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No country on earth is guiltier of using chemicals as weapons of war than the United States—even against its own people.
The National Cancer Institute disclosed in 1997 that 90 (of 235) U.S. nuclear bomb tests spewed 150 million curies of iodine-131 mainly between 1952 and 1957. The NCI found that all 160 million people in the U.S. at the time were contaminated with the radio-iodine. The study said that between 25,000 and 75,000 thyroid cancers would result in the U.S. and that 10 percent of them would be fatal. The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research cautioned that the upper estimate of “75,000 is more plausible, since the lower estimate assumes that internal radiation doses from iodine-131 are ‘as little as one-fifth as hazardous’ as the same dose of external radiation. This assumption is very dubious, not based on human data, and not protective of public health.”
In Vietnam, from 1962 to 1969, the U.S. sprayed more than 100 million pounds of toxins like Agent Orange over four million acres. Our chemical warfare destroyed over 460,000 acres of crops and today the Vietnamese Red Cross counts 150,000 children whose birth abnormalities were caused by their parents’ exposure to Agent Orange alone. Reportedly about 388,000 tons of our chemically gelled gasoline—napalm—was dropped on SE Asia between 1963 and 1973, compared to 32,357 tons used on Korea over three years, and 16,500 tons dropped on Japan in 1945.
In 1991, more than 400 tons of “depleted” uranium (DU) munitions were fired into Iraq and Kuwait during the Gulf War. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists reported that 940,000 Air Force 30-mm DU shells and 4,000 Army 120-mm DU anti-tank shells were fired. The “tank busters” alone contained 25 tons of uranium. Another 170 tons were used in the 2003 bombing and occupation of Iraq.
In 1994 and 1995, the Pentagon admits it fired about 10,800 DU rounds into Bosnia—close to three tons. More than 31,000 rounds, about 10 tons, were shot into Kosovo by the U.S. and NATO in 1999. DU has also contaminated large parts of Okinawa, Panama, Puerto Rico, Vieques, South Korea, New Mexico, and other U.S. bases and firing ranges where target practice is conducted.
The memory of the hundreds of thousands of civilians killed or poisoned by the U.S. in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, and Yemen should give pause to today’s gung-ho warriors. But it seems they’re only interested in selling weapons.
Why a President who came to office on the strength of his anti-war credentials – especially on the phony war foisted on Iraq – is running with the war hounds, is something of a mystery. But the rest of the Washington establishment is champing at the bit to unleash missiles on the Syrian regime, promising a short punitive strike, in keeping with the well-worn belief that America cannot live without a war.
This, when a UN team is still investigating the reported use of chemical weapons in the conflict between the regime of Bashir al Assad and the rebels. The UN team has been asked to pack up and get out of the way. “We clearly value the UN’s work – we’ve said that from the beginning – when it comes to investigating chemical weapons in Syria. But we’ve reached a point now where we believe too much time has passed for the investigation to be credible and that it’s clear the security situation isn’t safe for the team in Syria,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Tuesday, echoing the kind of impatience that characterized the descent into the Iraq war.
Despite the appalling intelligence failures during previous such conflicts, US officials placed immense faith in their own findings while scoffing at international efforts. “I think the intelligence will conclude that it wasn’t the rebels who used it and there’ll probably be pretty good intelligence to show that the Syria government was responsible,” Hagel said
If all this recalls the war against Iraq not too long ago, not many in Washington seem keen on remembering it. Instead, explanations are being proffered on how different this case is and how it will be a short, surgical strike, not really a war.
But America’s discerning have long recognized that the country can never live without war. It is a country made for war. Small detail: Up until 1947, the Defense Department was called Department of War.
By one count, the United States has fought some 70 wars since its birth 234 years ago; at least 10 of them major conflicts. “We like war… we are good at it!” the great, insightful comedian George Carlin said some two decades ago, during the first Gulf War. “We are not good at anything else anymore… can’t build a decent car or a television, can’t give good education to the kids or health care to the old, but we can bomb the shit of out any country…”
Similar sentiments have been echoed more recently. “America’s economy is a war economy. Not a manufacturing economy. Not an agricultural economy. Nor a service economy. Not even a consumer economy,” business pundit Paul Farrell wrote during this Iraq War. “Deep inside we love war. We want war. Need it. Relish it. Thrive on war. War is in our genes, deep in our DNA. War excites our economic brain. War drives our entrepreneurial spirit. War thrills the American soul. Oh just admit it, we have a love affair with war.”
And so, America will be off to another “limited” war shortly
Chidanand Rajghatta
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from: Yona Maro
date: Mon, Sep 2, 2013 at 10:51 AM
subject: CHEMICAL WEAPON USE BY SYRIAN REGIME – UK GOVERNMENT LEGAL POSITION
1. This note sets out the UK Government’s position regarding the legality of military action in Syria following the chemical weapons attack in Eastern Damascus on 21 August 2013.
2. The use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime is a serious crime of international concern, as a breach of the customary international law prohibition on use of chemical weapons, and amounts to a war crime and a crime against humanity. However, the legal basis for military action would be humanitarian intervention; the aim is to relieve humanitarian suffering by deterring or disrupting the further use of chemical weapons.
3. The UK is seeking a resolution of the United Nations Security Council under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations which would condemn the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian authorities; demand that the Syrian authorities strictly observe their obligations under international law and previous Security Council resolutions, including ceasing all use of chemical weapons; and authorise member states, among other things, to take all necessary measures to protect civilians in Syria from the use of chemical weapons and prevent any future use of Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons; and refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.
4. If action in the Security Council is blocked, the UK would still be permitted under international law to take exceptional measures in order to alleviate the scale of the overwhelming humanitarian catastrophe in Syria by deterring and disrupting the further use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime. Such a legal basis is available, under the doctrine of humanitarian intervention, provided three conditions are met:
(i) there is convincing evidence, generally accepted by the international community as a whole, of extreme humanitarian distress on a large scale, requiring immediate and urgent relief;
(ii) it must be objectively clear that there is no practicable alternative to the use of force if lives are to be saved; and
(iii) the proposed use of force must be necessary and proportionate to the aim of relief of humanitarian need and must be strictly limited in time and scope to this aim (i.e. the minimum necessary to achieve that end and for no other purpose).
5. All three conditions would clearly be met in this case:
(i) The Syrian regime has been killing its people for two years, with reported deaths now over 100,000 and refugees at nearly 2 million. The large-scale use of chemical weapons by the regime in a heavily populated area on 21 August 2013 is a war crime and perhaps the most egregious single incident of the conflict. Given the Syrian regime’s pattern of use of chemical weapons over several months, it is likely that the regime will seek to use such weapons again. It is also likely to continue frustrating the efforts of the United Nations to establish exactly what has happened. Renewed attacks using chemical weapons by the Syrian regime would cause further suffering and loss of civilian lives, and would lead to displacement of the civilian population on a large scale and in hostile conditions.
(ii) Previous attempts by the UK and its international partners to secure a resolution of this conflict, end its associated humanitarian suffering and prevent the use of chemical weapons through meaningful action by the Security Council have been blocked over the last two years. If action in the Security Council is blocked again, no practicable alternative would remain to the use of force to deter and degrade the capacity for the further use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime.
(iii) In these circumstances, and as an exceptional measure on grounds of overwhelming humanitarian necessity, military intervention to strike specific targets with the aim of deterring and disrupting further such attacks would be necessary and proportionate and therefore legally justifiable. Such an intervention would be directed exclusively to averting a humanitarian catastrophe, and the minimum judged necessary for that purpose.
29 August 2013
Access Full Chemical weapon use by Syrian regime: UK government legal position [PDF]
This essay points out that naïve political leaders who are not cognizant of the evil in human beings and, more importantly, eschew using violence and coercion to shape international politics often end up causing the explosion of the international arena into major wars. Barack Obama’s obvious naiveté in many areas of politics and refusal to take decisive action in the Middle East, even in Africa has allowed wounds to fester and some of those wounds seem about to explode into major regional wars.
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BY THEIR FEAR OF WARS WEAK LEADERS CAUSE MAJOR WARS – Ozodi Osuji
I have closely watched President Barack Obama. Everything about him reminds me of Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister when the Second World War began. Come to think of it, they look alike; both are tall and lanky and look professorial but not like leaders of men in action. Both look like what you would expect your social science professor to look like. Both are well educated and conversant with current affairs.
You sense that when push comes to shove both men would not stand up and fight for their beliefs. Indeed, you sense that they do not have strong beliefs but merely mouth ideas that are congruent with their professed political ideologies.
Barack Obama mouths the expected bromides of what liberalism is supposed to be: belief in big government; use of government to help the people; use of government to intervene in the economy to make sure that it does not swing to either depression or inflation and so on.
Obama seems the epitome of a liberal politician. But as you look closer you find that he talks the talk but does not walk his talk. The liberal beliefs he espouses are not so strong in him that he would fight for them. He seems incapable of saying: here I stand and can move no further.
Nevertheless, Obama seems to believe the liberal shibboleth that people were born good in nature and to the extent that they are evil their environment is responsible for it (Jean Jacque Rousseau made that liberal argument in his book, Social Contract). In other words, if you improved the environment people would behave lovingly towards each other.
This is a naïve view of human beings. The fact is that people are by nature capable of evil. People can kill and indeed some people enjoy inflicting pain on other people. There are people who are born sadistic and enjoy seeing people suffer.
Obama does not seem aware of the reality of evil as part of human nature. Religious folks have a more realistic view here. If you recall, Christianity believes that people were born in original sin and are sinful and need someone to redeem them from their sin. Christians believe that people are inherently capable of evil and therefore you must continually watch them lest they act evilly.
Gnosticism teaches that originally people were one with God and that they chose to separate from God and go live in the world of space, time and matter. As long as people live in body and on earth they are said to be prone to evil behavior. Therefore, society must have instruments that checkmate people’s proclivity to evil. There must be military, police, courts, judges and jails to take care of antisocial personalities. Remove the police from any city and the seeming nice persons in it steal and or kill their neighbors.
Political conservatives like Neville Chamberlain accept that people are evil and establish social instruments for keeping people in line with the law. The conservative sees the primary function of government as maintaining law and order. Since, to him, people are evil, society must have police, military, courts and jails and prisons and use those to supervise people or else they act according to their evil nature and harm one another.
Beyond maintaining law and order the conservative does not see more roles for government. He believes that if government is allowed to engage in social engineering that it becomes too big; big governments, as John Locke (Second Treaty on Government) warned, oppress the people. To safeguard peoples civil liberties and civil rights governments must be small and operate in well-defined areas and certainly not be allowed to provide social services for the people.
According to the conservative, let the free enterprise economic system (Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations) take care of the allocation of goods and services. In so far that some people lose out and are poor let rich philanthropists help them. The price we pay for freedom is to limit the function of government to providing law and order, not have the nanny state that takes care of people’s needs.
Liberals like Obama see human beings as good and capable of helping their neighbors. Obama exaggerates this rosy picture of human beings so much so that one often wonders whether the man actually went to elementary and secondary schools and observed boys behaviors.
At school some boys are bullies. Bullies derive sadistic pleasure from humiliating other boys.
As any realistic boy knows, the only way to stop a bully from bullying you is not to plead for his mercy. If you plead for mercy the bully thinks that you are weak and would continue bullying you.
You do not forgive the bully for to do so is to give him permission to keep hurting you. Forgiveness does not stop bad behavior. What you do is go get a big club and use it to whack the bully on his head; you hit to split his head open.
You stop the criminal by punishing him. The anti-social personality is deterred not by love and forgiveness but by force.
Obama does not seem aware of this reality and makes speeches that sound nice to the ear but that you know are unrealistic to human nature.
Talking about speeches, the man is very articulate alright. He makes good speeches. I believe that he should have been a television nightly news broadcaster for he talks well.
What he is not is a leader. He does not seem to understand that a leader is not supposed to talk too much. A leader comes out every once in a while and gives a speech and then disappears from the pubic for a while. If you are before the public too many times you lose the mystic that leaders are supposed to have. People want to see their leaders as somehow different from them.
A leader does not go socializing with his subordinates, or drinking with them. On the job if you are promoted from line to managerial work you quickly learn that to be respected and your authority accepted by those who work for you that you must separate yourself from them. A certain amount of loneliness is the price of leadership.
A leader stays behind the scene and from there do what he has to do to implement what he said in his speeches.
If you say that you are going to do something you had better do it or else people assess you to be an idle talker, not a doer. A leader must be perceived to be a doer, a man who means every word he utters.
This is not the perception of Obama. People perceive him as a nice talker but a man who would not fight for whatever he said that he is going to do. He does not walk his talk. As a result most people dismiss him as not a serious leader.
Oh, folks would like to have Obama as their neighbor but not as their leader. People want as their leader a military type, a warrior who says something, means it and fights for its realization, sometimes dying for it.
When a man who believes in something comes around people know it. Such a person has commanding presence; his mere presence communicates the message that he is ready to fight you to death and therefore you had better not mess with him.
Obama is perceived as a mere speech maker but a man who does not try to implement what he said he is going to do.
Apparently, Obama has good speech writers; as long as there is a teleprompter that he reads the speeches from he delivers them well. Whether he can think independently on his feet remains to be seen.
Most Americans have judged Barack Obama and accept that he is a decent man; he is a good man who loves his wife and children and would help his neighbor fix his fence. However, he is seen as a wimp.
Because he is seen as a weak leader most people do not respect him. They know that he is easily pushed around.
Obama does not communicate that aura which great leaders like Winston Churchill do; great leaders give the verbal and nonverbal message that they are ready to fight for what they believe.
Obama communicates the message that he wants people to love him. Anyone who has led men in business, military or politics knows that that is not how you get men to engage in the pursuit of stated objectives. To use men to achieve goals every leader learns that he would be tested by some members of his organization, that some would not obey him. He learns that to get the many to obey him that he must every now and then make examples of some disobedient followers.
As Nicolo Machiavelli said (in the Prince) a leader must deliberately punish some of those who work against the attainment of his goals and objectives.
In the work place you simply fire those who do not accept your leadership and authority. In politics you work to marginalize your foes.
Politics, Harold Lasswell tells us, is deciding who gets what when and how. The President of the United States has a lot of power to decide who gets what share of the federal budget whose expenditure he supervises (Congress decides the financial allocations but the executive branch supervises the actual dispensing of the allocated funds). It is possible to delay spending money allocated to a state whose senator or congressman is insolent to the president.
Most US senators and congressmen are insolent to Obama; they do not even see him as their President. In fact, most of them do not even bother listening to the man when he talks. Most tune off his frequent speeches. “Here we go, again; the parrot, as usual, is giving one of his useless speeches”, folks say when Obama talks, and tune him out.
A leader should not find himself in this dismissive situation. As Machiavelli said in the Prince, a leader must strive to be feared and respected. It would be nice if he is loved by all the people but love should not be his primary motivation.
People don’t always do what those that love them ask them to do. You love your children but they do not do what you ask them to do.
It is those that punish folks that folks do what they ask them to do. Step out of line too frequently a leader lets you know who is in charge of the shop.
Barack Obama’s greatest accomplishment in office is the Affordable Health Care Act. The act is very complex but the key provisions are: mandate for all Americans to buy health insurance from private Insurance companies; the establishment of insurance exchanges where private health insurance companies list their premiums thus giving the buyers ability to compare premiums and choose lower ones; allowing parents to keep their children who are under age twenty five on their employer given health insurance. When all are said and done nearly fifty million Americans still do not have health insurance. Therefore, one does not understand what exactly the accomplishment of this boondoggle is. My personal preference is the Canadian or United Kingdom Universal Health Insurance Plan that covers all citizens of the country. It seems obscene that in the richest country in the world many people cannot afford health insurance and when sick have to go to hospital emergency rooms for treatment or die untreated.
My views aside, the point I want to make here is that even the little that the so-called Obama care provides is the enemy of conservatives. The Republican controlled House of Representatives has voted 40 times to kill Obamacare. If Republicans regain the upper house, the Senate next year there is no doubt that they would kill Obama care. The question one asks is this: is this all that Barrack Obama can do? Isn’t there something else he could do to preserve his signatory achievement?
I am presuming that his soul is in the Affordable Health Act, is it? See, he does not go out and fight for it. During the yearlong battle to enact it into law the man simply left Congressional Democrats to do all the work for it. If he had thrown Public Option into the mix so that poor Americans would be able to buy health care from a government insurance company perhaps the Health Care Act would make sense. As it is, it does not make sense and one does not see what the hullabaloo made about it is all about.
Let Republicans kill it; it is useless. For our present purpose, if Obama was a real leader he would have helped enact something that serves all Americans rather than these half-measures called Obama care.
Another instance of Obama’s weakness is demonstrated when a black lady who works at the Department of Agriculture made a statement that taken out of context seemed to suggest that she does not like white folks. Fox New, a television network dedicated solely to battling Obama’s policies twisted what the woman said, and without giving her a chance to defend herself Obama’s White House called the Secretary of Agriculture and asked him to fire her. She was summarily fired. It turned out that she was actually a fighter for poor white folks in her native Georgia.
The point here is that Obama was aiming at pleasing white folks and did exactly what he believed that they want him to do, get rid of a vocal black woman. When white folks ask him to jump he asks how high they want him to jump.
Obama will throw you under the bus any time it is expedient for him to do so. He has gotten rid of many black persons who work for him and who spoke out on racism, including his environmental advisor. This man behaves like typical cowardly house niggers who do everything to please their masters so that they are not returned to field nigger status.
Whereas perception of one’s strength is critical in domestic politics it is indispensable in International politics. Actors in the International political arena assess each other and relate to each other as they are perceived to be.
The International arena is a jungle. Despite all that you may have heard about International law, the international arena is a lawless place. Strong men usually intimidate weak men and get what they want.
An axiom of International politics is that peace is maintained by balance of power. Nation A and nation B are likely to live in peace if both have balanced military power. If there is a dis-balance and one becomes more powerful than the other the more powerful nation generally holds the weak one hostage and tries to intimidate it.
If a leader is bold enough and has the military wherewithal he attacks and swallows weaker nations. Nations expand their territories by taking over their weak neighbors territories. The USA expanded its territory by defeating and taking land from Indians, Mexicans and Spain.
President Theodor Roosevelt said that in International politics you should carry a big club but talk softly (he did and swallowed loads of Spanish and Latin American territories).
If you are perceived to be weak and do not exercise power international actors disregard you and do not pay attention to what you say.
Barack Obama until recently was a nobody in American politics. Out of nowhere he burst on the domestic and international political arena. Nobody knew who he was for he had no public record that any one knows about.
He was this guy who taught part time at the University of Chicago and worked part time as a state legislator (American state legislators generally work for about four months during the year and are paid stipends, almost minimum wage).
This man was an unknown person and after been picked by John Kerry to make a speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, the next thing we know is that he was elected senator to the US Senate.
He had no accomplishment in the Senate. Two years later he ran for the presidency and won. Simply put, Barack Obama had no record of public accomplishment to talk about. In fact, he had done practically nothing before he became the president. This is weird, if you think about it.
The man had not held a managerial position in his entire life and suddenly he is the chief executive officer of the United States! Talk about somebody being in above his head! No wonder many racists call him our first affirmative action President!
The man went about the International arena talking his staple liberal nostrums. You hear him and you shake your head and wonder what planet he came from. It is Kunbaya time; Obama time is let us love one another.
Powerful international political actors studied him and realized that he is afraid of exercising power. He is not an alpha male and does not have the killer instinct you expect in the President of a superpower. Folks tuned him out and do not take him seriously.
Barack Obama lowered the prestige of the United States; he made Americans seem small; good leaders make their people walk tall.
Barack Obama has no accomplishment in International politics just as he has little or no accomplishments in America’s domestic politics.
Little tin-can dictators everywhere, such as the leaders of Syria, Libya, Iran and North Korea are not afraid of Obama. They know that he would not stand up to them and fight them so they kept on doing their things.
In his simplistic mind merely saying that people should do the right thing would make killers like Assad stop killing his people. Poor man; he has no understanding of human psychology.
Well, Assad kept killing his people; Iran is about to develop nuclear weapons which it would probably explode in New York and Washington DC!
In the meantime, Barack Obama talks about the need for nuclear nonproliferation and is unwilling to use force to bring about his professed goal.
Sometimes you wonder if he is in cahoots with Iran and wants Iran to have nuclear weapons. You never know about this man; many Americans suspect that he is a closet Muslim and wants Muslims to take over the world. For all we know, he may well be a Manchurian candidate in our midst!
Pathetic politicians like Neville Chamberlain and Barack Obama appease dictators. Neville Chamberlain did that at Munich in 1938; he allowed Hitler to take the Sudetenland, a part of Western Czechoslovak where ethnic Germans lived, because Hitler demanded to have it and he did so to avoid war with Hitler. A year later, Hitler started the war that Chamberlain was trying to avoid through appeasement by attacking Poland.
Weak leaders who appease political bullies like Hitler and Assad cause the outbreak of major wars. Obama dithered as the Middle East burned. He was afraid to exercise power and try to shape events to go the direction he wants. Events got out of control and he is now forced to act.
Obama must now act if he is not to lose whatever public respect he has. His credibility is on the line. Acting at this late juncture may bring about an explosion in the powder keg that is Middle East politics.
Unless strong arms help Obama, his weakness may lead to a major war in the Middle East. Colin Powell where are you when we need you. Please come and help Barack Obama; please help guide him to do what he has to do in International politics to maintain peace (through strength) in the world.
From: Yona Maro
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syria.pdf 310K
Syria’s Chemical Weapons: Issues for Congress
Mary Beth D. Nikitin Specialist in Nonproliferation
Paul K. Kerr Analyst in Nonproliferation
Andrew FeickertSpecialist in Military Ground Forces
August 20, 2013 Congressional Research Service 7-5700
www.crs.gov R42848
Summary
The use or loss of control of chemical weapons stocks in Syria could have unpredictable consequences for the Syrian population and neighboring countries as well as U.S. allies and forces in the region. Congress may wish to assess the Administration’s plans to respond to possible scenarios involving the use, change of hands, or loss of control of Syrian chemical weapons.
Syria has produced, stored, and weaponized chemical weapons, but it remains dependent on foreign suppliers for chemical precursors. The regime of President Bashar al Asad reportedly has stocks of nerve (sarin, VX) and blister (mustard gas) agents, possibly weaponized into bombs, shells, and missiles, and associated production facilities. Chemical weapons and their agents can deteriorate depending on age and quality. Little is known from open sources about the current sizeand condition of the stockpile. Syria continues to attempt to procure new supplies of chemical weapons precursors, which are dual-use, through front companies in third countries. Mostcountries that have had chemical weapons arsenals in the past have destroyed these weapons under the Chemical Weapons Convention, or are in the process of destroying them. The U.S.intelligence community cites Iran, North Korea, and Syria as having active chemical weapons programs.
Kagame cannot deny M23 is not of his making. Kagame is part and parcel of M23. He is the masterminder and the financier of M23 with the help of his unscrupulous Corporate Special Business Interest.
It is quite unfortunate that in his invation to Congo, he planned to be rich and build Rwanda through stealing from Congo. This is unacceptable. Kagame must be indicted and be charged at the ICC Hague for conspiring and planning to ambush, terrorize and kill people of DR Congo. Kagame and friends must be charged for genocide.
Justice must be served and be seen to be to be fair on the Congo People with its Government.
Justice delayed, is justice denied.
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson &
Executive Director for
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
email: jbatec@yahoo.com
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Casualties as Congo and UN Forces Fight Rebels
GOMA, Congo August 26, 2013 (AP)
By NICK LONG Associated Press
Congolese troops came under fire from rebels in the country’s volatile east Monday as fighting resumed just outside Goma, a city of nearly 1 million people near the volatile Congolese-Rwandan border, army officials said.
Heavy weapons fire rang out around 4:30 p.m. near the front line just 9 miles (11 kilometers) outside the city.
Hostilities resumed last week after weeks of relative calm, and by Thursday a new United Nations intervention brigade with a stronger mandate than past missions shelled rebel positions for the first time.
Both sides suffered heavy casualties over the weekend, with more than 50 rebels killed and 23 government soldiers dead, according to a doctor near the front line and an army chaplain. Three U.N. peacekeepers were wounded: two South Africans and a Tanzanian, U.N.-backed Radio Okapi reported.
The head of the United Nations mission in Congo, Martin Kobler, visited two hospitals on Sunday and paid his respects to wounded government and U.N. soldiers, hailing them as “heroes fighting to restore peace,” Radio Okapi reported.
The Congolese forces have advanced less than a mile (about 2 kilometers) since Wednesday and have yet to achieve their immediate objective — cutting off M23 from a border crossing where the rebel group is believed to get supplies from neighboring Rwanda, say observers.
The Congolese are fighting with the help of a new U.N. intervention brigade, which was created after the M23 rebels invaded and briefly held Goma in November.
The M23 has been pounding Goma from its positions just north of the strategic city, killing civilians in Goma’s residential neighborhoods. By Saturday, scores of angry residents took to the streets in protest, claiming that the U.N. had not done enough to protect them. A U.N. car was set on fire, and in the melee two protesters were killed.
Some Goma residents claim the U.N. opened fire on the mob, but the president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, said in a statement over the weekend that Uruguayan peacekeepers had only fired rubber bullets to control the crowd. Mujica said that it was Congolese police who had used live ammunition.
On Monday, the Congolese government called for an investigation into the deaths of the civilians. Minister of the Interior Richard Muyej told The Associated Press: “We are absolutely in agreement that a joint commission needs to be created” to do that.
Medical services were struggling to cope with the scale of the casualties among government troops and the M23 fighters who launched their rebellion last year and briefly held Goma in November before retreating. Subsequent peace talks in neighboring Uganda have repeatedly stalled.
Dr. Isaac Warwanamiza told The Associated Press he had seen 82 bodies since early Sunday, 23 of whom he claimed were government soldiers, the highest death toll reported since hostilities broke out last week. “I’m overwhelmed by what I’ve seen: bodies blown apart, arms and feet here and there,” he said, speaking by phone from a hospital north of Goma.
Eight of the dead had no uniforms, 23 were government troops and the rest were M23 rebels, the doctor added.
The total of wounded Congolese troops at the military hospital is 720, according to army chaplain Lea Masika.
This is the first time that the Congolese army has been backed by the new U.N. intervention force, which was created in March.
The U.N. brigade was given a mandate to fight the rebels after Goma was seized by the M23 in November. In a humiliating blow to both Congo and the international community, the rebels marched directly past U.N. peacekeepers stationed at the gates of this city. The peacekeepers did nothing to stop them because their mandate at the time was limited to protecting civilians.
The M23 is made up of hundreds of Congolese soldiers, mostly from the Tutsi ethnic group who deserted the national army last year after accusing the government of failing to honor the terms of a deal signed in March 2009. Many of the movement’s commanders are veterans of previous rebellions backed by Rwanda, which vigorously denies allegations that it has been supporting and reinforcing the M23.
In Washington, the State Department condemned the actions of the M23, calling on the rebel group to immediately cease hostilities, disarm and disband. The U.S. also suggested that Rwanda is assisting the rebels.
“We urgently call on (Congolese) and Rwandan governments to exercise restraint to prevent military escalation of the conflict or any action that puts civilians at risk,” the statement said. “We reiterate our call for Rwanda to cease any and all support to the M23.”
United Nations troops accused of killing two civilians in Congo
Demonstrators reportedly killed after car set ablaze and crowd tried to storm UN base in protest at lack of protection
David Smith, Africa correspondent
theguardian.com, Monday 26 August 2013 11.49 EDT
[image]Two Congolese women walk past a government army tank on the outskirts of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Photograph: Phil Moore/AFP/Getty Images
United Nations troops have been accused of killing two civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo as the body’s first offensive force is dragged into an escalating conflict.
On Saturday, scores of angry residents took to the streets, complaining that the UN had not done enough to protect them. A UN car was set ablaze and, when the crowd allegedly tried to storm a UN base, two protesters were killed.
Witnesses claim that UN troops from Uruguay opened fire on the demonstrators, but the Uruguayan president, Jose Mujica, denied this, insisting that they only fired rubber bullets and it was Congolese police who used live ammunition.
The UN has opened an investigation into the incident, which has the potential to embarrass the 3,000-strong “intervention brigade” that was created in March and entered combat last week against the M23 rebel movement.
Fighting broke out last Wednesday after weeks of relative calm in and around the eastern city of Goma. The UN troops shelled rebel positions on Thursday but the Congolese government soldiers they are supporting suffered heavy casualties over the weekend, according to an Associated Press report.
Dr Isaac Warwanamiza said he had seen 82 bodies since early on Sunday, 23 of whom he claimed were government troops, the highest death toll reported since hostilities broke out last week. “I’m overwhelmed by what I’ve seen: bodies blown apart, arms and feet here and there,” he said.
