PROJECT ON BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD

AFRICA REPORT

Third Quarterly Report on Africa

July to September 2008

Volume: 1

Reports for the month of July 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

Third Quarterly Report on Asia

July to September 2008

Volume: 1

Reports for the month of July 2008

Department of Politics and International Relations International Islamic University Islamabad

2 BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD

AFRICA REPORT

Third Quarterly Report on Africa 2008

Table of contents

Reports for the month of July

Week-1 July 08, 2008 05 Week-2 July 15, 2008 95 Week-3 July 22, 2008 241 Week-4 July 29, 2008 366

Country profiles Sources

3

4 BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD Weekly Presentation: July 8, 2008 Sub-Saharan Africa Abbas S Lamptey Period: June 29 to July 5, 2008

THE HEADLINES 1. -AFRICA RELATIONS WEST AFRICA • : Phase3 Telecom Partners Chinese Firm for Additional Rollout: Daily Trust (): 30 June 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Reality Check: (Johannesburg): EDITORIAL: 4 July 2008. • Angola: Govt And China Sign Financial Accord: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 4 July 2008. • Angola: Chinese Communist Party Hails Political Stability, Economic Growth: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 3 July 2008. • Angola: President Eduardo Dos Santos Analyses Cooperation With China: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 3 July 2008. • Namibia: Major Chinese Building Firms 'Not AA Compliant’: The Namibian (Windhoek): 1 July 2008. • : China Declines to Join Anti-Zimbabwe Crusade: The Herald (Harare): 1 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Lundin to Acquire 30 Percent of Chinese Oil Rights; The East African (Nairobi): 29 June 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Cameroon: Chinese Tea En Vogue: Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé): 4 July 2008. 2. PAN AFRICA WEST AFRICA • to Be Trained in Legal Drafting: Commonwealth News and Information Service (London): 3 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Executive Council Makes 'Specific' Recommendation on Country: BuaNews (Tshwane): 30 June 2008. • Zimbabwe: Consensus Grows on Negotiated End to Crisis: allAfrica.com: 30 June 2008. • AU to Demarcate Borders to Limit Conflicts: BuaNews (Tshwane): 1 July 2008.

5 • Defers Continental Government, Supports SADC Mediation in Zimbabwe: Southern African News Features (Harare): 3 July 2008. • Mixed Reviews From Civil Society: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 3 July 2008. • ARM Includes Zimbabwe in Continental Growth Plans: Business Day (Johannesburg): 3 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • AU States Root for One African Govt: (): 3 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Continent Faces 'Dramatic' Physician Shortage By 2015, Cautions UN Health Agency: UN News Service (New York): 2 July 2008. 3. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES WEST AFRICA • Gambia: Newspaper Journalist Violently Attacked: Media Foundation for West Africa (Accra): PRESS RELEASE: 4 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: 300 Victims Seek Refuge At US Embassy: Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): 4 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: UN Security Council Debates Sanctions: allAfrica.com: 4 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: After Sham Election Mugabe Disbands Militia Bases: SW Radio Africa (London): 4 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: Woza Leaders Finally Released: SW Radio Africa (London): 3 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Seychelles: Problems in Paradise: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 3 July 2008. • Dar Rejects Mugabe Win: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 4 July 2008. • Ethiopia: Opposition Protest As Parliament Passes New Media : The Nation (Nairobi): 4 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Opposition Leader Faces War Crimes Charges: allAfrica.com: 3 July 2008. 4. REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ISSUES WEST AFRICA • West Africa: Despite Progress, Region Faces Challenges in Consolidating Peace – Ban: UN News Service (New York): 3 July 2008. • Nigeria: 3,000 Cameroonian Refugees Flee Into Amana: (): 2 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Mbeki Apologies for Attacks On Foreign Nationals: BuaNews (Tshwane): 4 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

6 • Sudan: New Joint UN-African Union Mediator for Darfur Conflict Appointed: UN News Service (New York): 30 June 2008. • Somalia: Immigrants Surrender to Zimbabwean Police for 'Dire Life': Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 4 July 2008. • Somalia: Displaced Return As Fighting Subsides in Central Town: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 3 July 2008.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Humanitarians Pick Up the Pieces As Insecurity Persists in North Kivu: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 30 June 2008. 5. HEALTH MATTERS (HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, TB) WEST AFRICA • Liberia: WHO Boss Wants Emphasis On Maternal Health: The NEWS (Monrovia): 4 July 2008. • Nigeria: Benue Highest On HIV Prevalence Rate –Osotimehin: (Lagos): 4 July 2008. • Nigeria: Over 500,000 Women Live With Fistulae – Minister: Leadership (Abuja): 4 July 2008. • Ghana: Drug-Resistant TB Rapid Tests to Be Available in Developing Countries: Accra Mail (Accra): 4 July 2008. • Ghana: Country On the Way to Eliminating Trachoma: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 3 July 2008. • Sierra Leone: Iranian Envoy to Assist Health Ministry: Concord Times (Freetown): 4 July 2008. • Nigeria: FG Allocates N1.115 Billion to Fight HIV/Aids: Leadership (Abuja): 4 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Better Management of TB Results in Higher Cure Rate: BuaNews (Tshwane): 4 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Health Workers Call Off Strike: The Nation (Nairobi): 5 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Researchers Push for Rapid Circumcision Campaigns: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 4 July 2008. • Rwanda: More Men Dying On Antiretroviral Treatment: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 3 July 2008.

6. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Workshop On Prevention of Marine Pollution Begins: Accra Mail (Accra): 4 July 2008. • Nigeria: Cross River to Set Up Ecosystem Monitoring Mechanism: Vanguard (Lagos): 3 July 2008.

7 SOUTHERN AFRICA • Namibia: MET to Auction Selected Species: New Era (Windhoek): 1 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • : Anti-Plastic Campaign Successful in Kampala: New Vision (Kampala): 2 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Bill Against Polythene Bags Passed: The New Times (Kigali): 3 July 2008. • Cameroon: Research Confirms Trawling Caused Havoc: The Post (Buea): 4 July 2008. 7. ENERGY WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Why -Delta Summit Will Not Hold - Leaders: Vanguard (Lagos): 5 July 2008. • Nigeria: Pipeline Vandalisation May Derail Power Emergency, Says Shell: This Day (Lagos): 5 July 2008. • Liberia: Bids Open for New Petroleum Blocks: The NEWS (Monrovia): 4 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Angola: Netherlands Wants to Import Gas From Country: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 4 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: Triangle Resumes Ethanol Production: The Herald (Harare): 4 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Sh234.7 Billion Earned From Electricity: New Vision (Kampala): 2 July 2008. • Tanzania: Govt Vows to Monitor Gas Projects: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 1 July 2008.

8. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Communities Have Not Benefited From Royalties - CHRAJ: Public Agenda (Accra): 4 July 2008. • Ghana: Engen Wins Ghana-Nepad Award for Country Contribution: Public Agenda (Accra): 4 July 2008. • Nigeria: Telecoms Market - Country Maintains Lead in Africa: This Day (Lagos): 4 July 2008. • Gambia: Ecobank Opens More Branches: The Daily Observer (Banjul): 4 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: 'Can I Give You Some Harare Luggage for Your US Dollars?' : UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 4 July 2008.

8 • South Africa: Income Disparity Widening: Business Day (Johannesburg): 4 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Two Million to Lose Jobs Over Scrap Trade Ban: New Vision (Kampala): 3 July 2008. • Kenya: Economic Growth Back On Track: The Nation (Nairobi): 4 July 2008. • Ethiopia: Oil Price, Inflation Critical Challenges – Minister: The (Addis Ababa): 4 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Government Planning to Bypass Kenya, Tanzania Ports: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 4 July 2008. • Congo-Kinshasa: Metorex Copper Production May Rise Fourfold: Business Day (Johannesburg): 4 July 2008. 9. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS WEST AFRICA • West Africa: Sierra Leone, Nigeria Battle for UN Seat: Concord Times (Freetown): 4 July 2008. • Nigeria: Yar'Adua - Why Niger Delta Summit Must Hold : This Day (Lagos): 4 July 2008.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Cosatu Holds Beitbridge Border Demonstration: SW Radio Africa (London): 5 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: Mugabe's Regional War Talk: SW Radio Africa (London): 4 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: Cabinet to Include MDC : Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): 4 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Now Orengo Puts Kibaki On the Spot: The Nation (Nairobi): 5 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Cameroon: Change Activists Advocate Freezing of Biya's Swiss Account: The Post (Buea): 4 July 2008. 10. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Soldiers Rampage in Akure: This Day (Lagos): 5 July 2008. • Nigeria: Gambari Gets Cold Feet Over Niger Delta: Vanguard (Lagos): 3 July 2008. • Liberia: Extend Unmil's Mandate - Ellen Appeals to United Nations: The Analyst (Monrovia): 3 July 2008. • Gambia: 196 Leave for Darfur: The Daily Observer (Banjul): 1 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA

9 • Zimbabwe: British Premier Says Crisis Needs Peacekeeping Force: SW Radio Africa (London): 3 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Ethiopia: AU Mission Staffer Dies in Zimbabwe – Report: The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa): 2 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Chad: Peacekeepers Try to Tread Lightly: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):4 July 2008. • U.S. Urges Burundian-UN Peacekeepers for the Future: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 2 July 2008. 11. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

12. NORTH AFRICA • Tunisia: Tunisian-Saudi Building Company to Build Largest Shopping Centre in Tunis: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 30 June 2008. • Tunisia: Tourist Entries And Revenues Rise During First Part of 2008: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 30 June 2008. • Algerian President Urges AU to integrate NEPAD: BuaNews (Tshwane): 1 July 2008. • Libyan Investors to Buy Oil Refinery: The Nation (Nairobi): 30 June 2008. • UN Seeks Increased Access to Asylum-Seekers Detained By Egypt: UN News Service (New York): 3 July 2008. • Tunisia: 'The Future of Humanity Depends on a Comprehensive, and Sustainable International Solidarity' Says President Ben Ali in African Union Address: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 30 June 2008. • Tunisia: Tunisian-Saudi Building Company to Build Largest Shopping Centre in Tunis: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 30 June 2008. 13. NEWS COMMENTARIES WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Chinese Investments in Country: This Day (Lagos): OPINION: 3 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • AU Letting Continent Down: The Namibian (Windhoek): EDITORIAL: 4 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • The Dregs of Continental Leadership: The Post (Buea): OPINION: 4 July 2008. ------.

10 THE REPORT IN DETAIL

14. CHINA -AFRICA RELATIONS WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Phase3 Telecom Partners Chinese Firm for Additional Rollout: Daily Trust (Abuja): 30 June 2008.

Phase3 Telecom, has expanded its multimillion dollar contract agreement with Chinese firm, Fiberhome International, a highly reputable telecom equipment vendor.The partnership according to the company will help the Abuja-based firm to strengthen and expand its fiber optic transmission network which now crisscrosses many parts of the country.The Chief Executive Officer of Phase3 Telecom, Mr. Stanley Jegede, said the transmission network now spans 3000 kilometres in Nigeria with expansion being implemented in neighbouring West African countries.

Phase3 Telecom has since 2006 it won a long distance operating licence from the Nigerian Communications Commission paved the way for major end service providers by operating and providing fibre interconnectivity, leveraged on the latest Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology. According to him, the planned massive roll out will improve service provisioning to all service areas including GSM service providers, public switched networks, fixed wireless access operators, banks and government agencies. Phase 3 had on March 20, 2006 signed a deal with Power Holding Company of Nigeria to use the power company's infrastructure to carry traffic for telecommunication operators. The company had beaten notable names in the industry including Siemens Nigeria Limited, Nigeria Telecommunications Limited, to secure the deal from PHCN. PHCN had started developing its fibre optic telecommunications cable network a couple of years ago, solely to improve its internal telecommunications capabilities.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

• South Africa: Reality Check: Business Day (Johannesburg): EDITORIAL: 4 July 2008.

REMEMBER the days when Chinese people were classified "coloured" but Japanese people were "honorary whites"? When the pencil test was used to determine race group? It was all completely surreal then. And it's just as surreal now to hear the responses by black business people to the high court judgment that SA's 10000 citizens of Chinese origin were disadvantaged under apartheid and should be entitled to participate in black empowerment deals such as the one at Standard Bank. What's even worse is that there's a perceptible undercurrent of racism towards SA's Chinese people in some of the utterances. This doesn't sit well from any source, but especially from people who have themselves been victims of discrimination. It's hard to see how the court could have come to any other decision in the case brought by Standard Bank employee Vernon Whyte, and the community in question is anyway so small that the implications are immaterial. Which makes the aggressive reaction of the National African Federated Chambers of

11 Commerce and Industry and 12 other black professional organisations all the more remarkable. They say Chinese South Africans never suffered under apartheid and protest that the judgment will undermine the basis of SA's economic transformation efforts. But coming from these well-heeled black bankers, lawyers, managers and business people, this sounds suspiciously like no more than an attempt to defend the spoils of empowerment against any incursions by outsiders who are less black. The pickings are rich: no one wants to share them too broadly. What this does is highlight, not for the first time, the absurdity to which some of SA's black economic empowerment landscape has descended. We have black billionaires who count as disadvantaged and have access to sweet deals, while more marginal people, dark and light skinned, lack that access. Something is not right here, and it's time we were brave enough to take another look.

• Angola: Govt And China Sign Financial Accord: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 4 July 2008.

Angola and China on Thursday in Luanda signed three complementary individual financing accords, under the Eximbank China credit line, existing between both countries since March 2004. The first accord concerns an agreement for funding of the project of rehabilitation and expansion of the electrical network of the cities of Dundo (Lunda Norte province) and Saurimo (Lunda Sul), estimated at around USD 50 million. The second protocol, of individual financing, is designed for the rehabilitation of the residual waters treatment station in Quifangondo (Luanda), the construction of a distribution centre in Cacuaco district, as well as the execution of new house plumbing works, estimated at USD 28.798 million. The third, signed between the Angolan Finance minister, José Pedro de Morais, and the chairman of Eximbank, Li Ruogu, is designed for the funding for the improvement of streets of the cities of Caxito (Bengo), Uíge and Negage (Uíge), a contract estimated at around USD 56 million. Documents for the installing of a malaria prevention and combat centre at Luanda General Hospital were signed and exchanged. In the light of the Chinese financing to Angola, both countries signed in February 2005 nine cooperation agreements, from which five are inter-governmental and four business- related. At the ceremony held at the end of official talks between the two States, on the fringes of the visit of the Chinese prime minister, Zeng Peiyang, to Angola. Official data state that Angola is the second African country with the greatest trade exchanges with China, after South Africa. The average business volume between the two countries is estimated at USD 4.9 billion a year.

• Angola: Chinese Communist Party Hails Political Stability, Economic Growth: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 3 July 2008.

The permanent member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo, He Guoqiang, Thursday in Luanda praised Angola's efforts towards political and social stability and economic growth after six years of peace. He Guoqiang made this statement at a meeting his party delegation held with the ruling Angola's People Liberation Movement (MPLA), meant to strengthen the co-operation ties between both parties. According to the official, lately China and Angola have been holding an intensive economic and commercial co- operation, especially since 2003, following the opening of Chinese credit-line for the

12 Southern African nation. He Guogiang said that Angola became China's biggest economic and commercial partner in Africa. Meanwhile, MPLA secretary general, Julião Mateus Paulo "Dino Matross" thanked the Chinese Communist Party for the support it gave during the national liberation struggle. On the occasion members of the Chinese Communist Party offered to Angola's governing MPLA, computers, photocopying machines and office equipment, amounted at USD 180,000.

• Angola: President Eduardo Dos Santos Analyses Cooperation With China: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 3 July 2008.

The Angolan Head of State, José Eduardo dos Santos, Thursday in Luanda analysed with the secretary of the Central Commission for Control and Discipline of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), He Groupiang, on the relations between the two countries. He Groupiang, who is leading his country's ruling party delegation, is paying a two-day visit to Angola. The Chinese government and CCP, stressed He Groupiang, appreciate very much the efforts, and consequently, the success achieved by both the Angolan government and the governing MPLA party, "focussed on the social progress and the country's stability". "The cooperation between the two countries is very satisfactory" said He Groupiang, adding that the both party's trust each other.The Chinese official also expressed his satisfaction at the audience he had with the Angolan Head of State.

• Namibia: Major Chinese Building Firms 'Not AA Compliant’: The Namibian (Windhoek): 1 July 2008.

FEW, if any, Chinese state-owned construction companies - despite some having been in business in Namibia for 18 years, and having landed over N$1 billion in State construction contracts in total - have not met statutory employment equity targets under the Affirmative Action Act, it has emerged. The Affirmative Action Act (Act 29 of 1998) was enacted 10 years ago and requires every company in Namibia with more than 50 employees to submit affirmative action reports to the Employment Equity Commissioner to show how they implement affirmative action.

This was subsequently amended on July 1 2006 to include companies with 25 or more employees. Failure to do so carries a fine of up to N$100 000. The Chinese companies - although they deny this - have allegedly avoided being subjected to the AA Act by, among others, sub-contracting maller Chinese companies with fewer than 25 employees, an investigation showed.

Documents filed in a pending High Court case to challenge the award of the N$70 million Ministry of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation building to China Nanjing International (CNI) showed that the Employment Equity Commission had exempted the Chinese company from affirmative action measures. A letter signed by EEC Deputy Director Otniel Podewiltz on June 27 2007, stated that CNI was "not a relevant employer" and therefore exempt from the requirements of the AA Act. Similar letters for Ziangsu Zhentai Construction and China State Construction were also issued. Podewiltz said the EEC, in issuing such letters, relies on the accuracy of figures reported by

13 companies themselves when applying for exemption, and could only verify these against employment figures reported to the Social Security Commission. "At that time, we had more than 400 companies applying for exemption. It is very difficult and time-consuming to check [ ] it took us three months of investigations on just one such a company," he said in an interview.

Although China Jiangsu International (CJI) - charged in April last year for failing to do so - has now submitted an AA report, he was not aware of any other Chinese company doing so. China State, for example, has been in business since 1990; CJI and CNI, the two best-known ones, were registered between 1993 and 1994. Podewiltz said he was unaware of monthly figures reported by the local quantity surveyors and architect's council, who monitor progress and manpower deployed at construction sites to avoid cost and time over-runs. "I only became aware of [those reports] in the course of the ongoing court case over the Lands building," which showed that all four state-owned Chinese companies who tendered should have submitted AA reports, he said. Of nine construction companies that bid for the Lands Building, four were Chinese. Consulting architect, Kerry McNamara, disqualified all four for failing to satisfy requirements of the AA Act, including China Nanjing who eventually won the tender. McNamara's report showed that China Nanjing, when the Lands building tender was issued, was employing 78 workers at the United Nations building site in Klein Windhoek. In terms of Section 42 of the Labour Act, no state tender may be awarded to any construction company that did not include an AA Compliance Certificate together with their tender. Construction companies tendering for state business also have to hand in a Certificate of Good Standing from the Receiver of Revenue, but the wording of the tender for the Lands building suggested that Chinese construction companies are exempt from paying local income tax. McNamara said he had appraised the Ministry of Works and the Tender Board of this breach (amongst others) by the Chinese companies - but his advice appears to have been ignored. Finance Permanent Secretary, Calle Schlettwein, is currently in Washington D.C. and could not be reached for confirmation in this regard. McNamara's report also showed that all state-owned Chinese construction companies should be subject to the AA Act. Podewiltz said he was aware of "some" reports being subsequently submitted by the Chinese companies, but could not say which ones. Podewiltz said the low salaries paid locally to Chinese employees suggested that most of their money was being paid out in China instead - as had been the case with the Chinese workers employed at Ramatex. Chinese firms pay as little as N$2,50-2,70 per hour - a quarter of the legal minimum wage of N$8.44; with labour costs making up about 40 per cent of total, giving them an unfair advantage over local firms who toe the legal line, industry sources said. By under-reporting or failing to report the true number of local workers to the SSC, not adhering to minimum industry standards and legal requirements to set up a pension fund for their workers, McNamara estimated the Chinese companies were siphoning between 20 and 35 per cent of any state contract's value out of Namibia.

• Zimbabwe: China Declines to Join Anti-Zimbabwe Crusade: The Herald (Harare): 1 July 2008.

14 THE United States has failed to persuade China to join its anti-Zimbabwe crusade and impose United Nations sanctions against the country amid reports that the latter instead gave the thumbs-up to President Mugabe's overtures for talks between Zanu-PF and MDC-T. United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over the weekend tried to enlist the help of China, a fellow permanent member of the UN Security Council and close ally of Zimbabwe, to push through new sanctions on top of the illegal ones already imposed by the US and its allies. Observers said Rice tried to get leverage by reminding Beijing of the assistance Washington extended after a recent earthquake in the Chinese province of Sichuan left nearly 70 000 people dead.

Instead, China thanked America for its help but gave the thumbs-up to President Mugabe's call for talks between his party and the opposition. Rice met with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who both refused to be drawn into discussing Zimbabwe with the media. After the meetings, China's Foreign Minister, Mr Yang Jiechi, said it was imperative to stabilise the situation in Zimbabwe and promote dialogue, not to continue with sanctions. "The most pressing path is to stabilise the situation in Zimbabwe. We hope the parties concerned can engage in serious dialogue to find a proper solution." The US has been trying to use its presidency of the Security Council -- which ends today -- to get the UN to condemn Zimbabwe and impose sanctions on the country, but these attempts have met with stiff resistance from China, South Africa, Russia and Indonesia, among other states. Both China and Russia have veto power in the council, which means they can block any recommendations by the rest of the UN organ. Just before last Friday's presidential run-off, won convincingly by President Mugabe, US, British and French attempts to unilaterally declare Morgan Tsvangirai president drew the ire of South Africa and China at the Security Council.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Kenya: Lundin to Acquire 30 Percent of Chinese Oil Rights; The East African (Nairobi): 29 June 2008.

Sweden's Lundin Petroleum will acquire a 30 per cent holding in oil exploration of Block 9 in northern Kenya from the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). However, the acquisition, through Lundin Kenya BV, is subject to approval by Kenya's Ministry of Energy. CNOOC Africa operates Block 9, which is adjacent to Block 10a, operated by Lundin Petroleum in the Anza Basin of northern Kenya. Block 9 covers 27,778 square kilometres and has had only three exploratory wells drilled in it, in the late 1980s. CNOOC has bagged four of Kenya's 11 exploration blocks, including offshore blocks covering more than 100,000 square kilometres in the Indian Ocean.

The company's operational plans for 2008 include finalising the acquisition of seismic data and preparation for well drilling in 2009. According to Ashley Heppenstall, president and CEO of Lundin Petroleum, his company's entry into Block 9 with CNOOC Africa, further establishes Lundin Petroleum's strong position across the prospective Anza Basin in Kenya. Lundin Petroleum's technical team identified both Blocks 10a and 9 as primary areas to secure.

15 Last year, the company signed an agreement with the Kenya government to explore Block 10a. Lundin Kenya BV is the sole operator under the Block 10a, with the Kenyan government having an option to participate with up to a 13 per cent interest following commercial discovery. Past exploration efforts that date back to the late 1980s have proven the existence of excellent quality, oil-prone source rocks, oil-saturated sandstone reservoirs and several structural traps that remain undrilled. No hydrocarbons have been found to date in Kenya, where prospectors have drilled about 40 wells. But Energy Ministry officials say there are large, promising areas both onshore and offshore that have yet to be investigated. Far fewer wells have been drilled in East Africa than around the rest of the continent. But many firms believe the region may have potential, saying poor quality data collected in the 1960s and 1970s painted the region as probably having some natural gas but little oil. Lundin Petroleum intends to spend about $15 million to generate its own seismic data on the Anza block in the next one year. Should the data reveal any oil deposits, the company will sink a well at a cost of $10 million in the next three years. Kenya has set aside 11 blocks for oil exploration activities, some at the coast and others in the north.

In April 2006, the government gave the Chinese state-owned CNOOC exclusive rights over a total of six out of 11 available blocks, including Blocks 9 and 10a in the Mandera area. Block 10A covers an area of 14,748 square kilometres and is located in the onshore Anza Basin, an extension of the Muglad Basin of Sudan.

Two international oil and gas exploration firms say they have acquired new data that reveal a reserve potential of 1.1 billion barrels of oil in Lamu. Australia-based Gippsland Offshore Petroleum and its partner Pan continental Oil & Gas say they have completed geophysical survey of a 6,300-kilometre line of Lamu basin by air and gathered enough data to be processed in Melbourne. The data will be integrated into the recently acquired seismic data with the mapping or study of the drillable sites set to commence in August next year. On the Kenya-Sudan border, UK oil company Camec International is negotiating for exploration of Block 11 in Loktikipi Basin. Spanish oil giant Cepsa had expressed interest in the Anza Basin Block 10a two years ago, but it was awarded to CNOOC. Lundin Petroleum is an independent Swedish oil and gas exploration and production company with a well balanced portfolio of world-class assets in Europe, Africa, Russia and the Far East. The company is listed on the Nordic stock exchange, LUPE.

CENTRAL AFRICA

• Cameroon: Chinese Tea En Vogue: Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé): 4 July 2008.

It is very common to find roadside breakfast spots in some of our big towns. Some business persons even go around in a trolley from place to place. Some move around with their flask and sell in disposable cups. Usually it used to be coffee, tea, milk, among others. Recently some young boys and girls are seen around the towns wearing Tianshi jackets, moving with a flask of hot water and Chinese tea. The tea is in sachets, which is

16 placed in hot water. It is drunk without milk and sugar for some people. It is sold at FCFA100 in disposable cups.One of the Chinese doctor at the Tianshi Centre in Akwa, Ms Njine Emma Lord, said they have realised that it is difficult for Cameroonians to remove a large sum of money to buy medication given the economic hardship most people are facing now. She stated that it is easier for somebody to pay for a cup of tea for CFA 100, he drinks and the story ends there. Njine further explained the components of the tea. She said there are two types; the Slimming Tea with one function to clear off excess fat from the system and purify the blood and the Anti Lipid Tea, which has several functions such as reducing the component of cholesterol in the body and preventing malaria. It is also good for blood circulation as well as helps the nerves. She added that some men take it as a tonic for sexual drive, it is taken for heart problems, and it cleanses internal organs of the body, regulates tension, eases digestion and cleans the skin and opens the purses. She said through this they can get people to take care of their lives. This form is easier and they can get to many people as possible. For people who are not registered, they have to pay CFA 9050 for a packet while for those who are registered they pay a packet for CFA 6900. She added that it is difficult for somebody to remove CFCA7000 but easier to remove FCFA100.

15. PAN AFRICA WEST AFRICA

• Lawyers to Be Trained in Legal Drafting: Commonwealth News and Information Service (London): 3 July 2008.

A regional training programme has been designed for lawyers from Africa serving as legislative drafters and those who may work in this area of law in the near future The course, which runs from 12 July to 10 October 2008, will take place in Accra, Ghana at the Ghana School of Law.

Funded by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation - the principal means for providing technical assistance to Commonwealth countries - this course is based on a curriculum developed by the Commonwealth Secretariat in consultation with member countries. "The course aims to provide the essential skills required by legislative drafters by developing competence in the basic essentials of legislative drafting to improve their performance, efficiency and effectiveness," said Oluwatoyin Job, the Secretariat's Governance Adviser for West Africa. "In addition, the programme will provide an opportunity for a wealth of experiences to be shared among the participants from African Commonwealth countries during the practical sessions in the programme." Writing new Many countries in the Commonwealth do not have a sufficient number of lawyers who can effectively draft legislation. This is because much of the work involved in drafting laws requires highly skilled and specialised lawyers. The course has been set up in response to requests from Commonwealth Law Ministers to find a sustainable solution to address the perennial shortage of legislative drafters and drafting skill in Africa. A team of experienced legal drafters and Commonwealth legal experts will deliver the programme, which will also feature guest lectures on topics associated with legislative drafting. "It is our hope that this course will contribute to the creation of a pool of legal

17 drafters in the continent that will be knowledgeable enough to produce clear legislation that is easy to interpret," added Ms Job. The course curriculum will cover: introductory issues, the drafting process, drafting constraints, the legislative process, legislative syntax, legislative style, legislative structure and arrangement, drafting preliminary and final provisions, substantive provisions, drafting subsidiary legislation and other miscellaneous subjects. Participants will be awarded certificates on completion of a written exam.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

• Zimbabwe: Executive Council Makes 'Specific' Recommendation on Country: BuaNews (Tshwane): 30 June 2008.

Some African countries have expressed concern over the peace and security situation in Zimbabwe at a foreign ministerial meeting of the African Union (AU) Executive Council and have made recommendations on the matter, says Tanzania's Foreign Minister Bernard Membe. Addressing the media after the two-day AU Executive Council meeting on Sunday evening, Mr Membe, who also chairs the council, said it had taken notice of the latest developments in Zimbabwe which caused great concern to the region. "We have made specific recommendations to the Heads of State [regarding the Zimbabwe issue] and tomorrow [Monday] we will see what happens as all member states will be here to discuss this issue further," Mr Membe told reporters on Sunday. The report will be tabled for the analysis of the leaders attending the AU summit, added Mr Membe. Zimbabwe held a presidential run-off election on Friday as scheduled despite opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's withdrawal from the race. The 13th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council also tackled the issue of peace and security on the African continent, including the conflicts between Eritrea and Djibouti, as well as Chad and Sudan, Mr Membe said. He added that the AU foreign ministers called for self-restraint by both sides of Eritrea and Djibouti and tried to bring them together. "We have encouraged that these two countries come together and resolve this border crisis and this issue be resolved as a matter of urgency," the Executive Council chairperson said. The skyrocketing food and oil prices, Mr Membe said, were also on top of the agenda of the council session, adding that the high oil prices worsened the current global food crisis, which would also be proposed to the G8 summit in Japan next week.

The council called for urgent and long-term measures to develop agriculture, including efficient use of water resources and funding the African farmers to purchase fertiliser. He also noted that the Executive Council expressed concern on the practice by some countries to convert food products into biofuels, saying that it should be abandoned. "We have strongly recommended that Africa negotiate with Afro-Arabic countries to reduce oil prices. "The Council further proposed that fertilisers should be made available for people so that they can be able to plant bio-chemical inputs together with fertiliser to prevent unforeseen circumstances," said Mr Membe. Under the theme, "Meeting the Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation," the 11th AU summit held in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday and Tuesday will focus on peace and security in Africa, the oil and food prices and agriculture, as well as the situation in Zimbabwe.

18 • Zimbabwe: Consensus Grows on Negotiated End to Crisis: allAfrica.com: 30 June 2008.

Whatever rhetoric on Zimbabwe's political crisis emerges from the African Union heads of state meeting in Egypt on Monday and Tuesday, reports on the meeting indicate a growing consensus around demands for a negotiated settlement setting up a transitional government incorporating both major parties. Hurriedly installed as within two days of a discredited run-off election, headed for the summit on Sunday night - showing signs he was under pressure to talk; at his swearing-in ceremony, he expressed hope of "consultations towards... serious dialogue" with other political parties.

The South African government said on Monday that Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma had told her counterparts in Egypt that neither of Zimbabwe's main parties - Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change - were able to "extricate Zimbabwe from the current impasse" on their own. "Accordingly," the South Africans said, "both Zanu-PF and the MDC must work together and unite the country and its people behind efforts to find a common solution... Zanu-PF and the MDC must enter into negotiations which will lead to the formation of a transitional government that can extricate Zimbabwe from its current political challenges." At the opening of the summit on Monday, the BBC reported that United Nations Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro told Africa's leaders that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "urges your excellencies to mobilise support for a negotiated solution." The United States said much the same last week, when a State Department spokesman called for a negotiated "mutually agreeable political settlement." Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe told a news conference on Sunday night that the AU's Executive Council was making "specific recommendations" to the heads of state. There was no official word on what they were, but the Associated Press reported that a draft resolution written by foreign ministers "condemned violence in general terms and called for dialogue" but "did not criticize the runoff election or Mugabe." Adding to pressure on Mugabe, observers from both the African Union and the Southern African Development Community have declined to give the presidential run-off a stamp of approval, the BBC reports. Under AU protocols developed in recent years, a finding that an election does not meet the union's standards is a potentially serious blow to an incumbent's legitimacy. At issue in Zimbabwe, however, is whether a settlement is possible to achieve with Mugabe and Zanu-PF hardliners. The Americans are sceptical: the State Department said Mugabe "stands in the way" of a deal. The key figure in any talks is MDC leader Morgan Tsvanagirai, considered by some lawyers as the person who should be President of Zimbabwe after winning the March 29 election. Speaking to SW Radio Africa on Friday, he made it clear there was no question of the MDC being forced into a minority role in government. "How can the majority party accept to be junior partner?" he asked.

• AU to Demarcate Borders to Limit Conflicts: BuaNews (Tshwane): 1 July 2008.

19 The African Union (AU) Commission has signed a $40 million peace support programme with the Italian government to support regional border projects. Addressing reporters at the AU Summit in Sharm-El-Sheikh on Tuesday, AU Peace and Security Commissioner Ramantane Lamamra said the sanctioned programme to demarcate the borders and eliminate conflicts would see an end to Africa's border-ignited conflicts. "We strongly believe that the Italian aid will further assist us not only in trying to bring an end to the current conflicts, but to come up with a concrete programme to avoid such occurrences in the future," said Mr Lamamra. The signing of the programme is set against the backdrop of an ongoing border dispute between Eritrea and Djibouti. Eritrea has stationed its troops inside recognised Djiboutian territory, in an effort to grab the region, known as Ras Doumeira. Armando Sanguini, the African Affairs Director at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the Italian funding for the cross-border initiative on the sidelines of the African Union Heads of State Summit, which kicked off in Egypt on Monday. AU Commission President Jean Ping said the border issue between Eritrea and Djibouti was "deeply troubling and worrying" to him. "We need a peaceful resolution to the conflict." UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro also emphasised the need to consolidate peace. Ambassador Lamamra, who has recently taken over at the AU Peace and Security Commission, said the funds would be spent on recruitment of staff to promote the new border security roadmap of the organisation. It will also use the money in anti-terrorism efforts across the continent as well as ensuring the formation of an African standby force becomes a reality. "The conflicts in Africa show that extra-efforts are required for the AU to define the borders. "We need to contribute to these programmes more strategically because peace and security is indivisible," he said. On Friday, the AU called on member states to continue giving special and sustained attention to peace and security issues on the continent. "The commission is at work to bring its contribution to peace efforts which require the authority and concerted action of all several Heads of State," said AU Chairperson Jean Ping while addressing the 13th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in Sharm-El-Shaikh on Friday. Mr Ping said Africa had many challenges that needed to be overcome in a number of peace processes. He mentioned the persisting crisis in Darfur, the recent dispute between Chad and Sudan, as well as the situation between Djibouti and Eritrea as issues of concern which pose a challenge to the AU. "In this regard, I call upon all the Sudanese parties to engage, unconditionally, and put an end to the conflict and the suffering inflicted on the civilian population," said Mr Ping.

• African Union Defers Continental Government, Supports SADC Mediation in Zimbabwe: Southern African News Features (Harare): 3 July 2008.

African leaders have deferred their discussion of a union government until January next year after failing to reach a consensus at their Summit in Egypt this week. A high-level expert group of 12 heads of state was established at a previous summit in Ghana, specifically to accelerate the process but consensus remains elusive. Heads of State attending the 11th Session of the African Union (AU) Summit on 30 June and 1 July in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, decided to defer the discussion to their next summit in January 2009, to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the AU headquarter is located. At the

20 close of the meeting, the AU said the January summit would last three days -- an exceptional case -- during which the first day would be reserved exclusively for debate on the Government of the Union. Through the discussions to date, African leaders have retained quite different perspectives on the timeframe for implementation, with Libya and some West African states including Senegal pressing for the immediate establishment of a union government and appointment of ministers.

Other countries, including South Africa, Ethiopia and others from eastern and southern Africa have adopted a more cautious approach to implementation, wanting more consensus and clarity on the operations and mandate of such a government. While the AU is agreed on the movement towards a union government, there are different views on the timing and model of governance. East and southern Africa advocates strengthening the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) as building blocks, taking time to build regional economies. Libya and Senegal are insisting on immediate transformation to a United States of Africa, advocating a top-down approach starting with the formation of a union government and election of its leader as a matter of urgency, to replace the current AU Commission. "We are going to announce the Union Government next January," Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said after the Summit.

The Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has threatened to expose those countries hampering the establishment of a union government, saying they are thwarting African unity. The areas of divergence recall the original debates at the founding Summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in May 1963 when President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana wanted immediate unification of the few countries that were independent, in a pan-African government. President Julius Nyerere of the United Republic of Tanzania was equally eloquent in advocating a "brick-by-brick" approach, starting with the pursuance of political independence for the remaining countries under colonial rule or apartheid, including the whole of southern Africa.

The new debates arose after the completion of political independence with the end of the apartheid government in South Africa in 1994, thus the achievement of political independence by the OAU and the subsequent establishment of the African Union. Another potentially divisive issue for the AU Summit was the question of Zimbabwe and the way forward following the presidential run-off election on 27 June won by the incumbent President Robert Mugabe, who attended the summit and addressed a closed session.

The resulting resolution expressed deep concern with the situation in Zimbabwe and the negative reports of election observer missions from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the AU and the Pan-African Parliament, but noted the willingness of the political leaders to enter negotiations and the preparatory discussions already underway with SADC facilitation. Considering the need to create an environment conducive for democracy and development, and considering the complexity of the situation in Zimbabwe, the African leaders decided to support the call for a government of national unity, including the SADC facilitation and its continuation. The AU Summit Resolution on Zimbabwe called for "undivided support from SADC, the AU and the

21 world at large", and urged SADC to establish a mechanism on the ground "in order to seize the momentum for a negotiated solution." The resolution encouraged "President Robert Mugabe and the leader of the MDC Party, Morgan Tsvangirai to honour their commitment to initiate dialogue with a view to promoting peace, stability, democracy, and the reconciliation of the Zimbabwean people," and appealed to "states and all parties concerned to refrain from any action that may negatively impact on the climate of dialogue." Tsvangirai has already rejected the AU resolution, saying it does not recognise the "illegitimacy of the 27 June election" nor adequately deal with ongoing violence.

While acknowledging the AU's concern and support for a government of national unity, he said any negotiations must be based on the results of the first-round election on 29 March and must move towards a "transitional agreement". The key development focus of the Summit was on water and sanitation with the theme of "Meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on Water and Sanitation." At the conclusion of the Summit, African leaders expressed their commitment to national strategies and action plans for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target for water and sanitation over the next seven years. The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the African Water Vision 2025, the Sirte Declaration on Agriculture and water in Africa, and the Declaration on Climate Change in Africa.

• Mixed Reviews From Civil Society: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 3 July 2008.

Civil society organisations (CSOs) have mixed feelings about the outcomes of the latest African Union Summit, which concluded in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh earlier this week. The summit meeting of African heads of state and officials was largely dominated by debate - or lack thereof - over the crisis in Zimbabwe and the participation of the controversial president, Robert Mugabe.

But some civil society groups felt that the AU Summit lacked the critical analysis and genuine commitment to action needed to bring forth positive interventions in conflicts such as that in Zimbabwe or on other critical issues in Africa. Over 100 non- governmental organisations (NGOs) met in Sharm El Sheikh ahead of the Summit itself to prepare for the AU's official meetings, but according to Ziad Abdel Tawab of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights, their participation was limited by an overly-complicated system for accreditation. "We see the AU summit as a forum for talk, not a forum for change, because CSOs did not play a real role in the summit," said Abdel Tawab. He said that the process for approval of organisations to attend the Summit as observers lacked transparency -- groups were not sure whether they were rejected due to Egypt's security measures or other factors. He also said there was no mechanism to appeal. The result was that many organizations were prevented from participating in the summit. Members of the NGO community criticised the summit for not devoting enough time to pressing issues such as the ongoing food and health crisis in Africa. Other major demands from civil society were similarly ignored, such as implementation and acceleration of a pledge by African governments made in Abuja seven years ago to move towards spending at least 15 percent of their total budget on health. Abdel Tawab further explained that the

22 effectiveness of the summit depended heavily on the participation of NGOs. "The CSOs are the only way to hear the voice of the people. They put forth recommendations that are closest to the opinions and voice of the people and so if there is no sense of ownership for NGO's in summits there is a large gap between the summit and citizens." In contrast, Dr. Amany Asfour, president of the Egyptian Business Women Association and host of the pre-summit conference that brought together dozens of civil society groups -- including Abdel Tawab's NGO -- was satisfied with her group's involvement. Dr. Asfour explained that the AU Summit theme of this year's summit theme, "Meeting the Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation," is at the heart of women's needs in Africa. She said raising such issues is crucial to many women in rural areas who presently lack access to clean water and proper sewage systems. Dr. Asfour said that her group met with world leaders and first ladies from all over Africa. They also discussed ways to combat violence against women, human trafficking, female genital mutilation, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. She noted that women in Africa continue to suffer high rates of maternal mortality. Figures from 2005 indicate that Africa is the only region where maternal deaths have increased since 1990 and that about half of all maternal deaths worldwide are African women. In a letter to AU leaders, NGOs urged governments to respect their commitment to increased health spending. "The non- implementation of the 15 percent pledge is rapidly devastating our populations and countries through the deaths of fellow Africans on such a scale that annual deaths from both disease and non-disease related health issues now exceed the populations of many African countries combined." African leaders agreed, blandly, to put forth national strategies and action plans for achieving the Millennium Development Goals' target for water and sanitation over the next seven years.

Disappointment over Zimbabwe: Many NGOs were also disappointed that Mugabe's appearance took centre-stage in media coverage of the Summit. "It is very disappointing that Zimbabwe took the headlines because Mr. Mugabe was there. There was not enough strong action from the AU. There are still major concerns in Zimbabwe, Darfur and Kenya that the AU is failing to address properly," said Abdel Tawab. While leaders in the United States have referred to the killings in Darfur as genocide and the UN continues to report on massive human rights violations there, AU leaders at the Summit refrained from outright condemnation of the violations in Sudan. The AU has deployed peacekeeping troops to Darfur, but has not threatened to impose sanctions on Sudanese leaders as the European Union has, added Abdel Tawab. And while the EU called Mr. Mugabe's election an "exercise in power-grabbing," the AU took a softer line. In a communiqué, the AU said it was "deeply concerned about the violence and the loss of life that has occurred in Zimbabwe" and encouraged the president to move ahead with a government of national unity. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Wednesday that he would not consider joining a unity government as a junior partner to Mr. Mugabe, who he has accused of killing his way to re-election last week. Nine more opposition party activists were reported killed since Friday's election, bringing the reported death toll to at least 95. On the other hand, civil society groups strongly condemned the situation in Zimbabwe, bringing forth another example of sharp differences between most of the NGO community and the African leaders at the Summit. The Secretary General of Dakar-based human rights group Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de l'Homme, Alioune

23 Tine, said, "The election situation in Zimbabwe is unacceptable. What is the point of having elections in Africa, if it will always end up by power a sharing system? The Kenyan example should not be a model for Africa."

• ARM Includes Zimbabwe in Continental Growth Plans: Business Day (Johannesburg): 3 July 2008.

AFRICAN Rainbow Minerals (ARM) has taken a contrary view on Zimbabwe, at a time when Anglo American has also come under fire for its presence in the embattled country. ARM, the black empowerment group headed by mining entrepreneur Patrice Motsepe, applied in March for mineral rights over platinum group metals deposits in Zimbabwe's Great Dyke, head of investor relations Monique Swartz confirmed yesterday. Zimbabwe's Financial Gazette reported ARM would have filed its applications three months after Motsepe was rumoured to have met President Robert Mugabe. Asked why ARM had applied for the rights at this time, Swartz said "as part of ARM's strategy to grow into Africa, initiated in 2005, we have been pursuing opportunities in various southern African countries for a few years". ARM, created in May 2004, has ferrous metals, platinum, coal, base metals and gold interests. In its prior financial year the biggest contribution to attributable earnings before interest and tax came from its platinum operations, which include a 50% stake in Modikwa Platinum Mine, 55% of Two Rivers Platinum Mine, 50% of the Nkomati nickel mine and 90% of the Kalplats exploration project. Last week Anglo American was under fire in various UK papers for proceeding with its $400m Unki platinum project in Zimbabwe. The Times said the foreign office was looking into whether Anglo had defied sanctions. Anglo said it had not broken any laws and would not drop the project, as the Zimbabwean government had confirmed it would just take it over. Another UK-listed company criticised from various quarters -- including The Telegraph and industry websites -- for its involvement in Zimbabwe is Central African Mining & Exploration (Camec). Camec made a $100m loan to the Zimbabwean government in April, as part of a deal in which it got two claims on the Unki property Anglo was pressed into handing over under Zimbabwe's indigenisation policy.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• AU States Root for One African Govt: New Vision (Kampala): 3 July 2008.

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni on Tuesday joined other leaders in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt for a Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) meeting that discussed the formation of an African Union government. Whereas some leaders advocated for an immediate continental government, others pushed for one after regional blocs were concrete, according to a State House statement. At another African Union (AU) summit, the leaders discussed the implementation of the Abuja Special Summit on HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Museveni, who returned home on Wednesday, also attended the African Peer Review Forum that debated Uganda's economic, social and political performance. In a related developed, Justice Joseph Mulenga has been elected to the

24 African Court on Human and People's Rights. He was chosen by the Executive Council of Ministers of the African Union and ratified by the head of states. Mulenga replaced Justice George Kanyeihamba. Another Ugandan, Steven Karangizi, was sworn-in as the assistant secretary general of COMESA. During the AU summit under the theme"Water and Sanitation" as the continent struggles to meet the Millennium Development Goals, Dr. Donald Kaberuka, the president of the African Development Bank (ADB), said 330 million Africans had no access to safe water, while 650 million lacked sanitation. He was concerned that water bodies in Africa were shrinking because of silting. Kaberuka said ADB would this year provide $50m for Lake Victoria protection.

CENTRAL AFRICA

• Continent Faces 'Dramatic' Physician Shortage By 2015, Cautions UN Health Agency: UN News Service (New York): 2 July 2008.

The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Africa faces a "dramatic" shortage of physicians by the year 2015, according to a new study made public today. It is projected that there will be nearly 13 million doctors by then, a figure that will meet demand and will exceed the target of achieving the benchmark of having 80 per cent of all live births covered by a skilled attendant. But given the imbalances in physician distribution, Africa will face a scarcity of care, WHO said, with 255,000 doctors in 2015, which is 167,000 fewer than needed to meet the birth coverage goal. The study notes that in 2004, Africa carried nearly one quarter of the world's disease burden with only 2 per cent of global physician supply and less than 1 per cent of health expenditures worldwide. Similarly, South-East Asia bore 29 per cent of the global disease burden, with 11 per cent of the world's supply of doctors and 1 per cent of health expenditures. Meanwhile, the Americas region, with 10 per cent of the world's disease burden, accounted for half of the world's health expenditures and one fifth of all physicians. Hefty increases in health-care investment and robust policies are essential to boost the number of doctors in Africa, WHO said. "Given the disproportionate burden of disease in this region, policies for increasing the supply of physicians are urgently needed to stem projected shortages," according to the study.

16. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES WEST AFRICA

• Gambia: Newspaper Journalist Violently Attacked: Media Foundation for West Africa (Accra): PRESS RELEASE: 4 July 2008.

Justice Momodou Darboe, a journalist with The Point, a Banjul-based privately-owned independent daily newspaper, was violently attacked by an armed man on July 1, 2008. Darboe suffered serious body injuries. Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) sources report that the assailant, wielding a knife, ambushed the journalist and attacked him after he got down from a taxi around his house in Serrekunda, Gambia’s second largest city. “I left Kairaba Shopping Centre around 11pm to go home. When I reached the junction of Wellingara, I disembarked from the vehicle I was in and walked in the direction of my compound. Before I reached the safety of my home, a man came from

25 behind and attacked me with a knife,” The Point reported Darboe as saying. He said although it is difficult to establish the motive of the attack, his assailant made no attempt to rob him of any belonging. Sources report that the assailant took to his heels when he saw people coming toward the scene. Darboe later received treatment from a hospital and the matter was reported to the police.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

• Zimbabwe: 300 Victims Seek Refuge At US Embassy: Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): 4 July 2008.

MORE than 300 MDC supporters claiming to be victims of political violence yesterday approached the United States (US) embassy in Harare looking for food and shelter. The supporters, 64 children, 68 women and 176 men, were staying at the party's headquarters, Harvest House, before they went to the embassy. At the time of going to press last night they were still camped at the embassy. Simbarashe Mungami, one of the people, told the Zimbabwe Independent that they approached the US embassy because Harvest House could no longer accommodate them. He said: "The number of political victims is growing every day and the space at Harvest House could not accommodate us anymore as we have no home to go back to and others cannot go back for security reasons." Some of the victims told the Independent that they lost their homes and property in the countdown to last Friday's presidential run-off election that has been condemned worldwide. Mungami claimed that the MDC's efforts to feed them were being hindered by "thugs who are raiding and confiscating food" before it gets to them. "The party right now has no capacity to feed and shelter all the political violence victims," he said. Asked why they had targeted the US embassy, the victims said they had also sought assistance from the South African and German missions in the country. The US embassy spokesperson, Paul Engelstad, said it had no capacity to help the victims, but had contacted relief agencies to help with food and shelter. "We have been in touch with relief agencies like Unicef and Red Cross who can assist the victims with food and shelter," said Engelstad. "This is a big humanitarian crisis and this is just a fraction of the displaced people." Engelstad said the situation in the country was making it difficult for aid agencies to source and distribute food to victims of political violence. He said: "Our hearts bleed for the people of Zimbabwe because of the huge food crisis facing the country." A fortnight ago, another group of political violence victims besieged the South African embassy looking for shelter and food. The MDC claimed that over 85 of its supporters were killed, plus 10 000 injured and more than 200 000 displaced by political violence perpetrated by state security agents, Zanu PF militia and war veterans in the countdown to the run-off.

• Zimbabwe: UN Security Council Debates Sanctions: allAfrica.com: 4 July 2008.

The United Nations Security Council is discussing what the United States calls "targeted sanctions" aimed at the Zimbabwe government and its top officials. Michèle Montas, spokeswoman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, told reporters in New York on Thursday that a draft resolution circulated by the U.S. had been discussed in

26 consultations among Security council members earlier in the day. The U.S. permanent representative to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, told the press corps at UN headquarters that he expected the council to vote on a resolution next week. Montas declined comment on Ban's views on sanctions. The sanctions would be directed at "those that are responsible for the political crisis," Khalilzad said, "with the expectation and hope that they will be incentivized to cooperate to resolving the crisis of legitimacy, to creating a government there that represents – genuinely represents, the legitimate representatives of - the people of Zimbabwe."

The U.S. will also be considering unilateral sanctions of its own against Zimbabwe, Sean McCormack, a U.S. State Department spokesman said on Wednesday. This followed a directive from President George W. Bush. The New York Times reported Friday that the U.S. appeared to have won the nine votes necessary to secure passage of its resolution. However, China or Russia could veto it. A UN correspondent for the newspaper said the sanctions proposed by the U.S. included an arms embargo and "punitive measures" - including a travel ban and a freeze on personal assets - against 14 named individuals. The 14 included President Robert Mugabe, defence minister Sidney Sekeramayi, justice minister , security minister , central bank governor , presidential spokesman George Charamba, military commanders Constantine Chiwenga and Perence Shiri, police commissioner Augustine Chihuri and intelligence chief Happyton Bonyongwe.

• Zimbabwe: After Sham Election Mugabe Disbands Militia Bases: SW Radio Africa (London): 4 July 2008.

A week after Robert Mugabe's 'smash and grab election,' police in the country were instructed to forcibly close down Zanu PF militia bases. Residents in several suburbs expressed their surprise at police beating up some of the Zanu PF supporters manning the torture camps, telling them their services were no longer required. Observers say the reasons for these forced closures is that Zanu PF no longer requires these structures of violence, after the election run-off. Our correspondent Simon Muchemwa says the whole exercise is a PR campaign to try and make the government look good. The state media is also flighting adverts from the police, naming perpetrators of violence, such as war vet Gilbert Moyo, known for his terror campaign in the Chegutu area. 7 MDC MP's have also been named for crimes ranging from 'public violence to attempted murder.' If the government was serious about stopping the violence, they could at any time pick up war vets like Moyo. But what they do is target MDC officials. MDC Information Director Luke Tamborinyoka reacted angrily to the latest naming of the MDC for crimes, saying this will hurt any chances of dialogue. 'How can we go to the table when half the leadership is either on the run or in police custody.' This week MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai demanded the release of all political prisoners as a pre-condition to any dialogue. Other analysts argue Mugabe wants to whittle down the opposition's majority in parliament and will continue with his dirty tactics, to achieve this. Under the country's laws an MP convicted of a criminal offence can be expelled from parliament. The MDC has also expressed fears the regime might even consider assassinating their MP's to force by-elections that will be won violently. Since the March 29 first round election, which

27 was won by the MDC, over 103 MDC activists and officials have been assasinated. Meanwhile Lionel Saungweme our correpondent in Bulawayo reports that over 200 soldiers were involved in an intimidating display of support for Mugabe in the city on Friday. The soldiers jogged through the city centre wearing pro-Mugabe t-shirts with the slogan '100 percent Empowerment' and while singing liberation war songs. In another attempt at intimidation a police anti-riot tanker parked menacingly outside the MDC offices between 9th Street and George Silundika Avenue.

• Zimbabwe: Woza Leaders Finally Released: SW Radio Africa (London): 3 July 2008.

Jennie Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu have finally been released on bail after spending six week at Chikurubi maximum prison for holding a peaceful protest. The leaders of the pressure group Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) were arrested on May 28th, together with 13 others, for holding a demonstration in Bulawayo, The police charged them with conducting activities likely to cause public disorder. The other members were released on June 11th, but the two leaders were denied bail on allegations that they would organise Kenyan-style post-election violence, ahead of the run off. Williams is facing an extra charge of publishing falsehoods through the fliers WOZA had been distributing. The pressure group uses nonviolent methods to demand social justice and an end to violence in Zimbabwe.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Seychelles: Problems in Paradise: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 3 July 2008.

Annette* is a small, lively woman in her early sixties. Married to an abusive husband -- who once threw boiling water on her, landing her in hospital -- she was not repeating the story with her alcoholic and drug-addicted son. Just as her husband was growing older and calmer, her son was getting increasingly violent. So Annette reported the son's abuse to the Family Tribunal. He ignored its repeated warnings and was eventually charged with assault and sent to jail for two years. Some neighbours criticised her, but the mother did not budge. "It is not right for a son to abuse his mother and I had had enough with the father" she told IPS. Annette lives on Mahé, the biggest island in the Seychelles archipelago (pop 85,000) in the Indian Ocean. Considered a tourist paradise for its pristine nature and luxurious resorts, the Seychelles is seeing a troubling increase in domestic violence. In 2006, the Family Tribunal registered 172 cases of spousal violence, rising to 226 in 2007. Greater awareness of the problem through media campaigns and easier reporting procedures at the Police Family Squad only partly explain the 31 percent increase. "The number of reported cases is just the tip of the iceberg," says Tessa Siu, research officer with the Gender Secretariat at the Ministry of Health and Social Development. Experts add that domestic violence is fuelled by the skyrocketing cost of living and high alcohol consumption. "Domestic violence happens when men drink baka (a cheap local brew) as well as whisky," says Jean Claude Matombe, communications officer with the National Council for Children, which has run media campaigns against

28 child abuse. A national survey carried out by the Gender Secretariat last year found that 42 percent of women and 36 percent of men had been emotionally abused by an intimate partner; 27 percent of women and 23 percent of men had experienced moderate physical violence; and 28 percent of women and 26 percent of men had suffered severe physical violence. While both men and women suffer abuse, physical violence hurts women more: 33 percent of women experienced lasting aches and pain as a consequence, compared to 16 percent of men, and 17 percent of women reported bruises to the face, compared to six percent of men. Worryingly, the survey found that 11 percent of women have been raped by an intimate partner. Among 555 women surveyed, eight reported contracting HIV due to the abuse and 21 women became pregnant after a partner raped them. The research findings about abused men underline what police records show. More men are lodging complaints of abuse -- up from 8 cases in 2006 to 18 in 2007, suggesting both an increase in violence against men as well as greater willingness of men to seek help, according to Siu. Henri*, a calm man in his late fifties employed as a security guard in the market in Victoria, the capital, endured years of verbal, emotional and physical abuse from his wife. She ran the family business, was unfaithful, and insulted and punched him. Once she threatened him with a knife. He endured as much as he could, then sought help from the Family Tribunal and finally divorced her two years ago.

"I have little education but my parents taught me values and respect for others," he told IPS. He and other survivors of domestic violence were speaking at a workshop on the issue organised in June in the capital by the Secretariat and GenderLinks, a regional advocacy group. The workshop followed Cabinet's approval of a national strategy on domestic violence early this year. The strategy includes media awareness campaigns, better provision of services to survivors and rehabilitation of abusers, and a change in the law so that domestic violence, now classified as assault, will be recognized as a specific crime with a special magistrate, and fast-tracked through the courts. The problem is getting people to report the abuse and seek help. The survey found that most victims hide abuse from agencies, family and friends. The reasons given were low expectations of the outcome and love for the abusive partner. Services for survivors exist, but they are slow and fragmented. Police routinely refer rape victims to hospital for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) treatment to prevent HIV infection. But it can take months to get an appointment with the Family Tribunal, Probation Services or the Family Squad Unit that deals with abused children. If the local policeman is friends with or related to the abuser, the complaint does not go far -- that was the experience of the four survivors who spoke to IPS. Last year, Sharon Telemaque, of the gender activist group GEM PLUS, trained some 40 new police recruits on domestic violence and will train another batch this year. "Their first attitude was, if I am a man, I can slap my partner, but at the end of the day we started seeing changes," she told IPS. The survey also found that although six out of ten adults have witnessed domestic violence incidents, they did not intervene because they see it as a private matter. "As a child, I learned on the street that a woman should be beaten and I had to un-learn it," says Matombe. The Secretariat and a group of non- government organizations and churches plan a massive information campaign against domestic violence for the 16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women from 25 November to 10 December. This will help people un-learn the harmful patterns of domestic violence. *Names have been changed to protect privacy

29 • Dar Rejects Mugabe Win: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 4 July 2008.

Tanzania does not recognise Mr Robert Mugabe as the legally elected President of Zimbabwe because last Friday's presidential run-off, which was boycotted by the opposition, was "highly flawed", Foreign Affairs minister Bernard Membe said yesterday.

Addressing a press conference in Dar es Salaam, Mr Membe said the just ended African Union Heads of State Summit had declared null and void the June 27 presidential run-off election, in which Mr Mugabe was the sole candidate. MDC candidate Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew a week before the poll, citing increasing violence against his supporters. Responding to a reporter who had asked him to state Tanzania's stand on Mr Mugabe's controversial election victory, Mr Membe said: "If you consider the reports of the election monitors, the issue of whether or not we recognise Mugabe does not arise. That election was not valid." Election monitors from the South African Development Community (Sadc), the African Union (AU) and the Pan African Parliament all gave reports that cast serious doubts on the credibility of the elections. Yesterday, the minister said the violence during the campaigns had made it impossible to conduct a free and fair election. "The decision not to recognise the Zimbabwean election has been endorsed by the AU and Sadc after adopting the election monitors' reports," said Mr Membe, who is also the chairman of the AU foreign affairs ministers.

He was briefing journalists on the Summit in Egypt, just a day after returning home. The minister said that during the summit, no leader had endorsed the Zimbabwean election or congratulated Mr Mugabe on his supposed victory. Mr Mugabe defied an appeal by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, international condemnation, and pleas by his fellow African leaders to call off the election. And after being hurriedly sworn in, he flew to Egypt to attend the Heads of State Summit. Yesterday, Mr Membe said: "There was no one at the Summit who was happy about what happened in Zimbabwe. In fact, all the members denounced the election." The Tanzanian minister compared the Zimbabwean election to a football match in which an offside goal was allowed to count. "This was like a football match where a player touches the ball and scores, but unfortunately, the referee allows it. It is not a goal scored in the normal way." Mr Membe said the reports of the 413 observers who monitored the elections had been useful, as they had enabled the AU and Sadc to reach a verdict. The AU then mandated Sadc to immediately lead a mediation process that would bring together Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF and Movement of Democratic Change party leaders to form a government of national unity. Mr Membe said a meeting of the regional leaders would soon be held to review the progress made in the peace process. "No one party will be able to govern in Zimbabwe as things stand now. Zanu-PF cannot rule alone and negotiations will be the only way out," he said. During the summit, Mr Membe said, the AU chairman, President Jakaya Kikwete, had told Mr Mugabe to his face go back home and think about what the leaders had decided. "The chairman told Mr Mugabe that the situation in his country could only get worse if he does not think seriously about the advice given to him." As Mr Membe spoke, international pressure was mounting on Zimbabwe, with the UK and Germany declaring that stern measures and sanctions would be imposed to push for the formation

30 of an inclusive government in Harare. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said there was widespread agreement that action must be taken to change the status quo in Zimbabwe, possibly with the help of a peacekeeping force. "Virtually the whole international community is saying the status quo cannot continue, the MDC has got to be recognised for the electoral support it has," Mr Brown told a group of cross-party British lawmakers. "There will be no support for this regime until democracy is restored, we will intensify the sanctions unless action is taken to change the status quo." Mr Brown said the second election was a "travesty of justice" and that during that election the "regime has blood on its hands for what has happened". Leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised nations will discuss sharpening sanctions against Zimbabwe at a summit in Japan next week, a senior German government official said on Thursday. "Britain is pushing for a separate statement on this," said the official, who spoke to reporters in Berlin and asked not to be identified by name. Britain wanted G8 leaders to emphasise in the statement that they did not recognise the re-election of President Mugabe and to include a section saying that tighter sanctions should be considered, the German official added."I think the initiative has a good chance," he said, adding that Germany supported it. The United States is pushing for tougher sanctions against Zimbabwe's leadership through the UN, but Security Council diplomats say South Africa, Russia and China oppose Washington's plans. A US-drafted resolution seen by Reuters on Wednesday, includes asset freezes and travel bans for officials including Mr Mugabe and the central bank chief.

• Ethiopia: Opposition Protest As Parliament Passes New Media Law: The Nation (Nairobi): 4 July 2008.

Ethiopia's Parliament has endorsed a new Media Bill despite fierce opposition at home and abroad. The new law bans censorship of private media and detention of journalists, but critics said that it retains other threats to free expression. "Under the new law, previous restrictions against private media outlets, such as detention of journalists suspected of infringement of the law, has been scrapped," a parliament statement said. But opposition members said the law still allowed state prosecutors to invoke national security as grounds for impounding materials prior to publication and distribution.

Simple majority: he ruling party led by Premier Meles Zenawi which holds more than 75 per cent of the seats voted on Thursday for the new Media and information freedom law by simple majority. Mr Amare Aregawi, owner of Media and Communication Centre and Editor in Chief of The Reporter and Reporter newspapers, expressed his deep concern and sense of frustration over he new law. "Ethiopia deserves more than this law" said Mr Amare. But, Mr Tamirat Wolde Giorgis, Publisher of weekly business paper, Fortune, said he appreciates and acknowledges government willingness to debate on the new law for more than five years. He praised the government for the changes comparing with the first initial draft law five years ago. Mr Bulcha Demeksa, leader of the opposition Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement described the new law as "draconian". "I consider the day on which this law was enacted as a dark day in the annals of Ethiopian history," he said. Journalists will under the new law have the right to set up an independent press council.

31 CENTRAL AFRICA

• Congo-Kinshasa: Opposition Leader Faces War Crimes Charges: allAfrica.com: 3 July 2008.

The former vice-president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Jean-Pierre Bemba, has been transferred to The Hague in the Netherlands for trial on war crimes charges - including accusations of sexual crimes committed in the Central African Republic (CAR). The International Criminal Court (ICC), which will conduct the trial, announced his transfer from Belgium - where he was arrested in May - in a statement on Thursday. Its announcement followed a day after a setback for the prosecution in another landmark case before the court, in which DRC militia leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo was ordered released. The ICC said Bemba, head of the Mouvement de libération du Congo (MLC) was alleged to be responsible for five counts of war crimes and three counts of crimes against humanity committed in the CAR between October 2002 and March 2003. The warrant on which he was arrested said that Bemba's militia, the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), acted in concert with CAR forces to engage in rape, torture, degrading treatment of a person and looting. The ICC said at the time of his arrest that a particular feature of his case was "the number of rapes carried out with shocking brutality." The prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, alleged: "He had done it before in CAR, he had done it before in the DRC. He had to be stopped."

17. REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ISSUES WEST AFRICA

• West Africa: Despite Progress, Region Faces Challenges in Consolidating Peace – Ban: UN News Service (New York): 3 July 2008.

Although West Africa has made strides towards shoring up peace, the region must still overcome such obstacles as youth unemployment, rapid urbanization and irregular migration, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a new report made public today. "Significant progress has been made in West Africa in the consolidation of peace and democratic governance," Mr. Ban wrote, highlighting the peaceful elections that have been organized and increased support for peacebuilding efforts. However, he noted that the region faces "many challenges," including social and economic crises, trafficking in drugs and people, and insecurity in the Sahelian band.

For long-term stabilization to take hold, the UN and the international community must support peacebuilding in West African nations, many of which are fragile and susceptible to renewed fighting, he stated. "A greater role for a coherent and integrated United Nations is being sought across the subregion for maximized results and greater impact in addressing the many challenges at hand." To prevent West African nations from sliding back into war, the UN Office for West Africa (UNOWA) must boost its cooperation with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other groups to augment early warning and other conflict-prevention systems. "Cross-border threats to peace and stability in the subregion will require renewed awareness-raising efforts," the

32 Secretary-General said. Last December, the Security Council extended the mandate of UNOWA - currently headed by Said Djinnit of Algeria - until 21 December 2010.

• Nigeria: 3,000 Cameroonian Refugees Flee Into Amana: Vanguard (Lagos): 2 July 2008.

CAMEROONIAN refugees fleeing communal conflict in their country have been partially integrated with their hosts in Nigeria, according to reports.

Over 3,000 Cameroonians from Akwaya Division, South-West Cameroon, fled to Amana Community in Obanliku Local Government of Cross River in February this year. Since then, they have been staying in a primary school in the community. The Chairman of Obanliku Local Government of Cross River, Dr Godwin Amanke said that the council encouraged partial integration of the refugees to enable their children to go back to school. "Since their arrival in Amana, they have been staying at the only primary school in the community. "More than 800 pupils who attend the school have been at home since February. We had to plead with the host community to give them partial integration," he said. The Chairman said that the Chiefs of Amana, security operatives and the immigration personnel had been placed on red alert. He said the government was on top of the situation at the refugee camp and would handle any break down of law and order in the area. Amanke said that he had made contact with the Divisional Officer in charge of Akwaya Division who in turn called the chiefs of the warring groups for a peace meeting. "But the security concerns indicate that the truce appears very fragile and the danger of keeping two warring communities in our community is that in the event of any possible fracas among them, it might erupt within us," he said. He however said that so far, the situation in Amana community had been calm as the refugees were reluctant to go home because of the hospitality extended to them. Amanke said that relief materials were shared on a 60 and 40 per cent ratio. "The refugees get 60 per cent while their hosts get 40 per cent to give them a sense of belonging as hosts to the visitors," he added.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

• South Africa: Mbeki Apologies for Attacks On Foreign Nationals: BuaNews (Tshwane): 4 July 2008.

President Thabo Mbeki has apologised on behalf of the people of South Africa to the families of those who died in the recent attacks on people from other countries and some South Africans. "On behalf of our people and Government, I humbly convey to our people, our foreign guests, all Africa and the peoples of the world, our apology that we allowed criminals in our midst to inflict terrible pain and damage to many in our society, including and in particular our foreign guests. "We will do everything possible and necessary to ensure that we have no need in future to proffer this humble apology, which is inspired by genuine remorse." President Mbeki was speaking at the National Memorial Tribute for victims of violence against foreign nationals and South Africans held the Tshwane City Hall on Thursday. The day was aimed at paying tribute to and remembering those who lost their lives. He acknowledged that South Africa had

33 committed unpardonable crimes against fellow Africans. More than 60 people were killed in the attacks that began in Alexandra on 11 May and spread rapidly to other parts of the country. Cabinet ministers, ambassadors and members of the public as well as the families of those who died gathered at the Tshwane City Hall for the tribute. At total of 1 433 people have been arrested in connection with the attacks. He described the violence as the "dark days of May". "What happened during those days was not inspired by possessed nationalism, or extreme chauvinism, resulting in our communities violently expressing the hitherto unknown sentiments of mass and mindless hatred of foreigners - xenophobia," he told the gathering, which included victims of the violence and displaced people. He said the attacks had been driven by neither a dislike or hate towards foreign nationals, but predominantly by criminal elements. The President told the gathering they should bow their heads in shame because many had acted in ways that suggested that the values of Ubuntu were dead. "Today gathered here as a representative microcosm of our country, we must pledge that never again will we allow that anybody to bring shame to the nation by betraying the values of Ubuntu and committing crime against South Africa's visitors and travelers." He urged South Africans to learn and understand that: "We are proudly African not only because of our indelible contribution to human civilisation, but also because we know that the regeneration of Africa will add new humane values to human society."

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Sudan: New Joint UN-African Union Mediator for Darfur Conflict Appointed: UN News Service (New York): 30 June 2008.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the African Union Chairperson today appointed an experienced official from Burkina Faso as the new joint AU-UN Chief Mediator for Darfur as they seek new momentum in their efforts to resolve the five-year conflict. Djibril Yipènè Bassolé, who has been Foreign Minister of Burkina Faso since 2007, will conduct the mediation efforts in the new post on a full-time basis from El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state and the headquarters of the hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force to the region (UNAMID). The current UN and AU Special Envoys for Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, will remain available for advice and engagement as required, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told journalists. Mr. Bassolé, 51, has extensive experience in mediation process and in multilateral diplomacy, Ms. Montas said. Between 2000 and 2007 he served as Security Minister in Burkina Faso and played a key role in devising last year's Ouagadougou Agreement, which Côte d'Ivoire's President Laurent Gbagbo and the rebel Forces Nouvelles leader (and now Prime Minister) Guillaume Soro signed to resolve their conflict. Mr. Bassolé also worked as a member of the mediation committee for the Tuareg conflict in Niger in 1994-95 and was a member of the international committee for the monitoring of elections in Togo in 1993- 94.

The appointment comes as Mr. Eliasson and Mr. Salim warned just last week that there is reason to seriously question whether the parties to the conflict are ready to negotiate and make the compromises necessary for an accord to end the fighting that has raged between

34 rebels, Government forces and allied militiamen known as the Janjaweed. An estimated 300,000 have been killed in Darfur since 2003, either through direct combat or disease, malnutrition or reduced life expectancy, while another 2.7 million people have been displaced from their homes. Insecurity and unrest continue to plague Darfur, an arid and impoverished region on Sudan's western flank, and attempts to broker a peace deal have also been hampered by the splintering of the many rebel movements. Armed members of one of those groups, the Minni Minawi faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), held 38 UNAMID peacekeepers hostage at gunpoint for more than five hours today. The incident began this morning at the Zam Zam camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in North Darfur, when 21 UN police advisers, 12 military protection force members and five language assistants were confronted by SLA/M commanders carrying AK-47 rifles, hand grenades and other weapons as they tried to conduct a patrol of the camp. The rebel soldiers surrounded the UNAMID staff and demanded money, claiming it was in compensation for an injured member involved in a motorcycle accident last week with a UNAMID vehicle. The accident is being investigated by both the Sudanese Government and the mission's military police. After UNAMID reinforcements were sent to the camp, the patrol group was finally released following negotiations between the mission and the leadership of the SLA/M. UNAMID's deputy head of mission Henry Anyidoho said the detention of the mission staff could not be justified. "We condemn the attack and we condemn restrictions over the movements of peacekeepers," he said. "Protection of civilians and bringing peace to Darfur define the main purpose of UNAMID's mandate. We must be allowed to carry out our mandate without harassment." Mr. Anyidoho stressed that in the case of the traffic accident involving the motorcyclist, legal procedure must be respected. "We respect the law of the land and, in the same vein, we do not condone any party taking the law into its own hands." This is the second time in less than three months that SLA/M members have targeted UNAMID peacekeepers at Zam Zam. On 9 April a police adviser was beaten and two vehicles were hijacked.

• Somalia: Immigrants Surrender to Zimbabwean Police for 'Dire Life': Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 4 July 2008.

MORE than 60 Somalis gave themselves up to the Zimbabwean police this week, seeking asylum after sneaking into the country and yesterday they were handed over to the Department of Social Welfare for assistance. The refugees were reported to be on their way to refugee camps in Zimbabwe.

Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector James Sabau said the refugees would be helped. "They are Somali refugees and when they enter into the country, most of them find their way to Harare Central Police Station for assistance. "After they arrive at the police station, they will the be taken to the Social Welfare Department at Makombe Building who would then send them to various places," he said. Insp Sabau said some would be sent to Tongogara Refugee Camp and Waterfalls Transit Camp, among other places. He said some of them have been known to walk long distances crossing several borders to get to their final destination. A lot of refugees at Tongogara are engaged in income-generating projects such as carpentry and horticulture. They stay in brick houses, roofed with asbestos, supplied with electricity and running water. Waterfalls Transit

35 Camp, established in 1980, has given shelter to refugees from the continent and abroad. The Somali refugees, among them children, were yesterday taken to Makombe Building from Harare Central Police Station at around 8am under police escort.

When The Herald visited the premises yesterday, the refugees were waiting to be assisted by officials from the Social Welfare Department. Over the years, refugees, especially from Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi, have sought shelter in the country and continue to come despite negative reports by some sections of the international media that Zimbabwe is not safe. Somalis have mostly been trickling into Zimbabwe in small groups for the past few years from their country ravaged by warlords. In September 2005, at least 26 hunger-stricken Somali illegal immigrants handed themselves over at Harare Central Police Station seeking asylum after sneaking into the country following a gruelling trek from the north-east African country. Somalia has been in a state of war since 1991 when military ruler Siad Barre was deposed. Government has always been committed to safeguarding the interests of refugees by creating a conducive environment for the provision of adequate water, food, sanitation and medical services.

• Somalia: Displaced Return As Fighting Subsides in Central Town: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 3 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA

• Congo-Kinshasa: Humanitarians Pick Up the Pieces As Insecurity Persists in North Kivu: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 30 June 2008. 18. HEALTH MATTERS (HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, TB) WEST AFRICA

• Liberia: WHO Boss Wants Emphasis On Maternal Health: The NEWS (Monrovia): 4 July 2008.

Outgoing World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative Dr. Eugene Nyarko has called on the Liberian government to place more emphasis on maternal health. He said the mortality rate for birth-giving mothers in Liberia was alarming, and as such, there was a need for government to give attention to that segment of the health sector. Although Dr. Nyarko did not give any statistics on the mortality rate, but maintained that reports gathered show a high rate of maternal mortality. Speaking Thursday at an honoring program held by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Nyrako said besides maternal health, HIV/AIDS is one of the challenges facing the Liberian Government. "Let the government carry out more awareness on HIV/AIDS to combat this disease that is gradually eating up the population, "he added. He said his tenure in Liberia was fruitful because as country representative, he was able to work along with the Ministry of Health to implement some of its policies. Dr. Nyarko said

36 while serving as County Representative to Liberia, WHO assisted government in the establishment of the National AIDS Commission headed by President Ellen Johnson- Sirleaf, adding "we also helped to formulate the National Health Plan." Health and Social Welfare Minister Dr. Walter Gwenigale thanked Dr. Nyarko for the good working relationship which exhibited between them since he took up assignment in Liberia. Dr. Nyarko served as country representative to Liberia for five years.

• Nigeria: Benue Highest On HIV Prevalence Rate –Osotimehin: This Day (Lagos): 4 July 2008.

Dr , Director General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), yesterday in Abuja, said Benue still ranked highest in HIV prevalence in Nigeria. According to him, Benue, in the North-Central region, has 10 per cent prevalence rate, followed by Akwa-Ibom in the South-south zone with eight per cent. Enugu in the South-east has 6.5 per cent, Kaduna in the North-west, 5.6 per cent, Taraba in the North-east, 6.1 per cent, while Ogun in the South-west has 3.6 prevalence rate. He spoke at a workshop on the creation of budget lines on HIV and AIDS in federal ministries, departments and agencies.

Osotimehin said a multi-sectoral approach would be needed to curb the epidemic, as the prevalence rate in some states was unacceptable. The approach is to include ministries, departments, agencies, public, private, civil society, faith-based organisations and the three-tiers of government to fight the scourge," he said. Osotimehin said the sectoral response would cover key areas such as prevention, treatment, care and support. Minister of Finance, Dr Shamsudeen Usman, also implored ministries, departments and agencies to support NACA financially. Represented by Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Alhaji Jibrin Zarewa, Shamsudeen said the fight against HIV and AIDS should be given priority attention. He alluded to a report by UNAIDS, indicating that 50 million people had been infected with the virus in the last two years.

• Nigeria: Over 500,000 Women Live With Fistulae – Minister: Leadership (Abuja): 4 July 2008.

The acting Minister of Health, Dr. Muhammad Lawal, has said that between 500,000 and 1 million women now live with fistulae which has made them outcasts. He made this statement yesterday at a press briefing to commemorate the 2008 National Safe Motherhood day in Abuja. At the event, with the theme: "Countdown to Reducing Maternal, Newborn and Child Deaths – A Collective Integrated Responsibility, the minister said that, "our sisters, mothers, daughters and children are dying in thousands everyday. Studies have shown that one maternal death occurs every minute and everyday at least 1,450 women die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, that is a minimum of 529,000 women dying every year." Reeling out figures, the minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, in the Ministry, Dr. Shehu Sule said in addition to the number of death each year.

37 About 80,000 women each develop fistulae making a woman permanently incontinent. In Nigeria today, major cause of deaths are haemorrhage, 23 per cent; infection, 17 per cent; eclampsia 11 per cent, obstructed labour 11 per cent, unsafe abortion 11 per cent, malaria 11 per cent, anaemia 11 per cent and others 5 per cent. Emphasising that despite the vulnerability of women and children, their fate is often ignored, adding that the lives of many children could be saved each year if they were reached by promotive, preventive and curative any point in time.

He disclosed that the safe motherhood initiative is a global movement launched in Nairobi in 1987 with the aim of reducing maternal mortality ratio globally by 50 per cent by year 2000, but a recent review had revealed that very little progress has been made. In a similar vein, the promotion of gender equlity and empowering women, improving maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS, was the bedrock of discussions at the stakeholders forum on United Nations Population (UNFPA) 6th country's programme of assistance to Nigeria held yesterday. In a keynote address by the Minister of National Planning Commission, Senator Sanusi Dagash, he said the programme was implemented at the federal level and in 15 states of the federation and focused on three sub- programmes or thematic issues of Population and Development Strategies (PDS), Reproductive Health (RH) and Gender Equality and Equity. According to him, "UNFPA's assistance to Nigeria commenced on January 1, 2003 and ended December 31, 2008, serving as a bridging year. During the period, the programme had a budget of US $40.0 million out of which US $ 25.0 million came from regular resources and the balance of $ 15 million came from multilateral and other sources.

UNFPA's strategy for preventing maternal mortability includes: family planning to reduce unintended pregnancies, skilled care at births and timely emergency obstetric care for all women who develop complications.

• Ghana: Drug-Resistant TB Rapid Tests to Be Available in Developing Countries: Accra Mail (Accra): 4 July 2008.

People in low-resource countries who are ill with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) will get a faster diagnosis -- in two days, not the standard two to three months -- and appropriate treatment thanks to two new initiatives unveiled by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Stop TB Partnership, UNITAID and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND). MDR-TB is a form of TB that responds poorly to standard treatment because of resistance to the first-line drugs isoniazid and rifampicin. At present it is estimated that only 2% of MDR-TB cases worldwide are being diagnosed and treated appropriately, mainly because of inadequate laboratory services. The initiatives announced today should increase that proportion at least seven-fold over the next four years, to 15% or more. "I am delighted that this initiative will improve both the technology needed to diagnose TB quickly, and increase the availability of drugs to treat highly resistant TB," said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who helped launch the Stop TB Partnership's Global Plan to Stop TB in 2006 and whose government is a founding member of UNITAID. "The UK is committed to stopping TB around the

38 world, from our funding of TB prevention programmes in poor countries, to our support of cutting edge research to develop new drugs."

In developing countries most TB patients are tested for MDR-TB only after they fail to respond to a standard treatments. Even then, it takes two months or more to confirm the diagnosis. Patients have to wait for the test results before they can receive life-saving second-line drugs. During this period, they can spread the multidrug-resistant disease to others. Often the patients die before results are known, especially if they are HIV- infected in addition to having MDR-TB. The initiative comes just one week after WHO recommended "line probe assays" for rapid MDR-TB diagnosis worldwide. This policy change was driven by data from recent studies, including a large field trial--conducted by FIND together with South Africa's Medical Research Council and National Health Laboratory Services--which produced evidence for the reliability and feasibility of using line probe assays under routine conditions. "Five months ago, WHO renewed its call to make MDR-TB an urgent public health priority," said WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan, "and today we have evidence to guide our response. Based on that evidence, we are launching these promising initiatives." The new initiative consists of two projects. The first, made possible through $26.1 million in funding from UNITAID*, will introduce a molecular method to diagnose MDR-TB that until now was used exclusively in research settings. These rapid, new molecular tests, known as line probe assays, produce an answer in less than two days.

Over the next four years -- as lab staff are trained, lab facilities enhanced and new equipment delivered -- 16 countries** will begin using rapid methods to diagnose MDR- TB, including the molecular tests. The countries will receive the tests through the Stop TB Partnership's Global Drug Facility, which provides countries with both drugs and diagnostic supplies. As part of the project, WHO's Global Laboratory Initiative and FIND will help countries prepare for installation and use of the new rapid diagnostic tests, ensuring necessary technical standards for biosafety and the capacity to accurately perform DNA-based tests. One country, Lesotho, is already equipped to start using these tests; Ethiopia is expected to be ready by the end of 2008. The tests will be phased in from 2009-2011 in the remaining 14 countries. Under a second, complementary agreement with UNITAID for US$ 33.7 million, the Global Drug Facility will boost the supply of drugs needed to treat MDR-TB in 54 countries, including those receiving the new diagnostic tests. This project is also expected to achieve price reductions of up to 20% for second-line anti-TB drugs by 2010. All the countries receiving this assistance have met WHO's technical standards for managing MDR-TB and already have treatment programmes in place. Some will use grants from the Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to purchase the drugs. "Through the US$ 60 million support provided by UNITAID, these projects are expected to produce significant results in diagnosing and treating patients as well as reducing drug prices and the costs of diagnosis. These efforts illustrate the way in which innovative financing can be deployed for health and development," said Philippe Douste-Blazy, Chairman of UNITAID's Executive Board.

39 • Ghana: Country On the Way to Eliminating Trachoma: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 3 July 2008.

GHANA HAS achieved about 75% success in its effort to eliminate blinding trachoma in the Northern and Upper West regions, as a significant step towards meeting the 2010 target set by the country, to eliminate the disease. This is as a result of vigorous activities of the Ghana Trachoma Control Programme (GTCP), through the use of the World Health Organization (WHO) SAFE strategy, that focuses on surgery to correct in-turned lashes, known as trichiasis that may cause blindness if left untreated, and the use of Antibiotics to treat active trachoma infections. The strategy also includes face washing, to reduce disease transmission, and environmental changes to improve sanitation, and access to clean water. Based on an impact assessment survey, conducted from December 2007 to March 2008, the prevalence of active trachoma, in children from one to nine years, has been reduced from 16% in some districts, to between 0.1 - 2.8%, while trichiasis, the advanced stage of the disease that causes blindness, has reduced from 13,000 to 5,000 cases.

This is below the WHO accepted 5%, at which level trachoma is no longer considered of public significance. The achievement is also ten years ahead of the target date of 2020, set by the WHO. The success story was revealed, at a media briefing by the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Ministry of Health (MOH) and the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) in Accra, on Friday. An Ophthalmologist and Member of the Mid Term Review Team, Dr. Boateng Wiafe, noted that when the GTCP began in 2000, there was an estimated 2.8 million people at risk of trachoma infection, over 11,600 cases of trachoma-related blindness, and about 13,000 cases of trichiasis. He said at the end of 2007, 4,542 people diagnosed with trichiasis, had been provided with sight-saving surgery, and over 3.4 million doses of Pfizer-donated Zithromax, valued at $60 million, have been administered to treat community members in trachoma endemic districts. According to him, trachoma was a disease of poverty, and in Ghana prevalence was spotty and concentrated in the arid north, far from the economically more vibrant south, which is lacking the infrastructure, and comparative wealth of southern Ghana. He explained that the disease was found in dry areas, where water and sanitation services are not readily available, and transmitted from person to person, through flies, fingers and formites. "Repeated infections over-time, if untreated, result in in-turned eyelashes (trichiasis), which then scratch and scar the cornea, leading to blindness", he added. Further, he stated that children, within the range of 1 - 5 years, are more prone to infection, and women are two to three times more likely than men, to be infected by the disease, because they care for children, and thus are likely to experience repeated infections. Experts say because the disease causes blindness, in the most productive years of a person's life, it has the potential to ruin the economic well being of entire families and communities, such that developing countries lose almost $3 billion in productivity per year. Also, Dr. Wiafe stated that the prevalence of the disease, would affect the attainment of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), stressing, "The success made in the field is also a contribution towards attainment of the MDGs." He observed that the current achievement has been due to a strong partnership with all sectors that have a role to play in trachoma control, such as the Ministries of Local Government, Rural Development and

40 Environment, Women and Children's Affairs, and the Ghana Education Service. Others include the WHO, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), ITI, and non- governmental organizations in the eye sector. Dr. Wiafe said activities included health education on face washing, focused group discussions, media activities such as jingles, radio programmes and documentaries, as well as introducing trachoma into basic schools curriculum, there has also been provision of about 12,000 household latrines, and 2,134 safe water sources, by partners in the water and sanitation sectors. Notwithstanding this achievement, he announced that there were currently 5,000 people at risk of going blind, if they don't go through surgery within the shortest possible time, saying, "funds and other logistics are needed to address the issue, within the next twelve months." Of the 5,000 cases, 2,000 are in the Upper West Region, and the other 3,000 in the Northern Region, and an estimated GH¢250,000, is needed to carry out the surgery. He pointed out that there was the need to consolidate the gains made, through a strengthened collaboration between all stakeholders, to especially ensure provision of adequate safe water and sanitation in all communities. On his part, the Director General of the GHS, Dr. Elias K. Sory, noted that in view of the success of the programme, there was the need to take stock, and take a look at the progress made so far, and further chart new ways of ensuring that Ghana succeeds in eliminating blinding trachoma on target. He said though much has been done, Ghana has not yet achieved its target, hence partnerships must be strengthened, and also strongly adhere to the SAFE strategy, since Ghana has proven that it can work, stressing, "We don't have to sleep, but work harder in order to get there."

He pointed out that it was important to make resources available, to clear the backlog of 5,000 cases within time, and urged the media to help in the awareness creation, to hasten the process.

• Sierra Leone: Iranian Envoy to Assist Health Ministry: Concord Times (Freetown): 4 July 2008.

Newly appointed Iranian ambassador to Sierra Leone Thursday said plans are underway, with support from Iranian Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, to assist the ministry of health and sanitation in health care delivery services. Dr. Nostratollah Maleki made the disclosure during a courtesy call on the minister of health and sanitation, Dr. Soccoh Kabia at his Youyi Building office in Freetown. He said they will assist the ministry with specialist doctors that would be working in the country rotationally on a six month basis to help forge ahead with the ministry's post war health care challenges. "We have plans to upgrade the Iranian clinic at Macauley Street to a hospital status. We will provide technical assistance for professional training, medical services with trained and qualified Iranian specialists and infrastructural development for clinical practices," he said. Dr. Maleki expressed his country's desire and commitment to help the government in promoting health care delivery services. Dr. Soccoh Kabia expressed appreciation for the ongoing service in the Iranian clinic for which the community was grateful saying he hope they would continue the good work.

• Nigeria: FG Allocates N1.115 Billion to Fight HIV/Aids: Leadership (Abuja): 4 July 2008.

41 The Federal Government has allocated the sum of N1.115 billion to fight the scourge of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria during the current year. Out of this figure, the sum of N1.1billion is allocated to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) while N15 million is to be spent by the National Agency for Control of AIDS (NACA). Making this known yesterday in Abuja at the meeting World-Bank assisted HIV/AIDS programme development project, the Director General of the National Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS, This is coming against the startling revelation by the Minister of Finance, Dr. that UNAIDS, the umbrella organisation coordinating the global battle against HIV/AIDS says over 50 million people have been infected with the virus in the last 20 years.

According to Shamsuddeen, who was represented by the acting Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Alhaji Jibrin Zarewa, "Out of this figure about 22 million have died of AIDS related illness and 4.3million of them were children". "Today, over 40 million adults worldwide are HIV positive. Africa remains the worst affected continent in the world with its death toll from the virus confirmed at 2 million annually", he added. The Minister further said that since the first reported case in Nigeria in 1986, the phenomenon has reached a pandemic proportion as the prevalence rate stands at 0.5 per cent annually. "An estimated 4 million Nigerians are currently living with the HIV/AIDS virus. The epidemic is now beyond the commonly classified "high-risk groups" and is now evidently generalised", Shamsuddeen said. The Minister also observed that HIV/AIDS in Nigeria infects all age groups particularly the yound adults between 20 - 29 years, adding that one major social effect of this is the increasing number of orhans generated by the epidemic. He also stated that the number of orphans as a result of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria is estimated at N1.5 million.

According to the Minister, the objective of the meeting is to discuss and agree on the need to create a budget line for HIV/AIDS activities in Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (FMDAs). "The funding of these activities is now largely dependent on the World Bank credit support to Nigeria which will close in June, 2009. In order to scale up the public-sector response, there is need to evolve an internal funding mechanism that would sustain the temp of activities and consolidate the gains recorded from the World Bank support", he added. Earlier, Professor Babatunde Osotimehin, the Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDs, recalled that the sum of N1.53billion was appropriated for the fight of the disease by the Federal Government.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

• South Africa: Better Management of TB Results in Higher Cure Rate: BuaNews (Tshwane): 4 July 2008.

Government has successfully been able to manage and treat more Tuberculosis (TB) patients in "crisis" areas such as Johannesburg, with the Department of Health reporting an increase in the TB cure rate. Addressing the four-day South African TB Conference, organised by the Foundation for Professional Development, Manager of the department's TB Programme, Dr Lindiwe Mvusi said TB cure rates in crisis districts have shown

42 progress. "We need to sustain the gains we made in these districts," said Ms Mvusi, adding that crisis districts include Johannesburg, eThekwini, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality and Amathole in the Eastern Cape.

During the first six months of 2005, the national cure rate was 54.9 percent. This figure increased to 62.9 percent for the same period in 2006. The number of people reported to be infected with TB in the country is also leveling off with 337 641 cases reported in 2007, down from 341 165 in 2006, according the department. Further to this, the department recording a reduction in the numbers of TB patients who default on their treatment between 2000 and 2006. The national defaulter rate was 8.8 percent for the first quarters of 2006, which was down from 9.7 percent for the same period in 2005. The Umsinga sub-district, which includes Tugela Ferry where the first cases of Extreme Drug-Resistant TB (XDR-TB) were reported, has already achieved a zero percent defaulter rate. Confirming this Ms Mvusi said: "The outcomes of notification on treatment of patients in 2006 are very low." The TB Defaulter Tracing Teams, which were established to ensure defaulters returned to their hospitals for treatment, have since February this year been able to locate 92 percent of treatment defaulters in the sub- districts where they are deployed. This successful project will soon be expanded to other districts The conference, which kicked off in Durban on Tuesday, aims to sharpen the country's TB programme and also explore the roles of civil society organisations and communities in assisting government to deal with the challenges TB presents.Interventions such as strengthening TB control and health systems; empowering people with TB and civil society; prioritising TB research and implementing the Directly Observed Treatment came under the spotlight. Ms Mvusi called for effective programme management and complementary roles of all within the health system and partners towards the control of TB. She noted that poverty and poor financial and human resources, a high mobility of patients, poor infection control in facilities and high TB and HIV co-infection were among the challenges needs to be addressed. The need to adopt a community based approach, through the involvement of all community structures, was need with regards to TB control. "TB control is a human right, a public good and a public health issue. We can make a difference," Ms Mvusi said.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Kenya: Health Workers Call Off Strike: The Nation (Nairobi): 5 July 2008.

Doctors and other health workers at the Nakuru-based Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital have called off a two-day strike after the intervention of senior Government officials. Doctors, medical consultants and nurses were protesting against unsuitable working conditions following the disconnection of water supply to the hospital. Supplies were disconnected due to non-payment of a Sh97 million bill. The Rift Valley Provincial Medical Officer, Dr John Odondi, held a crisis meeting with the staff. Dr Odondi confirmed that operations had returned to normal. He said staff had no option but to resume duties "since the boycott was illegal and the issues that they raised were not new." Medical Services permanent secretary, Hezron Nyangito, his Public Health counterpart

43 James Nyikal and their Ministry of Water and Irrigation colleague, Dr David Stower, visited the hospital to try and resolve the issue. Patients complained that they had not been attended to since Wednesday and some had been moved to private hospitals by relatives. Water to the institution was reconnected on Thursday afternoon after the permanent secretaries promised the Nakuru Water Company that the debt would be paid. The permanent secretaries also assessed the situation following a cholera outbreak in various parts of Nakuru and Naivasha. The disease has been contained and no new cases have been reported. Dr Nyikal said that three people had died while 34 were diagnosed to be suffering from the disease and 28 had been admitted to the Rift Valley General Hospital.

CENTRAL AFRICA

• Rwanda: Researchers Push for Rapid Circumcision Campaigns: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 4 July 2008.

Local and international researchers want government to move fast to implement the planned mass circumcision drive as part of efforts to curb the spread of HIV/Aids, RNA reports. In a set of recommendations after the fourth annual conference on HIV research concluded on Thursday, delegates called for a 'rapid campaign' to sensitise the population about male circumcision before it is put to work. Early this year, the Ministry of Health declared its intention to include circumcision as a control strategy for the HIV spread. Studies presented at the conference show that circumcision has been scientifically proven to reduce a man's risk of contracting the virus from an infected sexual partner by as much as 60 percent. The voluntary circumcision programme is expected to start in August. Government has already lined the military to launch the exercise. "We will use the military as role models for the rest of the population - they are adult enough to give consent, and if young men see that soldiers are willing to suffer the pain of circumcision, they will also get the courage to do it," said Dr Agnes Binagwaho, executive secretary of National AIDS commission (CNLS).

"After the military we will concentrate on students and, finally, on the general population; eventually we hope to move on to circumcising new-born babies, as long as research proves that it is advantageous and cost-effective to do so." Unlike many other cultures in the region, Rwandan men and boys are not circumcised as a rite of passage, so it is unclear exactly how many men are circumcised but the number is presumed to be low. Research is underway to determine the percentage of men eligible for circumcision. Meanwhile, Rwanda's Centre for Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, known as TRAC PLUS, is to conduct a 'knowledge, attitude and practice' survey in the army to determine the level of awareness-raising needed, followed by a similar survey among the general population ahead of national rollout of the programme in 2009, reports UN news service IRIN. "The survey will ask questions like whether or not they know what circumcision is, whether they can name its advantages or disadvantages, whether they will continue to use condoms following circumcision, and so on. After that, CNLS will be responsible for information, education and communicating the message of

44 circumcision to the public," Elévanie Nyankesha, HIV prevention coordinator of TRAC PLUS told IRIN. "Our national public awareness campaign is due to start in July [2008] and will make it clear that circumcision cannot replace any of our existing prevention strategies - education, abstinence, faithfulness to a single sexual partner and correct and consistent use of condoms," Dr. Binagwaho told IRIN.

"People must be made aware that although circumcision is beneficial, there is still a 40 percent risk of HIV transmission, so they must know that it must be used in conjunction with another HIV prevention method, such as condom use," she said. Vague statistics available indicate that HIV prevalence in the army is estimated at between 2% and 3% - slightly lower than the national average of three percent. Intense prevention activities have been carried out since the mid-1990s, and barracks and military hospitals are plastered with billboards and posters urging soldiers to use condoms and be tested for HIV.

"We recently interviewed 70 men at one of the army's VCT [voluntary counselling and testing] centres and, surprisingly, it turned out that 55 of them had already been circumcised either for hygiene reasons, to prevent other diseases or because they believed it would improve their sexual performance," said Dr Charles Murego, director of medical services in the Ministry of Defence. The circumcision campaign is to be rolled out gradually over a long period, because the 35,000-strong RDF could not afford to have hundreds of men incapacitated at the same time: "We will circumcise, say, 50 soldiers per week - it would be too dangerous to carry out mass circumcision in the army." The experts appealed for a review of the prison service in Rwanda to allow reinforcement of preventive mechanisms and treatment of HIV in prisons. Research heard shows that prevalence among inmates is raging at 6% - way above the national rate. The conference also wants efforts intensified for availability and accessibility of preservatives, as well as behavioral changes over their use. Faced with statistics suggesting that women are positively responding to HIV testing but without their partners, campaigners are advocating for 'favorable environment' to facilitate Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) targeting couples.

• Rwanda: More Men Dying On Antiretroviral Treatment: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 3 July 2008.

More women are taking antiretroviral medication in Rwanda but more men are dying during the treatment, TRAC Plus - the agency managing the ARV program says. Men are testing for HIV infection late and by the time they are on ARVs, their sero-status is usually in advanced stages that they do live much shorter compared to women, said Dr. Jule Mugabo from TRAC Plus. Among the 53.615 ARV recipients countrywide, there are more women. The death rate among men stands at 3% compared to just 1.9 percent in women, according to the 2007 TRAC Plus report on HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care and Treatment in Rwanda. "Part of the explanation could be that men are drinking alcohol and more often they are engaging in sex where they have multiple partners", Dr. Mugabo told the HIV/Aids research symposium in Kigali on Thursday. Figures from TRAC Plus also indicate that enrollment into the ARV program is 'rapidly increasing' on average at

45 about 1200 patients every month. Last year, about 800.000 people were counseled and tested.

19. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS WEST AFRICA

• Ghana: Workshop On Prevention of Marine Pollution Begins: Accra Mail (Accra): 4 July 2008.

A three-day regional workshop on the London Convention and Protocol in West Africa aimed at preventing marine pollution began in Accra. Its goal was to increase awareness on the effects of waste dumping at sea. The workshop comes in anticipation of increased shipping and related maritime activities in Ghana's territorial waters as a result of the oil find. Six other countries within the sub-region, namely, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Liberia and the Gambia are attending the workshop, under the theme: "Working Towards Protecting the Maritime Environment." Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of Harbours and Railways, opened the workshop by stressing the importance of the Convention in protecting the country's territorial waters, especially with the impending oil exploration. "As a result, we all need to consider the negative impact associated with activities on the marine environment and the design of proactive measures to forestall their occurrence," he added.

The Minister noted that government had already taken proactive measures for the effective implementation of the Conventions domestically, except the MARPOL Convention Annexes 111-VI, which are currently due for consideration by Cabinet. The MARPOL Convention is an International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, applicable world-wide. It consists of the Articles, which contain general regulations and definitions, and six Annexes dealing with different types of marine pollution by ships. He said the country had also ratified the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage and the Establishment of Oil Pollution Damage Fund to become a qualified beneficiary for compensation under their regimes as a risk management policy. Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi said works have also been initiated for the installation of an electronic surveillance system with coverage range of 200 nautical miles into the sea and a complete coastline stretch from Axim to Odaa for 24-hour surveillance on territorial waters and the economic exclusive zone. The Minister further advised all stakeholders, especially fishermen, beach resort operators and oil and gas project executors to attend the workshop to maximise profits. Mr. Issaka Peter Azuma, Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), pointed out that the recent dumping of toxic chemicals within the territorial waters of a sister country was still fresh in memory and its recurrence should never be repeated. He said it was as a result of such threats that the GMA in collaboration with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) had organised the workshop to expose state parties of the Convention to the dangers of disposal of waste within the Gulf Steam. Mr. Azuma hinted that Ghana had commenced the implementation of a Port State Control Programme, as recommended in the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding at the last IMO regional meeting. He said the Programme would ensure that sub-standard ships from foreign countries were not

46 permitted to operate within Ghana's territorial waters as practiced in other regional blocks. "We will not compromise on our port state control measures on un-seaworthy ships especially crude oil carriers and chemical tankers," he said. Mr. Azuma pledged the GMA would intensify its auditing programme on operators of reception facilities and off- shore monitoring systems in order to prevent possible pollution of the marine environment. Mr. Michael Luguje, IMO Representative, in a speech read on his behalf, charged the sub-region to do more to protect its marine environment, considering its rapid growth in the oil and gas sectors. The London Convention was adopted in 1972 and modernized in 1996 to make way for few accepted wastes such as dredged material, sewage, sludge, fish waste and wrecked vessels.

• Nigeria: Cross River to Set Up Ecosystem Monitoring Mechanism: Vanguard (Lagos): 3 July 2008.

In order to protect the rich ecosystem of , the State government is to set up an institutional mechanism to facilitate compliance monitoring and enforcement of environmental standards and regulations. This was part of the fallout of the just concluded stakeholders Summit On The Environment organized by the state government in Calabar. The Summit observed among other things that the environmental problems of the state included flood and erosion, industrial, marine and oil pollution, land degradation, deforestation and forest degradation, biodiversity loss, watershed destruction and invasive species encroachment." After extensive deliberations spanning a period of three days, participants in the Summit recommended a "mainstream environmental education into the school curriculum at all levels and in collaboration with stakeholders particularly NGOs and CBOs to identify more effective ways of arousing the interest of children and youths in environmental issues." They also recommended the establishment of a museum of Natural History to support eco-tourism and environmental education and also for the adoption of a multisectoral approach to review and harmonise all legal frameworks and institutions dealing with environmental issues in the state." In a communique issued after the three-day summit, they called on the state government to "set up an institutional mechanism to facilitate compliance monitoring and enforcement of environmental standards and regulations, and to partner with the National Environmental Strandards and Regulations Enforcement Agencies (NESREA).

During the Summit a documentary on the environment, "An Incovenient Truth" written and produced by former Vice-President of America, Mr. Al Gore was also shown to participants.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

• Namibia: MET to Auction Selected Species: New Era (Windhoek): 1 July 2008.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism will conduct a wildlife auction of rare and high-demand game species from State-owned game parks towards the end of this month. The exercise, which takes place every second year, was created specifically to channel

47 revenue from wildlife products into conservation and community development programmes. It provides the mechanism through which revenue from wildlife auctions can be used to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to fulfil its obligations in terms of biodiversity conservation and protected area management. An auction held by MET in 2006 earned over N$9.2 million which was deposited in the Game Products Trust Fund (GPTF). The Director of Scientific Services, Dr Fanuel Demas, indicated that game for the auction is being captured in the Waterberg Plateau Park and the Etosha National Park.

The captures started last month with the rhino and buffalo already in pens at Waterberg Plateau Park. During the first week of July, the capture team will move to Etosha National Park to capture sable and black-faced impala before moving back to the Waterberg Plateau Park to capture additional sable and giraffe. The eight black rhinos (5 females and 3 males) from Waterberg Plateau Park are expected to do very well at the auction, generating significant revenue for conservation efforts.

The black rhino will be sold for export only and not for farming within the country as the entire Namibian black rhino population is being managed as a meta-population. In a statement, the directorate said fragmented privately owned and State-owned rhino would result in biological management complications of this flagship species, which is tightly controlled through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna & Flora (CITES). The 40 disease-free buffalo (28 females and 12 males) from Waterberg Plateau Park are also expected to do well. Due to veterinary restrictions, placement of buffaloes south of the Cordon Fence (with the exception of Waterberg Plateau Park) is prohibited. Hence, the buffalo will be for export only and like the black rhino not for farmers intending to farm with the buffalo in Namibia. Ninety black-faced impala (68 females and 22 males) are also up for sale. This species, which has a historic range in northwestern Namibia and southwestern Angola, is unique and sought after. The ministry's management plan for black-faced impala aims to re-establish viable breeding populations in suitable areas, preferably in the historic range, and to promote black-faced impala as an economically viable alternative to common impala.

The black-faced impala on auction will provide an opportunity for the local wildlife sector to acquire breeding stock for establishing viable populations within the suitable range identified for this species.

The auction aims to mainly sell black-faced impala to local buyers within the historic range, not for export. One auction will also be 16 sables consisting of a breeding herd of six animals (2 males and 4 females) and 10 bulls, five of which will be sourced from Khoabendes in the Etosha National Park and five from the Waterberg Plateau Park. The sable breeding herd and bulls will provide excellent breeding stock for buyers interested in obtaining good breeding material. These are also not for export. Twenty-one giraffes (12 females and 9 males) from Waterberg Plateau Park will also be on auction. The giraffes are also expected to do well and will be sold to local buyers, and are also not for export.

48 EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Uganda: Anti-Plastic Campaign Successful in Kampala: New Vision (Kampala): 2 July 2008.

THE Polythene Waste Wise Campaign that has been running in Kampala for two months should be rolled out to other parts of the country. Paul Kyeyune, the Uganda Revenue Authority assistant commissioner for public and corporate affairs, has said. This is good news for the local authorities across the country who are grappling with the buveera menace. The campaign, which was launched by the environment minister, Maria Mutagamba, to celebrate the World Environment Day on May 30, has seen about 7,500kg of buveera collected from Kampala. Plastics that were collected were taken to Spa- packaging Uganda Limited (SPUL), a recycling company in Industrial Area. The campaign is part of URA's social responsibility to promote the Government ban on polythene. Touring SPUL recently, Kyeyune said: "Tones of buveera have been collected and handed over for recycling. We want to reduce on the waste, while encouraging behavioural change towards the use and disposal of polythene. Ramesh Babu, SPUL's managing director said they offer sh300 per kilogramme of waste polythene.

CENTRAL AFRICA

• Rwanda: Bill Against Polythene Bags Passed: The New Times (Kigali): 3 July 2008.

Legislators Wednesday approved a bill prohibiting the manufacturing, importation, use and sale of polythene bags in the country. The new legislation adds momentum to an earlier law on protection, conservation and management of the environment which initialed the current ban on polythene. According to Aaron Makuba, the president of the parliament's commission on agriculture, livestock and environment, the earlier law was the basis for this new one which puts particular emphasis on a particular type of environmentally harmful polythene.

"The law doesn't completely do away with all kinds of plastics, but it will deal with a particular harmful type," Makuba told the chamber of deputies. He explained that not all plastic material is harmful or could be eliminated since many other important things are made from plastics. The law defines this particular polythene as the synthetic plastic material made up of numerous simple molecules called ethene (monomer) with chemical formula CH2=CH2 normally used for packaging. Some legislators, however, wondered how an ordinary person could understand the chemical formula in order to avoid that type of polythene. The commission fielded many questions regarding the confusion surrounding the issue, especially on what type is banned and how the ban could be efficiently implemented. Both the State minister in charge of Environment, Water and Mines Prof. Munyanganizi Bikoro and the Vice President of the commission, Julianna Kantengwa who were present during the debate, were tasked to shed light on the issue. The minister acknowledged the fact that plastics come in many forms and uses and stressed that it would be proper to stick to only what is referred to in the law. Kantengwa also reminded the MPs that 'plastics' is not Rwandan but a foreign word, hence the

49 difficulty in finding a simpler definition. "We could only refer to chemistry for a better explanation," she said, adding, "It took us a whole week discussing this." She said the formula was causing problems but this should not be a problem to ordinary Rwandans since the key people - manufacturers and importers - know what is and what is not wanted, and will know what to put on the Rwandan market as required by the law.

"Unlike ordinary Rwandans, they are more knowledgeable," she said. According to the law, institutions to control the utilization of polythene include the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS), security organs, local authorities and others authorized by REMA. Rwanda is one of the countries focused on curbing the harmful consequences of polythene, especially the dangers posed to the environment. Discarded polythene bags choke the sewers and most often find their way into the stomachs of cattle. The presence of chemicals in polythene bags affects soil fertility and hence plant yields, while burning of polythene bags releases poisonous gases and harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. Using paper bags instead of polythene bags is seen by many as a viable option.

• Cameroon: Research Confirms Trawling Caused Havoc: The Post (Buea): 4 July 2008.

A team of experts from the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, MINEPAT, have released a report confirming that twin trawling along Cameroon's coastline has caused regrettable damage to the fish population. Fosso Kemajou (team leader) and Israel Ngalla, Monday, June 30, presented in Limbe, the results of data collected in line with government's new programme dubbed the Atlantic Community Integrated Development Programme, ACIDP. "In fact, fishing is being done without respecting the norms. The dimensions of the nets which are being used are too small so they catch almost everything including fingerlings, which means that the base of fishing is being destroyed," Ngalla said. He added that products prohibited for fishing such as toxic chemicals, which also kill the fishes are often used.To make matters worse, the twin trawlers rake almost everything and fishing zones are not respected. They also tamper with breeding grounds.

"It is a very serious problem which if not looked into, eventually, we will be by the sea and we won't have fish to eat," remarked Ngalla.He, however, said the above scenario does not only apply to those involved in twin trawling, but also to some local fishermen who indulge in bad fishing habits. Besides the damage caused by twin trawling, the report also indicated that for ACIDP to work effectively, access roads must be provided to ease the evacuation of farm produce, social amenities like health centres and qualified staff must be provided in some areas. The report also named problems encountered like heightened pollution of the coastal waters, irrational exploitation and poor management of coastal resources and management of biodiversity and, among others, poor control and distribution of human settlement and industrial establishments. Fosso and Ngalla said their research was one of the major steps in the on-going programme, which began in April across the three coastal provinces: South, Littoral and the Southwest. Ngalla said their report would be forwarded to the various sectors in the ministries concerned for

50 consideration and final approval. On her part, the Division Delegate of MINEPAT, Mrs. Martha Nkwanyuo, said if things work out well, the women would specially benefit since they make the bulk of those involved in the fish smoking business. To her, if government could step in with revenue-generating programmes that would help boost the fishing sector, their livelihoods would certainly be made better.But the denizens expressed doubts. They sought to know if the programme had taken into consideration the dire need to guard the waters and ensure that destructive fishing habits such as twin trawling are fully checked. "This has been taken care of," the MINEPAT Delegate reassured them.Nevertheless, the denizens were still doubtful of government's commitment in establishing and maintaining a surveillance force in the waters. They cited the example of some surveillance boats the Southwest Development Authority, SOWEDA, provided for Limbe some years back, but fuelling them, most of the times, is always a problem.

20. ENERGY WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Why Niger-Delta Summit Will Not Hold - Leaders: Vanguard (Lagos): 5 July 2008.

From a secret meeting of the Niger Delta leaders has emerged a consensus that the proposed Niger Delta Summit that has been in the draft for over a year will not hold, after all, Saturday Vanguard can authoritatively report. M.T. Mbu, former Board of Trustees Chairman of the South-South Peoples Assembly, SSPA; Mr. Ann Kio, Ijaw Women leader, Chief E.K. Clark, a notable chieftain from the region, Chief Frank Kokori and Comrade Eva unanimously agreed that there is really no need for another Niger-Delta Summit as the region has over the years been bombarded by all manner of summits, conferences, seminars and the like.

"I will put up a paper on this issue and there have been other papers and reports on Niger- Delta. that chronicled the peoples agitations. We keep saying the same thing over and over again and this time, I will revisit history and how it all started," Clark had responded. Mbu who was the national chairman of South-South Peoples Assembly said that the time has come to collate everything that has been said in the past about the problem and come up with a white paper which would contain what the people want from the government that so as to douse the controversy surrounding the proposed summit. "We have taken a decision on this matter. There is no need for another Niger Delta summit now until certain things are done. We are asking for a collation of all the recommendations made in the past about the Niger Delta problem. "When this is done, we should then present this to the Federal Government because we have seen so many summits, conferences, seminars on the Niger-Delta question and none of the recommendations in these reports have been implemented by the government. President Yar'Adua said Niger Delta is part of his seven-point agenda. So, we don't want talks this time. We want action. We want a collation of past reports and recommendations made so we would agree on what government should do. That is what we are saying."

51 However, Mrs. Ann Kio, an activist and leader of Ijaw Women in her opinion said many people don't seem to appreciate the Niger-Delta problem. Chief Frank Kokori, former general secretary of NUPENG equally toes the same line of thought. "The people are tired of this ritual of constant summits. There are too many of them in the past. We want government to gather these reports and see things that have been said in the past. They should separate the chaff from the substance and do something with them. All these reports are in the library somewhere and they contain substance." Comrade Joseph Eva, coordinator of Ijaw Monitoring Group, IMG, thinks the federal government deliberately wants to create a problem for Vice President who is one of their own. "It is not Gambari that is the problem. We don't want the summit to hold because we have held countless summits which reports never got implemented. We believe the Yar'Adua government wants to use the summit to buy time for their four years because it won't be able to do anything with whatever report would come out of the summit. "But, it seems they want to create problem between Niger Delta and our son Jonathan. We are asking for a simple thing: implement the Alex Ogomudia report: The Niger Delta region should be like Abuja. That is why our boys are attacking oil stations. That is what our boys are saying." Saturday Vanguard had learnt that a last minute attempt to soften opinion of those opposed to the summit was held in June 29, at Aguda Hall, in the Presidential Villa, by the Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Some of the dignitaries said to have attended the stakeholders' meeting, involving Niger-Delta opinion leaders, governors and National Assembly members were former Governor, Chief James Ibori who sat near the Ijaw nationalist leader, Chief Edwin Clark, former governor of Akwa-Ibom state.

Obong Victor Attah, former governor of , Dr. Peter Odili, former governor of the old Rivers state, King Alfred Diette-Spiff, who led the delegation, former Minister of Information, Prof Sam Oyovbaire, former Chief of Defence Staff, General (rtd.), whose Presidential Committee report on the Niger- Delta is one of the reports that people are calling for their implementation, instead of going for another round of talks, Senators Uche Chukwumerije, Ewa Henshaw and Victor Edoma-Egba, president of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof Kimse Okoko, former Minister of External Affairs, Ambassador Matthew Mbu, Niger-Delta youth activist and president of the Federated Niger-Delta Ijaw Communities (FNDIC), Chief Bello Oboko, publisher of Thisday newspapers, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, among many others.

Our source also said that there was political horse-trading before the meeting commenced with one of the governors and aides of Jonathan, leading a subtle campaign to help the Vice President have his way with the opinion leaders and others. Some persons were allegedly recruited to persuade the hardliners to soften their position before the meeting. The previous day, Jonathan allegedly held a meeting with the governors to solicit their support and he was counting on their loyalty and ability to persuade the minds of the delegates from their states. Saturday Vanguard gathered that there was no communiqué issued at the end of the meeting but the decipherable conclusion was that the Vice President should go back and tell his boss, President Yar'Adua that the Niger-Delta people did not want to attend any summit, much less one chaired by Gambari. They also urged Gambari to reject the appointment since the people were fiercely against him.

52 Whether the Niger Deltans will change their mind later to be part of the planned summit if Gambari is replaced with another person is not yet clear. But Saturday Vanguard gathered that the preponderance of opinion at the meeting was there was no need for a fresh summit. And that the federal government cannot on its own forge ahead with the summit when the people of the region have said they do not want it.

Moreover, leaders of the Niger Delta region in meeting condemned comments of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) that the Niger-Delta leaders were responsible for militancy in the region. They therefore upbraided the Northern leaders for their unguarded utterance. Some of the governors, Saturday Vanguard learnt, had earlier advised the Vice President against the choice of Gambari for the summit, given the wide resentment against him. The Vice President was said to have remarked that he had gone far at that stage and it was not easy to withdraw his nomination.

The Vice President, in his address, was said to have noted the limitation of his consultation since the summit was mooted, adding that though it was not to slight the leaders, he was said to have explained that the communication gap was due to reasons beyond his immediate control. Asking for the leaders' understanding, Jonathan allegedly explained how Gambari was drafted into the summit.According to the source, Jonathan owned up that if anybody was to be blamed for the Gambari choice, it should not the President but himself, Jonathan, because he took the decision. Gambari, he is said to have told the gathering, is a staff of the UN and the body deals with presidents and not vice presidents of a country. In the case of Nigeria, it bent backwards to accommodate his request for the release of Gambari to chair the summit because of its interest in the Niger- Delta matter. "The Vice President said he was not aware of the sentiments that have been thrown up on Gambari before his appointment and that three of them sat down in his office and took the decision. He said he was guided by the feeling that it was good for an international figure but not somebody from outside Nigeria should chair the summit so as not to give the impression that Nigerians cannot manage their own problems, adding that he saw Gambari's appointment as a home-coming for a Nigerian who had been rendering service to other countries of the world", a source told Saturday Vanguard.

• Nigeria: Pipeline Vandalisation May Derail Power Emergency, Says Shell: This Day (Lagos): 5 July 2008.

The state of emergency which President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua is planning to declare in the power sector may not bring about the desired result except the Federal Government finds a lasting solution to the spate of gas pipelines vandalisation in the Niger Delta. The alarm was raised yesterday by the Shell Petroleum Development Company's (SPDC) Head of Pipelines (East), Mr. Godwin Idoko during an interactive session with newsmen in Port Harcourt. As part of efforts to increase power generation in the country, considerable resources will have to be spent in the development of gas infrastructure and pipelines that will supply gas to the thermal power stations. If this is hampered, the nation's power problems will continue to persist. Idoko noted that the combined activities of land speculators that encroach on pipelines' right of way and vandals endanger not only the power sector but also the region. Idoko described the situation as "an accident

53 waiting to happen," pointing out that even the new power plants planned by the government are gas fired. "Unless the pipelines are secured, the plants would be starved of gas through vandalisation. If this trend continues, it also means that gas pipelines that will be installed will be endangered and that means that we have to put in an effective framework to ensure that we don't have encroachment, otherwise even the independent power projects will be threatened. "It is one thing to install the plants, but what makes the plants profitable or able to generate power is the gas that runs it, that drives it. And you must be able to get this gas to those power plants," he noted. While admitting that poverty and lack of development have engendered the spate of Vandalisation, he canvassed for a situation whereby assistance would be made available to people living in the creeks as it would discourage vandalisation. He decried the level of poverty of communities in the creeks, pointing out that they should, like other Nigerians, have access to the good things of life, adding that it was for the government to provide them with utilities. The company said it has over 75,000 kilometers of pipelines that run across 600 communities but regretted that at places like Oyigbo and Rumuodumaya, there has been encroachment. He said in Etelebou, a water factory was built on SPDC's pipelines' right of way.

• Liberia: Bids Open for New Petroleum Blocks: The NEWS (Monrovia): 4 July 2008.

The Liberian government says the probability of discovering oil off its shores is a 50-70 chance, adding that there are good prospects ahead. Lands, Mines and Energy Minister Dr. Eugene Shannon said based on geological information that the Gulf of Guinea is where some West African nations have discovered oil, it is probable that Liberia could discover oil as well. Minister Shannon spoke with journalists Tuesday at the second Liberia offshore Petroleum Bid round which was launched on December 1, 2007. The bid process took place at the Episcopal Church Plaza on Ashmun Street. Three companies biding for blocks include H.K. Tong Tai International, Mittal Investment SARL and Anardaco, an American firm said to have been involved in the discovery of oil in Ghana. The three companies are said to have made a non-refundable payment of US$25,000 each to begin the process. According to him, out of 18 blocks, five were previously bided for, and the last three would be given following a biding process, evaluation and due diligence processes. He said a technical committee will vet the bid agreements, evaluate the companies before going for due diligence following which a shot list would be sent to management which will send its report to the board for onward transmission to the President who will present the document to the national legislature. The President of NICOL, Dr. Fodee Kromah said a private professional company with experience in the area will be hired to carry out the due diligence in order to have financial look of the companies. He explained that following the biding process, the next stage is (the three day), an exploration process that gives the company the opportunity to drill for oil. "There's no instrument that tells you there is oil here until you drill, but you have to keep trying until a discovery is made," he said.

54 SOUTHERN AFRICA

• Angola: Netherlands Wants to Import Gas From Country: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 4 July 2008.

The Dutch minister of Economic Affairs, Maria Van Der Hoeven recently expressed her country's desire to import gas from Angola for its distribution in East European States, ANGOP learnt. Maria Van Der Hoeven was speaking to press during an interview on the sidelines of the World Petroleum Congress that ended on Thursday in Madrid, Spain. "We wish to become a centre for gas distribution in the European market, therefore it is important to concert arrange the sending of oil to the Netherlands", she explained, adding that she intends to discuss with Angola and other countries like Iran about its interest. The 19th World Petroleum Congress started last Sunday.

• Zimbabwe: Triangle Resumes Ethanol Production: The Herald (Harare): 4 July 2008.

ZIMBABWE'S biggest sugar cane producer, Triangle Sugar Corporation, has resumed ethanol production at its plant in the Lowveld, in a milestone development that is expected to ease serious fuel woes that have been afflicting the country over the past decade. The ethanol is blended with petrol and the biofuel allows Zimbabwe to "grow" up to 15 percent of its own petrol. The resumption of ethanol production by Triangle was also expected to meet all the blending requirements by State's sole fuel procurer Noczim and save Zimbabwe millions of dollars in foreign currency every year. The ethanol plant at Triangle was decommissioned in the early 1990s following a severe countrywide drought but Government has of late been calling on Triangle to recommission the plant in the wake of prevailing fuel shortages in the country. Triangle chief executive officer Mr Sydney Mtsambiwa yesterday confirmed that his company had resumed ethanol production, adding that commissioning of the plant to produce fuel-grade ethanol was scheduled for middle of this month. His company was in the process of commissioning the upgraded ethanol plant to meet specifications for fuel-grade ethanol required by Noczim. Triangle produces over 35 million litres of ethanol a year but the figure was expected to rise with increased sugarcane hectarage in the Lowveld. The completion of Tokwe-Murkosi Dam in Chivi could also further boost ethanol production in the Lowveld as sugarcane production was expected to increase by between 15 and 20 percent in Chiredzi. Triangle's move to resume ethanol production comes at a time when the entire world is grappling with high fuel prices on the international market spurred by the weakening US dollar and conflicts in the Middle East.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Uganda: Sh234.7 Billion Earned From Electricity: New Vision (Kampala): 2 July 2008.

THE electricity industry earned revenues worth $144m (about sh234.7b) in 2007 from private investments, experts have disclosed. The earnings were due to several reforms,

55 which attracted investment in generation and distribution. Frost & Sullivan, a growth consulting firm said in a report, "Strategic Analysis of the Ugandan Electricity Industry," that the earnings would reach $323m in 2014. "Private investments have already begun to trickle in despite concerns about the risky political situations in Uganda and its neighbouring countries," Moses Duma, the Frost & Sullivan research analyst, said. "This pace of investment will speed up with the Government encouraging private-public partnerships to develop new generation capacities." Duma said the Government had guaranteed the security of private investments, which would further attract investors to an industry that presents significant opportunities due to high tariffs. The report is part of the Energy and Power Growth Partnership Service programme, which includes results of research carried in Nigeria, Kenya, Asia power plant markets, Southern Africa Development Cooperation and Africa steam and gas turbine markets. The US-founded firm has expertise in growth consulting, market research, financial analysis and international comparative reports.

• Tanzania: Govt Vows to Monitor Gas Projects: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 1 July 2008.

The government has said it will closely monitor the country's natural gas projects, which were contracted to a private investor, to make sure the majority benefits. The state-run Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) is overseeing the implementation of the projects, aimed at providing an alternative source of energy. TPDC contracted the Pan African Energy Company to implement the first phase of the project, which will cost $3 million and expected to be complete by March 2009. Energy and Mineral Resources deputy minister Adam Malima told parliament yesterday that the parastatal had no financial capacity to handle the projects by itself, but said the government would intervene to make sure the nation is not shortchanged by the partnership. The project is expected to provide the much-needed alternative source of energy for domestic and industrial use. According to officials, two motor vehicle refilling stations and a compress gas plant would be established. And in the pilot project, 200 motor vehicles, 73 residential houses in Mikocheni, hotels and other various institutions will be involved. Some of the institutions are the Muhimbili National Hospital, JKT Mgulani, Ukonga and Keko prisons facilities. The hotels are Movenpick, Southern Sun Dar es Salaam (former Holliday Inn), Kempinski, New Africa and Sea Cliff. Minister Malima said the second phase, whose implementation will depend on the availability of funds, would cost $32 million. It will involve 3,000 motor vehicles and the construction of a pipe network to supply compressed natural gas to 30,000 residential houses.

21. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY WEST AFRICA

• Ghana: Communities Have Not Benefited From Royalties - CHRAJ: Public Agenda (Accra): 4 July 2008.

The Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has said that communities impacted by mining activities have not benefited directly from mining

56 royalties. According to CHRAJ the current problem could be attributed to the fact that the constitution does not specifically require the traditional authorities to distribute the percentage received in any coherent manner. Also there is no transparency in the collection and distribution of the revenues.

CHRAJ further reveals that there is no apparent procedure or means by which inhabitants of the various traditional stools in the mining communities can ascertain the amount of royalties or revenue received from the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands. In a draft investigative report into the state of human rights in mining communities, CHRAJ points out that its findings have revealed that although there is a clear distinction between the traditional authority and the stool, the 20% and 25% meant for the different groups go to the same people namely, the chief and his elders to the exclusion of the inhabitants of the stool community. "The inhabitants have been deprived of their livelihood through the expropriation of their lands for mining purposes. Yet, they hardly benefit from the royalties paid for the use of their land, there is a need to clarify the law in this area," it added. Touching on compensation and resettlement for mining communities, the report indicated that most communities were highly dissatisfied with the compensation paid by mining companies for crops. According to the report, the complaints were pervasive throughout large scale mining sites, but were more topical in areas operated by Anglo Gold Ashanti in Obuasi and Newmont Gold Ghana Limited (NGGL). The report said community members complained that they received inadequate compensation from companies for destroyed farms and crops. In addition , some community members suggested that no matter how huge the compensation paid it was never beneficial to them and recommended that , instead of taking over the land and paying ,them once , they should negotiate monthly payment. Also, they alleged that the process used to determine the value of their crops was unfair since in many cases the community alleged that company's workers valued the farms affected for compensation, instead of independent bodies doing the valuation.

The report further indicated that communities were not adequately consulted in the derivation of their value of the properties, in some cases companies often destroyed their properties before unilaterally determining how much they should receive; contrary to the Minerals and Mining Act which provides that companies negotiate directly with communities on matters regarding compensation. "Given the incapability of the communities, companies have undue advantage of these communities," it added. CHRAJ says the problems relating to compensation and resettlement are some of the key challenges in the communities affected by mining activities in Ghana, since the issues are complicated by lack of conceptual clarity concerning ownership of the land and its resources. The report observed that the ordinary farmer is always placed at the disadvantage vis-à-vis the company, since there is no evidence that the principles governing the payment of compensation under section 74 of the Act have been followed in the negotiations. CHRAJ revealed that in terms of knowledge, education and financial capacity the farmers are at a weaker bargaining position and as a result, the companies have taken undue advantage in determining the amount of compensation paid for their properties affected by mining activities, including crops. Touching on livelihood and employment, the report indicated that there was high discontent among communities due

57 to the inability of the mining companies in their area to employ the youth and were also dissatisfied with the number of community members employed by the companies. The report says one of the constraining factors why communities do not benefit from employment is the lack of skills required by the companies; this excuse was however dismissed by the communities claiming that is at variance with the promises of companies to offer them jobs, as a prerequisite for operating in their communities.

CHRAJ therefore recommended concerted efforts to prepare communities in the form of giving the youth appropriate skills for projects, the district administration and Youth Employment Scheme in such districts should play a critical role. It pointed out that Galamsey, which is very pervasive in most of the mining areas is bolstered by lack of viable employment or livelihood alternatives.

However, the activities of these galamsey miners provoked mixed reactions from various stakeholders. In most communities it was seen as a legitimate livelihood endeavour, whereas some saw it as a nuisance and accused them of destroying farms and polluting water bodies. "In areas where they operate in concessions of large-scale and registered small scale concessions, they are regarded as criminal encroachers," it added. Broadly, the report which is expected to be launched in the latter part of the year 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 have provided a variety of projects such as schools, boreholes, community centres, electricity and renovation of existing facilities in some of the communities. Although some communities showed appreciation for the projects others felt they were not consulted and would prefer other facilities they considered more important. And to make these projects more meaningful to the beneficiary communities CHRAJ recommended that companies should adequately consult communities on the selection, design and implementation of projects. According to CHRAJ sustainable livelihood projects are a novelty and the concepts appear to have been embraced and implemented by all mining companies visited, however the effectiveness of these projects and their ability to meet the intended goals were difficult to ascertain. CHRAJ indicated that the near uniformity of these programs namely grasscutter , guinea pig and snail raring , bee keeping , aqua culture ,oil palm and vegetable farming across many communities with varied cultures raises serious questions. The report said that while some beneficiaries of the projects expressed their appreciation, others considered them as mere public relations gimmick without real value to them. In addition some community members insisted that these programs were too restricted to selected individuals and therefore made little impact on the community as a whole. The report is the outcome of investigations launched in December 2006 aimed at assessing the human rights situation in mining communities, examining the extent of pollution of water bodies and the causes of environmental degradation and promoting cordial relations between mining companies and communities and was funded by DFID,UNDP and DANIDA.

• Ghana: Engen Wins Ghana-Nepad Award for Country Contribution: Public Agenda (Accra): 4 July 2008.

58 Engen Petroleum Ltd, the pan-African petroleum company and SA market leader, has taken Silver in the third Ghana-Africa Business awards for its contribution to the country's energy sector. The ceremony took place in Accra, Ghana's capital.

Presented by Ghana's Vice President, the award commends Engen Ghana Ltd for its "commendable contribution to the Ghana economy, in the context of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)". Aimed at fostering intra-African trade, it is conferred annually under the auspices of NEPAD and the Ghana Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation. "Needless to say we're enormously pleased with our achievement, and gratified to have the Ghanaian government's support," says John Mensah-Bonsu, Engen Ghana MD. The company commenced business in 1999 and the first Ghanaian retail site flighted in 2000. Its initial bid to acquire Ghana Oil having fallen through, it chose instead to build service stations. As of June 2008 it had 15 operational sites in the country, or 1.8% of the petroleum market. "While this hasn't matched our performance in other countries, Engen will grow its Ghana business," says Wayne Hartmann, Engen GM: International Business Development. "We're confident in our ability to do so in a country that has displayed the economic vision to embrace foreign trade and investment." Engen has far-reaching interests in the Southern-, West- and East- African regions, operating in more than fifteen countries. At a time when other oil companies are rationalising in Africa, it has been profitable in every African country in which it operates, says Hartmann.

• Nigeria: Telecoms Market - Country Maintains Lead in Africa: This Day (Lagos): 4 July 2008.

Nigeria has maintained its lead as African's largest telecoms market with 47 million active subscribers relegating South Africa to second place with 42.3 million recorded subscribers at the end of the first quarter of 2008.

Recent subscriber statistics of the South African telecoms market which lost its first place position to Nigeria late last year by cellular news showed that the South African market loss of 0.61m subscribers the first quarter of the year and Nigeria's strong showing in terms of subscriber numbers during the same period helped maintain Nigeria's lead. Thus South Africa by this showing has failed to break the 100% penetration barrier, having reached 97.9% at the end of 2007; the loss of customers saw it slide to 96.6%. The Nigerian Communications Commission NCC had two weeks ago announced an increase in the nation's subscriber base to 47,205,063 million at the end of April an increase of more than two million over the 45,899,711 recorded active subscriber base for the month of March. The results showed a marked increase in the nation's teledensity ratio from 32.79% to 33.72%. The teledensity ratio which was 0.73% in 2001 has steadily increased over the years till it hit the 33. 72 of April landmark. A breakdown of the recent NCC data showed that the total active subscriber base increased from 45,899,711, to 47,205,063 up from 42,915,867 recorded in January. Out of this total, GSM recorded 43, 786,542 active lines, mobile CDMA, 567,185 and fixed wired/wireless 1,545,984.

59 Total installed capacity also increased to 88,471,789 up from 84,698,559 with mobile GSM also the highest with 79,625,308, mobile CDMA 3, 170,000. While fixed wired /wireless 5,676,481. On the other hand, Cellular news which reported the South African subscriber numbers emphasised that the uptake of mobile technology has made South Africa the highest-penetrated sub-Saharan market, with Libya emerging as the first African market to surpass the 100% mark by reaching 104.9% at the end of Q1 08.

