Pambazuka News 345: By inviting Bush we are dishonoring ourselves
Pambazuka News 345: By inviting Bush we are dishonoring ourselves
The value of trade between China and Africa had increased by 24% to $74 billion between 1995 and 2007 according to figures released by the Trade Law Centre of Southern Africa (Tralac). A researcher at Tralac, Taku Fundira, says Chinese imports from Africa increased by 27% over the review period while Chinese exports to Africa increased slower at 23%. "This resulted in a small trade deficit of $1.1 billion for China with Africa in 2007.
At least 2.3 million people have been displaced by the conflict in Darfur. Most of those driven from their homes and communities are now living in more than 65 camps dotted around Darfur. Hundreds of thousands of people were driven from their home in 2003-4 in attacks that were accompanied not only by killing, but also by rape of women on an unprecedented scale.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that there are up to 2 million vulnerable people in need of humanitarian aid in war-wracked Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since 1991 and where fighting has intensified in recent months. In the capital Mogadishu, the number of people escaping the city to the poorest areas of the Horn of Africa nation has doubled to 700,000 in the last six months.
Members of an unidentified armed group have launched a series of violent attacks against locals in southern Sudan’s Central Equatoria state over the past month, prompting United Nations officials to organize the distribution of basic relief supplies to the affected population in the already impoverished region. The UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) reports that the attacks have taken place across three counties in Central Equatoria, which borders Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), since mid-January.
The United Nations refugee agency has launched an appeal for $63 million to help it administer the voluntary return and reintegration of 80,000 Sudanese still living in neighbouring countries as a result of the north-south civil war that ended in early 2005. The appeal by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), unveiled in Geneva, aims to ensure that the agency’s voluntary repatriation scheme would be able to continue.
A Rwandan defence investigator accused of trying to fabricate evidence for the appeal in the genocide trial of the country’s former higher education minister has made his first appearance in his own case before the United Nations tribunal set up to deal with the mass killings that engulfed the small African nation in 1994.
With the security situation easing after a wave of violence tore through Kenya following last December’s contested elections, the United Nations reported that large numbers of displaced are returning to their “ancestral homes,” potentially straining resources in the nation’s western region. The movement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) is mainly occurring from central to western areas of the country, and its impact is already being felt in Western and Nyanza provinces where educational and health systems are overextended, according to the UN Country Team.
Riot police are reported to have used violence to break up peaceful demonstrations by students in Bulawayo and Harare on Wednesday. Several student leaders, who were briefly detained in both cities, say they were brutalised by police while in custody. The group detained in Bulawayo included Privilege Mutanga, the ZINASU Gender and Human Rights Secretary, who is 9 months pregnant. She suffered a broken hand and a twisted ankle during the assaults and was rushed to Harare for treatment on Thursday.
The Zimbabwean newspaper has published a story claiming South African President Thabo Mbeki is supportive of Simba Makoni’s bid to run for president. Editor Wilf Mbanga said their reporter picked up the story in South Africa and confirmed it with officials from Mbeki’s government. He says they have also run it by Makoni’s people, who confirmed Mbeki had hoped for a change of leadership within Zanu PF at their special congress in December last year.
Prices of basic goods shot up to an all time high on Wednesday as the country’s world-record hyperinflation spun further out of control. The Central Statistical Office, which has failed to release inflation figures since September last year, sent a statement to banks Wednesday confirming inflation has soared to a new high of over 66,000 percent, based on December figures. This marked a gain of over 39,000 percentage points on the November rate of over 26,000 percent.
There was confusion at most voter registration and verification centres when people rushing to make last minute checks were told the exercise finished on Wednesday. Our Harare correspondent Simon Muchemwa said the exercise ended at 7pm Wednesday despite notices in the official state media that it was going to end Thursday.
Kenya's feuding political parties have agreed to set up an independent review of the disputed December 27 presidential election, mediator Kofi Annan said on Friday. Annan, reporting on progress at this week's talks, also said it was essential for the parties to form a "broad coalition" to agree on constitutional and electoral reforms going forward.
Zambian former president Frederick Chiluba must stand trial on charges of stealing almost half a million dollars from the southern African country while he was its leader, a court ruled on Friday. Magistrate Jones Chinyama set the trial date for Chiluba, who stands charged of theft of public funds with two Lusaka businessmen, for May 5. Chiluba denies any wrongdoing.
Gunmen in eastern Chad have prevented the United Nations from moving newly-arrived refugees from Sudan's Darfur region away from a volatile border area and into camps, the world body said on Friday. U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said armed men stopped a group of families from boarding its trucks in the Birak border area this week and other refugees due to be collected had moved away for fear of attacks by Sudanese militias.
With the third DRC war crimes suspect now at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the ICC Prosecutor has signalled that his work in Ituri is done. According to the Prosecutor, the arrest of Mathieu Ngudjolo now closes the first phase of investigations in the DRC. He is now turning his attention to the ongoing atrocities in the Kivus, just south of Ituri.
The South African Department of Health this week published new guidelines for prevention of mother to child transmission in South Africa. However activists and doctors say they still leave South Africa out of step with poorer and less well resourced nations. South Africa will not adopt the regimen described as `more efficacious` by World Health Organization guidelines issued in August 2006 - seven days of AZT and 3TC for mothers after single dose nevirapine at the time of delivery – but instead use AZT alone for the infant - but not the mother - in the week after delivery.
Uganda has undergone a striking change in the profile of people becoming newly infected, with older and married individuals now making up the vast majority of new infections, according to findings from a national study of HIV incidence conducted in 2004-5 and presented last week at the Fifteenth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston.
Southern Africa has been warned to brace for more and heavier rains as the peak of the rainfall season approaches. The rainfall season in most of southern Africa stretches from October to March with a peak in late February. A forecast for the period January to March 2008 issued by the SADC Drought Monitoring Centre warns of heavy rainfall across most parts of mainland SADC and Madagascar.
Rape remains a taboo subject within Moroccan society, despite increased media coverage in recent years. Instead of receiving moral support and encouragement from their families, rape victims are often rejected. Parents see the rape of a daughter as a dishonour which must be concealed at all costs.
