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FROM RHETORIC INTO REALITY - THREE STEPS TO END CHILD SOLDIERING

Christina Clark

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/15608

Recent years have witnessed a growing international consensus on the illegality and immorality of recruiting and using children as soldiers. Child protection advocates have worked to strengthen international legal standards, based on an underlying assumption that a child-oriented body of international law will help to counter the culture of impunity surrounding crimes against children. However, international law is not enough; more effective implementation is required to end child soldiering.

International legal standards and child soldiering

The prohibition on all recruitment of children under the age of 15 into both armed forces and armed groups has acquired a customary international law status. It is therefore binding on all armed forces and armed groups regardless of whether the State is a party to specific international treaties, or even if there is no State.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) allows for prosecution of those who recruit and use child soldiers. The Statute defines as a war crime the recruitment and use in hostilities of children under the age of 15 by any armed force or armed group, in both international and non-international armed conflicts. Moreover, it includes sexual slavery as a crime against humanity. This is important as some child soldiers are also forcibly held and used as sex slaves. The ICC has jurisdiction over crimes committed after the entry into force of the Rome Statute, on the territory of, and by nationals of, all State parties.

There is increasing international consensus on the prohibition of conscription or forced recruitment of children under 18. This higher standard is embodied in the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (Optional Protocol), the International Labour Organisation Convention 182 (ILO 182) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC).

Challenges to implementation

While these legal developments do set important standards of child protection, too often they do not effectively prevent child soldiering, because of inadequate implementation. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for example, all parties to the conflict continue to recruit and use children, some as young as nine, despite a prohibition on under-18 recruitment. What steps can be taken to prevent continued child soldiering in violation of international law?

1. Knowledge of children's rights and/or capacity to assert them

Where children, families and communities are unaware of children's rights, they are not empowered to resist child recruitment. Sensitization and public education are important advocacy and prevention tools. Moreover, child rights training sessions with governments and armed groups will help them to understand their commitments, translating legal treaty provisions into practical terms.

However, social awareness is not enough. Efforts must also be made to address “push” factors for child soldiering, rooted in poverty, militarisation of society and break-down of social structures. These issues go beyond a narrow focus on the legal abolition of child soldiering, to broader development and peace building efforts.

2. Monitoring and reporting

Child recruiters more readily violate international law if they feel they act outside public scrutiny. In response, several initiatives have been undertaken recently to gather data on the recruitment and use of children. Monitoring and reporting are inherently difficult, because of political sensitivities, limited access to affected populations and generalised break-down in infrastructure due to war. While precise figures are often difficult to obtain, trends and patterns can highlight problems and motivate appropriate actions for redress.

In November 2002, the Secretary General produced a list of parties to armed conflict on the Security Council agenda that continue to recruit and use children as soldiers in violation of international obligations. Based on the provisions of Security Council Resolution 1379, the list was limited, but a significant precedent in publicly “naming and shaming” child recruiters. Subsequently, Security Council Resolution 1460 called for on-going monitoring of parties on the list and other groups of concern, as well as proposals for more effective monitoring and reporting within the UN system.

The impact of the weight of national and international public opinion on recruitment behaviour will vary from group to group. At the governmental level, regimes that are heavily dependent on international aid and/or domestic support will likely be more concerned with tarnishing their image, while “rogue states” and strong, repressive regimes may be less susceptible to public pressure. Similarly, non-state armed groups tend to react to public scrutiny of their actions in a way that reflects their ultimate aims. For example, the Rassemblement pour la démocratie-Goma (RCD-Goma) perceives itself as the legitimate authority in eastern DRC. As a “government in waiting”, the RCD-Goma has publicly stated on numerous occasions its intention not to recruit child soldiers, and to cooperate with international agencies in demobilising some child soldiers within its ranks. On the other hand, the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army is intent on fulfilling its interpretation of a higher spiritual calling; therefore, it is less concerned with international and domestic public opinion and regularly commits atrocities against civilian populations, including the abduction and brutalisation of children for military purposes.

3. Accountability

Unless the international community acts upon information obtained through monitoring and reporting, child recruiters will be tempted to limit actions to public relations exercises, without effectively changing the situation on the ground. In the DRC, for example, the government demobilised less than 200 child soldiers in a high profile ceremony, but kept thousands more children within its ranks. The RCD-Goma has tracked demobilised children, re-recruiting them once they have left the safety of rehabilitation centres.

Where clear evidence of child soldiering exists, it is important that perpetrators are brought to account. In Resolution 1460, the UN Security Council endorsed the Secretary General's call for an “era of application” and expressed its intention to “enter into dialogue” with parties guilty of child soldiering “in order to develop clear and time bound actions to end this practice”.

The Special Court for Sierra Leone has set an important precedent by indicting several men accused of conscripting and enlisting children under the age of 15 years into their groups or using them to participate in hostilities, enslavement, pillage, intentionally directing attacks against humanitarian personnel or peacekeepers, unlawful killings, abductions and hostage-taking. Members of the international community have also called for leaders of groups that recruit and use children in the DRC to be declared war criminals and prosecuted by the ICC.

In formal judicial processes, prosecutors only have the capacity to bring to justice those who bear the greatest responsibility for the most serious crimes. It is therefore important that crimes against children are also mainstreamed in parallel reconciliation processes. Truth Commissions in South Africa and Sierra Leone, for example, have specifically addressed violence against and by children. Traditional justice processes, based at the community level within the socio-political sphere governed by village elders and chiefs, should also be conducted in a child-sensitive way. Moreover, traditional cleansing and healing ceremonies in Angola, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Uganda have allowed some communities to recognise and assuage the guilt that child soldiers carry.

In all accountability processes, appropriate and meaningful child participation should be incorporated. This requires careful reflection on the ways in which children have been involved in, and impacted by, conflict. The best interests of the child should be the guiding principle in discussions surrounding juvenile justice for child soldiers accused of war crimes, and participation of child witnesses in formal judicial processes.

Conclusion

Increasing international momentum has led to the criminalization of the recruitment and use of children as soldiers. This legal progress must be matched by practical implementation. This is a multi-step process involving increased community sensitization and public awareness; adequate monitoring and reporting; and accountability processes for child recruiters. The increasingly robust body of international law prohibiting child soldiers is an accomplishment, but not an end in itself. More must be done to translate this rhetoric into reality.

* Christina Clark is Programme Officer for Africa at the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. This editorial is written in her personal capacity and should not be attributed to the Coalition or its members.

* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org

* An estimated 1.2 million children - both boys and girls - are trafficked each year into exploitative work in agriculture, mining, factories, armed conflict or commercial sex work. World Day Against Child Labour on June 12 aims to focus attention on trafficking in children to prevent and stop the practice. Visit http://www.ilo.int/public/english/bureau/inf/events/cl2003/index.htm for more information.

* In Soweto South Africa, thousands of black school children took to the streets in 1976 to protest against apartheid education policies. Hundreds were shot down. In the two weeks of protest that followed, more than a hundred people were killed and more than a thousand were injured. To honour the memory of those killed and the courage of all those who marched, the Day of the African Child has been celebrated on 16 June every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organisation of African Unity. The Day also draws attention to the lives of African children today. To find out more about this year's Day of the African Child visit http://www.unicef.org/noteworthy/day-african-child/

support freedom of expression: sign the credo and fahamu petition

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/15668

PRESS STATEMENT: ISSUED 17.00 PM - JUNE 5th, 2003



CREDO AND FAHAMU LAUNCH PETITION CALLING ON AFRICAN UNION HEADS OF STATE TO FREE ALL INCARCERATED JOURNALISTS AND REPEAL ANTI MEDIA & ANTI-FREE EXPRESSION LEGISLATION





CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and Fahamu have launched a petition calling on African Union Heads of State to release all incarcerated journalists and repeal all anti freedom of expression legislation. The petition is to be presented at the African Union meeting of Heads of State in Maputo in July and is addressed to President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa the current Chair of the AU.



The petition launched in the current edition of the Africa focussed mass circulating electronic newsletter “Pambazuka” states “We are writing to express our concern over the continued incarceration of and harassment of journalists in the majority of African countries for no other reason than carrying out their legitimate duties. We are also very concerned about the persistent violation of freedom of expression in Africa, which denies Africans the opportunity to participate in democratic debate towards solving the many problems facing the continent.”


The petition amongst other points, also emphasises that:



“Active participation of citizens in shaping policy and decision making of their countries is impossible if their own governments continue to deny them the rights necessary to ensure such participation. These include the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, association and political participation, as well as media freedom to facilitate a free exchange of information, ideas and opinion.”



“It was with great hope and expectation that all Africans and friends of Africa welcomed the launch of the African Union and looked forward to a new future based on its constitutive Acts. However two years into this
bold experiment, no significant progress has been made. Even worse, two of the first five countries to sign up i.e. Eritrea and Zimbabwe have been turned into living hells for the media by the governments of those countries.”



The petition ends by calling on the “concerned African leaders to without delay release all incarcerated journalists, re-open all closed media houses, repeal anti-media legislation and recognise the importance of a free press, freedom of expression and other associated rights as vital ingredients necessary to build free,
democratic and prosperous societies. Only when this is done will the NEPAD initiative and any future similar initiatives have any real meaning for the peoples of Africa.”



Both organisations called on ”Africans and friends of Africa especially journalists and campaigners” to ensure they sign the online petition in order to make a strong statement to the African Union meeting in July.



Rotimi Sankore Coordinator of CREDO further stated “Representative Heads of State of the African Union attended the G8 summit to seek more support for Africa when they themselves are not doing enough to help the continent. NEPAD was designed without appropriate input from or consultation with African civil society. It therefore sounds hollow to many Africans when NEPAD is trumpeted as the ultimate solution to Africa’s problems while there is so much repression and lack of free speech on the continent.”



“There must be no double standards on fundamental rights and freedoms for Africans by either the G8 or African Union Heads of State.”



The Pambazuka editorial in support of the petition and the petition can be read and signed from http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15362 .

Or to sign up directly, send your name, organisations name [if applicable] and country to editor@pambazuka.org Kindly state if you are signing in your personal capacity or on behalf of your organisation.



ENDS



For further information, please contact either FAHAMU or CREDO.



FAHAMU

14 Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA, UK

Tel: 01865-791777

Fax: 01865-203009

Email: info@fahamu.org

Http://www.fahamu.org



Fahamu is committed to supporting progressive social change in the South through using information and communication technologies. Fahamu believes that civil society organisations have a critical role to play in defending human rights, and that information and communications technologies can and should be harnessed for that cause. We are committed to enabling civil society organisations to use the Internet in the interests of promoting social justice.



Fahamu specialises in making electronic information available to this community by:





* Producing electronic newsletters disseminating news, information and debate about social justice in Africa

* Producing distance learning materials for human rights and humanitarian organisations

* Providing training through face-to-face workshops

* Managing websites for our partners

* Making web-based resources available for offline use

* Undertaking social policy research on Africa



Fahamu has a small core of staff and associates located both in UK and Africa. The word 'Fahamu' comes from the Kiswahili word for understanding/consciousness



Fahamu comprises a small core of highly skilled and experienced staff based in Oxford (UK) and in Durban (South Africa), and associates based in the UK and internationally. Our headquarters are in Oxford. Fahamu also works with a wide range of international partners.





CREDO International Office:

Centre for Research Education & Development Of
- [CREDO]- Freedom of Expression & Associated Rights.

73-75 Newington Causeway
London SE1 6BD, UK

Tel: + 44 20 77875501
Fax:+ 44 20 77875502

E-mail: Media – media@credonet.org , General – info@credonet.org





CREDO is an International human rights organisation based in Senegal and London and focusing on work in Africa. CREDO believes that freedom of expression and other strongly associated rights, are major platforms on which all civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights stand. CREDO further believes that “without distinction of any kind such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status” everyone is entitled to these rights as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights, The African Charter on Peoples and Human Rights and other similar documents.



While freedom of expression remains an inalienable right, it is often overlooked that it is in reality, not a stand-alone right but is also a ‘gateway’ right to these other strongly associated rights, which are no less important and demand equal attention. These rights include the rights to opinion, assembly, association and so forth. An attack on any of these rights is more often than not an indicator that other associated rights are not fully assured.



Collectively these rights are infinitely more important than they are individually. Their intertwined nature means that they are best defended and promoted collectively and not in isolation from each other.



While maintaining an international perspective, CREDO’s work focuses on themes in Africa related to: freedom of expression, media freedom, rights/access to information and information resources; freedom of opinion, association, assembly and related rights; and anti-discrimination issues e.g. discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, political persuasion etc.

africa/global: CALL FOR UNIVERSAL RATIFICATION OF THE UN CONVENTION ON THE PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF ALL MIGRANT WORKERS

2003-06-12

http://www.december18.net/UNConvention010703.htm

That the human rights of migrants are not a priority for most governments is nothing new. Abuse and discrimination are experienced by migrants themselves on a daily basis around the world. The entry into force of the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families scheduled on July 1, 2003 won't change this situation overnight. But it is an additional tool in the hands of non-governmental organisations, one that is needed for our fight for more justice and respect. You can join a call for universal ratification of the UN Migrants Rights Convention by clicking on the URL provided.

Reject Nomination of Bush and Blair for Nobel Prize

2003-06-12

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/302184339?ts=1055139681&sign[partnerID]=1&sign[memberID]=173204728&sign[partner_userID]=173204728

Harald T. Nesvik, a Right-wing Norwegian Member of Parliament, has nominated U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George W. Bush for the Nobel Peace Prize for their "decisive action against terrorism". Sign this petition to say you agree on rejecting Bush and Blair for Nobel Prize Nomination.

SUPPORT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: SIGN THE credo and fahamu PETITION

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/advocacy/15669

CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and Fahamu have launched a petition calling on African Union Heads of State to release all incarcerated journalists and repeal all anti freedom of expression legislation. The petition is to be presented at the African Union meeting of Heads of State in Maputo in July and is addressed to President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, the current Chair of the AU. Click on the link below to read the full letter and join the petition.
PRESS STATEMENT: ISSUED 17.00 PM - JUNE 5th, 2003



CREDO AND FAHAMU LAUNCH PETITION CALLING ON AFRICAN UNION HEADS OF STATE TO FREE ALL INCARCERATED JOURNALISTS AND REPEAL ANTI MEDIA & ANTI-FREE EXPRESSION LEGISLATION





CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and Fahamu have launched a petition calling on African Union Heads of State to release all incarcerated journalists and repeal all anti freedom of expression legislation. The petition is to be presented at the African Union meeting of Heads of State in Maputo in July and is addressed to President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa the current Chair of the AU.



The petition launched in the current edition of the Africa focussed mass circulating electronic newsletter “Pambazuka” states “We are writing to express our concern over the continued incarceration of and harassment of journalists in the majority of African countries for no other reason than carrying out their legitimate duties. We are also very concerned about the persistent violation of freedom of expression in Africa, which denies Africans the opportunity to participate in democratic debate towards solving the many problems facing the continent.”


The petition amongst other points, also emphasises that:



“Active participation of citizens in shaping policy and decision making of their countries is impossible if their own governments continue to deny them the rights necessary to ensure such participation. These include the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, association and political participation, as well as media freedom to facilitate a free exchange of information, ideas and opinion.”



“It was with great hope and expectation that all Africans and friends of Africa welcomed the launch of the African Union and looked forward to a new future based on its constitutive Acts. However two years into this
bold experiment, no significant progress has been made. Even worse, two of the first five countries to sign up i.e. Eritrea and Zimbabwe have been turned into living hells for the media by the governments of those countries.”



The petition ends by calling on the “concerned African leaders to without delay release all incarcerated journalists, re-open all closed media houses, repeal anti-media legislation and recognise the importance of a free press, freedom of expression and other associated rights as vital ingredients necessary to build free,
democratic and prosperous societies. Only when this is done will the NEPAD initiative and any future similar initiatives have any real meaning for the peoples of Africa.”



Both organisations called on ”Africans and friends of Africa especially journalists and campaigners” to ensure they sign the online petition in order to make a strong statement to the African Union meeting in July.



Rotimi Sankore Coordinator of CREDO further stated “Representative Heads of State of the African Union attended the G8 summit to seek more support for Africa when they themselves are not doing enough to help the continent. NEPAD was designed without appropriate input from or consultation with African civil society. It therefore sounds hollow to many Africans when NEPAD is trumpeted as the ultimate solution to Africa’s problems while there is so much repression and lack of free speech on the continent.”



“There must be no double standards on fundamental rights and freedoms for Africans by either the G8 or African Union Heads of State.”



The Pambazuka editorial in support of the petition and the petition can be read and signed from http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15362 .

Or to sign up directly, send your name, organisations name [if applicable] and country to editor@pambazuka.org Kindly state if you are signing in your personal capacity or on behalf of your organisation.



ENDS



For further information, please contact either FAHAMU or CREDO.



FAHAMU

14 Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA, UK

Tel: 01865-791777

Fax: 01865-203009

Email: info@fahamu.org

Http://www.fahamu.org



Fahamu is committed to supporting progressive social change in the South through using information and communication technologies. Fahamu believes that civil society organisations have a critical role to play in defending human rights, and that information and communications technologies can and should be harnessed for that cause. We are committed to enabling civil society organisations to use the Internet in the interests of promoting social justice.



Fahamu specialises in making electronic information available to this community by:





* Producing electronic newsletters disseminating news, information and debate about social justice in Africa

* Producing distance learning materials for human rights and humanitarian organisations

* Providing training through face-to-face workshops

* Managing websites for our partners

* Making web-based resources available for offline use

* Undertaking social policy research on Africa



Fahamu has a small core of staff and associates located both in UK and Africa. The word 'Fahamu' comes from the Kiswahili word for understanding/consciousness



Fahamu comprises a small core of highly skilled and experienced staff based in Oxford (UK) and in Durban (South Africa), and associates based in the UK and internationally. Our headquarters are in Oxford. Fahamu also works with a wide range of international partners.





CREDO International Office:

Centre for Research Education & Development Of
- [CREDO]- Freedom of Expression & Associated Rights.

73-75 Newington Causeway
London SE1 6BD, UK

Tel: + 44 20 77875501
Fax:+ 44 20 77875502

E-mail: Media – media@credonet.org , General – info@credonet.org





CREDO is an International human rights organisation based in Senegal and London and focusing on work in Africa. CREDO believes that freedom of expression and other strongly associated rights, are major platforms on which all civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights stand. CREDO further believes that “without distinction of any kind such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status” everyone is entitled to these rights as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights, The African Charter on Peoples and Human Rights and other similar documents.



While freedom of expression remains an inalienable right, it is often overlooked that it is in reality, not a stand-alone right but is also a ‘gateway’ right to these other strongly associated rights, which are no less important and demand equal attention. These rights include the rights to opinion, assembly, association and so forth. An attack on any of these rights is more often than not an indicator that other associated rights are not fully assured.



Collectively these rights are infinitely more important than they are individually. Their intertwined nature means that they are best defended and promoted collectively and not in isolation from each other.



While maintaining an international perspective, CREDO’s work focuses on themes in Africa related to: freedom of expression, media freedom, rights/access to information and information resources; freedom of opinion, association, assembly and related rights; and anti-discrimination issues e.g. discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, political persuasion etc.