Vodacom was said to have suffered the greatest loss in real terms by shedding 0.79m active customers to slide back to 22.27m, lower even than the Q3 07 figure of 22.50m. Though it still remain the South Africa.s clear leader with 52.6% of the total, having gained year on year 1.70 million although this is its lowest figure since Q4 04. Another Network operator, Cell C also saw a decline in customers in the first quarter following marvellous gain in the fourth quarter of 2007. It lost 0.19m to slide back below 5m to 4.91m, with net annual additions totalling 1.68m. In terms of market share, it lost 0.3pp quarter on quarter but still recorded a rise compared to Q1 07, ending Q1 08 on 11.6%. The MTN Group which came third place in the South African market, although its number one in Nigeria emerged as the only operator to gain customers on a net basis in the first quarter, finishing up 0.37m on 15.17m. Combined with the other operators' losses, this saw it reach its highest market share figure for three years, with 35.8% of the total.This year has no doubt been good for MTN as its share of the 3G market has risen, a 10pp year on year gain taking its first quarter figure to 46.2% of the total. It went through the 1m barrier during the first quarter to finish on 1.12m thanks to a record-breaking 211k quarterly net additions. Vodacom finished on 1.30m. In total, the number of W-CDMA handsets grew by 163.6% year on year, from 0.9m to 2.4m.Because of the loss of customers in Q1 - the first such quarterly decline in more than six years - annual growth slumped to 14.4%, the lowest figure since Q2 02

• Gambia: Ecobank Opens More Branches: The Daily Observer (Banjul): 4 July 2008.

Ecobank, a household name in The Gambia for efficient, friendly, customer focused and excellent banking services, yesterday, opened two new branches. The new branches are at the Kanifing highway and West Field. In an interview with the Daily Observer, shortly after the official opening ceremonies, Fitzgerald Odonkor, managing director of the leading Pan African banking group with an unparalled reach and a unique operating platform in The Gambia expressed delight that they have been able to take an important step in bringing the Ecobank brand of banking closer to the public. According to Mr Odonkor, the Kanifing Branch will forcus on the industrial hub. "with the opening of these two branches, we will be able to serve the industrial sector better by providing a range of products including trade finance, leasing and regional payment services both for importers and exporters to the sub-region. We expect these products to further enhance the profitability and efficiency of these industries," he said.

The savvy Ecobank managing director added the Westfield branch which is the melting point of human activities is to embark on a very aggressive deposit mobilisation and make available products such as savings accounts, junior saving accounts, as well as

60 Western Union services. "This is the beginning of a campaign, which we have dubbed Ecobank Everywhere, to make our services more accessible and more available to the public. We welcome all and sundry to come and do business with us and they can be assured of excellent customer services at all our branches," he enthused. Mr Lamin Gaye, head of corporate affairs at Ecobank said the opening of the two branches is a major milestone in the operations of the bank given the fact that they started operations in The Gambia less than a year ago.

"Branch expansion is synonymous to our operation. It could be recalled that, we set ourselves a target from the inception to take banking and financial services to the doorsteps of the Gambian people and today we have made an indication of this commitment," he concluded.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

• Zimbabwe: 'Can I Give You Some Harare Luggage for Your US Dollars?' : UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 4 July 2008.

The flower seller booths on Unity Square in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, are now the haunt of money changers, because this is one of the few commercial activities in the country still experiencing any kind of growth.

Cosmos, 24, fell into the business a few years ago while working at a bar, where he changed some local money for foreign tourists who had US dollars, or "green leaf" as he calls it. The roughly US$150 a month he makes in profit helps support his mother and pay the educational costs for his younger sister. Dressed in a worn T-shirt bearing the slogan, "I'm saving for my retirement are you?", Cosmos told IRIN that one of the gauges used for the US dollar-Zimbabwe dollar exchange rate was the fuel price. On 4 July, US$1 dollar was worth Z$35 billion, and a litre of fuel cost Z$60 billion. Sonny, another currency dealer stationed opposite an upmarket hotel, was accosting potential customers with the line: "Do you want some Harare luggage?" a euphemism for the bundles of local currency a US dollar transaction requires. Sonny said he thought there must be thousands of illegal currency changers in Harare, while a passing patrol of about six riot police wearing crash helmets and carrying metre-long truncheons briefly interrupted business. Zimbabwe's largest denomination is currently a Z$50 billion note (US$1.40), but this is not currency, it is a bearer bond. Like other denominations, it has an expiry date, and although many of the smaller denominations have expired, it remains in circulation out of sheer necessity. Official estimates of Zimbabwe's annual inflation rate were last available in February 2008, when it was cited at an already staggering 165,000 percent. Estimates by independent economists now range anywhere between one million and 10 million percent. The currency dealers are kept busy, not by the few foreign visitors, but by the more than three million Zimbabweans thought to have left the country since 2000 that remit money back to their relatives. A food security analyst, who declined to be named, estimated that these remittances now equalled or bettered the foreign currency received

61 for the country's tobacco harvests, which used to contribute about one-third of the Zimbabwe's foreign currency reserves.

Local currency fading away: Inflationary pressures and demands to change ever- increasing amounts of money have already made it difficult for dealers to source enough local currency for exchange. Sonny told IRIN that he sourced large consignments of money from "the big men" who owned cash businesses, such as liquor stores, and sold his US dollars to them for local currency at preferential rates. A salesman at a luxury car dealership said customers had to deposit hard currency - US dollars or Euros - at the factory in Germany, although some residents told IRIN that they were using foreign currency to buy basic goods from shops instead of the local currency.

The cash crunch, which makes long queues outside every bank a feature of the city, is expected to worsen substantially since the German company that used to supply the paper for Zimbabwe's banknotes, Giesecke and Devrient, decided to cancel its contract with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), citing a "deteriorating" political situation in the country. "Our decision is a reaction to the political tension in Zimbabwe, which is mounting significantly rather than easing as expected, and takes account of the critical evaluation by the international community, German government and the general public," the company's chief executive, Karsten Ottenberg, said in a statement. General elections on 29 March saw the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) become the majority party in parliament, usurping ZANU-PF's domination for the first time since independence from Britain in 1980. In the presidential poll President Robert Mugabe came off second best to MDC candidate Morgan Tsvangirai, although Tsvangirai was unable to attain the 50 percent plus one vote required in the presidential poll for an outright win, and a second round of voting was required. In the lead-up to the 27 June presidential ballot, widespread violence saw Tsvangirai withdraw from the poll and Mugabe become the sole candidate. The run-off has been roundly condemned internationally as a farce, and even the few African observer missions permitted to monitor the poll declared the election unfree and unfair.

Printing money: "We have witnessed biting cash shortages before, but the withdrawal of the German-based company is going to plunge us into a far worse situation, and, as usual, it is the consumers, not political culprits, who will bear the brunt," John Robertson, an independent economist based in Harare, told IRIN. "Of late, we saw the RBZ printing money wantonly to finance elections, and give civil servants big salaries that were meant to keep them happy ahead of the polls -- unsuccessfully, though, because of rampant inflation -- but the central bank had the paper. Now it will no longer be the case and, as prices keep on rising, we will see less money in circulation," Robertson warned. He said the reduced capacity of the RBZ to print more money also meant that it would not be able to make adequate imports of essential goods, such as the staple food, maize. "The banking and transacting public should go about their business in the usual manner, as the above-mentioned development will not have any impact to the economy," RBZ governor Gideon Gono told the state-controlled The Herald newspaper. Signs of cash shortages are already there. Innocent Makwiramiti, an economist, businessman and former chief

62 executive officer of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC), said the withdrawal of Giesecke and Devrient would adversely affect business operations.

"Signs of cash shortages are already there. As businesspeople, we import raw materials and depend on the local currency we manage to get to buy foreign currency from the parallel market, but informal dealers are saying business is being affected by a shortage of notes. "As a result, we have to depend on bank transfers that don't involve cash, but that means we are having to buy the foreign currency from the [official] dealers at double the price, compared to the streets," Makwiramiti told IRIN. In order to remain in business, he said, they would have to pass on the costs to consumers, who were saying the increases in the prices of commodities had shot up beyond their reach since the 27 June elections. Makwiramiti said traders who were managing to get large sums of cash from daily sales were resorting to selling it at a premium. He doubted that the RBZ would be able to resolve the problem of cash "any time in the near future". He pointed out that "Alternative firms that supply the money paper might be unwilling to do business with a government that has been condemned internationally, or could ask for the kind of money that the central bank cannot manage to raise."

• South Africa: Income Disparity Widening: Business Day (Johannesburg): 4 July 2008.

INCOME disparities in SA have widened in the past two years, boosted by more rapid growth in high-income brackets, especially among blacks, says the Bureau of Market Research (BMR) at the University of SA (Unisa). Prof Carel van Aardt at Unisa told Business Day SA's Gini coefficient - an accepted way of measuring income inequality - widened to 0,65 this year from 0,63 in 2006. That is well above comparable emerging economies such as Brazil, Malaysia and Vietnam, he said. A zero coefficient implies all households have the same amount of wealth, while 1,0 would mean one household has everything. In 1994, SA's Gini coefficient was estimated at 0,57, mainly because there were fewer wealthy people, Van Aardt said. "It's what you would expect to happen because not everyone gains equally from sustained economic growth. The people who have gained most in SA are skilled black people," he said. The research also shows that income inequality is rising more rapidly among black South Africans. The Gini coefficient for this group jumped to 0,69 this year from 0,66 in 2006."The level of income inequality within the African population is of great concern," Van Aardt said. Although some have benefited from employment equity and black economic empowerment policies, those tools were "blunt instruments" for the unskilled , he said. The trend was likely to continue as unskilled people did not have access to institutions to improve their skills.

Another obstacle was that foreign direct investment into SA was too low to generate the kind of growth which would create jobs for low-skilled workers. Lastly, there was very low growth in self-employment, which created huge dependency on job creation, he said. "A lot of people are waiting for employment and that's not the answer. We need to change mindsets and that is not happening in SA," Van Aardt said. His research contrasts with estimates from Statistics SA, which put the Gini coefficient at 0,72 in its income and

63 expenditure household survey for SA in the 2005-06 financial year. Van Aardt said this was because Stats SA overestimated the number of people in the lowest income bracket. In its survey, Stats SA said that if social grants were excluded, SA's Gini coefficient would rise to 0,80. A BMR survey shows that the biggest number of people in the top income bracket, earning an annual salary of R750000 or more, lived in Gauteng. This was followed by Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumulanga. Gauteng also had the most people in the next income bracket, earning between R500000 and R750000 a year. KwaZulu-Natal came second, followed by Western Cape. The largest number of low- income earners with annual salaries of less than R50000 lived in KwaZulu-Natal, followed by Gauteng and then Eastern Cape. Van Aardt's research for 2006, released yesterday, estimates that 33,3-million South Africans earn less than R12200 per year - which is more than 70% of the population.

About 10,5% earned R48701 or more, while just more than 1- million people, or 2,2%, earned more than R194701 a year.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Uganda: Two Million to Lose Jobs Over Scrap Trade Ban: New Vision (Kampala): 3 July 2008.

OVER two million jobs are at risk if the Government implements the ban on exportation of scrap metals, the Uganda Scrap Metal Dealers and Exporters Association has warned. Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania have agreed to suspend trade in and export of metal scrap. The suspension is aimed at fighting electrical, railway and water equipment vandalism, which has hit the regional economy hard.

In their "Urgent meeting," which was attended by over 200 dealers from different parts of the country at the Kisenyi Social Centre on Tuesday, the dealers said scrap trade generates a large amount of foreign exchange, adding that its ban would create unemployment. James Kato, the association chairman, said: "Over two million people are earning a living from scrap trade which includes soft aluminum, steel, lead and copper." "We get the scrap metals from construction firms and from small collectors, used electronics such as computers, refrigerators, and cell phones," he added. Kato warned that the "blanket suspension would seriously affect our lives at these hard times." "We ask the Government to revoke the suspension, and have dialogue with us." He said the Government should reconsider the suspension until they sit together with utility firms to discuss the issue." Kato argued that his members did not want to be labelled as thieves. "Instead we want to help the Government catch the thieves." Kato said his members had expressed commitment to fighting vandalism and called on the Government and all parties involved to come up with ways of solving the menace. "We strongly condemn the vandalism of cables and transformers, railway slippers and water installations," he elaborated. "We are part of Uganda and we need to work together to stop this behaviour that retards development," Kato told a press conference in Kampala. Legalise the trade to enable disposal of their waste metal through licensed dealers or have parastatals personally export their waste metal.

64 • Kenya: Economic Growth Back On Track: The Nation (Nairobi): 4 July 2008.

Kenya's economic growth is on the recovery path after slowing down following the post- election violence, an international organisation and local investment outfit said on Thursday. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and AIG Investment, in separate statements, said that the economy had rebounded since the formation of the Grand Coalition Government. "We are quite confident that a growth rate of 4.5 per cent is achievable," Mr Edward Gitahi, a senior investment manager at AIG Investment said. AIG had earlier projected a 3.5 per cent growth rate based on first quarter's events and prevailing sentiments.

IMF projects a 4 per cent growth rate terming it as "a respectable result given the events of the first quarter." The revised projections came after a team from the international lender spent 10 days in the country assessing economic prospects and talking to government and players in private sector. "While a full recovery in some sectors is likely to take time, including in tourism, the economy as a whole is already rebounding," IMF noted in its statement. AIG Investment vice president, Mr Peter Wachira, said that should the economy fundamentals keep the current upturn, the rate could grow up to a high of between 6 and 7 per cent. "We have upgraded our growth projection to 4.5 per cent for 2008 and we are saying it can grow by 7 per cent," Mr Wachira said. That, he however added, depends on the ability of the coalition government to hold together and implement a broad based economic growth strategy. The government projects a growth rate of between 4 per cent in the worst-case scenario and an optimistic 6 per cent. On Tuesday, the government released growth figures reporting a negative 1.3 per cent growth over the first three months of the year but with a bullish outlook as inflation data showed signs of easing.

Cost of goods: Inflation, a measure of change in the cost of commodities, has been on an upward trend as result of post-election violence and high global fuel prices recording a high of 31.5 per cent in May. Last month, the rate receded to 29.3 per cent with experts projecting a further fall to about 25 per cent. "The inflation outlook is negative on the back of rising crude oil prices, high food prices and proposed increase in electricity tariffs. We, however, estimate that overall inflation could average 25 per cent in 2008," Mr Wachira said.

• Ethiopia: Oil Price, Inflation Critical Challenges – Minister: The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa): 4 July 2008.

Increasing oil price coupled rising inflationary pressure are among the most critical and immediate challenges standing on the way on the country's economic growth, Minister of Finance and Economic Development Sofian Ahmed said on Thursday.

These challenges the country faces may have a far reaching implication in maintaining the growth momentum achieved during the last five years, Sofian told economists converged for the Sixth International Conference on the Ethiopian Economy that kicked

65 off Thursday at the United Nations Conference Centre. The minister said that "on top of our medium and long-term challenges" oil price shock and inflationary pressure- aggravated by the former- have become the order of the day, which the country has to deal with. "We believe that both demand pressures and structural factors compounded by external factors have contributed to the high inflationary situation being observed during the last three years," he said referring to rising food prices in the case of Ethiopia. Sufian admitted that the urban poor are hardly hit by the increasing inflationary pressure driven by food inflation. He said the government was fully aware of the dangers of this inflationary pressure and has taken a number of measures-both short and long term- to curb the problem. "While the short term measures are believed to help in minimizing the intensity of the problem, we believe that the long term solution will help increase productivity across all economic sectors, particularly that of the small holder farmers," he said. The minister noted that more in-depth research and analytical works have to be done needs to be undertaken in a more systematic and structured manner to "enable us properly understand economic ills for informed decision making," Organized by the Ethiopian Economic Association (EEA), the Six International Conference on the Ethiopian Economy now being held from 3 to 5, at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) in Addis Ababa expected to touch a wide expanse of the national economy "I hope EEA could live up to this expectation if it maintains its independence and integrity as a professional association," he concluded calling for the professionals in general and the association, EEA, in particular to directly mobilize efforts in identifying and understanding current and potential problems in meeting the MDGs. More than 70 papers covering a wide range of the national economy would be presented in the three days conference, together with a number of panel discussions relating to critical policy and implementation issues that are expected to be discussed and debated up on. The Ethiopian Economic Association (EEA) was established on 25 November 1991 at the end of the First Annual Conference on the Ethiopian Economy which was organized by the Department of Economics of the Addis Ababa University (AAU) in collaboration with the Institute of Development Research of the AAU and sponsored by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung of Germany (FES).

CENTRAL AFRICA

• Rwanda: Government Planning to Bypass Kenya, Tanzania Ports: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 4 July 2008.

Rwanda intends to reduce dependence on Kenya and Tanzania for business routes by building a rail line through DR Congo and Zambia to make the landlocked country economically independent, President Paul Kagame has said.

Rwanda has to use the Kenyan port of Mombasa for its imports and exports, a risk that was highlighted during the political violence in Kenya in January and February. "We were thinking about this many years before these problems in Kenya," Mr. Kagame told Bloomberg Television in an interview on Tuesday in Egypt where he was taking in the African Union summit. "It's always logical not to depend on one option. The more

66 options you have to do anything the better." In addition to the rail link to the Tanzanian port city of Dar es Salaam, the government is considering a southern railroad through Tanzania to Zambia. Should the political situation in the DR Congo stabilize, Rwanda may also help build a railroad west through Congo's vast jungles to the Atlantic, Mr. Kagame revealed. Following the post election violence in Kenya, Rwanda immediately signed agreements with Tanzania as the route for its fuel products. Mr. Kagame told the American business channel that the economy can maintain 7 percent growth for the next two to three years, even with higher food and fuel prices. "I think we can continue with large growth, or even higher growth, especially if we can solve the problem of energy, which we are also doing," he said. Efforts to extract methane gas from beneath Lake Kivu could help the country reduce its dependence on imported oil, Mr. Kagame said.

Oil Pipeline: The government also wants Rwanda connected to a new oil pipeline that will link Mombasa with Eldoret in western Kenya. The pipeline will be extended to the Ugandan capital, Kampala, and may go on to the Rwandan capital, Kigali, Kagame said. The feasibility study for the Kampala-Kigali pipeline, done by US-based Science Application International Corporation (SAIC Energy) estimates construction costs at about 193.6 million dollars (about Rwf 106 Billion). Another $53 million is required to move the much needed pipeline to Burundi. Rwanda for its part wants its section operational in three years.

Tamoil East Africa, a Libyan company, won the tender to install the 8-inch diameter, 320km pipeline from Eldoret to Kampala, with an annual capacity of about 1.2m cubic metres. The firm has started acquiring land and compensating land-owners on the pipeline route. Unlike some of its neighbors, Rwanda hasn't had any food shortages as a result of higher global prices. "Our farmers should be able to get quite a bit of money from what they produce," President Kagame said. "On the one hand it's a globally big problem. On the other hand it's an opportunity for people who have good food policies and invested well in this area." Rwanda's efforts to install fiber-optic lines in the country should lead to Uganda becoming "a hub of sorts in terms of IT or financial services," he told Bloomberg.

French Apology: Meanwhile after tipping of possible indictments of senior French officials for Genocide, President Kagame also called for an apology from France. A French apology could help improve relations between the two countries, he said. "I think that the French need to come clean on their involvement in the genocide in Rwanda," Kagame said. "France like others needs to respect other people. In Africa, in Rwanda, we are not there just because they wish us to be. We are there because we have the right to be there."

• Congo-Kinshasa: Metorex Copper Production May Rise Fourfold: Business Day (Johannesburg): 4 July 2008.

DIVERSIFIED minerals company Metorex could quadruple copper production in the next three years as its Ruashi II mine comes into full production and new projects at Kinsenda and Musonoi are developed, CEO Charles Needham says. By 2011, Metorex

67 expected to produce 100 000 tons of copper a year, he said this week. There would be additional contributions to the group from growth in its cobalt, gold, platinum and fluorspar operations. Although production would be dominated by copper in a few years, the company was interested in other commodities in sub-Saharan countries.

Metorex produces 15000 tons of copper a year from its Chibuluma mine in Zambia and 10000 tons a year of copper from the first phase of the Ruashi mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo . The second phase of Ruashi, which is ramping up, will produce 45000 tons a year of copper metal. The company is also producing 500 tons a year of cobalt from Ruashi I, and Ruashi II will produce 3500 tons of cobalt a year. Since buying 50,3% of AIM-listed Copper Resources Corporation (CRC) this year, Metorex has begun reopening CRC's Kinsenda underground copper mine in Congo . Kinsenda will produce 35000 tons a year of copper at full production, starting next year. Metorex has two promising early-stage copper properties in Congo at Musonoi and Lubembe. Needham said Musonoi's drill results indicated it would be a mine, but management was still studying costs and design. Metorex planned to release more information about the size of the Musonoi resource at its year-end results presentation next month or sooner. If Metorex decided to proceed with a mine at Musonoi, production could start in 2011. Metorex planned to boost fluorspar output at its Vergenoegd mine in SA to about 300000 tons a year to service the joint venture Alfluorco project, a hydrofluoric acid processing plant. Needham said the Alfluorco project was progressing through feasibility studies and environmental approvals for a Richards Bay site. Metorex's 55%-held Pan African Resources was busy with a bankable feasibility study on developing a gold mine at Manica in Mozambique, which could start contributing in 2010 if the board gave it the go-ahead. Metorex was building a concentrator at Phoenix Platinum Mining, a new venture to process dumps for platinum, which would come on stream in 2010.

22. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS WEST AFRICA

• West Africa: Sierra Leone, Nigeria Battle for UN Seat: Concord Times (Freetown): 4 July 2008.

Sierra Leone and Nigeria are currently locked in a diplomatic stalemate at the UN Headquarters in New York on who gets one of the seats reserved for West Africa as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. A US-based news agency reports that Sierra Leone is determined to contest with Nigeria for the seat, which is currently held by Burkina Faso, next year.

The Security Council is made up of 15 members, five of which are permanent members and do not require reelections. The remaining ten are non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms and not eligible for immediate re-election. Of the 10 non-permanent seats, Africa normally gets three seats which are presently held by South Africa (till the end of 2008), Burkina Faso and Libya (till next year). The election to replace Burkina Faso is billed for next session of the General Assembly. The report

68 says UN diplomats normally apply the consensus route for such elections based on the principle of reciprocity and some informal rotational arrangement. It added that at the just concluded African Union meeting in Egypt, African foreign ministers tried to resolve the matter between Nigeria and Sierra Leone among other issues but it was left unresolved. The foreign ministers later agreed to try again at another meeting whose date and time is yet to be disclosed. Sources explained that Sierra Leone had been elected to the UN Security Council only once between 1970 and 1971, while Nigeria had been elected thrice in 1966-67, 1978-79 and 1994-95.

• Nigeria: Yar'Adua - Why Niger Delta Summit Must Hold: This Day (Lagos): 4 July 2008.

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday broke his silence on the raging controversy over the proposed Niger Delta Stakeholders' Summit, insisting that it must hold in the interest of peace and security and for the development of the oil-producing region.

He said the summit was crucial to the implementation of policies of his administration, promising that it would not turn out to be another "pointless and diversionary jamboree as some fear". And following the criticism trailing the involvement of Professor as a key figure in the organisation of the summit, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has appealed to the federal government to consider dropping him to retain the integrity of the summit. Gambair's involvement has been criticised following what was described as his hostile disposition to the agitations in the Niger Delta while he was Nigeria's Permanent Repre-sentative to the United Nations when Gen. was in power. According to a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Communications, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, the misconceptions about the proposed summit "are not necessary as it was one of Yar'Adua campaign promises to Nigeria as outlined in the seven-point agenda". He described the summit as "a critical first step" and "take-off point" for the socio-economic development of the region.

One of the primary objectives of the summit, he said, is to evolve an across-the-board consensus and commitment from all concerned parties to end the incessant violence in the region "and engender a much more conducive atmosphere for the massive improvement of infrastructure and social services in the region". He said: "The President believes that the summit is necessary to obtain a firm and binding commitment from all stakeholders to stop all acts of violence and criminality which have unfortunately turned the Niger Delta into a no-go area for many of the construction companies and contractors whose services are required for provision of essential amenities in the region. "The sad reality of the present situation in the region is that by the time President Yar'Adua assumed office last year, most of the contractors mobilised to sites in the area had abandoned their projects-some after collecting huge sums of money-because of insecurity and the ever-present threats of violence. "The continual disruption of work by armed gangs, kidnappings of expatriate personnel and family members for ransom as well as the necessity and cost of providing high level security cover for workers, sometimes involving deployment of troops, have today driven up the cost of executing projects in the Niger Delta by about 300 per cent with no guarantee of completion. "Under these

69 circumstances, President Yar'Adua considered it absolutely necessary to engage all stakeholders in the region in meaningful and purposeful dialogue aimed at removing fundamental obstacles to the implementation of his administration's plans for Niger Delta." He said the urgent resolution of the developmental challenges of the Niger Delta remains a very critical element of the Yar'Adua administration's seven-point agenda and "the success of the Stakeholders Summit is central to efforts to fulfill the administration's commitments in this regard".

While maintaining that much thought and effort had already gone into the conception and planning of the summit, the president was said to have set up two committees last year.

He personally chaired one of the committees which has been engaging governors from the region and other critical stakeholders in reviewing the Niger Delta Development Masterplan as developed by Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and working out details of the implementation plan with deliverables by each of the stakeholders and timelines, the statement said. The second committee, according to Adeniyi, was headed by Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan "to synthesise all previous attempts and reports on the resolution of the problems of the Niger Delta, engage all the stakeholders, including the militants and elders in the region, work out the modalities for the Summit, appoint the Chairperson for the Steering Committee and establish the parameters for discourse". Once the summit has held and achieved its key objective of getting all stakeholders to buy into the Yar'Adua administration's agenda for the region and guarantee the creation of the right conditions of peace and security for the rapid execution of the agenda, the Federal Government will move very quickly to begin the faithful implementation of the Niger Delta Development Master Plan, the statement added. The NLC, meanwhile, said in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Mr. John Odah, yesterday that because Gambari's personality had been embroiled in controversy and "having hurt the sensibilities of major parties in the conflict through his utterances, he no longer possesses the right credibility to coordinate the peace conference". "We believe that the Summit will not be a success if the person who chairs it is a subject of controversy, especially amongst key stakeholders. Having made offensive comments in relation to the self-determination struggle of the people of the Niger Delta in the past, Prof. Gambari's suitability is questionable," it said. NLC said the President should save the summit's integrity by dropping Gambari and appointing a new chairman "who is not compromised and who is fully acceptable to the Niger Delta". The congress said it believes that Gambari has no ulterior motives or personal interests to be served at the Summit and as such he should toe the path of honour by excusing himself from the summit. "Though we believe that Professor Gambari, given his pedigree in the university system and international relations, is eminently qualified to chair such a summit, the nature of the crisis in the Niger Delta and the unprecedented protest against his appointment clearly shows that he is not suitable for the job," it said. It is an acknowledged tenet of democracies the world over that the past utterances of potential public officer holders are usually x-rayed before such people are given new public positions, the congress said, adding that Gambari, by his own admission of his activities and utterances during the Abacha era, is clearly inappropriate to chair the summit.

70 "If Prof. Gambari had been a controversial mediator in Myanmar (Burma) or former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan had been a source of controversy in Kenya, their missions would have been compromised," it said.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

• Zimbabwe: Cosatu Holds Beitbridge Border Demonstration: SW Radio Africa (London): 5 July 2008.

South Africa's main labour union the Confederation of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) held a demonstration at the Beitbridge border post Saturday protesting against Robert Mugabe's regime. Spokesman Jan Tsiane urged continental bodies to intervene in the crisis and help restore democracy in the wake of Mugabe's one-man election. No incidents were reported during the protests except the arrest of one man who was later released. Newsreel spoke to Patrick Craven from COSATU who said their federation was opposed to the formation of a government of national unity adding that a transitional authority was the best way forward. Such an authority would be formed using proportional results from the March 29 poll and this body would organize fresh elections that reflect the will of the people. Earlier in the week the federation slammed the one-man run off election, shortly after Robert Mugabe was sworn in as President on Sunday, and called on African governments to refuse to recognise Mugabe as a legitimate head of state. They also said he should be barred from attending meetings of the African Union or SADC.

'It would be a disaster for Africa if its highest representative bodies, AU and SADC, were to recognise the outcome of such an 'election' and the Mugabe government as legitimate. We urge the African governments not to recognise the Zimbabwean government and cancel all invitations to it to attend continental and international meetings,' COSATU said in a statement.

• Zimbabwe: Mugabe's Regional War Talk: SW Radio Africa (London): 4 July 2008.

Robert Mugabe has warned neighbouring countries to 'think twice' before launching an attack against his regime. Analysts say this could be viewed as a direct threat to Botswana, who this week deployed an army brigade with artillery to patrol it's border with Zimbabwe. Botswana described the troop movement as 'a precaution' against trouble spilling over into their country.

Relations between Botswana and Zimbabwe came to an all time low at the Au Summit in Egypt on Tuesday, when they refused to recognise Mugabe's stolen election win. On Friday they reiterated calls for Mugabe's regime to be suspended from the AU and the 14- nation SADC community. Foreign Minister Phandu Sekelemani told reporters in Gaborone that as a country that practices democracy and the rule of law, they do not recognize the outcome of Zimbabwe's presidential run-off election, and would expect other SADC member states to do the same. Speaking to his bussed in 'supporters' on his

71 arrival home on Friday Mugabe warned his neighbours to be careful about provoking his government: "If there are some who may want to fight us, they should think twice. We don't intend to fight any neighbours. We are a peaceful country, but if there is a country, a neighbouring country that is itching for a fight, ah, then let them try it."

Botswana's new president, Ian Khama, a former commander of the country's defence forces, has become increasingly critical of Mugabe's rule and the problems it has caused in neighbouring countries. A military analyst told Newsreel in the unlikely event of a war situation Mugabe's army would struggle to sustain a battle, due to a number of factors. "The country's airpower is almost ground to a halt due to lack of spare parts, soldiers' morale is low because of poor serving conditions and the state of the economy limits the extent of how long the country can sustain a war. Currently the army is sending it's soldiers on forced leave due to food shortages in army barracks. These are all factors that constrain its operations,"' the analyst said. Since independence Zimbabwe has been involved in two wars, both guerrilla and counter insurgencies against MNR rebels who were fighting the Mozambican government and in the DRC, propping up the late Laurent Kabila's government against rebels sponsored by Uganda and Rwanda.

• Zimbabwe: Cabinet to Include MDC: Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): 4 July 2008.

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe is any day now expected to announce a new cabinet that will have a few surprise inclusions while leaving space for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), it emerged yesterday. Informed sources said Mugabe would make public his new team after his return from Egypt today. He attended an African Union summit there earlier this week.

The announcement could be made as early as this weekend. The cabinet -- initially anticipated to have been made known this week -- is expected to lay a firm basis for a government of national unity between Zanu PF and the MDC. African leaders endorsed the proposal mooted by South African President Thabo Mbeki at their meeting at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. AU chair Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete and AU Commission chairman Jean Ping are expected in Harare soon to pin down the initiative, sources said.

Both Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai have said they want to talk, but differences remain on conditions for dialogue. Mbeki, the Sadc mediator, told AU leaders a deal is in the offing. The sources said Mugabe is under pressure to retain only a few of his current cabinet and introduce new faces to revamp his policy-making body to create a team to tackle the economic crisis.

There will be a major clear-out of deadwood, it is expected, not just because of the need for renewal but also on account of the number of ministers who lost their seats. Zanu PF ministers who lost their seats in March include Patrick Chinamasa, , , , , , , Chris Mushohwe, and . The

72 removal of defeated and failed ministers would also create a space for MDC officials. Mugabe is said to be trying to perform a balancing act to maintain political, regional and ethnic representation. The looming cabinet announcement is said to have triggered hectic lobbies for the inclusion of Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono and independent MP , as well as a younger generation of Zanu PF MPs like , , Patrick Zhuwawo, Joel Matiza and Mike Bimha.

Sources said Gono is linked to the Finance ministry although the problem is that he has a contract which runs until November. The sources close to him said he is planning to go into private business afterwards. Gono has been accused of running the Finance ministry via the backdoor of quasi-fiscal activities since he arrived at the RBZ in 2003. He has also been accused of funding government and Zanu PF electoral activities. There has been concern that he has provided money to the ministries of Defence, Home Affairs and State Security whose agencies have been blamed for political violence during recent election campaigns. He has however defended himself, saying ministry budgets are approved by parliament and it was up to them to decide how to spend their money.

Gono has also provided money on orders from relevant ministers. If Gono is left out, it is said Mugabe could bring back or retain Samuel Mumbengegwi. The sources said Mugabe has headaches on who to appoint at Information after 's dismal performance in the job. This has led to growing calls from a strong Zanu PF lobby for Moyo's return. However, Moyo has been reluctant to go back. Mugabe is said to be looking for potential replacements in Chinamasa, Chris Mutsvangwa and , who sat in his media team during the run-off, and his spokesman George Charamba. Deputy Information minister Bright Matonga has also been considered, the sources said. If Chinamasa goes to Information, it is said, -- who was Mugabe's chief election agent and the Zanu PF legal affairs secretary -- could go to the Justice ministry he once headed. Mugabe is said to be interested in reassigning Mnangagwa, the former parliamentary speaker, as Leader of the House, while Chinamasa becomes President of the Senate by appointment. This will be subject to talks with the MDC. A deal would lead to a sharing of powerful ministries. Key ministries, including economic ones, could be consolidated to ensure coordination, influence and efficiency, it was said.

Economic ministries such as Industry and International Trade are likely to get new bosses. is said to be facing the chop which could open the way a new face like . Mpofu could be reassigned to Science and Technology, while would remain at Small & Medium Enterprises Development.

President of the Council of Chiefs Fortune Charumbira is thought to be a candidate for Local Government to replace whose record is seen as little short of appalling. Recent clashes between Chombo and Gono over buses distributed during campaigns has also left the minister out of favour with Mugabe. It is understood he could be moved to a less powerful portfolio, probably Labour.

73 Current Labour minister could be heading back to State Security, although Didymus Mutasa still has a chance to hang on there. Sources said if Mutasa is removed he would only remain at Land Reform and Resettlement. Joseph Made, Mugabe's farm manager, might bounce back at Agriculture, although he is unpopular with colleagues in that area. Sources said a woman could take over Foreign Affairs. Oppah Muchinguri and are on Mugabe's radar. Current minister Simbarashe could be reassigned. could be retained at Defence or reassigned to Mines. is likely to remain at Health, while could replace Mushowe at Transport. is likely to remain at Home Affairs. Some of the ministries like Energy, Infrastructure, Water, Special Affairs, Anti-Corruption, Environment and Tourism, Education, Women Affairs, Youth Development and Employment Creation and Mechanisation could go the MDC, sources said. Mugabe's cabinet would have a difficult task to introduce new policies, reforms and resuscitate the economy, especially if the United Nations ends up imposing comprehensive sanctions against the country.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Kenya: Now Orengo Puts Kibaki On the Spot: The Nation (Nairobi): 5 July 2008.

Kenya's chief executive was on Friday shoved to the centre of the irregular sale of Grand Regency Hotel. Lands Minister James Orengo and a government-owned human rights watchdog asked President Kibaki to act on the matter arguing that the buck stops with him. Mr Orengo asked the President to sack Finance Minister Amos Kimunya, who is at the centre of the scandal. Speaking at a news conference, Mr Orengo said President Kibaki should act if Mr Kimunya does not resign.

Heads in sand: "The Executive and we, as members of the Cabinet, cannot bury our heads in the sand when there is constitutional crisis. The buck stops with the President," he said. His call came as police dispersed a demonstration in support of Mr Kimunya in Nairobi. Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta also defended the Finance Minister saying that he was being subjected to a "lynching mob." Police used tear gas to break up pro-Kimunya demonstrators led by politician Stanley Livondo. They accused the MPs baying for the minister's blood of not being in a position to "cast a stone" on the issue of corruption. But speaking in Mombasa, Anglican Bishop Julius Kalu said the only way thorough investigations could be conducted into the affair was for Mr Kimunya to leave office. "There is no way conclusive investigations can be carried out when he is in office and that is why we are calling upon him to step aside," the bishop said. "If he knows that he is clean, then he should not fear stepping aside ... others have done that before and have returned to office once they were cleared," he said.The bishop was speaking at the Mombasa Memorial Cathedral soon after the funeral service of retired bishop Crispus Nzano. Mr Kimunya has been steeped in controversy for the past two weeks after Mr Orengo blew the whistle on the sale of the five-star hotel to Libyan Arab African Investment Company Kenya Ltd for Sh2.9 billion. The pressure for Mr Kimunya's resignation culminated in Wednesday's passing of a no-confidence vote in Parliament. In

74 another development on Friday, a Malaysian firm, Westmont Holdings SND.BHD, which had offered to buy the hotel 10 years ago for Sh2.2 billion went to court to reinstate a case that was dismissed to pave way for the sale of the hotel to the Libyans.

Stopped the sale: On Friday, Mr Kimunya reported to his office in Treasury Building and insisted that Prime Minister Raila Odinga should have stopped the sale the moment he learnt of it. "The Prime Minister should say what he did with the information he was given unless that office is toothless," he said.

He told the Saturday Nation on phone that there was no evidence against him and the Cabinet sub-committee formed by Mr Odinga did not summon him before making recommendations that he should resign. "The recommendations are just in the Press. They have not reached the Cabinet and I wonder who is fooling who," he said. He accused past Finance ministers who were calling for his resignation of having done nothing during their tenure at the Treasury to resolve the Grand Regency saga that has haunted the government for the past 15 years. At his news conference, Mr Orengo said the no-confidence vote in Parliament cannot be wished away. "The ministry is nearly equal to the Presidency, it cannot remain vacant. Now that the minister cannot transact business on behalf of the Government in Parliament and even with donors, I appeal to him to step aside or the executive should crack the whip," said Mr Orengo. He said the PM acted by seeking the intervention of KACC and the Cabinet committee on Finance and Economic Administration, which indicted Mr Kimunya. And the vice-chair of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, Ms Florence Jaoko-Simbiri, said President Kibaki had promised that none of his ministers would be spared if allegations of graft were levelled against them. "We remind the President that he said that this would happen whenever allegations of corruption arose," she said. "Mr Kimunya's conduct in the transfer of the Grand Regency Hotel is in clear breach of the Public Officers Ethics Act and the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act," she added. Others who were recommended to step aside include the Governor of Central Bank, Prof Njuguna Ndung'u, the Director of National Security Intelligence Services, Major Gen Michael Gichangi and the secretary of the CBK board, Mr Kennedy Kaunda Abuga. Mr Orengo said there will be no collective responsibility on matters of corruption. The minister produced letters showing he acted right from the day he was informed the hotel was sold to Libyans up to the time he ordered for the caveat to be imposed on the title - blocking any further transfers or use of the title to secure a loan. The minister promised to ensure that the transfer of the title is cancelled. Speaking separately on Friday, Mr Kenyatta said no one has tabled evidence on the wrongdoings Mr Kimunya committed over the sale of the hotel. The Trade minister said "due process" should be followed to gather evidence against Mr Kimunya to establish whether he was guilty or not before he is accused of any impropriety. "If money has been stolen, where is the evidence? Mr Kenyatta asked at a news conference at his Nairobi office. "It is wrong to accuse and lynch someone without evidence. What if facts come out and he is found innocent?"

CENTRAL AFRICA

75 • Cameroon: Change Activists Advocate Freezing of Biya's Swiss Account: The Post (Buea): 4 July 2008.

A Swiss-based activist group has said it is imploring Swiss authorities to freeze President Paul Biya's account in that country and repatriate the stolen money. The Chairman of the Cameroon Action Group for Change, CAGC, Daniel Tabeng, said they sent a memo to the President of Switzerland copying the UN.

"Investigations will take time but the result will be fruitful. 700 US million dollars stolen by late Nigerian dictator, Sani Abacha, were frozen. Mobutu's too. Sensitisation is already on. We are launching CAGC this month and installing branches in all parts of Europe. The UK branch will be launched on July 26," Tabeng told The Post online. He noted that many Swiss NGOs that could have given the Biya regime financial aid are afraid to do so because the money would end up in Swiss banks. Promising hell for Biya, Tabeng recalled that in the memo he sent to the UN and Swiss government he also called for the release of those who were convicted for the February riots. According to the activist, the fact that Biya's children attend school in Switzerland is another reason why any upheaval there gives the Cameroonian president nightmares. "You know Switzerland is a very sensitive country to African leaders who have embezzled huge sums of their people's money and stashed in banks there. So, it's like when Switzerland quakes they wake because of their private interests there." He promised to make Switzerland uncomfortable for Biya if he continues to oppress Cameroonians.Tabeng condemned the President's decision to postpone the appointment of ELECAM members, describing Biya as an even greater trickster than Robert Mugabe. "He is jittery about anything that can loosen his stranglehold on power," he said. He stated that CAGC's aim is to sensitise the international community on acts of human rights violations like arrests and torture of political opponents and subjugating Cameroon's Anglophones.

23. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Soldiers Rampage in Akure: This Day (Lagos): 5 July 2008.

For several hours beginning from around mid-afternoon yesterday, rampaging soldiers took over some streets of Akure, the capital setting up bonfires that totally blocked the entrance to the metropolis through Ondo axis. The soldiers, drawn from across the country, had been quartered at the Owena Barracks of the 323 Artillery Regiment of the . It was learnt that their grouse was the non-payment of their entitlements since they came back from Liberia on peace-keeping mission. Civilians living around the barracks, which is located on the outskirts of the town, ran helter skelter and most were forced to trek long distances as no vehicular movement was allowed to and from the metropolis. Elsewhere in town, palpable fear gripped residents as news filtered in that the soldiers were on rampage, resulting in abrupt paralysis of social and economic activities. THISDAY checks revealed that panic-stricken traders hurriedly closed shop in the state capital. The riotous situation was the same inside the barracks as

76 hundreds others held hostage the Commanding Officer (CO), Gabriel Umelo, a Lieutenant Colonel, and other senior officers of the military in his office. Some of the peace-keeping soldiers said they were drawn from across the country to participate in the operations and that instead of the 1,228 USD that the global body approved to be paid to them on monthly basis, authorities of the Nigerian Army were shortchanging them by giving then only 3,000 USD for the six-month period.

• Nigeria: Gambari Gets Cold Feet Over Niger Delta: Vanguard (Lagos): 3 July 2008.

CHAIRMAN, Steering Committee of the Niger Delta Summit, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, appears to be having a second thought over his acceptance of the assignment, following the massive rejection of his nomination by Niger Delta leaders. He is due in Nigeria soon from his base in New York to consult with President Umaru Yar'Adua and Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported yesterday. In the light of the development, I intend to have consultations with President Umaru Yar'Adua and Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan on the next steps," NAN quoted him as saying yesterday at his United Nations (UN) office. He said the consultations became necessary to address issues at stake and to move the summit forward. The UN Special Adviser also said he would hold "deep and wide" consultations with all stakeholders in the Niger Delta to douse any misconceptions on his personality. On his appointment, he said he was nominated by the Vice-President and later approved by the President based on his experience in conflict resolutions at the international level. "I am not a negotiator or a mediator in this matter. I am only appointed with other eminent Nigerians to help prepare and streamline reports that will enable the Federal Government to implement for the socio-economic development of the region," Gambari said. He said one of the conditions on his release by the UN is that he would not collect any remuneration from the Federal Government for the assignment, which he described as "a patriotic duty." He urged all stakeholders in the region to gear their minds toward the success of the forthcoming Niger Delta summit by "fully participating in it." He said there was the need for the people of the region to ensure the smooth conduct of the summit, adding: "It is aimed at finding lasting solutions to the myriad problems facing the region." The UN diplomat assured leaders and youths of the region that the proposed summit was to take a major step forward from previous reports and recommendations on the Niger Delta development. He further added that it would give a specific time frame, outline targets and establish a framework for actualising the roadmap for the development of the region.

Gambari, currently the UN Special Envoy to Myanmar (former Burma) was released to the Nigerian government by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. The formal request for his release was submitted by Chief , Minister of Foreign Affairs in May, in his capacity as special envoy of Yar'Adua to the UN chief. Niger Delta leaders have been unrelenting in their criticism of Prof. Gambari's appointment. For instance, a last-ditch attempt by the Federal Government to rally South-South leaders

77 behind it over the planned Niger Delta Summit hit the rocks, Sunday night, in Abuja with the South-South leaders rejecting the talks in its entirety. The Niger Delta leaders at the meeting told the Vice President to advise President Umaru Yar'Adua to shelve the planned summit as the region would neither attend nor have anything to do with the talks to be chaired by Prof. Gambari. "From the fury of the Niger Delta opinion leaders at the meeting, it was clear that the proposed summit will die a natural death," a reliable source close to the meeting told Vanguard, adding: "It will, however, not be official until the Vice President briefs President Umaru Yar'Adua and the Federal Government makes a pronouncement on it."

I nominated Gambari, Jonathan confesses: Vice President Jonathan at the meeting attended by governors of the oil-bearing states, National Assembly members and other representatives confessed that he, in fact, nominated Prof. Gambari for the job and that his chairmanship of the summit was not a "Northern agenda," but the delegates told him that the people should have no business with Gambari because of his position and previous comments on issues concerning the welfare and people of the Niger Delta. Vanguard gathered that Dr. Jonathan presented a very strong case for the summit for which the delegates commended him but were quick in stressing that they would not go back on their position, as all the talks in the past were jamborees that produced no tangible result. "They told Jonathan that what Federal Government should do is to set up a body to appraise the various reports that have been submitted on the way forward for the Niger Delta, from the Willinks Commission of 1958 to 2007 and let the body come out with the things to be done or not done from the different reports, and then, the larger house like the stakeholders gathered, could be called to fine-tune and ratify the final report," source said.

No communique was issued at the end of the meeting, although it was agreed that the Vice President would report to the President that Niger Delta people rejected the summit. The meeting was well-attended by representatives from Delta, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ondo, Abia, Rivers and Imo states. Present were Chief Edwin Clark, former governors of Delta and Akwa Ibom states, Chief James Ibori who sat near Chief Clark and Obong Victor Attah. Also at the meeting were the former Chief of Defence Staff, General Alexander Ogomudia (rtd.); former military governor of the old Rivers State, King Alfred Diette-Spiff; prominent South-South leader, Ambassador Matthew Mbu; ex- Minister, Chief Don Etiebet; Senators Ndoma Egba and Henshaw; chairman of the Rivers State Council of Chiefs, King Opobo; and President of the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities (FNDIC), Chief Bello Oboko and Prof. Sam Oyovbaire. Itsekiri women leader, Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor; Senator Stella Omu; former deputy governor of Delta State, Chief Benjamin Elue; the Publisher of Thisday newspaper, Mr Nduka Obaigbena and John Mitte, among others also attended the meeting.

N-Delta leaders challenge FG: Niger Delta leaders have also challenged the Federal Government to replace the gunboats it deployed in the creeks of the region with bulldozers for massive road construction and see whether militancy will not stop. Vanguard gathered that Vice President Goodluck Jonathan at last Sunday's meeting with Niger Delta leaders regretted his failure in not appropriately consulting with them on the

78 planned Summit and the choice of Prof Gambari as the chairman of the Steering Committee. Ijaw nationalist leader, Chief Edwin Clark threw the challenge at the stakeholders meeting called by the Vice President in Abuja, last Sunday, to deliberate on the planned summit. Senator Francis Okpozo who spoke to Vanguard on phone also said: "I challenge the Federal Government to move the bulldozers to the creeks to construct roads in place of their gunboats and see whether the crisis will not stop. They know the right thing to do but they are not doing it." At the meeting of opinion leaders, governors and National Assembly members, it was learnt that Dr. Jonathan promised to, henceforth, consult with the leaders on a regular basis to prevent the kind of misunderstanding that has come up on the summit. One of the leaders who attended the stakeholders' meeting said the Vp said he and not President Yar'Adua that suggested that Gambari be invited to chair the summit, and that he did not know that the resentment against Gambari in the region was that much until after the appointment. He, however, explained that the Gambari option was guided by the feeling that without necessarily internationalising the summit, an international figure outside the region was required to steer the deliberations and Gambari was an acknowledged envoy.

But a Niger Delta leader queried what the Vice President meant that he did not want to internationalise the matter when he had done so with his application to the United Nations to release Gambari. A stakeholder from Bayelsa State, identified as Lioness, said it was shocking to him to hear from the Vice President that only three persons sat down in his office to take the decision to invite Gambari without consulting the leaders of the Niger Delta. "The beauty of the presentation by the Vice President on that plank collapsed but the former Minister of Information, Prof Sam Oyovbaire, dealt a serious blow to the Vice President's address when he marshaled credible and convincing reasons why the summit would not hold. "Chief Clark had earlier faulted the Vice President's claim that the summit was necessary because government had not given force to the earlier reports with white paper. He said the Willinks report had a white paper on it by the government and it was in the constitution but removed by the military later," the source added. It was gathered that the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Alexander Ogomudia (rtd.), who was at the meeting was called up to shed light on the report of his committee, which virtually every Niger Deltan is asking the government to implement along with others, and after his speech, it dawned on everybody that the summit was actually a waste of time and resources.

"We left the meeting with the understanding that the Niger Delta people were not prepared for the summit and that a technical committee should be set up to review the past reports and report back to the larger house of the stakeholders to agree on an action plan and implementation agencies," the source added.

• Liberia: Extend Unmil's Mandate - Ellen Appeals to United Nations: The Analyst (Monrovia): 3 July 2008.

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has asked the United Nations to reconsider its timetable for the withdrawal of peacekeeping troops in Liberia. Speaking in Sharm el-sheikh, Egypt, where she held talks with Madam Aisha Rose Mugiro, Deputy Secretary General

79 of the United Nations, the President told the UN official at the International Congress Center, venue of ongoing 13th Ordinary Session for the Heads of States and Governments of the African Union, to extend her government's plea to the UN. The Liberian leader who emphasized that crime still exists in some sections of the Liberian society, appealed for assistance for the security sector. According to an Executive Mansion release, President Sirleaf said the U.N. can do more to strengthen the Liberia National Police force and asked for cooperation from the organization in this initiative. The President further added that Liberia is building what she referred to as 'a strong army' and expressed the optimism that this will be strengthened in a few years, pledging her government's renewed commitment to working with Ambassador Ellen Loj and the entire family of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). For her part, Madam Mugiro pledged the United Nations' commitment to revamping many of Liberia's troubled sectors, including security. She further promised to bring the security issue in Liberia to the attention of the United Nations family. The 13th Ordinary African Union Summit began today with an elaborate opening ceremony. Official remarks were delivered by African Union Commission Chairperson Jean Ping, African Union Chairman President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Palestine President Mahmoud Abass, Deputy United Nations Secretary General Aisha Rose Mugiro and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

• Gambia: 196 Leave for Darfur: The Daily Observer (Banjul): 1 July 2008.

The seventh Gambian contingent (GAMCOY 7), comprising 196 members of the Gambia Armed Forces, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Sainey Bayo, left Gambian soil at 5:00 am this morning, for the Sudanese troubled region of Darfur. The latest contingent includes five female soldiers. The contingent will replace Gamcoy 6, whose tour of duty has been successfully completed, following their deployment in December, 2007. Shortly before their departure, Vice-President Dr Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy, bade farewell to the contingent on behalf of the President Alhaji Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh. Ex-president, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, secretaries of state, Major General Lang Tombong Tamba, the chief of Defence Staff of GAF, security chiefs, NAMs, foreign diplomats, families, friends and well wishers, also gathered at the July 22nd Square to bade farewell to the soldiers. Delivering a farewell statement, Vice-President Njie-Saidy, said a quick solution to the conflict in Darfur has not readily cometo hand, inspite of the sustained international peace efforts. However, she maintained that there is no reason to despair. "In this regard, my government's commitment to fulfill its obligations to the charter and principles of the AU/UN, and the Gambia Armed Forces' readiness to participate in peacekeeping endeavours, has been relentless. This trend will continue until peace is achieved and normalcy finally restored in this troubled region," VP Njie-Saidy told the officers and men of GAMCOY 7. "In this context, your role in this humanitarian endeavour is of great significance and importance, as you will not only ensure the security and freedom of movement of the people in your area of responsibility, but your presence will also bring hope to a people who have been greatly deprived of their fundamental rights and freedoms as human beings", she highlighted. The vice-president also advised the contingent to take every precaution to protect themselves from all ills not

80 associated with active duty, especially communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS. "I have no doubt in my mind that the training that you had undergone, has raised your awareness and enhanced your understanding of the risks and challenges that you will be encountering in the mission area. The nation has confidence in your capabilities and self- esteem," she added.

"On this note, I wish to bid you farewell and pray that Almighty God protects and guide you all," she concluded. For his part, Major General Lang Tombong Tamba, the chief of Defence Staff of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), said history is being made as GAF recounts with great pride the numerous achievements that it has made in mission areas since 1989, when troops, as protection force, were deployed in military operations in Liberia and subsequently Guinea Bissau in 1999, Liberia for a second time in 2003 and now Darfur. Major General Tamba revealed that currently, there are 232 Gambian officers and soldiers serving overseas, adding that this represents a huge contribution to peacekeeping efforts by the country. CDS Tamba also extended his compliments on behalf of the president and commander-in-chief of the Gambia Armed Forces, to the government and people of UK, the Republic of France, Turkey, the Islamic Republic of , the United States of America, Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Republic of China on Taiwan and all others, for their diverse contribution towards the advancement of the Gambia Armed Forces. He urged the contingent to maintain peace and perform up to expectation.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

• Zimbabwe: British Premier Says Crisis Needs Peacekeeping Force: SW Radio Africa (London): 3 July 2008.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown suggested on Thursday that the international community could send a peacekeeping force to stabilise Zimbabwe. Brown told a parliamentary committee in London that plans are already on the table to explore ways of deploying an international peacekeeping force, following an escalation of violence against MDC supporters since the 29th March elections. 'I think we have got to bear in mind that all the pressure at the moment is political pressure to try and achieve a desired result. But we've got to listen also to what the opposition in Zimbabwe are saying to us about what they think is the right course that they wish to see pursued and we've got to get the mediators working very quickly to achieve the transition we want to see,' Brown said.

Gangs of militants, wearing the bandanas and scarves of Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and carrying sticks and clubs, have been manning makeshift roadblocks in most parts of the country. Party militias and war veterans have set up torture camps in rural areas, towns and cities, frog-marching people to political meetings to re-educate them about the dangers of voting for the MDC. The violence which broke out shortly after the March

81 election, when Tsvangirai is believed to have defeated Mugabe outright has escalated dramatically ever since. Over 100 MDC activists have been murdered, 10,000 injured and over 200 000 displaced by Zanu-PF's undeclared war on the MDC. The US and the UK are pushing for a UN resolution to send a peacekeeping force to Zimbabwe. To establish a new peacekeeping mission nine of the Security Council's 15 Member States must vote in favour. However, if any one of the five permanent members--China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom or the United States--votes against the proposal, it fails. In the last few days, there have been diplomatic maneuvers by both the US and UK to lobby countries in the Security Council to support the resolution. It's felt that China, who normally blocks resolutions on Zimbabwe, will not this time, because of the Olympics. But South Africa have been the main problem, and have consistently blocked any UN action.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Ethiopia: AU Mission Staffer Dies in Zimbabwe – Report: The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa): 2 July 2008.

An Ethiopian member of the African Union Observer Mission deployed in Zimbabwe for the just-ended presidential run-off and the three House of Assembly by-elections collapsed and died shortly afterward the Zimbabwean Herald reported on Tuesday. "Head of the observer mission and former President of Sierra Leone Mr. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah announced the death of Professor Brehanu Abebe, from Ethiopia's civil society," the newspaper reported on its website. It said Kabbah told that Prof Abebe collapsed at Holiday Inn and was rushed to the Avenues Clinic where it said he died on arrival. "Kabbah said the AU Observer Mission was saddened by the death of one of their staff members," said the report, adding the repatriation of Prof Abebe's body to Ethiopia would be announced in due course. The observer mission was composed of Pan-African Parliament legislators, senior officials of election management bodies, prominent individuals and members of the civil society organisations drawn from various African countries. The mission also included a support team of officials and technical personnel from the African Union Commission, according to the report.

CENTRAL AFRICA

• Chad: Peacekeepers Try to Tread Lightly: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):4 July 2008.

Polish army Lieutenant Colonel Marc Gryga didn't realize he was planning on building his country's major base here in eastern Chad on top of a cemetery. "It didn't look like any cemetery you see in the United States or Europe," he says, referring to absence of headstones.

But local leaders from this remote town near the Sudan border weren't shy about telling Gryga he'd screwed up - and EUFOR, the 4,000-strong European Union peacekeeping force deploying to Chad to protect Darfuri refugees and aid workers, promptly agreed to build the "North Star" base somewhere else. Fortunately Gryga's troops had not broken

82 ground yet, so the course change was not drastic. The misunderstanding over the Polish base was just the first in a series of minor clashes between EUFOR and Chadians. In addition to choosing a location for the base, access to local water supplies and damage that EUFOR's military vehicles are doing to the country's fragile roads have also caused friction. One issue -- water -- might just prove too contentious for lasting compromise. Arid eastern Chad has always suffered water shortages. In 2004, a quarter-million Darfuri refugees settled in the region, placing further strain on local water sources. Intensive labor by a wide range of aid groups -- drilling new wells, building dams to catch rainwater, opening up channels to feed rain into underground reservoirs -- has alleviated but not eliminated the problem. Now EUFOR is deploying thousands of soldiers and tonnes of equipment, all requiring tens of thousands of liters of water per day -- and water shortages have become a water crisis. To be sure, EUFOR knew water would be an issue. When Gryga's 100 troops deployed in April to begin building North Star, they chartered a Russian-made Antonov cargo plane -- the second largest aircraft type in the world -- to haul bottled water to Chad. But that water didn't last long. Today the Poles -- and 100 French, Irish and Belgian who work alongside them -- receive weekly ground convoys of bottled water from the French logistics hub in Abéché. The water these French convoys bring in does not come from Chadian sources -- it is shipped in from foreign sources, so in one sense it's harmless to parched eastern towns. But the trucks must travel on roads never intended for such heavy use in order to deliver the water. These roads are especially fragile where they cross the country's thousands of dry river beds, or wadis. During Chad's long rainy season, from roughly June to October, the Chadian government sets up roadblocks to prevent vehicles from crossing the wadis and damaging the roads. Those that absolutely must cross pay a fee. But French army Staff Sergeant Alexandre Barbet, whose job it is to escort the convoys, says the French drive right on through without paying. "What are they going to do?" he asks rhetorically. EUFOR considers the fees bribes.

The ongoing construction at North Star Camp is thirsty work, requiring thousands of liters of water for tamping down and leveling dirt, for example. For that, Gryga's troops drilled their own well. But the water table in this part of Chad has been sinking due to over-use and dwindling rainfall, and Gryga's well has proved a disappointment. There's only one option left: local wells. "We are trying to avoid taking sanitary water from local wells," Gryga says. "But because the water resources here are so limited, we have to take that water from time to time. We do want to avoid the impression that we are endangering the local population by taking too much water." "We must share," Polish defense minister Bogdan Kilch said during a June 28 visit to Iriba, referring to the area's water. Bakhit Abdaraman, Iriba's sultan, agreed, but said that water supplies simply won't meet everyone needs. "We've got to search (for new sources)," he said. Engineers working for aid groups in Iriba stress that it is getting harder and harder to dig new viable wells due to the water table sinking from overuse. In the meantime, EUFOR continues to rely heavily on existing water sources. On the morning of July 27, a French logistics team from North Star paid a visit to Help, an aid group with offices in eastern Chad, to draw some water from their well. They left with 8,000 liters - enough to meet the needs of 500 typical Chadian families for one day. That water, stored in huge rubber bladders, will supply North Star's kitchen, showers and laundry for a couple weeks. The same French

83 team knows all too well the impression EUFOR is making on the local population. Many of those Chadians who are aware of EUFOR's mission to protect refugees and aid workers generally approve of such. But when it comes to the fine details, the foreign military presence rankles some.

On July 26, the French team drove into Iriba in two trucks in order to buy some soft drinks and cigarettes for the tiny bar the team runs after hours at North Star. Chief Mendi Bouland invited this reporter to come along, but stressed keeping a low profile: certain Iriba neighborhoods didn't like seeing foreigners, he said. Sure enough, in Iriba's teeming open-air market, men shouted and raised their fists until the team ducked around a corner. Finding a friendly shopkeeper at an indoor stall, Bouland bought some soap, then swapped phone numbers and promised to come back soon. "Relations are actually pretty good, as far as the French go," Bouland says, adding that France's long history in Chad -- first as a colonizer, now as a firm backer of President Idriss Deby's regime -- has left deep linguistic and cultural ties. But the Poles, he says, are another matter. Gryga's conscious of his public relations problem. He says he meets once or twice a week with local government and tribal leaders in order to keep them informed of EUFOR's activities and to solicit their opinions. And he's offering an olive branch to make up for taking water and damaging roads. Once the full Polish contingent has arrived in August, Gryga says he will rebuild the wadi roads and donate supplies to local primary schools. Security still will be his main mission, he says, "but security isn't everything."

• U.S. Urges Burundian-UN Peacekeepers for the Future: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 2 July 2008.

The United States government has called for Burundian government to contribute Peacekeeping troops to Somalia as parts of UN peace keepers planned to send to Somalia senior Diplomat said. Speaking at African Union summit In Sherm-Elsheikh town in Egypt Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer has declared that Burundian troops would be parts of UN peacekeepers to Somalia in the near Future as a hope.

"As USA we will support Burundian troops to deploy in Somalia as UN peacekeepers" Frazer said at the venue of the summit that was wrapped up in Egypt on Tuesday. She added that Washington is ready to help Nigeria send peacekeepers to Somalia, but its priority is supporting a Burundian battalion that is ready to deploy

The African Union had planned to send 8,000 soldiers to the capital Mogadishu to support the U.N.-backed interim government, which faces an insurgency by Islamist rebels. But deployment of the full force has been repeatedly delayed since last year as a lack of funds and unrelenting violence in the city led several nations to re-examine offers to provide troops. A smaller contingent of 1,600 Ugandans and 600 Burundians already there has been unable to stem the chaos in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation.

Last week, Nigeria said it had about 800 soldiers ready to go to Somalia as soon as the Nigerian government gave its final approval. Jendayi Frazer, the U.S. assistant secretary

84 of state for African affairs, said Washington stood ready to support that deployment. "But our first priority is that there is a Burundian battalion that is trained and ready to go," she told reporters on the sidelines of an African Union summit in Egypt. "We are procuring armoured personnel carriers for them now - with the Nigerians we are getting their equipment list from them. But of course, the United States can't bear the burden of this financially alone, so we're also reaching out to other countries." Washington sees Somalia as a possible safe haven for al Qaeda, which it blames for deadly bombings at its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. The AU force, known as AMISOM, is meant to replace Ethiopian troops whose presence has inflamed the insurgency since they helped Somalia's government oust an Islamist movement at the start of 2007. Fighting in Somalia has killed thousands of civilians and forced nearly a million more from their homes since early last year, worsening a humanitarian crisis. The country is already suffering severe drought, high food prices and rampant inflation. The interim government has called on the U.N. Security Council to send U.N. peacekeepers to upgrade the AU force, and Frazer said her government was pushing for that in New York. "We're working with those council members who are not so sure about this to convince them that this is the right thing to do, and that we need to do it quickly," she said.

24. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

25. NORTH AFRICA • Tunisia: Tunisian-Saudi Building Company to Build Largest Shopping Centre in Tunis: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 30 June 2008.

The foundation stone of the largest shopping centre in Tunis was laid on June 27, 2008 by Tunisian and Saudi business personalities in Tunis. The shopping centre dubbed "Tunis City Centre", which will cover an area of 155,000 square meters located in the capital's northern urban zone( next to the Science Planetarium) will boast a shopping mall which a capacity of 11,600 square meters . A hypermarket, cinema theatres, and games centres will also be built. Panoramic lifts and modern and state of the art escalators will endow the shopping centre whose underground area will serve as a storing area, as well as parking lot, covering some 6500 square metres. A residential and an administrative area are also scheduled to be built and will feature 4 high- rise luxury buildings covering 9,300 square metres. The project that is in line with the several other mega -projects which are soon due to be built on the northern and southern Tunis lake shores, is expected to give the capital a modern urban stamp which will definitely reshape its landscape.

• Tunisia: Tourist Entries And Revenues Rise During First Part of 2008: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 30 June 2008.

Recent figures released by the ministry of tourism show that tourist entries have exceeded 2,6 million during the first semester 2008, thus representing an increase of 4,7%. European tourists represent 56% of the entries, and total 1,4 million tourists. French tourists still rank first with some 583, 7 thousand tourists followed by German, Italian

85 and British visitors. Tourists from the Maghreb have totalled more than a million, showing an increase of 8, 1%. Libyans occupy the first place with some 788, 16 entries. The figures also show that tourist revenues have increased by 8, 4%, in comparison with the same period in 2007.

• Algerian President Urges AU to integrate NEPAD: BuaNews (Tshwane): 1 July 2008.

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has stressed the urgent need to finalise the integration process of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) into the African Union (AU). "The finalisation seems to be a priority, considering the coherence and cohesion requirements in the African efforts for the continent's social and economic development," he told the 9th session of the Heads of State and Government Committee on NEPAD's implementation. The session was held in this Egyptian red Sea resort on the eve of the annual summit of Heads of State and government of the AU. President Bouteflika said the urgency to finalise the NEPAD integration process was also related to the need to take quality into consideration in the implementation of the major regional, restructuring projects that are fully developed. He added that five years ago Africa launched the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), showing its conviction that good governance provided a plus value to its development efforts and had never been a constraint imposed from the outside. Since its launch, he added, the APRM had become one of Africa's substantial assets that should be strengthened by improving its work and refining its goals, to better serve Africa and preserve it from any foreign influence, with a view to keeping the purely African initiative nature. President Bouteflika put a slant on the importance of addressing the ongoing global food crisis, which is threatening the continent in particular. Considerable efforts had been made for the development of agriculture, which constituted one of the AU's main priorities, he stressed, while noting the launch of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme. However, Africa had no less been affected by global food crisis, "hence the need to have agricultural development in Africa, with all its dimensions, at the heart of our concerns and to make it benefit of an international co-operation," he stressed.

• Libyan Investors to Buy Oil Refinery: The Nation (Nairobi): 30 June 2008.

As the controversial sale of the Grand Regency Hotel rages, it has emerged that the strategic Kenya Pipeline Refineries Limited is on the verge of being sold to Libyan company, Tamoil. This follows a deal reached when a delegation led by President Kibaki visited Libya last year. And Safina party leader Paul Muite Sunday opposed the sale, saying that the Libyan investors wanted to buy the crucial public asset at a throw-away price. Mr Muite said that an Indian firm, which had won a tender to buy 50 per cent of shares being off-loaded by private firms, had been rejected in favour of the Libyan investors. "The Indians had offered 10 million US dollars to buy the Shell, Chevron and BP shares. They were further to give 15 million dollars for the upgrading of the refinery. However, when the deal was about to be concluded, somebody intervened and said the shares should be sold to Libyans. The procurement procedure has been violated and

86 another corrupt deal is in offing," Mr Muite told the Nation in his Nairobi office. The former Kabete MP said that the Libyan investors had kept off the tendering process because "that is not the way they do business". Mr Muite told President Kibaki to clear the air over the trip to Libya, saying that the assets being sold to the oil-rich country belonged to the public.

Trade pact: Months to last year's General Election, Kenya signed an exclusive trade pact with Libya, granting Tripoli a "most favoured nation" status - giving Libyan companies a head start over other investors when competing for lucrative Government contracts. Titled: "Agreement on Promotion Guarantee and Protection on Investment", the document was signed by Dr Mukhisa Kituyi, the then minister for Trade, and Dr Ali Elisaue, the secretary-general of Libya's General People's Committee for the Economy and Investment. During discussions with the Kibaki mission, the Libyans expressed interest in six projects. First was the purchase of the Grand Regency Hotel by the state- owned Libya African Investment Portfolio (LAP). In the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, the Libyans wanted to take up a 20 per cent stake in The East African Marine Cable System (Teams). Under the project, a fibre-optic cable will be built between Mombasa and Fujaira in the United Arab Emirates at an estimated cost of $100 million. The current partners are the Kenya Government and Etisalat of the UAE. Libya's state-owned company Tamoil also wants to participate as a major equity partner in Kenya Pipeline Company's Eldoret-Kampala pipeline, in which its equity is at least 51 per cent.

Not disposing: On Sunday, Energy assistant minister Charles Keter confirmed that private companies wanted to off-load their shares in the refinery. However, he said that the Government was not disposing of its 50 per cent stake.Other sources said yesterday that Essar Energy Overseas of India was being forced to surrender half of the 50 per cent stake it had won to a Libyan firm whose bid came third.

The Libyan firm has also been holding discussions with the Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited on its participation in the proposed LPG handling and storage facility in Mombasa. It has expressed a desire to hold 51 per cent of equity in the proposed joint venture. The current shareholders of KPRL have since given a commitment to sell their entire equity to new shareholders. According to the shareholders' agreement, the Government has the right of pre-emption if the industry shareholders decide to sell their shares. The refinery in Changamwe, Mombasa, has a capacity of around 72,000 barrels. The intended modernisation programme is aimed at raising the production of liquefied petroleum gas from 30,000 tonnes to 120,000 tonnes per year. The Indians are said to have pledged to use over $400 million (about Sh22 billion) in both equity and loans to upgrade the refinery, a process that would eventually dilute the Government's 50 per cent stake. Libya, whose president, Muammar Gaddafi, has been advocating for the formation of a United States of Africa, has been using its diplomatic, political and economic muscle to penetrate and invest in various countries in the region. Libya wants a foothold on the East African coast, which has huge potential for offshore oil exploration. On Sunday, Mr Muite joined leaders calling for the sacking of Mr Kimunya, saying that four major scandals had occurred during his watch at the Treasury. He said that President Kibaki

87 should stick to his promise during the formation of the grand coalition Government that ministers named in graft would be sacked to facilitate investigations. The Safina leader recalled that Mr Kimunya had assured the House that all promissory notes for Anglo- leasing type projects had been cancelled only for Sh4 billion to be factored into this year's Budget for payment. The former Kabete MP said that Kenya was one of few countries still using old technology to print money and that De La Rue company was charging exorbitant rates. "We are paying two-to-three times more. Mr Kimunya's assertion that a contract to print new notes was cancelled due to lack of storage does not hold water. If the contract was cancelled, where is the 25 million US dollars that had been paid to De La Rue?" Mr Muite posed. Mr Kimunya has also been on the spot over the identity of Mobitelea, which owns shares in Safaricom and lately the controversial sale of the Grand Regency Hotel.

Broke news: The Nairobi Metropolitan Development minister, Mr Mutula Kilonzo, has revealed that businessman Kamlesh Pattni paid Sh4 billion for the hotel in 1994. He termed the sale of the hotel 14 years later at Sh2.9 billion a "superscale corruption." It also emerged that the Libyan Government officials who bought the hotel were formally introduced to the staff members on Saturday. Additional reporting by Kenneth Ogosia

• UN Seeks Increased Access to Asylum-Seekers Detained By Egypt: UN News Service (New York): 3 July 2008.

The United Nations refugee agency has interviewed nearly 180 Eritrean and Ethiopian asylum-seekers detained in Egypt to assess their claims for refugee status, and urged the authorities to continue to provide unhindered access to others who are being held. Among the 179 Eritrean and Ethiopian asylum-seekers interviewed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) were 48 women and 20 children, including two boys suffering from trauma after their mother was killed in a car accident while they were on their way to Egypt.

The interviews took place in the Shalal detention centre in the southern Egyptian town of Aswan after authorization from the Government. Radhouane Nouicer, Director of UNHCR's Middle East and North Africa bureau, welcomed the cooperation of the Egyptian authorities in permitting these interviews to take place under good conditions. Egypt has seen an increase in the number of Eritreans entering the country illegally in recent months from Sudan or across the Red Sea from their homeland. UNHCR continues to be in discussions with relevant authorities to gain prompt and unhindered access to all asylum-seekers who are still being detained. "We urge the Egyptian authorities to continue their generous asylum traditions and to allow access by UNHCR staff to all those reportedly in detention. We are engaged in frank discussions with the authorities and trust that those in need of international protection will continue to enjoy it in Egypt," said Mr. Nouicer.

Last month, UNHCR said it was concerned by "credible reports" of forcible returns of Eritrean asylum-seekers from Egypt despite appeals to halt any returns until the agency had had access to detention centres to determine their claims for international protection.

88 • Tunisia: 'The Future of Humanity Depends on a Comprehensive, and Sustainable International Solidarity' Says President Ben Ali in African Union Address: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 30 June 2008.

In an address delivered on his behalf at the 11 th ordinary session of the African Union by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Abdelwahab Abdallah in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on Monday, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali stressed the need for increased solidarity between African nations, in order to solve the problems arising from wars, food shortage and depleting water resources. The Tunisian Head of State also said that Tunisia considered the African Union as "an optimum framework to promote complementarity between our economies". He also said that it was within this context that he launched his call for establishing a World Solidarity Fund for poverty eradication, as well as "our call to the countries endowed with oil wealth to allocate one dollar for each oil barrel to finance the Fund". "Tunisia which has continuously contributed to the promoting joint African action in all fields, reaffirms on this occasion its commitment to pursue efforts in order to materialize this objective", said President Ben Ali, who added that Africa's problems "stemming from the wars and conflicts plaguing the continent, the scarcity of natural resources, the propagation of epidemics, and the harsh conditions experienced by some of our countries, seriously threaten the chances of African people to achieve growth, prosperity, as well as security stability and a decent life for the younger generations". "The future of humanity" said President Ben Ali "depends on a comprehensive, effective and sustainable international solidarity among its people."

26. NEWS COMMENTARIES WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Chinese Investments in Country: This Day (Lagos): OPINION: 3 July 2008.Tayo Agunbiade

In recent times, quite a lot has been said and written about the presence of Chinese investors in Africa . The West is clearly worried not just about the rate of China's growth within a global context, but also about the movement into Africa. The media in the West have made it their business to air news reports, commission documentaries etc on what they describe as the "Chinese incursion into Africa ". While some may feel that the concern of Europe and America about the large-scale investments is all politically- motivated yet, on a closer look, a few valid questions are raised. One of the pertinent questions is "Is Africa getting a fair deal from the agreements signed with Chinese investors"

One documentary aired by the BBC World News Network examined Chinese investments in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia . The reporter investigated the solid minerals sub sector and asked if the Congo was getting a fair deal in return for agreeing to a Chinese company explore some of its rich mineral resources. He went to and fro between the site for the proposed railway project and government officials trying to establish if all was above board and that the Congolese would be the ultimate beneficiaries. At the site for the proposed railway project, we watched (perhaps in

89 amusement) how a Chinese engineer's way of communicating with the Congolese worker was through gesticulations. It was clear that there was a language barrier between the Chinese engineers and the Congolese labourers. Typically there was little interaction between the visitors and their hosts. They had their accommodation far removed from that of the locals and very few members of the team spoke the official language of French. Next stop was copper-rich Zambia . The reporter combed through a remote part of the country trying to locate the stadium the Chinese investors were said to have promised to build as part of the deal to being allowed access to mineral resources.

The Chinese are crawling all over Africa; oil is said to be a big driver of their investment policy hence Nigeria has a fairly sizeable Chinese community within her boundaries. No doubt we need all the foreign investment we can get. Newly released figures from the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) say 3.34 million are unemployed. Chinese investments have the potential to provide much needed jobs, generate employment, creation of wealth and boost economic development. It may be true that they are not here out of any sense of love for us, but hunger for our resources to sustain their own economy and rate of growth. Therefore we need in local parlance to "shine our eyes" and make sure that we as a nation get the best deal from their investment drive. We must demand the best for our communities and shun any processes that are inimical to our development. This however requires a form of patriotism that turns a blind eye towards any personal gain. It requires an eye that sees beyond the immediate minute and instead sees the brighter gains for the generality of the people in the long term. The question is "Is this a realistic sacrifice that we are all willing to undertake"?

Chinese enterprises and businesses must focus on production processes and not importation. This may be the tricky one. Everything possible should be done to ensure that this is adhered to in any partnership that is entered into with Chinese investors. It is very common to find cheap and poor quality goods being dumped on our markets. Although importation of goods may not the only factor that has harmed our local manufacturers and industries, but it has contributed in no small way. The ban on importation has not worked due to the lack of commitment on the part of the enforcing agencies. Hence partners and hosts of Chinese companies and firms must insist on a process that would be beneficial to the local community. Why sign away the future of our youths into the hands of foreign investors. When signing those juicy agreements our leaders, businessmen and entrepreneurs must think 'Nigeria First.' Our collective interests should be paramount not that of the foreigners. When the Americans or the British sign trade agreements and pacts, they put the interests of their nations first. The economy and the number of jobs such agreements will secure always and always come first. It is comforting to know that some host state governments have unveiled comprehensive "Local Content Policies" which are devised to save their corporate interest. In for instance, the Government has made it clear that foreign investors must factor in local people and contracts in their activities. The policy also provides that unskilled labour must from the local environment, while employment of foreign workers is only permitted when local expertise is unavailable. Furthermore the policy seeks to increase economic activities, boost capacity building for local firms, encourage technology transfer and help the growth of small businesses in the State. Sharing of skills and transfer of technology

90 are also strict conditions for foreign businessmen and entrepreneurs. In a bid to forestall a situation in which wild gesticulations become the means of communication between the Chinese investors and the local populace, the Ogun State Government is exploring avenues to introduce the establishment of a Chinese Language programme at the Tai Solarin University of Education. According to Vice Chancellor, Professor Kayode Oyesiku "work on the curricular for both certificate and degree programmes is nearing completion". Some have called for a coherent strategy for dealing with China and that books should be written and studies conducted on China from the Nigerian perspective. One however thinks that the answers may not necessarily be found in the books and studies but more in us as a people. As stakeholders in the Nigerian project we all owe it to our nation to put her interests first and play our part in ensuring as we do not sink under bad policies, unpatriotic deeds etc. manufacturers should be shouting themselves hoarse to make sure that our markets are no longer flooded with products that can be made here. Chinese firms and enterprises must be read the riot act on their business and work ethics and it should be made imperative that whatever partnership they enter into must be beneficial to both parties. If we as a people truly want economic empowerment and growth for our nation then we should demand win-win partnerships from foreign investors.

As far as infrastructure investment is concerned it should be an absolute no-no for Chinese firms to arrive with their own work force, build a project and leave. As they are building up a community with infrastructure they should equally empower its people with skills too.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

• AU Letting Continent Down: The Namibian (Windhoek): EDITORIAL: 4 July 2008.

THE African Union (AU) is letting the continent down. All the hopes of a more democratic successor to the former old Organisation of African Unity (OAU) appear to have been dashed, as time and again, they show that they have changed little from the elite club of old allies of the past. Political division within the ranks is not a problem in itself. One could hardly expect that there would be consensus among such a large group of African leaders. And a diversity of voices is not a bad thing either. But what is most horrifying is that the so-called democratic states on the continent, cannot find a voice on Zimbabwe, with some notable exceptions, such as Prime Minister Raila Odinga of Kenya. That the AU meeting in Egypt finally came up with a resolution favouring a national unity government in Zimbabwe, is nothing short of cowardice, and a further blot on the reputation and credibility of those governments claiming to be democratic. Where were the voices of Namibia, South Africa, and many others on the sub-continent for example? Yes, some spoke out. Kenya, and to a certain extent Botswana and Nigeria, but for the rest, democratic voices were silenced by diplomacy. Observers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) themselves declared the sham election which 'legitimised' Robert Mugabe's continued rule, as not free and fair, and riddled with intimidation and violence.

91 Why then did SADC bother even to send observers to Zimbabwe, if they were not prepared to take their cue from them? Africa still has its posse of presidents for life, which includes Mugabe and others. Omar Bongo of Gabon, for example, insisted that Africa should accept a Mugabe victory. "He was elected, he took an oath and he is here with us, so he is president and we cannot ask him more," said Africa's longest-serving head of state. Such comments from the 'old order' would surprise no-one. But why the democracies caved in on and submitted to a resolution that is about as far-fetched as a potential solution as the prospect of Mugabe quitting voluntarily, is what stuns the world at large. Thankfully, Morgan Tshangarai of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has rejected the proposal, saying it would merely accommodate Mugabe after most of the world had labelled his regime as illegitimate. "A government of national unity does not address the problems facing Zimbabwe or acknowledge the will of the Zimbabwean people," said Tshangarai, while pointing out that the same resolution did not acknowledge the illegitimacy of the June 27 poll; neither did it acknowledge that the MDC as the winner of the election on March 29, should be recognised as the government of Zimbabwe. Later it was stated at the AU meeting that Mugabe himself had snubbed the idea of sharing power with the MDC.

Africa should have taken this golden opportunity to solve its own problems without Western interference by closing ranks and taking a united stand in refusing to legitimise Mugabe's illegal win. They should have called for a new round of elections, this time under totally free and fair elections, if necessary, sending in AU troops to ensure this. What they have probably done by refusing to face facts in Africa, is to postpone a solution to the dreadful conditions the majority of Zimbabweans continue to live in under a Mugabe régime. They have done what the OAU before them always did: supported the dictators and the despots and the lifetime rulers to the detriment of democracy on the continent. We have again lost a valuable opportunity with the AU continuing to shield Mugabe from African contempt and rejection, which he so richly deserves.

Our own disappointment in our Government in Namibia knows no bounds for they have aligned our country and people with the undemocratic forces on the continent, rather than speaking loudly for change.

CENTRAL AFRICA

• The Dregs of Continental Leadership: The Post (Buea): OPINION: 4 July 2008.Neba-Fuh

Egypt's resort town of Sharm El Sheikh is host to the world's most dreaded dictators meeting under the banner of the African Union Summit. Amongst them is Zimbabwe's junta leader Robert Mugabe, who recently hijacked people's power by performing a one- man -show, after intimidating his challenger-Morgan Tshangarai and his supporters resulting to deaths, in a run-off 'election' that was a clear slaughter of democracy.

A once respected African liberation hero, Mugabe is now defecating on the platform that projected him to the apex of the list of African liberation fighters. An octogenarian like

92 Robert Mugabe should be enjoying a well-deserved rest just like his contemporary-living legend and ace freedom fighter- Madiba Nelson Mandela is doing. Mugabe is exhibiting a severe case of senility that is not only disgracing his family, the Zimbabwean people, but Africa as a whole.His argument of indispensability, by purporting that the British and Americans will re-colonise Zimbabwe if he leaves power, is a tragic symptom of wisdom's cramp. We know the unmistakable treachery that these two western powers have plunged the world into, but for an 84-year- old dictator to present the above as an excuse to rig elections in order to rule a nation already suffering a more than 355 percent inflation rate is the first major joke of the 21st century.

Africa's sufferings have been exacerbated by the continual clinging to power by people like Mugabe. He is just one of the many oligarchs that have plundered Africa's riches, leaving the masses miserably helpless. That's why he had the guts to threaten fellow African dictators after his flawed run-off 'election' just before the summit, by saying that he was waiting to see that finger that will point at him-that dirty finger from an African leader that thinks it is clean. Mugabe could never have been wrong! Which finger could really point at Mugabe?

Is it the host Hosni Mubarak's 27 years in-power- finger or Gabon's Bongo's 41years-in- power-finger? Is it Libya's Qadhafi's 38years-in-power finger? Just to name these few. On the eve of this summit, celebrations marking Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday kick- started in London's Hyde Park with a star- studded concert. Political and entertainment gurus rallied to pay homage to what real African leadership is suppose to mean. A man whose choices and decisions are guided by service and sacrifice. A man whose vision of Africa is not enshrined in the vice of greed. A man who would rather perish in prison than live in a society where freedom was a privilege, not a right. A man whose captors would assemble to applaud his bravery. A man who demystified the notion that all African leaders cling to power until power kicks them off. This is Mandela - the anti apartheid prisoner who became President! He represents a whole lot of African visionaries who did not have the opportunity to clock 90 like him: Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba, Um Nyobe, etc. They craved for a united Africa out of love, not out of greed like the 'dregs' we have today. Egypt's summit is another rendezvous for dim-witted cronies, some of whom are constantly worried about changing their diapers because of old age than concentrating on the issues they have plunged Africa into. Instead of them worried on how to push the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), they might be caught up with the Zimbabwe saga-election rigging and manipulation-something most of them are guilty of. Who could point that finger? Young African rulers, who could have been the innovative think tank of those old recalcitrant guards, are nothing more than monarchical derivatives -The Kabilas and the Eyademas, still troubled by Dads' poisoned genes. The dregs of African leadership deserve their place in the dustbin! Even though some of these rulers have embezzled the peoples' money equivalent to multiple budgets of their nations, we still plead that they recognize that they cannot form any valuable solution to the numerous problems they have plunged this great continent into.

93 Africa - the richest continent in the universe - has become an economic eyesore. A peoples' destiny held hostage by a greedy few. Their rule is nothing more than a movie shot without a director. They will be strangled by their own web!

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94 BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD Weekly Presentation: July 15, 2008 Sub-Saharan Africa Abbas S Lamptey Period: From July 6 to July 12, 2008 SUMMARY OF THE NEWS

China-Africa Chinese Information Technology Company, Spur Group, is to establish a multi-million dollar manufacturing plant to produce computer hard wares and soft wares in Nigeria. The investment would lead to the production of cheaper and affordable computers in the country. The government of China is making loan available to the government of Sierra Leone at concessional rate to support Sierratel, a government-owned telecommunication company. The Chinese government is hosting this year’s African Music festival in auditoriums in three Chinese cities namely Beijing, Shanghai and Hunan. The festival is expected to gather a lot of African artistes, leaders as well as other partners with the view to bring China and Africa together. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced an agreement with the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) and the South African Broadcasting Corporation Limited (SABC) for the acquisition of the broadcast rights within 37 territories in sub- Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) for the Beijing 2008 Olympic games. The IOC said it selected the AUB/SABC partnership on its capacity to reach the largest possible audience, as well as its commitment to broadcasting tailored programming of the Olympic Games in sub-Saharan Africa and promoting the values of the Olympic Movement in the region. In Namibia, a vast track of land at Oshikango on fringes of the Angolan border is on the verge of being sold completely to Chinese business people and could bear a new name "China Dragon Town". However, the headman of the town, Shilunga, felt the move is not good for the town. He said most prominent Namibian business people have already sold their pieces of land to Chinese business people. Another issue of concern to the headman is the sale of a dam, on whose water the village and even cattle rely upon. In the Zambia, local people have threatened to use violence to stop a Chinese investor from recruiting qualified Zambians from other parts of the country to work on a Government project. The US$ 500 million irrigation scheme on 600 hectares of land co-funded by the Zambian Government and the African Development Bank (AfDB) is part of Government programmes aimed at addressing the effects of drought that has hit Mazabuka in recent years. A Chinese technical team visiting Kenya has expressed interest in agriculture, manufacturing, energy, transport, telecommunications as well as oil and gas. The government of Kenya has stepped up campaigns to woo Chinese investors so as to benefit from the $1 billion (Sh65 billion) China-Africa Development Fund.

95

Pan Africa

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has described South Africa’s first democratically elected President, Nelson Mandela, as Africa’s greatest leader Briefing reporters at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg on Thursday, the Liberian President described Mr Mandela as a selfless leader who was committed to improving other people's lives. Africa will not develop if it remains 53 mini states, Executive Director of the African Futures Institute, Pretoria, South Africa, Dr Alioune Sall has said. Delivering the first in Microsoft's Leadership Lecture series in Nigeria at the University of Lagos recently, Sall who is a Senegalese said, "We may decentralise, but we must build a regional power base. A World Bank report says China, India, and a few Middle Eastern Gulf nations are financing a record number of infrastructure projects across Sub-Saharan Africa. Investment commitments in Africa by these emerging financiers jumped from less than $1 billion per year before 2004 to $8 billion in 2006 and $5 billion in 2007, signaling a growing trend in cooperation among developing economies (South-South cooperation). Discussions at the seventh U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum “the Agricultural Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum taking place in Washington, D.C., July 14 to 16, 2008,will focus on the linkages between private investment and economic growth in Africa and highlight ways in which African countries can best take advantage of trade opportunities under AGOA. The theme of this year’s forum is "Mobilizing Private Investment for Trade and Growth". The African Union (AU) will establish the African Monetary Fund designed to facilitating trade within the continent. To that effect a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Pan African body and the Cameroon, where the later would provide facilities to this new institution whose Head Quarters is to be in Yaounde, capital of Cameroon. At the just concluded African Heads of States Summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sham – el-Sheik all 53 member states of the African Union endorsed the idea to form a Union Government, though views on how to achieve it remain divergent. Some countries are of the opinion that member states should pronounce themselves on having a Union Government formed immediately, while others suggested a gradual approach based on certain benchmarks like regional economic blocs such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). The summit adopted a report of the Committee of 12 Heads of State and Government, which articulates a gradual approach, based on eight (8) benchmarks and accelerators that should be put in place before establishment of the African Union Government. The agreed benchmarks are: popularisation and internalisation of the core values underpinning the Constitutive Act; fast tracking of the Common Market and the African Economic Community; free movement of peoples of Africa; establishment of continental financial and monetary institutions; engagement and mobilisation of the peoples of Africa; coherence, effectiveness and efficiency of institutional frameworks; rationalisation of the Regional Economic Communities, and orientation of the African entrepreneurial elite towards regional and continental investment projects that advance unity and integration. The approach taken by the European Union (EU) in trade talks with Africa has been strongly criticised in an official report commissioned by France, the new holder of the EU's rotating presidency. The 191-

96 page report contains strong criticisms of efforts made by the Commission to persuade African countries to scrap most of the taxes they levy on imports from Europe, noting that many ACP countries depend on customs duties for almost 40 percent of their revenues. African leaders urged the Group of Eight nations yesterday to keep their promises to assist the continent, saying soaring oil and food prices were making their poverty worse. Speaking during the official opening of the G8 Summit, African Union chairman Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete said rich nations should nurture and fulfil their promises if they were really concerned about the continent's development.

HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES

The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (the African Commission), have unveiled plans to hold a workshop for Heads of Police and Prisons from across the West African sub-region. According to a Member of the Commission and Chair of the Working Group on the Implementation of the Robben Island Guidelines (RIG), Mrs. Dupe Atoki, torture continues to remain endemic globally and is a particularly acute problem in Africa. The Robben Island Guidelines, which was formally adopted by a Resolution of the African Commission in October 2002, and approved by the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in July 2003, are a set of guidelines and measures for the prohibition and prevention of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment in Africa.Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela was goaled for 27 years during white minority rule in South Africa. The Grand Khadi of , Nigeria, Justice Abdulkadir Imam Fulani has prescribed knowledge acquisition as the only solution to the multifarious social ills plaguing the country. Imam Fulani opined that any knowledgeable individual would prefer to engage more in good practices than social vices because of his educational attainment. The Grand Khadi, who was the guest lecturer at the Maoulud Nahiyy celebration of Imam Issa-Elelu memorial mosque, Muritala Mohammed Way, Ilorin, therefore, stressed the need for the Muslim parents to give their children sound education. The Chief Imam of the mosque, Ustaz Abubakar Aliy-Kema in his sermon, stressed the importance of maolud nabbiyy and enjoined Muslims in the country to always emulate the virtues of Prophet Mohammed in their daily endeavours. On the eve of World Population Day, Muslim leaders in Burkina Faso agreed to promote family planning among their followers at a meeting of the country's principal Islamic organisations in the capital's main mosque. The Minority leader in The Gambian Parliament, Momodou Sanneh on July 3, 2008 called on the government of President Yahya Jammeh to respect the ECOWAS court ruling by releasing Chief Ebrima Manneh, a detained reporter of the Banjul-based privately owned government-controlled newspaper. The House of Representatives in Nigeria has overwhelmingly rejected a bill seeking a committal of death sentence for armed robbery to life imprisonment. The lawmakers submitted that armed robbers must pay the supreme price for taking to crimes. Again, in Nigeria, a group of corps members under the auspices of 'Legal Aids', a community development association, Monday held a rally in Abuja to create awareness on the dangers and legal punishments involved in human trafficking. The trafficking of girls from villages to cities in Nigeria is increasing and the state is powerless to stop the trade. "The business of recruiting teenage girls as domestic help in rich and middle-class homes is booming despite our efforts to put a stop to it",

97 Bello Ahmed, head of the Kano office of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP), told IRIN. The negative practice of child trafficking is on the increase in some regions of Ghana and across West Africa. Meanwhile Pro women coalition groups in Nigeria have protested against a bill before the senate to prohibit and punish nudity and sexual intimidation in the country. The women protesters almost marred the senate public hearing on the bill, as they said, that the passage of the bill into law would expose Nigerian women to more abuse by security agencies. In South Africa, it has come to light that several months before the recent xenophobic attacks, President Thabo Mbeki disputed the findings of a report warning of SA's "brutality and detention" of foreigners from other African countries. The intelligence community maintains it warned the government about xenophobic tensions, though "not in a sense of a flashing red light". Mbeki has denied receiving any such warning. Another surprise from the region: freedom of expression came under threat when the government of Swaziland prohibited a protest march organised by civic organisations who wanted to protest against rising ritual killings in the tiny kingdom. In Zimbabwe, the opposition MDC party says over 1500 MDC activists and officials of the party remain in police custody across the country. In the Sudan Government forces and rebel groups continue to commit human rights violations in the Darfur region, while populations in the southern part of the country also suffer from ongoing violence, according to an independent United Nations rights official. Somali Islamists group has laid blame Somali government on the killing of the aid workers and important people of the war ravaged horn of Africa country. The spokesman of Al-Shabaab Sheikh Moqtar Robow Abumansur has declared that Somali government is liable for the consecutive killings against aid workers and the essential people in Somalia. Ethiopia has passed a new media law that bans censorship of private media and the detention of journalists, but which critics say maintains other threats to free expression. "Under the new law, previous restrictions against private media outlets, such as detention of journalists suspected of infringement of the law, has been scrapped," a Parliament statement said. But opposition members say the law, passed on 1 July, still allows state prosecutors to invoke national security as grounds for impounding publishing materials prior to publication and distribution. In Rwanda, the First Lady, Mrs. Jeannette Kagame, took part in a ceremony to award the best performing Muslim students who sat last year's national secondary school examinations. The ceremony took place at Hamdan Bun Rashid Secondary School in Gitarama town, and was organised by the Rwanda Muslims Association (AMUR) in conjunction with the Libyan-based World Islamic Call Society (WICS) with the aim of supporting education of the girl-child. The First Lady thanked the Muslim community for supporting the education of the girl-child by rewarding the best students. Steps towards bringing peace to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and bolstering lawful Government bodies must gather speed, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wrote in his latest report on the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country, known as MONUC.

Refugees and Migration

Spanish coastguards rescued 23 Nigerian immigrants off the coast of Malaga in the early hours of Monday. However, 14 others were believed to be missing. According to Reuters, some of the immigrants said 37 of them were onboard the boat and those still missing

98 included women and children, a government representative said in a statement. A range of civil society organisations in Western Cape has criticised all three tiers of government for failing to honour commitments given to the victims of xenophobic attacks of two months ago. The civil society forum, which includes the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), said yesterday that conditions in the camps remained "untenable" and that safety and security remained "uncertain". Drought, combined with soaring food and fuel prices, is causing a severe humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa region, according to the top United Nations relief official. "Large areas of the Horn of Africa, including parts of Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Uganda and Kenya, are now in or rapidly sliding towards a humanitarian emergency and we believe there are something like 14 million people now in urgent need of food aid and other humanitarian assistance in the coming months," Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes told reporters in New York. The free movement of people across the East African region, under the EAC common market, will be controlled to avoid "unnecessary conflicts" once the mooted regional integration becomes operational. The Minister for East African Cooperation, Dr Diodorus Kamala, allayed public fears that regional integration would result in foreigners flooding the country in search of jobs. In Kenya, a parliamentary committee was informed on Friday that tension is still high in some areas where internal refugees have returned to their from camps. In Chad non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Oxfam and Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) have suspended their activities in Kerfi, near Goz Beida in eastern region following attacks on the staff and compounds of several NGOs, both agencies announced in press statements on 10 July.

Health Matters

The federal Commissioner of National Population Commission (NPC), Nigeria, Dr. Bode Iwaloye has described the present mortality ratio as too frightening, noting that about 800 maternal deaths are recorded per 100,000 live births in the country. The NPC boss said the high mortality rate was as a result of poor maternal health, calling on all tiers of government to expedite action to improve the health care delivery in the country. The government of aims to dramatically increase the percentage of Beninese who can access drinking water by 2015 and one organisation, the Regional Centre for Water and Sanitation (CREPA) hopes to close the gap with a simple solution requiring little more than sunshine and a plastic bottle. Developed by the Swiss Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWEG), the method, called solar water disinfection, or SODIS, uses the sun's UV-A rays and heat to decontaminate water. In the Ivory Coast sale of counterfeit drugs is booming due to the high cost of medicine in the country. The Zanzibar government has allayed fears that the booming tourism industry has resulted to increased HIV/Aids infections in the Isles. The minister for Tourism and Investment, Ms Samia Sululu Hassan, said that a recent research by the government has not revealed any connection between tourism and the Aids scourge. Nearly 100 percent of the population of Zanzibar is Muslim.

Environment

99 Nigeria is not located within the world's zones that are highly prone to natural disasters such as hurricane, typhoon, cyclone, earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruptions and others. However, cases of landslides, coastal erosions and earth tremors that are seismic related have often been recorded. However, the Federal Government said it is adopting proactive measures to review the country's seismicity with a view to monitor any slight earth movements that may pose environmental threat to people and property as is being witnessed in many parts of the globe especially in the Asian continent, particularly in Japan and China. A fresh agitation for compensation has been made by oil producing communities in of Nigeria, over alleged spill from oil pipeline of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN), a subsidiary of ExxonMobil. LAKE Victoria is among the African water bodies drying up due to environmental degradation and climatic changes, according to a report released by the UN Environment Programme. It noted that the loss of trees and wetlands, which form the Lake Victoria water catchments, was partly to blame for the receding shoreline. "Over 75% of the wetlands have been significantly affected by human activities and 13% is severely degraded."

ENERGY

"Biofuel is a strategy to starve the third world, especially the poor countries, so that they [the West] would be able to infiltrate the poor people, who are hungry and give them money in order to bring puppets to power, to serve the West," says President Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh. Speaking to newsmen at his Bunabore Farm in the outskirts of Kanilai, Saturday evening, the Gambian leader rejected the idea of biofuel, simply because the world is yet to grow enough crops to feed its people, let alone vehicles. Former Foreign Affairs Minister, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Wednesday, declined his appointment as chairman of the steering committee of the proposed Niger Delta Summit. In a statement from his New York base, he said: "I have nothing but the highest regard for the people of the Niger Delta as an integral part of the Nigerian nation. "It is my belief that the focus of this enterprise should be the Niger Delta but the perspective should be national while the international concern should not be ignored… Large-scale production of oil in Angola sets a huge challenge to the country's Navy (MGA) in protecting the installations from enemy attacks. This was said Thursday in Luanda by the chief of staff of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), gen. Francisco Furtado. "The transportation by sea of the oil produced in our country, the main source of revenues, compels us into also guaranteeing the security of out maritime communications," said the general. Mauritius and the Seychelles are cooperating to make a joint submission to the United Nations in order to secure additional areas of continental shelf. It is through such cooperation that these countries are seeking to establish a secure legal basis for the development of potentially lucrative natural and living resources of the seabed including oil, gas and mineral resources, as well as shellfish and other marine genetic resources. In order to claim additional areas of continental shelf in accordance with international law, both governments are required to make a submission to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf ('the Commission'). The Commonwealth Secretariat is providing advice and assistance to these two small island states regarding the preparation of such a submission. PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has said revenue from Uganda's oil will be used to develop infrastructure and other sectors of the economy such

100 as agriculture. He said the oil and gas revenues would be chanelled to building the human resource capacity, developing physical infrastructure such as railways and roads, boost health and to industrialise the country. Meanwhile Christiaan Poortman, the director of global programmes of Transparency International, said resource abundance was associated with corruption, conflict and poverty. "Uganda is aware the management of natural resource revenues is associated with possible conflict and corruption. It already faces demands from different interest group," said Poortman. In Rwanda Vangold Resources Ltd. has signed an agreement with a South African company for an airborne gravity and aeromagnetic survey of the area where traces of oil were discovered in Rwanda, RNA has established. The company, New Resolution Geophysics will fly its high-tech planes over Vangold's 1,631 sq km oil and gas concession, which covers the Lake Kivu Graben in Rwanda, Vangold said on Tuesday.

Economy

In Nigeria members of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Employees (NUPENG) have began an indefinite strike to press their demand for improved working conditions. Despite high global food prices, conflict in the north and the onset of the lean season that lasts from July to September, the food security situation in the north and elsewhere looks positive this year in Mali. As G8 leaders wrapped up their forum in Hokkaido in Japan, some 13,000km away, the hundreds of people who had gathered for the seventh annual alternative People's Forum, this year held in the town of Koulikoro, Mali, were issuing a closing statement to their own conference, and its tone was defiant. The focus of discussions on 10 July, the final day, was on privatisation. Participants issued a statement urging the Malian authorities "to take bold steps against privatisation and to extend public services in Mali... to stop the privatisation of schools, and to establish national strategies to fight against corruption." IBM Corporation is sending a team of high-potential IBM leaders to Ghana this week to help develop local businesses while enriching their own leadership skills. Ten IBM employees from countries such as Canada, Germany, India, Italy, US and UK will arrive in Ghana on 11 July 2008 as part of the corporation's newly launched Corporate Service Corps Programme (CSC). The Programme deploys IBM's leaders of today and tomorrow to developing countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa to address socio-economic challenges in emerging markets while deepening leadership skills including diversity management. The team in Ghana will work with three non-governmental organisations: Association of Ghana Industries, National Bureau of Small Scale Industries and Aid to Artisans Ghana in Kumasi to help improve business processes as well as provide training for a network of small and medium enterprises in Kumasi trying to scale up their business models. Professor Joseph Stiglitz, an international economic luminary, has stated that the economy of Ghana needs diversification, with more attention being focused on industrial expansion. He said in the wake of rising food and oil prices, what a developing economy like Ghana's needed to do to sustain growth was to diversify, focusing sharply on industrial development. He stressed, however, that the expansion of the industrial sector ought to be accompanied by abundant employment opportunities and not the reverse as was the case with many developing economics where industrial expansion has come about without commensurate creation of employment. The 2001 Noble Prize Winner in

101 Economics said these in Accra where he met the business community on Tuesday. The meeting formed part of his visit to Ghana for discussion of economic policies, which was at the instance of the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET), a civil society organisation. THE JSE, in partnership with the FTSE Group, one of the leading global index providers, recently launched the JSE Shariah all share index and will be launching the JSE Shariah top 40 index on July 21. The Shariah top 40 index, unlike the Shariah all share, which is a benchmark index, will be tradable. Ana Forssman, a senior general manager at the JSE, yesterday said they had developed the index based on demand for Shariah-compliant investment products and would be launching an exchange traded fund off the index by the end of September. Shariah is the body of doctrines that regulates the lives of Muslims. The global market for Islamic investment products is growing at an annual 15%-20%, says the FTSE Group, which also predicts equity fund assets will increase from $15,5bn to $53,8bn internationally by 2010.One Islamic banker writes: Many people question whether Islamic finance differs meaningfully from conventional finance. The present day operating environment is a conventional one in terms of market structuring and dynamics. However, the two differ as night and day with respect to their core defining parameters and fundamental perspectives. There are several basic principles in Islamic banking. Conventional banking operates on interest-based money lending while the Islamic banking operates like a trading house. What allows this difference? Two core principles are at the Centre; elimination of riba (interest) and gharar (uncertainty or chance). The Angolan Cabinet minister, José Pedro de Morais, on Thursday in Luanda received from the hands of Stephen Timewell, editor-in-chief of the prestigious British financial magazine "The Banker", owned by the Financial Times group, the prize of Best African Finance Minister in 2007. The award handover ceremony took place in the sidelines of the forum on Economy and Finance, held Thursday in a promotion of the Angolan Association of Banks (Abanc), an event intended to analyse Angola's and the world's financial and banking sectors.

POLITICS

The Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that investigated FCT administrations since 1999 has barred a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Malam Nasir el-Rufai from holding public office. He was charged with abuse of office and corruption. Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on Thursday broke ranks with fellow African leaders by backing targeted sanctions against members of Mugabe's regime. Speaking in South Africa Johnson-Sirleaf told reporters that the move would send a strong message of disapproval at what is happening in Zimbabwe. But many ordinary people think that Sirleaf is playing the game of the West. ‘She’s another dump puppet of the West’. Those who agree with her lambaste Mugabe as a ‘tyrant and dictator who hijacks power’ Russia and China vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Friday which would have imposed an arms embargo against Zimbabwe and financial and travel sanctions on President Robert Mugabe and other key leaders of the country's ruling party. The resolution was proposed by the United States and backed by eight other countries, including Burkina Faso and European members of the council. South Africa, Libya and Vietnam joined Russia and China in voting against it. Indonesia abstained. THE Group of Eight yesterday ignored African and Russian calls not to

102 impose more sanctions on Zimbabwe and said they would put in place "financial measures" against the country in a move that has been described by Government as smacking of "international racism” The negotiations between Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu (PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) got under way at an undisclosed venue in SA. Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda yesterday reiterated his stance that Zanzibar is not a sovereign country, rejecting the Isles' Attorney-General's assertion that he may have erred in his earlier interpretation of its status. Mr Pinda, for a second time in a week, told Parliament in Dodoma that Zanzibar "cannot be a country outside the United Republic of Tanzania".

PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT RESOLUTION

The European Union (EU) has given a nod for the release of N7.7 billion (€45.5 million) to support the implementation of projects in the Niger Delta region. The French Embassy, which is celebrating the start of the ascension of France as EU president, stated that the programme would contribute to the reduction of social tension and conflicts in the Niger Delta. Zimbabwean political leader Morgan Tsvangirai has characterised Thursday's meeting between representatives of his party and the ruling Zanu-PF as talks about talks. The meeting, being held in Pretoria, South Africa was "solely to present the conditions under which genuine negotiations can take place," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned a deadly attack on the joint United Nations-African Union force in Darfur that killed seven peacekeepers and wounded twenty-two, seven of them critically. The attack on the peacekeeping mission occurred at approximately 2:45 pm local time, when unidentified militia ambushed a joint police and military patrol between Gusa Jamat and Wadah in North Darfur. The United Nations has launched an initial enquiry into Tuesday's attack. In addition to the five Rwandan peacekeepers and two police officers - one from Ghana and the other from Uganda - that were killed, 19 others - and not 22 as initially reported - were wounded when a patrol from the force, known as UNAMID, came under attack in North Darfur.A Ugandan government delegation is heading for Ri-Kwangba in southwestern Sudan to meet the leaders of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in a fresh attempt to convince them to sign a peace deal, officials said. Deputy leader of the government negotiating team, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Henry Okello Oryem, told IRIN by phone on 10 July that the meeting was scheduled for 12 and 13 July. Burundi's government has accused the rebel Palipehutu- Forces for National Liberation (FNL) of recruiting new combatants and delaying the peace process by insisting on political recognition before cantonment.

REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has threatened that it will from midnight of Saturday call off its four-week old unilateral ceasefire in reaction to the pledge of military support to the Federal Government allegedly made by British Prime Minister, Mr. Gordon Brown. Brown had told journalists at the G8 summit in Japan that his country would help Nigeria "deal with lawlessness" in the region - a statement that MEND believes means military action. The militants threatened that British interests and citizens in Nigeria would be in danger if Brown went ahead to

103 provide military support "for the continued suppression and marginalisation of the region through destruction of lives and environment". Members of Parliament have given their blessings to the Anti-Terrorism Bill, which is seeking to position Ghana to detect and combat acts of terrorism in any part of the country. The Bill also has, as one of its objectives, to prevent terrorists from using any part of Ghana, the country's resources and financial services to commit terrorists' acts and to protect the right of people in the country to live in peace, freedom and security. THERE is growing evidence that retaliatory violence by supporters of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is taking an organised form, says Peter Kagwanja, a director of research at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). Kagwanja told reporters at the launch of a new report on Zimbabwe in Johannesburg yesterday, that those who lost their lives at the start of the violence against MDC activists were specifically selected for having undergone some form of military training. THE Ugandan government has handed over to the Kenyan authorities a wanted spokesman of a rebel group after his arrest, reports Reuben Olita. John Kanai of the Sabaot Land Defence Force based on Mt. Elgon, had been on the run for three months.

NEWS COMMENTARIES

Selected News Commentaries from the West Coast of Africa are about the proposed Niger Delta Summit in Nigeria. Commentators from the southern part of Africa called on African governments to implement commitments made in Abuja in 2001 to allocate at least 15% of annual government budgets to their health sectors. Another article call on the G8 to pinpoint reasons why they have failed to make good on promises made to the continent. Another writer from East Africa laments the growing cancer threat to the continent, and call upon African governments to do more to fight the scourge. One writer quipped: As G8 leaders assemble in Tokyo in Japan, it has not escaped keen observers that the entry of China into the game of doling money has radically changed the way Africa is perceived in the World. Africa has become a strategic energy supplier to large economies. From Central Africa Prof Nshuti P. Manasseh continues his diagnoses of the economic miracle of the so-called Asian Tigers drawing attention to how Africa could benefit from the experiences of these Asian countries in order to take their economies out of the current doldrums.

THE HEADLINES 1. CHINA -AFRICA RELATIONS

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Chinese Firm to Build Computer Plant: Daily Trust (Abuja): 7 July 2008. • Sierra Leone: China Confirms Assistance to Sierratel: Concord Times (Freetown): 9 July 2008. • China to Host African Music Festival Soon: The Daily Observer (Banjul): 11 July 2008.

104 SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: SABC Gets LOC 2008 Olympics Rights: The New Times (Kigali): 10 July 2008. • Namibia: Foreign Tycoons Scramble for Land: New Era (Windhoek): 10 July 2008. • Zambia: Violence Threats Against Chinese Investor Worrying: The Times of Zambia (Ndola): 10 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Country Seeks Bigger Slice of Chinese Investment Fund: The Nation (Nairobi): 5 July 2008. 2. PAN AFRICA

WEST AFRICA • In Unity Lies Continent's Development: This Day (Lagos): 8 July 2008. • New Financiers are Narrowing Continent's Infrastructure Deficit: World Bank (Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 10 July 2008. • G8 Supports Cutting Greenhouse Emissions 50 Percent By 2050: America.gov (Washington, DC): 8 July 2008. • Seventh U.S.-Sub-Saharan Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum: United States Department of State (Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 11 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Mandela Hailed as Continent's Greatest Leader: BuaNews (Tshwane): 11 July 2008. • French Report Condemns EPAs As Anti-Development: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 7 July 2008. • Climate Change Will Have Strong Impact On Fisheries: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Rome): 10 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Keep Your Promises, Continent Begs G8 States: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 8 July 2008. • Africa: AU to Set Up African Monetary Fund: The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa): 10 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • AU Summit Endorses African Union Government: The New Times (Kigali): 5 July 2008. 3. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • West Africa: African Commission, Police Meet On Torture: This Day (Lagos): 8 July 2008. • Nigeria: Grand Khadi Prescribes Antidote to Social Vices: Leadership (Abuja): 7 July 2008. • Nigeria: NYSC Holds Rally on Human Trafficking: Daily Trust (Abuja): 9 July 2008.

105 • Burkina Faso: Muslim Leaders Agree to Promote Family Planning: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 July 2008. • Gambia: Minority Leader Asks the Government to Free Chief Ebrima Manneh: Media Foundation for West Africa (Accra): PRESS RELEASE: 10 July 2008. • Nigeria: Reps Reject Bill to Abolish Death Penalty: Daily Champion (Lagos):11 July 2008. • Nigeria: Trafficking of Girls, Abuse Worsening: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 7 July 2008. • Ghana: NGOs, DCE Express Concern On Increased Child Trafficking: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 11 July 2008. • Nigeria: Why Northern Women Are Still Backward - Mrs. Shagari: Daily Trust (Abuja): 5 July 2008. • Nigeria: Women Oppose Bill On Dress Code: Daily Champion (Lagos): 10 July 2008. • Ghana: New Aid Agenda Reinforces Gender Inequality: Public Agenda (Accra): 11 July 2008. • Côte d'Ivoire: President Gbagbo’s Associates Fail to Cooperate With French Probe Into Journalist’s Disappearance: Reporters sans Frontières (Paris): PRESS RELEASE: 10 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Buhera Woman Gang Raped By 21 Zanu-PF Thugs: SW Radio Africa (London): 8 July 2008. • South Africa: Warning on Xenophobia Ignored: Business Day (Johannesburg): 11 July 2008. • Swaziland: Government Prohibits March Against Increased Ritual Killings: Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek): PRESS RELEASE: 9 July 2008. • Angola: Government Suspends Independent Radio Station's Broadcasts for 180 Days: Reporters sans Frontières (Paris): PRESS RELEASE: 10 July 2008. • African Citizens to Unite Against Atrocities in Zimbabwe: SW Radio Africa (London): 11 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: Over 1500 MDC Officials Still Detained: SW Radio Africa (London): 9 July 2008. • Mozambique: Prison Situation Improves, Says Human Rights League: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo): 9 July 2008. • Botswana: Controversial Media Practitioners' Bill Announced: Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek): PRESS RELEASE: 7 July 2008.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

106 • Sudan: Human Rights Situation in Darfur 'Remains Grim' - UN Rights Expert: UN News Service (New York): 11 July 2008. • Somalia: Islamists Accuse Government of Essential People's Killings: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 8 July 2008. • Tanzania: Activists Urge Support for Stigmatised Victim: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 8 July 2008. • Ethiopia: New Laws Threaten Free Expression: International Freedom of Expression Exchange Clearing House (Toronto): PRESS RELEASE: 10 July 2008. • Kenya: Ethiopia On the Path of Self Destruction: Business Daily (Nairobi): OPINION: 10 July 2008. • Uganda: MPs Oppose Sections of Domestic Relations Bill: New Vision (Kampala): 7 July 2008. • Kenya: Executions By Police Must Stop Forthwith: The Nation (Nairobi): EDITORIAL: 11 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: First Lady Rewards Best Muslim Students: The New Times (Kigali):11 July 2008. • Rwanda: Prisons Sheltered 375 Infants Beginning of the Year: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 3 July 2008. • Rwanda: Genocide Survivors Number 309,368 - New Census Shows: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 8 July 2008. • Rwanda: French Final Court of Appeal Annuls Kamana's Extradition: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 9 July 2008. • Congo-Kinshasa: Efforts to Bring Peace to East Must Be Hastened - UN Report: UN News Service (New York): 9 July 2008. • Rwanda: FDRL Top Official Arrested in Germany: The New Times (Kigali): 9 July 2008.

4. REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Spanish Coastguards Rescue 23 Immigrants, 14 Still Missing: This Day (Lagos): 9 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Government 'Has Broken Promises to Refugees': Business Day (Johannesburg): 11 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • East Africa: 14 Million in Need of Emergency Aid, Says UN: UN News Service (New York): 11 July 2008.

107 • East Africa: EAC to Control Free Movement: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 7 July 2008. • Uganda: Too Many Guns Threaten Returnees, Say Officials: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 10 July 2008. • Kenya: Tension High As Refugees Return Home: The Nation (Nairobi): 5 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Chad: Oxfam And MSF Suspend Activities in Kerfi Following Attacks: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 July 2008. • Congo-Kinshasa: Ituri Returnees Struggle to Rebuild Lives: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 9 July 2008. 5. HEALTH MATTERS (HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, TB)

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: NPC Commissioner Laments High Maternal Mortality Rate: Daily Champion (Lagos): 11 July 2008. • Nigeria: Two Million at Risk of Radiation Cancer: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 7 July 2008. • Benin: Sunshine + Plastic Bottle = Clean Water: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 10 July 2008. • Côte d'Ivoire: High Prices Drive People to Counterfeit Medicines: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 7 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Namibia: Bicycle Project Employs the Disabled: New Era (Windhoek): 11 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Tanzania: Isles Refute Aids, Tourism Link: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 9 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Kicukiro Residents Advised On Family Planning: The New Times (Kigali): 5 July 2008. 6. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: FG Adopts Proactive Measures on Earthquake Threats: Daily Trust (Abuja): 11 July 2008. • Nigeria: Communities Raise Fresh Alarm Over Oil Spill: This Day (Lagos): 10 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Country Concerned About G8 Climate Change Resolution: BuaNews (Tshwane): 8 July 2008. • Botswana: Revised Environmental Strategy Launched: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 7 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

108 • Uganda: Lake Victoria Drying Up, Says UN Report: New Vision (Kampala): 8 July 2008. • Kenya: Sh16 Billion Needed to Clean Nairobi River: The Nation (Nairobi): 10 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Brazzaville: Angola At Regional Meeting On Fisheries in Brazzaville: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 9 July 2008. 7. ENERGY

WEST AFRICA • Gambia: Biofuel - A Ploy, Says President Jammeh: The Daily Observer (Banjul): 8 July 2008. • Nigeria: My Stand On Niger Delta Summit, By Gambari: Vanguard (Lagos): 11 July 2008. • Mauritania: Small States Seek to Benefit From Offshore Resources: Commonwealth News and Information Service (London): 11 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Angola: Oil Production Sets Huge Challenge to Navy: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 11 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Oil - Watchdog Warns on Graft: New Vision (Kampala): 10 July 2008. • Uganda: Museveni Reveals National Oil Plan: New Vision (Kampala): 8 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: South African Firm to Survey for Oil: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 8 July 2008. 8. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Budget Review - We Are Short of Target – Fashola: Vanguard (Lagos): 12 July 2008. • Nigeria: Nupeng Begins Strike: Daily Champion (Lagos): 11 July 2008. • Mali: Food Situation Looks Positive Despite Insecurity: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 July 2008. • Mali: People's Forum Takes Stance Against Privatisation: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 July 2008. • Ghana: IBM to Help Country's Small Enterprises Grow Their Businesses: Public Agenda (Accra): 11 July 2008. • Ghana: Jobs Should Accompany Industrial Expansion - Prof Stiglitz: Public Agenda (Accra): 11 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: JSE Taps Into Islamic Investor Products: Business Day (Johannesburg): 10 July 2008.

109 • Angola: Finance Minister Receives Financial Times Prize: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 11 July 2008. • Angola: Economic Stability Results From Head of State's Strategic Vision: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 11 July 2008. • South Africa: Farmers May Grow 'Super-Spud': Business Day (Johannesburg): 11 July 2008. • South Africa: Public Sector Must Now Report on Performance: Business Day (Johannesburg): 11 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Kenya: Time Value of Money in Islamic Banking: Business Daily (Nairobi): OPINION: 10 July 2008. • Kenya: Celtel to Spend Sh25 Billion On Network Expansion: The Nation (Nairobi): 11 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Consultations on Regional Monetary Union to Begin: The New Times (Kigali): 9 July 2008. • Rwanda: House Approves Development Board: The New Times (Kigali): 10 July 2008. 9. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Senate FCT Probe Panel Says - El-Rufai Grossly Abused Office, Can't Account for N32 Billion: Daily Trust (Abuja): 11 July 2008. • Liberian Leader Backs Targeted UN Sanctions: SW Radio Africa (London): 10 July 2008. • Liberia: President Johnson Sirleaf Endorses Youth Non-Violent Resolution: Liberia Government (Monrovia): 9 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Russia, China Veto UN Sanctions on Mugabe: allAfrica.com: 12 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: Government Raps G8 Sanctions Call: The Herald (Harare): 9 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: Unity Talks Begin in SA As UN Security Council Weighs Sanctions Vote: Business Day (Johannesburg): 11 July 2008.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Tanzania: Pinda Rejects Talk of Zanzibar Sovereignty: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 11 July 2008. 10. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT SOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: EU to Spend N7.7 Billion On Niger-Delta: Daily Trust (Abuja): 10 July 2008.

110 SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Lays Down Talks Conditions: allAfrica.com: 10 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: Zanu-PF, MDC Talks Under Way in South Africa: The Herald (Harare): 11 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Sudan: Ban Deplores 'Unacceptable' Attack On UN Peacekeepers in North Darfur: UN News Service (New York): 9 July 2008. • Uganda: Officials Head to Sudan for Meeting With LRA Leaders Over Stalled Talks: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 10 July 2008. • Sudan: Initial UN Probe Underway Into Attack On Darfur Peacekeepers: UN News Service (New York): 10 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Monuc Deny the Personal Remarks of One of Its Unit Commanders in North Kivu: United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa): 10 July 2008. • Burundi: Rebel Group Slowing Peace Process, Says Government: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 10 July 2008. • Congo-Kinshasa: Pacifying Ituri - Achievements And Challenges Ahead: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 8 July 2008. • Rwanda: Security Council Lifts Arms Embargo: UN News Service (New York): 10 July 2008.

11. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Militants Threaten to Attack UK Interests: This Day (Lagos): 11 July 2008. • Ghana: Country Gets Set to Counter Terrorism: Public Agenda (Accra): 7 July 2008. • Nigeria: Mend Calls Off Ceasefire, Warns British Prime Minister: Vanguard (Lagos): 11 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: MDC 'Undergoing Military Training': Business Day (Johannesburg): 11 July 2008. • Namibia: Registration of War Veterans Launched: The Namibian (Windhoek): 11 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Suspected Kenyan Rebel Extradited: New Vision (Kampala): 10 July 2008.

111 CENTRAL AFRICA • Chad: Ban Voices Concern Over Impact of Violence On Humanitarian Situation: UN News Service (New York): 10 July 2008. 12. NORTH AFRICA • Tunisia: French Group 'Alstom' to Build Integrated Electric Power Plant: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 7 July 2008. • Egypt: Writer Questioned And Released, But Warned Not to Write About Military Matters Without Permission: Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (Cairo): PRESS RELEASE: 9 July 2008. 13. NEWS COMMENTARIES

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Niger Delta - Many Summits, Little Action: This Day (Lagos): ANALYSIS: 8 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Meeting The Abuja Promise Goes Beyond The 15 Percent Target: Fahamu (Oxford): OPINION: 11 July 2008. • G8 Leaders Must Pinpoint Aid Bottlenecks: allAfrica.com: 6 July 2008.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Fight Cancer Threat: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): OPINION 8 July 2008. • The G8 Meets the Dragon: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): OPINION: 7 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: The Asian Miracle - Lessons for Policy Makers. Part IV: The New Times (Kigali): ANALYSIS: 3 July 2008. • Rwanda: The Asian Miracle - Lessons for Policy Makers-Part V: The New Times (Kigali): OPINION: 10 July 2008. ------.

THE REPORT IN DETAIL

14. CHINA -AFRICA RELATIONS

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Chinese Firm to Build Computer Plant: Daily Trust (Abuja): 7 July 2008.

Chinese-based Information Technology Company, Spur Group is to establish a multi- million dollar manufacturing plant to produce computing hard wares and soft wares in Nigeria. The investment drive which is being facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission would lead to the production of cheaper and affordable computers in the country. The General

112 Manager of the firm, Mr. Yang Ming, disclosed this in Abuja recently at the business meeting with NIPC officials and NITDA Director-General, Prof. Cleopas Angaye. At the meeting, the Minister of Science and Technology, Chief (Mrs) Grace Ekpiwhre told the Chineese firm to consider the Nigerian environment by producing solar - powered computer systems for the country. She said Nigeria has vast market for IT and the investment climate friendly to hardware production which is presently non-existent. She said the e-government initiative was put in place to manage government information using modern information technology to reduce administrative bottlenecks and increase efficiency. In his own presentation, said his Firm decided to invest in Nigeria because of the cordial investment climate and similarities of developmental challenges of the two countries. He said his Firm was one of the 3 top IT Firm that is spending e-government IT enterprises in China. He explained that the Firm currently has a Foothold in South Africa but would be glad to also build a manufacturing plant of both hardware and soft wares in Nigeria at the end of its business tourism.

• Sierra Leone: China Confirms Assistance to Sierratel: Concord Times (Freetown): 9 July 2008.

The government of the People's Republic of China has confirmed assistance to Sierra Leone-owned telecommunication company, Sierratel, with the signing of an inter- governmental agreement that made available a concessional loan to support a Code Divisional Multiple Access (CDMA) project for Sierratel. According to Zhao Zhongqiu, the Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Freetown, the venture which is code named Sierra Leone Rural and Sub-urban Telecommunication CDMA Network Project is designed to provide the people of Sierra Leone with an improved and convenient telecommunication system. "The Chinese government's concessional loan refers to the medium and long-term, low interest rate credit extended by China Export-Import Bank under the designation of the Chinese government, to the government of the borrowing country with the nature of official assistance. The Export- Import Bank of China is authorized by the Chinese government as the sole lender of the concessional loan," Zhongqiu said. He noted that the project will be implemented by a famous Chinese company, Huawei Technologies which provides innovative and customized network solutions for telecom carriers around the world. "The service is for Sierra Leoneans and it is expected to be completed at the end of 2008. Huawei Technologies will provide one-year technical support to Sierratel after the project would have been completed," Zhongqiu said and reiterated that the Chinese government will continue its support for Sierra Leone in political, social and economic development. "The Chinese government is also on the verge of building a 100-bed ward hospital, two schools, the Bo Stadium and a new office building for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Zhongqiu said. Earlier, Julius Kamara, Acting Director of Sierratel Commercial Services said Sierratel is back to business with a wireless network to complement their fixed network. "This is a Sierratel project that is financed by the People's Republic China with a loan of approximately US$20million. It is not cost recovery but created by Act of Parliament. We will make it affordable to our customers and we expect it to be operational at the end of September 2008," Kamara said. Kamara said they will be using CDMA 2000 and EVDO1X technology and will make available fixed wireless terminals,

113 EVDO-internet and handsets. "We are now upgrading our micro-wave backbone to add more towers to get a bigger speed. The switch we are getting is a software base switch. With this we can start with any amount of subscribers. We are going to provide SMS, voice and internet. We are going to have three generation compliance. Which means we can voice, data and provide multimedia services," Kamara said. Kamara said their target for now is Freetown but that the plan is to make their presence felt in every part of Sierra Leone.

• China to Host African Music Festival Soon: The Daily Observer (Banjul): 11 July 2008.

This year's African Music Festivals will be held in three cities in China. The international festival organised by the African Music Festival in China is scheduled to take place on the first week of December 2008. The festival which will be held in auditoriums in three Chinese cities namely Beijin, Shangai and Hanan City is expected to gather a lot of African artistes, leaders as well as other partners with the view to bring China and Africa together. This was disclosed by Mr Oko Drammeh, a renowned Gambian producer who just returned from China where he was invited by a group of Chinese companies who formed a corporation to help Africa. According to him, he was appointed the President of the corporation - Bejin-Sheng-Shijia-Nian International Culture and Development Company in China. "Our company is acting as a bridge between Africa and Asian companies trying to do business in Africa. .It was also meant to bring good relations between Africa and China," he said. The renowned Gambian producer added that with this festival, they will be inviting any African president in China. According to him, they will also build an African theme park called African village which will be a village that looks like Africa, structurally featuring components of Africa. "With these, we believed w can give a lot of business opportunities in Africa. Artistes will perform in over thirty cities to generate more attention for Chinese companies to know more about African issues," he said. According to him, artistes involved are Manu Dibango from Cameroun, and the Senegalese Mbalax superstar - Youssur N'doure, Hagh Mase Kela and Miriam Makeba, all from South Africa. In these event, he went on, will include additional cultural events like African Fashion Shows and Textiles, African Arts and Painting Exhibition as well as Chinese artistes collaborating with African artistes. He pointed out that Chinese artistes will also visits Africa on a similar tour to promote business and trade. "The company I work with is a combination of companies that are involved in the Asian fashion and textile industry, and other companies that are responsible for special events like Olympics and Chinese Music Festivals. Another one is an association of business partners who want to invest in Africa," he said. Mr Drammeh noted that he will do his best to make sure Gambians recognise art noting that he will do anything possible to promote the rich cultural heritage of the country to that part of the world. "We want to also built good relationships with Chinese painting industries and theatre so as to develop the good relation between the Chinese people an the Gambia, " he concluded.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: SABC Gets LOC 2008 Olympics Rights: The New Times (Kigali): 10 July 2008.

114 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced an agreement with the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) and the South African Broadcasting Corporation Limited (SABC) for the acquisition of the broadcast rights within 37 territories in sub- Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa) for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The agreement includes exclusive over-the-air television and radio broadcast rights and non- exclusive satellite, mobile and internet rights. It covers English, French and Portuguese languages, with a minimum commitment of six hours per day on over-the-air television, with two highlights packages per day, and four hours per day on radio. The IOC selected the AUB/SABC partnership on its capacity to reach the largest possible audience, as well as its commitment to broadcasting tailored programming of the Olympic Games in sub- Saharan Africa and promoting the values of the Olympic Movement in the region. In a press release copied to Times Sport, IOC Executive Board member Richard Carrion while commenting on the agreement said: "We are delighted to have reached this agreement as it is extremely important that Olympic fans across sub-Saharan Africa have the opportunity to watch the Olympic Games via the best possible broadcast coverage. The members of the AUB are well placed to provide a first-class service."

• Namibia: Foreign Tycoons Scramble for Land: New Era (Windhoek): 10 July 2008.

A part of Helao Nafidi at Oshikango, bordering Angola, is on the verge of being sold completely to Chinese business people and could bear a new name "China Dragon Town" according to the Senior Headman of Oshikango, Julius Shilunga. Jack Xuang, a Chinese tycoon, bought a large part of Oshikango from individual business people with the intention to have the area entirely turned over to Chinese businessmen. The deal prompted Shilunga to call an urgent meeting with his subordinates in the area to discuss and clarify the ownership of land by foreigners. Although there was no official from the Helao Nafidi Town Council, the headman felt the move is not good for the town. Shilunga said most prominent Namibian business people have already sold their pieces of land to Chinese business people. Another issue of concern to the headman is the sale of a dam, on whose water the village and even cattle rely. The senior headman and his team agreed to take up the matter with the Ouakwanyama Traditional Authority. Helao Nafidi Chief Executive Officer, Chris Shivolo, told New Era that the allegation that Xuang has bought a portion of Oshikango is unfounded. China Dragon, according to Shivolo is a big shopping centre that is being built by the Chinese just like any other business at Oshikango. The CEO explained that a big chunk of land where China Dragon is being built was bought while under the regional council way before the proclamation of Helao Nafidi as a town. Shivolo said the majority of foreigners that own land at Oshikango bought it from local business people who sold the land so that they could have money to make ends meet and are just tired of business. "We as town council cannot interfere in personal business transactions," he claimed. On the dam, Shivolo is adamant that the idea to sell the dam and its surrounding is a good move. The town council sold the dam because the dam is a health hazard to both Namibians and Angolans. He added that many people have drowned in that particular dam while some locals used it to bath and this forced the town council to sell it. An official at Helao Nafidi who spoke on condition of anonymity said most of the local people receive lucrative deals from foreigners and they

115 keep on buying more land for these foreign business people. He said the Helao Nafidi Town Council's hands are tied when it comes to foreigners buying land from locals. "We fulfil the ministry of land's policy that stipulates that 70 percent of land ownership should be given to Namibians and 30 percent to foreigners. But what the Namibians do is that foreigners pay them huge sums of money (for the land) and keep on coming to the town council to buy more land for them (the foreigners). What we get here is a letter for transferring the land to the other person." On many occasions when Namibians approached the town council to buy land and were advised to have shares in whatever was being established, they would not take the advice. Rather, they went for the money without thinking about the repercussions according to the official. When business people in the north met with the Minister of Trade and Industry, Hage Geingob, recently at Eenhana, he requested a moratorium on all sale of land to foreign nationals so as to allow for national dialogue and a round table to discuss the question of land. The town of Oshikango is near the Angolan border.

• Zambia: Violence Threats Against Chinese Investor Worrying: The Times of Zambia (Ndola): 10 July 2008.