Eight of the dead had no uniforms, 23 were government troops and the rest were M23 rebels, the doctor added. The total of wounded Congolese troops at the military hospital is 720, according to army chaplain Lea Masika. Two UN peace enforcers from South Africa and one from Tanzania have also been injured.
The front line of fighting is only nine miles north of Goma. The M23 rebels briefly held the strategic city in November last year and then retreated a few miles away. The Congolese army is yet to achieve its immediate objective of cutting off M23 from a border crossing where the rebel group is believed to receive supplies from neighbouring Rwanda.
On Sunday, the UK pulled its foreign office staff out of Goma due to security concerns.
The US state department said: “We urgently call on (Congolese) and Rwandan governments to exercise restraint to prevent military escalation of the conflict or any action that puts civilians at risk. We reiterate our call for Rwanda to cease any and all support to the M23.” Rwanda has repeatedly denied UN allegations that it backs the M23 rebels.
Congo army battles M23 rebels near eastern city of Goma
Kenny Katombe 1 hour ago
August 26, 2013 (AP)
By Kenny Katombe
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – A U.N. brigade tasked with neutralizing armed groups in Congo has assisted the country’s army in clashes with eastern rebels on Monday, ending a brief lull in days of fighting that has killed and wounded dozens.
The violence, the most serious in months, is the first major test for the newly deployed U.N. Intervention Brigade which has an unprecedented mandate to launch military operations against M23, one of the rebels at the heart of nearly two decades of conflict.
A senior officer with the brigade told Reuters that U.N. peacekeepers were “assisting” the Congolese army in operations against M23 rebels late on Monday.
“We are supporting the army in their operations but have not ourselves engaged the rebels at this stage,” the officer said by telephone from Goma, requesting not to be identified.
The brigade has fought alongside Congo’s army several times since the latest fighting erupted on Wednesday.
The M23 rebels said they were targeted by air strikes and came under heavy weapons fire on Monday afternoon.
“As usual, we expect that ground troops will come in the wake of these bombings,” M23 said in a statement. Congo’s army said rebels had attacked first and it was retaliating.
Congolese army spokesman Colonel Olivier Hamuli said clashes were taking place at Kibati, about 11 km (7 miles) north of Goma, a city of a million people on the Rwandan border.
The rebels briefly seized Goma in November before withdrawing and committing to Ugandan-hosted peace talks. Negotiations have faltered and renewed fighting has exacerbated tensions between Rwanda and Congo.
Several shells fell in Rwanda during clashes around Goma last week, prompting Kigali to accuse Kinshasa of bombing it. Congo denied the charge and accused Rwandan troops of backing the rebels.
The cross-border accusations underscore the rebellion’s roots in a complex web of local politics and regional conflicts over ethnicity, land and minerals. Rwandan troops fought in two Congo wars but Kigali says it is not supporting the M23.
‘VERY CHAOTIC’
A doctor at a military hospital near Goma said he was treating those wounded in “ferocious” fighting on Saturday.
“It is very chaotic and difficult to have precise numbers, but we have had around 15 deaths so far. There have also been 150 injuries,” the doctor said, asking not to be named.
The doctor and a U.N. official said the rebels, whose positions were struck by U.N. attack helicopters on Saturday, had lost many men in the fighting.
A rebel spokesman denied those reports. “How can we continue to protect our territory while suffering the kinds of losses they are saying? It is nonsense,” said spokesman Colonel Vianney Kazarama.
The United Nations said three of its soldiers – two Tanzanians and a South African – were injured on Saturday when a shell landed near their position just north of Goma.
(Additional reporting by Pete Jones in Kinshasa and Peroshni Govender in Johannesburg; Writing by David Lewis and Bate Felix; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Mohammad Zargham)
Congo soldiers, UN forces battle M23 rebels
NICK LONG August 25, 2013
GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congolese soldiers and rebel forces suffered heavy casualties Sunday, a doctor near the front line said, as they fought for a fifth day near the city of Goma in the country’s volatile east.
Dr. Isaac Warwanamisa said he had seen 82 dead since early morning, 23 of whom were government soldiers, he said, the highest death toll reported since hostilities broke out last week.
A chaplain at the military hospital in Goma, Lea Masika, said 59 wounded were brought in on Sunday, bringing the total at the hospital to 720.
The Congolese government troops are still fighting to take a hill from where M23 can target Goma, and have advanced less than a mile (about 2 kilometers) since fighting resumed Wednesday after a three-week lull.
Congolese troops backed by U.N. forces fought the rebels for hours on Saturday. Three U.N. peacekeepers were wounded in the fighting. The U.N. mission created in March with a stronger mandate to protect civilians fired for the first time on rebel positions Thursday.
“We are using artillery, indirect fire with mortars and our aviation, and at the moment we have troops in the front line alongside (the government forces),” the U.N. force commander in Congo, Gen. Dos Santos Cruz, said.
However, there has been widespread skepticism in Congo that the intervention brigade will be a game-changing addition to the existing U.N. force, which stood by when M23 fighters briefly captured Goma late last year. And on Saturday, scores of Goma residents took to the streets in anger over a series of rocket and mortar attacks that have left at least seven civilians dead in recent days. Two other residents were killed during the demonstration, and the U.N. called for a joint investigation.
Congo accuses neighboring Rwanda of helping the rebels, charges denied by Rwanda’s government. M23’s leaders previously headed other rebel groups in the region that were backed by Rwanda. M23 is made up of hundreds of Congolese soldiers mostly from the Tutsi ethnic group who deserted the national army last year after accusing the government of failing to honor the terms of a deal signed in March 2009.
Peace talks in neighboring Uganda have repeatedly stalled, and M23 has vowed to fight back against the U.N. intervention brigade. The intervention brigade, made up of Tanzanian, South African and Malawian soldiers, is reinforcing 17,000 U.N. blue helmets already with the U.N. peacekeeping mission known as MONUSCO.
There is this time I walked into this shoe shop in Dublin, Ireland. It was winter and cold as a hyena’s snout. I had on this hoodie with “Safaricom” emblazoned on its front in green. So, there I was checking out these shoe when I heard someone ask, “Wewe ni Mkenya?” I looked up to find this grinning miro guy. I said, yes, I was Kenyan. Boy, was he happy to make my acquaintance! He bear hugged me, which is something I try to reserve for the opposite sex. He then rattled on, asking about home and how it was “back there.” Asking about politics and things. He told me he watched Citizen news online most of the time, but that still left him shelled with homesickness. He lived in Northern Ireland, which is really next to the end of the world, and he is probably the only black guy for thousands of miles before you run into a Nigerian.
I asked him when was the last time he was home and he said 11years ago. That depressed me more than the weather. I asked him what he missed most about being home and he surprised me by saying, “attending funerals for close ones.”
He said he had missed his father’s funeral (it was cheaper to send money for burial), something that seemed like a monkey on his back. In fact, he had missed tons of funerals for close relatives. And he missed Mukimo (he was okuyu). On a light note I asked him if he had a kiosk in Belfast and he laughed, that distinct Kenyan laugh that starts from the diaphragm and doesn’t leave it. We chatted for a bit, in Swahili, mine markedly tattered.
I remember feeling such gutting sympathy for him when we parted. Him, out there, in that bleeding cold that makes your nails pale and your tongue blue, so far away from home, wondering who else will be buried in his absence. Wondering when he would next feel the balminess of the African sun on his forehead and the warmth of our own soil under his feet. It must be tough, this life in absentia. I would die of depression. No really, I would.
It’s easy to feel sympathy for fellows living abroad, right up until they land at JKIA, then the bottom falls off. Let’s first talk figures before my spiel.
Do you know how much guys living abroad ploughed into the economy in the first five months of this year? Ksh45 billion! That’s a lot of dough, about 10% of what Kamwana is bringing back from the East! And we appreciate this contribution, guys. We could use every yen, dollar and rupee we can lay our hands on now, especially during these trying moments that some of our governors have decided to conduct county matters from plush hotels where they live.
But your financial contribution notwithstanding, we need to straighten out some issues, guys. It’s about your conduct when you come back home for vacation.
First off, please don’t whine about how nothing works in this country. Nobody wants to host a whiner. Thing is, traffic cops will control traffic at traffic lights that work. That’s just how it is. Service in eateries might not be as swift as it is in Toronto. That’s just how it is. Matatus are a law onto themselves. That’s just how it is. It’s illegal to burn music for local artists, so don’t ask us to. Oh, and Kalamashaka doesn’t sing no more.
Secondly. You know, we love having you back home. And we don’t mind taking you to look for artefacts at Masai Market. But can you imagine that since you left life also happened to us? Hard to believe, I know. We got and changed jobs. We dated and we got married. We got kids. Most of us grew up and that came with different priorities. Life is a moving wheel. I know it might seem like we have lots of time on our hands back here but we don’t. We can get very busy between spending time in traffic jams and Facebooking.
And because there is work and there is school and there is family we can’t take you out partying on the daily. And just because you are back in the country after 10 years doesn’t mean all these things stop and we have to lay banana leaves on your path to Mercury Lounge. Or fetch you coffee. You are on holiday, we aren’t. If we have time, we will take you to do your rounds. But it’s not your right, so don’t sulk and brood and feel unappreciated.
Secondly, the legal tender of Kenya is Kenyan Shillings. Not the dollar. Not the Euro. Don’t go to Mama Oliech’s for fish and when the bill lands you ask the poor waitress if they can accept dollars! That waitress is from Kochia, the dollar is a currency she isn’t well acquainted with. And FYI, the only people who accept dollars or rands are the forex bureaus.
Talking of going out. A few years back my cousin landed in the country from Jersey (you should have heard how he pronounces “Jersey”). This time I took him to Havana in Westlands and he kept asking the deejay to play some song by T-Pain. I wasn’t that acquainted to T-Pain at that time because he was new-ish in the scene and I’m not exactly hot for that genre of music. You should have seen how after harassing the deejay he would come back to the seat complaining how the deejay wasn’t with it because he didn’t have a particular song by T-Pain. And so the whole whole night it was T-Pain this, T-Pain that. What a royal pain!
And guys, if you are going to have the deejay play your favourite jams at least buy him a drink, will ya? And be sure to use Kenyan Shillings, if that’s no trouble.
Then there is politics. Isn’t it flattering that every guy in diaspora has a solution to our political problems? And this is only because, I suspect, they have read Obama’s “Audacity of Hope.” Guys, like Mikhail Gorbachev once said, if you really want to change things back home, you got to go back home. You just can’t change things during your tea break at Starbucks. I‘m afraid it’s a bit more complicated than that. This animal called African politics needs time and energy, not a quote from Malcolm X.
It’s not like we are sitting here allowing the politicians to shaft us without as much as dinner first. It’s not that we have become so politically numb and inept. No, we make noise. On twitter. We stoke Boniface Mwangi’s fires on Facebook then we go on Youtube to see if he survived the fracas. We have realised that the only way we can fight these politicians and their endless plunder and greed is through the mighty power of Retweet! So don’t judge us, not until you walk 140 characters in our tweets.
I’m overeating? Just look at the Facebook pages of Kenyans in diaspora, with their breathless streams of political consciousness, tinged with Machiavellian teachings hoping that will change the political panorama. They won’t, guys. Because politicians don’t read. And the few who do don’t care. Your tweets will drown in the churning sea of social media melee, never to be seen by them. And their social media tools are managed by busybodies that only retweet comments that favour them. And so the most they can do, in response to your Facebook updates is to poke you. And you don’t want a politician poking you, trust me. And if you don’t believe me, ask…
And why are you guys shocked at poverty in Kenya? Poverty is the same as you left it. Poverty is still spelled the same way you left it. This is Africa; some folk eat only one meal, yes, even here in the city. And they aren’t on a diet; they just can’t afford to eat square meals. Fast food? Do you know that KFC is a luxury back here? Yes, back here it’s the hoity-toity who throng there, with their iPhones and their monstrous Guci shades coifed in Gussii-land. Poverty is part of this social fabric, even the middle-class are poor, only their poverty is the worse kind.
You know what we secretly laugh at behind your backs, dear Diasporas? When you come visiting and you tell us smugly, “ You know, back at home…” Back at home? Excuse us. United States of America is not your home, son! Your home is Nyansore, South Mugirango. Isn’t that where the remains of your dear mother lies? I’m sorry, was your grumps buried in Brookhaven, Atlanta? You are called Moguche, how many native Londoners are called Moguche? And please don’t ever say “you Kenyans,” That’s just racist.
And here is one of my favourites. I had this retarded conversation one day with some diaspora.
Kenyan from Texas (KT): Biko, I want to go to the Barclays in Loita Street, is it safe?
Me: What is safe, Barclays? Yes, it is.
KT: No, I mean Loita Street.
Hehe. Did he just ask if Loita Street is safe? Tell me, how can I be so wrong about my friends?
No, I told him, Loita Street is not safe. Get police escort. Hell wear a Flak jacket and lower your hat to your face in case they suspect that you are a foreigner because your eyebrows are different from ours. Hire security if you can (but not G4S). Loita Street is very dangerous. People get killed there every day, especially Kenyans visiting from abroad. And don’t wear your fancy cologne; it might draw attention to yourself.
Doesn’t that just make you sad? Here is a guy who grew up in Umoja and shopped at Mutindwa scared of being mobbed in Loita Street. A guy who lived in Kenya for 27yrs – taking matatus and eating roasted maize by the roadside- before he flew out. A typical Kenyan. This is the same fellow who asks you if Loita Street is safe because he now has an iPhone 5? While odiero backpackers are fearlessly trolling downtown Nairobi this guy is debating if he should leave his damned wallet at home before venturing into town?! If he should remove his watch before going to Kimathi Street?! Do they imagine we are super humans not to get killed by the numerous, mines, IED’s and snipers outside Loita Street? Do we, as Kenyans, have a special contract with God?
One last thing. Let’s be honest. We know you aren’t as loaded as you once was. No, we do. Central Bank Of Kenya told us. The diaspora remittance to Kenya declined by 9.4 per cent in June from Ksh 9.66billion to Ksh8.75billion in May owing to inflows from North America, Kenya’s biggest source of the dollar injections. Life, indeed, is hard everywhere. If Detroit declared itself bankrupt, really, things are hairy. Europe isn’t any better financially as we speak. So no need to keep appearances. It’s unnecessary. When you come down don’t drag us to the champagne bar at Sankara and get mild dementia after one look at their menu. And don’t call Sankara thieves. They aren’t. Sankara isn’t McDonalds. Shit is expensive there.
This city has its owners, mate. They dine at the Tribe Hotel and sleep in Laikipia. They never look at the bill after their meal and they can put three actuarial science students in a room with all their money and those kids will grow beards before they finish counting that cheese. So Sankara guys aren’t stealing from you, it’s just a different pond for a different kettle of fish. Try Tamasha, they have a happy hour. Look, we are just happy you are home, we don’t care much that you can splash money because we know it wasn’t handed to you easy back there.
And one last thing. You couldn’t have schooled in Durban, South Africa and picked an American accent. It’s unfathomable and ludicrous. We can understand you having an Indian accent because Durban has the largest population of Indians outside India, but they don’t speak like Americans last time I was there. And if you came back to Kenya from abroad more than 3 years ago you can’t prefix all your statements with “When I was in the UK…” It negates everything you will say after.
I love Kenyans in diaspora because of their uncanny ability to summon amnesia. You guys forget fast. You forget so quickly where you came from. You forget how the machinery back here runs. You forget that this is motherland and no matter how broken this place is, this place still remains your place.
Yours truly,
Bikozulu.
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– See more at: http://bikozulu.co.ke/a-letter-to-kenyans-abroad/#sthash.MjmRBLLd.dpuf
BREAKING: Macy’s responded to our campaign calling out their attack on an equal pay bill in Texas–by claiming that the bill is unnecessary.1
We know that Macy’s is feeling the heat from our actions, but it’s clear that we need to amp up our campaign and make sure they know that we’re not buying their excuses–or their merchandise–unless they publicly pledge to never block equal pay legislation again.
We’re planning a big delivery next week. But for a super-size store like Macy’s, we want to make sure we have a super-size petition.
Can you add your name right away and let Macy’s know that blocking equal pay is bad for business?
http://act.weareultraviolet.org/go/1020?t=1&akid=575.6000.CbILmA
Thanks for speaking out,
Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Malinda, and Karin, the Ultraviolet team
Sources:
1. Macy’s Convinces Rick Perry That Women Don’t Need Equal Pay, Jezebel, August 20, 2013
http://act.weareultraviolet.org/go/1045?t=2&akid=575.6000.CbILmA
P.S. Here’s the original email about Macy’s asking Governor Rick Perry to veto a popular equal pay bill in Texas.
—prior msg;——-
Macy’s just blocked a bill that would help stop wage discrimination in Texas. Can you sign the petition to tell Macy’s to stop blocking equal pay?
Have you ever shopped at a Macy’s department store? If you have, you’ve unfortunately helped fund discrimination against women.
Here’s the story: Macy’s recently played a key role in defeating an important equal pay bill in Texas.1 The bill would have given employees who are discriminated against more time to sue in state court. Without this law, women who are paid less simply because of their gender could miss their chance to get justice before they even find out that they were discriminated against.2
The bill passed the Texas legislature with strong bipartisan support, but Governor Rick Perry vetoed it last month at Macy’s request.3
Wage discrimination is a major problem in America, costing women and their families an average of $431,000 over their careers.4 Macy’s is in the middle of a big back-to-school marketing campaign right now, aimed largely at moms.5 The last thing they need right now is controversy over equal pay–an issue women all over the country care a lot about. If we all speak out now, we can generate enough media attention to pressure them to retract their opposition and pledge to support equal pay legislation–in Texas and nationally–going forward. Can you sign the petition?
Tell Macy’s: Stop blocking equal pay for equal work.
http://act.weareultraviolet.org/go/1020?t=5&akid=575.6000.CbILmA
The wage gap between men and women has remained stagnant for decades. The average, full-time working woman in this country earns $0.77 for every dollar a man makes. For women of color, it’s even worse–for African American women it’s only $0.64 and for Latina women it’s $0.55. The gender wage gap means lost wages of $10,000 per year for an average woman–or $431,000 over her lifetime.6
And it doesn’t just affect women–it hurts entire families who are struggling to make ends meet. $431,000 could cover a lot of mortgage payments, groceries, doctor’s appointments, or college tuition payments.7 But Congress is stalled on the Fair Pay Act, which would help finally close the gender wage gap, and the last thing we need when it finally comes up for a vote is big companies like Macy’s stepping in to oppose it.
The Texas bill mirrors the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and would give Texas women who are paid less because of their gender the right to sue in state courts for 180 days after a discriminatory paycheck.8 The protections in federal law don’t extend to the state courts–which are often closer and more affordable for victims to access than federal courts.9 For a woman who’s already lost income due to wage discrimination, access to state courts is critical. But according to Macy’s letter to Gov. Perry, this important protection for women is “unnecessary.”10
Macy’s should be supporting, not blocking equal pay–especially if they want to woo women as customers. If we all speak out now, we can generate enough bad press to make sure they get the message. Can you sign?
Add your name.
http://act.weareultraviolet.org/go/1020?t=6&akid=575.6000.CbILmA
Thanks for speaking out,
Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Malinda, and Karin, the Ultraviolet team
Sources:
1. You Really Shouldn’t Shop There: The Businesses That Told Perry to Veto Equal Pay, Burnt Orange Report, August 7, 2013
2. Perry vetoed wage bill after getting letters from retailers, Houston Chronicle, August 5, 2013
3. Ibid.
4. Facts: Women and the Wage Gap, National Partnership for Women & Families
5. Macy’s Back to School campaign, Macys.com
6. Facts: Women and the Wage Gap, National Partnership for Women & Families
7. How the Wage Gap Hurts Women and Families, National Women’s Law Center, April 3, 2013
8. Perry vetoed wage bill after getting letters from retailers, Houston Chronicle, August 5, 2013
9. You Really Shouldn’t Shop There: The Businesses That Told Perry to Veto Equal Pay, Burnt Orange Report, August 7, 2013
10. Perry vetoed wage bill after getting letters from retailers, Houston Chronicle, August 5, 2013
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Want to support our work? UltraViolet is funded by members like you, and our tiny staff ensures small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.
https://weareultraviolet.actionkit.com/donate/donate?akid=575.6000.CbILmA
From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2013
Following my Molo workshop take-3 dispatch one of the readers writes: “Father Beste your Molo workshop was indeed inspiring- I was touched by your take-3 dispatch how some propagandists use social media to tarnish the faith of the young.
It is not only Facebook father but media in general. In February I was in one of the parishes talking to youth and when I asked them why many young people are not pursuing vocation to priesthood and religious life as used to be before. One of them told me is because of sex abuse of minors by clergy.
When I asked where they are getting these information one told me he had just read on the Standard about the son of late Martin Shikuku who is suing a bishop who worked in Kenya for abusing him. These are just few examples how media can ruin the youth unless we find a new way to evangelize them”.
The said newspaper was the Standard published on February 9, 2013. It exposed the story of son of late prominent politician, Martin Shikuku alleging years of sexual abuse at the hands of priests in Kenya and abroad.
According to the story, Emmanuel Shikuku, 45, has filed a case in the UK against six men who were part of the Mill Hill Missionaries order. He claims he was a victim of a series of rapes and other forms of abuse between 1978 and 1994.
One of the men he names is former bishop of the Ngong Catholic Diocese Fr Cornelius Schilder, a Dutch national stripped of his duties as a priest in 2009 for allegedly abusing a Maasai herds’ boy.
Emmanuel did not attend his father’s funeral as he was in Germany at the time pursuing his claim. After spending much of the last two decades in Europe, Emmanuel is back in the country to record a statement with police over the alleged crimes.
He has sued six Mill Hill priests — four Dutchmen and two Britons — over sex attacks that allegedly began when he was a nine-year-old altar boy in Mumias.
Speaking exclusively to The Standard on Saturday, Emmanuel described what he termed “the haunting memories of a painful childhood” he suffered as a result of the abuse.
Asked why he has decided to file a complaint after such a long time, he said “shame, guilt and a fear of not being believed” had held him back until recently. He abandoned priesthood training at St Joseph’s College in London in 1994, due to an addiction to alcohol. He says he started drinking to cope with the assaults.
Emmanuel’s claim becomes the third prominent incident of sexual abuse leveled against foreign Catholic priests in Kenya. In 2005, Moses Ole Uka from Ngong accused Fr. Schilder and other Mill Hill priests of abusing him.
In 2009, Fr Renato Sessana, famously known locally as Fr Kizito from Comboni Fathers, was accused by a group of young men of abuse. The case was later thrown out of court due to lack of evidence.
In 2011, he was once again thrust into the limelight on the same charges after one of personal assistants accused him of abusing him after lacing his food with sleeping pills. The police later released him without preferring a charge.
By the time he secured a place at St Joseph’s College in September 1993, Emmanuel said his alcohol abuse had increased to an unmanageable level. Even there, he was also allegedly abused by another priest, a staff member at the college.
While these allegations could be true, I think we should tell our young people that the sin of few priests cannot discourage them from pursuing priesthood and religious vocations. Furthermore, catholic clergy are not more likely to abuse children than other clergy or men in general.
Sexual abuse of a minor by anyone is intrinsically evil according to the moral law and a serious crime according to the civil law. No situation, no motive, or no excuse can justify it—ethically or legally—under any circumstances.
While the injury done to the victim’s spiritual well being is likely to be serious and might well be pastorally irremediable, media is to blame in a way for mainly focusing on sexual abuse by Catholic clergy to a greater extent than they focus on other perpetrators of sexual abuse, in fact a much greater percentage of sexual abuse takes place within families than by clergy of any denomination.
None of this is to suggest that the vast majority of allegations aren’t truthful. But the conclusions that are routinely drawn from revelations of sexual abuses are often wrong e.g., celibacy is the problem, or sexual-abuse rates are higher among the Catholic clergy than, say, rabbis or public-school teachers.
One thing that is often forgotten is that not every allegation is true, and a priest, like anyone else who is falsely accused, deserves the opportunity to defend himself. Indeed, canon law, as much as civil law, gives him that right.
The Catholic Church has a membership of approx 1.2 billion people world wide with about 400,000 priests. If you compare the number of priests accused of sexual abuse to the above numbers it is only a very small percentage.
Young people should therefore know that the majority of priests and religious within the Catholic Church are wonderful, loving, giving people who spend their lives caring for others.
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.com
Facebook-omolo beste
Twitter-@8000accomole
Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.
-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002
Consequences are real………Public Trustee must be accountable.
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson &
Executive Director for
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
email: jbatec@yahoo.com
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Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Why Uhuru’s New York visit will be watched keenly
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping shake hands during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. Mr. Kenyatta urged Kenyan and Chinese businesspeople to adopt strategies that will boost the economy and grow jobs in the two countries. PHOTO | AFP
In Summary
Events of the last six months have seen Mr Kenyatta’s name feature prominently at the United Nations Security Council as the Kenyan government sought to have the International Criminal Court (ICC) criminal proceedings against him and two others terminated.
The subsequent events – like Obama’s ‘snubbing’ of Kenya during his recent African tour – have been seen by many as a confirmation that indeed Mr Johnie Carson, the former Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, was speaking for president Obama when he said that choices have consequences.
UHURU KENYATTA
By B M J Muriithi
In the next three weeks, even before President Uhuru Kenyatta recovers from his Chinese trip jetlag, all eyes will be on him once again as he makes his maiden cross-Atlantic voyage to the United States – his first such trip since becoming Kenya’s president.
And although this will not be a state visit, his presence in New York will nevertheless draw curious glances from both friend and foe, as well as political analysts.
Speaking to the Nation by phone on Monday, Kenya’s ambassador to the UN confirmed that Mr Kenyatta will be attending this year’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Mr Macharia Kamau said the president will, in keeping with tradition, lead the Kenyan delegation to the summit in mid-September.
Mr Kenyatta’s visit will be a first of sorts for several reasons. First of all, it will be the first time that a Kenyan President will be attending the session as a representative of a UN-debt-free-nation. Last November, Kenya was named in the UN roll of honour as one of the member states which had cleared all their outstanding dues.
Out of 193 countries, only 31 were fully paid up and Kenya was among them. During the 2012-2013 UN financial year, Kenya paid over $51.7 million (over Sh4.2 Billion) as its contribution to the regular budget. At the time, Under-Secretary-General Yukio Takasu paid tribute to Kenya, saying the fulfillment of her financial obligations in its entirety is a clear indication of its commitment to the virtues espoused by the global organisation.
Secondly, besides making his maiden speech at the plenary session of heads of state and government, it will also be the first time that the Kenyan leader will be visiting the United States since becoming president.
Ordinarily, the visit would pass for just another African leader routinely attending the august summit. However, events of the last six months have seen Mr Kenyatta’s name feature prominently at the United Nations Security Council as the Kenyan government sought to have the International Criminal Court (ICC) criminal proceedings against him and two others terminated. For this reason alone, many world leaders who may not have met Mr Kenyatta in person will be keen to see the man who was the subject of such intense lobbying.
And then there is the not-too-cosy relationship between Mr Kenyatta and US president Barack Obama.
Although the United Nations Charter declares the UN headquarters in New York autonomous from the United States, a sitting US president is still considered the host head of state owing to the fact that the headquarters are situated on US soil.
It is expected that many will be keenly observing Mr Obama’s body language, especially should he avail a photo opportunity to Mr Kenyatta, which is something he usually does with heads of State and government on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
It will be recalled that in the run up to the last general election in Kenya, a senior official in the Obama administration made the now famous remark which was considered unsavoury by members of the Kenyatta led Jubilee coalition. The subsequent events – like Obama’s ‘snubbing’ of Kenya during his recent African tour – have been seen by many as a confirmation that indeed Mr Johnie Carson, the former Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, was speaking for president Obama when he said that choices have consequences.
It is also not lost on many that the New York visit is coming barely a month before Mr Kenyatta’s trial at the ICC opens in The Hague, slated for November 12.
In May this year, ambassador Kamau wrote a widely publicized letter to the Security Council in which he said that the Kenyatta administration feared possible chaos and violence in the country should the ICC cases go to trial. “What this delegation is asking for is the immediate termination of the case at The Hague,” the letter, stamped as confidential, said in part.
But the envoy’s efforts came a cropper as the Security Council said it can only seek a deferral and does not have the authority to order the ICC to drop a case completely. Besides, key members of the powerful body – including the US and the United Kingdom – are on record as openly opposing any move to have the cases terminated.
Should Mr Obama find a moment for a tete-a-tete with president Kenyatta, I would wish to be a fly on the wall and listen in as the latter would most likely seek an explanation as to why the former has openly endorsed his ICC indictment yet the United States is not a state party to the Rome Statute, which established the international court.
If the discussion takes that direction, I can see Mr Obama trying to change the topic and asking the Kenyan leader what he really sees when he looks East (based on a recent commentary by Mr Kenyatta in which he praised China and other countries).
After a pause, Obama will then seek to know whether the Sh425 Billion deals Kenyatta recently signed with China were tied to any human rights and democratic practice conditions.
