development of the continent. Herculano do Nascimento, on Thursday briefed the representatives from over 20 civil building companies on the importance of holding the congress in the country. The event will enable each country to contribute with proposals to the durability of roads and the quality of materials used in the construction, emphasised the officials. Under the aegis of Angolan Public Works Ministry, the congress will also analyse the current condition of traffic infrastructures on the continent. The meeting will also reflect on development of roads in Africa and subsequent economic development, boost of investment, leading to the improvement and enlargement of traffic network, as well as the reduction of poverty. Participants at the three-day meeting will also discuss on the topics related to "Finances, Investments and Public/Private Partnership Policies ", "Technology and Local Materials" and "Roads and Environment". The first event of its kind happened in 2005, in Algeria.

• • • Namibia: Economists Hail VAT Exemption: New Era (Windhoek):20 June 2008.

Local economists have said the Government's stance to stamp out tax on a limited number of food items is the best plan the State could have taken. However, the decision that tilts towards providing relief and assistance to low-income earners and those continuing to be adversely affected by the rising food prices was received with mixed feelings. While the idea is to cushion the harshness of the impact of the international turbulence on most Namibians, particularly low-income families, who invariably are impacted first and most acutely, some sections of society feel more items could have been included on the list.

Talking to New Era, local economist and Chief Executive Officer of RMB Asset Management Namibia, Martin Mwinga, said the Government can only do so little for now as the situation was not expected to last that long. "Abolishing of VAT on some foodstuffs will provide relief for many low and middle income people but broadening the list could have posed a revenue dilemma for the Government," he added. This intervention by the Government, supported Acting Director of the Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit (NEPRU), Klaus Schade, comes at a cost. "It means the Government will lose income and might not be able to address other issues in the social sectors. It might also face increased debts," he added. Dr Omu Kakujaha-Matundu, University of Namibia Faculty of Economics and Management Science Deputy Dean, embraces the Government's decision, adding that it was long overdue. He echoed what the other two economists has said, adding that if the food item list was made longer, the Government would have been forced to either cut on expenditure by putting on hold some capital projects or it could also borrow and pay later dearly. Schade said coming up with the list must have been a challenge for the Government especially since such a decision demands a survey such as the national household survey to determine what most households consume. Thus not every food item could be qualified for tax exemption. "If everyone was to choose what item they eat or not eat, for example have pasta (exempted) and not beans, it would be difficult for the Government to draw the line. We should take into account social realities," Schade argues. High food prices

263 coupled with high fuel prices and inflation continue to have negative effects on most households. Cooking oil, fat, cake flour, bread are all essential food items in most homes but the deputy dean wonders as to why beans and not another item was chosen. Nonetheless, he says, "When prices are high like this, it is not an exaggeration that some people go to bed with empty stomachs. The low income earners will at least have relief." Kakujaha-Matundu further says operations of some small businesses were threatened by the skyrocketing food prices, as the profit margins were depressing. "A lady selling fat cakes would have gone out of business because of high food prices and low profit. "With no tax on cooking oil and flour, these women can continue with their businesses," said Kakujaha-Matundu. He added the initiative would also stabilise the price of bread at bakeries. Kakujaha-Matundu also cautions the Government of some scrupulous businesspeople that might not implement the measures once the Government gives the green light. Thus monitoring should be effected as well, he says. He also commended the Government for the initiative to support school feeding programmes, adding that most children at most Government schools hail from poor families. "This will reduce pressure on families," he emphasised. While the Government intervention has brought relief to many, Schade says the huge discrepancies in income distribution in the country still places the poor at a disadvantage. Because of that, he explained that the vulnerable in society might not necessarily benefit from some of the solutions as provided by the Government. For example, rich people will always afford a loaf of bread while the poor might not and thus tax elimination imposed on bread might not necessarily change the situation of the poor. "Government could have applied an alternative intervention that would strengthen the purchase power of the vulnerable in society," he suggested. Meanwhile, Minister of Finance, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, yesterday tabled the amendment to the VAT Act. This comes two days after the Head of State urged members of parliament to swiftly work on the Bill to speed the implementation of the decisions taken.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: OIC Calls for More Business Ventures: New Vision (Kampala):19 June 2008.

PROFESSOR Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the general secretary of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), has called for more business ventures and investment capital into African countries like Uganda.

Prof. Ekmeleddin urged the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Islamic Development Bank to mobilise the private sector to invest more in the OIC member states. He was addressing the over 500 businesspeople and policy makers during the opening ceremony of the 12th meeting of the private sector of the OIC member countries at the Imperial Royale Hotel on Tuesday. He said the OIC was looking to raise intra- trade from 13% to 20% by the year 2015.

"Intra OIC trade has already risen from 14.5% in 2004 to 15.5% in 2005 and 16.3% in 2006. "In order to achieve this aim, I call on the OIC member states to sign and ratify the protocol on trade preferential system which will facilitate economic cooperation and trade exchange between the OIC member states," he said. Prof. Ekmeleddin said the main objective of the business forum was to bring businesspeople and political decision makers of the OIC member states to seek and discover opportunities of harnessing the

264 potential that Uganda and the Muslim world offer. "The country sits on vast potentials of unleashed business opportunities which the private sector could tap into to create wealth, increase employment and fight poverty. "Africa in general engorges with abundant natural resources like fertile lands, availability of water and mineral resources," he said. He noted that there were millions of hectares of irrigable land, which were idle in the river basins of the Nile, the Congo and the Niger. Prof. Ekmeleddin also added that many OIC member states and businessmen had huge financial capital and were looking for opportunities to invest. The forum with the theme 'Discover the resources and high potential of the African Market,' will close tomorrow. Olive Kigongo, the head of the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, explained that the main of objective of the meeting was to unlock Uganda, East Africa and Africa to the rest of OIC through the provision of a platform for the interaction between the business community and the financing institutions within the OIC framework. Kigongo said trade insurance, tariff access and non-tariff opportunities would be explored. "This will bring to surface available opportunities for export of products like fruits and expertise under the labour market."

• Kenya: President Calls for Action On Food Prices: Business Daily (Nairobi):19 June 2008.

President Kibaki is calling for urgent action on rising food prices to avoid a looming crisis, especially among Africa's poor. He said stagnation in agricultural productivity, rising cost of fuel and fertilisers as well as climate change needed global solutions that can only be found through international platforms such as FAO. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says Africa accounts for 21 of the 37 countries worst affected by high food prices. Lesotho, Somalia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe are classified as having exceptional food shortages. Eritrea, Liberia, Mauritania and Sierra Leone are said to be experiencing widespread lack of access while 13 other countries are classified as suffering severe localised food insecurity. "For the poor people who are shouldering the heaviest burden of the current high food prices, a solution must be found now," Mr Kibaki said yesterday. The World Bank estimates that more than 100 million people are at risk of starvation. The President said climate change had worsened the current food crisis through its impact on weather patterns and ultimately on agricultural output. "The effects of climate change are evident to all. Climate change is having a disastrous impact on infrastructure, agricultural production and on the survival and well-being of our people," he said. According to the Africa Progress Panel - an independent body of leaders lead by former UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan -Africa needs to more than double its agricultural productivity. The panel says response to the current crisis is likely to take time in producing results. "This is an enormous challenge - there is little unused high- quality land left, input prices such as that of fertiliser are rising, and the yield potential of current technologies has been static for decades," the panel says in its 2008 report. Mr Kibaki called for greater exploitation of Africa's natural resources to increase production of rice, sugar and other crops using the vast water "basins which are yet to be full exploited."

CENTRAL AFRICA • Cameroon: Acquisition of New Cranes Raises Hopes: Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé):19 June 2008.

265 The Douala International Terminal may help reduce the long period needed for cargo evacuation but to what extent?

Friday June 20, 2008 opens an important page in the transactions at the Douala Autonomous port. After having taken the resolution in November, 2007 during a round table conference in Douala, to limit the period of clearance from 20 days to one week, authorities of the port have so far not succeeded in its execution. Few reasons have been advanced to explain this state of affairs: the dysfunction of the clearance procedure, resistant to change coming from some actors, absence of training for some economic operators, amateurism of some importers and exporters, and the non consideration of the Maritime Traffic Facilitation Committee. The hopes of putting an end to the stalemate are high following the announcement by authorities of the Douala International Terminal (DIT) that they have acquired four new cranes which will be officially received tomorrow Friday, 20 June. According to the General Manager of DIT, the CFA 1.5 billion-equipment are being obtained within the framework of the investment policy adopted by DIT for the Douala Autonomous Ports terminal. "This will contribute in reinforcing the procedure for clearing containers from the port", Henk Schuringa said. One of the causes of delays in clearing goods from the port is the absence of cranes which can rapidly remove containers from ships. The arrival of the four cranes is certainly a timely act. The consequences of the delay are not only felt by the businesses involved in importation, but by the customs department which has as challenge to raise CFA 435 billion in 2008. The customs administration seems not to be taking the challenge with a pinch of salt. Recently, the General Manager, Minette Libom Li Likeng, went down to Douala where she had a working session with her staff to implement the service notes of April and May this year. The said notes strictly repartition tasks and roles in the ASCUDA customs clearance system. The second administrative note sets out to install a spirit of work and professional awareness in the customs sector. All these set out to achieve a number of things including eliminating the confusion of roles between the customs sector, the main office and SGS especially as concerns customs clearance.

• Congo-Brazzaville: Gunning for Biofuel: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 19 June 2008.

The Republic of Congo plans to set aside part of its arable land for biofuel production, even as a debate rages over the part played by biofuels in the current global food crisis.

Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Rigobert Maboundou, reckons biofuels have been overly maligned of late. "If there were no bioethanol and biodiesel petrol prices would be even higher than they are today," he told a news conference on 14 June. "We are working to develop a balance within agriculture in land use between land reserved for food cultivation and land reserved for biofuels," Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso said a few days earlier after returning from Rome where he took part in a high- level UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) summit on food security, climate change and biofuels.

Congo has 8.2 million hectares of arable land. Less than 15 percent of this land is cultivated. Three external partners have asked for close to 1.75 million hectares on which to cultivate palm trees for the production of oil used in biodiesel. "We are not going to exhaust all our existing potential by ceding some land," Maboundou said. He played

266 down the notion that biofuels were partly responsible for the current food crisis. We don't have enough to eat. We don't have enough potable water, or electricity. These are the needs that should be addressed and not biofuels which will hardly solve anything. Let's keep our our soil for food. "Of all the cereals going up in price, rice is in the lead. Nevertheless, rice is not used in the manufacture of bioethanol," the Congolese minister said. "The day when there's a lack of oil, and biofuels become the replacement fuel, it would not be appropriate for Congo to be absent and obliged to go and buy its non-fossil fuels from abroad," he said. "Investors will come along with their plants, equipment and technological know-how. All Congo has to do is set aside land for them," Maboundou said. Even though Congo is the fourth largest oil exporter in sub-Saharan Africa - after Angola, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea - it spends US$260m annually on food imports, according to FAO. FAO experts believe that arable land and labour, which should be used for food production, have been diverted to biofuels, contributing to a sharp rise in cereal prices. According to the FAO, some 850 million people in the world are suffering from hunger and of these, some 820 million are living in developing countries. For Dieudonné Moussala, the head of a consumer rights organisation, biofuels are a red herring. "We don't have enough to eat. We don't have enough potable water, or electricity. These are the needs that should be addressed and not biofuels which will hardly solve anything," he said. "Let's keep our our soil for food," he added.

• Rwanda: Dubai World 'In Discussions' for Tea Factories: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali):18 June 2008.

Barely six months after Dubai World announced a mega tourism investment in Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates investment arm is said to be in 'advanced discussions' with government for a portion of the tea sector, RNA has established.

If talks advance as planned, according to the Executive Secretary of the Privatisation Secretariat Mr. Twahirwa Manasseh, Dubai World should be in possession of three tea factories. The Emirates holdings firm wants to buy out the Gisovu Tea Estate and factory, Gisakura Tea Estate and factory, as well as Kitabi estate and factory - all in western Rwanda. In December last year, Dubai World, the state-owned enterprise, announced an investment totaling some $ 230 million into Rwanda's tourism sector. Through its investment arm, Istithmar Real Estate, Dubai World is building eight tourism facilities including luxury hotels and lodges in national parks as well as golf courses and villas. It will put up a 60-room lodge in the Akarega National Park, in the eastern province, and a five-star tented camp in the Volcanoes National Park, home to hundreds of rare mountain gorillas. Gisakura Tea Estate and factory are adjacent to another Dubai World venture - an eco-lodge adjacent to the Nyungwe Forest National Park, which protects one of the largest single tract of mountain forest remaining anywhere in Africa. The ongoing privatization drive of the many tea estates in the western and northern Rwanda have seen tea production up by 18.7 percent in 2007 bringing in some $36 million that year alone. British tea trading company LAB International just finalized last week the takeover of the Pfunda Tea Company in Western Rwanda as well sealing its controlling stake now at 90% with 10 percent staying with the farmers. In 2004, LAB paid $1,060,160 (about Rwf 5.8 billion) for the estates and last week the firm paid up another additional Rwf 350 million for the final seal. According to Mr. Twahirwa of the Privatisation Secretariat, the remaining 3 tea estates with their factories - Mata, Shyagashya and Mulindi will be sold through open bidding for the companies.

267 48. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Robert Mugabe Gets Message From Angolan President: Angola Press Agency (Luanda):21 June 2008.

A verbal message from the chairperson of the SADC's Cooperation,Politics, Defence and Security Organ, Angolan Head of State José Eduardo dos Santos, was transmitted Thursday to Zimbabwe's President, Robert Gabriel Mugabe. The message, which is to do with the current political climate in Zimbabwe, was transmitted by the head of the SADC Observation Mission to the elections in Zimbabwe, José Marcos Barrica, who on that day went to Bulawayo, about 450 kilometres away from the capital city Harare, to speak to the Zimbabwean leader. The message is quite opportune considering that the second round of the presidential election, in this country, is getting near (27 June). In the message, President José Eduardo dos Santos suggests to the outgoing Zimbabwean President to observe the spirit of tolerance, respect for the democratic rules, and at the same time he appeals for the end of the actions of intimidation and violence, so that there can be trust, transparency and fairness throughout the process. Meanwhile, on Friday José Marcos Barrica gathered with the ambassadors that integrate the Troika of Observers to Zimbabwe. Angola is part of the observation mission with 25 observers, four of whom are women. Currently SADC has 200 observers in Zimbabwe, spread throughout the country, while awaiting for another 150 to arrive at any time.

• Zimbabwe: Violence Threatens Credibility of Next Week's Polls – Ban: UN News Service (New York):18 June 2008.

The current violence, intimidation and arrest of opposition leaders in Zimbabwe are not conducive to credible elections; Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling for an immediate halt to hostilities ahead of the presidential run-off round set for next week. "Should these conditions continue to prevail, the legitimacy of the election outcomes would be in question," Mr. Ban said in an informal briefing to the General Assembly. The Secretary-General expressed his "profound alarm" at the situation in the Southern African nation, which has witnessed deadly political violence since the first round of the presidential election on 29 March. Compounding the political crisis is "an already deep social, economic and humanitarian crisis," in a country where as many as 4 million people are vulnerable and in need of help, he told the 192-member body. Adding to the dire state of affairs is rapid economic decline and inflation of 355,000 per cent, collapsing social services, food insecurity and the devastating effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, he added. Earlier today the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) warned that up to five million Zimbabweans could face hunger by early next year unless immediate action is taken to address the country's food insecurity. The Secretary-General also pointed out that the delivery of humanitarian assistance has increasingly been obstructed by authorities, community leaders, war veterans and militia members, a situation made worse by the Government's recent decision to ban non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from distributing aid. "It is of utmost importance that the violence is stopped immediately and that humanitarian assistance is facilitated, not prevented," he stressed, urging the Government to rescind all restrictions on the work of NGOs, to ensure unfettered access to vulnerable populations for all agencies, and to ensure the security of all humanitarian workers. Last

268 week Mr. Ban dispatched Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios to Zimbabwe to discuss those issues with the parties before the run-off on 27 June, in which President Robert Mugabe will face Morgan Tsvangirai from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Mr. Menkerios has met with both leaders, as well as the Foreign Minister, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, church leaders and civil society groups, including human rights organizations. Following his meeting with Mr. Mugabe yesterday, Mr. Menkerios told reporters the UN will be supporting the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to boost its capacity to observe the election. Regarding the security situation, he said "the reports have been about violence, people being displaced, houses being burned," adding that the Secretary-General is concerned about what measures can be put in place ahead of the elections. Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour today denounced the expelling of a UN human rights official by Zimbabwe as "regrettable, untimely and uncooperative." Speaking to journalists in Geneva, she added that the move appeared to fit with a pattern which the Government has chosen on non-cooperation with various international agencies. The staff member in question, a Geneva-based desk officer, was on a routine mission, expecting to work with the UN Country Team and NGOs on issues relating to human rights. He was asked to leave Zimbabwe yesterday by the authorities, on the grounds that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had not given them enough warning about his visit. OHCHR says it did alert the authorities, and Ms. Arbour said she would like to see Zimbabwe reverse its decision and allow the staff member to return.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Equatorial Guinea: Mann Completes Testimony, Thatcher Extradition Appeal: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London):20 June 2008.

A BRITISH soldier for hire, whose coup attempt to topple an African president was folied, completed his testimony and cross-examination by State Prosecutor Attorney General Jose Olo Obono yesterday in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

Simon Mann's two-day testimony, implicated Sir Mark Thatcher, son of ex British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, as part of the "management team" and Lebanese millionaire Eli Calil as "the boss" of the failed 2004 coup to topple Equatorial Guinea president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. The former SAS officer, who the prosecution wants sentenced to a minimum of 32 years in jail for plotting to overthrow the democratically elected government of Equatorial Guinea in 2004, also told the court that Spanish and South African governments gave the "green light" for the project. Sir Mark Thatcher, the defendant said, "came on board completely and became part of the management team" but that it was Lebanese millionaire Eli Calil who was "the boss" of the March 2004 botched coup. The men have repeatedly denied involvement. Attorney General Jose Olo Obono said the state will be seeking the extradition of Sir Mark Thatcher - who was arrested but struck a plea bargain deal with the South African authorities - and businessman Eli Calil. "By January 2004, the operation was like an official operation because the Spanish government and the South African government were both giving the green light. I am very, very sorry for what I have done. I am also very happy that we failed ... I think that the people that were seriously involved in this and have not faced justice, they should do so," Simon Mann testified on day two of the trial.

269 The British mercenary said businessman Eli Calil at a 2003 meeting said that Equatorial Guinea was a country he "would like to be king for a day" and that he was later introduced to exiled Equatoguinean politician Severo Moto who was to be the new president after the coup. "I was told by Calil that the Spanish government had promised Moto that in the event of a coup they would immediately, the following morning, give international recognition to Moto and send their Civil Guard to Equatorial Guinea to assist him." Simon Mann said a March 14, 2004 deadline (the date of the Spanish general election) was set for the coup. The defendant and 68 mercenaries were arrested on March 7, 2004 at Harare International Airport with a plane load of guns and ammo en route to Equatorial Guinea. Simon Mann served four years in a Zimbabwean prison. The Briton admitted he was part of the plot for financial gains and expected "a great deal of help from local people" but denied he intended to assassinate current President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. "I understand the President's guard is 300-strong and then there's the army. How could I expect to overpower them with just 80 men? I was there simply to protect Moto while he formed his new government." Serving Secretary General of the Presidency of the Government of Equatorial Guinea Fortunato Ofa Mbo Nchama, who the prosecution said registered a company in Equatorial Guinea linked to the 2004 coup attempt, is also on trial. Simon Mann's testimony and cross examination by Attorney General Jose Olo Obono was translated by a court-assigned interpreter. The Briton's lawyer is Jose Pablo Nvo. Day three of the trial continues at the conference centre in Malabo. Security remains heightened around Equatorial Guinea with uniformed armed members of the security forces on patrol.

49. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Côte d'Ivoire: Country Eligible for UN Peacebuilding Fund - Secretary-General: UN News Service (New York):19 June 2008.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced that Côte d'Ivoire is eligible to receive help from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, set up two years ago to help countries emerging from conflict consolidate their gains and avoid slipping back into war. Mr. Ban's decision follows a request for funding from the Secretary-General's Special Representative to the West African country, Y. J. Choi, that is also backed by the Ivorian Government. "The country is now in a pivotal post-conflict phase," with elections scheduled for November, and funding is therefore critical for ensuring that Côte d'Ivoire "continues on the path for peace," said Carolyn McAskie, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support. Mr. Choi welcomed the announcement, saying the Fund can fill crucial gaps, "such as for the reintegration of former combatants or the pursuit and facilitation of political dialogue." It is not the first time that the Fund has allocated spending to Côte d'Ivoire. It already funded an assistance package of $700,000 to support last year's successful efforts of neighbouring Burkina Faso to broker a settlement between Ivorian political forces. UN officials have warned that although the security and political climate has improved since the signing of the Ouagadougou Agreement last year by the Government and the rebel Forces Nouvelles, the country is still fragile. Violent crimes remain persistently high, and there has been a lack of progress in disarming both the Forces Nouvelles and militia groups in the west. Since its creation in 2006, as part of reforms that led to the establishment of the UN

270 Peacebuilding Commission, the Fund has exceeded its initial funding target of $250 million and has so far allocated $101 million for projects in Burundi, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and the Central African Republic (CAR) and for emergency projects and initiatives in Haiti and Africa.

• Nigeria: Delta Oil Communities Reject FG Summit: Vanguard (Lagos):18 June 2008.

Oil and gas producing communities from the Isoko, Itsekiri, Ndokwa, Urhobo and Ijaw ethnic groups in Delta State, yesterday, rejected the planned summit on the Niger-Delta region, which is being packaged by the Federal Government, saying that it is irrelevant and not intended to ameliorate their sufferings. The communities spoke through their leaders in the Delta State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Leaders Forum, among them, Chief Gabriel Mabiaku, chairman ( Warri Kingdom ), Senator Spanner Okpozo (Isoko ethnic nationality), Hon (Justice) James Obi (Ndokwa), Chief Peter Kpogban (Urhobo) and Chief Emmanuel Ebimami (Ijaw). In a communique issued after a crucial meeting in Warri, the body made up of traditional rulers, leaders and elders of the oil and gas producing communities of Delta State frowned at the nomination of Dr Ibrahim Gambari as head of the summit. "It is most unacceptable to our people, as he is not familiar with the Niger-Delta terrain and its peculiar problem", they said. The body maintained that the proposal to appoint Gambari as chairman of the summit further confirms the intense marginalization of the people who are always denied of relevant appointments at the federal level, even when it is known that the area has qualified people, contending that national development is dependent on resources from the region. They called on the Federal Government to implement the various reports both in the past and present period on the development of the region in consultation with the Generals and Ogomudia panel, to reduce the anger of the people instead of empanelling a fresh summit. In the alternative, the body asked that a special panel on> Niger-Delta committee made up of five representatives each from the Niger-Delta States and nominees of the Federal government be constituted to prepare a marshal plan for the region within a three months time frame for immediate implementation to assuage the sufferings of the people.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Chissano to Brief UN On Juba Peace Talks: New Vision (Kampala):19 June 2008.

THE UN special envoy for areas affected by the Lord's Resistance Army insurgency (LRA), Joachim Chissano, is today expected to brief the UN Security Council in New York, on the status of the Uganda peace process. The Sudan Tribune website, quoting a statement published by UN sources, said the meeting was likely to focus on the increasingly bleak prospects for the peace process between the Government and the LRA, in light of Joseph Kony's refusal to sign the final peace agreement earlier this year. "There may be a review of possible options to revive the process," the statement predicted. The stalled talks are brokered by South Sudan vice-president Dr. Riek Machar. Earlier in the week, Machar said he remained committed to the talks and urged all players to give dialogue a chance. Kony demands that the warrants of arrest issued for him and his top commanders by the ICC be dropped before he signs the treaty. In a related development, the European Union (EU) on Monday welcomed efforts by

271 Chissano and Machar to find a lasting solution to the conflict. "The EU welcomes the facilitation efforts and encourages them to continue," noted a statement published after a meeting between the EU and the Great Lakes Region in Luxembourg. The EU also condemned the recent abductions by the LRA.

• Somalia: National Reconciliation Commission Calls Alshabab for Talks: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu):18 June 2008.

Somalia's national reconciliation board has called for talks with Alshabab Islamic group to sort out the violence raging in Somalia. The chairman of the committee Islamel Mo,alin Muse told Shabelle that Alshabab group is imperative for Somalia's squaring off process. "We ask for them to accede to coming to the talks table, because they are political group" Muse said in the interview" it would be most excellent them to agree to the offer" It's yet unknown whether Alshabab will accept the talk's with TFG's suggestion. He also had over Alshabab not to violate the truce accord that the government and Amara based Rliberation of Somalia opposition group jointly signed in Djibouti. He added that no solution can come with the point of gun except talks saying that the leaders of Alshabab ought to call their fighters for cessation of hostility. The remarks from the national reconciliation commission comes following Alshabab rebuffed the outcome of Djibouti talks. Al-Shabab, the UIC's youth wing whose fighters have been behind much of the violence against the Ethiopian and Somali government troops, has also distanced itself from the upshots of Djibouti talks. Of the Somali Islamist leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys has rejected a UN-brokered, three-month ceasefire deal signed by Somalia's government and an opposition bloc. He promised to continue fighting until all foreign troops left the country. The deal was signed by another top Islamist leader, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and Prime Minister Nur Adde. Aimed at ending years of conflict, it provides for Ethiopian troops leaving Somalia within 120 days. Mr Aweys, the founder of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) that ruled much of Somalia in 2006 before being ousted by Ethiopian forces backed by Somali government troops, is a member of the opposition alliance based in Eritrea. He is seen as the more hardline leader of the courts and has never supported the peace talks by the western countries. "We shall continue fighting until we liberate our country from the enemies of Allah," he told Shabelle radio. Alshabab fighters are still waging deadly attacks against against the Ethiopian and government troops.

• Uganda: Kony Emissary in Kampala for Talks: The Monitor (Kampala): 17 June 2008.

An emissary of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is in Kampala in an attempt to persuade President Yoweri Museveni to drop the planned military offensive against the rebels after the failed peace talks. And the Catholic bishops of Uganda yesterday issued a joint statement calling for calm and a stay of execution of the planned military operation against the LRA. Dr James Obita, the LRA peace delegation chairman arrived in the country, Sunday and was booked into Kampala Serena Hotel where Daily Monitor saw him yesterday afternoon in the company of European diplomats. Sources close to Dr Obita's visit said the LRA peace envoy is scheduled to meet his government counterpart, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda today before meeting President Yoweri Museveni. Dr Rugunda could not be reached for a comment but his deputy and state minister for

272 foreign affairs (International Relations), Henry Okello Oryem said he was not aware Dr Obita was in the country. "Wait to write any story until tomorrow," Dr Obita pleaded with Daily Monitor. "I am here to find a positive way forward to push the peace talks forward I am also here to urge the government to halt any military option they were looking at," he added. Uganda, Sudan and the DR Congo have agreed a joint military offensive against the rebels if their elusive leader, Joseph Kony fails to sign the final peace agreement. The South Sudan mediated talks had returned relative calm to northern Uganda. But hopes were crushed in April when Kony failed to appear on the DRC-Sudan border to sign a final peace deal. Responding to the planned offensive, the Catholic Bishops said. "We note with concern the failure by the LRA to sign the final agreement, which would have paved the way for implementation of decisions that would have brought about an end to the suffering of the people of Northern and North-Eastern Uganda and Southern Sudan.

• Sudan: UN Offers to Raise Abyei Peacekeepers: The Monitor (Kampala):16 June 2008.

The United Nations has promised to double peacekeepers in Sudan's contested oil-rich region of Abyei, according to southern Sudan officials. The Sudan Armed Forces burned the area to the ground during an attack on the Sudan People Liberation Army, last month, and the UN peacekeepers have come under fire for not doing enough to protect the people, accusations officials have denied. "They are now going to double the forces," Dr. Luka Biong, the minister for Presidential Affairs, part of a team that met members of the visiting UN Security Council, told journalists Saturday. "When we talked to them [they indicated] they are going to increase their presence in Abyei." The peacekeepers have been in the Sudan since 2005 under the United Nations Mission in the Sudan, at the invitation of the Sudan People Liberation Movement, the ruling Party in the south, and the National Congress Party, the ruling Party in the north - the two signatories to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Unmis has had troops in the area from Zambia, but their movement was curtailed by the north Sudan military until a roadmap agreement agreed upon by the two parties on June 8. "Unmis force in Abyei area shall have free movement and access to the north and south of Abyei area to carry out its mandate as specified in the CPA," according to the agreement. The agreement also requires the removal of the north Sudan military from the area. "I went to Abyei area and there was a big outcry against SAF," Dr Biong, a member of the committee that negotiated the roadmap, and who hails from Abyei, said. "They were looting, they were killing." Also to be redeployed from Abyei are southern Sudan forces under the Joint Integrated Units, according to the agreement. The Unit is supposed to be comprised of north and south Sudan forces, but the north had not contributed forces to the force. These forces will be replaced by fresh Joint Integrated Units from both the north and the south Sudan armies. The agreement reached this month also allows the two parties to put the Abyei Protocol before international arbitration. Dr Biong said they are exploring several countries to form part of the investigation and the arbitration. "We have the African union," Dr Biong said. "Kenya was a key mediator for the Abyei Protocol and I just discussed with the Ambassador yesterday. There are a few other countries and I need not to mention them." After the fresh forces are deployed in Abyei, then the displaced persons would be return home. "I think it's a very big plus," Information Minister Dr. Changson chang said. "We have to bank on the positive aspects of the agreement."

273 CENTRAL AFRICA • Burundi: Cantonment of Rebel FNL Fighters Set to Begin: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 17 June 2008.

Burundi's last active rebel leader, Agathon Rwasa, has declared the end of the armed struggle against the government at a ceremony to mark the formal start of the cantonment of his fighters in Rugazi Commune, Bubanza Province, western Burundi.

"Through this pre-cantonment process we want to show the Burundian and international community that we are committed to reaching a lasting peace," Rwasa said as 150 combatants from his Palipehutu-Forces nationales de libération (FNL) assembled at Rugazi. Others were to assemble at Rukoko in Gihanga Commune. The launch of the cantonment process was a step that showed the FNL was "committed to moving forward in implementing the ceasefire accord", he said on 16 June. It was also "a gesture that will, among other things, allow an improvement of security, and people to [perform] their ordinary activities without problems". The two locations have been designated by the government as cantonment sites for FNL combatants. However the FNL has said more sites are needed, commensurate with the number combatants, which they say is 15,000. Other sources say they number 3,000. Without revealing the number of his combatants, Rwasa, who on 30 May returned home from years of exile in Tanzania, said: "What matters is that the war is over." The number of his fighters that would be reintegrated into other forces, such as Burundi's army and police, would be discussed with the government, he said. The launch of the cantonment process was witnessed by members of the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JVMM) and the Political Directorate, as well as the ambassadors of Tanzania, France, and the African Union, and representatives of the World Food Programme in Burundi, the European Union, and the Burundian government. Rwasa, who was dressed in military uniform, was welcomed by cheering, dancing FNL combatants. Calling on the government to "withdraw its troops from villages" and confine them to barracks, Rwasa said a show of political will was necessary. What matters is that the war is over. "The cease-fire agreement links both sides," he said, adding that the FNL had, by assembling its combatants signalled it wanted to join the government. The leader of the government team in the JVMM, Maj Lazare Nduwayo, hailed the FNL for agreeing to prepare for cantonment. "Joining Assembly zones is very important to us," he said. "The government, too, wants peace."

Background: The cantonment of FNL combatants is starting after weeks of talks at the JVMM over implementation of the September 2006 ceasefire accord signed with the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza. A former guerrilla leader, Nkurunziza was elected president in 2005 under an agreement brokered by the African Union and the UN. The FNL refused to be part of that pact, but later signed a separate accord. That deal soon stalled, however, and clashes resumed. In May, it again attacked the suburbs of Bujumbura, leaving 33 people dead and at least 20,000 displaced. Under intense international pressure, however, the group eventually signed a ceasefire agreement on 25 May with the government, paving the way for Rwasa's return to Bujumbura.

• Rwanda: Leave Bad Past Behind, Kagame Tells Leaders: The New Times (Kigali):17 June 2008.

274 President Paul Kagame has called upon leaders not to be held hostage by the political thinking of the past if national unity and sustainable development is to be achieved. He said this Sunday evening while addressing members of Unity Club, a forum that brings together former and incumbent senior government leaders and their spouses, with an aim of promoting national unity for sustainable development. "Some of you have been held hostage by the ideological thinking of your forefathers, a fact that has led you to lag behind you have to make a choice on which direction this country should take," the President told leaders who had gathered at Prime Holdings, Kimihurura. The meeting, which brought together cabinet ministers and their spouses, and past members of the cabinet, was held under the theme: 'The Role of Leaders in the Promotion of Nationalism.'

"I would say someone would be ideologically bankrupt to have that kind of thinking I don't mean that we should forget the history, but we should only draw lessons from it to chart the way forward for this country," he said. He said that this kind of thinking is planted in some senior government officials who place interest in what characterised their ancestors at the expense of the future. "That is why some reshuffles have been taking place; some of you here have been given numerous chances to make a choice, but you have been adamant and as a result people have been dropped from the cabinet," the President said. He called upon the leaders not to cling to trivial issues instead of pondering and developing ideas that could rid the country of the ethnic division that has been instrumental in hampering development. "The problem with some of us is trying to make national unity an intellectual issue where we talk about it and leave it like that it is like we don't want it solved so that we run out of jobs that feed our families," Kagame added. He said that this is common in non-governmental organisations which always try to ensure that the problems for which they were put up are not solved, otherwise they would run out of employment. "However intelligent one can be, you cannot unleash your full strength if you have such ideologies," said Kagame, who is also the patron of the club. The meeting, which ended late in the night, resolved that leaders should avoid sensationalism while executing their duties by fronting the interests of all Rwandans. "We have resolved, amongst ourselves to find the solutions to the problems faced by our nation, drawing lessons from the bad history to which our country succumbed and making the right choice," read the recommendations from the meeting.

50. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

WEST AFRICA • West Africa: Stakeholders Brainstorm On Educational Challenges in Ouagadougou: Leadership (Abuja):20 June 2008.

The decline in educational attainment in the West Africa sub-region due to crises has drawn the attention of experts for considerations. A stakeholders' conference on the educational challenge facing the sub-region was held recently in Ouagadougou, the Burkina Faso capital. The conference recommended an inclusive multi-partnership approach as a preferred option for resolving the crisis in the sector whose role is very critical to the development of the continent. Addressing participants at the opening day of the conference, the president of ECOWAS Commission, Dr Mohammed Ibn

275 Chambas, said that the question of youths, who constitute 60 per cent of the population of Africa, but lack adequate educational and employment opportunities, posed a major challenge to development and security on the continent and other parts of developing world. 'This explains why the youths have fallen prey to warlords, extremist groups and criminal networks that have over the years undermined efforts to promote good governance, economic development, peace and security,' he said.

Dr Chambas said the centrality of education to the development of the region partly informed the adoption of the ECOWAS Regional Protocol on Education and Training in 2003. He said that ECOWAS is also implementing priority programmes on Technical and Vocational Education and Training, and has also set up centres dedicated to youths and gender challenges in Ouagadougou and Dakar, respectively. "Education is a key part of strategies to improve individuals' well-being and societies' economic and social development; above all, education must be capable of nurturing autonomous individuals that can contribute to the positive transformation of our communities," the ECOWAS Commission President added. The participants comprising actors from a wide range of relevant segments including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), teachers unions, employers, universities, youth organisations and representatives of ministries and international organisations, said governments, parents, the private sector, civil society organisations and pupils have crucial roles to play in resolving the challenges of the sector dilapidated infrastructure, dearth of teachers and other constraints. According to the stakeholders, these could only be improved through increased budgetary allocation by governments, the involvement of the private sector, civil society organisations and other stakeholders. The participants also urged that education be made more holistic through the adjustment of the curriculum to allow pupils to benefit from formal and non- formal education that will better equip them to cope with the challenge of the larger society. The modification should also allow the pupils to be taught in their mother– tongues, preferably at the formative stage while entrepreneurship and vocational training should be emphasised to prepare graduates for self-employment.

• Nigeria: Militants Attack Shell's Bonga Field: This Day (Lagos):20 June 2008.

Nigeria's biggest offshore facility, Royal Dutch Shell's Bonga field, was shut down yesterday following an attack on the oil field by militants. Offshore facilities are hitherto thought to be safe from militant attacks. Located 120 kilometres (75 miles) offshore, Bonga oil field has a daily production capacity of 200,000 barrels of oil and 150 million standard cubic feet of gas. The militants, numbering about 20, who were said to have operated in three speedboats, also kidnapped a United States citizen, Captain Jack Stone, a staff of Tidex, an offshore company. Stone was, however, released at about 5 pm yesterday unconditionally. The latest attack, which took place in the early hours, resulted in the shut in of about 200,000 barrels per day (bpd), which is about 10 per cent of Nigeria's current daily production of about 2 million bpd. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has claimed responsibility for the attack and threatened more attacks. The group warned all the oil majors operating in the country to evacuate their expatriate staff from the oil fields, until the issues in the region are addressed. A spokesman of Shell Development Company of Nigeria, Mr. Precious Okolobo, confirmed that production from the Bonga field had stopped following the incident. Okolobo who said Shell was carrying out a detailed inspection of the Bonga Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) and other key installations in order

276 to have a clearer picture of what really happened, said he could not say when production would resume. He said: "Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company's (SNEPCo's) Bonga field was attacked this morning (yesterday morning) by unknown gunmen. We can account for all personnel in Bonga field, and have no report about people being taken hostage from our operations. Three people who were rough handled have been treated for light injuries. "Production from Bonga field has stopped. We are carrying out detailed inspection of the Bonga FPSO and other key installations to ascertain what really happened. It is too early to say when production will resume. SNEPCo is doing everything possible to ensure the safety of personnel on board, and our thoughts are with staff and contractors on what must have been a traumatic experience." However, MEND said: "The location of yesterday's attack was deliberately chosen to remove any notion that offshore oil exploration is far from our reach." According to a statement sent online to THISDAY from the official site of MEND, spokesman of the group, Gbomo Jomo, boasted that the next attack would "cripple the facility on a final note," adding that MEND would carry out attack on any oil facility no matter where it is located. He said the group had aimed at blowing the control room of the facility but later decided not to detonate its explosives because it did not want loss of human lives. The dreaded militia group warned that all expatriate staff working on the facility and within Niger Delta should be evacuated to avoid casualties, saying it had decided to prove to "the Federal Government that it was not happy with the present situation in the region." Jomo said though the group seized the American in the early hours of yesterday, it would release him soon so that those who had been frisking the Federal Government in the guise of releasing hostages would not make easy money with it. The Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG) described the attack on Bonga Oil Platform as the handiwork of Ijaw god of war (Egbesu). In a statement made available to THISDAY, IMG National Co-ordinator, Comrade Joseph Evah, said the attack had been long overdue, given what he described as "the senseless neglect and development of the people of the Niger Delta. Nigeria's production capacity prior to 2006 stood at about 2.7 million bpd but has been reduced by a quarter owing to series of attacks on oil facilities in the oil-rich region by armed militants. Shell's Nigerian operations have suffered a lot of setbacks owing to series of attacks on its facilities by Niger Delta militants. Only last week, the Managing Director of SPDC, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu, said the company currently had as much as 400,000 barrels of crude oil shut in as a result of militant attacks on its facilities. "Militants attacks as recent as last month and as old as February 2006 have halted about half the venture's production", the Bloomberg report said. The Royal Dutch company had also stated that it would not be able to honour June and July contracts from its Bonny terminal after a militant group following the attack on its key crude supply pipelines in April. Shell had already declared a force majeure for April and May deliveries following the attack, which was also carried out by MEND. Production started at Bonga field in November 2005 and by May 2007, about 100 million barrels of oil had already been exported from the field. The facility had been considered out of the reach of the armed militants due to its location offshore. The field's facilities include one of the world's largest FPSO vessels and deepwater sub sea infrastructure. Shell has a 55 per cent interest in the field, US giant Exxon Mobil 20 percent, while Agip and France's Total has 12.5 per cent each. Meanwhile, the activities of militants in the Niger Delta cost the nation about $84 million in lost oil revenue daily. Minister of State for Finance Remi Babalola who disclosed this to State House Correspondents yesterday said that with a forced production cut as a result of militant activities in the Niger Delta, the country's production capacity dropped to 1.8 million from 2.4 million. He said the consequence of this was that the country's expected revenue reduced from $336 million daily to the present earning of $252 million at the rate of $140 per barrel. He, however, assured of

277 Federal Government's commitment to judiciously utilise whatever is garnered as revenue. And following the shut in the Bonga Oil field Facility by Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Limited and the spate of attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta, the House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of State for Petroleum Odein Ajumogobia, the Minister of Defence and National Security Adviser General Sarki Murkthar (rtd) to appear before its Petroleum Resources Committee (Upstream). The House also invited the Chief of Defence Staff, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC as well as the Managing Directors of Shell, Chevron, Total Exxon Mobil, Addax, Agip to appear before the committee on Monday, June 23 by 10 am. Chairman of the committee, Hon. Tam Brisibe, said the invitation had become necessary against the background that "this facility produces 200,000 bpd - approximately 10 percent of our National daily production."

• Côte d'Ivoire: Ex-Rebel Uprising Threatens Disarmament Process: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:19 June 2008.

Former rebels taking part in a demobilisation process in northern Cote d'Ivoire went on the rampage on 18 June in the former rebel stronghold Bouake, demanding that cash and benefits promised to them be expedited. "We did not have the intention to jeopardise the whole process. We still have every intention of integrating into normal civilian life. But we need the money the authorities promised us," one of the rioting rebels, Dramane Soro, told IRIN. Each ex-rebel is supposed to receive US$210 per month for three months. The rioting rebels in Bouake said they had not received their money for two months and on 18 June they broke out of a cantonment area, burned tires and stopped traffic in Bouake. Some were heard shooting in the air. According to the pro-government daily newspaper Fraternite-Matin, two ex-rebels were killed by civilians in Bouake in the fight. Ex-rebel leaders have said there were no deaths but several casualties. On 19 June Bouake had returned to calm and the prime minister's office announced that US$480,000 had been sent to Bouake to cover the ex-rebels initial payments. So far 1,050 rebels have disarmed and demobilised in Bouake, according to the government. In total 2,568 of an estimated 36,000 fighters are engaged in disarmament, demobilisation and rehabilitation (DDR) activities. Around 10,000 are to join the national army and the rest will receive vocational training to integrate them into civilian life. The UN mission in Cote d'Ivoite (ONUCI) says donors have provided just 65 percent of the US$420 million required to complete the combined DDR process and presidential elections that it is hoped will end Cote d'Ivoire's political crisis.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Bring Back Deported Youths, Say Clerics: The Nation (Nairobi):16 June 2008.

Muslim clerics and an MP on Sunday urged the Government to bring back 17 youths who were deported to Ethiopia last year on suspicion they were involved in terrorist activities. Nominated MP Sheikh Mohammed Dor and the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) organising secretary Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa appealed to President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to intervene over the matter. Speaking to journalists at Mbaruk mosque in Mombasa, the clerics recalled that during last year's Idd-ul-Fitr celebrations, which were held at the local town hall, the President pledged to

278 address the problem. Sheikh Dor, who is also the CIPK secretary-general, said the youths, who were deported in March last year, were being tortured In Ethiopian cells. "The Muslim youths have suffered so much under the hands of Ethiopian security agents. "Since last year they have been subjected to frequent torture without being taken to court," he said. Mr Dor claimed the Ethiopian government was willing to release the youths but the Kenyan government had not asked for their repatriation. The MP said during the Idd celebrations President Kibaki formed a committee to sort out the problems of the local youth, but nothing had been done so far. Sheikh Khalifa appealed to Amnesty International to investigate the plight of the youths who, he said, were also being denied food and were living in inhuman conditions.

• Uganda: Terrorism Tops OIC Ministers' Meeting: The Monitor (Kampala):20 June 2008.

Terrorism and the conflict in Darfur continued to be the major items on the agenda in the Organisation of Islamic Conference Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Kampala. The Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) which brings together all foreign ministers in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) member countries agreed that it was important to end terrorism. Sierra Leone's Minister Zainab Hawa Bangura said terrorism was still much alive and determined to stay unless urgent actions were taken to eliminate it. She welcomed the OIC recommendations that include criminalisation by individual countries of all terrorist actions and bringing into force the OIC convention on terrorism. The Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Andrey Denisov was also quick to blame continued association of Islam to terrorism in Europe and the imposition of foreign democratic values on other countries. Mr Denisov said: "We are allies in combating terrorism, as well as all manifestations of political and religious extremism." Mr Denisov said OIC will work together with the UN through strengthening of collective and legal bases in international relations. The Iranian Minister, Mr Manouchehr Mattaki, said Afghanistan needed foreign support to fight terrorism. "The return of terrorism and extremism to Afghanistan can leave serious devastating effects to the peace and stability of the whole region," Mr Mattaki said.

• Uganda: Museveni Questions U.S. Definition of Terrorism: The Monitor (Kampala):19 June 2008.

President Museveni yesterday stirred the audience at an Islamic conference when he questioned America and other western countries' understanding of terrorism. Speaking during the opening of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) from the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) member countries, Mr Museveni said there seems to be a mix up in the definitions of terrorism. "Americans and Israelis are mixing liberation with just causes and the methods they use to achieve this liberation. That indiscriminate use of violence on everyone including noncombatants is what is terrorism," said the President to applause from his audience. The OIC drew foreign ministers from Kuwait,

279 Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Senegal, Togo and Saudi Arabia among others. He said most times Americans and Israelites carry out attacks but expect no one to attack them and when they are attacked they call it terrorism. "If you attack a military convoy or base, that's not terrorism! The question is who are you attacking and as long as your target is combatants there is no problem because in war all sides launch attacks," Mr Museveni said. He noted that all progressive black presidents in Africa including himself were ready to support the Palestinians in their cause against continued Israeli aggression. The President added that he supports a peaceful resolution to the Darfur conflict in Sudan just like he brought the Late John Garang and President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan to the talking table. Meanwhile the OIC foreign ministers have elected Uganda's Sam Kutesa as the new Chairman of the Council of Foreign Ministers.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Central Africa: Central African Countries Becoming Impatient With Rebels - UN Envoy: UN News Service (New York):20 June 2008.

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is continuing to commit atrocities in Central Africa, and the countries of the region are growing impatient with the rebel group's actions and its failure to sign a peace deal ending its long-running conflict with Uganda, a senior United Nations envoy told the Security Council today. Joaquim Chissano, the Secretary- General's Special Envoy for the LRA-Affected Areas, briefed the Council on the latest developments in efforts to end the conflict that has ravaged northern Uganda since the mid-1980s. A series of accords struck by the rebels and the Government earlier this year raised hopes that they could reach a permanent, wide-ranging agreement ending the conflict, but in April LRA leader Joseph Kony failed to sign a deal mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan that his representatives had earlier initialled. Mr. Chissano said today that Mr. Kony had twice failed to attend signing ceremonies, and countries such as Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Central African Republic (CAR) were growing weary. The Congolese Government is considering measures to force LRA fighters to leave its territory, particularly amid reports that the rebels are still committing some atrocities against civilians in the DRC, the CAR and Sudan. But all countries in the region remain willing to continue the peace process, he stressed, noting that they still want the UN to do all it can to bring Mr. Kony to the peace table so that the agreement can be signed and then implemented.Mr. Chissano said there were no plans to re-negotiate the contents of the various accords reached this year, but some elements may have to be clarified for the sake of the LRA leadership.

51. NORTH AFRICA • Morocco: Al-Jazeera Rabat Bureau Chief Charged With Publishing False Information, His Press Accreditation Cancelled: Reporters sans Frontières (Paris):17 June 2008.

A charge of publishing false information, that was brought against Al-Jazeera Rabat bureau chief on 13 June 2008, quickly followed by the immediate withdrawal of his press accreditation without waiting for him to be tried, were condemned by Reporters Without Borders as "excessive." Rachidi is to be prosecuted for quoting a

280 human rights group's claim that protesters were killed in clashes with the police, although the Qatar-based satellite TV station subsequently issued a correction. "It makes no sense to press charges against Rachidi after the news media he represents recognised its mistake by publishing the government's denial of the apparently false information," Reporters Without Borders said. "Worse still was the communication ministry's decision to withdraw the accreditation he needs to work, punishing him as if he was guilty before he has been tried." The press freedom organisation added: "these actions constitute persecution and highlight the government's hostility towards Al- Jazeera and its staff in Morocco. Why is this? We hope to find out if Rachidi's trial goes ahead. Meanwhile, we call for the immediate restitution of his accreditation." Rachidi and Ibrahim Sebaa El Layl, a representative of the Moroccan Committee for Human Rights (CMDH), were notified on 13 June that they have been charged with "publishing false information and complicity" under article 42 of the press law for reporting that several people were killed in clashes between jobless protesters and police on 9 June in the southern city of Sidi Ifni. The claim was made in a CMDH press release that was quoted by Al-Jazeera. The authorities disputed the CMDH claim, insisting instead that the clashes had resulted in 48 injured (including 28 policemen) and 188 arrests. Although Al- Jazeera reported the official figures in a strip across the bottom of the screen, the communication ministry accused Rachidi of "persisting in giving credence to this false allegation." Rachidi told Reporters Without Borders that the ministry withdrew his accreditation just half an hour after he had been notified of the charges. His trial has been set for 1 July. Relations between Al-Jazeera and the Moroccan government have deteriorated. In May, the station was forced to stop broadcasting a daily news programme covering the Maghreb from its studios in Rabat.

• Egypt: Poverty And Ignorance Behind Extremist Attacks, Bishop Says: Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi):17 June 2008.

