Burundi: En bref ce 25 MAI 2006 ...

Séparément les deux « Palipehutu » négocieront
jeudi 25 mai 2006. http://www.burundi-info.com

Le Président de la République du Burundi, M. Pierre Nkurunziza, a reçu en audience ce mercredi 25 mai 2006, l’Ambassadeur King Mamabolo, Envoyé Spécial du Facilitateur Sud-Africain Charles Nqakula. De leurs entretiens, ils ressort que les discussions entre le pouvoir de Bujumbura et les deux ailes du Palipehutu-FNL débuteront ce lundi 29 mai 2006 à Dar-es-salaam.

« Pour de raisons pratiques, il ne sera pas possible de discutter avec les deux ailes du Palipehutu-FNL en même temps » a déclaré Mme Hafsa Mossi, porte-parole du Président de la République, après les entretiens avec l’Envoyé Spécial du Facilitateur. « Si non, il y a risque de perdre beaucoup de temps à parler des mésententes entre les deux leaders [autoproclamés, ndlr], Rwasa et Sindayigaya, plutôt que de se pencher sur de questions plus sérieuses, à savoir, l’arrestation définitive des hostilités. » a-t-elle ajouté.

Le Porte-parole du Président de la République a, en outre, fait savoir que la délégation burundaise s’envolera pour Dar-es-salaam et qu’elle y restera jusqu’à l’aboutissement de ces discussions qui ne devraient pas durer beaucoup de jours, si l’on en croit une source proche de la Facilitation.

Rappelons que M. Agathon Rwasa, le leader de l’aile dure du Palipehutu-Fnl est à Dar-es-Salaam depuis le mois de octobre 2005. il avait signé un accord de cessez-le-feu avec le gouvernement burundais, alors sous la direction de l’ancien Président Domitien Ndayizeye, le 15 mai 2005 à Dar es Salam qui engageait les deux parties à cesser immédiatement les hostilités, à convenir, dans un délai qui ne devait pas dépacer un mois, d’un cessez-le-feu permanent . Cet engagement n’a pas été respecté car les deux parties ont continuer à s’attaquer mutuellement, chacune accusant l’autre de violer l’accord.

Le Gouvernement du Burundi et l’ONU s’accordent sur les bases de leur future collaboration après l’ONUB

Bujumbura, Burundi – Au terme de la visite de la délégation conduite par Monsieur Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo, Sous-secrétaire Général, Administrateur Assistant du Programme des Nations Unies pour le Développement (PNUD) et Directeur de son Bureau Régional pour l’Afrique, les autorités burundaises et leurs homologues des Nations Unies ont co-signé un document consacrant les résolutions des consultations qu’elles ont eues durant ces quatre derniers jours.

Le document qui reconnaît « la nécessité urgente d’appuyer les efforts du Gouvernement » engage les Nations Unies à « apporter leur soutien au Burundi dans le cadre d’une mission intégrée. » Le document stipule également en son alinéa 3 que « les deux délégations mandatées par le Gouvernement du Burundi et les Nations Unies ont examiné la mise en place d’un nouveau mécanisme de coopération après le départ définitif de l’Opération des Nations Unies au Burundi (ONUB) fixé au 31 décembre 2006. » Il poursuit qu’ « au cours des consultations, le Gouvernement du Burundi a exprimé l’intérêt évident d’être appuyé par les Nations Unies pour la reconstruction et le développement en vue de la consolidation de la paix. »

Les Nations Unies devront alors appuyer le Gouvernement burundais dans cinq domaines essentiels, à savoir : (i) la Paix et la Gouvernance Démocratique ; (ii) la Poursuite des Réformes du Secteur de Sécurité et du Désarmement, Démobilisation et Réintégration (DDR), ainsi que celle du Désarmement de la Population Civile ; (iii) les Droits Humains et la Poursuite des Réformes du Secteur Judiciaire et Pénitentiaire, et la Mise en Place de Mécanismes de Justice de Transition ; (iv) l’Information et la Communication ; et (v) la Reconstruction et le Développement Socio-économique.

La future collaboration entre l’Etat burundais et les Nations Unies aura pour « objectif suprême (…) la différence que nous faisons au niveau de nos enfants, de nos sœurs, de nos frères et de nos parents, dans leur développement humain durable. La capacité à s’exprimer, la capacité à marcher dans les rues sans avoir la crainte d’être attaqué ou d’être violé dans ses droits, la capacité aussi à assumer son propre développement socio-économique, » a expliqué le Sous-secrétaire Général. « C’est dire que le travail est énorme, et je tiens encore à réitérer la disposition, la disponibilité du Système des Nations Unies à travailler main dans la main avec les autorités dans le cadre strict du respect de l’appropriation nationale, » a-t-il ajouté.

Burundi : Des pluies diluviennes font des centaines de morts
Jérémie Kaburundi, Correspondant

BUJUMBURA, 25 mai (Infosplusgabon) - Le Burundi pourrait connaître une catastrophe écologique à la suite de pluies diluviennes qui se sont abattues pendant deux semaines, essentiellement sur quatre des sept régions du Burundi, et qui ont causé la mort de 425 personnes, rapporte le ministère burundais de l’Environnement, de l’Aménagement du territoire et du Tourisme.
La deuxième semaine du mois de mai a été catastrophique. Les régions les plus menacées ont été respectivement la plaine de l’Imbo aux abords du lac Tanganika, le Mumirwa qui surplombe la plaine, le Buyenzi à la frontière avec le Rwanda, au nord du pays, et le Centre-est avec les régions du Mugamba et du Kirimiro, rapporte-t-on.

Les pertes en vie humaines l’ont été par noyade ou à la suite des écroulements des maisons d’habitations ou encore par des incendies déclenchées lors des courts-circuits électriques. Les dégâts sont plus importants en terme de destructions de maison, d’écoles, de ponts et de champs.

Pour Mme Odette Kayitesi, ministre en charge de l’Environnement, « ces pluies viennent de prouver à l’homme qu’à un certain moment, la nature peut prendre le dessus sur l’homme ».

Depuis l’accession du Burundi à l’indépendance en 1962, c’est la première fois qu’un cimetière soit emporté par les pluies torrentielles. 142 tombes du cimetière de la capitale, Bujumbura, vont exiger une nouvelle inhumation.

La nouvelle de ce désastre a suscité beaucoup d’émotions et de compassion sur l’ensemble du territoire. Les plus hautes autorités du pays viennent d’effectuer des reconnaissances sur les différents sites sinistrés afin de réconforter les populations.

Une assistance d’urgence de 25000 FBU, soit 12 500 F CFA sera octroyée pour les abris à reconstruire et 30 000 FBU soit 15000 FCFA pour l’exhumation. La mobilisation va au-delà des frontières nationales. Ainsi l’opération des nations pour le Burundi ONUB et la croix rouge ont réuni plusieurs unités de volontaires pour sillonner tous les sites.

A l’origine de l’importance des dégâts, les cinq rivières, sur les huit qui traversent la plaine de l’Imbo, n’avait pas été nettoyées depuis une bonne dizaine d’années. C’est l’une des cause de la chute des tombes car les rivières environnantes ont dévié de leur cours normal.

La vitesse des eaux a été plus grande que d’habitude sur les flancs des collines et en outre la déforestation des aires protégées autour de la plaine pendant la période de guerre civile a favorisé l’écroulement des sols.

