wfn.org | All Africa News Agency March 24 2003 (b)

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

AANA BULLETIN No. 11/03, March 24, 2003 (b)

ALL AFRICA NEWS AGENCY
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Scared Namibian Refugees Are Reluctant To Return Home

DUKWE, Botswana (AANA) March 24 - Namibian refugees at Botswana's Dukwe 
refugee camp (in north-eastern Botswana) remain reluctant to return home, 
despite assurances of safety made by Namibia government last year.

More than 2,400 people fled Caprivi Strip in north-eastern Namibia in 1998 
and 1999 for Botswana, when Namibia's government launched a clampdown on 
secessionist sympathisers.

Michak Muyongo, once a cabinet minister in President Nujoma's government, 
was alleged to have sought to have Caprivi Strip seceded from Namibia.

In August last year, Namibia entered a tripartite agreement with the United 
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Botswana.  The agreement 
guaranteed safety of returning refugees. 800 persons were repatriated to 
Namibia.

UNHCR says of the 800 who were repatriated last year, not one of them was a 
Caprivan, but San Bushmen, who were not linked to the separatist politics.

The next round of repatriation has been set for March 26 and UNHCR is 
concerned that not one Caprivan of the remaining 1,200 has registered for 
voluntary repatriation.

"The ones who are left are those who really want Caprivi to be 'free'," 
UNHCR's Dukwe camp manager, Santino Benedettino, says. "They are members of 
the Mafwe ethnic group loyal to separatist leader, Michak Muyongo," he adds.

UNHCR says since the batch arrived in Namibia, it has been monitoring the 
situation in Caprivi Strip to ensure that the terms of the tripartite 
agreement are adhered to.

Cosmos Chanda, UNHCR's head in Botswana, says the situation is calm and 
Namibia government deserves "a pat on the back".  But the refugees who 
spoke to AANA in Dukwe, do not share this view.

They point at killings last November of five people, who the government 
said were armed members of alleged Caprivi Liberation Army (CLA).  The 
incident occurred in Situngu Island, east of Caprivi Strip capital, Katima 
Mulilo.

While Namibia government maintained that the five were CLA members who had 
just returned from Botswana, independent observers say they were more 
likely to have been poachers.

The refugees fear a repeat of what happened in 1999, when 200 Caprivans 
volunteered to return home. The Namibian government quickly arrested those 
it could lay its hands on.

"If UNHCR says there is peace now, how about our brothers murdered by the 
government? What does it say about those still in prison?" says a Caprivan 
leader who identified himself to AANA only as Solomon.

He says he has lost faith in the UNHCR, alleging that returnees were only 
dumped at the border and told to take care of themselves.  UNHCR refutes 
this allegation.

It says the 2002 repatriation was well regulated, with precautions taken to 
ensure shelter, food and water to the returnees at the Namibian/Botswana 
border.

Botswana government says it needs the facilities at Dukwe refugee camp, 
which has been in existence for over 25 years, for other developmental 
purposes.

It is due to meet with Namibian authorities at a later date this year, when 
the issue of Caprivans is to be discussed, says Ross Sanoto, an official in 
the Botswana Office of the President.

Reported by Rodrick Mukumbira

African Youth Parliament Meets To Draw Up Action Plan

NAIROBI (AANA) March 24 - The African Youth Parliament (AYP) is set to hold 
consultations to draw up an action plan for co-ordinated youth 
participation in Africa's development activities.

The consultations slated for March 23-29 in Nairobi, will involve 
participation of representatives from International Youth Parliament (IYP).

According to the IYP chairman, Chris Tooley, the African initiative, that 
brings together 59 African states, will develop strategies to help achieve 
a collective vision for peace, sustainability and equity for Africa.

IYP is an international youth network of young leaders aged between 15-28, 
advocating and working for the rights of young people and their communities 
all over the world, with 45 African countries represented.

Tooley told AANA that AYP was structured around African action partners of 
international youth parliament, that brought together over 250 delegates 
around the continent.

Outlining their strategy, AYP Co-ordinator, Alfred K'Ombudo, said a 
secretariat consisting	of 14 African Action Partners was responsible for 
policy formulation, to ensure the youth get equal attention in the global 
development.

The forthcoming deliberations are aimed at facilitating youth participation 
in development and social change continentally. They will also elect a 
Speaker and other officials, at the meeting.