Time to drop the debt

2003-06-12

http://www.actsa.org/Debt/action_intro.htm

Five Africans die every minute as a result of HIV/AIDS. But Africa is unable to wage full-scale war on the disease because it is crippled by debts. Even with debt relief, African governments are still being forced to make repayments of over $14 billion every year. Join ACTSA's latest campaign by sending a message to Tony Blair urging him to deliver debt cancellation for Africa now.

Golden Munyaka

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/15584

OPEN LETTER TO ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/15663

Letter to Mugabe from African American organizations
condemn repression by government

OPEN LETTER TO ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE

3 June, 2003

Dear President Mugabe,

We are writing today to implore you to seek a peaceful
and just solution to your country's escalating national
crisis. Those signed below are Americans of Africa
descent - many of them representing major organizations
of civil society in the United States - who have worked
for decades to support the liberation movements of
Africa and the governments that followed independence
which promoted and protected the interests of all of
their nation's people. We form part of an honorable
tradition of progressive solidarity with the struggles
for decolonization, and against apartheid and
imperialism in Africa.

We have strong historical ties to the liberation
movements in Zimbabwe, which included material and
political support, as well as opposition to U.S.
government policies that supported white minority rule.
In independent Zimbabwe we have sought to maintain
progressive ties with the political party and
government that arose from the freedom struggle. At the
same time our progressive ties have grown with
institutions of civil society, especially the labor
movement, women's organizations, faith communities,
human rights organizations, students, the independent
media and progressive intellectuals. In Zimbabwe today,
all of our relations and our deep empathy and
understanding of events there require that we stand in
solidarity with those feeling the pain and suffering
caused by the abuse of their rights, violence and
intolerance, economic deprivation and hunger, and
landlessness and discrimination.

We do not need to recount here the details of the
increasing intolerant, repressive and violent policies
of your government over the past 3 years, nor the
devastating consequences of those policies. The use of
repressive legislation does not, in our respectful
view, render such actions justifiable or moral, because
of their presumed "legality". We represent a long
tradition of opposition to unjust laws. We have
previously expressed to your representative in
Washington, DC, our humanitarian concerns about the
impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Zimbabwe as well as
that of the famine triggered by the recent southern
African drought and exacerbated by the economic
policies and food distribution practices of your
government. We have shared our concerns that land
redistribution in Zimbabwe be used to fight the poverty
of the majority and not to promote the narrow interests
of another minority. But most of all, we have
communicated clearly that we view the political
repression underway in Zimbabwe as intolerable and in
complete contradiction of the values and principles
that were both the foundation of your liberation
struggle and of our solidarity with that struggle.

Today, Mr. President we call upon yourself and those
among the ruling party who truly value democracy, and
wish to protect the future of all of Zimbabwe's
citizens to take extraordinary steps to end your
country's political crisis and place it upon a path
toward peace. We ask that you initiate an unconditional
dialogue with the political opposition in Zimbabwe and
representatives of civil society aimed at ending this
impasse. We call upon you to seek the diplomatic
intervention of appropriately concerned African states
and institutions, particularly South Africa and
Nigeria, and SADC and the African Union, to assist in
the mediation of Zimbabwe's civil conflict.

Mr. President, the non-violent civil disobedience that
is growing in your country - such as that which took
place on Mother's day in Bulawayo - is increasingly met
with police brutality and excessive force. Such trends
in the abuse of human rights are not only unacceptable,
they are threats to your country's stability and they
are undermining the economic and political development
your people desire and deserve. We believe that a
peaceful solution is possible for Zimbabwe if you find
a way to work with others in and outside of your
government to create an effective process for a
transition to a more broadly supported government
upholding the democratic rights of all.

Sincerely yours in struggle,

William Lucy, President, Coalition of Black Trade
Unionists

Willie Baker, Executive Vice President, Coalition of
Black Trade Unionists

Salih Booker, Executive Director, Africa Action

Bill Fletcher, Jr., President, TransAfrica Forum

Horace G. Dawson Jr., Director Ralph J. Bunche
International Affairs Center, Howard University

Patricia Ann Ford, Executive Vice President, Service
Employees International Union (SEIU)

Julianne Malveaux, TransAfrica Forum Board Member

Rev Justus Y. Reeves, Executive Director Missions
Ministry, Progressive National Baptist Convention

Coordinating Committee, Black Radical Congress

Simon Hinds

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/15547

Development and the Challenge of Globalisation

Edited by Peter Newell, Shirin M. Rai, Andrew Scott

2003-06-12

http://styluspub.com/books/book5533.html

Amid a torrent of claims and counter-claims about the pros and cons of globalization, this book takes a critical look at the actors, institutions and processes that mediate the relationship between the forces of globalisation and the poverty experienced by the majority of the world's people. The chapters in this important book clearly demonstrate that globalisation is a process with repercussions that extend far beyond the power centres of the North where global economic policies are formulated. The book will be of interest to researchers, practitioners and activists in development.

Famine Early Warning and Response: The Missing Link

Edited by Margaret Buchanan-Smith, Susanna Davies

2003-06-12

http://styluspub.com/books/book2124.html

Drawing on case studies from Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, Mali and Kenya (focusing on Turkana district) during the drought years of 1990-91, this book investigates why early warning signals were not translated into timely intervention. It examines, for the first time, the role of early warning information in decision-making processes, particularly within key donor agencies.

Gangs of America: The Rise of Corporate Power AND THE DISABLING OF DEMOCRACY

2003-06-12

http://www.gangsofamerica.com/

Corporations are the dominant force in modern life, surpassing even church and state. The largest are richer than entire nations, and courts have given these entities more rights than people. Where did this powerful institution come from? How did it get so much power? In Gangs of America: The Rise of Corporate Power and the Disabling of Democracy, author Ted Nace probes the roots of corporate power, finding answers in surprising places.

Journal of Refugee Studies -- Table of Contents Alert

June 2003; Vol. 16, No. 2

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/books/15581

This issue includes:
* The Politics of Refugee Hosting in Tanzania: From Open Door to Unsustainability, Insecurity and Receding Receptivity
Sreeram Sundar Chaulia, pp. 147-166
http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160147.sgm.abs.html
* Preventive, Palliative, or Punitive? Safe Spaces in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Somalia, and Sri Lanka
Jennifer Hyndman, pp. 167-185
http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160167.sgm.abs.html
Journal of Refugee Studies -- Table of Contents Alert

A new issue of Journal of Refugee Studies
has been made available:

June 2003; Vol. 16, No. 2

URL: http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/

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Articles
Off the Boat, Now Off to Work: Refugees in the Labour Market in Portland, Maine
Vaishali Mamgain and Karen Collins, pp. 113-146

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160113.sgm.abs.html

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Articles
The Politics of Refugee Hosting in Tanzania: From Open Door to Unsustainability, Insecurity and Receding Receptivity
Sreeram Sundar Chaulia, pp. 147-166

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160147.sgm.abs.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------


Articles
Preventive, Palliative, or Punitive? Safe Spaces in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Somalia, and Sri Lanka
Jennifer Hyndman, pp. 167-185

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160167.sgm.abs.html

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Articles
Returning to a Safe Area? The Importance of Burial for Return to Srebrenica
Craig Evan Pollack, pp. 186-201

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160186.sgm.abs.html

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Articles
Chronic PTSD and Medical Services Utilization by Asylum Seekers
Boris Drozdek, Abdul Karim Noor, Monique Lutt and David W. Foy, pp. 202-211

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160202.sgm.abs.html

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Book Reviews
Fiona Terry: Condemned to Repeat? The Paradox of Humanitarian Action
Reviewed by Vance Culbert, pp. 212-214

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160212.sgm.abs.html

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Book Reviews
Arthur C. Helton: The Price of Indifference: Refugees and Humanitarian Action in the New Century
Reviewed by Vance Culbert, pp. 212-214

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160212a.sgm.abs.html

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Book Reviews
the Humanitarian Studies Unit, ed. Reflections on Humanitarian Action: Principles, Ethics and Contradictions
Reviewed by Susan Martin, pp. 215-216

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160215.sgm.abs.html

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Book Reviews
David Rieff: A Bed for the Night: Humanitarianism in Crisis
Reviewed by Arthur C. Helton, pp. 216-218

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160216.sgm.abs.html

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Book Reviews
Ken Booth, ed. The Kosovo Tragedy: The Human Rights Dimensions
Reviewed by X Kjaerum, pp. 218-219

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160218.sgm.abs.html

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Book Reviews
Douglas Johnson: The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars
Reviewed by Mark Duffield, pp. 219-221

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160219.sgm.abs.html

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Book Reviews
Marc-Antoine Pérouse de Montclos: L'Aide humanitaire, aide à la guerre?
Reviewed by Sylvie Brunel, pp. 221-222

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160221.sgm.abs.html

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Book Reviews
Global IDP Project and Norwegian Refugee Council: Internally Displaced People: A Global Survey
Reviewed by Camilla Madsen, pp. 222-223

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160222.sgm.abs.html

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Book Reviews
David J. Griffiths: Somali and Kurdish Refugees in London: New Identities in the Diaspora
Reviewed by Eva Østergaard-Nielsen, pp. 223-224

http://www3.oup.co.uk/refuge/hdb/Volume_16/Issue_02/160223.sgm.abs.html

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Lunatics to hit South Africa

2003-06-12

http://www.africapulse.org.za/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1273

A Dutch theatre group called The Lunatics have come to South Africa to perform at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. On their way to Grahamstown they will perform in Newtown, Johannesburg.

africa/global: GENDER EQUALITY AND THE mdgs

2003-06-12

http://www.unifem.org/www/resources/progressv2/

A report from the United Nations (UN) Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) that presents data, statistics and analysis to show a picture of women's empowerment in the new century, and illuminate what remains to be done to achieve true gender equality, shows that Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest levels of achievement, primarily because of a devastating combination of national poverty, conflict and the effects of HIV/AIDS. The report shows that the level of women's representation in national governments has been improving. "The rise in women's share of parliamentary seats is primarily due to special measures - such as quotas - being introduced and is not tied to a nation's relative wealth or poverty."

africa/global: Women in contemporary democratisation

2003-06-12

http://www.id21.org/society/s8bsr1g1.html

Why are women hugely under-represented in parliaments across the world? What strategies can bring women’s interests into the policy-making process? What are the pros and cons of quotas reserving parliamentary places for women? How can participants in women’s movements avoid being co-opted? A paper from the UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) takes a look at a subject largely ignored in the mainstream literature on democratisation. It notes the contrast between the lively debates on the reform of governments in ethnically segmented societies with the deafening silence on women’s absence from the world of institutional politics.

ghana: The effects of water privatisation on women

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306090356.html

Water experts have predicted that a worldwide water shortage is set to worsen significantly over the next 25 years with billions of people affected by an unprecedented global crisis. The experts also forecast that women and children, especially in Africa, are the group that would be hit hardest. During a recent international workshop on the privatization of essential services participants sent distress signals that women would be the worse affected if water were put in private hands.

kenya: Maasai Women Turn to Dairy Goats

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/wgender/15579

When 54-year old Mary Kuluo saw a poster urging Maasai women to rear dairy goats that had high milk potential she got interested. "The women are only allowed to own chickens, goats and donkeys", says Bernard Momanyi, the Narok District Agriculture and Livestock Extension Officer. "Thus any introduction of dairy goats among the Maasai had to involve women and they are excited about it".
Maasai Women Turn to Dairy Goats

By John Kamau

(Orgilai-Oloirien, Narok, Kenya): When 54-year old Mary Kuluo saw a poster urging Maasai women to rear dairy goats that had high milk potential she got interested - but for a different reason. In her family farm of more than 120 acres are 200-plus cows that she aptly describes as "useless".

"Even if 10 of them give birth, they can hardly produce five litres of milk combined", she says contemptuously of the indigenous Zebu breeds on her farm.

Maasai women have culturally little say on cows - a role reserved to men.

"The women are only allowed to own chickens, goats and donkeys", says Bernard Momanyi, the Narok District Agriculture and Livestock Extension Officer. "Thus any introduction of dairy goats among the Maasai had to involve women and they are excited about it".

On the morning Kuluo saw the poster, pasted at the local shopping centre by officers from the National Agriculture and Livestock Extension Programme (Nalep), a ministry of agriculture initiative funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), she made a decision.

"If a single goat could produce 2 litres of milk, why should we continue to bother with useless cows that produced nothing", she says.

The poster Kuluo had seen was part of an ongoing rural initiative by Nalep to economically empower Maasai women by identifying new opportunities that could generate capital, reduce poverty in the rural areas and improve on food security. Overall, it is part of a national programme to introduce a new demand-driven extension approach that makes rural communities the shapers of their destiny.

More critically, it is seen as part of a national measure to allow women participate and benefit from rural development by allowing them to participate in the elaboration and implementation of development planning as demanded by the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

"The posters are put in focal areas for farmers to study and make a decision among themselves on opportunities they would want to exploit. When they identify the opportunity they are urged to form a common interest group", says Augustine Rugut, a Nalep extension officer.

In the Orgilai-Oloirien focal area, where the dairy goat experiment among the Maasai women is progressing well some 20 women have formed a common interest group, the Naboisho Self Help Group. It is a small nucleus whose success may herald a wave of dairy goat projects among the Maasai women. Even before they sire kids, the Naibosho Self Help Group has orders from other women groups.

"We want to show other Maasai that there is potential in rearing dairy goats and if we can empower them with that knowledge then they can replace the indigenous breeds and achieve sustainable development", says Josephine Shieni, an official of Naibosho Self Help Group.

The breeds that have been introduced are the Pure Torgenburgs, which were purchased from Baraka Farm in Molo.

"When we visited Baraka Farm in Molo we were amazed by the milk potential these goats have", says Kuluo, excited about the initiative.

Veterinary officers from Narok have been visiting the farms to assess the progress and have trained the Maasai women on how to shelter the dairy goats.

"What I want is to help our community to change their attitude", says Kuluo.

Two times a week, members of her self-help group meet to discuss about new developments and compare notes. "It is a healthy exercise because they can seek intervention of extension officers in case they notice any problem with the dairy goats", says Rugut, a Nalep extension officer.

The cOrgilai-Oloirien focal area has 498 farms with an average acreage of 20 acres per farm according to the local field extension officer, Joseph Oyango.

"That indicates that the farms are not large enough to sustain indigenous breeds and we had to look for a new opportunity for locals", he says. "With dwindling milk production the dairy goats will soon offer solace to many Maasai households here".

With the Nalep initiative Maasai women are becoming pioneers in a project they had never dreamt off and extension officers are using their success to demonstrate firsthand the benefits of keeping dairy goats to other reluctant farmers.

"Their success will trigger interest all over and we foresee a major dairy goat industry emerging from this small nucleus", says Rugut, a Nalep extension officer

The women farmers are also trained on regular basis on how to manage their organisations and through field visits to other areas to witness the success of dairy goat ventures elsewhere.

As time ticks on in Orgilai-Oloirien, the women will soon not be between a rock and hard place but will become partners in development of their humble village.

"I wish I had known about it several years ago", says Kuluo, her face beaming with confidence (Rights Features)

nigeria: Abortion Still a Problem, Says Ngilu

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306080083.html

A two-day conference on women's participation in politics opened in Abuja this week, with a call on women to work towards neutralising male-dominance in politics, with a view to contributing towards the sustenance of democracy in the country. Held by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), the conference is expected to analyse and work out strategies for supporting women's participation in politics.

SOMALIA: Women call for peace

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34645

Sixty women peace activists in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, have appealed for the restoration of peace and stability in the city. Their call was made during a women's forum held in Mogadishu, organised by the Centre for Research and Dialogue (CRD), an affiliate of the War-Torn Societies Project International, according to Maryam Mahmud Haji, a CRD gender officer.

southern africa: Women economists in Southern Africa

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/wgender/15587

UNIFEM Southern African Regional Office is currently compiling a database on women economists in Southern Africa. The objective of the exercise is to facilitate networking as well as creating a pool of resource persons who can be hired to either write articles on gender and economics or to make presentations at workshops. The targeted persons should have wide knowledge in macroeconomics, trade, gender and human rights issues. If you are interested, please contact Rachel Mujuru.

SUDAN: Concern over reported arrest of women activists

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34614

The Swiss-based human rights group, World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), has expressed concern over a recent incident in which Sudanese security forces reportedly arrested a group of women activists, and it urged the authorities in Khartoum to conduct a "thorough and impartial" investigation.

Africa/global: PARLIAMENTARIANS OPPOSE RENEWAL OF RESOLUTION 1422

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/15645

The open meeting of the Security Council on Resolution 1422 must carefully consider the need, merit and legality of a renewal of the resolution, said Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) this week. Resolution 1422, adopted last July, provides UN peacekeeping personnel from countries that have not ratified the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) with a 12-month suspension from investigation or prosecution for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Court. It is due to expire on June 30, 2003. "As parliamentarians committed to the fight against impunity, we expect our governments to reaffirm their support for the ICC and take into account the compelling arguments against Resolution 1422 before the Security Council takes action on its renewal," said a press release.
PARLIAMENTARIANS FOR GLOBAL ACTION


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Sen. Raynell Andreychuk (Canada)
c/o PGA Int'l Law Program (New York)
Phone: (212) 687-7755 x103; Fax: (212) 687-8409;
E-mail: donat@pgaction.org; juan.kim@pgaction.org


PARLIAMENTARIANS OPPOSE RENEWAL OF RESOLUTION 1422:
URGE CRITICAL DEBATE AT OPEN MEETING OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL


NEW YORK; June 11, 2003 - The open meeting of the Security Council on
Resolution 1422 (2002) must carefully consider the need, merit and legality
of a renewal of the resolution, said Parliamentarians for Global Action
(PGA) today. The organization strongly opposes this possible renewal.
Also, PGA welcomes the open meeting as an opportunity to assess the
implications of a twelve-month extension of Resolution 1422 on the
International Criminal Court (ICC), the UN Charter, and principles of
international law, such as the duty of states to prosecute international
crimes.

"PGA members have invested much time and effort towards the establishment
of the ICC," said Senator A. Raynell Andreychuk (Canada), convenor of the
organization's International Law and Human Rights Program. "As
parliamentarians committed to the fight against impunity, we expect our
governments to reaffirm their support for the ICC and take into account the
compelling arguments against Resolution 1422 before the Security Council
takes action on its renewal."

Resolution 1422, adopted last July, provides UN peacekeeping personnel from
countries that have not ratified the Rome Statute with a 12-month suspension
from investigation or prosecution for genocide, war crimes and crimes
against humanity by the Court. It is due to expire on June 30, 2003. An
open meeting of the Security Council on this matter has been scheduled for
Thursday, June 12th, and it is expected that the Council will vote on the
renewal shortly thereafter.

At various parliamentary conferences around the world, PGA
members have vowed to uphold the principle of equality of all before the
law. The organization fears that a renewal of Resolution 1422 would not
only put a certain class of persons above the law, but may also endorse the
view that the Security Council can amend multilateral treaties by unlawfully
acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter in the absence of a threat to the
peace. Additionally, unopposed rollovers of the resolution each year could
eventually lead to the development of customary rules against the
universality of international justice. A critical public debate will serve
as a record of opposition to counter such negative consequences should
Resolution 1422 be renewed.