A World Bank study issued last week says Arab countries must improve education to combat unemployment and close what it calls the "education gap" with other regions. Under the title, "The Road Not Traveled: Education Reform in the Middle East and North Africa", the report called on countries in the Maghreb region to "reform their educational systems so as to meet the demands of an increasingly competitive world, and to benefit from the potentials and capabilities of the already big, and still growing" youth population
A new report released on February 13th shows that planting genetically modified (GM) crops is causing an increased use of harmful pesticides in major biotech crop producing countries. The 2008 edition of the Friends of the Earth International “Who Benefits from GM crops?” report series is titled “The Rise in Pesticide Use” and concludes that GM crops on the market today have on the whole caused an increase rather than a decrease in toxic pesticides use, and have failed to tackle hunger and poverty.
Three years ago, Bengt-Ake Johansson faced a risky road journey through rebel-infiltrated territory in northern Uganda as he prepared to set out from Kenya to deliver a gift of trucks from Sweden to UNHCR in South Sudan. He needed a police escort to get through.Last week, Johansson returned to Kenya with other colleagues from the Swedish Rescue Services Agency (SRSA) to lead another convoy of trucks from Mombasa to South Sudan, some 2,000 kilometres away. This time the danger came from inside Kenya, where post-election violence has plagued parts of the country since the beginning of the year.
Three days each week a group of refugees, including men, women and older children, gather in a classroom in Meheba to learn ways to improve their agriculture and small businesses. With most refugees who wanted to repatriate now gone home to Angola, UNHCR and the Zambian government are working – through programmes such as the formation of agricultural cooperatives and a micro-credit scheme – to ensure that remaining refugees are gaining the knowledge and skills to become self-sufficient.
The UN refugee agency has launched a final distribution of aid for a large group of displaced people who have returned to their homes in the southern province of Katanga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). "This intervention is being carried out as part of UNHCR's programme of assistance and protection for people displaced in northern and central Katanga," said Roger Hollo, a protection officer in the provincial capital, Lubumbashi.
Swaziland’s timber plantations have been held up as a model of sustainable forestry management, where other plantations around the world are considered to have had negative environmental and social impacts. However, the authors of this report argue that these plantations are sustainable in the narrowest sense of the term, that of “long-term productivity” rather than “sustainability” as it is understood in a development context.
Land certification has been implemented in Ethiopia since 1998 and over 5 million certificates have been delivered. This is the largest delivery of non-freehold rights in such a short time period in Sub Saharan Africa. The new federal and regional land proclamations that form the basis for this land reform, aim to increase tenure security and strengthen women’s rights to land as to ensure more sustainable use of land resources. This study, conducted in the Oromiya region (OR) and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia, aims to assess the early impacts of land registration and certification that has been implemented there since 2004.
Chad's president has declared a nationwide state of emergency, telling his citizens that tightened controls were needed to restore order after recent attacks by an opposition alliance. Idriss Deby made the announcement in a speech broadcast on national radio and television on Thursday.
South Africa's elite crime-fighting unit, the Scorpions, is to be disbanded in what comes as a blow to Thabo Mbeki, the country's president, who defended the FBI-style organisation. Charles Nqakula, South Africa's safety and security minister, told parliament on Tuesday that the organisation would be dissolved and a new unit set up.
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has taken steps to get rid of foreign rebel militia in the country. This was evidenced by a presidential order, authorising the formation of a pilot committee for the purpose. Coordinated by Congo's Foreign Affairs Minister, Antipas Mbusa Nyamwisi, the committee is expected to get backing from the UN peacekeeping mission [MONUC] in the country to monitor and coordinate disarmament, demobilisation and repatriation activities of foreign fighters to their respective countries.
A judicial inquiry has opened into the disappearances of three key opposition figures detained in the Chadian capital N'Djamena on 4 February, the Interior Minister Ahmat Mahamat announced. The whereabouts of the three politicians - Lol Mahamat Choua, Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh and Ngarlejy Yorongar - were not known
Around 135 rebels captured when they attacked the Chadian capital N’djamena in early February were displayed by Chadian police on 13 February, some of whom were identified as children. "Among these prisoners there are minors,” Interior Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir, said during a press conference.
The livelihoods of local fishermen are increasingly threatened by the many industrial trawlers from Europe, China, Korea and Russia, which often operate illegally in Guinea's once-abundant waters. "The exclusive zones that are reserved for local fishing should be recognised by the industrial boats and they should stay away from them because their presence is causing a lot of economic and social problems,” Souba Camara, a government port official in Conakry told IRIN.
Pambazuka News 343: Crisis in Kenya: Call for justice and peaceful resolution
Pambazuka News 343: Crisis in Kenya: Call for justice and peaceful resolution
Democracies everywhere are undergoing transformation and redefinition in response to particular contemporary phenomena. These phenomena include the rise of global capitalism and the subsequent globalization of many aspect of culture; large scale migration or immigration; identity politics; the development of new, powerful supranational entities like the European Union; neo-liberal policy; and, in the case of Central and Eastern European countries, the dismantling of state socialism. This course specifically considers how these processes shape political and social belonging in democracies today in various ways. Application deadline: 14 March 2008.
Actionaid is happy to announce 10th International Training Course on Disability and Development, scheduled from 11th to 20th March 2008,Bangalore. The ten-day intensive exercise is intended for Programme Managers of organisations and projects involved in development and disability work. The course is designed to equip the participants with appropriate attitudes, necessary knowledge and basic skills to initiate, monitor, develop and strengthen disability and development programmes apart from facilitating information exchange among participants.
The Global Alliance for ICT and Development of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA-GAID) will organize an event, entitled "United Nations Meets Web 2.0 - New Media, New Entrepreneurs and New ICT Opportunities in Emerging Markets", on 25-26 March 2008, in Conference Room IV of the United Nations Headquarters in New York. This event is second in a series of intimate, interactive and action-oriented meetings organized by UNDESA-GAID with ICT leaders, who create new and innovative technologies.
