Over 3000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have fled to northern Zambia due to a flare-up in fighting near the border, an official told AFP. Fighting broke out last week in the mining town of Kilwa, located about 400 kilometres northeast of Lubumbashi near Lake Mweru, about 50 kilometres from the border with Zambia.

The Centre for the Study of African Economies (CSAE) invites applications for a scholarship of £10,000 to support Africans wishing to pursue economic research at the University for the degree of DPhil. Candidates will be drawn from students accepted for D Phil research by the University of Oxford. The thesis topic should be of relevance to African economies. Museveni Scholars will be attached to the CSAE and will normally be supervised by members of the research team. The CSAE will now consider a new round of applications for the Museveni Scholarship for the academic year 2004-2005. The closing date for applications is 29 October 2004. Applications, which should include a copy of your research proposal together with your c.v. and details of other applications for funding and/or funding obtained for your DPhil studies should be sent to the Administrator, CSAE, Department of Economics, Manor Road Building, Oxford OX1 3UQ.

On the fringes of the European Social Forum in London, people of African descent are holding their own conference - and discussing how Africa could benefit from their achievements. Suddenly Africa is wooing its exiles. Some of the continent's best brains, and deepest pockets are in London, Paris or New York, not in Lagos or Nairobi. Best estimates suggest that Africans working abroad send home some $45bn a year.

The Higher Education HIV/Aids Programme (HEAIDS) invites proposals from South African organisations to conduct a Cost-Risk Analysis of the Impact of HIV/Aids on Human Resources at selected Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Deadline: 29 October 2004

Durban businessman Schabir Shaik wanted to discuss "damage control" with his company's French partner after one of South Africa's foremost corruption busters threatened to start investigating the arms deal. This was one of the things a former personal assistant of Shaik's, Bianca Singh, remembered as she gave evidence in Shaik's trial in the Durban High Court on Monday. Shaik has pleaded not guilty to two charges of corruption - related to his relationship with Deputy President Jacob Zuma - and another of fraud.

The government will not allow the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) access to the public media ahead of the parliamentary elections slated for March 2005. The Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Patrick Chinamasa told Parliament during the 13 October question and answer session that the government was not so "stupid" as to allow the MDC access to the state-controlled media. He said doing so would enable the opposition party to disseminate British and American propaganda to "effect an illegal regime change against a popularly-elected government."

The second edition of the above book is now available. It is a completely revised edition of the book first published in 1993. Chapters include: introduction to health education and health promotion, understanding behaviour, teaching and learning, communication planning, interpersonal communication and patient education, folk media, schools and young people, working with communities, mass media and advocacy and political change. A special feature of this new edition is the inclusion of mini case studies from the Leeds Health Education Database of evaluated health education interventions from developing countries. A dedicated web site for the book has been set up at with details of the book, links, case studies and powerpoint presentations and training resources. Sample chapters in PDF format will be included in a forthcoming TALC CDROM. The book is available from TALC (http://www.talcuk.org).
Communicating Health: An action guide to health education and health promotion in developing countries. 2nd edition 2004 Macmillan Education. Hubley, J.

The Communications Specialist will function as the communication advisor, developing innovative and effective behavior change and social marketing approaches for the Tanzania Marketing and Communications: AIDS, Reproductive Health (RH) and Child Survival (CS) Project. He/she will work as part of the overall AED team in Dar Es Salaam and will work closely with Government, NGO and private sector organizations/institutions implementing the communications and marketing aspects of the program.

This new book is now available from the Co-operative for Research and Education and it explores the extent to which citizens, civil society organizations and government have fully exercised both their rights and obligations so as to entrench democratic governance in the ten years since 1994. This innovative and probing study includes a review of both theoretical and empirical literature from South Africa and elsewhere, a series of five in-depth case studies of interactions or encounters between civil society and government in the period since the early 1990s, and extensive analysis of other processes, institutions and events which have had a direct impact on governance. Many relevant practical recommendations aimed at entrenching sound governance are put forward. Ultimately, sound democratic governance must reduce and eventually eliminate poverty and inequality, and safeguard the right of all citizens to a healthy, productive life based on equal rights and opportunities. The book concludes that much has been accomplished since 1994, but the challenges that remain are significant and must be tackled. The burden of making democracy work as it should belongs equally to government, civil society and individual citizens.

The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and the Open Society Justice Initiative (the Justice Initiative) are pleased to invite applications for the Human Rights Fellows Program for the 2005-2007 session. The Fellows Program is 20 months in duration and involves both academic study and practical experience in human rights/public interest advocacy. Up to six human rights lawyers and activists from Angola and Mozambique will be selected to participate. Candidates must be nominated by human rights NGOs based in Angola or Mozambique. Deadline: November 20, 2004.

