ugnet_: A VERY TERRIBLE TIME IN LIRA
Netters With great concern we are posting this note to inform you of great tragedies going on in Lira currently. A reliable source in Lira is informing us that from Wednesday to today several people have been beheaded, and to the source's count a figure of 17 Ugandans has been confirmed. To the people of Lira. There is not much we can say to you that will make any sense, but our prayers continue to be with you as you continue to take this very heavy load day by day. And to all Ugandans and friends of Uganda, do what you have been doing since NRM came to power. Pray for Northern/Eastern Uganda for this has gone on for way too long. Edward Mulindwa On behalf of the group. The Mulindwas Communication Group"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"
ugnet_: JOHN NKOMO SPEAKS ON SUCCESSION
"Even though I'm a family man, I regard myself as a member of every family in Zimbabwe. Those comrades who did not make it back were sacrificed so that the family of Zimbabwe could be free. This must be a challenge to all Zimbabweans.'' By Nomsa Nkala YOU may not agree with them but the role played by the architects of Zimbabwes independence is immeasurable. Among them is the Zanu-PF national chairman, Cde John Nkomo who, like his fellow comrades in the struggle, toiled endured, and sacrificed all for the total liberation of Zimbabwe. And as the debate over the succession of President Mugabe gathers momentum, Cde Nkomos name is among those of ruling party heavyweights being banded around. However, pinning him down to talk about his own ambitions to ascend the thrown of the countrys political leadership was no easy task. An achiever throughout his career in Government, Cde Nkomo is viewed by others as one of the possible successors to President Mugabe. "That question (presidency) to me is academic. Leadership is not about occupying a high office, it is about facilitating and promoting national programmes at whatever level. "What you do should be aimed at strengthening your country and helping the people achieve their objectives but of course guided by the need to have common objectives as a nation,'' confided Cde Nkomo, who is also the Minister of Special Affairs in the President's Office. And if chosen by the party to succeed President Mugabe? "I believe any party with a seasoned and concerned membership will discuss and debate any issues as and when they see the need and when it is appropriate or necessary . . . I'm not aware that my party has taken a decision on the issue, at least I have not made any offer. "I have done my bit and I'm satisfied that despite the problems here and there, Zimbabweans are a free people, free to determine their destiny. "When I say Zimbabweans, I'm not only talking about people in my own party but all people . . . We are a democracy, a democratic environment where people are free to think, so let them think freely and debate freely for only then can we achieve a consensus. This must go beyond the issue you are raising. "Mind you there are over 10 million Zimbabweans. I have been able to contribute in the attainment of independence, being part of the management of a long, difficult and demanding transition and on being party to the negotiations of the achievement of the unity in Zimbabwe is a contribution that I'm satisfied with. He believes there are more important issues than that of succession. "Zimbabwe does not need small minds that waste time on trivial matters but big minds that talk about ideas of making this nation what it should be. Governance is not about one person occupying an office its about the whole nation actively participating in the creation of a stable environment that is promotive and facilitative. "That's how I see it. We will never succeed unless we start looking at where we are and focusing on what we perceive as the ideal situation for Zimbabwe.'' His ambitions? "My hope is to see all people identifying and respecting each other as Zimbabweans regardless of tribe or race. Thats my ambition. It doesn't mean we should all belong to one political party or think alike on any given issue. People should make their choices in a conducive environment. I derive a lot of satisfaction in an environment where people accept that even as we endeavour to do things there is an expectation from one who created us that we accommodate each other. "My plea is that we should not interfere with those who come after us when they work towards the creation of a better Zimbabwe for themselves . . . We instead must assist them by telling them that one's colour is not important but what is important is that you are a Zimbabwean and a creation of God, you must respect that. "I wish that we could commit ourselves to resolving our problems internally as a family. We have the capacity and the ability. There is nothing that should be dividing us today. We should concern ourselves with nation building. Zimbabwe is a rich country with resources and we can exploit these resources and change our country. We should not spend time fighting but thinking how we should progress through the exploitation of our resources.'' He also have big dreams for Africa. "My next ambition is to see Africa, especially Southern Africa, breaking the artificial boundaries it has. After all we fought together in liberating our respective countries.'' Born in the then Gwai Reserve now known as Tsholotsho in 1934, Cde Nkomo first entered a classroom nine years later to do Sub A and B. He then moved to several neighbouring Christian schools including Solusi Mission in 1951 where he went up to junior certificate level. Thereafter he did a teacher training course at the Lower Gweru Mission. His desire for equality first registered at
