wfn.org | All Africa News Agency Sept 8 2003 (a)

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

ALL AFRICA NEWS AGENCY
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     AANA Bulletin			Bulletin APTA
  Editor -Elly Wamari		  Editor - Silvie Alemba

AANA BULLETIN No. 35/03 - September 8, 2003 (a)

NEWS SECTION

Thousands Flee Central Liberia In Fear Of Fresh Attacks

MONROVIA (AANA) September 8 - Rebecca Boma arrived in Salala Camp for the 
internally displaced near Monrovia, slightly more than a week ago. "We were 
in church. We heard sounds of explosions and saw smoke and we just ran," 
said a shaken Rebecca.

Her experience was a precursor to the events of last week, as tens of 
thousands of people fled their homes in central Liberia, in fear of attacks 
by fighters of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) 
rebel group.

Some 60,000 people, according to reports, were fleeing the camps for the 
internally displaced near Totota, where LURD fighters were rumoured to have 
attacked a small town nearby.

Rebecca Boma's story is now one of tens of thousands of stories playing 
themselves out in the latest crisis unfolding in the central part of 
Liberia, as people continue to flee camps in Totota area.

On August 30, the first trickle had already started. People were simply 
unwilling to run the risk of being caught up in a rumoured attack. On 
overloaded small pick-up trucks and on foot, they were already making their 
way to Salala, or Monrovia, at best.

The latest influx is said to have put an added strain on Salala camp, which 
now offers shelter to approximately 30,000 displaced persons.  The camp, 
which is still under construction, is being managed by the Lutheran World 
Federation (LWF). "Life is too hard here," says camp manager, Mary Leesolee.

Liberia is a country that has continued to be held hostage by rebels, who, 
for 14 years now, have engaged the Government in civil conflict.

A truce between the warring parties was signed mid last month after talks 
in Ghana, and a transitional Government is expected to take over the 
country's leadership next month.

The negotiations were led by Economic Community of West African States 
(ECOWAS), and involved participation of all aggrieved parties, religious 
groups and civil society organisations.

The unfolding events however, threatens the fragile peace, and puts to 
question, the effectiveness of an ECOMIL peacekeeping force in the country.

Reported by Callie Long (Action by Churches Together)
And Elly Wamari

  Cleric Deplores Inconsequential Proliferation Of Churches

NAIROBI (AANA) September 8 - A senior pastor with Ray of Hope Church in the 
United States of America, Rev Cynthia L. Hale D. Min, has wished for peace 
to prevail in Africa and the numerous conflicts to be a thing of the past.

She expressed this wish in an exclusive interview with AANA, saying it 
constituted her vision for the continent. Her prescription is that the 
people of different regions in Africa could come together to develop 
formulae for eradicating Africa's troubles.

Earlier, Rev Cynthia, who was on a brief visit to the All Africa Conference 
of Churches (AACC) here, regretted that the world was still in a mess, 
despite the emergence of many churches of every race and denominations.

"The world in which we live is actually in a mess. While there is a 
[proliferation] of churches of every race, denomination, and type... the 
world remains unchanged in a significant way," she said.

In elaboration, she pointed out that injustices, inequality, inhumanity 
towards one another, homelessness, and domestic violence were still awash 
in the world.

Alluding to the failure of the Church to influence these trends, she noted 
that what was even more appalling was the fact that most of the people in 
the world did not trust God.

To her, the Church faced an uphill task in setting the trend, since the 
sheer numbers of non-Christians was overwhelming. This, coupled with the 
pluralistic and tolerant mood of the times, was making the battle by 
churches working to turn back the hands of time, futile.

Christians, she said, needed to redefine their position on earth, whether 
they wanted to live here as aliens or as ambassadors, since some had taken 
the position that the world was not their home.

Said she: "As Christians, it would sometimes be far easier for us to ignore 
the needs of people and evade the problems in our world by just sitting 
comfortably in our local church pews, singing the songs of Zion, pretending 
not to hear what was going on around us, or (sit) in our comfortable 
offices, conducting the business of the Church in ways that only benefit 
those who are safely inside."

Reported by Joseph K'Amolo

AACC Redefines Role In Addressing Africa's Concerns

NAIROBI (AANA) September 8 - The new General Secretary of the All Africa 
Conference of Churches (AACC), Rt. Rev Hamilton Mvume Dandala, has said the 
Church in Africa needs to wake up to the realities facing the continent, 
and redefine its role in tackling the issues.