The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to call for proposals for its revamped programme for the publication of text books for use in African universities. The programme was initially introduced as part of a broad set of objectives for achieving greater balance and relevance in curriculum development in African universities by making available to teachers and students, text books that are adapted to the African historical context and the environment of research and learning on the continent.
The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to announce the 2008/2009 competition for its new initiative designed to contribute to the development, restoration and/or consolidation of a culture of regular faculty seminars in African universities. In announcing the competition, the Council will also like to invite applications from staff of faculties of social sciences of African universities for the resources available to support the programme.
The Zamdela Arts and Culture Center in conjunction with Ditiro Productions and Icebound Projects host the Zamdela Spoken Word Fest from 29 February to 2 March 2008. The festival is aimed at promoting the culture of reading and writing by improving the writing and performance expertise of budding writers and exposing their works to the broader community, and by building relations between emerging and established writers. Organizers hope that the event would boost the morale of writers and artists and open doors for publishing and recording opportunities for them
NGOs meeting in Johannesburg have challenged leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to put their money where their mouths are by adopting a binding protocol for promoting gender equality at their August summit. In a statement following a three day strategy meeting, members of the Southern African Gender Protocol Alliance[1] commended the recent move by senior officials responsible for gender to strengthen the draft SADC Protocol on Gender and Development that was watered down and then deferred at the 2007 Heads of State summit in Lusaka.
I would not call this book a narrative in the conventional sense, but it tells a story nonetheless. It is a story of time, the times we live in. It is also (and this is where then non-narrative part comes in) a story of a man's mind. Charles is this man. His story is an engaging mixture of curiosity, great learning, down-to-earth humour, and social comment. He has left Cameroon for Merrie England to study philosophy, and he compares and contrasts the English society (and to my mind, the entire Western society by extension) with Africa. The hilarity occasioned by some of his observations is alone adequate recompense for buying the book.
The World Bank independent Inspection Panel said that it appreciates the World Bank Group’s efforts to tackle difficult and risky problems under trying circumstances in the forest sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). While pointing to a series of significant policy compliance failures in Bank-supported forest-sector reforms, the Panel noted the view of many stakeholders, including critics of the Bank’s actions, that the Bank should stay engaged in DRC forest work and strengthen efforts to address problems and correct policy shortcomings.
Filipino academic and activist Walden Bello has been named the Outstanding Public Scholar of 2008 by the International Political Economy section of the International Studies Association (ISA). He will receive the award at the group’s annual convention to be held in San Francisco, California from March 26-29, 2008. Special events honoring Bello include a panel on his work on Thursday March 27, 2008 during the annual meeting. On Friday evening, March 28, Bello will join other scholar activists in speaking at a public event at City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Ave, in San Francisco, co-sponsored by Routledge, Taylor & Francis Press.
The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is pleased to announce the seventeenth competition under its Small Grants Programme for Thesis Writing. The grants are designed to contribute to the development of the social sciences in Africa, and the continuous renewal and strengthening of research capacities in African universities through the funding of primary research conducted by post-graduate students and professionals.
The Senior Program Officer for Africa will be responsible for shaping and implementing the strategic direction of AJWS’ grantmaking in Africa and directly managing grants in Southern Africa. S/he will represent AJWS’ Africa program at international forums as well as AJWS Board and donor meetings. S/he will manage the work of the two Africa Program Officers and consultants in the field. S/he will also work as part of a closely knit Grants Department and with other AJWS programs including advocacy, volunteer programs, and communications. For immediate consideration, please forward your resume and cover letter to [email][email protected] and indicate your name and "Senior Program Officer, Africa" in the subject line. PLEASE NOTE that candidates need to be authorized to work in the US, as AJWS doesn’t have the capacity do undertake visa procedures right now.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is giving $306 million to six farming programs as part of a broader expansion by the charity into agricultural development. The grants, into projects for creating higher quality coffee, rice and better irrigation technologies as well as other projects, will nearly double the amount to date that the Gates Foundation has given to agricultural projects.
Edem Children Foundation (ECF) is a Child’s Rights NGO working in Southern Nigeria. Our work focuses on reducing violence against children and young people, reducing the incidence and impact of HIV/AIDS on orphans and vulnerable children, as well as mother-to-child empowerment opportunities. Application Period: January 14th to March 14th, 2008. Duration of Volunteerism: 3 to 6 months
Police in Senegal have arrested several men following the publication of pictures claiming to depict a wedding ceremony between two men. The pictures were published in Icone magazine, whose editor, Mansour Dieng, has since received death threats. Mr Dieng has also been questioned by police over the issue. Homosexuality is illegal in Senegal but it is not clear whether the arrests were in connection with the ceremony or the death threats.
Radio France International (RFI), on January 31, 2008 again had its permission to broadcast on FM suspended by Cote d'Ivoire'sNational Council for Broadcast Communication (CNCA). Media Foundation for West Africa's (MFWA) correspondent reported that the Ivorian regulator body this time accused the management of the French public broadcaster of failing to honour its financial obligation to the CNCA.
This Thursday, 7th February 2008, eight Joe Slovo residents charged with public violence last year are due to appear in the Cape Town Regional Court in Parow (Court Number 4). The Joe Slovo Task Team is very disturbed that the case has been moved from the Bishop Lavis Magistrates Court to the Regional Court and that it is set down for trial, whereas they do not even have a lawyer.
The 29 March elections will not solve Zimbabwe's crisis. From 8 - 9 February, nearly 4,000 delegates will attend the Zimbabwe People's Convention in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, to decide how to organise themselves and work together to bring about peace and social justice. The majority of Zimbabwean men, women and children do not have food, clean water, and medical services. Come and hear what they have to say and find out how you can support them.
bilaterals.org, GRAIN and BIOTHAI are launching a collaborative publication, "Fighting FTAs: The growing resistance to bilateral free trade and investment agreements". While global trade talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) stagnate, governments and corporations are busy spinning a complex web of bilateral free trade and investment agreements (FTAs). "Fighting FTAs" looks at what this FTA frenzy is really about, how social movements are fighting back and strategic learnings emerging from these struggles.
