DAKAR, 23 December 2009 (IRIN) - One year after Cpt Moussa Dadis Camara came to power in a coup, to applause from many Guineans hungry for change after the 24-year reign of Lansana Conté, a UN commission says Camara bears responsibility for the September killing and rape of Guinean civilians.

The UN commission of inquiry on 17 December handed the Secretary-General its report on the events of 28 September when soldiers killed and raped civilians at an anti-junta demonstration. Questions surround the fate of Camara, who as of 23 December reportedly remained in a Morocco hospital where he received treatment after being shot by his aide-de-camp.

Here is a timeline of some events since independence from France in 1958.

23 December 2009 - Guineans observe a national holiday, designated by the government, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the arrival in power of the military government self-named the Council for Democracy and Development; streets quiet in the capital Conakry as public administration is closed and a handful of private businesses operating

19 December 2009 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon transmits report of the International Commission of Inquiry on the 28 September events to the Government of Guinea, the Security Council, the Commission of the African Union, and the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

17 December 2009 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon receives UN inquiry commission's report on the events of 28 September; the report says junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara and other military officials responsible for the killing and rape of Guinean civilians

13 December 2009 - A junta official rejects calls for an international security force to protect civilians, saying such a deployment would be an attack on Guinea's sovereignty

13 December 2009 - The Economic Community of West African States and the International Contact Group on Guinea reiterate calls for an international observation and security force to protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian assistance. The calls came at meetings in the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou, attended by representatives of Guinean political parties and civil society as well as the military junta, which finally sent a delegation after having said it would suspend participation

9 December 2009 - Defence Minister Sékouba Konaté, interim leader in absence of junta head Moussa Dadis Camara, calls on army to exercise cohesion and discipline

8 December 2009 - Military junta announces it is suspending participation in talks mediated by Blaise Compaoré until injured leader Moussa Dadis Camara resumes work

4 December 2009 - Junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara leaves Guinea for Morocco for medical care after being shot by his aide-de-camp

4 December 2009 - Guineans timidly take to their normal activities as uncertainty lingers over the shooting of the junta leader. Many gas stations remain closed and people say they fear a return to violence

3 December 2009 - Military aide-de-camp Aboubacar Diakité reportedly shoots junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara at the Koundara presidential guard base in the capital Conakry. The military government issues a communiqué stating Camara was not seriously hurt; the junta says the situation is under control and calls on the population to "remain vigilant and calm"

20 November 2009 – Civil society and political leaders coalition rejects a transition plan proposed by Guinea mediator Blaise Compaoré, saying the fundamental concerns of the Guinean people have not been taken into account; the coalition says the plan ignores resolutions by the African Union, the International Contact Group on Guinea, the European Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the UN Security Council – particularly regarding the candidature of junta leaders

19 November 2009 - Guinea mediator Blaise Compaoré submits to the military government and civil society and political coalition a proposed plan for moving past the crisis; proposal calls for junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara to lead a transitional council that would be charged with organizing presidential elections within 10 months from December. Members of the military government would not be barred from running in elections

19 November 2009 – Guinean Interior and Political Affairs Ministry in a communiqué read on state media warns against political demonstrations, after word that some groups were planning a march against the military junta for 22 November

3 November 2009 - Representatives of Guinean political parties and civil society reiterate their call for the departure of the junta at a meeting in the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou with Blaise Compaoré, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)-designated mediator

2 November 2009 - Junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara on state media calls on Guineans to reconcile and work together "to heal wounds" following the 28 September killings; Camara says no one can claim the right to dictate to the Guinean people

1 November 2009 - Communications minister for the presidency, Tibou Kamara, becomes fourth minister to resign following the 28 September crackdown

19 October 2009 - UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios leaves Guinea for Burkina Faso to talk with mediator Blaise Compaore, after 18 October meetings with junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara and other members of the Guinean government as well as representatives of civil society

17 October 2009 - Junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara fails to meet an African Union deadline to announce formally he would not run in presidential elections; Camara says he would ask mediator, Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, to examine the issue of Guinea's political future

17 October 2009 - West African leaders at an emergency meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) impose an arms embargo on Guinea

16 October 2009 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announces he will set up an international inquiry into the 28 September military crackdown on demonstrators

15 October 2009 - Information Minister Justin Morel Jr becomes the third minister to resign from the Guinea government, after Agriculture Minister Abdourahmane Sano and Labour Minister Alpha Diallo

14 October 2009 - International Criminal Court prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, confirms that the situation in Guinea is under preliminary examination by his office

12-13 October 2009 - Guineans throughout the country heed call by unions for a two-day national strike to protest the 28 September deadly military crackdown on demonstrators; banks, shops and most government offices are closed in the capital Conakry with minimum services at hospitals; the junta endorsed the strike, saying people should stay in their homes and that any demonstrations would not be tolerated

12 October 2009 - International contact group on Guinea calls on the UN Secretary-General, in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union, to facilitate the establishment of an international commission of inquiry into the "gross human rights violations" of 28 September "including the massacre of unarmed civilians and rapes"; ICG-G also calls on the junta to release all people detained since the crackdown and to return victims' bodies to their families; representatives of Guinea civil society coalition attend ICG-G's meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja, the group's eighth session

12 October 2009 - Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leader Mohamed Ibn Chambas at an ECOWAS meeting in Nigerian capital Abuja says Guinea's junta is repressing the people with "arbitrary and irresponsible" use of state power; Nigerian president Umaru Yar'adua, current chair of ECOWAS, calls for a special regional summit 17 October to discuss Guinea as well as Niger

12 October 2009 - Coalition of political parties and civil society organizations attending meeting in Abuja calls for clarification of ECOWAS-designated mediator Blaise Compaoré's mission, reiterates its total rejection of political negotiation with the junta

8 October 2009 - Coalition of political parties and civil society organizations rejects junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara's creation of an independent national commission to investigate the events of 28 September, calling instead for an international commission

7 October 2009 - Junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara announces creation of a national independent commission to investigate the events of 28 September

6 October 2009 - Guinean political and civil society leaders say they will not participate in a meeting about the current crisis (proposed by mediator Blaise Compaoré) unless junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara steps down

5 October 2009 - France states its support for initiatives by mediator Blaise Compaoré, mediator in the Guinea crisis; encourages the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union and the UN Commission on Human Rights to set up an international commission of inquiry into the 28 September violence

5 October 2009 - Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré, designated by the Economic Community of West African States as mediator in Guinea, visits the capital Conakry, calls for a meeting between the junta and political leaders

2 October 2009 - The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, names Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré mediator in the Guinea conflict

2 October 2009 - Junta holds a ceremony to bury the bodies of the 57 people it says died in 28 September violence, but scuffles break out as hundreds of Guineans search in vain for family members thought to be detained or killed

2 October 2009 - Junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara says presidential elections in Guinea will go forward as planned in January 2010

1 October 2009 - National political parties and civil society forum issue a statement calling for a number of items including an international peace force and the immediate release of people detained during the 28 September unrest; the forum rejects junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara's call for a government of national unity, declaring that internal dialogue is now impossible

30 September 2009 - Junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara calls for a government of national unity

30 September 2009 - UN Security Council expresses concern about the violence in Guinea

29 September 2009 - Junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara blames 28 September violence on "opposition" demonstrators and "uncontrolled elements" in the military

