Pan Africa Newswire

There are reports of renewed fighting in the Darfur region of Sudan. This is taking place despite the fact that a peace agreement was signed in late February 2010., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

JEM head denies Sudan-Chad border clash was ‘murder’

17 May

Dr Gibril Ibrahim, head of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), has strongly denied that his forces “murdered” JEM-Bashar faction leader Mohammed Bashar, his deputy Suleiman Arko, his brother Noureen Bashar and at least eight others on Sunday at the Sudan-Chad border.

In an interview with Radio Dabanga, Dr Ibrahim said that the incident was “a military confrontation that took place between armed militants from both sides”. “Some people died and some were wounded from both factions, so the allegations of ‘assassination in cold blood’ are groundless and unfounded,” said Dr Ibrahim.

He also he denied the allegation that the clash occurred in Chadian territory: “If that was the case, the Chadian government would be talking about it. The entire engagement took place on Sudanese soil. The JEM did not enter into Chad nor did it assassinate any one.”

The National Intelligence and Security Service and the Sudanese Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday and Monday, calling the JEM version of the story “a bare lie and completely far from truth”.

However, Dr Ibrahim blamed “international parties who rushed to condemn the JEM based on news from the Sudanese government without verification, investigation or contacting both conflict parties to find the truth”. He pointed out that Unamid has not yet sent a team to the area to investigate. “They just depend on the government’s claims without verifying or contacting the other parties.”

Prisoners

Regarding the fate of the JEM-Bashar militants captured by JEM during the engagement, Dr Ibrahim explained that they are still members of his (JEM) movement. “They are not Prisoners of War, nor have they ever claimed to have left the movement. The statutes and laws of the movement’s forces determine sanctions against any member of the movement who commits the crime of high treason, bears arms in the face of the government, engages in complicity with the enemy, etc.,

“What happens to them must be decided by a Court Martial. We have not dismissed them, nor have they submitted a resignation nor have they ever said they’re joining another movement.”

Dr Ibrahim added that the men who were captured “tried to steal the name of the JEM, handed over JEM equipment to the regime, and are now under arrest; not as Prisoners of War. They will be treated and accordingly tried as (delinquent) JEM members because they accepted and signed our laws.”

Chadian troops

Dr. Ibrahim reiterated that Chadian troops are on the move in Darfur. He told Radio Dabanga that on Thursday, Chadian forces were seen at Kurwa in North Darfur as well as in Furawiya in North Darfur.

“We do not seek to confront these Chadian forces in any way,” said Dr Ibrahim, “because they are not the enemy we have taken up arms against. We are fighting Sudanese government troops on Sudanese soil, and request foreign parties not to interfere in our internal affairs.” Dr Ibrahim called on Chad to withdraw its forces.

However, Colonel Al Sawarmi Khalid Saad, spokesman for the Sudanese Army has denied that Chadian forces crossed the Sudanese border. He described the JEM version of events as “untrue and unconfirmed”.

According to the Sudan News Agency on Thursday, Saad said that that “talk of Chadian forces entering Sudanese territory is media ruse to hide many of the aims of the rebels and to embarrass the governments of Sudan and Chad”.

“Chad fighter jets target JEM”

JEM spokesman Jibril Adam Bilal has alleged that a jet fighter from Chad bombed the El Tina locality in North Darfur on Monday, one day after JEM-Bashar leader was killed in unclear circumstances in the area. Bilal: “so far, there are no reports of casualties from our side.”

An anonymous source speaking to AFP said the jet fighters were targeting JEM forces, adding that the Chadian Air Force “bombed both sides of the border”. This informant also had no information about casualties.

Bilal claimed Sudanese and Chadian aircraft had carried out more raids since Monday, but the source was unable to confirm this.

A Sudanese defence ministry spokesman and Unamid both claimed to have no information about the air strike.

Kenyan Defense Forces occupying the Horn of Africa nation of Somalia. The Kenyan government has invaded their neighbor in conjunction with an imperialist onslaught into the strategic state., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Kenya wants the Amison troops in Somalia expanded

Publish Date: May 18, 2013

Deputy President William Ruto said the instability in Somalia is piling pressure on Kenya’s security situation.

According to Kenya’s Standard newspaper, he spoke when he met Congo Brazzaville President Denis Sassou Nguesso and his Gabon counterpart Ali Bongo separately in their respective countries.

The leaders talked about the need to expand the African Union forces in Mogadishu to ensure the Horn of Africa country was stable.

“We need to stabilize Somalia fully because the continued absence of a stable government is piling a lot pressure on Kenya,” Mr Ruto said.

Kenya, he added, was facing challenges in respect to hosting a big number of refugees and terrorist attacks from the Al Shabaab.

Presidents Nguesso and Bongo respectively congratulated the Jubilee Government for winning the elections saying their governments will collaborate with Kenya on the issue of supporting the Africa Union (AU).

They supported a proposal that AU should give enough resources and personnel to stabilise Somalia so that refugees can relocate back to their country for Kenya to mange its security issues without external pressure.

The Deputy President while briefing the two leaders on Kenya’s role in ensuring peace in the region observed.

“The Somalia problem has compounded insecurity in Kenya with frequent attacks by the Al Shaabab and proliferation of small arms.”

The three countries also agreed to set up a climate change secretariat considering Congo and Gabon lie on the Congo Basin where there is the amazon.

Kenya wants the Amison troops in Somalia expanded

Deputy President William Ruto said the instability in Somalia is piling pressure on Kenya’s security situation.

According to Kenya’s Standard newspaper, he spoke when he met Congo Brazzaville President Denis Sassou Nguesso and his Gabon counterpart Ali Bongo separately in their respective countries.

The leaders talked about the need to expand the African Union forces in Mogadishu to ensure the Horn of Africa country was stable.

“We need to stabilize Somalia fully because the continued absence of a stable government is piling a lot pressure on Kenya,” Mr Ruto said.

Kenya, he added, was facing challenges in respect to hosting a big number of refugees and terrorist attacks from the Al Shabaab.

Presidents Nguesso and Bongo respectively congratulated the Jubilee Government for winning the elections saying their governments will collaborate with Kenya on the issue of supporting the Africa Union (AU).

They supported a proposal that AU should give enough resources and personnel to stabilise Somalia so that refugees can relocate back to their country for Kenya to mange its security issues without external pressure.

The Deputy President while briefing the two leaders on Kenya’s role in ensuring peace in the region observed.

“The Somalia problem has compounded insecurity in Kenya with frequent attacks by the Al Shaabab and proliferation of small arms.”

The three countries also agreed to set up a climate change secretariat considering Congo and Gabon lie on the Congo Basin where there is the amazon.

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, featured on Press TV News Analysis program on August 14, 2012 discussing the political situation in the North African state of Egypt. President Morsi has retired top military leaders in the country., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.Abayomi Azikiwe of The Pan-African News Wire Speaks on the Legacy of Malcolm X and the Murder of His Grandson Malcolm Shabazz

Listen to The African History Network Show, Thursday, May 16th with guests Abayomi Azikiwe Editor of The Pan-African News Wire and Etta Espy of The Detroit Natural Hair Meet-Up.

To hear this week's program just click on the website below:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theafricanhistorynetworkshow/2013/05/17/prof-james-small-of-hidden-colors-2

The first hour included Etta Espy of The Detroit Natural Hair Meetup who talked about their event on Saturday, May 18, 3pm-8pm at The Artist Village in Detroit, 17340 Lahser Rd, $8 Adm.

The second hour featured some clips of the lecture that Prof. Kaba Kamene (aka Booker T. Coleman) and Michael Imhotep did in Detroit, Sat. May 11th. Order your copy today, Item #701 at www.TheAfricanHistoryNetwork.com.

In our third hour Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor of the Pan-African News Wire, discussed the death of Malcolm X's Grandson and Malcolm X's 88th Birthday. Other topics included the "Africa and U.S. Imperialism Conference" scheduled for Saturday, May 18, Noon-5:00pm at the MECAWI building located at 5920 Second Ave. at Antoinette in Midtown near Wayne State University.

Listen to the shows at www.TheAfricanHistoryNetwork.com or http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theafricanhistorynetworkshow or by phone, when we are LIVE at (914) 338-1375. Episodes are also archived on www.Itunes.com.

Ms. Senate Gabasheane Masupha of the Kingdom of Lesotho Embassy in Rome, Italy. Her case to inherit the chieftancy was denied by the Constitutional Court on May 16, 2013., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Lesotho denies women right to be chiefs

May 17, 2013 | Ernest Mabuza
Business Day Live, South Africa

Mountain kingdom’s Constitutional Court upholds section of Chieftainship Act that denies daughters the right to succeed to chieftainship

THE Johannesburg-based Southern Africa Litigation Centre branded Thursday a dark day for women in Lesotho after the mountain kingdom’s Constitutional Court upheld a section of the Chieftainship Act that denied daughters the right to succeed to chieftainship.

This is in sharp contrast to South Africa’s 2008 Constitutional Court ruling that recognised the right of a 66-year-old woman to become chief of her Limpopo tribe. The court upheld the appeal by Tinyiko Nwamitwa-Shilubana, whose chieftainship of the Valoyi tribe, near Tzaneen, was taken away in 1968 because of her gender.

The Lesotho Constitutional Court ruling is seen as a serious blow against women’s rights and gender equality.

"This is a dark day for women in Lesotho. The Constitutional Court has basically re-affirmed the view that women are second-class citizens in Lesotho," centre deputy director Priti Patel said.

She said the decision went against the trend of African courts upholding the rights of women.

The centre was admitted as a friend of the court in the Lesotho case in which Senate Gabasheane Masupha, the firstborn child of a chief, argued that denying her the right to hold the chieftainship because of her sex violated her constitutional rights to equality and freedom from discrimination. Upon her father’s death, Ms Masupha’s mother was appointed caretaker of the chieftainship.

Following her mother’s death, the chieftainship was contested by Ms Masupha’s uncle and half-brother. Ms Masupha intervened, seeking to takeover the chieftainship as she was the firstborn child. However, she was denied the right because she was a woman.

