Civil Georgia
14 March 2009
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Matthew Bryza, said on March 14, “we are grateful” for Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze’s “very generous statement” about Georgia’s readiness to host the U.S. military bases.
He, however, also said that the issue was not discussed between the two countries and added: “At this point when we look how to implement our Charter on Strategic Partnership we are talking about how to help Georgia rethink its strategic military doctrine and rebuild it military forces and fulfill criteria for accession to NATO.”
Speaking at a news conference in Tbilisi after having talks with government and opposition leaders, Bryza said that “after being invaded” in August, 2008 Georgia now needed to rethink and develop security doctrine focused on defending its soil, that could only be done by the Georgian soldiers.
The Georgian Foreign Minister told the Japanese press this week that although there had not been any discussions on hosting the U.S. bases, Georgia was ready to do that in case of request from Washington.
14 March, 2009
Blackwater's New Frontier: Their Own Private Africa.
Mother Jones
March-April 2009
By Bruce Falconer and Daniel Schulman
"You give me money, I don't care who you are." It was late October, and Zimbabwe's defense attaché, a soft-spoken, thick-shouldered lieutenant colonel, was explaining his country's freewheeling approach to business in the banquet room of the Liaison hotel on Capitol Hill. Mingling around him were representatives from some of the world's best-known private security and military contracting firms, gathered to explore their prospects in the industry's next frontier: Africa. None betrayed any eagerness to do business with Robert Mugabe, notwithstanding assurances from the beaming attaché that Zimbabwe—"the second-largest economy in southern Africa"—remains strong despite 231 million percent annual inflation. But there were plenty of other avenues to explore, including a recent shake-up in the US military's command structure that seemed to promise new demand for firms like Blackwater (which recently changed its name to Xe), Triple Canopy, DynCorp, and others.
The guests, dressed in business attire and the odd military uniform, were gathered for the annual summit of the International Peace Operations Association (IPOA), a trade group. Industry reps had traveled from as far as Dubai and Malta to discuss this year's topic—the Pentagon's newly established US Africa Command, or AFRICOM—and to browse booths hawking everything from armored vehicles to high-risk insurance. Arrayed on a table in the back were piles of corporate literature, complete with pictures of Third World children and Western contractors delivering aid, a popular industry meme. Among the big-ticket attractions was a keynote address from William E. "Kip" Ward, the four-star general in charge of AFRICOM.
The event drew record attendance, and industry veterans were not surprised. "Everybody's always been interested in Africa," Chris Taylor, a former Blackwater executive and now a vice president at Ohio-based Mission Essential Personnel, explained over drinks in the hotel bar. "It represents a huge opportunity for business."
Africa is no stranger to armed security contractors; the industry in its modern incarnation was born when mercenary firms like Executive Outcomes and Sandline International fought for embattled African governments during the 1990s, allegedly in exchange for diamond and oil concessions. Since then, security contractors have gained broader acceptance. But serious concerns remain about the role they might play in their old stomping grounds.
"There is a crying, desperate need for some of the services that these people provide," said Alex Yearsley, the head of special projects at Global Witness, a London-based human rights group. "There's no question they can do it. It's a question of when you're going to have a questionable regime hiring these people to kick out indigenous communities or [gain access to] mining areas. That's when it gets problematic."
To companies seeking entrée to the continent, the military's new Africa command could provide a key foothold. To pursue its mission of security, diplomacy, and development, AFRICOM's outreach and partnership director, Paul Saxton, told a packed audience at the conference, the command plans to enlist the help of the private sector. "We're reaching out."
Reliance on contractors, though, could add to the controversy already engulfing AFRICOM, especially the fears that the military's forays into development work could blur the line between aid workers and soldiers or hired guns. Taylor, the former Blackwater executive, downplayed such concerns. AFRICOM, he says, will likely train "partner nations" to provide a secure environment for humanitarian projects. "It doesn't mean that a bunch of dudes with guns are going to show up with bags of rice."
