20100104
aLLAFRICA

Nairobi — Hopes that Kenya's economy would achieve an annual growth rate of three per cent were dampened after it emerged that economic output remained flat in the three months to September.

Third quarter growth figures released by the national bureau of statistics showed that the economic growth rate stagnated at zero per cent between July and September, meaning Kenyans produced goods and services that just equalled the level of production in the comparative months of year 2008.

With the average annual growth rate up to September now standing at 2.1 per cent, the economy would have to grow by at least 5.6 per cent in the just ended fourth quarter to clock Treasury's annual GDP increase target rate of three per cent in 2009.

Kenya's economy has attained a 5.6 per cent fourth-quarter growth rate only twice (in 2007 and 2005) in the last decade, and economic experts said Treasury's annual growth target is now "well out of reach" based on this historical performance and available provisional growth figures for the past three months.

"I don't want to pre-empt anything, but I doubt we can achieve a 5.6 per cent growth rate in the fourth quarter going by interim data for the period," said Mr James Gatungu, a principal economist at the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). "The picture will however only become clearer later in January."

Minimal improvement

Economic experts said the best case scenario is that the growth rate in 2009 will fall within the IMF and World Bank's projections of just about 2.5 per cent, an expansion pace that just about matches the national population growth rate and hence represents minimal improvement in Kenyans' real incomes.

The stagnation in national output also contradicts the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) governor, Prof Njuguna Ndung'u's, assertion in November that third quarter data pointed to an overall economic upturn.

"Analyses of second and third quarter economic indicators signal that the domestic economy is riding over the global economic crisis to a recovery path," said Prof Ndung'u in the November bi-monthly Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) statement.

Figures released by the statistics bureau on Wednesday however showed total gross domestic product (GDP) stagnated at Sh361 billion from July to September— the same level of economic output achieved in similar months in 2008 — which however represented a 3.2 per cent quarter-on-quarter increase over production in 2007.

Pounded by a quadruple of shocks that included lag effects of the 2008 post election crisis, persistent drought, a steep rally in food and fuel prices and weakening of the global economy.

Kenya's growth took a sharp nose-dive beginning April after what appeared to have been a strong re-bound in the first quarter when it recorded a four per cent enlargement.

The pace of economic expansion slowed to 2.4 per cent in the second quarter which was then followed by stagnation in the three months to September, the lowest third-quarter growth rate since 2002 when output shrunk by 2.5 per cent.

The agricultural sector which counts for about a quarter of Kenya's total GDP recorded negative quarterly growth of 3.5 per cent while manufacturing, transport and communications and construction which together represent an estimated one quarter of the GDP also declined by 2.4, 1.8 and 1.1 per cent respectively.

Negative growth

But the hotels and restaurants sector recorded a 44.4 per cent growth compared to a decline of 24.3 per cent in 2008 boosted by the traditional peak tourism season of the third quarter months. The steep recovery of this sector however has little effect on the overall GDP figures as it accounts for just about 1.6 per cent of Kenya's total economic output. Sheila M'Mbijjewe, a consultant economist and member of CKK's policy think tank the MPC, says performance of the agricultural sector still holds the key to Kenya's full economic recovery.

Though still billed as the country's economic backbone generating an estimated 80 per cent of direct and indirect employment especially in the rural areas, agriculture has also proved to be Kenya's Achilles' heel in recent years. Reliance on rain-fed production has seen the sector record consecutive negative growth pulling back total GDP growth in the last four years when effects of climate change have hit home by way of a persistent drought.

Agriculture sector's growth receded by five per cent last year and 2.4 per cent this year but is expected to grow by a positive one per cent next year based on a more favourable rainfall outlook according to a projection made by the World Bank last month.

Drought has pushed 10 million Kenyans to the borderline of intermittent food insecurity and driven home the realisation that Kenya's economic growth will always suffer heavily from the lag effects of lost productivity as food shortages feed to inflationary pressures and diminish demand for manufactured goods.

Treasury was forced to cut growth-spurring development spending last year by about Sh7 billion which went towards importation of emergency food supplies while the 2009/10 allocation of Sh3 billion for food import appears to fall way short of the estimated Sh48 billion that analysts say will be required to plug a looming deficit 16 million bags of maize.

"But the short rain season which appears to be sustaining now may just give the economy the required stimulus this year," says M'Mbijjewe.

