WASHINGTON - When Charles G. Taylor tied bed sheets together to escape from a second-floor window at the Plymouth House of Correction on Sept. 15, 1985, he was more than a fugitive trying to avoid extradition. He was a sought-after source for American intelligence.

After a quarter-century of silence, the US government has confirmed what has long been rumored: Taylor, who would become president of Liberia and the first African leader tried for war crimes, worked with US spy agenciesduring his rise as one of the world’s most notorious dictators.

The disclosure on the former president comes in response to a request filed by the Globe six years ago under the Freedom of Information Act. The Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s spy arm, confirmed its agents and CIA agents worked with Taylor beginning in the early 1980s.

“They may have stuck with him longer than they should have but maybe he was providing something useful,’’ said Douglas Farah, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center in Washington and an authority on Taylor’s reign and the guns-for-diamonds trade that was a base of his power.

The Defense Intelligence Agency refused to reveal any details about the relationship, saying doing so would harm national security.

Taylor, 63, pleaded innocent in 2009 to multiple counts of murder, rape, attacking civilians, and deploying child soldiers during a civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone while he was president of Liberia from 1997 to 2003. After a proceeding that lasted several years, the three-judge panel of the UN Special Court for Sierra Leone is now reviewing tens of thousands of pages of evidence, including the testimony of about 100 victims, former rebels, and Taylor himself, whose testimony lasted seven months.

“We hope the verdict will come in the first quarter of this year,’’ said Solomon Moriba, a spokesman for the court in The Hague.

Moriba said any relationship Taylor had with American intelligence was not related to his case before the court, but those who investigated the atrocities said it might explain why some US officials seemed reluctant to use their influence to bring Taylor to justice sooner.

After Taylor stepped down as Liberian president in 2003 following his indictment, he lived virtually in the open for three years in exile in Nigeria, a US ally. The Bush administration came under intense criticism from members of Congress for not intervening with the Nigerian government until Taylor was finally handed over to the court in 2006.

Allan White, a former Defense Department investigator who helped build the case against Taylor on behalf of the United Nations, said the news reinforced suspicions he had for years.

“I think the intelligence community’s past relationship with Taylor made some in the US government squeamish about a trial, despite knowing what a bad actor he was,’’ White said in an interview.

Taylor’s lawyer in the war crimes trial, Courtenay Griffiths, did not respond to several calls or e-mails seeking comment.

The Pentagon’s response to the Globe states that the details of Taylor’s role on behalf of the spy agencies are contained in dozens of secret reports - at least 48 separate documents - covering several decades. However, the exact duration and scope of the relationship remains hidden. The Defense Intelligence Agency said the details are exempt from public disclosure because of the need to protect “sources and methods,’’ safeguard the inner workings of American spycraft, and shield the identities of government personnel.

Former intelligence officials, who agreed to discuss the covert ties only on the condition of anonymity, and specialists including Farah believe Taylor probably was considered useful for gathering intelligence about the activities of Moammar Khadafy. During the 1980s, the ruler of Libya was blamed for sponsoring such terrorist acts as the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland and for fomenting guerrilla wars across Africa.

Taylor testified that after fleeing Boston he recruited 168 men and women for the National Patriotic Front for Liberia and trained them in Libya.

Over time, the former officials said, Taylor may have also been seen as a source for information on broader issues in Africa, from the illegal arms trade to the activities of the Soviet Union, which, like the United States, was seeking allies on the continent as part of the broader struggle of the Cold War.

Liberia, too, was of special interest to Washington. The country was founded in 1847 by freed American slaves who named its capital, Monrovia, after President James Monroe. The American embassy was among the largest in the world, covering two full city blocks, and US companies had significant investments in the country, including a Firestone tire factory and a Coca-Cola bottling plant.

A former ally of Taylor’s, Prince Johnson, told a government commission in Liberia in 2008 that he believed US intelligence had encouraged Taylor to overthrow the government in Liberia, which had fallen out of favor with Washington for banning all political opposition.

Taylor’s ties to Boston reach back four decades.

He arrived in 1972 and attended Chamberlayne Junior College in Newton and studied economics at Bentley College in Waltham. While in Boston, he emerged as a political force as national chairman of the Union of Liberian Associations. In 1977 he returned to Liberia and joined Samuel Doe’s government after a coup in 1980.

Taylor served as chief of government procurement in the Doe regime but fled Liberia for Boston in 1983 after being accused of embezzling $1 million from the government. He was arrested in Somerville in 1984 and jailed in Plymouth pending extradition.

The acknowledgment now that Taylor worked with US intelligence agencies at the time raises new questions about whether elements within the government orchestrated the Plymouth prison break in 1985 - as Taylor claimed during his trial - or at least helped him flee the United States.

Four other inmates who also escaped that night were soon recaptured.

“Why would someone walk out of a prison that’s never been breached in a 100 years?’’ said David M. Crane, who was the chief prosecutor for the Sierra Leone war crimes court from 2002 to 2005 and now teaches at Syracuse University College of Law. “It begs the question: How do you walk out of a prison? It seems someone looked the other way.’’

Taylor recounted the episode during his trial testimony, insisting that a guard opened his cell for him.

“I am calling it my release because I didn’t break out,’’ Taylor testified. “I did not pay any money. I did not know the guys who picked me up. I was not hiding [afterwards].’’

He said two men - he assumed they were American agents - were waiting for him outside the prison and drove him to New York to meet his wife. Using his own passport, he said, he traveled to Mexico before returning to Africa.

Brian Gillen, the superintendent of the maximum security jail in Plymouth who was director of security at the time of Taylor’s escape, declined to comment when reached last week by the Globe.

Taylor reemerged in Liberia in 1989 as head of a rebel army.

“I assigned an officer to maintain a watch on the Taylor people,’’ recalled James Keough Bishop, US ambassador in Liberia from 1981 to 1989.

Bishop said he was not aware of ties between American intelligence and Taylor.

After a series of bloody civil wars that lasted much of the 1990s, Taylor eventually assumed power. He was elected president in 1997.

Several former officials and specialists believe US intelligence had probably cut ties with Taylor by the time he became president, but Farah said he believes that even in the early years of their associations with Taylor, US intelligence agencies knew what kind of character he was.

“Even at the time, there were atrocities going on,’’ he said. “He wasn’t clean when they hooked up with him. We had a high tolerance for people who were willing to inform on Khadafy. The question is whether he actually provided anything useful.’’

Bender, B. (2012). Former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor had US spy agency ties. The Boston Globe. Retrieved from http://articles.boston.com/2012-01-17/metro/30632769_1_courtenay-griffiths-charles-taylor-war-crimes

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The New Dawn (Monrovia) 
AllAfrica aggregates reports from Africa's news media.
This is an article from the Liberian press.

Liberia: Taylor's CIA Link - the Globe Lied [supposedly]

Othello B. Garblah

26 January 2012

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The Boston Globe, a New York Times Company newspaper, has admitted that its report quoting US Defense officials as confirming that ex-President Charles Taylor worked as a hired US spy agent lacks evidence.

"The article was not based on adequate reporting and drew unsupported conclusion...the agency offered no such confirmation," Mr. David McCraw, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of the New York Times Company said in a letter to Mr. Taylor's lawyer Wednesday.

"The Globe had no adequate basis for asserting otherwise and the story should not have run in this form," an editor's note published Wednesday along with the letter addressed to Courtenay Griffiths said.

When this paper contacted The Globe's Editor Martin Baron via email Wednesday to confirmed whether his paper had retracted the story, directed this writer to the link where the said editor's note was published, saying "It was published here..."

The Globe in its Tuesday January 17, 2012 edition under the caption ("Former Liberian Dictator Charles Taylor Had US Spy Agency Ties") reported that US Defense Department officials had confirmed "what has long been rumored" that Taylor worked with US spy agencies during his rise as one of the world's most notorious dictators.

In his letter to Courtenay Griffiths QC, on Wednesday January 25, McCraw said the paper arrived at this conclusion after a careful review of the article by its editors and concluded that the said article was not based on adequate reporting.

In an editor's note published on its website with the letter addressed to Mr. Taylor's lawyer, The Globe admitted that the said article on the Taylor's CIA link drew unsupported conclusions and significantly overstepped available evidence when it described Mr. Taylor as having worked with US spy agencies as a "sought-after source."

"The story, based on a response by the US Defense Intelligence Agency to a long-pending records request from the Globe, described the agency's response as having "confirmed its agents and CIA agents worked with Taylor beginning in the early 1980s."

But the agency offered no such confirmation; rather, it said only that it possessed 48 documents running to 153 pages that fall in the category of what the Globe asked for - records relating to Taylor and to his relationship, if any, with American intelligence going back to 1982. The agency, however, refused to release the documents and gave no indication of what was in them," paper said in its retraction published Wednesday.

The paper adds that "one of the grounds for that refusal was suggestive, citing the need to protect "intelligence sources and methods," but that, by itself, fell well short of a sufficient basis for the published account.

There has long been speculation that Taylor had such a role, speculation fueled in part by Taylor's own suggestion in trial testimony that his 1985 escape from prison in Plymouth, Mass., may have been facilitated by CIA operatives. But Taylor, now standing trial before a UN special court on charges of rape, murder, and other offenses, denies he was ever a source for, or worked for, US intelligence."

The Full Text of the Editor's note below:

For the record: Story overreached in calling Taylor intelligence source

Editor's note: A front-page story on Jan. 17 drew unsupported conclusions and significantly overstepped available evidence when it described former Liberia president Charles Taylor as having worked with US spy agencies as a "sought-after source." The story, based on a response by the US Defense Intelligence Agency to a long-pending records request from the Globe, described the agency's response as having "confirmed its agents and CIA agents worked with Taylor beginning in the early 1980s."

But the agency offered no such confirmation; rather, it said only that it possessed 48 documents running to 153 pages that fall in the category of what the Globe asked for - records relating to Taylor and to his relationship, if any, with American intelligence going back to 1982. The agency, however, refused to release the documents and gave no indication of what was in them.

Liberian Observer

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor at the UN-backed court for Sierra Leone.

One of the grounds for that refusal was suggestive, citing the need to protect "intelligence sources and methods," but that, by itself, fell well short of a sufficient basis for the published account. There has long been speculation that Taylor had such a role, speculation fueled in part by Taylor's own suggestion in trial testimony that his 1985 escape from prison in Plymouth, Mass., may have been facilitated by CIA operatives. But Taylor, now standing trial before a UN special court on charges of rape, murder, and other offenses, denies he was ever a source for, or worked for, US intelligence.

The Globe had no adequate basis for asserting otherwise and the story should not have run in this form.

Garblah, O. (2012). Taylor's CIA link - the Globe lied. The New Dawn. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201201260468.html

 From A World to Win News Service, January 16th 

Revolution. (2012).  "It's not personal," Godfather Michael Corleone explained. "It's just business.". Revolution. Retrieved from http://rwor.org/a/257/awtwns_pfizer-en.html

Geoffrey Kamadi

23 January 2012

TSEIKURU, Kenya (AlertNet) - Blue skies and sunshine don't make Joseph Katitu a happy man.

The 49-year-old sorghum farmer and father of nine shakes his head at the glaring sun as the last cloud fades in the sky above him.

"Mvua haitakuya (The rain will not come)!" he sighs.

The lack of gathering clouds is an ominous sign that Tseikuru District, some 230 km (150 miles) east of Kenya's capital Nairobi, will have to wait a while longer before the heavens open again.

But the power of the sun will soon be turned to the advantage of farmers like Katitu. The Kenyan government plans to install 2,000 solar powered pumps in arid regions of the country to reduce the water shortages caused by erratic rainfall, which is believed to be associated with climate change.

The pumps will provide clean drinking water to villagers while avoiding the costs and the pollution caused by diesel powered pumps.

Kenya's Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation has entered into a partnership with Bola Associates, a Kenyan firm, and US-based DACC Global, to supply and install the systems. Each one comprises a solar panel, a submersible pump, a purification system and a holding tank.

The cost for each system is approximately 11 million Kenyan shillings ($125,000), including the cost of drilling a borehole, according to Doug Melvin, the owner of DACC Global.

FUEL SAVINGS

Each solar generator will save almost 700 barrels of oil annually that would be required to fuel a comparable diesel generator, he said. This is expected to result in overall fuel savings of up to 89 billion shillings ($ 1 billion) over 20 years if oil prices continue to rise, according to Melvin.

The need for more wells in Tseikuru is acute. James Mutala, the district's water officer, said that the district received 721mm of rain in 2011, 10 percent less than average, reducing the already limited amount of surface water available. The district, which spans 1,300 square kilometres (500 square miles), has a population of more than 33,000. At present there are few other sources of water.

"There are only 10 boreholes in total, two of which have since broken down," Mutala said.

Because the wells are powered by diesel generators, villagers are finding it difficult to keep up with rising fuel prices even for their limited number of wells. According to Kenya's Energy Regulatory Commission, the cost of diesel rose by almost 40 percent from January to October 2011, though in December government measures produced the first drop in price in seven months.

The resulting water shortage affects not only agriculture but also people's health. Kivuti Simon, a Tseikuru district public health officer, said that many villagers only bathe once a week in order to save water.

HEALTH PROBLEMS

Not surprisingly, the bulk of health problems among schoolchildren in the district are related to poor sanitation. Simon puts the figure at up to 75 percent of infections.

The new project aims to improve these conditions. So far one pioneering pump has been installed in Thika, 50 km (30 miles) east of Nairobi. The number of pumps to be set up in Tseikuru remains to be decided.

The village of Katambauku in Tseikuru received a solar-powered water pump in 2005 through funding from World Vision, an international children's charity. The generator pumps water at a rate of five cubic metres per hour, with water stored in a tank at nearby Musavani Primary School.

"Pupils used to carry water from home to school before the arrival of the pump. (That) was not very clean," said Daniel Maliku, the head teacher. Up to 50 pupils would miss classes every week because of waterborne diseases, he said.

Now, according to Maliku, children are healthier as a result of having clean water at the school.

"Students now drink clean water, and infections like diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera and typhoid have since been reduced," he said.

Villagers pay 2 shillings (two U.S. cents) to fill a 20-litre container from the borehole, and livestock owners are charged 1 shilling (one U.S. cent) for each goat or cow that drinks from a trough nearby.

The revenue, totaling about 6,000 shillings ($ 67) every month, is enough to pay for maintenance and a guard at the well.

Although the pump in Katambauku was a welcome development, its solar generator is supplemented by diesel powered booster pumps. The new pumps are designed to function without boosters and to be durable enough to last for 20 years, the manufacturers said.

The pumps will have environmental as well as health benefits, as a reduction in the use of diesel fuel will cut the region's emissions of climate-changing carbon dioxide.

"This prevents up to nine metric tonnes of carbon from getting to the atmosphere every year" from each pump, Melvin said.

In the long term, DACC Global hopes to install 11,000 water systems in Kenya and a further 9,000 in other countries throughout the Horn of Africa.

Geoffrey Kamadi is a freelance Kenyan journalist based in Nairobi. He has written widely on science and health issues for local newspapers as well as online publications.

Kamadi, G. (2012). Solar Pump Project Aims to Ease Local Water Shortages. AlertNet. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201201240955.html

David Njagi

24 January 2012

Machakos — For a couple that has weathered the dual tests of early retirement and repeated crop failures, it might have seemed an impossible dream to former primary-school teacher Philip Ngolania and his farmer wife that their three quarters of an acre farm could one day yield enough staple food to last an entire season.

But a visit to the local office of the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) early this year ushered in a fresh beginning for the 62-year-old father of four grown sons, whose land barely produced enough food for the family's daily meals in this drought-parched area east of the capital, Nairobi. Since that visit, he says, the family's prospects have improved dramatically.

In the seven years after leaving teaching, Ngolania has shared the burden of producing food for the family. "Now I'm assisting my wife," he says. "We are working together." But the indigenous seed varieties they were planting resulted in less than a single bag of grain each season.

At KARI, Ngolania learned about newly developed varieties that could resist drought and yield more produce. In fact, during this past season, he saw the small plot he and his wife cultivate yield five bags of maize for the first time.

For thousands of small-scale farmers like these, access to information about seed alternatives can mean the difference between struggling to survive and thriving.

"Before I made the switch to the improved seed varieties, I always knew that hunger would come visiting," says Ngolania. "But since I started planting the new seed which I obtain at the Dryland Seed Company in Machakos town, famine has gone away."

It is easy to understand the Ngolania family's improved expectations. By KARI's estimation, their farm sits within Kenya's dry mid-altitude region, about 1,670 meters above sea level, and receives about 600 to 900 millimeters of rain annually.

According to James Gethi, a researcher with the KARI center in Machakos, this means that only maize varieties that flower within 60 days -- and that mature within 110 and 120 days -- are suitable for growing here.

It took a four-year research collaboration between KARI and the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa program, under the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), to get two drought-resistant maize varieties to Ngolania's farm. The seed's names are prosaic -- KDV1 and KDV4 -- but for local farmers, they are transformative.

"These are open-pollinated maize varieties where the plants are allowed to cross together and tend to have a wide range of adaptation to a harsh environment," explains Gethi. "A farmer can plant them at least three times before going back to a stockist for fresh seed."

For 450 Kenyan shillings (about U.S.$5) farmers can purchase 250 kilogrammes worth of the KDV1 and KDV4 seeds. Joseph Masila, a marketing officer at the Dryland Seed Company, says growing awareness of the new varieties, along with greater access, is benefitting farmers and families across the arid areas of Kenya.

According to Masila, the KDV1 and KDV4 varieties can mature within a span of two and half months and also thrive where there has been little rainfall.

But the advantages don't end with durability. As Ngolania may find out, there also is a commercial edge that researchers are hoping to introduce to farmers to help them grow crops for both domestic consumption and for income generation. Both strategies are seen as powerful engines to pull Africa from the cycle of food insecurity.

Successful trials in Asia and parts of North and South America have proven that improved seed technology has generated significant income for both farmers and for seed breeders and distributors. Experts hope that approach can also work in Africa.

Lloyd Le Page is the former chief executive officer at the Consortium of International Agriculture Research Centers (CGIAR), of which CIMMYT is affiliated. He says development of drought-tolerant plant varieties is meant to deliver solutions to farmers as well as to local small seed enterprises, through a sustainable revenue stream.

"This ensures that the technology is not just limited within research laboratories, but it is able to reach farmers," says Le Page. "By so doing, small African seed enterprises can make an income. Farmers are able to produce enough food for themselves and the family and also sell to the ready markets."

Struggling to Meet Farmer Demand

But while appetite for improved seed technologies is growing among drought-hit farmers, Kenya's agriculture research institutions are struggling to meet demand, according to the KARI Katumani Research Center's director, Charles Kariuki.

"We do not have enough capital, manpower, time and even capacity," says Kariuki. "The seed we are producing is meant for field trials. Seed companies are expected to add value to these varieties so that they meet the set national standards."

KARI's Gethi describes a labor-intensive process where plants are tested under field conditions, which include drought. Once a "breeder seed" is developed and passes a regulatory process by Kenya's plant-health inspection service, the seed is made available to partners. In the case of the Ngolania plot, the certified seed comes from the Dryland Seed Company which has developed and marketed it.

For now, the Ngolania family appreciates the change that using improved seed technology has brought to their farm -- and also values another technological innovation. In a corner of the small living room sits a round metal silo, reaching almost to the ceiling.

Tami Hultman/AllAfrica

Kenyan farmer Phillip Ngolania buying drought-resistant seeds at the Dryland Seed Company in Machakos.

Ngolania says grain borers used to grind his maize into powder -- a common problem in developing countries. The African Post Harvest Losses Information System estimates that post-harvest crop loss in eastern and southern Africa amounts to some U.S.$1.6 billion per year, or about 13.5 percent of the total value of grain production. That loss is no longer a concern to Ngolania.

On a recent day, a neighboring couple have come to his house to marvel at how the vacuum-sealed container protects the maize harvest from both weather and pest infestation. Their enthusiasm suggests that the demand for metal silos may soon become as much of a challenge to meet as the demand for improved seeds.

See AllAfrica's interview with Bill Gates of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation where he links food scarcity to a number of development challenges.

Njagi, D. (2012). New seeds boost yields for drought-hit farmers. AllAfrica.com. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201201250009.html

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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. (2012). Bill Gates outlines stark choice - Invest in innovations for poorest or let millions starve. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201201250002.html

Tokunbo Adedoja and Zacheaus Somorin

25 January 2012

The United States has said it will partner Nigeria in the fight against terrorism, a phenomenon it described as similar to that being faced by Americans.

The country's Consul General, Mr. Joseph Stafford, who stated this during a courtesy visit to THISDAY Corporate Headquarters in Lagos Tuesday, pointed out that the matter was on the agenda of US, Nigeria Bi-National Commission summit which ended in Abuja Tuesday.

Stafford, nonetheless, berated the wanton destruction of lives and property by Boko Haram during their attacks.

"We recognise the violence that Boko Haram represents and in the spirit of partnership, whatever comes out of the meeting would be followed up" he stated, adding that US could help in terms of information sharing, trainings and other helpful ways.

Stafford said the motive behind the bombings transcends recidivist attitude, but poverty and rigorous economic survival in the Northern part of the country.

Alleged Boko Haram leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau.

"We do not believe it is solely a security issue. The underlying political and social factors must be taken into consideration," he said.

He, however, said that such a condition should not be an excuse to terminate lives of innocent people.

He also said that US had been assisting Nigeria on security through the Bi-National Commission with different groups working out the mode of US intervention, adding that the outcome of the ongoing meeting between the two countries would determine the gravity of the situation and the US appropriate response to the terrorism challenge in Nigeria.

He pointed out that there had been trainings organised by US for the Nigerian forces in the Gulf of Guinea and other strategic places.

Stafford emphasised the importance of good governance as one of the conditions for peace, but pointed out that inadequacy of such should not be allowed to create opportunity for unbridled violence as being perpetrated by Boko Haram.

On arms proliferation, he said the bi-national commission's agenda included effort at making sure that control measures are put in place to tame its excesses through a committee set up in that regard.

While commending THISDAY for its vibrant news reportage, and harping on the need for press freedom to enhance democracy, he said the recent revelations by Wikileaks had not deterred US diplomatic missions from doing its work.