I can see Mr Kenyatta trying to suppress an urge to tell the leader of the free world off by asking him whether the money America has continued to spend on Egypt (in excess of US$1.3 Billion annually) even long after it became crystal clear that there is little democracy to write home about in that part of the world was also pegged to such Human Rights principles.
But the son of Jomo will know better than to utter such words in the face of the son of Obama Snr. He will quickly remember that the Gikuyu have a saying which considers it the apex of bad manners to leave a mess in your bed, especially when such bed is offered to you by a man who rules a country on whose soil you stand.
BMJ MURIITHI is a Communication and International Relations major at Atlanta Metropolitan University.
Africa 50: Business as usual will not finance the infrastructure projects needed
Donald Kaberuka.
By Donald Kaberuka
Posted Saturday, August 17 2013 at 11:21
In Summary
The global economy is slowing down. The big question we need to ask is whether or not in this gloomy environment Africa can maintain the pace of the past decade.
No country in the world has been able to maintain seven per cent GPD growth and above sustainably unless the infrastructure bottleneck is overcome.
My own assessment is that Africa can still maintain the momentum if we emphasise inclusive policies.
The progress Africa has been making is in some measure a reflection of our collective efforts in our respective mandates, from peace building, entrenching governance, regional integration and financing infrastructure.
The global economy is slowing down. The big question we need to ask is whether or not in this gloomy environment Africa can maintain the pace of the past decade.
My own assessment is that Africa can still maintain the momentum if: We emphasise inclusive policies, which are not only good politics but also excellent economics; there is greater integration; and there is faster progress on global value chains.
The one thing that can really stop the recent performance in its tracks is infrastructure. No country in the world has been able to maintain seven per cent GPD growth and above sustainably unless the infrastructure bottleneck is overcome.
We are today, all sources combined, hardly able to put together $45 billion a year for infrastructure, leaving an annual gap of a similar volume. We are all doing different things in our respective regions with new initiatives and funds being created, but let us face it, there is limited additionality and no critical mass.
We have not come to a dead end, but we are at a fork in the road. The ongoing initiatives will not bring us to scale.
Business as usual will not finance our infrastructure. Our governments are doing more as they raise more revenues.
This is encouraging; many projects will still require public money, which is why greater efforts at mobilising domestic resources are key. Development partners will continue to be needed.
But the tight financial situation they face is real. Go out there and get ratings. Accessing capital markets, as many countries are doing, is commendable. More countries should get out there and get ratings, provided we can invest wisely and manage debt.
But of course there will be limits. And with the end of quantitative easing, markets at some point will be tight.
The current natural resources boom provides an opportunity for those who have them, provided the taxes and other sources of revenues due are paid. Building on our track record
in infrastructure, we at the African Development Bank have at been reflecting on how to create a vehicle to complement existing instruments.
Study after study has shown that there is a reasonable pool of savings in Africa that can help in funding our development. Those funds are typically invested in European or US paper and are available only if the business proposals are attractive.
Those managing the funds are fiduciaries and they will part with the money only on clear commercial considerations. If that is true for Africa’s pool of savings, it is also true for external savings.
There are three problems: One is the perennial problem of lack of ready-to-go projects.
Secondly is the even larger problem of finding those that are commercially viable and bankable. Lastly, there is the need for a vehicle that does the necessary risk mitigation, credit enhancement, provides investors with assurance of a good return, security and, in the case of central banks, liquidity as well.
Marine police deployed to Todonyang over insecurity
Updated Wednesday, August 21st 2013 at 13:41 GMT +3
By Lucas Ngasike
TURKANA, KENYA: The Kenya Marine police have been deployed to Todonyang border point along Lake Turkana to contain Merille militia threats on Kenya â Ethiopia border.
Turkana Police commander Emmanuel Karisa said the police unit will patrol the area to ward off Ethiopian Merille militia who recently killed 11 fishermen in Lake Turkana and stole five boats and fishing gears.
The Police commander said the officers will set up base in Todonyang.
âThey will be permanently based there to deal with Merille militia who have continued to threaten peace in the region,” Karisa said.
For the last two weeks, the heavily armed militias have crossed to the countryâs border and took 90 percent control of Lake Turkana and dominated fishing activities in the area after they sent locals fleeing for their safety.
Karisa said the marine police will also carry out their security surveillance along Lake Turkana to curb illegal incursion by the militia into Lake Turkana.
Turkana North DC Eric Wanyonyi said the Merille militias had encroached more than 14 km inside Kenyan territory at the river Omo delta in the lake where there are abundant fish stocks.
âWe will soon flush them out from Kenyan territory.We cannot condone armed foreigners crossing into the country to displace locals and take control of Lake Turkana resources,” Wanyonyi said.
The DC said they had also contacted Ethiopian authorities to restrain its people from crossing to Kenya borders with arms.
“We have made it clear to them that they should not blame us for any consequences arising from these illegal incursions,” he added.
The administrator noted that the Merille militias have occupied Kenyan territory citing Lopeilele and Apalokwang deltas which lies inside Kenyan borders.
Their days are numbered, we will soon flush them out from Kenyan waters.Infact where the militia have occupied is a fishing breeding zone which they have interfered with,” Wanyonyi lamented.
Turkana North legislator Christopher Nakuleu accused the Ethiopian authorities of allegedly arming the Militia to take control of Lake Turkana resources.
We know these rogue Merille militia are being armed by Ethiopian authorities to kill Kenyan fishermen and displace them from their homes so that they dominate fishing activities a cross Lake Turkana,” he claimed.
Kenya’s debt jumps, risks raising borrowing costs
August 21st 2013 …..11.10 a.m. 2 hrs. Ago…..
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya’s public debt hit 51.7 percent of national output in the year to June, official figures showed on Wednesday, up from 44.5 percent the previous year and raising questions about the likely yield required for future external borrowing.
The National Treasury said Kenya’s total public debt rose 16 percent to 1.89 trillion shillings in the fiscal year to June.
The east African nation, which plans to spend 1.6 trillion shillings in the fiscal year that began on July 1, has in the past said it aims to reduce its ratio of debt to gross domestic product from around 45 percent in the medium term.
In documents filed to the International Monetary Fund in April, the government put the net total debt to GDP ratio at around 44.5 percent at the end of 2011/12.
The latest figure means that Kenya is likely to hit the 2 trillion shilling mark for its debt in the 2013/14 fiscal budget in which the government plans to plug a deficit of 329.7 billion shillings, or 7.9 percent of GDP, from both foreign and domestic sources.
“The overall increase was attributed to a net increase in both domestic and external borrowing,” the Treasury said in its latest Quarterly Economic Bulletin.
“The increase is unsurprising given that the stabilisation in the public debt level in 2011/12 was largely achieved thanks to high inflation and strong recovery in the Kenyan shilling in late 2011 rather than through less accommodative fiscal policy,” said Mark Bohlund, economist at IHS Global Insight.
“It is still likely to aggravate concerns about longer-term public debt sustainability and thus push up the required yield on a sovereign debt issue.”
The Treasury said in June the gap would be filled by net foreign financing of 223 billion shillings and 106.7 billion net borrowing from the domestic market.
The foreign financing is due to include a debut $1 billion Eurobond the east African economy plans to issue later this year.
The rise in debt also comes at a time when the government is pushing hard to increase its revenue collection, after falling short of targets in 2012/13.
The Treasury said total revenue collected during the period was 847.22 billion shillings, against a target of 915.28 billion shillings, up from 748.17 billion shillings in 2011/12.
The government expects to raise revenues worth 1.027 trillion shillings in 2013/14.
Earlier in the year, the government faced demands for higher public sector wages and a strike by thousands of government employed teachers demanding higher housing, medical and transport allowances, while other civil servants including the police are also clamouring for higher pay.
The government met some of the teachers’ pay demands but put the rest on hold.
Bohlund said Kenya had favourable growth prospects after recent discoveries of oil and China’s pledge to invest in the country’s energy and infrastructure sectors. However, he said the country’s high budget and current account deficits put it among emerging markets that had to offer high interest rates to attract foreign lenders.
In July, Kenya’s central bank held its main lending rate at 8.5 percent.
Investigations show Kitui Deputy CID had premonition about his death
Updated Monday, August 12th 2013 at 21:08 GMT +3
Text message shows Maina could have feared for his life as a police officer is accused of killing him
By CYRUS OMBATI
Slain Kitui Deputy CID boss Zebedeo Maina could have feared for his life.
This emerged as investigations into the killing of the former head of the dreaded Kwekwe Squad were concluded with the report pointing a finger at a fellow police officer.
His colleagues revealed that Maina had sent them text messages that suggested he anticipated his death.
He had sent a message to one of them reading: “Every successful person has a painful story and to every painful story there is successful ending. No one has travelled a road of success without crossing the street of failure. God has never promised us an easy journey in life. No gain without pain. Wish you a blessed day.”
Police handling the probe into his death now plan to send their report, to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The report says Maina was shot in the back near the buttocks.
Released
Deputy Director of Police Reforms King’ori Mwangi, Head of Investigations at CID headquarters Mohamed Amin and Head of Operations Francis Njiru conducted the investigations. They interrogated a number of witnesses and police officers.
Two people who had been arrested over the shooting incident have since been released.
“It is clear that even though he denies it, the killer’s bullet was fired by one of the officers who were at the scene,” conclude the officers in their report.
The shooting has been described as a misadventure. A number of recommendations have been made to the DPP who will in the end determine if any of those named will be charged, officials said.
A test on the guns show one of them and that of Maina are the only ones that fired at the scene. Maina shot once in the air.
Maina, who led the controversial police squad at the height of a Mungiki crack-down, was shot under mysterious circumstances in Kitui town.
Unresolved deaths
He was shot as he led a team of officers to rescue a five-and-half-year-old girl in Kitui town on August 3. The girl had been kidnapped from Nairobi.
Maina joins a list of at least five other officers of the squad who have mysteriously died in the past few years. Their deaths remain unresolved.
But even in death, the mere mention of Maina’s name triggers shivers in the underworld.
He was one of the most ruthless undercover officers of his time, feared by criminals and colleagues alike.
“He was a law unto himself and even we feared him because he would not compromise with a suspect,” said a senior officer who knew him.
From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste
MOLO WORKSHOP TAKE- 3
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013
As we were discussing about the digital parenting and use of social media among the young, this issue of illuminati conspiracy theories about the pope and the Roman Catholic Church emerged.
Rose Cherono, a student from Kenyatta University expressed with concern how some enemies of the Catholic Church post in Facebook to make young people believe that Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI were members of illuminati.
Catholicism has long been the target of rumors that it is a key player in a wide-ranging conspiracy that alleges that there is a global organization of powerful elites called the Illuminati that controls world events and is working to establish a New World Order government to rule the world.
Contributing to the debate, students from Kenyatta University said that the enemies do not only target young people, they want them join their club so that they can become members of such propaganda.
Twitter, a reliable hotbed for the latest assertions by conspiracy-watchers around the world, was on fire with such rumors throughout the day on Thursday when Pope Benedict was resigning. One of the most popular tweets connecting the pope to the Illuminati came, unsurprisingly, from the popular @TheIlluminati account.
“The pope resigned because he’s joining the illuminati,” the account wrote, garnering 70 retweets within two hours of the message being posted.
The propagandists also try to identify the current pope, Francis with illuminati because of being a Jesuit. The propagandists argue that the Jesuits are in firm control of the faith and of the mind because of their underground network of Masonic Illuminati linked to Black Magic circles and all these new religious movements through people like Massimo Introvigne and the Opus Dei.
They argue that Opus Dei is the real Catholic Masonic lobby of today, working at very high levels in the Government and political parties like Alleanza Nazionale.
The Jesuit Order, the propagandists argue is now promoting a specific Rite of Freemasonry called the Rectified Scottish Rite, which is a more Christian Rite.
A variety of conspiracy theories about the Catholic Church has also gained international attention when author Dan Brown’s popular novels, including 2003 best-seller “The DaVinci Code,” discussed a number of conspiracy theories about the founding of Christianity and the history of Catholicism, including the concept that there was a fight between the shadowy Priory of Sion and Opus Dei groups over the possibility that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene.
Yet still, relativistic statements such as, “You’ve got your truth and I’ve got mine,” or “Jesus was just one of many great spiritual leaders,” are becoming accepted in our society.
Are our youth fully trained in how to respond to these challenges? How can they be fully prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within them? How better are they equipped in knowing why they believe the claims of Christianity rather than those of some other belief system?
If these problems are not addressed properly, as a result, the young are in danger of either leaving the church altogether or exploring other avenues to satisfy their spiritual appetites.
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.com
Facebook-omolo beste
Twitter-@8000accomole
Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.
-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002
Africa’s technology landscape is vast and growing. It is ripe for expansion and is increasingly becoming an attractive environment for companies (local and international) to set up shop and invest.
The people on this list have taken advantage of this growth and have established themselves as pioneers in the industry. Some of them are investors, others are entrepreneurs and bloggers, but a common thread is that they are all African and are behind some of the most inspiring and innovative companies in tech.
1. Elon Musk – SpaceX
South African born founder of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), Elon Musk has proven what can be achieved when innovation and creativity are expertly blended. The company’s SpaceX Dragon recently successfully completed its first commercial cargo mission to the International Space Station. In May 2012 the company’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule grabbed international headlines by successfully launching from Cape Canaveral in the US and becoming the first space launch by a private company in the history of space flight.
2. Dr. Hamadoun Touré – ITU
The Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) was re-elected for a second four-year term in October 2010. He is widely acknowledged for placing emphasis on ICT as a driver of social and economic development and has previously served as Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) from 1998 – 2006. Born in Mali, Dr Touré is also known for his contribution to telecommunications throughout Africa, having championed the implementation of outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and launching projects based on partnerships with key global stakeholders.
3. Mike Adenuga – Globacom
Mike Adenuga is the founder of Nigerian multinational telecommunications company Globacom Limited (Glo), based in Lagos. The telecommunications company was established in 2003 and is owned by the Mike Adenuga Group. Initially launched in Nigeria, the company has extended its reach to the Republic of Benin, Ghana and the Ivory Coast. In 2012 Adenuga featured on Forbes’ Africa’s 40 Richest list – his net worth of $4.6 billion earning him the rank of second wealthiest Nigerian.
4. Strive Masiyiwa – Econet Wireless
Born in Zimbabwe, Masiyiwa is the founder of telecommunications services Group, Econet Wireless. Masiyiwa successfully fought a landmark 5 year legal battle in Zimbabwe beginning in 1998, which effectively ended the state’s monopoly in the country’s telecommunications sector. The company provides services related to mobile cellular telephony, fixed networks, enterprise networks, fibre optic cables and satellite services. Masiyiwa’s achievements and list of personal accolades include ’10 Most Outstanding Young Persons of the World’, ’15 Global Influentials of the Year’, Builders of Modern Africa and ’20 Most Powerful Business People in African Business’.
Born June 15, 1954, Egyptian businessman and politician Naguib Sawiris is reported to have a net worth of $2.5 billion. He was executive chairman of the telecommunications companies Wind Telecom and Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH) before turning to politics in May 2011. Orascom Telecom Holdings has 20,000 employees and manages 11 GSM operators around the world. He is considered a nationalist and supporter of liberalism. He favored a gradual transition during the 2011 Egyptian revolution and played a mediating role between the protesters and Hosni Mubarak’s people. Although he expressed concerns about the military caretaker government he favored changes that increased democracy and stability.
6. Ronen Apteker, Founder of Internet Solutions
South African entrepreneur Ronen Apteker co-founded the country’s first commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP), Internet Solutions. Established in 1993, the company provides connectivity, communications, cloud and carrier services to organisations in the public and private sector, as well as to the consumer market via its wholesale offerings. Apteker is a noted author and respected entrepreneur, with titles like Trading Spaces and Funny Business…the secrets of an accidental entrepreneur under his belt. He remains a regular contributor to South Africa’s business and financial press.
7. Mark Shuttleworth – Ubuntu
South African entrepreneur and philanthropist Mark Shuttleworth funded the development of Ubuntu, a free operating system for desktops, servers and mobile phones. He also founded Thawte in 1995 and sold the digital certificate and Internet security company to VeriSign in 1999 for R3,9 billion. In 2000 he formed HBD Venture Capital and later also established Canonical Ltd. in support of software projects. In 2002 he achieved international acclaim as the second self-funded space tourist and the first South African in space. Shuttleworth has also elevated the profile of local business leadership through the establishment of the Shuttleworth Foundation. This is a non-profit organisation that provides funding for social innovators and entrepreneurs.
8. Leo-Stan Ekeh – Zinox Technologies
Nigerian entrepreneur Leo-Stan Ekeh is the Chairman of Zinox Technologies. He is credited with supplying the core technology infrastructure for the country’s 2011 voter’s registration. This feat earned Ekeh national awards, including Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic and Life Membership of the Institute of International Affairs. He is also on record as having pioneered the first Nigerian internationally certified computer brand, Zinox Computers and has contributed extensively to desktop publishing, computer graphics and the distribution of ICT products across West Africa.
9. Hakeem Belo-Osagie – Etisalat
Hakeem Belo-Osagie’s reported net worth of $400 million earned him the 40th position on Forbes’Africa’s 40 Richest list. As Chairman of the Board of Directors of Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Ltd., trading under the Etisalat brand, Belo-Osagie has contributed towards the growth of an established, global telecommunication company. A dedicated philanthropist, he is said to be one of the largest donors to the African Leadership Academy, a Johannesburg-based institution that focuses on leadership development.
10. Stafford Masie – Thumbzup
Former Google South Africa country manager, 38-year-old Stafford Masie has been in the technology industry for many years and recently made headlines for establishing Thumbzup, a South African payment innovations company. A noted speaker and renowned entrepreneur, Masie is passionate about the development of local technology for local needs. His business grabbed the attention of the domestic market when it struck a deal with one of South Africa’s largest banks, ABSA, for the integration and distribution of the Payment Pebble, a world-first, plug-in mobile payment device. Under the agreement, ABSA will provide the Payment Pebble as a value added service to small business owners and merchants from 2013.
11. Jason Njoku – iROKO Partners
Jason Njoku is widely acknowledged for bringing Nigerian entertainment to the world, via the Net. Through iROKO Partners, Njoku has helped to raise the profile of ‘Nollywood’ and Afrobeats within the international film and performing arts industry. The company is marketed as the world’s largest online distributor of African movies and music. iROKO Partners was launched in December 2010 and according to its website, the company has built a global audience of over 6 million unique users from 178 countries.
12. Herman Chinery-Hesse – SOFTtribe
Herman is a software engineer by profession. 19 years ago he co-founded SOFTtribe limited, one of the leading software houses in West Africa. He holds a number of directorships and is an Assessor of the Commercial Court, Ghana. He has won a number of personal awards including Outstanding Ghanaian Professional from the GPA Awards (UK), as well as the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Texas State Alumni Association and Texas State University-San Marcos (USA)—the first and currently only African recipient of the award. Herman has also been a resource person and visiting speaker at the Wharton Business School, Harvard Business School, Cambridge University, the University of Ghana, and the TED Global Conference in Arusha, Tanzania, amongst others. The BBC describes Mr Chinery-Hesse as Africa’s Bill Gates. Today SOFTtribe’s clients include Unilever, Guinness Breweries Ghana Limited, Pricewaterhouse-Ghana, the British High Commission, Ghana’s Millennium Development Authority, Ghana National Petroleum Company, Zenith Bank, Cargill and a host of other government, multinational and private sector blue-chip clients. SOFTtribe’s reach includes Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire.
13. Ory Okolloh – Activist, Lawyer and blogger, founder of Ushahidi
Ory Okolloh started out as an impassioned blogger who wanted to democratize information and increase transparency through her website, Mzalendo (Swahili for patriot). When disputed presidential election results led to violent unrest in her native Kenya, Okolloh helped create Ushahidi (Swahili for “Witness”), a tool that collected and mapped eyewitness reports of violence using text messages and Google Maps. A few years on, this activist has emerged as one of the most powerful tech figures in Africa, currently serving as Google’s policy manager for the continent. It is a tremendous accomplishment for a woman who started out just blowing off steam.
14. Seun Osewa – creator of Nairaland
The creator of the online community Nairaland, Nigerian researcher, programmer and webmaster Seun Osewa has made a definite impact on political and social discourse in his country of birth. Recent stats reveal that Nairaland has attracted over a million members and is amongst the top ten most visited sites in Nigeria according to Alexa.com.
15. Robert Sussman – co-founder and joint CEO, the Integr8 Group
The origins of the Integr8 Group can be traced back to the year 2000, when co-founder and joint CEO Rob Sussman saw a gap in the market for an operator who could offer unrivalled, proactive IT service and support. Since inception, the company has grown from a modest IT services operation to emerge as South Africa’s largest privately owned Managed IT Services provider. Recently it made headlines when Integr8 IT, the IT management specialist firm within the Group, was acquired by systems integrator Business Connexion for an estimated R126 million. Sussman helped establish, drive and direct what has now emerged as Africa’s largest publicly traded IT Company.
16. Emeka Okoye – Next2Us
Emeka Okoye is the CEO of Vikantti Software and CTO & co-founder of Next.2.us. The latter is a website that focuses on geosocial connectivity using various applications, including SMS and mobile phones. Okoye has over 17 years’ experience in Web, Enterprise & Mobile Software and Project Management. He graduated as a Geologist in 1990 but being passionate about software engineering, he built Nigeria’s first banking website (IBTC, 1996) and Internet Banking app (IBTC, 1997), co-founded one of Nigeria’s earliest start-ups and built the biggest Nigerian Portal (NgEx.com, 1997) and was the Project Manager/Lead Architect of Nigeria’s first major E-commerce Project in 2000 (FSB Bank, Valucard, UPS & Xerox, 2000).
Gbenga Sesan is a member of the Committee of eLeaders for Youth and ICT at the United Nations Department of Economic & Social Affairs. Sesan has completed executive education programs at a number of globally recognised institutions including Harvard University, Oxford University and Stanford University. According to his online profile, CNN listed him as one of the Top 10 African Tech Voices. Gbenga was Nigeria’s first IT Youth Ambassador and also held the position of Vice Chair of the UN Economic Commission for Africa’s African Technical Advisory Committee.
18. Stuart Forrest – owner and CEO of Triggerfish Animation Studios
Forrest is the owner of Triggerfish Animation Studios, an established operator within the marketing and advertising industry in South Africa. Media reports have described the venture as “Africa’s answer to Dreamworks, Disney and Pixar” and the company has produced several projects including the animated features “Zambezia” and “Khumba”. The offerings have catapulted the Studio to international acclaim, with Zambezia attracting the interest of Sony as a distributor to English-speaking territories – reportedly the first time a South African feature has secured US distribution of this level.
19. Wael Ghonim – Nabadat/ Google
Egyptian Google executive Wael Ghonim, is the head of marketing in the MEA region. He is also the Chairman of Nabadat, an NGO. Ghonim is credited with using Facebook as a tool to inspire the ousting of the Hosni Mubarak regime. He was also featured on Time Magazine’s list of ‘100 most in_ uential people of 2011’
20. Loy Okezie – Techloy.com
Few have made an impact on the online landscape in Nigeria as Loy Okezie has. Currently living in Lagos, Okezie started the technology news and research website Techloy.com to highlight the importance and development of Nigeria’s technology ecosystem. Since its creation, Techloy has grown to be one of Nigeria’s biggest technology websites. Started more than four years ago, Okezie now serves as Chief Editor, where he is responsible for the website’s editorial direction. His blog was voted ‘Best Technology Blog’ in Nigeria at the recently concluded Nigerian Blog Awards 2012.
http://africanleadership.co.uk/?p=852
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From: Judy Miriga
Date: Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 4:21 PM
Subject: AMERICAN CHOICE FOR RAILA HAVE CONSEQUENCES AS CHINA GIVES SHS 425BN TO KENYA
To: jbatec@yahoo.com
From: Judy Miriga
My Good Friends,
Do not smear Obama’s name on liking Raila to Obama as buddies………the two are such a big contrast. The two are not anywhere close to each other, they are on parallel line. One is terribly corrupt with a passion and the other is a man of the people. I would rather you say, Raila is Clintons friend, Graca Machel with Jesse Jackson and not Obama.
One is West and the other is extreme East. Raila belongs to a camp that works with China and Asianic who are after taking power from the West to East. Connect the dots and get your facts right……..Kenya is therefore in jeopardy as it is central in Africa and it will turn the battle ground of the West and the East; which is why, because of peace, Raila should go home to retire and rest.
Tyranny of Numbers made it clear that, although the white population is decreasing in the world and for them to retain power in order to control the world, they are forced to create Coalition Camps with those like minded who have population manpower for labor reserve and that constitutes numbers. With this number, they are able to spread their wings across the world to have their economic and political deals done for them. In this case, China with Asian communities from Asianic Territories, having been Colonized and rose to join Partnerships and Allys with the Whites from working hard, acquired the technique and used the same on their target groups. America therefore is a formation of immigrants, having driven the Red Indians who were the original natives of America. In other words, New Americans was therefore formed by the first migrant settlers from Europe, Asia etc., America as a result is formed by Nationals from all over the world Africa included. It is a Nation of Nationals of the world. The only difference is that, Africans were brought to America as Slaves from Africa.
Now over time, the Asianic community became partners of deal making doing business with the world. Because of this, Chinese economy rose too quickly to compete with that of the White minority because of their common unity within Asian Territorial factors.
America’s Corporate Special Business Interest are however divided into two. 1) Those who have decided to team with Chinese under unscrupulous greedy deals with Asianic labour force to share their wealth with China through extreme corruption with impunity, prefer to kill the Constitutional Just Rule of Law with Central Governing system so they are able to avoid guiding principles of regulations except Grab Land for free, Trade for Free and evade paying taxes to the Government ……. 2) while those of European Coalition Community prefer Democracy principles that provide community organization to share wealth with the world under Mutual Partnership, with Fair Sharing of resources; where opportunity for common good is available to all…….and where, those who strive for progressive development to improve lifestyle gets the a chance to do so without suppression, discrimination, intimidation or marginalization.
Today, Africa has what it takes in the New Global Emerging Market, and the focus being put in Africa by the world does not mean that Africa will get it easy without meeting challenges or engaging in the Coalition of Partnership Deals with either the West or the East. In this case, Raila and Uhuru with their connection chose to go East.
During Clintons leadership, Clinton mapped out where to connect with his business network and where to lay his investments; more specifically targeting Africa. Unfortunately, his engagement with Africa notably; Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Libya with Ivory Coast seriously backfired very badly. His engagement there caused more harm than good. In other words, Clintons Policy in Africa elevated extreme extra-judicial killings, poverty, pain and sufferings.
Show-Case:
Having Samuel Doe and Charles Taylor as their point men in Libya, killings, stealing and looting from the Liberians, taking their wealth and resources for free, did not go down well between the people of Liberia with their corrupt leaders where Charles Taylor perfected the art of embezzlement after joining Samuel Doe’s Government. It resulted in Taylors conviction and jail by the ICC Hague.
It is exactly a replica of what you see Raila and Uhuru are engage in ……. they do not want to allow Democracy to work well for the people, instead, they are staging Drama to sway their agenda of embezzlement and stealing from the people. The same is the reason why Congo was made a puppet of Kagame’s boxing bag. The same is why Museveni is stealing from Kenya taking Migingo unconstitutionally.
To cut the long story short, I want to let you know that, Obama is not corrupt, he does not belong to Raila Club; if he was he would not have bothered to sponsor THE CONSTITUTION of Kenya. It is because of Obama Kenya has the Constitution.
Those who are fighting the Constitution of Kenya, want to sneak in dangerous clauses to protect their thieving and stolen wealth and natural resources goods from the people of Kenya with the rest of Africa. Raila was caught Red-Handed dipping his hands in the Honey Jar, demanding for Referendum to quench his greedy thirst and realized, he was boxing himself to a corner.
The Constitution made America powerful for 260 years. The Constitution is the landmark for Peace and Unity in diversity……which means, leaders are guided with it to deliver services to their people or the constituency and to deliberate to protect public interest who voted them to Represent them through enactment of policies that are of public interest and mandate.
Raila is equal to Taylor, and therefore, a very big problem Kenya have……..if Kenyans do not watch and confront leaders with the truth, Kenya is headed Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast style………
Wake up people and connect the dots…….signs of the time are here……..Peace and Liberty in pursuit for happiness is crucial……..No one want war, Unite and shame the devil………
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
– – – – – – – – – – –
From: account146w qt4
Sent: Monday, August 19, 2013 11:47 AM
Subject: AMERICAN CHOICE FOR RAILA HAVE CONSEQUENCES AS CHINA GIVES SHS 425BN TO KENYA
Mr. Mohamed
You have put it well, choices have consequences. Only that consequences are on both sides. On earth here nothing is free. Super power like China or USA or UK always win in the long run. Experience have shown that when a developed country puts 5 billion in africa they end up collecting 20 to 30 billion from that investment. Time will tell in the long run. But past events have shown how africa has been exploited and still being exploited. Foreigners put 1 dollar but collect 10 to 20 dollars in return, leaving africa to linger in constant poverty since freedom came to african countries .
