20100402
aljazeera



Guinea-Bissau's president has said the situation in his country is "calm" after soldiers arrested the army chief and prime minister in an apparent coup attempt.

Malam Bacai Sanha told public radio on Thursday that the army chief had been detained and the prime minister – who had earlier been taken by soldiers - was at home, apparently under house arrest.

Sanha put the situation down to some "confusion between soldiers".

A military source said soldiers had escorted Carlos Gomes Jr, the prime minister, to his home after his arrest and soldiers were controlling the streets in the area.

About 40 officers were also said to have been arrested.

Antonio Indjai, the newly-designated army chief, said on national radio that the show of force by mutinous solders was purely a military problem and the army remained submissive to political power.

"The Guinea-Bissau armed forces would like to make the point that events which occurred this Thursday morning are a purely military problem and do not concern the civil government.

"The army reiterates its attachment and its submission to political power. Military institutions remain, and will remain, submissive to political power."

Show of support

National radio broadcasts were interrupted by military music - often a signal that a coup is taking place - and hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the government headquarters after news of the arrest spread, to demand the prime minister's freedom.

Indjai threatened to kill Gomes - whose nickname is "Cadogo" - in a public radio broadcast if his supporters continued to press for his release.

"We ask you to stop anything that attracts a crowd in the streets. If you do not do this, we will have to kill Cadogo," the general said.

Indjai said Jose Zamora Induta, the army chief of staff, and Gomes "must pay for all the crimes they have committed".

During his news conference, Indjai was accompanied by Bubo Na Tchuto, a former head of the navy, who had earlier left a UN building in Bissau where he had spent 94 days.

A group of soldiers went to the UN office and walked out with Na Tchuto, who had been taking refuge there after being suspected of leading a failed 2008 coup.

Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, urged "the political leadership of Guinea-Bissau to resolve differences by peaceful means and to maintain constitutional order and ensure respect for the rule of law", on Thursday.

Jean Ping, the African Union commission chairman, said in a statement that he was following the events "with great concern".

"In the face of developments which show the volatile nature of the situation in the country and reveal the urgent need for reform of the defence and security sector, the commission chairman calls on all Guinea-Bissau armed forces to respect republican order," the statement said.

Spain, the holder of the rotating European Union presidency, on Thursday called for a swift re-establishment of "legitimate order".

'No problem'

Despite the turmoil and international concern, Sanha said on Thursday that "there is no problem".

"There was a situation of confusion," Sanha said in a statement broadcast on Portugal's Antena 1.

"There was a confusion between soldiers that reached the government, but the situation is calm.

"We are going to try to work on calming the situation and resolve the problem," he said.

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

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

The country has been overwhelmed by the international drugs trade, becoming a key transit point in cocaine smuggling between South America and Europe.

20100401
africanews

The African Union Commission (AUC) has decided to deploy an election observation mission to the Sudan for the general elections scheduled for 11 to 13 April 2010. The observation team would be led by John Kufuor, former President of the Republic of Ghana.

The AU Mission is expected to make an independent and impartial observation of the Sudan general election.

An advance team of eight monitors were also deployed to Sudan on March 18, 2010 in conformity with the Electoral Code of Conduct drawn up by the African Union High Level Panel on Darfur (AUHIP). It stipulates that “the African Union shall promote mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of this code”.

Accordingly, the advance team of monitors is working closely with political parties and relevant authorities to promote the implementation of the Electoral Code of Conduct.

Prepared by the AUHIP, the Code has been signed by 26 political parties contesting the forthcoming elections.

The AU Observer Mission is expected to observe the Sudanese elections in accordance with the AU Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa and the AU Guidelines for Election Observation and Monitoring. Based in Khartoum and in Juda, the AU Observer Mission is also expected to liaise with the National Electoral Commission and other election stakeholders.

The AU Mission to be deployed across Sudan is composed of fifty personalities including Ambassadors, members of national parliaments, members of the Pan African Parliament, high officials of national electoral bodies, members of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the AU (ECOSSOC), members of the African Human Rights Court and representatives of the African Civil Society.

As background, in 2005 the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed by the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) put forth, democratic and multiparty elections as an obligation in the implementation process of the National Unity Government of Sudan.

Election boycott

Nearly all Sudanese opposition parties have joined the southern SPLM in pulling out of this month's elections, citing fears of rigging and insecurity. The announcement comes after crisis talks hosted by US envoy Scott Gration.