A series of arrests in Cairo sparked by one man’s admission to police that he was HIV-positive endangers public health as well as human rights, Human Rights Watch has said. Human Rights Watch called on Egyptian authorities to overturn the convictions of four men for the “habitual practice of debauchery,” and to free four others who are held pending trial. The government should end arbitrary arrests based on HIV status and take steps to end prejudice and misinformation about HIV/AIDS.
In a move calculated to instill fear in students, Bulawayo Polytechnic College has suspended five students following a demonstration staged by ZINASU on 23rd of January 2007. The Principal, Mr. T. P. Ndlovu has vowed to deal amply with all those who involved themselves in the demonstration. The suspended students are Melusi Hlambano, Food and Accommodation Secretary 2006, Tinashe Mhlanga, Bothwell Gwature, Brian Sibanda and Tinashe Chichera.
In a clear case of the intolerance and partisan nature that continues to characterize the police force, 10 police officers on Saturday 2 February raided the Youth Forum offices in Harare. They arrested Terence Chimhavi the Youth Forum’s Advocacy Officer as well as Farirai Mageza, a member of the Youth Forum in Harare. The two were arrested at around 1600hrs and were detained at Avondale Police Station where they were thoroughly interrogated for more than 8 hours.
On 29 March 2008 Zimbabwe will be holding its harmonized presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections. Zimbabweans will again be faced with the opportunity to exercise their democratic right and freedom to choose freely, through the ballot box, leaders with the mandate to securing a prosperous, peaceful and democratic Zimbabwe.
The trial of Bright Chibvuri the editor of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions’ The Worker magazine charged under the repressive Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) resumed on 1 February 2008 in Plumtree only to be postponed yet again. The trial but had to be postponed after the magistrate ruled that he needed time to consider legal arguments which arose during the trial.This comes hardly a day after the trial was postponed on 31 January 2008 because the trial magistrate was on a prison visit in the town.
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) notes the announcement made by the Registrar General’s office concerning the opening of inspection of the voters’ roll from 1 to 7 February 2008. ZESN is seriously concerned that the time allocated for the inspection of the voters’ roll is far too short considering that there are new constituencies and wards countrywide.
On the Night Of January 30, members of the South African Police Service accompanied by officials of the Department of Home Affairs conducted a brutal and violent raid on the premises of the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg at around midnight, reportedly breaking down the doors of the church and violently attacking and beating up many unarmed and defenceless people who were sheltering in the church. The minister of the church, Bishop Paul Verryn, was also assaulted in the attack. Many people reportedly had items of personal property illegally confiscated by their ‘attackers’ in scenes reminiscent of the behaviour of security agents under apartheid.
The 07-07-07-Campaign to end hate against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Intersexed (LGBTI) persons was launched at the Saartjie Baartman Centre, Heideveld in Cape Town on the 2nd anniversary commemorating the violent and brutal death of 19 year old Zoliswa Nkonyana (04/02/06). The provincial campaign is being spearheaded by Cape Town's Triangle Project, the oldest LGBTI service organisation in the country in partnership with the national Joint Working Group (JWG) and the Western Cape 07-07-07 Alliance partners.
The Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network is a Southern African NGO based in Johannesburg that has chapters in 13 southern African countries. The GEMSA secretariat seeks the services of an experienced, highly motivated and committed individual to fill the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The successful candidate will come from Southern Africa.
Women'sNet, a feminist NGO based in Johannesburg, which promotes the strategic use of ICTs for social action and women's empowerment is seeking to fill the position of Intern. the deadline for applications is 15 February 2008.
Women'sNet, a feminist NGO based in Johannesburg, which promotes the strategic use of ICTs for social action and women's empowerment is seeking to fill the position of Project Officer. the deadline for applications in 15 February 2008.
The United Nations Foundation announced today its support for the "Say NO to Violence against Women" campaign. The Foundation will donate $1 for each the first 100,000 signatures to the online campaign that is run by the UN Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM. The contributions will go to the UNIFEM-managed UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.
People can sign on to the campaign at
This week’s AU Monitor brings you news and updates from the African Union (AU) summit.
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has been elected Chair of the African Union, promising that he will do everything “within his mandate to work towards peace and stability on the continent”. In addition, Jean Ping, Gabonese Foreign Affairs Minister, was elected as the new Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), replacing President Alpha Oumar Konare of Mali. At the close of the AU summit, Mr. Ping stated that the AU should deepen its ties with the Arab world to help end conflicts in Africa where “Arab’s and African’s meet” and to promote economic development. Kenyan Erastus Mwencha, Secretary General of COMESA, was elected as Deputy Chairperson of the Commission while seven Commissioners were also elected to the AUC at this 10th ordinary session.
In an interview with President Mbeki at the close of the AU summit, he noted that progress on industrialization, the theme of the summit, would only occur once Africa became a manufacturing continent rather than simply an exporter of raw materials. Referring to both the decisions relating to the audit report and the union government, President Mbeki stated that they would be effectively postponed until the next summit of the AU in July with further inter-session deliberation. In her analysis, Anita Powell calls the stagnation of the Union Government decision power politics. Notably, the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) Executive Secretary Tomas Salomao has cautioned the formation of a union government until sub-regional groups increase ties and communication amongst themselves first.
Further, the AU Executive Council made a decision on the Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union, stating that no region should sign one if it is not discussed at the continental level. The Council said that the signing of any agreement will affect the continent as a whole. Afroflag Youth Vision and Oxfam International have issued a joint statement urging African governments to join forces and block the European Unions proposed economic partnership agreements (EPAs), as they will have a critical negative impact on Africa’s industrial development and economic policies.
The African Commission on Human and People’s Right’s (ACHPR) will hold its fourth extraordinary session in The Gambia this month, addressing, among other matters, the human rights situation in Kenya. ACHPR has also issued a statement on the violence in Kenya, expressing grave concern for the destruction, loss of life, and displacement of civilians; the group has also called upon all those involved to work through differences through dialogue and urges the Kenyan government to protect those at greatest risk.
The Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR) coalition issued a communiqué on the situation in Kenya, expressing their concerns over the civil and political unrest following the elections and the violation of human rights that occurred as a result. While the president of the West African Bar Association, Femi Falana, urged the African Union to take proactive steps to limit the violence in Kenya, calling for them to impose sanctions on the Kenyan government for “violating its obligations under the AU Constitutive Act and African Charter as well as promoting unconstitutionalism”.
The media rights group, Committee to Protect Journalists, has called on the AU to “strengthen AU institutions dedicated to supporting press freedom” to help ensure democracy, stability, and freedom of speech throughout the continent. While, a group of civil society organizations (CSO) released a communiqué on a people-centered African Union and the importance of CSO involvement in AU affairs. The communiqué states: “With a commitment from the AU to enhanced engagement of African civilians in the process of uniting the African continent, there remains the actualization of a new form of partnership. We believe that civil society can serve as the critical link between the African peoples and AU”. Further, a recent CSO Continental Conference resulted in a host of recommendations from African civil society on the audit of the AU, the union government, peace and human security and EPAs.
In regional news, Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC) Ambassador Juma Mwapachu calls for police and immigration authorities to join the movement in promoting cross-border trade and free movement of people in the region, encouraging authorities to contribute to regional integration as opposed to hindering it. Similarly, in an attempt to further economic integration, SADC will launch its Free Trade Area in late August, 2008, coinciding with the annual Summit of Heads of State.
http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/343/blogs_01_kenopalo.gif comments on the continued inability of the Zimbabwean opposition to join forces in time for the forthcoming presidential elections:
“You would imagine that with a president like one Robert Mugabe the Zimbabwean opposition would do anything in their capacity to have him out of power. But you would be wrong. This power hungry lot (yes, this is what I think of them) has refused to come up with a coalition against Mugabe. Their leaders, Tsvangirai and Mutambara, have confirmed that talks between their rival MDC factions have “broken down irretrievably” - according to the BBC.
A divided MDC almost certainly guarantees the aging Mugabe a win in the March polls. … Tsvangirai and Mutambara owe it to their countrymen and women to form a united front if they really want to unseat Mugabe. They have no business running separate campaigns in March because this will guarantee the presidency to Mugabe.
[…]
Sadly, this is yet another case of African leaders lacking true leadership. It also paints a bad picture of both Tsvangirai and Mutambara and makes one doubt whether these two really want to end the bad governance that we’ve come to associate with Bob or whether they just want to perpetuate the same old practices of rent-seeking, cronyism and over-the-roof inflations rates - but may be with less human rights abuses and the jailing of opposition supporters. Even this is questionable, after seeing what Kenya has turned into following the “bad” years of Moi rule. African leaders just have a way of making you look back and shock yourself by wishing you had the likes of Moi in power.”
http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/343/blogs_02_civilexpression.gifNo Longer at Ease continues to provide daily updates on the crisis unfolding in Chad:
“The government is in control of the capital N'Djamena for the moment. The rebels are saying they'll return. But the most development has been in the French position: it seems they've made their minds up in supporting president Idris Deby, though few days ago they seemed to be waiting to see who will win. The UN resolution calling on members of the Security Council to lend support to the Chadian president raised the prospect of French intervention. The French defense minister said that their helicopters have been monitoring the Chadian-Sudanese border to expose any foreign intervention.
Thousands of Chadians have crossed over to Cameroon, and hundreds of civilians are reported dead or injured.”
http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/343/blogs_03_brendait.gifBrenda Zula revisits President Levy Mwanawasa’s firing of Zambia’s Ambassador to Libya, Mbita Chitala.
“According to the Times of Zambia Newspapers, the President’s action was prompted by Mr. Chitala's article in which he was advocating for policies which he termed as being contrary to the Government position on the African Union.
Mr. Chitala was not given any authority by the Zambian government to write what he wrote on in The Tripoli Post.
‘The article has caused untold embarrassment to His Excellency the President and the Government of Zambia, and a Foreign minister of a country whose leader was described in very unkind words has intimated that he will send a note of protest to the Zambian Government.’"
http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/343/blogs_04_constitutionallysp...http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/343/blogs_05_cnnlibya.gifCNN Lybia one of the rare English language blogs from Lybia writes about deletion of one of the leading Libyan blogs following a campaign by the Libyan Union of Bloggers:
“Those of you who browse the Arabic language sector of the Libyan blogosphere, have definitely come across what used to be the most popular Libyan blog of Tariq Ali, a Libyan guy who confessed frankly that he didn’t believe in any religion… his blog has recently been deleted after [a] message… sent by the Libyan union of bloggers to maktoob, the host of Tariq's blog.
[…]
The other thing that is far beyond me is the reason behind the move of the Libyan union of bloggers against Tariq!! Was it because the guy identified himself as a Libyan? And they think of themselves as our guardians, so they have the right to impose a censorship of what we write? Do we have to be more cautious now, since we have a union that is capable of causing our blogs to be deleted? Are they proud of their union now as its first accomplishment was silencing a Libyan blogger? Has Tariq lost his blog because he doesn’t believe in God, or because he is Libyan??
This so-called union of Libyan bloggers doesn’t actually offer anything to Libyan bloggers, it only speaks in our name to achieve the personal goals of its founders, so "she" can add in her CV that she is the elected boss of all Libyan bloggers.”
http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/343/blogs_06_dibussi.gifScribbles from the Den has a more upbeat and positive article, originally published in Chicago Tribune, about the increasing political influence of African bloggers:
“But perhaps the most remarkable -- and least appreciated -- novelty in Africa's turbulent political scene is the blossoming of information technology.
The world's poorest continent is, not surprisingly, also its least wired: Only 5 percent of Africans have access to the Internet, compared with the global population's average of 22 percent. But Web use in Africa has exploded almost ninefold since 2000, experts say. And by prying open the stranglehold that repressive regimes once held on the news, it has become, in the hands of ingenious Africans, a powerful tool for democratization and even disaster relief.
[…]
The U.S. should take note. As it prepares to engage with Africa more intensely than at any time since the Cold War, in part by the Pentagon's establishment of a new Africa Command headquarters to coordinate military and security interests, the U.S. will be competing on an increasingly flat information playing field.