Perhaps not, but critics have also accused the Pentagon of using africom as a fig leaf for broader geopolitical objectives; they view the command as little more than a strategic maneuver to counter China's pursuit of Africa's natural resources. "I want to see it succeed," said the security director of a well-known NGO who is nonetheless wary of AFRICOM's mission. "I want to see development that is focused on empowerment, not as some tactic for US interests. That's not development. That's manipulation."
Africans, too, have greeted the Pentagon's plans with suspicion. As US officials toured the continent in search of a location for the new command's headquarters, they met with so much opposition that they eventually decided to operate from Germany for the time being. This frosty reception should have come as no surprise, Eeben Barlow, the former South African soldier who founded Executive Outcomes, commented on his blog in November. "Looking at...US administrations' record in Africa, it is one long script of betrayal, destabilisation, political blackmail and even worse." African nations, he noted, "remain extremely reluctant and wary to allow the wolf to guard their sheep."
But AFRICOM's start-up problems have not dampened the enthusiasm of Barlow's cohorts in the security industry. They also see opportunities in other federal initiatives—such as a massive, and little-known, State Department contract, the Africa Peacekeeping Program. Worth some $1 billion over five years, it covers work in countries including Somalia, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, everything from logistics support and construction to training and advising African troops, flying aerial surveillance missions, and improving coastal security. Triple Canopy and Blackwater are said to be among those that submitted proposals.
At the IPOA conference, we spoke with two Blackwater representatives, who during that morning's panel discussion had taken seats beside AFRICOM's Paul Saxton. With Somali pirates' seizure of a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 battle tanks fresh in the news, they told us, the company saw opportunity in the area of "maritime security." In mid-October, Blackwater had announced that its 183-foot, helipad-equipped ship, the McArthur, was standing by to assist shipping companies in the area. (After being contacted by at least 70 shipping and insurance firms interested in its anti-piracy services, Blackwater in December held three days of meetings in London with prospective clients.) But the core of Blackwater's ambition in Africa is to transition away from the high-profile "personal protection" work that has brought it so much opprobrium in Iraq and Afghanistan; to that end, its representatives told us, it has opened an office in Nairobi, Kenya, the better to go after opportunities to train African military and security forces.
If the sheer number of companies represented at the ipoa conference is any indication, Blackwater's envoys will run into plenty of their competitors—and that makes some observers uneasy. "You start bringing these people on the scene, they come in as trainers, but at the drop of a hat they can be other things," said the ngo security director. "They have skills, they have something to bring, but it's a double-edged sword, and it depends on which edge is being presented."
March-April 2009
By Bruce Falconer and Daniel Schulman
"You give me money, I don't care who you are." It was late October, and Zimbabwe's defense attaché, a soft-spoken, thick-shouldered lieutenant colonel, was explaining his country's freewheeling approach to business in the banquet room of the Liaison hotel on Capitol Hill. Mingling around him were representatives from some of the world's best-known private security and military contracting firms, gathered to explore their prospects in the industry's next frontier: Africa. None betrayed any eagerness to do business with Robert Mugabe, notwithstanding assurances from the beaming attaché that Zimbabwe—"the second-largest economy in southern Africa"—remains strong despite 231 million percent annual inflation. But there were plenty of other avenues to explore, including a recent shake-up in the US military's command structure that seemed to promise new demand for firms like Blackwater (which recently changed its name to Xe), Triple Canopy, DynCorp, and others.
The guests, dressed in business attire and the odd military uniform, were gathered for the annual summit of the International Peace Operations Association (IPOA), a trade group. Industry reps had traveled from as far as Dubai and Malta to discuss this year's topic—the Pentagon's newly established US Africa Command, or AFRICOM—and to browse booths hawking everything from armored vehicles to high-risk insurance. Arrayed on a table in the back were piles of corporate literature, complete with pictures of Third World children and Western contractors delivering aid, a popular industry meme. Among the big-ticket attractions was a keynote address from William E. "Kip" Ward, the four-star general in charge of AFRICOM.