28 September 2009 - Guineans assemble in a national stadium to protest the candidacy of junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara, defying a ban by authorities on a planned rally. Soldiers violently crack down on demonstrators, according to witnesses shooting and stabbing people and raping women and girls; human rights organizations say at least 150 killed and more than 1,000 injured

22 September 2009 - International contact group on Guinea welcomes a decision by the African Union expressing concern about whether junta members keeping to a commitment not to run in presidential elections; contact group expresses "grave concerns" about delays in the electoral process and the deterioration of the political, human rights and security situation in Guinea

22 September 2009 - Supporters of Moussa Dadis Camara demonstrate in the capital Conakry

19 September 2009 - Leaders of political parties and civil society call for a 28 September rally to protest Camara's candidacy

17 September 2009 - Peace and Security Council of the African Union threatens sanctions against junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara "and all other individuals, both civilian and military" whose activities run counter to a commitment that no members of the ruling National Council for Development and Democracy would be a presidential candidate. AU expresses "deep concern over the deteriorating situation in Guinea" and "strongly condems the repudiation" of this commitment by Camara

23 August 2009 - Coalition of civil society organizations, unions, political parties, religious groups call on Guineans not to allow junta “to confiscate power”

19 August 2009 - Junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara tells journalists whether he runs for president "is up to God”

17 August 2009 - Ruling National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD) accepts recommendation by civil society organizations, political parties, unions and religious groups to hold presidential election in January 2010, legislative election in March 2010

13 August 2009 - Junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara announces the formation of a national transitional council, called for by national and international groups in March

June 2009 - Following debate over the feasibility of holding elections in 2009, civil society organizations, political parties, religious groups and unions form a committee to evaluate election timetable

March 2009 - International community calls on CNDD to work with political parties, civil society organizations, unions to form a transitional council

March 2009 - Ruling CNDD says it will hold presidential election by end of 2009

February 2009 - Junta arrests son of deceased president Lansana Conté, Ousmane Conté, as part of a crackdown on suspected drug traffickers

January 2009 - The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) rejects a military-led transition in Guinea and bars junta members from attending meetings of any decision-making bodies

January 2009 - An international contact group on Guinea is formed, including representatives of ECOWAS, the African Union Commission, the European Union, the Mano River Union, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the UN Security Council

25 December 2008 - Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souaré and other government officials turn themselves in at Alpha Yaya Diallo army barracks, CNDD headquarters

25 December 2008 - Moussa Dadis Camara announces presidential elections would be held after a two-year transition and he would not be a candidate

24 December 2008 - Moussa Dadis Camara proclaims himself president and head of the new National Council for Democracy and Development

23 December 2008 - In the early morning hours government officials announce that President Lansana Conté died the previous evening; confusion reigns as soldiers announce on state media they have dissolved government and taken over, while Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souaré insists the government is intact

June 2008 - Police launch protests over salary arrears, provoking deadly clashes with military

May 2008 - Soldiers mutiny over pay, with several soldiers and civilians killed or injured in the unrest; Lansana Conté eventually dismisses defence minister

May 2008 - Lansana Conté sacks Prime Minister Lansana Kouyaté and names political ally Ahmed Tidiane Souaré , in a move Human Rights Watch said dealt “a serious blow to hopes that mass protest and ‘people power’ could bring reform”

May 2007 - Soldiers stage protests over salary arrears and living conditions

February 2007 - Following strike and unrest Lansana Conté names Lansana Kouyaté as “consensus” prime minister

January 2007 - In January Guineans massively heed another union call for a national strike; hundreds are killed in crackdown by military

2006 - Union-led national strikes paralyse country; several students are killed by security forces in protests over cancelled exams

2005 - Presidential motorcade of Lansana Conté fired upon in the capital Conakry

2003 - Lansana Conté re-elected in an opposition-boycotted poll

2001 - A referendum changes the constitution to allow president to run for a third term and increase the term from five to seven years; opposition rejects the vote as rigged, calls for boycott

2000-01 - Guinean army fights off incursions by rebels at borders with Liberia and Sierra Leone

1998 - Lansana Conté wins presidential election, which opposition denounces as rigged

1996 - Army mutiny. Loyalist troops eventually repulse attacks on the presidential palace

1993 - Lansana Conté wins Guinea’s first multi-party election, which is boycotted by opposition groups and marred by demonstrations

1990 - Guineans vote for new constitution, with a call to end one-party military rule

1989 - Conflict in neighbouring Liberia forces thousands to flee into Guinea; between 1989 and 2002 Guinea would receive some 750,000 refugees from the wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone, thousands more from Côte d’Ivoire after that country’s 2002 rebellion

1984 - President Ahmed Sékou Touré dies in March; Lansana Conté takes power in a coup in April

1970 - Dissidents attack Guinea in an unsuccessful attempt to bring down President Ahmed Sékou Touré; the incident is seen as intensifying Touré’s repression of opponents

1965 - President Ahmed Sékou Touré cuts relations with colonial power France, until 1975

1958 - Independence, with Ahmed Sékou Touré as president

[Timeline originally posted 24 August 2009, last updated 23 December 2009]

NAIROBI/TRANSMARA, 23 December 2009 (PlusNews) - Two years ago, fed up with a husband who drank too much and provided too little, Julie Amunga, who lives in the sprawling Mathare slum in the capital, Nairobi, decided to start a business that would enable her to support her family.

“My friends and I all had husbands who drank too much and beat us at home and yet they were not providing anything for the home,” she told IRIN/PlusNews. “We would sleep with other men secretly to provide for our children but we realized we were not helping our children because prostituting would only make us acquire HIV and die early.”

Amunga and five friends decided to pool their savings and use them to start small businesses; they also got a microfinance loan from the Jamii Bora Trust, which works to empower youth and women in Nairobi’s slums.

While she and another woman have managed to sustain successful small businesses – she grows and sells vegetables and fresh fruit juice in the local market – the other three found it much harder to make the loans work for them.

“Their husbands cheated them and took all the money yet we were supposed to pay back the loan,” she said. “Others took the money without knowing which business they want to start, so … they ended up spending the money.”

According to Joseph Kwaka, executive director of Community Aid International (CAI), an NGO that runs a micro-credit programme in Nyanza and Nairobi provinces, making micro-credit available to women - and especially widows - helps cushion them from poverty, but without proper preparation and training, can just as easily backfire.

“Our experience with offering credit facilities to women is that many take the money and end up using it to buy family needs like food, clothes, without even starting a business for which you gave them the money,” he told IRIN/PlusNews. “Others will tell you the husband took all the money and used it for drinking or maintaining another woman, forgetting that this money should be repaid and the only way you can repay it is by starting a business enterprise.

“The family sinks deeper into poverty because the family property against which the credit was advanced is carted away by the lending organization,” he added. “Micro-credit then ends up as bitter pill for many women to swallow.”

Training key

Consefta Kimundu, who is raising eight children alone after her husband passed away five years ago from HIV-related complications, joined a group of widows to form a farming cooperative four years ago. The group, based in the Rift Valley's Transmara District, combined their contributions and approached a local bank for a small loan to lease land and buy seeds and fertilizer.

They had the benefit, however, of training from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), teaching them to measure the moisture content of the maize and how to clean the maize according to WFP standards.

“We meet weekly to encourage each other to repay the loan because we will need it again,” said Christine Nyongi, the group’s chairwoman. “We are now better farmers because we were trained by WFP in farming skills and how to keep our grains clean.”