The Coptic Catholic Bishop Antonios Aziz Mina of Guizeh has called on Christians to continue to show love in the face of recent attacks by extremist groups. Bishop Mina told the Germany-based international Catholic pastoral charity, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), that it was important for Christians to continue to give an authentic witness of love. Two factors are responsible for violence and extremism, namely poverty and ignorance, the bishop said, and called for both to be tackled more vigorously. The Catholic Church in Egypt is striving to create a new awareness among people. With its schools, hospitals and other educational programmes it is reaching out not only to Catholics but to all Egyptians, Bishop Mina told ACN. Through these activities, the Church bears witness to love "without directly speaking about Christ and without having to hold a Bible in one's hand." "People know that I am a Christian and I am doing all this in the name of Christ." In this way a great deal could be done to contribute to peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims, he said. Between 8,000 and 9,000 Catholics live in the Diocese of Guizeh, which has nine parishes served by nine priests, three of whom are ill and two work in the seminary. Hence, not surprisingly, the bishop's most urgent need is for new priests. Over 90 percent of the 80 million Egyptians are Muslim, while around 6 percent are Christian, most of them Coptic Orthodox. About 300,000 are Catholic.

281 • Rwanda: Electrogaz Partners With Tunis Company to Supply Cheap Electricity: The New Times (Kigali):19 June 2008.

Africa's leading electricity supply company Société Tunisienne de l'Electricité du Gaz based in Tunis, Tunisia, has signed a contract with Rwanda's Electricity and Water Utility Authority (Electrogaz) to supply cheap electricity to Rwanda. Speaking after the signing of an agreement with the Tunis Company, the Managing Director of Electrogaz, John Mirenge, said that Electrogaz based on a number of criteria to enter into an agreement with the Tunisian company. "First, this company is the leading electricity supplier on the continent with quality products that are competing on the international market; their electricity networking system of a MALT-single cable is also very unique, standard and cheap," said Mirenge. According to Mirenge, Société Tunisienne de l'Electricité du Gaz signed a 14-month agreement with Electrogaz to connect Mimuli and Rukomo sectors of Nyagatare district in the western province. "The total cost will be 34 percent less than it would cost us if we were to do it in our usual way," Mirenge said. He added that Rwanda has assurance that the Tunisian company will implement the project effectively. The General Manager of Société Tunisienne de l'Electricité du Gaz, Othman Ben Arfa, said that the project would allow 4000 people to be connected. He also said that the system of MALT-single cable that his company would use in Rwanda is faster than what Rwanda is using now and more reliable. "The MALT-single cable system is easier to instal, especially when someone is doing rural electrification, and it is the same system that has made us the leading electricity supplying company on the continent," said Ben Arfa. Asked about the potentiality of his company, Ben Arfa said that his company has implemented the same system and supplied generators and cable to Europe to be used in the same electrifying system. The signing was also attended by the board chairman of Electrogaz, Prof. Chrysologue Karangwa. "I have no doubt we are going to learn a lot from our Tunisian counterparts and they will definitely provide us with genuine skill," he said.Karangwa also said that the partnership will also focus on providing skills through training Electrogaz staff. "This is a new example of technological transfer, and Rwanda is fortunate to be the first African country to benefit from it and it is one of the best opportunities for the entire staff of Electrogaz," Karangwa said.

52. NEWS COMMENTARIES

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: We Haven't Given Up On the New SA: Cape Argus (Cape Town): OPINION: 20 June 2008. Ebrahim Rasool

For two weeks last month we witnessed a criminal orgy of violence against immigrants throughout the country. Gangs of panga-wielding youths led the charge against their African brothers and sisters, resulting in 62 deaths and forcing tens of thousands from their homes. This naked display of hatred of fellow human beings shocked the nation out of its complacency, while commentators around the world remarked that the "miracle" nation was falling apart.

282 There is no shortage of explanations for this implosion. These range from poor service delivery to growing inequality, unbearable living conditions, the history and culture of apartheid violence, and so on. Over time, the reasons will become clearer and necessary steps will be taken so that this never happens again. At the height of last month's violence, many South Africans justifiably asked: What has become of the new South Africa?

What of the values of tolerance, respect for human rights and dignity that lie at the core of our constitution? What of the declaration made boldly in the that "South Africa belongs to all who live in it"? I believe the answers to these questions are to be found in the way tens of thousands of South Africans have reacted to the crisis. In the Western Cape, citizens opened their hearts, wallets and homes to offer all kinds of relief to the victims of these vicious attacks. From the Soetwater camp on False Bay to the Zolani centre in KTC, ordinary South Africans came out in great numbers to provide security, offer relief and say to their brothers and sisters that they need to come back home. These were more than acts of human solidarity: they reaffirmed that South Africans have learnt from their brutal past and that the core values of our constitution are entrenched in the national consciousness. Consider what happened in Khayelitsha, one of the affected Cape Flats townships and home to about 750 000. Following violent eruptions in Du Noon on May 22, looting quickly spread to Khayelitsha, but was contained within a day without loss of life, nor were there battles between the police and residents. According to Reverend Templeton Mbekwa, chairman of the local crisis committee, the success of the containment was less a result of police intervention than communities taking charge of the situation. Mbekwa says that when the crisis hit Khayelitsha on May 23, the clergy, the community policing forum, political parties, the Khayelitsha Development Forum and all community formations came to-gether to stop the looting. A crisis committee was immediately set up, with four broad tasks: security stabilisation, humanitarian relief, conflict resolution and reintegration. This was a community initiative that was able to isolate the tsotsi element, in any case a distinct minority. In addition to residents recovering stolen goods, the committee set up a conflict-resolution process, including meetings with business leaders and a community radio phone-in programme, in which residents raised whatever issues they had with immigrants. Mbekwa says his committee concluded after this that at the core of this tension was competition for limited resources: housing, business and government services. A mediation effort is under way, and the Khayelitsha community welcomed its non-South African residents back into the community last week. Masiphumelele, a shantytown next to Fish Hoek, is also a truly South African story.

After the looting was contained there, residents held meetings to deal with the crisis. They recovered stolen goods from the looters' houses and stored them at places of safety until their owners could return and claim them. Then they drafted a declaration committing all members of the community to live in peace with their immigrant sisters and brothers. They went a step further. Barely three days after the looting, they braved a tense environment in Soetwater camp to ask forgiveness. Words cannot capture the generosity of spirit displayed through this humble act by the most ordinary South Africans living in Masiphumelele. All South Africans should be proud of their actions. And there's more to the story. From Langa to Capricorn, communities took measures to prevent violence. In Capricorn, for example, community organisations worked with the police, gathering intelligence to prevent assaults there. Individuals trying to prepare the ground for violence were warned not to cause trouble. There was increased policing and looting was averted. Now hundreds of mediators are travelling the province, preparing

283 communities for integration. The mediation deals with issues creating tensions in communities and establishes permanent structures so that any potential conflicts can be resolved peacefully.

The provincial government has allocated up to 2 000 Expanded Public Works Programme jobs as part of this process, which we hope will take up to two months. At times like these, attention obviously focuses on the violence and its immediate outcomes. But the actions that have taken place in communities throughout the Peninsula also highlight a generation of people who believe a democratic South Africa is a project worth defending. These are not just individuals but leaders of communities. It is people like them, and millions of other South Africans they lead, who make us believe there is hope for the future. These leaders didn't encourage looting, they stopped it. They could have appealed to the populist resentment against their brothers and sisters not born in this land and blamed them for the really desperate state of affairs in some of these communities. Instead they spread the message that "South Africa belongs to all who live in it", with all the contradictions that come with that statement. The events of recent weeks have certainly taught us a few things. One is that there are everyday leaders who can rise to the challenge. Two, that many of us haven't given up on this country just yet. Three, that in times of crisis, the easiest thing to do is to find someone to blame. Four is that the dream of a non-racial democratic South Africa is firmly entrenched in the national consciousness.

I hope this consciousness will continue to produce citizens capable of rising to the challenge and who reject the siren song of populism, which can ultimately lead to xenophobia and tribalism and their terrible consequences.

Ebrahim Rasool is premier of the Western Cape province of South Africa, which includes Cape Town.

• Africa: Ties With China a Major Driver of Growth in Continent: Business Day (Johannesburg): OPINION: 18 June 2008.

TEN years of official diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and SA have been marked by a series of commemorative events in both countries.

From a period of no official ties between the South African or Chinese governments, the relationship has subsequently grown to become one of the closest to be found between African and Asian states. Underpinning warm ties between both countries is growing economic engagement, which has put SA among China's top trading partners on the continent. With the recognition of China in 1998, SA entered a new era characterised by a re-orientation of its diplomacy, and increasingly its economy, away from a sole focus on Europe and North America. SA's positions on the reform of international institutions and its stance on matters such as Darfur and Burma in the United Nations Security Council mirror those of China, another indication of a shared outlook on the global system. These close diplomatic ties have been matched by growing economic engagement. With two-way trade rising from R5,2bn in 1998 to R72,9bn in October last year, economic co-operation is being realised at ever-increasing rates. Moreover, the once low levels of Chinese investment into SA are finally catching up with the high-

284 profile South African investment in China. In particular, Chinese foreign direct investment reached new heights with the announcement in November last year that the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China would be purchasing a 20% stake in Standard Bank worth R36,7bn. And, with Chinese demand for foodstuffs growing exponentially, the potential for further development of commercial links between SA and China exists. At the same time, the deepening of economic ties with China has raised important questions about the uneven effect of trade in certain sectors of the South African economy -- with domestically produced textiles experiencing sharp reductions, while exports of South African agricultural products are soaring -- and has created challenges for China and SA alike.

The emphasis of Sino-South African trade has been on the Chinese securing minerals, agricultural goods and related commodities, while SA has absorbed imports of low-end consumer goods. This is, however, changing and we are beginning to see higher value- added products from China, such as motor vehicles and white goods, entering the domestic market.

It is a measure of the sensitivity of trade relations that the Chinese government agreed to impose unilateral restrictions on its own textile and clothing exports to give SA's manufacturers time to retool their operations in anticipation of a reopening of trade in this sector. While strong bilateral engagement between SA and China is at the heart of the relationship, the opportunities for greater co-operation in Africa itself are manifold. On this, the rolling out of Chinese-backed infrastructure across the continent -- too often characterised in the domestic press as an outright loss for South African interests and companies -- should be recognised for what it is: an unprecedented step aimed at addressing a key obstacle to African development. Indeed, given World Bank estimates that Africa has an infrastructure backlog measured at more than $32bn, the Chinese role is one of contributing to addressing this issue and leaves plenty of opportunity for others, especially South Africans, to play a significant role. Evidence from Ethiopia to Angola, where Chinese firms have built transport and communication infrastructure, already links these initiatives to increased economic growth in those countries. At the same time, Chinese competitiveness is a phenomenon that is raising concerns, not only in certain circles in SA but increasingly across the continent as well.

While talk of a "deindustrialisation" of Africa is certainly exaggerated, there are nonetheless very real fears that in some areas, Africa's hard-fought gains in manufacturing will fall victim to the economic juggernaut that is contemporary China. The Chinese are well aware of this problem, as the textile case in SA suggests, and have begun to introduce steps such as zero tariff rating on selected goods from Africa's poorest countries.Other aspects of China's engagement are raising eyebrows in African capitals as well. In particular, the role of Chinese weapons sales in established arenas of conflict is increasingly viewed as problematic.

285 Relations between SA and China are fast becoming the linchpin of a new, invigorated form of south-south co-operation. This diplomatic collaboration, coupled to its strong economic foundation, is proving to be one of the drivers of growth in Africa. Managing these factors against a backdrop of mutual co-operation and shared hopes for African development is the key challenge for this maturing relationship.

Dr Alden is the director of the China in Africa Project at the South African Institute of International Affairs and author of the book, China in Africa.

• Africa: China in Africa - Mercantilist Predator, Development Partner Or Both? : New Era (Windhoek): 20 June 2008:Catherine Sasman :

China's engagement in Africa should be seen beyond the three dimensions of access to raw materials, trade and New Era reports.

China's involvement and presence in Africa is growing ever deeper, while Chinese businesses have been on an 'acquisition spree' for resources across the continent since 1996.

This, among other things, suggest analysts, has changed the African perception of China, where it was first considered as an alternative to Western neo-colonialism to that of a new colonial force. But, suggested the same analysts, the relationship should not only be viewed though the prism of China's staggering growth and rush for raw materials and markets to keep this momentum going. It has a much longer historic run-off, which, to an extent, explains the current relationship, within the framework of a globalised world. But the Chinese presence is undeniably felt in local African communities and states. In Namibia, it is evident in the growing disaffection expressed by local businesspeople in the north, continuous complaints from the local - or not so local, from South African major companies - construction sector that they are being sidelined, and disaffection from Namibian labourers in their dealings with local Chinese retail traders. Dr Henning Melber proposed that the local beneficiaries - or African beneficiaries - of China's intervention in Africa, will remain to be a small elite, and that this intervention, if not managed properly, will not contribute significantly to poverty alleviation as is hoped. "[The] Chinese penetration only gives another face to capitalism," declared Melber.

Melber said with the (not so new) arrivals of China, India, Brazil and Russia in Africa to further their industrial growth with export orientation and growing demands for imports, competition for entering favourable relations with Africa is to increase. "This, in itself, is not negative to the interests of the African people. But it requires that the tiny elites benefiting from the currently existing unequal structures put their own interests in trans- nationally linked self-enrichment schemes behind the public interest to create investment and exchange patterns, which in the first place benefits for the majority of the people. Admittedly, the chances for this might not be the best," said Melber.

"The Chinese track record emerging is not an indicator for a new trajectory, which would benefit the majority of the African people. More so, the Chinese foreign policy gospel of non-interference is an attractive tune for the autocratic leaders and oligarchies still in power."

286 Gregor Dobler from the University of Sweden suggested that China's growing influence and increased public presence in Africa would change the conditions under which Africans live. He further suggests that China's new-found importance on the continent, is a new factor that has developed largely outside of Africa's control, "but very visibly, and identifiably, for a large number of people living on the continent". In a study on Chinese retail shops in Oshikango that borders Angola, and reviewed over a number of years, in March, Dobler found that Chinese presence has grown to about 100 shops in the northern town. Oshikango, he said, has as a result of trade with Angola, grown from having only a tiny cluster of shebeens around an open market, into a thriving boomtown with around 5000 to 8000 inhabitants over a period of 10 years. In 2004 he observed 24 Chinese shops, which had grown to 70 in 2006, with a further 30 other shops that have sprouted up by February this year. This astonishing increase, he said, was mainly due to the investment of a few Chinese businesspeople who built large warehouse complexes that they rented out to shop owners. Profit rates of these businesses, he found, were as high as 50 percent for new arrivals in the 1990s, but has decreased considerably to about 10 percent as a result of competition between Chinese traders, which he describes as "fierce".

The profitability of the Chinese shops, said Dobler, is enhanced by "creative, if illegal, ways of dealing with official regulations". This, he said, starts with under-invoicing at the factories or wholesalers in China, only showing between 30 percent and 50 percent of the actual price of goods, or much less. To the local economy, this means that import duties and value added tax would be less. Further, said Dobler, almost all transactions in Oshikango are done in cash and US dollars, leaving Chinese traders with large amounts of cash, of which they can dispose without State interference in Namibia or in China. Another growing bone of contention in Namibia, said Dobler, is the growing market share of construction companies, which contributed to the perception that Chinese businesses are proponents of a form of new colonialism that comes with the same inferiority as the previous one. The consequences of the Oshikango experience, said Dobler, is that Chinese nationals are vulnerable to public perceptions, and that it has become more difficult for them to get work permits as in the early 1990s. The official reason for this, he said, is that there are enough Chinese shops in Namibia and permits should be subject to investments benefiting the Namibian economy, that is, Chinese nationals do not get work permits readily unless they are in manufacturing. This has seen a growing number of 'manufacturing plants' in Oshikango, but these prove to be little more than "second- hand machinery imported from China, waiting for repairs for most of the year".

But the number of Chinese traders has increased exponentially over the last five years, amid a worsening image and growing scepticism whether their presence really benefits the Namibian - and by extension the African - economy. Professor Andrè du Pisani, suggested that the role of China in Africa be seen beyond the three dimensions it is currently considered in public discussions. These dimensions include China's growth as an economic and industrial global giant; its positioning as a knowledge society with pre- requisite technological development; its growing demand for raw materials, and particularly energy sources in Africa; and its search for markets within Africa with much of south-eastern Asia's markets saturated; and China's enhanced political importance globally. "Those are the obvious things discussed about China and Africa. This is more or less where the debate stops. But I really think that that is only the start of the debate," said Du Pisani. China's involvement in Africa, said Du Pisani, started as early as pre- colonial times, with long-distance trade in textiles and other goods, which he said is an important part of the history of mercantile capitalism in the pre-industrial phase in

287 Europe. During the colonial period, China's engagement with the continent, he said, was primarily ideologically, and during the 1970s China's role in the construction of macro infrastructural development projects in various post-independent African states. One of the most preeminent projects of that time was the Tanzanian railway line. "The obvious dimensions see China as a new kid on the block which now engages in the current context of globalisation. But there is actually a long and chequered history, a complex history that predates what is happening now," Du Pisani said.

One often neglected dimension to Chinese-African relations, he said, is the fact that China has engaged in writing off bilateral debt amounting to US$1.4 billion, bilateral debt built up by 31 African states with China. Another dimension is that trade volumes have increased, and reached the US$30 billion mark in 2004. Also in 2004, Chinese imports from Africa reached US$15.6 billion, which means that the positive trade balance is sharply in favour of China, "and this is not going to change," added Du Pisani. "That is going to be the pattern of trade engagement. The trade balance is over 40 percent in favour of China and this is going to be the pattern that is going to continue into the future." Then there is Chinese foreign direct investment, which amounted to US$700 million in 2006, up from US$135 million in 2004. Moreover, there are now over 30 bilateral framework agreements between African countries and China, coordinated under the China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

Du Pisani said there are other frameworks equally important, where the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has made significant acquisitions in energy sectors of countries like Gabon, Sudan, Nigeria and Angola.

Similarly, as many as 700 private Chinese companies have a hugely enlarged footprint across 49 African countries. Another aspect of China's role in Africa is that it has systematically granted zero-tariff ratings to 30 least developed African States, exempting 190 tax items, which is parallel to the AGOA II Agreement with America and the current Cotonou Agreement with the European Union. China has also made its mark in the educational and health sectors, suggested Du Pisani. There are currently 15000 Africans studying at Chinese tertiary institutions, which is a significant contribution to human resource and social capital development. And China's UN peacekeeping profile is growing in Africa, with currently 813 peacekeepers on the continent. At one time there were 776 Chinese peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo."I read it that China will increasingly deploy peacekeepers under other mandates such as the African Union or SADC. And in future, who knows?" China is also increasingly extending soft loans at favourable interest rates and under favourable conditions "with not nearly the kind of stringent political pre-conditionalities" as it s European or other developing partners

To date, it is extended soft loans to the value of US$15 billion - US$10 billion of which was extended to Angola. And China is also developing "very aggressive" financial and banking" interests in Africa. The 20-percent-acquisition of shares in the Standard Merchant Bank in South Africa attests to that. As much as six to seven percent of Africa's total exports now go to China, with the last figures amounting to US$12 billion, with unconfirmed figures amounting to US$15 billion. Although it is still small in comparison to the exports to Europe, this figure is steadily growing.

288 "The question is whether China is a mercantilist predator like the Western countries have been historically, or a developing partner, or both. I would say the answer is both," said Du Pisani. What is worrying, he said, is that it would appear as if African labour and business is shouldered out because there is no firewall in the African economy to protect its fledgling businesses against global influences. And should China join the G8 with India - and then hence constitute the G10 - the game will change "very significantly". "Then, increasingly, China will have to work in a more complex multilateral framework for trade, investment, political, security and military engagement," said Du Pisani. This leaves a window of opportunity to African countries. "But it will close," ventured Du Pisani. For now, African countries, he said, should mine - albeit cautiously - the opportunities currently available. "Once it moves into the multilateral framework, the rules of the game will change and they may not change in a positive direction; China may then not be different from any other big global economy." The litmus test for Chinese involvement in Africa currently, he said, is whether this can lead to poverty reduction to the majority of Africans. "The jury is out on that, but indications are that it is not happening under the current modes of engagement. This will determine the nature of political engagement as well."

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Africa: History Can Be Cruel for Eritrea, Ethiopia: allAfrica.com: GUEST COLUMN: 17 June 2008. Mark L. Schneider:

A decade ago Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki launched a border war in the Horn of Africa that killed 80,000 people.

As I left meetings with their top advisors in Asmara and Addis Ababa a few weeks ago, I could not help feeling that neither side seemed willing to admit that they once again have set in motion forces that could lead to another bloody battle in one of Africa's poorest and most conflict-ridden regions. Month by month since last November Ethiopia and Eritrea have inched closer to war, each deploying more troops almost face-to-face across their common border, supporting opposition forces in the other country, and offering sanctuary to rival proxy forces in Somalia. After five years of Ethiopia's refusal to accept physical border demarcation, the internationally recognized Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC) said, "enough."It folded its tents last November and issued its final report, a set of map coordinates that designated the exact border between the two countries, a so-called "virtual" demarcation.

Not to be outdone in dangerous decisions, Eritrea essentially expelled the United Nations peacekeeping force that had physically occupied a buffer "Temporary Security Zone" (TSZ) along the border since 2000. Both sides now have reinforced their forces on the border with heavy weapons. Eritrea pushed its forces right through the TSZ to the border, arguing it was simply moving its troops onto its legal territory, as blessed by the EEBC. The commission had been set up as part of the 2000 Algiers peace agreement. Both countries promised to accept its subsequent rulings as "final and binding". Eritrea quickly accepted the virtual demarcation because it thought it fared well in the arbitration. Ethiopia only grudgingly accepted the arbitration, but balked at the physical marking along the border. Now the UN has issued a blistering criticism of Eritrea for shutting off fuel from its peacekeeping force, grounding even emergency helicopters. Its actions essentially expelled the force. Meles and Isaias, brothers in battle against the

289 dictatorship of former Ethiopian leader Mengistu Haile Mariam in the late 1980's, seemed reasonably amicable in the years after Ethiopia recognized Eritrea's independence in 1993, accepting a land-locked status in the process. Since 1998, however, they have more closely resembled Cain and Abel, and their countries have suffered.

United States diplomats helped facilitate the Algiers Accord in 2000, and promised to support the EEBC. But the administration of President George W. Bush has been largely absent during key moments since the EEBC issued its 2002 decision, and has been mimicked by the rest of the international community, including the Security Council. Since then, few incentives were offered for compliance, and failures to abide by commitments were not followed up by sanctions. The Bush administration has been reluctant to put pressure on Ethiopia because it considers it a regional security ally and an important player in its counterterrorism policies. The most visible example of that policy is Ethiopia's ongoing intervention in Somalia, which has come not only with U.S. support, but perhaps by U.S. design.

The rivalry between the two nations has destabilized both countries. There are also allegations that Meles and Isaias use the threat of war to justify cracking down on political freedoms, which has created a quasi-police state in Eritrea. Ethiopian officials told our delegation they would respect the border after normal relations were established with Eritrea. Eritrean officials said the reverse – once Ethiopia recognizes the border and Eritrean sovereignty over disputed land, normal relations will follow, including agreements on access to ports and cross-border development.

The international community must not allow events to take their dangerous course. A peace rescue package is needed before war breaks out. It must pour water on the current fuel for combat by separating the military forces, end border uncertainty and deal with underlying issues between the two countries.

• The border line delineated by the EEBC in November should form the basis of a physical border between the countries, and the Security Council should say so. • Eritrea needs to move heavy weapons and armed encampments out of the TSZ. Ethiopia, which says it accepts the EEBC line, must remove its military forces from all land awarded to Eritrea by the EEBC. • UNMEE should be given full monitoring authority on both sides of the border, and report any errant troop movements. • The physical border demarcation should begin immediately in the undisputed areas, and for those areas still in question, the countries should enter into direct talks under the supervision of a UN-authorized mediator. The Security Council should impose a fixed time-table of 90 days. • Parallel with progressive border demarcation, mediated-talks need to be undertaken on all normalization issues—from port use to diplomatic and economic exchange to confidence-building. • The international community needs to prepare a major cross border economic development plan to instil confidence on both sides that normalization is imminent. As soon as the physical demarcation takes place, the plan takes effect.

290 History can be cruel if its lessons are ignored. Ethiopia and Eritrea and its international partners are close to learning that lesson once more.

Mark Schneider is senior vice president of the International Crisis Group

• • Ethiopia: A Tangled Political Landscape Raises Questions About African Ally of the U.S. : Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):ANALYSIS :21 June 2008.

When it was announced last month that the ruling party of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi had swept local polls in this vast Horn of Africa nation, few expressed surprise.

Zenawi's Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition was declared by the country's national electoral board to have won 559 districts in the kebele and woreda divisions of local government and all but one of 39 parliament seats contested in the by-election. Out of a total of 26 million registered voters, the electoral board claimed that 24.5 million, or 93 percent, voted. April's ballot was the first chance for the EPRDF to flex the muscles of its electoral machinery since general elections in May 2005. Though early returns that year suggested an electoral triumph for the country's two main opposition parties, the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) and the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF), Prime Minister Zenawi declared a state of emergency before final results were announced. In the unrest that followed, hundreds of people were arrested and at least 200 killed by Ethiopian security forces. Official results -- not released until September -- gave 59 percent of the total vote to the EPRDF. Cries of fraud stained the reputation of one of Washington's closest African allies, to whom, according to U.S. defense department figures, the Bush administration sold $6 million worth of weapons to in 2006, more armaments than went to any other African country. The weapons are used in part to aid Ethiopia in its war against Islamic militants based in neighboring Somalia, which Ethiopia invaded in late 2006 and where it remains involved in active combat to this day.

Some observers contend that this year's ballot was even more compromised than the 2005 vote. With an estimated 3.6 million posts up for election, Ethiopia's opposition parties were only able to register some 16,000 candidates due to obstacles placed in their path by the country's electoral council. In response, the UEDF, now the largest opposition party in Ethiopia's parliament, and the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement (OFDM) -- a political party claiming to represent the interests of the Oromo ethnic group (Ethiopia's largest) -- both boycotted the final round of voting. Though international observers were not permitted, an electoral law passed in June allowed domestic organizations to formally monitor the ballot. However, local observers such as the Ethiopian Human Rights Council never received responses from the electoral board to their requests to monitor the elections.

291 One official at a foreign diplomatic mission in the capital, who surveyed polling places on the days of the vote, told IPS that "what we saw in Addis Ababa did not correspond" to 93 percent participation total announced by the electoral council."These elections weren't even good enough to be rigged," asserts Bulcha Demeksa, a former United Nations and World Bank official who currently leads the OFDM and serves in Ethiopia's parliament. "A genuine dictatorship has been evolving." The situation of the Oromo people -- who form the majority in Ethiopia's largest and most populous state, Oromia -- is but one of the thorny poltico-ethnic quandaries confronting Ethiopia's ruling party today. Running the gamut from the democratic advocacy of the OFDM to the violent militarism of the Oromo Liberation Front guerilla group, the struggle of the Oromo -- the Oromo were conquered and consumed into the Amhara-Ethiopian empire emanating from the nation's north near the end of the nineteenth century -- has found echoes in other regional struggles in the country. In the southeastern Ogaden region, which abuts volatile Somalia, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) has been fighting to make the region an independent state since 1984. In a report earlier this month, New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused the Ethiopian government of having "deliberately and repeatedly attacked civilian populations in an effort to root out the insurgency." The attacks were by way of reprisal following an ONLF attack on a Chinese-run oil installation in April 2007 that killed at least 70 Chinese and Ethiopian civilians. Amidst such internal dissent, several areas of the country currently are on the brink of famine, with the Word Food Program currently estimating that, of Ethiopia's 80 million citizens, 3.4 million will need emergency food relief from July to September, a number that comes in addition to the 8 million currently receiving assistance. Given such a volatile political landscape, some observers have looked upon the EPRDF's crushing victory in the polls in an extremely circumspect manner. "The complete lack of any semblance of organized opposition in most of the country reflects how difficult it is in Ethiopia for dissenting voices to emerge with out facing a huge level of harassment," says Chris Albin-Lackey, senior researcher with the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch.Albin-Lackey says that he regards the April ballot as "a stark illustration of just how far Ethiopia's political space has been closed off since the limited opening that preceded that 2005 polls."

The EPRDF has governed Ethiopia since 1991, when in its initial incarnation as a rebel army, it succeeded in ousting the violent Marxist military junta known as the Derg that had ruled the country since 1974. In a statement put out before the April ballot, the EPRDF wrote that the vote "underscores the fact that the people and government of Ethiopia are making relentless effort toward the development and democratization of the nation." Another source of concern to observers is the Ethiopian government's "Charities and Societies Proclamation," a copy of which has been obtained by IPS. The proposed law seeks to strip domestic civil society organization of access to foreign funding by defining a "foreign" organization operating in the country as any body that receive more than 10 percent of its funding from abroad or has any members who are foreign nationals. Such "foreign" bodies are also thus barred from addressing such issues as human rights and governance in their work. Any foreign human rights organization seeking to conduct research in Ethiopia would have to obtain the written permission of the Ethiopian government. A Charities and Societies Agency composed entirely of government officials and appointees would be charged with overseeing domestic organizations, maintaining the power to curtail the activities of or disband such organizations at will should they be deemed to be "contrary to the public or national interest."

292 Heavy fines and prison terms are mandated for those who contravene the new law, which bears more than a passing similarity to a draconian law overseeing civil society organizations passed by the government of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe in 2004.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: The Asian Miracle - Lessons for Policy Makers. Part 1: The New Times (Kigali) : 17 June 2008: Prof. Nshuti P Manasseh: [email protected].:

From the early 1970s on wards, the countries of East-Asia, the Asian Tigers as they are labeled due to their astonishing development that demystified the conventional economic theory based on western model of development that espoused industrial development as a strategy for over all development.

A number of researchers have pointed out that, unlike the western model, The Asian model is premised on capital accumulation and accumulation of human capital which were instrumental to the development of these economies.

This development has been so spectacular that it has attracted the attention of many academics, researchers, practitioners, and has served a text book case for policy makers in many LDCs (least Developing Countries) especially in Africa. This growth phenomenon has baffled many economic historians as well as geographical experiences recorded so far leading to researchers to argue that, success in Asian countries was based on up dated version of primitive accumulation and that, their success can be a model if only their high savings rates can be replicated. This is in contrast to African economies which took off at the same time and indeed pace as the Asian economies (all after independence in the late 1950s and early 1960s). Nonetheless, LDCs in Africa recorded dismal and disappointing growth and development over the last two decades prompting a number of scholars to call the phenomenon “a crisis of proportion (Elbadawi and Ndulu, 1994); and “Tragic” (Easterly and Levine, 1996). This rather extreme contrast in two regions, that so recently shared a similar turbulent past, raises many questions which should be of interest as well as a challenge to policy makers especially in Africa to discern what went wrong with their policies and policy implementation, against what went right with Asian tigers. Such questions that beg urgent answers are even more pertinent when one considers that, African countries were poised to grow faster than their Asian counter parts considering their resource endowment advantages.

Thus for instance, at independence such countries as Ghana and Kenya (and certainly many other not researched) were said to have had better growth prospects than any country among the Asian tigers.

While commenting on the same diversity, Nissanke (1998:2) points out that “it would be immensely valuable for African researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to have the opportunity to observe directly the economies of East Asia and Southern Asia themselves to discuss economic policy reform directly with the academics, practitioners

293 and policy makers from the Asian region.” One caveat that should be kept in perspective however, is that, there are no two countries that are similar so as to assume that development in one can be replicated in the other. We shall later in these series explore some of the factors we can not replicate in Africa, and which may hold clues as to the differences in the development between the two regions. What is known in development literature is that, there are some fundamental factors that must be in place for a country to latch into development phase and the rest depends on the model the country pursues to sustain the development. Nevertheless, many policy makers and indeed some academics in Africa have, for quite sometime now, tended to attribute Africa’s poor development record to its historical past specifically blaming it on her colonial legacy, and later neo-colonial ‘manipulation by western countries’. Such attitude holds no ground when one considers that Asian countries had a similar historical environment, which limits the extent to which these arguments can be held to justify the poor development record of many African states 50 years on. Empirical evidence from various research done in this area so far, suggests that, the failure of the African nation state holds clues to its tragic development record.

What these researchers did not acknowledge (there were no research tool to capture this) was that, African economies at the time, were not capable of creating good governance on their own, nor could they be expected to marshal the human and capital resources necessary to ensure a development process. Nissanke (1998), commenting on the failure of African state after independence, argues that, whilst all seemed to have a common goal of accelerating the pace of economic growth and thus development, they tended to diverge on such issues as: the role of the state, the degree of openness that could be accommodated, the desirable partner of investment in social services versus economic services, and the government-private sector relations. The long term results obtained were not dissimilar, suggesting that, failure was the outcome of a wrong mix of policies which are uncoordinated, absence of institutions, external environment, lack of societal preparedness, which were by and large constraints overcame by their Asian counter parts. Elsewhere O’Connel (1996) commenting on such failure, emphasized that, African states have evolved from a shortage of capital diagnosis of the 1960s and 1970s, to a diagnosis of policy failure of the 1980s and, finally, to a diagnosis of institutional failures of late 1990s. However, other researchers who when comparing the source of growth in Asia with those of Germany, UK, USA and Japan, conclude that, by far the most important source of economic growth in these countries is capital accumulation, accounting for between 48% to 72% of their economic growth. Others have pointed out that, it is rather a combination of both capital accumulation and human capital accumulation (learning by doing) which have been the productive engine behind the unprecedented growth, pointing out that, physical capital critical in growth process, is rather passive and subsidiary to human capital accumulation. This contrasts to the above group of industrialized nations where technical progress played a vital role in their development, accounting for between 46% and 71% of their economic growth.

Whereas capital accumulation and indeed human capital development accounts for growth differentials between Africa and Asian countries, it all depended on policy choices each the countries in Asia took, for such development has not been uniform in most Asian economies either. Rather, Asian countries which have recorded unprecedented growth episodes have combined not only right and consistent policies over time, but also their societal preparedness had an even greater role to play to this end. It has thus been pointed out that, countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, and of late Vietnam have all had an element of societal

294 preparedness which is highlighted in the culture of hard work, drive to succeed, and high propensities to save. Others even argue that, the Chinese culture (of hard work and their strive for excellence) entrenched in most of these countries in part explains their drive to grow at the rates that far exceed the growth recorded elsewhere. The dismal performance of a number of African economies has also been explained in the context that, factors attendant in Asian region, were not to be found in African countries, and no wonder that, no one country latched into development phase close to the Asian Tigers. Although many African countries have borrowed a leaf from their Asian counter parts especially in the areas of human capital development, the new paradigm shift has mainly focused on institutional development. This is even more pertinent considering that, Africa has not been short of capital. Indeed despite massive foreign aid and to a lesser extent direct capital flows, African economies have not developed as expected. This reinforces the belief that, capital inflows, whether local or foreign, can not make an impact in the absence of a conducive environment characterized by transparency governments, good governance, democratic political economy, conducive economic, social-cultural, and legal environment.

The writer is a Senior Presidential Advisor on Economic Affairs

• Rwanda: The Asian Miracle - Lessons for Policy Makers. Part 2 : The New Times (Kigali) :17 June 2008 : Prof. Nshuti P Manasseh: [email protected]:

As pointed out in the earlier article, the failure of African state holds clues to the dismal performance of their economies in comparison to their Asian counterparts where the state was the main agent for development, at least in the early phase of their development, although later on, the private sector took on its agency role to spur development of Asian economies.

Thus, Aron, (1997) pointed out that, redefining the institutional framework, including the quality of public and private economic institutions, particularly governance structures (or polity) and the extent of social capital or civic engagement, holds the key to turning round the development of African economies. He in particular emphasizes development of strong institutions which supersede political systems and individual political elite in matters of economic and social management as crucial to the sustainable development of African economies and that, what African economies have been beset with, is a form of uncertain and unsustainable political interest groups (instead of systems) ranging from colonial groups, that mentored post-colonial African political elite of dictators, and despots, and finally to democratically elected leaders who bore the legacy of their despotic fathers and mentors.

In short, African economies did not evolve a political economy that could serve the common good as an end in itself, but rather evolved one that served political elite in the name of serving common good. Good news is that, despite a number of pessimistic views advanced by western economists who view Africa as one country (and a hopeless case for that), and in a few cases rightly so; a number of African economies are awakening to the call of political economy unusual, and this is bound to last as long as human capital development taking place in Africa keeps up the pace, thereby demanding their rights and claims to all spheres of political, economic and social endeavors of their economies. More so, the young generation of African leaders who in

295 many ways have not had mentors from old school of political thought, are making their mark on a number of economies. These are leaders who have the zeal and courage to oppose and/or challenge the (Washington Consensus that will in part, not escape the blame for the failure of African economies) to foster sustainable development of their countries. Rwanda, can proudly count it self among such countries.

These leaders represent the hope of a developing continent as long as they uphold democratic values so as to avoid "Mugabe syndrome". Nonetheless, policy failure accounted for the tragic performance of African economies, much as right policy mix accounted for the success of their Asian counterparts so much so that, whereas both regions had the intention of facilitating private sector as engines for growth (at least for the so called capitalist economies of Africa) policy differential explains the difference in policy outcomes. For instance, policies in capital formation and investments pursued by the two regions were quite parallel. The two regions (on average) recorded similar capital formation relative to GDP until late 1970s, after which Asian economies out- performed African economies in the 1980s and thereafter. This also can be said for the different approaches used to induce this capital formation. Asian economies promoted more private savings through budget deficits whereas most African economies' deficit financing was aimed at financing public sector.

This is a fundamental policy choice differential that would later define Asian and African economic paths, as public investments proved to be a total failure to the latter, and private investments a success to the former. Thus such policy choices taken by African countries meant that, a large proportion of public sector investments were financed by domestic savings primarily through budget deficit. In effect, this tended to crowd out the private sector from gaining access to resources for their investment needs. This was compounded by the fact that, such deficit financed consumption at the expense of development expenditure, and more often than not, such funds financed defense which was then seen as the anchor of early African despots and dictators. This gave rise to the highest development opportunity cost, Africa has ever paid that depressed growth rates for decades which are essentially lost decades. The problem is that, a number of African economies have not redressed this problem and still promote public investments with little regard to the promotion of private investments through one of the best known economic tool- i.e, reasonable budget deficit. Furthermore, Asian Tigers which, like African economies started as predominantly agro-based economies, later accelerated their value addition in agro-produce so much so that they pursued an outward oriented policy of export based economy.

This saw their exports as a percentage of GDP, on average grow from 47 per cent in 1969 to the highs of 87 per cent in 1980s. On average, African exports as a percentage of GDP grew at 27 per cent and 32 per cent respectively, over similar period. This policy deferential in part explains the different growth outcomes the two regions recorded. Many economists and researchers in particular, argue that, a compelling cause of Asian economic growth is due to dynamic 'total factor productivity' (TFP) gains from the outward orientation that led to the growth in exports. This view is collaborated by the World Bank Report (1987:90-91) which points out that, gains from the outward orientation go far beyond those which are revealed by conventional analysis of the costs of production. The scale and persistence of the growth differentials between the strongly outward oriented economies and the others suggests that, more subtle economic factors might also have been at work. However, what is clear with regard to phenomenal growth

296 and thus development of Asian Economies is that, a combination of factors were aligned using appropriate policy mix which holds fundamental clues to the development process of these economies and reverse is true for African economies. As pointed out in the Part I of these series, there is no known universal model of economic development and as such development is contingent on many factors which can not be found in similar proportions in more than one particular country setting. Nonetheless, six fundamental factors explain the growth differentials between the two regions. These include, Social capability and the role human capital accumulation, the role of public policy, savings accumulation, institutional factors, entrepreneurship, and the role of private sector.

Social Capability and the Role of Human Capital.

One of the fundamental factors crucial to the divergence in the development pattern of development between the two regions is the so called "social capability", which is measured by the standard of education (human capital). Almost all studies on the development of Asian economies are unanimous with regard to the role played by human capital formation in their economic growth. This is premised on the fact that, the quality of human capital and infrastructure determines long-run growth through their influence on total factor productivity and as a result output per capita. This factor has then determined winners and losers in the development process of a number of countries as it is viewed as the most cardinal factor to growth process. Whereas it is true to assert that, human capital development in terms of education and impartment of skills can impact on other factor inputs and increase the Total Factor Productivity (TFP), nevertheless this argument needs to be qualified to some, BUT not all the extent with regard to African economies when compared to Asian economies. This is true in that, for such transformation to be effective, customs, traditions, and cultural traits as well as social values that are so dear to African way of life (but nonetheless retrogressive to their development) can not be ignored nor underestimated. Cultural values that have perpetuated poverty in many African countries are a result of social accumulation spanning many centuries and may not be changed over night, nor can education or skills fundamentally mitigate these in the short-run. Rather, it may take time and indeed effort to reverse such a trend. Thus for instance, such cultural values as hard work, entrepreneurial traits, as well as savings culture typical of Asian economies may take time to be entrenched in African economies, and yet they are crucial to a development process. In African cultural values, self-interest and self-reliance tend to take back seat to ethnicity and group royalty, values which by and large are associated with lag in African development, and yet are values common to most African economies. To be continued...

Equatorial Guinea: The Trial of Simon Mann: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): ANALYSIS: 19 June 2008. Alexander von Paleske:

The trial of British mercenary Simon Mann, allegedly having tried to overthrow the government of the oil rich African country Equatorial Guinea, in March, 2004, is on.

The failed coup, better known as the "Wonga Coup" ended prematurely during a stopover of the weapon-and-mercenary-carrying plane at Harare international Airport on 7th March 2004. This is where weapons were supposed to be onloaded for the rest of the trip but instead the group of 70 mercenaries, former members of South Africa's Terror and destruction gangs, like the 32. Buffalo Battalion, the 44 Parachute Brigade,

297 the Reconnaissance Commandos and the death squad Civil Cooperation Bureau were offloaded and later sentenced to prison terms. The alleged coup leader Simon Mann was sentenced to four years in prison and after serving his prison term extradited to Equatorial Guinea a couple of weeks ago.

Who is Simon Mann? : Simon Mann, a former officer of the British Special Forces SAS, Etonian, son of a rich beer brewing family in Britain, who after his service for queen and country became a mercenary under his boss Tony Buckingham, the latter number 244 on the list of the wealthiest Englishmen and former owner of British mercenary company Sandline. He was also the founder and CEO of the oil company Heritage Oil, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Simon Mann, Buckingham's employee in the 90s, looked after his ventures in many African countries. However, he was not the only one allegedly involved in the failed Coup. Other persons in Britain have been accused of having been involved in the failed coup as well

The alleged Co-Coup Plotters: There is Eli Calil, a British of Lebanese origin, and a friend of Equatorial Guineas's opposition leader, Severo Moto Nsa. He allegedly brought Simon Mann and Moto together. Allegedly Calil happily and illegally banked money for the former horrible Nigerian dictator the late Sani Abacha. Calil is also being investigated in France for money laundering on the one side, and on the other side he is a close friend of Tony Blair's Ex-Minister for scandals, Peter Mandelson. Mandelson could be no longer gainfully employed in Tony Blair's cabinet, because of several scandals involving "small gifts" from good friends including Calil. He, however, managed to get another job with Tony's helping hand - a friend is a friend - more distant to the mother of all parliaments, this time as EU trade commissioner in Brussels. Peter Mandelson has strictly denied any involvement or even having heard anything about the planned coup beforehand.

His Lordship and the Coup: Also allegedly involved is Lord Jeffrey Archer, former chief of Maggie Thatcher's Conservative Party who spent a few years in prison for perjury and perverting the course of justice. He allegedly put a bit of his pocket money, a few ten thousands of British pounds on Simon Mann's coup savings account placed in the tax haven of Guernsey. Of course, he denies, but there was a payment made by a J.H. Archer into that account. And he phoned Calil before the coup most likely to tell him, that crime does not pay. And, alas, the former vice-chairman Howard Flight of the Conservative Party via the Investec banking group offered a loan of US $ 30 million for agricultural development in Equatorial Guinea - after the coup - of course. Next in the line is Greg Wales old friend of the Thatcher family with African experience. He denies having been involved, however an E-Mail, passed on to me by the widow of the alleged transportation officer for that coup, the German Gerhard Merz, shows the exact opposite. And there is David Hart, 60, Old Etonian like Mann, and old friend of the Thatcher family. He was Maggie Thatcher's chief enforcer during the British miners strike in the 80s he handed out money for strike breakers from a suite at Claridges, a hotel in London, that takes per room per night, what a miner earns in one month. The Government of Equatorial Guinea accuses him of being involved as well.

Not to forget Sir Mark Thatcher, Mummy Maggie's son who has been famous for making headlines, negative ones mostly and who cobbled together an income without breaking too much sweat. Now barred from entering the US where his former wife and children live. He was arrested in Cape Town in 2004 and later confessed to have violated South

298 Africa's anti-mercenary laws and sentenced to a suspended prison term and a fine by a court in Cape Town in 2005. Last but not least, the German Gerhard Merz, who died a few days after his arrest in Malabo's notorious Black Beach Prison, allegedly after having been tortured. Merz, a former transporter of chemical weapons of mass destruction from China to Iran in the 90s was the alleged transportation officer for the coup.

The Mercenary starts singing : Simon Mann, after his extradition from Zimbabwe to Equatorial Guinea has not only confessed his involvement in the coup, but also implicated Mark Thatcher and Eli Calil as key players in this affair. In his trial, starting today, more names may crop up. Mann is eager, to get a reduced sentence in return for his cooperation. With him in prison is another co-coup plotter by the name of Nick du Toit, sentenced to 34 years in 2004.

Nick du Toit and Botswana: Nick du Toit can look back on a long career in South Africa's Apartheid murder and destruction gangs. On 14th June 1985, he allegedly came with his Reconnaissance Commando 5 to Gaborone on a killing spree, killed 14 unarmed civilians including a six-year-old child and blew up a number of houses afterwards. Last Saturday, a group of people, including South Africa's Ambassador Moopeloa, Ex-Robben Island prisoner Michael Dingake and Botswana's Speaker of Parliament, Patrick Balopi, in a solemn ceremony at Extension 14 cemetery paid tribute to those fallen heroes.

The trial in Malabo is expected to last three days.

NORTH AFRICA

• Egypt: Never-Ending State of Emergency: Fahamu (Oxford): ANALYSIS: 19 June 2008. Mustafa Adam-Noble:

"When the Egyptian people speak out against poverty and an inert government, human rights abuses follow." Mustafa Adam-Noble looks at the various ways that suppression in Egypt is growing.

Ever since the assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981, Egypt has been governed under Emergency Law: 27 years worth of "emergencies" constitutionally designated for use only when facing a direct threat, such as a military invasion or a natural disaster. The law, which is supposed to be used in exceptional circumstances, has become the permanent method of governance in Egypt. Interestingly, President Hosni Mubarak has been the country's ruler for all those 27 years.

Having survived several assassination attempts, it is perhaps no surprise that Mubarak has been reluctant to govern with normal laws. However, hundreds of thousands have been imprisoned during his rule, with 18,000 still held. The regime's style of law enforcement constitutes jailing large groups of "suspects" in the hope that someone amongst the prisoners will be culpable. Under the rule of Emergency Law, anyone can be arrested without charge or evidence against them. Alexander Weissink, a Radio Netherlands journalist with a specialty in Egyptian affairs, interviewed Mahmoud Qutri, an ex-Egyptian police colonel and author of books on Egyptian constabulary abuses. Qutri stated: "The police has tried for 27 years to work with a carte blanche. Outside of the state of emergency they would suddenly find themselves obliged to do real

299 investigative work to find evidence, instead of rounding up suspects and use violence to force confessions out of them...That is about the last thing they want."

A recent survey has found that Egypt's government workforce of 6 million spends an average of just 27 minutes a day working. In addition to a malign vacuum of legal procedure, the absence of a government work ethic further sidelines the course of justice throughout the country's population of 75 million. Since the assassination of Sadat by al-Gama'a al-Islamya (the Islamic Group), the government has locked up 50,000 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood despite the lack of direct links between the Brotherhood and al-Gama'a. The Muslim Brotherhood has a far less violent ideology, and Al-Gama'a was in fact formed after the Brotherhood "renounced violence" in the 1970s. Al-Gama'a was behind the 1997 Luxor attacks in Egypt that killed 62 civilians, most of whom were tourists. The crackdown on the two Islamic groups by President Mubarak has been brutal and far-reaching. Amid the unjust sweeping arrests, some attacks were probably prevented. However, the lack of accurate, evidence-based police action caused the imprisonment of thousands of people; the majority of whom were innocent and some of whom were tortured.

Human rights organisations continue to condemn the abuse and suppression of the Egyptian people. During his 2005 electoral campaign, President Mubarak promised to stop the imprisonment of members of the press. In 2007, he jailed eleven journalists for "insulting" him and his party.

