{jcomments on}DAM, NY, AGNEWS, le 7 decembre 2010 –Le haut commissaire rwandais en Afrique du Sud affirme que deux anciens hauts-dignitaires rwandais se servent de l’Afrique du Sud pour renverser le gouvernement rwandais… Selon le journal, les conspirateurs sont l’ancien général rwandais Kayumba Nyamwasa et Patrick Karegesa, ancien chef de la sécurité extérieure du Rwanda. Ils sont accusés de mobiliser les forces de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) pour prendre les armes contre le gouvernement civil rwandais… Kamali Karegesa, haut commissaire rwandais, a déclaré que les services de renseignements de son pays ont rapporté que les deux hommes complotent “via la mobilisation ethnique au Rwanda et les opérations militaires au Congo, pour renverser notre gouvernement”.
BURUNDI :
Corruption: bras-de-fer Burundi/ONG
http://lci.tf1.fr/filnews/monde/corruption-bras-de-fer-burundi-ong-6177801.html
Le gouvernement burundais a “dénoncé publiquement les méthodes” d’une association locale luttant contre la corruption, qui avait révélé la semaine dernière des malversations autour d’un contrat d’armement entre le Burundi et une société ukrainienne. L’Observatoire de la lutte contre la corruption et les malversations économiques (Olucome) “est en quête de popularité”, a accusé lundi devant la presse le ministre en charge de la Bonne gouvernance, Jean-Baptiste Gahimbare. Le ministre a “mis en garde” l’ONG “sur ses responsabilités d’entrave au bon déroulement de l’instruction qui est en cours concernant ce dossier d’achat d’armes”.
Visite de travail de Jean Asselborn au Burundi, les 7 et 8 décembre 2010
06-12-2010 http://www.gouvernement.lu/salle_presse/communiques/2010/12-decembre/06-asselborn/
Les 7 et 8 décembre 2010, le Vice-Premier ministre, ministre des Affaires étrangères luxembourgeois, Jean Asselborn, effectuera une visite de travail à Bujumbura au Burundi.
Lors de sa visite, il rencontrera notamment le président de la République du Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, ainsi que le premier vice-président de la République, Therence Sinunguruza.
Le chef de la diplomatie luxembourgeoise aura des entrevues, entre autres, avec des représentants du ministère des Affaires étrangères, d’un parti de l’opposition, ainsi que de la société civile. Une visite des bureaux de l’organisation non-gouvernementale Handicap International est également prévue.
À côté d’un état des lieux des relations bilatérales figurent également à l’ordre du jour une mise au point de la situation régionale, du processus d’intégration des pays membres de l’Union africaine, ainsi que des relations entre le continent africain et l’Union européenne.
Après son séjour au Burundi, le ministre des Affaires étrangères luxembourgeois poursuivra son déplacement sur le continent africain au Mozambique où il effectue également une visite de travail.
(Communiqué par le ministère des Affaires étrangères)
« 7 milliads de voisins » (RFI) consacrée à IFADEM au Burundi
6 décembre 2010 http://www.auf.org/communication-information/actualites/rfi-2010-5088.html
La nouvelle émission sur RFI, « 7 milliards de voisins », était consacrée le vendredi 3 décembre 2010 à l’initiative francophone pour la formation à distance des maîtres (IFADEM) au Burundi.
Quatre reportages d’Amélie NIARD – à Bujumbura et à Kayanza – recueillent les témoignages de Concilie MBWAYIBA, chef de projet IFADEM, Clémence Vidal de la BLACHE, chargée de projets à l’Agence Française de Développement (AFD), et d’institutrices qui ont suivi la formation IFADEM l’année dernière.
Tout au long de l’émission, Pierre-Jean LOIRET, directeur délégué de l’innovation et de l’économie de la connaissance à l’AUF, commente les reportages en direct et en deuxième partie d’émission réponds aux questions des auditeurs de RFI.
Pour information « 7 milliards de voisins » est une nouvelle émission présentée par Emmanuelle Bastide pour comprendre, mais aussi pour écouter des auditeurs témoigner de leur vie et leurs préoccupations quotidiennes qu’ils soient au Nord ou au Sud.
RWANDA
JED: absence remarquée du président rwandais Paul Kagame lors d’un débat public
Source: Belga (Belga) Le président rwandais Paul Kagame a brillé lundi par son absence lors des Journées européennes du développement (JED) à Bruxelles alors qu’il devait participer à l’une des tables rondes prévues sur l’égalité entre les sexes, a-t-on constaté.
Le chef de l’Etat rwandais, qui était l’invité-vedette de ce débat, s’est fait remplacer au pied levé par sa ministre des Affaires étrangères, Louise Mushikiwabo. Aucune information n’a été donnée par les officiels rwandais, injoignables, pour expliquer l’absence de M. Kagame. Le président rwandais, qui séjourne en Belgique depuis la fin de la semaine dernière pour une visite de quatre jours, a rencontré lundi matin le président de la Commission européenne, José Manuel Barroso. Un entretien prévu lundi entre M. Kagame et le Premier ministre démissionnaire Yves Leterme, ainsi que ses ministres des Affaires étrangères et de la Coopération au développement, Steven Vanackere et Charles Michel, a par contre été annulé – “pour des raisons d’agenda”, a précisé le porte-parole du chef du gouvernement à l’agence BELGA. La visite de M. Kagame en Belgique intervient après la publication d’un rapport controversé – notamment de la part de Kigali – de l’ONU énumérant une longue liste d’atrocités commises en République démocratique du Congo (RDC) de 1993 à 2003 par les forces armées de plusieurs pays africains, dont le Rwanda, et accusant l’armée rwandaise d’avoir commis des crimes qui pourraient être qualifiés de “génocide”. (LEE)
Rwanda : Deux rebelles rwandais complotent en Afrique du Sud
mardi 7 décembre 2010 http://www.afriscoop.net/journal/spip.php?breve5424
Le haut commissaire rwandais en Afrique du Sud affirme que deux anciens hauts-dignitaires rwandais se servent de l’Afrique du Sud pour renverser le gouvernement rwandais, a rapporté lundi le journal Business Day.
Les autorités sud-africaines ont déclaré ne pas être au courant de ces allégations.
Selon le journal, les conspirateurs sont l’ancien général rwandais Kayumba Nyamwasa et Patrick Karegesa, ancien chef de la sécurité extérieure du Rwanda.
Ils sont accusés de mobiliser les forces de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) pour prendre les armes contre le gouvernement civil rwandais.