Earlier this year, WFP’s Purchase for Progress initiative gave the group a contract to supply 250MT of maize.

“Now my children can go to school - I can buy their uniforms, buy them shoes and clothes and they are happy like other children,” Kimundu said. “I can buy food for my family and I can buy something for myself too.”

According to Kimathi Mutua, managing director of K-Rep Bank, which, with USAID, runs a programme to provide microfinance to people living with HIV, it needs to be about more than just providing money.

“A programme like ours helps to reduce stigma that women face because it gives them hope and protects them against the negative economic impact HIV might have on their lives, but it is not enough to give them money,” he said. “Train them in business skills, how to market their businesses and even customer care so that they have a holistic business knowledge.”

While several studies have shown that microfinance empowers women financially and improves their self-confidence and even reduces HIV risky behaviour, a 2002 Ugandan study found several drawbacks to many microfinance programmes, including too-small loans that enabled women to purchase household needs but kept them in the same economic bracket, oppressive repayment periods and lack of proper training in business and other skills. The authors suggested providing women with sufficient training and loans large enough to buy meaningful assets that would significantly improve their financial position.

LILONGWE, 23 December 2009 (IRIN) - The latest in a series of earthquakes that struck Malawi's northern district of Karonga between 6 and 20 December and left over 4,600 households in need of urgent humanitarian assistance has prompted the government to formally declare a national emergency.

Four people were reportedly killed and more than 260 injured by the earthquakes. Karonga district health officer James Mpunga said most of those requiring medical attention were hit by the falling walls of their houses while they slept.

"Most of the cases that we have received are those of victims who have suffered fractures,” Mpunga told IRIN.

James Chiusiwa, deputy commissioner for Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Authority (DODMA) told IRIN "The situation is really bad ... People who were affected by the earthquakes have been shifted to a camp where they are being assisted."

While the full extent of the damage was not yet clear, innitial needs were already evident: "they include tents, especially family tents where each family can be sleeping. At the moment they are all sheltered in communal tents," he said.

Besides immediate temporary shelter materials, water treatment tablets, toilet construction material and new boreholes, were a priority.

"So far the response has been encouraging. Organisations such as UNICEF [the UN Children’s Fund], the Red Cross, Chinese nationals in Malawi and others have come ... to assist the injured," he noted.

Not over yet

Chiusiwa said aid agencies and the government were caught off guard by the seismic events: "[They] had initially planned to deal with hail storms, floods and dry spells but natural calamities such as earth quakes were not in our plans because they are a rare occurrence here."

Ranging between 5.4 and 6 on the Richter scale the quakes had been growing in intensity according to a statement released by the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in the capital, Lilongwe, on 22 December.

"Seismological activity continues and is taking the form of an earthquake swarm [sequences of earthquakes in a relatively short period of time]. There is no certainty about when this is expected to halt.

"There is panic and much uncertainty in the area ... as long as the community in Karonga district continues to feel tremors and experience periodically more severe shocks, life will not return to normal. People have been advised to sleep outside" the statement said.

Malawi is situated at the southern end of the Great Rift Valley - essentially a 5,000-kilometer-long fault line that runs north-south from Lebanon to Mozambique - a position that makes the country vulnerable to earthquakes.

NAIROBI, 23 December 2009 (IRIN) - More people made the journey from the Horn of Africa to Yemen in 2009 than ever before, despite the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden being one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world, where the perils include drowning, sharks and unscrupulous people smugglers.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, 74,000 people crossed the Red Sea from the Horn of Africa to Yemen in 2009, 50 percent more than the number who made the journey in 2008;


* 309, at least, died during the crossing this year; 32,000 of the 2009 refugees were Somalis, about the same number as in 2008, but a smaller proportion of the total than last year;
* 42,000 of the 2009 refugees were Ethiopians, double the 2008 figure;
* 150,000 Somali refugees currently live in Yemen.

NAIROBI, 23 December 2009 (IRIN) - Hundreds of internally displaced people (IDPs) who have fled violence in north Galkayo in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland have begun arriving in southern Somalia.

The IDPs left the town despite assurances by Puntland authorities that their lives and property would be safe.

"I arrived here [in the town of Beletweyne] four days ago with about 50 other families," said Abdinasir Sheikh, one of the displaced who fled north Galkayo.

Fear was the driving force behind the IDPs' flight after attacks by mobs targeting them and their businesses over suspicions that they were involved in explosions in the town, Sheikh said.

Thousands of people from southern Somalia had fled north to Puntland in recent years as violence escalated in their home areas.

"Two weeks ago we were attacked, beaten and robbed of our belongings and businesses," Sheikh said. "It got too dangerous, so we decided to leave."

He claimed that the locals had spread rumours that IDPs were involved in explosions in the town under the "mistaken" belief that the southern IDPs were sympathetic to the Islamist group Al-Shabab.

"We simply were trying to make a living; we don't belong to any group," said Sheikh.

Sheikh said hundreds more had joined the thousands of IDPs in camps in the town of Beletweyne, the regional capital of Hiiraan in central Somalia.

Sheikh, who is a member of a committee for the displaced, estimates that between 4,800 and 6,000 people have fled Puntland since the attacks started two weeks ago. Others have already moved on to Bay and Bakol region in southwestern Somalia, he said.

"Most of us are originally from Bay and Bakol and some families have already gone there," Sheikh added.

More arriving

A local journalist told IRIN: "Even today [23 December], many families are arriving in overcrowded trucks. I just saw two trucks loaded with families with small children. They have been coming like this for the past 10 days."

He said the displaced were arriving "with very little and there is not much help in place. They will have to fend for themselves."

Awliyo Sheikh Yusuf, a 37-year-old mother of four, arrived in Beletweyne on 23 December, along with other families fleeing uncertainty in Puntland.

"We went there to find a peaceful and safe place and for two years we had that, until they started attacking us for being from the south," she said.

Yusuf said many of the displaced in Puntland survived on odd jobs or had set up small businesses. "It got to the point where I was afraid to go out. I was there for two years and never experienced anything like this, but now I am on the run again."

She said her group of three trucks journeyed for two days from Garowe, the capital of Puntland, to Beletweyne. "I don't know what I will do now. We have nothing."

20091223
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AFP - The UN Security Council slapped Wednesday an arms embargo on Eritrea and targeted sanctions on its leaders for aiding Somali rebels and refusing to withdraw troops from its Djibouti border.

Thirteen of the council's 15 members voted in favor of Resolution 1907 but veto-wielding China abstained while Libya, the lone Arab member of the council and the current chair of the African Union, voted against.

20091223
france24

Anastasia Manstein-Chirinsky died Monday in Bizerte, a port town in Tunisia. She was the last remaining witness to the evacuation of "White Russians", via the Crimean Sea, during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922.

Anastasia Manstein-Chirinksy, whose destiny was very much tied to that of the Russian émigré community in Tunisia, died Monday in the port town of Bizerte. She was 87.

Seventy-nine years before her death, almost to the day, eight-year old Chirinsky was a fugitive from the Russian Civil War born out of the Bolshevik revolution of October 1917. She escaped with the remnants of Russia's imperial fleet and spent the first few years of her life in exile on board a torpedo boat, followed by a battleship, in the bay of Bizerte.

Chirinsky spent the rest of her life in this costal town. After finishing her studies, she became a teacher of mathematics.

One of her students was the current mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, who grew up in Bizerte. He told France24.com, “Babou, as she was known to us, was an extraordinary person, a genius of life. Her personal story reads like a novel, that of a young Russian émigré – full of history, culture, curiosity and creativity, but above all, love.”