He, however, said the challenge that the online whistle blower had posed was that there was need for its diplomatic missions to be as confidential as possible and protect every information given to it.

On the fight against graft in Nigeria, the envoy said there had been trainings and retraining of officials of Nigeria's anti-corruption agencies, especially the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) both in Abuja and Lagos.

He explained also that there had been concerted effort in aiding Nigeria financially, an evidence of which, he said, was the visit by US Exim Bank's managing director to the country for the purpose of enhancing projects like energy.

On the speculations that China has taken over African markets and Nigeria in particular, Stafford said it had rather been a competition by both countries, adding that many American companies are also involved in the construction and energy sectors of the Nigerian economy as being encouraged through Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

He said US is not threatened by China's growth. He said Nigeria imported goods worth N5 billion in 2011 from his country.

According to him, despite the fact that its consulate in Lagos and Abuja are besieged with fusillade of applications on a daily basis, it had been able to cope and improve on its visa service to Nigerians through its online services which he said had been user friendly.

Meanwhile, US has said it is "extremely concerned" about what it called "horrific" spate of bombings in Nigeria.

Reacting to attacks that claimed scores of lives in Kano last Friday, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Ms. Victoria Nuland, at a press briefing at the State Department in Washington on Monday, said: "We are obviously extremely concerned, and it was a really horrific spate of bombings over the weekend."

She said US was consulting "extremely closely" with Nigeria on counter-terrorism issues, adding that US had a broad and rich counter-terrorism dialogue with Nigeria, which included efforts to support steps to cut off funding.

This Day

The aftermath of the bomb blast that hit the UN building in Abuja, Nigeria.

Nuland added that the Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, William Fitzgerald, was in Nigeria in continuation of the security dialogue and for an assessment of what Nigeria's security needs might be in this respect.

Also Tuesday, Nuland issued a statement on Nigeria condemning the attacks in Kano and Bauchi and called for a full investigation so as to bring those responsible to justice.

In the statement, she noted that this was a time for all Nigerians to stand united against the enemies of civility and peace, adding, "Nigeria's ethnic and religious diversity is a source of strength for the country and those who seek to undermine that strength with divisive tactics cannot succeed."

Adedoja, T. and Somorin, Z. (2012). U.S. facing similar terror threats, says envoy. This Day. Retrieved from http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nigeria-us-facing-similar-terror-threats-says-envoy/107866/

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Mohammed S. Shehu, Misbahu Bashir & Abdulkadir Yahaya

19 January 2012

The Federal Government yesterday issued a query to Inspector General of Police Hafiz Ringim, asking him to explain within 24 hours how a key Boko Haram suspect escaped from custody, Police Affairs Minister Caleb Olubolade said.

Kabiru Sokoto was arrested on Saturday and while the police were taking him to a location in Abaji, just outside Abuja, after a search in his house on Sunday, their vehicle came under attack and he escaped.

Ringim on Tuesday suspended Police commissioner Zakari Biu, who was in charge of investigating the suspect.

Yesterday, the Police Affairs minister announced that Ringim's job too was on the line because he was the overall officer in charge.

"If he is found guilty of complicity, he himself will have to account for his mistakes," Olubolade told journalists.

When State House reporters asked if it was true that the IG was queried to explain the escape within 24 hours, Olubolade said, "That is true because he is the field officer; he has the responsibility to ensure all operations regarding arrest and all that are conducted in the usual manner."

Kabiru's escape has brought Ringim under renewed pressure just weeks before he is due to retire from the police force.

"I have directed the IG to carry out full investigation and even at higher level, above that one, there will be another investigation to ascertain what led to the suspect's escape," Olubolade said, adding: "I have also directed that the officers involved and the personnel involved should be detained immediately."

Asked if the IG was facing the sack over the incident, the minister said, "Yes, anybody including myself."

Kabiru Sokoto's dramatic escape echoed President Jonathan's recent statement that the Boko Haram sect had infiltrated the government and security agencies.

When asked if this incident now confirms the president allegations, Olubolade said, "I cannot confirm that statement. What is important is all steps must be taken to re arrest the suspect."

Also yesterday, the minister held a meeting with Ringim, and spokesman for the Police Affairs ministry James Odaudu said the IG was instructed to conduct full investigation of the incident.

Anne Isabelle Leclercq/IRIN

Kaduna central prison.

A source said the police had arrested some people including one person in Bassa Local Government Area of Kogi State over Kabiru's escape.

The police yesterday tightened security at the Zone 7 command in Abuja, where Kabiru was first detained on Saturday. Spokesman for the command ASP Bernard Ukwunta said security improved "as part of the effort of the police to improve crime detection methods."

Kabiru Sokoto, a key suspect in the Madalla Christmas Day bombing, was arrested on Saturday at the Borno State Governor's Lodge, where he gained entry through a friend who was lodging there overnight.

The Borno State Government said he might have penetrated the lodge in order to attack Governor Kashim Shettima.

Shehu, M., Bashir, M. & Yahaya, A. (2012). FG queries Ringim over Boko Haram suspect's escape. Daily Trust. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201201190308.html

17 January 2012

Ethiopia has forced thousands of villagers from their land to make way for commercial farming developments, leaving people impoverished and hungry, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report Tuesday.

At least 3.6 million hectares (8.8 million acres) -- an area larger than the Netherlands -- has been leased to foreign and state-owned firms since 2008, with state security using force to drive people from off their land, HRW said.

"The Ethiopian government under its "villagization" program is forcibly relocating approximately 70,000 indigenous people from the western Gambella region," the report by the New York-based group said.

However, the new villages to which people are sent "lack adequate food, farmland, healthcare, and educational facilities," it added.

"State security forces have repeatedly threatened, assaulted, and arbitrarily arrested villagers who resist the transfers," said the report.

Ethiopia plans to lease a further 2.1 million hectares (5.1 million acres), the report added.

"Mass displacement to make way for commercial agriculture in the absence of a proper legal process contravenes Ethiopia's constitution and violates the rights of indigenous peoples under international law," HRW said.

Ethiopian authorities rejected the report, stating villigization programs are key to the country's development.

"We simply, outrightly reject this allegation," government spokesman Bereket Simon told AFP.

Ben Parker/IRIN

An Ethiopian farmer tends his crops (file photo).

"In Gambella as elsewhere we have ensured the safety of our people. We have improved the livelihoods of 20,000 people through resettlement programs," he said, adding that health clinics, schools, houses and roads have been built for relocated communities.

Bereket said an additional 3.4 million hectares of land are slated to be released to investors, not 2.1 million hectares as HRW reported.

"We will not stop it, we will not back off our development plan," he said.

Driven by recent food, energy and climate crises, investors from richer nations have been acquiring rights to vast tracts of land in several African nations to meet demand for bio-fuels, food crops and mining resources. - ANP/AFP

RNW. (2012). Govt forcing thousands off land - Rights group. Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Retrieved from http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/ethiopia-forcing-thousands-land

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Landgrabbing - Legal Lease or Stolen Soil?

Philipp Hedemann

12 November 2011

Addis Ababa — Kneeling in the middle of a sugar cane field in blistering 40 degree heat, a young boy is digging up weeds while an Indian worker stands over him to make sure he does not miss any. Red is eight years old and earns 73 pence for one day's work - less than the cost of using pesticides.

By exporting food produced by child labour in Ethiopia, an Indian farm manager hopes to earn millions within three years. "It's still total wilderness here, but we will soon start growing sugar cane and palm oil and everything will look tidy," explains Karmjeet Singh Sekhon as he drives in a Toyota 4Ã-4 through the burning bushland on his farm.

The 68-year-old Indian is the manager of a huge farm, which covers an area of 100,000 hectares in Western Ethiopia. Soon he wants to farm 300,000 hectares, an area bigger than Luxembourg.

Since 2008 there has been an unprecedented rush to secure farmland in Africa, South America and Asia. This is a result of the rise and fluctuation in food prices on world markets, which has seen food riots in a number of countries. Countries such as India, China and the Gulf states want to feed their growing populations, but are also looking to position themselves in the race to produce bio-fuels.

The World Bank says 45 million hectares of farmland were leased in 2009 - up from only four million a year between 2006 and 2008. It is estimated that by 2030 another six million hectares will be leased annually in developing countries, two-thirds in sub-Saharan Africa and South America.

Maize, rice, wheat, soy, sorghum, sesame, sugar cane and oil seeds are the main commodities. The World Bank sees both opportunities and risks.

"These large land acquisitions can come at a high cost. The veil of secrecy that often surrounds these land deals must be lifted so poor people don't ultimately pay the heavy price of losing their land," said former World Bank managing director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

In the world's thirteenth poorest country, the race for the country's most productive agricultural land has only just begun and the social and environmental consequences are unforeseeable. According to the U.N., 4.5 million people in Ethiopia are currently in need of aid as a result of a devastating drought. The majority of the food aid is imported from abroad.

"No problem," says farm manager Sekhon. "Some parts of our production remain in the country, and through the export Ethiopia gains hard currency to buy at the world market."

There is no law in Ethiopia to ensure that a certain percentage remains in the country. Karuturi marketing and logistics boss Birinder Singh makes no secret of the fact that his company is commercially orientated. They will sell to those who pay most, whoever that may be.

Eighty-five per cent of Ethiopia's population of 80 million live off the land, and little has changed over the past 100 years: most of the tiny fields are still worked using ox-drawn ploughs and the yields are low.

The government hopes that leasing farmland to foreign investors will lead to a wave of modernisation. According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation, food production needs a 70 per cent boost between 2010 and 2050 to meet global needs.

All Ethiopian land - 111.5 million hectares - belongs to the state. According to the government, three-quarters of it are suitable for agriculture, but so far only 15 million hectares are cultivated.

The government has now assigned 3.6 million hectares to foreign and domestic investors. One hectare of land costs between six and 231 dollars a year to rent, and the contract periods are between 20 and 45 years. Critics say the developing world is being sold off.

But Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi rejects the attacks as "ill-informed" or even "ill-intentioned." "We want to develop our land to feed ourselves rather than admire the beauty of fallow fields while we starve," Zenawi said.

It is not surprising that the Ethiopian government has become the darling of international agribusiness investors. "There is plenty of good land, enough water, a cheap labour force, and a stable government that ensures law and order", says Karuturi's Singh.

According to Esayas Kebede, head of the state agency which is responsible for the land leases, Ethiopia benefits in many ways from the deals. "By exporting food, we will receive dollars, the farms provide jobs, they import know how, they will help us to boost productivity and therefore to improve food security," says Kebede.

But many local farmers are not convinced. Ojwato is one of them. It only takes him a few minutes to cross his two acre field on foot, while Sekhon takes several hours to cover his by jeep.

The idea that his neighbour's harvests are being exported while he and his country regularly receive food aid makes Ojwato angry. "The foreigners promised to bring electricity, water and hospitals. But in the end only a few of us have worked in their fields and the pay was poor," the farmer says.

"We always pay the national minimum wage," Singh claims.

"Nobody is forced to work on the farm," Kebede says. However, many children labour on the fields.

Though his family could use some extra money from child labour, Ojwato forbids his children to work on the Indian farm. One day they shall become doctors, teachers or engineers, he says. But therefore they need to go to school, instead of working on the fields.

Not all parents are as far-sighted as Ojwato: "Sometimes only five out of 60 students are attending class. The others are working at the fields," says Tigaba Tekle, deputy headmaster of a school near the Karuturi farm.

Officially, only uninhabited land is used for the giant farms, but human rights groups fear that people are forced to leave their land. As a matter of fact, a state-run relocation programme is currently taking place in Western Ethiopia.

Daily Nation

A mine site in northern Saskatchewan. Tanzania expects to start mining uranium by 2011, its energy and mineral minister said.

According to the government, there is no link between the relocation and the farm projects; everybody moves voluntarily. Human right groups doubt this, and the author was obstructed several times during the research for this article. The official reason given was: "We don't want you to gather politically unwanted information."

As well as human rights organisations, environmentalists also have a problem with the farms. Some four decades ago, 40 per cent of Ethiopia was covered by forest, but today it is less than three per cent - and the bushland in Gambella is burning.

Farm manager Sekhon does not hide his lack of interest in environmental concerns. For him, it is important to develop the farm, and he is behind his ambitious schedule. To catch up, little Red and his friends must continue weeding.

Hedemann, P. (2011). Group landgrabbing - Legal lease or stolen soil?. Inter Press Service. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201111130071.html

Tunde Sanni And Senator Iroegbu

17 January 2012

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Monday called for the immediate withdrawal of soldiers from the streets of Lagos, as there was no development that warranted such “huge” presence of the military men who were drafted to the state on Sunday night by the Federal Government.

Also speaking in the same vein, Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and a number of other activists have moved against military presence in the South-west and the North-west zones of the country in the wake of the protests against the increase of petrol price.

Fashola, who spoke in a statewide broadcast on the issue, said: “For me, this is not a matter for the military. The sooner we rethink and rescind this decision the better and stronger our democracy will be.”

The governor added that irrespective of the fact that many people gathered in several parts of Lagos like Falomo, Ikorodu and Ojota, among other places, they largely conducted themselves peacefully, singing and dancing while they expressed their displeasure at the way some decisions had been taken that affect them and this should not be a justification for “sending our soldiers to a gathering of unarmed citizens”.

Fashola called for caution on the temptation to give negative connotation to the protest especially the carnival like style of the protest because, as he said: “Everyone of us, or at least majority of us who hold public office danced and sang before these same people when we were seeking their votes.  Why should we feel irritated when they sing and dance in protest against what we have done?”

Fashola’s media aide, Mr. Hakeem Bello, in a statement quoted the governor as saying that he saw the protest as providing an avenue for public discourse, “If anything, this is a most welcome transformation of our democracy in the sense that it provokes a discussion of economic policies and this inevitable may result in political debate”.

In his contribution, Fayemi said: “We are, however, worried about certain developments especially the drafting, this morning, of armed soldiers like an army of occupation in Lagos, Oyo, Ogun in the South-west and parts of the North-west geo-political zone. If it was a pre-emptive security measure, it sends a wrong signal to an already tense population.

“We have not seen any reason to warrant this development. As a specialist in Civil-Military Relations, I know the dangers inherent in drafting soldiers into issues that are purely within the purview of the police and other law enforcement agencies. It does not only undermine democratic control of the military, but also promotes dangerous role expansion which will not augur well for the military in a democratic setting.”

Also protesting the deployment, a Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, said he was taken aback Monday morning when he was stopped by some soldiers on his way to the protest ground.

In a statement titled: “My Movement was Illegally Restricted by Armed Troops in Lagos”, he said: “At about 7.30 this morning, my movement was rudely curtailed at Maryland, Lagos by armed soldiers who claimed that they were under strict instructions ‘from above’ to prevent me from leading or joining fellow Nigerians to continue the popular protests against the illegal increase in the pump price of PMS or petrol.

“Shortly thereafter, the members of the Joint Action Front (JAF) who were on a peaceful march from Yaba to the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota were tear-gassed and dispersed at Fadeyi in Lagos by a combined team of armed goons without any justification. I have also received complaints of unwarranted harassment of other unarmed protesters in several parts of Lagos.”

Another lawyer, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), also expressed shock at the presence of soldiers on Lagos streets and other parts of South-west, describing it as unconstitutional.

Akintola, who spoke with journalists shortly after he addressed a mammoth rally at the Freedom Square, Mapo, Ibadan, said the militarisation of the South-west was a bad signal.

“I can assure you that the mass protest will continue and be sustained.  They intend to intimidate us by deploying soldiers on our streets. If we could overcome military dictatorship, then no civilian can hold us hostage in our land,” he said.

In their reaction, the civil society groups (CSOs), which have been very active in the anti-subsidy removal protests, said: “We note with consternation the military occupation of numerous sites in our towns and cities by military tanks and hardware as if we are in a war.  Of concern include the occupation of the military at Ojota (Gani Fawehinmi Square), Surulere, Maryland amongst others in Lagos; the Berger Roundabout and the Wuse II intersect by ASCON Filling Station Abuja; the Lugard House Roundabout in Kaduna; and the Nodule junctions in Kano; just to name a few.”

The CSOs also said the tone of the address of  the president is reminiscent of the era of military dictatorship when the “political generals talked down on people, warned them and threatened to deal with them as if they were not citizens with rights and interests”.

“The form and substance of the address was to blackmail civil society and citizen groups of having a regime change agenda. Protests and opposition to a policy agenda unilaterally imposed by the president on the teeming millions of Nigerians suffering from effects were translated as enemy action that would be dealt with the repressive apparatuses of the state,” they added.

Sanni, T. and Iroegbu, S. (2012). Fashola, activists kick FG, want soldiers withdrawn from Lagos. This Day. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201201170266.html

Liberia Government (Monrovia)

16 January 2012

Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been sworn in as the 24th President of the Republic of Liberia, at a ceremony witnessed by distinguished personalities that included the leaders of the country's three neighboring countries – Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Côte d'Ivoire.

United States Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, led the American delegation to the ceremony, which was also attended by the President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade and the President of Benin, Dr. Boni Yayi.

The occasion was also witnessed by leaders of Liberian opposition parties, among them, Cllr. Winston Tubman and Ambassador George Weah of the Congress for Democratic Change, and Cllr. Charles Brumskine of the Liberty Party.

The Oath of Office was administered on Monday, January 16, by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia, His Honor Johnnie N. Lewis, on the grounds of the Capitol Building in Monrovia.

Liberia Government

Sirleaf gives her inaugural address after taking the oath of office.

In her Inaugural Address, President Johnson Sirleaf said the foundations for peace and prosperity have now been laid, emphasizing that it is now time to hasten the administration's true mission of putting people, especially the young, first and lifting the lives of all Liberians.

In her Address, titled "The Values of a Patriot," the Liberian President called for patriotism to achieve the daunting task of nation building. She said government will play its part in creating the conditions for growth and development, but citizens must join in the effort to achieve the objectives set by government.

"I call on you, my fellow citizens, to join me in renewing our resolve to restore our country and lead it to its grand destiny," the President said, urging Liberians to be proud of what has already been achieved, "but a still fiercer resolve to do all that must yet be done so that all Liberians thrive in freedom, equality and friendship.

Liberia Government. (2012). Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf inaugurated as country's 24th president. Liberia Government. Retrieved from http://www.emansion.gov.lr/press.php?news_id=2069

Ahamefula Ogbu

16 January 2012

President Goodluck Jonathan, in a nationwide TV address Monday morning, announced a cut in petrol price from around N141 to N97 after prolonged street demonstrations over the deregulation policy.

Also, the labour unions told the media early Monday morning that they were suspending street protests because of the political dimension it had taken but insisted that the strike would go on.

In the broadcast, Jonathan said he had to review the pump price in response to the outcry over the hardship caused by the total subsidy removal and vowed to investigate the subsidy account with a view to punishing those who fraudulently bled the country and nearly destroyed the economy.

He also promised a detailed study of the forensic audit of the account of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) with a view to curbing corruption in the oil and gas sector of the economy so as to rid it of corruption.

He promised that his government would pursue the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill with more vigour to ensure it becomes law to regulate activities in the downstream sector.

Jonathan said: "This is the second time in two weeks I will address you on the deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector. In the last seven days, the nation has witnessed a disruption of economic activities. Although, the economic imperatives for the policy have been well articulated by government, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) went ahead to declare a nationwide strike.

"There was also near-breakdown of law and order in certain parts of the country as a result of the activities of some persons or groups of persons who took advantage of the situation to further their narrow interests by engaging in acts of intimidation, harassment and outright subversion of the Nigerian state. I express my sympathy to those who were adversely affected by the protests.

"At the inception of the deregulation policy, Government had set up the Justice Alfa Belgore Committee to liaise with Labour and other stakeholders to address likely grey areas in the policy, but despite all our efforts, Labour refused the option of dialogue and also disobeyed a restraining order of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.

"However, following the intervention of the Leadership of the National Assembly, and other well-meaning Nigerians, Labour accepted to meet with government, but this yielded no tangible result.

"It has become clear to government and all well-meaning Nigerians that other interests beyond the implementation of the deregulation policy have hijacked the protest. This has prevented an objective assessment and consideration of all the contending issues for which dialogue was initiated by government. These same interests seek to promote discord, anarchy, and insecurity to the detriment of public peace."

Jonathan, however, assured Nigerians that he would always respect their right to expression of their minds and commended those who conducted themselves lawfully within the period as well as proffered useful suggestions on the way for and credible alternatives to subsidy removal and acknowledged that he knew it would cause pains which, however, would be temporary before the gains of the policy.

"Government will continue to pursue full deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector. However, given the hardships being suffered by Nigerians, and after due consideration and consultations with state governors and the leadership of the National Assembly, government has approved the reduction of the pump price of petrol to N97 per litre. The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) has been directed to ensure compliance with this new pump price.

"Government is working hard to reduce recurrent expenditure in line with current realities and to cut down on the cost of governance. In the meantime, government has commenced the implementation of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment projects: including the Federal Government-assisted mass transit programme which is already in place, and job creation for the youth.

"Furthermore, the legal and regulatory regime for the petroleum industry will be reviewed to address accountability issues and current lapses in the Industry. In this regard, the Petroleum Industry Bill will be given accelerated attention. The report of the forensic audit carried out on the NNPC is being studied with a view to implementing the recommendations and sanctioning proven acts of corruption in the industry.

"Let me assure Nigerians that this administration is irrevocably committed to tackling corruption in the petroleum industry as well as other sectors of the economy. Consequently, all those found to have contributed one way or the other to the economic adversity of the country will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

"My dear compatriots, I urge you to show understanding for the imperatives of the adjustment in the pump price of petrol and give government your full support to ensure its successful implementation. I further appeal to Nigerians to go back to work and go about their normal duties as government has made adequate arrangements for the protection of life and property throughout the federation.

"Government will not condone brazen acts of criminality and subversion. As President, I have sworn to uphold the unity, peace and order of the Nigerian State and by the grace of God, I intend to fully and effectively discharge that responsibility. Let me add that we are desirous of further engagements with Labour. I urge our Labour leaders to call off their strike, and go back to work.

"Nigeria belongs to all of us and we must collectively safeguard its unity," he concluded.

Labour leaders had risen from a meeting with the president Sunday night saying they would go back to meet and decide "on the next line of action" over the proposal by government to cut petrol price.

