Ugandan peace process $talls as rebels demand $2 m to negotiate

Talks to find a lasting solution in northern Uganda's 20-year conflict between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army rebels are said have stalled. Though many reasons are being given for this development, a few days ago talks were moved to an unspecified date after the government and donors could not meet the rebels demand for US$2 million to ferry delegates, carry out consultations and do research in preparation for the talks that were due to resume last week. The rebels have blamed the UN mission for the postponement of the peace talks. They say that although they are not in the talks with the Ugandan Government for the money, the UN accounting office had not paid their allowances and consultation fees for one month. Meanwhile the government says the rebels' demands for this money for consultation are excessive. Since then fingers have been pointing in different directions as accusations of who is responsible for stalling the talks become a contested issue. If successful, these talks could bring an end to one of the longest wars in Uganda. The LRA rebellion has driven more than 1.7 million people into internal refugee camps in northern Uganda. Some 100,000 people have died and as many as 38,000 children have been abducted and forced to join the insurgents.
..........President Yoweri Museveni referred the civil war in the north to the International Criminal Court in December 2003. The ICC's chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo issued arrest warrants in July 2005 for the top five men in the LRA - its leader Joseph Kony and Vincent Otti, Raska Lukwiya-who died in combat last year, Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen. The ICC indicted the LRA leaders on 33 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including abduction, sexual enslavement, mutilation, the killing of civilians and forcibly using children as guerrilla fighters.
..............It always baffles my mind why people who claim to be championing the cause for the people are often unwilling to stop the flow of blood rivers while they wait to get what they want out of peace processes. Equally sad is the fact Is it not sad that the rebels even have to rely on the government and donors for consultation fees? Such is the case with opposition parties too, who have to rely on either governments or outsiders for their political livelihoods. Should the UN and Ugandan government pay the consultation fees? What do you think?

Libya seeks EU diplomatic ties in exchange for medics

According to the BBC News, an EU delegation is in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, to broker a deal to free the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor convicted of infecting hundreds of children with HIV and imprisoned in Libya since 1999. As part of the deal, Libya is said to be seeking renewed diplomatic ties with the EU and more funds to treat the infected children as part of any deal to free six medics. While the government in Bulgaria wants the medics to be allowed to return home, the EU is reported to be unwilling to agree any compensation deal that appears to give the impression that it accepts the six medics are guilty.
........I fail to comprehend how, on one hand Libya could be demanding Europeans to respect its justice system and at the same time want to trade diplomatic favors for the lives of the dead, if indeed these medics are supposed to be guilty. Or is it that there is more than meets the eye and ear behind the scenes- have the big boys from the EU have threatened to use as many sticks as carrots to get Libya to free the medics? If that is the case, where are the carrots and should not they be going to the victims instead of the government? Something just does not pass the stink test here. Though locking these medics on trumped up charges is as reprehensible as asking them to pay for their freedom if they are guilty, the very idea of Libya seating on the table wanting diplomatic ties with the EU in exchange for the freedom of these people is utterly disgusting. People died and the best thing the government could come up with is an exchange of money and diplomatic ties! Is this the vision that Libya has for the rest of Africa under one umbrella of the United States of Africa? If Libyans have neither respect for their own justice system nor for their own lives, can the rest of world take them- or any African country for that matter- serious? Instead of diplomatic ties, perhaps Libya should be asking the EU for judges to improve its justice system that currently seems to be a sham.