Although the court held that the customary law was protected by the constitution of Lesotho, it reasoned that a mere differentiation did not mean that there was discrimination and did not raise a constitutional issue.

It said there were cases which stated that treating men and women differently did not result in illegal discrimination.

The centre had argued that section 10 of the Chieftainship Act discriminated against firstborn daughters and favoured firstborn sons. The centre had argued that this discrimination was based on sex because it favoured succession according to the male line.

"Although firstborn daughters are also related to chiefs by blood, there is an absolute bar against them succeeding to chieftainship. They are not even permitted to succeed on the limited basis provided for in section 10(4) of the act," the centre had said in heads of argument filed last year.

In Botswana, the high court recently struck down a customary law which denied women the right to inherit.


Lesotho princesses can't be chiefs

2013-05-16 22:02

Maseru - Lesotho's top court on Thursday upheld a law that bars princesses from succeeding their fathers as traditional chiefs, a decision activists say dealt a "serious blow" to women's rights and gender equality.

Consitutional court judge Ts'eliso Monaphathi ruled the current law was not discriminatory, as it allowed for the wives of a chief to become his successor.

"Only a male first born of the chief may take up the chieftainship failing which if the chief has no other son the wife of the chief may take over the chieftainship," said Monaphathi.

"This shows that women are not discriminated against but have to be in a certain position to take over the vacant position."

The landmark case was brought by Senate Masupha, the first-born child of a chief who died and was replaced by her mother, who has also since died.

"I do not feel that the princess can claim that any of her rights have been infringed," said the judge in his ruling.

Masupha said she was not entirely shocked by the ruling but vowed to appeal.

"I am very disappointed but a little bit of me expected this result," Masupha told AFP.

In Lesotho the role of a chief is mainly ceremonial, but they are also involved in the running of local government.

Dark day

Rights activists decried the court's decision as a step backward for the tiny mountainous kingdom.

"This is a dark day for women in Lesotho," said Priti Patel deputy director of the Johannesburg based Southern Africa Litigation Centre.

The ruling "has basically re-affirmed the view that women are second-class citizens in Lesotho," added Patel

The decision goes against a trend in other parts of the Africa, where a series of court decisions have removed discriminatory laws.

South Africa's Constitutional Court has struck down laws which deny women the right to succeed to chieftainship.

Recently the Botswana High Court also struck down a customary law which precluded women from inheritance.

Courts in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania have also severed laws which segregate women in similar issues, according to SALC.

- AFP


Lesotho chiefs' case: Princess loses case

A lawsuit arguing that daughters should be allowed to succeed their fathers as chiefs in Lesotho has been rejected by the Constitutional Court.

The judge said the current law did not discriminate against women, as chief's widows could inherit the title.

South African lawyer Priti Patel, who was involved in the case, said the ruling was "a dark day for women in Lesotho".

Lesotho was recently ranked highly for its treatment of women.

It came eighth in the world - higher than the US and UK - for its progress in bridging the gender gap between the sexes by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2011.

This was partly because a high proportion of Lesotho's women go to school and work.

The lawsuit was brought by Senate Masupha, who was not allowed to become a chief when her father died. Instead, her mother took the title.

"This shows that women are not discriminated against but have to be in a certain position to take over the vacant position," said judge Ts'eliso Monaphathi, in remarks quoted by the AFP news agency.

"I do not feel that the princess can claim that any of her rights have been infringed."

In a statement Ms Patel, from the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), said: "The Constitutional Court has basically reaffirmed the view that women are second-class citizens in Lesotho."

She said the decision was a "significant step backwards" after the progress of recent years.

The SALC helped Ms Masupha bring the case.

The elected Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho Tom Motsoahae Thabane. He led a delegation to express solidarity with the Saharawi people of the Western Sahara in North Africa., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Sahara Press Service (El Aaiun)

Western Sahara: Kingdom of Lesotho Supports Saharawi's People Right to Freedom and Independence - Communiqué

12 MAY 2013

Chahid Al Hafed — The Ministerial delegation of the Kingdom of Lesotho, visited the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic from 9 to 10 May 2013, expressed "full support" to the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence.

In a joint communiqué signed with the SADR, Lesotho delegation "strongly" condemned the continued occupation of some parts of the Saharawi territories by Morocco, and the continued violations of human rights in the occupied territories of Western Sahara.

The communiqué also expressed hope that the United Nations Organization would in collaboration with the African Union implement the decisions of the African Union and UN General Assembly on the decolonization of Western Sahara, in compliance with AU and UN's resolutions, especially the UN General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV).

The delegation was led by the Prime Minister Mr. Motsoahae Thomas Thabane and composed of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of the Office of the Prime Minister, the Secretary General of the Government, political adviser, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director of Protocol, and adviser to the government, along with a delegation from the press of the Kingdom of Lesotho.

This official visit coincides with the commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of the creation of the POLISARIO Front.

The Prime Minister of Lesotho and the delegation accompanying him held talks with the President of the Republic and Secretary General of the Frente POLISARIO Mr. Mohamed Abdelaziz.

The meeting focused on the latest developments on the question of Western Sahara, the situation of human rights in the occupied Saharawi territories and UN peace plan.

The two sides also discussed the issues of common interest, including the situation in Africa in general and developments of in the Sahel region in particular, as well as the ways and means to strengthen the relationship between the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Sahrawi Republic.

Upon his arrival, the delegation of Lesotho was received by the Prime Minister of the SADR Mr. Abdelkader Taleb Omar, along with members of the Saharawi government.

Mr. Thabane held several meetings in the Saharawi refugee camps and attended the Saharawi people's celebrations to commemorate the 40 th anniversary of the Frente POLISARIO.

Co-President of Guinea Kwame Nkrumah in Conakry after the 1966 military coup in Ghana. Nkrumah lived in Guinea from 1966-1971., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.African Unity: Dream or Reality

Friday, 17 May 2013 00:00
African Executive

The Africa Union is 50 years old. Hurray! In the coming days, African leaders are expected to gather in Addis Ababa.

Many of them will deliver speeches upon speeches, paying respect to the founding fathers of the organisation. We will be reminded of how our

forefathers fought hard to overthrow colonial regimes and established the Organisation of African Unity and how a successful AU has finally been established, although Africa still remains politically divided than before.

Ideally, one would expect that after such sessions, leaders will sign a declaration that will give a true meaning to the dreams of the founding fathers of the AU.

However, knowing the kind of lip service often paid by modern African leaders, one can only assume that the 50th anniversary celebrations will not be any different.

The session may end as one of the usual “tea conferences” without any serious commitment to a politically united Africa, a common African market, a single currency, an African Central bank, a common foreign policy, a common defence system and a common citizenship amongst others.

Fifty years ago, our founding fathers outlined the following as key priorities (emphasis added): “We all want a united Africa, united not only in our concept of what unity connotes, but united in our common desire to move forward together . . .

Currently, Africa is clearly fragmented into too many small uneconomic and non-viable States, many of whom are having a very hard struggle to survive. An all-African planning body could take immediate steps towards the development of large scale industry and power; for the removal of barriers to inter-African trade; and for the creation of a central bank and the formation of a unified policy on ALL ASPECTS of export control tariffs and quota arrangements.

Among immediate needs is the manufacture in Africa of agricultural machinery of all kinds to speed up the modernisation of agriculture. We need supplies of reliable electric power for industrial growth . . . The advantage of unified military and diplomatic policies, both for our own security and to achieve freedom for every part of Africa, is so obvious as to need no comment.

Transport and communications are also sectors where a unified planning is needed. Roads, railways, waterways, air-lines must be made to serve Africa’s needs, not the requirements of foreign interests.” Kwame Nkrumah (Neo-Colonialism, excerpts from chapter 2).

It was against this backdrop that the African Union was established in May 1963. It was a time when many African states were gradually emerging from the firm grip of barbaric colonial regimes. As a reminder to our generation, Patrice Lumumba puts it best in his first ever speech as Prime Minister of the Congo:

“Who will ever forget the shootings or the barbarous jail cells awaiting those who refused to submit to this (colonial) regime of injustice, oppression and intimidation?” But how many of the African youth really know about the true history; how their forefathers shed their blood with the hope to achieve a truly free, united Africa? Unfortunately, to many Africans, the fact that we do not know why the AU was established is not a big deal. We have surrounded ourselves with thick colonial borders.

50 years ago it was said that, “Transport and communications are also sectors where a unified planning is needed.” Why couldn’t Africa adopt a unified custom policy that allows for the sharing of information to facilitate the swift movement of people, goods and services across borders?

In 2012, in one of my discussions titled: “Intra-African Trade Is Possible But . . . ” I came up with the some recommendations which were duly copied to the AU and the Pan-African Parliament:

“Ideally, it would be more appropriate for African leaders to abolish the visa restrictions altogether so that all Africans can travel easily to any African territory without having to acquire a visa.

In the meantime, African leaders must also consider the issuing of Regional Visas (Ecowas Visa, EAC Visa, Sadc/Comesa Visa, etc) and abolish the individual country visas.

This would also enable foreign investors/visitors the opportunity to visit many African countries on a single visa while avoiding all the long visa queues at the various African embassies. The European Union currently has such a system in place where citizens of the ‘third world’ can acquire the Schengen visa and travel to as many EU countries as possible.”

Some few weeks after these recommendations were sent; the Pan-African Parliament came out with more speeches, explaining how such a measure could help move the continent forward. Most importantly, even the AU’s theme for last year was “Boosting Intra-African Trade.”

Yet, after one year of setting up various “committees for deliberations,” what happened to the above recommendations? Are these recommendations not worth implementing in our quest to boost Intra-African Trade? When will our leaders commit themselves to their own words and the very principles that will bring economic relief to our people?

Unfortunately, this is the very reason why we have failed to get to the promised land after 50 years. A people without sound knowledge of their history are doomed to repeat it. This is where we stand as a people. The solution to all our problems was well-documented by our founding fathers — yet, we still have no idea what to do to move forward.

Long live the African people.

Long live the African Union that must be.