ugnet_: AMERICA DEMAND THAT NEVER WAS
By Nathaniel Manheru Opposition media reports carried on the front page last Wednesday by Strive Masiyiwas Daily News claiming that the Bush government in America had demanded the release of Morgan Tsvangirai from lawful custody pending the legal resolution of lawful charges before a competent court of law, made interesting reading about the current schizophrenic state of the opposition Press and the double-talk of the Bush government on matters of law. Did you notice that Masiyiwas media mouthpiece gleefully claimed that the Bush government had "demanded" Tsvangirais release? But that was just the now too familiar use, in fact, abuse of a headline by Strive Masiyiwas blue-eyed paper to peddle an outright falsehood. There was a difference of night and day between the story and the headline because no demand was made anywhere in the story. In other words, the Daily News headline that the Bush government had demanded Tsvangirais release was a blue lie. Those who might wonder why the Daily News peddled the falsehood about an American demand that never was need not go any further because its all very simple. Remember that the reckless political hands behind the Daily News tried to incite the public to take to the streets demanding Tsvangirais release from lawful custody. That did not work. Then the same dirty hands hoped for a demand and ultimatum from Tony Blair. But nothing became of that because that little fellow is too busy defending himself from mounting charges and growing evidence that he used lies and deception to justify the illegal invasion of Iraq which left a trail of as yet untold destruction of property and infrastructure not to mention mass killings of innocent civilians. So when Richard Boucher made himself available for comment on Tsvangirais lawful custody at a Press briefing that had nothing to do with Zimbabwe, the editors of the Daily News fell on each other, rushing for their Econet Buddies to tell their Uncle Tom the blue lie that a demand for Tsvangirais release had been finally made by Uncle Sam. But, of course, the whole thing was false as is clear from the transcript of Bouchers Press briefing. The true position not reported by the Daily News is that Boucher, the spokesman at the State Department of the Bush government, made some gratuitous remarks and insults in response to a planted question by some embedded journalist at a State Department Press briefing complaining about Tsvangirais arrest and claiming that the charges against Tsvangirai were "spurious" and even arrogantly asserting that holding Tsvangirai in lawful custody was "indefensible". It is instructive to note that Boucher did not use the word "demand" because he knew better that using that word would open a can of worms from Afghanistan and Iraq. The Bush government has one of the worst international records of cruel and unusual punishment of people through illegal detentions, especially of foreign nationals since September 11 2001 and the widespread ill-treatment of and use of excessive force on inmates including the use of chemical and electro-shock devices catalogued by Amnesty International, which has been demanding the release of tens of thousands of people who are under illegal detention in America. All this is detailed in Amnesty Internationals 2003 report on pages 264 to 268. Now, why in the name of God would a country with an appalling record of institutionalised illegal detentions make a demand for the release of one person in lawful custody and with a transparent case before an open court of law? Please give us a break. When people are in lawful custody, have legal representation through a lawyer of their choice and are before a competent court of law, you cannot demand their release outside the legal process unless there is something very wrong with you. While it is public knowledge that there is something wrong with the Daily News, some remaining doubting Thomases were still willing to extend more doubt but now even these are beginning to have enough. Daily lies on Sunday The shocking and unacceptable defiance by the MDC of the High Court order that declared illegal the street marches that had been planned by an assortment of hooligans, terrorists, Rhodesian Selous Scouts and economic saboteurs earlier this month, has created big time confusion in opposition circles, especially those in the media. Last Sunday, Bill Saidis directionless "The Daily News on Sunday" whatever such a name really means beyond daily blue lies with some pink on Sunday when many folks are going to church published a pathetic lead story claiming that some Zanu-PF members of Parliament are "defying High Court orders" by remaining in Parliament when they had lost election petition challenges against them in the High Court. As usual with the blue lies that have come to typify Strive Masiyiwas newspapers, the false headline was the story. Ask
ugnet_: Man killed in army barracks
