---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2002 13:13:14 -0800
From: charlotte utting <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [WASAN] FW: ADNA Update: AFRICA UPDATE
----------
From: "Nunu Kidane" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2002 09:39:53 -0800
To: "ADNA E-mail List" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: ADNA Update: AFRICA UPDATE
ADNA Update: 020201
Message from: Advocacy Network for Africa
For contact information see also:
http://www.africapolicy.org/adna
Africa Update
It is time once again for ADNA's state of the Africa Union update.
We all breathed a sigh of relief when President Bush's state of the
union address did not include Somalia in the axis of evil. They
may be off the target list for now. However while some were
lamenting Black Hawk being down the Somalis were lamenting
their only Internet server being down. It had been shut down two
months ago for allegedly supporting terrorism. A private company
popped up this month and offered Internet service for cheaper than
the going rate in Mogadishu. The attention on Somalia from the
'war on terrorism' has even reached Puntland, where the ousted
President is hoping the Americans will believe that he was ousted
by al-Itihaad, an Islamic fundamentalist group dubbed 'terrorist' by
Dubya.
Evil comes in different forms for different folks. The Congolese
see the axis of evil as being Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. While
the Rwandans have their own version of the axis of evil threatening
their security from the inside of Congo. A mission this month by
the foreign ministers of France and Britain, together in a new act,
came away disappointed and without concrete results after hitting
the major capitals of the area. President Kabila celebrated one
year in power, something that not many would have predicted a
year ago. He continues to face enormous challenges from human-
made and natural disasters. The Ugandans flowed back into the
Congo just ahead of the lava of Mt. Nyiragongo. Both were
witnessed by the international community and neither elicited
much concrete response. The Congolese refused to be
refugees in Rwanda much to the chagrin of the humanitarian
agencies. They preferred coming home to their destroyed city
using their uncanny gift of being able to make do. Some even used
the hot lava to cook their meals while a resilient young woman
named her newborn 'Volcano.' As the volcano ended its eruption
and fears of another eruption slowly receded, the region went back
to preparing the inter-Gongolese dialogue.
Representatives of the political opposition and civil society met in
Brussels this month and came up with a 14 page document on
points to be discussed in the dialogue. Originally scheduled for the
end of January it is now on tap for February 25.
I guess the boycott is over, because the next round of the dialogue
will be in South Africa's infamous Sun City, that apartheid era bad
boy of resorts. There is some concern among Congolese that the
facilitator, former President Masire of Botswana, neither speaks nor
understands French. In a more reassuring report the UN remarked
that several multinationals doing business in the eastern part of the
Congo have decided to pick up and leave, wanting to distance
themselves from 'bloody coltan.' Not to mention the price of coltan
on the international market has dropped drastically.
Talk about possibilities of eruptions, Zimbabwe could have used a
vulcanologist this past month. Nobody knows how long the top will
stay on the situation there. The government of President Mugabe
was under such international pressure over a law restricting the
media that it had to pull it from the Parliament for a time. Brought
out again in the last few days it has been criticized even by some
members of Mugabe's own party and finally passed. The
Commonwealth me this week and rebuffed Britain's call for the
suspension of Zimbabwe from their meetings. They will take it up
again at a meeting in March. The European Union is also
considering sanctions but seems to be pulling back for now. Both
groups are waiting to see how the upcoming elections come off.
Press restrictions and international observers are sticking points,
although it was announced this week that Nigeria and
eight other organizations have been invited to monitor the
presidential election in March. Washington has also threatened to
impose travel bans on Mr. Mugabe and dozens of his family and
aides and freeze their overseas assets as well as withhold $26
million in Congress-approved aid unless the situation improves.
Uganda has been having a rough ride lately, not only in their
returning to the Congo but also being threatened with an arms
embargo by the British Parliament. This was in response to the
UN report detailing Uganda's role in the exploitation of mineral
resources in the Congo. Inside Uganda a student was killed and
ten people injured, when police began shooting at a large crowd
gathered for a political rally by the opposition Uganda People's
Congress. Some journalists and politicians were briefly detained by
the police and released.
Burundi has known a month of violence. In the last couple of weeks
alone over 80 people have been killed in skirmishes near
Bujumbura between the Burundian army and the Hutu rebels.
Some reports say that the army is using the 'scorched earth' tactic
to combat the rebels. Meanwhile a summit foreseen for January 31
to install a cease fire was once again put off.
The people of Congo-Brazzaville voted this month in a referendum
ona new constitution which critics said would give the President
wider powers. It was approved by an overwhelming majority of
84.26%. Despite calls by opposition leaders to boycott, turnout
was estimated at just under 78% of 1.6 million eligible voters.
Further south, hopes were high after South African investment in
Mozambique's railways was announced. The deal could improve
trade and employment in both countries. The new tracks will offer
better access to southern Africa from the Indian Ocean.
Mozambique is hopeful that the deal will increase tax and tourism
revenues as well as boost investment.
South Africa's President traveled to New York this week in order to
convince the World Economic Forum that the New Partnership for
Africa's Development (NEPAD) deserves funding. Before going he
held a four-day meeting with some other African leaders, working
out a united front to carry to the Forum.
The new British ambassador to Kenya promised a new beginning
to relations with the country, which have been fairly luke warm for
some time now. Relations between London and Nairobi have gone
downhill ever since the British starting insisting on economic and
political reforms. No aid has been given in 11 years. That comes
only a few months after the French also called Kenya a 'privileged
partner' in East Africa. As the US increases its influence in French-
speaking Africa, the French would like to counter that by extending
their presence in new areas for them. President Moi must be
smiling. This is less stressful than the Cold War.
