20100401
ALALAM

Guinea-Bissau soldiers have arrested the army chief and the prime minister, at one point threatening to kill him, in an apparent coup bid in the west African country.

There were varying accounts Thursday of whether Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior had been released or whether he remained under house arrest.

But the newly designated army chief, Antonio Indjai, having earlier threatened to kill Gomes, later sought to play down the events, saying the military still answered to the political authorities.

A military source said Gomes had been arrested at his office early Thursday, taken to the former army headquarters and then brought back to his office before being escorted to his home.

"We don't know what to do with him," he said, adding: "There was also a reaction from some loyalist officers."

Soldiers were visible around army barracks while hundreds of people gathered outside the government headquarters chanted: "Free Cadogo, we have had enough violence."

The chief of defense staff General Jose Zamora Induta and 40 officers had also been arrested, said the military source.

"We led them under escort to the air base near the airport," the source added.

Indjai, previously the deputy army chief of staff, had been named to "manage the situation" in the tiny West African country, according to a military source.

National radio broadcasts were interrupted by military music, but hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the prime minister's residence to protest his arrest.

Indjai had threatened to kill Gomes, whose popular nickname is 'Cadogo,' if his supporters continued to press for his release.

"We ask you to stop anything that attracts a crowd in the streets," the general said at a press conference.

"If you do not do this, we will have to kill Cadogo," he added.

By late Thursday, the demonstrators had dispersed.

But in a statement later broadcast on the radio, Indjai said the military would submit to the political authorities.

President Malam Bacai Sanha acknowledged that deposed army chief Induta was being detained, in a statement to Portuguese radio.

Sanha said in a statement broadcast on Portugal's Antena 1: "There was a confusion between soldiers that reached the government, but the situation is calm."

Gomes was at home and the deposed army chief Induta was at an airbase close to Bissau, where he was detained.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon called for a peaceful resolution, while a statement issued by his special representative for the country spoke of the prime minister's "detention and subsequent release."

The former Portuguese colony has seen repeated coups since independence in 1974.

A new crisis erupted in March 2009 when president Joao Bernardo Vieira was murdered by troops, apparently in revenge for the killing hours earlier of the armed forces chief.

20100402
ALALAM

Sudan's main opposition parties have announced a total boycott of presidential, legislative and regional elections.

The groupings comprises of Umma Party's Mariam al-Mahdi, the communist party and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), all of which earlier announced a boycott of the presidential election which looks set to return Omar al-Beshir to power.

Officials said each party would now hold an internal meeting to validate the boycott decision.

Thursday's developments came a day after Beshir's main challenger Yasser Arman, candidate (SPLM), announced he was withdrawing from the presidential race.

Umma and the DUP came first and second respectively in the last multi-party election in 1986.

Three opposition parties, including that of Hassan al-Turabi, have not withdrawn from the elections.

Once a mentor to Beshir and now one of his critics, Turabi said he would still run.

"Our party will engage in the presidential (election)... at all levels," he said after meeting Gration.

Gration, who arrived on Wednesday, earlier met separately with Umma members, Turabi and DUP head Mohammed Osman al-Mirghani in marathon talks on the elections and the fate of the war-torn region of Darfur in western Sudan.

Fatima Abdelmahmud, the first ever female presidential candidate, has not decided her position yet.

Under a 2005 agreement that ended a 22-year north-south civil war, mostly Christian and animist southern Sudan obtained the right to hold a referendum in January 2011 on whether to break away from the Muslim-majority north.

Beshir has made it clear, however, that unless the SPLM participates in the elections, the referendum -- which the southerners believe will deliver their independence -- will not go ahead.

20100401
africagoodnews

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe swore in members of electoral and human rights commissions on Wednesday, a step toward fully implementing his power-sharing agreement with rival Morgan Tsvangirai.
UN Climate Change Summit Enters Final Week

"I think what is important is that we are able to fulfill some of the agreements," Tsvangirai said after the swearing-in ceremony, according to state news agency New Ziana.

This is the first time the southern African country will have a human rights commission.

It is headed by a former dean of the University of Zimbabwe law school, Reginald Austin. The electoral commission is chaired by high court judge Simpson Mutambanengwe.

Since forming the unity government in February 2009, President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai have battled over the naming of provincial governors, a series of key political appointments, and the removal of a Western travel ban and asset freeze on Mugabe and his inner circle.

Tsvangirai has accused Mugabe of obstructing full implementation of the power-sharing deal.

Earlier this month, South African President Jacob Zuma announced after a trip to Harare that Mugabe and Tsvangirai had agreed to "a package of measures" to bring them toward full implementation of the agreement.

The two leaders in December agreed on a slate of key appointments of officials to oversee reforms in media, elections and human rights.

However, they did not name the chairpersons of the election and human rights body.