Editors and managers of top media organizations across Nigeria have committed themselves to supporting the national response to the HIV/AIDS challenge in the country. Face to face to with the reality of HIV/AIDS like never before, the gatekeepers of the media saw the epidemic at personal levels. As a group, the media managers committed their organization - the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) - to deploying their skills and influence to the anti-AIDS campaign.

Every genocide is hideous, each in its own grotesque way. Searching for the origins and distinctiveness of the genocidal violence that has convulsed the Sudanese region of Darfur in the last year - leaving tens of thousands dead and perhaps a million people displaced and in danger - we must go to the remotest desert-edge settlements in Northern Darfur near the border with Chad, to the basalt stubs of mountains that march southward until they fuse in the 10,000-foot Jebel Marra massif in the center of Darfur, and to Sudan's capital in Khartoum, far to the east.

World-famous Nigerian author Chinua Achebe has rejected an award from his home country, criticising the "dangerous" state of affairs. "The situation is getting worse and worse," he told the BBC, saying that President Olusegun Obasanjo bears primary responsibility. Achebe told the BBC's Network Africa programme that he hoped that rejecting the Commander of the Federal Republic - Nigeria's second highest honour - would serve as a "wake-up call". He also said that he hoped the recent wave of strikes and protests would continue until there is "change".

The European Union (EU) on Tuesday said negotiations with Mozambique's electoral commission to open up the one remaining part of the counting process in upcoming general elections to observers were progressing well. While election monitors may be present at counting stations at the local level, they are excluded from the final provincial and national stages of the count. The final tabulation is seen as crucial, because it is at this stage that spoiled ballot papers are considered, and both provincial and national elections commissions make decisions about polling station results sheets.

Amnesty International today welcomes the acquittal of Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, on charges of treason. Amnesty International believes that the trial of Mr. Tsvangirai was a politically-motivated prosecution in keeping with a wider pattern of arrest and trial on spurious charges as a form of harassment of the political opposition in Zimbabwe.

A call for peacekeepers by Somalia's new president last week revived memories of the ill-fated intervention in the 1990s, when Black Hawk helicopters were shot out of the sky and the bloodied corpses of U.S. servicemen dragged through the anarchic streets of Mogadishu. Few leaders in the world need more help to restore order in their countries than Abdullahi Yusuf, who was sworn in last week. But bruised by the memory of the failed U.S. peacekeeping mission in 1993 that forced Washington and later the United Nations to quit Somalia, the international community will treat Yusuf's appeal for engagement with caution, seeking guarantees before committing to help, analysts say.

Uganda loses between Shs200 billion to Shs350 billion a year in corruption, the Executive Director of Uganda Debt Network, Mr Zie Gariyo, said yesterday. He was speaking at a two-day workshop on the role of the media in fighting corruption. He said corruption is in the form of outright fraud and embezzlement, illegal payments, payment of ghost employees, false declaration of customs entries, poor contracting systems and fraudulent procurement.

Zimbabwe National Students Union president Philani Zamchiya was battling for his life on Oct. 18th at Harare's Avenues Clinic after he was kidnapped and severely attacked last Thursday by suspected members of the government's secret service agents. The secret service agents accused Zamchiya of mobilising students and youths to demonstrate at the High Court against President Robert Mugabe during delivery of judgment in opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai's treason case that was taking place the following day.

The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will be hosting open hearings on xenophobia in November and has called for written submissions from individuals, organisations and interested parties. SAHRC chairman Jody Kollapen said in a statement xenophobia was "pretty widespread" but "difficult to quantify" in South Africa, manifesting itself in the workplace, academic communities as well as on the street where it affected informal traders. The problem affected both South Africans and non-South Africans, he said.

An alternative to the current industrial food production system exists: one where food quality and variety are valued, rural regions thrive, and links between producers and consumers are strong. Terra Madre is a forum for those who seek to grow, raise, catch, create, distribute and promote food in ways that respect the environment, defend human dignity and protect the health of consumers. Terra Madre is a gathering of an unprecedented scale, drawing 5000 people from dozens of nations. Every participant will represent a 'Food Community' - which means they are part of a chain of production, linked by a common product, ethnic identity, region, history, or approach. There are more than 167 African communities represented. Terra Madre will rediscover the links that connect the primary producer to the vendor: the grain grower, the baker, and the bread shop. Participants in Terra Madre will exchange ideas and solutions about how to promote a healthy, dynamic, and diverse food system.

On 7 October 2004 two Indymedia Web Servers were seized from the US-owned web hosting company Rackspace operating in London (UK), at the request of the US Justice Department, which apparently acted at the prompting of Italian and Swiss authorities. Indymedia is a global alternative media network that provides challenging and independent reporting, particularly of political and social justice issues, with a newswire where any member of the public can publish their own reports and articles.

