wfn.org | AANA BULLETIN No. 29/03 July 28 2003 (a)

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

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AANA BULLETIN No. 29/03 July 28, 2003 (a)

NEWS  SECTION

Uganda's Old Airport May Become A US Military Base

ENTEBBE (AANA) July 28 - Uganda has offered the Old Entebbe Airport to be 
used as a regional military base for US, according to Ugandan security
sources.

This was one of the subjects of US-Uganda security co-operation on war on 
terror, brought up during bilateral talks here on July 11 between 
presidents Yoweri Museveni and George Bush.

The talks followed recent discussions that were held in Washington between 
Ugandan Government and Pentagon officials.

Reports indicate that the airport, with a three-kilometre runway, will be 
used as a refuelling point by US military jets. The possibility of US 
troops being stationed here is not far fetched, according to government 
sources.

Security sources at the airport speculate that President Bush might have 
toured the old airport, or if not, then a look-alike did.

President Bush acknowledged Museveni as a vital bastion of security in the 
east and central African region, describing him as a strong leader expected 
to be key player in the region's stability.

He also reiterated his pledge of US$100 million to be given to East African 
nations to fight terrorist organisations and networks.

Political opponents are critical of Bush's utterances, pointing out that he 
conveniently ignored Museveni's "dubious" democratic credentials and failed 
to monitor the political pulse in Uganda.

Many are suspicious about Bush's cautious attitude towards Museveni and his 
inability to raise humanitarian issues, especially in the north, where the 
Lords Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group, is a menace.

However, US ambassador to Uganda says Ugandans should expect surprises, 
pointing out that US wants an orderly political transition and a better 
solution to the civil conflict in northern Uganda, than a military solution 
being pursued.

Reported by Crespo Sebunya

Botswana Justifies Signing Of Anti-ICC Agreement With US

GABORONE (AANA) July 28 - Botswana Government has accepted it signed an 
agreement that exempts US nationals from extradition to the International 
Criminal Court (ICC), because of the assistance it gets from the country.

The country becomes the second in Africa to sign the contentious agreement, 
after the Gambia, which did so last October.

Enerst Mpofu, the permanent secretary in the country's Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs and International co-operation, told AANA on July 18 that a number 
of issues, including the military assistance the country gets from the US, 
were considered before signing the agreement.

The agreement was signed on June 30, a few days before US president's visit 
to the country. President George Bush visited Botswana on July 10 as part 
of his five-nation African tour.

"The country's interests dictated that Botswana should sign," said the 
foreign minister.

Apart from the military assistance, US is currently funding an 
antiretroviral therapy programme in Botswana. It is also Botswana's number 
one trade partner, accounting for 70 percent of the consumption of the 
country's diamonds.

However, Mpofu could not say if the programmes would have been suspended if 
the country had refused to sign the agreement.

Under the pact, Botswana pledged not to extradite US citizens for 
prosecution to The Hague-based ICC for genocide, war crimes or crimes 
against humanity.

"The US is of the view that it does not trust international tribunals on 
the grounds that they are involved in many areas. It does not want its 
citizens to be subjected to political trials where countries want to settle 
scores," Mpofu argued.

The US has concluded similar deals with 12 other countries since the ICC 
came into being.  But the Bush administration is accused of bullying states 
into submission over the issue.

Reported by Rodrick Mukumbira

Amin Is Dying Without Meeting Justice, Say Rightists

NAIROBI (AANA) July 28 - Human Rights Watch said last Tuesday (July 22) 
that in future, tyrants like the ailing Idi Amin, would spend their last 
years in prison, not in comfortable exile.

Idi Amin, a former Ugandan dictator whose regime was responsible for 
widespread murder and torture, and the wholesale exile of the country's 
Asian community, fell into a coma last week at a hospital in Saudi Arabia. 
He is 78 years old and has lived in exile, mostly in Saudi Arabia, since
1979.

"We regret that Idi Amin is dying without meeting justice for his crimes," 
said Reed Brody, Director of Special Prosecutions at Human Rights Watch.

"Amin was one of the bloodiest tyrants in a bloody century. It is 
increasingly possible to prosecute dictators outside their home countries. 
Unfortunately, the trend didn't catch up with Mr Amin in time," added Brody.

Human rights watch said that while Amin lived in Saudi Arabia for the last 
ten years of his life, some former dictators, such as Augusto Pinochet of 
Chile, and Hisshne Habri of Chad, were arrested abroad to face prosecution.

Others, such as Milton Obote of Uganda, Mengistu Haile Miriam of Ethiopia, 
Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier and Raoul Cedras of Haiti, and Alfredo 
Stroessner of Paraguay, have not been prosecuted.