Kamali Karegesa, haut commissaire rwandais, a déclaré que les services de renseignements de son pays ont rapporté que les deux hommes complotent “via la mobilisation ethnique au Rwanda et les opérations militaires au Congo, pour renverser notre gouvernement”.
M. Karegesa a souligné que son gouvernement attend toujours une décision de l’Afrique du Sud sur sa demande d’extradition de M. Nyamwasa au Rwanda pour corruption et détournement de fonds.
L’Afrique du Sud est un initiateur de paix important dans la région des Grands lacs et joue un rôle majeur dans la stabilisation de la RDC. (Xinhua)
UGANDA
Museveni to eradicate poverty in 20 years
By David Mafabi (email the author) Posted Tuesday, December 7 2010 at 00:00 – http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/Elections/-/859108/1067684/-/jm4nv1/-/
Mbale
The percentage of people living in absolute poverty has fallen from 56 per cent in the 1990s to 23 per cent, the Governor Bank of Uganda said at a function where President Museveni was guest of honour. The announcement came moments before President promised to reduce poverty in Uganda to zero by the year 2030.
Mr Tumusiime Mutebile, who was speaking at the official opening of the Bank of Uganda’s new regional branch building in Mbale, said the economic growth experienced in the last quarter of a century has also seen a rise in the standards of living conditions.
“The government has long supported Bank of Uganda to expand and improve the quality of services we provide to Ugandans. It is now 22 years since we officially opened Bank of Uganda in Kampala in 1980 and since then our economy in general and the financial sector in particular have made giant strides forward that have made it possible for the percentage population living under poverty to drop from 56 in the 1990s to 23 per cent,” said Mr Mutebile.
Progress
He revealed that the bank has made progress in reducing financial exclusion, a term which refers to whether people have access to financial services, a priority although there is still a long way to go. He told Mr Museveni, who is campaigning in the mid-eastern districts, that the latest data collected in 2009 reveals that 61 per cent of Ugandans have access to either formal or informal financial services.
President Museveni said in 2006, only 62 per cent of the population had access to financial services and that the new data reveals that financial exclusion has fallen by more than one third in just three years. “The Bank of Uganda has exhibited good working relationship. It has been a pillar in the economic growth and development of this country and as NRM government we are determined to reduce further the population living under poverty to zero by 2030,” Mr Museveni said.
Self reliance
President Museveni who gave an extensive overview of Uganda’s economic background where the country was depending on loans and grants to develop infrastructure, said Uganda was now self reliant and is using its own internally generated funds to manage the economy with the help of Bank of Uganda and Uganda Revenue Authority. “Now we shall do the roads because we have our own money. In 1986, the country had only Shs5 billion shared by all Ugandans. Currently, the country has over Shs5,000 billion,” he said.
“This has made it possible for us to use our own funds for development. Leaders like [Budadiri West MP Nathan Mafabi] Nandala just talk like small children and claim government lies about making roads but don’t explain that there was no money to use for building roads before. We are now self sufficient and can do our own work because we have managed the economy well,” the President said. Bank of Uganda Mbale branch is the fifth branch to be commissioned after Kampala, Jinja, Mbarara and Gulu.
Uganda: Electoral Commission Cautions Media On Poll Results
Mary Karugaba 6 December 2010 http://allafrica.com/stories/201012070076.html
ELECTORAL Commission chairman Badru Kiggundu has warned media houses against broadcasting and publishing election results not approved by the commission.
Kiggundu expressed fear that announcing such results could lead to violence.
He, however, said if partial results are to be broadcast or published, media houses should mention that the results are subject to approval by the EC.
“A number of media houses, especially radio and TV stations, have in the past misinformed candidates that they have won.
They start celebrating, and hours later, the EC releases results contrary to what was said.”
Kiggundu said according to the law, it is only the EC supposed to declare election results.
“I have heard one of the opposition candidates saying he will set up his independent tally centre. He can do that as long as he says the results are subject to approval by the commission,” he said. Kiggundu was addressing a workshop on democracy at the Imperial Royal Hotel in Kampala.
Kiggundu also called on the media to give equal opportunity to aspiring candidates to air out their views.
“Candidates should know that in competitive politics, there is always a winner and a loser. So they should accept the results. If they feel disenfranchised, they can go to courts of law,” he said.
TANZANIA:
Tanzania spends most, Sudan least on children
Dec 7, 2010, 8:06 GMT
Addis Ababa – Tanzania, Mozambique and Niger spend the most on child wellbeing in Africa – with Sudan, Angola and Burundi at the bottom of the table, a report published Tuesday said.
The African Report on Child Wellbeing 2011, released in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, examined African government spending on child health, education, development and social protection between 2006 and 2008.
Despite lower economic status than some of their neighbours, countries such as Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda and Tanzania scored highly in the index, whilst a number of African governments with relatively high incomes, including Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania and Sudan, scored low.
‘The research clearly shows that the sheer wealth of a country does not determine the level of commitment to budgeting for children,’ said David Mugawe, head of the African Child Policy Forum (ACPF).
‘Rather, it is a case of political will being translated into action and prioritising children in national budgets.’
According to the report, the global economic crisis worsened the situation, leading to budget cuts affecting children and families skipping meals and reducing school enrolment, as well as an increase in child prostitution.
The report by ACPF – a pan-African centre for policy research – was launched at the opening of the Fourth International Policy Conference on the African Child.
The conference will examine the challenges facing children in Africa and the policy choices for governments.
Sidon International Resources Corporation: Drilling Starts on Tanzanian Gold Prospect
Benzinga Staff on 12/07/10 by Benzinga Staff
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – Dec. 7, 2010) – SIDON INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES CORP. (TSX VENTURE:SD) (FRANKFURT:SY7)
Sidon International Resources Corp. reports that it has commenced its drilling program on the company’s MEG Property southeast of Morogoro in east central Tanzania.
Abby Farrage, Director of Sidon states, “This is a significant step forward for Sidon. To now be underway on this gold prospect in one of the most talked about regions in the gold world is something management has been working towards for many months. Management is optimistic about what this Tanzanian gold prospect will mean for Sidon’s corporate growth in the near and long term especially when you look at how the market has embraced Canaco Resources Inc’s significant drilling results in Tanzania.”
The first hole is being drilled to intersect the vein mineral extension adjacent to the workings of the vein that the Primary Mining License holders have been mining has now commenced.