There were strong indications that the new price might have been accepted by all parties as labour said it was "on the same page" with government which was persuading them to see reason for an increase in petrol price or partial deregulation.

Addressing the media after the meeting with Jonathan Sunday night, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Abdulwaheed Omar said they were persuaded on the position of the president that for the past five years, the price of fuel had been at N65 per litre while the dollar had been rising and stressed the need for a price increase.

Sources at the meeting said labour agreed to meet with the Justice Alfa Belgore Committee for two days to work out modalities on the deregulation policy and would, by Wednesday, give their final word on the matter.

"We are going to sit down and analyse the position of the president. We will meet and come out with statement today," Omar said.

Those at the meeting include Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, and the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu.

Labour had declared an indefinite strike starting a week ago over the January 1 increase in petrol price which used to be N65 per litre.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources has invited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate payments made in respect of the importation of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Kerosene and prosecute anyone found to have been involved in over-invoicing, fraud and any related illegalities.

Also, the Federal Government has ordered an immediate review of the audited report of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and all parastatals under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources with a view to commencing immediate implementation of their findings.

These were part of a two-page statement released by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, who also said she had already en-panelled a unit in her office to begin a comprehensive review of management control in all parastatals in her ministry.

Other actions she said she had kick-started included a scheduled meeting with the National Assembly with a view to ensuring the immediate passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) on which the comprehensive reform of the oil sector in the country would be anchored.

"With presidential approval, I have written to invite the EFCC to immediately review all payments made in respect to subsidies on PMS and Kerosene and take all necessary steps to prosecute any incidence of malfeasance, fraud, over-invoicing, and related illegalities in open and transparent manner.

"I have set up a unit within my office to be headed by an independent auditor to review the KPMG and other audit reports on NNPC and other parastatals, and immediately begin implementation of their findings, ensuring, at all times, full probity and value for money.

"I am en-panelling another unit in my office to begin a comprehensive review of the management controls within all parastatals in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, including but not limited to NNPC, PPPRA and DPR. Accordingly, I expect a report in 30 days to enable us take further action in reforming management, personnel and other practices and procedures in parastatals within the Ministry. It should be noted however that this process has already begun in PPPRA and DPR where management changes and reform are beginning to yield desirable results; and

"I will be meeting with the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the coming week to seek their cooperation and leadership in the quick passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill so that we can anchor the comprehensive reform of the oil industry," Alison-Madueke said in the statement.

In a letter dated January 12, 2012 addressed to the acting EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, with reference number HMPR/EFCC/01/0002, Alison-Madueke wrote that Nigeria had been operating a subsidy regime on import of petroleum products where the difference between the cost of importation and pump price was paid by the government at a pre-approved oil marketing company which she has the approval of the president to investigate.

State House

President Jonathan in the National Assembly (file photo).

"Over the years, this bill has grown exponentially to unsustainable levels. As Petroleum Minister, I have become extremely concerned with these figures and following the recent transfer of the PPPRA to my ministry last year, I have moved quickly to change management and inaugurate a comprehensive reform process which include drastic cuts in the list of importer, review of payments and procedures, as well as massive re-deployment of staff within the agency.

"To now deepen my reforms and ensure that we root out all forms of corruption and abuse within the subsidy regime. I have sought and obtained the approval of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to formally invite the EFCC to immediately review and investigate all payments made in respect of subsidies checked against actual importations and to take all necessary steps to prosecute any person(s) involved in any incidence of malfeasance, fraud, over-payment and related illegalities," she said.

Ogbu, A. (2012). Protests Suspended As FG Cuts Petrol Price to N97. This Day. Retrieved from http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/protests-suspended-as-fg-cuts-petrol-price-to-n97/107223/

The African Community Center for Unity and Self-Determination

hosts the 1^st Quarter 2012 Assembly/ Mbongi on

Black Love Relationships 

Business          Family          Intimate        Community        Youth

Creating, Repairing, and Sustaining African Relationships 

Moderated by Yoofiwaa and Sundiata

January 14, 2012

6:00pm-10:00pm

Spelman College, Cosby Auditorium

350 Spelman Lane S.W.

Atlanta, Ga., 30314    (404)681-3643

This relationship Mbongi aims to heal, using a small set of foundational tools from Healing Oppressions Wounds. We will break into small groups to practice in various relationship situations critical to our development and unity.

We’ll practice using the Healing Oppressions Wounds model to:

• Counter oppression, which has distorted our communication and relationships
• Use  the power of recognition (touch, words, and looks) to heal/ rebuild ourselves 
• Speak with emotional authenticity to build trust and unity

Presentations by Mama Marimba Ani and Baba Wekesa Madzimoyo

For vending or other info call (404) 344-5454, (404) 449-9389

OUR LOCATION

OUR HOURS

VISIT US ONLINE

IT's BEEN 10 YEARS ALREADY!!!

It's been a wonderful journey from our humble beginnings, in Atlanta where a group of college students had the vision to make the lives of the youth in their community better, to become an international organization affecting change all over the world.

LEARN HOW YOU CAN BECOME INVOLVED 

WITH HABESHA!

The HABESHA Family is always expanding and we are always looking for youth and adults to be a part of our growing family.  Whether it's as a volunteer, or a participants, you can find ways to be a part of the movement and be of service to others.  Learn more at ONE FOUNDATION.

RECOGNITION OF OUR MOST VALUED SUPPORTERS

At ONE FOUNDATOIN, we will be honoring those in the community near and far who have made a significant contribution to makingHABESHA a successful international organization for the past 10 years! You don't want to miss this event, it won't come around for another 10 YEARS!

SEE PRESENTATIONS ABOUTHABESHA PROGRAMS

Come join us as we share with the community all of the programs that we have done over the past decade.  It is only through your support that we have been able to accomplish all that we have.

VISIT OUR YOUTH MARKETPLACE!

Visit the Youth Marketplace whereHABESHA Youth and youth from the community will be showcasing their goods and services.  TheHABESHA Youth will be selling items to help them in the fundraising efforts to travel to Ghana and Ethiopia in July of 2012.

SEE WHAT WE HAVE IN MIND FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS!

As we begin 2012, we are exciting about the initiatives that we have planned in our future. Our reach will grow internationally, and we expect more branches to be established nationally.   The future is bright, and we want to make sure that we are a pert of the solution as it relates to uplifting your youth in the decade to come.

FEBRUARY 1, 2012

"Dennis Brown is My 

Favorite Singer"

(A Musical Community's Trip Down Memory Lane)

8PM-3AM (WRFG 89.3FM)

To launch Bob Fest 2012 in the spirit of the Fest's theme, "UNITY IS STRENGTH," several of Atlanta's prominent and not-so prominent musicians, radio personalities and DJ's (vinyl musicians) will get together and pour their musical sugar on us. Bob Marley often referred to Dennis Brown as his FAVORITE singer, and according to legend was the one to dub him the "Crown Prince Of Reggae." On Wed Feb 1st, the birthday of Dennis Brown, we exalt that legendary brotherly love with a trip down memory lane, exploring the sounds of Studio One and beyond. touching on the plethora of musical influences that Jamaican producers both drew from and in turn INFLUENCED, from Jazz to HipHop. WRFG 89.3 is a community owned and operated radio station, and opportunities are IMMENSE for very valuable promotion time to a wide and dedicated audience.

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

"ONE DROP"

PLACE:TBD

ADMISSION: FREE

 

Africana Studies scholar Yaba Blay and award winning photographer Noelle Theard have launched their collaborative project, (1)ne Drop, a thought prov0ing look into the "other" faces of Blackness.  Using the historical "one-drop rule" as a reference, Blay and Theard's project seeks to challenge the narrow, yet popular perceptions of "Blackness."  This eventing of cultural sharing will include a few musical selections intertwined with a vivid presentation and discussion to follow.  This is an event for the entire family, and promises to be a springboard for much greater dialogue and healing.

FEBRUARY 4, 2012

"TRENCHTOWN ROCK"

(International Night Dance and Concert)

The 5 Spot

1123 Euclid Ave.

Atlanta, GA 30307

10PM - Until 

Tightly packed music house in Atlanta’s historic yet trendy Little five Points area… Horns, keyboards, and vocals are hovering over sweaty bodies and thunderous drums. Color screen projecting classic images of musical days gone by alongside colorful logos of supporting businesses– timely images imprinted in the mind forever. Incense burning. Smiling faces.  International night is the longest running event in the Bob Marley Birthday celebration. This year’s lineup boasts an assortment of artists representing the pulse of African diasporic music. International night is music lovers’ paradise, featuring Atlanta’s premiere DJ’s of African and Reggae music, along with top notch musical artists and bands. This annual concert is an advertiser’s dream, merely because of the mass volume of patrons and even quadruples the amount in terms of reach.

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE

"JAMMIN"

Venue: Cloud IX

177 Peters Street, SW ATL

7PM-MIDNIGHT

Every Sunday, we bring you one of the Best Open Mics in ATL plus featured performances!  Experience 2 Levels/3 Rooms of Live Music, Art, Open Mic, Spoken Word/Poetry, Step/Ballroom Lesson and a Vendors Market @ Cloud IX.  Hosted by Ms. Dia of WRFG 89.3FM

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

"POLITICAL EDUCATION 101: PASSIN IT ON"

The Shomrey HaTora Cultural Center

1386 Ralph David Abernathy, SW

Atlanta, GA 30310

7PM-10PM

 

Bob Fest proudly links with the FTP Movement, a grassroots organization which has been at the practical forefront for social change, to present a film screening and discussion: PASSIN' IT ON - The Black Panthers' Search for Justice. "A gritty and soulful classic, PASSIN' IT ON is the story of one man in search of justice who is wronged by the nation with which he is at odds. Part indictment, part redemption tale, the film offers startling insight into the role of the Black Panther Party in a social revolution, and the New York Police Department and the FBI's devious targeting of one of the organization's most fervent leaders--Dhoruba Bin Wahad (born Richard Moore). 

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

"ONE FOUNDATION"

(HABESHA 10-year Anniversary Celebration)

Omenala Griot Museum

337 Dargan Place, SW

Atlanta, GA 30310

7PM-11PM 

HABESHA inc, www.habeshainc.org, is a non profit organization which has built a solid international reputation based on quality education to adults and youth alike in the fields of sustainable culture. HABESHA produced a celebrated documentary, BLACK TO OUR ROOTS (featured nationally on PBS), which documented the yearly program (now operating in several cities) which culminates in a life changing journey to Africa for the youth participants. Locally, HABESHA is responsible for a number of seminal annual social activities, including the ever popular Organic Fest. On this night, in a familly friendly atmosphere, we team up with HABESHA for a celebration of 10 years of providing programs for the community. 

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

"ZION TRAIN"

(All Faith Spiritual-Love Gathering)

Tasili's Raw Reality

1059 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd.

Atlanta, GA 30310

2PM - 6PM 

Over 200 years ago, a united and determined group of our ancestors used this affirmation as a rallying cry to overthrow the most powerful army on the planet at that time. Ironically, the devastated state of current Haiti bears testimony to this power. People don’t bother the forces that they don’t fear. We are in a time of harvest, a ripe time for the manifestation of the prayers of our ancestors. More than anything else, what is needed is Operational Unity. As a wise elder once asked, “what difference do our differences make?” On Sunday, Feb 5th, we continue the celebration with a POW WOW, an all faiths event of great magnitude, featuring expressions, prayers, chants and love energy from around the African experience. To quote H.I.M Haile Selassie, Bob Marley’s chief influence in his life works, “when African righteous people come together, the WORLD will come together. This is our divine destiny…”

FEBRUARY 6, 2012

"MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL"

(Family Fun Night)

6PM-9PM

PLACE: TBA

ADMISSION: $10/Adults ~ $5/Under 16

Music and sport have found a beautiful marriage in most of the world.   On Bob's birthday, Feb 6th, we honor the Tuff Gong by bringing generations, races and classes together for one of Bob's CLEARLY favorite pastimes, an indoor SOCCER match. Soccer, or "Football" everywhere else in the world, is the world’s most popular sport. On Monday night, we culminate Bob Fest 2012 with sport, the hypnotic smells of Caribbean food and the pulsating rhythms of Reggae music played by Atlanta’s finest DJ’s

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4 August 2011 Last updated at 15:30 ET

Nigeria's Ogoniland region could take 30 years to recover fully from the damage caused by years of oil spills, a long-awaited UN report says.

The study says complete restoration could entail the world's "most wide-ranging and long-term oil clean-up".

Communities faced a severe health risk, with some families drinking water with high levels of carcinogens, it said.

Oil giant Shell has accepted liability for two spills and said all oil spills were bad for Nigeria and the company.

"We will continue working with our partners in Nigeria, including the government, to solve these problems and on the next steps to help clean up Ogoniland," Mutiu Sunmonu, managing director of the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), said in a statement.

The Bodo fishing community has said it will seek hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation.

Nigeria is one of the world's major oil producers.

'900 times recommended levels'

The UN assessment of Ogoniland, which lies in the Niger Delta, said 50 years of oil operations in the region had "penetrated further and deeper than many had supposed".

"In at least 10 Ogoni communities where drinking water is contaminated with high levels of hydrocarbons, public health is seriously threatened," the UN Environmental Programme (Unep)said in a statement.

Some areas which appeared unaffected were actually "severely contaminated" underground, Unep said.

In one community, the report says, families were drinking from wells which were contaminated with benzene, a known carcinogen, at 900 times recommended levels.

It said scientists at the site, which lay close to a Nigerian National Petroleum Company pipeline, found oil slicks eight centimetres thick floating on the water.

This was reportedly due to an oil spill more than six years ago, it said.

The report, based on examinations of some 200 locations over 14 months, said Shell had created public health and safety issues by failing to apply its own procedures in the control and maintenance of oilfield infrastructure.

But it also said local people were sabotaging pipelines in order to steal oil.

The report says that restoring the region could cost $1bn (£613m) and take 25-30 years to complete.

"The environmental restoration of Ogoniland could prove to be the world's most wide-ranging and long term oil clean-up exercise ever undertaken if contaminated drinking water, land, creeks and important ecosystems such as mangroves are to be brought back to full, productive health," Unep said.

'Not attributing blame'

The report, which is regarded as the most detailed study on any area in the oil-rich Niger Delta, was paid for in part by Shell after a request by the Nigerian government.

Amnesty International, which has campaigned on the issue, said the report proved Shell was responsible for the pollution.

"This report proves Shell has had a terrible impact in Nigeria, but has got away with denying it for decades, falsely claiming they work to best international standards," said Audrey Gaughran,Amnesty's global issues director, said.

But earlier, Unep spokesman Nick Nuttal told the BBC's Network Africa that the study was not intended to "blame any particular stakeholder operating in Ogoniland".

He also stressed that Shell's admission of liability for two spills had nothing to do with the Unep report.

Shell said on Wednesday that it took responsibility for the spills, which took place in 2008 and 2009, and would settle the case under Nigerian law. The Bodo fishing community had alleged that the leaks had ruined their environment and livelihoods.

In response to Thursday's report, Mr Sunmonu said it made a "contribution towards improving understanding of the issue of oil spills in Ogoniland".

"All oil spills are bad - bad for local communities, bad for the environment, bad for Nigeria and bad for SPDC," he said.

"We clean up all spills from our facilities, whatever the cause, and restore the land to its original state," he said.

The SPDC managing director also urged the authorities to do all they could do curb illegal refining and the sabotaging of pipelines.

Ogoni communities have long complained about the damage to their communities, but they say they have mostly been ignored.

The issue was highlighted by the writer Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was executed in 1995 by Nigeria's military government, sparking international condemnation.

The campaign forced Shell to stop pumping oil out of Ogoniland but it continues to operate pipelines in the region and spills have continued.

BBC News Africa. (2012). Ogoniland oil clean-up 'could take 30 years'. BBC News Africa. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14398659

Sunday Okobi

11 January 2012

Miffed by the security challenges in the country, Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Tuesday warned that the country was heading towards a civil war, blaming political leaders who spread religious intolerance.

While a mosque and Islamic school have been attacked and set ablaze in Benin-City, Edo State yesterday, according to a police source in the state, the Greater Accra Police Command has impounded a truck load of ammunition said to be on its way to Nigeria.

Two people, a Ghanaian and a Nigerian had been arrested, Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, Rose bio Atinga, confirmed in an interview with Joy News reporter, Annie Osabutey.

Speaking to the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) World Service, Soyinka said he agreed with President Goodluck Jonathan that the current unrest was worse than the 1960s civil war, stressing: "It's not an unrealistic comparison - it's certainly based on many similarities. We see the nation heading towards a civil war."

Asked whether the unrest threatened the state of Nigeria itself, Soyinka replied: "It is going that way. We can no longer pretend it's not. When you've got a situation where a bunch of people can go into a place of worship and open fire through the windows, you've reached a certain dismal watershed in the life of that nation."

Soyinka said the issues raised by Boko Haram, which was blamed for violence targeting Christians in the north of Nigeria and has sparked fears of a wider religious conflict, had been brewing for some time.

"There are people in power in certain parts of the country, leaders who quite genuinely and authoritatively hate and cannot tolerate any religion outside their own," he said.

"When you combine that with the ambitions of a number of people who believe they are divinely endowed to rule the country and who... believe that their religion is above whatever else binds the entire nation together, and somehow the power appears to slip from their hands, then they resort to the most extreme measures.

"Youths who have been indoctrinated right from infancy can be used, and who have been used, again and again to create mayhem in the country," he said.

He added "Those who have created this faceless army have lost control of them."

Meanwhile, the ammunition included action guns, double barrel guns and uncountable number of cartridges, Atinga confirmed. The truck was impounded yesterday in Achimota on its way to Nigeria. Atinga would not reveal the identities of the suspects, except thorough investigations have begun. It is not clear why the ammunition was heading to Nigeria and in whose hands they may end up.

Also the Nigerian Red Cross spokesman told the BBC that five people had been killed and six injured in the incident which followed a separate attack on a different mosque in city on Monday.

A leader of the Hausa community in Benin-City told the BBC's Hausa Service that 7,000 northerners were seeking refuge in police and army barracks in the city, and that they were being registered at police stations and army barracks.

Two cars at the centre housing the mosque and Islamic school were also torched, police said.

The attack was the latest in a spiral of sectarian violence that has seen many southerners living in the north flee their homes.

According to BBC's report, the latest violence started in Benin on Monday, when a group attacked a mosque, leaving 10 people injured, and also in Gusau, capital of Zamfara State, youths attacked a church. Police made 19 arrests.

A group of youths tried to attack a Hausa community leader's house but it was defended by Hausa youths and the police then intervened.

Okobi, S. (2012). Soyinka - Nation heads for civil war. This Day. Retrieved from http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/soyinka-nigeria-heads-for-civil-war/106884/

9 January 2012

Reports from across the country indicate that the nationwide protests called by organised labour and civil society groups to kick against government's decision to remove fuel subsidy was largely successful.

From the nation's commercial capital, Lagos to Kaduna, from Abeokuta to Akure, Kaduna and Kano and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, there was no commercial activity as shops, offices, schools and petrol stations around the country closed on the first day of an indefinite strike called by unions.

In Lagos streets were totally deserted as thousands people have gathered at Gani Fewehinmi Park at Ojota where they listened to speeches made by labour leaders and civil society groups.

According to reports more people were still arriving the Park all the time, even as unconfirmed reports said three protesters had been shot at Ogba area of Lagos with one of them reportedly dead.

In Kano, police fired tear gas and shot into the air to disperse thousands of protesters who were converging on the governor's office. According to a BBC Hausa Service reporter, 12 people were injured during the incident.

In the nation's capital, Abuja, picketers closed the airport, preventing flights from arriving or leaving. There are reports that youths camping in the city's Eagle Square were cleared out overnight by police using tear gas.

Further north in Kaduna, there is a heavy police presence and the streets are quiet, with all shops closed, says the BBC's Abdullahi Kaura Abubakar.

According to reports, Ilorin was also at a standstill with people staying indoors.

In Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, Civil Society groups, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Academic Staff Union of Nigerian University (ASUU) led by the state chapter of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Monday stormed major streets of the ancient city.

The rally, tagged 'Mega Rally' took off at the state secretariat of NLC at Ibara Housing Estate, Abeokuta in a convoy with men of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) as well as protesters who had besieged the secretariat for the rally.

The mega rally train moved from the NLC secretariat amidst tight security through Oke Ilewo to Omida Market to Isale Igbeyin with a stop over at the Ake's Palace where the NLC chairman, Comrade Hakeem Ambali presented the position of the union to the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo over the subsidy removal by the Federal Government.

While presenting position of the labour to the Alake, Ambali said what President Goodluck Jonathan did on the removal of the fuel subsidy was not acceptable by labour as well as good people of the state, adding: "We are on the streets of Abeokuta to kick against the removal."

In his brief response, Gbadebo told the union leader that "we are all suffering together", warning that the rally should be done in a peaceful manner without destroying government or private properties in the name of protesting against the subsidy removal.

Gbadebo urged the union leader to remain calm in their protest, saying "if you want make a change, you don't make it by violence. Please don't disrupt anybody's business as you move from here."

Meanwhile, major areas of the capital were deserted as shops and commercial activities were grounded down by the rally.

In Abia State, the nation-wide indefinite strike called by the organised labour to protest the removal of fuel subsidy recorded partial success in the state Monday as only public servants heeded the call and stayed away from their offices.

There were no street protests across the state.

However every other business except government was in full swing. The Umuahia main market was bustling with commercial activities.

Aba, the commercial and industrial city of Abia State, was also in full commercial activities. Filling stations were all open for business.

At the motor parks buses and cars were loading and heading to different parts of the country oblivious of the supposedly nation-wide anti-subsidy removal strike.

A commercial bus driver, Nic Ejike told THISDAY that he was aware of the strike but insisted that it was for "people who work for government".

He stated that the leadership of their union did not ask them to stay at home hence they could not join the national strike, adding that he was in support of the strike "if only it could compel government to reduce the price of fuel."

However, to ensure compliance, a team of labour leaders led by the state chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Sylvanus Eye, set out as early as 8.00am to go round and monitor the situation.

They visited the ministries and parastatals, State House of Assembly, FMC, and broadcast stations in the state capital urging for full compliance in prosecuting the strike.

Though the strike did not record total compliance outside the public sector, the NLC chairman promised that the market association and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) would join the strike Tuesday.