Bishop Dandala recalled that when AACC was founded in 1963, its main agenda 
was to accompany the continent of Africa in its liberation quest.  But this 
having been achieved, AACC today had a role to lead African churches in the 
development agenda for the continent.

Speaking on September 2 at a press conference here, he explained that 
AACC's present responsibility was to help the continent uphold the 
challenges given by the Africa Union (AU) charter, which included values of 
morality, democracy and good governance.

Said Bishop Dandala: "We are committed to beginning new ways of working; 
setting new and appropriate agenda, as well as engaging governments 
constructively."

He went on: "We can and will mobilise people through churches, against 
numerous devastating wars in many parts of Africa, to support peace and 
programmes that seek to promote self-reliance and hold each other, 
including our leaders, to become accountable."

He pointed out that it was not God's will that Africa should be a continent 
of suffering, and that the gap between the rich and the poor should be 
bridged as God called all to freedom.

AACC, noted Bishop Dandala, was seeking to be partners with governments 
that were ready to work for the people, but would not hesitate to condemn 
those that trampled on the rights of the people.

"We will position ourselves as strategic partners to governments that put 
people first. In return, we will not hesitate to denounce those who may go 
against these God-given virtues," he said.

Commenting on the recent election of Kenya's Rev Dr Sam Kobia as the new 
General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, Bishop Dandala said it 
was a demonstration that Africa could lead the world.

That the United Nations was headed by Kofi Annan from Ghana, while 
ecumenical organisations like Lutheran World Federation, the World Alliance 
of Reformed Churches, and Young Women Christian Association were led by Rev 
Dr Ishmael Noko from Zimbabwe, Rev Dr Setri Nyomi from Ghana, and Dr 
Kanyoro from Kenya respectively, was a pointer that the world was asking 
Africa to give to it some cherished values it had harnessed.

Reported by Joseph K'Amolo

  WCC Next Assembly To Focus On Transforming The World

GENEVA (AANA) September 8 - God, in Your Grace, Transform the World, will 
be the theme of the Ninth General Assembly of the World Council of Churches 
(WCC), planned for February 2006 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The decision was taken last Monday during the WCC Central Committee meeting 
in Geneva (August 26 to September 2).

The final wording of the theme in English, German, French, Spanish and 
Portuguese will be announced after a meeting in November.

The churches have been asked to inform the WCC by February 2004, of their 
exact membership, so that their level of representation may be defined and 
that the Assembly may be inclusive and balanced.

"The Assembly should become a space which reflects the dynamic (nature) of 
the wider ecumenical movement," stated the Central Committee.

Meanwhile, the WCC Central Committee has accepted an application for 
membership from the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church, formerly a WCC member 
through the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church.

Founded in 329 AD by St Frementius, the first Bishop of Abyssinia, the 
Church now has two million believers in 1,500 congregations served by 
15,000 clergymen. Women are active in all areas of the Church's life, 
except priesthood.

The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church is a member of the All Africa 
Conference of Churches. It belongs to the family of Oriental Orthodox 
Churches. It considers its mission priorities as the peaceful resolution of 
conflicts and the eradication of disease, hunger and ignorance.

By WCC Press Team

Strike Looms As Govt Dilly-Dally's Over Workers Payrise

BLANTYRE (AANA) September 8 - Civil servants in Malawi have threatened to 
go on strike next month, following the Government's decline to improve 
their pay package and working conditions.

In 1999, the Government, due to pressure from the Civil Service Trade Union 
(CSTU), instituted a commission, which recommended that public servants be 
offered a 300 percent wage increase in line with the cost of living.

But since then, no single increment has been effected. Randson Mwandiwa, 
chairman of the Government's negotiating team, who is also Principle 
Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, shattered the workers hopes recently 
when he said they had to wait until a Government committee released its 
recommendations.

"They should give us a bit of time. They cannot expect any increase until 
recommendations of a wage policy analysis are known," said Mwandiwa.

Malawi's over-staffed civil service with over 100,000 employees, is among 
the lowest paid in southern Africa.  Some workers earn as little as US$15 
per month.

CSTU General Secretary, Pontius Kalichero, has blamed the Government for 
rampant corruption among top officials, and the abuse of public resources 
by President Bakili Muluzi, who makes endless political rallies with large 
entourages.  "It is unfortunate that while the Government is talking about 
financial discipline, its spending does not match its words," charged 
Kalichero.