The first 27 metres of this hole were in the marble unit which is visible in outcrop to the east of the main mineralized ridge. At the contact from 27 metres, metasedimentary rocks were intersected with strong silicification and up to 10% pyrite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, and chalcopyrite being observed. This zone is well above the artisanal mined vein (estimated to be at between 95 -100 metres down the hole) and represents a significant envelop of mineralization associated with the contact and the mineralized vein.
The content of this release has been reviewed and approved by Laurence Stephenson, P. Eng., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
Sidon International Resources is a junior exploration company with interests in Saskatchewan coal properties, gold silver claims in British Columbia, copper gold claims in Nevada, diamond properties in the Northwest Territories, and significant potash acreage in Alberta.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Abby Farrage, Director / We seek safe harbour
CONGO RDC :
Plus de cinq mille Angolais regagnent le pays venant de la RDCongo
07/12/10
Uíge – Cinq mille 58 Angolais ont regagné volontairement le pays en provenance de la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC), en 2010, entrant par la frontière de Kimbata, dans la municipalité de Maquela do Zombo, à 310 km au nord de la ville de Uige, chef-lieu de la province du même nom.
Selon le chef du département des Affaires sociales de Maquela do Zombo, Miviankisi Daniel, 2.278 chefs de famille et d’autres parents ont été assistés avant leur réinstallation dans leurs zones d’origine.
Ces Angolais ont été réinstallés dans les municipalités de Damba, Maquela do Zombo, Sanza Pombo, Bungo, Bembe, Buengas, Kimbele, Mucaba et Songo, a-t-il souligné.
Controverse en RDC : Monsengwo chasse Karel De Gucht
Publié par Joachim Diana G., Groupe L’Avenir le 6 décembre 2010
http://afriqueactu.net/16274/afrique/rdc/controverse-en-rdc-monsengwo-chasse-karel-de-gucht
Pour Karel de Gucht, la Rdc a fait des progrès notables notamment dans la réduction de l’inflation. Le discours de Mgr Monsengwo a plutôt été classé dans le panier des critiques qui nieraient tout progrès en Rdc. *Mgr Monsengwo qui se serait montré négatif a été préféré à Karel De Gucht qui a été positif dans son jugement de la situation congolaise.
Les propos du commissaire européen en charge du Commerce, le belge Karel De Gucht, ont été laissés dans les oubliettes par la presse congolaise. Celle-ci a préféré aller chercher des tomates pourries sur les dirigeants congolais dans le discours de Mgr Monsengwo. Karel De Gucht, pour n’avoir pas fait l’événement, parce que n’ayant pas eu de venin mortel contre les dirigeants congolais, on l’a préféré au cardinal, archevêque de Kinshasa. Tout le monde s’est attardé sur des propos du cardinal déplacés de leur contexte,. Ce propos ne peuvent être compris comme une critique contre le pouvoir congolais que par des esprits mal intentionnés.
Par exemple, lorsque Mgr Monsengwo, citant le pape Benoît XVI, dit que « L’autorité dans toutes les communautés est le service. Le pouvoir et l’autorité n’ont de sens que si l’on a des soucis pour les autres, pour les laissés pour compte, pour les pauvres », certains y ont vu une critique contre le pouvoir politique. Il est étonnant que d’aucuns aient vu dans ce qui est une exhortation, une critique. Et une critique contre le pouvoir politique congolais. Peut-on dire que les responsables des médias, les opérateurs économiques, les chefs d’Eglises, ne seraient en rien concernés par cette exhortation du cardinal ?
Quel rôle pour le cardinal ?
On va même jusqu’à faire croire que telle serait la bonne manière pour Mgr Monsengwo de commencer sa tâche. C’est très réductif de faire croire que la tâche d’un cardinal serait « de tacler », d’ « interpeller » les politiques, les dirigeants du pays. Apparemment, personne ne s’est senti interpellé personnellement par le discours du cardinal. On s’est par contre mis à l’écart pour assister à ce qu’on croyait être un affrontement entre le cardinal et les dirigeants du pays. Si tel est vraiment le cas, le prélat catholique a prêché dans le désert. Car, il s’est trouvé en présence des gens qui regardaient le bout de son doigt en lieu et place de fixer ce qu’il voilait leur montrer. Il s’est trouvé en face d’un certain public incapable de détachement, de conceptualité comme un enfant à qui, l’idée maison ramène à la maison de ses parents et non au concept maison. Du discours du cardinal on a retenu des bribes de phrases totalement détachées de leur vrai contexte et surtout de la destination que voulait leur donner l’auteur. On a retenu « L’autorité ou le pouvoir qui ne s’occupe que de ses propres intérêts au détriment du bien commun est un pouvoir sans objet » et patati et patata.
Pour cette masturbation médiatico-politique, on a relégué les propos de Karel de Gucht dans les oubliettes. Ce serait par contre la grande actualité que d’aucuns n’hésiteraient pas à mettre à côté de du discours mal compris du cardinal. Le but visé, on le sait, c’est de justifier certains moribonds politiques à la recherche des repères.
Un sommet utile pour le monde
Revenons à la 20ème session de l’Assemblée paritaire Acp-Ue, particulièrement au discours du commissaire européen en charge du Commerce, Karel De Gucht. Pour lui, Kinshasa a fait des progrès énormes notamment dans le domaine économique. Il a constaté que l’inflation est passée de quatre chiffres à un chiffre. Cela, a poursuivi Karel de Gucht, n’est pas sans conséquence sur le social. Car, le pouvoir d’achat de la population est ainsi préservé. Voilà un domaine précis avec des données mesurables sur lesquelle on peut se mettre d’accord. Le reste, qui, selon Karel, reste à faire, relève soit des élucubrations de certains groupes, soit de la volonté autre que celle du gouvernement congolais. A propos de la protection des activistes des droits de l’homme, il est difficile de demander au gouvernement des efforts pour combattre un mal imaginaire. Car, il n’y a pas en Rdc une force qui ferait la chasse à l’homme aux activistes de droit de l’homme, même si ces derniers en ont besoin pour survivre, pour être financés. Si ce danger n’existe pas, on l’invente à tout prix, pour le besoin de la cause.