Social and economic activities were paralysed in Ondo State as residents both in public and private sectors complied with the strike action called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other civil society groups to protest the removal of fuel subsidy by Federal Government.

Protesters as early as 7.30am trooped to the major Adeisda/Oyemekun Road in the Akure metropolis with placards bearing inscriptions condemning the action of the government, which they said would further impoverished Nigerians.

Markets, banks, government offices, filling stations and shops were under lock and key just as streets remain deserted as commercial vehicle operators, taxi and commercial motorcyclists popularly called Okada abandoned their tools of trade.

Many residents, who did not take part in the protest stayed indoors, while youths turned the major street roads into temporary football pitches.

Government owned radio and television stations for most parts of Monday remained off air as only senior officers reported for skeletal duties.

Some of the placards carried by protesters read: 'Jonathan has ignited fire in Nigeria'; 'We must stop him now'; 'Nigerians Say No to Fuel Subsidy Removal' and 'Reject IMF/World Bank Policies Now'.

However, the protest took place round major streets in the state capital and other major towns under the watchful eyes of various security agencies as police, State Security Services (SSS) men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were present.

At various points labour leaders and civil society organisations took time to address protesters one after the other decrying the increase in fuel prices due to the removal of subsidy.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Henry Fadairo, who moved round the major streets said the police could prevent the people from protesting but the men was concerned about was maintenance of law and order.

He enjoined the protesters not to prevent any person or group of persons that want to go about their normal activities.

Fadairo appealed to the people to remain peaceful and avoid making burn fires and barricade of roads in order to avoid confrontation.

However, in Lagos, the former Vice President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, TREM, Bishop Mike Okonkwo has implored NLC to resort to the path of dialogue with the government rather than embark on demonstrations.

He said there was a possibility for hoodlums to take advantage of the NLC protest to perpetuate more havocs in the nation.

Speaking on the state of the nation at a press conference held in Lagos, Okonwko said that no matter what may happen, first and foremost the path of dialogue still remains the best way to resolve issues to minimise the loses of lives and properties.

"We have had a lot of loses in the recent past and to avoid violence that would further degenerate to more destruction of lives and property as well as looting, anarchy and other forms of evil in the nation, labour should not go on the planned strike," he said.

He advised further that the ideal solution to the present situation in the nation is that the President should go back to negotiation table and let the masses know what is going on.

"In view of what is going on now, the masses lack understanding of what the whole thing about fuel subsidy removal means. The immediate solution to the present situation is that first Jonathan should go back to the negotiation table. This is not going to take any honour away from him as the president - to say 'look in view of the fact that the masses do not understand what is going on, let's put the fuel subsidy removal on hold until when we are able to educate the masses as much as we could," he said.

Sulaiman, T., Balogun, S., Ekah, M., Sowole, J., Ugwu, E. (2012). Fuel strike brings country to a halt. This Day. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201201092222.html.

Emma Amaize and Umar Yusuf in Yola

7 January 2012

The Boko Haram Islamic sect has made good its threat to attack Southerners living in the North as no fewer than 20 people from both the Igbo and Yoruba extractions were murdered in Mubi, Adamawa State between Thursday night and yesterday.

Eight other people, including six Christian worshippers, were killed and several others wounded in a Deeper Life Church in Gombe State just as an 80 year- old father, Musa Darkuwa and his son, Usman were killed in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State on Thursday night, bringing the number of those killed by suspected members of the sect in the two states within the period to about 30.

Wife of the Pastor Johnson Jauro of the Deeper Life Church was among those killed in the attack, even as two other victims in the state were killed in a hotel in the metropolis.Governor Ibrahaim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe has always expressed shock over the mayhem unleashed on the Deeper Life Church.

The governor who visited the church yesterday in company of the State CAN Chairman, Reverend Abare Kalla, and many other state dignitaries, directed security agents to fish out the perpetrators of the crime, noting that the development was alien to Gombe.

In Delta State, the police also confirmed that five people, including two policemen; an Assistant Superintendent and Inspector were killed by armed robbers in military camouflage. The others were a couple and their salesgirl in a jewellery shop in Warri.

Also, in what looked like a reprisal attack over the killings of Southerners by Boko Haram, enraged youths numbering about 2000 and armed with axes, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons yesterday went on rampage in Sapele, sacking and inflicting injuries on about 50 Muslims at the Hausa Quarters in the local government.

A screen grab made on October 21, 2010 in an undisclosed location from a video allegedly showing members of the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram. A purported spokesman for Islamist sect Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a Christmas Day explosion near a church outside the Nigerian capital on December 25, 2011. "We are responsible for all the attacks in the past few days, including today's bombing of the church in Madalla," Abul Qaqa told AFP by phone. "We will continue to launch such attacks throughout the north in the next few days." AFP PHOTO

Two mosques were torched during the crises, as the Chief Imam of Sapele Central Mosque, Alhaji Mohammed Usman condemned the incident. Two persons suspected to have carried out the attacks were however arrested by the police in Sapele.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that the killing in Mubi started Thursday night when gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram killed three southerners.

It was learnt that while relatives of those killed the previous day gathered yesterday to discuss modalities for conveying their corpses to their respective states for burials, the same gunmen swooped on them and started shooting sporadically killing 12 people on the spot and wounding over 30 others, thus bringing the number of those killed in Mubi alone to 15.

Those wounded were said to be receiving treatment in various hospitals in the state. An Information Officer in Mubi told Saturday Vanguard that tension was seriously mounting in the town as Igbo traders had closed their shops in solidarity with their slain colleagues. He said attempts by the Igbo to retaliate the killings of their kits and kins was being hampered by the heavy security presence in the town.

Mike Blyth/Flickr

Worshippers in Nigeria.

However, Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo who visited the church in company of the State CAN Chairman, Reverend Abare Kalla and many other state dignitaries, directed security agents to make sure that they fish out the perpetrators of the crime and the cause which he said was alien to Gombe.

The Governor who condemned the attack of a place of worship and the killing of worshippers however stated that the incident has challenged the government to step up measures for the continued peaceful co-existence of the people in the state, even as he tasked the people to henceforth seek security help and advise before embarking on an overnight church activity.

He acknowledged that the location of the church was known to be a den for criminals and hoodlums also promised free medical treatment for those still receiving treatment while also promising that Government would take care of the burial rites of those that lost their lives in the attack.

Amaize, E. and Yusuf, U. (2012). Quit order - Boko Haram kills 30 southerners. Vanguard. http://allafrica.com/stories/201201070005.html

IWA: A WARRIOR'S CHARACTER

No nation can stand as a principled, honorable power without the sense and strength of its traditional convictions. And no people determined to be independent empowered and sovereign, can build and progressively maintain itself without a motivated, diligent, disciplined, respectful, knowledgeable class of warriors who consider themselves duty bound to defend the name and secure the existence of their people. At the heart of every decisive warrior class we have
produced, we find this IWA, a quality and enduring strength of mind which reflect good character at the deepest psychological and spiritual levels. To be of good character, to possess IWA, our warriors must know how to think, speak and act as our Ancestors have. Above all else, this requires that there be no contradiction between these three manifestations of consciousness. Still, warriors have to recognize that this is an evolutionary process within. Developing good character takes both righteous instruction and ample time for
the seeker to become one with it. Our Ancestors, and those who have continued their movement along the revolutionary, nationbuilding path, have already given us these warrior rules through their words and examples. They have left us an abundantly rich tradition of warriorhood. Through them, we can easily see what constitutes good character among warriors. They have given the new vanguard a
dynamic, balanced way of thinking and living which offers loving guidance in their pursuit of good character on the home front as well as battlefields in this anti-Afrikan reality. This book is an examination of that character and the methods for effectively building it.

a course taught at AKOBEN INSTITUTE by
MWALIMU K. BOMANI BARUTI

Class Lectures Each Tuesday Night, 7:30-9:00 (ONLINE)
January 10 - January 31, 2012

Class Lectures Each Wednesday Night, 7:30-9:00 (ON LOCATION AT AKOBEN INSTITUTE)
January 11 - February 1, 2012

REGISTER WITH AKOBEN INSTITUTE @
404.753.7237 | mwalimubaruti@yahoo.com

Ibrahim Shuaibu

5 January 2012

Hundreds of youths Wednesday in Kano converged at the ever busy Zaria road by the famous Silver Jubilee roundabout and barricaded the place thereby causing serious traffic hold ups in continuation of the mass protest they began on Monday.

Although the protests was carried out in a peaceful manner, the protesters which include Arewa Citizen Action for Change vowed to remain at Silver Jubilee round about venue until federal government responds to the calls by Nigerians to restore subsidy on petrol it removed.

THISDAY correspondent who monitored the movement of the protesting youths, reports that the action of the youth almost brought commercial and economic activities to a standstill as both passers-by and commercial motorcyclists were forced to join the protests.

Speaking to journalists, one of the coordinators of the protest, Comrade Sani Darma of Arewa Citizen Action for Change, said they would not leave the Silver Jubilee round about until federal government rescinds its decision on fuel subsidy.

He said the action of the federal government is not only counter-productive but 'will affect not only those of us now but our generations yet unborn which was why we are fighting the injustice now', he remarked. 'There is no going back, subsidy must be restored, we are determined to continue to fight until the government sees reason and make a u-turn'.

John Abayomi/Vanguard

United in protest.

Also speaking, Comrade Kabiru Saidu Dakata of Concern Movement of Nigerian Youth warned the government to urgently revert to the old pump price of petrol, saying failure to rescind its obnoxious decision, 'our next line of action will be worse than what is happening now', he warned.

As at the time of filling this report, the youth are still in their hundreds at the venue of the protest and are not molested by security men who are watching close by.

THISDAY recalled that on Monday security were beefed up throughout Kano City to prevent hoodlums from taking advantage of the fuel subsidy protest to loot.

However, the protesters also blocked Kano to Katsina, Kano to Zaria road while they also observed the zuhr and Asr prayer at the silver jubilee roundabout which is being congregated by many peoples.

Shuaibu, I. (2012). Protesters vow to continue protest. This Day. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201201050478.html

These headlines say so much about the pending GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS it can't even be expressed in words.  However, it can be expressed in FOREX CHARTS.  So, if you'd like to LEARN not only HOW TO READ FOREX CHARTS but also HOW TO CAPITALIZE OFF OF THE CRISIS please e-mail with the subject line "I'd like to learn FOREX trading" to afrohopatl@gmail.com to begin the process.  SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY PLEASE!
J O I N  T H E  W U R L D ! ! !

Weekly Brief | Thursday, January 5

Eurozone collapse ‘starts this year’ says CEBR

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8987886/Eurozone-collapse-starts-this-year-says-CEBR.html

Europe’s single currency is almost certain to disintegrate within the next decade, the CEBR has predicted, with Greece and Italy potentially abandoning the euro this year…

★ 24 via The Telegraph

Eurozone

Why Was The Wife Of Switzerland’s Central Banker Trading Francs Just Days Before A Devaluation?

http://www.businessinsider.com/kashya-hildebrand-krasting-2012-1?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+businessinsider+%28Business+Insider%29

My kind of story in the Swiss papers today. I love it when big shot central bankers get their dirty laundry made public. Kashya, the wife of Philipp Hildebrand (head of the Swiss National Bank) sold Swiss Francs just a few days before the Swiss National…

★ 23 via Business Insider

Europe leaders warn of grim 2012

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16377010

European leaders have warned of a difficult year ahead, as many economists predict recession in 2012. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe was experiencing its "most severe test in decades" but that Europe was growing closer in the debt crisis…

★ 97

Italy seeks bigger euro fund after tough debt sale

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/29/us-italy-bonds-auction-idUSTRE7BS08Q20111229

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti sought reinforcement for the euro zone's bailout fund and pledged new efforts to boost the economy after a disappointing bond auction on Thursday underlined the threat to the country's shaky public finances…

★ 15 via Reuters

Recession ‘to return’ to Europe

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16361047

The vast majority of leading economists polled by the BBC believe recession will return to Europe next year. One fifth said the eurozone would not exist in its current 17-member form, while the majority put the possibility of a eurozone break-up at 30%…

★ 60 via BBC

Euro could become world’s leading currency: Noyer

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/31/us-euro-noyer-idUSTRE7BU0FO20111231

The euro could become the world's leading currency in the next decade if leaders of the single-currency bloc succeed in tightening fiscal integration, European Central Bank policymaker Christian Noyer said in an article to be published in the Journal du…

★ 21 via Reuters

Why Britain should think about doing things the German way

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/30/doing-it-german-way

Four years ago I attended the opening ceremony of BMW Welt in Munich. This sensational vortex of a building is where you go should you feel like a little Freude am Fahren (Joy in Driving, BMW's slogan) to collect your gleaming new German car…

★ 19 via The Guardian

Around the World

China moving to more convertible yuan: Zhou

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/31/us-china-economy-inflation-idUSTRE7BU07T20111231

China's central bank governor argued in comments published on Saturday that Beijing does not control the yuan's flow across borders as tightly as some think and that it is natural for the currency's trading band to be widened over time…

★ 15 via Reuters

PBOC’s Zhou Reiterates Prudent Monetary Policy in 2012

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-04/china-central-bank-chief-vows-prudent-2012-monetary-policy.html

The People’s Bank of China “will continue to implement prudent monetary policy” and “ensure the continuity and stability” of policy in 2012, Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said. The central bank will also “continue to deepen financial reform, accelerate…

★ 12 via Bloomberg

Euro drops below ¥100 for first time since 2001

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/rss/nn20111231n1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+japantimes_news+%28The+Japan+Times+Headline+News+-+News+%26+Business%29

The euro weakened for a sixth day against the yen on Friday, dropping below 100 for the first time since June 2001, on concern Europe's debt crisis will weigh on the region's economic growth. The 17-nation currency also fell against the dollar, setting…

★ 15 via Japan Times

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Nasseem Ackbarally

27 December 2011

Port Louis — Mauritius plans to privatise its water sector, as rains become rare, and century-old pipes continue to leak almost 50 percent of the water available, added to waste by the population, mismanagement and over-consumption.

"Water rates are cheap in Mauritius compared to other countries in the region despite the increase of 35 percent scheduled for January 2012," Energy and Public Utilities Minister Rashid Beebeejaun observes, while calculating the bill an average family of four who consumes 20 m3 (20,000 litres) of potable water a month would pay. "Only MRs 150 (five dollars); just compare this figure with the price of tobacco."

Presently, 10 m3 of water (10,000 litres) for domestic purposes costs the equivalent of 1.50 dollars, while commercial users pay the equivalent of 43 cents of a dollar for the first 100 m3, industrial consumers 34 cents, and the hotel industry 62 cents for the first 100 m3. The cost for treating and delivering one m3 of water is MRs 12.00 (41 cents), according to the Central Water Authority (CWA).

Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has admitted that there is a problem with the water supply in this Indian Ocean island nation, located 2,400 km off the southeast coast of Africa.

"We can have plenty of water, we haven't planned properly. That is the problem," he said. More than 99 percent of the population has access to piped water on their premises or within their homes.

Experts from the Singapore Public Utility Board are currently reviewing the functioning of the entire water sector on the island, both public and private, to improve delivery of services.

The water shortage is mainly due to leakages from the 100-year old pipes that have never been replaced, and have not been maintained for years due to lack of funds.

Thus, fully half of the water leaks before reaching the consumers, said Dev Aukle, acting general manager of the CWA.

The challenge is big, adds Beebeejaun, who has unveiled a government plan to replace part of the 2,000-km long network and build two more dams.

Haniff Peerun, chairperson of the Mauritius Labour Congress, says privatisation always brings in higher rates for the services offered, while investors make huge profits.

"Water rates would keep on increasing under private ownership.

Currently, private operators are selling one litre of water for MRs 20 (69 cents). One can get 4,000 litres of potable water with this same amount from the public water sector. So, how can we accept privatisation?" he asks.

Demonstrating in front of the offices of the CWA earlier this month, Jayen Chellum, general secretary of the Consumers Association of Mauritius (ACIM), said neither a rise in rates nor privatisation is justified "since a good part of the population does not get enough water because of the leakages in the pipes."

But Mauritians approve of the government's decision to raise water rates on grounds of transparency and good governance, citing as examples the banking, insurance and financial services sector and the sugar industry that are well managed by private hands.

Riad Hulmuth, a resident of New Grove, in southern Mauritius, says political intervention has ruined all public bodies in Mauritius.

"Political nominees who do not possess any skills always head such bodies. They are paid huge wages and fringe benefits, cars and travel allowances. Had the water sector been managed by the private sector there would have been less wastage, good management and abundant water for all," he says.

Kritanand Beeharry from the Mauritius Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Federation (MAMCF) said he has no problem with privatisation "if the rates stay the same."

Nevertheless, he agrees with the increase in water rates for other purposes "as the government needs money to invest in infrastructure to bring water to every household. This is not an easy task because production costs are increasing," he says.

But Prakash Bhuckory, a farmer from Nouvelle Découverte, a village in the centre of the island, is not happy. Increased water rates would affect the profitability of his 200-cow dairy enterprise.

"Fodder and other inputs in animal husbandry are not cheap and milk production is not that great. It'd be difficult to manage the farm if prices keep on increasing," he said.

Mauritius gets about 2,100 mm of rain annually that are collected by 11 dams, 5 aquifers, 25 rivers and rivulets and 364 boreholes. But most of the rainwater runs into the sea because of the topography of this 1,862 square kilometre island, while the rest is shared by domestic users whose per capita consumption is 167 litres, while the national per capita consumption including industry and others stands at 221 litres.

Demand for water is increasing by 2.5 percent a year - with a 16 percent increase for domestic users, 62 percent for commercial, 44 percent for hotels and 32 percent for public institutions.

Meanwhile, some 360 water users, mostly sugar estates, hold century-old water rights that guarantee them plenty of water, at almost no cost, from rivers, canals and streams that pass or border their lands, under the Rivers and Canals Act dated 1863.

But Beebeejaun told IPS that all water resources belong to the state and water rights are licences to use water and not to own it.

"The water rights owners are using almost half of the water available on the island. We are looking seriously into that matter," he said.

But the director of the Mauritius Sugar Producers Association (MSPA), Jean Li Yuen Fong, told IPS that the estates need this water for irrigation purposes as they cultivate sugar cane, vegetables and fruit.

IRIN

Fresh water being poured into a jerry can.

"Without this water, it would be impossible for them to produce food," he added, emphasising that the producers are conscious of the lack of water and to that effect are investing in new and efficient technologies.

Yuen Fong said if the government puts a price on the water they use from the rivers that are presently free of charge, it would definitely drive up production costs.

Salil Roy, manager of the Planters Reforms Association (PRA), claims producers will die if they are prevented from using water from the rivers. "On one hand, we are asked to produce more food and on the other, water is running to the sea. What's wrong with using it?" he asks.

Ackbarally, N. (2011). Thirsty for Ideas to Address Water Woes. Inter Press Service. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112300432.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Africa: Beyond the Privatisation of Liberation

Horace Campbell

26 May 2011

analysis

As Africa celebrates Africa Liberation Day this week, the great challenge for the continent's peoples remains liberation from privatisation, writes Horace Campbell.

South Africa is a society where the actions of political leaders in the state machinery are threatening to reverse of the popular struggles for liberation. Seventeen years ago, the formal shackles of apartheid were rattled. But the structural basis of apartheid was never dismantled.

When Nelson Mandela became the head of state in 1994 there had been euphoria all over Africa, indeed all over the world, that a new road toward a non-racial democracy was being taken. The majority of the people wanted a better life: an end to racism, access to health, life, peace and a decent environment. However, very soon after the integration of the ANC (African National Congress) into the structures of apartheid, the political leadership of the African National Congress turned their backs on the ideas of transforming the society and embraced the ideas of liberalisation and the privatisation of the economy. The ANC embraced unbridled capitalism. Using the cover of reconciliation, the former powerful transnationals supported a class of blacks to enter banking, insurance and retailing as long as they accepted the standards of racist hierarchy and sent their children into the schools that taught Eurocentism.

The ANC was a party that was based on a tripartite alliance: the ANC, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP). Of these three partners the most forthright in calling for fundamental change was COSATU. The South African Communist Party aspired to be the intellectual and ideological standard bearer for the alliance.

At one level the path toward liberalisation should have been opposed by the SACP, but the South African Communist Party found a convenient formulation to support the capitalist road. Their understanding of the stages theory of Marxism meant that South Africa had to pass through a period of capitalist development before the working class could be ready for an alternative to capitalism. This theoretical understanding of Marxism that twisted the revolutionary ideas of class struggles justified the support for the privatisation of large sections of the economy. In a very short time, international capital understood that the faces at the top may have changed but the conditions of exploitation and plunder would not fundamentally change.

Slowly, as a new class of political leaders became comrades in business and a new rhetoric of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) came into the popular parlance, the goals of providing houses, electricity and water for all were diluted. It became state policy to support big capital in South Africa while providing the enabling environment for a new class of African capitalists. These Africans gave cover for the expansion of South African corporations into the rest of Africa. NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development) became the cover for this expansion of South African capitalism.

Former apartheid capitalists were exultant as South Africa's 'entrepreneurs' traversed the continent behind the diplomatic cover of the African Renaissance. The African capitalists fronting for the old apartheid structures accepted the rules of the capitalist system, the racist hierarchy and ethnic power bases and looked to ways to maintain the system while seemingly opposing the very same system that they propped up. The rhetoric and slogans were still brought out for elections but there was no fundamental change in the direction of society.

Once the top leadership accepted the rules of private appropriation of wealth they moved into gated communities and built new connections for self-enrichment. Those with connections to the families of the former freedom supporters became the gate-keepers for tenders and contracts and jockeyed for resources at the lower interstices of the system. In the process of this jockeying, the push for privatisation reached the stage where liberation was being privatised as a basis for enrichment and conspicuous consumption. African liberation became a slogan to be supported by those sections of private capital that were on good terms with the political leadership.

PRIVATISING THE STRUGGLE

The road to the privatisation of liberation in Africa is not new. This strategy for the enrichment of former freedom fighters had been perfected in Kenya where the British and the USA worked hard to divide the forces of liberation. After silencing and neutralising those who wanted liberation to be meaningful for the people, the leaders of the Kenya liberation struggle celebrated obscene private ownership of wealth as Nairobi became the cockpit for imperial destabilisation of Africa.