The seizure of the servers in London shut down around 20 different Indymedia websites including Ambazonia, Uruguay, Andorra, Poland, Western Massachusetts, Nice, Nantes, Lilles, Marseille, Euskal Herria (Basque Country), Liege, East and West Vlaanderen, Antwerpen (all Belgium), Belgrade, Portugal, Prague, Galiza, Italy, Brazil, UK, and parts of Germany Indymedia. Many are still offline, those few that have returned have suffered data loss.

The particular legal framework under which the seizures took place is unknown. Five Days after the seizures there is still an almost total information blackout from the authorities in the UK, US, Switzeland and Italy. Indymedia still has no confirmation of who ordered the seizures, who took the servers in London, why the seizures took place, where the servers are now located, and whether they will be returned.

We are concerned over the growing use of international co-operation frameworks by Governments and Law enforcement agencies which can be used to obscure clear legal process, and call for openness and clarity in international co-operation, to ensure due process and that civil liberties are protected. Statements of support for Indymedia and condemnation of the shutting down of over 20 Media outlets have been recieved from The Electronic Frontier Foundation, The International Federation of Journalists, the National Union of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters and many other organisations.

Indymedia UK condemns the seizure of the servers as an unacceptable and unprecedented attack on press freedom, free speech and privacy and asks for urgent solidarity action in demanding:

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please write to the British Home Secretary and the US Attorney General:

1. Expressing grave concern at the action taken against Indymedia.

2. Demanding the immediate return of the servers to Indymedia with all data intact.

3. Requesting a full investigation into the circumstances and legality of the action taken to seize the Indymedia servers and to close Indymedia websites, with the disclosure of the names of the organisations and individuals involved in the seizure.

APPEALS TO:

Rt Hon David Blunkett MP Home Secretary The Home Office London - UK Email: [email protected]

John Ashcroft Attorney General US Department of Justice Washington - USA Email: [email protected]

Please send copies of letters to: [email protected]. Organisations and individuals are also encouraged to issue their own statements in support of Indymedia and against the seizure of the servers. Please send copies to: [email protected]. Additionally, organisations and individuals can add their statements of support at: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/10/298931.html. For background on the Server Seizures see: http://indymedia.org/en/static/fbi

People's experiences during conflict are not gender neutral. The impacts of armed conflict as well as the coping strategies adopted by people in the exigencies of the context tend to differ between men and women. Gender as an important element in determining vulnerability becomes even more acute in the conflict-affected situation.

However, men and women cannot be defined as homogeneous categories whose conflict experiences can be crudely divided along their gender-prescribed roles. It has to be recognized that, besides numerous gender-sensitive constraints, conflict also accentuates resourcefulness in adoption of coping and survival strategies with progressive and empowering gender role changes and fluidity thus occurring in such contexts.

The post-conflict reintegration and reconstruction processes offer a window of opportunity for enhancing women's and men's socio-economic security rather than for re-establishing the status quo ante, including the gender stereotypes and traditional gender division of labour. Therefore, the promotion of a more equitable, just and inclusive society with women and other previously vulnerable and socially excluded groups becoming full players should be one of the overall goals of post-conflict interventions.

Nevertheless, the new post-conflict reconstruction, institutions, structures, policies and laws that are put in place tend to lack the special gender sensitivity required in this context, and therefore they reintroduce the pre-war gender-biased positions and emphasize women's reproductive roles, eroding the strategic gains that accrue to women during war. Women's associations and groups therefore have important advocacy and advisory roles to play in the conflict-affected context to ensure serious consideration of gender concerns.

The importance of including gender concerns in all peace building, postconflict recovery and reconstruction has been recognized by a number of UN resolutions (such as UN Security Council Resolution 1325), meetings and other events in recent years. For example, both the 1995 Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women and the 2000 Beijing +5 Conference covered this subject among other issues.

Despite this trend, consideration of women's concerns and other gender issues in post-conflict contexts, as well as in the general reintegration, reconstruction and peace-building processes, continues to be inadequate in research, policies, action programmes and debates on current conflicts. Thus the gender differences in human security in post-conflict situations continue to require focus.

Although consequences of armed conflicts affect all population groups, women appear to bear a disproportionate burden owing to the specific nature of the conflicts today. As far back as 1944, the International Labour Organization drew attention to the situation of women in the post-conflict context through the adoption of some standards on the issue. One of these standards is the International Labour Recommendation No. 71 concerning Employment Organization, Transition from War to Peace, which covers some of the vulnerable groups in the conflict and post-conflict context, especially youth, women and disabled persons. With specific reference to women and gender equality, the Recommendation states that: "The redistribution of the women workers in the economy should be organized on the principle of complete equality of opportunity for men and women on the basis of their individual merit, skill and experience, without prejudice to the provisions of the international labour conventions and recommendations concerning the employment of women."

The discussions that took place at the International Labour Conference in 1944 and a resolution adopted on the conflict issue also covered a number of concerns including employment of women. This was in recognition of the fact that special action is necessary to ensure that women as well as men do in fact benefit from the training, retraining and other measures undertaken for employment in the conflict-affected context and that the principle of gender equality is observed.