The event drew record attendance, and industry veterans were not surprised. "Everybody's always been interested in Africa," Chris Taylor, a former Blackwater executive and now a vice president at Ohio-based Mission Essential Personnel, explained over drinks in the hotel bar. "It represents a huge opportunity for business."
Africa is no stranger to armed security contractors; the industry in its modern incarnation was born when mercenary firms like Executive Outcomes and Sandline International fought for embattled African governments during the 1990s, allegedly in exchange for diamond and oil concessions. Since then, security contractors have gained broader acceptance. But serious concerns remain about the role they might play in their old stomping grounds.
"There is a crying, desperate need for some of the services that these people provide," said Alex Yearsley, the head of special projects at Global Witness, a London-based human rights group. "There's no question they can do it. It's a question of when you're going to have a questionable regime hiring these people to kick out indigenous communities or [gain access to] mining areas. That's when it gets problematic."
To companies seeking entrée to the continent, the military's new Africa command could provide a key foothold. To pursue its mission of security, diplomacy, and development, AFRICOM's outreach and partnership director, Paul Saxton, told a packed audience at the conference, the command plans to enlist the help of the private sector. "We're reaching out."
Reliance on contractors, though, could add to the controversy already engulfing AFRICOM, especially the fears that the military's forays into development work could blur the line between aid workers and soldiers or hired guns. Taylor, the former Blackwater executive, downplayed such concerns. AFRICOM, he says, will likely train "partner nations" to provide a secure environment for humanitarian projects. "It doesn't mean that a bunch of dudes with guns are going to show up with bags of rice."
Perhaps not, but critics have also accused the Pentagon of using africom as a fig leaf for broader geopolitical objectives; they view the command as little more than a strategic maneuver to counter China's pursuit of Africa's natural resources. "I want to see it succeed," said the security director of a well-known NGO who is nonetheless wary of AFRICOM's mission. "I want to see development that is focused on empowerment, not as some tactic for US interests. That's not development. That's manipulation."
Africans, too, have greeted the Pentagon's plans with suspicion. As US officials toured the continent in search of a location for the new command's headquarters, they met with so much opposition that they eventually decided to operate from Germany for the time being. This frosty reception should have come as no surprise, Eeben Barlow, the former South African soldier who founded Executive Outcomes, commented on his blog in November. "Looking at...US administrations' record in Africa, it is one long script of betrayal, destabilisation, political blackmail and even worse." African nations, he noted, "remain extremely reluctant and wary to allow the wolf to guard their sheep."
But AFRICOM's start-up problems have not dampened the enthusiasm of Barlow's cohorts in the security industry. They also see opportunities in other federal initiatives—such as a massive, and little-known, State Department contract, the Africa Peacekeeping Program. Worth some $1 billion over five years, it covers work in countries including Somalia, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, everything from logistics support and construction to training and advising African troops, flying aerial surveillance missions, and improving coastal security. Triple Canopy and Blackwater are said to be among those that submitted proposals.
At the IPOA conference, we spoke with two Blackwater representatives, who during that morning's panel discussion had taken seats beside AFRICOM's Paul Saxton. With Somali pirates' seizure of a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 battle tanks fresh in the news, they told us, the company saw opportunity in the area of "maritime security." In mid-October, Blackwater had announced that its 183-foot, helipad-equipped ship, the McArthur, was standing by to assist shipping companies in the area. (After being contacted by at least 70 shipping and insurance firms interested in its anti-piracy services, Blackwater in December held three days of meetings in London with prospective clients.) But the core of Blackwater's ambition in Africa is to transition away from the high-profile "personal protection" work that has brought it so much opprobrium in Iraq and Afghanistan; to that end, its representatives told us, it has opened an office in Nairobi, Kenya, the better to go after opportunities to train African military and security forces.
If the sheer number of companies represented at the ipoa conference is any indication, Blackwater's envoys will run into plenty of their competitors—and that makes some observers uneasy. "You start bringing these people on the scene, they come in as trainers, but at the drop of a hat they can be other things," said the ngo security director. "They have skills, they have something to bring, but it's a double-edged sword, and it depends on which edge is being presented."
