BURUNDI :
Burundi has
talks to form reconciliation body
April 01 2006 - Sapa-AFP
Bujumbura - Burundi has concluded a first round of talks to form a Truth and
Reconciliation Committee (TRC) and a special court with a United Nations
team as part of plans aimed at pacifying the tiny central African nation
ravaged by more than a decade of civil war.
According to a statement released Saturday, the officials discussed the
formation of a judicial panel, procedures of holding consultation with the
people, amnesty as well as the establishment, jurisdiction, function and
financing of the TRC.
"These discussions were to make the first contact between us," said
Jean-Polydor Ndayirorere, an official in Burundi's first deputy president's
office who led the government side.
The United Nations delegation, led by Nicholas Michel, the world body's
deputy secretary in charge of judicial affairs, said Burundi has to abolish
the death penalty, recognise genocide and war crimes, crimes against
humanity and independence of the special court as critical considerations in
talks to form the TRC.
The TRC will be charged with the responsibility of finding suspects involved
in the country's inter-ethnic massacres since independence from Belgium in
1962, while the special court will try crime suspects from 1972.
The week-long talks in the Burundi capital Bujumbura ended late Friday.
Burundi is emerging from more than a decade of an ethnically driven civil
conflict that has claimed about 300 000 lives since it began in 1993 with
the assassination of the country's first democratically elected president, a
member of the Hutu majority, by elements of the Tutsi-minority dominated
military.
Burundi:
mounting rights abuse
03/31/06, Bunmi Akpata-Ohohe
Donors in the ongoing aid discussions with Burundi's government must press
for an end to summary executions, torture and other human rights violations,
the Human Rights Watch has said in a new report just released. The 11-page
report, "Warning Signs: Continuing Abuses in Burundi," details recent rights
violations by both the Burundian government and the rebel National
Liberation Forces (Forces National de Liberation, or FNL), with which the
government is still at war. The report calls on both the government and the
international community to establish mechanisms to deliver justice for
serious past crimes by government and rebel forces.
The report details how government police and intelligence agents have
tortured civilians' accused of links with the FNL. It also documents how the
government has detained scores of other civilians without following legal
procedures. "In their drive to defeat the FNL, government soldiers, police
and intelligence agents use tactics that violate both Burundian and
international law," said Alison des Forges, senior African adviser at Human
Rights Watch. "And most of them escape punishment for their misconduct", she
added.
In the Burundian capital Bujumbura, HRW documented the recent murder of a
16-year-old who was seen in the hands of intelligence agents and police
shortly before he was shot to death. Official accounts that he was shot
while trying to escape did not correspond with evidence that he was shot in
the face and chest.
In October 2005, the government named a commission to work with the United
Nations to set up both a truth and reconciliation commission and a special
chamber within the Burundian court system to deal with serious violations of
international humanitarian laws during the civil war. But up-to-date the
government has made no further noticeable progress in setting up either of
these mechanisms to deliver justice.
Soldier goes
on killing spree
31/03/2006 - (SA)
Bujumbura - Police say a Burundi soldier has shot and killed four colleagues
and wounded another before he was also killed after he was caught stealing
rice at a military base.
Internal security police commissioner Paul Mirerekano said the soldier, only
identified as Hakizimana, shot a colleague who caught him stealing 3kg of
rice before shooting two others who were nearby.
"He also killed a corporal and wounded another soldier before he was killed,"
Mirerekano said, adding that the soldier could have been under the influence
of drugs.
"It is regrettable to see soldiers killing each other in such circumstances,"
army spokesperson Adolphe Manirakiza said. "We will ensure more discipline
among our soldiers so that this is not repeated."
RWANDA
UGANDA
Rébellion ougandaise : L'ONU consternée
01 Avril, 2006 -
Près de 2 millions de personnes ont fui leurs domiciles
Les activités des rebelles ougandais de l'Armée de Résistance du Seigneur
sont la pire forme de terrorisme", a déclaré le secrétaire général adjoint
des Nations unies chargé des affaires humanitaires.
Jan Egleand a indiqué que la sécurité doit être renforcée dans la région, où
les rebelles de l'ARS continuent de se livrer à une campagne d'enlèvements
d'enfants et d'attaques.
Le responsable onusien a en outre demandé avec insistance au gouvernement
ougandais et à la communauté internationale d'intensifier leurs efforts en
vue de mettre fin à la crise humanitaire dans le Nord de l'Ouganda.