Reflecting the concerns expressed by the organization, several
PGA members have questioned their respective governments on Resolution 1422
and urged them to protect the integrity of the newly established ICC.

The Court was conceived as a preventive tool against mass
atrocities, which too often have gone unpunished. "One day we will be in
the position to witness how the ICC deterred a dictator or a leader from
ordering the killing of a human being - this is the true significance of the
Court," said Andreychuk. With the swearing in of the first ICC Prosecutor,
Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo of Argentina, on June 16th in The Hague, the Court
will soon serve its purpose and play a complementary role in investigating
gross crimes committed under its jurisdiction, including the recent tragic
events in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

__________________________________________________________________________________

PGA is an association of 1350 legislators from 105 countries united to
promote the resolution of global issues such as peace and democracy,
sustainable development, international law and human rights. PGA members
have promoted the establishment of the ICC since 1989 when A.N.R. Robinson,
then Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago and convenor of PGA's International
Law program, introduced the ICC in the U.N. General Assembly agenda. Since
its adoption, PGA members have promoted the ratification and effective
implementation of the Rome Statute, which entered into force on July 1,
2002.

angola: elections and change - the trend in democracy

2003-06-12

http://www.wmd.org/documents/AngolaElectionsRecommendations.doc

The political opposition and social forces that seek change face "serious constraints" due to the prevailing and absolute disrespect for the basic rules of democracy, concluded a recent meeting of civil society and opposition leaders. Among the constraints highlighted was the absolute party control of state institutions and the media.

GREAT LAKES: Human rights NGO decries rights violations

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34674

Human rights violations continue unabated in Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to a new report issued by a regional human rights NGO, Ligue des Droits de la Personne de la Region des Grands Lacs (League for Promotion of Human Rights in the Great Lakes). In its 92-page annual report, the organisation said as a result of years of civil strife in the three countries, poverty levels and insecurity had increased, forcing people to abandon their daily activities and to be constantly on the move, retarding development.

ivory coast: Concern At Humanitarian Situation

2003-06-12

http://www.europaworld.org/week132/concernat6603.htm

While welcoming recent progress in the implementation of the Linas-Marcoussis peace accord for Côte d’Ivoire, members of the United Nations Security Council this week stressed again their concern at the humanitarian situation in the country.

SOMALIA: Opposition accepts election result

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34668

The main opposition party in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, northwestern Somalia, says it now recognises the legitimacy of disputed April elections. The Kulmiye party's presidential candidate, Ahmad Muhammad Silanyo, told IRIN on Wednesday that "after the intervention of elders and others, we have decided as a party to accept the results".

swaziland: balancing royal interests and people demands

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34583

The draft of Swaziland's first home-grown constitution has tried to balance the concerns of a royal establishment keen to retain power, and local and international demands for political reform. The much-delayed constitutional project was initiated by King Mswati III, over the objections of pro-democracy groups who wanted a "people-driven" constitution.

togo: Why Opposition Failed to Kick Out Eyadema

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306100600.html

The ruling RPT party, the former state sponsored party of Togo, was formed in the historical town of Kpalime in 1969. But significantly, the people of Kpalime in the Kloto district voted massively against President Eyadema in Sunday's polls by giving the opposition candidate Bob Akitani a whoppish 89.573 votes while reserving for the incumbent only 28.082 votes. According to observers here, this development amounted to a total rejection of the former ruling Togo Peoples Rally in the Kioto district of Southern Togo. The trend also represented a kind of voting along ethnic loyalties. This has deeply polarised Togo into two distinct political divisions, the north and the south.
Related Links:
* Fall-Out From Presidential Election: Togo to have 3 heads of state?
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306110880.html

Tunisia: New report reveals a decade of endemic human rights abuse

2003-06-12

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/deliver?document=14591

Amnesty International has called on the Tunisian government to urgently reform its justice system as the human rights organisation published a new report revealing endemic human rights abuse in Tunisia, where even the number of people held in its prisons is a secret.

zimbabwe: Rights Conditions Decline

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/15572

Human rights conditions have deteriorated markedly in Zimbabwe over the last few months, Human Rights Watch said in a new briefing paper. The briefing paper, "Under a Shadow: Civil and Political Rights in Zimbabwe," details the government's policy of repression and the harassment of opposition party members by state institutions and supporters of the ruling party.
Rights Conditions Decline in Zimbabwe

(New York, June 9, 2003) - Human rights conditions have deteriorated
markedly in Zimbabwe over the last few months, Human Rights Watch
said in a new briefing paper published today.

The briefing paper, "Under a Shadow: Civil and Political Rights in
Zimbabwe," details the government's policy of repression and the
harassment of opposition party members by state institutions and
supporters of the ruling party. The direct involvement of ranking
government officials and state security forces marks a new and
worrisome trend in Zimbabwe's ongoing political crisis.

"Not only have the army and police personnel failed to protect people
from human rights abuses, but they are now carrying out abuses
themselves," said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the
Africa Division at Human Rights Watch. "In addition, recent
legislation has drastically curtailed citizens' rights to freedom of
expression, assembly and association."

Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC), led a workplace stayaway from June 2-6 to protest declining
economic and political conditions and force the resignation of
President Mugabe. Public demonstrations and a protest march, which
are illegal under the 2002 Public Order and Security Act, were
dismantled by state security forces in Harare.

On March 18 and 19, a similar general strike resulted in the arrest
of more than 400 citizens and a severe government backlash against
political activity. The MDC was prevented from undertaking normal
campaign activities in the run-up to two parliamentary by-elections,
and party activists were harassed, detained and beaten.

The political violence prevalent in rural areas since 2000 has now
become common in urban centers, and non-political actors such as
civic organizations and church leaders are increasingly targeted. The
majority of the violence in recent months has been committed by state
security forces and youth militias.

"Systematic arbitrary arrests and other abuses of dissidents' human
rights violates Zimbabwe's obligations under international law," said
Takirambudde. "The government must end the culture of impunity before
human rights conditions decline further."

Human Rights Watch called on the government of Zimbabwe to
reestablish the rule of law, disband youth militia, withdraw military
personnel from residential areas, and revise legislation that are
contrary to international human rights law. All sides are urged to
promote a climate of tolerance and mutual respect for differing
political opinions.

The briefing paper can be found online at
http://hrw.org/backgrounder/africa/zimbabwe060603.htm

To read more on human rights in Zimbabwe, please see:
http://www.hrw.org/africa/zimbabwe.php

zimbabwe: the struggle will continue with greater intensity

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/15662

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has pledged that the challenge to the Mugabe regime will continue with greater intensity. "From now onwards we will embark on rolling mass action at strategic times of our choice and without any warning to the dictatorship," he said in a statement. Tsvangirai said Mugabe had been exposed as a "violent and illegitimate dictator with absolutely no pretence to any semblance of civil mass support. He continues to shamelessly hang on to power through brutal force."
THE MDC'S PRESIDENT'S REMARKS AT A NEWS CONFERENCE ON THE OCCASION OF THE
JUNE 2-6 2003 PHASE OF THE PEOPLE'S MASS ACTION.

Harare, June 6 2003.

It is a matter of public record that Zimbabweans from all walks of life
overwhelmingly responded to the first stage of our final phase of democratic
resistance.

The call by the MDC for a national shutdown and mass action represents a
national effort to challenge an unpopular regime. This was the first dose of
action in the final phase of the people's collective push against this
regime under our code: The Final Push.

True to form, the regime responded with the predictable brute force and mass
reprisals. But as expected, this failed to stop the people from
demonstrating their unflinching support for the MDC.

Special tribute goes to the men and women who braved the brutality of the
Mugabe regime. Some were killed. Others were injured. Scores were arrested.

In a normal democracy, the people's response to our call for action could
have led to the resignation of a sitting regime. Instead, Robert Mugabe
still thinks the mass action was a flop.

The national effort to challenge the Mugabe regime to resolve the current
crisis will now continue with greater intensity from today. More action is
coming as we apply internal pressure on Mugabe for national dialogue.

We have a natural right to intensify the fight for good governance.

In our short history of the struggle against tyranny in Zimbabwe, the June 2
to 6 2003 mass action has been the most successful and indeed, the most
devastating in terms of sapping the morale and confidence of the Mugabe
dictatorship.

Through peaceful mass action, the people of Zimbabwe delivered a mortal blow
to the dictator. They have aptly demonstrated their capacity to set the
limits to the dictatorship.

>From Monday, June 2, up to today June 6, Mugabe was not in charge of this
country. He was busy marshalling his forces of repression against the
sovereign will of the people of Zimbabwe. However, even in the context of
the brutalities inflicted upon them, the people's spirit of resistance was
not broken and the jackboot or the sound of gunfire will never silence their
demand for change and freedom.

For the past five days, therefore, the people of Zimbabwe reclaimed their
sovereignty. They were in charge. This was a major installment, indeed a
landmark towards a permanent recovery of their freedom.

Throughout the world the struggle against tyranny and the retrieval of
stolen freedom and liberty has never been a single event, but a traumatic
process of relentless sacrifice and utmost dedication. We in Zimbabwe are
not exempt from following the route charted by democrats and fellow fighters
for freedom the world over.

Consequently, the peaceful mass action that we embarked upon is the
beginning of new multifaceted phase towards a permanent resolution of the
crisis. Whereas in the past our mass action concentrated on stayaways, we
have now entered a qualitatively different phase where we have added
peaceful marches to confront the dictator on the streets of every city and
every town.

As a result the dictator is now cornered and reduced to using the hit and
run tactics of a bandit against defenceless people.

As we progress in the fight for our freedom we shall continue to explore and
add new sites and arenas of struggle on our agenda for change until the
ultimate goal is achieved.

The people are now well aware of the exact nature of the crisis and the
dimensions and sites of the struggle and in future there will be no need for
trumpeting resistance to the dictatorship.

>From now onwards we will embark on rolling mass action at strategic times of
our choice and without any warning to the dictatorship. The spirit of
resistance has sunk organic roots in the people and the Mugabe dictatorship
will never be allowed again to trample on people's rights with impunity.
More action, as I said, is certainly on the way.

Mugabe has now been exposed as a violent and illegitimate dictator with
absolutely no pretence to any semblance of civil mass support. He continues
to shamelessly hang on to power through brutal force.

The current phase of the people's mass action has demonstrated to Mugabe
where his power lies. He is now under no illusion about this.

His power now lies completely in the forces of repression supervised by a
coterie of his bootlickers.

He has ceased to be a civilian leader ruling with the consent of the people.

He is now a civilian dictator propped up by sections of a subverted police
and military.

Not even his regional and continental supporters can alter that fact. The
regime is now a self-serving dictatorship in pursuit of its own narrow
material interests at the expense of the welfare of millions of Zimbabweans.

Through their weapon of peaceful and steadfast protest the people of
Zimbabwe have demonstrated their resilience and determination to confront
the dictatorship in the face of mortal peril.

The people have been tortured, brutalized and murdered by a regime that is
meant to protect them. Their only crime is that they sought to peacefully
demonstrate against the dictatorship, assert their democratic rights and
reclaim their freedom.

The people's message of peace was met with blood and iron. All these
atrocities are not in vain. They lay the foundation for a future democratic
culture that will never again allow one dictator and his cronies to capture
the state and use it as an instrument to oppress the people.

There is life at the end of all this suffering. As I said before, if we want
life we must expect pain.

I therefore want to say to the people of Zimbabwe: You have demonstrated
tremendous courage in the face of evident danger. You have remained
disciplined and peaceful. You have remained steadfast.

The struggle for freedom demands unwavering commitment and sacrifice. Lets
maintain our unity of purpose and lets travel the last mile together towards
our freedom.

Victory is inevitable.

Morgan Tsvangirai
MDC President.

Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai's shoddy treatment slammed

2003-06-12

http://zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=6966

Shackled in leg irons and handcuffs, Morgan Tsvangirai was brought into court visibly shivering from cold. Despite the winter weather, he was wearing only scant prison-issue khaki shorts, a short-sleeved shirt and loose sandals. But after complaints on Wednesday by defence counsel George Bizos, Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader was allowed to change into a suit.
Related Link:
* Mugabe keeps Tsvangirai behind bars
http://zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=6959
* Hunger strikers urge Mbeki to use his clout to free Tsvangirai
http://zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=6960

Zimbabwe: What Next After The Mass Stay Away?

2003-06-12

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=2&ItemID=3759

The mass action in Zimbabwe last week organised by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) should be seen in the context of a protracted struggle that is part of a process of building a successful movement, says this commentary published on the www.zmag.org site. The harsh reaction of the state to the protests had been a "rude awakening" for the MDC and the party would now have to go back to the drawing room to reorganise. There was a need for civil society to be involved in this process and the ball was in the MDC’s court to immediately call in civil society and work together in strategizing for the future.

zimbabwe: Zimbabwe counts the cost after a week of strikes and savagery

2003-06-12

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=413386

Zimbabweans returned to work after a week of strikes and violently repressed attempts at protests. But the country's daily suffering - including shortages of food, fuel, electricity, cash and even blood - is expected to bring a rapid return of tension. A five-day strike called last week by the Movement for Democratic Change was successful, but its attempt to bring people out on the streets "in your millions" was violently repressed by the security forces and their notorious militia allies, known as the "Green Bombers".

ANGOLA: Refugees can tune in for repatriation information

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34579

Angolan refugees planning to return home from southern African countries will be able to receive information on the repatriation process and conditions back home from special weekly radio bulletins. The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will send a weekly update on the conditions refugees can expect to find as they voluntarily return to Angola after more than a year of peace, UNHCR external relations officer Matthew Brook told IRIN.

botswana: PROTESTS MAR VISIT OF BOTSWANA PRESIDENT

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/refugees/15578

Peaceful protests are expected to dog President Mogae of Botswana throughout his visit to Britain this week. The Botswana government has evicted hundreds of Gana and Gwi Bushmen from their ancestral land and dumped them in bleak resettlement camps, earning worldwide condemnation.
SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELEASE

9 June 2003

PROTESTS MAR VISIT OF BOTSWANA PRESIDENT


Peaceful protests are expected to dog President Mogae of Botswana
throughout his visit to Britain this week. The Botswana government
has evicted hundreds of Gana and Gwi Bushmen from their ancestral
land and dumped them in bleak resettlement camps, earning worldwide
condemnation.

There will be a peaceful vigil outside the Botswana High Commission
from 2pm Monday to 12 noon Thursday, while the President is in the
country.

Where: Botswana High Commission, Stratford Place (opposite Bond Street tube).

When: Monday 9th June 2pm-5pm
Tuesday 10th June 9am-5pm
Wednesday 11th June 9am-5pm
Thursday 12th June 8am-12pm

Botswana's persecution of the Bushmen has brought the President
international notoriety; he even features in the Imperial War
Museum's permanent exhibition on Crimes against Humanity, where he is
quoted warning the Bushmen they face extinction.

The Bushmen opposed to the evictions have sent an open message to the
President, and the government-appointed representatives of the
resettlement camps accompanying him while he is in the UK, 'We cannot
read nor write, we do not have money to board a plane to come to
London to tell you our story... We hope that you will support our
struggle to be heard by our government before it is too late to
prevent the total extinction of our culture.' The full text of their
message is available from:
http://www.survival-international.org/mogaevisit.htm




More information: Sophie Thomas on (+44) (0)20 7687 8731 or
st@survival-international.org
Photos and digital footage available.

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car: 200 refugees return home from DRC

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34637

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) began on Monday to repatriate 2,562 Central African Republic refugees, who have been living in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo since June 2001.

ETHIOPIA: Government defends resettlement scheme

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34539

The Ethiopian government has said that a scheme which provides for the resettlement of some two million people over the next three years, but has faced criticism from the international community, is necessary if Ethiopia is to stave off future food emergencies. It has also said it will not shy away from the scheme and has urged the international community to support it fully.

LIBERIA: IDPs flee camps as rebels advance into Monrovia

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34594

Liberian rebels surged into the western outskirts of the capital Monrovia last Friday after heavy fighting overnight which sent thousands of displaced people fleeing in heavy rain into the city centre.

liberia: unhcr concern for liberian refugees

2003-06-12

http://tinyurl.com/e54a

The UN refugee agency has evacuated its international staff from Monrovia amid weekend fighting near the Liberian capital and reports of violence and looting in the nearby refugee camps. UNHCR has expressed concern for 33 national staff who stayed behind, as well as some 15,000 Sierra Leonean refugees previously hosted in camps near Monrovia.

southern africa: A REFERENCE GUIDE TO REFUGEE LAW AND ISSUES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/refugees/15548

A new guide provides a comparative analysis and factual guide to refugee law throughout Southern Africa, including in-depth country guides for Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The new publication 'A Reference Guide to Refugee Law and Issues in Southern Africa' is produced by The Legal Resources Foundation (Zambia - http://www.lrf.org.zm/ ), the Legal Resources Centre South Africa ( http://www.lrc.org.za/) and the Zambia Civic Education Association. It is hoped that the guide will be a wealth of information in the areas of domestic and international refugee law, as well as the factual situation of refugees across Southern Africa.

A REFERENCE GUIDE TO REFUGEE LAW AND ISSUES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

The Legal Resources Foundation (Zambia - http://www.lrf.org.zm/ ), the Legal Resources Centre South
Africa ( http://www.lrc.org.za/) and Zambia Civic Education Association are pleased to announce their
new publication, "A Reference Guide to Refugee Law and Issues in Southern
Africa".

The guide provides a comparative analysis and factual guide to refugee law
throughout Southern Africa, including in-depth country guides for Angola,
Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, South
Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It is hoped that the guide will be a wealth
of information in the areas of domestic and international refugee law, as
well as the factual situation of refugees across Southern Africa.