— African Executive

Zimbabwean women pray for peace throughout the country. The Southern African state is preparing for national elections under a new constitution., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Women are ready to rule

Friday, 17 May 2013 00:00
Zimbabwe Herald

There is no doubt that the first quarter of the year can best be described as historic and one of the few momentous occasions where both men and women in support of gender parity have witnessed many landmark decisions taking place in a short period of time to address discrepancies in gender issues.

To start with, 2013 began on a positive note with thousands of Zimbabweans actively participating in the constitutional-making process. The resultant document now awaits Presidential assent to become law.

Quite a number of notable achievements have been made as Zimbabwe hastens to achieve gender equality in some areas, mainly in the political arena, that had remained a grey area for a long time.

And only last week, women from different political parties met in Harare, to strategise their ascendancy to power as the nation prepares for a watershed election sometime this year, that will put an end to the inclusive Government.

Dubbed “Vote for A Woman Campaign” the project that was being supported by the Women in Politics Support Unit is aimed at boosting female representation in Parliament and Cabinet irrespective of political affiliation.

The awareness is, among other things, expected to raise awareness among the general populace to vote for a woman in the forthcoming general elections. It is also aimed at achieving a 50/50 representation between men and women in both Government and the private sector.

This realisation to include many women legislators in Parliament and the Cabinet came about as a fulfillment to commitments that Zimbabwe made when it signed a number of gender protocols such as the Sadc’s Protocol on Gender, the Convention on the Elimination of Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Beijing platform for action, which seek to promote women’s empowerment through their participation in politics.

With only 18 percent women representation in the current Parliament, the Government, women organisations and other stakeholders realised that they needed to address the anomaly and expedite the implementation of some of these protocols, instead of paying lip service to the cause.

It therefore came as no surprise that stakeholders in gender parity, further pushed this agenda during the constitution-making process, and there was overwhelming response from both men and women, resulting in a proposition where women will have 60 seats reserved for them under propositional representation over for just two parliamentary terms and above the other seats that other women might win during the elections.

That goal now would have to be pushed with a number of initiatives and “Vote for a Woman Campaign” is one such viable option that aspiring female politicians would need to ride on for meaningful representation, regardless of one’s political inclination.

And looking at the “Vote for a Woman Campaign”, I am immediately reminded of the late anti-feminist Margaret Thatcher’s observation of women’s involvement in politics in 1982, when she said: “In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man, if you want anything done, ask a woman.”

Those who have worked with women who have made it to the top will attest that they work harder, make less impulsive decisions, are less corruptible and are more likely to support pro-women programmes, though they may not get the necessary support — than their male counterparts.

Although Thatcher herself, the first British female Prime Minister, who earned herself the title “Iron Lady” was more ruthless and Machiavellian than most male politicians, it worked in her favour back then. However, the approach that Thatcher used then will not work this time, when countries the world over are looking for women leadership in order to create less violent environments for future generations.

During her time, Thatcher showed that if a female politician wanted to be a success within a patriarchal political party, she had to act, think and behave like a man. I am sure if she had shown herself to be nurturing and compassionate woman during that time; she probably would have lost respect in the patriarchal political world and be ousted from power much sooner.

But things have changed from the time of Thatcher and the political landscape is different. Countries the world over are moving towards gendered leadership by including as many women as possible to achieve different but positive results in policy making. They now want a feminine approach to pacify warring factions, while providing “rationale” leadership, which does not vilify or anger the other party without providing solutions.

With the “Vote for a Woman Campaign” now in full throttle, aspiring female politicians need to know that they will throw away a big advantage if they want to employ same strategies that the majority male politicians have been using to get into power.

Vote buying, use of violence, hard handiness when handling issues, corrupt ways, deceit, circumventing the proper system in order to be voted into power will not make women better politicians than they already are.

Generally, male politicians have been promising to make the world better and overcome problems like war and poverty, with little success. They have been delivering more of the same, and that’s the reason why the electorate would need to shift their minds and vote for female candidates within their constituencies.

Women are generally more willing to compromise and achieve “half a loaf” results without burning bridges in the process, while the majority of men will see any conflict as an “all or nothing” battle where winning is more important than achieving results. I have often heard my male colleagues at work daring each other to go downstairs and square off in a fight, instead of just reaching an agreement over an issue.

It is that kind of attitude and the modus operandi of solving problems that has resulted in the warring situations that we read about on a daily basis, in the region and across the globe, even in cases where a standoff can just be solved amicably instead of going to war.

However, for the campaign to be successful, women will have to put aside their personal and political differences and look for a winning formula so that they can emerge as one united front, rather than pockets of groups that we have been seeing.

While they may be individuals who may want to offer their candidature, not because they are good but because they are strategically positioned, women should do away with such characters and instead, prop up women with good credentials who capable of providing meaningful leadership.

Many will agree that not all women leaders are feminist heroes, as others will just make up the numbers and bring us closer to parity in a historically male-dominated field of politics, but there are women of substance in our midst, who have exhibited leadership skills at different levels and remain committed to lead if given the opportunity.

Let us give them the support needed, as we edge towards gender equality in politics.
Of course, the truth of the matter is the initiative to rope in as many women as possible in politics will probably take many years to achieve and women in Zimbabwe are not far off from the mark.

Republic of Zimbabwe Vice President Joice Mujuru. Zimbabwe is building relations with other African, Asian and Latin American states to offset the impact of Western sanctions., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

VP Mujuru launches food security policy

Friday, 17 May 2013 00:00
Herald Reporters

GOVERNMENT has launched a food and nutrition security policy to address challenges brought by recurrent droughts experienced in the country.

The food and nutrition security policy is also accompanied by an implementation plan, which highlights strategic objectives, key actions, outputs,outcomes and time frames.

Speaking at the official launch of the document in Harare yesterday, Vice President Joice Mujuru, who is also the chairperson of the National Food and Nutrition task force, said the policy, whose origins date back to the 1993 drought, would guide the nation’s response to the country’s food and nutrition challenges in both good and bad seasons.

“This policy commits Government to the implementation of a sustainable programme to address the food and nutrition security situation of the country,” VP Mujuru said.

Through the policy, Government has committed itself to ensure formulation of policies that protect and enhance food and nutrition security among others. Key sectors which have a bearing on these commitments are agriculture, health, education, social services, local government, transport, energy, environment and natural resources.

VP Mujuru said to ensure effective policy implementation, Government has put in place a structure comprising a high level national task force of ministers and permanent secretaries.

She said implementation would be done through food and nutrition security committees in village.

“The policy is a comprehensive document, providing a framework for the implementation of co-ordinated and multi-sectoral interventions to address the challenges of food and nutrition insecurity,” she said.

Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made, who is also the deputy chairperson of the task force, said the challenge of food insecurity was beyond the capacity of a single sector.

“We should strengthen collaboration of several sectors to ensure food and nutrition security.

“As a member of the African Union we are committed to allocating 10 percent of the budgetary resources to agriculture and ensure food security and industrial development,” he said.

Minister Made said the ministry was committed to ensuring small-holder farmers have access to irrigation services, affordable inputs, knowledge on markets and good infrastructure.

Health and Child Welfare Deputy Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said his ministry is in support of the policy.

Dr Mombeshora said addressing nutrition would contribute towards achievement of the millennium development goals.

Bankers Association of Zimbabwe vice president Mr Sam Malaba said bankers had a key role to play in the achievement of the policy goals.

He acknowledged the role of the agriculture sector to revive the economy but said the sector has been facing challenges in providing adequate and appropriate funding for farmers.

“Our facilities have provided seasonal funding for cropping and livestock programmes due to the pre-dominant short term tenure of deposits in the banking sector.

Of the total deposits in the banking sector today, about US$3,8 billion in total are short term transitory deposits that flow in and out of the banking sector,” he said.

President Mugabe and Vice President Joice Mujuru share a lighter moment with Mrs Thecla Madziwa as she explains nutritional values in traditional foods at the launch of the National Food Policy in Harare on May 16, 2013., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

National food policy launched

Friday, 17 May 2013 00:14
Zimbabwe Herald
Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter

THE national nutrition situation is of major concern to Government as one in three children is chronically malnourished, President Mugabe has said.

Officially launching the Food and Nutrition Security Policy and its implementation plan in Harare yesterday, the President attributed the situation to several exogenous factors, among them recurrent and intermittent droughts and the effects of the West’s illegal economic sanctions regime that curtailed Government’s capacity to support agriculture and fund social services.

“The official launch of the Food and Nutrition Security and its implementation plan, indicates Government’s strategic shift in addressing an issue which is not only of national, but global concern as well.

“It is a well-established fact that food and nutrition insecurity lead to a vicious cycle of malnutrition, increased susceptibility to disease, impaired mental and physical development, reduced productivity and poverty.

“In Zimbabwe, the nutrition situation is of concern to the Government as one out of every three children is chronically malnourished.

“Twenty-five percent of all deaths of children under the age of five are attributed to nutritional deficiencies and 47 percent of women are anaemic,” the President said.

“Given the recent challenges of spiralling food prices and climate change, the food situation in our country has worsened as the number of people unable to meet their daily food requirements has increased by 21 percent since 1995.”

The President said Government had tried to mitigate the effects of droughts and sanctions through agricultural subsidies and schemes to assist farmers with inputs among others.

Zambia, the President said, will soon start delivering 150 000 tonnes of maize here to alleviate shortages caused by the devastating drought of the past season while payment modalities for the grain would be discussed at a later date.

President Mugabe said his Zambian counterpart, President Michael Sata, made the pledge during a telephone conversation last Tuesday.

“When I was talking to him about what we had in mind about paying, he said no, no, no. He is a humorous man as you know.

“He said let us have the food in the stomachs of our people first and when we have the food in the stomachs, then we will talk about the price and I said that is a great man, he shares our affliction,” President Mugabe said.

Zimbabwe received poor rains during the just-ended cropping season, resulting in food shortages.

He, however, said land reform was pivotal in addressing food and nutritional needs of the country.

“The implementation of the land reform programme has become the cornerstone of ensuring food and nutrition security as the majority of people now have access to agricultural land.

“The Government will continue to take measures that empower farmers, especially small-holder farmers and women so that they access cheap finance, knowledge on climate and the environment, smart farming systems, infrastructure and farm machinery,” President Mugabe said.