TROP DE MORTS
Trop de gens meurent encore à cause du manque d'hygiène et de soins
appropriés
Jan Egeland, secrétaire général adjoint de l'ONU, chargé des Affaires
humanitaires
Près de 2 millions de personnes ont été déplacées ces vingt dernières
années, à cause de la guerre civile dans le pays.
Ces personnes vivent dans des camps, souvent dans des conditions
épouvantables, pour échapper aux attaques de l'ARS.
De plus, des milliers de gens abandonnent chaque nuit leurs maisons dans des
villages pour gagner les grandes villes, où règne une relative sécurité.
Dans la région administrative de Pader - la plus touchée du Nord du pays -
où s'est rendu le responsable onusien, Jan Egeland s'est rendu dans le camp
de Patongo, où 40.000 personnes vivent dans des conditions précaires.
"Je ne pense pas que nous imaginons réellement ce que cela signifie quand
les 90% de la population d'une région sont terrorisés et entassés dans des
camps comme celui-ci", a déclaré Jan Egeland.
"J'ai rencontré un groupe de femmes qui m'ont toutes dit que leurs enfants
ont été enlevés, et la plupart d'entre elles n'ont plus jamais entendu
parler d'eux."
Certains habitants du camp ont fait part au responsbale onusien des
problèmes auxquels ils sont confrontés : service de santé inadéquat et accès
insuffisant à l'éducation.
Des milliers de villageois vivent dans la peur d'une attaque des rebelles
Mais le problème le plus grave demeure sans doute l'insécurité. Jan Egeland
a déclaré que bien que les rebelles aient été affaiblis, ils ont conservé
une capacité de nuisance telle qu'ils empêchent les villageois de retourner
chez eux.
"Tout le monde doit faire plus !" s'est-il exclamé. "Le gouvernement
ougandais doit intensifier ses efforts, l'armée doit assurer une réelle
sécurité à la population, pas seulement quand elle est retranchée dans des
camps insalubres, mais aussi quand elle sort de ces camps."
"En tant qu'organisations humanitaires, nous devons également contribuer à
améliorer les conditions de vie de la population. Trop de gens meurent
encore à cause du manque d'hygiène, et de soins appropriés."
Jan Egeland a enfin indiqué que les anciens enfants soldats de l'ARS doivent
être réintégrés dans le tissu social, et les dirigeants de la rébellion,
traduits en justice.
Le président ougandais rencontre un responsable onusien pour l'aide
humanitaire
2006-04-01
NEW YORK (Nations Unies), 31 mars (XINHUA) -- Le président ougandais Yoweri
Museveni a rencontré, vendredi à Kampala, Jan Egeland, secrétaire général
adjoint des Nations Unies chargé des affaires humanitaires et coordonnateur
des secours d'urgence, pour évoquer la situation dans le nord de l'Ouganda,
a rapporté le Centre de nouvelles de l'ONU.
Les deux hommes ont noté qu'il fallait améliorer les conditions dans les
camps pour les populations déplacées et faire plus pour protéger les civils,
notamment en travaillant avec les experts militaires fournis par l'ONU,
souligne un communiqué de presse du Bureau de la coordination des affaires
humanitaires (OCHA).
Près de deux millions de personnes dans le nord de l'Ouganda ont été
déplacées par le conflit qui oppose, depuis plus de 19 ans, le gouvernement
et l'Armée de résistance du Seigneur (Lord's Resistance Army, LRA).
MM. Egeland et Museveni ont également évoqué la nomination d'un envoyé
spécial pour le nord de l'Ouganda et décidé de poursuivre les discussions
sur ce point.
Une équipe spéciale de santé pourrait également être constituée pour évaluer
la situation sanitaire dans les camps et définir des moyens d'intervention
plus efficaces.
M. Egeland a par la suite rencontré des représentants d'ONG travaillant dans
le nord de l'Ouganda, en leur rendant hommage pour leur rôle dans "le
changement en cours en Ouganda en nord".
Ces rencontres ont eu lieu dans le cadre d'un voyage de neuf jours de M.
Egeland en Afrique. Il se rendra dans le nord de l'Ouganda avant d'aller au
sud du Soudan, dans le Darfour puis au Tchad.
TANZANIE:
Indians top list of Tanzanian citizenship
applicants
Indo-Asian News Service / Dar es Salaam, April 1, 2006
Indians have topped the list of foreigners who applied for Tanzanian
citizenship in the past decade, according to immigration statistics.