This publication is made available to your organization free of charge. If
you would like a copy of the Guide please email mailing details to Cyrenne
Christodolou, Legal Resources Centre National Office at cyrenne@lrc.org.za

The Guide is a project of the Southern African Legal Assistance Network
(SALAN) and was funded by the Canadian Bar Association and the Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA).

southern africa: Mobile Populations and HIV/AIDS

2003-06-12

http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0000365/index.php

In much of the literature on HIV/AIDS and mobility, mobile populations and/or migrants are described and treated as one, homogenous group. This report from the International Organisation for Migration examines the different sub-groups of mobile populations, and looks at their commonalities and differences. The report notes that mobile groups are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in different respects, which complicates prevention and mitigation strategies. Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS is often related to a particular stage of the mobility process.

africa: a blind eye

2003-06-12

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9115,974031,00.html

Governments in rich countries demand that regimes in poor countries clean up their acts and eradicate corruption if they are to be given aid, and yet the governments of rich countries turn a blind eye when western multinational companies bribe on a huge scale to win contracts in poor countries, with the financial backing of those same governments. The Corner House, a think tank campaigning for environmental and social justice, has examined nine projects which Britain's export credits guarantee department (ECGD) has backed in the past two decades and concludes that there has been "a series of institutional practices within the ECGD that have permitted corrupt practice to go unpunished". For instance, Corner House believes little has been done to investigate the case of the Lesotho Highlands Water project. The ECGD's support to four British companies amounted to £215m. But, according to Corner House, it continued to give this support even after warning signs of possible corruption first surfaced in 1994.

africa: Dollars Stuffed into Monsieur Africa's Salad

2003-06-12

http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=18662

Prosecution has demanded heavy jail sentences for former bosses of the oil giant Elf Aquitaine over their dealings in Africa. Prosecutor Catherine Pignon asked a Paris court to sentence André Tarallo, formerly the company's top manager for Africa affairs, to eight years imprisonment and to impose a fine of 5.8 million dollars. This is the first move by the prosecution against the top bosses of the company. Tarallo, 76, who came to be known as Elf Aquitaine's 'Monsieur Africa', managed the company's business in Africa for 20 years from the late seventies.

africa: Striking It Poor: Oil as a Curse

2003-06-12

http://tinyurl.com/e19d

The pipes are already laid in southern Chad, where they snake south underground through tropical forests from the oil fields of Doba to a marine terminal off the coast of neighboring Cameroon. At the port of Kribi, the 660-mile pipeline will empty up to 250,000 barrels a day of coveted crude into tankers waiting to transport the unctuous black gold to Western markets. The World Bank says this multi-billion dollar project will help to reduce poverty, but many critics find that assessment surprising, given that scholarly studies for more than a decade have consistently warned of what is known as the resource curse: that developing countries whose economies depend on exporting oil, gas or extracted minerals are likely to be poor, authoritarian, corrupt and rocked by civil war.

ghana: Corruption undermines development

2003-06-12

http://www.ghanaian-chronicle.com/230606/page2g.htm

The rampant presence of corruption in a country seriously undermines its management and economic development, the executive director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Prof. Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, has said.

ghana: Zero Tolerance For Corruption is Dying, says cdd

2003-06-12

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=37329

The Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana, Professor E. Gyimah-Boadi, has said that the government's commitment to the policy of zero tolerance for corruption is gradually waning in the light of its failure to significantly empower and resource official anti-corruption and countervailing agencies.

kenya: anti-corruption police probe loss at Justice Ministry

2003-06-12

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=65098

Anti-corruption police are investigating the loss of more than 36m shillings (approximately 450,000 US dollars) from the Attorney-General's chambers. This is part of a wider inquiry on corruption in the Justice and Constitutional Affairs Ministry.

KENYA: Police to investigate alleged 1.6bn dollar telecom scam

2003-06-12

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=65133

The government has lost 120bn shillings [about 1.6bn dollars] in the last five years through illegal use of Telkom facilities for private business. Those involved in the scam install communication dishes to make international calls.

MALAWI: Corruption, weak leadership worry DFID

2003-06-12

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=65138

Levels of corruption and poor accountability in the country may deteriorate further between now and the general elections next year, the British Department of International Development (DFID) said on Monday. Launching the Country Assistance Plan (CAP) for Malawi in which DFID will provide K22 billion to Malawi for the next three years, head of DFID Malawi Mike Wood said: "There is a risk that government may divert development resources for purely political purposes," reads the CAP document released on Monday.

nigeria: Nigeria warns investors on fake crude oil offers

2003-06-12

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=15630

Nigeria on Wednesday warned potential investors about fake documents offering crude oil for sale on behalf of the state-run oil group Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The NNPC said fraudulent persons and groups are offering non-existent crude oil for sale, using forged documents.

nigeria: Public standards: A system that successfully resists change

2003-06-12

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=65118

The retired major-general with a mission to fight the corruption in Nigeria's public life works from an office in the back yard of a small poultry business in the sprawling outskirts of Lagos. Bearded, wearing a grey singlet and jeans, he cuts an unusual figure for a former top-brass officer. Ishola Williams heads the Nigerian branch of Transparency International, the anti-corruption lobbying organisation whose last ranking classed Nigeria as the world's second most corrupt nation, after Bangladesh. He sees in Nigeria a whole political system that has successfully resisted attempts to change its habits.

zambia: Chiluba Faces Another Arrest

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306090121.html

Former president Frederick Chiluba faces another arrest over alleged abuse of the Zamtrop account. According to sources, Chiluba, former Ambassador to the United States Atan Shansonga, former finance permanent secretary Stella Chibanda, former intelligence chief Xavier Chungu and former Ministry of Finance chief economist Bede Mphande were listed for re-arrest on fresh charges related to the Zamtrop account.

africa/global: New global investment agreement must be stopped

2003-06-12

http://www.actionaid.org/newsandmedia/agreement.shtml

A new global investment agreement proposed at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) carries huge risks for the world’s poorest people, says leading development agency ActionAid. In its new report, Unlimited Companies, the agency calls on the UK Government and the EU to drop their support for the agreement and stop putting the interests of big business before the needs of poor countries. The report comes at a crucial time in trade negotiations, as the Working Group on Trade and Investment meets in Geneva for the last time before the WTO Cancun Ministerial in September.

africa/kenya: gats an 'unacceptable instrument', says civil society

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/development/15540

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is not just about imports and exports of goods, but increasingly is encroaching on people's democratic control over and access to resources and on governments' abilities to regulate social and economic policies and formulate human development. Civil society groups from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, Canada and New Zealand met in Nairobi from 27 29 May 2003 to study, analyse and exchange views on the impact of neo-liberal globalisation specially on the south manifesting itself in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and the forthcoming WTO Ministerial Conference in Cancun. The GATS represents a powerful and totally unacceptable instrument that limits policy space and restricts popular access to services which are essential to people's livelihoods and economic development, a statement on the meeting said.
Nairobi civil society declaration on the General Agreement on Trade in
Services (GATS)

29 May 2003


Civil society groups from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, Canada and
New Zealand met in Nairobi from 27 29 May 2003 to study, analyse and
exchange views on the impact of neo-liberal globalisation specially on the
south manifesting itself in the General Agreement on Trade in Services
(GATS) and the forthcoming WTO Ministerial Conference in Cancun.

WTO is not just about imports and exports of goods, but increasingly is
encroaching on people's democratic control over and access to resources and
on governments' abilities to regulate social and economic policies and
formulate human development.

The GATS represents a powerful and totally unacceptable instrument that
limits policy space and restricts popular access to services which are
essential to people's livelihoods and economic development.

African and developing countries are being forced through GATS to adopt
policies that have had negative impacts on people and communities.
GATS-type liberalization in sectors such as water in South Africa and
Ghana, electricity in Indonesia and California, public broadcasting
services in New Zealand, rail in the UK and financial liberalization that
caused the crisis in East and South-East Asia are real experiences that
disprove the alleged benefits put forward by the proponents of
neo-liberalism, i.e. IMF, World Bank, WTO, donor agencies and corporate
interests.

We civil society organisations oppose GATS, existing commitments and
attempts to adopt further commitments.

We therefore call upon developing governments to:
1. share all necessary information and documents, and work with their
civil society to develop policies that meet the needs of their citizens.
2. to promote, protect and reclaim the southern policy space, to
review, with a view to withdraw, current commitments and therefore not to
make any new commitments in current GATS negotiations. There is no evidence
to prove that GATS will attract productive investment. On the contrary, the
developing countries lose whatever little share they currently have.
3. to share relevant information among themselves and to work together
in order to increase their negotiation capacity to avoid being bullied in
multilateral and bi-lateral forums.

Further to this, we call upon northern governments to stop manipulating and
abusing bilateral and multilateral processes.

We commit ourselves to continue building global solidarity in our common
struggle against corporate-driven, northern imposed policy agendas. We also
reaffirm our commitment to networking amongst ourselves in order to make
sure that our governments protect the interests of their people.


Signatories:

Action Aid, Uganda
Alternative Information and Development Centre, South Africa
ARENA, New Zealand
Business Watch, Indonesia
Center for International Environmental Law, Switzerland
Consumer Information Network, Kenya
EcoNews Africa, Kenya
11.11.11, Belgium
Equations, India
Food Rights Alliance, Uganda
Gender and Trade Network in Africa
Institute for Global Justice, Indonesia
Institute of Economic Affairs, Kenya
International Gender and Trade Network Asia
Lawyers Environmental Action Team, Tanzania
MWENGO, Zimbabwe
Polaris Institute, Canada
REBRIP, Brazil
SEATINI, Uganda
SEATINI, Zimbabwe
SodNet, Kenya
Tanzania Gender and Networking Programme, Tanzania
Third World Network Africa, Ghana
Trade Watch, Kenya
World Development Movement, UK

africa: Africa Needs Globalisation or Risk Being Left Out in the Cold, wef meeting hears

2003-06-12

http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=18724

The losers in this world are those who are excluded from globalisation and Africa stands the risk of being left out, Norway's Minister of International Development, Hilde Frafjord Johnson warned Thursday. Addressing the plenary session of the World Economic Forum - Africa Economic Summit 2003 taking place in Durban, South Africa, Johnson said it was important not to overlook Africa, while the focus was on Iraq. The African Economic Summit, which kicked off Wednesday afternoon, is focussing on harnessing the power of partnership in developing Africa. It is being attended by African government officials, the business community, non-governmental organisations and civil society groups.

africa: Globalisation and GMOs

2003-06-12

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030623&s=hayden

With the end of the Iraq war, the globalisation war is heating up around trade again, this time over the issue of genetically modified food. George W. Bush is once more attacking "Old Europe," claiming that it is denying food to starving Africans, after several African countries declined US aid in the form of genetically modified food out of concern that it might taint their own crops and block sales to Europe. And once again the United States is opposing a United Nations approach, this time in the form of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, signed by more than 100 nations, which establishes rules to regulate GMOs.

uganda: Africa Subsidizing the West, Says Museveni Following Meeting With Bush

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306110133.html

African commodities and raw materials are processed in wealthy nations and then resold by companies and corporations in those nations at prices many times greater than what is paid to the producers, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said Tuesday night at a well-attended reception just hours after his meeting at the White House with President George W. Bush.

west africa: Regional Human Development Report: Any Hope for West Africa?

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306110604.html

Since 1990, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has compiled an annual report to show the level of development in various countries of the world, across all social strata. A new Regional Human Development Report has emerged to analyse the global report from the African perspective. Africa currently contains 34 of the 49 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the world, with 300 million persons, or over 45 percent of the continent's population living below the poverty line. And according to the last Global Human Development Report (2002), 29 countries out of the 36 with a low Human Development Index (HDI) in the world are in Africa.

AFRICA: AIDS cash for Africa will mainly go to drug companies

2003-06-12

http://news.hst.org.za/view.php3?id=20030604

Leaders of the world's richest countries agreed at the G8 summit to provide billions of dollars to help fight AIDS in Africa but, under present trade rules, much of that cash will go to multinational pharmaceutical companies. To the disappointment of pressure groups monitoring the summit, the leaders failed to make progress on new trade rules to allow poor countries to buy cheap, generic versions of new medicines - including the drugs which arrest AIDS.

africa: Global fund faces bankruptcy

2003-06-12

http://www.health-e.org.za/view.php3?id=20030602

Health activists at the G8 meeting in Evian said it was outrageous that US President George Bush had attempted to block bipartisan efforts to increase American contributions to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria and described as “shocking” revelations that the European Development Fund was sitting on 10 billion unspent euros. “The heads of state created this fund and pumped it for positive publicity two years ago. Now they have decided to orphan it after deliberately manipulating the hopes and expectations of millions of people with HIV in developing countries,” said Sharonann Lynch of Health GAP.

africa: Questions Prompt Review Of Dirty Needles' Role In African HIV Infections

2003-06-12

http://www.unwire.org/unwire/util/category_search.asp?objCat=health

Questions about what percentage of Africa's HIV infections are caused by dirty needles has prompted U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson -- who is also the chairman of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria -- to order a review of all research linking HIV/AIDS and medical injections, Associated Press has reported. The review could affect how funding from the $15 billion U.S. initiative to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean is distributed, AP reported.

ethiopia: Measles Campaign Targets More Than 5 Million Children

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306060024.html

A measles vaccination and vitamin A campaign, targeting more than five million children aged between six months and 15 years, was launched on Friday by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the health ministry. "This campaign is part of our joint efforts to fight the major childhood killer diseases in Ethiopia," said Dr Mahendra Sheth, the head of UNICEF Ethiopia's health and nutrition section.

kenya: Kenya leading in TB infections, says report

2003-06-12

http://www.eastandard.net/headlines/news10062003004.htm

Kenya is among nine African countries with the highest number of Tuberculosis (TB) infections. Kenyan Assistant Minister for Health Gedion Konchellah said there had been an upsurge of TB due to the HIV/Aids epidemic, urbanisation, increasing poverty and declining social economic trends.

namibia: Namibian firm will produce AIDS drugs, says Minister

2003-06-12

http://www.namibian.com.na/2003/june/national/03D7C6D117.html

The Namibian Government has teamed up with a local company to produce cheap AIDS drugs, Health Minister Dr Libertina Amathila announced. Speaking during a discussion between visiting UN Special Envoy on AIDS Stephen Lewis and a group of Ministers, Amathila said Cabinet last week gave approval for an Ondangwa-based company to produce generic HIV-AIDS drugs that will be affordable to Namibians infected and affected by the disease.

nigeria: Row over Nigeria sickle cell patent

2003-06-12

http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=848&language=1

A controversy has erupted in Nigeria over the sale to a foreign company of the rights to a patent on a locally developed drug for sickle cell anaemia. The drug, NIPRISAN, was developed by a traditional medicine practitioner working in collaboration with researchers at Nigeria’s National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Development (NIPRD) in Abuja.

south africa: western cape sets the pace in arv rollout

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306110049.html

The Western Cape was the first province to defy South African government policy by providing AIDS drugs to HIV-positive pregnant women in the public health sector. Two years later, the rollout campaign has achieved universal coverage and now babies and children living with HIV/AIDS are also to get access to treatment. Meanwhile, the South African cabinet is expected to discuss a national ARV costing report this week, ahead of a meeting between AIDS lobby group the Treatment Action Campaign and the National AIDS Council on 14 June. AIDS activists hope recommendations handed down by the report will end months of a bitter stand-off between them and the department of health over its refusal to implement a treatment policy.

uganda: 'Aids Patients Take Up 80 % Hospital Beds'

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306090277.html

People living with HIV/AIDS take up about 80 percent of Ugandan hospital beds. This was revealed by Major Rubaramira Ruranga of the Uganda Joint Clinical Research Centre (UJCRC) during an aids awareness conference recently. "80 per cent of the hospital beds are occupied by people living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda. This shows that the disease is still an epidemic," said Mr Rubaramira.

AFRICA: UNICEF urges leaders to focus on child development

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34689

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday called on African leaders attending an economic summit in South Africa to embrace "child-centred standards as the primary measure for gauging progress" across their continent.

DRC: Scale up efforts to prevent use of child soldiers, NGO says

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34639

A UK-based NGO, Save the Children, has urged the multinational force currently mobilising in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to take an active role in efforts to prevent use of children by armed groups in the region.

eritrea: CHILD MALNUTRITION IN DROUGHT-HIT ERITREA AT ALARMING LEVEL, says­ UN AGENCY

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/education/15538

The rate of malnutrition in Eritrea, now in the fourth year of the worst drought in a decade, is rising to alarming levels, with more than 1 in 5 children not getting enough to eat, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says. According to the agency, 21. 7 per cent of children are suffering from malnutrition; normally, a hunger rate of just 13 to 14 per cent is considered alarming.
CHILD MALNUTRITION IN DROUGHT-HIT ERITREA AT ALARMING LEVEL ­ UN AGENCY
New York, Jun 6 2003 12:00PM

The rate of malnutrition in Eritrea, now in the fourth year of the worst
drought in a decade, is rising to alarming levels, with more than 1 in 5
children not getting enough to eat, the United Nations World Food Programme
(WFP) said today.

According to the agency, 21. 7 per cent of children are suffering from
malnutrition; normally, a hunger rate of just 13 to 14 per cent is
considered alarming. Meanwhile, the drought shows little sign of
improvement and the spring rains have not been sufficient, WFP spokesperson
Christiane Berthiaume said in Geneva. If the summer rains are not enough,
the situation this autumn will be catastrophic.

At the start of the year, WFP appealed for $100 million to help 1.4 million
of Eritrea's 3.4 million people, but it has only received $49 million and
has had to cut down its rations. Without new contributions, it will run out
of stocks by the end of July, Ms. Berthiaume said.

Last month the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) began
distributing cereal and legume seeds to Eritrean farmers to help restore
their productive capacity.

UN News Service

ETHIOPIA: 2,500 severely malnourished children admitted to therapeutic feeding centers

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34619

More than 2,500 malnourished children in Ethiopia have been admitted to emergency feeding centres in recent weeks, the humanitarian organisation Save the Children USA said on Monday. It said a further 2,000 children were on the "brink" of starvation as Ethiopia faced what has been described as its worst food crisis in two decades.

liberia: concern for children trapped in conflict

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/education/15571

UNICEF has expressed concern for children caught up in the escalation of civil war in Liberia and appealed to all warring parties to ensure that civilians, especially children, are protected from harm. "As heavy fighting forces thousands of civilians to flee the shelter of camps on the outskirts of Monrovia, we are deeply troubled about the plight of Liberian children and the civilian population caught up in the mayhem,"  said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF.
Press Release
UNICEF Deeply Concerned About Children Caught in the Conflict in Liberia

NEW YORK / DAKAR, 7 June 2003 -- UNICEF today expressed concern for
children caught up in the escalation of civil war in Liberia and appealed
to all warring parties to ensure that civilians, especially children, are
protected from harm.

"As heavy fighting forces thousands of civilians to flee the shelter of
camps on the outskirts of Monrovia, we are deeply troubled about the plight
of Liberian children and the civilian population caught up in the mayhem,"
said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF. "The last few days have
raised real concern for the security and well-being of civilians caught in
the fighting, especially children. We appeal to all parties to protect the
children from harm."

Liberia, a country with a population of 3.1 million, has been ravaged by
conflict for almost fourteen years, which means that children under 14 have
no idea what it means to live in peace.

Several hundred thousand Liberians have been repeatedly displaced through
the years, losing all their worldly belongings in their constant search for
security. The Liberian economy and basic social services have been
devastated, while unemployment stands at 85 percent. As a result, nine out
of ten Liberians live in absolute poverty (less than $1 per day) and, out
of these nine, half live on less than $0.50 per day.

UNICEF said this has translated into high malnutrition rates among
children, lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation,
and poor access to school. Some 81 percent of Liberian children aged 6-12
are not in school and, even for the few in school, only 42 per cent attain
minimal levels of learning achievement because they are hungry and distracted.

"Today, Liberian children who have all been affected by the war one way or
another are faced once again with a totally chaotic situation," Bellamy
said. "We plead for their safety."

