wfn.org | AANA BULLETIN No. 27/03 July 14, 2003 (a)

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AANA BULLETIN No. 27/03 July 14, 2003 (a)

NEWS  SECTION

Taylor Promises To Step Aside Once Peacekeepers Arrive

MONROVIA/NAIROBI (AANA) July 14 - Embattled Liberian President, Charles 
Taylor, has said he is ready to "step down any day, anytime", but only 
after the United States (US), Economic Community for West African States 
(ECOWAS) and the United Nations (UN) deploy a peacekeeping force in the 
troubled country.

Taylor made these remarks during a three-hour meeting with church leaders 
at the Parlour of the Executive Mansion in Monrovia on July 4.

He argued that a gap and insecurity may be caused if he stepped down 
without transitional arrangements and a peacekeeping force.

"It was astonishing. He did not hold on to leaving office at the end of his 
term in January 2004.  He mentioned that he was prepared to 'step aside' to 
end the suffering of the people," said Rev. Kortu K. Brown of Concerned 
Christian Community in Liberia, in an email briefing to the All Africa 
Conference of Churches, soon after the meeting.

Following this development, the Liberian church leaders are asking for 
support from church organisations world-wide, to lobby for a speedy 
deployment of a peacekeeping force in Liberia.

"I thought this was something to lobby about since he (Taylor) requested 
the Church in Liberia to help intervene to save the country from further 
destruction," observed Rev. Brown, adding, "How can the churches get the 
UN, US and the international community to accelerate deployment of the
force?"

Present during the meeting was President of the Liberian Council of 
Churches, Bishop E. Sumuward Harris.

Reported by John Njage

Church Agency Says US Has Obligation Towards Liberia

NEW YORK/NAIROBI (AANA) July 14 - Church World Service (CWS), a global 
humanitarian agency, has expressed support for United States' (US) 
intentions to embark on a peacekeeping mission in war-torn Liberia.

In a July 3 letter to US Secretary of State, Rtd. General Collin Powel, CWS 
Executive Director, Rev. John L. McCullough, stated: "We are encouraged by 
present US government deliberations concerning possible significant 
engagement in Liberia in concert with other vested international bodies.... 
We join our voices with the people of Liberia who are pleading for the 
United States to give leadership and resources to help end violence."

Liberia is currently locked in a civil war between government forces loyal 
to President Charles Taylor, and  a major rebel group, Liberians United for 
Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD).  The war has resulted in the rebels 
taking control of about three-quarters of the country.

A cease-fire agreement brokered by Economic Community of West African 
States (ECOWAS), in conjunction with religious groups and the civil 
society, and signed on June 17 in Ghana, was violated barely a week later, 
after President Taylor intimated that he would not step down as required, 
to pave way for a transitional government.

The subsequent violent progression of rebel forces towards Liberia's 
capital, Monrovia, has continued to draw calls for a peacekeeping force to 
oversee the cease-fire.

In his letter, Rev. McCullough, is accordingly calling upon the US 
government to "give every incentive to all parties to lay down their 
weapons and return to peace talks (and) lead in creating and deploying an 
international stabilisation force."

According to him, the US has an obligation towards Liberia because of its 
historic ties with the troubled west Africa state.

"The United States has drawn substantial economic, military and security 
benefit from Liberia over the years, he says, noting: "Until now, the US 
has chosen not to intervene, while the vacuum of leadership in Liberia has 
been filled with human rights violations, including war, massive 
displacement of persons within and across borders, rape, mutilations and 
killings."

He continues: "We call upon the United States to hear and respond to the 
voices of the Liberian people in ways that can lead to permanent peace."

A team of US military experts arrived in Monrovia on July 8 to assess the 
possibility of deploying a peacekeeping force in the country.

Meanwhile, a team of Liberia peace negotiators, led by General Secretary of 
Liberia Council of Churches, Rev. Benjamin Dorme Lartey, has been on an 
advocacy tour around the Mano River region, to show solidarity with 
Liberia's neighbours in their commitment to the on-going peace process.