President Mugabe said the policy was crafted after Government realised the need to come up with a permanent mechanism for responding to food and nutrition challenges following the devastating 1992-1993 drought, the worst to hit the country in living memory.

He said the food and nutrition situation in the country required a multi-sectoral approach.

“Given its multi-disciplinary nature, the problem of food and nutrition cannot be adequately addressed by only one sector or institution, hence the need for a coordinated implementation mechanism. Key among the sectors which have a bearing on food and nutrition security are agriculture, health, education, social services, local government, transport, energy and environment and natural resources.

“The Food and Nutrition Security Policy, therefore provides a framework for a cohesive multi-sectoral action programme with a shared vision and strategy for improved food and nutrition security,” he said.

The policy would be implemented by the National Taskforce of Ministers on Food and Nutrition Security chaired by Vice President Joice Mujuru.

President Mugabe urged the private sector to assist Government through provision of financial, technical and material support.

Meanwhile, President Mugabe urged communities to be mindful of the foods they eat and called for the revival of indigenous crops.

“There is a need to revive and sustain indigenous crops, knowledge and practices that promote food security such as zunde ramambo/isiphala senkosi concept so as to promote the spirit of self-reliance within their communities,” he said.

The launch was attended by various Cabinet ministers, diplomats and representatives of UN agencies.

Rally said to be organized by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) at Marikana where workers were massacred by police in August 2012. The rally appeared to pose a challenge to NUM, COSATU and the ANC., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Amcu's no union, it's just vigilantes and liars, say alliance bosses

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union is clearly the National Union of Mineworkers's worst nightmare.

17 May 2013 00:00 - Rapule Tabane

Take last Sunday's political-school meeting by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), attended by about 1000 workers in Carletonville. Not one speaker completed their speech without a reference to this upstart union, which has been winning over membership from the NUM in the platinum, coal and mining sectors.

During their speeches the president of the NUM, Senzeni Zokwana, and the general secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP), Blade Nzimande, devoted a great deal of time to lamenting that Amcu was not a trade union, but a group of "vigilantes and liars".

Leaders of the NUM feel under attack from Amcu, not only physically, but also in terms of representation in mining structures.

Their response is to warn their members against abaxhoki (those who mislead) and to encourage their shop stewards to do a better job of providing a service to their workers.

Zokwana, who delivered his entire address in isiXhosa, was particularly pronounced on the dangers of Amcu, accusing it of lacking its own programmes.

"What they do, instead of raising problems with employers, is just run to workers and instruct them not to go to work," he said. "And when members are fired, they are nowhere to be found. Miners are then left on their own."

Zokwana also accused Amcu of "business unionism", saying Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa owned five companies, a statement greeted with expressions of shock and disbelief in the crowd.

Violent union?

He went on to accuse the media of being dishonest in its characterisation of Amcu. "The media says Amcu is a militant union. Why can't they say it's a violent union?"

But Zokwana conceded that some of his union's wounds were self-inflicted: "Before our last congress, we had people making allegations that R6-million had disappeared and we were publicising people's salaries."

The members even decried Amcu in their singing: "Asiyazi lento le ifunwa ngu Mathunjwa [We don't know what it is that Mathunjwa wants"].

When Nzimande took to the floor, he did not mince his words, speaking out against Mathunjwa's union: "Comrades, we need to distinguish between a trade union and a group of vigilantes. Amcu is not a union and has never been a union. The best way to describe it is a vigilante union."

Nzimande said Amcu had coerced many to join it. "Some workers are in Amcu because of intimidation. We are asking law enforcement to act on this situation. We must be careful, but you can't keep attacking people without them retaliating. It's dangerous."

But he took the attack beyond Amcu, characterising it as only part of forces such as fellow Cosatu leaders, the media and mining houses that represent a threat to workers' interests and the ANC. He urged mineworkers not to be misled and to close ranks against these forces.

Independence in the alliance

Nzimande said some trade union leaders were attempting to drive a wedge between Cosatu and the ANC by continually criticising the ruling party.

"These habits of recklessly attacking the ANC are irresponsible. Those who say they do so because they are independent are wrong. There is no independence in the alliance."

Nzimande described the phenomenon of casting doubt about the ANC among workers as "Kadalism", referring to the leader of the previous century's powerful Industrial and Commercial Union, Clements Kadalie, who Nzimande said had tried to divide workers and the liberation movement and had been expelled from the union.

He told workers that in fighting corruption in the NUM and the ANC they must be careful not to project the organisations as corrupt themselves.

"Why is the media celebrating anyone who criticises the organisation? They praise everyone else in order to condemn the ANC. We are not paper heroes."

But Nzimande wants unionists to face up to their problems. "We will not defeat vigilantism if we do not improve our service to workers. The most serious threat to Cosatu is poor service to workers."


Marikana: NUM and AMCU resort to recruitment over a gun barrel

17 MAY 2013 00:00 - KWANELE SOSIBO, PHILLIP DE WET
South Africa Mail & Guardian

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union's battle to consolidate power over the NUM has taken on martial proportions.

The tension racking the platinum belt in the North West following the Marikana massacre last year is putting pressure on new force Amcu – the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union – to consolidate control and, along the way, return the region to stability "They all come here with weapons, but we don't let them through. Yesterday, one pointed a gun at me and he said, 'Do you want to die?' I just ran away."

That was the account of a security guard at Lonmin's Newman shaft on Wednesday, one of several that shows how guns have become a feature of life at the Marikana complex recently. Contrary to claims of weapons carried by officials of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), the guard was describing what amounted to an attack by Amcu members, members in a hurry to consolidate the union's new-found control over the Lonmin workforce.

Of course, as far as Lonmin is concerned, no such incidents have taken place. "We have investigated every allegation of firearms being in union offices and none of our searches have uncovered any weapons," said Lonmin vice-president Mark Munroe in a statement this week. It was echoed by every official representative.

Workers throughout the spectrum say otherwise and tell stories complete with dark hints of some (in the NUM) being allowed to smuggle weapons through company security checkpoints, while others (in Amcu) are arrested.

Tholakele "Bhele" Dlunga, who is expected to testify at the Marikana Commission of Inquiry, said armed members of the NUM recently gathered at at least one shaft so that Amcu members returning from their shift could see them as they emerged from underground. He also claimed, as have several others, that members of the NUM brandishing weapons made a grand entrance at the memorial service for deceased Lonmin worker Elson Ngomane, who died in an underground accident.

"I think they are responding to calls to close the offices," said Dlunga, before adding that the word at the mine was that influential Amcu members would be hunted down one at a time, a common belief among members.

Take by force

The issue that has brought the guns out is control of offices at the various mine shafts Lonmin operates. The Newman guard said the Amcu members on Tuesday intended to take by force offices operated by the NUM. But, like the shaft heads, much lurks beneath that seemingly banal motive.

Whether the claims regarding that specific confrontation are true or not, Amcu is a union in a hurry – and not without reason. It needs to grow up quickly, and if it fails to do so the economic and political repercussions could be dire.

So it is heartening that in a week in which there was seemingly carefully targeted violence in Marikana and the death of Amcu regional heavyweight Mawethu Steven, Amcu founder Joseph Mathunjwa at least temporarily halted the tide of violence with a masterful performance.

The Amcu president took to the stage at the Wonderkop stadium on Wednesday, faced the crowd and the famous Marikana koppie in the background, shared and sympathised with their anger over Steven's death, promised them swift action, then eloquently sent them on their way – and back to their jobs at the various nearby Lonmin platinum shafts – with not so much as a grumble. All without seeming to back down, or give an inch of ground to what he and his members perceive as the aggressors of the NUM.

In so doing, he put on display an Amcu very different from that seen immediately before and in the aftermath of the Marikana massacre. Then, the union had seemed not at all in control of its members, unable to connect with them, and unpredictable to the point of caprice. On Wednesday, however, Amcu listened and commanded, and most likely boosted Lonmin management's confidence in its abilities. Hours before, the company had said it expected workers to return to their jobs that evening, clearly with foreknowledge of Mathunjwa's intent.

But the union, though nearly a decade and a half old, is still caught in the throes of its birth pangs as a real force and faces significant problems it has little time to overcome: a slumbering giant of an opponent in the NUM; a deep, mutual distrust of Lonmin; and a severe lack of capacity to rule what it has conquered.

Ruling alliance

If it can overcome those problems, it may bring a new state of balance to the platinum industry and create a road map for others itching to break away from Cosatu and the ruling alliance. As it seems to realise, however, victory is not yet assured.

A relative non-entity until the Marikana crisis, Amcu now in effective controls the workforce at Lonmin, with official membership breaching 70%, and it is expanding its influence at other platinum producers. Managers say Solidarity, with its small but highly placed members, could still halt production at Lonmin, but the NUM, stuck in the middle, has virtually no remaining influence. As Amcu members and leaders well know.

"There is pressure to perform," said Steven Friedman, of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Johannesburg and a longtime observer of unions.

"You are not dealing with members who have bonds of sentiment with you, you are the alternative they went to because [the NUM] didn't meet their needs. You need to show them that you can do the job."

That, it seems, is one of the roots of the conflict over office space that has resulted in armed confrontation and a wildcat strike at Lonmin in the past week. The NUM, as the former majority union at the mine, continues to occupy offices at various shafts. Lonmin said it had served what is, in effect, eviction notices, but the NUM has until July to make way for Amcu, thanks to bureaucracy.

On Thursday the NUM would not disclose its fightback strategy, saying it did not want to give Amcu advance warning, but that it was confident it could reclaim its losses in the platinum belt. And those offices form part of its assets.

"That's why we are resistant to losing those offices," said spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka. "We're hoping to use them to win back our members."

Bargaining councils

Amcu is in no mood to wait, and for good reason. The union suspects a grand conspiracy against it to keep the NUM in the game by ensuring its inclusion in bargaining councils through a recognition agreement that moves away from majority rule to something approaching proportional representation.

Lonmin this week confirmed that it was uncomfortable with a ­"winner takes all" union in its ranks and a unit manager explained why that may be, quite apart from a long trust relationship with the NUM.