* * *

For further information, please contact:

Margherita Amodeo, UNICEF Media, Dakar (+221) 545-1612
Alfred Ironside, UNICEF Media, New York (+212) 326 -7261

mozambique: 'observatory' set up to aid drive against poverty

2003-06-12

http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html

Mozambique has established a "poverty observatory" to monitor its national plan to reduce one of the world's highest levels of deprivation. The observatory will collect and analyse data on poverty to track the plan's progress. The country's first report on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, released last year, spells out the challenges: nearly 70 per cent of Mozambique's 17 million people live below the poverty line, subsisting on less than 40 US cents a day.

south africa: free education on the cards

2003-06-12

http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/education/0,1009,60201,00.html

Education Minister Kader Asmal has announced that government is looking at the possibility of exempting 40% of South Africa's poorest from having to pay for education. The announcement comes at a time when scores of parents are facing legal action for non-payment of school fees and some pupils are forced to drop out of school.

south africa: Summit of Mixed Fortunes for Cosatu

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306090398.html

Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi's passionate and emotive speech at the Growth and Development Summit spared no one from criticism. The speech embodied the frustrations felt by the federation and organised labour in general about many things, such as the absence of a deal on the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS, high unemployment and the deepening poverty levels, as well as the relatively low commitment on the part of business to invest in job-creation projects.

uganda: 'Double Sanitation, Water Expenditure'

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306090071.html

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative, Daouda Toure, has asked the Government to double its current water and sanitation expenditure as a primary solution to the high infant mortality rates in the country.

uganda: Secondary Education Must Become a Priority, African Conference is Told

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306090312.html

"Knowledge and information are power," said Uganda’s Education Minister, Khiddu Makubuya. "Our future is in our youth and we must offer them the best possible start in life". One would be forgiven for thinking that the words refer to kindergarten or primary school education in Africa. But he was talking about secondary schooling at the opening, Monday, of the first regional conference on secondary education in Africa, being held in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. To date, secondary schooling has played second fiddle to primary education, which has attracted most of the funds and attention of both donors and African governments in recent years.

ZAMBIA: Project reaches orphaned and vulnerable children

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34623

A targeted urban intervention programme in Zambia is helping to keep orphans and vulnerable children in school by supporting their caretaker families. Zambia is among six countries in Southern Africa experiencing food shortages due to a combination of factors, including drought and the impact of HIV/AIDS.

zimbabwe: "I will face the gun to fight for academic freedom"

2003-06-12

http://www.nearinternational.org/alerts/5226345h1lk1243kt13451.php

Higher education institutions in the country, the University of Zimbabwe in particular, have lost their status as academic institutions ready to offer a haven for constructive criticism of government excesses, writes Tapera Kapuya, the former Secretary General of the University of Zimbabwe Student Union. 'Bomber' militia run university security. Students are harassed and beaten with apparent impunity. Members of the secret police watch dissident lecturers and students, and armed riot police are ready to pounce at any slightest show of discontent by members of the academic community. As Brian Raftopoulos, a professor at the university’s institute of development studies and chair of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Committee, said in his Canon Collins Memorial Lecture in London last week, its academics are polarised between adjuncts to the Zanu PF propaganda machine and critics of the regime.

Gambia/Senegal: Curfew Imposed To Stem Anti-Senegalese Violence

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306090001.html

The Gambia government Sunday imposed a 7pm to 6am countrywide curfew to stem rising anti-Senegalese violence across the country. The curfew came after a day of looting and attacks on Senegalese nationals and properties in the country. Sunday's violence was a reaction to violent attacks upon Gambian players and fans attending the African Nations Cup qualifying match between the two countries by Senegalese football hooligans on Saturday.

south africa: Boeremag trial delayed

2003-06-12

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,6119,2-7-1442_1371119,00.html

The treason trial of 22 alleged members of the rightwing Boeremag organisation was postponed once again in the Pretoria High Court on Monday. Judge Eben Jordaan postponed the trial until next week Tuesday while talks about legal aid for the accused were set to continue.

africa/global: Rich Countries' Greenhouse Gas Emissions Ballooning

2003-06-12

http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2003/2003-06-09-02.asp

The emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from Europe, Japan, the United States and other industrialized countries could grow by 17 percent from 2000 to 2010, despite measures in place to curb them, according to a new United Nations report. Greenhouse gases blanket the Earth, trapping the Sun's heat close to the planet's surface.

africa: UN makes global plea on environment day

2003-06-12

http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=565&fArticleId=164782

The head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation made a global call last week for nations to safeguard water, calling it the source of food security. Jacques Diouf, the general director of the UN body, singled out the Horn of Africa and parts of north Africa, the Middle East and southeast Asia as particular trouble spots. The call was made to mark World Environment Day 2003, which was celebrated under the theme ‘Water - Two Billion People Are Dying For It!’

africa: Wetlands Conservation - saving the kidneys of the earth

2003-06-12

http://www.choike.org/cgi-bin/choike/links/page.cgi?p=ver_indepth&id=1185

Wetlands are areas of marshes, swamps, peatlands or water-covered surfaces, whether stagnant or flowing, fresh or brackish waters; they include floodplains or adjacent coastal areas, as well as islands or seawaters within wetlands. This definition may not stress the importance that wetlands have for the environment, an importance which has also led them to be dubbed “the kidneys of the earth”, due to their role as natural filtering processes, replenishing groundwater and making it apt for human consumption.

kenya: Disasters Blamed On Global Warming

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306080118.html

Global warming has precipitated the frequency and severity of droughts and floods, the Executive Director of Network Africa, Ms Grace Akumu says. Akumu said climate change was causing weather variability and that displaced weather patterns would be further witnessed in the future.

kenya: Govt to Act Tough On Pollution

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306090753.html

The Government will soon take action against management of factories which pollute rivers and other water resources in the country, Environment Minister Dr Newton Kulundu said. Kulundu said the Government had put in place new laws to regulate factories from discharging pollutants into water resources.

mozambique: African Environment Ministers Meet in Maputo

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306091050.html

Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano warned on Monday that, since the "Earth Summit" held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, there had been "a lack of political will to make available the resources necessary for the balanced and harmonious development of the planet". Speaking at the opening in Maputo of a Special Session of the Conference of African Environment Ministers, Chissano said that, despite all the commitment expressed verbally at Rio, "we are still witnessing a pattern of development that steps up the unsustainable use of natural resources".

south africa: Children are major victims of environmental pollution

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/environment/15542

The people of South Africa bear a double burden of environmental threats to their health, says Dr Anthony Mbewu, Executive Director for Research Development at the Medical Research Council. According to Dr Mbewu industry as well as under-development in informal and inner city settlements causes environmental pollution. He added that it is estimated that one-third of the burden of disease in the world is cause by environmental factors.
From: Medical Research Council
Date: 05 June 2003



MEDIA STATEMENT BY THE MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL TO OBSERVE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS WEEK

_________________________________________________________________


Children are major victims of environmental pollution in South Africa


The people of South Africa bear a double burden of environmental threats to their health, says Dr Anthony Mbewu, Executive Director: Research Development at the Medical Research Council.



According to Dr Mbewu industry as well under-development in informal and inner city settlements cause environmental pollution. He added that it is estimated the one-third of the burden of disease in the world is cause by environmental factors.



"It is that appropriate during Environmental Awareness Week we are mindful that children are particularly vulnerable to environmental pollution and hazards," said Ms Angela Mathee, who heads the MRC's Environment and Health Research Office. Despite making up only 10% of the world's population, young children are estimated to bear around 40% of the world's burden of disease.



She added that long-standing concerns such as inadequate access to water, sanitation and, safe cooking fuels, continue to contribute to two of the biggest killers of young South African children: diarrheal diseases and pneumonia. Rooted in South Africa's political history, there continues to be strong poverty and "racial" dimensions to childhood environmental threats in this country.



Mathee added that most children face the worst environmental hazards in their own homes and schools. "For example, we have known for some time that leaded petrol is a major contributor to high blood levels in as many 55% of children living in impoverished areas. We are only now however, beginning to appreciate that lead-based house paint may also be playing an important role in childhood lead exposure. Preliminary results from an exploratory study currently underway in Johannesburg, is indicating that lead-based paint may have been used in as many as 22% of homes.



Dr Mbewu says that in an acknowledgement of the major contribution of environmental exposures to death and disease, and the disproportionate burden borne by children in this regard, the MRC has made a commitment to scaling up its environment and health research programme, and is particularly pleased to be participating, together with the Department of Health and the World Health Organization, in the initiation and development of the South African Healthy Environments for Children Alliance (SAHECA).



Launched by WHO on 1st September 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Healthy Environments for Children Alliance is a global initiative to address major environmental threats to the health of children in their homes, schools and neighbourhoods.



ENDS



Issued by the Corporate Communication and Stakeholder Relations Directorate of the MRC



For more information please contact Ms Angela Mathee on (011) 643-7403/082-464-7038/ Dr Mbewu on (021) 938-0391/082-440-3073



Vincent Moaga-MRC Media Relations Office-082-827-9787

uganda: Multinationals Walk Out on Controversial Ugandan Dam

2003-06-12

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=18648

Two European firms building the controversial Bujagali hydro-electric power plant in Uganda have stopped work on the project amid talk of financial difficulties for the main contractor, U.S. energy giant AES Corp, corruption probes and complaints from Uganda that the project is highly overvalued.

africa: Child Rights and the Media: Putting Children in the Right

2003-06-12

http://www.ifj.org/pdfs/childrights.pdf

This online publication explores the need for journalistic training for all levels of reporting in regard to the importance of children's rights. This includes examining how media works, how existing principles of accountability apply and how media must be free from political and economical pressures that can limit professionalism and undermine ethical standards.

DJIBOUTI: newspaper editor re-arrested

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/15573

Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has protested against the re-arrest of newspaper editor Daher Ahmed Farah on 5 June 2003, just two days after his release from custody. The organisation has called on the authorities to release him immediately. The editor of "Le Renouveau" newspaper and head of the opposition party Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development (MRD), Farah is the subject of several libel suits filed by the armed forces.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT UPDATE - DJIBOUTI

9 June 2003

Newspaper editor Daher Ahmed Farah re-arrested just two days after his
release from custody

SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris

**Updates IFEX alerts of 4 June, 28 and 6 May and 23 April 2003**

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has protested against the re-arrest of newspaper editor
Daher Ahmed Farah on 5 June 2003, just two days after his release from
custody. The organisation has called on the authorities to release him
immediately. The editor of "Le Renouveau" newspaper and head of the
opposition party Movement for Democratic Renewal and Development (MRD),
Farah is the subject of several libel suits filed by the armed forces.

"Although he was placed back in custody for a different matter from the one
for which he was previously released, we are outraged by this utterly
unjustified decision," RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said in a letter
to State Prosecutor Djama Souleiman Ali. "Farah was simply exercising his
right to inform the public, a right guaranteed by several international
treaties ratified by the Republic of Djibouti," Ménard noted.

In his letter to the state prosecutor, Ménard referred to the opinion of
Stéphane Zerbib, a lawyer hired by RSF to defend Farah because no lawyer in
Djibouti was willing to take the case. Zerbib said Farah's re-arrest was all
the more unjustified since General Zakaria Cheik Ibrahim, the army's chief
of staff, had offered to withdraw his lawsuit in return for a letter of
apology. Farah declined, but, as Ménard noted, if the editor could have
avoided prosecution simply by apologising, imprisonment seems even more
disproportionate to the wrong Zakaria claims to have suffered.

Ménard also reminded the state prosecutor that the United Nations condemns
imprisonment for the peaceful expression of an opinion and views it as a
serious human rights violation.

On 28 May, the Appeal Court reduced the sentence that had been passed on 7
April in one of Zakaria's libel suits against Farah, over a 6 March article
accusing the army high command of carrying out politically-motivated
dismissals. However, the court's decision is still a very heavy sentence for
a press crime, namely a four-month suspended prison sentence and 500,000
Djibouti francs (approx. US$2,800; 2,400 euros) in damages. Farah was
originally handed a six-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay a
fine of 200,000 Djibouti francs (approx. US$1,200; 1,000 euros) and 2
million Djibouti francs (approx. US$11,800; 10,000 euros) in damages.

"Le Renouveau" criticised the army again on 17 April, accusing it of lacking
"neutrality" and saying it "should be apolitical." As a result, Farah was
arrested three days later, but he requested a provisional release and it was
finally granted by the investigating judge on 3 June.

The prosecutor appealed against the release, obtaining an order for Farah's
re-arrest. This was carried out on the morning of 5 June by criminal
investigation and special affairs police who detained him at his mother's
home, where he had spent the night. They took him to Gabode prison, where he
had earlier been held in appalling conditions.

Farah has also been prosecuted for "undermining the army's morale" as a
result of a complaint by another general and the Defence Ministry. His
appeal against his six-month suspended prison sentence and 200,000 Djibouti
franc fine in the case has not yet been heard.

The editor has been detained several times over the past few years. In most
cases, he was prosecuted for press offences and sentenced to prison terms or
fines.

For further information, contact Jean-François Julliard at RSF, rue Geoffroy
Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: afrique@rsf.org, Internet: http://www.rsf.org

The information contained in this alert update is the sole responsibility of
RSF. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit
RSF.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
489 College Street, Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts email: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________

liberia: concern for freedom of expression

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/15563

Three armed men wearing uniforms of the Presidential elite guard, the Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU), attacked Stanley McGill, a journalist working with the independent newspaper "The News" on May 27. Journalism institutions have voiced concern about the abuse of the freedom of expression rights of Liberians and the persistent threats and attacks on journalists and the private media in the country.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ACTION ALERT AND UPDATE - LIBERIA

6 June 2003

Journalist attacked

SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek

**New case and update to IFEX alert of 7 January 2003**

**MISA and the Media Foundation of West Africa (MFWA), as a joint activity,
will henceforth issue alerts, statements and appeals to highlight media
freedom and wider human rights violations in West Africa. See www.misa.org
and www.mediafoundationwa.org for more information**

(MISA/IFEX) - The following is a joint MISA-MFWA alert:

On 27 May 2003, three armed men wearing uniforms of the Presidential elite
guard, the Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU), attacked Stanley McGill, a journalist
working with the independent newspaper "The News".

McGill had just returned from work at about 10:45 p.m. (local time) when his
assailants, who had apparently been trailing him, accosted him at gunpoint,
robbed him of his personal effects, and left with a "promise" to "get back."

This was the second attack on McGill by men wearing state security uniforms.
In April 2002, armed men suspected of belonging to the ATU assaulted the
journalist and made away with his transistor radio and cellular phone.

MFWA is concerned about the blatant abuse of the freedom of expression
rights of Liberians and, in particular, the persistent threats and attacks
on journalists and the private media in the country.

On 14 December 2002, five ATU men attacked journalist Throble Suah of "The
Inquirer" newspaper and tortured him until he lost consciousness. His
tormentors accused him of publishing stories that sought to embarrass the
government. Suah is still hospitalised in Accra, Ghana, and is undergoing
physiotherapy for sensory and motor dysfunctions.

In April 2003, the government imposed a ban on public preaching. A statement
signed by Charles Mataley, director of public affairs at the Ministry of
Justice, claimed that the measure was "for the sake of public safety." Six
FM radio stations were also recently shut down because, according to
Director of National Communication Emmanuel Todo, their "motives and scope
of operations were not clear to the government."

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send appeals to authorities:
- condeming the attack on journalist McGill
- calling on President Charles Taylor's government to respect the democratic
right of all persons in Liberia to exercise their fundamental freedoms of
thought and expression and to guarantee the security of journalists in their
exercise of those rights

APPEALS TO:

H. E. Charles Taylor
President, Republic of Liberia
Office of the President
Executive Mansion
P O Box 10-90010
Capitol Hill
1000 Monrovia 10
Republic of Liberia
Tel: +231 226 360
Fax: +231 226 076 / 226 789
E-mail: EMansion@liberia.net

Mr Reginald B. Goodridge
The Minister
Ministry of Information
Capitol Hill
Monrovia, Republic of Liberia

Counsellor L Koboi Johnson
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice
Ashmun Street
P O Box 9006
Monrovia, Republic of Liberia

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

For further information, contact Zoe Titus, Program Coordinator, Media
Freedom Monitoring, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street, Mailing
Address; Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232 975, fax:
+264 61 248 016, e-mail: research@misa.org or kkandjii@misa.org, Internet:
http://www.misa.org, or Kwame Karikari, Executive Director, Media Foundation
for West Africa, P. O. Box LG 730, Legon, Ghana, tel: 233 21 24 24 70, fax:
+233 21 22 10 84, e-mail: mfwa@africaonline.com.gh, Internet:
http://www.mediafoundationwa.org

The information contained in this action alert and update is the sole
responsibility of MISA. In citing this material for broadcast or
publication, please credit MISA.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
489 College Street, Suite 403, Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622 fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts@ifex.org general e-mail: ifex@ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_____________________________________________________________

liberia: media foundation shows solidarity with liberian journalists

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/15562

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has issued a statement in solidarity with all journalists, media practitioners and human rights advocates who have been the worst victims of the campaign of repression, predation and mayhem that have institutionalised the culture of impunity as an instrument of rule since President Charles Taylor came to power in Liberia on August 2, 1997.
**We apologise for any cross-posting - The following is being forwarded
exactly as received**

To: IFEX Autolist (other news of interest)
From: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), dtp@misa.org

MISA Communique (Press Statement)
June 6, 2003
Press Statement on the Accra Peace Conference on Liberia

* The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and the Media Foundation of
West Africa (MFWA), as a joint activity, will henceforth issue alerts,
statements and appeals to highlight media freedom and wider human rights
violations in West Africa. See www.misa.org and www.mediafoundationwa.org
for more information.

PRESS STATEMENT
THE ACCRA PEACE CONFERENCE ON LIBERIA

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is issuing this statement in
solidarity with all journalists, media practitioners and human rights
advocates who have been the worst victims of the campaign of repression,
predation and mayhem that have institutionalised the culture of impunity as
an instrument of rule since President Charles Taylor came to power in
Liberia on August 2, 1997.

Since then, the MFWA has engaged in the advocacy work of monitoring,
investigating, petitioning and raising alerts about the routine violations
of the human rights of journalists and other citizens of Liberia.

In 1998 and 1999, the MFWA, in collaboration with the Centre for Democratic
Empowerment of Monrovia, the Press Union of Liberia, and the Carter Center
held a series of roundtable discussions with representatives of all the
security agencies of President Taylor's government. The aim was to stop, by
appeals, the brutalisation of journalists by security agents of that
government.

However, by July 2002, the MFWA had documented over 70 instances of some of
the most atrocious cases of human rights violations, mostly perpetrated - or
superintended - by President Taylor and members of his government.

In July 2002, the MFWA hosted an international meeting in Accra, Ghana, to
work out a plan to initiate an international campaign to put pressure on the
government of President Charles Taylor to improve the horrific situation of
human rights abuses by his security personnel. Since that meeting, which was
attended by 52 representatives of national human rights commissions and
civil society organisations of human rights activists, lawyers, journalists,
media institutions, and other pro-democracy advocates, the MFWA's efforts at
keeping pace with the rate and spate of media and human rights abuses under
Mr Taylor has produced 135 cases (and still counting) of the vicious and
arbitrary use of state force to oppress the war-stricken people of Liberia.
Nearly every week we have continued to send out Alerts concerning one
violation or the other in that country.

The MFWA believes that the situation of armed conflict between the forces of
President Taylor and the rebel groups fighting to oust his regime not only
exacerbates the terrible human rights abuses in the country, but has also
created grave humanitarian and other consequences for the fabric of civil
life in Liberia and the West African sub-region. Unless the current Accra
Peace Conference succeeds, this dire situation will persist. That is why
the MFWA will like to encourage the stakeholders and guarantors of the
AccraConference to prevail upon the factions to surrender their sectarian
interests to the clarion call of the people of Liberia for peace in their
country.