Gone are the days when Washington could control its messages in client states. The scruffy cyber cafes of Chad and the man in Congo who rents his cell phone by the minute -- sometimes climbing atop a tree to improve reception -- ensure that Washington's voice will have to vie with those of the resource-hungry Chinese, or with the designs of Al Qaeda recruiters.”
http://www.pambazuka.org/images/articles/343/blogs_07_dibussi.gif* Dibussi Tande, a writer and activist from Cameroon, produces the blog Scribbles from the Den
World Bank President Robert Zoellick has pledged to seek ways of giving quicker financial support to African states struggling after conflict in the world's poorest continent. Zoellick met finance ministers from Liberia, Togo, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast on Tuesday during a brief visit to Liberia, the second stop on a tour of African
The World Bank's involvement in the carbon market is under hot debate. In this article, Janet Redman from the Institute for Policy Studies opposes its approach while Jon Sohn, from Climate Change Capital argues that there is a role for the Bank to play.
As tens of thousands of people flee the ongoing violence in Chad, concerns are being raised by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, for the health and safety of expectant mothers and their children. Thousands of refugees have streamed across the border between Chad and Cameroon to seek shelter from the fighting. UNFPA seeks to make motherhood as safe as possible during crisis situations by providing care before, during and after delivery and by helping those who want to delay or avoid pregnancy.
Chinese government donated 300,000 US dollars humanitarian aid to Kenyan Red Cross Society on Monday. "A friend in need is a friend indeed," Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Zhang Ming said in the handover ceremony, adding the Chinese government and its people had enjoyed a "deep friendship" with the Kenyan. "During the current difficult time, the Chinese government and its people are highly concerned about the humanitarian situation in Kenya, and that's why we made donations one after another," said the ambassador.
China on Saturday formally opened a new embassy in Malawi, after the poor southern African nation announced last week it was switching its diplomatic allegiance from Taipei to Beijing. "We have officially established diplomatic relations to serve the common aspirations of the people of the two countries," Zhai Ju, assistant foreign minister and special envoy to Chinese President Hu Jintao, said in a prepared speech obtained by AFP.
China will lend Gabon 37.2 billion CFA francs on concessionary terms to part-fund a hydroelectric dam scheme, the central African country's presidency said in a statement published on Saturday. The "Grand Poubara" hydro scheme is linked to a $3 billion Chinese-led project to mine iron ore at Belinga, which is a key plank in government efforts to wean Gabon's middle-income economy away from dependence on declining oil production.
Four prominent members of the Chadian opposition have been arrested by security forces in N’Djamena. The whereabouts of Lol Mahamat Choua, Ngarlejy Yorongar, Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh, and Wadel Adbelkader Kamougué remain unknown since their arrest on Sunday. Amnesty International has received information suggesting they may be detained at the city's presidential palace. No legal justification has been given by the authorities for their arrest. A spokesperson at the Presidency told Amnesty International on Tuesday that "they can not confirm whether these four people have been arrested."
Normal transportation of goods and people to the west of Kenya resumed last week after days of disruption along the highway from Nairobi to west of the country and Uganda. Armed police cleared the highway of barricades erected by marauding youths in the ongoing post election violence that many people say has now taken a life of it’s own.
The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors today approved International Development Association (IDA) funding in the amount of US$42 million for Mali's Second Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC II). "We hope that with continued implementation of the reforms already under way, which the Government has pledged to continue, Mali with improve further its public management performance and effectiveness, to the benefit of its people”, said Agnès Soucat, World Bank Task Team Leader of the project.
Five districts in the country will soon benefit from a health service project, themed "strengthening district health services in Sierra Leone", funded by the African Development Bank - AfDB- and the government of Sierra Leone. This was disclosed by the Sierra Leone Ministry Of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) during the launching on Wednesday January 30, this year, at the Miatta Conference Hall in the capital Freetown.
The much awaited and celebrated united front of the two Movement for Democratic Change factions that was sealed last Sunday crumbled in the eleventh hour again presenting President Robert Mugabe with chances to win the March 29 election. Arthur Mutambara leader of one MDC faction told the media contingency that the whole deal had been reversed following an impasse over nomination seats.
Owen Sichone responds to Pius Adesanmi on the issue of black South Africa's xenophobia towards other Africans
I was quite amazed by Pius Adesanmi's description of South African xenophobia mainly because it was such a non-African perspective. At the end I was left thinking "They've got you my brother, they've got you."
Everyone knows that xenophobia is a problem in South Africa so there is no need to differ with him on that point. However, the Biafran war alone should prove that xenophobia in Nigeria has a presence, even without mentioning the mass expulsion of the Ghanaian teachers and other guest workers once upon a time.
In a paper celebrating the cosmopolitan nationalism of the FRELIMO fighters he had visited in the liberated zones of pre-independence Mozambique, Yoweri Museveni (then a student at the University of Dar es salaam contrasted this revolutionary nationalism with the tribalism of the Ugandan peasants and Makerere intelligentsia:
"The peasants in western region of Uganda, for instance will refer to people from the Northern region of the country as Banyamahanga (foreigners) or as Abadokori (somebody whose language is not intelligible). (Y.T. Museveni 1972. 'Fanon's Theory of Violence: Its Verification in Liberated Mozambique' Department of Political Science, University of Dar es Salaam) so there. It is not only the South Africans who call foreigners babblers or barbaroi. And it is not always an insult either, but that is a topic for another discussion. It does not seem that anyone, either on the street, the taxis or KFC outlet called him Ikwerekwere but he nevertheless describes it quite well:
"… we took a bus and headed back to Georges Hérault's residence. I still don't know what it was about us that gave us away as foreigners but the other passengers, all Blacks, lapsed into an uneasy silence as soon as we entered. I looked at the faces around us and thought I saw hostility." I do not doubt that he saw something that looked like hostility but why didn't he say Sani bonani nonke" and see if anybody would bother to return his greeting? Is that not what we do in Africa?