The multi-pronged effects of erratic rainfall have also spread to the energy sector where the hydro-centric electricity generation has seen households and manufacturers have to absorb increased production costs on the back of a power and water rationing plan.

Overall demand

Ms M'Mbijjewe said policy interventions such as the ongoing state financing of targeted, economic stimulating labour-intensive projects will continue this year as a way of providing a safety net for jobless youth and also putting money into people's pockets with an eye on spurring overall demand for goods and services.

The World Bank has also suggested that Kenya should scrap all tariffs for maize and grain imports, give direct support to food and livestock production and implement targeted social protection programmes as short-term measures of dealing with the food crisis as it also engages neighbouring countries to allow free flow of food in the region. Treasury and the World Bank have projected growth of between 3.5 and four per cent this year.

20100104
allafrica

Nairobi — A Cabinet minister on Monday said he was arm-twisted into allocating Mau forest land to former President Daniel arap Moi.

Mr William ole Ntimama, now the National Heritage minister, further said that Kiptagich Tea Factory partly owned by Mr Moi was not under the Narok County Council.

Mr Ntimama served as the council chairman in the 1970s. He spoke a day after retired President Moi acknowledged that he owns a stake in the tea estate and factory said to be within the Mau Forest.

On Monday, Mr Ntimama said the allocation was done when Kenya was a one-party state and there was nothing much he could do to control the events.

"The former president ran a one-party state. I was helpless and could do nothing when he took the land. I was arm-twisted in that situation," he said.

Attempts to speak to Mr Moi's press secretary, Mr Lee Njiru, failed as he was not picking his phone.

On Sunday, Mr Moi said he owns 25 per cent of the factory and the rest belonged to the public. He claimed he was given the land by Narok County Council.

Speaking after a church function in Bureti, Mr Moi further denied that the land was in Mau saying it was at the edge of the forest.

The retired president maintained that he did not use his position as Head of State to grab the land.

He denied claims that he used his power to allocate himself the land in Olenguruone, Kuresoi district.

The Maasai, he said, gave him the land as a way of conserving the Mau Complex by stopping encroachers. He said land neighbouring various water towers was also allocated to other individuals to act as buffer zones.

But on Monday, Mr Ntimama urged the former president to surrender the 900-acre piece of land.

Kiptagich is among billions of shillings property set to be removed from Mau by the government as part of the forests conservation efforts.

A number of former key personalities in the Moi regime including Kuresoi MP Zachayo Cheruiyot are also to be affected in the evictions.

Narok County Council chairman Solomon Ole Moriaso claimed Mr Ntimama gave Mr Moi the land when he was the council boss to gain political supremacy.

20100104
allafrica

Cape Town — Airline passengers who are citizens of, or fly through, five African nations will undergo more intensive security screening from today before being permitted to board flights to the United States.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the new "enhanced screening" on Sunday.

According to Monday's editions of the New York Times and the Washington Post, the five African nations affected are Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan.

Nine other nations - most of them in Asia or the Middle East - are also covered by the TSA's directive, which applies to "nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest." Sudan is regarded by the U.S. as a "state sponsor of terrorism." The Washington Post named the other African countries affected as "countries of interest to U.S. intelligence agencies."

The Post also reported that in a directive to airlines on the tougher screening measure, the TSA had emphasized a "full body pat-down and physical inspection of property".

The TSA's public statement said the directive applies to "every individual flying into the U.S. from anywhere in the world travelling from or through" the affected countries.

The directive follows the arrest of a Nigerian for attempting to set off a bomb on an airliner flying from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day.

It was issued as former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo made an appeal urging the international community not to judge all Nigerians by the actions of one person.

"Nigerians are law-abiding people and not terrorists," Vanguard newspaper reported him as saying.

"The young man's case should not be used as a standard to judge Nigerians or in fact, to criminalise all Nigerians... The fact that the boy committed a grave offence as a Nigerian does not say that all Nigerians are terrorists or criminals."

The TSA statement said its new directive "also increases the use of enhanced screening technologies and mandates threat-based and random screening for passengers on U.S.-bound international flights."

The New York Times reported that the extra scrutiny of passengers and their carry-on bags could include the use of "whole-body scanners" - which can examine people for explosives or weapons beneath their clothing - where they are available.