We urge the President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor, who is also Chairman of
the ECOWAS, to use his offices to secure a lasting peace for the oppressed
people of Liberia and help improve the horrible human rights conditions in
the country. This call is also in the larger interest of the countries of
the Mano River Region and West Africa in general. Mr. Taylor's acts and
policies of destabilizing countries in the region are well documented and
known all over the world.

There is a mass grave in a suburb of Monrovia called Bardnersville. It
contains the bodies of Ghanaians massacred by Taylor's NPFL. The Ghanaians
were killed and thrown in there when the Ghana ECOMOG contingent arrived
during the civil war.

In October 2001, two Nigerians were tortured to death, on the orders of the
Deputy Minister of Labour, Simpson Bedell Fahn, by four officers of the
presidential elite guard, the Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU). The trials ended in
August 2002; Mr Fahn walked out of jail one month later.

Harassment and attacks on ECOWAS citizens in Liberia by Mr. Taylor's
security personnel are a regular occurrence.

Indeed, the United Nations Special Court investigating the human rights
abuses in Sierra Leone has, today, June 4, 2003, announced the indictment of
Mr Taylor, accusing him of "bearing the greatest responsibility for war
crimes, crimes against humanity, and serious violation of international
humanitarian law within the territory of Sierra Leone since November 30,
1996."

We urge the government of Ghana to act on the arrest warrant in accordance
with international law.

We urge all ECOWAS leaders to assist in bringing Charles Taylor and his
cronies to justice.

Bringing Mr Taylor and his associates to justice is a victory for human
rights in Africa.

We urge human rights organisations and advocates throughout Africa to
support the arrest and trial of Taylor and his agents. Impunity must end in
Liberia.

The people of Liberia and West Africa need and deserve an end to the cycle
of violent repression and carnage that has plagued them for so long.

Enquiries:
Media Foundation for West Africa
Prof Kwame Karikari
Executive Director (MFWA)
P. O. Box LG 730
Legon, Ghana
E-mail: mfwa@africaonline.com.gh
Tel: 233-21-24 24 70
Fax: 233-21-22 10 84
Web: http://www.mediafoundationwa.org

Media Institute of Southern Africa
Zoe Titus
Program Coordinator: Media Freedom Monitoring
21 Johann Albrecht Street
Private Bag 13386
Windhoek, Namibia
Tel: +264 61 232 975
Fax: +264 61 248 016
Web: http://www.misa.org

Ends

**The information contained in this autolist item is the sole responsibility
of MISA**

liberia: radio stations closed

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/15564

The government of Liberia has shut down six amateur FM radio stations operating in Bong County, central Liberia, and Margibi County, some 40 kilometres east of the capital, Monrovia. The stations affected include Y-FM, Bright FM, Jet 89.9, The Voice of Kakata and the Voice of YMCA.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT - LIBERIA

6 June 2003

Six radio stations shut down

SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek

**MISA and the Media Foundation of West Africa (MFWA), as a joint activity,
will henceforth issue alerts, statements and appeals to highlight media
freedom and wider human rights violations in West Africa. See www.misa.org
and www.mediafoundationwa.org for more information**

(MISA/IFEX) - The following is a joint MISA-MFWA alert:

The government of Liberia has shut down six amateur FM radio stations
operating in Bong County, central Liberia, and Margibi County, some 40
kilometres east of the capital, Monrovia. The stations affected include
Y-FM, Bright FM, Jet 89.9, The Voice of Kakata and the Voice of YMCA.

According to MFWA's Liberia sources, no specific charge has been preferred
against them. However, the director of the National Communication Bureau at
the Ministry of Information, Emmanuel D.S. Todo, alleged that, "the motives
and scope of operations of these stations were not clear to the government."

The Association of Amateur Radio Stations (AARS) insists, however, that the
affected stations were all registered with the government. The AARS has
appealed to the government to allow the stations to resume their operations
because of the important community service function they perform in serving
the news and information needs of their listeners.

For further information, contact Zoe Titus, Program Coordinator, Media
Freedom Monitoring, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street, Mailing
Address; Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232 975, fax:
+264 61 248 016, e-mail: research@misa.org or kkandjii@misa.org, Internet:
http://www.misa.org, or Kwame Karikari, Executive Director, Media Foundation
for West Africa, P. O. Box LG 730, Legon, Ghana, tel: 233 21 24 24 70, fax:
+233 21 22 10 84, e-mail: mfwa@africaonline.com.gh, Internet:
http://www.mediafoundationwa.org

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of MISA.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit MISA.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
EXCHANGE (IFEX) CLEARING HOUSE
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Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/
_________________________________________________________________
IFEX - Nouvelles de la communauté internationale de défense de la liberté
d'expression
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mauritania: Islamist weekly banned

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/15560

Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has voiced its concern about the banning of the Islamist weekly "Raya" and the closure of its offices under an Interior Ministry order on 1 June 2003. "As far as we know, this Islamist publication has never called for violence, contrary to what the Mauritanian authorities say," RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said. "One cannot help thinking that this ban on a newspaper that was never sparing in its criticism of the government is simply a means to gag a part of the opposition six months before the presidential election," Ménard added.
_______________________________________________________________
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT - MAURITANIA

5 June 2003

Islamist weekly banned

SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has voiced its concern about the banning of the Islamist
weekly "Raya" and the closure of its offices under an Interior Ministry
order on 1 June 2003.

"As far as we know, this Islamist publication has never called for violence,
contrary to what the Mauritanian authorities say," RSF Secretary-General
Robert Ménard said. "One cannot help thinking that this ban on a newspaper
that was never sparing in its criticism of the government is simply a means
to gag a part of the opposition six months before the presidential
election," Ménard added.

"Raya" had previously been told to stop publishing in early May, when some
30 people in Islamist circles were arrested on charges of inciting violence.
Those detained included Jamil Mansour, a "Raya" contributor and member of
parliament.

"Raya" editor-in-chief Ould Wediaa, who is currently in hiding, told Agence
France-Presse on 30 May that the Interior Ministry had accused the newspaper
of trying to "sabotage" the government and promoting "intolerance." Wediaa
said the newspaper had simply reported the positions of all segments of the
political class. He described the ministry order as "arbitrary."

The 1 June ban was issued in accordance with Article 11 of the 25 July 1991
press freedom law, which says, "The Interior Ministry may, by decree, ban
the circulation, distribution or sale of newspapers [...] that harm the
principles of Islam or the credibility of the state, or are detrimental to
the general interest or disturb public order and security". In such
instances, the Interior Ministry is not required to offer any justification
for its decisions.

For further information, contact Virginie Locussol at RSF, rue Geoffroy
Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: northernafrica@rsf.org, Internet: http://www.rsf.org

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of RSF.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit RSF.
_________________________________________________________________
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nigeria: POLL RATES GOVT ON MEDIA FREEDOM

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/15643

The government of President Olusegun Obasanjo has been rated by Nigerians on the level of interference in the work of the mass media and on freedom of expression generally. The verdicts were delivered via an opinion poll conducted by The Guardian newspaper. The poll, which sampled 2800 opinions, saw 40.5 percent or 1,134 of the respondents answering "Moderate Degree" to the question: "To what extent has government allowed newspapers and magazines to operate without interference?"
MEDIA IN NIGERIA #02 - 21 (09 JUNE 2003)

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MEDIA IN NIGERIA is a weekly publication on developments within and
affecting the media/communication/freedom of expression sector in Nigeria.

It is an initiative of the Institute for Media and Society (IMS), a
non-profit,
non-governmental organization based in Lagos, Nigeria.
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NEWS

MEDIA - GENERAL
-NIGERIA HOSTS ACCE CONFERENCE
-EKWENSI, CELEBRATED AUTHOR, ADVOVATES BETTER READING
CULTURE
-POLL RATES GOVT ON PRESS MEDIA FREEDOM
-REMI OYO REPLACES OSENI AS OBASANJO'SMEDIA ADVISER

BROADCAST - MEDIA
-NBC MAY LICENSE COMMUNITY RADIO OPERATORS

INFOTECH - MEDIA
-STAKEHOLDERS LAUD NEW TELECOM LAWS
-NITDA ORGANIZES IT LITERARACY DRILLS FOR TOP CIVIL SERVANTS
-TELEPHONY: NIGERIA MAY HIT THE 4 MILLION MARK BY DECEMBER
-ATCON TASKS GOVERNMENT ON TELECOMS DEVELOPMENT

ADVERTISING - MEDIA
-APCON ADVOCATES AUTONOMY FOR ASP




MEDIA - GENERAL

NIGERIA HOSTS ACCE CONFERENCE

Abuja, the Nigerian capital, will, between August 10 and 13, 2003 play host
to a gathering of distinguished academics and professionals in the field of
communication as the 13th biennial conference of the African Council for
Communication Education (ACCE) gets underway.

The conference is expected to feature the presentation of academic and
professional papers, workshops and specialized panels.

Several renowned communication and allied scholars and professionals have
been invited to present papers or participate in the conference whose high
point is expected to be a special symposium and festschrift in honour of
Alfred Opubor, the first Nigerian professor of mass communication and
pioneer head of department of mass communication, University of Lagos.

ACCE, founded in 1975, is a scholarly and professional Pan African
Organisation that focuses on all functional areas in the field of
communications including information management, mass media, ICT, marketing
communication/Advertising and public relation.


EKWENSI, CELEBRATED AUTHOR, ADVOVATES BETTER READING CULTURE

Distinguished author, Cyprian Ekwensi, at this year's World Book Day in
Abuja, suggested a revival of the nation's fast eroding reading culture, to
enhance the drive to bring up thinking and creative minds for genuine
national development.

The author who has thirty books to his credit, lamented the falling standard
of education, which he blamed on the poor standard of the people who are
supposed to be transferring knowledge to learners.

He warned that learning continue to be impaired if the mind is not freed
from the worries associated with earning decent living in these difficult
times. He called on the government to create jobs for citizens to free
their minds for creative enterprise.


POLL RATES GOVT ON MEDIA FREEDOM

The government of President Olusegun Obasanjo has been rated by Nigerians on
the level of interference in the work of the mass media and generally
guarantee of freedom of expression.

The verdicts were delivered via an opinion poll conducted by The Guardian
newspaper. The poll, which sampled 2800 opinions, saw 40.5 percent or
1,134 of the respondents answering "moderate Degree" to the question: "To
what extent has government allowed the Newspapers and Magazines to operate
without interference?.

For the radio, 1154 respondents (or 41.2 percent) considered government
interference in the operations as "moderate", while 1088 respondents (38.9
percent) also considered government interference with television as
"moderate".

For the newspapers, radio and television, 765 (27.3 percent), 628 (22.4
percent) and 580 (20.7 percent) respectively, considered government
interference as high.


REMI OYO, NGE PRESIDENT, REPLACES OSENI AS OBASANJO'S MEDIA ADVISER

The President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Oluremi Oyo, has been
appointed as Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to President Olusegun
Obasanjo.

Oyo, who was recently re-elected president of the NGE, steps into the shoes
of Tunji Oseni, who is being speculated to get speculation, a position of
higher responsibility in the presidency.

By her appointment, Oyo becomes the first woman in recent Nigerian history
to be media adviser to a serving president.

An employee of Inter Press Service (IPS) about three Oyo has decades of
media experience.



BROADCAST MEDIA

NBC MAY LICENSE COMMUNITY RADIO OPERATORS

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has indicated its desire to grant
licenses to community radio operators in the country. Silas Yisa, Director
- General of the commission who dropped the hint in Lagos, during the
celebration of the 35th World Telecommunication Day, revealed that the
commission was in the process of setting out policies and procedures that
would aid the realization of the objective.

The move, he said, will improve public education and social awareness,
adding that "the broadcast media constitute the most powerful and potent
tools of opinion moulding, social mobilization and attitudinal change.

Currently, the NBC supervise and regulates over 250 broadcast stations, but
none is community owned or operated.



INFOTECH



STAKEHOLDERS LAUD NEW TELECOM LAWS

The passing into law of the Nigeria Communications Bill by the out-gone
National Assemble has rekindle hope of increased pace of development of the
telecommunications industry among stakeholders. Among other things, the
laws are expected to provide the much needed legal muscle to enable the NCC
discharge its regulatory responsibility without the encumbrance of funding
and constant interference from government.

Titi Omo-Ettu, Chief Executive, Executive Cyberschuul was quoted by The
Punch, as saying that the new laws will spin around the industry, raise the
level of competition and address poor rural communications facilities and
access to telecoms services.


NCC's Executive Vice Chairman, Ernest Ndukwe, expressed similar optimism,
adding that he expects the new laws to speed up the implementation of the
universal access programme.


NITDA ORGANIZES IT LITERARACY DRILLS FOR TOP CIVIL SERVANTS

The National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is
organizing an IT skill acquisition training programme for Federal Civil
servants.

The two-week programme which is for top civil servants including the Head of
Service, Directors, and other leads of key departments, is designed to take
participants through the basics of computer operations and other relevant
applications that would assist them to perform their duties effectively.

It is also the foundation for the implementation of the National IT policy,
which envisages future migration to e-government platform.

Under the policy, civil servants are required to be IT literate. New
entrants are also required to be functionally computer literate while IT
competence is also to be a major criteria for promotion and advancement
within the service.


TELEPHONY: NIGERIA MAY HIT THE 4 MILLION MARK BY DECEMBER

The fast improving teledensity of the country will witness a further boost
this year, with the prospect of available telephone lines crossing the four
million mark.

This rosy picture was painted by Ernest Ndukwe, Vice Chairman and Chief
Executive of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC). According to him,
the country's available telephone lines which rose to 2.2 million in 2002
from a paltry 450,000 in 2001, could cross the 4 million mark by December
this year.

The growth, it is envisaged, will come from mobile service sector which is
expected to extend its dominance of the telecoms market.

Currently, there are about 2.2 million telephone lines in Nigeria,
comprising about 722, 000 fixed landline and fixed wireless lines and more
than 1.5 million mobile lines.


ATCON TASKS GOVERNMENT ON TELECOMS DEVELOPMENT

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has urged
the Nigerian government to take step in tackling some issues that it
considers imperative, towards enhancing the growth of the telecoms industry
in the country.

Among these, as enumerated by the association's National President, Charles
Joseph, at the 35th Telecommunications Day in Abuja, are the extension of
the expiration of five percent duty regime which expires next August, by two
years and the establishment of a telecommunications development bank that
will ease the funding problems of stakeholders and increase the pace of
growth of the telecoms industry.

While applauding government's commitment to the development of the industry
in the last four years, ATCON urged it to provide the association with land
in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to build a befitting "Telecom
House".



ADVERTISING

APCON ADVOCATES AUTONOMY FOR ASP

In a determined move to streamline and enhance the regulation of advertising
practice in Nigeria the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON)
has proposed the establishment of a separate governing council for the
Advertising Standards Panel (ASP).

According to Josef Bel-Molokwu, Chief Executive of the council, the move,
coupled with the review of the various laws governing advertising practice,
would ultimately strengthen its powers to regulate every aspect of the
profession.

The APCON boss said the council is looking forward to the restructuring of
its governing council to give equal representation to sectoral interests in
the industry.

He advised government to make greater use of advertising in the conduct of
its affairs.



ENDS----

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NIGERIA is encouraged. Opinion articles should focus on issue(s) reported
in this publication and be at most 1000 words (for full articles) and 200
(for letters). Contributions should be sent to Akin Akingbulu
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zimbabwe: daily news targeted in crackdown

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/15561

The privately owned daily The Daily News was targetted in the Zimbabwean government crackdown on protests last week, with the newspaper reporting acts of vandalism by ZANU PF youths who destroyed its papers across the country. Soldiers also reportedly barred some vendors from selling the paper because it was allegedly “fanning the protests”.
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe
May 26th – June 1st 2003
Weekly update 2003-21


CONTENTS

1. GENERAL COMMENT
2. THE 'FINAL PUSH'
3. ECONOMIC ISSUES


1. General comment

While this report was going to print, urban Zimbabweans were witnessing government’s harsh curtailment of their constitutional right to demonstrate peacefully against the political and economic crisis facing the country. Sensing the possible success of the MDC call on Zimbabweans to protest publicly, the authorities flooded the streets of the country’s towns and cities with armed security forces to crush the opposition’s mass action.

A disturbing aspect of this crackdown is the fact that the private media, particularly The Daily News, were also targeted. The privately owned daily has become an invaluable alternative source of information for those seeking to escape the public media’s daily propaganda. It was of great concern therefore, when The Daily News (3/5) reported widespread acts of vandalism by ZANU PF youths who destroyed $375,000 worth of its papers across the country. Soldiers also reportedly barred some vendors from selling the paper because it was allegedly “fanning the protests”. In a follow-up to its initial story, The Daily News (4/5) also reported that the police witnessed this blatant vandalism in some cases and did nothing to prevent it. Thus the public was deprived of an important source of information and the rule of law was again flouted with impunity. Also of concern was The Standard’s report (1/6) that police in Gwanda had barred the entry of the South African weekly newspaper The Sunday Times, which has been a persistent critic of government policies. Notably, the public media ignored these latest incidents highlighting the assault on media freedom.

The destruction and barring of newspapers from circulation is a blow to Zimbabweans’ constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of expression and to receive and impart information freely. This action also erodes the nation’s democratic aspirations and makes a mockery of government claims that it respects freedom of the Press. Zimbabweans need and should depend upon fair and accurate reporting from a variety of news media if they are to be informed.
The Media Monitoring Project therefore condemns these illegal and cowardly acts and calls upon the relevant authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice if Zimbabwe is not to witness a further erosion in the authority of the law.


2. The ‘Final Push’

The countdown to the MDC’s mass protests scheduled for June 2-6 to force President Mugabe to commit himself to a negotiated internal political settlement, was an emotional bone of contention between the public and private media. Not only did both sections of the media disagree over the pending MDC mass protest, they also covered the matter so feverishly that the finer details of the weeklong action, dubbed the “final push”, remained mostly unintelligible to their audiences for the better part of the week. This is despite the fact that the Press devoted 58 stories to the mass action and related activities, 41 (71 percent) of which were published by the private Press and the rest by the public Press. ZTV accorded 29 minutes and 10 seconds or 25 percent of the total 117 minutes (excluding business, weather and sport segments) allocated to 8pm bulletins of the week to the issue.

However, the public media were, by far, the worst offenders. For example, in its 17 stories on the issue, the public Press, and indeed ZBC, merely disseminated government threats against the MDC-organized demonstration and provided none of its own independent coverage or interpretation of the unfolding situation. Certainly, such was the public media’s narrow-mindedness that it even failed to report news of the MDC’s mass action announced at a weekend rally in Highfield (The Daily News, 26/5). They only reported it the following day in The Herald and Chronicle (27/5). Even then, it was only reported in the context of a response by Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi threatening to “crush any demonstration which will lead to the destruction of property or the threat to national security”. It was the first of many official threats that flooded the bulletins and newspapers of the public media.
In fact, government’s portrayal of MDC demonstrations as always being violent became the hallmark of the public media’s stories. It was not surprising therefore, that it used the excuse of alleged past MDC violence to justify implicit threats of violence against any mass demonstration. Examples are: Security forces should brook no nonsense, Chronicle (28/5); We will deal with perpetrators of violence: ZDF, The Herald (29/5); No to anarchy, says government, The Herald (30/5); Security forces on full alert, says Goche, The Herald (31/5) and Opposition-led strikes must be banned, The Sunday Mail (1/6).