Les résolutions de la 20èmesession
La clôture de la 20ème session de l’Assemblée paritaire Acp-Ue qui semble avoir été négligée, est pourtant une base pour la recherche des solutions à beaucoup de problèmes touchant à la vie de Congolais. Qu’est-ce que la Rdc a gagné ? Il ne s’agit pas d’analyser les retombées de cette session en fonction de la Rdc. Le pays hôte en tant que membres des Acp, ne peut pas dire n’avoir rien gagné. Il faut retenir que plus d’une résolution ont été prises sur différents domaines de la vie. C’est e cas de la résolution sur la liberté et l’indépendance des médias, sur les Objectifs du millénaire pour le développement (OMD), sur le changement climatique et sur la lutte contre le terrorisme. Dommage que la résolution qui a condamné par exemple la détérioration des conditions d’exercice du métier de journaliste, allant du harcèlement à l’assassinat pur et simple, n’ait pas retenu l’attention des professionnels des médias congolais. .
La session de Kinshasa a souligné que « la liberté et l’indépendance des médias sont des éléments essentiels au bon fonctionnement d’une société démocratique, depuis la tenue d’élections libres et régulières jusqu’à la liberté d’expression pluraliste pour tous ». Dans les pays Acp-Ue, a-t-on constaté, des progrès ont été réalisés dans ce domaine. Cela n’est cependant pas une raison pour ne pas inviter les Etats membres à surveiller la liberté et l’indépendance des médias tant au niveau interne, au niveau régional qu’au niveau international.
En ce qui concerne les Objectifs du millénaire pour le développement, la session de Kinshasa a fait appel aux donateurs internationaux à fournir davantage de financement orienté vers les résultats. Ce financement doit être transparent, mesurable et capable d’aider réellement les pays pauvres à réaliser les objectifs du millénaire en combattant la pauvreté, à faire face aux méfaits du changement climatique et aux diverses crises économiques.
C’est une interpellation pour l’Ue dont les dépenses en faveur des OMD ne sont évaluées qu’ à moins de 20 milliards d’euros. Des efforts supplémentaires sont nécessaires. On estime que pour tenir les engagements internationaux pris pour éliminer la pauvreté, les pays industrialisés doivent consacrer 0,7 % de leur PIB à l’aide publique au développement d’ici à 2015. C’est une promesse qu’ils avaient faite et qui est loin d’être tenue. Dans le même objectif de permettre aux pays pauvres de lutter contre la pauvreté, il a été demandé à l’Ue d’asseoir la stratégie d’allègement de la dette extérieure de ces pays.
La session de Kinshasa a invité les pays du G20 à combattre les paradis fiscaux et l’évasion fiscale qui privent le pays en développement des moyens leur politique de lutte contre la pauvreté. La session de Kinshasa a retenu que pour lutter contre le changement climatique, il faudra renforcer la recherche et de l’innovation dans les pays ACP, la diffusion et le transfert de technologie, le savoir, … En matière de la sécurité, la session de Kinshasa a regretté profondément la détérioration de la situation en matière de sécurité dans la région saharo-sahélienne. Elle a noté que cette situation a coûté la vie à de nombreuses personnes mettant ainsi en mal des progrès réalisés dans ce domaine au cours de ces dernières années, notamment en ce qui concerne la lutte anti-terroriste. Au plan politique, la session de Kinshasa a rejeté l’élection de Laurent Gbagbo en Côte-d’Ivoire, car contraire à la volonté populaire et à la vérité des urnes.
Joachim Diana G., Groupe L’Avenir
Les casques bleus «neutralisent» des rebelles en RDC
Mis à jour le 01.12.10 Reuters Les casques bleus des Nations unies ont annoncé mercredi avoir «neutralisé» des groupes rebelles, dont une milice burundaise accusée par la Monusco [la mission de l’ONU en République démocratique du Congo (RDC)] de recruter des centaines de combattants, dans le Sud-Kivu, dans l’est de la RDC.
La Monusco a lancé en novembre l’opération «Bouclier de protection» forte de 900 casques bleus, y compris des unités de forces spéciales, pour affaiblir la myriade de groupes armés qui écument la région en les coupant de leurs bases de ravitaillement.
«Les objectifs ont été atteints», a dit à la presse le colonel Amadou Gueye, porte-parole de la Monusco. «Pas un seul acte d’hostilité ne s’est produit depuis le 12 novembre», a-t-il déclaré, ajoutant que des armes ont été saisies et des insurgés arrêtés.
No peace without justice
http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-12-07-no-peace-without-justice– Dec 07 2010 00:00
As the trial of Congolese rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba gets under way, political analysts will go into overdrive about what the case means for the fragile peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In addition, many will see this as a crucial test of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s) ability to deliver justice in a region where politics is inextricably linked to bloodshed and instability.
The Bemba case matters for a number of reasons. It matters to me, because in May this year I travelled to South Kivu province to meet people in the DRC whose lives in the past decade have come to be defined by rape and murder.
Among all my memories of that visit, one is particularly vivid.
I sit in an unlit room with two colleagues, talking to staff about a project we fund — a legal clinic at the famous Panzi Hospital.
They tell us about the just-passed Sexual Violence Act and how they use it as a tool not only for justice, but also to educate far-flung communities about rape and the abuse of women.
We have heard these words before, in dozens of projects around Southern Africa, so we are slightly jaded. We nod politely. We are aware of the context, of the war that has raged across the Kivus since 1998. But this does not feel all that different from a poor community anywhere else in Southern Africa.
The stories
They tell us about the audio tapes they have made that play over loudspeakers on certain days advertising their services and they begin to tell us about the many women who have come forward. They cite the progress they have made in Uvira.
Then, a particularly articulate young man who has led the group discussions until now begins to cry. His mouth is stretched open and he is heaving. He cannot help himself. He is surprised and embarrassed but he doesn’t know what else to do.
African Metals announces drilling activities at its projects in DRC
Tuesday, 07 Dec 2010
African Metals Corporation announced an exploration update on its on drilling activities at its projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
1. Luisha South Stockpile and Soil Geochemical RC Drill samples
In October 2010, Magnum Drilling Sprl completed a 42 hole, reverse circulation drilling program on top of the historic Luisha South open pit stockpile. The program produced 418 samples including QC controls from 383 meters of drilling. Mangum Drilling Sprl also completed a 4 hole drilling program to test regional copper in soil geochemical anomalies to the south and southeast of the open pit. The program produced 116 samples including QC controls from 200 meters of drilling.
All 534 samples were dispatched to ALS Laboratories in Johannesburg, South Africa for sample processing and multi element ICP analysis. Issues with official border customs and transit protocols at the Zambia, Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Republic of South Africa borders resulted in a two week delay in delivery of the samples to ALS. The border issues were mainly due to a backlog of trucks carrying copper blister from the DRC. The samples are now being fast tracked by ALS and results are expected mid December.
