wfn.org | AANA - BULLETIN No. 32/02 August 19, 2002 (a)

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

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AANA Bulletin					Bulletin APTA
Acting Editor - Mitch Odero			Acting Editor - Silvie Alemba

Sudan Peace Talks Resume With Calls For Wealth Sharing

NAIROBI (AANA) August 17 - Sudanese peace talks resumed in Kenya last week 
with calls by Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) for power 
and wealth sharing.

The talks are being held in camera between SPLM/A and Sudanese government, 
under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Sources close to the talks told AANA that SPLM/A was demanding not less 
than 50 percent of wealth sharing from the natural resources.  Much of the 
Sudanese mineral wealth which includes gold, uranium and oil are located in 
Southern Sudan.

SPLM/A delegation contended that Southern Sudan had been deliberately kept 
under-developed through Khartoum's government "policy of exclusion" and 
hence their demand for a better percentage of wealth sharing to spur 
development.

The talks were also expected to lead to an agreement on ceasefire, which 
was left out during the last peace negotiations, held in Machakos town, 
Kenya.  The Machakos talkstook place from June 18 to July 20, and resulted 
in the signing of a peace protocol between the two parties.

Among the issues agreed on in the protocol was the Right to 
Self-determination for the people of southern Sudan, which will be 
determined by a referendum to be internationally monitored.

The referendum will be on two clear options, namely, confirmation of the 
unity of Sudan as set out in the peace agreement, or cessation. The interim 
period will be of two phases; a pre-transitional period of six months and 
the main transitional period of six years, after when the referendum will 
be held.

The protocol underlined that it is during the pre-transition that the two 
parties shall work out a legal framework for the agreement and take steps 
towards implementation of a comprehensive ceasefire, while securing and 
mobilising resources for the peace process and reconstruction.

Soon  after the of the Machakos peace talks, leaders of various churches 
and church councils in Sudan met in Entebbe, Uganda from July 29 to August 
3 to reflect on the  Protocol.

They noted that it contained gaps, contradictions and ambiguities that 
would undermine its intended effects. "In this light, the [on-going] phase 
of the negotiations is crucial. We urge that the views of Sudanese civil 
society be fully represented," they said in a statement.

The leaders noted that while democratic governance was mentioned in the 
protocol, there was need for clarification as to how this would be brought 
about in both North and South Sudan.

They pointed out the issue of wealth sharing as a major one that needed 
much deliberation; "It must include all the assets of Sudan and should not 
only focus on oil."

They said the Church believed that a just and lasting peace rested on 
principles of equality, good governance, cultural diversity, freedom of 
religion, dialogue, human rights, civic education and reconciliation. "We 
urge all parties of the negotiation to uphold these principles and ensure 
that they are part of any agreement," they further said.

As the second round of talks begun in Machakos, the All Africa Conference 
of Churches (AACC) hosted a prayer service at its secretariat in Nairobi, 
Kenya. The prayers, held jointly with the New Sudan Council of Churches 
(NSCC) were conducted by Rev Arnold Temple, Executive Secretary of AACC 
Theology desk.

In a separate interview with AANA, Rev Temple, who was at the Entebbe 
meeting expressed hope that the talks would be able to address extensively 
thorny issues such wealth sharing.  He urged the two parties not to renege 
on what they will have agreed on, and was optimistic that a peaceful Sudan 
was on the way. "We should work towards it since it is possible," he said.

Rev Temple challenged the recently formed African Union (AU) to get 
involved in the talks and help create an amicable solution for the Sudanese 
conflict.

He said AU should tell Africans how it will be different from its 
predecessor, the OAU, which many have accused of not having done much to 
settle conflict in African nations. "This is one great test for AU. Will it 
be a place where its leaders meet to drink tea or solve issues at hand?" he 
posed.

Reported by Joyce Mulama

  Defiant Mugabe Remains Firm On Contentious Land Reform

HARARE (AANA) August 19 - Despite criticisms and sanctions by European 
countries, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is showing no sign of backing 
down from his controversial land reforms programme, in which close to 3,000 
commercial white farmers have been ordered to surrender their land for 
redistribution to indigenous black Zimbabweans.