Meanwhile, Veteran Islamist leader Hassan al-Turabi confirmed that candidates from his Popular Congress Party would contest the poll.

But the Umma party of former Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, the Democratic Unionist Party and the Communist party have all said they will no longer participate.

The opposition parties and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) - which serves in a coalition at national level with President Omar al-Bashir - all believe the electoral process has been rigged in favour of his National Congress Party.

They say the registration process has been flawed, and their access to state media and rights to hold rallies restricted.

SPLM presidential candidate Yassir Arman announced on Wednesday that he was pulling out of the election.

He also cited a lack of preparedness for the election in the Darfur region, where a rebellion has been taking place since 2003.

"The people of Darfur in the internally displaced people's camps asked the SPLM not to be involved in the election," he said. "Our response to the people of Darfur's Political Bureau is that we have decided not to run," according to the BBC.

The SPLM is still planning, however, to contest the parliamentary and municipal elections elsewhere in Sudan on the same day as the presidential poll.

The other opposition parties are still deciding whether to take part in those elections.

The US envoy to Sudan is meeting all the parties in an effort to keep the elections on track.

He said that if the opposition withdraw from the legislative elections it is not clear whether they will still be held.

President Bashir has threatened to cancel a promised referendum on independence for the South if the SPLM boycotts the poll.

However the SPLM and Western countries have said that the referendum and the election are separate issues, which should not be linked.

The SPLM joined the unity government in 2005 as part of a peace deal ending a two-decade civil war.

Some 1.5 million people died in the conflict between the mainly Muslim North and the South, where most people are Christian or follow traditional beliefs.

20100402
AFRICANEWS

Many houses in the capital of Zambia have been submerged due to the heavy rains being experienced compounded with poor drainage system. Lusaka is said to be built on top of a rock making it difficult for water to sink.
The townships are the most affected, the situation is worse in Kuku township commonly known as Blue Water Site located just one and half kilometers from the central district.

In some houses property has been damaged as residents fled their homes following the rising water levels. Some pit latrine toilets have been submerged threatening a health hazard situation because the water is contaminated with human excretion.. There have been cases of cholera in the townships.

Thieves are taking advantage of the situation by stealing from the vacated houses while cases of murder have also been recorded. Movements in the area is another hassle, gumboots is the convenient type of shoe.

The Disaster Management Unit has identified a site on the north of the city where a thousand plus floods victims have so far been relocated. The Zambia Army has erected some tents where the floods victims are accommodated. Some facilities such as water, mobile toilets have been brought to the site.

The Zambia Red Cross has set up a base to provide health care while a pre-school has been opened. The flood victims are happy with the new homes but their worry is where to since this is temporal. It may not be possible for many to go back to their houses and they are appealing to government to find a conducive permanent place.

Some sections of the society are calling on government to declare the situation as a national disaster.

The Local Authority says many affected places are settlements that were not planed for residential. Some people just occupied the area with the local authority approval. So far government is yet to come up with a lasting solution to the poor drainage system in the Lusaka.

20100402
ipsnews

WASHINGTON, Apr 2 (IPS) - When Pres. Barack Obama took office in January 2009, it was widely expected that he would dramatically change, or even reverse, the militarised and unilateral security policy that had been pursued by the George W. Bush administration toward Africa, as well as toward other parts of the world.

After one year in office, however, it is clear that the Obama administration is following essentially the same policy that has guided U.S. military policy toward Africa for more than a decade. Indeed, the Obama administration is seeking to expand U.S. military activities on the continent even further.

In its FY 2011 budget request for security assistance programmes for Africa, the Obama administration is asking for 38 million dollars for the Foreign Military Financing programme to pay for U.S. arms sales to African countries.

The administration is also asking for 21 million dollars for the International Military Education and Training Programme to bring African military officers to the United States, and 24.4 million dollars for Anti-Terrorism Assistance programmes in Africa.

The Obama administration has also taken a number of other steps to expand U.S. military involvement in Africa.

In June 2009, administration officials revealed that Pres. Obama had approved a programme to supply at least 40 tonnes of weaponry and provide training to the forces of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia through several intermediaries, including Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya, and France.

In September 2009, Obama authorised a U.S. Special Forces operation in Somalia that killed Saleh Ali Nabhan, an alleged al Qaeda operative who was accused of being involved in the bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998, as well as other al Qaeda operations in east Africa.