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 09:36:36 -0700
From: mhmdwarsama@ . . .
Subject: AMERICAN CHOICE FOR RAILA HAVE CONSEQUENCES AS CHINA GIVES SHS 425BN TO KENYA
President Obama’s choice of defeated Cord presidential candidate Raila Odinga have grave long-term consequences for US position of dominance in Kenya.
State House in Nairobi has just announced that President Kenyatta, visiting China, and his host President Xi Jinping have today signed Kshs 425bn deal for economic, wildlife, energy and railway projects.
Choices have consequences indeed. Welcome ICC short for International Chinese Companies.
Mohamed Warsama
From: Maurice Oduor
Sent: Monday, August 19, 2013 12:16 PM
Subject: DIGGING THE AFRICAN WEALTH BY FORCE
Somebody should comment on this; I won’t and I won’t say why.
Courage
On Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 12:30 PM, account146w qt4 wrote:
Good people;
A quick scan of things happening in the world today reveals a surprising number of facts, or perhaps not so surprising, considering the network of sources, including politicians or african leaders that should develop africa instead of selling it.
Sources now reveal that when Obama the son of an african male was in Tanzania for state visit; G.W: Bush the former USA president was also in the same country. What made a democratic president and a former republican president come together in Africa??.
The two leaders though come from 2 different political parties had the same agenda for USA. That is USA interest in Africa.
G.W. Bush and Obama met Tanzanian leaders and made an agreement that USA continues to own the mines it had in Tanzania despite the present Chinese influence in the continent. Documents were signed to prolong USA interest in Tanzania.
Now the kenyan president also so scared of his country´s economy and how to feed his own people have reached for help from China; Signing a so called help loan worth 5 billion USA dollars. That is a lot of money for a developing country.
What remains to be asked is this: How will Tanzanians gain from Mines USA holds?. Or What has the present Kenyan president promised Chinese to get 5 billion USA dollar as an aid packet?. Are kenyan mines and oil now finding their routes to China??
The Cannibal Warlords of Liberia (Full Length Documentary)
Published on Jun 13, 2012
VICE travels to West Africa to rummage through the messy remains of a country ravaged by 14 years of civil war. Despite the United Nation’s eventual intervention, most of Liberia’s young people continue to live in abject poverty, surrounded by filth, drug addiction, and teenage prostitution. The former child soldiers who were forced into war have been left to fend for themselves, the murderous warlords who once led them in cannibalistic rampages have taken up as so-called community leaders, and new militias are lying in wait for the opportunity to reclaim their country from a government they rightly mistrust.
Hosted by Shane Smith | Originally released in 2009 at http://vice.com
The Violent Coast: Liberia and Sierra Leone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVtvflEKx_0
Published on Mar 6, 2013
Holidays in the Danger Zone (BBC)
cry freetown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WHl2UmJXYU
Uploaded on Oct 19, 2011
No description available.
Why I killed So Many Liberians, The Demonic confession of General Butt Naked
Uploaded on Sep 14, 2011
This is a never before seen confession of one of Liberia most feared warlord and his time under the control of satan. He talks about how he became introduced into the satanic realm when he was a boy. This video was recently made and publish in Liberia. I hope you enjoy it and share the links with others.
Conflict in Sierra Leone – True Story of South African Mercenaries
Conflict in Sierra Leone – True Story of South African Mercenaries
Uploaded on Jul 4, 2009
The RUF were bastards, and Executive Outcomes and the former SADF and others kicked their asses. The United Nations sucks.
Tone Bez Sierra Leone civil war
Uploaded on Aug 26, 2011
FAN PAGE http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tone-be… music/211820068869676FOLLOW @tonebez DOWNLOAD LINK!
The Forgotten War: Sierra Leone Civil War Sorious Samura civilwarcrimes rebel civlian Africa atrocities brutality summary execution beating history documentary civil war africa culture.
Produced by Jesse Jagz
Directed by Mex of PXC
THERE ARE MANY VERSIONS BUT THIS IS THE ORIGINAL FROM THE CHOCOLATE CITY!
Children of War – Sierra Leone – January 2000
Published on May 16, 2012
This is the story of the child soldiers who were drugged with cocaine to make them fight in a war fuelled by blood diamonds, and the child victims of mutilations. Can a permanent world court bring justice to a lost generation?
A deeply moving report on Sierra Leone’s children of war.
Sherieff Koroma is today in a schoolroom learning to read and write. Earlier in the year he was living a different life, his nickname was Captain Cut-Hand. After his house was burnt down by the RUF he escaped to the bush only to be found by rebels. They gave him the choice “do we kill you, or do you join us.” He was then drugged up with cocaine and sent out to fight, mutilations became his trademark. With a smile on his face he describes how he earned respect as a brave fighter. “Whenever we attacked we children went first. We were fearless.” With enough drugs, and with no other family apart from the rebels, children like Sherieff were easily manipulated. It is the child fighters who’ve been responsible for the worst atrocities in Sierra Leone. Isattu Kargbo, a girl the same age as Sherieff, recalls the day four boys came and cut off her hand. RUF leader Foday Sankoh vehemently denies his ‘freedom fighters’ are responsible for such mutilations. In an interview here, he blames the Nigerian led peacekeepers ECO
MOG, “It’s all lies” he says. The RUF he leads has no other purpose than to sustain itself and maintain power in Sierra Leone. It gathers wealth from the Sierra Leoneon diamond mines it controls. Sankoh believes that “the people were crying for war, and that was answered by God.” Yet the people caught up in the war are sending out different prayers. “Sometines I get an urge to chop off more hands,” Sherieff tells us, “I pray to God to remove this urge. I pray to God to help me kill myself.”
SABC
The Blood on Jesse Jackson’s Hands
This is the true story of how Jesse Jackson unleashed a sadistic warlord on the suffering people of Sierra Leone.
http://www.concern-liberians.org/chat_room/view_topic.php?id=85694
http://www.weirdrepublic.com/episode79.htm
Posted: Wed Aug 14th, 2013 05:05 am
Part One: The Long Slide Into Hell
Our former president Jimmy Carter tells us that Liberia’s former “President William Tolbert enjoyed worldwide acceptance as an enlightened Christian layman, having been the elected leader of the Baptist World Alliance, representing almost all organizations of this major Protestant faith.” (New York Times 7/13/03) On April 12th, 1980 a Liberian army sergeant assigned to a beach patrol near the Liberian president’s home directed his platoon to the presidential palace and surprised President Tolbert in his bed, where the president was promptly disemboweled. Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe personally cut out President Tolbert’s liver and heart and ritually mutilated the organs; he left his teeth marks in the flesh; he would later nail Tolbert’s liver to a wall of the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia. Within hours of his murder, thirteen of President Tolbert’s cabinet ministers were bound to telephone poles on a Monrovia beach and shot to death by drunken soldiers loyal to the illiterate Sergeant Doe. Thus
began Liberia’s descent into ruin and depravity.
As the new self-appointed ruler of Liberia, Samuel Doe briefly indulged in a flirtation with Libya and then astutely aligned Liberia with the United States. Despite mounting evidence of increasing atrocities, Washington increased military aid to Liberia. Few questions were asked.
In 1985, Samuel Doe staged an election to legitimize his regime and then rigged the outcome. The United States assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Chester A. Crocker, announced that Liberia had enjoyed “the beginning, however imperfect, of a democratic experience.” It was all a fraud. Washington’s solid support for Samuel K. Doe sent a clear message to all Liberians that any moderate opposition to the barbaric President Doe was futile.
After the coup of April 1980, a Liberian citizen named Charles Taylor, who was then living in the United States, returned to Liberia and insinuated himself into Samuel Doe’s inner circle. Charles Taylor had entered the United States on a student visa in 1972. He had attended Chamberlayne Junior College in Newton, Mass and later attended Bentley College in Waltham, Mass. He had graduated in 1977 with a degree in economics. In 1983 Doe’s government accused Taylor of embezzling nearly a million dollars. Embezzlement was Doe’s chosen word for Taylor’s failure to make kickbacks. Taylor fled back to the United States.
Responding to a complaint from the Liberian government, American authorities arrested Taylor in Boston in 1984 and held him for extradition. Taylor was represented by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who would later join Saddam Hussein’s defense team.
After cooling his heels in the slammer for more than a year, Taylor teamed up with four petty criminals and together they escaped from the Plymouth House of Correction by cutting his cell bars with a hacksaw blade and climbing down a bunch of knotted bed sheets. Later he would claim that God “opened the prison doors for me.”
After his jailbreak, Taylor found his way to Ghana where he hooked up with Liberian dissidents. Taylor befriended revolutionaries from Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Libya. In Libya the government intelligence apparatus put the willing Mr. Taylor through al-Mathabh al-Thauriya al-Alamiya – in English: World Revolutionary Headquarters. It was a school for leftist “revolutionary” guerrillas from every part of Africa. It was at Colonel Qaddafi’s school for thugs that Charles Taylor befriended a former Sierra Leone army corporal named Foday Sankoh.
The Invasion
Fortified with money and weapons supplied by Colonel Qaddafi and with the financial and political support of Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, Charles Taylor made his move on Samuel Doe’s Liberia.
On Christmas Eve of 1989, Charles Taylor led a band of 100 guerrillas into Liberia’s northern Nimba County from neighboring Ivory Coast and sparked a civil war that would continue for fourteen years. By the time he was forced from power in 2003 the conflicts he had ignited had swept away the lives of more than 300,000 Africans and uprooted millions of others who scattered into half a dozen West African nations. Taylor carried about a map that he called the map of Greater Liberia which included parts of Guinea and the diamond fields of Sierra Leone. He was a man with a grandiose plan.
Among Charles Taylor’s “revolutionary” innovations was the formation of his notorious Small Boys Units, contingents of intensely loyal child soldiers, some as young as five years old. These boy soldiers revered Charles Taylor as “our father;” he fed them a steady diet of marijuana and crack cocaine.
As many as 10,000 child soldiers fought in Liberia’s last three years of civil war – the final swell of carnage in fourteen years of conflict. Battlefield commanders prized these little fighters for their unquestioning obedience and their lack of comprehension of the suffering of others.
Taylor’s officers would demand that boys kill their parents and family members, thereby breaking the ultimate African taboo. Taylor’s commanders would recruit heavily from the vast pool of younger males who were frustrated by the authority of their elders and who lacked the “bride wealth” to get on with their lives. Rather than waiting years to inherit dowry wealth from their fathers and uncles, Taylor espoused a smash-and-grab take-it-now philosophy. Young recruits were plied with methamphetamines, marijuana and crack cocaine to blunt all qualms and to sharpen a killer mentality. The little soldiers were given license to rape and plunder.
All the while he was eroding the traditional African respect for elders, Charles Taylor was substituting himself as an enthralling all-powerful elder authority over the young troopers who maimed and slaughtered in his name.
Taylor’s “boys” ran amok, indulging in ritual mutilations, impromptu amputations and cannibalism. Women and children were not spared. Taylor’s boys slaughtered five American nuns.
According to the New York Times (4/2/06),
“Mr. Taylor also co-opted the secret societies that dominate life in many West African countries, like the Poro hunting society in Liberia. This gave him access to a world of unseen power and allowed him to project an aura of mystery and invincibility. Rumors that he practiced cannibalism, human sacrifice and blood atonement rituals merely added to his mystique.”
In September 1990 President Doe was captured, tortured and dismembered. By 1991 Taylor’s forces held sway over ninety percent of Liberia and were applying pressure to its weakened government. Taylor deployed his militias to seize control of the Liberian economy, of its natural abundance of timber and raw materials. He controlled hundreds of millions of dollars worth of trade as well as booty from smuggling and drug trafficking.
Making Matters Worse
In March of 1991, Charles Taylor began encouraging his fellow gangster, Foday Sankoh, to ignite a war in neighboring Sierra Leone – a nation Taylor coveted as part of his imaginary Greater Liberia. With Taylor’s support, Sankoh’s troopers went straight for Sierra Leone’s diamond mines. They called their greedy gang the Revolutionary United Front (RUF); they referred to Sierra Leone as their Kuwait because of the wealth it would provide them. In every meaningful sense, the monstrous Foday Sankoh was a creature of Charles Taylor. Without Taylor there would not have been a Revolutionary United Front.
Horrific mayhem laid both countries to waste during Bill Clinton’s budding presidency. Two hundred thousand of Liberia’s three million citizens were slaughtered. Taylor agreed to 13 peace treaties, but only did so when he needed time to rearm. He trashed all thirteen agreements: It was a methodology he had learned from Colonel Qaddafi. When Taylor felt his grip on Liberia was firm, he pushed for a “free and open” election for the presidency of Liberia. But every citizen understood that if Taylor lost the election he would unleash his AK-47-toting, machete-wielding Small Boys Units on the population.
In short, the 1997 election was conducted “in an atmosphere of intimidation,” to quote the U.S. State Department. With armed children running amok in the streets chanting “He killed my pa. He killed my ma. I’ll vote for him,” Charles Taylor garnered seventy-five percent of the vote.
As Charles Taylor tightened his grip on Liberia, Foday Sankoh’s Revolutionary United Front was suffering setbacks in Sierra Leone. The government had contracted the services of a private South African security firm named Executive Outcomes which arrived in May of 1995 and began inflicting grief on the RUF. By early 1996 Sankoh’s guerrillas had been evicted from the diamond fields that had bankrolled his homicidal ventures. The RUF had been severely weakened by Executive Outcomes.
In February of 1996 the United Nations sent election monitors to Sierra Leone and allowed a veteran UN official named Ahmad Tejan Kabbah to step outside his UN role and run for president of Sierra Leone. Mr. Kabbah won the election with far more votes than voters. President Kabbah then asked the well-armed Nigerians to become his protectors. The Nigerians were only too happy to oblige and promptly established a heroin trafficking hub at the Freetown airport.
By the end of 1996 the Revolutionary United Front appeared to be a hollow shell. It was then that President Kabbah did something nearly fatal: he made “peace” with Foday Sankoh and agreed to terminate his government’s contract with Executive Outcomes. Soon thereafter, in May of 1997, disaffected government troops stormed the Freetown prison, released hundreds of condemned criminals and RUF officers, and then seized the reins of government. President Kabbah ran off to neighboring Guinea. Then the coup bossmen invited Foday Sankoh and the RUF to join their junta. Altogether they tore up the constitution; they festooned the hills surrounding Freetown with artillery pieces and then they threatened to bombard the city if anyone complained. They massacred and mutilated civilians; they abducted girls as sex slaves; they forced villagers to toil in the diamond mines. Order would not be restored until Britain, Sierra Leone’s former colonial ruler, sent in troops in 2000.
In short order the RUF took control of the junta and established goon rule: the political opposition was punished with rape, amputations or death. Judicial due process was suspended; civic leaders were locked away.
Sankoh’s troops pounced on the diamond fields of Kono and Tongo. Soon rough uncut diamonds were being ferried away to Liberia in Charles Taylor’s military helicopters. Thereafter, Liberia became a big-time exporter of diamonds even though Liberia itself produced few diamonds.
Just when it seemed that the lives of the citizens of Liberia and Sierra Leone couldn’t get any more grim, Bill Clinton took an interest in these unhappy nations.
Part Two: Clinton’s Disastrous Special Envoy
Bill Clinton was determined to avoid any African entanglements. He had ignored Rwanda as it slid into savage chaos in 1994, when the intervention of a single American battalion would have averted that humanitarian disaster; Clinton was not about to rescue Sierra Leone in 1998. Clinton punted African affairs to his secretary of state Madeline Albright who then fobbed African policy off onto the Congressional Black Caucus – a Democrat power block in Congress. Clinton never offered an opinion about anything African without first consulting Congressman Donald Payne (D., N.J.) of the Black Caucus or Clinton’s soul mate, Jesse Jackson. Every gesture of Clinton’s administration toward Liberia was crafted to legitimize the warlord Charles Taylor.
President Taylor had achieved so much personal control of the Liberian economy that folks had taken to referring to Liberia as Charles Taylor, Inc. The tight circle of friends around Bill Clinton saw in Charles Taylor a man they could deal with. To inaugurate their relationship, a private meeting was arranged between President Taylor and Jesse Jackson whom Bill Clinton had personally designated as his “special envoy” to Liberia.
In February of 1998 Jesse Jackson touched down at the Monrovia airport. Waiting to greet him was a Liberian named Romeo Horton. Mr. Horton had gone to college in the United States and he had traveled between the two countries for two decades. In the early 1980s Horton was in one of Master Sergeant Samuel Doe’s jail cells when Jackson and others appealed for his release. Jackson later met Horton in Chicago.
Romeo Horton’s presence at Jackson’s arrival in Monrovia was stagecrafted by the warlord Charles Taylor. Taylor had summoned Horton back to Liberia to brief him about Jesse Jackson. The last thing Taylor wanted was a sermon on human rights from Clinton’s “special envoy.” His worries were baseless. Because of the helpful Mr. Horton, Jackson’s audience with the Liberian gangster on February 12th, 1998 was all smiles. These two hustlers were ready to do business. It was in the Clinton Administration’s interest to mainstream Charles Taylor. Clinton was keen to avoid any African entanglements; he saw Charles Taylor as someone with whom he could deal.
Soon after this meeting, Nigerian troops liberated Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. Foday Sankoh’s troops retreated across the border into Liberia where they were welcomed by Sankoh’s mentor and partner in mass murder, Charles Taylor.
In early March of 1998 Sierra Leone’s exiled president, Ahmad Kabbah, returned to his homeland. A mere two weeks later, Bill Clinton and an enormous entourage of “friends of Bill” entered Liberian airspace on a fun-filled taxpayer-funded African safari. (Transportation costs alone were $42.8 million.) It was then that Bill Clinton emboldened Charles Taylor with thirty minutes of encouragement during a telephone downlink from Air Force One. The airborne entourage included Jackson and lots of his business pals who were in Africa to make a financial killing.
Just before Bill Clinton’s big African adventure, Nigeria’s dictator Sani Abacha had announced his intention to run as the one-and-only unopposed candidate for president of Nigeria. People with a preference for democratic civilian rule had scoffed at the mockery of democracy that a single military candidate represented, but Bill Clinton was quick to assert that it was enough for Abacha to run for office “as a civilian.” Jesse Jackson chimed in that “No body should dictate to the Nigerian people who their leaders are,” by which he meant no one except the unopposed military-dictator-candidate-for-president Sani Abacha.
Just as the multi-million-dollar Bill-and-Jesse screw-the-taxpayer African party junket was winding down, Liberia’s homicidal bossman Charles Taylor ordered Foday Sankoh’s machete-wielding Revolutionary United Front back into long-suffering Sierra Leone where they began a slaughterfest called “Operation No Living Thing.” To hear our State Department describe it, this premeditated attack on Sierra Leone was an orgy of “brutal killings, severe mutilations, and deliberate dismemberments, in a widespread campaign of terror.” So Taylor was an acknowledged terrorist as was his sidekick, Foday Sankoh. Amnesty International enumerated thousands of murders and mutilations. All the while, Jesse Jackson was doing feel-good public relations for the terrorist Charles Taylor.
Showcasing a Terrorist
Back in Chicago, Mister Jackson hosted an extravagant media presentation designed to showcase the terrorist Charles Taylor as the savior of Liberia.
Though Mr. Jackson fraudulently billed his Taylor love-fest as a “reconciliation” conference and falsely claimed that it was an opportunity for opposition Liberians to have a dialog with Charles Taylor, opposition leaders remember that evening differently. According to Harry Greaves, who co-founded the Liberian Action Party, “This was just a PR exercise by Charles Taylor.” Taylor’s wife Jewel Howard Taylor led the Liberian government delegation and the warlord himself filled the enormous video screen of Jesse’s Chicago PUSH auditorium and rambled on at length.
S.J.K. Nyanseor, chairman of Liberian Democratic Future, would later protest to the Congressional Black Caucus that Jackson’s shindig was “nothing more than a scheme designed to promote Taylor and his repressive government.” He was offended that Jackson had not invited a single opposition leader to his so-called “reconciliation conference.” Indeed, the invitations that Jackson sent out did not mention any Liberian speaker or guest other than the warlord Charles Taylor. In fact, Mister Jackson’s aide, Yuri Tadesse, crudely informed opposition leaders that they would not be given any opportunity to say anything.
Mr. Bodioh Wisseh Siapoe, chairmen of the Coalition of Progressive Liberians, was repulsed by the participation of Jackson’s close associate Romeo Horton, whom he asserted “helped finance the carnage of our people.”
Jesse Jackson spent the evening shamelessly shilling for the barbaric Charles Taylor. Jackson demanded that Liberians stop posting details of Taylor’s atrocities on the Internet. Mr. Jackson indignantly proclaimed that “The international community frequents the Internet and takes note of whatever information is disseminated on the Information Superhighway. So, please stay off the Net,” according to people in attendance.
Mister Jackson introduced no fewer than ten of Charles Taylor’s officials who spoke for hours about the paradise Charles Taylor was creating in Liberia. When some opposition folks appealed for a tribunal to try Liberian war criminals, PUSH operatives declared that time was short and drove the dissidents from the stage.
According to Harry Greaves, “The general perception in the Liberian community was that Jackson was a paid lobbyist for Charles Taylor.” Liberians fingered Jackson’s pal Romeo Horton as Taylor’s bagman to Jackson.
Harry Greaves knew for a fact that Jackson was a money grubber: Liberian human rights advocates had appealed to Jackson to support their cause by attending a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral in 1990. Jackson had agreed. Invitations were sent announcing Jackson’s coming appearance. Then, at the last minute, Jackson demanded an up-front payment of $50,000 to appear. The human rights group could not meet Jackson’s demand for cash, so Jackson ditched the event. Clearly, Jesse Jackson had both feet firmly planted in Charles Taylor’s camp.
Jesse’s Evil Deeds
African journalist Tom Kamara has written that “Reverend Jackson is considered a civil rights leader in America, but in Africa he is a killers’ rights leader.” Why would he say such a thing? Here’s why . . .
On July 25th, 1998, the Nigerian government sent the warlord Foday Sankoh home in chains. President Kabbah announced that Sankoh would stand trial for treason against Sierra Leone. Days later, a handcuffed Sankoh appeared on television telling his gang of thugs not to shoot at government soldiers or their Nigerian army allies. At that moment it seemed that peace was at hand: a sadistic mass murderer was in chains and his boy-soldier murder machine was about to become a leaderless rabble. These were positive developments. Any genuine follower of Jesus Christ would have welcomed this moment.
Sadly, Jesse Jackson was secretly using all of his influence to spring the homicidal Foday Sankoh from captivity. After all, Sankoh was a partner-in-genocide with Jackson’s associate Charles Taylor, and what was good for Taylor promised rewards for Jesse Jackson . . . so to hell with the people of Liberia. Jackson immediately set to work pressuring Sierra Leone’s President Ahmad Kabbah to release Foday Sankoh.
On September 18, hundreds of Taylor’s Special Security Service officers and members of his police Special Task Force, teamed up with rag-tag contingents of Taylor’s armed factions and indiscriminately used automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenades and light artillery against Liberia’s ethnic Krahns. Hundreds of Liberians, many women and children, were slaughtered in seventeen hours of mayhem. People were shot on the spot during house-to-house searches. Taylor was hunting for rival warlord Roosevelt Johnson, an ethnic Krahn.
The following day, Roosevelt Johnson sought refuge in the American embassy. As he and his associates were entering the United States Embassy, Taylor’s goons opened fire, killing two of Johnson’s friends and wounding two United States Marine Corps embassy guards. Taylor’s thugs had trashed the Geneva Convention governing diplomatic relations. So, how did Bill Clinton’s administration respond?
Jesse Jackson called his pal Charles Taylor and urged him to call off his dogs. After that, Bill Clinton’s State Department threw a blanket of secrecy over the embassy murders, referring to the location of the Geneva violations in official reports as “a Western embassy.”
With the Clinton State Department and Jesse Jackson hard at work concealing his violations of international law, Charles Taylor was emboldened to commit even more outrageous acts of indecency. Taylor and the Revolutionary United Front began a push to recapture the diamond fields of Sierra Leone.
Meanwhile, Jesse Jackson set off on another African junket as Clinton’s “special envoy.” While in Guinea, Jackson cajoled Charles Taylor and Ahmad Kabbah into signing the Mano River non-aggression pact, which included the stipulation that neither country would allow its territory to be used as a staging area for attacks on the other. It was all for show: even as he was signing the Mano River pact Taylor was subverting its intent by rearming Sankoh’s Revolutionary United Front for guerrilla operations in Sierra Leone.
As Jesse Jackson recalls it, “Kabbah had just executed some of Sankoh’s guys and was about to execute Sankoh. So we appealed to Kabbah not to kill Sankoh.” Why would Jackson do that? Sankoh was a monster who employed drug-addled children to kill and mutilate countless Africans; Sankoh was an agent of mayhem, chaos and suffering. Why was Jesse Jackson so keen to win the release of this satanic monstrosity?
Jackson flew to Freetown and appealed to President Kabbah on Sankoh’s behalf. Jackson repeated his appeal during a stopover in Ghana. A smiling Jackson proclaimed, “We live in the morning of a new day.”
In January 1999, Sankoh’s guerrillas launched an epic attack on the capital city of Sierra Leone, driving before them a human shield of women and children. Along the way they torched homes, chopped off arms and legs, raped children and shot bystanders on a whim. Within three weeks the RUF had slaughtered six thousand citizens, most of them non-combatants. When a Nigerian army counter offensive drove the RUF from Freetown, Sankoh’s thugs torched entire city blocks and abducted thousands of children to exploit as boy soldiers or sex slaves.
Just as Sierra Leone’s President Kabbah had persuaded the Nigerian peacekeepers to strike a crushing blow against the barbaric RUF, Jesse Jackson interceded to stop this winning counter offensive. Clinton’s State Department had invited a RUF spokesman to Washington where the RUF spokesman chatted with Donald Payne who, in turn, urged President Kabbah to release Foday Sankoh and to negotiate with Sankoh’s RUF “without precondition.” Under pressure, with the Nigerian counter offensive stymied by Jesse Jackson & Company, President Kabbah reluctantly acquiesced to U.S. State Department meddling. Foday Sankoh was released on April 19th and Sankoh flew away to Lome, the capital city of Togo.
Because of Jesse Jackson and his meddlesome friends a monster was once again unleashed on the African civilian population; a golden opportunity to decapitate Sankoh’s rogue murder machine had been snatched away. After that, Jesse Jackson would personally guarantee the ruination of Sierra Leone by physically removing President Kabbah from an African summit meeting in Ghana and spiriting him away to an unannounced confrontation with the insurgent bossman Foday Sankoh in Lome, Togo.
The abduction of President Kabbah happened this way: At an African summit meeting in Accra, Ghana, Jesse Jackson urged President Kabbah to meet with Foday Sankoh. Jackson arranged to have a helicopter waiting at the Accra airport. Jackson arrived at the airport surrounded by his ample staff and by people friendly with Charles Taylor. When President Kabbah attempted to board the helicopter with his information and finance ministers, Jackson suddenly declared that there was no room for Kabbah’s aides, both of whom were known to be opposed to making concessions to the warlord Foday Sankoh. Jackson refused to make room for Kabbah’s aides by leaving any of his attendents in Accra. So, Jackson spirited President Kabbah away to Togo without a single supportive aide. It was a one-hundred-mile hop down to Accra, where Jackson refused to exit the helicopter until his image could be captured by a late-arriving CNN film crew. The president of Togo was kept waiting in the hot African sun for most of an hour because of Jac
kson’s swollen vanity.
The isolation of the remote meeting place and Jesse Jackson’s pressure tactics paid off for Jesse and his homicidal allies: Against his better judgment, President Kabbah agreed to a ceasefire with Sankoh’s Revolutionary United Front. This would allow the Qaddafi-trained Foday Sankoh an opportunity to replenish his weapons supply. Kabbah was also pressured to enter into power-sharing negotiations with Sankoh. Jesse Jackson then convinced the U.S. State Department to supply Sankoh’s guerrillas with updated communications equipment so that Sankoh could better coordinate his field operations in the bush.
As a direct consequence of the Jackson-brokered Lome Accord, former death row prisoner Foday Sankoh was elevated to the office of vice president of Sierra Leone. Even worse, Foday Sankoh was granted the chairmanship of Sierra Leone’s Management of Strategic Mineral Resources – translation: the diamond mines.
This was what the Charles Taylor/Foday Sankoh partnership had been seeking all along and Jesse Jackson handed it to them on a silver platter! Within days Sankoh was negotiating with the diamond gnomes of Antwerp. When the Belgian diamond merchant Michel Desaedeleer handed Foday Sankoh a bank check the warlord was nonplussed. The diamond merchant recalled, “He just looked at it and asked me, ‘What’s this?’ It was the first bank check he had ever seen.”
