The Black American Lobby for Africa and the Caribbean

Vol. 10, No. 1 Winter 1991 TransAfrica Maintains the Pressure in 1990

"Victory must come our way, deKlerk's visit and stressed that the two overtures. As long as the township victory is in sight, men, the jailed and the jailer, should not violence continues with the cooperation so let us keep the pressure on." be accorded equal treatment in the White of the South African police, as long as Nelson Mandela, 1990 U.S. Tour House. TransAfrica's opposition exposed blacks do not have the right to vote, and the deKlerk visit as an effort to gain until the legal requirements in the The release of Nelson Mandela and international credibility and legitimacy for sanctions law are satisfied, sanctions his visitto the United States,marked an what deKlerk termed a new South Africa against South Africa should not be lifted. auspicious beginning to a dynamic year but what activists consider to merely be for TransAfrica. Last year TransAfrica a new face of apartheid. Detentions in Kenya followed these events closely by TransAfrica maintains its skepticism monitoring the reforms instituted under of the deKlerk Administration and feels TransAfrica displayed support for President F.W. de Klerk and participating that the so-called irreversible reforms Kenya's movement toward multi-partyism in the organization of Nelson Mandela' s achieved to date do not signal an during 1990. In July, Randall Robinson U.S. tour. inevitable march toward full majority rule. spoke at a rally sponsored by "Kenyans TransAfrica's Executive Director Instead deKlerk's goals remain unclear for Democracy" in front of the Kenyan Randall Robinson and his former and shrouded in euphemisms that spell Embassy. The protest called attention to legislative director, Ibrahim Gassama, out group rights to protect white minority the actions of Kenyan President Daniel travelled to South Africa last May to brief power. TransAfrica led a protest in front Arap Moi to silence calls for the creation Mandela on the status of the of the White House to demonstrate the of a multi-party state in his country. Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act and premature nature of President Bush's (continued on pg. 2) . the potential for its eventual lifting. Robinson 'also met with members of the African National Congress to discuss the logistics of the U.S. visit. While the Mandelas' trip in June served to buoy the spirits of antiapartheid activists and Americans nationwide, the purpose of their tour was not lost amidst the celebration. In his public addresses across the country and in his speech before the Joint Session of Congress in Washington D.C., Mandela reaffirmed that sanctions should be maintained until true democracy is achieved in South Africa.