"I'm sitting here, and I have to discipline a guy. If it is just Amcu in that hearing, what do you think is going to happen? Bring in other unions and we'll have a bit of a watchdog."

Besides concern that management is stalling for time (something the company denies), and the symbolic power of moving into the offices, various managers, workers and union officials said such offices were a real lever of power. Workers, faced with a disciplinary threat or unhappy about treatment, tend to head straight to the nearest office for help, especially at a time when Amcu has yet to formalise appointments for many shop stewards. He who solves the problem can expect their support in future.

"You have people who joined [Amcu] because it showed itself to be responsive to workers," said a former trade unionist peripherally involved in events at Lonmin. "Being responsive on wage negotiations is fine, but you need to show that you can take care of them day to day, otherwise they'll look back to the good old days of the NUM."

Amcu now also finds itself in a position familiar to many unions: trying to improve the lot of workers in an industry where money is tight "You have a situation in which management is saying it has been giving generous increases and workers say the money is not enough, and they are both right," said Friedman. "The increases have been substantial, but it is not enough to feed eight or nine mouths."

Navigating that amid gloomy platinum prices requires taking into account investor sentiment, potential job losses due to higher pay, and the appetite for workers to go without pay while on strike – an appetite that appears to have shrunk dramatically at Lonmin in recent months.

Among those who will be closely watching Amcu's ability to do just that will be industries ranging from agriculture to transport, disaffected workers across the economy, foreign investors – and just about every political party in the country.

The ANC, with its close association with the NUM and seeming unwillingness to call it to task, is an obvious interested party, but so are those in the opposition. Various analysts and leaders have confirmed that Amcu has been courted by everyone facing elections next year. So much so that it has become an irritant to Amcu.

"We will never, ever, ever join any political party," Mathunjwa said on Wednesday. In the run-up to 2013 elections, there are many who hope they can sway him on that.

Edo State Governor Adam Oshiomole of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He says that the provision of employment to youth will solve the problems of violence., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Youth employment’ll end security woes – Oshiomhole

MAY 17, 2013
12:53 am
By SIMON EBEGBULEM
Nigerian Vanguard

BENIN — Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has identified youth employment as a sure way to end the security challenges currently facing the country.

Oshiomhole, yesterday, during a visit by the management of the Nigeria Bottling Company said, “Government alone, will never be able to provide all the jobs the citizens require.

“The challenge facing the country, more than anything else, is youth unemployment. It is now settled in development literature that government will never be able to provide all the jobs the citizens require. It is also increasingly appreciated by Nigerians that the best jobs are not in the public sector, whether in terms of pay, compensation or security of employment.

“Any responsible government will be delighted to deal with a company such as Coca-Cola, considering the reputation that the company had established over the years.”

Oshiomhole said that it was in the interest of the government to do whatever it could to encourage businesses to be established in the state and those in the state to expand.

“For us in Edo, we cherish your activities and I am happy to learn that you are going to dialogue with us on your plans for investment and expansion. I assure you even before I know the details, that whatever you want us to do, including providing land and constructing road, we will do them and provide any other incentive you require,” he added.

Nigerian residents of Benue after being displaced due to clashes with herdsman over cattle and grazing rights. These problems are compounded with clashes in other regions of the West African state., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Day Fulani herdsmen turned burial ceremony into a slaughter party

on MAY 17, 2013 · in METRO
12:47 am
By PETER DURU, MAKURDI
Nigerian Vanguard

This is certainly not the best of times for Benue farmers in Agatu, Guma, Gwer west and Makurdi local government areas of the state given the sustained and unrestricted attacks on communities in these areas by Fulani herdsmen.

As at last count in the past 12 weeks no fewer than 400 persons, including women and children, have been slaughtered in bizarre manner by the invading herdsmen and their colluding mercenaries who also left over 42 communities sacked and desolate.

Despite the outrage that had greeted the mayhem and wanton destruction of lives and property, the invaders have persistently sustained the reign of terror with impunity in the four local government areas of the state.

The recurring orgy of violence came to a shocking climax last weekend when no fewer than 47 mourners were gunned down in one fell swoop by suspected herdsmen in Agatu Local Government Area of the state while carrying out the burial rites of two police officers killed last Tuesday in Nasarawa State.

Vanguard Metro, VM, was told by a reliable source in Agatu that: “The burial rites of the two slain police men were going on at Okpachanyi village that Sunday when the armed herdsmen stormed the scene and opened fire on the mourners, killing and maiming the people while many escaped with bullet wounds”.

Lamenting the recurrent attacks on Benue communities by herdsmen, Governor Gabriel Suswam who addressed newsmen on the issue hinted that security had been beefed up round the bordering communities between Benue and Nasarawa states in order to stem the attacks.

The Governor who had summoned a security council meeting in the wake of the bloodbath said: “Soldiers and Police officers have been deployed in all the affected communities and villages in order to stem the repeated attack which is taking a dangerous dimension.”

Speaking on the crisis, Benue State Deputy, Chief Steven Lawani, who led a state government fact-finding team to the crisis areas, said the level of the devastation was totally outrageous and condemnable.

“What we saw was beyond imagination: villages and communities were sacked, women and children have been rendered homeless because their homes were burnt and destroyed. It is sad that today, human life seemed not to be appreciate anymore unlike what was obtainable in the past when the death of an individual elicits a lot of lamentations among the people; it is just unfortunate,” Lawani added.

On measures taken by the state government to ameliorate the suffering of the displaced, he said: “Already, government has directed the State Emergency Management Agency to move into the three camps where the people are taking refuge in Apa Local Government Area and provide them essential items to assist them carry on with their lives pending the return to their homes”.

Lawani, who also disclosed that some of the displaced persons were taking refuge in neighboring Kogi State, said he had opened discussions with his counterpart in that state in order to guarantee their comfort, adding that the state government was doing everything possible to ensure that the displaced persons returned to their homes.

He said the state government had already beefed up security in the affected communities with the deployment of soldiers from the 72 battalion in Makurdi to complement the existing security structure on ground in the communities.

In his reaction, a native of one of the affected communities and Benue State Commission for Works and Transport, Mr. John Ngbede, who was on the government’s fact-finding team that visited the effected communities, disclosed that over ten thousand persons were rendered homeless with over 18 villages sacked by the marauding herdsmen.

Ngbede said the displaced persons were currently camped at Ugbokpo, Ojantele and Odugbenhun in neighboring Apa LGA.

According to him: “What we saw was pathetic and heart-rendering. Over ten thousand of the displaced persons who are mostly women and children are currently taking shelter in the three villages without any sources of livelihood”.

The Commissioner pleaded with the Federal Government to come to the aid of the affected persons, lamenting that the level of devastation in the affected communities was above the scope of the state government.

According to him: “Despite the magnitude of the devastation, the invaders promised to come back after having sacked over 18 villages and communities; that is the more reason why we are asking the Federal Government to boost security around our bordering communities with Nasarawa State from where the herdsmen invade our villages,” Ngbede said.

In his reaction, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in the state, Deputy Superintendent of Police Daniel Ezeala, said his office was yet to get the full details of the crisis.

Area within the West African state of Nigeria where students were killed. The attacks have been blamed on Boko Haram., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

NEF to Jonathan: You ‘ve declared war on Northern Nigeria

on MAY 17, 2013
12:37 am
BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH

Northern elders, yesterday, broke their silence on the slamming of state of emergency on three states, describing the action of President Goodluck Jonathan as an indirect declaration of war on Northern Nigeria.

The President’s action, which took the northern elders by surprise, came barely three weeks after Jonathan accepted a roadmap from the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, on how to end the Boko Haram insurgency.

The elders had successfully impressed upon the Presidency to raise the Boko Haram committee to dialogue with the sect to restore elusive peace to the region.

Jonathan, who met with the NEF leadership in Abuja in April, subsequently inaugurated the Turaki-led committee with a mandate to broker peace with the sect and compensate their victims within a two-month time frame.

However, after inaugurating the panel, the sect leadership rejected the amnesty offer, saying that it was the government that should seek amnesty for having killed its Muslim brothers.

But irked by continuous bloodletting in several parts of the north, President Jonathan on Tuesday called on the armed forces to move into the states of Borno, Yobo and Adamawa, arrest suspected terrorists and restore peace in those places.

Many reports indicated that soldiers armed with armoured tank were already on the ground in the affected states preparatory to take out terrorists from their strongholds scattered in the North Eastern part of the country.

But a spokesman for the NEF, Prof Ango Abdullahi, who relayed the position of the group, told Vanguard that they were disappointed by the sudden change of tactic by Jonathan on how to resolve the crisis in the north.

Abdullahi said: “It is very sad to see that the President has easily changed direction from dialogue and reconciliation to war in his bid to end the cycle of violence in the north.

“The volte-face by Jonathan amounts to undermining our agreement with him on peace and reconciliation and we are disturbed that he has opted for force rather than peace to end the violence.

“What the President has done has now justified the fear of those who rejected membership of the Boko Haram amnesty committee on the suspicion that he was not sincere in setting up the panel and that it was programmed to fail so as to justify military action against the north.

“We hereby call on the President to immediately disband the so-called Boko Haram amnesty committee, as there is no need to continue to waste public funds on a matter, whose purpose has been deliberately truncated by the very person who initiated it.

The NEF has lately been mounting opposition against Jonathan’s re-election bid in 2015, insisting that it is their turn to occupy the top post.

Vows to truncate Jonathan’s 2015 presidency

The group has vowed to wrestle power from Jonathan in 2015 by presenting a candidate that would defeat the President at the polls.

At a meeting with the Borno State Governor on Tuesday, the NEF stated that they had what it takes to produce the next President of Nigeria and they would seek to do just that.

Though Jonathan has not openly declared his intent to run, his kinsmen and foot soldiers have been threatening there would be war if he is dumped at the poll.

The Presidency is yet to condemn or distance itself from the strident calls by various Ijaw groups and individuals in the Niger Delta for him to be re-elected or for Nigeria to break up.