Still, the special situation of women and other gender perspectives related to this context remain under-emphasized in employment and other interventions. This trend can be used as one indicator of the general lack of gender perspective. An ILO Expert Meeting on the Design of Guidelines for Training and Employment of Ex-Combatants (July 1995), for example, observed that "there has been inadequate planning for women" in post-conflict societies and, therefore, called for action in this area. The pursuit of peace, reintegration and reconstruction needs to go along with equality to avoid compounding old problems, such as discrimination against women, social exclusion and the feminization of poverty.

The Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women (September 1995) acknowledges this and, therefore, has as one of its critical areas of concern, "the effects of armed or other kinds of conflict on women, including those living under foreign occupation". It recognizes that a peaceful environment is vital for women's advancement. It notes the serious human rights violations against women in such contexts (such as systematic rape, enforced prostitution, sexual slavery and other indecent assaults) as well as the large numbers of women and children among refugees, internally displaced persons and civilian casualties who tend to outnumber the casualties among combatants. Additionally, it draws attention to the heavy increase in the burden of women stemming from the rapid escalation of female heads of households and from caring for the large numbers of injured people. It acknowledges the important role of women and their resourcefulness in such situations. It calls, inter alia, for: women's greater participation in decision-making, conflict resolution and peace building; the protection of women in situations of armed conflict; a reduction in human rights abuses; promotion of the vocational and other skills training and self-reliance of conflict-affected women; and promotion of the human rights of women in such contexts. Gender analysis and planning require serious integration in conflict and post-conflict programming, such as in the fields of skills training and employment promotion, to ensure that such programming promotes gender equality.

Armed conflicts have significant impacts on households and the community. As confirmed in ILO studies, the major shifts in household structure are characterized by the drastic decline in the male population and the increase in the number of female-headed households. As a result, more women may engage in income-generating work, while some may lose access to land and labour or more secure livelihoods. In addition, women's work in the household increases due to the increase in the size of households often accompanied by the greater number of dependants, as well as due to the general deterioration of working and living conditions.

The drastic decline in the male population also means that there are large numbers of widows and single mothers in conflict-affected countries. Widowhood affects women's social status, physical safety, identity and mobility and their access to services as well as their rights related to property, land and inheritance. Women whose husbands are declared missing are facing even more difficulties, since their status is not officially recognized. Furthermore, displacement and the increase of violence contribute to the overall feeling of insecurity, uncertainty, and isolation, thus breaking social structures and community support mechanisms. Rebuilding depleted trust and cohesion within the communities is an important part of post-conflict recovery, as community rebuilding often reflects on the context-specific issues depending on the impact of conflict and violence.

The erosion of social capital has important gender implications during and after a conflict. Recent research showed that gender identities that play an important role in determining and restoring trust have significant implications for the roles of different organizations in rebuilding social capital. Institutions, organizations and informal networks that are major actors in shaping the conflict and the post-conflict recovery and in which, consequently, the social capital often erodes or reconstructs the first are more usually men dominated. On the other hand, the experiences show that women and women-run organizations that often build on solidarity of the experienced fear, violence and traumas tend to gain more trust by the communities and to play a critical role in bringing about peace and rebuilding the trust and cohesion in communities.

As identified in the ILO and other studies, armed conflicts impose challenges to the traditional gender roles, and men and women may be pressured to adhere to the traditionally imposed ideals of masculinity and femininity (ILO, 1998a). Men are often portrayed as the defenders of their culture and are expected to be aggressive, dominating and violent. On the contrary, women are proclaimed "mothers of the nation" and are expected to support their brothers, husbands and fathers.

The ability of men and women to adhere to these prescribed gender roles may cause frustration, loss of self-respect and trigger violence. For example, an ACORD study in Northern Uganda has found that the conflict crucially challenged the traditional norms of masculinity such as marriage, fatherhood, and material and security provision. Heavy militarization and displacement limited the ability of many men to provide for their families and fulfil their duties as husbands and fathers. Due to the lack of opportunities to gain assets (cattle or cash) necessary to enter married life, many young men were prevented from starting their families and getting recognition from their community. The study also showed that, although many men were not able to behave according to the norms of masculinity, it was difficult for them not to try to conform to these norms. Men's inability to reach these gender-constructed norms often means disempowerment in the public sphere, to which some retaliate by exercising power in the domestic sphere over their children and wives.

On the other hand, ideals of femininity in many cultures often embody willingness to find non-confrontational solutions and to work for the good of the community. As such, women are often connected to the rejection of war and conflict. However, women are also active members of political movements and armed forces because they are committed to the political, religious or economic goals of those involved in conflict. While during the conflict their participation is often welcomed, their gender identity becomes problematic once the communities start to recover.

