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Confronting Impunity through the ICC: Is Africa ready and waiting?

Josphat Ayamunda

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/20274

The establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 1998 has been widely heralded as a breakthrough in the fight against impunity in reference to the most serious crimes of concern to the international community. Indeed, it has triggered overwhelming numbers of communications detailing situations that may merit investigations. At first sight, observers feel that the first cases the ICC is going to handle are likely to come from Africa. Sure enough, the ICC Prosecutor has received and accepted a referral of the situation concerning the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Northern Uganda. This referral, made by Uganda in December 2003, is the first from any of the ICC's 92 States Parties. Instructively, however, the Prosecutor is closely monitoring the situation in Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and has indicated on several occasions that that is his priority.

It is appropriate for the ICC to focus on Africa. There is, however, one matter of concern, which relates to the continent's preparedness. While the ICC aroused relatively strong support from Africa, the Ugandan referral appears to engender considerable disenchantment amongst some interests in the continent. These developments necessitate a newer focus on the role of the ICC, largely because the manner of confronting impunity in Africa may not only have major implications for justice (and hence, peace) in the region, it could determine the future of the ICC. Several concerns are discernible in this emerging debate on the contribution that the ICC can make.

First, there is the broad question of the appropriateness of the Ugandan referral. Some argue that it is politically motivated. During the negotiations for the ICC there was scepticism that the Court might in fact be turned into a forum for politically-motivated international justice. This has brought to the fore problems relating to the political context in which the alleged crimes in the Ugandan referral were committed. Critics point out that there is an armed conflict involving various parties. They assert that the alleged crimes of the LRA have obscured equally serious crimes by the government. Besides, there are reports that the Sudanese government might have played a role in the conflict, say in supplying the LRA with weapons and bases. If these claims carry great weight, the Prosecutor might probe the Ugandan government. He might also have to indict political leadership in the Sudan. However, there are fears that the referral might be limited to crimes committed by one party to the conflict, namely the LRA. Although the Prosecutor has reiterated his impartiality and independence, he says he is unable to make the referral public because it contains confidential information.

In the circumstances, it is helpful to ponder the principle of complementarity. According to this principle, such as it is in the ICC, it is the duty of each state to investigate and try individuals for gross crimes. The ICC will only intervene if the state is unwilling or unable genuinely to perform that duty. Given that most African countries lack relatively developed legal systems, should they be encouraged to prosecute cases themselves (rather than letting the ICC intervene)?

For several reasons, it makes a lot of sense for a state to leverage the complementarity provisions. First, it forestalls an ICC investigation. This would help ease the risks of the ICC becoming the default jurisdiction for African countries, thereby increasing its credibility and legitimacy. Second, it would enhance the national judicial systems in countries that do not meet the high international fair trial standards, thereby improving access to justice generally. To be sure, the ICC envisages states will make extra efforts to improve domestic administration of criminal justice. Third, investigations and trials at the national level might be preferable to referrals to the ICC for policy and strategic reasons. For instance, they could prevent backlogging the ICC. Moreover, the interests of justice, victims and defendants might be better served when investigations and related activities are conducted close to the place where most of the particulars pertaining to the crime are located.

At all events, complementarity provisions were enshrined in the ICC to create a presumption in favour of national jurisdiction. In reality, during the ICC negotiations, the possibility that a state might voluntarily decide to relinquish its jurisdiction in favour of the ICC was considered as being inconsistent with some delegations' understanding of the principle of complementarity. In so 'relinquishing' its national jurisdiction, a state might be seen as being cooperative. But the agreement was that the ICC should not undermine the effectiveness of national justice systems and should only be resorted to in exceptional cases. One would reasonably expect this to mean that, while not being under obligation to do so, in practice states would only resort to the ICC as a matter of necessity rather than choice.

So, why would Uganda resort to the ICC? Unquestionably, there is enormous pressure being exerted on states to make referrals. The Prosecutor has suggested that states parties should make referrals to the ICC regarding certain situations in Africa. Although some would go along with the Prosecutor, others take the view that the ICC should be fully operationalized and efforts made toward universal support for the ICC before investigations can begin. The major issue would then be whether or not a state is willing or able to perform its obligations. For many, Uganda has the judicial capacity and political will to carry out prosecutions itself. On the face of it, there is no reason to believe that Ugandan authorities have decided to shield anyone from criminal responsibility for the crimes foreseen in the ICC statute. However, Uganda passed an amnesty law in order to protect those involved in the conflict from prosecution. Now the Ugandan President says he intends to amend the amnesty law to exclude the LRA leadership from its protection. This raises more questions.

Firstly, might amnesties rather than prosecutions be the better option for Africa, and secondly, what is the effect under the ICC of amnesties? Even if they are not better, the momentous political reality is that amnesties are likely to be granted in Africa especially in transitions. Negotiations on a national amnesty or official pardon are ongoing in Liberia (re Charles Taylor) and Uganda (re LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony and his deputies). Moreover, there are suggestions that amnesties might be indispensable in Sudan (talks are ongoing in Kenya to end the civil conflict in the south) and Somalia (where the Ugandan President, as current chair of IGAD, is leading peace talks).

While Uganda's intended amnesty amendment to exclude LRA leadership is aimed at ensuring that those bearing the greatest responsibility are brought to justice, it concerns some that the ICC's credibility could be questioned regarding its determination to subject only a select few to its justice. However, there is little prospect of such arrangements. Generally speaking, under international law amnesties may not be a bar to prosecution for such serious crimes as those that fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC. Having said that, there remains concern about impunity gap - one of the idiosyncrasies of ICC - that relates to the capacity of justice institutions to prosecute only a small number of perpetrators who are deemed to bear the greatest responsibility. This concept is one that in international law is controversial and unsettled. Perhaps more importantly, it is a curious paradox that this might be left to the Prosecutor's discretion in line with the ICC statute (Article 53). After taking into account all the pertinent circumstances, the Prosecutor may conclude that prosecution is not in the interests of justice.

In that context, the Ugandan referral has broached the subject of the role of advocating peace in Africa by means of dialogue. There could be cases in Africa where it might genuinely be 'expedient or a requirement of justice' that amnesties rather than prosecutions are pursued. Whilst it is arguable that no one has immunity for the most serious crimes under international law, there are cases where amnesties or pardon have been given jurisprudential recognition. Examples include South Africa and East Timor. Forget about the hair-splitting legal arguments about the clear definitions of the relevant technical terms as they applied in those specific cases. Nobody ever got to the bottom of those definitions. The imperative is whether or not in the context of the ICC it is cogent to argue that ending impunity in Africa does not necessarily mean that prosecutions will have to be pursued in every case.

An additional reason why the Ugandan referral calls for a cautious approach relates to the appropriateness of making the referral at a time when peace talks appear to be bearing fruit. In light of that, the Ugandan Amnesty Commission argues for the pursuit of amnesties rather than prosecutions. No one wants impunity in Africa to continue. Equally, nobody wants peace talks to fail. But probing LRA leaders could jeopardize a peaceful solution to the conflict.

I grant that Africa has a poor record of adjudication of crimes of the ICC type. But the key to successful national prosecutions seems to be judicial capacity and political will. There are fears that this could be a trump card in reference to Africa. Take ability to prosecute in the Ituri situation, for instance. The prevailing argument is that the Congolese judicial system would be unable to prosecute those crimes because the conflict is taking part in the extreme northeast of DRC and the central government has little control over that region. Yet, according to the Prosecutor, plans are underway for 'a consensual division of labour', whereby the ICC would target the leaders while the DRC deals with other accused persons. If one were to accept that the DRC is indeed unable to prosecute because its judicial system is fractured, it would be difficult to see why the ICC is proposing the said scenario. In any event, were African countries under the ICC's spotlight to actually initiate their own investigations and trials, it would still be open to the Prosecutor to prove that any fraudulent investigations and trials were not 'genuine'. As regards the political will of the DRC to prosecute, a major concern lies in the fact that a UN investigation points fingers at the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC). MLC's leader is now in the government as part of a peace deal. Naturally, this makes it politically tricky for the DRC government to see the cases to trial.

In reference to Uganda, its national judicial system is intact and readily available, and the state is able to obtain the necessary evidence and testimony. However, to the extent that Uganda has not enacted implementing legislation, one could argue that it might be incapable of effectively discharging its ICC obligations. This is because, for instance, Ugandan national criminal legislation might not foresee the crimes in the ICC statute, thereby making it difficult to sustain adjudication. In that regard, it is noteworthy that Uganda has requested technical assistance in drafting the relevant legislation. Moreover, Uganda might be unable to carry out investigations and trial of the suspected individuals because government forces have failed to arrest them. This particularly weighs against the critics because the LRA leadership is reportedly based in a neighbouring country. While it is arguable that Uganda has been allowed to access suspected rebel bases in the Sudan, it is apparent that Ugandan forces may not have adequate and effective control in that region. Therefore, the most plausible determining factor of Uganda's inability to carry out its national proceedings regarding the LRA situation is the fact that it has not obtained the accused persons. But it is also probable that Uganda genuinely felt it needed the impartiality and/or expertise of ICC.

It is not intended here to suggest that Uganda's referral is an abuse of the ICC process, nor that it should not be supported. My modest opinion, however, is that it might be unwise for African states to either squander the complementarity provisions or use the ICC system for a purpose or in a manner that might threaten the effective execution of the object and purpose of the ICC statute as a whole. One hopes that cooperation will be extended to investigation into crimes allegedly committed by government forces, especially now that some states seem willing to either 'relinquish' their jurisdiction in favour of the ICC or consent to division of labour. Considering the intrinsic nature and the beneficiaries of the ICC, we should all work together to protect the integrity of the ICC. To state that the success of the ICC largely depends on the political will of states is one thing, to politicize the use of the ICC system, quite another. Political will is the very stuff of international law. But politicization of the ICC system will only serve to weaken universal support for the Court and erode its credibility and legitimacy.

*Josphat Ayamunda, a Kenyan lawyer, is a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford and a researcher at Fahamu.

* Send comments on this editorial - and other events in Africa - to editor@pambazuka.org

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Power privatisation in Cameroon, the Chad oil pipeline and skewed development

Akong Charles Ndika

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/20260

All over Cameroon, dark clouds are giving way to blue skies. But while the rains are ending, consumers are increasingly worried about their electricity supply and the anticipation of blackouts is a long way from becoming history. In the last three years, power supply has been very erratic. In this connection, the privatised utility, AES-SONEL, is talking-up prospects of investments that are afoot to turnaround the state of events. And amid the uncertainty, Sino-Cameroon relations are taking a twist towards dams. The head of state, Paul Biya, in September flew home with a baggage of dams ready for Chinese financing. These include the construction of three mini-hydropower plants by China International Water and Electrical Corporation (CWE) on the rivers Ntem, Nja, and Kadey. However, beyond government's interest in dams lies a minefield of equity and sustainability issues. Who are the actors and what are their true motives? Are their interests aligned with sustainable development?

The privatisation of electricity provides a background to comprehending some equity issues surrounding the proposed projects. The process, masterminded by the World Bank, was dispossessed of public scrutiny and participation. The recommendations of the International Finance Corporation's consultant - the private sector arm of the World Bank - blueprinted the privatisation of the National Electricity Co-operation (SONEL) in 2001. In the recommendations that were fleshed into a concession agreement, the construction of a big dam over the river Lom-Pangar was mandated to AES SIRROCO: a US based corporation. However, the Lom-Pangar issue predates privatisation. The French - enamoured by the project in 1990 - contracted the consultancy Coyne et Bellier, to carry out a feasibility study on the dam. The study was motivated by the relation between a quasi-owned French company, Alucam and SONEL. Alucam's intent to double its aluminium production capacity depended on cheap hydropower.

* Read the rest of this article by clicking on the link below.
CAMEROON: POWER PRIVATISATION, THE CHAD OIL PIPELINE AND SKEWED DEVELOPMENT
Akong Charles Ndika
All over Cameroon, dark clouds are giving way to blue skies. But while the rains are ending, consumers are increasingly worried about their electricity supply and the anticipation of blackouts is a long way from becoming history. In the last three years, power supply has been very erratic. In this connection, the privatised utility, AES-SONEL, is talking-up prospects of investments that are afoot to turnaround the state of events. And amid the uncertainty, Sino-Cameroon relations are taking a twist towards dams. The head of state, Paul Biya, in September flew home with a baggage of dams ready for Chinese financing. These include the construction of three mini-hydropower plants by China International Water and Electrical Corporation (CWE) on the rivers Ntem, Nja, and Kadey. However, beyond government's interest in dams lies a minefield of equity and sustainability issues. Who are the actors and what are their true motives? Are their interests aligned with sustainable development?

The privatisation of electricity provides a background to comprehending some equity issues surrounding the proposed projects. The process, masterminded by the World Bank, was dispossessed of public scrutiny and participation. The recommendations of the International Finance Corporation's consultant - the private sector arm of the World Bank - blueprinted the privatisation of the National Electricity Co-operation (SONEL) in 2001. In the recommendations that were fleshed into a concession agreement, the construction of a big dam over the river Lom-Pangar was mandated to AES SIRROCO: a US based corporation. However, the Lom-Pangar issue predates privatisation. The French - enamoured by the project in 1990 - contracted the consultancy Coyne et Bellier, to carry out a feasibility study on the dam. The study was motivated by the relation between a quasi-owned French company, Alucam and SONEL. Alucam's intent to double its aluminium production capacity depended on cheap hydropower.

The history of this dam-smelter relationship unveils disheartening equity concerns. Before the privatisation of SONEL, Alucam was paying 5CFA/Kwh for electricity against 50CFA/Kwh for low voltage consumers. In this connection, a disproportionate amount of taxpayers money was going into private pockets as subsidies. Added to this, the government has contracted the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to a French consortium – raising questions about the extent to which government will go to making ALUCAM competitive, no matter what the real cost of electricity.

Besides, the commencement of the EIA debunks government's assertion to fine-tune the project in line with the globally respected recommendations of the World Commission on Dams (WCD). The WCD posits that public acceptance should prime the decision-making process and mechanism through which a dam emerges as an option. In addition, the WCD underscores that the process must be inclusive, transparent, open, recognise rights, address risks, and safeguard the entitlements of all groups of affected people. Furthermore, this should be ensued by a comprehensive option assessment through which all alternatives to dams are explored and objectives clearly defined. In the assessment process, social and environmental aspects should have the same significance as economic and financial factors. However, the decision to build the Lom-Pangar dam had already been taken without any comprehensive and participatory option assessment even though Cameroon is blessed with unrivalled energy sources through which a sustainable electricity future can be pinned on. The input solicited from the affected communities and public at large by the EIA team is primarily within the parameters of developing resettlement options and mitigation measures.

There is an assertion that if you neglect history, you won't make sense of the present or be able to shape the future. The power politics of Cameroon fits this assertion. It seems as if the problems that have emanated from heavy dependence of the electricity sector on hydropower have not taught the government to diversify the power source. About 90% of Cameroon's electricity comes from hydropower plants. Moreover, the major plants, which include Song loulou and Edea, are sited on the Sanaga Basin. It is worth noting that this basin is undergoing severe hydrological stress, a situation that has culminated in protracted power outages, which severely affects livelihood development. Furthermore, studies conclude that this stress has been going on even before the beginning of the last decade. Ironically, the envisaged Lom Pangar dam is sited in the Sanaga basin.

One interesting issue the Lom-Pangar dam unveils is the World Bank's skewed development politics in Africa. How does the Bank scale its priorities? Apparently, the Lom-Pangar and the Chad-Cameroon pipeline projects provide an insight. The $3.5 billion World Bank sponsored project pipes black gold from the oil-rich Doba region of Chad to the Atlantic coast of Kribi, Cameroon. The environmental-destructive 1070 km long pipeline traverses several fragile ecological zones, particularly the equatorial forest in the east where it is envisaged that the Lom-Pangar dam will be. As such, the Deng Deng forest located close to the Lom-Pangar river is reserved to compensate for the adverse environmental impacts of the project.

However, the fate of this ecological reserve hangs in the balance. The construction of the Lom-Pangar dam would adversely affect the reserve. In this light, the World Bank's Inspection Panel report warns that the construction of the dam would be a serious violation of the Bank's Operational Policies and Directives. But stubbornly, the Bank is attempting to engage in the project. Several high profile Bank officials have been visiting Cameroon to explore ways to resolve the electricity crisis. The dam occupies no less a position in their choice of options. Retroactively, the privatisation recommendations congenially incline the bank to finance this white gold project.

Meanwhile, the Bank's position on the conflict surrounding the Lom bridge serves as a lens on the Bank's priority setting. The bridge, constructed by the consortium COTCO to ease the passage of equipment during the pipeline project, was seen by the villagers as a rare development fallout of the project. Consequently, when COTCO wanted to destroy the bridge at the end of the construction phase as specified in the Environmental Management Plan, the villagers protested. This erupted into conflict between the consortium and the villagers. Against the expectations of the villagers, the Bank sided with COTCO and ordered the destruction of the bridge. Interestingly, the Bank placed environmental considerations in front of the development needs of the poor villagers. According to the Bank, the bridge would facilitate poaching.

The Bank's bliss with big infrastructure projects like the Chad-Cameroon pipeline predicates upon a skewed high risk, high reward strategy. Now that the Lom-Pangar dam threatens the survival of the Deng-Deng forest, will the Bank put environmental considerations ahead of development or will the Bank side again with the marauding multinationals and fund the project?

On the other hand, electricity privatisation is in shambles. The privatised utility AES-SONEL has failed to live up to the expectations of privatisation. According to energy intelligence, AES can fund only half of the $500 million required to make electricity supply reliable in the next five years. On the sideline, as a fruit of the president's visit to china, the Chinese have loaned the government 30 billion CFA to construct three mini hydropower dams in the south of Cameroon. Meanwhile, the recent entry of Cameroon into the Central African Regional Power Pool by the AES general manager, also reinforces the company's interest in the dam. In line with NEPAD's centralisation agenda, the power pool cables the way for AES-SONEL to market cheap hydropower to other countries within the sub-region.

Recently, the head of state created a national committee to address the problems facing the power sector. This is a laudable initiative. However, it raises several points for interrogation. How inclusive will the committee be? What criteria will be used to select the members? What will the role of civil society be? Who will the committee be accountable to? How transparent will the deliberations be? Above all, will its mandate be limited to supplementing investment efforts or will it extend to rethinking the whole privatisation option? It is imperative for all stakeholders to come together to address not only the urgent investment needs but also the fundamental crisis of governance rocking the sector. The crucial question begging an answer is how can genuine transparency, accountability, and participation be mainstreamed in power decision making. As the Cameroonians wait for dams, they should note that their true cost never appears on the balance sheet.

* Akong Charles Ndika is an Energy Policy Analyst with Global Village Cameroon

Why NEPAD and African Politics Don't Mix

Ian Taylor

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/20259

It is now over two years since the New Partnership for Africa 's Development (NEPAD) was launched in Abuja, Nigeria and perhaps time to review the progress that this project for supporting development in Africa has made. Stripped to its bare bones, the NEPAD is a "partnership" with the developed world whereby African countries will set up and police standards of good government across the continent--whilst respecting human rights and advancing democracy--in return for increased aid flows, private investment, and a lowering of obstacles to trade by the West. An extra inflow of U.S.$64 billion from the developed world has been touted as the "reward" for following approved policies on governance and economics.

The sad fact is that there has been very little concrete progress, although plenty of meetings, summits, pronouncements, and speeches have marked the NEPAD thus far, the latest being in Kigali last weekend. Why there has been little concrete progress so far is because of the very nature of post-colonial African politics. Most commentaries ignore the reality that power in African politics must be understood as the utilization of patronage and not as the performance of legitimacy drawn from the sovereign will of the people. In other words, in spite of the façade of the modern state, power in most African polities progresses informally, between patron and client along lines of reciprocity. It is intensely personalized and is not exercised on behalf of the public good. Zimbabwe is a good example of this, but most other African countries broadly follow this pattern, including such NEPAD stalwarts such as Nigeria, Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville, etc. Very few countries (Botswana a prime example) have avoided such a state of affairs.

In a traditional patrimonial system, all ruling relationships are personal relationships and the difference between the private and public spheres is non-existent. Under a neo-patrimonial system the separation of the public from the private is recognized (even if in practice only on paper) and is certainly publicly displayed through outward manifestations of the rational-bureaucratic state: a currency, a flag, borders, a "government," and even bureaucratic offices etc. However, in practical terms the private and public spheres are habitually not detached and the outward signs of statehood are often façades hiding the real workings of the system. Consider the fate of Air Zimbabwe and Harrods shopping sprees by Mugabe as a good example; perhaps an extreme example but indicative of a broader trend, which varies across the continent.

* Read the rest of this commentary by clicking on http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2004/0402nepad.html

* If you'd like to comment on NEPAD, please send your views to editor@pambazuka.org

Send a 'birthday card' to the world bank

2004-02-19

http://www.jubileeusa.org/take_action/birthdaycard.pdf

The IMF and World Bank will celebrate their 60th birthday in 2004. But it is no time for a party, not as long as debt continues to impoverish and take away the sovereignty of peoples and nations across the global South. On the institutions' 60th birthday, Jubilee USA Network is organising a birthday card campaign to the IMF and World Bank. They have developed birthday cards that call on the IMF/World Bank to cancel 100% of impoverished country debt without conditions, and we will be distributing the cards to activists across the U.S. and around the world.

Strip the back page

2004-02-19

http://womensnet.org.za/MediaPetition.shtml

Are you tired of reading newspapers that portray women as stereotypes? Tired of editors thinking that the average reader believes women are only newsworthy if they are half-naked or the victim of a crime? The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) has committed itself to get South African newsrooms to evaluate their performance on gender sensitive reporting. In line with SANEF's plans to engender the media, South African gender and media activists propose that all newspapers commit to leaving out their back page or page three "babe" section from the 5th to the 8th March 2004. Instead, content for these pages will be generated by members of the South African Gender and Media Network (SAGEM) around the theme of International Women's Day.

"Aids is a war against humanity"

Bradford McIntyre, www.PositivelyPositive.ca

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/20167

Individuals should not have to suffer all losses due to illness! Men, women and children are suffering with HIV/AIDS. We need to assure that these people are cared for, not discriminated against! We must provide funds for proper nutrition, housing and health care for these individuals to aid and contribute to their well-being. We need to get rid of the false perceptions and judgments. Like Doreen Millman said in Vancouver at the 1996 AIDS Conference in reference to how a 63 year old grandmother got AIDS. She said, "It just doesn’t matter!" Neither does an individual’s race, religion or sexual orientation matter! Don’t look for differences; look at how we can help one another.

I do not believe it is naive to think we can make the necessary changes, but rather it is naive to think that we can continue on our current course neglecting those who suffer from poverty, illness and disease. People are judging those who are sick, disabled and poor.

At the X1V International AIDS Conference 2002, Nelson Mandela said, “Stigma, discrimination and ostracism are the real killers.”

People living with illness are no different from anyone else, except for their disease. Prior to this, they were hard working people, contributing to society. Once sick, they are expected to do without and not have those things they had in their life before sickness! Why do we allow this?

Many people have nothing due to the lack of funding and the effort it has taken for them to survive through their illness. People should be entitled to the right to a quality standard of living, which promotes wellness and healing, not death and dying. There are people dying due to the stress on an already stressed and suppressed immune system. There is added stress due to a lack of funds available to support nutritional diet and good health. Proper nutrition is necessary for HIV infected individuals, as those who eat well feel better compared to those who consume a less than adequate diet. Malnutrition can compromise their ability to fight off infection. The stress that people are enduring while trying to maintain a home, food, and health is putting them at risk of continued health problems. This in turn means they are in greater need of medical attention! We should be making good nutrition a high priority in AIDS treatment!

My concern and disappointment is directed at the lack of consideration given to the present situation of poverty, poor nutrition, inadequate sanitation and housing for people living with HIV. These issues are of the utmost importance to individuals who are trying to maintain their health and living. The present situation is driving people below poverty, affecting their health and forcing them to live in standards no one would want to experience! People, who have worked and contributed to society, should not be subjected to living in inadequate conditions due to health and inability to work when diagnosed with a life threatening disease!

A call for action is necessary. The present situation dictates that these are vital necessities for people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the world! Since many people infected with HIV have neither the health nor energy to work towards creating awareness and change, it is my intention to speak through my experience for those whom I hope will benefit. Ignoring the importance of meeting these needs will bring an ever-increasing cost to our health care systems and us worldwide. A simple exercise in these directions and implementation would have an enormous impact on the fight against AIDS!

We are all here together, connected. Nothing is happening to just one of us, but affecting ALL of us! Illness and poverty can strike any one of us, at any time! What is happening affects us all. We can no longer look at others or view other places in the world where people are sick and dying and continue to neglect caring for them, without recognizing how it affects society. We have the means to provide all that is necessary, but we will have to work together to correct the global imbalance. The richer countries have a moral responsibility to help out poorer countries.

We have been warned by science that we are faced with an ever-increasing battle -- the battle against the bug! Every country is at risk of every disease. Here in North America, many people take for granted our quality of life, while others here and elsewhere in the world are faced with poverty, poor sewage and sanitation, famine, drought, environmental devastation and disease, along with millions of people dying. These are problems facing us all. These very same circumstances affect people in every part of the world. We cannot continue to allow millions to suffer and millions to die and expect we will not be affected.

We have to make the necessary changes and care for one another. If HIV and AIDS have not brought this realization, then surely West Nile, SARS, Mad Cow, Monkey Pox and Ebola are convincing enough! It is time to realize that it is only a matter of time before this major global epidemic will affect each and every one of us and that possibly, we will have to deal with some other new bug as well! This is happening already. Look at the impact of SARS and its effects on health care, travel, tourism, jobs, our economy and relationships with other countries. We would do well to pay attention and learn from the enormous poverty, illness and deaths worldwide caused by HIV/AIDS.

At the XIV International AIDS Conference in 2002, Nelson Mandela in his closing speech said, “AIDS is a war against humanity.”

There is no doubt this situation is going to have an enormous effect on all our lives. When will our eyes be opened to what is going on all around us?

An unwelcome visitor

Riaz Tayob

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/20214

Apparently R. Zoellick, the US Trade representative is in the country (South Africa) next week. The US is responsible along with its co-perpetrators, the EU, of the worst form of structural violence on the most vulnerable Africans, the subsistence/peasant/ small /commercial farmers. The US continues to pursue policies of disarm and bomb, where they disarm our tariffs by demanding reductions, and then bomb our countries with cheap subsidized imports. While Africa is afflicted with various natural challenges, the structural manner in which our food sovereignty is compromised is unacceptable and defies common sense. Our leaders need to wake up to the fact that a modicum of food security is required and that we cannot just prostitute all our productive resources to the export market. This fact is NOT suitably captured in NEPAD or any of the other benevolent initiatives that the rich North promotes so that their constituencies can feel good about themselves.

Zoellik's visit is not just coincidental, it comes at a time when South Africa is pursuing a regional trade agreement with the US, soon after the collapse of the WTO Cancun Ministerial and at a time when the inequalities between rich countries and poor countries are greatest. South Africa has only recently woken up to the fact that the rich North does not believe in the entitlement of "South Africa" to a fair trading system and have sold out our Ministry of Trade and Industry by not abiding by commitments and promises made during negotiations (mainly that we would not get a raw deal). The Minister took a bold step when moving away from the position of Friend of the Chair of the WTO in Cancun (a pseudonym of bully's side-kick) and sided with the Group of 21 Countries. This is a far cry from the Ministries active involvement as Friend of the Chair in Seattle and Doha and adequate reasons for this change of heart have not been given.

Yet to critical experts it is apparent that despite all the niceties, we Africans continue to get a raw deal. There is only so much that could be done within the WTO before it would have become apparent that the Ministry even lacks nationalism/Pan Africanism in the trade negotiations (some have argued that this has already occurred). Furthermore, civil society, to my knowledge, has not been adequately consulted on the US - South African Customs Union (SACU) Free Trade Area Agreement. Despite this, principles of negotiations have already been agreed to and phase 2 of negotiations are to commence. If the outcome is anything like the EU-South Africa Free Trade Agreement then we can expect further job losses and market take-overs by foreign firms. However, Zoellick is here to kick start the disaster that is the WTO so that what little policy flexibility we have can be removed! Whatever cannot be achieved at the multilateral WTO level will be relegated to the regional and bilateral levels where US and EU might can be brought to bear at the expense of African food sovereignty, development and well overdue industrialization.

Zoellick of course must come with his bag of tricks. He will probably remind us of how grateful we must be for AGOA and its extension. AGOA like many trinkets that were brought to this shore by the Dutch East India Company, crack upon closer inspection. It allows African firms duty free market access to the US provided that no American firm complains about the loss of its market share. South African pear canners have been dealt a nasty blow by having their supposed benefits under AGOA terminated. So the real message of AGOA is we will give you room to develop but that development can be taken away on a whim (or what essentially amounts to a whim). The US with its typical Orwellian doublespeak says that it will not accord benefits under AGOA to those states that do not meet its human rights and democracy requirements. Their concern does not extend to the Ministers that they force, bully and coerce into making agreements which have not been the subject of consultations or discussions with domestic stakeholders, which is an important part of democracy.