Defending the Government, information minister, Bernad Chisale, said the 
president plans for his trips and spends according to the funds allocated 
to him.

Malawi is facing hard economic times as a result of withdrawal of support 
by the International Monetary Fund and other major donors, because of "poor 
governance, over expenditure and unfocused policies". The frozen aid 
amounts to about US$ 87 million.

Heavy borrowing from the domestic market and spending beyond budget limits 
have seen the Malawian Kwacha plummeting to K107 to one US dollar by end of 
August.

Reported by Hobbs Gama

Zimbabwe Opposition Scoops Majority Seats In Elections

HARARE (AANA) September 8 - Zimbabwe's main opposition party, Movement for 
Democratic Change (MDC) managed to win 130 out of 230 contested ward and 
mayoral seats in elections held at the end of last month.

Ruling Zimbabwe National African Union Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) took the 
remaining 100 seats.

The elections were however characterised by apathy with less than 25 
percent of the registered voters casting their ballots.

MDC has shown its continued dominance in the urban areas, where it won most 
of the contested ward and mayoral seats.

Zanu-PF Deputy Secretary for Information and Publicity, who is also the 
Minister for Information and Publicity, Prof Jonathan Moyo, said the 
elections were a rude awakening for the party, whose members spent time 
discussing who would succeed President Robert Mugabe.

He however noted that the polls were democratic. "It is a reconfirmation 
for the umpteenth time that Zimbabwe is a vibrant democracy with no 
equivalent in the white Commonwealth," said Moyo.

He continued: "The MDC must now put up or shut up. The same goes for the 
likes of Mr John Howard (Australian Premier), who has been making noise. In 
Zimbabwe you get an unbelievable result, like in Kariba, where you get a 
white mayor. There is no way you can get a black mayor in Sydney or
Canberra."

He added that the results were sobering and should be a wake-up call to the 
ruling party.

The elections were described by the electoral supervisory commission as 
free and fair.

They were also a reflection of the voting pattern in the country, following 
the coming in of the MDC. Most of the people in the urban centres support 
the opposition, while the rural electorate has always voted for the ruling 
party.

Reported by Namutatanga Makombe

Concerned Rightist Calls For Intervention Over Somali IDPs

NAIROBI (AANA) September 8 - Somalia is currently facing a record of 
370,000 internally displaced people (IDPs), a United Nations (UN) official 
disclosed here last week.

Dr Ghanim Alnajjar, Independent Expert on Somalia of the UN Commission on 
Human Rights, who, in his 11-day tour of Somalia had visited IDPs camps in 
Hargesia (Somaliland), Bossaso (Puntland), and Kismayu in south Somalia 
said, "the camps are in the worst conditions you can imagine".

"They (the IDPs) have absolutely no basic services such as water, health 
facilities or schools," the UN official added, stressing, "They have to pay 
to use basic toilets on the land on which they have settled, and in 
addition, they are also charged rent."

According to him, many of the IDPs were living in abject poverty and in 
areas under the control of armed faction leaders.

He appealed to the international community, local authorities and civil 
society organisations to work together in addressing the serious conditions 
in the IDPs camps.

But on a positive note, Dr Alnajjar observed that the Juba Valley Alliance 
Central Committee was currently disarming militia with encouraging results. 
He described the act as a good home-grown effort by the Somalis.

Speaking at a press conference here on September 3, the human rights expert 
revealed that 1,202 militiamen had been disarmed and reintegrated into the 
police force, farming and fisheries.

Nevertheless, he was disturbed by the general poor state of security in the 
troubled country.

"I am concerned that, for two consecutive years, there has been violence in 
parts of Somalia and a deterioration in security, which is having an impact 
on the human rights of thousands of ordinary people, and restricting 
access," he said.

Somalia has experienced ethnic-oriented civil conflict for close to 13 
years, during which the country has survived without a central Government.

Currently, peace talks on the country are at an advanced stage in Kenya, 
seeking to put an end to the conflict and establish a federal Government.

Reported By Osman Njuguna

Intended Opposition Alliance Gets Churchman's Blessings

BLANTYRE (AANA) September 8 - Outspoken General Secretary of the Blantyre 
Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), has come in the 
open to support an alliance of opposition political parties, which is being 
planned as the only way to oust President Bakili Muluzi's ruling United 
Democratic Front (UDF) in next year's polls.

Rev Daniel Gunya, who has turned out to be the most fearless critic of 
Government, said he was convinced the UDF had to pave way for another 
leadership, for failing to revive the economy.