Le coût total des dégâts est estimé par le Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM ) à plus de 300 millions de dollars US alors que le pays venait d’obtenir de ses partenaires une aide d’urgence de 170 millions de dollars.

BURUNDI: Gov't, UN form cooperation committee
BUJUMBURA, 25 May (IRIN) - The Burundian government and the United Nations have set up a joint committee to spearhead efforts to strengthen mutual cooperation in order to consolidate peace and security as well as undertake post-conflict reconstruction, a UN official said on Thursday.

"Both delegates will hold technical discussions within the coming two or three weeks to make concrete proposals for the UN to assist Burundi," Gilbert Fossoun Hungbo, the UN under secretary-general and assistant administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), said in the capital, Bujumbura, at the end of a four-day visit to the country.

Hungbo, who is also the director of the agency's African regional office, said discussions between him and President Pierre Nkurunziza, as well as other government officials, focused on the duties of the joint UN-Burundi government committee. The committee is supposed to plan how the UN will continue to help Burundi at the end of the mandate of the UN Operation in Burundi, known by its French acronym ONUB.

ONUB deployed in June 2004 to help to implement efforts undertaken by Burundians to restore lasting peace in the country that is emerging from 12 years of civil war. The mission's mandate ends on 31 December 2006. ONUB's disengagement has started, with the progressive withdrawal of its troops.

During talks with Nkurunziza, Hungbo gave the president a report of activities worked out by UN delegates and Burundi government officials on ways of strengthening mutual cooperation. Within three weeks, he said, a final report by the joint committee would be sent to the UN Security Council for review.

"We really appreciate the way the UN has always been at our side," Nkurunziza said. "What we need now is the rehabilitation of the health, justice and education sectors."

Nkurunziza said the Burundi needed UN support in its reconstruction. Government spokesman Karenga Ramadhan said on Monday that the government wanted support in peace and governance; the boosting of the security sector; disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration; human rights and the boosting of the judiciary, ahead of the setting up of a truth and reconciliation commission and a special court, as well as support to information and communication, given the role of the media in the electoral process.

Karenga said the government and the UN would, before 31 December, agree on major areas of cooperation on which to focus.

Hungbo said: "Burundi needs to have peace consolidation in an effort to undertake socioeconomic activities for its development. A country in post-conflict situation like Burundi needs support."

Région des Grands Lacs : la réunion de Kigali devrait renforcer la confiance
Interview de l'ambassadeur des États-Unis au Rwanda, M. Michael Arietti

Date de rédaction: 24 mai 2006 http://usinfo.state.gov
Kigali (Rwanda) - En 1994, dans les collines verdoyantes qui entourent cette capitale du Rwanda, résonnait l'écho des cris des victimes d'un abominable génocide. Mais aujourd'hui, on peut entendre le son plus discret, mais néanmoins puissant, de la diplomatie.

Ainsi que l'a expliqué au « Washington File » l'ambassadeur des États-Unis auprès du Rwanda, M. Michael Arietti, la confiance se raffermit en prévision de la réunion, les 26 et 27 mai, de diplomates et de hauts responsables de gouvernements qui se sont engagés à mettre fin au cycle de violence et de chaos qui ravage la région des Grands Lacs depuis des dizaines d'années.

M. Arietti a précisé que le « Processus tripartite » des pourparlers de paix qui se tiendront pour la 14e fois à Kigali, s'est révélé être l'un des mécanismes les plus efficaces en matière de règlement des conflits en Afrique.

« S'ils sont couronnés de succès, c'est parce que les participants se sont personnellement impliqués et qu'ils ont concentré leurs efforts sur l'obtention de résultats », a-t-il expliqué.

Le processus a commencé en avril 2004, lorsque les États-Unis sont parvenus à faire en sorte que les responsables de haut rang du Rwanda, de l'Ouganda et de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), engagent des pourparlers visant à mettre fin aux violations de leurs frontières territoriales et à trouver les moyens de bloquer les agissements de milices en maraude dans l'est du Congo.

Par la suite, le Burundi s'est joint aux négociations et la « Commission mixte tripartite plus un » fut créée pour vérifier l'application de l'accord régional de sécurité entre les parties qui se trouvaient impliquées dans l'est du Congo.

« Les objectifs de la Commission sont nombreux, mais je pense que le plus important est de renforcer la confiance entre les pays participants aux pourparlers. Au début, notamment dans le domaine de la sécurité, les pays signèrent de nombreux accords de coopération, mais malheureusement ces accords n'ont jamais été appliqués », a expliqué le diplomate.

Pour qu'ils deviennent réalité, a-t-il indiqué, « il fallait renforcer la confiance entre les pays, et les réunions qui se sont succédé ont rapproché des personnalités de rangs divers, parfois au niveau ministériel, parfois à des échelons plus bas, qui ont cherché des moyens pratiques d'aller de l'avant ».

L'une des questions à l'ordre du jour de la réunion de Kigali est le renforcement des capacités de la cellule d'information au sein de la Commission tripartite, dont dépend l'échange de données cruciales relevées par les services du renseignement en ce qui concerne les mouvements frontaliers des milices en maraude.

Il s'agit en effet de faire la lumière en ce qui concerne les rumeurs d'incursions et de séparer la réalité de la fiction, une situation qui est en grande partie à l'origine de la méfiance et de la tension qui existent entre les pays de la région des Grands Lacs.

Pour sa part, dans un document énonçant ses objectifs, la Commission tripartite insiste sur la nécessité d'une coordination, de consultations, et d'une évaluation, et notamment sur la nécessité de se consulter et de se mettre d'accord sur des stratégies et des moyens de désarmer, de démobiliser, de réinsérer et de réinstaller tous les groupes rebelles armés et les milices opérant sur le territoire de la République démocratique du Congo, et aussi de « coopérer avec tous les acteurs de façon à encourager le retour volontaire dans leur pays d'origine des réfugiés se trouvant dans la région ».

La Commission tripartite a mis sur pied une sous-commission sur la sécurité, la défense et les affaires diplomatiques qui, lors d'une réunion qui s'est tenue en avril, a été chargée de se pencher sur les moyens de renforcer son efficacité.

Le rapport que doit soumettre cette sous-commission devrait constituer le cadre des discussions de Kigali portant sur la cellule d'information.

Les relations entre les É.-U. et le Rwanda sont excellentes
Les propos de l'ambassadeur des États-Unis auprès du Rwanda
Par Jim Fisher-Thompson Date de rédaction: 24 mai 2006
Correspondant du « Washington File » http://usinfo.state.gov
Kigali (Rwanda) - La veille de la visite du président rwandais, M. Paul Kagamé, à la Maison-Blanche, l'ambassadeur des États-Unis auprès du Rwanda, M. Michael Arietti, a affirmé que les relations entre les deux pays étaient « excellentes », essentiellement du fait des contributions que les pouvoirs publics de ce pays d'Afrique apportent à la réconciliation nationale, d'une part, et à la paix dans la région des Grands Lacs et au Darfour, d'autre part.

Lors d'un entretien accordé le 24 mai au « Washington File », M. Arietti a déclaré : « Nous avons ici trois grands objectifs : encourager la stabilité régionale, promouvoir le développement économique, et faire avancer la démocratie, le respect des droits de l'homme et la bonne gouvernance. » Or, a-t-il ajouté, les Rwandais réalisent des progrès sur tous ces fronts.