Foday Sankoh exploited Sierra Leone’s diamond sales to buy allies and arms. Belgian air force planes brought in weapons for the Revolutionary United Front insurgents in crates disguised as farm produce. Rebel diamonds purchased sixty-eight tons of weapons for the RUF from Ukrainian arms dealer Leonid Minim. Diamonds bought the silence of United Nations watchdogs in Freetown. Raw uncut diamonds purchased political influence in the United States.
Looking back on the mayhem that Jesse Jackson worked so hard to unleash on the people of Sierra Leone, Jackson allows that “putting Sankoh over the diamonds, that was a bit too generous.” Jackson pretends that he was not a driving force behind the ruinous Lome Accord, but what is perfectly clear is the fact that at the historical moment when the leader of a sadistic boy-soldier insurrectionist army was about to meet the hangman, it was Jesse Jackson who intruded into the internal affairs of Sierra Leone, won the release of the genocidal Foday Sankoh, and then pressured the president of Sierra Leone to negotiate with the rebel leader.
The hideous development of Foday Sankoh being elevated to the vice presidency of Sierra Leone and given control of the diamond mines so that he could finance further slaughter in Sierra Leone and Liberia is a direct consequence of meddling by Jesse Jackson acting as Bill Clinton’s “special envoy.” Jackson was “special” indeed; he had a gift for making life unbearable for the people of Sierra Leone and Liberia. Without Jackson’s enthusiastic intrusion into Sierra Leone’s internal affairs the trade in blood diamonds would have stopped. Jackson has the blood of countless slaughtered Africans on his hands.
The Jackson-brokered ceasefire fell apart in less than six months; it was just an opportunity for Sankoh’s sadistic gang to rearm and redeploy. Jackson’s legitimization of Sankoh and Taylor set the stage for the slaughter of tens of thousands of African children.
Was Jackson surpassingly stupid or just his usual self-serving self when he unleashed Foday Sankoh on a suffering Sierra Leone? Did Jackson get a clue when Sankoh’s machete-wielding savages began murdering UN peacekeepers and then took 500 peacekeepers hostage in May of 2000?
By mid-May Jackson was warned to stay out of Freetown because he had been labeled a “killers’ rights leader” by Africans. Jackson blundered into Monrovia at the height of the hostage crisis and then attempted, with no success, to cajole Charles Taylor into intervening. Jackson had unleashed the dogs of war and Taylor saw no profit in reining in his buddy Foday Sankoh.
On June 5th, 2000, U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Reeker disavowed any support for Jackson’s bumbling attempts at diplomacy. The Clinton folks gave their “special envoy” the boot.
In a revealing article in the New York Post titled “The War That Jesse Built” (7/10/03), author Kenneth R. Timmerman suggests that
“Among the first questions prosecutors should ask Taylor is whom he paid off using Foday Sankoh’s diamonds. U.S. intelligence officers reported these payoffs at the very moment that Jackson was negotiating a favorable role for Taylor and for Sankoh in Lome, former CIA officers and other sources have told me over the past two years. As a result of the payoffs, Taylor continued to enjoy support among the Congressional Black Caucus and with the Clinton State Department.”
The ever hustling Mr. Jackson, who has been cutting corners and cutting deals ever since he dropped out of the Chicago Theological Seminary after a scant six months and began calling himself “the Reverend Jackson,” definitely has the blood of slaughtered African innocents on his hands. Because he was acting as America’s “special envoy” to Africa, it’s high time Mr. Jesse answered a few tough questions about the horror he wrought in Africa. It’s time to follow the trail of the African blood diamonds.
Chinese and African Leaders Herald a New Era of Health Cooperation at First China-Africa Health Ministers’ Meeting
Leaders issue Beijing Declaration to set priorities for health collaboration at the first meeting of health ministers under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC)
BEIJING, China, August 16, 2013/ — Today, dozens of African health ministers and Chinese health officials gathered at the Ministerial Forum on China-Africa Health Development (http://www.focac.org/eng/) to map out new efforts to support Africa’s long-term health progress and shape the future of China-Africa health cooperation. This was the first-ever meeting of health ministers under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) since it was established in 2000, demonstrating the highest level of political commitment to tackle Africa’s most pressing health challenges together.
At the Forum, health ministers and officials launched the Beijing Declaration of the Ministerial Forum on China-Africa Health Development, which sets a roadmap for jointly addressing key health challenges across Africa, including malaria, schistosomiasis, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, immunization and vaccine preventable diseases. Under the Declaration, China and African countries will embark on new efforts to achieve sustainable, long-term health solutions, such as increasing partnerships on joint research and addressing the shortage of healthcare workers. China and African countries will engage further with private enterprise to encourage technology transfer and increase access to low-cost health technologies that meet high quality standards. The Declaration emphasizes that such health cooperation efforts will align with African countries’ priorities as well as national and regional development plans.
“China and African countries have enjoyed strong and effective partnerships on health for half a century, based on our common experiences and our shared vision for a brighter and healthier future for all our citizens,” said Hon. Min. Awa Coll-Seck, Minister of Health of Senegal. “The Beijing Declaration solidifies our governments’ commitments to developing and implementing Africa-led strategies that drive sustainable health progress and improve the lives of people across the continent.”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of China sending medical teams to African countries, with the first team sent to Algeria in 1963. Since then, thousands of medical personnel have served in 43 African countries. China has also worked with African partners and international organizations to build hospitals and malaria centers, train health workers and increase access to antimalarial treatments and other health technologies. Academic institutions and private companies have also supported these efforts.
Now, China and African countries are exploring opportunities to build on this progress and contribute new resources, innovation and leadership to drive health progress across Africa. “Chinese and African citizens live on the same planet, under the same sky. China’s partnership with Africa is rooted in humanitarianism. As President Xi described, this love has no borders,” said Hon. Dr. Li Bin, Minister of China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission. “I believe the Chinese Medical Teams will strive to make a greater contribution in the future.”
In this new era of collaboration, Chinese and African government officials and other stakeholders will work closely together to identify sustainable solutions to health challenges. This will include bolstering human resources capacity in African countries, supporting domestic manufacturing capacity, and increasing access to low-cost, high-quality health products.
These joint efforts will draw on and leverage China’s own experiences with improving public health in a resource-limited setting. China will also share the tools and expertise it has acquired through its investments in health research and development, the production of health technologies, and its current health reform effort to expand healthcare to all citizens.
China and African countries will also work closely with key global health stakeholders to support China-Africa health cooperation, including multilateral organizations, international NGOs and civil society organizations. Representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF, African Union, World Bank, GAVI Alliance and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria were observers of the Forum. These international partners have been critical to the health progress already made in both China and African countries, and their expertise and experiences can support deepened and more effective China-Africa health cooperation.
“The decades of collaboration between China and Africa has long been characterized by friendship and goodwill,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO. “China is now a significant force in Africa’s development, with substantially increased commitments and engagements. This is a south-to-south model of development cooperation based on mutual interests and respect.”
The Ministerial Forum builds on important discussions in Botswana at the 4th International China-Africa Health Cooperation Roundtable, which took place for the first time in Africa in May 2013.
The Forum is held under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and is hosted by the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China, formerly the Ministry of Health. Together, these meetings have laid the groundwork for continued South-South collaboration between China and African countries on pressing health challenges.
Distributed by African Press Organization on behalf of the Ministerial Forum on China-Africa Health Development.
Republicans are trying to steal control of the U.S. Senate by making it harder to vote.
Pitch in to help defend the right to vote and stop Republicans from stealing the 2014 election.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=292693&id=73265-21095459-vLAjbox&t=2
Dear MoveOn member,
This is stunning: The New York Times’ data wizard Nate Silver—who predicted the 2012 election results state-by-state with uncanny accuracy—is now projecting that, “Republicans [are] close to even-money to win control of the [Senate] after next year’s elections.”1
It’s the worst-case scenario: Republicans win a majority in the Senate, and we can kiss the rest of President Obama’s agenda goodbye.
To make things worse, they have a plan to steal the 2014 election starting right now by making it harder for seniors, students, poor people, and African-Americans to vote.
Back in May, the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. Since then, Republicans in key states have been racing to purge voter rolls, eliminate early voting, and require new photo IDs to vote—anything they can do to make it harder to vote.
And in an election as close as this one will be, even 1-2 percentage points could turn the tide.
You think the fights over the budget, Obamacare, and immigration are bad now? Imagine Mitch McConnell in control of the U.S. Senate. Try getting any pro-choice judge confirmed for the Supreme Court against a GOP majority. Or stopping cuts to Social Security. Forget it.
The 2014 election is hugely important—and we can’t let Republicans steal it now. So if you think you’ll want to get involved sometime next year, I ask you: Please get engaged right now.
We’re raising $250,000 this week to launch a ‘Let Us Vote’ Campaign to fight back right now—while it can make the greatest difference. Will you help?
Yes, I’ll contribute $5 so we can fight back.
https://civ.moveon.org/donatec4/voter_suppression_2013.html?bg_id=hpc5&id=73265-21095459-vLAjbox&t=4
How blatant are the GOP’s efforts? North Carolina just passed what’s widely being called the most extreme voter suppression law in the country. It requires Voter ID, reduces early voting, and ends same-day registration.2
Why there? Sen. Kay Hagan of North Carolina is just one of four Democrats up for re-election next year in a state won by Mitt Romney. If Republicans can reduce turnout in North Carolina and defeat her, it’ll drastically improve their odds of taking the Senate.
To reverse the effects of this effort, we have a 3-pronged plan of attack:
1. We’ll launch state-by-state campaigns to roll back discriminatory voter suppression laws, rules and regulations when state legislatures are back in session.
2. We’ll prepare a traditional and online media blitz, highlighting both the actions of extreme politicians like North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and the stories of heroic individual voters whose rights are being trampled.
3. We’ll organize an aggressive counter-intimidation campaign to mobilize the very same voters who are being disenfranchised. This tactic was proven to work last election, when showing voters what Republicans are really up to actually motivated unlikely voters to overcome barriers to get to the polls.4
We helped beat back the GOP voter suppression machine in 2012—and we can do it again—but all of us need to help. And we can’t afford to wait until next year. Are you in to support our “Let Us Vote” campaign?
–Anna, Alex, Jessica, Nick, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. “Senate Control in 2014 Increasingly Looks Like a Tossup”, The New York Times, July 15, 2013
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=292665&id=73265-21095459-vLAjbox&t=6
2. “Hagan demands review of NC voter law,” The Hill, August 13, 2013
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=292652&id=73265-21095459-vLAjbox&t=7
3. “How Voter Backlash Against Voter Suppression Is Changing Our Politics,” The Nation, April 29, 2013
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=292696&id=73265-21095459-vLAjbox&t=8
4. “How Voter Backlash Against Voter Suppression Is Changing Our Politics,” The Nation, April 29, 2013
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=292698&id=73265-21095459-vLAjbox&t=9
Want to support our work? MoveOn Civic Action is entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.
https://civic.moveon.org/donatec4/creditcard.html?cpn_id=457&id=73265-21095459-vLAjbox
People must go and demand for the Report Card for Public Service delivery with Responsibility and Integrity where all elected leaders with public servant employee must be in compliant as a requirement. It is time for a re-call to those who have failed to measure with the Reform Accord Agreement Mandate.
Gluttonies’breeds chronic passion for adamant corruption and impunity and unless it is forced to stop, it continues to shift gears like what can be seen by NHIF with Professor Anyang Nyongo…………It is important that people establish the truth about Clinix which now has turned to Merridian. It could be possible that, public money and funds are in a flight to unknown destination; most likely the Chinese who claim ownership of Kenya, could be enjoying and swimming in the public funds.
On Checks and Balances, things might change for better. Demand for Integrity, Transparency and Accountability must be exercised thus:
1) Is someone trying to use public money to pay debts incurred for campaign funds?
2) Kenya people have a right to know what is going on with their public resources, funding, facilities and utilities and they must protest to demand for accountability for the same.
3) They must demand about why and how Migingo is in control by the Uganda Government and why the Uganda flag is hoist on the land of Migingo? People must demand for immediate removal of Uganda Police from Migingo Island
4) People must demand to know full report of the Agenda for meeting in Uganda between President Museveni, Raila and Uhuru so to ascertain they are not short-changed and as well they should be informed why Museveni had central interest for controlling Kenya while public interest is undermined
5) People must demand reason why Museveni asked Uhuru Administration to Annex Kismayu to be shared between Somalia and Uganda interest
6) Taxpayer money is used for travelling to China, people need to know if it is for the interest of Kenyans or for special interest
7) Why teachers and nurses have not been paid to-date
8) Why No action or step-down from elected Members with Government employees who are suspects or were found to have a case, have not been relieved from public service to allow thorough investigations and why cases of NHIF have not been brought to justice
9) Why Syokimau cases have not been formalized and compensations made
10) Why Calvin Burgess on Siaya Dominion is still a breach of public interest and people who were forced out of their homes have not been resettled
11) Why people are homeless and landless from being forced out of their land from Land Grabbing and IDPs have not been resettled
12) Why the budget doesn’t seem to balance with budget speech in real life
13) Why there is no running water in the homes and power is sky-rocketing above public means
14) Why Unga with other basic needs have become unaffordable and too expensive beyond means for survival
15) Why only one Unit of Police from one tribe should head the airport
16) Why employment is done under Tribal discrimination
17) Why there are no creation of jobs but growing number of Rebel Groups and thugs are causing terror with threats in the country
18) Why illegal practices like poaching, Gold, Titanium, Diamond with other rare minerals resources from Kenya with the neighboring countries like Congo and Tanzania for example; to pass through illegality with full knowledge aided by politicians; is allowed to go on, while people are mercilessly killed, slaughtered, massacred and are forced out of their dwelling places to face terror, is unacceptable.
19) Why Government system is falling apart and is completely disfunctioning, yet, Government employees are enriching themselves and money is not going to the public coffers
20) Why Politicians have ganged up and are in a conspiracy to continue to defraud the people People must call for a MASS MOVEMENT to demonstrate country-wide against injustices that continue to befall Kenyans from both the former and the present Government so all must be forced for immediate recall with accountability so to recover stolen public wealth and engage responsible leaders with integrity to lead Kenya.
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
– – – – – – – – – – –
MP and governor linked to poaching
PHOTO | GIDEON MAUNDU A KWS ranger arranges some of the 775 pieces of ivory tusks which were netted in a container by KRA officers at a private godown in Jomvu on July 3, 2013. The ivory, worth Sh29 million, was in transit to Malaysia from Uganda. NATION MEDIA GROUP
By PATRICK MAYOYO pmayoyo@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Tuesday, August 13 2013 at 23:30
In Summary
KWS and police say they are investigating the reports linking the three to the illegal ivory trade
Two influential Coast businessmen, a central Kenya MP and a Rift Valley governor have been linked to the runaway poaching and ivory smuggling in the country.
Police officers, Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Revenue Authority officials conversant with ongoing investigations said they were pursuing leads linking the three individuals to the illegal ivory trade. (READ: China reiterates pledge to end ivory smuggling)
The three are reportedly part of an international ivory smuggling ring operating in the country. They have been linked to a container full of ivory intercepted at the port of Mombasa last month.
Detectives also discovered that ivory stolen from Mombasa State House was among that in the intercepted container.
On Tuesday, another container full of ivory was intercepted in Singapore and is being shipped back to Mombasa where it reportedly originated. (READ: Kenya a ‘major route for ivory smugglers’)
Police spokesperson Zipporah Mboroki promised to give a detailed statement on investigations into ivory smuggling after getting a briefing from officers handling the case at Mombasa port.
According to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), international organised crime syndicates are behind the killing of elephants and rhinos in Kenya and other African countries.
Cites says the gangs use the latest technology and have collaborators among local communities and security agencies.
Investigations have revealed that the international ring has devised ingenious ways of transporting their loot to evade detection by security agencies.
Their tricks include declaring containers ferrying the smuggled ivory as carrying either timber, fruits, electronics, tyres or other assorted goods. Most of the ivory intercepted in Asia is being traced to the ports of Dar-es-Salaam and Mombasa.
Wildlife experts and research scientists estimate that two elephants are killed per day — the highest number in recent times.
The statistics have sparked outrage among wildlife conservationists and raised fears the animals could become extinct.
KWS says there has been an upsurge in poaching in the last five years with more than 360 elephants killed last year compared to only 45 in 2007.
A recent census revealed that the country’s 35,000 elephant population had suffered a 14 per cent decline due to poaching and drought.
Clinic named in NHIF scam sues for Sh800m
PHOTO | FILE The National Hospital Insurance Fund building in Nairobi. NATION MEDIA GROUP
By PAUL JUMA pjuma@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Tuesday, August 13 2013 at 23:30
In Summary
Medical centre says NHIF made it appear as having received money fraudulently
A medical clinic adversely named in the National Hospital Insurance Fund scandal has sued the agency for close to Sh1 billion.
Meridian Medical Centre filed the suit at the High Court in Nairobi, accusing the health insurer of breach of contract and reputation damage.
Meridian, which runs clinics in major towns, was among medical service providers the NHIF contracted to provide services to its members under the social health insurance scheme.
MPs raised questions about the NHIF’s decision to award contracts for treatment of civil servants under the new scheme to companies that lacked facilities in rural areas. They cited Meridian Medical Centre and Clinix.
The fund cancelled the contracts.
The clinic’s chief executive officer, Dr Peter Wambugu, said the decision by NHIF caused the publication of numerous media reports portraying the clinic as having received money from the NHIF fraudulently, that it was involved in unethical practices and that its centres were sub-standard, unregulated and uninspected.
“This façade has damaged our brand and I state herein that none of these allegations are true,” Dr Wambugu has stated in a witness statement filed in court.
The manner in which the NHIF conducted the termination caused the clinic’s reputation to be vilified in the eyes of the public, hence it was entitled to compensation for loss of business reputation and credibility, said the CEO.
The medical company wants the court to order the health insurer to pay it damages totalling to Sh814,830,341 with interest plus an unspecified amount in general damages for loss of reputation.
Court nod for KRA’s Sh127m tax demand
PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | FILE Kenya Revenue Authority headquarters at Times Tower in Nairobi. NATION MEDIA GROUP
By NATION REPORTER
Posted Tuesday, August 13 2013 at 23:30
A judge on Tuesday declined to stop the taxman from demanding Sh127 million from a pharmaceutical company.
Mr Justice David Majanja described as an abuse of the court process a constitutional petition by Beta Healthcare opposing the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) tax demand.
The firm had filed the suit at the Constitutional and Human Rights Division of the High Court.
The company, which had lost a case in which it sought similar relief at the court’s Judicial Review Division, claimed in the new suit its rights and freedoms had been violated.
It filed the constitutional petition also at the Court of Appeal to try and overturn the initial High Court ruling, a matter which is still pending.
Justice Majanja said the firm was wrong in asking the High Court to deal with issues pending before the Court of Appeal.
“These proceedings are an abuse of the court process. They are hereby dismissed with costs to the respondents,” he said. He gave Beta Health 14 days to appeal.
Ivory seized in Singapore on way back
PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA Mombasa Port employees arrange some of the 638 pieces of elephant tusks for weighing after they were impounded in January. Conservationists have raised alarm over the surge in poaching. NATION MEDIA GROUP
By NATION CORRESPONDENT
Posted Tuesday, August 13 2013 at 23:30
A container suspected to be loaded with ivory is on its way to Mombasa after being seized in Singapore, the Kenya Wildlife Service has revealed.
The cargo, which was exported through the port of Mombasa last month, was intercepted in the Far East port courtesy of the cooperation between Kenyan security and their international counterparts, Mr Arthur Tuda, a KWS director, said.
“The container was among those seized earlier and returned to Kenya. But somehow, it had disappeared. Through our efforts and our foreign security colleagues, we intercepted it and as I speak, it is expected at Mombasa port any time,” he said.
Unconfirmed information from port sources said the container could arrive tomorrow although it was not clear which ship would bring it. Mr Tuda declined to give more information.
Poachers killed
Late July and this month, two containers of ivory were seized at the port destined for Malaysia. Several other suspected containers are still being sought, according to Kenya Revenue Authority
(KRA), Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and KWS sources.
The KWS director said this month alone, two poachers and two KWS rangers had been gunned down as the war on poaching intensifies.
“Two of our officers including a constable and an inspector were shot dead by poachers within Kipini Conservancy area in Tana Delta as they pursued armed thugs,” he said.
China set to be world’s biggest net oil importer
PHOTO | MARK RALSTON Goods are delivered to a store in Beijing, China. The country is the biggest consumer of energy globally and is set to beat US to the top in oil imports. AFP
By AFP
Tuesday, August 13 2013 at 16:53
In Summary
Graph on EIA website shows Asian country’s net imports steadily rising, with those of the US falling
BEIJING
China is set to overtake the United States as the world’s largest net oil importer from October, according to US figures, due to a combination of rising Chinese demand and increased US production.
Next year, China’s net oil imports will exceed those of the United States on an annual basis and the gap between them will continue to widen, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said.
China is already the biggest energy user in the world and the second-largest oil consumer after the United States.
Chinese demand
The shift has been driven by steady growth in Chinese demand, increased oil production in the United States, and stagnant or weakening demand in the United States market, the EIA said in a report.
A graph on the EIA’s website shows China’s net imports steadily rising, with those of the US falling at a faster rate, and says the crossover point comes in two months’ time.
Growing petroleum production in the US has been largely driven by the increasing use of sometimes controversial hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking.
The technique uses huge amounts of pressurised water mixed with chemicals to crack open rock and release oil and natural gas, making the exploitation of vast shale hydrocarbon reserves economically viable.
It is changing the world’s energy market but it has been banned in other countries such as France due to environmental concerns.
US annual oil output is expected to rise 28 percent between 2011 and 2014 to nearly 13 million barrels per day, while Chinese production is forecast to grow by six per cent over the period, and will stand at just a third of US production in 2014, the EIA said.
Meanwhile, China’s liquid fuel use will increase 13 per cent over the period to more than 11 million barrels per day while United States demand hovers close to 18.7 million barrels per day.
That is below the United States’ peak consumption level of 20.8 million barrels per day in 2005, the EIA added.
China imported 26.11 million tonnes (186.5 million barrels) of crude oil last month and its exports were a mere 0.17 million tonnes, according to official Beijing figures.
The Asian country’s ascendence to the top of the world’s net oil import rankings will have profound impact, an article carried by the China Business News said on Monday.
“China and the US will no longer be pure competitors in the energy sector — China is likely to import energy in bulk from the US,” wrote commentator Li Dongchao.
Balala asked Sh80m bribe to buy house, Cortec says
Analysts have warned that Mr Balala’s action to revoke mining licences of the affected firms may cause a stand-off between the government and investors in the industry, thereby derailing activity in the mining sector. Photo/JENNIFER MUIRURI |FILE NATION MEDIA GROUP
By IMMACULATE KARAMBU ikarambu@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Friday, August 9 2013 at 20:02
In Summary
Through Mr Jacob Juma, Cortec Mining Kenya country boss, firm claims Secretary demanded the cash in exchange for the firm keeping its licence
A company whose licence was cancelled on Monday has sensationally accused Mining Secretary Najib Balala of demanding Sh80 million bribe in exchange for the firm keeping its permit.
In a letter dated July 29, this year, written by Cortec Mining Kenya to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) of Kenya, the firm accuses Mr Balala of demanding the money to aid him buy a house to replace his Karen one which he is said to have sold to raise funds for campaign during the last General Election.
“On July 8, Mr Juma drove into Mr Balala’s house at 7:30pm where he found Mr Balala waiting for him as per the appointment through the commissioner of mines. At the said meeting, Mr Balala confirmed to our Jacob Juma, our Kenyan country director, that he required Sh80 million from Cortec Mining Limited to buy a house for he had sold his house in Karen to raise funds for campaign in the just concluded elections,” read part of the letter signed by Cortec managing director David Anderson.
Cortec Mining Kenya has been exploring minerals in Mrima Hills, Kwale County.
Jacob Juma is the controversial businessman associated with Erad Limited, a company that is currently held in a court battle with the National Cereals and Produce Board over a Sh600 million debt. Mr Juma has a substantive shareholding in Cortec Mining Kenya through the company’s two holding firms.
Cortec Mining Kenya is owned 70 per cent by Pacific Wildcat Resources, a publicly listed company at the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada and 30 per cent by Sterling Securities, a firm registered in the United Kingdom.
On Monday, Mr Balala revoked mining licences of 42 companies on grounds that they were irregularly issued, setting the stage for possible court battles with the affected investors.
Cortec Mining Kenya, the company that is licensed to mine the over $100 billion Niobium and rare earth metal deposits at Mrima Hills in Kwale, South Coast was among the companies whose licences were cancelled.
The government, through the spokesperson of the Presidency Manoah Esipisu requested for about three days to investigate the allegations before issuing an official statement.
Meanwhile, an insider of the EACC told the Saturday Nation that the Cortec letter was indeed received at the antigraft body on July 29, and that investigations were underway, although the commission’s spokesperson noted that he could not confirm the issue yesterday being a public holiday.
In its letter, Cortec managing director David Anderson also said that the company officials met with Justin Muturi, the speaker of the National Assembly where they complained of the Sh80 million bribe demands from Mr Balala and requested him to address the matter though the responsible parliamentary committee.
National Assembly
“On the July 16, we had dinner with the speaker of the National Assembly at the Thai restaurant at the New Stanley Hotel and complained of the Sh80 million bribery demand by the mining minister and requested him to intervene in this bribery demand through the house parliamentary committee that deals with mining,” said Mr Anderson in the letter.
While canceling the 42 licences on Monday, Mr Balala also directed mining companies to give a 21-day notice to his ministry before making any public announcement on findings, in a bid to control a situation where such information may cause a rally in their share valuation at the respective bourses they are listed.
On the day Cortec announced its valuation of the rare earth metal resources at the Mrima Hills late last month, Pacific Wildcat Resources’ share which trades at the Toronto Stock Exchange gained 28 per cent.
The Pacific Wildcat Share was suspended from trading on Tuesday at the request of the company and resumed trading on Thursday where it shed 59 per cent of its value following news of licence cancellation.
Besides the bribe allegations, Cortec Mining Kenya has accused Mr Balala of having interest in awarding the mining licence for rare earth metals and niobium to Chinese investors.
In an earlier telephone interview with the Nation, Mr Balala admitted that he indeed travelled to China and met Chinese investors but dismissed the allegation that he was fronting for the investors.
“Yes I was in China recently and the president will be in China next week. Chinese are investors like any other and they have a right to do business in the country,” he said.
Though found in other countries, the market for rare earth metals, that are used in manufacturing electronic gadgets such as smartphones is about 90 per cent controlled by China.
Stand-off
Analysts have warned that Mr Balala’s action to revoke mining licences of the affected firms may cause a stand-off between the government and investors in the industry, thereby derailing activity in the mining sector.
The Kenya Chamber of Mines on Tuesday, through its chairman Adiel Gitari said that Mr Balala’s action went against the spirit of collaboration between the government and industry players.
Around the world – from China to the US, and Turkey to Brazil – countries are stepping up their involvement in Africa. But what about Russia in all this?
When it comes to economic engagement in Africa, the approaches of the world’s superpowers – past, present and future – have been fairly well characterised. China, hungry for resources, but with many fingers in many pies; the US, slow to wake up to Africa’s potential but perhaps now trying to catch up; Brazil, building links but doing things a little differently; the ex-colonial masters, still very much present but facing increasing competition; India, Japan, Turkey, slowly but surely entering the fray.
But amidst this 21st century scramble for access to African markets and African resources, what of the erstwhile superpower Russia?
LAGGING BEHIND
With Africa’s vast economic potential increasingly being recognised around the world, many leaders have been taking action to ensure their countries don’t miss out.
In July 2012, for example, former Chinese President Hu Jintao delivered a speech promising to further bolster ties to the continent and announcing the provision of $20 billion of credit to African countries for infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and small and medium-sized enterprises. The next year, Hu’s successor, Xi Jinping, visited Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of Congo signing a string of deals.
This June, meanwhile, Japan made a five-year commitment of $32 billion in public and private funding to Africa, including $14 billion in official development aid and $6.5 billion to support the building of infrastructure. This pledge was nearly four times larger than Japan’s last commitment to the continent.
And most recently, US President Barack Obama visited Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania in a bid to encourage US investment. During his official working meeting with South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma, Obama commented: “The United States’ strategy towards sub-Saharan Africa launched last year is well-timed to take advantage of this growing market. We look forward to strengthening the US-Africa partnership and we are pleased with the growing bilateral trade and investment.”
But in this enthusiasm for African engagement, Russia seems largely absent. And while the likes of China, India, Japan and now the US have provided funds to support companies ready to carry out projects in various sectors in African countries, some Russian firms complain of a lack of state financial support and investment credit guarantees from policy banks and money-lending institutions.