Opposition parties in Malawi are currently working out an alliance similar 
to Kenya's National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), which overwhelmingly defeated 
former ruling party, Kenya Africa National Union (KANU), in last December's 
elections. KANU had ruled the country since independence in 1963.

The CCAP General Secretary, who is also the chairman of Forum for the 
Defence of Democracy (FDD), asserted that his view had 0ver 70 percent 
support from CCAP faithfulls throughout the country.

FDD is a grouping of human rights and church organisations focussing on 
safeguarding good governance, democracy and the rule of law.

"I am interested in the opposition's electoral alliance and I am currently 
in the process of making consultations, because the UDF cannot change the 
lives of the people," said Rev Gunya.

He however emphasised that CCAP, which is to embark on a civic education 
programme to change the mindset of the electorate, was not partisan and 
would not dictate which party or president people should elect to power.

In a related development, Malawian church leaders have condemned the 
country's Second Vice-President, Chakufwa Chihana, for accusing the Church 
of meddling in politics using the pulpit instead of "leading the flock".

Chihana, who leads the Alliance for Democracy (Aford) accused church 
leaders of blocking a proposed amendment of Section 83 (3) of the 
Constitution.  Aford is an opposition party that struck a deal with the 
ruling UDF to form a Govenment of national unity.

The suggested constitutional amendment was aimed at allowing President 
Muluzi to contest for a third term in the 2004 presidential elections.

According to Chihana, it was such interference by church leaders that 
sparked civil wars in some countries. This observation irked the church 
fraternity.

Rev MacDonald Kadawati, deputy chairman of the Public Affairs Committee 
(PAC), which comprises various ecumenical organisations among others, 
described Chihana's utterances as unfortunate. "He is a confused fellow," 
remarked Kadawati.

"No politician in Malawi can dictate what the Church should do," was the 
response of Rev Howard Matiya Nkhoma, General Secretary for the CCAP Synod 
of Central Malawi.

The Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) said Chihana was wrong in accusing 
the church of confusing the electorate.  ECM said it was only interested in 
issues of human rights and not partisan politics.

Reported by Hobbs Gama

NRM Consults Frelimo's On How To Stay In Government

KAMPALA (AANA) September 8 - Uganda now considers Frente de Liberta Vco de 
Mozambique (Frelimo) experience as more relevant to its democratic process, 
and has thrown aside the African National Congress (ANC) model it 
previously admired.

President Yoweri Museveni told a delegation of Frelimo officials, led by 
their Secretary General, Armando Emilio Guebuza, that National Resistance 
Movement (NRM) will study how Frelimo retained power after opening up its 
political system to a multi-party one.

The Frelimo delegation spent three days in Uganda from August 25, and 
signed a memorandum of understanding with the NRM.

Museveni says Frelimo experience is relevant to NRM, since they share a lot 
in common. Both launched a protracted struggle against oppression, then 
later faced a long-winded, externally supported insurgency.

Frelimo's resilience has also drawn respect from NRM stalwarts. "Frelimo 
has already held two general elections, so we have a lot to learn from it," 
says Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, Minister for Internal Affairs.

Frelimo fought a protracted struggle for independence and took power. It 
then faced South-African backed Resistancia Nacional Mocambicana (Renamo) 
in a bloody confrontation, before reconciliation talks resulted into Renamo 
transforming itself into a political party.

Similarly, NRM is battling Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel force that 
Uganda suspects is being supported by Sudan. The Government is under 
international pressure to reconcile with LRA, and there are suggestions 
that the rebel group be allowed to transform into a political party.

Nevertheless, co-operation with Frelimo signals a change of heart. In 2001, 
NRM contacted ANC to assist it build strong structures that will enable it 
to remain dominant on the Ugandan scene.

Reported by Crespo Sebunya

Malawi Launches Its First Child Registration Programme

BLANTYRE (AANA) September 9 - A registration programme of all children born 
in Malawi has been launched, making it the  first time babies born in the 
country's rural hospitals and those  below the age of three are being 
registered.

Minister of Gender, Alice Sumani, described the exercise, also known as 
Vital Birth Registration,  as a move to offer children security from 
exploitation by relatives who grab property when their parents die.

Sumani said compulsory registration of children ensures that they have 
access to basic services, and that they are protected from cases of abuse.

This development, comes against a background of increasing concern that in 
Malawi, many children are sidelined when sharing property because their 
names are not included on the list of beneficiaries.