When asked in 1999 about the possibility of Amin's extradition or 
prosecution, a Saudi Arabian diplomat reiterated that according to Bedouin 
hospitality, "once someone is welcomed as a guest in your tent, you do not 
turn him in".

But according to Brody, "the world is a smaller and smaller tent. One day, 
even the Idi Amins of this world will find that they have nowhere to hide."

On taking power in 1971, Idi Amin created several new security 
organisations, which reported directly to him, such as the Public Safety 
Unit and the State Research Bureau.

Along with the Military Police, these security forces killed approximately 
10,000 Ugandans.

Many prominent Ugandans lost their lives during Amin's regime, including, 
the then Chief Justice Benedicto Kiwanuka, and Anglican Archbishop, Janani 
Luwuum.

In 1972, Amin ordered the expulsion of Uganda's 70,000 citizens of Asian 
origin, and the expropriation of their extensive property holdings.

Amin's several attempts in the recent past to re-enter Uganda were thwarted 
by Yoweri Museveni's insistence that his return to Uganda would land him, 
in prison to account for violations of human rights.

Reported by Henry Neondo

UN Agencies Deplore Abuse Of Liberian Children, Women

MONROVIA/NAIROBI (AANA) July 28 - Against a backdrop of shelling, gunfire 
and looting in Liberia's capital, Monrovia, two of the world's top child 
protection monitors have expressed deep concern over the safety of women 
and children.

The United Nations has reported a "horrific" situation in Liberia, where 
death toll is rising and thousands of terrified people are being displaced 
by the day.

The UN reports have been corroborated by the international medical 
humanitarian aid agency, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

MSF office in Nairobi said that last Monday alone, the organisation's teams 
in Monrovia treated more than 155 seriously wounded civilians, and reported 
13 deaths.

More than 20,000 people have been displaced in the war pitting President 
Charles Taylor's army against Liberians United for Reconciliation (LURD) 
rebel group.

Child protection agencies have now joined the calls for an urgent end to 
the violence.

Olara Otunnu, Kofi  Annan's  Special  Representative for Children and Armed 
Conflict,  and	UNICEF's Regional Director for West and Central Africa, 
Rima Salah, said in a joint statement that they were troubled by the 
"unacceptable" treatment of women and children.

"We are deeply concerned by the dramatic deterioration of the situation in 
Monrovia, and by the unacceptable mobilisation of children and women in 
violation of all agreed international norms and standards," the two 
officials said on Monday after a special meeting in Dakar, Senegal.

The child protection organisations reported that besides forced recruitment 
into the armed groups, Liberian children and youth have suffered all forms 
of atrocities, including sexual violence, disruption of schooling and 
forced displacement.

In a 28-page report entitled Liberian Stories, released July 23, MSF gives 
accounts of the arbitrary violence, looting, rape, forced recruitment, 
family separation and general chaos that have been part of the daily life 
of Liberians for more than a decade of war.

Reported by Muuna Wamuli

Finally, World Bank Promises Resumption Of Aid To Kenya

NAIROBI (AANA) July 28 - Kenya last week took stalk of achievements gained 
in the fight against corruption since the new government assumed power at 
the end of December last year.

In a one-day national anti-corruption workshop held here on July 23, and 
attended by World Bank President, James wolfensohn, Kenya's Head of State, 
Mwai Kibaki, recounted efforts made by his government to bring corruption 
that had undermined the economy to the end.

The president pointed out that the enactment of an Anti-corruption and 
Economic Crimes Act 2003, and the Public Officer Ethics Act 2003, plus the 
creation of a Kenya anti-corruption commission, were intended to directly 
execute war against graft across the republic.

He told participants that he will lead the way by declaring his wealth in 
due course, so that zero tolerance on corruption is administered to all 
those that occupy positions of public trust.

Apart from the Anti-corruption Commission, the Government has formed 
several commissions to deal with injustices by the former regime.

The famous Goldenberg Commission, already in place, has revealed shocking 
money transfers amounting into billions of shillings.

The World Bank chief was impressed by the structures put together by the 
Kenyan government in combating corruption, and pledged resumption of 
funding to the country, which it had suspended in 1997, citing poor
governance.

The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) also added their voice to 
the deliberations, with the General Secretary, Mutava Musyimi, saying the 
church would continue to support multiparty democracy and a strong 
opposition to keep the government on toes.