Women's personal experiences related to increased participation in the political, social and economic sphere may challenge the existing gender relations and norms, as for many women entering into the public sphere represents an empowering experience. The traditional gender division of labour may break down as more women enter the labour market, often engaging in traditionally male occupations. However, the conflict and post-conflict recovery period may also revive traditional values, thus pressuring women to resume their traditional gender roles.

Since the nature of conflict and its impacts are likely to differ between and within communities of a conflict-affected country, it is best to undertake a community-based needs assessment utilizing participatory methodologies in order to understand and thus address localized issues in an inclusive manner.

Particular attention needs to be paid to those who might be excluded from regular community structures, as social exclusion is likely to increase for some groups during and after conflict (e.g. female ex-combatants, women who are viewed by their communities to have adopted socially unacceptable practices, those who are known to have contracted STDs including HIV/AIDS, etc). This approach is more likely to increase the visibility of women and the gender differentiated needs and interests arising out of conflict.

With respect to demographic changes, the evidence presented illustrates that the number of women who become the sole providers for their families increases as a consequence of conflict. Therefore, this increases their need for Women and other Gender concerns in Post-conflict Reconstruction. At the same time, the burden of women within the home tends to intensify. In order for women to participate in employment and training programmes which will assist them in achieving economic self-sufficiency, consideration must be given to the timing and location of training programmes in relation to the extent and nature of women's obligations.

Experience shows that reintegration programmes for refugee and internally displaced populations tend to neglect "remainee" populations, thus producing further conflicts and tensions. This situation therefore argues again for a more holistic approach to programming, with opportunities open to all community members rather than to specific beneficiary groups. Furthermore, it should be remembered that in Mozambique and Guatemala refugee women lost out because the skills they gained during their period of refuge were not sustained or followed up. Efforts should be made to utilize skills which have been acquired, such as training of trainers, etc. It should also be recognized that some refugees and displaced persons will not return to their places of origin and will construct a new life or continue in a new community. The line blurs between displacement and resettlement.

An opportunity emerges to correct gender stereotypes in educational materials and to increase the number of women trainers. In addition, there is an opportunity to draw women into non-traditional skill areas, given the shift in gender roles during conflict. The challenge is to identify skill areas into which women have moved and to support them (e.g. appropriate extension services in agriculture). Training in life skills is needed to assist people to adapt to the new environments in which they may be located (e.g. rural-urban migration).

Deterioration of the health both of women themselves and their family members as a result of the conflict may be a prohibiting factor to their participation in employment and training programmes and may restrict the kinds of activities they are able to undertake. However, additional income is necessary to pay for medical care.

It is necessary to identify survival or coping strategies which have had a positive transformative role in gender relations at the household and community level and to work toward supporting them through extension of appropriate employment and training opportunities. Additionally, it is essential to reduce women's resort to negative (indecent) strategies by providing alternatives and reaching out to those who may have become socially excluded and increasingly more vulnerable due to the coping mechanisms adopted (e.g. sex work).

The non-involvement of women in government and policy-making arenas and the often failure to cover gender issues in peace accords and other framework documents may indicate a lack of commitment to and possible hostility toward adopting gender-sensitive policies. Yet the fluid post-conflict situation can create a window of opportunity to promote gender equality in the employment field through national policy and commitment to international labour standards and the implementation of appropriate labour market interventions.

Failing to seize this opportunity may create the potential for women to be further marginalized and for gender inequality to persist. Hence, there is a need to build institutional partnerships in an effort to more systematically ensure that gender is taken into account at all levels and across all programme areas.

Finally, the collection and analysis of gender-sensitive labour data may be an important contribution to conflict prevention as part of essential early warning and response work. For example, recent studies suggest that a large percentage of unemployed young men are an indicator of potential instability, as they are prone to entering into the illegal drugs and arms trade or the ranks of militants and fighters. Consequently, the retraining or employment-creation response at the micro level may provide alternatives to participation in armed forces. Clearly there is a need for engendering pre-conflict preparedness and mitigation strategies, with a special focus on the micro level, to ensure proactive and effective post-conflict responses.

* Eugenia Date-Bah is director of the ILO InFocus (International Focus) Programme on Crisis Response and Reconstruction and former manager of the ILO Action Programme on Skills and Entrepreneurship Training for Countries Emerging from Armed Conflict.

* This article is based on extracts from 'Women and other Gender Concerns in Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Job Creation Efforts'. The article is part of a collection of articles in a book entitled 'Jobs After War: A Critical Challenge in the Peace and Reconstruction Puzzle', edited by Eugenia Date-Bah and published by the InFocus Programme on Crisis Response and Reconstruction of the ILO. The publication documents some of the ILO's experience in tackling the post conflict job challenge. ILO publications can be purchased on line at or email [email][email protected]

Representatives from organizations and peoples movements from around the globe came together in Durban, South Africa October 4-7, 2004 to discuss realistic avenues for addressing climate change. The group emerged from the meeting with this call for a global grassroots movement against climate change. We therefore call on activists, organizations and communities to sign on to the statement that emerged from the Durban meeting and join this growing global movement. Please send sign-ons to [email protected].