Also in 2005, Mubarak vowed to finally end the state of emergency. On 26th May 2008, he issued a verdict extending Emergency Law for yet another 2 years. During the same elections, police blocked voters from casting their ballots for the Muslim Brotherhood - the only feasible opposition to the current regime. With poignant determination, some voters were forced to enter a polling station through its back window using a ladder, in defiance of police station closures. Prime minister Ahmed Nazif summarised the superficial self-promotion of debunked government policy, stating: "The storm of terrorism blows strong around us and our enemies lie in wait." Such poetic rhetoric of fear has become the justification for a farcical legal system and endemic human rights abuses. Recently, on the 9th of June, eight thousand Egyptians protested against the government's decision to end flour rations. Eighty-seven have been arrested so far. Many similar protests occurred in 2007 and 2008, centring around the massive and rapid rise in the cost of living in Egypt (a 50% increase according to the latest count, with inflation at 20%). Further, millions of Egyptian workers do not have job contracts or social insurance; meaning that they have no rights to minimum wage, holidays, or compensation for job injuries. Forty percent of people live on less than $2 a day and doubling food prices have left almost half of the population undernourished. This is taking place while the Egyptian government receives nearly $2 billion in aid from the US; the highest recipient of its kind after Iraq and Israel. Egypt has also gained another $2 billion this year in revenues from the Suez Canal, one of the world's busiest trade routes. When the Egyptian people speak out against poverty and an inert government, human rights abuses follow. The government has openly declared its intention to suppress free speech when it issued warnings that any other demonstrators will lose their jobs. More gravely, the threat of imprisonment and serious maltreatment is ever-present. Mubarak and his government are also considering blocking Facebook after 80,000 young Egyptians were mobilised in April 2008, protesting rising food prices. A blogger and activist who helped organise the protest was recently released after being jailed and

300 allegedly tortured. Even amongst the seriously ill, the brutality of the regime is acutely demonstrated. Sufferers of HIV were arrested and chained to their hospital beds for months before an international outcry in February 2008 pressured the Ministry of Health to have them unchained. In a display of hypocrisy, a gay man was arrested because of his sexual orientation in May 2001 and was subsequently raped by one of these guards. He was arrested along with 51 others before being set free following pressure from both the US and the EU. Two years later, the courts put the men on trial again and, this time, were able to pass down prison sentences. The authorities have forcefully used their power over the legal system to fulfil their aims in other instances. According to Radio Netherlands, in February 2007 forty members of the Muslim Brotherhood were arrested on suspicion of terrorism. Civil courts repeatedly dismissed their case because of a lack of evidence. Mubarak intervened and transferred them to a military tribunal where they were condemned to serve sentences ranging from two to ten years. In an interview with the Inter Press Service, Ayman Aqeel, head of the Cairo-based Maat Centre for Constitutional and Legal Rights, said: "Egypt doesn't need an emergency law or new anti-terror legislation," he said. "Proposed anti-terrorism laws will only represent another means of restricting our freedoms. Normal laws, and the penalties they carry, should be enough to deal with any crime." Mubarak and his government must take a step back and look at the landscape that they both have created in Egyptian society. Continued violations of basic human rights that attempt to break the spirit of the Egyptian people in order to fulfill a political agenda are shameful crimes. Much needs to change before Egypt can progress beyond its current flailing state. The government must find a way to use incentives in their bureaucracy to both protect the public and prosecute real perpetrators. This can eventually help develop the country under normal laws and do away with the "state of emergency". The suppression of freedom of speech and the systematic abuse of prisoners throws the country into a vicious cycle that diminishes tolerance and progressive attitudes. With economic realities worsening and the ability to survive becoming more difficult, Egyptians will continue to protest and it will become harder and harder for Mubarak to silence the masses.

Mustafa Adam-Noble is a political commentator.

======END TEXT ======.

301 BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD Weekly Presentation: June 30, 2008 Sub-Saharan Africa Abbas S Lamptey Period: June 22 to June 28, 2008 THE HEADLINES 1. CHINA -AFRICA RELATIONS

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Chinese Business Leaders Expected to Cooperate With SA Laws: BuaNews (Tshwane). 25 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: CMC to Sell China-Made Motorcycles: Business Daily (Nairobi): 24 June 2008. 2. PAN AFRICA

WEST AFRICA • Parliamentarians Raise Major Concerns On Crises: FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda): 4 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Summit to Debate Soaring Food, Oil Prices: BuaNews (Tshwane): 27 June 2008. • Economists Cite Six Factors for Oil, Food Price Hikes: America.gov (Washington, DC): 27 June 2008. • Africa: U.S. Supports Antiretroviral Treatment for 1.73 Million Worldwide Through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief: United States President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 27 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Continent Needs $20b for Water Goals: New Vision (Kampala): 23 June 2008. • High Food Prices an Opening for Developing Countries: The Monitor (Kampala): 24 June 2008. 3. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: CHRAJ Indicts Mining Companies of Human Rights Abuses (1): Public Agenda (Accra): 27 June 2008. • Ghana: Public Lets Execution Call Pass: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 26 June 2008. • Sierra Leone: Women Urged to Put On Veil to Maintain Respect: The Independent (Freetown):27 June 2008.

302 • Gambia: Gamcotrap Sensitises Alkalos, Imams on FGM: The Daily Observer (Banjul): 27 June 2008. • West Africa: Migrants Fight Female Genital Mutilation in France: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 23 June 2008. • Nigeria: Women to Submit Memo to Political Reform C'tee: Daily Trust (Abuja): 26 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Congress Passes Berman Legislation Lifting Stigma Against Nelson Mandela, Other ANC Members: United States Congress (Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 27 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: Soldiers, War Vets to Force Voters to Poll: Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): 27 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: UN to Probe Army Role in Mt Elgon: The Nation (Nairobi): 26 June 2008. • Uganda: Criminalise Female Genital Mutilation: The Monitor (Kampala): EDITORIAL: 24 June 2008. • Uganda: Only 24 Percent of Women Plan Families: New Vision (Kampala): 22 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Lubanga Trial Still At a Standstill: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 27 June 2008. 4. 5. 6. REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Crises Throw Out 11 Million Refugees Globally – UNHCR: Daily Trust (Abuja): 26 June 2008. • Sierra Leone: Former IDPs Say Feel Betrayed: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 25 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Takes Refuge in Dutch Embassy: This Day (Lagos): 24 June 2008. • South Africa: Locals Not Keen to Welcome Back Foreigners: Business Day (Johannesburg): 27 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: South African Embassy Evicts Refugees: SW Radio Africa (London): 27 June 2008. • South Africa: No Decision Yet to Compensate Victims of Pogroms: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo): 26 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Response to Humanitarian Disaster 'Inadequate': UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 26 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA

303 • Central Africa: Cemac Summit - Biya Advocates Free Movement of Citizens: The Post (Buea): 27 June 2008. • Cameroon: Country Registers More Refugee Influx: The Post (Buea): 23 June 2008. • Rwanda: 93 Percent of Refugees Are Congolese: The New Times (Kigali): 22 June 2008. 7. HEALTH MATTERS (HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, TB)

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Cancer Patient 'Cured' With Own Immune System: Vanguard (Lagos): 24 June 2008. • Nigeria: Over 200,000 HIV Positive Citizens Receive Treatment – NACA: Leadership (Abuja): 26 June 2008. • Nigeria: UBTH to Commence Open Heart Surgery: Vanguard (Lagos): 27 June 2008. • Sierra Leone: Patients to Abandon Govt Hospital: Concord Times (Freetown): 26 June 2008. • Senegal: UN Sends Experts to Country After Exposure to Lead Batteries Kills Children: UN News Service (New York): 23 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Namibia: New Test for Foot and Mouth Disease: The Namibian (Windhoek): 24 June 2008. • South Africa: Sudden Checkup Rights Upheld: Business Day (Johannesburg): 24 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • East Africa: EAC Nations Plot Common Action On Reproductive Health Challenges: The New Times (Kigali): 25 June 2008. • Uganda: Cholera Death Toll Hits 30: New Vision (Kampala): 25 June 2008. • Kenya: Cholera Confirmed in Western Region: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 25 June 2008. • Uganda: Free Cervical Cancer Treatment: New Vision (Kampala): 26 June 2008. • Uganda: Doctors Battle to Save Siamese Twins: New Vision (Kampala): 26 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Health Sector Gets $12 Million Boost: The New Times (Kigali): 27 June 2008. • Rwanda: U.S. Medical Experts to Train Doctors: The New Times (Kigali): 23 June 2008. 8. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Citizens Need More Education On Climate Change-Speaker: Accra Mail (Accra): 24 June 2008.

304 • Ghana: Funding for Biodiversity Conservation Declines: Accra Mail (Accra): 24 June 2008.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Angola: Country, Mozambique Sign Memo On Environment, Urban Arrangement: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 22 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Museveni Wants Compensation for Climate Change Effects: New Vision (Kampala): 24 June 2008. • Uganda: Anti-Buveera Campaign Ends: New Vision (Kampala): 26 June 2008. • Uganda: Mabira Campaign Still Alive: New Vision (Kampala): 27 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Central Africa: New Fund Launched for Congo Basin: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 23 June 2008. 9. ENERGY

WEST AFRICA • West Africa: Ecowas to Discuss Rising Cost of Food, Oil Today: Concord Times (Freetown): 23 June 2008. • Nigeria: Nigeria, Venezuela to Discuss Global Energy Crisis: This Day (Lagos): 28 June 2008. • Nigeria: 13 Institutions Approved for Nuclear Energy Programme: This Day (Lagos): 25 June 2008. • Nigeria: Senate Endorses Probe of N69.2bn Escravos Gas Project: This Day (Lagos): 26 June 2008. • Ghana: Nzema Youth Dispute Location of Oil Find: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 25 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zambia: Load-Shedding Fuels Diesel Consumption: The Times of Zambia (Ndola): 24 June 2008. • Namibia: All Set for Power Station On Kunene River: New Era (Windhoek): 25 June 2008. • South Africa: Deadline for Nuclear Bids Extended to Later This Year: Business Day (Johannesburg): 25 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: Escalating Fuel Costs Hit Airlines: The Herald (Harare): 23 June 2008. • Zimbabwe-Equatorial Guinea in Oil Deal: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London): 21 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Sudan: Work Starts at Formerly Disputed Oil Well: The Nation (Nairobi): 27 June 2008.

305 • Kenya: Protests as Power Bill Goes Up By 21 Per Cent: The Nation (Nairobi): 27 June 2008. • Tanzania: Sh2.5 Billion Fuel Debt Stalls ATCL Flights: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 27 June 2008. • Rwanda: Final Countdown: Focus Media (Kigali): 23 June 2008. 10. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

WEST AFRICA • Guinea: Food Prices Some of Highest in Region: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 27 June 2008. • Ghana: Societal And Cultural Constraints Affecting Women's Access to ICT – Botchway: Accra Mail (Accra): 27 June 2008. • Nigeria: Country Flared $72bn Gas in 36 Years, Says NGA: Daily Trust (Abuja): 27 June 2008. • Ghana: Newmont Kenyasi Mining Area Under Threat From Residents: Public Agenda (Accra): 27 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Southern Africa: SADC Loses Billions to Illicit Fishing: New Era (Windhoek): 27 June 2008. • Angola: Government to Asphalt 4,000 Kilometres of Road This Year: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 27 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: Inflation Gallops Ahead - 9000 000 Percent: Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): 27 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Bank to Launch More Islamic Services: The Nation (Nairobi): 27 June 2008. • East Africa: Kagame Takes Chair of EAC: The New Times (Kigali): 27 June 2008. • Kenya: Safaricom Joins the NSE 20 Share Index: The Nation (Nairobi): 27 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Central Africa: Yaounde Hosts Ninth Cemac Heads of State Summit: The Post (Buea): 26 June 2008. • Cameroon: Govt's Involvement in Public Investment Reduced: The Post (Buea): 27 June 2008. 11. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Conflict in North Could Threaten Elections: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 27 June 2008. • Ghana: Mills to Force 2nd Run-Off: Public Agenda (Accra): 27 June 2008. • Ghana: Ghanaians Favour a Presidency With Reduced Powers: Public Agenda (Accra): 27 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA

306 • Zimbabwe: Australia Disappointed At Tsvangirai's Withdrawal: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London): 25 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: A Low-Key Presidential Poll: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 27 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: South Africa Blocks Move to Delegitimize Election: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London): 28 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Says No to Junior Role in GNU: SW Radio Africa (London): 27 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • EAC Leaders Discuss Zimbabwe Violence: The New Times (Kigali): 27 June 2008. • Uganda: Will Country Benefit From the Africa Peer Review Mechanism: The Monitor (Kampala): 28 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Aid Work in Rutshuru Town Resumes After Riots: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 27 June 2008.

12. 13. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT SOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Africom is an Imperialist Agenda, Yantumaki Tells Yar'Adua: Leadership (Abuja): 25 June 2008. • Ghana: Vigilante Groups Fill Security Vacuum: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 23 June 2008. • Nigeria: Niger Delta Summit - Give Us the Benefit of Doubt – Presidency: Leadership (Abuja): 27 June 2008. • Nigeria: Why Niger Delta Summit is Crucial – Orubebe: Daily Trust (Abuja): 27 June 2008. • Senegal: Finding Incentives for Peace in Casamance: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 25 June 2008. • Sierra Leone: Testimony Ends in RUF Trial: Concord Times (Freetown): 26 June 2008. • Liberia: Survey - Commanders Took Away Weapons From Ex-Female Fighters: The NEWS (Monrovia): 26 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: South Africa Urges Tsvangirai to Remain in Peace Talks: The Nation (Nairobi): 23 June 2008. • South Africa: Country, Benin Strengthen Defence Relations: BuaNews (Tshwane): 24 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Islamist Hardliner to Become New Opposition Chief: Garowe Online (Garowe): 21 June 2008.

307 • Uganda: Signed Peace Pacts Won't Be Changed: New Vision (Kampala): 25 June 2008. • Kenya: Peace Studies to Be Taught in High School: The Nation (Nairobi): 25 June 2008. • Sudan: Cracks in North-South Peace Deal: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 23 June 2008. • Uganda: Army Welcomes Revival of Juba Peace Talks, Says Capt. Kakurungu: The Monitor (Kampala): 26 June 2008. • Uganda: Release Captives, UN Chief Tells Kony: New Vision (Kampala): 26 June 2008. • Kenya: Country Slips Five Places in Index of Failed States: The Nation (Nairobi): 26 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Regional Peace, Development Pact Comes Into Force: The New Times (Kigali): 23 June 2008. • Central African Republic: Security Council Applauds Peace Accord With Rebel Groups: UN News Service (New York): 27 June 2008. • Congo-Kinshasa: Bukavu - Launch of 'Zero Children Associated With Armed Groups' : United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa): 24 June 2008. • Rwanda: 1994 Genocide - Gacaca Courts Will Start Trying Rape Cases Next Month: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 25 June 2008. 14. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Confusion in Militant Camps As Jtf Nabs 2 Leaders: This Day (Lagos): 27 June 2008. • Nigeria: Military Forces Break Militant Ranks: Leadership (Abuja): 26 June 2008. • Nigeria: Militants Attack Chevron Facility, Shut Escravos Terminal: Daily Trust (Abuja): 23 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Government in Rescue Mission for 17 Somali Kenyans Held in Ethiopia: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 24 June 2008. • Somalia: 3 Children Killed in Kismayu Town Attack: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 27 June 2008. • Somalia: Traffic Along Ethiopia-Somalia Border Reportedly Halted Due to Fighting: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 27 June 2008. • Somalia: Islamist Fighters Seize Central Town: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 28 June 2008. • Somalia: Nine Soldiers Killed in Mogadishu Attack, Fighting Breaks Out – Witnesses: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 27 June 2008. • Uganda: 15 Suspected Rebels Arrested: New Vision (Kampala): 25 June 2008. 15. NORTH AFRICA

308 • Egypt: Journalist Brutally Assaulted By Police, Faces Trumped-Up Charges: Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (Cairo): PRESS RELEASE: 26 June 2008. • Tunisia: IMF Mission Report Forecasts 'Solid And Sustainable Economic Growth' in 2008-2009: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 24 June 2008. • Tunisia: Opening in Tunis of International Symposium On ICT for Education: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 26 June 2008. • Egypt: Uganda, Egypt Agree on Trade, Agriculture: New Vision (Kampala): 26 June 2008. • Egypt: Report Urges End to State Clash With Muslim Brotherhood: Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi): 24 June 2008. 16. NEWS COMMENTARIES

WEST AFRICA • Africa: Kofi Annan And Africa's Green Revolution: Accra Mail (Accra): COLUMN: 26 June 2008: Kofi Akosah-Sarpong. • The Oil Crisis in a Global Context: Fahamu (Oxford): OPINION: 26 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Africa: Is Democracy Dangerous in Multi-Ethnic Societies? :Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):INTERVIEW: 26 June 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Africa: Continent Must Get Its Act Together Or Remain Backward: Business Daily (Nairobi): COLUMN: 25 June 2008.

NORTH AFRICA • The Sahel Region Troubled by a Touareg War: OPINION : By Arezki Daoud: • What’s Behind the Reversal of Tunisia Hijab Ban?: Nasima Alli • What Role for France in the Mediterranean? Arezki Daoud

------. THE REPORT IN DETAIL

17. CHINA -AFRICA RELATIONS

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Chinese Business Leaders Expected to Cooperate With SA Laws: BuaNews (Tshwane). 25 June 2008.

Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana on Tuesday said he trusted that members of South Africa's Chinese community would be more compliant with the country's labour legislation now that a court ruling had rendered them as "coloureds". The minister was briefing reporters on the outcome of a recent court case, initiated by the Chinese Association of South Africa and two Chinese individuals, seeking to

309 clarify their status according to racial definitions.These racial definitions have an impact in the current environment, given that employment equity legislation and black economic empowerment legislation favour historically oppressed individuals.Mr Mdladlana was to be one of the respondents in the application, but government did not oppose it in the end. He conceded that the court's ruling could be of benefit to Chinese people in terms of black economic empowerment laws, as they would now be legally regarded as historically coloured.But his focus as Labour Minister was on compliance, or the lack of it, with legislation governing the recruitment and treatment of workers in South Africa.Mr Mdladlana said he hoped people of Chinese descent in South Africa would make sure that they complied with the Labour Relations Act and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. He added that the department would now expect better cooperation from Chinese employers with his department, saying that Chinese South Africans would not be able to claim that they cannot speak any of South Africa's 11 official languages - including English. While the court's decision would probably have little impact in terms of people of Chinese ethnicity benefiting from employment equity legislation, the minister said that "on the BBBEE (broad-based black economic empowerment) there could be serious challenges there"."Now that they are South African Coloureds they have absolutely no reason not to understand firstly, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa which gives rights to all the people of this country, including poor people and those who are working in factories."But secondly, their understanding of the Labour Relations Act and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act will be expected to be above board, since they have now been classified as coloureds," Mr Mdladlana said.Patrick Chong, chairman of the Chinese Association of South Africa, told BuaNews on Wednesday that he was "disappointed" at the remarks made by the Minister of Labour on Tuesday.Mr Chong said he felt the remarks, if quoted correctly, were "very strange, very sad" and that he hoped the whole matter would be properly clarified in due course.He added that the Chinese Association of South Africa would be releasing an official statement on the matter later on Wednesday, through its attorneys.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: CMC to Sell China-Made Motorcycles: Business Daily (Nairobi): 24 June 2008.

Automobile retailer CMC Motors Group has signed a new contract to sell and service Chinese-made Dayun motorcycles.The deal marks CMC Group's entry into the fast moving motorcycles market that has recently benefited from a tax-break that Finance minister Amos Kimunya factored into this year's budget.Dauyn is a product of China's Dayang Motorcycles Company that makes 700,000 motorcycles and an additional 500,000 engines for supply to other motorcycle companies in China annually.Dayun is one of China's respected motorcycle brands with a strong foothold in Asian, American and European markets.It has been chosen as the official motorbike for the forthcoming Beijing 2008 summer Olympics Games to be held in August. Initially, the Dayun range of motorcycles will consist of a 125cc street bike and two stylish scooters.Prices start from Sh86,000 including VAT. The brands are available from the CMC Motors Group showroom on Nairobi's Lusaka Road and at the company's seven

310 branches countrywide.Tim Jessop, the deputy general manager of the Ford and Mazda Division of CMC, said the motorcycles offer the most cost effective transport for one, or two people and ownership is within the reach of most Kenyans."Traffic congestion in our cities and towns is driving demand for motorcycles... The Dayun agency enables CMC to play a role in this expanding market," said Mr Jessop.

18. PAN AFRICA

WEST AFRICA • Parliamentarians Raise Major Concerns On Crises: FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda): 4 June 2008.

The Parliamentarians at the 9th Ordinary Session of the Pan African Parliament have raised major concerns affecting the peace and prosperity in Africa. One of the Parliamentarians who spoke tough on Africa's crises was Hon. Eugene Kpakka from Liberia. In his remarks he said African has lost the key to peace and prosperity. And in order to solve the crises faced by the continent, it required Africa's intervention.He said, "Africa's problems required African solutions. And taking Africa's problems elsewhere for solution will yield nothing". He noted that the solution to Africa's problems is in Africa and that the Pan African Parliament should take note of that in finding solutions to Africa's crises.He said one of the leading problems faced by Africa is power struggle. He said African leaders failure to hand over power at the end of their term is a major problem. He called on the need for African leaders to come forward and work for the best interest of the African continent.Honourable Mary Mugyengy of Uganda, in her deliberation said conflict eradication should be the number one agenda of the Pan- African Parliament and this could be done by clearly stipulating guided rules for member states by the Pan - African Parliament.Also speaking was Ethiopia's Hon Anab Abdulkadir. He said Somalia has been bleeding for 19 years and is yet to find a solution to their crises. He said it is the responsibility of the Arab League and other organizations to save Somalia.Africa has no shortage of resources to solve the crises in Africa. I am urging the Pan African Parliament to include Somalia's case as part of their agenda," he pointed.Other members who spoke included Honorable Farah Ismale Hussein, Honorable Edward Ndawula Kaweesi and Angelo Beda.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Summit to Debate Soaring Food, Oil Prices: BuaNews (Tshwane): 27 June 2008.

Africa needs to urgently address the issues of soaring food and oil prices and take appropriate measures as they negatively impact on poor households, said African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping."We need to discuss and analyse all possible solutions on these sky-rocketing prices including transport costs which compound food prices," said Mr Ping while addressing delegates during the official opening of the 13th Ordinary Session of Executive Council of the African Union in Sharm-El-Shaikh on Friday.The Executive Council session, attended by, among others, 53 African Foreign Ministers, will

311 focus mainly on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).According to a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued in April, Sub-Saharan Africa was still far from achieving the MDGs, particularly on poverty reduction.Mr Ping said the escalating food prices had raised food production which, in turn, increased demand on bio- fuels."We need to find a common solution, especially in the critical food and security area. "There is a great need for both emergency and long term goals to be put in place with strong policy measures while scaling up our resources in trying to meet this challenge," said Mr Ping on Friday.Between 2007 and 2008, food and oil prices have increased by 50 percent and the impact on food production imports remained high resulting in the poor being the hardest hit.On Thursday, the South African government called on all governments throughout Africa to unite against high fuel prices.Addressing the media in Pretoria on Thursday after a meeting with stakeholders in the energy sector and representatives from Transnet, Deputy Director General in the Department of Minerals and Energy Nhlanhla Gumede said the government was concerned about the high fuel prices which resulted in even higher food prices."It is not something that the South African government can deal with alone, private companies and governments throughout the world must collectively deal with the issue," he said, adding that government needed partners.At the meeting, parties discussed the Energy Security Master Plan which outlines South Africa's energy security strategy and includes the integrated energy modelling and planning approach.

Connel Nqcukana, Executive Director of the South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA) said to curb the high fuel prices affecting motorists' pockets, they should avoid taking unnecessary trips and start up lift clubs.South Africans are bracing themselves for a further petrol price hike. Fuel is expected to rise by about 70 cents per litre, starting from next week Wednesday.This will bring the petrol price to over R10 a litre. Motorists are now paying between R9.81 and R9.96 a litre, depending on the grade of petrol.The Petrol price increase is influenced by the country's weak rand and the increasing crude oil price.The department also expressed concern about the increasing trend at filling stations where some motorists leave the stations without paying for fuel and in some instances petrol attendants are attacked.The department's Acting Head of Communications Bheki Khumalo said such acts must stop.So far two petrol attendants have been killed and a number of cases have been reported to the police about motorists who leave without paying.

• Economists Cite Six Factors for Oil, Food Price Hikes: America.gov (Washington, DC): 27 June 2008.

Members of the group who spoke to America.gov, include Michael J. Dwyer, director and chief economist for the Foreign Agricultural Service; Daniel B. Whitley, deputy director of that office; and Hui Jiang, a USDA agricultural economist. Normally, Dwyer said, the international system is dynamic enough to handle one or two simultaneous shocks, but the number of factors in play today "pretty much overwhelms the system's ability to deal with it, and prices are spiking sharply higher." He and his colleagues outlined six factors. First, higher energy prices have led to higher input costs for pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides (many of which are petroleum-based), higher

312 processing costs and higher costs for transportation -- which directly affects the cost of food being shipped overseas. "Right now, to ship a ton of corn out of New Orleans to Asia [costs] about $130," a dramatic increase from not long ago. "When farmers have to pay more for their fertilizers and other inputs," Dwyer said, "it means these higher food prices are not all pure profit to a producer because their costs are up as well." Dwyer said it is incorrect to single out the current U.S. biofuels policy, which promotes the conversion of some corn into biofuels, for driving up prices. "A lot of the world press is covering this issue right now, and it is probably the number one issue in the newspapers around the world. Unfortunately, a lot of the newspapers have unfairly scapegoated the U.S biofuels policy as the driver behind why corn prices and commodity prices in general have spiked sharply higher in the last 18 months. "We don't dispute that ethanol has had a role," he said. "What we are saying is that it is a little more complex than that." U.S. ethanol production is booming, he said, with one-third of the U.S. corn crop expected to be milled for ethanol this year. "We don't deny that it is having an impact." The second factor is the growing demand for food, particularly emanating from China, India and Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. "As the middle classes are growing in these regions, they want to eat more food and are all entering the international market at the same time," Dwyer said. "When the new middle class gets new income, they want to spend it on food in much of the developing world, so the demand-side growth for food is on a rapid growth curve right now."Third, the dollar is at a 30-year low in real terms. "Any time the dollar goes down in value, any dollar-denominated commodity tends to go up in price," Dwyer said. Like oil, most major food commodities worldwide are traded in dollars, and a weak dollar contributes to upward pricing pressure. Fourth, bad weather has reduced global food supplies, particularly wheat out of Australia. The European Union, Canada and Eastern Europe also had shortfalls in the last two years. "What happens is that you get this strong demand growth, coupled with a supply shock, and you draw your stocks or inventory down to make up the gap. Anytime your inventory is at a very, very low level the price shoots up at a corresponding rate." The fifth factor is action by a number of countries that have either restricted or completely shut off exports, particularly of rice, to keep domestic prices low. The USDA estimates there is enough rice in the world to handle demand. Unfortunately, Dwyer said, rice-export bans prompted logistical problems and pricing scares. "The people who had it basically did not want to sell it to the people who needed it -- they got 'freaked out' and bid the price sky-high." Dwyer stressed that the United States has not shut off any of its food exports.The final factor cited is increased interest from investors in oil and commodities. In the oil markets alone, up to 70 percent of the futures contracts are being held by investors with no intention of taking delivery, up from 30 percent historically, he said. "We do not have comparable numbers for agricultural commodities, but anecdotally, a lot of these index funds go out and buy all of these commodities. Investors are playing a much, much bigger role in the commodity markets. So the concern is that investors may be having an undue influence on prices," by heavily moving into these markets, he said.Supply and demand fundamentals indicate that prices needed to be higher than they were, Dwyer said. The question is whether they need to be $15 a bushel for soybeans versus the historic price of $6. It is the same story with wheat and corn, he said. Whitley added that large-scale agriculture operations -- which contribute much of the crops

313 sold on the world markets -- are "heavily dependent" on energy, both in petroleum- based products fueling the tractors and equipment in the fields and petroleum- based fertilizers and herbicides.Adding to that, Jiang said, emerging economies simultaneously are increasing their demand for oil, gas and electricity.As stated at the recent United Nations food summit in Rome, Whitley said, the United States is working on a three-pronged approach to help stem the food crisis worldwide. The first step is to provide immediate, short-term and long-term humanitarian assistance for those hungry due to higher food prices.Second, the United States will continue to pursue the successful completion of the Doha round of trade talks in the World Trade Organization. The talks seek to establish rules covering export restrictions on food as well as lower tariff on agricultural products, allowing producers to access more markets.Third, the United States will continue its technical-assistance efforts in the developing world and promote technologies that safely increase agricultural production.

• Africa: U.S. Supports Antiretroviral Treatment for 1.73 Million Worldwide Through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief: United States President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 27 June 2008.

Today the U.S. Government, through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), announced that it is supporting life-saving antiretroviral treatment for approximately 1.73 million men, women and children worldwide, including nearly 1.68 million people in sub-Saharan Africa.This represents a dramatic increase from the roughly 50,000 people on treatment in all of sub-Saharan Africa in 2003, when President George W. Bush first announced PEPFAR. This accomplishment, along with the similarly successful prevention and care programs supported through PEPFAR, is a testament to the commitment of the people of the countries in which the U.S. Government is privileged to serve.Together, PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria are supporting antiretroviral treatment for approximately 2.4 million of the 3 million people on treatment in low- and middle- income countries. These results also reflect the strong country-level partnership between PEPFAR and the Global Fund in support of host nations. The U.S. Government, as a founding member of the Global Fund and its largest contributor, continues to play a leadership role in ensuring the success of this essential international effort. Since 2001, the American people have invested more than $2.5 billion in the Global Fund, providing approximately 30 percent of its total resources."Only a few years ago, many doubted whether prevention, treatment and care could ever successfully be provided in resource- limited settings, where HIV was a death sentence," said Ambassador Mark Dybul, PEPFAR Coordinator. "Today, while much remains to be done, the skeptics have been proven wrong. Millions of people are on life-saving anti-retroviral treatment in developing countries, and many millions more have benefited from prevention and care programs." Since the program's inception, PEPFAR has supported prevention of mother-to child-transmission for women during more than 12.7 million pregnancies. For pregnant women found to be HIV-positive, it has provided antiretroviral prophylaxis in more than one million pregnancies, preventing transmission of HIV to an estimated 194,000 infants.PEPFAR is on target to achieve

314 its ambitious goals of supporting treatment for two million people, prevention of seven million new infections, and care for 10 million people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, including orphans and vulnerable children.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Continent Needs $20b for Water Goals: New Vision (Kampala): 23 June 2008.

ABOUT $20b is required annually in the next 25 years for Africa to attain water- related Millennium Development Goals, the secretary general of the African Water Association, Sylvain Usher, has said. "In Africa, only 4% of the potential fresh water sources are utilised, yet about 300 million people lack access to safe water and 313 million lack access to adequate sanitation," he said at the opening of a workshop in Kampala. Usher said about 45 million cubic meters of water are lost daily through water leakage in the distribution networks, adding that the amount is enough to serve nearly 200 million people. Similarly, about 30 million cubic meters are delivered daily to customers but are not invoiced because of employees' corruption, fraud and poor metering. He said the above challenges affect the financial viability of water utilities through lost revenues, lost water resources and increased operational cost, thus reducing their capacity to expand.

• High Food Prices an Opening for Developing Countries: The Monitor (Kampala): 24 June 2008.

Rather than worry about the rising global food prices, developing nations like Uganda should exploit this opportunity to earn millions of dollars from food importing nations. Dr Jurgen Zattler, the Deputy Director General Multilateral and European Development Policy, trade, at the Ministry for Economic Cooperation in Germany, advised developing countries to step up their agricultural out put to take advantage of foreign markets where food prices have soared as a result of food shortages. He underlined that the swelling prices are not only negative but also positive because they are also stimulating production especially in developing countries. "The high prices are a big chance for developing countries to increase their productivity in the agriculture sector," Dr Zattler told Daily Monitor in an interview, on June 13. At the moment, he said, there are no export subsidies in Europe because food prices like elsewhere, are high. He said this was a result of rising energy prices as a result of increased demand for oil and food stuff like beef, rice and wheat by China and India with ballooning growth rates. Subsidies for local farmers in European countries have for long been a major impediment in trade between them, the United States of America and developing countries. If counties like Uganda increase their food production, and exported to these markets, this would translate into higher incomes for the local farmers and increased revenue for government. Oil rich countries like Saudi Arabia are already in talks, with developing countries like Sudan, and Pakistan to assist her grow food crops in their countries according to the Financial Times of June 13. The move is aimed at securing food supplies like wheat, rice and corn, for the oil producer's citizens in the near future. Saudi Arabia's initiative comes at a time

315 when the world is grappling with rising food prices. Saudi Arabia's example is likely to be picked on by other developed nations, which lack capacity to grow their own food, a factor that could see revenues of developing countries improve by significant amounts. Dr. Zattler comments came on the heels of efforts by the Ugandan government to combat its neighbours' and own food problems. The region like the rest of the world has seen prices of food double while kicking off some dishes like fish and beet from the poor people's menu. While reading the Uganda's 2009/10 budget speech last Friday, the Dr Ezra Suruma announced that the government has exempted investors in agricultural processing in rural areas from paying taxes. The incentive is aimed at encouraging export of processed agricultural products like milk, beef, and maize as well as stimulating investment in farming.

19. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: CHRAJ Indicts Mining Companies of Human Rights Abuses (1): Public Agenda (Accra): 27 June 2008.

The Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has pronounced mining companies in Ghana guilty of various forms of human rights abuses in their host communities.This development according to CHRAJ if not left unchecked could undermine the country's democracy and the benefit of mining for national development.In a draft investigative report into the state of human rights in mining communities, CHRAJ indicates that its findings revealed evidence of widespread violations of human rights of individuals and communities in which they operate.The investigations was launched in December 2006 with the aim of assessing the human rights situation in mining communities, examining the extent of pollution of water bodies and causes of environmental degradation and promoting cordial relations between mining companies and communities and was funded by DFID,UNDP and DANIDA.The report which is expected to be launched later this year further revealed that there has been widespread pollution of water sources, deprivation, loss of livelihoods, health problems, use of both state and private security to torture community members and inadequate compensation.

According to the report mining companies maintain private security to protect their concessions and property from trespassers and also all the mining companies with the assistance of the government through the various Regional Security Councils (REGSEC) deploy the police and military to protect their concessions.In the case of large-scale concessions artisanal miners are harassed and brutalized often with the help of the state security.The report had evidence to show that Anglo Gold Ashanti at Obuasi use state security and guard dogs in its fight against the encroachment of galamseys and the worse affected communities were Sansu,Dokyiwa ,Binsere ,Akatakyieso all in the concession areas of AngloGold.According to the report almost all mining companies they visited namely AngloGold Ashanti (AGA), Chirano, Central African Gold Ghana ltd (CAGGL), Abosso Goldfields limited (AGL) and Bogoso Gold ltd (BGL) have all established permanent posts in their concessions for the military, the police or both.

316 The report further revealed that there were periodic exercises carried out by the police and military code named "operation flush out" during which atrocities were meted out on community members.The Commission therefore called on the government to make a real contribution to the fight against torture by desisting from the use of the military in the mining communities unless the situation is so grave and beyond the control of the police service.According to CHRAJ their investigations on the water situation in mining communities indicated that access to water is a problem in many communities since many rivers and streams which hitherto provided water for the communities have either been polluted or destroyed.In addition there were recordings of cyanide spillage into rivers and streams by the mining companies besides, the use of mercury in small-scale mining.According to CHRAJ, the companies as a measure have provided alternative water supply to these communities such as standpipes, boreholes and pipe borne water with some malfunctioning.Apart from the malfunctioning of these water sources, the report indicated that some of the water provided to the communities were unsafe and that tests they conducted on water sources in 22 out of 28 mining communities showed that at least two water quality parameters with health implications were present and in concentrations significantly higher than the World Health Organization's (WHO) maximum allowable limits for drinking water.Touching on environmental pollution and blasting, the report said that there were widespread complaints about dust and noise pollution from mining activities and also there was evidence that the companies do not take dust suppression measures seriously and often limited sprinkling of water to the areas where they were actively operating. In addition it was clear that some communities were bearing the negative brunt of the mining activities of some companies and this has led such communities to appeal for resettlement.The report further revealed that the blasting activities of mining companies have caused cracks in several buildings at Obuasi and Prestea as well as other communities where there is large-scale mining.According to the report, communities visited contended that noise and dust from blasts and the movement of large haulage trucks constitute a major nuisance to them and the noise from blasting detracts school children from paying attention in class, while residents have sleepless nights when blasting occurs in the night. In addition the women complained that people usually experience shock and children are frightened when there is sudden loud blasting and they have to consistently re-plaster their cracked buildings at their own costs. The CHRAJ report further revealed that most mining communities attributed a variety of health problems prevalent in their communities to mining activities. For instance, Medical Officers at the Bryant Mission and Obuasi Government medical facilities acknowledged that some of the diseases prevalent in communities in the periphery of the mine are in partly attributable to mining. The report indicated that diseases suffered by community dwellers are skin diseases, chest diseases, including Tuberculosis(TB), diarrhoea and malaria as well as typhoid , while for communities lying very close to centres of mining activities air pollution makes them experience dizziness and headache. The Commission therefore recommended that there should be further testing of fruit ,fish and bush meat samples at Obuasi in order to ascertain whether chemical use in mining are present in them. In addition they urged the government and the Ministry of Health to urgently assess the overall health needs of rural communities, especially mining

317 communities with a view of providing health care to these communities in the most efficient manner.

• Ghana: Public Lets Execution Call Pass: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 26 June 2008.

A senior Ghanaian justice department official has expressed surprise that the government has failed to ban capital punishment, implicitly censuring lawmakers for their recent endorsement of two new pro-death penalty judges to the Supreme Court.The current law permitting the death penalty was "obnoxious", the deputy attorney general, Kwame Osei-Bempah, told IPS. "There is no reason why it should remain on our law books."He added: "Unfortunately, no government has had the political will to raise the issue for discussion." The official's remarks were made after four presidential appointees to the Supreme Court were grilled in a public vetting process by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on May 27. All four former appeal court judges were approved as new Supreme Court justices.Two of the justices -- Rose Owusu and Paul Baffoe-Bonnie -- told lawmakers they did not see anything wrong with the death penalty. Justice Owusu specifically endorsed the Biblical saying "A tooth for a tooth"."He who kills must be killed," she insisted, claiming that the Bible was categorical on the issue when Jesus said, "Anyone who draws the sword must die by the sword." Justice Owusu contended that although there had been reviews of past death sentences -- the last death sentences carried out in Ghana was in 1993 -- this had not had a positive influence on the condemned. She added that crime could only be fought by being tough on offenders. The state had a constitutional mandate to see a death sentence was carried out.Justice Baffoe-Bonnie expressed more muted pro-capital punishment views.But two Supreme Court nominees -- Justices Jones Dotse and Anim Yeboah -- said they supported the abolition of the death penalty.Both raised the possibility of judicial error and innocent people being executed."Some innocent people who have suffered from the death penalty only to be exonerated later," said Justice Jones Victor Dotse.This view was also supported by Justice Anim Yeboah, adding that the death penalty "did not address the critical issue of deterring crime".In an interview with IPS after the hearing, Accra civil servant, Peter Bonsu suggested Justice Dotse may have been alluding to some specific Ghanaian cases when he spoke of the danger of sending innocents to their death."In 1979, General Afrifa and other generals were executed by firing squad for some spurious political crimes. But years later their bodies were exhumed and given befitting burials ..." Bonsu said.General Afrifa, a former military head of state, was executed together with six other Army officers during a military coup. They were condemned to death by a so-called People's Court. When President John Agyekum Kufuor came to power he set up a Seven Member Committee under Marshal M.A. Otu to review the case. This recommended the reburial of the generals.

Attempts by IPS to get MPs to comment on the justices' views on the death penalty were met by a wall of silence. "It is a very controversial issue," one MP said on condition of anonymity.Nana Oye Lithur, African Regional Coordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) expressed surprise at the little public outrage voiced over Justice Owusu's strong support for carrying out death sentences.Lithur attributed this

318 to the fact that the death penalty was not a "priority" issue for the government. This was because "no one talks about it," she explained.The CHRI had also not given the death penalty serious attention, she conceded.But this was about to change. The CHRI was "committed to initiate a project to sensitise the public on what it (the death penalty) means and why it should not remain on the country's law books," she told IPS.Some time ago, Amnesty International had raised the death penalty issue in the public domain but little had resulted, she said.Bonsu said that Ghanaians needed to be made aware that although the death penalty was not being carried out, the punishment still remained on the statute books.Justice department officials were unable to provide IPS with current statistics on the number of recent death sentences passed by Ghanaian courts. There were also no readily-available statistics on the number currently on death row awaiting reprieve.Records kept by the police and passed to the attorney general's office were not the best, explained one official, declining to be named.Ghana still retains the death penalty for three crimes, armed robbery, treason and murder with intent.The last executions were in July 1993, when 12 convicted of armed robbery or murder were executed by firing squad.Ghana abstained during the U.N. General Assembly Dec 2007 vote on a resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions.

Sierra Leone: Women Urged to Put On Veil to Maintain Respect The Independent (Freetown):27 June 2008.

A female participant on the celebration of the birth anniversary of the of Fatima Zahra, the daughter of the Holy Prophet Muhammad in Freetown, has urged women to put on the veil so as maintain their respect and protect themselves from sexual harassment. Rugia Marrah said putting on the veil is an age-old tradition even in Roman times before the birth of Christianity. The occasion was also used to extol the virtues of the Virgin Mary who was equated with Fatima Zahra. The two were declared as role models of societies at all times. Rugia Marrah said the hijab (veil) has "economic advantages and protects women from sexual harassment". She urged women to put on the veil so as to protect themselves from such a phenomenon. She added that out of every 100 women 33 acquire AIDS, which she said could be acquired through promiscuity. The principal of the International Institute in Freetown Sheikh Ganee said women should be cherished because the Holy Prophet had described a woman to being like a garden. He said even though the vogue around the world now is on gender equality, yet still a woman should not be "compelled to be the breadwinner of the home". He described it as an injustice. The wife of the Iranian ambassador to Sierra Leone Mrs. Fatima Maliki spoke on the virtues of Fatima Zahra who she said is a role model for all women.The Chancellor of the Iranian Cultural Consulate Mohamed Reza Ghezel Sofla said "Fatima is the brightest example for all women" He added;" Humanity is still in the wilderness and therefore cannot prevail. The current global problem is that humanity has failed to emulate role models like Fatima".He said, "The Holy Prophet's love and respect to womanhood was beyond bounds. "Fatima was not only a housewife but was a sympathetic woman and cared for her father and even the wounded during wars.Another female participant Mrs. Nyallay spoke on the virtues of the virgin Mary whose birth and life are also narrated in the holy Quran She urged women to emulate the virtues of Mary so that they would be assets to society.Sheikh Lamin Juana spoke on the

319 household of the prophet known as Ahl Uhl Bhait.The occasion attracted people from over the country and was characterized with joy. It provide a forum for the discussion of gender issues of contemporary times and for encouragement for a shift from traditional African perceptions that hinder women's empowerment.

• Gambia: Gamcotrap Sensitises Alkalos, Imams on FGM: The Daily Observer (Banjul): 27 June 2008.

Six Alkalolu, Imams and council of elders recently joined over one hundred women and men to attend a training on sexual and reproductive health and the rights of women, in particular the effects of female genital mutilation at Bantanto Village in the Central River Region.Organised by GAMCOTRAP, the event drew participants from the villages of Bantanto, Mabally Koto, Mabally Kuta and Sare Jibel in the CRR. Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Isatou Touray, the executive director of GAMCOTRAP emphasised that her organisation is not against culture and traditions but wants them to be critically analysed to come up with practices that protect the rights of women and girls. She noted that the perception of traditional practices are changing towards a positive direction as communities and families are protecting girls from FGM, early marriage and other harmful traditional practices which led to the first national declaration of the dropping of the Knife Initiative in May 2007.Dr Touray further highlighted the challenges of dealing with mobile circumcisers from Senegal who cross the border into The Gambia to practice FGM, noting that there is no law in The Gambia to protect the girl child against FGM.Alkalo Fatou Danso of Kaba Kama Village, who is also a nurse and midwife in the Upper River Region, shared her experience of the effects of FGM and early marriage on women and girls.At the training, the traditional communicators locally called 'Kanyelengholu' sang songs to support the campaign to stop Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at Bantanto. The songs were based on the effects FGM has on women and girls, women's rights and empowerment.

In his contribution, Kebba Kora of Bansang who is also the head Alkalo of Fulladu called for a stop to FGM and pointed out the need for a law to stop the practice. He pledged to sensitize the 132 Alkalos under his jurisdiction about FGM and its serious implications on the sexual and reproductive health of women.He then called on parents to educate their daughters and emulate GAMCOTRAP as role model. Other speakers at the Bantanto training stated their support of the campaign to stop FGM.Speaking on behalf of the women of Sara Jibel, Chedo Jawo, thanked GAMCOTRAP and noted that FGM has nothing to do with Islam but was merely about jealousy. She called on women to protect their children from the practice.Similar sentiments were expressed by Jabou Janneh of Mabally Kuta.Penda Sanyang, the traditional birth attendant of Mabally Koto comfirmed that their village circumciser has stopped practicing FGM.The training also highlighted the Public Declaration to Stop FGM by another circumciser Jainaba Kanteh of Mabally Kuta in the CRR. She received five thousand dalasis as support to start an alternative income activity.

• West Africa: Migrants Fight Female Genital Mutilation in France: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 23 June 2008.

320 West African immigrant activists have taken their fight against female genital mutilation (FGM) to France where as many as 50,000 immigrant women a year undergo the procedure, according to the French Institute of Demographic Studies. Female genital mutilation, a traditional initiation ceremony involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for cultural or religious reasons, is practiced in 28 African countries, many of them in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization.While ongoing struggles against the practice are causing numbers of excisions to diminish across the region, including in Niger, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Guinea, some activists say West Africans living abroad are more likely to put their daughters through the procedure than they would be back home."Immigrants have a tendency to cling to their traditions and customs - sometimes even more so than those who stay at home - for fear of losing them or of being socially rejected," said Khady Koita, a Senegalese immigrant and president of a European network for the prevention of traditional practices harmful to the health of women and children, which operates in France.Some parents secretly submit their daughters to FGM in ceremonies in France while others send their children home during the school holidays to undergo the excision. There are even instances where relatives or immigrant community members instigate the procedure without the knowledge of the children's parents, as was the case with Koita's two girls. More and more activists in France are mobilising against the practice by raising awareness of its dangers to women and girls in the media, through conferences and debates, and in schools and health-centres in cities which have significant immigrant communities across the country. Awa Ba, a Senegalese woman and the president of the association of African women in Boulogne-Billancourt, a western suburb of Paris, targets families directly. "Before children leave for home for their school holidays I warn them about the risk of circumcision and I tell the parents that if their daughter has not been circumcised before going and comes back circumcised, I will bring a complaint against her."Their efforts are starting to pay off. Though the latest data is hard to find, recent studies say FGM among immigrant groups "has undoubtedly decreased" in France in recent years.Sophie Soumaré, a Malian immigrant who works with the Women's Group for the Abolition of Mutilation (GAMS) in Marne, northeast France told IRIN, "The mentality [among immigrant groups] is starting to change and parents understand more and more that the Koran doesn't promote FGM."And it helps that in France activists have the law on their side. FGM falls under Article 222 of the criminal code on violence, carrying prison sentences of up to 20 years for those who carry out the practice and parents who collaborate in it. Linda Weil-Curiel a lawyer who works with the Commission for the Abolition of Sexual Mutilation has pleaded approximately 100 cases in and around Paris, most of which have resulted in a prison sentence for parents or those carrying out the procedure. One perpetrator, Hawa Gréou from Mali, took up the fight against it herself on her release from prison.

Decentralising the fight: But activists are starting to realise that in order to have maximum impact they need to exert their efforts not only in France, but also back home in West Africa."It is very important to try to change people's viewpoint and behaviour in the country of origin as well as the immigration country to get the best results," said Koita.To do this she has created La Palabre, an organisation to raise awareness of the dangers of FGM both in France and in her home town of Thiès, in central Senegal, where

321 it also runs shelter for girls who are forced to undergo the procedure.Diaryatou Bah, a France-based Guinean is president of Hopes and Struggles of Women, which extends its awareness-raising work to universities and hospitals in Guinea's capital Conakry, as well as training local social workers in how to apply Guinean laws banning the practice.But Somaré realises it takes strength to resist the social and cultural pressures immigrants face when they return home even for short visits. Knowing that many parents are willing to transgress laws when it comes to circumcising their daughters, GAMS tries to link them up with local networks in their country of origin who will remind them of the dangers of excision when they are there.Most of these organisations struggle on shoe- string budgets as fighting FGM is often overlooked by local authorities many experts told IRIN, and immigrant community members are often reluctant to be seen to be supporting them."The biggest difficulty that I have encountered and I believe it is the case for many others, is the lack of funding. Often we are not even paid a living wage to carry out this work," said Koita.While local politicians support their efforts in theory, they do not finance them, and "often we do not even receive a thank-you," from them, Koita complained.This is just one of the obstacles these women face - the most challenging is opposition from their own friends and families. "Many of my African peers thought 'white women' had filled my head with feminist ideas to turn me against my own culture, and that I, in turn was trying to brainwash their wives," Somaré said. Many fall out with their families as a result.But others are luckier. "My family have always been behind me in this struggle," said Koita, "and that helps me keep it going."

• Nigeria: Women to Submit Memo to Political Reform C'tee: Daily Trust (Abuja): 26 June 2008.

A women's group, Gender Electoral and Constitution Memoranda Committee will today present a memoranda to the Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwais led electoral reform committee which will start public hearing in Abuja today.Ms. Beni Lar, chairman House Committee on Women Affairs who spoke to journalists in Abuja at a meeting on validation of the memorandum, said a women rally will take off today from the Protea hotel at Asokoro to the International Conference Centre.While reading the memorandum, Maryam Uwais said that the committee recommended the amendment of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and the Electoral Act 2006 in order to make it gender sensitive in language, structure and content. It also recommended that a new subsection should be inserted to section 15 (2) to provide a 35% affirmative action for women that will address historical imbalances and injustices against women. This would include adopting the quota system in appointive positions.Other recommendations made by the committee include the replacement of the provision for the Federal Character Commission with an Equal Opportunity Commission so that beside geography and ethnicity, gender and disability are reflected in representation, to insert in section 154 that a person shall be either a retired Chief Justice of the Federation or Chief Judge of a State to be qualified for the post of INEC Chairman and a public hearing shall be conducted before confirmation of the appointment.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

322 • South Africa: Congress Passes Berman Legislation Lifting Stigma Against Nelson Mandela, Other ANC Members: United States Congress (Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 27 June 2008.

