PAMBAZUKA NEWS 116: THE INDICTMENT OF CHARLES TAYLOR A Weekly Electronic Newsletter For Social Justice In Africa
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Write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and your address will be removed immediately! /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 1.EDITORIAL THE INDICTMENT OF CHARLES TAYLOR Chidi Anselm Odinkalu On 4 June 2003, former Pentagon lawyer and Prosecutor of the United Nations-sanctioned Special Court for Sierra Leone (SC-SL), David Crane, unsealed and made public the indictment of Charles Ghankay Taylor, President of Liberia. The indictment accused Mr. Taylor of personal responsibility for multiple and egregious violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the recently abated war in Sierra Leone. In the view of the Prosecutor, Mr. Taylor falls within the category of "persons who bear the greatest responsibility" for serious violations of international law in Sierra Leone. Soon after Mr. Taylor, who was in Accra to attend a peace conference on Liberia convened under the joint auspices of both the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), was compelled to flee from Ghana. As a suspect in potential criminal proceedings, and in accordance with Article 17(3) of the Statute of the SC-SL, Mr. Taylor is to be presumed innocent until his guilt is proved. The responsibility for proving this guilt belongs to Prosecutor Crane and his team. Yet, few citizens of West Africa can find it in themselves to voluntarily stand up in defence of Mr. Taylor. To Liberians, Africans, persons of goodwill everywhere and, in particular, the millions of West African nationals murdered, maimed or displaced by Mr. Taylor and his war networks, due process could seem like a luxurious nuisance. Since Mr. Taylor's rebellion against the rightly un-mourned late President Samuel Doe began in Liberia in December 1989, he has been implicated directly or indirectly in civil wars in Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and Côte d'Ivoire; in the overthrow of otherwise elected regimes in Gambia and Guinea Bissau; and in the subversion of Guinea (Conakry). In the process, Mr. Taylor stands accused of having the blood of hundreds of thousands of West Africa's children, men, and women on his hands. He stands accused of being responsible for the displacement and exile of millions more. And he stands accused (with his cohorts) of deliberate targeting of civilian populations, of recruiting tens of thousands of children into arms, and of institutionalising egregious outrage on civilian populations as instruments of armed conflict. He has reduced a once proud people with their rich culture to beneath beggarliness, destroying the lives of much of the posterity of the region in the lifetime of the parents that they will never know. This is not the first time that Mr. Taylor will be threatened with prosecution for war crimes. To force him to the negotiating table in 1996, the Council of Ministers of the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU), by resolution CM/Res 1650 of July 1996, was compelled to threaten Mr. Taylor with "setting up a war crimes tribunal" to try him and the leadership of the then warring factions in Liberia. ECOWAS Heads of State reinforced that threat in August of the same year as a way of giving teeth to the Abuja Agreement embodying the Liberian Peace Plan. All this was while Mr. Taylor was a rebel fighting presumably for power. The following year, a frightened Liberian population surrendered power to Mr Taylor in severely flawed elections in July 1997, in the vain hope that the responsibilities of high office would slake his thirst for blood. Rising from their Summit attended by senior representatives of major multilaterals and countries - including the Unites Nations, the USA, and major European Union countries - in Abuja, Nigeria, on 26 July 1997, and immediately following Mr. Taylor's election in the same month to the Presidency of Liberia, the leadership of ECOWAS, "congratulated His Excellency, President Charles Ghankay Taylor on his election and encouraged him to continue his policy of reconciliation and national unity." In the event, the man took the bush with him to the Presidency and continued his war. Only this time it was aimed at suppressing basic rights of Liberia's citizens. Given this background then, is there much more that can be said about the Taylor indictment besides applauding the belated arrival of supposedly just desserts? Indeed, there is. To begin with, the people of Liberia must wonder why the destruction of themselves and their country matters less than the destruction of their Mano River neighbour. It is difficult to explain to Liberians why the man whose trail of destruction began and continues in their country has ended up being charged for crimes allegedly committed against neighbouring Sierra Leone and its people who have their own home grown villains to worry about. The Legal Situation In reality, for much of the months of April and May 2003, the existence of the Taylor indictment and the probable occasion for its unveiling and attempted execution was an ill-concealed secret in Freetown. The indictment itself was confirmed and the arrest of Taylor authorised by the Bench of the SC-SL on 7 March 2003. The moment three months later on which it was unsealed was therefore significant. The Prosecutor had decided to take advantage of Mr. Taylor's travel to Ghana. In his press statement announcing the indictment of Mr. Taylor, Prosecutor Crane acknowledged that he decided to serve a warrant for Mr. Taylor's arrest on the authorities in Ghana "upon learning that Taylor was travelling to Ghana. This is the first time his presence outside of Liberia has been publicly confirmed." In explaining his timing, Prosecutor Crane claimed in the same statement that he was concerned to ensure the legitimacy of the Accra negotiations, arguing that "it is imperative that the attendees know that they are dealing with an indicted war criminal." The Prosecutor felt the need "to make it clear that in reaching my decision to make the indictment public, I have not consulted with any state. I am acting as an independent prosecutor and this decision is based solely on the law." But law, especially international law, is often pregnant with mutually contradictory plausibility. It is possible that in justifying himself as he did above, Prosecutor Crane was preserving sovereign confidences. If not, then his position was a tad optimistic at best. At worst it was naive or arrogant (or both) to believe that he could unveil the warrant when he did without prior extensive consultation with and co-operation from the leaders who were attending the Accra negotiations. As a matter of comity, the leadership of ECOWAS, the AU and the host State had invested considerable energy, resources and political capital in bringing the parties to the negotiating table in Accra. In doing so, they gave minimal guarantees in good faith to the invitees. Whatever one may think of the parties at the table, to fail to consult the joint hosts before releasing this kind of bombshell showed scant respect to the combined goodwill of these leaders and the peoples they represent. Not having factored the Taylor arrest warrant into their plans, they could hardly be expected to embrace it spontaneously having heard of it through the media. As a practical matter, Ghana's authorities, if they had been consulted, may well have sought assurances or made arrangements as to how to safeguard against any security implications of Mr. Taylor being arrested on their territory. They would naturally have sought to safeguard against Mr. Taylor's associates exporting their cannibalistic brand of instability to Ghana. This is not an altogether unreasonable concern given Mr. Taylor's record. Consultation with the region's leadership was all the more imperative because the law to which the Prosecutor's press release refers is at best opaque or, even worse, unhelpful. The SC-SL is set up under an Agreement reached between the United Nations and the Government of Sierra Leone in January 2002, itself concluded under the authority of Security Council Resolution 1315(2000). Unlike the International Criminal Tribunals for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR), the SC-SL is not set up by the Security Council as such in exercise of its enforcement powers under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to safeguard international peace and security. In accordance with Sierra Leone's 1991 Constitution, Sierra Leone's Parliament enacted the Special Court Agreement (Ratification) Act in 2002, which permits the Court to function in the country. This would not have been necessary if the Court had been set up in exercise of the enforcement powers of the Security Council. As a matter of law, the SC-SL is not a Sierra Leonean court as such; it is more plausibly viewed as a foreign court authorised to function in Sierra Leone, exercise jurisdiction in and over Sierra Leone and, in part at least, to apply Sierra Leonean law, in addition to international law. This point has significant legal consequences. It means that unlike the situation with Chapter VII tribunals like the (Yugoslavian) ICTR and (Rwandan) ICTY, there is not necessarily an obligation of compulsory co-operation with the Court. Strictly speaking, co-operation would be governed by bilateral, mutual assistance treaties. Such treaties, arguably, do not envisage such hybrid courts as the SC-SL within their scope. Customary international law is equally unhelpful here. The much-cited and much misunderstood Pinochet (No.3) decision of the (British) House of Lords [1999] 2 All E.R. 97, looked to domestic statutory (rather than international law) basis to justify much narrower grounds for Mr Pinochet's arrest than the panel in the Pinochet (No. 1) case [1998] 4 All E.R. 897 had been prepared to allow. In its most relevant decision in the Case Concerning the Arrest Warrant of 11 April 2000 (Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Belgium), the World Court in Den Haag controversially decided in February 2002, that the procedural immunity enjoyed by serving foreign sovereigns effectively trumped the prohibitions of international criminal law (from which even Heads of State are not immune), including those against war crimes and crimes against humanity that were directly in issue in the case. The relevant practice concerning the procurement for trial of suspected war criminals largely remains as summed up by Geoff Gilbert in Aspects of Extradition Law, page 209 (1992), to the effect that "a uniform approach is still lacking." Barring an abduction of the kind in the (case of the German Nazi leader) Eichmann Case, 36 International Law Reports 5 (1961), international (or in this case, regional) co-operation remains the only lawful means of procuring the rendition of Mr. Taylor for trial. In the provisions of Article 4(h) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union authorising intervention in situations of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, African countries have now equipped themselves to provide such co-operation when it is sought collaboratively. With considerable experience of criminal trials in the USA where prosecutorial deal making is an art form, Prosecutor Crane cannot have been unaware of this reality. Ultimately, he bears responsibility for success or failure in securing rendition of his indictees - big and small. With the exception of the now late Sam "Maskita" Bockarie, allegedly deceased former military ruler, Johnny Paul Koromah, and Mr. Taylor, the SC-SL has so far succeeded in securing the arrest of all of its indictees. However, none of those so far arrested, including ex-defence minister, Chief Hinga