En 2004, l'Agence des États-Unis pour le développement international (USAID) a consacré plus de 3,5 millions de dollars à des programmes de démocratisation, dont 1 million de dollars pour des programmes de réforme judiciaire et de réconciliation nationale. L'aide globale des États-Unis atteint désormais 80 millions de dollars, dont 70 visent à aider les Rwandais à lutter contre les effets du VIH/sida, a précisé M. Arietti.

Au sujet de la réconciliation, a dit M. Arietti, le Rwanda a beaucoup progressé en 12 ans, depuis le génocide. « Les choses ne sont pas parfaites, mais lorsque vous évaluez le Rwanda aujourd'hui, il est très important de garder à l'esprit l'état dans lequel se trouvait le pays, et tout ce qu'il a accompli depuis. »

« Le Rwanda est unique. C'est le seul pays au monde, pour autant que je sache, qui essaie de réconcilier les auteurs d'un génocide avec les victimes. Ainsi, vous avez des gens qui, il y a douze ans, s'entretuaient, et qui vivent aujourd'hui côte à côte. C'est un processus unique et particulièrement remarquable. »

Pourtant, le défi de la réconciliation est énorme, parce qu'il s'agit de traduire en justice 80.000 individus. Les Rwandais s'en sortent avec leur système de procès à trois niveaux, a expliqué le diplomate.

Comme on lui demandait pourquoi cela prenait autant de temps, M. Arietti a répondu : « Vous devez comprendre que la plupart des juges et le personnel juridique du pays ont été tués ou ont fui le pays. L'infrastructure judiciaire a été détruite, et il a fallu repartir de zéro. »

Dans le cadre de ses programmes de promotion de la démocratie, l'USAID a aidé à former 551 juges Gacaca qui, à leur tour, ont formé 21.630 juges locaux.

Les Rwandais, a ajouté M. Arietti, contribuent également considérablement au règlement des conflits en soutenant le Processus de paix tripartite dans la région des Grands Lacs. Cette initiative, impliquant également la RDC (République démocratique du Congo), le Burundi et l'Ouganda, a commencé il y a deux ans avec l'appui des États-Unis.

Les Rwandais contribuent aussi à la paix au Darfour, où ils ont déployé 2.000 soldats au sein de la force de l'Union africaine. Les Rwandais sont efficaces et très respectés, et ont beaucoup fait pour stopper le génocide au Darfour.

Le Rwanda « a les mêmes objectifs que nous au Darfour, et nous apprécions son aide. En fait, nous avons fourni quasiment la totalité des capacités de transport aérien dont les forces rwandaises avaient besoin pour se déployer au Darfour. »

M. Don Yamamoto entame sa tournée africaine
Le sous-secrétaire d'État adjoint aux affaires africaines veut stimuler le processus de paix pour la région des Grands Lacs.

AP/WWP 24 mai 2006 Par Jim Fisher-Thompson
Correspondant du « Washington File »
http://usinfo.state.gov
Washington - Les 26 et 27 mai, le sous-secrétaire d'État adjoint aux affaires africaines, M. Don Yamamoto, assistera à une conférence à Kigali (Rwanda) portant sur la recherche de solutions aux problèmes qui persistent dans la région orientale du Congo, où règne l'instabilité.

La participation de M. Yamamoto à cette réunion organisée dans le cadre du processus de paix tripartite sera l'un des éléments de sa tournée de quatre pays africains.

Le 22 mai, avant de partir pour le Kenya, première étape de ce voyage officiel qui comprend également le Rwanda, l'Éthiopie et le Tchad, M. Yamamoto a indiqué au « Washington File » que l'un des principaux objectifs de cette tournée africaine était de « stimuler » et de « faire avancer » le processus de paix engagé en 2004 par trois des pays de la région des Grands Lacs avec l'assistance du secrétaire d'État de l'époque, M. Colin Powell.

Le Rwanda, la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) et l'Ouganda étaient les trois premiers pays à entamer ces pourparlers de paix, auxquels s'est associé plus tard le Burundi. Depuis près de dix ans, ces quatre pays voisins sont en conflit et se disputent les ressources qui se trouvent dans la région orientale du Congo. Diverses milices rebelles se sont livrées à des incursions au-delà des frontières de leur pays d'origine.

« Je pense que le processus tripartite représente un véritable succès sur le plan du règlement du conflit, car c'est l'un des rares mécanismes dont nous disposons pour rassembler régulièrement les principaux acteurs de la région. »

L'ordre du jour de la conférence qui se tiendra à Kigali, a précisé M. Yamamoto, comportera plusieurs sujets délicats, entre autres la responsabilisation des rebelles dans l'est du Congo, l'extradition des chefs de guerre et de milices, et le renforcement de la cellule d'information de la Commission tripartite dont dépend l'échange de données cruciales relevées par les services du renseignement concernant les mouvements frontaliers.

« La participation de la RDC, qui doit organiser des élections en juillet sous l'égide de l'ONU, est absolument indispensable au processus de paix pour la région des Grands Lacs », a souligné M. Yamamoto, ajoutant que si la situation se détériorait fortement et que le pays sombrait dans le chaos politique après les élections, « la stabilité de toute la région pourrait de nouveau être menacée ».

En janvier dernier, à l'occasion d'une intervention à l'ONU, M. Yamamoto avait transmis les chaleureuses félicitations des États-Unis aux gouvernements et aux peuples du Burundi, de la RDC, du Rwanda et de l'Ouganda pour la confiance, le dévouement et l'engagement dont ils faisaient preuve pour œuvrer de concert au sein de la « Commission mixte tripartite plus un ».

« Chacun de ces quatre pays joue un rôle important afin d'appuyer la sécurité et la prospérité dans la région des Grands Lacs », a-t-il fait valoir.

Le programme de M. Yamamoto au Kenya, en Éthiopie et au Tchad

Interrogé sur le programme de sa tournée en Afrique, le diplomate a indiqué au « Washington File » que, lors de son séjour à Nairobi (Kenya), il s'entretiendrait de développement économique avec les ambassadeurs des États-unis en poste en Afrique orientale et s'efforcerait d'encourager les diplomates américains en poste qui ont fort à faire face aux conflits qui sévissent notamment au Soudan et dans le nord de l'Ouganda.

Dans le sillage des initiatives diplomatiques lancées par la secrétaire d'État adjointe pour les affaires africaines, Mme Jendayi Frazer, M. Yamamoto a précisé qu'il se rendrait aussi à Addis-Abeba (Éthiopie), où le litige frontalier entre ce pays et l'Érythrée figurerait à l'ordre du jour de même que des consultations avec le gouvernement éthiopien.

Au Tchad, M. Yamamoto doit s'entretenir avec de hauts responsables des progrès de la démocratisation dans la région du Sahel et rencontrer des membres de l'opposition politique.

En conclusion, il s'est déclaré optimiste quant au règlement des conflits en Afrique, expliquant que « même au Darfour, nous constatons les signes avant-coureurs de progrès », faisant remarquer que le président Bush avait récemment affirmé son solide attachement au renforcement de l'aide humanitaire des États-Unis et que le gouvernement du Soudan et l'un des principaux groupes rebelles avaient signé un accord de paix à Abuja (Nigeria).

Rwanda: Bush Invites Kagame
The New Times (Kigali) May 23, 2006 Edwin Musoni Kigali

President George Bush has invited President Paul Kagame. According to a Press Release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kagame's visit stretches from May 29 to 31." "The visit will be an opportunity for the two Heads of State to mutually brief each other on developments of their respective countries," the release issued May 23, states in part.

