{jcomments on}OMAR, BXL, AGNEWS, le 26 juillet 2010 — The AU summit is on in Kampala and top on the agenda is women’s reproductive rights and maternal mortality. 

BURUNDI :

RWANDA

Rwanda: BCR Profit Up on Improved Loan Book
Saul Butera/The New Times/26 July 2010

Kigali — Rwanda Commercial Bank (BCR) has reported a rise in its profit after tax in the first six months of 2010 supported by better loan repayments and non-interest sources of funds, the bank said Wednesday.

In the period between January and June 2010, BCR’s net profits climbed by 11. 9 to Rwf961.3million compared to Rwf859.1 million that was registered in the entire 2009.

The results were announced after the bank’s board meeting.

While announcing the results, BCR’s Board Chairman, Bill Irwin also attributed the achievement to the bank’s good management team.

“We attribute the achievement to the booking of good loans, good earnings from non-interest sources plus good control on expenses,” BCR’s Managing Director, Sanjeev Anand said.

He also added that the bank has had a pretty successful half year; the profits after tax for six months is in excess of what they made in 2009.

On the operating basis, BCR’s operating profits increased by 1.5 percent from Rwf1.24 billion to Rwf1.26.

“Revenue figures held up well in the 1st half, we are well on track to achieving our 2010 budget and also achieve the budget figures in the coming year (2011),” Irwin said.

The management said that in the second half, they will roll-out new initiatives including introducing SMS banking, e-banking and also re-emphasising of the mortgage product.

Management said they had no plans of increasing the bank’s branch network but were looking up to new automated channels and relocating of branches to locations where clients need the services more.

Irwin reaffirmed that BCR is one of the most liquidity flushed banks in the market with long deposit ratio of slightly above 50 percent.

BCR is largely owned by Actis, a private equity investor in emerging markets with head offices in London while the government of Rwanda is a minority shareholder with a 20 percent shareholding.

What Exactly Happened in Rwanda?
What Exactly Happened in Rwanda?
Monday, July 26th, 2010/www.tomwilt.com

The Hutu were some of the earliest inhabitants of Rwanda, after the arrival of the Tutsi around the sixteenth century, the Hutu were forced into servitude in a Tutsi-dominated feudal state. Rwanda was one of the last places in Africa to be swallowed up by the European powers during the Scramble for Africa. The Europeans found a state that was divided between Tutsis and Hutus, the divide was described as one of class, where the Tutsis as herders were the upper class and the Hutus as farmers were the lower class. The region of Rwanda and Burundi was given to the German Empire at the Brussels conference of 1890 in return for them renouncing all claims to Uganda. The Germans held back for a number of years, seizing their opportunity during a succession battle for the Rwanda throne, they moved into the region claiming the area in the name of the Kaiser and subsuming it into German East Africa. The German rule was one of little or no control, depending completely on the courts of various local rulers in which they placed agents who attempted to influence proceedings. Germany did not encourage either modernisation or centralisation and favoured the ruling Tutsi class, thinking them more adaptable to European ways and thus granted them ruling positions over the Hutu class. Belgium occupied the territory in 1916, during World War One and was awarded a mandate known as the Ruanda-Urundi (present day Rwanda and Burundi) by the League of Nations in 1923. In 1925, the Belgians formed an administrative area between Ruanda-Urundi and the Belgian Congo. Belgium retained the German policy of strengthening the position of the Tutsis over the Hutus.

Belgium were adamant that the colony would turn a profit, forcing each farmer to plant coffee and installing draconian measures to ensure that it was done, they were assisted in implementing this policy by their Tutsi allies. This alliance had the effect of solidifying the already existing racial divide between the Hutus and Tutsis and it was further exacerbated after eugenic researchers began to produce papers stating that Tutsis had Caucasian heritage and were thus superior to Hutus. Each citizen was issued with an identity card which defined them as legally Hutu or Tutsi. The Belgians gave almost complete political power to the Tutsis who exploited their power over the Hutu majority. In 1946, Ruanda-Urundi became a UN trust territory under Belgian administration . Changes across Africa, post World War II led the Hutus to begin demanding the abolition of political equality and oppression against them. The Belgians encouraged reforms as they feared Hutu unrest would destabilise the region but the Tutsis refused to countenance any change to their ascendant position. An increasingly restive Hutu population encouraged by the Belgian military staged a revolt in November 1959. Massacres ensued with wide ranging reports of between 20,000 and 100,000 Tutsis being killed by Hutus. A UN report stated that the massacres had being engineered in collusion with the Belgian authorities. The 1959 revolution completely transformed the political and social fabric of Rwanda, over 150,000 Tutsis had being sent into exile and those who remained were excluded from all positions of political power. In 1962 the Belgians pulled out and Rwanda became an independent country with the Hutus in the ascendancy.

In December 1963, following an abortive invasion by Tutsi refugees from Burundi, a massive crackdown was launched against the resident Tutsi population which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 12,000. Tutsis began fleeing in their tens of thousands into the neighbouring states of Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Congo. A horrendous regime of repression was administered against those who remained behind, resulting in Tutsi militants beginning to organise, labelling themselves as inyensi or cockroaches alluding to their intention to infiltrate the country. In 1973, Major General Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, staged a coup and took control of the country, heralding a new era of relaxed measures towards the Tutsi population. However the regime was corrupt and popular discontent grew throughout the 1980s forcing Habyarimana to implement some political reforms. But the greatest threat to his regime came in October 1990 when over 1,000 Tutsi refugees, calling themselves the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) invaded from Uganda, scoring notable successes before eventually succumbing to government forces bolstered by French, Belgian and Zairian troops. The invasion was used as a pretext for a heightening of repression against the Tutsi population. Habyarimana’s government began to recruit Hutu youth militias knows as Interahamwe which contributed to an escalation of ethnic violence. However, Habyarimana began to push for reform and an ending to repressive measures against the Tutsi population, eventually leading him to sign the Arusha Accords in August 1993 which sought to merge the RPF with the national army, the right of return for all Rwandan refugees and the holding of fair elections leading to a democratic government. For his efforts he was assassinated, most likely by Hutu extremists, however the blame was placed upon the Tutsis. A huge propaganda machine was unleashed which encouraged a genocide against the Tutsis and Tutsi sympathisers.

Tragically, it worked and arguably the worst genocide in the history of the world was conducted in Rwanda from April to July 1994 with over 800,000 people being murdered. Hordes of the Interahamwe militia and rebels named the Inkotanyi roamed the country massacring Tutsis and anyone who sympathised with them. There was a RPF battalion stationed in the capital Kigali under the agreements reached at Arusha, they fought their way out of the city and linked up with RPF units in the north. Paul Kagame, the RPF leader organised forces from Tanzania and Uganda to invade the country. Even though aware of the horrific scale of killing, the United Nations refused to get involved, however the RPF successfully took control of the country. Almost two million Hutu refugees fled into neighbouring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zaire. They gathered in over thirty camps, many of which were infiltrated by Hutus who had orchestrated the genocide and became extensions of Hutu power in exile. They established brutal control in the camps which were dogged by epidemics of cholera and diarrhoea. An international humanitarian mission was created in an attempt to restore order and stabilise the crises in the camps. Initially, they were quite successful but aid workers began to raise concerns about the presence of armed elements in the camps and the relief operation began to be accused of harbouring the perpetuators of the genocide. Aid organisations began to leave, requesting the UN to intervene and disarm the camps, however their reaction was minimal. The Hutu militants expanded their activities, constantly raiding Rwanda and attacking Tutsis in eastern Zaire. In response, Rwanda began smuggling arms into Zaire to arm the Tutsis residing there. This heightening of tensions led to the First Congo War which led to the fall of Mobutu and the re-naming of Zaire as the Democratic Republic of Congo. The war in Zaire had the immediate effect of emptying the camps and the refugees began returning to Rwanda in their droves.

Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland.

UGANDA

Uganda: Defence Spending to Grow With Somalia ‘War’
Charles Kazooba And Halima Abdallah/The East African/26 July 2010

Kampala — A shift in Uganda’s foreign policy towards Somalia will most likely increase its defence spending once the country starts a military offensive against the Al Shabaab, the East African extension of the Al Qaeda terrorist group.

It has now become clear that Uganda, which on average spends about 2.2 per cent of its gross domestic product on defence, is likely to expand its budget in the near future to guarantee safety of its troops in Somalia.

Pundits in Kampala believe the Uganda government will have to fork out more from its pockets once the mandate of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia is reviewed into an enforcement mission, which is what most African countries have been demanding.

Uganda currently has 2,500 troops in Somalia. Considering that only five countries — Libya, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria and Angola — contribute 75 per cent of the African Union’s funding and the rest of the African countries contribute the remaining 25 per cent, only goes to show that Africa has limited resources to fund an offensive operation in Somalia on its own.

These five countries are bound to make significant decisions in the operation, which might not be acceptable to those for the new regional foreign policy in Somalia.

During the 15th AU Summit in Kampala last week, there was reluctance by most countries to contribute troops to raise the required 20,000 for fear of retaliatory attacks by Al Shabaab, although there was consensus on political backing for military action.

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces Commander Gen Katumba Wamala, however, told The EastAfrican that for now, they expect the United Nations to foot the bill for the additional troops in Somalia.

“If countries are ready to commit troops then the UN should be ready to foot the bill. Even now we do not spend our own money from our budget to keep the troops in Somalia,” said Gen Wamala.

But for an offensive mission, it would mean military supplies, medicine and salaries for the soldiers must keep flowing. Past experience shows this has not been the case. For instance, African Mission in Somalia (Amisom) troops have at times gone without pay for months due to technical hurdles.

“Even today, things are not the best for the troops. They have very limited ammunition. Every bullet that is shot must be accounted for, which has made it very difficult for Amisom to fight back at times,” sad Isaac Musumba, Uganda’s Minister for Regional Co-operation.

To date, only the US and the EU have supported the current peacekeeping troops inside Somalia. The EU and the United Nations Security Council have signed packages that will see increased financing and logistics flowing to the peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

The EU for instance has earmarked €235 million for Somalia till 2013. Both the US and the EU for instance have given funds to support the training of security forces and humanitarian assistance to civilians.

EU will train 2,000 Somali men in addition to the 1,200 whose training has been funded by the US.But all this funding is earmarked for the 8,000 peacekeepers, a figure the African Union had originally been planned for and not the 20,000 troops proposed at the AU Summit to begin peace enforcement.Should Uganda decide to sustain its Somalia operation, its resources envelop is expected to shrink due to increased defence spending.

Since re-invigorating its campaign against the Lord’s Resistance Army rebel group in northern and eastern Uganda in 2002, Uganda has sought to boost official defence spending substantially.

This has provoked tensions with donors, with whom Kampala had previously agreed to a 2 per cent of GDP ceiling on military expenditure

Uganda: Governments Have Let Down Women on Maternal Health
Margaret Wokuri/The Monitor/26 July 2010

The AU summit is on in Kampala and top on the agenda is women’s reproductive rights and maternal mortality. Resolutions will be once again be reached but women’s lives in many of the African countries, may remain in danger or even get worse. Just for the record, about half of the African countries have signed and ratified the Maputo protocol and the last time I followed this debate, only two countries had tried to domesticate it.

This, as we know, is a very comprehensive instrument aimed at empowering and bettering the lives of women across Africa. Today, we would be discussing the challenges and how to consolidate the achievements rather than talking about the failure by African governments to ratify or domesticate it.

When it comes maternal mortality, it is estimated that globally, half a million women die every year in pregnancy or child birth. In Uganda, 16 women die during child labour every day. Multiply this by 30 days of the month and you have 480 women, multiplied by the 12 months of the year and we have 5,760 lives lost.

While addressing the 8th Common Wealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting held in Kampala in 2007 former Common Wealth Secretary General Don Mackinnon said, “Under MDG5, it’s universally recognised that most maternal death are as preventable as they are unnecessary. Yet they still continue … Is this a policy issue? I believe so. Is it a human rights issue? I believe so. Is it a money issue? I believe so …”

And so you ask you’re self, if 5,760 women die every year in Uganda, is this because government lacks resources, is it disregard to women’s rights to life or is it because maternal mortality is not a priority issue? I want to think that it is the latter. Imagine there were country wide explosions and 16 lives were lost, am very certain that this government would not let this happen the following day, and/or throughout the year.

Government would certainly mobilise resources, recall all retired security officers and put then to good use. However, when it is reported that 16 women lose their lives in child birth all that we hear is that government is trying their best ‘given the circumstances!’ Like Mackinnon stated, most of these deaths are preventable because they can be averted if government provided basic necessities in our health units. If maternal health was our priority, we would think of attracting all health workers (both retired and in private practice) back in government health centres.

That is why I agree with voices that have opined that as women activists, we need to peg our needs to the vote; for this, it seems, is the only language that our leaders understand. Today we should be asking whether a government that slashes the health budget by Shs105 billion as it has done in 2010/2011 budget gives priority to people’s lives; whether government that finds billions to prosecute an opposition presidential candidate but claims not to have resources for maternal health should be taken serious; and above all whether a government that leaves 480 women to die every month in child labour should be voted back in power.

Ms Wokuri is the interim coordinator, National Alliance for a Free and Fair Election.

Africa: President Dos Santos Expected in Kampala
26 July 2010/AngolaPress

Luanda — The Angolan Head
of State, José Eduardo dos Santos, is expected by mid-afternoon Saturday in Kampala, Uganda, to attend the 15th African Union (AU) Summit, which takes place from 25 to 27 July.

Issues of the African continent in various fields will top the attention of some 30 Statesmen who have already started arriving in Ugandan capital.

Among other issues, it is known that Angola shares in the African Summit the concerns expressed by the majority of African States on how partisan, partial and Politicized is the International Criminal Court (ICC) which has indicted persons from Africa, including heads of State, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

This position was upheld Friday by Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, George Chicoty, on the sidelines of the 17th ordinary session of the Executive Council of the African Union.

He stressed that although Angola has not yet acceded to the Rome Treaty on the ICC, the country supports the view of most African States, many signatories to the constitutive agreement on the unconventional way in which the cases are handled in this international

judicial body when it comes to personalities and cases related to Africa.

Regarding the organization of this meeting, a Ugandan minister said that, among other guests, will be attended for the first time by a senior representative of the U.S. president, Barack Obama, in the person of his minister of Justice.

The attacks occurred about two weeks ago that killed 76 people did not affect the success of this summit, he assured.

Uganda: Banana Prices Dropping
Othman Semakula/The Monitor/26 July 2010

Kampala — We are in the second quarter of 2010 and the weather is relatively hot. Because of the unfavourable condition food production has been affected, reflecting negatively on prices.

However, the price of matooke one of the most consumed food item in Uganda is showing signs of stability perhaps due to a stable production trend. Consumers are spending less for matooke and signs are, they will continue to enjoy the low prices up to November when food prices drastically rise. According to a survey carried out by Saturday Monitor, a bunch of matooke is sold for between Shs6,000 and Shs11,000.

The price indication suggests a decrease of about Shs2,000 and Shs3,500 for the small and bigger bunches respectively. Kampala Markets including: Owino, Nakasero Wandegeya, Kibuye and Kalerwe among others sell a bunch at an average price of about Shs7,000 for the small ones and a price average of at least Shs9,000 for the big bunch.

At the start of 2010 most markets were selling between Shs12,000 and Shs13,500 for the small and big bunches respectively, however due to a fall in inflation, prices have dropped.

According to the Uganda Beurea of Statistics, inflation fell to 4.4 per cent in the month of June, which means that the rate at which prices increase also fell. Traders, say the price stability has been a result of constant production. Matooke, which is mostly popular with the central region, is produced throughout the year.

It is mostly produced in the western parts of the country and the Buganda region especially in the districts of Mbabara, Bushenyi, Ntungamo Masaka and Mukono among others.

Four LRA abductees rescued by vigilantes in Sudan’s W. Equatoria
Monday 26 July 2010/By Richard Ruati/www.sudantribune.com

July 25, 2010 (YAMBIO) — Four women have been rescued from the Ugandan rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) by a local vigilante group in Ukuo village in Yambio County.

The vigilante group known as the Arrow Boys also apprehended a senior ‘wife’ of rebel commander Dominic Ongwen, who was among the LRA leaders the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for in 2005.

Abe Agness, 28, who was abducted in 2000 in Gulu, gave birth to two children, a 5 year-old boy and a 9 month-old girl during her ten year abduction.

The other rescued women were:

Apeo Gladys, 27, who was abducted in 2005 in Gulu, who gave birth to a 2 year-old boy while in the bush.

Singbatire Puse, 17, a Congolese national who was abducted in 2009 in Bangadi, Oriental Province north eastern Congo.

Animamu Hozana, 15, was abducted in 2009 from Duru, which is also in Oriental Pronvince.

With the LRA’s expanding attacks into Western Equatoria State over the past three months, vigilantes like the Arrow Boys have joined the armies of Uganda (UPDF) and South Sudan (SPLA) in attempting to pursue LRA fighters in the area.

The LRA are believed to have forced over 10,000 boys and girls from Ugandan, southern Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic into combat.

Local chiefs have serious concerns about the impact of ongoing Ugandan-led military operations against the LRA on the safety of civilians in the region, and are pressing the semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) to protect civilians and end LRA violence.

On 20 July SPLA Spokesman, Kuol Diem Kuol, warned of impending attacks by the LRA in Western Equatoria and Western Bahr El-Ghazal States. He said that the LRA had been regrouping in Central African Republic (CAR) following operations against it by the Ugandan Army.

On the same day, the LRA attacked a village west of Yambio in Nzara County, burning houses and killing a police officer and one Arrow Boy.

The police officer who was killed served as a bodyguard to the Caretaker Commissioner of Nzara County Col Sentina Ndefu. The rebels also attacked a local defence unit detachment at Basukangbii Payam.

Local chief, Sultan Tartizio told Sudan Tribune, “hundreds of villagers in Sangua Payam (15 km from Nzara) have emptied their houses on the run to Nzara in fear of losing their lives.”

“If you can’t protect yourself, you are finished.”

Troops from Uganda Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Southern Sudan launched a joint military operation “Light Thunder” since December 14, 2008 to oust the Lord’s Resistance Army from its hide-outs in DRC. But the operation has so far failed to capture LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony.

Kony has led the LRA in its guerrilla-style war against Ugandan government forces and the civilian population of northern Uganda since the late 1980s.

Operating from bases in southern Sudan, and supported until recently by Sudan, it has waged a campaign of terror – brutalizing, killing, and looting, destroying homes, and abducting people, particularly children, to act as fighters, sex slaves and porters for looted goods. However, it has become increasingly isolated in recent months with its leader speculated to be hiding in the jungles of north eastern of DRC.

(ST)

TANZANIA:

CONGO RDC :

NGO seeks action over DR Congo ‘conflict minerals’
www.africasia.com/Jul 26, 2010

Campaign group Global Witness said Monday it was launching legal action against the British government for allegedly failing to refer companies trading Congolese “conflict minerals” for UN sanctions.

The organisation said a number of British companies have been trading in minerals — including tin and tungsten, which is used in electronics — controlled by armed groups fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This is in defiance of United Nations sanctions introduced in 2008 and 2009, it said — accusing Britain of sitting by and letting it happen.

“Armed groups controlling the trade in minerals like tin and tungsten use the money to buy guns and fund their violent campaign against civilians,” said Gavin Hayman, campaigns director at Global Witness.

“The UN resolutions recognised that companies sourcing directly or indirectly from the region are part of the problem.

“But in spite of our frequent appeals, the UK government has steadfastly refused to act, which left us no choice but to take them to court.”

Global Witness said it was applying to the High Court in London for an order requiring the new coalition government of Prime Minister David Cameron to put forward for sanctions British firms violating the UN resolutions.

“Sanctions are useless without a fair and clear government procedure for considering whether individuals or entities should be listed,” Hayman said.

The British government was not immediately available for a response.

Athough endowed with vast reserves of gold, copper, cobalt and diamonds, DR Congo is one of the world’s poorest nations, scarred by the 1996-2003 war that cost some three million lives. Ethnic fighting continues, largely in the east.

Congo gold mine forces thousands from homes
Jul 26, 2010/www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk

As many as 15,000 people will have to be rehoused in the Democratic Republic of Congo, when a huge new gold mine starts up. 

As many as 15,000 people will have to be rehoused in the Democratic Republic of Congo, when a huge new gold mine starts up.

Mining firm Randgold Resources plans to start digging up Africa’s largest undeveloped gold deposit in eastern Congo.

The move will mean some 15,000 people new homes, but the company says the government and the local community back its plan.

This new mine will be as big as any of the gold mines in South Africa, one of the world’s biggest gold producers and is thought to contain about 320 tonnes of gold.

The central African country has huge mineral resources worth massive sums of money, but years of fighting over them has left most of its people living in poverty. The fight for control over the mines has been a major force driving the conflict which has raged for at least 16 years.

The war in eastern Congo has killed about three million people between 1998 and 2003, according to figures from the BBC, either as a directly because of the fighting or because of disease and malnutrition. It has been called possibly Africa’s worst emergency in Africa in recent years.

Randgold, the mine company, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, says it will start running the mine in Kibali, a corner of Congo near the border with Uganda, in the middle of next year. The firm has already has had to build a 112-mile road eastwards to Uganda, to allow it to start the building work.

Kibali is near a patch run by Ugandan rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), but Randgold says the local police and security forces have made sure that the goldmine can go ahead

“We have been operating here for nine months now,” said Randgold chief executive Mark Bristow. He told the BBC: “This is not connected with the eastern part of the Congo. This area has not had a history of conflict. We don’t arm people… The state provides security. There is the police and the army, which is working with the Ugandans against the LRA in an area north of here.”

Despite the fact that 15,000 people will have to be moved, to make way for the mine, as well as a Catholic church and a cemetery, Randgold says the community is behind the plan.

Mr Bristow said the villagers lived in “very poor, poor conditions” and would be moved to a new village built by the company.

KENYA :

Kenyan ‘Yes’ clerics want face off
BY BERNARD MOMANYI/www.capitalfm.co.ke/July 26 

NAIROBI July 26 – Two renowned Kenyan clerics supporting the proposed Constitution are now challenging fellow church leaders who have been rallying against it to a public intellectual contest next Sunday.

Retired archbishop David Gitari and Presbyterian bishop Timothy Njoya told a news conference on Sunday that they are prepared to face off with their counterparts in the No team “because they are misleading their followers.”

“I will be prepared to come here for a debate, and I think that debate is essential because it will be only a few days from the referendum,” Archbishop Gitari said. “If they refuse to come then we will know that they are cowards.”

“Let them come and meet the best theologians in the world.”

The two clerics accused their counterparts of failing to discuss real issues in the on-going national campaigns and instead choosing to “just mislead their followers on controversial clauses.”

“I welcome the idea of having a debate with all those theologians, we need to engage in a theological thorough debate about the issues they are raising about abortion and Kadhis’ courts,” Rev Njoya said.

“I know some of them (clerics) are genuine, but most of them are bogus, let them come so that we can talk about real issues,” he said.

Reverend Njoya even questioned the credibility of some of the clerics he termed ‘charlatans’ claiming that they had not been to a theology school.

“Of course how can them explain how they become doctors, some of them are just Form 2 and class eight leavers, how did they become doctors, I pity and pray for them,” Rev Njoya added.

Church leaders in various mainstream and other churches have been in the forefront opposing the proposed Constitution on grounds that it supports abortion which they say is against Christian believes.

“They are not talking about real issues, they are not saying the truth because they have not read and understood what that document says. The proposed Constitution is very clear that abortion will only take place if the live of a mother is in danger, that does not mean it supports abortion,” Rev Njoya emphasised.

The two clerics were speaking at a joint press conference with various civil societies under the umbrella of Katiba Sasa Campaign; a consortium of lobby groups championing for the enactment of a new constitutional dispensation in the country.

They however did not mention the names of the clerics they were targeting in the debate.

Officials of the Katiba Sasa campaign did not immediately confirm if they were willing to organise the said intellectual contest between the clerics.

Campaigns for the proposed Constitution are in top gear in the country, with only nine days to go. Kenyans are scheduled to vote for or against the proposed constitution on August 4 to determine if the east African nation will have a new Constitution.

President Mwai Kibaki, Prime Minister Raila Odinga as well as Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and most cabinet ministers and political leaders are supporting the proposed Constitution which is being opposed by most church leaders.

Higher Education Minster William Ruto and most Members of Parliament from the Rift Valley Province have openly defied President Kibaki’s call to support the draft and are intensely campaigning against the proposed law.

Illicit brew kills six in Kenya
BY BERNARD MOMANYI/www.capitalfm.co.ke/Jul 26

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 26 – Six people died on Sunday night and more than 10 others were blinded after they consumed illicit brew suspected to have been laced with methanol in Nairobi’s Kibera slum, police said.

Four of them died at the Soweto area soon after consuming the local brew while two others died in hospital.

Police said they were yet to establish the exact number of victims admitted to hospital.

“Four people died at the Soweto area of Kibera and others are still admitted to hospital, they had consumed illicit brew we suspect was laced with methanol,” Nairobi PPO Anthony Kibuchi said.

He said he had not been informed of the deaths of the two other people but a senior police officer in the area said: “ Four died in the slum after drinking the brew but two others died on the way to hospital, we have a total of six people.”

Mr Kibuchi said a woman suspected to have been part of a group that brew the alcohol was being held for questioning.

“She is in custody, detectives are still interrogating her. We have also seized some of the samples of the brew which will be submitted to the Government Chemist for further analysis,” Mr Kibuchi said.

Nearly a dozen others are feared to have lost sight as a result of drinking the local brew dubbed ‘steam engine’ which is common in many slums in Nairobi and villages upcountry.

There was tension in the slum early Monday after locals threatened to lynch brewers of the illicit alcohol which has claimed the lives of hundreds of people in the country.

Three months ago, 12 people died after consuming illicit brew in Nairobi’s Shauri Moyo estate where more than 20 other people were blinded.

And in June 2005, 49 people died in Machakos after they consumed illicit home-made brew suspected to have been laced with a poisonous substance.

Dozens others were reported to have lost sight at the time.

ANGOLA :

Angola becomes China’s largest oil import source in H1
Monday, July 26, 2010 /(Source: iStockAnalyst )/Xinhua News Agency

BEIJING, Jul. 26, 2010 (Xinhua News Agency) — Angola has become the largest source of China’s crude oil imports in the first half of 2010 as the country imported some 21.7 million metric tons of crude oil from the leading oil exporter of Africa during the period, up 75.86 percent year on year.

According to the latest statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, the crude oil imports from Angola stood at 3.74 million metric tons in June 2010, up about 24.3 percent over a year earlier.

Angola’s crude oil exports to China reached 12.24 million metric tons in the first half of 2009, while the figure for the first half of 2008 was 16.76 million metric tons.

China’s crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia reached 20.26 million metric tons in the first half, up 12.49 percent year on year, positioning the second largest oil import source of China.

The NBS statistics also show that the country’s total crude oil reached 118 million metric tons in the first half of 2010. (Edited by Qiu Jun, Qiujun@xinhua.org)

Angola: President Dos Santos Discuss Bilateral Relations With Algerian Counterpart
26 July 2010/Angolapress

Kampala — Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos discussed Sunday in Kampala (Uganda) with his algerian counterpart, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the relations between the two countries in various domains.

In a short statement to algerian journalists, the angolan head of state said that the two statesman also discussed the agenda of the 15th summit of the African Union during their 40 min. encounter, as well as other international subjects, such as environment issues, namely the Copenhagen conference.

The meeting was held in the sidelines of the african summit opened today under the motto maternal and child health and Africa development.

Saturday president Dos Santos met his guinea-Bissau counterpart. Malam Bacai Sanha.

Apex-Brasil wants to open business centre in Luanda, Angola
[ 2010-07-26 ] /(macauhub)

Luanda, Angola, 26 July – Brazilian export and investment promotion agency, APEX-Brasil, this year plans to open a business centre in Luanda, the director for management and planning of the institution, Ricardo Schaefaer, said Sunday in the Angolan capital.

Speaking to Angolan news agency Angop, Schaefaer said that the centre would be a point of support both for Brazilian companies and Angolan firms interested in investing and setting up in one of the two countries.

Opening the centre, he said, would bring benefits to Angolan investors who would be able to access commercial and investment information, as well as receive advice about Brazil.

Schaefaer said that the business centre would also assist and provide consulting services to Brazilian companies that planned to set themselves up in Angola.

He also noted that the space to set up the centre had already been leased and that the legal requirements of the National Agency for Private Investment (ANIP) had been concluded, and thus the centre would likely start operating this year.

According to the Angolahub news agency between 2000 and 2008, Angola went from being the 52nd biggest destination of Brazilian exports to becoming the 23rd most important market, with Brazil as Angola’s fourth-biggest supplier.

Between 2005 and 2009, trade between the two countries rose from US$520 million to US$1,5 billion, and by the end of this year is expected to reach US$2 billion. 

Angola: Luanda Refinery to Process 100,000 Barrels of Oil By-Products
26 July 2010/AngolaPress

Luanda — Luanda Refinery might produce 100,000 barrels of crude oil by-products per day, in forthcoming days, said Friday in Luanda, the director of Press Office of the Angolan Oil Firm “Sonangol”.

João Rosa Santos told the reporters at Luanda’s International Fair (FILDA) the said increase of output is based on modernisation and expanding process of Luanda refinery.

“Our company will adopt the Luanda Refinery with a processing capacity of nearly 100,000 barrels/day”, explained the interlocutor, adding that the modernisation process will also improve the distribution and trade network of by-products countrywide.

The 27th edition of FILDA closes Sunday.

SOUTH AFRICA:

Anglo Platinum, Kumba Iron Ore and Nedbank: South African Stocks Preview
By Nasreen Seria /www.bloomberg.com/Jul 26, 2010 

The following is a list of companies whose shares may have unusual price changes in South Africa. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names and prices are from the last close. 

South Africa’s FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index rose 150.14, or 0.5 percent, to 28,424.17 in Johannesburg, bringing the gain last week to 3.3 percent. 

Anglo Platinum Ltd. (AMS SJ): The world’s largest producer of the metal is scheduled to publish first-half earnings. The company said on July 13 that first-half profit rose as much as 15 percent from a year earlier as platinum prices climbed. Anglo Platinum rose 1 rand, or 0.1 percent, to 735 rand. 

Kumba Iron Ore Ltd. (KIO SJ): South Africa’s government may review the award of prospecting rights for the Sishen iron-ore mine to Imperial Crown Trading, the Sunday Independent reported, citing unidentified people with knowledge of the matter. Kumba, which owns the remaining rights to Sishen, has disputed the Mineral Resources Ministry’s award of 21.4 percent of the rights to Imperial. Shares in Kumba declined 7 rand, or 1.9 percent, to 368 rand. 

Nedbank Group Ltd. (NED SJ): HSBC Holdings Plc and Standard Chartered Plc are in talks to buy Old Mutual’s 52 percent stake in Nedbank, the Financial Times reported in Mark Kleinman’s “In the Loop” column. Nedbank shares rose 92 cents, or 0.7 percent, to 137.26 rand. 

The following shares begin trading without the rights to their latest dividends: 

Avusa Ltd. (AVU SJ), Cullinan Holdings Ltd. (CULP SJ), Investec Ltd. (INL SJ), MiX Telematics Ltd. (MIX SJ), MoneyWeb Holdings Ltd. (MNY SJ), Protech Khuthele Holdings Ltd. (PKH SJ), Reunert Ltd. (RLZP SJ). 

Shares or American depositary receipts of the following South African companies closed as follows: 

Anglo American Plc (AAUKY US) climbed 4.3 percent to $19.57. AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (AU US) declined 0.2 percent to $39.95. BHP Billiton Plc (BBL US) rose 1.3 percent to $60.70. DRDGold Ltd. (DROOY US) was unchanged at $4.21. Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI US) increased 0.2 percent to $13.11. Harmony Gold Mining Co. (HMY US) rose 0.4 percent to $10.02. Impala Platinum Holdings (IMPUY US) jumped 2 percent to $27.14. Sappi Ltd. (SPP US) climbed 1.6 percent to $4.54. Sasol Ltd. (SSL US) increased 0.3 percent to $39.47. 

Gel for women shows promise in preventing AIDS
By Faye Flam //www.philly.com/Inquirer Staff Writer/Mon, Jul. 26, 2010 

Nearly three decades into the AIDS epidemic, scientists may have finally come up with the first product to block HIV infection since the condom. 

It is in the form of a gel developed for women. The gel incorporates the antiretroviral drug tenofovir, which is already used as part of the “cocktail” given to AIDS patients. 

It likely will first be made available in South Africa, where women often are unable to insist that their partners remain faithful or use condoms, said Quarraisha Abdool Karim, a researcher at Columbia University and the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, the group that conducted the study. 

But demand is likely to extend around the world, said Drexel University AIDS researcher Seth Welles. Wherever they live, he said, “people don’t like latex.” And that means they engage in lots of unprotected sex. 

Larger studies are testing the drug both in gel form and as a pill taken before sex. And researchers are beginning to examine whether it could prevent transmission of the virus between men. 

While preliminary, the results so far were promising enough to generate a round of cheers when presented at an international AIDS meeting in Vienna last week. 

The findings came from a trial that enrolled 889 women, half of whom got the drug and half a placebo. They were instructed to apply the vaginal gel up to 12 hours before having sex and again soon afterward. 

The gel’s effectiveness wasn’t perfect, but the women in the trial didn’t use it every time. After 21/2 years, 38 women in the drug group became HIV-positive compared with 60 in the control group. That amounts to a 39 percent reduction in infection for those who got the drug. The reduction was 54 percent among those who reported using it at least 80 percent of the times they had sex. 

The microbicide gel also had a significant protective effect against transmission of genital herpes. 

Scientists have long struggled to create a product that women could use without the consent or even the knowledge of their partners. In South Africa and many other countries, “women can end up in a violent situation if they ask men to use a condom,” said Drexel’s Welles. “This changes the whole dialogue about women being able to protect themselves.” 

Further testing may dramatically improve the gel’s effectiveness as the proper dosage and timing become clearer, said Harvard immunologist Judy Lieberman. “There’s a lot of room for improvement.” 

And the encouraging results for the tenofovir gel may also open the door to other protective measures, said Lieberman, who, like Welles, was not involved with the study. 

Tenofovir, which is also known as Viread when given as part of an antiretroviral drug cocktail, works by disabling a protein that the HIV virus needs to replicate itself. Lieberman has formulated a protective gel using a different strategy, called RNA interference – essentially attacking the genetic material of the virus. 

Though she’s gotten promising results in the lab against both HIV and herpes, she said that when she tried to move forward with clinical trials, the costly next step, she heard nothing but skepticism from venture capitalists, biotech companies, and big pharma. They thought it was too unlikely to work, she said, and had grown skittish after the numerous failures of seemingly promising HIV vaccines. 

That may finally begin to change.

Zuma to facilitate Zim round table talk sessions
www.zimtelegraph.com/By GETRUDE GUMEDE/July 26, 2010

South African President Jacob Zuma is expected to return to Zimbabwe some time soon to make a final push to resolve the outstanding political issues bedeviling the Harare inclusive government.

Zuma is also expected to return to Harare to finalise the remaining issues which are part of the global political agreement which led to the formation of the coalition government, ahead of a crucial Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Windhoek, Namibia, next month.

SADC will be meeting to discuss issues affecting the region. Critical issues which have been on the agenda for a while include the Lesotho, Madagascar and Zimbabwe situations.

Since regional leaders met in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), last year, the SADC troika of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security (OPDS) has been tackling issues.

The troika is currently chaired by Mozambique’s president, Armando Guebuza, and includes Swaziland’s King Mswati and Zambia’s president, Rupiah Banda.

The SADC troika also met in Maseru in February to deal with the Lesotho situation. It has held several meetings on Madagascar.

In Maputo, the troika managed to prevent the crumbling of the Harare coalition government, but tasked Zuma to intensify his efforts to break the political stalemate in Zimbabwe.

However, Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, have remained deadlocked on the talks. With the help of the troika, Zuma has been relentlessly pushing parties in Zimbabwe to reach a deal, and now he seems within close range of a final agreement.

Under Zuma’s facilitation, Zimbabwean parties resumed talks in December last year but reached an impasse in April, when the talks ended at the level of party negotiators.

AFRICA / AU :

Al-Qaida in North Africa Says French Hostage Killed
VOA News/26 July 2010

The head of al-Qaida’s branch in North Africa says his group has killed a French hostage in response to a raid by France and Mauritania against the militant group.

In an audio message broadcast Sunday on the Arabic network Al-Jazeera, a man identified as the leader of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb said Michel Germaneau was killed in retaliation for the death of six al-Qaida members during the raid conducted last week in Mali by Mauritanian troops backed by French special forces.

The al-Qaida leader said French President Nicolas Sarkozy was unable to free Germaneau through a “failed” military operation.

French officials refused to confirm the audio message.

Germaneau, a 78-year-old engineer, was kidnapped with his Algerian driver near Niger’s border with Algeria and Mali in April. The driver was later released.

A French official said French forces found no trace of Germaneau during last week’s military operation. 

Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb had given France until Monday to arrange a prisoner exchange for Germaneau’s release. The group threatened to kill him if Paris did not meet the deadline.

The terrorist group operates across a vast desert region that includes Algeria, Mali, Niger, and Mauritania. 

Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb killed British captive Edwin Dyer last year after Britain refused to yield to its demands. It is now holding two Spanish aid workers kidnapped last year. 

Terrorism fight gets priority
By Angelo Izama/www.monitor.co.ug/ Monday, July 26 2010 

Kampala

Africa and its friends rolled out a host of local and global issues at yesterday’s summit of its leaders, presenting a picture of quiet but steady progress on the continent often used as a reference of where the rest of the world has been and should not return. 

Stunted infrastructure, preventable diseases, feeble economies in a world of common challenges like the global financial slow down, climate change and terrorism were variously mentioned by its leaders and invited guests.

African diversity
Indeed the guest list – reflected the international nature of the summit and Africa’s own diversity. Speeches came from representatives of the 

League of Arab Nations, American President Barack Obama, a message from the Palestinian Authority and Mexico- the host of the next global meeting on climate change.

President Museveni provided a matrix of what he said was Africa’s dilemma- small economies, limited tax bases and treasuries to address issues like maternal and infant mortality. “How can we talk of [maternal and infant mortality] without talking of development in general,” he asked. 

He said unless Africa focused on unbundling “strategic bottlenecks” to development including its energy and transport infrastructure- it would not move “from the Third World to the First”. Sprinkling his speech with proverbs and personal experiences, Mr Museveni then launched into security- the issue that has climbed on top of the summit theme on the health of mothers and children.

He said the perpetrators of the July 11 attacks in Kampala had largely been apprehended and that interrogations of suspects had yielded good information. On Somalia, he said, the attacks on Amisom- the peacekeeping mission there was an attack on the flag and authority of the AU.

Top off the tongues of many speakers were the twin issues of terrorism and football- that climaxed tragically on the last day of the World Cup- which also claimed the lives of some 76 Ugandans- thus setting the tone for the 15th Ordinary Session of the African Union.

“Who are these people [terrorists]? Whose interest do they represent? Where do their loyalties lie? Whose interests do they serve?” asked President Museveni about the terrorist threat in Somalia. “They can and should be defeated.” Mr Museveni said terrorists should be “swept out of Africa to Asia and the Middle East” describing their activity as “colonialism through terrorism”.

Buy-out group’s $613m fund for Africa
By Martin Arnold in London /www.ft.com/July 26 2010

Investors’ growing interest in African private equity will be underlined on Monday when US-based Emerging Capital Partners announces that it has raised $613m for a fund targeting deals from the Maghreb to the Cape of Good Hope.

The fund confirms Washington-based ECP, which has six offices in Africa, as the continent’s biggest private equity investor with $1.8bn of capital raised.

“The fundraising market is difficult, but fundamentally emerging markets is one space where there is still interest from investors and Africa was less affected by the financial crisis than most places,” said Hurley Doddy, co-founder and chief executive of ECP.

Founded in 2000, ECP has invested in some of the continent’s most celebrated private equity successes, including the Starcomms and Celtel telecommunication operators.

Its new fund has already invested in four deals, including Thunnus Overseas Group, a tuna processing group based in the Ivory Coast and Madagascar; Financial Bank, a Togo-based lender; and NSIA, a West African life assurance and banking group.

Its latest deal, in September 2009, was to invest in Wananchi, which operates the Zuku cable television and broadband internet service in Kenya. 

Mr Doddy said there was a big opportunity to “capture the growth of Africa’s middle classes.” 

The number of African households earning $5,000 or more is forecast to grow from 59m in 2000 to 106m in 2014, according to McKinsey.

Fears of a prolonged slowdown in the US and Europe and the impact of the credit crisis on “mega buy-outs” in the west, have prompted some investors to look for opportunities in more exotic locations.

More than a third of institutional investors in private equity is putting money into Africa, against 4 per cent four years ago, according to the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association. Investors in ECP’s new fund include the World Bank’s International Financial Corporation, CDC in the UK and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation in the US. But Mr Doddy said the fund had more backing from African institutions.

Matthew Hunt, head of South Suez, an African fund-of-funds that has invested in ECP for the first time, said: “Africa is mis-priced because it is misunderstood, so it has cheaper growth than other emerging markets due to a big gap between perception and reality.”

African Union: A quest for unity
By Al Jazeera/www.tehrantimes.com/July 26, 2010 

The African Union (AU), an organization of 53 African states, was founded in 2002 as a successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and has its headquarters in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. 

While one of the main objectives of the OAU had been to rid the continent of the “remaining vestiges of colonization and apartheid”, the new AU dropped that clause, shifting towards the more commercial goal of accelerating “the political and socio-economic integration of the continent”. 

Among its other objectives, the AU also seeks to promote security, democracy, human rights, sustainable development and the eradication of preventable diseases. 

The AU features a Court of Justice and a separate Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights, which was established in 2004 and held its first meeting in 2006. There are plans to establish a central bank, monetary fund and investment bank. 

In 2004, the union set up the Pan-African Parliament to debate continent-wide issues and advise AU heads of state. That year, the AU also established a peace and security council that can authorize the deployment of military forces in situations which include crimes against humanity and genocide. 

The council can also sanction peacekeeping missions and plans to have a rapid-reaction force in place by 2010. AU peacekeepers have been deployed in Burundi and Somalia, and ceasefire monitors have been sent to Darfur in western Sudan. 

Morocco, which does not recognize the Western Sahara, is the only African country that has not joined the union. The Western Sahara belongs to the union and is known as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. 

Several members like Madagascar, Niger and Mauritania have been suspended from the African Union after undergoing military coups, while Eritrea recalled its ambassadors from the union after the AU supported United Nations’ sanctions against it for allegedly supporting armed groups in Somalia. 

Government 

The governing structure of the AU consists of an assembly, executive council and commission. 

The assembly, the organization’s main decision-making body, is made up of the heads of state of constituent countries and meets at least once a year. Members of the assembly elect a chair who holds office for one year. 

The executive council consists of the foreign ministers of member states, who offer advice to the assembly members. 

The commission is the AU’s administrative branch and comprises 10 commissioners, who hold individual portfolios. Commissioners elect a chair to serve a four-year term. 

The commission puts AU policies into action and co-ordinates the organization’s activities and meetings. 

The Pan-African Parliament has only consultative and advisory powers. 

The chairman of the AU assembly in 2010 is Bingu Wa Mutharika, the president of Malawi, while the chairman of the union’s commission is Jean Ping, the former foreign minister of Gabon. 

Financial burden 

Some of the biggest issues currently facing the AU are the ongoing conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, instability in Somalia and the fight against Aids. 

Violence in Darfur is estimated to have killed 200,000 people and forced 2.5 million refugees to flee their homes during the four-year conflict. The AU currently deploys 7,000 peacekeepers in the region. 

The deployment is estimated to cost $40m a month and is a significant financial burden for the union. In June 2006, the United States Congress appropriated $173m for the AU force. 

The union deployed its African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in 2007 to intervene in that country’s civil war. 

More than 6,000 troops from Uganda and Burundi comprise the AMISOM forces, but other countries such as Guinea, Angola and Mozambique have reportedly pledged reinforcements following July 11 twin bombing in Kampala, Uganda, that left 74 dead. The attacks were claimed by Somalia’s al-Shabab group, which is fighting to topple the government in Mogadishu and impose its interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. 

Spread of Aids 

Aids has spread rapidly in the continent and is a major source of concern for the AU. 

Sub-Saharan Africa is the worst affected area in the world, with the virus claiming millions of lives. 

The epidemic has affected over 25 percent of the population of southern Africa, (including South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe). 

Since South Africa accounts for 30 percent of the AU’s economy, the high growth of the virus in the country has had a significant detrimental affect on the continent’s internal and external trade. 

Photo: African head of states and delegates pose for a photo opportunity after the opening of the African Union Summit at the Commonwealth Resort in Munyonyo, near Uganda’s capital Kampala on July 25, 2010.

Emerging Capital Partners Closes Africa Fund III at $613 Million
SOURCE Emerging Capital Partners/www.prnewswire.com/26/07/2010

Largest growth equity fund focused on investing in Pan-Africa
WASHINGTON, July 25 /PRNewswire/ — Emerging Capital Partners (ECP), an international private equity firm focused on investing across the African continent, announced today the final close of its ECP Africa Fund III PCC (Africa Fund III) with total commitments of over $613 million. Africa Fund III, one of the largest funds ever raised for investment across the African continent, marks the seventh fund managed by ECP, bringing the firm’s total capital raised to more than $1.8 billion, with more than $1 billion invested to date. 

Consistent with ECP’s investment strategy, Africa Fund III will seek controlling stakes or influential minority positions in high growth companies through equity and quasi-equity investments including convertible debt instruments. The fund targets leading companies focused on under-penetrated markets where factors such as industry consolidation, positive macroeconomic trends, liberalization and improved regulations offer opportunities for above-market returns. Investing across various sectors, including telecommunications, natural resources, financial services, agriculture, transportation and utility businesses, ECP will focus on companies pursuing regional strategies. 

“The positive response we’ve received from investors for Africa Fund III demonstrates the growing appreciation of the tremendous investment opportunity that exists across the African continent,” said Hurley Doddy, co-chief executive officer of ECP. “With more than a decade of African private equity experience, our team has the optimal combination of local market knowledge, operational prowess and financial expertise to provide investors with diversification and competitive returns by sourcing attractive investment opportunities and expanding our portfolio companies’ business into regional and global markets.” 

Africa Fund III received strong support from the global investment community, anchored by over $450 million from return investors, including the African Development Bank, the International Financial Corporation (IFC), the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and CDC, the United Kingdom government development finance institution. The remainder came from new investors such as pan-African fund-of-funds manager, South Suez. 

“With its long track record of successful investing in Africa and established presence via six regional offices, ECP is a first choice for us when looking at investing on the continent,” said Matthew Hunt, Director of South Suez. 

The Africa opportunity continues with economic growth widely spread across the continent, opening up investment opportunities across sectors and in countries beyond the traditional commercial hubs. The appearance of new technologies such as mobile telephony and the emergence of a middle class have shown that Africa is not simply a “resource play,” as many foreign investors once considered it. 

Continental growth is also less likely to stumble as a result of ongoing uncertainty in global credit markets as most African governments, companies and individuals eschewed excessive borrowing. Thanks to debt forgiveness plans, external debt as a percent of economic output in Africa has plunged, improving credit worthiness of the continent.

“Investors can see development models that were successful in India, Brazil and Mexico and project that growth onto Africa,” said Vincent Le Guennou, co-chief executive officer of ECP. “Many see Africa as the next place that’s going to boom as local companies adopt efficient management practices, financial discipline and governance standards.”

Leveraging its African private equity expertise, ECP has begun deploying capital from Africa Fund III, making four investments totaling over $180 million: Financial Bank, which provides banking services in six countries in Central and West Africa; Wananchi Group, the Zuku-branded pay television and high-speed internet provider in East Africa; Groupe NSIA, the West and Central Africa insurer; and the Madagascar and Cote d’Ivoire based Thunnus Overseas Group which provides 25% of the canned tuna in the French market.

ABOUT ECP

Emerging Capital Partners (ECP) is the first private equity firm to raise over $1.8 billion to invest in companies across Africa. The ECP team has a 10-year track record of investing in Africa through seven successful funds, with investments in more than 50 companies across 40 African countries. The firm’s investment strategy is based on delivering consistently above-market returns by focusing on economies uncorrelated to the U.S. and other developed nations. The ECP team operates from offices in Washington, D.C., Abidjan, Casablanca, Douala, Johannesburg, Lagos, Paris and Tunis. 

African Union drops resolution barring arrest of Sudanese president in continent
Monday 26 July 2010/www.sudantribune.com

July 25, 2010 (WASHINGTON) — The African Union (AU) delegates at the summit in Uganda agreed to remove language from the draft resolution that instructs its members not to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in apprehending the Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.

The original draft text circulated on Saturday included the non-cooperation clause and criticism of the ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo.

“[The AU] reiterates its decision that AU member states shall not cooperate with the ICC in the arrest and surrender of President Bashir,” the original draft said.

“[The AU] expresses concern over the conduct of the ICC prosecutor who has been making unacceptable statements on the case of President Bashir, of the Sudan and on other situations in Africa,”.

However, the redrafted text obtained by Sudan Tribune removed both clauses following fierce debates between two opposing blocs led by South Africa on one side and Libya on the other.

The new resolution reiterates calls for freezing the arrest warrant by the UN Security Council (UNSC) which has previously went unanswered and urges members to work on amending provisions in the Rome Statute which is the ICC’s bible.

It further defers consideration of the request by ICC to open a Liaison Office to the AU in Addis Ababa.

“Those two parts caused a big fight between the delegates,” an African diplomat, who was at the meeting, told Reuters. “Bashir is dividing us.”

“South Africa, Ghana and Botswana led the argument that the clauses should be removed,” a Western diplomat, who had seen the altered draft, told Reuters.

South Africa and Botswana have both been one of the few nations to dismiss the non-cooperation decision last year at the summit held in Libya and warned that they will arrest Bashir should he sets foot on their territories.

However, The Ghanaian President John Atta Mills at the time expressed support to the resolution saying he will not arrest Bashir should he visits Accra.

“Libya, Eritrea, Egypt and some other countries who have not signed up to the ICC fought strongly against that but they lost out in the end.” the Western diplomat added.

The latest text will likely anger the Sudanese government which has recently received a boost after Bashir managed to visit Chad unharmed despite the country being an ICC member with an obligation to arrest him. Chad defended its decision not to arrest Bashir recalling the AU decision last year not to arrest him.

Sudanese officials in Kampala, backed by the AU secretariat, have been lobbying the other nations to take a stance against the ICC on the grounds that it is a European driven court, focusing on the continent only and turning a blind eye to atrocities elsewhere.

Sudan is semi-boycotting the summit by sending its ambassador to the AU to represent it over tension with the host country, Uganda.

African figures slammed at the summit slammed the ICC and its prosecutor saying the warrant against the Sudanese president undermine peace efforts and also said the tribunal is unfairly targeting Africans.

“To subject a sovereign head of state to a warrant of arrest is undermining African solidarity and African peace and security that we fought for for so many years,” Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika, current head of the pan-African organization.

Mutharika told African leaders at the opening session of AU summit in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, to look for ways of resolving the conflict in Sudan without the need to arrest Bashir.

On Saturday, the Commission of the African Union (AU) Jean Ping, a long-time fierce critic of the court, slammed the ICC and said that its prosecutor “does not care” if his actions jeopardize peace in Sudan and reiterated assertions that the Hague tribunal is “bullying” Africa.

The ICC is currently handling 5 cases consisting of Uganda, Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Darfur and Kenya.

With the exception of Darfur all other cases have been referred voluntarily by their respective governments to the ICC for investigation. The Kenyan case was initiated by the ICC prosecutor after the government there gave the ICC a green light to do so yet declining to refer it for political reasons.

The UNSC issued resolution 1593 under chapter VII in March 2005 referring the situation in Darfur to the ICC. At the time Tanzania and Benin voted in support of the resolution while Algeria abstained.

The African continent makes up the majority of the ICC members with 30 countries ratifying the Rome Statute.

Below is the revised text concerning the ICC

DRAFT DECISION ON THE PROGRESS REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DECISION ASSEMBLY/AU/DEC.270 (XIV) ON THE SECOND MINISTERIAL MEETING ON THE ROME STATUTE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (ICC) Doc. EX.CL/607 (XVII)

The Executive Council,

1. TAKES NOTE of the Progress Report of the Commission on the Implementation of Decision Assembly/Au/Dec.270(xiv) on the Second Ministerial Meeting on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and all comments and observations made by member States and ENDORSES the recommendations contained therein;

2. RECALLS the African Union (AU) position expressed through the Assembly Decision Assembly/AU Dec.270(XIV);

3. REGRETS that the AU request to the UN Security Council to defer the proceedings initiated against President Bashir of the Republic of the Sudan in accordance with Article 16 of the Rome Statute of ICC, has not been acted upon and REITERATES its request in this regard;

4. URGES all Member States to speak with one voice to ensure that the proposed amendment to Article 16 of the Rome Statute be taken into account by the UN relevant organs;

5. REQUESTS Member States that are states parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC to ensure that they adhere and honour their obligations to the AU under Article 23(2) of the Constitutive Act;

6. DECIDES to defer consideration of the request by ICC to open a Liaison Office to the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;

7. REQUESTS that the UN takes into account the decisions of the AU in this regard.

(ST)

UN /ONU :

USA :

AIDS breakthrough: Gel helps prevent infection
The Associated Press/Monday, July 26, 2010

For the first time, a vaginal gel has proved capable of blocking the AIDS virus: It cut in half a woman’s chances of getting HIV from an infected partner in a study in South Africa. Scientists called it a breakthrough in the long quest for a tool to help women whose partners won’t use condoms.

The results need to be confirmed in another study, and that level of protection is probably not enough to win approval of the microbicide gel in countries like the United States, researchers say. But they are optimistic it can be improved.

“We are giving hope to women,” who account for most new HIV infections, said Michel Sidibe in a statement. He is executive director of the World Health Organization’s UNAIDS program. A gel could “help us break the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic,” he said.

And Dr. Anthony Fauci of the U.S. National Institutes of Health said, “It’s the first time we’ve ever seen any microbicide give a positive result” that scientists agree is true evidence of protection.

The gel, spiked with the AIDS drug tenofovir, cut the risk of HIV infection by 50 percent after one year of use and 39 percent after 2 1/2 years, compared to a gel that contained no medicine.

To be licensed in the U.S., a gel or cream to prevent HIV infection may need to be at least 80 percent effective, Fauci said. That might be achieved by adding more tenofovir or getting women to use it more consistently. In the study, women used the gel only 60 percent of the time; those who used it more often had higher rates of protection.

The gel also cut in half the chances of getting HSV-2, the virus that causes genital herpes. That’s important because other sexually spread diseases raise the risk of catching HIV.

Even partial protection is a huge victory that could be a boon not just in poor countries but for couples anywhere when one partner has HIV and the other does not, said Dr. Salim Abdool Karim, the South African researcher who led the study. In the U.S., nearly a third of new infections each year are among heterosexuals, he noted.

Countries may come to different decisions about whether a gel that offers this amount of protection should be licensed. In South Africa, where one in three girls is infected with HIV by age 20, this gel could prevent 1.3 million infections and 826,000 deaths over the next two decades, he calculated.

He will present results of the study Tuesday at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna. The research was published online Monday by the journal Science.

“We now have a product that potentially can alter the epidemic trends … and save millions of lives,” said Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim, the lead researcher’s wife and associate director of the South African program that led the testing.

It’s the second big advance in less than a year on the prevention front. Last fall, scientists reported that an experimental vaccine cut the risk of HIV infection by about 30 percent. Research is under way to try to improve it.

If further study shows the gel to be safe and effective, WHO will work to speed access to it, said its director-general, Dr. Margaret Chan.

The gel is in limited supply; it’s not a commercial product, and was made for this and another ongoing study from drug donated by California-based Gilead Sciences Inc., which sells tenofovir in pill form as Viread. If further study proves the gel effective, a full-scale production system would need to be geared up to make it.

The study tested the gel in 889 heterosexual women in and near Durban, South Africa. Researchers had no information on the women’s partners, but the women were heterosexual and, in general, not in a high-risk group, such as prostitutes.

Half of the women were given the microbicide and the others, a dummy gel. Women were told to use it 12 hours before sex and as soon as possible within 12 hours afterward.

At the study’s end, there were 38 HIV infections among the microbicide group versus 60 in the others.

The gel seemed safe _ only mild diarrhea was slightly more common among those using it. Surveys showed that the vast majority of women found it easy to use and said their partners didn’t mind it. And 99 percent of the women said they would use the gel if they knew for sure that it prevented HIV.

This shows that new studies testing the gel’s effectiveness without a placebo group should immediately be launched, said Salim Abdool Karim. The only other study testing the gel now compares it to placebo and will take a couple more years to complete.

The study was sponsored by the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, or CAPRISA; Family Health International; CONRAD, an AIDS research effort based at Eastern Virginia Medical School; and the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID.

Gilead has licensed the rights to produce the gel, royalty-free, to CONRAD and the International Partnership on Microbicides for the 95 poorest countries in the world, said Dr. Howard Jaffe, president of the Gilead Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm.

The biggest cost of the gel is the plastic applicator _ about 32 cents, which hopefully would be lower when mass-produced, researchers said.

Mitchell Warren, head of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, a nonprofit group that works on HIV prevention tools, said the study shows a preventive gel is possible.

“We can now say with great certainty that the concept has been proved. And that in itself is a day for celebration,” he said.

FORD Q2 PROFIT CLIMBS 13%, INDIA SALES TRIPLE IN JUNE QTR
Mon, 26 Jul 2010/www.tradingmarkets.com

NEW YORK, Jul 26, 2010 (AsiaPulse via COMTEX)

Ford Motor Company on Friday posted a 13 per cent rise in second quarter profit to US$2.6 billion on the back of better sales during the period. 

The American entity saw its India sales triple in the three months ended June, 2010. 

The car-maker had registered a profit of US$2.3 billion in the same period a year ago, Ford said in a statement on Friday. 

Revenues of the company climbed to US$31.3 billion in the June quarter compared to US$26.8 billion in the same period a year ago. 

Ford posted a 27 per cent sales increase in the Asia-Pacific and Africa, including a 20 per cent increase in China. 

“Tripled quarterly sales in India, setting a new record, as the new Ford Figo received 25,000 orders in its first 100 days on the market,” it noted. 

Ford also asserted it would expand business, particularly in the growth regions of the world, such as China and India. 

“We delivered a very strong second quarter and first half of 2010 and are ahead of where we thought we would be despite the still-challenging business conditions. 

“Our progress is being led by the strength of our new products and our leaner, global structure,” Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally said. 

Ford noted that it is on track to deliver solid profits this year and continued improvement in 2011. 

“By the end of 2011, Ford expects to move from automotive net debt position to a net cash position,” it added. 

(PTI) cg 

OXY, MASP, & COG: Kansas has proven reserves of 263 million barrels
smart-products.tmcnet.com/2010/07/26

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: OXY) is an international oil and gas exploration and production company, and its OxyChem subsidiary is a major North American chemical manufacturer. OxyChem is the fourth-largest U.S. oil and gas company, based on market capitalization of $66 billion at year-end 2009, with nearly 30,000 employees and contractors on four continents. Oxy engages in oil and natural gas exploration and production in three core regions: the United States, Middle East/North Africa and Latin America. OxyChem are a worldwide leader in applying advanced technology to boost production from mature oil and natural gas fields and access hard-to-reach reserves.

OxyChem have consistently replaced and expanded reserves through improved recovery, strategic acquisitions and focused exploration. OxyChem is a leading North American manufacturer of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins, chlorine and caustic soda ? key building blocks for a variety of indispensable products such as plastics, pharmaceuticals and water treatment chemicals. For every product it makes, OxyChem’s market position is No. 1 or No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 1, 2 or 3 in the world. OxyChem is the largest U.S. merchant marketer of caustic soda and the world’s largest producer of caustic potash and calcium chloride. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company has manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada and Latin America.

Oxy expects to spend a total of $27.5 billion on its capital program between 2010 and 2014, with 55 percent planned for U.S. projects and 45 percent for international. Capital expenditure for 2010 is targeted at $4.5 billion.

___________________________ Mass Petroleum Inc. (OTCBB: MASP) MASS Petroleum, Inc.

is an oil and gas production company backed by an experienced and dedicated management team. MASS Petroleum, Inc. is engaged in the acquisition of producing oil and natural gas wells, interests and leases from existing companies, governments, and through the open market.

MASP is engaged in the acquisition of producing oil and gas projects to build its reserves and ensure sustainable growth by focused exploration and acquisition strategies to create shareholder value.