In Zimbabwe, the integration of former freedom fighters into the circuits of the Rhodesian state found a new path. After integrating former freedom fighters into the civil service, into the university, into the army, into the police and into the wider bureaucracy, the freedom fighters wanted the land of the settlers. They turned to the language of third liberation to seize the land of the white farmers.

What would have been a righteous act of reversing the theft of land from African workers and peasants became one more vehicle for the liberation fighters to become private capitalists. The conditions of the workers on the land did not change as the state became more repressive and intolerant of the wider society. Repression and the privatisation of liberation went hand in glove in Zimbabwe.

Mozambique, Namibia and Angola followed similar paths of the privatisation of liberation. These governments renounced ideas of planned transformation of the colonial relations and embraced neoliberalism with gusto. This meant that in Mozambique the structures of the popular organs such as the women, youth, workers and peasants were weakened. International and western non-governmental organisations invaded the rural communities while the working people were denied the basic democratic rights for collective bargaining and industrial democracy.

Journalists who attempted to expose the rampant corruption at the top leadership were warned, and one was killed in order to send a message that there should be no opposition to the privatisation of liberation. Namibia became a caricature of this rush towards privatisation and the legitimation of neoliberal capitalism. As in Zimbabwe, the ruling party became an instrument of patronage and privilege while the leadership issued robust homophobic rhetoric to divert the attention of the poor.

Angola was a special case in the business of privatising liberation. Unlike the other societies, the stakes were much higher. The Angolan society is blessed with major resources on the land and in the sea. Today Angola is a top petroleum exporter in Africa. Oil, timber, diamonds, fish and a host of minerals gave the political class enough to bring the top generals into the business of plunder. Jonas Savimbi had fought tenaciously to be the standard bearer for Western capitalism in Angola. However, very early on the MPLA (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola - Labour Party) accepted the IMF (International Monetary Fund) terms and conditions for neoliberal capitalism.

After the defeat of the Savimbi faction of the political leadership in February 2002, the MPLA leadership went all out to use the vast wealth to build a capitalist class. Their skills for negotiating with international capital had been honed in the fight to defeat Savimbi. Clandestine and new means of procuring weapons had to be developed and in the process the Angolan leadership learnt the inner workings of offshore banks, money launderers, gun running and the underworld of banking and finance.

The MPLA leadership built relations with China to widen their bargaining position with international capital. However, this outreach to China and Brazil did not affect the privatisation process. In fact, Chinese private entities such as the Chinese Investment Fund strengthened the capitalist element of the party by importing conditions of labour relations that denied rights to Angolan and Chinese workers.

Liberation slogans were banded about to disguise the vast differences between the new rich and the 88 per cent of the people who remained poor and in wretched conditions. The Angolan state supported a vast business enterprise as it became state policy in Angola to ensure that the rulers and their families were enriched. Liberation was privatised and the wealth and power of the first family was one indication of the processes of privatisation.

Liberation had become a business and the victories of the people were being distorted for the wealth and power of the ruling families. For the first 10 years after the end of apartheid, the Angolan political leaders kept the South African capitalists at arm's length but after gaining confidence the overt forms of cooperation were sealed by a visit of José Eduardo dos Santos to South Africa in December 2010.

MIXED MESSAGES IN SOUTH AFRICA

In South Africa, because the aspirations of the people had been shaped by centuries of struggles for dignity and to end racism, the top leadership of the ANC had to constantly redeploy the language and slogans of liberation in order to maintain their support base. As in Angola the pie was bigger, so there were so many more resources because the field of capitalist accumulation spread all across Africa. The popular forces among the oppressed did not lose their traditions of organising independently of the ANC. Racism, xenophobia and crude ethnic manipulation became the tools for the local capitalists to divide the working peoples.

Protests intensified as the people saw that the new government was not interested in transforming the apartheid structures. Strikes, demonstrations, go-slow and other forms of political opposition increased as the people saw elections becoming another vehicle for the networking of capitalists. Service delivery protests and occupations in South Africa intensified as the people sent warnings to the ANC that the service delivery protests could converge into an Egyptian-style uprising in South Africa. The Communist Party became removed and cut off from the alternatives and it devolved to the youth to search for new forms of struggle beyond the vanguardism that gave sections of the ANC the idea that they should hold on to power.

In fact this call for divine assistance to support the ANC came from none other than Jacob Zuma, who told people during the last local government election that: 'The ancestors will turn their backs against you and you will be bad luck forever if you leave the ANC unhappy.'

Jacob Zuma has demeaned the meaning of links to the ancestors by invoking the ancestral spirits on the side of capitalist accumulation. This appeal for ancestral support comes at a time when within the ANC there are tremendous realignments in order to ensure new processes of succession. There is now intense competition among those who will be at the top of the system of exploitation and domination.

In the midst of this tussle between factions of the ANC, the South African Communist Party seeks to be primer inter pares while holding on to ideas of the non-capitalist path of development. These communists are involved with the top power struggles as to who would control the state. These communists worked inside the liberalised economy and talked left while supporting right-wing policies. The Communist Party did not show by their actions that they wanted an alternative, and in the absence of clarity the populist elements from the ANC Youth league filled the political vacuum by championing the cause of opposing white domination.

The overt racism of the white capitalists in South Africa knew no bounds. After a re-assessment of the new ANC government, these whites were emboldened to expand their political and racist ideas under the banner of neoliberalism. Within the church, the schools, universities, the old media and other intellectual and ideological institutions the struggles intensified but the white capitalists understood that the black capitalists supported the idea of the superiority of the capitalist mode of production. In essence, these blacks supported ideas of racial hierarchy and sent their children to schools that practised overt racial discrimination. So bold had the whites become that at one of the premier universities, the University of Cape Town, it was decided that there was no need to teach African studies.

In this political wasteland, Robert Mugabe appeared attractive and earned massive applause when he visited South Africa. Youths who considered themselves radical hailed the oppressive actions of the Zimbabwe political leadership. In particular, the leader of the ANC Youth league grew in stature as a power broker in South Africa political circles by his crude anti-white rhetoric. After a visit to Harare, Zimbabwe in 2010, this leader of the ANC-YL Julius Malema became even more forthright in his opposition to 'white control' of the southern African economy.

It was in the tradition of anti-white rhetoric where Julius Malema called for the nationalisation of mines and the commanding heights of the economy. In the days prior to the 18 May local government elections, the ANC-YL released its discussion document on 'economic transformation', proposing to amend the constitution to empower the state to expropriate private property, particularly land and mines, without compensation.

In the midst of a capitalist crisis where there is an urgent need for popular control over the activities of capitalists, the call for nationalisation from South Africa sounds appealing, but this appeal must be grasped in the context of the inter-capitalist struggles at the top ranks of the ANC. Malema, sections of the Communist Party and other top leaders of the ANC are now in fact members of the capitalist class in South Africa. Their treatment of workers who labour in their enterprises does not differ from other capitalists. In this context, the calls for nationalisation must be supported by calls for worker control and for the transformation of the economic relations in South Africa.

RECLAIMING THE AFRICAN LIBERATION

In celebration of the 25 May African Liberation Day, I was the guest speaker at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban. There are social forces in society who are working for peace, justice and social transformation. I was invited by the Umtapo Centre to deliver the Strinni Moodley Memorial Lecture. The title of the lecture was 'Towards an Africa without borders in the 21st century: Without unity and peace, there is no future for Africa'. This event on African Liberation Day drew activists who celebrated the work of Strinni Moodley and Steve Biko. These activists are working across borders in Africa and want African liberation to be meaningful for the next generation.

The Umtapo Centre is seeking to strengthen the revolutionary understanding of ubuntu in order to harness new energies of the people for the prolonged popular struggles to transform South African society. This year the Umtapo Centre is 25 years old. As a formation that cut its teeth under apartheid, the Umtapo family is but one of the many networks in South Africa that are opposed to the privatisation of liberation. Throughout Africa it is imperative that education for transformation support the calls for social transformation. Private property cannot be nationalised with the same mindset that supports the crude consumption of the black capitalists in gated communities.

These capitalists manipulate the workers of South Africa on the basis of racial and ethnic identification, and more significantly, these capitalists promote xenophobia to discriminate against other African workers who believe in the concept of Africa for the Africans. Today as South Africa is elevated to being a member of the emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China), there are sections of the political leadership in South Africa who want South Africa to be a regional hegemon in Africa. Such elements pay very little attention to the challenges of building a truly united Africa. There are now initiatives such as the Grand Free Trade area for Africa embracing 26 countries.

After a summit in East Africa last year, the heads of states of the three regional blocs - the EAC (East African Community), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community, (SADC) - agreed on the expeditious establishment of a free trade bloc. These efforts will be stillborn because their ideas about trade do not involve the free movement of people across Africa. These leaders want to facilitate the free movement of trade and capital while they restrict the free movement of people.

After five decades of the privatisation of liberation from Kenya to South Africa the working poor in southern Africa are seeking new strategies for liberation. There is an urgent need for unity of the peoples of Africa and freedom of movement across borders. The workers in Swaziland and Botswana have embarked on prolonged struggles for change and it is imperative that as we celebrate African liberation this year we recognise that the African liberation struggle has taken a new course.

IRIN

Fresh water being poured into a jerry can.

The revolutionary directions in Tunisia and Egypt have inspired a new generation of liberation fighters. These forces of liberation understand, as Kwame Nkrumah did, that no one country can be free while other parts of Africa are dominated. It is important to remind readers that on this African liberation day there are still colonies in Africa (with the most glaring case that of the Western Sahara) along with over 28 colonial territories in the African diaspora in the Caribbean.

The present tasks of liberation are being defined by a new generation who do not want to be dehumanised in the 21st century. They want to reclaim the paths of emancipation and end the privatisation of liberation.

Campbell, H. (2011). Beyond the Privatisation of Liberation. Panbazuka News. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201105270382.html

Ahamefula Ogbu

31 December 2011

President Goodluck Jonathan has declared State of Emergency in 15 Local Government Areas in four States where there are endemic activities of terror groups.

He also ordered the closure of Nigerian borders through the Local Governments in Borno, Niger, Yobe and Plateau.

He stated in a nationwide broadcast that the areas were notorious for terrorist attacks while the borders closed are believed to be places through which the terrorist groups pass through to carry out attacks as well as pass through them to hide.

He invoked section 305(1) of the 1999 Constitution to declare the State of emergency in the Local Government Areas, adding that he will send the names of the affected LGs to the National Assembly for necessary action.

The list of the states and Local Government Areas affected are:

(i) Borno State

a) Maidugiri Metropolitan LGA

b) Gamboru Ngala LGA

c) Banki Bama LGA

d) Biu LGA

e) Jere LGA

(ii) Yobe State

a) Damaturu LGA

b) Geidam LGA

c) Potiskum LGA

d) Buniyadi-Gujba LGA

e) Gasua-Bade LGA

(iii) Plateau State

a) Jos North LGA

b) Jos South LGA

c) Barkin-Ladi LGA

d) Riyom LGA

(iv) Niger State

a) Suleja LGA

Jonathan explained that recent activities of the terror groups have become a collective threat on the safety and corporate existence of the nation which has prompted the drastic action he took, which according to him, does not negate the protocols on free movement with neighbouring States.

He noted that what began as sectarian crises in the North East gradually festered and evolved into terrorist activities with dire consequences to national security which while he was still taking measures to check, bloomed into dimensions and affected vital institutions of government, places of worship and the United Nations Building.

"While the search for lasting solutions is on-going, it has become imperative to take some decisive measures necessary to restore normalcy in the country especially within the affected communities.

Consequently, I have in the exercise of the powers conferred on me by the provisions of section 305(1) of the Constitution, declared a state of emergency in the following parts of the federation.

"The details of this proclamation will be transmitted to the National Assembly as soon as they reconvene from their current recess, for their necessary action.

"The Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police have been directed to put appropriate measures in place to ensure the protection of lives and properties of residents in the affected parts of the country. I therefore urge the political leadership in the affected states and Local Government Areas to give maximum cooperation to the law enforcement agencies deployed to their respective communities to ensure that the situation is brought under control within the shortest possible time.

"The Chief of Defence Staff, in collaboration with other Service Chiefs, has also been directed to set up a special force unit within the Armed Forces, with dedicated counter terrorism responsibilities.

"As part of the overall strategy to overcome the current security challenges, I have directed the closure of the land borders contiguous to the affected Local Government Areas so as to control incidences of cross boarder terrorist activities as terrorists have taken advantage of the present situation to strike at targets in Nigeria and retreat beyond the reach of our law enforcement personnel.

"Let me assure our neighbours, especially within the ECOWAS sub-region, of Nigeria's commitment to its international obligations as provided by the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons. The temporary closure of our borders in the affected areas is only an interim measure designed to address the current security challenges and will be reviewed as soon as normalcy is restored", Jonathan declared.

He commended the efforts of political and religious leaders who have been working to achieve peaceful conflict resolution of the crises that followed the various attacks and assured them that he would strive to ensure that the situation is arrested.

"Terrorism is a war against all of us. I call on all Nigerians to join hands with government to fight these terrorists", he said.

Making clarifications on the declaration, the National Security Adviser, General Owoye Azazi said the situation would lead to the creation of Special Forces which will enable training and arming of a special group which he said would be more effective.

Vanguard

President Goodluck Jonathan visiting Madalla, outside the capital Abuja, where 44 people were killed during a Christmas bomb attack on a church.

He admitted that it will give sweeping powers to those deployed to the affected LGs to search and arrest people suspected to have hands in the activities of the group. They would be arrested and their properties searched without warrant.

He said the emergency state will last till normalcy returns to the affected areas.

Asked if the group would not move to new areas, he replied that the reasoning was that it would be difficult for them to move into new areas when the awareness of their activities was common place.

He said that democratic structures would still stand while they will monitor areas where there are threats of attacks.

Ogbu, A. (2011). Jonathan Declares State of Emergency in 15 LGAs. This Day. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112310067.html

Francis Ugwoke

3 January 2012

Lagos — Hundreds of Lagosians Tuesday trouped to major roads and commercial centres to protest the fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government.

Angry protesters barricaded major roads, including Ikorodu Road forcing many motorists to either turn back or find alternative routes.

At Onipanu and Palmgroove areas of Lagos, the protesters hijacked buses, a development that forced many commercial transporters to abandon business.

It was also gathered that there was a similar protest at Ketu area of Lagos.

The protest affected commercial activities for the greater part of the day, as many out of apprehension decided to return to their homes.

In a report filed by Reuters, more than 1,000 people in the main market area of central Lagos "sang, chanted and waved placards reading: "no to fuel price hikes" and "we demand living wages".

A group of demonstrators was said to have set up a roadblock of burning tyres on a major Lagos highway.

Police in riot gear kept watch, according to the report, but the protest was largely peaceful.

Elaine Gilligan/Friends of the Earth

Fuel being transported in Port Harcourt, Nigeria (file photo).

"The prices of everything will increase, transport, housing, school fees, food, etc. The common man will not be able to survive. We will say no and oppose bad government policies. We will say no and oppose IMF (International Monetary Fund)policies," said Ganiat Fawehinmi, widow of a human rights lawyer.

Government announced the removal Sunday , a policy decision that shook many Nigerians, particularly the low income class because of the high prices of goods and services, that this will trigger.

Already, the subsidy removal has led to over 150 percent increase in transport fares in most parts of Nigeria.

Filling stations that opened for business in Lagos were collecting between N140 and N150 per litre of fuel as against N65 per litre sold as at Sunday.

It is envisaged that this will in turn affect prices of other goods and services, a development that will bring serious economic hardship for many low income earners.

Ugwoke, F. (2012). Hundreds protest fuel subsidy removal in Lagos. This Day. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201201040075.html

AFRICA

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2 January 2012 Last updated at 19:15 ET

Youssou N'Dour has emerged as a prominent critic of President Abdoulaye Wade in recent months

Musician Youssou N'Dour has announced he is running in February's presidential elections in Senegal.

"I have listened... and I am responding favourably," Mr N'Dour said on his own TV network, referring to requests that he put himself forward, AFP reports.

Mr N'Dour will run against incumbent Abdoulaye Wade, who is seeking a controversial third term.

Mr Wade's bid and changes he proposed to the constitution have prompted widespread unrest in recent months.

Senegal is seen as one of the most democratic and stable countries in West Africa - it is the only country in the region never to have experienced a military coup.

However, tension is rising ahead of the election and one prominent politician has been charged with murder.

Mr N'Dour said of his candidacy: "It is a supreme patriotic duty.

"It's true, I haven't pursued higher education, but the presidency is a function and not a job.

"I have proved my competence, commitment, rigour and efficiency time and time again. I have studied at the school of the world. Travel teaches as much as books," he added.

Election controversy

Proposals made last June by Mr Wade to change the constitution sparked the most violent protests of his 11-year tenure.

Mr Wade had wanted to reduce the proportion of votes needed to win a presidential election, and so avoid a run-off - from more than 50% to 25%.

He had also wanted to create an elected post of vice-president, which many suspected was meant for his son Karim.

Many opposition activists claim Mr Wade's bid for a third term is unconstitutional.

He has been president since 2000 when he won elections, ending 40 years of rule by the Socialist Party.

Mr N'Dour has emerged as a prominent opposition figure in recent months.

He has also long been involved in humanitarian causes, being a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef). Last year he also criticised African leaders over their response to the famine in Somalia.

Mr N'Dour is renowned around the world for his fusion of traditional Senegalese music with salsa, jazz and hip-hop.

His 1994 duet with Neneh Cherry, Seven Seconds, was a worldwide hit and won a Grammy nomination.

BBC News Africa. (2011). Youssou N'Dour announces Senegal presidential bid. BBC News Africa. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16387629

Greetings Family, 

Yosef ben-Jochannan's 94th birthday (December 31st) is fast approaching. As many of you know, Dr. Ben has spent many years researching, reading and writing about the Black Man of the Nile and His Family. Dr. Ben revealed so much; and, for that we are indebted to him. 

Dr. Ben is very active mentally; however, his body is not the same. He was recently admitted to Harlem Hospital as a result of dehydration. He has since been moved into a nursing home facility until the paperwork for 24hr Home Care Service is finalized. In the meantime, he is eating to gain much needed strength and should be back home soon. 

To show your appreciation for what Dr. Ben has done, please consider sending a generous donation to help support his physical and medical needs and such basics as special bed coverings, laundry detergent to wash clothes, food to eat and sustain his health (brief list of his current needs). 

Checks should be made payable to: Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannan. Mail checks to: Dr. Ben, c/o Medina, P.O. Box 290, Bronx, NY 10467-0290. 

If you have further questions Runoko can be reached at 323 920-6055 or via the Internet atRunoko@yahoo.com.

Peace and Blessings,

Runoko Rashidi and Janie Medina

Crotty, J.M. (2011). M.I.T. game-changer: Free online education for all. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmarshallcrotty/2011/12/21/m-i-t-game-changer-free-online-education-for-all/

Editor's Question:  What "technology" is the following report referring to, and does said technology involve genetically modifying seeds?  If so, are Mozambique's farmers aware of the negative impacts of genetically modified seeds? 

27 December 2011

Maputo — Mozambican Prime Minister Aires Ali has challenged the country's young people, as well as its businesses, to increase food production, by banking on the introduction of new agricultural technologies to increase yields.

This would be possible, he said, through the use of knowledge and techniques learnt through the cooperation between Mozambique and China.

According to a report in the Beira daily paper "Diario de Mocambique", Ali was speaking on Monday, during a working visit to the Lower Limpopo irrigation scheme in the southern province of Gaza. Here, in the Ponela block, a rice production project is underway as part of the twinning between Gaza and the Chinese province of Hubei.

A memorandum signed between the two provinces in mid-2007 stipulates that in an initial phase the Chinese investors should ensure rice production in an area of 300 hectares.

Tests began two years ago, and since then rice production at Ponela has been raised to ten tonnes per hectare. Previously, under the traditional Mozambican system, yields were between two and three tonnes per hectare. The Chinese production techniques have been transferred to about 20 Mozambican farmers to date.

Marcos Villalta / Save the Children

Ploughing with an ox.

"What we want is that Mozambicans, particularly young people and the business sector, should embrace this project enthusiastically, obtaining the technologies and the machinery to increase production levels", said Ali.

Gaza has educational institutions that specialize in agriculture, and Ali suggested that students from these colleges should go the Lower Limpopo irrigation scheme for apprenticeships where they would assimilate Chinese rice production techniques.

Agricultural engineers and other specialists should also visit Ponela, he said, so that they could understand the Chinese technologies and spread them to other provinces.

The Ponela block covers about 11,000 hectares or arable land. 7,000 hectares are worked by commercial farmers, and the other 4,000 hectares are in the hands of around 8,000 peasant producers.

AIM. (2011). Chinese technology to increase rice yields. Mozambique News Agency. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112272506.html

By Daniel Cancel - Dec 28, 2011 2:49 PM ET

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hinted that the U.S. may be behind a “very strange” bout of cancer affecting several leaders aligned with him in South America.

Chavez, speaking a day after Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, said the Central Intelligence Agency was behind chemical experiments in Guatemala in the 1940s and that it’s possible that in years to come a plot will be uncovered that shows the U.S. spread cancer as a political weapon against its critics.

“It’s very difficult to explain, even with the law of probabilities, what has been happening to some of us in Latin America,” Chavez said in a nationally televised speech to the military. “Would it be so strange that they’ve invented technology to spread cancer and we won’t know about it for 50 years?”

Chavez, who was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in June and had a baseball-sized tumor removed in Cuba, has called for a regional summit of leaders who have battled cancer including Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva and Paraguay’s Fernando Lugo.

“I’m just sharing my thoughts, but it’s very, very, very strange,” Chavez said. “Evo take care of yourself, Correa, be careful, we just don’t know,” he said, referring to Evo Morales and Rafael Correa, the leaders of Bolivia and Ecuador.

Thomas Mittnacht, press director at the U.S. embassy in Caracas, declined to comment when reached by telephone.

Re-election Bid

Chavez, a former tank commander who has led South America’s largest oil producer since 1999 and will seek a third consecutive six-year term in October elections, says that the U.S. was involved in a coup against him in 2002 that briefly ousted the socialist leader before he was reinstated by the military and supporters.

The 57-year-old leader also accuses the U.S. of plotting an invasion of Venezuela to capture its oil reserves.

