{jcomments on}OMAR, BXL, AGNEWS, le 30 juin 2010 — Today, on June 30, 2010, the Democratic Republic of Congo is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its independence from Belgian rule.
BURUNDI :
International observers hail Burundi’s voting exercise
(Xinhua via COMTEX)/Jun 30, 2010
BUJUMBURA, Jun 30, 2010 (Xinhua via COMTEX) — International observers have hailed the voting process during Burundi’s presidential elections on Monday.
This was the overall view of international electoral observer missions from the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) and the Joint Parliamentary Group from the ACP-EU. Their statements were published on Tuesday and were signed by representatives from the ACP-EU, CEEAC and AU.
RWANDA
UGANDA
TANZANIA:
CONGO RDC :
50 fighting years for the DRC
By Editor /www.postzambia.com/Wed 30 June 2010
Today, on June 30, 2010, the Democratic Republic of Congo is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its independence from Belgian rule.
On this day, many thoughts go through our heads. We reflect on the history of this country and its great people. And many names come to mind, especially that of Patrice Lumumba.
In the second half of the 19th century, the territory of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo was one of the areas least explored and known by Europeans. It was inhabited by more than 300 tribes, who spoke many languages and dialects, who had settled on its 2,345,000 square kilometers in the course of 2,000 years of immigration, internal displacements, wars and integration.
The Europeans were well aware that this immense basin of the Congo River had been an endless source of slaves. Several million Congolese were sent across the Atlantic ocean to Brazil and other parts of the new world starting in the 16th century and continuing up to the middle of the 19th century. In addition, Arab slave traders sent millions of slaves from the Congo to other parts of the world.
Naturally, the Congolese didn’t surrender meekly to their captors, but provided resistance with their primitive weapons: lances and arrows. It is estimated that for every slave who reached the end of the journey, at least another died on the way and a third was killed fighting against the slave hunters.
In the era when slavery proved uneconomical and was cast aside by a European bourgeoisie in full development and enrichment, fewer inhabitants were left in this martyred region of central Africa than there had been when the slave trade to the Americas had begun, centuries before.
The western powers began the exploitation and conquest of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1870 and 1890.
At the Berlin conference (1884-85), in which the European colonial powers carved up Africa, the Belgian sovereign managed, with the support of the United States, to get the territory which they had earlier contracted recognised in the minutes as the Congo Free State, the personal property of Leopold II.
Leopold II went down in history as one of the cruellest, most rapacious colonialists ever known. In 1888, he created a Force Publique, commanded by Belgian officers, whose soldiers were Africans whose induction was compulsory and who were turned into the executioners of their brothers. The soldiers of the Force Publique didn’t work in their regions of origin. Thus, their carrying out the draconian orders of their officers exacerbated inter-tribal rivalries.
On November 15, 1908, one year before the death of Leopold II, under his will and by resolution of the Brussels Legislature, the Congo Free State became a colony of Belgium. This was in payment for the king’s debt of 25 million francs to the national treasury.
In 1956, the year when the first Congolese obtained a university degree, while 90 per cent of the population was illiterate, the word “independence” was spoken in public for the first time by a Congolese Joseph Kasavubu – head of the Bakongo tribe and a frustrated student of theology – while addressing a huge crowd. However, Kasavubu was referring to only a part of his country, the Lower Congo, with the illusory project of joining it to the French Congo and to northern Angola and Cabinda. All of this was with the intention of rebuilding the former Kingdom of the Congo.
In June 1957, an amazing event took place: serious disorders broke out in Leopoldville (now Kinshasa) for the first time in over 70 years. It was set off by a Belgian ruling considered anything but impartial in a soccer game between Belgian and Congolese teams. The Force Publique controlled the situation, using its usual ruthless methods.
In 1958, Charles de Gaulle, President of France, travelled to Africa, publicising his country’s plan for granting independence to its colonies, which was done in 1960. He made the announcement in a meeting held in August that was broadcast over Radio Brazzaville, a city within sight of Leopoldville, on the other side of the Congo River. Many families belonging to the Bakongo and Laris tribes lived in both cities. To some extent, the cities were but two halves of a single unit, where French and the African languages were spoken. Obviously, the announcement of French decolonisation had a tremendous impact on the local population of Leopoldville and all of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In December 1958, representing the recently-created Congo National Movement, Lumumba took part in the African Conference of Accra, which had been called by Kwame Nkrumah. The Congo National Movement was influential throughout the country, but its main strength was in the northeastern province and Stanleyville, now Kisangani, its capital. On his return, Lumumba gave a fiery pro-independence speech before a large crowd in Leopoldville.
There was a new and larger outbreak of violence in Leopoldville on January 4, 1959, this time anti-colonial in nature, protesting the banning of a meeting of Kasavubu’s Bakongo Abako party. The violence lasted for three days, in the course of which entire blocks were burnt and turned into ashes. The Force Publique bloodily repressed the uprising, with official figures stating that 42 people were killed and 250 wounded.