According to the release, the two presidents will also discuss and exchange ideas on different challenges currently facing the world, with emphasis on partnership.

Kagame will also enlighten Bush on Rwanda's success in reconciliation, good governance, economic reconstruction and, peace and security in the Great Lakes Region and Africa.

Rwanda: Rwanda Investment Conference Opens

The Monitor (Kampala) / May 24, 2006
Muhereza Kyamutetera / Kampala

RWANDA's president, Paul Kagame has assured investors that his government would give them full support, should they chose to invest in Rwanda.

Speaking at the third annual Rwanda Investment Conference that kicked off on Monday, Kagame said that Rwanda had numerous investment opportunities and called upon investors to take advantage of them.

"Rwanda has very many opportunities in infrastructure, agribusiness, mining, horticulture, social skills development, to mention but a few. We need fresh investments in these areas. Over the next two days, lets deliberate on how we can make this happen," he told a gathering of over 700 delegates attending the conference, among them 260 foreign investors from over 132 countries.

"You have got full support should you choose to make Rwanda, the home of your investment. This is a place you can play and win," he added.

He also assured investors that Rwanda is committed to a private sector-led development.

He said that government was committed to creating a good investment climate.

Rwanda was in a 2005 World Bank survey on doing business ranked as the best in Africa and 12th globally while in 2003 the country was voted among the best performers in good governance and fight against graft. Currently it takes 21 days to establish a business in Rwanda but government is working to reduce this to 14 days.

The conference is aimed at enhancing the various opportunities available in Rwanda to the outside world and how these opportunities can be utilised.

The conference will take three days.

Rwanda: RDF Gets Spokesman
The New Times (Kigali)
May 23, 2006 Posted to the web May 25, 2006
James Munyaneza
Kigali

The Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) has appointed Major Jill Rutaremara as its new spokesman. "It is true I was appointed the army spokesperson on May 8," Rutaremara, 46, confirmed Tuesday, May 22, by telephone.

Rutaremara held the same position between October 2002 and August 2003, before going for a Senior Command and Staff Course at the Command and Staff College in Kaduna, Nigeria. A holder of a Masters Degree in International Security and Civil-Military Relations from the Naval Postgraduate School in California, US, Rutaremara is also the RDF Director of Planning, Policy and Capacity Building.

A former parliamentarian representing the Army and a one time Prefet, the new Spokesman was until last March in the Sudan, where he worked with the African Union Mission as an Administrative/Personnel Officer since March 2005.

On several occasions, Colonel Charles Karamba, the Military Director of Research and Development, has been speaking on some specific military activities especially the RDF peacekeeping mission in the Sudanese war-torn Darfur region.

Meanwhile, the press has welcomed Rutaremara's appointment saying he would bridge the gap between the media and the military.

Contact FM Managing Director Mr John Bosco Sanyu said on Tuesday, "That is what we have all been waiting for. It has been long overdue and we look forward to working with him. He will be a catalyst in the smooth flow of information from the military to the media."

Mr Frank Ndamage, the Editor-In-Chief of government-owned Imvaho, a Kinyarwanda weekly, said that lack of a military spokesperson had at times subjected journalists to difficulties in accessing information from the military.

UGANDA

Uganda leads the world in anti-hunger walk: WFP
Source: Xinhua May 25, 2006

Uganda has recorded the number one turnout in the global anti-hunger walk among 118 countries across the world, a WFP statement said on Wednesday.

Over 130,000 Ugandans braved the scorching sun and unexpected rain in the east African country, joining the Sunday's global advocacy event Fight Hunger: Walk the World aimed at ending child hunger in the globe.

"People wanted to show their support for WFP's work in a place that the outside world often over looks," said Ken Davies, the representative of UN's World Food Program (WFP) in Uganda in the statement.

WFP walk organizers said the turnout was beyond expectations while some 40,000 people walked in Kalongo, an Internal Displaced Person (IDP) camp in the northern district of Kitgum and Over 35, 000 walked in another of the largest IDP camps in northern Uganda, Patongo, southeast of Pader district.

"The people came even knowing they were not going to receive food. They knew exactly why they were walking it," said Antonella d'Aprile from WFP headquarters in Rome, Italy, who walked in Kalongo.

In Kampala, a crowd of 3,500 defied rain to walk five km to and from Kololo Airstirp while in Gulu, the district with Uganda's highest number of displaced people, an estimated 2,000 walkers came out including school children, street children and HIV/AIDS affected children.

WFP has been reaching out to 570,000 children among others in 17 districts in Uganda, providing meals at school to increase enrollment and attendance.

For people living in camps, WFP food assistance is vital. Although the security situation has improved, some 90 percent of over 1.4 million displaced people by a 20-year insurgency in the north still cannot venture far enough away from the camps to cultivate food.

The insurgency led by notorious Lord's Resistance Army has left tens of thousands killed before they were wiped out from their base in Uganda an southern Sudan following the joint military operations of the two countries.

Despite peace words, Uganda still hunts LRA rebels
Thu 25 May 2006 By Daniel Wallis

KAMPALA, May 25 (Reuters) - Uganda cannot trust Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) leader Joseph Kony's call for peace and will continue to hunt the elusive man behind a 20-year war with the government, an army spokesman said on Thursday.

In the first images seen for years of one of the world's most wanted guerrillas -- obtained by Reuters on Wednesday -- Kony denied being a terrorist and said he was ready for peace talks with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

Museveni has given him until Aug. 1 to surrender and receive safe passage. But many in the east African country are wary of the olive branch from rebels notorious for massacring villagers, mutilating survivors and abducting thousands of children.

"You can't trust Kony. He always makes these moves when he is desperate," army spokesman Major Felix Kulayigye said.

"We hope this time he means it, but there is no ceasefire and we will continue to hunt him while we wait to see if he does what the president has asked of him. ... He knows that if he stops fighting he will be spared," Kulayigye told Reuters.

LRA fighters have spread terror on both sides of the Uganda-Sudan border, targeting remote communities and torturing survivors by slicing off their lips and ears.

The conflict, one of the world's worst yet most neglected, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 2 million, and led the International Criminal Court (ICC) to name the leaders of the cult-like rebel group in its first warrants last year.

That made Kony one of the world's most wanted fugitives.

Only a handful of photographs and one silent video clip of him were previously known to exist.

"Most people do not know me ... I am not a terrorist... I am a human being, I want peace also," Kony said in the new recording, which showed a meeting held in the bush about three weeks ago between him and the vice president of southern Sudan.

"TERMINAL DECLINE"?

In the video, which made front page news in Uganda on Thursday, the former altar boy and self-professed prophet appeared less relaxed than his deputy Vincent Otti.

Dressed in a blue beret and green fatigues, the LRA chief looked wiry and more hardened than in the best-known picture of him -- taken at least a decade ago -- which showed him sporting long, beaded braids and a "Born to be Wild" T-shirt.

He and southern Sudan Vice President Riek Machar vowed to end fighting between the LRA and the ex-rebel Southern People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), and Machar said he was ready to help mediate between Kony and Museveni.

The offer raises the prospect of fresh attempts at dialogue, but also complicates the ICC's efforts to catch Kony.