RUSSIAN LACK OF INCENTIVES
“The absence of export credit guarantees can be a real obstacle to some in countries such as Russia because there are businesses and policy holders that look for these guarantees to help alleviate the fear of doing business in high risk markets like Africa,” says Scott Firsing, a visiting Bradlow fellow at the South African Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA) and a senior lecturer in International Studies at Monash University in Johannesburg.
He continues, “One of China’s policy banks, the Chinese Development Bank (CDB), is the country’s largest lender for funding acquisitions and investments overseas, with loans totalling more than its four main commercial banks combined. This has helped to expand the overseas presence of Chinese companies like ZTE and Huawei which would have been unlikely without the assistance from such a policy bank.
“I would suggest to Russia that it has to design a policy strategy,” concludes Firsing.
However, some other experts believe that there are far deeper reasons behind the low Russia-Africa engagement. Charles Robertson, Global Chief Economist at Renaissance Capital, emphasises not the lack of guarantees and financial insurance, but a fundamental lack of incentives for Russian companies to consider involvement in Africa.
China, he says, has two clear incentives to look to Africa. Firstly, China needs to buy resources. Secondly, Chinese exports – from textiles to iPads – are highly suitable for Africa markets. By contrast, Russia’s main exports are oil, natural gas, metals, wood and a range of civilian and military equipment – all of which, apart from the last two, are already abundant in Africa. “The problem is not just investment credits or guarantees”, he says.
Furthermore, as Martyn Davies, Chief Executive Officer of the South African based Frontier Advisory (Pty) Ltd, explains, the Chinese model of financing infrastructural and construction projects in Africa may not be replicable in Russia. China and Russia’s policy banking systems operate quite differently.
David Shinn, Adjunct Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, also emphasises China’s unique ability to engage in African countries.
Shinn believes that Russia along with Western countries are at a disadvantage compared to China because of their relatively large private sectors and low level of government control over foreign investments. By contrast, Chinese investment in Africa passes through large state-owned companies, which effectively follow a government-coordinated agenda.
IN FROM THE COLD
There are thus structural as well as policy shortcomings underpinning Russia’s low involvement in Africa, but it is not all bad news for Russia-Africa relations. According to an article by two Russian academics, Aleksei Vasiliev and Eygeny Korendiasov, the scope for Russian-African partnership is expanding rapidly.
They argue that “through large-scale and purposeful participation in international development assistance, Russia is striving to advance its foreign policy priorities and strengthen the positions of Russian business in the African economic space”. Their article also quotes Russian officials insisting that Africa is “in the mainstream of Russia’s foreign policy”.
However, Vasiliev and Korendiasov also write that trade between Russia and Africa will only change for the better if the Russian industry undergoes technological modernisation. For Russia-Africa relations to reach their full potential, the state, they say, will need to provide Russian businessmen systematic and meaningful support, and small and medium businesses more access to more funds and financial security.
Among other things, Moscow will need to look into “defining clear guidelines and priorities of Russian policy towards Africa, creating conditions for the promotion of Russian goods and investments in African markets, setting up mechanisms of financial support by the state of export and investment projects … and introducing tariff preferences for trade with African partners.”
At this stage, that may be a big task. But if there is the political will to do so, Russia could become the investor that came in from the cold.
Kester Kenn Klomegah is a journalist, formerly of the Moscow Times, now writing for IPS. He is an independent researcher on both Russia and China’s engagement with Africa.
In 2004 and again in 2009 he won the Golden Word Prize for a series of analytical articles on Russia’s economic cooperation with African countries.
You’re now confusing us. DECOLONIZATION means to REMOVING COLONIZATION.
According to your story, I thing you mean to say RECOLONIZATION i.e. RE-INSTUTING COLONIZATION.
Sivyo?
Courage
– – – – – – – – – – –
On Sat, Aug 10, 2013 at 9:09 AM, Judy Miriga wrote:
Good People,
Foreign Contract to Chinese Government to Stop Poaching is another way to spread Chinese Policing into the village country-side to hijack (take-over) Kenya and deny Kenyan Youths Jobs. It is another way to directly control over Kenya and the Great Lakes of East Africa. It is a system applied for quite transitioning of Uhuru-Ruto Administration handing-over power to Chinese Government to Rule and take Kenya by storm, in the process of DECOLONIZATION; which is going the Mozambique style and it must be stopped instantaneously.
Kenya with the rest of Great Lakes of East Africa are a Democratic Nation and No amount of invasion will be accepted as long as the International and UN Treaty have not been revoked. This calls for an urgent investigation of the World Bank, IMF and United Nations’ Secretary General Ban-Ki-moonby the FBI for fueling Corruption and Impunity through being part of this great conspiracy trigger. It is because, the manner at which they recommended funding for AIDs Funding to remove poverty, provide health-care, provide security, initiate job opportunities and Education in the Great Lakes of East Africa is questionable and suspicious. They instead purposely fueled extreme corruption and impunity in the Greater Region of East Africa.
Funds have been channeled through corrupt means with unclear Agreements in Partnership with the operating International NGOs on the ground who work along the Government side, where they don’t seem to transmit those funding directly to do what they were initiated for. Consequently, there are no follow-ups to determine positive effectiveness where if there is no good results from those funding, what immediate action were taken to avoid its failure???……… It was then found that, drivers of the funding disbursement have instead created and financed take-over of East Africa which is why, Migingo and Goma was taken with annexing of Port of Kismayu. We found that, the insecurity is spreading fast with fueling of thuggery, proliferation of Arms through Kismayu, Migingo and Lake Victoria. This is zeroed-in with active participation and funding of Rebel Groups thus:
Al-Qaeda, Al-shabaab, Mungiki, Pirating, drug peddling with foreign exchange money trafficking, Child Prostitution and trafficking; with more problems to include environmental pollutions, sicknesses, careless killings, forceful Land Grabbing and theft………Therefore, all these numerous accounts of injustices are unacceptable and justice must prevail……..They are all as a result of funds being channeled the wrong way without transparency and accountability, through Foreign NGOs on the Ground supposed to be providing AIDs to the Great Lakes of Africa to remove poverty, sickness and provide security and education.
Having realized that these NGOs are not doing much fast enough to aid quick killings and take-over, the UN Agencies with the Corrupt African Leaders with their network of the International Corporate Special Business Interest resolved to forcefully take-over Great Lakes of East Africa through Chinese Private Army in Kenya that was sensored by Kalonzo Musyoka and supervised by Raila and Kibaki in the Coalition Government.
This is the unfinished business Raila, Kagame with Museveni are fighting for while their paymasters standing akimbo watching them to fulfill their mission urgently……….and which is why, there is this struggle between Raila and Uhuru Government and why Museveni is the Chairman and Kagame the Secretary in this Great Lakes of East Africa who are both entrusted with the mission by heir pay masters who are the International Corporate of Special Business Interest in the Great Region of East Africa.
This is not right, it is not fair and it is not morally justified. It is a serious crime against humanity and it cannot be left to happen that way.
Therefore, Contracting Poaching Unit by Chinese must be stopped, it is not economical viable for Kenya or to any other Sovereign Nationality of Africa. It will be the beginning of World War and, Kenya with the Great Lakes of East Africa will be the battle-ground.
PETITIONING OVER CONCERNS:
These concerns must not be taken lightly by the International Community Leaders; as they provide fodder for the Third World War meant to wipe out Africans from Africa like what happened to Mozambique. It is immorally unjust to kill Africans and replace them with Chinese. It is all along known in world records that Chinese Government is the worst in Human Rights Crime, Violation and Abuse records including environment pollution. They must not be left to destroy Kenya with the rest of East Africa. I therefore petition US President Obama to lead good leaders Allys of USA to save a situation in Kenya with the rest of Great Lakes of East Africa.
Africa needs sustainable functioning development Agenda and not those of wiping out Africans through Chinese Private Army that are posing as policing poacher………..This is not what they are going for………they are going for human beings…….which is why Raila is calling the Youth Lizards (Raila led the onslaught comparing Obura to a lizard. He said according to a Nigerian parable, there was a lizard that craved recognititon. He said the lizard climbed a tree hoping people would see him). That in their cry for justified demands as per public mandate, the Youth have no rights……..They are going to exterminate human beings not Lizards in reality, and more or so, they are more interested in poaching themselves that to protect and save ……. They are interested in the big money not to preserve Africas interest………..
Wake up people, wake up and join forces to reject this mission in totallity………Let the world help to save Africans, let Africans not perish in the hands of these selfish and greedy businessmen !!!
Extremely very sad indeed………but the Truth with Justice ill set us all free……….and Peace and Liberty in pursuit for Hapiness shall prevail…………
May God Protect and Bless Africa with its people !!!
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
China to help fund anti-poaching war
PHOTO | COURTESY Kenya Wildlife Service rangers on patrol. China has pledged to fund Kenya’s efforts to curb wildlife poaching. NATION MEDIA GROUP | KWS
By NATION REPORTER
Posted Friday, August 9 2013 at 23:30
China has pledged to fund Kenya’s efforts to curb wildlife poaching.
Speaking at a meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Prof Judi Wakhungu, Chinese ambassador to Kenya Liu Guangyuan said his country would give Kenya a grant, which he did not specify, to protect the elephant, rhino and other endangered species.
The pledge comes in the wake of renewed efforts by the Kenyan authorities to totally eradicate poaching.
The government has already formed a special unit to fight the menace, with China, the United States and UK among the countries funding it.
Last week, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta launched the “Hands off Elephants” campaign to spearhead the protection of elephants.
Speaking during the meeting with Prof Wakhungu, the Chinese envoy urged Kenya to strengthen wildlife conservation measures and severely punish poachers.
China’s anti-poaching laws are some of the most stringent in the world, with offenders often getting life imprisonment.
Expressing Kenya’s wish to join hands with other nations in combating illegal ivory and rhino horn trade, Prof Wakhungu praised China for its consistent measures and actions towards the enforcement of wildlife conservation laws.
The Kenya Wildlife Service says Kenya lost 384 elephants and 29 rhino to poachers last year alone. This year, 190 elephants and 34 rhinos have been killed.
Last month, a huge consignment of ivory was impounded in Mombasa.
The ivory, weighing 3.3 metric tonnes and valued at Sh65 million, was concealed in gunny sacks and declared as groundnuts bound for Malaysia.
The consignment comprised 382 whole pieces and 62 cut pieces of ivory.
The seizure came barely two months after customs officials in the United Arab Emirates seized 259 pieces of ivory shipped from Mombasa.
Ministry urges MPs to prioritise Wildlife Bill
Environment Principal Secretary Richard Lesiyampe flags off one of the vehicles that will be used by Inter Security Agency Anti-Poaching Unit at KWS headquarters in Nairobi August 8, 2013. The Ministry urged MPs to move with speed and pass the Wildlife Bill that seeks to tighten penalties for poachers. ANTHONY OMUYA
By JEREMIAH KIPLANG’AT jkiplangat@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Saturday, August 10 2013 at 09:57
Related Stories
Prioritise anti poaching Bill, MPs urged
Environment Cabinet Secretary Judy Wakhungu has urged MPs to move with speed and pass the Wildlife Bill that seeks to tighten penalties for poachers.
Prof Wakhungu said poaching had shot up since the beginning of the year hence the need for the fast enactment of the proposed law, which she said is expected to play a bigger role in preventing the vice.
“We are keen on the speedy enactment of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Bill, 2013 that proposes stiffer and deterrent penalties. It has been published and tabled in Parliament but expect faster enactment,” she said Thursday in a speech read on her behalf by the ministry’s Principal Secretary Richard Lesiyampe during the launch of a special unit of security officers to tackle poachers.
The Bill will be read for the first time when the lawmakers return from their recess on September 17. It is expected that the proposed law will impose heftier penalties when it is enacted.
Last June, the Cabinet approved the Bill that is set to, among others, increase the fine to up to one million shillings for those found engaging in poaching.
Enhanced sentences
Mr Lesiyampe said the Ministry was lobbying for enhanced sentences for those found guilty of poaching.
“These are not ordinary criminals. They are economic saboteurs who should not be treated softly anymore. We are thinking of 15 years imprisonment or even life sentences,” he said.
The special unit comprises 121 officers drawn from Kenya Wildlife Service, Administration Police and General Service Unit. They will undergo training at the KWS centre in Manyani before being deployed to the three poaching hotspots in the country.
The hotspots are Narok, Tsavo and Isiolo.
KWS director William Kiprono said the unit will boost the fight against poaching, a menace he said, could not be addressed alone by the wildlife department.
“It is now a serious issue that KWS cannot address it alone. It is a national problem. We need everybody on board to tackle it,” Mr Kiprono said.
The formation of the unit comes a week following the launch of another campaign, Hands Off Elephants, by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta.
The campaign aims at pushing for tighter measures to guard against elephant poaching.
COMMENTS:
theafricanthinker
•a day ago •2 upvotes
Rot in government ministries. I’m just sick of news I’m hearing from
home these days.
There is nothing good. JKIA burnt, no one knows why.
Balala is demanding corruption from investors, no one is gonna stop him.
If police and other first responders loot victims properties, who shall we trust? If the ministry entrusted with wildlife is smuggling out wild animal parts, who should protect Kenya’s natural beauties?
Poor Kenyans have always been on the losing end!
see more
jackmuraguri@hotmail.com
•a day ago •0 upvotes
Life sentence to poachers and the confiscation of all their wealth is the only solution.
see more
Hoorayhenry
•a day ago•3 upvotes
It’s not new laws that we need, we need to let people who love & value
this great heritage look after it. We, indigenous Africans have no time for wildlife. Traditionally, we’ve always seen animals as a source of our basic needs (food clothing, shelter) period. This is my argument…. KWS under the Leakeys, was so efficient that poaching had almost completely been eradicated, & in fact the population of the ‘big five’ had increased to an extent of them starting to be a menace, & there was talk of culling elephants in Kenya. KWS is still here, now managed by us indigenous Africans, why has it become a joke? SA still have their wildlife protection intact!!!! Same reason perhaps???
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Published on Aug 9, 2013
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CORD leader Raila Odinga tells off
Kisumu Central MP Ken Obura over
leadership
Updated Friday, August 9th 2013 at 23:19 GMT +3
By RUSHDIE OUDIA
KENYA: CORD leader Raila Odinga has told off the young Turks over their plans to take over leadership in ODM.
The former PM alongside other CORD leaders, who spoke during the homecoming for Kisumu County Assembly majority leader, Samuel Ong’ou, aimed their blows at Kisumu Central MP Ken Obura who had showed his interest in the ODM Secretary General’s post.
Obura’s onslaught was brought forth using parables and straight attacks.
Raila led the onslaught comparing Obura to a lizard. He said according to a Nigerian parable, there was a lizard that craved recognititon. He said the lizard climbed a tree hoping people would see him.
“You can be old in body but young in mind and similarly you can be old in mind and young in body,” said Raila, advising the young leaders.
Funyula MP Paul Otuoma said Obura was like a young bull trying to overthrow the oldest bull in the house.
Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama also dismissed the young leaders.
“Obura does not know what he is saying and he should stop all these theatrics,” said Muthama, adding that Raila wants unity yet some people are set to destabilise ODM.
National Assembly Deputy Chief Whip, Jakoyo Midiwo told Obura to respect the older leaders.
Homa Bay Senator Otieno Kajwang’ said ODMis like a church and there is no way a small priest could sit on the bishop’s seat simply because he is old.
Fears over new split as ODM bigwigs
cling on ‘one-man’
Updated Friday, August 9th 2013 at 23:50 GMT +3
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Dogeretti North MP Simba Arati (LEFT) are welcomed by ODM supporters in Dagoretti for presentation of bursaries in the constituency. [PHOTO: FILE]
By JUMA KWAYERA
KENYA: A fresh storm is simmering in the Orange Democratic Movement after the party’s top hierarchy failed to provide a definite roadmap to the eagerly anticipated National Delegates Convention.
The meeting is expected to result in radical decisions about the future of the party following a push from the rank and file for change at the top. ODM MPs demanded party leader Raila Odinga to cut lose certain officials at a meeting in Nairobi on Wednesday.
So sensitive is the issue that some of the party officials contacted either flatly declined to comment or referred all questions to newly appointed executive director Joseph Magerer Lang’at, himself facing a revolt as some members question his appointment.
At least 10 MPs are contemplating ‘technically’ defecting from ODM to underline their unhappiness. Former Roads Minister Franklin Bett says the party faces serious integrity questions in the manner it handles its affairs. In a tell-all interview with The Standard on Saturday, Bett took a swipe at the opacity in party operations that excludes majority of its members.
“I am aware they have tried to set meetings after the last Parliamentary Group meeting in June,” says Bett, who was in charge of the party’s presidential election team. “However, meeting and sharing with members is critical to the survival of this party. A clique around the party leader makes decisions. If a party avoids its members, it is doomed to fail. If they cannot find a way of accommodating all members, then the party risks being a one-man show.”
The brickbat that was clearly aimed at the party’s top brass left no doubt he shares the sentiments and frustrations younger MPs and senators have been expressing.
Jubilee is reportedly preparing a war chest to pounce on the dissenters. There have been reports of an effort to woo Western Kenya among other areas.
The latest developments represent the many twists and turns ODM has had to navigate to remain vibrant in the bicameral Parliament, despite its relatively weaker numerical strength. Some of the MPs met Raila on Wednesday evening during which they were categorical the bad eggs have to be dispensed with soon or the party risks another mass exodus as witnessed in the countdown to the March elections.
Kakamega meeting
The meeting was an attempt by Raila to calm the storm that has been building up involving mainly first-time MPs who have been calling for radical surgery to rid the party of senior officials they accuse of being responsible for the debacle suffered in the elections. The former PM’s responses to specific questions allegedly left some “frustrated”.
Raila, party secretary-general, treasurer and minority leader come from the same community, a reality those calling for disaggregation of seats to reflect the face of Kenya want changed.
The frustration of MPs from ODM political base in Nyanza coincides with a planned meeting in Kakamega this weekend to be addressed by, among others, former National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende. Marende is positioning himself for chairmanship.
The realignment takes place against a backdrop of reports that pressure is piling on Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chair Ababu Namwamba and Funyula MP Paul Otuoma “to work with” the Jubilee government. Namwamba would not respond to our phone calls or text messages.
Hot topic
One of the MPs who attended the 5-9pm “dinner” meeting told The Standard on Saturday that the former PM remained vague on when the party would hold elections to rejuvenate it. The MP says it is unlikely the much-talked about polls will take place this year, as it had become hot topic that would split the party further.
The Serena Hotel dinner talks were attended by Millie Odhiambo (Mbita), Opondo Kaluma (Homa Bay), David Ochieng’ (Ugenya), Ken Obura (Kisumu Central), Jared Opiyo (Awendo), Ken Okoth (Kibra), Sylvance Osele (Kabondo Kasipul) and George Oner Ogalo (Rangwe).
We have also learned that some MPs at the meeting said a senior official in Deputy President William Ruto’s office has been tasked with recruitment of disgruntled MPs from Nyanza and Western.
Kisumu Central MP Ken Obura referred to the meeting as routine “coffee meeting” with the party leader. “There is nothing extra-ordinary. We always meet with party leader for tea,” Mr Obura explained. The first-time MP, however, acknowledged the need to rebuild and re-brand the party.
“The National Governing Council will meet soon to set a date for elections. Once the NGC sets a date for a National Delegates Convention, we shall have enough reasons to speak on the direction we want the party to take,” he says.
Another first time MP from South Nyanza, who requested anonymity, says the session at Serena was stormy, with the MPs insisting demagogues responsible for the chaotic primaries be kicked out.
In a text message after the meeting, the MP described as “hot” the debate on the role played by chairman Henry Kosgey, Secretary-General Anyang Nyong’o, Eliud Owalo and Deputy National Assembly Minority Leader Jakoyo Midiwo in the March 4 elections.
The MPs questioned the recruitment of Magerer. The latter could not be reached by phone. Leaders from the former Western Province are pushing for either chairmanship or secretary-general’s post. Coast too is eying one of the positions, which are currently held by Kosgey and Nyong’o.
Other than Marende, Otuoma is said to be interested in Kosgey’s post while Namwamba and party assistant executive director Nabii Namwera are lining up to replace Nyong’o. Some MPs from Western are accused of either not propagating their party’s agenda or are quietly “working” with Jubilee.
10/03/08
03:32:29 pm, by nazret.com, 220 words
Categories: Ethiopia, Somalia
Should Ethiopia annex Somalia?
File Photo: Ethiopian Troops in Somalia
Should Ethiopia annex Somalia?
Writer Donald Kipkorir argues it is time for Ethiopia and Kenya to annex Somalia, in an opinion piece published in Kenya’s, The Daily Nation, titled, “Why Kenya and Ethiopia ought to annex and divide Somalia”.
Described by the Economist magazine as ‘The world’s most utterly failed state’, Somalia is a lawless state with no functioning central government since 1991. The writer argues the country is a ‘haven for terrorists and pirates’. He goes on to say,
“Annexing Somalia is thus in our strategic interest and we must do it now as the financial meltdown continues to take away the attention of the world.
Somalia as a state exists only in world maps. It is a classic case of a failed state. It is a state dismembered into as many independent units as there are sub-clans. Its 90-strong cabinet is emblematic of the actual number of units. Somalia neighbours Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Of these, it is only Ethiopia and Kenya that have strategic interest in Somalia. Kenya and Ethiopia must and ought to dismember Somalia and divide it between themselves along the 4 degrees latitude, each taking all the land below and above the line.”
You can read the full article from Kenya’s Daily Nation.
Should Ethiopia annex Somalia? Have Your Say
168 comments
Comment from: tola [Visitor]
I think that was the plan all along i say Hell yea we should take over Somaliland and Puntland and give the rest of Somalia to Kenya and also take Eritrea back and have Djibouti join us
10/03/08 @ 15:49
Comment from: KOKEB [Visitor]
ETHIOPIA never annex somalia. It is a dirty trick of MELATAW ZOMBIE and the TPLF TEGRE morans for all this un-wanted war.
Long live the people of ETHIOPIA & SOMALIA!
DEATH to MELESE and HIS bloodY family SHABIA!
10/03/08 @ 15:49
Comment from: dereje [Visitor]
it is sad the Somalis can’t put their house in order, relatively speaking. but Ethiopia never took other people’s land in its history and should keep it that way.
10/03/08 @ 15:53
Comment from: Emperor Menelik II [Visitor]
Perfect discussion We have to do this! Somaliland and Puntland join Ethiopia. The southern Somalians (Mogadishu)are the Shertam’ Somali dirt bag illiterate donkeys, they must join Kenya.
10/03/08 @ 15:53
Comment from: Ogadenian [Visitor]
Ethiopia is not even capable of feeding itself let alone annex Somalia. Ethiopia is in Somalia with the help of Christian Nations who have a deep hatred for all Somali Muslims,beside with all the finance,weapon,air and sea support for those Christians nations still it can not control one single city.
For goodness sake lets fight each other one to one,i meant Ethiopia against Somalia only no outside help and i swear to you Ethiopia will not last a week with us Somalis.
Its always Russian,Cuban,British, etc
Who are fighting against Somalian in the name of Ethiopians,that is why we are saying this is not fair.
10/03/08 @ 15:57
Comment from: berta [Visitor]
Not annex but it is a good strategy to temporarily split Somalia in to at least pieces. one ruled by Kenya plus AU and UN, the next piece ruled by Ethiopia plus AU and UN the other piece Puntland/Djibuti plus AU and UN.
10/03/08 @ 16:11
Comment from: Tesfaye [Visitor]
We have to be realistic. Somaliland & Puntland can join Ethiopia. Djoubiti & Eritrea should be given back to Ethiopia. Then we can build our country. We can mobilise our human and material resources to the maximum. This time we have to be serious about our internal enemies. They should be hunted and eliminated. Ethiopia needs a true national leader. Those leaders who have no respect for history are either insane or agents of foreign powers. ThEY HAVE TO BE DEALT WITH.
The case of Eritrea should be also resolved. Muslim Eritrea can be given to Sudan and the christian areas including Massawa should be given to Ethiopia. This is the way to deal with people who are bandas and messeners of destruction. The eritreans are mercenaries, slaves who been waging a war of detruction by proxy.
10/03/08 @ 16:26
Comment from: kirkiri [Visitor]
Kenya and Ethiopia don’t have the capacity to annex Somalia.
Somalia is closer to annexing both countries.
The Islamic courts union/al shabab hold more territory today than when Ethiopia cowardly thought it could do something about Somalia.
20,000 Ethiopian soldiers are dead and the Somali fighters not reached their full potential. Kenya is far weaker than Ethiopia.
Dreams are so cheap. Every fool can dream.
10/03/08 @ 16:27
Comment from: Tenkir [Visitor]
This is such a stupid question for those of us Ethiopians who know Ethiopia is run by a sophisticated gov that gives away land and territory (viz Eritrea) to manage a small country effectively In fact in a series of interviews I heard woyane officials complaining Ethiopia being too big to govern. So, please tell me how on earth will Ethiopia under the leadership of woyane would annex a land? Or are you asking a philosophical question suggesting since Somalia could be equated as a problem that the gov will not hesitate to bring anything negative to our side?
10/03/08 @ 16:28
Comment from: common sense [Visitor]
Sure it sounds an outlandish idea, but it’s really not that crazy an idea.It’s actually a win win situation for both Ethiopia and Somalia.If we look past European colonists era African tribes were just living side by side with out per say having a country of their own. It was mostly the English’s policy of divide and concur that brought about all these African nations. In light of that,if we are to entertain the idea of joining part of Somalia with Ethiopia should be given serious consideration.However it has to be in a democratic fashion with something like a referendum.I’m sure a lot of Somalis would support living side by side with their Ethiopian brothers.
10/03/08 @ 16:29
Comment from: Death to Weyanes [Visitor]
This is just stupid question? First let’s give Oromia and Ogaden their independence, they don’t want be a part of Ethiopia, then we can talk the other dream you have.
10/03/08 @ 16:42
Comment from: Emperor Menelik II [Visitor]
Tesfaye =You say Muslim Eritrea (30%) should be given to Sudan and Christian Eritrea(70%) should be given to Ethiopia? Did you know Ethiopia has more Muslim population then Sudan does? Ethiopia is 55% Muslim… at the same time you want Massawa in Eritrea to be given to Ethiopia? Massawa is Muslim Afars who live there. You want Djibouti and Somaliand to join Ethiopia and they are 100% Muslim If this is going to work we can not let religion play in this at all. The only Christians in the region are the Amhara and Tigray. The rest are Muslims.
10/03/08 @ 16:44
Comment from: raee [Visitor]
Should Ethiopia annex Somalia? what a moron question? Ethiopia should start feeding, educating, providing health care etc… for its nation. Stop talking about Ethiopia as if it’s some kind of a super power country. We have been begging for food every year God knows since when.
10/03/08 @ 16:54
Comment from: danieltekle [Visitor]
You guys are crazy.
If Haile Selasie’s annexation of Eritrea in 1951 ended with a devastation in 1991, as Eritrea gained its independence, why in the world would some of you suggest it is a good idea to annex Somalia. It is not controversial to say Eritreans and Ethiopians (at least those who live on the highlands) have a great deal in common with one another. Yet 30 years of war ensued in spite of the commonality. You want to repeat history?
Moreover, Ethiopia was also listed as a part of the failed states of the world, does that mean Kenya should annex Ethiopia, NOT!!!
Let’s clean our house before we judge other failed states.
10/03/08 @ 16:57
Comment from: Monkey [Visitor]
If Ethiopia commits to annexing Somalia and by doing so gives us an outlet to the ocean, I’ll volunteer to fight anyone who tries to stop this great plan.
The guy who thought of this is a genius.
10/03/08 @ 17:02
Comment from: gimatam shabiya [Visitor]
Really excellent article i ever read in this web site.This the only way to remove terrorist from horn Africa and to help Somalian brothers. Some Shabiyas in this web site start to urinate in there trousers.
10/03/08 @ 17:03
Comment from: uwnet lemenager [Visitor]
that’s dream which will not happen for ever because the Somalians are very energetic and a hero people. if their country were peace, they would have been control the horn of Africa by their military power,but their only enemy is a drug called “chat” or “mirah” if they avoid taking the above drug, they will be one of the strongest country in the region believe it or not.
10/03/08 @ 17:13
Comment from: Dr. Ashebir [Visitor]
Anyone who knows that even our brothers the Eritreans left us in a bloody war, would not be gullible enough to accept such seductive message. Let the Somalis keep their misfortune at a distance. Let’s not inherit their misfortune, instead fight it from overflowing.
10/03/08 @ 17:14
Comment from: Thomas [Visitor]
KOKEB
Kokeb; your comments are always full of hate, but nothing else. Why? I don’t know. Here is my assumptions; I think You are one of the losers from this government. Or, you are one of Iss-Ass Dikala who wants the destruction of Ethiopia.
