Hi folks,

I think it might be a great idea to contact the UN Special Representative
for the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG/CAC -  trust
the UN for LONG titles), about Secretary-General Annan's up-coming visit to
The Gambia.  The Special Representative is Mr. Olara Otunnu, from Uganda,
and the office is infact going to be organizing a "West Africa Conference on
War-Affected Children" in Accra, Ghana, this month, from the 27-28th.

The SRSG/CAC Web site is at:

    http://www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict/

and has background info about the Office, as well as Mr. Otunnu's bio.  You
can get more information about the office and it's staff this link:

    http://www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict/foffice.htm

That page has a link
(http://www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict/bio.htm) to Mr.
Otunnu's biography  which interestingly indicates that he once was the
President of the Makerere Univ. Student's Union.  So he should be especially
receptive to pleas for help in responding to the Jammeh Government's brutal
killing of students.

For your information, one Mr. Fergus Nicoll is the Communications Office of
the the SRSG/CAC and can be reached by phone [(212) 963 8460], and by e-mail
([log in to unmask]).  I suspect Mr. Nicoll must be the person we all used to
hear on the BBC (either the African or World Service).

I suggest the someone out of the groups and people who organized recent
meetings in New York City call Mr. Nicoll, or someone in the SRG/CAC office
and setup an appointment with them.  While sending e-mails and petitions are
important and helpful, we need to move a step further and begin talking to
people in person.  Even if we are not able to meet with Mr. Otunnu or his
office before he leaves for the Accra meetings, we should schedule a meeting
for when the Accra conference concludes.  In any case, we will probably have
more information and ideas to share with them by then.

I hope this helps.  Best wishes.

Katim

----- Original Message -----
From: Jabou Joh <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2000 9:16 AM
Subject: Re: Secreatry-General Annan's Visit to Gambia


> Abdoulaye,
>
> I think we definitely need to get these letters to Annan before he goes to
> Gambia. I have not checked with Yankuba Njie, but I am hoping that the
> petition and the two letters have been posted at the petition site. We
urge
> everyone to go there and sign these documents so we can get them out to
these
> people and organizations immediately.
>
> Jabou Joh

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