The cooperation of Machar's SPLM/A, a sworn enemy of the LRA in the past, had been viewed as key to helping hunt him down.

Machar said the SPLM was not seeking to help the ICC.

Instead, in a move that surprised many, South Sudan's second in command handed the rebel leader $20,000 in cash for food.

"You can buy a lot of assault rifles for that amount in that area," a Western diplomat told Reuters, adding that Kony had refused offers of cash and food in the past.

Uganda's military said Kony's acceptance of help proved the LRA was on the verge of final defeat.

"Kony's biggest problem is ammunition and food," Kulayigye said. "A soldier walks on his stomach, but the money is only a very small boost for him. The LRA is in terminal decline."

Who is to blame for plastic pollution in Tanzania?
2006-05-25 SOURCE: Guardian By Emmanuel Seni

Who is responsible for the mounds of plastic bags, food wrappings, plastic cups, bottles and cartons that pile up on the roads and clog open drains?

We, of course! So what can we do about it?

Walk down in any city street, bus stop, public places, in Schools and Colleges, in Markets, or at our homestead, turn any corner, at the beach, on the river banks or in a park; you will find mounds and mounds of dirty plastic bags, food wrappings, plastic cups, bottles, ice cream packages, drinking water packets, and cartons lie piled high, or blocking drainage systems and sewers.

The problem comes when we no longer want these items and how we dispose them off. Plastics are used because they are easy and cheap to make and they can last a long time.

Unfortunately the same useful qualities can make plastic a huge pollution problem.

The cheapness means plastic gets discarded easily and its long life means it survives in the environment for long periods where it can do great harm.

Because plastic does not decompose, and requires high energy (ultra-violet light) to break down, the amount of plastic waste in our streets and on marine environment is steadily increasing.

The road outside our residential areas is littered with flimsy multi-colored plastic bags. The wind blows these bags into the open gutters.

The bags collect and block the gutters which then spills wastes on to the road. Mosquitoes thrive in the stagnant water. Pigs and rats wallow in the slime, carrying disease.

The place stinks and the air is polluted. The garbage men refuse to clean the gutters... they are only paid to clear off the litter on the main roads and on the city streets! So the clutter and slime increases over time.

Who is responsible for all this litter and mess of the polluted atmosphere and Lung Cancer which is to a large extent caused by the inhalation of the burned plastic smoke? We are of course! Although each one of us contributes to the problem, none of us is willing to be part of the solution to it!

The Government is keen on taking a drastic step to curb the use of plastics and make the roads clean and environmentally safe.

I highly support the government’s desire to introduce a bill that would ban plastic bags and other plastic items as a desperate attempt to control the huge environmental and health hazards that face us today.

Despite our desire to see a clean environment and clean roads, we wonder - what we would do without all the plastic things in our lives.

The many uses of disposable plastic that we use everyday comes to mind, gloves, pens, cups, bottles, cans and condoms (for the fight against HIV/AIDS) ? can we really do without these?

Do we see the proposed ban as a necessary measure? Or will it be fought against with passion by the plastic industry? Each year, as industry produces more and more non-essential products individually and excessively packaged in plastic, we throw away more and more trash.

Plastic razors can only be used a few times before disposal, then more must be bought, making the plastic and razor industries more profitable.

Pens used to be filled with ink, today we use them, throw them away and go out and buy another one.

Many household appliances are designed to become obsolete within a short duration and that guarantees that you’ll just have to buy new ones next year.

To a large extent, our garbage problem is a result of a corporate business ethic that puts profits before humanity and the environment.

Industry pushes the advantages of ’disposability’ to the public because it suits them and it pays well.

The profit from disposability goes into the pockets of only a few but the hazards of pollution are faced by many more.

As a better solution to this problem, I highly send my best regards to the work of our leaders; Vice President, Dr. Mohammed Shein and Prof. M. J. Mwandosya, Minister of State, (Environment), Vice President’s Office for the proposed plastic ban of fewer than 30 microns (0.03 mm) and that of 65 microns (0.065mm) as well as through the encouraged use of alternative bags-like paper bags, sisal, and cotton bags (this on other way will highly promote the agricultural produce) and through use of other expensive and durable plastic bags, which can stay longer and used for more than once.

This will go hand in hand with the highly imposed tax on the production of this kind of plastic bags.

Yes, this makes me realize that each one of us should now develop a sense of responsibility not just towards the litter on our roads but also towards the things we buy and use and throw away.

So, to all Tanzanians, stakeholders and environmental activists let us join and share the mind and energy of what we all have to promote the ’anti pollution campaign’ in our offices, business areas, recreation areas, schools and colleges, areas of residents, hostels, campsites, and on the public places through the use of dust bins, cultural activities, religious and local leaders, as well as through the use of Radio, Television, newspapers, billboards, printed T-shirts and caps with the message of ’anti pollution campaign’ or by recycling them and through the word of mouth and workshops to protect our lives and resources as a way of environmental conservation and management of our natural resources for the sustainable social and economic development of present and future generations.

’It’s this now that we should stop messing with the environment, by staying away from polluting the lands, water and air’

US citizens held in Democratic Republic of Congo
Three U.S. citizens, all consultants for Orlando-based AQMI Strategy Corporation, were detained and are being held by the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since last Friday
http://www.speroforum.com
Thursday, May 25, 2006 by Spero News

Three U.S. citizens, all consultants for Orlando-based AQMI Strategy Corporation, were detained and are being held by the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since last Friday, May 18. Two were forcibly removed from a plane while attempting to return to the U.S., released and then subsequently rearrested along with the third man at a private home the following morning.

The three men are part of a team providing high-level consulting and security services to Presidential candidate, Dr. Oscar Kashala, certified as one of the candidates for the Presidency of the DRC in its closely watched, first-ever democratic election to be held on July 30, 2006.

A U.N. spokesman in Kinshasa, capital of the DRC, told the Associated Press the arrests “appear to be a case of political manipulation by the Congo’s government.”

AQMI CEO, Frank Amodeo said, “these arrests are of great personal concern to AQMI and the families of those detained.” He added, “Our people should be freed immediately because they have done nothing wrong.”

Dr. Kashala has been summoned to Military Police Headquarters Thursday in Kinshasa. He is permitted to bring a lawyer with him. “We hope this will fully resolve this very troubling issue and reset the stage for a presidential campaign free from interference and arbitrary arrest. We hope this meeting will be very much in the public eye tomorrow,” said Amodeo.

Dr. Kashala is one of 32 certified candidates for the DRC’s presidency. He was born in Lubumbashi, Congo in the early 1950s, enrolled at the University of Kinshasa Medical School in 1974, at the time the best medical school in Africa, graduating Magna Cum Laude and first in his class. He also trained at the University of Lausanne in Internal Medicine and the University of Geneva in Pathology. Additionally, he studied at Harvard University and MIT and has worked at the World Health Organization, among his many other professional credentials.

Concerns for Safety Paramount in Midst of Historic Presidential Election
Download this press release as an Adobe PDF document.

Three U.S. citizens, all consultants for Orlando-based AQMI Strategy Corporation, were detained and are being held by the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since last Friday, May 18.

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) May 25, 2006 -- Three U.S. citizens, all consultants for Orlando-based AQMI Strategy Corporation, were detained and are being held by the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since last Friday, May 18. Two were forcibly removed from a plane while attempting to return to the U.S., released and then subsequently rearrested along with the third man at a private home the following morning.