REPORTS from Mazabuka's Manyonyo area in Chief Naluama's chiefdom that the local people have threatened to use violence to stop a Chinese investor from recruiting qualified Zambians from other parts of the country to work on a Government project are very disturbing. The reports are not only disturbing but also worrying because it is clear that the investor wants to employ people with professional qualifications, which the local people do not possess. The US$ 500 million irrigation scheme on 600 hectares of land co- funded by the Zambian Government and the African Development Bank (AfDB) is part of Government programmes aimed at addressing the effects of drought that has hit Mazabuka in recent years. The Chinese contractor engaged to carry out the project has faced threats from the locals that whoever would be employed outside the area would be beaten up. The locals say that they will attack anyone who does not speak the Tonga language that is widely used in the area. This is barbaric to say the least. Have Zambians forgotten the One Zambia One Nation motto slogan propounded by our freedom fighters led by former President, Kenneth Kaunda. Just in case the people of Manyonyo area have forgotten, the One Zambia One Nation motto means that every Zambian is free to work or reside in any part of Zambia regardless of his or her tribe. In fact, the Chinese contractor has not said he will bring manpower from China - no not at all. The contractor has only said there is need for professionally qualified staff to be recruited for the project so that a good workmanship is guaranteed. Only on Tuesday, Zambia State Insurance Corporation (ZISC) managing director Irene said at the just ended International Trade Fair in Ndola that Zambia has a skills gap and called on Government to consider designing the school curriculum in a way that would meet modern economic challenges facing industry. That is why the people of Manyonyo should understand that they lack the desired qualifications and should listen to District Commissioner Tyson Hamaamba who has pleaded with them to give a chance to the contractor to implement the project without threats. Mr Hamaamba is right to say that such threats would in future scare away would- be investors. Traditional leaders, non-governmental organisations and any other

116 interested parties should quickly undertake sensitisation programmes to help the people of Manyonyo understand that the project will benefit them.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Kenya: Country Seeks Bigger Slice of Chinese Investment Fund: The Nation (Nairobi): 5 July 2008.

The government has stepped up campaigns to woo Chinese investors so as to benefit from the $1 billion (Sh65 billion) China-Africa Development Fund. The business scope of the fund mainly includes equity and quasi-equity investment, fund investments, fund management, investment management and consulting services. A technical team from China, whose mission was to establish areas Chinese companies could invest in, concluded a week-long tour in the country on Friday. In 2006, China's investment in Kenya stood at $30 million (Sh1.9 billion). "They have declared interest in agriculture, manufacturing, energy, transport, telecommunications as well as oil and gas," Trade minister, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, told reporters in Nairobi on Friday. "They are also keen on the establishment of an industrial park and free port in Mombasa," he added. The realisation of Vision 2030, which lays the foundation for an economic revolution to make the country globally competitive with high a standard of living by 2030, would depend on Kenya's ability to attract foreign direct investments, the minister said. He said that the China-Africa Development Fund which started with $1 billion in 2007 would be raised up to $3 billion in the second phase with an eventual target of $5 billion. "We will fight for this to ensure that we get the bulk of this fund," the deputy Prime Minister said. "There is no portion that is set aside for Kenya but we will fight aggressively to show them we are the best investment destination in Africa," he said. The fund aims to support agriculture, manufacturing, energy, transportation, telecommunications, urban infrastructure and resource exploration in Africa as well as develop Chinese enterprises in Africa.

15. PAN AFRICA

WEST AFRICA

• In Unity Lies Continent's Development: This Day (Lagos): 8 July 2008.

Africa will not develop if it remains 53 mini states, Executive Director of the African Futures Institute, Pretoria, South Africa, Dr Alioune Sall has said. Delivering the first in Microsoft's Leadership Lecture series in Nigeria at the University of Lagos recently, Sall who is a Senegalese said "We may decentralise, but we must build a regional power base. We need regional powers that can pull the continent together and Nigeria can do it for West Africa." The lecture was based on Sall's book, 'Africa 2025: What possible futures for Sub-Saharan Africa?' He provokes the students' thoughts on several issues such as urbanisation, populations, fertility rates, economics, brain drain, social dynamics, among

117 others, some disproving long-held beliefs. For example, fertility rates are beginning to decline on the continent.

Some of the thoughts he presented to his audience were:

• Could the population boom in some countries be followed by a decline in population? Might this not jeopardise Africa's catching up with other continents?

• In those countries most affected, is development conceivable when a large proportion of the country's workers are disabled by the disease and then struck down in their prime?

• How can the needs of a large number of young orphans be met? How can the younger generation be educated? In some countries, the number of teachers who die of AIDS each year already exceeds the number of newly trained teachers. How can we ensure a decent living for the elderly, who cannot rely on their children and grandchildren?

• Farmers have more mouths to feed than their parents and grandparents, but have largely been able to feed them. Imports of food have of course increased throughout Africa, but not as much as predicted. In this regard, Sub-Saharan Africa is less dependent than other parts of the world, such as North Africa.

• kleptocratic accumulation by authoritarian political systems, what he called dysfunctional governance in many countries. Sall said two systems now operate in many countries. One is a system of administrative management (or mismanagement). The other is a system of widespread corruption. Some politicians and public servants are aware of the harm that this situation causes. But these two systems are so embedded in each other that their attempts at reform have failed. "Extortion and (more generally) coercion are carried out, not only in war-torn regions, but also in countries that appear to be at peace."

• New religious movements proliferating throughout much of Africa. New standards are being set. New authorities are emerging. This new political order is fragmented today. But could it counterbalance violence by private interests in the future? Can it be the vehicle for rebuilding government, enable government to end violence by private interests, and limit the use of force to pursuing the common good?

• Africa is not as marginalised as some would have us believe. But it has not found the place it seeks to occupy in the world. Africa remains indebted, dominated.

• Democracy has advanced in the past 25 years; however the military continues to play a political role in some countries. In major cities, there is a growing feeling of insecurity. Governments are powerless to restore a climate of security and confidence for most citizens. Many people complain and criticize this

118 dysfunctional behaviour. But they are resigned to it. *Brain drain has not stopped. But most people do not have the chance to migrate. Many see no solution to the problems of their everyday lives than to participate actively in the rites of the new religious communities. Charismatic movements have developed in the Catholic Church. In regions where Islam predominates, old and new brotherhoods play a similar role. These new forms of religious practices, or community-based practices, help to avoid violent social upheaval.

His conclusion on Africa was "no development, but no disaster. To realize their dream of a better future, however, Africans need to know three things. What future do they want? How do they envision society? Finally, what role do they wish to play in the world of tomorrow? Sall, who is a member of the Task Force of Cultural Indicators of Human Development in Africa regretted that Africa has many politicians and few statesmen. "A politician is concerned about the next election, but a Statesman about legacy - What am I leaving for the next generation. Hosted by Microsoft Nigeria in partnership with UNILAG, the lecture was the third in the series, following Mali and Paris. Chairman for Microsoft's African Operations, Dr. Cheick Modibo Diarra recently developed the series of to help promote debate amongst Africa's youth about the future prosperity of the continent and ignite their passion for excellence. The series of lectures brings a number of prominent African thought leaders to universities across the region to speak about socio-political issues.

"We are hoping to plant the seed that will help the next generation of African leaders put the well-being of the continent and its people at the top of their list of priorities," Diarra said. "We need to give the future leaders of Africa a platform to bring their own ideas about how they see the continent progressing into the future and find ways to make this progression a reality." There was not a dull moment in the 'question and answer' session that followed as the students not only debated amongst themselves with interesting comments, but also posed thought-provoking questions at the lecturer and organisers. One student identified the problem of identity, among young people as one that must be addressed for them to take their place. Another advised that, to address Africa's challenges, "we must look beyond HIV/AIDS as this is not the only problem plaguing the continent. There is malaria that kills much faster and more people than AIDS per time." Yet another student would like to see Nigeria establish a Ministry of Leadership Sustainability, to groom leaders for tomorrow and where anyone serving there would be no more than 30 years old. "Will tomorrow ever come for the Nigerian youth?", another asked in exasperation. "In 1976, Obasanjo as Head of State told my mother she was the leader of tomorrow. In 2006, the same Obasanjo, still told me I am the leader of tomorrow. Will that tomorrow ever come?" Yet another student lamented the effect of brain drain on the continent saying Microsoft could not absolve itself of guilt by taking away some of the best brains that the continent had produced. But giving the example of initiator of the lecture series Diarra, who is from Mali and other Africans who are working in their various countries after benefiting from Microsoft's training, the company's Country Manager, Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu said "Brain drain is actually brain gain if you know what to do with the resources at your disposal outside your country to impact positively on your country." To fast track development, another participant said,

119 the states in a country, like Nigeria for example, would need to be more empowered because a state can develop faster on its own, than when it is dependent on the centre. Another questioned how future leaders can emerge from the universities, when one of the major platforms for this, the Students' Union has been suspended in many universities, including UNILAG where the lecture was held. One of their lecturers, Prof. Longe observed that, "The present leadership in the country cannot take us into the future. Leaders should look beyond their immediate needs to work towards the common good. Leadership remains the major problem of the black world. We do not have leaders. We have not even defined the society we want to be in. 'I am delighted that we have in this hall, leaders who we can trust with our tomorrow. I hope when the time comes, we will have the system that will help them to run."

• New Financiers are Narrowing Continent's Infrastructure Deficit: World Bank (Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 10 July 2008.

China, India, and a few Middle Eastern Gulf nations are financing a record number of infrastructure projects across Sub-Saharan Africa, says a new World Bank report. Investment commitments in Africa by these emerging financiers jumped from less than $1 billion per year before 20 4 to $8 billion in 2006 and $5 billion in 2007, signaling a growing trend in cooperation among developing economies (South-South cooperation). "Building Bridges: China's Growing Role as Infrastructure Financier for Sub- Saharan Africa" shows how new infrastructure partnerships are emerging, driven by strong economic growth in the region, an improved business-friendly climate, and rising demand for petroleum and other commodities from China and India.

"China's success story in reducing poverty through rapid and sustained growth is remarkable. Massive investment in infrastructure was a key factor. Today, China's growing infrastructure commitments in Africa are helping to address the huge infrastructure deficit of the continent. There are of course challenges which will need to be addressed by African nations and China coupled with the support of development partners," says Obiageli Katryn Ezekwesili, the World Bank's Vice President for the Africa Region. "By working together, we can create win-win partnerships." Africa faces daunting challenges in improving its infrastructure. Development experts agree that creaking infrastructure is cutting the growth rate of African economies by as much as one percentage point every year. One in four Africans does not have access to electricity. Travel times on African roads and export routes are two to three times higher than in Asia, increasing the prices of traded goods. Power generation capacity is around half the levels achieved in South Asia. The report notes that the investment commitments being made by emerging financiers are unprecedented, both in scale and the focus on large infrastructure projects. In a changing world, with new actors and financing modalities coming into play, there is a learning process for investors and recipients. This will place new demands on national capacity to negotiate complex and innovative deals, and apply appropriate environmental and social standards needed for the long-term success of such partnerships. Sub-Saharan Africa's natural resource exports to China have grown exponentially, from just over $3 billion in 2001 to $22 billion in 2006. Petroleum dominates, accounting for 80 percent of total exports to China. Nevertheless, the bulk of

120 Africa's oil exports still go to the United States and Europe, which together receive 57 percent of the total, compared with only 14 percent going to China. Other important African export commodities are iron ore and timber, followed by manganese, cobalt, copper and chromium.

"The growing South-South cooperation is driven by strong economic complementarities between China and Africa," says Vivien Foster, a World Bank lead economist and co- author of the report. "China's growing demand for natural resources is matched by Africa's significant and often under-developed oil and mineral reserves. Africa's urgent need for infrastructure is matched by China's globally competitive construction industry."

The World Bank is working closely with African countries, China and other development partners in sharing experiences so that the investments have the best development impact. China is not the only emerging financier playing a major role in Africa. In recent years, India is increasing its investments, committing $2.6 billion since 2003. The bulk of Indian investments were in Nigeria. Oil-rich Gulf states and Arab donors are also playing a substantial role in African infrastructure, committing on average $500 million every year over the past seven years. "While more South-South cooperation backed by strong infrastructure investments marks a positive trend", says Chuan Chen, co-author and a former professor of civil engineering at Tsinghua University, China, "the key challenge is to maintain the momentum for lasting development results."

Detailed findings of the report

• Non-traditional financiers are making sizeable investment commitments in Sub- Saharan Africa's infrastructure, helping to fill annual needs estimated at $22 billion by the Commission for Africa

• China's financing investments in Africa started from a low base (less than $1 billion per year before 2004) but rose to over $7 billion in 2006, and dipped to $4.5 billion in 2007

• China has committed $3.3 billion for ten projects which can potentially boost Sub-Saharan Africa's hydropower generation by 30 percent or 6,000 megawatts of installed capacity

• China is financing the rehabilitation of 1,350 kilometers of railway and constructing 1,600 kilometers of new railway lines across the region, an important contribution to the continent's existing 50,000 kilometer rail network

• Nearly 70 percent of Chinese investments are concentrated in Angola, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Sudan

• Financing terms vary by country but typically involve a grant element of 33%, close to the benchmark level for concessional finance

121 • Some 35 African countries have received Chinese infrastructure finance. Many projects are less than $50 million each

• There have also been a handful of transactions worth more than $1 billion, showing China's ability to provide large sums of money for specific infrastructure projects.

This report was funded by the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF), a multi-donor technical assistance facility focused on improving infrastructure services. "The PPIAF partnership is committed to helping developing countries improve their capacity to integrate diverse sources of infrastructure finance in their development priorities," says Jyoti Shukla, PPIAF program manager.

• G8 Supports Cutting Greenhouse Emissions 50 Percent By 2050: America.gov (Washington, DC): 8 July 2008.

The G8 -- which consists of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States -- adopted a position on the global environment and climate change that is designed to support the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. The new U.N. framework convention is designed to succeed the Kyoto Protocol when its first phase expires in 2012. The new U.N. framework convention must be concluded by December 2009.

"We are committed to its successful conclusion," the G8 said in a joint declaration on the environment. The three-day 2008 summit is being held in Toyako on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a prepared statement that the G8 agreement is a "new, shared vision by the major economies. This is a strong signal to citizens around the world." The European Union also participates in the annual G8 Summits. Price said the G8 made a strong link between the emissions-reduction goal and developing a new generation of environmental technologies. Previously the two issues were treated separately, weakening the effects of both efforts, he said. "All of the leaders now understand that the progress we make this year is essential to making possible broad international agreement in the [United Nations] at the end of next year," Price said. "The G8 declaration is a significant contribution both to the U.N. negotiations as well as to the major economies process." James Connaughton, chairman of President Bush's Council on Environmental Quality, said the G8 had agreed at the 2007 summit to set long-term goals, but since then there has been convergence on the G8 vision. "It has always been the case that a long-term goal is a goal that must be shared. So what the G8 has offered today is a G8 view of what that goal could be and should be, but that can only occur with the agreement of all of the other parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change," Connaughton said. At President Bush's urging, the G8 collectively committed to dedicating $10 billion annually for technology research and development, Price said, and the United States will be investing nearly half of that amount to cover a broad range of technology needs. To help developing countries also develop new energy technologies, the G8 agreed to a proposal from the United States to support the Clean Technology Fund with more than $5 billion

122 in commitments, Price said. The fund will lower the cost of financing clean-energy projects in developing countries, and will help leverage greater amounts of public and private financing.

FOOD AND FUEL SECURITY

In another G8 statement, the leaders expressed deep concern over the steep rise in global food prices and oil prices along with the availability problems in a number of developing countries. "The negative impacts of this recent trend could push millions more back into poverty, rolling back progress made toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals," the joint statement said. The G8 leaders said oil production and refining capacities should be increased in the short term while the underlying causes are examined. And the G8 pledged to make more than $10 billion available to support food aid, nutrition interventions, social protection activities and measures to increase agricultural output in affected countries. "In the short term, we are addressing the urgent needs of the most vulnerable people," the G8 statement says. The G8 said food security requires an open world market and trading system for food and agriculture. "Rising food prices are adding inflationary pressures and generating macroeconomic imbalances, especially for some low-income countries," the group statement said. To help improve the economic prospects of many low-income nations, the G8 said it will work for the successful conclusion of global trade negotiations to reduce trade barriers. "There was wide recognition and support for the importance of the conclusion of a balanced [Trade] Round that achieves positive and tangible results in agriculture, industrial goods and services," Price said. But achieving trade liberalization is not something developed economies can achieve alone, he said. "Given the vast amount of trade that is among developing countries, for the Doha Round to fulfill its mission of lifting millions out of poverty, we will need market openings and trade liberalization in the major emerging markets as well," he said.

• Seventh U.S.-Sub-Saharan Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum: United States Department of State (Washington, DC): PRESS RELEASE: 11 July 2008.

The seventh U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum (“the Agricultural Growth and Opportunity Act [AGOA] Forum”) with the theme of "Mobilizing Private Investment for Trade and Growth" will take place in Washington, D.C., July 14 to 16, 2008.

Discussions will focus on the linkages between private investment and economic growth in Africa and highlight ways in which African countries can best take advantage of trade opportunities under AGOA. This event will bring together senior U.S. administration officials and African government ministers, as well as U.S. and African members of the private sector and civil society. The ministerial plenary sessions will be held on July 15 at the Department of State. In addition, representatives of civil society and the private sector will host related events on July 14 and 16. Senior officials from more than 10 U.S. Government agencies are expected to attend. AGOA represents a progressive U.S. trade

123 and investment policy toward the continent that is reducing barriers to trade, increasing diversified exports, creating jobs and expanding opportunities for Africans. Specifically, AGOA provides trade preferences to designated countries that are making progress in economic and political reforms. With the recent addition of Togo and the Union of the Comoros, there are currently 41 Sub-Saharan African countries that can take advantage of the trade benefits.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Mandela Hailed as Continent's Greatest Leader: BuaNews (Tshwane): 11 July 2008.

South Africa's first democratically elected President, Nelson Mandela, has been described as Africa's greatest leader by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Briefing reporters at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg on Thursday, the Liberian President described Mr Mandela as a selfless leader who was committed to improving other people's lives. "I strongly believe that Mr Mandela is not only a world peace icon, but he is also Africa's greatest leader," she said, adding that he was the master of reconciliation because he was able to reconcile with his oppressors after being incarcerated for 27 years.

President Johnson Sirleaf received an invitation by the Nelson Mandela Foundation to be a part of Madiba's 90th birthday celebrations. Mr Mandela's actual birthday is on 18 July, however numerous celebrations are held throughout the year around the world to honour him. "It is an honour for me and the Liberian people to be part of this. It is also important to indicate that our relations with former oppressed South Africans date back to the liberation struggle era," she said. According to the Liberian President, Africa is transforming into a continent of leaders, who no longer consider themselves as single self-appointed rulers.

"The majority of African leaders are no longer believing in violating the law by infringing their people's rights or abusing state resources," she said. Ms Johnson Sirleaf further told reporters that women leadership was just as powerful as leadership by men. "As a woman, I can do everything my male counterparts can do. We've spent 14 years in civil war, but within two years, we've moved our country's economy to a level where it can be recognised the world over. "We've also consolidate peace and we are re-training the army. I am committed to drive Liberia from a dependent to a self-reliant and efficient country," she said. On Friday, the President addressed a breakfast gathering of leaders at the Gordon Institute of Business Science. She is later scheduled to attend a dinner with captains of industry to be addressed by Dr Mamphela Ramphele, Executive Chair of Circle Capital Ventures. On Saturday, Ms Johnson Sirleaf will deliver the sixth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture.

• French Report Condemns EPAs As Anti-Development: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 7 July 2008.

124 The approach taken by the European Union (EU) in trade talks with Africa has been strongly criticised in an official report commissioned by France, the new holder of the EU's rotating presidency.

Christiane Taubira, the member of the French national assembly who authored the report at the request of her country's government, has recommended that the mandate given to the European Commission to negotiate economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries should be amended. Although trade officials have been leading the talks on behalf of the 27-strong EU, she advocates that the basis for the negotiations should be rethought so that there is a greater emphasis on social and economic development. Presented to Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, in mid- June but not yet published, Taubira's 191-page report contains strong criticisms of efforts made by the Commission to persuade African countries to scrap most of the taxes they levy on imports from Europe. Noting that many ACP countries depend on customs duties for almost 40 percent of their revenues, she argues that the EPAs could render many of the national institutions in Africa "powerless".

And while the Commission has presented the EPAs as an opportunity for Africa to increase its exports to Europe, Taubira complains that the high food safety standards applying in the EU "constitute more effective obstacles than tariffs" for farmers and companies wishing to do business with the union. Her report also suggests that the EPAs could fundamentally alter the political relationship between European countries and their former colonies. Under the Cotonou agreement signed between the EU and ACP states in 2000, the former undertakes to help lift the latter out of poverty. Taubira says, however, that the EU should now state if it has decided to "abandon development as if it was a dangerous mirage and invite the ACP countries to throw themselves into the big bazaar of free trade". Taubira's report was commissioned by France in April in preparation for its six-month stint chairing meetings of the EU's governments, which began on July 1. It follows concerns raised in private by French diplomats to the European Commission over recent months. Although the Commission has been arguing that at least 80 percent of tariffs imposed by ACP countries on European goods should be scrapped, the French officials have recommended that the extent of trade liberalisation sought should be narrower in scope. Peter Power, the Commission's spokesman for trade, said that the Taubira report has not yet been transmitted to Brussels. "It would not be appropriate for us to comment on draft reports commissioned by the French administration that have not been circulated to us officially," he told IPS. "We have a close dialogue with the (French) presidency on EPAs and will discuss any recommendations they raise with us."

Thirty-five of nearly 80 ACP countries involved in the trade negotiations signed agreements before an end-of-2007 deadline set by the Commission. Yet most of these accords were described as "interim" because they relate to trade in goods rather than a range of "new issues" under discussion.

As a result, it was decided that the EPA talks should continue into this year, with EU officials conceding there is a strong likelihood they will take place in 2009 as well. Other recommendations made by Taubira include that the EU recognises the right of poor

125 countries to feed themselves by allowing them to exclude agricultural goods from trade liberalisation. She urges, too, that development aid offered by the EU should not be made conditional on the signature of EPAs. The "new issues" of investment, competition policy and public procurement should be removed from the agenda. Many ACP countries had opposed the inclusion of those issues, yet the EU was adamant that they should be covered.

Oxfam, the anti-poverty non-governmental organisation, has welcomed her report. Jean- Denis Crola, a campaigner in Oxfam's Paris office, said that the European Commission had used "immoderate pressure" in the negotiations by threatening to cut aid to ACP countries and increase taxes on their exports to Europe if they did not sign the agreements. "Nobody in these countries -- peasants, craftspeople, entrepreneurs -- ignores the consequences these accords will have on their means for survival, their economies, their poverty and their hunger," he said. "Nobody ignores either the tactics -- pressure, paternalism and threats -- employed by the Commission to impose its point of view and its interests." Meanwhile, campaign group ActionAid has expressed concern about the effects that an EPA could have on the fishing sector in West Africa. After evidence had been gathered that European vessels operating off Senegal were depleting stocks of many varieties of fish, the Dakar government decided in 2006 not to renew an agreement granting EU boats access to its waters. According to ActionAid, the section on services in a draft EPA forwarded by the Commission to West African governments would "open the door" for European fishing companies to establish themselves in Senegal. The Dakar government would no longer be able to introduce policy measures designed to prevent foreigners from depleting Senegal's waters of fish. "Inherent to the EPAs are liberalisation measures which will see more European boats taking our fish with no obligation whatsoever to land the catches in Senegal," said Alhassan Cissé, a food policy specialist with ActionAid in Senegal. "This represents a major risk for the food security of millions of people, who rely on fish to provide over 70 percent of their protein needs."

• Climate Change Will Have Strong Impact On Fisheries: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Rome): 10 July 2008.

Temperature and other variations resulting from climate change will have a strong impact on fisheries and aquaculture, with significant food security consequences for certain populations, FAO said this week. The UN food agency's note of caution came at the start of a four day scientific symposium on climate change and marine fisheries being held at its Rome headquarters (8-11 July 2008). The event, which involves over 200 experts and policymakers from around the globe, aims to paint a fuller picture of the challenges that climate change poses to marine fisheries and the millions of people who depend on them for food and income.

High degree of vulnerability

Wild capture fisheries are fundamentally different from other food production systems in their linkages and responses to climate change and in the food security outcomes that result, according to FAO. Unlike most terrestrial animals, aquatic animal species used for

126 human consumption are poikilothermic, meaning their body temperatures vary according to ambient temperatures. Any changes in habitat temperatures significantly influence their metabolism, growth rate, productivity, seasonal reproduction, and susceptibility to diseases and toxins.

Impacts already being felt

Impacts of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture already being observed include: In marine waters, climate processes and extreme weather events will increase in frequency and intensity - the most well known of these is the El Niño phenomenon in the South Pacific. The ongoing warming of the world's oceans is likely to continue, but with geographical differences and some decadal variability. Warming is more intense in surface waters but is not exclusive to these, with the Atlantic showing particularly clear signs of deep warming. Changes in fish distributions in response to climate variations have already been observed, generally involving poleward expansions of warmer-water species and poleward contractions of colder-water species. Shifts in ocean salinity are occurring, with near-surface waters in the more evaporative regions of most of the world's oceans increasing in salinity, while marine areas in high latitudes are showing decreasing salinity due to greater precipitation, higher runoff, melting ice and other atmospheric processes. And the oceans are becoming more acidic, with probable negative consequences to many coral reef and calcium-bearing organisms.

Implications for food security

Although large regional differences exist, the world is likely to see significant changes in fisheries production in the seas and oceans, FAO says. For communities who heavily rely on fisheries, any decreases in the local availability or quality of fish for food or increases in their livelihoods' instability will pose even more serious problems. Fishing communities located in the high latitudes and those that rely on climate change- susceptible systems, such as upwelling or coral reef systems, will have the greatest exposure to climate-related impacts. In addition, fisheries communities located in deltas, coral atolls and ice dominated coasts will be particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and associated risks of flooding, saline intrusion and coastal erosion. But countries with limited ability to adapt to the changes, even if located in low risk areas, are also vulnerable. FAO also noted however that the impacts of climate-related physical and biological changes in fisheries on the communities that depend on them will be as varied as the changes themselves. Both negative and positive impacts are likely, depending on local circumstances and the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of the affected communities.

A key sector at risk

At both the local and global levels, fisheries and aquaculture play important roles in providing food and generating income. Some 42 million people work directly in the sector, the great majority in developing countries. Adding those who work in associated processing, marketing, distribution and supply industries, the sector supports several

127 hundred million livelihoods. Aquatic foods have high nutritional quality, contributing 20 percent or more of average per capita animal protein intake for more than 2.8 billion people, again mostly in developing countries. Fish is also the world's most widely traded foodstuff and a key source of export earnings for many poorer countries. The sector has particular significance for small island states. Accordingly, FAO is increasingly focusing its attention on how climate change will affect fisheries and aquaculture. In April, the agency convened a workshop of experts to look at climate change implications for fisheries and aquaculture in advance of the June 2008 summit on food security, climate change, and bioenergy. That group generated an overview document which looks at the issues and risks involved, and also outlined possible responses governments and policymakers could make to begin to adapt as well as highlighting the responsibility of the sector vis-à-vis its role in minimizing its carbon footprint. This week's symposium is intended to deepen and broaden scientific knowledge on how climate change is affecting marine ecoystems and the communities that depend on them. The symposium is being co- sponsored and co-organized by FAO, Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) and European Network of Excellence for Oceans Ecosystem Analysis (EUR-OCEANS).

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Keep Your Promises, Continent Begs G8 States: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 8 July 2008.

African leaders urged the Group of Eight nations yesterday to keep their promises to assist the continent, saying soaring oil and food prices were making their poverty worse. Speaking during the official opening of the G8 Summit, African Union chairman Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete said rich nations should nurture and fulfil their promises if they were really concerned about the continent's development.

He also urged the G8 countries to help the continent to improve its dilapidated infrastructure, which is a vital sector in Africa's efforts to attain strong economic growth and reduce poverty. President Kikwete told the leaders of the world's richest countries that without improving the continent's infrastructure "it would be a pipedream to achieve real economic development". The G8 has been accused by activists of reneging on the promise made at its 2005 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, to double aid by 2010 to $50 billion, half of which would go to Africa. "Some African leaders just wanted to emphasise that while appreciating G8 leaders' commitment to help Africa in past G8 summits, they just wanted to point that they would like to see these commitments fully implemented," Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kazuo Kodama said. The push towards fulfilment of previous summits' promises was expected to be African leaders' additional agenda, with analysts and advocacy group considering it the most important part of this year's summit in Hokkaiko, Japan. Instead, the G8 leaders referred further dialogue and monitoring of implementations to other forums involving African countries and respective members of the rich nations. African countries will now have to use forums like United Nations conferences to further their agenda on the Millennium Development Goals. Others include the World Bank, European Union instruments and African Partnership Forum and the Tokyo International Conference on Africa

128 Development (TICAD) annual ministerial meetings. G8 leaders from Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Russia and the US attended yesterday's opening session, meant to incorporate African views in today members-only talks. The heads of state of Tanzania, Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa represented Africa. Speaking during a press briefing on Africa-G8 leaders' discussions yesterday, press secretary of Japan's Foreign Affairs ministry Kazuo Kodama said the next summit - to take place in Italy - would review progress made through such forums. With two years to go, activists are worried that G8 leaders will not meet their $25 billion additional aid for Africa, they promised in Gleneagles, Scotland in 2005. Mr Kodama said the rich nations were prepared to continue supporting the agriculture sector, including small-scale farmers.

No specific figure has been committed, said Mr Kodama, who is also director general for press and public relations, said. Oxfam International estimates aid support for African agriculture at $2 billion. The G8 has not made concrete commitments on agriculture in recent years. Led by AU chairman President Kikwete, African leaders urged G8 leaders to help provide appropriate technology and inputs, especially seeds and fertilizers, if the continent was to successfully tackle the food crisis. African leaders commended Japan for its plan to double rice production in the continent. They also warned that it would be difficult for African countries to achieve MDGs by 2015, if no intervention was made.

Their fear was also echoed by United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon, who said at a press conference in Hokkaido that he hoped to have renewed commitment from the donor community before the UN Summit scheduled for September 25. An activist on African affairs, Mr James Shikwati, said the meeting provided an opportunity for leaders to bring their agenda to the limelight. "I think African leaders should not boycott such summits; however, they ought to meet prior to going to such summits and develop their own game plan for Africa. "As it is now, each one goes to the summit seeking individual interest and with divided attention, whereas the G8 team focuses on the continent in its totality," Mr Shikwati, who is the director of the Nairobi-based Inter Region Economic Network, told The Citizen. Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda presented his country's position and commitments derived from the TICAD4 summit held in Yokohama in May. Japan announced that is will double aid to Africa from $900 million to $1.8 billion by 2012.

On environment, Japan said it would set aside $10 billion in support of countries ready to adopt environmental friendly technology. The support will be both in terms of funds and technology. Mr Fukuda said Japan would fully mobilize policy tools to double investment in 5 years. He also briefed leaders on the action plan prepared after the Yokohama summit, which was adopted, before he assumed his role as chair to the summit.

The leaders took the opportunity to raise the prospect of more sanctions against Zimbabwe unless quick progress is made to end the political crisis following a run-off election in June in which Mr Robert Mugabe was the only candidate. The opposition candidate withdrew amid widespread violence against opposition supporters. They told

129 African leaders at the gathering to deal with Mr Mugabe or trade and investment on the whole continent would be affected, a Canadian official told reporters. President Kikwete suggested that African leaders shared the G8's concerns, but differed over the best response. Many critics and even member countries suggest the G8, formed in 1975 with just six members in the wake of the first oil crisis, should expand to take in large developing nations to better represent the world.

On Monday, hundreds of demonstrators from Japan and other countries marched in heavy rain toward the summit venue, carrying signs slamming the rich nations' cosy club. Heavy security meant that they were kept several kilometres (miles) away. Two groups tried to take unauthorised routes but were turned back by dozens of police. Global warming will be the focus of an expanded meeting on Wednesday that will include China and India, two fast-growing economies that are pumping out more and more greenhouse gases. But deep divisions within the G8 as well as between rich and poor nations have raised doubts about the chances for progress beyond last year's summit, where the G8 agreed to "seriously consider" a global goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The European Union and green groups are piling pressure on a reluctant United States to agree to a target to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century and back the need for 2020 targets for rich countries as well. A total of 22 heads of state and government, including 14 from outreach countries, are attending the three-day summit, the largest group ever.

• Africa: AU to Set Up African Monetary Fund: The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa): 10 July 2008.

The African Union (AU) will establish the African Monetary Fund designed to facilitating trade within the continent. To that effect a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Pan African body and the Cameroon, where the later would provide facilities to this new institution whose Head Quarters is to be in Yaounde, capital of Cameroon.

AU Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Dr. Maxwell Mkwezalamba and the Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Cameroon, Henri EYEBE AYISSI, signed the MoU immediately after the opening ceremony of the African Union Summit at the Sharm El Sheikh International Conference Center, on Monday 30 June 2008. The signing ceremony took place within the framework of setting up a Technical Steering Committee to undertake the implementation for the hosting of the African Monetary Fund by the Cameroonian Government. The African Monetary Fund will act as a clearing house and will also undertake macro-economic purveyance within the continent, a statement from the AU said citing Commissioner Mkwezalamba. The African Monetary Fund is one of the three financial institutions planned for in the Constitutive Act of the African Union. The other two are; the African Central Bank and the African Investment Bank.

CENTRAL AFRICA • AU Summit Endorses African Union Government: The New Times (Kigali): 5 July 2008.

130 All 53 member states of the African Union endorsed the idea to form a Union Government, though views on how to achieve it remain divergent. Some countries are of the opinion that member states should pronounce themselves on having a Union Government formed immediately, while others suggested a gradual approach based on certain benchmarks like regional economic blocs such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

The summit adopted a report of the Committee of 12 Heads of State and Government which articulates a gradual approach based on eight (8) benchmarks and accelerators that should be put in place before establishment of the African Union Government. The agreed benchmarks are: popularisation and internalisation of the core values underpinning the Constitutive Act; fast tracking of the Common Market and the African Economic Community; free movement of peoples of Africa; establishment of continental financial and monetary institutions; engagement and mobilisation of the peoples of Africa; coherence, effectiveness and efficiency of institutional frameworks; rationalisation of the Regional Economic Communities, and orientation of the African entrepreneurial elite towards regional and continental investment projects that advance unity and integration. "The decision on this was that the Commission should draw up a roadmap and timetable based on the recommendations of the Committee of 12 States and Government and report to the Executive Council of ministers at the next summit in January 2009 in Addis Ababa," Sam Kutesa, the Ugandan Minister of Foreign affairs told journalists at a press briefing on Friday in Kampala about the outcome of the concluded AU Summit in Sharm el Sheik in Egypt. "Meanwhile, the AU has embarked on a major reform process to render the AU Commission and its organs more relevant to the ordinary African. We are also pushing for reforms in international institutions like the UN because Africa has undergone a transition and it should not be ignored like it was in 1945, when most African states were still under colonial leadership. Africa is now a force and reforms must be made to address the emerging challenges on the continent," he noted.

16. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES WEST AFRICA

• West Africa: African Commission, Police Meet On Torture: This Day (Lagos): 8 July 2008.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (the African Commission), have unveiled plans to hold a workshop for Heads of Police and Prisons from across the West African sub-region. The forum, scheduled to take place in Abuja, is designed to bring together heads of police and prisons in West Africa in a consultative forum to discuss the challenges in preventing torture. It is being organised for approximately 30 participants, 20 of which will be heads of police and prisons West Africa.

According to a Member of the Commission and Chair of the Working Group on the Implementation of the Robben Island Guidelines (RIG), Mrs. Dupe Atoki, torture continues to remain endemic globally and is a particularly acute problem in Africa. "As the Chairperson on the implementation of the RIG, the prevention and prohibition of this

131 clandestine practice in Africa is the core of my mandate", she said. The Robben Island Guidelines, which was formally adopted by a Resolution of the African Commission in October 2002, and approved by the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in July 2003, are a set of guidelines and measures for the prohibition and prevention of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment in Africa.

They reiterate the absolute, universal and non-derogable condemnation of torture. The Guidelines also constitute an essential tool for States in fulfilling their national, regional and international obligations to strengthen and implement the prohibition and prevention of torture At the meeting, participants are expected to explore the role of the police and prisons officials with respect to the prevention of torture and the promotion of alternative forms of punishment. They are also to define the nature of State obligations toward the total abolition and criminalisation of torture or any other form of cruel and degrading treatment; and to determine practical measures to help States Parties in the West African sub-region that have not signed and ratified the CAT/OPCAT to do so.

The workshop is also expected to enhance and improve the understanding of what the RIG is and how States Parties and law enforcement officials can use the RIG in their day- to-day activities. It is also aimed at giving visibility to the activities of the African Commission and the work of the Follow-up Committee in providing direction to and necessary clarification on the implementation of the RIG mechanism and on the modalities of its implementation. As part of the desired outcomes of the workshop participating law enforcement officials are expected to be able to use and disseminate, among others, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the Robben Island Guidelines; The forum will also seek to provide these senior law enforcement officers with enough knowledge and skills to spearhead similar workshops in their respective countries/regions; and reach a consensus of practical initiatives to be developed by the participants deriving from mutual understanding of the issues surrounding torture. "It will build a base of human rights knowledge on the RIG on the African human rights system and, especially, about the work of the African Commission", Atoki said. Close collaboration is also expected to be established between the African Commission and sub-regional law enforcement officials, with a view to strengthen partnerships and develop a more effective and more integrated programmes of preventing torture.

• Nigeria: Grand Khadi Prescribes Antidote to Social Vices: Leadership (Abuja): 7 July 2008.

The Grand Khadi of Kwara State, Justice Abdulkadir Imam Fulani has prescribed knowledge acquisition as the only solution to the multifarious social ills plaguing the country. Imam Fulani opined that any knowledgeable individual would prefer to engage more in good practices than social vices because of his educational attainment.

He described knowledge acquisition to include formal education, vocational training and religious instructions. The Grand Khadi, who was the guest lecturer at the Maoulud Nahiyy celebration of Imam Issa-Elelu memorial mosque, Muritala Mohammed Way, Ilorin, therefore, stressed the need for the Muslim parents to give their children sound

132 education. He also called on all stakeholders to ensure that every Nigerian child was empowered to acquire knowledge, as that would enable him or her to be useful to him or herself and to the nation at large. Earlier, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Raliat Elelu-Habeeb in a brief remark, admonished wealthy Muslims to always spend their wealth on the cause of Allah. Elelu-Habeeb, who is one of the children of the founder of the mosque, venue of the event, said Allah's reward for those who spent their resources on his cause was immeasurable.

The Chief Imam of the mosque, Ustaz Abubakar Aliy-Kema in his sermon, stressed the importance of maolud nabbiyy and enjoined Muslims in the country to always emulate the virtues of Prophet Mohammed in their daily endeavours. He particularly enjoined political leaders in the country to emulate the worthy leadership style of the prophet in administering the country. Imam Aliy-Kamal noted that most of the problems bedeviling the nation as a result of bad leadership were avoidable if only those in positions of authority could imbibe the shinning exemplary conduct of the prophet.

• Nigeria: NYSC Holds Rally on Human Trafficking: Daily Trust (Abuja): 9 July 2008.

A group of corps members under the auspices of 'Legal Aids', a community development association, Monday held a rally in Abuja to create awareness on the dangers and legal punishments involved in human trafficking.

The rally tagged: "Awareness march against human trafficking", was organized in conjunction with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other Related Matters (NAPTIP). Our reporter observed the group at Wuse market, Area I and the Federal Secretariat Abuja, carrying out several enlightenment campaigns against human trafficking.

Various handbills warning against human trafficking were distributed to people while members of the public especially ladies were warned to be suspicious of those that promise them juicy job offer either in Nigeria or Overseas, adding that it may be a ploy to sell them into perpetual slavery. At Wuse Market, traders commended the efforts of the Corps Members for bringing the campaign against human trafficking right to their door step. NAPTIP's Information Officer, Mr. Benjamin Eneanya said that the agency in partnership with the Legal Aids are sensitizing people on what the law says about human trafficking so that they would not claim ignorant of it. "We intend to reach out to many people at the grassroots and that is why we chose the NYSC as our ambassador, because collectively they represent each ethnic group in Nigeria, " he said. Mr. Eneanya affirmed that the rally is one of the several ways adopted by the agency in fighting human trafficking saying that many people always claim ignorant of the law against human trafficking." This human trafficking affects the poor in the rural areas, who are exploited because of their position which is largely due to' fostering system' being practiced in this part of the world that often leaves children in the hands of relatives who often give them out as house help that often results in child exploitation," he said. He maintained further

133 that anyone that forces a child to do hard labour that is basically meant for adults will be held for an offence punishable by law.

• Burkina Faso: Muslim Leaders Agree to Promote Family Planning: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 July 2008.

On the eve of World Population Day, Muslim leaders agreed to promote family planning among their followers at a meeting of the country's principal Islamic organisations in the capital's main mosque. "The debates were fruitful. We explained to everybody that Islam was not against family planning and even recommended it", Maiga Aboubakary, secretary-general of the Burkina Faso Islamic Organisation in Population and Development (RBOIPD), told IRIN. The leaders have agreed to tour Burkina Faso's 45 provinces and 13 regions in a "vast awareness-raising campaign" for family planning.

"Religious leaders must sensitise their community in mosques, during religious celebrations, weddings, and funerals on why family planning is so important," Aboubakary told IRIN. Siaka Traoré, advocacy and communication officer at the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Burkina Faso, said the meeting was a landmark. "We think that Islam has a sensitisation and education role; in that sense the choice of the venue for the meeting is very symbolic." According to the last census (2006) Muslims represent just over half of the country's 14 million people. According to UNFPA's Traoré, religious leaders are an important target for family planning advocates because of the privileged role they play in the community. "Muslim leaders, being an instrumental part of the community, have an important role to play in family planning, and that is why we support this meeting between them," Traoré said. According to Aboubakary, many people think Islam's principles stand against family planning, when in fact many of its precepts promote it.

Population growth

Burkina Faso's population is currently growing at a rate of 3 percent, or by about 341,000 people each year, meaning it has grown overall from 5.6 million in 1975 to today's 14 million. On average seven children are born to each family, and economists warn that the current five percent economic growth rate will need to reach 7.5 percent to meet the needs of the growing population. According to the Ministry of Health, just 14 percent of couples regularly use contraception, while a 1994 study (the most recent available), concluded that a third of women aged 15-49 said they needed better family planning. "Family planning is indispensable to a country's development, its society and to individuals because it is through family planning that we can better organise family life, better feed and educate children, and give them the healthcare they need", Traoré told IRIN. Support is needed to boost the government's modest national health programme targets which plan to increase coverage of contraceptive by just 3 percent by 2010. More ambitious is its drive to reduce infant mortality rates by 40 percent by 2010. According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), 122 out of 1,000 children born in Burkina Faso die before they reach their first birthday, and high infant mortality rates are a key factor driving high birth-rates. Religious leaders did not make a decision on the contraception

134 methods they would promote, leaving it to individuals to decide, according to Aboubakary. But leaders will push for family planning to be the responsibility of every couple. "We have demanded that every woman should be accompanied by her husband for a family planning visit to a doctor. Women should not go alone because [family planning] must be the decision of a couple," Aboubakary said.

• Gambia: Minority Leader Asks the Government to Free Chief Ebrima Manneh: Media Foundation for West Africa (Accra): PRESS RELEASE: 10 July 2008.

The Minority leader in The Gambian Parliament, Momodou Sanneh on July 3, 2008 called on the government of President Yahya Jammeh to respect the ECOWAS court ruling by releasing Chief Ebrima Manneh, a detained reporter of the Banjul-based privately-owned government-controlled newspaper. The Daily Observer in its Friday, July 4 edition reported Sanneh as saying in a meeting between the Gambia Press Union (GPU) and the leadership of the Gambian National Assembly that the ECOWAS court had finished with Manneh’s case and that “it is now left to the government to deal with” the ECOWAS court’s order.

Following a suit filed by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), the ECOWAS Court on June 5, ordered the Gambian government to immediately release Manneh and pay him US$100,000 as compensation for violating his human rights. Despite this ruling the Gambian government is silent on the matter. Meanwhile there is growing pressure from within the Gambia for the release of Manneh. His father has renewed his call for his son to be released without further delay. He said several efforts made by him to get the authorities to release his son have hit a snag. At a press briefing to mark the second year of Manneh’s “disappearance”, the Network of Human Rights Journalists (NHRJ) condemned his continued detention and challenged the authorities to respect the Gambian Constitution. “We are seriously concerned about the continued “disappearance” of our colleague, and are calling on the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the (matter) and ensure his immediate release”, said the NHRJ. In a press statement on the matter the GPU lamented that “following a year long protracted court case in which the Government of The Gambia was served many notices and five security officials subpoenaed to appear before the Courts, Chief Manneh continued to languish in detention without any attempt by the state to conduct any investigation or appear before the ECOWAS Court to clear any doubts”. Manneh has so far spent 732 days in detention without trial after his arrest on July 7, 2006 by two plainclothes agents of the notoriously feared National Intelligence Agency (NIA) in the presence of his colleagues. MFWA’ sources say the then Managing Director of the Daily Observer, Sajal Taal masterminded his arrest.

• Nigeria: Reps Reject Bill to Abolish Death Penalty: Daily Champion (Lagos):11 July 2008.

135 Hard times await armed robbers as House of Representatives yesterday, overwhelmingly rejected a bill seeking a committal of death sentence for armed robbery to life imprisonment.

The lawmakers submitted that armed robbers must pay the supreme price for taking to crimes. Speaking one after the other on the bill which was sponsored by Hon. Friday Itulah, the legislators who pegged the maximum jail term for attempted robbery said hat only death sentence can deter people from going into crime. By the development yesterday, the bill has been stopped from scaling second reading. The bill was passionately debated on the floor with members of the Amnesty International fully present as observers. On the other hand, a bill mandating the immediate and compulsory treatment and care for victims with bullet wounds successfully passed through a second reading. The first bill was titled: 'A bill for an act to amend the robbery and firearms (Special provisions) Cap. R11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and for other matters connected therewith, 2008. Hon. Itulah, who sponsored the bill had contended that the bill was to remove the words "sentenced to death" from the Act and replaced it with the words "sentenced to life imprisonment." He submitted that Section 1 and Sub 2 of the principal Act states that anybody that commits such an offence shall either be executed by firing squad or hung by the neck till dead. "What we seek is that nobody shall kill anybody for whatever reason in spite of the confession to the crime," Itulah said. To this, there was a vociferous shout of "no" from majority of the other members. The lawmaker observed that sometimes when suspect were apprehended, they were silently eliminated. He said that in the process, innocent victims were often erroneously executed and that it was better to set 10 guilty people free than convict an innocent person. He said that killing cannot be said to be reformatory maintaining that only who are alive can be reformed. "What we are doing is treating the symptoms instead of the disease," he said.

While opposing the bill Hon. Sada Sole described abolishing capital punishment for armed robbery is a serious business. "Life is a fundamental human right, and taking it away as a fundamental violation. The law should take its course. Whoever takes a person's life does not deserve to keep his own," he said. Hon. Emmanuel Jimeh in his submission said that though he understood that the mood in the House was against the bill, he would want the members to be consumed by emotion. "The problem I see is the finality of death, God forbids that there is an error in the process. I support that it's better to free 10 guilty persons than kill one innocent person." For Cyril Maduabum, the Robbery and Firearms Act is a State law and not a Federal Law hence it was inappropriate for the House to continue its debate on it. "Murder is state issue, that is why the Governors sign the death warrant. Yar'Adua cannot sign a death warrant." He reminded that the Supreme Court has made this clear in several cases including Cele vs State in 1993, that armed robbery is a state crime. "Even in the US , some have death sentences and others don't depending on the sensitivity of the State involved." Hon. Tsengu Tsegba said that the bill was long overdue. He however introduced a new dimension into the debate when he said that he would support the amendment to the Act on the grounds that Militancy as in the Niger-Delta which according to him constitutes murder and treason; and drug trafficking, the rape of infants from 1 to 3 years old for rituals, should on the other hand carry the death sentence. Hon. Samson Osagay in his

136 own contribution said that sentiments have been woven into the debate of the bill. "When we look at issue dispassionately, Nigeria is setting the tone for the abolition of the death penalty." He said the death penalty was not a deterrent to the crime of armed robbery. He said the society would lose nothing by jettisoning the death penalty. He asked: "If someone commits a crime for which its death penalty, must society also become a murderer?" To this question, majority of the Representatives shouted: "Yes!" On the other hand the bill for an Act to prescribe for the compulsory and immediate treatment and care for the victims of bullet wounds sailed through second reading and was referred to the joint committees on Justice and Health. Hon. Mayor Eze, who was the sponsor of the bill noted that victims of bullet wounds were usually not treated. He said that this was neither the position of the Constitution or the practice around the world. According to him, the refusal of hospitals to treat gunshot wounds resulted from a police directive which was made in good faith. He however noted that the directive affects more innocent victims than robbers as the robbers make specialized arrangement for the treatments of their bullet wounds. "Doctors and nurses are not happy that they are not saving lives," he said.

• Nigeria: Trafficking of Girls, Abuse Worsening: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 7 July 2008.

The trafficking of girls from villages to cities in Nigeria is increasing and the state is powerless to stop the trade, officials told IRIN. "The business of recruiting teenage girls as domestic help in rich and middle-class homes is booming despite our efforts to put a stop to it", Bello Ahmed, head of the Kano office of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP), told IRIN.

Girls aged 12-17 are regularly trafficked from villages and brought to the city to work as maids for an average monthly wage of 1,500 naira (US$13) which they usually send back to their parents who are caring for several of their siblings, according to Ahmed. "Apart from being denied access to education, these girls are in many cases raped and beaten by their employers and this is why we keep a dormitory to rehabilitate them", Ahmed said. "Bringing in girls from the villages to the city to work as house helps continues unabated. In fact it is on the rise", agreed Mairo Bello, head of Adolescent Health Information Project, a Kano-based non-governmental organisation (NGO). As well as poverty, trafficking in girls and women is driven by the extreme income inequality which exists in Nigeria, and gender inequality. The problem is prevalent all around the country.

The dangers

Saudatu Halilu, a 16 year-old girl who moved to Kano from a rural village to work as a maid, has been a victim of the trade's dangers. Saudatu was brought to Kano from Nassarawa State in central Nigeria 10 months ago to work as a domestic help, but she said her master forced her into sleeping with him and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. "I was too scared to tell my mistress or anyone what happened for fear of what my master would do to me and I did not realise I was pregnant until a medical check after

137 I began to show some signs which attracted the attention of my mistress", Halilu told AFP.

Poverty

Poverty drives parents into steering their teenage daughters into work as domestic helps, believing the menial jobs would secure better living conditions for their daughters, Ahmed said. "I had no option but to send Hindu, who is my eldest daughter, to work in the city because we are poor and need money to feed", said Aisha, a mother of six, who sent her eldest child, 14 year-old Hindu Nasidi, to Kano to earn money. The girl upset her keepers by not washing plates properly and they ground chilli pepper into her vagina as a punishment. "The money she was paid from the job was very helpful in taking care of her six siblings until the unfortunate incident", Nasidi said, blaming rising food prices for her decision to send the young girl out to work in the first place. With Hindu's job gone the family now ekes out a living from Nasidi's raffia mat weaving and her husband's mango and watermelon hawking which do not bring in enough money to buy sufficient food for their six children.

Powerless

Although NAPTIP has managed to stop the practice of teenage girls being ferried in trucks from villages to the cities "like chickens", Ahmed admitted his agency had failed to stop the trade. "The more the law enforcement agencies perfect their strategies at stopping the business, the more the perpetrators become more sophisticated in running their trade", he said. Lack of legislation to prosecute the traffickers makes NAPTIP unable to take legal action against traffickers even when they are arrested, according to Ahmed. The Child Rights Act which provides for five year jail terms and US$424 fines for perpetrators of child labour is yet to be endorsed by the northern states' legislatures because some clauses in it have been found controversial by religious and cultural leaders.

Friction

The Act has been a source of friction between the Nigerian federal government, which has endorsed it, and the northern legislative houses. "We are disturbed by the trend of using teenage girls as domestic helps which is a form of child labour and we are aware of the provision in the Child Rights Act that deals with that issue", Abdulaziz Garba Gafasa, speaker of Kano's parliament, told IRIN. "However we can't endorse the Act because of certain clauses that are in conflict with our religious and cultural values; once such grey areas are expunged we will approve it, otherwise we will make by-laws at state level that will deal with the perpetrators of this despicable act." Mohammed Aliyu Mashi, who collaborates with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in fighting child trafficking, rejected the notion that there was no legislation to prosecute child traffickers, saying what was lacking was the political will to enforce the law. "There is provision in the penal code operating in the north which prescribes five year jail terms to life imprisonment to people convicted of child trafficking and child labour", Mashi said. "The claim of lack of

138 legislature is just a ruse; it is an excuse to avoid prosecuting offenders because of lack of political will from officials."

• Ghana: NGOs, DCE Express Concern On Increased Child Trafficking: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 11 July 2008.

The negative practice of child trafficking is on the increase in three districts of the country. They are Krachi West, East in the Volta Region, and the Sene District in the Brong Ahafo Region, which is of a major concern to some children's right advocates. The concerned organizations, Geneva Global, Partners in Community Development Programme (PACODEM), and Touch and Light Ministry, have all expressed their disappointment, about the continuous abuse of children, and gross disrespect for laws that protect children against all forms of abuses.

Speaking to The Chronicle at Kete-Krachi, the Executive Director of PACODEM, Mr. George Achibrah, disclosed that seventeen trafficked children were rescued in five fishing communities, Old Yabi, Wodzedzi, Lala, Old Nkomi and Old Nanasewi, where his outfit was currently working. He continued that so far, his organization, in collaboration with Geneva Global and Touch and Light Ministry in America, have rescued one hundred and twenty trafficked children in the three districts, noting that many more of such children, were still living under difficult conditions, as they were engaged in dangerous activities. Mr. Achibrah explained that currently, seventeen more trafficked children, who were rescued a month ago, were being housed at the PACODEM Rehabilitation Centre at Kete-Krachi, where they were being counseled, and attending school, before they would be reunited with their parents. He emphasized that his outfit would continue to fight, for the total freedom of children who were engaged in illegal businesses, instead of being in the classroom, to secure their future. Mr. Achibrah used the opportunity to commend the Krachi-West District Assembly, particularly the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr. Douglas Koranten, for the support offered to his organization, in its efforts to liberate trafficked children, and engage them in the classroom, in order to guarantee a brighter future for them.

DCE Koranten, on his part, condemned child trafficking, which he described as criminal, and debunked the assertion that parents who gave out their children for a fee, did so because they were poor. "Parents who give out their children, are aware that it is criminal to do so, but still go ahead to give out their children," he said. Mr. Koranten, who became emotional at this point, disclosed that he was informed a few days ago, that one of the trafficked children had drowned in a village in his District. According to him, he would soon visit the parents of the deceased child, and use the occasion to explain in detail, the legal implications of giving out their children for pecuniary gains. T he DCE said even though he was not a , he was aware of the fact that laws had been enacted to ensure the safety of children, but people still violated such laws, arguing that if poverty was the basis for which parents sold their children, then the law needed to take care of them, to serve as a deterrent to others. Mr. Koranten noted that the alarming increase of child trafficking, called for pragmatic efforts by all, especially religious organizations, to collaborate with NGOs, such as PACODEM, to help address the problem, and assured

139 that the Assembly was already in partnership with PACODEM, to save children who had found themselves in what he called inhuman situations.

• Nigeria: Why Northern Women Are Still Backward - Mrs. Shagari: Daily Trust (Abuja): 5 July 2008.

Weekly Trust: What informed your decision to establish the Kulu Girl Child Initiative? Hajiya Kulu Mukhtari Shagari: Kulu Girl Child Initiative (KUSGI) is a non-profit, non- governmental and voluntary organisation dedicated to the advancement and protection of the girl-child and the less privileged girls in the society.

Weekly Trust: What informed your decision to establish the Kulu Girl Child Initiative? Hajiya Kulu Mukhtari Shagari: Kulu Girl Child Initiative (KUSGI) is a non-profit, non- governmental and voluntary organisation dedicated to the advancement and protection of the girl-child and the less privileged girls in the society. The NGO is a tribute to my father, former President Shehu Shagari. I conceived the idea a long time ago, but I couldn't start even after registering the NGO with the Corporate Affairs Commission. It was registered two years ago but it could not take off due to some problems I encountered with the former government. Apart from doing it for my father, I want to also contribute my own quota to the society. I am an educationist just like my father. I have been a teacher for years, principal for years and have worked with the ministry for women affairs for years. I have observed the problems women and girls face in our society especially in the northern part of Nigeria. So, I wish to come in to contribute and assist the government especially now that my husband is part of the government. It is also to assist him as the deputy governor and the society in particular. I dedicate the organisation to my dad because he has spent all his life helping people. He likes assisting the less privileged and he has taught me that. I feel happy by making others happy just like my dad and that's why I feel I should put something in place that would touch the lives of the people. This is a legacy that I most cherish from my father. I chose my own field, that is education, which is also his area and because I worked in the Ministry of Women Affairs, I know the problems there and I decided to stick myself to the girl-child

WT: How would you describe the situation of the girl -child over the years?

Shagari: In those years when we were in school, I attended Shagari Primary School, if I could remember, we were about 13 girls but only two of us were able to go to secondary school, but nowadays, you find that it is the parents who are willing to take their daughters to school. Unfortunately, the schools are not enough. There are no facilities in the schools and even if parents take their kids to schools, they will not be able to sustain the school fees because of poverty. So, that is why most parents withdraw their female kids and get them married instead.

WT: What are the areas your NGO is focusing on?

Shagari: We intend to establish institutions whereby girls can come and learn free. We want to provide free education for the girl-child. Second is health. We have already

140 started identifying some girls who need medical attention. We facilitated the treatment of a VVF patient at the VVF Centre, Women and Children Hospital in Sokoto. Wherever we have girls suffering from such ailments, we bring them to the hospital. Many of them are not aware of the hospitals. They are afraid to come because they feel they cannot afford the cost. In that case, we will search for those girls and bring them to the hospital to be treated and if possible, take them to schools. We will also focus on areas of child abuse, child trafficking, child labour etc. We are trying to create awareness to discourage any form of child abuse through advocacy, workshops and seminars and with the help of the media. We want to establish children/orphanage homes for the upkeep and education of the less privileged girls in the society. We want to stop the menace of "Area Girls". We want to have a vocational centre whereby girls will come and learn skills and be useful to the society instead of roaming about and causing havoc in the society. Governor, Magatakarda Wamakko, last time donated ten computers to us. We already have ten computers. We want to have sewing machines, knitting machines to establish that institution whereby girls who are not in schools can come and study. We want to also help those who are already in schools by donating items that would assist them. We have a collaboration with an NGO in America that would be sending materials to schools here through this NGO; all they are waiting for now is for us to identify the schools and the needs of these schools. During vacations, instead of students staying at home idle, we want to have a vacation course specifically for girls, those of school age and then those in the SS3 who are ready for SSCE. We will coach them in order to assist them to pass their exams. After passing out of secondary schools, we want to help them to secure admissions into universities and try to see that they remain in the universities because most of them, right from secondary school, drop out due to lack of funds. So, we want to assist in that with the assistance of government and some well-to-do individuals.

WT: What are your achievements so far?

Shagari: Like I said, we encountered some problems with the previous government, so, we were not able to do anything until the present government came which is only one year old. We have been doing advocacy, trying to create awareness to the general public that we are here to assist it. These are some of the things we want to do for the girl-child in education, health and all other social issues girls are facing in this society. The first activity I did was the Sallah party with the orphans. I went to the orphanage on Sallah day. We celebrated with them. I brought my own children, governor's children and children of the well to-do. We brought them together with the less privileged and they enjoyed themselves. Second, on my daddy's birthday, we had an essay competition among all the girls' secondary schools in Sokoto. Initially, we wanted to cover Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara because the NGO is not in Sokoto alone. We want to cover all the northern states. We want to start with Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara. We have made contacts with the governors and the first ladies. We are still doing that. My vision is to have a society whereby all the girls will be educated, would be independent, would be disciplined. We want them to be useful members of the society instead of roaming the streets begging and hawking.

WT: How do you see the situation of women in the northern part of the country?

141 Shagari: We are still very much backward; women are still oppressed by men. In the North, men dominate everything. Women are not put into positions. If you go to the Sokoto State House of Assembly, no woman is a member. Women are not represented in the various sectors of lives. We are still backward politically, educationally and socially. However, there is a little improvement now. Today, some are coming out to vote. They are coming out to campaign unlike before. So, there is little improvement.

• Nigeria: Women Oppose Bill On Dress Code: Daily Champion (Lagos): 10 July 2008.

Pro women coalition groups yesterday protested against a bill before the senate to prohibit and punish nudity and sexual intimidation in the country. The women protesters almost marred the senate public hearing on the bill, as they said, that the passage of the bill into law would expose Nigerian women to more abuse by security agencies. Besides, they argued that , if the controversial bill sails through , it would amount to the breaking of their fundamental human rights.

Leading the women protest was the President of the National Council of Women Societies (NWCS)l Hajia Romatu Usman, who said that the bill constituted a danger to womanhood in Nigeria. The bill instead of protecting the women is rather exposing them to more abuses by the law enforcement agencies i.e the police who will take advantage of this bill, when passed to harass and rape supposed culprit," she warned. Similarly, the Alliance for Africa, another group opposed to the bill, described the proposed law as a deliberate plot to criminalize and penalize people who do not comply with the dress code.

Executive Director of the Alliance, Mrs. Iheoma Obibi, in her presentation at the tension- soaked forum declares "the bill by its nature is contradictory and evasive." Chairman of the committee senator Ufot Ekaette who was apparently overwhelmed by the stiff opposition that tailed the proposed promised that her committee would capture the feelings of the public in its final report on the bill to the senate. Mark said "I want to start by saying that in my opinion, nothing stops you from airing your views because I also have an opinion. In my very candid opinion, we must go back to the constitution in what ever we do. " We must establish why it is that a man can dress in pants and walk all over the place but a woman cannot dress in the same manner and walk all over the place. I think legally minded will whether it is discriminatory of not." The public hearing was organized by Senate Committee on Women Affairs in pursuant to a recent decision of the upper legislative chamber to generate public inputs into the proposed law.

• Ghana: New Aid Agenda Reinforces Gender Inequality: Public Agenda (Accra): 11 July 2008.

A gender advocate has described the Paris Declaration (PD) on aid effectiveness as an old aid architecture with nothing new to offer. The PD was endorsed in March 2005 at the second high level forum in Paris with the objective of enhancing better delivery and management of aid in order to improve aid effectiveness.

142 Ms. Kathy Cusack of the Network for Women's Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT) deduced that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB), the main architects of previous aid effectiveness agendas that had deep effects on the level of gender equality and poverty in developing countries, are also deeply involved in the new aid design. "Nothing has fundamentally changed," she stated at a day's consultation on gender and aid effectiveness in Accra.

The meeting preceded the third High Level Forum to be held in Ghana from September 2 to 4 2008, to review and assess progress in the implementation of the PD on aid effectiveness and to agree on a new agenda for action. Ms. Cusack observed that all aid entering Ghana has a political agenda attached. She said that despite the technical face of the current PD, it is a political document because of the conditions attached for donors and beneficiaries to fulfill. She said that consequently, donors are not penalized for unfulfilled expectation, while recipients are punished with removal or reduction of aid.

Ms. Cusack said that 68 percent of pregnant women in Ghana are malnourished and she asked, "What is aid doing? Where is it going?" Cusack noted that the efficiency of the aid is also a measurement of the sovereignty and independence of Ghana. If aid was given without restrictions, she said, the Ghanaian government could prioritize the country's needs. "The level of Ghana's dependency on aid poses questions about the kind of sovereignty it has. Our dependency on aid has critical questions on what we can do to influence the aid processes." She recalled that since time immemorial, aid effectiveness has been on the aid agenda. However, she said, pregnant women in Ghana are still malnourished, maternal deaths are still high and about 65% of rural women are illiterate.

Further, she said statistics show that women in developing nations are consistently living under the poverty line. In fact, 70 percent of the 1.5 billion people who live under $1 USD a day are women. "What is aid doing? Where is the money going? What are demanding of these processes because the same issues still exist? she asked, adding that development is not possible without growth. "We must consider the issue of gender and aid efficiency very critically," said Dr. Rose Mensah-Kutin at the conference. Dr. Mensah-Kutin added that anytime there is a discussion on aid, and in turn on the well- being of the people in Ghana, women should have their voices heard because their well- being is an integral part of Ghana's well-being. According to Dr. Mensah-Kutin, Ghana receives over 70 percent of its budget from outside aid and the question Ghanaians must continue to ask is how that money is utilized. Sarah Mukasah, from the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) asked, "What is in it for us [women]? We need to look at what we have done to support our communities and it seems that those contributions are not recognized," she said. "It seems that those contributions are valued very little." Ms. Mukasah added that she has seen a significant decrease in support for women's initiatives and women's programs in the last twenty years in Ghana.

• Côte d'Ivoire: President Gbagbo’s Associates Fail to Cooperate With French Probe Into Journalist’s Disappearance: Reporters sans Frontières (Paris): PRESS RELEASE: 10 July 2008.

143 Simone Gbagbo, the wife of Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, and former Ivorian economy minister Paul-Antoine Bohoun Bouabré failed to respond to a summons from French investigating judge Patrick Ramaël for questioning today in Paris as witnesses in his probe into the disappearance of journalist Guy-André Kieffer, a dual French-Canadian national, in Côte d’Ivoire in 2004.

Reporters Without Borders and the Kieffer family regret that once again the persons whose names have most often come up in the investigation are not cooperating with the French judicial authorities. “By using bureaucratic pretexts for refusing to cooperate with the judicial authorities, President Gbagbo’s associates show they want to cover up Kieffer’s disappearance,” Reporters Without Borders and the Kieffer family said. “But the further the investigation advances, the more they are involved. Simone Gbagbo and Paul-Antoine Bohoun Bouabré knew Judge Ramaël wanted to question them. By refusing to respond to his summons, they are just reinforcing the suspicions against them.” Ramaël told Radio France Internationale on 8 July that he had summoned Simone Gbagbo and Bouabré for questioning in his Paris office as witnesses in the Kieffer case because their names have repeatedly being mentioned when other witnesses and suspects have been interrogated. But a few hours later, lawyers representing Gbagbo and Bouabré denied that any summonses had been received. It seems the method used to send the summonses, directly to their homes in Côte d’Ivoire via the French embassy there, did not comply with a Franco-Ivorian judicial convention requiring the use of the French foreign ministry and the Ivorian embassy in Paris. Kieffer’s wife, Osange Silou-Kieffer, said the Ivorian judges in charge of Côte d’Ivoire’s investigation into the case were able to question all the people they wanted when they came to France last month. But they did not ask to interview her, she pointed out. A freelance journalist based in Abidjan, Kieffer was looking into shady government practices in the country’s cocoa industry when he disappeared on 16 April 2004. French investigators say armed men kidnapped him from the parking lot of an Abidjan supermarket just as he was about to meet with Simone Gbagbo’s brother-in-law, Michel Legré. French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised the Kieffer family in August 2007 that everything possible would be done to find out what happened to him.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Buhera Woman Gang Raped By 21 Zanu-PF Thugs: SW Radio Africa (London): 8 July 2008.

A 35 year-old woman from Buhera is recovering at a private clinic in Mutare after 21 Zanu-PF youths put a gun to her head and took turns to rape her. The gang rape described as 'horrible' by the MDC spokesman in Manicaland, Pishai Muchauraya took place over the weekend at Barawara torture base in Buhera central.

Doctors said Memory Mufambi is still too traumatised to talk about her ordeal but managed to detail the degrading incident to local MDC officials who rushed her to Mutare for urgent medical help. Muchauraya said Mufambi narrated that her crime was that she voted for the MDC during the harmonised elections and the gang rape was revenge for that. 'Some of what happened to her is too graphic to be repeated anyway.

144 But a gun was used to subject her to this unspeakable crime. We pray the gang spared her life but otherwise if caught one day these men should rot in prison,' Muchauraya said.

• South Africa: Warning on Xenophobia Ignored: Business Day (Johannesburg): 11 July 2008.

SEVERAL months before the recent xenophobic attacks, President Thabo Mbeki disputed the findings of a report warning of SA's "brutality and detention" of foreigners from other African countries. The intelligence community maintains it warned the government about xenophobic tensions, though "not in a sense of a flashing red light". Mbeki has denied receiving any such warning. But he cannot have missed the African Peer Review Mechanism's (APRM's) cautionary note. Its SA country report concluded that "xenophobia against other Africans is currently on the rise and must be nipped in the bud". In his response to the report last year, Mbeki denied that xenophobic tendencies existed in SA, pointing out that the country did not even have refugee camps. To illustrate the friendly environment, Mbeki alluded to a state visit by Congolese President Joseph Kabila when illegal immigrants from that country openly requested the two presidents to regularise their status. In Mbeki's view, the fact that illegal immigrants were able to address the two leaders showed how comfortable they felt in SA. Yet a few months later, 62 people were killed in anti-foreigner attacks that erupted in Alexandra on May 11. A similar warning on the risk of elections worsening ethnic tensions was extended to Kenya in its own review process ahead of December elections. Post-election violence cost about 1000 lives. Last Thursday, Mbeki apologised to the families of victims, describing the violence in SA as unpardonable. But his initial reaction to the warning appears to mirror the government's response to the findings of the APRM process, which - ironically - Mbeki helped establish.

Controversy greeted the release of SA's peer review report, due largely to the government's refusal to accept many of the recommendations. Allegations are that the self-assessment report was edited to remove crucial governance problems, and the process rushed at the expense of public input. "If you look very carefully at that response there are certain points where it seems ideologically driven and unwilling to accept criticism," says Steven Gruzd, a researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). He attributes the rejectionist tone to infighting in the African National Congress (ANC), which peaked at the December conference when Mbeki failed to be re- elected as party president. "I think there was this desire not to appear weak ... throughout this whole (APRM) process," he says.

The process works through a member country embarking on self-analysis with civil society input. It then develops a programme of action to address any governance problems identified. After this a team of experts led by the APRM panel of eminent persons studies the programme and self-assessment before conducting its own review. The panel's output constitutes the final report, which recommends action to bring the country to African standards. Action Aid director Zanele Twala says the process appears to have been compromised in SA because civil society was not given the opportunity to respond to the report of the eminent persons. "I would argue that participation was

145 opened up 100% but participation doesn't always mean influence," says Twala, who sat on the national governing council. The eminent persons' report on SA was released in September and points to many problems, including HIV, black economic empowerment, race relations, the skills shortage and gender violence. Mbeki objected to the report's suggestion that violent crime was unacceptably high, describing the panel's finding as a populist perception of the problem.

SA was in the second group of countries that acceded to the APRM in 2004. Twenty-nine countries have signed on to the process, which is a commitment to accepting periodic peer review and implementing the ensuing programme of action. Nine countries - Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda and SA - have embarked on the review. Six countries have already been peer reviewed, a process that entails making a presentation at a meeting of APRM heads of state and government. Uganda was the last to do so at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik more than a week ago. Nigeria and Burkina Faso will give their presentations at a summit this year when SA is also expected to submit its first progress report. Gruzd, who is co-author of a recent book on the APRM, says there has been a "mismatch" between what the panel of eminent persons identifies as the burning issues and what each country agrees to do. Most peer recommendations were ignored when the first six African countries came to write their programmes, according to SAIIA researcher Faten Aggad.

In SA, of the 182 recommendations by the panel, 40% were excluded, including concern over xenophobia. This is still better than the other five countries. Many countries seem to treat the review as a public relations exercise. However, the point of the APRM is not to dictate but to begin a dialogue. "One of the strategic things that APRM tries to do is normalise criticism and the ability to diagnose problems and come up with solutions," Gruzd says. Presidential spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga was not available for comment.

• Swaziland: Government Prohibits March Against Increased Ritual Killings: Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek): PRESS RELEASE: 9 July 2008.

Freedom of expression came under threat when the government of Swaziland prohibited a protest march organised by civic organisations who wanted to protest against rising ritual killings in the tiny kingdom.

The government says it fears the march would embarrass both the country internationally and the king who is currently abroad on a world tour. This has resulted in a stand-off between the government and the organizers of the march who have vowed to continue with it despite the government prohibition. The march was initially scheduled for 5 July 2008 in Manzini, the country's second major city. Its organizers have said that despite the government prohibition they were planning to go ahead with the march on a date yet to be announced. Swaziland has seen a rising incidence of ritual murders over the last couple of months. Media commentators have been quick to link this to the forthcoming parliamentary elections to be held later in 2008. Some Swazis still believe in traditional medicine to "strengthen themselves" in order to gain power. Women and children have

146 been found in the past, during election time, murdered with their bodies mutilated for reported ritual purposes or to "strengthen" power-hungry individuals. More recently, more and more women and children have been reported missing and some later were found murdered, with body parts missing. Women's organizations, the church and other civic organizations recently decided that "enough was enough" and resolved to stage the protest march. However, the government moved swiftly to ban it, citing that it was trying to avoid international embarrassment to the country and king. Swaziland is not a democracy and uses the traditional "tinkhundla" system of government which encourages individual campaigning for seats in parliament. This is apparently fuelling the ritual murders as individuals see an opportunity to gain power through ritual killings. To protect freedom of expression, which is guaranteed in the Swazi constitution, MISA- Swaziland has condemned the government ban and has called for the march to be allowed to take place.

• Angola: Government Suspends Independent Radio Station's Broadcasts for 180 Days: Reporters sans Frontières (Paris): PRESS RELEASE: 10 July 2008.

Reporters Without Borders condemns the government's decision on 8 July to suspend independent Radio Despertar's broadcasts for 180 days on the grounds that their current range, 400 km, is much more the 50 km stipulated in its licence. The suspension comes just one month before an election campaign is due to begin on 5 August.

"Restricting media pluralism in the run-up to legislative elections will obstruct the necessary democratic debate," Reporters Without Borders said. "Furthermore, the measure is illegal as it has been taken under decree-law 69/97, which was voided by a new press law in 2006." The suspension was decided by the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Angolan Media and was communicated to Radio Despertar director Alexandre Solombe by the Angolan Institute for Communications (INACOM). Solombe said his station is the victim of "an electoral manoeuvre by the government in the run-up to legislative elections." Created under the peace accords between the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), Radio Despertar began broadcasting in 2006. The station has been very successful in the capital, Luanda, especially in the suburbs, where many listeners participate in its phone-in programmes. Its current affairs programmes have been particularly popular in the approach to the elections.

Reporters Without Borders defends imprisoned journalists and press freedom throughout the world. It has nine national sections (Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland). It has representatives in Bangkok, London, New York, Tokyo and Washington. And it has more than 120 correspondents worldwide.

• African Citizens to Unite Against Atrocities in Zimbabwe: SW Radio Africa (London): 11 July 2008.

147 African citizens will unite in Johannesburg on Saturday to express their solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe, following a call by CIVICUS, the World Alliance for Citizen Participation. Together with Amnesty International, the Global Call for Action Against Poverty (GCAP) and Human Rights Watch, CIVICUS will launch the Pan African Campaign of Solidarity with Zimbabwe on Saturday.

The launch will start with a press conference in Johannesburg, which will be followed by the first mobilisation event of the Campaign, organised by South African civil society. A symbolic ballot will take place outside the Human Rights Watch offices, where concerned citizens from a diversity of organisations and backgrounds will write a note of solidarity with the Zimbabwean people, and place it in a ballot box, highlighting the illegitimacy of the June 27 presidential run-off. Honorary President of CIVICUS, Kumi Naidoo, told Newsreel on Friday that the "African public need to mobilise as a key part of the solution to the crisis in Zimbabwe". He said there "needs to be a concerted effort directed at the African leaders to stop human rights violations continuing". Naidoo added that the June 27 poll cannot be condoned and said that Robert Mugabe has done "a great disservice to the people of Zimbabwe and the continent". Naidoo said it is the "responsibility of all Africans to urgently put a stop to Mugabe's anti-democratic activities". Saturday's Campaign is the first of an Africa-wide campaign at the grassroots level, allowing African people to speak out against the injustice in Zimbabwe. Meanwhile the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, led a rally in London on Friday to demand that Zimbabweans be allowed to seek employment in the UK until it is safe for them to return home. All deportations to Zimbabwe have been halted while the violence continues there, but the British Government is facing growing pressure to change its policy on Zimbabwean asylum seekers, who face a life of poverty in the UK.

• Zimbabwe: Over 1500 MDC Officials Still Detained: SW Radio Africa (London): 9 July 2008.

Over 1500 MDC activists and officials remain in police custody across the country. The MDC say that figure includes MP's and other parliamentary candidates, all being held on trumped up charges of inciting violence. Manicaland has the highest number of detained activists with 476, Masvingo 356, Mashonaland East 184, Mashonaland Central 145, Mashonaland West 114, Midlands South 69 and the two Matabeleland provinces adding up to 122. All the remaining provinces have 108 activists in custody, bringing the total to 1574 countrywide.

Mugabe and Zanu PF's refusal to accept defeat in the March 29 poll has led to the death of over 129 opposition activists, 109 before the run-off and 20 after it. The opposition says 5000 of their supporters, mainly polling agents and council candidates, are missing or unaccounted for. They blame a spate of abductions carried out by state operatives using unmarked vehicles. Thousands of supporters are also hiding in the mountains in rural areas in order to escape Zanu PF reprisals for not voting for Mugabe. At one time Zanu PF militants used dynamite to flush them out from the mountains in what was code- named 'Operation Dzika Mugoma- Climb Down the Mountain.' MDC Information Director Luke Tamborinyoka told Newsreel, 'They cannot talk dialogue while they are

148 acting war.' Very worrying for the MDC is the welfare of its National Youth Chairman, Tamsanqa Mahlangu, who won the Nkulumane parliamentary seat. The MDC say he is still battling for his life a month after an attack by ruling party thugs who disrupted an MDC rally at the Glamis Arena in Harare. Around 2000 Zanu PF militia set about beating up supporters, party officials and journalists who attended the aborted rally. Using sticks and knobkerries they bludgeoned Mahlangu and hundreds others, in images captured live and shown on TV networks across the world. A day after these attacks Tsvangirai withdrew from the presidential run-off. The MDC remains under siege from state security operatives. Lionel Saungweme from Bulawayo reports that Bulawayo East MP Thabitha Khumalo has been in hiding for the past month, following police claims that she was on a wanted list. Several MP's in rural constituencies are also being targeted in what most people say is an attempt at reducing the MDC majority in parliament. John Nyamande (Makoni Central), Mathius Mlambo (Chipinge East), Misheck Kagurabadza (Mutasa South) and Elton Mangoma (Makoni North) all in Manicaland, are some of the MP's still in hiding. Buhera North MP and lawyer Eric Matinenga was recently released from prison after being held without charge for close to a month.

• Mozambique: Prison Situation Improves, Says Human Rights League: Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo): 9 July 2008.

The Mozambican Human Rights League (LDH) believes that the living conditions for inmates of Mozambican prisons have improved this year, despite continued overcrowding and poor diet. According to Arao Zita, an LDH worker in the prison area, in the visits made to prisons between January and April, the LDH did not come across a single case in which prisoners had been tortured. This compares with a total of 161 cases of torture registered in 2007.

Speaking to AIM on Wednesday shortly before presenting a report on human rights and the prison system at a seminar organised by the NGO ARO-Juvenil, Zita said "We found no cases of torture perpetrated by prison guards. This results from the lectures given in the prisons, and the training of guards on this matter". The number of people illegally detained seems to be dropping. For most crimes, suspects can only be held for a maximum of 48 hours before a magistrate either confirms their detention or orders their release. In the past, the preventive detention deadlines were routinely ignored. This year, however, the LDH noted an improvement. Thus in the first six months of 2007, there were 219 prisoners in the jails in the south of the country whose term of preventive detention had been exceeded. This year the figure was down to just four. The improvement was not so startling in the rest of the country. Nonetheless, in the northern jails, the number of prisoners held illegally beyond the preventive detention deadlines fell from 119 to 40, while in the central provinces the decline was from 61 to 15. While it is good news that prisoners are no longer beaten up, or kept in jail illegally, in other key areas there has been no such improvement. Overcrowding, in particular, remains a serious threat to prisoners' health. Thus in Maputo Central Prison, the largest jail in the country, 2,538 people are living in premises that were designed to hold 800. The Inhambane provincial jail is much smaller; it should hold no more than 75 people, but

149 currently 339 prisoners are incarcerated there. Overcrowding means that contagious diseases spread very rapidly. According to the LDH, prisoners are particularly at risk of malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Zita said the situation is made worse by the lack of health posts in many jails, which obliges the prison authorities to send sick inmates to health units that may be many kilometres distant. The LDH also protested at the poor and monotonous diet served in most prisons. There are some prisons where the problem has been overcome thanks to prison farms where the inmates grow their own food. But that is not the case in most jails. "There are prisons where the diet is just maize flour and beans every day", said Zita. "And the beans are just cooked with water and salt. There are also prisons where, instead of three meals a day, there is only one, at midday".

• Botswana: Controversial Media Practitioners' Bill Announced: Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek): PRESS RELEASE: 7 July 2008.

On 27 June 2008, the government of Botswana gazetted a media practitioners' bill which is expected to regulate the media by, among other things, setting up a statutory press council. The bill also seeks to register media practitioners residing in Botswana and provides for hefty penalties for any violation of the law. As an example, anyone contravening the regulations stipulated in the bill would be liable for a penalty of 5,000 Botswana pulas (approx. US$750) or three months in prison. The media code of ethics will also be regulated by the law and issues such as the right to reply will be enforced and will no longer be at the discretion of the editor. In addition to the above, the bill would also introduce the role of the minister of communications, science and technology in the appointment of both the board and the members of the complaints committee of the press council. The minister would be given the statutory power to "direct that the executive committee be dissolved and that the council elects a new executive committee." The bill also empowers the press council to make determinations on issues of competition since it is to report to the authorities regarding "whether any act by [a] publisher is in contravention of the applicable laws relating to competition issues."

BACKGROUND:

The government of Botswana has long intended to implement a regulatory framework for media practitioners in the country but has in the past retreated under pressure. The mass media bill of 1997, which the government again tried to bring to parliament in 2002, is a case in point. From 2002 until the present the bill was shelved, but it has now resurfaced under the new title of the Media Practitioners Bill, 2008. It is the position of MISA- Botswana that the current bill falls far short of the basic tenets of freedom of the press and freedom of expression. The local media has always pointed out that the minister has no role to play in the press council and that registering and accrediting media practitioners is a blank cheque to those who may have ill intentions. MISA-Botswana believes that the status quo, in which the press council of Botswana is self-regulating, is sufficient. MISA-Botswana will therefore oppose the bill in its current form and calls upon media practitioners to deliberate on the issue with intensified interest.

150 EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Sudan: Human Rights Situation in Darfur 'Remains Grim' - UN Rights Expert: UN News Service (New York): 11 July 2008.

Government forces and rebel groups continue to commit human rights violations in the Darfur region of Sudan, while populations in the southern part of the country also suffer from ongoing violence, according to an independent United Nations rights official. Sima Samar, who has just completed a two-week visit to Sudan, also spoke out against this week's attack on the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping operation in Darfur, known as UNAMID, which left seven dead and 19 wounded. "I strongly condemn Tuesday's attack on UN peacekeepers in Darfur," she said in a statement released today. "I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and my thoughts are with the families of those killed and injured in this unacceptable attack." Ms. Samar, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan, welcomed some "positive steps" which she said the Government had taken in Darfur, including the deployment of more police officers, the increased activities of State Committees against gender-based violence and the sentencing of several regular forces personnel found guilty of rape. "Despite such positive steps, the human rights situation on the ground remains grim," Ms. Samar stressed, saying she had seen the town of Tawilla completely deserted following an attack by the Government's Central Reserve Police.

She added that Darfurian civilians continue to suffer from violent actions by various rebel groups, including the destruction of villages near Kafod, the burning down of a mosque and the killing and injury of civilians. She also noted that 135 vehicles belonging to aid agencies had been hijacked so far this year forcing the UN World Food Programme to cut its delivery of rations by half. "The Government has primary responsibility regarding the promotion and protection of human rights," Ms. Samar said. "I also call on the rebel groups to fully comply with their obligations under international law and to take all necessary measures to protect civilians." Referring to a 10 May attack on Khartoum by members of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Ms. Samar said she strongly condemned the reported use of child soldiers in the attack. She also welcomed the Government's decision to allow independent observers access to the captured child combatants and urged the Sudanese authorities to help demobilize and reintegrate them into society. Ms. Samar said that 34 civilian deaths had resulted from the fighting during the JEM attack, according to the Government, and that it appeared that a number of these deaths may have been deliberate or the result of a disproportionate use of force. She called for an official enquiry into the allegations. Adding that she was very concerned about the Government's response following the attack, she said that a significant number of people had reportedly been detained, although since the UN had no access to them it was impossible to verify the figures. She had also heard allegations of torture, mistreatment and inhumane detention conditions, even though the Government has assured her that its policy was not to use torture. The Special Rapporteur also visited Abyei, a town in an oil-rich area near the boundary between northern and southern Sudan, which was largely destroyed following clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). Ms. Samar said that

151 eyewitnesses and victims reported very serious human rights violations. She called on the Government to launch an in-depth independent fact-finding enquiry and to bring the perpetrators to justice. In Southern Sudan, Ms. Samar heard reports of fighting between villagers and SPLA forces and allegations of retaliatory killings by the SPLA, which illustrated a more general concern about the role of military SPLA forces for civilian policing. She called on authorities to make a comprehensive transition from military to civilian law enforcement. The Special Rapporteur also said she had heard strong concerns expressed about the UN's inability to protect the civilian population from the conflict. "The disillusionment I heard from communities in places like Tawilla or in Abyei is startlingly similar. Compounded by a lack of public awareness, expectations may often be unrealistically high," she said, urging the UN to provide clear guidance on how exactly its protection of civilians mandate should be interpreted and implemented on the ground. Ms. Samar will present a report on her visit to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in September.

• Somalia: Islamists Accuse Government of Essential People's Killings: Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu): 8 July 2008.

Somali Islamists group has laid blame Somali government on the killing of the aid workers and important people of the war ravaged horn of Africa country. The spokesman of Alshabab Sheikh Moqtar Robow Abumansur has declared that Somali government is liable for the consecutive killings against aid workers and the essential people in Somalia. "They what was called TFG is behind the butchering of the civilians and the killing of UNDP chief" Robow said in teleconference for the local media.

He added that Somali government has earlier detained several United Nations workers saying and wants to put the killing blames of the killings on Alshabab. Robow's remarks came later than unknown armed groups have shot dead the United Nations Development Programme chief in Mogadishu on Sunday night. Osman Ali Ahmed was shot as he left a mosque in the Bulohube district, in the south of this city, and died later in hospital. "The gunmen shot Ahmed as he was leaving evening prayers," a UN official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Ahmed's wife, Nasteho Abukar Yusuf, confirmed his death. "They shot him several times in the head and chest," she said. "He was taken to the African Union peacekeepers' hospital, where he died." Several witnesses said a second man, whose identity has yet to be established, was seriously wounded in the attack, which appeared to be premeditated.

The UN has repeatedly appealed to the Somali government and Islamist militants fighting for the control of the country to spare aid workers, many of whom have been killed or kidnapped in recent months. Aid groups have scaled down operations in Somalia because of the increased insecurity, largely blamed on militants who have been waging a guerrilla war since they were ousted by Somali and Ethiopian forces early last year. The African Union has deployed 2 600 peacekeepers in Somalia - well short of the promised 8 000 - but the force has failed to stem the violence. Neither the Somali government nor the AU peacekeepers are capable of protecting aid workers, officials say. Aid workers have been

152 constantly targeted since the 1991 ousting of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre paved the way for a breakdown in the state machinery and a rise in factional warfare.

• Tanzania: Activists Urge Support for Stigmatised Victim: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 8 July 2008.

Some human rights activists in Mwanza have, amid growing stigma, appealed to the public to support the 13-year old girl who early this year was raped by a dog. The schoolgirl was in March forced to be intimate with a dog at a camp belonging to Barrick Exploration Africa Limited in Sengerema District, Mwanza.

Three employees of the mining company, who allegedly masterminded the rape of the Standard Four pupil by a dog that also belongs to one of the Barrick company expatriates, have since been arrested and brought before the courts. But as the trial continues, stigma against the little girl at the Sota Village in which the camp is situated has started to rear its ugly head. "The villagers now call every dog in sight in Kiswahili names including shemeji, wifi or mkwe meaning their sister, brother, father or mother in-laws," said Ms Helen James, a human rights activist with Kivulini, a non-governmental organisation that deals with women and children's rights.

In a show of solidarity with the minor, human rights activists, pupils and students in April marched to the Nyamagana District Commissioner's office protesting against the rape and demanding punitive action against the people behind it. Three months since, some villagers have turned the incident into a laughing matter, pouring scorn on the little girl. Appealing to visiting human rights activists recently, the raped girl asked them to whisk her out of the village, far from the madding crowd. Ms James urged the villagers to support the girl saying if the victim left the village she might find herself living in difficult conditions. Meanwhile, the three suspects in the case - Annicet Edward Ndege, Job Murama, and Shija Madata - were last Tuesday denied bail for the second time by the Mwanza Resident Magistrate's Court, where their case has been transferred from the Sengerema District Court. Earlier, Inspector of Police, Mary Sungi pleaded with the court to set another date for the hearing of the defendants' bail application because the case's file had been sent to the Zonal State Attorneys Chambers. She had also asked the court to deny the Barrick employees bail because the schoolgirl's condition was still said to be worse at Sengerema District Designated Hospital. A medical report from the hospital revealed that the schoolgirl's private parts sustained serious injuries during the rape. And the dog was sent to district veterinary offices for examinations to determine any possible health risks on the raped girl.

• Ethiopia: New Laws Threaten Free Expression: International Freedom of Expression Exchange Clearing House (Toronto): PRESS RELEASE: 10 July 2008.

Ethiopia has passed a new media law that bans censorship of private media and the detention of journalists, but which critics say maintains other threats to free expression. "Under the new law, previous restrictions against private media outlets, such as detention

153 of journalists suspected of infringement of the law, has been scrapped," a Parliament statement said. But opposition members say the law, passed on 1 July, still allows state prosecutors to invoke national security as grounds for impounding publishing materials prior to publication and distribution. Opposition Parliamentarian Temesgen Zewede told reporters, "Although censorship is abolished, such a right to impound press material before distribution is tantamount to censorship."

The government is also planning to impose strict controls and "draconian" criminal penalties on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in a separate law, say Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Ethiopia says the draft law on charities and societies is a way for NGOs to be financially transparent and accountable to their stakeholders. But Human Rights Watch says the government's intent is "to consolidate that trend by taking the 'non' out of 'non-governmental' and putting civil society under government control." For example, the draft law imposes stiff criminal penalties for anyone participating in "unlawful" civil society activity - jail time for participating in a meeting held by an unlawful organisation or disseminating the organisation's information. Who decides which NGOs are lawful? The government of course - the bill calls for a Charities and Society Agency with extensive powers to license NGOs, monitor their activities and interfere in their management and staffing, says Human Rights Watch. Plus, all non-Ethiopian NGOs are not allowed to carry out work related to human rights - making it difficult for IFEX members to report free expression violations or engage in human rights activities in the country. Meanwhile, Ethiopian rights NGOs that get more than 10 percent of funding from foreign sources would be considered foreign and would also be closed down.

"The law's key provisions are blunt and heavy-handed mechanisms to control and monitor civil society groups while punishing those whose work displeases the government," say Human Rights Watch and Amnesty. "It could also seriously restrict much of the development-related work currently being carried out by some of Ethiopia's key international partners." Human Rights Watch and Amnesty are calling on donor governments, especially Ethiopia's biggest donors, the United States and the United Kingdom, to speak out publicly against the criminalisation of human rights work in Ethiopia. "Their policy of silence has had the effect of helping to embolden the Ethiopian government to make further assaults on human rights, exemplified by the draft NGO law," says Human Rights Watch. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, once considered a pioneer of democracy in Africa, had seen his reputation wane since post-election violence that killed 200 people in 2005. Journalists and opposition members viewed as sympathetic to the protesters were then arrested and charged with treason, and now formal political opposition has become nearly extinct in most of the country.

• Kenya: Ethiopia On the Path of Self Destruction: Business Daily (Nairobi): OPINION: 10 July 2008.

Ethiopia is one of the oldest most suffering nations in this planet. It went through hell in the Second World War under Mussolini's fascist aggression. It emerged from the war to confront a number of civil wars where external and internal actors coalesced to make the

154 people, country and nation suffer. Its elite imported undigested ideas that simply became a reason to impose terror. It fell for a virulent form of ethnic and vernacular decomposition that has undermined Ethiopian citizenship rather than build it, despite the claim to the contrary by those who imposed this particular form of ethnocentrism.

The age-old plague of famine continues. Ethiopia suffered worst famine in 1973. Sadly, today a spectre of famine re-haunts Ethiopia. This is not because the country cannot feed itself. It can. But the requisite values that put human rights, human solidarity and social justice for all Ethiopians irrespective of origin, religion, age, gender, politics, rather than putting first the happiness, life and liberty of the elites and their backers, have been discarded. This is not to mention the values of human rights, social solidarity and social justice that need to be institutionalised and sustained. Then there is deception in elections. The deceptions have been rampant, particularly since the May, 2005 election. Peoples' voices, choices and votes do not matter. Their preferred candidates have been sent to prison and some voters condemned to death. Other have gone into exile. It is time Ethiopia came out of this self-inflicted prison of problems. It is time for each one of its citizens to understand that solidarity with others is what makes one human, and not the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness for the individual.

In Ethiopia, those who do not have the capability and tolerance to express spirits of solidarity should stop blocking public life from evolving into directions that can truly tackle the real problems of real people in Ethiopia. What is needed now is a broad social movement to make sure key values are shared by all those who join public life and those who do not share these values are encouraged to share them, if they fail to share them, a collective action is mobilised to restrain them from spoiling the destiny of this far too much abused nation. Ethiopia must deal with conflicts and disasters that put into jeopardy millions of its citizens.

• Uganda: MPs Oppose Sections of Domestic Relations Bill: New Vision (Kampala): 7 July 2008.

SPOUSES should have a right to deny each other sex if one is in poor health, after childbirth and surgery, the Law Reform Commission has recommended.

In its proposals on the controversial Domestic Relations Bill, presented to MPs and civil society organisations yesterday, the commission stated that spouses may also deny each other sexual intercourse for fear that engaging in the act was likely to cause physical or psychological injury. The commission also noted that if a spouse had sex against the consent of the other, the offender would be imprisoned for a period not exceeding five years or a fine not exceeding sh2.4m.

Tessa Kawoya, the legal officer, read the proposals, which followed requests by Parliament and Cabinet to refine the widely contested Bill. According to the proposals, widow inheritance is prohibited but the widower is allowed to remarry. "A man may marry his relative's widow where both the man and widow, with their free consent go

155 through any form of marriage provided for under this Act," reads a section in the proposal.

The proposal highlights that any person who contravenes this section, commits an offence and is liable upon conviction to imprisonment not exceeding five years or to a fine of sh2.4m. According to the proposals, matrimonial property shall be co-owned. But property acquired prior to marriage shall not be affected by the marriage. The draft says the consent of a parent, relative or clan leader is not necessary for the validity of any marriage. The new proposals do not recognise cohabitation. But MPs opposed some provisions, saying they would erode "treasured values" of the society.

"The commission and the Government should go slow on this. African marriages are very essential in society," said Erias Lukwago (DP). "Consent of a parent or elder is very important." Abdu Katuntu (FDC) objected to the proposal that divorce could not be sought in less than two years after marriage, noting that in that time, a partner could be subjected to violence. Cecilia Ogwal (Independent) said the proposals were silent on the rights of children on matrimonial property. Wilfred Niwagaba (NRM) told the commission to address the MPs' concerns.

• Kenya: Executions By Police Must Stop Forthwith: The Nation (Nairobi): EDITORIAL: 11 July 2008.

Civilisation is built largely on a set of rules, which include the Constitution, statute law and the justice system. Criminals who break the law are supposed to be punished in accordance with the methods spelt out in the laws. When the State itself breaks those laws in the effort to punish criminals, then the State is itself guilty of criminal wrongdoing. More than that, it is guilty of flouting the very basic tents of civilisation it is sworn to observe, uphold and protect. It is when the State itself starts to ignore and to break the law that the seeds are sown for the descent into anarchy.

It is in this context that the recent arrest and killing of an unknown young man, Peter Maina Wachira, must be viewed. Wachira, alongside three others, was arrested by police on June 30. His arrest was recorded by newspaper and television cameras, which clearly showed him being handcuffed by uniformed officers. Less than 24 hours after the arrest, his body and two others were delivered at the Nairobi City Mortuary by police officers. They were booked in as those of "unknown persons" found by a roadside in Ngong. It has become routine for police to deny that they are carrying out extra-judicial executions, but there should be no escaping this one. The Administration Police who made the arrest, and the regular police must own up immediately to murder most foul and ensure that the officers responsible are arrested and made to face the law. There must also be an urgent review of operational procedures so that any policies which allow for such murders are removed. Mr Wachira may have been, as suspected, a member of Mungiki, a murderous criminal gang that respects no laws. He still deserved to be judged according to the law. He may also have been an innocent and hard-working matatu driver, killed by the police on mere suspicion, or in a personal vendetta. The Attorney-General must immediately

156 take up this case and direct a thorough and impartial investigation, if necessary by an independent agency.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: First Lady Rewards Best Muslim Students: The New Times (Kigali):11 July 2008.

The First Lady, Mrs. Jeannette Kagame, yesterday took part in a ceremony to award the best performing Muslim students who sat last year's national secondary school examinations. The ceremony took place at Hamdan Bun Rashid Secondary School in Gitarama town, and was organised by the Rwanda Muslims Association (AMUR) in conjunction with the Libyan-based World Islamic Call Society (WICS) with the aim of supporting education of the girl-child. The First Lady thanked the Muslim community for supporting the education of the girl-child by rewarding the best students.

"It is good that Muslims now understand that a Muslim girl is now not only just good for marriage. By supporting their education, you are opening so many doors that will expose their potential," the First Lady noted. Mrs Kagame stressed the fact that successful people are not born the way they are, but were educated to become who they are today.

Ten outstanding students, seven of them female, were awarded scholarships. Bibiche Kakuze, a former student of St. Vincent Secondary School, Muhoza, emerged the best Muslim female student, with 9.9 points out of 11. As the top student, Kakuze will be travelling to Malaysia to pursue a degree in Information Technology, while the other nine students will study at the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU).

"I am so happy for receiving both a scholarship and a reward from the First Lady. After graduating in IT, I will come back and contribute to the development of my country," Kakuze said, as she smiled from ear to ear. The Hamdan Bun Rashid Girls' Secondary School is among the 40 secondary schools around the world that belong to the Maktoum family.

These were all founded by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid, the governor of Dubai and a Minister of Finance in the United Arab Emirates. The foundation is based on the need to meet educational needs of different people around the world. According to the Mufti of Rwanda, Sheikh Saleh Habimana, of the 800 students that are in the two Hamdan schools of Rwanda, 250 are orphans receiving free education. Citing FAWE Girls' School, the Mufti requested Mrs Kagame to consider adding the Hamdan Schools to her long list of those aided by Imbuto Foundation, an organisation set up by the First Lady. She promised to find solutions to the school's needs, and thanked the Muslim community for working closely with her office. Mrs Kagame also thanked the Secretary General of WICS, Dr Mohammed Sharrif for the scholarships, and advised students of Hamdan Bin Rashid to use the opportunities they have in the school. "Opportunity comes once and the world is moving at a fast pace so you should study hard and catch up," she advised. The First Lady also urged adults who did not get a chance to go to school, to do so as it was the only means of lifting oneself from poverty thus development of the entire nation.

157 Mohammed Ali Al Hajj Hemmed, the Hamdan School headmaster, used the occasion as a platform to express the schools' need for more computers and internet access as a way of boosting the students' computer knowledge.

• Rwanda: Prisons Sheltered 375 Infants Beginning of the Year: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 3 July 2008.

Rwandan prisons had in February 375 infants living with their detained mothers, according to the website of the Rwandan League for the Promotion and the Defence of Human Right (LIPRODHOR). All 14 Rwandan civilian prisons, except for Remera, Kigali, which does not have woman, have infants, according to LIPRODHOR.

"Usually, these children do not benefit from any particular treatment over food, although in certain prisons, they can have their diet improved by vegetables coming from the vegetable gardens of the penal establishments", adds the organization. It also said that in the prison of Nyagatare (eastern Rwanda), the infants can receive milk. These children can remain at their mother's side until they are three years old before being transferred to foster families. Rwandan prisons held 531 minors and 3,572 women during the period on a total incarceration population of 59,590 people, the majority accused of having played a part in the1994 genocide which resulted, according to the UN, in nearly 800 000 killed, primarily Tutsis. The majority of the minors are boys imprisoned for theft or rape, while the girls are generally held for infanticide and abortion.

The women are held in separate blocks from men and are generally under the supervision of female guards. They work on basket weaving and embroidery and cleaning activities in front of the administrative offices. Except for those of Remera and Mpanga, southern Rwanda, all the prisons are over-populated, in certain establishments, the prisoners sleep in the inside ward without covers, notes the organization. LIPRODHOR, however, noted "an improvement in the detention conditions and a reduction in the density of the incarceration population due to the efforts of the Rwandan government to relieve the suffocation of the prisons"

• Rwanda: Genocide Survivors Number 309,368 - New Census Shows: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 8 July 2008.

A government census for survivors of the 1994 Tutsi Genocide now puts the number of survivors at 309,368, RNA can exclusively reveal.

Among them, according to the study due to be released, women make up the largest portion at 58% with men counting 42 percent. This is the second census after flaws were discovered in the previous one - where some of the known survivors were not part of the final tallies. A similar study for victims of the 100-day carnage that has not been made public puts the number of those killed at slightly above a million people. The new census done by the Rwanda National Institute of Statistics in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government says orphans represent some 21% along with 10.3 percent widows.

158 The handicapped - some of whose limbs were brutally maimed by the militias that wanted them dead - account for just 7.3 percent of the total population. In relations to their age, those between 13 and 35 years forms the biggest block at 66 percent of the total number. Among those between ages 13 and 20, 46 percent are males compared to 54 % as females.

Indicative of the challenges that the survivors have to live-by to make ends meet, the census says 7 in 10 are dependants. Among the few that have an employment, 7 in 10 survivors earn a monthly average income of less than Rwf 5000 ($8). One in 10 is earning between Rwf 5000 and 10,000. Just 9 percent are getting between Rwf 10,000 and 50,000 ($90) - with similar figures showing just 4% earning more than Rwf 50,000. The figures also show that most of the Genocide survivors have not had education or are just struggling to even be in school. Faced with such grim figures of how terribly the Genocide survivors are living, government says the census should be the basis to put up programs aimed at supporting them.

There is already a government Fund that supports them but there have been concerns raised as whether it is actually working by its mandate. Hundreds of NGOs have also been recorded as supporting the survivors but the supposed beneficiaries have often cried fowl. The Aegis Trust - that is managing the Kigali memorial center is to build $3 million (about Rwf 1.6 billion) hostel for the most vulnerable survivors. This is in addition to local government programs providing housing for them. Land for the 600-place hostel has already been secured on a three-and-half acre in Kigali. Aegis Trust manages the center which is home to remains of some 250,000 victims of the mass slaughter. The survivors have also demanded for compensation to no avail. More than a decade after the Genocide, the need for compensation to victims continues to present difficulties for government and Genocide survivors alike. With an UN court that has tried - since 1995 - just up to 30 perpetrators of the killings at a cost $1.5 billion, survivors remain bitter that those that wanted them for dead are having it fine with world class facilities in their cells, as the victims languish in ardent poverty. Last year, controversy ensued between the office of the UN Secretary General in New York and the Tanzania-based UN court for Rwanda over a supposed Fund for Genocide victims. The Office of the Secretary General told a visiting delegation of Genocide survivors that there was a Fund at the court but that was refuted by the Tribunal. From the new census, Gasabo district (Kigali) has the biggest number of survivors along with Rusizi district - in Western Rwanda. Burera in Northern Rwanda is said to be having the least number of survivors.

• Rwanda: French Final Court of Appeal Annuls Kamana's Extradition: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 9 July 2008.

The French Final Court of Appeal cancelled Wednesday extradition to Rwanda of Claver Kamana, a former Rwandan businessman wanted by his country for 1994 genocide. The Investigation Chamber of the Court of Chambery, eastern France, on 2 April had approved the 72-year old Kamana's extradition. The initial extradition decision was used by the ICTR prosecutor as an argument in favour of the transfer of an accused to Rwanda during a public hearing in Arusha at the end of April. Kamana's lawyer, Philippe

159 Greciano, said that he was delighted by this decision. "It is a sign of appeasement in international relations", he stated. Kamana was arrested on 26 February. He is still in detention. He was sentenced to death in absentia by Rwanda.

Another Rwandan wanted by Kigali, Isaac Kamali, who has acquired French citizenship, was arrested in July 2007 as he tried to enter American soil. Returned back to France, he is still in detention waiting for extradition clearance. France, which handed over to the ICTR three Rwandans suspected of genocide, has, to date, never extradited any of them directly to Rwanda.

• Congo-Kinshasa: Efforts to Bring Peace to East Must Be Hastened - UN Report: UN News Service (New York): 9 July 2008.

Steps towards bringing peace to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and bolstering lawful Government bodies must gather speed, Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon wrote in his latest report on the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country, known as MONUC.

"The resolution of the crisis in the Kivus and the development of legitimate Government institutions are critical benchmarks for the gradual MONUC drawdown," Mr. Ban said. "The steady, albeit slow, progress unfolding in this regard is encouraging but should be accelerated." He noted that both the National and Provincial Assemblies are operating despite contending with a "serious" deficiency of resources and capacity, and urged national authorities to ensure that provincial and local polls are held in a timely manner. Regarding the volatile eastern region, the report said that the success of the Goma Agreement, signed by the Government and various armed groups, and the Nairobi process, under which DRC and Rwanda have agreed to work together against threats to peace and stability in the region, depends on "the sustained political engagement of all parties."

The Secretary-General called on the parties to utilize the Amani Programme - the mixed technical commission on peace and security in the Kivus - to build confidence among themselves and to tackle the issue of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). He cautioned that the lack of progress on key issues as well as recent stepped-up tensions threaten to derail the Goma process. "While the ceasefire has largely held, recent clashes are a growing source of concern, along with the continued recruitment by armed groups," the report, which covers the period between 25 March and 20 June 2008, said. "The next steps will be critical." To boost security, stability and legitimate State authority in the east, Mr. Ban advocated the establishment of a professional, capable and accountable national armed forces, known as FARDC. He also expressed concern over the risks to regional security posed by the Ugandan rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which he said has restarted its abductions and attacks on civilians along the DRC/southern Sudan/Central African Republic (CAR) border. "The door should remain open for a political solution and I urge LRA to sign the final peace agreement without any further delay," Mr. Ban wrote. LRA leader Joseph Kony has failed to sign a comprehensive peace deal with Uganda that was mediated by the Government of

160 Southern Sudan that his representatives had earlier initialled. While MONUC will continue to work with the DRC to protect civilians, he warned that the mission is "severely overstretched and faces growing demands with regard to support for the Nairobi and Goma processes," thus requiring enhanced capacity to increase its support to FARDC. As of 31 May, MONUC comprises over 18,000 uniformed personnel, including more than 16,000 troops, nearly 700 military observers and 1,000 police.

• Rwanda: FDRL Top Official Arrested in Germany: The New Times (Kigali): 9 July 2008.

FRANKFURT - German police have arrested another major fugitive wanted for the 1994 Tutsi Genocide. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, Callixte Mbarushimana, a former core member of the extremist Coalition for the Defence of the Republic (CDR) party was on Monday arrested in Germany at the Frankfurt Airport by the border police. Mbarushimana is also the Secretary General of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDRL) - a rebel force operating in eastern DR Congo made up of former members of the Rwandan army and Interahamwe militia who spearheaded the Genocide.

"They arrested him in reaction to an Interpol Red Notice which was issued after we sent an amended indictment with clear evidence of his role in the Genocide," said John Bosco Mutangana, the spokesperson at the Office of the Prosecutor. Mbarushimana, a former employee of the United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP) is the second fugitive to be arrested in Germany following that of Onesphore Rwabukumba who was arrested in April. According to the indictment which was seen by The New Times, Mbarushimana is accused of, among other crimes, having organised the massacre of many former employees of the UNDP. "On top of that, he logistically supported the militiamen to go and kill in different suburbs in Kigali especially by giving them UN vehicles and fuel," said Mutangana, who also heads the government's Genocide Fugitives Tracking Unit (GFTU). After the evacuation of expatriates who were working with UNDP during the Genocide, Mbarushimana was made the acting head of mission, a position he used to support the killings. He faces charges of Genocide, complicity in Genocide, conspiracy to murder, creation of and association with a criminal gang.

"We are happy with the move; it shows that the efforts by the unit are being rewarded. Countries appreciate the quality of our work and are convinced of the evidence we give them on the roles played by these fugitives in the Genocide," said Mutangana who is also a prosecutor. Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama also welcomed the move, saying it sends a signal to the rest of the fugitives. "It will show others that the long arm of justice will eventually get to them this man is not only a runaway fugitive but also a top leader in the FDRL," said Karugarama, who also doubles as the Attorney General. "This is a very welcome development. This man has used his privileged position to evade justice and propagate the genocide ideology," he said. Mbarushimana was first arrested in 2001 when he was working with the UN mission in Kosovo and was subsequently sacked as an employee of the UN. Nonetheless, despite accounts from different witnesses, his former employers failed to bring him to justice, especially after Rwanda had requested for his

161 trial. Instead, the United Nations Administrative Tribunal awarded him compensation of up to 13 months in back pay after he petitioned the body that he had been sacked illegally. Several fugitives have been apprehended in various European countries, most of whom having been arrested in France but extraditing them remains a hurdle as Rwanda does not have extradition treaties with them. However, special arrangements have been negotiated and recently, a UK court ordered for the extration of four suspects who have been in detention for almost two years to come and face justice beck home. Also former businessman Claver Kamana who was arrested earlier this year in France faces extradition following a court order. Despite the efforts from the western countries however, several indictments were sent in various African states but not a single fugitive has has bee apprehended.

Most of these indicted fugitives are in Southern African states, that include Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

17. REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ISSUES

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Spanish Coastguards Rescue 23 Immigrants, 14 Still Missing: This Day (Lagos): 9 July 2008.

Indications emerged yesterday that Spanish coastguards rescued 23 Nigerian immigrants off the coast of Malaga in the early hours of Monday. However, 14 others were believed to be missing. The Nigerians were on board a small open boat which overturned 75 miles (120 km) off Motril, battered by waves reaching 13 feet (4 metres). But Spanish coastguards intercepted the boat at around 3 a.m. local time, rescuing 20 men and three women, one of whom was pregnant. They were taken to an immigrant centre in Motril.

According to Reuters, some of the immigrants said 37 of them were onboard the boat and those still missing included women and children, a government representative said in a statement. The reports confirmed that Spanish police and coastguards ìare searching the area for any survivors. Thousands of Africans are believed to have died attempting sea crossings to Spain in recent years, most of them trying to reach the Canary Islands in search of jobs. The arrival of tens of thousands of Africans in the Canaries prompted Spain 's Socialist government to toughen up its policies on illegal immigrants, who now face repatriation to their home countries.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Government 'Has Broken Promises to Refugees': Business Day (Johannesburg): 11 July 2008.

A range of civil society organisations in Western Cape has criticised all three tiers of government for failing to honour commitments given to the victims of xenophobic attacks of two months ago. A call was made for both the provincial government and the

162 City of Cape Town to stop "finger-pointing" and "vote-catching" at the expense of more than 6000 refugees housed in tented camps and "safety" sites.

The civil society forum, which includes the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), said yesterday that conditions in the camps remained "untenable" and that safety and security remained "uncertain". There also had been no effort on behalf of the province or local government to open up buildings and clear the camps or place people closer to jobs, schools and other facilities.

Gilad Isaacs of the TAC said the provincial and city governments needed to see past the "political wrangling and self- interest and concerns about the votes while people were living in the most appalling conditions imaginable, unable to access their basic human rights". "They should recall that they are dealing with people here in a vulnerable group," said Isaacs. Evan Abrahamse of Cosatu said all three levels of government were at fault: the home affairs department, the "worst-performing department which is unfortunately running documentation and registration of refugees; the provincial government, which failed to co-ordinate a humanitarian response"; and the city government, which had "failed and refused" to open more halls to displaced people.

Isaacs said humanitarian assistance and documentation remained "firmly" in the hands of the government and it seemed it was reluctant to hand either of those processes over, despite its inability to carry them out effectively. The forum had tabled a 96-page report at the joint operations centre set up to manage the crises of those displaced, itemising the deficiencies in infrastructure and basic amenities at 27 sites around Cape Town, Isaacs said. The response had been "negligible"; a follow-up on 11 specific requests showed only one had been "partially" acted on. As agreed with provincial officials, civil society logged more than 30 daily requests on behalf of displaced persons for food and other basic items like nappies with the joint operations centre. Checks had shown only one request had been acted on.

Children were the most vulnerable and the winter storms had highlighted the inadequacy of the sites. Refugees from the camps attested to their desperation, saying there was no hope of a future for them in SA and they would rather consider suicide. The TAC had spent more than R2,5m so far on aid to the displaced, while much more had been spent by church groups. The forum said that according to the provincial government, the declaration of a disaster ended on September 3 and the reintegration process was scheduled for completion by the end of this month. "Given the current climate of unfulfilled promises and miscommunication, this seems highly unlikely, and raises the question of what happens when these deadlines are not met?" The government has said displaced people will be integrated back into the communities they lived in before the attacks, and that those who could not be would be accommodated in places of safety as a temporary measure.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

163 • East Africa: 14 Million in Need of Emergency Aid, Says UN: UN News Service (New York): 11 July 2008.

Drought, combined with soaring food and fuel prices, is causing a severe humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa region, according to the top United Nations relief official. "Large areas of the Horn of Africa, including parts of Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Uganda and Kenya, are now in or rapidly sliding towards a humanitarian emergency and we believe there are something like 14 million people now in urgent need of food aid and other humanitarian assistance in the coming months," Under-Secretary- General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes told reporters in New York today. Mr. Holmes said that recurrent failure of rains on top of sharp rises in fuel and food prices is crippling local agricultural production and putting at risk the livelihood of millions of people who, he said, were already living "on the margins of survival." In southern Ethiopia some 4.6 million people are now in need of emergency food support, adding to the 5.7 million who were already receiving help under a government safety net programme. Among those affected, 75,000 children are severely malnourished and in need of urgent supplementary feeding, which is being supported by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN World Health Organization (WHO). "In humanitarian terms, the situation is unacceptable," Dr. Eric Laroche, Assistant Director-General for WHO's Health Action in Crises Cluster, said today in a separate statement. "The health of millions of Ethiopians is worsening by the day, and the international community must act to support the country's government to ease this terrible suffering."

WHO reported that areas affected by food shortages in Ethiopia are also at significant risk from the outbreak of disease, including meningitis, measles and diarrhoeal diseases. In Somalia, Mr. Holmes said there was an acute crisis caused by conflict, drought, and price rises in basic commodities. He noted that, partly as a result of the devaluation of the Somali shilling, the price of imported rice had risen by up to 350 per cent between the beginning of 2007 and May 2008. The number of people in Somalia in need of humanitarian aid has risen to 2.6 million this year, representing 35 per cent of the population, while the latest assessments have revealed that global acute malnutrition levels have risen to between 18 and 24 per cent in some areas, well above the 15 per cent which is considered to constitute an emergency. Mr. Holmes, who is also the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, stressed that ongoing conflict in Somalia had forced 850,000 people to flee the capital Mogadishu creating additional problems for populations facing severe food shortages. In Kenya, 1.2 million people are in need of emergency assistance, especially in the north-western pastoral districts, while in Uganda 700,000 people in the northeast are receiving relief supplies in an area wracked by conflict. Mr. Holmes said that Eritrea was also suffering from successive rain failures and that in Djibouti global acute malnutrition rates for children under five had risen to between 17 and 25 per cent in some areas, adding that 80,000 people in the northwest were in need of assistance. The Under-Secretary-General called for international aid to be scaled up and said that the UN was also trying to re-boost local agricultural production by providing seeds, fertilizers and animal feed to help preserve livestock in the region.

164 • East Africa: EAC to Control Free Movement: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 7 July 2008.

The free movement of people across the East African region, under the EAC common market, will be controlled to avoid "unnecessary conflicts" once the mooted regional integration becomes operational. The Minister for East African Cooperation, Dr Diodorus Kamala, allayed public fears that regional integration would result in foreigners flooding the country in search of jobs. Winding up debate on his ministry's budget in Parliament on Friday, the minister said the common market and political federation the EAC is mulling over would not overwhelm local natural resources or labour market. "Tanzanians should not worry about integration because even if we establish a common market and political federation there will be a system to check the movement of people from one member state to another. The free movement is not actually as free as we claim. It is free in inverted commas. This is not a new a thing. It will apply as it applies, for instance, in the European Union," said the minister. He added that EA member states would not establish a kind of regional integration that would create unnecessary conflicts, and that any query arising from the process would be dealt with accordingly.

And on EAC's commitment to ensure the common market works, the minister referred to the collapse of the former EAC in 1977 saying it failed because of "ideologies such as socialism and capitalism". The current one, he said, was a market economy based community. According to Dr Kamala, the regional parliament is expected to ratify the protocol governing the EA common market on June next year. It could be operational from January 2010. In parliament last week, some legislators expressed concern over the possible impact of free movement of labour and people on the country's resources and job market. Geographically and economically, Tanzania is most likely to give more considering that it covers 50.2 per cent of the region's land while Kenya covers 33 per cent. Uganda makes for 13.7 per cent while Rwanda and Burundi have 1.5 and 1.6 per cent, respectively. And on land suitable for economic production statistics shows Tanzania has 60 per cent while Kenya has 35.5 per cent. Uganda has 3.3 per cent and Rwanda 1.56 per cent. "By merely looking at land statistics, allowing free movement without some kind of regulation would be tantamount to telling people from other EA member states to come to Tanzania," Dr Kamala said.

• Uganda: Too Many Guns Threaten Returnees, Say Officials: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 10 July 2008.

Northern Uganda has enjoyed relative peace following years of clashes between government troops and rebels, but the prevalence of illegal weapons across the region poses a new challenge to displaced civilians returning to their villages, officials said. "The region has seen a great deal of violence and so many guns are still on the loose," Phenihensas Arinaitwe, the regional police commander, said. "Some rogue elements are robbing IDPs [internally displaced persons] and people in villages." Between January and June, 308 cases of robbery were reported in Gulu, Kitgum, Amuru and Pader Districts, with the first two topping the list. During these incidents, 168 IDPs were murdered as

165 they tried to return home. "May was the worst month, with 67 cases of robbery," Arinaitwe added. "On average at least 30 cases of robbery are reported monthly."

Some of the 168 suspects, who were arrested, tried in court and found guilty, included former fighters of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Capt Ronald Kakurungu, army spokesman in the region, accused LRA ex-combatants of illegally possessing ammunition. "We have observed that some LRA ex-rebels who surrendered did not hand over all their guns and we suspect they are the ones they are using in robberies," he told IRIN.

The army, he added, had in the past three years recovered more than 500 guns from LRA ex-rebels. "Some civilians find guns in the bush where rebels buried them and those are [some] that have ended up in the hands of the wrongdoers," Kakurungu said. Other weapons, he added, were trafficked into the region from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan. IDPs told IRIN they had fallen victim to the new wave of armed robbery sweeping villages and return sites. In Bungatira, 30km south of Gulu town, former IDPs from Paibow village recently spent the night in the cold during a shoot-out between robbers and the army. "We were sleeping and we heard a bang on our door with a man shouting that we should open the door or be shot," said Akumu Harriet. "We were scared and started [imagining] LRA rebels had come back. My husband told us not to open the door and the robbers fired several bullets, then moved to the next homestead where they robbed them."

Another IDP, Anena Verentina, said robbers forced her door open, held them at gunpoint and asked for money and mobile phones. "They robbed us of 400,000 shillings [US$245] and a mobile phone," she explained. "Fortunately the [police] closed in; one of the robbers was shot dead while three others who were armed escaped." Last October, police arrested the former LRA director of operations, Alfred Onen Kamdulu, for armed robbery. One of the LRA groups that surrendered in 2004, he was arrested with a pistol and AK47 rifles at a hideout in Maruzi, Apac District, after robbing local traders. Egessa Oduri, a senior police officer in the region, said the force had instituted a new policy of sensitising the community to prevent crime. "We have established police posts at every sub-county to detect and prevent crime," he added. A lull in clashes between the LRA and the Ugandan army over the past year has allowed thousands of IDPs to leave camps and return to their villages. Ongoing talks between the two parties, however, hit a stalemate after LRA leader Joseph Kony failed to sign a peace agreement in April.

• Kenya: Tension High As Refugees Return Home: The Nation (Nairobi): 5 July 2008.

Tension is still high in some areas where internal refugees have returned from camps, a parliamentary committee was told on Friday. The House team on security was meeting families that had returned to their homes in Molo District. More than 1000 people were killed and about 350,000 displaced following violence that rocked the country in January as a result of disputed presidential election results. Residents of Kiambogo settlement scheme told the committee, chaired by Mt Elgon MP Fred Kapondi, that peace and

166 reconciliation in the area were yet to be realised since communities had not held a meeting.

New threats

The chairman of the settlement scheme, Mr John Njoroge, said new threats were emerging from their neighbours citing rampant cattle rustling in the area. He said those who returned to their farms were still waiting for Government assistance, especially materials to rebuild their houses destroyed in the post-election violence. Mr Kapondi said the tour was to see that the Government was providing security to the returning families. He was accompanied by other members of the committee among them Molo MP Joseph Kiuna, Mr Raphael Letimalo (Samburu east) and Mr John Ngata Kariuki, (Kerugoya Central).

CENTRAL AFRICA • Chad: Oxfam And MSF Suspend Activities in Kerfi Following Attacks: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 July 2008.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Oxfam and Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) have suspended their activities in Kerfi, near Goz Beida in eastern Chad, following attacks on the staff and compounds of several NGOs, both agencies announced in press statements on 10 July. During the night of 9 July six armed men shot several times and attempted without success to burn down a house where Oxfam's staff were hiding, the organisation announced in a statement, adding that ensuing clashes between the Chadian army and the armed attackers resulted in the death of at least one man and the injuries of several others.

"We are deeply concerned by [this] attack and the implication this could have on our ability to provide critical [help]", Roland Van Hauwermeiren, Oxfam-GB's country director, announced in the statement. The NGO provides water and sanitation to over 11,000 people in Kerfi. "Insecurity remains a constant problem in Chad and the Chad government should work to curtail the environment of impunity which permeates this region," it continued. MSF-Holland also announced the suspension of its activities on 10 July in the same town, following an attack against its health facility on 8 July by dozens of young men who beat up several staff members and patients.

Populations of this area of eastern Chad close to the Sudan border, have been the target of several attacks over the last months, according to UN officials. But in the case of the latest attacks, although the motives are unknown the MSF statement declared "it appears that NGOs are being intentionally targeted." "The area] is very poor, there is not enough food, [whereas] NGOs have money and cars," Karline Kleijer, head of MSF-Holland mission in Chad, told IRIN. "But this time, there is nothing to do with that. To attack a health facility is quite extreme. Staff and patients have been beaten up; this has nothing to do with money".

167 NGOs are working to help Sudanese refugees, internally displaced people and local populations in the region. Oxfam and MSF staff have been temporarily evacuated and relocated to Goz Beida, an hour away from Kerfi, from where many aid agencies operate. Some of MSF's patients have also been transferred to Goz Beida, but the medical organisation expressed concern for the 3,000 patients it has been treating each month, and the 200 children who receive its nutritional support. "I don't see us coming back within the next few weeks," Kleijer said. "If we are targeted, it will be difficult to justify. They have to find a way to control [this violence]." More than 10,000 displaced people live and around the town of Kerfi, in addition to the existing 8,000 inhabitants. Overall, about 250,000 Sudanese refugees from Darfur and over 100,000 displaced Chadians are currently living in eastern Chad.

• Congo-Kinshasa: Ituri Returnees Struggle to Rebuild Lives: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 9 July 2008.

Widowed mother-of-five Albertine Madwan is among hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) facing an often difficult homecoming to Ituri, a district in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ravaged by inter-ethnic clashes in recent years. After three successive programmes to disarm and demobilise the plethora of militia groups active in the district, security in Ituri has greatly improved and humanitarian agencies are now in a "recovery" phase, helping to reconstruct homes, schools and health centres and providing seeds, fertiliser and other inputs to farmers. For Madwan and others like her, who returned to Ituri from neighbouring South Kivu province earlier this year, there are more immediate needs. "Since we got back, our biggest enemy has been hunger, since most of us lack the means to support ourselves. We are grateful to the UN and others for helping us return home but we are worried about the availability of food. "I live alone with my children, as if abandoned. While we construct the houses, we have to carry heavy logs and wood on empty stomachs; this is something we have to bear as we travel long distances to get the wood," said Madwan, who supports her family by selling home-brewed liquor.

Livelihood programmes

Madwan is one of many beneficiaries of a UN reintegration programme implemented by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), which helps returning IDPs rebuild their homes, as well as their lives, by supporting income-generating activities such as carpentry, sewing and petty commerce. "We talk to the community to identify widows, orphans and other vulnerable groups, and then we send our staff to the area to assess the situation before starting the reconstruction activities," ADRA project coordinator Deo Basho told IRIN. Basho explained that it channelled its income- generating assistance to groups of 10 people comprising both returnees and those who never left Ituri. "Reconciliation is an issue that ADRA is involved in; we undertake activities aimed at reconciling various communities because lasting peace can only be achieved if the communities agree to live in harmony," Basho said. "In Ituri, we are now in the post-conflict phase and we are trying to undertake activities that will enhance the peace." Between 1999 and 2003, longstanding tensions over land, resources and politics

168 in Ituri erupted into a complex inter-communal war that killed some 50,000 people and led thousands more to flee their homes. But now, according to some analysts, the return of the IDPs poses its own dangers.

Land pressures

"In many cases their land was occupied after they left and their return risks provoking new unrest," according to a report on Ituri released in May by the International Crisis Group. "Many displaced people set up home on land vacated by refugees or displaced people from other communities who might later want to recover [it]," the report added, noting that such issues were causing tension in all the five territories that make up Ituri, and in some cases leading to open resistance to the return of IDPs. The report also noted that these returns were swelling population densities in some areas, leading to "a scarcity of resources available for agriculture and pasture". Under a tripartite agreement signed in June 2008 by the governments of DRC, Uganda and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), some 70,000 DRC refugees, many of them from Ituri, are to be helped to return home in a repatriation programme starting in July 2009.

Health concerns

According to Idrissa Conteh, information officer for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Bunia, Ituri's main town, physical access is another problem. "Bridges were destroyed during fighting, some roads are impassable, and this affects the delivery of humanitarian aid, especially to remote parts of the district," he said. High among the health-related concerns in Ituri, said Conteh, were cholera, meningitis and bubonic plague. "There are several villages along the shores of Lake Albert that are cholera-endemic zones and these remain a challenge." Conteh said cases of plague had been recorded in the territories of Djugu, Mahagi and Irumu. "The disease was most recently reported in Fataki area, not very far from Bunia, where 74 were infected and three died," he said. "However, efforts have been made to bring the disease under control with the Ministry of Health, WHO [World Health Organization], MSF [Médecins Sans Frontières] and others deploying medical teams to the affected areas." Another challenge is natural disasters - drought, flooding or hailstorms - which cause considerable damage to the region's agriculture and thus affect food security. For OCHA, Conteh said, an issue that remains of concern is the fear that after the presidential and parliamentary elections two years ago, the international community's attention would shift and hence the ongoing, enormous humanitarian challenges in Ituri would be forgotten.

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

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: NPC Commissioner Laments High Maternal Mortality Rate: Daily Champion (Lagos): 11 July 2008.

169 FEDERAL Commissioner of National Population Commission (NPC), Dr. Bode Iwaloye has described the present mortality ratio as too frightening, noting that about 800 maternal deaths are recorded per 100,000 live births in the country. The NPC boss said the high mortality rate was as a result of poor maternal health, calling on all tiers of government to expedite action to improve the health care delivery in the country.

Iwaloye, the Federal Commissioner in the NPC made the observation on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti at a briefing, marking the commencement of the seven-day programme targetted at sensitising stakeholders on this year's world population day. "The poor maternal health status in developing countries is indicated by the high number of women who die during child birth. More than half a million die each year of pregnancy related cause with 99 per cent of them in developing countries. "This is the time to act and take the necessary steps while the need for safe motherhood, child spacing cannot be over-emphasised," he said. The commissioner who regretted the use of modern contraceptives to prevent pregnancy and voluntary family planning as remedy to the incidence of maternal mortality had called on the women that are susceptible to the scourge to take precaution during pregnancy. "unplanned and unwanted pregnancies are the major challenges for our young women everyday, however, these could have been easily prevented if only they had access to contraceptives. "Besides, a good family planning system in Nigeria cannot be over emphasised because it has a far-reaching effect on the socio-economic development of our country.

• Nigeria: Two Million at Risk of Radiation Cancer: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 7 July 2008.

Nigerian environmental and health officials warn that slightly radioactive tailings found in abandoned mines in central Nigeria's poses a health risk to around two million inhabitants. Laboratory analysis conducted earlier this year by officials from Nigeria's nuclear research agency of 1,100 abandoned mines where tin and a mineral called columbite had been mined showed levels of radiation that could be harmful to human health, the officials said.

"The people living around these mining fields are at risk of cancer of the skin, lungs and liver as well as sight impairments from prolonged exposure to radioactive mine tailings we discovered in the mines", an official from the nuclear research agency told IRIN. The radioactive soil and rock, called tailings, would have been uncovered from seams during the mining of coal, tin and columbite in the 1960s when over 1,000 mining fields established in Jos, Barikin-Ladi, Bukur, Bassa and Riyom districts. "Around two million people now live and farm close to the mines which means they are all at risk of the harmful effects of the radioactive emissions from the mining fields," said Plateau state environment commissioner Nankim Bagudu, who is based in the state capital Jos. The prevalence of radiation-related ailments in the affected areas has not yet been assessed. Bagudu said the state government has sent a report to the federal government seeking assistance to reclaim and close down the mining fields. "From our estimates, we will require US$1.3 billion to take appropriate action," Bagudu said. If cleaned properly,

170 some of the sites could be used safely for farmland, and even as recreation areas and for housing, he added.

The environment commissioner said the state government has set aside US$25 million for the start of reclamation work on the mining fields, pending the federal government's intervention. Residents in the affected areas said they would carry on living and working and in some cases mining in the area. "We have been mining in these fields for many years and if we stop we will lose our means of livelihood because we have don't have any other way to make a living," said 64 year-old Musa Yakubu, who makes a living mining small pieces of tin and valuable rocks from the abandoned shafts. "We have no option but to dare the health risks and continue mining until the government provides us with an alternative," Yakubu said.

• • • • Benin: Sunshine + Plastic Bottle = Clean Water: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 10 July 2008.

The government of Benin aims to dramatically increase the percentage of Beninese who can access drinking water by 2015 and one organisation, the Regional Centre for Water and Sanitation (CREPA) hopes to close the gap with a simple solution requiring little more than sunshine and a plastic bottle.

Developed by the Swiss Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWEG), the method, called solar water disinfection, or SODIS, uses the sun's UV-A rays and heat to decontaminate water. So far, up to two million people in 20 countries have used it, though Benin is one of the few West African countries to trial the method. With abundant sunshine CREPA officials say the SODIS method could significantly improve the region's drinking water problems. "From what we know about the benefits it brings to many people now, we believe SODIS will help inform the water strategies of the national authorities in many African countries as part of a framework to fight poverty," said Yadjide Gbedo Adissoda, technical adviser and engineer at CREPA.

Just 41 percent of rural Beninese currently have access to clean water but the government hopes to bring this up to 67 percent by 2015 as part of the Millennium Development Goals. Diarrhoea causes up to 17 percent of infant deaths in the country, according to non-governmental organisation Countdown to 2015, and worldwide it kills 2.5 million people each year.