Chavez, who continues to send the U.S. more than 800,000 barrels of oil a day, said that former Cuban leader Fidel Castro has warned him about assassination attempts after surviving what he has claimed are hundreds of plots by the U.S. since he took power in 1959.

“Fidel always tells me, ‘Chavez be careful, they’ve developed technology, be careful with what you eat, they could stick you with a small needle,’” the Venezuelan leader said today. “In any case, I’m not accusing anyone, I’m just using my freedoms to reflect and issue comments on very strange events that are hard to explain.”

Cancel, D. (2011). Chavez: U.S. may be behind leaders’ cancer. Bloomberg. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-28/chavez-u-s-may-be-behind-s-america-leaders-cancer.html

METRO ATLANTA KWANZAA ASSOCIATION PRESENTS CITYWIDE UMOJA CELEBRATION

Metro Atlanta Kwanzaa Association Citywide @ Shrine of the Black Madonna Featuring Professor Griff, 12PM-8PM.  

960 Ralph David Abernathy Atlanta, GA 30310  

Info: (404) 831-4811www.makakwanzaa.net

HEALTHFUL ESSENCE PRESENTS...

UJIMA!

COME AND CELEBRATE THE THIRD DAY OF KWANZAA AT HEALTHFUL ESSENCE DECEMBER 28, 2011. THERE WILL BE LIVE DRUMMING, AFRICAN DANCE, POETRY, AND MUCH MORE!!! BRING THE CHILDREN AND LETS CELEBRATE UJIMA IN LOVE AND COMMUNITY UNITY!!!

 

DECEMBER 28, 2011

5PM - 8PM 

HEALTHFUL ESSENCE

875 York Avenue, SW

Atlanta, GA 30310

(404) 806-0830

www.healthfullessence.com

INTIMATE CAFE PRESENTS... 

MOVIES, DINNER & DISCUSSION

Come enjoy a thought provoking movie over a delicious Sunday dinner (vegan friendly options available); followed by a powerful discussion lead by members of the community with specific information concerning the topics in the movie. 

 

Intimate Cafe

2001 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive

First Floor, Suite 106

Atlanta, GA 30310

(404)564-6484

myintimatecafe.com

January 1, 2012

Doors open at 5:30pm
Movie starts at 6:00pm sharp! 

MOVIE TO BE VIEWED:  

MAAFA 21 - Black Genocide in 21st Century America

After Party Spun by DJ 4th Wurld 

(Afrikan, House, Old School, Soca, Dancehall, Zouk)

FIRST AFRIKAN CHURCH  2011 KWANZAA

“To Be Afrikan, To Be Family, To Be Awesome To Be Whole” is our theme this year.  We will have activities during the entire KWANZAA Season.  

FIRST AFRIKAN CHURCH

5197 SALEM RD.

LITHONIA, GA 30038

For more information email fapc@firstafrikanchurch.org

A TRADITIONAL KWANZAA CELEBRATION PRESENTED BY HAMMONDS HOUSE, SHRINE OF THE BLACK MADONNA, & THE WEST END CENTER

For children and adults.  A commemoration of the third day of KWANZAA, UJIMA, recognition of Collective Work and Responsibility  

DECEMBER 28, 2011

7PM - 9PM

SHRINE OF THE BLACK MADONNA

946 RALPH D. ABERNATHY BLVD

ATLANTA, GA 30310

FREE ADMISSION

APEX MUSEUM PRESENTS  KWANZAA FESTIVAL 2011

This annual festival is perfect for the entire family and includes the pouring of the ancestral libation, children's videos, African drum and dance, spoken word, theatrical performances, griots (storytelling), candle lighting, the affirmation of Nguzo Saba (The Seven Principles), call and response, and the Kwanzaa market.

DECEMBER 31, 2011

6PM - 8PM

@APEX MUSEUM

135 AUBURN AVE, NE

ATLANTA, GA 30303

ADMISSION FREE!!!

WWW.APEXMUSEUM.ORG

 

from

Intimate Café

 

KWANZAA EVENT  

Sunday, January 1, 2012

(Imani: Last evening of Kwanzaa)

 

The average cost for dinner and a movie for 2 starts at $60!   

D-M-D @ Intimate Cafe is just $10 per person 

(price includes admission and dinner)

 

Movie to be viewed

"Maafa 21 - Black Genocide in 21st Century America"

 

Come enjoy a thought provoking movie over a delicious Sunday dinner (vegan friendly options available); followed by a powerful discussion lead by members of the community with specific information concerning the topics in the movie. Its a 'Tri-Filling Experience!'

 

Intimate Cafe

2001 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive

First Floor, Suite 106

Atlanta, GA 30310

(404)564-6484

myintimatecafe.com

Doors open at 5:30pm
Movie starts at 6:00pm sharp!  

  

Space is extremely limited! For advance ticket purchase to guarantee your spot, CLICK HERE

 

CLICK HERE FOR VENDOR INFORMATION

   

"Maafa 21 - Black Genocide in 21st Century America"

 

They were stolen from their homes, locked in chains and taken across an ocean. And for more than 200 years, their blood and sweat would help to build the richest and most powerful nation the world has ever known.

 

But when slavery ended, their welcome was over. America's wealthy elite had decided it was time for them to disappear and they were not particular about how it might be done.

 

What you are about to see is that the plan these people set in motion 150 years ago is still being carried out today. So don't think that this is history. It is not. It is happening right here, and it's happening right now.

   

Official After Party!

 

DJ 4th Wurld

 

Closing out the 2011 Kwanzaa Season Celebration

Spinning in the Lobby

'til you get enough!

 

2001 Martin Luther King, Jr Drive, SW

First Floor, Suite 106

Atlanta, GA 30310

(404)564-6484

www.myintimatecafe.com

 

Monday - Friday 10:am - 6m

Saturday 10:am - 3m

 

SOUPS, SALADS, SANDWICHES, BAKED GOODS & COFFEE 

PREPARE FRESH DAILY

 

Join Our Mailing List!

 

Shabelle Media Network (Mogadishu)

23 December 2011

Mataban — Unidentified armed men have on Friday shot and killed three humanitarian aid workers serving with the world food program WFP in Mataban town of central Somalia's region of Hiran, which is just 350-km north of Somali capital Mogadishu, according to witnesses.

Reports from Hiran region in central Somalia indicated, that gunmen slain in the heart of Mataban district of Hiran province, three a U.N. World Food Programme(WFP)operating in the region. Two of them were identified their names to be Mohamed Salad and Muhidin Yerow.

The other one, whose name still uncovered, was reported to have been the head of local NGO,which runs for WFP in Mataban district of Somalia's anarchic Hiran region.

Reports about the incident are still sketchy, but witnesses said, two of three killed aid workers were removed their bodies from the scene and taken to Guri'el town in Galgadud region-central Somalia.

The assailants were also confirmed to have been seized after the shooting by Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a fighters, which controls parts of central Somali provinces.

SMN. (2011). Gunmen kill WFP workers in central Somalia. Shabelle Media Network. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112230919.html

22 December 2011

Sixty-six journalists were killed this year according to Reporters Without Borders. More than 1000 were arrested. Syria, Egypt and Libya are among the most dangerous countries for journalists.

Pakistan is the single most deadly country for journalists for the second year running, with ten deaths, most of them murders. China, Iran and Eritrea continue to be the world's biggest prisons for the media.

Almost 2000 journalists were attacked or threatened and almost 500 media organisations censored. Seventy-three journalists fled their countries and almost as many were kidnapped.

The revolutions in North Africa contributed to 16 percent more journalists being killed than in previous years.

The campaign group for press freedom called it a tumultuous year: "Street protests in other countries such as Greece, Belarus, Chili and the United States led to a drastic increase in the number of arrests: from 535 in 2010 to 1044 in 2011".

RNW. (2011). 2011 tumultuous year for media. Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112231133.html

22 December 2011

US officials extradited a Rwandan woman convicted in absentia by a court in her country for her role in the 1994 genocide, an official said Thursday.

Marie-Claire Mukeshimana was brought to Kigali late on Wednesday. She was sentenced in 2009 to 19 years in prison for complicity in the killing of several children who had sought refuge at a convent in southern Rwanda.

Rwanda's chief prosecutor Martin Ngoga welcomed the extradition.

"But we have a number of more identified persons who stand accused of genocide committed in the most brutal manner and claiming so many lives, who remain on US territory," he told AFP.

"We have a strong feeling that action against them is very slow."

An estimated 800,000 people, mostly minority Tutsis, were killed in the genocide.

Mukeshimana, 43, lived in the US city of Detroit after fleeing Rwanda.

She is the second genocide convict to be returned to Kigali this year by US authorities, who in January extradited a man convicted over the genocide.

RNW. (2011). U.S. extradites woman convicted over genocide. Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112221201.html

 
Government Supporting Daily

23 December 2011

Genocide Convict, Marie Claire Mukeshimana, who was deported from the US yesterday morning, was led by police from Remera Police Station to her temporary quarters, Kigali Central Prison.

She will later be transferred to Butare Prison in the Southern Province where she will serve the 19 years she was sentenced by a Gacaca court, for her role in the Genocide.

According to officials from the prosecution, she has the constitutional right to have her case reheard because she was tried and convicted in absentia in 2005.

"Tomorrow [Friday] I will receive her in my office and inform her of her rights as stated by the law since she has a right to appeal having been convicted in absentia," John Bosco Siboyintore, head of the Genocide Fugitives Tracking Unit (GFTU) said yesterday.

Mukeshimana was convicted by the Gacaca court of Mbazi of Genocide crimes committed in her home area of Maraba, in Huye district.

She allegedly helped Interahamwe militia kill children at a nun's convent in the former Butare region, her home area.

Jean de Dieu Mucyo, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission to Fight Against Genocide, told The New Times that Mukeshimana hails from his home area.

Mukeshimana's mother, Eliza Mukanyangyezi, reportedly erected a roadblock on the road near their home.

"She collaborated with her mother who was the leader of the MRND in our sector in Mbazi. People say that there was a gun at that road block and that the gun was kept at their home," he said.

Mukeshimana often appeared on the road block along with her brother [only known name is Bosco] whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Mucyo says that he attended the Gacaca court sessions in which Mukeshimana's mother was tried. She is now serving a life sentence, in Butare Prison.

Mukeshimana's deportation follows that of Jean Marie Vianney Mudahinyuka, alias Zuzu, who was handed over to Rwandan Police in January.

According to Siboyintore, Mudahinyuka was also granted the right to apply for revision of his case.

Domitila Mukantaganzwa, the Executive Secretary of the National Service of Gacaca Jurisdictions, told The New Times that "he had that right and was duly informed about his full rights but he did not apply for the review. The conviction stayed because he never applied for an appeal".

Unlike Mukeshimana, Mudahinyuka, who is in the first category of Genocide offenders, is now serving his time at Remera prison in Kigali.

The New Times. (2011). Genocide deportee heads to jail. The New Times. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112230015.html

22 December 2011

Johannesburg — President Jacob Zuma's approval rating in metro areas has shown a slow decline since September, according to a survey by marketing group TNS.

"President Zuma's approval level for October/November stabilised at 48 percent of metro adults, compared with 45 percent in September in a year of greater stability in the readings," TNS head of innovation Neil Higgs said of the survey released on Thursday.

"The September figures showed a drop to 45 percent with the net positive reading dropping to just four percent. The October/ November reading at 48 percent is just on the overall average for the year."

Higgs said that in 2009 Zuma's approval levels were good when they averaged in the mid-fifties.

The survey was conducted among a sample of 2000 South Africans, interviewing them face-to-face in their homes, from the seven major metropolitan areas.

"The latest reading was conducted in the last week of October and the first week in November. This time period coincides with the president's reshuffle of the cabinet," said Higgs.

Higgs said political views in South Africa tended to have a strong correlation with race.

"The latest reading for blacks is effectively unchanged and has been very stable for the whole year. The figures for whites reflect an improvement to the best levels of the year," said Higgs.

"For coloureds, sentiment has shifted positively after a low reading in September. For Indians/Asians, there is more volatility but the latest reading is much better than the all-time low achieved in September."

Differences by area indicate there are small rises in most of Gauteng except Soweto where there is a notable drop.

While Cape Town also shows a modest rise and Durban shows a notable rise after a drop in September, whilst the Eastern Cape shows a decline, said Higgs.

"Overall, Gauteng and Durban have the highest approval levels. Cape Town has by far the poorest figures."

Higgs said people aged 18 to 34 years were the most positive at 53 percent (52 percent in September) whilst those aged 60 years and more are the least positive at 40 percent (up from the 30 percent of September).

"In terms of language group, the most positive are those whose home language is isiZulu at 68 percent (66 percent in September) and Tswana speakers (63 percent). Of the other black language groups, the approval level sits at 55 percent."

Younger people were still more favourably disposed to the president compared with other age groups, said Higgs.

The study has a margin of error of under 2.5 percent for the results found in the total sample.

SAPA. (2011). Zuma rating shows slow decline - Survey. South African Press Association. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112221199.html

22 December 2011

Shell is deploying ships and mobilising planes on Thursday to clean up an oil spill at a major field off Nigeria, the company says, with some 40,000 barrels estimated to have leaked into the sea.

The leak that began Tuesday has been stopped, according to Shell, and dispersants are being deployed to clean up the crude spilled at the field some 120 kilometres off Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer and an OPEC member.

Production has halted at Shell's Bonga field, which has a capacity of 200,000 barrels per day, due to the spill.

Shell has said "less than 40,000 barrels" leaked, while Nigerian authorities could not immediately be reached for comment.

The company claimed on Thursday that "up to 50 percent of the leaked oil has already dissipated due to natural dispersion and evaporation," but that figure was impossible to verify independently.

"To accelerate the clean-up at sea, we are deploying vessels with dispersants to break up the oil sheen at sea," Shell Nigeria head Mutiu Sunmonu said in a statement.

"We are mobilising airplanes that will support the vessels in this operation. We are deploying infra-red equipment to be able to trace the few areas where the sheen may be thicker. That allows for a targeted use of the dispersant.

Vanguard.

Living with oil spills in Ogoniland, Nigeria.

"Let me also mention that we are currently working with the Nigerian government to inform local communities and fishermen about the situation."

Shell said the leak occurred on Tuesday during a transfer of crude to a waiting tanker.

The likely source of the leak was an export line linking a production vessel to the tanker, Shell said. The line has been closed and de-pressurised, halting the flow of oil, it said.

Nigeria has been producing between 2.0 and 2.4 million barrels per day in recent months. Scores of oil spills have occurred in Nigeria, but most have been at onshore sites and their size has often been disputed.

All Africa. (2011). Shell deploys ships to clean oil spill. Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112230090.html

23 December 2011

Students of the vacation job scheme initiated by the government Thursday stage a violent demonstration in Monrovia and its immediate environs in protest of what they called government "delay tactics" in paying their wages. During the incident, which sent shock waves across the entire city, the protesting students threw stones, attacked government vehicles and burnt tires. Several government and private vehicles were destroyed by the protesters. At least one government vehicle was set ablaze by the protesters.

Reports say one of the protesters got seriously wounded. So far, there has been no report of death.

A beneficiary of vacation job scheme told a local radio station that they were deceived into believing that they would be paid US$35 instead US$32 was being given at the payment center.

The student said the process was very slow prompting anger amongst them.

The situation created panic in Monrovia thereby causing huge traffic congestion in the Sinkor and Bushrod Island areas.

Information Minister Cletus A. Sieh in a statement following the violent demonstration said the government has enough money to pay the students.

Minister Sieh, who described the violence as disturbing and regrettable, called on the students, not to be used by "unscrupulous persons."

AllAfrica

Police quelling a demonstration (file photo).

According to him, President Johnson- Sirleaf would be in the streets today, Friday to ensure that the students are paid in an orderly manner.

Earlier, the MICAT boss blamed the violence on rumors, which he said, was fueled by "unscrupulous persons."

He said the students gave into the rumors because they were impatient apparently because of the slow pace of the payment process.

Speaking further, Minister Sieh confirmed that students targeted government vehicles during the violent demonstration. However, he pointed that government is yet to analyze the level of damage as a result of the students' actions.

Meanwhile, reports say the protest was brought under control following the intervention of the President who assured the students that they will be paid today.

All Africa. (2011). Vacation students go amok. All Africa. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112230816.html

Peter Kenworthy

22 December 2011

analysis

Father of South Africa's Black Consciousness Movement Steve Biko would have been 65 on 18 December. Peter Kenworthy looks at the influence of his ideas on Swazi civil society today.

Looking at South Africa today, it is clear that the approach of the ANC has not ensured socio-economic justice for the majority of South Africa's blacks. Indeed, the rich-poor divide has broadened, and South Africa has become the most unequal country in the world.

The same can be said of many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. But as South Africa's tiny neighbour, Swaziland, is finding out, the solution might lie in the past, so to speak, more than in a future that has failed the test of time.

The ideas of Steve Biko certainly seem to be popular in Swaziland's democratic movement. One of Swaziland's prominent pro-democracy activists, student leader and political prisoner, Maxwell Dlamini, professes to be heavily inspired by Biko, and the main vehicle for civic education in Swaziland, the Foundation for Socio-Economic Justice, uses an approach to raising consciousness amongst people in Swaziland that is akin to, if not inspired by, that of Biko's Black Consciousness Movement in the nineteen-seventies.

STEVE BIKO

Steve Biko grew up in the Ginsberg Location near King Williams Town, where nearly two hundred families shared around 40 communal taps and toilets. He also studied medicine and law at university, and was therefore acquainted with the plight of all walks of live in apartheid South Africa.

Biko was the father of the Black Consciousness Movement, as well as its main thinker and key catalyst, although he deliberately tried not to be dominant to enable others to assume responsibility and discourage a personality cult.

Biko's general fearlessness in openly opposing the authorities such as during the SASO-BPC trial (where the apartheid government prosecuted and convicted nine members of the BCM for "subversion by intent") in 1976, his unhesitant response to insult and his disregarding of his banning were probably contributing factors to his early death - he died in police custody in September, having been tortured and severely beaten. On the other hand, showing that he was not afraid of the authorities was also an important contributing factor in fostering the culture of fearlessness that helped end apartheid.

According to Biko, "the type of black man we have today [in the early seventies] ... accepts what he regards as [his] inevitable position." Biko believed that "the most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor" was "the mind of the oppressed." Black Consciousness was meant to enable blacks to fight this defeatism, develop hope, and build up their humanity and urging them to be their own "authorities rather than wait to be interpreted by others."

Black Consciousness "no longer seek[s] to reform the system because so doing implies acceptance of the major points around which the system revolves," said Biko. Liberation is not simply being about freedom from material conditions, but about "liberation ... first from psychological oppression ... and secondly from physical oppression." "Ill distribution of wealth" and "a mere change of face of those in governing positions," said Biko, would make any political freedom meaningless.

THE BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS MOVEMENT

Biko therefore helped form the South African Students' Organisation (SASO) - an all-black organisation (the term "black" including all the oppressed South Africans; Africans, Coloureds, and Indians) - in 1968, Biko began working for the Black Community Programmes (BCP) in 1972, and he remained thoroughly active within the movement to help facilitate concrete programmes and organisations that could and would bring about first psychological, and secondly material, change.

The Black Community Programmes covered the fields of health, education, leadership training, publications, home industries and childcare, and especially the educational programmes were meant to introduce the message of self-reliance and Black Consciousness. The BCP were thus meant to give practical effect to the philosophy of self-reliance.

The ideas and practice of Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement was an important contributor to the dismantling of apartheid, especially to the psychological side of the liberation movement, where they successfully helped to diminish the element of fear in the minds of black South Africans who, prior to the manifestation of Black Consciousness in the late sixties were terribly scared of involvement in politics.

One of Biko's main legacies was thus that development - both at the national and the personal level - was not merely about economics or other material conditions, but also about consciousness and self-belief. He saw that any true liberation must be founded on a psychological one - an insight that is highly relevant to Swaziland.

SWAZILAND

A strict traditional hierarchy and conservatism, illiteracy, lack of access to education and poverty in general has hindered democratic and rights-based consciousness in especially the rural areas of Swaziland. Furthermore, a repressive society such as Swaziland's is domesticating, so to speak, as the oppressed tend to internalise the oppressor's image of themselves and become fearful of freedom. Civic education in Swaziland's rural areas is therefore essential, not only for the struggle for democracy, but also to ensure that a mental liberation precedes a physical one, and that the nature of a future Swazi democracy is inclusive and ultimately successful once the fight for democracy has been won.

Swazis are therefore in dire need of a political consciousness, that will help bring about democracy, observance of basic rights, and socio-economic justice in general. The problems in ensuring this are man-fold. Two-thirds of the population live below the poverty line - many on food aid from the UN, life expectancy is at under 40 years due to Swaziland's extremely high prevalence of HIV, the country effectively bankrupt to serious financial mismanagement, the media is either heavily censored or self-censored, and the population has generally been unable or unwilling to connect their poverty and lacking influence to Swaziland's filthy-rich monarchy.

All of this is changing, however, due to a combination of the population's increasing desperation with the regime's handling of the situation - cutting back on social services and brutalizing those within the democratic movement who dare to call for democratic reform.

THE FOUNDATION FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC JUSTICE

Until recently there has been no programme focusing specifically on inclusive civic education. For this reason, the Foundation for Socio Economic Justice was founded in 2003 as an organization to initiate "broad civic education programmes to encourage democratic participation and raise awareness on human- and constitutional rights amongst the rural populations, with an understanding on how this leads to poverty eradication".

The overall goal of the Foundation is to "build a mass-based democratic force" through a bottom-up approach that includes partnership with, and capacity building of, marginalized, rural based organisations.

The Foundation's Rural Civic Education programme is the cornerstone of the Foundation's work and the civic educators are in the front-line of its work. The educational team covers a variety of democracy- and rights-related subjects on e.g. the history of Swaziland, the history of the unions, the political history of Swaziland, and issues about rural community organisation. The discussions that this education spawns also covers more concrete issues such as the lack of health facilities, schools, classrooms, water and employment that are then tied to the more overall topics.

As in apartheid South Africa, the conditions under which the lessons are given are difficult, however. Community leaders and Chiefs in some places victimize the educators and participants as they are seen as a threat to their authority and there is police surveillance of most meetings.

