wfn.org | All Africa News Agency - BULLETIN No. 30/02 August 5, 2002 (b)

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

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AANA Bulletin
Editor - Mitch Odero

Bulletin APTA
Acting Editor - Silvie Alemba

Arusha Tribunal On Rwanda Hit By Delays And Red Tape

BRUSSELS (AANA) August 5 - The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda 
(ICTR) is about halfway through its mandate, but at the current rate, it 
has no chance of completing its work by the finishing date of 2008.

A new International Crisis Group (ICG) report says that there are two main 
factors affecting the ability of the court to complete its work: the overly 
ambitious prosecution schedule and the lack of effective efforts to reform 
the Tribunal's processes and speed up hearings.

Five cases of utmost importance are still waiting to be heard. One dealing 
with the media, two involving the military including an alleged mastermind 
of the genocide, Theoneste Bagosora, and two involving former ministers and 
political party leaders.

These trials are crucial to revealing important truths about the 
preparation, launch and execution of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The 
media case is the only one that is actually underway.

ICG Africa Programme Co-Director Fabienne Hara said: "It is vital that the 
tribunal rationalises the number of cases before it, concentrates on its 
core mandate, and implements reforms to speed up hearings. Without this, 
confusion and obstruction threaten the tribunal's mission and will reduce 
its impact on the political reconstruction of Rwanda and the region to zero".

A crisis has also developed between the tribunal and the government of 
Rwanda over investigations into crimes allegedly committed by members of 
the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) in 1994.

Authorities in Kigali have blocked all assistance to the ICTR in breach of 
their international obligations and have demanded that the investigations 
be dropped. This tension is only likely to get worse and it is vital that 
the UN Security Council gives strong and unambiguous support to ensure the 
ICTR's credibility and independence. The tribunal must not be seen as an 
instrument of victors.

ICG Central Africa Programme Director Francois Grignon said: "In this 
context it is unfortunate that the Security Council delegation did not 
visit the tribunal in its annual trips to Central Africa in 2001 and 2002. 
This sends a dangerous signal of disinterest to Rwanda about the mission of 
the UN tribunal and its role in ending the crises in Congo and in Burundi".

In the Congo war, the Rwandan government has long demanded the arrest of 
genocide perpetrators on Congolese territory, so it is paradoxical that 
just as the DRC government agreed to open an office to assist ICTR 
investigations in Kinshasa, the Rwandan government is paralysing the work 
of the tribunal.

Both Kinshasa and Kigali have toyed with international justice. The only 
way to end this is to ensure that the tribunal is reformed and credible, 
and to demand that both states respect their international obligations 
towards it.
SOURCE: International Crisis Group

Rebels Kill World Vision Staff

NAIROBI (AANA) AUGUST 5 - A Kenyan relief worker was killed last week and 
another three abducted when, the Southern Sudan Liberation Movement (SSLM) 
attacked a World Vision camp in Waat, a small town in the southern Sudan 
Upper Nile region, which borders Ethiopia. A Kenyan community health 
worker, Charles Kibe aged 46, was killed in the raid.

By Thursday, August 1, the rebels had released one of the hostages, under 
circumstance that the World Vision would not disclose.  Latest reports now 
indicate that the remaining two hostages were released yesterday (August 
4), and that World Vision has suspended all their operations in the region.

The SSLM said they had attacked the camp to free some of their own who had 
been captured by the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) and held captive.

" It was with heartfelt relief that I learnt of the release of Steffen 
Horstmeier, one of the three World Vision staff abducted on Monday, July 29 
while working  at a health community centre," said World Vision President 
Dean Hirsch , in a statement.  Mr. Horstmeier 31 arrived safely in Kenya on 
Thursday morning at Lokichoggio, a town on the Sudan-Kenyan border.  His 
colleagues who followed in yesterday  are said to be in good health.

The reason for abduction, despite the SSLM saying that it was accidental 
has remained unclear. The SSLM is further known to have been switching 
allegiances between the southern rebels and the Islamic government several 
times.