The delegation consists of Inter-Religious Council of Liberia, the Liberian 
Bar Association and the Mano River Women Network for Peace.

They have been meeting Heads of State and government officials, religious 
groups, civil society organisations and women groups in countries 
neighbouring Liberia.

According to Rev. Lartey, the peace talks in Ghana "must end with the 
signing of a comprehensive peace agreement for Liberia, which will include 
a transitional government with the exclusion of President Charles Taylor".

Reported by Elly Wamari

Burundi Slides Back Into War Following Fresh Insurgency

BUJUMBURA (AANA) July 14 - Prolonged Tension in Burundi broke into an 
intense war between Forces Nationales de Liberation (FNL)-Rwasa and 
government army, causing displacement of an estimated 8,000 people from 
Musaga, Kibenga, Kinindo, and Kanyosha areas near the capital, 
Bujumbura.  Several people have died.

The fighting started early last week when FNL fighters attacked south of 
Burundi's capital city, accusing President Domitien Ndayizeye for having 
threatened to wipe them out.

At least 20 civilians and seven rebel fighters were killed early Monday 
(July 7) in the southern suburbs of Bujumbura, according to army spokesman, 
Col. Augustin Nzabampema.

"The attack this Monday morning is a warning to President Ndayizeye, who 
has threatened to intensify attacks against our movement," FNL spokesman 
Pasteur Habimana said.

"FNL rebels, led by Agathon Rwasa, infiltrated Kanyosha, Musaga and Kibenga 
suburbs in the southern part of Bujumbura yesterday, Monday the whole day 
and today the whole morning," confirmed Col. Nzabapmema last Tuesday (July 
8).

Fighting intensified on Wednesday (July 9), with  the rebels shelling 
buildings in the capital's centre from neighbouring hills, killing at least 
three more people.

According to reports, the attacks on Wednesday were mounted by FNL 
supported by a faction of Conseil National pour la Defence de la Democratie 
(CNDD), led by Pierre Nkurunziza.

Tens of thousands of people are believed to have sought refuge in local 
public and religious institutions, such as museums and church buildings.

More than a hundred people have been reported injured and the situation is 
worsened by lack of medical supplies in the country.

Other urgent needs include assistance to the displaced, such as the 
construction of shelter, provision of sheeting, poles, soaps, water, and 
sanitary infrastructures to prevent possible outbreak of infectious diseases.

A priest, Rev. Canon Mbogoye Frangois, and his wife, along with an 
assistant, were forced out of their homes on Wednesday night. Luckily, they 
managed to escape.

Rwasa's FNL faction remains the only group that has not signed a cease-fire 
agreement with the government. Three other rebel groups signed agreements 
with the government in December 2002, in Arusha, Tanzania, but accusations 
of cease-fire violations have been made by all sides since then.

Church leaders operating around Bujumbua have appealed to "those who are 
involved in fighting to come to a peaceful agreement  for the safety of our 
people."

Reported by Bishop Pie Ntukamazina
Episcopal Church of Burundi, Diocese of Bujumbura

Uganda Conflict Is Aggravating Regional Instability - AACC

NAIROBI (AANA) July 14 - The All Africa Conference of Churches	(AACC) has 
appealed to the government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) 
to "stop any further hostilities and immediately come to the peace table".

AACC has further asked Joseph Kony, leader of LRA, to unconditionally order 
the release of children, women, and other Ugandans forcefully abducted and 
detained by his forces.

UNICEF statistics indicate that about 8,400 children, have been abducted by 
LRA over the last 12 months.

In a press release dated July 4, AACC's Acting General Secretary, Mr Bright 
Mawudor, expressed concern that the protracted conflict between LRA and 
Uganda government, which began in 1986, had caused the people of Uganda a 
lot of suffering, and had since claimed 23,000 lives.