The result of this education can be seen in the fact that people to a much larger degree dare speak up in the presence of authorities such as headmen, chiefs and police officers, and that some have even stopped partaking in the traditionally sanctioned system of forced labour by i.e. refusing to plough the chief's land for free.

And they can be seen in the persistent calls for democracy that have been heard in recent years - especially since this years so-called 'April 12 Uprising', where thousands demonstrated for democracy and socio-economic justice.

The Foundation has thus made great strides and progress in areas where the discussion of political issues or standing up to the authoritarian traditional system was previously impossible - very much like Biko's Black Consciousness did in apartheid South Africa in the seventies.

On 18 December 2011, Steve Biko would have been 65 years old. This article is written in commemoration of him.

Kenworthy, P. (2011). Biko's legacy lives on in Swaziland's civil society. Pambazuka News. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112230838.html

Agaju Madugba

20 December 2011

Kaduna, With Agency Reports — Security operatives yesterday arrested 14 suspected members of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram and seized explosives from them.

This was coming on the heels of a gun battle last Saturday in which four members of the group and three policemen were killed in Kano.

Boko Haram is waging a low level insurgency, which used to be largely confined to Nigeria's remote northeast Borno state, but this year has increasingly plagued other parts of the north and the capital, Abuja.

"One of the suspects, Mohammed Aliyu, noticed that his house was being monitored and mobilized some members of his syndicate. They drove up in three vehicles and attacked the policemen and shot (three) of them dead," Kano police commissioner, Ibrahim Idris told journalists last Sunday.

He said four police officers were wounded.

"Four of the syndicate members were shot dead by the police special anti-robbery squad that responded to the scene".

At the house of a suspected militant where the shootout occurred, police found 50 litres of petrol and five gas canisters, some AK-47s, two pump-action shot guns and 1,125 rounds of ammunition.

Another suspect's house was found to contain detonators, wires, homemade bomb casings and large quantities of explosives, including gun powder and ammonium nitrate.

Boko Haram have been blamed for scores of shootings and bombings in the north, including a spate of attacks last week in Kano and their heartland of Maiduguri, capital of Borno state.

Nigerian security forces have been unable to contain the growing threat of Islamist militants in the north, who this year struck the capital twice, including a suicide car bomb against the U.N. headquarters that killed 26 people.

Meanwhile, another explosion rocked Kaduna yesterday, injuring three persons who were allegedly assembling the explosive devices at a suspected bomb factory.

Only about three weeks ago, an explosion at the Oriakpata area of the metropolis killed several people with a number of others hospitalized.

The latest explosion, according to eyewitness, occurred at about 2 pm at the Ungwan Magaji area, near the National Eye Centre.

Residents in the area arrested three persons suspected to have been at the centre of the blast which razed about three houses in the neighbourhood. The suspects were handed over to the police who rushed them to the St. Gerald Catholic Hospital, Kakuri.

Kaduna Police Command spokesman, ASP Aminu Lawan, who confirmed the incident, said the anti-bomb unit was handling the matter, "trying to determine whether it is bomb or an explosive device.

"But the victims are the suspects, they are under our custody, and investigation is going on."

One of the eyewitnesses, Muba Namando who lives a few meters from the at house number, AR 33, in the area, said "the explosion happened around 1 .30 pm. I had just finished my afternoon prayers and about to come home, when the ground shook, and I heard this explosion.

"Then I saw smoke coming out of the house. I thought it was gas cylinder that exploded. As I ran there, I saw three people running out.

"Then some people chased them and caught them. There was an argument about what to do with them. They were bleeding they had burns on them. We then agreed that they cannot be taken to the hospital without informing the police.

"As we were looking for ways to get to the police, a series of more explosions took place. But no one was hurt because we were already all out. By now the Police arrived and took them away.

The Ward Head of Unguwan Magaji, Mallam Mai Unguwan Yakubu, said "this is the first time we saw this kind of explosive, except the one in Mahuta just nearby, but now we thank God since the law enforcement agents are all here so by grace of God everything will be alright.

Landlord of the house, Aminu Yusuf, who the police took to the scene, said he put the property on rent through an agent on July 17.

"I only know that they are Hausa people. I was told they were married with children, but that their families would join them later.

Only the agent knows more about them. I saw them once. The agent is a Hausa man called Abulrazak. That is all I know about him."

Madugba, A. (2011). Police arrest 14 Boko Haram members as another explosion rocks Kaduna. Daily Champion. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112200418.html

Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma's comments about the advent of Christianity in South Africa caused a flurry of criticism and clarifications from various groups on Wednesday.

The Timeslive website quoted Zuma as telling the launch of a road safety and crime awareness campaign in KwaZulu-Natal that "as Africans, long before the arrival of religion and [the] gospel, we had our own ways of doing things".

"Those were times that the religious people refer to as dark days but we know that, during those times, there were no orphans or old-age homes. Christianity has brought along these things," he said.

Following the remarks, the presidency and African National Congress chief whip were at pains to clarify Zuma's remarks. Party chief whip Mathole Motshekga said in a statement that Zuma's comments were "perfectly sound".

"Irresponsible journalism will always find a creative way to mislead, and in this case it inexplicably saw an attack on Christianity in the president's perfectly sound assertion," he said.

Motshekga said a distinction needed to be drawn between "Christianity as a faith" and "nefarious missionary activities, which have brought sufferings upon our people". 

He said, for example, colonialism was aided by certain missionary "enterprises" who worked under the "guise" of Christianity. Even apartheid was practised "under the cloak of Christianity".

Each for himself

"While African culture has since time immemorial taught people to care for each other, embrace and show kindness to one another, the advent of [a] Western way of living condoned [a] 'each man for himself' principle," said Motshekga.

"This has resulted in elderly people being condemned to old age homes and parentless children sent to orphanages."

Earlier, the presidency issued a separate statement in which it said Zuma's comments were a call not to neglect African culture.

"While we should embrace Western culture and Christianity, we should not neglect the African ways of doing things," spokesperson Mac Maharaj said.

"Western culture had brought about the end of the extended family as an institution, leading to the need for government to establish old age homes, orphanages and other mechanisms to support the poor and vulnerable.

"Even poverty was an unknown factor as neighbours were always ready to assist each other, giving one another milk or cattle where needed."

'Hypocritical'

African Christian Democratic Party president Kenneth Meshoe said Zuma's comments were "hypocritical".

"During elections he [Zuma] runs to churches to get votes," said Meshoe.

Cape Town Archbishop Thabo Cecil Makgoba said while he did not know the full context in which Zuma's comments were made: "We all have a tendency, as we move on in years, to romanticise the past as utopian and without its challenges.

"Given the number of orphans and old age homes, lack of proper sanitation, poor education provision, death on our roads at this critical period for Christians, we need as Christ commanded, to house these orphans as we did of old.

"We need to care for our elderly better as it was done of old."

SACC

The SA Council of Churches general secretary reverend Mautji Pataki said: "We do not understand why the president, whom we have always counted as one amongst us Christians, would find the Christian faith to be so hopeless with regard to building humanity."

Civil rights group AfriForum said it planned to discuss Zuma's "extremely insensitive" comments with the government and ANC.

Co-founder of the International Orphan Network website, Sean Grant, said South Africa's current problems were the real issue.

"The current culture in South Africa is [of] abandonment and negligence. If it weren't for religious groups and non-profit organisations, there would be far more lack of care, if not dying," he said.

Self-promotion

The ANC has a history of using religious terminology to promote itself. On Tuesday, Motshekga received thunderous applause after he told attendants at the Limpopo African National Congress's elective conference in Polokwane that "the organisation has a responsibility to rule until Jesus pays us another visit".

These remarks echoed comments made by Zuma in June 2009 at a rally in Mpumalanga, when he said the ANC "will rule until Jesus comes".

In February this year, according to a Democratic Alliance transcript of Zuma's remarks during a voter registration drive in Mthatha, the president said: "When you vote for the ANC, you are also choosing to go to heaven. When you don't vote for the ANC you should know that you are choosing that man who carries a fork... who cooks people."

In December 2008, while Zuma was still involved in court action around corruption charges - which were subsequently dropped - Free State ANC leader Ace Magashule told Volksblad newspaper that Zuma was suffering just like Jesus Christ did.

"Jesus was persecuted. He was called names and betrayed. It's the same kind of suffering Mr Zuma has had to bear recently, but he's still standing strong."

Likened to Jesus

In November 2008, Zuma told a national presidential religious leaders conference, that "no-one can argue South Africa is not based on the principles of God".

In 2007 Zuma was ordained as an honorary pastor at a meeting of independent charismatic churches in Durban.

During his 2006 rape trial, many of his supporters likened him to Jesus.

One supporter was spotted outside the High Court in Johannesburg at the time with a white, wooden home-made crucifix, and asking: "Why are you crucifying Zuma?"

The crucifix bore a picture of Zuma with outstretched arms.

SAPA. (2011). Commotion after Zuma's Christianity comments. South African Press Association. Retrieved from http://m.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/Politics/Zumas-Christianity-comments-cause-commotion-20111221

12 December 2011

International Criminal Court member states on Monday unanimously elected Fatou Bensouda of Gambia as the new chief prosecutor of the main global genocide and war crimes tribunal.

Bensouda will take over next June from Luis Moreno-Ocampo who sought the genocide warrant against Sudan's Omar al-Bashir and to bring a crimes against humanity case against late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Bensouda, a former justice minister in Gambia, has been Moreno-Ocampo's deputy since 2004. She was elected by consensus at the annual meeting of the ICC's 120 state parties at the UN headquarters.

IRFJ

International Criminal Courct Chief Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda.

She said the nomination was "humbling" and that she was particularly proud of the support given by Africa.

"The African continent has again shown its support and its engagement in favour of international justice and the court," Bensouda said after the election.

"But let me stress: I will be the prosecutor of all the states parties in an independent and impartial manner," she said.

All of the ICC's formal investigations are in Africa but many of the continent's leaders say Africa is unfairly targeted and the African Union summit this year decided not to carry out warrants issued against African leaders.

ANP/AFP

Radio Netherlands Worldwide. (2011). African elected as new chief prosecutor of ICC. Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112130378.html

Following Saturday, December 10th's twin blasts in Jos, Plateau State, which left at least four persons dead and scores of others injured, the military Special Task Force (STF) has ordered restriction on movement of motorcycle within Jos/Bukuru metropolis between the hours of 6a.m. to 7a.m.

A statement by the spokesman of the task force, Captain Charles Ekeocha, said any motorcyclist which violated the order would be arrested and prosecuted.

Meanwhile, the Ulama Elders Council in the state has in a statement signed by the head of Information of the council, Hon. Sani Mudi, condemned the recent blasts.

He said "Muslim community wishes to once again express its displeasure over yet another breach of peace which occurred in two separate areas along the Bauchi Ring Road on Saturday night."

Vanguard

Destruction following bombing in Jos city (file photo).

He said "We view this latest act along with disturbances recorded a forth-night ago at Barkin Ladi local government area as yet another move by disgruntled elements to frustrate efforts being made in the march to attain genuine peace in our fractured state."

The statement further said the Muslims in the state had extended their sympathy to those who loss their loved ones and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Urging all the Muslims to remain calm, law abiding and give the security agencies the necessary co-operation they deserved to maintain law and order, as may be required of them.

The statement also appealed to the security agencies, to continue to discharge their duties without fear or favour so that the ultimate goal of achieving lasting peace in the state will be attained.

Adinoyi, S. (2011). Jos blasts - STF restricts movement of okadas. This Day. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112130413.html

11 December 2011

South Africa's ruling African National Congress has offered to help President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF win the next elections in neighbouring Zimbabwe, press reports said on Sunday.

"We are willing to assist in coming up with election messages and strategies that would deliver victory," ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told ZANU-PF's annual congress Saturday in Zimbabwe's second city Bulawayo, The Sunday Times reported.

"It is important for ZANU-PF to regain lost ground and continue to represent the aspirations of the people of Zimbabwe," he was quoted as saying.

Observers voiced surprise at the offer, since Mantashe has frequently criticised the autocratic rule of President Robert Mugabe, 87, who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.

They expect it to wrong-foot South African President Jacob Zuma -- who is both ANC president and the regional Southern African Development Community's mediator for Zimbabwe, where ZANU-PF is in a conflictual unity government with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai.

"These are government-to-government relations, and Zuma is working under the auspices of SADC, (while the) ANC is a different animal altogether," Mantashe said, according to the online newspaper The Zimbabwean. "(The) ANC must interact with some of the sister parties in the region."

He added: "The ANC wishes to affirm her commitment to being a good and trustworthy neighbour to a fellow liberation movement (against white minority rule)."

"We will send campaign strategy teams to work with you; this will be the best way to celebrate the centenary of the ANC in January 2012," he said.

At Saturday's rally, Mugabe called on his supporters to unite behind him to win elections which he would like to see held next year. - ANP/AFP

Radio Netherlands Worldwide. (2011). ANC offers election help to Mugabe party. Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112110180.html

11 December 2011

France has hailed the roadmap agreed at climate talks in Durban as an "important compromise", while the European Union dubbed it a "historic breakthrough".

The deal, reached after two days of round-the-clock wrangling, commits all countries that emit greenhouse gases to the same legal framework.

The roadmap, which will not come fully into operation until 2020, was "a success that guarantees the future of the [1997] Kyoto Protocol", French foreign ministry spokesperson Bernard Valero said in a statement.

Current measures to tackle carbon emissions are falling far short of the goal of limiting warming to 2.0°C.

According to research presented by German scientists, the world is on track for a 3.5°C rise, spelling worsening droughts, floods, storms and rising sea levels that would affect tens of millions of people.

It is "an important compromise that saves our ambitions for a global and effective agreement against climate warming," he said.

"Where the Kyoto [protocol] divides the world into two categories, we will now get a system that reflects the reality of today's mutually interdependent world," Connie Hedegaard, the EU commissioner for climate action, said in the statement.

And US chief negotiator Todd Stern found that the meeting "ended up quite well".

"The first time you will see developing countries agreeing, essentially, to be bound by a legal agreement," he said.

Environment campaigners were less enthusiastic.

IPS

Greenpeace protesters during the COP17 climate talks.

The Kyoto Protocol has survived "in name only", according to Friends of the Earth Climate Justice Coordinator Sarah-Jayne Clifton.

"Led by the US, developed nations have reneged on their promises, weakened the rules on climate action and strengthened those that allow their corporations to profit from the climate crisis," she commented.

Greenpeace director Kumi Naidoo said that the US and its allies had "succeeded in inserting a vital get-out clause that could easily prevent the next big climate deal being legally binding".

"Right now the global climate regime amounts to nothing more than a voluntary deal that's put off for a decade," he said.

The agreement is scheduled to be approved in 2015 and be operational from 2020.

Radio France Internationale. (2011). France, Europe welcome Durban climate deal, NGOs oppose. Radio France Internationale. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112110103.html

 
AllAfrica aggregates reports from Africa's news media.
This is an article from the Liberian press.

5 December 2011

The Nobel Prize Committee's announcement in October, this year, that it has selected three female peace and democracy activists, and that one of them is the sitting president of a tiny West African country, Liberia, initially sent the world into shock and ambivalence. Many world leaders hailed the choice as marvelous and timely, but a few politicians, including some Liberians, wondered what "good would come out of Africa, out of a postwar country struggling to reconcile and recover". Now the chips had fallen into places where they belong, and the Oslo committee has announced the Nobel Prize 2011 events, placing the Liberian leader at the center of world attention. The Analyst, reports.

The Nobel Prize Committee has announced over the weekend in Oslo, Norway, that this year's the Nobel Peace Prize events would feature a series of world-class events, including exhibitions, presentations, and concerts graced by award-winning artists from across the globe.
"This year's Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded in Oslo City Hall on Saturday 10 December at 1:00 pm, followed by a the Nobel Banquet (photo pool only) at 7:00 pm," the announcement said.
According to the committee, the 4-day event would begin with a press conference on Friday, December 9, 2011 with 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Ms Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Tawakkol Karman from Yemen.

The conference, which is to be coordinated by CNN and the Norwegian NRK Television according to the announcement, is opened only to accredited journalists from reputable institutions. "CNN will broadcast a live interview with the three laureates on Saturday 10 December at 5:00 pm in Oslo City Hall. Only NRK crews are permitted access to the event. Nobel Media owns all material and international distribution rights," it said. It however noted that APTN, Reuters, and EBU would disseminate live feeds and news edits.

On Saturday, December 10, the announcement said, laureates Sirleaf, Gbowee, and Karman would be entertained to the Save the Children's Peace Prize show, which Crown Prince Mette-Marit will moderate. Thence, the laureates will have audience with King Harald and Queen Sonja at the Royal Palace in Oslo. At a ceremony in Oslo, King Harald V of Norway will award the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize to two other women from Africa and one from the Middle East.

Photo Essay:

On the same day in Stockholm King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden will hand out the Nobel awards for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Economic Sciences. Both ceremonies will be solemn. The 2004 Peace laureate passed away on Sep 25, and one 2011 Medicine-Physiology winner died just days before hearing the news. The announcement said a live big screen transmission of the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony would be open to viewers and the press throughout the ceremony. A "Torchlight parade" at the Grand Hotel, the announcement said, would seal Saturday's celebrations.
On Sunday, December 11, President Sirleaf and fellow laureates will meet with the Norwegian Refugee Council and other human rights organizations after which they will proceed to the Nobel Peace Center for the opening of the Nobel Peace Prize Exhibition 2011, an event which requires advance media registration due to limited space. A late evening Nobel Peace Prize Concert at the Oslo Spektrum, will seal the day's activities.

Guests are expected to depart on the December 12. Some 1500 people are expected for the ceremonies. The Nobel Prize has been awarded to people and organizations every year since 1901 (with a few exceptions such as during World War II). The prizes include a US $1.4 million check, a gold medal, and a diploma. Dec 10 is the anniversary of the death of wealthy Swedish industrialist and inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel. The award ceremonies and banquets round out an intensive week of conferences, lectures, and concerts for the laureates.

The Analyst. (2011). Sirleaf center of world focus. The Analyst. Retrieved from http://allafrica.com/stories/201112050841.html

By Federico Fuentes

A summit of huge importance was held in Venezuela on December 2-3. Two hundred years after Latin America’s independence fighters first raised the battle cry for a united Latin America , 33 heads of states from across the region came together to form the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Fuentes, F. (2011). Summit in Venezuela opens 'new phase in history'. Green Left. Retrieved from http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/49664

By Tenisio Seanima

Below is my response to my college "professor" who claims that many electronics firms didn't know they were buying "blood coltan," thus why many supposedly divested from the Congo wholesale market. As my sister staHHr would say, "rise your horizons and wizen up!":


Nothing in history happens in a vacuum, and all we have to do is look into the annals of time to determine if the electronics multinationals are that wide-eyed, which I'm not convinced they are. As an ancient proverb states, "until the lion learns to speak the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter," so let's take a brief look at the history of the Congo shall we. 

It is a historical fact that following the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 King Leopold II of Belgium was the colonial purloiner of the Congo by way of the Force Publique. Leopold II ruled the Congo as a sovereign from 1885 to 1908, and during this time he was responsible for a 50 percent reduction of the region's population, diminishing it from 30 million to 15 million people by way of murder. That amounts to the sanctioned killing of 652,174 indigenous people a year for 23 years! Additionally, he ordered millions who worked the rubber plantations to literally have their hands axed off as a punishment for low labor output, and if you go to Belgium right now chocolate hands are sold in the candy shops as a symbol of reverence of this tyranny (Antwerp Tourist Guide, 2009). 

After Leopold's reign was complete, the Congo strived to foster a Pan-Afrikan rebirth following the All African People's Conference of 1958. However, this movement abruptly ended with the Belgium-backed, U.S. CIA-sponsored assassination of democratically elected President Patrice Lumumba, who was replaced by a Judas figure, the one President Mobutu Sese Seko, a blatant neo-colonialist who ruled following President Lumumba's murder in 1965 until his own death in 1997. Former US National Security Council minutekeeper Robert Johnson revealed this fact in August 2000 during the Senate Intelligence Committee's inquiry on covert action in the Congo. 

Now, if one uses similar logic to what you've proposed regarding multinational withdrawal from mining Congolese coltan, then Belgium too has "washed the blood off of its hands" considering that the country apologized to the Congolese people in February 2002, and admitted to a "moral responsibility" and "an irrefutable portion of responsibility in the events that led to the murder of President Patrice Lumumba, who by the way was only 36-years old at the time. However, void of reparations apologies do not repair over 125 years of subjugation, which the country willingly endorsed and still to this day benefits from monetarily.

All of this history and more has led to the Congo becoming nothing more than a multinational, corporate free for all for many companies pillaging its natural resources, and the notion that electronics firms are ignorant of the open-door opportunity that colonialism and neo-colonialism created prior to each setting up shop there is chasing a red herring. The reason multinationals are SUPPOSEDLY avoiding the use of "blood coltan" in this period, a measure which research reveals to be questionable regarding participatory stats, is that many consumers have wizened up to the Congo's history, and I believe that the fear of their divestment settled into the minds of each firm's corporate liaisons because market value of electronics is so high. Bare in mind that during the 1990s and early new millennium firms such as Nike, Taco Bell, as well as Dominican sugar plantations, and others were facing much criticism at the time for unethical labor practices, so the spotlight would shine bright on any other firm "consciously" involved in similar practices. Therefore, it's simply a P.R. move in my opinion, full stop, because other deals were squared away in alternative zones, which allowed the industry to save face, that is in front of those who didn't already know better.

Reference

Antwerp Tourist Guide. (2009). Famous chocolate in Belgium. Antwerp Tourist Guide. Retrieved from http://www.antwerp-tourist-guide.com/famous-chocolate-in-belgium.html

   Truly Living Well Newsletter            December 13,

2011  

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Ahamefula Ogbu

8 December 2011

Nigeria's anti-gay bill aims to criminalize homosexuality.

"Relating to the law that is being proposed by the Senate, as you know Senate has passed a version of a law relating to same sex marriages, that law has not yet gone through House of Representatives not to talk of becoming a law that will be forwarded to the president for assent," he said.

Explaining further, he said Nigeria as a nation has institutions that regulates what happens within the legal confines of living within the law would always guide the standard whether foreign countries like it or not and cannot determine how the country lives its life.