Zimbabwe was thrown into crisis following a March 2008 presidential poll in which Tsvangirai beat Mugabe but took less than 50 percent of the vote.

Tsvangirai withdrew from the subsequent run-off, citing state-sponsored violence against his supporters and an uneven electoral playing field.

Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara said Wednesday's swearing in of the electoral commission was meant to pave the way to fresh elections.

"The commission will go a long way in creating conditions for free and fair elections in our country," he said.

20100401
PRESS TV

A group of soldiers have reportedly arrested Guinea-Bissau's premier and the army's chief of staff, raising coup fears in a country with a history of similar rebellions.

"Very early this morning (Thursday), young soldiers left the barracks and proceeded to arrest the prime minister after invading his residence," a military source told the AFP news agency.

Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior was freed after several hours and escorted back to his private residence. The head of the armed forces Zamora Induta remained under guard at a military base while his No. 2 appeared to be in control.

Initial reports said hundreds of people gathered in front of his office demanding his release. The supporters later gathered about 150 metres from the prime minister's home, AFP said.

Army deputy chief of staff General Antonio Indjai warned he would "kill" Gomes if the arrested leader's sympathizers did not disperse.

"We ask you to avoid any assembly in the streets. If you do not, that could lead us to kill Cadogo," said the general, using the nickname of the prime minister.

The whereabouts of President Malam Bacai Sanha, who took power following elections in July, were not immediately known and the situation in the country remains unclear.

Military music interrupted the usual broadcasts on national radio which experts say indicates a coup.

The country has been struggling to overcome a crisis after the retaliatory killing of President Joao Bernardo Vieira in March 2009.

Troops loyal to then head of the armed forces, General Tagme Na Waie, attacked and shot Bernardo, blaming him for a bombing that killed the general hours earlier.

The poor West African nation has seen a series of coups since independence from Portugal in the 1970s.

20100401
PRESS TV

Sudanese presidential candidate and the main rival of current leader Omar al-Bashir, Yassir Arman, has withdrawn from the country's April election.

A member of Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) said Wednesday without further details that the former SPLM leader pulled out of the presidential race.

Sudan's first presidential and legislative elections in 24 years are scheduled to be held in April.

Arman was believed to be the main rival contesting against President Omar al-Bashir.

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement has threatened to boycott the polls, citing "electoral irregularities" in the run-up to the election.

Apart from electoral irregularities, the SPLM has also blamed the continuing conflict in the Darfur region for Arman's withdrawal.

20100401
PRESS TV

Sudan's main opposition parties announce a total boycott of this month's presidential, legislative and regional elections, raising further questions about the polls' fairness.

After the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, southern Sudan's main political party, withdrew its candidate Yasir Arman on Wednesday nearly all opposition parties followed suit and pulled out of the April 11-13 presidential election the following day.

The SPLM said that Arman — considered President Umar al-Bashir's main rival — would not stand due to irregularities and insecurity in the restive Darfur region.

Officials said on Thursday that head of the Umma Party Sadiq al-Mahdi, Communist party chief Ibrahim Nugud, and Hatem al-Sir from the Democratic Unionist Party have all withdrawn from the elections.

The boycott was announced after crisis talks in Khartoum's sister city of Omdurman, hosted by US envoy Scott Gration, failed to convince the Sudanese government to reschedule the vote for a later date.

The Sudanese politicians have cited fears of vote rigging and insecurity for their decision in the country's first multiparty elections since 1986.

The boycott is expected to undermine the ongoing peace process between Sudan's government and the opposition.

However, Bashir has vowed to press on with the elections and on Monday threatened to cancel a referendum on independence for the south should opposition parties boycott the elections.

20100401
ALL AFRICA

Kampala — President Yoweri Museveni has said opposition leader Col. Kizza Besigye will be questioned by the Police over his remarks that the Government has sold Lake Kyoga to a South African company.

"If he said it, we will have to follow him up and ask him under what contract. The Police will have to ask him," Museveni said, according to a statement issued by his deputy press secretary.

The President was speaking in Barlege village, Okwang sub-county in Otuke district. The village was one of the hardest-hit during the LRA insurgency.

Yesterday, Besigye could not be reached to comment on the matter. However, Sarah Eperu, his aide, said Besigye discussed the issue while on a tour in Amolatar district.

"Besigye was reacting to complaints of the local population who had informed him that Lake Kyoga had been leased to white people and the locals could no longer fish unless they paid a fee. The matter was raised by the residents," Eperu said.

"Besigye responded by saying this had been President Museveni's style, that when he came to power, he sold all Government factories and now he was left with nothing to sell except leasing the lakes, against the interests of the nation."

Fisheries state minister Fred Mukisa recently said the ministry was drafting a policy to allow districts to lease lakes to investors. The aim, he said, was to create a sense of ownership in the use and management of the lakes to increase fish production.

He said because the public thinks the lakes belong to no one, the vital water bodies have been degraded and depleted. Some people, including MPs, had shown interest in renting the lakes, he said.