'A place of pilgrimage'

Chirinsky wrote a book in 2000 dedicated to the memory of Russian émigrés in Tunisia. “Final Stop: the century of a Russian exile in Bizerte,” (French title: "La Dernière Escale. Le siècle d’une exilée russe à Bizerte), written in French and published in Tunisia (Sud Editions), earned her Russia's Alexandre Nevsky literary prize.

But the greatest recognition in her life came in 1997 when she finally obtained her Russian passport. She had refused French citizenship, at a time when the French government was naturalising certain minority communities in Tunisia. She did not seek Tunisian nationality either, for fear that it would hinder her pursuit of Russian citizenship.

A voluntary caretaker at the Bizerte cemetery for Russian sailors, she became the living memory of a history scarcely known. Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud, director of the documentary "Anastacia la Bizerte" (1996), said, “The cemetery was wilfully ignored during the former USSR, every bit as much as by post-colonial Tunisia.”

He added, “She carried with her the memory of pre-Communist Russia as well as Tunisian history for nearly all of the 20th century. Furthermore, she became a ‘must-see’ for Russian tourists, who wanted to visit her. Her home became a place of pilgrimage. The passengers of Russian boats that travelled to Bizerte went to see her. She also received mail from Russian émigrés from all over the world.” Chirinksy’s name is forever tied to Bizerte. For several years now, a square in the town has born her name.

20091223
france24

The interim leader of Guinea's ruling junta, Sekouba Konate, who stepped in for injured strongman Moussa Dadis Camara, has vowed to hold elections "at the earliest possible date", in a speech to mark one year since a military coup.

AFP - Guinea's interim leader vowed Wednesday to hold democratic elections and urged national reconciliation after a massacre of opposition supporters, as the restive west African country marked a year since a military coup.

"My dear brothers in arms, today our concern, for everybody, remains to lead (the nation) at the earliest possible date... to elections, the first free and democratic elections in our history," General Sekouba Konate said addressing soldiers a year to the day after the army seized power following the death of long-standing ruler Lansana Conte.

The general became interim leader in the west African nation after the junta chief, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, was shot in the head by an aide de camp three weeks ago.

The regime has come under international pressure since the September massacre of opposition supporters by junta forces.

"That is the concern of the Guinean people, that is our mission. Nothing and nobody... can distract or distance us from this ideal," said Konate, who also serves as defence minister.

He added: "This is the place and the time to reaffirm with force our desire, mine and that of my companions, to help the Guinean people choose their leaders through free and democratic elections."

Camara remains in hospital in Morocco, but his aides say he is recovering and plans to return to Conakry as soon as possible.

Both Washington and Paris have said they fear Camara's return could spark civil war in the west African country.

Konate also called for "essential reconciliation" in the country after the killings at Conakry stadium on September 28, which the UN has described as crimes against humanity and have led to sanctions being imposed on the junta.

During the massacre "many of our compatriots, civilians and military personnel, lost their lives," said Konate. Human Rights Watch has said it has found no evidence that any member of the armed forces was hurt or killed.

The general added he understood the pain and anger of families affected by the mass killing and said Guinea was a country "where too much blood has been spilled."

"Once again, Guineans are following the path to exile. It is too much, that is enough now," Konate said.

The regime celebrated one year in power on Wednesday as pressure mounts from the international community to take action over alleged crimes against humanity.

A UN report published Monday accused Guinean soldiers of massacring at least 156 protesters in the stadium killing. Hundreds of others were wounded and soldiers also systematically raped women and young girls.

France's deputy ambassador to the UN, Nicolas de Riviere, on Wednesday called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice, telling reporters at the Security Council in New York that "impunity cannot be an option."

The European Union responded on Tuesday by toughening sanctions against the junta by imposing a freeze on all funds and economic resources known to belong to its members and banning supplies that could be used for internal repression.

Camara took power in a bloodless coup early on December 23, 2008, just hours after the announcement of Conte's death from an illness.

Despite pledging to root out corruption and clean up the west African country's government, Guinea has been mired in economic, social and political chaos.

Most of the population wants the military to quit power and people fear further violence after the stadium bloodbath. The junta has banned street demonstrations and most opposition leaders have fled abroad.

allafrica

Creditors of the fallen oil marketing company, Triton, will have to wait until mid next month to know if the planned sale of key assets, estimated to be worth billions of shillings, will go on.

This emerged on Tuesday after its Interim liquidator temporarily lost a bid to have the High Court issue orders blocking two companies associated with Triton's fugitive owner, Yagnesh Devani, from disposing of the property.

The development has effectively heightened the ongoing scramble for Triton assets among a host of secured and unsecured creditors.

Triton's interim liquidator, Ponangipalli Rao, wanted managers of the two firms--Dreamcatchers Limited and Camelot Estates-- blocked from selling prime assets which are suspected to have been developed using money drawn from Triton Petroleum Company's accounts.

Mr Rao had argued that the sale of the assets may jeorpadise unsecured creditors owed money by the collapsed company.

But Justice Joyce Khaminwa declined to give the orders and instead set a fresh hearing of the application for January 18, 2010.

The judge declined to block the disposal of a housing development located on General Mathenge Drive owned by Dreamcatchers Limited and Camelot's "multi-billion shilling" property complex situated on Nairobi's Waiyaki Way.

If the said assets have already been sold prior to the filing of the application, the liquidator wants the proceeds after the payment of any secured creditors to be deposited with the court or in an escrow account pending the hearing and determination of the suit.

"The sale of the assets to a third party may jeopardise and frustrate any chances of unsecured creditors of Triton from recovering the substantial sums represented by the said assets, " said the liquidator through his lawyer Antony Njogu of Daly & Figgis Advocates.

This came as it emerged that East African Development Bank (EADB) planned to dispose of Camelot House for over Sh1.2 billion to recover a Sh410 million debt owed to it by Triton.

EADB have the legal charge over the property, according to the Deed of Settlement on the disposal of Triton's assets.

This came after an order by the property contractor Laxmanbhai Construction Limited was vacated, giving EADB the leeway to sell the asset.

The contractor--who is to get Sh186 million from the disposal--was initially opposed to the sale, saying there was an illegality in the planned disposal.

In the November case, Laxmanbhai argued that Camelot Estates, KCB and PTA had conspired to defeat the interest of the contractor and to cause it financial loss by selling the property and distributing the proceeds to themselves.

The development means EADB--which had financed the development of the property through a loan to Camelot --can proceed and sell the property.

Court documents filed in court show that the sale process could take at least 120 days including advertising, scrutinising the bids and giving the purchaser time to raise the Sh1.2 billion price.

This is the latest twist in the scramble for the assets by the major creditors of Triton. Creditors have been locked in a row over the structure to be adopted in disposing of some of the assets, which has delayed the anticipated sale within the court's stipulated time.

The biggest tussle has been for the most valuable asset of the company--the massive multi-billion shilling oil terminal which Mr Devani was building in Mombasa before his business empire imploded early this year.

EADB, Kenya Commercial Bank and PTA bank, Camelot and the contractor have been locked in a tussle over the sale of the Camelot facility.

They all wanted to be involved in formulating the terms and conditions of sale.

"The lengthy and bloodier fight would be to divide the surplus after the disposal, " said EADB through its lawyer Njoroge Regeru.