According to recent statistics, more than 50 million children world-wide go 
unregistered each year, representing more than 40 percent of total births .

Officials from the National Statistical Office here said that during its 
first phase, the programme is concentrating on nine districts, registering 
what they called "millennium children" - those who were born from January 1 
of the year 2000.

The registration would also help the Government to have accurate projection 
of the country's population.

UNICEF representative, Catherine Mbengue, described the launch as a 
significant milestone in the organisation's efforts to implement programmes 
for the uplifting of the rights of the child. UNICEF is financing the 
programme.

She added that birth registration opens the door to a range of other 
rights, including education and health care, regardless of social class.

The officials said the registration of children would also help the 
authorities to come up with realistic figures in times of humanitarian 
disasters such as famine, as that experienced last year.

Reported by Hamilton Vokhiwa

Christians Urge Delegates To Toss Away Abortion Proposal

NAIROBI (AANA) September 8 - In a bid to rally Kenyans behind the fight 
against abortion, the Christian Medical Fellowship of Kenya (CMFK) led 
thousands of Christian faithful from various denominations in a campaign 
march on August 23, dubbed March for The Unborn.

The march culminated in a memorial service at Nairobi's historic Uhuru 
Park, for mothers and babies who have lost their lives through abortion.

In her address, the Minister in the Office of the Vice President, Jebii 
Kilimo, urged Christians not to give up their mission until abortion became 
"a thing of the past".

"As a country we would be cursing our land by shedding the blood of the 
unborn through abortions," the minister warned, in a speech read on her 
behalf by her personal assistant.

"I therefore urge delegates at the constitution review conference to strike 
out clauses in the draft, which lobby for abortion," she added.

The director of CMFK, who is also the head of Protecting Life Movement, Dr 
Jean Kaggi, revealed shocking statistics on abortion in Kenya. She said 
that about 700 babies are killed through abortions by girls between 15-19 
years of age everyday, and that 5,000 women in the country die from 
abortions each year.

"Why should the delegates at the constitution review conference debate on 
legalising abortion while 8 out of every 10 Kenyans were against it?" Dr 
Kaggi posed, referring to the on-going debate on the country's new draft 
constitution.

A poll conducted by Stedman research services in March showed that an 
overall 81 percent of Kenyans did not want abortion to be legalised.

A religious leader, Bishop Mark Kariuki of the Redeemed Gospel Church 
reiterated that the constitution should uphold the sanctity of life, and 
appealed to constitutional review delegates to think along these lines and 
not support "murder".

The organisers of the campaign march plan on holding similar processions on 
at least a yearly basis.

Reported by Anthony Nabiliki

Africa Sets Common Strategy Ahead Of Cancun Conference

NAIROBI (AANA) September 8 - Africa's common position on the Fifth World 
Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference slated for September 10-14 
in Cancun, Mexico, is to exert pressure to ensure a better package for the 
continent in multilateral trade relations.

Speaking in Nairobi after attending a two-day Global Coalition for Africa 
conference recently, the Chairman of Africa Trade Ministers, Jayen Cuttaree 
of Mauritius, indicated that Africa will be united in order to force their 
agenda through in the Cancun meeting.

The chairman considered the report of a conference of ministers of trade in 
African Union (AU) member states held in June in Mauritius, as part of 
Africa's declaration to be laid on the table during WTO's discussions this 
week.

The ministers had, for example, expressed full support for member states 
that are adversely affected by cotton subsidies instituted by developed 
countries. Farmers in west and central Africa, who rely mostly of cotton 
production for the livelihood, have had to endured an unfair competition in 
the world market due to subsidies by Western countries.

Cuttaree pointed out the importance of international civil society 
organisation to provide all necessary support towards advocacy and 
promotion of Africa's concerns, to ensure a just and fair global trading 
system.

Laurie Adams siyn of Oxfam, an international pro-civil society 
organisation, reminded the developed countries to make immediate moves in 
fulfilling the Doha obligations, stating, "Elimination of export subsidies, 
improvement of market opportunities for developing countries' products or 
access to life-saving generic medicines should be a priority...," she said.

The conference, which brought together participant from governments, civil 
society, private sector and non governmental organisations in Africa, 
reiterated the need to bridge the gap between the developed and the 
undeveloped countries.

In a communiqui the participants affirmed the views expressed at the second 
summit of the African Union that there had been little progress in 
multilateral trade negotiations in respect of key issues of importance to 
African countries.

Reported by Herman Kasili