How SODIS works

Most Beninese who are not on the water grid make do by purifying their water themselves - by boiling it, chlorinating it, or by filtering out the sediment. The SODIS method is more straightforward. Users take a clear plastic bottle with a maximum size of

171 three litres, fill it with water and put it on the roof or a corrugated iron sheet to soak up the sun's rays. Between six hours and two days later, depending on the strength of the sun, the water should be purified. According to officials at EAWEG, the sun's UV-A rays kill the pathogenic organisms in the water while its heat has a pasteurising effect. The combined effect can kill up to 99.9 percent of the micro-organisms that cause cholera and diarrhoea. "A significant number of coliform bacteria disappeared after the SODIS method was applied in laboratory tests," said CREPA's Adissoda. According to SODIS's impact studies, diarrhoeal infection rates drop by between 20 and 70 percent when the method is applied.

The method is cheap - bottles cost about six US cents each and can be reused if well kept, and it is safe - so far studies have not shown any risks of the plastic diluting into the water, according to Adissoda. And the taste is chemical-free. "This water tastes really good," said Gnona Marthe, a resident of Sèkandji village on the outskirts of Cotonou, where villagers are trialling the SODIS method. Jean Yadouléton, director of CREPA, confirmed this, telling IRIN, "When they compared the water treated by SODIS with what they were accustomed to consuming, they noted a considerable difference in taste."

Water board slow to adopt

Despite its benefits, SODIS officials at the Benin Water Board (SONEB) say they have not yet agreed to promote SODIS as an official strategy and will not openly state whether or not this will change.

"SODIS is advised only in cases where there is no drinking water. Where there is a good supply of drinking water, there is no problem," said one source close to the Beninese Ministry of Water who requested anonymity. SODIS will not work without the right conditions in place. "Carefully washed bottles and clean hands are vital requirements," said Adissoda. This involves high hygiene awareness levels, and public information campaigns can cost up to US$2 per person, she added. The water itself cannot be too dirty in the first place - if it is too cloudy it might resist the sun's rays. Finally, though cheap, plastic bottles are not always plentiful in rural areas. However, the most vital ingredient - sunshine - is abundant in countries such as Benin. Meanwhile, officials at SODIS are trying to raise awareness of the method across the region, hoping that attitudes to it will change. This may be starting to take effect at Benin's water board. Having been coy at first, another high-level official at SONEB told IRIN on condition of anonymity: "We believe that as we move towards covering the entire national territory with drinking water we should welcome the interest that SODIS can generate among the population of Benin."

• Côte d'Ivoire: High Prices Drive People to Counterfeit Medicines: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 7 July 2008.

172 With a severe respiratory infection and a prescription for medicines that would cost 35,000 CFA francs (US$83) at official prices, Drissa Kone has a problem - he has no hope of raising enough money to buy the medicines. His solution? The stalls of counterfeit medicines at Abidjan's Adjame market that will sell him an illegal reproduction of the original drug at a fraction of the price. "I can buy the same medicines at the market by the individual tablet not the packet, and pay just 150 CFA francs (US$0.35) per pill," he said. "For 500 CFA francs (US$1.19) I can get enough medicine to last me three days!" The downside of Kone's thrift is that the medicines might at best be considerably less effective than the originals - a serious problem when treating potentially deadly illnesses like malaria. At worst, fake medicines sometimes contain a mix of chemicals which further harms health.

Dr Ambroise Kouadio, a doctor in Abidjan, says that even though the risks of using counterfeit medicines are fairly well understood, the number of people like Kone who are turning to them is increasing. "The rate of use of health centres remains relatively low, while the consumption of street medicines is increasing," he said. The last time a formal survey of the problem was conducted was in 1998 when the World Bank concluded that 20 percent of Ivorians used counterfeit medicines. Health experts say that proportion might have risen to between 30 and 50 percent or even higher today, for a mix of reasons including worsening poverty, and the spread of cheaper and cheaper counterfeit drugs around the country. Also, Cote d'Ivoire as other developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America has experienced high inflation this year, due to an upward spiral in world food and fuel prices.

The price of medical consultations and of buying drugs in the formal sector has remained relatively stable. "The state has built many more health centres and hospitals, but the people are still poor. They have to choose between healthcare and eating and they usually choose to eat," said Dr Kouadio. The government has made several efforts at sensitising people about the dangers of counterfeit medicines with information campaigns, leaflets and radio commercials. At the end of May, the health ministry announced it was going to take a new approach - cutting the price of the legitimate medicines.

"Considerable price reductions will be made in all pharmacies... to permit people to get what they need at a lower cost," the ministry said in a statement. Observers said that the move is in the right direction. "The fight against street medicines is not going to be won with repression or a crack down," said Ernest Bouady, an Ivorian economist. "They need to think instead about how to improve people's living conditions." Bouady said the ultimate solution would be a functioning system of social insurance which he says the government first promised it would put in place six years ago. "The government promised universal health insurance... but the programme was never put in place," he said. "While there is no overall policy in place to help people get access to medicines, they will always turn to counterfeit drugs."

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Namibia: Bicycle Project Employs the Disabled: New Era (Windhoek): 11 July 2008.

173 Perseverance and hard work is what drives the Disability Economic Empowerment Project (DEEP) at Oneshila. Started in November 2007, DEEP is a project initiated and operated by six disabled individuals who attempt to create a niche of their own in a world where they often face stigmatism and discrimination. Oneshila is an informal settlement at Oshakati.

The project is the brainchild of a group of people from varied backgrounds and walks of life, who have come together to empower and enlighten a community often indifferent to the plight of those with disabilities. DEEP sells and repairs second-hand bicycles donated and subsidized by the Bicycle Empowerment Network Namibia and Bicycles for Humanity in Ontario, Canada. They charge anything from N$250 to N$400 to repair bicycles taken to the project. The project was initiated specifically for and by the people with mobility disabilities through assistance from the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Federation of People with Disabilities in Namibia and the French Government. It has been operating at Oneshila for the past six months, where its mechanics and administrators provide equitable and affordable transport alternatives to everyone. "The fact that the project is located in a community dominated by informal settlements is perhaps its greatest accomplishment. People with disabilities have been suppressed for generations, but together the community of Oneshila and DEEP have worked to uplift and encourage these six individuals to strive to reach their potential and earn a living," said Menta Rukshan, an intern for DEEP from the University of Toronto. She said the issue of disabilities is one of great concern especially in Namibia, and when projects such as DEEP are born, they must serve as a tool to empower others facing similar life circumstances so that they stand up and fight for equality both in the realms of social functioning and economic opportunity.

Rukshan noticed that members of DEEP have merged collaborations at grassroots and political levels. "Through their efforts on the ground and in the community, the project has managed to educate and enlighten the members of Oneshila about the true abilities and capacity of people with disabilities. Their hard work and dedication has earned them a level of trust from the members of their neighbourhood," she explained. At present, the project has a ship container that comes with the initial installment of bicycles. The project lacks running water, electricity, toilets and office space. The entire administrative and technical operation is carried out from a big green container that has become a trademark of the project. "It is the aim of the member of DEEP to construct a building to permanently engrain themselves in the community. This will also allow the operation to expand so as to include more people with disabilities, who the current members of DEEP will train and employ. "This will serve to build the capacity of people with disabilities in Oshakati and hopefully will be a source of inspiration to disabled people across the country to rise up and fight for equality and fair employment opportunities, whether it is in the commercial sector or for self-employment," Rukshan explained. The project appeals for assistance from companies, corporations and private donors so as to build capacity and construct an office. They want to start a welding service and are in need of a fax and photocopier.Members of the projects have opened an account with First National Bank in Oshakati, account number 62151574152. They urge those who want to purchase

174 repaired second-hand bicycles or mechanical services on bicycles to visit them at Oneshila, Oshakati East.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Tanzania: Isles Refute Aids, Tourism Link: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 9 July 2008.

The Zanzibar government has allayed fears that the booming tourism industry has resulted to increased HIV/Aids infections in the Isles. The minister for Tourism and Investment,Ms Samia Sululu Hassan,said yesterday that a recent research by the government has not revealed any connection between tourism and the Aids scourge. The minister said this when answering a question by Fuoni Representative (CCM)Anaclet Thobias Makungula who had wanted to know if booming tourism fuels HIV/Aids infections.

The minister said research conducted last year has show that the growth of Isles tourism sector has increased the threat of HIV infection. She instead blamed prostitution and drug use among youth as the main cause of infections of the disease in Zanzibar. She said according to research findings, the rate of infection among businesspeople stands at 45 per cent, about 64 per cent among farmers and a minimal 15 per cent to hotel workers.

She said development of science and technology,has also contributed to the increase of HIV infections, citing porn films on television which entice people to go out to look for sex. She asked the Representatives to cooperate with her ministry, Tourism Commission, UNAids and the Zanzibar Aids Commission in educating youth how to protect themselves from contracting HIV.

Meanwhile, mortuary rooms in Pemba island hospitals lack cooling equipment thus cannot preserve bodies for a long time, Isles deputy minister for Health and Social Welfare Shawana Buheti Hassan has said. She said at the moment, the Zanzibar Government has no plans to expand or build more mortuary rooms on the Isles. The deputy minister stated this when responding to a supplementary question by the Representative for Kwahani, Mr Ali Suleiman Ali. The Representative had wanted to know if the government has plans to build more mortuary rooms and install cooling machines. Ms Shawana said ChakeChake hospital in Pemba has a small mortuary room, but lacks cooling equipment, adding that efforts are underway to acquire new cooling machine.

Responding to a supplementary question by Representative for Fuoni Anaclet Thobias Makungila, the deputy minister said a broken down cooling machine at the Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar municipality has been repaired. The equipment was hit by lightening last month. She said her ministry plans to install lightening arrester to protection expensive medical equipment at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital from lightening and storms.

175 CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Kicukiro Residents Advised On Family Planning: The New Times (Kigali): 5 July 2008.

Residents in Kicukiro District have been urged to implement family planning as one of the solutions to eradicate poverty in their society. Kigali City vice Mayor in charge of social affairs, Jeanne d'Arc Gakuba, reminded the residents that family planning was part of the government programme of poverty reduction among families which they need to practice. This was at the closure of the family planning week on Tuesday in Kicukiro.

"It is useless to produce many children and finally fail to look after them. This forces children to become street beggars, which results into increase of poverty in the country," she said. The vice mayor in charge of social affairs in Kicukiro, Florence Kayiraba, lauded the residents for their contribution to the programme and urged those who are still lagging behind to follow suit. "We are optimistic that no residents will fail to practice take part in the exercise," she said. Kayiraba cited some religious organisations which oppose the programme - even going as far as mobilising their followers not to practise family planning. Some of the family planning methods taught included use of condoms, use of intra-uterine devices and beads. Residents were also advised to fight against sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/ Aids.

19. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: FG Adopts Proactive Measures on Earthquake Threats: Daily Trust (Abuja): 11 July 2008.

Nigeria is not located within the world's zones that are highly prone to natural disasters such as hurricane, typhoon, cyclone, earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruptions and others. However, cases of landslides, coastal erosions and earth tremors that are seismic related have often been recorded. A statement issued to Daily Trust said the Director, Center for Geodesy and Geodynamics (CGG), under the National Space Research and Develoment Agency (NASRDA), Mr. Yakubu Tahir Abubakar, gave this hint recently while fielding questions from newsmen on the activities of the Center, located in Toro, . He stressed the need for the incorporation of seismic criteria in the site investigations for design and construction of major and sensitive structures like dams, bridges, nuclear power plants so as to mitigate sudden damages to such gigantic structures which oftentimes leads to the destruction of major essential services, loss of lives and property and general degradation of the environment. He said the Federal Government of Nigeria is adopting proactive measures to review the country's seismicity with a view to monitor any slight earth movements that may pose environmental threat to people and property as is being witnessed in many parts of the globe especially in the Asian continent, particularly in Japan and China, which have resulted in the destruction of lives and property worth billions of dollars. "Natural hazards such as volcanic eruptions,

176 earthquakes, tsunami and earth tremors have manifested through fractures. Thus, monitoring and prediction of these hazards could begin by a proper documentation of the pathways through which they emanate, using geophysical methods and these could be useful in planning and in population control in a suspected hazard-ridden environments", he said. Major and sensitive structures such as large dams, large power plants, stadia, high rise buildings, etc., are constructed to provide vital services to the populace. Any sudden damage may lead to serious environmental degradation in the form of earth tremor, landslides, flooding", the Director pointed out.

To this end, he said CGG has commenced the establishment of a Nigerian National Network of Seismic Stations located in Abuja, Kaduna, Ile-Ife, Awka, Abakaliki, Minna, Ibadan, Nsukka and Oyo town which are aimed at capturing the seismicity in Nigeria.

• Nigeria: Communities Raise Fresh Alarm Over Oil Spill: This Day (Lagos): 10 July 2008.

A fresh agitation for compensation was yesterday made by oil producing communities in Akwa Ibom State, over alleged spill from oil pipeline of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN), a subsidiary of ExxonMobil. The controversial spill was noticed early Tuesday, when the lumps of the spill were seen at the shore of Ibeno Beach.

When THISDAY visited the Beach, youths numbering more than 300 from Mobil immediate catchment communities had gathered at the scene, discussing the development and demanding for compensation. Contrary to youths' demands, Mobil and the oil producing areas consisting of Ibeno, Eket, Esit Eket and Onna have said it was a wrong interpretation of what the people see on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean to be oil spill, as a hige tide can always bring any substance to the bank of the river. "We confirm that tarballs were sighted on the shore around Ibeno, Akwa Ibom State. The source of the tarballs is being investigated. MPN restates its commitment to maintaining safe and environmentally sound operations," Executive Director External Affairs of MPN, Mrs Gloria Essien Dannar stated. "Incidentally we don't have a spill. You know when it rains anything can come up, but certainly we don't have a spill. If we have a spill, we go out to inform the community," she said. On the issue of the March oil sheen and compensation, Mobil said compensation is paid on proven impact, saying "for now, the committee is still working."

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Country Concerned About G8 Climate Change Resolution: BuaNews (Tshwane): 8 July 2008.

The Group of Eight (G8) Declaration on Climate Change lacked substance and is a step back in the fight against the global challenge, says Environmental Affairs and Tourism

177 Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk. "South Africa has noted the G8 statement on Climate Change ...as it is expressed in the G8 statement, the long term goal is an empty slogan without substance," the minister said on Tuesday.

"While the statement may appear as a movement forward, we are concerned that it may, in effect, be a regression from what is required to make a meaningful contribution to meeting the challenges of climate change." The minister said South Africa went to the G8 Summit in Hokkaido, Japan, with the expectation that the eight major industrialised economies of the world would demonstrate leadership on the climate change issue. "The long term global goal for emission reductions of 50 percent by 2050 falls below what is scientifically required to stabilise the atmosphere at a relatively safe level. "To be meaningful and credible, a long term goal must have a base year, it must be underpinned by ambitious mid-term targets and actions and it should be based on an equitable burden- sharing paradigm," he said.

He highlighted that there are many countries in the G8 grouping that share South Africa's ambitious expectations, and it is regrettable that the lowest common denominator in the G8 determined the level of ambition in the G8 Declaration on climate change. The ambitious package that South Africa is striving for has three elements, he said, which include emission reductions of between 80 - 95 percent to below 1990 levels by 2050. Secondly, South Africa aims for absolute emission reductions based on mid-term targets of 25 - 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 for all developed countries. "And finally, substantial deviations below business-as-usual baselines in some developing country regions by 2020 and in all regions by 2050," he said. Mr van Schalkwyk said if the climate change is to display integrity, a long term goal must have a base year and it must be underpinned by clearly-defined mid-term targets. Only on that basis can we all agree on the global goal, he concluded.

• Botswana: Revised Environmental Strategy Launched: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 7 July 2008.

Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism's Department of Environmental Affairs launched the revised National Environmental Education Strategy and Action Plan (NEESAP) at the National Botanical Garden in Gaborone last Friday. Ministry's deputy permanent secretary Mpho Mmopi explained that NEESAP was established under the Natural Resources Conservation Strategy passed by Parliament in 1990. He said the revised Action Plan is a result of extensive consultation with stakeholders involved in environmental issues. "This Plan was launched in 1997 and from 1997 to 2003 the five- year implementation review time elapsed. The review began in 2006 ending 2007 and it involved consultations with environmental practitioners and customers," Mmopi said.

The revised NEESAP, Mmopi added, is aligned to a number of key developmental initiatives, among them the national Vision 2016 and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has declared a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and Mmopi said the NEESAP promotes this initiative, as environmental education is of great importance in sustainable development.

178 It is hoped the initiative will help widen stakeholders' scope and raise awareness on the importance of environmental education among the people. The Department of Environmental Affairs also took advantage of the launch to lobby stakeholders to own up to environmental issues. "Environmental issues cut across all sectors of the economy, they are not a one department issue," the deputy permanent secretary said, encouraging individual ministries and organisations to stand up and be counted. The revised Plan comes at an opportune time for government departments to integrate its ideals into their sectoral budgets for the National Development Plan 10 (NDP-10). "Sectoral NDP-10 chapters offer opportunity to include action plans to ensure that all stakeholders participate in environmental issues," Mmopi said, adding that they need everyone to be involved to realise its objectives. Launch attendees were reminded of the "butterfly effect" - the scientific concept that a butterfly flipping its wings in the Amazon rain forest could cause flooding in areas far from the Amazon. They were, as such, encouraged to play their role in being environmentally friendly.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Uganda: Lake Victoria Drying Up, Says UN Report: New Vision (Kampala): 8 July 2008.

LAKE Victoria is among the African water bodies drying up due to environmental degradation and climatic changes, according to a report released by the UN Environment Programme. It noted that the loss of trees and wetlands, which form the Lake Victoria water catchments, was partly to blame for the receding shoreline.

"Over 75% of the wetlands have been significantly affected by human activities and 13% is severely degraded." The report noted that the Lake Victoria water levels started dropping considerably in 2002. As a result, the shoreline retreated by over 100 metres and there has been no improvement six years later. Rapid population growth, leading to over exploitation of resources, poses a major threat to Africa's lakes and most of the fresh water reservoirs, the report pointed out. It added that in recent decades, the rate of population growth estimated at 7% within 100 kilometers around the Lake Victoria catchment area had outpaced the continental average, reflecting growing dependence and pressure on the lake's resources. "Population growth around the continent's largest lake is significantly higher than the rest of Africa," notes the report, adding that lakes are sources of livelihoods for many people. "If they are not managed properly, the continent's lakes face loss of sustainability for future generations."

Another water body that the report cited as endangered was Lake Chad, which it said had shrunk by 95% in the last 35 years due climatic effects and human activities. On the way forward, the report recommended a joint effort in managing the lakes by countries and called for better monitoring of human activities.

• Kenya: Sh16 Billion Needed to Clean Nairobi River: The Nation (Nairobi): 10 July 2008.

179 The rehabilitation of the Nairobi river basin requires an estimated Sh16 billion, a high- level consultative meeting with development partners was told on Wednesday. Environment and Mineral Resources minister John Michuki said the amount will be spread over three years in which a comprehensive clean-up exercise of the river will be undertaken. The forum, hosted jointly by Unep and the Government, aims to bring donors into the fold. Representatives from major development partners in Kenya, including Italy, Japan, Germany and Norway, among others.

Mr Michuki said that the Government will foot at least 30 per cent of the bill. "With proper costing, the amount will come down substantially. I am inviting our development partners to come forward and help us," he said. Unep pledged an immediate Sh65 million to the ministry for technical assistance. Its executive director Dr Achim Steiner asked the Government to ensure that all those people who will be affected in the rehabilitation exercise are compensated or resettled elsewhere. He also asked the World Bank and the European Union to join the initiative.

Practical plan

Mr Michuki said that if the problem facing the river basin wasn't addressed now, the Vision 2030 and the much awaited MDGs, whose deadline is 2015, would not be achieved. Issues of the programme sustenance were also addressed, with the minister ordering the City Council to come up with a practical plan on how the project will be sustained. Last Tuesday, the National Environment Management Authority warned that up to 127,000 people would be affected, but the figures could be higher based on the density of households in the informal settlements. The relocation is necessitated by the need to have a 30-metre clearance on both sides of the river, a space, which Mr Michuki says, will make the rivers attract business. The Nairobi River basin has three rivers: Nairobi, Mathare and Ngong.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Brazzaville: Angola At Regional Meeting On Fisheries in Brazzaville: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 9 July 2008.

Angolan experts are attending the seventh ordinary session of the Cabinet Council of the Fishery Regional Committee of Gulf of Guinea (COREP) started Wednesday in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. Opening the event was the office's director of Congolese minister of Maritime and Continental Fisheries, Aimé Boniface Diatou. Angola is being represented by the national director of Fisheries, Antónia Dolores Rosária, and by office's director of International Exchange, Dielobaka Ndombele. The two-day event precedes the ministerial meeting, set for Friday, under which the Angolan delegation will be led by the Fisheries vice-minister, Vitória de Barros Neto. The office's director of Congolese minister of Maritime and Continental Fisheries considered important the meeting, as it will help the strengthening of regional integration and it is also an opportunity to take the required measures. In his turn, the secretary-general of COREP, François Baptême Ndounga, appealed to the participants to adopt this specialised organisation of Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) of viable tools for its action. Created

180 in1984 in Gabon's capital, the COREP comprises Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, DR Congo and Sao Tome and Principe.

20. ENERGY

WEST AFRICA

• Gambia: Biofuel - A Ploy, Says President Jammeh: The Daily Observer (Banjul): 8 July 2008.

"Biofuel is a strategy to starve the third world, especially the poor countries, so that they [the West] would be able to infiltrate the poor people, who are hungry and give them money in order to bring puppets to power, to serve the West," says President Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh. Speaking to newsmen at his Bunabore Farm in the outskirts of Kanilai, Saturday evening, the Gambian leader rejected the idea of biofuel, simply because the world is yet to grow enough crops to feed its people, let alone vehicles. He disclosed that biofuel alone cannot work on engines, unless natural petrol is mixed with it. In his view, the proponents of biofuel in the third world should push for the exploitation of major oil reserves, which are yet to be tapped.

According to Dr Jammeh, Africans should have a second thought over biofuel. "My message to Africans is that before you can drive, your stomach must be full. If it is empty, I don't think you will think of filling a tank of a car," he said. He added that even if the major corn-producing countries such as Brazil and the United States turn all their produce into biofuel, it may not be able to supply 17 and 12 per cent of fuel requirements of the United States and China respectively.

Real needs

The Gambian leader said the present needs of the African continent are food and energy and not fuel, in the face a surge in global food prices. They [the West], he went on, have the technology to turn sunlight to energy, but because they know sunlight is guaranteed in Africa and Asia, they [West] said it is expensive to produce solar power. "This is because Africa is a market for their generators, so such an undertaking is not to their desire," the president noted.

Eat local produce

The president used the opportunity to urge Gambians to consume local produce in order to avert the growing strange ailments in society. He recalled his school days, when there were few health facilities, but yet people had longer lives, because they survived on local food.

Vacate the bantabas

181 Dr Jammeh also renewed his call on Gambian men to abandon the Bantabas, especially during the rainy season, and venture into meaningful activities for their own well-being. According to him, even those living in Banjul have no cause to be idle, as they can engage in fishing for their daily income. "Lets abandon the Bantabas and work", he emphasised.

• Nigeria: My Stand On Niger Delta Summit, By Gambari: Vanguard (Lagos): 11 July 2008.

Former Foreign Affairs Minister, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Wednesday, declined his appointment as chairman of the steering committee of the proposed Niger Delta Summit. In a statement from his New York base, he said: "I am grateful to His Excellency, President Umaru Yar'Adua and Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan for appointing me as chairman of the steering committee for the summit on the Niger Delta and particularly for the confidence reposed in me to help resolve one of the most intractable problems facing our country. "I wish to put on record that I did not seek the position and I am not desperate to retain it. I felt it was my patriotic duty to accept the appointment and to discharge my duties to the best of my abilities.

"I have nothing but the highest regard for the people of the Niger Delta as an integral part of the Nigerian nation. "It is my belief that the focus of this enterprise should be the Niger Delta but the perspective should be national while the international concern should not be ignored. Furthermore, I believe that with my decades of experience in conflict resolution and management, I could make a contribution towards finding a just and lasting solution to the problem in the Niger Delta. "I could also help mobilise international support for the implementation of the concrete outcomes of the summit.

"However, in spite of the best intentions of the President as well as my own commitment in accepting the position, my appointment has attracted what appears to be a well- orchestrated and relentless opposition from some quarters, institutions, groups and individuals who may nonetheless be central to the resolution of the crisis in the Delta. "As a result, my name has become the issue in place of the attempt at finding a just and lasting solution to the crisis in the Niger Delta. "In the light of this, I wish to be excused as the chairman of the steering committee of the summit. The laudable objectives of the Federal Government should not be defeated only because of the person in charge of the steering committee. "The crisis in the Niger Delta and the country is much bigger than an individual. And no individual must stand in the way of the resolution of the crisis, including my humble self. "I thank the President and the Federal Government of Nigeria for the opportunity and their understanding on this matter. I stand ready to continue to make my contribution, as a Nigerian and based on my experience as a national and international civil servant, towards the peace, stability and social economic development of our country.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Angola: Oil Production Sets Huge Challenge to Navy: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 11 July 2008.

182 Large scale production of oil in Angola sets a huge challenge to the country's Navy (MGA) in protecting the installations from enemy attacks. This was said Thursday in Luanda by the chief of staff of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), gen. Francisco Furtado. Addressing the ceremony that marked the celebration of MGA's 32nd anniversary, on July motivations can put the oil exploration activity at risk, as it has been taking place in other regions of the world. To him, having an unattended sea is tantamount to not controlling the activity of all those that explore the riches, often in less scrupulous ways, putting in danger the existence of living resources, which will have an impact on the Angolan economy.

"The transportation by sea of the oil produced in our country, the main source of revenues, compels us into also guaranteeing the security of out maritime communications," said the general. According to the officer, the Navy missions, the Angolan naval power, with its fundamental components of public, diplomatic and military service is of vital importance for the defence of the country and preservation of the living and non-living resources. Angola, gen. Furtado said, in its quality as part of the UN conventions on Sea Law, has added responsibilities. The ceremony was witnessed by generals of the various FAA's branches, the chiefs of Staff of Congo and Namibia navies, col. Boigna Beya and codr. Peter Aseny Vilo, respectively, the defence attaches accredited to Angola and guests.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Mauritius: Small States Seek to Benefit From Offshore Resources: Commonwealth News and Information Service (London): 11 July 2008.

Mauritius and the Seychelles are cooperating to make a joint submission to the United Nations in order to secure additional areas of continental shelf.

It is through such cooperation that these countries are seeking to establish a secure legal basis for the development of potentially lucrative natural and living resources of the seabed including oil, gas and mineral resources, as well as shellfish and other marine genetic resources. In order to claim additional areas of continental shelf in accordance with international law, both governments are required to make a submission to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf ('the Commission'). The Commonwealth Secretariat is providing advice and assistance to these two small island states regarding the preparation of such a submisison. "For many countries, making a submission to the UN Commission offers the prospect of significantly increasing their continental shelf jurisdiction, thereby opening up new areas for exploration and development," said Joshua Brien, Legal Adviser at the Secretariat. "Submissions concerning the outer limits of the continental shelf have important implications for individual coastal states who stand a lot to gain, and also for the broader international community." Mr Brien, who is managing the project, explained that the Secretariat's assistance will take the form of specialised legal and technical advice concerning the

183 preparation of a Joint Submission in accordance with the relevant provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ('UNCLOS'). UNCLOS is a multilateral Convention that sets out a framework of rules and principles to govern the management of all ocean space. It has been ratified by more than 150 countries, including 52 Commonwealth member states. Under UNCLOS, a coastal state seeking to claim extended areas of continental shelf beyond the traditional 200 nautical miles limit must make a submission to the Commission, which has been established under UNCLOS to examine and make recommendations to coastal states concerning the outer limits of the continental shelf. "The preparation of a submission to the Commission is a major undertaking," observed Mr Brien, adding that "it requires that consideration be given to a range of highly specialised legal, scientific and technical issues in order to comply with the requirements of UNCLOS." Mr Brien noted also that for many developing countries, and particularly small islands states, the making of a submission to the Commission involves significant challenges, due to the cost and expertise implicated in such an endeavour. A Decision of the States Parties to the Convention made in June 2008, recognises the challenges facing many developing countries, and in particular, small island states, that are seeking to prepare submissions, and establishes special measures to ensure that countries facing difficulties are not disadvantaged. Where opposite or adjacent coastal states have potential to claim overlapping areas of extended continental shelf, special rules have also been developed by the Commission to provide guidance to countries that are seeking to make submissions. In such cases, one option available is for coastal states concerned to cooperate in the making of joint submissions to the Commission-an approach that has been adopted by Mauritius and Seychelles.

• Uganda: Oil - Watchdog Warns on Graft: New Vision (Kampala): 10 July 2008.

BE transparent in managing revenues from oil to minimise the conflicts common in oil- producing countries, the Ugandan Government has been told. Christiaan Poortman, the director of global programmes of Transparency International, said resource abundance was associated with corruption, conflict and poverty. He, however, noted that more than half of the world's poorest people today live in resource-rich countries.

Transparency International is an anti-corruption watchdog based in Berlin Germany.

"Uganda is aware the management of natural resource revenues is associated with possible conflict and corruption. It already faces demands from different interest group," said Poortman. He was on Wednesday speaking at Speke Resort in Kampala during a national seminar on managing Uganda's expected oil revenue. There were demands from Bunyoro kingdom for oil revenue-sharing, amid allegations of illegal land acquisition in the area by army officers, Poortman observed. As an oil producer, he added, Uganda needed to carefully enact national regulations to direct the behaviour of oil exploration companies. "Governments should introduce laws that require the companies in their territories to make public all the information, for transparency." Steven Birahwa, an MP from Buliisa district, one of the areas where oil has been discovered, accused the Government of not being transparent. He said the State had not

184 made public details of contract agreements it had signed with oil exploration companies. "There is anxiety and speculation because of lack of information."

• Uganda: Museveni Reveals National Oil Plan: New Vision (Kampala): 8 July 2008.

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has said revenue from Uganda's oil will be used to develop infrastructure and other sectors of the economy such as agriculture. He said the oil and gas revenues would be chanelled to building the human resource capacity, developing physical infrastructure such as railways and roads, boost health and to industrialise the country.

"Oil revenues will not be used for consumption and importing perfumes, wines, cars and paying salaries. We shall use it as a finite resource to create infinite capacity for Ugandans. This is our core view in building long-term benefits from the oil," he added.

The President, who was speaking at a two-day national seminar on managing Uganda's oil revenue at Speke Resort Munyonyo yesterday, said to utilise the oil revenue properly, a petroleum fund would be set up. The seminar, organised by Uganda, Norway and the African Development Bank, discussed the future management of petroleum revenue following the recent discoveries in the Albertine basin. Museveni explained, however, that in some special cases, oil proceeds could be used on crucial public investments, which would otherwise have been financed through borrowing. He stunned the audience when he revealed that in 1986, he chased away officials of petroleum giant Shell BP and refused to grant them a petroleum exploration license when they approached him five days after he swore-in as president.

"My question to them was whether there was anybody in Uganda who understood petroleum. They brought me an economist from . He was from Ghana and his only linkage to petroleum was handling import papers for petrol at the bank. I told Shell BP I could not sign the contract. Go away. Petrol has been there for millions of years and I am in no hurry to sign it," Museveni narrated. He explained that he could not risk signing oil contracts that would have resulted into the "oil curse."

To deal with the issue, the Government sent a team of Ugandan chemists, geologists and physicists for training in petroleum exploration. The team later discovered the petroleum. The local petroleum experts, he noted, had assisted the Government to sign favourable agreements with the exploration companies currently in western Uganda.

"Heritage and Tullow Oil wanted to play me tricks, saying they had found carbon dioxide. But my people refused and said the finding of carbon dioxide did not mean there was no oil." He said there was need to train younger experts to work on the oil production phase. He noted that the country would use the heavy fuel oils and gas to generate electricity at affordable rates.

185 Museveni amused the gathering when he said it was witchcraft and the ancestral spirits called Katwaki, that foiled attempts by the British to explore the petroleum in the 1920s. The director general of the Budget Office in the Nigerian government, Bright Okogu, said Uganda should use the oil revenue to invest in assets that can sustain the country's economy after the oil is finished. Okogu also cautioned the Government to mind the environment and people in the oil producing areas. Energy minister Daudi Migereko assured communities in the oil areas that the policy on oil and gas would ensure that they share the revenue from the resources.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: South African Firm to Survey for Oil: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 8 July 2008.

Vangold Resources Ltd. has signed an agreement with a South African company for an airborne gravity and aeromagnetic survey of the area where traces of oil were discovered in Rwanda, RNA has established. The company, New Resolution Geophysics will fly its high-tech planes over Vangold's 1,631 sq km oil and gas concession which covers the Lake Kivu Graben in Rwanda, Vangold said on Tuesday. The S.A contractor is an airborne geophysical firm specialising in helicopter borne surveys in Africa and airborne gravity. Vangold Resources announced in April that it had discovered presence of traces of oil in western Rwanda after exploration studies.

The firm has the exclusive rights to the oil and gas concession in the northwestern part of Rwanda known as White Elephant. With the discovery of oil in southwestern Uganda by Heritage Oil and Tullow Oil, the technical review was undertaken to determine whether this area in Rwanda is an extension of that discovery. At a cost of some US $275,000 (Rwf 150million), the airborne survey will be flown at suitable line-spacing and height and in excess of 2,900 line kilometers. This survey and the interpretation of the data will be completed by October 2008. Exact outlines of the survey will be determined in order to delineate the salient features and geometry of the sedimentary basins of East Kivu Graben, Vangold said in the statement.

"The depths of sediments in the individual basins will also be defined. The survey is scheduled to commence upon receipt of regulatory approval and the acquisition of required permits. Preliminary data products will be available to Vangold's technical representatives during the data acquisition phase, and final compiled survey products will be available within 3 weeks of the survey completion." According to experts, the quantity of methane gas in this mainly meromictic lake is estimated to be 55 billion cubic meters. The gas is concentrated in the main basin of Lake Kivu below the 260 meters water depth mark. To maintain this quantity of gas, experts from the University of California, Michigan and Demark assert that the bottom part must have an inflow of gas, either dissolved in saline or thermal ground water or as free gas in bubble form, or it must be produced in large quantities in situ.

The gas has increased by 15% since being measured in 1978. The source of this gas is therefore under intensive research by Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and

186 Technology Engineers (EAWAG) and will be the focus of Vangold exploration program in the next phase especially in the South and Eastern shallow parts of the lake. Vangold says it is unable to confirm whether this information was prepared by a qualified reserves evaluator or auditor, or in accordance with the COGE handbook. "There is no certainty that any portion of the estimated resources will be discovered. If discovered, there is no certainty that it will be commercially viable to produce any portion of the estimated resource", Vangold experts say.

21. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Budget Review - We Are Short of Target – Fashola: Vanguard (Lagos): 12 July 2008.

Governor Babatunde Fashola of yesterday expressed his dissatisfaction with the implementation of the Second Quarter of the 2008 Budget tagged "Great Leap," saying it was below target. The year 2008 budget of Lagos State is put at over N403 billion. His words: "I am not satisfied until it is a perfect job, we are not where we want to be. Generally it is an improvement on first quarter but the most important thing that we are doing this budget review is to tell us where we need to strengthen up. Also to tell us where we are doing well and where we are not."

The governor stated this while fielding questions from the media at end of Second Quarterly Budget Review at the state Secretariat, Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja. Fashola, however noted that the budget was on course, but needed adequate funding to achieve its target. He therefore urged taxable people in the state to pay up their taxes in order to enhance government efforts towards the realization of the current budget. On the tax payer compliant, Fashola said, "it is improving but we are not there yet, we have not met our target. The revenues are not where we expect them to be." The Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Ben Akabueze said: "You have had all the governor said that he is not satisfied with the implementation of the budget. That is not to say there is no improvement but nothing short of 100 percent can satisfy the governor and we are not there yet.

"We have a governor who has always emphasized that government has a social contract with the people, he is aware that he must perform and he can not give people any reason to fail. "That is why it will seem that he is the driving officer of the state, but we aware that it is for the overall interest of the state." The governor had earlier during the April, 2008 budget review for the first quarter said the budget focus remained roads and infrastructure development, transportation, environment, health, education, water, and public service reform. Fashola therefore, called on individuals and organizations operating in the state to be tax compliant, insisting that tax remained the key strategy for the development of any nation. The governor who said the state government would leave no stone unturned in its efforts to ensure effective tax collection system in the state,

187 explained that the decision to renew the performance of the budget quarterly was borne out of the need to ensure effective implementation.

Fashola pointed out that there was need to be more aggressive in the internally generated revenue drive. The governor said the government would strive to achieve an 80 per cent performance of the budget, pointing out that no country has ever achieved a 100 per cent budget implementation. "No government has ever achieved 100 per cent budget implementation. The 2007 budget achieved 70 percent implementation. We want to beat that this year," the governor said.

• Nigeria: Nupeng Begins Strike: Daily Champion (Lagos): 11 July 2008.

MEMBERS of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Employees (NUPENG) yesterday began an indefinite strike to press their demand for improved working conditions. National President of the union, Comrade Peter Akpatason who confirmed this said leadership of NUPENG will address the media today on its grievances. Daily Champion recalls that the union had recently called on the federal, state and local governments to repair bad roads across the country. It further urged the federal government to address the high cost of diesel and demanded that employers of oil tanker drivers should review their salaries upward.

• Mali: Food Situation Looks Positive Despite Insecurity: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 July 2008.

Despite high global food prices, conflict in the north and the onset of the lean season which lasts from July to September, the food security situation in the north and elsewhere, looks positive this year in Mali.

"[Food] prices are going up, but it's normal; stocks are good and the cereal is available. We think overall, the harvest will be good," said Alice Martin-Diahirou, director of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Mali. "There are pockets of concern for us around the towns of Bourem and Ansongo, near Gao, but the situation this year is not serious like in previous years," she said.

The positive outlook for food security in the north comes despite the insecurity that has recently gripped the region. A number of violent raids and clashes have caused more than 50 deaths over the past few months as the Touareg rebellion has escalated. Gao, 1,200km north of the capital, Bamako, is currently under an unofficial curfew, and many people fear the rebels have laid landmines on the road up to Kidal. However, aid agencies said so far this was having little effect on their ability to operate. "Although Gao is classified by the UN as facing a security threat, we are not seeing any interruptions to our work here," said Mohammed Ag Hamalouta, from WFP in Gao. "This year is quite a normal one for us."

Rains good so far

188 The rainy season in the Malian Sahel appears to have started well. "Although we have to treat first predictions with caution, it seems like the rainy season in the Gao and Timbuktu regions will be good," Dirama Diarra, head of research and the development of rainfall prediction at the National Meteorological Office, told IRIN. "We think it will be humid with more rains than normal." This is welcome news for farmers in and around Gao which lies deep in the Sahelian belt. Mostly they rely on rain-fed agriculture. Even in a good year, it only rains about 10 times in Gao.

Self-sufficient in millet, sorghum

Mali has been more protected than some of its neighbours by global food price rises because it is self-sufficient in millet and sorghum, the staple food of 80 percent of its population, and it exports these grains to its West African neighbours, including Mauritania, Senegal and Burkina Faso. But the country has not been entirely insulated from global food price rises, particularly when it comes to rice. Mali produces on average half of its total annual rice consumption, importing the rest mostly from Asia. "We have seen some rises in the price of local rice," said Christian Bren from the non-governmental organisation Action contre la Faim in Gao, "but Mali has better managed the high prices than the other countries." High rice prices mainly affect urban residents who prefer to eat it rather than traditional grains. Consumer rice prices in Bamako were 27 percent higher than the five-year average in March 2008, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Government action

To cushion the blow, the government has levied import taxes on rice, and heavily subsidises fuel costs, making them among the lowest in West Africa. The ministries of economy and finance also introduced additional regulations for imported rice in March: "Any businessman who benefits from tax exemptions on rice imports has to sell it at a fixed price to consumers," said Mahaman Assouma Touré, the national director of commerce. Because of these measures the government has so far succeeded in stabilising the price of rice at about 70 US cents per kilogram. The government has also adopted the 2008-2009 Rice Initiative, in which it commits to setting aside land and providing agricultural equipment to increase its rice paddy fields by half, bringing production up to 1.6 million tonnes per year. The next step, according to Touré, is for Mali to increase its self-sufficiency in other basic products. Mali is still heavily reliant on imports of basic necessities, importing 70 percent of products such as cooking oil and dairy products, but there are as yet no concrete schemes in place to improve yields for any of these products. According to a World Bank official who preferred anonymity, with the right investment Mali could go even further - moving beyond self-sufficiency to becoming a major exporter. "Mali has to get over its addiction to rice and start growing other crops in higher quantities - sesame seeds, dates, potatoes, bananas, and mangoes," the official told IRIN. "Mali could become a major bread-basket in West Africa if it plays its cards right."

• Mali: People's Forum Takes Stance Against Privatisation: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 11 July 2008.

189 As G8 leaders wrapped up their forum in Hokkaido in Japan, some 13,000km away, the hundreds of people who had gathered for the seventh annual alternative People's Forum, this year held in the town of Koulikoro, Mali, were issuing a closing statement to their own conference, and its tone was defiant. The focus of discussions on 10 July, the final day, was on privatisation. Participants issued a statement urging the Malian authorities "to take bold steps against privatisation and to extend public services in Mali... to stop the privatisation of schools, and to establish national strategies to fight against corruption." Participants described as "interfering" the push from international financial institutions to privatise state-owned enterprises. Koulikoro, 60km from the capital, Bamako, was an apt setting for such a discussion, given that its cotton processing company HUICOMA - the town's largest employer - was privatised in 2006 laying off half of the 1,000-strong workforce. Amidou Kouma, 49, a former employee at the factory, told IRIN: "I worked in the HUICOMA factory for 15 years and the government had to privatise it. The new owners laid us off without paying us our dues. Heads of families found themselves without work and without any income. We denounce reckless privatisation policies by our government." The mayor of Koulikoro, Souleymane Ndiaye, said the closure of the factory led to a revenue loss of US$1.8 million for the local authorities. "The region of Koulikoro has been stripped of its lungs. This factory provided a living for most of the town's population." "This region of Mali is symbolic of all places that have become victims of privatisation, imposed on us by powerful international states," added Barry Aminata Touré, coordinator of the People's Forum, and representative of the Coalition of African Alternatives to Debt and Development (CAD-Mali).

Looking within

However, while most participants were keen to blame outsiders for privatisation, some stressed the need for reform of state institutions themselves. N'diaye Yacine Touré, representative of the Regional Federation for the Promotion of Women in Senegal, said it was up to state institutions to manage corruption to prove their worth at managing themselves. A young activist by her side agreed: "It is primarily up to us to ensure the development of our countries. This involves fighting against corruption, and it requires good management of public funds... We must organise ourselves better inside countries to create favourable conditions to establish sound economic policies," he said.

Compromise

As the closing ceremony began, some participants appeared more ready to compromise, accepting privatisation as an inevitability, and focusing their energies rather on how it should be done. Dounanké Dao, secretary-general of CAD-Mali, said: "We are not formally against all privatisation. But we ask that [the process] take into account the rights and respect the dignity of workers who are laid off. Privatisation requires good management and we the government must recognise that." For Siaka Diakité, secretary- general of the National Union of Malian Workers, the key to better managing privatisation in Mali is to follow the example Guinea, the Gambia and Burkina Faso where private-public partnership agreements have been set up in certain sectors and been

190 shown to work well. "Workers are not fundamentally against privatisation. We just advocate alternative solutions to how it is done."

Wider concerns

But there was less compromise when it came to wider issues on the agenda. "The G8 has few priorities beyond trade liberalisation, structural reforms and capital movements, but this approach has resulted in violations of people's rights, boosting of poverty and more misery for our country," Forum coordinator Touré announced. And the Forum's organisers while drafting the closing statement took the criticism of international financial institutions further, demanding they be banned altogether. It called for "the pure and simple abolition of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund... to replace them with the Bank of the South, a privileged instrument for cooperation and development financing on a fairer and more equitable basis... and the immediate cessation of external interference in the internal affairs of states". As participants started to pack up and leave it was clear they had welcomed their chance to have their say. "This forum gives us an opportunity to propose alternative solutions to our governments who must refuse to simply follow in the tracks laid down by international institutions," concluded Emilie Atchaka, representative of the Society for Sustainable Development in Benin. And with that, those standing around her packed up their banners, brandishing slogans such as "Movement for People with No Voice", and began the journey home.

• Ghana: IBM to Help Country's Small Enterprises Grow Their Businesses: Public Agenda (Accra): 11 July 2008.

IBM Corporation is sending a team of high-potential IBM leaders to Ghana this week to help develop local businesses while enriching their own leadership skills.

Ten IBM employees from countries such as Canada, Germany, India, Italy, US and UK will arrive in Ghana on 11 July 2008 as part of the corporation's newly launched Corporate Service Corps programme (CSC). The programme deploys IBM's leaders of today and tomorrow to developing countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa to address socio-economic challenges in emerging markets while deepening leadership skills including diversity management.

The team in Ghana will work with three non-governmental organisations: Association of Ghana Industries, National Bureau of Small Scale Industries and Aid to Artisans Ghana in Kumasi to help improve business processes as well as provide training for a network of small and medium enterprises in Kumasi trying to scale up their business models. "It's a corporate version of the Peace Corps," said Stanley S. Litow, vice-president of corporate citizenship and corporate affairs. "What we as a company get is leaders with a broader range of skills that can function in a global context. What the individual participant gets is a unique set of leadership opportunities and development experiences. And what communities get are IBM's best problem solving skills. It's a triple benefit."

191 IBM recognises that in today's globally integrated economy the most successful leaders must be global citizens, able to understand and effectively collaborate with people from a diverse range of backgrounds and perspectives. An important design point for the programme is to provide high performance employees the chance to build networks with people they might otherwise never interact with. This will also enable employees to bring different perspectives and expertise to solving problems, as well as encourage interaction with people from different cultural backgrounds and traditions. Mathula Mphande, IBM South and Central Africa Communications Executive said: "This programme enables IBM employees to bridge the skills gap in developing countries such as those in the African continent while getting exposure to diversity management. The skills gained from this programme will enable IBM employees to become truly global leaders."

One hundred IBM employees from thirty-three countries have been selected to participate in the CSC programme, part of the Global Citizen's Portfolio initiative announced by IBM's Global CEO and Chairman Sam Palmisano early this year. More than 5,000 high- potential employees applied to the programme and only 100 employees were selected, making this one of the most competitive employee programmes ever created by the company. IBM will select another 100 before the end of year and has committed to enabling 600 of its emerging leaders to participate over the next three years. The Ghana team, representing six countries and with IBM experience ranging between four and 24 years, will be welcomed in Accra on 12 June by two members of Parliament. They will travel to the work site in Kumasi where they will be officially welcomed by Kumasi Mayor Ms. Patricia Appiagyei, including an audience with the King of the Ashanti, Otumfo Osei Tutu. A separate team will go to Arusha, Tanzania later this year to assist a global microfinance organisation with market research and strategic plan development for expanding operations and services to entrepreneurs seeking microloans and business training services.

• • • Ghana: Jobs Should Accompany Industrial Expansion - Prof Stiglitz: Public Agenda (Accra): 11 July 2008.

Professor Joseph Stiglitz, an international economic luminary, has stated that the economy of Ghana needs diversification, with more attention being focused on industrial expansion. He said in the wake of rising food and oil prices, what a developing economy like Ghana's needed to do to sustain growth was to diversify, focusing sharply on industrial development. He stressed, however, that the expansion of the industrial sector ought to be accompanied by abundant employment opportunities and not the reverse as was the case with many developing economics where industrial expansion has come about without commensurate creation of employment.

His argument was in view of the fact that the industrial sector in Ghana, like that of other developing economies, had remained basically the same over the past two decades or more.

192 The 2001 Noble Prize Winner in Economics said these in Accra where he met the business community on Tuesday. The meeting formed part of his visit to Ghana for discussion of economic policies, which was at the instance of the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET), a civil society organisation. On the day, Prof Stiglitz did not depart from the unorthodox views he is known for. In the past, for instance, he complained that consistently the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had called for policies that conformed to textbook economics but did not make sense for the countries to which the IMF was recommending them.

He argued that the IMF had ignored the implications of incomplete information, inadequate markets and unworkable institutions, which were all characteristics of newly developing countries. His conclusion has been that the IMF has done great damage through the economic policies it had prescribed to developing countries, particularly in the nineties.

On Tuesday, Prof Stiglitz acknowledged that Ghana had shown remarkable growth in the last few years but "there was a great deal of worry about sustainability" in view of the global food crisis and rising fuel prices, which threatens the growth prospects. Right now, he said, "Ghana is at a critical point in the transformation" of her economy and advocated an increase in investments in agriculture as one of the responses needed to tackle the food crisis. He regretted that over the years too little investment has been made to the agric sector. Turning attention to the oil discovery in Ghana, Prof Stiglitz pointed out the need for transparency, openness and democracy. In order to track revenues, he said there was the need for a national consensus as to how the funds generated would be equitably distributed to ensure growth.

Commenting on free trade agreements, he urged caution because in most cases what proponents call free trade agreements were "actually managed agreements." On this score, he said it was important to negotiate the agreements and reshape where necessary to meet the socio-economic development aspirations of the region.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: JSE Taps Into Islamic Investor Products: Business Day (Johannesburg): 10 July 2008.

THE JSE, in partnership with the FTSE Group, one of the leading global index providers, recently launched the JSE Shariah all share index and will be launching the JSE Shariah top 40 index on July 21. The Shariah top 40 index, unlike the Shariah all share, which is a benchmark index, will be tradable. Ana Forssman, a senior general manager at the JSE, yesterday said they had developed the index based on demand for sharia-compliant investment products and would be launching an exchange traded fund off the index by the end of September. Sharia is the body of doctrines that regulates the lives of Muslims. The global market for Islamic investment products is growing at an annual 15%-20%, says the FTSE Group, which also predicts equity fund assets will increase from $15,5bn to $53,8bn internationally by 2010. Ameer Amod, Cape Town-based fund manager at Futuregrowth, said there had been phenomenal growth in investor activity in the Islamic

193 community as well as growing interest from the public who wanted "socially conscious investing". Forssman said although the JSE would be targeting SA's approximately 850000 Muslims, they would be rolling out the product to the public as well.

The JSE would consider the rest of Africa as well, in line with its Africa growth strategy. In order to be listed as sharia compliant, companies went through a screening process which filtered out those organisations involved in conventional finance, alcohol, pork- related and non-halaal food production, packaging and processing, entertainment, tobacco, and weapons. The companies left over were screened further on a financial basis. Debt must be less than 33% of total assets, cash and interest-bearing items less than 33% of total assets, accounts receivable and cash less than 50%, and total interest and noncompliant activities income should not exceed 5% . The JSE enlisted Yasaar Research, an independent and professional sharia adviser. Forssman said the company would reassess the screening every quarter. Seventy-five constituents made the index and have a net market capitalisation of R2, 999bn. The top 10 holdings are Anglo American, BHP Billiton, Anglo Platinum, Sasol, Richemont, MTN, Impala Platinum, ArcelorMittal, Lonmin and AngloGold, and make up 80,4% of total net market share of the index. Forssman said no financial services companies made the cut. Of the 75 companies, 16 are mining houses, 11 are real estate companies, and six are construction and materials companies. The JSE Shariah top 40 was based on the companies in the existing top 40 index and 22 constituents were sharia compliant. Ten of the companies are mining houses and weigh 66% of the index. These indices will benefit investors as they are transparent because the information on the indices is published, Forssman said. Amod said he welcomed the new indices, but Futuregrowth would continue to utilise the benchmark they had created.

• Angola: Finance Minister Receives Financial Times Prize: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 11 July 2008.

The Angolan Cabinet minister, José Pedro de Morais, on Thursday in Luanda received from the hands of Stephen Timewell, editor-in-chief of the prestigious British financial magazine "The Banker", owned by the Financial Times group, the prize of Best African Finance Minister in 2007. The award handover ceremony took place in the sidelines of the forum on Economy and Finance, held Thursday in a promotion of the Angolan Association of Banks (Abanc), an event intended to analyse Angola's and the world's financial and banking sectors.

On the occasion, the Angolan Finance minister extended the prize to President José Eduardo dos Santos, whose leadership as head of the government has enabled the achievement of macroeconomic stability for the country. According to José Pedro de Morais, the results obtained with the government's macroeconomic policies, in the last six years, have only been possible due to a leadership that is technically efficient and politically committed to the big aspirations of the people. He also stressed that the improvement of the macroeconomic indicators, in the past six years, is also due to the support given by the Prime Minister and other members of the government, especially the Angolan Executive's economic team, headed by the Premier's Assistant Minister,

194 Aguinaldo Jaime, as well as the contribution of the ruling MPLA secretary for Economic and Social Policies, Manuel Junior.

The British magazine awarded the mentioned prize to the Angolan Finance minister in January 2008. José Pedro Morais was appointed Finance minister in 2002, and throughout this period he has fostered a modernisation of the country's integrated public finances and the customs systems, which has brought about gains in terms of data management and also in fiscal revenue.

• Angola: Economic Stability Results From Head of State's Strategic Vision: Angola Press Agency (Luanda): 11 July 2008.

The macroeconomic stability that the country has been registering in the past six years results from the strong political leadership of the Angolan Head of State, José Eduardo dos Santos, said, in Luanda, the minister of Finance, José Pedro de Morais. "His long- term leadership and vision enabled to achieve macroeconomic stability and plan economic growth rates the country is currently registering", explained the official minutes before receiving on Thursday the award "Best African Finance Minister for 2007", a prize awarded by the "The Banker" magazine of the Financial Times group. José Pedro de Morais, who received the prize at the hands of the editor in chief of The Banker, Stephen Timewell, stressed that "a growth at a very accelerated rhythm, as verified in the last three years, does not happen by chance, it is possible if there is a strong leadership and a technically capable government that is committed to the desires of the population. According to the official, the prize attributed to him is a fair witness of the success of economic policies of the Angolan government, after the achievement of peace in April 2002.

Apart from attributing merit to the President of the Republic due to winning the prize, the minister recognised the contribution of other government officials, with highlight to the prime minister and to the economic team of the government. He did not forget to also recognise the contribution given by the ruling MPLA party's secretary for economic and social policy, Manuel Júnior. At the occasion, the editor of the The Banker magazine, Stephen Timewell said that the growth rates of the Angolan economy are high, mainly due to the engagement of government officials. To him, the progresses registered nowadays are irreversible and are based on the transparency witnessed in the management of public accounts, reduction of inflations and in the control of fiscal revenues.

The prize was awarded on the sidelines of the annual conference on Economy and Finance, held last Thursday by the Angolan Association of Banks (ABANC). The Banker, published since1926, decided to attribute the prize to minister José Pedro de Morais, due to having observed that along his mandate he has been seeking to implement transparent macroeconomic policies. The Angolan Finance minister was appointed as the winner of the prize last January.

195 • South Africa: Farmers May Grow 'Super-Spud': Business Day (Johannesburg): 11 July 2008.

The Agriculture Research Council (ARC) is set to apply to the government for a "general release" permit for a genetically engineered potato it has developed with US researchers. If granted, the permit will allow the ARC to provide the "super-spud" to small-scale and commercial local farmers. Genetically modified potatoes are not commercially available anywhere in the world at this stage: although they were approved by US regulators, fears of consumer resistance saw large retailers and fast-food chains give the product the thumbs-down.

The ARC has for the past six years been running field trials of the SpuntaG2 , which has been genetically engineered to kill the tuber moth, a common pest that damages crops both in the field and in storage. Scientists inserted a gene from the common soil bacteria called Bacillus thurengensis, which interferes with the insects' digestive system, and effectively gives the crop a built-in pesticide. South African small-scale farmers are particularly vulnerable to the tuber moth, as they have less sophisticated storage methods than commercial farmers, said ARC researcher Gurling Bothma. The SpuntaG2 would help reduce pesticide use, cutting input costs and benefiting the environment, the ARC said this week. The permit application will be assessed by the Genetically Modified Organisms Council, but it could be months before they make a decision, said Bothma. If it is approved, the ARC planned to do further research into its suitability for small-scale farmers, before making the crop available to commercial farmers, said Bothma. They also hoped to develop genetically engineered versions of the potato varieties most commonly grown in SA. The SpuntaG2 is not widely grown here.

The ARC's application looks set to run into fierce opposition from groups campaigning against genetically modified crops, such as the African Centre for Biosafety. The centre was concerned about the safety of the SpuntaG2 for humans and the environment, and its potential effect on potato exports, said board member Vanessa Black. More than 90% of SA's potato exports went to countries in the Southern African Development Community. Because many of these countries did not have biosafety laws in place, they would not be able to import genetically engineered potatoes, she said.

• • • • • South Africa: Public Sector Must Now Report on Performance: Business Day (Johannesburg): 11 July 2008.

THE inclusion of performance information in public sector entities' annual reports can improve the quality of service delivery by government departments, say technical assurance experts. The financial statements of public entities were not providing sufficient information on how they were achieving their mandates agreed on with the

196 government. All government departments and public entities are now required by law to comply with certain requirements regarding reporting on performance. The growing demand for quality and timely service delivery had put municipalities and public entities under immense pressure to be more accountable to their stakeholders, George Higgins, associate director at Ernst & Young, said this week.

"Performance information had previously been on the backburner because entities were implementing effective and efficient internal control structures for financial management," he said. Government departments and public entities are now required to comply with the reporting requirements under the Public Finance Management Act. Higgins said that key performance indicators, set by a group to achieve its legislated mandate, must be included in the annual reports. "This information must be reviewed by the auditors against the actual information of these entities. "Measuring performance will not only result in operational improvement, it will guide management," Higgins said.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Kenya: Time Value of Money in Islamic Banking: Business Daily (Nairobi): OPINION: 10 July 2008.

Many people question whether Islamic finance differs meaningfully from conventional finance. The present day operating environment is a conventional one in terms of market structuring and dynamics. However, the two differ as night and day with respect to their core defining parameters and fundamental perspectives. There are several basic principles in Islamic banking. Conventional banking operates on interest-based money lending while the Islamic banking operates like a trading house. What allows this difference? Two core principles are at the centre; elimination of riba (interest) and gharar (uncertainty or chance).

Keeping in mind the definition given in Hadith ("Every loan that draws a gain is riba"), one can discuss time value of money and the workings of present day Islamic banks. For this, we would have to look at the different ways in which modern capitalist theory views "Money" and "commodity" and compare with the principle as defined by Islam. According to capitalist theory, there is no difference between money and commodity in so far as commercial transactions are concerned. Both are treated at par and can be sold at whatever price parties agree upon. For them selling Sh100 for Sh110 is the same as selling a bag of rice costing Sh100 for Sh110. Islamic principles differ from the capitalist theory as money and commodity have different characteristics, for instance money has no intrinsic value but is only a measure of value or a medium of exchange, it is not capable of fulfilling human needs by itself, unless converted into a commodity.

A commodity can fulfil human needs directly, and two, can be of different quality while money has no differential quality in the sense that a new note of Sh1,000 is exactly equal in value and quality to an old note of Sh1,000 Also, commodities are transacted or sold by pinpointing the commodity in question or at least by giving certain specifications. Money however, cannot be pinpointed in a transaction of exchange. Even if it is, it would

197 be of no use since the different denominations of money summing into equal amount are exactly the same. It follows then that one would agree that exchanging Sh1,000 with Sh1,100 in a spot transaction would make no sense since the money in itself has no intrinsic utility or a specified quality and thus the excess of amount on either side is without consideration and hence not allowed under Shari'ah. The same would hold true if we were to exchange this Sh1,000 with Sh1,100 to be delivered after a period of one month, since the excess of Sh100 would be without any consideration of either any utility or quality but only against time.

The same is not true when commodities are involved. Since a commodity is known to possess an intrinsic value and quality, the owner of such a commodity is allowed to sell it at whatever price the buyer and himself mutually agree on, provided the seller does not commit a fraud but is subjected to the forces of demand and supply. This would hold true even if the price that is mutually agreed upon is higher than the prevailing market price.

Therefore, any excess amount charged against deferred payment is riba (interest) only where money is exchanged for money, since the excess charged is against nothing but time. Due to the dynamics in the current banking industry, the use of T Bill as a benchmark by Islamic banks in calculating the selling price of their commodities in Murabaha sale transactions is not only justified but necessary. Outlawing its use will lead to Islamic banks losing their competitiveness coupled with their low market share in the banking industry. T Bill as a benchmark to determine the profit is only for indicative purposes and this does not make the transaction impermissible, provided that all the conditions of a valid sale are fulfilled. If one looks at a normal market situation, every trader whether a large multinational trading corporation or a roadside store, decides on their profit margin rates based on various factors in the competitive environment in which they operate in.

Similar is the case with Islamic banks when they arrive at the selling price of the commodities using any known bench mark. In contrast conventional banks price their loans based on the T Bill, which does result in riba since it is an exchange between money and money and not a sale transaction in which commodities are changed with money. Questions are being asked whether Islamic banks could price their commodities by applying some other benchmark rate. The rationale behind using a known benchmark is that the banking environment is dominated by conventional banks. However, as more and more Islamic banks come into the operation, an inter-bank market between Islamic banks will be created and a new benchmark for the Islamic banking industry can be developed.

• Kenya: Celtel to Spend Sh25 Billion On Network Expansion: The Nation (Nairobi): 11 July 2008.

Celtel Kenya will spend Sh25 billion in the coming years towards expansion of its network infrastructure. "These investments will enable us provide quality services for our growing number of subscribers in Kenya," said new managing director, Mr Rene Meza, on Thursday. He made the remarks during the announcement of a new team that will

198 spearhead its growth agenda in the market that is gearing up for stiff competition. The industry is headed for cutthroat competition with the expected entry of Econnet Wireless and Telkom Kenya as other service providers.

According to Mr Meza, competition will be bench marked by quality service provision to subscribers. "The industry in Kenya has been growing over a period of time and the coming in of new players will require more value-addition from the side of service providers," said Mr Meza. With the impending entry of new players, firms are putting in place strategies to ensure their survival in a market that for the past eight years, has been a preserve of only two players. Celtel in recent months has introduced various products aimed at roping in more subscribers and retaining those that it has.

Some of the promotion services include free talk time as well as discounted calling rates in the evenings and weekends. Mr Meza, a Paraguayan, was previously the chief executive officer of TIGO, a Tanzanian mobile phone operator. Celtel in the last six months has seen a higher turnover of staff especially in the senior management ranks.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Consultations on Regional Monetary Union to Begin: The New Times (Kigali): 9 July 2008.

CONSULTATIONS on a comprehensive study of the proposed East African Monetary Union by 2012 will soon begin in the five East African countries.

Experts will conduct extensive studies to ascertain whether the East African Community could have a monetary union similar to that of the European Union by 2012. Speaking to The New Times from Arusha, Dr.Julius T. Rotich, the EAC Deputy Secretary General (Finance) said that the consultations are part of the implementation process of integration of economic, social and political arenas of the EAC.

The Arusha-based organisation is finalising the process of hiring reputable firms that are well conversant with monetary unifications to conduct thorough research on the possibility of a monetary union. Dr. Rotich said that the integration process has commenced with negotiations on the customs union and a common market. "To further expedite the pace of integration, the summit of the EAC Heads of State decided that the need to fast track the establishment of an EAC monetary union by 2010 should begin now and thereafter we can look forward to the EAC political federation whose consultations have already began," noted Rotich.

The consultations will be seeking to ascertain and confirm the current state of preparedness of a monetary union in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi, and also make proposals on the institutional framework and structure of the EAC Monetary Union. The study will also develop a model protocol of the EAC Monetary Union that will form the basis for negotiations among the partner states, the proposed EAC Monetary Institute and among other things, design a mechanism for monitoring and enforcement of macroeconomic convergence of the partner states. According to Dr.

199 Rotich, the consultation teams will also review the current macroeconomic situation in the region to determine whether there is a degree of convergence among the partner states, and if not, devise ways of creating a more effective and adequate path that will lead to a monetary union and convergence. Also to be studied are the available resources in the member countries, exchange rate volatility, proposed EAC Central Bank and the time frame required for each member state to be integrated. Consultations in the five EAC countries are set to begin in August 2008 before an interim report containing the findings and recommendations of the study is released in December 2008.

• Rwanda: House Approves Development Board: The New Times (Kigali): 10 July 2008.

Seven major foreign exchange generating agencies will soon come under one roof with a single management. The umbrella agency that will be called the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has been endorsed by the Cabinet meeting, revealed the State minister in charge of Industry and Investment Promotion Vincent Karega. The agencies to be joined are: Office of Rwanda Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN), Rwanda Commercial Registration Services Agency (RCRSA), Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency (RIEPA), Rwanda Information Technology Authority (RITA), Center for Support to Small and Medium Enterprise in Rwanda (CAPMER), Human Resource and Institutional Capacity Development Agency (HIDA) and the Privatisation Secretariat. Presenting the proposed bill for the establishment of the RDB before parliament, Karega said that merging the parastatals would ease the development of private entrepreneurs and speed up the process of registering and starting a business. He said that the main responsibility of the RDB will be to fast-track development activities by both the government and the private sector. "RDB will promote local and foreign direct investment and provide guidelines, analyse project proposals and follow-up on government decisions in line with public and private investments," said Karega.

According to the bill, the RDB will be headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who will also chair its board and management. The draft law establishing the highly structured parastatal also proposes that the CEO/ Board chair shall be appointed by a presidential order with a mandate of five years not renewable, while the deputy CEOs shall be appointed by an order of the Prime Minister. The RDB will be be supervised by the president's office. After presenting the proposed law establishing the RDB, Karega was overwhelmed by many questions from MPs who expressed worries that the RDB would be too big to be easily managed. "If a country can be managed effectively, why not an institution?" Karega quickly replied. He, however, added that feasibility studies and consultations have been carried out to ensure the effectiveness of the giant institution. Karega also assured MPs that Rwanda adopted the idea from countries with highly advanced economies, and that similar institutions have been set up in Singapore and Ireland which are currently leading the table of doing business worldwide.

Deputy Elysee Bisengimana proposed that the establishment of the institute be gradual starting with a few agencies. Bisengimana was backed by Deputy Anne Marie Kantengwa who said that some parastatals have been performing better than others and

200 that the best performers are likely to be affected by the poor performers. In his response, Karega said that that there was no time for a gradual process and that the poor performing agencies would now be exposed to high standards of competition which would improve their performance. Other MPs requested that more government parastatals be added to the umbrella agency. Gideon Kayinamura proposed that Rwanda Bureau of Standards be put under RDB, while Francis Kaboneka proposed the National Land Center. Minister Karega differed with the two MPs, saying there were criteria used to nominate agencies. MPs were satisfied with Karega's explanations and passed the bill establishing RDB.

22. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Senate FCT Probe Panel Says - El-Rufai Grossly Abused Office, Can't Account for N32 Billion: Daily Trust (Abuja): 11 July 2008.

Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Malam Nasir el-Rufai grossly abused his office during his four years as FCT minister and is not fit to hold any public office in the future, the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that investigated FCT administrations since 1999 declared yesterday.

It also said the former minister and his aides must be made to account for N32 billion being proceeds from the controversial sale of Federal Government-owned houses in Abuja, which they could not account for. The committee's interim report was laid on the floor of the Senate yesterday by its chairman, Senator Sodangi Abubakar Danso (PDP, Nasarawa West). Though its contents were not officially revealed, Daily Trust learnt that the committee said figures provided by the former minister regarding the proceeds of the sale of Federal Government houses and those provided by the banks did not tally. It therefore recommended an investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to establish the truth. Another important recommendation was that all plot allocations made by el-Rufai after the dissolution of the Federal Executive Council in May last year should be revoked because he was no longer the FCT minister at the time he made them. Similarly, the panel recommended the restoration to the NNPC of the title to the Lakeview Estate, which the former minister revoked and re-awarded to other people. Some of them were described by the committee as "fictitious" because though it summoned all of them to appear before it, only half did so, while the rest claimed they had traveled out of the country. Although the committee's report was laid on the table, the Senate did not take it up before it proceeded on a two months' recess yesterday.

However, Daily Trust learnt that the committee recommended that el-Rufai must be made to account for all the monies collected by various agencies which he established in Abuja, including the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) and the ad-hoc committee on sale of government properties in FCT. It said out of the N96.7 billion realized from sale of federal government properties in Abuja under el-Rufai, N34.2 billion was

201 deducted as "refunds and expenses incurred" leaving a balance of N62.19 billion. It however said, "The bank statements show only N29 billion, leaving a balance of N32 billion unaccounted for, despite all demands from him (el-Rufai) and his officers."

The committee also recommended the revocation of the sale of one of the Vice President's Guest Houses which it said the former minister sold to himself. It said, "The house he obtained for himself where he signed as lessor and lessee be revoked as a person cannot sell an item to himself." The report also said all officials of the FCTA that served under el-Rufai who were found to have disobeyed or ordered the disobedience of court orders should be prosecuted by the Attorney General of Federation.

While commenting on the personality of the former minister, the report berated his performance as a public office holder and also faulted the Senate's decision that confirmed el-Rufai as minister in 2003 saying, "Mallam Nasir el-Rufai is not a fit and proper person to hold public office in a democratic set up." But in a swift reaction to the report, Media Consultant to the former Minister, Mr. Goodluck Ebelo said despite the fact that el-Rufai was yet to see the report, the former minister did not engage in fraud while in office.

"Nasir El-Rufai wants to state without equivocation that he did not enrich himself by a kobo, and, to the best of his knowledge, neither did any of the officials involved in the sale of government houses as mandated by the federal cabinet. He discharged his duty with patriotic dedication and is proud of the worthy services he has rendered to the nation," Ebelo said. A source close to the committee also revealed that controversy trailed the submission of the committee's report as some members are yet to append their signatures owing to disagreement over some aspects of the findings and recommendations. "You know after what happened the other time when the interim report was leaked to the press, it was resolved that this report will not be allowed out. So it has not been circulated to senators yet, but I can tell you that there is no much difference with what was earlier published in the papers," the source said. It could be recalled that Senator Sodangi recently disowned a similar interim report in the media, which he said did not emanate from his committee.

• Liberian Leader Backs Targeted UN Sanctions: SW Radio Africa (London): 10 July 2008.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on Thursday broke ranks with fellow African leaders by backing targeted sanctions against members of Mugabe's regime. Speaking in South Africa Johnson-Sirleaf told reporters that the move would send a strong message of disapproval at what is happening in Zimbabwe. While most African leaders campaigned against targeted sanctions, claiming dialogue is taking place between the MDC and Zanu PF, the Liberian leader saw the need for maintaining the pressure. She also called for SADC to appoint a second mediator in the crisis, adding this had to be someone, 'recognized' and a 'high-profile personality.' Johnson-Sirleaf was in South Africa for the 6th Nelson Mandela annual lecture at Walter Sisulu square in Kliptown, Soweto.

202 The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote either Thursday or Friday on a US draft resolution calling for an arms embargo, travel restrictions and an asset freeze on members of Mugabe's inner-circle responsible for the violence. The US believes it already has the necessary 9 votes out of the 15 member UN Security Council, provided none of the 5 permanent members exercise their veto power. This leaves Russia and China as the only countries that could realistically scuttle the resolution. Ongoing discussions at the UN seem to indicate substantial support for the resolution, despite objections from the Russians about what they termed 'excessive' proposals in parts of the draft. Diplomats at the UN told Newsreel that Russia does not want to set a precedent where the world body takes on the role of certifying elections around the world. Given previous 'dodgy' elections there it might be a case of 'look, who's talking,' the diplomat said of Russia. Admore Tshuma, an expert in Transitional Justice, believes the resolution will go through. He does not think China will want to risk bringing attention to itself, given the upcoming Olympics. Tshuma also said Russia is playing a power-game with the Americans over their plans to set up a US radar base in the Czech Republic, and Zimbabwe might just be a pawn in negotiations.

Meanwhile the G8 summit in Japan this week resolved not to recognize Mugabe's government following the sham one-man presidential run-off on June 27. The group also called for a UN special envoy to be dispatched to Zimbabwe to compile reports on the humanitarian, human rights and security situation, while also assisting in the mediation effort. This was seen as a direct criticism of Mbeki's mediation efforts, because of his perceived bias towards Mugabe.

• Liberia: President Johnson Sirleaf Endorses Youth Non-Violent Resolution: Liberia Government (Monrovia): 9 July 2008.

Twenty-five high schools in the Monrovia area have signed a resolution calling for a non- violent approach as a means of seeking redress. In the resolution, the students said they will not support, nor participate in any direct or indirect form of violence as a means of bringing attention to, or addressing problems and/or dissatisfaction. The resolution also commits the students to promote, encourage and support civil measures such as continuous dialogue and constructive engagement among young people and students, in dealing with problems which may arise among students and authorities. The students pledged their personal and institutional commitment to fostering national programs and activities to put an end to all forms of violence among young citizens of Liberia.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who graced the ceremony, lauded students for their decision to denounce violence. The President urged the students to go beyond denouncing violence by making the resolution a part of their daily undertakings. The Liberian leader also urged the students to join Government in promoting the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). The President said it was important for students to understand Government's vision to tackle poverty. The Liberian leader encouraged students and other young people to study the document to hold Government accountable. She said the successful implementation of the Strategy is the responsibility of all Liberians. The President challenged the Ministry of Education to formulate programs involving students

203 to ensure that fora are organized in other parts of the country to guide successful implementation of the PRS. The Chief Executive assured students that Government will continue to prioritize education because it provides the best option for growth and development. Tuesday's signing ceremony at the William V.S. Tubman High School was attended by a cross section of students from several high schools throughout Monrovia and witnessed by Education Minister, Dr. Joseph Korto; MCSS Superintendent Victoria Duncan; as well as the principal of the William V.S. Tubman High School and Information Minister, Dr. Laurence Bropleh.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Russia, China Veto UN Sanctions on Mugabe: allAfrica.com: 12 July 2008.

Russia and China vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Friday which would have imposed an arms embargo against Zimbabwe and financial and travel sanctions on President Robert Mugabe and other key leaders of the country's ruling party. The resolution was proposed by the United States and backed by eight other countries, including Burkina Faso and European members of the council. South Africa, Libya and Vietnam joined Russia and China in voting against it. Indonesia abstained.

Speaking to UN correspondents after the vote on Friday, Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. permanent representative to the UN, launched an attack on South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki, charging him with "actions that appear to be protecting Mr Mugabe and to be working hand-in-glove with him at times." Khalilzad added: "While... Mugabe uses violent means to fragment and weaken the opposition, President Mbeki uses diplomacy in bringing factional leaders within the... opposition, to fragment the opposition by playing with the politics of the opposition." However, he said the U.S. was "encouraged by the trends that we see inside South Africa. I think he (Mbeki) is out of touch with the trends inside his own country."

Within the Security Council, Khalilzad accused Russia of reneging on the G8 statement on Zimbabwe which President Dmitry Medvedev signed up to earlier in the week. In the statement, the world's major industrialized nations declared: "We will take further steps, inter alia introducing financial and other measures against those individuals [in Zimbabwe] responsible for violence." Khalilzad said that Russia's "U-turn... is particularly surprising and disturbing... The Russian performance here today raises questions about its reliability as a G8 partner."

The resolution was supported by the United States, Britain, France, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Italy and Panama. Its supporters characterized it as a means of giving Zimbabwe's rulers "incentives" to negotiate a power-sharing deal with Morgan Tsvangirai, whose party won the highest number of votes in Zimbabwe's March 29 presidential and parliamentary elections. They said sanctions could be lifted in response to progress in talks. Opponents said the situation in Zimbabwe did not meet the standards for sanctions stipulated in Chapter VII of the UN Charter - that it was a threat to international peace and security. China's representative, Wang Guangya, told journalists

204 the resolution would have been "counter-productive" to African-led talks to resolve the crisis. "We count on the efforts of the Africans," he said.

Speaking against the resolution during the council meeting, Angola said it could exacerbate conflict on the ground and complicate dialogue. Tanzania asked the council to give a chance to the talks set in motion by last week's African Union resolution before adopting a "punitive option." Zimbabwe's UN representative, Boniface Chidyausiku, told reporters after the vote that "the UN has stuck to the Charter. If the resolution had proceeded, it was going to impede the process of negotiations." He ascribed the resolution to "the arrogance of the Americans, that they can rule the world. They can't."

• Zimbabwe: Government Raps G8 Sanctions Call: The Herald (Harare): 9 July 2008.

THE Group of Eight yesterday ignored African and Russian calls not to impose more sanctions on Zimbabwe and said they would put in place "financial measures" against the country in a move that has been described by Government as smacking of "international racism". The G8 resolution made in Japan yesterday claimed Zimbabwe's Government was "illegitimate" despite the fact that President Mugabe polled over two million votes in the June 27 presidential run-off election against MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai's less than 250 000 votes. Though they avoided the word sanctions in their statement on Zimbabwe, they referred to "financial measures", and vowed to press the United Nations to take action against the country.

"We will take further steps, inter alia introducing financial and other measures against those individuals responsible for the violence," they said. They added that they wanted Government to "work with the opposition", albeit on the basis of the March 29 harmonised elections that did not produce a winner in the presidential race. The G8 resolution also seeks to subvert South African President Thabo Mbeki's mediation between Zimbabwe's main political parties by imposing another mediator -- who they called a special UN envoy -- in the inter-party talks.

The Minister of Information and Publicity, Cde Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, yesterday slammed the decision as an attempt to override the will of the people who voted on June 27, as well as that of African heads of state who endorsed President Mbeki's mediation at last week's African Union Summit held in Egypt. "The G8 has refused to listen to Africa. A number of African countries have tried to talk to them and make them understand the African Union's position on Zimbabwe but they have disregarded it all.

"African leaders who were invited to the G8 Summit, such as President (Abdoulaye) Wade of Senegal and President (Jakaya) Kikwete of Tanzania, said they could not support sanctions but they (the G8) have gone ahead and passed a resolution calling for sanctions at the UN. "For them to say that Zimbabwe's Government and President Mugabe's election are not legitimate is an attempt to impose a government on the people of Zimbabwe against their will. Our Constitution required that we hold a run-off and we did that accordingly. Morgan Tsvangirai probably did not understand what a run-off was

205 and instead ran off to the Dutch Embassy. "But the people went out and voted, including for Tsvangirai, and President Mugabe won and has been sworn in as the Head of State," he said. "As such," Cde Ndlovu said, "the G8 resolution is ultimately of no consequence. Nowhere in international law is there provision for a group of countries to sit down as a private club and decide the legitimacy of governments in sovereign states. This is international racism."

On the matter of President Mbeki's mediation, Cde Ndlovu said Zimbabwe would proceed with the South African leader's facilitation as resolved by the AU and Sadc. "This issue is a non-starter. Why do they want to impose another mediator? President Mbeki has proved his mettle as an African statesman par excellence and so we will follow the AU and Sadc position on this." At the AU Summit in Egypt, African heads of state resolved that President Mbeki should continue with his mediation efforts without unnecessary meddling from outsiders. Seven leaders from the continent invited to the G8 Summit had earlier tried to impress on the United States, Britain and their allies that sanctions would not help Zimbabwe in any way. President Wade of Senegal yesterday held meetings with some G8 leaders in attempt to make them understand Africa's position. He told AFP yesterday that he had asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy in separate meetings for the G8 leaders at least to delay sanctions if they insist on imposing them to allow for dialogue among Zimbabwean political parties. Earlier, Presidents Mbeki and Kikwete had also done the same thing but their calls were ignored.

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said elements of the US draft were "quite excessive" and clearly "in conflict with the notion of sovereignty" of a UN member state. He was quoted by AFP questioning whether Zimbabwe's case amounted to a threat to international peace and security. The other African countries represented at the G8 Summit were Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana and Nigeria, who said sanctions "may lead to internal conflict in Zimbabwe". The US and its allies pushed through the resolution as a means of putting pressure on the UN Security Council to also slap sanctions on Zimbabwe. The US introduced a draft resolution calling for sanctions before the Security Council that would then legitimise the economic embargo America already has in place against the country.

The Security Council is expected to debate the draft this week. In South Africa, Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband received a cool response from his South African counterpart Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to his calls for sanctions against Zimbabwe as the pair held talks yesterday. Dlamini-Zuma said at a joint Press conference that Pretoria saw talks between Zimbabwe's ruling party and the opposition as the best way to resolve the country's problems. She expressed little enthusiasm for sanctions. "Our leaders are currently meeting in Japan at the G8 meeting and they have expressed reservations on sanctions and so we will take if from there," she said. "South Africa has always maintained that an inclusive government that will reflect the diversity and the will of the people" was the best way to tackle the country's problems, she added. The G8 is comprised of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the US.

206 • Zimbabwe: Unity Talks Begin in SA As UN Security Council Weighs Sanctions Vote: Business Day (Johannesburg): 11 July 2008.

The negotiations between Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu (PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) got under way at an undisclosed venue in SA yesterday while the United Nations Security Council prepared to vote on tougher mandatory sanctions against the country. Sources close to the negotiation process were reluctant to divulge information about the talk's agenda yesterday, saying the facilitating team was only pleased that the parties had finally come together even though they were poles apart about the preconditions of starting the talks.

President Robert Mugabe has demanded that MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai should first accept that he was the duly elected leader of Zimbabwe based on the June 27 elections, while Tsvangirai has demanded that the facilitators use his victory at the March 29 elections as the foundation for the talks to proceed. Business Day also understood that Pretoria had reservations about the proposed UN S ecurity Council resolution that includes tightening sanctions, which is believed to be "ignoring" the African Union (AU) summit resolution on Zimbabwe. The AU had endorsed President Thabo Mbeki as a facilitator and also called for a negotiated and an all-inclusive settlement for a government of national unity. The AU said in Egypt last week that no party in Zimbabwe would be able to secure an ever-lasting peace without the involvement of outside parties. SA is expected to oppose the resolution on the ground that it could harden the attitudes of the targeted parties including Mugabe, the top Zanu (PF) leadership and some government and army officials. SA was expected to argue at the Security Council that the AU resolution be given a chance by the international community. The South African representative on the Security Council is also expected to demand that the council's resolution "must not just take into account the AU summit resolution but also engage some of the elements it raised effectively". "The views of the African leaders representing 53 countries with a population totalling 800-million cannot be totally ignored as if the AU summit in Egypt never happened ... if they (the UN Security Council) go on and pass the resolution without proper and due consideration of the continent's sentiments as expressed in Egypt, it would be as if we are still slaves and our views do not matter," a diplomatic source said. SA was also said not to be opposed to the expansion of the facilitation team as proposed by the MDC and supported by the UK government. But Pretoria was said to be pushing for the recognition of Mbeki as having final responsibility for the process.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Tanzania: Pinda Rejects Talk of Zanzibar Sovereignty: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 11 July 2008.

Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda yesterday reiterated his stance that Zanzibar is not a sovereign country, rejecting the Isles' Attorney-General's assertion that he may have erred in his earlier interpretation of its status. Mr Pinda, for a second time in a week, told Parliament in Dodoma that Zanzibar "cannot be a country outside the United Republic of

207 Tanzania". The Prime Minister maintained that what he had said earlier in the week was correct, arguing that it was backed by relevant sections of the constitutions of both Zanzibar and the United Republic of Tanzania. He was answering a question by the leader of opposition in Parliament, Mr Hamad Rashid Mohammed, during the Prime Minister's question session. Mr Mohammed, the Civic United Front (CUF) MP for Wawi in Pemba, had asked Mr Pinda to give the Union Government's response to AG Iddi Pandu Hassan, who told the Isles' House of Representatives on Tuesday that Zanzibar is, indeed, a country.

Mr Pandu had told the representatives that Mr Pinda had erred by saying that Zanzibar was not a country and could, therefore, not exercise sovereignty outside the Union Government. According to Mr Pandu, the Prime Minister either had a slip of the tongue or misinterpreted the constitutional provisions. "The Prime Minister slipped a bit like many other human beings but he knows that Zanzibar is a country save for his translation of English words into Kiswahili that confuse nation and state," Mr Pandu said to thunderous applause in the House. Mr Pandu said Zanzibar is a country with full constitutional authority to exercise its powers. He said that Mr Pinda had only mixed up the words nation and State. "Mr Speaker, I would like to allay fears among the representatives and the public by stating that Zanzibar is a country, according to the Constitution. Our colleague, the Prime Minister, merely slipped on the issue," Mr Pandu said. The Attorney-General said that following the unification of the former Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the latter retained its authority as a country and state that was independent but without a separate nationhood.

He said that as a consequence of the union, Zanzibar lost its nationhood, as did Tanganyika, when the founding fathers of the two countries, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Sheikh Abedi Karume, decided to enter into the arrangement. Yesterday, Mr Pinda insisted that he was the one on the right and asked that the attorneys-general of the Union Government and Zanzibar to meet and address any constitutional confusion that may have arisen. The Prime Minister said the controversy surrounding the issue might have arisen from the interpretation of the language used in the provisions of the constitution as to whether Zanzibar is a sovereign state, nation or country. "I think the controversy originates from interpretation of the clauses. It might be better for the attorneys-general from both sides to sit down and look into the matter, and, if it is necessary, forward the issue to the constitutional court for clarification," Mr Pinda said.

"I have keenly followed up the hot debate that transpired in the Zanzibar House of Representatives over the statement I made last week on the status of Zanzibar within the United Republic of Tanzania," he said. "Chapter One, Sections 1 and 2 sub-section 1 of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania state that Tanzania is one state and is a sovereign united republic, and that its territory consists of the whole area of Tanzania Mainland and the whole areas of Tanzania Zanzibar and includes the territorial waters," he added. "Chapter One, Section 1 and 2 sub-section 1 of the Zanzibar Constitution states that Zanzibar is part of the United Republic of Tanzania, and consists of Unguja and Pemba Isles with all other surrounding isles, which before the union, were part of the People's Republic of Zanzibar." The Premier went on to quote Chapter 9, Sections 1 and

208 2 of the Zanzibar Constitution, which states that Zanzibar is a democratic country with full fledged social rights and its authority originate from the public." Last Tuesday, members of the House of Representatives from both the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), and the opposition Civic United Front (CUF) disagreed with Mr Pinda's interpretation of the issue and demanded that the Zanzibar Government clarify their country's status.

The minister of State in the Chief Minister's Office, Mr Hamza Hassan Juma, was among those angered by Mr Pinda's remark that Zanzibar was not an independent country outside the Union Government within which it can only exercise its sovereignty. Mr Juma warned that people issuing statements that undermine Zanzibar's sovereignty would come to regret it. Zanzibar, he added, was a state like any other in the world. The heated contributions during the Isles' Budget debate, which echoed the deep-seated suspicions in the Union, forced the Zanzibar Attorney-General to come up with a statement clarifying the position.

During the debate, the members called for constitutional amendments, which would also recognise the Zanzibar's President as the Vice-President in the Union Government. Currently, President Amani Abedi Karume of Zanzibar is not the Union Government's Vice-President. Dr Mohamed Shein, who was President Jakaya Kikwete's running mate in the 2005 General Election, holds that position.

Contributing to the Budget of the President's Office on the Constitution and Good Governance, the Zanzibar representatives said that constitutionally, there is no country called "Tanzania" but the "United Republic of Tanzania", as a result of the unification of Zanzibar and Tanganyika. A nominated representative, Mr Ali Mzee Ali, said that Zanzibar is a state and "will continue to be a state forever". He said statements referring to Zanzibar as not a state "are in bad taste and could lead to the break-up of the union. "I have heard unusual statements, including that of the Prime Minister, who said Zanzibar is not a state yet the Constitution of Zanzibar says in chapter two that "Zanzibar shall be a state and it will always be," said Mr Ali, to applause from fellow representatives.

He cautioned against statements referring to Zanzibar as not being a state. "I don't want to witness Zanzibar breaking away from the union since there are many counties that united like us but didn't last long," added Mr Ali. Mr Ali said that the Republic of Tanzania came into being after the Zanzibar Revolution of January 12, 1964, which formed Zanzibar as a sovereign state. It was later united with the Tanganyika to form Tanzania, with Mwalimu Nyerere as the President and Sheikh Karume, as the Vice-President. He said that as a state, Zanzibar has a President, a House of Representatives, and a judiciary, which are the criteria of a sovereign state.

23. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS

WEST AFRICA

209 • Nigeria: EU to Spend N7.7 Billion On Niger-Delta: Daily Trust (Abuja): 10 July 2008.

The European Union (EU) has given a nod for the release of N7.7 billion (€45.5 million) to support the implementation of projects in the Niger Delta region. A statement in Abuja yesterday by the Embassy of France said the approved money will be implemented under the EU's micro projects programme in Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, Edo, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Abia and Imo states. The EU previously financed two earlier schemes worth €63 million in the region.

The French Embassy, which is celebrating the start of the ascension of France as EU president, stated that the programme will contribute to the reduction of social tension and conflicts in the Niger Delta. The new programme, EU MPP9, which will start this year, will partner with federal, state and local governments to reach more communities and would be financed under the 9th European development Fund, supported by the 27 EU member states.

The programme is managed by the National Planning Commission in collaboration with the European Commission and will be implemented through technical assistance and Civil Society Organisations in the nine states.The programme will focus on supporting the reform processes of government to ensure a transparent and accountable poverty reduction process, enhancing effective and efficient service delivery at the grassroots in consistence with the recently approved Niger Delta Master Plan. The areas of support would include provision of infrastructural services, income generation options, sustainable livelihoods development, gender equity and community empowerment.

The involvement of the local governments in funding the micro-projects will enhance impact and sustainability, the statement said. The project works directly with disadvantaged communities who decide on the type of micro-projects that have their highest priority, and then implement them with the support of local NGOs. The project will be launched in Abuja on the occasion of the expected visit of Mr. Louis Michel, the EU Commissioner for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Lays Down Talks Conditions: allAfrica.com: 10 July 2008.

Zimbabwean political leader Morgan Tsvangirai has characterised Thursday's meeting between representatives of his party and the ruling Zanu-PF as talks about talks. The meeting, being held in Pretoria, South Africa was "solely to present the conditions under which genuine negotiations can take place," Tsvangirai said in a statement issued Thursday night. "No... Negotiations can take place while the Zanu-PF regime continues to wage war on my party and the people of Zimbabwe," he added. Tsvangirai, who heads the Movement for Democratic Change, listed five conditions that would have to be met before the MDC would join negotiations with Zanu-PF:

210 -- An immediate end to violence and "the withdrawal and disbanding of militia groups, paramilitary camps and illegal road blocks"; -- The release of political prisoners, an end to political persecution and "allowing the currently-besieged MDC leadership to conduct business and travel without hindrance"; -- Humanitarian organizations had to be allowed to provide food, medicines and other aid throughout the country. -- Parliament and the Senate had to be sworn in and begin work; -- A permanent African Union envoy should join President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa (who is distrusted by the MDC) as a mediator in talks.

• Zimbabwe: Zanu-PF, MDC Talks Under Way in South Africa: The Herald (Harare): 11 July 2008.

Negotiators from Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations were meeting in Pretoria, South Africa, yesterday as the political parties continue the dialogue which Sadc and the African Union have recommended they undertake to resolve Zimbabwe's problems.

MDC secretary-general and his deputy Priscilla Misihairabwi- Mushonga flew to Pretoria on Tuesday while MDC-T representatives - national chairman and Secretary-general - flew out yesterday morning. Zanu- PF is being represented by Cde Patrick Chinamasa, who is also the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, and Cde Nicholas Goche, the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.

MDC spokesman Edwin Mushoriwa confirmed yesterday that the party's delegation was in South Africa. "They left on Tuesday and as we speak they are now in Pretoria. We are still to get the finer details of what has so far transpired," said Mushoriwa.

AFP quoted a source it said was close to the negotiations confirming that the talks were already underway. MDC-T spokesman , however, preferred to call the Pretoria talks preparatory. "Dialogue has not yet started except that there have been consultations on the parameters, modus operandi and mechanisms of the dialogue. We hope that dialogue is going to start after the African Union and Sadc have put clear trajectory in resolving the national challenges," said Chamisa. "The consultations would be held in and outside Zimbabwe and whatever contacts currently taking place are within the view of laying these parameters," he said.

The resumption of the talks yesterday followed the relaxation of Biti's bail conditions by the High Court to allow him to attend the South African-facilitated talks. Biti is facing charges of treason, publishing falsehoods and causing disaffection among the defence forces. His application for relaxation of bail was premised on the need for the politician to attend the talks, which were initially scheduled to start on Wednesday. The talks are going ahead at a time when Britain and the United States are pressing on with their intentions to have the United Nations slap Zimbabwe with more sanctions despite the objections of African leaders who are backing the dialogue route.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

211 • Sudan: Ban Deplores 'Unacceptable' Attack On UN Peacekeepers in North Darfur: UN News Service (New York): 9 July 2008.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned a deadly attack on the joint United Nations-African Union force in Darfur that killed seven peacekeepers and wounded twenty-two, seven of them critically. The attack on the peacekeeping mission, known as UNAMID, occurred yesterday at approximately 2:45 pm local time, when a joint police and military patrol was ambushed by unidentified militia between Gusa Jamat and Wadah in North Darfur.

The attackers used heavy weapons and engaged the UNAMID convoy in an exchange of fire for more than two hours. "The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest possible terms this unacceptable act of extreme violence against AU-UN peacekeepers in Darfur and calls on the Government of Sudan to do its utmost to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice," his spokesperson said in a statement.

Mr. Ban also expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the peacekeepers who lost their lives. UNAMID has been in place since the beginning of this year to try to end the conflict that has raged in the Western Sudanese region since 2003, pitting rebels against Government forces and allied Arab militiamen, known as the Janjaweed. An estimated 300,000 people have died, either through direct combat or because of disease, malnutrition or reduced life expectancy, over the past five years in Darfur. Some 2.7 million people are now displaced, with many living across the border in eastern Chad.

Mr. Ban "calls on all parties to respect their agreements, to redouble their efforts to ensure the safety and integrity of the peacekeeping force and reach a comprehensive settlement to the crisis in Darfur as soon as possible," the statement added. He also reiterated his appeal to Member States to provide all necessary support to UNAMID, which currently has around 10,000 troops and police officers on the ground in Darfur, still far short of the expected total of about 26,000 when the mission reaches full deployment. It is also lacking key capacities in air transport, particularly helicopters. Yesterday's attack follows an incident just last month in which a UN staff member was abducted by armed Arab militiamen in West Darfur, and then assaulted and stripped of his belongings before eventually being released. Also in West Darfur, four UNAMID peacekeepers were ambushed by a group of 60 armed men in May.

• Uganda: Officials Head to Sudan for Meeting With LRA Leaders Over Stalled Talks: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 10 July 2008.

A Ugandan government delegation is heading for Ri-Kwangba in southwestern Sudan to meet the leaders of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in a fresh attempt to convince them to sign a peace deal, officials said. Deputy leader of the government negotiating team, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Henry Okello Oryem, told IRIN by phone on 10 July that the meeting was scheduled for 12 and 13 July.

212 "Our aim is to give [LRA leader] Joseph Kony the opportunity to understand further the contents of the final agreement - which he said he did not understand fully and the justice system proposed thereunder". "We hope that after the meeting Kony will immediately be in a position to sign because we do not see any reason why he would not sign," he said.

The LRA has said in the past that it did not understand the contents of the draft peace treaty, which indicates that criminal proceedings against LRA leaders accused of war crimes would take place inside Uganda, rather than at the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued indictments on war crime charges against Kony and some of his colleagues. Talks began in mid-2006, under the mediation of the South Sudanese government, to end a more than two-decade-old war that has displaced close to two million people in northern Uganda and left tens of thousands dead, mutilated or abducted by the rebels. Several protocols were agreed during the talks, but Kony failed to show up as expected to sign a Final Peace Agreement in April. "Negotiations will not be re- opened but we shall use the meeting to clarify a few issues so that the LRA can sign the agreement," said Oryem, adding that the mediators, including South Sudan Vice- President Riek Machar, will attend.

Appeal for "commitment"

Vicar-General of Gulu Catholic Archdiocese Monsignor Matthew Odongo, speaking on behalf of religious leaders in the war-affected north who have been key players in the peace process, appealed for a commitment from both parties for the good of the suffering people. "We strongly urge both parties to take this opportunity and embrace dialogue. The military option has already failed and we think that this current effort should be motivated by honesty and sincerity from all and for the good of peace and development," he said by phone from Gulu, one of the areas most affected by the war. "Joseph Kony should be open to dialogue and take this golden opportunity. Negotiations were completed and what remains now is the commitment from both parties. We urge the two parties not to misuse this ray of hope for our people who have borne the brunt of the war all this long," he added.

• Sudan: Initial UN Probe Underway Into Attack On Darfur Peacekeepers: UN News Service (New York): 10 July 2008.

The United Nations has launched an initial enquiry into Tuesday's attack on the joint UN- African Union force in Darfur, which resulted in the deaths of seven peacekeepers, a spokesperson for the world body said today. In addition to the five Rwandan peacekeepers and two police officers - one from Ghana and the other from Uganda - that were killed, 19 others - and not 22 as initially reported - were wounded when a patrol from the force, known as UNAMID, came under attack in North Darfur. "A preliminary fact-finding investigation is underway, which will be followed by an official investigation," UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters. UNAMID reports that seven of its vehicles were removed by the attackers. Two other vehicles were burnt and an armoured personnel carrier was vandalized. The joint UNAMID military and police team was on a patrol to conduct an investigation into the killing of civilians in the area

213 when they came under attack. The perpetrators were onboard 40 vehicles mounted with heavy machine guns, anti-aircraft weaponry and recoilless weapons, the mission said. During the attack, the team was engaged in a heavy and sustained fire, which lasted for about three hours, resulting in the loss of lives and severe injuries. The attack received widespread condemnation from UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who condemned what he called an "unacceptable act of extreme violence against AU-UN peacekeepers in Darfur." Mr. Ban called on the Government of Sudan to do its utmost to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice, in a statement issued yesterday.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Monuc Deny the Personal Remarks of One of Its Unit Commanders in North Kivu: United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa): 10 July 2008.

MONUC received evidence, according to which, in mid-April 2008, right before the end of his service in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), an officer of the Indian contingent commanding a blue helmets base in North-Kivu allegedly made a public statement in Kitchanga, in which he expressed his personal sympathy towards an armed group, the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), and its leader, Laurent Nkunda.

By this unacceptable declaration which is completely contrary to the spirit and letter of the mandate of United Nations peacekeepers, this blue helmet, in an obvious way, failed in his duty of impartiality and acted in total contradiction to the Security Council resolutions relating to MONUC and its mandate. His action, as he later recognized himself, was made completely independent of his commanders and the hierarchy of the United Nations Mission in the DRC. As soon as these facts became known, MONUC required the immediate opening of an investigation by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS). MONUC also contacted the high ranking authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to express, in the firmest manner, its total repudiation of the declarations and the regrettable personal behaviour of this officer. MONUC also reiterated to the DRC authorities the engagement of the United Nations to continue to work tirelessly alongside them, for the restoration of peace and security in all the country's provinces.

In the event of confirmation of the facts which were reported, MONUC intends to take all the necessary measures so that this officer is sanctioned in accordance with the procedures in force, for his serious deficiencies in his capacity as a peacekeeper after being delegated with authority by the mission. MONUC also reaffirms its determination to guarantee the strict respect, by all its personnel, of the principles of ethics and impartiality in the exercise of their mandate.

• Burundi: Rebel Group Slowing Peace Process, Says Government: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 10 July 2008.

214 Burundi's government has accused the rebel Palipehutu-Forces for National Liberation (FNL) of recruiting new combatants and delaying the peace process by insisting on political recognition before cantonment. "The Palipehutu-FNL is not respecting the ceasefire accord by demanding legalisation [as a] political party before combatants assemble," government spokeswoman Hafsa Mossi told a news conference in the capital, Bujumbura on 9 July.

"Article 2 of the 18 June 2006 accord says the Palipehutu shall not demand to be legalised in compliance with the law before separating [its] political branch from the military one," the spokesperson said. The group, she added, was recruiting new combatants. "The accord stipulates that after implementation of the ceasefire, parties should not enroll supplementary forces," Mossi said. "This constitutes preparation for resumption of hostilities." However, FNL leader Agaton Rwasa denied recruiting new combatants. "We are not recruiting more combatants; it is even difficult to feed those we already have," he said.

On 6 July, Rwasa called for a referendum on Burundi's constitution, saying it had shortcomings and needed to be changed. "The constitution, like, some other laws in Burundi, contains serious shortcomings," he told a news conference in Bujumbura. "Many legal texts are exclusive." Constitutional amendments would allow the group to gain political status and circumvent the government position that it cannot be recognised because its name contains the word "hutu". The government, however, said the FNL had not yet requested recognition. "The interior minister has not yet received any request for legalisation from the Palipehutu FNL," Evariste Ndayishimiye, government representative in the mediation process, said. "If he [Rwasa] looks for the legalisation of his movement before separating military and political elements, it means he wants to resume war and Burundians will react," Ndayishimiye added.

Separate programmes

Rwasa returned to Burundi on 30 May after years of exile in Tanzania and has since denounced rebellion. Before his return, he signed an agreement with the government, committing his group to end rebellion.

That pact, Ndayishimiye said, specified that the FNL would separate its political programmes from military activities. "The Dar es Salaam ceasefire accord recommends the separation of forces," he told IRIN. At the news conference, Rwasa called for food donations for combatants who had refused to be cantoned. These combatants, he added, had declined to be cantoned because they wanted to know what positions their leaders would receive from the government. "Failure to share will prompt Burundi back to war," he said. At least 150 FNL fighters assembled at Rugazi at the start of cantonment on 16 June. Others were to assemble at Rukoko in Gihanga Commune. The FNL has, however, said more sites are needed to accommodate its 15,000 combatants. Other sources say they number 3,000.

Continuing talks

215 Meanwhile, talks between the FNL and the government have continued through the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JVMM), aimed at ending years of political crisis. Among other requests, the government has urged the FNL to forward the list of its combatants to the JVMM and proposed 12 July as the day for cantonment. The FNL, however, has yet to agree to this date. This position is supported by advocacy groups. "The issue of political legalisation is not one that should be given priority, but moves to canton, integrate and demobilise FNL combatants," spokesperson for the Coalition of Human Rights Organisations, Diomède Ninteretse, said. The FNL last attacked Bujumbura's suburbs in May, leaving 33 people dead and at least 20,000 displaced. But observers have hailed the fact that the guns have remained silent since Rwasa's return, saying it could signal the end of Burundi's conflict. "If ever the odds were in favour of the completion of the Burundi peace process it is now," said Henri Boshoff of the Africa security analysis programme of the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria. "The UN, AU, the facilitators and the international community must continue to put pressure on all parties for the implementation and completion of the process."

• Congo-Kinshasa: Pacifying Ituri - Achievements And Challenges Ahead: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 8 July 2008.

The pacification of Ituri, a region in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) badly affected by conflict, has been a long and arduous process. Much has been achieved over recent years but, as analysts and officials involved point out, the region is not yet out of the woods. Since the first of three disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programmes started in 2004 some 25,000 combatants and 10,000 children have been demobilised. Thousands of weapons have been collected. Programmes have been set up to help former fighters revert to civilian life. Hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians have returned to their homes.

But some small armed groups, splinters of the Front des nationalistes integrationistes (FNI) and of the Forces de résistance patriotique en Ituri (FRPI), did not take part in the latest programme. Since the completion of the third DDR programme in October 2007 several FNI leaders have surrendered, leaving only a few commanders and around 100 men, now considered criminal rather than military threats. The FRPI, on the other hand, is "reportedly recruiting new combatants and being resupplied with weapons," according to the latest report on DRC, sent in April 2008, by the UN secretary-general to the Security Council.

The group "maintains an operational capacity that allows it to launch hit-and-run operations against FARDC [The DRC army]. Clashes have halted returns of internally displaced persons in parts of Ituri... The fragile security situation poses a serious threat to the strengthening of community reintegration and recovery processes in some areas of Ituri.," the report said. FRPI groups are estimated to comprise some 500 men.

Reintegration problematic

216 Many of the former fighters who have disarmed, especially children, have not been properly reintegrated into civilian society - and with the authority of the state, in the view of some analysts, yet to be fully restored in Ituri, many civilians still feel a need to keep weapons. Between 1999 and 2003, Ituri was the theatre of a particularly bloody sideshow of DRC's wider civil war. Fighting between different communities mobilised into numerous armed groups killed some 50,000 civilians and prompted a large proportion of the region's population to flee their homes. Access to many areas of Ituri was impossible for humanitarian workers and civilians alike.

The first DDR campaigns may have succeeded in disarming large numbers of these fighters but, as Jonas Mfouatie, who heads the UN's Development Programme in Ituri, told IRIN, the reintegration component fell short. "The third phase of the DDR [which UNDP coordinated] has been largely successful but we have about 12,000 ex-combatants from the first and second phases who did not receive anything at all by the time the programme was suspended," he said in Ituri's main town, Bunia. "We know that the government has signed on to resume the programme but this will take time. What happens to these people in the meantime?" Over recent years many fighters have returned to armed groups because they were not all given the necessary help to resume civilian life.

Improved access

Mfouatie pointed out that thanks to DDR, most parts of Ituri were now accessible and that many civilians were safely able to work their farms, providing a boost to food security. "The district now has more schools, more shopping centres and health centres, and economic activities have resumed across much of Ituri" he told IRIN. The UNDP official also explained that the third DDR phase differed from its predecessors in that it included efforts to disarm civilian communities. "We have adopted a community security approach whereby we conduct a diagnosis to help us identify what the population considers to be the factors of risk for them," he said. "We call it 'freedom from fear'." According to David Mugnier, the Central Africa project director of the International Crisis Group, which in May 2008 published an extensive report http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=5425&l=2 (in French) on Ituri, the third DDR programme (ending in October 2007) was "better conceived in trying to associate communities on the ground, to make them benefit from reinsertion and therefore more inclined to take fighters back." "Our assessment is that there is still a lot to be done to disarm local communities," he added.

Government mistrusted

"People have not surrendered weapons because the level of reconciliation is still very low. This was an inter-communal war from the beginning and people still don't feel secure. This is largely because the state is still absent in a way. "Until recently, the security forces, the police and army, were also a source of insecurity. That didn't inspire people who saw them as enemies, that it was time to disarm," said Mugnier. He added that another disincentive to disarm among the Ngiti community, who predominate in the

217 FRPI, was their current ready access to mining resources and their lack of trust in the authorities to manage these properly. Ituri is rich in resources such as gold, timber, coltan, diamonds and possibly oil. "The government is notorious for its corruption. There is no vision to establish the management required in a post-conflict situation," he warned.

Demobilising children

One major challenge of DDR in Ituri is what to do about former child fighters. Since the DDR programmes started in Ituri in 2004, at least 25,000 combatants and 10,000 children have been demobilised "If one [child] tells you, 'I want to be a tailor,' if in his village there are only a few people, after a short while he will run out of a market for his products, then what? He will become susceptible to re-recruitment into the militia groups," the official said. "Some militia leaders have said they do not go looking for the children to recruit; the children go to them in search of something to eat and something to occupy them", he said. Programmes to reintegrate some 5,000 former child soldiers are now run by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) working with COOPI (an Italian NGO), Save the Children-UK and local NGOs.

When DDR3 began, far fewer children than expected enrolled for such programmes. "We suspect that instead of letting the children come out through this channel, the militias just chased them away," Francine Shindano Mangaza, a child protection officer for UNICEF in Bunia, told IRIN. "As a result, a lot of children just found their way back to the community unofficially. These are the ones that COOPI is now dealing with after an identification process through the help of the local community." Some 10,000 child soldiers demobilised under the first two DDR programmes have not taken part in any reinsertion projects, in many cases because they have since reached adulthood and therefore become ineligible. The first suspect to come before the International Criminal Court, Ituri militia leader Thomas Lubanga, faces charges related to the alleged forced recruitment of children, which is considered a war crime under international law.

• Rwanda: Security Council Lifts Arms Embargo: UN News Service (New York): 10 July 2008.

The United Nations Security Council today lifted an arms embargo originally imposed after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, and dissolved the committee tasked with monitoring compliance with the sanctions. Welcoming the entry into force of the Pact on Security, Stability and Development in Africa's Great Lakes Region, the Council voted unanimously to end the prohibition on the supply of arms and weapons for use in Rwanda, contained in resolution 1011 (1995). In the resolution adopted today, the Council stressed the need for States in the region to ensure that arms and related materiel delivered to them were not diverted to or used by illegal armed groups. The 15-member body also recalled a 2007 communiqué between the Governments of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as well as the outcome of a conference on peace and security in North and South Kivu in DRC, which it said "together represent a major step towards the restoration of lasting peace and stability in the Great Lakes region."

218 24. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Militants Threaten to Attack UK Interests: This Day (Lagos): 11 July 2008.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has threatened that it will from midnight of Saturday call off its four-week old unilateral ceasefire in reaction to the pledge of military support to the Federal Government allegedly made by British Prime Minister, Mr. Gordon Brown. Brown had told journalists at the G8 summit in Japan that his country would help Nigeria "deal with lawlessness" in the region - a statement that MEND believes means military action. The militants threatened that British interests and citizens in Nigeria would be in danger if Brown went ahead to provide military support "for the continued suppression and marginalisation of the region through destruction of lives and environment".

MEND, in an e-mail signed by Gbomo Jomo, said they were going to hurt the interest of Britain which it accused of causing the problem that is currently haunting the country through its "divide and rule tactics which favoured a section of the country". The militant group claimed it was irked that at the G8 summit, Brown offered to help Nigeria militarily in the Niger Delta which they claimed amounted to lending a hand to the Nigerian government "to further the violation of their human rights. They decried the impression being painted that the problem in the Niger Delta stemmed from oil thieves in the region, pointing out that it was common knowledge that the region was neglected for over 50 years of oil exploration and degradation of the environment.

The statement read: "The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) wishes to sound a stern warning to the British Prime Minister, Mr. Gordon Brown, over his recent statement offering to provide military support to the illegal government of Umaru Yar'Adua in further oppressing the impoverished people of the Niger Delta. "To demonstrate our seriousness to the UK support of an injustice, MEND will be calling off its unilateral ceasefire with effect from midnight, Saturday July 12, 2008. "The United Kingdom is part of this problem with the politics it played pre- independence that gave leverage to some sections of the country which has helped in marginalising and exploiting the region today. "Should Gordon Brown make good his threat to support this criminality for the sake of oil, UK citizens and interests in Nigeria will suffer the consequence." Despite widespread advice against a military action, more soldiers have been deployed in the region, THISDAY investigation has revealed. Most of the soldiers have been deployed to take over existing checkpoints in the capital city of Yenagoa and environs, while new ones are being created at strategic locations in and around Yenagoa. Although no reason was advanced for the mew military presence on the streets of the capital, THISDAY gathered that more troops were deployed in the volatile areas of Southern Ijaw and Ekeremor local government areas which account for most of the disturbances in the region. The troops were deployed from the jetty of the Warri Naval Base, NNS Delta, in Delta State. A security source told THISDAY that the large military

219 presence was part of their mandate to safeguard the lives and property of the citizenry. The crisis in Nigeria has been the greatest impediment to the development of the region which makes the nation lose 62,500 barrels of oil valued at N8 billion daily, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua said yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He was flagging off the oil and gas conference organised by the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (PHACCIMA) which theme is on local content. The President, who spoke through the Minister of State for Petroleum and Energy, Mr. Henry Odein Ajumogobia (SAN), lamented that the security situation in the Niger Delta was not allowing the harnessing of the full potentials of the oil and gas endowments. He regretted that the activities of "vandals" was costing the nation much while putting the environment and the people to risk in addition to threatening to derail the economic development plan of the government in the sector. On the local content drive of the government, he regretted that of all the over $10 billion spent annually in the oil and gas sector, less than 10 per cent of it was being spent within the economy which was not good enough. Yar'Adua canvassed an increase in the refining capacity of the country from the present 12 million litres a day to about 40 million litres a day if it had to meet the local demand. The President observed that most of what was spent in the sector is still being given to foreign companies because of lack of capacity which he charged the local players in the industry to strive and build capacity.

He asked all groups which have taken up arms in the region to lay them down and allow peace to reign so that the developmental programmes of the administration which he said he was irreversibly committed to implementing. Yar'Adua pressed for total peace devoid of kidnapping of expatriates and children for ransom so that industries would blossom while investors would find the nation a profitable place to invest in. According to him, proper planning would mean the country pressing for rapid industrialisation that would sustain the economy in the event that the oil and gas deposits of the country run dry. Earlier in his welcome address, President of the Chamber, Prince Billy Gillis Harry, said the aim of hosting the programme in Port Harcourt was to prove to the world that the city had returned to normalcy and safe for investors. The PHACCIMA boss lamented that the effect of militancy had driven investors out of the region but said those who want to wait for total peace to return before coming back might discover they have no space to operate by that time. He stressed the need for Nigerians to increase their stake in the oil and gas production sector as it would discourage capital flight.

• Ghana: Country Gets Set to Counter Terrorism: Public Agenda (Accra): 7 July 2008.

Members of Parliament have given their blessings to the Anti-Terrorism Bill which is seeking to position Ghana to detect and combat acts of terrorism in any part of the country. The Bill also has, as one of its objectives, to prevent terrorists from using any part of Ghana, the country's resources and financial services to commit terrorists' acts and to protect the right of people in the country to live in peace, freedom and security.

220 "Apart from the tragic toll on human life, terrorism has also resulted in destruction of property and economic devastation. An imminent terrorist attack can never be defined or anticipated," the bill observes. Last Friday, the Bill was taken through the Consideration Stage during which some MPs sought to fine-tune the it through amendments. Notable among the MPs were Hon Haruna Iddrisu (NDC-Tamale South), Hon. John Ndebugre (PNC-Zebilla), Hon. Mahama Ayariga (NDC-Bawku Central), and Hon. Yaw Baah (NPP-Kumawu). The Bill, under the sponsorship of the Attorney General, Hon. Joe Ghartey, observes that there have been terrorist attacks in Kenya, Tanzania and Egypt and as terrorism does not have boundaries, it is imperative that statutory provision is made to combat terrorism in the country. It notes that although there are provisions in the Criminal Code, 1960 (Act 20) on the safety of the state and other pertinent matters on terrorism, these are not considered adequate enough to meet current international best practice standards on the subject. " It is necessary to provide comprehensive anti- terrorism legislation to avoid a situation where the country may become a haven for terrorists because of laxity in the law," notes the Bill.

It says it has become incumbent to have legislation on terrorism because all member states of the United Nations are obliged under the Security Council Resolution to "deny safe haven to those who finance, plan, support or commit terrorist acts." Africa is vulnerable to the threat of international terrorism and important in global efforts to counter that menace. While September 11attacks on the World Trade Centre is generally regarded as the watershed in the threat from al-Qaeda and its allies, the horrible August 7, 1998, attacks on the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania were an even earlier wake-up call. These attacks killed and wounded far more Kenyans and Tanzanians than Americans, the ostensible target. These mass bombings brutally demonstrated the willingness of these terrorists to kill and maim large numbers of persons in far-flung corners of the earth, in countries that were not directly involved in the grievances of South Asia and the Middle East. Additional attacks in Mombasa in November 2002 showed that terrorist cells were still active. Although there are concerns about attacks elsewhere in Africa, the Horn of Africa - Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Kenya, and Tanzania - are considered to be the area most at risk. The main contributing factors include proximity to the Arabian Peninsula and the failed state of Somalia as well as large areas where the governments' control is weak or non-existent.

• Nigeria: Mend Calls Off Ceasefire, Warns British Prime Minister: Vanguard (Lagos): 11 July 2008.

MOVEMENT for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), yesterday, announced that it would call off, midnight, tomorrow the unilateral ceasefire it declared, last month, after the attack on the Bonga Oil Field in Bayelsa state. Meanwhile, the Commander of the Joint Task Force (JTF) on the Niger-Delta, Brigadier -General Nanven Rimtip had told Vanguard earlier in an interview that the task force would take it as a declaration of war if the militant group carries out any further attack on oil installations in the region. MEND in a statement, signed by Jomo Gbomo also sounded "a stern warning" to the British Prime Minister, Mr Gordon Brown over his recent statement offering to provide military support to the government of Umaru Yar'Adua in further oppressing the

221 impoverished people of the Niger Delta, saying that UK citizens and their interests in the country would bear the brunt."

"To demonstrate our seriousness to the UK support of an injustice, MEND will be calling off its unilateral ceasefire with effect from midnight, Saturday July 12, 2008," he said, adding that President Yar'Adua appeal to the G8 leaders in Japan, misled the international community into believing that the unrest and agitation in the region is due to oil theft, which encourages 'blood oil.'

"The international community and independent researchers are very well aware that the unrest in the region is as a result of over five decades of oil exploration that has developed other parts of Nigeria to the detriment of the environment and people of the Niger Delta. "The United Kingdom is part of this problem with the politics it played pre- independence that gave leverage to some sections of the country, which has helped in marginalising and exploiting the region today. "Should Gordon Brown make good his threat to support this criminality for the sake of oil, UK citizens and interests in Nigeria will suffer the consequences," the militant group warned.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: MDC 'Undergoing Military Training': Business Day (Johannesburg): 11 July 2008.

THERE is growing evidence that retaliatory violence by supporters of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is taking an organised form, says Peter Kagwanja, a director of research at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). Kagwanja told reporters at the launch of a new report on Zimbabwe in Johannesburg yesterday, that those who lost their lives at the start of the violence against MDC activists were specifically selected for having undergone some form of military training. These victims, about five of them, were leaders of "democratic resistance committees" . Kagwanja said although there was no indication that retaliation was official MDC policy, it appeared MDC supporters were starting to undergo training in order to protect themselves from attack. "Regional actors and the international community must not only take note of this new development but also condemn incipient retaliatory violence involving the opposition, including encouraging it to stick to a nonviolent democratic struggle," he said. There were strong indications that the culture of violence, long associated with Zanu (PF), had gradually permeated the MDC, he said.

"MDC is very insecure to the point that they would want to arm at least for their own security," he said, without citing specific instances. However, he brushed aside queries from circumspect reporters. "It's not anecdotal, we've done interviews," Kagwanja said. His colleague, Kwandiwe Kondlo, said antigovernment resistance operations always tended to be secretive. "It's the kind of evidence you can't get by being there because these operations are by their very nature clandestine," he said. Kagwanj a said that he had learnt through a contact that Zimbabwean youth of unknown affiliation were seen in New Guinea, for the purposes of guerilla training. "We cannot rule out that MDC would like to defend its victory and how they want to defend it might vary with the opinion of its

222 members," he said. The new report was the result of collaboration between the HSRC and the Nairobi-based Africa Policy Institute. It recommends that the mediation effort in Zimbabwe be strengthened by including other eminent persons. However, it urges that the mediation be allowed to retain its African character while working to achieve an executive power-sharing arrangement with a definite time frame and monitoring tools. The report also calls for the African Union to establish a continental election commission and an electoral court to tackle complex issues surrounding disputed elections.

• • • • Namibia: Registration of War Veterans Launched: The Namibian (Windhoek): 11 July 2008.

THE registration of war veterans was launched in Windhoek yesterday, but will only start on July 21. There is still a long wait ahead, as the first grant payouts will only start in the next financial year, which starts in April 2009, Veterans Affairs Minister Ngarikutuke Tjiriange said. "Registration will start on July 21 in all 13 regions, but veterans must please remain calm and patient as we will start a detailed information campaign soon and the 13 regions have been divided into six zones, with Khomas and Omaheke one zone as an example," Tjiriange said.

"The registration process must be completed before the pension payouts begin to those who are found eligible," he added. The registration process would enable the Ministry to build a national database of veterans. Tjiriange then handed the first war veteran registration cards to former President Sam Nujoma, President Hifikepunye Pohamba, retired Mines and Energy Minister Andimba Toivo ya Toivo and liberation struggle icon Ida Jimmy. "I promise I will not fail you [the war veterans], but I grew up in Swapo and Swapo never fails, so I would be the first one to fail," Tjiriange said. President Pohamba said the benefits for war veterans would only be "for those who fought for liberation and not against it."

He further pointed out that veterans who now have an income higher than a particular threshold should not count on receiving a benefit from the Ministry. "It is an established practice all over the world that those who fought for the liberation of their country are not left to fend for themselves. The assistance to qualifying former freedom fighters should be seen as an investment in the peace and stability of our country," Pohamba said.

Former President Sam Nujoma said Namibians had a memorable history of heroism to bring freedom to the country. "Thousands of our sons and daughters sacrificed their precious lives, hundreds more suffered imprisonment while others disappeared without trace," Nujoma said. The Ministry of Veterans' Affairs was established in October 2006 and President Pohamba signed the Veterans Act in May this year. Regulations for veterans' eligibility for pensions have been partly drawn up but according to Minister Tjiriange, some more have to be drafted. According to a brochure distributed at the

223 occasion, an advisory board must approve the registration application forms and decide which people will receive monthly benefits, which according to an earlier Cabinet decision will be around N$2 500. Approved applicants will receive a card and can wait for the benefits. Only those who fought on the side of the liberation movements are officially regarded as war veterans. Those who fought on the South African side or were conscripted into the SWA Territory Force are excluded, although they are also war veterans according to international standards.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Uganda: Suspected Kenyan Rebel Extradited: New Vision (Kampala): 10 July 2008.

THE Ugandan government has handed over to the Kenyan authorities a wanted spokesman of a rebel group after his arrest, reports Reuben Olita. John Kanai of the Sabaot Land Defence Force based on Mt. Elgon, had been on the run for three months. He disappeared after the leader of the group, Wycliffe Kirui Komon alias Matakwei, was killed by Kenyan security forces near the Uganda border town of Lwakhakha in the eastern region. The Kenyan army said Kanai was cornered while fleeing to Uganda to escape the military operation to flash out members of the force. The western provincial commissioner, Abdul Mwasera said yesterday Kanai and two accomplices were arrested in Uganda's Tororo district. "They were taken to the Kapkota army base in Mt. Elgon."

CENTRAL AFRICA • Chad: Ban Voices Concern Over Impact of Violence On Humanitarian Situation: UN News Service (New York): 10 July 2008.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed deep concern over the impact of rebel activity in eastern Chad, which has thwarted access of humanitarian workers to the hundreds of thousands of people uprooted from their homes by violence. "The civilian character of refugee camps and internally displaced persons [IDPs] sites continues to be compromised by the presence of armed elements in and around the camps," Mr. Ban wrote in a report made public today.

He added that the tenuous security situation has hindered access by aid agencies, especially since the 1 May killing of Pascal Marlinge, the Country Director for the non- governmental organization (NGO) Save The Children, who was shot by bandits while travelling in a three-vehicle convoy on the road between the towns of Farchana and Adre. "I reiterate my condemnation of this criminal act and urge all parties to grant unrestricted access to humanitarian workers in eastern Chad," the Secretary-General stated.

The conflict in the country can only be resolved through a two-track approach: "real political dialogue" between the Chadian Government and armed and non-armed opposition groups, and an improvement in the relationship between N'Djamena and Khartoum, the capital of neighbouring Sudan. "The United Nations stands ready to work

224 together with the African Union and other partners in supporting efforts to restore lasting peace and security along the Chad-Sudan border," the report noted.

Meanwhile, he wrote that north-eastern Central African Republic (CAR) is still calm following a peace deal last month struck between the Government and 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. "This agreement will be an integral part of the upcoming inclusive political dialogue, a reconciliatory process aimed at addressing the country's political and security crisis." The report was Mr. Ban's latest on the multidimensional UN presence in eastern Chad and north-eastern CAR, known as MINURCAT, which was created last year by the Security Council in a bid to quell humanitarian suffering.

25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. NORTH AFRICA • Tunisia: French Group 'Alstom' to Build Integrated Electric Power Plant: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 7 July 2008.

The French industrial giant 'Alstom' has announced the signing as of July 2008 of a contract with the Tunisian gas and electricity company (STEG), for the building of a totally integrated electricity power plant in Ghannouch, Gabès; the plant which will be endowed with a combined cycle, will have a capacity of 400MW. The contract which amounts to 335 million Euros is linked to a second contract to be signed for production support, as well as the maintenance of the plant for a period of 12 years. Ghannouch is Alstom's 3rd plant in Tunisia after those, respectively of Sousse and Rades.

The new plant is to be built on the site of the former one, which will make it possible to take advantage of the water pumping facilities as well as its flow. It will meet most of the demand in electric power in the south of the country, as well as ensuring a balance of the production of electricity with the other regions. Tunisia's demand in electricity, sustained by the swift economic development witnessed by the country, increases by 6%, each year.

• Egypt: Writer Questioned And Released, But Warned Not to Write About Military Matters Without Permission: Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (Cairo): PRESS RELEASE: 9 July 2008.

The Military Prosecutor General decided to release journalist and writer Abd Al Khaliq Farouq on 8 July 2008 after two and a half hours of questioning. However, Farouq was instructed to not address any issues related to the military without permission from the concerned bodies.

225 Farouq, who was represented by lawyers from the ANHRI Legal Aid Unit and others, was questioned about various articles included in his most recent book, titled "Indictment Claim", such as the article entitled: "The Sin of Article 15 of the Constitution and the Military Control over the Civil Service Apparatus": http://icess.katib.org/node/37. The investigation was apparently undertaken due to a report on Farouq by the state security Investigation Unit, which functions as a political police. ANHRI believes this investigation is indicative of a quantum leap in the security Investigation Unit's role, given that such a report constitutes an incitement to legal actions against a writer and implies that he is guilty of sedition. "The Egyptian government should have paid more attention to the analysis and thoughts discussed in the book instead of reacting to it with a police mentality, which uses a stick when it comes to dealing with an idea or opinion," said Gamal Eid, ANHRI executive director. Farouq said that he was shocked to be questioned about the book, which is sold out. The book is a collection of articles that were published during 2007 in several newspapers. Farouq also stated that he intends to publish electronic copies of all of his books, in spite of the harassment of commentators and journalists by the state security apparatus.

31. NEWS COMMENTARIES

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Niger Delta - Many Summits, Little Action: This Day (Lagos): ANALYSIS: 8 July 2008.

Before the recent attack on the Bonga oil field, an offshore oil rig operated by the Royal Dutch Shell, the story had been told several times of how the agitations in the Niger Delta region escalated. According to the reports, the crisis escalated when the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha invited some Ijaw youths to Abuja to participate in the three million-man march meant to drum support for his transmutation agenda. There, the youth saw how Abuja had been transformed into what they called small "London or America". In this singular act, they saw Nigeria standing God's grace or benevolence on its baldhead. Though God made the Niger Delta region a difficult terrain, at the same time, he tucked under that difficult terrain, the wherewithal to develop that land. To the youth, it was an abuse of that benevolence to totally divert the provision to the development of other places, thus leaving the Niger Delta region desolate.

When the youths returned to the region, they had to rearrange themselves. This started with a conference at Kaiama, the hometown of Isaac Adaka Boro, on December 11, 1998. At the end of the conference, they issued the Kaiama Declaration in which they advanced 100 reasons why the various governments and the oil companies could not continue to ignore their region. They wanted the area developed at all cost. They also issued an ultimatum to the oil companies to either do something or move out of the region. To the Federal Government, this ultimatum was most repugnant. On December 31, 1998, it drafted federal troops to the area, armed with sophisticated weapons. Kaiama was allegedly vandalised, anybody in sight was either killed or maimed while properties were

226 looted and destroyed. As if this was not enough, it was alleged soldiers were stationed there to prevent the people from burying their dead.

Since then, for the government, it has been one continuous war of extermination on the people of the region and serial violations of their constitutional and individual rights. Task forces of various shades and colours must be put in place to torment, harass and rape the people of the region. Equally interesting to note is that since then, the Federal Government has set up more than eight committees to look into the agitations of the region and how to address the problems confronting the people. These violations of civil and political rights have been committed principally in response to protests about the activities of the multinational companies that produce country's oil and the use made of the oil revenue by the government. It is a known fact that over the past 50 years, especially in the immediate past eight years (1999-2007), the overall physical, social and economic development problems and challenges facing the people in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria have been "over diagnosed." At the same time, solutions have been proffered to each and every problem found without any comprehensible resolution and determination by the Federal Government to implement the decisions. Perhaps, the most authoritative report on the region at the moment is the 2005, submitted by the committee led by former Chief of Defense Staff, General Alexander Ogomudia (rtd). Known as the Special Security Committee on Oil Producing Areas, the committee was made up of 100 knowledgeable and eloquent members drawn from the different strata of the Nigerian society. At the end of its sitting, it gave the immediate, short term and long-term plans for the development of the Niger-Delta.

The committee, among other things, recommended the upward review of the minimum 13 per cent derivation to not less than 50 per cent; training of indigenes of the region for employment in oil companies; provision of infrastructures such as electricity, water, roads; repeal of the Land Use Act, Petroleum Act, Gas Re-injection Act and other laws which dispossesses oil producing areas of their land; and the full industrialisation of the Niger Delta region. Up till date, the report is gathering dust in government shelf instead of being implemented. Before the Ogomudia report, there was the General Oladayo Popoola report of 1999 by the General administration, which was provoked by the protests and repression that followed the Kaiama Declaration. Abubakar on March 3, 1999 appointed a 22- member committee, headed by General Popoola to examine existing development initiatives and "to make appropriate recommendations on what can be done before the end of the current administration." The members of the committee were the military administrators of the South-South zone, several ministers (military and civilian), and representatives of the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund (PTF), the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), and other government figures.

Though no civil society representatives were included, the committee's report, submitted on March 16, recommended a 20-year development plan for the region, starting with an immediate expenditure of N15.3 billion (U.S. $170 million) on infrastructure projects in addition to normal budgetary allocations, as well as the establishment of a Niger Delta Consultative Council, made up of government figures and representatives of the oil

227 companies, and chaired by the Chief of General Staff or Vice-President, to oversee development projects.

On April 10, 1999, Abubakar met more than 200 delegates from the oil producing regions to discuss the report. The first sign to show that the government was not going to implement the report was when on April 12, 1999, the former military administrator of Bayelsa State, Lt. Col. Paul Obi, met with selected Ijaw leaders at state house in Yenagoa. He said "while the Federal Government was favourably disposed towards tackling the critical problem of underdevelopment facing the state" I urge you to "embrace the path of peace and dialogue at all times." Apart from setting up the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), it was under President that the region really witnessed many committees that were set up to look into its problems. He first appointed a Presidential Policy Advisory Committee, which reportedly recommended greater development spending in the oil producing regions. Not in sequence, it appointed the James Ibori Presidential Standing Committee on the Niger Delta, which made recommendations to the Federal Government; the NNPC-Niger Delta Youths Standing Committee, the Major Gen. Abdullahi Mohammed Presidential Committee on Peace and Reconciliation in the Niger Delta and the Niger Delta Peace and Security Strategy (PASS). All the committees made bold suggestions to the Obasanjo Administration on how to tackle the crisis in the region, but it did not have the political will to implement the recommendations.

The Yar'Adua Administration is not left out. The Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, within the first two months of assuming office, also visited the creek and set up different committees, promising to get cracking on the massive development of the Niger-Delta after synthesising the views of the people. The Vice President said there was already an Integrated Master plan for the development of the region, prepared by the NDDC, which the government, the oil companies and other development agencies would key into, but, one year, after the talks are still on the drawing board. Apart from the Federal Government, so many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international agencies such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have equally held series of summits and made recommendations to the government and oil companies operating in the region with no result. It is against this background that eminent Nigerians and leaders in the region are now raging over the proposed Niger Delta Summit by the Federal Government on the way forward for the region. Led by Chief Edwin Clark, the leaders are saying the reasons they are against holding a summit on the region is because of countless summits that has been held in the past. The issue, they submitted, is in the implementation of the various reports and recommendations made. Clark said "Yar'Adua's government is saying that they are going to develop the Niger Delta physically after the summit. We do not even know what type of summit they want to hold. Is it a summit of Nigeria or the people of the Niger Delta with Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari as its chairman? So, what are they looking for? Obasanjo started this type of jamboree, two years ago and I said no, we are not going to attend this type of jamboree, which has been taking place all over." Clark is not alone in his objection. Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called for immediate removal of Gambari, as chairman of the proposed Niger Delta Summit, accusing the Federal Government of insensitivity to

228 the feelings of the Niger Delta people. He said Gambari was the wrong choice for the parley. He, instead, suggested two individuals, including former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan and former United States of America President Jimmy Carter, as "objective people who should chair the summit," adding that there were many other Nigerians who could do the job. He said "you cannot shackle your legs when you are about to thread the part of freedom and peace," and described Gambari as someone who has been rejected by most of the stakeholders in the area. "If the people have said no, why keep such individual?"