But the screening of Americans and citizens of nations not affected by Sunday's directive
could be relaxed. The Times reported that civil rights groups had protested the distinction made between passengers on the basis of their country of origin.

It quoted Nawar Shora of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee as saying the directive wrongly implied that all citizens of certain nations are suspect. "...[T]his is extreme and very dangerous," he reportedly said.

20100104
afrik.com

Reports from Democratic republic of Congo (DRC) reveal that Lord’s Resistance Army rebels attacked villages in very remote areas of Isiro -Niangara county in north-eastern DRC, where communication is very poor, and killed several people.

They also cut off ears and lips from others.

The incident happened two weeks ago, according to one of the leaders in the area, George Bokero who also said that the rebels attacked the village of Manbanga and killed several people.

"The rebels attacked Manbanga village and killed 14 people. They also cut lips and ears from a few others especially women. Some of the women have been admitted in Dungu hospital where they are being treated," Bokero said.

Several people have also fled their homes fearing that the rebels will attack and kill them.

The Bishop of Isiro- Niangara diosece, Julien Andavo Mbia, confirmed that he got information indicating that dozens of people were killed by the LRA in the village of Manbaga.

"I received the bad news from of the attack and killing of civilians from the area parish priest. But the place is not only far but also remote and so getting accurate information is not easy,’’ said the cleric.

He appealled to the government of Congo and NGO’s to come to the rescue of the affected people.

During the 2008 Christmas season, LRA attacked people praying in a village church in DRC and killed over 100 of them.

The United Nations has said that between September 2008 and June 2009, at least 1200 people were killed in the Eastern Province of the Congo. 1400 were kidnapped and 230,000 were driven away from their homes because of the violence attributed to the rebels.

LRA rebels, led by Joseph Kony, began fighting the government of Uganda in 1986. And for over 20 years they killed and wittingly maimed several thousands of civilians, cutting off lips and ears from many people.

In 2006 they relocated to Democratic republic of Congo and southern Sudan after government troops mounted pressure on them.

They still continue killing and abducting civilians.

20100104
afrik.com

The Moroccan government has initiated talks with various trade unions with the aim of improving the social conditions of workers. Although the government seems to have decided to fulfill its promises, after a decision to revise upward its wage policy from this year, some union members remain dissatified over the government’s failure to address the issue at a most crucial time.

The various rounds of social dialogue in 2009 between the Moroccan government and unions have, seemingly, not been in vain, as workers’ demands seem to have been met with a favorable response.

According to credible sources, a meeting on December 21 allowed both parties to thrash out some of the major points on issues that remain unresolved. They concern, essentially, the removal of salary scales 1 to 4, and their placement in salary scale 5.

Allowances for officials concerned will be applied from January 2010, with a retrospective effect from 2008. This increases minimum monthly wage in the public sector from 1560 to around 2400 Dirham.

The measure is set to benefit some 47,500 employees, and is aimed at reducing wage disparities in public service as well as improving the income categories listed in the lower scales.

According to the unions, benefits for remote and isolated regions have also been reviewed. Education and health officials are to get a 700 dirhams per month, as a net benefit, in the shortest possible time, pending the generalization of this measure to other sectors.

This involves over 35,000 employees.

Dissatisfied

Despite these developments, some trade unionists remain dissatisfied over other unresolved issues, including wage increases. This has always been the cause of contention.

The Moroccan Labor Union accuses the government for refusing to address the issue at a most crucial time when employees need their salaries to be adjusted. Negotiations have been adjourned for 2010/2011.

The government ministers, on the other side, have resorted to reassuring speeches. The Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Jamal Rahmani, insists that the government is preparing a study on the wage system. The exercise is set to review the current salary scale.

Jamal Rahmani also asserts that the reduction of two points of the income tax will from January 2010 raise wages in both the public and private sectors.

Drastic measures

He revealed that, last year, the government was more concerned with safeguarding a maximum number of employments in the private sector through some drastic measures to counter the vagaries of the crisis.

He said that by supporting some 400 companies, more than eleven thousand employees retained their jobs.

Meanwhile, the unions have also called for the establishment of sectoral dialogue in order to deal with complaints from various sectors including education and local governments. The government is preparing an agenda to revive the sectoral negotiations.

For the time being, the Moroccan government has promised to fulfill its engagement towards the unions.