Touring Lango region to promote the Prosperity-for-All programme, the President hailed the people of Lira for the fast-track development following the return of peace in northern Uganda.

He said the NRM was determined to phase out subsistence farming, practised by 68% of families in Uganda, by promoting modern and commercialised agriculture.

Museveni added that role models would be used to educate the rest of the farmers.

"We teach and empower them so that the rest of the farmers can learn from them. Under the programme, it is important to have SACCOs in every sub-county to enable farmers save and access loans to improve their projects." On price controls, the President said commodity prices are controlled by the market and not by the Government.

"If there is too much production, the prices will go down, if there is too little, they go up." He said the solution would be to subsidise farmers but this would mean diverting money for energy to subsidies.

"The economy needs a developed infrastructure. If you don't have that, the cost of doing business remains high. That is why I am hesitant to go into subsidies."

The President, however, cited other ways to influence prices, such as creating additional demand.

"Maize used to be only for human consumption. Now we also need it for animal and poultry feeds. We can influence prices by exporting and widening the market. I am working hard to see if I can bring a factory to produce cornflakes from maize."

He said the Lango region received over sh9b NAADS funds in the last eight years. The Government is due to establish what it was used for, he noted.

The President commended the people for supporting the army to uproot the rebels from northern Uganda through the Amuka and Arrow boys militias. He attacked UPC leader Olara Otunnu for claiming that the NRM has done nothing in Lango, adding that even a blind man can see the changes.

"In 1987 there were 520 schools, today there are over 728 and this is on top of rehabilitating the old colonial schools. There were 3,094 classrooms, today we have over 5,990."

He cited the growing tarmac road network and water coverage. "For anybody to say nothing has been done is to make a fool of himself."

Museveni said next year, the Government will revise the NAADS guidelines to correct the unfair selection criteria.

He warned officials stealing government money or sabotaging government programmes that culprits would be dealt with severely.

20100401
ALL AFRICA

A cholera epidemic has plagued Zimbabwe for some time, with ongoing outbreaks occurring there sporadically since 2003. The developing country has suffered long-term political instability, intense food shortages, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), a male average life expectancy of 37 years. The most recent WHO figures from 2009 estimate that there are 79,613 suspected cases of cholera in the country. The organization's representatives have described the outbreak as "out of control."

Cholera is a water-borne disease and is easily transmitted from one person to another through poor hygiene or contaminated water. The disease is further exasperated by the poor sanitation and weak health-care system in the region. Preventing deaths from the disease is easily done through antibiotics and proper hydration.

However, what is most troubling for the country is the downplaying of the extent of the cholera epidemic in the past, both by President Mugabe's government and by the United Nations. In an interview with The Independent newspaper on 26 November 2008, a senior official in the Zimbabwe Health Ministry claimed under anonymity that he had been prevented from accurately reporting statistics on the number of cholera deaths around Zimbabwe. Additionally in 2008, a number of months after the epidemic began, the UN appealed for aid for a mere 2,000 cases of cholera but just two months later, the death toll had already reached that number.

The reason for the failure on the part of the UN has been debated. Former UN official Georges Tadonki has been particularity vocal in his condemnation of the UN's response to the epidemic over the last few years. Tadonki headed the UN's humanitarian office in Zimbabwe around the time that the initial outbreak turned into an epidemic. Tadonki spoke to MediaGlobal about the issue. He said that he believes that this is a very clear example of the UN failing to challenge a dictator in order to protect millions of vulnerable people.

Tadonki went on to say that: "An early visible intervention of the UN in Zimbabwe in 2008 would have certainly reduced the scale of that disaster. [The] UN [was] misled not to listen to early warnings sent by their own OCHA Head of Office, leading to the UN late response to cholera. ... and leading to several thousand deaths...and [the] mass movement of millions of people fleeing to safer land in safe-houses in Zimbabwe or [spreading disease] in neighboring countries, or facing deadly xenophobia, like in South Africa."

Lexi Aisbitt, from the Zimbabwe Benefit Foundation, an organization that has been working since 2004 to empower the people of Zimbabwe through aid, education, and housing, spoke toMediaGlobal on the current situation in Zimbabwe: "Having recently returned from Zimbabwe, it is evident that a potential further cholera outbreak remains a significant worry. The health and sanitation infrastructure across the country has completely collapsed and an absence of clean water continues for many, meaning that disease is rife."

Regarding the UN's mishandling of the epidemic, Aisbitt stated that the UN's efforts: "Have been significant, but there is a great deal more to be done. Sadly there seems to be a misconception pervading the larger development agencies and non-governmental organizations that the presence of a unity government in Zimbabwe means that the country's difficulties are being more effectively dealt with. Sadly, this is far from the reality."