"The tension was so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife. Harry confirmed my worst fears when we left the bus. I had just experienced, firsthand, South African xenophobia and I was to experience it again and again throughout my three-month sojourn in that country. Harry explained to me – with the coolness of someone used to it - that the Black South African passengers on the bus had identified us as makwerekwere, hence the naked hostility." Yes they have got you. They have got you so bad that you are paranoid. In contrast when Adewale Maja-Pearce came to Johannesburg he was not jumpy and do you know why? Because he was not wearing American blinkers. If he had not been intimidated by Lagos, he reasoned, nothing that Jozi could throw at him would shake him. Oyinbo man needs to look at Africa with the Open Minds that Fela once sang about and not fear his own shadow.
In many accounts of the Rwandan and Burundian genocides, killers have discovered that they killed one of their own would lament: "We thought he was Hutu" or "He looked like a Tutsi" and judging identity by the appearance method is unreliable – to the say the least but so is judging hostility by level of fear felt.
Yes Makwerekwere is the derogatory term used by Black South Africans to describe non-South African blacks but amaXhosa may also call Basotho the same, and vice versa. Yes Black immigrants from the rest of Africa, are called makwerekwere but NOT especially Nigerians who are put both by police and citizens into a special category, one that evokes fear. But judging Nigerians by their appearance (tall and dark) or their favourite activity (419 activities of one sort or another) will invariably yield Cameroonians, Ivorians and Liberians etc.
So why is Pius "confounded by the fact that Black South Africa had begun to manufacture its own kaffirs so soon after apartheid" ? Like the Biafrans, they have been let done by their leaders. Just look at post-elections Kenya and see the petty bourgeois selfishness that Museveni criticised in his own country and you will understand that South African leaders have not just keep silent about the support they received from the Frontline States (including Nigeria) but that they have not shared the national cake equitably. The inherited Brazilian style gap between rich and poor always creates violence in society. There is still apartheid in post apartheid South Africa and it is not just the foreign Africans who suffer. Indeed the Nigerian doctors and other professionals are more likely to be beneficiaries of the end of the apartheid system than the poor workers whose factories closed down because of the flood of cheaper Chinese goods onto a previously protected market and now have no hope of ever earning wages again.
So let us not portray South Africans as ignorant, ungrateful or just bloodthirsty. The only way to reverse xenophobia, whether in Nigeria, Russia or South Africa is by exposing its roots in social inequalities and joining the struggle against social injustice.
* Dr. Owen Sichone is a professor in the Department of Social Anthropology, at the University of Cape Town
* Please send comments to or comment online at www.pambazuka.org
Maina Kiai makes an impassioned plea for seriousness and commitment from all actors in the pursuit for a resolution to Kenya's political crisis
Kenya is at a cross-road that will mean either the complete disintegration of Kenya or the beginning of a new, more democratic, sustainable nation suited to the needs and aspirations of the Kenyan people in the 21st Century. In a deeply painful and costly manner–in terms of lives lost and destruction wrought—the crisis in Kenya has given the country a unique opportunity to move forward in a way that we have been advocating for the last 20 years. In a sense, Kenya is at its "civil war" moment that the US was at in 1861. Just as that war was pivotal in establishing and solidifying the democratic credentials of the US, this moment could lead Kenya to much greater heights if properly handled both domestically and internationally.
In this context, the mediation currently going on under the leadership of Kofi Annan, Graca Machel and Ben Mkapa is the last best chance for Kenya to move forward. Whatever can be done to keep the players at the table, and keep them there in good faith, is critical. And efforts that delay, or subvert the talks—whether through insensitive statements and actions or by trying to prolong the talks through acts of filibustering—must be condemned. Consistent regional and international pressure is necessary especially on the hardliners who think that the crisis will blow over. The consequences of the failure of the mediation efforts are too dire to imagine not just for Kenya but for the region.
What is going on in Kenya is a political crisis with ethnic manifestation because politics in Kenya is organized ethnically. Clearly there are cleavages and differences in Kenyan society that have erupted brutally to the surface. But these have erupted due to the failure of peaceful means of resolving and addressing these differences, including the failure of elections and political reforms promised to Kenya in the 2002 elections.
The crisis in Kenya was foreseeable. In March 2007, the KNCHR submitted a memorandum to President Kibaki urging him to maintain the "gentleman's agreement" that had been in place since 1997 whereby all parliamentary parties made nominations for appointment to the Electoral Commission of Kenya. We argued that unilateral abandonment of the agreement would likely invite chaos and instability were the elections disputed. Moreover, since January 2006 we witnessed consistent attempts by the state to reduce democratic space and instil fear in society.
THE EXTENT OF THE CRISIS
Some 1000 people have been killed in the one month since violence erupted on December 30, 2007. Note that 3000 people were killed between 1992 and 1998 in the state instigated clashes in the country. During that same period, more than 300,000 people were internally displaced, most of whom have not returned to their farms and homes. In the month since the elections, an additional 300,000 people have been internally displaced.
Part of the reason why militia—on both sides—have been so potent and dangerous is that they arose from the earlier violence of the 1990s and were never de-mobilized. Nor was there a process to deal with the root causes of that violence, with the Kibaki government choosing to sweep the matter under the carpet, despite campaign promises to the contrary. With grievances bubbling and fermenting close to the surface, it was relatively easy to reactivate the militia using methods similar to those of the 1990s. Most important, the paymasters and planners of the 1990s clashes were never held accountable.
It is estimated that in the month since the crisis started the Kenyan economy has lost about US $3 billion and about 400,000 jobs. Moreover the crisis has severely affected the economies of Uganda, Rwanda, Eastern DR Congo, and Southern Sudan and could bring them to ruin if not checked. All these nations have a history of conflict and violence that could be reawakened by economic collapse.
We have observed 4 forms of violence:
i) Spontaneous uprisings of mobs protesting the flaws in the presidential elections. These mobs looted, raped and burnt down buildings in an anarchical manner.
ii) Violence organized by ODM-supporting militia in the Rift Valley that was aimed at perceived political opponents. The initial militia action attracted organized counter-violence from PNU supporters especially in Nakuru, Naivasha areas of the Rift Valley, and Nairobi.
iii) Excessive use of force by the police in ways suggesting "shoot to kill" orders against unarmed protesters mainly in ODM strongholds including Kisumu, Kakamega, Migori, and the Kibera slum of Nairobi. Policing has been uneven in its implementation. In some strong ODM areas, the police have been shooting to kill, while when confronted with pro-PNU militia, they have opted to negotiate with the groups. However, in the Eldoret area, the police largely stood by and watched as pro-PNU supporters were killed and their houses burnt.
iv) Local militia in pro-PNU areas, on receiving internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Rift Valley, have mobilized in sympathy and turned on perceived ODM supporters, killing them, and burning their houses.
