wfn.org | All Africa News Service Bulletin 35-02 (b)

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

Are Dictators Now Wearing The Robes Of Democrats?

BUTERE, Kenya (AANA) September 9 - A Kenyan Member of Parliament, Prof 
Anyang' Nyong'o has said the success of the New Partnership for Africa's 
Development NEPAD will depend on adoption of democracy and the rule of law.

Nyong'o said it was imperative that NEPAD's leaders understood democracy 
first as a process of enhancing political participation, which he said, 
required involving citizens in the process of government in terms of policy 
and decision-making, and sharing responsibility.

In his paper titled Democracy and Political Leadership in Africa in the 
Context of NEPAD, and which was read on his behalf by Rev Edward Limo, the 
MP pointed out that the rule of law was a cardinal aspect of democracy.

Nyong'o said participation of citizens should be based on rules of conduct, 
behaviour and decision-making that are not personal, traditional, 
particularistic or parochial. He added that the rules should be universal 
and applicable to individuals as citizens and not any other special 
categories unless such categories were arrived at on the basis of certain 
universal norms.

In his presentation at the annual theological lectures, Nyongo noted that 
democracy was much more than good governance.  "Democracy demands that 
governance promotes human dignity, encourages social solidarity and ensures 
the realisation of basic needs as citizens seek to improve their lives 
under an actually existing democratic regime," he stated.

Nyong'o regretted that Africa's leaders had refused to give in to pressure 
for democratic change.	Instead they "wear the robes of democrats and 
reinvent themselves into power even after so-called multi-party elections".

He added that the leaders had adhered to authoritarian regimes, which 
depended on heavy use of political power at the centre of the state where a 
civilian or military bureaucracy dominated policy as well as decision-making.

He emphasised the need to explore how obstacles to democratisation in 
Africa could be removed, adding that for NEPAD to be embraced by the 
African people, it must involve internal democratic changes in each African 
country that make people have confidence in their leaders. "It must also be 
a partnership with the international environment that leads to wealth 
creation in Africa as a basis for development".

Reported by Joyce Mulama

NEWS  EXTRA

Thousands Of People Hit By Famine In Southern Congo

BRAZZAVILLE (AANA) September 9 - Thousands of people are currently hit by 
famine in Congo Brazzaville. Official and humanitarian sources confirmed 
here late last month that as much as 32 percent of the country's entire 
population are starving.

But addressing a press conference here on August 22, a top official of 
the  United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization FAO Mr. Jacques 
Diouf said he was "shocked by the news".

For him, a country like Congo that enjoys good rainfall, fertile soil, 
reasonable financial resources from petrol products and with less 
population density should not suffer from this calamity.

But despite all these resources, the FAO boss further told the media 
representatives that Congo continues to import foodstuff every year at a 
cost of 150 million Fcfa ( about US $ 435,000) to feed its estimated 2.5 
million people.

Diouf regretted that the war had destroyed   the country in the last 10 
years, affecting the potential capability of the country to feed its 
people, especially in the southern part  which is basically good and 
suitable for food production.

During his visit in the country, the FAO official launched a special food 
security programme aimed at containing famine.

The programme,. Diouf, would go  a long way to reinforce stakeholders in 
food production such as animal keepers, food growers and the fishing 
community in their efforts to raise the products.

The programme would be realized with the help of the partners (donors), the 
country's Ministry of Agriculture and animal keepers before the end of the 
year.

But Diouf feared that the implementation of the programme would be delayed 
due many reasons including interruptions by war skirmishes in the southern 
region where the government forces are at war with the rebels.

Reported by Raymond Bitemo in Brazzaville

SPECIAL  REPORTS

Rwanda Tribunal Independence Under Threat - Report

ARUSHA, Tanzania (AANA) September 9 - A new report recommends that the 
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda should finalise indictments 
against elements of the Rwandan Patriotic Army, increase its prosecution 
efficiency, and concentrate efforts on preparations for priority cases 
against the military and political figures suspected to have been involved 
in the 1994 genocide.

