wfn.org | ALL AFRICA NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN No. 48/02 (a)

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ALL  AFRICA NEWS AGENCY BULLETIN No. 48/02
December 9, 2002

AANA Bulletin is an ecumenical initiative to highlight all endeavours and 
experiences of Christians and the people of Africa.  AANA Bulletin is 
published weekly and, together with the French Edition - Bulletin APTA - is 
also available through e-mail.	For editorial and subscription details, 
please contact: 

AANA Bulletin	: Acting Editor - Mitch Odero		
Bulletin APTA: Edition en frangais, ridacteur intirimaire : Sylvie Alemba

All Africa News Agency
P.O. BOX 66878 NAIROBI, KENYA
TEL : (254 2) 442215, 440224 ; FAX : (254 2) 445847/443241
E-mail : aanaapta@insightkenya.com

PARADISE  LOST

Al Qaeda Owns Up But Police Yet To Prefer Charges

NAIROBI (AANA) December 9 - Kenyan authorities, dogged by accusations of 
ignoring prior warnings of a terrorist attack, last week  made several 
arrests but did not file holding charges following the November 28 attack 
on an Israeli-owned holiday resort and botched-up missile attack on an 
Israeli passenger jet liner.

Dozens of suspects had been rounded up but authorities could only confirm 
that the bombing of Paradise Hotel, some 15 km north of the costal city, 
Mombasa, was the work of terror groups linked to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda 
movement. The movement has since owned up.

In a statement early last week, authorities here played down reports that 
they had been forewarned of the impending terrorist attack. "Any security 
information received was promptly acted upon and this resulted in the 
arrest of several suspects," the statement, issued on December 4, said.

President Daniel arap Moi, facing succession elections on December 27 and 
charges of complacency over national security in the aftermath of the 
terror attack, nonetheless left for Washington early last week for what 
officials described as consultations on regional security matters with US 
President George W Bush.

Reported by Noel Okoth

'Terror Cannot Be A Way Of Settling Differences'

NAIROBI (AANA) December 3 -The interim General Secretary of the All Africa 
Conference of Churches AACC Mr Melaku Kifle, has condemned terrorist 
attacks that hit Kenya on the morning of November 28.

Kifle, who described the attack as "horrendous", said that those behind it 
may have had disputes seeking settlement, but there were other mature and 
harmless means of settling conflicts.

"Unleashing fatal terror cannot be a way of settling their differences. 
Innocent people, least concerned with global politics of power, paid with 
their lives the ramifications of such global politics," the AACC official 
said in a statement issued here.

"Unleashing fatal terror cannot be a way of settling their differences. 
Innocent people, least concerned with global politics of power, paid with 
their lives the ramifications of such global politics," he said in a 
statement issued here.

He regretted that the violence had come at a time when Kenyans needed 
undivided attention to the crucial election process, expected to mark a 
historic transition in the nation's leadership.

In another statement issued here, Catholic Bishops in Kenya said they were 
"saddened by this tragic incident, consciously planned and implemented 
(leaving many people dead or injured)".

"The bishops condemn this act with all the seriousness it deserves, and 
send their condolences and expression of solidarity with the families of 
both the dead and the injured," the statement said.

Saying that they received the news of the terror attack with great shock, 
the bishops further called for "peace, prayers and spirit of reconciliation 
at this trying moment".

Reported by Joyce Mulama
	

Tanzania's MPs Discuss Proposed Laws On Terrorism

DODOMA (AANA) December 9 - Alarmed by the terrorist attacks of August 1998, 
Tanzania's Parliament  last month proposed and tabled the Prevention of 
Terrorism Bill of 2002. But it was an excited initiative that brought to 
the fore the divide regarding the perception of terrorist activities.

The Minister for Home Affairs Mr Mohammed Seif Khatib said the Bill did not 
intend to suppress any individuals or groups but sought to protect innocent 
citizens from terror attacks and ensure peace and tranquillity.

MP Danhi Makanga, who is a member of the United Democratic Party, protested 
saying "there must be some foreign forces behind itWe should refuse to be 
dictated by foreigners even though we are poor".

The Chief Speaker of the Opposition parties in the House Dr Father Wilbrod 
Slaa  urged the government to ensure that the proposed legislation did not 
suppress individual civil liberties.  He said the Bill failed to define 
terrorism, something that could lead to abuse of human rights when it 
became law.

Dr. Masumbuko Lamwai suggested that the Bill  should be transparent, 
especially when it came to definition. Citing examples, he said in the US 
members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) are referred to as 
terrorists.

In his contribution, Dr Samwel Malecela recalled that during the liberation 
struggles in Southern Africa, members of the African National Congress 
(ANC) and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) of South Africa were labelled 
as terrorists by the Boers and Americans.

Malecela, who is also the vice-chairperson of the ruling Chama cha 
Mapinduzi (CCM), stressed that the Bill did not intend to suppress the 
Muslims in the country. "Terrorism has nothing to do with religion," he
noted.

Mwanga MP Prof Juma Maghembe advised that the Bill should not be 
rushed.  He emphasized that the Bill be revisited by bringing on board 
interests of Tanzanian people.