" It is unfortunate that international relief aid workers were in Waat when 
we attacked. We deeply regret the death of one Kenyan worker... SSLA policy 
does not target relief workers but instead recognises their role in 
humanitarian services to the people of Southern Sudan. We deeply regret the 
death of an innocent worker," said the SSLM in a statement.

The abductions come after the main rebel group, the SPLA and the government 
signed a peace agreement in Kenya. Senior government official told the 
press in Khartoum that the fighting appeared to have stopped, but SPLA 
spokesperson Dr. Samson Kwaje said the rebels were still clashing with the 
government forces in the southern region.

World Vision has worked in Sudan since 1970's. It has since the last year 
focused on the alleviation of malnutrition among children, immunization and 
primary health care in Waat.

Reported by Fredrick Nzwili

Mkapa Hails AMECEA Work

DAR ES SALAAM (AANA) August 5 - Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa has 
hailed the role of the Catholic Church in the health sector on the African 
Continent.

Speaking during the official opening of the 14th Plenary Assembly of the 
Catholic Bishops of the AMECEA (Association Member Episcopal Conference in 
Eastern Africa) held here from July 14-28, President Mkapa observed that 
about 17 percent of all health systems in sub-Saharan Africa are ministries 
of the Catholic Church.

In areas of intense conflict such as Southern Sudan, the eastern part of 
Congo DRC, Burundi and Sierra Leone, the Church often finds itself the sole 
critical provider of education, health and other forms of services 
including interceding for peace and justice, the Tanzanian head of state 
further told the Catholic Bishops.

More than 100 delegates attended the Plenary Assembly from the African 
countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Malawi and 
Zambia. They deliberated on the theme: "Deeper Evangelisation in the Third 
Millenium; A Challenge for AMECEA".

President Mkapa noted that the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) was currently 
supporting programs in 36 sub-Saharan Africa nations, with a total 
commitment of US$ 140 million in health, education, agriculture 
micro-finance and HIV/AIDS programs.

The Tanzanian leader observed that HIV/AIDS kills more people than war, 
stating that in 1998, an estimated 200,000 people died in war, while 
HIV/AIDS claimed two million.  He said Tanzania was one of the most 
affected countries, observing that 1.3 million adults were today living 
with the disease.

Given the fact that 50 percent of HIV infections occur below the age of 29 
years, this has serious implications on human resource, capacity for 
production and reproduction, the head of State stressed.  He further said 
that in 1999, an estimated 140,000 Tanzanians died of AIDS-related cases, 
representing an average of 348 deaths daily, or 11,667 each month.

Meanwhile, Ugandan Archbishop for Mbarara Archdiocese, The Most Rev Paul 
Bakyenga has been  elected AMECEA chairman while a Kenyan Catholic priest 
Rev Fr. Michael Ruwa Charo was elected as its General Secretary.

Reported by Osman Njuguna

Zimbabwean Churches Launch Peace Initiative

HARARE (AANA) August 5 - Churches is Zimbabwe have renewed with vigour, 
their commitment to halt the vicious circle of political violence that has 
gripped the country since February 2000.

Latest in their efforts to bring lasting peace is an ambitious project to 
bring together the two main political foes - the ruling ZANU-PF and the 
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to a negotiating table 
after the initial efforts by mediators from Nigeria and South Africa failed 
last month.

Faith for the Nation Campaign is the theme title that has been adopted by 
the local inter-denominational churches to provide a platform aimed at 
facilitating meaningful dialogue between the political opponents.

In and interview with AANA, the chairperson of the group, Rev Andrew 
Wutaunashe, said they launched their national unity and reconciliation 
initiative last month after wide consultations with different churches with 
diverse political persuasions.

"After elections, we realised that the nation was so polarised and facing 
serious national unity problems.  We consulted ordinary church members and 
they recommended that we form an inter-denominational group that would 
approach the political leaders and bring them to the negotiating table," he 
said.