One of the key issues that lead to the failure of Cancun was the European Union, who insisted on the inclusion of the "New Issues" / "Singapore Issues" (Investment, Competition, Trade Facilitation and Transparency in Government Procurement). Developing countries secured an agreement that these issues will only be discussed if there was "explicit consensus" from the members of the WTO. Much like the Dispute Settlement Body in it's opportunistic search for the "ordinary meaning" of words (by window shopping in various dictionaries to get the meaning they want), the Europeans tried to fudge the meaning of explicit consensus in the face of clear opposition to the New Issues by developing countries. The Financial Times, after Cancun, reported that the inclusion of the New Issues was to poke France in the eye for its intransigence on agriculture, and had very little to do with the need for regulation on these issues (South proponents of the New Issues take note!). The US on the other hand does not share an interest in the New Issues simply because they believe that they have most of the elements for corporate domination of the south in the General Agreement on Trade in Services. We can however look forward to the inclusion of the New Issues under the Economic Partnership Agreements that the EU is steamrolling through with other African states.

Zoellik needs to be reminded that his antics are well known, and while he may be on a state visit he is not welcome. We are not interested in a "New Round" at the WTO and we no longer want our ministers sworn at by US trade officials, not given notices of meetings or not even chairs to sit on during WTO meetings when they have to attend sessions for over 10 hours. We have had enough of this US arrogance and we should let its minions know.

* Riaz Tayob BA Llb Llm is a researcher at the Southern and East African Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI). The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of SEATINI.

Keep up the good work

Chipo Chigumira

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/20166

What is so special about Eritrea?

Thomas C. Mountain

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/letters/20277

'Letter to the Editor;


The following was written for a well known journalist friend of mine who I
have been trying to get to go to Eritrea to see the Oasis of Africa first
hand. He asked me to explain "What is so special about Eritrea?"

By Thomas C. Mountain

The first thing one notices upon landing in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea,
is that the streets are clean. The people are friendly, dressed very smartly
and there is no evidence of homelessness or beggars. This in a country of an
annual per capita income of about $350.
The streets of Asmara are safe to walk, even more so for "tilliano´s" or
"sa´ada", white people, anywhere, anytime of day or night. Serious crime is
rare, to the point of being non existent for most Eritreans.
When you leave Asmara the first thing you notice is the reforestation and
soil conservation efforts of Eritrea´s student summer national service
program, along with the peacetime military.
Imagine the highlands of the North African Rift mountains, 8,000 foot
altitude, driving down towards the lowlands for hours, through some very
rugged terrain, and every cliffside and mountain is LAYERED WITH WALLS, and
where possible, young trees. Many thousands of miles of walls and millions
of trees, all done since independence in 1991.
When you visit Eritrea´s primary schools, the first thing you SHOULD notice
is that the children are being taught in their mother tongue. We are talking
about 9 tribes, each an ethnic group with its own language, in one of the
worlds smallest, poorest country´s, 3.5 million people, actually beginning
to educate all their children to literacy, grade 6, in their mother tongue.
Eritrea is the only country in the world to actually implement such a
program.
A little time and patience will uncover a lot of pretty amazing things about
Eritrea and Eritreans. Like how the women fought and died side by side with
their men in their 30 year liberation war, making up 35 percent of the
fighters. This in a country where arranged marriages are still common, at
least in the villages, still the backbone of the country.
The whole story of the Eritrean armed struggle for independence reads like
an epic novel. Thomas Keneally, author of what became "Shindlers List"
actually wrote such, entitled "To Asmara".
The important thing is to remember to place Eritrea in the context of
neocolonialist Africa as well as being only 12 years independent. Try
starting with Eritrea being half christian and half muslim. Anywhere else in
Africa they would be at each others throats. Sudan, Nigeria, Cote
d´Ivoire...Christian vs. Muslim and tens of thousands slaughtered. No such
problem in Eritrea.
From the Maranantha Christian movement to Osama Bin Laden, religious
fundamentalists have been attacking Eritrea, some for over 30 years. Eritrea
is not about to allow outside religious, economic or political interests to
come in and stir up trouble.
Eritrea kicked out all the foreign NGO´s in 1993 and proceeded to build the
fastest growing economy in Africa. This in a country whose people survived
the genocidal "Ethiopian Famine" in the mid 1980´s, with independence
finding 80% of all Eritreans dependent on foreign food to survive. By the
time of the resumption of Ethiopian aggression in 1998, Eritrea was 80% self
sufficient in food production.
It´s amazing how 30 years of fighting, and dying, together in the trenches
and caves of the Sahel can change a society. When the ex-fighters returned
home to their families after liberation there was no going back. In some
ways, yes, for ones parents still have their traditions. Was the child born
in the field baptized? Ex-fighter parents, long since atheist, did the
church thing to keep the peace.
And peace is what all Eritreans most desperately desire. The invasion by the
Ethiopians in 2000 saw the worst sort of pillage, murder, rape and wanton
destruction imaginable. This is no exaggeration, for the Ethiopians actually
dug up cemeteries and scattered the bones, something even the Nazi never
thought to do to Jewish cemeteries.
3 years ago, almost half the population of Eritrea was "displaced",
refugee´s, by the Ethiopian invasion, some 1.5 million people. Under the
Ethiopian scorched earth policy, 75% of all agricultural production in the
country was destroyed.
In the past five years, over 80,000 ethnic Eritreans, many whom were
Ethiopian citizens, have faced property confiscation and summary deportation
from Ethiopia to Eritrea. Stories abound of children left abandoned,
returning home from school one day to find their parents having
"disappeared", picked up by the Ethiopian Gestapo, to be driven to the
Eritrean border and dumped in the middle of a mine field. Their homes and
businesses often ending up in the hands of Ethiopian government officials
Eritrea is having to integrate another 100,000 Eritreans from Sudanese
refugee camps, some of them there since the 1970´s and 80´s .
Al Queda continues to add to its long list of atrocities against Eritrea and
her guests, sneaking across the border from Sudan with murder and mayhem in
mind.
Now another disaster, the worst drought in memory, with the harvest failing
for the first time ever in the whole country. Over 2 million face famine,
with only the government and the Eritrean people in the diaspora coming to
their aid.
All this going on as a large, well armed, belligerent Ethiopian army
continues to occupy large areas of indisputably Eritrean territory.
The West calls for "democracy", issuing condemnations of Eritrea for
allegedly not holding elections. Yet Eritrea just completed local followed
by regional elections in the entire country, the beginnings of which I
witnessed almost 2 years ago. Left with only the national elections, Eritrea
is not going to be hurried, not with so many challenges facing the country.
Through out all this the Eritrean people have been amazing, both inside and
outside the country. The diaspora may fuss and squabble during good times,
but when the going gets tough, the Eritreans start giving, to the tune of
$100´s and even $1,000´s of dollars per person. At least $400 million last
year alone from some one million Eritreans abroad, just for the government.
To send money home to ones families is expected for any emigrant, yet to
send large amounts to the GOVERNMENT of ones land of origin? Voluntarily? I
find this completely unique to Eritrea and another amazing thing to add to
Eritrea´s list.
I grow weary of repeating to people all these amazing things, for most
people are so cynical about the societies they live in and the governments
that rule their lives that they have a hard time even imagining the sort of
society that exists in Eritrea. I guess there is two kinds of democracy. One
is the kind where George Bush spends over $100 million running for president
and is "elected" (or should I say "appointed"?) even though he got less
votes than his opponent.
The other is the sort of grassroots, community based democracy that is
practiced in Eritrea. Where the society practices what it preaches. Where
the Eritrean people say "we are the government and the government is us" and
actually mean it.

So don't believe me, go to Eritrea and see for your selves. Just don't think
that you know much about the country, really, after only spending a week or
two there. I´ve read to many hit and run journalists spewing ignorance and
bile after a short visit. Remember, if you don't speak the language and
barely know anyone you can really trust, you don't really know what is going
on.
Eritrea is hard to accept for westerners, for they are a proud people. A lot
of white folk think Eritreans are "arrogant" for such "a bunch of poor
niggers, really" (an actual quote). I mean how "amazing" can a country be
when most folks sleep four or five to a room, carry water to the toilet and
have never experienced the wonders of a long, hot shower?
Tell you what, amazing enough for me to want to move there. Asmara is like
Oakland in the Bay Area on a cool, sunny summer day. Drive for an hour
toward the Red Sea and you hit Ginda, moist and cloudy, reminding me of my
home in Hawaii. Another hour and you hit the Red Sea and the last 1000
kilometers of pristine tropical coastline in the world, Eritrea´s Red Sea
coast. During the winter it gets down to the low 80´s and the islands and
reefs surrounding the ruins of what used to be known as Adulis, in the land
of Punt, later the Persopilus of the Erythrean Sea, can only be described
as... "amazing".
This is some of what makes Eritrea "special". Even the execrable Peter Biles
of the BBC Africa desk had to use the word after watching the President of
Eritrea, Issias Aferworki, walk the length of Liberation Avenue in Asmara
during the recently completed 12th Independence Day Celebrations. In what
other country in the world does the chief executive of the country feel safe
to freely walk the streets, two miles through the center of his capital
city, all the while surrounded by tens of thousands of his celebrating
countrymen and women?
Eritreans may be poor, materially, hungry even, still suffering from the
drought. But they are special, and they know it. Their unity and strength is
amazing. I have observed it and joined in the experience, time and time
again. So I guess that makes me a messenger, doing what I can to spread the
word about Eritrea, and what makes Eritrea so special.
But don't take my word for it. Go there and see for yourself. These days you
can take a direct flight on Eritrea´s brand new national airline, an
"amazing" 98% on time in its first month of service.

A Movement of Movements: Is Another World Really Possible?

Tom Mertes (ed.)

2004-02-19

http://www.word-power.co.uk/catalogue/1859844685

'The Movement of Movements' charts the strategic thinking behind the mosaic of movements currently challenging neoliberal globalization. Leading theorists and activists - the Zapatistas' Subcomandante Marcos, Chittaroopa Palit from the Indian Narmada Valley dam protests, Soweto anti-privatization campaigner Trevor Ngwane, Brazilian Sem Terra leader João Pedro Stedile, and many more - discuss their personal formation as radicals, the history of their movements, their analyses of globalization, and the nuts and bolts of mobilizing against a US-dominated world system.

Apartheid's Festival: Contesting South Africa's National Past

Leslie Witz

2004-02-19

http://www.africabookcentre.com/acatalog/index.html?http%3A//www.africabookcentre.com/acatalog/New_Titles.html&CatalogBody

This is a study of how the production of history is part of a global process forged by the struggle between colonialism and resistance. The author looks at the 1952 celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the landing of Jan van Riebeeck and the founding of Cape Town. Examining newspapers brochures and pamphlets, the author looks at how history and historical figures were reconstructed and how the ANC and others mounted opposition to it.

Dumping on women: Gender and privatisation of waste management

Melanie Samson

2004-02-19

http://qsilver.queensu.ca/~mspadmin/

More and more local governments across South Africa are privatising their waste management systems. They are doing this because of national government's push to get the private sector more involved in providing basic services, like water and waste management. Municipalities are also privatising to promote black economic empowerment. Who are the winners and who are the losers? Research conducted in Thabazimbi, Sol Plaatje and Johannesburg municipalities shows that both workers and working-class communities suffer as a result of privatisation of basic services. It also shows how, because of the gender division of labour at work and at home, and because women waste management workers employed by private companies are largely left out of collective bargaining agreements, it is women workers who suffer most.

Journal of African Elections

vol2 no2 October 2003

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/books/20249

Contents include:
* Factional Intrigues and Alliance Politics : The Case of NARC in
Kenya's 2002 elections, by Shumbana Karume
* Legitimising Electoral Process: The Role of Kenya Domestic Observation
Programme (K-DOP) in Kenya's 2002 Election, by Wole Olaleye
* Elections in Nigeria: Is the Third Time a Charm, by A. Carl Levan,
Titi Pitso, Bodunrin Adebo
* Nigeria: Can the Election Tribunals Satisfactorily Resolve the
Disputes Arising out of the 2003 Elections? By Kaniye S.A.Ebeku
* The Electoral System and Conflict in Mozambique, by Luis de Brito
* Adapting to Electoral System Change: Voters in Lesotho, 2002, by Roddy
Fox and Roger Southall
* Missing Cadres? List Voting and the ANC's Management of its
Parliamentarians in the National Assembly, 1999-2003, by Geoffrey Hawker
Subscribe today - two issues @R160 per annum or R80 per issue. The 2004
issues will appear in June and December. All queries and orders, please email publications@eisa.org.za

Re-examining Liberation in Namibia: Political Culture Since Independence

edited by Henning Melber

2004-02-19

http://www.nai.uu.se/webbshop/ShopGB

The back cover of Re-examining Liberation in Namibia: Political Culture Since Independence, edited by Henning Melber, asks the question of what Namibian children can expect from their future in ‘the land of the brave’ (as the national anthem proclaims)? This question frames the taking stock of emerging trends in the country’s political culture since independence in 1990 as the contributors critically explore the achievements and shortcomings that have been part of liberation in Namibia.

Dealing with a wide array of subjects relevant to recent history in Namibia, the collection weaves together a rich tapestry of diverse subjects. It succeeds in pulling together a picture of the sometimes schizophrenic liberation movement SWAPO, which led resistance to colonial rule from 1960, in terms of its worthy values and ambitions compared to the reality of a liberation movement in power.

The themes of this collection illuminate not only the challenges facing present-day Namibia but also resonate throughout the Southern African region. Issues related to land and indigenous people crop up frequently, as does that of truth and reconciliation, memory and forgetting.

Perhaps the contrast between liberation in action and the present day reality is best captured in the fascinating deconstruction of President Sam Nujoma’s personality in an essay by Christopher Saunders entitled ‘Liberation and Democracy: A critical reading of Sam Nujoma’s Autobiography’. This paints a picture of a heroic and committed Sam Nujoma as he travelled through the airports of the world gathering support for his just cause as a young man with little experience of politics. But this contrasts with Nujoma’s highly selective and sometimes inaccurate version of events in relation to the liberation struggle, so that Saunders concludes that “Nujoma’s work is more a work of propaganda than of history”. “It conforms that the liberation struggle was fought for national liberation, and that this meant, for Nujoma and others, the accession of Swapo to power.”

The attempt by Swapo and Nujoma to remember the past in a certain way, to construct it and stamp it on the nation’s consciousness, is also raised in an excellent essay by John Saul and Colin Leys entitled ‘Truth, Reconciliation, Amnesia: The “ex-detainees” fight for Justice’. Here the issue of missing Swapo activists allegedly killed at the hands of their own organisation is carefully examined in the context of the liberation movement’s inclination to bury historical record with the excuse that opening up old wounds would be harmful to national reconciliation efforts. This is contrasted strongly with efforts by those in Namibian society who believe that actively remembering the past will open up the path to a more meaningful reconciliation.

How is the past remembered and who has the right to remember it? Who has control over the nation’s consciousness? What is national interest and in whose interest does it operate? How do we go about understanding the sometimes contradictory and authoritarian nature of liberation movements? How do these liberation movements understand democracy? These are just some of the questions that Re-examining Liberation in Namibia touches on, and together with many others, the collection provides a critical understanding of Namibian politics and its current day state of health.
(ISBN 91-7106-516-4)

Reviewed by Patrick Burnett, Fahamu

The African American Experience in Cyberspace: A Resource Guide to the Best Web Sites on Black Culture and History

Abdul Alkalimat

2004-02-19

http://www.africabookcentre.com/acatalog/index.html?http%3A//www.africabookcentre.com/acatalog/New_Titles.html&CatalogBody

Divided into clear subject chapters, this guide highlights the best links and web sites covering every aspect of African American history, society and culture and Black studies. Each chapter has a brief essay, and extensive annotation on the five best sites for each topic.

World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability

Amy Chua

2004-02-19

http://www.fpa.org/pubs_inventory2418/pubs_inventory_show.htm?doc_id=209030

Drawing on examples from around the world - from Africa and Asia to Russia and Latin America - Chua examines how free markets do not spread wealth evenly throughout the whole of these societies. Instead they produce a new class of extremely wealthy plutocrats - individuals as rich as nations. Almost always members of a minority group - Chinese in the Philippines, Croatians in the former Yugoslavia, whites in Latin America, Indians in East Africa, Jews in post-communist Russia - these "market-dominant minorities" have become targets of violent hatred. Adding democracy to this volatile mix unleashes suppressed ethnic hatreds and brings to power ethnonationalist governments that pursue aggressive policies of confiscation and revenge.

Africa: Building mechanisms, institutions and intruments for Peace and Security

2004-02-19

http://www.saferafrica.org/DocumentsCentre/Seminars/ThirdAfricanPeaceTable/Speeches/MonicaJuma/DOD-1A.asp

Capacity building is necessary to address the root causes of insecurity and conflict, which derive from a complex amalgam of political, economic and social factors. The challenge for building capacity in Africa is, however, made greater when one considers the gender dimension. Commitment to capacity building will have to overcome an ethos that has over the years marginalized, and at times obstructed the involvement of women in issues of defence and security, and in this case in conflict prevention, management and resolution. Clearly, the sustainable implementation of the AU-NEPAD peace and security agenda will depend on the extent to which women, who comprise a critical constituency in Africa, engage fully in matters relating to peace and security in Africa and internationally. This is according to a presentation by Dr. Monica K Juma from SaferAfrica, an organisation that works to secure the long-term security and development needs of Africa and its peoples.

Cameroon: Full Steam Ahead For Electing a Woman President

2004-02-19

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=22383

With a bumper crop of elections due in Africa this year, the extent to which women have a voice in government will be coming under renewed scrutiny. This is especially true of Cameroon, where the campaign to elect a female president during polls in October is gaining momentum. “It's time that women mobilized around this goal and catapulted one of us to channel our frustrations. She's the one we'll be looking to in the next elections,” says Eugenie Zambo, Vice President of the Campaign for Political Emergence of the Cameroonian Woman (CEPFC), a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

Kenya/Malawi/Namibia/South Africa: Men against Gender Based Violence

2004-02-19

http://www.femnet.or.ke/campaigns.asp?id=2

FEMNET'S Men against Gender Based Violence Programme is in the process of conducting a review of existing men groups in Malawi, South Africa, Kenya and Namibia. The review of male initiatives in support of gender equality is already underway in Kenya. FEMNET will document and share the experiences with other male groups in the continent to encourage formation of more men groups and in the process strengthen the Africa Network of Men for Gender Equality. FEMNET will also share the experience with national, regional and global networks, including the INSTRAW and UNIFEM networks.

Kenya: Plea for women's regional network

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39545

Representatives of women's organisations in the Great Lakes region have recommended the formation of a regional women's network, which would ensure their effective representation at women's meeting to be held in May in Rwanda and at an international conference for the Great Lakes, planned for later in the year.

Kenya: Women to brainstorm for peace-building meeting

2004-02-19

http://www.peacewomen.org/news/International/Feb04/brainstorm.html

Women from Africa's Great Lakes region will spend a day trading ideas on peace and security in Kenya next week in preparation for a meeting of women's organisations in Rwanda later this year, the United Nations reports. "The participants at this one-day brainstorming session are expected to discuss their various inputs, give an update of ongoing efforts by women's organisations and NGOs [non-governmental organisations] and make suggestions on the way forward for a successful meeting of the women's organisations to be held in Kigali in May," the Nairobi-based Office of the Secretary-General's Special Representative for the Great Lakes region said in a statement.

Mozambique: First woman PM

2004-02-19

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=68&art_id=vn20040218042907461C247645&set_id=1

For the first time, Mozambique has a woman prime minister. Luisa Diogo was appointed by President Joaquim Chissano on Tuesday to replace Pascoal Mocumbi, who is leaving the government to take up a post at a new international health organisation.

Uganda: A Price Above Rubies

2004-02-19

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=22462

"We are going to shout about bride price across Africa and we are going to say 'no' to the sale of women,” exclaimed Atuki Turner to a crowded hall at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Turner was speaking at the opening this week of the first international conference on the tradition of bride price. The groundbreaking event was organised by Mifumi, a women's non-governmental organisation (NGO) in rural eastern Uganda. It brought together activists from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa to discuss the effect that payment of bride price has on women. Delegates also talked about ways of eliminating this practice in Africa and elsewhere.

Uganda: Tapping the knowledge of African women

2004-02-19

http://www.isis.or.ug/about.htm

Isis-WICCE relocated to Kampala, Uganda at the end of 1993 with an objective of tapping African women's ideas, views and problems and sharing the information with women at the international level. Since the move to Kampala, Isis-WICCE started National-and regional level programmes to facilitate the flow of information from Uganda to other parts of Africa and the rest of the world, and to contribute towards the strengthening of the Uganda and African women's movement. Isis-WICCE exists to promote Justice, and empowerment of women globally through documenting violations of women's rights and facilitating the exchange of information and skills, to strengthen women's capacities, potential, and visibility.

Uganda: Women's Demands to Political Parties and Organisations

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/wgender/20175

The Coalition for Political Accountability to Women (COPAW) is a non-partisan alliance of rights based organisations and individuals committed to political accountability to women and to socio-political transformation in realising good governance in Uganda. COPAW in collaboration with Uganda Women's Network (UWONET) organised a series of meetings last year (2003) to chart out clear and distinct issues to put to political parties and organisations as Uganda transits to pluralism. The draft memorandum is available through the link below and comments can be sent to uwonet@starcom.co.ug
DRAFT:
WOMEN'S DEMANDS TO POLITICAL PARTIES AND ORGANIZATIONS
http://www.wougnet.org/Documents/COPAW/womendemands.html


PREAMBLE

The WOMEN of Uganda, as full citizens making up over half the Ugandan
population, claiming the birthright of every human being to freedom and
equality,

HAVING contributed significantly to the development of the nation
throughout its history,

CONSCIOUS of the fact that despite the significant contribution by women to
the nations development, they have been marginalized in the political and
economic governance of the country,

NOTING that the 1995 Constitution of Uganda realises and recognizes this
imbalance and thus explicitly calls for gender equity and equality in
several of its provisions,

RECOGNIZING that our country is at a critical point in its political history,

FURTHER recognizing that it is our right and duty to take part in shaping
our country's destiny,

DO hereby demand from all political parties and organizations:

1. Real and Meaningful Democracy:

Democracy is a system through which all citizens have a right to
participate in their governance not just at state level but right down to
the smallest nucleus of the state, which is the family. In a democracy,
the participation of women at all levels of decision making in all spheres
of society is crucial for its development and the realisation of women's
rights. There can be no true and substantive democracy without the equal
participation of women.

To this end we ask that all political parties and organisations:

(i) Include in their constitutions the principle of equality
between men and women and ensure its effective application.

(ii) Ensure that all their structures and procedures do not
directly or indirectly discriminate against the participation of women and
other marginalized groups.

(iii) Take measures and put in place mechanisms to ensure that
women can participate in the leadership of the parties and organisations on
an equal basis with men.

(iv) Ensure transparency and accountability as well as
information flow to all levels of the party and organization structure
including proper checks and balances stipulating clearly the tenure of
members of the governing bodies with provisions for democratic processes
for change in tenureship as well as showing clearly how power is shared.

(v) Respect and uphold the principle of separation of powers
as well as respect for institutions and building institutions that promote
governance, democracy and development.


2. Integration of the Principle of Affirmative Action:

Affirmative Action is about making progress towards substantive equality of
historically marginalized groups and not merely about numbers. Affirmative
Action is a political and social action of a transition period along the
way from relations established by centuries of oppression and inequality to
a future of truly equitable relations.

Although Affirmative Action has yielded some benefits it has not
facilitated effective and strategic partnership for women. Affirmative
Action should not be used for tokenism and patronage but as a prerequisite
to the promotion of good governance and economic development. Women's
participation in influencing the country's direction in terms of political
thinking policies and programs should be a matter of course.

To this end we demand that all political parties and organisations:

(i) Include in their constitutions the principle of
Affirmative Action.

(ii) Apply Affirmative Action internally by ensuring that
women form at least one third in all the political party and organisations
governing structures.

(iii) Ensure effective application of Affirmative Action through
monitoring mechanisms that show clear performance indicators in its
implementation.

(iv) Work towards removing the factors that continue to
discriminate and disadvantage women and other marginalized groups.


3. People-centred/People-focused Development.

Women contribute to the economy and to combating poverty through both
remunerated and unremunerated work at home, in the community and in the
work place. The empowerment of women is a critical factor in the
eradication of poverty.

While poverty affects households as a whole because of the gender division
of labour and responsibilities for household welfare, women bear a
disproportionate burden, attempting to manage household consumption and
production under conditions of increasing scarcity. Women's poverty is
directly related to the absence of economic opportunities, lack of
autonomy, lack of access to economic resources, including credit, land
ownership and inheritance, lack of access to education and support services
and their minimal participation in the decision making process.

In order to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development, women
and men must participate fully and equally in the formation of
macro-economic and social policies and strategies for the eradication of
poverty. The eradication of poverty requires democratic participation and
chances in economic structures in order to ensure access for all women to
resources, opportunities and public services.


To this end we demand that political parties and organizations:

(i) Ensure that women participate fully at all levels in the
conceptualisation, decision-making, implementation and evaluation of
development policies and programmes.

(ii) Employ a rights based approach to poverty reduction and
development, the main features of which include: Identification of the poor
recognition of the relevant normative national and international human
rights framework, equality and non-discrimination, participation and
empowerment, monitoring and accountability.

(iii) Promote and ensure development whose interest is and whose
benefit is for women and men. This means prioritising issues such as
health and education.

(iv) Develop macro-economic policies that take into account the
impact of such policies on Ugandan women and men at all levels of society
as well as the environment.


4. Commitment to obligations under international human rights instruments

Human Rights and fundamental freedoms are a birth right of all men and
women. We re-affirm that all human rights - civil, cultural, economic,
political and social, including the right to development - are universal,
indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. The human rights of women
are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights.

To this end, we demand that political parties and organizations not only
refrain from violating the human rights of women but also work actively to
promote and protect these rights.

5. Peace and Security:

Uganda has experienced armed conflict to varying degrees since the
attainment of independence in 1962. These resulted from political and
military crises, as well as intolerance and bad governance. The transition
from one government to another has never been smooth for Uganda. Since
1962, the country has had nine regimes and the fall of each regime has been
preceded by armed conflict.

All the four regions of Uganda have been prone to violence. Although the
violence resulting from these conflicts has adversely affected the men,
women and children of Uganda, the women and children have borne the worst
brunt. The economy and the environment have not been spared either. The
wars have led to brain drain, which has been detrimental to the development
of our country.

Today, most of Northern and North Eastern Uganda, as well as parts of
Western Uganda are experiencing armed conflict, resulting internally
displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, most of whom are women and children.
The rest of the country is not safe either.

There cannot be development without peace, security and good governance.
Sustainable peace depends largely on justice, the promotion and protection
of human rights and tolerance.

We therefore demand that all political parties and organizations:

(i) Recognize the right of every Ugandan to be different, as
well as uphold and protect the right of freedom of association, assembly
and expression.

(ii) Promote non violent forms of conflict resolution as well
as integrate a gender perspective in the resolution of armed or other
conflicts.

(iii) Desist from inciting ethnic, religious, political, sexist
and all other forms of tensions and intolerance.

(iv) Promote peaceful co-existence within and across Uganda's
boarders.

(v) Commit to national reconstruction and rehabilitation as
well as take measures to reconcile the people of Uganda from all regions
and of all political persuasions.

(vi) Take action to promote equal participation of women and
equal opportunities for women to participate in all forums and peace
activities at all levels, particularly at decision-making level.

Zimbabwe: Virginity Testing Strips Girls of Their Dignity, say Groups

2004-02-19

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=22451

They form a single file. Some are singing, though their voices have been dwarfed by the hum of the stream. The girls, estimated around 50, are being accompanied home by three middle-aged women from a nearby river. Suddenly the procession is interrupted by irrepressible sobbing. Several teary-eyed, young women have failed their virginity tests. They are dreading the rebukes and curses, likely to follow, once their parents find out about their status. Men eager to marry virgins in this eastern border town, more than 180 kilometres from the capital Harare, must produce documented proof of their HIV-negative status as part of chief Makoni's controversial anti-AIDS campaign. His unorthodox initiative has drawn the ire of women's rights activists and health care workers, to name but a few.

Africa/Global: New campaign targets dirty gold

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/20239

DC-Earthworks/Mineral Policy Centre and Oxfam America have announced the launch of "No Dirty Gold," a consumer campaign intended to shake up the gold industry and change the way gold is mined, bought and sold. Gold mining is being targeted as an industry ripe for reform through consumer pressure because of the extensively documented human and environmental costs of gold mining. "Our people have suffered beatings, imprisonment, and murder for standing up for our community rights against multinational mining companies," said Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, a mining activist from the Tarkwa district of Ghana where 30,000 people were displaced by gold mining operations between 1990 and 1998. "We want buyers of gold to support our rights and demand that mining companies adhere to higher ethical standards."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, February 11, 2004

CONTACTS:
Harlin Savage, Resource Media for
Earthworks/MPC, 303-554-8946
Payal Sampat, 202-247-1180
Adrienne Smith
Oxfam America, 617-728-2406


New U.S. Consumer Campaign Targets
One Of The World's Dirtiest Industries:
Gold Mining
Consumer campaign targets the $16 billion dollar
U.S. gold jewelry market

WASHINGTON, DC-Earthworks/Mineral Policy Center and Oxfam America today announced the launch of "No Dirty Gold," a consumer campaign intended to shake up the gold industry and change the way gold is mined, bought and sold. The two organizations have targeted the gold jewelry market for the major consumer campaign, because gold mining is arguably the dirtiest industry operating in the U.S. and in many parts of the world.

"Gold doesn't seem so shiny when you consider the colossal damage gold mining inflicts," said Payal Sampat, International Campaign Director with Earthworks. "We're asking consumers to consider the real cost of gold, and we're enlisting their help to put an end to mining practices that endanger people and ecosystems."