ZBC (29/5 & 1/6) also carried statements issued by ZANU PF officials and supporters threatening to crush the MDC demonstrations. For example, ZTV (1/06, 8pm) quoted Mashonaland East governor, David Karimanzira, telling ZANU PF youths “to be vigilant and flush out unruly MDC youths who will be spotted trying to coerce members of the public into joining the illegal mass action.”
With this sort of focus, it is hardly surprising that the public media also ignored related news, such as a US government warning advising against the use of force to stop the mass protest (The Daily News, 29/5).
Only the private media welcomed the MDC’s proposed mass action and offered an alternative view on the matter. However, its obsession with the “final push” also exposed it to bias, which manifested itself in its dependence on MDC statements rather than on informed and independent analysis.

Except for SW Radio Africa (29/5), The Zimbabwe Independent (30/5), The Daily News (31/5), The Daily News on Sunday (1/6) and The Standard of the same day, most private newspapers early in the week failed to explain fully to their readers the spirit behind the “final push” or what exactly was happening. As a result audiences remained no wiser as to the form of the “final push” or whether civic organizations were involved as well. The MDC itself was to blame for this for its failure to be explicit, but this should not exonerate the media from falling into the same trap.

This confusion was compounded by public media reports that quoted government officials deliberately misinterpreting the MDC’s objective in an attempt to criminalize the party’s protest. ZTV (29/05, 8pm), for example, quoted Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa saying, “The clear intention behind such threatened actions is to effect a coup d’etat against the legitimately elected government of Zimbabwe. Resorting to a coup d’etat is unconstitutional and unlawful and that constitutes a serious crime of high treason…” He added that, “The state can not therefore take such threats lightly as…they are being directed against the authority of the government and are calculated and aimed at achieving, through unconstitutional means, the unlawful removal from power of a constitutionally elected government and incitement of the general public to commit acts of violence, banditry and anarchy.” Chinamasa’s statements subsequently formed the basis of public media reports as illustrated by ZTV (30/5, 8pm) and The Herald (31/5). The paper claimed that the MDC action translated to a “coup against the legitimately elected Government of Zimbabwe” and that it was “an act of economic sabotage which also includes banditry and terrorism”.

However, SW Radio Africa, (29/05) quoted MDC spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi belying such claims by stating that, “the aim of this pressure is to bring ZANU PF and its regime to the negotiating table so that there are meaningful…principled discussions. That is what it’s all about” The Standard (1/6) also stated in its editorial: “The ruling party in its panic over the real possibility of Zimbabwe’s streets being filled with demonstrators is using the lie of overthrowing the government as one of its chief propaganda arguments against the planned marches.” It noted that “not once” had the MDC mentioned “the word coup” during its countrywide mobilisation of its supporters.
Furthermore, while the public media portrayed government’s threats to deploy heavily armed security forces to “crush” the protest as normal practice, only the private media reminded its readers that this was wrong in a democracy. The Standard, for example, argued in its front-page editorial that the “ sovereignty” argument peddled by government as an excuse to thwart the MDC’s “final push” was “not a preserve of the ruling class” but that the constitution was there “to protect the rights of all Zimbabweans…”

Apart from demystifying government’s claims that sovereignty was more important than the MDC’s constitutional right to demonstrate peacefully, the private media equally exposed the government’s hypocrisy of preaching peace on one hand while practising violence on the other. This was epitomized by their coverage of politically motivated beatings and other human rights violations by security agents against perceived ZANU PF opponents during the build-up to the “final push”. For example, the private Press carried nine stories on such government heavy-handedness and recorded 12 incidents of politically motivated violence.

By comparison, the public Press carried five stories, all blaming the MDC for human rights violations. None focused on government’s excesses. Three of the stories were court cases alleging MDC violence. One such example was the case of a Harare woman who is suing the MDC, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe for $5,5 million after her “car was petrol-bombed… in the violent MDC-organized stay-away in March” (ZBC 29/5, 8pm, The Herald and Chronicle, 29/5). As if to buttress the notion that the MDC was violent, ZBC chronicled the party’s allegedly violent track record since 1998. Notably, the MDC was only formed in 1999. The reporter stated that, “the transformation of the ZCTU into the opposition MDC and its affiliate organizations such as the NCA, has seen an escalation of violence under the guise of mass action including the bombing of public property”. The Herald (28/5) also used prayer meetings called by the MDC to further malign the opposition as lawless. It accused a “group of MDC women, disguised as churchgoers” of holding an “illegal demonstration in First Street…in an apparent rehearsal of next week’s planned protests by the opposition party”. How the paper knew that the women were not genuine worshippers remained unclear save for its observations that “…some of the women who were singing religious songs, could be heard complaining that they had not been paid for taking part in the illegal demonstration.” However, when the police swooped on the prayer group the next day and arrested three of them and assaulted the others, the paper remained quiet.
The public was only alerted to these violent arrests by The Daily News and The Daily Mirror (29/5).

Meanwhile, it emerged at the end of the week that government was determined to block the MDC from embarking on its mass action, when ZBC (31/5, 8pm) reported that Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri had been granted a High Court order declaring the mass action illegal. The Sunday Mail and The Standard (1/6) carried the report the following morning, while their new rival The Daily News on Sunday (1/6) inexplicably missed the story. Without critically analyzing this development, ZBC celebrated the judgment claiming that Zimbabweans had welcomed the court order saying they would now “be able to go about their normal activities in peace”. The court order further armed the police in their resolve to suppress MDC demonstrations. ZTV (1/06, 8pm) reported that the police “will enforce to the fullest letter of the law without fear or favour the High Court order which declared illegal the MDC mass action which had been scheduled for tomorrow”


3. Economic issues

Never before has the media carried so many sobering reports on Zimbabwe’s plunge towards total economic ruin as in the seven days under review. While ZBC only concentrated on the shortage of bank notes, the Press carried a massive 120 stories on the economic meltdown and its effects on various sectors of the economy.
However, the private Press emerged as the torchbearer in this crusade by publishing 80 (67%) of the 120 stories, compared to the public Press’ 40 (33%). Besides carrying more stories on Zimbabwe’s unprecedented economic decline, the private Press also carried less sanitized stories compared to the public Press, which, contrary to the evidence, still attempted to paint a picture of economic well-being in some of its stories. Load shedding to end, The Herald (26/5); RBZ acts on crisis, The Herald (30/5) and Government to help farmers procure fuel, Chronicle (27/5) typified such superficially optimistic coverage at the expense of well-informed analysis.

Perhaps the privately owned Daily Mirror (29/5) carried the most peculiar story on Zimbabwe’s economic ills that was equal to the worst excesses of the public Press’ propaganda. Its unsubstantiated story, Money crisis: Britain involved, saw a conspiracy in the scarcity of local bank notes by linking the UK government, exiled Zimbabweans and local businesses. The story claimed, through an unnamed single source, that the three groups had channeled about three million British pounds into the country for sale on the black market “in a move believed to be economic sabotage meant to instill anger into the populace and result in mayhem”. To lend credibility to such speculation, the paper sourced comments from ZANU PF and MDC officials, as well as the British High Commission. They all denied the allegations.

Notwithstanding this however, both sections of the Press mirrored the extent of the economic crisis that has beset all sectors of the economy. Below are examples of some of the economic ills facing the country the Press recorded during the week under review.

v The Herald (26/5), Falcon Gold faces collapse.
v Chronicle (26/5), Brain drain hits council.
v The Daily News (26/5), State to ask UN agency to extend food assistance.
v The Herald (27/5), ATMs down as cash shortages continue.
v Chronicle (27/5), Multi-million dollar plant lying idle.
v The Daily News (27/5), Moyo warns of looming health crisis; Low maize deliveries to GMB spell disaster; ‘Zimbabwe among world’s worst economic performers’.
v The Herald (28/5), Agric inputs up; Bank notes crisis worsens; No agreement between workers, management at ZESA.
v Chronicle (28/5), Doctors demand cash upfront; Air Zim suspends flights.
v The Daily News (28/5) Banks buy money; Striking ZESA workers defiant; Striking Stanbic workers arrested.
v The Herald (29/5), Load-shedding affects court operations.
v Chronicle (29/5), Shops tighten hire purchase regulations.
v The Daily News (29/5), RBZ holds crisis meeting on forex.
v The Daily Mirror (29/5), Country’s blood bank runs dry; Zimbabwe ostrich meat production slumps; Fertilizer shortages hampering crop production; Wheat farmers concerned about the next crop.
v The Financial Gazette (29/5), Anglo ‘defects’ to SA; Axe to fall on 360 workers; Retail banks suspend issuing personal loans.
v The Business Tribune (29/5), Prices shocker; Building industry shelves 135 000 jobs; Outlook worsens for Zim’s troubled money market; Skyrocketing commodity prices reduce company revenues; Value of properties depreciates as maintenance costs soar.
v The Zimbabwe Independent (30/5), Maize seed shortage looms; Tobacco output set to decline; Zimbabwe winter wheat harvests look grim.
v The Daily Mirror (30/5), RBZ under fire for cash shortage.
v The Daily News on Sunday (1/6), NRZ workers threaten to strike over wages.
v The Sunday Mirror (1/6), Zimbabwe’s national herd depleted; Central bank fails.
Ends

The MEDIA UPDATE was produced and circulated by the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe, 15 Duthie Avenue, Alexandra Park, Harare, Tel/fax: 263 4 703702, E-mail: monitors@mmpz.org.zw; monitors@mweb.co.zw

Feel free to write to MMPZ. We may not able to respond to everything but we will look at each message. For previous MMPZ reports, and more information about the Project, please visit our website at http://www.mmpz.org.zw

zimbabwe: Journalists detained, interrogated, beaten, searched; equipment confiscated

2003-06-12

http://www.africapulse.org.za/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1269

Two journalists from the Voice of the People Communications Trust were detained, interrogated, beaten and had their mobile phones and recorders confiscated by ruling party Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front youths and war veterans. In a related incident, the home of John Masuku, Coordinator of Voice of the People, was searched and Voice of the People administrative files and a computer used in the production of programmes, confiscated.

africa: Conflict, unrest afflict several nations on African continent

2003-06-12

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/134965228_africa11.html

In one of several conflicts reaching a boiling point across Africa, gunfire and explosions rattled the Liberian capital this week. In civil-war ravaged Congo, meanwhile, French peacekeepers arrived, and the United States welcomed the failure of a coup in Mauritania. And in Zimbabwe, an opposition leader was ordered held in custody on charges of inciting protests aimed at toppling President Robert Mugabe.

africa: World Leaves Africa Peacekeeping to the Poor

2003-06-12

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=18619

The United Nations is trying to prevent a major humanitarian disaster in Central and West Africa by dispatching a battalion of diplomats and a contingent of peacekeepers to the politically troubled continent. But non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and peace activists say the international community is doing too little too late to prevent the spreading crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ivory Coast, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Burundi and the Central African Republic.

burundi: U.N. Congo-Burundi Mission Should Prioritise Civilian Protection

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/conflict/15537

The U.N. Security Council must focus on wartime violence against civilians in its upcoming mission to the Great Lakes region of Africa, Human Rights Watch said in a press release. In an open letter to the Security Council, Human Rights Watch also urged the Council to raise the need for justice for abuses with the leaders in the region.
For Immediate Release:


U.N. Congo-Burundi Mission Should Prioritize Civilian Protection

(New York, June 6, 2003) - The U.N. Security Council must focus on
wartime violence against civilians in its upcoming mission to the Great
Lakes region of Africa, Human Rights Watch said today. A Security
Council mission to investigate recent violence will visit the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi beginning tomorrow. Both countries
have at least partial peace agreements in place, but combat continues
with civilians as prime targets.

In an open letter to the Security Council, Human Rights Watch also urged
the Council to raise the need for justice for these abuses with the
leaders in the region.

Human Rights Watch welcomed the recent decision of the Council to
authorize a multinational force for Bunia in northeastern DRC, but
raised fears about tens of thousands of civilians outside the town whose
fate is unknown. In recent days, there has been renewed violence in Aru,
Mongbwalu and Tchomia- all of which are areas outside the current
mandate of the new force. Human Rights Watch called on the Security
Council to urge the interim force to be prepared to respond to such
attacks against civilians.

"Tens of thousands of civilians continue to live in fear for their lives
in both Congo and Burundi," said Alison Des Forges, senior adviser to
the Africa division at Human Rights Watch. "The Security Council must
use its influence to stop abuses against them."

On Burundi, Human Rights Watch urges the Council to ensure the new
Burundian government delivers on its promises to end the war and deliver
justice. In several of the most serious massacres, government soldiers
have escaped meaningful punishment. On the rebel side, both the Forces
for the Defense of Democracy (FDD) and the Front for National Liberation
(FNL) have summarily executed civilians. The Security Council should
call upon the Burundian government and the rebel forces to stop these
abuses and adhere strictly to international humanitarian law.

Both DRC and Burundi are in the midst of a shaky peace process and in
recent months have suffered from renewed fighting with devastating
consequences for the local population. On May 30, the Security Council
authorized an Interim Emergency Multinational Force to bring peace to
the town of Bunia in Ituri. The force is due to arrive in the coming
days. In Burundi, the first-ever peacekeeping mission of the African
Union arrived in April 2003 with troops from South Africa, Mozambique
and Ethiopia to monitor the ceasefire.

The letter to Security Council members is available at
http://hrw.org/press/2003/06/greatlakes060603ltr.htm

For more information, please contact:
In Washington, Alison Des Forges: +1-202-612-4325
In Washington, Janet Fleischman: +1-202-612-4325
In London, Anneke Van Woudenberg: +44-20-7713-2786/ +44-77-1166-4960


--
Jeff Scott, Ph. D.
Africa Division
Human Rights Watch
Phone: +1-212-216-1834
Fax: +1-212-736-1300
http://www.hrw.org/africa/index.php
en français, http://www.hrw.org/french/africa/

drc: Corporate Social Responsibility in the Diamond Industry

2003-06-12

http://partnershipafricacanada.org/index.shtml

The United Nations Security Council must as a matter of priority address the issue of conflict diamonds in the DRC, says a new report from Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) on the diamonds trade. PAC recommended that the UN Security Council embargo all unofficial diamond exports from the DRC, and insist that the Kimberley Process develop a more rigorous approach to statistics and monitoring. PAC further recommended that civil society organisations take an active role in promoting a Publish What You Pay campaign. "The sooner there is consensus on basic corporate transparency in developing countries, the sooner corruption can be diminished." said the report.

drc: New fighting flares

2003-06-12

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2980922.stm

A new round of clashes has broken out in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as United Nations troops deploy to stop bitter ethnic fighting in the town of Bunia. The latest fighting is in North Kivu province between the rebel RCD-Goma and the RCD-ML groups, a separate conflict to that between ethnic Hema and Lendu militias around Bunia.

liberia: Desperate Situation in Monrovia

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306100132.html

As virtually all international embassy, business, and non-governmental agency staff evacuate Monrovia, Liberians find themselves in an increasingly desperate situation in the capital, Monrovia, according to the independent medical aid organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Fighting continues for the fourth consecutive day, and there is no functioning water supply, hospitals have no electricity or other source of energy, and Monrovians are now fleeing their homes to find safety elsewhere.

liberia: Talks in Ghana Delayed as West Africa Pursues a Truce

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306100643.html

With fighting intensifying in Liberia, the peace conference that opened here last week has taken a pause while West African leaders seek to broker a truce between the warring parties. On Monday, Ghana's Minister of Foreign Affairs Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, executive secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) left Accra in search of a ceasefire. Chambas said they would stop in the Sierra Leonean capital Freetown and spend the night in Conakry, Guinea, before heading to Monrovia Tuesday.
Related Link:
* BBC Country Profile
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_profiles/1043500.stm
* Botched Taylor arrest embarrassing
http://www.ghanaian-chronicle.com/230606/page1.htm

LIBERIA: Taylor agrees to stop fighting against rebels

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34691

A day after calling on the United Nations to deploy a peacekeeping force in Liberia, President Charles Taylor on Wednesday agreed to cease hostilities against rebels who control the western suburbs of the capital, Monrovia, paving way for ceasefire discussions.

malawi: Food Distributions Continue in Drought Stricken Malawi

2003-06-12

http://www.redcross.org/news/in/africa/030604malawi.html

The lack of rain has affected the agricultural productivity of the entire southern Africa region. In Malawi the food crisis has been particularly devastating as drought conditions alternated by floods and the selling off of government grain reserves have left Malawian farmers in dire straits.

MAURITANIA: Ould Taya survives coup attempt

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34631

Mauritanian President Maaouiya Sid Ahmed Ould Taya took to the airwaves on Monday to praise loyal army units for seeing off a coup attempt which led to two days of heavy fighting in the capital. Less than 24 hours earlier, Ould Taya appeared to have been ousted as rebel forces took over the presidential palace after launching a coup early on Sunday morning.

SOMALIA: Renewed fighting in Mogadishu, at least seven killed

2003-06-12

http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34675

Fighting broke out again on Tuesday in the Medina district of Mogadishu, according to local sources in the Somali capital.

south africa: SA to send troops to the DRC

2003-06-12

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=37&o=21890

South Africa said on Sunday it will provide troops for the international peacekeeping force set to deploy in turbulent northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where ethnic violence has killed hundreds in recent weeks.

African Connectivity No Guarantee of Economic Upliftment

2003-06-12

http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/international/story.php?docid=53434

Connectivity is generally assumed to be a passport to opportunity and economic upliftment, but the experience in Africa suggests the opposite may be true. This is according to African ICT delegates attending the recent Acacia Conference in South Africa. Riff Fullan of Bellanet, a non-profit organisation funded in part by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), argued that ICT is, in fact "as likely to worsen poverty as to alleviate it." The evidence suggests ICT has exacerbated existing inequalities, added Fullan.

Beyond the digital divide: harnessing ICTs for rural development

2003-06-12

http://www.id21.org/society/s4brc1g1.html

Policy-makers and donors should seize the opportunities new ICTs provide to reduce the amount of public information that is under-utilised or captured by local elites while avoiding the temptation to pursue ‘one-size-fits-all’ ICT applications. They should also realise that the rural poor need to be able to operate in increasingly sophisticated input and output markets: ICTs can improve inadequate extension services and ensure farmers have access to reliable information about agricultural technologies and markets. This is according to an Overseas Development Institute (ODI) paper that examines the untapped potential of ICTs to free up public information resources to stimulate rural development and more efficient markets and institutions.

case study on the Judicial Inspectorate of Prisons' online reporting system

2003-06-12

http://www.africapulse.org.za/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1268

An online system is giving new momentum to prison reform by helping to improve the reporting of poor conditions in prisons and violations of prisoners' rights. There are many examples of human rights violations against prisoners in South Africa that are given little or no attention by the police. But thanks to the new online system - which makes reporting about prisoner treatment more efficient and transparent - prison officials and the police are being held accountable.