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MediaGlobal is an independent international media organization, based in the United Nations, creating awareness in the global media on social justice and development issues in the world's least developed countries. For more information, please contact us at: United Nations Secretariat, Room L-221 K, Dag Hammarskjold Library, New York, NY 10017. Telephone: 609.529.6129. Email: media@mediaglobal.org. Website: www.mediaglobal.org

20100401
PRESS TV

Deadly clashes between two rival clans in central Somalia have left at least 23 people dead amid mounting violence in the Horn of Africa nation.

The latest clash took place in the Ba'aad Weyn village south of the Mudug region on Wednesday, the Press TV correspondent reported.

Dozens more have been injured in the fighting that was triggered by long-standing hostilities over ownership of the grazing land and a water well.

Hundreds of villagers have reportedly fled the area as their herds scattered because of heavy gun battle and loud explosions.

The lethal clashes erupted as a Somali government-appointed negotiation committee and local elders were stepping up efforts to end the rift between the two clans.

Despite President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's efforts to bring long-feuding Somali factions together, parts of the capital and large areas in the country remain under clans' and the rebels' rule.

The nation in the Horn of Africa has not had a functioning government since warlords toppled Siad Barre in 1991.

20100401
PRESS TV

The European Union has given the go-ahead for a military mission in Somalia, which reportedly aims to train Somali forces against local fighters.

The training mission known as 'EUTM' is led by Spain and involves around 100 troops plus several dozen additional staff.

Germany and France have already committed troops to the mission and Britain is expected to participate.

The EUTM is expected to train around 2,000 Somali troops in coordination with international partners, in particular the United Nations, the African Union Mission in Somalia and the United States.

It is to start operation on April 7, mainly in Uganda, where some Somali forces are already stationed.

The goal of the mission is to strengthen Somalia's transitional government.

However some members of the 27-nation bloc believe that without a long-term financial and political commitment, training Somali troops and providing them with guns could cause more problems than it will solve.

Somalia has had no effective government for 19 years.

At least 21,000 Somalis have been killed since the start of 2007 due to ongoing violence and political conflicts in the country, 1.5 million have been uprooted from their homes, and nearly half a million are refugees in other countries in the region.

20100401
press tv

Vessels passing through the waters of East Africa are at risk of attacks by heavily armed Somali pirates, an international maritime watchdog warns.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) issued the alert on Thursday amid concerns that the end of the monsoon season could lead a hike in pirate attacks.

"It is a dangerous time for ships with the end of the monsoon season…The pirates are lurking out there and are looking for ships to hijack," Noel Choong, head of IMB piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur told AFP.

The watchdog also added that night farers would be in danger as the full moon and good visibility would work in favor of the pirates.

Pirates have grown bolder in armed attacks despite the presence of an anti-piracy EU naval mission patrolling the dangerous waters off Somalia. The mission is assisted by the United States and other national navies.

Last month, a frigate from the EU NAVFOR in the region rescued Iranian fishermen tied up and left for dead by pirates after their supplies and oil was looted.

Nine sailors were seriously wounded on Wednesday in a violent pirate attack that saw Somali pirates use automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades on a Mombasa-bound North Korean vessel.

According to the IMB figures, Somali pirates have successfully hijacked seven vessels since January after attacking 32 ships. Pirates are currently holding 17 ships together with more than 200 sailors hostage.

20100401
allafrica

Tunis — Mr. Khaled Fradi, Director General of "Monétique-Tunisie" (SMT), announced on Tuesday in Tunis the launch for the first time in Africa of the MasterCard "PayPass".

The news was announced during a press conference held on the occasion of the 5th Forum of card technologies "Cards Africa 2010" which is due to be held from April 1st to 2nd,2010.

During the conference, Mr. Fradi stressed that MasterCard "PayPass" technology is a faster (between 3 to 7 seconds), easier way to make purchases.

He said that this card will be experienced in 2010 in sectors for purchases that do not exceed 20 dinars, adding that the number of banking cards issued in Tunisia by 2009, was estimated at 2,082, 905 cards against 791, 641 in 2003.

The use of cards for Automated Tell Machine (ATM) operations represents about 85% of the overall use of banking cards in Tunisia, whereas their use for purchase did not exceed 15% in 2009.

Already accepted in thousands of locations worldwide, the Commonwealth Bank is the first to offer MasterCard "PayPass" in Australia.

In 2005, MasterCard began to roll out the "PayPass" in certain markets. As of September 2008, several financial institutions have issued the MasterCard "PayPass" including "Bank of America", "Washington Mutual" and "Canadian Tire Bank".

In 2008 "Master Card" ranked the STM as the best monetics company in Africa, the Middle East and East Asia.

20100401
allafrica

Africa, already burdened with the misnomer of being the "dark" or "forgotten" continent is soon set to get a new name; "vulnerable".

We, the citizens of this hapless continent, are now being described as the harbingers of doom of a technological kind.