Gold mining is being targeted as an industry ripe for reform through consumer pressure because of the extensively documented human and environmental costs of gold mining. Most gold is not used for essential services; 80 percent is used to make jewelry. Most consumers don't realize that in developing countries gold mining is associated with protests, human rights abuses, and even imprisonment, along with environmental devastation. In the U.S. mines generate an amount of waste equivalent in weight to nearly nine times the trash produced by all U.S. cities and towns combined. The production of a single 18 Karat gold ring weighing less than an ounce generates at least 20 tons of mine waste. Metals mining employs less than one-tenth of one percent of the global workforce but consumes 7 to 10 percent of the world's energy.

"Our people have suffered beatings, imprisonment, and murder for standing up for our community rights against multinational mining companies," said Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, a mining activist from the Tarkwa district of Ghana where 30,000 people were displaced by gold mining operations between 1990 and 1998. "We want buyers of gold to support our rights and demand that mining companies adhere to higher ethical standards."

"What we're asking for is reasonable, fair and possible," said Keith Slack, Senior Policy Advisor with Oxfam America. "The symbol of your enduring love should not have to come at the expense of clean drinking water or respect for human rights. It's also just good business."

The campaign kicks off right before Valentine's Day, a major occasion for gold jewelry sales in the U.S. Between February 11 and 14, activists will be distributing Valentine's cards with the message, "Don't tarnish your love with dirty gold" in front of major jewelry and watch stores, including Cartier's and Piaget's on 5th Avenue in midtown New York City, and around busy Metro stations, including several in Boston and Washington, D.C. A copy of the Valentine's Day card is available at www.nodirtygold.org Consumers will be asked to sign a pledge calling for alternatives to "dirty" or irresponsibly produced gold. The pledge is also accessible via the www.nodirtygold.org website.

Additionally, Earthworks and Oxfam are releasing a report today, called "Dirty Metals: Mining, Communities and the Environment," (download PDF) which details the massive pollution, huge open pits, devastating community health effects, worker dangers and, in many cases, human rights abuses that have become hallmarks of gold and metals mining in countries such as Peru, Indonesia, Ghana and in parts of the United States. The report and a fact sheet on gold mining can be downloaded from www.nodirtygold.org For a print copy or for photos of gold mining, please contact Harlin Savage at tel. 303-554-8946.

The No Dirty Gold campaign draws from the experience of consumer efforts to end sweatshop labor, promote fair trade coffee and others. Like those campaigns, the No Dirty Gold campaign emphasizes student outreach. Activists will be handing out Valentine's Day cards on university campuses including, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, Temple, Kent State, MIT and others. Organizing around class ring sales and speaking tours of citizens from communities impacted by mining will take place in the coming months.

If you are interested in interviewing representatives of communities affected by gold mining in the U.S. and around the world, student organizers, scientists or others relevant to this issue, please contact Harlin Savage at Resource Media at tel. 303-554-8946.

Africa/Global: Poverty as a violation of human rights: poverty or injustice?

2004-02-19

http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/arts/cappe/PDF%20Files/Campbell4.pdf

This paper from the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics discusses the proposal that poverty ought to be regarded as a violation of human rights and therefore as a condition that ought to be abolished. This proposal has been presented as a new paradigm in the fight against poverty that has the potential to galvanise an effective strategy for ending poverty through an international human rights framework. The essay explores this proposal from a philosophical standpoint, and argues that the proposal would be strengthened by including compassion or humanitarianism as part of its moral basis and achieved without diluting either the moral force or the radical implications of regarding poverty as a violation of human rights.

Africa: Only the best need apply for Africa court, says Amnesty

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rights/20173

The effectiveness and efficiency of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights will depend on the appointment of highly qualified judges with a strong commitment to human rights, Amnesty International said in a document outlining a checklist of criteria to ensure the appointment of the best qualified candidates for judges. "The judges will be the most visible representatives of the Court. It is essential for the credibility and effective operation of the Court that judges of the highest calibre, with a fair representation of men and women from the main regions and legal systems of Africa, are elected," Amnesty International urged.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
AI Index: IOR 10/001/2004 (Public)
17 February 2004

The effectiveness and efficiency of the African Court on Human and
Peoples' Rights will depend on the appointment of highly qualified judges
with a strong commitment to human rights, Amnesty International said today
in a document outlining a checklist of criteria to ensure the appointment
of the best qualified candidates for judges.

"The judges will be the most visible representatives of the Court. It is
essential for the credibility and effective operation of the Court that
judges of the highest calibre, with a fair representation of men and women
from the main regions and legal systems of Africa, are elected," Amnesty
International urged.

The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the
Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (the
Protocol) entered into force on January 25, 2004 after receiving the
required fifteen ratifications.

Article 13 of the Protocol requires the Chairperson of the African Union
(AU) Commission, upon entry into force of the Protocol, to request each
state party to present, within ninety days (about the end of April 2004),
its nominees for the office of judge of the Court.

The Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, at its
forthcoming Third Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in July 2004,
is expected to take decisions on such matters as the location of the
Court, its budget, and elect eleven judges to the Court.

Amnesty International has consistently called for the procedure for
nominating judges to be as open as possible and to involve the broadest
possible consultation, including with the highest courts, law faculties,
bar associations and relevant non-governmental organizations.

"A transparent process with the broadest possible consultation with civil
society will ensure that the best criteria are devised, that an effective
method is devised to attract the best possible candidates, including
women, and that the criteria are applied effectively," the organization
said.

"The African Court can only contribute meaningfully to the promotion and
protection of human rights in Africa if the nomination and election of
judges comply fully with the requirements stipulated under the Protocol
and the Court receives full political support from the AU member states,"
Amnesty International added.


Background

The procedures for nominating candidates and electing judges to the
African Court are spelled out in Articles 11 to 14 of the Protocol.
Article 11 provides that the African Court shall consist of eleven judges
who are nationals of member states of the AU, and elected in an individual
capacity "from among jurists of high moral character and of recognized
practical, judicial or academic competence and experience in the field of
human and peoples' rights".Article 12 requires state parties to the
Protocol to each nominate up to three candidates, at least two of whom
shall be nationals of that state. It also requires each state party to
give due consideration to adequate gender representation in the nomination
process. Article 13 requires the Chairperson of the Commission of the AU
to, upon entry into force of the Protocol, request each state party to
present, within ninety days, its nominees for the office of judge of the
Court. Article 14 provides among others that judges of the Court shall be
elected by secret ballot.

States that have ratified the Protocol are: Algeria; Burkina-Faso;
Burundi; Comoros; Cte d'Ivoire; Gambia; Lesotho; Libya; Mali; Mauritius;
Rwanda; Senegal; South Africa; Togo; and Uganda. Only Burkina-Faso has
made a declaration allowing individuals and non-governmental organizations
direct access to the Court.

For several years Amnesty International has campaigned for ratification of
the Protocol and believes its entry into force is a significant
development in the protection of human rights in the continent. Amnesty
International will continue to push for a regional wide ratification of
the Protocol and for the establishment of a fully effective and efficient
Court.

Since the success of the African Court will to a large extent depend upon
the operational efficiency of the African Commission on Human and Peoples'
Rights, Amnesty International will continue to seek for the strengthening
of the Commission as well.

For a copy of the document outlining a checklist of criteria for the
nomination of judges to the African Court, see:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGIOR630012004

Congo: NGO denounces widespread violation of pygmy rights

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39502

A human rights NGO in the Republic of Congo has denounced what it says is the widespread violation of the rights of indigenous populations, commonly referred to as "pygmies". In a report, issued last Thursday, the Observatoire congolais des droits de l'homme (Ocdh) said that aside from factors related to the general weaknesses in the government apparatus, the failure to issue identity cards to and register the births of indigenous populations demonstrated both "negligence and a manifest lack of consideration" on the part of Congolese authorities.

Kenya: Calls for Truth Commission to Tackle Past Abuses

2004-02-19

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=22415

Human rights groups in Kenya have called on the government to set up an independent truth and reconciliation commission that will, amongst other things, try judges who were suspended last year on charges of corruption. At present, a special tribunal is dealing with these allegations. Certain activists have little faith in the body, however.

Kenya: Human rights violations by the police persist

2004-02-19

http://www.khrc.or.ke/news.asp?ID=11

The persistence of human rights violations committed by the police makes a mockery of the government’s stated commitment “to retrain, equip and better remunerate police and other security services to ensure they are people-oriented and work efficiently, effectively and fairly,” says the Kenya Human Rights Network in a letter to Christopher Murungaru, Minister of State-National Security and Provincial Administration. "The prevailing culture in the rank and file encourages officers to commit human rights violations and expect no ramifications. This explains the persistence of numerous and serious human rights violations by police officers who enjoy impunity for their actions. To reverse this cycle, the K-HURINET recommends the establishment of a tribunal to hear about the violations committed by the police while demanding that the government heed the advise of the Task Force on Truth Justice and Reconciliation, which recommends the establishment of commission to deal with transitional justice."

Morocco: Discussing Western Sahara

2004-02-19

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=2&ItemID=4819

According to Amnesty International and other credible human rights monitoring groups, the human rights situation in Western Sahara remains among the worst in the world. Any demonstration of support for independence is brutally suppressed. Even displays by the Sahrawis' of their distinct cultural identity is actively discouraged, says Stephen Zunes, an associate professor of Politics and chair of the Peace & Justice Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. Zunes was speaking about the crisis in Western Sahara to Jacob Mundy, a co- founder of Friends of the Western Sahara (www. friendsofthewesternsahara.org) in this interview reproduced on the pages of www.zmag.org

Zimbabwe: Detention without trial law introduced

2004-02-19

http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=8665

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has given himself powers of detention that allow his police to hold opponents of his regime in prison for up a month without legal process on charges of "subversion," the opposition Movement for Democratic Change said. The law applies to a wide range of offences under the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), including "attempting to coerce" the government through boycotts, strikes, civil disobedience or "resistance to the law," said MDC secretary for legal affairs David Coltart.

Zimbabwe: MDC's Sibanda walks out of court a free man

2004-02-19

http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=8679

Gibson Sibanda, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) vice-president, this week walked out of the regional magistrates' courts a free man after the state withdrew charges against the former trade unionist and his colleagues who were facing charges of attempting to overthrow the government. The charges against Sibanda, Milton Gwetu, the MDC legislator for Mpopoma and other top executives of the main opposition party in Matabeleland were withdrawn before plea on Tuesday.

Africa/Global: Not giving a damn: private financiers and dam displacement

2004-02-19

http://www.id21.org/society/s10cjs1g1.html

As governments turn to the private sector – rather than multi-lateral or bilateral development agencies for assistance – the victims of infrastructure projects are at risk. Without strong regulatory and monitoring capacity the needs and rights of the displaced will continue to be marginalised by private developers’ drive to meet construction deadlines and maximise profits. This is according to research from the University of Oxford’s Refugee Studies Centre that compares approaches to resettlement and compensation taken by the World Bank and private companies.

Africa/Global: The Global Response to Internal Displacement: Alternatives to the Collaborative Approach

2004-02-19

http://www.refugeesinternational.org/cgi-bin/ri/bulletin?bc=00723&spotlight=1

The "collaborative approach," the preferred response of the UN's humanitarian system to the crisis of internal displacement, is not working. Evaluations commissioned within the system describe "egregious failures" to protect and meet the basic needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Yet when pressed to defend the collaborative approach, senior officials of humanitarian agencies and donor governments invariably respond that there are no realistic alternatives to a system of ad hoc efforts on behalf of IDPs, a system characterized by diffuse responsibility and lack of accountability.

Africa/Uganda: Locking away potential: What host countries lose when they keep refugees in camps

2004-02-19

http://www.oneworld.net/external/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.id21.org%2Fsociety%2Fs10amm1g1.html

Refugees in Uganda are instructed to stay in the rural agricultural settlements set up for them by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Ugandan authorities. Yet a substantial number of refugees are urbanites with entrepreneurial skills and technical qualifications. An estimated 15 000 refugees live in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, but are unable to fully use their skills for the benefit of their families or the Ugandan economy.

Angola/Namibia: Some Angolan refugees reluctant to return home

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39514

While many Angolan refugees in Namibia are said to be eager to return to their country of origin, some based outside the border town of Rundu are not entirely convinced that this would be in their best interests. They fled the civil war which ravaged Angola for 27 years and are now reluctant to swop a relatively stable life for the uncertainties of repatriation to Angola.

Botswana: Camp captures history of southern Africa

2004-02-19

http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/news

At first glance, Dukwi looks like your usual African refugee camp, with children attending school, adults working in a weaving and tailoring project, neighbours chatting and babies playing happily in the mud. But probe deeper into Botswana’s only refugee camp and you’ll find that like no other place in the region, it captures the recent history of southern Africa in a nutshell. Dukwi refugee camp was once a place for exiles from countries like South Africa and Zimbabwe to meet and discuss strategies for a liberated southern Africa. The camp boasts former residents who are prominent leaders in the region today. Today, the camp is still home to some 3,500 people, the largest groups being 1,200 Namibians from the Caprivi Strip and 1,200 refugees from Angola. The rest come from elsewhere in Africa – Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, with a few cases from Kenya and Tanzania.

ERITREA: IDPs continuing to suffer war and drought consequences

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39512

Internally displaced Eritreans continue to suffer the consequences of war and drought, resulting in inadequate fulfilment of basic needs such as food, water, health care, shelter and education, the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported. OCHA said the country still had 58,953 internally displaced persons (IDPs), living in and outside camps and unable to return to their places of origin. "Although much has been accomplished to assist these IDPs, many basic needs are not yet fully met. A continuous effort is required to avoid a deterioration of the situation," it said.

Ethiopia: 10,000 flee yet more fighting in the west

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39448

Ten thousand people have fled ethnic fighting in western Ethiopia that has claimed more than 250 lives, according to government officials. Clashes had erupted at a gold mine, in which 196 people were killed in a single day; the killings being one of the worst instances of ethnic violence seen in Ethiopia in recent years, the government said on Wednesday. The fighting flared up just weeks after 60 people were killed in the troubled Gambella region, the federal affairs ministry said in a statement.

Namibia: Government acts on refugee's papers

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/refugees/20207

The Ministry of Home Affairs has moved to end the more than a year-long wait for travel documents by a refugee and his Namibian wife after the couple last week informed the Government Attorney that they intended to sue the Minister of Home Affairs, Jerry Ekandjo, and the Commissioner for Refugees, Elizabeth Negumbo, because of poor service, incompetence and what they termed "bureaucratic brutality".
The Namibian
18 February 2004

http://www.namibian.com.na/

Govt acts on refugee's papers

TANGENI AMUPADHI
THE Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday moved to end the more than a year-long wait for travel documents by a refugee and his Namibian wife.

Home Affairs Permanent Secretary Niilo Taapopi said he had asked to meet with Jose Manuel Mananga Conde and his wife, Vesta Rebekka Conde, to "sort out a small issue" and that it should not take long before they received a passport.

The Condes last week informed the Government Attorney that they intended to sue the Minister of Home Affairs, Jerry Ekandjo, and the Commissioner for Refugees, Elizabeth Negumbo, because of poor service, incompetence and what they termed "bureaucratic brutality".

They accused Home Affairs of failing to respond to repeated inquiries about their application for the renewal of Jose Conde's travel documents.

The first application was apparently lost, and when he submitted another one, there was no feedback on the progress of his application.

"We must have written between eight and 10 letters in the course of the last 12 months or so. None of the letters received even the common courtesy of an acknowledgement of receipt of those letters," Conde said in an affidavit prepared for the High Court.

As a musician, Conde said, the lack of a passport meant he could not travel for performances outside Namibia.

He could also not visit his wife's family as they had planned to do over the December holidays.

Taapopi said yesterday that Conde was called to the Ministry last week to clear up confusion over what names would go onto the passport.

"On the refugee card he is Manuel Manganga and on the passport [that the Ministry previously issued] he is Manuel Conde.

He has no other problem.

Nothing related to security or criminality.

There is no problem really," said Taapopi, adding that he hoped the matter would be cleared soon.

The Ministry has often come under fire from the public for poor service.

"The population is too small but the demand [for documents] is very high," said Taapopi.

The Permanent Secretary said his Ministry often received more than 100 applications a day for passports and emergency travel documents.

"Sometimes they can print 800 passports a day," he said.

Taapopi said his Ministry would go on "retreat" at Swakopmund between March 8 and 12 for a "strategic planning workshop" about how to improve the work in civic affairs.

Sudan: Humanitarian access still difficult, say sources

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39513

Humanitarian access to western Sudan's war-torn Darfur region remains limited despite government claims to have opened relief routes, say humanitarian sources. "There is absolutely no access to any place, no humanitarian access," said the advocacy group Refugees International, quoting an agency trying to bring supplies to Darfur. "Things are not changing at all. If they are changing, they are changing for the worse."

Uganda: UNHCR Hails Proposed Refugee Law

2004-02-19

http://allafrica.com/stories/200402161035.html

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has backed the proposed refugee bill saying it could turn out as an international model of a good refugee law. Erika Feller, the agency's director for international protection, said the bill was a good innovation because it touched on almost all the important aspects of refugee protection. "It is very positive in the way it integrates gender and gender persecution as a ground for refugee status. This is something we have advocated for long. It is positive on family related issues. It's very positive on the right and responsibilities of refugees, it absolves and expands the definition of a refugee," she told The New Vision.

Africa: Can peer review work in Africa?

2004-02-19

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3493813.stm

African leaders now have a new mechanism for monitoring each other's progress towards political and economic reform but can it work? John Kufuor is allowing Ghana to be assessed first. The move launched last weekend in Rwanda is a step towards implementing the economic recovery plan, the New Partnership for Africa's Development, otherwise known as Nepad. Seventeen African leaders have signed up to the peer review mechanism, saying it will improve governance and accountability.

Africa: Only 14 African states pass democracy test

2004-02-19

http://www.businessday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1545725-6098-0,00.html

Only 14 of the African continent's 53 countries to be featured in a report published by the US's Boston University, which was launched this week in Johannesburg, are considered sufficiently democratic. Last year the first report featured 13 countries, however with the election in Kenya of Mwai Kibaki as president the country finds a place in this year's report. The countries featured are Benin, Botswana, Cape Verde, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, SA, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Burundi: November elections may be postponed

2004-02-19

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3497037.stm

Burundi may not hold elections by the end of November as stipulated by the peace accord signed in Arusha, a government official has warned. Foreign Affairs Minister Terence Sinunguruza says conditions necessary for a free and fair poll have not been met by the transitional government.

CAR: Electoral process under way

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39624

The electoral process in the Central African Republic (CAR) got underway on Friday, with the country's law advisory body, the National Transitional Council, beginning a session due to last until 31 March. During this period it is expected to approve bills that would facilitate the establishment of electoral organs. In a speech inaugurating the session, council Speaker Nicolas Tiangaye said the law advisory body would examine a bill instituting a joint independent electoral commission, which would oversee presidential and parliamentary elections as well as announce the poll results. The elections are due to be held late 2004 and in early 2005.

Kenya: Constitutional Talks Marred by Infighting

2004-02-19

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=22419

The prospect of a new constitution has been dangled in front of Kenyans since the late 1990's, when a process of review began under former President Daniel Arap Moi. Last December, Moi's successor - Mwai Kibaki - promised the country a new constitution by June. Political bickering may also derail this pledge, however.

Malawi: Tensions heighten ahead of elections

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39631

Reports that police had fired shots during an opposition rally at the weekend have raised fears that Malawi's upcoming May elections could be marred by violence. News reports said two people were wounded when riot police fired live rounds at a crowd to stop a rally by opposition parties in the southern city of Blantyre.

Namibia: Clearing the Cloud of Uncertainty

2004-02-19

http://electiontalk.blogspot.com/

The last two years were characterised by uncertainties and delays, which have thrown a number of challenges in the way of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) in the execution of its onerous mandate of conducting elections in a free, fair and credible manner. In an apparent attempt to save cost and counter voter apathy, the ruling party and the government in particular initially proposed the simultaneous holding of the local and regional elections. A constitutional amendment bill was therefore introduced in the National Assembly in June 2003 to shorten the term of office of the Regional Councillors from the initial six years. The house of review, which is constituted by representatives of all the 13 Regional Councils, was however unanimously removed to "withhold" its support for the bill. This lack of agreement cast a shadow of uncertainty not only on the scheduling of Regional Councils Elections, but on the Local Authorities elections, as well.

South Africa: Mbeki Lashes Doomsayers

2004-02-19

http://www.nu.ac.za/ccs/default.asp?2,40,5,367

In the last 5 years Mbeki made a conscious and strenuous effort to put his own stamp on the presidency. He revelled in the now clichéd label of the man who was committed to delivery – the cold exponent of technical detail rather than the warm fuzziness of Nelson Mandela. But the state of the nation address didn’t reveal any new plans for ‘delivery’. In fact most of the speech drew on Mandela’s speech at the opening of the first democratic parliament. The looming election meant that he had to account for the failed promises on delivery epitomised in the targets set out in GEAR became a shooting gallery for critics. Mbeki’s solution was to try and disguise his failure by showing that he was ruling in the spirit of Mandela, that he had Mandela’s approval. It was a cheap trick and a clear sign of failure. It is common knowledge that the two biggest challenges facing South Africa are AIDS and unemployment. In now typical fashion both were only mentioned once. And the context was ominous: “Many of our people are unemployed…The burden of disease impacting on our people, including AIDS, continues to be a matter of serious concern, as do issues that relate to the fact that many of our people, including the youth, lack the education and skills that our country and society need.” Once again Mbeki was careful to place the AIDS pandemic on par with other issues. And of course he offered no analysis of the fact that, despite its projections, GEAR has failed to create jobs.

South Africa: Unions, experts at odds over Budget

2004-02-19

http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=49&fArticleId=353237

Finanace Minister Trevor Manuel's eighth Budget was greeted by opposing reactions from the labour movement, and tax experts and economists. While Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi described the Budget as a "victory for the working class", independent economist Mohau Pheko said the Budget was "a mixture of unrealistic targets".

Southern Africa: Full election calendar in 2004

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/elections/20250

Six SADC countries are preparing for elections during the course of the year as the region’s democracy and governance once again comes under the spotlight. Although election dates are not yet confirmed in some of the countries, it is almost certain Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa will hold either presidential or parliamentary elections between March and December 2004. Lesotho will have its local government elections in November.
Southern African News Features SANF 04 no 9, January 2004 ___________________________________________




Full election calendar for southern Africa in 2004


by Munetsi Madakufamba



Six SADC countries are preparing for elections during the course of the year as the region’s democracy and governance once again come under the spotlight.

Although election dates are not yet confirmed in some of the countries, it is almost certain Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa will hold either presidential or parliamentary elections between March and December 2004. Lesotho will have its local government elections in November.

South Africa’s third multi-party presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for 14 April, during which incumbent President Thabo Mbeki will lead his ruling African National Congress (ANC) in the country’s third multi-racial ballot. While analysts predict a comfortable ANC victory, the challenge for the governing party will be how to maintain the high voter interest shown in the 1994 and 1999 elections that recorded a turnout of 86 percent and 89 percent respectively.

There is no doubt economic fundamentals have responded positively to ANC’s policies during the first 10 years of multi-racial democracy. The rand survived the mysterious plunge of 2002, inflation has been kept under control and the economy is steadily growing. However, challenges remain in the distribution of the national cake, especially among the poor black majority who still yearn to take greater control of the means of production and to play an active role in the country’s vibrant industry and commerce.

HIV and AIDS, a major issue in all countries in southern Africa and one that will likely dominate election campaigns, will for South Africa feature in a different context. Although the issue is unlikely to sway the vote, the controversy that arose when government delayed provision of anti-retroviral drugs to thousands of infected people will once again dominate debate. The basis of the government’s argument was that the cost of anti-retrovirals was too high, the infrastructure to distribute them lacking and that concerns remained about their safety.

However, a new government policy, cautiously welcomed by government critics, has ushered in a roll-out treatment plan for anti-retrovirals in the period 2003-2010.

Land redistribution, job creation, housing and crime prevention are other key issues that ANC cannot ignore if it is to continue enjoying support of the ordinary South Africans.

Malawians have put behind them the third term hype, and are now preparing for the 18 May general elections. This will be the third multi-party poll since 1994 when President Bakili Muluzi’s ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) ended 31 years of one-party rule under the late Hastings Kamuzu Banda, and moved the country into a pluralist system of government.

President Muluzi, who has served his constitutionally-approved two terms, will step down and new party candidate, economist turned diplomat, Bingu wa Mutharika, will face a yet to be named opposition coalition opponent. The Malawian opposition is set to repeat the strategy it used in the 1999 election when the main opposition parties, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and the Alliance for Democracy (Aford) fielded one presidential candidate and narrowly lost the race.

However, the situation may be more complicated now, with a plethora of opposition parties, some of which were formed by former ministers of the UDF government while the MCP has suffered a split.

For the ordinary Malawians, the main issues will remain poverty, food security and the HIV and AIDS pandemic. While government has done a fair job in increasing economic opportunities for a country that had suffered heavily under Banda’s autocratic rule, economic growth still falls short of levels needed to halve poverty by the year 2015 as agreed in the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In the last quarter of the year, attention will turn to Botswana and its western neighbour Namibia where general elections will likely extend the mandate for the governing parties. President Festus Mogae will lead his ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) into an election where voters are set to reward the current government for its acclaimed economic policies. Botswana, the region’s oldest multi-party democracy, has enjoyed unparalleled peace and prosperity since proclamation of independence from British rule in 1966.

Like BDP, President Sam Nujoma’s ruling South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo), which has governed since independence in 1990, looks set to extend its dominance in Namibian politics. Like its east and southern neighbours, Namibia has enjoyed steady economic growth and voters would likely want that to continue.

It will be less hectic but equally important for Lesotho which will have its local government elections in November. The presidential elections won’t be until 2007.

In Mozambique, the ruling Frelimo party will field businessman and veteran politician Armando Guebuza who will face Afonso Dhlakama, his key opponent and leader of the opposition Renamo, in the presidential election scheduled later this year. President Joaquim Chissano will step down this year after 18 years in office.

Presiding over one of the fastest growing economies in the region, Frelimo is almost certain to get another mandate. In 2002, the Mozambican economy grew by an enviable eight percent, which if maintained is sufficient to halve the number of people living in poverty by 2015. (SARDC-SADC Today)





Southern African News Features offers a reliable source of regional information and analysis on the Southern African Development Community, and is provided as a service to the SADC region.



This article may be reproduced with credit to the author and publisher.





SANF is produced by the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC), which has monitored regional developments since 1985. Email sanf@sardc.net Website www.sardc.net

Uganda: Opposition join forces

2004-02-19

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3493311.stm

A group of opposition parties in Uganda have announced they intend to form a coalition in an attempt to defeat the Movement Party in the 2006 elections. The G7 in Uganda is set to include the Democratic Party, the Uganda People's Congress, the Conservative Party and the Reform Agenda.

Zambia: Unions' strike "successful"

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39561

Striking Zambian unions described their nationwide stayaway on Wednesday against tax hikes and wage freezes as "successful". Sylvester Tembo, secretary-general of the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), told IRIN that 90 percent of workers in the public sector had heeded the strike call.

Zimbabwe: Valentine's Day march stopped

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39492

Police in Zimbabwe on Saturday dispersed more than 100 women who were planning a Valentine's Day march to urge national reconciliation in the capital, Harare. In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city, the high court refused to hear an urgent application sought by the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) to compel the police to allow them to march.

Africa/Global: A crucial link between corruption and violation of human rights

2004-02-19

http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/02/18/d40218020335.htm

When a government of a country fails or neglects to curb spread of corruption, one may conclude that government also fails to fulfil its obligation to promote and protect the fundamental human rights of the people of the country. The same also applies when a powerful country misrepresents its publicly-stated policy towards another country for hidden reasons, thus grossly violating human rights. The fight for political, social, economic and cultural rights is often inextricably linked with the fight against corruption. The elimination of corruption and the protection of human rights are interdependent.

Chad: Oil revenue bonanza due soon

2004-02-19

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=100329

Oil is bringing big changes to Chad, some cultural, others ambitious and practical, like the way the World Bank has staked its reputation on making sure that Chad manages its new wealth prudently. For Chad, among the poorest countries on earth, is now Africa's newest petrostate. Its $3.7 billion underground pipeline, stretching about 1,080 kilometres, or 670 miles, began ferrying crude through the forests of neighbouring Cameroon and to the Atlantic coast last year. It is the largest single private investment in Africa.

Kenya: Probe targets bank allegedly used to launder funds stolen by ex-Nigeria dictator

2004-02-19

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=100243

Kenya's officials are investigating a bank suspected of being used to launder millions of dollars stolen by former Nigerian dictator General Sani Abacha. Detectives from the Central Bank of Kenya's banking fraud unit are examining documents and accounts of the Trans National Bank from as far back as 1997. They say they want to see if some of the bank's customers helped launder an estimated $100 million that General Abacha allegedly looted from Nigeria's coffers and transferred to the United States, Switzerland, Britain and other countries.

Namibia: Totemeyer takes aim at corruption

2004-02-19

http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=100284

Government has expressed concern about the extent of corruption in Namibia's regional and local authorities, which it says represents "a serious departure from administrative ethical norms". Speaking at the induction workshop for newly appointed regional officers, Deputy Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing Gerhard Totemeyer said that recent months had thrown up ample evidence of corruption by officials not adhering to moral standards.

Zambia: Concerns over irregularities in HIPC fund spending

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39537

Zambian debt relief monitors have raised concerns over alleged irregularities in spending on poverty relief under the donor-supported Highly-Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. The independent HIPC Tracking and Monitoring External Team, investigating the use of the funds saved under the debt relief programme, identified alleged abuses involving top civil servants in a report released last week.