The three men are part of a team providing high-level consulting and security services to Presidential candidate, Dr. Oscar Kashala, certified as one of the candidates for the Presidency of the DRC in its closely watched, first-ever democratic election to be held on July 30, 2006.

A U.N. spokesman in Kinshasa, capital of the DRC, told the Associated Press today the arrests “…appear to be a case of political manipulation by the Congo’s government.” AQMI CEO, Frank Amodeo stated, “these arrests are of great personal concern to AQMI and the families of those detained.” He added, “Our people should be freed immediately because they have done nothing wrong.”

Dr. Kashala has been summoned to Military Police Headquarters tomorrow, Thursday, May 25 at 10am local time in Kinshasa. He is permitted to bring a lawyer with him. “We hope this will fully resolve this very troubling issue and reset the stage for a presidential campaign free from interference and arbitrary arrest. We hope this meeting will be very much in the public eye tomorrow,” said Amodeo.

Dr. Kashala is one of 32 certified candidates for the DRC’s presidency. He was born in Lubumbashi, Congo in the early 1950s, enrolled at the University of Kinshasa Medical School in 1974, at the time the best medical school in Africa, graduating Magna Cum Laude and first in his class. He also trained at the University of Lausanne in Internal Medicine and the University of Geneva in Pathology. Additionally, he studied at Harvard University and MIT and has worked at the World Health Organization, among his many other professional credentials.

Corporate Contacts
Woody Johnson
407-454-5101

Mbeki urges DRC to deal firmly with coup plotters

www.chinaview.cn

JOHANNESBURG, May 25 (Xinhua) -- South African President Thabo Mbeki has urged the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to deal firmly with anyone seeking to destabilize that country, a South African radio reported on Thursday.

Mbeki's comment came following local news reports on Wednesday that 19 people with South African passports were arrested in the DRC for an alleged coup plot.

Mbeki said if South Africans were involved in attempts to overthrow the DRC government, strong action should be taken against them, the SABC radio news reported.

"Clearly, if there are any South Africans who are involved in any illegal processes in the Congo intended to destabilize and affect the elections, I think the Congolese government needs to act firmly against those people as we would within the context of our own law," Mbeki, who is in Britain for a working visit, told the broadcaster.

"Anybody who would plan to engage in military action intended to disrupt the processes leading to elections in the Congo, I am quite sure they would fail," he said.

At least 26 men -- 19 of them carrying South African passports, three Americans and four Nigerians -- were arrested Friday and are being held for an alleged coup plot in the DRC, which is preparing for general elections in July.

"They wanted to destabilize the institutions of the country, that means a coup attempt," DRC government spokesman Henri Mova Sakanyi reportedly said.

South Africa's Foreign Affairs Department said 16 of the South African passport holders were members of the Omega Security Company, which has contracts with the DRC's National Transport Office for the training of security personnel in Matadi, Boma and Mouanda. The other three worked for a mining company, Mirabulis, as interpreters.

Omega denied charges that any of its employees had been involved in a plot to overthrow the DRC government. Editor: Liu Dan

Nigeria denies presence of Nigerian mercenaries in DR Congo
Xinhua / 25 may 2006
KINSHASA, May 24, 2006 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The Nigerian embassy in Kinshasa has denied the presence of Nigerian mercenaries in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to DRC Interior Ministry, 32 mercenaries with passports from the United States, Nigeria and South Africa were arrested in the Congolese capital Kinshasa, and that their mission was to destabilize the first democratic general elections in DRC in 45 years.

The Nigerian embassy said it had no idea about the mercenary claims as the Nigerians accused by DRC Interior Ministry were employees of a Nigerian guard company, who had come to the DRC to teach their Congolese colleagues.

The Nigerians were arrested by the Congolese police when they prepared to return to Nigeria at the end of their one-month visas.

The Nigerian embassy said they hoped the accused would be released. The embassy noted that the DRC had once asked Nigeria to provide help in intelligence police training and some of the same Nigerian experts who entered the DRC in legal ways, were arrested as mercenaries this time.

No charges have been brought yet against the 19 alleged South Africans arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), foreign affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa told BuaNews on Wednesday.

The 19, holding South African passports, were arrested on Friday in Kinshasa alongside three Americans and four Nigerians following what DRC officials have called allegations of "destabilising government institutions".

"It is critical to note that no charges have as yet been laid against the 19 alleged South Africans. Investigations are currently underway by the Congolese authorities into their alleged activities" said Mamoepa

Consular assistance
The South African diplomatic mission in Kinshasa had access to the detainees on Tuesday with a view to determining and verifying their nationalities. Once verified, the mission will be able to provide full consular assistance to the prisoners.

The SA Diplomatic Mission will in the meantime continue to monitor ongoing investigations and any possible court appearance, said Mamoepa.

"It is the responsibility of our diplomatic missions to provide consular assistance to any South African abroad, who is in distress, in line with international law, including monitoring investigations, as well as any possible subsequent court appearances where there are arrests."

Security training
South Africa’s Foreign Affairs Department said earlier today 16 of the detainees said to be in possession of SA passports were members of the Omega Security Company, which is contracted to the DRC’s National Transport office for the training of security personnel in Matadi, Boma and Mouanda.

The other three detainees were identified as working for a mining company, Mirabulis, as interpreters.

South Africa facilitated talks among key role-players in the DRC leading to the adoption of a new constitution and the forthcoming elections which are due to take place in July.

Last week, cabinet approved a request from the government of the DRC for South Africa to assist in the electoral process, including provision of resources to the DRC's Independent Electoral Commission. An Inter-Ministerial Committee comprising Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Provincial and Local Government, Public Service and Administration, Safety and Security and National Intelligence has been set up to co-ordinate the assistance.

Foreigners held over Congo 'plot'
BBC News 25 may. 2006

At least 30 foreigners are being held in the Democratic Republic of Congo in connection with an alleged coup plot.

The men - including South African, Nigerian and United States citizens - were working for a security company.

The Congolese government accuses them of being on a military mission to destabilise the country.

But a UN official cast doubt on the claim, saying the men were just working for one of the security firms providing services to presidential candidates.

The BBC's Arnaud Zajtman in the capital, Kinshasa, says the arrests are an indication of the state of tension in the country ahead of polls scheduled for 30 July.

Meanwhile, there has been a big demonstration in Kinshasa by supporters of the long-time Congolese opposition politician, Etienne Tshisekedi.

He and his party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, has been prevented from standing in the elections after missing a deadline to register and says it will boycott the polls.

Some detentions were made before the protests began.

Security

The South African embassy in Kinshasa confirmed that 19 of its citizens had been arrested, our correspondent reports.

Three Americans and 10 Nigerians are reported to have been arrested, though this has not been confirmed by their embassies.

Our correspondent said that the men were all working for a security company and had been involved in training Congolese security trainers who would work at the port of Matadi.

One of the men is believed to have been arrested when returning from a visit to South Africa, bringing handcuffs and other equipment to be used in the security training.

The South African Department of Foreign Affairs said the 19 South Africans had been arrested on Friday.

"Sixteen of these South African passport holders are members of the Omega Security Company, which has contracts with the DRC's National Transport office for the training of security personnel in Matadi, Boma and Mouanda," the department said in a statement.

"The other three South African passport holders work for a mining company, Mirabulis, as interpreters," the statement added.

But Congolese Interior Minister Theophile Mbemba Fundu said the arrested men were military personnel.