National Coordinator of Think Tank Nigeria, Prof. Steve Azaiki while speaking in Lagos at the public presentation of the book: "Principle and Practice of Community Relations, A Premiere," said if the Federal Government wants to succeed in its bid to find lasting solution to the problems of the region, it must ensure that the people are allowed to make inputs to the forthcoming summit, especially on who should attend and who should chair such occasion. Faulting the appointment of Gambari, Azaiki noted that when former president Olusegun Obasanjo thought of establishing the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), as a way of lessening the agitations of the people, bad as it was, it aggravated the situation by appointing people from other parts of the country, especially the North in the board of the commission. An expert in conflict management, Prince Clement Bebenimibo, has described the planned summit as a "time-buying syndrome" and diversionary tactics to undermine the yearnings and aspirations of the good people of the region. "It (proposed summit) indicates the non-seriousness of the Federal Government to develop the region, which it made into this pathetic and horrifying situation. This time-buying syndrome of summit must be irrevocably and vehemently rejected by the people of this region or else, expect the same old story of the 'terrain is too difficult to develop the area,'" he said.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Meeting The Abuja Promise Goes Beyond The 15 Percent Target: Fahamu (Oxford): OPINION: 11 July 2008. Rene Loewenson and Di McIntyre

When the African Union (AU) Heads of State committed to allocating at least 15% of annual government budgets to their health sectors In Abuja, Nigeria in 2001, they also called on high income countries to fulfil their own commitment to devote at least 0.7% of their GNP as ODA to developing countries and to cancel Africa's external debt in favour of increased investment in the social sector.

The Abuja target, thus, consists of three components; African countries should:

- mobilise domestic resources for health (15% now);

- unencumbered by debt servicing (Debt cancellation now); and

- be supported by ODA (0.7% GNP to ODA now).

229 After the significant fall in public sector funding of the health sector funding associated with structural adjustment programmes and market reforms, most African countries clearly need to increase public sector investment in health. Poorer groups have considerably worse health than the better off and economic growth and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the region is seriously undermined by the prevalence of HIV and AIDS, TB, Malaria and other diseases. Eleven of the 16 countries in east and southern Africa spend in their public sectors less than the US$34 needed for the most basic interventions for these conditions, let alone the US$80 needed for more comprehensive health services. Very few East and Southern African (ESA) countries have health care spending levels anywhere near this amount, and there are thus major unmet health needs. Ten of the sixteen countries in the region, if they met the Abuja target, would, however, increase their public financing to health above the level of US$34/capita needed for the basic health programmes.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu stated this year:

"The AU Abuja 15% pledge is one of the most important commitments African leaders have made to health development and financing, and our Heads of State should strive to meet this pledge without further delay. The continued loss of millions of African lives annually which can be prevented is unacceptable and unsustainable. Our leaders know what they have to do. They have already pledged to do it. All they have to do now is actually do it. This is all we ask of them."

This call needs to make clear that countries are expected to spend 15% of their own funds on health, excluding external funding. As the Southern African Development Community (SADC) made clear in its regional conference on poverty this year, a public sector led response is vital to addressing the burden of ill health in the region, and for states to meet their obligations to health in Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESR) (1976). With 35% of the people living with HIV globally, the world's worst TB infection rate, new epidemics of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), an estimated 30 million cases of malaria and 400 000 deaths from malaria, and high levels of maternal and child mortality, the demand for health care is high. without adequate domestic funding to the health sector, states will not meet ICESCR commitments for health facilities to be within safe physical reach for all sections of the population and for facilities to be affordable for all with payment based on the principle of equity. This demand that the 15% pledge be met from national resources has not been made clearly enough. The lack of attention to this basic demand is reflected in the current monitoring of the Abuja commitment, which often combines domestic tax funding and donor funds in the category of 'government expenditure', including in the World Health Organisation National Health Accounts data. Tracking progress toward the Abuja target calls for accurate data on government health care expenditure from domestic funding sources to be made regularly available. Meeting the 15% pledge is necessary, but also not sufficient:

230 - Unless government spending is also rising as a share of Gross Domestic product, with meaningful shares of progressive tax revenue, the 15% can be a small, and dwindling share of overall national economic resources;

- Unless governments also reprioritize spending towards district and primary health care services, with at least 50% of health spending directed to these levels, the health services that are used by the majority of poor people could continue to remain starved of resources, even as public spending begins to rise;

- Unless national spending is complemented by sustained predictable forms of global solidarity, even reaching the 15% will not be enough for many health sectors to provide adequate funding for health.

EQUINET research has shown that several countries in east and southern Africa (ESA), such as Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Uganda, have made considerable progress in increasing domestic funding towards the Abuja target, shortly after the commitment was made. Yet ten out of sixteen ESA countries are trying to deliver health systems with public sector resources of less than $80 per capita and eight with resources below $34 per capita. Meeting the Abuja commitment would still not bring health spending above $34 per capita for six of these countries, and above $80 per capita for nine. This is where global fairness and accountability becomes as important for health as the accountability of African states.

One reason for inadequate funding for heath is that government efforts to increase domestic funding of health services has been jeopardised by unviable debt burdens. Over the past three decades, ESA countries paid an average US$14 per capita annually in debt servicing, which in many countries is more than their average per capita spending on health. Cancelling debt is not simply a moral issue: By 2002 debt repayments from Africa had reached about four times the original 1980 debt, with a net outflow by 2000 of US$6.2 billion. The 2005 G8 summit setup the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative with a commitment to cancel 100% of outstanding multilateral debts of eligible HIPCs, with some implementation in 26 eligible countries in Africa. However this is not yet debt cancellation, and although Africa's debt stock has fallen, total debt service obligations remained unchanged in 2006 due to rising interest rates and the debt burden continues to seriously constrain social spending. Cancelling all debt servicing obligations still remains an urgent message for those campaigning for the Abuja commitment. Raising domestic resources for health is also limited by the significant net outflow of resources from Africa. Outflows through areas such as worsening terms of trade, outflows of skilled health workers, private finance outflows, or the depletion of natural sources, have left African in a position of net resource outflows. One form of reverse flow to health is through overseas development aid (ODA). Yet OECD countries have been slow to meet the commitment they made to contribute 0.7% of their GNP as ODA. A recent analysis of aid suggests that excluding debt relief for Nigeria, real levels of aid to sub-Saharan Africa rose by only 2% in 2006. Average contributions of 0.3% of GNP to ODA from OECD countries remained well below the 0.7% pledge, with only Sweden, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark meeting this in 2006. It is not only

231 some African governments that are failing to meet their commitments. High income countries are, with some exceptions, also not meeting their agreed aid targets.

Meeting the Abuja promise is thus not just a call within Africa to meet the 15% target, but a call globally to cancel debt and meet the 0.7% target for ODA. Activism on the Abuja deceleration should thus be clear on all three fronts:

- African countries to mobilise domestic resources for health (15% now);

- unencumbered by debt servicing (Debt cancellation now); and

- supported by ODA (0.7% GNP to ODA now)!

*Rene Loewenson is the EQUINET Programme Manager and Di McIntyre is a Professor in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town.

• G8 Leaders Must Pinpoint Aid Bottlenecks: allAfrica.com: 6 July 2008. George Katito

The recent report of a high-level aid watchdog says the G8 group of industrialized nations has fallen short of its aid promises to Africa by U.S. $40 billion. Although the report stops short of charting a clear way forward in the relationship, it proposes some positive measures, writes AllAfrica guest columnist George Katito, and this week’s G8 Summit needs to identify bottlenecks to aid flows.

Three years after committing to significant increases in aid to African countries, the G8 nations are well below their targets, according to a recent report by the Africa Progress Panel. The London-based panel, chaired by former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, is tasked with monitoring Africa’s economic and other progress and serving as a “mechanism to ensure promises to Africa are kept.” However, the panel’s first report stops short of charting a clear way forward for the G8 and Africa.

The report tracks, among other things, the economic and political gains made by African countries. Special mention is made of initiatives such the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Africa’s average economic growth rate of 6.6 percent in 2007, and Africa’s success in pushing poverty levels down six percentage points since 2000 and increasing primary school enrolment levels by 36 percent between 1999 and 2005. But the panel casts doubt on the G8’s commitment to increasing aid levels by 2010. It asserts that the group has collectively fallen short of target by U.S. $40 billion, that it will be unable to accelerate the pace of disbursing aid and that it will therefore miss its targets.

The reasons for the gap between promise and delivery are not clearly named in the panel’s report. Although independent sources identify countries such as France and Italy as key defaulters, the panel steers clear of pinpointing responsibility.

232 Its recommendations offer only generic solutions to addressing the backlog in donor commitments by suggesting, among other things, that G8 countries consider carbon taxation, currency transaction taxes and the establishment of a global lottery as ways of funding development in Africa. By not giving clear, specific recommendations to those G8 countries which need to rethink how to meet their aid commitments, the panel has fallen short of fulfilling its mandate to make them accountable for unfulfilled pledges to Africa. To the panel’s credit, however, its report proposes positive measures that African countries should take to keep their end of the bargain which former British prime minister Tony Blair has described as a “new partnership with Africa.”

In light of the fact that 70 percent of business failures in Africa are directly attributable to poor infrastructure, the panel suggests that African governments should direct efforts towards attracting private investment into infrastructure development. The report also proposes that African leaders should introduce policies to stimulate higher agricultural production in the long term. A set of short- and medium-term interventions to tackle the current shortage in supply of food is also suggested. Countries are asked to adopt strategies to cope with climate change and to secure peace in the continent’s troubled spots – Sudan’s Darfur region and the eastern Congo in particular.

Nonetheless, the report lays scant emphasis on the responsibility of African governments to tackle corruption – and by extension to create a conducive environment for aid to be used effectively. Corruption is estimated to cost African countries approximately 25 percent of the continent’s total Gross National Income, according to the African Union, and remains pervasive according to the global anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International. While the report gives an instructive assessment of the current relationship between the G8 and its African partners, it misses the opportunity to offer a robust set of recommendations to the G8 on how to increase aid to Africa and direct it towards development.

When the G8 leaders meet in Hoikkado, Japan, in the coming days, it is imperative that they reconfirm their commitment to partnering African governments in developing the continent. They need to identify bottlenecks to delivering on aid commitments thus far and come forward with a set of revised commitments. For their part, African governments have a critical responsibility to deepen their commitment to transparent governance. Both sides need to follow through on and honour the pledges they have made.

George Katito is a researcher on the Governance and African Peer Review Mechanism programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Fight Cancer Threat: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): OPINION 8 July 2008.

233 A recent meeting of health experts held in Johannesburg came up with startling information and statistics about the growing cancer threat in Africa. Delegates to the meeting were told, for instance, that 80 per cent of new cases and deaths caused by cervical cancer occurred in the developing world, which had access to less than 5 per cent of global cancer resources.

An estimated 25,000 people die of cancer-related illnesses in Tanzania annually. Cervical cancer accounts for nearly 45 per cent of cancer cases reported at Dar es Salaam's Ocean Road Cancer Institute (Orci). Of the estimated 10,000 cases among women reported in Tanzania annually, only 1,000 are able to reach the hospital for diagnosis, and up to 70 per cent of them die because they reported at the centre too late for effective treatment.

These are alarming statistics which show that cancer does not receive the attention it deserves in Tanzania and the rest of Africa. Tanzanian cancer specialist Dr Twalib Ngoma, who attended the Johannesburg meeting, summed up the situation with this dire warning: "If we do not do something now, we will have an epidemic by 2030 that we can prevent today."

With cancer increasingly becoming a leading cause of death in Tanzania, it is time we devoted more resources towards prevention, early diagnosis and treatment.

• The G8 Meets the Dragon: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): OPINION: 7 July 2008.James Shikwati

As G8 leaders assemble in Toyako in Japan, it has not escaped keen observers that the entry of China into the game of doling money has radically changed the way Africa is perceived in the World. Africa has become a strategic energy supplier to large economies. The G8 has been synonymous with Tony Blair's sentiments of characterizing Africa as "the scar on the conscience of the World". The G8's traditional approach to Africa has always been backed up by a squad of celebrities and Western NGOs who thrive on "popularizing" poverty, disease, famine and hopelessness on the continent.

In 2005, just when everyone's attention had been directed towards the "misery" and "darkness" of the continent through NGO campaigns, Western celebrity bands and Tony Blair's Commission for Africa project; China struck! The entry of China with its "Value Free" aid diplomacy in Africa flung the G8 school of thought of course after decades of pegging relations with Africa on democracy, governance and human rights. Suddenly questions such as, 'Why is Africa attracting global interest?' emerged. The Chinese policy of "no conditions" challenged the G8 certitude and ever since, Africans are witnessing a rat race - a renewed scramble as each power competes to dole out money and gain access to the continent's strategic energy reserves.

Traditionally, Africa has been used to provide raw materials to the developed world. Africa involuntarily provided human labour though the infamous slave trade that saw between 10 to 28 million Africans shipped to the Americas and Middle East in the early 1450 to 1850 to power the then cotton and sugar industries. Minerals and wildlife have

234 attracted traders for centuries to the African coast. The overall common ground shared among the West, China and India's approach to Africa has been that of use of aid diplomacy. Through the G8 (Group of eight leading industrialized powers), they pledged to be giving Africa $60 billion annually to fight HIV-AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other killer diseases in Africa.

China joined the race by hosting a record 47 African heads of state and pledged aid amounting to $20 billion together with $5 billion dollars for loans and credits. India followed suit and also hosted a summit with Africans and pledged US$500 million, Japan hosted an African summit and pledged $1.9 billion. At this rate, Africans are likely to lose focus on the motivation behind all the "donations". As India (the Tiger), China (Dragon) join Westerners in wooing Africa (the Ostrich with head buried in the sand) to gain access to oil and other minerals; Africans can finally put things in perspective. Africa's interests are immaterial to donors; from receiving aid for cold war purposes, for purposes of curtailing African migration to Europe, to aid for strategic access to energy for security. The traditional aid diplomacy has failed to pull the "ostrich's head" (Africa) out of the sand! Africa's head is deep in the sand, whilst its feet stand on untapped agricultural potential, on Platinum 89 per cent of World reserves; Diamonds 60 per cent; Cobalt 53 per cent, Uranium 15 per cent and an estimated 8 per cent of World's known oil reserves.

While the rest of the world is preparing the future for their grand children, Africa is busy churning out "... a vast running sore - a billion people stuck in desperate conditions alongside unprecedented prosperity." Africa must take advantage of the competition for its resources between the G8, China, India, Brazil, and Malaysia among others to push for business deals that will earn them revenue as opposed to aid. Whether individual African states have minerals and or energy reserves that does not limit the bargaining power; African states ought to strategize either as conduit states, manpower provision states, hospitality provision states to bargain for deals that can benefit their people. The G8 team is by now aware that Africans no longer hold their breath to count the number of dollars to be dropped on their lap. For either the amount pledged never gets out of the G8 wallet, and even the little that does simply makes Africans to perceive poverty on a continent that is naturally endowed with wealth.

The G8 would do better to market opportunities in Africa to attract business solutions on the continent. The main responsibility to get Africa out of the quandary is with the African individuals; they must pull their heads from the sand, stop focusing on their immediate offspring, and think a little further about the future of the grand children of their children.

Mr Shikwati if the director of the Inter-Region Economic Network and CEO The African Executive online magazine.

235 CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: The Asian Miracle - Lessons for Policy Makers. Part IV: The New Times (Kigali): ANALYSIS: 3 July 2008. Prof. Nshuti P. Manasseh

Differential development trends between African economies and their Asian counterparts can also be explained by another important factor-institutional; frame-work. Institutional frame in place in a given country and more so the quality of such institutions do account for and facilitate growth dynamics across countries researched so far.

Recent empirical works have stressed the importance of institutional qualities and economic outcomes. On such institution that is crucial to development is judicial. The rule of law among Asian economies was actively developed and evolved such that it was divorced from the executive. This has been conducive to the development of a vibrant private sector which has spearheaded Asia's growth, as it not only facilitated the execution of private contracts and safeguarded property rights, but also was extremely conducive to both domestic and foreign direct investments.

A number of researchers argue that the relative measure of institutional quality discriminated very well between the winners and losers in Asian growth. This factor, as measured by ICRG (International Country Risk Guide, an index of quality institutional framework) gives Asia's NIC (New Industrialized Countries) a score of 41.2 out of 50 possible points for the year 1998 (World Bank, 1999). African economies on the other hand, inherited similar institutional frame works as Asia' NIC, but later, particularly from the late 70s onwards, the quality of institutional framework deteriorated. This has seen the rule of law compromised and the legislature and executive have become almost synonymous. This threatened the development of enterprise, which was made even worse, by institutionalised corruption (both economic and political), resulting from a lack of checks and balances. Thus, on the same ICRG score for 1998, African economies on average scored only 7 out of possible 50 points.

Given Transparency International Reports (TI), which put a number of African economies on high ratings among the most corrupt countries in the world, the earlier ranking is rather optimistic. The institutionalised and systematic corruption noted in Africa today is a sign of the absence of a very weak institutional and legal framework which has compromised guarantees of property rights, whether public or private. It has been argued therefore that, the first principle for economic development (the institutional framework) has been compromised in many African economies compared to Asia's NICs. Research conducted in this area emphasises the importance of political and institutional structures, which permit a strong yet predictable government, which is in turn conducive to innovation and central to investment activities.

These researchers further argue that, poor countries lack structures of incentives which depend not only on what economic policies are chosen in each period, but also on long- run institutional arrangements: on legal systems that enforce contracts and protect property rights and on the political structures, constitutional provisions and the extent of

236 special-interest lobbies and cartels. The pluralistic society among many Asia's NICs and the inherent level of awareness (educated society) have been conducive to the development of democratic institutions which safeguard all rights, human and property; and has been attractive to the development of an investment climate conducive to both local and foreign investors. The diversity of their populations, particularly the migrant population, required protection and safety of their interests. This was only possible within an open and democratic environment, which the migrant populations sought to maintain and preserve dearly, as an insurance to their very existence in an otherwise 'hostile' environment. This is not the case in many African economies who are view migrants in most negative sense possible when they are an invaluable resource by any standards. Managed migration has benefited many countries in their development path, an area that Africa has fared badly, except for creating an environment for the export of their best brains to develop other economies. A government has not only to be able to protect property rights and enforce contracts but also to refrain from expropriation, repudiation of its obligations and capricious behaviour which may prejudice growth strategies. A number of economies in Africa have not been able to establish political, legal and indeed financial infrastructure conducive to the level of economic growth witnessed among Asia's NICs, although it has the potential to do so given the right political will and direction. With regard to openness and political accountability, a number of African countries have scored very low on any measure or scale, and this is compounded by the illiteracy levels of her population limiting the awareness of both political and to some extent property rights. These rights have then been distorted by the political elite to enhance their own economic and political agenda; a case in point is Zimbabwe of late. This state of affairs has not augured well for the economic development of African economies, as lack of openness has only served to breed the highest level of institutionalised corruption for a decade or more, a situation that has retarded domestic investments and also hindered foreign investments.

Therefore, a number of researchers argue that economic development in Asia's NIC has been effected by relatively capable, sufficiently mandated, and adequately insulated institutions that were subjected to high levels of accountability. In contrast, with regards to African economies, such institutions mandated key policy functions to independent bureaucratic organisations, which by and large have insulated a technocratic elite in charge from political influence, interference and patronage. Economists have of late treated governments as institutions that reduce transaction costs, and thus argue that rational actors in the polity have an incentive to bargain politically until mutual gains have been realised. They contend that democratic governments not only affect distribution of income but also produce socially efficient results that are for the benefit of the common good. Perhaps the importance of democratic institutions is not only the idea of the right policies being put in place, but rather to ensure that rational parties, not only in economy but also polity, work in tandem to ensure that the economy in question attains its potential. Commenting on the value of institutional factors, Coase (1992: 714) in his Nobel Prize lecture observed that " countries are advised to move to a market economy, and their leaders wish to do so, but without the appropriate institutions no market economy of any significance is possible". To be continued

237 The author is a Senior Presidential Advisor on Economic Affairs

• Rwanda: The Asian Miracle - Lessons for Policy Makers-Part V: The New Times (Kigali): OPINION: 10 July 2008.

For the last 25 years Asian NIC (New Industrialised Countries) economies have grown more than twice as fast as the average rate for the rest of the world.

This rapid growth has been due to the "special characteristics" and 'mindset" in Asian NIC's such as hard work, diligence, putting a premium on education, masses mobilized to commitment to growth, foreign investments and high levels of entrepreneurship. The growth of these economies has also been explained by the geo-strategic and geo- economic interest of the USA mainly to counter communism that was spreading in their backyard from China and North Korea; factors that saw massive foreign capital inflows to these economies from western financial markets both for economic as well as strategic reasons.

As pointed out in earlier series, (part l to part lll), the driving force for enormous economic development of the Asian Tigers was the deliberate move to implement massive education (human capital development) with a heavy infusion of science and technology (S+T). Thus for instance, under the Malaysian vision 2020 (V2020) they decided to transform an agricultural based economy in the early 1970s (which was similar to most African economies) into a technological based economy. One key objective of this policy was to produce a critical mass of highly trained research and development (R+D) personnel in science and technology by identifying trigger industries such as biotechnology, microelectronics, ICT, and pharmaceutical.

Over the next 30 years the number of science graduates increased by 1150% which translated into an increase of approximately 1,800 science graduates each year for 30 years. These graduates entered the labour market with skills that were to transform this agrarian economy to a knowledge based economy. A major underpin of the role of S+T in the development of Asia's NIC is the enrolment of engineers as a percentage of the population between 1990 and 2000, where South Korea had (0.46 and 0.68) Singapore (0.45 and 0.68) Taiwan (0.51 and 0.70) and Malaysia (0.02 and 0.16).

However, another major factor that explains the difference in the development of the two regions is the level of entrepreneurship evident in them. Migrant labour brought in by the British colonial administration especially the Chinese and Indian migrants that are to be found in a number of Asia's NICs brought with them relatively developed entrepreneurial skills that to a large extent account for the development of these economies. This is true especially for Singapore and Malaysia whose migrant population of Chinese and Indians control most of the urban commerce, from small scale manufacturing, construction, skilled trades, and finance. The entrepreneurial skills of Chinese migrants in Singapore and Malaysia have been commented upon a century ago by Purcell (1948:58) who observed that " their success compared to indigenous Malay was because they knew how to handle money and recognize men in relation to money". He went on to observe that "

238 without immigration, Malaya would not be a highly developed country Malaya is a joint product of British and Chinese enterprise." Purcell (1965:94). Recent research show that the entrepreneurial spirit among East Asian Chinese dominant among Asian NIC is predicted by personality characteristics such as risk-taking propensity, persistence, and internal locus of control, as well as by motivational factors such as love for money and desire for security. Generally, entrepreneurial spirit is associated with beliefs in ethics and self-indulgence for oneself, but not philanthropy. The contribution of Chinese entrepreneurs has also been documented in such countries as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Indonesia.

In contrast, African entrepreneurial skills though not widely researched have not evolved compared to what one witnesses among Asian NICs; and although Africa has had a number of migrants from Asia particularly India and of late China, their entrepreneurial skills are yet to make an impact to African economies except a few. Also good migration policies, political and economic environment will have to be put in place to ensure that such migrants find a second home in Africa, otherwise they will be content to be 'expatriates' who remit their savings back home, constituting capital flight from the continent.

Such Asian migrants have also not forgotten what dictator Idi Amin did when he expelled a number of Uganda Indians. Such action though barbaric as it was has had a contagion effect and has seen a number of these Asians remitting most of their savings abroad mainly to UK, Canada, and India.

Research into these remittances points out to massive capital flight that only prudent policy measures and guarantees can reverse. This in a way deters the development of African economies who should have otherwise benefited from this pool of resources. In addition, the types of migrants that Africa received were different. While Asian migrants were well educated and as such excelled in technology and technological transfers, their counterparts in Africa were mainly in commerce and trade. African entrepreneurial advancement has also been hampered by high levels of corruption and conspiracy by African political ruling elite with foreign interests made worse by unplanned privatization that saw most public enterprises bought by foreign owned entrepreneurs who more often than not frustrated indigenous African entrepreneurs in developing indigenous entrepreneurial culture. On a more skeptical note other researchers have of late asserted that, even religious beliefs have defined growth episodes among different regions. They thus point out that, countries that embraced Anglican and Buddhism religious beliefs tended to have out grown their counterparts who embraced other forms of religious beliefs.

Thus, research done in Western Europe and Latin America has tended to collaborate such research arguing in particular that, mainly Catholic countries have not grown at similar pace as their Anglican or Muslim counterparts. Such researchers argue that religious beliefs which were consistent with capitalistic ideology were conducive for resource accumulation and thus growth both at individual and by extension national level. Although such researchers used none-empirical methodologies that have been questioned

239 by empirical based researchers as to their authenticity and validity nevertheless, they are both unanimous on the role culture plays in development episodes of various countries and point out that, indeed religious beliefs have had tremendous impact on various cultures. In the case of Africa, no research known so far has been done with regard to the impact of religious beliefs on entrepreneurship and thus development - except to make inferences based on similar research done elsewhere.

However, with regard to colonial responsibility in relation to the development of entrepreneurial culture in Africa, there is some scattered truth in available research that, in some countries, colonial administration did not allow Africans to venture into business for various reasons, mainly out of their concerns that, such activities would finance colonial resistance groups typical of early Africa's pre-independence economic landscape. This can not be a sustainable argument however, given that, post-independence African economies strived to promote entrepreneurial skills among its people through creation of such out fits as regional industrial estates where African entrepreneurs were given skills and capital to start up their own businesses. This also saw the creation of such institutions as Industrial Development Banks, and Agricultural finance banks which were aimed at facilitating African entry into business and commerce. Although this approach was similar to one used in Asian NICs, African economies failed to use these vehicles to promote indigenous entrepreneurial skills mainly due to the fact that, such out fits were only used to serve political patronage so much so that, their impact like many other well intended policies, remain but a blueprint.

With regard to political interference, the problem relates to their close relationship with the government of the day, so that both their lending and indeed their loan recovery programs were influenced by political expedience rather than by economic or financial prudence. Moreover, the level of education in these economies was very low which meant that, those who qualified for financial assistance were not necessarily skilled to undertake meaningful innovations. Thus at independence and many years thereafter, illiteracy levels in Africa were as high as 80% and as such, such an illiterate population could not be mobilized for development which was the reverse among Asia's NICs.

======END TEXT ======.

240 BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD Weekly Presentation: July 22, 2008 Sub-Saharan Africa Abbas S Lamptey Period: From July 13 to July 19 2008 Summary for the Week (July 13-19/08)

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Monday presented evidence, showing that Sudanese President, Omar Hassan Ahmad AL Bashir committed the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur, according to a ICC press release. The African Union yesterday opposed the indictment of Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir for genocide. Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Bernard Membe said in Dar es Salaam that Tanzania, as the AU chair, had petitioned the UN Security Council to defer the International Criminal Court's decision to investigate and prosecute President el-Bashir. Mr Membe, who also chairs the AU's foreign affairs ministers' council, said the stay of the indictment would allow political transition in the country to bear the desired results while giving room to successful implementation of the peace accord among the warring factions." The Western powers, led by the United States, Britain and France, want him prosecuted, but China and Russia, who maintain strong political, economic and military links with Sudan, are opposed to the possible indictment. The evidence came three years after the Security Council asked him to investigate the charges. The 18 ICC judges, representing the various geographical regions, will have to weigh the evidence and decide whether or not to issue a warrant for Al-Basher’s arrest. The Sudanese government yesterday warned that the indictment of President Omar al-Bashir on genocide and war crimes charges would have "a direct negative impact" on the peace talks between Uganda and the LRA rebels. It appealed to President Museveni to help Khartoum fight off the charges. An EDITORIAL of the Nairobi-based newspaper commented: The indictment issued against Sudan's President Hassan el-Bashir by the International Criminal Court is the single most important development in the long struggle to end the mass slaughter in the Darfur region. The threat of arrest and trial for crimes against humanity should send a very strong message to leaders everywhere who have no regard for the sanctity of human life

Sub-Saharan Africa's natural resource export to China increased from US$3 billion in 2001 to about US$22 billion in 2006, says a World Bank report. “Petroleum dominates, accounting for 80 per cent of total exports to China," says the report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) today in Abuja.

The GOVERNMENT of Zimbabwe yesterday thanked her true and trusted friends for thwarting efforts by the West to impose more sanctions on the country through the

241 United Nations Security Council last week. In an interview, Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity Cde Bright Matonga hailed China and Russia for vetoing concerted efforts by Britain and the United States to victimise Zimbabwe. He also thanked Libya, South Africa and Vietnam for their unreserved support for Zimbabwe.

The Chinese Embassy in Botswana has announced a reward package for Botswana athletes taking part at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China next month. The Chinese ambassador, Ding Xiaowen said he was surprised to learn that Botswana has not won a single medal at the Olympics since it started taking part in the games 22 years ago. A company of 172 Chinese engineers has arrived in Nyala in South Darfur to join the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) in Sudan's troubled western region

The US Senate voted to reauthorize PEPFAR AIDS legislation (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), despite a gauntlet of last-minute obstacles and objections ranging from a Senate Republican filibuster to amendments to drastically cut funding and PEPFAR's reach. Senate approval is the last major obstacle to the bill's becoming law. PEPFAR reauthorization is targeted to prevent 12 million HIV infections and treat three million people over five years. The Senate version also contains a provision that would lift the infamous HIV travel ban, which generally prohibits HIV+ people from entering the United States. . It is difficult to exaggerate the impact that this $48 billion program will have on people suffering in Africa and around the world from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The vote also sends a message of support to many of those who suffer that the U.S. is even more committed than ever to getting them the help they need. We welcome the provisions that would bolster Africa's health work force. AIDS and global health activists are hailing Wednesday's approval by the U.S. Senate of an unprecedented five-year, 48-billion-dollar bill to fight AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis overseas, particularly in Africa. The bill also overturned a 21-year-old law that bans most foreign visitors who are HIV-positive from entering or gaining permanent resident in the U.S.The bill, the subject of months-long negotiations, was passed by a convincing 80-16 vote and will likely be approved by the House of Representatives next week before President George W. Bush, who has supported the bill, signs it into law.

THE PRESIDENT of the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET), Dr. K.Y Amoako has stated that Africa needs credible, committed and inspired leadership, who can take a long term view of economic growth and development to transform the African economy. This was supported by Dr. Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Laureate in Economics and a Professor at the Columbia University in New York, who delivered the lecture and noted that Africa must be bold to defile conventions that do not serve their interest. He bemoaned that, in the past, Africa for the most part had dwelt on

242 advice from outsiders and institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Australian scientists have identified a potential treatment to combat malaria, a global scourge, which kills about 300,000 Nigerians, mostly children below five years, annually.

Africa, like China and India before it, is gradually losing its reputation as a “frontier market” and is becoming a destination for private equity, a top investment banker told the seventh annual African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum July 15.Tom Gibian, chief executive officer of Emerging Capital Partners (ECP), told the AGOA ministerial session in Washington that Africa’s frontier market reputation has already begun to recede like those of Brazil, Thailand and Hungary, which were once viewed by institutional investors as “exotic and forbidding.” Malawi's Minister of Economic Planning and Development, Ken Lipenga, has said that Africa is a net food importer importing approximately USD 20 billion worth of food annually so it is the hardest hit by rising oil and food prices. The New Partnership for Africa's Development e-Africa commission has been mandated to oversee the structured development and implementation of the NEPAD ICT programme across the continent. The commission aims to accelerate development of ICT broadband infrastructure and bridge the digital divide within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world.

The human right body, Amnesty International, called on President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua of Nigeria to put on hold the execution of convicts on death roll. Amnesty International has launched a worldwide campaign for an end to Capital Punishment. About 90,000 persons convicted for their responsibility in the 1994 genocide are currently engaged in community service throughout Rwanda, reported Thursday the Rwandan weekly newspaper Grands Lacs Hebdo (Great Lakes Weekly). THOUSANDS of displaced xenophobic violence victims accommodated at safety shelters - who do not want to be repatriated or reintegrated to communities - could be left without shelter and food when the Gauteng provincial government closes its centres next month. Government spokesman Thabo Masebe said earlier this week the government had no plans for people who would still be at the centres when the tents are dismantled next month.

The United Nations World Food Programme said today that attacks on aid workers on the ground and threats to ships delivering food aid to Somalia, are jeopardising the lives of millions who now need urgent food assistance. “Somalia is at a dire crossroads,” said Peter Goossens, WFP’s Country Director for Somalia at a news conference today in London. “If sufficient food and other humanitarian assistance cannot be scaled up in the coming months, parts of the country could well be in the grips of disaster similar to the 1992-1993 famine, when hundreds of thousands of people perished.

243 UNICEF says health workers' crisis in Africa poses a grave danger to governments' efforts at attaining the much needed success in the sector. In its latest report on "The State of World's Children", UNICEF called for urgent efforts to address the crisis, to accelerate the achievement of set goals in the sector. The report said the lack of adequate human resources represented a major barrier in integrating approaches to maternal, newborn and child survival at the community level. In the Dakar suburb of Thiaroye/Mer earlier this year 22 children died from lead poisoning over a three month period and in June a further 31 children were found to have potentially lethal levels of lead in their blood. While these children undergo emergency medical treatment, the government now faces the daunting task of identifying and treating further victims and decontaminating the neighbourhood once and for all. The practice of lead recycling started in 1995 when residents started collecting car batteries from mechanics nearby, extracted lead plates from them to sell on to blacksmiths, and emptied their contents in the sand. Over five million children in Uganda are stunted due to underfeeding, according to a study by a charity. According to the 2006 Uganda National Household Survey, children make 51% of the country's population estimated at 30 million.Ayo said parents were not feeding children on a balanced diet, adding that many were ignorant of nutritious foods.

An academician, Professor IK. Aduba, at the weekend in Abuja called on the federal government to consider using the plant called Cactus Opuntia (popularly named prickly pear) to combat desertification in the FCT and other northern states in the federation. He said the best economic option left for this administration is for them to combat desertification in the north with viable and effective technologies already tested in some countries of the world such as Mexico, Israel, USA, Brazil, North Africa, South Africa, etc A geothermal energy project has become the first clean development mechanism (CDM) project to be approved in Namibia.CDM is an arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol that allows industrialised countries with a commitment to reduce greenhouse emissions to invest in projects that reduce emissions in developing countries, as an alternative to more expensive emission-reduction mechanisms in their own countries. An Oxfam report released in Uganda says the rainy seasons in Uganda have changed in the last two decades, affecting agriculture, leading to increased poverty and posing grave health risks, according to a report to be launched today by Oxfam, an international NGO.Titled 'Turning up the heat, Climate Change and Poverty in Uganda', the report, which contains views and testimonies of people on the impact of changed weather patterns on agriculture and pastoral communities, blames the situation on climate change. “Most of the current warming is being driven by outpouring of green house gases from coal, oil and gas that powered the industrial revolutions in Europe and the US from about 150 years ago," the report said.

244 In Ghana the Western Regional Minister, Mr. Anthony Evans Amoah, has advised indigenes of the region, not to dispute over the exact location of the oil find. According to him, the rumpus being made by a group of people, claiming to have the oil find located on their soil, was unnecessary. “We should rather be thankful to God, that the oil is in our region," he said. FOURTEEN Filipinos, suspected to be international oil bunkerers, arrested last week, by the Joint Task Force (JTF) on the Niger-Delta with 150- 160 metric tonnes of stolen crude oil at the Bight of Benin in Bayelsa State have spilled the beans on how they carry out illegal oil bunkering in Nigeria with their Nigerian accomplices, according to the task force. Increasing oil prices on the global market have compelled governments to grapple with minimising the effects of soaring prices of petroleum products such as petrol and diesel. As a result, the Botswana government has announced its commitment to explore bio-fuels, which have the potential to help reduce the country's high imports of petroleum products. In Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete has inaugurated the world's first plant producing electricity from sisal waste. He urged stakeholders in the sisal industry to continue to be creative as they sought solutions to the various challenges the sector was facing." Given the energy deficit in Rwanda as well as the rest of the East African countries—an issue which was highlighted during the recent East African investment conference—Rwanda is increasingly looking at alternative sources of energy to power the country. Currently, only 5% of Rwanda's population has access to electricity, but the government has set the target of 16% by 2012 and 35% - 40% in 2020.

Recently, IRS Airlines' of Nigeria Embraer 145 regional jet (RJ) was grounded for over two weeks because of lack of crew. The pilots were poached and offered more money by Aero and Arik Airlines. For any airlines paying less than N1.3m per month per airline captain, there is every tendency that another airline will offer more pay, and snatch pilots from the least paying company. Sharia-oriented services to both Muslims and Christians. Officials of Gulf African Bank of Kenya said within three months of its operation in Kenya, the institution had accumulated deposits amounting to Sh1.1 billion. The bank's chief executive, Najmul Hassan, speaking during a day's seminar in Mombassa on Monday, said their services had been received well by Kenyans and this was the reasons why they had an expansion programme "to reach every corner of the country”. “We came from Pakistan with this Sharia compliant banking system and we have been overwhelmed by the response from both Muslims and Christians," he said. The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) will convene a tripartite meeting in October to discuss the harmonisation of trade in the region; BuaNews reported citing COMESA Secretary-General Sindiso Ngwenya said on Monday. The meeting would address issues of the creation of a free trade union and a customs union. This is the current trend in aviation industry in Nigeria. THE Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) signed a co-operative trade agreement with the US on

245 Wednesday in a bid to strengthen trade and investment ties and boost development of the southern African region. In terms of the agreement, a consultative team on trade and investment will explore further trade and investment opportunities between Sacu -- Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, SA and Swaziland -- and the US, remove obstacles to trade, and dedicate resources to trade facilitation. Businesses that are helping to prop up Robert Mugabe's regime will be included in a new sanctions list being drawn by the European Union, according to reports from Brussels. The ever rising fuel prices have catapulted the June annual figures by a massive 2.4 percentage points to 14.5 percent from 12.1 percent, the highest to be recorded in Botswana in almost four years. Celtel, a subsidiary of Zain Group, has won an award for the Best Telecoms operator in Africa at the 2008 Business in Africa Awards held in London recently. The mobile phone service provider won the award for showing growth and potential of the business landscape across Africa. Following stiff opposition to the proposed Niger Delta Summit by the stakeholders from the region, the Federal Government has shelved the summit and agreed to set up a committee to articulate the needs of the region and submit its report to the government. Vice President Goodluck Jonathan announced after a Niger Delta stakeholders meeting at the State House late on Wednesday night.

THE president of the ANC, South Africa's ruling party, Jacob Zuma, has told African armies to stay out of politics. The visiting ANC leader was yesterday speaking at the Oliver Tambo Leadership Institute in Kaweweta, Nakaseke, a former camp where many ANC freedom fighters against the apartheid regime were trained. Without naming the countries, Zuma said: "In many instances African armies have become partisan. The top United Nations official for Somalia has praised the strife-torn nation's parties for working quickly to advance the peace deal reached last month in neighbouring Djibouti."The progress made so far has been encouraging," said Special Representative Ahmedou Ould- Abdallah, who led the 10 days of talks that resulted in the Djibouti Agreement of 9 June.

NEWS COMMENTARIES

What Union Government? At the African Union (AU) summit held in Accra, Ghana, in June 2007, the rulers of the continent spent long hours discussing a Union Government for Africa. Not surprisingly, they could not agree on a way forward.

China's Role in Politics Appalling: THE recent veto against the UN targeted sanctions on the key people in President Mugabe's regime by China and Russia despite a deluge of international condemnation of Zimbabwe's human rights violations before and after the run off must certainly be a cause of worry for all those who are working for substantive political change in Zimbabwe and other troubled spots in Africa. While China played a critical role in supporting African decolonisation struggles such as in Zimbabwe itself, its

246 current laissez-faire policy in Africa's post-independence struggles for democracy certainly raises more questions than answers about the country's moral and ethical commitment to Africa's sustainable socio-economic and political development.

Botswana: Russia And China Sell Out to Capitalism: During the long years of the liberation struggle, the oppressed people of southern Africa counted among their unwavering supporters, China and the former Soviet Union. Russia is the most influential remnant of the USSR. But now it is amazing how China and Russia have made an about turn. Recently, the two countries are associated with despotic regimes in Africa and they fuel killing fields in Darfur and Zimbabwe. Their late entry into capitalism has blinded them to issues of human rights and the good of the common man. These late comers to imperialism have, unfortunately, bought the worst of the despicable system. Their insatiable craving for African raw materials takes precedence over everything else.

How G8 Has Failed the Continent: The rich nations' club known as G8 recently met in Japan with African heads of state and discussed among other things how to alleviate Africa's poverty. The topic keeps returning on the agenda of the G8, but the Western leaders keep making pledges that they never fulfil. It is not a secret any more that the group has not gone far enough in its efforts to assist Africa. But while the G8 has an obligation to assist the less developed parts of the world, especially Africa which has the bulk of the much needed raw materials desperately required for the developed world's industries, far more has to be done by Africans themselves.

Continent Must Challenge Abuse of 'International Jurisdiction': The decision by the African Union to adopt a resolution on the abuse of universal jurisdiction by non-African countries was based on the agreement that these countries were infringing on the sovereignty of African nations by targeting African leaders with legally unsound indictments in order to serve their political interests. Africa has been subjected to incalculable abuse and exploitation by a series of mostly European colonial powers who, in their merciless pursuit of domination and Africa's resources have wreaked destruction that will take the continent generations to undo. This has been accomplished with absolute impunity to which advanced justice systems of Western countries have turned a convenient blind eye.

THE HEADLINES 32. CHINA -AFRICA RELATIONS

WEST AFRICA • Export to China Rises to $22 Billion, Says Report: This Day (Lagos): 13 July 2008. • Nigeria: Rivers, Three Firms Sign $1 Billion MoU to Construct Six-Lane Ring Road: Daily Trust (Abuja): 15 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Minister Praises Chinese Doctors: The Herald (Harare): 18 July 2008.

247 • Zimbabwe: MDC Statement on Veto of UN Resolution: Movement for Democratic Change (Harare): PRESS RELEASE: 12 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Thanks China, Russia for UN Veto: The Herald (Harare): 14 July 2008. • Southern Africa: China Cleared For Ivory Purchase: The Namibian (Windhoek): 18 July 2008. • Namibia: Police Advise Chinese On Robberies: New Era (Windhoek): 16 July 2008. • Botswana: Chinese Offer Athletes Incentives: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 11 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Sudan: Chinese Engineers Arrive to Support Joint UN-African Union Mission in Darfur: UN News Service (New York): 17 July 2008 • Tanzania: Invest in Country Mayor Urges China: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 17 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Brussels Airlines Offers Connections to India, China: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 14 July 2008. 33. PAN AFRICA

WEST AFRICA • Pepfar - $48 Billion Landmark Bill Reauthorized: Physicians for Human Rights (Boston): PRESS RELEASE: 16 July 2008. • Continent Needs Credible, Committed Leadership to Transform Economy - Dr. Amoako: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 14 July 2008. • Researchers Record 'Major Breakthrough' Against Malaria: This Day (Lagos): 15 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Investors See Continent As Desirable Private-Equity Destination: America.gov (Washington, DC): 16 July 2008. • Continent Worst Hit By Oil Prices: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 17 July 2008. • Nepad-ICT All Set to Link African States: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 18 July 2008. • Activists Hail Senate Approval of Major Aids Bill : Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 17 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • AU Voices Opposition to Indictment of Bashir: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 16 July 2008. • EPAs Must Now Address Poverty, Urges Minister: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 18 July 2008. 34. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES

WEST AFRICA

248 • Liberia: President Must Veto Death Penalty Bill: Amnesty International: PRESS RELEASE: 18 July 2008. • Nigeria: Amnesty Int'l Wants Capital Punishment Stopped: Daily Trust (Abuja): 16 July 2008. • Mali: Thousands Still Live in Slavery in North: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 14 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Zanu-PF Thugs to Face Charges for Crimes Against Humanity: SW Radio Africa (London): 17 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: Report Says Low Intensity Conflict Taking Root: The Nation (Nairobi): 18 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Sudan: ICC Prosecutor Accuses Sudanese President of Darfur Genocide: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 14 July 2008. • Uganda: Security Agencies Use New Torture Tactics: New Vision (Kampala): 16 July 2008. • Sudan: Genocide Charges Split Global Community: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 14 July 2008. • Sudan: Come to My Rescue, Bashir Tells Museveni: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 17 July 2008. • Kenya: House Team Rejects Ethnic Relations Bill: The Nation (Nairobi): 15 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Security Council Extends Terms of Judges On UN's Genocide Tribunal: UN News Service (New York): 18 July 2008. • Rwanda: Trial of Genocide-Accused Catholic Priest Shifts to Country: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 16 July 2008. • Rwanda: About 90,000 Genocide-Convicted Engage in Community Service: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 17 July 2008. • Burundi: Six Murder Suspects of WHO Representative Set Free: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 14 July 2008. 35. REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ISSUES

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Divided Lives of Cameroonian Refugees in Benue Villages: Daily Trust (Abuja): 13 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Xenophobia Victims to Lose Shelters: Business Day (Johannesburg): 17 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: Country Faces Dire Crossroads as Drought and Insecurity Combine: United Nations World Food Programme (Rome): PRESS RELEASE: 18 July 2008.

249 CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: UN Says Food Supplies Stretched to Limit As Thousands Flee Fighting: UN News Service (New York): 16 July 2008. 36. HEALTH MATTERS (HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, TB)

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Brain-Drain Hampers Success in Health Sector, Says UNICEF Repo: Leadership (Abuja): 18 July 2008. • Senegal: Deadly Lead Recycling Industry Cripples Dakar Neighbourhood: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 16 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: 'Fight Against HIV, Aids in Schools': The Herald (Harare): 17 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Five Million Kids Stunted, Says Report: New Vision (Kampala): 17 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: $63 Million for Aids, Malaria Control: The New Times (Kigali): 15 July 2008. 37. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: 'Use Cactus Opuntia to Combat Desertification in the North': Daily Trust (Abuja): 18 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Namibia: Country Approves CDM Project: New Era (Windhoek): 17 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Ethiopia: Industries Urged to Protect City's Natural Environment Sector Advised to Employ Environmental Audit: The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa): 17 July 2008. • Uganda: Minister Advocates Renewable Energy: New Vision (Kampala): 17 July 2008. • Uganda: Rainy Seasons Have Changed: New Vision (Kampala): 16 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: FDLR Rebels Cutting Down Virunga Forests for Charcoal: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 15 July 2008. • Rwanda: United States to Support Mountain Gorilla Conservation: The New Times (Kigali): 15 July 2008. 38. ENERGY

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Amoah Chides Westerners, Don't Dispute Over Oil Find Location: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 17 July 2008.

250 • Nigeria: Federal Government Confirms Plan to Stop Subsidy On Fuel: Daily Champion (Lagos): 18 July 2008. • Nigeria: How We Carry Out Oil Bunkering in Niger Delta, Filipinos Confess: Vanguard (Lagos): 18 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Botswana: Country Ponders Bio-Fuel Production: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 18 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Tanzania: President Kikwete Launches Sisal-to-Power Plant: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 17 July 2008. • Tanzania: Zanzibar Says No Oil Sharing: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 17 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Govt Sets Its Eyes On Alternative Energy: Focus Media (Kigali): 18 July 2008. 39. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

WEST AFRICA • Ghana: Africa Technology Conference Underway in Accra: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 18 July 2008. • Liberia: Stance Against Fake Products Begins: The Analyst (Monrovia): 18 July 2008. • Nigeria: Shortage of Airline Pilots - Country's Creeping Dilemma: Leadership (Abuja): 18 July 2008 . SOUTHERN AFRICA • Southern Africa: Customs Union Signs U.S. Trade Deal: Business Day (Johannesburg): 18 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: Businesses Propping Up Mugabe Next On EU Sanctions List: SW Radio Africa (London): 18 July 2008. • Botswana: Inflation Goes Haywire: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 18 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • East Africa: Comesa, SADC, EAC to Discuss Harmonization of Trade: The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa): 16 July 2008. • Kenya: Sharia Friendly Bank to Open 25 Branches: The Nation (Nairobi): 9 July 2008. • Kenya: Celtel Bags Best Telecoms Operator Award in Africa: The Nation (Nairobi): 18 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Parliament Approves Plans to Join EADB: The New Times (Kigali): 15 July 2008. • Congo-Kinshasa: Monuc Rehabilitates Infrastructure in East: United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa): 16 July 2008.

251 • Rwanda: U.S. Rewards Government for Reforming: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 18 July 2008. 40. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

WEST AFRICA • Côte d'Ivoire: UN Calls for Launching of Identification Process Ahead of Polls: UN News Service (New York): 17 July 2008. • Nigeria: Court Urged to Halt Handover of Bakassi: This Day (Lagos): 18 July 2008. • Nigeria: FG Shelves Niger Delta Summit: Daily Trust (Abuja): 18 July 2008. • Ghana: Sale of Ghana Telecom Gathers Political Storm: Public Agenda (Accra): 18 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Sudan: ICC Indictment Sparks Hope, Fear: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 18 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: African Union, UN to Monitor Talks: allAfrica.com: 18 July 2008. • Zimbabwe: Talks MoU to Be Signed: Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): 18 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Museveni to Stand in 2011 - VP Bukenya: New Vision (Kampala): 19 July 2008. • Uganda: Keep Army Out of Politics, Says Zuma: New Vision (Kampala): 17 July 2008. • Tanzania: Zanzibar No State, Emphasises CCM Man: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 19 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: President Launches New National IDs: The New Times (Kigali): 18 July 2008. 41. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: Bakassi Green Tree Deal - Obasanjo Didn't Consult Military: Daily Trust (Abuja): .17 July 2008. • West Africa: UN Peacebuilding Funding Approved for Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone: UN News Service (New York): 17 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Pulls Out of Signing Talks Agreement: Business Day (Johannesburg): 17 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Uganda: Museveni Asked to Mediate Darfur Crisis: New Vision (Kampala): 17 July 2008. • Sudan: Another Peacekeeper From UN-African Union Force in Darfur Killed: UN News Service (New York): 16 July 2008.

252 • Somalia: UN Envoy Hails Progress on Last Month's Peace Accord: UN News Service (New York): 16 July 2008. CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Senior UN Officials Assess Peace Efforts in East: UN News Service (New York): 18 July 2008. 42. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

WEST AFRICA • Nigeria: 5 Killed as Militants, JTF Clash in Rivers: Daily Trust (Abuja): 17 July 2008. • Nigeria: Unknown Persons Blow Up AGIP Facility in Bayelsa: Vanguard (Lagos): 18 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Somalia: 16 Killed in Heavy Battles: Garowe Online (Garowe): 17 July 2008. • East Africa: Smuggled Immigrants Raise U.S. Terrorism Fears: The East African (Nairobi): 14 July 2008. • Somalia: Islamist Spokesman Supports Aid Worker Killings: Garowe Online (Garowe): 14 July 2008. • Somalia: Puntland Releases Nine Suspects, Sentences Al Shabaab Fighter: Garowe Online (Garowe): 17 July 2008. • Kenya: Relative Seeks Release of Man From Cuba: The Nation (Nairobi): 17 July 2008. 43. NORTH AFRICA • Tunisia: Tunisair Confirms Buying of 16 Airbus Planes, 2000 Jobs Due to Be Created: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 17 July 2008. • Tunisia: Travel And Leisure 2008 Ranks Tunis Among the 10 Best Cities in Africa And the Middle East: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 14 July 2008. • Morocco: Al-Jazeera Bureau Chief Fined for "Disseminating False Information": Reporters sans Frontières (Paris): PRESS RELEASE: 11 July 2008. • Sierra Leone: Egyptian Embassy Boosts Salone: Concord Times (Freetown): 14 July 2008. 44. NEWS COMMENTARIES

WEST AFRICA • What Union Government?: Vanguard (Lagos): COLUMN: 16 July 2008. Ladipo Adamolekun. • Behold the New Africa - Sixth Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture Presented by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: Nelson Mandela Foundation (Johannesburg): DOCUMENT: 12 July 2008. SOUTHERN AFRICA • China's Role in Politics Appalling: Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): OPINION: 18 July 2008. Last Moyo Wales.

253 • Botswana: Russia And China Sell Out to Capitalism: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): EDITORIAL: 15 July 2008. EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA • Sudan: Bashir Deserves Censure: The Nation (Nairobi): EDITORIAL: 15 July 2008. • How G8 Has Failed the Continent: The East African (Nairobi): COLUMN: 14 July 2008. Oscar Kimanuka • Uganda: Why Country Should Take Interest in China: New Vision (Kampala): OPINION: 14 July 2008. Ofwono Opondo. • Many African Leaders Guilty of Mugabe Sins: New Vision (Kampala): OPINION: 15 July 2008. Phionah Kesaasi • How to Achieve Goals of Green Revolution: Business Daily (Nairobi): OPINION: 14 July 2008.Angela Cropper. CENTRAL AFRICA • Ending Refugee Crisis: The New Times (Kigali): ANALYSIS: 15 July 2008.Immaculate Chaka. • Africa: Continent Must Challenge Abuse of 'International Jurisdiction': The Nation (Nairobi): OPINION: 18 July 2008.Yolande Makolo. ------. THE REPORT IN DETAIL

45. CHINA -AFRICA RELATIONS

WEST AFRICA

• Export to China Rises to $22 Billion, Says Report: This Day (Lagos): 13 July 2008.

Sub-Saharan Africa's natural resource export to China increased from US$3 billion in 2001 to about US$22 billion in 2006, says a World Bank report."Petroleum dominates, accounting for 80 per cent of total exports to China," says the report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) today in Abuja.The report, however, noted that the bulk of Africa's oil goes to China.According to the report, other important African export commodities were iron ore and timber, followed by manganese, cobalt, copper and chromium."The growing South-South cooperation is driven by strong economic complementarity between China and Africa, " the report quoted Vivien Foster, a World Bank lead economist and co-author of the report, as saying.The report, titled "Building Bridges: China's Growing Role as Infrastructure Financier for Sub-Saharan Africa", said there was a synergy between African and Chinese economy.The report also indicated how new infrastructure partnerships were emerging, driven by strong economic growth in the African region."China's growing demand for natural resources had been matched by Africa's significant and often under-developed oil and mineral reserves."While Africa's urgent need for infrastructure is matched by China's globally competitive construction industry, " the report said.The report added that the World Bank was already working closely with African countries, China and other development partners in sharing

254 experiences so that the investments would have the best development impact.China is not the only emerging financier playing a major role in Africa. making sizeable investment commitments in sub-Saharan Africa's infrastructure, helping to fill annual needs estimated at US$22 billion by the Commission for Africa.

• Nigeria: Rivers, Three Firms Sign $1 Billion MoU to Construct Six- Lane Ring Road: Daily Trust (Abuja): 15 July 2008.

Officials of the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), its partner ICMG Securities, and China Harbour and Engineering Company (CHEC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in China this week that paves the way for the construction of a $1 billion, 125 kilometre, six-lane ring road around the city of Port Harcourt.Rivers State Governor highlighted three key elements as solutions to the Niger Delta crisis. Meeting with officials of China Communications and Construction Company (CCCC), the parent company of CHEC, in Beijing, Amaechi said "infrastructure, creation of employment through capacity building of our people, and growth of the economy are the essentials to solving the crisis." To achieve these objectives, he explained, "We need to pursue education reform, infrastructure of schools, entrepreneurship and development of infrastructure to support economic growth, and create employment opportunities. The Port Harcourt Ring Road is part of the plan to achieve these goals."The governor made these points while speaking with Messrs. Jichang Zhou and Fengchao Meng, Chairman and President, respectively, of CCCC."We hope we will partner with you [CCCC], AFC and ICMG to realize this dream," Amaechi added. "It is the responsibility of the Rivers State government to provide security to protect lives and property. We are determined to provide security for every staff of CCCC that comes to work in Rivers State, and we want to commence as soon as possible."Jichang Zhou told the governor that "with such young talented leaders" as himself, he was sure "the security and everything will be improved in Rivers State. It is our hope that CCCC can contribute to the economic development of Rivers State. We have committed that with AFC and ICMG, we will immediately start the Ring Road Project." Fengchao Meng concurred with his chairman. "We believe the opportunity for Rivers State is huge and we hope to contribute to its development."The agreement with AFC would include the establishment of a technical training institute to ensure that knowledge is transferred during construction of the ring road. Governor Amaechi enjoined the CHEC president to try as much as possible to adapt its technology to the people of Rivers state. "Our own people must be able to manage and maintain what you leave behind," he said. He added that he wanted CHEC to be the first company to build a cable-stayed bridge in Nigeria.The 125-kilometre highway will be the largest municipal highway project in Africa, and is expected to be a catalyst to the city's economic development. It will support Port Harcourt's ambition of becoming a regional commercial hub, and forms an integral component of the Rivers State government's Master Plan for the revitalization of the city.AFC president Austine O. Ometoruwa, accompanying the governor, concurred "infrastructure development is key to allowing Rivers maximize various economic opportunities, including those in oil and gas."Governor Amaechi also met with officials of State Grid Corporation of China, the country's largest state-owned enterprise and parent company of SEPCO, who are technical partners with AFC/ICMG Securities. SEPCO is expected to help revamp Rivers

255 State's electric power program. Speaking with the company's Director General of International Cooperation, Zhang Qiping and Chief Economy Officer Du Zhigang, the governor and his team discussed plans for the upgrade and operation of Rivers State's transmission and distribution system, as well as 400 megawatts of extra generation capacity that he hopes to generate."We want an entirely new distribution network," Amaechi said. "The Government does not plan to be active in distribution and transmission. We want the private sector to play that role. If you can come up with a solution to deliver power in Rivers State, I will pass the laws to facilitate it as soon as we are sure we can do it. Speed is of the essence."AFC and State Grid exchanged letters of intent to formalize a strategic partnership for projects across Africa by the end of August, starting with a project in Rivers State.China's largest state-owned enterprise, State Grid is the largest public utility in the world and the 29th on Fortune 500's list. The company has assets of US $145 billion and profits that totaled $6.6 billion last year.AFC is Africa's leading institution for public-private partnership (PPP) solutions to the continent's infrastructure deficit. Among other infrastructure projects, AFC is leading the construction of a 3600-megawatt coal-fired power station in of Nigeria and financing an emergency power generation project in Guinea-Bissau.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Minister Praises Chinese Doctors: The Herald (Harare): 18 July 2008.

HEALTH and Child Welfare Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa yesterday met Chinese specialist doctors who are on a two-year working visit to Zimbabwe under a bilateral agreement between the two governments.The eight specialists have been working in the country since April this year.Dr Parirenyatwa expressed satisfaction with the work that the medical team has done so far and hailed the long and cordial relations that exist between the two countries."It is gratifying to note that China is one of the few countries that still provide medical specialists to Zimbabwe. I have heard that you are working very well."We appreciate that you have come to assist and should get back to us if you encounter any problems during your stay here and at work," Dr Parirenyatwa said.The team includes orthopedic surgeons, anaesthetists and radiologists.Three of the doctors have been deployed to Harare Central Hospital, another three at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo while the remainder are at Parirenyatwa Hospital.The Chinese government is paying the doctors' salaries and allowances with the Government providing accommodation.Dr Parirenyatwa said he has already engaged and agreed with his Chinese counterpart to send traditional medicine specialists to Zimbabwe to look at traditional medicine and make recommendations."We have a lot of Chinese traditional medicine here and we are also working at improving our own," Dr Parirenyatwa said. Team co-ordinator of the Chinese doctors Mr Dingyue Hu assured the minister they would perform their duties to the best of their abilities and added that they had not encountered major problems so far.

• Zimbabwe: MDC Statement on Veto of UN Resolution: Movement for Democratic Change (Harare): PRESS RELEASE: 12 July 2008.

256 The Movement for Democratic Change appreciates the focus of the United Nation Security Council on the Zimbabwean crisis.We acknowledge that the Security Council has recognized the magnitude of the problems facing Zimbabwe and their impact on the southern African region.The international community has recognised that the violence in Zimbabwe is state-sanctioned. Over a hundred people have been killed, many thousands beaten, tortured and displaced and millions now facing economic hardship and starvation.The suffering of the Zimbabwean people is worsening every day and a peaceful negotiated transition is urgently required.In light of this, the MDC calls upon the African Union to work with SADC in establishing the framework in which a negotiated solution can be formulated.The MDC would like to express its gratitude to countries and organisations that continue to support the Zimbabwean people in their struggle for freedom and stability.

• Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Thanks China, Russia for UN Veto: The Herald (Harare): 14 July 2008.

GOVERNMENT yesterday thanked Zimbabwe's true and trusted friends for thwarting efforts by the West to impose more sanctions on the country through the United Nations Security Council last week.In an interview yesterday, Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity Cde Bright Matonga hailed China and Russia for vetoing concerted efforts by Britain and the United States to victimise Zimbabwe.He also thanked Libya, South Africa and Vietnam for their unreserved support for Zimbabwe."We are grateful to our all-weather friends, particularly China and Russia. We thank them wholeheartedly for their continued support and for the work they have done before, during and after independence. They continue to support us even during these difficult times," he said. "We are very grateful for their support."As Zimbabweans, we now need to work together as a united front. We have to put our house in order and be organised. This is the time for nation building."Cde Matonga said it was important for Zimbabweans to put their differences aside and join hands for the development of the country."We have to work together as a nation. We must be united and disciplined. We do not need to take our friends for granted by always putting them in difficult circumstances as they might fail to defend us next time," he said.Cde Matonga acknowledged the support the country was receiving from Sadc and the African Union but noted that some African countries were being compromised by the budgetary support they receive from the West.He said there were no divisions in Sadc and the AU over Zimbabwe although the West had tried to use divide-and-rule tactics."The enemy has not rested. The enemy is very bitter, vindictive and racist. We should not relax and say we have defeated them. It may look as victory, but it is not. We did not want to be on the agenda. We have to focus on nation building," Cde Matonga said.Moves in the Security Council to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe at the UN level failed on Friday when Russia and China, two of the 15-member body's permanent members, vetoed the US draft resolution that could have widened the current illegal embargo against Zimbabwe to include an arms ban, among others.The US, Britain, Italy, France, Panama, Croatia, Belgium, Costa Rica and Burkina Faso voted in favour of the sanctions while China, Russia, Libya, Vietnam and South Africa voted against. Indonesia abstained.The negative vote of a single permanent member kills a resolution.Russia condemned the move, saying it was an attempt to take the Security

257 Council beyond its mandate of maintaining international peace and security.It noted that such "illegitimate and dangerous attempts" could unbalance the whole UN system, adding that the problems in Zimbabwe could not be solved by the imposition of sanctions.Stung by their failure, Britain and the US criticised Russia with America's UN envoy saying Moscow's veto cast doubt on its reliability as a G8 ally.But Russia slammed the accusation as "unacceptable"."Representatives of the United States and Britain have declared that our vote betrayed the G8 Tokyo summit accords on Zimbabwe and that this posed questions about Russia's reliability as a partner in the G8," government spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said in a statement."We consider such statements unacceptable," he added.In a separate statement, the Russian foreign ministry condemned violence but warned the proposed UN resolution would have set a "dangerous precedent" for interference in countries' internal affairs.British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said they would shift to the European Union to see what further action to take against Zimbabwe.

• Southern Africa: China Cleared For Ivory Purchase: The Namibian (Windhoek): 18 July 2008.

Namibia is happy that the UN body charged with monitoring trade in endangered species has approved China's plea to buy more than 100 tons of elephant ivory from four Southern African countries, the Director of Scientific Services in the Ministry of Environment told The Namibian yesterday.Dr Fanuel Demas said because there are now two countries - Japan and China - to which Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe can auction their ivory, this will give the four countries options to go for the price of their choice.Demas said China was approved on Tuesday to trade in ivory but under strict conditions."We are all happy as the two countries will compete in terms of price," Demas told The Namibian from Geneva, Switzerland, where the 57th Standing Committee meeting of the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) started on Monday.He said was it was now up to the four countries to individually engage in discussions with Japan and China on when they want to sell their ivory.Demas, Environment Permanent Secretary Dr Kalumbi Shangula and conservation scientist Elly Hamunyela are representing Namibia at the meeting, which ends today.Cites said it was satisfied with Cbina's ivory controls and markets.The 14th Cites Conference of Parties held in the Netherlands last year permitted Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe to make a single sale of all government-owned stocks of ivory that had been registered by January 30.Namibia was permitted to sell nine tonnes of ivory, Botswana 44 tonnes, South Africa 51 tonnes and Zimbabwe four tonnes.But after the sale, the countries will not be allowed to export ivory again for nine years.Between March and April this year, the Cites Secretariat visited the four SADC states and verified that the declared ivory stocks had been properly registered and that they were of legal origin.Some environmental and trade organisations such as the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) are trying to prevent China from getting permission to trade in ivory.The EIA argues that China lacks control of its ivory and that allowing it to import more ivory legally would only lead to additional slaughter of elephants and greater illegal ivory smuggling.Elephant ivory is a booming black-market commodity, with tusks, jewellery and trinkets bringing in millions of dollars for smugglers and sellers after trade was banned by Cites in 1989.Under the latest decision, China will be expected

258 to help its African partners in law enforcement and conservation of African elephants.The Asian country will also have to demonstrate adequate control measures to ensure that ivory can be tracked and remains within domestic markets.

• Namibia: Police Advise Chinese On Robberies: New Era (Windhoek): 16 July 2008.

The Oshana Police met a group of Chinese business people in the north last Saturday for an information sharing session on problems encountered by both sides.The discussion tackled the issue of how Chinese business people "loosely handle" their money and thereby make themselves victims of armed robbers.Oshana Regional Commander Ndahangwapo Kashihakumwa explained to the Chinese business community that they are targets of criminals because they normally possess large amounts of money in their businesses or in their cars.The police in the region have recorded many cases of robberies of Chinese.The regional commander encouraged them to consider using formal banks to safe-keep their money rather than stashing the money under pillows.He also advised them to contract reliable cash-in-transit companies that have the expertise to carry huge amounts of money safely to the banks.Kashihakumwa told them that criminals corroborate with their employees who tell criminals where they keep money.He encouraged them to carefully track and record their employees' background and get to know them better rather than picking up employees from the streets.Some of the Chinese business people expressed concern about the slow pace at which court cases are finalized.They argued that when a case is made against the criminal, it takes a lot of postponements before it is settled.Another area of concern for the Chinese is long queues and having to be told to wait when they come to the police station to report cases.Chief Inspector Golden Naanda explained that the courts have a lot of cases to deal with and one of the contributing factors to the backlog in cases is that Chinese decline to testify in court when summoned to do so.He advised them to be present at court when they are called to testify as failing to do so results in endless postponements and eventually cases being withdrawn, because of lack of evidence.On long queues, the deputy commissioner assured them that if they experience problems, they should approach his office."We would like you to give crime related information to the police so that you remain secure and your businesses too," said Kashihakumwa.The Chinese business people were happy to have an open discussion with the police and assured the deputy commissioner of their willingness to cooperate with the police.

• Botswana: Chinese Offer Athletes Incentives: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 11 July 2008.

The Chinese Embassy in Botswana has announced a reward package for Botswana athletes taking part at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China next month.The Chinese ambassador, Ding Xiaowen said he was surprised to learn that Botswana has not won a single medal at the Olympics since it started taking part in the games 22 years ago.Xiaowen said he was challenged to do something about Botswana's dearth of Olympic medals hence he came up with the pledge to give athletes courage ahead of the games. The Chinese embassy has pledged P50,000 for Botswana gold medallists,

259 P30,000 for silver medallists and P20,000 for bronze medallists.Additionally athletes who qualify for the finals will be given P10,000. Those who have qualified for the Olympics will get P2,000. The Chinese have donated P100,000 to sponsor coaches and journalists who are going to cover the Olympics. "We, the Chinese community in Botswana, consider ourselves as locals and a win for you will be a win for all of us. We wish you success at the competition," Xiaowen said. The embassy pledged 300 footballs as a contribution to the newly launched constituency leagues. The donation was made after an appeal by the minister in charge of sport, Gladys Kokorwe."I am truly humbled by this gesture by the Chinese embassy and the Chinese community in this country. Words are not enough to express my heartfelt appreciation for what you have done for our athletes ahead of such a major international sporting event," Kokorwe said. She added that financing elite sport should not only be the responsibility of government alone as it needs a multi-sectoral approach. She acknowledged that the smallness of Botswana's Beijing bound team is a result of lack of meaningful exposure to tougher international competitions.Botswana will be represented in athletes and boxing only at the Olympics. Kokorwe appealed to the Chinese government to avail opportunities to Botswana to send athletes to China for intensive training in future to prepare better for international competitions.The minister encouraged coaches to do everything in their power to drill athletes to do their best in Beijing.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Sudan: Chinese Engineers Arrive to Support Joint UN-African Union Mission in Darfur: UN News Service (New York): 17 July 2008

A company of 172 Chinese engineers arrived today in Nyala in South Darfur to join the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) in Sudan's troubled western region.The Chinese contingent will work primarily on the completion of a camp in Nyala and will expand other UNAMID camps in Darfur, providing the infrastructure and facilities that will allow more peacekeepers to deploy. They bring the total number of Chinese engineers in Darfur to 315 and the total number of UNAMID forces to 8,000.UNAMID's Joint Special Representative Rodolphe Adada said that deployment was the priority for the mission. "We are accelerating our deployment. We are building the strength of the mission so we can protect more personnel and more Darfurians and continue to implement our mandate," he said.UNAMID Force Commander General had previously emphasised the lack of engineering capacity as one of the principal constraints delaying deployment of more peacekeepers to the currently under-manned mission."Every commander wants the resources to fulfill his assignment," he said. "For me it's a very special day because what we need most is the engineering capacity to build and expand our camps to allow us to increase the numbers of our deployed forces."The Chinese company of engineers includes bridge and road-building detachments, construction and installation units, maintenance and support teams, and well-drilling specialists. Apart from their work on the camp in Nyala and other UNAMID bases, the engineers will also assist local communities in Darfur with Quick Impact Projects, such as well-drilling.The UN is aiming to deploy 80 per cent of a total contingent of 26,000 troops and police officers by

260 the end of the year.UNAMID also reports that in the past 24 hours, peacekeepers conducted 21 security and confidence-building patrols in the region and humanitarian activities are ongoing as well.In addition, the mission says the investigation is still ongoing into yesterday's shooting death of a UNAMID peacekeeper. The killing comes just one week after seven blue helmets with the mission were slain in an attack in North Darfur.Meanwhile, from Khartoum, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) reports that the withdrawal of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) forces from Abyei continues, with UNMIS monitoring.This is in line with the joint plan unveiled by the Sudanese Government of National Unity's main parties to resolve their dispute over the situation in the oil-rich area around Abyei, which lies close to the boundary between the north and south of the country.Both parties agreed at yesterday's Area Joint Military Committee to complete withdrawal by 30 July.

• Tanzania: Invest in Country Mayor Urges China: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 17 July 2008.

Tanzania should increase investments from China.Doing will create jobs and stimulate other businesses, Dar es Salaam mayor Adam Kimbisa said.He was opening a show of products from Jiangsu, a Chinese province, on Tuesday.He said with 40 million population, Tanzania is a good market potential for various products.Mr Fei Shaoyun of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Trade said Jiangsu had invested in seven projects of $70 million in Tanzania in 2007."Both Tanzania and China are aiming at promoting their economies and are making progress to that effect," said."China's economy is growing at 10 per cent each year while the Tanzania GDP has been growing at more than five per cent in the last 20 years."According to him, globalisation provides a wide field of cooperation and new opportunities for strengthening links between the two trade partners.The first Jiangsu trade fair in Tanzania was held in 2006.The annual event brings various Jiangsu companies dealing in machinery, solar panels, kitchen ware, television sets, laptops, home appliances and electronic equipment suitable for Tanzania.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Brussels Airlines Offers Connections to India, China: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 14 July 2008.

Travelers from Rwanda going to India and China by Brussels Airlines will not need to connect to other flights - thanks to a new partnership that the Belgian carrier has established, RNA reports.With comfortable connection times, Brussels Airlines' passengers in several African countries where it operates can easily travel to 3 major Indian cities as well as to the Chinese capital every day via Brussels.Passengers will now be able to travel directly onwards to Mumbai (Bombay), Delhi, Chennai (Madras) or Beijing after code-share agreements with Jet Airways and Hainan Airlines, Brussels Airlines said in a statement.The Belgian carrier has three flights per week direct from Kigali to Brussels. It is the same firm that is in the tendered its bid for a majority stake in Rwandair Express - the local carrier.Rwanda, like the other regional countries is home to a significant Indian community with an increasing presence of Chinese nationals.

261 Rwanda has also been sending hundreds of students for education to India and China.China too is a major investor in Africa and has been served via Brussels for the last 2 years. Every week, Brussels Airlines says 5 flights are offered to Beijing, city of the Olympic Games 2008.

46. PAN AFRICA

WEST AFRICA

• Pepfar - $48 Billion Landmark Bill Reauthorized: Physicians for Human Rights (Boston): PRESS RELEASE: 16 July 2008.

This evening, the US Senate voted to reauthorize PEPFAR AIDS legislation (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), despite a gauntlet of last-minute obstacles and objections ranging from a Senate Republican filibuster to amendments to drastically cut funding and PEPFAR's reach.Senate approval is the last major obstacle to the bill's becoming law. PEPFAR reauthorization is targeted to prevent 12 million HIV infections and treat three million people over five years. The Senate version also contains a provision that would lift the infamous HIV travel ban, which generally prohibits HIV+ people from entering the United States.Said John Bradshaw, JD, Washington Director for Physicians for Human Rights: "In passing this bill, Congress has saved countless lives in a single evening. It is difficult to exaggerate the impact that this $48 billion program will have on people suffering in Africa and around the world from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The vote also sends a message of support to many of those who suffer that the U.S. is even more committed than ever to getting them the help they need. We welcome the provisions that would bolster Africa's health work force. Without more health workers, there can no lasting progress in addressing these diseases. We applaud the removal of the HIV travel ban, which is and always has been a human rights violation and has no basis in the needs of public health."Africa's catastrophic health worker shortage, which received little mention in the original legislation, is now a central element of the reauthorized bill passed by the Senate. PEPFAR reauthorization will support countries in developing long-term health workforce plans, will fund 140,000 new health workers, and will pay for a push for 2.3 health workers per thousand people. Many African countries currently employ far fewer health workers than that ratio would provide, crippling efforts to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.The health worker shortage has been cited by international health organizations such as the World Health Organization and World Bank as perhaps the single biggest obstacle to implementing HIV services. Indeed, PEPFAR reauthorization provisions constitute the single biggest effort to alleviate Africa's health workforce crisis of any wealthy country.PEPFAR, the world's largest anti-AIDS program which also now addresses malaria, tuberculosis, and nutrition, has so far treated over 1.5 million people with AIDS. The bill is seen as a cornerstone of President Bush's legacy as he leaves office, and has overall enjoyed wide bipartisan support, including from Republican Senator Richard Lugar, a co-sponsor of the bill who became an energetic proponent.President Bush initially proposed $30 billion for the reauthorized program (the initial price tag for PEPFAR 1 was $15 billion), but grassroots support, including bold leadership from Physicians for Human Rights,

262 eventually pushed that figure to $48 billion.Below is a summary of PHR's positions on some of the salient provisions of the version passed this evening by the Senate:Africa's Health Workforce Crisis: PEPFAR reauthorization will support countries in developing long-term health workforce plans, will fund 140,000 new health workers, and will help pay for a push for 2.3 doctors, nurses, and midwives per thousand people. Many African countries currently employ far fewer health workers than that ratio would provide, crippling efforts to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.PHR is advocating for including a provision during conference that would provide health care for health workers themselves – an issue not addressed in the Senate bill, but that is included in the House version – and stronger language about safe working conditions and health workforce plans.Injection drug use (IDU) policy—PHR welcomes the increased attention given to IDUs in the proposed legislation, which favors increased access to HIV prevention for this group.The bill makes… "the reduction of HIV/AIDS behavioral risks a priority of all prevention efforts by …promoting voluntary counseling and testing, addiction therapy, and other prevention and treatment tools for illicit injection drug users and other substance abusers." It promotes substitution therapy for IDUs. [NOTE: An effort is underway in the House to repeal the US ban on needle exchange, including a letter to House leadership signed by 56 Members of Congress, urging the leadership to "seek immediate removal of the ban on federal funding of syringe exchange."]In addition, there is a reporting requirement that PEPFAR must track the number of IDUs reached by PEPFAR services in each affected country, including users at risk of becoming infected with HIV. The inclusion of prevention services for users not yet HIV-positive is a breakthrough and differs from PEPFAR 1, which only targeted HIV-positive injection drug users.Women: PHR supports the focus given in the bill to programs to combat HIV/AIDS among women. Women's unique vulnerability to HIV is explicitly discussed in the bill.The bill provides important targets for preventing mother to child transmission and AIDS medical treatment for children.PEPFAR five-year strategy must include a plan to address the needs of women and girls, including specific strategies, targets, and goals. The bill also mandates:

• A report on the five-year plan must be submitted annually to Congress.

• It expands monitoring and evaluation and operations research to include collection and analysis of data on gender-responsive interventions, and will develop gender indicators.

• It authorizes new IOM evaluation four years later to assess performance

• It calls for compacts with countries to include how they will address the needs of women and girls.

The integration of family planning services and HIV services, seen as critical by advocates including PHR, is not discussed in the Senate version. PHR is calling for the integration of family planning and HIV services in the final PEPFAR reauthorization legislation. Such integration is essential in order to catch women with HIV as early as possible to prevent and treat the disease.HIV Travel Ban: PHR strongly supports the repeal of the longstanding ban preventing people with HIV from visiting the US, and

263 calls for this language to be included in the final legislation. The Travel Ban is a violation of human rights, including the right to privacy and the right against discrimination.

PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

For 20 years, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), based in Boston, MA,has advanced health and dignity by protecting human rights. As a founding member ofthe International Campaign to Ban Landmines, PHR shared the 1997 NobelPeace Prize. www.physiciansforhumanrights.org

• Continent Needs Credible, Committed Leadership to Transform Economy - Dr. Amoako: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 14 July 2008.

THE PRESIDENT of the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET), Dr. K.Y Amoako has stated that Africa needs credible, committed and inspired leadership, who can take a long term view of economic growth and development to transform the African economy.According to him, African leaders need to develop credible policies and strategies and as well implement them effectively, stressing, "many countries, particularly Asia have managed to do precisely that."He explained that transforming African economies mean working to change the structure, organization, and management of the economies in a manner that would lead to accelerated, inclusive economic growth, employment, adequate health services, water sanitation and access to high quality education."It means ensuring that our economies can withstand or adapt to external factors and take advantage of opportunities offered by international trade and investments to improve our productivity and to spur further our growth", he added.Dr. Amoako, who is also the founder of ACET was speaking at a public lecture on the theme, "Transforming African Economies: Lessons from Asia", which was co-hosted by the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) and ACET in Accra on Tuesday.In his view, Africa needs to draw upon the skills and experience of the many outstanding African professionals on the continent and in the Diaspora to address the continent's problems in relation to their unique circumstances."It's my conviction that we can achieve these objectives if we harness the talents and expertise of our people to design our policies and development strategies in a way that takes into our account our social, political and social realities", he stressed.This was supported by Dr. Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Laureate in Economics and a Professor at the Columbia University in New York, who delivered the lecture and noted that Africa must be bold to defile conventions that do not serve their interest.He bemoaned that, in the past, Africa for the most part had dwelt on advise from outsiders and institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. He noted that he had never been content with the advises these Briton Wood Institutions give He believed that it was fundamentally important for democratic countries to have policy dialogues within their own countries and have their policies shaped by those from the country who know more about the country, stressing, "people like me can only share their experiences that they have had or seen elsewhere and leave you with a few thoughts that will have influence on how you think about the problem."Dr. Amoako continued that to properly transform African economies, strategies must focus on modernizing agriculture, improving infrastructure, diversifying exports

264 and increasing integration as well as educating and employing the youth, leveraging technology and daring to be bold to defy convention."The first seven tactics or strategies for economic transformation are well understood but daring to be bold and defying convention is often not stressed enough at all", he conceded, adding, "I established ACET here in Accra as an institution to provide high-quality policy analysis and advisory services to African governments."The organization's goal is to assist government with the objective of achieving long-term growth and transformation of African governments while its mission is to play a pivotal role in eliminating policy and institutional barriers that impede sustained growth and transformation in Africa" to address the problem of defying conventions.The Chief Advisor to the President, Mrs. Mary Chinnery-Hesse, who chaired the lecture, said the theme for the lecture holds great interests for Ghana because of the constant comparison between Ghana and Asian countries like Malaysia who gained independence at the same time as Ghana.She said Ghana is on track to recapture her past glory "as we grope for the magic bullet which would propel our economy on a trajectory for accelerated growth", and added "we look forward to what lessons we might garner from the policies, strategies and prescriptions successful Asian countries have followed to attain the status of Tigers, so that Ghana can attain the status as the first, this time not tiger, but African Elephant."

• Researchers Record 'Major Breakthrough' Against Malaria: This Day (Lagos): 15 July 2008.

Australian scientists yesterday identified a potential treatment to combat malaria, a global scourge, which kills about 300,000 Nigerians, mostly children below five years, annually.According to a report on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) website, researchers in Melbourne believe their discovery could be a major breakthrough in the fight against the disease; where the malaria parasite produces a glue-like substance which makes the cells it infects sticky, so they cannot be flushed through the body.The researchers, according to the report, have shown how removing a protein responsible for the glue can destroy its stickiness, and undermine the parasite's defence.The malaria parasite, named Plasmodium falciparum, effectively hijacks the red blood cells it invades, changing their shape and physical properties dramatically.Among the changes it triggers is the production of the glue-like substance, which enables the infected cells to stick to the walls of the blood vessels. This stops them being passed through the spleen, where the parasites would usually be destroyed by the immune system.The Australian team developed mutant strains of P. falciparum, each lacking one of 83 genes known or predicted to play a role in the red cell remodeling process. Systematically testing each one, they were able to show that eight proteins were involved in the production of the key glue-like substance.Removing just one of these proteins stopped the infected cells from attaching themselves to the walls of blood vessels, the report revealed.Professor Alan Cowman, a member of the research team at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, said targeting the protein with drugs, or possibly a vaccine, could be key to fighting malaria."If we block the stickiness, we essentially block the virulence or the capacity of the parasite to cause disease," he said.Malaria is preventable and curable, but can be fatal if not treated promptly. The disease kills more than a million people each year. Many of the victims are young children in sub-Saharan Africa.Available statistics

265 indicate that one out of every five Nigerian children will die before their fifth birthday, with malaria alone being responsible for one quarter of these deaths.Malaria is said to be responsible for an estimated 30 per cent of deaths among children, 11 per cent among pregnant women and 80 per cent of diseases in reported cases in health facilities.It is certainly the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the country.Records also show that 50 per cent of Nigeria's population suffers from, at least, one episode of malaria attack each year. The disease accounts for over 45 per cent of all outpatient visits.The Federal Government spends millions annually on awareness campaigns and provides malaria control measures, which involves programmes such as the Roll Back Malaria initiative, where special insecticide-treated bed-nets are produced and distributed to the people, especially nursing mothers.Various countries and international organisations such as Japan and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are also collaborating with the country in the fight against her 'biggest' killer.In the country, malaria is directly or remotely responsible for the loss of millions of productive hours, resulting in colossal reduction in individual and collective productivity.The Commissioner for Health, Malama Aisha Ishiaku, recently stated that the malaria scourge accounts for an annual economic burden of about N132 billion in Nigeria.Reports also revealed that in Africa, malaria accounts for 10 per cent of the continent's disease burden as well as the $12 billion yearly lost in productivity.Globally, about 40 per cent of world population (2.4 billion) is known to be at risk. An estimated 300-500 million cases of malaria occur globally every year.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Investors See Continent As Desirable Private-Equity Destination: America.gov (Washington, DC): 16 July 2008.

Africa, like China and India before it, is gradually losing its reputation as a “frontier market” and is becoming a destination for private equity, a top investment banker told the seventh annual African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum July 15.Tom Gibian, chief executive officer of Emerging Capital Partners (ECP), told the AGOA ministerial session in Washington that Africa’s frontier market reputation has already begun to recede like those of Brazil, Thailand and Hungary, which were once viewed by institutional investors as “exotic and forbidding.”“Over the past 20 years or so, the frontier moniker, like a baton, has been passed from one emerging country to the next. Not long ago, I experienced China as a sleeping dragon,” and India as a country that was once “pinned down by its own rules and regulations. Look at them now!”Before being involved in Africa, Gibian managed a global Asia fund and was earlier employed by the U.S. investment banking firm Goldman-Sachs.ECP bills itself as the first private equity group to raise more than $1 billion for investment in Africa and stands as the largest private fund manager working across the continent since 2000. ECP's Africa fund enjoys an annual return in excess of 30 percent. When ECP began eight years ago, Africa, he said, had not yet achieved its frontier status but was "pre-frontier" in the eyes of investors.Gibian said ECP thrives on change and views "the rapidly changing and improving perception of Africa by emerging-market investors to be a realistic reappraisal of a long-overlooked region."Gibian drew parallels between current economic performance across the continent and conditions seen in both China and India as both

266 economies began to take off.Gibian said he was in Beijing last week and can personally attest to the gleaming infrastructure that can now be found there along with 400 million people in China who are now "poised" to begin leading better lives as a result of some level of involvement with capitalism.Allowing the private sector to be the engine of growth -- encouraging trade, lowering barriers to starting businesses, implementing economic reforms and improving regulatory environments -- encourages the creation of wealth. And that wealth, Gibian said, responsibly taxed by governments, creates a revenue stream that can be invested in infrastructure. Such development, he said, allows a middle class to take root and flourish within a stable society.No magic formulas are needed for development, according to Gibian. He praised a host of African leaders for realizing that reform of the telecommunications, insurance, banking and pension sectors can "work in Africa the same way and for the same reasons that they work in China and India. ... Most of Africa is on a trajectory that is clearly recognizable to those of us who have seen the potency of markets being allowed to work in other complicated places with over a billion people."It is no coincidence that Africa has an economic growth rate seven times that of the United States this year and at least three times that in Europe, he said, as most African leaders have embraced the private sector as the route to economic growth and development. Gibian said African farmers should be well positioned to take advantage of the highest commodity prices in a generation.Gibian cited the recent election problems in Kenya, noting that the disruptions failed to significantly stall that country's economic growth rate, which is averaging 5 percent to 6 percent annually.In closing, Gibian said private-sector investment can accelerate the demand for improved political governance and, by doing so, can contribute to a culture of transparency in both business and government."Companies can be built in Africa that are profitable, have a life in perpetuity, accrue tangible brand value and provide appropriate rewards to all stakeholders. In Africa, there are now hundreds of examples of interesting businesses and the numbers are growing at an exponential rate," he said.

• Continent Worst Hit By Oil Prices: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 17 July 2008.

Malawi's Minister of Economic Planning and Development, Ken Lipenga, has said that Africa is a net food importer importing approximately USD 20 billion worth of food annually so it is the hardest hit by rising oil and food prices."Transport, energy, water and telecommunication infrastructures in Africa also lag far behind the rest of the world," Lipenga said. It is through these unimpressive prevailing socio-economic conditions of Africa that heads of state and government of the African Union, according to Lipenga, adopted NEPAD as a novel framework for shifting the goalposts of the continent from poverty to prosperity.The G8 summit in 2002 accepted the NEPAD framework as an innovative framework, which provided a platform for renewed partnership between the West and Africa. NEPAD was also hailed as a timely intervention that is capable of helping the continent meet the global targets of the Millennium Development Goals.The minister added that seven years down the line, NEPAD remains the only framework which Africa engages with the West on Africa's development. "So far the implementation of the programme in a number of countries across the continent has resulted in a number of successes and challenges," he said.The stakeholder engagement workshop is also

267 geared towards taking stock of the NEPAD process in Malawi to see how the country has fared in translating the vision of the continent into tangible achievements and where the country has failed.In Malawi NEPAD has been conceptualised both at policy and project levels and it has been institutionalised into the country's national and sectoral development policies and plans. In the Agricultural sector, Malawi has built its Agriculture Development Programme around the pillars of NEPAD Agriculture Programme known as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme and the budgetary allocation of 10 percent is in line with the 2003 NEPAD Maputo Declaration.Malawi is implementing NEPAD supported projects in fisheries and science and technology and has also forwarded the Agriculture Development Programme and the Shire/Zambezi Waterway project to the NEPAD secretariat for funding."We hope NEPAD will aggressively market the projects and secure funding. I urge all countries in Africa to take the Shire/Zambezi project seriously as they will benefit from it and it will reduce transport cost and link all of us," urged Lipenga.They also mentioned that they hope to deepen the level of engagement in NEPAD issues and develop a plan of action, which will clearly spell out the roles and responsibilities of everybody in order to make NEPAD process to deliver."We will also deepen the level of understanding of how NEPAD processes work so that all of us can prepare bankable projects, which can be successfully marketed by NEPAD and we will also expedite further modalities for integration in NEPAD issues both and the nation and continental levels," according to Lipenga. The minister was hopeful that the outcomes of the Malawi workshop and other countries where NEPAD national stakeholders' workshops have been conducted will be forwarded to the summit of Head of State and AU for consideration.He lamented that Africa is working hard, but have not yet succeeded in implementing value adding programmes and initiatives and that there is evidence that efforts put in place to fight hunger and poverty are tangible and urged African countries to face the challenges and tackle the problem of rising oil and food prices.NEPAD deputy chief executive officer, Hesphina Rukato, on the other hand, said Africa is rich in resources, but the challenge lies with their mobilisation towards achieving rapid economic growth and she was happy that many countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa subscribe to the ideals of NEPAD.The workshop is held at a time when Malawi has just joined NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) as part of the four countries representing the Southern African region. The region has until July 2008 been represented by Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique and Angola.The AU summit of the member states of January 2008 decided that in order to widen ownership and leadership of NEPAD among AU members, it would be necessary to put in place a system by which member states to the HSGIC would rotate every two years and the principle of rotation was effected at the just ended 11th AU Assembly in Egypt. The new membership in Southern Africa includes Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and South Africa. Journalists from South Africa, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Zambia and Tanzania attend the workshop.

• Nepad-ICT All Set to Link African States: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 18 July 2008.

The New Partnership for Africa's Development e-Africa commission has been mandated to oversee the structured development and implementation of the NEPAD ICT

268 programme across the continent.The commission aims to accelerate development of ICT broadband infrastructure and bridge the digital divide within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world.ICT infrastructure project manager Brian Cheesman says the ICT broadband infrastructure will ensure that all African countries are connected to one another by a broadband fibre-optic cable network that is in turn linked to the rest of the world.He added that the ICT infrastructure project will be implemented in two phases - these being the network covering 23 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa and the network for West, Central and North Africa."The 2004 stakeholders' workshop held in South Africa agreed on a basic broadband ICT network for the region consisting of a terrestrial segment and a submarine segment. The agreed network brought together a number of network development initiatives in the region into a unified plan for the development of the basic infrastructure."He noted that the development of the cross border network required a transparent policy and regulatory environment that would remove barriers that may impede the establishment of the regional network. He indicated that a transparent policy and regulatory environment would also encourage broader private sector investment in the network.NEPAD e-Africa commission has requested regional governments to nominate experts who deliberated and proposed five policy principles to guide the development of the framework. Cheesman stated that it was also proposed that a protocol be signed by countries in the region to underpin their collaboration in the development of the network and 12 countries, Botswana among them, signed the protocol. To date seven countries have ratified the protocol, which is now in force.He lamented that the commission requested the African Union (AU) commission to develop modalities to enable any African countries to accede to the protocol and noted that in March this year the AU commission confirmed that any country that wishes can accede to the protocol."As the protocol is now open for any country in Africa, the commission is sparing no effort to persuade other countries to accede."The ICT manager said the protocol provides for the establishment of a company that will own and operate the cross-border network. The company will be expected, among other things, to provide open and affordable access to regional and international communication services for citizens of the region and the continent, embody cooperation among African countries, facilitation of economic integration of the region and the continent through ICT broadband interconnection between countries as well as ensure cooperation in technology transfer and skills development among countries.On the expansion of the submarine segment, Cheesman said it has been realised that a submarine cable between Durban and Port Sudan would not result in substantial cost reductions because of high onward connectivity charges. He noted that there are several recent initiatives to build submarine cables between Southern and Eastern Africa and Europe and other areas, saying this has opened up new opportunities hence the need for collaboration.Through collaboration on the submarine cable system the project would benefit from economies of scale, thereby reducing costs for all participating countries."There would be provision for entities from all African countries to have shareholding in the submarine cable system through warehousing of equity and also there would be a provision for all coastal and island countries in Africa to be connected," he said

269 • Activists Hail Senate Approval of Major Aids Bill: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 17 July 2008.

AIDS and global health activists are hailing Wednesday's approval by the U.S. Senate of an unprecedented five-year, 48-billion-dollar bill to fight AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis overseas, particularly in Africa.The bill also overturned a 21-year-old law that bans most foreign visitors who are HIV-positive from entering or gaining permanent resident in the U.S.The bill, the subject of months-long negotiations, was passed by a convincing 80-16 vote and will likely be approved by the House of Representatives next week before President George W. Bush, who has supported the bill, signs it into law.The dissenters consisted of right-wing Republicans who objected to the bill's cost and its relaxation of previous constraints on how the money would be spent. Their attempts to amend the bill more to their liking and reduce the funding by some 15 billion dollars were rejected by mostly two-to-one margins."This bill is a tremendous achievement," said Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance (GAA), one of a number of non- governmental organisations (NGOs) that lobbied hard for the legislation."This bill will expand American leadership on global health and foster hope around the world," he said. "Once fully funded, it will not only help poor countries but serve America's interests as well."At the same time, he and other activists cautioned that the bill only authorises spending the 48 billion dollars. During each of the next five years, Congress will have to actually appropriate the money in what is a separate process.Nonetheless, the bill effectively extends and expands the five-year-old, 15-billion-dollar President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the 2003 Bush initiative that, in the words of the Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Joseph Biden, during Wednesday's debate, was "the single most significant thing the president has done." PEPFAR is due to expire Sep. 30.Over its life, PEPFAR, which Bush launched on the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, is estimated to have provided life-saving treatment for about 1.5 million AIDS victims, prevented some seven million new infections, and provided care to another 10 million people, including several million children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS.The programme, which has focused on a dozen sub- Saharan African countries, hard-hit Caribbean nations, and Vietnam, has also provided HIV testing and counseling for some 33 million people.Bush's 2005 President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), which is designed to reduce malaria-caused deaths by 50 percent in 15 African nations by 2009, has distributed some four million insecticide-treated bed nets and more than seven million anti-malarial treatments and financed the indoor spraying of several million homes.The PMI will be incorporated into the new programme, which is called the Lantos-Hyde U.S. Leadership Act in honour of former chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Democrat Tom Lantos and Republican Henry Hyde, who were strong advocates of global-health programmes. Both men died during the past year.In anticipation of PEPFAR's expiration, Bush asked Congress earlier this year to authorise 30 billion dollars for its expansion over the next five years, but the House voted by a nearly three-to-one margin in April to increase the total to 50 billion dollars. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the House version 18-3 the following month.That bill represented a compromise between Democrats, who generally championed the huge boost in funding, and anti-abortion Republicans, who insisted on adding certain restrictions, as they repeatedly did with PEPFAR, on how the money could

270 be spent.Under the bill, for example, none of the funding can be provided to family planning clinics or groups that perform abortions or even lobby for relaxing anti-abortion laws in their home countries, or that decline to explicitly denounce "prostitution and human trafficking".The bill also requires the programme's administrators to ensure that abstinence and fidelity strategies to prevent the spread of the disease -- strategies that many public health experts believe are generally not nearly as effective as condom distribution -- "are implemented and funded in a meaningful and equitable way." That language represented a relaxation of a PEPFAR requirement that at least one-third of prevention funds be spent on abstinence and education.The Senate version of the bill incorporates all of the House's restrictions. It also added a requirement that more than half of the programme's bilateral AIDS-related aid -- about 30 billion dollars -- be earmarked for treatment and care in order to gain the backing of a key Republican senator, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, a leader of the group of right-wing lawmakers who had threatened to filibuster the bill.The Senate also agreed to reduce total funding from 50 billion dollars to 48 billion dollars and direct the two-billion-dollar difference to health and related programmes designed to benefit Native Americans.Under the bill's language, the 30 billion dollars earmarked for bilateral programmes will aim to sustain the lives of three million victims of the disease, prevent 12 million HIV new infections, and care for another 12 million victims, including five million orphans.In addition, the bill would provide 10 billion dollars -- or two billion dollars a year -- to the cash-strapped Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which works in many more countries than those covered by PEPFAR and with fewer restrictions on how its funding can be spent. Because of their lack of control over the Fund, both the Bush administration and many Republicans have resisted past Democratic efforts to boost U.S. contributions to it.About four billion dollars of the total would be spent on fighting tuberculosis, the leading cause of death among people who are infected with HIV, while five billion dollars will be earmarked for malaria. The remainder would be roughly split between AIDS research and developing capacity for indigenous health systems and personnel in target countries."We and our members around the world applaud the U.S. Senate for settling its internal differences and passing a strong bill," said Nils Daulaire, president of the Global Health Council, an international NGO close to the leadership of the World Health Organisation (WHO).Still, he agreed with Zeitz and others, including the International Centre for Research on Women, who expressed regret that the bill retains restrictions on the spending provisions, particularly the bans on funding for clinics and groups that provide or promote abortion or that refuse to denounce prostitution.At the same time, they commended lifting the ban on HIV-positive visitors entering the U.S. The ban, which could be waived in some circumstances, was a trademark issue of the longtime leader of far-right forces in the Senate, former Foreign Relations Committee chairman Jesse Helms, who retired from the Senate in 2003 and, coincidentally, died last week."Lifting the ban gives us hope that the U.S. government will move toward a comprehensive policy that responds to the realities of the epidemic and the science of prevention, treatment and care," said Daulaire.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• AU Voices Opposition to Indictment of Bashir: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 16 July 2008.

271 The African Union yesterday opposed the indictment of Sudanese President Omar el- Bashir for genocide.Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Bernard Membe said in Dar es Salaam that Tanzania, as the AU chair, had petitioned the UN Security Council to defer the International Criminal Court's decision to investigate and prosecute President el-Bashir.Mr Membe, who also chairs the AU's foreign affairs ministers' council, said the stay of the indictment would allow political transition in the country to bear the desired results while giving room to successful implementation of the peace accord among the warring factions."The AU is appealing to the UN Security Council to enforce Article 16 of the Rome Convention which allows it to intervene immediately and stop further bloodshed and deaths in Sudan," Mr Membe told at a press conference. The minister cautioned that the approval of the arrest warrant and subsequent prosecution of the Sudanese head of state at ICC could have "grave consequences in Sudan and Africa in general".He said the UN Security Council and the AU had in the recent past been relentlessly engaged in finding a lasting solution to the Darfur crisis through various means, including the Sudanese inter-party peace talks on Darfur and an agreement to deploy UN-AU forces in the troubled region."It is against this background that the AU finds the move by the ICC prosecutor to indict President Omar el-Bashir as an untimely decision that could have serious consequences on efforts to find a lasting solution."The AU made its position clear as pressure from Africa mounted on the ICC to drop its decision to charge Mr el-Bashir with masterminding genocide in Darfur. Demonstrations have been held in Sudan to protest the indictment while UN agencies operating in the region have put their workers on high alert.The European Union has meanwhile reiterated its support for a negotiated political solution for the Darfur crisis, but steered clear of support or criticism of the indictment of the Sudanese leader.In a statement yesterday, the EU delegation said it was up to the judges at the ICC to decide on the appeal by prosecutors who have applied for an international arrest warrant for President el-Bashir."The European Union has taken note of the statements made by the prosecutor of the ICC concerning the crimes committed in Darfur. It is now up to the judges of the pre-trial chamber to determine what action they intend to take in response to the request issued by the prosecutor," reads part of the statement.The EU mission, however, was categorical that arrest warrants issued by the same court against Sudanese officials Ahmed Harun and Ali Kushayb be executed. It urged the Sudanese Government of National Unity and all parties, groups and movements in Darfur to work towards the objectives of the North-South peace agreement.Mr Membe said Tanzania, like many other African countries who were signatories to the ICC, did not condone violence and impunity.The minister told reporters that when the matter arose on Sunday, President Kikwete talked to his Sudanese counterpart to obtain the details and clearly understand the situation on the ground. He said after consultations with the AU commissioner to Darfur, they concluded that the ICC was taking a hasty move that did not focus on the need to build a stable Africa.Apart from derailing the peace agreement in Darfur, other nations which for a long time had not been at peace with Sudan could exploit the new opportunity to create more chaos and problems, he stated. "There is already a comprehensive agreement in the southern Sudan between the government and the SPLA, which may conduct elections early next year.I think this is the effort that the international community ought to encourage," Mr Membe said. He said the intention to arresting a sitting president would pose problems as the Sudanese people would not let their

272 president be arrested and prosecuted. He said the world has learnt a lot from Iraq after what happened during the time of Saddam Hussein and after his removal from power.Speaking at the same occasion, Sudan's ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Abdelbagi Kabeir, told reporters that Sudan did not recognize ICC since it had not ratified the Rome agreement. "ICC does not have jurisdiction on Sudan, and the international court should not think of doing anything when there is a problem in the country. Our country is not a member of ICC and does not recognise it," he said.He said it was wiser for the international community to recognize and support the national judicial system, complement it rather than thinking of a substitute government. The diplomat blamed the international community for failure to negotiate peace in the country, saying any other interference would create a big political vacuum like in Iraq.He described the plan as a move by the west towards ensuring that Africa is torn apart, urging AU to stand strongly in supporting peace in the Sudan and elsewhere in the continent. "We believe it is Africa as a continent that will be affected by such ill-mannered moves and the continental leadership should not accept any such interference," he added.

• EPAs Must Now Address Poverty, Urges Minister: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 18 July 2008.

The government has said negotiations between the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) zone and the European Union should unequivocally address poverty reduction and wealth creation as key to envisaged economic partnership agreements (EPAs).Finance and Economic Affairs minister Mustapha Mkulo (pictured) made this affirmation while opening a conference on accelerating regional integration in Eastern and Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Region (ESA-IO) in Dar es Salaam yesterday.He said deliberations on integration should also recognize peculiarities and differences among African countries as well as Caribbean and Pacific states, noting that they are by no means a homogenous group."Optimal integration outcomes can be realized if the process of integration is properly thought through and owned by countries which are integrating," he said.African regional integration and deepening of the African-Caribbean and Pacific integration process must be underscored by sound mutually beneficial trade cooperation arrangements among the countries, he further stated.Since 1975 the ACP countries, under the Lome Convention series, have in theory enjoyed the European Union market access, duty free and quota free.In practice this privilege of market access to the EU has delivered little in economic results, he pointed out.The minister, standing in for President Kikwete at the function, said over the years, the market share of products from the ACP countries to the EU has been declining.ACP has lost market share to non-ACP countries in the process, he stated.Studies have revealed that the cost of production in Sub-Saharan Africa is relatively higher compared to Asia or Latin America, thus ACP countries do not produce goods meeting standards of the EU market, the minister noted.Mr Mkulo said a key issue that should always be considered is drawing up rules for desirable integration and economic partnership agreements.These should be trade rules that will result in improving the quality of life in the world, in particular the reduction of widespread poverty, he emphasised.European trade commissioner Luis Michel told the gathering that the EU council of ministers was convinced that the main objective of negotiation with ACP regions is to reach a durable economic partnership.He said regional integration is

273 important for Africa, even more so in the context of globalization, as a way to reduce poverty.The commissioner noted that last year the GDP for Africa increased by five per cent, while the continent recorded a decline from five to two per cent in world trade.

47. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES

WEST AFRICA

• Liberia: President Must Veto Death Penalty Bill: Amnesty International: PRESS RELEASE: 18 July 2008.

Following the confirmation by the Liberian Senate of a bill re-proposing the death penalty for certain crimes, Amnesty International called on President Ellen Johnson- Sirleaf to veto the bill.“The surest way to address crime is to strengthen the criminal justice system and the capacity of law enforcement agencies – not to carry out state killings, which have never been shown to be a deterrent,” said Amnesty International.The bill, passed by the House of Representatives on 7 May and the Senate on 16 July, makes armed robbery, terrorism and hijacking capital offenses.The move came despite the fact that in September 2005, Liberia acceded to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which obliges Liberia to take all necessary measures to abolish the death penalty.“The Liberian government must fulfil its obligation under international law to abolish the death penalty,” said Amnesty International. “Rather than introducing legislation such as this bill, the Liberian government should introduce a constitutional provision abolishing the death penalty for all crimes.”“This legislation is in bad faith, and entirely inconsistent with the object and purpose of the protocol to which the Liberian government acceded, which aims to abolish the death penalty.”Amnesty International urged the Liberian government to carry out a survey of current legislation with a view to abolishing the death penalty for all crimes, including in military penal codes.Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as a violation of the right to life and as the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

• Nigeria: Amnesty Int'l Wants Capital Punishment Stopped: Daily Trust (Abuja): 16 July 2008.

The human right body, Amnesty International, yesterday called on President Umaru Musa Yar'adua to put on hold the execution of convicts on death roll.Addressing journalists in Abuja, the group's researcher, Ms Aster Van Kregten, said that most of the convicts on death row were not given fair trial before they were condemned.According to statistics obtained from the Federal Ministry of Justice, there are 736 condemned prisoners across prisons in the country as at February 2008 of which 725 are men and 11 are women.She said that some of them have spent up to 15 years in prison waiting for the executioners to come."We note that the Nigerian criminal justice system can not guarantee a fair trial in capital cases," Kregten added.According to Amnesty International's research, the Police have continued to torture and execute detainees, suspected criminals and armed robbers.

274 • Mali: Thousands Still Live in Slavery in North: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 14 July 2008.

People continue to be enslaved in northern Mali, according to Malian human rights organisation Temedt, despite a widespread belief that slavery no longer exists in the country."The government believes slavery ended with independence, when many of the people who had been living as slaves in the colonial period were freed," said Temedt President Mohammed Ag Akeratane, "but I would estimate there are still several thousand people living in slavery or slavery-like conditions in modern Mali."According to Temedt, which means "solidarity" in the Touareg language Tamasheq, slavery continues in the north in the region of Gao 1,200km north of the capital, Bamako, and around the town of Menaka 1,500km north of Bamako.Most of the slavery takes place between the Berber-descended Touaregs and the indigenous Bella people who live in this region, although the Peul and Songhai communities have also been known to use slaves in the past, according to Temedt.Iddar Ag Ogazide, a Bella, said he lived as a slave in Ansongo, 80km south of Gao, where he worked for the Touareg Ag Baye family for 35 years without receiving a salary or an education. The Ag Bayes bought his great- grandmother and inherited his family members from one generation to the next. In March 2008 Iddar finally could not take any more and hatched a successful escape plan - he is currently living in Gao.His wife Takwalet, who escaped with him, told IRIN: "Life was hard there. Everything I did was against my will. I did all the cooking, pounding [of millet], getting water, fetching the wood and sweeping the house. I never received money; I didn't even get any clothes."

Murky definitions: But discussions on slavery are complex in Mali, with many people arguing it does not exist. Some Gao residents said individuals might stay with their "masters" more out of economic necessity than anything.Today the Bella have become largely assimilated into Touareg culture, keeping similar cultural traditions and speaking the same language (Tamasheq), and many of the Bella are known as Black Tamasheq. The Touareg masters and the Bella people have lived in a complex caste system for many decades and some say little has changed in this power relationship - much of the northern region's property and livestock remains in the Touareg hands.The towns of Menaka and Ansongo are harsh and isolated, with few jobs and economic opportunities. "Conditions are tough in the north, but the Bella people are free to leave their masters if they wish," said an unnamed source in the Malian government's Territorial Administration department. "There is not an obligation, or formalised slavery," he said.The implication is that some Bella people may feel unable to strike out on their own and leave the protection of their rich master, who feeds them but does not pay them. "If people came out to declare openly that they were slaves, then of course the state would do something," said the source.But for Anti-Slavery International the situation is more clear-cut."Like his parents before him, Iddar was born a slave, a status ascribed to him at birth, and [he] grew up under the total control of a master who exacted labour from him for no remuneration", said Romana Cacchioli, Africa programme coordinator with Anti-Slavery International. "In my view Iddar's case is a clear case of slavery."

275 Murky legal framework: It is not clear what the state could do in cases such as Iddar's, as Mali has no law formally forbidding slavery. Although Mali's constitution states all people are equal, and the country has signed up to the major international conventions banning slavery, including the UN International Declaration on Human Rights, officially the practice was never criminalised in Mali, which makes it difficult to seek legal redress in cases such as Iddar Ag Ogazide's.Nevertheless, Temedt has instructed a lawyer to work with Iddar and another escaped female slave in Gao. "We would like to see if they can take a case to court for compensation," said Temedt's Akeratane. At the time of writing Temedt was also exploring the possibility of bringing forward a case for child abduction for his son, Ahmed."The difficulty of constructing a case for Iddar demonstrates the need for a law criminalising slavery in Mali," said Romana Cacchioli from Anti-Slavery International, a London-based human rights organisation which is supporting Temedt's efforts.But according to Akeratane, when interviewed in April in Malian paper Nouvelle Republique, there are currently many cases awaiting judgement and going nowhere fast, which sets an unpromising precedent for future ex-slaves who wish to pursue justice.

Shifting attitudes: One of Temedt's principal goals is to instil a sense of pride in ex- slaves for their ethnic and cultural identity, which Akeratane hopes will help them to demand equal rights. The organisation runs human rights awareness sessions for groups vulnerable to slavery to make them aware they do not have to accept the tradition.Support for the organisation is growing. Temedt has been in operation for just over two years and now has 18,000 members across eight regions of the country. It has also started to work with anti-slavery groups across the borders in Niger and Mauritania. Akeratane believes this is the first time the sensitive issue of continuing slavery is being tackled head -on in the country.He is confident that attitudes will shift and slavery will one day be eradicated in Mali. Gamer Dicko, a Bamako-based journalist who comes from a black Tamasheq family, agrees: "Things are changing today, but very slowly. There are some black Tamasheq who say OK, our fathers were slaves but we are not. They are proud of their dress and speaking their own language."

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Zanu-PF Thugs to Face Charges for Crimes Against Humanity: SW Radio Africa (London): 17 July 2008.

Senior Zimbabwean government officials may be charged with crimes against humanity if South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) decides to investigate the content of a "torture docket", which implicates 18 ZanuPF members.The docket was submitted by the Southern African Litigation Centre in March, with charges relating to a police raid on the MDC offices in Harare last year. MDC officials were detained for days and subjected to torture, including mock executions and electric shocks. The party's president, Morgan Tsvangerai was also severely beaten and had to go to South Africa for medical treatment.Representatives at an Institute for Security Studies discussion on civil society's role in holding governments accountable, on Tuesday heard that if the NPA declined to investigate the matter, it would be accountable to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Max du Plessis, a South African law professor and a senior researcher at

276 the ISS International Crime in Africa Programme told Newsreel on Thursday that because South Africa is party to the ICC statute, the country's Director General of Justice and Constitutional Development has a duty to report the NPA to the ICC if it decides to not to investigate the charges. The ICC's founding regulations require member countries to begin prosecutions as soon as a charge is laid.Du Plessis explained that the NPA might also delay making a decision to investigate the docket, and that the Litigation Centre would need to take into consideration the legal options available to them, including "initiating a court application to compel a decision from the NPA".Du Plessis added that South Africa has the capacity and jurisdiction to prosecute alleged international criminals who are in the country for crimes committed elsewhere, according to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC in 1998. This responsibility is applicable in this case as the ZanuPF officials implicated in the Litigation Centre's dossier have been known to travel to South Africa.Lawyers from several organisations on Tuesday also backed a move to urge the UN Security Council to refer the Zimbabwe crisis to the ICC to investigate further crimes against humanity. Du Plessis explained that since last year's attack on the MDC there have been significant developments in Zimbabwe and "further allegations of serious human rights abuses". Du Plessis said that these incidents "altogether may well form the basis for a referral to the ICC" but that this referral is "dependent on political sensitivities and conditions that pertain at the time of the request".

• Zimbabwe: Report Says Low Intensity Conflict Taking Root: The Nation (Nairobi): 18 July 2008.

An African think-tank has unveiled a detailed report that warns of a low intensity war in Zimbabwe linked to the country's election cycles.The study, compiled by the Africa Policy Institute's (API) Nairobi and Pretoria offices in partnership with the Democracy and Governance program of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), identifies the sources of political violence as extending beyond ZANU-PF's youth militias, war veterans, the army, police and intelligence structures.According to the report, the newest addition to the Zimbabwe crisis is the retaliatory violence of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which seems to escape the attention of regional and international players.The API report, Saving Zimbabwe - An Agenda for Democratic Peace, recommends bold and decisive actions to be taken by the African Union and SADC to minimise and eventually eradicate the culture of political violence in Zimbabwe. This, it says, will create an atmosphere conducive to a negotiated settlement of the crisis.According to API President and a Director of Democracy and Governance at HSRC, Dr Peter Kagwanja, a volatile situation and retaliatory violence would worsen the Zimbabwe situation. He adds that the MDC has no option but to uphold its commitment to a peaceful democratic process.The report also notes that the Zimbabwe electoral crisis points to the need for a continental strategy of dealing with the post-election crises setting Africa ablaze in Kenya, DRC, Ethiopia and Egypt.It also recommends that the AU should consider establishing a continental Electoral Commission along the lines of its Human and People's Rights Commission, and an Electoral Court to tackle complex cases like those witnessed in Kenya and Zimbabwe.The API report also calls for the expansion of the Mbeki-led AU/SADC mediation as the best instrument for resolving the crisis. It however cautions that while the mediation may draw from international expertise, it must

277 retain its African essence and character and work to achieve an executive power-sharing arrangement with a definite time frame and monitoring tools.Upon the signing of the peace deal, the API also notes that the SADC should implement the recommendations of its Executive Secretary on a Zimbabwe Economic Recovery Plan while ensuring a buy-in from all parties involved, regionally and internationally.At the heart of the Economic Recovery Plan, it says, should be the need for a Zimbabwe land reform strategy to deal with the land question, involving Britain, which has historical obligations to the southern Africa country arising from the Lancaster House Agreement.The report also recommends that finance ministers of SADC member states and regional finance Institutions, such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa, and African Development Bank spearhead the financing of the recovery plan, including liaising with and providing a conduit for financial support in the post-crisis reconstruction.Among other recommendations, the report proposes that the international community, including the European Union, the United States, China and the UN Security Council consider pushing for multilateral sanctions targeting both ZANU-PF and the MDC to commit themselves to an AU resolution calling for the end of violence and peaceful negotiations to achieve an inclusive government of national unity.The study is based on the analysis of documents, interviews with strategic policy makers and practitioners across the continent, and the coverage of critical regional meetings and field presence in Zimbabwe.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Sudan: ICC Prosecutor Accuses Sudanese President of Darfur Genocide: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 14 July 2008.

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Monday presented evidence, showing that Sudanese President, Omar Hassan Ahmad AL Bashir committed the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur, according to a ICC press release.Three years after the UN Security Council requested him to investigate in Darfur, and based on the evidence collected, "the Prosecutor has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe that Al Bashir bears criminal responsibility in relation to ten counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes,' adds the press release availed to Independent Hirondelle Agency.The Prosecution evidence shows that the Sudanese President masterminded and implemented a plan to destroy in substantial part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa groups, on account of their ethnicity. Members of the three groups, historically influential in Darfur, were challenging the marginalization of the province; they engaged in a rebellion. Al Bashir failed to defeat the armed movements, so he went after the people. "His motives were largely political. His alibi was a 'counterinsurgency.' His intent was genocide" the Prosecutor said.For over five years, armed forces and the Militia/Janjaweed, on Sudanese President's orders, have attacked and destroyed villages. They then pursued the survivors in the desert.Those who reached the camps for the displaced people were subjected to conditions calculated to bring about their destruction. Al Bashir obstructed international assistance. His forces surround the camps. One victim said: "When we see them, we run. Some of us succeed in getting away, and some are caught and taken to be raped - gang- raped. Maybe around 20 men rape one woman. [...] These things are normal for us here in

278 Darfur. These things happen all the time. I have seen rapes too. It does not matter who sees them raping the women - they don't care. They rape girls in front of their mothers and fathers", claimed the ICC chief.Millions of civilians have been uprooted from lands they occupied for centuries, all their means of survival destroyed their land poliated and inhabited by new settlers. 'In the camps Al Bashir's forces kill the men and rape the women. He wants to end the history of the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa people' said the Prosecutor. 'I don't have the luxury to look away. I have evidence'.The Sudanese President, however, has denied the crimes. He says rape does not exist in the Sudan.The Pre-Trial Chamber I will now review the evidence. If the judges determine that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the named individual committed the alleged crimes, they will decide on the best manner to ensure his appearance in court. The Prosecution has requested an arrest warrant.

• Uganda: Security Agencies Use New Torture Tactics: New Vision (Kampala): 16 July 2008.

Security agencies are now employing new methods of torture known as 'invisible torture,' where victims are subjected to maximum harm without leaving traces like scars or bodily bruises, according to a new human rights report.The report titled 'The Human Rights Status Report 2007', released by the Foundation of Human Rights Initiative (FHRI), says the new trend of torture was recorded by doctors and psychologists at the African Centre for Torture and Treatment of Torture Victims.The doctors reportedly noticed a growing number of patients with cases of 'invisible torture' during 2007, the period covered by the report.According to the report, the commonest methods of torture reported in 1996 were severe beatings administered with rifle butts, sticks, electrical cables and other objects.Other methods included tying the victims' hands and feet, keeping detainees tied together in mud pits, and inflicting pain to the penis or testicles.The report also noted that incidents of torture by security agencies in the country were recorded, although on a smaller scale than in the past.In their latest report, FHRI says the methods of torture used in the past were now being dropped in favour of the new ones."A person is beaten in the joints systematically without tearing the skin but great damage is done to the body," the report said.The report named the UPDF, the Police and its specialised agency, the Violent Crime Crack Unit (VCCU), as one of the most persistent perpetrators of torture.The report also said a large number of security agencies are authorised to arrest and detain individuals, making it difficult to identify who has arrested an individual, and who is responsible for the torture.Quoting the former director of monitoring and inspection at the Uganda Human Rights Commission, the report said VCCU, now renamed the Rapid Response Unit, ranks highest on the list of perpetrators, and taints the image of the Police Force.The report said although the rapid response unit denies claims of torture, it has never allowed independent investigators on its premises."This denial of access complicates the ability of organisations such as FHRI to determine the identities of the true perpetrators of torture. When victims of torture are discovered at police stations, the Force say any mistreatment happened prior to the individual's arrest; at the hands of a mob or other security agency."Without proper access to facilities, no independent assessment or investigation can be done," the report stated.

279 • Sudan: Genocide Charges Split Global Community: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 14 July 2008.

A move to indict Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir for genocide and war crimes in Darfur - the first against a sitting head of state - is threatening to split the international community.The Western powers, led by the United States, Britain and France, want him prosecuted, but China and Russia, who maintain strong political, economic and military links with Sudan, are opposed to the possible indictment.The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Luis Moreno- Ocampo, Monday presented evidence showing that Al Bashir committed crimes of genocide in Darfur. The evidence came three years after the Security Council asked him to investigate the charges.The 18 ICC judges, representing the various geographical regions, will have to weigh the evidence and decide whether or not to issue a warrant for Al-Bashir's arrest.This process could take several months -- and will be played out against the backdrop of a rousing political controversy over the timing of the indictment and the merits of a possible arrest of an African head of state.Under Article 16 of the Rome Statute that created the ICC, the 15-member Security Council has the power to suspend any indictment of Al-Bashir -- under "deferral of investigation and prosecution."A Third World diplomat told IPS that both Russia and China, which jointly vetoed a Western-sponsored resolution to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe last week, apparently indicated they were willing to abstain on the vote provided the United States, France and Britain would give an "up-front assurance" that the Security Council would hold back the indictment against Al-Bashir.But the three veto-wielding Western states presumably were unwilling to give that assurance, primarily during discussions in the various capitals, precipitating the vetoes.If the ICC decides to issue an arrest warrant against the Sudanese president, there are fears of a political and military backlash against the ongoing peace process, which may also endanger the 9,000 peacekeepers in the African Union-U.N. Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) in that troubled province.Bill Pace, executive director of the Institute for Global Policy, and who has been closely monitoring the ICC since its creation, said: "Basically, it is incorrect to accuse the ICC of jeopardising peace or UNAMID."He said peacekeeping forces, sanctions, and international justice are only a few tools for peace that the Security Council has, under its extraordinary chapter seven authority in the U.N. Charter, invoked since 2005 to address the threat to international peace and security posed by the war-making actions of the Sudanese government and rebel groups."The Sudanese government and rebel groups have not cooperated with the deployment of any of these tools by the Security Council," Pace told IPS.Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has been heavily involved in bringing peace to Sudan, diplomatically distanced himself from the decisions of ICC and its prosecutor."The secretary-general emphasises that the Court is an independent institution and that the United Nations must respect the independence of the judicial process," Ban's spokesperson said Monday.The Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) says the move "creates both big opportunities and big risks for peace in Sudan.""The problem for international policymakers is that the prosecutor's legal strategy also poses major risks for the fragile peace and security environment in Sudan, with a real chance of greatly increasing the suffering of very large numbers of its people," the group said.ICG President Gareth Evans says the judgment call the Security Council now has to

280 make is whether Khartoum can be most effectively pressured to stop the violence and build a new Sudan."This could be done by simply letting the Court process proceed, or after assessing the regimes initial response, and continuing to monitor it thereafter, by suspending that process in the larger interests of peace," he said.Bill Fletcher, Jr., executive editor, BlackCommentator.com, said the ICC's indictment of Al-Bashir is, at best, "poorly timed"."There is little question that he is ultimately responsible for the horror being experienced by the people of Darfur," he said."Nevertheless, the indictments do not help the peace process, and this is what we should be most concerned with," Fletcher told IPS.If anything, the indictments will more than likely make room for a compromise that much more difficult to achieve."While Al-Bashir, and his clique, must ultimately be held accountable for Darfur, what must be primary is working through a long-term peaceful solution to that political crisis," Fletcher added.In a statement issued Friday, the Peace and Security Council of the 53-member African Union, which represents African states, said "the search for justice should be pursued in a way that does not impede or jeopardise efforts aimed at promoting lasting peace."The statement, which was implicitly supportive of Al-Bashir, said the AU was "concerned" with the "misuse of indictments against African leaders".The Sudanese government has also called for an emergency meeting of the League of Arab States, of which Sudan is a member. The League is most likely to support Al-Bashir.Pace said if the use of one peace tool presents problems for other tools, such as jeopardising peace operations, it is for the user of the tool, namely the Security Council, to address this issue, not the ICC prosecutor and judges."They are simply doing the job the international community asked them to do," Pace pointed out.He said the Rome statute has three ways that cases can come before the ICC: one, by states referring situations to it, and two, by the prosecutor acting independently seeking judicial support bringing a case forward.The third route for ICC jurisdiction is that the various governments drafting the ICC Statute agreed to allow the Security Council to refer matters to the ICC under chapter seven of the U.N. charter. This route would allow for jurisdiction over nationals and territories of all U.N. member states whether they have ratified the ICC treaty or not.This, the governments believed, was consistent with the U.N. Charter authority granted the Security Council as it has been exercised many times, such as in setting up ad hoc and special courts."Thus, Sudan's argument against the jurisdiction of the ICC is without merit," Pace told IPS.One could argue that three of the permanent members -- Russia, China and the United States -- are using a court they have not agreed to, which means they enjoy a special exemption in international law.China and the United States voted 'No' in Rome during the creation of the treaty. Russia voted 'Yes', and signed the treaty, but has not yet ratified.The big powers in the Security Council, he said, must have understood that the ICC would file charges against the Sudanese government and rebel leaders most responsible for the current state of affairs, so this indictment should not be a surprise.Pace added that Russia and China are reportedly major weapons traders with Sudan, and China a major oil purchaser."The big powers must take responsibility -- unless they allow a catastrophic situation to get even worse. Blaming one band-aid [the ICC] for making a wound worse is ridiculous," Pace declared.

• Sudan: Come to My Rescue, Bashir Tells Museveni: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 17 July 2008.

281 The Sudanese government yesterday warned that the indictment of President Omar al- Bashir on genocide and war crimes charges would have "a direct negative impact" on the peace talks between Uganda and the LRA rebels.It appealed to President Museveni to help Khartoum fight off the charges. In a response to the indictment of President al- Bashir by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday, Sudan's ambassador to Kampala, Hassan Gadkarim, appealed to President Museveni to use his position "as a neighbour, chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC)" among others to help call off the ICC warrants.Dismissing the ICC indictments as "legally baseless, politically motivated and ill timed," Mr Gadkarim said the threat of arrest hanging over the Sudanese leader "up-sets and subverts peace and stability in the whole region; in particular Sudanese peace initiatives with neighbouring countries, e.g. Juba Peace Talks."Relations between Kampala and Khartoum have been frosty over the years with each country accusing the other of supporting rebel groups in either country. Relations improved in recent years with Khartoum allowing Uganda to send troops into its territory to hunt down Lord's Resistance Army rebels while the Government of SouthSudan, which the Sudanese People's Liberation Army rebel group formed after signing a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) with Bashir in 2005, has mediated talks between Kampala and the LRA.Khartoum yesterday appealed to Uganda to use its position "as a neighbour, chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) as a partner in the implementation of the CPA, currently contributing to the AU peace- keeping force in Darfur, a member of the African Peace and Security Council, and a main player in the East African Community," to play a "role in this connection; by virtue of its own internal capacities, on the one hand, and by virtue of its capabilities to reach other influential parties within the region and the international community; at large."In December 2003, the government successfully appealed to the ICC to indict top LRA leaders, including Joseph Kony, over war crimes committed in northern Uganda. In the petition, Uganda noted that the rebels had committed crimes that included rape, recruitment and use of children as soldiers and sex slaves, among other charges. The petition noted how the rebels had bases and support inside the Sudan.Gen. Bashir is accused of masterminding the genocide in Darfur, western Sudan, in which an estimated 35,000 people have been killed, as well as using rape as a weapon of war. An official at the ICC in The Hague, who has closely followed the LRA investigation, said yesterday Gen. Bashir's indictment was not linked in any way to his support for the Ugandan rebels.The Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), the main partner in the coalition government urged Gen. Bashir to open talks with the ICC. The news agency Reuters quoted an SPLM official as saying; "we should open a window of consultation, exchange of views with the ICC," the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) spokesman, Mr Yasir Arma said.State minister for International Affairs Henry Okello Oryem told Daily Monitor yesterday that it was not clear how the ICC indictments would affect the LRA peace talks."There may be extremists who may take advantage of the indictment," said Mr Oryem, who is part of government's delegation to the Juba talks. "The people who may not need Gen. Bashir may use the indictment as an excuse to subvert the process."In response to Khartoum's request for help, Mr Oryem said Uganda would rally behind the African Union which on Monday called for a suspension of the warrants of arrest until the "primary problems" in Darfur and South Sudan were sorted out."Our position will be the same as that of the African Union. By having bad relations

282 with Sudan in the past, does not mean we abrogate our position with AU,"Mr Oryem said. "In principal I don't think it is proper to indict a sitting head of state. I think it is dangerous.""The Head of state enjoys immunity against prosecution but this does not mean we (Uganda) condone impunity; they can enjoy their presidential privileges without impunity. We should separate issues, Bashir as an individual and as a head of state. If you indict a head of state which justice are you going to apply? The international justice system, the Asian, American system?"The opposition Democratic Party welcomed the indictment. DP's secretary for legal affairs and Kampala central MP Erias Lukwago said: "We hope that the ICC will also extend its arm to other countries like Uganda, Chad and Zimbabwe where similar atrocities have been committed."The European Union also welcomed the warrant and called for its speedy execution.

• Kenya: House Team Rejects Ethnic Relations Bill: The Nation (Nairobi): 15 July 2008.

A parliamentary committee has rejected the legislation proposing the creation of a commission on ethnic and racial discrimination.Members of the Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs Committee scrutinised the National Ethnic and Race Relations Commission Bill, who were meeting in Mombasa last weekend, said it was faulty.They agreed it had numerous flaws that should be fixed and proposed that it be returned to the originator - Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs minister Martha Karua for amendment.

MPs divided: Parliament had debated the Bill for two days and it was clear that MPs were divided over it. Some MPs welcomed the proposed law, saying the public had failed to frown on ethnic and racial discrimination, and that it was time to have a law in place to punish perpetrators of ethnic disharmony.However, several members dismissed the Bill, arguing that the Government could misuse the proposed commission to witch-hunt those it deemed to be its enemies.The Bill has its origin in the Serena Hotel deliberations of the National Dialogue and Reconciliation Committee, formed after the post-election political crisis. The committee felt that it was important to start the fight against ethnic and race discrimination.The proposed law states that Kenya has realised that equal access to various opportunities without ethnic discrimination was a prerequisite for cultivating goodwill, lasting peace and co-existence among its various communities.The Bill includes in its definition of "ethnic relations" racial, religious, tribal and cultural interactions, and provides for the commission to ensure individuals or groups don't misuse such important facets of life.

Relevant committee: If enacted, the commission shall have 12 members, comprising a chairperson appointed by the President from among 15 nominees cleared by the relevant committee of Parliament.Of these, eight shall be commissioners, while three shall be ex- officio members - the chairpersons of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, the National Commission on Gender and Development and the Public Complaints Standing Committee (Ombudsman).Members of the Legal Affairs committee who spoke to the Nation, but asked not to be named, said they realised a number of provisions in the Bill were weak. Committee meetings are held in camera."Maybe those at Serena were

283 emotional because of the violence that was taking place then," the committee member said.Supporting the move by the MPs, Centre for Governance and Development executive director Kennedy Masime said racial and ethnic discrimination don't have to be addressed by a commission."The Bill of Rights defines human rights, while section 82 of the Constitution criminalises all forms of discrimination based on tribe, ethnicity, creed or religion," said Mr Masime.The CGD boss said that what the Bill wanted to do was already within the mandate of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Act (2002).Among other things, the KNCHR defines human rights as "fundamental rights and freedoms of any individual protected under the Constitution and any human rights provided for in any international instrument to which Kenya is a signatory".

Public coffers: Mr Masime warned Parliament against legislating the formation of so many commissions to the extent of straining the public coffers.Meanwhile, the parliamentary committee on Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs is this Thursday expected to interview applicants hoping to replace Mr Maina Kiai as KNCHR commissioner.Mr Kiai whose term as chairman of the commission has ended did not wish to extend his stay. He has been replaced by Ms Florence Jaoko.Sources said the committee went through a list of 203 applicants and shortlisted 20 for the Thursday interview. Three of the names that qualify will then be taken to Parliament for nomination before they are finally forwarded to the President who will appoint one.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Security Council Extends Terms of Judges On UN's Genocide Tribunal: UN News Service (New York): 18 July 2008.

The Security Council today extended the tenure of the judges serving on the United Nations war crimes tribunal set up to deal with the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, so as to ensure that all remaining cases can be completed by the deadline set for the court's work.Under its Completion Strategy, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which is based in the Tanzanian town of Arusha, is supposed to finish all of its trials, excluding appeals, by December 2008. All work is scheduled to be completed by 2010.In a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council voiced its expectation that the extension of judges' terms of office "will enhance the effectiveness of trial proceedings and contribute towards ensuring the implementation of the Completion Strategy."The terms of permanent judges Mehmet Güney (Turkey) and Andrésia Vaz (Senegal), who serve on the Appeals Chamber, were extended until 31 December 2010.Meanwhile, the terms of Charles Michael Dennis Byron (Saint Kitts and Nevis), Asoka de Silva (Sri Lanka), Sergei Aleckseevich Egorov (Russian Federation), Khalida Rachid Khan (Pakistan), Erik Møse (Norway); Arlete Ramaroson (Madagascar) and William Hussein Sekule (Tanzania) - permanent judges serving in the Trial Chambers - was extended 31 December 2009.The Tribunal also has a pool of temporary, or ad litem, judges created to help expedite the court's work, whose terms the Council extended today. The terms of Florence Rita Arrey (Cameroon), Solomy Balungi Bossa (Uganda), Taghrid Hikmet (Jordan), Vagn Joensen (Denmark), Gberdao Gustave Kam (Burkina Faso), Lee Gacuiga Muthoga (Kenya), Seon Ki Park (Republic of Korea) and Emile Francis Short (Ghana) - all of whom currently serve at the Tribunal - were extended until 31 December 2009.In

284 addition, the Council extended until 31 December 2009, the terms of office of several ad litem judges who have not yet been appointed to serve at the Tribunal.They are Aydin Sefa Akay (Turkey), Karin Hökborg (Sweden), Flavia Lattanzi (Italy), Kenneth Machin (United Kingdom), Joseph Edward Chiondo Masanche (Tanzania), Tan Sri Dato' Hj. Mohd. Azmi Dato' Hj. Kamaruddin (Malaysia), Mparany Mamy Richard Rajohnson (Madagascar), Albertus Henricus Johannes Swart (Netherlands) and Aura E. Guerra de Villalaz (Panama).