Arts Council England wants to appoint someone to co-ordinate a range of projects that are being developed in association with the British Film Institute's Black World initiative. "Black World 2005 is a six-month national programme of seasons, events, workshops and critical debates to engage a diverse range of British communities, specifically trageting young people." There will be some project management, but this is primarily a development and liaison role. Time Period: November 2004 through October 2005, part time. Fee: £14,000, plus £1,000 expenses. To Apply: Please write and tell us why you're interested, indicating your relevant experience, along with a CV, by 28 October 2005.

On 13 October 2004, Minister of Communications and Civic Education Pitang Tchalla assured RSF's Togo correspondent and other representatives of press freedom organisations that the government recognised its obligation to guarantee the safety of journalist Jean-Baptiste Dzilan, publication director of the privately-owned weekly "Forum de la Semaine". "We welcome [the government's] decision and trust that the journalist will henceforth be able to resume his professional activities without disruption," RSF said.

This report presents the results of Global Witness and Amnesty International's survey into the diamond jewellry retail sector's implementation of self-regulation to support the Kimberley Process, the international diamond certification scheme launched to combat the trade in conflict diamonds.

Pan-African Forum promotes the role of local community in child health. Religious and traditional leaders and senior media representatives from across the continent are gathering in Dakar this week to explore how their unique influence in hard-to-reach communities can boost immunization rates and support child survival efforts in Africa, where two-thirds of child deaths are entirely preventable. Immunization and child survival rates across Africa have faltered in the past decade, according to UNICEF country data released last week in the Progress for Children report: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_24252.htm report.

The world of men is a world of biologically inherited privilege. The quality of men's lives often turns on how they balance that privilege with the responsibility it determines and reflects. For many men, the balancing act leads to false pride, cruel dominance, violence, and corruption. For many others, it leads to narrow lives of limited ambition trodden on seemingly predetermined paths marked by regret over dreams and hopes set aside. But for some men, the balancing act yields happiness and contentment in relationships built on equity and empathy. S. W. Omamo's new novel, The Men Do Not Eat Wings is set in that world, in Kenya. This richly peopled book is full of surprises. The style is unusual. Omamo chooses a nonlinear format that covers three centuries and two continents. It is a risky approach that is at times bewildering as the plot dances quickly across time and space. But the storytelling is good enough to keep the pages turning toward a wonderfully graceful ending. Omamo gives words and agency to forgotten people - people whose lives, as he says at the beginning of the book, "…come and go without being told, without being recorded." The Men Do Not Eat Wings is a very fine book - one that announces Omamo as a major new voice in African literature. Rarely is a first novel written with such assurance and skill. This is an author to watch. The Men Do Not Eat Wings, a novel by S. W. Omamo (Richardson-Omamo Books, Kampala, Uganda, 2004). By Josiah Turubesa

In the four years since the Security Council voted to improve the ratio of women to men dealing with peace and security issues, the greatest progress has been made in UN peacekeeping missions, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says. "Today, gender concerns are raised in all new peacekeeping mandates and there are 10 full-time gender adviser positions in 17 peacekeeping operations, including those in: Afghanistan, Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kosovo (Serbia and Montenegro), Haiti, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste, as well as in the advance mission in the Sudan."

The Zimbabwean government, battling with a strike action by teachers, has resorted to hiring retired educators to man classrooms and invigilate ongoing examinations. "We have not yet been told how much we will be paid for our services during the invigilation of examinations, but I think it would be something worthwhile. I have not been employed since my graduation in 2002 and I think this is a grand chance for me to get a few [Zim] dollars for myself, as you know how difficult life is these days," a job hopeful, Malvern Mavhaire, told IRIN.

As Malawi attempts to consolidate gains in agricultural production after three years of drought, experts have highlighted access to land and the preservation of biodiversity as key to future food security. International NGO Oxfam has warned that a lack of access to arable land had contributed to food shortages and was also heightening tensions, with land-hungry communities increasingly encroaching on forests and tea estates. Early last week a land dispute erupted in the Chimaliro traditional area in Thyolo district in the Southern region of the country.

South Africa is a signatory to the United Nations Protocol on Trafficking in Persons, and hopes to have comprehensive domestic legislation in place by 2006, according to the International Organisation on Migration (IOM). Commenting on the unverified need for additional legislation, Ted Leggett - a researcher with the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) - noted that "the bottom line is that virtually everything that is part of trafficking is already illegal, and simply generating more legislation is unlikely to revolutionise the situation".