In view of that explosive situation, young King Baudouin quickly announced in Brussels that he would “lead the Congolese to independence in prosperity and peace”. The Belgian businesses and settlers, the Force Publique and the most reactionary circles managed to halt the king’s precipitate announcement in Brussels and turn it into a deferred and imprecise plan to be carried out in stages of at least four years.
In a fiery speech responding to this affront, Lumumba announced that, “The divorce between Belgium and the Congo is definitive. The Belgians don’t even want to study our proposals. Therefore, today, I am launching a decisive plan of action for the liberation of the Congo. It is better to die than to put up with a regime of servitude any longer. We must win our independence.”
Uprising broke out again, this time in several parts of the country. The repression was brutal, with thousands of dead and wounded. In the midst of Belgian-Congolese confrontation, bloody clashes broke out between tribes, and secessionist initiatives were proposed.
Kasavubu and Kanza sought the independence and separation of the Lower Congo, most of whose population were of the Bakongo ethnic group. It included Leopoldville. In Katanga, Moise Tshombe, a wealthy merchant, and Godefroid Munongo sought the secession of the great south-eastern mining centre. Jean Bolikango, in the northern region of Equateur, and Albert Kalonji, in Sud Kasai, were other separatist leaders.
Lumumba and his Congo National Movement spoke out for immediate and full independence and the unity of the Congo. From his bastion in Stanleyville, Lumumba led the people’s protests against the colonialist delays. As a result, he was captured and imprisoned.
In January 1960, Belgium was forced to call a meeting of the most prominent Congolese leaders. The representatives of the diverse political currents and regions of the country who participated demanded that Lumumba be freed so that he could take part in the Brussels conclave. And because of his talent, tact and firm adherence to principles, Lumumba had become the guiding force
of the Congolese nationalists.
The date of independence was set for June 30, 1960, preceded by an election in May to elect the members of six provincial assemblies and of the bicameral national parliament , to serve for three-year terms. The members of parliament were to appoint the head of state and prime minister, who would be in charge of forming the government of the Republic of the Congo, according to the provisional constitution decreed by the Belgian parliament. Dozens of political parties took part in the election. The Congo National Movement obtained the most deputies in both chambers and Lumumba set about creating a government representing all the parties, ethnic groups and regions, which would work for the required unity of a country obtaining its independence. It was an immense task, but he achieved it. Lumumba, as the leader of the Congo National Movement, became head of government and minister of national defence. Kasavubu, the leader of the Abako, was head of state.
The first clash with the colonialists, seeking to play a new colonial role, took place during the ceremony proclaiming the country’s independence. King Baudouin gave a speech praising Belgium’s civilising work in the Congo, its generous concession of independence and the ties of friendship that united the two peoples. He eulogised Leopold II, his father’s great-uncle. Lumumba’s response was not diplomatic, but an angry expression of the Congolese people’s feelings. Among other things, Lumumba said: “While it is true that we are now proclaiming our independence in agreement with Belgium – a friendly country with which we are now equals – it is also true that no Congolese worth of the name can forget that independence has been won through daily struggle. It has been an impassioned struggle, in which we have spared no forces, sufferings, sacrifices or blood…who can forget the bullets that have killed so many of our brothers or the cells into which those who didn’t want to submit to a regime of oppression, exploitation and injustice – the tool of colonialist rule – were cast? In short, I ask that the lives and property of our fellow citizens and foreigners residing in our country be respected unconditionally. If the conduct of any of them leaves something to be desired, our justice will result in their expulsion from the territory of the Republic; if their conduct is good, they will be left in peace, because they, too, work for the country’s prosperity.”
Lumumba wound up his reply by saying, “Thus, both inside the country and abroad, the new and independent Congo will, with my government, advance toward wealth, freedom and prosperity.”
If the Belgian colonialists and their NATO allies had harboured any hopes of breaking the will of the leader of full independence for the Congo, Lumumba’s history-making speech put paid to all that.
This position of Lumumba led to an imperialist conspiracy to topple and assassinate him. And since his death, the Congolese people have known no real or meaningful independence. And to this very day, they are still struggling to gain full control of their country and its resources that are being exploited by all sorts of unscrupulous characters.
This is a short historical background to the independence of the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose 50th anniversary we today mark. It has been 50 years of continuous struggle against exploitation, repression, marginalisation, abuse and all sorts of injustices against the Congolese people. To overcome these challenges and problems, the Democratic Republic of Congo requires leaders who see farther and who are selective; self-sacrificing leaders with prestige. These have to be created because they don’t seem to exist now in the required numbers. The sooner self-sacrificing, capable leaders arise, the sooner the many challenges and problems facing the Congolese people will be overcome. We believe that someday the Congo will have reached the final stretch leading to the overcoming of her challenges and problems. And the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo will, one way or another, free themselves from their current challenges and problems.
This is what this 50th anniversary brings to our minds. And on this day, we wish the Congolese people and their leaders all the best. All we can say is aluta continua – the struggle continues!
KENYA :
AU, Kenya Airways partner for peace
30 Jun 2010 /www.bizcommunity.com
ADDIS ABABA: The Commission of the African Union (AU) and Kenya Airways have announced a partnership in aid of the 2010 Year of Peace and Security in Africa. Under the agreement, Kenya Airways will provide communication and financial support to the make peace happen campaign.
On behalf of the AU Commission, peace and security commissioner, Ambassador Ramtane Lamamra, expressed gratitude to Kenya Airways, and optimism that other private companies in Africa would join in with the AU Commission in aiding this cause.
Economic development requires peace
Said Lamamra, “One of the guiding principles of the Year of Peace and Security is inclusivity, and through this programme, the AU is looking for ways to open up spaces for all stakeholders and deepen partnerships with the private sector. The commission acknowledges that businesses can contribute to the promotion of peace in Africa, and aims to enlist their support, bearing in mind that without peace there can be no sustainable economic development.”
Kenya Airways CEO, Dr. Titus Naikuni said that Kenya Airways is a partner in the strategic and sustainable development of Africa and noted that peace and stability is a natural prerequisite for business and the development of the people of Africa.
Commitment from the private sector
The AU Commission is reaching out to the private sector, to support the Year of Peace and Security through various means, including the signing of the Make Peace Happen Industry Charter, as demonstration of businesses’ commitment to contributing to the promotion of peace on the continent.
ANGOLA :
SOUTH AFRICA:
Tight supply to boost platinum prices in 2010
June 30, 2010/www.commodityonline.com/By Terry Wooten f Kitco News www.kitco.com
New York — (Kitco News) — Rising fabrication needs and continued strong investment demand in 2010 will keep platinum supplies tight and should boost prices, the metals consultancy CPM Group said Tuesday.
CPM said in its annual Platinum Metals Group Yearbook for 2010 that given the forecast for strong investment demand during 2010, “there is an expectation “that there will not be sufficient metal coming into market from newly-refined supplies to meet both rising fabrication demand as well as robust investment demand.
“This scenario suggests an extremely tight market, which would push platinum prices higher,” CPM said. “This increase in prices is expected to encourage profit-taking from earlier investors, freeing up metal for new investors.”
CPM said the profit-taking is already being seen in platinum ETFs. Platinum holdings in ETF Securities’ London Stock Exchange (LSE) listed ETF has declined by 46,750 ounces between the end of 2009 and April 15, CPM said. The LSE ETF was the first to be launched for platinum. “In this manner, net additions of newly refined platinum supplies to platinum investor holdings are likely to decline, even as investor demand remains strong,” the report said.
Investors are expected to remain attractive to platinum because of the potential for price appreciation based on the metal’s positive supply and demand fundamentals. CPM said total newly refined platinum supplies in 2009 were 7,043,000 million ounces, minus 2.9 percent less than in 2008. Platinum supply declined during 2009 because of reduced secondary recovery of the metal, CPM said.
“This year total supply is projected to rise 5.5 percent to 7,468,461 ounces,” the report said.
CPM said platinum secondary supply, from scrapped auto catalysts and the jewelry sector, fell 25 percent in 750,000 ounces in 2009, “but is projected to recover 8.0 percent to 810,000 ounces this year.”
Projected higher prices should also boost mine production, which was flat during 2009, CPM said. “Higher prices should result in many of the mines that were shuttered during the recession of 2008-2009 being restarted, said CPM.
“Mine production may rise 5.6 percent on a world-wide basis this year, to 6,658,461 ounces,” CPM said.
The annual report said the positive fundamentals and anticipated higher prices are prompting major South African producers such as Anglo Platinum to boost production expectations for 2010.
South African production totaled 4,845,000 ounces in 2009, only 24,000 ounces higher than in 2008, CPM said, and well below 2005-2007 production levels.
“A strong recovery due to new production capacity coming on stream is projected to boost South African output to 5,112,000 ounces in 2010,” CPM said. Russia is forecast to increase platinum production to 890,000 ounces in 2010, from 831,000 ounces during 2009. Norilsk plans to produced 695,000 ounces of that supply at its Russian operations.
The report noted, however, that many of the constraints on platinum mine supplies are not price-related. “Production outages due to electricity and water shortfalls in South Africa or politically-based factors in major platinum producing regions of the world, or technical difficulties such as floods, subsidence and equipment failures are fairly unpredictable and are ongoing problems which are likely to continue limiting supply in the future, regardless of platinum price levels,” the CPM report said.
CPM said platinum fabricatio0n demand is forecast to rise at a healthy pace during 2010, driven largely by an improvement in global economic activity and restocking of metal by users. “Platinum fabrication demand is forecast to rise 8.4 percent to 7,137,350 ounces in 2010,” CPM said. Fabrication demand in 2009 was 6,584,000 ounces.
CPM said global auto production will have to rise strongly during 2010 to offset the sharp decline during the past two years. “Global vehicle sales are forecast to rise around 12 percent during 2010,” CPM said. “Global auto production, meanwhile, is expected to rise around 12 percent during the same period.”
Europe is the only major auto market that is expected to weaken during 2010, CPM said, holding down global sales to around 66 million vehicles. “Continued strength in the large developing markets and renewed strength in the United States and Japan are expected to help counter-balance weakness in the European market,” the report said.
CPM said platinum jewelry demand is forecast to remain healthy during 2010, “but the rate of growth seen during 2009 is unlikely to be repeated during 2010.”
By Terry Wooten, of Kitco News; twooten@kitco.com
AFRICA / AU :
Somali Islamists say they take over new positions in Mogadishu
June 30, 2010 /english.peopledaily.com.cn/Source: Xinhua
The radical Islamist group of Al Shabaab on Tuesday said it took over control of several key areas in the north of the Somali capital Mogadishu after concerted attack on positions of Somali government forces overnight.
The fierce battles broke out late Monday in the Somali government-controlled northern part of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
Islamist officials took local journalists to the northern parts of the capital to show newly captured government bases but a mortar shell landed at one of the bases where almost four of the reporters, photographers and cameramen present were slightly injured.
The takeover showed that territory controlled by government and African Union (AU) peacekeepers is “shrinking by the day and will be destroyed soon,” Ali Mohamoud Raageh, spokesman for the Al Shabaab movement told reporters at a news conference held in one of the newly seized government bases.
The Somali government has not so far officially commented on the claims by the Al Shabaab commanders but the state-run Radio Mogadishu condemned the Al Shabaab movement for “endangering the lives of Somali journalists by taking them to a battle area.”
The Islamist Al Shabaab movement which controls much of the Somali capital as well as the south and centre of the war-torn east African country, wages almost daily attacks on Somali government and the AU peacekeepers based in the capital, Mogadishu.
The international recognized government of Somalia controls only few blocks in the chaotic coastal city of Mogadishu with the support of the almost 5,000 AU peacekeeping forces.
Somalia has not had a strong, effective central government since the overthrow of the late Somali leader Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and has been through lawlessness and civil conflict since.
UN /ONU :
Xenophobia threats put HRC on alert
30 June 2010/Mfundekelwa Mkhulisi/www.sowetan.co.za
POLICE and the Human Rights Commission are taking action in response to rumours that xenophobic attacks will flare up after the World Cup.
“We have received wind of rumours of xenophobic attacks and we are not taking it lightly,” HRC chairperson Lawrence Mushwana said.
He said there had been a number of meetings with police, community leaders and government departments.
“We are certain that as we have met with police nothing will happen. We are monitoring the situation. We are ready.”
Mushwana was speaking yesterday at the launch of a project to deal with discrimination and xenophobia held in Parktown, Johannesburg.
The HRC also received 100000 (about R756000) from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to be used to educate communities about the dangers of discrimination and xenophobia.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation also expressed concern over rumours about “negative sentiments” toward foreigners .
“We have a common humanity to share and in many ways a common economic and social destiny and our constitution guarantees the rights of all people in South Africa,” chief executive Achmat Dangor said .
The attacks on immigrants and refugees in May and October 2008 resulted in the deaths of more than 60 people and the displacement of 100000.
Last November, similar attacks drove 3000 foreigners from their shacks in Cape Town.
Mushwana said the outbreak of violence then caught the authorities off-guard.
Police also confirmed that threats of attacks on foreigners were doing the rounds.
“There is a lot that has been done to gather information regarding the rumours. We are engaging community leaders ,” Colonel Vishnu Naidoo said.
“There have been no reports of incidents related to xenophobia. But we are not ignoring the rumours,” he said.
The rumours began surfacing before the World Cup began on June 11.
48 killed in Sudan violence
Posted by Ankan Basu in Gulf-Middle East /calcuttatube.com/30062010
Khartoum, June 20 (IANS) At least 48 people have been killed in clashes over the weekend between two rival tribal groups in western Sudan, Xinhua reported.
The fatalities occurred when members of the Misseriya and Rizeigat tribes clashed with each other in the Garsila area of western Darfur, Xinhua reported Saturday.
Rezeigat tribesmen came in nine vehicles and attacked Misseriya villages Friday, Misseriya tribal leaders said. The clashes were reportedly triggered by the killing of two members of Misseriya tribe early this year.
A spokesman for the UN-African Union peacekeeping mission said a team of peacekeepers was dispatched to the area Saturday, but they were denied access to the conflict area.
Darfur has been plagued by violence in recent years.
USA :
CANADA :
Protests at the 2010 G20 Toronto Summit
Jun 30, 2010 /Brandy Robertson /news.suite101.com
Learn the who’s who of the G20 Summit protesters. With upwards of 600 arrests by Toronto police, find out who were among the G20 protest groups.
The 2010 G20 Summit was held on June 25 and 26, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With the meetings over and the world leaders on their way home, the big news coming out of the Summit is the high number of arrests occurring when it comes to G20 protesters. As of the late afternoon on June 29, 2010 most of the activists being held in prison were released. Despite that fact, a number of protesters continue to rally and call for an investigation of the G20 security measures.
Anti-Poverty G20 Protesters
A number of national and international organizations gathered on the streets of Toronto in attempts to hold the G20 members to their commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) which are set to be achieved by 2015. While minimal efforts have been made towards the eight goals stipulated by the United Nations in 2000, they are far from being in a position to be fully achieved. Activist groups in attendance included Make Poverty History, Save the Children, World Vision, Oxfam, the Stephen Lewis Foundation, and others.
Peggy Edwards, a volunteer with the Stephen Lewis Foundation, is one of 7,000 grandmothers across Canada who has joined together in the foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign. She, along with others like her, advocate for the children in Africa, predominantly Sub-Saharan Africa, that are living with the devastation caused by HIV/AIDS. Activists like Peggy, are putting pressure on the governments of the world to provide generic life saving drugs to these children.
Aboriginal Rights and Labour Issues at the G20
A major problem in mostly Canada, but in other areas of the world as well, is the issue of First Nations rights. In an interview with the Canadian Press (2010), Harrison Friesen, a member of Red Power United, explained concerns such as treaty rights and land claims, education and living conditions on reserves, along with child welfare and missing Native women.
The Canadian Labour Congress and other unions from around Ontario and Quebec organized a 30,000 person rally on June 26, 2010 entitled, “People First, We Deserve Better!”. Other specific groups who participated included the Canadian Federation of Students and Greenpeace, among others. Some of the major issues on their agenda included cutting public services and the $1 billion price tag on G20 security.
People’s Summit and G(irls)20 Summit
June 18-20, 2010 was host to the People’s Summit at the University of Toronto. Their goal was to create a space for local and international diversity to come together democratically to discuss education and advocation for global justice. Organizers of this event felt they had more legitimacy in accurately representing the aspirations for the global population than both the G8 and G20.
Organized by the Belinda Stronach Foundation, G(irls)20 Summit was organized from June 15-18, 2010. A group of 21 young influential female media personalities from the G20 nations including a representative from Malawi, Africa, came together to discuss and propose solutions to issues affecting girls and women.
End of the G20 Summit
With the end of the 2010 Summits, the security fences are coming down, shopkeepers are cleaning up store front messes, and promises are being made to the public that answers pertaining to the violence that occurred will be given. Toronto Mayor, David Miller, has said that a request for compensation and damages rendered by store owners will be submitted to the federal government. Toronto Police Chief, Bill Blair announed on June 29, 2010 that among other things, an internal police review will be carried out to investigate law enforcement actions carried out during the summit.
Overall, more than 900 people were arrested during the extent of the summit. The upcoming weeks and months are sure to be full of questions as to the rights of the police and protesters along with whether or not the benefits of publicized meetings like the G20 summit legitimately outway the downfalls.
AUSTRALIA :
Australia to Continue Campaign for UNSC Temporary Seat
2010-06-30/Xinhua/Web Editor: Jiang Aitao
Australia will continue its campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, despite the political demise of its principal backer Kevin Rudd, official announced on Wednesday.
According to Australia Associated Press (AAP), pressing for one of two temporary seats in 2013-14 was central to the former prime minister’s activist, multilateral approach to foreign policy.
“The foreign agenda of his successor, Julia Gillard, is less clear,” AAP said.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith insisted the bid will stay on track as he secured another vote for Australia, Ghana.
“We continue to believe that a seat on the security council is a worthy thing for Australia to pursue,” Smith told reporters during a joint press conference with Ghana’s foreign minister Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni in Canberra.
The campaign for a temporary council seat involves significant diplomatic and economic resources as Australia tries to win the votes of more than 100 countries, with a focus on Africa.
The opposition has vowed to abandon the bid, saying it is costing 40 million dollars (34.1 million U.S. dollars).
The security council has five permanent members and 10 temporary members. Australia, which last held a council seat in 1986, is up against Finland and Luxembourg for the two vacant seats.
Smith on Tuesday said that the fundamentals of Australia’s foreign policy – integrating with the Asia-Pacific, engaging with the United Nations, and the U.S. alliance – would continue under Gillard.
“Any prime minister, of course, brings different emphasis of style and nuances, so there may be changes in the future,” he said of the prime minister.
Gillard became Australian first female prime minister last Thursday when Kevin Rudd stepped down.
EUROPE :
Democracy on Hold: Rights Violations in the April 2010 Sudan Elections
Source: Human Rights Watch (HRW)/www.reliefweb.int/Date: 30 Jun 2010
Summary
Between April 11 and 15, 2010, Sudan held its first multi-party national elections in almost 25 years—a milestone set forth in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended a 22-year civil war between the country’s northern Arab-dominated government and southern non-Arab populations. However, a range of human rights violations marred the historic vote, and now threaten to jeopardize the referendum on self-determination that Southern Sudan is scheduled to hold in January 2011.
Human Rights Watch documented numerous human rights abuses perpetrated by the two main partners in the Government of National Unity (GNU): the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the former southern rebel movement, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). These include arbitrary arrests and intimidating opponents, voters, and election observers before and during the election period, when international and domestic election observers reported numerous electoral irregularities. These reports led the National Elections Commission (NEC) to hold new elections in many constituencies.
Since the election, the situation has worsened. In northern states, the NCP, which dominates the GNU, has cracked down on opponents, activists, and journalists; in southern states, the SPLM and its security forces have fought forces allied to independent candidates; in Darfur, the Sudanese government continues to fight rebel forces and the civilians with whom they are aligned, deploying aerial bombs and ground forces to do so.
Political intolerance, repression, and violence have eroded the legitimacy of the elections across Sudan, and violated the right of the Sudanese people to elect their government in genuinely free and fair elections. They have contributed to a worsening human rights situation throughout the country by emboldening the NCP and SPLM—neither of which have not been forced to account for their actions—in their clampdown against opponents. They have raised the specter of growing instability in states such as Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Unity, and Western Bahr el Ghazal, and they have set a worrying precedent for Southern Sudan’s forthcoming referendum on self-determination.
International observers and diplomatic missions have failed to explicitly and resolutely criticize these documented human rights and electoral abuses, or to call for accountability and reform. The US and EU have been relatively muted in their criticism, expressing concern about voting “irregularities,” circumscribed political freedoms, and elections that fall short of international standards. But they have not condemned the widespread abuses, nor have they pressed for accountability and reforms. Meanwhile, the Arab League (also known as the League of Arab States), African Union (AU), and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)—a seven-country regional organization based in East Africa—have issued statements that failed to mention election-related abuses at all.
The international community, and specifically Sudan’s foreign partners and sponsors to the CPA, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway, must urge Sudanese authorities to end abuses and cease granting impunity to those who commit them. In order to bolster chances for a peaceful referendum in January 2011, and to ensure the democratic transformation that the CPA envisages, they must also intensify pressure on Sudan to improve its human rights record, and condemn human rights violations, intimidation, and violence.
The Government of National Unity and the semi-autonomous southern Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) should both act immediately to restore public confidence in the country’s political process by ending repression of civil and political rights, and other human rights violations. Arbitrary arrests must stop, and opposition members and political and student activists who have been arbitrarily detained must be released. Allegations of abuse including those related to elections must be investigated and prosecuted. Human Rights Watch also urges Sudanese authorities to undertake legal and institutional reforms of the national security, media, and electoral bodies to ensure free and fair elections in the future.
In addition, although Omar al-Bashir has been re-elected as Sudan’s president, he is still wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. The Sudanese government must cooperate with the court, as required by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1593, to bring to justice al-Bashir and two other Sudanese suspects subject to warrants issued by the ICC.1 These are Ahmed Haroun, former state minister for humanitarian affairs and current governor of Southern Kordofan, and the Janjaweed militia leader known as Ali Kosheib (a pseudonym for Ali Mohammed Ali), both of whom also face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur.
East Africa fails to sign EPAs due to disagreements
By Stephen Wandera/www.monitor.co.ug/ Wednesday, June 30 2010
Kampala
The signing of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the East Africa Community and the European Commission has been pushed to November.
Mr Silver Ojakol, the commissioner International Trade at the minsitry of Trade, announced at a meeting organised in Kampala last week by the Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (Seatini). Both the EU and EAC referred the signing to November after failing to agree on article 15 and 16 in Dar el salaam, Tanzania.
The two articles limit EAC member states from instituting taxes on exports.
Export taxes function as an important development tool that can be used for revenue generation. But most importantly it can be used to create incentives to add value to local products rather than exporting them in their raw form; thus an instrument for promoting industrialisation and employment creation.
The agreements that seek the creation of a free trade area between the EU and EAC, have come under heavy criticism from Civil Society Organisations for being non committal on sensitive issues like intellectual property rights and movement of labour among others.
Mr Nathan Irumba, the chief executive officer of Seatini told Daily Monitor on the sidelines of the meeting that the pacts’ call for the 80 per cent liberalisation is untenable since African firms cannot compete with the largely industrialised Europe.
Liberalisation vs growth
He said: “Liberalisation has to follow development and not the other way round adding that all big economies opened their markets after reaching a certain level of development.” Mr Irumba cautioned EAC member states to be concerned by demands of extensive and premature liberalisation policies being pushed by the European Union.
In recent years, president Museveni has repeatedly voiced his aspiration to transform Uganda from a peasant to an industrialised economy, which as he says can only be achieved with improved trade both within and outside the country.
CHINA :
China Mobile seeking acquisitions in Africa
Jun. 30, 2010 /(China Knowledge)
– China Mobile Ltd, the country’s largest telecom operator, is looking for acquisitions in Africa but does not have any target at present, said Chairman Wang Jianzhou on the sidelines of the Fortune Global Forum in Cape Town.
Wang said that the Chinese mobile carrier is willing to take either a minority or majority stake in a local African operator.
Wireless operators in developed markets pay more and more attention to fast-growing Africa due to quickly increasing middle class and relatively low mobile-phone penetration there.
China Mobile’s subscribers increased 4.77 million in May to 549 million. Last month, the company’s 3G users increased 917,000 to a total of 9.32 million, according to an earlier report from China Knowledge.
INDIA :
Ex-Rwanda envoy to India shot in South Africa
Posted by Ankan Basu in Africa /calcuttatube.com/Jun 30, 2010
Johannesburg, June 20 (IANS) A former Rwandan ambassador to India was in serious condition Sunday after being shot and wounded here, a media report said.
A gunman opened fire on the car of Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, also a former chief of Rwandan Army, as he and his wife were returning from shopping in Johannesburg’s Melrose area around noon.
According to Xinhua, Nyamwasa, who fled to South Africa in February after Rwandan authorities accused him of involvement in a bomb attack, rushed him to a hospital.
A fierce critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Nyamwasa was in critical condition. He underwent a surgery for a stomach wound.
His wife Rosette called the attack a murder attempt. She said the attacker continued firing till his gun jammed.
South African security agencies were reportedly probing the case.
Nyamwasa had sought asylum in South Africa. But the Rwandan government had applied for his extradition. Nyamwasa reportedly fled to South Africa after resigning as Rwanda’s ambassador to India.
India Loses to China in Africa-to-Kazakhstan-to-Venezuela Oil
By Rakteem Katakey and John Duce/www.bloomberg.com/Jun 30, 2010
Indian Oil Minister Murli Deora traveled to Nigeria, Angola, Uganda, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela this year, leading a record number of delegations to gain oil for the world’s third-fastest-growing major economy.
The flurry of visits is part of a new drive to find oil for India’s 1.2 billion people after losing out to China in at least $12.5 billion of contracts in the past year. India proposed a sovereign wealth fund to bid for reserves, told state-controlled Oil & Natural Gas Corp. and Oil India Ltd. to make a major acquisition each this year, and raised the amount they can spend without government approval to 50 billion rupees ($1.1 billion).
“There is a new push,” said N.M. Borah, chairman of state-owned exploration company Oil India. “Going abroad is part of the government’s policy — diplomatic support is very, very crucial as we search for assets overseas.”
India’s energy use may more than double by 2030 to the equivalent of 833 million metric tons of oil from 2007, while China’s demand may rise 87 percent to 2.4 billion tons, the Paris-based International Energy Agency said.
India faces an uneven contest to close the gap with China, which is dipping into $2.4 trillion of foreign currency reserves to buy stakes in oil and natural gas fields from Iraq to Uganda, compared with India’s $250 billion in foreign exchange reserves. State-run Chinese companies spent a record $32 billion last year acquiring energy and resources assets overseas versus India’s single $2.1 billion investment by ONGC. China’s June 19 decision to allow the yuan to appreciate will further strengthen the hand of Chinese companies buying overseas.
India’s oil import bill climbed six-fold in the past decade to $85.47 billion for the year ended March, equivalent to about 7 percent of gross domestic product.
‘Political Game’
“India’s search for energy has to become a more intense political game, rather than one based entirely on economics,” said Abheek Barua, an economist at the Mumbai-based HDFC Bank Ltd. “China has virtually already taken over Africa.”
China has promised billions of dollars in aid, investment and loans to Africa, producer of one-eighth of the world’s crude oil, in exchange for energy supplies.
“We buy assets based on commercial decisions even though there is a mandate for securing energy for the country,” R.S. Sharma, chairman and managing director of ONGC said in April. “The Chinese are different with their big cash. We can’t invest just for the sake of it.”
China National Petroleum Corp. beat India by agreeing to pay $4.18 billion in August 2005 for PetroKazakhstan Inc., then China’s biggest overseas oil deal. At that time, oil minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said India’s bid for PetroKazakhstan was thwarted as the “goalposts were changed after the game began.” A month later China National Petroleum again outbid ONGC in buying assets of EnCana Corp. in Ecuador for $1.42 billion.
Stronger Yuan
A stronger yuan would also make purchases cheaper for the Chinese. The People’s Bank of China said on June 19 it may allow the yuan to move higher, abandoning the 6.83 yuan peg to the dollar adopted during the global financial crisis to shield exporters. The yuan climbed 0.4 percent to 6.7976 per dollar in the first trading day after the announcement.
India has had some success. ONGC agreed in 2005 to spend as much as $6 billion on roads, ports, railway lines and power plants in Nigeria in exchange for 600,000 barrels a day of oil for 25 years. In April, Reliance Industries Ltd., operator of the country’s largest gas field, agreed to buy a $1.7 billion stake in natural-gas properties from Atlas Energy Inc. On June 24 it announced a $1.3 billion acquisition of shale gas assets in the U.S. from Pioneer Natural Resources Co.
ONGC, Indian Oil and Oil India were part of a group in March that agreed to develop reserves in Venezuela’s Carabobo blocks during a visit by Deora. In February, the minister persuaded Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, to almost double crude shipments to India, to about 800,000 barrels a day, according to the ministry. State-run Saudi Aramco ships about 1 million barrels a day to China, more than to the U.S., Chief Executive Officer Khalid al-Falih said Jan 28.
More Freedom
India increased the amount ONGC and some other state-run companies can spend to acquire assets and set up joint ventures, allowing them greater freedom to expand and become globally competitive, the government said in December.
“One of the advantages the big Chinese oil companies have is government support — it’s an open secret,” said Gideon Lo, an energy analyst at DBS Vickers Hong Kong Ltd. “The government establishes high-level contacts with oil-producing countries. Once this is done, the oil companies can come in and negotiate.”
PetroChina Co., which vies with Exxon Mobil Corp. as the world’s biggest company by market value, wants half its oil to come from overseas by 2020, Chairman Jiang Jiemin said in March. Less than a tenth comes from abroad now.
“We will take advantage of opportunities in developing oil, gas and energy sources in all areas of the world,” Jiang said in an interview in March.
Lost Out
Cnooc Ltd., the listed arm of China’s biggest offshore oil producer, is in discussions to buy a one-third stake in three blocks in Uganda’s Lake Albert region from Tullow Oil Plc. ONGC had jointly bid with Indian Oil Corp. and Oil India for the stake and lost out to the higher Chinese bid, a person familiar with the negotiations said, declining to be identified because the talks were private.
China has spent at least $21 billion on overseas resources in the past year, including state-controlled China Petrochemical Corp.’s $4.65 billion purchase in April of a stake in an oil- sands project in Canada. ONGC was interested in the asset and didn’t bid, a person familiar with ONGC’s plans said, declining to be identified since the plans were not public.
ONGC plans to borrow $10 billion over the next decade for purchasing assets overseas. In September, China National Petroleum Corp., PetroChina’s state-owned parent, received a $30 billion loan from China Development Bank at a discounted interest rate to buy energy resources, according to a Sept. 9 statement from parent China National Petroleum Corp.
‘Financial Firepower’
“The financial firepower that the Chinese companies have is a factor,” Tom Deegan, Hong Kong-based head of energy and infrastructure at lawyers Simmons & Simmons, said. “They have access to capital and finance through Chinese banks which have the liquidity, which perhaps Indian companies don’t.” Deegan has been advising on M&A deals in Asia for 13 years.
Adding India to the competition may push prices higher for hydrocarbon assets, boosting drilling costs that are already facing an increase in the U.S. after an explosion in April at a BP Plc-leased drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico released oil that polluted about 140 miles (225 kilometers) of coastline.
“Chinese companies always have to pay a slight premium to win oil and gas deals overseas to fend off the competition,” said Gordon Kwan, analyst at Mirae Asset Securities in Hong Kong. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. With talk of the yuan appreciating this will increase China’s pur
chasing power.”
Chinese Premium
China Petrochemical, known as Sinopec Group, agreed to buy a 9 percent stake in Syncrude Canada Ltd. for $4.65 billion, or $650 million more than the high end of an estimate by Macquarie Securities.
“There’s a market consensus that perhaps Sinopec overpaid for its stake in oil sands project in Canada, but this is made on the assumption that oil prices” were around $80 a barrel at the time, DBS Vickers’s Lo said. “The company may be assuming that oil prices will rise to over $100 a barrel and this purchase may turn out to be a bargain.”
Oil in New York has risen 0.3 percent in the past year to $75.62 a barrel. Prices may average $84.50 a barrel in the fourth quarter of this year, according to the median estimate of 30 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Oil has tripled in the past 10 years.
Sinopec bought Addax Petroleum Corp. last year for C$8.3 billion ($7.9 billion), gaining licenses in Nigeria, Gabon and Cameroon. Chinese oil companies also have African assets in Kenya, Niger, Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, Libya, Tunisia, Sudan and Chad.
Replace Reserves
Oil companies aim to at least replace used reserves each year by finding new fields. Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s shares fell 1.3 percent after the company announced last year that its reserve replacement ration dropped to 95 percent from 124 percent a year earlier.
“Chinese and Indian companies are getting into a competitive field and that is driving up asset prices,” Neil Beveridge, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd. in Hong Kong, who rates PetroChina and Cnooc Ltd. “outperform” and ONGC and Reliance “market perform”. “That is why a lot of the companies try and do government-to-government deals. We saw that in the Indian companies getting a deal in Venezuela this year.”
BRASIL:
EN BREF, CE 30 juin 2010… AGNEWS /OMAR, BXL,30/06/2010