KCB, which has sued Triton for Sh2 billion for oil imports secured by the bank through various debentures argued that it had substantial interest in the sale of the property to recover the debts.

According to the deed of settlement signed between Triton, Mr Devani and the receivers on March 16, 2009, after the sale of Camelot property, the other beneficiaries would be receivers who would get Sh470 million while the balance, if any, would be used to clear any other outstanding liabilities on the company.

In August, the High Court ruled that the assets of the Triton Bulk Storage Company be sold in what was a win for Triton's main creditor KCB and its appointed receiver managers.

Proceeds of the sale were to be banked in a joint account of KCB and Fortis Bank of Netherlands.

High Court judge Luka Kimaru ordered the disposal of the property in Mombasa within 60 days and that the money be deposited in an escrow account in a reputable bank to be managed by the advocates of KCB and Fortis Bank.

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Kenya is missing out on funds and environmental clean-up by not presenting strong proposals for support under a global deal aimed at pumping billions of shillings into 'green projects'.

The country is eligible to apply for help under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), one of the Kyoto Protocol tools aimed at reducing carbon emission by investing in environmentally friendly projects in developing nations.

Nonetheless, Kenya has shown signs of improvement, having 14 projects, up from only five last year and none in 2004.

A total of 112 green projects are at different stages in Africa, up from 74 in 2008 and just two in 2004.

But Africa's figures compare poorly to other beneficiary continents.

Only four per cent of the 4,730 CDM projects are in Africa, while Pacific Asia has over 3,700 and Latin America and the Caribbean have close to 820

This is the sorry state of affairs as Africa continues to bear one of the greatest environmental burdens from global pollution, with lakes disappearing, mountain icecaps melting and an increase in related disasters over the last four decades.

Carbon forum

The low level of project uptake in Africa is mainly due to the lack of concrete, viable proposals forwarded to UNEP and the World Bank, the approving and disbursing agents.

But the second all-Africa Carbon Forum, to be held in Nairobi next March will discuss ways Africa can participate and gain more from the Kyoto Protocol kitty.

Kenya has a huge market for carbon market projects, from the 7,000 megawatt-potential of geothermal power whose development is now expanding in Rift Valley to the emergence of big wind farms and the vast latent potential of solar.

One efficient and cheap way of fighting the carbon concentration in the atmosphere is by planting trees.

Already, some 2,000 farmers in Central Kenya are benefiting from the mechanism, selling carbon credits to the United States.

KenGen, the major power generator in Kenya, has entered into an agreement with the World Bank worth Sh1.3 billion to produce cleaner energy.

According to the institution's records, the carbon market has the potential to earn developing nations more than $25bn (Sh2 trillion) annually.

Trees remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere during photosynthesis to form carbohydrates that are used in plant structure/function, and return oxygen to the atmosphere as a by-product.

About half of the greenhouse effect is caused by CO2.

Trees, therefore, act as a carbon sink by storing it as cellulose in their trunk, branches, leaves and roots, while releasing oxygen back into the air.

Moves to actively reforest Kenya now include multiple tree planting campaigns, and the Government's directives on restoring water towers, including the Mau Forest, which has been a hot political debate.

Scientific evidence

The Kyoto Protocol is a treaty among 187 UN-member states meant to reduce global warming.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the structure that is responsible for implementing the protocol, aims to reduce harmful gases released by industries in the member states.

The objective of the Kyoto climate change conference was to establish a legally binding international agreement, where the participating nations commit to confronting the challenge.

The agreement came as a result of scientific evidence that showed industrial activities were severely depleting the ozone layer.

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Local and international tourists will now find it easier to select hotels that suit their tastes following the appointment of a new team that will oversee the professional rating of all hotels in the country.

The Hotels and Restaurants Authority (HRA) board launched on Tuesday by the Minister for Tourism, Mr Najib Balala, will be charged with ensuring hotels and restaurants across the country are classified according to the East Africa Community criteria adopted by member countries recently.

HRA was established under the Hotels and Restaurants Act.

Mr Balala said classification of hotels will start early next year, adding that the new board will regulate standards in the hospitality industry.

The exercise was last conducted in 2002.

The delay in carrying out a nationwide classification has left hotels with the same old ratings despite investing heavily to improve their facilities.

"The benefits accrued from classification cannot be underestimated. We want to ensure there is quality in the industry," Mr Balala said during the inauguration.

He noted that the exercise is meant to assure clients of the high standards and quality service Kenya has to offer.

In addition, classification creates uniformity in the hotel industry as there are common elements in every class that a client can expect ranging from the type of services to facilities offered.

Classification assessors from the region recently underwent training on the East Africa Community criteria a move which will see all the member states adopt the same standards just as in countries such as Scandinavia, East Asia and Europe.

The last classification sparked off a major controversy and has never been rectified despite major appeals by disgruntled players.

The common practice is that hotels are rated from one to five stars, mainly by the industry, and this rating is used to base the expectations of visitors in terms of quality.

The rating of hotels fall under the HRA, which is mandated to classify hotels into classes in accordance with standards and principles which the board determines and reflect international practice.

The classification is then gazetted, giving a hotel the legal mandate to market itself as a five or one star unit.

In February next Mr Balala will lead a delegation to South Africa to borrow from their industry's experience before initiating the rating process in the country.

In South Africa rating is carried out by a private organisation.

The new board comprises of nine individuals from across the industry and was gazetted last month. Ms Jane Manasseh is the chairperson.

However, missing from the board are representatives from hotels, restaurants and employees as provided under the Act.

The law stipulates that the chairperson be appointed by the minister and a maximum of nine people appointed by the minister.

Out of this, one person shall be appointed due to his knowledge of the industry, while another shall be appointed to represent the interests of the industry.

Hotel Keepers are represented by the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers (KAHC) while restaurants fall under the Pubs, Entertainment and Restaurant Association of Kenya (PERAK).

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Kenya's main sources of maize imports are tightening their grips on the sale of agricultural commodities to secure own needs, an indication that the looming food shortage in the new year could be worse than earlier thought.

Global commodity market monitoring reports indicate that Zambia and South Africa, which sold to Kenya much of the maize it imported this year, plan to limit export of agricultural produce next year leaving, Kenya with the option of buying from global markets where prices are on a steady rise.

Kenya is expected to produce only 60 per cent of its annual maize consumption needs from this year's crop and will have to top it up with 16 million bags of imports to secure its population from a supply shortage that could begin in April.

Buying such a large consignment of maize from the highly-priced global markets poses the danger of forcing the government to divert funds from other sectors to buy the food, denying the economy the momentum it needs to recover.

It also poses the danger of driving up maize prices on the domestic front and importing inflation that economists say is one of the challenges Kenya must deal with in the new year.

Zambian parliamentarians and consumer groups have in the past two months been piling pressure on their government to stop exports and use the bumper maize harvests in the Southern African nation to build up strategic reserves.

South Africa, where harvests are expected to be lower than last year's, has also indicated that it could make a similar move completing the series of blockades in the regional grains market.

Zambia and South Africa helped Kenya plug its maize deficit in the past two years that local production has been hit by post election turmoil and severe drought.

This year, Kenya was forced to rely mainly on Southern Africa imports after neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania stopped cross-border trade in cereals to build national stocks.

Severe drought in Uganda and parts of Tanzania is expected to leave Kenya without the informal cross-border grain markets that have helped it feed millions of its population cheaply without the involvement of the government.

"Kenya has been managing to feed her people, not because of producing enough but because of inflows from neighbouring countries through informal cross-border trades," argues Dr James Nyoro, a food security consultant.