Congress is sending legislation to President Bush that will finally erase a government- imposed stigma against association with the African National Congress of South Africa.Last night the House and Senate came to agreement on legislation by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard L. Berman (D-CA) that will remove from U.S. databases any notation characterizing the ANC and its leaders -- including Nobel Laureate and former South African President Nelson Mandela -- as terrorists."Congress finally stands ready to rid U.S. immigration law of this anachronistic blight," Berman noted. "The Senate and House have now both affirmed that America's place is on the side of those who fought against Apartheid, and there should be no discrimination in our legal code based on their ANC association alone." For decades the ANC resisted Apartheid and advocated the rights of black South Africans - first through nonviolence and community activism, and then through the actions of its military wing. The South African government banned the ANC in 1960, and the United States denied entry to ANC members based on the group's activities. With the end of Apartheid in 1990, the ANC grew to become the leading political party; it continues to lead South Africa in a multiracial, multiparty democracy.Berman's bill (H.R. 5690), which passed the House on May 8, effectively removes the stain of the "terrorist" label from the names of current and former African National Congress members. House co-sponsors are Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI), Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Africa Subcommittee Chairman Donald Payne (D-NJ), and Foreign Affairs Committee members Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), and Oversight and Government Reform Committee member Peter Welch (D-VT). The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the legislation yesterday, and the Senate passed it unanimously last night. On the heels of Senate passage, the House approved the final version of the legislation as well.When the measure becomes law, ANC membership alone will no longer trigger additional investigation into an individual's application for a visa to the United States. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called the additional review of ANC members' visas "embarrassing" and has advocated a legislative change to lift it.

• Zimbabwe: Soldiers, War Vets to Force Voters to Poll: Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): 27 June 2008.

SOLDIERS, war veterans and Zanu PF youths have reportedly threatened to frog-march the electorate to polling stations to vote for President Robert Mugabe in the presidential run-off election which MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has withdrawn from.Army Major-General Engelbert Rugeje on Wednesday reportedly told a rally at Mucheke Stadium, Masvingo, that the soldiers would ensure that everyone votes for the ageing Mugabe.

323 Sources who attended the rally said Rugeje said action would be taken against those who refused to go to the polls.Soldiers, war veterans and Zanu PF militia have been accused by the MDC of perpetrating violence throughout the country since the March 29 harmonised elections.This week, the United States ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee, said Mugabe's embattled government was planning to force people to cast their vote in today's ill-fated poll.Tsvangirai withdrew from Friday's election saying a free and fair vote was impossible because of political violence that he said had killed at least 86 members of his party and displaced 200 000 others.McGee said the US mission in Harare had received information that Mugabe's government planned to force voters out to the polls in its bid to portray the one-man race as a credible election."We've received reports that Zanu PF will force people to vote on Friday and also take action against those who refuse to vote," McGee said. "So, they are saying 'we want an election at all costs. We want to validate Mugabe's victory here'."MDC spokesman, Nelson Chamisa, yesterday claimed that Zanu PF was plotting to use "fake" opposition polling agents to legitimise the election.He said: "Zanu PF is plotting to plant fake MDC polling agents in polling stations nationwide to give the impression that the MDC is participating in this sham in a desperate bid to secure some semblance of legitimacy in the so-called run-off poll."

Chamisa said the party has received information that Zanu PF has started paying its people allowances of between $50 billion and $100 billion to masquerade as MDC polling agents who will then be used to sign the V11 forms to give an impression that the party participated in tomorrow's (today's) election. Chamisa said Zanu PF wanted to frog- march everyone to go and vote for Mugabe. "The regime's antics include an operation code-named "Chigunwe chitsvuku" in which armed militia will randomly inspect people's fingers to check whether they have voted," he claimed. "Our message to the people is that if anyone is frog-marched to a polling station, they must spoil their ballot. The people cannot be abused by the same regime they rejected on 29 March."Meanwhile, the police yesterday claimed that the MDC intended to disrupt the run-off and declared that "these counterproductive criminal activities will be met head on and with full force of the law".Police commander in charge of elections, Senior Assistant Commissioner Faustino Mazango, told a media conference yesterday that they had arrested five MDC activists in Gweru on Wednesday who confessed that the party intended to disrupt the poll."Some people want to participate in this run-off in a negative way as revealed through the confessions made by five people who were arrested in Gweru yesterday (Wednesday)," Mazango alleged. "The five arrested confessed that they had been addressed by an MDC- T elect MP that their leadership had realised that the party did not have support and that they should be mobilised to disturb the elections and burn tents used at polling stations." He claimed that the youths were encouraged to flee to Botswana after committing the criminal acts.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: UN to Probe Army Role in Mt Elgon: The Nation (Nairobi): 26 June 2008.

A UN organisation has asked for more information on the human rights violations allegedly committed by the Kenya Army in Mt Elgon District. In a letter, the UN

324 Commission on Human Rights asked the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to brief its committee members on the recent serious allegations related to Mt Elgon District. The letter from the High Commissioner's office terms the reports on violation of human rights committed by the Kenya Army as extremely serious. "I share your concerns about the serious allegations of human rights violations that occurred following the deployment of the Kenya Army on March 2008 and I have shared them with the special procedures mandate holders for action," the UN organisation said in a letter dated June 19, 2008.

Strong foundation: The organisation said it will discuss Kenya's initial human rights report under the Convention Against Torture in November."The positive cooperation developed from the fact that the Government's report was consulted with and validated by all stakeholders engaged in human rights and torture related issues, provides a strong foundation for your commission to orally brief the committee members on the more recent serious allegations related to Mt Elgon District," the letter said.The comments follow a letter written by KNCHR to the UN body urging it to take action against Kenya, following human rights violations committed by the Army pursuing the members of the Sabaot Land Defence Force, a rag-tag army.According to studies conducted by the commission and the Independent Medico Legal Unit, more than 400 residents were killed in the operation dubbed Okoa Maisha.However, the Government has since denied any allegations of human rights abuses, saying those killed were SLDF members.The illegal group also committed serious human rights violations against the region's residents.

• Uganda: Criminalise Female Genital Mutilation: The Monitor (Kampala): EDITORIAL: 24 June 2008.

It's a very sad story of 48-year-old Judith Natari who is now condemned to a wheelchair and lifetime pain and disability because of a cruel culture.At 16, Judith was subjected to female genital mutilation which the Sabiny community call female circumcision. Judith now cannot look after herself, has been crippled by the circumciser's brutal knife and will live the rest of her life in pain. It's so sad.True, every community has a culture. But in modern times culture must be reviewed to fit within the values and aspirations of the changing world. Any culture that offends or takes away human dignity however popular it may be, must be discarded and condemned. What's the value of a culture that cripples a whole society? The genesis of the female genital mutilation began in ancient times as a crude measure of controlling promiscuity among women because husbands would be away in wars in foreign lands for many months. So to stop the sexually starved women from sleeping around, the men opportunistically but cunningly cultivated a false theory to cut off girls' genitalia under the disguise of initiating them into womanhood. With the chopping off of the genitalia, the woman's sexual feelings are dead. Therefore besides being crude and brutal, female circumcision is a very selfish cultural practice that converts women into mere sex objects or child production machines who are denied the right to enjoy sex as their male counterparts. Now with the HIV/Aids pandemic the situation is made more dangerous and threatens the existence of the whole community. The knives used in the "surgery are not sterilised, thereby increasing the risk of HIV

325 infection from one girl to another. But as seen from Judith's experience, many girls develop physical disability and often die as a result of the genital mutilation. Uganda's constitution guarantees the right to culture. But the same constitution prohibits any culture that violates human dignity or endangers human life. Female circumcision subjects women to cruelty, torture, pain and inhuman treatment, which vices are prohibited under our constitution. Therefore any culture that is in breach of the fundamental human rights under the constitution, as female circumcision is, should be condemned to the extent of their offensiveness. It's not enough to just condemn or step up public campaigns against female circumcision. Government should enact a law criminalising female genital mutilation and save our young girls from permanent agony and disability in the name of an obnoxious cultural practice.

• Uganda: Only 24 Percent of Women Plan Families: New Vision (Kampala): 22 June 2008.

DESPITE 40 years of promotion of family planning services in Uganda, only 24 % of women use them. The deputy director of the regional centre for quality of health care, Maxwell Abok, said this while opening a training workshop on family planning and gender-based violence at Colline Hotel, Mukono recently. The workshop, funded by USAID, attracted journalists from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda."In most countries, contraceptive prevalence is less than 25%. The lack of information is one of the major factors affecting access to and utilisation of family planning services in the region," Abok said.The Uganda Demographic and Health Survey of 2006 defines contraceptive prevalence rate as the percentage of married women aged 15 to 49, who are using any method of family planning. Of these, 18% use modern methods, while 6% use traditional methods.Abok said the media informs public opinion and policy formulation, and therefore accurate media coverage of family planning and gender-based violence would help family planning programmes gain acceptance and popularity.Abok said media coverage of family planning issues would drum up men's support for their partners on using the services. It would also strengthen visibility of the issue among national policy makers and the donor community.This, he said, would increase understanding and legitimacy of family planning among cultures in which it has been unacceptable."We are launching a new era of involving the media in addressing the poor reproductive health status in East and Central Africa because we have established that journalists in the region lack knowledge on family planning and reproductive health."He said experts on these issues developed a training curriculum to address the journalists' training needs.Abok appealed for improved provision of reproductive health services, including universal access to contraceptives, prevention of gender discrimination and gender-based violence, and access to sex education.Increasing access to family planning, he said, would help prevent unintended pregnancies and improve women's health.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Lubanga Trial Still At a Standstill: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 27 June 2008.

326 The trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) of Thomas Lubanga, former president of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC), a militia from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), accused of war crimes for having forcibly enlisted children, is still at a standstill after the hearing last Tuesday on the possibility of releasing the defendant after the decision rendered ten days earlier to suspend the proceedings in the case.

As the trial, the first at the ICC, was to open on 23 June, the judges suspended the proceedings because the prosecutor had not divulged evidence transmitted by the United Nations.New York refuses that several documents given to the prosecution under the seal of confidentiality be transmitted to the judges and the defence, as agreed upon notably in several cooperation agreements signed between the prosecution and the United Nations Mission in Congo (MONUC).In addition to these agreements, the ICC Statute provides that confidentiality measures can be agreed upon, which the prosecutor "commits not to reveal at any stage of the proceedings the documents and information which it obtained under the condition that they remain confidential and are only used to obtain new evidence, unless the one who provided the information allows its disclosure". But the prosecutor would have used this clause in an abusive manner, it is considered. In addition, he obviously did not use the information contained in these documents to obtain other sources of confirmations likely to be recorded as evidence in the trial.The UN is only agreeing to reveal under very precise conditions, communicated to the Chamber on 23 June, but denounced by the defence and the civil parties during the hearing of 24 June.

In a correspondence from Nicolas Michel, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, the United Nations proposed that the judges go to the Peace Palace in The Hague, therefore on "UN territory", to consult the documents.They would not be allowed to take notes, or to record information during their consultation. Thereafter, they could indicate certain pieces of evidence for which the prosecutor would be invited to make a summary. The judges could then compare the summary with the original evidence and decide to reveal these summaries to the defence.During the hearing of 24 June, Catherine Mabille, the lawyer for Lubanga, has from the start specified that "the defence will not accept summaries, which cannot be evidence"."If you accept", she declared, that means that the prosecutor signs agreements with the United Nations, and that the UN will dictate to the judges, to justice, what it can hear, what can be said or not. The confidential pieces would contain evidence likely to have an "impact" on "the innocence or the guilt" of the defendant, wrote the judges in their decision of 13 June, as certain pieces of evidence would show, inter alia, that Lubanga did not have full control on his militia, which would have been "under the control of Uganda, Rwanda and other countries", according to the magistrates.

For Mrs Mabille, the refusal of the UN raises other questions. To accept these conditions, she argued, would amount to accepting "what the UN wants us to think on its perception of the war in Congo and in Ituri.The UN was in Congo for years, she added, which superior interests is it hiding so that we do not have access to the documents? " The same consternation was expressed by the civil parties.For Carine Bapita, "the victims wonder who are the military authorities of the country and the neighbouring countries who are

327 being protected by the United Nations?" But she warns, however, on the consequences of the release of the defendant, which would lead to "scores being settled". "The consequences of such a release on the ground, each one of us will have to answer before history!" she pleaded. "Be assured there will be revenge, Mr. President".The status of Lubanga remains ambiguous. The Union of Congolese Patriots, Lubanga's movement, congratulated the judges on their decision. Prayer vigils would be organized by his followers in Bunia, according to Luc Walleyn, a lawyer of another civil party.The prosecution has asked for the authorization to appeal the decision of 13 June, asserting that it could not be sanctioned so harshly for its errors.According to Mrs. Mabille, since the decision to "stop the proceedings ... the arrest warrant no longer has a legal basis".

20. REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Crises Throw Out 11 Million Refugees Globally – UNHCR: Daily Trust (Abuja): 26 June 2008.

A new survey has found that 11.4 million refugees exist outside their countries worldwide while 26 million others are displaced internally by conflict, persecution, or natural disasters.The Representative of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr Alphous Malanda who disclosed this in Abuja said the figures which were determined by the end of last year showed an increase in the numbers of foreign refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) globally in the last two years."After a five-year decline in the number of refugees between 2001 and 2005, we have now seen two years of increases," Malanda quoted UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres as saying in London while kicking off activities to mark World Refugee Day, which is today.

Malanda who spoke during a press briefing at the UN House in Abuja as part of activities to mark the 2008 World Refugee Day disclosed that the number of refugees under UNHCR's responsibility rose from 9.9 million to 11.4 million by the end of 2007 while the global number of people affected by conflict-induced internal displacement increased from 24.4 million to 26 million.The Press Briefing was organized jointly by the UNHCR and National Commission for Refugees (NCFR), Nigerian Government's intervention agency for the welfare of refugees.Chief executive of the commission, Hajia Hadiza Sani Kangiwa who did an overview of the refugee situation in Nigeria said the incidence of internally displaced persons (IDPs) was of much concern. "The IDPs situation is quit disturbing," she said.She was quick, however, in adding that work was on to tackle it. She said the Federal Government would by next year come up with a befitting policy on it and that Nigeria was among countries under the African Union (AU) deliberating on a convention to address the IDPs phenomenon, a development she considered significant."There are IDPs all over the world but no other region has come up with the idea of an international convention on it, so African Union will be first in that respect," she said.

328 • Sierra Leone: Former IDPs Say Feel Betrayed: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 25 June 2008.

The aid workers who provided food, healthcare and shelter to internally displaced people (IDPs) during Sierra Leone's civil war are long-gone from this muddy, rubbish-strewn community of tin-roofed lean-to's and open sewers. For the 10,000 former IDPs who stayed behind, disillusionment, powerlessness and lawlessness run strong. "All our places of origin were burned in the war and we have no money for going back or rebuilding so we just stayed here," explained Abdu Kassin Kamara, a community leader in Grafton, 30km outside the capital Freetown.The international community has poured around US$300 million dollars per year into 'post-conflict reconstruction' in Sierra Leone since 2000, amounting to some 60 percent of the country's budget, and the UN made the country one of the first to benefit from the attention of its Peacebuilding Commission.However the money and attention has mainly focused on rebuilding government ministries and other state institutions, and Sierra Leone as a whole is still deemed "unlikely" to meet any of the UN's millennium development goals.None of the investment has made it to the forgotten victims of the country's war in Grafton, one of seven 'resettlement camps' recognised by the government as new townships populated by former IDPs who cannot go home.The three schools which serve the hordes of children in Grafton were all built by the Baptist Church which also pays the teachers, Kamara said.Muslim associations are building a mosque but there is no health clinic - Grafton residents must tramp 20 km to the nearest town and then pay for the treatment and medicines they need. Most turn to traditional healers or simply suffer in silence. Sierra Leone has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world.

Betrayed promises: "After the war, many promises were made to us by the government for proper shelter and medical facilities," Kamara said. "During elections the politicians come back and make the same promises, but then nothing is ever done."The only sign of national or international aid in Grafton apart from the schools and the mosque are the faded aid agency logos stamped onto some of the wooden furniture scattered around, the tattered UN Refugee Agency plastic sheeting still covering some shelters, and a rusted water tower - legacies of emergency aid operations that zoned in on Sierra Leone in the 1990s.Unemployment in Grafton runs high, as it does in the rest of the country. The UN Development Programme in 2007 ranked Sierra Leone the least developed of all 177 countries it analyses. Grafton residents say they scrape by with odd jobs - making bricks, cutting wood or carrying water - and cooking and washing for women.On Fridays Sierra Leonean amputees who had arms and legs sliced off by machete-wielding rebels during the war and who still live in a separate compound of concrete-walled huts built in the 1990s by the Norwegian Refugee Council, go out to beg in traffic jams in Freetown.

Suffering: Sergeant Jabez Njabay, manning a police post just outside the wire fences that mark where the former IDP camp begins, said criminality is rife. "Violence and crime are common here," he said. Stealing, fighting and drunkenness are common problems. "This community is exceptionally poor. Most of them cannot afford to buy anything," Njabay said. "The men have no jobs. Many of them drink."Every day women and many young girls come to Njabay to complain they have been raped and attacked by men in Grafton,

329 many of them apparently enlightened by their experiences with the foreign aid organisations that they have the right to prosecute men who attack them."I have to tell them to walk to another town," Njabay said. Most women don't bother, knowing their chances of receiving justice are extremely slim or even non-existent.Kamara, the community leader, said many people wish their suffering in peacetime would receive even a fraction of the attention it did when war was raging. "We still need attention, because we could do more with our lives than this," he said."Before the war we all worked, we all made money, we lived freely. Now we have this hard life and nothing else."

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Takes Refuge in Dutch Embassy: This Day (Lagos): 24 June 2008.

As political violence and insecurity continues in Zimbabwe, the Mov-ement for Democratic Change (MDC) presidential candidate, Mr. Morgan Tsvangirai, has sought refuge in the Dutch embassy of the country.Tsvangirai's action came as he pulled out of the presidential race last Sunday over the allegation of increasing violence and insecurity. Zimbabwe's run-off is slated for June 27. Reuters, however, said there was no immediate confirmation from Tsvangirai when contacted. Dutch Foreign Ministry said Tsvangirai had not requested for asylum, but would be granted (if asked) for his own security.MDC, Zimbabwe's main opposition party, added in a statement that police raided its Harare headquarters and took away more than 60 victims of the violence, in which it said nearly 90 of its supporters had been killed by militias backing President Robert Mugabe.Its statement also confirmed that those detained included women and children. But Tsvangirai yesterday changed his position and indicated interest to negotiate with Mugabe on the condition that the violence stops.Tsvangirai told South Africa's 702 Radio: "We are prepared to negotiate with ZANU-PF but of course it is important that certain principles are accepted before the negotiations take place. One of the preconditions is that this violence against the people must be stopped,"His decision to negotiate with Mugabe might be due to the option of some foreign governments in favour of a national unity government to end Zimbabwe's economic and political crisis. Tsvangirai had previously rejected by both sides.He pressed regional leaders to push for a postponement of the vote or for Mugabe to step down. But the government said Tsvangirai's withdrawal came too late to call off the election.However, both the African Union (AU) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders were discussing the situation following Tsvangirai's pullout.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has urged the global leaders to declare Mugabe persona non grata. He said Mugabe must be declared an illegitimate leader and sanctions should be stiffened against his supporters.Brown said: "The international community must send a powerful and united message: that we will not recognise the fraudulent election rigging and violence and intimidation of a criminal and discredited cabal."The world is of one view: that the status quo cannot continue," Brown stated. He also called for additional financial and travel sanctions on members of Mugabe's government.British Africa Minister, Mr. Mark Malloch Brown, earlier said the former colonial power backed

330 Tsvangirai's decision and he hoped world leaders would take action against Mugabe.The minister said: "I think we can look with reasonable confidence to broad-based action to make sure there's a resolution of this situation."He said the United Nations Security Council, European Union (EU) and AU should consider wider sanctions, including financial and travel sanctions as well as possible action against the foreign studies of children of the members of Mugabe's inner circle.

• South Africa: Locals Not Keen to Welcome Back Foreigners: Business Day (Johannesburg): 27 June 2008.

SA IS still picking up the pieces of the recent of wave of xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals and refugees that left more than 60 dead and thousands displaced.But for Ramaphosa residents, near Germiston, where there were ugly scenes, there has been no change of heart to welcome the displaced people back. Residents feel strongly that they cannot live with the foreign nationals in the township.David Tjetjane, a local community leader, says the government's plan to reintegrate displaced people in the community is not going to work, and the community is preparing to resist it. He says the situation is not conducive for foreigners to return.

The government needs to understand that foreign nationals started the attacks, by killing four South Africans, he says."I want to use this opportunity to tell the government that the attacks in our community were started by those Mozambicans . They violently killed four local people. They consistently commit heinous crimes, they are criminals. We were just protecting ourselves, it was not about xenophobia like it was in other areas," Tjetjane says.He says foreign nationals show no respect for the country's laws and many of them "unlawfully" own houses meant for poor locals.In addition, Tjetjane says, "the community is now afraid of revenge attacks if these people are brought back to live with us".It is government policy to allocate low-cost houses to foreigners with permanent residence permits.The allocation of "RDP houses" to foreigners has been identified as one of the causes of xenophobic violence that took place in Gauteng and other parts of SA last month.

A foreign national qualifies for permanent residence after five years of residing in SA legally, or if they have a South African spouse and that marriage does not lapse within three years of being granted the permit.Tjetjane singles out Ananias "Houdini" Mathe -- who has multiple convictions for robbery and rape -- from Mozambique as someone who terrorised the Ramaphosa community before his arrest. "This shows how dangerous these people can be. They are in SA to disrupt and corrupt our hard-fought democracy."He says Mathe's shack was demolished during the recent attacks."We had a community meeting last week and it was resolved that we should not accept them back. If government pushes us, we will challenge them too, not violently but through legal channels," he says.Tjetjane blames the government for not taking the Ramaphosa residents' grievances seriously and for not attending their meetings.Most of his sentiments are supported by Mpho Makana and Jabu Modise, both vegetable hawkers.They say they are threatened by the move to return foreign nationals to their community. "If they come back, we will have to run away from our own community because we are scared they would kill us (in) revenge. No!

331 They must go back to their countries," Modise says.The Gauteng provincial government is going ahead with its plan to reintegrate displaced people, most of whom are being accommodated at various temporary shelters, which were erected to last for two months.Government spokesman Thabo Masebe says people who have been displaced, locals or foreign nationals, are still part of their respective communities. He says it is not for the government to decide whether those people should go back to their communities, but the government will create a "conducive environment" for them to do so."No one has a right to stop anybody from residing in a place they like, irrespective of nationality," Masebe says. "If people think people are committing crime, let them come out and help our police to arrest suspects."On the issue of the shelters' two-month time frame, Masebe says local government and different community structures are busy "persuading" people to welcome those affected by the attacks.He says that the temporary shelters will be dismantled after two months "because the land on which they are erected is not meant for residential purposes"."The challenge that we will be facing as government is to find alternative accommodation for people whose shacks were destroyed," Masebe says. The government is aware that there are service delivery problems in various communities, especially in areas where the attacks were prominent.Meanwhile, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) says it is not going to be easy for the government to reintegrate displaced people.Adrian Hadland, director of the democracy and governance research programme at the HSRC, says people in the affected areas are still angry."There is a great deal of unhappiness and the government needs to take quite a big step to address that."The HSRC has presented a report to the cabinet about the violence, and Hadland says there is "political determination to address the problem".

• Zimbabwe: South African Embassy Evicts Refugees: SW Radio Africa (London): 27 June 2008.

About 300 Epworth residents who took refuge at the South African embassy on Sunday 22 June were evicted by police on Friday - this as concern mounted that there would be an upsurge of violence on Friday night and over the weekend.The group, who were camping out in the embassy parking lot had fled their homes after an upsurge of violence in Epworth. According to press reports, many had also been caught up in the police raid on the MDC offices on Monday. Most of the victims interviewed said they felt safer at the South African embassy than in any other part of the country. Several of the victims had been roaming the streets for three days and told journalists it was better to sleep out in the open at a safe location, rather than risk staying anywhere else.But as Friday's poll went ahead, reports emerged that Embassy officials ordered the removal of the refugees from their grounds.The Director of Social Welfare in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Sydney Mhishi, United Nations Country Representative, Augustino Zacharias and a high-ranking official from South African embassy were reportedly responsible for overseeing the eviction.Reports received by the Crisis Coalition Information Team were that the 300 displaced persons were destined for a refugee camp in Ruwa.We have been unable to get further details.

• South Africa: No Decision Yet to Compensate Victims of Pogroms: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo): 26 June 2008.

332 South African Defense Minister Moiusua Lekota said in Maputo on Wednesday that no decision has yet been taken on compensating the victims of the anti-foreigner pogroms that raged through South Africa last month."No decision has yet been taken on this matter", said Lekota. "We are still insisting on the need to respect the rights of those who come to our country, the same way we were respected when we fled from our country during the apartheid regime".Addressing reporters shortly after a meeting with Mozambican President Armando Guebuza, he added that when peoples in the region, including Mozambicans, hosted South African freedom fighters during the apartheid years, they were victims of deadly attacks launched by the apartheid military and its death squads, but in no instance did these peoples attack the South African exiles or chase them away from their countries.

"This is the time for South Africans to respond with gratitude', said Lekota, adding that the South African government, the country's civil society organizations and religious bodies have been working to educate South African communities to respect the lives of other peoples.He said that his government is still investigating the pogroms and intends to hold those who started the attacks responsible for the mayhem. "We must find the real causes of these actions, which are spoiling the good relations between peoples who have been living together for centuries", he said.He recalled that statistics show that at least 62 people were killed in those attacks, including 32 South Africans and at least 18 Mozambicans. It is believed that the South Africans were killed because they spoke the shangaan language and mobs mistook them for Mozambicans (shangaan is widely spoken in southern Mozambique, and in parts of eastern South Africa).Speaking of his meeting with Guebuza, Lekota said that one of the issues discussed was the need to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the military sector.Maritime security, professional training, and the fight against illegal exploitation of marine resources were among the issues discussed between the two.For his part, Mozambican Defense Minister Filipe Nyussi said that teams from the two countries are working together to find ways to strengthen cooperation, particularly in border security.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Response to Humanitarian Disaster 'Inadequate': UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 26 June 2008.

Somalia is facing a massive humanitarian crisis but the level of response did not match the needs of the affected population, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said. "Somalia is no longer on the verge of a catastrophe, the disaster is happening now," Bruno Jochum, MSF director of operations in Geneva, said in a statement issued on 26 June.On the sides of the road between Mogadishu and Afgoye [30km south], where an estimated 250,000 displaced people are living, there was a medical and nutritional emergency."Last week alone, over 500 severely malnourished children were admitted in our nutritional programmes. One out of six of these children needed to be hospitalised due to medical complications," said Jochum.MSF teams working in the Mogadishu/Afgoye corridor treated more than 2,500 children suffering from acute malnutrition in May."We are running at full capacity and we don't see a reduction in the numbers, we anticipate more," the head of mission MSF in Somalia, Kenneth Lavelle,

333 told a news conference in Nairobi on 26 June.Jochum warned that if this trend continued, malnutrition would soon affect more of the general population, such as children over five and vulnerable adults."The situation is tragic and we are unable to provide the aid necessary to prevent further deterioration of the situation," he added.Continued indiscriminate violence in and around Mogadishu, rising prices of basic commodities such as rice and corn, which have in some cases tripled since the beginning of the year, and drought conditions in most parts of the country, have all contributed.At the same time, the gap between critical needs, particularly in and around Mogadishu, and the level of humanitarian response, has widened due to the extremely limited capacity of aid agencies to deliver assistance in a highly insecure and volatile environment."Twenty- four months after the political and military involvement of international community members in the name of restoring stability and fighting terrorism, the situation is catastrophic for the Somali population," Christophe Fournier, MSF international council president, is quoted as saying.All sides to the conflict, he added, were contributing to the humanitarian disaster."MSF demands that humanitarian action is kept independent from the political and peace-keeping agenda in Somalia and that all belligerents guarantee safe and unhindered access to aid actors," Fournier noted.Since fighting between Ethiopian-backed Somali forces and insurgents began in early 2007, about one million Somalis have fled their homes. An estimated 6,500 civilians have been killed.Aid workers estimate 2.6 million Somalis need assistance. That number is expected to reach 3.5 million by the end of the year if the humanitarian situation does not improve, according to the UN.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Central Africa: Cemac Summit - Biya Advocates Free Movement of Citizens: The Post (Buea): 27 June 2008.

The outgoing Chair of the Central African Economic and Monetary Union, CEMAC, President Paul Biya, has advocated the free movement of citizens within CEMAC countries.Biya was speaking at the ninth CEMAC Summit in Yaounde on June 24.In his opening speech, Biya, told them to eschew nationalistic greed and embrace the challenges of integration.According to Biya, CEMAC heads of state need to be bold, open and not regard integration as the obliteration of their sovereign states.This call, observers say, was an acknowledgement that the dream of regional integration in the CEMAC region is far from being a reality.Biya's statement was also interpreted to be a tacit indictment of some heads of state who are opposed to the free movement of people and goods in their actions.

Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, whose populations are less than a million each, were particularly tagged with the stigma of those making public declarations in support of integration but opposing it in their actions.The recent upsurge of xenophobia in Equatorial Guinea against Cameroonians was counted as the greatest affront to integration. But International Affairs expert, Prof. Emmanuel Pondi, said these countries may just be concerned with security.

334 He said the free movement of people and goods can only work if there is security in the sub-region.According to him, the insecurity and instability in certain areas of the sub- region stall whatever measures are taken to accelerate integration.In all the speeches delivered not a single reference was made in terms of implementing the resolution to ensure the free movement of people and goods one year after the 8th CEMAC Summit held in N'Djamena.The new roadmap, including the CEMAC Airlines defined during the N'Djamena Summit has not taken off the ground.That is why speeches at the Yaounde meeting urged the heads of state to move away from mere public declarations and embrace action in view of sub-regional integration.The Government Delegate to Yaounde Urban Council, Tsimi Evouna, and the President of the CEMAC Employers Union, Andre Siaka, said they were eager to see the movement of people and goods become a reality.

On his part, the President of the African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, promised to put in 4.8 billion US dollars for agricultural production in the area.He said the bank was ready to finance the construction of trans-border roads, energy, private sector development and conflict resolution in the area.According to the ADB president, CEMAC countries must create an enabling climate for investments in order to grow above the current eight percent economic growth rate.But Cameroon that imposes itself as leader in the sub-region is yet to render its investment charter applicable.Although it was long voted by Parliament, the implementation of the charter is still waiting for Biya to issue a text of application.Although there is relative improvement, a World Bank Programme, Doing Business still rates Cameroon as one of the countries in which it is very difficult to start a business.One needs to go 13 formalities in order to create a business in Cameroon in 37 days. Many countries in the CEMAC region are in a similar situation.Anyone creating a business enterprise in Congo Brazzaville goes through a procedure of 10 segments in 37 days. But surprisingly in Gabon that has only nine formalities, one can only create a business in 58 days.

In Chad, 19 procedures are needed for one to create a business in 75 days.Meanwhile, investors can successfully create a business organisation in the Central African Republic in 14 days after going through 10 formalities. Equatorial Guinea virtually tails these sub- regional ratings.One goes through 20 procedures in Obiang Nguema's country in order to create a business organisation in 233 days.These statistics are a tell-tale that the business climate in the CEMAC sub-region is still in the stranglehold of bureaucratic bottle necks.As usual, the heads of state at the summit resolved to arrest this situation, but many observers say they will remain doubting Thomases until they see concrete action.Five CEMAC heads of state attended the meeting. Chadian President Idriss Deby, was represented by his country's Prime Minister, Youssouf Saleh Abbas.The President of Sao Tome and Principe, Fradique Meneze, attended the summit as an observer. Invited guest, Joseph Kabila, of the DRC, was represented by the Foreign Affairs Minister for that country, Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi. Francois Bozize of the Central African Republic now takes over the baton of command as the new CEMAC chairman.

•

335 • Cameroon: Country Registers More Refugee Influx: The Post (Buea): 23 June 2008.

Statistics from the Yaounde-based regional office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNHCR, indicates that the number of refugees streaming into Cameroon is on the rise.

According to information presented in Yaounde June 20, on the occasion of the World Refugee Day, the UNHCR country representative, Jacques Franquin, said some 9000 Chadian refugees entered northern Cameroon in February.The massive movement of the refugees was triggered by the February attack by rebels on N'djamena. Out of this figure, Franquin said some 6000 are still found in a refugee camp northwest of Garoua, while 5000 Central African refugees are found in the East Province.He noted that urban refugees benefiting from the services of UNHCR stands at 15,000.Stating that the refugee population in Cameroon has been on a steady rise within the past years, Franquin attributed the massive and forceful displacement of the people on politically motivated wars underlined by poverty and bad governance. He also observed that the rising prices of foodstuff across the world is stirring conflicts resulting in the displacement of people.The UNHCR representative said all these ills could be handled through preventive diplomacy. He, however, observed that due to illegal movement of some people, it is difficult to ascertain those who are moving under compulsion and others who are willfully moving to look for better conditions of living elsewhere.Revisiting the theme of the commemoration: "Protection of Refugees," Franquin said the rights of refugees are human rights.He reminded the people of rich nations that the highest numbers of people forcefully displaced are from the developing countries where economic and political conditions are not the best.Cameroon's Minister of Social Affairs, Catherine Bakang Mbock, added that apart from the large number Chadian and Central African Republic refugees, as many as 17,000 Nigerians also streamed into Cameroon in 2003 and 2004. Out of this figure, The Post was told, barely 3000 have returned to their country of origin.She said the protection of refugees by Cameroon is paramount, considering its adherence to the 1951 Geneva Convention and its additional protocols on the protection of refugees.In the UN Secretary General's message, Ban Ki Moon dwelt on the right of refugees to asylum as a way of protecting them from persecution.He said "contrary to public perceptions in many industrialised nations, developing countries actually bear the burden of hosting a larger number of refugees, despite their limited resources." According to him, "conflict and poverty, the most common reasons people are compelled to leave their homes, are now amplified by the effects of climate change, increasing scarcity of resources and food shortages - factors which may lead to greater insecurity in the future..."Ban Ki Moon's message was read by the resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, in Cameroon, Mrs. Odile Sorgho-Moulinier.The President of Urban refugees in Cameroon, Chadian-born Samuel Madjambra, reiterated that refugees are in dire need of protection, which is the basis of the UNHCR operations.He called on his fellow refugees to remain peaceful but insisted that they should be given the right to attend professional schools as well as receive good health services.

336 • • • Rwanda: 93 Percent of Refugees Are Congolese: The New Times (Kigali): 22 June 2008.

Rwanda is home to a total of 55,645 refugees, out of whom 52,083 are Congolese, while 2,831 (5.5 percent) are Burundians, new UNHCR statistics have shown. UNHCR Representative to Rwanda, Annette R. Nyekan, told The New Times last week that other refugees come from either Kenya or Somalia. She was speaking on the occasion to mark World Refugee Day at 'Ecole Sainte Famille' in Kigali.The event, organised by UNHCR in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government Minaloc, was held under the theme: 'Solidarity for Self-Sufficiency: Helping Myself Helps Others'.The event was marked by speeches, music and poetry readings from refugees and saw participants take part in community work (Umuganda).

Nyekan said there were more female refugees in the country, making up 30,635 (55%). Children aged between 0 and 4 years are 12,233 or 20.85% of the total refugees, while those between 5-11 years are 2,914 (23.24%), with those between 12-17 years old estimated to be 10,044 (18.34%).She said that out of the current 703 asylum seekers, 574 are from the DRC and 119 from Burundi, and 10 from several other countries. Of the 2,547 urban refugees, 1756 are from the DRC, while 763 are from Burundi. The remaining 28 are from other countries.Comparing Rwanda with other countries in terms of refugee treatment, Nyekan said it was doing well. "Rwanda allows refugees to go to boarding schools, which is not the case in most other countries. Education opportunities are good," she explained.Nyekan also noted that refugees from DRC and others from neighbouring countries are easily assimilated. She said they had a lot in common, citing language and culture because many Rwandans were at one time refugees in the countries.

21. HEALTH MATTERS (HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, TB)

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Cancer Patient 'Cured' With Own Immune System: Vanguard (Lagos): 24 June 2008.

HOPE appears to be on the horizon for cancer cure if the potential of harnessing the human immune system's tumour-destroying cells can be properly harnessed. This optimism arises from the case of a 55-year-old man whose own immunity was used to attack the cancer cells in his body. The man has remained tumour-free more than two years after treatment. The feat was achieved by virtue of the exploits of an American medical team that developed a new way to turn a patient's T-cells against deadly, metastasised skin cancer. The man had a remarkable response, says Cassian Yee, the immunologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, US, who developed the new treatment. The team treated eight other melanoma patients, but says it is too early to tell whether their tumours have vanished as well. Cancer experts believe the results could pave way for a cancer vaccine, but more proof with additional

337 patients is needed. A synthetic chemical based on a compound found in cocoa beans slowed growth and accelerated destruction of human tumours in laboratory studies, and is being tested further for cancer chemoprevention and even treatment, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center. For a tumour to grow and spread, it must trick the immune system into thinking it is normal tissue. Immune cells that keep tumours in check remain oblivious to the malignancy or are too low in number.

But researchers have slowly learned how to unleash this response. The most common strategy is to collect a patient's white blood cells, grow the tumour-killing T-cells in a laboratory incubator and inject them back into the patient. This approach, while sometimes successful, often requires doctors to kill off a patient's other T-cells and give them multiple cell treatments, as well as a toxic cocktail of immune chemicals. The researchers isolated a handful of these cells from the patient, whose melanoma had spread to his lung and groin. All the cells recognised a protein called NY-ESO-1 - this existed in his tumour, but not most healthy cells. After the cells had been multiplying in the lab for two months, the team injected about five billion of them into the patient in one dose. The treatment annihilated the tumours within two months, and nearly two years later, there are no signs that the patient's cancer has crept back. The lab-grown cells remained at high levels for at least three months after treatment. However, it is suspected that the injected CD4-cells also jolted other immune cells into action because tumour cells that didn't make NY-ESO-1 also disappeared. While encouraging, the new treatment might work for only a fraction of melanoma patients, because many tumours do not contain NY-ESO-1 and not all patients have an immune system that recognises the protein.

• Nigeria: Over 200,000 HIV Positive Citizens Receive Treatment – NACA: Leadership (Abuja): 26 June 2008.

The Director-General, National Action Committee on AIDS Agency, Professor , has disclosed that over 269,000 HIV positive Nigerians are being treated presently all over the country.Osotimehin, who gave this disclosure at a three- days Second National Council on AIDS, which is holding in Plateau State, said the essence of the AIDS council meeting is to look at how the partners, stakeholders and government can deepen response to HIV/AIDS in the rural areas of the country. The Director-General also stressed the importance for local governments and states to put in appropriate budgetary measures in the next five years to ensure sustainability in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In his words: "There is fragility in depending on donor's funds. Its good to kick off, it's good to capitalise on the response but over time, we need to take over. When you depend on people for resources, they call the shots".The Director disclosed that the major challenge confronting the fight against HIV/AIDS apart from funding is the fact that the terrain is still uneven. "What is happening in Plateau State is not the same in Benue State and what is happening in Benue is not the same in Cross River State. We need to drag it to the point where there is uniformity and conformity in the system. While declaring the Forum open, the governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, said that HIV/AIDS is indeed a pandemic that is ravaging the entire human race and is no respecter of people, families, tribes, communities and nations of the world.Governor Jang noted that HIV/AIDS has rendered millions of children orphans creating a community of

338 people living with the virus. "I feel that one of the challenges before us at the moment is the resources and drugs to halt the pandemic. This is to reduce the suffering create more awareness about HIV/AIDS and the preventive measures to check its spread", he stated.The governor commended the work and commitment of the Plateau State Action Committee on AIDS saying that the intervention programmes and strategies, have become one of the best in the country.

• Nigeria: UBTH to Commence Open Heart Surgery: Vanguard (Lagos): 27 June 2008.

THE Management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), is to commence the open heart surgery programme and the Laposcopic surgery programme. Meanwhile, 170 couples have benefitted from the Invitro Fertilization (IVF) Programme in the last one year.The Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr Eugene Okpere leading a delegation in a courtesy visit to the Benin Monarch, Oba Erediuwa yesterday, said the hospital was better equipped now to conduct these surgeries, explaining that they deemed it necessary to come and explain the achievements recorded so far by the Hospital in his kingdom ahead of their 35th anniversary.He said that the Hospital was committed to providing qualitative and efficient health care delivery to the people of the area, particularly as it is strategically located to serve people from the South South and even North and South West.Dr Okpere who was in company of the IVF Programme Director, Professor Augustine Orhue, stated that "we have achieved a lot all these years and that is why we decided that we must come and inform you that some thing good is happening in your kingdom.Since we started the IVF programme, we have recorded tremendous successes since the programme started. We also want to tell you that UBTH is about to start the open heart surgery programme, as well as the Laposcopic surgery programme."We have few hospitals in the country that handles surgeries like this but we want to say that we now have the facilities to handle them here. This will help the people of the zone tremendously because they will not need to travel far for surgeries like that," he stated.He added that the 35th anniversary of the Hospital would be chaired by a Prince fromm the Palace, Professor Gregory Akenzua and solicited for the support and prayers of the palace so as to have a successful occasion.Also speaking, the IVF Programme Director, Professor Augustine Orhue, explained that the IVF is under a department called the Human Reproductive Programme and the Hospital started it in June 2007.According to him, "it is now discovered that IVF is the highest ability to the treatment of infertility and has helped in a long way in stabilising marriages which would have collapsed due to lack of children. The invent of IVR is a factor stabilising marriages and in the last one year, 170 couples have benefited from the programme."Responding, the Oba commended the management of the Hospital for their efforts so far and assured of the palace's continuous support in all their programmes.

• Sierra Leone: Patients to Abandon Govt Hospital: Concord Times (Freetown): 26 June 2008.

Patients admitted at the Kenema government hospital are contemplating on moving out of the hospital if authorities refused to construct a toilet; hazards they said have

339 worsened health situations in the locality. Mamusu Sellu, a patient told Concord Times that: "If the situation remained unsolved in the coming weeks we will abandon the hospital for other clinics in the township." Meanwhile, their decision to quit treatment at the government run institution would largely depend on their financial ability to offset exorbitant medical bills at private clinics. But Sellu said they may have no option because they are finding it very difficult to access decent toilets."Patients have always begged residents in the neighbourhood before they could be allowed to use their toilets," she said adding that: "It is unbelievable for a hospital to operate without a toilet. We are really suffering and at the same time we are being molested by those in the neighbouring houses." District matron at the hospital Alice Stevens admitted that the hospital lacked decent toilet facilities to accommodate patients."There is really a problem with the toilets. Patients have always complained about this ugly situation. I think it is about time we addressed the issue lest it will get out of hands," she warned but assured that they have brought the issue to the notice of the management board.

• Senegal: UN Sends Experts to Country After Exposure to Lead Batteries Kills Children: UN News Service (New York): 23 June 2008.

The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has dispatched a team of experts to Senegal after the death of a number of children in one of the suburbs of the capital, apparently from exposure to lead batteries.WHO has deployed a clinical toxicologist, an environmental health specialist and an analytical chemist to Senegal to conduct clinical examinations and further environmental investigations after a request from the Government, the agency said in a statement released today.Clinical tests so far have revealed "extremely high" blood lead concentrations in the dead children, as well as in their siblings and mothers, most of whom have been involved in the informal recycling of lead batteries in the NGagne Diaw quarter of Thiaroye sur Mer, a suburb of Dakar."Many children are showing evidence of neurological damage," WHO said in the statement. "Environmental investigations have found very high concentrations of lead, both outside and inside peoples' homes. These have been mapped to an area inhabited by approximately 950 people, who are continuously exposed through ingestion and inhalation of lead-contaminated dust."The Geneva-based agency said it had advised Senegalese authorities to take urgent action to terminate exposure of the affected population to lead, and to provide chelation (the administration of agents to remove heavy metals) and other forms of therapy to children with high blood lead concentrations."Chelation therapy in children who continue to be exposed to lead is ineffective and may exacerbate toxicity. Plans are in hand to hospitalize the worst- affected cases, but they will then need to be able to return to a lead-free environment. WHO has provided chelating agents, and the clinical toxicologist has started training local medical staff."The thorough decontamination of the affected area, including the insides of homes, must be a priority, WHO added, calling for international financial support to help with the environmental and health response.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Namibia: New Test for Foot and Mouth Disease: The Namibian (Windhoek): 24 June 2008.

340 SCIENTISTS at the Australian branch of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization’s (CSIRO) have developed a new test for foot-and-mouth disease that involves no infectious viral material and can differentiate between infected and vaccinated animals. This "DIVA" test of that country's CSIRO Animal Health Laboratory could transform how foot-and-mouth disease is controlled in future because it's relatively inexpensive and does not require infectious viruses to produce the reagents, it said last week. The British government decided against using vaccines to control a major outbreak in 2001 because the tests available to them could not distinguish between infected and vaccinated animals.

The outbreak was finally contained only after the slaughter of more than 6 000 000 animals. Most were not infected. "Our test is the first in the world to be built entirely from non-living materials produced in the laboratory," says Janine Muller, who developed the test with CSIRO colleagues while completing her PhD. "We have been able to build and manufacture the critical components of our test from the ground up. We unravelled the structure of an antibody to an important protein the virus injects into cells. They then generated its genetic template and used it to engineer the antibodies at the heart of the test," Muller told reporters. Foot-and-mouth disease, a highly contagious viral infection, is considered the most economically devastating disease affecting farm animals worldwide, especially in Africa. Botswana is presently killing livestock in western Botswana after a recent outbreak of the disease. The test itself is a faster and more sensitive way of detecting the disease in livestock.

• South Africa: Sudden Checkup Rights Upheld: Business Day (Johannesburg): 24 June 2008.

The Gauteng legislature has upheld the right of Democratic Alliance (DA) health spokesman Jack Bloom to pay surprise visits to public hospitals and clinics, saying he should be allowed to do as a matter of public interest. The decision is important, as public officials have often battled to gain access to public institutions to fulfil their oversight role. Bloom clashed with health MEC Brian Hlongwa over his moves to raise public awareness of problems in the province's hospitals and clinics by blowing the whistle on issues he identified at unannounced visits. Hlongwa laid a complaint against Bloom with Gauteng's integrity committee last August, alleging Bloom had breached the legislature's code of conduct by visiting hospitals without permission from the MEC or management. Legislature integrity commissioner Jules Browde dismissed the complaint. Bloom said: "Unannounced visits are important; if you say you are coming they will fix things up, temporarily." Hlongwa has accepted the decision.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • East Africa: EAC Nations Plot Common Action On Reproductive Health Challenges: The New Times (Kigali): 25 June 2008.

Delegates from all the five East African Community partner states descended on the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha this week to attend a high-level multisectoral

341 stakeholder consultative meeting, seen as an impetus in mooting common strategies to address key reproductive health and sexual challenges.

The meeting, organised by the EAC Secretariat and jointly sponsored by UNFPA and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), is mainly focusing on the progress taken towards the implementation of the so-called Maputo Plan of Action. The plan, signed in Maputo, Mozambique in September, 2006 by African Health ministers, seeks to improve universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services across the continent.Organisers say the meeting was convened to help ignite the badly needed commitment from state and non-state actors towards the implementation of strategies pertinent to the achievement of the global 2015 health goals."We need to move away from the old mentality that confined us to our national borders and understand that issues of reproductive health and sexual rights have long become cross-border challenges," Lydia Wanyoto, a member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) said yesterday in her keynote address at Impala Hotel."It is important that we approach these challenges from a broader perspective. For instance Uganda and Kenya need to put together their efforts and devise a strategy to fight female genital mutilation practices along our common border.When we try to fight it on the side of Uganda, the local communities use 'Kenyan specialists' who sneak in and after circumcising women, they run away across the border," the Ugandan politician said.The head of the Rwandan delegation to the meeting, MP Ezekias Rwabuhihi, told this reporter that Rwanda had already made significant progress under the Maputo Plan of Action, but highlighted the need to integrate the Plan into the mainstream national health programmes."Take an example; you cannot talk of HIV/Aids without considering the issues of reproductive health and sexual rights. Just as it took long debates for the Global Fund to include Malaria and Tuberculosis in its programmes, I know continued advocacy will result in increased action and attention on reproductive health issues.While the Global Fund should consider this health aspect, individual countries can also make a difference," added Rwabuhihi, who currently heads the Rwandan Parliamentary Network for Population and Development.But while delegates are striving to identify gaps, challenges and opportunities in the implementation of the Maputo Plan of Action during this three- day gathering, civic groups insist that the continent needed to urgently put into action "the many beautiful policies" that are already in place."We simply need to get down to work and fulfil whatever we have promised," said Dr Chi-Chi Undi, an Associate Research Specialist at the Nairobi-based African Population and Health Research Centre.Participants are devising mechanisms of ensuring that all segments of EAC societies are actively involved in the Maputo Plan of Action in one way or another.Rwanda is represented by eight delegates, two of them parliamentarians.

• Uganda: Cholera Death Toll Hits 30: New Vision (Kampala): 25 June 2008.

AT LEAST 31 people have died of cholera and over 290 infected in the eastern districts of Butaleja, Mbale, Pallisa and Manafwa.The health minister, Dr. Stephen Mallinga, attributed the infections to River Manafwa, which he said was contaminated from Bugobero.The river moves through the four districts and empties its waters in the swamps

342 in the low-lying rice-growing areas of Butaleja.He added that the outbreak reported in the past six weeks followed the April heavy rains.

"Kachonga, Maizimasa and Butaleja sub-counties have recorded 65 cases and four deaths," he said in a statement to Parliament yesterday.Mallinga said they had reactivated the district cholera task forces, provided supplies and set up treatment centres.The Government, he explained, was distributing jerrycans to the people to use instead of water pots."Water in pots gets contaminated when fingers are dipped in it. We are also giving out water purification tablets."Pallisa has reported 110 cases and eight deaths and the most affected sub-counties were Kasodo, Buseta.The two sub-counties, Mallinga said, had a latrine and safe water coverage of about 50%.Mallinga said El Tor sub-type, a rare cholera strain, was common in the Middle East.Deputy speaker Rebecca Kadaga, asked water and environment minister Maria Mutagamba if they could declare a latrine week but the minister said they did not have funds.