2. Luisha South Open Pit Diamond Drilling
Rubaco Sprl commenced 1,000 meter NQ diamond core drilling program on the October 17th 2010. To date they have completed 5 holes in the base of the pit for 365.20 meters. Progress has been hindered by technical issues including, lack of drilling additives, water loss single shift only for the first three weeks, and drill crews new to copper belt lithology’s. Steps to rectify the issues have been implemented. Core recovery was maintained between 83% and 91%.
To expedite the drilling program, DrillTek Sprl was engaged to drill all the diamond holes planned for the outside of the open pit whilst Rubaco continued drilling the holes designed for within the base of the pit. DrillTek Sprl commenced drilling on the 15th November 2010. To date they have completed 3 holes for 218.80 meters of NQ core with 95% core recovery. DrillTek lost 3 days drilling out a broken core barrel and have a 200m hole in progress.
KENYA :
Telkom Kenya Wants Regulator to Pay Compensation for Vandalism
By Eric Ombok – Dec 7, 2010 10:48 AM GMT+0100
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-07/telkom-kenya-wants-regulator-to-pay-compensation-for-vandalism.html http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-07/telkom-kenya-wants-regulator-to-pay-compensation-for-vandalism.html
Telkom Kenya Ltd., a unit of France Telecom SA, wants the industry regulator to pay it as much as 2 billion shillings ($25 million) in compensation for vandalism, Chief Executive Officer Mickael Ghossein said.
The Nairobi-based company’s fiber-optic links have been cut 342 times in the first 11 months of the year, Ghossein told reporters today in the Kenyan capital. The Communications Commission of Kenya could pay compensation out of a universal service fund that mobile-phone companies finance by contributing 1 percent of their annual revenue, he said.
“We are fed up with this kind of vandalism,” Ghossein said. “We are destroying Kenya’s economy, we are destroying our business, we are destroying our investment.”
Sabotage of fiber-optic cables in East Africa’s biggest economy has reached “crisis levels,” Bitange Ndemo, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications, told reporters on Nov. 11. The authorities this month will increase the maximum penalty for those found guilty of vandalizing telecommunications cables to life imprisonment and fines as much as 10 million shillings, he said.
Three of Telkom Kenya’s fiber-optic cables were cut yesterday in Nairobi and towns on the Indian Ocean coast, affecting two outsourcing companies and Nairobi-based Mater Hospital, he said.
Safaricom Ltd., Kenya’s biggest mobile-phone company, said last month that it had to delay a planned upgrade to its MPESA money-transfer service after underground cables were cut.
To contact the reporter on this story: Eric Ombok in Nairobi at eombok@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Paul Richardson at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.
Judge suspends statement taking on Kenya chaos
By OLIVER MATHENGE Tuesday, December 7 2010
The process of statement taking from security chiefs has been suspended meaning the Kenya chaos case will now be filed without their testimony.
Judge Kalpana Rawal put the process on hold Tuesday to await the outcome of an application filed by the security bosses’ lawyers at The Hague.
The judge said she expects the record the statement on December 20, a day after the ruling is made at the International Criminal Court.
The lawyers want assurances from the ICC that any evidence provided by their clients will not be used against them as the court’s prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo puts together his case on post election violence.
Mr Moreno-Ocampo has indicated that he will file two cases involving six individuals suspected of masterminding the violence, which left 1,133 people and a further 650,000 uprooted from their homes, before December 17.
ANGOLA :
Angola’s Lactiangol plans to set up national system to collect milk
Luanda, Angola, 7 Dec – Angolan milk product company Empresa de Lacticínios de Angola (Lactiangol) in 2011 plans to set up a system on a national scale to increase the collection of milk from producers, the company’s managing director said Monday in Luanda.
Speaking to Angolan news agency Angop, José César Macedo said that it was necessary to start thinking about creating a collection system as many investments were being made in the agri-livestock sector that would make it possible to increase the amount of livestock reared and to boost milk production.
The managing director of Lactiangol said that Angolan milk production was still low in comparison to consumption, but added that, “although for 14 years there was no national milk, now there is a small amount of production.”
In 2009 the company went through serious difficulties that were partially overcome when Defense and Security bodies started to pay off their debts every so often.
However, Macedo said that “this year the company was forced to suspend supply of products to some customers due to a total lack of payment,” and that customers in Uíge province owed a total of US$2 million and those of Luanda province owed US$600,000.
However, Lactiangol hopes to end the year with turnover of more than US$20 million, as compared to US$18.9 million in 2009.
The company currently produces between 400,000 and 500,000 litres of milk per month, 200,000 set yoghurts and 800,000 liquid yoghurts per month, 48 tons of butter per month and 150,000 litres of juice per month. (macauhub)
Venezuelan parliament approves partnership with state oil companies from Cuba and Angola [ 2010-12-07 ]
Caracas, Venezuela, 7 Dec – The Venezuelan parliament approved the establishment of an oil partnership between Venezuela, Cuba and Angola, news agency Prensa Latina reported.
The partnership will include state companies Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa), Cuba’s Unión Cuba-Petróleo (Cupet) and Angola’s Sociedade Nacional de Petróleos de Angola (Sonangol).
Under the terms of the partnership, the Venezuelan company will have a 60 percent stake and the remaining 40 percent will be equally shared by the Cuban and Angolan companies.
The business plan for the new company, which will operate for 25 years, is focused on prospecting for oil and gas in the Venezuelan state of Anzoategui. (macauhub)
Angola And South Africa Should Keep Cooperating
Stratfor | Dec. 6, 2010,
http://www.businessinsider.com/angola-and-south-africa-should-keep-cooperating-2010-12
Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos is expected to make a state visit to South Africa before the end of 2010. Originally expected in October, this would be his second state visit to South Africa since Jacob Zuma became president of the latter country in April 2009. Dos Santos is not particularly fond of travel, a fact that made his failure to show in October unsurprising (and a fact that would make his absence from the forthcoming meeting likewise unsurprising). However, over the past few weeks both Angolan state media and South African government ministers have confirmed that the visit is expected before the end of the year. STRATFOR sources report that the visit is likely to take place Dec. 14-15.
While the issue of Angola’s Lobito refinery project will probably be the focus of the agenda, there are also a variety of other items the two sides will want to discuss, namely trade and visa issues. The larger significance of the trip, though, lies in how it fits into the budding relationship between two rising powers in southern Africa that may be simultaneously cooperative and competitive.