Just get a life and stay in your Artera’s (Asmera) affaire. Leave us Alone please. You are Full of hate. use your hate to build your useless Aretera with your father Iss-ass.
10/03/08 @ 17:22
Comment from: soma [Visitor]
SOMALIA IS AN INDEPENDENT NATION WHO ARE SHOWING THEIR STRENGTH BY DEFEATING US AND MELESE
We all should understand Somalia is an independent nation no body will annex them.
The people of Somalia are different they are different when it come to US and Ethiopia.
Even though they have big difference among themselves when it comes to enemy like Ethiopia and US they have shown their strength.
10/03/08 @ 17:23
Comment from: Ali roble [Visitor]
In this day and age,even a drunkard Negro like this scumbag has some crazy idea, of course it unlikely his pure imagination but just some copy-cuts of colonialists and his former white master, what do with Somalia.Is he got enough share from the spoils left British by annexing Somaliland area to Kenya? What about if Luo tribes and others that live in Uganda and Tanzania when hostility against Kukuyo erupts next time around? Does Tanzania and Uganda also have right to annex them. Where we gonna draw the line? Are we redraw all African borders again thereby opening Pandora’s box?I think Ethiopia has enough problems of its own. Besides, its experience over Eritrea’s Annexation in the past taught unforgettable lesson. In the meantime I think Somalis will sort out their differences if left alone to deal with it.
10/03/08 @ 17:30
Comment from: Yonas Bekele [Visitor]
Another dumb and unsustainable idea. Somalia is not just a vast land mass, it has actually people living there and they do not want to be part of Ethiopia or Kenya. And what does Ethiopia have to gain by annexing its neighbor, if not more violence and other problems? I think we should withdraw our guys and let Somalis resolve their own problems, even if that means an Islamist state taking root there. No one like that scenario but Ethiopia is paying dearly in term of lives and treasure to help a country that may be a failed state forever.
10/03/08 @ 17:37
Comment from: habeshawu [Visitor]
the best way to secure peace in east Africa is to secure our borders and leave the Somalians to solve their problems by themselves, and most importantly give the eritrean law land to Sudan and throw the hamaseins in the salty red sea and give the high land to Ethiopia.
10/03/08 @ 17:59
Comment from: M.T. [Visitor]
no
10/03/08 @ 18:05
Comment from: sintayehu [Visitor]
please so not run so fast to say something without thinking about them. Even though Ethiopia has strong army in Horn now we can not invade Somalia because that would be a shame for us.What are we trying to show let invade Somalia like the Europeans did in their time. Somalia people are love people and we have to respect that O WE ETHIOPIANS LIKE IF ANY COUNTRY INVADE ETHIOPIA? ANSWER THAT AS THE FOR SOMALIA. But we are strong and we will be strong always.That is Ethiopia
10/03/08 @ 18:36
Comment from: Passerby [Visitor]
Honestly people! And nazret!!!!
This is the most stupidest idea let alone an idea for discussion…it suggests nazret thinks Ethiopians are that stupid? Now i wonder who owns this websites and on who side the owner is on politically.
1) Ethiopia during the 77 war won and could have annexed Somaliland but chose not to.
2) Ethiopia has under her rightful and patriotic rulers a history of hands-off lands that don’t belong to us, we went after eritrea thinking we were brothers and that didn’t workout as meles ceded all to his mothers side of the family.
3) every Ethiopian should be insulted by such questions cause Ethiopians don’t have a real representative gov’t that gives a darn about the people. When a rightful gov’t that is representative of the people comes to power, the real land of Ethiopia should be up for discussion…asseb!
10/03/08 @ 18:43
Comment from: SPINX [Visitor]
Hello my Horn Africa people
Let me take you back to 1960-70,war between Somalia and Ethiopia,or allow me to say Between Somalia and Russia and Cuba,with out the direct help of the then Soviet-Union,back then,Ogaden-land which is legally Somalian land,would still be Somalian,History repeats it’s self,Ethiopia never fought any war or battle alone by it’s own,it’s always been supported by the West,starting from Haile-Selassie and the British,then Megustu and Russia,Now Meles-USA,Dear Ethiopians,don’t believe the hype Somalians never forgot their stolen land,OGADEN,and now you acually think to take over the whole Somalia,are you out of touch,or reality,or common sense,The USA,Ethiopia’s #1,ally is no more a Super Power,it is collapsing,so Meles,please don’t think over your head,first think about how if you can beat the AL-Shabad,warriors,that are really getting stronger as we speak.Meles please think positive,and get our of Somalian-KusH-Land.HAPPY-EID,Brothers/Sisters
10/03/08 @ 19:01
Comment from: mercato [Visitor]
The nonsense idea of the century I have no word to express we have lost Djibouti ,Eritrea and part of Gondar I believe this is not our government plan!
To an wise commentator
Religions issue is like playing with fire it is not good for Christians based on east Africa reality also do not forget we have enough pagan in east Africa. Can’t you see we have enough problem? With 81 tribe and many religions. Way we do not try to negotiate with Eritrea at last we have the same culture in most area also we speak the same kind of language even our prime minister is from Eritrea.
10/03/08 @ 19:17
Comment from: aste menelik II (the best of all kings and dictators) [Visitor]
I say Somalia, Djouti, and Eritrea must all be comletely and totally be in the hand of Ethiopia. No Kenya should ever take a piece of land regardless. So that it will benefit the four countries. We will be as strong as Rassia, China, India and U.S.A. Do it right away without wasting any time. It is a very good idea but who has the stomach to do what is best for Ethiopia? If Meles can do such a thing for our country, we will praise him and keep him as an emperior that he holds currently until the time of his death. But the emperior is a spoild one, he never does what is best for our coutry but the opposite. ONE ETHIOPIA, GREEN, YELLOW AND RED. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH MY HOME.
10/03/08 @ 19:28
Comment from: ????? Free [Member]
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Stupid nechachiba
10/03/08 @ 19:51
Comment from: EthioMan [Visitor]
Some with spinning heads spinx out of control. Ethiopia does not need to prove any battels fought and won. History will do that. Africans do not need to kill eachother over anything, not relegion not ideology, both not ours to begin with. For those who shout with the crazy annex theory… well, they are just venting. Those who claim territories of sovereign nations are as crazy as the annexers.
Somalia is an independant nation, has been for many decades. The fact there is no working govt does not lead anyone to suggets such dilusional and thoughtless means. It is poisoning otherwise lawful people and nations near by. It must be condemed for what it is. Spreading poison.
My take on this issue is, Ethiopia MUST withdraw and allow the Somali people to do what they may to themselves. If and when they cross our borders, then we will let those who claim we never beat any shiritam or shabian punk back to oblivion, come and watch. Till then, I say somalia to Somalis.
10/03/08 @ 20:02
Comment from: yahye [Visitor]
:Once Kenya and Ethiopia have sent their combined army to Somalia and declared the annexation, we will present to the world a fait accompli. ”
A mentally handicapped Negro Rambo.
10/03/08 @ 20:17
Comment from: Tegerami [Visitor]
Those of you support this idea must be out of your mind. In return, rather, ethiopia shoul leave and depart from the somali region of Ogaden, which was annexed by menilki the II a century ago. Because that is the root problem for all animosity and mistrust between these two brotherly horn of afrikaners.
If once ethiopia leaves the region, no doubt that peace will be prevailed between somalis and ethios for eternity. Anyways,we had the gut to give eritrea, the real habesha land, away by the bless of our government in our modern day history. So why we lose a courage to do so in Ogaden, non-habesha land, but somali land.
10/03/08 @ 20:23
Comment from: Sprinter [Visitor]
Ethiopia is cutting and running, what can it annex? As for the Kenya Kelinjin reporter, his suggestion of passing the buck to Ethiopia is interesting. Why did he not suggest Kenya to annex instead. Because he knows Kenyans cannot face Somalis. Kenyan soldiers are heavily equipped but in battles they defate on themselves. Anyone who lived in Northern Kenya knows that.
As for Ethiopia, its hallucination is over. It is reality checks. Its opportunistic moves are bust. What a field day we Somalis have. Its time you taste defeat. Your boys are hold up in few buildings in Mogadishu. As I write they want to desperately run away. They are afraid and terribly lonely. The bullet is their fate, either way if they say or not. They have exit strategy.
It must be horrible to be defeated by a country without a regular army. Yes, yes, your adventurism has eventually cought up with you. Allua Continua!!!
10/03/08 @ 21:07
Comment from: Gemechu [Visitor]
SPINX:
Your information on regards the war between Ethiopia and Somalia is right, but I have something to tell u.
Somalia was getting full support from Russian on the begging of the war when they invade Ethiopia. They have more than 200 tanks, MG fighter’s jet and other military hardwires. Then after Russia shifted their support to Ethiopia Somalia was supported by Egypt, USA (because of Russia Support to Ethiopia) and other Middle east countries……
The real question is, there were/are no countries in Africa who won any battle without other foreign/west countries support. We or Somalia don’t produce any weapon at the moment and because of that we always seek help from those who produce it.
When your country (Eriteria) fought for their independence they were getting supports from Egypt and other Middle East countries. So please don’t make it a big deal just because we get lots of supports from other country such as USA. No matter how much the support is you don’t wean without good fighters. Somalia invaded Ethiopia with more than 200 tanks and don’t know how to use it. Finally, they have to abandon all of their tanks for Ethiopian solders.
On recent battle with your Country Eri and Ethiopia your country did get lots of support from Egypt but they were not successful. The reason why they were not successful was luck of man power. U are 4 milon and we are 80 million. Somalia is 7-10 million and we are 80 million. You need to understand the facts. Don’t be moron! Population matters when it comes to battle and economy.
10/03/08 @ 21:56
Comment from: Training1 [Visitor]
Are these people on drugs?
They can’t control Somalia and they are thinking of annexing it?
30,000 Tigryabs,2,200 Ugandans and Burundis and thousands of Americans spying on Somalia can’t control the SOUTH. Tigryans are being dragged on the streets.
Now this guys is suggesting that we annex the whole country? Please brother. Stop taking drugs before you write.
10/03/08 @ 21:59
Comment from: ZXAmiche [Visitor]
In your dreams!
Be afraid and pray Somalinization not to haunt Ethiopia and Kenya!
10/03/08 @ 22:09
Comment from: Land of the day dreamers [Visitor]
Funny these are the same retards who comment about the unity of Ethiopia day and night
But turn around and dream of the dividing a neighboring country Somalia!!!!
I am appalled even for Nazeret to publish this kind of non sense article in the first place! But again seeing most of the contents published here day in day out and the majority of their clientele here it should not be surprising!!
Fools get down of your donkeys and think again! You could not even convince your cousins, the Orthodox Christian Eritreans to stay with you, what makes you think the Somalians can go along?
Get your house in order before your dreams of others!!!!!
What you are gonna do with an empty empty empty land with the most getto people on earth?
Westerners should use it as hunting ground for wild animals?
10/03/08 @ 22:40
Comment from: Ababu [Visitor]
What a ludicrous idea!!! is there any legality of annexing a sovereign country? If so, yes. but i don’t think a failed state like Ethiopia would be able to annex a neighboring country and administer it. The only African country that played such a role was South Africa which had been mandated to admiister Namibia after the defeat of Germany in WWI. This whole idea is a wishful thinking that would mar our country to another round of instability and political complexity.
10/03/08 @ 22:51
Comment from: Wenebz [Visitor]
Ethiopia annexing who and what!? The love for aggrandizing thoughts – that is the real joke!
10/03/08 @ 23:11
Comment from: Time [Visitor]
What is his name? Kipkorir? Wow, I did not know a Kalenjin guy had the audacity to think beyond his nose!!. Does he know his uncle MOI when he was overthrown the man who saved his ass was a Somali (General Mohamoud)? All the Kalenjins went and hid themselves in their Shambas (farms) including Moi. It was Mohamoud who with few Somalis under his command took back the Statehouse and the Radio station and announced Moi is still the President.
Mohamoud took a helicopter and went to Moi’s Shamba (farm) to bring him back. The Kalenjin man (Moi) told Mohamoud ‘Please kill me in my farm. Don’t take me away’. Wow! and Wow again. A kalenjin can dare think of annexing Somalia? It is us somalis who allowed these low life neighbours who never dare look at our side the chance to even think of it. Alas, we somalis might be brave but we are stupid. This generations is definately not like our grand fathers. The year 2020 will be somalia’s year and down hill Issack Newton’s theory for Ethiopia. I guess Kenya has already started the rift more than eethiopia but what can a Kalenjin’s brain comprehend. Haven’t you seen the flying machetes? Each one of them has it in his garage and are ready to cut each other into pieces.
Having said all that, I would prefer seeing the people of Africa living in peace and prosperity rather than talking of annexing a sisterly nation. The Kalenjin boy forgot his country is at the brink of extinction.
Let me say all Afrcan countries need to re-evaluate their way forward. otherwise they will be written into the history books. Aids, Maleria, Poverty, droughts, Wars will only increase bearing in mind the scars reaources the world will be facing. I fear for Africa and he is talking of Annexing another country.
Wait until 2020 and tell me about it. Strategy and maticulous planning that covers many dimension will be the way out for Somalia. By 2020 the Alshabaab and warlords will be history and there will be enough educated somalis in western countries who will take the lead. Investing in Infrastructure, Education, Agriculture and strong social engineering will put Somalia on Track. If you remember what I said, Ethiopia will be going down hills since by then they are recovering from Meles and Tigrey Legacy if they are not mired in civil war. I just pray to God the Somalis don’t take revenge in playig a role in distabilizing Ethiopia more. That is what Meles did. If this happens I wonder who will hold together Ethiopian tribes and religions.
Somalis, we have a saying that says ” Don’t dig your brother’s grave as you might be the one that will fall into it”. Ethiopia has dug the Grave but will it be the one to fall into it? Twelve years will tell.
If you read my post please try to remember what I have posted.
Proud Somali.
NAZRET PLEASE POST IT.
10/04/08 @ 00:42
Comment from: araadom [Visitor]
Annexing Somalia-b/n Ethiopia and Kenya.
You people-why ,why you always bark when your masters in the west tell you.You daydream when your country is always called the land of famine and hunger.Do your homework clean your dirty backyard before you look into Eritrea and Somalia. For Eritrea Adois it is the land of its owners.
10/04/08 @ 01:10
Comment from: Master Mind [Visitor]
raee
Thank you.
You bunch of morons knowing your limitations and capablites should be priority, but which part of your air head have a brain to think?
Let alone annexing somalia you couldn’t take control of feeding your family, it’s too easy to open your mouth hiding your dusty head behind your $20.00 flea market PC but that is not the point…the point is know who you are, some of you idiots can not tell your own names in proper Amharic and most of you have no value of Africanism, simply a borndogs brainless idiots do you think Somalis will stand in a corner and watch you while your kimal is takin over their land?
What a stupid question???????
Nazret thank you for this rubish topic which was able to pull out these morons out of their rat hole.
10/04/08 @ 01:39
Comment from: Z-Mike [Visitor]
Although the suggestion is not a bad idea, Ethiopia should only offer Kenya 10% of Somalia’s land. Kenya did does not have the military need to stand for a fight if and when a fight (war that is0 breaks out. Kenya’s total military is estimate at about 45,000 including the police force, the navy army etc. So to suggest Kenya taking over half of Somalia is not realistic and a very dangerous suggestion by the media.
The next steps of Ethiopia should be:
1} train and build strong navy.
2) Stay in Somalia and if need get rid of the clan leaders and tell Somalis if they don’t get there act together, there wont be another nation call Somalia.
3} get rid of Sheabians along with its terrors.
4} hold a referendum in Ethiopia whether or not Eritrea becomes independent.
****Keep on building even stronger military in Ethiopia and work on stronger democratic systems. Once we do that, Ethiopia will become stronger then ever before and the world will see the strength of Ethiopia/ns.
Z-Mike
10/04/08 @ 01:51
Comment from: kitkat [Visitor]
Annex Somalia !
Yes, Please Please Annex it.
Specially for the sake of unarmed clans who are beings massacred by so called noble clans.
Please Ethiopia Annex Somalia !
10/04/08 @ 03:01
Comment from: habeshawu [Visitor]
Time,
you are full of sh*t, you keep saying 2020, did Somalia win the chance to host Olympic or what seriously be specific about your 2020 plan. you are a typical angry man with a hot balloon head just like our northern neighbors.
10/04/08 @ 03:50
Comment from: Tamrat Tamrat [Visitor]
Lets levae somalians affair to somalians. And if they tried to mess with uss like 2006, 1977, etc then will show them who we are and they strat singing cuba and russia help ethiopia. The worrest thing about the somalians is the story they creat and believ. Is it not a disgrace to discuss anexation of a nation by itself.
10/04/08 @ 04:04
Comment from: Interesting Topic [Visitor]
The writer is a good thinker of the time. But lacks the knowledge of History.
Once Hirsi Ali (a Somalian activist) said about herself that she is the 7th generation of an Immigrant came to todays Somalia. Meaning the not Habesha look like Somalians are not the original residents in todays Somalia.
Somalia never ever has been a country before the British, Italian colonization on her dividing in three. They were primitive nomadic acting and living the way their animals demanding them to do. As the Abyssinian history says, the Entire Somalia territory was under the axumite kingdom including Yemen, southern Saudi Arabia and Gulf states that many of them still looks like the Habesha people. Mogadishu means moqat and shum= the Abyssinians word. The shum/Astedader of the moqat area.
Because of spreading Islam in Africa through war and invasion, the Arabs and Iranians fought against the Abyssinians the same way the Arabs did at the time in todays Sudan against them, too. But never ever been Somalia as a state with her todays territory boundary.
Abyssinia (Ethiopia) was the oldest statehood in AFRICA/one of the world. Modern Ethiopia (small Ethiopia) is the oldest modern statehood in Africa since 1850/60+ under the leadership of the modern Ethiopian father Atse Teodros.
After the death of Zere Jacob, the powerful Queen Ellni took the Abyssinian responsibility including todays Somalia Territory. But the time was very bad to Ethiopia as the Turks and Arabs were taking vast territory in todays Sudan including the territory called Sabians (all of them were at the time Christians including eastern, northern and central Sudan). The conflict was going on actively for 400 years but started since 8/9 century. And the worst was between 11-15 in the north and eastern part of the country. In the 16 century after the queen Eleni death (1522), the Arabs saw the weakness of the kingdom and they came through the south (todays Somalia by hiring a primitive nomad converted to become Muslim and as then brainwashed blood sucker against all Christians.
The gruesome Muslim invasion against the Christian Abyssinians took 14 years (1529-1543). During this time they even reached to the centre of the Christian kingdom in Axum and burned down the Axum Tsion mariam. This shows how much human and material damaged all over the country they had caused and the country situation changed for good.
With the European help, the Arabs invasion to spread Islam through war and killing is defeated. But the Abyssinians were badly destroyed. Many have died. Others immigrated to the north to the highlands to escape. The rest became Muslims and the same times they started acting as the todays Somalian do. This is the way the Abyssinian look like Somalians became as Somalians. That is why we said Ethiopian Muslims didn’t become Muslims by choice but by force through invasion and war.
The weakness of the Abyssinians became an opportunity to the massive migration/invasion like ants for the gala migration to the southern, central and western Ethiopia. The Somalians also did the same by defeating the Adals.This way the Zemene Mesafent created and took about 300 years.
Yet, when Ethiopia regrouped and became as a nation in 1860+, there was no a single nation in Africa at the time. That is why I said, “Ethiopia is not only the oldest ancient country but also the oldest modern country, too.”
Egypt became as it is since 1922. The rest of Africa became as it is today since 1953 started from Ghana. Sudan, Kenya, Somalia and the rest of Africa is just 50+ years old. Even in the middle east countries Like Saudi Arabia became as it is today in 1906. Iraqi 1923. And other Gulf States became, as they are latter on. So, the OLF idea of Ethiopia hundreds years old is fiction, ignorant, baseless, wrong and second even if she it so, she is older than any nation in Africa and the Middle East, too. No a single African nation has a hundred years modern statehood.
When it comes to Somalia they have been a country for only 20+ years under Siadbarie. That is it. They never ever have been a country more than that. I think the habesha look like Somalians have the right to be part of Ethiopia if they want to be that way. But Ethiopia demanding them to be part of her will be a mistake. You cannot govern them because of they never been governed by themselves and they have no idea to respect it.
As the entire Kenyan cost is part of the Kenyan Somalians, Kenya will have big problem with them. If you listen Somalians individually, almost all of them like Ethiopians that any one from Africa including the Kenyans. The Somalian Immigrants that have been in Kenya will tell you their feeling about the Kenyans. While the same time those have been in Ethiopia also will tell you their appreciation and respect towards Ethiopians. Only few Jiahdists do hate Ethiopians because of religion.
Ethiopia has a big rat on her back yard and first and for most she has to deal with it. That rat is Eritrea. So, it is time to deal with the shabia rats. The have disappeared from Eritrea means all over Ethiopia will be peace and security as shabia is training all anti Ethiopian elements including the primitive Somalia Islamic terrorists, OLF and nomadic primitive ONLF.
10/04/08 @ 04:28
Comment from: Legassi Zenawi [Visitor]
Somaliland will be a free country with close ties to Ethiopia, UK, and USA, white isolated south somalia and pirate infested puntland are killing each other with their warlords and clan.
they always try to polarize and oversimplify the situation saying oh ethiopia = christian, somalia = muslim
you idiots either don’t have a clue or are primitive animals.
this is 100% about Territorial integrity of Ethiopia and 0% about religion.
u think that relgion can solve ur problem of fragmented society based on ethnic and tribal lines, YOU WRONG.
10/04/08 @ 05:10
Comment from: Legassi Zenawi [Visitor]
Ill make damn well sure that we take ONLY ASSEB and expel all NON AFAR eritrean animals/donkeys.
We will take back our ports, as Mengistu said:
“I was there [Eritrea] with 700 people, We are there only for military strategy of water [Red Sea], there’s no Oil there, no diamonds, no gold, it’s not a country, there’s no people, NOTHING”
We will be comming back for Asseb!
Ethiopia Tikdem
10/04/08 @ 05:16
Comment from: Yohannes [Visitor]
No! No! No! All so-called national boundries created by colonial masters should be dismantled. Africa must be united in order to survive in the 21st century as a viable entity. Clanish and tribal thought should be arrested. Let us think big and far into the future while educating the unlearned. Had it not been for their identity crisis, Africans could have thrived in modern global economy becuase of their untapped natural resources.
We have no one to blame now but ourselves.
Democracy is not for Africans, at least for now, for we do not have the cornerstones for it, education, self-respect, human dignity, etc. I think the primitive paternalistic dictatorship based on fatherly or may be, motherly rule would transition us to a better tomorrow. But for the current dictators….
10/04/08 @ 05:21
Comment from: dekia [Visitor]
who is giving ethiopia 100 years of more homework war again.
10/04/08 @ 07:34
Comment from: Somali [Visitor]
Kenya
– A country with the worst record of corruption in Africa since independence
– A country with the largest slums in Africa
– A country whose economy is controlled by ex-colonials and Indians and now Somalis
– A country where people a few months ago were burning/hacking and shooting each other to death – A situation that could break out again any day of the week considering all these ethnic groups are still not satisfied
– A country who’s main tourist industry is prostitution
– A country with a mindblowing aids rate – seven or eight times higher than Somalia
– A country that can’t provide water to all it’s nomadic ethnicities( funny how Djibouti was called primitive for the same reason)
This country is suppossed to solve the Somali problem? who’s going to solve KENYA’S PROBLEMS?
Ethiopia
– A country where a racist minority rules over majorities
– A country where a dozens different seccesion groups are active who want nothing to do with the country
– A country that has an inferior telecommunication system compared to Somalia
– A country with less universities in the top 100 of Africa than Somalia
– A country with a smaller GDP per capita than the failed-state Somalia( see Economist)
– A country where 15 million people every year face starvation
– A country that tap dances to every Uncle Sam tune
This country is going to solve the Somali problem? Who’s going to solve Ethiopia’s problems?
These GI JOE’s Arnold Kipkopkipko’s and Mutunga Wango’s pretending their countries are anything but slaves of America are amusing
Insha-allah by the time of his deadline 2030 Somalia will have swallowed them all
10/04/08 @ 08:03
Comment from: Mesganaw [Visitor]
Time:
A proud Somali? Proud of what?
Before the British and Italian came to scrub nomadic/primitive Somalia, there was no any form of govt since her existence. It was like a no mans land territory. It was ruled under a clan and sub clan system. After independency, Somalia was became as a nation only for less than 30 years.
Egypt was ruled by British. Libya was ruled by Italy. Algeria was ruled by France and Morocco was at last ruled by Spain. That is why there are 4 different countries despite they have the same religion and speaking the same language.
The same thing has to apply for Somalia, too. Somaliland was ruled by British. You have an Italian Somalia and Punt land. So, there must come three different nations in somalia the same way as it happened in North African and other nations, too. So you can count 2020, 2040, 2100+ as numbers are infinitive, but Somalia will not become as one nation. Canada and USA are speaking the same language and have the same religion, why they became two separate states? In the Middle East, South America and elsewhere different nations are speaking the same language and have the same religion. So, Somalia to become, as one nation because of they are speaking the same language and have the same religion is a weak, cheap and never materialise silly thinking. It is already tested for 20+ years and it didn’t work.
Why are you mad towards Ethiopia while the writer is from Kenya? Kenyans are using their arrows and machete against the Somalians calling them the primitive people in Africa.
You can cry or do what ever you like, but your Satanic wish about Ethiopia will never fulfil.
You really have no idea about Ethiopia. When the serious comes, they are one and even the air can not come between them. Accept it and learn more about the Ethiopians good side.
After all Ethiopians are the one saved Islam by giving shelter and support to Prophet Mohamed and his followers. This was the first recognised political asylum granted to any one in human history. The first person who became Muslim is an Ethiopian, Belay (Bilal). We also know what P. Mohammed said about the habesha land and people and to His followers would be conduct towards the habesha people.
But you bastard, his followers became the enemy to the prophet special friends(Habeshas). You are using his name to commit crimes by not respecting his message including towards the habesha people.
I think King Negash/the habesha people made mistakes by giving save heavens and accommodations to them and saved Islam from disappearing as it happened to other religion in human history. If they didn’t, Islam might not be here today. You can try what ever you can in the name of Mohammed against Ethiopia, but Mohammed, Jesus and God will not allow something bad happening against the habesha people. The Arabs are busy all the times against the habesha people for many centuries, but God is fighting against them in the name of the Habesha people. Their crime against the beautiful Habesha women also will be answered by God, soon. Their oil money will be the real curse towards them. You, a primitive Somalian is a slave to them. We know and you know about. Have you been in the middle East. They see you as a Mistake, servant, slave, leftover or a monkey came from the central Africa jungle.
How can you judge Ethiopia while you know nothing about yourself?
I’m talking this to you, not to other Somalians I know that are wise and respectful towards Ethiopians. Go to the Kenyans Blog and deal with them if you can how.
10/04/08 @ 10:20
Comment from: Wadani [Visitor]
If Ethiopia annexed Somalia,the dreams of Somalia will become true from the opposite way.It will be a surprising and an excitements to the Somalis that their dreams became true from their unexpected and believing their enemy of Ethiopia sides.As,ogaden peoples also,it will boost the voices we have in the federal parliaments of Ethiopia.
And it will be the end of the sources of liberator groups that used to be coming of each decades from Somalia (Mogadishu)without the Ogaden peoples consent.
Thus, it will be, a relaxing, peacefulness and a pretty ideas,if that dreams of unifications of Ethiopian and Somalia becomes true. Despite of the many causalities in the process,it will be really,a great idea and surely the rest of the region countries would be joining when they see the greatness and the prosperity reached of united countries of Addis and Mogadishu.
Nevertheless,My predictions of that early bird joining to the unions would be Asmara and the second would be Libiya even before the Djabuti joined to the unions,its Libiya of my second guess.
10/04/08 @ 10:30
Comment from: dereje [Visitor]
they say you can choose your friends but not your neighbors.
ethiopia is very unlucky to have somale and eritrea as its neighbor. ethiopias short term strategy should be to strengthen its economy and military so these bad neighbors stay off its affair and its land. in the long term ethiopia may have to take military actions to change the geography and the politics of the two menace.
10/04/08 @ 10:37
Comment from: Time [Visitor]
I have addressed this note to the editor of that article. Those like him should take heed. Africa is sick and tired of people like him.
———————————–
Dear Kir (Somali word),
What is your name again? Kipkorir? Wow, I did not know a Kalenjin guy had the audacity to think beyond his nose! Do you know your uncle MOI when he was overthrown the man who saved his sorry butt was a Somali (General-Mohamoud)? All the Kalenjins went and hid themselves in their Shambas (farms) including Moi. It was Mohamoud who with few soldiers mostly Somalis under his command took back the Statehouse and the Radio station and announced Moi is still the President.