• • • Kenya: Cholera Confirmed in Western Region: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 25 June 2008.

An outbreak of cholera has been confirmed in the Kisumu municipality in the western region, a senior health official has said."At least 13 out of 38 cases sampled for cholera have tested positive," Shahnaaz Sharif, the senior deputy director of medical services in Kenya's health ministry, said.Sharif said 34 people had also been admitted to the Kisumu district hospital, with a total of 134 cases reported since the outbreak began on 6 June.So far, he said, no deaths had been registered.The most affected areas included the slums of Manyatta, Nyalenda and Obunga in the municipality, which lies in the district of Kisumu East.

"The new outbreak is attributable to the onset of recent rains in the region that have resulted in the contamination of water wells - the main sources of water for the residents," he said.This, he said, may have aggravated the already poor sanitation in the slum areas.Medical supplies have been sent to the affected regions and cholera treatment centres established in the localities of Migosi, Simba Upepo and near the airport dispensary.Contaminated wells located in close proximity to latrines have been fenced off and the remaining functional wells chlorinated. Other measures included banning the hawking of food in the area and the inspection of food handlers.Sharif said it was difficult to create public awareness of better hygiene and sanitation practices against a backdrop of low latrine coverage.The lack of sufficient safe and clean water for domestic consumption within the municipality was also a challenge, he said.At least 376 cases and 12 deaths have been reported in the Kisumu East district since January when an outbreak of the disease was reported in the rural areas.The outbreak, which also affected the districts of Bondo, Homa Bay, Kisii South, Kisumu West, Migori, Nyando, Rongo, Siayathe and Suba in the western region, led to the deaths of 46 people with 832 cases being reported, according to a UN World Health Organization (WHO) report on 19 April.An initial rapid assessment and outbreak investigation in response to the outbreak

343 in April identified poor personal and food hygiene as one of the risk factors contributing to the transmission. The assessment was carried out by a team from the ministry and the WHO.Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Symptoms include watery diarrhoea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly given.

• Uganda: Free Cervical Cancer Treatment: New Vision (Kampala): 26 June 2008.

The Uganda Women's Health Initiative has urged women to go for free cervical cancer screening and treatment at Naguru Health Centre in Kampala. Annet Rwiragira, a health worker at the centre, said regular check-ups reduce the risks of getting the cancer, which is one of the leading causes of death among women. "We are working towards preventing cervical cancer. If an infection is detected early enough, it can be cured." Rwiragira made the remarks during a sensitisation campaign aimed at preventing cervical cancer in Kampala recently. The drive was supported by the University College of London, Mulago Hospital and Makerere University. Cervical cancer develops from cells lining the neck of the womb (cervix).A weakened immune system and smoking are some of the causes of cervical cancer, Rwiragira said. Women with cervical cancer may experience abnormal vaginal bleeding. This can be heavy or light bleeding during the month. An increased vaginal discharge is also a symptom of cervical cancer. It may be foul smelling, watery, thick, or contain mucus. Pelvic pain, which is not related to the normal menstrual cycle, is also another symptom. "The pains, which can last for hours, can be mild or severe," Rwiragira said. "Pain during urination can be a symptom of advanced cervical cancer because it usually occurs when the cancer has spread to the bladder." Rwiragira noted that bleeding after sexual intercourse, douching, or pelvic examination was another symptom. "This is due to the irritation of the cervix during these activities. While a healthy cervix may have a very small amount of bleeding, many conditions may cause bleeding after activities like sex," she added. "Many women are ignorant about cervical cancer and link it to witchcraft and poverty." Rose Izimba- Kaziba, another health worker, said a report by Mulago Hospital stated that 80% of the women with cervical cancer seek medication when the cancer is in its advanced stages. "The only way for us to fight cervical cancer is for women to reduce the number of sexual partners, stop engaging in sexual intercourse while still young and go for check- ups," Izimba-Kaziba explained.

• Uganda: Doctors Battle to Save Siamese Twins: New Vision (Kampala): 26 June 2008.

Nakazibwe's siamese twins lying in Mulago Hospital Mulago Hospital surgeons are examining Siamese twins delivered at Kibuli Hospital on Wednesday to determine if they can be separated.

The female twins were born to Sauda Nakazibwe and Hussein Kato of Wakiso district. The couple has three children. The twins, co-joined from the trunk to the abdomen, have two heads, two hands at the front and two sprouting at the back, with two front legs and

344 one developing at the back. Halima Ndagire, the nurse in-charge of the maternity ward at Kibuli, said the case was the first of its kind at the hospital.Born by caesarian, the twins weighed 4kg at birth. "The operation was successful. The twins cried exactly after five minutes and immediately passed out urine," Ndagire said. She said the babies were referred to Mulago Hospital for further examination but their mother was recovering at Kibuli hospital. Dr. Jamiir Mugalu, the head of the special care unit at Mulago, said experts were examining whether the twins shared the spine, heart, liver and kidney. "We are ascertaining how their blood vessels are arranged so that we can know whether they require an immediate operation." The babies are admitted in the intensive care unit where they are fed through tubes.Mugalu observed that Siamese twins were not common, adding that the most recent case was of Veronica Driciru, 27, a resident of Arua, who had such twins in 2007. They female twins, co-joined at the head and sharing a big vessel in the skull, died after 18 hours after birth, Mugalu said. He also mentioned another case of twins born in Arua in 2001 but were successfully operated in the Unites States of America. Kato, an art designer, said the news of the Siamese babies shocked him, because an earlier scan indicated that his wife carried twins, but not joined. "Coming to terms with having Siamese twins hasn't been easy, but I have received a lot of encouragement and comfort from friends and family. I love my children and I accept what God has given us," he added.Nakazibwe's sister, Mastula Namubiru, however said the mother was still trying to come to terms with giving birth to co-joined twins. "We are trying our best to comfort her, but she is still breaks down when people try to comfort her," Namubiru said.Nakazibwe, who will be discharged on Saturday, is a teacher at Balibabaseka Secondary School in Wakiso.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Health Sector Gets $12 Million Boost: The New Times (Kigali): 27 June 2008.

The World Bank has donated $12 million (approximately Frw6.4 billion) to the country's health sector in a bid to improve health programmes at all levels. This was during a multinational five-day meeting, organised for beneficiaries of World Bank donations on health which started on Tuesday at Hotel des Mille Collines.

"We hope that with this fund, the country will do much better in uplifting the health standards of the local population," Dr. Agnès Scoucat, the World Bank representative to Africa and advisor on health and nutrition in Africa, said. Dr. Scoucat pointed out that in 2000, Rwanda did not have enough foreign funding, but it managed to fight malaria, HIV/Aids and other epidemics. The meeting attracted representatives from countries like Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Ethiopia, Uganda and Afghanistan, whose health sectors benefit from the World Bank funding. This was intended to bring all recipients together, to share views and compare their progress and plot for the future. It was also aimed at having the current recipient countries show how they have used their funds in comparison with the expected results. In the same workshop, Rwanda was pointed out to be in a better position and was hailed for the even distribution of the World Bank funds to the sector and other programmes like the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) and the vision 2020.

345 Dr. Agnès Scoucat urged other countries to emulate Rwanda's efforts to fight poverty. "Rwanda's progressive stand was seen to be in line with the World Bank's principle of being result-based, which is expected of any of the programmes they fund," she added.

• Rwanda: U.S. Medical Experts to Train Doctors: The New Times (Kigali): 23 June 2008.

A team of American medical experts are in the country on a two-week mission aimed at providing free training to Rwandan doctors and extending treatment to vulnerable people. The 19-member team is from Spokane, Washington, and is composed of physicians and ancillary healthcare providers. The healthcare professionals were invited by Health Development Initiative Rwanda (HDI), a local NGO that promotes community-based healthcare development to build sustainable alliances between community and professional healthcare providers, as well as to train local practitioners in reproductive health and family planning. The delegation, which arrived in the country last week, is currently based at Kibagabaga Hospital where it is carrying out surgeries and assisting in complicated deliveries. According to Dr. Pam Silverfein, the team leader, they arrived with medical equipment worth Frw33 million.

"All the equipment we brought is to be used for treatment and training of doctors and nurses here; they include some state-of-the-art machines that we have donated to the hospital," said Silverfein. "It is greatly uplifting to be working here in Rwanda," she said, adding that her team would continue helping Rwandans even after the end of their mission. The Director of Kibagabaga Hospital, Dr. Diane Gashumba, hailed HDI for coordinating the team. She said the experts will conduct training sessions for the hospital staff and assist in the daily business of the hospital.

Meanwhile, a member of the team, Dr Goldberg Addrienne from Deaconess Hospital, said that the donation was collected from Washington DC and that the team has plans to increase its medical aid to Rwanda."We are planning to launch our campaign in all US states to raise funds for more aid in medical equipment," Adrienne said. The Managing Director of HDI, Aphrodis Kagaba, said the team would carry out surgical operations during their two-week stay in Rwanda. He added that they have a programme of bringing more medical volunteers who will operate outside Kigali City handling complicated cases. In a related development, the president of Health Leadership International (HLI) and the founder of Coffee Rwanda Company, Dr. Karl Weyreauch, said that Rwandan doctors will gain from post-training experience from the Americans. Weyreauch partnered with HDI to coordinate the coming of the American team.

22. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Citizens Need More Education On Climate Change-Speaker: Accra Mail (Accra): 24 June 2008.

346 The Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi-Hughes, has called for continuous education on climate change to prevent the degradation of the environment."Climate change is arguably the greatest danger facing humanity in the years ahead. Here in Ghana, the year 2007 saw severe drought with cracking lands, followed by massive flooding and destruction of agricultural products and other properties in an unprecedented scale," he said."We cannot, therefore, afford to sit down unconcerned and it is time we got the citizenry educated about it.Mr. Sekyi-Hughes spoke at the opening of a collaborative workshop on climate change organized by the Ministry for Parliamentary Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Members of Parliament.The current global food crisis, which necessitated the announcement of some mitigation measures by the government, is a consequence of climate change, Mr. Sekyi-Hughes said."Most direct effects of current climate change are on temperature and precipitation patterns causing global warming. Unfortunately, the impacts are overwhelmingly negative, especially on developing nations, which are least responsible for causing the problem and have the scariest of resources to adapt to the rapid changes."The combined efforts of governments, businesses, scientists and individuals would be needed to prevent the tragedies caused by climate change, Mr. Sekyi-Hughes said."Combating the challenges of climate change should be concerted. It should not be viewed as the sole responsibility of the sector ministry and its agencies. Parliament, district assemblies, non-governmental organisations, state institutions and individuals all have responsibility."He called for the extension of the climate change awareness campaign to educational institutions and urged politicians to include climate change in their campaigns for the impending elections.Mr. Sekyi-Hughes urged state and non-state actors dealing with the environment to generate pragmatic proposals to confront climate change.Parliament would facilitate legislation addressing the challenges of climate change, he said.Mr. Dauda Toure, Resident Co-ordinator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), called for a linkage between climate change response measures and the livelihood of the poor."Climate change should be viewed as additional vulnerability and must not be overlooked when addressing issues of poverty reduction and sustaining growth. It is important, therefore, to assess climate vulnerability at the geographically appropriate level and prioritise it in the context of other challenges to development," he said.Mr. Kwadwo Adjei Darko, Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, said climate change was a major obstacle to government efforts to implement National Development strategies successfully.Mr. Abraham Osei Aidoo, Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, appealed to Members of Parliament to educate the people at the grassroots on the effects of climate change.Mr. Alban Bagbin, Minority Leader, said there was a need to review existing legislations on climate change to make them complementary with that of the World Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU).

• Ghana: Funding for Biodiversity Conservation Declines: Accra Mail (Accra): 24 June 2008.

Mr Andrew Adjei-Yeboah, Deputy Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, said public funding towards biodiversity conservation continues to decline in many developing countries, including Ghana.

347 Hitherto, adequate financial outlays were vital to ensure effective development and management of such wildlife estates and protected areas for socio-economic resilience., he said at a conference on the development of the Kyabobo National Park (KNP) at Nkwanta.The cross-border national park of about 250 square kilometers fuses with that of Fazao-Malfakassa in Togo.Since 2002, the Netherlands embassy provided 3.2 million Euro to facilitate the development of infrastructure and capacity building of the park, but the financial support ends June 30.The government mainstreamed private/public partnership into the development of wildlife estates and harness their tourism potential, Mr. Adjei-Yeboah said. The government will not allow the deterioration of the park to go unnoticed when the park has potential to become a Safari park.Nana Kofi Adu-Nsiah, Executive Director of Wildlife Division of Forestry Commission, said decent relationships have been developed with the Togolese counterparts for the trans-border management of the park. The relationship with fringe communities has been strengthened as well, he said.Mr Joseph Booker Denteh, Nkwanta South District Chief Executive, thanked the Royal Netherlands government for financing the park.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Angola: Country, Mozambique Sign Memo On Environment, Urban Arrangement: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 22 June 2008.

The ministries of Urbanisation and Environment of Angola and of Co-ordination of Environmental Action of Mozambique this weekend signed a memorandum of understanding for environmental protection and urban arrangement.

The minister of Urbanisation and Environment, Diekumpuna Sita José signed for the Angolan side, whilst the minister for Co-ordination of the Environmental Action, Alcinda de Abreu signed for Mozambique.With a three-year renewable deadline, the memo defines as co-operation programmes, the assessment and control of the quality of air, biodiversity, climatic changes, coastal erosion and territory arrangement and urban development.On one hand, the signing ceremony is part of the principle of continuous concert and cooperation between both States and on the other hand in the policy of implementing the cooperation platform of the Portuguese Speaking Countries Community (CPLP) signed in 2006 in the last Environment Ministers Meeting held in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia.To Sita José, Angola continues being engaged in the promotion of accords with regional institutions to harmonise policies to meet common issues, with the fight against poverty, profiting from drinkable water, urban environment sanitation, fight against drought and desertification, climate changes and soil degradation.The minister also said that the strategic vision of the Angolan State since achieving peace six years ago, defines the preparation of the national plan and strategy of sustainable development for territory arrangement, as well as the creation of a structure of co-ordinating the management of environmental agreements.During his mission to Mozambique, Sita José, who led a delegation comprising senior officials of his sector, met with the local First Lady, Luisa Diogo, the minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Oldemiro Baloi, as well as with other officials of the Mozambican government.In that country of the Indian Ocean, Sita José also visited some social and

348 economic undertakings, as well as "Mozal" one of SADC's biggest aluminium factories, Matola housing project designed for low income families, among others.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Museveni Wants Compensation for Climate Change Effects: New Vision (Kampala): 24 June 2008.

DEVELOPING countries should be compensated for the negative effects of climate change, according to President Yoweri Museveni."Africa, a home to a-sixth of the global population, is responsible for less than one-twenty-fifth of the global greenhouse gas emissions," he noted."Implicit in these statistics is the right to compensation from those primarily responsible for global warming."

Museveni also pointed out that the negative effects of climate change were undermining anti-poverty efforts in developing countries.This was contained in a speech read by Beatrice Wabudeya, the minister for the presidency at the opening of an international conference on water and climate change at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala yesterday.Museveni blamed developed countries for the dangerous gas emissions, which he said was responsible for trapping heat and warming the earth.The unprecedented warming of East Africa was already evident in the rapid reduction of the glacial cover on mountains over the last century, Museveni observed."Glaciers on the Rwenzori Mountains and Mount Kenya, which have persisted for more than half a million years, are expected to disappear entirely within two decades."He called for better understanding of groundwater monitoring and measures to sustain development.The water and environment minister, Maria Mutagamba, said hand-pump water sources like bore holes were drying up, particularly in the cattle corridor due to climate change.She urged researchers to recommend solutions.

• Uganda: Anti-Buveera Campaign Ends: New Vision (Kampala): 26 June 2008.

The seven-week polythene waste wise campaign that has been running in Kampala Central is over, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) assistant commissioner for public and corporate affairs has said. "The campaign was part of URA's corporate social responsibility aimed at promoting and enforcing the Government's ban on polythene bags (buveera)," said Paul Kyeyune. Terming it as successful, Kyeyune said the campaign aimed at collecting and recycling polythene waste. He made the remarks on Wednesday while touring a buveera recycling factory, Spa Packaging Uganda, at Nakawa Industrial Area in Kampala. "We want to reduce waste, encourage attitudinal and behavioural change towards the use and disposal of polythene," Kyeyune said. The campaign covered Wandegeya, Bwaise, Kampala and Jinja roads, First and Second streets, and Owino, Kalerwe, Nakawa and Kamwokya markets. Ramesh Babu, the managing director, said the company offers sh300 for every kilogramme of waste polythene. "In a day, we also remould about 700 jerrycans," he said, adding that the company had ordered another remoulding machine from China to take on the increasing waste load.

349 • Uganda: Mabira Campaign Still Alive: New Vision (Kampala): 27 June 2008.

Activists on the save Mabira campaign want government to back off from its plans to sell off Mabira to allow it to be made economically viable. Addressing the press in parliament, Kitgum woman Member of Parliament Beatrice Anywar Atim says that they are in a process of creating a foundation for Mabira forest. She says that the project will create jobs and generate income for government and the people who live around Mabira forest.Anywar has started a campaign code named save Mabira phase 2 following media reports that government is on a fresh move to give away part of the famous forest to investors.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Central Africa: New Fund Launched for Congo Basin: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 23 June 2008.

The prime ministers of Norway and Britain have launched a 200 million dollar fund to tackle deforestation in the Congo Basin, the world's second largest tropical forest. Launched in London last week, the Congo Basin Forest Fund will support initiatives from governments, civil society and the private sector that aim to reduce logging. The fund will sponsor livelihood projects that seek to make it more profitable for local communities to preserve the forest than to cut it down, as well as the development of new and innovative approaches. This includes a new satellite system that will monitor the forest -- which is twice the size of France and covers an area of more than a million square kilometres.

The Congo Basin rainforest is home to about 50 million people, 10,000 species of plants, 1,000 species of birds, and 400 species of animals. It covers the Democratic Republic of Congo, most of Congo Republic, south-eastern Cameroon, southern Central African Republic, Gabon and mainland Equatorial Guinea.

The United Nations estimates that two-thirds of the forest will be gone by 2040 if nothing is done to prevent deforestation.Britain is contributing about 106 million dollars and Norway about 98 million dollars to the fund, which will last until 2012. It will be headed by Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai and former Canadian premier Paul Martin, and involves cooperation with the 10 member states of the Commission for the Forests of Central Africa (COMIFAC). The African Development Bank will directly manage the largest projects as well as house the fund secretariat."The Congo Basin Forest Fund is a joint response to a global problem whereby an innovative and consensual mechanism has been embraced," Maathai said at the launch."It involves various partners committed to preserve and protect one of the most unique ecosystems in the world, the Congo Basin rainforest."There is growing consensus that climate change is being caused or strengthened by human activity. Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg says that there is no time to lose if the world is to reduce emissions."One-fifth of the global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by deforestation and forest degradation. The Congo Basin forests alone may contain over 90 billion tonnes of CO2 (carbon dioxide), which is

350 roughly the same as two years of global emissions at the current rate," he said at the launch."To reduce total emissions the global community will have to take urgent action. A reduction of the emissions from deforestation and forest degradation is essential to address climate change."The fund follows Norway's announcement that it will spend up to 580 million dollars a year on rainforest preservation for the next five years. It is also part of a 1.5 billion dollar environmental fund announced by the British government last year that will fund projects helping developing countries adapt to climate change, develop clean technologies and reduce deforestation.The satellite monitoring scheme, one of the first projects to be supported by the Congo Basin fund, involves sending a satellite into space with a hi-tech camera to monitor deforestation levels.The camera, which should be operational by the end of 2010, will reveal clearings and loggers' trails that indicate the degree of deforestation. It will also monitor environmental changes and offshore pollution.

23. ENERGY

WEST AFRICA • West Africa: Ecowas to Discuss Rising Cost of Food, Oil Today: Concord Times (Freetown): 23 June 2008.

The impact on the economies of Member States of the rising global oil prices and the soaring cost of basic food items are among the issues that will dominate the agenda of the mid-year Summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government scheduled to hold today in Abuja. The 34th Summit will consider the reports and recommendations of the 6th May extraordinary meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture, Finance and Trade on the twin challenges. The one-day Summit will also consider the report of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, that will reflect the status of implementation of regional programmes, particularly those on the free movement of persons and goods, right of establishment and residence. It will also contain the status of the process for the creation of a common market in the region. The President's report will also indicate the status of the negotiation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), an agreement for the creation of a free trade area between West Africa and the European Union. The Heads of State and Government will also discuss the security situation in West Africa and efforts to consolidate democratic governance in the region. Elections are scheduled to hold in five of the Member States this year - Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone .In addition, they will consider the report of the 60th Session of the Council of Ministers, an ECOWAS organ comprising Ministers responsible for ECOWAS matters in Member States. The Summit will also decide on the venue and date for its next meeting that will elect a new Chairman for the Authority.

• Nigeria: Nigeria, Venezuela to Discuss Global Energy Crisis: This Day (Lagos): 28 June 2008.

351 President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday in Abuja disclosed that he would soon meet his Venezuelan counterpart, President Hugo Chavez, to discuss the current energy situation as well as lay a framework for enhanced bilateral relations.

The planned meeting is coming on the heels of soaring oil prices, which hit another record high of $142 per barrel during trading yesterday.Yar'Adua disclosed his planned meeting with Chavez during a farewell meeting with the out-going Venezuelan Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Boris Henrique Martinez. He said such a meeting had become imperative because "fingers are being pointed at both countries as a result of the energy situation in the world."

The president, while acknowledging that both countries have a common responsibility to improve the welfare of their people, stressed the need for "much greater cooperation and collaboration especially in the petroleum sector."He wished the outgoing Ambassador well in his future endeavours and urged him to continue to promote the interests of Nigeria.Dr. Martinez thanked the government and people of Nigeria for making his two- year stay in the country a happy one.No indication was given of whether steps had already been taken to set up a meeting between the two leaders.Crude oil, which rose to a record of over $142 a barrel in New York, Friday, sent shivers down the spines of many across the globe.Crude oil for August delivery rose as much as $2.62 a barrel, or 1.9 percent, to $142.26 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was trading at $141.95 at 12:31 p.m. London time yesterday. The President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Chakib Khelil said prices might reach between $150 and $170 within months. Khelil said he believes oil prices could rise to between $150 and $170 a barrel this summer before declining later in the year. However, he does not think prices will reach $200 a barrel.Concerned about rising oil prices and the impact on the global economy, Saudi Arabia, last weekend, held a one- day summit of oil producers and consumers.However, the summit failed to reach a concrete agreement on how to stem the rise in oil prices, with several consumers leaving the summit disappointed.In response to record prices, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill allowing the Justice Department to sue OPEC members for limiting oil supplies and working together to set crude prices.Venezuela, an anti-U.S. price hawk in OPEC, has consistently opposed calls to raise oil production to stem soaring prices despite heavy pressure from consumer nations.Nigeria pumps around two million barrels per day of crude and has said it aims to double output by 2010, but with militant attacks in the Niger Delta and funding shortfalls hampering its industry, most analysts agree that target is rather ambitious.

• Nigeria: 13 Institutions Approved for Nuclear Energy Programme: This Day (Lagos): 25 June 2008.

In its bid to accelerate implementation of Nigeria's nuclear energy plan, the Federal Government yesterday said it has designated nine universities and two polytechnics to drive the development of requisite local knowledge-base for the project. The programme is on the heels of government's re-affirmation of its desire to ensure increase in national power generation capacity by 2,500 in December. Institutions

352 chosen for the study programme are , , Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Federal Universities of Technology, Minna and Owerri, University of Maidugiri, University of Port Harcourt and Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto.Others include University of Calabar, University of Lagos, Kaduna Polytechnic and Federal Polytechnic, Yaba. Speaking at a three-day workshop on educational and training, to support introduction of nuclear power in Nigeria, jointly organised by the Nigeria Atomic Energy Agency (NAEC), and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)in Abuja, Minister of State for Science and Technology, Dr Alhassan Bako Zako, said government is planning to train 2000 Nigerians in nuclear science and technology within the next 10 years.

• Nigeria: Senate Endorses Probe of N69.2bn Escravos Gas Project: This Day (Lagos): 26 June 2008.

The Senate yesterday directed its Committee on Gas to conduct a full-scale public/investigative hearing into allegations that the cost of the Escravos Gas Project to Liquid (EGTL) was inflated, thus stalling the project.The project is to produce and convert Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to GTL diesel and naphtha for domestic and international market.It was specifically planned to convert over 300 million cubic feet of natural gas per day to GTL diesel and GTL naphtha.

The plant to be located adjacent the CNL Escravos gas plant phase 1 is to process about 150 million cubic feet of gas per day and produce LPG for sale to international markets and pipeline quality gas for domestic uses.The feasibility study for the project was said to have been approved 10 years ago, but the project was suspended due to alleged inflation of cost from the standard N69.2 billion ($592 million) to a controversial N351 billion ($2.9 billion) by officials of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).The delay has, according to the Senate, culminated in the escalation of the project cost from the N120 billion ($1.05 trillion) earlier projected to a current cost estimate placed at N819 billion ($7 trillion).The Senate mandated the Senator Osita Izunaso-led Committee on Gas to summon former and serving top officials of NNPC and Chevron who were allegedly involved in the project.The resolution of the Senate was consequent upon a motion moved by Izunaso in which he called the attention of the Upper House to the project that was approved in 1988.

Reports indicated that former NNPC Group Managing Directors, Mr. Jackson Gaius- Obaseki and Mr. Funso Kupolokun, as well as successive managers of the project are some of those who would testify before the Committee.Isunazo said NNPC top officials and private partners; a development that had caused the nation huge economic loss had sabotaged the project.He pointed a finger of guilt at NNPC officials for the inflation of cost, pointing out that, "the officials compromised the integrity of the corporation and the interest of the nation."He said while a similar project in Qatar was executed at N69.2 billion ($592 million); that of Escravos was put at a disputed N351 billion ($2.9 billion).Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw (Cross River South) had called on the Senate to extend the probe to other gas projects in the country, but the Senate turned down the suggestion.Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremmadu, who presided at yesterday's

353 sitting, charged the Committee saddled with the task of probing the stalled contract, "to leave no stone unturned in unraveling the circumstances surrounding the matter."He directed the Committee to report to the Senate on or before four weeks for further legislative consideration and action.

• Ghana: Nzema Youth Dispute Location of Oil Find: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 25 June 2008.

THE National Association of Nzema Students (NANS) has waded into the raging argument, over the exact location of oil, which has been discovered in the Western Region. At a forum, organized last week, on the theme: 'The specific location of the oil find in the Western Region and the way Forward,' the students argued, with of documents, that the oil find was not located on the soil of Cape Three Points, as was being alleged. The argument by the students, on the subject, comes after the three members of parliament (MPs) for the Nzema area - Freddie Blay, MP for Ellembele, Kojo Armah, MP for Evalue-Gwira and Lee Ocran, MP for Jomoro - had in a joint press statement asked government to tell Ghanaians the exact location of the oil, because of their conviction that the oil was not located at Cape Three Points, as perceived.

According to NANS, the actual location of the oil find has remained a mystery, but they were convinced that the find was located on the soil of Nzemaland.Addressing a forum at Half Assini, the leader of NANS, Mr. Mamoud Dan Archer, told the gathering that "the oil is genuinely located in our environs, and it is the Nzema's who should decide what proposals to be presented."In a welcome address, the Spokesperson for the Nzema Youth Council (NYC), Mr. Francis Ehwi Armah, told the gathering that it was not the agenda of the council, to plan any confrontation with the government and the oil companies, but to draw the attention of both government and the oil companies, to the fact that the repeated reference by the media, government agencies, and representatives of companies engaged in the drilling of the oil, that the find is at Cape Three Points is not true."If you fail to complain about your share of fish in the soup, you will be left with bones," Francis Armah said proverbially.

In statement, issued by the Nzema Youth Association (NYA), after the forum on the same subject, the Youth pointed out that they were ready to fight against injustices, marginalization, and divisive tendencies, dissociating the Nzema's from the recent oil find."The Nzema Youth fully endorses, any steps taken by the National Association of Nzema Students, and we still think that Nzemas deserve better."According to the statement, the motive behind the 'noise' over the exact location of the oil find, was not to wage any form of conflict, between the Nzemas and the Ahantas, but "we are of the view that credit should be given, when and where it is due."The statement, which was signed by Mr. Francis Ehwi Armah, pointed out that, "We do not wish any kind of Nigeria Delta Region movement, in this noble Nzemaland. We are for peace, and we shall work towards that. However, no one should underestimate our capabilities, and we should not be pushed to the wall."The statement, however, called on the oil companies, and prospective ones in the area, to properly contact well-established youth groups in Nzemaland, before commencing any operations."We want to reassure the whole nation,

354 and the oil companies in the area, of our maximum co-operation and support, if the right thing is done appropriately."The President of the Nzema Council, Awulae Annor Adjei, who chaired the forum, advised the youth to use dialogue to drum home their concerns.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zambia: Load-Shedding Fuels Diesel Consumption: The Times of Zambia (Ndola): 24 June 2008.

The increased use of diesel-powered generators to beat Zesco load-shedding and heavy investment in the mines has increased Zambia's consumption of petroleum products by 30 per cent.Energy and Water Development Permanent Secretary, Peter Mumba said in an interview in Lusaka that the increased use of diesel-powered generators and mining activities had increased fuel consumption.He said daily consumption had increased from one million litres to 1.6 million litres for diesel while that of petrol rose from 750,000 litres to one million.Mr Mumba said the other factor that pushed up Zambia's consumption of petroleum products was the sharp increase in the number of motor vehicles being imported into the country.Mr Mumba said research had revealed that there were close to 500 generators that used diesel to run, and with such a number, it was anticipated the consumption pattern should change.He said as many as 300 new vehicles were entering the country in a single day from either Japan or South Africa."That is why the demand for the petroleum products has gone up by 30 per cent. The consumption of both diesel and petrol in a day has risen," Mr Mumba said.Mr Mumba said he hoped negotiations, which started yesterday between Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZNCB) and the Government on the long-term oil procurement, would be concluded within this week.Last week, the Government selected ZNCB for financing arrangement of the long-term procurement of oil.This was after talks between the Government and Stanbic Bank Zambia Limited collapsed in March.Stanbic Bank Zambia Limited was earlier selected by the Government to finance the procurement of close to 1.5 million tonnes of crude feedstock over a period of two years.

• Namibia: All Set for Power Station On Kunene River: New Era (Windhoek): 25 June 2008.

Namibia and Angola have finally signed an agreement with the Kunene Consortium, marking the beginning of a feasibility study and the first phase of the development of the long-awaited Baynes Hydropower Station.The signing ceremony took place yesterday, at the end of the 21st Permanent Joint Technical Commission (PJCT) on the Kunene River Basin.The Baynes Hydropower Station, anticipated to have a generation capacity of 500 megawatts, will offer relief to the two countries and the entire southern Africa, which is facing serious power shortages.

According to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Joseph Iita, the feasibility study, to last 18 months, will determine the size and commissioning date of the Baynes Hydropower Station.Since 1990, the two governments mandated the PJTC to investigate the possible development of a hydropower station downstream the lower Kunene River.NamAng Consortium identified Epupa and Baynes as potential sites for

355 this development.However, the planned hydroelectric project at the Epupa Falls on the Kunene River was plunged in controversy for nearly a decade.Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, Bernard Esau, said Namibia has always favoured Epupa as a suitable site for the construction of a hydropower station, while Angola opted for Baynes.And for years, the two countries have been involved in negotiations until 2005 and thus the signing of the agreement yesterday also brought an end to all uncertainty and confusion over the once controversial Epupa project.Namibia's preference for Epupa was based on the study findings of 1998 that technology to be used was proven, the rock conditions were known and good and that it has an active storage capacity of 7.8 billion cubic metres, which is four times the storage capacity at Baynes.However, Baynes has less impact environmentally compared to Epupa and the evaporation is eight times higher at Epupa compared to Baynes.At Baynes, the annual average speed of the Kunene River is 1,294 cubic metres water per second. The slowest speed recorded in history until now is only three cubic metres per second."Although it took longer than anticipated to reach consensus on the preferred site, the Namibian Government agreed in August 2005 to the recommendations to develop the Baynes instead of Epupa," Esau said.During the 19th Session of the Commission in July 2006, the two governments agreed on the appointment of a consortium consisting of four Brazilian firms to conduct the techno-economic study on Baynes.The study to be conducted by the Kunene Consortium is divided into three phases and will take 18 months to complete at a cost of US$7 million. KFW will fund the project, Esau said.

"I am delighted to inform you that after nearly two years of negotiations, we are all satisfied and today marks the starting point of our official engagement with the Kunene Consortium," Esau said.Describing the signing of the agreement as a milestone, the deputy minister said the two governments would have to ensure that each side of the two countries clears landmines and any explosives that might still be in that area.Meanwhile, Esau said apart from the agreement signed, the two countries, through PJTC, are tasked to oversee the further development of water resources of the Kunene Basin including water supply, irrigation, power development, flood control, reclamation and drainage, conservation of fish and wildlife and recreation and tourism.The PJTC meeting between Namibia and Angola also looked at other aspects such as the completion of the Calueque Dam in southern Angola, from which water is pumped to Namibia, and the reconstruction and upgrading of the Gove Dam in Angola, which forms part of the Ruacana hydroelectric scheme.During his State visit to Namibia last year, President of Angola Jose Eduardo dos Santos and President Hifikepunye Pohamba called for the speedy conclusion of the terms and references of the Baynes Hydropower Project, adding that the initiative will help the two countries cushion the impact of power shortages in SADC.Also, a month ago Pohamba directed NamPower to come up with a project plan for a power plant that should be operational within the next three years.

• South Africa: Deadline for Nuclear Bids Extended to Later This Year: Business Day (Johannesburg): 25 June 2008.

BIDS for the construction of Eskom's nuclear power plant will be finalised either in the third or fourth quarter of this year, the company said.That is contrary to the mid year

356 target Eskom had initially set. According to an energy analyst, the delay would have financial implications for Eskom.With the country's reserve margin low, Eskom had looked to nuclear power for additional capacity. According to the power utility's projections, S A would have up to 20000MW of nuclear power by 2025.French nuclear group Areva and US-based nuclear company Westinghouse Electric are in the running for the R120bn project.

"The commercial processes around Nuclear 1 are still in progress. We expect these processes to be completed only later this year (third or fourth quarter ), at which time a decision on the preferred supplier will be made," Eskom senior manager for nuclear stake- holder management Tony Stott said yesterday.Construction on the power station is due to commence in 2010, with the first unit commissioned in 2016. In a statement yesterday, the company said it was still aiming for a 2016 target for commercial operation."As with all projects, the target dates can be confirmed only once the commercial processes have been completed and the board decisions have been made," it said.Eskom said its board was regularly briefed on supply expansion projects. "The board will make decisions once the commercial processes have been completed," it said.Energy analyst Moses Duma of Frost & Sullivan yesterday said the delay in the finalisation of the bids could lead to an escalation of the initial costs. "These bids were supposed to have been finalised (this month). Now we hear that the bids will only be finalised in the third or fourth quarter. The reasons for the delay are not clear."This will have negative implications. It could portray Eskom as lacking urgency in getting additional capacity. Second, there are financial implications. The delays could increase the costs of the projects," he said.He said Eskom needed power from nuclear power stations in order to diversify its energy sources and reduce the reliance on coal, which fires 88% of Eskom's power.

• Zimbabwe: Escalating Fuel Costs Hit Airlines: The Herald (Harare): 23 June 2008.

ESCALATING oil prices will have a severe impact on the cost of air travel and will slow down traffic volumes, aviation analysts said last week."Airlines have to hike fares, even traditionally low-cost carriers are being forced to raise fares in order to keep up with the price of oil," an analyst indicated.Air Zimbabwe manager (corporate communications) Mrs Pride Khumbula conceded that airlines worldwide were feeling the pinch of escalating fuel prices."Airlines globally are under pressure due to the spiraling oil prices. The airline has reviewed the fuel surcharge collected in the ticket booked per sector in line with industry standards, and is constantly engaging fuel suppliers to get some relief," she said.

Global airlines estimate that the industry will suffer losses of up to US$10 billion this year on higher oil costs.The price of oil has doubled in just over six months to US$140 per barrel this week on weaker production.US -- the major consumer of oil in the world -- has blamed higher oil prices on speculators, accusing them of distorting market prices.Already, Air Zimbabwe is mulling cutting out some of its destinations that it considers a drag on operations to concentrate on routes with more positive returns.Traffic

357 volumes on the African continent have decreased by between 5,8 percent and 6 percent as a result of rising oil prices.The International Air Transport Association says international airlines face a possible US$99 billion rise in their total fuel bill this year unless the oil price falls, according to an economic forecast issued this week.The IATA forecast adds that for most international airlines, business travel has plummeted on the back of increased fuel levies which could have a knock-on effect on travel agents.Travel agents have expressed concern that although at present bookings are in positive territory for both business and leisure travel, they expect volumes to decrease later in the year.Mrs Khumbula is however, upbeat saying the airline is likely to continue doing brisk business going forward.She said "the Air Zimbabwe Passenger Company projects to uplift 300 000 passengers in the second half of its financial year".

• • Zimbabwe-Equatorial Guinea in Oil Deal: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London): 21 June 2008.

ZIMBABWE'S Minister of Energy and Power Development, Retired Lieutenant-General Mike Nyambuya is in Equatorial Guinea meeting his counterpart to negotiate an oil deal which will help ease the current fuel shortages in the country, the Zimbabwe Guardian has learnt.

Sources say the deal with Equatorial Guinea was a purely commercial energy trading agreement and had nothing to do with the current trial of mercenary and 'Dog of War' Simon Mann, as critics had speculated.Simon Mann is currently facing trial in the west African state for trying to topple the government of President Teodoro Nguema. The coup plot was foiled when the mercenaries were captured in Zimbabwe.Government sources confirmed that a deal had now been signed with the government of Equatorial Guinea. The energy resources are to be bought and sold at market rates on the Zimbabwean market.President Mugabe recently confirmed this deal during his election campaign in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city."The Minister (of Energy and Power Development) is there (Equatorial Guinea) to negotiate for more fuel and also for us to get it more regularly."The government last week launched a fuel subsidy scheme in Bulawayo which enabled passenger transporters to reduce their fares from $2 billion a trip to $500 million.The President said the Government was committed to ensuring that the transport sector got more reliable fuel supplies.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Sudan: Work Starts at Formerly Disputed Oil Well: The Nation (Nairobi): 27 June 2008.

Oil drilling at a formerly disputed well in Sudan, Africa's third largest oil producer, is planned for October. This follows oil giant, Total's, successful defence of its rights to the well in a London Court in 2007."They have now set up the base camp and are mobilising facilities," Southern Sudan's Energy minister, Mr John Luk, said in an interview on Thursday. A base camp stores drilling and disposal facilities among others and its setup should end speculation that the oil firm would not begin work until after the

358 end of the interim period of the peace agreement which is 2011.Actual drilling work on the 67,000 square-kilometre well is, however, still months away. "This is the rainy season in places like Upper Nile and Jonglei; there's the usual flooding," Mr Luk said. "Once the money is put together and the budget is complete, it will take another few months, up to October," he added.Total reclaimed rights to oil block B after a three-year battle with a UK-based firm, White Nile, after a London court ruled in favour of the French oil firm. Total is part of an incomplete consortia that would develop the oil block."As you are aware, there was an American company, Marathon, which pulled out," Mr Luk said. "So what we are doing now is to complete the consortium."Total E&P Sudan in 1980 signed an Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement with Sudan on oil blocks in Southern Sudan, including block B - the main area for Total's exploration activity - alongside American firm Marathon Petroleum (32.5 per cent), Kuwait's Kufpec Sudan Ltd (25 per cent), and State-owned Sudapet (10 per cent).

• Kenya: Protests as Power Bill Goes Up By 21 Per Cent: The Nation (Nairobi): 27 June 2008.

Companies and trade unions protested on Thursday after the Electricity Regulatory Commission announced a 21 per cent increase in the cost of power. The increase takes effect from July 1.Manufacturers, the Central Organisation of Trade Unions and the tourism sector said the inflated cost would lead to an increase in food prices.Inflation hit a record 31.5 per cent at the end of May and the rise in the cost of electricity is likely to hit ordinary Kenyans hardest. Households that used to pay Sh1.55 per unit for the first 50 units of electricity consumed, will now pay Sh2.

Fixed charges: Those that paid Sh6.65 for units of between 51 to 300 will now pay Sh8.10 for between 51 and 1,500 units. Fixed monthly charges for the domestic consumer category has also gone up from Sh75 to Sh120 a month.The average household consumes about 100 units of power every month. A family in this bracket will therefore pay about Sh1,000 a month for electricity. The tariffs were last increased in 1999.Announcing the new tariffs, the commission's director-general, Mr Kaburu Mwirichia, said the changes were to ensure improvement in the quality of supply of electricity. "This will also attract investments in new power generation, transmission and distribution in sustainable manner," he said.The move has been linked to the push by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company and KenGen to earn the revenue they need to secure the country's future energy needs.The two companies have in the past been engaged in a protracted tariff revision row that began last year when KenGen sought to charge Kenya Power more for the electricity it sells to the parastatal.

KenGen generates the electricity, which it sells to Kenya Power, whose job is to supply consumers. In the past, KenGen had sought to increase the amount it charged KPLC for every unit of power, but the Government intervened and extended the grace period to end of this month.Under the new tariff structure, there will be four main charges namely the energy charge, fixed charge, demand charge and a fuel cost charge. "For the consumer category, there will be an energy charge rate and a fixed charge. In addition, the demand charge will be applicable to commercial consumers," said Mr Mwirichia.The new

359 structure also included new consumer categories in conformity with the Retail Tariff Review Policy of 2005. The new categories will now be Domestic Consumers metered at 240 volts or 415 volts, whose monthly energy consumption does not exceed 15,000kWh per month.Small Consumers will be with energy consumption not exceeding 15,00kWh, Commercial/Industrial (CI) subdivided in four categories, Interruptible Consumers (IT) and Street Lighting (SL)."I wish to urge electricity consumers to practise energy conservation and efficiency measures so as to mitigate these price increase," the director general said.Kenya Power staff, who in the past enjoyed reliefs, will now pay the full cost like other consumers.Apart from adding to the burden of inflation at the household level, the new cost is expected to increase the cost of production, especially for industrialists who have to compete with rivals in the region.The cost of electricity is particularly important for industrialists who are operating in an economy that is beset with additional costs of doing business, including poor infrastructure and high cost of labour. Kenya has the highest power tariffs in East and Central Africa.

Speaking from the Coast, the chairperson of the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers, Ms Lucy Karume, described the new move as "extremely wrong". "We are just coming out of hardships and this will cripple the tourism industry," she said from Whitesands Hotel where the association is holding a symposium. And Cotu secretary- general Francis Atwoli said the move was suspect. "This is both unimaginable and unacceptable" he said. Kenya Association of Manufacturers chairman Steven Smith said manufacturers were now staring at a more difficult operating environment. "It is going to be a difficult situation when you look at what is going on in Kenya and globally in terms of fuel prices," Mr Smith told the Nation on phone. "This price is above our expectation."The increase, he said, would greatly hurt Kenya's competitiveness in the international market because even the earlier tariffs were way above those paid in other countries.While Kenya manufacturers were paying between Sh10 and Sh14 per kilowatt, their competitors in China and India pay the equivalent of between Sh2.50 and Sh3.80 per kilowatt.The chairman of the Kenya Economists and Consumers Association, Mr George Ojema, said the increase was meant to cheat Kenyans after the Budget allegedly reduced food prices. He said clandestine economics was being introduced by pretending to reduce prices of commodities while introducing additional payments through the backdoor.A Communication Workers Union of Kenya official, Mr Noo Ooro and Kisumu lawyer Mr Aduma Owour, also criticised the move saying the purpose of extending rural electrification to the villages would be a piped-dream."Why extend power to the villages and hike the cost of billing? It means that the same power will fly above the poor people's houses to the rich people's homes," they said.

• Tanzania: Sh2.5 Billion Fuel Debt Stalls ATCL Flights: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 27 June 2008.

The failure by Air Tanzania Company Ltd (ATCL) to transport its passengers during the past two weeks had been caused by a fuel debt amounting to Sh2.5 billion ($2 million), The Citizen has established.Of the outstanding debt, $1.2 million was inherited from the previous management that forced BP Tanzania to suspended its services to the airline pending payment of the huge debt. The situation hampered the airline's initiative to

360 operate on areas such as the Dar es Salaam-Johannesburg, Mwanza, Kilimanjaro, Mtwara and Mauritius routes during the past two weeks.This forced ATCL to transfer its booked passengers to rival airlines like South Africa Airways for Dar-Johannesburg route and PrecisionAir for key local routes.ATCL chief executive officer David Mattaka told The Citizen on Wednesday that the Government had not honoured its promise to pay part of the debt incurred during the defunct partnership between ATCL and South Africa Airways.According to Mr Mattaka, BP Tanzania Ltd and ATCL had agreed to sustain business under the condition that the latter should pay the debt in installments.To operate its current routes, ATCL spend over Sh1 billion for fuel per month. Between September and June this year, jet fuel prices at the global market rose by 74 per cent, causing heavy loses not only to ATCL, but the aviation industry as a whole.According to him, under the new agreement, ATCL will be paying BP about Sh700 million per month. Part of the money will service the outstanding debt and the balance meet current fuel supplies. Earlier, the fuel supplier had demanded ATCL to pay Sh1.1 billion per month to service the debt plus the cost of current fuel supplies.ATCL operates two Boeings 737-200 and Airbus A320-11 on domestic and regional routes. But aviation experts maintain that with the skyrocketing fuel prices, operating Boeing 737-200 is too expensive. For instance to fly from Dar es Salaam to Kilimanjaro International Airport which, 50 minutes flight, Boeing 737-200 consume 8,000 litres of fuel. According to Mr Mattaka, by operating small planes with a capacity to carry 65 passengers, ATCL saves about Sh4 million for a flight to KIA.However, for regional routes especially from Dar es Salaam to Johannesburg, us of Airbus A320-11, the airline makes profit as the place consumes a reasonable amount of fuel.

• Rwanda: Final Countdown: Focus Media (Kigali): 23 June 2008.

The Lake Kivu methane plant should be up and running by the end of June. A team of local engineers and labourers is working alongside international contractors to put the finishing touches to Rwanda’s first underwater methane extraction plant. After long delays and a series of tests, the US$ 15 million plant should be pumping out natural gas by the end of June, according to the site's supervisors. "The project is coming together," says Augustin Rubayiza, Chief Engineer of Operations. "We're confident that in one month gas will be extracted." Installing on-site power generators and laying down a gas pipeline are the two remaining steps, supervisors say. As of last week, six gas-powered turbine engines are in place, ready to produce over two megawatts of electricity per day, according to Charles McGuire, site supervisor for Aggreko, a UK-based equipment rental firm. "Once we get this pipeline in place, it's full-steam ahead," he says.

A series of bright orange pipes will be welded together just under the water's surface, carrying methane gas from a floating platform two kilometres from shore. The two Danish welding companies responsible for the pipeline will have ten days to complete it, but company owner Bo Kloecker says the project has had some roadblocks. "There were supposed to be boats and anchors set up when we arrived," he says. Still, Mr Kloecker thinks the end is within reach. "We should finish this week," he says. Overall construction of the plant has seen its share of challenges, workers say, including a string of contracts with foreign companies that didn't quite work out. The most recent, an 18-

361 month agreement with a Danish construction company, Dane Associates, ended badly when the firm failed to uphold its financial responsibilities, according to the government. "Dane was taking advantage of its position as a majority shareholder," says Charles Nyirahuku of the Ministry of Infrastructure. According to him, an independent audit conducted in 2007 showed the firm was not properly managed, so its contract was not extended. The company was not available for comment. In order to avoid further setbacks, the government hired Ludan Technologies, a reputable Israeli technology firm. Kibuye Power 1 has worked closely with Ludan employees to ensure the project runs smoothly, according to local engineer Hodari Muhire. "Things have gone well so far," he says. Muhire says the methane plant is just a small version of what may actually be possible at Lake Kivu. "The next one may be ten times this size," he says, "and could spur investors to fund further projects."Future endeavours to exploit the natural gas will have to follow certain rules, the government says. In order to deal with pollution and safety concerns, the Ministry of Infrastructure says it has hired an international expert committee to run the Lake Kivu Monitoring Program. This, the government hopes will address the environmental and security issues that come with underwater methane extraction.

24. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

WEST AFRICA • Guinea: Food Prices Some of Highest in Region: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 27 June 2008.

Food price hikes have hit Guinea's capital Conakry harder than many others in West Africa according to the World Food Programme (WFP), while an export ban is preventing rural populations from benefiting from high global market prices, leading to fears that mounting food insecurity could lead to instability. Rice prices in Conakry of US$0.95 per kg are higher than in many other West African capitals - including Dakar where it costs US$0.77 per kg and Monrovia where it is US$0.64. Up to a third of Guineans rely on imported rice and the number shoots up in the lean season from June to September. "With the rising cost of living I think anything could happen at any time... it could be a vital factor in destabilising our country," Ramata Sagno, a public services official, told IRIN. According to Jean-Martin Bauer, a food market specialist at WFP in Dakar, there is more evidence of a problem in towns though the organisation is also concerned about some rural zones.The latest government poverty reduction strategy notes just over a third of Guineans have trouble feeding themselves.

Urban poor: In Conakry's more impoverished areas families spend up to 62 percent of their income on food according to the non-governmental organisation Helen Keller International. These estimates were made before fuel prices rose by 60 percent in April

362 2008, which also cost some Guineans the majority of their income. A civil servant in the housing ministry told IRIN on a salary of US$67 per month he spends US$73 on fuel, which has stopped him from going into work regularly.

"Each time you hear about cost of living leaders say it is a global crisis, but this is an argument people won't buy for long because they are hungry... and when stomachs are empty people will do anything to improve their lot," Abdullahi Soumaouré, an official in the urban ministry, told IRIN.Political instability and riots over cost of living and governance issues have been rife in the capital, Conakry in recent years. Most recently in May and June 2008 clashes between military factions, and between the military and police lead to hundreds of injuries and several deaths. Both groups counted among their demands a call for higher rice subsidies.