A determined Mugabe on August 12 delivered a stern warning to white 
commercial  farmers over the August 8 eviction deadline, saying the 
government had mobilised officers on the ground to conduct a survey to 
establish who among the white farmers had remained defiant of the orders.

Mugabe was issuing this warning as he delivered a keynote speech at a 
funeral of a former finance minister, Bernard Chidzero, at Heroes Acre 
shrine.

"We set ourselves an August deadline for the redistribution of land, and 
that deadline stands," he said, adding: "We, the principled people of 
Zimbabwe;  we the true owners of this land, shall not budge. We shall not 
be deterred on this one vital issue, the land."

As if to emphasise the president's warning, latest reports now indicate 
that five white farmers were last Friday (August 16) charged in the 
south-western town of Gwanga with defying Section 9 of the Land Acquisition 
Act which required them to surrender their lands in Matabeleland province 
to landless blacks.

Sources from Justice for Agriculture (JAG), a white farmers lobby group, 
said last Friday that they had received reports that police and war 
veterans had also ordered white farmers in Mashonaland Central and East 
provinces to vacate their properties immediately.  That was just before 
several others got arrested.

This contradicts an earlier confidence expressed by  JAG spokeswoman, Jenni 
Williams, when she said that although 60 percent of the farmers had defied 
Mugabe government orders, no arrests had been made.

Williams had then said: "That is why we expect a reprieve so that the [land 
reform]can be done in a none disruptive way". She was wrong.  Sporadic 
attacks on white-owned farms by villagers have also been reported.

President Mugabe has quite some backing on the land redistribution crusade. 
Apart from more than 15,000 supporters that had turned out to cheer him on 
at Heroes Acres on August 12 with placards reading slogans like "This land 
is ours", "The land is the economy, the economy is ours", he enjoys support 
from among his ministers.

Local government minister Ignatius Chombo for example, is reported to have 
said earlier that action would be taken against white farmers who had 
defied the eviction directive.

Speaking on August 12 to villagers at Banket, approximately 100 kilometres 
northwest of Zimbabwe's capital Harare, the minister said: "Those who have 
not moved out of designated farms should do so.  The law will deal with 
those who continue to defy the government directive."  This is now being 
confirmed by the arrests and harassments meted on white farmers.

Reawakening last year's ambitious land redistribution agenda, Mugabe's 
government had in May this year ordered about 2,900 white commercial 
farmers to surrender their large tracks of farmland for redistribution to 
less endowed indigenous Zimbabweans.

The programme has not gone down well with the white community in Zimbabwe, 
who now have to face to the reality that many may soon need to re-adjust to 
a lifestyle they are not familiar with.

Zimbabwe's land crisis is emerging from the situation that 70 percent of 
what is considered the best farmlands are owned by the minority white 
community, most of them descendants of British settlers who moved in during 
colonial rule, while many indigenous Zimbabweans languish in landlessness.

The land redistribution programme was mooted to address this imbalance but 
has turned out to be volatile because of differences in principles and 
opinions.  Most white farmers argue that they are willing to give up only 
some of the land, and under an organised programme.

The conflict is climaxing at a time when southern African countries are 
faced with famine.  Aid workers say about 13 million people in the region, 
half of them in Zimbabwe, could starve over the next six months because of 
drought and political mismanagement.

Reported by Elly Wamari

  Ugandan Rebels Want Talks But Government Is Sceptic

GULU (AANA) August 19 - Ugandan rebel movement - the Lord's Resistance Army 
(LRA) has sent signals to Uganda government suggesting peace talks but the 
government is sceptic.

Bowing to pressures from church leaders, the rival parties are for the 
first time in two decades, showing signs of possible change of gears from 
war to talks.

LRA's leader Joseph Kony was last week reported to have expressed the wish 
for peace talks which Ugandan government initially dismissed as a bluff.