Computers owners on the continent are being described as being part of a global assault machine that is being likened to a weapon of mass destruction (WMD).

Why?

The arrival of international fibre optic cables - and Kenya now has three with the latest landing of the East African Marine System (EASSy) - on our shores is being described as the catalyst that will propel Africa into a global ring of infected computers.

Becoming a member of this infamous grouping could conceivably bring down the world economy, as international players use our vulnerability to their advantage.

The latest edition of Foreign Policy magazine reveals how the alarming scheme could work.

From a central hub, computers across our continent could be taken over, often without the knowledge of their owners, and set up to forward transmissions (including spam or viruses) to other computers online.

These new zombie computers, or "bots" (as in robots), serve the wishes of some master spam or virus originator, Foreign Policy states.

It would require about 100 million computers working together as one, a "botnet" -- the cybersecurity world's version of a WMD.

"One botnet of one million hosts could conservatively generate enough traffic to take most Fortune 500 companies collectively offline," Jeffrey Carr writes in his book Inside Cyber Warfare.

"A botnet of 10 million hosts could paralyze the network infrastructure of a major western nation."

The African continent, home to almost 100 million computers, would be a top target for botnet herders, with devastating results to the world economy, says Foreign Policy magazine.

Africa is apparently home to the world's most vulnerable computers, using them as a vehicle to attack other computers could bring the world economy down with a single keystroke.

Foreign Policy says while about 80 per cent of the African population lacks even rudimentary knowledge of information technologies, there are enough unprotected computers on the continent to create a very cosy environment for the international hacker.

Though Internet cafes are widespread, providers often cannot afford proper antivirus software, making computers very easy targets for skilled botnet operators and hackers.

New research from Team Cymru, an international internet security firm, says that Africa could soon "be a hotbed of activity by criminals in other parts of the world who seek to capitalize on Africa's new bandwidth capacity for their own ends.

Data from the security firm indicates that bot attacks on the continent have risen in tandem with the arrival of cheaper internet connectivity, with Egypt being singled out as a particularly attractive destination.

That this news tallies with what local security analysts have been warning should not shock us.

20100401
all africa

THE PHRASE, 'He who controls transport, controls the trade' has remained a truism. Especially in Africa, where there is a near total dependence on foreigners to provide shipping services without identifiable measures to develop indigenous capacity.

Issues' bordering on capacity building was the focus of an international capacity building workshop for media/public relation executives in the maritime industry, which held at the Regional Maritime University (RMU) in Tema, Ghana.

The importance of the human element in shipping cannot be over emphasised. The need for a robust human capital as a necessary growth pillar for sector is quite appreciable now than ever before.

The workshop, organised by Balm of Gilead Communications with the support of RMU emphasised among others, the need for Africans to brace up and control shipping trade in Africa, which is currently under the firm grip of foreigners, who use the clause of lack of capacity to keep Africans down.

This stems from their knowledge of the huge market in Africa and use all sorts of subtle blackmail to enable them continue dominance of shipping. Ship arrest, it was observed, was one of the measures used by foreigners to manipulate the system to discourage African nations from owning ships.

Africa's attention is diverted to some basic issues like health, housing etc, thereby overlooking the huge economic potentials of sea trade.

The world economy is highly interconnected. Over the past four decades, total seaborne trade has more then quadrupled. It is also common knowledge that over 90 per cent of the world trade is transported by sea.

In Nigeria, the maritime sector is responsible for facilitating over 90 per cent of trading prospects including oil and gas. Nigeria accounts for over 60 per cent of total seaborne traffic in volume and value in the West African sub-region with a GDP accounting for over 60 per cent of the total GDP of the 16 countries that make up the Economic Community of West African states (ECOWAS). The successes or otherwise of the Nigerian maritime sector therefore has a reverberating impact on the sub-region.

One of the major shortfalls of Nigeria's national trade policy, particularly as it relates to the oil and gas sector, is the terms of trade, which allow its crude exports and products import to be sold on F.O.B terms.

It is clear that without the vessels to move this black gold from areas of surplus to areas of need, value is not created. If we assume that the country earns over $100 billion annually from oil exports and 10 per cent of that represents the freight element, which translate to over $10 billion earned by foreign vessels under Nigeria's trade policy.

This trend is worrisome and government's attention must be drawn to the negative consequences of this policy on the Nigerian maritime Sector and its impact on the overall economy. The strategic vision in this regard is to propose a phased review of the terms of trade whilst building relevant competencies locally, in order to avert dislocations to the supply chain.

In January 2008, the world trade fleet consisted of 50,525 ships with a combined tonnage of 728,225,000GRT.

Nigeria has a sizeable cargo potential on account of its oil reserves of over 30 billion barrels, gas reserves of 187 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) and of course a population of about 160 million people and the attendant demand profile.