Nigerian soldiers have been sent in great numbers into three northeastern states in response to a declaration of a state of emergency. President Jonathan justified the measure based on the escalation of sectional violence., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Security Forces Raid Boko Haram Camps in Borno

17 May 2013
By Our Correspondents, with agency reports
Nigeria ThisDay

With Tuesday’s declaration of state of emergency in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno States and the subsequent deployment of more troops to the states, the military has moved to the next stage of dislodging Boko Haram terrorists who have carved a fiefdom for themselves in the troubled north-eastern flank of the country.

It was gathered Thursday that some of the 2,000 troops deployed in Borno in the aftermath of the presidential proclamation, have begun an offensive to retake territory seized by the Islamist insurgents by raiding camps in a game reserve in the state.

The Agence France Press (AFP) quoting a military source, said the troops raided the terrorists’ camps in the Sambisa Game Reserve, located in northern Borno, early on Wednesday to flush out members of the terrorist group who have killed about 4,000 people since 2009 when they took to arms struggle following the extra judicial killing of the sect leader, Mohammed Yusuf.

Where necessary, the military could also resort to air strikes as it confirmed Thursday that it was ready to launch air strikes against the Islamists.

“The entire Nigerian military is involved in this operation, including the air force,” defence spokesman Brigadier General Chris Olukolade told AFP. “Definitely, air strikes will be used when necessary,” he said.

A force of “several thousand” soldiers along with fighter jets and helicopter gunships have been deployed for the offensive in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States, he added.

While the military has vowed that the operation will “rid the nation’s border territories of terrorist bases,” there are doubts as to whether the security forces have the capacity to end the insurgency.

“The military is already overstretched,” former US ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell said Wednesday in an article for the Council on Foreign Relations.

The north-eastern borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger are also porous, with criminal groups and weapons moving freely between countries.

Analysts warn that despite the military build up, Boko Haram could scatter and find new safe havens.

However, in a bid to boost the military operation, a contingent of police-anti-terrorism personnel has been moved to Borno and Yobe States to beef up military personnel deployed to uproot the members of the dreaded sect from the two states.

In Adamawa State, the military has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the state while the state Governor, Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd), in a state wide broadcast, queried the rationale for including Adamawa on the list of states on which the president imposed emergency rule.

The military raid came on the heels of the decision by the Senate to begin consideration of the request by President Goodluck Jonathan to approve the declaration of emergency rule in the three states on Tuesday.

However, the House of Representatives is yet to decide when to begin debate on the proposal as the president, by Thursday, was yet to transmit to the legislature the official gazette on the proclamation as provided under Section 305 of the constitution.

As the National Assembly gets ready to decide on the proclamation, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which is opposed to the imposition of emergency rule on the three states, Thursday softened its stance.

The nation’s leading opposition, which on Wednesday in its initial reaction to the proclamation, had urged the National Assembly to reject it, modified its position by calling on the legislature to carefully consider the president’s request before deciding whether to reject or approve it.

But the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in its reaction to the ACN’s position, urged the National Assembly to ignore the opposition party’s advocacy.

While the politicians were squabbling over the imposition of emergency rule on Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, the military Thursday launched a sweeping operation to flush out Boko Haram fighters from their enclaves.

A military source, who requested anonymity, told AFP that operations had started in at least one area of Borno State, the epicentre of the insurgency.

“Our men raided some terrorist camps in the Sambisa Game Reserve,” in northern Borno, early on Wednesday, he said.

The source added that 2,000 troops had been deployed to Borno but declined to comment on the number of forces sent to Yobe and Adamawa.

Army spokesman, Brigadier General Ibrahim Attahiru, refused to discuss figures.
However, Olukolade, giving THISDAY an update on the military operation in the affected states, explained that troops surge and deployment were ongoing, making it difficult to give a precise number of troops that would be used for the operations.

He said: “It is improper for me to tell you the actual number since troops are still being deployed.

“But the operation has started in earnest. The push is on... and we will give details of our achievements later not now.”

Military sources confirmed that several arrests had been made with a massive manhunt still ongoing for the insurgents through cordon-off and search operations.

“The efforts by the security forces on the ground are also being supported by aerial surveillance of the terrorists’ movement,” the source said.

It was also learnt that the troops deployed to Borno and Yobe States had already reached the border towns of Ngala, Marte, Mafa and Konduga in Borno State; and Geidam, Gashua and Yusufari border towns of Yobe State with Niger Republic by Wednesday.

To prevent the insurgents from fleeing their training camps, all the facilities of all the four telecom service providers—MTN, Etisalat, Airtel and Globacom—were shut down in the early hours of Thursday in Borno and Yobe States.

A Maiduguri resident told THISDAY that they started noticing the lack of signals from the service providers at about 4.30 am Thursday.

The deployment of more troops to the two states, according to a senior military officer, has been split into the two targeted areas of training camps and the border communities where the insurgents live and from where they launch attacks on military, police and Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) formations and posts in the two states.

Speaking on the targeted training camps, the military officer said in Borno State, there are four camps at Mafa, Marte, Gomboru/Ngala and the Sambisa Game Reserves, comprising Damboa, Gwoza and Konduga Local Government Areas.

In Yobe State, he added there are four training camps at Gujba, Geidam, Gashua and Yusufari.

The Police Counter Terrorism Squad (CTS) has also been redeployed to Borno and Yobe States to add to the security forces already on the ground in the battle to uproot the sectarians from the two states.

Ten vehicles, comprising trucks and luxury buses, were seen in Maiduguri bringing in the men of the CTS on Wednesday evening.

A security source, who did not want to be named, told THISDAY: “As I speak to you, there is a serious battle between the military and the terrorists at their various camps.

“The military and the police were deployed to the area to level the camps and capture the insurgents and that should be done within little time we hope.”

Despite the declaration of emergency rule, a blast went off at the Maiduguri Monday Market on Wednesday and forced many traders to hurriedly close up their shops and flee the market for safety.

According to one of the traders, the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was placed in a black plastic bag in the roadside gutter. Two persons were killed in the explosion while a passerby was disembowelled.

Meanwhile, residents in all three states have reported seeing an increased number of military personnel.

Zangina Kyarimi, who lives in the remote town of Marti in northern Borno, leading to the border with Chad, told AFP that “large military teams” arrived late Wednesday.

“I saw dozens of military vans and trucks accompanied by tanks,” he said by phone from the town, which is considered a Boko Haram stronghold.

“We are afraid of what might happen in the coming days. We are thinking of leaving,” he added.

The security forces Thursday told banks in Gashua, Yobe State, to close, a resident, Musa Saminu, said.

“Around 30 military vans passed through the town... They were heavily armed. Some of them went to the banks and asked them to close as a precaution,” he added.

Red Cross spokesman, Nwakpa O. Nwakpa, said the organisation was prepared to offer relief to civilians impacted by the military operation.

More details on the emergency rule in the three states may be out on Tuesday when the Senate is expected to deliberate on the presidential proclamation with a view to either approve or reject it.

Senate President David Mark appealed to his colleagues during plenary Thursday to make next Tuesday’s session a date with history, explaining that their attendance that day would be crucial to an urgent national decision to be taken.

Also Thursday, the Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Benedict Efeturi, circulated a notice to all senators, informing them that the plenary of next Tuesday “will consider matters of urgent national importance.”

The notice added: “All senators are by this notice, requested to attend this crucial session of the Senate at 10.00 am prompt.”

But it was unclear Thursday why the Senate fixed Tuesday for a session on the emergency rule, as the Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba, told journalists that the president was yet to transmit the official gazette on the proclamation in the affected states, to the senate.

Responding to a question on whether Section 305(6) of the constitution, which stipulates the transmission of the official gazette to the National Assembly as well as debate and resolution of two-thirds of each chamber of the legislature within two days of the proclamation, as part of the process to ratify the president’s decision, had not been voided, Ndoma-Egba, a lawyer, said the proclamation would only take effect from the day it is published in the official gazette.

According to him, what the president did on Tuesday was not the official proclamation stated in the constitution, but only a broadcast which he said announced the president’s intention and described it as a mere part of the process.

He said: “The best we can make of what the president has done is that he has declared his intention to declare a state of emergency. That is what he has conveyed to Nigerians. He has conveyed his intention to declare a state of emergency.

“That state of emergency will be actually declared when an instrument proclaiming it is published in a gazette.

“The constitution did not say that the president must publish the gazette within 24 hours, 48 or 72 hours. So whenever the president publishes the gazette, then the two days or 10 days as applicable begin to run.

“For the purposes of the constitution, it is not a broadcast that proclaims a state of emergency. It is the instrument published in the gazette.”

It was however gathered that the president’s wide consultations with stakeholders, particularly the leadership of the National Assembly, before the proclamation of emergency rule was what saved the democratic structures in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States.

Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Afam Ogene, told reporters Thursday in Abuja that the collaboration between the executive and legislature influenced the departure from the past in the declaration of the state of emergency.

“We are aware that the president before the declaration did interface with the leadership of the National Assembly, and I can tell you that the input of the National Assembly has led to the management of the situation such that we do not have a complete state of emergency that would have swept away democratic structures in the concerned states as we had in the past,” he said.

However, Ogene explained that the House could not consider the president’s decision yet because it had not received any presidential correspondence on the proclamation on emergency rule.

Like Ndoma-Egba, Ogene said the perception the president had breached the constitutional process of proclaiming a state of emergency by not transmitting the official gazette to the National Assembly, 48 hours after his broadcast, would be wrong and hasty.

Faulting the imposition of emergency rule on his state, the Adamawa State governor, in a broadcast that marked his first official reaction to the declaration, wondered why the state, which, he said, had been declared the most peaceful among the six states in the north-east region, was included for emergency rule.

According to him, Adamawa is a peaceful state and has been judged as the most peaceful in the north-east region by international and national peace groups.

Irrespective of his reservations about the inclusion of Adamawa, Nyako pledged support to the troops and urged residents of the state to remain calm and prayerful during the period.

The military, meanwhile, imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the state with effect from Thursday.

A statement by the Nigerian Army spokesperson in the state, Mohammed Nuhu, advised all residents to abide by the curfew that will last from 6pm to 6am daily.