The violence is neither genocide nor ethnic cleansing: The root of the problem is not that different ethnic groups decided they could no longer live together. The root of the problem is the inability of peaceful means to address grievances. For this to be genocide there would have to be either state complicity or state collapse and the first obligation would be for the state to provide adequate security for those at risk. Instead we have uneven and selective policing with emphasis on preventing Raila Odinga from holding protests in Nairobi rather than protecting IDPs and others at risk across the country. We therefore believe that the quickest and most effective way to reduce the violence is progress in the current talks.
THE ELECTION TRIGGER
It is clear that the flagrant effort to steal the presidential election was the immediate trigger for the violence. All independent observers have said that the tallying process was so flawed that it is impossible to tell who won the presidential election. Since 1992, Kenya's elections have been progressively better and fairer, culminating in the 2002 elections which were the best ever, and the 2005 constitutional referendum. The effect of this progression is that Kenyans finally believed in the power of the vote as a way of peacefully resolving differences, a fact confirmed by voting trends in the recent parliamentary elections that saw almost 70 percent of incumbents lose their seats. When this sense of empowerment was subverted, and peaceful legal spaces for protests were disallowed, it is not surprising that frustrations boiled over and violence ensued.
We have documented some of the facts and analysis that make clear that the flaws in the tallying of presidential votes rendered untenable the conclusion that Mwai Kibaki was validly elected.
With the benefit of hindsight, there were steps taken that paint a picture of a well orchestrated plan to ensure a pre-determined result. These include:
i) President Kibaki's decision to abrogate the agreement of 1997 on the formula for appointments to the Electoral Commission ensuring that all the Commissioners were appointed by him alone; ii) An administrative decision within the ECK to give responsibility to Commissioners for their home regions, something that had never been done before, meaning that they appointed all the election officials in the constituencies in their home regions, in a manner that created conflicts of interest; iii) The rejection of an offer from IFES to install a computer program that would enable election officials in the constituencies to submit results electronically to Nairobi and then on to a giant screen available to the public making it virtually impossible to change results; iv) A decision to abandon the use of ECK staff in the Verification and Tallying Centre in favour of casual staff provided by the Commissioners directly; and v) A refusal to ensure that election officials in areas with large predictable majorities for any of the candidates came from different areas so as to reduce the likelihood of ballot stuffing.
WAY FORWARD AND ROLE OF US CONGRESS AND GOVERNMENT
At this "constitutional moment" that Kenya has reached, we believe the way forward must be centred on truth and justice as the only sustainable road to peace and development. This is the time for Kenya to end the impunity that has been a feature of our history since independence, and also to end the "winner take all" "first past the post" system. Specifically, we call for:
i) An international independent investigation into the 2007 presidential election process in order to come to closure on the elections, find out who did what and why; who ordered it; and promote accountability; ii) An international independent investigation into the post election violence—from citizens and police–so that there is accountability on all sides.
iii) An interim transitional government to be formed with limited powers of governance and for a limited time–between 1 and 2 years—with Kibaki and Odinga exercising equal powers.
iv) The primary duties of this interim government should be to undertake constitutional reform, and especially explore ways of reforming the current Imperial Presidency; motivate electoral reforms, police reforms, judicial reforms, land reforms, civil service reforms, devolution of power; and conduct new elections at the end of its term.
v) The interim government should also be charged with cooling passions and starting the process of reconciliation through a Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission that starts operations immediately after the new elections. It is important that presidential elections be held at the end of the interim government to inspire confidence in Kenya's electoral processes, and as a sign of the new Kenya.
vi) It is also important to note that significant work in all of these areas of reform has already been done in various constitutional drafts and also by Government Commissions and Task Forces so Kenya would not be starting from scratch.
To ensure that there is good faith in the mediation it is imperative that the U.S. Government work with the rest of the international community to maintain pressure on Kenya's leaders to treat the mediation with utmost seriousness. To this end, we welcome U.S .leadership in raising the crisis in Kenya at the UN Security Council, and call for pressure at this level to be maintained and increased.
We also urge Congress to request the release of the exit poll conducted by International Republican Institute (IRI) without delay so as to maintain pressure on all sides to negotiate in good faith. In addition, we urge Congress to work with the EU to have the EU Observation Mission Report released immediately.
In case of continued intransigence from any of the parties we call on Congress to impose travel bans on the hardliners on both sides and especially those implicated in instigating violence whether through militia or through the police. These travel bans should extend to hardliners in the civil service and to their immediate families.
Moreover, assets of the hardliners and those involved in violence should be traced and the assets frozen.
Finally, it is important that U.S. military and security assistance be frozen immediately. All US assistance to Kenya should be channelled through non-governmental sources.
* Maina Kiai is the Chairperson of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), an independent state body charged with protecting and promoting human rights in Kenya. He writes on behalf of the KNCHR, as well as for Kenyans for Peace through Truth and Justice (KPTJ), a coalition bringing together more than 50 human rights, legal and governance groups in Kenya
* Please send comments to or comment online at www.pambazuka.org
The government has announced that the Nomination Courts that were scheduled for Friday February 8th, have been moved to Friday February 15th. This is for registration of candidates seeking to run in the presidential, parliamentary and council elections on March 29th. According to the state’s Herald newspaper, the date was changed following requests by ZANU-PF and both factions of the MDC for more time to select candidates.
The MDC national council, the party’s main decision making body, has endorsed Morgan Tsvangirai as its presidential candidate for next month’s general elections. Party spokesman Nelson Chamisa said primaries to choose parliamentary and council candidates are also almost complete. He said party structures have since Saturday been selecting candidates for all the 210 constituencies up for grabs.