"I believe our institutions are clear, we live in a democracy. Foreign countries that may not be happy with certain aspects of laws passed in Nigeria are free to express their views concerning whatever law that is passed through the Nigerian legislature but at the same time all those countries know how democracies work," he said.

Ogbu, A. (2011). FG tells Obama off over gay rights. This Day. Retrieved from http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/fg-tells-obama-off-over-gay-rights/104574/

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Prosecutors have called off their 30-year battle to execute former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal for murdering a white police officer, putting to an end the racially charged case that became a major battleground in the fight over the death penalty.

Flanked by the police Officer Daniel Faulkner's widow, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams announced his decision Wednesday, just two days short of the 30th anniversary of the killing. He said continuing to seek death penalty would open the case to "an unknowable number of years" of appeals.

"There's never been any doubt in my mind that Mumia Abu-Jamal shot and killed Officer Faulkner. I believe that the appropriate sentence was handed down by a jury of his peers in 1982," said Williams, the city's first black district attorney. "While Abu-Jamal will no longer be facing the death penalty, he will remain behind bars for the rest of his life, and that is where he belongs."

Abu-Jamal was convicted of fatally shooting Faulkner on Dec. 9, 1981. He was sentenced to death after his trial the following year.

Abu-Jamal, who has been incarcerated in a Pennsylvania prison, has garnered worldwide support from those who believe he was the victim of a racially biased justice system.

His writings and radio broadcasts from death row made him a cause celebre and the subject of numerous books and movies. His own 1995 book, "Live From Death Row," describes prison life and calls the justice system racist and ruled by political expediency.

Abu-Jamal, a one-time journalist, garnered worldwide support from the "Free Mumia" movement. Hundreds of vocal supporters and death-penalty opponents regularly turn out for court hearings in his case, even though Abu-Jamal is rarely entitled to attend.

The conviction was upheld through years of legal appeals. But a federal appeals court ordered a new sentencing hearing after ruling the instructions given to the jury were potentially misleading.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to weigh in on the case in October. That forced prosecutors to decide if they wanted to again pursue the death penalty through a new sentencing hearing or accept a life sentence.

Williams said he reached the decision to drop the death penalty bid with the blessing of Maureen Faulkner, who said another sentencing hearing would undoubtedly be just the beginning of another long, arduous appeals process.

"Another penalty proceeding would open the case to the repetition of the state appeals process and an unknowable number of years of federal review again, even if we were successful," Williams said. He also said that after nearly three decades, some witnesses have died or are otherwise unreliable.

Widener University law professor Judith Ritter, who represented Abu-Jamal in recent appeals, applauded the decision.

"There is no question that justice is served when a death sentence from a misinformed jury is overturned," Ritter said. "Thirty years later, the district attorney's decision not to seek a new death sentence also furthers the interests of justice."

According to trial testimony, Abu-Jamal saw his brother scuffle with the young patrolman during a 4 a.m. traffic stop in 1981 and ran toward the scene. Police found Abu-Jamal wounded by a round from Faulkner's gun. Faulkner, shot several times, was killed. A .38-caliber revolver registered to Abu-Jamal was found at the scene with five spent shell casings.

The officer's widow, Maureen Faulkner, has tried to remain visible over the years to ensure that her husband is not forgotten. They were 25-year-old newlyweds when he died.

"My family and I have endured a three-decade ordeal at the hands of Mumia Abu-Jamal, his attorneys and his supporters, who in many cases never even took the time to educate themselves about the case before lending their names, giving their support and advocating for his freedom," Maureen Faulkner said Wednesday. "All of this has taken an unimaginable physical, emotional and financial toll on each of us."

Abu-Jamal, born Wesley Cook, turned 58 earlier this year.

His message resonated particularly on college campuses and in the movie and music industries — actors Mike Farrell and Tim Robbins were among dozens of luminaries who used a New York Times ad to advocate for a new trial, and the Beastie Boys played a concert to raise money for Abu-Jamal's defense fund.

Over the years, Abu-Jamal has challenged the predominantly white makeup of the jury, instructions given to jurors and the statements of eyewitnesses. He has also alleged ineffective counsel, racism by the trial judge and that another man confessed to the crime.

Maureen Faulkner railed against what she called the justice system's "dirty little secret" — the difficulty of putting condemned killers to death. Pennsylvania has put to death three people since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976, and all three had willingly given up on their appeals.

Faulkner lashed out at the judges who overturned Abu-Jamal's death sentence, calling them "dishonest cowards" who, she said, oppose the death penalty.

"The disgusting reality with the death penalty in Pennsylvania is that the fix is in before the hearing even begins," she said.

Faulkner also vowed to fight anyone who tries to extract special treatment for Abu-Jamal, advocating instead that he be moved to the general population after being taken off death row.

"I will not stand by and see him coddled, as he has been in the past," Faulkner said. "And I am heartened that he will be taken from the protective cloister he has been living in all these years and begin living among his own kind — the thugs and common criminals that infest our prisons."

Both sides have events planned to mark the anniversary of Faulkner's death and Abu-Jamal's subsequent arrest.

Supporters of Abu-Jamal, including Princeton professor Cornel West, have a symposium planned Friday at the National Constitution Center for the man they call an "innocent revolutionary and celebrated journalist."

Maureen Faulkner, Williams and others involved in the prosecution will gather in suburban Philadelphia to mark the anniversary this week for a screening of the anti-Mumia documentary by Philadelphia filmmaker Tigre Hill.

Associated Press writer Maryclaire Dale contributed to this story.

Matheson, K. and Maryclaire, D. (2011). Death penalty dropped against Mumia Abu-Jamal. Associated Press. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h8havjXTiK43TjdWSUSm4taWZCQw?docId=e5fddd7e67b64309b8b1bc598bf6720d

Queen Afua Wellness Institute

01 Dec 2011

Akogun, K. (2011). Nigeria deports 25 Chinese. This Day. Retrieved from http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nigeria-deports-25-chinese/104031/

Nigeria: Senate Criminalises Same-Sex Marriage

Kunle Akogun and Paul Ohia

30 November 2011

In an apparent defiance of the pressure by Western interests, especially the United Kingdom, which has threatened to stop its financial assistance to any country that legislates against gay marriage, the Senate Tuesday passed the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill.

Henceforth, people found guilty of indulging in same sex marriage risk a jail term of 14 years with no option of fine.

Also, persons who witness, aid or abet the solemnisation of a same sex union or support the registration, operation of gay clubs in the country risk a jail term of 10 years.

This followed the adoption of the report of the Senator Umaru Dahiru-led Committee on Judiciary.

In a veiled reference to the threat of the UK government, Senate President David Mark said any country that would refuse the country any aid on account of the passage of the Bill should hold such aid, insisting that the practice of same sex marriage remains strange to the Nigerian cultural values and practices.

The Bill, which was originally sponsored by Senator Domingo Obende (ACN, Edo), enjoyed the unanimous consent of all the senators.

It provides in Section 5 that, "persons who entered into a same sex marriage contract, or civil union commit an offence and are each liable on conviction to a term of 14 years in prison".

Also, sub-section 2 states: "Any person, who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies and organisations or directly or indirectly make public show of same sex amorous relationship in Nigeria commits an offence and shall each be liable on conviction to a term of 10 years in prison."

Sub-section 3 also provides that "any person or group of persons that witness, abet and aids the solemnisation of a same sex marriage or civil union or supports the registration, operation and sustenance of gay clubs, societies, organisations, processions or meetings in Nigeria commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a term of 10 years imprisonment".

During the debate on the bill, most senators condemned the ugly practice of same sex marriage, stressing that Nigeria is a conservative society and if the Senate closes its eyes to the ugly menace, it would have no excuse to give to the future generation.

Speaking on the law that prohibit same sex marriage, Senator Ita Enag said the bill be forwarded to the House of Representatives for concurrence, adding that the passage of the bill into law by the National Assembly was part of the effort to ensure that Nigerians are in good health condition.

He said that looking at those involved in it, most of them look unhealthy and "we have a responsibility to protect everybody in the country".

He said passing the bill into law would be a signal to other countries.

Also in her comment, Senator Nkechi Nwogu said 14 years jail term for same sex marriage was a unanimous decision by the senators because "the country, our culture, tradition and the religions are against it".

She said: "Same sex marriage has negative effect on the health of anyone that is involved in it. It was a unanimous decision by the Senate to pass the Bill into law. It is very unfortunate that the Western countries want to force their culture on us."

Meanwhile, rights group, Amnesty International, Tuesday reiterated its call on Nigerian authorities to scrap the Bill.

"By broadly defining 'same-sex marriage' as including all same-sex relationships, and targeting people who 'witness', 'aid' or 'abet' such relationships, the bill threatens the human rights of a large number of people," Amnesty said.

According to the group's Director of the Africa Programme, Erwin van der Borght, "Nigeria's House of Representatives should show leadership and uphold the rights of all in Nigeria by rejecting this reprehensible Bill.

"If passed, this measure would target people on the basis of their identity, not merely their behaviour, and put a wide range of people at risk of criminal sanctions for exercising basic rights and opposing discrimination based purely on a person's actual or presumed sexual orientation or gender identity."

Akogun, K. and Ohia, P. (2011). Senate criminalises same-sex marriage. This Day. Retrieved from http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/senate-criminalises-same-sex-marriage/103967/

Zimbabwe's defence minister has said the army will crush any Egyptian-style uprising led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. The latter said last week that there is nothing wrong with people demanding their rights, including in Zimbabwe. 

By Nkosana Dlamini, Harare

“We in Zanu PF (Mugabe’s party, ed.) are determined to make sure that there is peace,” defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa said to military commanders in the weekend.

“Those who may want to emulate what happened in Tunisia or what is happening in Egypt will regret it because we will not allow any chaos in this country,” Mnangagwa said.

Dislodging dictators
Tsvangirai, leader of Zimbabwe’s largest opposition party (MDC) currently in a transitional government with Zanu-PF, riled his opponents last week when he said street protests were genuine methods of dislodging dictators.

Defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa

Photo: RNW

“To me, when people take their rights, and start demanding more rights, there is nothing wrong with that, including in Zimbabwe. That was the whole purpose of our struggle for the last 10 years,” he told FoxNews in Davos last week.

In the past decade, Tsvangirai organised several mass protests against Mugabe’s rule.

But the protests, which were mainly concentrated in the country’s cities, were ruthlessly crushed by the country’s security forces which have voiced open support for Zimbabwe’s strongman.

Resurfaced violence
Widespread political violence mostly blamed on Mugabe’s militant supporters has resurfaced countrywide. This follows Mugabe’s announcement that Zimbabwe is heading for fresh polls later this year.

Agitated by police’s inaction, youths from Tsvangirai’s party have vowed revenge. “They must be prepared to receive as much as they dish out if this lawlessness continues,” youth leader Thamsanqa Mahlangu said last week.

Although organised protests are seen as a remote possibility in Zimbabwe at the moment due to perceived fear and poor technological infrastructure to fire the protests, authorities fear the threats can provide a spark among crisis-weary Zimbabweans.

Mugabe, who does not hesitate to unleash the military to defend his rule, has put his trust in his long time military advisor Mnangagwa to handle this matter.

Mastermind
A veteran of Zimbabwe’s war of liberation, Mnangagwa has been in Mugabe's cabinet for almost three decades. As security minister, he was among security chiefs who crushed the 1982 uprisings in the country's western provinces of Matabeleland where 20 000 civilians from the ethnic Ndebele were killed.

Matabeleland was then a stronghold for the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo's Zapu party which merged with Mugabe’s party in 1987.

Mnangagwa is also accused of having masterminded in 2008 the killing of over 200 Tsvangirai supporters during a violent military operation that sought to restore Mugabe's rule.

Mugabe was outpolled by Tsvangirai in Zimbabwe's inconclusive first round poll. Last year, Mnangagwa vowed that Tsvangirai will never rule the country even if he wins elections.

“If you don’t vote for us in the next election, this country is huge, we will rule even if you don’t want it,” he said.

Although Mugabe has deliberately not been grooming any successor for fear of dividing his party, Mnangagwa is seen as one of the top contenders for his job.

Dlamini, N. (2011). Army will crush any Egyptian-style uprising. Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Retrieved from http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/zimbabwe-army-will-crush-any-egyptian-style-uprising

Kenyan authorities have seized a container loaded with 87 elephant tusks and disguised as soapstone carvings destined for Hong Kong, a customs official said.

The 20-foot container was impounded at a depot in Nairobi. As it was being inspected for clearance for shipment, officials scanning its contents became suspicious.

"It was declared as assorted handicrafts destined for Hong Kong. Upon scanning, our customs officers discovered that the images were suspect and a decision was made to subject the container to a 100 percent verification," said Ezekiel Maru, communications and marketing officer at the Kenya Revenue.

"We found 11 wooden crates containing 25 pieces of elephant tusks and 15 cartons containing 61 pieces of tusks. The other cartons that had been used to camouflage had assorted soapstone and wood carvings. Some had tiles and other stuffings," he said, as other officers unpacked the container in the background.

Maru, speaking to reporters on Friday, said a total of 87 tusks were recovered. He did not say where the tusks came from or if any arrests had been made. Television footage showed one man holding a tusk taller than he was.

Decimated wildlife

Poaching has declined significantly in Kenya from the 1980s and 1990s when gangs decimated its elephants and hunted its rhinos almost to extinction, the Kenya Wildlife Service says.

Ivory from African elephants is typically smuggled to Asia where it is carved into ornaments, while rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicines.

Kenya opposes any lifting of a nine-year ban on ivory sales agreed in 2007 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Authorities fear such a move would revive the market for ivory and lead to increased poaching.

RNW Africa Desk. (2011). Kenya intercepts 87 elephant tusks. Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Retrieved from http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/kenya-intercepts-87-elephant-tusks

Senegalese world music star Youssou N'dour declared on Saturday he would cancel concert dates to enter politics from January 2 next year, a month before a tense presidential election in his West African country.

The singer did not explicitly say whether he would stand for president himself, as some supporters have urged. He also did not make clear whether he intended a definitive or merely temporary halt to his musical career.

February's poll has been dominated by a noisy constitutional row over whether incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade, 85, has the right to stand for a third term in a country which prides itself on its record of peaceful leadership changes.

"From January 2 onwards, I am freeing myself from all artistic engagements to enter the political arena," N'dour, 52, said in a live broadcast on his television station TFM at the launch of his movement, one of several formed to oppose Wade.

N'dour has strongly criticised what he calls the profligate spending of the Wade leadership in a country where formal employment is rare and average income per head is $3 a day.

The revised Senegalese constitution limits presidential terms to two, but Wade argues that this should not apply to his first term starting in 2000, as this pre-dated the amendment.

Wade backed down on further proposed changes to electoral rules in June after they sparked violent clashes between riot police and protesters in the capital Dakar.

RNW Africa Desk. (2011). Youssou N'dour stops singing, starts talking politics. Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Retrieved from http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/youssou-ndour-stops-singing-starts-talking-politics

The Lady Mechanic Initiative in Nigeria trains women, some of whom have been, or are vulnerable of becoming prostitutes, to fix cars. There are even women at work in Kaduna, a state infamous for Sharia law and inter-religious violence.

By Ekwtosi Collyer, Lagos and Kaduna 

”God spoke to me in my dream. He told me I had to become a mechanic,” recalls Sandra Aguebor Ekperhuor. Sandra had the dream when she was 14 years old. She remembers waking up and running to her father’s house, and begging him to take her to the local garage, so she could learn to become a mechanic. Her father, who had three wives, was a staunch believer in the traditions of his tribe and so shrugged Sandra off and told her to go back to bed.

During a business trip to England and America, Sandra’s father happened to see a woman working as a mechanic and another as an aeronautic engineer. So he allowed his daughter to put her dream into action, and paid for her training at a local garage.

That was over two decades ago, since then Sandra has graduated from Benin Technical College top of her class, worked for the Nigerian Railways Authority, run her own garage, fixed the cars of the rich and famous, attracted the attention of local and foreign dignatories. The list of acolades is endless.

The Lady Mechanic Initiative, which Sandra founded a decade ago, has trained over 500 women, several of whom have been, or are vulnerable of becoming prostitutes. Some of the women have worked on the streets of Europe, but for different reasons found themselves back in Nigeria. The Lady Mechanic Initiative offers women a monthly stipend throughout their three-year training programme. Trainees spend six months doing a placement at a reputable car dealer. Most women who graduate go on to gain employment or to set up their own garages.

Virgin land
On the workshop floor at Elizade Limited, the largest Toyota sales depot and repair workshop in Nigeria’s comercial capital Lagos, there are women donning the blue overalls of the Lady Mechanic Initiative. Demola Omotosho, the workshop manager, insists they not only do their job better than their male colleagues, they make the customers feel they are getting a special service because a woman has fixed their car, ”we have a customer waiting room with a glass panel that opens out to the workshop. So we normally ensure some of the lady mechanics are working in front of that panel. The customers are usually amazed to see them.”

By contrast, Sandra’s skills were not initially appreciated when she set out as a mechanic. Several weeks after establishing her own garage, a choice that was made for her because her former employer, the Nigerian Railway Authority consistently failed to pay her wages, she had no customers. For the first two weeks Sandra received no customers at her garage, which she built herself with four posts and a roof made from cardboard boxes on a piece of virgin land. Sandra had been wise to select that particular piece of shrubland because it is located in the expensive neighbourhood of Ikyoi.

One day on her way to her garage Sandra happened across a lady whose car had broken down on a busy bridge. She offered her assistance. The lady was stranded above the 50-mile wide Lagos lagoon, so she reluctantly took Sandra up on her offer. Within minutes the car was fixed. Luck would have it that the woman worked for the government in a building over looking Sandra’s garage.

Another dream
”The lady offered me money for what I had done for her. But I said, ”no, don’t be silly, it was my pleasure.” Then she asked me where my garage was. We were both surprised that her office overlooked the very same bush land I had choosen to build my garage. After that she sent her colleagues to me to fix their cars. My first cheque I ever recieved was from the government for 20,000 naira (400 euros). For me, that money was like one billion naira.”

Sandra’s business went from strength to strength and she began employing other women. Then, ”I had another dream ,” recounts Sandra. This time, she says God told her to evangelize to poor women and ’convert’ them into lady mechanics. So on weekends Sandra would go to bus stations and other public places where women hawk petty goods. Equipped with a megaphone Sandra gave public sermons about how self-suffiency among women can alleviate poverty, social vices and violence in society.”

In 2002 the northern city of Kaduna was in flames. Muslims and Christians were fighting bloody battles on the streets. Radicalized by religion, Muslim and Christians youths clashed over plans to hold the Miss World contest in the city. Kaduna, also the name of the state, had been under Sharia law since 1999 and remains so. Yet a quiet revolution led by women is unfolding in Kaduna today. Sandra has been sending Lady Mechanics to work there for the past three years.

Governors’ wives
Kaduna is home to Peugeot Automobiles Nigeria, or PAN , which manufactures and supplies Peugeot cars to the Nigerian market. Miryam Mohammed heads PAN’s Learning Centre. As a conservatively dressed Muslim woman she doesn’t necessarily strike the pose of a revolutionary. But three years ago she granted Sandra permission to send a select group of Lady Mechanic Initiative trainees to the Learning Centre.

From there the women go on to work alongside men in garages in Kaduna. ”We are expecting to receive a reply from the governor’s wife soon. We sent letters to them asking them to help us promote training for women in Kaduna State,” said Miryam Mohammed, director of PAN Learning Center, with a confident smile.

Other states in Nigeria have signed agreements with the Lady Mechanic Initiative to offer the training programme in colleges and polytechnics. Kaduna State may well be next.

Power of belief is what makes the Lady Mechanic Initiative such a compelling story - a "calling from God", according to Sandra. Faith, coupled with determination, is growing a budding alumini of Nigerian women mechanics.

Collyer, E. (2011). Nigeria’s lady mechanics gear up for change. Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Retrieved from http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/nigeria%E2%80%99s-lady-mechanics-gear-change

World leaders are in South Africa this week to seek agreement on combating climate change. According to local environmentalists the host city, Durban, is a chemical cauldron.

By Miriam Mannak, Durban

While the authorities of Durban are hosting the 17th UN Climate Change Convention (COP17), communities in the southern part of South Africa’s largest harbour city are busy doing what they have been doing for many years: coping with the soil, water, and air pollution caused by the region’s heavy industry.

Living in the southern part of Durban is not a walk in the park. This area is home to the country’s largest concentration of petrochemical companies. In addition, over 120 different heavy industries including refineries, paper millers, major chemical manufacturers, chemical storage facilities are in the same region, making the air thick with chemicals.

According to the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), the southern part of Durban also hosts toxic landfills.

Respiratory problems
The chemicals that are escaping into the atmosphere, soil and water on a daily basis include benzene, sulphur dioxide, toluene, xylene, and CO2, all of which will play the lead role in next week’s climate change talks.

“The pollution affects about 500,000 people living in close vicinity of these industrial and landfill sites,” said Lushindrie Naidu, SDCEA’s Project Officer.

“Respiratory problems among school children in the south is for instance much more prevalent when compared to northern parts of Durban,” she explained.

“One particular study showed that less than 10% of school kids in the north had asthma, compared to 52% in the south. Clinics in the southern Durban are overflowing with patients suffering from all sorts of health issues,” Naidu continued.

The incidence of cancer in southern Durban is also higher when compared to other parts of the city, she added.

“We are not saying that the refineries and other industry are the sole culprits. Some cancers can be hereditary,” Naidu stressed. “However, what is a fact is that poor living conditions, excessive pollution, and long-term exposure to certain chemicals can increase the risk of certain cancers.”

Greenhouse gases
While long-term benzene exposure in particular has been linked to hereditary leukaemia, other studies have found that continuous contact with sulphur dioxide may be related to higher levels of lung cancer.

Sulphur dioxide is a by-product of the oil refining and paper industry. The south of Durban has two paper production plants and two refineries.

South Africa has put in place regulations when it comes to the emission of chemicals and greenhouse gases like CO2, but according to Naidu they are relatively new: “In addition it is difficult for ordinary people or civil society to find out what these regulations are, due to the Key Points and Strategic Installations Act.”

This particular Act aims to protect areas of strategic interest, including refineries, from sabotage and attacks. Once an area has been so declared a