A recent announcement by Zambia's Agriculture and Cooperatives minister Brian Chituwo that his government planned to sell part of its maize surplus to Kenya was met by stiff opposition from parliamentarians and consumer groups.

That means Kenya must start the search for alternative source markets early to avoid panic-buying and higher pricing that is expected in the global grains market beginning mid next year.

Kenya imported 100,000 tonnes of maize from Zambia in October to help stave off an acute shortage caused by post election turmoil that uprooted thousands of grain farmers from their farms in the country's bread basket of the North Rift.

Zambia, with an annual national maize consumption of 1.6 tonnes, harvested 1.9 tonnes in the 2008/9 season.

But an acute drought in large parts of the country this year has intensified calls for a build-up of strategic grain reserves and limitation of exports.

Kenya is expected to harvest 1.8 million tonnes (20 million) of maize this year, leaving an annual consumption shortfall of least 16 million bags, according to the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA).

USDA estimates that the country's maize output this year will be 0.3 million tonnes below last year's level and far below the five year average of 2.6 million tonnes (28 million bags), making imports critical to meeting the national consumption needs.

Next year's deficit--the largest in three decades-- follows a disappointing May to August harvests and a failed El Nino rains during the September to December short rains season.

Ministry of Agriculture records indicate that the two seasons contribute 85 per cent (28 million bags) and 15 per cent respectively of the national grains output.

The latest report of the US-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fews Net) says that Kenya's granaries are fast running dry again with the available reserves only able to last until April next year.

Grain market watchers however warn that Kenya faces a tough assignment in sourcing grain next year should the southern African states choose to block exports.

Unlike Kenya which belongs to the East African Community (EAC), the three countries that sell maize to Kenya are members of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) that are likely to give preference to neighbouring in the event of a severe regional food crisis.

FAO's November food outlook report indicates that countries like Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Lesotho urgently require external help to feed their people, a revelation that implies trouble for Kenya which urgently requires imported maize to feed her people

Two weeks ago a crucial meeting by the EAC agriculture ministers held in Arusha agreed to set up a joint Early Famine Warning System to monitor food security in the region but failed to open cross border trade in grains to address the regional imbalances.

The FAO November Food Outlook report indicates that Kenya, Uganda and Burundi require external help to feed their citizens while Tanzania and Rwanda have sufficient grains to feed their people.

At the height of food price rallies and shortages experienced last year, Tanzania moved to ban grain exports by October of the same year, dampening hopes the Kenyan government of obtain any food from her southern neighbour.

The EAC's agriculture ministers only agreed to jointly press national governments to increase budgetary allocation to the sector toward the 10 per cent of the national GDP threshold of the Maputo declaration.

Food experts however point out that a joint early famine warning may not solve the region's food security challenges if not accompanied free movement of grain across the national borders

"An early warning system not only equips policy makers with information about food-type available at a particular location to facilitate transfer to deficit areas but also helps in planning for imports," says Dr John Omiti, head of productive sector division at the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, a government policy think tank.

A regional grain market tracker - RATIN - observes in its latest report that the flow of maize into Kenya from both Uganda and Tanzania has dropped significantly in the past months.

"Maize trade in the region has for a while been dominated by flows from Uganda reaching a high of 129,860 tonnes since January while Tanzania has continued to be relied upon in the supply of rice into both Kenya and Uganda." observes RATIN.

The regional tracker's statistics also shows that large volumes of rice have been sourced from Zambia and Pakistan to DRC, Rwanda and Burundi.

The EAC common market protocol signed into treaty by the region's heads of state summit last month identifies food crops like sugar, maize, rice and wheat among the items that need protection from imports because they can be produced locally.

For instance, protocol imposes a common external tariff of 50 and 75 per cent on maize and rice respectively.

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Corruption among Kenya Revenue Authority's workers is undermining the institution's ability to meet its revenue targets.

Despite regular interdiction of workers involved in the vice, revenues are still not climbing up.

In the last 18 months alone, the taxman has sacked 162 employees over corruption.

More than half of the sacked workers were customs officers stationed at border posts, airports and Mombasa port.

Corruption still tops the list of impediments that hindered KRA from meeting its targets during the 2008/2009 financial year when it projected to raise Sh493 billion from taxes but fell short of the target by Sh12 billion.

Even though the tax body has vigorously denied that its staff were involved in an import tax evasion racket exposed recently by a local TV station, the institution admits that corruption remains a major headache.

"Corruption is existent in various institutions in Kenya and KRA is not an exception" said Mr Kennedy Onyonyi, KRA's senior deputy Commissioner for Marketing and communication

KRA opened the July-September quarter--its first for 2009/10 financial year with a below target performance.

It fell short of its Sh128 billion revenue target for July September by Sh4 billion.

If this trend continues, Treasury could find it hard financing its expanded budget and this might harm recurrent and development expenditures.

The failure to meet the first quarter target will put pressure on the performance of the subsequent two quarters and this will leave Treasury in a tighter corner to finance this year's Sh860 billion budget -- the largest budget ever in Kenya.

Even though KRA says corruption is not entirely to blame for its inability to meet targets in the past 12 months, figures from the taxman indicate that all the revenue generating departments other than the Domestic Taxes department did not meet targets in the first quarter of 2009/10 (July-September 2009).

Roads Transport department failed to turn in its Sh1 billion target and instead collected Sh600 million in taxes despite an increase in car imports and motor vehicles registered in Kenya in the past 12 months.

Customs Services department targeted to raise Sh52.1 billion in the July-September quarter but collected Sh44.9 billion.

This reflected a downturn in imports which analysts have attributed to the economic recession that has hit markets that Kenya import from.

KRA says it is moving quickly to seal revenue leaks including weeding out bad workers involved in corruption, tax fraud and theft if it is to realise its expanded 2009/2010 target.

KRA faces a tough climb to meet its targeted of Sh545 billion from tax payers during the financial year up from the Sh493 billion projected in the 2008/2009 financial year.

The high target for 2009/2010 is intended at helping finance the Sh860 billion budget announced by Finance Minister Mr Uhuru Kenyatta in June but analysts say that the operating economic environment in 2009 that was characterised by a rising inflation rate, depreciation of the Kenyan currency against major international units and the fluctuation of the NSE index may repeat itself in the 2010 to deny KRA the much needed revenue.

Mr Nikhil Hira, a tax partner at consultancy firm Deloitte says KRA is not likely to meet its targets for the second quarter of October to December as the operating environment has not changed much.

"The environment has not changed at all we are in a position where there is economic downturn in the country, if tax payers are making losses they may not turn in good taxes, 2010 is going to be a pretty tough year for KRA" says Mr Hira.

The continued tax evasion at the various ports of entry as exposed by the media will continue to mount roadblocks on KRA as it attempts to raise the tax collections.

KRA is facing a difficult time to find the right mix of staff that can seal all the revenue leaks to push up the taxman's dwindling collections.

Four years ago KRA developed an Integrity Action Plan jointly with the World Customs Organization and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Under this plan, KRA developed an Integrity Testing programme undertaken jointly with the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission to test the integrity of staff as they carry out their duties.

Through this programme, the taxman managed to nab 162 members implicated in theft, corruption, fraud and complicity in tax evasion.

"We are faced with numerous challenges, some of which touch on issues of integrity. KRA recognises that in an organisation of its size there are bound to be elements whose intentions may be contrary to the goals of the organisation" said KRA Commissioner General Michael Waweru in a statement.