Mohamoud took a helicopter and went to Moi’s Shamba to bring him back. The Kalenjin man (Moi) told Mohamoud ‘Please kill me in my farm. Don’t take me away’. Wow! and Wow again. A Kalenjin can dare think of annexing Somalia! It is us Somalis who allowed these low life neighbours who never dare look at our side the chance to even think of it. Alas, we Somalis might be brave but we are stupid. This generation is definately not like our grand father’s-Admission of guilt. The year 2020 will be Somalia’s year and down hill Isaac Newton’s theory for Ethiopia. I guess Kenya has already started the rift more than Ethiopia but what can a Kalenjin’s brain comprehend. Haven’t you seen the flying machetes? Each one of you has it in his garage and is ready to cut the other into pieces.
Having said all that, I would prefer seeing the people of Africa living in peace and prosperity rather than talking of annexing a sisterly nation. Kalenjin boy you forgot your country is at the brink of extinction. Let me say all African countries need to re-evaluate their way forward. Otherwise, they will be written into the history books. Aids, Malaria, Poverty, droughts, Wars will only increase bearing in mind the scarce resources the world will be facing. I fear for Africa and you are talking of annexing another country.
Wait until 2020 and tell me about it. Strategy and meticulous planning that covers many dimension will be the way out for Somalia. By 2020 the Al-shabaab and warlords will be history and there will be enough educated Somalis in western countries and back home who will take the lead. Investing in Infrastructure, Education, Agriculture and strong social engineering will put Somalia on Track. If you remember what I said, Ethiopia will be going down hills since by then they will be recovering from Meles and Tigrey Legacy if they are not mired in civil war. I just pray to God the Somalis don’t take revenge in playing a role in destabilizing Ethiopia more. That is what Meles did to Somalis. If this happens, I wonder who will hold together the Ethiopian tribes and religions. Somalis who have one religion and language have taken this long to resolve a civil war, what will you think of Kenya? this is a good perspective for a wise man.
We Somalis, have a saying that says “Don’t dig your brother’s grave as you might be the one that will fall into it”. Kenyans also say “Mchimba kisima huingia mwenyewe”. I have lived in Kenya long enough to know it upside down. You will not give me credit if I told you I am capable of formulating a strategy that will put Kenya on its knees within couple of years. I will not shout around like pumpkin head like you but be rest assured your desire was well known and it is a note well taken. Ethiopia with the help of America has already dug the grave for Somalis for many years and it is time they fall into it. As for Kenya and the likes of Kipkorir who don’t know what Somalis are, let me tell you, Somalis will not miss a sleep guarding against Kenyan invasion. The clock has started ticking two years ago and Twelve years from now will tell.
Proud Somali,
Mohamed Abass.
NAZRET PLEASE POST IT. THANKS
10/04/08 @ 10:47
Comment from: Master Mind [Visitor]
Time [Visitor]
What is a single point in all that crap?
You are recommanded to take a capule called “Vocabulary” every 8 hours before meal.
10/04/08 @ 11:07
Comment from: Tesfaye [Visitor]
Annexing Somalia is of strategic importance for Ethiopia to play the role of an ancient black civilisation. Ethiopia should take back Artra and Djoubiti. We have to do it by war if necessary. Eritrea is an ethiopian history. Those who do not want to live under Ethiopian administration are eritrean who are mercenaries. The real eritreans are ethiopians. Djubiti was taken from Ethiopia through international manipulations. Ethiopia is a might power. Unfortunaely the Zenawi group are anti-Ethiopia and are working against a centralised might power.
The Somalians have to be led. And it is only Ethiopia that could give Somalis some hope to live. The ethiopian army is still in full control in Somalia. If Ethiopia is serious, the Islamist will be destroyed with no man left. Ethiopia should wage a full scale war and annex Somalia for Ethiopia. The somalians could be chritinized and eat injera. No Islam in somalia. Somalians deserve more. Their children will go to the same schools as ethiopians. Somali girls will represent Ethiopia as ethiopians as atheletic champions.
Ethiopia is 70% christian- Orthodox Christian (60%). Islam is growing in Ethiopia but not significantly.
Wake up Ethiopians! Unite Africans under the banner of Ethiopia! Start with Somalia because Somalia needs us more!
10/04/08 @ 11:07
Comment from: visitor [Visitor]
Annexing Somalia…and what then? The problem of ethiopians is that we never learn..Last time, we annexed a country, we paid paid a huge price for it: 30 years of war and we missed a great chance to better our lives.
What i would advice all the dreamers in rags that we are, it’s to push woyannes to leave Somalia and focus on bringing health,education and food to the people they are supposed to rule :ethiopians.
10/04/08 @ 11:10
Comment from: ANNEX BRITISH EAST AFRICA AND HABASH [Visitor]
To annex Somalia mr. Kukiyo you need to
come to somali cities like Kismayo and
fight real men, Union of islamic courts/
Somali jihad movement/Somaliland National Army etc. We all know that conlonization of
of africa is finish but indeed the slaves
will never change their mindset. I am sitting today in Mombasa and looking at a Muslim /somali city and feeling home,
Kenya is a somali region and soon shall return to SOMALIYA/ we shall it return by be force or by talk, but untill then countinue with your Dreams.Because we as people
don’t talk nonsense we Somali take actions and Kenya is somali, go to any city and look for your self. while you are born slaves and only take orders, by somalis or british as in the past.We give orders. And
Todays Order to your mr Kikiyo is dream o
on my BOY>. this Text is written on behave of UNITED SOMAL EAST AFRICAN STATE (includes habashia and kenya).
thank you.
10/04/08 @ 11:11
Comment from: TEDDY [Visitor]
You mean ,annexion what a jock ,a tribal milicia army ,agazis ,blocked and harassed by bare footed children fighters ;has no means to control Somalia any longer than withdrawing or surrender .It’s sad to recognise since the evil Zenawi and his thugs took power Ethiopian Armed Forces have ceased to exist ,today the so called National Armed Forces are simply tribal based milicia forces led by illitrate TPLF bandit self apointed officers and generals .Agazis have no pride and dignity as much as the armed forces led in 1964 by Aman Adom and letter in 1977 led by Demisse Bulto ,of course the Air Force of Fanta Belay who really defeated twice Somalian invasion forces . LONG LIVE THE TRUE ETHIOPIANS !!!
10/04/08 @ 11:34
Comment from: D-barry [Visitor]
D. EAR Ogadenian please you talk sheet.I bean in ethio-somalia war 1977.When we start counter atack I saw with my eye the somalia army left behind all the Tank and weapon run like Horse 500k|meter.You know it 2 years ago it takes the heroic ethiopian army less than one week to control south Somalia.That is the fact broo.May be i have some difference with the government I still like ethiopia and the army.
10/04/08 @ 11:44
Comment from: girma yirgu [Visitor]
it is a good idea to take somalia to motherland ethiopia mokadischo means the papties city of ethiopia all ethiopian creastianity came frome thhough mmekadescha mokodischo if meles zenawi did that his name will be among the greatest of all somalia must join ethiopia as 14 provice of ethiopia
no more somalia only one ethiopia
ertrea will came by it self we must not forse them they used to be one nations
ertrea can not servive with out ethiopia please meles zenawi do that and clean your hand and make reconsilations among all ethiopians
so that your beloved childeren will with out fear of ethiopians
10/04/08 @ 11:50
Comment from: lekim [Visitor]
Only those who want Ethiopia and or Kenya to fight their dirty wars for them would advocate the annexation of Somalia. Ethiopia is a law abiding member of the world community and not a Trojan horse for imperialist pigs. Somalis can keep their banana republic.
10/04/08 @ 11:52
Comment from: Somalirealist [Visitor]
Somalia can Annex both Ethiopia and Kenya but not the vice versa.
This Kukuyu Niggar is dreaming.
Somalis own the biggest land in kenya, North Eat, NFD. SOmalis control the econmy in Kenya by taking over from the Indians. We have many politicians well placed into the system fot hat country. Muslims in Mombasa are with us. So basiccally we own Kenya.
TO Ethiopia, we own the biggest land, Oromos the majority of Ethiopia are firendly to us. 50 or more % are Muslim in Ethiopia and associate with Somalia, Eritrea is our Friend. Only Mountain people can go against us.
Above all, Somalia has the gutts to do this, without feering US and EU.
So given these facts, SOmalia can Annexx both of these countries.
However, it should not be our policy to do this.
This writer is a narrow minded fool who does not have any clue of what he is talking about about.
Somalia will think of Annexing any of its neighbours and if its neighbors start thinking so, we know how to respond with swift defeat.
10/04/08 @ 12:00
Comment from: Confussed [Visitor]
I was reading the credentials and experience of this so called the writer of this article, and come to the point of imagining the thoughts of his likes but less credentials. I guess they will imagine annexing the USA as well. All I can say is that this writer is loosing his mind and soon be a mad naked fool running around the streets begging for “Ugali”.
For those of you who applauded to his stupidest idea of all time are also thoughtless idiots. The matter of fact is that both Ethiopia and Kenya are barely making their needs let alone annexing another nation.
You all be really!
10/04/08 @ 12:32
Comment from: Seleme [Visitor]
. . . i dont agree,. . .let them live alone!. . .
10/04/08 @ 13:05
Comment from: Time [Visitor]
HERE IS THE FEEDBACK FROM THE EDITOR IN RESPONSE TO COMMENTS AND MY FOLLOW UP RESPONSE:
Mohamed,
Thanks for your comments though part of them are unnecessarily vitriolic! The strand of my thesis is that if Somalia can’t fix its problems since 1960 and be able to exploit its minerals then kenya and ethiopia should do it!
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Celtel Kenya
————————————
With all due respect Mr. Kipkorir, who would fix Ethiopia and Kenya’s problems? Did Kenya and Ethiopia exploit their resources? I think you are using lame excuse to bring forth your hidden agenda. Please advocate for civility and respect among the nighbouring countries. If we look at Kenya, solving the problem of Nairobi slums, disease and poverty will take years. Why don’t you concern yourself with that? It is humilating to suggest poor and backward countries like Ethiopia and Kenya should annex another African country. Why have you never talked of annexing Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, and Zaire to mention a few?
Your comment has no place in modern Africa. If you are among the peace loving Kalenjin people who are very friendly to Somalis, you would write an appology article in response to the ill thought and sinister article you titled “Annexing Somalia”.
10/04/08 @ 13:28
Comment from: el [Visitor]
Somali [Visitor]
assuming you are Somalian, where did you get your facts about Somalia’s GDP being higher than ethiopia or Somalia having more universities than ethiopia? It doesn’t actually matter whither you are somalian or Eritrean since you both have a lot in common in terms of being the only so called nations in the world with no annual budget and higher education(university) to talk about, let alone GDP . be happy you are not alone.
10/04/08 @ 13:47
Comment from: United Alem [Visitor]
I WILL POOT IT IN SHORT !…. NO NEED TO CREAT AGAIN EAST AFRICAN EVERLASTING WAR AS PALESTINE AND ISRAEL BETWEEN ETHIOPAN AND SOMALIAN!!!!!!EVEN 1000000 % WORST THAN PALESTINIAN AND ISRAEL!!!! “GOMEN/CABAGE BETEN” SANG TSHAY YOHANES
10/04/08 @ 14:07
Comment from: Tesfaye [Visitor]
Emperor minilk said if god gave him the the bless to live longer and in health, he would annex all territories along the indian ocean coastline.
When he aimed this He ignored the Eritreans(BANDAS)at the moment.
But minilik died before accomplishment.
Now Meles Zenawi look like
accomplishing what Minilk started.
10/04/08 @ 14:08
Comment from: mo [Visitor]
did i heard him say somalis have more per-capita then kenya.that says alot isn’t it? if that is the case knowing kenya has more per-capita then ethopia,they could only invade with artificially sustained armies. its a fact that we are prosprering more than you lot eventhougt we didnot have proper governemet for ages.what will happen if we have peace god knos
10/04/08 @ 14:38
Comment from: jank@mail.com [Visitor]
MY ANSWER IS SIMPLE YES!
WHY DID YOU TAKE YOU LONG!
for starter I have a fealing Somilian in Ethiopian have better life then Somilian in Somilian… Ethiopian problem is always money otherwise we are much modern people… even much better advance people then USA… we are very poor but we are not killing each or fool reason… you don’t some one telling you he will kill you because you are muslim etc etd.. or he doesn’t like because you are this or that ethnic groups… beside we are not war like people… we respect rule and law we vaule human life….
Beside on this Somilian would be better of ruled by Ethiopian under Ethiopian flag…
To make sure this become a reality we should arm all woman in Somilia give them gun to proect themselves from war lord… once we are all the woman in Somilia the man will lose their power… The man can not go around and tell the woman to sew their privet part… if they do the woman police officer will coem and take him to jail… you see if you want the woman right to be respected then you should give woman power how by giving them power meaning gun… GUN MEAN POWER IN AFRICA… if the woman misss use the gun and attack the Ethiopian army then that is their lose…
In fact armying the woman would be the best staragy even in all Arab countries… if all the woman have gun… how in hell the man will going to oppress them?
100,000 woman army will do the job to fix the men… now the warlord can’t wear the woman dress and do their drity job the woman will stop him!!!!
Eritean have woman army… some northern arab country also have woman army… if the woman feed up with this BS then they should be happy to fitght for their freedom…. if they didnot then they are have only themselves to belmeam
10/04/08 @ 14:53
Comment from: Shewarega [Visitor]
Somalia is a sovreign nation. What ever problem they have within them, including those of Somalilan/Puntland belongs to them. Having said that, I think Somalis should also stop this never ending plot of attacking and plotting against Ethiopia. We can all go to history and talk about who did what to whom. But lets just live that alone, and let us both strive to first reconstitute Somalia, and second bring about true Democratic governments in both countries. For Democratic nations do not spend their day plotting how to destabilize, or conquer their neighbors. Somalia had one chance to grab territories from Ethiopia. That was 1977 when Ethiopia was swept by revolution. But look what that brought upon Somalia. It disintegrated at its seems. And you fed and bred Meles, who was carrying a Somali passport, and you got what you deserved. He is bombing and destroying your homes. I think the bottom line is this talk of annexing Somalia is a joke. On the same token Somalis should stop this dream of grabbing land from their neighbors. The most important thing is that those who live there get a voice, and are beneficiaries of what they possess. I for one will be very happy if there is peace in Ogaden, and the oil is brought out to change the lives of those long suffering people there.
10/04/08 @ 15:26
Comment from: coolman [Member]
All of you people trumpeting for this
outrageous idea suffer from delusion of grandeur, which has proven to be the best recipe for disaster.
Thank God none of you seats at the wheel of power. What is next, Madagaskar? I think we should start with Sudan. And, with the oil money, we can buy all those fancy weapons and cash in Egypt and Libya.
Oh, Talian gudish fela, we are coming to get you too.
Peace
10/04/08 @ 15:31
Comment from: Mr Fair [Visitor]
I don’t know where Mr. Kopkirir grew up but I can see a dangerous mix of hate and ignorance.
If Southern and Central Somalia where part of Kenya, I have no doubt that withing few years, Kenya would have turned into a Somali dictatorship, Woyane style.
Kikuyu, Luo, Kalenjin etc. would have been just like the Gurage, Afar, Wolyta etc in Ethiopia i.e nice hard working people who have nothing to do with power struggle. In a few decades, there would probably be another Mao Mao to kick out the Somalis, or there may be Kenyan Liberation Front.
Somali Kenyans represent about 3% of the Kenyan population at the same time they control a big junk of the economy and they controlled the military to some extent. Raise that percentage to about 18% and Kenya would be in a big trouble.
What about Puntaland and Somaliland (Northern and Northwestern Somalia) being part of Ethiopia?
Here are two scenarios;
If they decide to fight occupation, then they are the ones who can organize themselves the most and they can wage a war comparable to that of Eritrea. Actually the Somalilanders (Nortwest) and the Ogadenis were historically the bulwark against the expansionist Ethiopian kings and they had the upper hand until European colonialists tied their hands(there was weapons embargo on all Somali Speaking region for more than 70 years).
If they decide to forget about Somali ethnocentrism, hold hands with their muslim brothers in the Horn, and compete for power withing Ethiopia, then the fundamentalist Ethiopian Orthodox church would be in trouble. That would have been a big boost for the humbled Ethiopian Muslims.
A short answer for the whole article would have been;
Tried it and good luck.
10/04/08 @ 16:14
Comment from: jank@mail.com [Visitor]
RE:-Somalia is a sovreign nation.
Next you will tell us they are Muslim nation.. you see sovereign nation doesn’t rap and murder their own people..
be it in Muslim be it in any law NO! country have the right to kill their own citizen… I have no marcy for those killer and murderer hiding behind Sovreign nation crap!
If they want to be respected as Sovreign ation then why are they looting the sea? if they are Msulim why are they looting at Gun point.. they are not Msulim yes they hide behind Muslim cover but what they did is not Isalam…
The old day where a sovreign nation can do any crap as they wish in their own people is gone… if you don’t trust me ask those Bosinan Msulim they got help from USA… when their own nation kill them
My point is Somilian are not a sovreign nation they break all the rule in the book be it UN rule be it Muslim rule be it devil rule be it any rule… they burn the rule and the holy book
my friend when white colonzation end the black colonzation started we Ethiopian will be the first to stop this black colonzation they like it or not..
I hope the Russian would be very happy to help us out to restore peace and law and rule in Ethiopia… it not today 20 years later Somilian will be greatful for the help we give them at their time of need…
MY question to any Ethipian would be you would not mind if the Somilian come and kick out Meles? I know you will not mind! that is why you are working with Eritrean to kick Meles therefore what is the diffrent here… if we help the Somilian people kick out the war lord…
as united with Ethiopia we are the same people think about it the federal system will sove all our proplem they can keep their port but all Somilian or Ethiopian will not need visa to come and work in Ethiopia or Somilia we use the birr and Somilaian currecy… us see we don’t want to control them we only want to be hlep that all..
Today is a very special day for fellow Muslims across the world. They are celebrating Eid al-Fitr, celebrations to mark the end of Ramadan. The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste is in solidarity with them.
Traditionally, the holy month of fasting ends with the sighting of the new moon.
It culminates in scenes of merriment and thanksgiving, with families and friends gathering to exchange gifts enjoy food and festively decorate their homes.
Here in Magadi Soda in Ngong Catholic Diocese there are about 30 Muslim families and children are going to be supplied with sweets and cookies. The Imam here is a young committed man from Homa Bay County. I spoke to him a while ago and told me how the day is very significant with Muslims’ faith and charity.
And in London as charity worker Abid Choudhry told the BBC, some 400 Muslim prisoners were treated to special Eid packs, supplied by the Islamic Human Rights Commission. The packs contain halal sweets, an organic tooth chew, a pocket-sized prayer book and an Eid card prisoners can send to their loved ones.
As the day being celebrated in joy, in South Sudan Yei Catholic Bishop Rt. Rev. Bishop Erkulano Lodu Tombe is howling to the government over heavy tax charges demanded from foreign priests, brothers and sisters working in the country.
AMECEA in its News Blog online quoted Bishop Lodu Tombe to have made the remarks on Sunday at Christ the King Cathedral while launching a new transmittersfor Easter Radio for live transmission of Holy Mass.
Bishop Erkulano Lodu Tombe said the tax on the expatriate is worse than what Sudan government was asking before South Sudan became independent. He said this signifies as if the government of South Sudan wants to tell them to return to their own countries of origin.
Among the missionaries who will be overburdened with the heavy tax include Father John Barth, a native of Buffalo and Maryknoll priest who for 22 years, has spent the past three years in South Sudan working and administrating skilled training for the blind. The people he helps are able to be integrated into public schools and various jobs.
Father Barth got his start and interest in missionary work at the New York State Department of Health in Albany, and later as a volunteer for two years in Tijuana, Mexico, for an organization called Los Ninos. Soon after, Father Barth wanted to do more missionary work and applied to Maryknoll. He was officially ordained in 1991.
Father Barth received his first assignment in Cambodia, and after spending 11 years there he founded Rehabilitation, an organization to train social workers to help the incurably blind, train eye doctors and eye nurses.
Now beginning his work in South Sudan, Father Barth plans to implement the same kind of training and work as he did in Cambodia. After the war, when Sudan split into two separate countries, it had peaked his interest to start work in South Sudan.
Father Barth has joined with Catholic Health Training Institute to help train registered nurses and nurse midwives in cooperation with the Ministry of Health in Juba, South Sudan. Father Barth has also been very active in skilled training for the blind, as he was in Cambodia.
There are 9 million people in South Sudan, and only two eye surgeons for the whole country. It’s not just the health care that needs help, South Sudan’s schools, agriculture and infrastructure need renovation.
Father Barth was in Buffalo for a short two weeks for a conference downstate and returned to South Sudan on June 11 to continue his work.
The day is also being celebrated at the time Syrian Catholic priest Francois Murad is killed by jihadi fighters. He was beheaded last week according to a report by Catholic Online which is linking to video purportedly showing the brutal murder.
Murad, 49, was setting up a monastery in Gassanieh, northern Syria when extremist militants trying to topple President Bashar Assad breached the monastery and grabbed Murad.
While earlier reports suggested Murad may have been shot to death, Catholic Online reported Saturday: “The Vatican is confirming the death by beheading of Franciscan Father, Francois Murad, who was martyred by Syrian jihadists on June 23.”
The Catholic news service quotes local sources who report that the radical Al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, or Al-Nusra Front, was behind the savage killing.
It quotes Custos of the Holy Land, Franciscan Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa who says, “Unfortunately Syria has now become a battleground not only between Syrian forces, but also between Arab countries and the international community. And those paying the price are the poor, the young and the Christians. That the international community must put a stop to all this”.
Vatican Radio writes, “Fr. Mourad was just one of the many men and women religious putting their faith on the front line in Syria, refusing to abandon the communities they serve, Christian and Muslim. They stay because they want to be a sign of hope, light and comfort to people in the midst of destruction.”
Meanwhile, a priest working in the devastated city of Homs in Syria has given an account of some of the horror he’s facing every day. The priest, who cannot be named, sent a report to the charity Aid to the Church in Need, which is supporting Syrians with an aid package of £25,450 (€30,000) for a center in Homs, on top of £42,450 (€50,000) given last year.
The report details the priest’s struggle to provide basic food, shelter and medicine to more than 30,000 people fleeing violence amid ongoing bomb blasts and other violence.
Tensions are also high in Egypt as Al-Qaeda leaders’ message incites violence against Christians. The message accuses Coptic Catholics of plotting the overthrow of Former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi with Americans and the Egyptian military.
According to Fides News Agency, the physician-theologian Egyptian terrorist blamed the Copts of having supported Morsi’s removal with the intent to “create a Coptic State in southern Egypt”. In past days, assaults on churches and houses of the Copts occurred throughout the Country.
Some episodes have been reported in Assiut and Sohag. But the most serious cases relate to some villages in the area around Minya. As Zenit reports, in the village of Bani Ahmed, on Saturday evening, August 3 gangs of Islamist extremists caused the flight of the entire population and the burning of at least 9 homes and 24 shops owned by Christians as well as trucks, buses and cars burned in the streets.
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
Tel +254 7350 14559/+254 722 623 578
E-mail omolo.ouko@gmail.com
Facebook-omolo beste
Twitter-@8000accomole
Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.
-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002
told the BBC,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23589092
Kenya is moving forward…….never backwards…… Land Grabbing and Decolonization must be fought in all fronts……
Cheers !!!
Judy Miriga
Diaspora Spokesperson
Executive Director
Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc.,
USA
http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com
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FBI agents, police pursue three theories in Jomo Kenyatta International Airport fire probe
Updated Thursday, August 8th 2013 at 22:07 GMT +3
Senior criminal investigation offi cials scour the scene of Wednesday’s fire Thursday. [PHOTOS: WILBERFORCE OKWIRI/STANDARD]
By CYRUS OMBATI
NAIROBI; KENYA: Detectives probing the Wednesday blaze that brought down the main terminal at Kenya’s biggest airport are not ruling out terrorism or arson, although they say it could have been an accident.
President Kenyatta chaired a meeting of the country’s top security organ to discuss the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport ( JKIA) fire tragedy as it emerged investigators were pursuing all three theories.
On Thursday the probe took on an international feel as three FBI agents sent by the US embassy in Nairobi joined the investigating team a day after President Obama called President Kenyatta to offer his government’s support following the fire.
Officially, authorities say it is not yet clear what caused the fire that prompted the closure of the busiest airport in East and Central Africa for most of Wednesday.
Over 200 people, among them 60 Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) workers, have recorded statements as the probe intensifies.
Huge losses
Yesterday, President Kenyatta called a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the tragedy that has occasioned huge economic losses following the disruption to cargo and passenger flights.
Deputy President William Ruto, all heads of the country’s security agencies, and Cabinet Secretaries in charge of Security and Infrastructure attended the meeting at State House, Nairobi. Details of the meeting were scanty, but officials said the crisis at JKIA was extensively discussed and the President briefed on progress in investigations.
At JKIA, head of the ATPU Boniface Mwaniki led the probe as detectives searched for clues in the fire-damaged section of the airport. The FBI agents arrived carrying special equipment to back up their Kenyan counterparts with their expertise, in a joined bid to unearth the cause of the inferno.
The agents took away samples from the scene for further analysis and tests.
Investigators were also reviewing images on the closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to examine events before and after the fire broke out, as part of their investigations. It was not immediately clear if the entire sequence of events was captured on the surveillance cameras.
Apart from the ATPU, officers from the Bomb Disposal Unit, Kenya Airports Police Unit, Nairobi County and CID headquarters were helping with the probe.
Personnel from the National Intelligence Service, Kenya Power Company personnel, the City Council of Nairobi Fire Department and investigators from insurance companies were also at the scene.
The detectives have taken over a bar at the airport and turned it into an interrogation room where witnesses are recording statements.
Officials said some of the staff said in their statements that they heard two explosions after smoke started billowing out.
The explosions, according to those who have been questioned, were not very powerful or loud, with suggestions and they may have been caused by air conditioners.
Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau and CID Director Ndegwa Muhoro confirmed the arrival of the FBI agents to assist in the probe.
“We wish to express our appreciation and gratitude for the support we have received from other governments around the world and our development partners,” said Kamau.
On Thursday, controversy raged over where the fire started as witness accounts contradicted the official position that the fire broke out atin the immigration area.
There were suggestions that the huge inferno may have been occasioned by naked electric wires left in one of the 56 shops pulled down by the Government as it ejected duty free shop operators last week.
Insiders and firemen who spoke to The Standard claimed the fire could have been triggered by an electric fault from one of the duty free shops.
“There were some cables that were left naked. The power was cut off in some of the shops and was left on in others. This is exactly what I told the investigation team when they grilled me this morning,” said one of the employees.
But the Government has maintained that the shops were 50 metres away. “The fire came from the immigration section after the bridges, the second desk after immigration which is nearest to unit 1. The duty free shops are more than 50 metres apart and I do not see any relationship between the demolitions and the fire,” Kamau said on Wednesday.
On Thursday, minimal operations resumed at JKIA with the Government indicating they expected full operations by midnight.
The State also opened up the excusive Presidential Pavilion, usually reserved for visiting heads of states, for use by travellers to help ease the crisis. Kamau indicated that full operations would resume at the airport from midnight on Thursday.
“We want to assure all travellers within the country that even though the level of comfort is not what they would expect, we want to reassure them of their security and safety,” he said. Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirmed that other international airlines can use JKIA under advice, added Kamau.
National carrier Kenya Airways had already lined up 17 international flights throughout Thursday to various capitals across the globe.
Trans-Nzoia County governor told to stop land grabbing
Updated Thursday, August 8th 2013 at 23:01 GMT +3
BY OSINDE OBARE
Trans-Nzoia County: The business community in Trans-Nzoia County has pressed authorities to repossess 100 acres of grabbed land earmarked for the Kenya Industrial Estate ( KIE).
The Trans-Nzoia Kenya National Commerce and Industry branch said it would institute legal action on behalf of residents to sue people behind the illegal allocation of prime plots in Kitale.
The branch’s Executive Officer Martin Waliaula said the economic activities in the county have grounded because land meant for them has been grabbed.
Speaking in Kitale yesterday, Mr Waliula asked the county leadership led by Governor Patrick Khaemba to reclaim the grabbed land.
“The normal stories that the government is going to recover grabbed land should be made a reality. The rampant grabbing has hampered economic activities. We want all public assets taken by individuals repossessed,” he demanded.
Condemning the grabbing of the KIE land meant for industrialisation programmes, the officials said the Chamber will move to court to revert the land to its intended purpose.
“We cannot allow developers to benefit at the expense of many unemployed youths. We are ready to face these individuals and recover the land,” he said.
He said a survey done by the Chamber had indicated only 15 acres had been spared from the initial parcel reserved for industrialisation purposes.