13 March, 2009
Heritage Says Lake Albert Blocks Hold 2 Billion Barrels of Oil.
Bloomberg News
13 March 2009
By Eric Ombok
Heritage Oil Ltd., the U.K.-based oil producer with projects in Uganda, estimates that the two blocks its controls around Lake Albert contain at least 2 billion barrels of oil, said Brian Smith, vice president for exploration and production.
“Each of those blocks has a potential of over a billion barrels,” Smith said in an interview today at a conference in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.
The Jersey-based company has drilled three wells and confirmed the existence of 600 million barrels of oil, Smith said. Further drilling is planned.
“We will be back drilling in Block 1 later this year,” he said. “We could be drilling offshore in Lake Albert in 2010.”
Heritage plans to build a crude pipeline with Tullow Oil Plc to ship oil from Lake Albert, which straddles Uganda’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Mombassa. The Buffalo-Giraffe deposit in Block 1 is the largest onshore oil field found in sub-Saharan Africa for more than 20 years, according to the company.
13 March 2009
By Eric Ombok
Heritage Oil Ltd., the U.K.-based oil producer with projects in Uganda, estimates that the two blocks its controls around Lake Albert contain at least 2 billion barrels of oil, said Brian Smith, vice president for exploration and production.
“Each of those blocks has a potential of over a billion barrels,” Smith said in an interview today at a conference in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.
The Jersey-based company has drilled three wells and confirmed the existence of 600 million barrels of oil, Smith said. Further drilling is planned.
“We will be back drilling in Block 1 later this year,” he said. “We could be drilling offshore in Lake Albert in 2010.”
Heritage plans to build a crude pipeline with Tullow Oil Plc to ship oil from Lake Albert, which straddles Uganda’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Mombassa. The Buffalo-Giraffe deposit in Block 1 is the largest onshore oil field found in sub-Saharan Africa for more than 20 years, according to the company.
Ugandan leader and his southern Sudan counterpart hold bilateral talks.
African Press Agency
13 March 2009
The Ugandan and Southern Sudan leaders Yoweri Museveni and Salva Kiir respectively on Thursday discussed strategies of improving trade between the two countries and East Africa region as whole.
The two leaders held the meeting at State House Kampala, a press release issued on Friday disclosed.
“We have been talking about trade between Uganda and Southern Sudan and East Africa which is very good and ways of intensifying that trade,” said Museveni.
President Salva Kiir was accompanied by the Minister of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) Affairs, Lieutenant General Nhial Deng Nhial and the Under-Secretary of Regional Co-operation Dr. Cirino Hiteng.
The release said the talks centered also on operations against Lord’s Resistance Army rebel leader General Joseph Kony.
Museveni thanked President Salva Kiir for his earlier support during the peace talks.
President Salva Kiir on his part added that they also reviewed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
According to the release, the talks concentrated on trade as well as problems facing business people and the need to address those challenges on both sides.
About the their stand on indictment of the Sudanese leader General Bashir, President Museveni said that the African Union should study the situation more then take a position.
He hastened to add that the other option would be the deferment tied to the performance of the Agreements in the Sudan.
13 March 2009
The Ugandan and Southern Sudan leaders Yoweri Museveni and Salva Kiir respectively on Thursday discussed strategies of improving trade between the two countries and East Africa region as whole.
The two leaders held the meeting at State House Kampala, a press release issued on Friday disclosed.
“We have been talking about trade between Uganda and Southern Sudan and East Africa which is very good and ways of intensifying that trade,” said Museveni.
President Salva Kiir was accompanied by the Minister of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) Affairs, Lieutenant General Nhial Deng Nhial and the Under-Secretary of Regional Co-operation Dr. Cirino Hiteng.
The release said the talks centered also on operations against Lord’s Resistance Army rebel leader General Joseph Kony.
Museveni thanked President Salva Kiir for his earlier support during the peace talks.
President Salva Kiir on his part added that they also reviewed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
According to the release, the talks concentrated on trade as well as problems facing business people and the need to address those challenges on both sides.