20100104
afrik.com

Fighting between African Union-backed government forces of Somalia and Islamist group, al-Shabab, on Saturday and Sunday, have resulted in over 60 deaths and 100 injuries, a human rights group has reported. The pro-government forces, Ahlu Sunna engaged the islamic insurgents in combat over the strategic town of Dhuusa Marreeb, north of Somali capital, Mogdishu.

Somali human rights group Elman, said al-Shabab had taken control of Dhuusa Marreeb, but the Ahlu Sunna which began as a non-violent group to promote moderate Islam fought the rebels to regain control of the town for the government.

Ahlu Sunna, who last year decided to take up arms against al-Qaeda linked al-Shabab, is reported to have recaptured the town from al-Shabab rebels.

According to Mr. Ali Yasin Gedi, vice chairman of Elman peace and human rights group, "Our monitoring office has confirmed that most of the casualties were from the warring factions, but some civilians were also killed. Many people who fled from the town have not returned yet and they are in the outskirts of the town without shelter and the sun is extremely hot."

“We have counted 47 dead bodies and one hundred injured. The death toll might be double that as residents are still collecting bodies from alleys and under the trees. The whole region is tense and residents are fleeing from other towns,” Gedi added.

Last year, Ahlu Sunnah engaged and defeated al-Shabab in combat. But after yesterday’s battle, al-Shabab according to unconfirmed sources have began to regroup outside the contested town. Locals fear that a counter-attack is eminent.

An un-named local told reporters the fighting had been the most violent ever seen in Dhuusa Marreeb: “We have collected 77 dead bodies from inside and around Dusamareb town. We have reports that there are more dead bodies in the suburbs of the town."

According to the area’s traditional chief, Abdulahi Gedi, the town is quiet at the moment and the al-Shabab fighters have been defeated in violent fighting during the night.

Al-Shabab has been carrying out hit-and-run attacks throughout central and southern Somalia. The Horn of Africa nation has not had a functioning national government since 1991. Its UN- and AU-backed government controls only a few parts of the country.

20100104
allafrica

Kigali — Following renewal of diplomatic relations between Rwanda and France and the subsequent appointment of a French envoy to Kigali, The New Times has learnt that Paris' new Ambassador to Kigali is seasoned French diplomat Laurent Contini.

Contini who is former Ambassador of France to Zimbabwe is slated to take up his new diplomatic posting any time soon in Kigali, according to sources.

Contini has served for less than two years as French Envoy to Zimbabwe before his transfer to Kigali.

It is reported that Laurent Contini is familiar with the region after serving as a political adviser to Aldo Ajello, the Special Representative of the European Union in the Great Lakes between 2001 and 2005.

According to media reports, new French Ambassador left his Harare base on Thursday in preparation for the new posting.

However, the appointment of the new envoy to Kigali could not be confirmed by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as none could be reached on phone by press time.

A Cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame recently appointed Jacques Kabare as Rwanda's new envoy to France.

He was later to be approved by the Upper Chamber of Parliament.

Prior to his appointment, Kabare was an adviser to the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Donald Kaberuka, and had served at one time as a member of the National Constitutional Commission.

20100104
allafrica

Kigali — Tourism in the Volcanoes National Park is not threatened by the eruption of Mt. Nyamuragira located inside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to Rwanda Development Board (RDB) Tourism and Conservation office, the effects of the eruption of Nyamuragira on Saturday which caused lava to flow towards Virunga National Park, has not raised any concerns on the Rwandan side.

In an interview with The New Times, Fidele Ruzigandekwe, the Director of Conservation at RDB said that the eruption has not triggered any concerns but observed that the situation is being monitored as the lava continues to flow.

"So far we do not have any concerns, the Volcano is a bit deep inside the DRC but we know it is the same ecosystem and we have to keep monitoring the situation to see if there will be an impact," Ruzigandekwe said.

Virunga National Park in the DRC and the Volcanoes National Park on the Rwandan side are home to the World's only surviving Mountain Gorillas.

Mount Nyamuragira is Africa's most active Volcano and reports from DRC indicate that the eruption on Saturday has threatened rare chimpanzees and other wildlife species that inhabit the park in the eastern DRC but no movements towards the Rwandan side have been sighted so far.

"There are no visible movements so far. No animal movements have been registered but we will keep monitoring to see if anything happens," added Ruzigandekwe.