The annual average import within the last six (6) years is 32,244,042 MTS while annual freight cost is between $ 2.6 billion to $3.5 billion. A very negligible portion of this income presently resides in Nigeria. An important poser in this regard is that with all of these demands pull factors, what is the size of Nigeria's fleet that can take advantage of these opportunities?

Pioneer president of Ghana, the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah thought of maritime transport very early hence he established a nautical college, which metamorphosed to the Regional Maritime University and built the Tema port to serve the interest of Ghana.

His idea was to set up national shipping line, control transport as well as trade.

Other African nations also established national shipping lines. While Ghana operated the Black Star Line, Nigeria had the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL). CITRAM was the national line of Ivory Coast, East African Line and CAMSHIP of Cameroon.

These all came up during the postcolonial era but have all collapsed. These are what the early nationalist leaders invested so much money in establishing.

One of the resource persons at the international capacity building workshop, Aaron Turkson, who is a former rector of RMU and winner of best administrator in West and Central Africa, explained to Daily Independent that management of the liners may not be totally blamed for the collapse, saying that liner business changed considerably in the early 1980's.

This made running of Liner Company become very expensive and capital intensive and most government did not have that money to continue. But he noted that the Chinese, Malaysia and others survived and are still operating national lines.

He also noted that Ethiopian shipping line is still operating and is the only surviving sub-Saharan shipping line and are currently building eight ships.

Although shipping lines in Africa may have collapsed under poor management and other factors, Turkson believes that Africa has capacity to handle most jobs in the maritime sector.

While decrying the lack of regulation of shipping, he said "I believe we have capacity even for rigs operation," adding that "You find few African crews onboard ships today. Asians take advantage of manning to create jobs for its people but Africans have not taken the advantage to create employment."

He pointed out that in Nigeria offshore, there are so many Philippines doing jobs that are supposed to be done by Nigerians, even as he said, there is huge potential locally, the jobs are there.

A maritime expert, who expressed concern about high shipping charges on goods coming into the sub-region, advised the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) to have firm control of shipping trade and reduce charges.

According to the expert, Alock Asamoah, who is the rector of the Regional Maritime University, Ghana, foreign ship owners, had dominated trade and solely deciding shipping charges because shipping trade were not controlled in the sub-region.

Asamoah, who was addressing participants of a three-day international capacity building workshop for media executives and public relations officers in the maritime industry at the RMU noted that shipping rates from China to West Africa, Europe to West Africa are becoming more expensive per nautical mile and tonnes than anywhere else in the world.

Maritime nations, he said, should also be able to have control of cargo allocation to the ship owners. But foreign shipping firms have explained that the cause of high charges had to do with piracy in the Somali waters.

Asamoah recalled that between the 1950s and the early 1980s, the maritime industry boomed, ports, nautical colleges and shipyards were established while the fishing industry was also booming.

He however expressed regret that most of these were no more functional as nations struggled in their bid to industrialise very fast and gain economic independence.

Today, shipping lines belonging to countries and individuals in the sub-region have all collapsed with the maritime industry in the sub-region now controlled by foreigners.

"It is the responsibility of the media in the sub-region to present the facts and awake the shipping practitioners about the big loss," Asamoah said.

Registrar of the RMU, Julius Atikpu said recently, oil was discovered in Ghana, adding that the university had because of this, acquired the capacity to run oil and gas short time courses according to International Standards Organisation (ISO) regulations.

He said the courses are ISO-certified and had received national accreditation of nations like Ghana, Gambia, Sierra-Leone and Liberia. Owner nations of the university are, Gambia, Sierra-Leone , Liberia, Ghana and Cameroon.

20100401
all africa

Recent geological surveys have provided evidence that Malawi, Mozambique and the United Republic of Tanzania have huge potential for geothermal energy, which could reduce heavy reliance on hydropower and fossil fuel in those countries and the region.

According to an assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility, there is 4,000 Megawatts (MW) of electricity ready for harvesting along the Rift Valley.

Like other renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro, geothermal offers significant potential in terms of climate change mitigation. "Geothermal is 100 percent indigenous, environmentally friendly, and a technology that has been under-utilized for too long. "It is time to take this technology off the back burner in order to power livelihoods, fuel development and reduce dependence on polluting and unpredictable fossil fuels," says the UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner Only Kenya has begun tapping this renewable resource in the Rift Valley, with a goal of generating 1200 MW by 2015.

Based on preliminary exploration, current estimates indicate a geothermal potential of 650 MW in Tanzania. The government of Tanzania is interested in the use of small-scale geothermal plants for rural electricity mini-grid systems, although this has not yet started. The geothermal field in the vicinity of Lake Natron in Tanzania would allow base-load power to be fed into the main grid system of the Tanzania Electricity Supply Company. In Malawi, 21 major hot springs are reported in the Chitipa-Karonga area down to Chipudze in the southern region.