ft\ll,,, --...... DeKlerk's Photo Opportunity

Following Mandela's trip by three months was South African President Sl\tt' deKlerk's visit to the U.S. in September. President Bush justified his invitation to Atlll1'1 deKlerk as an attempt at evenhanded Board Chairman Richard Hatcher and Executive Director Randall Robinson protestDeKlerk'sWhite diplomacy. TransAfrica protested House visit in September. Courtesy Dwayne Freeman/Jalapa Ltd. Moi' s crackdown on opposition million to UNIT A, TransAfrica part to TransAfrica's lobbying efforts, newspapers and outspoken critics has coordinated a series of meetings with Congress passed a new Foreign aid shocked many foreign policymakers who Secretary of State Baker, and House and appropriation level for Africa that previously viewed Kenya as the political Senate leadership. The combined results included an increase from roughly $500 mainstay of Africa. Several of the of these meetings, telephone calls and to $800 million for the last fiscal year. detainees have since been released, but several sign-on letters from prominent TransAfrica will be more active in the others remain in jail. As a result of these African Americans aided the eventual coming year, as issues relating to events, up to $25 million in U.S. foreign passage of the Solarz amendment which devPlopments in Liberia, Haiti, Somalia assistance to Kenya was suspended in placed conditions on continued covert and Sudan require specific response. 1990 for fiscal year 1991. funds for UNIT A. Unfortunately, President Blish \etoed **** The Angolan Civil War the 1991 Intelligence Authorization bill immediately after the closing of the lOlst Looking Ahead: TransAfrica' s Last year, Jonas Savimbi, leader of Congress. Because the Solarz the UNIT A rebels in Angola, increased amendment was a part of this bill, Bush's Policy Priorities for 1991 his request for an additional tranche of veto nullified the moderate proposal that covert U.S. aid for his guerrillas, who are Congress had taken toward ending aid to As the United States engages in war fighting against the Angolan government. UNlTA. in the Persian Gulf, the grave concerns In 1990, TransAfrica continued its facing the people of Africa are being resistance to Congressional funding of Beyond South Africa marginalized as President Bush pursues this fifteen year old civil war. War­ a new world order. While there is hope related casualties combined with the Most of last year's ongoing activities for peace in Liberia and Angola, impending famine is expected to affect centered on South Africa and Angola, but encouraging elections in Haiti, and millions of innocent Angolans. By issues regarding other parts of the increased U.S. aid channelled into Africa spearheading the lobbying effort to continent continued to demand - the burdens of political realignment, a eliminate the funneling of upwards of$60 TransAfrica's attention. Due in some growing humanitarian crisis and war in the Middle East still threaten the interests of Africa and the Caribbean. Despite the end of the Cold War conflict in Africa and the move toward some reform in South Africa, the need Stronger Liberia Policy Needed for a coherent progressive U.S . foreign policy towards Africa and the Caribbean The people of Liberia may now have a chance for peace after a year­ is more evident than ever. While U.S. long civil war has ravaged their nation. At a December meeting in Banjul, policy continues to support several Gambia, the warring parties agreed to a temporary ceasefire and established corrupt leaders in Africa, it works to a deadline for an All-Liberia Conference to negotiate a peace settlement and condemn such leaders in other parts of to establish an interim government. the world. In the shadow of the Gulf While these are encouraging steps, the initial plans for this important War, the administration is preparing for conference--which should occur by February 21, 1991--have not been made. a repeal of South African sanctions which In fact there is some indication that disagreements among the parties may would alleviate the pressure for true postpone the conference indefinitely. Nonetheless, Charles Taylor, Prince democracy in South Africa. Johnson, and the remaining AFL (Armed Forces of Liberia) forces have TransAfrica has outlined four policy agreed to allow the peacekeeping forces of the Economic Community of West priorities for 1991 which are critical for African States to control the ports and roads and enforce a separation of the these regions: maintaining U.S. sanctions warring parties into different regions of Monrovia. against South Africa, ending U.S. aid to While the ceasefire has relieved some tensions in Liberia, the humanitarian UNITA, increasing U.S. foreign needs of Liberian refugees have not received an adequate response from the assistance to Africa, and providing international community. Catholic Relief Services, Medicines Sans Frontiers - Caribbean debt relief. Belgium, and the U.S. Office of Disaster Relief Assistance are the only To achieve these objectives we will providers of international food, medicine, water and electricity relief. organize lobbying visits of African­ TransAfrica will continue to urge the United States to garner support from American leaders on Capitol Hill, hold other nations and international aid organizations for relief assistance. press conferences, meet with members U.S. foreign policy towards Liberia has contributed to the growth of this of the Department of State, draft current conflict. After Samuel Doe took control of Liberia in a 1980 coup, the legislation, and mobilize grassroots U.S. continued to provide him with military and financial aid, thus fortifying support. his government, despite his record of human rights abuses. The U.S. supported In 1991, TransAfrica will initiate two Doe's fraudulent re-election in 1985 and continued economic support until formal legislative priorities within Congress ended that policy in 1990. The U.S. has a responsibility to correct Congress. We will call on the Congress this disastrous policy and must, therefore, take a strong role in assisting to increase U.S. foreign assistance to sub­ Liberians as they struggle to establish permanent peace, reconstruction, and Saharan Africa from $800 million in 1990 relief for their people. to $1 billion in 1991. This bill will also redirect U.S. funds to countries

TRANSAFRICA NEWS. PAGE 2 ..