Zambia: Court delay for Zambia's Chiluba

2004-02-19

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3491821.stm

The second trial of former president Frederick Chiluba has been adjourned for two weeks after a request from the state's new prosecution team. President Levy Mwanawasa suspended the chief prosecutor last month after accusations he mishandled the first of the two corruption cases.

Africa/global: Understanding Reform

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/development/20251

Since the third wave of democratization that began in 1974, many regions of the world have experienced significant economic and political reforms as policymakers have sought to provide the citizens of their countries with a better life. Little systematic effort has been undertaken to understand the cumulative results of these reforms on a global scale, the extent to which outcomes have matched expectations, the effect of regional contexts on reforms, and the ways in which reforms have perhaps negatively affected the target populations. The Fifth Annual Global Development Conference, which opened on January 27 in Delhi, addressed these critical questions, premised on the belief that a better understanding of past reforms—including their initiation, implementation, and outcome—should inform the design, introduction, and execution of future reforms throughout the developing and transition worlds.
Op-ed for Delhi Conference
Distributed by the Global Development Network, Washington, DC

Understanding Reform: The GDN Annual Conference in Delhi

Since the third wave of democratization that began in 1974, many regions of the world have experienced significant economic and political reforms as policymakers have sought to provide the citizens of their countries with a better life. Little systematic effort has been undertaken to understand the cumulative results of these reforms on a global scale, the extent to which outcomes have matched expectations, the effect of regional contexts on reforms, and the ways in which reforms have perhaps negatively affected the target populations. The Fifth Annual Global Development Conference, which opened on January 27 in Delhi, addressed these critical questions, premised on the belief that a better understanding of past reforms—including their initiation, implementation, and outcome—should inform the design, introduction, and execution of future reforms throughout the developing and transition worlds.

Bringing together almost 600 researchers and policymakers from around the world for three days of plenary sessions and breakout meetings, the multidisciplinary Conference was organized by the Global Development Network (GDN) and hosted by the Government of India. Breakout sessions on regional perspectives and key themes of understanding reform formed its core. As in previous years, the Conference provided an opportunity for researchers from the developing world, representatives of international organizations and leading policy makers to express their views and culminated in presentations by the finalists in the Global Development Awards/Medals Competition—the largest international contest for researchers working on development issues. Indeed, the presentations of the finalists have always functioned as the central part of the conference, supplying it with its ultimate raison d’etre. The Conference closed with the announcement of the winners of the Awards and Research Medals, including two $100,000 prizes for the most innovative development project and for outstanding research on development.

Building on the experience of GDN’s past conferences, this year’s Conference more than ever addressed issues of global importance, covering a critical variety of regions and conceptual approaches to reform. The choice of Delhi as the setting for the Conference represented the recognition of the achievements of the Indian government’s reform efforts over the last decade. Indeed, the liberal, pro-market reforms introduced by the government of India in 1991 after a prolonged period of ineffectual statism represent a sea-change in the country’s development strategy. Moreover, holding the Conference in India provided an excellent opportunity to compare the Indian experience to that of other developing regions. Latin America, for example, has undergone a long period of reform efforts that have been plagued by crises and troubles; for its part, Sub-Saharan Africa has encountered great difficulties in moving reforms forward due mainly to a historical legacy of colonialism and political instability.


This year’s Conference opened with a keynote address by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, a native of India who has not lost connection with his native land despite the celebrity status afforded by international recognition. Sen was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on welfare economics, particularly the causes of famine and ways to prevent it. His address at the Conference underlined the commitment of GDN to improve the human condition through development policies stemming from world-class research.

Based on the premise that a better understanding of past reforms should inform their future progress in the developing and transition worlds, the Conference relied on the following two approaches:

First, participants drew upon the results of research on the reform process. The first plenary offered a multidisciplinary conceptual framework for understanding the process of reform from its initiation to implementation. Building on the remarks of the Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen delivered at the Opening Dinner, it provided an analytical structure for the rest of the conference. Following up on this conceptual framework, the plenary session on GDN’s Global Research Project, Understanding Reform, presented the preliminary findings of this project, in progress since September 2002. The speaker was the project coordinator, José Fanelli, from the Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad (Center for the Study of State and Society) in Buenos Aires. Many of the project’s findings and implications were revisited in greater detail in the twenty five parallel (breakout) sessions held during the three days of the conference. Intended to demonstrate different outlooks on reform, the parallels reflected the conference theme from the point of view of different disciplines, sectors, and regions as well as from a global standpoint.

Second, the participants learned from the experience of those most closely involved in the initiation and implementation of nation-wide reforms. Building on the experience of last year’s Conference in Cairo, GDN continued a tradition of highlighting a policy roundtable as a central moment of the conference. At this year’s policymakers’ roundtable, Juan Antonio Morales, President of the Central Bank of Bolivia, and Edgardo Angara, Senator of the Republic of the Philippines and formerly Secretary of the Departments of Agriculture and Education, shared their experiences with reform in developing countries. At the same roundtable, Tamar Beruchashvili, Deputy State Minister of Georgia, and Grzegorz W. Kolodko, former Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance of Poland, conveyed their views on transition to market-oriented democratic societies in Eastern Europe. A plenary session led by representatives of the Government of India focused on why the economic reform in India was successfully initiated and implemented and what can be learned from the Indian experience. As part of a new initiative to introduce the broader perspectives of international civil society, conference participants learned the views of its key representatives, such as Petro Poroshenko, political coordinator of the leading opposition bloc in the Parliament of Ukraine, Miguel Braun from Argentina’s Center for the Implementation of Public Policies Promoting Equity and Growth, Basheerhamad Shadrach, Director of Oneworld South Asia, and Sanjaya Baru, editor in chief of The Financial Express, a major financial daily of India.
The Conference program reads as an international effort to bridge research and policy. The diverse list of participants and their varied presentation topics reflect the agenda of GDN—an organization that links research institutes from around the world to inform policymaking on development. GDN’s focus is on building multidisciplinary research capacity in developing and transition economies. Its overall goal is to produce policy-relevant knowledge on a global scale, closing the gap between research and policies.

It should be noted that this year’s Conference was an exciting blend of old and new practices, as GDN built on the experience of previous Conferences to better carry out its mission. Although last year’s conference in Cairo was centrally focused on an overall theme of Globalization and Equity, it included much discussion on issues of reform as it facilitated increasing opportunities for the developing world in the context of globalization. Indeed, several of the breakout sessions of this year’s Conference in Delhi integrated themes of globalization into the larger task of understanding reform.

Furthermore, GDN’s Conference has always sought to facilitate the comparison and cross-fertilization of research across disciplines and regions. In this respect, this year’s Conference significantly increased the focus on multidisciplinary understandings of development issues, particularly in the first breakout sessions which addressed the theme of Understanding Reform from the perspectives of different disciplines. These discussions cut across various regions to focus on economic, social, human, political, and environmental aspects of reform. Moreover, while in previous years breakout sessions were structured according to specific regions, this year’s Conference introduced a significant innovation in terms of interregional sessions that discussed the process and outcomes of reform in the comparative context, providing evidence from largely similar regions. By investigating key aspects of reform from the perspective of two regions of the developing and transition world, each session created opportunities for a broad sharing of experiences. The introduction of the civil society roundtable this year was also a new development, based on the recognition that civil society plays an important role in shaping the reform process, particularly in democratic countries.

Reflecting GDN’s commitment to disseminating research on development issues as broadly across the globe as possible, throughout the Conference, a Knowledge Fair offered research and policy institutes an opportunity to share recent work and future plans with potential partners and sponsors. Thirty-eight institutes showcased their posters and publications and present computer-assisted displays such as CD-ROMs and websites.

In its five years of existence, the Global Development Network has proven itself a leading resource and authority on development issues. Launched in 1999 by the World Bank, GDN became independent in 2001, and is an ever-expanding network of research and policy institutes from both developing and developed countries, working together to address problems of national and regional development. GDN currently brings together 11 regional networks, headquartered in Kenya, the Czech Republic, Singapore, Egypt, Russia, Germany, Japan, the United States, Argentina, Fiji, and India.. In order to be closer to its declared constituents from the developing world, GDN will be moving its headquarters to Delhi in the near future.
From Delhi, the Global Development Network will continue to generate and apply local and international expertise to local problems of reform, help bridge the gap between the developed and less developed world, and link research and policy. The future looks ever more promising as the network of partnerships expands and GDN-sponsored research begins to be noticed by policymakers in the developing world.

Africa/Global: World is slipping in goal of fresh water to poor

2004-02-19

http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-18/s_13207.asp

The world is slipping behind a U.N. goal of supplying fresh water by 2015 to more than a half-billion people in developing nations who currently lack it, the head of a U.N. Commission said Tuesday. Governments agreed at a 2002 Earth Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, to work out by next year national plans for halving the proportion of people with no access to fresh water by 2015, now 1.2 billion people, or one in five of the world population. "These plans will not be in place in all countries by 2005," said Boerge Brende, chairman of the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development which follows up the Johannesburg goals.

Africa: Is This What Efficiency Looks Like? Prepayment Water Meters

2004-02-19

http://www.citizen.org/cmep/Water/humanright/meter/

Instead of a regular faucet that switches on and off, picture a large metal meter box with a slot for a plastic card and a water tap below. The device requires consumers to pay for water before consumption by purchasing a prepaid card. Consumers can then draw water from the meter by inserting the prepaid card into the meter and collecting the water in a portable container. As service is delivered, the balance is adjusted, and the remaining credit displayed. Service is automatically terminated if the payment balance is depleted until the consumer can pay again. The service is most prevalent in South African municipalities. Prepayment meters can also be found in Namibia, Swaziland,Tanzania, Brazil, Nigeria, Curacao and probably other countries, as well. The devices were previously used in the United Kingdom (U.K.) until they were declared illegal in 1998 for public health reasons. As water becomes an increasingly scarce resource, global corporations, many governments, and international financial institutions such as the World Bank, argue that water should be allocated through market mechanisms. But in many developing countries the lack of access to clean and affordable water contributes to the spread of water-borne diseases. More than 2 million people, mostly children, die each year from water borne diseases.

Africa: Trade talk wrangling set for this week

2004-02-19

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=68&art_id=qw10770834620B236&set_id=1

A global attempt to rescue free trade talks will be put to the test in Africa on Wednesday when some of the world's poorest countries seek common ground with the richest. The meeting at a luxury resort on Kenya's coast aims to help bridge gaps between the United States, Europe and Africa which contributed to 2003's collapse of negotiations to promote free trade, seen as vital to the world economy. African states will tell US and European Union trade chiefs to open markets to goods grown by millions of peasant farmers if they are to win their backing to revive the talks.

Ethiopia: Doing nothing for Ethiopia

2004-02-19

http://www.jubileeresearch.org/

G7 creditors, having promised substantial debt relief, have stalled the disbursement of relief, and are doing nothing for Ethiopia; this despite the fact that according to their own commitments and rules she is fully entitled to this relief. “Doing nothing for Ethiopia”, a briefing produced by Jubilee Research at nef (the new economics foundation) in February 2004 argues that this is once again “complicit in murder”. Why? Because if Ethiopia is denied additional debt relief, her government will lose US$1 billion in new money, and be obliged to divert US$35 million to service debt repayments to much richer creditors. This money could instead be used for hospitals, clean water and sanitation.

Africa: Herbal remedies need to be regulated, says WHO

2004-02-19

http://news.hst.org.za/view.php3?id=20040212

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday issued guidelines for ensuring the safety and efficacy of the multibillion-dollar herbal medicines market amid reports that some products are tainted with toxic substances. The guidelines, intended for national regulatory bodies, lay out the best techniques for growing and harvesting medicinal plants used for various ailments or weight loss, as well as the clear labelling of the contents of any product.

Burkina Faso: Each Abortion a 'Family Planning Failure'

2004-02-19

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=22428

Health workers in Burkina Faso have called for a more open discussion of issues related to sexuality and abortion. This follows the release of a report by the Demographic Research and Study Unit, which found that up to 8,000 illegal abortions take place each year in the country's capital, Ouagadougou. "We need to go out into the communities and talk about abortions to increase awareness," says Jean Lankoande, a gynaecologist at the Yalgado Ouedraogo Hospital in Ouagadougou. "Each time there's an induced abortion, it's a family planning failure," he adds.

DRC: Measles epidemic reported in Equateur Province

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39488

Up to 300 cases of measles have been reported in Basankusu, 210 km northeast of Mbandaka, the main town in the Democratic Republic of Congo province of Equateur, the deputy director of epidemiological services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Mondonge Makuma, said on Friday. However, doctors in Basankusu told the UN Mission in the DRC that some 800 people were infected, three of whom had died.

Ghana: Shun cultural practices that promote HIV/AIDS, says health director

2004-02-19

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=51771

Miss Melany Bokuma, Lawra District Director of Health Services has appealed to Ghanaians to do away with cultural practices that could spread HIV/AIDS. Speaking at the launch of the Lawra district HIV/AIDS activities, at Lawra, organized by the District AIDS committee, Miss Bokuma said the stoppage of such practices would go a long way in enhancing the health status of families and communities. She mentioned some of the practices as inheritance of widows of deceased relatives, female circumcision and polygamy.

Kenya: Health Minister Announces Plan To Provide Free Antiretroviral Drugs to 140,000

2004-02-19

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=22214

Kenyan Health Minister Charity Ngilu last Thursday said that by 2005 the government would provide free antiretroviral drugs to 140,000 HIV-positive individuals, the East African Standard reports. She also said that the government has adopted the World Health Organisation's 3 by 5 Initiative to combat HIV/AIDS.

Lesotho: New Laws to Strengthen HIV/AIDS Action

2004-02-19

http://ippfnet.ippf.org/pub/IPPF_News/News_Details.asp?ID=3236

Two new laws, one currently going through the legislative pipeline - the Child Protection Act - and another enacted last year - the Sexual Offences Act - are key to addressing the confluence of social problems that are contributing to Lesotho's humanitarian crisis. It is hoped that the Sexual Offences Act will have an impact on the spiralling HIV rates.

Malawi: One small miracle brings hope to thousands threatened by Aids

2004-02-19

http://www.guardian.co.uk/aids/story/0,7369,1149000,00.html

Grace is a happy woman. She is about as poor as you can be, earning just £6 a month selling shoes from a tiny market stall. But in the past year she has been spared the prospect of a premature and painful death. Grace Matnanga is HIV positive, as are one in three of those around her in the streets of Malawi's capital city. But unlike them, and thanks to an act of human kindness, she is on antiretroviral drugs.

Mali: Rural health programme meets double objective

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39646

Mothers in some parts of rural Mali are being given free mosquito nets impregnated with insecticide if they take their children for full series of vaccinations against preventable diseases such as measles and polio. Health workers told IRIN that this programme had significantly reduced infant mortality and malnutrition in a region where child deaths amongst the highest in the world.

Mozambique: Cholera wave ebbs as countermeasures pay off

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39538

Aggressive attempts to control a recent outbreak of cholera in Mozambique have paid off, and aid officials are reporting a significant drop in the number of cases. The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday confirmed the decrease in the number of admissions to the Mavalane Cholera Treatment Centre (MCTC), the main cholera facility in the capital, Maputo.

Mozambique: HIV/AIDS spreading despite campaigns

2004-02-19

http://www.terradaily.com/2004/040213102848.9i6tpeu9.html

HIV/AIDS has spread rapidly in Mozambique despite heightened awareness campaigns by both local and international agencies to battle the epidemic, a senior government health official said Friday. "HIV/AIDS has affected more and more people despite the campaigns and this means that something could be wrong with the way in which messages are put out," Diogo Milagre, deputy executive secretary of the National Campaign for the Struggle against Aids (CNCS), told AFP.

Rwanda: 4.8 Per Cent of Young Girls in Rwanda Have HIV

2004-02-19

http://ippfnet.ippf.org/pub/IPPF_News/News_Details.asp?ID=3240

A HIV Survey amongst pregnant women attending clinics indicates the AIDS prevalence rate among the girls aged between 15 and 19 is now estimated at 4.8 per cent and the majority live in urban centres. Statistics from the third National Population and Housing census (2002) indicate that 67 per cent of the total population of 8.4 million in Rwanda is younger than 25 years. Only half of youth between 15 and 24 have both parents living; among the other half one in ten is head of a household.

South Africa: Another spanner in the ARV works?

2004-02-19

http://www.health-e.org.za/news/article.php?uid=20030936

The relationship between the South African government and the Clinton Foundation, which helped procure low cost antiretroviral drugs for the country's long-awaited AIDS treatment programme, appears to have broken down. Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang appears to have turned her back on the Clinton Foundation, which has been assisting her department to develop the country's antiretroviral (ARV) drug treatment programme.

South Africa: Healthcare for poor comes first

2004-02-19

http://news.hst.org.za/view.php3?id=20040208

Improvements in secondary and tertiary hospital capacity should not come at the expense of basic care for the poor, the Health Systems Trust (HST) says. The Durban based NGO was responding to Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang's speech, in which she said R2 billion would be spent on upgrading and revitalising hospital facilities next year, including the building of 18 new facilities. The minister also said inequities in the funding allocated to primary healthcare in different provinces would have to be addressed, with some provinces allocating R50 per person each year, and others R300. But Antoinette Ntuli, HST information dissemination and equity director, urged her to ensure resources and initiatives are "fast-tracked in poor, rural areas".

South Africa: TAC and AIDS Law Project hold seminar on health system transformation

2004-02-19

http://www.tac.org.za/

On the 10th of February, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and the AIDS Law project held a joint seminar on transformation of the South African Health System, including both the public and private sectors. This is part of preparations for a conference to be held in May with the aim of developing detailed policy positions for TAC's Campaign for a People's Health Service. Presentations made at the workshop can be found on the TAC website.

Uganda: U.N. Helps Launch Anti-Fistula Initiative

2004-02-19

http://www.unwire.org/UNWire/20040217/449_13153.asp

With the support of the U.N. Population Fund, Ugandan first lady Janet Museveni initiated a campaign on Friday to eliminate fistula, a pregnancy-related disability. According to the UNFPA, fistula is caused by obstructed and prolonged labour and exacerbated by improper medical care. The problem is especially acute in Uganda, where only 38 percent of births occur with the assistance of a capable birth attendant and about 60 percent of babies are delivered at home, the UNFPA said.

Zimbabwe: ARV's to be provided from next month

2004-02-19

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=22215

Owen Mugurungi, program coordinator for the Zimbabwean Ministry of Health and Child Welfare Tuberculosis and AIDS Program, last Thursday announced that the government next month will begin providing antiretroviral drugs to some of its HIV-positive citizens as part of the country's implementation of the World Health Organisation's 3 by 5 Initiative, Xinhua News Agency reports. The $5.5 billion WHO plan aims to treat three million people throughout the world with antiretroviral drugs by 2005.

Africa/Global: Basic education underlies development

2004-02-19

http://basiced.org/releases/booklet_release.pdf

Basic education is a prerequisite for economic development, individual health, poverty reduction and democracy, according to a report released this week by the Basic Education Coalition, an umbrella group of 19 private and non-governmental development and relief organisations. Based on the most current data from the World Bank, United Nations and other agencies, the report, Teach a Child, Transform a Nation, illustrates the correlations between education and the benchmarks that determine a country’s growth. The report notes that while education alone is not sufficient to generate development, it is a major factor in the ultimate effectiveness of other country investments.

Africa/Global: Report finds World Bank & regional development banks invest little on education & curbing child labour

2004-02-19

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=150-02042004

'Advancing the Campaign Against Child Labour: The Resource Allocations of National Governments and International Financial Institutions', a report released by the US Labour Department comparing military and basic education expenditures by governments in 73 developing countries for each year from 1990-2001, finds that most of these countries dedicated a larger share of their central government expenditures to education than to the military. In contrast, the report indicates that the multilateral development banks the World Bank, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank invested a relatively small portion of their resources in these countries to basic education and child labour.

Guinea: Students strike following the arrest of a colleague

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39473

The students of Gamal Abdel Nasser University in the Guinean capital Conakry have gone on strike to demand the release of a student leader who was arrested on Wednesday. The 14,000 students at Guinea's oldest university were also demanding an improvement in conditions at the cash-strapped university and the settlement of various other grievances. An IRIN correspondent who went to the campus last Thursday found lecture halls empty and no signs of academic activity.

Kenya: Focus on primary schools coping with HIV-positive pupils

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39499

Mary Waweru, a kindergarten teacher in Nairobi's sprawling Kawangware slums, has noticed that some of her pupils are increasingly absent from school due to ill health. Some of the young children have already been orphaned, being supported by charity organisations. Waweru has begun to suspect that these frequently absent pupils could be suffering from AIDS, which she thinks may have been passed on to them by their parents before they were born.

Nigeria: Crumbling schools and failing pupils

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39460

At Saint Finbar’s College in Lagos, more than 50 pupils pack into a small rundown classroom for their English lesson. Patches of sky are visible through the corroded tin roof. Surrounded by the mouldy walls and windows that have long since lost their panes, Denrele Akinfenwa throws her hands up in resignation when asked how she manages to teach. "I can’t really complain because the situation in my class is quite typical," she sighed. "In some parts of Nigeria pupils don’t even have a roof over their head and have to study under trees."

Nigeria: Girl-Child Education Campaign in 6 States

2004-02-19

http://allafrica.com/stories/200402160407.html

The National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) says it has taken its mobilisation and advocacy campaigns on girl-child education to six states in the country. Executive Secretary of the commission, Dr (Mrs) Nafisatu Dahiru Mohammed who made this known in an interview with Vanguard said this was as a result of gender disparity in nomadic schools. Mohammed said the states include Enugu, Bauchi, Taraba, Gombe, Adamawa and Yobe. "The gender disparity in our schools is disturbing. Out of a total of 294,951 pupils in the nomadic schools only 124,797 are girls."

Zambia: Cholera halts school feeding

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39637

The cholera epidemic in Zambia has forced the World Food Programme (WFP) to suspend 107 of its 179 school feeding programmes. WFP spokeswoman Lena Savelli told IRIN on Monday that the decision to "suspend the feeding in these schools follows reports from government and local media that these areas are affected by cholera".

ZIMBABWE: Farm kids struggle to find decent education

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39468

In a non-verbal but eloquent answer to a question posed by a visiting government and UN delegation about health conditions in her school, eight-year-old Tendayi Bwanali started coughing. When she finally settled down, she told the education department and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) officials: "We are holding lessons in tobacco barns where tobacco is prepared (cured) every year - the smell of tobacco is so strong that we have problems breathing."

Zimbabwe: Miracle Fades

2004-02-19

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=22401

It was once celebrated as a rare African success story, an example of what committed leadership can do. Education for all was the policy Zimbabwean authorities pursued diligently for much of the first decade since independence, from Britain, in 1980. The goal was to extend education to the previously disadvantaged black majority. As a result, scores of schools were built and the training of thousands of teachers speeded up. Sadly, those classroom gains are currently in jeopardy, threatened by triple digit inflation and political impenitence.

Zimbabwe: University Opens as Lecturers Vow Not to Report for Duty

2004-02-19

http://allafrica.com/stories/200402170131.html

The University of Zimbabwe opened this week with lecturers vowing not to report for duty unless they are awarded a 300 percent salary increment backdated to July last year. This, however, did not disrupt examinations as temporary staff were invigilating. UZ acting director of information and publicity Mr Daniel Chihombori confirmed that the college had opened but said it was difficult to tell whether the lecturers were present.

Africa/Global: Xenophobia and Racism in Media Reporting on Refugees

2004-02-19

http://news.amnesty.org/mav/index/ENGPOL3017022004

Xenophobia and racism are based on the age-old desire of man to find a ready scapegoat and the dislike of anyone who does not readily conform, whether in behaviour, colour or religion. To perpetuate racism and xenophobia through media is not only antisocial and grossly irresponsible, it is well nigh criminal. The attitude of newspapers and broadcasters is a crucial element in race relations and opinion-forming on asylum seekers. This observation is not new and, sadly, neither are racist and xenophobic articles and reports new to newspapers.

South Africa: Racism roars in lion death case

2004-02-19

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=15&art_id=vn20040218041238901C244778&set_id=1

The African National Congress, South African Communist Party and Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) could be in trouble for displaying racist placards at the court appearance of four men accused of feeding a former employee, Nelson Shisane, to lions. Outside the Phalaborwa magistrate's court in Limpopo province, they displayed printed posters proclaiming "Enough is enough - Kill the farmer, kill the boer"; "Tired with boers"; "Fed up with killer-boers"; and "Castrate boers". The South African Human Rights Commission last year declared the liberation slogan "Kill the boer, kill the farmer" to be hate speech.

Africa/global: World Bank Under Pressure from Tutu

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/environment/20105

World Bank President James Wolfensohn is facing pressure from Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu to clean up the World Bank's policy and practice on funding oil and mining industries. Archbishop Tutu joins four other Nobel winners and more than 300 organisations who have written to Wolfensohn calling on him to radically reform the way the World Bank supports oil and mining industries. A recent review of World Bank funding for extractive industries, commissioned by Wolfensohn found that funding extractive industry projects was not a suitable use of public money in the vast majority of cases and does not promote sustainable development. It recommended the Bank reallocate funds towards renewable energy.
World Bank Under Pressure from Tutu

Feb 16

http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/world_bank_under_pressure_13022004.html






World Bank President James Wolfensohn, in London today to give a
keynote speech on the challenges of globalisation [1], is facing
pressure from Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu to
clean up the World Bank's policy and practice on funding oil and
mining industries.


Archbishop Tutu joins four other Nobel winners and more than 300
organisations who have written to Wolfensohn calling on him to
radically reform the way the World Bank supports oil and mining
industries [2]. A recent review of World Bank funding for
extractive industries, commissioned by Wolfensohn found that
funding extractive industry projects was not a suitable use of
public money in the vast majority of cases and does not promote
sustainable development. It recommended the Bank reallocate funds
towards renewable energy [3],


But a draft copy of World Bank's response to the Extractive
Industries Review, leaked last week, revealed that the Bank had
not committed to making changes to ensure its investments benefit
local communities and reduce poverty. The Bank's own data shows
that countries which rely on oil as their primary export are more
than 40 times more likely than other nations to be involved in
civil war [4].


In the letter to Wolfensohn, Tutu and the other Nobel Laureates
say:


"War, poverty, climate change, greed, corruption, and ongoing
violations of human rights - all of these scourges are all too
often linked to the oil and mining industries . Your efforts to
create a world without poverty need not exacerbate these
problems.


" The Review provides you an extraordinary opportunity to direct
the resources of the World Bank Group in a way that is truly
oriented towards a better future for all humanity."


The review says the World Bank Group should not support coal and
oil projects without taking up its recommendations.


Friends of the Earth, International Finance Institutions
Campaigner Hannah Ellis said:


"Th e report clearly states the World Bank 's support for
oil and mining do es not benefit local communities ,
protect basic human rights or the environment in the vast
majority of cases . The World Bank Group , with its stated
mission as poverty alleviation and sustainable development, must
keep its commitment to put into place the recommended necessary
changes of the review."


Notes for Editors:

[1] World Bank President James Wolfensohn will give a keynote
speech at Making Globalisation Work for All at 1000 at HM Treasury
on Monday 16th February Other speakers include: Rt. Hon. Gordon
Brown MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer; President Lula of Brazil;
Rt. Hon. Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for International
Development

[2] Full details of the letter and signatories available from
Friends of the Earth media office

[3] The recommendations of the Extractive Industries Review
include:


Informed consent from local communities and indigenous peoples
affected by extractive projects as a pre-condition for financing;

Phasing out lending in support of oil and coal and to invest its
scarce development resources in renewable energy by setting
lending targets of increasing renewable energy lending by 20% a
year;

Ensuring the establishment of indigenous peoples' land rights as a
condition for project finance;

ensuring that revenues of Bank-financed projects benefit all
affected local groups;

requiring that freedom of association be present in Bank financed
projects as a basic human/labor rights requirement;

ensuring that good governance structures are in place before
project finance and implementation occurs;

protecting biodiversity through establishing "no go" areas for
internationally recognized critical habitats;

requiring that submarine tailings disposal not be used in World
Bank Group supported mining projects;

Increasing revenue transparency and improving public disclosure
about projects; and promoting overdue key institutional reforms to
deal with the long documented "pressure to lend" in the World Bank
that has resulted in weakening of implementation of key
environmental and social protection policies.


For more information on the EIR, view ]www.eireview.org[1]

[4] Collier, Paul, and Anke Hoeffler, Greed and Grievance in Civil
War . Policy Research Working Paper 2355, Development Research
Group, World Bank, May 2000.

Africa: There's need to foster a 'tree revolution'

2004-02-19

http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/Today/Comment/Comment180220040.html

Across all of the major farming systems in Africa, the need to integrate livelihood needs with biodiversity conservation is becoming a necessity for sustaining productivity, particularly on small-holder farms that dominate rural areas. In the mountain regions of Eastern and Central Africa, land use pressure on fragile ecosystems has led to severe degradation, exposed thousands of poor farmers to food insecurity, and posed a significant threat to native species and habitats. How Africa utilises its resources for development is what will define its ultimate survival. The consequences of a strained environment have manifested themselves in food shortages, conflicts over use of resources, depletion of forest cover, and drought.

Botswana: The death of the delta?

2004-02-19

http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-13/s_12570.asp

The Okavango Delta is a creature of extraordinary subtlety with roots deep in Africa. In summer, tropical storms rumble and flash across the high Bei Plateau from Huambo to Cuito Cuanavale. Water pours off steep slopes, gathering sand, leeching salts from the sodden Earth, and picking up speed as it gutters down long, straight valleys. As you read this, engineers, politicians, and ecologists are pondering a dam that could lead to the death of the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Southern Africa.