According to a report from the Congolese Wildlife Authority, Mt Nyamuragira spewed lava off its southern flank after erupting prompting authorities and United Nations to monitor the park which is a United Nations World Heritage Site.

Nyamuragira is the continent's most active volcano, with 42 eruptions since 1885. Its most recent eruption ended in December 2006.

20100104
allafrica

Kigali — A Congolese Military spokesperson in the volatile Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) told The New Times yesterday that his country's armed forces (FARDC) are committed to crushing what is left of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels.

This comes after the Congolese army announced last Friday the start of a fresh three-month military offensive dubbed Operation Amani Leo (Operation Peace Today) following the end of the previous UN-backed operation Kimia II.

Acknowledging that 'there is a possibility of prolongation after the three months' Maj. Sylvain Ekenge said that the whereabouts of the top FDLR military leaders is known and they will be hunted to the last number.

The FDLR are a combination of remnants of the former Rwandan army (ex-Far) and Interahamwe militia who spearheaded the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

They later fled to Eastern DRC and are believed to be the main cause of insecurity there.

"In the previous two operations we have significantly neutralized them (FDLR) and now we are bringing in more force - the police and the military to finish off their last elements," Ekenge said on phone.

Maj. Ekenge said FDLR commander Maj. Gen. Sylvestre Mudacumura remains holed up in the North Kivu region of Walikale and will be ultimately captured, or killed.

"In these three months we will continue pressing hard on them with the help of MONUC - we aim to thoroughly hunt and completely wipe out the remaining 25 percent of FDLR."

The UN mission in DRC (MONUC) whose mandate was recently been extended by the UN Security Council by another five months will supply the Congolese army with limited combat helicopters to deploy against the rebels.

20100104
allafrica

Wise counsel finally prevailed in the Eagles camp as team coach, Shaibu Amodu, yesterday made a last minute change to his original list of 23 players penciled for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola.

Chinedu Obasi, a striker with Heffeinham of Germany, who was to be dropped for Obafemi Martins has made the final list as Amodu was literally forced to retain the lethal finisher who put up a good performance, scoring a goal in a tune-up match against local side, Thanda Royal Zulu, on Sunday.

Perhaps, in consideration of the lad's current form and for that face-saving goal against the local opposition, Amodu had to swap Ogbuke with Michael Eneramo who is based in Tunisia.

The tall forward was dropped after three days of training at the Riverside Hotel and Spa in Durban, South Africa, where the team have been camping since Wednesday last week.

Eneramo shot into limelight after he scored for Nigeria against Republic of Ireland in an international friendly played in London in May, 2009.


The striker was also on song when Nigeria played Tunisia in Abuja during the World Cup and Nations Cup qualifiers in September, 2009. Eneramo scored Nigeria's second goal before the sleek playing Tunisians equalised.

According to a release by the Nigeria Football Federation spokesman, Demola Olajire, since then "he has not been able to blend easily with the team."

NIGERIA'S SQUAD FOR ANGOLA

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama, Bamidele Aiyenugba, Austin Ejide

Defenders: Taye Taiwo, Joseph Yobo, Elderson Echiejile, Danny Shittu, Obinna Nwaneri, Onyekachi Apam, Chidi Odiah, Yusuf Mohammed

Midfielders: Dickson Etuhu, Sani Kaita, Oluwaseyi Olofinjana, Mikel Obi, Nwankwo Kanu, Yusuf Ayila, Kalu Uche

Strikers: Osaze Odemwingie, Obafemi Martins, Chinedu Obasi, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Obinna Nsofor.

20100104
allafrica

Kigali — The festive season is now over and the New Year is already four days old. Rwandans ushered in the New Year with pomp and style marked by fanfare and merry making.

The New Year marks new beginnings. Most importantly, it comes with new commitments and challenges that need to be confronted head-on as the journey to transform this nation continues.

This year has a lot in stock for Rwandans. On the socio-economic front, the fight against poverty must be intensified if we are going to have the majority of our people out of the poverty bracket.

The battle against corruption, disease, injustice, unemployment and genocide ideology must be tightened for our country to keep up the development strides it has so far made.

Specifically, the year 2010 has plenty on the political plate. This year, the nation will embark on the important exercise of Presidential elections, and we must prepare ourselves for a smooth and successful election.