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One major achievement of the Copenhagen debate for Kenya is that public awareness on global warming, especially through the media, has been excellent.

A subject that was hitherto "all Greek" even to a number of our ministers appears to have been well understood in the last few months.

We have also learned from Copenhagen that commitment to alleviate global warming is essentially based on vested economic interests of various countries who do not wish to sacrifice their growths at the altar of climate change.

After all the noise and activism at Copenhagen, we need to move back to the Kenyan reality and localise global warming solutions to reflect Kenya's economic and social needs.

Climate change is global but impacts and solutions are essentially local.

We need to focus on turning global warming challenges into opportunities for Kenya.

We should also action corrective activities that are economically sensible, easy to achieve and which make huge differences to the country's economic and social survival.

Global warming

Of course, Kenya will seek to benefit from the global warming dollars to be made available for developing countries' fight against climate change.

However, this should not be the main point of focus for we can achieve a lot on our own.

Climate change impacts response should be based on three cardinal realities.

Firstly, that rain patterns have changed and that food security is a key national threat.

Secondly, that energy security and cost will have a major negative impact due to permanently reduced hydro energy.

Thirdly, that whatever little rains we get can be conserved by massive reforestation programmes.

We apparently have no choice but to act on the three survival thrusts with or without Copenhagen as it is a matter of national survival.

If we demonstrate commitment to addressing the three issues we will open doors to floods of global dollars to supplement our efforts.

Solutions are inter-ministerial and that is why we may need to set up a "climate change impacts" coordinating unit, preferably in the prime minister's office.

Ministries directly relevant are Energy, Agriculture, Environment, Forestry and Water.

We may even need to re-look at Vision 2030 to ensure that policies, strategies and budgets are consistent with emerging climate change challenges.

On agriculture, the last three years of drought have confirmed that irrigation is no longer a choice but a must for food security.

Revitalisation of existing irrigation infrastructure (Bura, Hola, Perkera, Yatta, Mwea, and Ahero) and creation of new irrigation projects is a top priority.

Small scale farmers will need assistance to initiate irrigation projects.

The Water ministry will need to devise strategies to effect water sharing and to minimise conflicts.

Finally, we should focus on value added agriculture with lessons borrowed from the green revolution of India of the 1970s where modern agriculture methods and credit made the country self sufficient in food production.

We also need to address the drought situation that devastates pastoralists communities.

The communities will have to be assisted to face the realities of climate change and accept to change lifestyle and become less dependent on large herds of livestock.

This is a massive and difficult effort that requires to be addressed urgently.

A lot has been said and written in the area of energy.

The driving principle should be to address energy security, efficiency and cost.

The thrust has been to reduce dependence on unreliable hydro and imported expensive non-green fossil fuels through alternative energy, preferably green.

However, we need to acknowledge the long lead time for various energy projects.

There is need also to continue funding energy efficient programmes and technologies so as to reduce waste.

We also need to acknowledge recent efforts by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to introduce a regulatory framework to facilitate the introduction of biofuels, both ethanol and bio-diesels.

Following the publishing of gasohol regulations, we have seen Mumias Sugar Company announced investment plans for alcohol production.

This is a good case of putting in place a legal and regulatory framework to not only grow the economy, but also encourage conversion to greener fuels.

Already, focus has been put on afforestation and reforestation.

This is crucial in the light of reduced rainfall.

The effort will certainly receive massive dollars from the REDD programme announced in Copenhagen.

The Kenya Forest Services should expand its mandate to address commercial forests for the paper industry and rural energy needs.

If we are to revive the paper industry, an impact assessment will have to be done in the light of changing climatic scenarios.

Regulated business

We also need to accept that the bulk of Kenyans will continue to cut forests for firewood and charcoal for their domestic energy requirements.

This reality should be properly managed.

Charcoal burning, which is criminalised, should be formalised and commercialised into an organised and regulated business.

Yes, Kenya has an obligation to play its international role to reduce climate change.

However, we have more immediate priorities to combat climate change impacts already in our hands.

We can safely assume that climate change funding will be forthcoming.

To prepare for the funding, we need to start addressing our perennial problems of accountability and governance, as international project and budget funding will only flow into Kenya if we address these problems.

To address these realities, we will have to introduce new regulatory frameworks to take into account new activities.

This is why we need to focus less on politics and more on running the government machinery.

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The global tea market could suffer distortions as producing countries rush in to expand their areas under crop in a bid to cash-in on the current high prices, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned on Tuesday.

The FAO Tea Composite price, the indicative world price for black tea, reached a high of $3.18 a kilogramme in September amid droughts in India, Sri Lanka and Kenya against increased demand for the product, compared to an average price of $2.38 per kilogramme in 2008.

And now, FAO is concerned that some tea producers could over-react to the current high prices by planting more crops, threatening an over supply in the market.

"Some producing countries, such as India, have acted responsibly and announced that they would not be expanding current tea areas beyond what is required for replanting and rehabilitating existing tea gardens" said Kaison Chang, secretary of FAO's Inter-Governmental Group on Tea (IGGT).

Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) managing director Sicily Kariuki, however said local producers are unlikely to expand their area under crop.

"Several neighbouring countries are already sinking investment to expand their area under crop but here in Kenya the focus would be to compete on productivity and quality," she said.

According to FAO, the current record high prices are expected to ease in 2010 as weather patterns returns to normal in the main tea-producing regions of Asia and Africa.

"The return of normal weather patterns in the main producing regions indicates that the tight global market situation should begin to ease alleviating the pressure on world tea prices in the New Year," Mr Chang said.

Although consumption growth outpaced production between 2005 and 2009, the gap between consumption and production growth was largest between 2007 and 2009, when it reached 3.4 percentage points, coinciding with the surge in prices.

Mr Chang said the fact that demand for tea remained robust, despite the global recession, supports the assertion that tea consumption is "habit forming" and is relatively price inelastic for most blends except higher priced quality teas.

"In addition, the share of household income spent on tea purchases is relatively small. Supply response to high tea prices has been delayed as it requires investment decisions that have long-term implications: it takes at least three years before a tea bush can be harvested," he said.

Higher tea prices have not affected the consumer in developed countries because of intense competition in the beverages market.

However in developing countries manufacturers are likely to transfer a larger share of the price increase to consumers, as tea procurement costs account for a significant share of the final retail price.

"In India, for example, average retail tea prices were quoted about 15 per cent higher in September 2009 than in September 2008," FAO said.

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Harare — Beitbridge Border Post was yesterday heavily congested with a huge volume of southward-bound commercial traffic blocking the free movement of travellers.

In Harare, there was little activity at Mbare Musika long-distance bus terminus yesterday as most travellers failed to board buses to their respective rural homes ahead of the Christmas holiday after operators took advantage of the festive season to hike fares.

At the Beitbridge border, long winding queues of trucks stretching for over 5km from the customs yard was the order of the day and in the process blocking the smooth flow of traffic in the border town.

The border has suddenly become busy as the majority of Zimbabweans based in South Africa are coming home for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

South Africa's immigration authorities were now using most of their parking space for north-bound traffic.

In separate interviews, border post officials attributed the development to lack of parking space on the South African side of the border resulting in traffic piling onto the Zimbabwean side.

Zimbabwe Revenue Authority regional manager, Ms Angeline Mashiri, said: "The problem of congestion is largely because of limited space on the South African side. In fact, you will note that most of the trucks that are queueing here have since been cleared on our side," she said.