Rural Women's Peace Link has established 14 area networks of women working for peace in their local communities. RWPL has trained women of all ages and many tribes all over the Great Rift Valley, including Turkana, Pokot, West Pokot, Mt. Elgon and Chepsiria Toror, to use and expand their traditional roles for peace. Through the rich history of RWPL, the program has developed and influenced many different areas in society including elders, youth, men, police, government officials and other peace-keeping groups.

The HIV and Stigma: Challenges and Solutions An Open Space Technology (OST) Conference will be held in Johannesburg South Africa, on the 22nd till the 25th of February 2005. Using OST technology, delegates will explore the challenges of HIV-related stigma, with the primary focus being the sharing and exploration of how to overcome stigma in service delivery. The conference is restricted to 100 delegates only, including 20 conference scholarships (refer Conference Fees and Logistics).

Motivated by the success in resolving Somalia's conflict, African leaders have stepped up efforts to end the civil war in the tiny central African nation of Burundi where more than 300,000 people have been killed since 1993. Attending the 23rd Summit of the Great Lakes Regional Peace Initiative on Burundi in Kenya’s capital Nairobi Oct. 15, the leaders of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and South Africa pushed Burundi's elections forward to give more time to the country's independent electoral commission, appointed at the end of Aug. 2004, to prepare and put in place modalities of running free and fair elections.

"The Nigerian government cannot protect all the oil pipelines in the Niger delta. If somebody says that they can protect all the pipelines that criss-cross the Niger delta, the person is a liar or maybe he does not know...the area," says Alhaji Mujahid Dokubu-Asari, leader of the rebel Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force. At the beginning of October, Dokubu-Asari reached a tentative agreement with government to disarm. However, the situation in the delta remains volatile, and could easily descend into renewed violence.

After having perused the Criminal Procedure Bill, NSHR has found the draft legislation to be soaked with serious and inadmissible omissions and ambiguous definitions as well as lacking incorporation of UN and other international instruments on the administration of justice and the protection of persons subject to detention or imprisonment.

The biggest HIV/AIDS training centre in sub-Saharan Africa opened in Uganda on Wednesday with officials hopeful it will significantly boost the continent's ability to fight the deadly pandemic. The Infectious Diseases Institute, largely funded by drug giant Pfizer, aims to teach hundreds of health care workers advanced techniques in fighting a disease the United Nations estimates has infected 26 million people in Africa.

UN peacekeepers in Liberia used teargas to disperse a demonstration on Wednesday by parents and pupils who want their primary school in the capital reopened. Hundreds of demonstrators, including schoolchildren in uniform, disrupted traffic to protest the closure of the Early Learning Foundation School, which has not opened its doors since the new term started on October 5. UN troops clad in riot gear lobbed tear gas into the crowd after local youths joined the initially peaceful protest.

France and Spain called for a rethink on Monday on radical German-Italian plans to set up a European Union transit camp in North Africa for refugees from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Their objections came at the end of a two-day summit in Florence held by interior ministers from the big five EU countries. Britain first raised the idea of an EU-funded transit camp where asylum-seekers could be processed before they reached the border of the EU in order to try to combat illegal trafficking that has seen thousands drown in the Mediterranean.

Africa is keenly awaiting the outcome of the United States elections and wondering how it will affect the fight against HIV/Aids on the world's poorest continent, which is also the hardest hit by the deadly viral disease. Some slam US President George Bush's conservative policies but others wonder whether his rival, Democrat John Kerry can deliver on extravagant promises to double aid funds to fight the pandemic, reopen the borders to immigrants with Aids and ensure the distribution of cheap, efficient generic drugs.

They were fêted by Robert Mugabe as patriots and pioneers in a radical redistribution of land to redress colonial injustice. But the war veterans who ousted white farmers have now themselves been invaded. Last month, police units fanned across Trelawney, a rural district outside the capital, Harare, and erased settlements with matches and mallets. "Now we are in the position the white farmer was. The authorities used us," Richard Mapuringa (33) said last week, sifting through the ruins of his house.

Normal business ground to a halt in Benin on Tuesday as the country's main trade unions began a three-day general strike to demand higher pay for government employees, better pensions and lower university fees. Only senior managers turned up for work at government offices, schools, banks and most businesses were closed in the economic capital Cotonou, health centres were short staffed and the city's normally busy streets were empty of traffic.

On the eve of African Human Rights Day, the Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network has petitioned the President of the Pan African Parliament, Gertrude Mongella, to urge African governments to ratify the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa as a matter of urgency.

The petition, endorsed by 58 GEMSA members from 15 countries calls for the immediate ratification of the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa by African governments. GEMSA members have emphasised that a true celebration of human rights is not possible if the rights of African women are not given full protection. GEMSA Chairperson, Colleen Lowe Morna said: "The failure by leaders to formally adopt the Protocol, after it took eight years to get it tabled, is unacceptable." At the Third Ordinary Session of the African Union in Addis Ababa in July 2004 governments and Heads of State undertook to sign and ratify the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa by the end of 2004. They also committed to support the launching of public campaigns aimed at ensuring its entry into force by 2005.