UN suspends Moroccan military contigent for sexual abuses in Ivory Coast

Reuters News reports that the United Nations has suspended a Moroccan military contingent from its peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast while it investigates allegations of Moroccan soldiers having sex with a large number of underage girls in Ivory Coast's northern rebel stronghold of Bouake. Locals complained to the UN after it ran a campaign against sexual exploitation in which it asked local people to inform it about abuses.
.........I was tempted to congratulate the UN for finally taking action, but I will not because that is what they are supposed to do. Any sound organization should have a mechanism for dealing with sexual harassment, violence and other problems that tarnish the name of that organization. And to think that the UN ignored sexual exploitation by peacekeepers and other field staff for decades leaves one to wonder how serious the UN is about peacekeeping. It is ironic that the peacekeepers are sent to bring peace, but then bring violence of another kind. The kind that steals the future of school-going girls, leaving them children and no hope for a better future. The UN brings the violence that many young girls suffer at the hands of rebels so that one wonders whether we should start looking at the UN as a bunch of rebels. Of course it goes without saying that one fly will spoil a whole jar of milk, but these cases seems to be so widespread. In fact it is case of a whole bunch of flies spoiling tones of milk.
......World governments should take action to penalize these men who go in and use money and in some cases the blue uniform as bait. If the UN cannot take such steps multilaterally, perhaps individual governments such as the US should place this as a precondition for sponsoring such missions. Failure to do so makes all of us complicit in these crimes since the money used as bait is paid by citizens of the world in the hope of bringing peace, not violence.
......Although a good number of these young girls are deceived into sexual exploitation, there is a minority who are willing sellers of their bodies for the willing buyers. And this raises a larger discussion Africans should be having pertaining to the need to safeguard the girl child. In many African countries the laws for safeguarding young people barely exist and if there are any they are less than adequate. And I wonder why many governments do not make potent laws to deal with and punish sexually violent peacekeepers. Is it because some of the old men who make laws are sometimes culprits themselves in the exploitation of girls using material baits such as cars?

Mugabe critic Bishop Ncube accused of Adultery while Mugabe offers to pray for him

Various news sources claim that Zimbabwe Catholic Archbishop Pius Alick Mvundla Ncube, one of Mugabe's fierce critics, is being sued for alleged adultery by the husband of a woman who worked as a secretary in the archbishop's office at St Pius Catholic Church in Bulawayo. Onesimus Sibanda, the plaintiff, accuses the Archbishop of having an adulterous affair with his wife, Rosemary, and has demanded compensation for “emotional pain”. His lawyer Nzarayapenga said his client uncovered evidence that suggested Ncube was having an adulterous relationship with his wife - a secretary. Lawyers for Archbishop Ncube called the allegations an orchestrated attempt to discredit him. The archbishop, who denies the allegations, has openly denounced President Mugabe as a "megalomaniac," and called for the British to invade Zimbabwe to topple Mugabe.
.................While Ncube denied having a relationship with Sibanda's wife, if proved, the allegations may lend him in jail and even threaten to ruin the reputation of one of Zimbabwe’s most prominent public figures and leading critic of President Mugabe. Ncube’s colleagues believe that he is being targeted in a smear campaign by President Mugabe over his criticism of his government. Meanwhile, President Mugabe said, "it can’t be me to say let’s pray for Pius. I suppose when I go to church I will pray for God to save and pardon Pius. I was born in church. I am a Catholic myself but I failed to achieve what Pius did (being Archbishop), because God chose something else for me." In reference to earlier remarks in which Ncube asked people to pray for Mugabe's death, Mugabe said, "those who pray for us must pray in good faith. Don’t pray for our deaths."
…………Zimbabwe is indeed a land of drama, laughs, and stories. Though I find this story not unusual in Zimbabwe, what is more interesting is the story the names in this story tell. Bishop Ncube's middle name is Mvundla, which is SiNdebele for a Hare. The plaintiff is Sibanda, SiNdebele for Lion, while lawyer on the plaintiff's side is Munyaradzi Nzarayapenga. In Shona, Munyaradzi means the comforter and Nzarayapenga literally means" hunger has gone wild.
…………In Zimbabwean folklore, the hare always outruns or out thinks all other animals in the Kingdom. The lion is known to be very fierce and King of the jungle. Now, Nzarayapenga is hunger at its most cruel stage. Naturally, I wonder whether the Bishop—the hare-- will outrun the lawyer in a victorious stampede of justice and injustice. As for the Lion victim, I wonder whether he will devour both the character and finances of the hare (Ncube). As for the lawyer (Munyaradzi Nzarayapenga) I wonder whether the hunger in Zimbabwe is the motivation for his taking the case or it is really to be the comforter of the Lion in tears. Well, we are yet to see....
.................Though it would be premature to condemn or absolve the Archbishop of his so called sins given that we do not know much about the reality on the ground, there is reason to believe that something is being cooked up there. It may be on the same fire and pot that people who criticize the government like former national leader Joshua Nkomo, Edgar Tekere and Morgan Tswangirai have gone through. Though there is some doubt about the chastity of many Catholic clergy in the world, the whole story has the markings of such a fire and pot. But, be that as it may, there is no need to speculate since the matter is going to court.
…………… For a minute, it sounded like Jerry Springer. That said I am sympathetic to all women victims who suffer the credibility test when coming forward to seek justice for crimes of violence against them. Victims should not have to be paraded on screen and asked to testify to satisfy the public's lust for drama and juicy stories. And I am sure from now on, the woman in question will be known as the woman who did the do with the Bishop. Knowing how cheeky Zimbabweans are, I will not be surprised to hear people calling her MaBishop or MaNcube or something of that nature to dramatize the relationship. The story is a sad commentary on how the so called press freedom does not take victims into consideration. I do not know what to make of the fact that the alleged victim in this story is the husband of the woman who is claiming billions for emotional pain and suffering. Whether this happened or not, the story is a sad commentary on how our society will easily penalize people for coming forward to report crimes committed by people we hold in high esteem. I am not saying the Bishop did it, but if he indeed did do the do, well…. But either way, this story will totally rubbish his and her reputation in church and all places. Is that the goal here?