The report, "The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda: The 
Countdown", released by the International Crisis Group says five cases of 
utmost importance are still waiting to be heard. One deals with the Media, 
two involves the military including an alleged mastermind of the genocide, 
Theoneste Bagosora, and two involve 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," says 
the report. Colonel Theoneste Bagosora's case opened on last April 2 but 
will not properly start until this month.

The Tribunal issued its first indictment against eight accused persons on 
28 November 1995. The current status is such that 22 detainees are on 
trial, 28 are awaiting trial, two detainees are awaiting transfer to serve 
his sentence, one detainee's conviction is awaiting appeal, and six 
detainees are serving sentences in Mali.

ICTR is mandated to complete its work by the year 2008. However, ICG says 
this cannot happen until two issues are resolved: the overly ambitious 
prosecution schedule and the lack of effective efforts to reform the 
Tribunal's processes and speed up hearings.

"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", said ICG Africa Programme Co-Director 
Fabienne Hara.

"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,"  said ICG Central Africa Program Director Francois Grignon.

Media reports say that a crisis has 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.

According to ICG, authorities in Kigali have blocked all assistance to the 
ICTR in breach of their international obligations and have demanded the 
investigations be dropped. ICG recommends that this tension is only likely 
to get worse and it is vital that the United Nations 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' 
justice".

The report recommends that ICTR should redouble its efforts and re-launch 
initiatives for a rapprochement with Rwandan society. It should produce a 
realistic judicial calendar, which meets its mandate and is sensitive to 
the political environment.

Further, the Rwandan government must honour its obligations to cooperate 
with the Tribunal and stop all forms of obstruction, such as the 
restriction of access to witnesses living in Rwanda.

The report noted that the ICTR should not face alone the upcoming period, 
which will be highly sensitive politically. "It is crucial that the 
international community, and the members of the UN Security Council in 
particular, give strong and unambiguous support if they want to ensure its 
credibility and independence".

More than ever, the report added, they must show their determination not to 
allow the Arusha Tribunal to be the poor cousin of international justice. 
ICG said the Tribunal must give absolute priority to its core task, 
punishment for genocide, but it should not ignore the rest of its mission 
and become an instrument of victors' justice.

ICG urges the registrar of the Tribunal to revive initiatives to reconcile 
Rwandan society with the judicial process, including by promoting the 
permanent presence in Arusha of representatives of Rwandan survivors and 
human rights groups, visits by Rwandan law students and judiciary, and the 
production of information programmes for radio and television. It calls on 
the  Rwandan government to respect legal obligations to cooperate with the 
ICTR.

The report says all countries harbouring suspects wanted by the ICTR, in 
particular the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, 
Kenya, France and Belgium should immediately and unconditionally cooperate 
with the ICTR to support the arrest of inductees and suspects on their 
territory.

There are over five years left for the ICTR to complete the mission 
conferred upon it by the United Nations Security Council in November 1994.

Prepared by Stephen Mbogo

Khartoum Withdraws From The IGAD Peace Talks

MACHAKOS (AANA) September 9 -The government of Sudan last week prematurely 
terminated the peace talks, instructing its delegation to withdraw from the 
current IGAD peace talks.

The development was contained in an SPLM/A statement released 
here  September 2. This came after the second session of the Political 
Committee Task Force started on August 12 in Machakos, just outside the 
capital, and were scheduled to end on September 14 with possible extension, 
the release said.

The statement, however, regretted that the Sudan government gave "flimsy 
reasons for their withdrawal".	These reasons, the SPLM/A claimed, were 
more of internal difficulties facing the regime in Khartoum.

Since the signing of the Machakos protocol on July 20, there have been 
sharp differences among senior politicians and officials as well as 
religious leaders allied to the regime.