Fortunately, for the past 15 years, Rwandans have tasted the true dividends of good governance. The benefits derived from a system that is accountable to its people have raised the hope and expectations of the Rwandan people. As we prepare for the polls, our people should settle for no less.

The new decade also renders an opportunity to reflect on how far we have gone in achieving our vision 2020.

With only 10 years remaining, it's important to re-focus our goals, make adjustments where necessary and re-double our energies where need be, to make sure that we achieve this critical vision.

20100104
allafrica

Following the eruption of a volcano in the far east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country is using its aviation force to help to keep a close eye on lava flow.

Mount Nyamulagira, which sits some 40 kilometres northwest of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, erupted on Saturday, and while it has not affected any people, the lava has spewed into a non-populated area of the Virunga National Park.

The UN mission known as MONUC has put its Indian aviation force and helicopters at the disposal of local authorities, scientists with the Volcanic Observatory of Goma and the National Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) to help monitor volcanic activity.

MONUC said that for now, the population of Goma and its surrounding areas seem to be safe from any lava flow, but that the mission stands ready to provide additional support to officials, who have assured people that the nearby volcano of Nyiragongo will be unaffected by the eruption of Nyamulagira.

The ICCN has expressed concern over the threat posed by the volcanic eruption on Virunga National Park's ecosystems and wildlife, including the possible migration or death of animals in the site.

20100104

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Somali pirates captured a Yemeni vessel on Christmas Day, a day after they seized another ship from the Arab country, a regional maritime official said on Monday.

"MV Socotra 1 was taken by pirates on December 25. She is still under captivity," said Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the Kenya-based East Africa Sea Farers' Assistance Programme.

He had no more details on the ship.

A day earlier, sea gangs that have made the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean waters off east Africa very dangerous boarded another Yemeni ship, the Al Mahmoud 2, and forced it and its 16-member crew toward their base.

The pirates also captured the British-flagged Asian Glory with 25 crew members and the Singapore-flagged chemical tanker Pramoni on New Year's Day.

The pirates have made millions of dollars from hijacking ships for ransom in one of the world's busiest shipping routes. They are holding at least 10 other vessels.

20100104
allafrica

Johannesburg — THE SABC's new group CEO, Solly Mokoetle, starts his first day on the job today amid fears that his tenure at the broadcaster could once again see a damaging battle between board and executive management.

A power struggle between previous group CEO Dali Mpofu and then board chairwoman Kanyi Mkonza paralysed the organisation for almost a year.

The board eventually disbanded after resignations, and it was replaced by an interim board led by businesswoman Irene Charnley.

JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Security was tight during South African President Jacob Zuma's wedding on Monday, with journalists barred from getting closer to his home in Nkandla, according to the South African Press Association.

"We have deployed extra police officers to make sure that the event goes smoothly as planned," said police director Phindile Radebe.

She said the event warranted extra policing.

Business people, politicians and celebrities were among those who descended on Zuma's home to see the president tie the knot with his fifth wife, Thobeka Madiba, on Monday afternoon.

In a statement released on Sunday, the presidency urged the media to stay away, as it would be "a private family ceremony."

Journalists who had been camping near Zuma's home since the early morning were, however, expected to be allowed to attend the ceremony.

Zuma married Nompumelelo MaNtuli-Zuma in the same place in 2007.

A large marquee was erected to accommodate guests, while several goats and sheep were slaughtered for the feast.

The president's other wives are Sizakele Khumalo, whom he married in 1973; and Nompumelelo MaNtuli-Zuma, whom he married in 2007.

He was also married to current Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, whom he divorced in 1998; and Kate Mantsho Zuma, who committed suicide in 2000.

Zuma is the father of 18 children.

He is also engaged to Gloria Bongi Ngema from Durban. Her family presented umbondo (gifts) to the Zuma family at the end December 2009.

Umbondo is the last Zulu traditional ceremony before the wedding. It was done after ilobolo had been paid.

It was not known when Zuma would tie the knot with Ngema

JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- South African President Jacob Zuma's homestead in rural Kwa Zulu-Natal province was a hive of activity this week as he prepared to tie the knot with his fifth wife Thobeka Mabhija on Monday, the Sunday Times newspaper in Johannesburg reported.

20100102
aljazeera

Zimbabweans are hoping a steady return of tourists will help jolt its economy towards recovery.

With the Victoria Falls as one of its major attractions, the country had 1.4 visitors in 1999.

But numbers took a plunge in 2000 following unrest related to the land-redistribution policy implemented by President Robert Mugabe.

Now they are slowly bouncing back, but the country still has a long way to go to become a major tourist destination again.

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa reports from the Victoria Falls.

JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- South African President Jacob Zuma's homestead in rural Kwa Zulu-Natal province was a hive of activity this week as he prepared to tie the knot with his fifth wife Thobeka Mabhija on Monday, the Sunday Times newspaper in Johannesburg reported.

A large marquee has been erected to accommodate dozens of VIP guests, the local community, traditional leaders and the bride's family.

Several goats and sheep have already been slaughtered for the feast, and busloads of villagers from the surrounding area are expected to arrive for the feast. Zuma will officially vow to love and protect his newest wife in a Zulu ceremony known as an udwendwe.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin as early as 6 a.m. local time on Monday.

The Sunday Times understands that some of the VIP guests expected at the wedding include South African Higher Education minister Blade Nzimande, union federation Cosatu secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi, Kwa Zulu-Natal premier Zweli Mkhize and Durban businessman Vivian Reddy.

Zuma paid lobolo, a traditional gift to the bride's family, to 37-year-old Mabhija in 2007. She has borne three of his children.

The 68-year-old president has been married at least four times and is father to more than a dozen children.

Zuma is still married to his first wife Sizakele Khumalo whom he met in 1959. She has no children with Zuma as he was arrested shortly after their marriage and had to spend many years in exile.

KHARTOUM, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir Sunday vowed to achieve comprehensive peace in Sudan, organize transparent and credible elections and conduct a free referendum on the self-determination for southern Sudan.

He said "I pledge to achieve a comprehensive peace and find a durable settlement to the Darfur conflict through the Qatari-hosted negotiations, which are supported by the Arab League, the African Union and the international community."

The Sudanese president made the remarks at a celebration on the 54th anniversary of Sudan's independence and the fifth anniversary of signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

He said he hoped that the referendum on self-determination for southern Sudan, scheduled for January next year, would lead to a voluntary unity of his country.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese president commended the two partners to the CPA, the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), and their ability to overcome differences.

He said "We have managed to overcome the most difficult barriers and agreed on satisfactory solutions concerning endorsement of laws."

Al-Bashir meanwhile urged the Sudanese people to work together for a better future for Sudan, noting that "our concern in this new year would focus on building confidence and enhancing the joint action for the interest of our country."

Sudan won independence on Jan. 1, 1956. The Sudanese government of the NCP led by al-Bashir and the SPLM inked the CPA on Jan. 9, 2005, ending a 21-year-long civil war between northern and southern Sudan, according to which a referendum would be held in January, 2011 in the south to determine whether the area would break away from Sudan.

20100103
aljazeera



A senior commander of a Ugandan rebel group has been killed in Central African Republic, Ugandan officials have said.

Brigadier Bok Abudema of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) was killed in the town of Djema on Friday amid an ongoing operation against the group by Ugandan forces across several countries in the region.

Lieutenant Colonel Felix Kulayige, Uganda's defence and army spokesman, said Abudema was the only casualty of the raid that killed him but troops also recovered two women who had been with him.

"He was a notorious commander but his life has come to an end," he said.

Okello Oryem, Uganda's foreign affairs minister, repeated the military's claims that it had carried out a successful operation against the LRA commander.

"Abudema is absolutely dead, he will never recover from his death and his body is due to be buried any time now because his body is fermenting," he told Al Jazeera from Kampala, the Ugandan capital.

"This is a massive triumph," he said. "Abudema was a killer, he was a rapist and he committed massacres in northern Uganda on a number of occasions."

LRA resistance

Intelligence officials have said that Abudema was effectively the second most senior commander of the outfit, led by Joseph Kony, following the wounding about a year ago of deputy commander Okot Odhiambo.

However, Obonyo Olweny, a spokesman for the LRA, played down Abudema's role in the group and said he was unable to confirm the Ugandan army's claims.

"I cannot say for sure that Brigadier Bok Abudema is dead," he said by telephone from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

"This is not the end of the LRA. The LRA resistance will continue as long as the problems which started the war in northern Uganda are not solved.

"The LRA is still very much effective and there are many field commanders who are capable of conducting operations against the government of Uganda, who are capable of leading the resistance."

The LRA has been waging a brutal fight against Ugandan government targets in the north of the country since 1988, but Ugandan army operations have forced the group to move east into Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and the Central African Republic.

In November, Kulayige said Ugandan special forces had killed another senior LRA commander, Okello Kutti, in Central African Republic, near its eastern border with Sudan.

A senior bodyguard of Kony was also recently reported to have been captured in the country.

Hunting the LRA

Ugandan foreign afairs minister Oryem said the Ugandan military would target Kony and other LRA leaders wherever they might be hiding.

"We are determined to pursue the LRA commanders ... wherever they go, even if they move into the deserts of the Middle East we will pursue them," he said.

"The UPDF [Ugandan People's Defence Force] is on the ground pursuing [Kony] on a daily basis, day and night we are pursuing Joseph Kony."

Kony has said that the LRA is fighting to defend the Biblical Ten Commandments, but the group has also stated its desire to topple Yoweri Museveni, the Ugandan president, and has complained of a number of local grieveances.

The LRA declared a unilateral ceasefire in August 2006 and a truce was agreed later the same month.

However, as negotiations for a lasting peace dragged on LRA fighters began to drift away from two designated assembly points and the talks broke down.

Another possible breakthrough came in February 2008, when the Ugandan government and LRA signed a deal stipulating that Kampala would set up special courts to handle accusations of war crimes against LRA leaders, rather than handing them over to the International Criminal Court.

But Kony repeatedly failed to show up to sign a final peace deal.

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Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke said this Sunday that government troops were ready to launch a major offensive by the end of this month to expel insurgent groups from the country's capital, Mogadishu.

Reuters - Somali government troops are ready to launch a major offensive against insurgents and expect to drive them out of the capital by the end of this month, the country’s prime minister told Reuters on Sunday.

Talk of an imminent government attack on the rebels has been rife in recent weeks and al Shabaab, the main insurgent group, is reported to have stepped up the forced recruitment of youths into its ranks in readiness for the assault.

“Our troops are prepared to act, and flush these terrorists out of the capital before the end of January, and continue taking over the control of more territories from these fighters,” said Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke.

Somalia has had no effective central government since 1991. The West’s efforts to install one have been undermined most recently by the insurgency led by al Shabaab, which Washington views as al Qaeda’s proxy in the region.

Sharmarke said the government’s preparations centred on recruiting and training the troops and reforming the command structure.

“We could not go to war overnight, but we put most of our efforts into preparing our forces to act, so that the work can yield some results at the end of the day,” he said.

U.S.-led military action in Afghanistan and Iraq is piling pressure on al Qaeda groups there, raising Somalia’s appeal as a safe haven for the militants, the prime minister said.

Rebel links dangerous

“If a parallel strategy with that one in Afghanistan does not confront them in Somalia, we might see a whole terrorist country,” he said, adding that al Shabaab’s links to rebels in Yemen was no longer a matter of speculation.

Al Shabaab said on Friday it was ready to send reinforcements to Yemen should the U.S. carry out attacks there in retaliation for the attempt to bomb a U.S. passenger aircraft on Christmas Day. The suspect said he had received training and equipment in Yemen.

“Their aim is to achieve goals by fighting alongside each other. It is a terror network that has the same ideology. If you defeat them in Yemen, they will come to Somalia and continue destabilising the world,” Sharmarke said.

He urged authorities in the West to interrogate Somalis living there who wished to return to Somalia, to stop radicalised elements from coming home to fight with the insurgents or blow themselves up in suicide attacks.

“Locals involve themselves in suicide bombings. But there are indications that brainwashed young men from overseas are more willing to blow themselves up than locals,” he said.

The last deadly suicide attack in the capital, which killed 22 people including three cabinet ministers, was said to have been carried out by a Somali man who had lived in Denmark for many years.

Sharmarke said pirates operating off the coast of Somalia were growing more sophisticated, despite more patrols by foreign navies, and added the best way of tackling the piracy problem was by tackling poverty among the Somali people.

“If the international community sends 10 percent of the resources allocated for warships patrolling waters off Somalia, we could have done more and defeated the pirates on land,” he said. Pirates hijacked two ships in the first two days of the year.