Ugandan 'Aids scam' trial begins

http://africanviewpoint.blogspot.com The BBC News, reports that Retired Major-General and former Ugandan Health Minister Jim Muhwezi, together with former senior government officials-deputies, Captain Mike Mukula, Dr Alex Kamugisha and former state house official Alice Kaboyo- are on trial in Kampala for embezzling nearly $4.3m (£2.15m) and abusing their offices. It is alleged that they misused grants from the Global Alliance for Vaccinations and Immunizations and the Global Fund to fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Because of this misuse, the Global Fund halted $150m of grants to Uganda. A close ally of President Yoweri Museveni, General Muhwezi is no stranger to the controversy of the wild hand that reaps where it never sowed. He lost his ministerial portfolio as state minister for primary education in the 1990s following an investigation over his personal wealth. However, he was recycled as minister of health in 2001, before being dropped from the cabinet following the investigations into the fate of the Global Fund money granted to Uganda.
.........Reading this story, I wonder how many such crimes have gone unpunished in most of Africa. But more importantly, it amazes me how, in the midst of epidemics such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and general poverty, thieves are not only allowed to roam the streets in chauffeured cars exhibiting a vast ideology of superiority over their fellow citizens, but also recycled into positions of power as if to congratulate them for stealing from a fund to stop deaths. Is it that some of the leaders entrusted with the privilege to lead and fire these thieves are also drinking from the same fountain of ill-gotten wealth? It is not difficult to imagine that a compromised leader loses the moral authority to reprimand a subordinate for stealing if they themselves are dipping with the devil. Or may be the leaders are in fact the bigger devils and the thieves below them are just angels of the devil.
........Not that I endorse the idea, but is this theft and abuse of office not one of the reasons why foreign NGOs and governments always want to bypass African governments in their efforts to help locals? I feel silly advocating for African solutions by Africans when we ourselves lack the accountability required to ensure that we protect our weak. Instead, the stronger of us use their knowledge and access to drink from the chalice containing the blood and sweat of our own poor brothers and sisters. What leg do we have to stand on if we ourselves do so badly that foreigners see themselves as better suited to take care of our own people? That said, I also question the decision by the Global Fund to punish the poor-who are already serving the sentence of poverty- because of four people. Are the lives of many people worth throwing away to simply to punish the government ministers who have no moral particle left in them?
..........If nothing else, this case really demonstrates our need to fix our systems of accountability, not for anybody, but ourselves. The privilege of power requires that our leaders take a strong moral stand to shoot on sight any expression of corruption be it in a child or an elder entrusted with power to safeguard the people. If a guy steals a shilling when in lower office, it makes sense that he may pounce again when entrusted with a bigger office with more power and control of monies. If and when we can hold ourselves accountable, it is only then that we can claim to be fighting corruption. This sham of letting people steal, recycling them into ministerial positions so they can keep the wine flowing, and then arresting them to show the whole world that government is fighting corruption, long after the monies have been spent by these people, should stop. Doing the same thing- recycling these ministers and hoping for different results is technically what is known as insanity, which is perhaps the reason why we should fire many governments because they are incapacitated by insanity.http://africanviewpoint.blogspot.com