Zambia got hit by a double whammy this month, economic and
political. In the former case, Anglo American announced that it
was pulling the plug on its loss-recording Zambian copper
investments, only 18 months after returning from a 30 year
absence. It is one of Zambia's major employers and
investors. Disappointment reigned as well after Presidential
elections in which the victor garnered only 28.6% of the vote.
Several African leaders invited to the new President's inauguration
didn't show up. Only three foreign government ministers came to
represent their countries. The opposition alleged that the election
was rigged and refused an invitation this week to bridge-building
talks with the new President in order to resolve an impasse that
crippled the National Assembly last week.
Madagascar also experienced unprecedented protest rallies,
demonstrating against a court ruling that a run-off second election
must be held between the two main presidential candidates in their
election. A half a million people showed up last Sunday to support
candidate Marc Ravalomanana, whom they believe won the contest
outright. Mr. R (too long to type more than once) has said he
wants the court to collect all official documentation regarding the
count and compare it with the findings of his own party. By his
count he won with 52% of the vote. I think we can let them know
from experience that sometimes counting these votes takes time.
The government of Sudan has reformed a commission set up to
eradicate the practice of abducting women and children. The
government attributes the abductions to the country's long-running
civil war. Earlier in January a ceasefire was announced between
the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation
Movement. The ceasefire would cover the central Nuba region and
is seen as an important development, if it can stick. It is
renewable every six months. Former Senator Danforth, the Bush
administration's special representative is not yet giving up his
mediating role, which he had threatened to do if progress were not
made.
Sierrra Leone celebrated officially the end of ten years of hostilities
in that country as arms were turned in to the UN peacekeepers.
The celebrations included a symbolic bonfire of some of the tens of
thousands of weapons that have been gathered over the past year
from both the government and the rebels. Voter registration began
last week. Presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled
to take place in May. As the country settled a little more back into
normalcy the UN and Sierra Leone's government agreed to
establish a unique war crimes tribunal to try those most
responsible for atrocities in their civil war. It will be a difficult task
caught as it is between the popular demand for justice and the
realities of peace. Some of those most likely to face charges are
running for President. Sounds like...
Liberia, which is sounding like Sierra Leone in that thousands of
refugees are on the move towards Monrovia following an outbreak of
shooting near the camp where they had been staying further north.
A rebel movement claims that it is gaining ground in the country.
The Liberian army had erected barricades to stop the refugees from
entering the capital city.
China has its 'Gang of Four,' Côte d'Ivoire has it's 'Big Four.'
The four leaders (the actual President, two former Presidents and a
former Prime Minister) sat down all together for the first time to
discuss ways of resolving the differences which have led to three
years of military and ethnic unrest. The meeting ended in smiles.
At the heart of the recent political turmoil has been the nationality
of Alassane Ouattara. A reconciliation forum recommended a few
weeks ago that he be given Ivorian nationality, but the courts have
so far impeded such a move. Keep smiling.
Nigeria experienced a crippling strike for a couple of days when the
government raised the price of gas. The large West African oil
producer has constantly had gas shortages due to the black
market activity that attracts the cheap fuel and sells it at higher
prices in neighboring countries. Nigerians are willing to pay world
market prices if they can have world market salaries as well. The
military and President came under severe criticism after the
munitions dump explosions in Lagos that killed over
600 people. The arms were stored in an urban area that was
heavily populated. At this time many are still unaccounted for
including perhaps as many as one thousand children who are still
missing from their families. Rumors of all kinds are flying, including
the possibility that the children have been taken by child traffickers.
Finally, after years of hostility, the Americans and the Libyans
have begun talking to each other at 'several levels.' They were the
original terrorist state, surely on someone's axis of evil. If they can
be reformed, then we can still hope that there will someday be an
end to the 'war on terrorism.'
-----------------------------------
"Never again war! No, never again war, which destroys the lives of
innocent people, teaches how to kill, throws into upheaval even the
lives of those who do the killing and leaves behind a trail of
resentment and hatred, thus making it all the more difficult to find
a just solution of the very problems which provoked the war." John
Paul II, 1991
Phil Reed, M.Afr.
Justice and Peace Office
Society of Missionaries of Africa, North American Province
1624 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009-1003
tel: 202-232-5154
------------------
This message is distributed through the
Advocacy Network for Africa (ADNA) via IDEX
Nunu Kidane
Advocacy Network for Africa (ADNA)
Communications Facilitator for IDEX
International Development Exchange - IDEX
827 Valencia Street, Suite 101
San Francisco, CA 94110
Tel: (415) 824 8384
www.idex.org
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Get your FREE credit report with a FREE CreditCheck
Monitoring Service trial
http://us.click.yahoo.com/ACHqaB/bQ8CAA/ySSFAA/DKgolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, February 27, 2002. Location: TBA
7:00 PM WASAN business meeting
7:30-9:00 PM Program: TBA
We usually meet the fourth Wednesday of the month. For a calendar of local Africa events see http://www.ibike.org/africamatters/calendar.htm . To post a message: [log in to unmask] To subscribe send a message to [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe send a message to [log in to unmask] . All past postings are archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wa-afr-network
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>
To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>
|