"These men, bearing three different passports, were spotted at three strategic sites in the Congolese capital," Interior Minister Theophile Mbemba Fundu was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

"Apparently they are military personnel, most of whom came from Iraq."

Polls

DR Congo's first democratic elections in 40 years are currently scheduled for the end of July.

Last week, the defence minister warned Congolese politicians that they should not have more than 25 bodyguards, amid pre-election tension.

Anneke Van Woudenberg of Human Rights Watch told the BBC the growing reliance on private security firms is symptomatic of increasing insecurity in Kinshasa.

"There are now more than 10 of them who operate either as personal security guards or who operate as secret service officials who arrest and detain with no regard for specific judicial authorities and this is deeply troubling in the lead up to elections."

A United Nations peacekeeping force of nearly 17,000 troops - the world's largest - operates in the country and is being augmented by a 1,500-strong European Union rapid reaction force over the election period.

25 May 2006 Jonathan Katzenellenbogen With Sapa

SECURITY company Omega International Associates denied yesterday that 16 of its employees arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo were involved in a coup plot.

Omega MD Christo Roelofse said no charges had been laid and the company was still unclear about the reason for the arrests.

The arrests come just two months ahead of Congo’s elections, scheduled for July 30.

Foreign affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said yesterday that the South African embassy in Kinshasa had been told by Congolese law enforcement agencies that 19 South African passport holders, three Americans and four Nigerians had been arrested on allegations of “destabilising government institutions”.

According to the foreign affairs department, 16 of the South African passport holders are members of Omega, which has contracts with Congo’s national transport office for the training of security personnel.

Three other passport holders work for a mining company, Mirabulis, as interpreters.

The department did not release the names of the detainees, but said that South African diplomats had visited them earlier in the week.

Johannesburg-based website AND Media said yesterday that Mark Thatcher, son of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, had links with Omega Security Company. It did not give details of the nature of these links.

Mark Thatcher was arrested in Cape Town in 2004 and, after pleading guilty under antimercenary laws and reaching a deal with the prosecuting authorities, left SA.

His arrest spurred government to consider a far tougher antimercenary bill to stop the country being used as a base for mercenary activities on the continent.

Roelofse said yesterday that the Omega subsidiary was a registered firm in the Congo.

“Omega’s actions in Congo were carried out in the belief that all the regulatory prescripts were being adhered to,” he said.

Roelofse said Omega was also assisting a US security company with “logistical and administrative support” for the protection of Oscar Kashala, a Congolese presidential candidate, during his election campaign.

“For the past three months the client has been in Congo scouting a safe environment for Kashala to operate from.

“As part of these services, Omega was approached to assist with security aspects due to its knowledge of Congo and its record as a reputable security company in Congo,” Roelofse said.

DRC opposition leaders under house arrest

May 25 2006 - Sapa-AFP

Kinshasa - Ten opposition leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including four presidential candidates, were kept under house arrest for a few hours on Tuesday night, their associates said.

The detainees included four men who are standing in the presidential election scheduled for July 30: Roger Lumbala, Anatole Matusila, Joseph Olenghankoy and Christophe Mboso Nkodia Mpwanga.

The men were released on Wednesday morning, with no reason for their brief arrests having been given.

Later on Wednesday, Olenghankoy's party, the FONUS, joined with Etienne Tshisekedi's UDPS group - which is boycotting the polls - in leading a demonstration to protest against the election date.

They complain that it comes one month after June 30, the official end of a three-year transitional period established when several years of war ended in 2003 - and therefore one month after the transitional government's mandate expires.

The legislative and presidential polls due on July 30 are to be the vast Central African country's first multi-party elections in four decades.

But the dispute over their date and the alleged harassment of opposition leaders is symptomatic of a high level of tension between the opposition and supporters of President Joseph Kabila, which threatens to destabilise the process.

Wednesday's demonstration brought around 1 000 activists to the streets of the capital, Kinshasa, to demand the respect of the June 30 deadline.

The demonstrators called for all political and major civil society figures in the DRC to come together before that date to discuss the organisation of elections that would be "truly free, transparent and credible and would end the legitimacy crisis that has been festering in the DRC for decades".

They marched from the city centre to the embassy of the neighbouring Republic of Congo where they delivered a memorandum to that country's president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, who is also
president of the African Union.

Violence continues in the north-east of the country. An army spokesperson issued a new toll on
Wednesday for clashes that took place in the Ituri province over the weekend, reporting that at least 53 militia fighters and six soldiers from the regular army had been killed.

DRC: Fighting displaces 10,000 in Ituri

BUNIA, 25 May 2006 (IRIN) - At least 10,000 people have now been displaced as the Congolese army intensifies its offensive to disarm rebels in the northeastern district of Ituri, a United Nations humanitarian official has said.

"The displaced are scattered in several small groups, which we could easily identify by helicopter, between five and ten kilometres west of Tchei," Modibo Traoré, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Ituri, said on Wednesday in Bunia, the district's capital.

He said humanitarian officials had been unable to reach the displaced due to continued fighting.

Thousands of people began streaming out of their homes two weeks ago when close to 2,000 government troops, backed by 500 UN peacekeepers, launched a drive to disarm all irregular forces ahead of general elections set for 30 July.

The two allied armed groups trying to resist the army's push are the Front de Resistance Patriotique en Ituri (FRPI), and the Mouvement revolutionnaire congolais, which comprises fighters from various armed militia groups that have disbanded. Up until recently, these movements had reigned supreme in the area due to the absence of government authority.

This latest round of fighting has been in the community of Walendu Bindi; between Bunia and the southern end of Lake Albert, on the border with Uganda.

The army says it has already recaptured "several localities" such as Tchekele, Aveba, Kabona Bunga and Tcheyi, beween 70 km and 100 km south of Bunia.

"We have pushed them back a long way; they have suffered heavy losses," Capt Olivier Mputu, the army liaison officer and spokesman in Ituri, said on Thursday.

He said the army had counted 53 rebel dead. The army had seven dead and 11 wounded.

He said the rebels were preventing the displaced from returning to their villages. Just seven people were left in the mountain village of Tcheyi, which the army seized on Saturday.

"They are women and sick people who could not flee the village," Traoré said.

He said the rebels attempted on Tuesday to retake Tcheyi, which had served as their headquarters in the region.

For years, various militia groups have fought for control of the mineral-rich Ituri, causing the deaths of at least 50,000 people since the late 1990s and the displacement of hundreds of thousands others. Full government authority has been lacking in the district since the establishment of a transitional government in 2003, mostly due to continued militia activity.

[32 rebels, five soldiers killed in northeast, army says]

British aristocrat heir charged with murder in Kenya
May 25, 2006 Source: Xinhua

Kenya prosecutors on Wednesday charged an heir of a British aristocrat with murdering a man in his ranch in Naivasha, about 90 kilometers northwest of Nairobi.

However, Thomas Cholmondeley, the great-grandson of one of Kenya's first white settlers, Lord Delamere, pleaded not guilty in the shooting dead of Robert Njoya, whom he suspected of poaching on his expansive ranch.

"Not guilty," Cholmondeley told Justice Muga Apondi, who ordered him to remain in custody until September 25 this year when the hearing will proceed for four consecutive days.

Fred Ojiambo, the counsel, said his client knew that the case has revived memories of colonialism but he later said it was irrelevant in this case.