Aids drugs worth billions left to expire in Ugandan warehouses

http://allafrica.com/stories/200707110814.html

It is morally repugnant that millions of dollars worth of Malaria, ARV Drugs should be rotting in National Medical Stores (NMS) in Uganda while thousands of Ugandans perish everyday of HIV/Aids and malaria without treatment. According the Monitor News in Kampala, MPs on the Social Services Committee were shocked to find eight containers of 2- feet, full of expired drugs. The reason given for this sad state of affairs is that, “big volumes of the drugs that expire have a short life span and are brought in by foreign NGOs including the Clinton Foundation, Global Fund, Aids Control Programme, Malaria Control Programme without proper planning. According to local officials, "NMS is not involved in the planning or procurement of these items,” but are expected to accept all consignments of big volumes of short-lived drugs-which are sometimes already procured by NMS- at very short notice without much of a distribution plan or coordination with NMS. Officials believe that they can only minimize these loses if NMS is given power to perform its statutory mandate of procurement, storage and distribution of drugs. According to Rukiga MP Samuel Byanangwa, "These donors should be told how work. How can they bring in drugs and then fail to distribute them? Uganda is not a dumping ground."
HIV AIDS has gained so much emotional and moral currency that it has become so easy to pick out as an issue where any and all mistakes get a whole lot of attention. But when one looks at the whole picture on the ground evidence points to an endemic problem of poor planning, inefficiency, and a lack of coordination among governments and some foreign NGOs, which overall decreases potential gains for the poor people waiting for help. On one level, foreign NGOs come in armed with a great deal of distrust of local governments and blue prints of programs in response to the generic media image of the poverty and needs of Africa. In such cases, governments are somehow supposed to just swallow whatever is thrown at them because the cost of not doing so is very high given the moral issues surrounding HIV AIDS. In some cases, as is demonstrated above, it may not be good to accept the donation for practical reasons. But, then you also have governments who have been known to misuse AID for political gains. Examples are rife in which food aid destined for the poor and frail ends up among the strong and morally weak officials.
Far from the HIV AIDS issue that gives a lot of political and economic capital to many of the people involved, a lesser known problem is that far more women and children die from the inefficiency pandemic when they cannot get to hospitals on time because of bad or no roads, when food cannot be delivered to them on time, and when other basic needs are inaccessible even in a sea of plenty. In fact, the whole case above is really a microcosm of the larger inefficiency of entire countries and very much the cause of many other problems.
The question then becomes why foundations should be pilling these drugs in one country when other countries equally need them? Is it that Uganda has been billed as a success story serving as a fountain from which everyone can quench their thirst of doing something successful in some far away country when the Times reveals that, yes, the country is doing well? Why is there unequal distribution of drugs, even in countries known to have high prevalence rates of these diseases?
I am equally appalled by the inferiority complex that pervades some of our African brothers in governments who have come to believe that unless donors provide the ideas, the drugs, the money, and the cars, they will do nothing even when their house is on fire. There is the temptation to cling to the, “they owe us” mentality all the way into paralysis and incapacity to even wipe one’s behind waiting for the colonizers who took away our resources to bring us paper. At a certain point, we have to say, yes we know who the arsonists are, but funeralizing our predicament will only serve as us emotionally, but not meet our needs to be under a new roof, of a new house- a better house. To get there, we have to SANKOFA-acknowledge our history, but gravitate towards our own advancement. And it is only then that we may begin to be free. Free the mind, then the body will follow! Amandla!