Almost all the known geothermal energy sources of the country are of the convective type. For Mozambique, the most promising areas for geothermal energy development are in the northern and central provinces. The local availability of geothermal fluids confirms the possibility of small-scale power generation, and warrants more detailed studies and eventual exploratory drilling. At least 38 thermal springs have been identified in Mozambique mostly within the Rift Valley just north of Metangula where vigorously boiling water is reported on the edge of Lake Niassa.

There are several springs lower in temperature (below 60 degrees Celsius) found along and to the west of major faults in the Espungabera-Manica areas, near the border with Zimbabwe. South Africa is also relatively well-endowed with eighty-seven thermal springs documented to day of temperatures ranging from 25 degrees Celsius to 67.5 degrees Celsius. Of the 87 thermal springs, 29 have been developed for direct use, mainly as family leisure and recreational resorts, using the water for health or spa purposes.

Since coal is abundant and relatively cheap, coal-burning power stations are the major suppliers of South Africa's energy requirements. Until recently, very little attention was devoted to research on renewable energy resources such as geothermal. A recently launched research project in South Africa is aimed at investigating the feasibility of generating power using a thermal spring binary system as well as from hot granites.

In Madagascar, eight sites have been identified. France is financing a prototype (micro-geothermal) pre-feasibility study for a 50-100 KW facility using a low-temperature geothermal resource to supply electrical energy to isolated villages. Zambia has several sites planned for construction but the projects have stalled due to lack of funds.

The Botswana government has called for companies to tender for the provision of consultancy services to conduct a pre-feasibility study for the construction of a solar geothermal power plant in the country. With so much energy available and Africa's populations in dire need, UNEP is ready to support drilling. The African Rift Valley Geothermal Development Facility backed by the UNEP and the World Bank, will support drilling in the Rift Valley countries starting in 2010.

According to Monique Barbut, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Environment Facility, "The work in the Rift Valley is demonstrating that geothermal is not only technologically viable but cost effective for countries in Africa where there is an overall potential of at least 7000 MW." The World Geothermal Congress to be held in Bali, Indonesia on 25-30 April would provide an opportunity for southern Africa to gain confidence into tapping this clean and renewable energy source.

20100401
aljazeera



A US warship has captured five suspected pirates after an exchange of fire in the Indian Ocean west of the Seychelles, the US navy said.

"USS Nicholas captured suspected pirates on Thursday after exchanging fire, sinking a skiff, and confiscating a suspected mothership," the US Navy said in a statement.

After the clash, the US ship chased the suspected pirate ship, which had been damaged, until it stopped, it said, capturing three pirates on the skiff and another two on the mothership.

The US said that it expected pirates to increase attacks on merchant vessels due to better weather from March through to May.

Pirates operating off Somalia have stepped up hijack attacks on vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden in recent months, making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms, despite the presence of foreign navies off the coast of Somalia.

Attacks had created a two-year boom for specialist insurance cover, but stiff competition and moves by owners to better protect ships have taken the edge out of insurance costs.

Maritime assaults

Pirate sources said a Taiwanese ship had also been hijacked on Thursday, while a Turkish frigate intercepted a skiff in the Gulf of Aden and captured nine Somali pirates who were suspected of preparing to attack ships, the Turkish military said on Thursday.

The Gelibolu, operating with Nato forces in the region, spotted the skiff on Wednesday, about 130km off the shore in a transit corridor commercial vessels are encouraged to use for safe passage.

Commandoes seized the vessel, along with equipment used in piracy operations, the Turkish military said in a statement online.

A photograph posted on the army's website showed the suspected pirates holding their hands up in surrender.

Since January, Somali pirates have attacked 32 ships, seven of which were hijacked, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) piracy reporting centre said on Thursday.

Pirates were holding eight ships in total and 143 crewmen of different nationalities, it added.

20100401
aljazeera



The International Criminal Court prosecutor has pledged to focus on victims as he prepares to begin an investigation into Kenya's 2007-08 post-election violence.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo told Al Jazeera on Thursday that he assures protection to the victims and witnesses of the violence.

"I have a duty to protect the witnesses and I will do it.

"We are not going to rely on Kenyan authorities to protect our witnesses. We will relocate them when needed and put them in safe places," he said.

Moreno-Ocampo said he has a list of 20 possible suspects made up of political and business leaders and that he will prosecute "those most responsible".

'Crimes against humanity'

A day earlier, the ICC authorised the prosecutor to investigate the post-election unrest, in which about 1,200 people died.

The ICC said in a statement issued on Wednesday that "the information available provides a reasonable basis to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed on Kenyan territory".

Weeks of violence followed the 2007 general election, with about 400,000 people fleeing their homes. Hundreds were killed in tribal clashes and police were accused of brutality.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons said that outside Moreno-Ocampo's list of 20 top suspects, there were many others involved in the unrest.