The Council created the ICTR in November 1994 to prosecute people responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in Rwanda that year. Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered, mostly by machete, in just 100 days.

• Rwanda: Trial of Genocide-Accused Catholic Priest Shifts to Country: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 16 July 2008.

"Mr. Wallace, Mr. Altit, what is the relevance of this site for the case?" This question was asked more than a dozen times by Judge Erik Mose during the visit of the Chamber Tuesday to Nyanza, southern Rwanda, to the locations where crimes where allegedly committed by Catholic Priest Hormisdas Nsengimana, former head of the Rwandan Catholic college, prosecuted for genocide before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). The visit on location was made at the request of the defence, led by the Frenchman Emmanuel Altit and of the prosecution, led by Jamaican Brian Wallace.The visit opened with a short visit inside the Parish Church of Nyanza, where a middle-aged woman, with her rosary in hand, prays on her knees.At the back of the church is the tomb where were buried after the genocide Jean Bosco Yirirwahandi, Mathieu Ngirumpatse, Innocent Nyangezi and Callixte Uwitonze. According to the indictment, Ngirumpatse was killed in April 1994 by Nsengimana himself while the two others were shot in May by soldiers allegedly sent by the defendant.Judge Mose and his Chamber colleagues, Serguei Egorov and Florence Ritta Arrey, did not come from Arusha to hear new testimonies on the circumstances of these murders but only to see with their own eyes the places where the alleged crimes were committed in order to better evaluate the testimonies of the witnesses for the prosecution and the defence.After the parish church, the judges who traded in their gowns for a more ordinary wardrobe, are led by Brian Wallace to the location, where according to the prosecution, Nsengimana would have delivered to a band of killers the Tutsi judge Jean Furaha, one of the victims of the genocide in the region of Nyanza. "Here is the road block where Nsengimana delivered Judge Jean", explains Wallace. "According to the defence witnesses, there was no road block here", replied Altit.According to prosecution witnesses, Judge Jean had come to ask Nsengimana, who was at the time the director of the Christ the King College of Nyanza, to hide him in the buildings of the school. But, continues the prosecution, the priest refused his request and delivered him to his murderers. For the defence witnesses who deny the existence of this road block, the defendant cordially accompanied the judge back, who was then killed a little further by a gendarme.Less than a half-kilometre from the church, the judges and the parties enter the prestigious college of Nyanza where director Nsengimana taught Latin as well as religion and said mass every day. Even

285 inside the school, opposite to Nsengimana's old office- which is not part of the tour- the road block question dominates.According to the prosecution, the purpose of this road block was to deny access to the college to Tutsis from the surroundings who tried to seek refuge there. "According to our witnesses, there never was a road block at this level", stated Altit, whereas some, among the people present discuss, distracted, another things."I am sorry to play the role of policeman", intervenes Judge Mose, a way of reminding that even a visit on location is governed by the rules of the hearings.After the college, the "legal visitors" have lunch in the seven vehicles of the United Nations assigned for this transport on location, the preparation which required a three-day visit by the security services of the ICTR.The afternoon of this relaxed day will be devoted to three locations, the last being the current general headquarters of the local police where the judges and parties will take pleasure posing in front of the cameras of a Norwegian television channel.The rest will be held in Arusha, headquarters of the ICTR. This trial began on 22 June 2007, the proceedings are almost finished, a day of hearings is still scheduled for 15 September. The closings arguments will be held before the end of the year.

• Rwanda: About 90,000 Genocide-Convicted Engage in Community Service: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 17 July 2008.

About 90,000 persons convicted for their responsibility in the 1994 genocide are currently engaged in community service throughout Rwanda, reported Thursday the Rwandan weekly newspaper Grands Lacs Hebdo (Great Lakes Weekly).To relieve congestion in its prisons, Rwanda adopted a law which envisages that certain categories of authors of the 1994 genocide serve half of their prison sentence and the remainder be commuted to community service. During the serving of community service, convicts live, at the expense of the government, in camps generally located at edge of cities.The newspaper which quoted the national service of community service, mentions in particular the Gahanga Camp, at the entry of Kigali, "which shelters more than 250 men and women having finished the first half of their prison sentence".The work varies, according to specificities and the needs in the region: constructions of schools or houses for poor survivors of the genocide, construction of bridges, planting plants and trees to prevent erosion in high-altitude areas, cutting stones, etc.Each "tigiste" is in addition held, during his stay, to learn a trade which will enable them to earn their living after having served their sentence. Iliterate convicts also learn how to read and write.

• Burundi: Six Murder Suspects of WHO Representative Set Free: Hirondelle News Agency (Lausanne): 14 July 2008.

The six persons charged for the murder in 2001 of Dr Kassi Manlan, Representative of World Health Organization (WHO) in Burundi, Monday were set free by the Supreme Court after being held in detention for nearly five years.The accused - Emile Manisha, Gerard Ntunzwenayo, Japhet Ndayegamiye, Aloys Bizimana, Expert Bihumugani and Athanase Bizindavyi - were held in detention following an appeal lodged by the state attorney.The acquitted have expressed their satisfaction over the Court's decision, but have said that they have been victims of some people who conspired against them. "We

286 are very happy that we have been set free, we have been waiting for this day for nearly five years... we were in prison following a conspiracy organized by people who wanted to protect real killers of Dr Manlan", stated one of acquitted, Manisha, former commander of the Burundi police.They have also said that they intend to claim compensation for their wrongful detention and would also file soon legal proceedings against the former Public Prosecutor, Gerard Ngendabanka.Dr.Manlan was murdered in mid November, 2001 in the capital, Bujumbura. The WHO had earlier reported that Manlan, was missing after he had gone for an early morning run.Police retrieved the deceased's body near Lake Tanganyika with no clear reason for the death.Mr Manlan came from Ivory Coast and had been working in Burundi for four months

48. REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ISSUES

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Divided Lives of Cameroonian Refugees in Benue Villages: Daily Trust (Abuja): 13 July 2008.

Numbering over 3,000, these Cameroonian refugees moved into villages in in droves to escape communal clashes since January. But seven months after, their fate is still determined by chance - nobody cares for them.A divorced mother of four with a number of grandchildren, Ms Susan Akeme, in her late 40s, lost everything she had in a communal war between the Cameroonian communities of Oyive and Olite. She is one of the many Oyives who have crossed into Nigeria and have been living with the Ityuav communities in Mendev-Agbatse-which is also the traditional headquarters of the Ityuav clan in the district of Ikyurav-Ya-for the past seven months. The Ityuav communities live at the extreme end of Kwande local government area of Benue state on the country's border with Cameroon.Speaking to Sunday Trust, Ms Susan narrated how she was one of the first to cross the border to take refuge on Nigerian soil: "I ran to Mendev-Agbatse with four of my children and grand children. Other women and children also ran along with us. In all, we were over a hundred, so we scattered ourselves and sought assistance from every corner."Two of my daughters, namely Dooshima and Rosemary, came with their children from their husband's houses and met me here. We are staying here at the mercy of our benefactor. We are grateful to her. If she were not here, I wonder what could have befallen us". Ms. Susan pointed to a distant location where the other women taking refuge, saying: "Many of them are staying in Oraza's house, over there. It is also not comfortable for them, but at least they are alive and away from the cruel knife of the enemy - the Olites".She disclosed that Mendev-Agbatse alone could not have accommodated the number that left Cameroon for Nigeria. According to her, "We had to co-ordinate ourselves. Our chief, Small Atsea Avo, instructed that we scatter ourselves and go in different directions. But he insisted we must be in touch so as to be able to identify and locate each other when the need arises".The refugee named Mbakweekyagh, a small community of about two and a half hours trekking journey, as the village with the highest number of Oyive people. Mbakeekyagh is the last village to Cameroon and the entry point into Nigeria from the Oyive community. Here, the refugees are mostly men. They preferred this village because of its proximity to their own community. "My

287 daughters' husbands are also staying in Mbakeekyagh", she said, adding: "Some of our people who could not find shelter had to erect some makeshift structures around the village. The people of Mbakeekyagh allowed them to erect such structures to ease the problem of accommodation when the rains started in April."Before then most men were staying in open places for lack of accommodation. But when the rains started pouring, the hosts decided to allocate land to our people on temporary bases to erect some make-shift houses and shelter themselves from the rains".Running to Nigeria was very easy for the Oyives, not only because the country was the only available escape route but also because the Oyives and their Nigerian neighbours have a long history of inter-marriages. It is easy to find either a Nigerian of Tyuav lineage with both paternal and maternal grand mothers of Oyive lineage, and this is the same for the Oyives. As a result, names given to children reflect the two sides, and in some cases, this makes it difficult to tell the difference between a member of the Ityuav communities and an Oyive when both meet at a market place.The Olites are in the majority with about six villages as against the Oyives' only one small village. The Olites inhabit a land mass that is almost sandwiching the Oyives from the Cameroon side. The Oyives are tucked in between the Olites and Nigeria. Therefore, the only escape route for the Oyives in times of trouble with their hostile neighbours is through the Nigerian communities of Ityuav.When fighting broke out in December 2007 following a minor disagreement involving two individuals from the opposing sides over the felling of a palm tree, the Oyive people poured into the waiting arms of their Nigerian neighbours in droves. Initially, only women and children ran for refuge while the men remained behind to protect the properties, including homes and farms. But one month after another, the men, too, were overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the Olites, and they too crossed over in droves to join the women as refugees in a foreign land.Although they can boast of the highest amount of rainfall in Benue state, the physical geography of the land the Ityuav communities inhabit does not favour agriculture-it is straddled by the largest number of mountains in Nigeria-and, as such they don't get much yield from the laboron the farms. With hardly enough to feed themselves, the Ityuav communities now share the little their almost barren land produces with the refugees.The condition of living for the people of Ityuav communities and their Cameroonian guests, who now number up to 3,000, is made worse by the fact that the authorities have turned a blind eye to the plight of both the refugees and their hosts. Although they started pouring in by the first week of January, the only relief that came to the Cameroonian refugees was in May, when the National Commission for Refugees (NCFR) visited with some trucks of food items, toiletries, sanitary wares and gallons of kerosene. But this supply lasted for a few days. Now, they are back to square zero, relying solely on what their hosts harvest from the highly rocky soil.The attendant development now is that Susan Akeme, her four children, the grand children as well as the thousands of others have no succour elsewhere other than from the poor farmers. When she saw our correspondent, the first thing she uttered was a plea for assistance. Using all the energy she could muster, she threw herself out of the mat on which she had been laying helplessly and, in the process, hurting her left leg, which was swollen with a strange disease.She, thereafter, sat still on her mat as she spoke to Sunday Trust; afraid to even change her position for fear that she might hurt the swollen left leg more, resulting in the gushing of more blood."I don't know what the ailment is and how I contacted it. But the leg started swelling up just like that. I have no medication because I can't afford

288 to trek from here to the next settlement for treatment", she said, disclosing, however, that when the swelling got to its peak, a community health worker from a neighbouring settlement was called to operate on it.This woman's children strangely, are afflict by the same ailment. The second child of her first daughter, Dooshima, she said, was suffering from ailments the causes which they could not cannot trace. According to her, "my granddaughter is purging without stop. She has suffered from this for more than a month now. Now she is very weak and can't even eat. We only believe that God will help her survive it. We don't have anything to take her to the hospital".By the hearth in the compound lay a pot containing some water. Ms Susan explained that "we are waiting for my daughter to bring some cassava from Mbakweekyagh so we can boil it to eat and go to sleep". She said the cassava would be the second meal of the day, the first being a breakfast of roasted pears. Susan now eats pears for breakfast and boiled cassava for dinner, as against her days in Cameroon, when she would have to take some stimulating drugs to enable her feed from a variety of dishes waiting on the dining table."I used to bring fish in large quantity and sell to retailers in five markets. I also used to buy and sell wrappers in large quantity. I was wealthy", she added.Not far from her is another female refugee with five children, two of them twins. Mercy Akele, 32, lost her husband, Mkule Patrick Akele, an agricultural superintendent, when fighting broke between the two tribes. She is staying at a section of Agbatse called Angban with the five children cramped up under a leaking roof. She told Sunday Trust that varieties of diseases have been her permanent companions since she took refuge. "It is only God that is saving us. I didn't think we would be able to survive this hardship and diseases for these seven months", she said, adding that "hunger is no more our problem. We are used to it. Even the people hosting us have no food to feed themselves and their children, so we are used to going to bed with empty stomachs".Sunday Trust also spoke to members of the host community. The traditional ruler in charge of the communities of Menev, which Ityuav is part of, Zaki Akosu Uban, was not available, but some of his subjects expressed surprise that government would abandon these refugees while they (the hosts), face untold hardship trying to provide comfort for strangers."For seven months, these people have been here with us, yet no refugee camp has been erected for them. Not even the United Nations Organisation (UNO) is bothered. This is shocking, it s a surprise", a member of the community said.The man, a teacher of Accounts and Business Studies at the Ityuav Community Secondary School in Andwer, gave his name as Alfred Yongo, at first refused to speak to Sunday Trust, insisting that he could only do so with the permission of the traditional ruler. It was only on realising that the chief had travelled out of his domain that Yongo decided to speak, but at the palace where the chief's daughter-in-law was present."We have not confirmed the exact number of the refugees. They started pouring in by January and since then, they have been coming. We have been recording new arrivals almost on a daily basis, so it is difficult to ascertain the exact number, but let me say they are far more than 3,000."They are scattered around the various communities of Ityuav. They came in droves so it was not possible for only one village to accommodate them", he said, adding: "They are solely our responsibility. If we don't provide for them, they will die because they came with noting. They didn't come on a visit; they were running away from death".He however said: "That they ran to us to save their lives from death does not mean they will stay with empty stomachs. They need feeding to stay alive, and so whether we like it or not, we have to provide for them -

289 feeding, shelter, clothing and other forms of comfort. But this we are doing according to our strength, we cannot give what we don't have. These are hard times for us too; even though we are not running away from any violent death, we are equally faced with hunger".With a rocky soil, the people of Ityuav mostly grow four crops: cassava, rice, groundnuts and sweet potatoes. Fertilizer has been pushed to heights where they cannot comfortably reach and, as a result, the rocky soil produces cassava with tubers that are hardly bigger than an infant's wrist. Sweet potatoes come in the size of an average orange, and rice in a quantity that can hardly make a bag per hectare. Groundnut is equally produced at subsistent level. Cassava and sweet potatoes are the major food items these communities take daily.A few fruits are also grown, but like the crops, these fruits also do not do well because of the rocks. But one fruit-pear-grows in large quantities in the area, and serves the people at breakfast when roasted along side boiled or roasted groundnuts. Those who are barely above the poverty line can afford to buy fish, for protein, on a market day which comes up after every four days. But a majority has foregone protein in their meals, except when, on a lucky day on the farm, their traps catch a rat or any game like squirrel."That is what we face here, so you can see that we don't have enough to feed ourselves, but we are now compelled to share the little we have with strangers", said Alfred Yongo who added that "accommodation is also critical since we don't have enough houses ourselves".According to Yongo, "what [the NCFR] brought from Abuja is a far cry from the demand. The relief did not only come late-six months after their arrival here-the relief was also too small to make any impact". He said the villages hosting the refugees are so disappointed with the authorities."May be we were wrong to have accepted our neighbours in time of trouble. May be we were wrong to have cared to listen when they ran for refuge here. By this, the authorities concerned are telling us that next time, we do not need to show any kindness. They are telling us that the refugees are ours and that we are on our own", said Alfred Yongo.Sunday Trust inquiries showed that although nothing reached the refugees apart from the food and other few items NCFR brought in May, authorities of Kwande local government council have been claiming that the council has reached out to the refugees with some relief. The communities expressed surprise that the council claimed in several media reports that it has assisted with food, medication and other necessities. When Sunday Trust contacted the chairman of Kwande local govrenment, Mr Terlumun Akputu, on phone, he told our correspondent that "the issue of the refugees is of international dimension", explaining that Kwande council is not in any way concerned with the case of the over 3,000 Cameroonians taking refuge in the mountainous communities of Ityuav.With this development, no succour is in sight for the refugees from government, and the people of Ityuav may have to continue to provide for the strangers even though their resources have been stretched thin.Also, if the people of the mountainous communities thought that the presence of the refugees may attract for them some recognition for development, the attitude of the authorities is enough to dash their hopes, and they will have to continue to rely on communal efforts to provide for some of their basic needs like roads, bridges, schools, clinics, markets and water. They need to take some time off their poor farms and attend to the snake-curved roads and wooden bridges which are falling apart. They also need to tighten security around the few available schools to prevent Cameroonian refugees from pouring in and by extension, sending their children into compulsory holydays.

290 SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Xenophobia Victims to Lose Shelters: Business Day (Johannesburg): 17 July 2008.

THOUSANDS of displaced xenophobic violence victims accommodated at safety shelters - who do not want to be repatriated or reintegrated to communities - could be left without shelter and food when the Gauteng provincial government closes its centres next month.Government spokesman Thabo Masebe said earlier this week the government had no plans for people who would still be at the centres when the tents are dismantled next month.He said their plan was to work with communities to ensure that reintegration took place.Thousands of foreigners were displaced during xenophobic attacks in Gauteng in May. About 20 000 were housed at different community centres.Last month, the Gauteng government erected safety shelters to accommodate the foreigners for two months.Masebe said that according to figures released last week, there were still about 4000 displaced foreigners being accommodated in six camps in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.Asked what the government would do if there were still people at the centres next month, he said, "We'll make that decision when we get there, but we remain positive communities would create conducive conditions for displaced people to come back."He said the government did not plan on the basis that it would fail. The government would assist with reintegration, but it would be upon those foreigners who did not want to be reintegrated to find alternative accommodation."We can't force them to live where they don't want to live ... We hope there won't be any problems by the time we close the shelters."However, a top government official said it was possible there would still be people at the shelters as more foreigners arrived at the centres."People who were not displaced by the attacks and people who had just come into the country are taking advantage of the situation because there is free shelter and free food," the official said.In one centre, it was found that 12 people, instead of six, were occupying a tent."This is because there are people in these shelters who are not supposed to be there."The official said it was not easy for centre managers to detect the irregularities.In Durban, about 404 displaced foreigners would be left without aid as the Ethekwini Municipality would no longer provide assistance.Lungisa Manzi, the city's head of disaster management said: "The municipality does not have the mandate nor the resources to continue to sustain the requirements of those foreign nationals who have decided not to return home or to go back to their houses."

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Somalia: Country Faces Dire Crossroads as Drought and Insecurity Combine: United Nations World Food Programme (Rome): PRESS RELEASE: 18 July 2008.

The United Nations World Food Programme said today that attacks on aid workers on the ground and threats to ships delivering food aid to Somalia, are jeopardising the lives of millions who now need urgent food assistance.“Somalia is at a dire crossroads,” said Peter Goossens, WFP’s Country Director for Somalia at a news conference today in London. “If sufficient food and other humanitarian assistance cannot be scaled up in the

291 coming months, parts of the country could well be in the grips of disaster similar to the 1992-1993 famine, when hundreds of thousands of people perished.”Insecurity, drought, a succession of poor or failed harvests, are deepening the suffering of millions of people in the country, and pushing hundreds of thousands more into destitution. The situation is exacerbated by the weakness of the Somali shilling against the dollar, coupled with rising food and fuel prices.Goossens warned that deteriorating security was hindering land and sea deliveries of food. WFP has appealed to foreign governments to provide naval escorts to protect WFP food ships against piracy.Goossens said naval escorts from France, Denmark and the Netherlands proved invaluable over the last eight months, protecting WFP ships against piracy and armed robbery. WFP has received no commitments for further escorts beyond June.Ninety percent of the food WFP gives to Somalia’s hungry arrives by sea.A rash of killings or kidnappings of staff from UN agencies and non- governmental organizations in recent weeks also threaten to sabotage the response to the emergency.The overall number of people in need of food assistance is expected to rise to 3.5 million people by December. WFP has to double the amount of people it feeds from more than one million per month, to 2.4 million by December. CARE International and the International Committee of the Red Cross are to assist the remaining 1.1 million.Families are increasingly hungry because they cannot afford to buy food, even if available in markets. Malnutrition among children under five is rising fast. NGOs have seen a drastic increase in the numbers of malnourished children and a sharp rise in admissions to nutritional centres.WFP food rations for families with a malnourished child are being shared with neighbours. Villagers are resorting to eating wild tubers usually eaten by wild animals.WFP is urgently buying food for Somalia in South Africa. The agency faces a shortfall in resources of US$210 million until the end of March 2009.

Facts:

§ Despite piracy and attacks on aid workers, WFP is still delivering large amounts of food assistance to people in need every month in Somalia and is in a good position to continue its operations and scale up as long as donors support its life-saving work.

§ A Dutch frigate escorted the final ship loaded with WFP food to Mogadishu at the end of June.

§ Pirates have launched 24 attacks on vessels off Somalia’s eastern and northern coasts so far this year, but no escorted WFP ships were targeted despite an upsurge in attacks. There were 31 pirate attacks in 2007.

§ Air or overland routes to Somalia would be unable to handle the vast volume of assistance which needs to be delivered.

§ On 11 July, gunmen shot and wounded an aid worker with a WFP-partner NGO at a food distribution near Mogadishu. The head of another Somali NGO was shot and killed on the same day. Gunmen have killed five WFP-contracted transport staff in the country so far this year.

292 CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: UN Says Food Supplies Stretched to Limit As Thousands Flee Fighting: UN News Service (New York): 16 July 2008.

Violence and intimidation in North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has forced at least 100,000 people to flee their homes in recent months, raising the number of displaced to more than half a million, and leaving the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) struggling to meet their needs.WFP has already cut rations in half to some displaced people, particularly those camped close to the provincial capital Goma, in an effort to reach those in most desperate need at the heart of the current conflict zone in the mountainous hinterland."Thousands more people have run for their lives in recent months and are now in urgent need of help," said WFP Country Director Charles Vincent. "There are enormous and growing needs across North Kivu in particular, and we urge the international community to step forward and help us get a very difficult job done."In July last year, WFP planned to distribute 800 tons of food per month, but the new displacements have forced the agency to scale up its planned deliveries to 10,000 tons per month.Despite a peace agreement signed in January this year, WFP says that North Kivu province remains "a tinderbox of intimidation and violence." New camps for displaced people have sprung up almost overnight, many of them lacking the most basic facilities, including clean water and proper shelter.Malnutrition is now running at alarming levels, threatening the lives of thousands of young children, according to the UN agency. Across Masisi and Rutshuru, surveys indicate rates for acute malnutrition of over 17 per cent - above the rate considered to constitute an emergency. WFP says it is working with specialised non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to establish a large number of new feeding centres in an effort to stem the rising tide of malnutrition.Aggravating the situation is the fact that many families have now been displaced several times as they continue to suffer violence and harassment. WFP staff who have visited the worst affected areas in the Birambizo area of Rutshuru have heard terrifying testimony from people who have fled attacks and looting by armed groups.In many cases, household food supplies have been looted and farming equipment destroyed or stolen. Women in particular face the constant threat of violence when they try to cultivate their fields. Many of the displaced have now missed three successive planting seasons, reinforcing their reliance on outside assistance.Much of the displacement has taken place in the heart of the region's breadbasket, causing food prices to spike sharply in urban areas such as Goma that rely on the hinterland for much of their supply.WFP says it requires $142 million to cover its operations in eastern DRC over the next 12 months.

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

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Brain-Drain Hampers Success in Health Sector, Says UNICEF Repo: Leadership (Abuja): 18 July 2008.

293 UNICEF says health workers' crisis in Africa poses a grave danger to governments' efforts at attaining the much needed success in the sector.In its latest report on "The State of World's Children", UNICEF called for urgent efforts to address the crisis, to accelerate the achievement of set goals in the sector.The report said the lack of adequate human resources represented a major barrier in integrating approaches to maternal, newborn and child survival at the community level.It said: "The current experience suggests that limited effectiveness, high staff turnover and inadequate supervision characterise most programmes in developing countries."Within these context, community health workers have an important role in improving community health in general and child health in particular. They are to complement and not substitute".The report further said that the number of health workers per 1,000 children, in particular nurses and doctors, was a significant determinant of variations in infant, under-five and maternal mortality across countries.It quoted research results which said the prospects for achieving 80 per cent coverage of measles immunisation and skilled attendants at birth were greatly enhanced where the health worker density exceeded 2.5 per 1,000 inhabitants."Yet many developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, face overwhelming shortages of health personnel."Migration of skilled health professionals is a cause of grave concern in many developing countries."The issue is the massive migration of health professionals from poor to rich countries," it added.The report said reasons for the migration include low remuneration, inflexible hours with many extra duties, difficult working conditions and shortage of equipment.It noted that recent statistics indicated that "half of medical school graduates from Ghana emigrate within four and half years of graduation, while 75 per cent leave within a decade".The report said in South Africa, "more than 300 specialist nurses leave every month, while many may never return," noting that the main destinations for migrant health workers were Europe and North America."In the United Kingdom, one third of health workers originate from other countries.Research has it that the density of workers is more than 10 times higher in Europe and North America than in Sub-Saharan Africa."The negative impact on the delivery of health services in developing countries is often severe."This is because the movement of human capital affects the most highly trained professionals, in whom the governments have invested so much in training", it added.To address the shortages of skilled health personnel, the report suggested that national health systems must build incentives for practicing health care at home.It said: "While this remains an ongoing challenge, a number of countries have been successful in recruiting and retaining health workers, inclusive of the rural areas, where shortages are severe."Incentives to retain health workers or reverse migration are being devised to address the crisis". (NAN)

• Senegal: Deadly Lead Recycling Industry Cripples Dakar Neighbourhood: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks: 16 July 2008.

In the Dakar suburb of Thiaroye/Mer earlier this year 22 children died from lead poisoning over a three month period and in June a further 31 children were found to have potentially lethal levels of lead in their blood.While these children undergo emergency medical treatment, the government now faces the daunting task of identifying and treating further victims and decontaminating the neighbourhood once and for all.A June

294 mission to the affected area by the Minister of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed 71 people were suffering from poisoning, according to Dr. Coly, head of the fight against diseases at the WHO. But he says many more could be in danger."We did not examine everyone in the area - it was a limited study. We know the environment is contaminated and we imagine there are people among them who may be sick. The ministry of health needs to do more assessments of the area," Dr. Coly told IRIN.Demba Diaw one of the 1,000 residents of Ngagne Diaw, the most-affected neighbourhood in Thiaroye/Mer, told IRIN, "Here no one is safe from ingesting lead - it is in the dust that covers are houses and in the liquid that we drink."Dr. Hassane Yaradou, adviser to the health minister confirmed "Levels of lead remain high in homes and in the surrounding area."

How the lead got there: The practice of lead recycling started in 1995 when residents started collecting car batteries from mechanics nearby, extracted lead plates from them to sell on to blacksmiths, and emptied their contents in the sand. According to Diaw the activity intensified in 2006 when a foreign buyer bought a container-full of lead-filled sand for US$121. "Soon everyone was cashing in, even the vegetable-sellers from the market nearby."As the practice escalated in late 2007 residents started extracting the lead from the sand itself and selling it for 36 US cents per kg. Soon they had organised into groups of ten, which collectively could make hundreds of dollars per day, according to Diaw."The area became a huge market with people from elsewhere flocking here looking for lead. The ground was black, our clothes and our furniture were black because of the lead dust. It was like the gold that you keep until the next payment," Diaw said.They gathered so much lead that they started to store it in their houses. And the practice continued even after the first child died on the eve of the Muslim festival Tabaski on 20 December 2007. "We didn't know of the dangers," Diaw told IRIN.

Government response: The government has set up an inter-ministerial commission to address the problem and will be sending in an assessment team to do a follow-up survey to gauge how many more people may be affected.Meanwhile an emergency government team has sealed the area and preliminarily decontaminated it, stripping the lead-filled sand and removing up to 290 tonnes of lead stored in residents' houses. "We are assured that the residues of lead dust have disappeared," Dr. Yaradou told IRIN.But not all of the residents are convinced. "In Ngagne Diaw everything is poisoned by lead, even our mattresses. It is a major public health problem," said one.According to Yaradou, the environment ministry will be returning to the area in coming weeks to clean it more thoroughly and to dump new sand on the streets.Replacing the sand will cost US$120 a truckload with hundreds of truckloads required.In the meantime Diédhiou wants children to be kept away. "We think the children should be kept away from the site as long as there is a residue. If they are treated only to return, there is no point in treating them."Some of the critically ill children were found to have eight times the emergency threshold levels of lead in their blood, according to toxicologists.The UN has recommended that residents leave the area while it is decontaminated, but some are refusing to go. "To move is not the solution, the government can clean up the site while we're still on it," said one.

295 Recovery: Meanwhile some of the endangered children who have already received intensive medical care are now in an after-care house in Ginndi, a suburb of Dakar, where they are being monitored by a team of social workers and doctors."On the whole the children are going well. Initially, they were nervous. Now they are very relaxed and approach us if they need us," said Fatimata Gadiaga, a social worker.However according to a survey undertaken by WHO and the Dakar anti-poison centre, two thirds of them are at risk of suffering long-term neurological damage.Treating these children costs US$2,000 per patient according to Louis-Etienne Vigneault, spokesperson at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). While WHO has put up US$60,000 for the first 31 cases, Coly says "the health ministry will need to continue [treating] the others. They have the capacity and the competency to do it."Families themselves are not in a position to pay, particularly given many of them have lost their source of income. Demba Diaw, whose four-year-old son fell ill from lead poisoning in March, told IRIN he couldn't count how high the medical bills became during the illness but the first was US$120 and nearly crippled the family. The boy went on to die.

Long-term solutions: To eradicate the practice over the long-term activists are calling for the government to launch a public-awareness campaign to demonstrate to people the ravages of lead poisoning.Meanwhile residents of Ngagne Diaw who have lost their main source of income are at a loss as to what to do next.No one has any long-term solutions. "We are not yet at the stage of considering alternative livelihoods for these people. Let's first do the analysis and find the children who have been poisoned... we can find more solutions after that." Vigneault said.But he added, "It is of course important to eradicate the source of the problem, rather than simply addressing individual cases - that would be the goal."

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: 'Fight Against HIV, Aids in Schools': The Herald (Harare): 17 July 2008.

TEACHERS in Harare have been urged to come together and fight HIV and Aids in their schools.Mrs Sithokozile Sibanda, a Counsellor with Connect -- an organisation involved in training counsellors -- said this at three-day teacher's workshop that ended yesterday at Queen Elizabeth Girls High.Thirty-five representatives drawn from secondary schools in Harare and Chitungwiza attended the training workshop."Teachers spend most of the time with children so it is vital that they take a pivotal role in the fight against Aids as it affects mainly children," she said.Justice for Children Trust, sponsors of the workshop, also said they would continue advocating child rights protection through holding more workshops as and when they discover areas of need or problematic areas that need to be addressed. "We will continue with these workshops whenever the need arises as long as it has something to do with children," said Miss Olivia Mashava, a lawyer with JCT. The three-day workshop that commenced on Monday sought to impart counselling skills to teachers to enable them to identify children with problems.JCT is known for its commitment to providing free legal services to children, training stakeholders, caregivers, and children on child protection laws as well as lobbying and advocating law and policy reforms.

296 EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Uganda: Five Million Kids Stunted, Says Report: New Vision (Kampala): 17 July 2008.

Over five million children in Uganda are stunted due to underfeeding, according to a study by a charity. A report by the Uganda Child Rights NGO Network said serious cases of stunted children were evident in Acholi and Karamoja regions and the districts of Kabale and Kisoro."One-third of Uganda's children are stunted with 10% of them below five years. In Acholi and Karamoja, the affected children are at 15% and 22% respectively."The network's national programme coordinator, Stella Ayo Odongo, last week presented the report to Parliamentary Forum for Children during a seminar at the in Kampala.According to the 2006 Uganda National Household Survey, children make 51% of the country's population estimated at 30 million.Ayo said parents were not feeding children on a balanced diet, adding that many were ignorant of nutritious foods.The forum chairperson, Ruth Tuma (NRM), was surprised that Kabale and Kisoro had stunted children, despite being major food growing areas.But Odongo explained that most parents sold the nutritious foods to Kampala traders, leaving their children underfed and relying on handouts."The parents' ignorance and the hunt for money is the root cause of malnutrition in Kisoro."She observed that Kabale and Kisoro produced cabbages, Irish potatoes, fruits and vegetables but most of the produce ended up in Kampala markets.The 20-year long insurgency in the north that confined parents to internally displaced peoples' camps had affected food growing in Acholi region, leading to underfeeding and malnutrition, Odongo added.Barnabas Tinkasiimire (NRM) said during a recent visit to Kabale, he was alarmed to find that children below one were being fed on bushera (fermented millet) and muramba, a local gin. meant for the adults.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: $63 Million for Aids, Malaria Control: The New Times (Kigali): 15 July 2008.

The national fight against the spread of HIV/Aids, malaria and Tuberculosis (TB) has received over $63 million (approx Frw35 billion) grant support for the next two years.The grant from Global Fund (GF) International was announced yesterday during the signing of its pact between the government and the agency's country branch.Health Minister Dr. Jean-Damascène Ntawukuliryayo signed on behalf of the government, while Dr. Jack Abdoulie signed for GF, at the Ministry's Headquarters.Abdoulie, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Resident Representative to Rwanda endorsed the pact as the vice chairman of the GF's country coordinating mechanism."The effort we made to have this grant is enough for us to achieve better results," promised the minister, adding that the money will help to build 90 maternity centres countrywide.Ntawukuliryayo told journalists shortly after the signing that other health-related areas to benefit from the grant are the training of teachers in the Northern and Southern Provinces how to teach students about HIV/Aids control methods; and the national family planning programme."With the government's continued efforts to prevent HIV/Aids spread, we are also planning to purchase nine million more condoms," he guaranteed.He called upon all

297 concerned parties in the fight against these three deadly pandemics to quickly and effectively implement what the grant is solicited for.Ntawukuliryayo hopes its efficient use will enable the GF to release more of the promised Frw75 billion (about $35 million) for up to five years for the control of the prioritised diseases.For the last two years, Rwanda has received from GF a grant of $69 million (about Frw37.6 billion) to control Aids and TB, which the minister said enabled the country to register success such as the supply of malaria drugs and mosquito nets to the needy, and construction of two health centres in Kigali City and Huye District.The minister also said the initial grant boosted Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) activities and the fight against mother-to-child Aids transmission.

50. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: 'Use Cactus Opuntia to Combat Desertification in the North': Daily Trust (Abuja): 18 July 2008.

An academician, Professor IK. Aduba at the weekend in Abuja called on the federal government to consider using the plant called Cactus Opuntia (popularly named prickly pear) to combat desertification in the FCT and other northern states in the federation.He said the best economic option left for this administration is for them to combat desertification in the north with viable and effective technologies already tested in some countries of the world such as Mexico, Israel, USA, Brazil, North Africa, South Africa, etc."From research reports, we are convinced that the greener our environment, the better, whether a tree or shrub, so long as the green-cover can be sustained irrespective of the intense heat and strong winds of the desert," he reasoned.He said Cactus Opuntia plant has been used in most countries of the desert world to combat desertification with two cultivars (Redonda and Muida) as well as to alleviate poverty and hunger."Since 20,000 years ago, Cactus Opuntia has been important as food sources, as well as for drink and medicine in Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, USA, etc and since 1962, Tunisia has used this plant to combat desertification, alleviate poverty and better the livelihood of their people," he disclosed.He said Tunisia had cultivated over 700,000 ha of cv Palma Redonda (Cactus Opuntia) which have been generating large foreign exchange through the sales of pads, fruits and other benefits."In Israel, Cactus species were collected from California and planted in Negev desert in 1993 while in 1996, Israel started producing Kuobo Fruits from Cereus peruvianus (Cactus Apple) with about 30 tons, and the production doubled in 1997 for export to Europe and Asia," he added.The professor said the man who brought the technology to Israel, Prof Yosef Mizrahi, recently reported in the BBC World Television that Israeli farmers were running into severe problems of water shortages, hence the change to Cacti which need far less water than fruit-trees.He explained that all the countries mentioned never relied on the use of gigantic irrigation projects as is done in Nigeria because the water table is being reduced daily hence making water available for irrigation very difficult and the major cause of desertification."This problem is now jeopardizing about one-third of the world's irrigated

298 land of which Nigeria is among.According to the professor, areas affected in the country by the problem include Kano, Talata, Mafara as well as Sokoto.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Namibia: Country Approves CDM Project: New Era (Windhoek): 17 July 2008.

A geothermal energy project has become the first clean development mechanism (CDM) project to be approved in Namibia.CDM is an arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol that allows industrialised countries with a commitment to reduce greenhouse emissions to invest in projects that reduce emissions in developing countries, as an alternative to more expensive emission-reduction mechanisms in their own countries.By reducing emissions, Namibia can earn carbon credits from industrialised countries willing to reduce their emissions under the CDM, which may result in significant investments that would in turn contribute to sustainable development.An official at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism said yesterday the geothermal energy project was approved even though its final approval will come from the executive board of the CDM based in Bonn, Germany.The official said although the project promoters still have to sort out a number of issues, they indicated that they are ready to have the project started by end of year."Due to the increasing demand for energy in the country, they want to start off the ground by the end of this year," the official said.The ministry is also scrutinising an application of a project to set up a fuel switch project from coal to gas technology.New Era understands that many embassies in Namibia have approached the ministry about the possibility of their nationals investing in CDM projects in Namibia.Possible CDM projects include fuel switching, energy efficiency and renewable energy such as wind turbines or solar parks and biofuels.Incentives for CDM projects include economic growth, increased employment opportunities, diversified economic activity and technological transfer.African countries so far only account for 2.4 percent of global CDM projects, with the majority (41 percent) being in China and 14 percent in Brazil and India.As of now, there are 3000 projects in the pipeline. Out of 1117 registered projects, 25 are in Africa.The CDM is expected to generate more than 2.7 billion certified emission reductions by the time the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012.Meanwhile, the Office of the Attorney General is still working on regulations for the CDM and Designated National Authority after which the offices will be set up and positions advertised by the end of next month.The Designated National Authority serves as a point of contact for the CDM in the country to evaluate and approve projects based on national criteria. The local CDM office facilitates the preparation of project proposals for submission through the Designated National Authority to the CDM Executive Board of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.Although Namibia contributes little to greenhouse emissions, it is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change because of its dependence on natural resources. Assessments conducted on various sectors indicate that the greenhouse effect will result in changes in the environment, which will impact negatively on crop production, fish stocks and wildlife.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

299 • Ethiopia: Industries Urged to Protect City's Natural Environment Sector Advised to Employ Environmental Audit: The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa): 17 July 2008.

Industries must design and plan a mechanism by which they can contribute to reduce environmental pollution, the Addis Ababa City Administration Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) urged on Tuesday.The authority said it was empirical that the industries do so as their waste products have direct impact on the well being of the natural resource, environment, people, and animals.The statements were made by Dr. Hailu Worku, EPA General Manager in his key remarks at a training workshop the authority organized for representatives from the industry sector in Addis Ababa.He said that in order to reverse the environmental pollution trends particularly by wastes generated from manufacturing industries, it has been found very necessary to build the capacity of partners at the industries and staff of EPA in environmental auditing instruments.Most of industries in the city have no proper avoidance of waste products, Hailu said.During the workshop, a presentation was made on the concept and need of Environmental audit, a mechanism said to play an instrumental role in the protection and maintaining of the natural environment.Hailu said environmental auditing would facilitate for the industries to identify and reduce wastes from its source, right from raw material storeroom, to the entire production process.The audit is also designed to help industries comply with environmental related rules and regulations, while engaged in their day-to-day operations, Hailu explained.Industry owners and managers drawn from 25 industries in the city attended the one-day workshop at the Ghion Hotel on Industrial Development and Pollution Control efforts of the Addis Ababa, organized by Addis Ababa Environmental protection Authority (EPA) in collaboration with UN-Habitat for at Ghion Hotel.A three day long workshop for technical persons, industrial technologists will continue on Wednesday at the authority's office.Most industries are in the city are concentrated along Akaki Rivers' bank.The major industries are food and beverage, textile tanneries, chemical, rubber and plastic, paper and paper products, metallic and non-metallic mineral products and wood industries.Addis Ababa is one of the cities where the problem of water pollution is at its highest state at present.Water quality in almost all the assessed sites along Akaki River was found to be deteriorated and not meeting the WHO, United States Environmental Protection Authority guide lines for river water.30% of the city water is supplied from ground water.

• Uganda: Minister Advocates Renewable Energy: New Vision (Kampala): 17 July 2008.

Uganda needs more investors in renewable energy since it protects the environment, investment state minister, Prof. Semakula Kiwanuka, has said."The rising prices of fossil fuels worldwide make it imperative for the Government to promote development and utilisation of renewable energy and the associated technologies," Kiwanuka said."The technologies that come with renewable resources include biomass fuels like ethanol, bio diesel, biogas, methanol, and efficient stoves, kilns and solar water heaters," he said at the opening of a workshop at Hotel Africana.Kiwanuka said renewable energy was important for Uganda where electrification access was still low."Uganda's electrification stands at

300 about 9% nationally and 3% in the rural areas, meaning that electrification in most parts of the country through grid extension in the near future is still a far cry."He said renewable resources were one of the important ingredients for enhancing growth and rural transformation."The Government has taken stringent measures to develop and promote renewable energy as an integral part of the country's energy future."He said the Electricity Act 1999, Cap 145, 2000 provides for the development of renewable energy.The renewable energy policy, 2007, was developed to increase usage of renewable energy from the current 4% to 61% of the energy consumption by 2017.The Government thus started promoting the decentralised off-grid power supply model for remote areas to be provided by sources like hydro and solar.

• Uganda: Rainy Seasons Have Changed: New Vision (Kampala): 16 July 2008.

THE rainy seasons in Uganda have changed in the last two decades, affecting agriculture, leading to increased poverty and posing grave health risks, according to a report to be launched today by Oxfam, an international NGO.Titled 'Turning up the heat, Climate Change and Poverty in Uganda', the report, which contains views and testimonies of people on the impact of changed weather patterns on agriculture and pastoral communities, blames the situation on climate change."Most of the current warming is being driven by outpouring of green house gases from coal, oil and gas that powered the industrial revolutions in Europe and the US from about 150 years ago," the report said."These gases act like an additional blanket on top of the layers of gases that naturally enclose the earth."The report notes that the rainfall patterns have become erratic and destructive."On one hand is the more erratic rainfall in the March to June season, bringing drought and reductions in crop yields and plant varieties, while on the other is the rainfall towards the end of the year, coming in more intense and destructive downpours bringing floods, landslides and soil erosion."Researcher John Magrath found that the seasons were not shortening, but rather becoming more unreliable."Rains may come early and then stop for long periods; they may come when it is supposed to be dry. People describe living through long periods of hot dry weather when it should be raining steadily, punctuated by very strong winds, thunder, lightning and destructive hailstorms," stated the report."The crucial effect then, is that the growing period for crops is shortened."The report also points out that there is little or no scientific evidence of less rainfall in total but notes that it is less useful because of its distribution and impact.Uganda received a total amount of 1,410 mm of rainfall in 2001 and 1,378mm in 2006.However in 2001 the rain fell over a period of 136 days with an average of 10.36mm per day, while in 200, it fell for over a period of 98 days, with an average of 14mm per day.Across much of Uganda, the climate is bimodal, meaning that there are two rainy seasons; the first starting in March lasting until June and the second running from October/November to December/January."The relative importance of the two seasons for the crops varies around the country," the report notes. In Karamoja the little rain can come anytime between March and September, with the most chance of rain falling in April," said the report.While the areas around the Lake Victoria basin tend to become wetter, meteorologists found that the droughts, that periodically affect the western, northern and north-eastern districts, are becoming more frequent."They found

301 seven droughts between 1991 and 2000 with a particular long and severe drought in 1999/2000," said the report.Meteorologists and farmers note that besides the rains being erratic, they are heavier and more violent than in the past, the study observes."What matters for farmers is the effectiveness, timing and distribution of rain throughout the crucial growing seasons."For East Africa, most scientists predict that the region will become wetter, but rain will come in heavier bursts. There can be more rain yet also more droughts."This type of rain may not only be less useful, it may be damaging, smashing crops and washing away top soil."

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: FDLR Rebels Cutting Down Virunga Forests for Charcoal: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 15 July 2008.

As conservationists in the Virunga park struggle to protect the forests that is home to the much prized Gorillas, Rwandan rebels in DR Congo - FDLR - also want the charcoal from cutting down the trees, as a recent encounter revealed.Conservationists with organizations such as the Wildlife Direct report that the park's dense forest is rapidly being depleted of its trees to satisfy the almost insatiable demand for charcoal. The substance is used for cooking and heating by the millions of people living in this troubled region.On June 27, a team of Rangers left the Kibumba post to patrol for charcoal makers in the Kanyamahoro area of the DR Congo side of the park that is shared with Rwanda and Uganda. They soon came across two women in the forest who were carrying bags of charcoal. The women dropped the bags and escaped into the forest, according to the rangers.The Rangers took the charcoal and continued on their patrol. What they didn't know, as they narrate, was that the women had ran to a village to tell the local the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels - that the Rangers were there.Apparently, soon the FDLR rebels found the Rangers and a confrontation ensued in which 3 Rangers were captured, 4 were able to escape. Another went missing.The rebel group - some whose members are wanted in Rwanda for Genocide crimes - is subject to a regional plan in which they are required to surrender to Rwanda peacefully or to be forced."It was at that point that I got a call from one of the captured Rangers, informing me of the situation. The rebels were unhappy that the charcoal had been confiscated and wanted it back in exchange for the Rangers", explains Innocent - head of the Rangers."I spoke to the rebel chief on the phone and told him that we could not give the illegal charcoal back. After much negotiation, the Rangers were finally released that evening and they went to the nearest UN base for safety".Innocent however says at that point there was still one Ranger missing - Albert Sebagabo.He narrates: "The rebels assured me that they didn't know where he was. We waited and waited into the night, but still no sign of Albert. The next morning at 9 AM, Albert finally arrived at the Kibati patrol post. He had spent the night on his own in the forest after having escaped the rebels. He was a bit shaken and tired, but OK."The lucrative charcoal trade is not only wreaking havoc on the park but also on its most famous inhabitants, the rare mountain gorillas, says WildLife Direct- a conservation group based in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya that supports the park rangers working in Virunga.Conservationists also believe that last year's execution of about seven gorillas inside the park was carried out by people

302 associated with the charcoal trade who want the park unprotected.The National Geographic reports that in a steady trickle teenage boys push their way down a dusty road to the bustling city of Goma - capital of North Kivu province - their bicycles buckling under the weight of 100-pound (45-kilogram) sacks of charcoal, or makala as it's known there.The boys are part of an illegal trade that may pose the biggest threat to one of the most pristine places on the planet, the Virunga National Park, as the research channel notes."The gorillas have become a hindrance for the charcoal trade," said Emmanuel de Merode, director of Wildlife Direct."There's a very strong incentive for these people to kill the gorillas."Threats to the gorillas are not just coming from the Rwandan rebels. In September last year rebels loyal to DRC dissident General Laurent Nkunda occupied sections of the park rising fear among conservationists about the fate. WildLife Direct says the rebels looted weapons and communication equipment from Jomba and Bikenge ranger patrol posts within the park.Meanwhile, a regional inter-ministerial conference is going on in north Western Rwanda border town of Rubavu - where delegates from the three countries are discussing a 10-year strategic conservation plan. The regional governments with their partners - the U.S and the European Union - have a $100 million fund that they hope will go a long way to protect the region's habitat that's been bringing in vast revenue from tourism.

• Rwanda: United States to Support Mountain Gorilla Conservation: The New Times (Kigali): 15 July 2008.

The United States assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment and Science, Claudia A. McMurray, has said that her government will continue to support the conservation of the unique species of mountain gorillas found in the Virunga Mountains.McMurray said this while at a two-day ministerial conference that started July 14 at Serena Kivu Sun Hotel in Gisenyi town.The conference, which was sponsored by the United States Government, brought together tourism ministers from the three countries that share the trans-boundary Virunga region which include Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, to highlight the successes and challenges to conservation and economic development in the three states.She said that the United States government, together with other donor countries and various NGOs, will support the ongoing efforts among the governments that share the Virunga region to conserve biodiversity and support development objectives laid down in a ten-year strategic plan to conserve the unique natural resources of the region."The remarkable dedication of our conservation partners in Virunga, despite many dangers, deserves wide recognition. We believe that conservation can play an integral role in establishing stability and supporting economic development in the region," said McMurray.According to Rwanda's minister of Trade and Industry, Monique Nsanzabaganwa, gorillas are a common resource shared by the three countries, and the three states have the moral obligation to protect these valuable resources on behalf of the entire world."Conservation of the gorillas in Virunga Mountains cannot be done by only one state because they (gorillas) don't need passports to cross to the trans-boundary Virunga region. That is why we should combine forces and cooperation in protection and preservation of these unique species," she explained.Uganda's Tourism State minister Serapio Rukundo said that sustained tourism growth was one of the major ways to economic development. He said there was need to

303 protect the landscape that is home to one of the worlds' most endangered and threatened species."As we discuss conservation in the region, we must be mindful of the people we serve, like those who live along the protected areas because they are part of the landscape and therefore part of conservation. These are the people whose land and crops are destroyed by the animals. We must therefore prove our relevancy to the people we serve through enhanced conservation benefits by proper manifestation of shared policy of poverty reduction," he said.In her remarks, the director of the Rwandan Office of Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN) Chantal Rosette Rugamba thanked the United States and other donor countries for supporting the three countries in their struggle to fulfill their ten-year strategic plan laid down to conserve the unique natural resources of the region."The mountain gorillas found in the trans-boundary Virunga region are unique and the very few remaining species worldwide. Virunga Mountains contain 325 out of the 720 remaining mountain gorillas in the world," explained Rugamba, adding that their uniqueness was a blessing since they uphold the tourism sectors in the three countries.She said that the three countries need to come up with a permanent insecurity and poverty eradication strategy since both factors were major enemies of the wellbeing of the mountain gorillas."Last year, seven mountain gorillas were murdered in the DRC territory. This was a great loss that attracted the attention of the world media. We should therefore find a permanent security solution to avoid further losses," Rugamba said.She revealed that Rwanda alone generated US$7 million from tourists who came from allover the world to visit the unique gorillas last year, and that ORTPN expects the revenue to increase to US$8 million this year.She also thanked the Netherlands government for supporting Rwanda in its conservation programmes.

51. ENERGY

WEST AFRICA

• Ghana: Amoah Chides Westerners, Don't Dispute Over Oil Find Location: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 17 July 2008.

THE Western Regional Minister,Mr. Anthony Evans Amoah, has advised indigenes of the region, not to dispute over the exact location of the oil find.According to him, the rumpus being made by a group of people, claiming to have the oil find located on their soil, was unnecessary."We should rather be thankful to God, that the oil is in our region," he said.The Minister's comment comes barely three weeks after the National Association of Nzema Students (NANS), and Nzema Youth Association (NYA), came out to dispute the exact location of the oil.The group had shown a document, in their argument, in favour of their claim, that indeed the oil find was not located at Cape Three Points.The three Members of Parliament for Nzema, Hons. Freddie Blay, Kojo Armah and Lee Ocran, had also jointly issued a press statement, asking government to tell exactly where the oil find was located.The Minister's first public reaction, on this subject matter, was on July 1st, when he met senior citizens of the region.At that meeting, he appealed to the senior citizens, to advise the youth against comments that could divide the region, in the heat of the oil exploration.Minister Amoah indicated that if the people in the region were not united, leaders in authority and the oil companies, would take the region for granted,

304 and possibly divide and rule them.Speaking again at the Meet the Press series, the Regional Minister repeated his stance on the subject, pointing out that the geographical location of the oil find, was just for a matter of convenience, "so let us come together, so that we can benefit from the oil find, instead of making noise about the location."To him, instead of one disputing over the exact location of the oil find, "let us sensitise our people, to study courses that are relevant to the oil find. This is the assignment we have to fight, for instead of fighting over geographical location."The Minister, therefore, mentioned and listed the benefits the oil find would create in the field of agriculture, transportation and mineral wealth, such as salt and services.On the illegal mining activities, popularly known as 'galamsey,' the Regional Minister told the media that government would not be sympathetic to galamsey activities. However, it was the view of government that unattractive concessions, owned by mining companies, would be ceded to the host communities, to engage in mining, but that was being sorted out."This is within their authority but they are not doing it," he said, adding that people started engaging in mining activities, before mining companies arrived.He mentioned Damang, Akyempim, Prestea, Iduapriem, Tarkwa, Mpohor, Teleku-Bokazo and Anwia, as communities where there have been confrontations between mining companies and the host communities.On chieftaincy, Minister Amoah mentioned Sefwi Wiawso and Akwidaa, among others, as chieftaincy dispute-prone zones.Asked how much the government had spent in dealing with the crisis, in the aforementioned areas, the Minister failed to give the estimated cost, explaining that it was difficult for government to cost it.Meanwhile, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Director of Education, Mr. A. Morgan, was furious when he descended on this paper for exposing government's huge indebtedness to the Metro Directorate, in capitation grant funds.Though Morgan admitted, at the press meeting, that government owed ¢64 billion, the amount had been cleared before this paper's publication came out. Present at the meeting were District Chief Executives and Heads of Institution, but strangely enough, there was no Member of Parliament from the region present

• Nigeria: Federal Government Confirms Plan to Stop Subsidy On Fuel: Daily Champion (Lagos): 18 July 2008.

Federal government yesterday confirmed plans to withdraw subsidy on retail prices of the fuel products still commercially regulated in the domestic market.Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, who dropped this hint in Lagos, also said the new administration might review the award of oil blocks by the past administration.But senior oil workers have kicked against any fuel subsidy withdrawal that would not be accompanied by a parallel plan to boost internal refining capacity.Mr. Ajumogobia, who addressed participants at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Trade Unions Congress (TUC), said the subsidy withdrawal would take effect by January 2009.He told the labour leaders that subsidy bills which he projected at N1.5 trillion by year end have become too heavy on the shoulders of the government and clearly unsustainable.He added that the subsidy withdrawal dreaded to translate to exorbitant fuel prices became necessary for full deregulation of the market, industry liberalisation and guaranteed returns on private investments in the sector.Daily Champion reports that following partial deregulation of the downstream petroleum market, government invited

305 sponsored price subsidy to only the premium motor spirit, also called petrol, household and dual-purpose kerosene.The two products are widely used for transportation and domestic purposes.Other products, including aviation turbine kerosene (ATK), automotive gas oil (AGO), low pour fuel oil (LPFO), lubricants and other derivatives have since been deregulated.In explaining the danger of retaining the subsidy on petrol and domestic kerosene, Mr. Ajumogobia said the unstoppable growth in global economy would continue to mount demand pressure on the international oil markets and drive up prices.This, he explained, would continue to build huge subsidy bills that drain the funds needed to build and maintain social and economic infrastructure.He said the oil price situation would continue to worsen and drag the subsidy beyond a level government could arrest.He warned that it might be too late if the issues were not permanently addressed at this time to allow return of market forces to determine the value of the products.He said a stakeholders' forum to work out the best option to ease out subsidy from the domestic fuel market would be convened in two weeks.The forum, he said, would seek to address the concerns of diverse interests and achieve consensus on measurable implementation stages.Deregulation, privatization and liberalization of the petroleum industry, he said, were informed by public sector inefficiency brought on by red-tapism.He said the on-going industry reform was evolved to provide managers of Nigerian refineries the administrative and financial autonomy to respond to urgent needs.In responding to the minister's presentation, the General Secretary of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Mr. Bayo Olowosile, blamed the subsidy crisis on poor management of the nation's refineries.He argued that Nigerian masses must not be exposed to the impact of shoring up international prices of crude oil by withdrawing the subsidy without any palliatives.He demanded that any money to be realized from the subsidy withdrawal must be ploughed back into Greenfield refinery projects, to boost local production and weed out import associated costs.Meanwhile, the minister said the committee set up to review the process of oil block awards by the past administration has submitted its findings. He however refused to give details, saying the report had not been considered by the president.But inside sources told Daily Champion the report recommended revocation of the oil block awards on the grounds of sloppy playing field in favour of some bidders.Former Director of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr. Tony Chukwueke, was sent on suspension to enable the investigation go uninfluenced.

• Nigeria: How We Carry Out Oil Bunkering in Niger Delta, Filipinos Confess: Vanguard (Lagos): 18 July 2008.

FOURTEEN Filipinos, suspected to be international oil bunkerers, arrested last week, by the Joint Task Force (JTF) on the Niger-Delta with 150-160 metric tonnes of stolen crude oil at the Bight of Benin in Bayelsa State have spilled the beans on how they carry out illegal oil bunkering in Nigeria with their Nigerian accomplices, according to the task force.The Filipinos were earlier reported to have been whisked to Abuja but the JTF said, "After our preliminary investigations, they would be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further action in order to unmask their Nigerian collaborators".Governor of Delta State recently revealed that there is international dimension to oil bunkering and urged the security agencies to

306 do more investigations and fish them out, as oil bunkering would not stop if the international groups involved in the business were not identified and stopped.But the captain of the ship, Rey Chavez told newsmen that they were attacked by militants and held hostage for hours, but, later rescued by the soldiers, who, to their amazement, claimed that they were bunkerers.The JTF, however, said he was telling the press a story different from the confessional statement that was already signed by him, obviously to protect the identities of their Nigerian collaborators.Spokesman of the JTF, Barracks, Effurun, Delta State, Major O.A. Ochagwuba who paraded the Filipinos before newsmen, yesterday, said the men were communicating on radio with their boss in Greece while the operation was going on in Nigeria, adding that the vessel that was used for the bunkering, MV Lina, was flying a Panama flag, but, in actuality, it is registered and owned by a Greek shipping company, called Corinthian and was sailing towards the high sea without navigational light.According to him, "When they were accosted to stop, they refused until warning shots were fired across their bow before they realized that the gunboats meant business. The crew then went into hiding and the ship wandered aimlessly for some time before our own troops boarded it and arrested its crew and changed the course back to Brass, where the ship is being anchored under custody for now".The JTF gave the names of the 14 Filipinos as, Rey Chavez (Captain), Nelso Corpin, Antonio Norgino, Tirso Olaviar, Jerome Competente, Joselin Gabion, Rexy Aldovino, Rito Bajoyo, Jun Garcenila, Judel Garcenila, Eugenio Mediano, Mark Dimaano, Jose Palimero and Louis Givesania.Major Ochagwuba said the ship captain, Mr. Rey Chavez in a signed confessional statement told security agents that he was directed by his boss in Greece to sail to Southern Nigeria, where he would be met by four Nigerians who would guide him to where he would load a cargo."He met them and they guided the ship up Nun River, still sailing without light. He said that he was not given any manifest by his boss and that all the transactions were done between his boss and his Nigerian contacts that sent four guides that led him up to Nun River."He further stated that when they got to the point where they were to load the cargo, he realized that there was no terminal but only a hose of about 150 m in length coming out of a bush, adding that there was no light except torch light. He said he radioed his base about his observations and he was told to calm down and follow instructions from his guide, which he did."He further confirmed that his cargo capacity is 2,400 metric tonnes and that he loaded 150-160 metric tonnes before they leave anchor at about 0200 hours and headed for the sea. According to him, it was after they were intercepted and arrested that he realized that what they were doing was illegal", Ochagwuba asserted.In his words, "Before own troops boarded the ship, their Nigerian accomplices jumped into the water and swam away.From the foregoing, there is no doubt that they have been involved in this illegal business for sometime now", saying, "This huge success is coming on the heels of increased vigilance of our troops and the widening of our intelligence network and the enforcement of the blockade".Ochagwuba said the Commander, JTF, Brigadier - General Nanven Rimptip had commended 73 Bn, the unit that effected the arrest for a job well done and has also warned that hard time awaits any illegal bunker, whether indigenous or alien and that the full weight of the law would be brought to bear on them to serve as a deterrent to other international illegal oil bunkerers.He dismissed the claim by a militant group that its men were the first to accost the Filipinos, which they thought were British citizens and left them when they found out that they were Filipinos, saying

307 that the criminals were trying to blow smoke and divert attention from the real crime.The captain of the ship, Rey Chavez who spoke to newsmen on behalf of other members of the crew said he was not aware that they were involved in illegal bunkering until they were arrested by soldiers.He said he thought that what was going on was a genuine business, as he communicated his employer when he noticed that their guides were sailing without light, but, he was told to cooperate with them.His words, "On July 10, 2008, at about 9.00 am, we were just about 50 miles off the Nigerian east coast in Bayelsa State, sailing to Botswana from Cotonou when some armed youths in civilian clothes attacked us"."They captured the vessel and came on board forcibly. We were very afraid, everybody was lying down and we were afraid. Then, they locked us all in one room, and we were there until the NIgerian soldiers came and arrested us", he said.He disclosed that he took over as the captain of the ship, last year, adding that he was not aware that there was anything incriminating in the ship when they were arrested by soldiers, saying they usuall ferry "supplies" between Cotonou and Bayelsa, in Nigeria.What he told newsmen is different from the confession the JTF said he made on behalf of the crew and it was not clear whether the militants that allegedly attacked them wanted to use the vessel for illegal purpose.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Botswana: Country Ponders Bio-Fuel Production: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 18 July 2008.

Increasing oil prices on the global market have compelled governments to grapple with minimising the effects of soaring prices of petroleum products such as petrol and diesel.As a result, the Botswana government has announced its commitment to explore bio-fuels, which have the potential to help reduce the country's high imports of petroleum products.Speaking at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) on Tuesday this week, Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Affairs, Ponatshego Kedikilwe, said strides are being made towards initiating bio-fuel production."We are part of the global village and part of the global debate that is going on," said Kedikilwe at the inaugural stakeholders' meeting on the bio-fuels in Botswana.Kedikilwe said the government is aware of all the public interest in the development of bio-fuels and assured the nation that appropriate measures would be taken. He allayed fears that bio-fuels would result in insecure food security."Bio-fuels are not the villains that threaten food security in developing countries," he said.Minister Kedikilwe said that key among issues raised against the production of bio-fuels is the environment and greenhouse emissions."The protection of the environment is one of the key issues on the agenda of bio-fuels," said the minister. "We know as a nation that we have a responsibility to reduce greenhouse emissions," he added.Meanwhile, researchers have advised the government to conduct internal studies and not follow international trends on bio-fuels implementation."We might be having a potential product that we are overlooking as a country," said Dr Mogodisheng Sekhwela, the assistant director for Research and Development at the University of Botswana (UB). (Sila Press Agency)

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

308 • Tanzania: President Kikwete Launches Sisal-to-Power Plant: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 17 July 2008.

President Jakaya Kikwete has inaugurated the world's first plant producing electricity from sisal waste.He urged stakeholders in the sisal industry to continue to be creative as they sought solutions to the various challenges the sector was facing."Challenges should not frustrate us, but should encourage us to be more creative in order to get solutions to challenges the sector is facing," he said after pressing a button to launch the plant.President Kikwete told the large crowd at the function that the launch of the plant heralded the culmination of efforts made by the sisal industry to add value to the crop and contribute to efforts to solve the longstanding energy problem, which also affected the industry.He added that the ceremony was testimony to the never-say-die spirit shown by the Katani Limited management."There are many people who prefer to get easy solutions, but very few are prepared to deal with a problem for 16 years," he said in reference to the number of year sit took the initiators of the project to finally attain the goal of producing electricity from sisal waste.On problems besieging the industry, including a tax burden and lack of capital, the President promised that the Government would look into the problems with a view to helping the sector grow and contribute more to the economy."I am not promising a waiver of taxes, but what I can tell you is that we will not ignore your complaints."On the availability of capital, he said the Government had introduced a special department at the Tanzania Investment Bank (TIB) that offered long-term credit to agriculture, pending the establishment of an agricultural bank."The introduction of the bank could take long, and that's why we have decided to introduce the a special desk at TIB. The Government is looking for funds to bolster the capacity of the new department," the President said.He also spoke of the problem of shortage of funds to conduct agricultural research, saying the Government had come up with a strategy to increase funding for the production of various crops, including sisal.President Kikwete was responding to a request made by sisal stakeholders for an increase in funding for sisal research at Mlingano Agricultural Research Institute (ARI) in Muheza District.The President told local producers and manufacturers to refrain against seeking protection against imports, adding that the best way to remain competitive was to produce quality products."Do seek unnecessary protection, as this only serves to increase inefficiency. Compete and you shall win," he said.Speaking at the ceremony, Katani Limited managing director Salum Shamte thanked the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido), Tanzania Automotive Technology Centre, the Government and other donors for their contribution towards the establishment of the plant.The CFC managing director Ali Mchumo urged farmers to take advantage of the opportunity to add value to sisal.He said sisal production was being steadily revived following strenuous efforts made by various stakeholders in recent years.Mr Mchumo said sisal production had fallen from 230,000 tonnes per year in the 1960s to 21,000 tonnes, but had now risen to 32,000 tonnes annually.He expressed hope that the new plant would act as an incentive to producers, processors and traders.

• Tanzania: Zanzibar Says No Oil Sharing: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 17 July 2008.

309 The sensitive issue of sharing of resources between Zanzibar and Tanzania Mainland cropped up in the House of Representatives yesterday as the debate on the sovereignty of the Isles refused to die.Zanzibar's Minister for Natural Resources, Works, Energy and Lands, Mr Mansour Yussuf Himid, declared that any oil extracted in Zanzibar would not be shared with the mainland.He told the House of Representatives that Zanzibar had not benefited from natural gas discoveries on the mainland to warrant sharing of oil in the event of commercially viable deposits being found in Pemba and Unguja."Honourable Speaker, I regret to say that since I became a member of the cabinet in 2000, I don't understand anything concerning the distribution of natural gas that has been discovered and is accruing revenue in Tanzania mainland," he said.Mr Himid said he was being honest to the public by stating the fact that Zanzibaris had never benefited from the natural gas produced on the mainland. He said that once the extraction of oil started in Zanzibar, it would first and foremost be for the benefit of the Isles.The minister's remarks during the ongoing budget session drew support among both Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and opposition Civic United Front (CUF) representatives who later, and unlike the case for other ministries, unanimously endorsed his budget proposals.The declaration on oil sharing echoed similar sentiments that were publicly made in the past by Chief Minister Shamsi Vuai Nahodha, but significantly mirrored in on the ongoing controversy whether Zanzibar was a country with sovereign mandate outside the union government.The speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Pandu Ameir Kificho, was on Wednesday evening forced to defer two private members' motions from CCM and CUF in which they petitioned his office to suspend the budget session and allow for a full debate of the controversy of the Isle's status.Mr Kificho barred the motions while pleading for more time to reflect on the enormity of the matter while also reminding the representatives that the two governments had been directed by Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda to look into the matter.The Speaker however said he would make a final ruling after wide consultations but also pleaded that the union Parliament in Dodoma ceases forthwith from raising up the matter as it heightened the tension and existing suspicions.He told The Citizen in an interview yesterday: "Zanzibar government should sit and get the actual interpretation on it'sStatus. He said: "it's significant, and we should give it the consideration it deserves. Both sides know that there has been misinterpretation of the constitution on both the Union Government and the government of Zanzibar."I have decided that the House of Representatives stops discussing it to give room to the Union and Zanzibar governments to get a way out," He said adding the issue could end up in the constitutional court.But Zanzibar's opposition leader Abubakar Khamis Bakari who lodged one of the the petitions over what he said was a constitutional crisis over Zanzibar's status yesterday vowed that he will not withdraw his motion.He said the House of Representatives, which had the mandate of Zanzibaris, is a supreme organ which directs the government."If the speaker is a true Zanzibari, he should view this matter as urgently important for all of us," said Khamis.In Dodoma yesterday, the Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda once again stood his ground in defending the constitutional interpretation of the status of Zanzibar.He told parliamentarians that allowing Zanzibar's sovereignty would be a drawback to the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar that created the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964."There is already a countrywide debate on that issue, despite my advice to leave it to lawyers. Let me remind you that whenZanzibar and Tanganyika united in 1964, both Tanganyika and Zanzibar

310 lost their sovereignty. Giving Zanzibar sovereignty will mean ending the Union and I would not like to be among the pioneers of ending the union," he said.Mr Pinda was answering questions from the leader of opposition in the Union Parliament, Hamad Rashid Mohammed (Wawi-CUF) and His Mji Mkongwe counterpart, Ibrahim Sanya. The former wanted to know what steps had been taken so far following the PM's directives while the latter asked why the constitution cannot be changed so as to allow Zanzibar to become a member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).In 1992, Zanzibar caused something of a stir when it unilaterally joined OIC membership without apparently consulting the Union Government. However its membership lasted only one year because the OIC under its rules only accepted sovereign states.Earlier during the ministerial budget debate, Minister Yussuf indicated in 1984, petroleum was listed as one of the union shared resource but said Zanzibar has been left out of the gas revenue.He said he was privy to the two government's appointment of a Norwegian consultant to advice on the sharing of gas and petroleum products and urged the members to freely give their views when the consultant approached them.On Wednesday, Civic United Front (CUF) Secretary General Maalim Seif came out strongly against mr Pinda's stance.He said Pinda had annoyed Zanzibaris and said "No body will take away Zanzibar as we just look on".He was addressing a crowd of over 2000 people at Unguja. "We expected Pinda and the Chief Minister Nahodha to come out and give the Government's joint position but they have all kept quiet."

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Govt Sets Its Eyes On Alternative Energy: Focus Media (Kigali): 18 July 2008.

Given the energy deficit in Rwanda as well as the rest of the East African countries—an issue which was highlighted during the recent East African investment conference— Rwanda is increasingly looking at alternative sources of energy to power the country.Currently, only 5% of Rwanda's population has access to electricity, but the government has set the target of 16% by 2012 and 35% - 40% in 2020. To achieve this, the government has to focus not only on additional production, but also to take into account the possibilities, and limitations, for distribution.Considering the cost of the extension of the traditional electricity grid, the government through the ministry of infrastructure is increasingly examining alternative sources such as solar power, geothermal, biogas, methane gas as well as wind, especially for rural areas which so far have no connection to the electricity grid.Solar energy is becoming ever more important in electricity generation. Even though solar photovoltaic cells still remain relatively expensive, solar-powered systems used for water heating are becoming more affordable and thus gaining ground.Solar energy in Rwanda has also been exploited in recent decades by local and international organizations for the electrification of churches, schools and households in rural areas. However the relatively high cost of solar systems is still a barrier to their widespread use.However, it remains a viable option for areas that are not connected to the national grid and that have no potential for micro hydro plants. It is also highly useful for smaller communities such as schools, hospitals and health centers, as well as administrative centers.For this reason, the five-year economic development and poverty reduction strategy (EDPRS) targets to have solar systems

311 installed in all health centers, 50% of the schools as well as all administrative centers in the country. Individual households can also benefit from these projects, although they will have to contribute to get connected.Another sign of Rwanda's commitment to solar energy is the fact that it is home to the largest solar plant in Africa, located on Mount Jali on the outskirts of Kigali, and constructed by the ministry of infrastructure with the support of the Stadtwerke Mainz, the power utility of the German state of Rhineland- Palatinate. The first phase of the project, called Kigali Solaire, was inaugurated in June last year.The solar plant currently feeds 250 KW into the grid, but there are plans to expand the plant to a 1 MW capacity. Electrogaz technicians have also been trained to take care of the maintenance of this system.

Electricity from cows: Another alternative source of energy currently being used is biogas. The national domestic biogas program (NDBP) aims to install at least 15,000 biogas digesters in rural households by 2011.Small biogas digesters using cow-dung are already installed in several households, where they provide sufficient energy for cooking and lighting. The program is boosted by the national 'zero-grazing' policy, which requires people to keep their cattle in a pen, thus making the cow-dung available close to the household.On top of that, the one-cow-per-family program will enable more people to actually benefit from the biogas program. So far 103 biogas digesters have been installed in households in Ruhango, Gasabo, Kamonyi, Rulindo and Gicumbi districts.Most digesters are made from bricks and stones, but a pilot project using more efficient fiberglass digesters is currently implemented in Kirehe district, where Chinese engineers are training technicians in installing the prefabricated digesters. The technology has the added advantage that the installation takes less time.For some time now, biogas has also been used in prisons and schools, where it is produced with waste from the latrines. Rwanda has even gained international recognition for its achievement, which has reduced the costs of cooking in prisons by 50%. It has at the same time solved the big environmental problem caused by the overflow of human waste. The government is now considering expanding this technology to more schools and hospitals.For the construction of domestic biogas installations, the government offers technical assistance to households as well as subsidies worth Frw 200,000. The families themselves contribute by digging pits and providing sand and stones. The government has also set up a credit scheme in Banque populaire specifically for the biogas program.

Volcanic regions: The use of geothermal energy-using the earth's internal heat, which is possible especially in volcanic areas- in Rwanda is still in its preliminary stages. The French bureau BRGM (Bureau de Recherche Géologique et Minière) has estimated the geothermal energy potential between 170 and 300 megawatts, based on work carried out at a hydrothermal spring in the western part of the country.In 2006, the American company Chevron confirmed the potential after two geothermal prospections. In June, 2007 the ministry of infrastructure submitted a proposal to the German federal institute for geosciences and natural resources (BGR), which is now working on the assessment of an area between Volcanoes national park and Gisenyi to determine the exact geothermal potential. The work should be completed by the end of this year.The Ministry has also embarked on developing local expertise, with three Rwandan engineers having completed short term training at the UN university geothermal program. One engineer is currently

312 pursuing a six month course in at the program in Iceland.The ministry furthermore has plans to begin geothermal exploratory drilling of appraisal wells, which is set to commence in 2009. Power plant development, drilling of production wells, installation of steam line pipes and power plant construction should start in 2010.On the other hand, the ministry is set to identify prospective investors who are willing to invest in the geothermal energy sector. This is expected to begin next year.

Wind atlas: Wind energy is currently considered to be the most cost-effective alternative energy source, yet it has not yet been given priority in Rwanda, because of the lack of detailed and reliable information on wind regimes and potential exploitation sites.However, since demand for electricity is growing and the government is trying to diversify the country's energy sources as much as possible, the ministry of infrastructure is currently exploring the possibilities of wind energy development.This kind of energy is particularly interesting for rural electrification, because a wind turbine of 300 KW could supply more than 1000 households with electricity, making it ideal for areas far from the national grid with a favorable wind regime.owever, some preliminary work will need to be done before the first turbine can be installed. First of all, a wind atlas has to be developed to facilitate the identification of suitable sites and the estimated exploitable wind energy capacity throughout the country. This will require detailed meteorological surveys and the erection of wind potential measurement instruments in promising sites.Moreover data will have to be collected over a period of about one year to gain valid results. Currently, the ministry is identifying and contacting experts in the field.Next steps will include a pilot project of two or three turbines of 100 KW to 300 KW through funding from the European Commission, in an effort to improve access to electricity in rural areas.Another possibility that is currently under development is Lake Kivu's methane gas, where the Government counts on involving the private sector. In this regard, a promotion campaign was launched by the Unit for the Promotion and Exploitation of Lake Kivu Gas (UPEGAZ).When Rwanda faced an energy crisis back in 2004, the Government of Rwanda decided to start exploiting methane gas, starting with a pilot project generating 4.5 MW. Once fully operational, the pilot plant will be instrumental in attracting funds for Kivu projects, which have long been constrained by a perception of technology risk associated with gas extraction.The pilot plant will also allow monitoring of lake stability after gas extraction. The pilot plant, which was fully funded by the government, is worth about €10 million and is being constructed by an Israeli engineering firm, Ludan Overseas.Once successfully tested and commissioned, the gas will be piped to the shore to fuel a 4.5 MW power plant connected to the national grid. The pilot plant is currently in the last stages of construction.

52. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

WEST AFRICA

• Ghana: Africa Technology Conference Underway in Accra: Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra): 18 July 2008.

313 The Chief of the Se Traditional Area, Nene Drolor Boso Adamptey I, has appealed to the government, and other leaders in Africa, to stop using state resources to fix old problems, since that would not help the continent to develop."We should work on preventing future occurrences, instead of trying to solve old problems all the time," he said.Speaking at the African Technology Conference in Accra, on Wednesday this week, he noted that Ghana, and the rest of Africa, must provide the needed infrastructure that would ensure sound education.Nene Adamptey noted that the conference, which is under theme, "Africa now: Building Technology for future generations," would focus on three objectives, which are Creation of dialogue, and exploring several avenues, to enhance education and technology infrastructure, create networking opportunities between corporate technology professionals, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, academicians, students and government policy-makers.It will also brainstorm options for the successful creation of a world-class technology centre in Ghana, with plans to replicate its success in sub-Saharan Africa.He was hopeful that at the end of the conference, new networking, business and collaborative opportunities, for participating in the technological competition, would be established.Dr. Sandra Johnson, General Conference Chairperson, on her part, said that the momentous event would focus on how best to develop a world-class technology centre in Ghana."We are excited about planting the seeds, to enable the development of this major centre," she said, adding that four groups of panelists, had been deployed, to assess the position of Ghana today, and where in world-class technological leadership.She further stated that an indepth research they conducted, to learn about the common factors exhibited by successful global technology centres, had made them to focus their attention on four critical areas of success, to help them achieve their dream."Educational infrastructure, technological infrastructure, entrepreneurship and business and government policy," she listed.Dr. Johnson encouraged participants of the conference, to network, share ideas and discuss potential collaborative ventures, referring to them as catalysts for maintaining the successful technology park they had planned to build.Kelvin Hitz, an Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Consultant, said it was important for children to be encouraged to use the computer, since it paved the way for them to learn on their own, and also made learning very easy for them.He described the computer as a learning gateway, and a partner in learning.The Conference is being organized by Life For Africa Inc., a non-profit organization, dedicated to providing humanitarian support to Sub- Saharan African nations, and enhancing their global economic competitiveness.It depends on the generosity of caring individuals, businesses and non-profit organizations, to partner them, to provide financial assistance, technical expertise and other skills and resources.It was established by Nene Drolor Bosso Adamptey I, known in private life as Dr. Kingsley Fletcher, who had the improvement of the overall quality of Africans, as the main aim of the organization.Participants of the conference were drawn from China, Hong Kong, Kenya, the United States of America (USA) and Nigeria, among others.Microsoft, Dell and IBM sponsored the conference.

• Liberia: Stance Against Fake Products Begins: The Analyst (Monrovia): 18 July 2008.

Massive awareness campaign against 'fake goods' and other inappropriate business practices are among steps undertaken by the Liberia Crusaders for Peace (LCP) to put a

314 halt to the decades-long national mess.For the past years, even before the civil crisis, which Liberians are blaming everything on, the commercial market was not freed of unscrupulous business deals. Observers say there were sales of fake goods, or bad goods, inflation of prices and other deals, in which Liberians got victimized.But the Liberia Crusaders for Peace, a local not-for-profit organization is launched a campaign intended to end this ugly practice.Last Saturday, the LCP launched a mind-moving occasion, which brought together dozens of Liberian traders and officials of the Liberian Marketing Association, the body that oversees activities of marketers.At the occasion held in Redlight, Paynesville, one of the epicenters of Liberia's commercial industry, LCP officials in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce highlighted the significance of the campaign through specially arranged messages and cultural performances."Beware of fake goods, don't sell bad goods to customers, stop inflation of prices on the market, and many other were messages the LCP sent out to Liberians, as part of the consumer education campaign.Apart from launching the program, LCP trained peer educators are dispatched across the country to sensitize Liberians on the importance of a good business practice and the danger of bad business practice as well.In here remarks to climax the ceremony, aired live on radio, LCP Executive Director, Ambassador Julie Andee said her organization has trained dozens of peer educators who will go into the fields and spread the message of "changing bad business practices."Commerce Minister Frances Johnson Morris, who also added impetus to the occasion with her presence, reflected on the problems the country is encountering as a result of the global price trends, saying that the situation in the country is not unique to Liberia, meaning that other countries are experiencing similar trends.However, in the wake of these developments, she said an action was needed to put things into the right prospective. "But what can we do about? We need to do what lies in our power," she said.Observers say the power she talked about is to work of with the LCP to educate Liberians to stop the bad business practices of selling fake and bad goods to customers and hiking price at their volition.Though minister acknowledged that the essence of business is profit, at the same time, she warmed business people to stick to government's ceiling prices."When we say rice should be sold for US$31.00 is should be. We don't want to see anybody selling rice above this margin," she said, and added that anything contrary is a violation of the law which her administration will not condone."They've a task which requires availability of resources coupled with the willingness of Liberians to listen to them and act upon their advices," a trader who said he was present at the launch the campaign said.This is the second campaign, in less than a year, the LCP has launched to support Liberia's recovery program. About three months ago, the LCP initiated an anti-small arm and malaria campaign, with a thunderous launching program at the ATS.

• Nigeria: Shortage of Airline Pilots - Country's Creeping Dilemma: Leadership (Abuja): 18 July 2008.

Recently, IRS Airlines' Embraer 145 regional jet (RJ) was grounded for over two weeks because of lack of crew. The pilots were poached and offered more money by Aero and Arik Airlines.For any airlines paying less than N1.3m per month per airline captain, there is every tendency that another airline will offer more pay, and snatch pilots from the least paying company. This is the current trend in aviation industry in Nigeria. There is acute

315 shortage of pilots world wide, but our focus is on our own industry based on immediate and future demands.When Virgin Nigeria debuted a few years ago, most of the airlines operating in Nigeria at the time lost experienced pilots to the new outfit; this created another circle of shortage of pilots in the industry. Many airlines had to hike pilots' pay to avoid further loss of their valuable crews, but the issue became worse when Arik Air emerged and flooded the country with modern jets acquired in cash. The desperation to commence flight operations and register their presence everywhere possible in the country, led to higher demand for experienced crews within and outside the country. With more demand for pilots, salaries and other remunerations quickly rose to all new level ever witnessed in the country. Aero's desire to maintain their standard led to the first explosion of salary upgrade in the industry.As for IRS airlines mentioned above, the only solution was to import foreign pilots into the country for the job. Other airlines like Bellview and Virgin, even Arik are currently engaging foreign crews to help out the situation. Today, it is quite hopeless to give any time frame for the utilisation of foreign pilots in Nigeria. Prior to this dilemma, foreign pilots were limited to six months of stay in Nigeria, especially for wet leased aircraft.When Dornier Aviation Nigeria Aeip limited (DANA) called for pilots' interview a few weeks ago, the very few that bothered to attend demanded nothing less than N1.1m per month in additional to boisterous flying allowances and other perks. As bad as the situation is, the overall effect is another envisaged increased in passenger fares in addition to the fuel -price crisis.The main issue is not the situation but what the future holds for the industry, if the government is not looking at the best way to alleviate this problem. We say that it is up to the airlines to fend for themselves, but the resultant effects could truncate the whole industry whereby crews' workload would increase, and the risk of fatigue which could cause major aircraft accidents would resurface in the country.Many airlines in the country are fond of enticing pilots with extra flying allowances based on actual flight hours flown in a given period. Most pilots are easily lured into more flights and more pay syndrome, a situation that has created accident prone tendencies that the regulatory authority can hardly detect.The first question in our minds should stem from finding out some of the reasons responsible for the shortage of pilots in Nigeria, although the number of airlines has decreased over the years. There is acute shortage of airline pilots world wide and most airlines around the world are poaching crews from every where to augment demand necessities. Some airlines have embarked vigorously outsourcing crew training to reputable flying schools with tailored programs to meet their immediate needs. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, this is not the case. Since 1995, there have been less than 50 newly trained commercial pilots in the country. Within this same time, over 100 old pilots have retired from the system, thereby creating a big vacuum of shortages.The biggest setbacks in the industry for available pilots are the demise of Nigeria Airways, the mandatory retirement age of 62 years, and of course, in the past, lack of regular pilot training program at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, until the arrival of the current leadership of the college. The new team of NCAT under Capt. Bayo Araba, in less than 18 months in office, has trained young pilots to graduation stages. While commercial pilot program takes about 24 months to accomplish (all things being equal), the cost of training a pilot in Nigeria has risen to over N5.0 million because of fuel costs, instructors' remunerations and supporting aircraft spares.On my visit to the college a few days ago, I learnt that the cost of aviation gasoline, the fuel used for basic training on the Tampico aircraft has

316 skyrocketed to about N500 per litre and there is near zero availability. It is also estimated that the school burns almost N5.0 million fuels on a good training day. If we have to use a psychological term of "representative heuristics," there is immediate need for full financial support of NCAT to avoid future training distortions, since we have to look at the scarcity of the 100LL gasoline and the cost trend. Another serious solution to this crisis is the deployment of technology into the training program to reduce actual physical flight training in the aircraft. Aircraft simulators, computer -based equipment that can substitute training requirements are not cheap, but they are the only substitute, if acquired, that can support the immediate need of the college. Another solution dimension is the need to change the current fleet of training aircraft used by the college. This line of thinking is definitely the most expensive as acquisition cost of the new type of aircraft may be too high to bear right away in addition to type -training expenses for the flying instructors and engineers.On the whole, the government needs to do more than what it is currently doing to support the training of our future pilots. The immediate past rector of the college got approval of N3.2 billion intervention fund about three years ago, but up till now, the fund is still dangling in the Ministry of Finance without a clear path to its attainment. This, of course, is our style of project financing, especially where federal government is concerned on serious issues.But despite blaming the government for the delay in releasing funds to upgrade training equipment at NCAT, the primary responsibility for crew training lies completely in the hands of the airlines themselves. While there is great demand for pilots, the best our airlines have done is poaching experienced pilots trained by other airlines, whose basic trainings were paid for by the government or from personal purses. For airlines interested in future growth and expansion, there is a vital need to embark on paying for training for the future generations of young crews that would continue from this generation.Unfortunately, our airlines plan and operate cowboy-style approach because they do not see the benefit of training for the future or more so, they are skeptical of training pilots that would be poached by their competitors—the style everyone in the industry is highly used to.Whichever way we look at it, the future is getting very dim since planning for tomorrow is the only way to salvage this dilemma. Some one must take the bull by the horn; government must provide the infrastructure, while the airlines pay for the training if actually, they intend to stay longer in business.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Southern Africa: Customs Union Signs U.S. Trade Deal: Business Day (Johannesburg): 18 July 2008.

THE Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) signed a co-operative trade agreement with the US on Wednesday in a bid to strengthen trade and investment ties and boost development of the southern African region.In terms of the agreement, a consultative team on trade and investment will explore further trade and investment opportunities between Sacu -- Bots-wana, Lesotho, Namibia, SA and Swaziland -- and the US, remove obstacles to trade, and dedicate resources to trade facilitation.The parties will also co- operate on sanitary and phytosanitary standards , technical barriers to trade and customs co-operation .The Trade, Investment and Development Co-operation Agreement (Tidca) was signed in Washington by US trade representative Susan Schwab and Sacu

317 representative countries.Bruce Neuling, deputy economic counsellor for the US embassy in Pretoria, said the Tidca showed that the US and Sacu were committed to expanding their economic relationship."Tidca will focus on specific issues and projects. We will look for ways to promote two-way trade and investment and will identify and address specific impediments to trade and investment. We will promote contacts between the private sectors in the US and Sacu."Neuling said there would not be a rigid agenda. "Tidca will contribute to economic growth in Sacu by encouraging exports and investments," he said.Trade commentators were sceptical about the potential benefit of the pact, lamenting the low level of ambition in bilateral relations between Sacu and the US."The agreement has no meat. There will be no economic benefit," said Tsidiso Disenyana, deputy project head of development through trade at the South African Institute of International Affairs.Sacu and the US launched negotiations on a free trade agreement about four years ago but talks were suspended because Sacu wanted to negotiate only a limited deal on market access, balking at the US's standard free trade agreement template, which also includes new generation issues such as services. Requirements on intellectual property rights -- a big issue for US firms -- was also deemed problematic.Sacu argued that it did not have the capacity to deal with new generation issues, but Disenyana said Sacu could have been more ambitious in terms of service liberalisation. The issue of service negotiations has also been a persistent issue in bilateral trade negotiations with the European Union.Schwab, at the signing of the Tidca, said the agreement would provide a framework for the US and Sacu to create the building blocks that could eventually lead to a free trade agreement .Sacu countries already enjoy duty free market access into the US on traded goods under the unilaterally extended Africa Growth and Opportunity Act .

• Zimbabwe: Businesses Propping Up Mugabe Next On EU Sanctions List: SW Radio Africa (London): 18 July 2008.

Businesses that are helping to prop up Robert Mugabe's regime will be included in a new sanctions list being drawn by the European Union, according to reports from Brussels.The majority of business people who back Mugabe's regime have control over high profile companies in the country. A number of them enjoy monopolies in industries like agriculture, construction, mining, textiles, manufacturing, retail and banking.Hebson Makuvise, the MDC chief representative in the UK, said the same people denounce Western countries and their leaders during the day, 'but hop onto a plane by night to visit the same countries.'Makuvise said during his brief visit to the EU in Brussels recently, all talk was about the sham elections and how the regime has overseen the destruction of the country, through greed.He said when he left Brussels, the EU were still working on the list, based on information supplied by their embassies in Harare. The EU currently targets more than 130 individuals with visa bans and an asset freeze. The EU intends to add around 40 people to that list, some from the security apparatus of the regime, identified as being involved in the election crackdown, plus the business figures helping prop it up.There are reports that five companies could also be hit and it would be the first time that business people and companies in the country had been targeted by EU visa bans and asset freeze.Meanwhile reports from Maputo, Mozambique say authorities in that country are considering setting up temporary refugee screening centres for thousands of

318 Zimbabweans who have fled across into its territory.Goncalves Sengo, the head of the national refugee assistance institution, said transit centres would be set up for screening purposes. Details of the asylum seekers would be taken to see if their claims fit with international refugee statutes, said Sengo. The number of Zimbabweans who have fled into Mozambique is not officially documented, but there has been a steady rise of immigrants fleeing political persecution.

• Botswana: Inflation Goes Haywire: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): 18 July 2008.

The ever rising fuel prices have catapulted the June annual figures by a massive 2.4 percentage points to 14.5 percent from 12.1 percent, the highest to be recorded in Botswana in almost four years.According to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) this week, the June annual inflation rate surpassed the highest-ever annual inflation figure of 14.2 percent in April 2006.The June rate is ascribed mainly to soaring costs in the Transport index. Five group indices recorded changes of more than 1.0 percent between May and June, which include transport (8.2 percent), food (2.5 percent), housing, water, electricity, gas & other fuels (2.1 percent), furnishing, household equipment and maintenance (1.8 percent) and clothing & footwear (1.4 percent).The month-on-month inflation rate also rose by a record 2.8 percent, the highest since January 2005."The Transport group index increased by 8.2 percent from 124.8 to 135.1 between the two periods. This was largely due to an increase in the constituent section indices of Transport Services and Operation & Personal Transport, which rose by 17.0 and 10.3 percent respectively," says a CSO statement."The rise in Transport Services section index was mainly due to an increase in minibus and taxi fares by 20 percent while long-distance Bus (on bitumen road) increased by 13.58thebe per kilometre, effective 26 May 2008."The increase in the Operation & Personal Transport section index was attributed to the rise in retail pump prices for both diesel and petrol by P1.35 and P0.87 per litre respectively, which were effected on the 19 June 2008."But the Transport index is expected to propel inflation higher in coming months as bus operators threaten to halt their wheels unless they are awarded another fare increase due to unremitting fuel price rises.Not surprisingly, food was the second major contributor to inflation last month as shortages on international markets continue to exert pressure on prices. Food prices, which contribute about 22 percent to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), are expected to further increase due to unstable exchange rates and Botswana's high dependency on imports.In a bid to reign inflation in, monetary authorities increased the Bank Rate by 0.5 percentage points twice this year.Economic analyst, Dr Keith Jefferies, believes interest rates may not be an effective instrument of control because inflation is fuelled by mostly exogenous factors.In a recent economic review for the second quarter of 2008, Jefferies said although the Bank of Botswana's intention is to control second round effects to prevent inflation from moving beyond fuel and food, it was difficult to determine its effectiveness."Although most central banks around the world have raised interest rates in response to inflation, this might not be relevant in Botswana as only a small portion of inflation is determined here - rather than by import prices and exchange rates - and hence monetary policy is unlikely to be effective," he said. Meanwhile, the CSO statement continues: "In the month of June, the Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels

319 group index moved from 111.9 to 114.3 between May and June, an increase of 2.1 percent.This was the result of increases of 3.4, 2.0 and 2.0 percent in the constituent section indices of Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels, Rent Paid by Tenants and Materials for Maintenance & Repairs of Dwellings respectively."The rise in the Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels section index was mainly attributed to the increase in retail pump price for paraffin by P1.45 per litre. The rise in the Rent Paid by Tenants section index follows a quarterly survey on private rentals."The Furnishing, Household Equipment and Maintenance group index registered an increase of 1.7 percent from 109.1 to 110.9 between the two months. This was due to the rise in the constituent indices of Goods & Services for HouseholdMaintenances (3.2 percent), Glassware, Tableware & Household Utensils (1.7 percent), Household Textiles (1.6 percent) and Small Tools, Miscellaneous Accessories (1.4 percent) respectively," read the statement."

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• East Africa: Comesa, SADC, EAC to Discuss Harmonization of Trade: The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa): 16 July 2008.

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) will convene a tripartite meeting in October to discuss the harmonisation of trade in the region, BuaNews reported citing COMESA Secretary-General Sindiso Ngwenya said on Monday.The meeting would address issues of the creation of a free trade union and a customs union, Ngwenya said speaking at a regional workshop in Lusaka, according to the report.He said the meeting, to be hosted by Uganda, would also consider establishing an institutional mechanism to aid the implementation of the tripartite meeting's decisions and programmes."He pointed out that regional organisations were the building blocks of the African economy and hence the need to integrate and implement programmes jointly," the report noted.Mr Ngwenya added that monetary cooperation among COMESA member states was aimed at establishing a common monetary area with a greater measure of monetary stability in order to facilitate the economic integration efforts.He further noted that the cooperation provided for sustainable economic development of the sub-region whose ultimate objective was to establish a monetary union.The meeting has drawn delegates from the SADC, EAC, European Statistics Office and representatives from various countries in the region which include Sudan, Swaziland and Madagascar, apart from members of COMESA.Meanwhile, speaking when he opened the Fifth Meeting of Sensitive Products and Tariff Alignment under the Common External Tariff for Customs Union, Mr Ngwenya urged COMESA member states to take active participation in the implementation of a regional Customs Union.He said the implementation of such a customs union was a unique programme that needed the full participation of all COMESA member states in order to foster the sub-region's economic integration.The implementation of a customs union was crucial to the sub-region as it would help in guiding COMESA's trade relations with the rest of the world.The common customs union would also help in zero-rating tax on products as it would help COMESA member states to apply the same duties and taxes on products coming from other countries.Mr Ngwenya urged member countries to urgently take the irreversible and

320 unequivocal position in working on all technical preparations for the launch of the Customs Union in December this year saying its implementation would reduce the cost of doing business in the sub-region.He also announced the establishment of a COMESA Fund aimed at providing support for adjustments for revenue losses as well as social and economic costs.A total of 78 million Euros has since been set aside for providing compensation for revenue losses and social and economic costs among the COMESA member states.He further disclosed that the COMESA secretariat has established an Infrastructure Facility for regional infrastructural developments.

• Kenya: Sharia Friendly Bank to Open 25 Branches: The Nation (Nairobi): 9 July 2008.

Sharia-oriented services to both Muslims and Christians.Officials of Gulf African Bank of Kenya said within three months of its operation in Kenya, the institution had accumulated deposits amounting to Sh1.1 billion.The bank's chief executive, Najmul Hassan, speaking during a day's seminar in Mombasa on Monday, said their services had been received well by Kenyans and this was the reasons why they had an expansion programme "to reach every corner of the country"."We came from Pakistan with this Sharia compliant banking system and we have been overwhelmed by the response from both Muslims and Christians," he said.

Overwhelmed: He explained that to moralise its banking system the bank would adhere strictly to the principles of Sharia with 'absolutely no compromise'."Gulf African Bank is recognised today as a leading Sharia compliant financial institution," he said adding that its Sharia supervisory board was run by renowned Islamic scholars.The bank's activities according to the CEO were being monitored by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and other institutions related to Islamic banking.On the conventional banking system, Mr Hassan said this had impoverished many people due to its interest of making 'huge profits' from its clientele.

Demystify: To demystify banking, the chief executive said that Gulf African would not operate with the interest of using money as commodity to give 'little' and gain 'more' from its clientele."Money should be a medium of exchange with the sole aim of liberating humanity and creating wealth to the society," he said.Nominated MP Sheikh Mohamed Dor (ODM) said the banking industry should assist Kenyans to manage their money rather than exploiting them."How many people are being declared bankrupt because of not being able to pay their loans?" he posed, saying financial institutions should be flexible when dealing with their clients.Sheikh Ali Shee, former Coast representative at the Bomas constitutional conference, decried what he said was the exploitation of clients by conventional banking saying it has not 'liberated' people from financial constraints.

• Kenya: Celtel Bags Best Telecoms Operator Award in Africa: The Nation (Nairobi): 18 July 2008.

Celtel, a subsidiary of Zain Group, has won an award for the Best Telecoms operator in Africa at the 2008 Business in Africa Awards held in London recently.The mobile phone

321 service provider won the award for showing growth and potential of the business landscape across Africa.Among those who attended the event were 500 government, business and media leaders from across Africa, Europe, Asia and the USA.Receiving the award for Zain, Mr Tito Alai, chief commercial officer for the group said, "Zain places a huge emphasis on Africa in achieving its 2011 targets of being a top 10 global mobile operator with 110 million customers."The awards aim at highlighting the growth and potential of the business landscape across Africa, while rewarding excellence and world- class best practices across the continent. "This award is an achievement that represents our belief in the African continent and the potential that exists. Together with our partners and customers we are committed to building the African economic dream and developing telecommunications across the continent as no other telecom company has been able to do," Mr Alai said.Kenya's Bamburi Cement won the Best Corporate Social responsibility Award and MTN, a mobile communications firm took two awards; African Brand of the year and African Business of the year.Zain was established in 1983 in Kuwait as the region's first mobile operator.The awards were co-hosted by the Commonwealth Business Council and African Business magazine.The occasion provided an ideal and unique opportunity to give global visibility to African brands.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Parliament Approves Plans to Join EADB: The New Times (Kigali): 15 July 2008.

Parliament Monday paved the way for the country joining the East African Development Bank (EADB).During the afternoon plenary session, lawmakers unanimously accepted explanations by James Musoni, the Finance Minister, on why Rwanda should join the bank.Musoni pointed out that Rwandans would benefit from the bank's medium and short term loans, leasing services and loan guarantees, among others."We requested to join the bank and we were allowed," Musoni told parliament, "what remained was for us to ratify.""They agreed that upon our ratification, they will open up a branch here," he added. Accordingly, Rwanda will join the bank at the same level as other EAC countries.The minister explained that the share capital required of Rwanda -US$36 million - will be paid in installments with US$2 million this year and the outstanding US$34 million in nine equal annual installments."The bank will invest at least US$30 million in Rwanda every year," Musoni said, adding that some private projects were already in the pipeline and would start immediately after ratification. He applauded the Rwandan private sector's alertness."Our private sector has been very vigilant," he said, "it has already presented projects and these will take off after the bank sets foot here."

Responding to MP Jean-Marie Vianney Gatabazi's queries on how the bank is run, the minister said the governing body is a supreme council made up of ministers of finance from member states."Under that is the board of directors that has secretary generals [or permanent secretaries] of finance ministries, representatives of the private sector in the member states and other shareholders."Fidèle Mitsindo, another legislator, inquired about the bank's priorities."Infrastructure, agriculture, health, trade and tourism, education and manufacturing are the key priorities," Musoni responded. He added that EADB had already acquired land in the country."In eight months, we can start," he

322 declared.According to sources from Rwanda Development Bank, once the legislative process of joining the bank is finalized, government will notify it and deposit the $ US 2 million initial payment.And accordingly, the bank has committed to fast-track Rwandan operations before year end once there is already a 'deal flow in the process.'

• Congo-Kinshasa: Monuc Rehabilitates Infrastructure in East: United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa): 16 July 2008.

MONUC's five Military Engineering companies deployed in eastern DRC have greatly improved local infrastructure such as roads and airports, which not only supports MONUC's actions but boosts economic activity and and the "Stabilisation Plan" for the country.MONUC's rebuilding work on the FARDC training camps of Luberizi in South Kivu and Nyakele in North Kivu further enhances the DRC security sector reform process.In the important field of security sector reform, the action of these companies resulted in the construction of three camps for FARDC units. The MONUC Chinese engineering company built the FARDC camps of Luberizi 1 and Luberizi 2 in South Kivu, which can each accomodate 1,000 trainees.The sites also house an ammunitions dump, a firing range and a sports ground. In North-Kivu, the MONUC Indonesian engineering company built the Nyaleke camps, which can accomodate 3,000 FARDC soldiers at a time.With these installations, the FARDC have ideal training conditions to train units to fulfill their mission and protect their country and its population.MONUC Military Engineering companies were also involved in the rehabilitation and construction of road and airport infrastructure, and other infrastructure essential to the freedom of movement of people and the economic development of the country.Despite sometimes difficult weather conditions, with torrential rains which regularly destroy roadworks, the engineers worked tirelessly, sometimes restarting the same work that bad weather had destroyed.The recent achievements include the rehabilitation and maintenance of seven roads by MONUC Engineering companies: in Ituri the Dungu city road by the MONUC Indonesian company, the Aveba-Kamatsi-Tchey road, the Nizi-Ika-Pimbo-Fataki road and the Iga-Gina-Pimbo road by the MONUC Nepalese company and the Bunia road by the Uruguyan company.

In South Kivu the access road to the Ruzizi powerplant and the road to Kamuvu airport were rehabiliatated by the MONUC Chinese company.Their achievements comprise also the rebuilding of three bridges in Ituri, in Dungu, on the Nizi River and on the Runingu by-pass, as well as the rebuilding and the maintenance of two airfields in Bunia and Mavivi. All these achievements make it possible for the population to be able to move more easily.In addition to these achievements, MONUC engineering companies are currently upgrading four more roads: Mahagi-Kwandroma-Fakati, Bunia-Ika-Barriea in Ituri, Sake-Masisi-Nyabondo in North Kivu and Kamanyola-Uvira in South Kivu. They are also committed to the maintenance of Bunia airport.A bi-annual conference took place on 2 July last, gathering the heads of MONUC Military Engineering companies with MONUC forces staff in Kinshasa. The goal of this meeting was to evaluate completed work during the last six months, and to make a work plan for the next six months.In the six months to come, important rebuilding work of fourteen roads, an

323 airfield and two bridges will be entrusted to MONUC's Military Engineering companies, who will later hand them over to the state.MONUC's Military Engineering companies are thus fully involved on the ground to the benefit of the population and the state, and are actively taking part in the stabilisation and rebuilding of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

• Rwanda: U.S. Rewards Government for Reforming: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali): 18 July 2008.

With stringent corruption controls, very high immunization rates and sound fiscal discipline, Rwanda is to be rewarded with a $24.7 Million injection from the U.S. government to maintain the reform process, RNA reports.The funding will be from the Millennium Challenge Corporation - a U.S. government initiative aimed at backing poor countries whose governments 'rule justly, invest in people, and foster development through enterprise and entrepreneurship'.For 2008, Rwanda will tap from the Million Threshold Program - meaning it has not yet qualified for the final stage, but has demonstrated a significant commitment to improve its performance - worthy recognition.The $24.7 million - over a two year period, according to the U.S. Embassy in Kigali is designed to help the government strengthen civic participation, promote civil liberties and rights and improve judicial system - already under fire from campaign groups.The Millennium Challenge Corporation Board announced the approval on July 10. The announcement is to be made public in Kigali on July 22.Rwanda is now part of the forty countries that are to get their portions of different amounts from the Account in 2008. These are countries that have showed progress in reform assessed on 17 policy indicators.From the assessment by the Corporation; Rwanda scores 95 percent on control of corruption and 80% on government effectiveness. As for the rule of law, government scooped 69%.The same performance is seen on immunization rates running at 93% coupled with health expenditures by government rated at 89%. Fiscal discipline - at 67% - is another aspect that convinced the Bush administration to reward the authorities in Kigali.However, as far as political rights are concerned, government has a lot to do because figures show it is lagging at 24%. Civil liberties is another element on which Rwanda did not make convincing progress.Although school enrollment in Rwanda is ranging high, the rising number of girls dropping out remains of concern - it scored just 15%, according to the Millennium Challenge Corporation assessment.The U.S. does not also seem to be convinced that the authorities in Kigali are doing enough to curb raging inflation. The Economist Intelligence Unit has actually raised its inflation forecast for this year and the next - blaming it partly on shaky fiscal policy.Land rights and business start up are other points in which Rwanda did not perform to expectation. The authorities, it seem will also have to do more on how they manage the natural resources of the country because it scored just 45%.A World Bank study commissioned early this year recommended a comprehensive review of human resource requirements for Rwanda to be able to tap from its wealthy soils. An autonomous body of experts will also be established to manage the countries natural resource base.In this region, Uganda and Tanzania also feature on the 2008 reward list but at different stages.

53. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

324

WEST AFRICA

• Côte d'Ivoire: UN Calls for Launching of Identification Process Ahead of Polls: UN News Service (New York): 17 July 2008.

The top United Nations official in Côte d'Ivoire has called for the identification process ahead of November's presidential election to be launched quickly, and reaffirmed the world body's pledge to assist the West African nation conduct the long-delayed polls."It is urgent to begin the identification operations without delay so that we can meet the deadlines set in the electoral process," the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Y. J. Choi, told journalists following a meeting with President Laurent Gbagbo.Mr. Choi also highlighted the logistical challenges that still need to be tackled, as well as the numerous advances that have been made, including the availability of funds to organise the electoral operations.Côte d'Ivoire became divided in 2002 between the Government- controlled south and the rebel Forces Nouvelles-held north, but last year's Ouagadougou Agreement paved the way for an end to the conflict and included a provision calling for free and fair elections to be held.Presidential polls were to be organized as far back as 2005, but have been delayed several times since then.During the meeting with the President, presentations were made on how the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) would support the organization of, and security for, the election, scheduled for 30 November.The Chief of UNOCI's Electoral Assistance Division, Ahmedou El Becaye Seck, and Force Commander, General Fernand Amoussou, presented the mission's plan to help Ivorians organise the elections within the deadline.

• Nigeria: Court Urged to Halt Handover of Bakassi: This Day (Lagos): 18 July 2008.

Eight prominent indigenes of Bakassi yesterday asked a Federal High Court Abuja to halt the August 14 final cession of the oil-rich peninsular to Cameroon.Respondents to the suit are President Umaru Yar'Adua, the National Assembly, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the governor of Cross River and the State House of Assembly.Others are the National Boundary Commission, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the CBN and the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.In a fresh motion filed by the plaintiffs' lawyer, Mr Kayode Fasetire, they urged the court to restrain the Federal Government from further implementation of the "Green Tree Agreement" between it and Cameroon.In the agreement signed on June 12, 2006 in New York, Cameroon would assume full sovereignty over Bakassi on Aug. 14.The agreement was reached and endorsed by the two countries after the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague, held that Bakassi belonged to Cameroon.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Justice Mustapha Umar had on June 10 refused to grant the injunctive order on the ground that Fasetire did not file a formal application to that effect.But Fasetire filed a formal application yesterday for the injunction, attaching relevant documents to back up his relief.He urged the court to grant the injunction pending the determination of the substantive suit.

325 • Nigeria: FG Shelves Niger Delta Summit: Daily Trust (Abuja): 18 July 2008.

Following stiff opposition to the proposed Niger Delta Summit by the stakeholders from the region, the Federal Government has shelved the summit and agreed to set up a committee to articulate the needs of the region and submit its report to the government.Vice President Goodluck Jonathan announced after a Niger Delta stakeholders meeting at the State House late on Wednesday night that "basically, what we have agreed today is that if there are problems in the Niger Delta, what are these problems, what caused these problems, what is the way forward, the challenges, the issues? So we have agreed that a committee would be set up to raise these issues and then the issues would be presented to the President. Then the journey starts from there. The committee will raise the fundamental issues, what we believe are the challenges and present it to the Federal Government and make recommendations on the way forward. So when the document is presented to the President, we will look at it and then move from there."The proposed summit has been dogged by controversy, which saw the resignation of Professor Ibrahim Gambari as chairman of its steering committee. Many stakeholders from the Niger Delta region have argued that the summit itself is unnecessary.The Vice President however said the summit was shelved because of the wrong perception people have about it. He said discussions on Niger Delta would be continuous, since the issues involved cannot be resolved overnight."When you use the world summit, it is a problematic word now because the people feel that when you say summit, that people will come from everywhere, different memos, sentiments, and they will say it is a jamboree. It is not really what they want. We will raise the issues, present it before the Federal Government and we will dialogue. Let's leave it at that point. We are not using the word summit."He added, "Even the Federal Government, what we want is a discussion. Let us listen to the issues in the Niger Delta. Different people have different thinking about the Niger Delta. Some people think it is purely a security matter, some think it is purely an infrastructural matter, some think it is a political matter. Some think it is education; if you educate everybody and give skills to everybody. So, it is a complex thing. The committee will raise the fundamental issues what we believe are the challenges and present it to the Federal Government and make recommendations on the way forward. So when the document is presented to the President, we will look at it and then move from there.""They are not issues you can solve overnight but the present administration is committed. The whole thing is growing like a cancer and it is going to consume everybody if nothing is done. That is why are holding these various meetings. We must get to a point and move ahead. We cannot solve it overnight. That is what everybody must learn. If it was possible to solve it overnight, probably it would have been solved before some of us entered primary school.We have seen some mileage in terms of consensus on the way forward. That is the most important thing. We have agreed on how to move ahead with the Federal Government," the vice president also said.He however said Wednesday night's meeting would not be the last as consultations with various groups will continue. He said, "I will continue to meet with different groups. I have a meeting with the governors after the National Economic Council meeting."

326 • Ghana: Sale of Ghana Telecom Gathers Political Storm: Public Agenda (Accra): 18 July 2008.

A Political storm is gathering over the Ghana Government's recent announcement that it had sold 70 percent of Ghana Telecom for $900 million to Vodafone, the worlds leading mobile telecommunications operator.Quite unexpectedly, the proposed sale of GT has united the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Convention Peoples' Party (CPP) at least for now. The two opposition parties have so far vociferously raised the stakes against the sale of one of Ghana's biggest assets and revenue earner.The NDC in particular seem not to have a problem with the privatization, except the lack of openness in the privatization process, expressing its disappointment at the "general lack of openness and transparency in the privatization of a major national asset, which has major national security and economic implications." NDC quite rightly questioned why the privatization of GT could not have been subjected to a competitive process as required by the Public Procurement Act of Ghana.Both parties have stated that they would renationalize GT when they win the presidency. That would be history repeating itself, given that the NPP annulled the sale of GT to Telecom Malaysia when it assumed office in 2001.While the NDC has decried the price as low, considering the huge assets of GT, the CPP has completely rejected the sale of GT and called on "well-meaning Ghanaians to oppose the NPP government's impending sale of 70.0% shares in Ghana Telecom to a foreign "strategic investor", Vodafone."In a statement issued earlier this week, the CPP cited two reasons for opposing the planned privatization of GT. Firstly, the CPP says it "lacks economic merit and will, in the long run, cost the state far more than the paltry US$900 million it is receiving for the sale", and secondly that the "notion that only foreigners can effectively manage our affairs is offensive to our dignity as human beings and undermines the CPP's cherished belief that, 'The Blackman is capable of managing his own affairs.' "CPP argues that a casual look at GT shows that the company is capable of generating profits far in excess of its sale price, "if only we would emplace proper management that is free of political interference and is publicly accountable to Ghanaians."Part of CPP's fears are based on the failure of the Malaysians and Norwegians managers to turn GT's fortunes around, which supports the fact that the mere transfer of ownership or management to foreigners will not solve GT's or Ghana's problems."Currently, Ghana Telecom owns One-Touch mobile services, has near monopoly over fixed lines, dominates broadband services, and has a major share of the internet backbone, SAT-3. Assuming, conservatively, a combined subscriber base of 2,000,000 and daily average net revenue per subscriber of US$3.00, GT can easily make US$2.2 billion per year, or US$11.0 billion in five years, far more than the US$500.0 million investment being promised by Vodafone", says Ekow Nelson, a Ghanaian based in London.In line with the call for transparency in the deal, in 2007, a Ghanaian Diaspora professional group, called the Ghana Leadership Union (GLU) announced plans to pool resources to buy a controlling stake in one of the country's biggest assets, Ghana Telecom, if the process was open .In a statement , the President of GLU, Dr. Kwaku A. Danso, said, "the founders of our nation Ghana did not use taxpayers' funds to set up State-owned enterprises (SOEs) only to be sold to foreigners, or to insiders of the government who use proxies to buy these SoE's and leave the real stakeholders with the debts. This practice must be stopped, by any means necessary".Asked about the

327 investment strategy, the initiative's lead promoter in the UK, lawyer George Asomaning responded, "It is our intention to ensure that as much of the actual investment received gets channeled into the infrastructural development of Ghana Telecom, so as to position the company to deliver on its promise and to return a sizeable profit for the shareholders, the citizens of Ghana".Nifa Bankroh, the organizer of the "Lets buy Ghana Telecom" initiative stated, "If Ghanaians do not get involved in the acquisition, ownership and management of significant state owned enterprises that are being divested, the likelihood of Ghanaian nationals being able to control the factors that affect their economic future will be marginal at best, and probably negligible.Ghanaians are becoming increasingly nationalistic when it comes to divesting state assets; so the question of whether Vodafone or any other strategic investor would represent the national interest keeps coming up. The botch sale of GCB and ADB are classic examples of public opinion prevailing over government plans.The fear is that in return for US$900m, Vodafone will not only assume control of OneTouch (Ghana Telecom's mobile arm), but also, ownership of Ghana's fixed telecom network (both core and access) will be transferred and with it, monopoly over the provision of international, long distance telephone and fixed broadband services.One Ghanaian analyst has argued that Ghana Telecom's 1.4 million mobile customers represent just over 0.5 percent of Vodafone's global subscriber base of 260 million. How strategic is that for Vodafone? Given that Vodafone or any other strategic investor achieves 100 percent mobile penetration with a relative small population of 22 million people (which is less than 10 percent of Vodafone's subscribers), Vodafone's stated target market share of 25 percent will only represent 2.2 percent of its current total subscriber base and that won't be achieved for another 5 years at least. "So it remains to be seen whether or not this turns out to be as strategic for Vodafone as the government assumes it will be for Ghana."The worry is that is it really strategic for Ghana to hand over her fixed telecom network to a company which although is the world's largest mobile provider by revenue, has relatively little experience of running or investing in building fixed telecom networks anywhere in the world? What exactly will Vodafone bring in terms of deep and in-house experience to this business?As the world moves fast toward the digital world, broadband will become strategic for all economies; so the critical need for utilizing ICT for economic growth, as the NDC argued in its statement is pertinent . Currently, Ghana Telecom's broadband is limited to a couple of metropolitan areas and it will be in dire need of further investment if the government wants to extend that reach to many rural people. No doubt the government's e-government and other ICT initiatives for schools, hospitals etc economy will depend on a robust broadband infrastructure. "Yet this single most important strategic asset has been handed over to Vodafone which has by default become a monopoly provider when few, if any, competitive alternatives exist. We are proposing to transfer a public monopoly to a private one and that cannot be good for the future of our country", says the analyst.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Sudan: ICC Indictment Sparks Hope, Fear: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg): 18 July 2008.

The indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on 10 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide has greatly encouraged some Darfuri human rights

328 activists. Other observers in Sudan fear it will provoke a backlash from the government, further worsening the situation in Darfur.As the permanent members of the UN Security Council remain deeply divided on what, if any, action should be taken against the Sudanese president, Bashir is unlikely to face trial in the near future."We do not know what will happen next. But for the survivors of Darfur, the process initiated by the International Criminal Court is of immense significance in itself," says Salih Osman Mohammed, a member of the Sudanese parliament and a human rights lawyer.He argues that against the backdrop of years of surviving in a state of utter helplessness and international neglect, al-Bashir's public indictment is source of support for the Darfuris. "The parliament is dominated by Bashir's men; the judiciary is incompetent and not able to provide justice; the international community has for long turned a blind eye to Darfur. What other avenue do the people of Darfur have?" asks Salih."It may fail (to arrest and bring President Bashir to trial), but the fact that the international community recognises the suffering of the people of Darfur and is willing to go after those responsible for it means a lot to them, it makes them feel they have an ally somewhere in the world, who is willing to listen to their voice and support them," says Salih, winner of the 2007 Sakharov Prize, the European Union's top rights award, for his work to defend the rights of the Fur people.He says Bashir is now a marked man, named and shamed for his crimes, as well as subject to travel and diplomatic restrictions and the threat of an impending trial under the Rome Statutes, signed by 106 countries."The sense of impunity he has had so far is gone. For the people in the camps it is sufficient to know that someone is identifying those responsible for the crimes against them," asserts Salih.A 2004 United Nations fact-finding mission described Darfur as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The Security Council referred the case to ICC in March 2004. The prosecuting team had to work in highly volatile and complex situation.The Sudan is a vast country of 35 million, with the north and west of the country predominantly Muslim. (South Sudan is heavily Christian and was the theatre of a previous civil war before the Darfur crisis set in.) The faultline within the Muslim population, between those of Arab origin and black African Muslims, has been volatile for a long time. The three non-Arab groups -- Massalit, Zaghawa and Fur -- are mainly settled farming communities whereas the Arabs in Darfur are traditionally cattle-rearing nomads.The former have complained of marginalisation and neglect by Khartoum for decades. Regular Arab-African conflicts over land and water escalated into a general uprising in 2003 and the government responded by sending in horse-riding militiamen called Janjaweed who have turned the vast desert region near Sudan's border with Chad into a killing field. More than 400,000 Fur, Massalit and other non-Arab ethnic groups have been killed and 2.5 million displaced over the last five years.Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the ICC prosecutor, notes in his case against al-Bashir that the people of Darfur were challenging the marginalization of the province; they engaged in a rebellion. When Bashir failed to defeat the armed movements, he went after the people."His motives were largely political. His alibi was a 'counterinsurgency.' His intent was genocide," the prosecutor said.But the ICC's history of pursuing war criminals in Sudan does not inspire confidence. The court has already charged two relatively minor Sudanese officials for war crimes in Darfur. Ahmed Haroon, who was the interior minister when the conflict first erupted, has been charged with coordinating attacks in 2003-2004. Following his indictment, Haroon was appointed by President Bashir to the post of the minister of humanitarian affairs, responsible for the

329 people in the camps in Darfur."So, he's in charge of the same victims he displaced and he's attacking these people in the camps," ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told the media in June after filing charges against Haroon and Ali Kushayb, a commander of Janjaweed before he was appointed a commander in the Popular Defense Force (PDF), the reserve force of the Sudanese Armed Forces. The ICC, however, depends on cooperation from national governments to arrest indicted criminals. Both men remain free but largely confined to the Sudan.The prosecutor has now gone a step further and charged the president, who is also the commander-in-chief of the army.Only France and Britain among the Security Council veto powers unequivocally support the ICC decision. The United States, which has designated the Arab-dominated Sudanese government's actions against the Fur and other African tribes in Darfur as genocide, remains reluctant to pursue a Security Council resolution for an arrest warrant as it does not recognise ICC and is not a signatory to the Rome Satutes.China, also not a signatory and with huge economic stakes in the Sudan as the largest buyer of its oil, also opposes further action. In fact, it is seeking a UN vote to stop court proceedings against al-Bashir.The United Nations itself is more worried about the safety of its peacekeeping and humanitarian operations after seven UN troops were killed in an ambush last week. Both the Arab League and the African Union (AU) have also refused to support the ICC decision against one of their members. Pro-government demonstrations in Khartoum called the ICC charges a joke.Salih, however, does not agree that court's decision will undermine its credibility or that it suggestions it should have opted for a sealed indictment to avoid a diplomatic row. "The indictment should be viewed separately from the politics and diplomacy that has followed. The ICC is an independent body. The prosecutor has gathered evidence after three years of painstaking effort. By filing the charges and making them public he has done his job."

Threat to peace?: The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), which for 21 years waged a civil war in the country's Christian-dominated southern region before signing the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) and joining Bashir's government of national unity in 2005, urges caution."We need to have a clear roadmap on how to resolve the Darfur crisis," Yassir Arman, a spokesman of the SPLM, told IPS. The SPLM urges more cooperation with the international community to resolve the Darfur crisis rather than further pursuing the ICC case aggressively."There is a need for the government of national unity to reach an understanding with the international community and cooperate on the legal aspects of the ICC warrants," says Arman.He also feels that the key for stability in the Sudan is to continue the implementation of the CPA and other agreements. "It is a serious situation and it could threaten the peace and stability if it is not well-managed the main issue is to put a quick and fair end to the Darfur crisis."Salih, however, points out that President Bashir has never attended any Darfur peace talks, the peace process has gone nowhere and this indictment will help the international community to put more pressure on him. "There may be more room for compromise now. By publicly listing his crimes and nominating him for trial the ICC has brought the focus on Bashir. It is time for the international community to respond now."It would indeed be another tragedy if, amid the polarising furor caused by the ICC's action, the people of Darfur were to again become victims of misdirected political and diplomatic priorities.

330 The ICC rhetoric of "No peace without justice," if not backed by the political will of the big powers, may end up jeopardising both.

• Zimbabwe: African Union, UN to Monitor Talks: allAfrica.com: 18 July 2008.

South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki, under fire for the handling of the Zimbabwean crisis, has won African Union and United Nations backing for his plans to facilitate a solution - but will liaise with a tri-partite "reference group" over his efforts.Mbeki's office announced Friday that after meetings with top AU, UN and Southern African Development Community representatives, "all parties agreed with the framework" which he had proposed. They had also endorsed his role as SADC's mediator and "pledged to support his efforts."However, the statement added that the AU, UN and SADC would - at Mbeki's suggestion - form a reference group with which he "will liaise on an ongoing basis."Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which secured the highest number of votes of any party in elections in March, has repeatedly challenged Mbeki's impartiality in efforts to end the crisis precipitated by the government's failure to organise a free and fair presidential run-off vote in June.The agreement announced Friday appears to strike a compromise which confirms Mbeki's leading role in regional diplomatic efforts but which would subject his mediation to wider scrutiny. The MDC and its supporters have been calling for the appointment of an AU mediator.Mbeki held talks on Friday with the chair of the African Union Commission, Jean Ping, the UN Secretary- General's special representative on Zimbabwe, Haile Menkerios, and a representative of the SADC "Organ on Defence Politics and Security," George Chikoti.

• Zimbabwe: Talks MoU to Be Signed: Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): 18 July 2008.

THE Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed on Monday between Zanu PF and MDC negotiating parties is now expected to be signed after today's critical meeting between South African President Thabo Mbeki and the African Union (AU) Commission chair Jean Ping in Pretoria.Top of their agenda will be the vexed issue of mediation in the Zimbabwe political crisis.There is still deadlock over the issue as the opposition MDC faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai met in Harare yesterday and decided to hold out on the signing of a MoU until after Mbeki's meeting with Ping to see whether the AU will appoint an envoy to beef up the Sadc-mandated mediation.Sources said there was a heated debate in the MDC's National Executive Committee on the issue of Mbeki's mediation. Tsvangirai's group has been complaining that Mbeki is biased in favour of President Robert Mugabe. It wants the AU to send a permanent envoy on Zimbabwe to assist Mbeki, but Pretoria has rejected the demand, saying it's a "fake issue".The MDC executive also resolved that its own negotiating team must be expanded to reinforce the current one of Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma. The MDC removed Lovemore Moyo from its team and replaced him with Mangoma after last year's failed talks.The MDC stood firm on its demands that violence has to stop, political detainees released and humanitarian aid resumed before dialogue can begin.The party's National Council resolved on July 4 that Tsvangirai's victory on March 29 was the benchmark for talks.

331 Tsvangirai withdrew from the run-off and Mugabe proceeded alone, but world leaders, including those in Africa, refused to acknowledge his legitimacy.The MDC council also said: "The party must engage in dialogue for the purpose of ensuring that we resolve the Zimbabwean crisis and bring legitimacy and democracy to Zimbabwe."As a precondition of the dialogue,it said, there must be the cessation of violence, disbandment of militias, dismantlement of torture bases and repatriation of displaced persons. It said perpetrators of violence must be prosecuted expeditiously and impartially.The sources said the party stood fast on these issues yesterday, although it remained committed to the talks.MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa yesterday confirmed that his party's national executive met, but could not give details on its deliberations.However, it is understood that the MDC leadership and negotiators are waiting for the outcome of Mbeki's meeting with Ping today to decide whether to sign the MoU or not.MDC regional spokesman Nqobizitha Mlilo said yesterday his party was waiting for the outcome of Mbeki's meeting with Ping. "We want to see the outcome of the meeting between Ping and Mbeki and will take it from there," he said.Diplomatic sources said it was highly unlikely Mbeki would give in, which might force the MDC to end up signing the MoU anyway.The MoU outlines the agenda and terms for the talks, framework of the new government, timeframe, and composition of the negotiating teams. The first draft of the MoU was drawn up in Pretoria last week by the three negotiating teams under the chairmanship of Mbeki's facilitators. It was finalised and agreed upon by negotiators on Monday in the presence of Mbeki's envoys, Sydney Mufamadi, Frank Chikane and Mujanku Gumbi.Zanu PF is represented by Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche, while the MDC faction led by Arthur Mutambara has Welshman Ncube and Priscillah Misihairabwi-Mushonga. The MoU was supposed to be approved by parties and their leaders on Tuesday this week before being signed on Wednesday. Zanu PF and the Mutambara group endorsed it, but Tsvangirai's faction did not, scuttling the signing ceremony.On Wednesday the two MDC factions met in Harare in a bid to resolve the impasse, but Tsvangirai's faction said it would not sign until it was clear whether the AU would deploy an envoy or not. Tsvangirai's faction also sent an emissary, sources said, to try to consult Ping on the issue in Paris ahead of his meeting with Mbeki today.It is understood Ping will tell Mbeki the AU supports his mediation and there will be no need for another mediator. However, with Tsvangirai's camp digging in on the issue, a compromise could eventually be found, a source said.Mbeki recently secured the support of Sadc, the AU, UN and to some extent the G8 despite fierce criticism of his role. The looming threat of sanctions by the United States and EU, including Britain, appears to be now pressuring Mbeki to move with speed.The sources said Mbeki, who was expected to witness the signing of the MoU by Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara, cancelled his visit to Zimbabwe on Wednesday at the last minute after Tsvangirai's group baulked at its endorsement. This stalled the bid to move on quickly to substantive negotiations that sources said would be "sharp, short and precise".The failure of the signing came 10 days after Mbeki's bid to secure the first meeting between Mugabe and his bitter rival Tsvangirai flopped at the eleventh hour after the opposition chief boycotted a Zimbabwe House meeting, urging the AU to appoint a permanent envoy to shore up Mbeki's mediation efforts.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

332 • Uganda: Museveni to Stand in 2011 - VP Bukenya: New Vision (Kampala): 19 July 2008.

THE Vice-president, Prof. Gilbert Bukenya, has revealed that President Yoweri Museveni will continue as the flag bearer for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) in the 2011 presidential elections.Bukenya said the President is still strong enough to lead the NRM and called on party leaders to endorse him when the right time comes.He was on Friday addressing about 200 NRM executive committee members from Wakiso District. The meeting took place at Bukenya's palatial home in Garuga village, on the shores of Lake Victoria.The Vice-president's remarks come shortly after some party members are advising Museveni to relinquish power.Former health ministers Jim Muhwezi and Mike Mukula and former internal security chief Brig. Henry Tumukunde recently criticised Museveni for poor leadership. The three are being investigated over misuse of public funds.Speaking in Luganda, Bukenya said: "Museveni akyaali mbooko. NRM ekyaali mboko. Era agya kubaawo ate mbasaba tumuwagire." (Museveni is still strong. NRM is still strong and he will be available so I request you to continue supporting him).Bukenya is the NRM vice-chairman for central region and also the NRM chairman for Wakiso District.Talking about his recent visit to Museveni's farm in Kisozi, he said the two had a long meeting."The President called me to Kisozi and while there, I noticed that the man is still very strong. So, why should we let him go? Let us support him. Let us support the NRM so that we continue in power," Bukenya said amidst thunderous cheers from his audience."Take it or leave it, but we shall continue with our road because it is the safest."Bukenya said Museveni and the NRM would win the next five years in power because of the support from the people at the grassroots."I have been going to the countryside and I have no doubt that we shall still win."In an apparent reference to rumours that he was interested in the country's highest position, Bukenya said: "Sisobola kukubaganya Museveni (I cannot compete with Museveni) How can I turn against my mentor? I ask all you NRM supporters in Wakiso that we should stay with President Museveni."The Vice-president also revealed that he had asked the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Mutebi, to support Museveni."I told him that the NRM is the safest road way for Buganda, that Museveni and NRM are the going to help Buganda to reach where it wants to reach."He also talked about the conflicts within the NRM, saying they could undermine the party's strength if not addressed. "It is true that divisions within our party, especially here in Wakiso, will reduce our power and will affect NRM. We need to stop fighting each other and work together to consolidate our power."Bukenya blamed NRM's loss of parliamentary seats in Wakiso on infighting among the party's supporters."We need to work as a family. We are almost eating our food but if we start fighting, we shall lose the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the NRM's hard work."He defended the proposed Land Bill, arguing it would protect the tenants as well as the landowners. He contributed sh2m towards the opening of an NRM office in Wakiso District.Earlier, Lawrence Mayambala, the NRM administrative assistant in Wakiso, presented a strategic plan for the district where he stated that there was need to improve service delivery and provide employment for youth.The meeting was attended by Entebbe mayor Steven Kabuye, East African Community MP Sitenda Ssebalu and NRM leaders at sub-county and parish level.

333 • Uganda: Keep Army Out of Politics, Says Zuma: New Vision (Kampala): 17 July 2008.

THE president of the ANC, South Africa's ruling party, Jacob Zuma, has told African armies to stay out of politics.The visiting ANC leader was yesterday speaking at the Oliver Tambo Leadership Institute in Kaweweta, Nakaseke, a former camp where many ANC freedom fighters against the apartheid regime were trained.Without naming the countries, Zuma said: "In many instances African armies have become partisan. The national armies have taken roles in politics and this is endangering the continent. The role of the army must be found in its neutrality. It should not interfere with the role of the State."Flanked by the NRM national vice-chairman Moses Kigongo, defence state minister Ruth Nankabirwa and deputy chief of defence forces Lt. Gen. Ivan Koreta, Zuma was led around the complex, under-construction by the commandant of the Institute Lt. Col. Shaban Bantariza.Former South African chief of defence forces, Gen. Siphiwe Nyanda, identified a trench where he used to sleep during training at the camp in the 1980s.Zuma thanked President Yoweri Museveni for hosting the ANC fighters when they were expelled from Angola."We had been based in Angola but events had taken a turn in Angola and therefore we needed to leave there," he said."Not many countries would be ready to receive and accommodate armed guerrillas but Uganda was ready to do so. It was a big contribution by the people of Uganda."The ANC leader said there was pressure from the relatives of the hundreds of fighters who died outside their country to have their bodies repatriated."We are seriously considering the matter and it is one of the biggest projects of ANC. Some of the fighters came from very poor families that can't travel to see the graves. As you know African tradition attaches importance to the dead."Zuma, who is on a four day visit, said the students of the Oliver Tambo Leadership Institute will have a role to play in defending democracy and the gains of the Ugandan revolution."This institution, when it teaches all students that pass here the tenets of democracy, will have honoured the values cherished by President Oliver Tambo," he said."We were aware of the changing role of our army from a guerrilla force to an army in a democratic state whose role is to defend the constitution."Former ANC president Tambo, who spent most of his life serving in the struggle against apartheid, died in 1993. Zuma promised he would return to attend the inauguration ceremony of the institute, expected to take place in October.Earlier, Bantariza said the training complex will have 13 buildings, including a seven classroom block, a health centre IV hospital and a 600 capacity Oliver Tembo Great Hall.The South African Government has contributed $1.5m for the transformation of the former rebel-training wing into a leadership training institute.