"It is unfortunate that the LRA has become synonymous with widespread human 
rights abuses including drafting of abducted school children into their 
forces or to be sex slaves," said Mr Mawudor, adding, "The AACC would like 
to condemn these atrocities in no uncertain terms."

AACC has also urged LRA to clear its name from accusations that its 
soldiers were responsible for slicing lips and hacking off limbs of some of 
their captives.

Said Mr Mawudor: "We understand hundreds of thousands of Ugandans, 
particularly those in the north have fled their homes to escape from the 
marauding forces."

According to AACC, the continued aggression between the LRA and the Uganda 
government had increased regional instability and aggravated the perennial 
refugee problem in East and Central Africa.

In June 2002, LRA rebels and Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) took 
their fight to the Atip River in southern Sudan, which resulted in the 
killing of Sudanese refugees. The incident, says Mr. Mawudor, worsened the 
internal problems in the Sudan.

Mr Mawudor is currently overseeing the activities of AACC until the new 
General Secretary, Bishop Hamilton Mvume Dandala, takes office in September.

Mr Melaku Kifle, who has been Interim General Secretary for the past one 
year, has returned to his desk at the World Council of Churches, where he 
serves as Executive Secretary responsible for Peace, Reconciliation and 
Uprooted People in Africa.

Meanwhile, AACC has also sent an appeal to the international community to 
come to the aid of Ethiopia, to help avert a possible famine tragedy "like 
the one witnessed in the country in the 1980s, where millions starved to 
death".

The country is currently experiencing severe famine occasioned by 
drought.  According to Mr Mawudor, latest statistics indicate that more 
than 11 million Ethiopians are starving, and 1.2 million are in urgent need 
of food.

"We call on all member churches to devout a day of prayers for rain in this 
beautiful country and to call on their governments and partners for 
support," said Mr Mawudor.

Reported by Joseph K'Amolo

Delegates Realise Notable Achievement On Reconciliation

NAIROBI (AANA) July 14 - Delegates at the on-going Somali National 
Reconciliation Conference here, have made a notable breakthrough on some 
thorny issues that have been a stumbling block to the progress of peace 
negotiations for Somalia.

On July 5, the 362 delegates generally agreed on a proposed transitional 
governance structure for the Horn of Africa country, which has been 
engulfed in political turmoil for more than a decade.

They resolved that the country will adopt a federal system, where the 
transitional federal government shall have a parliamentary system in which 
the president shall be elected by a uni-cameral parliament.

The president will in turn appoint the prime minister, who will have the 
responsibility of forming a government composed of three deputy prime 
ministers, ministers and assistant ministers.

The Charter for the proposed Transitional Federal Republic of Somalia will 
acknowledge the existing autonomous regional administrations, according to 
the agreement signed by Harmonisation of the Leaders Committee.

  "They shall function as currently constituted and shall be assisted by 
the Transitional Federal Government for further development," a press 
statement, released here on July 5, said.

The statement further observed that the proposed transitional government 
will be expected to immediately initiate dialogue with Somaliland, and 
expand the existing autonomous regional and district governments into a 
federal structure.

A commission for the proposed federal government will be established within 
90 days after a federal government is formed, to complete the process of 
unifying Somalia.

"This will be done by the approval of the Transitional Federal Parliament 
of Somalia," delegates to the current Somali peace conference said in the 
statement.

The delegates further agreed that parliament will be composed of 351 
members, elected for a duration of four years.

Members of the transitional parliament will be selected by political 
leaders signatory to the Declaration of Cessation of Hostilities, of 
October 27, 2002, and by politicians officially invited by the IGAD 
Technical Committee, in consultation with traditional leaders.

But in a slight turn of events, a statement issued by 20 Presidential 
candidates on July 8, observed:  "In our meeting today... all of us 
supported the agreement of the Harmonisation of the Leaders Committee that 
was signed on Saturday, July 5, except the selection of members of 
parliament, because some of the signatories are candidates like us."

Reported By Osman Njuguna