Assistant Ministers in Kenya want more work and ......

Assistant Ministers in Kenya are reported to have lodged complaints with the government for being underutilized and having no clear mandate. Over the last few weeks many of them have threatened to resign unless something is done to ensure that they are given the respect that they deserve. The latest of this saga has seen them meeting with President Mwai Kibaki, asking him to evoke Section 24 of the Constitution, which gives the President the powers to fill or abolish a constitutional office. They want him to change both their title to Deputy Ministers as well as outline clear job description for their offices. So far it seems very progressive for ministers to come up to demand more work. But then, it is mind-boggling that government ministers would be appointed without a clear definition of their job descriptions.

What in fact are these ministers being paid for if they do not know what they must be doing? Is it not a grand robbery of the common Kenyan man and woman that these highly paid, chauffeur-driven, so called Assistant ministers are getting a salary without much to show for it? As the wise people say, an idle mind is a dangerous mind. I would not be surprised if these guys spent the good part of their days misusing state resources for personal gain given that they have no specific outcomes they must deliver. Every job in the world requires one to at least show some kind of deliverable, and to think that these people in such high offices do not even have an appointment letter that states their duties really breaks my heart. What breaks my heart even more is how the Kenyan government is quick to cry about lack of resources when in fact resources are being misdirected to salaries that do not in any way serve the interests of Kenyans. If these guys' roles are undefined, whose idea was it to hire them in the first place? While I feel sorry for the ministers, my condolences go to the Kenyans for the death of common sense in the government and that of the trust entrusted to the government by the people. If the ministers can't figure out what to do, may be they should all be fired and the money sent to Kisumu to build schools or something of value. Now that I think about it, the size of many African governments is actually appalling. You have ministers without portfolio, ministers without common sense, ministers without cell phones, what on God's earth are you people doing for Africa?

Congo and Gabon leaders condemn French fraud probe as "racist" and "colonial"

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According to the BBC News, Congo's president-Denis Sassou-Nguesso- has condemned a French investigation into alleged embezzlement by him and Gabon's leader-Omar Bongo Ondimba- as "racist" and "colonial". There are on-going investigations on claims that Nguesso's properties are ill-gotten wealth that must be seized and sold, with the proceeds being used to build schools and hospitals in Africa. Denis Sassou-Nguesso is said to have lamented the fact that only he and Gabon's leader were targeted even though, "In France, all the world's leaders have castles and so on."
Apparently, though Mr Sassou-Nguesso was appalled, he would have ignored the complaint had it not been linked to racism and colonialism. So as I write, the man is pissed off. Surprising? Nope!
What I find very intriguing about this story is the notion that, while the president is out shouting racism and colonialism, he himself seems to be really the one who is putting colonialism to work. He is the agent of colonialism, but the sad part is that he is pointing fingers at the French. I am not suggesting that the French are pure, but the idea that President Denis Sassou-Nguesso would come out screaming racism is a sad display of the psychological brainwashing that has shaped some of our leaders who claim to be defenders of Africa. How can a black man with the dignity of a state leader have so little confidence in his country so as to ship all his money to buy properties in France? And when was the last time you heard that Nicolas Sarkozy has a mansion in the Congo or Gabon? Ok, may be Sarkozy is not a good example since he is new, but still, no Western leaders buy properties to retire to in the whole of Africa. So, what is it, other than colonialites and an inferiority complex that would send our leaders out to Western countries to buy properties? Do these houses make them feel more French or English or it is simply a case of sick men not knowing that they themselves are sick so much so that they point fingers at the French? Speaking of sick men, I am reminded of a story...
A group of patients in a mental asylum is locked up in a classroom awaiting evaluation on their progress. The Psychiatrist conducting the tests goes to the black board and draws a huge door. He asks his patients to get out through that door if they wish to be free. "The door will be open for only two minutes," he says, just to see who is getting better. There is pandemonium as the patients rush to the door to be the first to get out of the asylum. While they clamor on the board, one patient is down on the floor laughing his lungs out at how silly the rest of the group is. The doctor walks up to him and asks why he is laughing at others instead of taking this opportunity to escape now that the door is about to shut down. The guy looks at the doctor and says, These guys are crazy. How do they think they will get out of that door? It is locked and have the keys in my pocket."
...Moral of the story-----Yes, the French are crazy to want to confisticate an African Leader's properties that he bought, even if it is with stolen money. But, I also wonder how crazy the African leaders are to want to buy homes in France, where they are treated like boys, instead of investing money in their countries. Check the African viewpoint at href="http://www.africanviewpoint.blogspot.com">