A government spokesman commented "he (Kony) is asking for talks to buy 
time," contending that recent atrocities committed by Kony could not have 
been done by the same man seeking peace. Kony, he claimed was aware his 
time was running out.

He said the government however could consider talks if Kony demonstrated 
'positive steps' towards peace and that such talks should be mediated by 
church leaders.

An LRA abductee released recently, Paul Kalama, said conversations within 
the LRA camp seemed to indicate that they could consider peace talks. "We 
were conversing and they say that there should be peace talks and not peace 
jokes, said Kalama in a telephone conversation with BBC."

Kalama, who is an aid worker with the International Rescue Committee IRC 
was speaking from Lira after being set free by LRA on August 10 together 
with his four colleagues. He said his experience with the LRA made him 
realise that peace talks would indeed be the way out.  "I personally see 
peace talks as a way out," he said, adding that if mandated, he would be 
willing to participate as a member of a go-between group.

Exposing the gravity of the conflict in northern Uganda, Kalama pointed out 
that the LRA were well-equipped, indicating that they have a potential of 
causing serious damage.  "The LRA are well equipped  with small arms - 
guns and rapid guns, as well as missiles, anti-aircraft and anti-tankers," 
he underscored, adding that villagers in northern Uganda were living in 
constant fear.  "People run away when they see them," he elaborated.

Kalama and his colleagues were abducted about two weeks ago during a raid 
to a UN camp by the LRA, in what the rebel group say were attempts to get 
back at their enemies, the Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces (UPDF).

According to Kalama, the LRA conducted the raids that led to their 
abduction in revenge to killings of some of their soldiers by Ugandan 
government forces and Sudan's People's Liberation Army (SPLA).

The abductees narrated how 500 LRA soldiers had been made to walk around 
with them in northern Uganda and how they thought their lives had come to 
an end. "We were [at first] worried for our lives. We thought we would 
die.  We had no sense of life," said Kalama, who however was quick to point 
out that they were treated relatively well.  "We were just moving freely 
with them. They treated us relatively well. They were feeding us twice a 
day," he explained.

But the UN are not taking any chances.  Fresh reports say that the UN High 
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are relocating more than 20,000 Sudanese 
refugees and displaced Ugandans from their previous camp in Masindi to 
safer grounds. This followed last weeks attack's by LRA on a UN camp in 
Northern Uganda.

In another development, a United Nations staff member who was abducted in 
Somalia earlier in the month has been released (August 10) without 
preconditions.  Mr. Abdulkadir Mohammed Abikar, officer in charge of the UN 
Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) Food Assessment Unit (FSAU) 
office in Mogadishu was abducted while on his way to the office on August 5.

The UN has strongly condemned the continued kidnappings of humanitarian aid 
workers in Somalia, saying it is jeopardising assistance programmes, and 
severely curtailing UN's ability to assist about 150,000 internally 
displaced persons and other vulnerable groups in Mogadishu.

UN Resident and Humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, Mr Maxwell Gaylard, 
said in a press release that he was worried about the deterioration of 
humanitarian situation in many parts of the country due to violence and 
insecurity, in particular in Baidoa, in the northeast (Puntland) and Mogadishu.

"I am gravely concerned by the recent outbreaks of fighting which continue 
to disrupt delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Somalis already 
facing acute poverty, malnutrition and the lack of access to even the most 
basic social services. The fighting is also thwarting UN, NGO and civil 
society efforts to protect vulnerable communities caught in areas of 
conflict," said Gaylard.

Renewed conflicts in these areas have in recent weeks claimed dozens of 
lives and caused more casualties. Field reports indicate that approximately 
20 civilians, mainly women and children, and an equal number of militia 
members from both sides were killed during three days of intense factional 
fighting in Baidoa from 29 July to 1 August, ending a two-year peace in the 
area.

The reports further say that two days later, on August 3, fierce clashes 
broke out in the northeast leaving more than 100 militia men from both 
sides dead. The battles have effectively cut off humanitarian access to 
most Somalis in the north-eastern tip of the country.

Reported by Joyce Mulama