Man killed in army barracksBy Sylvester OnyangJune 21, 2003 A man who went missing since Saturday was allegedly tortured to death at Kireka military barracks. His tormentors were reportedly from the Violent Crime Crack Unit. The body of Maurice Nsangi, 29, was on Thursday collected from the Army mortuary at Mbuya after a tough bargain by Bugweri County MP, Mr Abdu Katuntu. The body had stab wounds and burns. The post-mortem examination report that The Monitor saw indicated that the immediate cause of death was shock following severe internal bleeding. The report indicates that the bleeding occurred on the surface of the brain. The report said that the man also suffered external injuries including deep burns on the buttocks, 14 wounds and nine bruises on both arms, and a deep cut on the left leg. The mans body was shown to journalists at the City Mortuary. A wide red-white patch covered the right buttocks. Katuntu said that the suspect could have been electrocuted. Sometimes I am told these people (security operatives) use flat irons, Katuntu told journalists on Thuirsday. He criticised security organisations for killing Ugandans without allowing the suspects to go through the due process of the law. The MP said that the government has no moral authority to condemn Joseph Konys LRA rebels because state agents are also committing savage acts against Ugandans. I will raise this matter in the House. Ugandans should know about this abuse. We are back to the situation suffered [under] previous regimes, Katuntu said. Relatives said that Nsangi was picked by a Police 999 Patrol car from his home on Kafumbe Mukasa road and taken to Kireka. They first learnt of his death on Tuesday from workers in the Kireka barracks. © 2003 The Monitor Publications Gook "You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom."- Malcom X Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8.
ugnet_: Congo Crisis: Military Intevention in Ituri
Congo Crisis: Military Intevention in Ituri International Crisis Group (Brussels) DOCUMENT June 13, 2003 Posted to the web June 20, 2003 Nairobi/New York/Brussels The district of Ituri, in Oriental Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been the theatre of spiralling violence bordering on genocide that urgently needs to be stopped. A French-led Interim Emergency Multinational Force (IEMF) is being deployed to restore peace and order in the administrative centre - Bunia - and facilitate humanitarian relief. However, this intervention, authorised by UN Security Council Resolution 1484 of 30 May 2003, is on the face of it totally insufficient. Only a more forceful and geographically more extensive UN intervention maintained for much longer than IEMF is envisaged can lead to sustainable peace. It must have the physical capability and political backing to use its Chapter VII mandate robustly against some degree of potential armed opposition and be geared towards restoration of Congolese state sovereignty. The UN intervention must also be supported by sustained international pressure on the conflict's regional actors and their proxies to support pacification and finalise negotiations toward establishment of a legitimate transitional Congo government. Anything less is likely to leave the Congo divided, insecure, and a source of further instability throughout Central Africa. Indeed, Ituri pacification should provide a formula for the wider, directly linked task of pacifying the entire eastern Congo, notably the Kivus, where the conflict's toll has been even higher and which have been at the heart of the region's wars in the past decade. A local consultative process, sidelining criminal warlords and supported by a multinational force with the backing described above could also be used to disarm and demobilise the Hutu armed groups and pacify the Kivus. But the international community must first prove that it can succeed in Ituri, where the conflict is the outcome of intertwined confrontations: * The Hema and Lendu communities are both the central actors and victims of ethnic strife over communal access to land, mineral resources and local power. * Hema and Lendu politicians and businessmen turned warlords have, since 1999, found willing Ugandan supporters to carry on their destructive activities. Initially limited to one territory - Djugu - and a land dispute, the conflict has spread and is fuelled by a continuous flow of small arms, increasing dramatically deaths - estimated at 50,000 - and displaced civilians - approximately half a million - since 1999. * Uganda, Rwanda and Kinshasa are waging a proxy war in Ituri. The settlement of the Ituri conflict is intended to take place within the framework of the Luanda Agreement of 6 September 2002 between the Ugandan and DRC governments, in which Kinshasa traded withdrawal of Ugandan troops against establishment of a joint security mechanism at the common border and the holding of an Ituri Pacification Commission (IPC) to which Uganda would be party. Uganda sought to perpetuate its political influence in Ituri while exploiting the natural resources of a district that contains the world's largest gold reserves. The agreement also sealed a new alliance between Angola, the DRC and Uganda. Through the IPC, Kinshasa hoped to consolidate its presence in North-Eastern Congo and, with Uganda, block Rwanda's influence in Orientale Province. Should the IPC, supported by the UN Mission in the Congo (MONUC) succeed, Rwanda knows international pressure would mount for the Kivus, where it has long been