Of the 1,813 foreigners who have applied for citizenship of this East
African country between 1996 and 2005, there were 590 Indian citizens, of
whom 482 have been granted citizenship.
Tanzania's close neighbour Burundi, however, came only second in the number
of citizenship applications, with 587 applications handed in the same period
and 498 Burundian nationals have been granted citizenship.
Further down the application list are nationals from neighbouring Kenya,
Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Nationals from far-away countries like in Europe and Asia other than India
were the other foreigners who have also applied for Tanzanian citizenship
between 1996 and 2006.
CONGO RDC
:
UN to shift more troops to Congo
before election
Reuters
01 apr. 06 - 15.50h
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Hundreds of U.N. peacekeepers will be moved from
Burundi to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help ensure stability as
Congo prepares for its first democratic election in more than 40 years, the
United Nations announced on Friday.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a letter to the Security Council
he would transfer a full infantry battalion, a military hospital and as many
as 50 military observers to Congo for the remainder of this year.
A battalion typically has about 600 to 800 soldiers.
There was no immediate word on whether the council would approve the
transfer to the U.N. Congo mission, which already has nearly 17,000 troops,
observers and international police officers stationed there.
But Annan said Jordan and Pakistan, which contributed soldiers to the U.N.
mission in Burundi, had already given their consent.
The battalion would be sent to Katanga province in central Congo, where
government troops are fighting to control renegade Mai Mai militias before
the election, due in June, Annan said.
The U.N. mission in the vast African nation, which is roughly the size of
Western Europe, supports a string of peace deals ending a 1998-2003 civil
war that pulled in armies from six neighboring countries and killed 4
million people, most of whom died from hunger and disease.
The mission is the world body's largest and most costly, but Annan says it
is nonetheless too thinly stretched.
He has also arranged for a European Union force of up to 1,450 troops to
help further bolster security in Congo in the coming months. Most of them
would be stationed outside Congo, ready to be shipped in if called upon by
the United Nations.
KENYA :
ANGOLA :
AFRIQUE DU SUD :
AFRIQUE
/ U A :
The time to actualise EAC federation dream is now
jerry@infotrak.co.ke
http://www.timesnews.co.ke/02apr06/nwsstory/opinion.html
Another East African Community Summit is here with us. Once more all roads
will be leading to the Arusha International Conference Centre in Tanzania
with pomp and glory. As expected, large motorcades preceded by technical
committees and the Council of Ministers, will spell out the direction the
Community will take in the next few years.
Unlike other summits, this one comes hot on the heels of two major political
events in the region. Tanzania has elected a new head of state while Uganda
has renewed Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s contract for another five years. These
two political milestones should give the region a new impetus to move faster
with the issue at hand.
Uppermost in the minds of ordinary East Africans is whether this time round;
our political leaders will honour their commitments and match the usual
rhetoric with concrete actions towards actualising the ever elusive East
African Federation.
Just the other day, I received a Press release from the Community
headquarters reminding me that the regional economic block was celebrating
10 years since inauguration by Benjamin Mkapa, Daniel Arap Moi and Museveni
way back in 1996. Mkapa and Moi have since left the scene.
This anniversary should in reality be the turning point in the history of
this region.
It is about time our political elite gave us our hearts’ desires- freedom of
movement, trade, work and invest whenever we choose in the region. To tell
you the truth, some of us are tired of living in Nairobi as much I know some
of my Tanzanian and Ugandan comrades are fed up of living in Kampala and Dar
es salaam. Like I, they are tired of parochialism and provincial politics.
We are all yearning for a fresh air that can only come with an enlarged
political, economic and social space.It is appropriate that our leaders will
be heading for Arusha this weekend just after Ndugu Jakaya Kikwete has
completed his maiden lap of honour after having been elected Tanzania’s
President with the largest majority to date. In his consultations with
Museveni and Mwai Kibaki, one thing must have been uppermost in his mind.
Like Museveni and Kibaki, he too must be longing to conclude this perennial
debate on the East African federation one way or the other. On that score,
they all must have agreed that they should move forward.
It is our hope that during his lap of honour, he took the opportunity to
lobby hard for the federation with his colleagues so that by the time they
meet in Arusha on Monday and Tuesday of this week, all will be smooth
sailing in order to allow technocrats to proceed with details to finalize
the rest.
The truth of the matter is; despite the political upheavals of various kinds
in our region, East Africans have come to terms with their situation without
any intention or interest in changing their condition violently.