According to Dr Hans Kitine, there should have been consultations with the 
recently formed Human Rights and Good Governance Commission before rushing 
the Bill to Parliament.

The Attorney General Mr Andrew Chenge defended the Bill saying peace would 
prevail in the country if people lived without fear or threats of any kind 
such as terrorism.

The Bill, he noted, was aimed at striking a balance between protection of 
human rights and individual civil liberties. He said all that could be 
achieved globally if countries work closely.

Reported by Daniel Benno Msangya

NEWS SECTION

Intense Fighting In Coti d'Ivoire Causes Aid Crisis For Liberia

ABIDJAN (AANA) December 9 - In mid-September this year, a disenfranchised 
element of the Ivorian military decided to take up arms against the Ivorian 
government to avoid being discharged from service.

Evacuation of most foreign nationals has been assisted by the French 
Military who also have been serving as a partition between the rebel held 
north and the government dominated south while peace talks brokered by 
ECOWAS gave hope to a peaceful solution in Lome.

On November 28, fresh fighting between Ivorian troops and a new rebel group 
near the border with Liberia has triggered a mass exodus of Ivorian 
refugees and Liberian returnees into the Liberian border town of 
Lougatu.  The exodus followed a rebel attack the following weekend in the 
Ivorian towns of Binta and Danane near the border with Liberia.

UNHCR has stated that there are approximately 21,000 people seeking 
humanitarian aid after fleeing from the Ivory Coast. However, the Liberian 
government estimates that there are more than 43,000 persons.

UNHCR has designated three transit points for the fleeing 
masses.  Humanitarian assistance will  be provided at the three designated 
places with an immediate objective to provide transportation to the 
Liberian wishing to relocate to other villages to be with family.

Lutheran World Federation / World Service is heading the distribution of 
non-food items such as clothing, blankets, kitchen utensils. The church 
organisation will assist UNHCR in the construction of transit shelters, and 
will provide emergency staff personnel to assist with protection of women 
and children while in transit from the Ivory Coast.

Prepared by Charles Pitchford,
LWF/LWS Liberia Representative

International Agencies Seek Funds For Somali Projects

NAIROBI (AANA) December 9 - United Nations agencies and their partners 
operating in Somalia have launched an appeal for US $ 78 million for next 
year in order to fund emergency, recovery and development projects in the 
country.

The appeal, Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal 2003, was launched here on 
November 28 and seeks to fund projects on emergency preparedness, cross 
border operations public information outreach and the protection of the 
vulnerable groups.

The plea contains proposals for 56 projects from 14 UN agencies and three 
non-governmental organisations. The UN organisations involved include 
UNHCR, UNICEF UNDP, UNESCO, WFP, FAO, WHO, OCHA among others.

According to Maxwell Gaylard, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, the 
situation in Somalia is a complex one, not only in need of humanitarian 
aid, but mostly assistance for transition and recovery.

Humanitarian assistance has helped Somalis get through the worst of 
times.	Its agenda has been driven by the need to save lives through 
improving food security, health and sanitation. The assistance also 
involves protection of displaced populations, and supports good governance, 
peace-building, and economic recovery.

The theme for the appeal is Hope for the Future.   "I do believe there is 
reason to hope that real improvements can and will be made in the lives of 
Somalis," said Gaylard, adding, "a shortfall in funding, or the slow 
arrival of funding will inevitably hamper the humanitarian community's 
ability to do its work, and that will have adverse effects on hundreds of 
thousands of vulnerable people".

Statistics show that the country ranks fifth, among the least five 
developed countries in the world. About 750,000 thousand Somalis are 
chronically vulnerable, out of which 350,000 are internally displaced 
nationwide with the highest concentration (150,000) in Mogadishu, the
capital.

Some 400,000 Somali refugees will remain in exile across the world by the 
end of this year.  But Simone Wolken, UNHCR's representative for Somalia, 
estimates that more than 23,000 refugees will repatriate mainly to Northern 
Somalia from Djibouti, Kenya, Yemen and Ethiopia during 2003.

According to UNIFEM, majority of the vulnerable groups are women, girls and 
children, who are also at the greatest risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. The 
organisation seeks to contribute to the prevention of HIV/AIDS by enhancing 
their knowledge of gender dimensions of the pandemic.

UNIFEM also seeks to raise awareness of the economic dimensions of women's 
human rights in relation to care and protection, as well as discrimination, 
stigma, violence and abuse.

The appeal notes that the education system in Somalia is at stake. More 
than 80 percent of children aged six to 14 years and youth aged 14 to 18 
are attending neither formal or informal schools with increasing drop out 
rates.

Gender disparities are evident with girls accounting for only 35 percent of 
the total primary school enrolment from grades one to eight, while women 
make up only 12 percent of the total teacher population.

The illiteracy rate in the country is high, with only between 14 to 17 
percent of the adult population being literate. Of these, the vast majority 
are men.

With this in mind, the international community seeks to ensure the 
provision of sustainable quality primary and vocational education for 
school children aged six to 14 years and youth aged 14 to 18 years 
respectively, while adults aged 18 years or more would undergo training 
through formal and alternative channels.

Last year's appeal stood at US $ 83 million, out of which only 47 percent 
was realised.

Prepared by Joyce Mulama