demonstrating substantial political a newsletter this winter and is now Chapter Board Member Patrick Seyon freedoms and a respect for human rights. preparing for the Annual D.C. Chapter discussed the political and humanitarian Furthermore, the legislation will monitor Luncheon on Saturday, March 16, 1991. situation in his native home, Liberia. The the expenditure of these funds and follow The speaker for this event will be chapter has actively lobbied on a new socio-political developments within the Lindiwe Mabuza, ANC Representative to U.S . policy toward the Liberia crisis. recipient nations to ensure progress the United States. For more information, The Boston Chapter has also created towards democratization. call K. Allen at (301) 552-8782. an educational curriculum task force TransAfrica's second legislative which will work with the Boston Public objective will be to develop a debt relief Cincinnati: The Cincinnati chapter Schools to develop resources on Africa package for the Caribbean Community expects to sponsor a second Mickey and the Caribbean for the classroom. and Common Market Member Leland Radiothon this March. (CARICOM) countries of the Caribbean. Negotiations are still underway but the New Chapters: TransAfrica will be Numerous plans have been developed for fundraiser may occur in conjunction with forming a new chapter in Los Angeles Latin American debt relief, but few have a local TV station this year, according to with the help of Board Member Donna targeted the Caribbean islands or been President Denise Crews. Guillaume and Marcia Thomas, Director appropriate for their needs. The of USA for Africa. TransAfrica also legislation will address commercial, multi­ Buffalo: Last fall the Buffalo chapter hopes to start a chapter in Rhode Island lateral, and bi-lateral aid and will focus hosted a reception to introduce or Atlanta by year's end. on debt relief proposals that will free TransAfrica to the community and to funds for development and drug­ help boost the chapter's membership. trafficking programs. The Black and African Student Unions While these are the main policy at SUNY/Buffalo sponsored the event BOARD ELECTIONS objectives for 1991, TransAfrica will also which featured Caribbean and African continue to monitor other countries and music and food prepared by chapter Watch your mail for Board of concerns (such as Haiti, Liberia, Somalia, members. President Muhammad Directors ballots in May. Please famine and environmental issues) by Kenyatta reports that the reception was participate in the 1991 election by working in conjunction · with other quite successful with over one hundred returning your ballots to us! organizations and by briefing people in attendance. Thank you. Congressional members. Chicago: The Chicago Chapter served **** as hosts for TransAfrica's bi-annual chapter meeting last October. President Chapter Updates Melvin Johnson reports that chapter Africa NewsBriefs members participated in an anti-apartheid conference with other local organizations Chad Cleveland: Grace Jones, President of the in January. The Chicago Chapter will Cleveland Chapter, reports that the also participate in a forum on Angola in After launching a military campaign chapter organized a seven bus caravan to February and is planning a lobby visit to through the Northern parts of Chad, Detroit to see Mandela during his June Representatives and Senators in General Idriss Deby' s Patriotic Salvation visit. The event raised $3500 for the Washington this spring. Movement brought the eight year reign Mandela Freedom Fund. The Cleveland of President Hissein Habre' to an end. Chapter also hosted a Town Meeting on Boston: The Boston Chapter has hosted De by declared himself president of Chad South Africa in February. forums on several issues this winter. in December, thus ending the repressive rule of Habre with promises of creating Detroit: The City of Detroit recently Chad's first multiparty democracy. passed a selecthe-buying ordinance aimed This coup is expected to improve at limiting business with South Africa. 1991 Robeson Scholarship Chad's political relations with Libya. TransAfrica's Detroit Chapter had been instrumental from the ordinance's Each year TransAfrica sponsors Rwanda inception; members of the chapter helped The Paul Robeson Scholarship draft the legislation, testified in front of Competition which provides a Major General Fred Rwigyema, a the City Council, and pushed a contract $1000 college scholarship to the Rwandan refugee serving as an officer in freeze through in early July. high school senior writing the best the Ugandan army, led a group of essay on a question provided by refugees across the Uganda-Rwanda Washington, D.C.: The Washington TransAfrica. While the border last October in an attempt to Chapter began its year with a scholarship is open to students overthrow the government. Rwandan membership drive. They have had a nationwide, all applications must President Juvenal Habyarimana quickly number of speakers address their be received by a TransAfrica imposed a curfew in order to suppress members on last summer's crisis in chapter. For more information, the rebellion. Following the insurrection, Trinidad; recent events in Angola, Kenya, please contact Kristin Wells in the the Government reportedly arrested or and Liberia; and the debt and aid crisis National office at (202) 547-2550. executed the insurgents. in Africa. The chapter has also initiated ( conlinued on back)