Democratic values, no matter how flawed, have been accepted as the best way
to evolve our societies. Our tottering democracies are definitely better
than none at all.
Judging by the agenda of the incoming summit, it is gratifying to note that
the Summit will consider and discuss progress report of the Council of
Ministers, progress report on fast- tracking the East African Federation and
the appointment of a new deputy Secretary-General in charge of fast-tracking
the political federation.
It is equally encouraging to note that during the same summit, Rwanda and
Burundi will be admitted to the Community while at the same time the East
African Development Strategy Five Year Plan, the East African Community
Anthem and Partnership Fund will all be launched. These are definitely
milestones that we cannot just ignore.
Launching the region’s anthem may not be the most important in terms of
changing the lives of the region’s inhabitants, however, symbolically; there
can be no better way to demonstrate the willingness on the part of our
political leaders to concede some sovereignty by each member state than by
pledging loyalty to a new anthem. It is the most pregnant proof that the
region is finally moving together in one direction and singing from the same
hymn book.
It is our hope that these discussions will give the incoming CEO of the
Community the authority to fast- track the region’s integration so that
marketing the region as one state can start as soon as possible.
While we peg our hopes on the outcome of the Seventh Summit of the East
African Community of Heads of State, it may be significant to be cognisant
of the fact that due to decades of political rivalry among sister states,
based on disparity in economic development, some overzealous Tanzanian
authorities still go out of their way to mete out harsh treatment against
Kenyan nationals for a variety of reasons and excuses.
Yes, the realities of the ‘70s when former president the late Mwalimu Julius
Nyerere used to exchange harsh words with Kenya’s Charles Njonjo are still
fresh in our memories. They are the same reasons we must sit down and reason
together. These are the same reasons fast- tracking the region’s integration
must be preceded by a thorough political civic education throughout the
region and finally endorsed in a popular referendum.
This federation must be moved from the boardrooms of Heads of State Summits.
It has to be taken to the people of East Africa in their villages, churches,
mosques, temples and slums in every corner of a member state. East Africans,
including Burundians and Rwandans must be given an opportunity and a
democratic space to decide their destiny. If we don’t do this we will fail
again as we did in 1977.
Meanwhile, as we wait for the roadmap to this federation, our governments in
the region can do us one favour; open our borders so that we can move in and
out freely in our region. Allow us to sell our abundant matoke from Uganda
and maize from Kenya’s Rift Valley to the starving populations of Northern
Kenya and parts of Tanzania. If our leaders allow us to begin free movement
and trade, economic activities will change the face of East Africa.
Don’t worry about criminals moving from one country to another. With a joint
police force and criminal tracking agencies, these criminals will have no
place to hide.
In any case we cannot allow a few criminals to hold us to ransom and deter
us from our noble goals of creating our regional government.
UN /ONU :
UN to shift
more troops to Congo before election
01 Apr 2006 Source: Reuters
UNITED NATIONS, March 31 (Reuters) - Hundreds of
U.N.peacekeepers will be moved from Burundi to the Democratic Republic of
Congo to help ensure stability as Congo prepares for its first democratic
election in more than 40 years, the United Nations announced on Friday.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a letter to the Security Council
he would transfer a full infantry battalion, a military hospital and as many
as 50 military observers to Congo for the remainder of this year.
A battalion typically has about 600 to 800 soldiers.
There was no immediate word on whether the council would approve the
transfer to the U.N. Congo mission, which already has nearly 17,000 troops,
observers and international police officers stationed there.
But Annan said Jordan and Pakistan, which contributed soldiers to the U.N.
mission in Burundi, had already given their consent.
The battalion would be sent to Katanga province in central Congo, where
government troops are fighting to control renegade Mai Mai militias before
the election, due in June, Annan said.
The U.N. mission in the vast African nation, which is roughly the size of
Western Europe, supports a string of peace deals ending a 1998-2003 civil
war that pulled in armies from six neighboring countries and killed 4
million people, most of whom died from hunger and disease.
The mission is the world body's largest and most costly, but Annan says it
is nonetheless too thinly stretched.
He has also arranged for a European Union force of up to 1,450 troops to
help futher bolster security in Congo in the coming months. Most of them
would be stationed outside Congo, ready to be shipped in if called upon by
the United Nations.
USA :
CANADA :
EUROPE :
CHINE :
INDE :
BRAZIL:
