From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Thu, Oct 15, 2009 at 8:21 PM
Writes Leo Odera.
Delegates, including 19 heads of state and senior government officials are expected to attend a special African Union Summit on refugees, returnees and Internally displaced persons in the Ugandan capital, Kampala from next Monday.
By Thursday evening, top officials at the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs were still tight lipped and could not immediately identify the leaders expected in the City for the meeting which starts on Monday, October 19-23.
A source in government circles within Kampala, however confirmed that President Yoweri Museveni had extended an invitation to the Sudanese President, Omar Bashir ,despite the still floating warrant for his arrest, which was issued last year by the Hague based international Court of Criminal Justice.
Bashir, however, is ye to confirm his attendance, although political talks that dominate the Kampala air is that his personal attendance in such a meeting is very much essential, taking into account that Sudan accounts for almost 155,440 refugees living in Uganda.
Foreign Ministries and relief and disaster preparedness personnel are also expected to attend the Summit.
Notable among the high profile participants will be Graca Michel, the wife of the former South African President Nelson Mandela. The former first lady-turned diplomat has been actively taking part in serious issues affecting the continent, such as armed conflicts and polls dispute related violence, such as the ones witnessed recently in Kenya and Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, President Museveni has called for multi-model system of managing refugees and internally displaced people, according to a statement released from State house on Thursday.
“Urban integration is better than horizontal involvement of refugees in rural areas”, he was quoted as telling the officials who were briefing him about the preparation for the next week’s summit at State House, Entebbe.
The Ugandan Head of State said access to land had increasingly become an issue, especially with high population growth, adding that the relevant Ministries should plan for industrial training of skills outside agriculture.
“Rural settlement have potential for conflicts with local communities. Refugees must be supported to learn new skills to avoid conflicts with locals over agriculture land,” said Museveni.
He added, “in this way refugees could play a major role when they return tothe9ir countries.”
The Kampala Summit will culminate in a declaration that will tackle the root causes and problems of the African continent’s 17 million refugees and internally displaced people.
“The African leaders are also expected to tackle what will help the continent eliminate the phenomenon of large scale displacement of population caused by human indicated conflicts and natural disasters, “said Museveni.
Uganda alone has 155,440 refugees, most of them from the neighboring countries of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
President Museveni said access to land had particularly become an issue, especially with high population growth, adding that keeping people in camps is not an African tradition way of life. “Why can’t we think of refugees outside agriculture?”, he posed.
The Kampala summit will also look into ways of helping displaced population begin courses like how to rebuild their communities. Prevention and mitigation of the impact of natural calamities will also feature on the summit agendas.
The Heads of State will also identify ways of preventing forced displacement, the Ugandan Minister for Relief and Disaster Preparedness, Tarsis Kabweyegire told journalist at the Kampala’s Media Centre
“Wars arising from mismanagement of state and natural calamities have continued to be the major problem caused by the population displacement. “said the Minister.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
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Subject: 19 HEADS OF STATES, INCLUDING SUDAN’S BASHIR ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND NEXT MONDAY SUMIT ON REFUGEES AND DISPLACED PEOPLE IN KAMPALA CITY.
Why are Africa elites terrorizing their poor citizens???
These elites are the reasons why Africa is plagued with poverty, diseases and underdevelopment. They dole out their countries’ natural resources for the mediocre assets payoffs kept in foreign countries, leaving 99.9% of their citizens impoverished, terrorized, diseased or dead.
Here is the story about the late Togo’s dictator, Bongo, before he and his wife died. His wife died in a hospital in Morocco because there is no viable hospital in the oil rich Togo! Bongo, however, had assets looted from his country’s oil resources hidden in foreign in France and other countries.
These headless African elites have totally unable to comprehend that hiding assets in foreign countries is no brainer because the International Center for Settlements of Investment Disputes (ICSID- a branch of World Bank Group) always has a records of the shady deals by corrupt world leaders. ICSID will not betray most foreign investors that can be bullied by these corrupt Africans elites. It is easier for creditors to recover foreign assets should any dispute like this between Bongo and French business man arise.
http://www.france24.com/en/20090226-french-court-seizes-gabonese-presidents-accounts-omar-bongo-bank
Foreigners are neither stupid nor generous. Everything they give out, no matter how small, must have a price tag attached to it that must be paid back.
Correction:
Bongo was the presedent of Gabon not Togo.