Kenya: Communities play key role in return of endangered bongo antelopes

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/environment/20248

Eighteen mountain bongo antelopes, a critically endangered species, arrived safely in Mt. Kenya National Park last month from the United States via a special plane through an unprecedented international partnership that hinges on local communities. The wild bongo population was decimated by unrestricted hunting and poaching and lions, and the last sighting was nine years ago. The goal is to re-establish the bongos, bred in captivity in the US, in their species' native habitat, now a World Heritage Site.
Mt. Kenya communities play key role in return of endangered bongo antelopes

Wednesday, 18 February 2004: Eighteen mountain bongo antelopes, a critically endangered species, arrived safely in Mt. Kenya National Park last month from the United States via a special plane through an unprecedented international partnership that hinges on local communities.

The wild bongo population was decimated by unrestricted hunting and poaching and lions, and the last sighting was nine years ago. The goal is to re-establish the bongos, bred in captivity in the US, in their species' native habitat, now a World Heritage Site.

Their return is linked to a broader conservation effort — the Community Management of Protected Area Conservation (COMPACT) initiative, a joint programme of the UN Foundation and the Global Environment Facility's Small Grants Programme and administered by UNDP, that is helping communities protect ecosystems and species while improving their livelihoods.

Partners in the bongo repatriation effort include, among others, the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, 13 US zoos, the United Nations, the Donner Canadian Foundation, the UN Foundation, the Kenyan Government, and Kenyan civil society organizations.

"This innovative partnership embodies the philosophies of both the UN Foundation and the World Heritage Program," said Timothy E. Wirth, President of the UN Foundation, which provided funds for the repatriation. "The bongo becomes a metaphor for what's possible in the world and what the UN does by bringing people together to build a better world," he said.

"The plight of the bongo is a vivid reminder of the fragility of Africa's unique natural heritage," said UNDP Administrator Mark Malloch Brown. "Our hope is that returning these animals to their native habitat will be a boon to local wildlife and, just as important, to the people who live and work around this magnificent mountain."

During the past three years COMPACT has supported 28 community projects through an investment of almost $1 million in Kenya (and $6 million worldwide in five other World Heritage Sites). An eco-resource centre will soon open to the public, thousands of indigenous trees have been planted, and promotion of modern beekeeping, use of energy-efficient stoves, and efforts to reduce garbage dumping are protecting Mt. Kenya forests.

COMPACT has produced 10,000 booklets and 1,000 posters to create awareness about protecting the bongos and their habitat in schools and communities, and supports education activities of the William Holden Wildlife Education Centre, which hosts over 7,000 visitors annually at the centre and runs an outreach programme in seven districts in the area.

"We Kenyans have received a rare second chance with the repatriation, and with the increasing participation of communities in the management of natural resources, the repatriation will raise the level of pride and ownership of our wildlife," said Francis Maina, the centre's education coordinator.

The bongos from the US were raised in captivity and cannot be released into the wild. They will be part of a breeding programme at the Mount Kenya Game Ranch, and their offspring will gradually be introduced into the National Park. Soon after arrival, in fact, a female bongo was born — and has been named "Kenya".

For further information, please contact , UNDP Kenya, or , UNDP Communications Office.

Liberia: UNEP calls for restoration of environment for sustainable future

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39522

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has called for the urgent restoration of public services in Liberia's shattered towns and cities to reduce pollution and improve public health. In its first proper post-conflict assessment report in Africa, UNEP also called for tight controls on logging, which has removed vast swathes of forest cover, and poaching, which has seriously endangered the country's rich wildlife.

Nigeria: Government Faces Vast Challenges in Water Provision

2004-02-19

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=22446

Nigeria's Niger Delta region is one of the largest wetlands in the world. It is a source of great irony, therefore, that people living in the area struggle to get hold of clean drinking water: they take what they can from creeks and rivers. "To drink water in this village is a problem for us. As you come here now, we can't give you the water to drink; if we give it to you we are poisoning you,” says Daniel Akpere of Okuokolo village.

South Africa: Badlands get a touch of green

2004-02-19

http://www.enn.com/news/2004-02-19/s_13265.asp

South Africa's Cape Flats area is awash with drugs and violent gangs, but amid the despair is a window into the dusty landscape's former ecological glory. "Our story will blow you away," Zwai Peter said proudly, looking out at the "fynbos" - rare flowers unique to the region - and the chattering birds in the heart of Cape Town's ganglands. The Edith Stephens Wetland Park is a haven for some of the rarest plant and animal life in the world and has become a source of pride for the people of neighbouring Manenberg.

Ghana: Working together? The limits of local producer’s groups

2004-02-19

http://www.id21.org/society/s1bfl1g1.html

Encouraging local producers to form co-operative groups has been an important part of development policy in Africa. Such co-operative projects can help to reduce poverty in remote areas and give members greater control over their livelihoods. However, the benefits may be short-term. A paper from the University of Middlesex draws on a survey of isolated regions of Ghana to assess the usefulness of producer’s co-operatives. The author found many examples of farmers working together without external support to negotiate prices with traders and to maintain roads required to get to markets. Trust and respect for rules are most apparent in areas where the authority of traditional chiefs and elders remains un-contested. Building trust and co-operation, the report argues, is a long-term process dependent on members being given the time and space to develop and enforce simple and flexible rules.

Kenya: Land policy key to poverty reduction

2004-02-19

http://www.sarpn.org.za/newsflash.php#1124

At this time when the Government is restructuring the country for economic recovery and creation of employment and wealth, the importance of land as a primary economic resource and the basis of livelihood for the people should not be ignored. The only way to jump-start the economy is by ensuring that land is held, used and managed in an equitable, efficient, productive and able manner for the benefit of all. Land is the most crucial element defining our life as a nation, as it does not only give people cultural identity, but also nourishes their spiritual life. It provides the foundation of shelter, food and labour, hence, it is fundamental to any strategy for poverty reduction.

Namibia: Cabinet to Take Interim Action On Farm Evictions

2004-02-19

http://allafrica.com/stories/200402170110.html

Government has announced that it is drawing up an interim policy on the dumping of workers. Cabinet announced last week that it had resolved that while Government was rightly and legally emphasising orderly land reform and resettlement programmes, it should, as a matter of urgency and absolute necessity, introduce a Temporary Intervention Policy of Eviction - pending long-term solutions to the problem. The policy would be aimed at farm labourers and their dependents and would take into account their length of service on the farm.

South Africa: Land Affairs pours cold water on 'racist' new book

2004-02-19

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=31144

A new book criticising government land reform threatens to strain relations between the government, farmers and agricultural unions, the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs said last Thursday. "In fact if this book gets out into the general populace I can see racial outbreaks developing between blacks and whites," said chief land claims commissioner Tozi Gwanya. At the launch of the book, The Great South African Land Scandal, in Pretoria last Thursday, publisher Philip du Toit said he hoped it would "inform the broader public about the slow cancer infecting commercial agriculture in South Africa". The book claims that recent amendments to the 1994 Restitution of Land Rights Act paved the way for the land affairs minister to "expropriate land at will".

Zimbabwe: Nkomo sends to end confusion over land reform

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39642

The Zimbabwe government has suspended the acqusition of farms and the issuing of further land offer letters in a move it says is aimed at cleaning up confusion in the land reform exercise. John Nkomo, special affairs minister responsible for the land reform programme, said in interviews published in local newspapers that he would also investigate compliance with the government's one-man one-farm policy.

Africa: The Foster Davis Fellowships for African Journalists

2004-02-19

http://www.comminit.com/Fellowships2004/sld-9503.html

The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is seeking five fellows for the 2004 Foster Davis Fellowships for African Journalists who are accomplished journalists positioned for expanded leadership roles. They do not need to be full-time trainers. They do need to have a passion to teach fellow journalists. This means they need already to have acquired some repute as newsroom coaches and mentors. This is important. Unless the applicant has already demonstrated that passion, their application/nomination would be discouraged.

DRC: Journalist spends year in detention without trial

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39549

A journalist in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has spent one year in preventive detention at Kinshasa's Penitentiary and Re-education Centre, national media rights NGO Journaliste en danger (JED) reported on Friday. JED recalled that on 14 February 2003 National Intelligence Agency officers arrested Bamporiki Chamira, a journalist with the daily La Tempete des Tropiques, in the capital, Kinshasa. Chamira was accused of plotting to kill President Joseph Kabila, trying to overthrow the government and seeking to avenge the death of Commander Anselme Massasu.

DRC: Radio programme host arrested and detained in Bukavu

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/20210

Télesphore Namukama, a radio programme host with Héritier de la Justice (Heir of Justice), a human rights organisation based in Bukavu, principal city of South Kivu province, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, was arrested on 12 February 2004 by Security and Intelligence Services (Direction de la sécurité et du renseignement, DSR) agents. Namukama also hosts the Swahili-language radio programme "Plaidons pour la justice" ("Let us plead for justice") with the Bukavu-based station Radio Sahuti ya Réhéma (The Voice of Mercy). The DSR has accused the host of "Plaidons pour la justice" of "sowing anxiety within the local population" in the 10 February broadcast of his programme. In the programme, Namukama discussed the recent discovery of arms caches in Bukavu, which cost former provincial governor Xavier Ciribanya his job. Drawing lessons from the situation, Namukama concluded that it is unlikely that peace will return to South Kivu province in the foreseeable future.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_________________________________________________________________

ALERT - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

12 February 2004

Radio programme host arrested and detained in Bukavu

SOURCE: Journaliste en danger (JED), Kinshasa

(JED/IFEX) - Télesphore Namukama, a radio programme host with Héritier de la
Justice (Heir of Justice), a human rights organisation based in Bukavu,
principal city of South Kivu province, in eastern Democratic Republic of
Congo, was arrested on 12 February 2004, at 3:00 p.m. (local time), by
Security and Intelligence Services (Direction de la sécurité et du
renseignement, DSR) agents. The DSR is the local equivalent of the
Kinshasa-based National Intelligence Agency (Agence nationale des
renseignements, ANR). Namukama also hosts the Swahili-language radio
programme "Plaidons pour la justice" ("Let us plead for justice") with the
Bukavu-based station Radio Sahuti ya Réhéma (The Voice of Mercy).

The DSR has accused the host of "Plaidons pour la justice" of "sowing
anxiety within the local population" in the 10 February broadcast of his
programme. In the programme, Namukama discussed the recent discovery of arms
caches in Bukavu, which cost former provincial governor Xavier Ciribanya his
job. Drawing lessons from the situation, Namukama concluded that it is
unlikely that peace will return to South Kivu province in the foreseeable
future.

JED's Bukavu correspondent reported that Namukama was still under
interrogation at the DSR's offices at 6:00 p.m. on 12 February.

Following the broadcast of Namukama's programme, DSR agents occupied Radio
Sahuti ya Réhéma's studio on 10 and 11 February.

For further information, contact D. M'Baya Tshimanga, president, Journaliste
en danger (JED), B.P. 633 Kinshasa 1, Democratic Republic of Congo, tel.
+243 99 29 323/+243 81513 05 85, fax: +243 88 01 625, e-mail:
direction@jed-congo.org, alertes@jed-congo.org, Internet:
http://www.jed-congo.org

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of JED.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit JED.
_________________________________________________________________
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Ethiopia: Stop Harassing Journalists’ Group

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/20208

The Ethiopian government should end its harassment of an association of independent journalists that has frequently criticized the government's repression of the independent press, Human Rights Watch said in a recent letter to Ethiopia’s prime minister. The Ethiopian Free Journalists Association (EFJA), a group composed of journalists associated with the country’s beleaguered independent press, has come under government attack in recent months for opposing a proposed press law that would tighten government oversight of news reporting. “The Ethiopian government is trying to muffle the independent press,” said Peter Takirambudde, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch’s Africa Division.
For Immediate Release:
Ethiopia: Stop Harassing Journalists’ Group

(New York, February 13, 2004) The Ethiopian government should end its harassment of an association of independent journalists that has frequently criticized the government's repression of the independent press, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Ethiopia’s prime minister.

The Ethiopian Free Journalists Association (EFJA), a group composed of journalists associated with the country’s beleaguered independent press, has come under government attack in recent months for opposing a proposed press law that would tighten government oversight of news reporting.

“The Ethiopian government is trying to muffle the independent press,” said Peter Takirambudde, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch’s Africa Division. “The government’s harassment of the Ethiopian Free Journalists Association violates the freedoms of expression and association.”

In November, the Ethiopian Ministry of Justice canceled EFJA's registration as a private voluntary organization on charges that group had failed to file financial reports. This cancellation of registration prohibited the association from continuing to operate. A few weeks before the cancellation, Minister of Information Bereket Simeon accused the EFJA of undermining "responsible journalism" by opposing a government bill to regulate news reporting.

In the months preceding the ministry's cancellation of the association’s registration, the EFJA made serious efforts to supply financial information required by Ethiopian law, but the government claimed that the organization had never provided the data. The registration cancellation occurred shortly before a chartered accountant engaged by the organization could complete his audit.

Last month, while the EFJA was prohibited from transacting business, the government convened meetings of the organization to replace the group’s executive committee, which had opposed the government’s proposed press law. The government's interference in the internal affairs of a private organization was politically motivated and in violation of the right to freedom of association and expression guaranteed under international human rights law, Human Rights Watch said in its letter to Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

The private press in Ethiopia leads a precarious existence. Reporters, editors and publishers are frequently arrested and convicted for criminal defamation and disseminating false information on the basis of articles they have written or published. The proposed law retains criminal sanctions for the press's failure "to investigate the correctness of the news that it publishes." It requires publications to be registered and licensed and gives the government power to withhold or withdraw registration and licenses. The bill also allows the government to censor articles based on foreign sources whenever it deems that an article endangers peace, security or patriotism or contains "false accusations" against government officials and agencies.

The government's revocation of EFJA's registration and its active participation in the selection of new leadership for the group appears to be an effort to intimidate the entire press corps and those opposed to the proposed law, Human Rights Watch said.

The letter to Prime Minister Zenawi can be found online at: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/02/13/ethiop7338.htm

For more information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C., Jemera Rone: +1-202-612-4328
In London, Steve Crawshaw: +44-20-7713-2766

Uganda: Supreme Court strikes out law criminalising 'false news'

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/20211

The Ugandan Supreme Court has declared that the offence of 'publishing false news' was incompatible with the right to freedom of expression. This means that journalists in Uganda can no longer be charged with "publication of false news". Justice Joseph Mulenga, delivering the lead judgment, ruled that the right to freedom of expression protects not only that which can be proven to be true. He warned that the offence dated from colonial times and that the only reason why it was still on the books was because Parliament had not yet gotten around to reforming the law. He stressed that the prohibition of false news served no meaningful purpose. On the contrary, it was a vaguely formulated offence, open to misinterpretation and abuse on political grounds, that could not be reconciled with basic democratic principles and the right to freedom of expression.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
_______________________________________________________________

PRESS RELEASE/ALERT - UGANDA

12 February 2004

Supreme Court strikes down law criminalising "false news"

SOURCE: ARTICLE 19, London

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is an ARTICLE 19 press release:

Uganda: Supreme Court strikes out law criminalising 'false news'

The Ugandan Supreme Court yesterday declared that the offence of 'publishing
false news' was incompatible with the right to freedom of expression. This means
that journalists in Uganda can no longer be charged with "publication of false
news".

Justice Joseph Mulenga, delivering the lead judgment, ruled that the right to
freedom of expression protects not only that which can be proven to be true. He
warned that the offence dated from colonial times and that the only reason why
it was still on the books was because Parliament had not yet gotten around to
reforming the law. He stressed that the prohibition of false news served no
meaningful purpose. On the contrary, it was a vaguely formulated offence, open
to misinterpretation and abuse on political grounds, that could not be
reconciled with basic democratic principles and the right to freedom of
expression.

The ruling has important consequences not only for the Ugandan media, who longer
need to fear being prosecuted for publishing 'false news', but worldwide as
well. The prohibition of publishing 'false news' is still on the books in a
number of countries, including Malaysia, Sudan, Togo and Tunisia, to name but a
few. The robust opinion of the Ugandan Supreme Court, together with previous
similar judgments by courts in Canada and Zimbabwe, adds to the growing body of
opinion that such laws are fundamentally illegitimate and must be struck out.

Notes:

1. The Canadian Supreme Court and the Zimbabwe Supreme Court have both recently
ruled the offence of 'publishing false news' to be unconstitutional: see R v.
Zundel and Chavunduka and Choto v. Minister of Home Affairs, respectively.
Summaries of both cases can be found on the ARTICLE 19 website,
http://www.article19.org, under Handbook / cases.

2. A summary of the judgment of the Ugandan Supreme Court can be found on the
ARTICLE 19 website: http://www.article19.org, under Handbook / cases.

For further information, contact Peter Noorlander, Legal Officer, ARTICLE 19, 33
Islington High St., London N19LH, U.K. tel: +44 207 278 9292, fax: +44 207 713
1356, e-mail: peter@article19.org, Internet: http://www.article19.org

The information contained in this press release/alert is the sole responsibility
of ARTICLE 19. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please
credit ARTICLE 19.
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West Africa: The sound of the suburbs

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/20206

The Radio Department of the Panos Institute West Africa with support of Unesco, organized a training workshop for its Anglophone radio correspondents in Ghana. The workshops' end result was the design of an Oral Testimony production support project called "Sounds of the Suburbs". The objective of the project was to focus on the life of youngsters in a complex multicultural surrounding. Cities, and especially capitals, tend to expand into an environment characterized by different ethnic, religious, linguistic and social groups. Youth tend to hold a very specific position in these urban areas. As youngsters and participants in the day to day street life, they tend to better integrate into mixed societies. Through this radio production project, Panos West Africa endeavoured to get the views of the youngsters themselves. They are often ignored by traditional urban media, especially if such youngsters come from socially marginalized areas.
"SOUNDS OF THE SUBURBS"

The Radio Department of the Panos Institute West Africa with support of Unesco, organized a training workshop for its Anglophone radio correspondents in Ghana. The workshops' end result was the design of an Oral Testimony production support project called "Sounds of the Suburbs".

The objective of the project was to focus on the life of youngsters in a complex multicultural surrounding. Cities, and especially capitals, tend to expand into an environment characterized by different ethnic, religious, linguistic and social groups. Urban societies develop into 'melting pots', and often, without any adequate and strong integration-oriented factors, encouraging the creation of a sense of unity.

Youth tend to hold a very specific position in these urban areas. As "sons and daughters there of", they relay directly to one or more reference groups. As youngsters and participants in the day to day street life, they tend to better integrate into mixed societies.

Through this radio production project, Panos West Africa endeavors to get the views of the youngsters themselves. They are often ignored by traditional urban media, especially if such youngsters come from socially marginalized areas as suburbs and ghettos and do not seem to represent any commercial, political or social value for the powers that be. On the contrary, they are often seen as marginal, delinquent and troublesome lot. Their integration into normal economic society poses most often a problem. However, sociological observations often conclude that youth are better adapted to integrate in multicultural societies. Therefore, Panos wants to focus on their vision, their methods of integration, their vision on tolerance towards one another, their hopes for the future ...

The documentaries (16 in total) are targeted at teenagers and young adults, aimed at increasing intercultural awareness and sensitizing young generations on humanity's need for tolerance, dialogue and peace. Each testimony provides a reflection on the conflict-generating issues between communities and the solutions that can be found both individually or at community level.

Five countries, five case studies :

1) "Can any good ever come out of Saigon" - New Kru Town / Monrovia (Liberia)
2) "An intruiging Lagos suburb, Ajegunle" - Lagos (Nigeria)
3) "Nima, a slum in Accra" - Accra (Ghana)
4) "The Greenland area in Banjul" - Banjul (The Gambia)
5) "The King Jimmy suburb in the centre of Freetown" - Freetown (Sierra Leone)

Shortly, all audio documentaries will be available on line (www.panosaudio.org)

Limited copies of all radio documentaries on CD are available for African radio broadcasters. For more information contact :

Panos Institute West Africa
Radio Department - Johan Deflander
BP 21 132 - Dakar / Senegal
+ 221 - 849 - 16 66 (tel)
+ 221 - 822 17 61 (fax)
radio@panos-ao.org
www.panos-ao.org
www.panosaudio.org

Zimbabwe: A country at peace - the world according to the public media

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/media/20213

The government-controlled media's tendency to portray a picture of peace and tranquility in the country has resulted in these media ignoring the continued erosion of basic human rights by overzealous ZANU PF fanatics, security force members and the government through its promulgation of unconstitutional laws. According to the latest newsletter from the Zimbabwe Media Monitoring Project, the responsibility for exposing rights abuses has been completely left to the private media. "For instance, this week SW Radio Africa carried 17 stories, which reported 18 cases of rights abuses. Studio 7 had four stories highlighting two incidents of rights violations. ZBC had none. The trend was similar in the print media. While the private papers published 12 reports on human rights abuses, the government Press only carried a single story."
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe
Monday February 2nd - Sunday February 8th 2004
Weekly Media Update 2004-5

Contents:
* Press freedom curtailed
* Rights abuses
* Gutu North election results coverage


1. Press freedom curtailed

Press freedom suffered a severe blow this week when Chief Justice
Godfrey Chidyausiku and three other Supreme Court judges defended
the legitimacy of regulations outlawing journalists who practice without
accreditation from the government appointed Media and Information
Commission (MIC).
This followed a November 2002 Supreme Court petition filed by the
Independent Journalists Association of Zimbabwe (IJAZ) challenging
the constitutionality of repressive sections of Access to Information and
Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and the powers of the MIC, headed
by Tafataona Mahoso.

In his judgment Chidyausiku ruled that the constitutional right to
freedom of expression was not violated by AIPPA's Section 79, which
forces journalists to register with the MIC or Section 83, which prohibits
journalists from practising without accreditation. The powers vested in
MIC under Section 85 of AIPPA were also deemed constitutional.
Only Section 80 (1), (a) and (c) of the Act, which criminalized the
abuse of journalistic privilege, was struck off the Statute books. But
these had been removed anyway as a result of amendments to the Act
made since the appeal was lodged.
The devastating consequences of the ruling were immediately felt.
Barely 24 hours after its delivery, Zimbabwe's popular alternative daily,
The Daily News, was forced off the streets because its journalists had
to first seek accreditation from the MIC.
While the private media described Chidyausiku's ruling as "a death
knell to Press freedom", (The Sunday Mirror, 8/2), the government-
controlled Press simply carried Chidyausiku's ruling without
questioning its profound implications on the media landscape.

ZBC (5/2, 8pm) was even worse. The government-controlled public
broadcaster ignored the ruling altogether. It only reported that the
Supreme Court had reserved judgment in a case in which the MIC was
seeking an interdict barring the publishers of The Daily News, the
Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ), from operating pending
finalization of the consolidated appeals on February 18. The case was
heard the same day as that of IJAZ.
Such calculated manipulation of important news resulted in the
government-controlled media censoring the views of Zimbabwe's
"most experienced" Supreme Court judge, Justice Wilson Sandura,
who disagreed with his fellow judges over the mandatory accreditation
and punishment of journalists under AIPPA.

His dissenting judgment was only given space by the private media
such as Studio 7 (05/02), The Daily Mirror, Zimbabwe Independent
(6/2) and The Standard (8/2).
For example, The Zimbabwe Independent reported Sandura as saying
the mandatory accreditation of journalists was undemocratic because it
violated Section 20 of the Constitution, which guarantees citizens,
freedom of expression, which is "a cornerstone upon which the very
existence of a democratic society rests". The practice of journalism,
Sandura argued, was nothing less than the regular exercise of one's
right to freedom of expression and thus could not be separated from
that right.
He argued that since the accreditation of journalists by MIC under
Section 79 of AIPPA was subject to approval by Information Minister
Jonathan Moyo and his secretary, George Charamba, this translated
into a restrictive measure as compared to a "mere formality"
otherwise "why would it need the minister's approval?"

The judge dismissed Minister Moyo's claim (as first respondent) that
the main objective of accreditation was to ensure accountability and
easy access to events by journalists noting, ". the legislative
objective given is not sufficiently important to justify limiting
freedom of expression".
This contrasted with comments attributed to Chidyausiku in the same
paper dismissing as "misconceived" the suggestion that the MIC was
"sufficiently not independent" of Moyo.
Besides censoring Sandura's opinion on the matter, The Sunday Mail
(8/2) displayed its intolerance to alternative views by attacking the
integrity of the judge for his dissenting observations in its 'Under the
Surface' column.
Using vitriolic language laced with racial bigotry, the paper described
Sandura as "a snake in the house.with stinking colonial
ideas.that would one day.strike while we concentrate on
pressing issues and it would be too late to hit its poisonous
head".
The column likened Sandura to former Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay,
whom government hounded out of the Supreme Court because of his
principled stand on government's controversial land reforms and the
rule of law.

It noted that "this Gubbay residue (Sandura)" was more dangerous
because "it has the colour that we can identify with and speaks
our mother language".
Notably, the paper unwittingly exposed what civic society has always
suspected- that government has seriously compromised the effective
delivery of justice by forcing out judges who are perceived to be anti-
government and packing the courts with its sympathisers.
As if to illustrate this, The Weekend Tribune (7/2) refreshed readers'
memories about how Administrative Court President, Judge Michael
Majuru, was forced out of his job for taking "the proper, unbiased
application and interpretation of the law and administration of
justice rather than come up with a judgment tailor-made to suit
political considerations as seen through government eyes" in the
ANZ/MIC legal battle.

It was referring to events that followed Justice Majuru's ruling in
October last year that the MIC was biased against the Daily News and
was improperly constituted. He also ordered that the ANZ be granted a
licence to operate.
The government media, however, remained reluctant to expose such
interference in the delivery of justice or to examine the effects this
might have had on the IJAZ challenge.
Rather, they appeared to complement government efforts to muzzle
the private media, especially by campaigning for the continued
shutdown of The Daily News, as exemplified by The Herald's
obsession (3/2) with depicting the private daily as still peddling "lies".
The paper wished for the daily's demise suggesting, "It is a fact that
Zimbabwe would be better off without the vindictive tabloid."
Further, The Herald and Chronicle (7/2) implied that The Daily News
reporters had "downed tools" until they got accreditation from MIC
instead of stating unequivocally that the disappearance of the paper
from the streets was a result of the Supreme Court ruling on the
requirements of accreditation.
While the government-controlled media appeared to support this grave
erosion of democratic space in the country, the private media was
steadfast in exposing it.

The Zimbabwe Independent, for example, predicted that the Supreme
Court judgment was "likely to a have a chilling effect on the
practice of journalism.and provides the government with the
weapon it needs to deal with dissent in the independent Press".
The Standard comment (8/2) likened Chidyausiku's judgment to a
backward leap "in our struggle for a full-blown democracy", similar
to the 1965 Unilateral Declaration of Independence declared by Ian
Smith.

In addition to using repressive legislation to gag the independent
media, government also sought to further erode the people's freedom
to communicate by drafting new regulations governing the operations
of the telecommunications industry. The regulations sought to outlaw
the use of Econet Wireless (whose major shareholder, Strive
Masiyiwa, also controls the ANZ) as a 'gateway' to international
satellite telecommunications, leaving the government controlled
TelOne as the sole provider of international connections.

In fact, The Herald had sounded a warning on Christmas Eve when it
reported that government was likely to withdraw Econet's operating
licence because it was allegedly not remitting its foreign currency
earnings, which "were being used to finance subversive activities
to undermine the government of Zimbabwe".

In reporting the matter, ZBC (2/2, 8pm) omitted to examine the
underlying implications of such a move to freedom of expression.
Instead, ZTV blindly presented the developments as part of
government's plans to "restore order" in "the telecommunications
sector, which had become chaotic" and linked the move to Reserve
Bank Governor, Gideon Gono's monetary policy.
However, SW Radio Africa (04/02) was more astute. It quoted a Media
Institute of Southern Africa spokesman pointing out that that the
regulations would "stifle the rights of the people to receive and
impart information."

Earlier, The Daily News (4/2) reported that the High Court had declared
government's latest decision " . null, void and of no effect to the
applicant (Econet)." This followed an urgent application filed by
Econet contesting the move.
However, the paper (3/2) failed to fully probe the political connotations
behind government's action although it cited "last week's State media
reports" as saying government had realised that "several
telecommunications companies", including Econet, were providing
satellite services through third parties which had serious implications
for the country's security and was "prejudicing the fiscus of much
needed currency".

The Herald (4/2) also reported the outcome of the court case. The next
day the paper (5/2) unquestioningly announced government's plans to
circumvent the High Court by "instituting necessary amendments in
order for the Government decision on the single international
operator to be implemented".

The paper quoted former Communications Minister Witness
Mangwende saying although his ministry "respects the decision of
the High Court .the country could not afford to duplicate
infrastructure when only one international gateway could
suffice."
Once again ZBC ignored the court's nullification of the regulations
altogether.
But what was even more remarkable in the coverage of the issue was
the omission by all media of the fact that Econet had on January 30
received a fax from government at about 6.45pm giving the company a
five-hour notice to "cease to operate", The Mail and Guardian (5/2).


2. Human rights abuses

The government-controlled media's tendency to portray a picture of
peace and tranquility in the country has resulted in these media
ignoring the continued erosion of basic human rights by overzealous
ZANU PF fanatics, security force members and the government
through its promulgation of unconstitutional laws.

The responsibility has been completely left to the private media. For
instance, this week SW Radio Africa carried 17 stories, which reported
18 cases of rights abuses. Studio 7 had four stories highlighting two
incidents of rights violations. ZBC had none.
The trend was similar in the print media. While the private papers
published 12 reports on human rights abuses, the government Press
only carried a single story.
Even then, the report - on police thwarting "an illegal
demonstration" by the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) - was
in the form of a brief buried inside The Herald (5/2).
More conspicuous however, was the paper's failure to reveal the
violence with which the police broke up the peaceful protest, aimed at
pressing government to adopt a new Constitution for the country.
Studio 7 and SW Radio Africa (04/02), The Daily News and The Daily
Mirror (5/2) alerted their audiences to the police's brutality.