• Tanzania: Zanzibar No State, Emphasises CCM Man: The Citizen (Dar es Salaam): 19 July 2008.

An official of the ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, has joined the debate on Zanzibar's political status, stressing that the archipelago is not a sovereign state.Speaking to reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the CCM acting head of propaganda unit, Mr Richard Hiza Tambwe, said both constitutions of the United Republic of Tanzania and Zanzibar recognise Zanzibar as being part of the system of the United Republic of

334 Tanzania.Showing supporting documents, he said according to Chapter One, Section 1 of the Zanzibar constitution of 1984 ( Ed. 2003), Zanzibar is part of the United Republic of Tanzania. Mr Tambwe explained that CCM supported responses given by Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda in Parliament since legislators, especially those from Zanzibar and the opposition, began fielding questions to both the Union and Zanzibar governments over Zanzibar's political status.Adducing evidence, the propagandist said in mid 1980's the current Civic United Front (CUF) secretary general, Maalim Seif Sharrif Hamad, was accused of committing treason against the Zanzibar government but was acquitted on the grounds that Zanzibar was not a sovereign state. He said judges who presided over the case clearly said that treason could only be committed against a sovereign state.A similar ruling was issued by the Court of Appeal of Tanzania under a panel of three judges in a treason case that involved Machano Khamis Ali and 18 others against the Zanzibar government in the year 2000. The judges were the late Justice Kahwa Lugakingira, Justice Augustino Ramadhani and Justice Robert Kissanga. Justice Ramadhani is the current Chief Justice of Tanzania.Mr Tambwe said those currently questioning the Zanzibar political status in the existing Union framework were now coming up with arguments against the Union itself. He said responses by the prime minister should not have brought about any dispute among members of the public and in the country's political arena."It is better to understand that, under normal circumstances, the statement made by Premier Pinda should not have created any debate or dispute if it was not in the interest of a few individuals to revive an addendum closed some years back", he said.He continued: "Why didn't those disputing the fact that Zanzibar is not a sovereign state today appeal against the verdicts issued by the High Court and Court of Appeal of Tanzania when they ruled in favour of Maalim Seif and Machamo Khamis Ali & others in their cases against the Zanzibar government?" He said after the unification of Tanganyika and Zanzibar in 1964 both countries surrendered their sovereignty to the new country called Tanzania. What came later was an agreement on how the two sides could run their internal political affairs, he noted.He said the system of Republic adopted by Tanzania in 1964 is not new in the world as it is also applied in China between mainland China and Hong Kong. "It would be wise to wind up this debate which has no advantage to our nation", Mr Tambwe added.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: President Launches New National IDs: The New Times (Kigali): 18 July 2008.

President Paul Kagame yesterday presided over the inauguration of the new National Identification (NID) project and card distribution at the NID headquarters in Kimihurura.On arrival, the president was given a guided tour around the project's production house by Local Government (MINALOC) minister Protais Musoni, and the National ID Project Coordinator, Pascal Nyamurinda.Shortly after the tour, the President and the First Lady lined up to be issued their national IDs.Amidst applause the president, while braving the afternoon heat, caused laughter as he called on other people to follow suit and line up for their IDs.About 20 people from Nyarugenge Sector queued behind the President and the First Lady to be issued the IDs in what now paves way for a country- wide issuance.According to the Secretary General of MINALOC, Eugene Barikana,

335 Nyarugenge will be followed by Kicukiro and Gasabo districts respectively in Kigali City.The activity will then head to the Southern Province, followed by the Eastern, Northern and finally Western Provinces. By September 15, when parliamentary elections kick off, it is hoped that most Rwandans will have got their new IDs.Nyamurinda told reporters that 1,600,000 cards were ready and efforts were in progress to see to it that the process concludes smoothly.About 5,300,000 people reportedly registered for the IDs. About US$18 million has been injected into the project, an amount which was entirely sourced from tax revenue.

54. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Bakassi Green Tree Deal - Obasanjo Didn't Consult Military: Daily Trust (Abuja): .17 July 2008.

The military brass was not consulted before President Olusegun Obasanjo signed the Green Tree Agreement which ceded the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon, Chief of Defence Staff General Andrew Owoye Azazi said in Abuja yesterday.Speaking at the Senate Investigative Hearing on the Green Tree Pact signed by Obasanjo and Cameroonian President Paul Biya in 2006, General Azazi said, "I am not sure that the military made any contribution to the Green Tree Agreement, but I know that the then Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai traveled with the former president to New York when the agreement was signed."Azazi also told the Senate Committee that in the event of hostilities between Nigeria and Cameroon, France is likely to get involved in the conflict due to an existing defence pact between France and its former colonies.The CDS said although no document shows the involvement of the military in the drafting and signing of the agreement, his office will continue to search and if anything turns up, he would send it to the Senate.A senior Naval Officer on the CDS' team, Commodore Dele Ezeoba told the Senate panel that ceding Bakassi to Cameroon was not in the interest of Nigeria's security as the area will take away the adjoining deep marine routes, leaving Nigeria only with shallow waters which cannot be navigated. He said the area is more strategic to Nigeria than it is to Cameroon."I want to believe that if anything happens between Nigeria and Cameroon, the defence treaty between France and Cameroon will be called into force. They have such treaty with their former colonies. We don't have defence treaty with any country, we only have training agreements," General Azazi added.Testifying before the Senate panel, Secretary General of the Bakassi Peoples General Assembly, Chief Ndabo Umo Nakanda said former President Olusegun Obasanjo intimidated the people of Bakassi, forcing them to dump their protest against the judgment of the International Court of Justice in the matter. He said, "We were invited by former President Obasanjo to the Aso Rock Villa. When we were seated the president said the press should excuse him and he warned us not to mention the case again. He said we should not make any further publications because according to him, we were provoking Paul Biya by our complaints. We were intimidated not to talk."Asked why the Bakassi people failed to make their voices heard on the matter, former Cross River State House of Assembly member representing Bakassi, Mr. Joe Etame said the

336 former president intimidated the people of the area not to contest the matter. "He told us that he was at the verge of having a meeting with Biya, but that because of our publications and he brought out some newspapers out that Biya was no longer ready to meet with him. He warned us to desist from further media campaign, that he was going to negotiate in our best interest and that not even an inch of our land will be ceded. After that we were scared."Chief Nakanda also alleged that the former president threatened to leave the Bakassi people's fate in the hands of Biya, saying, "He told us not to make any pronouncements again on Bakassi. That was enough intimidation. He even said, if you ever make any publication again, I will leave you to Biya, can you fight Biya?At yesterday's hearing, the Bakassi Peoples Assembly rejected the Green Tree Agreement and called on the Senate to device means which will enable Nigeria to appeal the ICJ ruling on Bakkasi. It said, "This Senate should put machinery in place to appeal the ICJ ruling to the United Nations Security Council. From the inception we have ten years option to appeal and three years is still left."Chief Nakanda said the people of Bakassi have been hurt by both Nigeria and Cameroon saying, "We have seen that the overriding interest was solely economic rather than human interest. We appeal to Nigeria and Cameroon to sort their economic interests in the area and leave us alone."He said the Bakassi people reject any plan to resettle them in an area already occupied by other ethnic groups, adding that such move will neutralize their culture and tradition and make them lose their identity. "We are saying the government of Cross River is trying to make a makeshift relocation camp. We reject it in its entirety. If we are forced to go there, there is going to be problem because we will lose our identity in three years. Where are we going to practice our traditions and religion? We have our shrines and deities; we cannot go and worship other people's deities. This cannot be overlooked because we still have our traditional religion," Chief Nakanda said.He said the people are not happy that presently, their identity is already in jeopardy because they no longer have political presence either in Cross River State or at the National level. Chief Nakanda also said Bakassi Local Government formerly had ten wards but that has now been reduced to only five, while village names have been replaced with numerical figures. "Those names mean nothing to us," he said. According to him, the Green Tree Agreement is not in the interest of the Bakassi people as it infringes on their fundamental human rights.

• West Africa: UN Peacebuilding Funding Approved for Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone: UN News Service (New York): 17 July 2008.

New projects and financing from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) - which seeks to help countries emerging from conflict to avoid slipping back into war - have been approved for both Côte d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone, it was announced today.Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has endorsed the additional allocation of $5 million from the Fund for reintegration projects in Côte d'Ivoire, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York.The money will also be put towards supporting facilitation efforts under last year's Ouagadougou Agreement, which was reached to end the protracted political stand-off in the West African country between the Government and the rebel Forces Nouvelles.Ms. Okabe said that most of the funds will most be used to support reintegration efforts, including counselling, income generation, micro-projects for former combatants and centres for skills training.The PBF Steering Committee for

337 Sierra Leone has approved seven new projects worth nearly $17 million to support the empowerment of women and children, reforms, rehabilitation of the corrections system and bolstering prisoners' living conditions.The further funding brings the total value of PBF projects approved to $32 million.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Pulls Out of Signing Talks Agreement: Business Day (Johannesburg): 17 July 2008.

AT THE last minute, President Thabo Mbeki yesterday cancelled a critical visit to Zimbabwe to witness the signing of an inter-party agreement to pave the way for substantive talks on power-sharing after the opposition backed out of endorsing the draft.This was a major setback to Mbeki's efforts to find a breakthrough in the talks between President Robert Mugabe's Zanu (PF) and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) factions led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara.The collapse of the planned signing came 10 days after Mbeki's bid to secure the first meeting between Mugabe and his bitter rival, Tsvangirai, flopped at the 11th hour.Tsvangirai boycotted that meeting, urging the African Union (AU) to appoint a permanent envoy to beef up Mbeki's mediation efforts. Tsvangirai said political violence in the country had to stop.The AU recently resolved that Zimbabwe should form a government of national unity to end its political impasse. Mbeki is expected to meet AU Commission chairman Jean Ping tomorrow for talks on the Zimbabwe crisis and then fly to Harare at the weekend.Tsvangirai threw a spanner in the works for Mbeki for the second time in two weeks after he refused to sign a memorandum of understanding agreed to between the parties on Monday.This will make Mbeki's meeting with Ping highly charged because Tsvangirai says Ping, the AU's most senior permanent diplomat, told him not to co-operate until a permanent AU envoy was appointed. The claim was rejected by Zanu (PF) mediators yesterday, who said the MDC leader was "spinning a yarn".They said they had verified with the AU that Ping never said that. Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said the Ping saga was a "fake issue".The MDC and western countries say Mbeki is ineffective, even biased, and should be replaced or assisted , but Pretoria rejects this.Mugabe yesterday continued to lambaste Britain and other western countries he says are plotting to overthrow him. His latest tirade was at the start of the televised opening of what was described as a food subsidy programme. Mugabe, however, for the first time did not attack the MDC, which he alleges is a western puppet.Frantic meetings were under way yesterday to put pressure on Tsvangirai to sign, but he held out, demanding his conditions be met first , forcing Mbeki to remain on standby.Tsvangirai insists the AU assign a permanent emissary on Zimbabwe to bolster Mbeki's mediation. He also wants Mugabe to first stop repression and political violence, release detained MDC officials and supporters, and let humanitarian aid resume.Tsvangirai's MDC group is represented at the talks by Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma, while Mutambara's camp is led by Welshman Ncube and Priscillah Misihairabwi-Mushonga. Zanu (PF)'s negotiators are Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche.Mbeki was expected to come with his facilitation team, comprising Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi, director-general in the Presidency Frank Chikane, and presidential legal adviser Mujanku Gumbi.Zimbabwe Reserve Bank

338 Governor Gideon Gono said yesterday inflation had reached 2,2-million percent, although independent economists say it is now well above 7-million percent.The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions yesterday condemned Mugabe's re-election and urged the AU to appoint a high-profile envoy to help Mbeki with the talks.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Uganda: Museveni Asked to Mediate Darfur Crisis: New Vision (Kampala): 17 July 2008.

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has been asked to mediate between the Sudanese government and the Darfur rebel groups, according to sources. If the plan is acceptable to both parties, the next round of peace talks will take place in Kampala.Reliable sources said President Museveni was this week contacted by international organisations to mediate between the warring parties.This comes only a few days after the International Criminal Court's Prosecutor sought an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.Presidential Press Secretary Tamale Mirundi would neither confirm nor deny that the President had been contacted over Darfur. "If the President is asked to help in Darfur and both parties agree, I don't think he can refuse. He is ready and willing to mediate between the government of Sudan and the rebels," he said.Museveni has been involved in conflict resolution efforts in Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan. The conflict in Darfur pits government forces and allied militias against armed rebellion movements.The Darfur peace talks were put on hold after a highly-publicised meeting in Sirte, Libya, on October 27, 2007. Last month, former foreign minister of Burkina Faso Djibrill Bassolé was appointed the joint African Union/United Nations mediator.The ICC prosecutor does not allege that Bashir physically or directly carried out the crimes. He allegedly committed them through members of his State apparatus, the army and the Janjaweed militias. His supporters in Khartoum have protested against the charges.The request for an arrest warrant will be considered by a panel of three ICC judges who are expected to take several months to give their opinion.If they issue the warrant, Sudan is supposed to hand over the president since the court has a mandate from the Security Council, even though Sudan is not party to the ICC treaty.Museveni has reportedly said he cannot defend Bashir against the proposed ICC indictments as it would require a collective position of the African Union.Bashir has appointed a high level committee, headed by his first deputy and South Sudanese president Salva Kiir, to develop a road map against the accusations.The panel has to coordinate efforts with the African Union, the Arab League and the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries.In addition, the committee has to study the legal aspects of the charges and to find a compromise with the international community to avoid jeopardising the signed peace accords.The nine-member committee, which consists of peoples from the different parts of the country, including Darfur, held its first meeting on Wednesday.The committee is expected to meet African Union officials and the Arab League Secretary General, Amr Musa, who intends to travel to Khartoum on Sunday, the day after an extraordinary meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo.Meanwhile, Sudan yesterday rejected a deal with the ICC to hand over two indicted officials in exchange for dropping the arrest warrant for Bashir."There will be no direct cooperation with the

339 International Criminal Court and no sending any Sudanese citizens to The Hague," presidential adviser Mustafa Osman Ismail told a forum.Western diplomats in New York have said a deal could be struck to drop or suspend the warrant for Bashir if he agreed to hand over Humanitarian Affairs State Minister Ahmed Haroun and militia leader Ali Kushayb, indicted by the ICC last year.A senior Sudanese government official, agreeing with Ismail's stand, ruled out a deal. "This is non-negotiable," he told Reuters. "Any talks will be held within the declared position of Sudan."

• Sudan: Another Peacekeeper From UN-African Union Force in Darfur Killed: UN News Service (New York): 16 July 2008.

A peacekeeper serving with the joint African Union-United Nations force in Darfur (UNAMID) was killed today while on patrol in the strife-torn region, just one week after seven blue helmets with the mission were slain.The peacekeeper was killed in Forobaranga in West Darfur state, according to preliminary information received by UNAMID, the mission said in a press statement."UNAMID condemns all acts of violence against its peacekeepers," the statement added, noting that an investigation has begun into today's killing.The attack comes one week after five Rwandan peacekeepers and two police officers - one from Ghana and the other from Uganda - were killed when a UNAMID patrol came under attack in North Darfur. At least 19 other mission staff were wounded.UNAMID said its troops have been continuing to conduct patrols in the region on Sudan's western flank, despite the violence and instability, with 16 patrols conducted today. Humanitarian activities are also ongoing and a Chinese engineering company is due to join the mission tomorrow.

• Somalia: UN Envoy Hails Progress on Last Month's Peace Accord: UN News Service (New York): 16 July 2008.

The top United Nations official for Somalia has praised the strife-torn nation's parties for working quickly to advance the peace deal reached last month in neighbouring Djibouti."The progress made so far has been encouraging," said Special Representative Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, who led the 10 days of talks that resulted in the Djibouti Agreement of 9 June. "A month ago, Somali leaders from different backgrounds made a courageous step forward to restoring the dignity of their wounded country."Under the Agreement, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the opposition Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia agreed to end their conflict and called on the UN to deploy an international stabilization force to the troubled Horn of Africa country, which has not had a functioning government since 1991.Mr. Ould-Abdallah noted that the support of Somalia's regional and international partners, including the European Union, Norway and the United States which had already mobilized significant resources for carrying out the peace deal, had been crucial in the progress made so far.He pointed out that the Security Council would be discussing Somalia soon, and voiced the hope that a joint Somali delegation would undertake a mission to New York."After 18 years of armed confrontation that has evolved from a political struggle to a conflict between and among tribes, there is now hope that we will see the dawning of a new era," he stated. "The path towards Somalia regaining its dignity and sovereignty is irreversible."He also condemned

340 the "senseless killing" of innocent Somalis, including the head of the UN Development Programme office in Mogadishu and numerous aid convoy drivers employed by the UN World Food Programme, calling such acts "unacceptable."The violence has hindered aid efforts in the country, which is facing a humanitarian crisis caused by conflict, drought, and price rises in basic commodities. Some 2.6 million Somalis - representing 35 per cent of the population - are believed to be in need of humanitarian aid.Stressing that "today is a critical moment in Somalia's history," the Special Representative appealed to all Somalis to unite for peace in their homeland.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Senior UN Officials Assess Peace Efforts in East: UN News Service (New York): 18 July 2008.

Senior officials with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have concluded a visit to North Kivu to assess ongoing efforts to restore peace and stability in the province.Both North and South Kivu, which have been beset by fighting and instability since the official end of the civil war in 2003, have been working to implement the accords reached in January at the Kivus conference on peace, security and development, held in Goma.The delegation from the UN mission, known as MONUC, was led by Ross Mountain, UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and Force Commander General Babacar Gaye.During its 16-17 July visit, the team held a series of meetings with their colleagues in the provincial capital, Goma, as well as representatives from the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC), international humanitarian aid organizations and the Amani Programme - the mixed technical commission on peace and security in the Kivus.In his meeting with the head of MONUC in Goma, Alpha Sow, Mr. Mountain reported on the problems encountered in the Amani process, as well as progress regarding the Stabilisation Plan, particularly the launch, by MONUC chief Alan Doss, of rehabilitation works on the Saké-Masisi road two weeks ago.He also voiced major concerns relating to the financing of the Goma process, the Stabilisation Plan and the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) process, among other things. Mr. Mountain was in turn briefed on the security situation and the military operations in progress.The UN Humanitarian Coordinator also met with humanitarian and UN agency representatives in North Kivu, who conveyed the difficulties they encountered on the ground due to insecurity which persists in certain zones in the province. A number of aid workers have been attacked in the province in recent months.Mr. Mountain reassured them, saying that MONUC was going to reinforce blue helmets on the ground, although these capacities remain limited. He also called on the various organizations for better coordination to ensure their own security. Another important issue that was discussed related to the food crisis which affects the food distributions of the UN World Food Programme (WFP).Humanitarian representatives also spoke about the situation of the some 850,000 internally displaced persons in North Kivu, cautioning that if military operations are mounted against the FDLR [Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda], this figure could rise by up to 200,000.General Gaye had a work meeting with the FARDC leadership in the area, and also went to a DDR camp to inspect rehabilitation work for a new headquarters in Goma.Before concluding the visit, Mr. Mountain flew by helicopter

341 over the second priority road of Rutshuru-Ishasha, whose rehabilitation by MONUC is envisaged to start from August.He also made a short stopover at MONUC's base in Rutshuru, where he was briefed on the operations in progress in the zone, which has a strong concentration of displaced people.

55. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: 5 Killed as Militants, JTF Clash in Rivers: Daily Trust (Abuja): 17 July 2008.

Five people were confirmed killed yesterday in Bonny, Rivers State when militants attacked a naval gun boat guarding oil installations in the volatile Niger Delta region. No known militant group operating in the Niger Delta has claimed responsibility for the attack.Local sources said more than 30 militants attacked the naval boat protecting oil facilities belonging to Shell Petroleum Development Company, and in the ensuing gun fight, three militants were killed while a naval officer and a civilian also lost their lives.The spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Lt. Col. Sagir Musa who confirmed the attack said the militants struck at 2 am and that the naval men responded in self defence, adding that the resultant two-hour gun battle left "three attackers, a naval officer and a civilian dead". Meanwhile, pirates raided a Norwagian vessel yesterday close to Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.According to sources the vessel was manned by 22 crew members, all Indian nationals. Our correspondent learnt from sources that the pirates raided the 53,000 dead weight tonnes freighter named, Spar Gemeni in the early hours of Tuesday.

• Nigeria: Unknown Persons Blow Up AGIP Facility in Bayelsa: Vanguard (Lagos): 18 July 2008.

UNKNOWN persons yesterday blew up a Key crude oil supply pipeline operated by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, the Nigerian subsidiary of the Italian group, Eni. The facility was located in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.The attack on the delivery line was said to have been carried out in the early hours of yesterday by some unknown persons prompting the nation security forces to launch massive manhunt for the alleged attackers.Although no live was lost in the attack which occurred some distance from the heavily fortified Tebidaba flowstation in the deep swamp of Southern Ijaw in the Bayelsa central senatorial district, it was however learnt that the raid might have been caused by disagreement between the locals and the company over the non implementation of memorandum of understanding (MoU).As at press time, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, said to have caused heavy oil spill in the area. However, an industry source said it was aggrieved youths from an Ijaw community in the state that carried out the damage in protest against neglect of their community.However, a source from the area told Vanguard that the attack is now causing panic among the locals especially with the large number of heavily armed soldiers backed by four gunboats reportedly heading towards the Tebidaba facility.But a security source

342 assured that the deployment was to compliment the strength of the troops already stationed in the Tebidaba flowstation.The destroyed facility is one of the several connecting pipelines transporting crude oil to the multibillion naira Brass terminus, one of the nation's three export stations in the Niger Delta.The attack on the Tebidaba, which is coming on the heels of the violent gunfight in neigbouring Rivers State between militants and the security forces has further cut down the country's output by a quarter causing it to lose the position as Africa's biggest oil producer to Angola, according to April figures from OPEC.An official of Agip who spoke anonymously confirmed the attack on the facility saying the company safety personnel have been dispatched to the area to ascertain the extent of damage with a view to effecting repairs on account of its impact on the immediate environment.Attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta have become increasingly common as militants and residents seek greater control of the region's rich resources.When contacted, the Bayelsa State Commander of the Joint Task Force, Lt. Col Chris Musa confirmed the incident, saying his men have been deployed to the area to investigate the matter.His words:, "Unknown persons blew up a pipeline around Tebidaba flow station. We are looking for them," he said.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Somalia: 16 Killed in Heavy Battles: Garowe Online (Garowe): 17 July 2008.

Heavy fighting erupted early Thursday in Somalia's capital Mogadishu between Islamist- led insurgents against an alliance of Somali and Ethiopian government forces.At least 16 people, including 7 civilians, were reported dead as street battles raged in north Mogadishu's Yaaqshiid and Huriwa districts.The fighting began around 5:30am local time and lasted for nearly two hours, according to witnesses. Both sides used rockets, artillery and machineguns.More than 25 people including many civilians were wounded during the battle.Islamist spokesman Abdirahim Isse Addow claimed to have killed many soldiers during the attack and seized control of the security post from fleeing government forces.He indicated that 3 rebels were killed and 4 others wounded.But Col. Ali "Gamodule" Arale, a Somali army commander, rejected the Islamists' claim and showed reporters four dead bodies, identifying them as insurgents.He claimed government security forces killed 21 insurgents and wounded 19 others.There were no independent reports to confirm either claim.Locals said Ethiopian troops expanded into the area and were now in control.Somalia's capital has been ravaged by an Islamist-led insurgency since early 2007, when Ethiopian troops invaded Mogadishu to install the weak interim government.

• East Africa: Smuggled Immigrants Raise U.S. Terrorism Fears: The East African (Nairobi): 14 July 2008.

Concern about a terrorist threat to the United States is growing among American intelligence officials due to a recent upsurge in the number of East Africans who have been caught trying to enter the US illegally.Citing an "internal government assessment" that it had obtained, the Associated Press reported last week that the US is focusing new

343 attention on networks that smuggle people from Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan.These four countries are among 35 confidentially listed by the US Department of Homeland Security as being of "special interest" due to the alleged presence of terrorists in their territories.A total of 159 citizens of the four East African countries have been captured in the past several months as they tried to enter the US without permission. That compares to 125 for all of last year and a total of 22 in 2003.Of the 159 caught this year, 138 came from Eritrea, the AP reported.The United States has a particularly thorny relationship with Eritrea, which Washington accuses of supporting an Islamist force inside Somalia that the US also labels as a terrorist organisation. A senior State Department official warned last year that the US may designate Eritrea as a state sponsor of terrorism.Djibouti, on the other hand, is among the United States' closest allies in Africa. The tiny country strategically situated on the Horn hosts a US military base that conducts counter-terrorism operations throughout the sub-region.American officials acknowledge that most of the East Africans trying to enter the US illegally have no ties to terrorism and are motivated by hopes of achieving a better life.The four East African countries listed as of "special interest" to US security agencies are part of a group made up mainly of majority-Muslim states.The list published in a 2006 essay by Walter Ewing, a researcher at the US-based Immigration Policy Centre, includes several countries friendly to Washington such as Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. Mauritania is the only other black African country on the list.Four of the "special interest" countries - Sudan, Iran, North Korea and Syria - also appear on a five- nation US list of "state sponsors of terrorism." Cuba, the other country so designated by the State Department, does not appear on the "special interest" list.Intensified worries about aliens entering the US from East African "special interest" countries stem from a court case involving two Ghanians who specialised in smuggling East Africans into the United States.One of the two men, Sampson Lovelace Boateng (known as Pastor), recently pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington to charges that he recruited East Africans who paid for his assistance in attempting to enter the US.US authorities charged that Mr Boateng, along with alleged co-conspirator Mohammed Kamel Ibrahim, provided the East Africans with phony Mexican visas that enabled them to travel from Africa to South America and Central America en route to the United States.The pair also arranged to bribe African officials to facilitate their clients' efforts to reach the United States, the US indictment charges.After housing the East Africans for several days or weeks in Mexico City, Mr Boateng and Mr Ibrahim smuggled the aliens into the US by various means, including stowing them for more than 12 hours in the luggage compartments of coaches travelling north to the US border.Particularly alarming to US officials is the apparent success the smugglers enjoyed in bringing citizens of "special interest" countries into the United States."Getting into US is no problem at all," Mr Ibrahim boasted in an e- mail message intercepted by US authorities. "That's what I do best."Mr Ibrahim and Mr Boateng were arrested last year. Their activities are said to have accounted for most of the East Africans who entered the US illegally in the past couple of years."Criminal smuggling organisations earn millions of dollars through the ruthless exploitation of illegal aliens," Julie L. Myers, a security official for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, told the Associated Press."By attacking these organised criminal networks in a comprehensive way, we are shutting down vulnerabilities in our country and in theirs."

344 • Somalia: Islamist Spokesman Supports Aid Worker Killings: Garowe Online (Garowe): 14 July 2008.

A man who spoke on behalf of an armed Islamist group in Somalia has claimed responsibility for a spate of recent assassinations, mainly targeting local and foreign aid workers.The spokesman, who identified himself only as Sheikh Mohamed, said during an audio recording that aid agencies "assist" Ethiopian troops and Somalia's interim government forces.Sheikh Mohamed specifically signaled out the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which he said funds the Somali army.Further, he accused UNDP of aiding Ethiopia's 2006 invasion, which ousted the Islamic Courts movement from Mogadishu, saying: "The UN agencies took part in the war that destroyed the Islamic Courts, and they [UN] gave weapons, money and fuel to troops fighting against the Mujahidiin (Islamic fighters)."A number of aid workers have been killed in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia since last month, with the UN and local aid agencies now considering to halt their operations there.

• Somalia: Puntland Releases Nine Suspects, Sentences Al Shabaab Fighter: Garowe Online (Garowe): 17 July 2008.

A court in Somalia's Puntland regional autonomy has dismissed 9 men held in suspicion of terror activities, while sentencing an alleged insurgent to a 12-year prison term.The Bari Regional Court, in the northern port of Bossaso, listened to the Puntland government's case against the nine men, who were arrested last week in Galkayo town.According to police sources, the men entered Galkayo from the southern regions and were arrested as suspects following a series of deadly bomb blasts in the town since mid-June.The Regional Court judges dismissed the government's case, which lacked any evidence, and ordered Puntland police to release the suspects.Critics accused Puntland authorities of arbitrarily arresting young men, who left Mogadishu and were traveling by land to the Somaliland regions.But Puntland Security Minister Abdullahi Said Samatar told reporters that the courts have the authority to release suspects if the government cannot bring enough evidence to keep them detained.

12 years: Meanwhile, the Regional Court has sentenced a Somali man to serve 12 years in prison after the government of Puntland accused him of delivering explosives material into the region.Mohamed Abdi Aware, chairman of the Bari Regional Court, announced the 12-year-sentence for Mohamed Amin after accusing him of being "a member of al Shabaab."In February, al Shabaab claimed responsibility for a terrorist bombing that killed more than 20 Ethiopian migrants in Bossaso.

• Kenya: Relative Seeks Release of Man From Cuba: The Nation (Nairobi): 17 July 2008.

The family of a suspected terrorist now wants the Government to be compelled to bring him back from Guantanamo Bay.Also sought is an order to have the Government compensate Mohammed Abdulmalik for damages he suffered and continues to suffer while in custody in Cuba. Mrs Miriam Mohammed and Mr Salim Khamis Juma have

345 sued the police commissioner and the Attorney-General over the alleged detention of their relative.And to prove their case that the man is being held at Guantanamo Bay, the two attached letters and greeting cards sent by the suspect through the Red Cross. According to the family members, the man was arrested by police on or about February 13, 2007, in Mombasa.The US government is said to have admitted on March 26, 2007 that it was holding Abdulmalik in detention without trial.Separately, the AG wants the constitutional court to strike out a case filed by former Central Bank governor Eric Kotut, challenging the Goldenberg report.

Quashing orders: Mr Kotut is seeking orders to quash the remarks, decisions and findings of the Commissions inquiry which implicated him in the Sh5.8 billion scandal. The report was presented to President Kibaki on February 3, 2006.The AG, through lawyer Lucas Kangata, told the court that the quashing orders sought should only apply to the particular parts of the report said to be deficient.And the High Court has intervened to avert a confrontation between a self-help group and a sacco society over a Sh360 million plot in Embakasi, Nairobi.Justice Benjamin Kubo on Wednesday restrained agents of Sauti Sacco from trespassing or interfering with the 50 acre parcel of land, pending hearing and determination of a case commenced by officials of Alfajiri Self-Help Group.Alfajiri says it was allocated the land through a resolution by the City Council of Nairobi while Sauti Sacco maintains that it is the legal owner of the property.

56. NORTH AFRICA • Tunisia: Tunisair Confirms Buying of 16 Airbus Planes, 2000 Jobs Due to Be Created: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 17 July 2008.

Tunisair, the country's national air carriers has confirmed yesterday the buying of 16 Airbus planes.The confirmation of the deal, signed on July 2008 with the European plane maker, involves three A350-800s, three A330-200s and ten A320s. The confirmation was announced in a communiqué released by Tunisair on Wednesday.The order is part of an ambitious plan to modernise and expand Tunisair's fleet to enable the carrier to meet its program in setting up in the long term long distance flights to North America and Asia . Most of the planes are expected to be handed over to the Tunisian national carrier by 2011.Tunisair already flies 21 Airbus planes, among the 30 planes making up its fleet. On the other hand, a provision of the contract commits the Airbus to set up 2000 jobs, in compensation of employments originally due to created by the French aeronautic company Latécoère in Tunisia .Following the terms of the contract, Airbus will have to pay some 16 million dollars in compensation money, in case on non- respect of the terms of the contract involving the setting up of 2000 jobs in Tunisia .

• Tunisia: Travel And Leisure 2008 Ranks Tunis Among the 10 Best Cities in Africa And the Middle East: Tunisia Online (Tunis): 14 July 2008.

Travel +Leisure , an international magazine specialized tourism and leisure activities has recently issued its 13 th Annual 2008 World's Best Awards Readers' Survey results, in New York.The Awards which cover 10 categories, include among other categories : the

346 world's best city; the best hotel, the best island, the best ship cruise line, the best international airline, the best tour operator, and the best car rental agency.In the Africa, Middle East section, the magazine ranks Tunis 9 th with an overall score of 71, 93. The scores are indexed averages of responses concerning applicable characteristics. Respondents were required to rate cities on 6 characteristics: sights, culture/ arts, restaurants, food, people, and shopping value.The magazine ranks Cape Town as the top African - Middle East City . On a global scale, Travel+ Leisure ranks Bangkok as best city.Last february, "The New York Times" ranked Tunisia as the world's third tourist "hot spot in the world for 2008". Over a total of 53 countries, Tunisia is ranked immediately after Portugal , with Laos in first place. Tunisia is followed by Mauritius , which in turn is followed by Miami Beach and South Beach."The New-York Times" noted that Tunisia was "undergoing luxury makeover. A new wave of stylish boutique hotels in historic town houses, has cropped up alongside this North African country's white sand beaches and age old medinas, drawing increasing numbers of well- heeded travellers."The US newspaper also notes that the American travel guide "Trip Advisor", had already ranked the island of Djerba off Tunisia 's southern coast, as the number one emerging spot in the world in 2008.

• Morocco: Al-Jazeera Bureau Chief Fined for "Disseminating False Information": Reporters sans Frontières (Paris): PRESS RELEASE: 11 July 2008.

On 11 July 2008, a Rabat court fined Al-Jazeera's Rabat bureau chief, Hassan Rachidi, 50,000 dirhams (approx. 4,500 euros) under article 42 of the press law because the - based satellite TV station wrongly reported in June that people were killed in clashes between police and protesters in the southern port city of Sidi Ifni."We welcome the fact that the judges had the good sense not to impose a jail sentence but it is still shocking that Rachidi was taken to court even though his station issued a correction to the disputed news item," Reporters Without Borders said. "The haste with which Rachidi's accreditation was withdrawn and the prosecution that was brought against him are a clear sign of the government's irritation with Al-Jazeera."The press freedom organisation added: "Morocco hosts Al-Jazeera's regional bureau and it should instead ensure the independence of the state and privately-owned media. An essential step towards this would be to decriminalise press offences."Rachidi reported on 7 June that there had been deaths in the course of violent clashes between police and jobless youths blocking the entrance to the port of Sidi Ifni. He based this report on the statements of local residents and a press release by the local branch of the Moroccan Committee for Human Rights (CMDH). It turned out to be wrong, and Al-Jazeera issued a correction. But Moroccan information minister Khalid Naciri demanded a public apology from Rachidi.Six days after the report, Rachidi was charged with "disseminating false information" and his accreditation was withdrawn. Since then, he has been unable to continue working as the pan-Arab TV station's Rabat bureau chief.Presenting the case against Rachidi in court, the prosecutor accused him of "putting out a false report liable to disturb public order and undermine the kingdom's stability, acting in bad faith, seeking a scoop without checking the facts and then not offering an apology."On the same day, Ibrahim Sebaa El Layl, the head of the CMDH office in Sidi Ifni, was sentenced to six months in prison for

347 "outrage" and "disseminating imaginary crimes." He was convicted of being Rachidi's accomplice and was sentenced to pay the same fine, 50,000 dirhams (approx. 4,500 euros). He is currently held in Salé prison, near Rabat.Article 42 of Morocco's press law provides for a prison sentence of between one month and one year and fine of between 1,200 and 100,000 dirhams (approx. 100 and 9,000 euros) for "the publication, dissemination or reproduction by any means of false news or allegations, or inaccurate facts based on fabricated or falsified evidence attributed to third parties, when this disrupts public order or arouses fear in the public."

• Sierra Leone: Egyptian Embassy Boosts Salone: Concord Times (Freetown): 14 July 2008.

Egyptian Ambassador to Sierra Leone Friday donated about 110 cartons of medicines to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation as part of its humanitarian gesture to the people of Sierra Leone.His Excellency Ambassador Mamoud Ezzat expressed his country's commitment to the bilateral relationship between Sierra Leone and Egypt noting that the donation was one of the series of activities his government has embarked on in this country.He said the donation will help the ministry to address the numerous health problems affecting vulnerable and poor people who dearly need medical attention."We have given these items for our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone. I hope it will help to solve the health problems in the country. This is the second time we are donating such medical items to Sierra Leoneans," he said.Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr Soccoh Kabia thanked the Ambassador for his assistance noting that the donation was timely.He said the donation was not a surprise to Sierra Leoneans as the Egyptian government has always been giving support to the country."I know Egyptians for their sound medical backgrounds. I am sure that the items donated are of higher medical values," he concluded.

57. NEWS COMMENTARIES

WEST AFRICA

• What Union Government?: Vanguard (Lagos): COLUMN: 16 July 2008. Ladipo Adamolekun.

At the African Union (AU) summit held in Accra, Ghana, in June 2007, the rulers of the continent spent long hours discussing a Union Government for Africa. Not surprisingly, they could not agree on a way forward.The topic received less attention at the January 2008 summit held in Addis Ababa where the governance crisis in Kenya was the dominant issue on the minds of many of the leaders, even though it was not formally on the agenda.And, then, most recently in June, at the Sham El Sheikh, Egypt, summit, it was the looming political and economic collapse in Zimbabwe that occupied centre stage, displacing the issues of peace and security that were on the agenda.Significantly, only a handful of the heads of state were able to openly say that Mugabe did not deserve to be at the summit because he was an illegitimate head of state, the product of a sham presidential election from which the opposition candidate had been excluded through the

348 violent conduct of Mugabe's armed militants and members of the security forces.This welcome division within the ranks of the AU leaders means that even if an Africa union government were to be given the special definition of government of the rulers by the rulers for the rulers, a few would choose not to participate in it, and this will delay its realization.If the union government envisaged for Africa were to be one where the rulers would be the legitimate heads of their respective states (that is, products of free, fair and credible elections), the wait for its realization would be even much longer.This is because of the preponderance of rulers who are either brazen dictators with no pretense to allowing serious challenges to their rule (for example, the heads of state of Egypt, Gabon, and Sudan) or rulers with contested legitimacy, that is, products of flawed elections (for example, the heads of state of Kenya and Nigeria).

Zimbabwe: Bad governance, sanctions, and racism

According to the latest reports on Zimbabwe, more than 100 opposition supporters have been killed, 5,000 plus others are reported missing and 200,000 have been forced from their homes - that is, they have joined that unfortunate category of internally displaced persons.And there are several millions in exile in neighbouring countries, notably in South Africa and Botswana.To these manifestations of bad governance must be added the evidence of denial of freedoms of movement and speech to leaders of the country's main opposition parties.Against this backdrop, it is understandable that the United Nations and many countries in the international community have criticized the Mugabe government for its dictatorial acts and the sufferings and deprivations unleashed on Zimbabweans through its mismanagement of the economy and the sadistic prevention of humanitarian assistance to the people.Although the jump from this justifiable reaction that is consistent with our common humanity to UN-imposed sanctions might be debatable, let a "coalition of the willing" (European Union and USA, as well as willing African Union, Asian and Latin American countries) join up to impose targeted sanctions that could serve the purpose of actually punishing the leaders of Mugabe's dictatorial regime.Regarding the charge of racism from Mugabe's mouthpiece against those who supported the proposed UN-imposed targeted sanctions against Mugabe and some of the other leaders of his regime in the Security Council last week, it is clearly a case of a drowning man clinging to a snake.Yes, race matters; but are China and Russia who vetoed the UN resolution less racist than the USA and the EU states who voted for it?And how does he explain Burkina Faso's vote for the resolution while South Africa and Libya voted against it? Is the former racist and the latter non-racists? At least, we know that racism is more associated with Libya and South Africa than with Burkina Faso.From being a giant at the time he led Zimbabwe's war of liberation, Mugabe has become a dwarf in his twilight years - an unconscionable dictator, oppressing and impoverishing his own people. What a sad story!

• Behold the New Africa - Sixth Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture Presented by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: Nelson Mandela Foundation (Johannesburg): DOCUMENT: 12 July 2008.

Our revered President Mandela, our sister Graça Machel, distinguished ladies and gentlemen:What an honor it is to be standing before His Excellency, Nelson Mandela, to

349 deliver the 6th Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture here at Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, Soweto. What an honour to follow all the many sterling persons who have given this speech before me.President Mandela on the occasion of your 90th birthday, I would like to pay tribute to you, a man who paved the way for a new generation of leaders and the emergence of democratization in Africa where, through free and fair elect or other processes, authority is transferred peacefully from one civilian government to another; where issues and hope, not fear for the future, define the national debate; where equality of women is a right and women's agencies supported and utilized; where governments invest in basic services like health and education, for all; where there is respect for individual and human rights; where there is a vibrant and open media; where economic growth is driven by entrepreneurs and the private sector; where open markets and trade define interactions with traditional donor nations; And finally and more importantly, where leaders are accountable to their people.We admire you, President Mandela; for returning justice and democracy to your country, South Africa, and in doing so, for becoming an inspiration for Africans and for peoples the world over. You have taught us that if one believes in compassion for humanity we can all make a difference.South Africa is a young democracy that has set a high standard for the continent in terms of its focus on constitutionalism, human rights and democracy. In preparation for its democracy, South Africa made strides in institution creation, including enshrining a Constitution with an ambitious and far-reaching human rights agenda and establishing the Chapter 9 institutions, namely, the Human Rights Commission, Youth Commission, and Gender Commission. As part of the democratic process, South Africa strengthened the media and ensured freedom of information. This country, your country, has led the way in establishing principles for an effective parliament, a fair and transparent judiciary and a transformed legal system.Many Africans draw on the South African experience to infuse thinking about our present and our future. There has been a long history of engagement in African institutional fora, that seeks to craft a more positive future for our continent. South Arica has contributed to this effort in no small measure.We thank you President Mandela for your foresight and leadership in providing the stewardship to that process, much of which was achieved through collective effort and built on years of sacrifice and yearning.Our physical presence in Kliptown is also remarkable. When in 1955 the Freedom Charter proclaimed a bold development manifesto for South Africa and confirmed that the benefits were to be shared by "all who live in South Africa" it set a remarkably high standard for the government and peoples of this country. At that time, Kliptown was described as dusty and windy – look at it now! Soweto itself brings both tears and joy – the many lives lost and the many shining lives – for example Tsietsi Mashini, a leader of the critical student demonstrations, who fled and found safety in Liberia and married one of my compatriots, sadly died before he could see this marvelous time. Soweto has a special meaning for the young people of Liberia, some of them now old, for it inspired them in countless ways. What is more, Soweto has a special meaning for Africa, for here in this place two giants of Africa, two pillars of the African struggle, two Nobel Laureates, yourself, President Mandela and the loved Archbishop Tutu – lived on the same street, worked and raised your families here and became two Nobel Laureates, symbolizing the victory of your struggle.Dear Friends, ten years ago, in his landmark speech in 1998 at the African Renaissance Conference in Johannesburg, then Executive Deputy President Thabo Mbeki called for a revival of the

350 African Renaissance; a renewal of the African spirit; the ushering in of a threshold of a new era. In doing so, he stood on the shoulders of many others, women and men, who dreamed and worked for this in years gone by.He said, and I quote, "the beginning of our rebirth as a continent must be our own rediscovering of our soul, captured and made permanently available in the great works of creativity represented by the pyramids and the sphinxes of Egypt, the stone buildings of Axum, the ruins of Carthage and Zimbabwe, the rock paintings of the San, the Benin bronzes and the African masks, the rock paintings, the coverings of the Makondes and the stone sculptures of the Shona. A people capable of such creativity must be its own liberator from the conditions which seek to describe our continent and its people as a poverty stricken and disease ridden primitives in a world riding the crest of a wave of progress and human upliftment".It has been a long and torturous road toward that revival - from the destroyed kingdoms of Mali and Hausa and Yoruba and Benin in the West; Bantu in the Center; Zimbabwe and Monopolapa in the South; from the slave trade and the balkanization of colonialism, from the liberation struggles of Kwame Nkrumah, Sekou Toure, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, Jomo Kenyatta and you Madiba; from the boom of the 60s and the bust of the 80s to the sobering and challenging time of today.But I do believe that a new Africa is unfolding before our eyes. The African Renaissance is now at hand. It is within reach. It is embedded within the honest and seeking minds of the young, the professionals, the activists, the believers in our continent. Difficulties remain, no doubt, trouble spots abound for sure, and many seek to discredit this process, but we have reached the threshold and there is no turning back from the irreversible transformation.Let me recall the essential elements of this transformation, the meaningful African effort to move from dream to reality, to relegate to history the legacies of patronage, corruption, lawlessness and underdevelopment.Collectively, as a continent, there are three major systemic changes in our body polity that will give rise to this transformation.First, we require much stronger economic management. Second, the resolution of the debt crisis and the changing relationship with our international partners. And third, the shift to democratic and accountable governance.In the 1980s, almost every sub-Saharan African country faced a macroeconomic crisis of one form or another with high rates of inflation, large budget deficits, and growing trade gaps. These macroeconomic problems are now distant memories for most of our countries. With a few unfortunate exceptions, countries have shifted to much stronger economic policies, inflation has been kept to single digits, foreign exchange reserves have increased significantly. Budget and trade deficits are much smaller than they were in the past, and African countries have created a more conducive environment to encourage private sector participation and stimulate investment, including foreign direct investment. Many countries have embarked on policies that aim at economic diversification.As a result, Africa's economic growth has averaged more than five percent annually over the past five years, and for more than half of African countries, this renaissance has continued for more than a decade. This faster growth is not yet fast enough – it is insufficient to effectively combat poverty in many of our countries – but we've got to agree that it is a start. It is enough to begin to raise per capita income and purchasing power, and it is far exceeds the zero growth of the past.The second big change is the end of the three-decade-old debt crisis. Debt began to grow in the late 1970s and the early 1980s following, as we have today, the rapid rise in the price of oil and other commodities. This was made all the worse by government

351 mismanagement. The creditors themselves were a big part of the problem, lending too early large amounts of money to unaccountable dictators who misused and misappropriated those funds, leaving the mess for the next generation to clean up. Accumulated interest from unserviced debt compounded the problem.The resolution of the 1980s debt crisis has proceeded slowly in distinct stages over the past twenty years. Today, 33 countries have qualified for the first stages of debt write down and 23 of these have completed the process, leading to a reduction of nearly $100 billion in debt. The end of the debt crisis means that improved financial conditions will enable governments to increase spending on health, education, infrastructure and civil service wages. But perhaps more importantly, it also means more independence, ownership and economic management capacity by government authorities who can spend less time negotiating old loans with demanding creditors such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It has opened the door to defining a new relationship between Africa and its partners based less on old conditionalities and more on strong African leadership, trust, and mutual accountability. The ability of African governments to go beyond and to start to issue country-backed bonds also provides access to more diversified sources of developmental capital.The third transformation element is political change – the establishment of accountable, transparent and democratic systems of governance.Sometimes we forget that in 1989, there were very few democracies in all of sub-Saharan Africa. In 1990 Namibia's liberation set the pace for Southern Africa, followed by South Africa, then Lesotho, and Mozambique. It has spread slowly across the continent – uneasily to be sure and with some reversals, but undeniably reaching many other countries, including my own.There are today over 20 democracies in sub- Saharan Africa. Consider the transformation – in the space of a generation, democracy in Africa has spread from a very few countries to more than one third of the continent. Some of these are nascent democracies that are still fragile. But for others, the change more clearly prevails. It is hard to predict the future and the change will not be easy or smooth in every country, but never before in world history have so many low income countries become democracies in so short a period of time. Never before has the resolve of African leaders, backed by needed and judiciously used military intervention, ended a rebellion against an elected government in power, as was recently done in the Comoros.This enormous change engendered by an empowered citizenry has huge implications for Africa and for those few countries that continue to frustrate the will of the people. This New Africa is being built, every day, by the African people – people who reach out across boundaries – real and imagined. They are not waiting for the Renaissance to be determined by states and by governments alone for they know that they are a part of an interconnected world.And now let me talk a little bit about the country I love, Liberia. It represents a case study of both Africa's terrible tragedy of the past and the recent resurgence of hope. For the past two decades, the world came to know Liberia as a land of political comedy, widespread corruption and unimaginable brutality. Liberia became that strange footage that flickered on television screens with terrible images of savagery. The Liberian people became refugees and fled to all corners of the globe for shelter. It was a period of darkness and insanity.Today, the signs of recovery are clear. We are reopening our mines, forestry and oil palm plantations, replanting our rubber, reconstructing our roads and schools and clinics, and restoring our lights and water. Women are being recognized as the agents of the kind of change we must have as they

352 were the first to call for peace in those terrible times. Our children are once again in their smart uniforms on the way to school. Storefronts are open and restocked, and petty traders fill the streets and the roadsides. Families are repairing homes, and construction projects are sprouting throughout the country. Our debt relief program is well underway and economic growth is nearing double digits.In addition, our Government has taken strong action to combat the scourge of corruption. It is our fervent belief that anyone who uses state power to steer public resources to his/her personal benefit must be held accountable. We are not engaged in this process merely as a gimmick. We are doing it because we are convinced that rampant corruption is one of the key reasons why Africa is unable to deliver basic social services to its people. It is our firm conviction that Africa, indeed Liberia, is not poor, but rather poorly managed. Corruption, exploitation and the misuse of Africa's resources are central to the inability of African governments to ably and sufficiently respond to the needs of the African people.In Liberia, we want to end that and our anti-corruption campaign is a measure in that direction. And we are beginning to see results. According to the World Bank Institute, in 2004 Liberia ranked 190th out of 206 countries on "control of corruption" —one of the worst rankings in the world. In 2006 our ranking jumped to 145th. And in 2007 we moved up to 113th. In three years we have moved up 73 places. I am not yet satisfied. Corruptions is still there. But I am pleased that our efforts are beginning to pay off.Yes, Liberia is on the rebound. Corruption is still there. I know that we are faced with enormous challenges. Yet, we recognize that to be successful, we need to implement policies aimed at both political stability and economic recovery that are mutually reinforcing. We also know that to sustain development over time we have to rebuild institutions and invest in human capacity.We are equally aware that for Liberia to be successful, we cannot simply recreate the institutions and political structures of the past that led to widespread income disparities, economic and political marginalization and deep social cleavages. We know that we must create economic and political opportunities for all Liberians not just for a small elite class and ensure that the benefits from growth are spread more equitably throughout the population.We know that we must decentralize political structures, provide more political power to the regions and districts, build accountability and transparency into government decision making and create stronger systems of checks and balances across the three branches of government.In the short term we must meet the current crises of high commodity prices and widespread youth unemployment that threaten to wipe out the gains that we have achieved.We know that despite the obstacles and strong resistance to change, despite the risks implied, we must stay the course of reform. Although primarily responsible, we also know that we cannot do this alone and we ask for the continued support, good wishes and care of all of you who are here in this room.President Mandela, Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am all too aware, that the African Renaissance could come for some and not for others. But that does not have to happen.As President Mandela remarked in London on the occasion of his 90th birthday; our work is far from over, there is much that remains to be done in the fight against injustice.We must never forget that the Renaissance calls for a better distribution of the benefits of economic growth; that opportunities must be made equal to enable more Africans to rise above absolute poverty; that more of the poor should have access to health and education, to clean water and electricity and housing.We must never forget the hundreds of thousands of people, primarily women and children, who continue

353 to die from physical assault and starvation in Darfur.We must never forget the forgotten people of Somalia who are made victims of violence among competing warring factions and political interests.As I stand before you today, I would be remiss if I did not express my solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe, as they search for solutions to the crisis in their country.I recognize my limitations to express views on Zimbabwe. After all Liberia is in West Africa. Liberia is a country of only 3.4-million people. We are thousands of miles away from the realities of Southern African politics. Liberia did not suffer under British colonial rule; nor do we have the same challenges with land distribution that has created so much internal turmoil.But I am, I hope, part of the New Africa; an Africa rooted in many of the values demonstrated by you, President Mandela. In that Africa, all Africans have responsibility for our collective future. It is therefore my and our responsibility to speak out against injustice anywhere.This is why on June 30, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on the occasion of the 13th Ordinary Session of the African Union, I, along with several other African leaders, spoke out and appealed to colleagues to denounce the run-off election in Zimbabwe. I explained the Liberian experience. In 1985, Liberia held a sham election that was endorsed by Africa and the world. Thirty years of civil war and devastation followed, with thousands dead and millions displaced. It need not have happened.We cannot lose sight of the fact that we in Africa do not have the luxury to enclose ourselves in our respective political enclaves. Our national policy process must be cognizant of the region in which we find ourselves. That is why it is important that our national public policy processes take into account what is happening in other places, by reflecting our regional and continental conditions.In Liberia, we know only too well that all war conditions in our country were exported to the region and still today the region continues to suffer as a result. That is why we continue to be concerned about developments in the region. No matter what progress we make in Liberia, if Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone are not settled, Liberia will not be settled. Similarly here in Southern Africa, until the situation in Zimbabwe is resolved, the entire region will feel the effects of instability, and the dream of democratic and accountable government will remain unfulfilled. President Mbeki, as then Chairman of the Organization of African Unity, was instrumental in putting Liberia on the road to peace and we think him and we pray that he will do the same for Zimbabwe.President Mandela, I am often asked what I think my legacy will be, and I reply that this is for historians to decide. But it is my hope that when history passes judgment on me, it will not just remark that I was the first democratically elected woman president in Africa – although I do believe, I am convinced, that women's leadership can change the world!I would like to be remembered for raising the bar for accountable governance in Liberia and across the continent; for designing institutions that serve the public interest; for turning a failed state into a thriving democracy with a vibrant, diversified private-sector-driven economy; for bringing safety and voice to women, for sending children back to school; for returning basic services to the cities and extending them to rural areas.My primary challenge then is to create the institutions that will stand the test of time; that will be there for my grandchildren's grandchildren. For too long, those watching Africa have focused on personalities, relying on one person, too often one man, to lead the way. But this is mentality has failed Africa, undermining accountability and constitutionally-defined government.If we were to expand this to Africa as a continent, there is much to be done to ensure that we have pan-African institutions for dialogue, problem-solving, vision

354 setting and programmatic delivery. We need to build regional programmes that provide a platform for intellectual engagement and civic participation that can unlock the potential of all sectors of society.Let us together reignite a pan-African consciousness and awareness that draws on roots and traditions but is updated and made relevant to today's Africa.At a practical level, if we can approach our negotiations with development partners from a consolidated position, we stand a better chance of improving our investment and trade regimes. The proud history of South Africa's trade union activism – using collective strength and voice – can be used on a larger scale elsewhere.We can strengthen a development programme for Africa, based on values such as citizen participation and democracy, gender equality, social justice, Integrity, ethics and human rights if we work together.When you won the elections, President Mandela, dreams were born. Africans dreamed of the end of the exploitation of the past. They dreamed of having dignified economic opportunities to provide for their families. They dreamed of sending their children to decent schools. They dreamed of an end to gender disparities. They dreamed of competent governments that were accountable to the people. They dreamed of national reconciliation and national unity. And they dreamed of living in peace and security with their neighbors.If someday I am remembered as one of the many dreamers who came in your wake who, unable to fill your shoes, walked in your shadow to build a New Africa then I can think of no other place to be in history. I can think of no better way to be remembered than one of those dreamers who following President Mandela said with confidence that the African Renaissance, the New Africa, is at hand.President Mandela, We salute you and your legacy. Happy Birthday.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • China's Role in Politics Appalling: Zimbabwe Independent (Harare): OPINION: 18 July 2008. Last Moyo Wales.

THE recent veto against the UN targeted sanctions on the key people in President Mugabe's regime by China and Russia despite a deluge of international condemnation of Zimbabwe's human rights violations before and after the run off must certainly be a cause of worry for all those who are working for substantive political change in Zimbabwe and other troubled spots in Africa.While China played a critical role in supporting African decolonisation struggles such as in Zimbabwe itself, its current laissez-faire policy in Africa's post-independence struggles for democracy certainly raises more questions than answers about the country's moral and ethical commitment to Africa's sustainable socio- economic and political development.China's Africa policy -- a document that describes the framework of its trade with Africa espoused by the communist government in January 2006 -- shows that China's relationship with Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular, is fraught with not only some head-swaying contradictions, but also a serious ethical and moral vacuum that exposes China to be shrewd, selfish, calculating, greedy and primitive because it prioritises its economic and political interests over ordinary people's human rights in its dealings with African countries.For example, regardless of Zimbabwe's international isolation due to its human rights abuses, China continues to be Zimbabwe's biggest investor strategically positioning itself to exploit our valuable natural resources to develop its ever burgeoning economy at the expense of the basic freedoms and entitlements of the ordinary citizens of Zimbabwe.According to the Jamestown

355 Foundation, a leading source of information about the inner workings of closed totalitarian societies, since the Zimbabwean crisis began in 2000, Chinese firms such as China International Water and Electric, National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (Catic) and North Industries Corporation (Norinco) have clinched mouth- watering deals in mining, aviation, agriculture, defence and other sectors in an avowed all weather friendship with Mugabe's regime. While some critics argue that China's relentless support for Zimbabwe in the Security Council is based on the close historical ties dating back to the struggle for independence, it is now crystal clear to everybody that China has always pursued self-serving policies that are solely based on its economic and political considerations. If indeed -- as the available evidence seems to suggest -- China's current policy position in Zimbabwe is primarily motivated by its economic greed, then Zimbabweans will have no reason not to believe the growing suspicion that the support for the liberation struggle in the seventies was simply based on China's need to spread communism and create geopolitical alliances in the cold war and halt the spread of free market and liberal principles across Africa. The fact that ethics therefore may have played no part presents China as an opportunistic power whose development can be directly linked to the tears, pain and in some cases, blood of African men, women and children.China's cold war geopolitical manoeuvres in Africa would certainly not only explain why, for example, Mugabe pursued a one-party state policy immediately after independence, but also why China itself continues to ignore pertinent issues of human rights, good governance and accountability which it fallaciously believes to be a property of the West -- a logic that unwittingly condescends on the struggles for independence and justice by Africans in general and Zimbabweans in particular. China must know that the quest for human rights and democracy in Africa did not start with the spread of neo- liberal values in the nineties, but that human rights, no matter how differently articulated by Africans, have always informed African struggles for justice since the cradle of African resistance.While Wang Guangya, the Chinese UN ambassador, used a seemingly plausible excuse that it was improper to slap sanctions on Mugabe and his aristocratic clique in Harare while Sadc negotiations were still going on in South Africa, this position does not explain why China has always supported autocratic regimes in Africa whose legitimacy is based on nothing but rivers of blood of innocent citizens.For example, China's non-interference policy in Darfur, where according to the UN and Amnesty International reports, more than 200 000 people have been killed, countless numbers raped and tortured, and 2,5 million displaced, does not only expose China's insensitivity to the plight of the black people living in the southern parts of Sudan, but also smacks of a downright racist attitude by China whose Africa policy falsely pledges support for peace and development for the African continent.In the midst of a what others have dubbed a genocide in Darfur, China continues to be not only the biggest importer of Sudan's oil (importing about 80% of the precious liquid), but also to illegally deliver weapons that include ammunition, tanks, helicopters and fighter aircraft that, according to the UN, the Arab government has allegedly used to bomb and massacre poor and defenceless black people living in grass huts.True African democrats would surely wonder how on earth China thinks it can support and bring about development, peace and stability in Africa when it works tirelessly to defend pariah states and blood gobbling regimes such as the Sudanese and Zimbabwean regimes in the UN Security Council. Given the shaky Sadc negotiations and China's selfish and unconditional support for

356 Zimbabwe, it is not surprising that the words of the British UN Ambassador John Sawers that the Chinese and Russian vote on Friday was "deeply damaging to the long-term interests of Zimbabwe's people ... (and to) prospects for bringing an early end to...the oppression in Zimbabwe" captured the imagination of most Zimbabweans who yearn for the restoration of the political and economic rights.Yet it's not about whether UN sanctions would work in Zimbabwe or have worked in Sudan, but that China's African trade must be predicated on ethical and moral principles and trade preconditions that motivate African governments to open up and democratise because history attests to the fact that democracy is a basis of all sustainable and enduring development all over the world. The Darfur example and the recent daringattempt by China to deliver weapons and ammunition to the Zimbabwean government in the midst of an election crisis in March show that if no quick measures are taken, the Chinese would give a helping hand to Mugabe to plunge Zimbabwe into a civil war regardless of the moral responsibility implied in China's status as a voting member of the Security Council.As long as Chinese state companies continue to harvest profits in Harare and Khartoum and sell their shares on the New York and London stock markets, then the fight for democracy by the ordinary people in Zimbabwe and other countries like Sudan continues to be peripheral to China. Given this uncritical and immoral stance on the violation of human rights by China, perhaps the time has come for Zimbabweans and all conscientious Africans to see China as part of the problem that calls for political action in their legitimate quests for democracy on the continent.African civic groups need to start mobilising people to confront the Chinese government by demonstrating at the doors of its diplomatic missions in different parts of the world to protest against its activities in Zimbabwe and Darfur. The people of Africa must not allow China to claim that it will always maintain a policy of non-interference and the respect for sovereignty of African countries, yet be more than ready not only to illegally export weapons to African dictorships, but also use its veto power in the Security Council to block any punishment intended for those who commit crimes against humanity.In the face of the cosmetic criticism by most of the African countries on the complicit actions of the Zimbabwe, Sudanese and Chinese governments, ordinary people's hopes in Zimbabwe and Darfur must now lie with international civil society and their national NGOs and pressure groups to force China to review its Africa policy and stop viewing Africa as an unoccupied continent in space run by wealth dispensing vampires. It must be impressed on China that Africans are not less deserving of the human rights enjoyed by its own citizens .Dr Moyo writes from Wales, UK.

• Botswana: Russia And China Sell Out to Capitalism: Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone): EDITORIAL: 15 July 2008.

During the long years of the liberation struggle, the oppressed people of southern Africa counted among their unwavering supporters, China and the former Soviet Union.

Russia is the most influential remnant of the USSR. But now it is amazing how China and Russia have made an about turn. Recently, the two countries are associated with despotic regimes in Africa and they fuel killing fields in Darfur and Zimbabwe. Their late entry into capitalism has blinded them to issues of human rights and the good of the

357 common man.These late comers to imperialism have, unfortunately, bought the worst of the despicable system. Their insatiable craving for African raw materials takes precedence over everything else. Even if that involves African lives.Just the other day when Zimbabwe was burning after the ill-fated March 29 poll, the Chinese sent an arms laden ship of shame to Robert Mugabe's regime. Though it was turned away, thanks to the vigilance of civil society organisations in the region, we cannot rule out the possibility that the consignment might still find its way to Mugabe so that he might find it easier to butcher his people.Russia and China are not only collaborators in the looting of African resources by illegitimate regimes, but they are also implicated in the genocidal and murderous mayhem they have unleashed on the defenceless Africans. History will judge them harshly.The least they could have done was to let those at the United Nations who wanted to assist the Zimbabweans to regain their dignity to get on with the job. Russia and China have abused their veto power at the UN Security Council for narrow material interests, especially to block sanctions against Zimbabwe. And in this obvious criminal act, they had unqualified support of Libya and Vietnam, whose democratic credentials are appalling.One could perhaps forgive the material cravings of these faraway sharks, since they have scant regard for African life. But for President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, to be on the forefront of the betrayal of the Zimbabwean people is hard to fathom.If ever there is somebody, next to Mugabe, who has single-handedly destroyed Zimbabwe, it is Thabo Mbeki. Even up to this day, it is still hard to understand the man's motives. Mbeki has tirelessly worked to remove the Zimbabwean crisis from the agenda of SADC, African Union and now the UN Security Council under the pretext that he is involved in some dubious diplomacy to make a mad and extremely defiant tyrant like Mugabe to see sense.What exactly is he getting out of this beyond mere display of power? Ironically, the South African people have withdrawn this very power from him. They rightly realised he cannot be trusted with power. Mbeki's use of power is evident in the chaos that has become Zimbabwe.His policies have been a nightmare not only to the Zimbabweans but also to neighbouring countries like Botswana. Mbeki, together with Mugabe ought to be charged with crimes agains humanity. That is the least these insensitive and heartless men deserve.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Sudan: Bashir Deserves Censure: The Nation (Nairobi): EDITORIAL: 15 July 2008.

The indictment issued against Sudan's President Hassan el-Bashir by the International Criminal Court is the single most important development in the long struggle to end the mass slaughter in the Darfur region.The threat of arrest and trial for crimes against humanity should send a very strong message to leaders everywhere who have no regard for the sanctity of human life.More than a half million people have been killed over the last six years in Darfur.Sudan has defied all international attempts to halt the carnage, and the country's president now faces the ultimate sanction.Opinion, however, is bound to be divided over whether the ICC move might be an impediment to ongoing efforts to negotiate a settlement in Darfur.As long as President el-Bashir is in power, then his involvement will be crucial in the negotiations. There will also be questions over whether

358 the ICC might be employing double-standards.President el-Bashir may well be complicit in the genocide, but in the African Union and other international forums, he sits alongside others who have as much blood on their hands.All the same, the dramatic indictment should make many leaders cross the world on notice. And this must include not just Third World dictators, but also leaders in the developed West who reserve for themselves the right to send armies across the world.American forces in Iraq have been accused of activities verging on war crimes. There will be some who think President Bush should also be in the dock.

• How G8 Has Failed the Continent: The East African (Nairobi): COLUMN: 14 July 2008. Oscar Kimanuka.

The rich nations' club known as G8 recently met in Japan with African heads of state and discussed among other things how to alleviate Africa's poverty.The topic keeps returning on the agenda of the G8, but the Western leaders keep making pledges that they never fulfil. It is not a secret any more that the group has not gone far enough in its efforts to assist Africa.But while the G8 has an obligation to assist the less developed parts of the world, especially Africa which has the bulk of the much needed raw materials desperately required for the developed world's industries, far more has to be done by Africans themselves.Aid will never deliver us from poverty. According to Paul Collier, professor of Economics at Oxford University, Africa faces three distinctive economic problems, each requiring a distinct policy.THE FIRST, HE SAYS, IS THE failure to diversify into labour-intensive manufacturing. For instance, 60 per cent of the world's buttons are today made in just one Chinese city.Asian cities now have massive concentrations of manufacturing activities geared for export, generating "economies of agglomeration" which lower costs of production. It is no wonder that our business people are now flocking to China to purchase anything from nappies to furniture.Professor Collier suggests that one way to genuinely help Africa is by giving us a temporary advantage over Asia in the G8 markets.Europe and the United States are already providing what is known as Europe's Everything-but-Arms (EBA) and the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).BOTH SCHEMES LET GOODS in duty-free if they are manufactured in Africa but impose tariffs on goods from Asia.However, as Professor Collier argues, the devil is in the detail and both schemes are not without flaws.While, for instance, Kenya can export its shirts duty-free to the US, it cannot do so with Europe or Japan.EBA is so flawed that it is ineffective.China's renewed interest in Africa could be a good thing for us and a lesson to the G8 after all.What we need is not aid but opportunities that can create jobs for the millions of our people who are jobless.

Oscar Kimanuka is a commentator on social and economic issues based in Kigali.

• Uganda: Why Country Should Take Interest in China: New Vision (Kampala): OPINION: 14 July 2008. Ofwono Opondo.

There have been reports by uninformed local media that a team of National resistance Movement (NRM) "operatives" had gone to the Peoples' Republic of China to learn the discredited communist ways of handling political dissent, particularly the errant media in

359 Uganda.Others simply think we went to China to learn to eat frogs, snakes, snails, dogs, and monkeys. All these are edible and some of us actually ate scorpions and tortoise, and given another opportunity, we would gladly enjoy the menu.

Media as partners of development: Many in the NRM do not consider the media enemies of the revolution, although we take them to be uninformed and unconscious enemies to themselves and sometimes the country. In a revolutionary situation, there are proven clear ways of dealing with unconscious opponents or enemies, which is through constant education, sensitisation and debate rather than antagonistic confrontations. The NRM is willing and ready to engage the media through these democratic, peaceful and legal methods to explain and defend what we honestly believe in and shall pursue.

NRM's cordial relations with the Communist Party of China: The NRM has no apologies or regrets for having cordial and functional relations with the ruling Communist Party of China because it is a great party that fought and transformed the third largest country with 1.4 billion people-the highest in a single county in the world. ollowing the scrapping of the Cultural Revolution after the death of chairman Mao Zedong in 1976, China embarked on an aggressive reform and opening up drive exposing itself to the world under its two-way system, a socialist market economy with Chinese characteristics as they prefer to call it.This aggressive pursuit has seen China develop to the level almost surpassing the 200 years of the US in just 30 years. Of course Europe, especially Britain, France, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, even with their open, primitive and brutal looting through wars and blood, are pale licking their wounds.

Lessons from China: Today, China that has one-fifth of the world population, it is the third largest world trader, uses 7% of world arable land to feed 21% of global population, has 5% of world GDP and controls 1.282 trillion dollars in reserve.It is a country that feeds its entire people and simultaneously carrying out major structural construction in most cases opening new sites in forests, valleys and mountains for roads, railways, industry and cities without loans or grants from anyone, whether the World Bank, IMF or a Marshall Plan, which Europe received.In that respect, only un-serious Africans, particularly the Ugandan pseudo elites, can afford the luxury to ridiculing China, whose progress and prowess is neither matched nor stoppable, not even by the US and its allies. In fact, many people are in China learning how to cope with the China "phenomena."Those who ignore or ridicule China do so at their own peril, and the earlier Ugandans learnt this reality, the better for our future because we can then strategically position ourselves to learn Chinese and their investment acumen. It is only Africa that has been lectured to by every civilisation, including Babylonians.

China, a global threat: When China still had hundreds of million poor and low industrial technologies, military and international diplomacy, Western imperialists were worried of a social and political explosion.They feared that millions of destitute Chinese refugees would be a world burden to rich western nations. They never saw China as a huge potential market or even a viable competitor that could make positive contributions to the world.Instead, they launched a negative propaganda for change if necessary through social, economic, political and military upheavals, which all failed. Britain was

360 eventually forced to handover Honk Kong and renounce recognition of Taiwan.Today, China has made an all-round tremendous and unstoppable progress to become a super- power, and the same western allies are crying foul that China is a threat. They are pumping the "China threat," using all means to make it appear that China is the real problem to the world global security, military re-adjustments, global warming, oil, raw materials and food crisis.Their strategy is to manipulate international opinion against China, and thereby keep it in the dock for easy isolation and diplomatic encirclement, which Africa ought to see and reject because since colonialism China was a standing ally.Western nations hitherto un-challenged want to keep the bulk of our un-tapped resources to their greedy selves as they did in past two centuries.The un-sophisticated Third World, especially Africans through their media and research institutes are drumming along the "China threat."Reflecting its history of non-aggression and non- imperialism, China maintains that its military build-up is purely for peaceful purposes, particularly state security, territorial integrity, national unity and stability. However, China should not be oblivious of the dangers in a world where globalisation means consideration for common interests of others. The writer is the deputy spokesperson of the NRM

• Many African Leaders Guilty of Mugabe Sins: New Vision (Kampala): OPINION: 15 July 2008. Phionah Kesaasi

AFRICAN Heads of State and Government converged in Egypt last month and top of the agenda was solving the post election conflict in Zimbabwe. However, according to media reports, President Robert Mugabe overshadowed the summit. Zimbabwe, like any other post colonial state, has been struggling to correct the historical mistakes created by the imperialists like Ian Smith.The recent calls by Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga will not yield results because his country was on the verge of becoming a failed state had it not been the intervention of Condoleezza Rice, Kofi Anan, Graca Machelle and Desmond Tutu. When John Agyekum Kufuor, the former African Union chairman, came to Nairobi, Moses Wetangula, the Kenyan foreign affairs minister said Kufuor had come for "a tea drinking session."Raila's appeal on African leaders to pressure Mugabe raises many questions; is democracy relevant for one to be a member of the African Union? Could Kibaki be a legitimate president of Kenya?Is it possible for presidents like Gadaffi, Bashir, Hussein Mubarak to condemn the acts in Zimbabwe yet they have never held elections? As we wait for the conditions to improve in Zimbabwe, we need to assess whether democracy is a panacea for development.Since independence, most African countries have been grappling with democracy and power retention. But there is hope in some countries like Botswana and Ghana where democratic principles have taken root.Levi Mwanawasa, the Zambian president, did not get his victory on a silver plate. His closest opponent Michael Chilufya Sata, of the Patriotic Front Party, says he won the election but denied the opportunity by the electoral commission. Mwanawasa says had it not been his ill health in Egypt, he would have been the"right" person to pin Mugabe for undemocratic tendencies.African leaders should, therefore not impose sanctions on Mugabe otherwise they will be laying their own trap. Few have openly shown their support for Mugabe. Could it be that they afraid of donors? They should find solutions

361 for the continent rather than treat the symptoms. The writer works with the Uganda Media Centre

• How to Achieve Goals of Green Revolution: Business Daily (Nairobi): OPINION: 14 July 2008.Angela Cropper.

We are living in a time of multiple crises. These are grabbing the headlines and requiring the international community to find solutions on so many fronts. What will it be next - a new wave of natural disasters in another vulnerable area of the globe: or will it be a global water crisis? It may seem right to seek solutions in the tried and tested systems of the past. But perhaps we need to find a new set of answers for a new century; answers that balance the realities with new approaches that echo to a diversity of responses that recognise the differing circumstances of countries and communities. And ones that do not simply attempt to solve one crisis independently of the links with others.One choice is to simply ratchet up the agricultural production systems of the 20th century - a model one might call reductionist.It is reductionist in the sense that we are coming to depend on an ever smaller suite of crops. Reductionist too if we ignore the wealth of agricultural biodiversity that has nourished humanity for millennia. And reductionist because farming is being reduced to a simple process of intensification - centring on the notion that ever more chemical inputs from pesticides to artificial fertilisers, will solve our difficulties.If the goal is to simply maximise yields at the cost of all else then perhaps we are on the right course. But we are convinced that this is not a model that will ultimately serve the interests of either the developed or developing world. We must assist the millions currently priced out of the food markets. But we might also seize the opportunity to plan a new Green Revolution: one with a capital G.Take water. It is about using more or is it about using less but using it more intelligently? And what about small scale solutions? What about rainwater harvesting on truly transformational scales?Africa has enough rain falling on it to supply the needs of 13 billion people if only it were collected. Look at soil fertility. In some areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa we may need more fertiliser use. But this has to be approached with more discrimination than in the past.I am talking about the health and diversity of the microbes, beetles, worms whose presence is at the very root of productive agricultural systems.In my view, the current food situation is a symptom of a wider set of interacting forces relating to sustainability, from the degradation of our ecosystems to the climate change that is underway, from fairer trade to gender equity, from ignoring the concept of One World and the reality of One Earth.

Cropper is the deputy executive director of UNEP

CENTRAL AFRICA • Ending Refugee Crisis: The New Times (Kigali): ANALYSIS: 15 July 2008.Immaculate Chaka.

With dysfunctional states, the displacement and the general refugee crisis in Africa will never come to an end.According to a United Nations High commission for refugees (UNHCR) report, the refugee challenge in the 21st century is changing rapidly. People are forced to flee their homes due to increasingly complicated and interlinked

362 reasons.Millions of people worldwide are already uprooted by violence and persecution, and it is likely that the future, will see more people on the run as a growing number of compounding push factors create conditions for further forced displacement.Today people do not just flee political instabilities in their countries but the persecution, injustice, discrimination, racism and other factors which violate their rights.This is further evidenced by a message from the United Nations High Commissioner, (UNHCR), for Refugees António Guterres, who says, "conflict today may be motivated by politics, but looking deeper it can also be about poverty, bad governance, climate change leading to competition for scarce resources".He further adds, "challenges, continue to emerge as new forms of conflicts and violence escalate. We therefore need to understand better the underlying causes of refugees". In fact Rwanda is host to refugees from various African countries."The country is experiencing an influx of refugees and asylum seekers. Rwanda is accommodating refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundian refuges and others from Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia and Angola", says JoAnna Pollonais the external relations officer for UNHCR in Rwanda.Refugees from the DRC, are currently residing in the following camps - Gihembe, Nyabiheke, Kiziba, Nkamira and Nyagatare. While Burudian refugees stay in Kigeme camp in the Southern part of the country.The UNHCR Rwanda fact sheet of 31, May 2008 indicates that 703 asylum seekers and 55,632 refugees are being hosted by Rwanda.Interestingly, the fact sheet also shows countries which are hosting Rwandans, who ironically fled justice for the crimes they committed during the 1994 Tutsi genocide.A number of Rwandans who were involved in the genocide did not only manage to flee to America and Europe but also sought refuge in Africa.Unfortunately, most of them claim to be fleeing political persecutions, like other refugees who are genuine victims of bad politics like those of Zimbabwe.Such Rwandan refugees are found in the following countries; Cameroon, Mozambique, Congo Brazzaville, DRC, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Togo, Uganda and Zambia.Refugees do not necessarily receive good treatment in the countries that host them.Examples of maltreatment and persecutions can be witnessed in South Africa, where refugees were recently persecuted, in an out-break of xenophobia.In such a situation some people have been forced to risk going back to the volatile situations in their countries. And others have opted for the reverse.But either way is wrong and a lasting solution should be thought of by African leaders, especially in their efforts at building a united Africa, that is set to dismantle colonial boundaries.In addition, the fact that some refugees are enjoying the warm hospitality in countries that host them is not enough reason to keep them as permanent refugees.Recently, during the United Nations World Refugees Day, Annet R. Nyekan, country director, of the UNHCR said that refugees in Rwanda assimilate easily with other people in the society.This she said was not enough as good hospitality is only a temporary solution and what is needed is a long lasting one.Baju Kashilembo a refugee who is staying at Gisozi in the Gasabo district, Kigali City, is one refugee enjoying his status.He says that he is happy as a refugee, since he has benefited from the UNHCR, education program that has helped him complete his education.However, a number of refugees called for more support from the UNHCR and its partners. Some of these refugees are demanding help to complete their education, among other needs.Despite the efforts of the UNHCR, her partners and African nations, combating the issue of refugees is still a big problem.This global refugee problem is unbearable, African leaders should start addressing its causes, for it is wrong to treat

363 symptoms instead of treating the disease itself. The issue of refugees is a result of political failures of particular African states.Economy.

• Africa: Continent Must Challenge Abuse of 'International Jurisdiction': The Nation (Nairobi): OPINION: 18 July 2008.Yolande Makolo.

The decision by the African Union to adopt a resolution on the abuse of universal jurisdiction by non-African countries was based on the agreement that these countries were infringing on the sovereignty of African nations by targeting African leaders with legally unsound indictments in order to serve their political interests.Africa has been subjected to incalculable abuse and exploitation by a series of mostly European colonial powers who, in their merciless pursuit of domination and Africa's resources have wreaked destruction that will take the continent generations to undo.This has been accomplished with absolute impunity to which advanced justice systems of Western countries have turned a convenient blind eye. Truth be told, Africa has more than sufficient grounds to indict those responsible for historical crimes which have enduring consequences.Rwanda doesn't have to go that far back in history to find justifiable grievances. It needs only to look at what happened 14 years ago.It is no secret that the 1994 genocide of the Tutsis of Rwanda was planned and executed by Rwandans. But that is not the whole story; Rwandans did it with the help of many foreigners, their money, their equipment and their advice.Worse, those same foreigners have offered protection to the Rwandan architects of the genocide and are helping to play down the crime, lest their own role be brought to light.This is where Rwanda's claims of justice find their foundation, and this is where the debate started by Mr Chege Mbitiru in his commentary titled "Kagame seeks right to pursue genocide suspects" (DN, July 14, 2008) fits.However, any attempt to elicit timely dialogue on this issue that has taken on continental significance must place Rwanda's motives and legitimate claims in the broader and correct context of the involvement of non-Rwandans in the 1994 Genocide, as well as the continuing sabotage of the country's recovery efforts by those who supported the genocidal plan in one way or another.Surely, if the concept of universal jurisdiction has to be worth its name and have any benefits at all, Rwanda should reap many of them.For the average non-legal person in Rwanda, this concept translates as follows: if you have anything to do with grave crimes such as genocide, then no matter where you are, no matter how long, no matter who you know, the long arm of justice should catch up with you.This would be a god-send for many Rwandan citizens whose yearning for legal remedy has gone on unrequited for far too long.The indictments issued against a number of Rwandan military and civic leaders by Judge Bruguière in France and Judge Merelles in Spain are based on a flawed process, have no legal or factual basis, and are founded mainly on accounts of genocide fugitives and other witnesses without much credibility living in European capitals.Neither of the judges carried out any investigations in Rwanda, or interviewed the alleged suspects, or involved the Rwandan justice system in the process as is usually required by law and principles of natural justice.The indictments themselves are diversionary as they aim at blurring historical fact and protecting those who planned and implemented the genocide in Rwanda and are now living freely in the backyards of the same judges issuing these indictments.Mr Mbitiru is

364 right about the overwhelming evidence of France's involvement in the Genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda.The Independent National Commission Probing the Role of France in the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda, headed by Jean de Dieu Mucyo was set up to gather the facts on the involvement of French and other key players in the genocide, a task that was performed competently, diligently and with professionalism.The commssions's report has been studied extensively by the country's state officials and should the judiciary decide to pursue individuals implicated in the report, it would be perfectly within Rwanda's rights to do so based on concrete evidence gathered and following the principles of universal jurisdiction as laid out by international norms.This action would not be in contradiction with the recent decision of the African Union.It is, therefore, not a question of being against universal jurisdiction. Rwanda simply disagrees with the hijacking of this concept for political gain, as well as the lack of an international regulatory mechanism to guard against its abuse.

Mr Makolo is the communications director, Office of the President, Rwanda.

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365 BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD Weekly Presentation: July 29, 2008 Sub-Saharan Africa By: Abbas S Lamptey Period: From July 20 to July 26 2008

SUMMARY

Memorial service for a Chinese female expert who was gruesomely murdered by a student on July 24, 2007 by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Liberia in collaboration with the Monrovia Vocational Training Centers and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China. Discussions are at an advanced stage between a Chinese firm and the Arandis Town Council in Namibia on plans to build a factory for building materials at Arandis. Conservationists and animal rights activists in Rwanda have raised concern over the decision to approve China, as a buyer for a one-off sale of elephant ivory as the move is believed by many to cause increase in poaching and illegal ivory trade in Africa.

TRADITIONAL rulers and religious leaders across the continent yesterday attributed the alarming rate of maternal mortality in Africa to inadequate education received by women, before, during and after child birth. A new report issued jointly by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme for Drinking-water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) in New York and Geneva last week has revealed that every day, over 2.5 billion people suffer from a lack of access to improved sanitation, which refers to any facility that hygienically separates human waste from the environment. The report, however, stated that seven of the ten countries that have made the most rapid progress and are on track to meet the Millennium Development Goal drinking water targets are in sub-Saharan Africa. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has informed the General Assembly of his intention to appoint Judge Navanethem Pillay of South Africa as the new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Nigerian has appealed to the people of the Niger Delta region to give them chance to address all the injustices they have been suffering for years. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe who made this call in Abuja, while referring to the ordeals which has befallen the Sudanese as a result of rebels attack in the region, said that government is doing everything possible to address the issue, but should be given a chance. In Zimbabwe and elsewhere concern is growing as to why the negotiators continue to talk when the original conditions to begin talks have been ignored. Events on the ground show there is no political will on the part of the Mugabe regime to change,

366 despite agreeing to negotiate a settlement with the MDC. Abductions of opponents continue, teachers are being forced by soldiers to attend pungwes (rallies), radio stations are still being jammed, and websites are being hacked.

At a meeting between high level delegation of Eritrea and Sudan both countries agreed that the drama that has unfolded in the past few days in the name of the "International Criminal Court" against President Omar Hassan Al-Beshir of Sudan constitutes an insult and contempt to governments, peoples and values of nations, and as such it should not only be rejected but also rebuffed on the basis of coordination and clear strategy. The Federal Government of Nigeria has described the indictment of Sudanese President by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as ill-timed and an action that could aggravate the already bad situation in the country.

The return of over 4,000 Mauritanian refugees who have been living in exile in Senegal for almost two decades has been smooth on the whole, but in some cases tensions are arising as refugees complain about their new living conditions and come up against difficulties in reclaiming their land. About a thousand xenophobia refugees were removed from the Glenanda camp in Johannesburg yesterday and taken to the Lindela repatriation centre where they were to be deported to their home countries after they refused to register on the home affairs database. In Kenya hundreds of people who were displaced during the post-election violence in early 2008 in the capital, Nairobi, are still in camps more than two months after the government launched a countrywide resettlement programme.

In Nigeria, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Aondoaka (SAN), told an Abuja Federal High Court that the former president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is being indicted for awarding over N37 billion contract for the construction of healthcare centres in 774 local government areas of the federation without following "due process and rule of law". Kenyan men should brace for bad news — it has been confirmed that cases of prostate cancer are highest in Africans compared to other races. The good news is that scientists recently discovered a “wonder drug” that can cure up to 80 per cent of the cases.

Intense and heavy rainfall in the Liberian capital Monrovia on 20 July caused the worst floods on record in Monrovia and forced nearly 1,000 people out of their houses, Liberian authorities told IRIN. In an effort to mitigate the negative impact of climate change, new funding by European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) will help bolster disaster risk reduction and community resilience in Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi and the Comoros. The Minister of Forestry and Wildlife (Cameron) Prof. Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, has disclosed that FCFA 108 billion has been contributed for the Congo Basin Forest Fund abbreviated in French as CBFF.The money raised at an official launch of the fund last June 16 and 17 in London is geared at ensuring a

367 sustainable management of the Congo Basin Rainforest considered as one of the most important carbon absorbents of the world.

Minister of State for Energy, Petroleum, Mr Odein Ajumogobia, SAN, yesterday advised Ugandans who are in Nigeria to learn how to grow their newly discovered petroleum in commercial quantity not to make the mistakes Nigeria made. Receiving the delegation led by Mbabazi-Araali H. Eric, Counsellor, Ugandan High Commission in Nigeria, Ajumogobia said some of the misadventures of Nigeria were abandoning agriculture and other non-oil sources of revenue the moment the country discovered oil 50 years ago, and NNPC's involvement in more areas than it could handle.

Somalia's interim federal government held a session in the southwestern town of Baidoa Wednesday, where lawmakers condemned a recent wave of assassinations targeting aid workers, businesspeople and civilians in the troubled Horn of Africa country.

In News Commentary Nick Grono, deputy president and Fabienne Hara vice-president of the International Crisis Group, said about the possible indictment of the Sudane President: The United Nations Security Council is no stranger to intractable international disputes. But soon Sudan will present it with a different kind of problem, one it has not faced in its 62-year history. It will be asked to decide whether the prosecution of a head of state for atrocities against his own people should be put on hold in the larger interests of international peace and security…

THE HEADLINES

58. CHINA -AFRICA RELATIONS WEST AFRICA

• Africa: China's Strict Visa Conditions Threaten Olympics :This Day (Lagos):21 July 2008.

Almost 32 years after the Olympics witnessed an African boycott of the global sports meet, the spectre once again looms of a similar action by the same nations.However, unlike the contentious issue which marred the 1976 Montreal Games, which was to protest New Zealand's sporting ties with the apartheid regime in South Africa, this time around their grouse is with the host of next month's Games - China.African nation's are unhappy with the antics of the Chinese embassies in their countries with regard to the issuance of visas for their various delegations to attend the Games, which begin on August 8.The embassies are making it very difficult for the various African countries to procure the travel documents for their delegations to attend the 17-day sporting extravaganza taking place for the first time in the world's most populous nation.A highly placed official of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) who disclosed this to THISDAYSports, explained that their umbrella body for the continent, ANOCA (Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa) had been in touch with one

368 another and had resolved to put pressure on Beijing 2008 LOC to mount pressure on their government to lower the bar for procuring visas."It is not only us (Nigeria) that is facing difficulties, the same situation is playing its self out in other African countries and our body ANOCA is unhappy at the development."We have been in constant touch with one another and it appears that is a deliberate policy to frustrate us," said the official, who said countries from outside the African continent were not facing such difficulties.Although he said the issue of boycott was not something to be taken lightly, the official confirmed that if they were unable to secure visas for top government functionaries it could be come a distinct possibility."How will we travel to Beijing without members of the government or governors of the states? If we can't get visa's for them then the NOC in conjunction with the African body will be ready to consider all weapons at our disposal to get them (China) to change their position," explained the official.THISDAYSports learnt that the Chinese embassy is asking intending travellers to China to show proof that they have already bought tickets for the Games and evidence that they had paid for accommodation."This is against the gentleman's agreement we had with them. What is painful is that it was Africa that gave them massive support when Beijing was bidding for the games so why are they now treating us this way? Even then when we agreed to back them, we got a gentleman's agreement from them that they would not be making their visa requirements so stringent."The NOC official said even efforts to convince the embassy that they could vouch for the government officials travelling for the games has fallen on deaf ears."It's unbelievable that a senator, governor or even a member of the House of Representatives would travel to China and not return to Nigeria. But they (embassy) are insisting that they show evidence of their tickets and accommodation for the Games," said the very worried official.He also said the tough stance was not only limited to government officials as they were also finding it difficult to get visas for some of the federation Chairmen.THISDAYSports learnt that each discipline was only allowed a certain number of automatic accreditations, which means the federations, have to carefully select the officials who should receive them."But in the case of judo for instance in which only one competitor is going only three officials are entitled to accreditation. In this case it is the coach, secretary and doctor. So what happens to the Judo Federation chairman who happens to be Chief Orji Kalu? Will he not be going or should he stay in the Games Village with his athlete and do all the administrative work?"Yet the embassy is insisting he (Kalu) must show that he has tickets for the Games and already booked accommodation!"We tried to explain to embassy officials that we will give him (Kalu) a daily pass which would enable him go into the Games Village to see his athlete and daily VIP tickets which would enable him get into the stadium. Yet despite all these assurances the embassy has so far declined to give him a visa."We also made the same offer for other officials and so far the embassy has declined to honour them too," said the official.The NOC source said if those they were ready to vouch for were finding it difficult to secure visas, he wondered how others like the Supporters Club and ordinary Nigerians would be able to make it to the Games."It will be a psychological blow if the Supporters Club can't make it because Nigeria is known the world over with the support they get from the Supporters Club. But as things stand unless the embassy relaxes its position I'm afraid they (Supporters Club) won't be in Beijing to back our athletes, which will be very sad indeed," said the NOC official.While acknowledging the difficulty in getting visas, NOC spokesman Tony

369 (Nezeana (said they were still working hard to get the Chinese embassy to budge on the issue."We're still talking with them and we're still very hopefully that something can be worked out," he said yesterday.On the possibility of an African boycott, (Nzeaya) said: "I'm not sure about a boycott but I know that many of our counterparts (ANOCA) are facing the same visa problems and are unhappy with the development. I also know from conversations we've with had with some of them that they are considering we put up a united front to tackle the issue. After all it is our best interest to unite to overcome a common problem."Although it is highly unlikely that it would get to this level, it is clear such thinking would be pleasing to the ears of Western nations who are still piqued over China's volte face in backing tougher UN sanctions against Zimbabwe.At the G-8 Meeting of Industrialised Nations, which held early this month in Johannesburg, it had been agreed that they would put up a common front against Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe only for the Olympic hosts and Russia to use their vetoes to torpedo the resolution, which would have placed tougher sanctions on the East African nation.The Montreal'76 Olympic boycott was spearheaded by Nigeria under aegis of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA), which ordered African nations out of the Games because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) refused to ban New Zealand from Canada after its rugby team had toured South Africa, which was then under isolation because of its racial segregation policies.Incidentally, although the SCSA action was condemned by many, the next two Olympics also suffered the same fate with the US leading the boycott of the Moscow'80 Games in protest over Russia's invasion of Afghanistan and the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, which was boycotted most of the countries of the former Eastern Block in solidarity with Russia, which used the occasion to pay the US back for their Moscow miss.

• Liberia: Memorial Service for Murdered Chinese Expert: The NEWS (Monrovia):22 July 2008

The Ministry of Youth and Sports in collaboration with the Monrovia Vocational Training Centers and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China are expected to hold a memorial service in Monrovia this week for slain Chinese expert, Mrs. Jlang Chongyu.The late Chinese female expert was gruesomely murdered by a student on July 24, 2007 at the MVTC in Paynesville.Mrs. Chongyu was part of a six-man Chinese delegation that came to Liberia to train students in the areas of Bamboo and Rotten Weaving at the MVTC.According to a release quoting the Director of MVTC, S. A. Morris Kainesie, Sr, the memorial service would be held this Thursday at the MVTC Compound.The release further said the occasion would be graced by government officials, foreign dignitaries and sympathizers.Meanwhile, the murder suspect was charged and forwarded to court for prosecution.However, the defendant is said to be insane thus leaving the court with no option but to halt the case.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Namibia: Chinese Firm Plans Arandis Factory: The Namibian (Windhoek): 23 July 2008.

370 Discussions are at an advanced stage between the Arandis Town Council and a Chinese firm, which plans to build a factory for building materials at the town. Arandis Mayor Daniel Muhuura told Nampa last week that negotiations with Namibia Industrial Mining (NIM) Limited were in the final stages.NIM plans to supply building materials at Arandis and surrounding towns once the factory becomes operational.The Arandis Town Council has already provided land while waiting for the company to submit its business proposal, Muhuura said."As soon as we get their business proposal, the construction will kick off immediately," Muhuura added.Meanwhile, Total Namibia is committing itself to construct a fuel service station and a truckport at Arandis.Arandis, home to more than 5 000 people, does not have a service station.The Mayor said that construction of the service station would start early next year.The town council is also negotiating with Woermann Brock Retail to open a supermarket at the town.In addition, Bank Windhoek will this year open a branch at Arandis.Construction of Bank Windhoek's building at the town has already started, and is expected to be completed in September.Arandis does not have a bank, but a Standard Bank Namibia agency visits the town once a week to provide financial services.Muhuura said First National Bank (FNB) Namibia has also committed itself to establishing a branch in Arandis in the near future."This is an achievement.If everything goes according to our plans, Arandis will soon be an alternative tourist destination," he said.

• Zimbabwe: Firms Urged to Take Advantage of Chinese Fair:The Herald (Harare):23 July 2008.

LOCAL companies have been called upon to take advantage of the forthcoming 12th China International Fair for Investment and Trade, which takes place from September 8 to 11, to promote their products and businesses.The Zimbabwe Investment Authority's chief executive Mr Richard Mbaiwa, whose organisation is co-ordinating companies that are interested in attending the event, said it was an opportunity that local companies should not miss.He said the event provides local companies with enormous opportunities to seek both financial and technical partner- ships with their Chinese counterparts."This opportunity is coming at the right time and we would like to call upon all interested Zimbabwean companies to come forward and participate with us," he said.He added that interested companies should submit their profiles and specific project profiles that they are seeking joint venture partnerships in for consideration.At least three activities would run concurrently with the Fair, the investment symposium where the Government through its parastatals would make presentations on investment opportunities in Zimbabwe.There would also be a project match-making symposium where private companies would be afforded an opportunity to interact with Chinese companies that they might want to create synergies with and the African commodities exhibition where companies would be allowed to exhibit or even sale their products.China is currently the biggest contributor of Foreign Direct Investment in the country.The pattern of investment has seen a shift from textiles and garment manufacturing to the more technical areas of mining and cigarette- manufacturing, among others.

371 CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Behind Elephant Poaching in Virunga :The New Times (Kigali):22 July 2008.

Conservationists and animal rights activists, have raised concern over the decision to approve China, as a buyer for a one-off sale of elephant ivory is likely to increase poaching and illegal ivory trade in Africa.Against a back-ground where measures to ban the trade had led to increased numbers of elephants in the wild, a break from the previous past of dwindling numbers of this endangered species.The international trade in elephant ivory was banned by the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), a 173-nation agreement in 1989, but since then trading has been permitted for certain large elephant populations.The decision comes after it had been ascertained that China had taken measures to control the trade of ivory on the black market sufficiently.In addition to Japan, China can now bid for the stockpile of 108 tones of ivory held by Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, with the condition that the funds accrued, will be sunk into elephant conservation and related development programs.

"This is going to mean a return to the bad old days where elephants are being shot into extinction," Allan Thornton, of the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), the group which provided much of the evidence on which the original ivory ban was based in 1989, told The Guardian UK.Before the ban, an estimated 100,000 elephants were being killed annually almost causing the extinction of the elephant species.According to The Independent UK, the ban succeeded in halting a headlong decline of African elephants at the hands of poachers; especially in East African countries such as Kenya.Elephant numbers across the continent were estimated to have crashed from 1.3 million in 1980 to 625,000 in 1989. Ivory is the hard smooth ivory coloured dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses.It is used for the manufacture of piano and organ keys, billiard balls, handles, and minor objects of decorative value. In modern industry, ivory is used in the manufacture of electrical appliances, including specialized electrical equipment for airplanes and radar.Experts at the University of Washington, say that China's appetite for ivory has led to a boom in illegal poaching, even in countries such as Kenya where it had previously appeared to be under control, warning that the lifting of the ban will raise illegal trade on ivory to record levels."It will mean more elephants being poached - it's as simple as that," said Michael Wamithi, from the International Fund for Animal Welfare."It will be impossible to know which is illegal and which is legal.""In a meeting organized in Mombasa this year, by the African Elephant Coalition, the group of 19 African countries present declared their opposition to the Cites pan to allow ivory trade by china. Elephants inhabiting protected areas are relatively safer from illegal poaching."Patrick Omondi of Kenya Wildlife Service, one of the most experienced elephant experts in Africa stated, while pressing other pro-ivory trade countries especially from southern Africa to drop their case."Of the 2.6 million square kilometres now available for elephants on the continent, only 31 per cent are protected areas." He said such protected areas in Southern Africa constitute 39 per cent of the elephant range, 22 per cent in East Africa and 39 per cent in West Africa.In the same meeting, KWS Director, Julius Kipng'etich, urged range states find a common voice on elephant conservation."We are building a framework for team-work in the management of

372 biodiversity in Africa. In the long term, we hope to strengthen collaboration between states to the point at which the Coalition's resolutions can be discussed at the highest level on the continent - the African Union (AU)."In Africa, much of the elephant decimation has taken place in conflict areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Southern Sudan, Central African Republic and Chad.According to the Independent UK, Experts have warned that militias such as the Sudanese Janjaweed and rebel groups in Congo have begun to use ivory as a source of income. The slaughter of elephants is now funding the killing of humans.Sudan has become the main transit point for shipments to China. It is also home to one of the world's largest centres of illegal ivory trade, in Omdurman.Maj-Gen Alfred Akwoch, Undersecretary for the Environment and Tourism Ministry of Southern Sudan told the Mombasa meeting that ivory had always been obtained from Southern Sudan illegally; implying that their adversaries were already killing elephants which led to the animals fleeing southwards to become refugees in Uganda.The slaughtering of fourteen elephants in May 2008, in the Virunga National Park, smuggled through Burundi and Congo is believed to produce, ivory destined for the Chinese black -market.According to The UK Independent, in a two-week period, four elephants were killed by the FDLR militia, comprising members of the former Rwandan Interahamwe, five by the Congolese military, three by the local Mai-Mai militia, and two by villagers.Emmanuel de Merode, director of Wildlife Direct, said that the elephants were the victims of international pressures."The upsurge in elephant killings in Virunga is part of a widespread slaughter across the Congo Basin and is being driven by developments on the international scene: the liberalization of the ivory trade, being pushed by South Africa, and the increased presence of Chinese operators on the ground, who feed a massive domestic demand for ivory in their home country," he said.It remains to be seen whether the CITES decision on China, will worsen elephant poaching in Africa, as widely thought, but whatever the case, the division between range countries in Africa over ivory trade might turn out to be the boon for elephants, in the struggle to conserve this endangered species.

• Cameroon: Human Rights Group Condemns Chinese Fishing Atrocities:The Post (Buea):25 July 2008

Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture, ACAT, has condemned in very strong terms the atrocities committed on aquatic life by Chinese fishermen."They have not only impoverished Cameroonians who survive on fishing, but have also caused an ecological problem," complained Sylvester Akumbo Toh, ACAT Cameroon Secretary.Toh told The Post in Bamenda that he raised the issue during the opening ceremony of the Norbert Kenne Training session at the Catholic University of Central Africa Yaounde, recently.He said he told the seminar participants that the Chinese are using sophisticated equipment including very fine nets and catch all fish including the very young ones, meaning that there will be no fish left in Cameroon's territorial waters if this continues.According to him, he has appealed to the International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture, FIACAT, to urge the Cameroon government to carry out investigations on human rights violations perpetrated on the inhabitants of Limbe and publish its results.FIACAT, he further urged, should equally request the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms to meet with human rights

373 organisations to evaluate activities and assess the environmental damage caused by Chinese irrational fishing in Limbe.CAMASEJ ECHO, a new media publication, added its voice to ACAT's worries.According to it, the Chinese use the twin trawling method, whereby two boats move parallel, dragging a wide micro-gauge net between them."The nets are so strong that they leave nothing in their passage, not even fingerlings. Small nets belonging to local fishermen are simply swept away. When the huge haul is finally brought on board and the selection done the fingerlings, too small to be edible, are simply dumped back into the ocean already dead.As they decay, they release huge amounts of CO2 in the water causing any remaining fish to flee," reports the paper.Just like the ACAT Secretary, the paper reports that this activity, besides depriving local fishermen of their livelihood, also pollutes the water thus endangering marine life.

59. PAN AFRICA

WEST AFRICA

• Africa: Leaders Proffer Solution to Maternal Mortality:Daily Champion (Lagos).24 July 2008

TRADITIONAL rulers and religious leaders across the continent yesterday attributed the alarming rate of maternal mortality in Africa to inadequate education received by women, before, during and after child birth.The leaders have argued that maternal mortality and child morbidity can be reduced in Africa, if both men and women have the rightful information on the need to save lives during child birth, pass it across and work with it effectively.They also positioned that some religious beliefs and practices in most of the counties in Africa contribute to the alarming rate of maternal mortality even as they said religious homes can help in child delivery but with major role of medical care and expertise.These were the positions strongly maintained by traditional and religious leaders drawn from 21 African countries at the Conference on the Role of Traditional/Religious Leaders on Reduction of Maternal Mortality/Survival of Women at Giginya hotel, Sokoto.Making a speech at the event organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar said the major factor that leads to the rapid increase in women's death during child birth is denials from access to basic health care during and after child birth, stressing that if adequate health care education is given to African women in general, and Nigeria in particular, the death rate at child birth would be reduced drastically.He urged the organiser, UNFPA not to go to sleep after the conference but to map out workable strategies to be used by all stakeholders at the conference in order to tackle the issue of maternal mortality not only in Nigeria but all African countries adding that "we religious leaders are ready to work with UNFPA in achieving this feat".Also speaking, the president of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) His Grace Arc bishop John Onaiyekan said religious bodies have vital role to play in the reduction of maternal mortality rate in the country even as he added that faith works in all religions depending on the way practitioners use it.He said that the UNFPA brochure which listed many objectives which included gender equality, reducing maternal and infant mortality, reducing HIV infection rates, making motherhood safer, supporting adolescence and

374 youth, protecting human rights, improving reproductive health conditions were wonderful and laudable, but deciding on concrete means and course of action to achieve them can be and is often quite problematic.The CAN president who believed that "behind the modern ideas, there are also some assumptions, ideas, views of life, indeed "doctrines" which are often propounded with religious dogmatism and with more than a tinge of cultural superiority complex", said further that "we need to put our heads together across all religious and ideological boundaries, and engage in a sincere dialogue to identify those common convictions that will propel us to common action in the service of our people".Also in his speech, the country representative of UNFPA, Mr. Sidiki Coulibaly said the engagement of traditional and religious leaders, who are custodians of traditions, culture and beliefs, in dealing with sensitive population issues, was recognised by the programme of action of the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD PoA) as pivot, in particular, to improvements in maternal health and reduction in maternal mortality to promote the well-being of people.According to him, although changes have been happening, still, most segments of communities have remarkable levels of trust in religious and traditional leaders generally higher than their trust in other social institutions. He therefore called on them to partner with government in fighting women's death at child birth.Earlier, the minister of women affairs, Hajiya Saudatu Usman Bungudu urged all local government councils to, as a matter of urgency and necessity, embark on the training and re-training of traditional birth attendants so as to ensure proficiency of safe delivery even at the grassroots where medical attention is many kilometers away.She believed that the reduction of maternal mortality and the promotion of maternal health can only be successful and thorough, if the traditional and religious leaders are deeply involved in mobilizing and sensitizing the grassroots to appreciate and utilize medical attention during and after pregnancy.In a separate speech, the Catholic Arch. Bishop of Abuja and the president of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), John Onaiyekan said between the religious leaders themselves, at least in Nigeria, "we are only recently gradually discovering the power and value of enhanced cooperation among ourselves in addressing the many issues that agitate the lives of our people".He called on the leaders to use the conference as a forum to strengthen the bond of cooperation, both within and between the Muslim and Christian faith communities adding that "all this augurs very well for the future, we need to join hands together in addressing them".

• Africa: Over 2.5 Billion People Lack Improved Sanitation Daily – WHO:This Day (Lagos):22 July 2008

A new report has revealed that every day, over 2.5 billion people suffer from a lack of access to improved sanitation, which refers to any facility that hygienically separates human waste from the environment.The detailed report was issued jointly by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme for Drinking-water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) in New York and Geneva last week.The JMP report, titled "Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: Special Focus on Sanitation," comes halfway through the International Year of Sanitation; and added that nearly 1.2 billion people practise open defecation, the riskiest sanitary practice of all.Also according to the report, seven of the ten countries that

375 have made the most rapid progress and are on track to meet the Millennium Development Goal drinking water targets are in sub-Saharan Africa. These include Burkina Faso, Namibia, Ghana, Malawi, Uganda, Mali, Djibouti.The report assessed, for the first time ever, global, regional and country progress using an innovative 'ladder' concept. This showed sanitation practices in greater detail, enabling experts to highlight trends in using improved, shared and unimproved sanitation facilities and the trend in open defecation.Similarly, the 'drinking water ladder' showed the percentage of the world population that uses water piped into a dwelling, plot or yard; other improved water sources such as hand pumps, and unimproved sources.The number of people globally who lack access to an improved drinking water source. Improved drinking water sources means that the drinking water source is protected from fecal and chemical contamination. has fallen below one billion for the first time since data were first compiled in 1990.At present 87 per cent of the world population has access to improved drinking water sources, with current trends suggesting that more than 90 per cent will do so by 2015, the report noted.It also revealed that the number of people worldwide practising open defecation dropped from 24 per cent in 1990 to 18 per cent in 2006.The report also highlighted disparities within national borders, particularly between rural and urban dwellers. Worldwide, there are four times as many people in rural areas, approximately 746 million, without improved water sources, compared to some 137 million urban dwellers, it stated.The JMP report also noted that poor sanitation threatens children's survival as a fecally-contaminated environment is directly linked to diarrheal disease, one of the biggest killers of infants under the age of five; and that a clean environment is very difficult to ensure if open defecation is practised, even by a minority of the population."At current trends, the world will fall short of the Millennium sanitation target by more than 700 million people," said Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF Executive Director. "Without dramatic improvements, much will be lost."However, the report stated that more and more people are now using improved sanitation facilities - that is, facilities that ensure human excreta are disposed of in a way that prevents them from causing disease by contaminating food and water sources.It noted that although the practice of open defecation is on the decline worldwide, 18 per cent of the world's population, totaling 1.2 billion people, still practise it; and that in southern Asia, some 778 million people still rely on this riskiest sanitation practice."We have today a full menu of low-cost technical options for the provision of sanitation in most settings" said Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO's Director-General. "More and more governments are determined to improve health by bringing water and sanitation to their poorest populations. If we want to break the stranglehold of poverty, and reap the multiple benefits for health, we must address water and sanitation."The report revealed that real improvements in access to safe drinking water have occurred in many of the countries of southern Africa.Of ten countries not yet on track to meet the sanitation target, but making rapid progress, five are in sub-Saharan Africa (Benin, Cameroon, Comoros, Mali and Zambia).UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system.The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation is the official UN mechanism tasked with monitoring progress towards MDG Target 7c on drinking water supply and sanitation.

376 • Africa: AU Gets N58 MIllion Grants From World Bank:Leadership (Abuja).25 July 2008

The World Bank has provided the sum of US$487,000, which is about N57.5 million in grant towards strengthening the African Diaspora Program of the African Union.Towards this, the AU commission and World Bank, have signed an agreement for the provision of the institutional development fund grant by the World Bank.The program which will help strengthen knowledge sharing and coordination among the AU Mission, the Diaspora and development partners in the Americas, will also help develop a reliable database of the African Diaspora networks and individuals.It will also help initiate resource mobilization efforts, from the African Diaspora and private Sector in the Americas. Furthermore, it will enhance the capacity of the AU Commission to effectively advocate support for Diaspora in international, bilateral and multilateral institutions as well as in other global dialogues on African Diaspora.According to Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, the Vice President Africa for World Bank "the African Diaspora constitutes a uniquely potent resource group, critical to resolving the capacity challenges facing the continent"."Leveraging their huge and diverse talents and effectively connecting them to the continent's development calls for strong commitment on the part of African governments. A strong and capable AU commission can catalyze this commitment and signal that the Diaspora is indeed Africa's sixth region," she added.Signing on behalf of the AU, was the deputy chair of its commission, Mr. Erastus Mwencha. Ambassador Amina Salum Ali, head of AU Mission to Washington, DC, was also present at the signing ceremony.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Africa: Secretary-General to Appoint South African Justice as Next UN Human Rights Chief:UN News Service (New York):25 July 2008

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has informed the General Assembly of his intention to appoint Judge Navanethem Pillay of South Africa as the new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.Ms. Pillay will succeed Louise Arbour of Canada, who completed her five-year term on 30 June.Since 2003, Ms. Pillay has served as Judge on the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, Netherlands.Prior to that, she served – as both Judge and President – on the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which she joined in 1995.Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said that Judge Pillay’s nomination was made at the end of "an extensive selection process" which included consultations with Member States and with the broad-based non-governmental organization (NGO) community."The Secretary-General is committed to ensure that human rights remain high on the agenda of the Organization. He expects that the new High Commissioner will preserve the independence of her Office and will maintain effective working relations with the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council," Michele Montas told journalists.Mr. Ban is "determined to fully support Ms. Pillay in carrying out her work, including with increased resources, as approved by the General Assembly," she added.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

377 • Africa: AU Targets Diaspora in Growth Bid:The Nation (Nairobi):23 July 2008

The African Union is now turning to the Diaspora in a bid to boost its development capacity.Earlier this week, the AU Commission and the World Bank signed an agreement under which the bank will provide Sh32.3 million in grant funding to strengthen the African Diaspora Program of the AU."The African Diaspora constitute a uniquely potent resource group critical to resolving the capacity challenges facing the continent", said the vice president of the World Bank's Africa region, Obiageli Ezekwesili.The Institutional Development Fund is part of the World Bank's support in enhancing the capacity of the AU Mission to the United Sates in Washington, DC. It will boost the AU's Mission to carry out the development and maintenance of relationships with the African Diaspora North America, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Reliable database

The program will also help strengthen knowledge sharing and coordination between the AU Mission, the Diaspora and development partners in America while helping to develop a reliable database of the African Diaspora networks and individuals."Leveraging their diverse talents and effectively connecting them to the continent's development calls for strong commitment on the part of African Governments and a strong, capable AU Commission can only catalyze this commitment," said Mr Ezekwesili.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Africa: Homophobia Fuelling the Spread of HIV :UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:23 July 2008

The persistent and increasing outbreaks of violence against members of the gay community in Africa are jeopardising efforts undertaken to combat HIV, both within this group and across the population as a whole, AIDS activists warned at a recent meeting in Limbé, Cameroon.The extreme vulnerability of members of the gay community to HIV on the continent was highlighted during the meeting, initiated by the French non- governmental organisation, AIDES, and its partners, which took place at the beginning of July in the south west of Cameroon and brought together many AIDS activists from Francophone African countries.On average it is estimated that HIV infection rates amongst MSM (men who have sex with men) are four to five times higher than the population overall, with highs in certain areas.In Bamako, the capital of Mali, screening tests carried out on a few hundred MSMs revealed that the infection rate was around 37 per cent, according to ARCAD-SIDA, an organisation in Mali that supports people living with HIV/AIDS. Official statistics set the national infection rate of the population at 1.3 per cent.In Senegal, a survey carried out in 2005 showed that 21.5 per cent of MSMs in the capital, Dakar, were infected with HIV, compared to a national prevalence rate estimated by the authorities at 0.7 per cent.The 2007 "Off the map" report, which was produced by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), an American organisation that defends the rights of homosexuals, highlighted that "the vulnerability of same-sex practicing men and women is not due to any biological

378 predisposition, but is the result of an interlocking set of human rights violations and social inequalities that heighten HIV risk".

Criminalisation of homosexuality

According to IGLHRC, 38 of the 53 countries in Africa still consider homosexuality as an offence punishable by sentences ranging in severity up to imprisonment.This is the case in Cameroon, where 11 people were put in prison in 2007 for homosexual activity, according to the 2008 report of the human rights organisation Amnesty international. Due to lack of care, one of the men imprisoned died of an HIV/AIDS related infection a few days after his release.Dr Steave Nemande, a doctor and the president of the human rights organisation Alternatives Cameroun, believes that by criminalising homosexuality "social homophobia is legitimised and it increases fear amongst MSM, who take further risks to live their sexual life in secret".In Senegal, homosexuality remains illegal, although in 2005 MSM were integrated into AIDS programmes. Here, the 'manhunt' and arrests that have taken place over the last few months, following photos of a gay festival being published in the local news, forced certain members of the MSM community to go into exile, and others, including those infected with HIV, to hide - therefore, giving up their treatment.Even in countries with no legislation on homosexuality, such as the Côte d'Ivoire, MSM are far from able to claim their rights, noted Hervé Beuté, a member of Arc-en-Ciel+, an HIV/AIDS prevention association for MSM. "We are still fighting for [MSMs to have] access to health centres".Members of the community died from HIV/AIDS without receiving healthcare, after they were turned away by certain health facilities, he stated. He added that he had himself been "a victim of violence a few times" during prevention campaigns for MSMs.

Ill-informed communities

"On the continent, more and more MSMs are organising prevention campaigns, however, they will never be effective whilst they are being hunted down and/or imprisoned, or even excluded from official strategies to combat the pandemic", said David Monvoisin, a member of Africa Gay - a group fighting against AIDS within homosexual communities - also working with the French NGO, AIDES.Philippe (last name withheld) is being monitored by a centre providing free information and care for MSM, which was opened very recently by Alternatives Cameroun in Douala, the large city port.He decided to risk revealing his sexual orientation and his HIV positive status to give others something to hold on to, "in the hope that this will serve as an example for others so that there is more discussion about the illness between [MSMs] and health professionals".Such initiatives are indispensable, because many MSM "are not educated and ignore all or nearly all prevention methods", said Aboubakar Dabo, a member of ARCAD-SIDA, in Mali. According to a survey carried out in 2006 by this organisation, 77 per cent of the MSMs questioned had had unprotected intimate relations."Many MSM told us they were sure that there was no risk of infection with anal penetration", said Yves Jong, coordinator of Alternatives Cameroun's sexual health and prevention unit.

379 Dangerous clandestine existence

Even when MSM are aware, their exclusion from the majority of health policies on the continent means that it is difficult for them to obtain what they need to protect themselves from infection. The most frequent problem is access to lubricating gel, explained Monvoisin. "Many [MSM] use butter or oil, but unfortunately this damages condoms."The clandestine existence that gay communities are forced to hide away in exposes them not just to the risk of HIV, but the rest of the population too: because they are unable to live openly as gay men, many MSMs also have sexual relations with women, or are even married, activists have highlighted.In Mali, "the majority of homosexuals - 88 per cent according to a study - are bisexual, which increases the spread of the disease", said Dabo.African governments must, therefore, act as quickly as possible and protect these vulnerable groups in the interest of the population as a whole, urged participants at the meeting in Cameroon."As long as [MSMs] are ignored, all efforts undertaken in the world to combat AIDS will be destined to fail", concluded Joël Nana, from IGLHRC's African office.

60. HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER AND SOCIAL ISSUES

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Govt - Sudanese President's Indictment By ICC Ill- Timed:This Day (Lagos):25 July 2008

The Federal Government has described the indictment of Sudanese President Omar al- Bashir by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as ill-timed and an action that could aggravate the already bad situation in the country.Speaking in Abuja yesterday at a one- day seminar organised by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution on "Nigeria and Darfur Crises: The Way Forward", the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ojo Maduekwe advised the Sudanese government to strive to bring peace to Dafur for the sake of its citizens.Maduekwe said the peace could be achieved by bringing to book the perpetrators of criminal acts through its judicial system.According to him, the Africa Union (AU) had also agreed that the timing of the indictment was bad especially as it concerns a sitting president.He said: "We would not abandon Sudan at this stage; we would defend its rights as a sovereign state and also the office of the sitting president, which we would be the first to defend. But sovereignty is not an instrument of repression. Sitting presidents whether in Africa or anywhere else should stand up for the rights of their people and stop sitting on them."The minister said the Africa Peace and Security Council, which met in Addis Ababa early this week did not tear up the ICC indictment but simply deferred it."International law has moved away from a blind concept of sovereignty that means whatever happens within your territory, even if it is in gross violation of human rights, would be defended and that is the significance of the ICC indictment which we agreed is wrong timing or political, or targeted at Africa. All these does not in any way extricate African governments from their responsibility to make sure that there is peace, democracy, rule of law and good governance in their domains," he said.He however appealed to the Sudanese government to desist from creating an impression of a helpless

380 government and put in more efforts to restore peace in Darfur."What we get from Sudan is a feeling that things are out of their hands and we have made it clear that they should regain control as a government. We are tired of Sudan coming to AU meetings to say they are doing their best to quell the situation, their best is not enough," he added.He said Nigeria had a responsibility to ensure peace in Africa because of the entrepreneurial nature of its people."This does not make us police of Africa, but it would be foolhardy for us to assume that the fire burning next door would not burn us."Commenting on the Niger Delta crises, he appealed to the people to give the President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua government a chance to right the wrongs that had been done to the people and develop the region.According to him, "If people who would bring this development would be kidnapped or killed, they would not bother to come at all."A prosecutor for the ICC in The Hague, which is located in Brussels, had announced July 14 that he was presenting the case for genocide against Sudanese President Al-Bashir.ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno- Ocampo of Argentina, had accused al-Bashir of committing crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Darfur region.

• Nigeria: FG Begs Niger Deltans:Vanguard (Lagos):25 July 2008

The Federal Government has appealed to the people of the Niger Delta region to give them chance to address all the injustices they have been suffering for years.Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe who made this call yesterday in Abuja, narrating ordeals which has befallen the Sudanese as a result of rebels attack in the region, said that government is doing everything possible to address the issue, but should be given a chance.According to him, before the International Criminal Court (ICC) or the Second World War, it could have been easy for govt to hide under the crook of sovereignty and suppress their people."Government particularly in African continent dealing with the issue of facility of the state would have to come up with a level of discipline that is higher than the average in history."That means finding a way of engaging forces that are grieved and try all the peaceful options to engage them. They need to listen to people who are grieved, the community that has a compliant."That is why in case of Nigeria our president has gone out of his way to be a listening president specially on the issue of Niger Delta and everything is being done even taking risk of looking weak."Everything is being done to give peace a chance. So we don't go in the way of Darfur in Nigeria, so that government does not feel compelled in excising its traditional responsibility to maintain law and other."So that government does not feel compelled to use a level of force that is going to be uncomfortable both for the government and the communities involved."We have a responsibility both as government and donors to maximise the opportunity for conflict resolutions to ensure greater accountability on all side to ensure that funds that are made for development are actually use for it and we hope that the Niger Delta will give this government an opportunity to correct injustice and allow people who have come to develop the region to provide that very infrastructure lacking for so many years."If you are going to be kidnapped, if you want to kill, there has to be development and in the right place too. I think that there are some lessons we need to learn from the Darfur crisis. Government themselves all over Africa will have to find a way of dealing with rebels with a human face".

381 SOUTHERN AFRICA • Zimbabwe: Clampdown On Opposition And Media Continues While Talks Are Underway:SW Radio Africa (London):25 July 2008

Concern is growing as to why the negotiators continue to talk when the original conditions to begin talks have been ignored.Events on the ground show there is no political will on the part of the Mugabe regime to change, despite agreeing to negotiate a settlement with the MDC. Abductions of opponents continue, teachers are being forced by soldiers to attend pungwes (rallies), radio stations are still being jammed, and websites are being hacked.It's reported a driver and an assistant to MDC Senator Samuel Tsungirirai Muzerengwa were abducted in Buhera South on Thursday, and the MP for the area Naison Nemadziwa has been forced to flee. MDC spokesperson for Manicaland Pishai Muchauraya claims the activists were abducted by soldiers and militia led by a Colonel Morgan Mzilikazi of the Zimbabwe National Army. Muchauraya said Rusape police have not been helpful, and the whereabouts of the MDC activists are still unknown.Meanwhile, prominent lawyer Advocate Eric Matinenga said he still cannot go back to his own constituency in Buhera West as a result of the tense situation there. Speaking on the programme Hot Seat Matinenga said: "People are starving, people are living in fear. That is what you must address now, before you address even what form this transitional arrangement is going to take. If you are not doing that you are not negotiating on behalf of the people of Zimbabwe."The MDC says over 1500 activists are still in jail, and militia camps remain operational. Raymond Majongwe, the Secretary General of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, said teachers in rural areas are being forced to attend rallies by ZANU-PF soldiers, the PTUZ offices in Gokwe are still closed, and staff have been chased away by war veterans. Majongwe said in some parts of the country, like at Chidohwa Primary School in Makoni East, youth militia are still seen walking with AK47 rifles.Many people are scared to go back to their homes because their safety has not been assured. Matinenga, who is also one of Morgan Tsvangirai's lawyers, said ZANU-PF should be withdrawing the army from the rural areas since it controls the state machinery. But there seems to be no concession on the part of the regime while the negotiations are taking place. Media outlets have also borne the brunt of state sponsored repression.Radio stations are still being jammed using jamming equipment supplied by China, and websites are being hacked. The latest casualty is ZWNEWS, one of the leading websites on Zimbabwe.The editor Alan Doyle was forced to put up a notice on his website on Friday saying: 'Visitors to ZWNEWS.com over recent days will have noticed disruption to normal service. This is because hackers, based in, or at least routed through, China have damaged the site.'Doyle told SW Radio Africa, "I am not the only one. I believe a couple of weeks ago the Zimbabwe Times went down and it's no secret that they have been blocking radio stations, have been forcing people to take down their satellite dishes and to hand in their transistor radios, and they have hiked the import duties on foreign publications."

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

382 • Eritrea: President Holds Talks With Sudanese Government Delegation Shabait.com (Asmara)

25 July 2008

President Isaias Afwerki today received and held talks with a Sudanese government delegation headed by the Minister of Justice, Mr. Abdulbast Sebderat. The delegation also includes Mr. Al-Semani Al-Wesila, Deputy Foreign Minister.In the meeting at the State Palace, the two sides held extensive discussion on the stage reached in the development of Eritrean-Sudanese relations and the overall situation in the region.Both sides also agreed that the drama that has unfolded in the past few days in the name of the "International Criminal Court" against President Omar Hassan Al-Beshir of Sudan constitutes an insult and contempt to governments, peoples and values of nations, and as such it should not only be rejected but also rebuffed on the basis of coordination and clear strategy.Stating that the Eritrean government maintains the belief and stance that problems of the Sudanese issue should be resolved solely by the Sudanese themselves, President Isaias underlined that the Government of Sudan or different political parties in the country should resolve their domestic issues themselves free from external interference.The Sudanese delegation on its part expressed appreciation to the people and Government of Eritrea for standing as ever alongside the people and Government of Sudan.In a statement he gave to journalists following the meeting, President Isaias pointed out that the drama being unfolded in the name of the "International Criminal Court" against President Omar Hassan Al-Beshir is a vivid demonstration of the double standard applied by its authors. And as this development has given rise to close awareness, it is imperative to counter such contempt through coordinated common endeavor, the President underscored. In this respect, he declared: "In order for our region to achieve stability, all parties are duty-bound to make due contribution."

• Sudan: Milosevic, Taylor Cases Prove Bashir Arrest Will Help Country:The East African (Nairobi):22 July 2008.

Last week's request for a warrant of arrest for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo, continues to draw mixed reactions.However, a report by the think tank ENOUGH Project argues that the call to arrest al-Bashir is not only based on sound evidence, but that it can be a step forward in the path to secure peace in Darfur.The report cites the cases of Slobodan Milosevic and Charles Taylor, as past indictments of war criminals that brought the desired results."The status quo in Sudan is one of the deadliest in the world. Until there is a consequence for the commission of genocide, it will continue. This action introduces a cost, finally, into the equation," says John Mr Prendergast, the co-chair of Enough.In the report, The Merits of Justice, the authors of the report argue that, "If the hand-wringing all feels a bit familiar, it is because we have been through this more than once before. In 1999, during the Kosovo conflict, Milosevic was indicted in the middle of not only a Nato bombing campaign to reverse the ethnic cleaning in Kosovo, but of high-level peace talks between the United States, Russia, and Finland to end the war."In the case of

383 Taylor, in June 2003, Liberia was on the brink. Rebel forces had advanced within 10 miles of the capital in the first of a series of offensives that Liberians would dub "World Wars" for their ferocity. The ICC warrant was nevertheless executed, and sanity was restored in Liberia.In the latest move, the ICC wants al-Bashir indicted on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Darfur. The report says however, "Sadly, but somewhat unsurprisingly, the step has set off a chorus of hand-wringing among certain diplomats, academics and pundits who are now arguing that holding perpetrators of crimes against humanity accountable for their actions is unhelpful.A veteran academic expressed his worry that almost all African senior officials could be made vulnerable to similar charges by this precedent," the report states.But the report argues, "Let's be clear. Holding people accountable for war crimes is not only the right thing to do from a moral perspective - it directly promotes peace and makes future such abuses less likely.Part of the reason Darfur has remained locked in crisis for years is that the international community has been slow to acknowledge what has always been painfully obvious: The janjaweed militias that have terrorised and decimated Darfur have been directed by the Sudanese government.The militias were financed by the government, and received direct battlefield support from the Sudanese military. The ICC is doing no more than acknowledging the plain, painful truth of Sudan's tragedy. The prosecutor should be congratulated for recognising that turning a blind eye to war crimes is not helpful."According to the report, very few commentators took exception with the notion that Milosevic had been intimately involved in directing ethnic cleansing, genocide, and sundry other war crimes in Bosnia and Kosovo.But Russian envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin said the indictment "pulled out the rug from under the negotiating process," as both Russia and China decried what they called a "political" indictment that was designed to scuttle peace talks. Others suggested the indictment would push Milosevic to stay in power permanently or lead his forces to adopt an even more brutal approach on the ground in Kosovo.Yet, in retrospect, the work of the Yugoslav tribunal and the indictment of Milosevic led to none of the doomsday scenarios envisioned by the skeptics.While the Russians postponed a single diplomatic trip to Belgrade for one week to express their dissatisfaction with the indictment, the peace talks resumed quickly and Milosevic accepted the demands that were placed upon him: Kosovar refugees were allowed to return home; Serb forces withdrew from the province and a Nato-led force entered to provide security.Milosevic's hold on power did not last long after the 1999 war and his indictment.The reports says that the lesson learnt from Milosevic's case is that indictments don't necessarily derail peace talks and, indeed, they seem to be most helpful in clarifying the minds of dictators that their very existence is at stake.In the Taylor case, he was indicted shortly after he promised to step down by the end of 2003 at a peace meeting in Accra, Ghana, when the special court for Sierra Leone unveiled an indictment against Taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated during that country's brutal war.Some diplomats engaged in the negotiations denounced the indictment as an impediment to peace, and the presidents of South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana complained that they had been "sandbagged" by the timing of the indictments as they tried to persuade Taylor to resign.Pessimists were quick to critique the court's prosecutor for interjecting the concept of justice into the rarefied realpolitik of peace negotiations.Yet, Taylor's indictment, combined with unprecedented levels of international pressure (including a US warship on the horizon) helped to build the

384 leverage necessary to convince him to move into a negotiated exile in Nigeria. The terms of this deal were clear: As long as he stayed out of Liberian politics, Nigeria would keep him out of the hands of the court, despite an Interpol warrant for his arrest.Nevertheless, he was arrested following a dramatic and nearly successful escape attempt to cross from Nigeria into Cameroon. He was turned over to the special court and is currently facing trial on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity."Today, self-professed realists argue that Taylor's handover to justice sent the wrong message to dictators such as al-Bashir and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, maintaining that it undermines the credibility of amnesty offers to dictators who are all the more likely to hold on to power at any cost. This facile misreading of history misses the real lessons from the Taylor case," the report says.

• Sudan: Restore Security in Abyei Human Rights Watch (Washington, DC) PRESS RELEASE 22 July 2008

Tens of thousands of civilians are still unable to return to the contested town of Abyei, two months after half of the town was destroyed in fighting, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.A Human Rights Watch investigation in June 2008 documented the deaths of at least 18 civilians in the fighting in mid-May, most of them deliberately killed by Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) or allied militia. Due to SAF restrictions on access to the area in the weeks following the fighting, the total number of casualties remains unknown.The 32-page report, Abandoning Abyei: Destruction and Displacement, May 2008, documents human rights violations committed by SAF forces and allied militia before, during, and after clashes with Sudanese Peoples' Liberation Army (SPLA) of Southern Sudan between May 13 and 21. Abyei inhabitants who had fled south of the town told Human Rights Watch that SAF soldiers shot civilians who were trying to flee, and detained and then arbitrarily killed others."Two months after the clashes there is still no clear information on how many civilians died and under what circumstances," said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "Without a full and independent investigation, accountability for the killings, looting, and massive destruction in Abyei will not be possible."According to information obtained by Human Rights Watch during and after the fighting, SAF soldiers and allied militia carried out massive looting and destroyed more than half the town. By May 17 they had burned more than half the homes in Abyei to the ground and completely destroyed the market. Soldiers and militia also looted and set fire to compounds and property of UN and humanitarian agencies in Abyei.A full and independent investigation into the killing and other abuses has so far not been possible because SAF forces restricted access to Abyei in the weeks following the fighting.According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, approximately 60,000 people fled the town during the fighting, and at least 50,000 are still living in temporary shacks or crowded into homes with other families in Twic County, south of Abyei. The northern government and the Government of Southern Sudan reached a deal on June 7 - the "Abyei Roadmap" - which called on both sides to withdraw their forces from the area and deploy a new Joint Integrated Unit (JIU), with forces from both sides, to provide security in the town.

385 However, neither side has completely withdrawn its troops. Displaced people from Abyei told Human Rights Watch they would not go home until this was done, out of fear of a return to violence."Displaced people told us repeatedly that they could not go home until Abyei was safe," said Gagnon. "To them 'safe' means the complete withdrawal of the SAF, and for the joint unit to be up and running."The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) was aware of growing tensions and the buildup of troops in Abyei since late 2007, yet when fighting broke out only 200 troops were deployed there - a force that was insufficient to protect civilians and their property in the face of the large-scale fighting and destruction. UNMIS was also hampered by long-standing restrictions on its movement by both the SAF and SPLA, despite a mandate that guarantees full freedom of movement."UNMIS has long known Abyei is a potential flashpoint for violence," said Gagnon. "It should urgently take steps to assure the mission has the capability in place to fulfill its mandate to protect civilians."At the request of the Security Council, UNMIS has conducted an initial investigation into its own role in the run-up to and during the fighting, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to include initial findings in his quarterly report to the Security Council on July 24.Meanwhile, delays in implementation of the roadmap are leading to renewed tension between the two sides. On July 7, a SPLM soldier shot and injured a UN military observer and a SAF monitor in Agok, south of Abyei."A return to violence in Abyei could have massive repercussions for the whole of Sudan," said Gagnon. "Khartoum and the Government of South Sudan need to implement the roadmap in full and on time, and the UN and governments should put pressure on them to do so."