Most of these groups, said the statement, are opposed to the Machakos 
Protocol on the grounds that President Omar El-Bashir and those close to 
him have given away the South and have made a grave mistake by allegedly 
exempting southern Sudan from the application of strict Islam Sharia.

Before the Sudan government delegation left Khartoum for the second phase 
of the talks in Machakos, the SPLM/A claimed they were strictly ordered by 
columns of Islamic fundamentalist members of the regime to torpedo the talks.

However, in their justification of walking out of the talks, the Sudan 
government delegation is reported to have submitted a memo to the IGAD 
secretariat in which they complained that the SPLM/A has in the current 
negotiations submitted a position which is of con-federal nature in regard 
to power sharing, which they allegedly say is not in conformity with the 
Machakos protocol.

This is not true, says the statement. They blamed the IGAD secretariat for 
following the three areas of Abyei, Southern Kordofan (Nuba Mountains) and 
Southern Blue Nile (Funj region) to be discussed under power sharing.

The Sudan government accused IGAD of meddling in issues outside its 
jurisdiction. The Sudan government believes that these areas should be 
under Islamic law and denies them human and political rights.

In addition, the government questions SPLM submission that the capital 
territory for Sudan during the six years of the interim period should be 
neutral from Islamic law.  They insist that Sharia must be applied wherever 
the national capital will be.

"We will be ready to resume the talks when Khartoum comes to its senses and 
recognises the importance of a negotiated peaceful settlement than war 
mongering..."

This is of course unacceptable to the SPLM/A, as it is contrary to the 
Machakos Protocol, leave alone the fact that the SPLM/A participation in 
the government during the Interim period will include non-Muslims.

Therefore, walking out of talks because of positions expressed is nothing, 
but an evasion of issues and a pretext to abandon the talks, says the 
statement.  This is a clear indication that Khartoum is not interested in a 
peaceful resolution of the conflict, the statement added.

On the issue of escalating fighting, the SPLM/A puts the blame squarely on 
the Sudan government.  Since August 15, barely three days after the start 
of the peace talks, the SPLM/A has maintained this position.

The SPLM/A complained that Khartoum has been carrying out aerial 
bombardment of civilians and civilian infrastructure all over New Sudan 
particularly in Northern Bahr-el Ghazal, Eastern Equatoria, Western and 
Central Upper Nile killing civilians and livestock is big numbers.

The government has also ordered its troops during this period to attack 
SPLA positions in Malek in Upper Nile, Midil in Southern Blue Nile as well 
as around Torit in Eastern Equatoria.

However, it was the August 30 offensive in Idolu and Hiyala that forced the 
SPLA to pursue the attacking force from these areas up to Torit, leading to 
their subsequent withdrawal from the town.

It also be recalled that during past peace talks, Sudan government attacked 
and captured SPLA held towns.

"One of these incidents occurred in 1992 when the government attacked and 
captured the strategic town of Kapoeta from the SPLA while we were holding 
peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria," says Dr Samson Kwaje, the SPLM/A spokesman.

But this did not lead to SPLA withdrawal from the talks.  In fact, during 
the first phase of these talks last June and July, government forces 
attacked and captured SPLM/A-held towns of Gogrial, Mankien, Tam, Geisan 
and Juaibor.  In spite of these aggressions, the SPLM/A delegation never 
walked out of the talks.

"Therefore, Khartoum's decision to boycott the Machakos talks because of 
Torit is not justified The reasons are more political than anything 
else.  If president El-Bashir has failed to rally his hardliners behind 
Machakos, he should not blame us," says Kwaje.

The SPLM/A further assured the international community of its consistent 
commitment to the IGAD Peace Initiative and the Machakos Protocol.

"We will be ready to resume the talks when Khartoum comes to its senses and 
recognises the importance of a negotiated peaceful settlement than war 
mongering," Kwaje said.

Reported by Makur Kot Dhuor in Nairobi