A day after it called on the National Assembly to reject the declaration of state of emergency in three states, the ACN Thursday reviewed its position and urged the legislature to carefully consider Jonathan’s proposal before taking a decision on it.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party urged members of the National Assembly to study details of the emergency rule proclamation carefully to enable them make an informed decision on the issue.

“Members of the federal legislature, as the true representatives of the people, must decide - purely based on facts rather than sentiments - whether or not the emergency rule is the best option to resolve the Boko Haram crisis.

“Truly understanding the proclamation will enable them make an informed decision when the issue is brought before them,'” the party said.

Obviously worried by the discordant notes from opposition parties over the new security measure, ACN said a better understanding of the situation would show that democratic structures would not only be sidelined but castrated in the states affected by the martial law.

ACN alleged that the Jonathan administration, realising the groundswell of opposition that would be triggered if the governors and the Houses of Assembly members in the affected states were sacked, deceived Nigerians by leaving the elected officials in place.

It said its rejection of the imposition of emergency rule was because the democratic structure in the three states could be made subservient to the military superintending over the emergency rule.

However, the PDP urged the National Assembly to ignore the ACN’s suggestion and approve the emergency rule.

PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Chief Olisa Metuh, chided the ACN for imputing political motives in all its comments, adding: “The state of emergency imposed on the affected north-eastern states is aimed at ensuring security of lives, property and sovereignty of the Nigerian state and has nothing to do with politics.

“As the National Assembly awaits when the proclamation letter would be sent to them, it is the hope and position of the esteemed lawmakers that they will not turn down the proclamation of the state of emergence because it was done in the overall national interest,” the PDP said.

Governor Chief Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria. He has blamed successive governments for the failure to develop programs that would curb violence in the Niger Delta., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Akpabio Refutes Allegation of Harbouring Killer Squad

17 May 2013
Nigeria ThisDay

* Says PDP governors’ forum is for self-cleansing

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio has refuted allegations of harbouring killer squad that the state government uses to terrorise or kill his perceived political opponents.

Refuting the allegations while speaking with reporters in Uyo, the governor described as baseless and a figment of the imagination of those who peddle rumours that he was intimidating political enemies in the state including the Senator representing Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District in the Senate, Senator Aloysius Etok.

He insisted that his administration was not after anybody or the political ambition of any serving politician at the state or national levels indicating the innocence of the state leadership in cult activities had repeatedly been proved before leading clerics and religious bodies in the state.

Lauding the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for intervening in major disagreement with any political stakeholder in the state including the recent one of Etok, Akpabio described his alleged harbouring of a killer squad in the state as blackmail and defamation of character.

The state government, he said was considering legal action against those who defamed the leadership of the state indicating that the interest of the state administration was to deliver dividends of democracy for the people of the state to enjoy.

The governor, who spoke on a wide range of issues, dismissed the claims by opposition parties that PDP will lose many governors in the 2015 general election rather he said more state governors will emerge during future elections in the country.

Akpabio attributed the formation of PDP Governors’ Forum in the country to the increasing number of governors across the country under the PDP fold, stressing that the forum was not a campaign machinery of projecting the political ambition of anybody.

He maintained that the PDP Governors’ Forum was formed to assess the performances of the governors in their respective states as the governors are those who drive the engine of governance at the state level.

Akpabio who is the pioneer chairman of the forum, argued that there was nothing wrong for the formation of the body as its support the efforts of the President Goodluck Jonathan in ensuring good governance in the country.

Since the emergence of the forum, Akpabio said it has helped in re-uniting the governors of the ruling party stating that the forum was a unit of self-cleansing for future expansion of the party’s achievements.

The governor urged Nigerians to continue to support President Jonathan by ensuring that a peaceful atmosphere thrive county in the country saying that it was only in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity that meaningful development can be achieved.

In another development, Akpabio Thursday said in Abuja that Nigerians were now living in fear due to the constants threat to lives besetting the country which, according to him, is contributing to bad governance.

According to him, the absence of freedom and security to worship, associate and freely, live in any part of the country without being killed or bombed has made Nigerians yet to fully understand and enjoy the essence of independence and democracy.

The governor who was a guest at a forum put together by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), added that the fundamental rights of all Nigerians which accompanied the declaration of independence in 1960 is now absent due to insecurity.

Speaking on the theme, “Good Governance and Transformation,” the governor noted that the military, while ruling the country introduced a culture of injustice and impunity and usher in poor leadership that gave birth to the problem of corruption currently seen in the country.

Poster of President Joseph Kabila in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Reports indicate that there is still enormous instability inside the eastern regions of the DRC., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

OAU/AU at 50, Africa on the radar

FRIDAY, 17 MAY 2013 00:00
EDITOR
Nigerian Guardian

ENDLESS wars and ethnic conflicts, inept leadership, corruption, political instability, poverty and economic mismanagement. The list is endless of the woes that have befallen much of Africa post-independence. These factors have, of course, fueled underdevelopment and aggravated the failed-state status of most of the African nations.

On the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now known as the African Union (AU) therefore, the continental body can be said to have little to its credit on its cardinal objective of “promoting unity, solidarity and cooperation of African States to achieve a better life for the peoples of Africa.”

There is hardly unity and cooperation and certainly no better life for Africans. Whatever may be AU/OAU’s achievements in its five decades of existence pale into insignificance compared to the abject state of affairs across Africa. So, the celebrations should appropriately be muted while the occasion is used for sober reflections with a view to changing tack.

There is no doubt that from its inception in 1963, the body contributed immensely towards the liberation of Africa from colonialism, apartheid and racism. Today, virtually all former colonies in Africa are independent. The laurel for AU/OAU, however, seems to end there.

The independent nations have failed on the path of peace, progress and national development, with the welfare of the people now in jeopardy. Many are locked in unending conflicts that have not only bastardised the countries, caused genocide in Rwanda and Burundi, mindless killings in Liberia and Sierra Leone, left the people impoverished, but also left the continent in such a state as to justify its being pigeon-holed as the “heart of darkness.”

From East Africa, where guerrilla warfare is the order, to West Africa where political instability is the norm in many countries; and from North Africa, currently engulfed in chaos to Southern Africa where Zimbabawe’s economy has been destroyed due to insensitive and sit-tight leadership, the AU has been practically hopeless and helpless in the face of all these. The virtual disintegration of Somalia and the unending conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is as old as the continental organisation itself, are also cases in point. At its gatherings, the OAU/AU’s preoccupation has been wars and conflicts with little time to discuss economic growth.

There is democracy, albeit corrupted varieties, in a large number of countries, but no good governance in most.

Individual member countries are weak and therefore lack strong collective power and influence. The western superpowers are practically still in total control of the organisation and instigate most of the conflicts where stooges who serve as leaders readily yield to such advances for selfish interests.

Indeed, the political scramble for Africa that resulted in the warped partitioning of the continent now continues on the economic front. It is on record that about 80 per cent of the world’s diamond is found in Africa. Oil, uranium and plutonium are in large quantities. As a matter of fact, virtually every known mineral resource of economic importance is found in Africa and still the continent remains impoverished. The inroad by the Chinese in particular is generating fears of a new economic colonialism. This is happening because most African countries are economically powerless, too technologically backward and lack the strong-willed, purposeful leadership needed to exploit the resources for Africa’s growth.

The AU has not been, as expected, the driving engine of growth on the continent. Commitment to the union is even undermined by the attitude of many leaders and countries, even to the non-payment of their annual dues to the organisation. The building of the new AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, donated by the Chinese, is symbolic of the beggarly attitude of Africa.

Is there any hope for the continent? The solution to Africa’s underdevelopment quagmire must begin with the leadership. Visionary leadership is what all the countries of Africa need to be strong as individuals before they can aggregate this strength for continent-wide successes. Indeed, Africa has been crippled and the people impoverished solely by bad leadership.

There must be a conscious reassessment of how leadership emerges in Africa, to create a new political order that would reinvigorate economic development within individual countries. The union should begin with building platforms for the aggregation of skills and talents in different areas for continent-wide, mutually beneficial projects.

The AU should also focus on education, food and security. Mass illiteracy is the bane of Africa’s development and nothing can be achieved when the citizens lack capacity to help themselves and the society.

Transportation across Africa by land, sea or air is important as individual countries strive to develop its infrastructure with a view to aiding free or easy movement of goods and services. Ultimately, there is need for a Free Trade Area Agreement to enhance commerce within Africa. This should build upon the successes, though limited, of the regional groupings on the continent.

The calls for AU to be disbanded, understandable in view of its massive failures, may be too drastic. But there is no doubt that the organisation needs a re-orientation. There is a new world economic order. African leaders through the AU should come up with fresh ideas in line with the current global realities. Otherwise, this may be the beginning of another half-century of waste.

Nigerian Interim President Goodluck Jonathan of the Niger Delta has been selected by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to run for national office in the upcoming elections., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Rivers’ political crisis deepens

THURSDAY, 16 MAY 2013 00:00
FROM KELVIN EBIRI (PORT HARCOURT) AND WOLE SHADARE (LAGOS)
Nigerian Guardian

• Police orderly, escort withdrawn from Speaker, Amaechi’s COS

• ‘Governor’s security aides may go soon’

• Minister, firm deny role in grounding of Rivers’ plane

A FRESH dimension in the political crisis rocking Rivers State began Thursday as the police withdrew security aides of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Otelemaba Dan Amachree and the Chief of Staff (COS) to the Governor, Tony Okocha.

The withdrawal came after the murder of an aide (Mr. Eric Ezenekwe) to the court-deposed state chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Godspower Ake. The police have commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the murder.

Besides, Caverton Helicopters Thursday denied that it was pressured by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to disown the Rivers State government over the controversial Bombardier Global Express 5000 with registration number N565RS . It insisted that the clearance obtained with its name to operate the aircraft in the country was forged.

Amachree who on Tuesday in an open letter to President Goodluck Jonathan raised the alarm on a purported plot to withdraw security personnel attached to government officials and to pave the way for the assassination of Governor Chibuike Amaechi, himself and other legislators, accused the State Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, of unceremoniously withdrawing the orderly and escort attached to him.