active, to be next. While Rwanda and its ally, the RCD-Goma, risked losing ground in the Congo peace process, another armed group, its local proxy, the UPC, which gained control of Bunia in August 2002, stood to lose all influence in Ituri if the IPC took place. Its leader, Thomas Lubanga, opposed its holding until he was removed from Bunia by Uganda, which recaptured the town and flushed out all Rwandan presence from the district on 6 March 2003. By mid-April, the IPC was finally organised under MONUC patronage. A civilian Ituri Interim Administration (IIA) was elected by 32 participating delegations. MONUC promised to fill the security vacuum left by Uganda's withdrawal and support IIA implementation of an agreement for all militias to canton and disarm their troops and form a joint police force. The UN, however, dramatically failed. The town was thrown into chaos by two weeks of fighting between Lendu and Hema, and ethnic cleansing occurred next to the UN compound. The UPC retook Bunia on 12 May and is intimidating and threatening the IIA, the only legitimate authority elected to run Ituri until the government of transition can take-over. Ituri's pacification remains highly uncertain. The IEMF is conceived only as a stopgap, to hold the line until additional MONUC troops are deployed in September. Yet, if it does not urgently demilitarise Bunia, it
ugnet_: TWAGIRAMUNGU IS IN THE HOUSE
Welcomed by hundreds Former Rwandan Prime Minister Faustin Twagiramungu arrived in Kigali on Friday from Brussels, ending his eight-year exile to challenge President Paul Kagame in the first post-genocide elections. "I am happy to be back in Rwanda after eight years in exile," he told reporters upon his arrival. He was received at Kigali airport by hundreds of his supporters who amidst tight security could not openly cheer for their candidate. Twagiramungu de retour au Rwanda KIGALI, 20 juin (AFP) - L'ancien Premier ministre Faustin Twagiramungu, candidat à la prochaine élection présidentielle en août au Rwanda, est arrivé vendredi à Kigali, après plusieurs années d'exil en Belgique. A son arrivée à l'aéroport, à bord d'un vol régulier, il a salué de la main les quelque 300 personnes qui s'étaient déplacées pour son arrivée. The Mulindwas Communication Group"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"
ugnet_: MIKE TYSON ARRESTED THIS MORNING
Boxer Mike Tyson Arrested in N.Y. Brawl 55 minutes ago NEW YORK - Mike Tyson was arrested early Saturday after a brawl with two men outside a Brooklyn hotel and was charged with assault and disorderly conduct, police said. The former heavyweight champion was treated for minor cuts after the other men apparently swung at him with an object taken from the hotel lobby, police said. Police said they had no further information. The two men also were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after the 5:30 a.m. fight. Their names were not immediately released. A call to Shelly Finkel, adviser to the 36-year-old Brooklyn-born boxer, was not immediately returned. Tyson, with a long history of legal trouble, was convicted of rape in 1992 and was sentenced to six years in prison. He served three years before being released on parole. In a Fox television interview last month, Tyson said he was so angry about the conviction he wanted to rape his accuser, former beauty pageant contestant Desiree Washington, and her mother. In 1997, he bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear during a bout. Tyson's Nevada boxing license was suspended for a year, and he was fined $3 million. In 1999, he was released from a Maryland jail after serving 3 1/2 months for assaulting the two motorists. Last year, he threw a punch at Lennox Lewis' bodyguard at a news conference announcing a fight between the two, setting off a brawl between Tyson and Lewis. The Mulindwas Communication Group"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy" Groupe de communication Mulindwas "avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans l'anarchie"
Re: ugnet_: Fwd: NYTimes.com Article: U.N. Officials Draw Attention toStarvation in Ethiopia
It is sad that our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia are going to starve. But how come they have funds to arm the faction of Muhammed Aideed in Somalia? Somalis had, tentatively, put in place a begining of some govt which apparently Ethiopians dont want. So now they spend the little funds in arming some Somalis instead of feeding their people. If we were to send them some collections of our small funds would they not wonder that may be one may never overestimate the number of suckers out there? Mitayo Potosi From: J Ssemakula [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: ugnet_: Fwd: NYTimes.com Article: U.N. Officials Draw Attention to Starvation in Ethiopia Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 23:47:50 + _ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail ---BeginMessage--- U.N. Officials Draw Attention to Starvation in Ethiopia June 17, 2003 By REUTERS More than 12 million Ethiopians risk starving to death if there is no extensive mobilization of aid to prevent a famine. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/17/international/africa/17ETHI.html?ex=1056865196ei=1en=6ad0dc501901382c The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* ---End Message---
ugnet_: Bush's Africa Trip Really an Oil Safari...