The Protocol requires ratification by only 11 countries before it enters into force. Despite this, only five countries - Comoros, Libya, Namibia, Rwanda and Senegal - have ratified the Protocol. In the Southern African region, Namibia is the only country to have ratified the Protocol. GEMSA believes that it is deplorable that the mere six country signatures required for ratification have not been forthcoming to date. The Protocol is consistent with the position taken by governments in other regional and international instruments. It provides a framework for comprehensive reform of national legislation to guarantee the rights of women. It is therefore inconsistent for African governments to resist the ratification of this Protocol as they have made regional and international commitments towards advancing gender equality. At a time when women's rights continue to be threatened because of poverty, HIV/AIDS and other crises, GEMSA urges governments to send out a strong message of commitment to redressing gender imbalances by ratifying the Protocol. -ends-

For more information contact Janine Moolman Tel: +27 11 622 2877 or email [email protected]

Le conflit entre le gouvernement tchadien et le consortium qui exploite le pétrole continue de susciter l'intérêt de la presse. L'hebdo « L'Intelligent » et « Le Courrier Africain » reviennent cette semaine sur un dossier sensible. N'Djamena accuse Exxon-Mobil et Chevron de ne pas respecter le contrat. Les pétroliers affirment jouer franc jeu. Qui dit vrai?

« Quand le brut sent le souffre ». Tel est l'article « L'Intelligent » qui écrit que « rien ne va plus entre le Tchad et le consortium qui exploite les gisements de Doba. N'Djamena formule un certain nombre de griefs à l'égard du consortium. Notamment le fait que le comptage se fasse au port camerounais de Kribi où transite le pétrole tchadien et non à Komé, lieu d'exploitation, comme le stipule la convention signée entre les sociétés pétrolières et le Tchad. Pour ce journal, « Cette affaire risque de se transformer en crise durable (…) ».

Justement, « Le Courrier Africain » publie un article indiquant qu'une ONG africaine plaide pour qu'obligation soit faite aux compagnies de déclarer les sommes versées aux gouvernements des pays producteurs. Une procédure qui pourrait devenir gênante pour certains Etats comme la Guinée Equatoriale ou l'Angola mais qui serait profitable au Tchad où la transparence est de rigueur. D'ailleurs, le mensuel parle de « kleptocraties » pour désigner les régimes angolais et guinéens.

L'Intelligent-Jeune Afrique N° 2284 du 17 au 23 octobre 2004 Le Courrier Africain, octobre 2004

The United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) first Global Women's Assembly on Environment: Women as the Voice for the Environment (WAVE) convened from 11-13 October 2004, in Nairobi, Kenya. The Assembly focused on generating outputs related to the upcoming Beijing+10 review session, the five-year review of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the 13th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-13). Over 150 participants from 60 countries attended the Assembly, some from remote indigenous communities and small island developing States. Parallel and joint meetings of the Assembly were held with the Network of Women Ministers for the Environment meeting, "Women in Charge of the Environment," which convened from 11-12 October. Participants in the Network drafted informal recommendations on the "Women and Environment" section of the Beijing Platform of Action (PFA), which will be sent to the 23rd session of the UNEP Governing Council (GC) / Global Ministerial Environmental Forum (GMEF) and CSD-13 and addresses future work of the Network. The WAVE Assembly accepted a Manifesto, which included these recommendations. The WAVE Manifesto and WAVE recommendations and project ideas will be forwarded to relevant intergovernmental meetings, including the Beijing+10 review session and the WSSD follow-up. The Assembly highlighted the crucial role of women in promoting: women's leadership in environment; the participation of indigenous, rural and urban women in decision making; a gender-culture-environment; local-global linkages; environment and health linkages; capacity building and education; and peace. Also during the WAVE Assembly, UNEP launched a new publication entitled Natural Allies: UNEP and Civil Society.

The Angola Television programme Ponto de Encontro, or Meeting Point, has played an important role in the reunification of many families after 27 years of war. For over two years, they have been recording messages from people in the square in the hope their relatives will see them and get in touch after being separated. Victoria had been to Independence Square four times to record her message to her sister, Rosalina, who she had not seen for 28 years. On 7 April, 2004, Rosalina saw her sister's message by chance. She contacted the Orion production offices in Luanda to check if it really was her. It was.

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The National Transitional Government of Liberia has declared six counties ready for the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Launching a media campaign on the return of IDPs, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General, Mr. Abou Moussa said, "The greatest dream of every displaced Liberian is to go back home in safety and dignity, and we are here to facilitate that." The return will not only give IDPs a chance to begin a new life, it will also enable them to participate in the elections scheduled for October 2005.