Why prices so high: A number of internal factors have contributed to sharp food price rises in Guinea, according to WFP. One is the rice imports market that is dominated by a few players which "does not create the conditions for the healthy competition that would lower prices," said Bauer.Guinea has a relatively inefficient port system, which makes it more expensive to ship a container of rice from Asia to Conakry than to other West African capitals, and fuel prices have further increased freight costs.And the Guinean Franc has not enjoyed the relative protection of the West African CFA which is pegged to the euro, and has experienced high inflation in 2008, making it more expensive for Guinean consumers and the government to purchase food. "Inflation is reducing the government's financial reserves. It has seriously affected our state budgets," said Emmanuel Sossonadourno, an adviser in the economics ministry.

Government measures: The government set up an emergency committee to address the crisis though it has been slow to meet partly because of the recent instability in the capital and the changeover of power as the new Prime Minister Tidiane Soaré set about forming a new government. The agriculture ministry is trying to set up emergency rice stocks, and has cut taxes on staple foods. It also developed a growth plan to reduce the country's import dependence, launching a donor appeal in May. But Bauer estimates Guinea will see most of the benefits of boosted production in 2009 not 2008 as there was little time to plan a response between the price hikes in the spring and the beginning of the lean season in June.

Export ban "bad news”: The government has also issued an export ban as of 31 December 2007 on all agricultural products, which is intended to keep food stocks inside the country and to prevent prices from spiralling further out of control. But according to WFP's Bauer, Guineans exported marginal amounts of rice before the export ban, so rather than keeping rice in the country the ban has instead hit Guinea's vegetable and fruit sellers, who are "at risk of losing their regional market share."Rural producers who flout the ban face more expensive transport options, cutting their profit margins."For smallholders growing cash crops this can be very bad news in terms of their livelihoods and income," Bauer told IRIN.The ban is also inconsistently applied - residents of the capital report they still see foreign fishing trawlers working just off the country's coast. And one international donor said the export ban was never official in the first place

363 leaving many in a state of confusion.He told IRIN "We do not encourage these kinds of controls on the economy. It affects vulnerable groups and rural communities the most." But Emmanuel Sossonadourno, an adviser in the economics ministry, defends the ban. "People were abusing our subsidy system buy buying products cheaply and selling them for more across borders so we had to apply a ban."

Urban response: Many agencies, including the World Food Programme, are gearing up to provide food aid for the most vulnerable but they need to do so quickly, says Bauer, since the lean season is already underway. WFP also faces the challenge of running a large-scale urban response in a city prone to violence. Conakry has the right conditions for cash rather than food distributions but instability could complicate this. "Instability as we have seen in the recent fighting between the police and the army could be a concern with an urban intervention. We just have to try to ensure we deliver assistance to those who need it, without making the situation any worse."In the meantime the residents of Conakry are not hopeful. "I am scared for Guinea and for myself", said Soumaouré. "I think Guineans may be ready to go to the streets to demand better living conditions. We are suffering but we no longer know who to complain to."

• Ghana: Societal And Cultural Constraints Affecting Women's Access to ICT – Botchway: Accra Mail (Accra): 27 June 2008.

Miss Alice Botchway, Ashanti Regional Director of Department of Women and Children's Affairs, has observed that societal and cultural constraints had made women to distance themselves from the global pool of information and knowledge thereby creating a digital divide between men and women."The ICT divide between men and women is reflected in the levels of empowerment and inequities of women in comparison to men and has led to the slow pace of development on the African Continent," she added.Miss Botchway made the observation when addressing the second National Women's Conference of Communication Workers' Union of Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) in Kumasi.The two-day conference was under the theme "Strengthening Capacity of Women in Information Communication Technology (ICT) Industry: The Role of the Union."It was being sponsored by management of Ghana Telecom, Ghana Post and Kasapa.She said the inability of women to have adequate access to ICT had contributed to the slow pace of development in Africa and called on stakeholders and experts in communication technology to initiate strategies to remove constraints that affected women's access to ICT.Miss Botchway stressed the need for stakeholders, experts and the union to spearhead the initiatives to bridge the gender divides in ICT by recognizing the constraints women face in the use of ICT.

She said women must be encouraged and provided with the needed skills, expertise and programmes to enable them catch up with the fast growing and improving ICT.Miss Botchway called on Civil Society Organizations and others to intervene to make ICT more accessible to both men and women, because equitable access to ICT would enhance development in the country.Miss Georgina Opoku-Amankwah, National Chairperson of Public Service Workers' Union of GTUC, said it was time for women to develop themselves in ICT training.Mr Anthony Ekow Dadzie, General Secretary of the Union,

364 called on women to update their personal records with the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), for their safety in future as well as that of their dependants.Mrs Stella Appiah-Nkansah, Human Resource Manager of Ghana Telecommunication (GT), said women formed 51 per cent of Ghana's population therefore; they need to acquire knowledge to build the home and country.She called on women to find effective strategies to build and strengthen their capacities through scholarships and other educational programmes.Mrs Appiah-Nkansah advised them not to involve themselves in negative relationships that would not build their self confidence.

• Nigeria: Country Flared $72bn Gas in 36 Years, Says NGA: Daily Trust (Abuja): 27 June 2008.

Nigeria's inability to stop gas flaring by oil companies, has cost the nation $72 billion (about N8.4 trillion) in three decades, a data released by the Nigeria Gas Association (NGA), has revealed. The data shows that between 1970 and 2006 Nigeria lost some $72 billion as a result of gas flaring at an average of $2.5 billion per annum. t the NGA's 2nd Business Forum in Abuja yesterday, the President of NGA, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi, who released the data said the level of flaring in the country is on the average of 1.2 Trillion Cubic feet of gas annually. The government set January 1, this year for all oil companies to stop gas flaring but the dateline has been shifted to December.

Engr. Ogiemwonyi who is also the Group Executive Director, Exploration and Production of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said when the wider effect of the environmental, economy and social consequences are factored in, "we could potentially be discussing numbers in the region of $150 billion in real terms".

He said after 50 years of oil production most of the country's producing fields are characterized by routine flares with "little visible efforts" to take out the flares in the near future.He said the operators have consistently feared the risk of oil shut-in when asked to implement gas flare saying that the oil producing companies have claimed that about 870,000 barrels of oil will be shut-in amounting to a revenue loss of billions of dollars.Engr. Ogiemwonyi, who is also the immediate past Managing Director of the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), said what Nigeria needs are capital project implementation towards gas flare down as demonstrated by Nigeria's Liquefied Natural Gas, Condensate recovery, gas gathering and gas re-injection project among others."We expect that operating companies will quickly aligned with government in realsing the Nigerian Gas Mater Plan and vision the Master Plan as the catalyst to realising that potential of gas as a great enabler towards Nigeria's growth aspirations",Also speaking, Minister of State for Energy (Gas), Mr. Emmanuel Odusina, said under the Gas Master Plan, there is a proposal for three backbone gas transmission system which will be operated independently, but will be interconnected to form a gas grid."The South-North transmission system comprises of 1135 km of 45-inch pipeline system originating from Akwa-Ibom/Calabar Central Processing Facility (CFP), traversing Abia,, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kano and via Ajaokuta and Abuja".

365 • Ghana: Newmont Kenyasi Mining Area Under Threat From Residents: Public Agenda (Accra): 27 June 2008.

Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL), managers of the Ahafo project at Kenyasi in Asutifi District in the Brong-Ahafo Region, has expressed worry about the rate at which residents put up structures and farm on its mining lease purposely to claim compensations.Mr Randy Barnes, External Affairs Manager, told newsmen at Kenyasi on Wednesday that, the practice was impeding the operations of the company.

Leading newsmen to Amoma, an area within the concessions that the company intends to excavate, he said the situation was putting a strain on the company considering the high investments it has made in the area.Mr Barnes said the company always declared a moratorium of its activities on the mine site and noted with regret that immediately after the declaration, people started raising structures with the hope of getting compensation."NGGL will and only compensate those who built before the declaration of the moratorium and who are found eligible for resettlement, relocation or compensation in accordance with the provisions of the 1992 Constitution and the new minerals and mining Act (2006) 703", he warned.Mr Barnes said NGGL believed in dialogue to improve its relationship with communities within its operational areas.

He indicated that the company would conduct survey to record buildings, crops and land owners in the control area in collaboration with the land owners and lawful occupiers on the matter."After the declaration of moratorium at the Amoma area, perpetrators erected more than 400 illegal structures, a practice that not only frustrate the company but also the community, since the company will not compensate such people," he added.Mr Barnes said in order not to create unnecessary confusion, NGGL had established a monitoring and control team to educate local communities on the company's concessions and cautioned that "no one should build a structure or upgrade crops in the control area without the approval of NGGL".He said the company's mining lease in the area is 535 square kilometres and was currently working on 8,000 acres of land."The company since 2004 and 2006 has paid crop compensation of 14 million dollars", Mr Barnes added.He called on the Minerals Commission to intervene and help halt the activities of the encroachers in order to avert unnecessary tensions between the communities and the company. GNA

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Southern Africa: SADC Loses Billions to Illicit Fishing: New Era (Windhoek): 27 June 2008.

The Southern African region loses US$1 billion yearly, through illegal fishing activities. The figure has drawn attention to the enormity of the problem and has provided the name for the forthcoming conference "The Billion Dollar Treasure Hunt" - a SADC Marine Fisheries Ministerial Conference to stop illegal fishing.Namibia will host the three-day conference in the capital starting next Wednesday.

366 The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Dr Abraham Iyambo, said SADC has vowed to fight illegal fishing."We will demonstrate our political will as a region of ministers responsible for fisheries," Iyambo told journalists in the capital yesterday.He stated that illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing distorts fisheries statistics and trade, thus sabotaging management decisions."This destructive activity also undermines fish conservation efforts and sustainability regimes. The developing countries are the key victims due to a lack of protective instruments," he added.Heads of State and Governments on August 14, 2001, signed the SADC Protocol on Fisheries and to date it has been ratified by nine member states, making it enforceable within the region.The overall objective of the protocol is to promote responsible and sustainable use of the living aquatic resources and aquatic ecosystems of interest to state parties.

Iyambo said IUU fishing violates everything that the SADC Protocol on Fisheries stands for, including elements of responsibility, fair trade, livelihoods of fishing communities, economic opportunities of affected resource owners, poverty alleviation efforts and food security at large.The minister said it is therefore an obligation that SADC protects its fishing resources by fighting IUU."The global trend in fish catches shows a positive increase for developing countries in comparison to developed countries that depicts a decline in the amount of catches. This scenario makes it favourable for IUU fishers to maximise profits from fish caught in developing countries," Iyambo noted.Mostly developed countries are cited as making themselves guilty of the practice, as developing countries rarely have the capacity to carry out the illegal business.Ministers from seven of the SADC Coastal Countries as well as delegates from neighbouring countries that share resources with SADC in the Indian Ocean, such as Kenya and Seychelles, are expected to attend the conference.The European Union (EU), Norway, United Kingdom, civil society, regional fisheries management organisations and regional fishery programmes representatives will also be represented at the conference.Major areas, which will be focused on include improved national fisheries capability and capacity, regional collaboration, cooperation and communication, engagement of all those involved in the chain of custody and strengthening fisheries governance.

• Angola: Government to Asphalt 4,000 Kilometres of Road This Year: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 27 June 2008.

The Angolan government wishes to asphalt 4,000 kilometres of road by the year's end, with the aim of establishing road linkage between provincial capitals and connect Angola to main production centres of the African continent, Wednesday here informed the speaker of the National Assembly (Parliament), Roberto de Almeida.Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2nd African Congress of Roads, the parliament speaker considered the achievement of this goal is essential, since that the expansion of roads will enable economic and cultural interchange amongst all Africans.

According to Roberto de Almeida, Angola aims at becoming an important point of passage from South to North and from the Atlantic to the Indian oceans, therefore the Angolan government included the large African goals in its strategies, based on uniting the continent through roads."There is a need to create good roads to ease the circulation

367 of goods and capitals, turning investment in economic and social infrastructures less troublesome, as well as facilitate interchange between Africans and enable the emerging of industry development and progress", stressed the official.On the other hand, Roberto de Almeida assured that for a broad production of basic agricultural and industrial goods there is need for an efficient distribution network capable of placing products in the internal market and transport them to ports and then export the surplus.

Although the financial efforts and the great use of manpower represent an excellent work, he supported, it is still essential to double efforts because everything that is being done shall bring about future benefits capable of showing the world that Africa is the continent of the future and not going backward.Public Works ministers of various African countries, representatives of road management nstitutions of the continent, as well as exports of the sector from other parts of the world are attending the 2nd African Congress of Roads to analyse technologies, investments and other topics relating to roads in Africa.The Angolan parliament speaker reminded that in 1975, year of independence, the country had about 8,000 kilometres of asphalted roads, and in 2005, active start of the programme for the definitive recovery of road infrastructures, this heritage was still almost totally destroyed.Meanwhile, the government outlined a programme of recovering road infrastructures so as to combat hunger and poverty and giving back to Angolans the possibility of practicing agriculture, its main source of income, as observed until 1975, when over 70 percent of the population depended on the field.

• Zimbabwe: Inflation Gallops Ahead - 9000 000 Percent: Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): 27 June 2008.

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe's election run-off campaign premised on providing goods and services at cheaper prices has failed as inflation continues to gallop ahead.The Movement for Democratic Change presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai officially pulled out of today's election this week to effectively hand Mugabe a "victory".The problem is that after his "win" Mugabe will face the same problems that his government has failed to solve for the past eight years.Latest figures from the Central Statistical Offices (CSO) show that annual inflation rose by 7 336 000 percentage points to 9 030 000% by June 20 and is set to end the month at well above 10 500 000%.Inflation for May stood at 1 694 000% by May 23 according to weekly CSO computations seen by the businessdigest. Month-on-month inflation for the same period was 862% as commodities continued to rise beyond the reach of many Zimbabweans whose incomes are being eroded on a daily basis.

The computation seen by this paper this week showed that inflation for the CSO calendar month which ran from May 16 to June 15 had been 5 500 000% while the month on month inflation rate had been 540%.The CSO has been computing weekly movement averages on the annual inflation rate since mid April. This is in addition to monthly computations done according to its calendar year.The latest figure is not far from computations made by banks which have placed annual inflation for June at between 8 000 000% and 9 500 000%.CSO acting director Moffat Nyoni would not confirm this month's latest inflation figures saying his office did not have sufficient

368 observations to give a definite inflation estimate. Nyoni said his office had done some investigations but had no official figure for May and June. "We do not have any figures for those two periods," Nyoni said."Our observations are still not adequate for us to give a definite inflation figure." The CSO last announced inflation figures in January this year when inflation was 100 580%. Since then, figures have found their way into the open through CSO sources with figures for February and March standing at 165 000% and 355 000% respectively.The inflation rate for April was 732 604%. The failure by the CSO to announce inflation figures has affected quoted companies on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) whose financial years ended between February and March. Under ZSE regulations, these companies are supposed to release inflation-adjusted results within three months of year end but have failed to do so owing to the lack of official inflation figures.

The ZSE has been forced to make special dispensations for these companies rather than suspending them from trading. The new inflation figures for this month also beat forecasts for June made by the CSO and banks last month.businessdigest was informed last month that the CSO was looking at an annual inflation rate of between 4 000 000% and 5 000 000% for June while most banks projected rates of between 2 000 000% and 3 000 000%.For its part the CSO is arguing it cannot release the inflation figures because there are no products to measure. The latest inflation figures came as the Zimbabwean dollar continued to crash against major currencies.The Zimbabwean dollar was this week trading at US$1:$17 billion on the parallel market. On electronic transfers the rate was as high as US$1:$45 billion depending on volumes. Analysts said the Zimbabwean dollar is going to continue weakening.The effect of inflation on households is apparent.For instance a teacher who is paid $66 billion a month can only afford to buy two litres of cooking oil and a bar of soap.Pressure is also mounting on workers as they are now being forced to pay rentals in foreign currency. A room in Tynward was this week going for R150 a month as people battle to hedge against inflation.The average worker in Zimbabwe gets about $25 billion a month. Most workers have however resorted to joining the informal sector to keep up with the cost of living.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Kenya: Bank to Launch More Islamic Services: The Nation (Nairobi): 27 June 2008.

Kenya could soon have Sharia compliant bonds if proposals being prepared by the First Community Bank are accepted by the regulator. "We are preparing proposals to be taken to the Central Bank of Kenya on introduction of Sharia bonds and we hope they will be in the market soon," the bank's chief executive officer, Mr Nathif Adam announced on Thursday. He said the bank would also consider introducing Sharia compliant insurance (Takafol) in the future. Speaking during a seminar on Islamic banking organised by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya, Mr Adam said the bonds called Sukuk, were among services the bank intended to introduce in the country. He said First Community Bank has been overwhelmed by the number of clients who have opened accounts with the bank since it started operations about a month ago.

369 Among them, he said, were religious organisations adding that so far, non-Muslims constitute about 50 per cent of the accounts opened.Mr Adam said it was impressive that Kenya was the first in east and central Africa to allow the establishment of Islamic banks, which are growing rapidly in other parts of the world. Central Bank has also licensed Gulf African Bank along the same lines with a number of conventional banks introducing Sharia compliant products. Islamic Banks prohibit charging of interest, which they refer to as usury. Tanzania and Uganda, Mr Adam said, had also showed interest in Islamic banks. The chief executive said First Community will officially open a new branch in Mombassa on Saturday to increase their branch network to three. The other two are operating in Nairobi. "We intend to have not less than 17 branches in our second year of operation," Mr Adam said.Among those present during the seminar were commercial banks, savings and credit societies and power generating and telecommunications firms.

• East Africa: Kagame Takes Chair of EAC: The New Times (Kigali): 27 June 2008.

President Kagame Thursday took over the reigns as Chairperson of the East African Community during the ninth session of the Heads of State Summit held in Kigali.

During his acceptance remarks, Kagame thanked his fellow Heads of State for the trust they had placed in him by unanimously selecting him to lead the regional bloc for the next one year. "It is with great humility that I accept the chairmanship of the East African Community and I am looking forward to serving the community to the level of their expectations," said Kagame. The meeting was attended by all Heads of State of the EAC who included the outgoing chairman of the bloc, Uganda's Yoweri Museveni, Kenya's Mwai Kibaki, Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete and Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza. The President urged regional leaders to act quickly to curb the problems of delays at borders which he said cause unnecessary costs of doing business. "We need to expedite a complete overhaul of our customs union beginning from our borders this accumulates unnecessary costs for doing business leading to what I can call corruption costs," he said. "The major problems of these delays are caused by numerous roadblocks, borders and weighbridges which delay merchandise from ports to inland," he added. The President proposed that the borders be opened twenty four hours if necessary in an effort to reduce costs. This summit was held concurrently with the first East African Investment Conference, a three-day event that also started Monday, attracting close to 1000 businessmen from allover the globe. Earlier during the opening of the conference, Kagame had urged investors to make use of the available opportunities in the region. "Our continent and in particular East Africa stands at crossroads with clear navigational tools for arriving at our desired destination these are business capabilities, economic infrastructure, and belief in our people," Kagame told the gathering of investors. During a Strategy Retreat, the Heads of State also mooted the East African Infrastructure Strategy, which is aimed at harmonising the regional infrastructural policies with a main aim of facilitating investors willing to do business in the region. Meanwhile, Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni said that for effective development, much emphasis should be put on the private sector. "We have to put our emphasis on the private sector and investors rather

370 than politics and bureaucracy .It is time to put in practice what we have been discussing for the last 40 years," said Museveni, who is the outgoing chairperson of the EAC. He outlined some of the crucial issues to be addressed if equitable development was to be achieved including security, both physical for the investors, and material, where they would feel their property is safe. "Another aspect is the tax incentives; for example, the United States has given us quota and tax free market of 6500 products; China has also given us the same offer for 440 our embarrassment will be to run short of the products to supply to these markets," he said. He added that the region has all the resources that can be used in the production of the products to export to these countries: "The only problem is how to process those products and make them ready for export." Kenya's Mwai Kibaki called upon the harmonisation of electricity generation as a way of improving investment in the region. "Our region requires a vibrant financial sector and electricity is crucial in having this realised." He called upon investors to come to Kenya, saying the political instability which rocked the country earlier this year has since been settled.

"The grand coalition government has worked it out and investors should not have reasons to worry," he said. Burundi's Nkurunziza said that he was optimistic following the recent peace deal with FNL--a rebel outfit formerly fighting Burundi, that the country would now embark on economic development. The summit, which was organised by the Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (RIEPA), attracted more than 1,000 foreign investors. The Secretary General of EAC, Juma Mwapachu, recognised efforts by President Kagame in hosting the summit only one year after Rwanda joined the regional bloc. "He has managed to make the dream we had when the community was being established into a reality," he said. Meanwhile, Kagame kicked off his chairmanship of the regional bloc by presiding over the swearing-in ceremony of the ten judges making up the East African Court of Justice. Two Rwandan judges, Johnston Busingye who is also the High Court president, and Emilie Rusera Kayitesi, were sworn in as members of this court.

• Kenya: Safaricom Joins the NSE 20 Share Index: The Nation (Nairobi): 27 June 2008.

Safaricom, East Africa's most profitable telephony company, has been included in the NSE 20 Share index. Its inclusion replaces TPS Serena in the commercial and services sector. This comes barely a month after it was listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange contrary to the regulations governing the NSE 20 Share that require a company to have been trading for a minimum of one year prior to its inclusion. NSE chairman, Mr Jimnah Mbaru, said the board of directors made an exception to Safaricom in light of the significant impact it has occasioned on the market capitalisation and trading activity at the bourse. "Safaricom's inclusion will enhance the technical and market reflection accuracy of the NSE share index. The changes have been endorsed by the NSE board after due regard to factors of market capitalisation, turnover, shares traded and the liquidity of the respective counters," Mr Mbaru said in a press statement. Also joining NSE 20 Share index is Equity Bank that replaces Diamond Trust Bank in the finance and investment sector, East African Cables that knocks out Sameer Africa and

371 Athi River Mining which replaces Total Kenya in the industrial and allied sector. The changes take effect from July 1.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Central Africa: Yaoundé Hosts Ninth Cemac Heads of State Summit: The Post (Buea): 26 June 2008.

Heads of State of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa zone (CEMAC), are converging in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. The 9th Summit of CEMAC will be holding on the 24th & 25th June 2008. Leaders of six countries amongst others will be part of this event. President Theodoro Obiang- Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, Omar Bongo Odimba of Gabon, Denis Sassou- Nguesso of the Congo, Francois Bozize of the Central Africa Republic, Idriss Deby Itno of Chad and Paul Biya of Cameroon will be in attendance .CEMAC was created in 1994 to collectively develop the human and natural resources of the sub region for the wellbeing of its people. President Paul Biya has been receiving guests for this occasion.

• Cameroon: Government's Involvement in Public Investment Reduced: The Post (Buea): 27 June 2008.

Following the new disposition of the Public Investment Programme, the role of government has been reduced to give more independence to elected representatives such as parliamentarians and mayors.In this light, a seminar was organised in Yaounde recently to get the officials of the central and external services of the Ministry of the Economy Planning and Regional Development acquainted with the new dispositions.Speaking during the seminar, the Director of Public Investment at MINEPAT, Paul Tasong, faulted the old mechanism for inadequate intra-administrative follow-up due to a multiplicity of interlocutors, difficulties in accessing physical data and the non-mastery of the concepts.

In this vein, following an evaluation, it was recommended that information on public investment projects should be published and more specifically in the localities of the beneficiaries.Consequently, Tasong said a more participatory mechanism was designed whereby seminars on the problem of follow-up and monitoring of projects, information to the beneficiaries and implication of the beneficiaries in the follow-up and execution of the public investment projects was designed.In this participatory approach, the observations of NGOs would no longer be limited to contracts under execution but equally have the opportunity to comment on projects by non administrative partners.The Local committee now has the possibility to ask the administration why a contract is not awarded on time.Even the award process and the scope of competence have been extended to those projects funded by the HIPC, the C2D, and those from other partners.Meanwhile, the Minister of the Economy, Louis Paul Motaze, stated that by

372 implementing the new mechanisms of public investment projects is in a way promoting economic growth.He said government's objective is to evaluate if there is a positive change in the beneficiary population, the integration of all sources of finance and the reduction of poverty.

25. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Conflict in North Could Threaten Elections: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 27 June 2008.

Ghana's President Kufuor has demanded an immediate end to a conflict between two ethnic groups in the north of the country that has claimed at least 17 lives in the last week and which observers warn could jeopardise presidential elections later this year."Citizens of Ghana are being axed savagely and monies we need for development are going down the drain," President Kufuor said in an emergency meeting with traditional leaders and members of parliament from the northeastern town Bawku.Bawku, which has a predominantly Muslim population of 206,000, has been under a dusk to dawn curfew since January when several days of violence starting on New Year's Day led to four deaths and large parts of the town being burned. Further clashes between the Mamprusi and Kusasi in March left two more dead.Kufuor said the local officials should be "ashamed" of the events in Bawku where 17 people have been murdered in a new spat between the Mamprusi and Kusasi ethnic groups in the last week that locals say started in a dispute over the theft of a horse.Bawku has a long history as a flashpoint town in Ghana. In 2001 at least 28 people were killed there when factions clashed in another battle apparently sparked by a relatively small crime, the destruction of a small shop.However with general elections just six months away there are fears volatility could trigger widespread violence in the run-up to polls.The executive secretary of the West African Network for Peace Building (WANEP), Emmanuel Bombandey, said: "Political undertones of the conflict could exacerbate the bloodshed unless a solution is found now."The international human rights group Amnesty International has expressed concern about the lack of political will to solve the crisis. The group said in a statement that the failure to resolve the conflict stems from a "game of hurt no one in order to win all votes".

President Kufuor has held two separate rounds of talks with leaders of the two rival ethnic factions this year.Ghana's electoral commission told IRIN a meeting with all the country's political parties has been fixed for next month to discuss the situation and its implications on the elections."If we allow things to get out of hand then we are holding the whole of Ghana to ransom," Kufuor said on 26 June at the meeting with local officials."The entire nation could be engulfed and we will no longer be able to show the outside world a positive image," he warned.Northern Ghana is riddled with conflicts over ethnicity as well as over who has rights to assume certain chieftaincies - local government positions. There are over 40 ethnic groups in the country.In 2007, six people, including a policeman, died in a chieftaincy conflict in the Volta Region in the east.

373 • Ghana: Mills to Force 2nd Run-Off: Public Agenda (Accra): 27 June 2008.

If the findings of the forth Round of the Afro-Barometer Surveys are to be taken seriously, there might not be a first round winner of the 2008 presidential elections. When asked which party they would vote for, 46 percent of the sample of 1200 respondents said they would vote for the ruling NPP, while 23 percent opted to vote for the NDC, the biggest opposition party.According to the report, the fact that three in ten of the respondents refused to disclose their voting patterns indicates the presence of a large number of floating voters, who could decide the outcome of the elections. The floating voters are distributed as follows: Greater Accra (45%), Central (30%), Brong Ahafo (27%) and Northern Region (27%), the possible swing regions.

This would likely bring the rejuvenated Convention Peoples' Party (CPP) into the equation. In fact the report stated that "The Convention Peoples' Party seemed to be rejuvenated, making some political analysts believe that it had potential impact on the outcome of the elections."One political analyst says, although Atta Mills's 2008 campaign may be cash-trapped, President Kuffour's retirement and the greater ethnic and socioeconomic polarization of the electorate could give the NDC enough votes to push the elections into a second round.There is one caveat. Allegations that Atta Mills suffers from ill health have surfaced repeatedly, and may negatively affect his campaign if he disappears from the campaign trail to visit clinics abroad.Quite expectedly and on all fronts the results have drawn mixed reactions. While the NPP has been cautious in hailing the results as a vindication of the government's policies, the NDC has loudly described the survey as a sham, citing corruption in high places as the strongest point of the government's failure to promote accountability.One of Prof. Atta Mills' spokesmen, Mr. Ametor Kwame wondered on radio how the same ruling party that was cited in the report as failing to fight corruption would be given favourable rating against the NDC. Ghana's slide in the comprehensive UN Development Programme's Human Development Index (HDI) in recent times suggests that Mills could tap into a vein of public discontent over lack of money in their pockets. While public discontent alone will not win the 2008 race for Atta Mills, it may prevent Akufo Addo from achieving a quick first-round victory.But the ruling party will cling on to aspects of the report that said that for the first time in the history of the Afrobarometer, four in ten respondents say the macroeconomic conditions are very good. The report said the NPP government received positive ratings for the overall management of the economy and the delivery of health and education. The most logical question that flows from the controversial report is whether; the perceptions will translate into actual votes?The onus is on Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom of the CPP and Dr. Edward Mahama of the PNC to improve their ratings and prove the political forecasters wrong. If the two dark horses make in roads, they could become the king makers and with that have a bigger bargaining power over the sharing of ministerial appointments.The December 2007 nomination of Paa Kwesi Ndoum, a former public sector reform minister and savvy US-trained management consultant has also energized the CPP. But just as the CPP was making inroads into winning more supporters, its members started kicking each other's feet over an SFO report, which Nduom's detractors think could unmake the party at the last hour if the SFO decides to press corruption

374 charges against him. Nduom has fought spiritedly to clear his name, but, the dent to his campaign is beginning to tell on him.

• Ghana: Ghanaians Favour a Presidency With Reduced Powers: Public Agenda (Accra): 27 June 2008.

Ghanaians appear to abhor an overly powerful executive. Accordingly, they have recommended a reduction in the Constitutional powers of the President by making him answerable to Parliament. The views of the public on the powers of the presidency were captured in the recent CDD Afrobarometer Round 4 survey of 1,200 respondents. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.5 percent at 95 percent confidence level. The survey states, "A clear majority of Ghanaians, 64 percent, want the President to be answerable to Parliament." The respondents further underscored their position by assigning legislative authority to Parliament, instead of the President. "Sixty percent of the respondents assign legislative authority to Parliament rather than the President," the survey declared. Similarly, 72 percent of the respondents endorsed the constitutional limits on Presidential tenure. Currently, the President has a term of four years and if re- elected could another four-year term.

Ghanaians also express strong support for the Rule of Law with a large majority of 70 percent saying people must always obey the decisions of the courts. About two-thirds representing 62 percent, say the President must always obey the laws and courts even if he thinks they are wrong. But a large majority, 79 percent, says the President never or rarely ignores the laws of the country.Afrobarometer Round 4 was conducted in March 2008 with respondents from ages 18 and above selected and interviewed randomly from all regions of the country.Questions covered a range of opinions and attitudes on democracy, governance, livelihoods, macroeconomic policy, social capital, conflict and crime, political and civic participation, and national identity.The call By Ghanaians to whittle down the powers of the President comes on the heels of similar concerns raised by Osahene (Major) Boakye Djan, the former Spokesperson of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and now independent Parliamentary candidate for Jaman South at a news conference to announce his bid.Osahene Djan submits that the present system of governance clothes the President with overwhelming powers with the executive controlling all levels of power in this country."The executive President appoints and sacks members of his cabinet; the President initiates the main bills to be passed by Parliament which is then guaranteed easy passage to him to be implemented and without proper scrutiny because his party dominates Parliament. The President appoints members of the Supreme Court, the highest court of the land. The membership of the Council of State, and other publicly funded institutions of State have much the same story to tell," observes Osahene Djan.As a measure to clip the wings of the executive, he advocates the need to have an appreciable number of independent Parliamentarians to speak their minds without looking over their heads.Under the Constitutional arrangement, Parliament is mandated to approve all appointments by the President to the ministerial positions and the Supreme Court; it also vets the President's nominee for the position of Administrator of the District Assembly Common Fund and scrutinizes the Auditor General's Report on all Ministries, Departments and Agencies

375 (MDAs).Afrobarometer is an independent, non-partisan research instrument that measures the social need, political and economic atmosphere in 20 countries in Western, Southern and Eastern Africa. Because the survey instrument asks a standard set of questions, countries can be systematically compared and ultimately trends in public attitudes can be traced. Only a few country specific questions are allowed in order to keep the interviews within a reasonable time limit. It is jointly owned by CDD-Ghana, IDASA-South Africa and Michigan State University, USA, and funded by SIDA, DANIDA, USAID and DFID. CIDA is in the process of joining the consortium of donors of the survey.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Australia Disappointed At Tsvangirai's Withdrawal: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London): 25 June 2008.

THE Australian Federal Government said it was very disappointed that the opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has withdrawn from the presidential run-off. The Australian foreign minister expressed his disappointment in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at the MDC-T leader's move.

"We are obviously disappointed that we won't see a full and free and fair election, but I think what it does do now is that it places maximum pressure on the South African Development Community states and the African Union to now put considerable pressure on Mr Mugabe to try and get an outcome where the will of the Zimbabwe people is respected," said Stephen Smith, Australia's foreign minister. Stephen Smith also said that Australia will be considering further sanction on the Zimbabwean government. Australia says it currently has financial and travel sanctions, but are "looking at whether we can enhance any of those and whether there are sanctions that we can bring to bear in other areas."

• Zimbabwe: A Low-Key Presidential Poll: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 27 June 2008.

Voting started at a slow pace on Friday in the capital, Harare, as Zimbabweans cast their ballots in a presidential run-off election boycotted by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Polling stations in affluent suburbs were deserted in the early hours of the day.At one polling station in upmarket Belvedere, a clutch of voters had cast their ballots by mid-morning while police details milled around the station and polling officials basked in the sun. All shops in the capital's central business district were closed.

At another polling station in a school, officials outnumbered the few people who trickled in; one voter took less than three minutes to cast his vote ahead of three others waiting their turn.This contrasted sharply with the fairly long queues at polling stations in Harare's working-class suburbs, where a few diplomats arrived, assessed the process and left.Residents in Mbare, one of the capital's oldest suburbs, formed queues that were

376 much shorter than those during the elections on 29 March, in which the opposition upset the ruling party by gaining a parliamentary majority for the first time since independence from Britain in 1980.The residents, who live in crowded municipal flats, took advantage of ten polling stations within a square kilometre to cast their votes. Most of the buildings in Mbare were festooned with ZANU-PF banners sporting the face of the party leader, Robert Mugabe. The suburb was the scene of much political violence against opposition supporters in the run-up to the presidential poll on 27 June.According to the MDC, more than 86 of its supporters have been killed in violence led by the previous ruling party's militia since the first round of voting in March.

Lack of enthusiasm: "The voting has been peaceful and since morning we have not witnessed any incidence of violence," said a Zambian observer from the country's Election Commission Forum (ECF) attached to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Observer Mission, at a polling station in a working class suburb."There seems to be none of the excitement you would associate with a presidential poll," said the observer, who declined to be identified.

The little red finger: Further down the street, in the same suburb, a group of young men sat on a pile of bricks. "We sell them [the bricks] at Zim$1 trillion a thousand," they chorused.Asked whether they had voted and why they had "opened shop" when others had closed theirs, one of them said: "Our candidate is not participating, so there is no need to vote." A nearby polling station looked deserted.The group said they did not expect to be harassed for not having a red indelible ink mark on their little fingers - voters are marked by officials to indicate that the individual has voted.Silas Chambwa, 29, of Highfield suburb, where Mugabe was expected to cast his vote shortly after midday, said he had voted early in the morning. Showing the red mark on his little finger, he said he had fulfilled his obligation. "I have the red mark and nobody will harass me. I am glad no one knows how I marked the ballot," he told IRIN.Many voters, fearing a backlash from ZANU-PF youth militia, were expected to go to polling stations but to spoil their ballots in protest over the late withdrawal of MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai from the presidential race.MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told IRIN: "This is no election at all. There is nothing to comment about the event."Police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena said state radio reports from all areas indicated voters were going to the polls in a peaceful manner. "So everyone wanting to vote can do so. I have moved around Harare and everything is calm."

• Zimbabwe: South Africa Blocks Move to Delegitimize Election: The Zimbabwe Guardian (London): 28 June 2008.

COUNTING of votes cast in the presidential election run-off held in Zimbabwe yesterday is under way in the capital Harare, amid reports that South Africa has blocked a move at the United Nations to declare the election illegitimate.President Mugabe is tipped to win by a landslide in the election dubbed a 'sham' by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change's leader, Morgan Tsvangirai after he boycotted it.The United States and its allies in Europe had pushed for a resolution that would have delegitimized the election and questioned its credibilty.The move was blocked by South Africa arguing that

377 the Security Council was not mandated to certify elections.The council instead issued an oral statement expressing "deep regret" that the election went ahead after widespread calls for it to be shelved.

Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, immediately responded to this block and said the US would introduce a UN resolution calling for sanctions against Zimbabwe.This move was criticized by African foreign ministers meeting in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.They issued a statement saying that getting President Mugabe and the opposition MDC to talk will have better results than punitive measures.Moses Watangula, in contrast to Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga's hard-line stance, said the route of sanctions was not going to help the situation in Zimbabwe.

MDC Flip-Flopping : This news came as a blow to MDC leaders whose rhetoric immediately changed in response to the block by the UN.Ralph Black, the MDC's representative in the United States, who has dismissed a Government of National Unity (GNU) before seemed to change his stance.He has told a radio programme before that a GNU was "... like asking a cancer patient to heal them self when they need help from a Dr.," but yesterday he told Al Jazeera that a GNU was the only alternative."They must agree to form a government of national unity," he said."The two parties must come together to select and share power, but we believe Mugabe must not be part of a unity government -- this is because the destruction of Zimbabwe's democratic institutions lies squarely at his feet."The MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai also seemed to have been cornered and was softening his previous hard-line stance.On Wednesday he said he would 'never' negotiate with President Mugabe if the run-off election went ahead.He was quoted by CNN and BBC today saying he would go to the negotiating table if the 'conditions were right'.Briggs Bomba, a Zimbabwe activist for Africa Action, a non-profit organisation, was quoted by Al Jazeera--the only international news agency allowed to broadcast from Zimbabwe--that the strategy the MDC is using has not been effective."What the MDC could have done was to mobilize mass popular support inside the country," he said.

• Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Says No to Junior Role in GNU: SW Radio Africa (London): 27 June 2008.

MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai has vowed the MDC will not be swallowed up as a junior partner in a government of national unity, should Mugabe want to negotiate with them.Speaking to Newsreel on the day Mugabe proceeded with his 'one man election' Tsvangirai said the MDC, with it's control of parliament and the cities (via its winning councillors), would never accept being swallowed up by Zanu PF. 'The burden of responsibility lies with the MDC on whether we would accept such an arrangement. How can the majority party accept to be junior partner?'The MDC leader thanked his supporters for braving Zanu PF intimidation by boycotting the election. Tsvangirai said Friday's election had put the country into further crisis and would not in anyway solve the problems Zimbabweans are facing. He said people had hoped the election would mark a turning point in Zimbabwe's fortunes, but instead Mugabe had done his best to undermine the democratic process.Asked if he will be attending the African Union summit set for

378 Egypt next week, Tsvangirai said he would be staying in Zimbabwe but that a team of senior party officials led by Vice President Thokozani Khupe were already in Cairo mobilizing African opinion.He applauded African leaders for their condemnation of events in Zimbabwe saying, 'I think we are seeing a new momentum, a new thinking and standards,' on the African continent. Tsvangirai insists any resolution to the crisis will have to come via a personal meeting between himself and Mugabe.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • EAC Leaders Discuss Zimbabwe Violence: The New Times (Kigali): 27 June 2008.

The five Heads of State of the East African Community (EAC) meeting in Kigali Thursday expressed "serious concern" over the political impasse in Zimbabwe. The meeting, chaired by President Paul Kagame, called on the warring factions to work out an amicable solution in the interests of their countrymen.

"The Summit was of the view that the election in Zimbabwe cannot be a solution under the prevailing circumstances. The Summit urged the ZANU/PF and the MDC leaders to come together and work out an amicable solution through dialogue in the interest of all Zimbabweans," the presidents said in a joint communiqué after the summit. This was the first time that the EAC presidents' summit was being held outside the three founding members of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Rwanda and Burundi joined the economic block last year. The meeting also gave their support to the ongoing Burundi peace process between the government and Palipehutu-FNL rebels. It also decided to reduce Burundi's contribution to the EAC budget for the next two years and the shortfall would be shared equally between the remaining member states. A proposed EAC Military Field Training Exercise that was supposed to take place this financial year was put on hold until budget requirements could be worked out. The exercise was postponed until the 2009/2010 financial year. The EAC summit also welcomed the idea of a tripartite summit between the EAC, Comesa and the Southern African Development Community to be hosted by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Kampala, Uganda, in October this year.

• Uganda: Will Country Benefit From the Africa Peer Review Mechanism: The Monitor (Kampala): 28 June 2008.

President Yoweri Museveni is not expected to flinch or break into a sweat when he presents Uganda's self-assessment of its democratic and economic progress to his peers tomorrow at the African Union Summit now underway at the Red Sea resort of Sham-el- Sheikh in Egypt.Uganda is among the pioneers of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), a voluntary clearing house where participating countries undergo a rigorous self-evaluation and then allow to be examined by their peers as a way of holding each other accountable to common standards of good governance.Together with Nigeria and Burkina Faso, it will be Uganda's turn this week to be placed under scrutiny even as the global spotlight has been occupied by the political instability in Zimbabwe- the sort of break down the APRM hopes to avoid.Critics of the process point out that the process is

379 tantamount to a pot calling the kettle black since the current crop of continental leaders cannot be counted on to tell each other to for example reduce political violence which helps prop up their own regimes or conduct decent elections if it means they may lose.The President will be travelling with a diverse team which includes members of the opposition which participated in the self-assessment report.

"The country report has been described by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) secretariat as the most objective so far" said Ms Christine Abia Bako (FDC, Arua) who as a commissioner has been a part of the drafting team for the report.She said she expects the President to "be told where he has gone wrong and where he needs to improve" since "governance issues are likely to take center-stage at the summit".The APRM is a four-tier process where a self-assessment report is produced after which an external panel produces its own evaluation. Finally the ruling government produces a report which the president presents to his peers. The final stage is the response of his peers.The "Uganda Country Self-Assessment Report and Programme of Action" is 591 pages and weighs over five kilos. However the issues that are likely to weigh heavily on Mr Museveni is his record on political freedoms as well as social and economic rights.The Uganda report recommends that the ruling NRM government "uphold constitutionalism and the principle of separation of powers" even as the Uganda's security agencies routinely reject court rulings the most glaring of which was the invasion of the High Court in 2005 by armed men.

Recently members of Parliament walked out of the 2008/9 budget presentation to protest what they claimed is an executive inspired crackdown on opposition rallies which resulted into the arrest and mistreatment of three MPs.The self-assessment report gives Uganda a mixed review, extolling her record on elections, the constitutional and legal environment but also raising concerns over politically orchestrated violence that ignores constitutionally determined limits.Saturday Monitor was unable to get the government response to the self-assessment report but the external review led by respected academic Prof. Adebayo Abeddeji says democratisation in Uganda is under pressure from " managing diversity in a country precisely as a result of two decades of war that has polarised the country along tribal and ethnic lines"The panel which also includes Dr Graca Machel of Mozambique, the wife of President Nelson Mandela is less restrained in its view of both the good and bad of the national record.The panel calls for the levelling of the political playing field by for example strengthening the electoral commission and making it less susceptible to manipulation, providing public funds for political parties and abolishing laws that prevent the right of assembly. Its unclear what Mr Museveni will say about the general assessment that the executive he heads has an overwhelming influence in the political system, an influence for which he is the principal beneficiary and his political opponents are not. Both the country self-assessment and its external review focus on what are considered best standards and then examine the performance of the country in meeting these standards. Being voluntary, the APRM is not legally binding but countries agree that since progress is a process, by accepting to be a part of the APRM, they are defining the standards of progress that are acceptable and to which they are willing to be held accountable. The APRM, which has grown from its pioneering 10 members to close to thirty this week, is often slammed for being a weak incentive for

380 countries to reform. For example the external report recommends that Uganda revisits the lifting of presidential term limits in the constitution, a political move which mainly benefited Mr Museveni, allowing him to remain in charge of the country.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Aid Work in Rutshuru Town Resumes After Riots: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 27 June 2008.

Travel to and work in the adjacent eastern Democratic Republic of Congo town of Rutshuru and Kiwanja village have resumed after riots curtailed such activities on 23 and 24 June, according to the UN."Humanitarian organisations were not able to travel to the towns because of the crowds, demonstrations and barriers that had been erected," Patrick Lavand'Homme, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in North Kivu province, told IRIN by telephone on 27 June.

"After 25 June, the situation improved and some movement restarted. By the end of the week, things were back to normal even though tension could still be felt," he added.There are several camps for displaced people in the area as well as large numbers of displaced civilians living with the host population."Access to fields is very difficult due to the insecurity all around the town and this has dramatically reduced food production and the economy of the two towns," said Lavand'Homme.Several humanitarian organisations, including the UN's Refugee Agency, UNHCR, and NGOs such as the French branch of Médecins Sans Frontières, the International Rescue Committee, Secours Catholique, Saving Lives through Alternate Options and Solidarités, operate in the area, providing services ranging from camp coordination and management to water and sanitation, as wealth as health and nutrition, to both the displaced and resident populations.Earlier in the week residents of the towns had set upon personnel of the UN Mission in DRC, MONUC, after the blue helmets deployed there in the wake of the withdrawal of government forces (FARDC).FARDC withdrew at MONUC's request following clashes with troops led by renegade general Laurent Nkunda.

26. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT SOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Africom is an Imperialist Agenda, Yantumaki Tells Yar'Adua: Leadership (Abuja): 25 June 2008.

A frontline politician and one-time gubernatorial candidate, under the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Katsina State, Alhaji Junaid Mamuda Yantumaki, has called on President Yar'Adua to reject the establishment of the proposed Africa Command (AFRICOM) in Africa by the United States of America. In an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP in his Kaduna residence, Yantumaki asked: "How can the U.S. claim to protect the African continent while it can not protect and safeguard its own land?" He said it was only to dominate the resources in Africa as they have realised that China was now coming up strongly as an economic power that would eventually dominate the

381 world, while nations like India, and some Asian Tigers such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are warming up to have substantial markets in the vast African continent.

Yantumaki said it would be counterproductive to Nigeria to agree with the so-called Africa Command in the guise of providing security. "We don't have terrorist threats in Africa. There is virtually nothing US military could teach our armies in terms of peace- keeping. "Our troops have performed wonderfully well in Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, while the US troops were humiliated in Somalia during the Clinton administration by a ragtag army under late Farah Aideed, and now being defeated by so-called Taliban troops in Afghanistan and insurgents in Iraq". He wondered why the Bush Administration should use diplomacy in relations with other nations. He stated that the more the Americans use force to intimidate, the more hated they become, and their actions would one day boomerang against them sooner than later. "Look at how they built the late Saddam Hussein of Iraq who later betrayed them, likewise the Osama Bin Laden who they claimed could not be found till today," Yantumaki pointed out.

• Ghana: Vigilante Groups Fill Security Vacuum: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 23 June 2008.

A militia group wielding knives, clubs, machetes and rocks known as the "Arakan Barracks Boys" has gained notoriety in the Ghanaian capital Accra, not as a threat to the peace, but as a defender of it. "I am grateful for their presence," said 68 year old Daniel Awah, an Accra resident, "they put the fear of God into all the criminals in the area."

There has been a dramatic drop in criminal activities in the area since the group started patrolling five years ago. The Arakan group is just one of many locally organised militias operating in the capital. The informal groups are mostly made up of unemployed young men aged between 20 and 35 who target suspected thieves and criminals. Figures do not exist on how many groups there are but a 2007 report sponsored by Ghana's Ministries of Interior and National Security acknowledged there were more than a thousand cases of vigilante-style justice recorded countrywide last year alone. "The township is a no-go zone for thieves and robbers," said Emmanuel "Jafa" Ashong, leader of the Arakan group, which mostly patrols in the Adabraka area of central Accra. "We will hit and kill with anything we can find and burn you...we will not take you to the police, we don't trust them or the courts," he said.

New phenomenon: Analysts say vigilante groups have grown out of public mistrust of the police and the criminal justice system. "When the state appears not to be present and is seen as being incapable of protecting people there is a vacuum that is created and it is this vacuum that is taken over by these vigilante groups," said Emmanuel Bombandey, the Executive Director of the West African Network for Peace Building (WANEP). While the groups have a positive image in areas where crime goes down, their "instant justice" tactics have terrorised innocent people. The beating to death of the administrator of the government hospital in the Bono Ahafo Region of Ghana by a group of young men last year who mistook him for a serial killer is one of the most notorious examples of mob law gone wrong. The Head of Public Relations at the police headquarters, assistant

382 commissioner of police Kwesi Ofori acknowledged the police force has credibility problems. "We have challenges but we are working on it," he said, pointing to short staffing as one of the main constraints. Ofori said revamping the police force is only half the battle. The court system also needs to be streamlined. "It creates a bad image for us [police] when we arrest people and process them for court and it takes forever to reach a conviction," he said. There are no exact figures but Ghana's judicial service say several thousands of unheard cases across the country are pending before the courts. Some of these cases have been pending for as long as five years.

Reforms: The government of Ghana recently signed a US$12.5 million financing agreement with the European Commission to invest in the police and Ofori said the service will be embarking on a massive recruitment drive to improve the number of cops on the beat. Ghana's judicial service has also rolled out ambitious judicial reforms including court automation, building more law courts, appointing more judges and compulsory weekend courts to speed up the pace of justice. Bombandey of WANEP warned that the reforms must happen quickly and must show themselves to be effective if the vigilante groups are to be curbed.

"Vigilante groups start off with altruistic aims but often end up becoming dangerous perpetrators of violent crimes themselves," he warned.

• Nigeria: Niger Delta Summit - Give Us the Benefit of Doubt – Presidency: Leadership (Abuja): 27 June 2008.