Bush's Africa Trip Really an Oil Safari Business Day (Johannesburg) June 20, 2003 Posted to the web June 20, 2003 Hopewell Radebe, Chief Political CorrespondentJohannesburg THE official line on the US presidential visit to Africa is that it is aimed at strengthening diplomatic relations and showing solidarity with the continent's renaissance spirit as embodied by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). However, analysts suspect that there is more to President George Bush's African safari than meets the eye. They argue that Bush is reaching out to Africa in a desperate search for alternative oil suppliers for his country. No official date has yet been set for the visit, which is anticipated to take place within the next month. Bush is expected to visit Senegal and Nigeria as well as SA. The US embassy in Pretoria insists that the visit, if it happens, will be a follow up to the Bush administration's increased emphasis on its Africa policy, which has opened up US markets for the benefit of developing countries and committed R120bn to fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean over five years. But Catholic Relief Services (CRS), a think tank based in Baltimore in the US, warned that American interest in Africa was not only charitable. Their report titled Bottom of the Barrel, released on Tuesday, revealed the fact that Africa was swiftly becoming a key supplier of oil to the US, which already imports 17% of its oil from sub- Saharan Africa. Within the next decade nearly a quarter of the supply will come from the region. The report was written by Ian Gary, CRS's strategic issues advisor for Africa, and Terry Lynn Karl, Stanford University professor of political science. It conservatively estimates that sub- Saharan African governments will receive more than 200bn in oil revenues over the coming decade. Sub-Saharan Africa is in the midst of an oil boom and foreign energy companies are pouring billions of dollars into the region for the exploration and production of petroleum. Oil production will double and more than $50bn, the largest investment in African history, will be spent on its oil fields by the end of the decade. The new African oil boom will concentrate on the oil-rich Atlantic waters of the Gulf of Guinea, from Nigeria to Angola, the report says. Unfortunately, this moment of great opportunity could also prove to be a source of great peril for the continent, especially for countries whose history is beset by wide-scale poverty, maladministration and corruption. Petrodollars have not helped developing countries to reduce poverty in the past. Angola used them to fight its civil war for three decades and they supported one military dictator after another in Nigeria. CRS is calling on the US government to emphasise "respect of human rights, the promotion of good governance and democracy, and the transparent, fair, and accountable management of oil revenues in their bilateral relationships" with African "petro-states". They are lobbying the US government to support international efforts aimed at increased transparency of oil revenue payments by companies to developing countries. CRS is also calling on African governments to remove legal and extralegal obstacles to transparent disclosure and monitoring of the oil sector. The are urging oil companies to support the international Publish What You Pay campaign by publicly disclosing, "in a regular and timely manner, all net taxes, fees, royalties". Even compensation payments and community development funding should be made public, the CRS says. US embassy spokeswoman Judy Moon says the US hopes that these lobby groups will give an opportunity for the principles of good governance, accountability and democracy promoted in the NEPAD programme to take root. "It seems NEPAD is calling for the same things," she says. The US supports NEPAD, she says, because it realigns and stabilises trade policies. In such a secure economic environment, all companies stand to benefit and will no longer need to cater for bribes as part of their operational costs, Moon says. She confirmed that the US government was looking for an alternative oil supply in Africa and was already procuring some oil. However, she insists that Bush's visit, "if it took place", would not be linked to the search for oil and this was definitely not the case with regard to SA. Moon says the US already subscribes to Transparency International objectives, which forbid companies from paying bribes. Companies have been prosecuted in the past for unscrupulous trade practices. "Any time you throw your weight behind a political party that controls two thirds of the government, and that party can't keep the promise that it made to you during election time, and you are dumb enough to walk around continuing to identify yourself with that party, youre not only a chump, but youre a traitor to your race" -
ugnet_: Kenya bans Somalia flights in major terror crackdown