They reported that armed anti-riot police had severely beaten NCA
chairman Lovemore Madhuku, whom they allegedly left for dead in the
bush outside Harare city centre. The police were also reported to have
beaten up 13 other NCA youths and set "vicious dogs on them".
Only the private media carried civil society's condemnation of the
police brutality.
The Zimbabwe Independent (6/2), for example, quoted the Human
Rights Forum describing the police action as "barbaric" and "totally
unjustified." adding that it "contravened sections of the
Constitution let alone the Code of Conduct of the ZRP itself".
The paper also quoted the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC),
which described the incident as " further evidence of the intolerance
by the Mugabe regime."
Far from seeing anything amiss, The Herald (6/2) shamefully
celebrated Madhuku's beating in its comment Ex-convict Madhuku
playing to the gallery.

The paper accused the NCA leader of "engaging in conduct that he
knew would invite the immediate and justified wrath of the law-
enforcement agents". It added sarcastically of other arrested NCA
activists, ".the demonstrators - obviously in search of cheap
martyrdom - elbowed each other for a place in police vans".
Moreover, instead of chastising the police for their brutality the paper
chose to advise the protesters "to be more tactful in dealing with
the Madhukus of this world" because "pictures of a bandaged and
bloodstained Madhuku after alleged scuffles with the police only
serve to make the ex-convict look important and look as if he has
a legitimate cause."

But despite this brutal assault, Simbi Mubako, Zimbabwe's
Ambassador to the United States, on Studio 7 (04/02), that Zimbabwe
respected human rights because they were "well protected in our
constitution and in our law" and as such the police and the courts
dealt with human rights violations.
To rebut Mubako's claims, SW Radio Africa (04/02) exposed the police
complicity in the perpetration of rights abuses in Chipinge. It reported
that ZANU PF supporters who assaulted members of the opposition
were allegedly using "a police vehicle driven by an officer in police
uniform in the door-to-door attacks."


3. Gutu North by-election results

The ruling ZANU PF victory over the opposition MDC in the just ended
Gutu North by-election received different interpretations in the media.
The private media queried the conditions under which the elections
were held, while the government-controlled media, just like they have
handled previous elections, simply welcomed the outcome without
reservation.

For example, ZTV & Power FM (06/02, 8pm) interpreted the outcome
to mean "ZANU PF has managed to maintain its rural areas grip
while MDC is losing its grip on urban areas". They then quoted a
ZANU PF advocate, Augustine Timbe, as saying the results showed
that, "Zimbabweans have now realized that the opposition has no
proper policies to offer the country."
Similarly, The Herald (5/2 & 6/2), Chronicle (6/2), The Manica Post
(6/2) and The Sunday News (8/2) narrowly viewed Josiah Tungamirai's
win over the MDC's Crispa Musoni as a sign that ZANU PF was
consolidating its position against the MDC.

However, the private media disputed this notion. For instance, during
the first day of voting The Daily News (2/2) already dismissed fair play
in the poll when it reported MDC's director of elections Remus
Makuwaza alleging government plans to rig the Gutu North by-election.
Makuwaza claimed that about 7 000 registered voters in Harare
constituencies had also been registered in Gutu North and several
names and addresses on the voters' roll had been interchanged
"causing thousands of people to be turned away".

He said the situation was worsened by the refusal of the Registrar
General's (RG) Office to release a consolidated voters' roll after
inspection period, prior to election.
SW Radio Africa (2/2) and Studio 7 (3/2) carried similar allegations.
More reports of electoral irregularities in Gutu North were carried by
SW Radio Africa (3/2) and The Daily Mirror (3/2).

The Zimbabwe Independent story (6/2), Traditional leaders win ZANU
PF Gutu North, further belied government media's claims that ZANU
PF's victory was due to its popularity.
The story exposed how ZANU PF used traditional leaders to coerce
and intimidate the electorate to vote for the party. An unnamed farmer
was quoted saying a ZANU PF victory "was a foregone conclusion"
because "ZANU PF's machinery had effectively penetrated all
structures". To corroborate this perspective the paper also quoted the
Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) expressing concern over
the "role of village heads in the election".
Ends

Africa/Global: Guide to the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict

2004-02-19

http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=3978&flag=report

Produced by UNICEF and the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, this publication is an essential guide to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child related to children in armed conflict. It describes the context surrounding its adoption, efforts supporting its objectives, key provisions and the legislative processes involved for signature and ratification or accession. The Guide aims to support child rights advocates - including government officials, child protection agencies, humanitarian workers and those involved in national coalitions - in their work to generate momentum and support for ratification and implementation of the Optional Protocol.

Africa/UK: Slavery fears for 'lost' children

2004-02-19

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3489935.stm

There are fears that large numbers of children may be trafficked into Britain after police discovered up to 30 had been "lost". The BBC has learnt the Metropolitan Police investigation looked at children who came through Heathrow Airport with adults who were not their parents. Until recently few checks have been made by immigration at the airport. Campaigners fear thousands of children are being used as domestic slaves after being brought into Britain. The vast majority of the children were from Nigeria, which is well known among law enforcement officials as being the main source for trafficked children into Britain.

Burundi: Army Demobilises 29 Child Soldiers

2004-02-19

http://allafrica.com/stories/200402160245.html

The government of Burundi demobilised on Friday 29 child soldiers, who had served as porters in the country's regular army. The children, aged 13 to 18 years, were demobilised at the paratroop barracks in the capital, Bujumbura, in the presences of representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the UN Children's Fund as well as those from the national Demobilisation, Reintegration and Prevention Project, which targets child soldiers. Although the demobilised children served as porters, they also had the task of observing enemy movements, for which they earned the nickname "Doriya", which loosely translates as spy or sentry.

Kenya: A how to manual for churches which help Aids orphans

2004-02-19

http://www.africapulse.net/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1897&PHPSESSID=ac558d3c073ac7a8a27f800a41785ed8

A Baltimore-based aid agency, World Relief, issued a guide in Kenya to assist churches with caring for Aids orphans in Africa. Entitled "Our Children: The Church Cares for Children Affected by AIDS", the 92-page document underlines the importance of helping orphans - or children who are caring for parents with AIDS-related illnesses - to continue their education.

South Africa: Cape Town Creche Kids to Go Hungry

2004-02-19

http://allafrica.com/stories/200402161004.html

Thousands of preschool children across the Peninsula are set to go hungry - because their creches have been deemed sub-standard, and from the end of March food subsidies will be stopped. "It's a nightmare. We have about 40 little ones who get breakfast and lunch here every day, and that's the only food they get," said an outraged Christo van Rooyen who manages the finances of Jack and Jill creche in Ocean View. They were presented with a list of essential repairs by the department of social services to secure their food grant, but the criteria have proved impossible to fulfil.

South Africa: Youth Discuss Local Govt Issues

2004-02-19

http://allafrica.com/stories/200402160861.html

About 300 youth delegates are converging in Benoni, far east of Johannesburg, for the Second National Conference on Youth Development at Local Government Level. Youth development workers, municipal youth managers and leaders of the broader youth sector are attending the three-day conference. The conference is part of the bilateral relationship between South Africa and Flanders and is hosted by the National Youth Commission (NYC) and the South African Youth Council (SAYC).

Uganda: Advocacy And Peace Groups Raise Concerns Over LRA Prosecution

2004-02-19

http://allafrica.com/stories/200402160205.html

The child rights group, Save the Children, has warned that the children in northern Uganda may suffer most if the International Criminal Court (ICC) decides to prosecute Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels for war crimes, unless questions of child protection are raised before it proceeds to investigate the rebels. In a statement issued last week, the organisation said that since "children are by far the main witnesses (and victims)" of war crimes committed by the LRA, the LRA leadership "might apply even more strict discipline to prevent witnesses from escaping".

Zimbabwe: Network of support set up for OVC

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39534

A community-based support network is hoping to provide material and emotional support to more than 40,000 orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Zimbabwe. The network was initiated in November last year by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society, Family AIDS Caring Trust Mutare (FACT), and the Centre for Total Transformation (CTT).

AKPA to support water development projects

2004-02-19

http://akpa-atlanta.org/endeavors/pgWater2003-2004.htm

The Association of Kenyan Professionals in Atlanta (AKPA) Development Committee's key objective this year is to successfully support one (or more) high impact and actionable projects on Water in Kenya.

Caribbean Diaspora Empowerment Conference

A Global Caribbean Economic Initiative Through Partnerships And Networks

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/diaspora/20188

The Conference is to be held April 12-14, 2004 at the Washington Hilton Hotel, 1919 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC. More than 2,000 delegates anticipated globally.
Topics include:
· The Critical Role of Local Governments in National Development Political
· Small Enterprise Investments and Entrepreneurship Economic
· Formation of strong Linkages-The Status of the African-American Male Social
· Caribbean Agriculture in the 21st Century Economic
· The Caribbean culture and its role in the Inter-Caribbean Movement Economic
· Investment opportunities through Remittance Socio- Economic
· Iwokrama and Biodiversity for Sustainability Environmental/Economic
· AGOA and the Caribbean Partnership Economic
· Brief Description: Expanding the definition of a Free Trade and the benefits to the Caribbean peoples
· FAATIS - Economic Revitalization through Tourism Economic/Political
· The Role of Nonprofits in Community Development.

Debate: The best way we can help Africa is to leave it alone

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/diaspora/20275

3rd March 2004
Speaking FOR the motion:
Richard Dowden - Director of the Royal African Society
Matthew Parris - Former Conservative Member of Parliament, and previously the Presenter of LWT's Weekend World, is a columnist for the Times and The Spectator
Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem - General Secretary of the Pan African Movement and Director of Justice Africa
Speaking AGAINST the motion:
Rt Hon Clare Short, MP - Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood. She was Secretary of State for International Development from 1997 to May 2003.
Anthony Sampson - Former editor of the magazine Drum (Johannesburg) and author of "Mandela: The authorised Biography"
Sir Marrack Goulding - Warden of St.Antony's College, Oxford. He has held overseas posts in the Middle East, North Africa, New York and is the former Ambassador of Angola. He was UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping (1986-93) and Political Affairs (1993-97).
The debate will be chaired by Nik Gowing, Presenter of BBC World TV News and the former Diplomatic Editor of Channel 4 News.
The debate will take place at the Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London, SW7 Doors open at 6pm. The debate starts at 6.45pm and finishes at 8.30pm. Tickets £20 each To book tickets call 020 7494 3345 or email info@intelligencesquared.com

Dual Citizenship Prospect Excites Ugandans Abroad

2004-02-19

http://allafrica.com/stories/200401220442.html

There is considerable optimism among Ugandans living abroad following the release of the Sempebwa Report, which recommends dual citizenship for those holding citizenship in another country. Currently only South Africa, Ghana and Egypt have the provision for dual citizenship written in their constitutions. In the amended Citizenship Act (Act 88 of 1995), a South African is allowed to retain his or her South African citizenship when becoming the citizen of another country. Meanwhile, with an estimated 1.5 million Ghanaians living abroad and contributing as much as $400 million to the national coffers annually, Ghana officially launched the Dual Citizenship Regulation Act on July 3, 2002. The only other African countries that informally allow dual citizenship are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Lesotho, Nigeria and Morocco.

eAfrica focuses on efforts to mobilise the African diaspora

2004-02-19

http://www.wits.ac.za/saiia/eAfricaSept03.pdf

The September 2003 edition of the electronic journal of governance and innovation contains an excellent overview of recent efforts to effectively mobilise the African diaspora for the benefit of Africa’s development.

Five million Returning To Home Countries In Africa

UN Refugee Agency Anticipates Millions Returning To Home Countries In Africa

2004-02-19

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0402/S00126.htm

With more than 5 million African refugees and internally displaced people preparing to return home, the United Nations refugee agency announced plans to hold a ministerial-level meeting next month on comprehensive regional approaches to repatriation and sustainable reintegration on the continent.

One-fourth of Zimbabwe's population has emigrated

2004-02-19

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/02/15/2003098844

Repression by the government and an ongoing economic crisis have caused an exodus from the troubled nation.

The Abayudaya of Uganda

2004-02-19

http://www.mindspring.com/~jaypsand/abayudaya.htm

Out in the green, rolling hills of eastern Uganda, near the city of Mbale in the shadow of Mount Elgon, the Abayudaya Jews live as Ugandans always have, supporting themselves through subsistence farming and struggling against the elements to bring in the next harvest. These rural Ugandans share much with their neighbours; the surrounding fields bursting with mango trees, sugar cane, banana trees and cassava, the frequent communal festivals to celebrate birth, marriage and death, the uncertainty of rapidly changing national politics and the exhaustion of poverty. A significant difference between the Abayudaya and their countrymen is that when they raise their heads to the heavens in prayer, their God is not Jesus, Allah or any tribal spirit, but the God of Israel. They set themselves apart through devout Judaism and their adherence to the belief that some day they will become an accepted part of the international Jewish community.

Africa: Arms Trade from Slovakia Fuels Conflicts

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/conflict/20111

The government of Slovakia must do more to bring its arms trade under control, Human Rights Watch says in a new report. Slovakia adopted some legal reforms in 2001 and 2002, but serious problems remain that allow arms to be exported or illegally trafficked to human rights-abusing countries in Africa and elsewhere. Human Rights Watch said that the country has served as both an exporter and transit hub for arms deals from other countries. Many of the weapons it supplies are surplus weapons the country is shedding as it finalized preparations to enter NATO.
For Immediate Release:

Africa: Arms Trade from Slovakia Fuels Conflicts

(Bratislava, February 10, 2004) - The government of Slovakia must do
more to bring its arms trade under control, Human Rights Watch said in a
new report today.

Slovakia adopted some legal reforms in 2001 and 2002, but serious
problems remain that allow arms to be exported or illegally trafficked
to human rights-abusing countries in Africa and elsewhere. Human Rights
Watch said that the country has served as both an exporter and transit
hub for arms deals from other countries. Many of the weapons it supplies
are surplus weapons the country is shedding as it finalized preparations
to enter NATO.

"When Slovakia was trying to get into NATO and the European Union, it
took some steps to clean up its arms trade," said Lisa Misol, researcher
with the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch and author of the report.
"Now that Slovakia is set to join these institutions, it needs to finish
the job." Slovakia is due to enter NATO and the European Union in May
2004.

In 2002 and 2003, Human Rights Watch investigated Slovakia's arms trade
and reform efforts. Human Rights Watch's new 92-page report, Ripe for
Reform: Stemming Slovakia's Arms Trade with Human Rights Abusers, gives
detailed case studies of three arms deals that illustrate the main
arms-trade challenges for Slovakia and numerous other Central and
Eastern European countries: the need to clamp down on illicit
trafficking, closely regulate the activities of arms brokers and
transport agents, and abide by strong arms-export criteria when
authorizing arms deals.

Human Rights Watch's research spotlights three cases:
. International arms smugglers took advantage of lax controls in
Slovakia in 2000 and 2001 to arrange a scheme to repair combat
helicopters in Slovakia for illegal export to Liberia, a country under a
United Nations embargo.
. Several hundred Iranian rocket-propelled grenades were seized at
Bratislava airport in September 2001 after officials discovered they had
been misled about the nature of the shipment. Slovakia has long been a
transit hub for illegal arms shipments, thanks in part to a major legal
loophole that remains in place. Weapons shipments transiting through
Slovakia from other destinations are exempt from government licensing
requirements.
. The export of surplus fighter jets to Angola in 2001 contravened
provisions of the European Union Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, which
Slovakia has pledged to follow. The deal was also mired in allegations
of corruption and helped reveal conflicts of interest among Slovak
arms-licensing officials. This was one of many authorized arms exports
to Angola, when war still raged in the African country.

"We recognize that there's been progress in improving Slovakia's legal
controls," said Misol. "But there's a long way to go before Slovakia can
put to rest its poor arms-trade reputation."

Human Rights Watch made a number of recommendations to the Slovak
government, including: adopt binding human rights criteria for arms
exports; eliminate licensing loopholes; closely regulate arms brokers;
dispose responsibly of surplus weapons; tackle corruption; and enhance
transparency.

Human Rights Watch also called on Slovakia's NATO and EU partners to use
remaining leverage to promote such reforms.

"The proliferation of small arms and other weapons is fueling conflicts
and putting civilians at grave risk around the globe," Misol said.
"Slovakia should aim to be part of the solution rather than part of the
problem."

Misol said that current NATO and EU member countries themselves could do
more to be a positive example of arms trade behavior by supporting a
proposed international arms trade treaty that would prevent arms
transfers to human rights abusers and violators of the laws of war.

The Human Rights Watch report is available during the embargo period at:
http://docs.hrw.org/embargo/slovakia0204/, using username: arms and
password: trade.

After the launch of the report, it will be available at:
http://hrw.org/reports/2004/slovakia0204/

For further information, please contact:

In Bratislava, Lisa Misol: +1-646-515-6665
In Geneva, Steve Goose: +1-540-630-3011
In Brussels, Vanessa Saenen: +322-732-2009
In London, Urmi Shah: +44-20-7713-2788


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

Pour diffusion immediate:

OTAN/UE : réformer le commerce des armes en Slovaquie

(Bratislava, 10 février 2004) Le gouvernement slovaque doit faire
davantage pour instaurer un meilleur contrôle sur le commerce des
armements, a déclaré Human Rights Watch dans un nouveau rapport publié
aujourd'hui.

La Slovaquie a adopté des réformes légales en 2001 et 2002 mais de
graves problèmes demeurent permettant aux armes d'être exportées ou de
faire l'objet d'un trafic illégal à destination de pays coupables d'abus
contre les droits humains, en Afrique et ailleurs. Human Rights Watch a
affirmé que le pays avait servi à la fois d'exportateur et de plaque
tournante pour des transactions sur les armes en provenance d'autres
pays. Une bonne quantité des armes fournies proviennent de surplus dont
le pays se débarrasse alors qu'il finalise ses préparations pour
rejoindre l'OTAN.

« Lorsque la Slovaquie tentait de rentrer dans l'OTAN et l'Union
Européenne, elle a adopté des mesures pour assainir le commerce des
armements, » a déclaré Lisa Misol, chercheuse à la Division Armes de
Human Rights Watch et auteur du rapport. « La fenêtre d'opportunité se
referme pour que les partenaires internationaux de la Slovaquie
obtiennent des engagements fermes sur la volonté de la Slovaquie de
clore ce chantier. » La Slovaquie doit entrer dans l'OTAN et l'Union
Européenne en mai 2004.

En 2002 et 2003, Human Rights Watch a enquêté sur le commerce des armes
en Slovaquie et sur les efforts de réforme. Le nouveau rapport de Human
Rights Watch, long de 92 pages, Ripe for Reform: Stemming Slovakia's
Arms Trade with Human Rights Abusers, apporte des informations
détaillées sur trois exemples de transactions sur les armes qui
illustrent les principaux défis que présente le commerce des armements
pour la Slovaquie et de nombreux autres pays d'Europe centrale et
orientale : la nécessité de sévir contre le trafic illégal, de réguler
étroitement les activités des marchands d'armes et des transporteurs et
de respecter des critères fermes sur l'exportation d'armes lorsque sont
autorisés des marchés.

La recherche de Human Rights Watch met en lumière trois cas :
. Les trafiquants internationaux d'armes ont profité de contrôles peu
stricts en Slovaquie en 2000 et 2001 pour mettre au point un système
permettant de réparer des hélicoptères de combat en Slovaquie pour les
exporter ensuite illégalement vers le Liberia, un pays sous embargo des
Nations Unies.
. Plusieurs centaines de lance-roquettes iraniens ont été saisis à
l'aéroport de Bratislava en septembre 2001 après la découverte par des
officiels qu'ils avaient été trompés sur la nature de la cargaison. La
Slovaquie est depuis longtemps une plaque tournante pour des cargaisons
illégales d'armes, grâce en partie à un vide légal qui demeure inchangé.
Les cargaisons d'armes transitant par la Slovaquie en provenance
d'autres destinations n'ont pas à se plier aux exigences du gouvernement
en matière d'autorisation.
. L'exportation d'un surplus de jets de combat vers l'Angola en 2001 a
enfreint les dispositions du Code européen de conduite en matière
d'exportations d'armes que la Slovaquie s'est engagée à respecter. Le
marché était également entaché par des allégations de corruption et a
contribué à révéler des conflits d'intérêts entre différents officiels
slovaques en charge de l'autorisation des ventes d'armement. Ceci fut
l'une des nombreuses exportations d'armement autorisées à destination de
l'Angola alors que la guerre faisait encore rage dans ce pays africain.

« Nous reconnaissons que des progrès ont été accomplis pour améliorer
les contrôles légaux en Slovaquie, » a déclaré Misol. « Mais un long
chemin doit encore être parcouru avant que la Slovaquie ne puisse se
défaire de sa mauvaise réputation en matière de commerce des armes. »

Human Rights Watch a formulé un certain nombre de recommandations à
l'intention du gouvernement slovaque notamment : adopter des critères
obligatoires relatifs aux droits humains pour les exportations d'armes ;
éliminer les vides en matière d'autorisation ; réguler étroitement les
vendeurs d'armement ; disposer de façon responsable des surplus
d'armement ; s'attaquer au problème de la corruption et renforcer la
transparence.

Human Rights Watch a également appelé l'OTAN et l'Union Européenne,
partenaires de la Slovaquie à user des moyens de pression encore à leur
disposition pour promouvoir de telles réformes.

« La prolifération d'armes de petit calibre et d'autres types d'armes
alimente les conflits et fait courir de graves dangers aux civils,
partout dans le monde, » a déclaré Misol. « La Slovaquie devrait avoir
pour objectif de participer à la recherche de solutions plutôt que de
contribuer au problème. »

Misol a affirmé que les pays actuellement membres de l'OTAN et de
l'Union Européenne pourraient eux-mêmes faire davantage pour donner un
exemple positif en matière de commerce d'armement en soutenant un traité
proposé sur le commerce international des armes qui empêcherait les
transferts d'armes à destination d'acteurs coupables d'abus contre les
droits humains et de violations du droit de la guerre.

Le rapport de Human Rights Watch est disponible pendant la période
d'embargo à l'adresse : http://docs.hrw.org/embargo/slovakia0204/, en
utilisant le nom d'usager : arms et le mot de passe : trade.

Après la publication du rapport, il sera disponible à l'adresse suivante
: http://hrw.org/reports/2004/slovakia0204/

Pour plus d'informations, veuillez contacter :
A Bratislava, Lisa Misol : +1-646-515-6665
A Genève, Steve Goose : +1-540-630-3011
A Bruxelles, Vanessa Saenen : +322-732-2009
A Londres, Urmi Shah : +44-20-7713-2788

Liberia: Armed Militias Terrorise Civilians in the Countryside

2004-02-19

http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=22403

Armed militias continue to violate human rights and international humanitarian law, despite the progress being made to end Liberia's 14-year conflict, a human rights lawyer says. "The rebels are engaged in a new wave of violence, extorting, abducting and harassing the civilians," said Dempster Browne, chairperson of the Monrovia-based National Commission on Human Rights.

Malawi: Food crisis looms

2004-02-19

http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/107694323713.htm

Aid agencies are on red alert for a possible food crisis in Malawi as drought threatens to decimate crops, but will not call for an emergency before assessing this year’s harvest. “Everyone is monitoring the country closely to be able to respond to anything that could happen,” Jacob Asens, health and nutrition advisor at Action Against Hunger UK (AAH-UK), told AlertNet.

Rwanda: Rwanda and the International Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Effort

Antoine D. Terrar

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/conflict/20169

Along the Rwandan national highway there stands a tattered yellow sign caked in dirt and blackened by pollution. It reads “Muhazi Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration Camp, 300 Meters.” The narrow muddy road winds through plush green fields leading those willing to travel its path to a small patch of land lightly guarded by Kalashnikov - wielding Rwandan military personnel. Within the guarded perimeters of this small plot of land along the Rwandan-Congolese border, there lies a small makeshift camp with showers, dormitories, a kitchen, and a meeting hall. Black earth creeps onto everything, leaving dark smears on the walls of buildings and on clothing, even embedding itself in the cracks of calloused hands. It's mid August, around 3pm, already the sun's light is fading, and there is a chill in the air. The camp is the new home of the ex - Forces Armées Rwandaïses (FAR). These men and women were participants in the 1994 genocide. Forced out of the country and into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), they continued a life of ruthless violence. Many began military careers as children. Their stories are sometimes ones of unspeakable horror.
Rwanda and the International Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Effort


By Antoine D. Terrar

[Mr. Terrar is a DDR Programs Research Associate for the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre in Nova Scotia, Canada]

Along the Rwandan national highway there stands a tattered yellow sign caked in dirt and blackened by pollution. It reads “Muhazi Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration Camp, 300 Meters.” The narrow muddy road winds through plush green fields leading those willing to travel its path to a small patch of land lightly guarded by Kalashnikov - wielding Rwandan military personnel. Within the guarded perimeters of this small plot of land along the Rwandan-Congolese border, there lies a small makeshift camp with showers, dormitories, a kitchen, and a meeting hall. Black earth creeps onto everything, leaving dark smears on the walls of buildings and on clothing, even embedding itself in the cracks of calloused hands. It’s mid August, around 3pm, already the sun’s light is fading, and there is a chill in the air.

Monolithic ancient volcanoes are cloaked in mist and clouds. There are eyes in the forests surrounding the camp. Every few minutes, camouflaged soldiers reveal themselves from the dense foliage and are then reabsorbed into the forest. Except for the near inaudible whispers and rustling of the forest, the landscape is silent.

The camp is the new home of the ex - Forces Armées Rwandaïses (FAR). These men and women were participants in the 1994 genocide. Forced out of the country and into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), they continued a life of ruthless violence. Many began military careers as children. Their stories are sometimes ones of unspeakable horror.

The FAR pose a serious threat to the Government of Rwanda (GoR) and regional stability. To neutralize the threat the FAR pose, the GoR has adopted a disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) program.

DDR is a complex tripartite procedure that attempts to give ex-combatants a viable alternative to armed conflict. For everyone’s safety, ex-combatants are disarmed. Weapons are collected and destroyed. Decreased numbers of people wielding weapons increase the success of sustainable peace. During the second stage, demobilization, combatants are then encamped for the period of time necessary to give them the skills they require to be reintegrated into civilian society. They learn about their rights as citizens and where and how to voice their concerns properly. They also learn practical skills, such as how to manage money and how to create new businesses. However, the most difficult and lengthy part of the DDR process is reintegration.

In this final step in the DDR process, ex-combatants are given a financial “reintegration package” to help them settle in their communities. If used wisely, the money can be used to establish small enterprises, gain training in a skill, or sustain them until they find work. It is a long road home, and the story is much the same for millions around the world.

The world has seen a drastic rise in the number of intrastate conflicts. The sudden absence of two competing superpowers resulted in bloody struggles for power as the US and USSR drastically cut military and diplomatic support for regimes around the globe. Severely weakened central governments plus a flooded international small arms market made it relatively easy for any loosely organized and adequately funded group to begin its own violent rebellion.
Overstocked with weapons, Western nations and former nations of the USSR found a profitable market in Africa. In particular, former Soviet nations, whose economies where in tatters, dumped these weapons into conflicts in Africa as an easy way to make quick capital, thus fueling –or heating up-- the fires of local conflicts. Lack of international laws and norms on small arms transfers also added flame to several fires. In Phnom Penh markets people could purchase anti-personnel landmines for $3 USD. In some places, AK-47’s can still be had for a new pair of shoes.

Millions of weapons were dispersed throughout the world. The international community needed a process by which those weapons and the people behind those weapons could be neutralized. Peace cannot be sustained simply by signing a peace accord between parties to a conflict. In an attempt to strengthen the peace, avoid post-conflict banditry; lawlessness; and relapse into armed conflict, the international community created the DDR process.

Ex-combatants, pushed by extreme poverty, have continued to take drastic measures and put their lives on the line for a better future. Despite the benefit packages given to them by the international community, these people still return to poverty, often to circumstances that are worse a worse than when they joined the para-military. Also, as is too often the case, once the armed conflict is halted and the weapons have been collected, the international community turns its back on these people, unwilling to take them on and seeing in them only a long term and costly commitment. Consequently, their political leaders use their newly found powers for personal gain, living lavishly at the expense of some their own people.

Rwandan combatants repatriating from the Congo will return to a home that will seem foreign. Already unsure of their personal safety from legal prosecution and ethnic persecution, retribution, unemployment, and poverty, these ex-combatant returnees are making a decision as risky as the decision to go to war. Because, this time, living in peace may prove to be the greater risk. Their success is not guaranteed, but the little help and attention they have been offered may make the difference in helping them find or create legitimate employment, which will in its turn help rebuild the economy and establish peace in Rwanda.

Somalia: Dire conditions in the northern Togdheer Region

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39536

Extensive drought in the northern Togdheer Region of the self-declared republic of Somaliland, where about 350,000 people live, has forced schools to close, water wells to dry up and the livestock population to decline significantly, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) said on Monday.

Somalia: It's now or never for peace talks

2004-02-19

http://allafrica.com/stories/200402120182.html

The third phase of the long drawn out Somali peace talks is set to begin next week at the Kenya College of Communications Technology, Mbagathi, with some of the sticky issues carried forward from the second phase being among those expected to play themselves out prominently. With the tricky question of power sharing and the formation of an all - inclusive government as the main agenda, Article 30 of the Somali Charter - expected to be adopted by the next government as the Constitution for a federal Somali state - is bound to be the centre of focus as some participants are still dissatisfied with the formula for the formation of the 275 member parliament and the eventual appointment of a transitional president.