South Africa and Angola differ in many ways, from their colonial history to their political structure, language, economic base and level of development. Where they find common ground is in the fact that both are effectively dominated by a single ruling party currently transitioning from a “post-struggle” era focused strictly on internal consolidation to an era of foreign endeavor. For South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC), this means moving beyond the Nelson Mandela-Thabo Mbeki period that followed the end of apartheid in 1994. Angola’s Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) may not be as far along in its own process of post-civil war development, but is trying to improve its oil industry so as to expedite the reconstruction process, badly needed just eight years removed from a 27-year civil war. While the two countries may be at different levels in the process, both are starting to set their sights outward, looking around the southern African region to assess where they can best exert influence.
Angolan and South African Cooperation
Regardless of when the two leaders meet, representatives from their countries’ respective state-owned oil companies — South Africa’s PetroSA and Angola’s Sonangol — are currently in discussions over an ambitious project being planned in Angola: the construction of a massive new crude oil refinery in the coastal town of Lobito. MPLA and Sonangol elites selected this as the location for the future Sonaref refinery, which — if it is actually constructed — would cost $9 billion and would produce 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) of refined fuel.
Lobito is far from the MPLA’s core of Luanda. It may have been chosen for a variety of factors. Lobito sits on a port capable of handling large numbers of ships, while Luanda, Angola’s main port, is notoriously crowded. But the proposed engineering designs envision a single-point mooring system, akin to a floating buoy, connected to the refinery by pipeline — which would render crude tankers’ use of the Lobito’s berths unnecessary. Still, it is quite normal for governments in developing nations to select locations off the beaten path for projects like this to spur development in undeveloped regions. Alternatively, personal interests involved within the government and/or Sonangol might have motivated the choice, a plausible scenario in a place like Angola.
Whatever the motive, the Sonaref project has been in the front-end engineering design (FEED) stage since late 2008, meaning ground has not been broken. Financing has been a significant problem, as no one has proven willing to help Sonangol pay. The state-owned China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec) originally agreed to participate, but the deal fell apart in March 2007 after Sinopec insisted that 80 percent of the refined product be reserved for export to foreign markets. At the time, Sonangol chairman Manuel Vicente said “we cannot construct a refinery just to make products for China.”
The South Africans could now partner with Angola to help finance the project, though to what extent remains unknown. During a visit to Angola in mid-October, South African Energy Minister Dipuo Peters announced that PetroSA and Sonangol had entered discussions over a joint venture that would engage in deepwater exploration and production in Angolan waters and build and manage refineries. As there are no other refineries in the planning phases in Angola, this could only mean Lobito. The Angolan Oil Ministry issued a follow-up statement confirming the negotiations, showing that the two countries seem to be serious about the talks.
(click here to enlarge image)
Angola has only one mainland refinery currently in operation, a small facility in the greater Luanda area that produces around 40,000 bpd. This refinery is thought to provide about 40 percent of Angola’s consumption needs. The Lobito refinery would provide much more than Angola could consume. With its strategic location along the Atlantic Ocean, Lobito could allow Angola to export refined fuel, something unique in Africa. This is likely the root of South Africa’s publicly expressed interest in the joint venture with Sonangol, though a chance to try its hand at deepwater oil exploration and production activities might also be tempting it. Still, whether PetroSA would be willing and able to contribute a sizable amount to Sonaref’s construction bills depends on numerous factors in South Africa.
South Africa is already planning its fifth crude oil refinery, a massive facility near Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape region. The proposed Mthombo refinery, which will be built in the Coega Industrial Development Zone, would have the largest refining capacity of any refinery in sub-Saharan Africa at 400,000 bpd. This would make it twice as productive as Lobito but still around the same estimated cost of $9 billion-$11 billion. (The reason for the price similarity is unknown, though corruption issues in Luanda are probably a factor.) Mthombo is also still in the FEED stage, but its eventual completion is much more likely than that of Sonaref.
Just how much South Africa would be willing to pay to make the Sonangol joint venture a reality (thereby giving Pretoria access to a stake in Sonaref, and likely a certain portion of the finished product) will say a lot about South Africa’s desire to establish a foothold in Angola. Helping Luanda out with such a hefty bill would certainly be seen as a sign of good will from Zuma’s government, and could help open doors for other investment opportunities for South African businesses in other lucrative sectors of the Angolan economy. The economics of the Mthombo refinery project appear much more logical, but sometimes strategic factors trump financial ones. One South African STRATFOR source describes the Lobito refinery as Luanda’s “pet project,” indicating Pretoria sees it as important to the MPLA government. This is not to say that a failure to strike a deal would mean South Africa does not factor Angola into its foreign policy, only that Lobito provides an interesting barometer with which to assess relations between the two countries.
Angolan and South African Competition
Dos Santos and Zuma will want to discuss other issues, however. South Africans often complain about the endless bureaucratic structures that make it difficult to operate in Angola. They badly want to get more involved in Angola’s reconstruction efforts, among other sectors. (South African companies also have long desired to increase their participation in Angola’s rich diamond mining and telecommunications industries.) The leaders therefore probably will discuss the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement, signed in 2005, that aims to alleviate such problems.
Moving ahead to enforce the already-negotiated Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement would also help in this regard. Visa-free travel is also likely to be discussed, the lack of which hinders the ability of businessmen to travel back and forth between the two countries. A STRATFOR source in Angola has said these visa difficulties make it easier to organize a South African-Angolan meeting in Namibia than in either Angola or South Africa.
Though the time will come when Angola and South Africa come into conflict as their regional interests start to collide, for now they are likely to be more cooperative than combative.
SOUTH AFRICA:
Daimler Invests $290 Million to Expand C-Class Production in South Africa
By Garth Theunissen – Dec 7, 2010
Daimler AG will invest an additional 2 billion rand ($290 million) at a Mercedes-Benz plant on South Africa’s southeast coast to expand production.
The investment will prepare the East London factory for production of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class starting in 2014, Daimler said in a statement today. The plant, along with facilities in Germany, China and the U.S., will build the new C-Class, the company’s most popular passenger model.
The plant has “managed to provide us with a business and production plan that is competitive globally,” Wolfgang Bernhard, Mercedes-Benz production and purchasing chief, said in the statement.
Daimler, the world’s second-largest maker of luxury vehicles, has invested more than 5 billion rand in South Africa over the past 10 years and the East London plant recently exported its 100,000th C-Class model, according to today’s statement. The South African plant will manufacture left-and right-hand drive C-Class models for export to the rest of Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.