In October 2009, the Obama administration announced a major new security assistance package for Mali - valued at 4.5 to 5.0 million dollars - that included 37 Land Cruiser pickup trucks, communication equipment, replacement parts, clothing and other individual equipment and was intended to enhance Mali's ability to transport and communicate with internal security forces throughout the country and control its borders.

Although ostensibly intended to help Mali deal with potential threats from AQIM (al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), it is more likely to be used against Tuareg insurgent forces.

In December 2009, U.S. military officials confirmed that the Pentagon was considering the creation of a 1,000-strong Marine rapid deployment force for the new U.S. Africa Command (Africom) based in Europe, which could be used to intervene in African hot spots.

In February 2010, in his testimony before a hearing by the Africa Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson declared, "We seek to enhance Nigeria's role as a U.S. partner on regional security, but we also seek to bolster its ability to combat violent extremism within its borders."

Also in February 2010, U.S. Special Forces troops began a 30-million-dollar, eight-month-long training programme for a 1,000-man infantry battalion of the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the U.S.-refurbished base in Kisangani.

Speaking before a Senate Armed Service Committee hearing in March 2010 about this training programme, General William Ward, the commander of Africom, stated "should it prove successful, there's potential that it could be expanded to other battalions as well."

During the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Ward also discussed Africom's continuing participation in Ugandan military operations in the DRC against the Lord's Resistance Army. Despite the failure of "Operation Lightning Thunder", launched by Ugandan troops in December 2008 with help of Africom (included planning assistance, equipment, and financial backing), Ward declared, "I think our support to those ongoing efforts is important support."

And in March 2010, U.S. officials revealed that the Obama administration was considering using surveillance drones to provide intelligence to TFG troops in Somalia for their planned offensive against al-Shabaab. According to these officials, the Pentagon may also launch air strikes into Somalia and send U.S. Special Forces troops into the country, as it has done in the past.

This growing U.S. military involvement in Africa reflects the fact that counterinsurgency has once again become one of the main elements of U.S. security strategy.

This is clearly evident in the new Quadrennial Defence Review (QDR) released by the Pentagon in February.

According to the QDR, "U.S. forces will work with the military forces of partner nations to strengthen their capacity for internal security, and will coordinate those activities with those of other U.S. government agencies as they work to strengthen civilian capacities, thus denying terrorists and insurgents safe havens. For reasons of political legitimacy as well as sheer economic necessity, there is no substitute for professional, motivated local security forces protecting populations threatened by insurgents and terrorists in their midst."

As the QDR makes clear, this is intended to avoid the need for direct U.S. military intervention: "Efforts that use smaller numbers of U.S. forces and emphasise host-nation leadership are generally preferable to large-scale counterinsurgency campaigns. By emphasising host-nation leadership and employing modest numbers of U.S. forces, the United States can sometimes obviate the need for larger-scale counterinsurgency campaigns."

Or, as a senior U.S. military officer assigned to Africom was quoted as saying in a recent article in the U.S. Air University's Strategic Studies Quarterly, "We don't want to see our guys going in and getting wacked...We want Africans to go in."

Thus, the QDR goes on to say, "U.S. forces are working in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, Colombia, and elsewhere to provide training, equipment, and advice to their host-country counterparts on how to better seek out and dismantle terrorist and insurgent networks while providing security to populations that have been intimidated by violent elements in their midst."

Furthermore, the United States will also continue to expand and improve the network of local military bases that are available to U.S. troops under base access agreements.

The resurgence of Vietnam War-era counterinsurgency doctrine as a principal tenet of U.S. security policy, therefore, has led to a major escalation of U.S. military involvement in Africa by the Obama administration that seems likely to continue in the years ahead.

*Daniel Volman is the Director of the African Security Research Project in Washington, DC. He is the author of numerous articles and reports and has been studying U.S. security policy toward Africa and African security issues for more than 30 years.

20100401
ALALAM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By late Thursday, the demonstrators had dispersed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100402
ALALAM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100401
africagoodnews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100401
PRESS TV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100401
PRESS TV

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100401
PRESS TV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100401
ALL AFRICA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100401
ALL AFRICA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100401
PRESS TV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100401
PRESS TV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Somalia has had no effective government for 19 years.

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

20100401
press tv

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100401
allafrica

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100401
allafrica

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

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

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

Why?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100401
all africa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100401
all africa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

20100401
aljazeera



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

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

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

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

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

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

Maritime assaults

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

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

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

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

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

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