Reported By Herman Kasili

Burkina Faso To Lead Region In GMO Cotton Production

OUAGADOUGOU (AANA) July 28 - Burkina Faso Fibre and Textile Company 
(SOFITEX), has announced intentions to embark on the production of 
transgenic cotton, saying that plans are already at an advanced stage.

The announcement was made on Saturday, July 12, at the end of a three-day 
international workshop on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and Cotton, 
attended by delegates from US multinational, Monsanto, and Switzerland's 
Syngenta, the leading companies in GMO research.

"Are we going to remain at the margin of research on GMOs for ever and be 
imposed on us in the future by external companies?" posed Celestin 
Tiendrebeogo, Director General of SOFITEX.

According to SOFITEX, a quasi-government company, the move is aimed at 
resolving the ever growing resistance to pesticides, of worms affecting 
cotton plants and jeopardising production.

50 percent of pesticides produced in the world go in cotton farms, and 
Burkina Faso, which is importing three to four millions litres of 
pesticides every year, has already been warned of the negative impact of 
the chemicals on soil.

Authorities here now hope to reduce the parasite menace with a transgenic 
cotton variety and improve production by 50 percent.

According to SOFITEX, economic, environmental and sociological impacts of 
the project will be weighed, before popularising the genetically modified 
cotton, within seven years.

But according to Fredericks Perlak, director of cotton research in 
Monsanto, Burkina Faso can start growing a new variety of cotton by 2007.

"The possible advantage is that farmers will be more efficient, they will 
be able to produce more cotton without using as many chemicals... which is 
good for the community and agriculture," Perlack said.

Monsanto and Syngenta are expected to work closely with Burkinabe 
researchers to come up with a new variety of cotton that will be used in 
the country as well as within the rest of the West African sub-region.

"We are selling 98 percent of our production outside the country, so we are 
working to meet the demands of our buyers, and if we can produce more, it 
will contribute towards combating poverty," argued Tiendrebeogo.

Burkina Faso's economy relies on cotton, which contributes more than 60 
percent of national income, and is a source of livelihood of some 2.5 
million people.

Reported by Brahima Ouedraogo

African Govts Urged To Work Closely With Private Sector

NAIROBI (AANA) July 28 - Networking between public and private sectors in 
Africa is central for socio-economic performance, hence the need for 
Governments to promote it.

Making the recommendation, delegates, who had converged here for a two-day 
consultative corporate governance meeting (July 21-22), stressed that there 
existed a lot of knowledge that both institutions could effectively share 
at national and regional levels.

The 200 delegates, who were attending the Second Pan-African Consultative 
Forum on Corporate Governance, also underscored the centrality of research 
and training for effective performance of both the private and public 
sectors on the continent.

The consultative meeting brought together participants from the business 
and banking sectors representing 38 countries (31 of them from Africa).

A document availed at the meeting observed that corporate governance is 
increasingly being recognised as an important element for sustainable 
development in all sectors.

"Good corporate governance practices bring about wealth creation, 
generation of economic growth and expansion of employment opportunities, 
and thus contributing to alleviation of poverty," the document states.

The challenge now, the document notes, is to initiate and implement 
effective systems of good governance and regulation on the continent, so as 
to develop the transitional economies to levels that will make them equal 
participants on the international scene.

Kenya's Minister for Trade and Industry, Mukhisa Kituyi, while officially 
opening the meeting, said the new Government in the country had embraced 
the concept of corporate governance "because we believe this is no longer a 
luxury when the world had become a global village".

Officially closing the meeting, World Bank director for Private Sector for 
Africa Region, Demba Ba stressed that "good performance of the continent in 
the business world, through sound corporate governance, will definitely 
attract donors to chip in their external badly need assistance, such as 
finance".

Reported by Osman Njuguna

Ousted Sao Tome And Principe President Resumes Power

SAO TOME (AANA) July 28 - Sao Tome and Principe's President, Fradique de 
Menezes, returned home last week to resume power, after troops had ousted 
him in a July 16 bloodless coup, while on an official visit to Nigeria.

Menezes was escorted back home by Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo on 
July 23, and was reinstated as President a day after.

Menezes' return to the country was made possible through an international 
mediation task force, fronted by Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Congo, Gabon, 
Mozambique, Portugal, USA and Nigeria.

The African Union (AU) was reported to have played a central role in the 
mediation process.

Military troops in Sao Tome and Principe, two twin islands lying about 240 
kilometres west of Gabon, had grabbed power on July 16, citing high rise of 
corruption within the Government of President Menezes.