In addition, MASP is currently in the process of acquiring several leases in the Walnut, Southeast field in Crawford County Kansas.

Kansas has proven reserves of – 263 million barrels (41,810,000 m³) and is Ranked 12th in the U.S.

The target leases consist of six separate leases within the Walnut Southeast field area . The leases are: Engle, Mein, Bammann, Westhoff, Steffens and Bradshaw. Each lease is developed with a number of producing wells and in some cases water injection as well.

In Kansas one of the benefits of water flood and regular cleanout of the well bores due to sand sloughing benefits the oil Wells, causing lower maintenance problems.

MASP has been continuing its efforts to determine key areas of interest through evaluating oil and gas assets with development and drilling upside potential. Mass Petroleum has determined the Kansas areas provide low-risk, multi-well oil and gas investments via direct participation programs through a direct ownership position in the wells or joint venture opportunities.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (NYSE: COG) is a leading independent natural gas producer with its entire resource base located in the continental United States.

COG reported second quarter net income of $21.7 million, or $0.21 per share, as compared to net income of $25.5 million, or $0.25 per share, in the second quarter of 2009. Removing the selected items in both periods, (which are detailed in the Selected Items Table and include the impact-related to the sale of assets, stock compensation and derivatives), the 2010 quarter’s net income was $19.9 million, or $0.19 per share, as compared to $39.1 million, or $0.38 per share, for the second quarter of 2009.

COG cash flow from operations for the 2010 second quarter totaled $127.1 million, while discretionary cash flow was $109.5 million. Comparatively, 2009 second quarter cash flow from operations was $147.9 million, and discretionary cash flow was $133.6 million.

CANADA :

G8 leaders give maternal health $10m
26 July, 2010 /By Vision reporters 

The G8 leaders have committed $10m annually to fund maternal and child health in Africa and other developing nations, the AU chairman, Malawi president Prof. Bingu Wa Mutharika, has said. 

He told the AU summit yesterday that the G8 leaders made the pledge at their summit in Canada. 

The G8 comprises the eight most industrialised nations in the world. They are Canada, Germany, Italy, France, the US, Japan, the UK and Russia. 

The funds will be used to improve the welfare of infants and mothers and also prevent their deaths. 

The theme for the AU summit is “Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Development in Africa”. 

Mutharika suggested that African leaders invest in food security to reverse the high maternal and infant mortality in the continent. 

According to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, about 240,000 mothers die annually in Africa while giving birth. 

President Yoweri Museveni called on Africa to address social-economic transformation to attain maternal and child health. 

“How can we talk about maternal health without talking about development in general? In order to buy drugs, equipment and fund heath care, we need to collect taxes and in order to collect taxes, our economies must develop and our economies cannot grow without applying the right stimuli,” he explained. 

Museveni said Uganda had over 1,600 health centres, noting that the units had reduced maternal mortality from an average of about 600 deaths per 100,000 live births in the 1990s to about 435 deaths per 100,000 live births currently. 

He added that infant mortality had reduced from about 130 deaths per 100,000 live births in the 1990s to about 76 deaths per 100,000 live births currently. 

The deputy UN Secretary General, Asha-Rose Migiro, lauded the AU for choosing the theme for the summit. 

“Investing in women pays. It is one of the best investments we can make for this and future generations,” she said. 

Migiro noted that progress on maternal and child health in Africa had been lagging behind. 

She urged the AU to build on the Maputo Plan for Sexual and Reproductive Health, the CARMMA Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa and the Abuja Call for Accelerated Action Towards Universal Access to HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria services. 

Nigerian leader Jonathan Goodluck, who attended the summit for the first time as president, promised to work with fellow leaders to achieve the ideals of the AU.

AUSTRALIA :

EUROPE :

CHINA :

Chinese miner goes from corporate star to villain
By JOE McDONALD/The Associated Press/ July 26, 2010

BEIJING 
A month ago, Zijin Mining Group was a Chinese corporate star, a profitable gold and copper miner with ambitions to further expand abroad.

Today, Zijin is an environmental villain to China’s public after a July 3 leak of copper mine waste into a river killed fish, fouled drinking water for 60,000 people and flowed into a populous neighboring province. Zijin admits breaking rules and state media are questioning whether local officials ignored misconduct.

The scandal highlights chronic complaints in China that politically favored companies are allowed to ignore safety rules, leading to deadly and damaging oil and chemical leaks, mine fires and other disasters. It has focused scrutiny on a major publicly traded Chinese company with assets in seven countries from Peru to South Africa and that is bidding to expand in Australia and Congo.

Zijin boosted profits by slashing costs but skimped on investment, making such a disaster almost inevitable, said Liu Minda, an analyst for Huatai Securities.

“They didn’t spend money on things they should have,” Liu said. “We are not surprised that they have environmental accidents.”

The disaster in Shanghang, a town on China’s southeast coast in Fujian province, has received extensive coverage by state newspapers, possibly as a warning to other companies and local officials.

“Like other polluters, Zijin has countless ties with the local government,” complained an editorial in the Guangzhou Daily, a major newspaper in Guangdong province, downstream from the mine. “Zijin Mining is like a selfish, gold-hungry crocodile. It takes no responsibility for the local people’s life and health.”

Also this week, an oil spill has coated beaches near the port of Dalian in the northeast after a pipeline owned by state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. blew up July 16. No cause has been announced.

Frequent industrial disasters have prompted a public outcry over the costs of China’s rapid development. Communist leaders promise improvements after each but accidents still are common. Local officials sometimes are reluctant to enforce regulations for fear of losing jobs and tax revenue.

Since Zijin’s waste spill, police have detained the facility’s manager, deputy manager and environmental protection officer. The chief county environmental official resigned. Zijin publicly apologized and admitted a waste pond at its Zijinshan Copper Mine in Shanghang was improperly built and operated.

“The executives of our company and I have been in great remorse,” chairman Chen Jinghe said on Shanghang Television on Monday, according to the China Daily newspaper. “We’re willing to shoulder all responsibilities and will not have any complaints.”

The company promised to pay more attention to the environment but said the accident will have no impact on the speed and scale of its foreign expansion plans.

“This will not affect our company’s overall development,” said a company spokesman, Zou Yongming.

The episode is an abrupt reversal for a corporate high-flier lauded by Forbes magazine last year as a candidate to enter its “Fab 50” list of Asia’s top private companies with the best long-term prospects.

Zijin started out as a company owned by Shanghang’s government. It was turned into a corporation in 2000 and had an initial public offering in Hong Kong in 2003.

Chen, the chairman, is credited with discovering its main asset, the Zijinshan — or Purple Gold Mountain — gold and copper mine as a young engineer in the 1980s. Zijin says the mine has China’s largest usable gold reserves.

Today, Zijin says it is China’s top gold producer, No. 3 in copper and among the top six in zinc. Abroad, it also owns stakes in mining outfits in South Africa and Myanmar.

Credit Suisse says Zijin’s profit should jump 45 percent this year to 5.1 billion ($750 million) as Chinese demand rebounds from the global slump. Huatai’s Liu said it is among China’s five most profitable miners.

Zijin has been so profitable that one of its early investors, Chen Fashu, last year announced China’s biggest charitable gift to date — an 8.3 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) donation to his own foundation. News reports and Internet chatter questioned whether Chen made the donation to avoid taxes.

Zijin’s overseas expansion also has stumbled.

The company last month abandoned a planned $470 million acquisition of Australia’s Indophil Resources Ltd. after local Chinese officials delayed granting approval.

Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo objected to a plan by Zijin and a Chinese government investment fund to buy Platmin Congo, a copper and cobalt miner.

Chinese media have questioned Zijin’s account of when the toxic leak began.

Zijin said heavy rain caused the improperly installed waterproof lining of a waste pond at the mine to tear on July 3. It said 9,100 cubic meters of tainted water — enough to fill four Olympic-size swimming pools — seeped into the ground and then into the nearby Ting River.

A smaller leak occurred July 16 but was quickly plugged, the company said.

But farmers cited by the China Daily said fish raised in pens on the Ting started dying on June 5, almost a month before the rainstorm.

Despite the bad publicity, Zijin’s financial losses should be limited, Credit Suisse said in a report. A copper smelter was temporarily shut down but Credit Suisse said fines should be no more than 50 million yuan ($7.4 million) — about 1 percent of this year’s profits.

The company said prosecutors were investigating but charges have yet to be filed.

Local leaders might have a conflict in overseeing Zijin because many own shares in the company and it hires retired officials, according to the newspaper Economic Information Daily, published by the official Xinhua News Agency.

“The close relationship between the local government and Zijin Mining helps cover the environmental crises,” said an official quoted by the China Daily. “Some law enforcement actions may not be prosecuted fully either.”

INDIA :

BRASIL:

EN BREF, CE 26 juillet 2010… AGNEWS /OMAR, BXL,26/07/2010