To contact the reporter on this story: Garth Theunissen in Johannesburg gtheunissen@bloomberg.net
South Africa Reserves Drop First Time in Three Months
By Nasreen Seria
Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) — South African reserves fell for the first time in three months in November as the dollar rallied, reducing the value of holdings of euros, pounds and other foreign currencies.
Gross reserves dropped 1.9 percent to $43.4 billion last month, the Pretoria-based Reserve Bank said in its website today. Net reserves were unchanged at $43.1 billion, the Reserve Bank said on its website today.
The dollar gained last month against all 16 major currencies tracked by Bloomberg, surging 6.2 percent against the euro. That reduced the value of holdings of foreign currencies held in reserves, undermining the central bank as it steps up dollar purchases to meet demands by industry and labor unions for a weaker rand.
“The Reserve Bank has added to reserves, but they’re not being ultra-aggressive,” said Kamilla Golda, an economist at Econometrix Treasury Management in Johannesburg. “We expect the rand to strengthen into next year and that will present an opportunity for the Reserve Bank to continue building reserves.”
The rand was at 6.9014 against the dollar as of 9:09 a.m. in Johannesburg from 6.8763 before the data was released.
Fiscal Help
The Reserve Bank said it bought $655 million in foreign currency last month, helping to limit the drop in reserves. Foreign currency deposits increased by $162 million in November, indicating transfers from the National Treasury to help boost reserves.
The rand has climbed 11 percent against the dollar since the beginning of June, reducing the competitiveness of manufactured exports and adding to job losses. The Congress of South African Trade Unions, the country’s biggest labor federation, has called for lower interest rates and a pegged currency to help boost economic growth in Africa’s largest economy.
The stronger rand has helped to curb inflation, enabling the central bank to cut its benchmark interest rate three times this year to 5.5 percent, the lowest level in 30 years.
–Editors: Philip Sanders, Louis Meixler
AFRICA / AU :
Côte d’Ivoire : L’Assemblée ACP-UE refuse de reconnaître la victoire autoproclamée de Gbabgo
Parlement Européen – 06/12/2010
http://www.newspress.fr/Communique_FR_235414_658.aspx
L’Assemblée parlementaire paritaire ACP-UE considère les résultats proclamés par le Conseil constitutionnel comme “contraires à la volonté exprimée par le peuple ivoirien par la voie des urnes” et se refuse à les reconnaître. L’exploitation illégale des minerais et la dégradation de la liberté de la presse ont été au centre des discussions de la 20° session plénière qui s’est déroulée du 2 au 4 décembre à Kinshasa (RD Congo).
L’Assemblée parlementaire paritaire ACP-UE réunit deux fois par an 78 députés européens et 78 députés des pays d’Afrique, des Caraïbes et du Pacifique et assure le contrôle parlementaire de la politique européenne de développement.
Elections en Côte d’Ivoire
L’Assemblée condamne, dans une déclaration adoptée par la plénière, la décision du Conseil constitutionnel d’avoir invalidé les résultats provisoires publiés par la Commission électorale indépendante de Côte d’Ivoire et invite toutes les parties “à faire preuve de la grande retenue” dans cette période.
Louis Michel a en outre déclaré “qu’il est inacceptable que les observateurs de la mission électorale de l’UE aient été soumis à de fortes intimidations”. Il regrette “profondément” que la situation les ait forcé à quitter la Côte d’Ivoire”.
Une législation européenne sur les minerais de sang
Louis Michel, co-président de l’Assemblée ACP-UE, a appelé l’UE à renforcer son arsenal juridique pour assurer une meilleure traçabilité des minerais issus de l’exploitation illégale, notamment en Afrique et dans les provinces orientales de la RDC, lors de la cérémonie d’ouverture, en présence de Joseph Kabila, président de la république (jeudi 2 décembre).
“Je plaide pour que l’Union européenne se dote d’un instrument de contrôle du marché international des ressources naturelles”, a déclaré Louis Michel, co-président de l’Assemblée, à l’instar de la loi américaine dite “Dodd-Frank Act”. Les sociétés cotées à Wall Street, et notamment les compagnies pétrolières, gazières et minières, doivent rendre publics leurs revenus ainsi que les paiements fiscaux qu’elles font de part le monde.
“Cette divulgation du contenu des contrats aurait un effet dissuasif sur la corruption et les flux illicites de capitaux qui se traduisent dans de nombreux pays riches en ressources naturelles par des pertes énormes de ressources fiscales, l’aggravation des conflits et une profonde pauvreté”, a-t-il ajouté. Il a également lancé un appel aux entreprises qui opèrent dans les pays en développement pour qu’elles adoptent un “code d’éthique”.
Urgences : situation au Sahel et droit à l’alimentation
Députés européens et des pays ACP ont lancé un appel à l’UE et à la communauté internationale à se mobiliser pour lutter contre l’insécurité croissante au Sahel suite à la recrudescence des activités de la branche maghrébine d’Al Qaïda dans cette zone peu peuplée et propice aux trafics (drogues, armes et êtres humains), dans une résolution adoptée samedi 4 décembre.
Dans une autre résolution sur la sécurité alimentaire, l’Assemblée a rappelé le caractère “inaliénable et universel” du droit à l’alimentation, mis à mal par la spéculation sur les céréales et d’autres denrées alimentaires.
Pour enrayer cette spéculation, qui contribue à des situations de pénuries et privent des millions de personnes d’un accès à la nourriture, les députés demandent à la Commission, aux Etats européens et à ceux des pays ACP de coopérer “étroitement” et de prendre des “mesures concrètes”.
Liberté de la presse, objectifs du millénaire et changement climatique
Trois rapports co-rédigés par des députés européens et des députés ACP ont été adoptés ce samedi 4 décembre.
– “Liberté et indépendance des médias”. Les députés européens et leurs homologues des pays ACP ont fermement condamné la détérioration des conditions d’exercice du métier de journaliste, allant du harcèlement à l’assassinat pur et simple, dans un rapport rédigé par Rainer Wieland (EPP, DE) et Donald Ramotar (Guyana).
Malgré un climat de “détérioration de la liberté et de l’indépendance des médias” dans le monde, l’Assemblée a souligné les progrès réalisés par un certain nombre de pays ACP, dont la Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée, le Guyana, le Ghana, la Tanzanie, Djibouti et le Lesotho, et ce “en dépit de conditions difficiles”. Seuls dix des 78 pays ACP figurent dans les cinquante premières places du classement 2009 en matière de liberté de la presse, contre un seul Etat membre de l’UE.