The Federal Government has appealed to both international and local communities to give it the benefit of doubt over the proposed Niger Delta Summit, assuring that by the time the summit ends, the hostile environment in the region would change for good. The Minister of Special Duties in the presidency, Elder Godsday Peter Orubebe, gave the assurance when he paid a courtesy call on LEADERSHIP Newspapers group yesterday in Abuja.

"The summit will kick off next month; by the time we end this conference, the whole thing will change, the situation and the problems of the Niger Delta will be resolved," the minister coordinating the summit said. He said the proposed summit will use a sharp departure from the several past talk shops on the region. "The summit is going to be very different from the past conferences; there have been suggestions about the problems of the Niger Delta by different groups of people, but they have not been able to come up with what to do," the minister stated. "This time around, we are going to come out with specific and concrete solutions. The federal, state and local governments, the multi- national oil companies, the traditional rulers and the youths will be given specific assignments to do."

Appealing to the media to help drive the process of the summit, Orubebe said the Niger Delta question has taken national and international dimensions.

383 According to him, "The problem of the Niger Delta is no longer the problem of the region, it has taken both national and international dimensions. Therefore, we appeal to the media to drive the process; we need useful and credible information that will assist the summit." Giving a critical perspective to the crisis , the minister said there are genuine agitations over the issues and there are criminal dimensions to the crisis, but said the criminal aspect of the problems is not different from criminal activities in Lagos, Kano and Sokoto States. "Recently some students in Imo State went to Port Harcourt and kidnapped some people, kidnapping is not done by the Niger Delta people alone.

"There are criminal and genuine agitators and we are going to take a hard stand in dealing with the criminal aspect of the problem. There are some people who are benefiting from the crisis. "President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has empowered the Vice President to handle the issues. They are committed to resolving the issues and they need your help. "We have a president who is focused and believes things should be done in the right ways and he is committed to the issues. Let's give him a chance. The minister said like some governors across the nation, some governors in the Niger Delta failed to use the huge allocation to the region for developmental projects. "All over the country, there is stealing of public funds. It is not limited to the Niger Delta alone and the reports of EFCC have shown that. True, some Niger Delta governors did not do well. If they had utilised 60 per cent of the allocation, the region would have been different," he stated. The minister and his team were received by the Chairman/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah, along with his management team.

• Nigeria: Why Niger Delta Summit is Crucial – Orubebe: Daily Trust (Abuja): 27 June 2008.

There cannot be a better time than now to resolve the problems of the Niger Delta with a son of the area as vice president of Nigeria and with President Umaru Yar'Adua having charged him to produce a master plan for the region's development, Minister of Special Duties Elder Godsay Peter Orubebe said in Abuja yesterday. He spoke at Media Trust's head office, where he paid a visit. Orubebe said the Niger Delta issue is a problem not only for the Niger Deltans but for all Nigerians because "if gas is not produced, then the turbines will not produce any power and if oil is not exported, there will be a revenue shortfall and it will affect all of us." In fact, he said, Niger Delta is an international problem because events there affect international oil prices. Everyone has a stake in its early resolution, he said. The minister said when it is inaugurated next week, the steering committee of the Niger Delta Summit led by Professor Ibrahim Gambari will produce an action plan leading to the holding of the Summit next month. Describing the upcoming summit as one of the key issues in President Umaru Yar'adua's agenda, Orubebe said many people are asking questions as to why we need another conference when similar ones had been held before and a Niger Delta master plan had even been produced. However, he said, those other conferences only discussed issues of a general nature, but that the upcoming one will adopt a comprehensive plan that will show what will be done, in what time frame and by who. The Federal, state and local governments as well as communities, NGOs and the oil companies will all have their roles clearly spelt out in the plan and with a time frame, he said. According to Orubebe, the Summit will also involve

384 all stakeholders including communities, elders, youth, women, NGOs and traditional rulers. The minister defended the choice of Professor Ibrahim Gambari as chairman of the summit's steering committee, describing him as a capable and highly experienced international public servant. He said as an Under Secretary General of the United Nations, if Gambari helps to produce a plan for solving the Niger Delta crisis, it will earn the respect of the international community, who are also stakeholders in the project.

Orubebe appealed to all stakeholders to cooperate with Professor Gambari in the task ahead, saying the ambassador will prove the critics wrong. He said in Nigeria, controversy always followed the choice of a chairman for any sensitive conference, and he saw the controversy surrounding Gambari's choice as evidence of the sensitivity of the upcoming summit. The summit is also an opportunity for President Umaru Yar'adua to make history, he said. Elder Orubebe said in the Niger Delta, there are many people who are genuinely agitating for the region's development, but there are also criminal elements who cash in on the crisis. The criminal elements will be dealt with according to the law while government will continue to dialogue with genuine agitators until an amicable settlement is reached, he said. The minister also said criminality is not unique to the Niger Delta region, since there are criminal elements in many parts of Nigeria. Asked about the poor performance of most governors in the region, Orubebe said poor performance by governors is also a Nigerian problem, not just a Niger Delta one. He said EFCC reports have shown that some governors in the Niger Delta as well as some in the East, West and the North performed poorly in office. Elder Orubebe briefly explained the controversy that surrounded his appointment as a minister last year. He said he first knew Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the current Delta State governor, back in 1993, when Uduaghan was running a private hospital and Oru-bebe, then chairman of his local government council, was a patient at the hospital. He said over the years, he was the state chairman of the ANPP in Delta State and gave then governor James Ibori a tough time, though he subsequently crossed over to PDP. When Ibori was backing Uduaghan to become governor last year, Orubebe said he opposed it for certain reasons, which was why Udua-ghan also opposed him when he was chosen to be a minister. However, he said, they have completely resolved their differences now and they are cooperating closely to move their state and the country forward.

• Senegal: Finding Incentives for Peace in Casamance: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 25 June 2008.

Civilians are growing increasingly desperate to return to their villages in Casamance, but with violent incidents continuing and the peace process "still at a stalemate" according to peace negotiators, some see little reason for hope. "The peace process has not progressed in a long time - indeed I'd say now it's going backwards rather than forwards," said Landing Diedhiou, president of local non-governmental organisation APRAN-SDP which has long served as an intermediary between the Senegalese government and rebels with the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC). The southern region of Casamance has been in a low-level conflict situation for 25 years, making it Africa's longest-running civilian war and leaving upwards of 60,000 people displaced, with up to 10,000 of these refugees in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.Rebels with the MFDC

385 initially were fighting for an independent Casamance, though their demands have since shifted. A government-MFDC peace accord has not held, and while violence abated towards the end of 2007 there was a rise in violent attacks, lootings, killings and injuries from landmines in 2008.Just last week a young man was killed by presumed MFDC rebels near Tendième, 33km north of Ziguinchor.

People fed up: On 10 June displaced families marched on the streets of Ziguinchor, the capital, alongside community, religious leaders and local officials to demand that the government do more to reinvigorate the peace process so they could return to their homes. "They [donors and the government] promised to implement programmes to help us to return to a normal life but so far nothing has been done," said Abdoulaye Sane, a former refugee who is now displaced in Fanda, 12km from Ziguinchor. Aminata Badji Syafd a local NGO representative read out a statement in front of the local government building. "Our families once survived on agriculture but now we have become dependent on others... and our social fabric and our families are falling apart." This is corroborated by recent research conducted by Martin Evans, geographer at the University of Leicester, which revealed that the ability of families to continue hosting their displaced relatives after so many years is beginning to wear down, and tensions are rising as a result. The tensions are exacerbated by the depressed economic situation and sharply rising food prices across the region. But while civilians are hungrier than ever for peace, and there is mounting evidence even among MFDC rebels that they are tiring of the fight according to Evans, nevertheless the peace talks are flagging and prospects for peace in the near future look slim.

Pitch negotiations higher: One reason the situation has not improved remains the deep factionalisation within the different branches of the MFDC and between its military and political wings, which hampers the government's ability to negotiate with them, according to Diedhiou. "The problem in the first place was the government negotiated with some rebel leaders and not others, so the process was seen as biased - now it needs to do more to bring these factions together," he told IRIN.One hardliner in particular, Salif Sadio, who heads an MFDC faction in southern Casamance, has shied away from negotiating with the government because he believes it tries to pit one wing against another, according to Famara Goudiaby, a member of Sadio's faction.The government needs to be more inclusive and to pitch its negotiations at a higher level according to Diedhiou. "While President Wade has made serious efforts to address the conflict, higher-level negotiations are needed on the part of the Senegalese government and the MFDC and to achieve this we need more credible negotiators on both sides."

Regional problem, regional solution: Another sticking point is that the government has wanted to keep Casamance quiet, addressing Casamance as an internal not a regional problem, according to Demba Keita, an adviser at APRAN-SDP. "Guinea-Bissau and Gambia cannot be circumvented in the peace process... a tri-government solution is the only solution." For MFDC spokesperson Famar Goudiaby, finding a regional solution with the help of international mediators is the only way forward. "The Casamance conflict has overflowed Senegal's borders and it is imperative to involve foreign countries in settling it... to solve the problem internally will never be a solution," he said. MFDC

386 heads control many of their troops from across the borders while MFDC rebels and soldiers carry out extensive trade across them in what Evans terms 'war economies'.

The profits of war: These war economies benefit combatants on both sides, says Evans, with Senegalese soldiers and rebels trading timber, cannabis and cashews across borders. Many of the cashew forests on the Guinea-Bissau border for instance lie in rebel territory with Senegalese soldiers stationed nearby. While the profits are modest, in an impoverished region, they are better than nothing.

Many analysts ascribe the 2008 rise in violence to the perception among rebels that Senegalese soldiers are encroaching on this valuable territory.

Competition over this fertile land is instrumental in driving conflict making "land reform one of the key pillars of peace in Casamance," an international donor representative told IRIN. But thus far, they have seen "no viable land reform solutions on the table." Instead land ownership issues are becoming increasingly politicised as village boundaries are redrawn to accommodate mined areas, and up to 242 remain abandoned due to suspected mines. And local actors, including civil society and officials in the central Senegalese government, stand to profit from a prolonged peace process by continuing to accrue aid that supports it. "Since 2000 there's been a lot of multilateral and bilateral money coming in to support the peace process, return of the displaced and reconstruction... it can be a bit of a gravy train for everyone," said Evans.

Economic advantages of peace:To shake up the flagging peace process, the government and donors need to make a stronger case outlining the economic advantages of peace said one international donor. Casamance is Senegal's most fertile region and could contribute significantly to the country's agricultural production. This is even more pertinent given President Wade's goal to make Senegal a net producer rather than importer, of grain over the next decade, according to Evans. Rice production in the region has increased despite ongoing conflict, according to Marie Augustine Badiane at Kabon Kator a local peacebuilding NGO, with more and more land carved out for rice farming. "With comprehensive peace, investment in appropriate infrastructure and changes in farming practice, this production could increase far more," said Evans. But this involves finding land tenure solutions that both civilians and rebels can put up with, according to Badiane. Meanwhile any viable peace package must help rebels seek alternative livelihoods options according to Evans, though he concedes this is still a long way off.

Progress:There have been some gains in recent years on the regional front according to Evans, who says since 2000 the Guinea-Bissau government has fallen into closer alignment with Senegal on the Casamance issue. There "arms flows to rebels have significantly reduced, they have flushed hard-liner rebels out of their territory, and there is now good security cooperation across the border," he told IRIN. And negotiators have an opportunity to cash in on the appetite for peace among Casamancais to energise peace talks, by involving them directly in negotiations, according to Diatta. "The government meets with warlords in the bush, but it forgets that the Casamance people must also have a voice at the table," Diatta told IRIN.

387 Meanwhile incentives for peace should be made clearer to the peace brokers themselves, according to one international donor representative. "President Wade sees himself as a global statesman and a global peacemaker - so when it comes to Casamance we need to ask him what his legacy will be."

• Sierra Leone: Testimony Ends in RUF Trial: Concord Times (Freetown): 26 June 2008.

The Defence concluded their case late Tuesday in the trial of three former leaders of Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front (RUF). An Expert Witness, called jointly by counsel for First Accused Issa Sesay and Third Accused Augustine Gbao, was the last witness to testify in the RUF trial and also before the Court in Freetown, as the Special Court for Sierra Leone takes a significant step forward in completing its mandate. The trial of The Prosecutor vs. Issa Hassan Sesay, Morris Kallon and Augustine Gbao opened in Freetown on 5 July 2004. The Judges of Trial Chamber I heard testimony from 86 witnesses during the Prosecution case, including one called at the behest of the Defence. 85 witnesses were called by the Defence. Of the 85 Defence witnesses, 59 witnesses were called by counsel for Sesay, while counsel for Kallon called 22 witnesses, and counsel for Gbao called eight witnesses. Three of the witnesses were common to Sesay and Kallon, and one was common to Sesay and Gbao. Final trial briefs are due by 29 July 2008 and oral arguments will take place on 4-5 August, prior to the Court's judicial recess. The Judges will then retire for deliberations. A trial judgment in the case is expected later this year. Two other cases were concluded at the Special Court earlier this year. On 22 February 2008 the Appeals Chamber rendered its judgment in the case of three former leaders of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council. On 28 May 2008 the Appeals Chamber handed down its judgment in the case of two former Civil Defence Forces leaders. The Special Court trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor continues at The Hague.

• Liberia: Survey - Commanders Took Away Weapons From Ex- Female Fighters: The NEWS (Monrovia): 26 June 2008.

A new survey conducted by the Liberian Coalition of NGOs (LICONGO) in collaboration with Amnesty International (AI) has revealed that most ex-female fighters did not disarm during the DDRR process because their weapons were seized by their commanders.David Shullun, a staff of AI based in Canada, who worked along with Liberian NGOs, told newsmen yesterday that the survey showed some of the women were either raped, used as sex slaves or cooks for the various factional groups.He said based on interviews and interactions with women who took up arms during the war, it was discovered that some of them were excluded from the DDRR process.Mr. Shullun indicated that ex-female fighters were frightened by information from their commanders that if they disarmed, they would be black listed by the UN and risk losing the opportunity of traveling to the United States in the future.The survey was a follow-up to a report released early this year that women and girls were discriminated against during the DDRR process.The report discovered that a total of at least 25,000 women and girls were associated with all fighting forces, and that majority were forced to participate in the war,

388 although some opted to take up arms to protect themselves against sexual violence and to avenge the deaths of family members."I know 14 years of civil war is not easy, but I see in the minds of Liberian women the desire to move forward and take control of their future," Shullun indicated.He observed that some of the women and girls need skill training and economic empowerment. Quoting the report, he pointed out that many of the women are jobless, without skills and depend on friends for accommodation.The AI official said Liberian women deserve every support to ensure that they take charge of their destiny.Thompson Adebiyor, Executive Director for the Liberia Watch for Human Rights commended Shullun for the brief visit to Liberia.He praised AI and the Liberian Coalition of NGOs for their cordiality to ensure the success of the survey.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: South Africa Urges Tsvangirai to Remain in Peace Talks: The Nation (Nairobi): 23 June 2008.

South Africa on Sunday urged Zimbabwe's opposition to continue with talks to find a solution to the political problems in Zimbabwe after its leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of a presidential run-off vote."We are very encouraged that Mr Tsvangirai, himself, says he is not closing the door completely on negotiations," said Mukoni Ratshitanga, spokesman for South African President Thabo Mbeki.Mr Mbeki is mandated by regional bloc SADC to mediate between Zimbabwe's opposition and the ruling ZANU-PF to try to end a political and economic crisis in the southern African country.Movement for Democratic Change leader Tsvangirai withdrew from the June 27 against President Robert Mugabe, citing violence and a state-sponsored campaign to ensure he lost.

But he told reporters in Harare he was open to continued talks, adding South African efforts needed to be "expanded"."We are not closing the door to any suggestion from these bodies, we respect these bodies. We respect the AU (African Union), we respect SADC."Mr Tsvangirai, who himself had been detained by police five times while campaigning, said 86 MDC supporters had been killed and 200,000 displaced from their homes in the run-up to the poll.President Mugabe has repeatedly vowed never to turn over power to the opposition, which he brands a puppet of Britain and the United States.

The 84-year-old leader, who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980, has blamed the political violence on the opposition and denies security forces have been responsible for brutal actions.On Sunday, supporters of President Mugabe attacked an election opposition rally, beating journalists and forcing election observers to flee, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change said."Thousands of ZANU-PF youth militia, armed with iron bars, sticks and other weapons, have attacked journalists and forced election observer teams to flee from the venue of the MDC scheduled rally. Police are firing tear gas," the MDC said in a statement.Thousands of members of the ZANU-PF youth militia stormed the MDC rally in the capital Harare, a Tsvangirai stronghold, and began beating people, the MDC said. It was not clear whether Mr Tsvangirai himself had arrived at the venue when the violence apparently erupted.

389 It will be a disaster: Following a shock first round defeat in March by Mr Tsvangirai, Mr Mugabe's ruling Zanu PF dug deeper into its bag of dirty tricks and bludgeoned opponents and reportedly fiddled with the electoral systems to engineer a predetermined outcome. Mr Mugabe also threatened war if he lost the election saying the ageing veterans of the country's 1970s war of liberation supported his stance.But this time around, African leaders have broken with tradition and are unanimous that the poll would not be free and fair because security forces and Mr Mugabe's supporters have prevented Mr Tsvangirai from campaigning.They say the reign of terror blamed on Mr Mugabe's supporters, which has left more than 80 opposition activists dead and tens of thousands displaced in just less than three months, has left many Zimbabweans too traumatised to cast their votes without any fear.

Botswana, which along with other southern African countries have stood firmly behind Mr Mugabe, started the ball rolling by summoning Zimbabwe's ambassador to protest against the violence.The chorus of condemnation started reverberating through South Africa, Rwanda, Angola, Tanzania and Kenya, raising the grim prospect that Mr Mugabe will face worldwide isolation if he steals the election.Analysts said the 84 year-old had landed himself in a difficult position by refusing to concede defeat and now all his allies did not want to be associated with him whether he wins or loses the election."If he manages to stick on by hook or crook it's going to be a disaster," said Dr Dumiso Dabengwa, a respected former liberation war commander, who broke ranks with Mr Mugabe in March after he refused to hand over power to a younger leader."We will be on our own, maybe the only country that would be willing to assist us is China."The Russians were really willing to do business with us but they are saying they can not be associated with this chaos anymore."Trade between Zimbabwe and the West has been at a virtual standstill after the United States and the European Union slapped Mr Mugabe's inner circle with targeted sanctions following the disputed 2002 election, which saw the veteran leader out-polling Mr Tsvangirai by 400,000 votes.The ruling Zanu PF has for the past five years been pushing for increased trade with Asian and Middle East countries but observers argue the thrust has yielded nothing. Zimbabwe's once vibrant economy is in a tailspin and neighbours Botswana and South Africa are showing signs that they would be tightening the screws on their neighbour should Mr Mugabe's rule continue.South African President Thabo Mbeki who last week failed in a last ditch effort to convince the Zimbabwean ruler to cancel the election because of the violence reportedly said he will throw in the towel in his effort to end the long running crisis if the election is stolen."Mbeki is one person who is responsible for Mugabe's continued stay in office despite the growing resentment against his rule because he has continued to buy time with his so-called mediation effort," said Mr Enos Nkala, a founder member of the ruling Zanu PF. "So if Mbeki desserts him, which is more likely, then Mugabe, is in trouble and he would be like a lepper."Mr Mbeki's term of office as South African president ends next year and his likely successor, Mr Jacob has been talking tough on Zimbabwe.

• South Africa: Country, Benin Strengthen Defence Relations: BuaNews (Tshwane): 24 June 2008.

390 The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has forged a partnership with its Benin equivalent to increase military cooperation.Defence Minister Mosioua Lekota and his Benin counterpart Issifo Kogui Ndouro on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) seeking to develop and formulate procedures for military cooperation between the two armed forces."The agreement includes promoting the training of military personnel through the exchange of trainees, instructors and observers," Minister Lekota said.South African Air Force personnel will provide training to the Benin Air Force personnel with a view to improving their skills."We are also going to cooperate on the acquisition of military equipment, technical cooperation as well as in the area of military medical services."The agreement will also pave the way for an exchange of knowledge and training in the carrying out of United Nations and African Union peacekeeping operations where needed, particularly on the African continent."We are aware of your vast experience in peacekeeping missions, which therefore creates a solid platform to draw lessons from one another," the minister said.In response, Benin Defence Minister Ndouro said he was excited to forge a partnership with a country like South Africa."South Africa has a great role to play not only in our country but the continent as a whole. The signing of the agreement is in line with the building of meaningful solutions," he added.He assured Minister Lekota that the government of Benin will do everything possible to sustain the relations between the two countries.To date, the SANDF had signed a number of agreements with a number of African countries in the line of defence.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Islamist Hardliner to Become New Opposition Chief: Garowe Online (Garowe): 21 June 2008.

An Islamist hardliner has said that he will rise to become chairman of the opposition Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), a Somali opposition group founded in Eritrea last year. Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, designated a terrorist by the U.S. government, told Arabic newspaper Asharq al Awsat that he will replace current ARS Chairman Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.He accused Sheikh Sharif of being "too close the U.S. government," starting in January 2007 when Sheikh Sharif was apprehended by Kenyan police and later questioned by American officials at a hotel in Nairobi. According to Sheikh Aweys, the current chairman of the ARS "violated" the opposition alliance's bylaws when he signed a peace pact with the Somali government on June 9th.ARS members in the Eritrean capital of Asmara will convene in July to hold a meeting, where Sheikh Aweys is expected to be nominated to lead the opposition. Sheikh Aweys, ARS defense secretary Yusuf Indha Ade and al Shabaab militants have all refused to recognize the June 9 agreement and vowed to continue the insurgency until Ethiopian troops leave Somali soil.Sheikh Sharif and Sheikh Aweys were the leaders of the Islamic Courts movement, who ruled much of south-central Somalia in 2006 until being ousted by Ethiopian troops.

• Uganda: Signed Peace Pacts Won't Be Changed: New Vision (Kampala): 25 June 2008.

391 THE agreements that were signed by the Government and the LRA during the Juba peace talks will not be renegotiated, UN special envoy to the north Joachim Chissano has said.He, however, pointed out that the LRA leader, Joseph Kony, could seek clarifications on the agreements.Kony failed to show up to sign the final peace deal on April 10, saying he wanted clarifications on the International Criminal Court indictments against him, how the special division of the High Court that will handle the rebels will operate and the Acholi traditional justice mechanisms.Briefing the UN Security Council on Friday, Chissano said the final draft of the peace deal was initiated by the two parties, pending signatures of both President Yoweri Museveni and LRA's Kony.He added that Museveni and his Sudanese counterpart, Salva Kiir, had agreed to resume the stalled talks, the Sudan Tribune reported yesterday. Chissano appealed to those who have influence on Kony to convince him to sign the peace deal without delays.Meanwhile, the chief peace mediator, Dr. Riek Machar, has written to Kony, asking him to resume the talks.Machar asked Kony to open direct communication channels with him to cut down bureaucracy and sign the deal.He also assured the rebel leader that an African Union observer team would be deployed at Ri-kwangba on the Sudan-Democratic Republic of Congo border once they agreed to assemble at the designated area.The deployment of observers is to allay LRA fears that the Ugandan army may attack them once at Ri- kwangba.The 22-year-long war in northern Uganda is rated to be among the most brutal and long-running civil wars in Africa.The conflict has displaced nearly two million people and tens of thousands have been killed.

• Kenya: Peace Studies to Be Taught in High School: The Nation (Nairobi): 25 June 2008.

The ministry of Education will review the secondary school curriculum to include programmes on peace-building.

Education minister Prof Sam Ongeri said this was necessary if the country is to confront the challenges it faces in the wake of the violence that rocked the country earlier this year following the announcement of last December's disputed presidential election results."Education should prepare the youth and provide them with appropriate skills and attitude to face challenges in the job market," he said, adding that the ministry would modernise in-service training for teachers to improve their skills.Prof Ongeri said this on Tuesday in a speech read on his behalf by assistant minister Calist Mwatela at the Kenya Secondary School Heads Association conference in Mombasa.

Partnership: Noting education's important role in nation-building and in the realisation of Vision 2030, the minister said: "Schools need to have a strong partnership with the Government and develop their strategic plans in line with the goals of Vision 2030."

The minister urged schools to train youth in appropriate skills to enable them to cope with life after school.He said the Government will set up more early childhood development centres in the next five years to ensure quality education was accessible to the youth.In light of the challenges the education sector is facing as a result of urbanisation, the Government will support informal schools, especially in the slum areas,

392 which have an estimated enrolment of 300,000 children.However, the support would only be extended to institutions that conform to laid down procedures of establishing schools, the minister said."Head teachers should also utilise funds allocated to their institutions properly and avoid wastage," he added.

• Sudan: Cracks in North-South Peace Deal: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 23 June 2008.

Nyandeng Akot rushed out of the rude shelter of thatch and plastic sheeting pinned against the side of a tree with sticks. Grabbing a passing aid worker's arm, she said she has nothing except the four children that she grabbed when she began running from renewed fighting in Sudan's Abyei area a month ago.They are all hungry, she said. They need more food. She shook her head in despair but behind the hundred decorative scars on her cheeks and forehead her eyes remained empty, as if still in shock. A half dozen other older women remained, listless, in shade of shelter.The Comprehensive Peace Accord of 2005 encouraged thousands displaced by 20 years of civil war in southern Sudan to return to Abyei. A local dispute in Abyei town -- close to some of Sudan's most productive and important oil wells -- spiraled out of control in mid-May and brought northern and southern forces into open battle again.

The United Nations estimates that up to 50,000 people were displaced southwards by the fighting, walking for two days to cross the River Kiir, now an ad hoc north-south border.Akot is amongst hundreds of displaced people in one swollen market place that is also bristling with soldiers. There is a rocket launcher under some trees on the other side of the road. Four wheel drives have been smeared with mud for camouflage. It does not look like the peace promised in the accord.For Akot and thousands of other newly- displaced people in southern Sudan -- and for the peace deal itself -- the next few weeks will be crucial.

The Abyei region produces much of Sudan's crude oil and contains valued grazing land for both southern and northern-aligned tribes; it has always been a likely breaking point for a fragile peace agreement.The area's citizens will choose in 2011 whether to join the north or south, but Abyei's boundaries are still disputed. A group of international experts delineated boundaries for the area in 2005 but Sudan's President Omar Bashir refused to ratify their findings.The Abyei area has remained in limbo since, neither electing its own local administration or receiving the share of oil revenues due under the deal. Southern officials have estimate they should have received $1billion over the past three years from Abyei alone but have not received a cent.The two sides have signed a new roadmap to restore peace in Abyei and allow people to return home. The plan calls for the redeployment of thousands of northern troops that southern forces say were moved into the area by the end of June. A new joint force made up of both northern and southern forces has already been transported into the area by the U.N. peacekeeping force in Sudan.Khartoum and the semi-autonomous southern government headed by the former southern rebel group -- the Sudan People's Liberation Movement -- have agreed that the Permanent Court of Abritration in the Hague will re-assess the findings of the expert panel.But U.N.-led focus group discussions with communities suggest that even if new

393 security arrangements are put in place, many have lost faith in the peace process.Lydia Poole, a U.N. Emergency Officer in Juba, said most families will at best send one person to check out the situation before moving back together."(People want) clearly demonstrated progress in implementation of security provisions... (They) expect progress in the security and political situation in Abyei to be communicated by the government as well as being verified and communicated by the U.N."Those returning to Abyei town itself will also face the task of reconstruction. Recent visitors to the town -- now more or less empty of civilians -- say it has been largely torched."They don't want peace," Mayen Deng, a young man among the displaced, said of the northern troops that now hold Abyei town.The swift destruction of the town and the emptying of surrounding villages has punctured Deng's hope that his adult life will be substantially different from a childhood lived in war.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 did not end tension and suspicion between north and south Sudan. Both sides have blamed each other for failing to implement key provisions of the accord. In October, southern ministers pulled out of a coalition government over both the unresolved final status of Abyei and Khartoum's failure to withdraw all its troops out of the south as agreed and increase transparency in how oil cash is divided.Since then, clashes between the southern army and a northern militia that southern President Salva Kiir says is supported by Khartoum have weakened the fragile relationship further."I would be very surprised if the fighting has gone away. Everybody recognizes Abyei as one of the most flammable flashpoints of the many which are liable to derail the (peace agreement)," says John Ashworth, an independent analyst and commentator based in South Africa who has written extensively on south Sudan's peace deal."No agreement signed by the NCP (Khartoum's leading National Congress Party) is worth anything until it has been proven to be implemented. The Abyei road map is another one of many agreements that they have signed. We wait eagerly to see whether it will be implemented by the NCP," Ashworth said.But Kiir is adamant that he will not be drawn into renewed war, a position much praised by many southerners and diplomats.The people of southern Sudan are only beginning to put their lives back together after 20 years of war. A return to war would be deeply unpopular.The challenges to the peace deal and the constant state of tension in north-south relations is a source of frustration to the southerners Reverend Peter Nyok a young priest working in the south's new capital serves. Many feel it is too early and too uncertain to be comfortable about the future,"(But) Southerners must keep their eye on peace for today and tomorrow and wait for 2011 to make their choice," he said.

• Uganda: Army Welcomes Revival of Juba Peace Talks, Says Capt. Kakurungu: The Monitor (Kampala): 26 June 2008.

The UPDF has welcomed a reported move by LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony to revive the Juba Peace talks. According to Radio France, the LRA leader on Monday called for the revival of stalled peace talks with the Ugandan government.He told Radio France International in an interview in which he insisted he "will not return to war against the Ugandan government." Kony failed to show up to put his signature on the agreement marking an end to the 21-year-old insurgency in northern Uganda. Speaking in an

394 interview with Daily Monitor on Tuesday, the 4th Division Army Public Relation officer, Capt. Ronald Kakurungu, said the revival of the peace talks is the only safe way to end the conflict that has displaced an estimated million people. "The government position has been a peaceful end to the conflict, the door for peace talks is still open. The peace talks are welcome, the UPDF is welcoming the development," he said.Capt. Kakurungu, however, said the reshuffle of the peace talk's delegation for LRA might have a negative impact on the peace process since the new appointees are coming on board when all the agreement contents have been processed." The Hague-based ICC issued arrest warrants in 2005 accusing LRA commanders, including Kony, of responsibility for the rape and mutilation of civilians, forced recruitment of child soldiers and massacre of thousands of people.

• Uganda: Release Captives, UN Chief Tells Kony: New Vision (Kampala): 26 June 2008.

THE UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon has urged the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel leader, Joseph Kony, to release women and children held in captivity, reports Henry Mukasa."The LRA is strongly urged to provide a complete list of names and ages of the women and children remaining in its ranks for verification and to effect their immediate release," Ban said in a report to the UN Security Council, which was released on Wednesday.Ban also urged the UN taskforce reporting in Uganda to work with regional countries in monitoring the rebels' cross-border recruitment, alleged use of child soldiers and sexual abuse of girls.The UN estimates that at least 25,000 children have been kidnapped since the LRA rebellion began in 1988. No figure is available for women hostages. ony on April 10 refused to sign the final peace agreement, demanding for clarifications on the special division of the High Court that will try his fighters and the linkage between tradition justice and the ICC.Kony and two of his commanders are wanted at The Hague for war crimes and crimes against humanity.Meanwhile, the signing of the final peace agreement has been plunged in more turmoil with most of the newly- named LRA delegates rejecting the re-appointment of Dr. David Nyekorach Matsanga as chairman.Four of the delegates addressed the press at Fairway Hotel in Kampala and vowed not to be part of a Matsanga-led delegation, whom they described as "a money- minded, consummate liar."Former MP Santa Okot, lawyer Caleb Alaka, Yusuf Adek and Haruna Andema claimed that Matsanga earlier as LRA team leader "maliciously" blocked chief mediator, Dr. Riek Machar and UN envoy Joachim Chissano from talking directly to Kony."He poisoned Kony's mind by constantly referring to Machar as 'marac', a Luo word meaning 'a very bad person."

• Kenya: Country Slips Five Places in Index of Failed States: The Nation (Nairobi): 26 June 2008.

Kenya has dropped five places in the annual "Failed State Index" released in Washington on Monday. The poor showing was attributed to the post-election violence earlier this year.

395 "A contested election in Kenya in December swiftly shredded any semblance of ethnic peace in a country that many had considered an African success story," the compilers of the index say.They place Kenya and Congo-Brazzaville at position 26 in the 177-nation survey. Kenya was ranked as the world's 31st most unstable nation in last year's index.The survey is conducted by Foreign Policy, a bi-monthly journal, and the Fund for Peace, a non-governmental research organisation - both based in Washington, USA.The Failed State Index is one of several global scorecards compiled by US thinktanks that purport to rank nations on a variety of social, economic and political scales. The respective rankings carry varying degrees of influence. The Failed State Index, for example, is attracting a modest degree of attention from international media.In this survey, countries are ranked in accordance with 12 indicators with the aim of measuring their vulnerability to internal strife as well as the strength and stability of their civil societies.Kenya's poorest grades are in the categories of "factionalised elites", "demographic pressures" and "refugees and the displaced." Its highest score comes under the "economy".Black Africa accounts for seven of the 10 states with the highest degrees of failure in this year's index.Somalia is judged the world's most dysfunctional country, followed by Sudan, Zimbabwe, Chad and Iraq. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire and the Central African Republic are also included in the 10 most unstable nations.Kenya scored better than its neighbour, Uganda, which is assigned to the 16th spot on the table. Ethiopia, Guinea, Nigeria, Burundi and Niger also received poorer grades than Kenya. Norway was listed as the world's most stable state in the latest index.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Regional Peace, Development Pact Comes Into Force: The New Times (Kigali): 23 June 2008.

The Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region, which was signed on the December 15, 2006 by Heads of State and Government entered into force on Saturday. “The entry into force of the Pact is in line with Article 33, which stipulates that 30 days following receipt of the eighth instruments of ratification by the Conference Secretariat, the Pact will enter into force," a press statement from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) indicated. CGLR, a platform that seeks to promote peace and development, brings together the countries of Angola, Burundi, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.The eighth instrument of ratification was received from the Republic of Congo on May 21, the communiqué said. Other member states that had already submitted their instruments of ratification are Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, and Central African Republic. In conformity with article 32, the Conference Secretariat shall deposit the Pact upon its entry into force, with the Secretary General of the United Nations and with the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, the release added.

396 • Central African Republic: Security Council Applauds Peace Accord With Rebel Groups: UN News Service (New York): 27 June 2008.

The Security Council today welcomed the recent peace agreement reached by authorities in the Central African Republic (CAR) and two rebel groups operating in the impoverished and strife-torn country.In a statement to the press, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad of the United States, which holds the rotating Council presidency this month, said last Saturday's accord must now be fully implemented as part of efforts to bring peace to the CAR.The Government struck an agreement with the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR) and the Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD) after talks in Libreville, Gabon, facilitated by that country's President El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba.Today's press statement thanked both Mr. Bongo and Libyan President Col. Muammar Al-Qadhafi for their efforts to bring peace to the CAR, which has been beset by widespread fighting and armed banditry in recent years.Some 200,000 Central Africans have been either internally displaced by the fighting or forced to live as refugees in neighbouring Chad and Cameroon.Last year the Security Council established a multidimensional UN presence in eastern Chad and north-eastern CAR (known as MINURCAT) to try to quell the humanitarian suffering.Mr. Khalilzad warned that the political, economic and humanitarian situation inside the CAR remains fragile, despite the peace agreement, and he welcomed the placing of the CAR on the agenda of the UN Peacebuilding Commission, which strives to help post-conflict countries avoid sliding back into war or chaos.He also called on other rebel groups in the CAR to reach peace deals with the Government.The press statement followed a briefing to the 15-member Council by François Lonsény Fall, the Secretary-General's Special Representative.

• Congo-Kinshasa: Bukavu - Launch of 'Zero Children Associated With Armed Groups' : United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa): 24 June 2008.

Monday 23 June 2008 marked the official launch in Bukavu of the public awareness campaign entitled "Zero Children Associated with Armed Forces and Groups," sponsored by the DR Congo's First Lady Mrs. Olive Kabila, and organised by the National Programme of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (UEPN-DDR, ex CONADER).UEPN-DDR decided to launch the campaign in the month dedicated to the African Child, with the objective of releasing all children active in armed forces and groups in South Kivu, in order to reintegrating them into civilian life.The project, supported by UNICEF, MONUC, the World Bank and the African Development Bank, aims at sensitising the FARDC and the various armed groups who recruit minors in their ranks.

The conference, which was launched South Kivu Governor Mr Louis Leonce, saw the participation of various speakers, among whom was director of the UEPN-DDR and the national coordinator of the Amani programme, as well as representatives of armed groups in South Kivu.

397 In his opening speech, the director of the UEPN-DDR exposed the gravity of the situation concerning the recruitment of children in eastern DRC, and particularly in South Kivu.He underlined how the problem does not touch only the direct victims, but all the community."Recruitment in the armed groups dehumanizes children, and these children must leave the militia immediately.He asked the South Kivu provincial authorities to collaborate, and concluded by asking all the armed groups to adhere without hesitation or condition to the Amani peace programme. The complexity of the problem was later exposed by UNICEF and MONUC.According to reports from child welfare organisations, despite enormous steps taken by the national DDR programme towards the reintegration of the child soldiers into civilian life there are 7,000 girls and boys in eastern DRC used as soldiers and sex slaves, including approximately 1,500 in South Kivu. Reports confirm that the recruitment continues.Territories more prone to the enrollment of child soldiers include Shabunda, Mwenga, Fizi, Kalehe and Walungu. The coordinator of the Coalition to put an end to the use of children as soldiers recalled that the recruitment of minors by armed groups is contrary to the international standards ratified by the DR Congo.Spokesperson for the South Kivu armed groups Mr. Joseph Assanda Mwenebatu said: "we reaffirm our firm engagement to release all children associated with armed groups who were signatories to the Goma Act of Engagement.""We believe that with the Amani programme we can put an end to armed groups, and then we will not speak anymore of children associated with armed forces and groups, because only the FARDC will remain."The South Kivu children's parliament of denounced the slowness of the DDR process, and hoped that the promises of one and all would be fulfilled. A testimony of four ex-child soldiers was made, where after several years as combatants, the children were reintegrated into civilian life and school, thanks to the national DDR programme and collaboration with various partners.Exhibitions relating to disarmament, demobilization and social rehabilitation of the child soldiers were also shown.South Kivu Governor Leonce accentuated the importance of putting an end to the recruitment of child soldiers in South Kivu, and said the phenomenon "is an inexcusable act made by irresponsible adults against children.""The DRC took a clear option against war, in favour of democracy. We must reinforce the DDR structures and support the various legal structures in order to fight the practice of the recruitment of children by armed forces in South Kivu. We demand of the DDR process to keep moving forward, in order to put an end to this absurd anti-republican behavior."

• Rwanda: 1994 Genocide - Gacaca Courts Will Start Trying Rape Cases Next Month: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 25 June 2008.

The semi-traditional Rwandan Gacaca courts will start trying next month the alleged authors of rapes committed during the 1994 genocide under an amended law.

Before the newly approved law last month, the Gacaca courts had jurisdiction to cover crimes related to the 1994 genocide, except for persons accused of rape and alleged planners and supervisors of the genocide, reported Wednesday the tri-weekly Izuba (The Sun) newspaper.The number of the alleged authors of rapes are estimated to be some 6, 808 persons, including some who do not live in Rwanda, according to Izuba, quoting the

398 Executive Secretary of the National Service of the Gacaca Courts (SNJG), Mrs. Domitilla Mukantaganzwa."Their trials will proceed in closed session in order to protect the victims", said Mrs Mukantaganzwa.The new act envisages sanctions ranging from one to three years in prison, for whoever will violate the secrecy of a closed session hearing.The Gacacas are not presided by professional judges but by people elected within the community with high integrity.Mrs. Mukantaganzwa disclosed that those who would try the rape cases would be selected form among the best gacaca judges. They will also attend training.Perpetrated by Hutu extremists, the 1994 genocide resulted, according to Kigali, in nearly a million killed, primarily ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus although the UN estimates the death toll to be about 800,000.

27. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Confusion in Militant Camps As Jtf Nabs 2 Leaders: This Day (Lagos): 27 June 2008.

The clash between militants operating in Bayelsa State proved positive for men of the Nigerian Army yesterday when a notorious militia commander, Jairus Profit, walked into the arms of the Joint Task Force (JTF) while fleeing from opponents.This is coming on the heels of report that another notorious militia man, Commander Igodo may have been arrested on his hospital bed at Ekeowe village in the dense mangrove rain forest of Southern Ijaw area of the state.The successful nabbing of the duo may have signaled success in breaking the ranks of the hitherto cohesive militant groups in the Niger Delta region.The success followed bloody clashes among the militant groups in the last two weeks, a situation which has left not less than 30 persons dead.THISDAY gathered that the entry of the men of the Joint Military Task Force into the war of supremacy among the militia groups was coincidental, even as the JTF said security operatives are on the heels of three other fleeing commanders.Fresh facts emerging from Yenagoa yesterday had it that following newspapers reports on the whereabout of Prince Igodo, men of the intelligence unit of the JTF visited his desolate camp and destroyed it before moving to Ekeowe where he was arrested from his hospital bed.Following this, combined teams of soldiers and naval officers have however mounted a Codone and search operation around the Southern Ijaw Local Government axis.It was in the melee that followed the war in the area that Dairus Profit gave himself up and was promptly arrested along the waterways and moved immediately to the Warri headquarters of the Joint Military Task Force.So far, unconfirmed report has it that at least 30 persons have reported killed in the supremacy battle among the militants.Contacted, the Bayelsa Commander of the JTF, Lt. Col. Chris Musa confirmed that his men were on the trail of the militia commanders but said it was not a military invasion."What we are doing is to forestall any spill over effect into the city of Yenagoa . The militias involved are on the run and are using the natives as human shield to avoid arrest".

• Nigeria: Military Forces Break Militant Ranks: Leadership (Abuja): 26 June 2008.

399 The ranks of the militia groups involved in the bloody clash that has rocked the Bayelsa creeks and waterways was yesterday broken by men of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF), Operation Restore Hope, with the arrest of one of the militia commanders known as Jairus Profit, while three others are on the run.The entry of the men of the JTF into the conflict of supremacy among the militia groups, Leadership gathered, was coincidental as they have been under the security searchlight of the intelligence unit of the Task Force over their alleged execution of opposition and community leaders working with military and other security agents.The battle for supremacy involving Prince Igodo-led group and Ogunbos group broke and reached its peak in the early hours of Sunday. The animosity, it was gathered, had been building up since February when the latter group attempted to establish its base at Peremabiri, a move that did not go down well with Igodo. But fresh facts emerged yesterday in Yenagoa that the intelligence unit of the JTF visited the camp of Igodo and found it destroyed. The combined team of soldiers and Naval officers has however mounted a cordon and search operation around the Southern Ijaw Local Government axis.

The military intelligence source also confirmed to LEADERSHIP that the notorious and embattled Prince Igodo may not be dead as reported by some national dailies as he was reportedly sighted at Angiama community by the military search party, around 4am yesterday. Prince Igodo was reported to have been seriously wounded and moving with few of his loyalists. He was said to have had facilities and arms available to him cut into half by factional leaders engaging him in the bloody duel.Igodo, going by the analysis of the military intelligence officers on his trail, was attacked by three different groups who wanted him dethroned from the Opuama axis of Southern Ijaw . The groups led by one Douglas , Profit and Ogunbo. It was said that all four factional leaders have been declared wanted by the JTF for their involvement in the killing of innocent persons.So far, unconfirmed sources claimed that aside from known 20 deaths reported from the on- going supremacy battle, the militia commanders were alleged to have executed more than a hundred innocent persons since the establishment of the Igodo camp. Contacted over the operations of the JTF men along the troubled creeks and waterways, the Bayelsa commander of the JTF, Lt. Col. Chris Musa, confirmed that his men were on the trail of the militia commanders but said it was not a military invasion. "What we are doing is to forestall any spill- over effect into the city of Yenagoa. The militia involved is on the run and using the militias as human shield to avoid arrest," he said. But the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) yesterday disagreed with the military authorities over their activities along the Bayelsa waterways and creeks. According to them, "the Nigerian military blocked the channel leading into one of our major camps in Bayelsa state, with eight heavily armed gunboats in preparation for what seemed like a dawn invasion."Our fighters headed towards the army position and fired warning shots to them to leave or be confronted. Our fighters approached, in over fifty war boats, the eight gun boats turned and fled from the area, thereby averting a clash and maintaining the on- going ceasefire."They restated that though the group was willing to respect its unilateral ceasefire, "we will not hesitate to call it off at the slightest provocation or threat". The spokesperson of the JRC, Cynthia Whythe, alleged that at about 8 a.m. the camps belonging to "revolutionary and heroic" combatants of the struggle for the liberation and emancipation of the Ijaw and Niger Delta territory were being bombed by the armed

400 forces of Nigeria.But he said the leader of the attacked camps has successfully advanced in to the ranks of soldiers and have dealt them great casualties in a deadly manner. " There will be no respite and Ijaws will not allow our own people to suffer alone." He said the unilateral declaration of ceasefire has been called off. "The Nigerian state has declared war on the people of the Ijaw and Niger Delta. All combatants and fighters are hereby called upon to take up judgement against any and every agent of the Nigerian state and her imperialist collaborators such as Shell Petroleum Development Company". Meanwhile, the proposed early take-off of the multi- billion dollar Brass Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State may be stalled as fear of renewed communal conflict between two host communities, Liama and Egweama, grips the people of the area.Governor Timipre Sylva, who was reportedly out of the state, has cut short his visit abroad to attend to pressing issues at home, during which he paid an unscheduled visit to the belligerent area last week.The renewed hostility between the people of Liama and Egweama may affect the smooth take-off of the project, especially as investors could be scared from going to the area due to the insecurity there.

• Nigeria: Militants Attack Chevron Facility, Shut Escravos Terminal: Daily Trust (Abuja): 23 June 2008.

Militants in the restive Niger Delta region claimed yesterday, that their fighters had attacked the Chevron oil facility located at Abiteye Olero crude oil line near Escravos, resulting in the shutting down of operations at the terminal which produces more than 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day.Spokesperson for the Joint Revolutionary Council, Cythia Whyte who disclosed this yesterday in Port-Harcourt in an on-line message said attacks on key oil installations in the region will continue as long as the federal government continues to short change the people of the oil-rich region.Only last, Saturday, Chevron suffered a big loss in its Abiteye Olero crude oil line near Escravos resulting in the shutting down of operations at the terminal which produces more than 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day."More of such attacks will continue as long as our people continue to be short changed in the affairs of the Nigerian state", the Whyte said, adding that. "Violence begets violence. If they attack us, then we too would follow that option. No one has the monopoly of violence. Rebellion against tyranny is righteousness before God. We have suffered enough."If the armed forces of the Nigerian state attack our people, then we too will attack their people. It will be a war between David and Goliath. Our strength is in our belief in the Almighty God and in the fact that the people of the Niger Delta deserve a better deal."

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Government in Rescue Mission for 17 Somali Kenyans Held in Ethiopia: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 24 June 2008.

The Kenyan government has jump-started efforts to rescue the 17 Kenyans earlier deported to Ethiopia on terror claims. The new development comes days after Muslim leaders from Coast Province urged President Mwai Kibaki Enhanced Coverage Linking and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to fulfil their campaign pledge of bringing back the

401 Kenyans. Nominated MP Shaykh Mohammed Dor, said the government met their Ethiopian counterparts over the issue during President Kibakis visit to Ethiopia. Dor, who is also secretary-general of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, said Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula had briefed Muslim leaders of the meeting. Dor said the president and foreign affairs minister met Ethiopian officials and gave out names of the 17 victims. He said plans were under way by the government to bring back suspects illegally held in foreign countries over terror claims. The Muslims leader urged Kenyans as well as Islam faithful to pray that the repatriation of the 17 becomes a success.

• Somalia: 3 Children Killed in Kismayu Town Attack: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 27 June 2008.

Unknown armed groups have killed three young children in an attack was beleaguered on trader's house in the port city of kismayu on Thursday night residents said. Several witnesses said that two other children and their mother wounded in that attack. The motive for the attack is unknown, but the gunmen may have been attempting to kidnap a businessman who was in the area. Residents in the area where the incident took place told Shabelle that gunmen had been hanging around all the night, and many people had been suspicious of them. A witness said he thought the gunmen did not plan to attack the house, but were waiting for a businessman to pass by in the hope of kidnapping him. Civilians have borne the brunt of the violence that has plagued in some other parts of Somalia since Ethiopian forces intervened to help an embattled government force out the Islamic Courts Union in late 2006. On June 9, the transitional government and the main opposition alliance agreed on a document that stipulates a truce should take effect within a month.

• Somalia: Traffic Along Ethiopia-Somalia Border Reportedly Halted Due to Fighting: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 27 June 2008.

According to our reporter, Abdikarin Ahmad Bulhan, traffic between the central regions of Somalia and Somali self-governing regions of Ethiopia have been diminishing due to fighting between the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) rebels and Ethiopian forces. Traffic between central Somalia and Somali self-governing regions of Ethiopia is said to have been halted due to the fighting between Ethiopian forces and ONLF rebels in the region. The fighting is said to be mostly concentrated near the Somali-Ethiopian border, in the towns of Shilabo and Warder. In Galgudud, the number of vehicles plying the route is said to have diminished as Ethiopian forces imposed restrictions on traffic following assault on rebels in the region.

Although losses sustained in the fighting are still not known, drivers on the route whom I have spoken to said it is not possible to cross the border at this time. It is still not known when normal operations will resume in the route or whether the restrictions on movements imposed by the Ethiopian forces will be lifted. The business community is concerned about the closure of the border. Ethiopian troops who have in the past restricted traffic along the borders are said to sometimes allow food and necessities to go through to the Ethiopian side. During the year, both sides have variously reported

402 hundreds of deaths, and accused the other of terrorising the population. But with aid groups and journalist effectively barred from the worst-hit areas, independent checks on death-tolls have been impossible. A U.N. mission that went to the region in September did, however, call for a probe into reports of abuses. Ethiopia accuses the ONLF, which is thought by analysts to number several thousand gunmen, of being terrorists supported by arch-foe and neighbour Eritrea. The ONLF said it had surrounded a large number of Ethiopian troops, and urged them to surrender. ONLF casualties were "light given the scope of the engagements," it added. Ethiopian officials were not immediately available for fresh comment on the latest ONLF statement on Tuesday.