Norman, confronts the Court with the weight of logistical, security, doctrinal or legal problems that accompany the indictment of Mr Taylor. In favour of Prosecutor Crane, it should be acknowledged that his public indictments appear so far to have been largely well received both within and outside Sierra Leone. The Political Questions Two political questions stand out among many. First, how does the indictment affect the peace process in Liberia, including, in particular, the critical issues of disarmament and demobilization of combatants? Mr Taylor, whose current Presidential term expires in January 2004, staked out his position on these issues at a news conference in Monrovia 12 June, declaring that "[I]f the President of Liberia is treated in an unfriendly fashion or manner with the thousands of combatants that support me in Liberia, where is the incentive for any supporter of Charles Taylor to disarm if they know their own security is not guaranteed?" Neither the SC-SL nor its Prosecutor can directly answer this question. It remains open whether the Accra negotiations on the back of the 17 June ceasefire agreement between Taylor's regime and rebels opposed to him will be able to address it. Next, as unpalatable and unfortunate as it is, Mr. Taylor is recognized as the elected President of Liberia. Now that he has been indicted, this throws up the political question of how other African Leaders and civil society alike will relate to him. For example, will they continue business as usual, adopt a wait-and- see attitude, or will they enforce his isolation? The individual and collective positions of Africa's leaders could well be determined by how each leader perceives himself vis a vis the potential to face similar charges and the response of the world beyond Africa. Does it matter that the Prosecutor has not shown more lateral vision in his handling of the unsealing of the indictment? Conclusion This is the first time that a serving President will be openly indicted for war crimes by an international court. By contrast, the indictment of ex-President Milosevic by the ICTY became known after he had been ousted from office. It will not be the last. Over the past few years, similar attempts in the courts of different European countries, most especially Belgium, have run into a headwind of insuperable legal, procedural and political obstacles. With the swearing in of the ICC Prosecutor in June 2003 in Den Haag, the need for such desperate efforts or ad-hoc arrangements (as in the SC-SL) will now be minimized if not yet entirely eliminated. The irony will not be lost on African leaders that the SC-SL Prosecutor comes from a country - the USA - whose government has undermined the International Criminal Court (ICC) Process and is exerting its utmost weight to secure impunity for similar crimes in international law for its own nationals. At the beginning of June, 39 countries had concluded with the US government impunity agreements under pressure. Nevertheless, the indictment of Mr. Taylor at least ensures that he is under some pressure. This could not have come too soon. But if Mr. Taylor is not to elude and outlast the SC-SL, Prosecutor Crane should reckon more with the goodwill of Africa's leaders and peoples than the management of the Taylor indictment so far has shown. There is little sympathy for Mr. Taylor in the region. Bringing him to overdue accountability should not be an opportunity to rub regional leaders up the wrong way. Meanwhile, Liberians and Africans await the day Mr. Taylor will also answer for his misdeeds against Liberia and its citizens. * A lawyer and activist from Nigeria, Chidi Anselm Odinkalu is associated with several African and international non-governmental organisations and academic institutions. He was formerly Human Rights Advisor to the UN Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL). Mr Odinkalu is widely published on a variety of subjects on human rights and international law in Africa. The views expressed here are his personal opinions. * Please send comments on this editorial to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Read comments on previous editorials in the Letters and Comments section of Pambazuka News. DO YOU SUPPORT PRESS FREEDOM AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION? http://www.ipetitions.com/campaigns/freeafricanmedia/ Do you support Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression? Would you be happy to sign a petition aimed at the African Union & its member states calling for the release of all incarcerated African Journalists & for the repeal of Anti-media and Anti-free expression legislation? If Yes, click on the link to sign the petition. If you would like to do more, please make this message part of your signature and/or forward it to like-minded people. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 2.CONFLICT, EMERGENCIES, AND CRISES AFRICA: CONFLICTS, POVERTY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE AFRICAN UNION AGENDA http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=18913 The second summit of the African Union is likely to be marked by political wrangling as the continent's leaders try to reach agreement on the functioning and final structures of the pan-African body. This is likely to disappoint many people who would like to see the African Union concentrating on achieving greater and faster success in ending conflicts, improving governance and kick-starting social and economic development on the continent. BURUNDI: REBELS KILLED AS THOUSANDS OF CIVILIANS FLEE FIGHTING http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34956 An unknown number of rebels have been killed in fighting against government troops in northern Burundi, forcing up to 65,000 civilians to flee their homes, army and local authority officials told IRIN on Tuesday. BURUNDI: WAR AND PEACE IN BURUNDI http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=11&ItemID=3807 On 01 July, Burundi will be celebrating its independence of 1962 from the Belgians, and while they will be observing this remarkable day the rest of the world will be hoping for the lasting peace of a ten year civil war that has ravaged that country, leaving more than 300 000 dead with over a million people, according to the UN, internally displaced or living abroad as refugees. Read this commentary from www.zmag.org by clicking on the link provided. DRC: MILITIA GIVEN 72 HOURS http://allafrica.com/stories/200306230315.html The French-led multinational force deployed in Bunia said on Saturday that local militia must hand over guns or leave the town within 72 hours. Gen. Jean-Paul Thonier, the commander of the UN-mandated force, gave "72 hours for the withdrawal of all armed forces from Bunia", according to the force's spokesman, Col. Gerard Dubois. Related Link: * MILITIA GROUP AGREES TO CANTON ITS FORCES OUTSIDE BUNIA http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34931 KENYA: REJECT US DEMANDS, LEADERS URGE KIBAKI http://allafrica.com/stories/200306230089.html The government has been asked to stand up for the rights of Kenyans and defy terrorism demands by Britain and the United States. In angry reactions to a decision by the US to close its Nairobi embassy over terrorism fears, MPs said Kenya should look after its own interests, rather than dancing to the tune of other countries. They termed Washington's decision "unfair", "unwarranted" and "uncalled for" and described Kenya as "an innocent victim" of terrorism. LIBERIA: REBELS FIGHT THEIR WAY INTO MONROVIA CITY CENTRE http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34977 Liberian rebels fighting to topple President Charles Taylor bombarded the capital city, Monrovia, with heavy mortar and rocket fire throughout the night and punched their way into the city centre on Wednesday morning. LIBERIA: TAYLOR REJECTS TRANSITION GOVERNMENT WITHIN 30 DAYS http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34908 Liberian President Charles Taylor rejected last Friday the proposed formation of a transitional government within 30 days that would exclude him. Taylor said he would only step down at the end of his term in January 2004, and even then, he might stand for re-election. NIGERIA: OVER 100 KILLED IN OIL PIPELINE EXPLOSION AND FIRE http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34913&SelectRegion=West_Africa&Selec tCountry=NIGERIA More than 100 people were killed when a ruptured fuel pipeline exploded and caught fire at a remote village in southeastern Nigeria last Thursday, Red Cross and local government officials said. SUDAN: HUMANITARIAN GAINS AS PEACE HOPES RISE http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34926 In this special report IRIN outlines major developments in the peace process during 2003, and looks forward to future talks. A previous web special, published in January, describes in detail the important humanitarian issues surrounding the talks and gives background on the key areas of negotiation. For the first time in 20 years, lasting peace in Sudan could be within reach. Related Link: * SUDAN: NUBA MOUNTAINS CEASEFIRE EXTENDED UNTIL JANUARY http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34988 SUDAN: LET SUDANESE CIVIL SOCIETY AND POLITICAL PARTIES TALK FREELY ABOUT PEACE Amnesty International has called on the Sudanese government and security forces to immediately stop harassing, detaining incommunicado and impeding Sudanese civil society activists from discussing issues related to the peace talks on Sudan. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15838 SUDAN: SUDAN'S OTHER WARS http://www.crisisweb.org/projects/showreport.cfm?reportid=1020 There is a real potential for those who feel ignored by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) peace process in Sudan to undermine any deal that is between only the Khartoum government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), warns a new briefing from the International Crisis Group. These marginalised areas include the so-called "Three Areas" of Abyei, the Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile, which are being discussed outside the IGAD process. A second category includes areas like Darfur in the west, which has seen a major upsurge in fighting since February but is excluded from any peace negotiations. UGANDA: SUDANESE ARMY NOW ASSISTING KONY REBELS, SAYS GOVERNMENT http://allafrica.com/stories/200306260018.html Ugandan officials accuse Islamic fundamentalist forces in the Sudan government of trying to scuttle an agreement Khartoum and Kampala signed three years ago and a protocol that improved relations between the two countries. Ugandan Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi said that the country was seeking clarification from Sudan about reports that elements in the Sudanese army, possibly those allied to Bashir's political opponents, had resumed arms supplies to rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) fighting the Ugandan government in the north of the country. WEST AFRICA: U.N. MUST ADDRESS WEST AFRICA'S "DOWNWARD SPIRAL" The U.N. Security Council should hold governments in West Africa accountable for their support of abusive regimes and rebel groups, Human Rights Watch said in a briefing paper presented to the Security Council. Members of the Security Council are scheduled to begin an eight-day trip to the region on June 28. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15839 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 3.RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY AFRICA/GLOBAL: SHUT YOUR MOUTHS, BUSH WARNS NGO'S http://www.msf.org/content/page.cfm?articleid=CC45BD5B-F3D0-4B54-8FCE87F8E9D 1CC57 The Bush administration has found its next target for pre-emptive war, but it's not Iran, Syria or North Korea -- not yet, anyway. "Before launching any new foreign adventures, the Bush gang has some homeland housekeeping to take care of: It is going to sweep up those pesky non-governmental organisations that are helping to turn world opinion against U.S. bombs and brands," writes anti-globalisation activist Naomi Klein. EGYPT: EGYPT'S NEW CHILL ON RIGHTS GROUPS The Egyptian government's refusal to allow two human rights groups to register as legal entities casts a shadow over their capacity to work, Human Rights Watch says. Human Rights Watch also expressed concern over the government's detention and interrogation of a prominent Egyptian human rights activist as he was returning from a conference abroad. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15874 MALAWI: ANOTHER UNLAWFUL TRANSFER TO US CUSTODY? The reported secret transfer this week to US custody of five men arrested in Malawi on suspicion of being members of al-Qa'ida heightens concern about the United States of America's (US) attitude to the human rights of people detained in the so-called "war on terror", Amnesty International said. "Once again it seems that the US may have been involved in a transfer which circumvents basic human rights protections and national law," the organisation emphasized. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15926 NIGERIA: SLOW START FOR NIGERIA ELECTION CASE http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3016244.stm A court case against the election victory of Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo is continuing in the capital, Abuja. Four opposition parties are challenging Mr Obasanjo's victory in April's presidential elections. RWANDA: MAIN OPPOSITION CANDIDATE RETURNS AFTER YEARS IN EXILE http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34894 Former Rwandan Prime Minister Faustin Twagiramungu arrived in Kigali last Friday from Brussels, ending his eight-year exile to challenge President Paul Kagame in the first post-genocide elections. SOMALIA: PEACE TALKS FALTER OVER PROPOSALS FOR PARLIAMENT http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34980 The Somali peace talks, currently underway in Kenya, are in danger of collapse if a compromise solution is not found to the selection and number of future parliamentarians, a faction leader warned on Wednesday. SOMALILAND: PRAISE FOR ELECTION PROCESS http://www.eisa.org.za/WEP/somaliland1.htm#j Somaliland's 2003 elections mark another historic step after the Local Elections held in December 2002, in the process of democratisation of a country still fighting for international recognition, says a new report from a team of South African Observers who monitored Somaliland's first democratic presidential elections, held on the 14th April 2003. "The National Electoral Commission of Somaliland is commended for its role in the conduct of the elections despite the challenging socio-economic conditions under which they took place." SOUTH AFRICA: BUTHELEZI PREPARES FOR THE BIG JUMP http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=59&o=22628 The Inkatha Freedom Party's powerful national council will next week sit to discuss the party's possible exit from the national government -- a move that senior party members say is the most serious debate yet on this option. The debate, which has been raging in the party over the past months, coincides with frantic behind the scenes attempts by the African National Congress to seize control of KwaZulu-Natal. UGANDA: GOVERNMENT WARNS OVER DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST BUSH VISIT http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35005 The Ugandan opposition party, the Ugandan People's Congress (UPC) - headed by exiled twice-former Ugandan president Milton Obote - has confirmed that it plans to hold a demonstration against US President George W. Bush's visit to the country, scheduled for mid-July. UGANDA: US PAY-OFF FOR ICC AGREEMENT http://allafrica.com/stories/200306190259.html Uganda will receive US$200,000 (about sh400m) in military aid from the US following the non-surrender agreement the two governments signed last week. President Yoweri Museveni, while on a visit to the US, signed the non-surrender pact with Secretary of State Collin Powell, exempting US soldiers on international combat assignments from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC). ZIMBABWE: DOCTORS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT DOCUMENTS ORGANISED VIOLENCE "I was sleeping at my home when at approximately 3am today, Wednesday 4th June, 2003, between 10 and 20 soldiers banged on my front door. I opened it and they wanted to know what party I belonged to. My brother J. and I were asked so many questions and were then told to lie on our stomachs and they beat us with batons." This is one story contained in a report from the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights that documents case summaries, with histories, and examination findings of incidents of violence inflicted during the week of the National Mass Action that took place between June 2-9. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15933 ZIMBABWE: SA SPURNS POWELL'S PLEA TO DO MORE TO END ZIM CRISIS http://zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=7072 South Africa will maintain its policies on Zimbabwe despite a strong appeal by US Secretary of State Colin Powell for President Thabo Mbeki's government to play a "stronger and more sustained role" to achieve change in Zimbabwe. ZIMBABWE: TORTURE ALLEGATIONS CONTINUE TO SURFACE The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum has documented 266 cases of torture in Zimbabwe between 1 January and 31 May 2003. In the same period there had been 442 unlawful arrests, 135 unlawful detentions, 265 cases of violation of freedom of expression, 241 cases of political discrimination and 180 assaults. These are the latest figures contained in a report from the Forum on political violence for the month of May. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15896 ZIMBABWE: TREASON TRIAL EVIDENCE 'INAUDIBLE' http://zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=7081 Key evidence produced in the treason trial of Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was "inaudible," a government recording expert told the court Wednesday. Constantine Musango, a court official tasked with making transcripts of recorded evidence, was appearing as a state witness in the ongoing treason trial of Tsvangirai and two other senior Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) officials accused of plotting to kill President Robert Mugabe. Related Link: * WITNESS SAID TAPE NOT DOCTORED http://zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=7082 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 4.CORRUPTION ANGOLA: ANGOLA VOWS OIL DEAL TRANSPARENCY http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=65225 Angola on Thursday announced it would make public all its oil payments under a new push to stamp out corruption and attract aid and investment. Aguinaldo Jaime, the country's deputy prime minister, said: "For the first time in Angola's history, the budget will encompass all revenue and that will send to the donor community the signal that the Angolan government is committed to a fully transparent way of managing the budget." GHANA: IS CORRUPTION THE REAL PROBLEM? http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=65247 During his inaugural address on January 7, 2001, President Kufuor declared that his government would pursue a policy of "Zero Tolerance for Corruption". It was an effective sound byte which was immediately latched on to by the nation. But as the months roll by, we can begin to ask, says this commentary in the Accra Mail, whether it is feasible, or even desirable to predicate human development on just the total elimination of corruption. NIGERIA: SHELL OPENS ITS BOOKS ON NIGERIA http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=37&o=22612 Shell has bowed to pressure from Tony Blair and human rights campaigners by publishing details of payments made to the Nigerian government, which amounted to $900-million last year. The information is included in a new report on its operations in the turbulent west African nation, which also shows the Anglo-Dutch company produced 15,5-million tons of greenhouse gases. SAO TOME: OIL BRINGS STORMS TO PLACID SAO TOME http://www.transparency.org/cgi-bin/dcn-read.pl?citID=65258 Seismic data suggest billions of barrels of oil could lie off Sao Tome's coast near oil-rich Nigeria, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in an increasingly important oil-producing region far from the risks of the Middle East. And that is driving an intense local struggle for power, complicated by the involvement of big outside players drawn to islands that had been getting by in quiet poverty, exporting a little cocoa and some bananas. SOUTH AFRICA: ARMS DEAL INVESTIGATION FLAWED, SAYS HEATH http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=11&o=22718 The arms procurement deal investigation was fundamentally flawed from the outset, and President Thabo Mbeki's advisors stunted the process when they influenced the course of justice, former judge Willem Heath said on Saturday. SOUTH AFRICA: SPOOKS WADE INTO OIL SLICK http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=59&o=22630 The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has taken an interest in the Nigeria-South Africa oil saga and has visited some of those involved, including the wife of Eastern Cape Premier Makhenkesi Stofile. The Mail & Guardian revealed a month ago how a lucrative crude oil contract - awarded by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to the "Republic of South Africa" after lobbying by President Thabo Mbeki - was diverted to an offshore company. There was no benefit to South Africa. The government has offered no comprehensive explanation since then. UGANDA: PRESIDENT CONTINUES ANTI-CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN http://allafrica.com/stories/200306240479.html Continuing with his national campaign against corruption in local governments, an angry President Museveni directed local governments to prosecute Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) who embezzle government funds. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 5.HEALTH AFRICA/GLOBAL: CHEAP DRUGS MOVE TO AID WTO DEAL http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c =StoryFT&cid=1054966317426&p=1012571727088 The world's leading pharmaceutical companies are set to unveil proposals to ease the supply of essential medicines to poor countries, in an attempt to break a World Trade Organisation deadlock that is jeopardising the Doha global trade round. AFRICA/GLOBAL:NEW INITIATIVE TO RESEARCH AND DEVELOP DRUGS FOR THE WORLD'S MOST NEGLECTED DISEASES http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2003/pr51/en/ The Nobel Prize winning Organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and four eminent public research institutes from around the world have joined forces to address the lack of research and development in drugs for neglected diseases. A mere 10% of global health research is devoted to diseases that account for 90% of the global disease burden. AFRICA: CONDOM EFFECTIVENESS QUESTIONED http://irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=2193 A new UNAIDS study has found that even when used consistently, condoms fail to protect against HIV transmission approximately one in 10 times. In previous reports, condom effectiveness against HIV was widely estimated at between 46 and 100 percent. AFRICA: HIV/AIDS AND THE HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE http://www.parl.gc.ca/InfoComDoc/37/2/SRID/Studies/Reports/faitrp08/03-cov2- e.htm While international media and other attention remains focused on Iraq and on terrorism, many countries in sub-Saharan Africa are facing the most severe crisis in their history with the conjunction of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, famine, environmental degradation, endemic poverty, weak governance structures and bad policies threatening entire societies. In addition, political violence and armed conflicts continue to destroy the lives of millions and create conditions in which diseases flourish, poverty and hunger are widespread, democracy and the rule of law are repressed, and there are widespread violations of human rights. Unless there is a massive concerted effort by the international community together with African leaders to address both the immediate humanitarian needs and longer term causes of this crisis, the lives of millions more will be lost and prospects for long-term development in the most affected countries will evaporate, according to a report from a Canadian parliamentary committee. AFRICA: LACK OF DRUG REGULATION 'SPURS HIV RESISTANCE' http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=873&language =1 The unregulated supply of AIDS drugs in the developing world could accelerate the development of drug-resistant HIV strains, according to an expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom. Better regulation of private-sector providers of drugs in poor nations is needed to ensure that patients use antiretroviral drugs correctly, thereby reducing the risk that a strain of drug-resistant HIV will develop. ANGOLA: SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS DRIVE DEVELOPMENT IN ANGOLA http://www.unicef.org/newsline/2003/03pr54angola.htm Just 15 months after a cease-fire ended three decades of devastating civil war, Angola has taken two significant steps on its long road to recovery. Campaigns in health and education, backed by UNICEF and supported by all levels of Government, are proving vital in restarting the development of social services in Angola. CAMEROON: CAMEROON MUST STRENGTHEN ITS CURRENT EFFORTS TO AVOID A WORSENING AIDS EPIDEMIC, SAYS UNAIDS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR http://www.unaids.org/whatsnew/press/eng/Cameroon_190603_en.html The increased AIDS awareness amongst Cameroonians is strong evidence that Cameroon's political commitment to combat the disease is yielding positive results, even though greater challenges still lie ahead to curb the epidemic, according to Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). "The strong political will and social mobilization are realities which should lead to the scaling up of HIV care and prevention programmes and avoid a worsening epidemic in the country," said Dr Piot. He was on a two-day visit to Cameroon. WEST AFRICA: CENTRE TO INVESTIGATE MALARIA RESISTANCE TO DRUGS http://allafrica.com/stories/200306230386.html Nine West African countries have agreed to pool information about the increasing resistance of malaria to existing drug treatments through the Muraz medical research centre at Bobo Dioulasso in Burkina Faso. ZIMBABWE: DOCTORS' STRIKE GATHERS MOMENTUM http://allafrica.com/stories/200306250551.html Several people were unable to get treatment at hospitals around the country Wednesday as a doctors' strike that began in Bulawayo on Monday spread to other parts of Zimbabwe. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 6.EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE AFRICA: PUBLIC POLICIES AND THE ORPHANS OF AIDS http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/326/7403/1387 International help to care for Africa's orphans is essential not only for their immediate welfare but also to protect the long term prosperity of these countries. A researcher in child health and former Ugandan government peace minister assesses how to make the best use of resources, in this article published in the British Medical Journal. EAST AFRICA: EAST AFRICA SET TO HAVE ONE EDUCATION SYSTEM http://allafrica.com/stories/200306240007.html Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, which have different education systems, will eventually have one aimed at spurring industrial development. A national conference will be held later in the year to discuss the future of education in Kenya in preparation for the harmonisation, Education minister George Satoti says. KENYA: REHABILITATING FORMER STREET CHILDREN - AN IRIN PROFILE http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=35003 Wilberforce Mbei, a small 12-year-old, says he feels very comfortable living in Dandora, a rough estate on the outskirts of Nairobi's main rubbish dumping site. "I feel that this place is very good, I have found a home," he says. After five years of living with his aunt, who abused him, and two years on Nairobi's streets, he says he feels safe now. "I was denied all my rights before," he says, "even to play." SWAZILAND: PROMOTING CHILD PROTECTION http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34910 The need to protect and promote children is the shared agenda of the Swaziland government and the UN children's Fund (UNICEF) that has led to a community-based programme whose success is rooted in Swazi culture. TANZANIA: GROUP WORKS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ORPHANED CHILDREN http://www.comminit.com/pdskdv92002/sld-6068.html Funded as a pilot project by terre des hommes Switzerland in 1997, Humuliza is based in Nshamba, Tanzania and works to meet the psychological needs of orphaned children, in part by developing practical instruments to enable teachers and caregivers to support orphans. Humuliza has produced 19 training modules with handouts, which may be combined in ways to suit the needs and time of the trainees. These manuals, as well as a basic textbook about psycho-social support for orphans, are available by clicking here. UGANDA: 36,000 TEACHERS WITH AIDS TO LOSE JOBS http://allafrica.com/stories/200306230157.html Uganda's well-documented fight against HIV and Aids will take a strange turn if a recommendation, by the Education Service Commission, to ask teachers living with the disease to resign is implemented. The Commissioner for Secondary Education and HIV/Aids co-ordinator in the Ministry of Education, Mr Yusuf Nsubuga, said on Wednesday that the recommendation would affect teachers who have been on sick leave for six or more months. UGANDA: ALARMING LEVELS OF ABDUCTIONS AND RECRUITMENT OF CHILDREN BY LRA AND UPDF The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers has stated that the recent abduction of girls from a boarding school in Lwara, Kabermaido district, Northern Uganda, signals a sharp jump in child abduction and recruitment by all parties to the conflict. "This incident is part of a generalized problem of escalating conflict fuelling unprecedented levels of child abductions and recruitment in Northern Uganda, and now spreading to Eastern Uganda," said Geoffrey Oyat, Coordinator of the Ugandan chapter of the Coalition. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15928 UGANDA: ALARMING LEVELS OF ABDUCTIONS AND RECRUITMENT OF CHILDREN BY LRA AND UPDF The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers has stated that the recent abduction of girls from a boarding school in Lwara, Kabermaido district, Northern Uganda, signals a sharp jump in child abduction and recruitment by all parties to the conflict. "This incident is part of a generalized problem of escalating conflict fuelling unprecedented levels of child abductions and recruitment in Northern Uganda, and now spreading to Eastern Uganda," said Geoffrey Oyat, Coordinator of the Ugandan chapter of the Coalition. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15929 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 7.WOMEN AND GENDER AFRICA/GLOBAL: RISK OF CONFLICT: CAN USING A GENDER LENS IMPROVE EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS? http://www.id21.org/society/s10ass1g1.html Early warning systems are playing an increasingly important role in identifying areas at risk of violent conflict. But do they include gender issues? How could gender-sensitive indicators form a part of information collection at the grassroots level? How can we ensure that political and humanitarian responses to crises better address the vulnerabilities specific to women and men? AFRICA: 58 PER CENT OF HIV POSITIVE AFRICANS ARE WOMEN, SAYS NGO http://allafrica.com/stories/200306250305.html The Executive Director of Africa Leadership Forum (ALF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mr. Ayodele Aderinwale, said in Abuja this week that 58 per cent of HIV positive adults in Africa are women. Aderinwale made the remark at the beginning of a three-day regional conference on "Leadership Challenges for African Women" as part of a campaign mounted by ALF against HIV/AIDS. AFRICA: WOMEN, CHILDREN AND HIV WEB SITE LAUNCHED http://WomenChildrenHIV.org A website on women, children and HIV has been launched by The Francois-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Centre at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and the University of California San Francisco's Centre for HIV Information. "Women, Children, and HIV" contains a comprehensive, Internet-based library of practically applicable materials on mother and child HIV infection including preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT), infant feeding, clinical care of women and children living with HIV infection, and the support of orphans. With the launch of this site, crucial information about these rapidly changing and complex fields is now available in one site. ETHIOPIA: GOV'T CRITICISES ATTITUDE TOWARDS WOMEN'S RIGHTS The Ethiopian government has blasted the "pathetic" attitude towards women's rights in the country which it says is fuelling the AIDS epidemic. It warned that social and cultural factors such as polygamy and sexual violence were exacerbating the vulnerability of the nation's women. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15925 NIGERIA: CONFERENCE CALLS ON GOVERNMENTS TO BAN FEMALE CIRCUMCISION http://allafrica.com/stories/200306250617.html Delegates from 28 countries across the Middle East and Africa called Monday for governments worldwide to ban female circumcision, the practice considered barbaric to women. "Governments, in consultation with civil society, should adopt specific legislation addressing female genital mutilation in order to affirm their commitment to stopping the practice and to ensure women's and girls' human rights," the delegates said at the close of their three-day conference in Cairo. SOMALIA: WOMEN HOPEFUL FOR NEW GOV'T, DESPITE SETBACK http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=18882 Somali women have been longing for a government that will guarantee them security and a sense of belonging. But their hopes were thwarted this week, when it emerged that Somali peace negotiators in neighbouring Kenya have failed to reach a consensus on a new government. WEST AFRICA: UNICEF LAUNCHES DRIVE TO GET MORE GIRLS INTO SCHOOL http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34953 The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) launched a campaign on Tuesday to get more girls into primary school in West and Central Africa. "Hopes of improving education in this part of Africa have been shattered by a devastating set of social and economic ills, coupled with internal conflicts in several countries," said UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy. ZIMBABWE: MDC WOMEN CALL ON AFRICAN FIRST LADIES, AND WOMEN OF THE WORLD TO UNITE AGAINST OPPRESSION The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Women's Assembly has called on the silent partners of Africa's leaders to be quiet no more and to speak out against human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. Lucia Matibenga, chairperson of the MDC Women's Assembly, said: "We call on Africa's first ladies to speak to their husbands, and ask why are they watching the Zimbabwean crisis." Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15831 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 8.REFUGEES AND FORCED MIGRATION AFRICA/GLOBAL: ANNAN URGES WORLD COMMUNITY TO SAVE YOUNG REFUGEES FROM "LIFE WITHOUT HOPE" With the future of millions of young refugees jeopardized by war, hatred and exile, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan last week appealed to the international community to make "serious and sustained efforts" to solve the problems that cause displacement in the first place. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15840 AFRICA/GLOBAL: GLOBAL NUMBER OF REFUGEES DROPPED 14 PER CENT IN 2002 - UN AGENCY As the international community marked World Refugee Day last week, the United Nations refugee agency reported a 14 per cent drop in global numbers of asylum seekers and announced landmarks in two major target areas - the return of well over 2 million people to Afghanistan and the launching of a large-scale repatriation project for Angola. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15841 AFRICA: THE FICKLE NATURE OF INTERNATIONAL AID http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=37&o=23040 The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) stands accused of subjecting refugees within its African camps to illegal collective punishment by withdrawing food rations for weeks at a time. The organisation is also accused of allowing refugee elites to administer their own forms of 'traditional' justice, which typically see women locked up for adultery and 'criminals' flogged. These allegations and others were made by a distinguished refugee scholar who claims she has witnessed such human rights abuses during her research at several UNHCR refugee camps in Africa. ANGOLA: FORMAL REFUGEE RETURNS BEGIN http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34900 Angolan refugees departed from camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last Friday, in the first phase of a voluntary repatriation programme spanning three countries in the region. On day one of the operation more than 500 Angolan refugees are returning to M'Banza Congo in northwestern Angola and Luau in the eastern reaches of the country, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugee (UNHCR) said. ETHIOPIA: AFRICAN STABILITY THREATENED BY MASS MIGRATION http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34920 Mass migration in Africa will threaten the region's stability if it continues unchecked or unabated, a conference in Addis Ababa heard on Monday. Millions who flee conflict or economic crises pose enormous burdens on their new host nations, the four-day meeting on migration and trafficking was told. IVORY COAST: LIBERIAN REFUGEES CAUGHT BETWEEN TWO CONFLICTS: A SOLUTION On the eve of a visit by the United Nations Security Council delegation to West Africa, and as fighting intensifies around Liberia's capital, Monrovia, Amnesty International urged the countries of the sub-region and the international community to do everything possible to protect Liberian refugees and all others caught in the middle of these two conflicts. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15887 KENYA: THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES DISPLACED BY UNREST AT CAMP http://irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34986 About 30,000 Sudanese refugees have been displaced from their homes within the Kakuma refugee camp in northwestern Kenya, due to fighting with the local Turkana people which has claimed 11 lives. SOUTH AFRICA: SAHRC WANTS TO MEDIATE IN MASSIVE CAPE EVICTION http://allafrica.com/stories/200306240004.html In an unprecedented legal manoeuvre, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has approached the judge president of the Cape High Court and offered to mediate in an eviction dispute involving about 3000 families. "The case relates to a number of important issues that include the implementation of socio-economic rights, in particular the rights to dignity and housing," said SAHRC Western Cape co-ordinator Ashraf Mahomed. SUDAN: UN REFUGEE AGENCY RESUMES REPATRIATION OF ERITREANS FROM SUDAN http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=7508&Cr=eritrea&Cr1= For the first time in almost a year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has repatriated hundreds of Eritreans from Sudan after restarting a voluntary relocating operation that had been suspended because of the rainy season and prolonged by heightened border tensions between the two countries. ZIMBABWE: DISPOSSESSION AND DISEMPOWERMENT: THE IMPACT OF MIGRANTS IN ZIMBABWE'S ZAMBEZI VALLEY http://www.id21.org/society/s10cvd1g1.html Migration studies in southern Africa have looked in detail at the history and politics of movements of people to frontier zones. But have they paid enough attention to the impact on indigenous inhabitants? Are migrants really the agents of modernity they are often depicted to be? /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 9.RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA SOUTH AFRICA: HAPPY REOPENS SOUTH AFRICA'S RACIAL SCARS http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=11&o=22725 Apartheid, it seems, works. Nearly 10 years since racial segregation was abolished in South Africa, identity is still rooted in race. Or so it would appear from the case of Happy Sindane, the blond Ndebele-speaking boy who walked into a police station last month saying he had been abducted from his white family by their black cleaner at the age of six and brought up among blacks. SOUTH AFRICA: THE FIGHT AGAINST RACISM IS NOT OVER http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/2003/06/22/insight/in02.asp In a speech to Parliament this week, Opposition leader Tony Leon accused President Thabo Mbeki of using racism as an argument to silence his opponents. The following day, Mbeki responded by saying that transformation of society was the only way that national reconciliation could be achieved. Read Leon's speech by visiting http://allafrica.com/stories/200306220019.html and Mbeki's by visiting http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/2003/06/22/insight/in02.asp. What do you think of this issue? Send your comments to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 10.ENVIRONMENT AFRICA/GLOBAL: CONSTRUCTING DAMS: NOT NECESSARILY A GOOD THING? http://www.id21.org/society/s2cwcd1g1.html What are the real economic, environmental and social costs of dams? Do the benefits of irrigation, electricity, flood control and water supply outweigh the damage they do to livelihoods, ecosystems and fisheries? How can the diverse groups of stakeholders affected by dams work together to identify risks and assess alternatives to dams? AFRICA/GLOBAL: ENERGY COMPANIES WARP GLOBAL WARMING DEBATE http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2003/2003-06-20g.asp Major energy companies underwrote a pre-planned and well funded campaign to lie about the seriousness of climate change, says this commentary. And the Bush administration joined the ranks of the deceivers last week when the Environmental Protection Agency was directed to eliminate a long section that described the risks from rising global temperatures from a soon to be released report on the state of the environment. AFRICA/GLOBAL: MOVING FORWARD ON GM CROPS http://www.scidev.net/Editorials/index.cfm?fuseaction=readEditorials&itemid= 78&language=1 Two new reports on genetically modified crops paint a convincing picture of their relevance to the needs of the developing world. But neither is likely, on its own, to convince the sceptics, says this editorial on the website SciDev.net. AFRICA/GLOBAL: WHALES WIN NO SANCTUARY FROM ACRIMONIOUS COMMISSION http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2003/2003-06-19-01.asp The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission wound up last week with the 51 member organisation more deeply divided than ever. AFRICA: AFRICA BECOMES BATTLEGROUND IN GLOBAL BIOTECH WAR http://www.globalhealth.org/news/article/3239 It is little surprise the transatlantic battle over genetically modified food came to be fought on the scorched fields of Africa's peasant farmers. Here the ability of a field of maize to resist pests and drought is a matter of life and death. The continent's leaders have become pawns in a wider mesh of conflicting trade and economic interests, bombarded by a confusing array of information blurring into propaganda. AFRICA: AFRICAN NATIONS SEEK JOINT ENVIRONMENT PLAN http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=874&language =1 Environment ministers from more than 20 African countries have endorsed a proposed regional environmental plan for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). But no new funds have so far been allocated for the initiative, whose implementation is expected to cost US$250 million. AFRICA: AFRICANS CHALLENGE BUSH CLAIM THAT GM FOOD GOOD FOR THEM http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0620-07.htm As the transatlantic dispute over the future of genetically modified (GM) food heats up, African activists say it is time to publicly challenge the image that the Bush administration is presenting on the issue. Washington, they say, is not entitled to speak on behalf of African states on the matter. "How can one country decide for another country without taking into account the opinion of the other country's people?" Amadou C. Kanoute, regional director of the African office of Consumers International said. AFRICA: GMOS NOT ANSWER TO POVERTY/HUNGER IN AFRICA - NEW STUDY http://allafrica.com/stories/200306240443.html A new study released by Third World Network-Africa (www.twnafrica.org) offers new evidence against claims of the miracle potential of genetically modified crops for dealing with famine and poverty in Africa. After examining the impact of three genetically modified crops, sweet potato, maize and Bt cotton, on poverty alleviation in Africa it concluded that biotechnology does not address the real causes of poverty and hunger in Africa. Indeed it shows that biotechnology is an inappropriate method of agricultural innovation for poverty alleviation. KENYA: MAASAI KILL HALF THE LIONS IN NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2003/2003-06-23-01.asp A conflict is brewing between the government of Kenya and the Maasai tribe who are threatening to kill all the lions at Nairobi National Park, some eight kilometres (five miles) south of the city of Nairobi, for killing their livestock. MADAGASCAR: RIO TINTO THREATENS TO SCAR MADAGASCAR http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=37&o=22728 On the southern side of Madagascar lies a wilderness paradise. The Indian Ocean washes over white sands. There is a primeval rainforest which is home to thousands of plant and animal species found nowhere else. It is here that the world's largest mining company, Rio Tinto, intends to dredge hundreds of millions of tonnes of soil over 6 000 hectares to extract ilmenite, a mineral used to make paint and toothpaste. MALAWI: ARMY SENT TO CORRAL LOOSE ELEPHANTS http://www.enn.com/news/2003-06-20/s_5532.asp Malawi's army has been sent to round up a herd of rampaging elephants that have killed at least three people since they broke out of a game reserve earlier this week, police said last Thursday. SOUTH AFRICA: CHEETAH CENSUS SEEKS TO MAP AND HALT THE CAT'S RAPID DECLINE http://www.enn.com/news/2003-06-24/s_5680.asp The cheetah's deep, resonant purr always captivates visitors to a South African wildlife centre devoted to the world's fastest mammal. But some South Africans are less enthusiastic about the animals, which can beat a Ferrari in a 60-yard sprint. The De Wildt Trust says the rise of private game farming has intensified a long conflict between farmers and the endangered carnivore that has seen at least 200 wild cheetahs - from a wild population that may now be as low as 250 - killed or removed from their wild habitat in South Africa over the last two years. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 11.MEDIA AFRICA/GLOBAL: THE INTERNET UNDER SURVEILLANCE: OBSTACLES TO THE FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=378 The Internet is one of the most powerful agents of freedom. It exposes truth to those who wish to see and hear it. It is no wonder that some governments and organisations fear the Internet and its ability to make the truth known. The phrase "freedom of speech" is often used to characterize a key element of democratic societies: open communication and especially open government. But freedom of speech is less than half of the equation. It is also vital that citizens have the freedom to hear and see. It is the latter area in which many governments have intervened in an attempt to prevent citizens from gaining access to information that their governments wish to withhold from them. This report, available from Reporters without Borders, is about attitudes to the Internet by the powerful in 60 countries, between spring 2001 and spring 2003. AFRICA/GLOBAL: WILL BIG MEDIA CHOKE THE NET? http://www.pcworld.com/resource/printable/article/0,aid,111154,00.asp The Internet is Eden for those who like to get news from anywhere from Albania to Zambia at any time. But paradise risks pollution by a gold rush of media companies seeking to control the digital information landscape, some media experts say. Media companies can now own more newspapers and TV and radio stations than ever, under a recent, controversial ruling by the Federal Communications Commission. AFRICA: SIGN PRESS FREEDOM PETITION FOR JULY AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT African media professionals are invited to sign an all-African petition for Press Freedom, addressed to current Chair of the African Union (AU), Thabo Mbeki, president of South Africa. It will be presented at the AU meeting of Heads of State in Maputo from 4-12 July. The campaign is driven by the [CREDO] Centre for Research, Education & Development Of Freedom of Expression & Associated Rights and FAHAMU. "The more people who lend their voices to the cause, the more people will be willing to listen," said Rotimi Sankore, co-ordinator of CREDO. "This is not a private issue between us and the AU, this involves the entire continent. The campaign has already received widespread support from many international NGOs, but what it really needs is the support of the African media." Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15977 ETHIOPIA: ETHIOPIAN FREE PRESS JOURNALISTS' ASSOCIATION (EFJA): SUPPORT FOR AFRICA PRESS FREEDOM AND FREE EXPRESSION CAMPAIGN "We are desirous that the African Union Constitution would firmly stand for the respect and exercise of press freedom; embrace the accountability and responsibilities of all concerned parties, protect press freedom from attacks; strongly protest against undemocratic practices of dictators, and strongly require professionals to be governed by a code of ethics...In several AU member states, journalists are arrested, harassed, and intimidated solely for their reporting, and many countries resort to harsh, outdated laws to prosecute journalists for their work." - Extract from a letter to President Thabo Mbeki, President of Republic of South Africa and Chair of the African Union from the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association (EFJA). Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15909 ETHIOPIA: NEW DRAFT PRESS LAW CRITICISED The Draft Press Proclamation tends to err on the side of control and regimentation, in particularly state control of expression; imposes detailed and intrusive conditions for licensing and endorses censorship of the worst kinds by empowering the courts to order the seizure of publications and other products of the media and to close down media houses. This is according to a critique of the Ethiopian Draft Press Proclamation by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MWFA). Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15908 LIBERIA: IFJ CALLS FOR SAFETY GUARANTEES AS JOURNALISTS FACE TERROR THREAT IN LIBERIA Journalists are facing a reign of terror in Liberia following recent rebel incursions into the capital Monrovia, says the International Federation of Journalists. Following the retreat by rebel forces of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy group terror has descended on the city, with attacks involving government forces. The IFJ says more than 25 journalists have been displaced by the fighting. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15905 SOUTH AFRICA: ANTI-TERROR BILL TOO VAGUE, SAYS EDITORS' FORUM http://allafrica.com/stories/200306250070.html The South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) says it is concerned at the impact the current version of the draft Anti-Terrorism Bill could have on individuals and broad civil society in South Africa. In a submission to the National Assembly's safety and security committee on Tuesday, it said the draft legislation as it stood lacked a clear and unambiguous definition of what would constitute an act or acts of terrorism. SOUTH AFRICA: POLICY UNIT CALLS FOR BROADER ACCESS TO THE AIRWAVES The Community Media Policy Research Unit has lobbied the communications regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), to allow low power radio broadcasting to broaden access to the airwaves. The Policy Research Unit is a joint initiative of the National Community Radio Forum and the Freedom of Expression Institute, and represented the views of both organisations at an Icasa public hearing on the matter. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15875 TOGO: THREE JOURNALISTS DETAINED Three private media practitioners, Dimas Dzikodo (Editor) and Philipe Evégnon (Managing Director) of the L'Evénement newspaper, as well as Jean de Dieu Kpakpabia , a reporter with the Nouvel Echo weekly, were arrested and detained over the weekend in Lomé, capital of Togo. Dzikodo was first arrested on Saturday, June 14, 2003, from an internet café where he went to scan pictures of persons who had been assaulted and injured by state security personnel during the recent presidential elections held on June 1. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15904 TUNISIA: CYBER-DISSIDENT WINS FIRST RSF-GLOBENET PRIZE Tunisian cyber-dissident Zouhair Yahyaoui, jailed for two years for allegedly "putting out false news" on his Internet website TUNeZINE.com, has won the first Cyber-Freedom Prize awarded by Reporters [EMAIL PROTECTED] frontières - Globenet for 2003. At least 51 cyber-dissidents are in prison around the world. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15906 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 12.DEVELOPMENT AFRICA/GLOBAL: DEVELOPING A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT: CRITICAL ISSUES AND PROPOSALS FOR TRADE AND FINANCE http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/mdg.doc The origins of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) lie in the United Nations Millennium Declaration which was adopted by all 189 UN Member States on 8 September 2000. The Declaration embodies many commitments for improving the lot of humanity in the new century. Subsequently the UN Secretariat drew up a list of eight MDGs, each of them accompanied by specific targets and indicators. This paper provides a view on Goal 8, which is to "develop a global partnership for development". As at November 2002, there are seven targets listed under Goal 8, as well as 17 indicators. The selection of indicators is subject to further refinement. AFRICA/GLOBAL: FREE TRADE MYTHS BEHIND PUSH FOR WTO INVESTMENT AGREEMENT EXPOSED A new report, published Monday, exposes the arguments for a new free trade agreement on foreign investment at the World Trade Organisation as groundless myths. The report, jointly produced by Friends of the Earth and the World Development Movement, shows that an investment agreement will primarily benefit large multinational companies, who will gain greater `rights to roam' in the global economy. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15882 AFRICA/GLOBAL: RISKS OF DISASTER: THE GREAT REVERSAL OF HUMAN PROGRESS? http://www.id21.org/society/s10aas1g1.html Do global warming and bad development suggest a historical reversal of human progress? Is the development community failing to grasp the links between global warming, natural disasters and unsustainable development? Is conventional economic development undermining the markets of developing countries and reducing their capacities to cope with climate change? AFRICA/GLOBAL: WORKING OUT OF POVERTY http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc91/pdf/rep-i-a.pdf This report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) gives an analysis of poverty in developing countries from the perspective of the lack of opportunities for decent work and social inclusion. It highlights the barriers people living and working in poverty face in finding and keeping income generating activities that would allow them to earn a decent living and sets out a strategy for ensuring that employment is accorded higher priority in national and international efforts to realise the Millennium Development Goals. AFRICA: AFRICAN MINISTERS AFFIRM OPPOSITION TO NEW ISSUES IN CANCUN African Union ministers of trade, meeting in Mauritius, have re-affirmed the long-standing position of African countries that the forthcoming Cancun Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) should focus on addressing their developmental concerns in the existing agreements, instead of starting negotiations for new agreements, particularly on the so-called Singapore issues of investment, competition, government procurement and trade facilitation. African civil society organisations, who for the first time were allowed to meet under the auspices of the conference and to address the Ministers, underscored their support for the collective effort of the Ministers for international trade rules which reflected the needs and interests of the people of Africa. Civil society organisations called on the Ministers to focus on addressing the inequities of the existing agreements of the WTO. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15849 AFRICA: BUSH'S OIL SAFARI http://www.witness.co.za/showcontent.asp?id=16337&action=full U.S. President George Bush will be visiting South Africa on July 9 as part of his African safari taking in Senegal, Nigeria, Uganda, and Botswana. American authorities insist that the visit is a follow-up to the administration's increased emphasis on its Africa policy, aimed at strengthening diplomatic relations and furthering the development agenda of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad). The proposed visit has more to do with securing alternative sources of oil than furthering African development. AFRICA: INVESTMENT IN AFRICA'S SMALLHOLDER FARMERS COULD OFFER A 'PATHWAY OUT OF POVERTY' The failure of years of emergency food aid to solve Africa's problems has prompted the specialist development NGO FARM-Africa to propose an urgent and fundamental change of policy by donor Governments and organisations to get the beleaguered continent back on its feet. According to FARM-Africa, it is the millions of smallholder farmers of sub-Saharan Africa who hold the key to reversing the downward spiral of poverty and starvation now gripping large parts of the continent. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15951 AFRICA: ISSUES OF TRUST BETWEEN CIVIL SOCIETY AND NEPAD REMAIN Civil Society could act as a watchdog by monitoring and evaluating the process of NEPAD implementation, noted a recent meeting intended to popularise Nepad amongst civil society. The meeting noted that although some progress was being made on civil society's participation in the implementation of the NEPAD process, challenges still remain, particularly on building trust and confidence between civil society and governments. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15895 MALI: DEVELOPMENT IS BEING DESTROYED BY SUBSIDIES, MALI PRESIDENT TELLS CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE http://allafrica.com/stories/200306260004.html U.S. and European subsidies and tariffs "support injustice," Mali President Amadou Toumani Toure told the House International Relations Subcommitteee on Africa, Tuesday, summarizing written testimony that he presented for the record. Toure said he was representing all African nations and the devastating effect of subsidies on Malian cotton illustrates the harm that agriculural subsidies - now totaling more that US$300bn in the United States and Europe - are causing to agriculture across the continent. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 13.INTERNET AND TECHNOLOGY ANNAN CALLS FOR BRIDGING DIGITAL DIVIDE IN WORLD'S POOREST COUNTRIES http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=7104&Cr=digital&Cr1=divide With millions of people in the world's poorest countries still excluded from the right to communicate, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for bridging the digital divide between developed and developing countries. "The terms 'information society,' 'digital era,' or the 'information age' have all been used to describe this age," Mr. Annan said in a message marking World Telecommunication Day. "Whatever term we use, the society we build must be open and pluralistic - one in which all people, in all countries, have access to information and knowledge. GUIDE TO THE BLOGOSPHERE http://www.ojr.org/ojr/uploads/1056011147.htm This past year has seen the world of Weblogs, aka the blogosphere, grow in power and stature, if not to the general public, then to the other media. Check out this graphical depiction of the most influential blogs - considered to have pushed the direction of media coverage and public policy. I THINK, THEREFORE I'M SPAM http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?a=13&o=22835 Things are getting a little worrying: junk email is getting intelligent. True, those pitches for all manner of products are just as crass as they ever were. But the techniques used to stuff the spam into your mailbox are getting smarter by the day. MALI PREPARES NATIONAL STRATEGY TO GET ALL MAJOR SECTORS ONLINE http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html Cyber cafés catering mainly to students and young people are proliferating around Bamako, Mali's capital, showing the growing importance of information and communications technology (ICT) in the landlocked West African country. However, most Malians have yet to join the digital age. To make the Internet and other digital tools available to all sectors of society, the Government is formulating and implementing a national ICT strategy. STILL WAITING FOR THE INFORMATION REVOLUTION http://allafrica.com/stories/200305150744.html At a meeting of high-tech specialists organized by the UN Economic Commission for Africa, leaders in southern Africa expressed concern over their ability to deliver on the promise of ICT for development when funds are low. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 14.eNEWSLETTERS AND MAILING LISTS E-CIVICUS - NO. 203 - CONNECTING CIVIL SOCIETY WORLDWIDE Included in this edition: CIVICUS Secretary General's Kumi Naidoo describes trade unions contributions to civil society and Civil Society Watch - the MDC and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions. To subscribe or unsubscribe please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] TI KENYA NEWSLETTER http://www.tikenya.org/newsletter.asp Transparency International-Kenya's fortnightly newsletter is called Aldi, a Kiswahili (Kenya's national language) word meaning integrity. To receive the newslettter by email please visit the web site. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 15.FUNDRAISING DRC: SWISS AID TO EASTERN CONGO INCREASED http://allafrica.com/stories/200306250004.html Switzerland has given 1.2 million Swiss francs (US $903,478) to its partner organisations in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation reported on Tuesday. In a statement, the agency said part of the funds would be used to build and operate an emergency clinic in Bunia, the main town in Ituri District where recent inter-militia fighting had resulted in hundreds of deaths and the displacement of thousands of civilians. NIGERIA: COUNTRY GETS N15B TO FIGHT AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS, MALARIA http://allafrica.com/stories/200306250331.html The Federal Government has signed a grant agreement with the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for a grant of USD 150 million or 15 billion naira to fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis in the country. The country will have immediate access to funding for expansion of its anti-retroviral drug programme and prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS. SOUTH AFRICA: EU INJECT FUNDING FOR SPORTS DEVELOPMENT IN THE EASTERN CAPE http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=281 The European Union (EU) has set aside R500 000 for building sports facilities for seven different towns in the Eastern Cape, reports the Daily Dispatch. SOUTH AFRICA: FUNDS FOR AIDS ORGANISATIONS FROM GAUTENG PREMIER http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=277 SABCnews reports that five organisations in Gauteng, all working with people affected by Aids, have received R950 500 from Gauteng Premier, Mbhazima Shilowa. The money is the proceeds from the Premier's Golf Pro-Am hosted by Shilowa last year. The beneficiary organisations are: The Karabo Day Care Centre, Tsabotsogo Community Development Project, Uncedo Women Development Group, Zimbanati Project and Zimisele Economic Social Growth and Development. SOUTH AFRICA: MINISTER, DEVELOPMENT AGENCY DONATE R500 000 FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROJECTS http://allafrica.com/stories/200306230785.html Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya together with the National Development Agency (NDA) has donated R500 000 to the Msinga Peace and Development Committee (MPDC) to be used for poverty alleviation and job creation programmes. SOUTH AFRICA: RECORD COMPANY RAISES FUNDS FOR AN INNOVATIVE AIDS CHARITY http://www.thusanang.org.za/index.php?option=news&task=viewarticle&sid=282 Business Day reports that Gallo recording company has handed out a grant totalling R100 000 to the Topsy Foundation, a charity organisation empowering people affected by Aids. The money was raised during the inaugural Gallo Golf Day at the Johannesburg Country Club. The Topsy Foundation is unique because of its holistic approach in combating Aids: the foundation has factories, skills training facilities and a health care centre. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 16.COURSES, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS AFRICAN WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (AWLI) UPCOMING CONFERENCE 22 September To 2 October 2003 Akina Mama wa Afrika will be holding the Eastern Africa sub regional African Women's Leadership Institute (AWLI) from September 22nd to 2nd October 2003, in Uganda. The AWLI aims to strengthen the personal and organisational capacities of young African women to influence policy and decision-making through training and networking. It serves as a networking, training and information dissemination forum for young women aged between 25-40 working on gender issues. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15899 CODESRIA'S 30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS: SOUTHERN AFRICA SUB-REGIONAL CONFERENCE Gaborone, 18 - 19 October, 2003 The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. It will be recalled that the Council was established in 1973 out of the collective will of African social researchers to create a viable forum in Africa through which they could strive to transcend all barriers to knowledge production and, in so doing, play a critical role in the democratic development of the continent. As part of the series of events planned to mark the anniversary, five sub-regional conferences are being organised in Central, East, North, Southern and West Africa. These sub-regional conferences will be followed by a grand finale conference to be held at the Council's headquarters in Dakar, Senegal, in December 2003. The Southern Africa sub-regional conference is scheduled for Gaborone, Botswana, on 18 and 19 October, 2003. Its theme will be: 'Southern Africa: From National Liberation to Democratic Renaissance'. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15903 LLM IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRATISATION IN AFRICA 2004 CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA A regional cooperation initiative under the auspices of the Association of African Universities (AAU), the focus of this premier course is human rights as seen from the African perspective. Students from all African countries are invited to apply for admission to study for the Master's Degree (LLM) in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa, organised by the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria in partnership with the University of Ghana, Makerere University (Uganda), the University of the Western Cape (South Africa), the American University in Cairo (Egypt) and the Catholic University of Central Africa (Cameroon). Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15902 ONLINE WORKSHOP: MAXIMIZING THE USE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INTERNET IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT August 4 - September 4, 2003 This workshop will help NGOs recognize the power of the Internet and use it more effectively as an easy and speedy communication tool. The main purpose of the workshop is to harness the power of technology to better serve the objectives of those NGOs, among which are networking and effective information sharing. The workshop will include extensive discussion, case studies presented by both participants and instructor, as well as recommended readings from Internet resources. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15901 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 17.ADVOCACY RESOURCES MASS DEMONSTRATION AGAINST BUSH VISIT The Anti-War Coalition (Jhb) is ratcheting-up its activities prior to U.S president George W. Bush's visit to Africa. "Bush comes to Africa to assist US imperialism. He wants to increase US multinational companies control of the resources of Africa," said the organisation in a statement. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15952 PROTEST TORTURE IN SUDAN The World Organisation Against Torture has received reports of torture in Sudan and asks those concerned to write to the authorities urging them to immediately halt the harassment and repression and guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15886 SIGN THE "MUGABE SHOULD RESIGN IMMEDIATELY" PETITION http://gopetition.com/info.php?petid=2564 This petition urges President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe to resign with immediate effect. SUPPORT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: SIGN THE CREDO AND FAHAMU PETITION http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php? id=15802 CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights and Fahamu have launched a petition calling on African Union Heads of State to release all incarcerated journalists and repeal all anti freedom of expression legislation. The petition is to be presented at the African Union meeting of Heads of State in Maputo in July and is addressed to President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, the current Chair of the AU. Click on the link below to read the full letter and join the petition. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 18.JOBS EAST AFRICA: INFORMATION OFFICER ALIN Eastern Africa Mission ALIN Eastern Africa, an International NGO involved in information exchange activities among grassroots development workers in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia wishes to engage a long-term consultant. The position, based in Nairobi with regular travels in the countries of operation will report to the Regional Coordinator. S/he will join a team of knowledge workers and information specialists to achieve set objectives. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15913 GHANA: LEAD PROGRAMME OFFICER Third World Network Africa Third World Network Africa, a non-profit advocacy organisation is looking for a lead programme officer for its Gender Unit. TWN-Af´s work involves research, communications and campaigns around economic, social justice and development policy issues. It seeks a greater articulation of the needs and rights of people of the third world, especially marginalised groups, a fair distribution of the world's resources and forms of development that are ecologically sustainable and fulfil human needs. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15911 MOZAMBIQUE: COUNTRY DIRECTOR Goal http://www.reliefweb.int/w/res.nsf/wDocs/E4174988367E5B2AC1256D4800383215 GOAL Mozambique aims to address the implications of the HIV/AIDS epidemic within GOAL´s country programming through mainstreaming HIV/AIDS activities into all GOAL programmes countrywide. WEST AFRICA: PROGRAM OFFICER, HIV/AIDS PROGRAM Open Society Initiative For West Africa The Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) seeks a Program Officer to lead and oversee the foundation's HIV/AIDS and Human Rights Program. The Program Officer will work closely with senior staff at OSIWA to develop the HIV/AIDS and Human Rights Program. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15912 ZAMBIA: EDITOR ONEWORLD RADIO CATIA The ONEWORLD RADIO CATIA Editor, based in Lusaka, Zambia, will be responsible for the development and high quality editing of OneWorld Radio English language websites, based with CATIA. Initially this will mean the launch of OneWorld Radio/Africa - a portal for African broadcasters to share audio and information - with potentially new portals in Year 2 and 3. Editorial will include regular updating of all text sections of the site[s], in-depth research about African broadcasters' needs and networking, report writing and membership recruitment and support. Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15910 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 19.BOOKS AND ARTS BEATING HUNGER - THE CHIVI EXPERIENCE Helen Wedgwood, Cathy Watson, Everjoice J. Win, Clare Tawney, Kuda Murwira http://styluspub.com/books/book4881.html People's participation in development has been promoted for over 20 years, yet it is still commonplace for projects to be pre-designed, without more than a token consultation with those farmers for whom they are intended. This book describes a project among small-scale farmers in the drought-prone and arid communal lands of Zimbabwe which, within the broad remit of promoting food security, helped the farmers identify their problems and choose their own solutions to them. The aim of the project was participatory technology development: to extend the range of soil-and-water conserving farming techniques available to men and women, and to help them evaluate and disseminate these and their own traditional techniques so as to improve the returns from their land. GIRLS ON THE STREET Michael Bourdillon & Rumbidzai Rurevo http://www.africanbookscollective.com/highlights.htm Drawing on stories elicited from women and children living on the streets, particularly girls, this book considers why girls live their lives and work on the city streets. It discusses what happens to them when they do so, what mechanisms they adopt to cope, the support they receive, and how they adjust to other ways of life. It outlines common perceptions of street children, what may be done to improve their lot, and some existing intervention programmes. JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN STUDIES Volume 21 Number 2/May 2003 * Liberation and Democracy: Cases from Southern Africa Henning Melber * Democracy and the control of elites Kenneth Good * Liberation and opposition in Zimbabwe Suzanne Dansereau Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15900 KENYAN ART: 'LOOKING AT OURSELVES' http://www.africancolours.com/?content/kenyanart.html Kenya is a country that is greatly differentiated from most of the other countries in Africa and the rest of the world. Over the years, the socio-political uniqueness of the country has made the lack of understanding of local cultures and arts even more engrained, especially to foreigners, and the rest of the world. Within Africa, Kenya has produced a large number of professionals, who have been absorbed in almost every industry in the world. Not relatively so with the Arts, and other creative disciplines, says this article on the website www.africancolours.com SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL STUDIES Volume 30 Number 1/MAY 2003 * The state, civil society and social policy: setting a research agenda Steven Friedman * Mergers in South African Higher Education: theorising change in transitional contexts Jonathan Jansen * Civil Society and the Democratisation processes in Kenya and Uganda Juman Anthony Okuku Further details: http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15898 /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 20.MEMBERS CORNER /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ 21.LETTERS AND COMMENTS AFRICA PULSE READER RESPONDS TO ANTI-PRIVATISATION http://www.africapulse.org.za/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=1281 The problems around water are not only in Lesotho but also all over the world. It is for that reason that the masses should rise and raise their voices against this process. Everyone affected should stand up and come together for this fight. We all know that they will come with excuses about the government not having enough money to provide and at the same time put it on the shoulders of the public to provide for themselves. All this is done to make sure that the big companies coming from outside countries feel comfortable while the people who belong to this country continue to die of thirst. ALEX WEIR Harare, Zimbabwe I have heard Andrew Meldrum often on Radio France International from Harare in Zimbabwe, and he is a balanced, objective journalist. (Pambazuka News 113, Letters and Comments) Simon Hinds, visit Zimbabwe. Check out the situation for yourself. Do not spout conventional left-wing wisdom to support the right wing fascist dictator Mugabe. GEORGE POPE Good editorial (Pambazuka News Editorial 115). Why couldn't individual parties run on a Jobs/Growth Ticket, detail corruption for what it is (it isn't rent), promote jobs growth and capital investment in manufacturing and services, and shake up government fat cat employment at all levels. Also a lot of the time corporate interests don't do right either for African countries or their stockholders. A lot more money can be made in Africa when the big emerging market begins to form here. That will happen when African incomes begin to rise to the point that Africans can buy the stuff that they want. HAJ HAMAD Director, SOCIAL & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CONSULTATIVE GROUP , Sudan Don't you think that Alex De Waal's suggestions (Pambazuka News 115 Editorial) for African regional integration is against the theme itself. Rather than an integrated Africa for the benefit of corporate business let us advocate for an integrated world government and start with integration between Europe and Africa. Then the colonial legacy, the real cause of under-development in Africa, will come to an abrupt end. MOHAMED HASSAN HAGI Let me express my feeling on your organisation, of which I have had the opportunity to visit your website (www.fahamu.org). I really found many aspects of your activities interesting, especially the services for other organisations in Africa. Not only these, but also other electronic services that you are providing for others. It is a wonderful thing that an African organisation has the capacity to provide these kind of services. I represent a Somali organisation called SOCDA (Somali Organisation for Community Development Activities) and I am living in Denmark, although the organisation is a very active in the country of Somalia, giving services to the community in the area of training, consultancy, lobbying and human rights activities. I will keep in touch with you from now on and I hope we will exchange ideas, or perhaps other important things. Thanks for the opportunity to contact you. Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ROBIN OPPERMAN You guys are doing exceptional work. I am a teacher, and I run a number of projects with international collaborations. Part of this is that we have contact with, and host teachers and students from around the world. Your newsletters are great at telling the real story of Africa, and helping me to clue people into the real issues of the day. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\ PAMBAZUKA NEWS IS PUBLISHED BY FAHAMU In Association With SANGONeT Fahamu - learning for change 14, Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA, UK 620 Overport City, Durban 4001, South Africa [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.fahamu.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.fahamu.org.za Editor: Firoze Manji, Fahamu Research and compilation: Patrick Burnett, Fahamu Contributing Editors: Alan Finlay, SANGONeT http://www.sn.apc.org Rotimi Sankore, CREDO [EMAIL PROTECTED] Pambazuka News is hosted at Kabissa 1519 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 301, Washington DC, 20036 USA [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kabissa.org SUBMITTING NEWS: send to [EMAIL PROTECTED] SUBSCRIBE The Newsletter comes out weekly and is delivered to subscribers by e-mail. Subscription is free. To subscribe, send an e-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> with only the word 'subscribe' in the subject or body. To subscribe online, visit: http://lists.kabissa.org/mailman/listinfo/pambazuka-news FAIR USE This Newsletter is produced under the principles of 'fair use'. We strive to attribute sources by providing direct links to authors and websites. When full text is submitted to us and no website is provided, we make the text available on our website via a "for more information" link. Please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] immediately regarding copyright issues. The views expressed in this newsletter, including the signed editorials, do not necessarily represent those of Fahamu (c) Fahamu 2003 If you wish to stop receiving the newsletter, unsubscribe immediately by sending a message FROM THE ADDRESS YOU WANT REMOVED to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] should you need further assistance subscribing or unsubscribing. /\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\/\/\//\