Among critical issues listed for discussions include the HIV/AIDS scourge, 
conflict, governance, and culture and identity, that have greatly affected 
the youth.

AYP has also promised to take African leaders and the international 
community to task, especially on the various commitments they have made in 
treaties and conventions that concern Africa.

Reported By Herman Kasili

HIV/AIDS Pandemic Props Up Caesarean Deliveries

LILONGWE (AANA) March 24 - Major hospitals in Malawi have resorted to 
caesarean child deliveries, as a way of checking transmission of HIV from 
mother to child during birth.

For the past two years, the government of Malawi has been trying to put in 
place a programme for free administration of nevirapine to HIV-infected 
mothers, in order to prevent passing of the virus to the baby at 
delivery.  Nevirapine is an antiretroviral drug.

However financial constraints have failed the programme.  It was to run 
concurrently with development of a revolving fund for antiretrovirals 
(ARVs) drugs for HIV/AIDS sufferers.

Reports indicate that in the past three years, the rate of caesarean 
sections had gone up to an average 10 to 12 percent, while the standard 
rate is supposed to be 1.5 percent of total births, according health 
authorities.

The sister-in-charge of Blantyre Adventists Hospital, Effeli Chapotera, 
says out of 659 expectant women who went for delivery from November 2000 to 
date, 193 gave birth through caesarean section, attributing this to an 
increase in HIV-infected mothers.

"This is not to say all cases were HIV positive. There are of course some 
other causes like malpresentation- improper positioning of the unborn baby, 
or cephalopelvic, a case of narrow birth canal," observes Chapotera.

"But the rising of the HIV pandemic has really pushed the use of 
caesarean," she points out.

Trends from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Malawi's major referral 
centre and Lilongwe Central, another large health institution, confirm the 
rising caesarean rate.

Out of 34,250 women who delivered at Lilongwe hospital between the year 
2000 and 2002, 3,509 went through caesarean section.

Although other health officials point at over-diagnosis in some of the 
hospitals and lack of proper training among maternity staff in handling 
complications related to child bearing, HIV stood out as the main cause for 
increased caesarian.

Deputy director in the Department of Reproductive Health in the Ministry of 
Health and Population, Jane Namasasu, confirmed HIV as the compelling factor.

"In the past caesarean was the last option in an emergency situation but 
now, to reduce the infection
from mother to child, caesarean has to be encouraged," asserted Namasasu.

Reported by Hobbs Gama

Kenyan Minister Calls For 'Constitution That Fits All'

NAIROBI (AANA) March 24 - While urging religious leaders to play a role in 
re-building Kenya in this era of transition, Minister for Foreign Affairs, 
Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, has expressed hope that the proposed new 
constitution for the country will fairly accommodate interests of all 
religious and ethnic groups.

Mr Kalonzo, a born-again Christian, said he expected those who will be 
appointed to work on the draft constitution, when its review work resumes, 
to keenly take note of the two issues - religion and ethnicity.

The minister was giving a public lecture here on March 14 on the topic A 
Politician Yes, But Always a Christian.

Elaborating his concerns, he observed: "In some countries such as Sudan, 
religious differences between people of the same country, but of different 
religious and ethnic backgrounds, had led into trouble in the country."

Mr. Kalonzo, whose public lecture was organised by YESHUA, a network of 
Kenyan Christians, drawn from various denominations, reminded the faithful 
that they had a role in re-building their country. "It would be unfair to 
leave the entire re-building of the Kenyan nation to politicians," he
observed.

Earlier, in January this year, a group of church leaders from both mainline 
and independent churches, converged in Nairobi to pray for work to continue 
on the draft constitution.

In a statement issued after the special prayers, the leaders stressed, 
among other things, that they would continue to pray for the constitution 
review process, saying, "God, who took us through the elections, will also 
help us finalise this process in a peaceful manner."

They added: "Let us also pray that all those involved in the review process 
will exercise wisdom in ensuring that the new constitution serves all 
Kenyans irrespective of their tribes, race, gender or religion."

Allaying fears of those who still hold that some people were likely to 
manipulate the constitutional review process for their own benefit, Mr 
Kalonzo explained: "When all is done at the proposed National 
Constitutional Conference, where people will have a chance to raise their 
views, the entire business will be taken to parliament."

"This is where we must all be concerned - taking care of all avenues set 
aside for us to see that all is well," he stressed, adding, "at various 
levels, some of the worrying things can be knocked out."

Reported by Victoria Mueni and Osman Njuguna