Sudan: 81 killed in Darfur, says rights group

2004-02-19

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=39544

A US-based human rights group has claimed that 81 civilians in the war-affected Western Darfur region of Sudan were last week massacred by Arab militia groups aligned with the Sudanese government. The Centre for the Prevention of Genocide (CPG) said it had received confirmation that the massacres were perpetrated by the Janjawid militia, during an attack on the town of Shatatya and its surrounding villages on 10 February.

Sudan: Looking beyond the propaganda

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/conflict/20168

A negotiated settlement of the conflict in Darfur must be reached, says a briefing from the European-Sudanese Public Affairs Council, a privately-funded organisation that runs advocacy, education and media projects relating to Sudan. "International pressure must be brought to bear upon those external forces that have been fuelling the fighting. The humanitarian needs of those who have been displaced must be met until those affected are able to return to their homes. Khartoum must address the criminality and armed banditry that has undermined law and order in Darfur."
THE DARFUR CRISIS: LOOKING BEYOND THE PROPAGANDA


"There has been a breakdown in negotiations because of unacceptable
rebel demands. The talks have been suspended."

Chadian Government Peace Mediators, December 2003 (1)

"What is going on in Darfur is a war by proxy"

Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Taha, July 2003 (2)



Introduction

Since February 2003, there has been a growing armed conflict between two
armed groups and the Government of Sudan in Darfur. These groups
launched their first attacks on government garrisons in the region.
These armed groups call themselves the 'Sudan Liberation Army' (SLA) and
the 'Justice and Equality Movement' (JEM).(3) Darfur is home to some 80
tribes and ethnic groups divided between nomads and sedentary
communities. The unrest, especially that associated with the SLA,
appears to have been identified with one particular ethnic group, the
Zaghawa tribe, which straddles the Sudan-Chad border. The JEM group has
come to be identified with extremist Islamic political leaders hostile
to the present Sudanese government.

Darfur presents a very complex situation with very complex problems.
There can be no simple analysis of the issue. Darfur is an ecologically-
fragile area and subject to growing - and often armed - conflict over
access to water. There has also been considerable armed banditry and
criminality within the area with many criminals having access to
automatic weapons from Chad and the Central African Republic. In perhaps
the most objective reading of the crisis in Darfur, the UN media service
has made this analysis: "The conflict pits farming communities against
nomads who have aligned themselves with the militia groups - for whom
the raids are a way of life - in stiff competition for land and
resources. The militias, known as the Janjaweed, attack in large numbers
on horseback and camels and are driving the farmers from their land,
often pushing them towards town centres."(4)

What is clear is that just as Sudan was on the brink of resolving its
long-running civil war in southern Sudan, another conflict has suddenly
appeared - a conflict clearly fanned by external forces and Islamic
fundamentalist extremists. It has also become apparent that the Darfur
issue has been caught up in the sort of propaganda and misinformation
that has characterised previous coverage of Sudan.

And for all the SLA's pretence of pursuing a political agenda, the UN
news service reported that "SLA rebels regularly attacked and looted
villages taking food and sometimes killing people...The attacks present
a real threat to people's food security and livelihoods, by preventing
them from planting and accessing markets to buy food."(5) The SLA had
also sought to suppress opposition within the areas it has sought to
dominate by the abduction, for example, of tribal leaders.(6)


What Has Caused the Unrest?

The gunmen in Darfur claim to be acting because of the region's alleged
underdevelopment. These claims are not immediately borne out by the
facts. Before the present government came to power in 1989, there were
only 16 high schools in Darfur: there are presently some 250 schools. In
1989 there were 27,000 students in schools; there are now more than
440,000. In 1989 there was not a single university in Darfur; there are
now three. Before 1989 here was not a single airport in Darfur; there
are now three. There has been a three-fold increase in paved roads since
1989. And, politically, Darfur is very well represented at all levels of
Sudanese society from the federal cabinet on downwards. The claims made
by the rebels to represent all Darfur, and that they are acting because
of Darfur-wide "underdevelopment", are undermined by the fact that the
SLA is based on almost exclusively upon the Zaghawa tribe.

What has become obvious is that whatever legitimate issues may have
arisen out of concerns about underdevelopment they have been hijacked by
various opportunistic forces to serve different ends. Eritrea has
militarily, logistically and politically assisted the Darfur gunmen in
its continuing attempts to destabilise Sudan. Khartoum has lodged
official complaints with the United Nations and African Union. (7) The
Sudanese government has also pointed to the agreement signed in the
Eritrean capital between Darfur gunmen and elements of the Beja
Congress, an armed anti-government group based in Eritrea.(8)

Islamic extremists identified with the party of Islamic fundamentalist
leader Dr Hasan al-Turabi are politically involved with the rebels. Dr
Hasan al-Turabi, the leader of the Islamist Popular National Congress
(PNC) party, has admitted that 30 members of his party have been
arrested in connection with activities in Darfur. (9) Turabi has also
admitted supporting the Darfur insurrection: "We support the cause, no
doubt about it...we have relations with some of the leadership." (10) In
November 2003, an unnamed PNC official admitted that some party members
were involved in the Darfur conflict.(11)

In any instance, it is clear that the gunmen who have caused so much
havoc in Darfur have had considerable outside assistance. The 'Sudan
Liberation Army' were reported by Agence France Presse to have "weapons,
vehicles and modern satellite communications". (12) UN media sources
have also noted claims by tribal leaders that the rebels have better
weapons than the Sudanese army. (13) The rebels have also been receiving
military supplies by air. (14) And, in a disturbing resonance of the
gunmen who have dominated parts of Somalia in four-wheel drive
"technicals", the gunmen have also been operating in groups of up to
1,000 men in four-wheel drive vehicles.(15)


National and Regional Implications

UN media sources have noted that it has been said that attempts to link
Darfur to the wider Sudanese peace process might retard the Kenya talks
between the Government and SPLA, and would be viewed as a "reward" for
armed insurrection. (16) It is a matter of record that the violence in
Darfur was initiated just as the long-running Sudanese civil war is
reaching a peaceful, negotiated conclusion through lengthy IGAD-brokered
talks in Kenya.

Mr Tom Vraalsen, the UN secretary-general's special envoy for
humanitarian affairs for Sudan, has pointed out the regional
implications of the Darfur conflict: "A continuation of the problems in
Darfur could have serious political repercussions in the sense that it
could destabilize the area along the Chad-Sudan border and it could have
repercussions also regionally if it continues. It has to be brought to
an end." (17) The danger of another Somalia is looming. Do we want to
surrender Darfur to rootless Somalia-type gunmen motivated by
opportunism and greed?


The Need for a Negotiated Settlement

The Government of Sudan has declared its commitment to a peaceful
solution to the Darfur conflict.(18) The Sudanese interior minister
restated this in January 2004: "Whenever (the rebels) are ready to talk,
we are ready to talk to them. We have no conditions at all." (19) As
early as February 2003, the government sought to defuse the conflict
through negotiations. (20) In 2003, the Chadian government, parts of
which are drawn from the Zaghawa tribe (Chadian President Idriss Deby is
Zaghawa), offered to mediate between the government and rebels. The
Sudanese government has welcomed continuing Chadian mediation in the
conflict (21), and Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Taha has also had
meetings with Darfurian opposition leader Ahmed Ibrahim Diraige with a
view to an immediate ceasefire. (22) Vice-President Taha and Mr Diraige
agreed that the proper way to settle the conflict is through "dialogue".
(23)

The government of Chad has been instrumental in negotiating ceasefires
in western Sudan in September 2003 and earlier. Chadian Government
mediators declared in December 2003 placed the blame for the stalling of
peace talks on the rebels: "There has been a breakdown in negotiations
because of unacceptable rebel demands. The talks have been suspended:
it's a failure". (24) In what was seen as a deliberate attempt to derail
the peace talks, the SLA demanded military control of the region during
a transitional period, 13 percent of all Sudan's oil earnings and SLA
autonomy in administering Darfur. (25) It was claimed that the Islamic
fundamentalist opponents of the Sudanese government had been
instrumental in sabotaging the negotiations. (26) The government named
senior PNC members Hassan Ibrahim, Suleiman Jamous, Abubakr Hamid and
Ahmed Keir Jebreel as having been responsible. (27) JEM has refused to
join in mediated peace talks. (28)


Humanitarian Issues

The escalation of conflict since February 2003 has led to the
displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians. Many have fled into
neighbouring Chad. A humanitarian crisis has ensued. The usual
propagandistic allegations have been made that the Sudanese government
has been deliberately denying aid to areas affected by the conflict. In
September 2003, the Government of Sudan and the SLA signed an agreement
allowing "free and unimpeded" humanitarian access within Darfur. (29)
The UN have, however, quoted the Government as saying "The problem is in
areas controlled by the SLM. Our experience has made us hesitant to send
relief to areas under the SLM because of kidnapping and attacks on
trucks." (30) The difficulties of relief operations in western Sudan
were starkly highlighted one month after the aid access agreement by the
murder of nine World Food Programme truck drivers, and the wounding of
14 others, in an attack on a relief convoy in October 2003. (31) The
extent of the insecurity for humanitarian workers led to the United
States government asking the Sudanese government for help with security
and access. (32) One month later, rebel gunmen killed two other relief
workers and abducted three others. (33) In a further example of
interference with humanitarian work, JEM gunmen admitted abducting five
aid workers working for the Swiss humanitarian group Medair. (34)

In January 2004, UN media sources reported that "about 85 percent of the
900,000 war-affected people in Darfur...are inaccessible to humanitarian
aid, according to the UN, mainly because of insecurity." (35) The UN
humanitarian relief spokesman stated: "You can't give aid when there are
bullets flying." (36) The Sudanese government's commitment to the
provision of aid is clear. In December 2003, Khartoum provided five
thousand tonnes out 19,000 tonnes of food aid destined for immediate
distribution in Darfur. (37)


Human Rights

There has been considerable hypocrisy from the human rights industry on
Darfur. The fact is that scores of Sudanese soldiers and policemen have
been killed while intervening in tribal conflicts and trying to
apprehend those suspected of criminal acts. Amnesty International has
previously criticised government inaction in responding to the violence
and banditry in the region and has then condemned the government when it
sought to restore order. In February 2003, for example, Amnesty
International stated that "government responses to armed clashes have
been ineffective". (38) Firmer government responses, including the
arrests of persons suspected of involvement in violence, have then been
criticised by Amnesty. (39) Amnesty International have also been
critical of the special criminal courts created by presidential decree
to deal with offences such as murder, armed robbery, arson and the
smuggling of weapons., and the firm sentences these courts have
subsequently handed down. (40)


Propaganda Distortions

The government has stated that: "Those with their own agendas are trying
to give a very sad view of what is happening. The propaganda in the west
is trying to exaggerate what is taking place in Darfur." (41) Khartoum's
concerns about propagandistic distortion of the issue appear to be well
founded. Partisan or lazy analysts or journalists seem to be unable to
resist projecting the image of government-supported "Arab" - Janjaweed -
militias attacking "African" villagers - this despite the scarcity of
reliable information. UN media sources, for example, have noted "a lack
of accurate information on the conflict" (42) and Reuters has also
stated that "it is hard to independently verify claims by government or
rebels in Darfur." (43)

A January 2004 'New York Times' article has been typical of the
unprofessional reporting that has characterised coverage of the Darfur
crisis. While repeating claims of killings, kidnappings, ethnic
cleansing, forced displacement, attacks by "Arab" militias supported by
Sudanese soldiers and an Arab versus African clash, 'The New York Times'
admitted that "it is impossible to travel in Darfur to verify these
claims". (44)

The simple fact is that there is very little, if any, racial difference
between the many tribes of Darfur, "Arab" or "African". The UN media
service noted: "In Darfur, where the vast majority of people are Muslim
and Arabic-speaking, the distinction between 'Arab' and 'African' is
more cultural than racial." (45) Even hostile Amnesty International
researchers have said that observers should be "cautious" about
describing clashes as ethnic cleansing.(46) Nevertheless, 'The New York
Times' has fallen back on sloppy stereotypes, speaking of a "an already
ugly conflict between Arabs and Africans". (47)

It is very clear that the government has repeatedly taken very firm
action against those "Arab" tribesmen who have attacked "African"
communities. In April 2003, for example, Sudanese courts sentenced 24
Arab armed bandits to death for their involvement in the murder of 35
African villagers in attacks on pastoralist villages. Judge Mukhtar
Ibrahim Adam described the attacks as "barbaric and savage conduct"
reminiscent of "the dark ages". (48) In a further examples of the
government's firm stance, in October 2003, 14 other Arab tribesmen were
also sentenced to death for the murder of non-Arab villagers during
attacks and arson within villages in south Darfur state. (49)

There is also abundant evidence that there has been considerable "Arab"
on "Arab" violence. In one incident alone in May 2002, as reported by
the UN media service, 50 Arab tribesmen were killed in such clashes
between the Arab Rizayqat and Ma'aliyah tribes. (50) A special criminal
court sentenced 86 Rizayqat tribesmen to death for involvement in the
murder of these members of the Ma'aliyah tribe (the sentences are still
pending appeals). These are the Arab tribesmen that it is alleged the
government are militarily supporting.

The reliability of rebel claims has also been highlighted by their
January 2004 to have shot down 3 Apache helicopter gunships. (51) This
will come as news to the American army who have strictly controlled
purchases of the Apache helicopter: Apaches have not yet even been
deployed by the British army.


Conclusion

There is a crisis in Darfur. The fighting has resulted in a humanitarian
crisis. And external forces have undoubtedly played a part in the
development of the conflict.

It is essential to cut away the propaganda that is already clouding the
Darfur issue. The issue is far too important to leave to extremists,
propagandists, flawed analysis and those who wish to see continued
conflict in Sudan. The Sudanese government has spent several years
successfully normalising its relations with the international community
and is on the verge of signing a landmark peace agreement with southern
rebels. Those who claim that the Sudanese government has deliberately
provoked the conflict with a pre-set agenda of "ethnic cleansing" and
"genocide" are either naïve or malicious.

The Sudanese government has clearly sought to address Darfur's
historical underdevelopment. Khartoum's record since 1989 speaks for
itself. While the rebels claim to be fighting for federalism, it is
clear that Khartoum's decentralisation of power since 1989 has itself
perhaps led to a slower response to the crisis than might have been
expected.

A negotiated settlement of the conflict must be reached. International
pressure must be brought to bear upon those external forces - such as
Eritrea - that have been fuelling the fighting. The humanitarian needs
of those who have been displaced must be met until those affected are
able to return to their homes. Khartoum must address the criminality and
armed banditry that has undermined law and order in Darfur. Human rights
organisations cannot have it both ways in criticising the Sudanese
government for inaction and then attacking Khartoum for responding
firmly to terrorism and lawlessness.


Notes

1 "Sudan Govt, SLA Rebels Peace Talks Break Down in Chad", News
Article
by Associated Press, 16 December 2003.
2 "Government Accuses Rebel Leader of Being Behind War in Western
Sudan", News Article by Associated Press, 29 July 2003.
3 See, for example, "Darfur Rebels Adopt New Name: Sudan
Liberation
Movement/Army", News Article by Agence France Presse, 14 March 2003.
4 "Widespread Insecurity in Darfur Despite Ceasefire", News
Article by
Integrated Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs, 3 October 2003.
5 "Widespread Insecurity Reported in Darfur", News Article by
Integrated
Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, 30 July 2003.
6 See, for example, "Khartoum Forces Free Tribal Leaders Held
Hostage in
Darfur: Press", News Article by Agence France Presse, 30 March 2003.
7 See, for example, "Sudan Calls on U.N. to Take Action Against
Eritrea", News Article by Deutsche Press Agentur, 5 January 2004; and
"AU to Consider Sudan Complaint Against Eritrea", News Article by Agence
France Presse, 10 January 2004.
8 See, for example, "Sudan Rebels Form Alliance Against Khartoum
Government", News Article by Africa Online, 28 January 2004.
9 "Al-Turabi Denounces US Role in Peace Process", News Article by
Al-
Hayat (London), 26 January 2004.
10 "Peace Still Some Way Off in Sudan", 'Middle East International'
(London), 8 January 2004.
11 "Sudanese Government Warns Opposition Party to Stop 'Sedition'
in
West", News Article by Associated Press, 23 November 2003.
12 "New Rebel Group Seizes West Sudan Town", News Article by Agence
France Presse, 26 February 2003.
13 "The Escalating Crisis in Darfur", News Article by Integrated
Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, 31 December 2003.
14 See, for example, "Sudan Accuses Southern Separatists of
Supplying
Arms to Darfur Rebels", News Article by Agence France Presse, 28 April
2003, and "Sudanese Armed Forces Attack an Unidentified Plane for
Helping Western Rebels", News Article by Associated Press, 28 August
2003.
15 "Dozens Reported Killed or Wounded in Attack in Western Sudan",
News
Article by Agence France Presse, 6 October 2003.
16 "The Escalating Crisis in Darfur", News Article by Integrated
Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, 31 December 2003.
17 "Situation in Sudan's Dafour Region 'Very Serious', Says UN
Envoy",
News Article by Africa Online, 16 January 2004.
18 "Government Prefers Political Solution to Darfur Problem,
Sudan's FM
Says", News Article by Agence France Presse, 20 January 2004.
19 "Sudan Says Ready to Talk Peace to Darfur Rebels", News Article
by
Reuters, 13 January 2004.
20 See, for example, "Sudan to Hold Conference in Bid to Quell
Tribal
Violence in Darfur", News Article by Associated Press, 22 February 2003.
21 "Sudan Hails New Chad Mediation in Rebellion-hit Western Darfur:
Report", News Article by Agence France Press, 3 February 2004.
22 "West Sudan Rebels Agree to Face-to-Face Aid Talks", News
Article by
Reuters, 3 February 2004.
23 "Sudan Vice-President Holds Talks With Rebel Leader", News
Article by
Xinhua, 24 January 2004.
24 "Sudan Govt, SLA Rebels Peace Talks Break Down in Chad", News
Article
by Associated Press, 16 December 2003.
25 "Peace Talks Break Off Between Sudan Government and Darfur
Rebels",
News Article by Agence France Presse, 16 December 2003.
26 "Sudan Charges That Meddling Sabotaged Chad-Hosted Peace Talks",
News
Article by Agence France Presse, 17 December 2003.
27 "Sudan Accuses Eritrea, Popular Congress Party of Supporting
Darfur
Rebels", News Article by Agence France Press, 19 December 2003.
28 "W. Sudan Rebels Say Killed 1,000 Govt Troops, Militia", News
Article
by Reuters, 19 January 2004.
29 "Agreement Reached Allowing Humanitarian Access to Darfur Region
of
Sudan", Press Release by United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, New York, 17 September 2003.
30 "Feature - Death and Destruction in Darfur", News Article by
Integrated Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs, 11 December 2003.
31 "Workers in Sudan Aid Convoy Killed", News Article by BBC News,
28
October 2003.
32 "USAID Seeks Security for Aid Convoys to War-Torn Area of
Sudan",
News Article by Agence France Presse, 26 October 2003.
33 "Sudanese Government Accuses Rebels of Murdering its Relief
Workers",
News Article by Agence France Presee, 17 November 2003.
34 "Rebel Faction Admits Abducting Relief Workers in Sudan", News
Article by Agence France Presse, 20 November 2003.
35 "Authorities Forcibly Close IDP Camps in Southern Darfur", News
Article by Integrated Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 16 January 2004.
36 "Aid Workers Unable to Reach Most War Zones in Darfur, Western
Sudan", News Article by Deutsche Presse Agentur, 13 January 2004.
37 "Sudan Says Trying to Secure Access for Relief to Darfur
Region",
News Article by Agence France Presse, 7 January 2004.
38 "Sudan: Urgent Call for Commission of Inquiry in Darfur as
Situation
Deteriorates", Press Release by Amnesty International, 21 February 2003.
39 "Khartoum Stepping Up Arrests in Strife-Torn Darfur: Amnesty",
News
Article by Agence France Presse, 6 August 2003.
40 See, for example, "Sudan: Alarming Increase in Executions in
Darfur
Region", Press Release by Amnesty International, London, 28 June 2002.
41 "The Escalating Crisis in Darfur", News Article by Integrated
Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, 31 December 2003.
42 "The Escalating Crisis in Darfur", News Article by Integrated
Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, 31 December 2003.
43 "Pressure Seen as Key to Ending Sudan's Western War", News
Article by
Reuters, 28 January 2004.
44 "War in Western Sudan Overshadows Peace in the South", 'The New
York
Times', 17 January 2004.
45 "The Escalating Crisis in Darfur", News Article by Integrated
Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, 31 December 2003.
46 "Sudanese Gov't 'Largely Responsible' for Abuses in Darfur, Says
Watchdog", News Article by Integrated Regional Information Networks, UN
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 27 November 2003.
47 "War in Western Sudan Overshadows Peace in the Souht", 'The New
York
Times', 17 January 2004.
48 "Court Sentences 24 to Death for Killing 35 People in Tribal
Raid",
News Article by Associated Press, 27 April 2003.
49 "Sudan Sentences 14 to Death for Arson in Turbulent Western
Province", News Article by Agence France Presse, 16 October 2003.
50 "State of Emergency After Southern Darfur Tribal Clashes", News
Article by Integrated Regional Information Networks, UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 22 May 2002.
51 "W. Sudan Rebels Say Killed 1,000 Govt Troops, Militia", News
Article
by Reuters, 19 January 2004.

ENDS

Sudan: Southern peace deal expected in one month

2004-02-19

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L17276224.htm

The Sudanese government expects to sign a peace agreement with rebels within a month, ending more than two decades of civil war that has ravaged the south of Africa's largest country, the foreign minister said on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail was speaking as the two sides opened talks in Kenya on how to share power in the oil-producing country and the status of three disputed areas claimed by both sides.

e-guide to science communication

A new resource from the Science and Development Network

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/20170

The e-guide is a 'one-stop shop' providing both original articles and links to the best material elsewhere. Designed to inspire dialogue, it will grow as registrants from across the globe add their own resources and tips. Wherever you are in the world, if you are interested in communicating information about science more effectively, this is the guide for you. It already contains a wide range of indispensable information.
A new resource from the Science and Development Network

An e-guide to science communication

"Today, no nation that wants to shape informed policies and take effective
action can afford to be without its own independent capacity in science and
technology. The Science and Development Network offers up-to-date
information on science-related issues and the developing world."
Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations, Science, 13 February
2004

This week, as Kofi Annan calls for more attention to be paid to building
capacity in science and technology, the Science and Development Network
(SciDev.Net) is delighted to announce the launch of a new e-guide on science
communication:

www.scidev.net/scicomm

The e-guide is a 'one-stop shop' providing both original articles and links
to the best material elsewhere. Designed to inspire dialogue, it will grow
as registrants from across the globe add their own resources and tips.
Wherever you are in the world, if you are interested in communicating
information about science more effectively, this is the guide for you. It
already contains a wide range of indispensable information:

* Practical guidance on reporting on science, dealing with the
media, interacting with policymakers and organising events
* Opinion and analysis on the use of science communication in
development and on communicating science to the media and public
* A wide range of contacts, with details on international,
regional and national science journalism, science communication
organisations and related email lists.

For further information or to get in touch with our contributors, please
contact Barbara Keating on +44 (0)20 7291 3693, email:
barbara.keating@scidev.net

Use of the e-guide to science communication (and the rest of the site) is
free. However, visitors need to register with SciDev.Net in order to access
e-guide. You can register easily and quickly at www.scidev.net/scicomm

The Science and Development Network (SciDev.Net) aims to build
capacity through the provision of free reliable information on science-based
issues for the developing world. The website is backed by the world's two
leading scientific journals, Nature and Science, and the Third World Academy
of Sciences. Financial support has been provided by the UK Department for
International Development, the Swedish International Development Cooperation
Agency, the International Development Research Centre in Canada, and the
Rockefeller Foundation. SciDev.Net is an independent not-for-profit company,
registered under UK law as a 'company limited by guarantee'. Registered
charity number 1089590.

Internet Creativity

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/20204

According to latest estimates, Africa still has the lowest level of internet access among world regions, accounting for only 1.4% of the estimated 700 million people online worldwide. But the African internet public is large enough to provide much scope for an abundance of diverse ventures to make creative use of new technologies. The latest issue of AfricaFocus Bulletin highlights several such ventures, taken from African projects that placed among the finalists in the Stockholm Challenge, a program that annually honours innovative use of information and communication technology.
Africa: Internet Creativity

AfricaFocus Bulletin
Feb 17, 2004 (040217)
(Reposted from sources cited below)

Editor's Note

According to latest estimates, Africa still has the lowest level of
internet access among world regions, accounting for only 1.4% of
the estimated 700 million people online worldwide. The 10 million
in Africa estimated to have internet access are only a tenth of the
100 million that would match Africa's share of the world
population. But the African internet public is large enough to
provide much scope for an abundance of diverse ventures to make
creative use of new technologies.

This issue of AfricaFocus Bulletin highlights several such
ventures, taken from African projects that placed among the
finalists in the Stockholm Challenge, a program that annually
honors innovative use of information and communication technology.
The projects summarized below include free nationwide internet
access in Egypt, new marketing opportunities for Batswana
basketweavers, and innovative cellphone services for Senegalese
farmers and fishermen and Ugandan villagers. I have also added
several related references to ongoing projects of continued
interest.

For estimates of global internet access, including African
countries, see http://www.internetworldstats.com According to this
site, some 31% of Africans with internet access are in South
Africa, followed by Egypt with 19%, Morocco with 7%, Tunisia and
Zimbabwe with 5% each, and Nigeria and Kenya with 4% each.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Many thanks to those of you who have already sent in your voluntary
subscription payment to support AfricaFocus Bulletin. If you have
not yet made such a payment and would like to do so, please visit
http://www.africafocus.org/support.php for details.

For a recent mention of AfricaFocus Bulletin in the U.S. press, see
the Indianapolis Star for February 16, 2004. Professor Philip
Rutledge, professor emeritus at Indiana University, begins his
opinion column:

"What do The Washington Times and the AfricaFocus Bulletin have in
common? In editorial policy, they are miles apart. Yet, both
published articles during this Black History Month likely to kindle
heated discussion about a controversial but curious link between
reparations for American descendants of African slaves and
cancellation of African debt."

For the full text of Professor Rutledge's opinion column:
http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/121121-7395-021.html

For "Africa: Who Owes Whom," featuring the AFSC's Life over Debt
campaign: http://www.africafocus.org/docs04/debt0402.php

++++++++++++++++++++++end editor's note+++++++++++++++++++++++

Stockholm Challenge Finalists
http://www.challenge.stockholm.se/finalists.asp

Note: The following summary descriptions, of projects in Senegal,
Botswana, Uganda, and Egypt, are unedited extracts from the pages
on each project on the Stockholm Challenge website. The full list
of finalists from around the world also includes other African
projects in Egypt (Archaeological Map) and South Africa
(Tele-Health in Eastern Cape, and three additional projects in
Western Cape).

- - - - - - - - -

MANOBI
Multimedia Market Information System for Senegalese Farmers
http://www.manobi.net

Dakar, Senegal

Farmers in the field and artisans and fishermen on the sea can use
their mobile phones to check prices before they set off and find
out where they will get the best offer for their produce

Manobi is a Mobile & Internet added value services operator for the
agri-business sector and rural communities. Manobi had developed
the T2M, a system that enable producers and as well as exporters
and public regulatory agency to use their mobile telephone, a PDA
or Internet in order to know in real time (i) the price and arrival
status of their products at the markets, and (ii) the availability
of the same products in the production sites. The price and arrival
changes of the products on the markets are collected by Manobi
twice a day. The data (45,000/day) which are sent and stocked at a
centralized base, are analyzed in real time before they are
broadcast to the users through a multi-channel platform specially
developed by Manobi to provide value added data services at lower
cost with the mobile telephony operators' first generation
classical vocal networks. Thanks to this system, Manobi has created
a win-win ecosystem where all the users are increasing their
efficiency and their revenues, the market is better supplied and
the operators is encouraged to better deploy its network in rural
areas

Lack of access to live information on market prices and conditions
one of the main obstacles facing the producers, fishermen and
intermediaries supplying the Senegalese urban and rural market
suppliers. It is one of the causes of impoverishment of the rural
populations who produce fresh products. Because people are not well
informed, they can neither well sell their products nor optimize
the management of their farms or fishing activity or efficiently
plan their work schedule. Furthermore, the rural populations are
not generally supplied with sufficient means of communications; in
particular, the mobile and fixed telephone networks cover a very
little part of the rural areas. ...

*****************************************************************

Botswana Basket Weavers on-line
http://www.botswanacraft.bw

Gaborone, Botswana

Botswana basket weavers formed a group to market their products on
the internet with help from Botswanacraft Marketing

As experienced art class baskets weavers we felt the prices we were
getting for our work was not enough and did not justify the work we
put into weaving. Weaving baskets is a lot of hard work and it can
take months or even a year to finish a large basket. we were tired
and ready to stop weaving! Botswanacraft suggested we form a group
and try to market our artworks directly on the internet. We now
have 24 women in our group and we are able to sell most of our
artworks to collectors from many different countries. We are keen
to continue with our weaving skills and if we can find more
customers we will allow more women from the community to join the
group. Maybe one day we can have the world university of basket
making here in Etsha!

The objective is to develop a world wide market for the intricate
art of the unique baskets woven in Etsha, Botswana. Using the
internet this group of 24 rural women can access and service a
world-wide market for their art-works.