– “Réaliser les OMD : des réponses innovantes pour relever le défis sociaux et économiques”. Les dépenses consacrées par l’UE aux objectifs du millénaire (OMD) sont actuellement inférieures de 20 milliards d’euros par rapport aux engagements pris au niveau international pour réduire l’extrême pauvreté et contribuer à atteindre les huit objectifs de lutte contre fixés en l’an 2000, déplore un rapport de la commission des affaires sociales sur les OMD adopté ce samedi à Kinshasa. Il a été co-rédigé par Licia Ronzulli (PPE, IT) et Odirile Motlhale (Botswana).
– “L’après Copenhague : transfert de technologies, nouvelles technologies et renforcement des capacités techniques dans les pays ACP”. Les députés demandent aux négociateurs présents à Cancun de prendre des engagements pour développer et assurer le transfert de technologies à faibles émissions de carbone vers les pays les plus vulnérables en matière de changement climatique, selon rappelle le rapport rédigé par Jo Leinen (S&D, DE) et Marlene Malahoo Forte (Jamaïque).
Un financement suffisant, dans le cadre du Fonds vert de Copenhague pour le climat, devrait être alloué pour soutenir ces transferts de technologies vers les pays ACP, qui figurent parmi les pays “les plus menacés par ses effets négatifs”.
Prochaine réunion à Budapest
La 21° session de l’Assemblée parlementaire paritaire ACP-UE se déroulera à Budapest (Hongrie) du 16 au 18 mai 2011.
UN /ONU :
USA :
CANADA :
AUSTRALIA :
EUROPE :
CHINA :
China rejects India’s emission monitoring plan
Bahar Dutt , CNN-IBN Posted on Dec 07, 2010
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/china-rejects-indias-emission-monitored-plan/136654-2.html
Cancun: Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh’s proposal for a new verification regime of emissions has been rejected by China and the other BASIC group (India, China, South Africa and Brazil) countries at Cancun Climate Change Summit 2010.
“The sticky issue here is not so much the Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV). I see issue here is the Kyoto protocol issue. So if there is no second commitment period of the Kyoto protocol, there is no consensus on anything else at Cancun,” said Ramesh.
It effectively means that Jairam Ramesh’s proposal of bringing the G-77 countries and the BASIC nations on board with the idea of having international scrutiny for countries with more than 1 per cent carbon emission has been rejected.
Many in Cancun are calling Jairam Ramesh’s proposal for MRV a possible bridge between the US and China. Ramesh suggested that the solution is for countries emitting over 1 per cent of the global amount of greenhouse gas emissions to report emissions to the UN every two to three years.
The Centre for Science and Environment Director Chandra Bhushan, meanwhile, has slammed the Union Minister’s proposal of international reporting and verification on domestic actions.
“I think the minister is going to far to please US,” said Chandra Bhushan.
China changes tack in African foray
Chinese archaeologist at Mambrui, along the Kenyan coast, during the excavation exercise. By ANTOANETA BECKER Posted Tuesday, December 7 2010
Irked by accusations that it is the new coloniser of Africa, China is looking to use soft power and historical evidence of its ancient links to the continent to justify its economic embrace of Africa.
Chinese archaeologists have been sent to hunt for a long-lost shipwreck off the Kenya coast to support claims that China beat white explorers in discovering Africa. Meanwhile Beijing is preparing to fund more research on the continent to aid its companies and banks’ quest for expansion there.
August saw the launch of the new China-Africa Research Centre under the Ministry of Commerce. The centre’s aim is to “provide a theoretical basis for the Chinese government’s Africa-related decision-makings,” Huo Jianguo, president of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the ministry said at the opening.
It will also provide consultation services for companies with plans to expand their businesses to Africa, he added.
“For a long time our Africa strategy resembled our strategy for economic development — ‘crossing the river by feeling the stones’, says He Wenping, director of African Studies under the Institute of Western Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
“We were not well prepared to go to Africa and had to pay a high price, learning from our mistakes. But now we are consolidating our strategy and there will be a new focus on learning about Africa and speaking for ourselves.”
Shipwreck
Much hope is being placed on the treasure hunt conducted by Chinese and African archaeologists in Kenya. They are searching for an ancient shipwreck and other evidence of commerce between Africa and China dating back to the early 15th century.
The sunken ship is believed to have been part of an armada commanded by Admiral Zheng He, a Muslim eunuch from the Ming dynasty who the Chinese claim reached east Africa 80 years before the Portuguese seafarer Vasco da Gama
http://www.africareview.com/Special%20Reports/-/979182/1067758/-/a6xiwyz/-/
African diplomats fearful of US-China relationships
ILHAM RAWOOT JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Dec 06 2010
http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-12-06-africans-are-fearful-of-uschina-relationships
African embassy officials, including a South African, are afraid that relationships between the United States and China will hamper Chinese funding to the region, according to a leaked cable from the US Embassy in Beijing.
The cable, released by WikiLeaks on Sunday, is one of the latest in the organisation’s streaming release of over 250 000 leaked diplomatic cables. It was created on February 4 2010, and was classified as “confidential”.
“During a February 8 lunch, Kenyan ambassador to China Julius Ole Sunkuli said he and other Africans were wary of the US-China dialogue on Africa and felt Africa had nothing to gain from China cooperating with the international donor community,” reads the cable. “Sunkuli claimed that Africa was better off thanks to China’s practical, bilateral approach to development assistance and was concerned that this would be changed by ‘Western’ interference. He said he saw no concrete benefit for Africa in even minimal cooperation.”
South African diplomat, Dave Malcolmson, was also present at the meeting, and echoed Sunkuli’s reservations.
“Malcolmson echoed Sunkuli’s comment that African countries also fear losing their bargaining power. China’s emergence in Africa as a counterbalance to US and European donors have been very positive for Africa by creating ‘competition’ and giving African countries options. He recalled that after the 2006 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit, when China announced its commitments to Africa, traditional donors changed their attitude.
They recognised that they had to measure up to China and “came calling”. The European Union proposed infrastructure projects (after having defacto given up supporting these types of projects) and the World Bank began to support more agriculture projects.
The author comments that Sunkuli and Malcomson’s words should be seen as a warning sign, and that China might use African opposition as an excuse to halt progress on discussions or collaborations with the US.
“We should be careful to pick projects that would have broad support within the African community, preferably African-initiated and led, to get the development cooperation dialogue started on the right foot,” reads the cable.
INDIA :
BRASIL:
EN BREF, CE 07 décembre 2010… AGNEWS /DAM, NY, 07/12/2010