African Unity- Can Jesse Jackson and the diaspora help enhance the dream?

For someone looking for something to critique, is is not always difficult to read stories and theories into people's words. Though many a times I have found myself reading things in a flashlight mode searching for answers to questions I have held for a while, I read Rev Jesse Jackson's assertion that the Diaspora needs voice in the Africa government with much interest and openness of mind. I did believe in what he said, at least the core message. Take away the artificial labels that have been used for years to divide our people, we are essentially one people in the same way a son and daughter from different mothers are family, or the same way an African elephant born in a Zoo in captivity is essentially known as African or in the same way the Israelites born in exile in Egypt were essentially Israelites. We are born out of Africa, into a different experience depending on the physical location of where that birth and nurturing occurs, but still are Afrikan.So for me, the wars of identity we sometimes fight are so much to do with who gets what breadcrumbs where, even though we are essentially one people. We as a people have so much in common than what separates us, which is why Jesse's message resonated. But, I must confess that when I first read I was thinking of the diaspora in a limited sense of those who came on Boeing 707s to the West- something which highlights our years of mis education.

So, what did Jesse say? He emphasized the need for unity between Africa and her children across the globe and that if the dream of a United Africa is to be attained, it has to have moral authority. While I applaud Jesse for speaking for the need to develop relations amongst ourselves, I fear that some of his sentiments are borne out of the same ideas of subjugation we are fighting. When Jesse says that, " Washington had made a mistake by reducing its influence in Africa at the same time as China stepped up its presence, sourcing raw materials on the continent and investing in infrastructure. While we (America) are pushing back, China sees this raw material base."

I wonder whether Jesse, like the people at the white house, see Africa simply as a resource base instead of a home for a people who have been scattered across the world by years of conflict and cultural, political, and economic subjugation. Jesse, seems to sound a bell whose ringing always worries me. I often worry about American Africans and some of our people born outside Africa who return to the continent only to replicate the same unbalanced and exploitative power relations that exist between our people and their down pressers. Exploitation is worse when it is conducted by our own, which is why Africans in the diaspora have to be wary of adopting and embodying oppressive values that have led us to where we are today.

I have always been an advocate of the politics of relationship building to gain strength. By that I mean if you look at the dominant groups who move world affairs you will note that they are largely integrated in some way through relations that spun continents. You could even map the social networks among these people. The World Economic Forum brings chosen people to meet with the old guard. It is where relations are formed. New people are inducted into these relations through institutions and forums that bring them together to share ideas and mingle. Potential leaders emerge in these contexts and they are socialized into a certain world view and return to their countries, where they follow up with lunches on yatchs to cement relations and business deals.

And this is what I feel we underestimate as a people so much so that our institutions are threatened because we build them up here and forget to invest as much time in building personal relations. We know from history that those who exploit have used divide and conquer for years, but when we go out to build institutions to fight the symptoms of our oppression, we somehow forget that. Many of us forget that you cannot build trust simply through talking about the need for trust. You need to talk, eat together and from that comes a degree of understanding people beyond meetings, which builds trust as well as lubricates the wheels of conflict in the event that it occurs. It is what then gives us strength, without which we are weak even if we are strong individually. Many of us forget about the need for a unity of relations before the unity of purpose. We forget that divided we stand, but only as the lone pole on whose strength the weak tomato plant grows to bear fruits that the pole will never enjoy.

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