Digital photos of the baskets are put on the web for clients and
customers to see and select for purchase. Orders are made by email
and the selected art-work is delivered within 14 days from date of
order.

Enables the weavers earn a living wage as there is no local market
for the quality baskets that they weave. Without this e-based sales
initiative the women would not be able to earn a living weaving
baskets.

AfricaFocus Bulletin additional note:

The designs in the online gallery of this coop are an extraordinary
visual treat, while the prices, including international express
mail, range from $20 for basic baskets to $200 and up in the Basket
Art Gallery [http://www.botswanacraft.bw/gallery/index.html].

The intricacy of the patterns are illustrative of a subject that
also well represented in sources on the web: the history of
mathematics in Africa. See, among the many sources:

(1) African Mathematical Union, Commission for the History of
Mathematics in Africa
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/AMU/amuchma_online.html

(2) Plaited strip patterns on Tonga handbags in Inhambane
(Mozambique), by Paulus Gerdes
http://www.mi.sanu.ac.yu/vismath/gerdtonga
Non-mathematicians can enjoy the patterns and skip the math.

(3) Review of Women, Art, and Geometry in Southern Africa, by
Paulus Gerdes
http://www.maa.org/reviews/wagsa.html

*****************************************************************

Village Phone Uganda
http://www.tech.gfusa.org/villagepayphone.shtml
http://www.mtnvillagephone.co.ug

Creating new partnerships to provide low-cost telecommunications
services to poor rural Ugandans.

Grameen Foundation USA has formed a partnership with MTN-Uganda,
Uganda's premier mobile phone communications company, to create a
new company in Uganda called MTN VillagePhone. MTN VillagePhone is
partnering with microfinance institutions in Uganda to bring
low-cost telecommunications services to poor rural villages in
Uganda. Micro-entrepreneurs purchase a mobile phone, power
solution, and prepaid-airtime with a small loan from their
microfinance intitution. They then sell use of the phone to members
of their community on a per minutes basis. Over 100 phones have
been deployed to date and the program is on track to be fully
sustainable. The initiative has four simultaneous goals: 1) provide
the rural communities of Uganda with valuable communications
services to enable them to break the cycle of poverty; 2) to
establish a general replication model for the Village Phone
program; 3) to validate, measure, and document the model in a
single country; 4) Disseminate this learning to the commercial
telecommunications sector and the worldwide development communities
so as to establish a global Village Phone movement. Over five
years, we plan to introduce 5,000 new Village Phone business in
rural Ugandan villages.

Although cellular phone network coverage extends into a majority of
rural Uganda, very few people in rural areas can afford to purchase
a mobile phone. Cut off from easy access to information, poor rural
Ugandans are placed at an economic and social disadvantage. For
example, middlemen who come to purchase their goods often charge
exhorbatant rates. With access to telecommunication services, rural
farmers can receive fair market value for their goods,
entrepreneurs in neighboring villages can consolidate their buying
power for raw materials and services, and friends and family can be
quickly contacted. A partnership with a telecommunications company
is essential to provide rural telecommunications services.
Discounted airtime to the Village Phone operators enables them to
have adequate business margins to simultaneously repay their loans
and offer competitve rates to their customers. The
telecommunications company receives a benefit from the increased
volume from these Village Phones. The microfinance institutions
provide a channel to market with unique access to rural areas. This
innovative partnership has been made possible by Grameen Foundation
bringing the players together and developing a business model
specifically for the Ugandan business environment.

The project's greatest impact is enabling people with no access to
information services to reach out to the world outside of their
village for all manners of information. While voice communication
is the most common, a new exciting innovation has now been made
available. Current market price information for popular products
are available via SMS. For the low cost of 150 Ugandan shillings
(US$0.07), a rural farmer can learn the price of corn in the
capital city to negotiate a fair price with their local middleman.

The most obvious benefit of the village phone program is the
economic impact that this communications tool will bring to the
entire village. There is clear evidence of this impact from
Bangladesh, including higher prices paid to Village Phone users for
their goods and better exchange rates when repatriating funds. For
the cost of a phone call, a family is able to save the expense of
sending a productive member to deliver or retrieve information by
traveling great distances in person. Some creative and
entrepreneurial users of the technology identify new business
opportunities, including the resale of information to others in
their communities. The technology also serves to link regional
entrepreneurs with each other and their clients, bringing more
business to small enterprises. Phones have even been used in
emergency situations, accessing medical assistance during natural
disasters and, recently in Uganda, calling the police to enable the
capture a group of criminals. Grameen's experience in Bangladesh
has shown that information technology has enormous potential for
increasing local economic activity and business opportunities as
well as the health and safety of people in the community.

We plan to deploy 5,000 village phones over five years, bringing
telecommunication services to over 10 million rural Ugandans.

*****************************************************************

Egypt's Free Internet Project
Cairo, Egypt
http://www.mcit.gov.eg

Egypt's Free Internet Project is an initiative by the Ministry of
Communications and Information Technology in Egypt, to provide
everyone nationwide with easy and affordable access to the Internet
at the cost of a local call and with no addtional subscription
fees.

In its effort to make technology more affordable, Egypt's Ministry
of Communications and Information Technology launched, on the 14th
of January 2002, the Free Internet Initiative. A unique Egyptian
experience, where Telecom Egypt, in cooperation with the majority
of Egypt's Internet Service Providers, started offering
subscription-free Internet services to users in Cairo via dialup to
special-prefix numbers starting with "0777" or "0707". During 2002,
an ambitious roll-out plan was implemented and as a result, in
September 2002, "Free Internet Services" were available nationwide.
Today, Internet users all across Egypt, are only charged for the
price of local phone calls associated with connecting to the net.

The Free Internet Initiative is based on an offloading / revenue-
sharing model: Where ISPs are allowed to co-locate their access
equipment at Telecom Egypt local exchanges. Thus customers'
Internet calls are serviced at the closest local exchange and
re-routed to the ISP data backbone, resulting in major offloading
of Telecom Egypt PSTN network. In return for offloading, revenues
from the Free Internet calls are shared between Telecom Egypt and
the service providers.

The Free Internet Initiative represents a success story of
public-private-partnership, which has resulted in higher quality
and reduced prices of Internet dial-up services in Egypt, to the
best interest of the Egyptian citizen.

The Free Internet Initiative aims at laying the foundation for
Egypt's Information Society. Increasing the number of online users,
their usage patterns and boosting the infrastructure as a whole are
building the base for future e-Government projects. Before the
project launch in December 2001, Internet users were estimated by
1 million and International Internet capacity was 400 Mbps. Todate
statistics indicate a significant increase in the number of
Internet users, usage patterns,

International capacity and dialup infrastructure:
* Ports Installed Nationwide: 63 Thousand.
* Total Internet Minutes per Month: 700 Million.
* Number of Users Nationwide: 2.4 Million.
* Total International Capacity is: 845 Mbps.

Other objectives of the Free Internet Initiative include providing
high-quality affordable dial-up Internet services to users.
Introducing strong competition and continuous monitoring of service
quality by the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority, has
driven ISPs and Telecom Egypt to expand their infrastructure all
across the country to serve citizens in urban as well as rural
areas.

The Free Internet Initiative has increased the Egyptian citizen's
quality of life by providing an easy and affordable model for
online services:

* Users are offered a variety of Free Internet numbers to choose
from. Currently 225 Internet number, all starting with the same
prefix: 0777 or 0707.

* ISPs provide their customers easy-to-use dial-up services: no
authentication and no subscription fees, via the same numbers
nationwide.

* Competition between 8 NSPs, with large investments in network
infrastructure, and competition between 145 retail ISPs, are
resulting in high-quality reliable Internet service: with no busy
tones, no service interruption and good download data rates.

* Telecom Egypt, having specifically invested to upgrade its
billing system, provides the user with an easy billing model, where
Internet dialup usage-charges are collected with the user's regular
phone bill.

Transferability:

The Free Internet Initiative, having proved itself successful by
all measures, provides a model for replication in other countries.
The associated technical solutions, business models, and regulatory
frameworks are clearly defined by the various players and can be
copied by other countries and modified according to their specific
Internet market conditions and needs. This especially applies to
developing countries with moderate Internet penetration rates and
an emerging Internet market. Some countries of the Arab region such
as Palestine, Sudan, Syria and Iraq as well as other countries such
as Pakistan, have already expressed their interest in studying
Egypt's Free Internet Initiative. Some of them have also signed
agreements with Free Internet Initiative partners, for replicating
the model, some have requested official consultation on the issue,
while the others have requested enough information to study the
project.

Since its launch in January 2001, the Free Internet Initiative has
demonstrated substantial effect on increasing Internet use in
Egypt. Present statistics indicate that the number of users has
increased by 140% reaching 2.4 million, International capacity has
doubled to 845 Mbps and the total number of Internet dialup minutes
has grown up to 700 million per month. The objective in 2004 is to
reach 3 million users served by 1 Gbps International capacity.
Increasing Internet penetration rates and the number of online
users is expected to stimulate more e-government and e-business
applications. It is also expected to drive more online local
content as well as online local services, which will in turn boost
the Internet market of broadband services.

**************************************************************

Additional Recommended Links and Resources

(1) Inclusive Information Society
http://www.africaaction.org/docs02/ict0211.htm

Documents from the Association for Progressive Communications.
Includes links to Schoolnet Namibia, still one of the most
innovative ventures in building internet capacity in African
schools. See http://www.schoolnet.na and try your hand at the
interactive Africa map at
http://www.schoolnet.na/games/map/africa.html

Schoolnet Namibia is also among the hosts, with the AllAfrica
Foundation and others, of the African Free and Open Source Software
Developers Meeting, taking place in Namibia in March. See
http://tacticaltech.org/africasource/

(2) Africa ICT Policy Monitor
http://africa.rights.apc.org

Current news and reports. See also the January issue of Chakula,
the APC's Africa Internet Rights ICT Policy newsletter, available
at http://lists.sn.apc.org/pipermail/africa-ir-public/

(3) Digitial Solidarity Gap
http://www.africafocus.org/docs03/it0312a.php
and
http://www.africafocus.org/docs03/it0312b.php

(4) Time To Get Online
http://www.ttgo.kabissa.org

Learning resource for civil society on effective use of the
internet, from Kabissa, which also provides free internet hosting
for African NGOs.

*************************************************************
AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic publication
providing reposted commentary and analysis on African issues, with
a particular focus on U.S. and international policies. AfricaFocus
Bulletin is edited by William Minter.

AfricaFocus Bulletin can be reached at africafocus@igc.org Please
write to this address to subscribe or unsubscribe to the bulletin,
or to suggest material for inclusion. For more information about
reposted material, please contact directly the original source
mentioned. For a full archive and other resources, see
http://www.africafocus.org

************************************************************

Mydoom as a class issue

2004-02-19

http://www.ericlee.me.uk/archive/000070.html

The author of the Mydoom virus which is now racing around the net deliberately chose to target home users rather than corporate, government or military users. Home users are 'soft targets' for virus writers. They often barely understand the computer that they have purchased. They use whatever software came with it.

Science for all nations

2004-02-19

http://www.scidev.net/Opinions/index.cfm?fuseaction=readOpinions&itemid=235&language=1

From preventing environmental damage to halting the spread of disease, many 21st-century problems can be tackled with scientific and technological know-how and capacity. But not all nations possess this, and slow progress on the Millennium Development Goals has badly hampered their development. In this article, Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations, calls for a new global partnership between the developed and developing worlds that focuses on science and technology. Several initiatives are showing the way, yet more is needed.

Child Soldiers Coalition Newsletter - January/February 2004

2004-02-19

http://www.child-soldiers.org/cs/childsoldiers.nsf/37f914dcf6a462ec802569bb00677467/4b193eee6d2e409a80256e23003d7cc3?OpenDocument

IN THIS EDITION …
- WHY DO ADOLESCENTS VOLUNTEER?
- CHILD SOLDIER NEWS
- DEMOBILISATION AND REHABILITATION UPDATES
- ACTION APPEAL: STOP EXECUTIONS OF CHILD SOLDIERS
- VOICES OF YOUTH IN NORTHERN UGANDA
- FEATURE ARTICLE: WHY DO ADOLESCENTS JOIN ARMED GROUPS AND FORCES? INTERVIEW WITH RACHEL BRETT
- CSC HIGHLIGHTS
- EDITORIAL: THE COALITION’S NEW MESSAGE ABOUT ADOLESCENTS
- ABOUT CHILD SOLDIERS NEWSLETTER

Global Campaign for Education e-newsletter

2004-02-19

http:// www.campaignforeducation.org

The Global Campaign for Education is an independent coalition of NGOs and trade unions campaigning for the right to free, good quality education and immediate action on the Education for All goals. Their email bulletin is produced as an information resource for activists and practitioners. To subscribe, send a message with the word 'subscribe' in the subject line to:
e-news@campaignforeducation.org

Newsletter of the Network for Equity in Health in Southern Africa

2004-02-19

http://www.equinetafrica.org/newsletter/

The Equinet Newsletter is the newsletter of the Network for Equity in Health in Southern Africa and delivers a comprehensive round-up of equity and health issues. You will receive two issues from this mailing list per month. One will contain a briefing of Equinet's activities and the other links to information about equity and health issues in the content categories of Equity in Health;
Values, Policies and Rights; Health equity in economic and trade policies; Poverty and health; Equitable health services; Human Resources; Public-Private Mix; Resource allocation and health financing; Equity and HIV/AIDS; Governance and participation in health and Monitoring equity and research policy. There are also sections that include the latest jobs, conferences and other useful resources related to equity in health. Read the newsletter online by clicking on the URL provided.

Bridging the digital fundraising divide

2004-02-19

http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=41

At the recent 23rd International Fundraising Conference held in the Netherlands, a survey found that more than half of Germans and 20 per cent of Britons under the age of 40 prefer to give donations online. That is good news, especially for those South African NPOs thinking about, or already raising funds online. Unfortunately, raising funds over the Internet is fraught with challenges. The digital divide, insufficient marketing skills and experience, and gaining donor confidence are just some of the difficulties facing NPOs trying to fundraise through the Internet

Call for proposals: Community-Based Innovations to Reduce Child Labour through Education

2004-02-19

http://www.winrock.org/circle/

Winrock International, a non-profit organisation that works with people around the world to increase economic opportunity, sustain natural resources, and protect the environment, is seeking applications for Urgent Action Contracts (UACs) from interested parties for the Community-based Innovations to Reduce Child Labour through Education (CIRCLE) project under a cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Labour. The CIRCLE project is seeking proposals from community-based, non-profit organisations in developing areas with high rates of child labour to implement initiatives that design, build on, and promote innovative pilot projects.

Call for proposals: Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

2004-02-19

http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/apply/call/

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has issued a call for proposals for the Fourth Round of financing. The proposals should support the scale up of effective existing programs and innovative projects that meet the Global Fund’s criteria and that have a clear demonstration of how the resources sought from the Global Fund will achieve additional results in partnership with existing programs. Proposals for funding must be made through Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCM).

Free Journals Access Portal

2004-02-19

http://www.gdnet.org/online_services/journals/gdn_journal_services/index.html

The Global Development Network's new Free Journal Access Portal enables social science researchers based in developing or transitional countries to access a searchable, full-text, online database of more than 120 well-known social-science journals, free of charge.

Invitation to apply for Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program Awards 2004/2005

2004-02-19

http://www.aaisa.org.za/pdf/advertisment_2004.pdf

The Africa-America Institute is pleased to announce the International Fellowships Program of the Ford Foundation for resident citizens and residents of South Africa. The International Fellowships Program, which will provide support for up to three years of full-time post-graduate study, is a Program whose fundamental objective is to provide post-graduate opportunities for individuals from social groups and communities that lack systematic access to higher education. Ford International Fellows, as recipients of the Fellowships will be called, are expected to use their education in helping to reduce inequalities and redress historical patterns of injustice.

A North Africa and Middle East Regional Civil Society Forum on Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Street Children

3-6 March 2004; Cairo, Egypt

2004-02-19

http://www.streetchildren.org.uk

This Forum, which is organised by the Consortium for Street Children in collaboration with the Hope Village Society, will be a mixture of field study,
plenary, and group sessions focusing on street children in the context of children's rights, poverty, and social exclusion. Key experts working with street children from the following countries will be attending: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan/Palestine, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. For more information, contact: Consortium for Street Children, Unit 306, Bon Marche Centre, 241-251 Ferndale Road, London SW9 8BJ, UK; Tel:+44(0) 20 7274 0087; Fax: +44(0) 20 7274 0372; Email:info@streetchildren.org.uk

Activists' Learning Workshop II

26-30 April 2004, Harare, Zimbabwe

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/20124

AFRODAD (African Forum and Network on Debt and Development) and MWENGO (Mwelekeo wa NGO), a reflection and development centre for NGOs in East and Southern Africa will be holding an Activist Learning Workshop on the 26th to the 30th April 2004, in Harare, Zimbabwe. This is the second workshop, the first being held successfully in March 2003. The workshop will focus on learning for activism targeted at policy activists.
Activists' Learning Workshop II 26-30 April 2004, Harare, Zimbabwe

AFRODAD (African Forum and Network on Debt and Development) and MWENGO
(Mwelekeo wa NGO), a reflection and development centre for NGOs in East and
Southern Africa awill be holding an Activist Learning Workshop on the 26th
to the 30th April 2004, in Harare, Zimbabwe. This is the second workshop,
the first being held successfully in March 2003. The workshop will focus on
learning for activism targeted at policy activists. This workshop is for
those who feel that advocacy should and can do more to make their work more
effective. If you would like learn and share insights and inspirational
advocacy experiences, then this workshop is for you. Why not come and get a
better understanding of activism and social movements, of strategies and
tools for effective advocacy. The invitation is open to organisations based
on the African continent.
Participants are expected to cover their own travel costs. Participants from
Harare are expected to pay a workshop fee of USD100/ local equivalent. The
workshop organisers will cover accommodation and subsistence costs. The
closing date for applications is the 5th of March 2004.
If you are interested in attending this workshop, please contact:
Kudzaishe Sengurayi on kudzaishe@mwengo.org.zw
<mailto:kudzaishe@mwengo.org.zw> MWENGO, phone 263-4-700090/ 721469/
091235038; fax 263-4-738310
or Barbara Kalima barbara@afrodad.co.zw <mailto:barbara@afrodad.co.zw>
AFRODAD, phone263-4-702093; fax 263-4-702143
(please cc all correspondence to both the contact people for easier
communication)
----------------
-------------------

Developing guidelines for good governance for Southern African NGOs

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/20125

The Charities Aid Foundation Southern Africa will be hosting a regional one-day working conference on governance and accountability in the non-profit sector on the 25th May 2004. Entitled: 'Governance and Accountability: Developing Guidelines for Southern African NGOs,' the conference is aimed at generating discussion on the need for Southern African NGOs to apply principles of good governance and accountability in their work, as well as to launch the process of developing a draft Code of Good Governance for the non-profit sector.
............................................................................
.....................
Developing guidelines for good governance for Southern African NGOs

The Charities Aid Foundation Southern Africa will be hosting a regional
one-day working conference on governance and accountability in the
non-profit sector on the 25th May 2004. Entitled: 'Governance and
Accountability: Developing Guidelines for Southern African NGOs,' the
conference is aimed at generating discussion on the need for Southern
African NGOs to apply principles of good governance and accountability in
their work, as well as to launch the process of developing a draft Code of
Good Governance for the non-profit sector.

It is hoped that participants representing major international and local
funders, non-profit organizations and governance experts will engage in
vigorous discussion on these very pertinent and timely issues.

We would welcome your involvement on the basis of your interest in effective
and accountable NGOs, and your active participation in the conference
debates. If you would like to bring to our attention the names of other
organisations that you feel could also make a valuable contribution, you are
very welcome to do so.


For more information about the working conference, contact Yvonne Morgan
ymorgan@cafsouthernafrica.org or tel: 2711 726 1148 (Johannesburg, South
Africa).

Hiv/Aids in the workplace

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/courses/20171

Members of Wits' Schools of Business, Economics, Law, Public Health and Social Sciences are organising an interdisciplinary HIV/AIDS in the Workplace Research Symposium. The Symposium aims to provide an opportunity for researchers from all academic disciplines and practitioners conducting 'action research' in work environments to present and discuss their work on HIV/AIDS in the workplace. Locating the Symposium within a university environment provides a unique opportunity to consider the critical issue of HIV/AIDS in the workplace with rigour and freedom of expression.
29th and 30th June, 2004
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

HIV/AIDS IN THE WORKPLACE

Members of Wits' Schools of Business, Economics, Law, Public
Health and Social Sciences are organising an interdisciplinary
HIV/AIDS in the Workplace Research Symposium. The Symposium aims
to provide an opportunity for researchers from all academic dis-
ciplines and practitioners conducting 'action research' in work
environments to present and discuss their work on HIV/AIDS in
the workplace. Locating the Symposium within a university envi-
ronment provides a unique opportunity to consider the critical
issue of HIV/AIDS in the workplace with rigour and freedom of
expression.

The workplace provides an important node for interdisciplinary
research into HIV/AIDS for a number of reasons.

* Workplaces are the location of economic activity on which many
aspects of society depend.

* Workplaces are economic, social, and cultural institutions.
Understanding the impact of HIV/AIDS on the workplace or under-
standing how best a response can be mounted is not possible us-
ing single research methodologies in isolation.

* People work in the workplace, but live, have sex, raise chil-
dren, are ill, and die elsewhere. While employment can be iso-
lated to the workplace other activities - many of relevance to
HIV/AIDS - are located elsewhere. Understanding and responding
to HIV/AIDS must therefore take into account factors beyond the
traditional concerns of the workplace.

* The workplace is a site of social relationships. In South Af-
rica, it forms a key arena in which class, race, and gender re-
lationships are formed, maintained, and changed. HIV/AIDS and
any response to it cannot be removed from these complex and
changing sets of relationships.

* Management and unions in South Africa are seeking new roles in
a transforming society. The importance of HIV/AIDS requires
stakeholders to take up appropriate positions and obligations in
respect to the epidemic.


SYMPOSIUM THEMES

Five themes have been selected for the Symposium. The aim of
these themes is to encourage and promote applied or practical
research, especially of an interdisciplinary nature. We encour-
age work that will develop and advance our understanding of
HIV/AIDS in the workplace, that explores complex or difficult
issues around HIV/AIDS and the workplace, and that looks ahead
to future challenges for HIV/AIDS workplace responses.

* All together? Exploring tensions, contradictions and opportu-
nities around HIV/AIDS programmes in the workplace

* Projections vs. reality: The real impact of HIV/AIDS in the
workplace

* Workplace programmes in the era of treatment: What is best
practice?

* HIV/AIDS and the 'atypical' workplace

* Workplace and society: Are there boundaries in responding to
HIV/AIDS at work?

THE SYMPOSIUM

The two-day Symposium will include themed paper presentations,
key-note speakers, round table discussions and opportunities for
research-related networking.


For more information and abstract submission forms contact:
Rachel Browne
Centre for Health Policy
HIV/AIDS in the Workplace Symposium
PO Box 1038, Johannesburg 2000
Tel: +27-11-489-9881
Fax: +27-11-489-9900
mailto:hiv.workplace@nhls.ac.za
http://www.alp.org.za

Deadline for abstract submission: 1st March
Deadline for papers: 31st May

Call for applications: CODESRIA gender institute 2004

Theme: Gender in the Economy of Care

2004-02-19

http://www.codesria.org/Links/Training_and_Grants/Gender_institute.htm

Each year, since 1994, CODESRIA has organised a Gender Institute which brings together some 12 to 15 researchers for between four to six weeks of concentrated debate, experience-sharing and knowledge-building. CODESRIA is seeking applications for the following posts for the Gender Institute 2004: Director (senior scholars known for their expertise on the topic of the year and for the originality of their thinking on it); Resource persons (senior scholars or scholars in their mid-career who have published extensively on the topic, and who have a significant contribution to make to the debates on it); Laureates (African social scientists who have a minimum qualification of a Masters' degree, with a proven research capacity and who are currently engaged in teaching and/or research activities are invited to send in their applications for consideration for admission into the Institute). For more information, please contact the CODESRIA Gender Institute: Gender.Institute@codesria.sn

Nigeria: Chief of Party - Nigeria HIV/AIDS Project

JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI)

2004-02-19

http://www.comminit.com/vacancy1707.html

JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc (JSI R&T), a Boston-based public health management firm dedicated to providing high quality technical and managerial assistance to public health programs throughout the United States and the developing world, is currently recruiting for a potential Chief of Party for an HIV/AIDS Program in Nigeria. JSI is developing a proposal to submit to USAID to support its HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support initiatives, based in Abuja, Nigeria.

SADC: Women's Legal Rights Advisor

Chemonics International

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/jobs/20194

Chemonics International, an international development consulting firm, seeks a Women's Legal Rights Advisor to help implement the USAID-funded Women's Legal Rights Initiative in the SADC region. The Women's Legal Rights Advisor will provide guidance on women's legal rights programs and activities in the region and serve as a liaison with the justice sector, government and civil society counterparts.
Women's Legal Rights Advisor

Chemonics International, an international development consulting firm,
seeks a Women's Legal Rights Advisor to help implement the USAID-funded
Women's Legal Rights Initiative in the SADC region.

PRINCIPLE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The Women's Legal Rights Advisor
will provide guidance on women's legal rights programs and activities in
the region and serve as a liaison with the justice sector, government
and civil society counterparts.

DESIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
* Must have a degree in law, social sciences, economics, or
equivalent professional experience.
* Must have at least five years of progressively responsible
professional-level experience in women's legal rights, including
experience on violence against women, advocacy, and working in
coalition.
* Must have a feminist, rights-based analysis of women's legal
rights.
* Fluent English proficiency required.
* Ability to effectively maintain contact with high-level
officials and representatives of other bilateral and multilateral
donors, influential civil society and private sector leaders. Must have
excellent analytical, planning, management, organizational, writing, and
teamwork skills.
* Must live in the SADC region and be able to work in a virtual
environment.


APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: If you qualify, please send, in English, as
separate attached files a cover letter (with salary history and
expectations), resume, and a TWO PAGE writing sample on the current
status of women's legal rights in Southern Africa by electronic mail to
womenslegalrights@chemonics.net no later than March 14th 2004. No
telephone inquiries, please. Finalists will be contacted by telephone
and electronic mail.

Chemonics International is an equal opportunity employer. Positions are
open to all persons, regardless of sex, race, religion or background.

Sudan: Civil Society Development Program Coordinator

International Rescue Committee

2004-02-19

http://www.comminit.com/vacancy1731.html

IRC currently seeks a Civil Society Development Program Coordinator for its Sudan program. The Civil Society Development Program Coordinator, based in the IRC Sudan’s Khartoum headquarters, with frequent visits to the field, will lead the coordination of a major two-year community mobilization, civic education and civil society capacity building program in 12 locations across Sudan and South Sudan.

*Remembering Rwanda*

2004-02-19

http://pambazuka.org/en/category/rwanda/20240

This year is the 10th Anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. An international campaign is underway to mobilise to mark this anniversary - "REMEMBERING RWANDA". As our contribution to this campaign, we will be featuring this special section called Remembering Rwanda. We also plan to publish a special issue on Rwanda in April 2004. Get involved! Organise an event in your institution, town, village or city. Send us information about what you are doing to commemorate the anniversary and to provide solidarity to the rebuilding of Rwanda.

A decade after genocide, Rwanda still scarred

2004-02-19

http://www.itechnology.co.za/index.php?click_id=68&art_id=qw1076989867926B265&set_id=1

Ten years after an orchestrated attempt to exterminate its Tutsi minority led to the deaths of up to a million people over the course of 100 days, the central African state of Rwanda still bears deep scars. The killings, organised by the Hutu government of the day, and carried out amid the total inaction of the international community, claimed up to 10 000 lives a day. The now ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which took power as a rebel group in July 1994, putting an end to the genocide, and its political partners have since placed much emphasis on national security, reconciliation and poverty reduction.

African Union endorses Remembering Rwanda

2004-02-19

http://www.visiontv.ca/RememberRwanda/main_pf.htm

The 10th anniversary of the genocide has now been officially recognized by the Africa Union, the entity that replaced the Organisation of Africa Unity. The move resulted from an effort initiated by Remembering Rwanda and spearheaded by our colleague Abdul Mohammed of the InterAfrica Group in Addis Ababa. The resolution calls on all member states, African civil society organisations, as well as the United Nations, to take appropriate steps during the 10th anniversary to commemorate and reflect on the genocide.

Genocide Suspects Who Confess to Go Free

2004-02-19

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=4366782

Thousands of Rwandans accused of participating in the country's 1994 genocide will be released from prison if they admit their guilt and ask for forgiveness before a deadline next month, the government said Monday. The tiny central African nation has been grappling with the question of justice since 1994, when Hutu extremists slaughtered 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu moderates in around 100 days.

Prevent Genocide

2004-02-19

http://www.preventgenocide.org/

Prevent Genocide International is an Internet-based network of anti-genocide activists. The site contains some useful information and reports.

Remembering Rwanda campaign message

2004-02-19

http://www.visiontv.ca/RememberRwanda/main_pf.htm

Remembering Rwanda has been receiving increasing amounts of news about the progress of local commemoration committees, as well as increasing offers of cooperation from friends who want to offer their resources to the commemoration of the genocide. Several of these have photographic exhibitions to share, and they can be found in the Resource section of this website. Local progress can be found in Local Initiatives.

The Aegis Trust Genocide Prevention Initiative

2004-02-19

http://www.aegistrust.org/

The Aegis Trust runs a genocide prevention initiative that aims to promote a fundamental change in the response to genocidal situations, moving away from reactive measures to policies of prevention.

Fahamu