TRANSAFRICA NEWS, PAGE 3 The conflict dates from the 16th century when ethnic Ethiopia animosity between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes was rife. The Tutsis, who comprise 15% of the population, controlled the The Red Sea port of Massawa is set to reopen to region until 1959 when the majority Hutu's took power and international relief agencies based on plans of the United forced many Tutsis to flee the country into Uganda. Nations World Food Program. Massawa is currently controlled Although the Hutu government has successfully held off by the Eritrean Peoples' Liberation Front (EPLF). The EPLF the attempted coup, isolated insurgencies continue in various will allow relief agencies to deliver food and supplies parts of the countryside. throughout Eritrea, particularly to its capital city of Asmara, where the need is reportedly the greatest in the region. Sudan The EPLF contends that the Ethiopian government, led by President Menguistu Haile Mariam, has prevented relief Sudan is threatened with widespread famine that could far agencies from delivering food to starving Ethiopians, especially exceed the Ethiopian famine of 1984 in which six million were in Wollo and Tigre Provinces. The Government contends that at risk of starving to death. An estimated eight million the EPLF has been delivering military supplies disguised as Sudanese are now at risk of starvation due to drought and civil food to the rebels in the north. war. Sudan has been involved in a civil war since 1983 leaving its citizens in a war-torn country in which basic resources are r------1 scarce. The war is between the Arab government in the north TransAfrica and the TransAfrica and the southern Christian rebels led by the Sudan Peoples' Forum would like to thank all of our Liberation Army. interns from 1990. Your work has been invaluable to us and we wish you Somalia the best of luck in 1991! Rebel groups have reportedly seized the Somali capital city­ L------of Mogadishu. The United Somali Congress controls the capital as well as the central region of the country. The Somali National Congress controls the northern portion of the country. The fighting is the latest development in the attenuation Vol. 10, No. 1 Winter 1991 of President Mohammed Siad Barre who took control of the country in 1970. He initially received support from the Soviet TRANSAFRICA NEWS© Union until 1978 when the United States began providing 545 Eighth Street SE Suite 200 military and economic assistance to Somalia in order to fight Washington, D.C. 20003 Ethiopia in the Ogaden War. (202) 547-2550 After two years of civil war, the rebels ousted President Barre from the capital, thus bringing his repressive regime to Executive Director ...... Randall Robinson, an end. As a result of this revolution, widespread famine now Legislative Director ...... Anne Griffin threatens 1.5 million people in Northern Somalia. Legislative Assistant ...... Kristin Wells Legislative Assistant ...... Robin Lofton

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545 Eighth Street SE Suite 200 Washington, DC 20003 (202) 547-2550

I TRANSAFRICA NEWS l In 1984 As South Africans intensified their struggle against the apartheid regime, TransAfrica coordinated the Free South Africa Movement (FSAM) which conducted daily protests in front of the South African Embassy for over one year.

In 1985 FSAM expanded nationwide. TransAfrica helped to build support for comprehensive TransAfrica is the Black American lobby for Africa and the Caribbean with national of­ sanctions against South Africa. President Reagan was forced into instituting limited fices in Washington, D.C., local chapters and 15,000 members across the U'nited States. economic sanctions against South Africa. Join It! In 1986 FSAM joined the private-sector international anti-apartheid campaign by calling for In 1979 a boycott of .Royal Dutch/Shell products. When Jimmy Carter was under relentless conservative pressure to re lax sanctions against Persistent lobbying for stringent comprehensive economic sanctions against South Africa Ian Smith's Rhodesia, TransAfrica helped persuade the President to hold the line until resulted in House passage of the Dellums bill. Compromise ~egislatic:rn was pa~se? by both houses of Congress. Presidential veto of the bill was overridden with TransAfncas power was equitably transferred to the democratically elected leaders of the new support. Zimbabwe.

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Enclosed is my TransAfrica membership check for: D $ 12.50 General Membership I wish to subscribe to TransAfrica Forum Journal (Make check payable to D $ 25.00 Sustaining Membership (includes a gold-plated TransAfrica pin) TransAfrica Forum.) $100.00 Sponsor Membership (includes a pin and one year subscription D *Subscription includes 4 Journals and 4 bi-monthly Issue Briefs per year. to TransAfrica Forum Journal) D $500.00 Life Membership (includes pin, one year subscription to Trans­ Individual Institutions Africa Forum Journal and a one-time complimentary invitation D 1 year-$20.00 D 1 year-$35.00 to TransAfrica's annual dinner) D 2 years-$35.00 D 2 years-$65.00 D 3 years-$50.00 D 3 years-$95.00 D Please send me information about the TransAfrica chapter in my area. Add overseas postage of: Send my TransAfrica membership card and/or Forum publications to: $8.00 annually for surface mail $30.00 annually for airmail Name. ______Enclosed is my tax deductible contribution to TransAfrica Forum. Amount$ ______City, State, Zip ______

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