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Minister Raps School Heads Over Genocide Ideology The New Times (Kigali) 26 July 2008

Dan Ngabonziza Kigali

The State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Theoneste Mutsindashyaka has warned head teachers who harbor the Genocide ideology that concrete actions would be taken upon them if caught.He was speaking Thursday at the official opening of the annual meeting that brought together all Public and Private secondary school head teachers at Kigali Serena Hotel."You are the masterminds of the genocide ideology existing in some schools you lead. You should immediately denounce that mentality, if not so, harsh punishments will be taken upon any of you discovered," an angry State Minister warned.Early this year, the former Minister of Education who currently occupies the Gender portfolio, Dr.Jeanne d'Arc Mujawamariya and her then state Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Joseph Murekeraho, were quizzed by Parliament over the alarming genocide ideology in some schools in the country.Mutsindashyaka told the estimated 750 head teachers who attended the meeting that almost 80% of them fuelled the genocide ideology in their respective schools.He advised them to forget that culture of divisionism among themselves and work together as a team which will drive them to sustainable development.The minister also urged Head teachers to have self esteem and

386 work hard to make a new developed Education structure for their country.He said that a good teacher can produce good students who in turn can also become good educationists and contribute to the country's progress.He reminded them that the country's biggest challenge in the Education sector is at the Secondary level, where Students join Universities and graduate with no clear knowledge."It is so absurd to ask a graduate student from one of the Universities here to write a document and he fails it. He may do it in either English or French but still you remain confused over the language he used. This is caused by a poor Secondary background which you should improve from today," he said.On the ICT side, the State Minister promised Head teachers they would be soon trained and equipped withlLaptops that will enable them access IT in the field.He revealed that in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy, and Rwanda Development Gateway, about 35 Schools lacking electricity will soon have with solar energy installed.Britain's Department for International Development (DFID) representative, Richard Alfred, said that the department he was representing is ready to provide more support as a reward to good usa of aid given to Rwanda.He added that DFID will soon facilitate head teachers to graduate in School Management at KIE through the long distance learning system.

61. REFUGEES AND MIGRATION ISSUES

WEST AFRICA

• Sierra Leone: Salone Refugees to Lose Status Concord Times (Freetown)

22 July 2008

Sierra Leoneans who fled their country following the 1991 civil war would lose their refugee status next January 1, a United Nations official was said to have told Reuters on Monday.Sierra Leoneans living abroad still classed as refugees must choose between repatriation, or integration into local society, said Dillah Doumaye, representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in neighbouring Guinea.Guinea received the greatest number of people fleeing Sierra Leone in the 1990s, when more than 600,000 refugees from twin civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia sought safety there."Today the situation has returned to normal in Sierra Leone and living conditions are no tougher than in Guinea," Doumaye said.Most people in Guinea are desperately poor even though the country has one third of the world's known bauxite reserves and is the leading exporter of the aluminium ore."We have concluded that there is no longer a good reason why a Sierra Leonean should be a refugee in another country," Doumaye said. The war was officially declared over in early 2002 and a huge U.N. peacekeeping operation ended at the end of 2005.According to official UNHCR documents, around 7,000 Sierra Leonean refugees are in Guinea, of whom 4,000 are in urban areas.Those who choose to return to Sierra Leone, which the U.N. ranks as the world's least developed country, will be given food and cooking utensils, as well as $100 each, he said.Most people in Guinea are desperately poor even though the country has

387 one third of the world's known bauxite reserves and is the leading exporter of the aluminium ore."We have concluded that there is no longer a good reason why a Sierra Leonean should be a refugee in another country," Doumaye said. The war was officially declared over in early 2002 and a huge U.N. peacekeeping operation ended at the end of 2005.According to official UNHCR documents, around 7,000 Sierra Leonean refugees are in Guinea, of whom 4,000 are in urban areas.Those who choose to return to Sierra Leone, which the U.N. ranks as the world's least developed country, will be given food and cooking utensils, as well as $100 each, he said."If a refugee thinks he has good reasons not to return home, he must give the UNHCR a detailed account of these reasons and it will study them," Doumaye told Reuters.The decision to terminate the refugee status of Sierra Leoneans was taken by the international community, the UNHCR, aid donors, human rights organisations and the Sierra Leone government, he said.Around 100,000 Sierra Leoneans returned home from Guinea with the help of the United Nations between 2000 and 2004, in the closing stages of more than a decade of war in Sierra Leone.Still, thousands more refused to go back, hoping to win political asylum in the West.Some of those living in camps around the south-eastern town of Kissidougou, 600 km (375 miles) from Conakry, have spent more than 10 years lobbying the UNHCR to help resettle them elsewhere.

• Nigeria: Displaced Lagos Residents Relocate to Churches, Mosques:This Day (Lagos):22 July 2008

Lagos residents who have been displaced by the ongoing demolition exercise in the state have taken temporary shelter in churches and mosques.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the displaced families have taken abode at the worship centres where they cook and do their laundry.The Lagos State Government had embarked on demolition of slums and illegal structures across the state to pave way for its Megacity Project.At the Olaleye area in Ebute Meta, the victims were seen using firewood to cook while their children engaged in street soccer.The development has forced some of the displaced residents to relocate to Ijora, Oshodi, Maryland, Jibowu and other areas of Lagos."We are left with no option than to seek accommodation in these worship centres for now," a woman, who identified herself as Mrs Monica Edogame, told NAN.Edogame, a widow, said she decided to move her family to her church, Celestial Church because she had no money to rent a new accommodation."Since our house was demolished, I have decided to move my family to the church temporarily pending when God will provide money for me to secure another accommodation," she said.NAN also reports that some of those affected by the exercise have been going out for their daily businesses from the worship centres.A visit to some motor parks at Palmgroove, Ojota, Oshodi and Jibowu, shows that those who could not secure temporary abodes have started moving out of Lagos to their states of origin.

• Mauritania: Bumps Along the Road to Refugee Resettlement:UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:21 July 2008

The return of over 4,000 Mauritanian refugees who have been living in exile in Senegal for almost two decades has been smooth on the whole, but in some cases tensions are

388 arising as refugees complain about their new living conditions and come up against difficulties in reclaiming their land.In 1989 the authorities reportedly appropriated the land of many refugees when they expelled them from the country, forcing them to flee to Senegal and Mali."We still have not recovered our land or our property that was stolen in 1989," said a woman who was repatriated to Boynguel Thilé, near Boghé, 225km southeast of Nouakchott.The returnees have either been resettled on new land near their old villages or have been asked to make land claims to try to resettle on their former properties by negotiating with the current owners, according to Sidi Sow, prefect of Rosso in southern Mauritania and site of the first returnees in January 2008. But in many cases this land is no longer available to them, and the problem is particularly acute in Trarza, a region east of the capital."We have many land problems in Trarza. People have raised this at every returnee site. Returnees there know where their land was and how many acres they owned, and they want it back quickly so they can restart their agricultural cooperatives," Angèle Djohossou, senior repatriation officer for the UN Refugee Agency (UHNCR), told IRIN.Sow told IRIN: "We have to negotiate when it comes to returning farmland. An investigation will be conducted when there are disputes and we will propose a number of different solutions to people who are occupying land that is not their own, just as some of the refugees will [have to] accept resettling in locations different from where they lived 19 years ago."But for Moussa Fall, head of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) National Agency for the Reception and Integration of Refugees (ANAIR), this involves more engagement from the local authorities, who must also be careful to ensure returnees are skilled at exploiting the agricultural land they are given, since they are returning to one of the country's few productive agricultural zones in the south."We have to match the available land with the ability of the people to exploit it," he said.

Housing complaints

There are other problems, too. Some returnees who are waiting to be resettled are staying in tents provided by the UNHCR. But a number of its standard tents destined for Mauritania have been sent to Myanmar to help the victims of Cyclone Nargis, leaving a shortage, so they have to look at alternative possibilities."We have decided to construct hangars, with a cement floor to protect the animals, a wire perimeter and a prefabricated roof," said Didier Laye, UNHCR's Mauritania representative.Some who have already settled in new houses say the facilities are inadequate. Diouldé Amadou, a recently repatriated refugee now lives in the village of Joudallaye on the outskirts of Boghé. "We only have one four-by-five metre shelter for me and my 12 children," he exclaimed. "Living in N'Dioum [in Senegal] was easier. We had three bedrooms there - we had a better set-up."But Tfeïl ould Sid'Ahmed, the UNHCR representative in the Brakna region in southern Mauritania, said the organisation cannot be held responsible for everything. "These people must understand that they are no longer refugees!" he exclaimed. "Now they are Mauritanian citizens in their own right and if they are dissatisfied with something, they must learn to turn to the local authorities, not just to us the UN."

Village by village study

389 ANAIR's Fall is upbeat about the prospect for finding solutions to these problems provided the local authorities get more involved. There has already been progress. The local authorities are currently getting prepared to receive people's land claims and the UNHCR and NGOs are trying to help them. "We have done a village by village study to map out how we can respond to each claim," he said.UNHCR, the government, returnees and donors will get together in October to discuss any remaining concerns.Meanwhile not everyone is complaining. One returnee told IRIN: "With time, everything will eventually return to order. Problems usually find solutions bit by bit. Look, before we had no water, and now a fountain has been installed by the side of the road. We must just be patient."

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Glenanda Refugees to Be Deported:Business Day (Johannesburg):23 July 2008

ABOUT a thousand xenophobia refugees were removed from the Glenanda camp in Johannesburg yesterday and taken to the Lindela repatriation centre where they were to be deported to their home countries after they refused to register on the home affairs database.Gauteng government spokesman Thabo Masebe said that out of about 1800 refugees at the camp, only 900 registered for the temporary identity cards which would have given them access to the camp and exemption from being deported for six months.The camp was set up after foreigners from other African countries were attacked two months ago.While dozens of armed police and metro police in riot gear waited for an order to transport the foreigners yesterday, refugees said the government had no respect for refugee and human rights.They claimed the temporary card gave them limited access to services, which they said was not fair. "There is no clear explanation why we should take that card," a Burundian refugee said.Home affairs department spokeswoman Cleo Mosani said the card allowed holders to receive services to which other refugees were not entitled.In Cape Town, civil society bodies are bracing for possible court action over the impending removal of refugees displaced by xenophobic attacks in Western Cape as the deadline to close camps and end the declared provincial emergency draws closer.Zackie Achmat of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) said the TAC's law project was considering a high court application against the police to prevent the threatened forced removal of displaced people housed in halls in Khayelitsha.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Uganda: 'IDPs Drink to Cope in Camps':New Vision (Kampala):23 July 2008

SEVENTY percent of men in internally displaced peoples' camps drink alcohol to end their trauma, according to psychiatrists. Conan Businge reports that this almost doubles the number of women using the same coping mechanism.

Dr. David Basangwa, a consultant psychiatrist at National Psychiatric Hospital, said excessive alcohol consumption and drug abuse had increased cases of mental illness in Uganda.He cited cocaine, heroine and cannabis as the most abused drugs. "Stress,

390 infectious disease like malaria, HIV, measles and fatal accidents are also responsible for the 13% increase of mental cases," he added.Basangwa was yesterday discussing a recent survey by a Dutch institute of social studies at the hospital in Kampala. The study showed that alcohol had become a livelihood for the displaced people affected by the LRA war, especially in northern Uganda.In 2005, a World Health Organisation report ranked Uganda as the leading alcohol consumer in the world with a per capita consumption of 19.5 litres.

• Kenya: Hundreds Still Displaced in Nairobi:UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:22 July 2008

Hundreds of Kenyans displaced during post-election violence in early 2008 in the capital, Nairobi, are still in camps more than two months after the government launched a countrywide resettlement programme."Many of the displaced were tenants whose houses were destroyed or have since been occupied by other people; dozens were landlords, mostly in the Mathare slums, and these are the ones whose resettlement is difficult," Abdi Galgalo, the chief of Mathare, told IRIN on 21 July.Anthony Mwangi, the public relations manager for the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), knew of 778 IDPs in the city.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA-Kenya) said in an update covering 3-9 July that some 59,666 IDPs remained in 89 IDP camps, while 98,289 others had been registered in 134 transit sites across the country. Government figures indicated that 212,590 IDPs had returned to areas where they had been displaced.The government, through the ministry of special programmes, launched "Operation Rudi Nyumbani" (Return Home) on 5 May, targeting at least 158,000 IDPs in camps across the country, most of them in Rift Valley Province, which bore the brunt of the violence.With more than 85,000 of the displaced having left the camps since then, the government began the "reconstruction" phase of the programme on 20 July, to help the returnees build their homes and restart subsistence activities. Special Programmes Minister Naomi Shaban launched the programme in Uasin Gishu district in the Rift Valley.

Displaced in the city

Galgalo said the IDP camp near his office had been emptying gradually since May, with 213 IDPs in July.The problem with IDPs in urban areas, he said, was that the majority were from slum areas where land disputes were common, hence their reluctance to move out of the camps."Food and availability of medicine are key problems for those still in the camp as they depend on well-wishers and they remain here as efforts are being made to resettle them," Galgalo said.He said disputes over land in the slums, especially for those who owned houses, had complicated and slowed the IDPs' return to their homes. He added that the government had set up peace-building committees to help reconcile the slum dwellers and encourage the displaced to return home.Godfrey Ngugi, the chairman of the IDP camp in Mathare, said the recent cold weather had made conditions even more difficult."The major problem for us is when one of the IDPs falls ill; the cold season has not helped matters and we have had cases of cold-related ailments increasing," Ngugi said. "Although we have the Kenya Red Cross assisting us, we need medical

391 attention."He said there were dozens of children under five who need medical attention due to the cold.On 12 May, the government raised Ksh1.46 billion (US$22.4 million) of the Ksh30 billion ($462 million) it said it needed to resettle at least 350,000 IDPs."The magnitude of the destruction caused by the violence was enormous; we will therefore require about 30 billion shillings to meet the full costs of resettlement, including reconstruction of basic housing, replacement of household effects, as well as rehabilitation of community utilities and institutions destroyed during the violence," President Mwai Kibaki said on 12 May during a funding drive in Nairobi.

• Somalia: Famine Looms As Aid Workers Flee:Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):25 July 2008

By December this year, aid agencies estimate that the number of displaced and hungry people in need of life-saving aid in Somalia will swell to 3.5 million-nearly half the country's population. Yet, as drought and conflict conspire to worsen the crisis, the humanitarian space to deliver food and other essential assistance in this conflict zone has all but vanished."At sea, ships carrying aid face the threat of piracy, on land (aid workers face) armed robbery and kidnapping," says Abdullahi Musse, a Somali worker for an international humanitarian organisation. "Then, in the process of reaching our warehouses as well as on their way to the beneficiaries, the trucks cannot move without security escorts and have to pass through countless checkpoints which cannot be crossed without paying a 'fee' to a variety of armed groups."It is a high-risk activity with minimal guarantees of security," says Musse.Over the past few months, even this has become almost impossible to do. This year alone 20 aid workers, including foreigners, have been killed. Seventeen aid workers were freed after being kidnapped for ransom while 13 more are still in captivity.All international aid workers and UN staff have been forced out by continuous fighting between Islamic insurgent groups and forces of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) backed by Ethiopian troops. Both sides accuse each other of attacks on aid workers and vow to protect them. Added to this are professional kidnapping rings, which have been encouraged by the large ransoms paid by foreigners to release ships taken by pirates.The UN agencies and nine international organisations still maintain a presence in Mogadishu, but they rely exclusively on local staff. Musse told IPS over the phone from Mogadishu that Somali workers, too, are now being targeted and aid delivery has completely stalled.There are 250 informal settlements of displaced people in Mogadishu and over 200 more along the road in Afogye. The UN says that as of June, 857,000 people had been displaced from Mogadishu and are reliant on international aid. Other agricultural regions in south-central Somalia, the main theatre of conflict, have been without rain this season and food shortage is acute."One of the reasons why many people had fled Mogadishu and set up camps in Afgoye (45 kilometres from the capital) was that it was more accessible for aid workers than the city itself," he says. "Many families split to get the aid they couldn't in Mogadishu. For the last two weeks people in the Afgoye corridor settlements have also been protesting in frustration over lack of aid delivery."If sufficient food and other humanitarian assistance cannot be scaled up in the coming months, Oxfam International sees a severe famine in the making: "Should these conditions continue and aid agencies are not able to deliver adequate assistance, then the situation could tip over into famine in several regions of

392 Somalia later in the year."In his speech at the Security Council on July 23, the secretary- general's special representative for Somalia, Ahmed Ould-Abdalla, urged international naval escorts for WFP's aid-carrying ships and more security for aid workers."I sympathise with Somali nationals who constitute more than 95 percent of aid workers in south and central Somalia. They risk their lives daily and all too often have been the innocent victims of targeted killings," Abdalla told the Security Council Wednesday.

Political Impasse

Unfortunately, this sense of urgency in the humanitarian sector is not matched by developments on the political front. With the help of Ethiopian forces, the TFG controls a few towns in south-central region while an assortment of Islamic groups remain in ascendancy in most of the territory. (The Puntland and Somaliland regions in north and north-western Somalia claim autonomous status.)The UN-brokered peace agreement in Djibouti between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and leaders of the Union of Islamic Court has split the UIC. Radical Islamic factions reject the deal and increased attacks in south-central regions.The Islamic courts are now divided into two main groups: the Djibouti group headed by Sheikh Sharif and signatory to the peace deal with TFG, and the Asmara group based in Eritrea and led by Hasan Dahir Aweys, an Afghan war veteran who is now wanted by the United States on terrorism charges for his alleged links with al-Qaeda."It is difficult to say how much control these two have over Al-Shabab, a group which is also on the U.S. terror list, and other insurgent groups of 'mujaheddin' (holy warriors) that have waged a war to throw out the Ethiopian forces from Somalia," says Bashir Awale, a radio journalist based in Mogadishu. Bashir says many previously unknown groups with Islamic names have recently issued threats against humanitarian workers. "But the TFG forces are equally culpable of deterring aid," says Bashir who points to the fact that there are four TFG checkpoints within a few kilometres drive to from Mogadishu to Afgoye and dozens more within the city.Given the volatile and complex nature of the conflict, the UN special representative is seeking an international peacekeeping force to stabilise the country and provide cover to humanitarian operations. Ould-Abdalla believes that in "the current favourable political context following the Djibouti Agreement, it is time for the Security Council to take bold, decisive and fast action."However, when asked if the United States would lead a coalition of countries into Somalia to implement the peace deal, US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad said: "Well, you know that we are quite busy as you know, number one. Number two, that there are always issues with the U.S. leading a coalition "Blaming al-Qaeda related groups for the attacks on humanitarian workers, Khalilzad did not agree to prompt Security Council action. He said no plan for a peacekeeping force will be discussed before August 15, when the Security Council Secretariat is expected to present a future plan for Somalia. A peacekeeping force with a strong mandate could take months."Somalia remains the most dangerous place in the world for aid workers," says Abdullahi Musse, "and yet its people are most desperate for humanitarian assistance. Resolving this dilemma requires impartial and immediate international intervention and it is needed today."

393 CENTRAL AFRICA • Congo-Kinshasa: Monuc Calls On Armed Groups in East to End the Suffering of the Kivu Peoples:United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa):23 July 2008.

At its weekly press conference of 23 July 2008, MONUC called on armed groups in eastern DRC to end the suffering of the peoples of the Kivus by respecting the Goma Acts of engagement. MONUC also noted the progess of the Amani Programme in relation to the work of the Joint Committee on Peace and Security and its subsidiary bodies, which is now treating essential basic problems relating to the disengagement plan in particular.In addition, other positive progress was recorded at the political level and on the ground, with a reduction in armed clashes between the signatories to the Goma Acts of Engagment. Humanitarians also have better access to vulnerable populations, thanks to the reinforcement of MONUC troops in insecure areas in the Kivu provinces.But progress however remains very slow, as was noted one month ago by Mr. Alan Doss, Special representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC.Despite the efforts of all the actors engaged in favour of peace, six months after the end of the Goma Conference the civilian populations in both Kivu provinces continue to be the subject of serious exactions and human rights violations of all kinds.Incidents continue to be reported, and a tension persists between the various armed forces. A resulting climate of fear persists within the civilian populations, preventing the return home of more than one million vulnerable people.Consequently, MONUC firmly reiterates the urgent call launched by Mr. Doss one month ago to all the signatory parties of the Goma Acts of Engagement so that they prove their real will, through concrete acts, to put an end to the suffering of the peoples of the Kivus.They must cease once and for all at paralysing the process, through their full participation in the follow up work of Conference bodies, and to desist from armed confrontations or provocative gestures that violate the cease fire.MONUC also called on all the signatory parties to abstain from acts of human rights violations against civilians, in particular reprisals under unacceptable pretexts of collaboration with one or other armed group, government forces or MONUC.Meanwhile it was announced that Ross Mountain, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC, is on joint mission to North Kivu since 22 July 2008 with DRC Planning Minister Olivier Kamitatu.The aim is to respectively evaluate the implementation of the Amani Programme, the Support Strategy on Security and the Stabilisation Plan for eastern DRC.During their visit, they will meet with provincial authorities and various United Nations representatives and other partners. The Stabilisation Plan aims at accompanying the consolidation of peace and the reconstruction process in the eastern provinces.Multiple projects form part of the plan, such as the rehabilitation of priority roads, police stations and other basic infrastructure aimed at reinforcing the authority of the State.Yet these projects are more than simple rebuilding works, but constitute genuine tools aimed at boosting the consolidation of peace, and to create income generating activities.In both Kivu provinces, the projects were conceived in particular to support the Amani Programme, the peace programme launched after the Goma Acts of Engagement. Today, Ross Mountain and Olivier Kamitatu will travel to Masisi on the Saké-Masisi road which is undergoing important renovation works.During the three next months this project will offer employment to a thousand plus people living along the road. In

394 addition, the rehabilitation of the Rutshuru - Ishasha road should start quickly, and thus offer new income generating opportunities for the people living close to this road.

• Congo-Kinshasa: Displaced People Resume Return to Their Homes in North With UN Help:UN News Service (New York):21 July 2008

Displaced prepare to go home to Ituri last year, before the operation was suspended- Displaced people today began returning to their homes in the north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with the help of the United Nations refugee agency.Five boats chartered by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) ferried the first group of 712 people - from a settlement for internally displaced persons (IDPs) at Tchomia - across Lake Albert to the town of Gobu in the Ituri district of DRC's Orientale province. A further 1,800 IDPs are expected to return by this route in the coming weeks."Now, I can have a real roof and not live any more under plastic sheeting," one 52- year-old returnee told a UNHCR protection officer. UNHCR was also scheduled to resume on Monday another IDP return operation in the province. The refugee agency hopes to assist the return of almost 7,000 people from Beni and Eringhety to Komanda and the Ituri capital, Bunia, starting with a first group of 220 people.Some 3,000 IDPs have returned home under this operation, which was suspended by UNHCR in December for security reasons amid clashes between rebel fighters and troops of the DRC armed forces.Some 600,000 displaced Congolese remain in the Ituri region, living in settlements or with host families. Many fled their homes during the DRC's wider civil war between 1996 and 2002, which left 50,000 civilians in Ituri dead, while thousands more left their homes when inter-ethnic clashes erupted in 2003 all over the district.UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies are now in a recovery and reintegration phase, helping to reconstruct homes, schools and health centres, and providing seeds and agricultural tools to farmers in Ituri.Those retuning on Monday were each given a return package that included blankets, mosquito nets, kitchen sets, jerry cans, plastic sheeting and construction tools. They also received food aid from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and agricultural assistance from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).UNHCR believes that some returnees are likely to face land disputes when they get home - a problem throughout DRC. The agency is supporting dispute resolution mechanisms aimed at tackling the issue.Despite sporadic outbreaks of violence in the Ituri region, significant progress has been made since 2004 in restoring lasting peace, disarming and demobilizing rival military forces, and reintegrating fighters into society.UNHCR says it now plans to wrap up the assisted return programme by the end of this year.

62. HEALTH MATTERS (HIV/AIDS, MALARIA, TB) WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: '30 Percent of Human Ill Health Caused By Environmental Mismanagement':Daily Trust (Abuja):24 July 2008

About thirty per cent of human ill health that leads to death is as a result of poor quality of environmental management, Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban

395 Development, Mrs Halima Tayo Alao, has said.She said maternal health is a crucial component of global health and the continuity of the human race.Mrs. Alao who said this while addressing the ninth Conference of Parties of the Basel Convention in Bali, Indonesia, pointing out that women and children in most parts of the world are in many cases, most negatively affected by the poor waste management practices and hazardous wastes.The Minister noted that it is these vulnerable groups who come into contact with chemicals, especially agrochemicals and used containers which are used as domestic water containers.Mrs Alao who spoke on the topic, "Improving Maternal Health Through Sound Management of Hazardous Waste," noted that "35 percent of human ill health is caused by poor quality environment," adding that, "improper management of hazardous wastes is one of the problems confronting environmental watchdogs all over the world."She said the African continent has become the destination of growing volumes of unserviceable electronic equipment and other materials.She added that Nigeria alone, accounts for about five million used computers annually which ultimately constitute a blight to the environment. "These e-waste materials ultimately are burnt off us increasing green house gases (GHGs) which cause global warming and persistent organic poll (POPs). Other aspects of chemical pollution include fertilizers, pesticides and heavy metals",she said.The minister, in a statement signed by her Special Assistant on Media,Abayomi Adeniji, pointed out that unless the proper management of hazardous waste is given priority, land degradation could be aggravated threatening a vital resource in agricultural production and food security.She stressed that Nigeria is committed to sound management of chemicals and hazardous waste within her territory and will cooperate with other countries in this regard.The minister urged the Science Community to develop alternative safer chemicals and aim to reduce the volumes of hazardous wastes and stressed the need for a paradigm shift to ensure the recovery, recycling and reuse of waste materials.

• Nigeria: Govt Indicts Obasanjo Over N37 Billion Health Project:Leadership (Abuja):22 July 2008.

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo awarded over N37 billion contract for the construction of healthcare centres in 774 local government areas of the federation without following "due process and rule of law", Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Aondoaka (SAN), told an Abuja Federal High Court yesterday.Aondoakaa, who appeared in court personally yesterday, made the position of the Federal Government known at the commencement of proceedings in the case instituted by the project contractor, Mathan Nigeria Ltd, to challenge the revocation of the contract.According to him, the project was revoked by President Yar'Adua since it was an illegal child of Obasanjo who awarded it "erroneously" to Mathan Nigeria Limited.He said, "The past administration awarded the contract in error, and due process was not followed in the award. Primary health care is not in the exclusive or concurrent list and it is not the duty of the Federal Government to award contract bordering on the construction of health centres. It is the residual power of the states and the local governments and the Federal Government cannot force them on how to use their money."This government is rooted on the rule of law, and if we see any action in the contrary we shall not hesitate to stop it.''He noted that the conditions attached to the

396 payment for the contract by deducting from the federation account was unconstitutional.Mathan, however, opposed the government's position, saying it was misinformed because the contract was awarded to the company by Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and not the Obasanjo Administration.The comprehensive health centres, which were to be built in each of the 774 Local Government Councils was to be contractor-financed while Mathan was to be paid by direct deduction from the monthly allocation due to the local councils.Mathan is challenging the Federal Government before the court for revoking the contract in December last year.In a preliminary objection he filed challenging the suit, the AGF contended that Mathan has no right to sue the government for taking action against acts that "violate the constitution."He said, "There is no provision in the constitution for Federal Government to award contract for local governments. Local governments belong to states and their money belongs to state and local governments."And when this contract was awarded, we felt it was an affront on the constitution and we terminated it on the basis that it violated the constitution. We have come to court for it to determine whether somebody can drag the government to court for taking action against an act that violates the constitution."The president believes that the money belongs to the local and state governments and they are supposed to use the money the way they like. And it was not proper for the Federal Government to award contract for primary healthcare. Primary healthcare is not in the exclusive and concurrent lists and there was no basis for the local governments to go and award contract and order us to deduct money from the federation account. And you know that the deduction of money from the federation account in the opinion of the president is unlawful."Opposing the preliminary objection, counsel to the plaintiff, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), said it was designed to undermine the course of justice, adding that the issue of preliminary objection was distinctly submitted to the court by the AGF and it was decided that it cannot challenge the jurisdiction of the court.He said it was clear that the Federal Executive Council was misinformed, and that the contract was not awarded by the Federal Government but it was awarded to Mathan by ALGON.And ALGON, he said, was the agent representative and legal authority of all the 774 local governments. "So it was not the issue of Federal Government. Federal Government involvement was merely to ensure that the contractors met the standard, that the contractors fulfilled their obligation and that they are paid," he said.He argued that there was no sense in revisiting what has been decided "except the AGF is telling us that the lawyers who had represented him earlier in court did not have his authority."After entertaining the submissions of counsel to both parties, the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Umar, consequently adjourned the case to Thursday, July 24, 2008 for hearing.

• Guinea Bissau: Cholera Outbreak Escalating:UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:23 July 2008.

The number of people infected by a cholera outbreak in Guinea Bissau doubled in July to more than 600 and infections have spread to areas of the country previously considered low risk, health experts warn.Of 611 people in Guinea Bissau who have contracted the disease this year, 344 of them were infected in July, according to the government's statistics. So far 14 people have died. The outbreak has reached Gabu and Bafata, two

397 areas normally immune from infection, and six other regions."We have seen a notable increase in cases in the last week, and it is now all over the country," said Silvia Luciani, UN children's fund (UNICEF) representative.The outbreak started in the Tomboli region in the south of the country and spread to the capital in early July.There is a greater risk of cholera breaking out in the rainy season, currently underway, as fecal matter overflows into the country's reservoirs and wells. Most citizens cannot access running water and rely on well water for their daily needs.The rehydration centre of the national hospital, Simão Mendes in the capital, Bissau, recorded 88 cholera cases of cholera in just three days, from 18 to 20 July.The UN children's fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and non-governmental organisations are helping the government try to contain the crisis.An emergency response team led by the Ministry of Health is meeting three times a week to try to stop the disease from spreading. WHO is helping the government identify and treat cases. UNICEF, which traditionally builds latrines in health centres and schools, is spreading awareness to try to stem the spread and is developing a plan to disinfect the city's reservoirs.But according to Luciano there is an urgent need for more chlorine to help people disinfect their wells. There is currently not enough chlorine in the country forcing the government to try to import it from Senegal.Teams are going door-to-door across the capital to demonstrate safe hygiene practices to families. So far they have spread the word to over 22,000 households and hope to cover 70,000 by the end of the week.Cholera is deemed endemic in Guinea Bissau by the World Health Organization. A major epidemic in 2005 infected 2,500 people and killed 400.Guinea Bissau is emerging from many years of conflict and has weak state institutions with minimal capacity. Investment in water and sanitation infrastructure has not been prioritised, according to experts.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Tests on 'HIV Pill' to Stave Off Aids:Business Day (Johannesburg):23 July 2008

Scientists from the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation yesterday announced plans to launch an experiment to test whether men who are at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS can be protected with a pill.Giving people drugs to boost their ability to fight off infection, or "pre-exposure prophylaxis", is a tried and tested technique that is already used to protect people from diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. Now scientists hoped the strategy could be applied to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, bolstering the limited tools in the prevention armoury, project manager Earl Burrell said.Prevention methods such as education, counselling and encouraging people to reduce the number of sexual partners and use condoms have helped cut the number of new infections, but not enough to stop the spread of the disease. Last year alone there were 14000 new infections worldwide each day, says the United Nations."Pre-exposure prophylaxis is a rather extreme prevention method for people where condoms and behaviour change doesn't work. If we take a high- risk group and we offer them counselling and condoms and test them every month, we will reduce the risk (of HIV infection) but we won't eliminate it completely," Burrell said.Researchers plan to recruit 200 healthy men who have sex with men, in Cape Town, who are at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS - they may have had multiple sexual partners, or not used condoms with a partner they knew was HIV-positive before

398 enrolling in the study .Half the volunteers will take a daily dose of Truvada, a pill that combines the antiretrovirals tenofovir and emtricitabine, and the rest will get a placebo. Neither the volunteers nor the researchers will know who gets which pill. All the participants will get intensive counselling and will be tested every month during the two- year study, and for six months afterwards.The researchers chose Truvada because it was a safe and effective treatment for HIV/AIDS, with few side effects, Burrell said.

• Swaziland: Children Seek Hope in the Face of Aids:Inter Press Service (Johannesburg):24 July 2008.

In a narrow and still winter-brown valley, little more than a crevice between rocky mountains, Gogo Ndlovu looks after her five young orphaned grandchildren.The slight, stooped grandmother leans over her stick at the edge of a field planted, with the help of neighbours, with maize. The stalks are brittle and withered and the maize cobs are stunted."The rain came but it stopped. The maize stopped growing. We have nothing, nothing. I don't know what to do. When you go to the store for food they want money," she said.The boys, Famuza (9), Sifiso (11), Sandla (11) and Mbuso (10), and their sister Nelisiwe (12) have little to wear to school. Two boys share a pair of shoes while the others are barefoot. They usually go to school hungry, and wait for a United Nations Children's Fund lunch.Relatively speaking, Gogo Ndlovu's brood is fortunate in that they are on the radar of aid agencies, while some households are not. The family receives emergency food rations from the World Food Programme (WFP) and the children attend school, their fees paid by a government programme.This family is just one of many facing the same situation in this small mountainous kingdom in Southern Africa. With an HIV prevalence of 19 percent - the highest in the world - AIDS is having an unprecedented impact on Swaziland. Life expectancy has fallen from 60 years to 31 years, the world's lowest figure, and one in three children are orphaned or left vulnerable from AIDS. Last year, about 40 percent of the population needed food aid."AIDS has been a contributor to the food shortage. Families lose their household heads, the able- bodied men and women. What is left are grandparents who are at that time of their lives when they expect to retire and they often need care themselves, but they must again raise a new generation of children. The grandparents are too old to tend the fields, and the children are too small," said Abdoulaye Balde, country representative for the WFP.The land goes fallow, which by Swazi custom puts the children in jeopardy. On Swazi Nation Land where 80 percent of Swazis reside as subsistence farmers, chiefs allocate homesteads for families to live as long as the land is utilized. Some chiefs have expelled old and young residents of a homestead after the middle-generation dies of AIDS. Either the remaining family is absorbed into relatives' homesteads or they are left destitute and homeless.The Swaziland branch of Women in Law in Southern Africa has made orphans' property rights a priority. An organisation of HIV-positive women Swazis for Positive Living (SWAPOL), as well as UNICEF, work to ensure that children are not severed from the places they call home.Siphiwe Hlope, founder SWAPOL said; "We engage in projects to assist people affected by AIDS. Since we started in 2003, at least one quarter of the money we earn from our agricultural and sewing projects goes to orphans ."Another member of SWAPOL, a 45 year-old widowed seamstress named Sunshine Kunene, said; "The danger facing (orphans) is neglect, because the numbers are so high.

399 One out of five people in this country will be children under 15, orphaned after both parents die of AIDS, and that will only be in two or three years. Where are the resources to take care of them?"Social worker Agnes Khumalo added; "Swaziland cannot cope on its own. How can it? No country could handle an AIDS crisis on top of a food and humanitarian crisis. Almost half of pregnant women in Swaziland are HIV positive."Her views are echoed by recent research produced by the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division, based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It has brought attention to the fact that although Swaziland is being devastated by AIDS, it is not getting the priority it needs from the international community. The country is handicapped because the economic successes of the past mean it is categorised as a middle-income country, and thus cannot access the support that low-income countries receive from the international donor community.The report, 'Reviewing Emergencies for Swaziland' (2007), indicates that by the time Swaziland's rapidly declining economy plunges it into the low-income category, it may be too late for any intervention to be effective. Death rates now exceed the daily mortality thresholds used by agencies as an indicator of an emergency, the report states, and a new response is needed.Despite the implementation of many support programmes, their ability to respond to the overall need is apparent.While international agencies debate the terms, Gogo Ndlovu struggles on. Her grandchildren trudge two kilometers of rocky pathway to a community care point for orphans. They sit against an outcropping of stones with other children, while a pot of porridge bubbles over a wood fire.A woman ladles the porridge into bowls, and the children blow on it to cool it because they have no spoons and must eat with their fingers.The silence lasts a few minutes, then a soccer ball made of plastic bags wrapped layer over layer is produced. They kick it over a small patch of dirt, shouting.Scrubbing the big iron pot, the cook looks at them. "It really takes so little to make them normal, doesn't it?"

• South Africa: Military Still 'Not Keen' on Employing HIV-Positive People:Business Day (Johannesburg):25 July 2008.

AN HIV-positive soldier whom the military is obliged to consider for foreign deployment says he is again being overlooked.Sipho Mthethwa, along with two others, took the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to court in May, successfully arguing that the military's policy on HIV/AIDS was unconstitutional.He said despite winning the battle in court, the department overlooked him in its foreign deployment, a month after the milestone court victory.During the court case, the three maintained the military discriminated against prospective members and serving soldiers seeking promotion, training and external deployment opportunities.The Pretoria High Court ruled that the military was to draft a new policy by November.The court also ordered the military to consider Mthethwa for foreign deployment, a sought-after privilege that allows soldiers to earn more than their usual salaries. The court also determined that the military was to provide employment to a trumpeter whose job application had been turned down because of his status.The Aids Law Project, which represented the South African Security Forces Union (SASFU) , said it had written to the state attorney demanding an explanation for Mthethwa not having been deployed."Failure to do so would again result in court action," said Mark Haywood, executive director of the organisation . "We believe that in spirit

400 they are contemptuous of the very order of court that they consented to."Mthethwa, a physical fitness instructor and also an expert in gun technology, this week said he had been overlooked when a team was deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo about a month after the court judgment.No explanation was given except that the chief of the defence force was yet to issue an order permitting his deployment -- the first time the SANDF would have allowed an HIV-positive member on an external mission.Mthethwa, who is on anti-retroviral drug treatment, said another infantry unit was also preparing to deploy to Burundi next month but he has still had no word. "It is frustrating because the court order said that I must be considered for deployment immediately," he said.A spokesman for the defence department , Sam Mkhwana zi, said HIV/AIDS was not the only health reason for a soldier being disqualified from deployment. "When you go through the comprehensive health assessment you must be 100% ," he said. Mthethwa said he went through such an assessment in January. "The only thing wrong with me was that I'm HIV-positive," he said.Defending its HIV/AIDS policy in court, the SANDF argued that science could not yet guarantee that HIV-positive people could withstand the extremely stressful conditions associated with deployment. Fearing a deluge of applications before it had set guidelines spelling out how to deal with job applications from HIV-positive people , the SANDF had also sought to delay offering employment to the trumpeter.Yesterday SASFU national treasurer Matile Mmagare said he believed the trumpeter had not yet been employed by the military as he was away on a performance tour scheduled prior to the court ruling.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Uganda: HIV Crippling Education Sector:New Vision (Kampala):25 July 2008.

Mr Sendegeeya (not real name) was the only A' level literature teacher in his school. For years, he had been battling to continue teaching but his health had now become too frail.He went to the next school, about 20km away, to beg their sole literature teacher to take on his S.6 class. "Just take on this one class until November. They are so brilliant, I do not want to abandon them at this stage," he begged his colleague.50% of the teachers who die annually, die from HIV/AIDS related illnesses as established by a recent study on the impact of HIV/AIDS on the Ugandan education sector. Yet, as this study revealed, the sexual behaviour of teachers is still considerably risky."Only about 10% knew about the benefits of voluntary testing and counselling and less that 50% knew their serostatus," says the draft report of the study that was commissioned by the education ministry. It goes on to reveal that virtually all teachers are sexually active with 18% of male and 10% of female teachers having multiple partners. Of those with multiple partners, upto 30% of male and 45% of the female teachers do not use condoms with their 'surplus' partners.Teacher deaths are not the only way HIV affects the education sector. Experts estimate that by the time a teacher develops full blown AIDS, approximately six months of work have been lost.Discussing HIV/AIDS and teacher absenteeism at the 2006 World AIDS Conference, Phillip Twesigye observed that HIV/AIDS seriously complicated absenteeism even though it is not necessarily the biggest cause. He also pointed out that;- HIV+ teachers were psychologically absent even when physically present

401 - Disclosure was more difficult for them

- Low income made it more difficult for them to access treatment

- Stigma was an even bigger problem than HIV.

The sip-through effect of all this is that the quality of education is lowered and the student suffers.

• • Kenya: Cases of Prostate Cancer Increase :The Nation (Nairobi):25 July 2008.

Kenyan men should brace for bad news — it has been confirmed that cases of prostate cancer are highest in Africans compared to other races.The good news is that scientists recently discovered a “wonder drug” that can cure up to 80 per cent of the cases.But why are Africans and men of African extraction more prone to the disease? Because of their genetic make-up.The gene responsible is called ODC with a certain variant found in higher frequency in indigenous Africans and men of African ancestry than in other races.Studies have indicated that Asians are least likely to have this gene, explaining why they have the lowest rates of prostate cancer.The prostate is the gland below a man’s bladder that produces fluid for semen. Prostate cancer is the third most common form of cancer in men after lung and tumours of the head and neck. It is rare in men younger than 40.

Reliable treatment

Recently, medical experts in Kenya carried out studies on the rates and treatment of the disease and concluded that the disease was on the increase and there was no reliable treatment for advanced cases.In a special supplement of the East African Medical Journal, Prof George Magoha, a urologist and Vice Chancellor at the University of Nairobi, said Kenya should increase the screening for the disease.But the new drug has been described as potentially the most significant advance in the field of cancer research in the last 70 years.Reported in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology this week, the new drug, Abiraterone could be available as a simple pill in two years.According to the study, carried out by the University of Edinburgh, some of the treated patients, all with advanced prostate cancer, stopped taking pain relief medication within a short time after they started taking Abiraterone.Advanced clinical trials involving 1,200 patients around the world are currently under way.Another medical specialist, Dr P M Ngugi, a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi, said the current hormone related treatment is effective but has the side effect of decreasing a patient’s physical activity.“Androgen withdrawal therapy has a significant effect on walking speed and a physical performance in men with prostate cancer,” Dr Ngugi wrote in the East African Medical Journal.Most of the other prostate cancer treatments, including radiation and medical castration have the effect of reducing sexual potency. Considering that one of the major reasons for treating cancer patients is to improve or retain a good quality

402 life, lose of sexual prowess can be debilitating.According to another study by Dr D. K. Kiptoon of Meru District Hospital, some of the patients seeking treatment for prostate cancer are as young as 46 although the mean age is about 66.7 years.A family counsellor says that erectile dysfunction, which is linked to prostate cancer, poses a great challenge for many men and sometimes undermines patients’ will to live or fight the malignancy.Another side effect of the hormone withdrawal treatment, according to Dr Ngugi, is that it leads to a patient experiencing hot flushes.The logic behind this form of treatment is that the cancer is driven by sex hormones such as testosterone produced in the testicles. This treatment works by stopping the testicles from producing testosterone.However, experts have now discovered that the cancer can feed on sex hormones from other body sources, including supplies of the hormone produced by the tumour itself.Abiraterone, on the other hand, works by blocking production of the hormones throughout the body. Of those men who received treatment, the research panel wrote: “They have very aggressive prostate cancer which is exceptionally difficult to treat and almost always proves to be fatal. We hope that abiraterone will eventually offer them real hope of an effective way of managing their condition and prolonging their lives.”It is hoped that the drug will also aid other cancer patients, including those with breast cancer. Typical life expectancy following chemotherapy is no more than 18 months but with the new product it is hopped this will improve significantly.Dr Ngugi and other specialists will definitely be following the progress of this product keenly. “No major breakthrough has occurred in developing news products for the treatment of prostate cancer in a long, long time now.”However, the biggest disappointment to the Kenyan male is confirmation by researchers that Africans have the highest rates of prostate cancer in the world.“Prostate cancer incidence and mortality is higher for Africans in the Diaspora than all other races in the world,” wrote Prof Magoha in the special supplement.The highest rates of the disease have been recorded among people of African descent in Kingston, Jamaica. The lowest are in China and other countries in Asia.For many years, say the local researchers, prostate cancer was thought to be rare in Africans. But recent studies indicate this was only because of lack of adequate studies in the region.Prof Magoha indicates his interest being piqued by one study which had indicated that prostate cancer incidence in Nigeria was similar to rates reported among men of African extraction in the US or in Jamaica.

Compare experience

The urologist, then set out to compare his experience at Kenyatta National Hospital, with the Nigeria studies and found similarities in the rates. He also noted that Kenyans with the cancer presented themselves to hospitals when it was too late for effective management.He then concludes that, prostate cancer prevalence in Kenya is comparable to the high incidence rates reported in African Americans and other men of African ancestry in the Diaspora.Prof Magoha studied data from all parts of Africa and compiled the findings in the medical journal.He said that most men who report with prostate cancer for treatment do so when the disease has progressed too far.Following about 85,000 patients who were examined at KNH for one year, it emerged that 87 per cent sought treatment when the disease was at an advanced stage. Ages affected started from 50 years peaking at between 66 and 70.Because of late presentation, the two experts said it had

403 been difficult to reduce mortality rates. “Survival is greatly affected by stage of the disease at diagnosis.”

CENTRAL AFRICA • Cameroon: Partners Promise Active Participation in Malaria Fight:The Post (Buea):25 July 2008.

Partners in the fight against malaria have resolved to be actively implicated in the fight against the disease.This is one of the recommendations of a two-day meeting that grouped national and international partners engage in the fight against malaria that held recently in Yaounde.The over 120 partners are determined to elaborate a strategic plan to sensitize, inform, educate and communicate the mishaps of the disease to Cameroonians thanks to the technical expertise of the Ministry of Communications.Participants in the meeting also agreed that funds be put at their disposal by the Global Fund to the National Malaria Control Programme, to enable them realise their projects, and that a committee will be set up to ensure the follow-up of activities of the national partnership.It has been noticed by the National Malaria Control Programme that many are working for the fight against the disease without its knowledge. Some organisations are active in the distribution of treated mosquito nets to pregnant women and children below five in the provinces, this, not to the awareness of the mother partner.It was against this backdrop that the two day meeting grouping partners in the fight against malaria was held. Among other things, the objective of this meeting was to bring out the map of all partners in the fight against the disease. 'Some partners in the provincial levels are doing great in the fight against malaria and we don't know.I think this meeting will enable us to know exactly what they have been doing', the Permanent Secretary of the National malaria Control Programme, Dr. Ndong 'A Besong told The Post. He further explained that the come together will enable them to know the type of funds the partners have been using so that they will be able to document the activities for the benefit of the nation.Above all, he reiterated the partners' commitment to the active implication in the battle.

• Rwanda: CNLS Plots for Cooperatives In Aids Control:The New Times (Kigali):24 July 2008.

A plan by the National Aids Commission's (CNLS) to help HIV/Aids patients uplift their incomes through cooperatives is nearing its final phase.This was revealed Thursday by the Deputy Executive Secretary of CNLS, Antoine Semukanya, at a meeting held at Hotel Alpha Place, Kigali "It is through cooperatives and not non-profit associations that people living with HIV/AIDS will be able to effectively gain from our support," Semukanya saidHe confirmed that a national campaign to ensure that all local associations committed to fighting the stigma of AIDS among patients and help them join cooperatives was underway."Beyond treatment, we are interested in their sustainable livelihoods," Semukanya pointed out..An official from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said forming cooperatives will help AIDS patients tackle the growing burden of high costs of living. Damien Mugabo, who is the chairman of the national Taskforce for Cooperatives, assured the members that they could benefit from any grant."You have a right to solicit grants, but must make sure it is put to proper use," Mugabo advised.

404 63. ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE MATTERS WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: 'Global Food Crisis is Effect of Climate Change' :Leadership (Abuja):25 July 2008.

Architect Halima Tayo Alao, the Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development is a committed community leader who has served Nigeria in several professional and administrative positions before attaining her present status.She studied architecture at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, from where she graduated with a Master of Science (M.Sc) degree in 1981. After participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Ibadan, , she commenced a distinguished civil service career, in her home state of Kwara. Recently, she spoke with a selected group of journalists and our correspondents Atang Izang and Isaac Aimurie, were there. She spoke on a wide range of issues, which include the effect of climate change or global warming which has resulted to current global food crisis. Excerpts:

Desertification/Drought

To be able to know and appreciate the plan for desertification, there is the need to know what the issues of desertification and drought are all about. And, in understanding these issues, you would even with the action plan be able to know the things that must be done in order that the people will live sustainable and successful happy lives especially in those areas. Drought, especially in the northern part of the country has further been compounded by the issue of climate change. Apart from that there are some basic factors which have continued to degrade the land especially the issue of increase in population, the issue of urbanisation, the issue of pollution, are all issues that have further degraded the land, especially in the northern part where you really want to relate it with drought and desertification. And, of course we must understand that the large population derives their rural areas. Drought in the north has also been compounded by the issue of the down ward movement of the Sahel/Sahara desert, we must rescue it now because of the issue of climate change, too much water somewhere little water somewhere, especially too little in the inland areas.

Deforestation

On the issue of deforestation, people do illegal logging, illegal felling of woods, the issue of bush burning and also issue of trying to make the best of a bad situation where you have bad land and inadequate rain and all of that. For us to be able to effectively look at the issues of drought and desertification, we have to look at those factors that enhance the situation, that promote degradation and try to work against such factors so that we can tackle it effectively. We have a policy - National Policy on Desertification and Drought; and of course, we have an action plan. What are the consequences of drought and desertification? Land degradation and land dunes, dry land, lack of water and insufficient clean water, and all of that. So we have to start looking at the plan that we will put in place, action that will reverse these issues, reserve the issue of drought and

405 desertification. We have planned to rehabilitate Oasis, plan to do stabilisation of sand dunes, and plan to do aforestation. Aforestation is a very, very great factor, especially in the drought affected areas. A lot of degradations are as a result of the deforestation, consequences of bush burning, consequences of tree felling, consequences of exposing the land to further erosion.

What is the ministry doing?

Over the years, the ministry has done quite a lot of aforestation programmes in collaboration with the states. Because the states have the constitutional responsibility on the ownership of the forest. So we are trying to do quite a number of aforestration programmes with the local governments, shetter belt creation, rehabilitation of oasis, stabilization of sand dunes and all of that, and quite a number have been done. For this year's budget, quite a number will be done and quite a number too, under the ecological fund that have been so approved.

Water and sanitation policy

All the projects that we have been able to do over time, quite a number have always been to make sure that the environment as much as possible stays stable. We have tried to tackle pollution, land degradation and a lot of critical issues, especially now with climate change and all of that. But I must also say that environment cuts across all the other sectors of the economy, it is a very important factor that has tremendous impact on the success of all the other sectors. For sustainable development, it is very key or important that the environment is given its rightful place in national development. If we look at the issue of health, health indices will continue to be low until we have been able to adequately address the environment. I think it is a critical sector, critical issues as the health of the people is concerned. Health issues can never be over emphasised, we also know that almost 50 per cent of communicable diseases are environment related. Malaria which has continued to be one of the basic childhood killer diseases, is the disease that can be adequately tackled if we improve on sanitation and also improve on our environment. And of course, now with the global trend and climate change such as the issues of technology and technology transfer, we are saying we as a country must also join the global trend, considering the fact that we have to move towards renewable energy. We have to look at solar energy, we have to look at wind energy and we also have to look at hydro energy. And we are very lucky that solar energy is free and, so we as a country should strive to produce it, considering the fact that we have a very significant important position with climate change issues especially in the African region. We have heard about climate change over and over but for the sake emphasis, we said it is being caused primarily by changes that are humanly increasing in green house gases, principally carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which has continued to warm the atmosphere and the consequences of that are very little rain else where. Unpredictable rainfall is going to affect agriculture, it is going to be significant in food security and the health of the people is going to be affected' because increase in temperature will breed more infections and diseases; and it is going to be an issue with transportation and everything.

406 Climate change as a new phenomenon

Two things are relevant to climate change, and these two issues we must tackle. Well, the developed countries are making plans, but I must say that the climate change issue is a new issue. There is still more that needs to be done globally in terms of research and get on top of the situation with climate change. But I do agree with you absolutely that the developed countries are the greater emitters of about 87 of green house gas emission, while the African continent is accountable for about 3 per cent of the total emission. But it is true that we are under greater stress, we have more challenges to cope with, and definitely the scientists are saying that the African region is the least emitters, but we suffer more consequences of climate change and of course, we have the least ability to cope with them. But as a country we are looking at climate change and climate change issues at three dimensions. Internationally, what is our responsibility and how are we moving on the global trend with the issues of climate change. Nigeria is moving on internationally, Nigeria has her plans nationally and of course, locally too, we need to put few things in place. Internationally, the Kyoto protocol and the United Nations climate change (UNCC) convention have put in place obligations on the developed Nations as well as the developing owners. We are looking at adaption funding, which is expected to be an obligation with responsibility by the developed nations. We are also looking at capacity building that if we are able to put in place all the strategies the globe is expecting us to do, but as a developing nations, we definitely have the handicap which makes it difficult, but the developed ones are expected to assist the developing ones, including Nigeria on the issue of capacity building.

Information dissemination

There is the issue of National Communication Information dissenmination that is where the media comes in. They have a key role to play to ensure that information gets to everybody and the people are ready for it. The issues of adaptation and mitigation are also very important; we must make preparations for adaptation. Adaptation is trying to make a best from a bad situation situation that is on ground, which we are expected to live with for the next 30 years. And of course, mitigation is how to prevent it, and what are those things you need to put in place to stop the process of erosion itself? Adaptation is very key to Africa, one, because for a long time even when mitigation measures are put in place, we would continue to have the effect of warming that is already trapped in the atmosphere. We must learn to adapt with it before we get to the zero point, hopefully for the nation, that we are living an environmentally free atmosphere.

Sensitisation/Awareness Campaign

Absolutely, sensitisation is very key and awareness is a very important modality for getting to the grassroot. We at the ministry have a lot of displeasantaries, I must say it is taken us quite a bit of a time to roll out some of these things, because it is going to cost us money. We have very many programmes and activities, we are also pursuing workshops and seminars. But like I said, there is the need to get further and further to the grassroots. We have commissioned a few jingles which should be ready very soon and all these

407 corporate organisations are part of it and you media, are all part of it. We are also doing translation in local languages so that the grassroots people can have good advantage of it.

Climate change is still new

The climate change issue is still newer than the HIV issues, although like we said in the workshops/seminars, the international organizations have to treat the climate change issue like HIV/AIDS of a thing. We must also know that it is here now. If you recall, it took quite a long time for the people to know HIV/AIDS was real and quite a number of people have not gotten the need to take the climate change very seriously. We must do that because the effects are here with us. This year you can see the food crisis issue, 90 per cent of that is tied to the effect of climate change because of the low land areas. You have rice production and a lot of that suffer flooding because the ice and whole lot of that are melting and when the ice is melting, the sea levels are also rising. When the sea levels rise, all of the low lands and coastal areas are subjected to flooding, this in turn helps in washing away crops and that is what is contributing to the current global food crisis. So people should treat climate change issues like HIV/AIDS, and we can do that from our homes in our own little ways.

• Liberia: Govt Warns Monrovia Floods Worst in City's History:UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:21 July 2008.

Intense and heavy rainfall in the Liberian capital Monrovia on 20 July caused the worst floods on record in Monrovia and forced nearly 1,000 people out of their houses, Liberian authorities told IRIN.All day Sunday, residents in eastern areas of the city including in Paynesville, Townhalk, King Gray, Fish Market and other communities were seen removing personal belongings like mattresses, clothes and pots from their homes. By the end of the day, flood water had blocked roads to the area, and government rescue workers were using canoes to evacuate the remaining people from the flood areas."Right now, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Internal Affairs along with the Red Cross has been assisting in evacuating the flood affected residents to safer locations and as a temporary measure the government has relocated those residents to shelter in nearby schools," Liberia's Chief Medical Officer Bernice Dahn told IRIN on 21 July."With close to 1,000 persons displaced this is the worst flood we have experienced in this city," she said.Meteorologists have warned that the entire West Africa region is likely to receive above average levels of rainfall in 2008. Floods have already been recorded this year in countries including Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso.However Liberia's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acting executive director Jerome Nyenka told IRIN that the cause of the Monrovia flood is due to what he called "encroachment of human habitations on wetlands" as much as the level of rainfall."In this case, we have been able to gather that the affected areas are swamps. Because people have erected structures on those wetlands it prevented the flow of water and caused the floods," he said.Dahn said the health ministry is already liaising with several of the international aid agencies which have presences in Monrovia to coordinate assistance to the flood victims.

408 SOUTHERN AFRICA • Angola: Climatic Changes Implementation Strategy Approved:Angola Press Agency (Luanda):21 July 2008

Angolan Government has approved the national strategy on the implementation of the UN convention framework on climatic changes and the Kyoto Protocol that seeks, among other purposes, to foment international cooperation in the domain of the said alterations and transfer of knowledge and experience.In order to approve the strategy, printed on the first series of the State Gazette of June 5, that reached Angop on Sunday, the Cabinet takes into account the need to protect the essential natural resources for the sustaining of all Angolans and vital for the country's development."The Republic of Angola is on an important process of national reconstruction, based on the principles of sustainable development, where the economic values of its natural water-related resources and landscapes are known, making of it one of the most important countries of the African continent," reads the State Gazette.According to the source, Angola recognises that the impact of the climatic alterations are global, representing significant losses from the point of view of the economy, biological diversity and affects public health, with the changes that occurred in the climatic patterns being visible.In ratifying the UN framework convention on climatic changes in May 2000 and the Kyoto Protocol, in March 2007, the Republic of Angola reaffirmed its commitment to the implementation of measures and programmes of stabilisation of emissions of greenhouse gases.Thus, the Government considers that there is need for sectoral strategies that secure the mitigation of global warming effects and climatic changes and promote programmes of stabilisation of emissions of greenhouse effect gases.

• Southern Africa: New Money to Mitigate Disaster :UN Integrated Regional Information Networks:24 July 2008

In an effort to mitigate the negative impact of climate change, new funding by European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) will help bolster disaster risk reduction and community resilience in Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi and the Comoros.A statement released on 23 July said the EC had extended the scope of its disaster preparedness programme (DIPECHO) with a new allocation of €5 million (US$7.8 million) for the four southern African countries."This is an important step in supporting communities that are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. Experience shows that many lives can be saved if people know what precautions to take and how to react when the disaster strikes," Louis Michel, the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, said in the statement."Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi and the Comoros all suffer the serious effects of tropical storms that develop in the Indian Ocean. This type of action is especially important in a context of rising food prices and climate change," Michel noted.

More storms on the horizon

409 "The number of extreme weather events has increased sharply in recent years. Climate change already seems to be having a serious humanitarian impact," John Clancy, spokesman for Commissioner Michel, told IRIN."The decision to extend it [DIPECHO] to the southwest Indian Ocean reflects an unfortunate reality: more cyclones are occurring in that area, causing ever more structural damage and serious flooding," Clancy said.According to the 2007 Annual Disaster Statistical Review, published by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED): "Last year's number of reported disasters confirmed the global upward trend in natural disaster occurrence. This upward trend is mainly driven by the increase in the number of reported hydro-meteorological disasters."In Mozambique, catastrophic flooding in 2000 left up to 800 dead; in 2007 dozens of people were killed, and the country is yet to recover from floods in January 2008.Over 100 people died when Madagascar was hit by cyclones Fame, Jokwe and Ivan earlier in 2008. The powerful winds, heavy rains and flooding affected over 340,000 people, of whom 190,000 lost their homes.Cyclone Indhala, which hit Madagascar in 2007, caused over $240 million worth of destruction, according to CRED statistics. Altogether, there were six cyclones in 2007 - the worst year on record - while drought in the parched south has persisted for several years.Malawi, also hit by floods earlier this year, has turned a corner since 2005, when drought left close to five million people in need of food aid, but the country remains particularly exposed to dry spells and food insecurity.According to The Climate Change Risk Report by Maplecroft, a UK-based firm that specialises in risk mapping, at the beginning of July, Comoros was the country most vulnerable to the future impacts of global warming, such as increased storms, rising sea levels and agricultural failure.

Weathering the storm

"The funding targets communities that are already vulnerable because of extreme poverty, isolation due to weak infrastructure and difficult communications, and in Malawi and Mozambique, the high incidence of HIV and AIDS," Clancy said."The increase in extreme climatic events keeps such communities in a state of constant quasi- emergency, and does not allow them to establish the long-term coping mechanisms they need to allow real development to take off."Investing in preparedness would not only save lives and relieve suffering, "it also means that limited resources can be used more effectively - the cost of good preparation is a lot less than the cost of clearing up the mess afterwards," Clancy commented.

It pays to prepare "bottom-up"

"Important lessons were learned from the big floods in Mozambique in 2000 and 2001, when hundreds died. The floods of 2007 were of a similar magnitude and in the same area, but the government and actors on the ground were much better prepared," Clancy said.With the capacity of the Mozambican national disaster management authority (INGC) greatly boosted by 2007, contingency plans for pre-positioning essential relief items and evacuations were put in place. "Around 230,000 people were displaced and/or lost their livelihoods, but large-scale fatalities were avoided," Clancy said.While bolstering the INGC was a "top-down" approach, the new funds would be more "bottom-

410 up", targeting communities and helping them to organise themselves and be able to take measures to preserve their livelihoods.According to the EC statement, various types of programmes would be supported, "including practical training in disaster response for community groups and institutions, early warning systems, public information campaigns and small-scale infrastructure works"."In Madagascar, it has been calculated that a child living in a disaster-prone area loses on average one full school year due to lack of access to or destruction of their schools," Clancy said.The new funds would assist communities by establishing cyclone- and flood-resistant schools and clinics, "which can also serve as shelters for the community, and by funding the acquisition of small boats, for example, which allow children to continue to access their schools even in heavily flooded areas."The statement also said implementation of these projects should begin in October 2008, before the onset of the next cyclone season around December.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Uganda: New Practices to Help Farmers Beat Climate Change:New Vision (Kampala):22 July 2008

FARMERS need to learn new practices to adapt to new climatic changes. A report released by Oxfam, a non-governmental organisation, shows that adaptation can help the communities live with the climatic change that has taken its toll on farming and pastoral communities.The report, Turning Up the Heat: Climate Change and Poverty in Uganda, notes that for a changing climate, there are winners and losers."This is true to some extent for some farmers in some societies."For instance, Britain is hailing the resurrection of a native wine industry as temperatures rise. In Nepal, farmers are growing bigger and tastier apples than ever before.However, this is not the case in Uganda. Yofesi Baluku, the executive director of Karughe Farmers Partnership in Kasese district, says local varieties have disappeared due to changes in climate."Because of the short rains, we plant crops that mature fast. That is why some pumpkin and cassava varieties that need a lot of rain have disappeared," he says. Florence Mbejuna, a farmer in Bundibugyo, concurs: "Cassava no longer yields anything yet the beans have also failed."How does she adapt?"We have stopped seasonal planting. We used to sow in March, but now we plant all year around," Mbejuna says.

Causes of changes in rainfall

The report notes that the rainfall patterns have become erratic and destructive.According to the report, the changing weather pattern is caused by pollution, especially by gases from industries."Most of the current warming is being driven by outpouring of green house gases from coal, oil and gas that powered the industrial revolution in Europe and the US 150 years ago," the report notes.

Way forward

The report calls for natural resources management. "Development cannot be sustainable unless the Government takes natural resource management seriously."Urgent measures

411 should be taken to prevent land degradation and restore lost wetlands, forests, water bodies and other ecological systems, it concludes.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Central Africa: FCFA 100 Billion for Congo Basin Rainforest:The Post (Buea):25 July 2008

The Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Prof. Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, has disclosed that FCFA 108 billion has been contributed for the Congo Basin Forest Fund abbreviated in French as CBFF.The money raised at an official launch of the fund last June 16 and 17 in London is geared at ensuring a sustainable management of the Congo Basin Rainforest considered as one of the most important carbon absorbents of the world.Prof. Ngolle Ngolle made the disclosure at an academic forum organised in Yaounde by the International Relations Institute of Cameroon, IRIC. The forum placed under the theme: Forests; Global Challenge of the 21st Century had the Forestry and Wildlife Minister as the guest speaker.Ngolle Ngolle said contributions into the fund spearheaded by Britain and Norway with the participation of all the ministers in charge of forests in the Congo Basin is an indication of the global importance attached to that forest. He said money from the fund would be used in the conservation efforts of the Congo Basin Forests as well as in financing alternative activities of other partners in the sector.He noted that of the 3.8 billion hectares of world forest, the Congo Basin Forest occupies 22.5 million hectares and containing some 11000 vegetal species, amphibians and diverse mammals. He stated that of the 65 million people living in the Congo Basin, 3 million of them are the Bakas who depend solely on the forest.The Minister cautioned that if the forest is not well managed, it can be a source of global conflict. He mentioned the contribution of deforestation to climatic change with its global negative effects.Highlighting why the forest must be judiciously managed, Ngolle Ngolle, noted that about 90 percent of the world's poor countries depend totally or partially on the forest for their livelihoods while forest products contribute some US $130 billion to the world's economy, annually.Coupled with this, he said about 47 million job opportunities are offered by forest related industries while 46 percent of the carbon emitted is absorbed by the forest.He said the services being provided by the forest is now at risk because of unsustainable agricultural activities, forest exploitation and natural catastrophes.Going by WWF and FAO statistics, he revealed that 28 hectares of the world forest is destroyed every minute with some 137 tree species facing the risk of disappearance due to deforestation each year. He, however, added that deforestation contributes 20 to 25 percent of the total carbon emissions.According to the Minister, only improvements in forest governance can guarantee resources for future generations. The academic discourse was marked by a question and answer session moderated by the Director of IRIC, Prof. Narcisse Mouelle Kombi.

• Cameroon: 33 Forest Exploitation Companies Risk Suspension:The Post (Buea):25 July 2008.

412 The Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Prof. Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, has warned some 33 forest exploitation companies to pay over FCFA 2 billion as outstanding forest royalties or face sanctions.The warning is contained in a communiqué dated July 16, faulting the companies for failing to the pay the first and second quotas of royalties as required by law governing the forest sector.Minister Ngolle Ngolle, in the note, stated that the companies concerned were notified on July 14 and given up till today, July 21 to regularise their financial engagements or "face repressive sanctions in conformity with the regulations enforced."It should be noted that in March this year, Ngolle Ngolle suspended some 27 forest exploitation companies for various irregular activities which he considered to be contrary to the rules governing the sector.This was followed a month later by an outing at a press conference to defend claims by a French NGO, Les Amies des Terres, that Cameroon's forest was being raped in total disregard to the tenets of sustainability. The Minister who said the issues criticised was rather exaggerated, noted that the ills identified in the NGO's report was something of old.He promised once more to root off all corrupt and irregular activities that may tarnish the image of the ministry and called on the press to publish corrupt practices committed by him or his collaborators.

64. ENERGY

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Standard Chartered Leads NNPC/Mobil $220 Million Facility:Daily Trust (Abuja):25 July 2008.

Standard Chartered Bank in its strategic move to support Nigeria's Oil and Gas sector has struck a deal with 8 other Nigerian banks to provide $220m bank debt financing priced at Libor +275 bps for the National Nigerian Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Mobil Producing Nigeria's NGL II project.A statement said the new debt, in the form of a 364 day bridge facility, was required to bring on-line the NGL II Project, which has already gone into the completion testing phase.The transaction was advised, structured, and arranged by Standard Chartered Bank and funded by 8 Nigeria-licensed banks. It follows a package of combined sponsor equity and senior bank debt financing placed in 2004.NNPC and MPN, have collaborated previously on the NGL I and Additional Oil Recovery (AOR) projects through their longstanding joint venture. NGL II is expected to increase oil recovery in AOR by 530 million barrels, process approximately 950 million scfd of rich gas, and achieve the production of 45,000 bpd of NGLs for fractionation into propane, butane, and pentanes.With gas monetization becoming an increasingly important priority for the Government of Nigeria, the NGL II Project breaks ground on several key national strategic objectives and achieves an important financial milestone.NGL II drives significant incremental revenues outside of the OPEC quota for Nigeria's Treasury and enhances oil production without the associated routine gas flaring. The project complies with Nigeria's twin goals of monetizing gas reserves by stripping NGLs from rich gas and of eliminating gas flaring of more than 300 million scfd. The lean gas will be available for future monetization. NGL II's construction also relied

413 heavily on the use of Nigerian contractors and content.The transaction represented the first substantial oil and gas sector project financing in Nigeria funded exclusively by Nigeria-licensed banks: Oceanic Bank, United Bank for Africa, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria, Access Bank, Skye Bank, Union Bank (Mandated Lead Arrangers) with Platinum Habib Bank and Zenith Bank (Lead Arrangers).

• Nigeria: Oil - Learn From Our Mistakes, Govt Tells Uganda:This Day (Lagos):25 July 2008

Minister of State for Energy, Petroleum, Mr Odein Ajumogobia, SAN, yesterday advised Ugandans who are in Nigeria to learn how to grow their newly discovered petroleum in commercial quantity not to make the mistakes Nigeria made.Receiving the delegation led by Mbabazi-Araali H. Eric, Counsellor, Ugandan High Commission in Nigeria, Ajumogobia said some of the misadventures of Nigeria were abandoning agriculture and other non-oil sources of revenue the moment the country discovered oil 50 years ago, and NNPC's involvement in more areas than it could handle."Our own NNPC was in many ways hamstrung by the fact that it was for a long time the operator and the regulator. I think they're starting well by creating the necessary policy framework that you can follow and implement to separate those functions, which is what we are trying to do now."The other thing is that oil tends to dominate the economy. Once you find it in commercial quantity, it tends to dominate the economy and I think you must guard against that.We made that mistake. You talked of the groundnut pyramids in the north; in the west we had palm oil; in the east, we were net exporters of agricultural produce.With the advent of oil, it took over the entire state and we found ourselves being net importers of agricultural produce today. As you plan and go ahead, learn from our mistakes and some of the mistakes we're still trying to correct."We're now trying to grow our non-oil sector using the oil sector as a fulcrum for growth. Because you're starting out, I think it is important that you focus on both.As we know that oil won't last for ever, it is necessary to create other avenues to ensure that your foreign earnings are maintained to a certain level," he said.Earlier, Leader of Delegation, Mbabazi-Araali, had said they were impressed with how Nigeria had empowered individuals and enterprises to play roles in oil and gas. "We want to introduce local content in Uganda. President Museveni has assented to a bill for oil and gas. So we want to impart skills. Our tour of different parts of the country (Nigeria) has enhanced our understanding of where we go in future."He explained that his country had been exploring for oil in the last 15 to 20 years until 2006 when it struck oil in commercial quantity and would start producing 4,000 barrels per day by the end of next year, much of which would be used for generating electricity and a little for kerosene and diesel.According to him, Uganda had 300 million barrels of oil as at December 2007, with recent findings showing the reserve was goind to one billion.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Botswana: 'Country Could Have Up to 8 Percent of World's Uranium':Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone):24 July 2008.

Botswana has the potential to become a major uranium producer and even rival neighbour Namibia in the coming years, A-Cap Resources Managing Director Andrew

414 Tunks said on Wednesday.Tunks was speaking at the Botswana Resource Conference held at the GICC at which he also said his company was currently exploring one of the largest places of contained uranium."Countries next door to Botswana hold about 15 percent of the world's current uranium resources," he said. "(But) Geology doesn't know boundaries, so Botswana will be the next major uranium producer."Botswana had no uranium resource prior to A-Cap's exploration. While A-Cap held some of the best uranium prospects at Letlhakane, there was "plenty of scope" for others to participate.Last year, A-Cap published its first uranium resource, 65-million tons at 140 parts per million (ppm) representing about 20-million pounds.Two weeks ago, it produced its new resource of "nearly 100-million pounds", with a massive increase in tons and a 30 percent increase in grade."We expect that Botswana will eventually be shown to host between four and eight percent of the world's uranium resource," he said.Tunks added that he expected the Letlhakane deposit to eventually be proven as one of the largest uranium deposits found anywhere in the world."I am no longer prepared to state at this stage just how big I think this deposit could eventually turn out to be," Tunks said. "However, there is enormous growth potential in the area."A scoping study will be produced in the next few weeks, which will show that the resource could be mined using the heap-leach mining method.Tunks' goal was to begin mining in 2011, but he believes he can start a year earlier. He said new trenches had shown mineralisation starting 20cm below the surface."You could come out there with a broom and a shovel and you could start mining it," Tunks said.A-Cap's other interests are near Serule.

• • • Namibia: Air Namibia Hedged Against Fuel Price Increases:Namibia Economist (Windhoek):25 July 2008

Air Namibia says the rapidly increasing prices of fuel may have had a negative impact on its financial projections but scheduled flights and operations have remained unchanged.The airline's Business Development Executive, Xavier Masule, told the Economist this week that the corporation's confidence against the spiralling fuel costs is bolstered by the fact that it has hedged at least half of its fuel requirements against the increases.To guard itself against such eventualities, the national carrier has implemented a Fuel Price Risk Management programme. Under this programme, 50% of the company's total fuel requirement is hedged or price-fixed with a hedging partner in order to protect it against the increases, said Masule"The other 50% we try to mitigate (the price increase) through increasing fuel levies, which is a common practice worldwide," said Masule. However, he said, increase on the fuel levy may not be that effective as some passengers book their tickets well in advance and some may cancel their travel arrangements.He said Air Namibia is constantly watching the fuel price increases, the market and the industry's reaction before making any decisions."Despite the fact that fuel prices have been very steep during the 1st and 2nd quarters of this year, Air Namibia has maintained its scheduled services, that is, the number of flights and destinations," said Masule.He said Air Namibia is in fact expanding its operations by introducing additional flights and increasing its carrying capacities on popular routes such as the Johannesburg - Walvis Bay and Walvis Bay - Cape Town using a B737-500 aircraft.In addition, the

415 company would be introducing the larger A340-300 Airbus on the Luanda route every Friday starting from August 1, 2008. This will be in addition to two other weekly flights on the same route using a smaller B737-500 aircraft."These decisions are a result of a positive response to market demands. By introducing the Airbus, we have increased our carrying capacity by over 50% whilst at the same time cutting down on smaller aircraft schedules," he said. Masule however said the ever-increasing fuel prices did have a negative impact on the company's financial projections in terms of what it had budgeted for its fuel requirements. He said about18 months ago, fuel accounted for at least 32% of the company's total operational costs, but that has now risen to about 40%."Yes, we are feeling the pinch but we are just trying to manage the situation. Future profitability prospects of Air Namibia will be heavily compromised," said Masule, who added that the trend was the same world over.A recent survey by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says the steep rise in fuel and operational costs forced many airlines to scale down and weakened their business confidence during the first and second quarter of 2008.During the survey, in which Air Namibia also participated, IATA found that only 10 % of the respondents expected to see an increase in profits next year while the majority, 70%, expected a decline in profits."Further expansion in developing markets (e.g. Asia), through new capacity continues to provide a boost to demand, though this market growth outside the US is more than offset by the unprecedented rise in fuel prices, which rose to $180 a barrel in early July," says IATA in its July 2008 Economic Briefing. Reasons for the recent fuel increases vary worldwide but the most common - that has also had an impact on Air Namibia - is the growing demand for petroleum, especially in new markets such as China and India, coupled to OPEC's production discipline.Supply distortions as a result of natural disasters and geopolitical turmoil in oil producing counties such as the Iran, Iraq, Venezuela and Russia have also dented the supply chain. The further weakening of the US dollar against major world currencies has also had its own impact."If fuel prices continue to increase and the other airline increase their fares or levies, then Air Namibia will have no option but to increase accordingly," said Masule.

• South Africa: Power Station Woes Hit Eskom:Business Day (Johannesburg):25 July 2008

WITH one of its Koeberg units down, Eskom experienced technical problems at two of its other power stations this week, with one of these expected back on stream at the weekend.Eskom yesterday announced that the 669MW Majuba and 585MW Duvha power stations experienced technical failures in their generating units.This put the national electricity grid under pressure and increased the possibility of load shedding, it said.This comes shortly after Monday's shutdown of the Unit 2 generator at Koeberg, removing 900MW. The shutdown procedure, repairs and restarting of the unit would take three weeks, Eskom said."Specialists from Alstom, the original equipment manufacturer, which recently undertook work on the generator, are already on site to assist with the inspection, diagnosis of the problem and the repair work that will be required," Eskom MD for corporate services Steve Lennon said.Lennon said at Majuba a submerged scraper conveyor which removes ash from the bottom of the boiler jammed. The unit was brought back on stream yesterday morning, he said.The Duvha unit, on the other hand, experienced a boiler tube leak "and is expected back on stream by the weekend"."While

416 these incidents increased the risk of supply shortages, we did have adequate reserves which have enabled us to sustain power supply nationally over this period."These recent experiences do, however, serve to remind us that any loss of generating capacity places strain on the national grid."This is due to the underlying problem facing South African electricity supply, namely the inadequate reserve margin between available generation and demand. This will continue until the benefits of the expansion programme become available or we are able to reduce demand for electricity throughout the country," he said.Lennon said the risk of load shedding was high "in the next few weeks" while the Koeberg facility underwent repairs.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Uganda: New Atomic Energy Law Hailed:New Vision (Kampala):24 July 2008.

Uganda's new Atomic Energy law will boost technical cooperation between the country and the International Atomic Energy Agency, a senior agency official has said.The chief of cabinet, Antoine van Dongen, is in Uganda to inspect programmes supported by the agency in the health and agricultural sectors."The law was a prerequisite to set into motion a more fruitful cooperation between the agency and other sectors. It will now be possible for us to extend assistance," said Dongen.The official was yesterday touring sections at Hospital that use atomic energy in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases like cancer.He visited the Radiotherapy Department, the Cancer Institute, the nuclear medicine department and the child nutrition ward.The hospital's executive director, Dr. Edward Ddumba, asked for support in the importation of nuclear energy equipment, its safe use and the proper management of nuclear waste materials.The head of the radiotherapy department, Dr. Joseph Kigula, asked the agency to assist them acquire another radiotherapy machine to treat cervical cancer.He said the machine that serves an average of 1,400 people annually recently broke down.Thabisileh Moleah, the agency's programme officer in Uganda, said they would help acquire the machine if Uganda was ready to share the costs of purchase.

CENTRAL AFRICA

65. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

WEST AFRICA

• Ghana: Access to Finance A Major Challenge to Doing Business:Public Agenda (Accra):25 July 2008

Private sector business executives have identified access to financing as the major challenge to doing business in Ghana, according to results of the Executive Opinion Survey 2008 - Ghana.Access to finance scored an average of 222 points out of a possible 500 and was ranked 30 times by respondents as the main challenge to doing business. It

417 scored more than 250 points among excutives of Ghanaian-owned businesses while excutives of foreign-owned firms gave it less than 150 points, suggesting they had easy access to finance than their local conterparts.Managers of the Ghanaian economy have said that the private sector had more access to credit now than before, but the study appeared to put a dampener on the claim.Presenting the findings in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Tony Oteng-Gyasi, President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) said credit to the private may have increased all right but wondered whether the credit was not going more to individual workers than to companies.The AGI, a partner organisation of the World Economic Forum (WEF), conducted the Executive Opinion Survey (EOS) in April 2008 for the WEF. The EOS was a major component of the Global Competitiveness Report, published annually by the WEF.The study looked at two main issues: competitiveness and productivity. Competitiveness was viewed in terms of factors, policies and institutions that determine the level of productivity of a country while productivity was determined as the main driver of investment and growth.More than 500 companies were invited and exactly 101 CEOs completed 20-page questionnaires. The respondents were sampled from the Greater Accra (Accra and Tema), Ashanti, Central, Eastern and Western regions. 75 CEOs responded for Ghanaian-owned businesses with another 26 responding for businesses with headquarters elsewhere across the world. 16 out of the 26 were euorpean-owned, four had African ownership while USA and Asia owned three businesses each.In terms of sectors, industry and services had 46 respondents each while agriculture took the other nine respondents. By size, 45 CEOs responded for small businesses, 44 for medium enterprises and another 12 respondents for big businesses. The study defined small businesses as those with up to 100 workers and a turnover below GH¢1 million per anum; medium as those with 101 to 1,000 workers and turnover of up to GH¢100 million; and big firms as those with more than 1,000 workers and turnover above GH¢100 million.The CEOs were asked to select up to 5 challenges from a menu of 15 and rank these from 1 to 5. The researchers weighted the answers with factor 5 for the highest ranking and 1 for the lowest ranking challenge. Any challenge could score a maximum of 505 points, if all 101 respondents would give highest priority to this factor.Access to finance, inadequate infrastructure, bureaucracy, poor work ethics of labour force and corruption ranked in that order as the top five challenges to doing business in Ghana today.That notwithstanding, majority of the respondents (65) had positive growth expectations.

• Nigeria: Yar'Adua Orders Release of N59 Billion for Power Vanguard (Lagos) 25 July 2008

Inalegwu Shaibu

PRESIDENT Umaru Yar'Adua has ordered the immediate release of N59 billion being part of the N115 billion 2008 budget for the Ministry of Energy to enable it address the epileptic power supply in the country.Briefing the Senate Committee on Power and Steel yesterday in Abuja, Minister of State for Energy, Mrs Fatimah Ibrahim, said: "The President has directed Finance Ministry to immediately release the balance of 2008 appropriation to the ministry before the end of the month."Mrs. Ibrahim who said the

418 release of the fund was meant to enable the ministry carry out the president's directive on raising power generation from 2,500 mega watts to 5,600 megawatts over the next 18 months explained that the President had initiated a budget to support the intended declaration of emergency in the power sector.Also yesterday, the committee was informed by Engineer Bello Suleiman, Executive Vice Chairman of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), that power generation in the country had dropped from 3,000 mega watts to 2,500 mega watts.This was in spite of the disclosure that about N33. 5 billion was appropriated to PHCN in the 2008 budget to boost power generation and supply across the country.Engineer Suleiman attributed the poor power generation to low water supply in the hydro power plants and disruptions in gas supply to thermal stations.Besides, he said PHCN planned to increase power generation to 5,600, but the frequent vandalisation of PHCN equipment and poor funding from government had made it impossible for them to meet the new target set by the President.He said: "Most of the constraints we face in the execution of projects come from budgetary provision. Sometimes the money we get is usually not enough for projects to be completed."Another major constraint is the level of water supply in the hydro power plants. The thermal gas stations that were supposed to provide cover by supplying water to the hydro plant are not working in perfect conditions.These stations run on gas and there has been frequent disruption in the supply to the station. If the water level improves, we can generate at least by 400 megawatts," he said.Minister of State for Energy (Power), Mrs. Ibrahim, in her presentation before the committee informed the Senators that her ministry had so far received N56.17 billion from the 2008 appropriation which had been effectively distributed to all the agencies in the ministry.Before giving a breakdown of the 2008 budgetary allocation to the power sector, she told the committee that President Yar'Adua had initiated a budget to support the intended declaration of emergency in the power sector.She also said the ministry had taken a giant step to address the epileptic power supply by proposing to build mobile turbines with the capacity to generate 20 megawatts in 10 designated remote parts of the country.The breakdown of the money released so far is as follows: N6.8 billion has been released to the ministry, PHCN got N33.2 billion; N13.3 billion to Rural Electrification Project, and N854 million was released to the National Energy Regulatory commission.She further explained that Nigerian Energy Commission got N997 million, the National Integrated Power Project got N1.5 billion while N50 million was earmarked to the Mambilla project.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • South Africa: Assertive Zuma Assures Poor White Afrikaners:Business Day (Johannesburg):25 July 2008

AFRICAN National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma yesterday showed who is in charge.He took with him Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya and Tshwane mayor Gwen Ramokgopa to listen to the grievances of about 1000 poor white Afrikaners at Bethlehem informal settlement, west of Pretoria.Zuma told the crowd he would make

419 sure the minister and the mayor attended to their grievances as they would have to report to him as president of the ruling party. "I'll be asking them what's happening. They'll have to report. I can give them instructions."This confirmed many political commentators' assessment that power had shifted from the Union Buildings to Luthuli House, where Zuma is boss.Zuma was making his second visit to the area. He visited it earlier this year with trade union Solidarity and promised to come back.The ANC chief got a warm welcome from the crowd, and as usual wasted no time in telling them what they wanted to hear. He said poverty had no colour, and no race group should be discriminated against in accessing state services. "Every South African has a right to the services of the country. No South African must be excluded."Zuma won the hearts of the crowd, and many said he was more approachable than President Thabo Mbeki. Settlement resident Bessie Rademeyer said Zuma had restored hope that things would improve. "I'm sure that we will soon have electricity in this area."Rademeyer said she wanted Zuma to become the next president of SA. "We will all vote for him," she said.Others said Zuma was a strong leader who was in touch with the problems of poor citizens. "He is not overseas every day like Mbeki," said a resident who refused to be named."The only time we see Mbeki is in Parliament, when he talks about 'business unusual'. What is that? We don't know that," said the resident.Social development officials were kept busy as a number of people registered for social grants at the event. Skweyiya promised his department's officials would return to register more people. He also promised to contact the home affairs department to send its officials to the area today or next week. "We will make sure that each and every one who is entitled to a grant will get it. If there is a need to come back, we will."Ramokgopa promised residents the council would provide a mobile clinic. She said that installing electricity in the area would not be difficult.The mayor promised to return to the area after meeting the local councillor, ward committee and nongovernmental organisations.Solidarity general secretary Flip Buys handed Zuma a report on white poverty . Buys said no one talked about white poverty, and no one had wanted to act against the problem before.Solidarity was "very glad" doors had been opened and poor whites would be able to access services.Zuma told reporters that these types of interactions would not stop when the new ANC leadership came to power next year. He said he would not criticise the government for failing to reach some areas as SA was a big country."It is a question of how much we are able to reach every corner of the country ... It says we must look everywhere," he said.The government could not solve problems overnight.

• • • Zimbabwe: RBZ Working On $500 Billion Note :Zimbabwe Independent (Harare):25 July 2008

CASH shortages worsened further this week amid speculation that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe was working on plans to introduce yet another higher denomination agro- bearers' cheque.Businessdigest understands that the RBZ is finalising the introduction of a $500 billion note which is equal to less than US$4, barely a week after introducing a new $100 billion note.The $100 billion note joined a family of bearer notes with the imprint "Special Agro Cheque" in the $5 billion, $25 billion and $50 billion

420 denominations.But with the highest denomination note hardly enough to afford -- for Zimbabwe's shrinking working class -- a trip to and from work using public transport, most Zimbabweans see nothing special about the so-called agro-cheques. The RBZ has however ordered banks to give special dispensation to uniformed forces to withdraw $1 trillion daily.The $500 billion bearer cheque is likely to be introduced next week or early August.It comes at a time when the RBZ continues to limit cash withdrawals for individuals and corporates.Corporates and individuals are allowed to withdraw only $100 billion daily, which is barely enough to buy a single candle in a country where frequent power cuts are the norm.Liquidity shortages on the market have resulted in parallel market stabilising for nearly two weeks.The United States dollar, which was going for $19 000 on January 2 this year was trading between $110 billion and $130 billion over the past two weeks.The transfer rate had been furiously on the run, trading above $750 billion to the greenback as cash shortages persist.The $500 billion bearer cheque, enough only to buy two loaves at today's price -- if available -- would be the 30th new note the Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono has introduced since he was appointed in November 2003.This year alone government issued bills in denominations of $1 million, $5 million, and $10 million in January. In May, it issued bills from $25 million and $50 million up to $25 billion and $50 billion."I would say the new bearer's notes will come next month (August)," said a central bank official who is part of the team working on the introduction of the new denominations."The introduction of higher denominations of bearers' cheques is an interim measure by the governor to ensure that cash shortages which the country experienced between November last year and February this year do not recur," central bank officials said this week.It was also meant to avoid customers carrying large volumes of money to buy few goods because of hyperinflation.The Reserve Bank had not responded to questions sent at the time of going to print.Gono recently said the bank had put in place "pro-active and appropriate" strategies to counter these developments. He gave assurances to the banking and transacting public that the Reserve Bank was on top of the situation.Acting Reserve Bank governor Charles Chikaura, introduced the first bearer cheque as a temporary measure in July 2003. Since then Zimbabwe has not had a formal currency.The value in both real terms and convenience of bearers' cheques introduced during the five-and-half years have been overtaken by events on the inflation front.Inflation surged to 2,2% million from 399,5% in July when the first bearer cheques was introduced. Independent economists however argue that inflation is above 10 million percent.As inflation continues to gallop the demand for cash has also increased. The parallel market has also put pressure on the defenceless Zimbabwe dollar."The Reserve Bank is fighting a losing battle," independent economist John Robertson said. "As long as inflation remains high, cash shortages will persist. There is need to address inflation by increasing production so that a few goods do not (cost) a lot of money," he said.Zimbabweans have battled severe cash shortages over the past four years due to an economic crisis described by the World Bank as unprecedented for a country not at war.In addition to cash shortages, Zimbabweans are also grappling with shortages of virtually every basic survival commodity, essential medicines, fuel and foreign currency.Zimbabwe Allied Banking Group economist, David Mupamhadzi, said it was an indication of the value that the Zimbabwean dollar has lost over the past few months."Due to the current cash shortages that we are experiencing coupled with the continuous increase in prices, the demand for money will continue to increase, and a

421 number of agents will prefer to keep their money out of the formal system," he said.The bank will introduce the new denominations, despite the knowledge of the existence of cash barons and lack of accountability concerning more than 51% of the money in the system they just have to bring in more money.ZB Financial Holdings group economist, Best Doroh, said the root problem was inflation which meant that the demand for cash for transaction purposes was now high.Gono said the current cash shortages were caused byspeculation as a lot of money was outside the banking system.The introduction of the higher denomination was being done to avert cash shortages which could be worsen in the short-term after the German company Giesecke and Devrient halted delivery of banknote paper to the country in protest at the worsening political and socio-economic situation.Giesecke and Devrient has been doing business with Zimbabwe for the past 40 years.With money printing now out of commission, Fidelity has been forced to scale down its working hours from 24 hours to just eight hours for the Commercial Division, which is responsible for printing documents with security features.The company's employees where put on "forced paid leave" three weeks ago until August 4."Our decision is a reaction to the political tension in Zimbabwe, which is mounting significantly rather than easing as expected, and takes account of the critical evaluation by the international community, German government and general public," said Karsten Ottenberg, the company's management board chairman and chief executive officer.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Tanzania: Traders to Study Chinese Market:The Citizen (Dar es Salaam):25 July 2008.

Entrepreneurs from Dar es Salaam region will tomorrow learn, among other things, the importance of participating in an agricultural exhibition which will take place in China in October.The training which will be conducted by the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA) during its annual general meeting.All entrepreneurs from the region could attend the training during the meeting to be opened by Dar es Salaam Regional Commander Abbas Kandoro.TCCIA chairman John Mayanja said entrepreneurs would be sensitized on the importance of taking their products to China during this year's exhibition.He added that those who would attend the fair would be expected to forge strong business relations with China."Most business people ignore such opportunities of attending such big exhibitions but tomorrow will tell them the advantages, and we believe Tanzania will be represented by as many people as possible," Mr Mayanja said.Participants will also get the opportunity to learn more about Business Activities Registration Act from the Business Registration and Licensing Agency (BRELA).The East Africa Development Bank (EADB) country manager Andulile Mwakalyelye (pictured) will speak on the need for businesspeople to secure loans.

• • • Uganda: UN Expert Roots for Small Businesses:New Vision (Kampala):24 July 2008.

422 Micro-finance institutions should support small enterprises to eradicate poverty, a UN expert has said."You should aim at empowering individuals who are engaged in small and medium enterprises to achieve sustainable income at house-hold level," Phiona Lukwago said.She was on Monday addressing the annual general meeting of Ankole Private Sector Promotional Centre in Bushenyi district.Lukwago said micro-finance institutions had been identified by the UN as key players in achieving the millennium development goal of poverty eradication.The vice-chairperson of the Uganda chamber of commerce, John Kaganzi, said the private sector was the backbone for the growth of the economy."The Government withdrew from doing business and left it for the private sector, it's now our responsibility to develop the economy," Kaganzi said.John Njoki was elected as the centre's chairman, Ferry Tumwesigye as his deputy, while Nathan Katwire was elected treasurer.The organisation provides technical services to micro-finance institutions.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Cameroon: Customs, Police Threaten Regional Trade:The Post (Buea):25 July 2008.

A commission set up by the third general assembly of the Conference of Consular Chambers of the Central African Economic and Monetary Union has revealed that the activities of custom and police officers have been identified as a stumbling block to trans- boundary trade in the sub-region.This observation is contained in a document submitted to the press at the fourth general assembly of CCC-CEMAC that held in Yaounde from July 16 to 17. The commission which was coordinated by one Samuel Yemene noted that customs and police harassment along the Douala-N'djamena and Douala-Bangui transit routes is a serious threat to trade relations between Cameroon and Chad on the one hand and Cameroon and Central African Republic on the other.The commission's report highlighted the bilateral conventions signed between Cameroon and the two countries aimed at facilitating the transportation of goods from the port of Douala to N'djamena and Bangui. The conventions clearly state the percentage of costs to be born as well as the list of documents required in the operation.Highlighting the pre-occupations of the economic operators, the report states that there are as many as 20 to 30 police control posts between Douala and Bangui or N'djamena against the eight check points previewed by the regulation on the two axes. They bemoan the fact that the multiplicity of the control posts retards the delivery of goods and inflicts enormous financial costs on the transporters.The report states that police harassment results to the extortion of illicit sums which adds to the cost of transportation. It notes for example, that economic operators affirmed during the commission's findings that as much as between FCFA 350 000 and 400 000 is irregularly squeezed from transporters by these officials with two to three days added to their original schedules.The custom procedure for the clearance of goods at the Douala port described as complex was also condemned. They decry the numerous interventions and signatures; high charges coupled with numerous taxes paid formally and informally, exigencies for payment of caution and so on, and delays as a result of the long administrative and custom procedures are also some areas of pre-occupation to the economic operators.They observed that due to poor circulation of information between custom control posts in the countries, they undergo the same procedure at every stop

423 which is time wasting and great loss to the business. They called for improved communication between custom administrations of the countries concerned as well as the strict respect of the terms of the conventions signed between the countries.Another bone of contention is fines inflicted on the transporters for overloading.Cameroonian authorities had, few years ago, resolved that transporters using the Douala-Yaounde highway will be charged penalties for extra load. This is in a bid to protect the roads from degradation.From the report, drivers plying the Douala-N'djamena and Douala-Bangui routes prefer to pay penalties for overload as a way of curbing the high cost of transportation but their problem is the non respect of sums allocated as penalties by the officials at the weighing stations.Apart from the poor infrastructural network of the Yaounde-Belabo-Ngoundere railway line, Chadian economic operators also complained of discrimination and unhealthy competition.It was against these economic ills that the Yaounde CCC-CEMAC conference was organised to look for ways of improving trade between member countries of the sub-region.The Minister Delegate in the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Yaouba Abdoulaye, presided over the conference.

• Rwanda: Campaigners Demand Competitive Bidding for Top Government Jobs:Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali):25 July 2008

Senior administrative government positions need to put to competitive bidding such that competence is the driver for selection not political considerations, campaign group Transparency Rwanda says.In the spotlight are posts of the Secretary Generals of Ministries and all Executive Secretaries of local government entities such as Provinces, Districts, and Sectors - all below to the lowest administrative hierarchy.In a report released Friday, the local chapter of Transparency International says that these units are not subject to competition test as stipulated in the Presidential Order of August 2004 relating to recruitment of civil servants.The researchers say the positions of Secretary General - who are top civil servants in ministries, and Executive Secretaries - who are essentially the permanent and technical employees of the local units, are all 'administrative and not political' like ministers.However, the Secretary General in the Ministry of Local Government Mr. Eugene Barikana - under whose portfolio falls the executive secretaries told RNA that the report's findings are 'baseless'."Executive Secretaries of Districts and Sectors are employees of those units and all have gone through tests to be selected", said Mr. Barikana. "It is not true that they were simply appointed".As for the Secretary Generals - like himself - and Executive Secretaries of Provinces, according to Mr. Barikana, they are appointed by government "and there is nothing wrong with that".The units were established in 2004 as part of the reform of the country's administrative structures where provinces were merged from 12 to just 5. The districts were also introduced numbering 30. The Sectors are more because the same districts are again broken up into smaller units.The Provinces are governed by appointed Governors but the districts are managed by elected mayors with supervision of an elected district council. The same happens with the sectors up down the smallest units.The 112- page report: 'National Integrity Systems Study' being discussed at a stakeholders' forum in Kigali assesses compliance of different state institutions to transparency in their

424 performance.Transparency Rwanda says there is political will to fight corruption and promote good governance, but it should be strengthened. It also says the campaign against graft is 'globally satisfactory, but should be completed and refined'."Many public institutions - even the civil society and private sector - do not have codes of conduct for personnel and manuals of procedure, while it is a minimum required by article 4 of the law no 23/2003 of the 7th August 2003 relating to prevention and repression of corruption and similar offences" the body notes.In the 2007 report of Transparency International, Rwanda does not seem to be making sufficient progress in putting up mechanisms that control graft. The office of the Ombudsman has often dismissed the reports as not representative of the actual developments on the ground.Transparency Rwanda says though there exist institutions that are supposed to curb graft, there is non application of disciplinary sanctions.Parliament has been up in arms as to why recommendations from the Auditor General for sanctions on officials that misuse tax payers' money are not put into act.The campaign group also wants the law instituting the Auditor General to be "approved and promulgated as soon as possible".As for political parties, Transparency Rwanda says there is a lot to be desired. "The weakness of material and financial capacity and lack of originality in their ideologies limit the influence of political formations" notes the study.

66. DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

67. PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND SECURITY MATTERS

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Reps Raise Committee on Niger Delta Crisis:Vanguard (Lagos):25 July 2008

THE House of Representatives is to raise an ad hoc committee on the raging crisis in the Niger Delta.The Presidency has already shelved its planned "summit" on the region, opting instead for a dialogue after an intense opposition against the Chairman-designate of the summit , Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.The House resolved to hold a public hearing on the region, following the passage of a motion sponsored by Rep. Andrew Uchendu (PDP Ikwerre-Rivers State) and 96 others.Rep. Uchendu, who went down the memory lane on unsuccessful dialogues initiated by both colonial and indigenous governments on the problems of the Niger Delta, concluded that what was needed was a position paper by the Presidency on the way forward in the area."For some time now, local media, national media and international media have ground-breaking headlines on the crisis in the area. The area that we have found ourselves in has been troubled and its inhabitants neglected."Mr. Speaker, I would like to give a historical background to the situation in the area. As far back as 1888, the colonial government at the time called on the international community to give the Niger Delta a special status," he said.According to him, "from 1957- 1958, King Dapa-Biriye led another delegation to London to seek the special consideration for the Niger Delta," but, he added, the status was not granted the area.Though the motion was eventually passed, there was no doubt on some mixed

425 feelings on its subject matter.Rep. Abdul Ningi (PDP Ningi-Bauchi State), though seconded the motion, said "the problems of the Niger Delta are problems of Nigeria."The former Majority Leader of the House, however, added: "The fact that oil was found in the area mean that the resource belongs to the Niger Delta."But regretted that some "criminals, some saboteurs, have taken over the struggle of the good people of the Niger Delta," while claiming that "the militants operating there, are mere businessmen. We know them."Rep. Bala Ibn Na'Allah (PDP Dankowa/Zuru/Sakaba-), said: "There is no sacrifice that is too much to ensure stability in the Niger Delta."But we have the responsibility to warn that we had historically, we had OMPADEC, I didn't work, then we set up the NDDC to impact on the lives of the people, but there are still complaints."I agree that the people of the Niger Delta are law-abiding, I am personally a witness to that, but let the truth be told no matter whose ox is gored, there have been several kidnaps of foreigners and citizens of this country and huge sums of money including in dollars have been paid as ransom.So what have they been able to do for their people? Can they show us one primary school they have built from the money they have been getting?" he asked.He called on government "to immediately address the lawlessness in the area."Rep. Nasir Rabe (PDP Katsina), who corroborated Na'Allah, called on the Federal Government to probe the disbursement of huge allocations to Niger Delta states.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Angola: Government, Unita Reaffirm Determination to Lead Pacification Process:Angola Press Agency (Luanda):25 July 2008

Angolan Government and main opposition Unita party, Thursday in Luanda, reiterated the need for continued combined efforts towards the pacification of the country, by settling, through dialogue, situations that can disturb the process of national reconciliation.This position was transmitted to the press by the ruling MPLA information secretary, Norberto dos Santos "Kwata Kanawa", seconded by his Unita colleague, at the end of one more session of the Bilateral Mechanism for Consultation and Political Concert.The spokesperson for the Government team acknowledged receipt of some concerns raised by the opposition Unita, saying the Government will look into the matter and bring back for discussion at the next meeting of the bilateral organ.He said that what matters is to note that the parties are committed to settling the problems and keep the reconciliation process going, so Angola continues moving towards reconstruction and development.According to him, this is a stage in which the citizens and the international community must be transmitted trust, thus imparting credibility to the electoral process and secure peaceful elections in the country.The politician appealed to the political and social actors to avoid introducing in the process disturbing elements that can temper with the emotions of the citizens and create unrest during the electoral campaign."Kwata Kanawa" also spoke of the need for the Bilateral Mechanism to always be ready to resolve the punctual problems, through investigation of the causes and maintain the harmony that is sought for.The delegations to the meeting were headed by the Public Works minister, Higino Carneiro and Unita's vice president, Ernesto Mulato.The organ

426 for consultation was established with the aim of settling down setbacks to the implementation of the Luena Memorandum of Understanding Complementary to the Lusaka Accord that led to peace in Angola in 2002, after decades of an armed conflict.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Somalia: Assassinations Aimed At 'Spoiling' Djibouti Agreement, Says Deputy Speaker:Garowe Online (Garowe):23 July 2008.

Somalia's interim federal government held a session in the southwestern town of Baidoa Wednesday, where lawmakers condemned a recent wave of assassinations targeting aid workers, businesspeople and civilians in the troubled Horn of Africa country.Deputy Speaker Mohamed Omar Dalha, who chaired today's meeting, told parliament that violent groups responsible for the killings want to keep Somalia embroiled in endless war."The killings of humanitarian workers, businesspeople and other civilians is aimed at spoiling the Djibouti Peace Agreement and we condemn [such killings]," Dalha told lawmakers, while urging Somali and international support for the peace deal between the interim government and an Islamist-dominated opposition group.The Somali parliament's Deputy Speaker warned the country that UN and international aid groups "might leave" due to the violence.Five aid workers have been shot and killed in Somalia since early June and a number of humanitarian workers are being held captive.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Sudan: Government Sends Ultimatum to UN Over General Karake: Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali):24 July 2008.

Rwanda will pull its troops from the Sudanese troubled region of Darfur if the U.N ends the contract of General Karenzi Karake as its deputy force commander, according to a new ultimatum that government has put up.Rwanda's U.N. envoy, Mr. Joseph Nsengimana, sent an unsigned memo to the international body Monday threatening to pull the Rwandan peacekeepers out of Darfur if it proceeded with plans to push Karenzi out, The Washington Post reported Thursday.When contacted, the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Rwanda referred RNA to Ambassador Nsengimana.The United States has also apparently sided with the Rwandan government, citing concerns that a Rwandan pullout would cripple the already hobbled peacekeeping mission.On Saturday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice instructed Zalmary Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, to inform U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that "the U.S. government urges the renewal of General Karenzi's contract without discrimination," according to an American official.Khalilzad's spokesman, Richard Grenell, declined to say whether the ambassador carried out that order."I won't elaborate on specific U.S. instructions," Grenell said, adding: "This decision is up to the secretary general. Our concern is for the effective deployment of UNAMID and the full execution of its mandate to protect the people of Darfur."Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his foreign minister, Rosemary Museminali, threatened a pullout during a July 15 meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer at an African Union summit in Sharm el-

427 Sheikh, Egypt, if Karenzi's contract wasn't renewed, the daily quotes a U.S. official.Four days earlier, Kagame's U.N. envoy issued a similar warning to Edmond Mulet, the U.N. assistant secretary general for peacekeeping. The envoy told Mulet that genocide revisionists, the Spanish magistrate and human rights groups were conspiring to undermine Rwanda's military leadership, according to a U.N. official.Senior U.S. officials in Washington and New York differ over the wisdom of pressing the U.N. leadership to renew Karenzi's contract.Last month, Frazer personally appealed to Ban to keep Karenzi, arguing that the United Nations couldn't afford to alienate the Rwandans when they are needed in Darfur.But Khalilzad subsequently told Ban in a private meeting that the U.S. position was not monolithic and that the administration would support any decision Ban made, U.S. and U.N. officials said.

68. REBEL, MILITANCY AND “WAR ON TERRROR”

WEST AFRICA

• Nigeria: Militants Warn: Vanguard (Lagos):26 July 2008

Should the Federal Government of Nigeria bring in British soldiers for the purpose of containing the violence in the Niger Delta, Nigeria will be seized by an uncontrollable violence.In fact, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) will open talks with Colombian and other African rebels to fight the coalition in that region.Meanwhile, hostilities will continue in the region until justice is done. And soon, the oil companies, due to their non attention to the development of the Niger Delta will be dealt with to see which of them will work in the region."We can assure Mr. President one thing: that on the same day that the United Kingdom armies shall set their foot on the Niger-Delta, the country shall witness uncontrollable violence; and we have been praying for such a day. We must keep fighting against injustice and insist that Niger-Delta must develop."This was the reaction of the MEND second in command, known as 'General Boyloaf' in an exclusive interview with Saturday Vanguard early this week.Saying that many young boys have been recruited for different types of operations, the commander said the country is in trouble as it has not seen the real brutality of the real MEND.President Umaru Yar'Adua was reported to have sought the assistance of G8 countries and the United Kingdom for military assistance to control the rising militancy in the Niger Delta Region.Prime Minister Gordon Brown was reported by the British media to have promised military assistance to Yar'Adua to quell the crisis in the region.The President's reason for visiting the UK as well as his subsequent meeting with Brown and the UK government last week was said to be part of the Nigerian/British plan to wrap up a military deal with the former colonial master, which some Nigerian activists in London protested.But General Boyloaf frowned at the approval of N446.6b for security and just N69 billion for development in the Niger Delta, saying that the real security threat in the region is lack of development in the first place.He also condemned government's plan to hire militants to guard its oil pipelines, saying that it will not work as some criminals now open camps for kidnaping women and children."The highest thing, if any militant guides pipeline, the militant won't last. That is the truth because there is no way we can be security in our own house, where we are supposed to employ a

428 security.We cannot be guarding our property for the people that ought to be exploiting it for our benefit, which is real foolishness. It won't even work. It is just a stupid idea," he went on.But the MEND commander also gave recipe for peace in the region, saying that only justice and being sensitive to the Niger Delta plight will enhance peace there.The problem in the region, he went on, has escalated because as he put it, "these so-called owners of Nigeria have not deemed it necessary that the Niger-Delta deserve any form of compensation, whether just, equitable or commensurate or whatever name it is called. They think that the Niger-Delta people are asking for too much, despite all the good the region is doing for the country, especially as the goose that lays the golden egg."General Boyloaf, on why the problem in the region took a new dimension, enumerated several ex British colonial commissions that gave fair deals to the regions. For the militant, the problem began when Nigerians such as Prof Ojetunji Aboyede Technical Commission of 1977 and Dr. Pius Okigbo of 1979 took over the commissions."The problems started as they both recommended that derivation principle should be abolished. This goes a long away to tell us where and how the Niger-Delta problem started and why the Federal Government is reluctant to resolve it," he said.The militant leader was pained by the environmental despoliation of the region as well as the level of poverty there and wondered whether Niger Deltans are "equal partners in this enterprise called Nigeria."He also fingered poor treatment of the region by the major ethnic groups, saying, " Is Nigeria not funny country, where people who do not know what the creeks look like own oil blocs, yet you have those who live in the creeks, earn their living in the creeks and die in the creeks, but do not know what oil blocs look like.Look at the Petroleum Development Trust Fund (PDTF), where thousands of youths are sent abroad for petroleum development training, year in, year out. This system has been hijacked by the North.Recently, 1,200 persons have concluded arrangement for the PTDF training. It is, however, most painful to note that out of the total of 1,200 persons, we have just one from Bayelsa state and two from Rivers state. God knows how many we have from other Niger-Delta states. This nonsense must stop."The commander also spoke on the brains behind MEND and its plans to fight kidnappers in the region who he said gives the group a bad name.

• Sierra Leone: No Terrorism Threat in Salone:Concord Times (Freetown):25 July 2008.

Amidst global risk of indiscriminate attacks the foreign and commonwealth office has just published a report assuring foreign nationals that "there is a low threat from terrorism," in Sierra Leone.The information guiding UK travellers coming into the country, however, cautioned that they should be aware of such (indiscriminate) danger which could be in public areas, including those frequented by expatriates or foreign travellers.The assurance came at a time when the government was very busy undertaking a programme of improvements to Lungi international airport, including its firefighting and rescue service and its security.The details further suggested that: "None of the options for transferring between the international airport at Lungi and Freetown are risk- free. You should study the transfer options carefully before travelling, especially if you plan to arrive at night." Meanwhile, the commonwealth office paid tribute to the UTAir helicopter transfer service between Lungi airport and Freetown that resumed on July, 8

429 this year.Similarly the hovercraft service between Lungi and Freetown was relaunched on May 7, 2008 with testimonies about safety standards given by one foreign and commonwealth staff who has recently travelled between Lungi and Freetown.While the report advised foreigners to keep away from demonstrations, it made reference to a December 13, 2007 clash between residents in Koidu town and police during protests against a local mining company."Visits to the Western Area of Sierra Leone, including Freetown are usually trouble-free," it said.However, the main type of incident for which British nationals required consular assistance in 2007 were: replacing lost and stolen passports and dealing with arrests and detentions.

SOUTHERN AFRICA • Angola: Citizens Surrender Weapons to Police:Angola Press Agency (Luanda):25 July 2008

At least eleven fire-arms of different calibres have handed over on 15-22 July to the National Police department in the northern Bengo province by citizens owning them illegally.According to a press note which reached Angop last Thursday, among the weapon include nine "AKM", one "SKS", "hunting-gun" of crafting manufacture, 142 several ammunitions and nine magazines.The communiqué says that Dande district recorded the handing over of six fire-arms, the districts of Icolo and Bengo four fire-arms and Pango Aluquem one.The disarming process has entered its last compulsory phase since the beginning of July.

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Somalia: Puntland Releases Nine Suspects, Sentences Al Shabaab Fighter:Garowe Online (Garowe):17 July 2008

A court in Somalia's Puntland regional autonomy has dismissed 9 men held in suspicion of terror activities, while sentencing an alleged insurgent to a 12-year prison term.The Bari Regional Court, in the northern port of Bossaso, listened to the Puntland government's case against the nine men, who were arrested last week in Galkayo town.According to police sources, the men entered Galkayo from the southern regions and were arrested as suspects following a series of deadly bomb blasts in the town since mid-June.The Regional Court judges dismissed the government's case, which lacked any evidence, and ordered Puntland police to release the suspects.Critics accused Puntland authorities of arbitrarily arresting young men, who left Mogadishu and were traveling by land to the Somaliland regions.But Puntland Security Minister Abdullahi Said Samatar told reporters that the courts have the authority to release suspects if the government cannot bring enough evidence to keep them detained.

12 years

Meanwhile, the Regional Court has sentenced a Somali man to serve 12 years in prison after the government of Puntland accused him of delivering explosives material into the

430 region.Mohamed Abdi Aware, chairman of the Bari Regional Court, announced the 12- year-sentence for Mohamed Amin after accusing him of being "a member of al Shabaab."In February, al Shabaab claimed responsibility for a terrorist bombing that killed more than 20 Ethiopian migrants in Bossaso.

CENTRAL AFRICA • Rwanda: Government Destroys 160 Tonnes of Ammunition:The New Times (Kigali):24 July 2008

The government carried out an exercise to destroy 160 tonnes of ammunition and unexploded ordinances at Gabiro Military Training School yesterday."The ammunition and unexploded ordinances include those that were retrieved from different parts of the country and the expired ones that have been in the stores of Rwandan Defence Forces and Rwanda National Police," Musa Fazil Harerimana, Rwanda's Minister for Internal Security told officials who turned up at the event.He explained that former government forces and Interahamwe militias scattered many rounds of ammunition and unexploded ordinances in Rwandan communities, so after their defeat the Government felt a great concern to search for and collect them in order to ensure the security of its citizens."Unlike the former government which bought arms and ammunition and distributed them throughout the country to kill people, the current government led by President Paul Kagame, has a vision of providing security as a catalyst for development," Minister Harerimana said.He observed that because of the existence of different rebel groups in the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa, there could be a lot of ammunition and unexploded ordinances which are scattered amongst communities thus posing a security threat to innocent civilians.He noted that Rwanda therefore finds it necessary to cooperate with neighbouring countries in the fight against illegal fire arms and ammunition.Tharcisse Midonzi, the Regional Representative of the Regional Centre on Small Ammunitions called on regional countries to emulate Rwanda.He noted that pursuant to the United Nations programme of action, the Bamako Declaration, Nairobi Declaration and Nairobi Protocol, member states are responsible for collecting and destroying expired ammunition and unexploded ordinances.He, however, argued that this has not been the case as a lot of ammunition and unexploded ordinances are left on the ground, inflicting severe damage on human lives.Leonard Onyonyi, the coordinator of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the East African Community, called for proper management on small arms and ammunition in the EAC bloc."They are a challenge and a threat to lives and they must be controlled," Onyonyi said.Superintendent Eric Kayiranga, coordinator of Rwanda National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons said that about 7,500 small ammunitions and unexploded ordinances have been destroyed since Rwanda started this exercise in 2006.He explained that 2,600 small arms and light weapons were set on fire in Musha in 2006, followed by 2,500 in Muhanga in 2007; while 2,400 were burnt at Gabiro in yesterday's event.

69. NORTH AFRICA • Egypt: Journalist Harassed, Detained, His Photographs Erased, While Investigating Construction Company Activities: Arabic

431 Network for Human Rights Information (Cairo):PRESS RELEASE:22 July 2008.

The Arab Network for Human Rights Information, ANHRI.net, has presented a complaint to the Prosecutor General demanding an explanation for not conducting any investigation of an assault on Almohamed Altaher, a journalist at "Al-Tareeq" newspaper. Altaher was illegally detained by some of the staff members of Madinaty Project, which is run by Alexandria Constructions Company.Altaher submitted a complaint to the Prosecutor General's office demanding an investigation of his allegations against the Chief of Security of Madinaty Project, (. . .) who Altaher says assaulted him, insulted him, detained him for three hours, and deleted his photographs before he was finally released.According to Altaher, the project managers tried to reach a deal with the newspaper by offering them an amount of money for an advertisement if the newspaper would refrain from mentioning the incident. The newspaper refused and an article detailing the incident was published. Altaher added that he presented the request for an investigation three weeks ago but as of 20 July, still has received no response.ANHRI is concerned that delays in the investigation of complaints by young journalists to the Prosecutor General are too common, because Altaher's complaint is not the only one on which no action has been taken. The complaint by Kamal Murad of "El-Fagr" newspaper regarding his assault by a police officer, which was presented by ANHRI on 21 June, has not been investigated either.ANHRI also notes that "all complaints presented to the Prosecutor General should be given the same attention, regardless of who presents them or whom they are against. Any other treatment of them would jeopardize justice."

• Libya: Country Cedes Stake in Oil Pipeline to Tamoil of Libya, Local Investors :The East African (Nairobi):22 July 2008.

There has been a new twist in the control and ownership of the long anticipated Eldoret- Kampala oil pipeline, with sources confirming to The EastAfrican that contrary to the original plan, Uganda will now only take half of 24.5 per cent stake it was supposed to take in the venture.Long accused of dragging its feet and reluctance to meet its part of the bargain in the project, it has emerged that Kampala is now only ready to finance land acquisition for the project.But Energy minister Daudi Migereko who declined to comment on government's commitment to its equity obligations told The EastAfrican last week that Kampala maintains a "carried interest" in the 358km pipeline project despite the budget providing for mainly land acquisition this financial year."We have decided that the project will be developed by the private investor but the government will maintain a carried interest," said Mr Migereko.This means that the private investor takes up the remaining 12.5 per cent of Kampala's stake by providing the financing that the government was meant to commit in the joint venture project between itself, the government of Kenya and the private investor. Sources also indicate that Kampala has negotiated for a position in which the investor would recover his investment injected in the project on behalf of Kampala by claiming the profits that would accrue to Uganda's stake.Libyan oil giant Tamoil won the tender through its affiliate Tamoil East Africa, to build, own and operate the pipeline in 2006 in a joint venture between itself and the governments of Uganda and Kenya. Estimated to swallow upwards of $80 million, the

432 project requires Uganda and Kenya governments to commit $5.8 million each for their stake, while the private investor foots the rest 70 per cent borrowing against 30 per cent cash financing.Landlocked Uganda spends millions of dollars transporting oil products from Mombasa mainly and to a small extent, from Dar es Salaam. A plan to reduce the burden of Uganda - and later other hinterland countries of Rwanda, Burundi and eastern Congo which would extend the pipeline downstream - was drawn as an alternative to the costly mode of transportation along the northern corridor.In the project's original plan, the private investor was to own 51 per cent of the pipeline before transferring it after a period of 20 years to the two governments whose 49 per cent stake was split right through the middle.This meant that both governments were to commit equal resources and make the same decisions regarding tendering, investment, development and use of the pipeline. Indeed the project's implementation is co-chaired by the Energy permanent secretaries of both Kenya and Uganda, Patrick Nyoike and Fred Kabagambe-Kaliisa respectively.

However, there are worries that Kampala is ceding its stake in a strategic infrastructure project for no clear reasons to unnamed persons who are masking behind Tamoil, upping its stake. Clearly $5.8 million is a worthwhile investment in a project that would guarantee the country a cheaper option to costly fuel transportation.The national budget framework paper which spelt out the country's expenditure priorities for 2008/09 said among other things, that Uganda faces the challenge of meeting its equity contribution as it still has a shortfall of Ush8.16 billion ($4.6 million). This means that Uganda has only $1.2 million available, but the paper raises more eyebrows, saying the ministry also requires Ush250 million ($142,857) to meet its other obligations under the various project agreements on pipeline promotion and development.The budget goes ahead to state that funding priorities in the Energy ministry to the tune of Ush449.34 billion ($256 million) in the current financial year are energy planning, management and infrastructure development - which take up 66 per cent of the ministry's budget, while petroleum supply, infrastructure and regulation - under which the pipeline falls - is left almost bare, with a paltry Ush870 million ($497,142), part of which will now finance compensation of land owners.The pipeline, which has endured several postponements since it was awarded to Tamoil in January 2007, has not been short of controversy. First, the governments of Kenya and Uganda raised queries over the contractor's capacity to finance the project, but later, the government of Uganda started to send signals that it was pulling out of its 24.5 per cent ownership in the project arguing that it was not interested in the pipeline, but rather, its contents.Then in May this year, the Energy ministry again said construction would not start due to delays that were blamed on Kenya, which had got consumed in fixing emergencies occasioned by the post-election crisis that hit the country following the December 27 elections.Current chair of the Natural Resources Committee of parliament Winnie Matsiko told The EastAfrican that the committee was equally in the dark about the project and would meet ministry officials this week to get an update on the situation. But the committee's former chair Emmanuel Dombo was even more unequivocal: "This project is long over due. My committee raised all these concerns and as all these delays go on, the heavy trucks that transport oil products are destroying our roads."Records of the Natural Resources Committee indicate that just last year, it warned the ministry of Energy to negotiate carefully to guard against future losses and weigh the would be effect of the country's withdrawal from a strategic project such as the oil

433 pipeline.Mr Dombo also said that the land acquisition process itself is already tinged with controversy. The legislator said that as late as June this year, his committee had been approached by complainants who said they had not been compensated and demanded attention of the minister, an issue that was referred to Mr Migereko's office.It is understood however that Kampala which has often been accused of dragging its feet on the project is now keen to expedite the construction, starting with the inland terminal depot. "We are looking to get some work started on the Ugandan side. We are looking at the main depot terminal, to see if it is possible to expedite that component of the project," a source at the ministry told The EastAfrican.While this goes on, the country's energy bill is growing. Thermal power generating firm Aggreko has applied to the electricity regulatory authority for an upward tariff adjustment due to increased cost of oil. The firm says power generation has become more costly not just because of hikes in global oil prices, but a lack of cheaper transportation. Diesel is transported by tankers from Mombasa to Kampala.At that, railway concessionaire Rift Valley Railways has issued notice to increase its freight charges effective August, also citing the spiralling fuel prices. These two issues will clearly rub salt into the wounds of Uganda's energy problems.The Eldoret-Kampala pipeline is expected to significantly reduce transportation costs of oil products by about 40-50 per cent, which translates into $20 per cubic metre of oil instead of the current tariff of $35-$40 per 1,000 litres.Early this year, Rwanda came aboard the pipeline extension plans to Kigali.

• • • • Tunisia: Outspoken Journalist Freed Early:International Freedom of Expression Exchange Clearing House (Toronto):PRESS RELEASE:23 July 2008.

Following intense lobbying and campaigning by the IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group (IFEX-TMG), the Observatory for the Freedom of Press, Publishing and Creation in Tunisia (OLPEC) and other IFEX members, freelance journalist Slim Boukhdhir, known for his outspoken views on the Tunisian President, has been freed - four months before the end of his sentence.Boukhdhir, a contributor to numerous Tunisian and Arab news websites, was released on 21 July. He told Reporters Without Borders (RSF) that he wanted to thank the international community for campaigning for his release. Despite harsh jail conditions - poor hygiene, threats from his fellow prisoners and dispossession of letters and independent newspapers - Boukhdhir said that he had "kept his spirits up high.""My release from jail is a victory for freedom and independent journalism. The Tunisian regime managed through imprisonment to deprive me of the right to freedom of movement and to do my job while being among my loved ones. But it totally failed to break my will and determination to carry on with independent and ethical journalism," Boukhdhir told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). "It's shameful and degrading for the whole country to jail journalists for doing their job."Although IFEX members welcomed his release, they believed he should never have been imprisoned in the first

434 place. Boukhdhir was arrested last November in Sfax, while on his way to Tunis for a scheduled meeting with a police officer handling his passport application. He was fined and jailed for what were widely seen as fabricated charges of "insulting behaviour" towards an official, violating public decency and refusing to produce his identity papers.His defence lawyers said the one-year sentence was not only the maximum allowed by law, but it was also unheard of for such offences.Independent journalists and rights activists have seen Boukhdhir's treatment as retaliation for his coverage of human rights violations under President Ben Ali. In Tunisia, dissidents are rarely charged for their political acts, but instead are falsely accused of more "dishonourable" offences that help to deflect international criticism, says OLPEC."Boukhdhir's trial is one of those unfair trials that the Tunisian regime is accustomed to staging in order to punish independent journalists and human rights activists," says OLPEC. "State institutions such as the security apparatus, justice system, and media are mobilised to make people believe that freedom activists in Tunisia are common law criminals. We need to put an end to this policy."It wasn't the first time Boukhdhir had been targeted; he staged several hunger strikes in recent years to protest government harassment and the authorities' refusal to grant him a passport. He was assaulted in Tunis in May 2007, shortly after writing an online story critical of the first lady's brother.According to CPJ, Tunisia has been the Arab world's leading jailer of journalists for the past seven years. Boukhdhir's release occurred four days before the 51st anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Tunisia - a day on which authorities have previously released political prisoners - and just over a week before the opening of a conference organised by the ruling party that is expected to give Ben Ali the go-ahead to run for President for the fifth time in 2009.

70. NEWS COMMENTARIES

EAST AFRICA/HORN OF AFRICA

• Sudan: Security Council Should Make Govt Meet Benchmarks:25 July 2008.Nick Grono and Fabienne Hara

The United Nations Security Council is no stranger to intractable international disputes. But soon Sudan will present it with a different kind of problem, one it has not faced in its 62-year history.It will be asked to decide whether the prosecution of a head of state for atrocities against his own people should be put on hold in the larger interests of international peace and security. The leader in question is President Omar al-Bashir, and the Security Council must use this opportunity to promote peace and justice there by requiring the Sudanese government to demonstrate significant progress on these fronts

435 before it considers any deferral of the prosecution.Currently, three judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) are considering an application by the ICC's prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, for an arrest warrant against Bashir on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.A decision is not likely for some weeks yet. However, before the decision is handed down, Sudan or one of its allies is likely to ask the Security Council to put the prosecution on hold. Already Sudan is lobbying member states for such a deferral, and its call has been echoed by the African Union (AU) and the Arab League.What authority does the Security Council have to intervene, and should it intervene even if it has the power to do so? Article 16 of the ICC's constitution, the Rome Statute, explicitly provides that "no investigation or prosecution may be commenced or proceeded with under this Statute for a period of 12 months after the Security Council… has requested the Court to that effect". The request can be renewed each year.This provision does not set out the grounds on which the Security Council should make its decision, and the debates by the drafters of the Rome Statute do not provide much guidance on this issue. In simple terms Article 16 was a compromise between those who believed that on occasion a degree of limited impunity may be an acceptable price to pay to achieve peace, and those who believed that there could be no peace without justice.In this instance, the Security Council must not forget that Sudan's regime has conducted a systematic campaign of violence in Darfur over the past five years that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions more.The regime has repeatedly flouted the Security Council's Darfur resolutions on everything from the deployment of peacekeeping missions to cooperation with the ICC. And it has consistently delayed the implementation of key provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the 2005 deal that ended Sudan's separate 20-year north-south war.As a threshold issue, any request to defer the prosecution of Bashir should not be considered by the council before the regime takes significant steps to cease all state-sponsored violence, and implements genuine and credible measures to bring peace to the whole of Sudan.To put the prosecution on hold without demanding real progress towards peace would make a mockery of the council's peace mandate, and the court's justice mandate. Hence, those now arguing that a deferral is necessary to bring peace to Sudan must demonstrate real progress in that direction as a condition precedent to any Security Council consideration of the issue.

The benchmarks against which the regime should be judged need to include the following:

• Unconditional peace talks with Darfur rebel groups, and a clearly-demonstrated willingness to achieve a ceasefire in Darfur.

• The improved effectiveness of the security committees in Darfur responsible for monitoring and responding to security issues and incidents, by broadening their participation to include representatives of the UN peacekeeping mission, UNAMID, the AU/UN Special Representative and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM).

436 • Reconstitution of Darfur as a single administrative region based on its 1956 borders, and the replacement of the local government leadership, including the judiciary, with non-partisan technocrats to govern the region until elections are held.

• Restoration of the historical land ownership rights.

• A resolution acceptable to internally displaced people regarding their return or resettlement.

• Removal of the obstacles and restrictions that have hampered the deployment of the UNAMID peacekeeping mission and delivery of humanitarian assistance, with peacekeeping troops to be given unfettered access to those areas within their geographical responsibility.

• The surrender of the state minister for humanitarian affairs, Ahmed Haroun, and Janjaweed commander Ali Koysheb to the ICC in accordance with the arrest warrants issued by the court; also the creation of robust justice and reconciliation mechanisms within Darfur to address the grievances of, and provide compensation to, all victims of the conflict.

• Expedited implementation of the CPA, including demarcation of the internal borders of 1956, establishment of an independent National Electoral Commission and follow through on the agreements on the regions of Abyei, South Kordofan/Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile.

• An improved democratic climate in advance of the national elections, through the reform of national security and intelligence law and the media laws.

If there is measurable progress on all of these benchmarks, then it will be open to the UN Security Council to defer the prosecution of Bashir. But it would still have to decide whether doing so is in the larger interests of peace and security.Of course, the founders of the ICC contemplated that deferrals would sometimes need to take place, hence the inclusion of Article 16. And the requirement that deferrals be renewed annually makes the article a potentially powerful tool for peace, since it is a means to pressure Khartoum to comply with its promises and not trash them as soon as they are made, as it has done so often in the past. And as demonstrated by the recent arrest of Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic some 13 years after his indictment, international justice has a very long reach.Deciding whether to defer the prosecution of Bashir in the interests of peace is likely to be a very difficult decision for the Security Council. It will have to weigh the benefits of significant and measurable progress towards peace over the longer term and less certain prospects of justice. Even contemplating a deferral without significant progress on all of the benchmarks would make peace and justice the big losers.

Nick Grono is deputy president and Fabienne Hara vice-president of the International Crisis Group.

437 CENTRAL AFRICA • The Asian Miracle - Lessons for Policy Makers :The New Times (Kigali) :OPINION::22 July 2008.Nshuti P.Manasseh Kigali

Public policy is yet another factor that differentiates the growth trends in Asia's NIC (Newly Industrialized Countries) and their African counter parts, where the former designed growth enhancing policies that were pursued consistently over time, compared to African countries whose policies were ad-hoc, frequently changed and or ignored by various regimes that came to power after independence.Of interest to development researchers was the inability to discern and ignorance as to the role of public policy in development by a number of post independence African ruling elite, although similar cases of the same abound in Africa today, and yet these policies are designed to guide the actions/reactions of both public and private sectors economic agents.Thus, it has been pointed out by many researchers that, policy failure accounts to a large extent, to the failure of African economies to develop as expected.What is ironic though is that, African economies are still haunted by the same problem though in a different mask.Today, most of such economies adorn some of the best policies drawn by the best consultants paid by multi-national and bilateral partners, but lay on shelves un- implemented.It is thus not uncommon to find up to three policies for the same sector, and drawn for the same governments during its term of office, on request by officials who have changed office.It is thus not that African economies are short of 'policy' documents, white papers, etc. Rather, it is short of technocrats who understand full the process of policy formulation, policy implementation and monitoring.With regard to policy implementation, this has largely failed because of lack of qualified, competent and independent implementers.As pointed in earlier articles, bipartisan politics also take their toll in policy implementation especially where civil and public service is highly politicized which is the case among a number of African economies where royalty is owed to a clique of given ruling elite rather than to the nation state.Under such a situation, civil service changes with the change of government and as such no incentives by such a civil or public service to act long-term.Although researchers have not been able to present empirically the role of public policy in economic development, nevertheless, it is not possible to expect such growth to take place in a vacuum or a midst hostile or even contradictory government policies.Such policies as national savings and investment policies, control of inflation, taxation policies, interest rate policies and wider macroeconomic policies such as the role economic sectors in development, are all crucial to economic activities.Even if economic agents may not participate in designing of these policies, nevertheless, they do respond to the same policies and are, to a greater extent, influenced by them in their decision making process.African growth and thus development has been severely impaired by lack of growth enhancing environment, be it at economic level or in terms of stable and effective governance structures.Whereas it is true that, failure was as a result of wrong mix of policies, institutions and to some extent external factors, it is equally true that societal preparedness cannot be and should not be under-estimated.That is why, however well intended policies and policy mix may seem to be, in the absence of quality human capital, they are bound to fail to yield the desired out comes.Policy differential between East Asian economies and Africa has been significant

438 virtually in all areas of development and so were policy out comes.This is traced to the period after 1975, for before this period the two regions seem to have been at par as far as main growth fundamentals and indicators are concerned.Policy differential thereafter, seems to have arisen in policy commitment especially at political level where the will and commitment was weak or lacking altogether among African countries compared to their East Asian Counterparts.This was also a period characterized by neocolonial African dictators and despots who were not so much concerned with the growth and development of their economies as to their power dynamics.Such leaders could not be counted upon to design any meaningful policies nor implements a few colonial policies left behind despite having been party to such.Nonetheless, most African economies inherited weak and centralized governments whose structures took time to change compared to their Asian counterparts, and as such the center had no capacity to design let alone implement any meaningful policy.In contrast, Asia' NIC pursued strong, and well focused policies which are widely acknowledged to have played a significant role in their development.The implementation of growth strategies meant that, these Asian governments pursued not only active policies, but also promoted the production and dissemination of knowledge and technology, going beyond just the protection of intellectual property through patent and copy rights.Also such policies as the role of foreign investments, as well as the role of private sector in development, became 'a stimulus-response' within which government policy was able to attain the desired effects and changes in the economy.As pointed out earlier, Olson (1996:19-20) when commenting on the role of economic policies in economic development points out that " a country's institutions and economic policies are decisive for its economic performance, and this suggest that, poor countries on average have poor economic policies and institutions than rich countries ".The problem of poor policies is closely linked to and influenced by, the social capability that has been so wanting among African countries in comparison to their Asian counterparts and the most urgent policy framework that could unlock all these are policies designed to ensure high levels of social capability which will in turn unlock other economic fundamental.Without this, no meaningful development policy framework can be expected, nor any commitment to such, and expecting any policy out comes amidst such environment is but, economic idealism.Nonetheless, whereas the role of public policy in development is not debatable, what is controversial is the type of policies that have to be in place to ensure growth and thus development.Some countries have a adopted the so-called market friendly policies and others 'development state' type of polices, and yet others a balance of the two depending on the stage of development a country has reached.In case of African economies, 'development state' type of policies would induce growth where governments would have to intervene especially in the absence of a vibrant private sector.Market friendly policies are ideal under conditions where the private sector is the lead sector and governments have to put in place policies to facilitate their operations.This also calls for appropriate regulation to ensure that private players do not circumvent common good in the extreme in pursuit of their cardinal objective of wealth maximization.

The author is a Senior Presidential Advisor on Economic Affairs.

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