"Beyond those 20, there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of killers, who haven't been brought to justice."

He also said that the witnesses Morano-Ocampo vowed to protect were just a small number of the victims.

"There are countless others out there, in hiding, worried about their lives ... Most human rights campaigners believe there's no such thing as independent justice in Kenya and there's no such thing as independent protection for those who are prepared to risk their lives to give evidence in court."

Kenya's failure to set up a tribunal to try suspects of the unrest prompted Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general, to hand in the names of important suspects to the ICC.

Annan has welcomed the investigation decision, describing its start as an "important day for justice."

"Justice for the victims suddenly looks brighter. I urge all concerned to fully co-operate with the ICC," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

'Witnesses protected'

Mutula Kilonzo, the Kenyan justice minister, also "welcomed" the investigation.

He also said that victims who give evidence are already protected under Kenyan law.

"We have already on the ground a law on witness protection ... and right now there is a draft in parliament seeking to amend it to meet international practices on witness protection," he told Al Jazeera.

"The country has not only local but international obligations that the witnesses are protected. The world is watching, we are well aware of that."

Kenya has agreed to provide the court with confidential information about incidents during the unrest.

Mark Ellis, the executive director at the International Bar Association, praised the ICC's decision on Wednesday.

"I think it is a very important step for Kenya and the international community," he told Al Jazeera.

"The ICC provided an opportunity for Kenya to undertake their own investigation and prosecution, but they were not able to do that.

"It is morally and legally right for the International Criminal Court now to undertake this first step and that is the investigation into the crimes that were committed in Kenya."

Ellis said Kenyans cannot enjoy "sustainable peace and certainly not reconciliation" unless those who have committed the atrocities are brought to justice.

The ICC is the world's first permanent court mandated to bring to justice perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so.

Currently, 110 states are parties to the ICC.

20100401
africanews

At least 400 children, mostly pedestrians, die in road accidents in Uganda every year, the Minister of Works and Transport has announced. 46% of those injured road accidents are urban children and it is twice the percent of falls and burns added together, according to the Injury Control Centre of Uganda report.

Another 1,200 people are severing with serious injuries in road accidents every year.

The ministry has said that this report makes children the most vulnerable to road accidents.

The numbers of road accidents are increasing each year, despite numerous government measures to reduce them. The road accidents in Uganda have killed about 21,807 people since 2000 while other 120,121 people are victims of accidents.

Engineer John Nasasira at the Ministry of Works and Transport said accidents were becoming as dangerous as malaria which kills an estimated 320 people in Uganda every day.

“In Uganda, road accidents have become a scourge equally of concern as HIV/Aids and malaria in terms of claiming lives and we need to do something before it’s too late,” Nasasira was quoted by local media.

Uganda is planning to halve on the road accidents in the next 10 years.

20100401
africanews

Sierra Leoneans have woken up today for the first time after ten years without the United Nations radio. The UN radio which was set up in 2000 played a significant role in consolidating peace in the West Africa nation. Until last night it was the 'most trusted' independent broadcaster with a country wide transmission.

According to the Transition Management Team (TMT), effective April 1st the assets of the UN Radio will merge with West Africa’s oldest broadcaster the former Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS) to what is now known as the new Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC).

The local United Nations radio seized operation last night and is now part of a new outfit which will be officially launched by Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma on April 27th, Independence Day.

The new SLBC will be an independent broadcaster with support from the United Nations Peace building Funds. The transformation has spark debate among Sierra Leone’s six million populations. President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalist stated in a Facebook forum that “we will ALL be watching to ensure its independence. I doubt anything fundamental will change at once.

“We will still see reporting on the president, president, president, minister, minister, minister, and so on. Yes because the powers-that-be want it to be so, but also because the staff will keep thinking so they must do to keep their jobs.’’

The BBC reporter said further ‘’ However... See more; I am full of hope that with constant training of the staff there, and with our watchful eyes and big mouths over them, their mindset will change and those attempting to dictate to them from outside with hands-off.

"We must all always remember the ultimate good thing about the SLBC - the government agreeing for a change of management. It is a rare feat on our continent. As far as I know only South Africa has been there before us. Let us be proud of ourselves and our Government for this.”

20100401
africanews

Zimbabwe's first human rights and electoral commissions have been sworn in by President Robert Mugabe. The creation of the two commissions is seen as crucial in moving the country towards free and fair elections.

The Human Rights Commission will be chaired by Reginald Austin, a law professor and former head of the legal affairs division of the Commonwealth.

The head of the Electoral Commission will be former Zimbabwean Supreme Court judge, Simpson Mutambanengwe, who was serving as acting chief justice in the Namibian Supreme Court.

This is a step towards implementing the power-sharing agreement between Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, but others issues remain.

Analysts say the two commissions seem to be politically balanced between Mugabe's Zanu-PF and the MDC of Mr Tsvangirai, his long-time rival, according to the BBC.