Supporting the initiative, the director of the Ecumenical Documentation 
Southern Africa, Mrs Tendai Nyahoda Chikuku, said: "Its never too late.  We 
must be positive as churches that something will come out.  Yes, it looks 
really difficult but still it is necessary that someone has to mediate and 
the Church is strategically positioned to that."

The Faith for the Nation Campaign has already scored a major victory 
against it detractors as it has managed to meet Mugabe at the State House 
and the MDC delegation led by Morgan Tsvangirai.  The two initial meetings 
were meant to present the churches proposal on how issues of nation 
building and reconciliation should be handled.

Rev Wutawunashe said their preliminary diagnosis showed that the major 
differences between the two parties seemed to be lack of trust with one 
side accusing the other of insincerity.  "ZANU-PF seem not to trust the MDC 
on the questions of sovereignty and gains of the liberation struggle while 
MDC say it does not trust ZANU-PF on issues like democracy and good 
governance," he said.

Good news to churches is that Mugabe has already welcomed the churches 
initiatives.  "We welcome the initiatives to have talks and dialogue with 
anyone or the opposition and together we must yield results."

To compliment the efforts of the Faith for the Nation Campaign is the 
Zimbabwe Council of Churches, which is also running its own peace 
initiatives aimed at achieving peace, reconciliation, tranquillity and 
forgiveness.  Already, they have met all the presidential candidates who 
competed at the last elections.

Reported by Shepherd Chimururi

Education Ignored By Leaders

NAIROBI (AANA) August 5 - Provision of quality education in Africa is 
identified as a key strategy of improving socio-economic well being of the 
continent.  National education policies in Africa stress the need to 
implement the Education For All (EFA) initiative, a concept developed 
internationally with the aim of improving human development in the Third 
World countries.

However, there are reports now that African leaders and policy makers are 
not giving EFA the required attention, according to the participants at a 
recently concluded Forum for African Women Educationalists conference in 
Nairobi, Kenya.  Speakers from different African countries called for a 
paradigm shift in the way the EFA initiative is embraced in Africa, 
especially by the learning institutions' managers.

EFA initiative is expected to help developing countries meet the Millennium 
Development Goal of providing every girl and boy with quality primary 
school education by 2015.  It stresses the importance of providing the girl 
child with equal education opportunities with the boy child.

But speakers at the Nairobi conference said policy makers are not 
appreciating the importance, including the gender parity in national EFA 
plans.  Magatte Faye from Senegal said policy makers in her country have 
failed to include the issue of gender parity in the Senegalese EFA 10-year 
Action Plan.

"Policy makers in Namibia are not serious about the issue of gender balance 
in the EFA national plan.  There is a need for lobbying and sensitisation," 
said Walter Nel of Namibia.

The interest behind the EFA initiative is the belief that education is one 
of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty and inequality and 
for laying the basis for sustained economic growth.  Economic prosperity 
and the reduction of global poverty cannot be accomplished unless all 
children in all countries have access to, and can complete a primary 
education of adequate quality.

"Economic prosperity and the reduction of global poverty cannot be 
accomplished unless all children in all countries can at a minimum complete 
a primary education of good quality.  Education alone will not solve this 
problem, but the problem cannot be solved without education," says Mamphela 
Ramphele, the World Bank's Managing Director for Human Development.

The Nairobi conference participants heard that despite the constitutional 
provision for free education for all children under the age of 16 years, 
children continue to be sent away from school due to lack of school fees 
and uniforms.  This portrays lack of seriousness of purpose and refusal to 
follow the policy provisions.

The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) startegy paper that is 
expected to guide new efforts towards Africa development says that to 
bridge the education gap, African countries will work with donors and 
multilateral institutions to ensure that universal primary education is 
achieved by 2015.

The strategy paper says African countries will set up task forces to review 
education expenditure in Africa and accelerate the introduction of 
Information Communication Technologies in primary schools.  It indentifies 
the problem of education in Africa as poor facilities and inadequate 
systems under which the vast majority of Africans receive their training.

Reported by Stephen Mbogo