"In this case the lies are being orchestrated by politicians to make my client look like the guy who shoots Africans for sport," Ojiambo said.

"I am fully prepared for the case which has been received international attention up to its conclusion," Ojiambo said.

The lawyer said he would make an application to disqualify the judge since he had handled a similar case involving his client last year.

But the judge said last year's murder charges against Cholmondeley were dropped by Attorney General Amos Wako, who cited lack of evidence.

"It's crystal clear that Ojiambo is referring to the Ole Sasina case I had handled earlier. I never heard witnesses and I never made any considered opinion on the accused," said Justice Apondi.

Cholmondeley, who has Kenyan citizenship and could face the death penalty if convicted of murder, had told the police he fired at the 37-year-old Njoya after finding him slaughtering a wild animal on his farm.

He told police that the man had three companions and a pack of dogs and he suspected them of poaching a gazelle.

The latest shooting has sparked angry demonstrations, and a protest from civil society organizations and ministers who have demanded for Cholmondeley's deportation.

Last year, Cholmondeley was charged with murder after shooting one of three plain-clothes wardens investigating reports of illegal trade in wildlife at his property in April.

The wardens had detained Cholmondeley's farm workers for skinning the carcass of a buffalo that had been shot once in the head.

But Kenya's attorney general later dropped the charges, citing lack of evidence.

Cholmondeley is heir to a massive 100,000-acre farm in the Rift Valley region acquired by his great-grandfather.

Angola: Nigerian President Envoy Leaves
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
May 23, 2006 Posted to the web May 24, 2006

The special envoy of Nigerian president, Admound Dankoro, left Luanda for his country after being received in audience by Angolan Head of State, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Angop learned.

Admound Dankoro delivered a message from his president, Olusegum Obasanjo, to local counterpart, Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

During the audience, the parties reviewed matters related to the efforts to stabilise the oil market, seeking to avoid the cycle of rise and fall in price of the product in the international market.

At Luanda "4 de Fevereiro" international airport, the Nigerian official was seen off by his Angolan colleague, Desiderio Costa.

Angola is Africa's main oil producer, only second to Nigeria.

SOUTH AFRICA:

SA celebrates Africa Day

Africa Day is today / May 25, 2006 / http://www.sabcnews.com/

Today is Africa day. In South Africa, celebrations will be held at the Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg, involving speeches and a performance by the Orchestra Company.

Last night, Thabang Makwetla, the Mpumalanga premier, kicked off celebrations with a dinner in Ermelo with delegates from neighbouring countries. He has urged Africans to keep striving for harmony and progress.

Although Africa Day is today, the weekend has been set aside for the main celebrations. Johannesburg will be commemorating Africa Day with a Celebrate Africa Festival on Saturday, featuring world-class African artists including Meissa (Senegal), Amadou and Mariam (Mali), The Shrine (UK) and Mapumba (DRC).

African unity
May 25 is the day the continent celebrates the establishment of the Organisation for African Unity which was established at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia on May 25, 1963.

Africa Day exemplifies the achievements made by the various leaders on the continent with regard to the founding of the new African Union (AU), in establishing Nepad and other continental developments, to address the challenges and ensure that the 21st Century truly becomes an African Century.

Mbeki sees Chinese threat to Africa industry
http://www.miningweekly.co.za 25 May 2006
South African President Thabo Mbeki welcomed Chinese investment into Africa but expressed concern about its cheap products squeezing out local industry on the world's poorest continent.

In an interview published in Britain's Financial Times on Thursday, Mbeki said he was "very glad" China was paying attention to the continent.

"It is clear that the Chinese will invest on the African continent in all sorts of ways - in the first instance in raw materials, energy and other things," he said.

"It's clear also they are making capital and expertise available for general infrastructure development. But ... there would be other elements to that economic cooperation that might have obverse results," he added.

A key area of concern is the flood of Chinese textiles and other cheap goods which threatened Africa's fragile industrial sector, he said.

"Chinese production - the lower costs of production - would also present the Africa continent with the challenge of the small, weak industrial base on the African continent having to face cheaper goods coming from China," he said.

A liberalisation of global trade rules has seen Chinese imports to Africa surge.

South Africa's textile union estimated late last year that 800 manufacturing units and 60 000 jobs had disappeared in the country since 2001 as a result of what it called unfair competition from China.

The flip side of Chinese economic activity in Africa is its thirst for the continent's oil, coal and other commodities to fuel its own rapid economic expansion.

China has been especially active in oil-rich states such as Angola, importing its crude while providing it with loans and investing in infrastructure projects.

South Africa: Mbeki On a Working Visit to the UK
BuaNews (Tshwane) May 23, 2006
Pretoria

President Thabo Mbeki is in the United Kingdom (UK) to hold political and economic bilateral discussions with his British counterpart Tony Blair.

Bilateral talks between the two are scheduled to take place over two days starting from today.

Among other issues, their discussions will revolve around strengthening existing political and economic relations, conflict resolution in Africa, the continuing World Trade Organisation's (WTO's) Doha Development round, the United Nations (UN) reform and the Middle East situation, including Iran.

President Mbeki and his high-powered delegation, including Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, will also take time to meet with captains of industry there as well as the African Diplomatic Corps based in London.

While in the UK, Minister Dlamini Zuma will attend the SA-UK Bilateral Forum of South African and British Ministers, which is currently underway.

The ministerial forum, which is expected to end tomorrow, is co-chaired by both Dr Dlamini Zuma and her British counterpart Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett.

The forum is held under the theme: "The UK and SA-Building Together on the 2005 Year of Africa".

It focuses on was to strengthen bilateral economic relations; achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) while ensuring the implementation of the commitments made in the report of the Commission for Africa at Gleneagles in 2005.

Other South African government departments represented at the forum, include Arts and Culture, Defence, Education, Environmental Affairs, Home Affairs, Science and Technology and Trade and Industry.

"The high-level South African visit to London comes within the context of South Africa's objective of promoting North-South Dialogues while advancing the African agenda and ensuring a faster and shared economic growth in South Africa," says a statement from the Foreign Affairs Department.

The United Kingdom is one of South Africa's largest foreign trading partners.

South Africa: Mbeki's UK Visit to Ensure Progress in G8 Commitments

BuaNews (Tshwane) May 23, 2006 Zibonele Ntuli Pretoria

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad says President Thabo Mbeki's state visit to the United Kingdom will ensure progress on Africa's plan as agreed to by the G8 world leaders in Gleneagles last year.

He said it was an important meeting between the two countries expected to take processes forward particularly regarding commitments by the G8.

The meeting will be co-chaired by Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and her British counterpart, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett.

"The meeting will try to ensure that we (governments) do not continue to make pledges or programmes that are not implemented.

"Mr Blair feels that the meeting will give an impetus on the campaign on AIDS on the African continent. He also indicated among other things, the issue of peace and conflicts in Africa especially in Darfur, and the need to continue to put pressure to ensure that the signatories stick to what they have done, and those who have not signed do sign up," said Mr Pahad.

He added that the European Union and Peace and Security Council had confirmed that the United Nations would take over the African mission in Darfur but in the meantime, efforts would be taken to strengthen the African mission already there.

"The round table that will be held as part of the SA-UK Forum has an exciting theme 'Africa 2005 - putting our promises into practice' will focus on what progress has been made in helping achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

"The fact that they are having the round table on the implementation is an important indication that major governments are begi