Beitbridge Border Post, which is reportedly the busiest inland port of entry in sub-Saharan Africa, has since the beginning of the week been a hive of activity as the volume of both human and vehicular traffic continued to increase with an average of about 12 000 travellers and 3 500 vehicles passing through everyday.

Beitbridge Border Post has since 2003 been operating round the clock.

The acting regional immigration manager in charge of Beitbridge Border Post said the number of travellers, mostly Zimbabweans working in South Africa, continues to increase.

"We have reached a peak period characterised by an increased volume of travellers and we have been busy since Monday clearing people mostly on the arrivals side," she said.

Truck and bus drivers yesterday said they spent several hours at the border waiting to cross over to the South African side.

"We have been stuck here for about 10 hours now and the queue is actually moving at a snail's pace. In fact, we have been cleared on the Zimbabwean side but because of congestion we can't cross over to South Africa," said Mr Morgan Chioko, a cross-border bus driver.

"We had to advise our passengers to proceed on foot to the South African side where we would join them. The situation is really frustrating for both the bus crews and passengers," he said.

The New Limpopo Bridge Company argues that reopening the old single-lane Limpopo Bridge used by pedestrians and the goods trains was unlikely to reduce congestion.

"We are saying the only solution to decongesting the border lies in the quickening of the clearance process, especially on the South African side," said an NLB official.

The South African customs yard can only accommodate 80 heavy vehicles, 10 buses and 100 light vehicles.

"The challenge therefore is for South Africa to do even more in clearing the large number of travellers going through Beitbridge," said the NLB official.

Earlier this month, South Africa's Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, said an extra 150 officers would be deployed to the South African border posts, including Beitbridge, to beef up staff during the Christmas period.

It is, however, anticipated that the proposed one-stop border post concept at Beitbridge would help ease congestion and ensure quick clearance of passengers, particularly during the 2010 Fifa World Cup when thousands of travellers are expected to pass through the border.

Last month, Zambia and Zimbabwe commissioned a one-stop border post at Chirundu.

At Mbare Musika, activity was low after some operators increased fares. The demand for transport during the festive season is usually high as most people head to their rural homes and other destinations to celebrate Christmas and New Year with their families and friends.

However, most families intending to visit their relatives for Christmas had their spirits dampened when they got to Mbare Musika bus terminus and found that fares had gone up.

Some bus operators had increased their fares by over 100 percent, forcing many people to abort their trips.

A visit by The Herald to the terminus showed that it was not business as usual, as most buses were empty compared to the same period in previous years, when travellers jostled to get places on buses to their destinations.

Mr Anderson Chimutasha, who wanted to visit his rural home in Mashambanhaka Village in Mutoko to spend the festive season with his family of seven, said he had been left with no choice but to cancel the journey.

"I cannot afford the fares they are charging. How can they ask me to pay US$7 for a trip to Mashambanhaka, which I know costs US$4, it is too much.

"The best thing to do is to go back home as I cannot afford to pay US$49 for the seven of us for a single trip," said Mr Chimutasha.

Another traveller who intended to go to Chiredzi said he was likely to spend the Christmas holiday in Harare after the fares were increased by 50 percent from US$10 to US$15.

"I arrived in the morning and found the fares increased and had waited hoping that they would go down but this has not happened," said Mr Amos Wachi.

Some bus drivers interviewed denied that they had increased fares and blamed unlicensed operators for the sudden hike.

"We are still charging the same fares. We have not changed because we might lose trust with our customers.

"The problem is with the unlicensed operators who want to take advantage of the festive season to maximise profits by overcharging people," said a driver with Musanhi Bus Company, who refused to be named.

However, the situation was different at other pick-up points in the city were people were hitch-hiking to their destinations taking advantage of the lower fares charged by private motorists.

However, police have warned travellers to be wary of some of these motorists after some people lost valuables to robbers.

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KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's parliament on Tuesday passed a controversial and long-awaited bill, paving the way for a referendum on the independence of the country's oil-producing south.

The bill passed despite Southern Sudanese members of parliament boycotting the meeting on a dispute over the voting rights of South Sudanese living in the north.

"Finally, after a long journey, we approved this law," said Ahmed Ibrahim al-Tahir, the parliament's chairman and member of north Sudan's dominant National Congress Party.

Tuesday's bill marks the end of months of wrangling between the former civil war foes over the terms of the legislation.

South Sudan secured the independence vote as part of a 2005 peace accord that ended more than two decades of civil war with the north.

Analysts had warned the south could return to war if there was any sign Khartoum was not going to go through with the vote, a development that would have a devastating impact on the country, its oil industry and the surrounding region.

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ANTANANARIVO (Reuters) - Madagascar's security forces fired teargas at opposition leaders and hundreds of their supporters outside parliament on Tuesday as political tensions escalated on the Indian Ocean island.

The brief flare-up happened near the national assembly where the opposition plans to form a new parliament, a process President Andry Rajoelina says is illegitimate.

The crowd was quickly dispersed, leaving a few small groups taunting the military police.

"We have lost our jobs because of the crisis but the government won't listen to us even though it preaches about democracy. It's shameful," one protester, Fanja Rakotoson, told Reuters.

Rajoelina, who seized power in March with the backing of dissident troops, deepened the turmoil over the weekend when he tore up a series of power-sharing deals and named an army colonel as prime minister.

The latest developments are likely to unsettle major foreign firms investing in Madagascar's oil and mineral resources.

Armoured riot police carrying teargas rounds and semi-automatic rifles surrounded the assembly building from early morning. Protesters used overturned garbage containers and rocks to set up barricades on roads accessing the parliament.

Emmanuel Rakotovahiny, one of two recently dismissed co-presidents, suggested that the opposition would put off its plan to recall parliament, which it had hoped to do on Tuesday.

"For it to have any purpose, the speaker of parliament must be there, but I am not sure if he will be able to enter," the close ally of former President Albert Zafy told Reuters.

20091222

DHAKA (Reuters) - Mauritius has withdrawn a decision to expel thousands of Bangladeshi workers, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni said on Tuesday following a visit.

Maurituius in July ordered some 6,000 Bangladeshi workers, 4,000 of whom work in clothing factories, to leave within six months in a move to protect local jobs.

Impoverished Bangladesh received $4.66 billion in remittances from more than 6 million citizens working abroad between July and November, around 24 percent more than a year earlier.

20091222

PRETORIA (Reuters) - South African negotiators said on Tuesday the outcome of the Copenhagen climate talks was disappointing and unacceptable, largely due to a flawed process that damaged trust among delegations.

Buyelwa Sonjica, minister of environmental affairs, told reporters her government had considered walking out of the meeting but decided against it after consulting other African countries.

"We are not defending this, as I have indicated, for us it is not acceptable, it is definitely not acceptable," she said after returning from Copenhagen.

"Our president consulted ... and the feeling by Africa was it was not a good idea to walk out."

The United Nations summit ended with an underwhelming, and not legally binding, agreement on Saturday that set a target of limiting global warming to a maximum of 2 degrees celsius over pre-industrial times.

South Africa was one of the emerging powers that helped pen the accord.

The world's 12th biggest emitter, dependent on coal for 90 percent of its electricity needs, South Africa had pledged before the meeting to slow the growth of its greenhouse gas emissions by 34 percent below projected levels by 2020, conditional on a broader international agreement.

Sonjica said walking out of the meeting could have led to an even more disappointing outcome.