Who are the ONLF? The ONLF was founded in 1984. It is fighting for independence from Ethiopia, complaining of discrimination by the central government against the region's Somali-speaking nomads. Ogaden is the local name for the Somali region. Some Ogaden residents and Somalis want the region to be part of a "Greater Somalia" - an idea strongly resisted by Ethiopia's government. It is not clear if this is ONLF policy. The ONLF are backing by Eritrea, which fought a border war with Ethiopia, although this is denied in Asmara.

Have they staged similar attacks before? The government has accused them of carrying out various bombings both in the Somali region and the capital, Addis Ababa but this is the first attack on a foreign company in the region. There was a major military operation in the region last year. The ONLF said it had warned China against looking for oil in the region. It accuses the Ethiopian army of moving nomads away from their grazing lands in order to prospect for oil. Communications are extremely difficult with this remote area and accurate information can be difficult to come by.

What is the Somali region like? This hot, arid region was ceded to Ethiopia by the British in 1954. Locals complain that they are unable to look after their camels, sheep and goats because of the constant fighting between the ONLF and the Ethiopian army. Somalia has twice fought wars with Ethiopia to get it back but the Ethiopians have been victorious. The Islamist group which controlled much of southern Somalia last year said it wanted to bring the region under Somali control. But the Ethiopians have now helped oust the Islamists and the continued presence of Ethiopian troops in Somalia has exacerbated tensions in the Somali region.

• Somalia: Islamist Fighters Seize Central Town: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 28 June 2008.

Reports from Beledweyne town the provincial capital of Hiran region say that armed with armoured and machine guns fighters have wrestled the control of the town Saturday morning after the Ethiopian troops pulled out the city and its surrounding areas according to the residents. In their initial arrival the fighters have expanded into the different sides of the town. It's yet unknown where the provincial officials of the region went.

403 • Somalia: Nine Soldiers Killed in Mogadishu Attack, Fighting Breaks Out – Witnesses: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 27 June 2008.

Armed Islamic fighters have shot dead up to nine Somali transitional government soldiers in Deynile neighborhood north of Mogadishu an official and witnesses said later Thursday. Witnesses confirmed the ambush, the latest in a string of attacks in Mogadishu.

Residents said that the attack happened following armed groups attacked at a location near their army where the soldiers were chewing Khat. At the attack time the soldiers were dressing in usual uniform. Alshabab Islamic group has claimed the responsibility of that deadly attack. The government officials who declined to identify because he was not authorized to reveal the incident confirmed Shabelle for the killing. Else where fierce fighting has rocked in Mogadishu's Tarabunka area which is a base for the government forces later on Thursday residents said. Various kinds of weapons were used in the fighting. The fighting has stuck between Islamic fighters and the transitional government forces.

The Islamists are opposed to the transitional government and the presence of Ethiopian forces in Somalia. Casualties suffered by both sides are unknown and stray bullets have landed in areas far from the fighting wounded two civilians. Amid escalating violence, residents continued fleeing the areas that have been convulsed by fighting between the government, Islamist insurgents and some clan fighters mainly in northern Mogadishu. "Who can endure a situation where people are killed and harassed everyday?" said Hadiya Hassan, a mother of three who was fleeing the Huriwa neighbourhood on Friday. "I decided to move away from this neighborhood until stability comes back," she added. "I think this time only cats will be left in the houses because most of the residents fled already and the rest are now leaving," said Haji Abdallah Sugurow, another resident. Ethiopian troops came to the rescue of Somalia's embattled transitional government last year and ousted an Islamist militia that briefly controlled large parts of the country.

Since then, Islamist-led battles have waged daily guerrilla-style attacks in Mogadishu against the government as well as the Ethiopian and the African Union troops protecting it. Yet so far only 1,600 Ugandan troops and 600 Burundian troops have arrived in Somalia while other contingents -- including more troops from other African countries -- have been delayed by a lack of funds or logistical obstacles. Somalia has lacked an effective government since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991, touching off a deadly clan-based power struggle that has defied numerous efforts to restore stability. Violence has raged despite a recent government-sponsored reconciliation conference, which was boycotted by Islamist-led Somali opposition groups.

• • •

404 • Uganda: 15 Suspected Rebels Arrested: New Vision (Kampala): 25 June 2008.

Ugandan security has handed over to Kenyan authorities 15 men suspected to be members of the Saboat Land Defence Forces. They are believed to be rebels operating in the Mt. Elgon area and fighting the Kenyan government over a land dispute. The men were picked up in Bukalasi in Bududa districts in a joint operation this month by Ugandan and Kenyan security after a wave of insecurity in the mountain area. The UPDF 3rd Division spokesman, Capt. Henry Obbo, said people living on the border in Manafwa and Bududa districts had been vigilant in identifying the suspected rebels and reporting them to the authorities.

28. NORTH AFRICA • Egypt: Journalist Brutally Assaulted By Police, Faces Trumped-Up Charges: Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (Cairo): PRESS RELEASE: 26 June 2008.

Three rights organisations - ANHRI, the Arab Council for the Support of a Fair Trial and the Hisham Mubarak Law Center - submitted a petition to a deputy minister on 21 June 2008, demanding an investigation into the brutal assault of journalist Kamal Murad of "Al-Fajr" newspaper by three police officers on 17 June. The police officers, who are from Rahmanya Centre in Buhaira Governate in the Delta region, badly beat Murad, verbally insulted him and seized his private notes and mobile memory card. This assault and seizure followed Murad's exposure of an influence peddling case involving a local trader and his two police officer sons. On Tuesday 17 June, Murad was arrested after interviewing peasants in Ezbat Mohram in Rahmanya Centre. Murad also took photos of police beating the peasants in order to force them to sign lease contracts with a landlord. The police officers conducted these beatings as a courtesy to their friends and police colleagues who are the sons of the landlord. The police officers beat Murad, insulted him and arrested him. Three hours after his detention, Murad was shocked to be charged with attacking the police officers and inciting the peasants against the security forces. This incident is believed to be revenge for Murad's role in a recent and famous torture case (known as Emad el-Kabir's case). Murad published a story about the torture of driver Emad el- Kabir by police officer Ismal Nabih. The officer was sentenced to three years in prison. Many of the police officers that attacked him while outside the Rahmanya Prosecutor's office told Murad, "You will see, you who sent the officer to jail for three years."

Despite Murad's release by the Prosecutor's office, police officers still have his mobile memory card, which contains photos of the officers assaulting the peasants and the huge banquets given to the officers by the landlord for their help in quelling the farmers, as well as his private notes, which include a draft of the interviews he made with the peasants and their statements. Abd al-Gawad Ahmed, advocate and director of the Arab Council for the Support of a Fair Trial, submitted a petition to the Deputy General, which included accusations made by Murad and the three rights organisations against each of the three officers: Mohamed Badrawy, Amr Allam and Mohamed Basiouni. The assistant

405 to the Deputy General has referred the case file to the concerned prosecutor in Damanhur city, capital of El-Buhaira Governorate, as required. "The police brutality against Kamal Murad reaffirms their motivation to take revenge against a brave journalist, who revealed a major torture case in Egypt and succeeded in cooperating with Egyptian bloggers to bring the perpetrator, police officer Islam Nabih, to justice. The ball is in the Interior Minister's court now. He must turn his written declaration about ending torture into obligatory decisions to deter perpetrators from crossing the line," said Gamal Eid, executive director of ANHRI. The three rights organisations are working together to defend Kamal Murad and bring the officers to court, as a step towards eliminating impunity and limiting the torture and ill-treatment that has extended to journalists.

• Tunisia: IMF Mission Report Forecasts 'Solid And Sustainable Economic Growth' in 2008-2009: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 24 June 2008.

A recent International Monetary Fund mission to Tunis has revealed that prospects for Tunisia 's economy are bright in spite of the challenge posed by the recent hike of energy and basic food prices throughout the world. Tunisia's economic solid and sustainable growth is expected to continue throughout 2008 and 2009 says the report, noting that the authorities are set to maintain the purchasing power of Tunisians by maintaining subsidies on food and petrol prices. The Head of the IMF mission, Mr Abdelhak Senhadji also said that "Good economic management and social policy are continuing to yield results , as evidenced by accelerated growth and improved social indicators , and a stable macroeconomic position", after meetings with Tunisian authorities. The IMF expects that the Tunisian economy will continue to grow by 5,5% in 2008 and 5,9% in 2009, making it possible to reduce unemployment . Noting that the Tunisian Central Bank's policies have managed to reduce inflation to 3,1%, the IMF report notes that the medium term outlook for the Tunisian economy is favourable even if "the major challenge at present is to limit the impact on inflation and growth from rising world prices of food and petroleum products and global financial turbulence in order to further reduce the unemployment rate which is still relatively high, particularly among graduates". The Fund does not advise against state subsidies on basic food and energy prices, judging that the country is currently able to afford them, and that "the fiscal deficit should be kept within the budget limit of 3%".

• Tunisia: Opening in Tunis of International Symposium On ICT for Education: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 26 June 2008.

A major symposium of decision makers and experts specialized in the design and production of educational software, is currently gathered in Tunis . The international two- day symposium dubbed ICT in the service of education, is held under the patronage of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The main aim of the event which takes place following Tunisia 's call at the Bucharest Summit in September 2006, is to proceed with a stocktaking, as well as an inventory of the best practises in the field. The Symposium is held jointly at the initiative of the Tunisian government and the International Francophone Organization (OIF), chaired By Mr Abdou Dhiouf. Opening the event, the

406 Prime Minister, Mr Mohammed Ghannouchi, said that both digital communication and education were marked by a fascinating development of ICT and a bigger place dedicated to knowledge in national and international concerns. "It is therefore imperative" said Mr Ghannouchi "that schools be connected with the latest information technologies". "This is a strategic choice" he added, "within the project of tomorrow's school". The prime minister evoked the sector's 5 main priorities , namely the diversification and enrichment of pedagogical supports, a greater autonomy of learners especially in the search of relevant information, a greater collaborative and networking effort, the promotion of the role of the teacher, and the development of distance training.

• Egypt: Uganda, Egypt Agree on Trade, Agriculture: New Vision (Kampala): 26 June 2008.

Uganda and Egypt have agreed to form a joint business venture in agriculture, tourism and industry.At a meeting at State House, Entebbe on Tuesday, President Yoweri Museveni and Egyptian ministers Fayza Aboulnagac (international co-operation) and Amin Abaza (agriculture), agreed to partner in wheat growing, building an abattoir and establishing an animal feed plant. State House reported that Aboulnaga also expressed interest in building a resort hotel on one of the beautiful beaches on Lake Victoria. "President Museveni welcomed the idea and encouraged the minister to also consider investing in fruit processing." Abaza on the other hand promised to notify Egyptian business people about the investment opportunities in Uganda. He said some Egyptian companies would be interested in importing powder milk from Uganda. Museveni recently flagged off the first consignment of powder milk exports from Uganda processed by Sameer Livestock and Agriculture Company in Kampala. State House also announced that the two parties how the Egyptian government would sponsor Ugandan students to study water engineering and irrigation.

• Egypt: Report Urges End to State Clash With Muslim Brotherhood: Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi): 24 June 2008.

The three-year clash between the government and the Muslim Brothers is damaging Egypt's political life, according to a new report. Ending the confrontation and moving towards the long-term goal of integrating the Brothers into the political mainstream is a far better option, says the International Crisis Group report released last week.

'Egypt's Muslim Brothers: Confrontation or Integration?', the latest report from the ICG, examines the ruling National Democratic Party's (NDP) hard-line stance and the Muslim Brothers' ambiguous approach to political participation. At a time of political uncertainty surrounding the presidential succession and serious socio-economic unrest, it offers an alternative to the current short-term thinking that carries very uncertain longer-term returns. Since their surprisingly strong electoral performance in 2005, when they won nearly a fifth of parliamentary seats while running as independents, the Muslim Brothers have redoubled efforts to contest elections. The resulting backlash and mass arrests have further discredited Egyptian electoral democracy and increased political tensions, the ICG report says. Although the regime has used the Brothers to frighten domestic and

407 foreign audiences into accepting the status quo, this has mainly served to reinforce the Brothers at the expense of other political currents. By restricting the political field, the regime of President Hosni Mubarak has assisted a hybrid organisation that is uniquely positioned to evade restrictions on recognised political parties and work outside a strict legal framework. The Muslim Brothers also carry their share of responsibility. While they more explicitly embrace political reform as a main goal and have built alliances with opposition groups, their program's distinctly non-democratic and illiberal tone, as well as its ambiguous pronouncements on the role of women and the place of religious minorities, is cause for concern. To break this standstill, the regime should recognise the Muslim Brothers' ambition to create a legal political party, take the opportunity to set clear standards for integration and end its campaign of mass arrests, made possible by the draconian Emergency Law. For their part, the Muslim Brothers should finalise and clarify their political program in order to reassure their critics. "Ultimately, the Muslim Brothers are too powerful and too representative for there to be either stability or genuine democratisation without finding a way to incorporate them", says Issandr El Amrani, Crisis Group's North Africa Analyst. "Although this likely will be a gradual process, the regime should take preliminary steps to normalise the Muslim Brothers' participation in political life", says Robert Malley, Crisis Group's Middle East and North Africa Program Director. "Their integration should be pursued not just for its own sake, but as an essential step to a genuine opening of the political sphere that would also benefit secular opposition forces."

29. NEWS COMMENTARIES

WEST AFRICA • Africa: Kofi Annan And Africa's Green Revolution: Accra Mail (Accra): COLUMN: 26 June 2008: Kofi Akosah-Sarpong.

Former UN Chief, Mr Kofi Annan's suggestion that Africa needs a "Green Revolution" reminds me of a recent encounter with a professor at the University of Ottawa who asked me, "So, Kofi, how are Africans coping with the global food soaring prices?" I answered that there is no simple answer, and that what the food crisis teaches Africa is that Africa needs a new thinking in its agricultural productivity. Annan and the professor's concern about Africa's food situation raise concerns about the issue of agricultural revolution in Africa, 51 years after [Ghana's] independence from colonial rule.

Annan's statement that Africa's future lies in a "Green revolution" that would propel African farmers "dramatically" to "increase their output so that Africa can feed itself and not be dependent on food aid," reveal abysmally Africa's low food productivity that has continued since independence and that appear to have been thrown off-course by the current global food price increases. Before Annan's remarks, commentators had been worried about the impact of the global food prices on Africa, as the poorest region in the world, and questioned whether Africa's low food productivity will be able to cope considering the fact that Africa depends heavily on foreign food. Said Annan, "I think no question is more important for the future of our continent" than for Africa to feed itself

408 and "not be dependent on food aid." But the gap between Africa feeding itself and heavily minimizing itself from foreign food dependency is very wide.

The Green Revolution is about Africa feeding itself through itself. But Africa is in a difficult situation. Africa's per hectre farm yields are only about one-third of Asia and one-tenth of United States', and the troubled situation is worsened by rapid population growth. In 2005, according to various international agencies, Africa's agriculture produced 3 per cent less per capita than in 2000 and 12 per cent than in 1975.

While Annan, chair of the new Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, raises important questions about resolving Africa's food crisis, most of what he said isn't new: "...aid to the hardest hit areas in Africa and a pro-poor approach to raising productivity and food security in Africa." How is Africa to do this? Annan answers that, "In the long term, a coalition of African governments together with researchers, civil society, the private sectors and donors are to be formed with the aim of instigating food security on the continent." A laudable idea, but an old and unstimulating one. What Annan has to know is that African agricultural issues have become elitist and African governments don't invest enough in agriculture, despite immense wealth circulating in Africa, making what drives productivity not in the hands of average African farmers, who still use awkward tools but still demonstrate superb ancient wisdom, judgement, and remarkable skills. One solution is balancing technology (and science) with traditional system of farming practices in such a way that African farmers' productivity will increase and their incomes grow. In There is no Green Revolution for Africa, Dan Gardner, of The Ottawa Citizen writes that, "if African productivity were to rise even to Asian levels, much of the current food crisis would vanish - and many of the poorest people on earth would be far better off...Traditional farming techniques are good enough to keep farmers alive - barring the occasional famine - but they aren't enough to lift people out of poverty." Annan, Gardner and others talk of appropriation of science in revolutionalizing Africa's farming. Such practices have brought the Europeans and Asians out of low food productivity and advanced productivity. It is incomprehensible why 51 years after independence, Africa didn't follow suit the European and Asian paths and is still mired in low farming practices and food shortages that have been worsened by the on-going global food predicament. The ability of the Asians, who were far behind Africa in food production in the 1960s, to turn their low farming productivity around since the 1960s resulted in what came to be known as the "Green Revolution." But what might have partially inhibited Africa's farming revolution since the 1960s, as Gardner, drawing from Robert Paarlberg's Starved for Science, argues that "The Green Revolution never came to Africa mainly because rich countries focused their resources on Asia...Over the last 20 years, the donor community has effectively stopped assistance for agricultural modernization in Africa."

The question is why should the rich countries focus on Africa's food? What are Africans themselves doing, especially in producing their own native food? Playing with population growth, over the years Africans have not invested in their own traditional food but more on commercial crops and dependent on foreign food to the detriment of their future food security. Where are Africa's food planners since the 1960s to now? The central argument

409 isn't playing with the global food "cultural shift" (the craze for organic food), agricultural technology, "industrial farming," and agricultural science via genetic modification but how Africa will concentrate on the production of its traditional food not only for its health benefits but also its security.

In this sense, Annan's well-intentioned "African Green Revolution," while it may call for capacity building that will help "increase the resilience and reduce vulnerability" of African farmers, a new regime of African farming policies and practices that balances tradition practices with modernization, and that also draw from the experiences of the Asian "Green Revolution" and Annan's own charm to bring in donors will help materialize Annan's "African Green Revolution" dream.

• • • • The Oil Crisis in a Global Context: Fahamu (Oxford): OPINION: 26 June 2008.

We could be on the threshold of a new phase of globalisation, one where there will be a new protectionism, more regional trade and regional economic activism and where governments will be forced to address the problems of the vulnerable middle class and poor, argues John Samuel.

Oil is back in the centre of economic and political discourse, at the international, national and local level. What does this mean for the future of the economy and geo-politics?

The roots of this phase of economic globalisation lie in the economics and politics of the 1970s. The protagonist was oil. There was a food crisis too. This perpetuated the new cycle of debt and highly indebted poor countries. The economic turmoil of the 1970s (due to the oil shock, saturation of the role of the State and consequent inefficient and ineffective public expenditure, food crisis, and consequent new indebtedness of poor and developing countries) paved the way for the new mix of neo-conservatism, neo-liberalism and the third way. The indebtedness and balance of payment crisis in many countries gave unprecedented power to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank -- and the consequent economic and policy conditionalities they imposed. That is how the story of the new phase of economic globalisation, a mix of neo-conservatism and neo- liberalism - the Reagan-Thatcher prescription -- commenced, sometime in the early-'80s. While there are similarities between the oil shock, food crisis and economic conditions of the '70s and the one we are beginning to face now, the political and economic context are not the same. The first 25 years after the Second World War saw unprecedented and sustained economic growth in Europe and America. In fact, the demand created by reconstruction activities after the war, the aid system in the '50s, and the capabilities in Europe without the burden of maintaining the colonies, helped to a significant extent to propel this economic growth. In other words, there was a significant demand within western countries and internal market competence to deliver the supplies. By the '70s, the

410 market got saturated in terms of demand, and the State got saturated in terms of the sustainability of public sector spending and effective social welfare. As a result, there was a real compulsion to find new markets elsewhere and to restructure the tax and public expenditure pattern. The rise of Japan and the competitive edge of Japanese products in Asia, the oil rich Gulf countries and the United States also created a sense of urgency to create new markets. To a certain extent the European Union was a sort of political solution to enable market integration to address the issue of market saturation.

The oil shock, and the consequent debt trap and balance of payment crisis, was a great opportunity for OECD countries to develop a combined strategy of trade, aid and debt and the conditionality approach to open up the markets of developing countries and less developed countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa. The economic and political implosion of the USSR in the late-'80s also created a crisis of the centralised policy planning mode and a non-dollar-based trade framework (there was almost a barter system between the USSR and many other countries). In fact, more than the ideological threat of communism, the West was worried about trade (in oil, arms and other commodities); such a system was a global road block for the western capitalist mode of trade. After the fall of the USSR, it was a free ride for finance capitalism and the neo-liberal mode of policy and trade framework. The present situation is very different. The growth of the last 15 years is propelled by the growth of Asian economies, of Latin America, and parts of Africa. For the first time, the population of China and India tend to become an economic asset, instead of a liability, in terms of productive capability and domestic market expansion. Such a growth is partly due to new infrastructure development in different parts of Asia (in fact, much bigger in scale than the one in Europe in the '60s), and also due to the competitive edge in terms of cheap labour and skills. The finance capital market too played a key role in propelling new investments in the stock market that, in turn, propelled the economy. Asian countries are beginning to play a competitive game and are also using the finance capital market to acquire market share, productive capacities and big multinational corporations. Many of the takeovers (by Tata, Mittal and others) are of immense symbolic importance.

Due to the flight of jobs and due to the crisis of social development, there is a fast emerging, vulnerable, middle class and poor across Europe and the US. There is the added shade of identity politics (dramatically different from the old communist "threat"). The migrant communities which provided the crucial labour inputs during Europe's growth period have become a political liability now. This means there is more political and economic insecurity among a large number of the working class, vulnerable middle class, and the poor. All European countries are facing a new internal crisis of politics and economics (particularly in the context of the alienation of Muslim communities born and brought up in Europe). This means there is a shift in the political sociology at the grassroots level in the USA, the EU and other parts of Western Europe. Many European countries such as Italy, Spain and France are facing a serious economic crisis. This also means that there can be a shift in the macro-political economy and geo-politics. Hence, the context is dramatically different from that of the economic crisis of the '70s. Today, there is no crisis of balance of payment (so far) and there is lots of foreign exchange

411 reserves. There are vibrant domestic markets in India and China. In fact, the growth is sustained by the economic growth in Asia.

It seems the ongoing economic troubles, oil price hike, and food crisis, will be the springboard for another key political and economic shift in the world. The price of oil climbed from $10 a barrel in 1999 to $135 in the second week of June 2008. Goldman Sachs says it will hit $200 within the next 24 months! This means that the price of oil has risen by 900% in the last one decade. Oil spending as a share of global economy may cross 7% (more than the peak in 1979). Oil drives the engine of the present global economy. The US consumes 25% of the world output. Though demand in China and India increased, China consumes 9% and India consumes only 3% of the total oil demand.As the price of oil climbs, commodity prices will go up. This also means that food prices will be relatively higher in the international market. The oil price increase is bringing about new political tension and turmoil. But if the price goes up, at least in some segments there will be a decrease in demand. The SUV market in the US and elsewhere was already in a slump and will face a crisis. This will also have consequences in countries like China and India which sustain the global economic growth (and demand for commodities) to a large extent. It will be difficult to sustain subsidy levels for oil in India and governments will be forced to increase the price (there is no other way). A mix of inflation, increasing oil price and deceleration of the economy (for example in real estate) can create new political tensions and equations in many countries, including India. The increasing price of oil will make the oil-producing countries very cash rich. So the prominence of Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries will significantly increase. This may also induce a new arms race -- led by Russia. On the one hand it will give rise to a multi-polar world, and on the other hand it can propel a war. It is also interesting to note that most of the oil-producing countries are run by autocratic or authoritarian regimes, many of them in the Arab world.

The role of National Sovereign Funds of Gulf countries will increase dramatically. It is estimated that if the price of oil price climbs, six Gulf countries will have a value of $95 trillion dollars (the American economy is around $13 trillion) -- about twice the size of the public equity market. Already Sovereign Wealth Funds of the Gulf countries are buying up the major and controlling stakes of big western banks and this will create new protectionism. A possible inflation (if it crosses 15%) in Asia can cause serious economic trouble. There will be a devaluation of currencies in these countries -- with potential trouble for the finance capital market. There is a real trend of inflation in most countries in Asia (Vietnam is the highest, Thailand is almost 10%, and India, China and others too face it) and the oil price hike will further accentuate the problem. Persistent inflation and stagnant economic growth may result in stagflation in different parts of Asia, including India. All this means that (a) this phase of economic globalisation will not be sustainable and it will be a transit to the next phase, (b) there will be a new protectionism (particularly in terms of commodity markets, food etc), and (c) There will be more regional trade and regional economic activism.

So, there will possibly be a tendency to regulate finance flow and there will be more restriction for commodity markets. The elections and politics of Europe and the USA will

412 be forced to address the issue of the vulnerable middle class and the poor. Look at the election promises in the USA - it's about jobs. The health system and social security are also top of the agenda. There will be political pressure to increase the allocation for the social sector and for creating new jobs and a reduction of foreign aid (this is what happened in Japan from 1999 onwards).The next US President will be forced to initiate new protectionism and new social welfare measures. This will have an impact on global trade. The oil price hike may affect travel as well as trade (due to higher freight charges). All this does not mean a "reversal of globalistion". It means a new phase of globalisation along with a new protectionism in many countries. There will be scope for a New Deal and a new kind of social democratic politics in Europe and elsewhere.

The world is on the threshold of a new phase. The present economic slowdown is likely to persist for another four years. It will influence the shape of the economy, political dynamics and geo-politics in the years to come.

*John Samuel is a social activist and the International Director of Actionaid.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Africa: Is Democracy Dangerous in Multi-Ethnic Societies? :Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):INTERVIEW: 26 June 2008. Michael Deibert: Oxford

The Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity (CRISE) would seem to have its work cut out for it in a world racked by brutal and enduring conflict. The centre's goal is to explore the links between ethnicity, inequality and conflict in order to identify policies that could lead to more inclusive multi-ethnic societies.

A first book-length publication 'Horizontal Inequalities and Conflict: Understanding Group Violence in Multi-Ethnic Societies' from CRISE is slated for a July release, the fruit of the institution's recent years of research into conflict and its causes.

To find out more about that research, IPS correspondent Michael Deibert spoke to CRISE Director Frances Stewart.

IPS: Can you explain the concept of horizontal inequalities?

Frances Stewart: Horizontal inequalities put people into groups and look at how unequal those groups are. For example, black and white in the United States, or ethnic groups such as the Tutsi and Hutu in Rwanda, religious groups such as Muslims and Christians in many countries. Essentially, these groups are ways in which people see themselves, ways which are very important to people. As a result, if there are big inequalities between the groups, for example between Muslims and Christians in a country like Nigeria, this can be very politically powerful because people mobilize behind (them). This mobilization can sometimes take a political, peaceful form, but it can sometimes take a violent form.

413 The other point to be made about horizontal inequalities is that they are multi- dimensional... This should be true of all measures of inequality, but most measures of inequality are confined to income, or perhaps consumption. Horizontal inequalities have political, economic, social and cultural dimensions... Inequalities in political power, which are very important, where one group may have total dominance of the political system, and another group does not have any access, which is the situation more or less in . Then you have inequalities in religious or cultural status, so one group may have its religion or its language recognized and another group's may not be recognized. Then of course there are the obvious economic differences in land and assets, and there are differences to social access, education and so on. So essentially, horizontal inequalities are inequalities between culturally defined groups, and they are multi- dimensional.

IPS: The book covers a fairly wide geographic range -- from Asia to Africa to Latin America -- and I was wondering what were some of the similarities that were found that existed in the situations in these regions?

FS: There are obviously differences in the way people view themselves. For example, in Africa we have ethnic groups, sometimes called tribes, being a very important difference among people, and also religion. Interestingly, Indonesia is very similar in that respect to Nigeria, which also has many ethnicities and in addition has the religious divide between Muslims and Christians.

But in contrast, if we think about Latin America, in the countries that we looked at, the big difference is between the indigenous people and the white settlers, and of course the big mixed population. This is rather different from the ethnic divisions that you find in Africa. Though within the indigenous communities themselves there are quite a number of groups with different languages and so on. Then, if we turn to Malaysia, which is another country we were looking at, the racial divide is the big divide: Chinese, local Malays and then Indians and a religious difference, as well... In each case, these horizontal inequalities are extremely important, thought not always recognized to be as important as they are. They are more explicit in some areas than in others.

IPS: It seems like the incidence of conflict in poor countries remain high. Is that a fair assessment?

FS: It is certainly fair. It's certainly true that the incidence of conflict within countries -- civil wars -- is significantly higher in poor countries than it is in middle-income or rich countries. Still we should note that it has been declining recently. It rose quite sharply when the Cold War ended, but recently there has been some decline. But it does remain a significant problem. Probably the majority of very poor countries have experienced some sort of conflict over the last quarter of a century.

IPS: Does the spike in conflicts that we saw after the Cold War now seem to be stabilizing?

414 FS: Definitely, there has been some reduction, and people have different explanations for that. Partly, there was an explosion after the Cold War because there was a transition, people were sorting out exactly how they wanted to live and with whom and so on There had been conflicts before but they had been suppressed, by the Russians, in particular... Why have they declined? Some people would say that the active intervention of the international community, and the United Nations in particular, has been quite important, but obviously not all of them... In Afghanistan, the war is raging, the war is raging in Iraq, very serious wars still continue... The Congo war isn't really over, there's conflict going on in Niger. But I think the level is a little bit less than it was 10 years ago.

IPS: After reviewing this research, what steps can be taken by governments and international institutions to address these inequalities and prevent conflict in the future?

FS: This issue has been surpassingly neglected by the international community. If you look at the normal policies that we advocate, such as democracy, saying that countries have to be democratic and they have to have many parties, we don't think about the implications between groups. Democracy can lead to quite a dangerous situation in a multi-ethnic society unless you accompany it with policies to protect groups. If you have one group that is in a majority, they can really suppress the freedoms of a minority group. On the political side, what it requires is recognition of the importance of distributing power across groups and not having exclusive power. That means all sorts of constraints on the democratic system. Some of these are already in place in some countries. It could mean that political parties cannot be mono-ethnic and only located in one part of the country... There are restrictions on political parties in Ghana and Nigeria of that sort, to try and induce multi-ethnic political parties. There is a big tendency in multi-ethnic countries for political parties to become single ethnic parties.

You can also have restrictions on the political system at many other levels so that you must have representation from different groups in all sorts of politically important positions. Sometimes these restrictions can be formal, such as in Nigeria, or they can be informal... What one needs is a recognition on the political side of the need for incorporation of all major groups in the political power and then a variety of ways in which one might do it. On economics, the issue has also been greatly neglected in the international arena. Most of the World Bank policies, for example -- macroeconomic adjustment policies, strategy papers -- simply ignore the issue... What you need is an explicit recognition that you need fair distribution of economic and social resources. You need to have systems of monitoring it... Incorporate it into a variety of economic policies, for example public expenditure policies, tax policies, government employment policies and so on. Although the international bodies have neglected this, national policy makers in multi-ethnic societies often recognise this because they have to live with the consequences...

We didn't have to invent the new policies; we could simply look around the countries that had put them into effect.

415 EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Why Anarchy Threatens Rest of the World: The Nation (Nairobi): OPINION: 24 June 2008.

Somalia is burning, but the world would rather not see. The country has over the years become synonymous with chaos. However, recent developments in the country should get many of us very worried.

When news broke that one of the most brutal terrorists in the war-torn country, Aden Hashi Ayrow, had been killed along with several of his lieutenants, commentators were quick to pronounce it a major step towards saving the country. In Nairobi, diplomat Mohammed Aden said that Ayrow's death "will definitely weaken al-Shabaab", referring to the ferocious Islamic militia. On the surface, the diplomat's assessment appears reasonable. Ayrow's death, in a pre-dawn strike on the small town of Dusa Mareb, removed a long-time terror chief responsible for the jihadists' recently intensified insurgency, which has claimed dozens of people. Lately, Somalia President Abdullahi Yusuf has come under repeated attacks, often escaping by a whisker. Upon Ayrow's death, Somali jihadists quickly vowed to continue the fight under new leadership. "Dying is an honour at the moment," Shaykh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a former mentor to Ayrow, was quoted as saying.

Al-Shabaab group spokesman Mukhtar Ali Robow has been similarly defiant. He said: "We are warning the enemies of God that we will stay on the same path like the departed the true path of jihad." Mr Robow's threat is all the more frightening in light of his group's definition of jihad that, judging by its attacks, includes killing and kidnapping humanitarian aid workers. Recent examples include the kidnapping of two men working on a UN-funded water project and a roadside bombing that killed employees of Médecins Sans Frontières, which forced the group to withdraw from Somalia. One interpretation of these actions is that al-Shabaab's objective is to destabilise Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and allied Ethiopian forces by fostering chaos to the point where the population will call on al-Shabaab to save them. In this respect, there is a similarity between the indiscriminately violent hit-and-run tactics of al-Shabaab and terrorists in Iraq. In any case, at this point, the strategy of the jihadists appears changed little following Ayrow's death. Jihadists also appear to expect the terrorist group to reform. The challenge for those who oppose terrorism in East Africa, as elsewhere, is that terrorism respects no borders. It is an international phenomenon that relies on international means to replenish its ranks. Nothing demonstrates this better than jihadists' use of the Internet. There is no subtlety about it. Recently, an Internet forum carried instructions on "how to become a member of Al Qaeda". In addition to adhering to the identity, ideology and objectives of Al-Qaeda, candidates are told that they must prepare "physically, scientifically and spiritually". Jihadists can join either an existing group or "pursue a solitary path". To them, almost any act can be justified by jihad. Somalia may be a failed state, but it is a net exporter of extremism and insecurity.

Therefore, the world, especially neighbouring countries, must do more to help Somalia.

416

• Africa: Continent Must Get Its Act Together Or Remain Backward: Business Daily (Nairobi): COLUMN: 25 June 2008.

In the year 2001, a year after the adoption of the African Union (AU) Act, the continent's leaders adopted the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) as a strategic policy framework and socioeconomic development programme of the AU.

Nepad's objective is to consolidate democracy and sound economic management in Africa. Through the programme, African leaders were to make a commitment to the African people and the world to work together in rebuilding the continent. It was a pledge to promote peace, stability, democracy, sound economic management, people-centred development and to hold each other accountable in terms of the agreement outlined in the programme. Many years later after the blue print for African development was showcased as the Marshall Plan for Africa, peace is still elusive in Africa. This continent remains one of the most heated spots on the globe, accounting for about 38 per cent of all world wars in 2002.

Economic devastation

These conflicts have caused economic devastation, an enormous loss of human life and a drain on Africa's meagre resources. This continent has, over the last two or so decades, witnessed unprecedented capital flight; indeed, capital flight from Africa is equivalent to Sub-Saharan Africa's GDP. As Zimbabwe smoulders, which it has been doing for quite a while now, the African leadership is at a loss as to how to handle the crisis, especially conflict prevention rather than management and resolution. More importantly, African states and the international community as a whole, should address the political and economic dynamics of conflicts in Africa, since failure to do so has repeatedly led to ill - conceived responses and unsuccessful interventions in the past. Promoting peace, security and stability is not only a prerequisite for the implementation of a development agenda; it is a necessary condition for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows into the continent. Available evidence actually attests that FDI in Africa continues to be hampered by weak governance, poor infrastructure and institutions and ongoing conflicts in a large number of countries. A stable environment is part and parcel of long term development.

Africa has to set its house in order; unless and until it does so, it will remain a marginalised continent, even in a reconstructed economic order!

Wetang'ula is an Advocate of the High Court.

NORTH AFRICA • The Sahel Region Troubled by a Touareg War: OPINION : By Arezki Daoud:

417 Meet Akhamoukh. He was a classmate of mine at the National Hydrocarbon Institute (INH) in Algiers in the late 1980s. Akhamoukh came from a Touareg tribe. He managed to attend high school and succeeded in getting a full scholarship to become an oil engineer, essentially entirely paid by the Algerian taxpayers.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Touaregs, they are not just an invention of the German carmaker Volkswagen, which has branded one of its latest SUVs as Touareg. They are real people essentially living in the Sahara desert. Just like my northern ancestors of Kabyle lineage, the Touaregs are also Amazighs or ethnic Berbers who inhabited North Africa for thousands of years. They are of a different kind in that they are essentially desert nomads who enjoy their freedom and nomadic heritage, as opposed to the Kabyles, who are known for their settlements and more established villages and societies in the northern mountains of Algeria. When classes ended just as summer started, every student headed back home to their families except Akhamoukh. It typically took him a full month before he left the university campus, just to enjoy about one month with his parents and siblings. The reason was simple. Not that he loved the solitude of an engineering school after graduation, but for purposes that are more practical: he could not identify and locate easily the whereabouts of his nomadic family, so he had to investigate, and make some calls, so to speak. He had to contact several people in different regions before he could identify, roughly, where his family was. It was rather surprising for most of us who came from settled areas. But for Akhamoukh it was no big deal. Getting to know him, and then working in the Sahara myself, I later learned that the Touaregs are extremely proud people. They value their ancestral practices more than anything else. For them, settling is not an acceptable option. Not because opportunities do not exist, but because they enjoy their way of living.

I am bringing this personal story in this opinion piece because it is important to know that Touaregs have no sense of boundary in the Sahara desert, a situation that can be source of regional conflicts. And without such understanding, those entrusted to negotiate peace in the region when such conflicts arise may simply fail. For the proud Touareg people, Algeria, Mali, Niger, Libya, and other nations in the Sahel region are no distinct territories. They are one and only one. In fact efforts made in the past by the region’s governments to force them to settle have all failed. The governments’ initiatives to control them made sense for many. Controlling the Touaregs meant securing the borders and controlling the flow of people, commerce, narcotics, and weapons. But that did not work and what affects one Touareg group in one corner of the vast Sahara, is likely to incite a reaction from other Touareg groups thousands of miles away. This is what is happening in Mali.

For Westerners and people who don’t know the region, the events affecting the Greater Sahel region today, particular Mali, are reminiscent of an old Hollywood movie script. Tribal wars involving face-covered fighters on horses and camels are not a thing of the past. They are happening today with fighters coming from various countries in the region with the inability of governments to control their own borders. A feud between a Touareg tribe and the government of Mali seems to be engulfing the region’s nomad population like rarely before, adding more tension to a region that saw growing Al Qaeda activity.

418 But what started as being a much localized conflict is now spreading across borders, with the Malian-based Touaregs getting the support of their brothers across borders. The situation is so alarming that the Malian foreign minister Moctar Ouane warns of a generalized conflict. Ouane says “bands of Touareg from other countries crossed the Malian borders to join the local Touaregs in their fight against the Malian army.” Speaking to foreign diplomats stationed in the Malian capital Bamako, Ouane stated that in March of this year the Mali-based Touareg militant group led by Ibrahim Ag Bahanga was reinforced by non-Mali Touareg fighters who came from neighboring countries to attack Malian military convoys in the north. He accused them of deploying landmines to undermine the Malian military. Although he did not specifically name the countries of origin of the fighters, sources say that Niger is where the fighters came from.

Recent events indeed reinforce the information about the involvement of Niger-based Touaregs in the Malian conflict. Mali army troops and officers have been taken hostages by some Touareg militants, bringing them to hideouts in neighboring Niger, where they are currently held by a militant organization called the Niger Movement for Justice (Mouvement des Nigériens pour la Justice or MNJ). These events that are showing unprecedented cooperation between the Touaregs of Mali and those of Niger are a source of tension in the region. Most, if not all governments in the Sahel fear that these alliances could possibly lead Touareg leaders to demand the creation of an autonomous Touareg nation. All of the region’s countries fearing such demand would lead to a substantial deterioration in security, in a region that is already the target of Al Qaeda. The strengthening of the Touaregs and their growing momentum are seen with suspicion by many Sahel capitals. This is because virtually all governments in the regions are pointing the finger to Tripoli, convinced that Muamar Kaddafi has been the one fomenting the Touareg rebellion. They argue that the creation of a Great Touareg nation in the Sahel could be something that he would fund and control. But interestingly, many are also looking at Washington as being a critical player in this saga. The Pentagon has had its focus set on the Sahel region to avoid the creation of another Afghanistan. Since Al Qaeda began expanding in the region, Washington has been working hard with its AFRICOM unit to secure the region, and many feel that having a Touareg nation would go a long way in helping maintain security and stability in the region.

Although it seems difficult to conceive an American interest in partitioning the region to form a new Touareg nation, given the destabilizing impact such an event would have, some analysts believe the U.S. would benefit from a heightened conflict in that it would then be able to convince the governments of the region to allow the establishment of an American military base there. Yet, it is even more inconceivable that Kaddafi, with his billions of dollars would fund conflicts in the region. He has long promoted the idea of a federation of Touareg nations that he would be able to control, helping him reduce any strategic competition from neighboring Algeria. Algeria has indeed a lot more to lose from such federation if it were to happen. Its territory is the largest in the region and home of untold oil and gas reserves, some of it shared with Libya in form of reservoirs that expand beyond borders. Now that Kaddafi no longer cares about the Arab cause, Africa, and the Sahara region could be his main targets.

419 • What’s Behind the Reversal of Tunisia Hijab Ban?: Nasima Alli.

In 1981, then Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba (1956-1987) ratified law number 108 banning Tunisian women from wearing the hijab in state offices. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Tunisian government issued more restrictive enactments including the infamous 102 law which considers hijab a sign of “extremism” and as a result banned it. Unofficially, Tunisian women have been encouraged to put aside the hijab and veil in public streets and social gatherings and have at times been the victims of harassment for being disobedient. The wearing of the veil was often characterized by senior officials such as the minister of religious affairs Aboubaker Akhzouri as “a phenomenon imported from abroad” in an attempt to justify the ban. More than a year ago, as the debate over the veil was underway, Akhzouri stated that “we consider it (hijab) as sectarian clothing, foreign to our traditions. We reject all forms of sectarianism, including the man’s robe and abnormal beards.” These positions have found positive reception among liberal groups, including women organizations such as the Association of Democratic Women (ATFD), a group politically linked to the government. To combat the potential spreading of the Hijab, ATFD sided in favor of the traditional Tunisian veil called the Safsari, characterizing the wearing of the Hijab as alien and un-Tunisian. But the Hijab has become increasingly part of the picture in Tunisia. Since 2003, as the United States began its offensive in Iraq, observers witnessed the growing phenomenon of Hijab wearing in the North African nation. While some saw it as a way for Tunisian women to express their support for the Iraqis during a difficult time, some others saw the growing phenomenon as a pure fashion statement. The expansion of the hijab in Tunisia is also somewhat linked to the influence of hijab-wearing women of Tunisian origin of second and third generations going to Tunisia on vacation. These women come from Europe where restrictions on religious freedom are less stringent. As the situation evolved, the government has been working to slow the process and even reverse it. Dozens of high school girls have been prevented from entering their classrooms because they broke the ban. The crackdown has been such that the Tunisian human rights organization LTDH complained of the anti-hijab offensive, calling it an “attack against privacy and religious freedom.” The issue has even divided the most liberal figures, some of whom see the wearing of the hijab as a fundamental right, others considering it a risk instead.

Meanwhile, and despite a crackdown on Islamists in Tunisia, some women militants have decided to wear the hijab despite the ban. That includes the famous lawyer Saida Al- Akrami, which characterized the ban as unconstitutional. For now, the Tunisian courts seem to have sided with Ms. Al-Akrami and those that are on her side of the debate. On October 11, 2007, the law was rescinded after being deemed unconstitutional by the Administrative Court of Tunis. This ruling came from a lawsuit which was filed by schoolteacher Saeeda Adbalah who was suspended from work after she refused to take off her veil. The lawsuit was filed against the Education Ministry and needless to say that she won.

This prohibition imposed over the past decade could be explained by Tunisia’s strategic choice to move to a Western-style society. This happened as the North Africa region grappled with the growing influence of the religious establishment. But along the way, its

420 implementation created discriminatory practices that are often illegal in many western nations. For example, qualified and skilled women that wear the hijab have long been prevented from employment in public office. Many see the prohibition as a dual religious and gender discrimination used as a way to deny employment opportunities to women. This latest court ruling is intriguing in many aspects, and for now difficult to calculate. The most important one relates to the ruling act itself suggesting that either the government allowed it or the courts have taken a contrarian position with the risk of upsetting the government. If the government allowed it then one wonders if it us responding to the pressure and then ultimately to justify a policy reversal. But what can pressure the government to change its mind? Only conservative religious groups could do so, but that assumes they have some capability to exercise such pressure. A look at the Tunisian political landscape and one could realize that the Islamists are not as prominent as in neighboring countries. In the final analysis, it is likely that the courts agreed with the arguments put forward by the opponents of the ban, showing perhaps that the justice system in Tunisia is itself looking for some autonomy and seeking to distance itself from the government. The outcome ultimately will depend on the response of the latter, which is not likely to endorse a ban reversal.

• What Role for France in the Mediterranean? Arezki Daoud,

Listen to the analysis here… Led by President Nicolas Sarkozy, a few senior French strategists have embarked on the daunting task of convincing the countries of the Mediterranean basin to form yet another regional union. It’s a good idea but it is also one that has many more skeptics than believers. Even the powerful European Union sees this initiative as a distraction from the broader and more urgent European construction and is not likely to fully endorse it.

But for its chief architect Sarkozy, the stakes are enormous. Paris sees a Mediterranean Union (MU) as a way to influence geopolitical and economic events in the vast Mediterranean region. This is a region where France witnessed diminishing influence over time, as competition heightened. More recently, France is seeing its more traditional competitors like the United States joined by new ones like China to challenge what Paris perceived as being its own dominion. Russia has been increasingly aggressive in attempting to position itself in the region as well. And to make things more complicated, the massive investments committed by Gulf countries are creating a new form of competition, with the Arabs becoming ever more present in the region and likely to use their financial muscles to gain more influence. Just as Russia’s recent focus has been on finding markets for its military equipment and striking deals with oil companies in the region, France also sees the region both from a military eye and from a pure commercial perspective, in particular when dealing with the Southern Med region. A required access to the rest of Africa with its rich mineral resources, Northern Africa has resources of direct commercial interest to France. It is also an emerging market thanks to improvements in the region’s economies, enabling the emergence of a middle class with disposable income and money to spend. This growing middle class is seen by French businesses of all sizes as an opportunity to expand.

421 From a military standpoint, France no longer sees the region as a cold-war theatre of operation and does not reminisce of its old colonial glories. Old rivalries are gone but new challenges have emerged. It is instead focusing on security, as the region so close to French shores remains unstable and a source of potential trouble. The Islamist insurgencies and illegal immigration are the two most important security factors worrying France. But France, like its European partners, adopted a more regional approach to the security issue. It is broadly handled within another group called 5+5 (five countries from the north of the Mediterranean and five from the south) with the near exclusive focus on terrorism, and in relation to that, organized crime. In contrast, the United States has been pushing for a greater NATO role, although the Pentagon has been much more proactive on its own with American troops monitoring the Sahel. Risks in the southern region are everywhere. Whether it is the never-ending Arab-Israeli conflict, the crisis in Lebanon, the role of Syria, and further east, the growing influence of Iran, amid an exploding Iraq. Facing these regional conflicts, the European Union, which Sarkozy insists is the lead architect in launching a Mediterranean Union, has not been so able lately to influence events in the Middle East. The Middle Eastern “cards” are exclusively held by Washington. In the West of the Mediterranean sea, the EU has not even been able to contribute an iota to help solve the Western Sahara conflict which has poisoned relations between Algeria and Morocco, creating a major security vacuum in the region. Tension and distrust between Algeria and Morocco, in particular, are only helping Al-Qaeda strengthen its structures in the region. Using borders that are poorly secured, Al-Qaeda is taking advantage of the lack of cooperation between the two countries to wreak havoc a wage a PR campaign that is clearly in its favor. Victim of the status quo is the long awaited creation of a Maghreb Union, with its promise of a free trade zone and economic growth for all. A market that would have turned the region into a much more interesting and vibrant economic block. While North Africans feud among themselves, France and Europe are facing divided partners in the south and can influence the individual countries as they see fit and in accordance to their own strategic interests. But in the end, Europe should consider a weak Maghreb as a liability more than a positive outcome to leverage and benefit from. Elsewhere, France’s influence has been dwindling. With Brussels making more decisions, France as a mid-tier military power could not contribute in regional conflicts as much as it did in the past. The crises affecting its own backyard, such as the one involving Greece, Turkey and Cyprus have essentially been contained by NATO, under the direction of the United States. Europe’s position vis-à-vis Turkey has all been about Turkey’s entry into the European Union. France’s new president is adamant about it: for the time being no accession of Turkey into the Euro zone on the ground that the Turks are not European and are Muslims. Their entry, Sarkozy argues, would be a major challenge to Europe’s cultural and political balance. Washington has a different take arguing in favor of Turkey joining the EU. Such membership would prevent Turkey, a US ally, from becoming an extension of conflicts in the Middle East and Central Asia and taken over by Islamist movements. Joining the EU, Washington argues, means European standards of law will shelter Turkey from becoming another “hot spot.” Apart from the serious issue of dealing with individual nations and conflicts, Europe is looking at a difficult situation when dealing with demographic problems. While wealthy Europe is characterized by an aging population, the poorer southern shores are home to uncontrolled population growth. Extend it to the rest of conflict-ridden Africa

422 and the demographic tension is likely to exacerbate. Each day ends with news of people dying while attempting to cross the Mediterranean northbound. From Gibraltar to Sicily, the problem is not just a French one. And although a security response is understandable and often necessary, helping the southern economies to expand and perform better should be a strategic priority for Europe, and France at its head. Such economic focus is likely to help thwart a fundamentalist take over of the region. This is an area when Europe and France, in particular, can help more efficiently than the Americans. The initiatives launched by the Americans in the aftermath of September 11, including the so-called Eizenstat initiative, have all failed to deliver on their promises of growth, integration and security. Busy in Iraq, the United States has little resources left to handle other regions.

Europe too has not followed on its promises to improve conditions in the Mediterranean. The partnership drafted by the region’s countries in 1995 in Barcelona, Spain, was based on three areas of cooperation: political (meaning security), economic cooperation, and a partnership on cultural/human issues. All of that remained wishful thinking and strategies with no follow up.

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