Mozambique and Nigeria quickly condemned the coup, as President Joachim 
Chissano of Mozambique convened for a meeting, as AU chairmain, inAbuja, 
Nigeria on July 17 to intervene

Reported by Clara Ngandu and Osman Njuguna

AACC Fund Gets Good Gesture From Secular Institutions

NAIROBI (AANA) July 28 - The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) 
Foundation Fund, launched here on May 3 to provide a financial base for 
AACC future programmes, is receiving promising responses.

Among those that have responded to the Fund include the Barclays Bank of 
Kenya, which recently donated Kshs 30, 000 (US$ 400).

Winnie Baraka, the bank's Public Relations Manager, handed over the cheque 
to AACC's Director of Finance and Administration and Acting General 
Secretary, Bright Mawudor, on July 11.

The management of the bank lauded AACC for its initiative of starting a 
scheme that will guarantee it a strong financial base for future programmes.

The Foundation Fund was launched during AACC's 40th anniversary 
celebrations. It was borne out of the fact that AACC was facing financial 
challenges in running its programmes, due to dwindling support from funding 
agencies.

Mawudor said the latest donation by Barclays Bank, together with those from 
other contributors, would go a long way to improve AACC's programmes 
involving HIV/AIDS, uprooted people, youth and social work, research and 
publications, inter-religious concerns, and information exchange and 
dissemination.

Among organisations in Kenya that have responded with donations to the Fund 
include, Pan Africa Insurance, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Nairobi 
Office, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, SN Brussels Airlines, PROCMURA and 
Oikocredit (EDCS), among others.

However, Mawudor noted that the onus was on AACC member churches and the 
Christian community in general, especially in Africa, to demonstrate that 
they own and value AACC as a landmark church institution in the continent.

According to Mawudor, the fact that even secular institutions were 
responding to AACC's call for support was something positive, and posed a 
challenge to churches across the continent.

The Foundation Fund is targeted to raise US$ 5 million by the year 2007. It 
is envisaged that through the Fund, AACC will be financially less dependent 
on donor support, and will thus be able to preserve its independence, 
dignity and African identity.

The AACC, now 40 years old, has been in the fore front as God's instrument 
for change in Africa, placing high value on the promotion of peace, 
justice, unity and respect for human rights.

Reported by Joseph K'Amolo

Its Systems Go For Big Prayer Meeting For National Progress

NAIROBI (AANA) July 28 - Kenyans will on Thursday, July 31, witness an 
unusual dedication of the nation to God, expected to put the country 
through a religious path to fighting corruption, HIV/AIDS and poverty.

At a briefing dinner party hosted for Members of Parliament (MPs) and 
religious personalities here, Apostle Joe Mwaniki, who is one of the 
organisers of the meeting, said the significance of the event rested on the 
fact that Kenya was marking its 40th year of independence.

He noted that since the 40th number denotes the end of temptation according 
to the Bible, time was ripe for "Kenya to end the day of temptation".

According to him, HIV/AIDS, poverty and corruption have brought the country 
to its knees, and needs the hand of God to reverse the trend.

Addressing the same gathering Hon. Onesmus Kihara Mwangi, nicknamed "Bishop 
of Parliament", recalled that Uganda, Kenya's neighbour, held a similar 
event some years ago, and has realised a drop in HIV/AIDS prevalence and 
gains in economic growth.

An Assistant Minister, Prof Wangari Maathai, said the prayers at Uhuru Park 
will be dedicated to thanksgiving to what God has done to the country, 
especially the struggles for multiparty to peaceful transition, and now the 
full recovery of the sitting president, Mwai Kibaki, who had a tragic 
accident just before elections last year.

During the occasion  a militant Nairobi MP, David Mwenje, confessed having 
turned to God and was now a devout Christian. Mwenje has in the past been 
associated with violent militia groups in the city.

Reported Herman Kasili

African Youth To Participate In Democracy Conference

NAIROBI (AANA) July 28 - World Voices Norway, a Norwegian non-governmental 
agency, is organising a conference on Youth and Democracy in Africa, to be 
held in Oslo, Norway, between August 8-10, 2003.

The aim of the conference is to uncover perspectives of youth in Africa on 
democracy, and seek ways of enrolling their participation in political 
processes.

The conference will be expected to give youth concrete ideas on how to 
engage in democratic development activities.

It is also aimed at creating awareness among governments and the United 
Nations, on how they can involve the youth in championing democratic 
principles.

Many countries in Africa are developing democracies, more or less 
successfully. Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria are success stories, while 
Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Libya are still struggling with the idea.

The conference is sponsored by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 
the Norwegian Red Cross and  the Centre for Peace building and Conflict 
Management in Norway.

Reported by Phillip Ngunjiri