Ghana trumps mighty Microsoft

2003-06-12

http://www.scidev.net/Features/index.cfm?fuseaction=readFeatures&itemid=168&language=1

UK-based Hermann Chinnery-Hesse was on holiday in his home country of Ghana when he accepted a school friend's bet to try to make his fortune in West Africa. In this article, Briony Hale describes how - starting with a battered old personal computer in his bedroom - Hesse developed Ghana's own software firm which, for the moment at least, is holding Microsoft at bay.

website helps zambian organisations use the net

2003-06-12

http://www.balancingact-africa.com/

In 1999 there were only a handful of websites on Zambia and most of the sites lacked the aura of being able to attract potential visitors and investors to the country, writes Leonard Nelson. Furthermore a large number of Zambians residing in other countries were often dismayed by the slow response time and low uptime of other sites. To address these problems, The Zambian was established with the sole purpose of being able to deliver content to anyone interested in the country.

discussion on Children Affected by AIDS

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/enewsl/15607

The Africa America Institute would like to invite you to participate in an online discussion forum to be held in June 2003. We will be exploring the theme: Children Affected by AIDS (CABA) - The need for a broad based response.
Children Affected by AIDS (CABA) - The need for a broad based response
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear colleagues,

The Africa America Institute would like to invite you to participate
in an online discussion forum to be held in June 2003. We will be ex-
ploring the theme: Children Affected by AIDS (CABA) - The need for a
broad based response.

What important role and contributions can African nations make in
tackling the growing problem of Children Affected by AIDS? As part of
the discussion we will be discussing the following sub-themes:

1. Therapeutic Support

CABA need support in processing the death of their parents from HIV/
AIDS and making the transition from victim to survivor. From where
can this support be obtained? What are the roles and responsibilities
of the community in providing this support? Would national coordina-
tion or external support facilitate (or detract from) local efforts
in this area?

2. Legal and Financial Support

Dying parents are often not able to make arrangements to ensure ap-
propriate legal and financial support for their children after their
deaths. This is because the parents are often either psychologically
or physically debilitated when they are aware of their impending
deaths from HIV AIDS. HIV-positive parents and their families often
make efforts to avoid public disclosure of their condition. This of-
ten prevents the access to information and support, and limits their
ability to make adequate preparations for their children. What are
the most important factors that need to be addressed by HIV positive
parents, and how can they be effectively addressed, and what support
should they be able to receive from the community? Would national co-
ordination or external support facilitate (or detract from) local ef-
forts in this area?

3. Guardianship

The issue of guardianship is covered by several frameworks. These
frameworks include not only cultural practice but also religious tra-
ditions and the legal system. However, these different frameworks
each come with differing perspectives (eg having to do with blame,
social norms, and varying expressions of community interest). What
are the responsibilities of guardians for CABA, and how are they to
be selected, assigned, and supported by the secular, religious, and
legal communities? Would national coordination or external support
facilitate (or detract from) local efforts in this area?

4. Social and Educational Integration

CABA are often stigmatized by peers and by segments of the community.
In this way, HIV AIDS is planting the seeds of serious social schisms
that are likely to express themselves in the future through politi-
cal, social and economic tensions at community and national levels.
What school-based and community-based programs, facilities, and cam-
paigns are needed to ensure that CABA are not stigmatized and ex-
cluded from the mainstream of social development? What leadership and
initiatives are needed to bring this about? Would national coordina-
tion or external support facilitate (or detract from) local efforts
in this area?

5. CABA: The Need for a Broad Based Response

How do communities perceive the issues of CABA? CABA represent many
short-term and long-term implications for communities: are these gen-
erally known and understood by community members? Is there an ongoing
debate in the community about these issues? What is the role of com-
munity leaders (secular, religious, governmental, civil society) in
holding solution-oriented debates about these issues? Would national
coordination or external support facilitate (or detract from) local
efforts in this area?

6. Educating Children about HIV AIDS

CABA are no less vulnerable to contracting HIV than other population
group. The reduced financial and life skills support that CABA ex-
perience because of the absence of parents, combined with the social
exclusion that they often experience because of stigma, make them
more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Education about HIV AIDS
is required for all children, and is a broad community responsibility
(i.e not simply a school responsibility). What kind of education pro-
grams and campaigns can communities develop that target children? Are
education programs and campaigns that target CABA specifically re-
quired? How can communities develop and implement such efforts? Would
national coordination or external support facilitate (or detract
from) local efforts in this area?

7. National and International Institutions

What kinds of programs and initiatives should national institutions
(e.g. universities, synods, national church) and international insti-
tutions (e.g. donors, foundations) be implementing to support the is-
sues of CABA and the need for broad-based community response?

8. CABA: Giving Voice

CABA confront similar issues and challenges all over the country. How
can they be encouraged and supported in articulating their concerns,
needs, recommendations and knowledge? What kind of support is needed
for CABA in creating associations through which they can advocate for
their interests? Would national coordination or external support fa-
cilitate (or detract from) local efforts in this area?


Please visit AAI's website at:
http://www.aaionline.org/whatAfricaPersp.html

We believe you will find the online discussion a valuable way to
share your experiences, observations and opinions and to learn about
those of other Africans. You will be able to participate entirely via
email, but will also be able to access message archives and other
special features online through the discussion web page.

If you are interested in participating, please send an e-mail to:
mailto:AAIAfricanPerspectivesCABA2003-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

or send an e-mail to
John Kiwanuka Ssemakula
mailto:jkiwanuka@aaiononline.org

with the subject heading:
'African Perspectives CABA 2003 Online discussion'

To post a message you can e-mail:
mailto:AAIAfricanPerspectivesCABA2003@yahoogroups.com

If you participated in previous African Perspectives Online discus-
sions, you do not need to re-subscribe. You will automatically be in-
cluded. You may unsubscribe, if you wish, by sending an e-mail to
mailto:AAIAfricanPerspectivesCABA2003-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Those who choose to participate will receive additional discussion
information. We look forward to your participation and to sharing
perspectives with you.


Best regards,

Bertrand Laurent
AFTECH Project Director
The Africa-America Institute

Dr John Kiwanuka Ssemakula
Discussion Moderator
The Africa-America Institute
mailto:jkiwanuka@aaionline.org

e-CIVICUS 202 - Connecting civil society worldwide

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/enewsl/15674

News on civil society from around the globe. To subscribe or unsubscribe please email miranda@civicus.org

Kubatana - keeping you informed

2003-06-12

http://www.kubatana.net/

The NGO Network Alliance Project aims to improve the accessibility of human rights and civic information in Zimbabwe. Visit their web site and subscribe to their newsletter.

Kenya: Donors Back $60m Power Plan

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306100168.html

A Sh4.5 billion project to end frequent power blackouts has won donor backing. The project is expected to be completed by May next year and would improve power distribution.

Rwanda: EU Gives 10 Million Euros for Poverty Eradication

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306100056.html

The EU has pledged 10 million euros (US $11.7 million) for a new poverty reduction programme, known as "Ubudehe" in the Kinyarwanda language, an EU official said on Monday. The programme seeks to decentralise poverty reduction efforts and is designed to involve local communities directly in the implementation of the National Poverty Reduction Strategy.

South Africa: Concert tour to raise funds to fight Aids

2003-06-12

http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=267

The world-renowned rock singer, Carlos Santana, has pledged to donate proceeds from an upcoming concert to fight HIV/Aids in South Africa, according to Daily Dispatch. The tour is organised under the auspice of Artists for a New SA (Ansa) Amandla Aids Fund.

South Africa: DSG girls swim english channel to raise funds for Aids

2003-06-12

http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=266

A group of girls from the Diocesan School for Girls (DSG) in Grahamstown will swim across the English Channel to raise funds for the fight against Aids. The girls have already received funds and pledges totalling R800 000. The proceeds of this fundraiser will be used to buy and renovate an Aids day care, testing and counselling centre in Grahamstown.

South Africa: Lack of Lotto funding tops the agenda of Community Chest meeting

2003-06-12

http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=268

Charities' dissatisfaction with Lotto funding will be one of the items on the agenda for the meeting of the United Community Chests of South Africa, being held in Pretoria. Despite dwindling income for Community Chests due to the scrapping of scratch cards after the introduction of the National Lottery, applications for compensatory funding from the Lottery have been turned down.

Zimbabwe: Businessman Delma Lupepe Donates $100 Million to University

2003-06-12

http://allafrica.com/stories/200306100143.html

Bulawayo businessman Mr Delma Lupepe has donated $100 million to the Great Zimbabwe University in Masvingo and pledged more money over the next five years.

Global Apartheid, Privatisation and a Socialist Alternative

June 21 and June 22, South Africa

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/15594

The May 2003 conference on “The Work of Karl Marx and Challenges of the 21st Century" was held under the auspices of Cuban trade unionists, philosophers and economists. More than 500 attended, and in addition to lengthy interventions by Fidel Castro, papers were presented by the likes of Samir Amin, Fred Bienefeld, Liudmila Boulavka, Simon Clarke, Francois Houtart, Diane Flaherty, Barbara Foley, Marta Harnecker, David Kotz, Michael Lebowitz and Istvan Meszaros. The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (Johannesburg) has made available resources to discuss the conference and its implications for South and Southern African social change movements.
SEMINARS ON JUNE 21 AND JUNE 22:

Global Apartheid, Privatisation and a Socialist Alternative:
* Reportback on the Havana Conference on Marx in the 21st Century
* Strategic options for South and Southern African anti-capitalist movements

Coordinated by Trevor Ngwane and Patrick Bond, with other comrades from SA
and the region

All invited (for the sake of planning refreshments, please book now)

***

TWO SESSIONS (OF THE SAME SEMINAR):
-- 21 June: BRAAMFONTEIN: Jubilee South Africa office, 185 Smit Street, 9th
floor, East Wing, 10AM-4PM, sandwiches and refreshments
-- 22 June: SOWETO: Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee offices, Careers
Centre, Corner of Old Potchefstroom and Immink Drives, behind Funda Centre
(entrance at BP Garage), 10AM-4PM, sandwiches and refreshments

Please RSVP by email to Patrick (pbond@sn.apc.org) or by phone to SECC:
938-4305 (Nonhlanhla or Bongani); please specify which date you will come

Why a seminar, report-back and strategic brainstorm?

The May 2003 conference on 'The Work of Karl Marx and Challenges of the 21st
Century' was held under the auspices of Cuban trade unionists, philosophers
and economists. More than 500 attended, and in addition to lengthy
interventions by Fidel Castro, papers were presented by the likes of Samir
Amin, Fred Bienefeld, Liudmila Boulavka, Simon Clarke, Francois Houtart,
Diane Flaherty, Barbara Foley, Marta Harnecker, David Kotz, Michael Lebowitz
and Istvan Meszaros. Many of these are available for summary and discussion
at the seminar.

The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (Johannesburg) has made available resources to
discuss the conference and its implications for South and Southern African
social change movements.

We aim to cover several interlinked themes and specific topics that animated
the Marx conference:

* global apartheid: imperialism and war, international political economic
theory, capitalist crises, uneven development and accumulation by
dispossession, the institutions of neoliberalism, the world's anti-capitalis
t forces, and Pretoria's ambitions, strategies, tactics and
alliances;

* privatisation: the commodification of everything (energy, water, air,
land, healthcare, education), Washington's renewed privatisation thrust, the
limits of privatisation in the water sector, social struggles, and an update
on the South African situation;

* a socialist alternative: what are our communities across the region
demanding in lieu of water/electricity privatisation, how do they relate to
organised labour and to struggles for social justice in other sectors, is
'autonomism' a substitute for socialist visions, what is the state of
Southern African, African and international anti-capitalist movements, and
what is the nature of debate about movements, networks and workers' parties?

Join us in an open, nonsectarian seminar for sharing information and
brainstorming ways forward.

(Trevor Ngwane -- trevorngwane@hotmail.com -- is a community activist with
the SECC and Anti-Privatisation Forum; Patrick Bond -- pbond@sn.apc.org --
teaches at Wits and is an associate of the Centre for Economic Justice.)

Human Rights and Peace seminar

14-16 June 2003

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/15646

A seminar on Human Rights and Peace will take place in Casamance in Senegal from the 14 to 16 June. During this meeting, a round table on the International Criminal Court will be organized on Monday June 16. Another workshop will allow participants to discuss the concept of amnesty vis-à-vis the requirements of international criminal justice. Many other topics on human rights issues will be discussed.
A seminar on Human Rights and Peace will take place in Casamance in Senegal
from the 14 to 16 June. It is organized by the International Federation of
Human Rights (FIDH) in collaboration with Organisation Nationale des Droits
de Homme(ONDH) and «Rencontre Africaine pour la Défense des Droits de
lHomme (RADDHO) »

During this meeting, a round table on the International Criminal Court will
be organized on Monday June 16. Another workshop will allow participants to
discuss the concept of amnesty vis-à-vis the requirements of international
criminal justice. Many other topics on human rights issues will be discussed.

About 50 participants from various socio-professional categories (from
Senegal, Mali and Guinea Bissau) and international experts are invited to
this meeting. For more information on the meeting, please contact: Marceau
Sivieude at the FIDH Tel.: (331) 43 55 25 18, Fax: (331) 43 55 18 80,
E-mail: msivieude@fidh.org .

JUSTWRITE – AN ONLINE COURSE ON EFFECTIVE WRITING

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/15595

Is your writing getting the results you want? Perhaps you find writing a chore. Perhaps you know what you want to say, but not how to say it. Perhaps you need to polish your skills. If so, then JustWrite is just what you need. JustWrite is a unique online learning experience, created for anybody needing to write powerful, persuasive documents. It is ideal for anybody producing a research report; thesis; book or book chapter; advocacy document; paper for publication; essay; - or any other substantial piece of writing. In three intensive weeks, JustWrite will guide you from conception to final draft. The next online course begins on 14 July 2003. You can be anywhere in the world to benefit from this course; you only need access to a computer and email. Places are limited, so book early.
JustWrite – an online course on effective writing

Is your writing getting the results you want?

Perhaps you find writing a chore. Perhaps you know what you want to
say, but not how to say it. Perhaps you need to polish your skills.

If so, then JustWrite is just what you need.

JustWrite is a unique online learning experience, created for anybody
needing to write powerful, persuasive documents.

JustWrite is ideal for anybody producing a:

• research report;
• thesis;
• book or book chapter;
• advocacy document;
• paper for publication;
• essay;

- or any other substantial piece of writing.

In three intensive weeks, JustWrite will guide you from conception to
final draft, covering the key areas of:

• planning;
• outlining;
• writing a first draft; and
• editing to create a final version.

The course combines study material, stimulating interactive exercises,
lively online discussion with your fellow participants and – crucially
– individual tuition. Study is broken down into daily hour-long slots -
making the course suitable for those in full time employment.

You will also be able to produce a real document, using a series of
closely marked assignments.

You will be supplied with a free, specially designed CDROM, containing
all the study materials you will need, including interactive exercises
and assignments. It also contains sections on grammar, punctuation and
stylistic issues – together with a reading list and guides to further
study - making it an invaluable reference tool after you have completed
the course.

Alan Barker, MA Cantab, has written the course and will be your online
tutor. Alan has written fourteen books, including Writing at Work
(Industrial Society, 1999). He is also the author of two previous
CDROMs, Write Now! (Capita Learning and Development, 2003), and Writing
for Change (Fahamu & IDRC, 2000). Course Director: Dr Firoze Manji,
Director of Fahamu and Visiting Fellow, Kellogg College, University of
Oxford.

Requirements: Computer (PC or Mac) with CDROM drive and minimum of 64MB
RAM; email address.

The next online course begins on 14 July 2003. You can be anywhere in
the world to benefit from this course; you only need access to a
computer and email. Places are limited, so book early.

Or reserve a place on a course in September, October and November 2003.

For further details and registration pack, write to jw-info@fahamu.org

Wanted: Writers

Writing Skills Programme

2003-06-12

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/15565

Write for power! Apply to be part of the Agenda Writing Programme. The programme aims to help women get their voices out and people to express their ideas and experiences of gender. It helps writers develop their writing skills, especially to write for publication. It also gives writers tools to analyse gender issues.
Wanted: Writers

Writing Skills Programme

Write for power! Apply to be part of the Agenda Writing Programme. The
programme aims to help women get their voices out and people to express
their ideas and experiences of gender. It helps writers develop their
writing skills, especially to write for publication. It also gives writers
tools to analyse gender issues.

Writers can write in any form on any subject, so long as the writing adds to
understandings of gender issues, and challenges the status quo. The Agenda
Writing Programme develops powerful writing - writing that grabs people by
the gut and changes the world. Powerful writing can be academic, a personal
narrative, reflection on experiences, a fusion of theory and poetry.

The programme works on the basis of individual mentoring, so each writer
gets special attention in developing the particular kind of writing skills
they need. Mentors will work with writers to develop a particular piece of
writing over a six-month period. At the end of the mentoring process,
writers will submit their work to Agenda, for publication in a special
section of the Agenda Journal. The programme especially targets women of
colour. The programme will run in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa for the first
six months of 2004. The programme will shortly expand, and go online, so if
you are
interested but not based in KZN, let us know.

We invite: Applications from people who would like to
be mentored as writers and who want to write about gender.

Write to us in 500 words sharing with us why you would like to be part of
the programme and what you would like to write about. Provide us with your
full contact information. Closing date: 30 June 2003. Email
editorial@agenda.org.za or fax (031) 304 7018. For further information
telephone Clare Wyllie on (031) 304 7001.

Limited space available so don't delay!

The Agenda Writing Programme is a project of the Agenda Feminist Media
Project, a non-profit organisation based in Durban, South Africa. Agenda
was established in 1987 and produces independent media on gender issues.



Clare Wyllie
Writing Programme Manager
Agenda Feminist Media Project
Tel: 031 304 7001/2/3
Fax: 031 304 7018
Email: editorial@agenda.org.za

east/central africa: Regional Project Manager - IRIN Outreach Radio

2003-06-12

http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/AD62FDE55FF0AB33C1256D3600388863

In 2002, IRIN launched its Outreach Radio project, a new initiative designed to help strengthen universal access to impartial news and information, especially among conflict affected and other vulnerable populations through a cooperative partnership with community radio stations. Having completed a successful pilot project in Somalia and Burundi, IRIN is now set to develop the project further, emphasising the provision of training and capacity-building support to local radio partners and expanding coverage to other crisis-affected countries in Africa and Asia. To facilitate this expansion, IRIN is seeking a dynamic Regional Project Manager for East and Central Africa with extensive programme management experience in the development of community radio.

senegal: Consultant, Emergency Preparedness

Oxfam

2003-06-12

http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/5EE7A9D48A296ABBC1256D350051012D

The purpose of the position is to implement a work plan agreed by the regional director to prepare the contingency plans at national and community level for Senegal, The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau in accordance with Oxfam International standards.

zimbabwe: Food Security Advisor

Save the Children

2003-06-12

http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/B70826D97F0AFDF5C1256D3500564926

Zimbabwe is facing a humanitarian crisis unprecedented in its history. Save the Children has been running a food aid intervention since October 2001, and has also been providing technical support to two local NGOs undertaking supplementary and general feeding programmes. This postholder will work alongside a second food security advisor and be responsible for providing technical guidance on the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of food security interventions in Zimbabwe.

Fahamu