The speaker said the gradual withdrawal of security personnel attached to government officials was aimed at making them susceptible to possible attacks from assailants.

He had alleged that there was a plan to release from detention, 18 notorious robbery and kidnap kingpins in custody to carry out the alleged planned attacks on the government officials and innocent residents of the state.

Amachree said: “Sequel to my letter to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, Commander-in-Chief, Nigerian Armed Forces of plans by some persons to unleash mayhem in the state, the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, Mbu Joseph Mbu, has unceremoniously withdrawn the police orderly and escort attached to me.

“Recall that I have earlier expressed my fears about plans to withdraw security operatives from the governor and top officials of the Rivers State Government, including me, making us vulnerable to attacks by hoodlums. Now my fears are made worse by the recent murder of an aide to Chief G. U. Ake, Mr Eric Ezenekwe, at his home town in Erema, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. On this premise, I still stand on my earlier call for the redeployment of the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, Mr Mbu Joseph Mbu.”

The development came amid fears that security aides of Amaechi will be withdrawn any moment from now, with sources saying that, barring any last- minute change of plans, the withdrawal could take place as early as this weekend. .

Those to be withdrawn include the policemen, soldiers and men of the State Security Service (SSS) attached to Amaechi who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).

The plot is reportedly to first withdraw the police details attached to the governor, including his orderly and Aide de Camp (ADC). The source added: “When the governor and his people raise the alarm, the police would quickly try to defend the withdrawal as routine redeployment of officers and men. And that new policemen will be posted to the governor.”

The speaker had on April 30, 2013 raised the alarm on the collapse of the security apparatus in the state to orchestrate a breakdown of law and order that would pave the way to a declaration of a state of emergency by some politicians in connivance with the police. He had also cited the invasion of the House of Assembly which is directly adjacent to the Police Headquarters on Moscow on the May 6, 2013, by irate youths demanding the reinstatement of the suspended chairman of Obio-Akpor Local Government Council, Timothy Nsirim.

A source at the Government House who pleaded anonymity disclosed to The Guardian that the head of the policemen attached to Okocha approached him yesterday morning and disclosed that he and his team had been directed to return to the police headquarters.

The source said government officials in Rivers State were yet to recover from the shock over the denial of transactions by top management of Caverton Helicopters on the importation of the controversial Bombardier Global 700 Jet by the state government, and now further pressure was being mounted on them through the withdrawal of security personnel attached to them.

He explained that the police had earlier withdrawn the orderly attached to the Okrika Local Government Chairman, Tamuno Williams.

But the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, who had initially told The Guardian that she was not aware of the withdrawal of the policemen attached to the speaker and the COS, said their claims were not true.

The Rivers State government maintained that Caverton handled its aircraft until the plane was grounded by the aviation agency, claiming that all the plane’s documents were genuine and up to date.

But Caverton said it initially wanted to import and manage the aircraft on behalf of the Rivers State government into the country in August 2012 but this did not fall though as ACCAS, the company that was bringing the aircraft terminated the deal midway.

“So it is strange that Rivers is now saying pressure was put on Caverton Helicopters to disown them in late April 2013, when both parties had agreed in February 2013 that it was Rivers that was operating the aircraft. Nothing could be farther from the truth,” a Caverton official told reporters.

A statement issued by the Minister of Aviation, Stella Odua-Ogiewonyi yesterday signed by the Special Adviser (Media), Joe Obi, said: “The point to note here is that there are three major issues in contention here. The first is the question of the true ownership of the aircraft while the second and more serious one is the question of operating with falsified clearances dubiously collected in the name of Caverton Helicopters. The third relates to why the aircraft was still operating in the country even when the false clearances had expired.”

Six U.S. soldiers were killed in attacks in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul. The Pentagon has been occupying the country for nearly twelve years., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Six US service members killed in Kabul suicide blast

May 16, 2013 04:25

A suicide blast in the Afghan capital, Kabul has killed 6 NATO servicemen, all of whom were reportedly American, an alliance spokesperson has said. Eight Afghan civilians, including 2 children also perished in the explosion that struck a military convoy.

"Two International Security Assistance Force service members and four ISAF contracted civilians died," the NATO-led ISAF mission said in a statement

The explosion took place in the industrial zone of the capital at about 8 am local time (03:30 GMT). The suicide bomber attacked the convoy with a car packed with explosives, according to local officials. The blast was powerful enough to set a nearby building on fire.

14 people died and 37 were wounded, according to the Afghan Health Ministry, which adds that some of the bodies are unidentifiable.

NATO confirmed “an explosion occurred on a coalition convoy in Kabul”, according to spokesman Lt Quenton Roehricht, cited by AP.

The Hezb-e-Islami insurgent group, with links to the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the blast.

"We planned this attack for over a week, our target was American advisers," Hezb-e-Islami spokesman Haroon Zarghoun told Reuters by telephone, adding that the bomb killed 12 Americans. Officials however warn that insurgents tend to exaggerate death tolls.

The group carried out a suicide attack on a minibus in September 2012, killing 14 people. Russian and South African pilots were among casualties of the explosion, which Hezb-e-Islami claimed was in response to a film mocking the prophet Muhammad.

Hezb-e-Islami means Islamic Party and is a radical militant group sharing much of the Taliban ideology.

The last major suicide bombing took place in the capital in March, when a man blew himself up next to the Defense Ministry, leaving nine Afghans dead. It happened during the state visit by US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe speaking at the 60th anniversary conference of the United Nations Food Programme., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.President to launch food security plan

Thursday, 16 May 2013 00:00
Herald Reporter

President Mugabe is today expected to launch a food and nutrition security policy and implementation plan, yet another gesture exhibiting his commitment to ensure no one starves as a result of drought that ravaged some parts of the country.

Most parts of the country are in urgent need of food aid as the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces has also engaged the Zambian government to import 150 000 tonnes of maize from that country.

Vice-President Joice Mujuru, who is the chairperson of the National Taskforce on Food and Security, yesterday revealed that President Mugabe would launch the policy when she invited all Parliamentarians to grace the occasion.

VP Mujuru would present the policy document while Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made and his Health and Child Welfare counterpart, Dr Henry Madzorera, would give solidarity messages.

United Nations Development Programme resident co-ordinator Mr Alain Noudehou and Bankers’ Association of Zimbabwe president Mr George Guvamatanga, among other private sector players, are expected to speak in support of the policy. Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara would give a vote of thanks.

President Mugabe last week met Zambian Vice-President Mr Guy Scott at State House in Harare to finalise the government-to-government agreement for Zimbabwe to import 150 000 tonnes of maize from that country. The deal would be sealed between the two governments, despite spirited efforts by the likes of Finance Minister Tendai Biti to have maize from Zambia imported by private companies. Minister Biti’s route would have affected the poor as they would not afford to buy the grain from firms that would sell it at exorbitant prices.

Observers said the strategy by Minister Biti was to make people starve so that MDC-T could use hunger as a campaign tool in harmonised elections expected before June 29.

Mr Scott said Zambia was expected to start delivering the maize soon.

Minister Made said 150 000 tonnes of maize would see the country having enough grain when added to the harvests taking place in areas that were not affected by drought.

He said logistics were already in place to move the grain from Zambia with the co-operation of the northern neighbours, adding that the grain would be moved to “strictly priority areas” which did not harvest anything due to drought this season.

The areas include Matabeleland South, Masvingo, southern parts of Manicaland, southern parts of Midlands and some parts of Matabeleland North.

Zimbabwe government prepares for national elections in July 2013. A new constitution has been approved by the House of Assembly and the Senate., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Constitution Bill awaits Presidential assent

Thursday, 16 May 2013 00:25
Farirai Machivenyika and Rugare Maranga

THE House of Assembly has approved amendments to the Constitutional Amendment Bill (20) proposed in Senate on Tuesday. According to the proposed amendments, parliamentarians will now be required to take oath or affirmation before the Clerk of Parliament instead of the Chief Justice, or a judge of the Constitutional Court.

Other amendments related to wording of some clauses in the document.

At least 148 legislators yesterday voted in favour of adoption of the amendments, more than the two-thirds majority threshold required by law.

The adoption was greeted by loud applause from legislators.

The passage of the Bill in Parliament is another step towards the proclamation of election dates.

Last week, President Mugabe told delegates attending the Zimbabwe Local Government Association Conference in Mutare that the adoption of a new supreme law will guide the setting of the dates for the harmonised polls to end the inclusive Government.

Yesterday, a cross section of Zimbabweans said there should be no further delays in holding elections, now that Parliament had passed the Constitutional Bill.

Mr Simon Chiwanza from Kuwadzana said the passage of the Bill was a step forward towards elections.

“Zimbabweans are raring to go to elections . . . we are tired of the incompetent inclusive Government. I do not see any reason why the President should not proclaim the poll dates because the Constitution Bill has been passed.

“We will not tolerate further delays by the MDC formations . . . we are itching to go to elections as soon as possible,” he said.

Borrowdale resident Mr Julius Mazhiri, echoed similar sentiments saying the passage of the Bill was an historic event for Zimbabweans..

“People are celebrating the passage of the Bill and I think if the authorities were to hold elections soon people would vote freely because the prevailing environment is conducive to conduct credible elections” he said.

Ms Sharon Katuruza from Alexandra Park, said the people were uncertain about elections and the Bill at least showed a brighter side towards elections.

“Personally, I think the country should now hold the elections now that we have a new Constitution” she said.

Ms Eve Nyamadzawo also welcomed the adoption of the Bill saying what was now needed was to have elections so that the country has a proper government to address the challenges it was currently facing.

“What is left now is to allow Zimbabweans to elect a government of their choice in the same way they voted for the constitution. So we urge all politicians to work towards holding elections as soon as possible,” she said.

The President has said elections will be held on or before June 29 when the life of of the Seventh Parliament ends.

Meanwhile, a six-member delegation from the Ugandan parliament is in Zimbabwe on a study tour and attended the sitting of the Senate on Tuesday and that of the House of Assembly today.

Speaker of the House of Assembly Mr Lovemore Moyo acknowledged the presence of the delegation during yesterday’s sitting.