News Sunday, June 22, 2003 Kenya bans Somali flightsin major terror crackdownBy MBURU MWANGI - Daily Nation -Nairobi - Kenya The government yesterday banned flights to Somalia and closed Kenyan airspace to planes from that country in a security operation aimed at preventing a possible terrorist attack. At the same time, a major security operation by the Anti-terrorism Police Unit and the General Service Unit continued in Nairobi's Eastleigh area, home to thousands of Somali refugees. The swoop started on Friday and continued throughout the night and most of yesterday. About 100 people, mostly young men, were taken in for questioning. At the same time, the US embassy in Nairobi has been closed until possibly Wednesday in what US officials are describing as "new and concrete information concerning the continuing threat of terrorist activity in Kenya and East Africa". The closure came as it was confirmed that US President George Bush would be visiting Africa next month, but would not come to Kenya, again because of "security concerns". Mr Bush will start his six-day visit, his first to the continent, on July 7 and is expected to visit Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Uganda and Nigeria, according to the White House. Though the intended destinations were not announced before the original trip, which was postponed because of the war in Iraq, Kenya was among the countries likely to be visited. It has now been ruled out. On the closure, the embassy said it was part "of an effort to review and adjust internal security procedures and to vary embassy hours in view of the ongoing security threat in Kenya". Because of the threat, the embassy said, there has been an "authorised voluntary departure status" for American mission personnel and a warning to US citizens against travelling to Kenya. Opening hours will continue to be changed as a security measure, the embassy said, though efforts would be made to ensure all business, including visa and other consular matters, was attended to. The US embassy closure comes at a time when European countries are relaxing their travel advisories on Kenya. France, Belgium and Germany have all withdrawn travel warnings. At Wilson Airport all air traffic to Somalia was stopped and no aircraft from that country was to be allowed to overfly Kenya. Traders and passengers to the war-torn Somalia were stranded in Nairobi and miraa (khat) worth millions of shillings lay at the airport. Relief flights to Somalia were also grounded. There was tight security at the airport, used exclusively for charter flights, and business was at a virtual standstill as most aircraft scheduled to fly to Somalia remained in hangars. In the Eastleigh swoop, the the anti-terror unit backed by the GSU was in action in an operation that the security brass, including Police Commissioner Edwin Nyaseda, the head of the anti-terrorism unit, Mr Mathew Kabetu and the GSU Commandant Lawrence Mwadime, remained tight-lipped about. The government would also not comment on the US embassy closure, promising to issue a statement today. The decision to ban flights was communicated to traders at 6.30am after their cargo arrived from the Maua farms in Meru at 4 am. At least 13 flights carrying miraa leave the airport every morning to various towns in Somalia where the mild drug is in popular demand. The flights ferry more than 500 bags of the twigs to Mogadishu, Kismayu, Galkaayo and Baladweyne towns. There are also many daily relief flights to Somalia out of Wilson Airport. A terse Government signal from the Civil Aviation Authority to all airports said: "No flights to/ from Somalia and overflights originating from Somalia are allowed to operate in Kenyan airspace." Captain Hussein Mohammed, who is in charge of flights at Bluebird Aviation lamented that although the ban was effected at dawn, aviation companies were only issued with the signal, known in aviation jargon as notice to airmen (notamn) after 2 pm. He said he himself was issued with the notamn by the acting director of air traffic control, a Mr Nyikul. The notice was issued under the instructions of Defence Permanent Secretary Sammy Kyungu, the Sunday Nation learned. A miraa trader, Mr Rashid Warer complained: "What has miraa got to do with terrorism? This is all the work of America." On the Eastleigh operation, Nairobi police provincial boss Joseph Kimenchu told the Sunday Nation by telephone that the swoop was aimed at smoking out robbers and illegal aliens but would not elaborate. Last month, a circular by National Security Minister Dr Chris Murungaru instructed hotel and lodge owners in the area to ask for identification papers of all guests checking in. Civic leader Kullow Ibrahim Haji urged the government not to harass area residents in the pretext of fighting terrorism. "Our people should not be harassed for no reason. The police should not take advantage of this anti-terrorism issue to harass innocent people. They should also not