About the their stand on indictment of the Sudanese leader General Bashir, President Museveni said that the African Union should study the situation more then take a position.
He hastened to add that the other option would be the deferment tied to the performance of the Agreements in the Sudan.
Madagascar’s armed forces gear up for war.
Afrol News
13 March 2009
Madagascar’s security forces are taking strategic positions in the country’s capital as walls of mistrust widen between the government of President Marc Ravalomanana and the army.
Mutinying army units, which seem to have gained majority backing of all the country’s security and armed forces, claimed today to have moved in tanks into strategic position in the city to ambush any moves by the president to call in ‘mercenaries’ into the city to protect him.
An army spokesperson told the media that the tanks had been deployed in secret places and would not be visible in the streets.
The stand-off in Madagascar, initially dismissed as a loud bubbling by the young opposition leader, Andry Rajoelina, has picked up momentum with most sectors of the country now openly in support of the anti-government calls.
President Ravalomanana has been accused by the opposition as a dictator and pushing selfish political agenda while the majority of the population struggles in abject poverty.
International and local efforts to set up peace talks have been frustrated by the pulling out of the opposition, claiming non-commitment from the government, and now the army and other security forces openly rejecting government orders to deal with the anti-government protests.
President Ravalomanana, who yesterday voiced a desperate appeal to the armed forces to stay neutral in the political turn-tables, is said to have now called on his supporters for protection if the army makes advances to his residence.
Some more than 100 people have been killed since the beginning of the year when anti-government protests resumed in the Indian Ocean Island. The political stand-off was sparked by the last year December action by government to clamp down on the private radio and Television station, owned by the sacked Mayor of Antananarivo and opposition leader, Mr Rajoelina.
The international community has warned against any coup moves in Madagascar, but all efforts to broker a peace settlement seem to have evaded as political observers now see a situation that could lead to a civil war.
13 March 2009
Madagascar’s security forces are taking strategic positions in the country’s capital as walls of mistrust widen between the government of President Marc Ravalomanana and the army.
Mutinying army units, which seem to have gained majority backing of all the country’s security and armed forces, claimed today to have moved in tanks into strategic position in the city to ambush any moves by the president to call in ‘mercenaries’ into the city to protect him.
An army spokesperson told the media that the tanks had been deployed in secret places and would not be visible in the streets.
The stand-off in Madagascar, initially dismissed as a loud bubbling by the young opposition leader, Andry Rajoelina, has picked up momentum with most sectors of the country now openly in support of the anti-government calls.
President Ravalomanana has been accused by the opposition as a dictator and pushing selfish political agenda while the majority of the population struggles in abject poverty.
International and local efforts to set up peace talks have been frustrated by the pulling out of the opposition, claiming non-commitment from the government, and now the army and other security forces openly rejecting government orders to deal with the anti-government protests.
President Ravalomanana, who yesterday voiced a desperate appeal to the armed forces to stay neutral in the political turn-tables, is said to have now called on his supporters for protection if the army makes advances to his residence.
Some more than 100 people have been killed since the beginning of the year when anti-government protests resumed in the Indian Ocean Island. The political stand-off was sparked by the last year December action by government to clamp down on the private radio and Television station, owned by the sacked Mayor of Antananarivo and opposition leader, Mr Rajoelina.
The international community has warned against any coup moves in Madagascar, but all efforts to broker a peace settlement seem to have evaded as political observers now see a situation that could lead to a civil war.
12 March, 2009
TOUAREG REBELS ANNOUNCE NEW DISSIDENT FRONT.
MISNA
11 March 2009
A dissident group within the Touareg separatists of the Nigerines for Justice Movement (MNJ) has announced the birth of the patriotic Nigerine Front (FPN). “After months of talks and splits within the movement core, we have decided to distance ourselves from the bad management of the current leaders – said Aklou Sidisidi, presiden= of the FPN – to end the armed struggle in favor of the way of dialogue as often noted by president Mamadou Tandja”. Meanwhile, sources from the MNJ said that representatives from the government in Niamey and separatist elements have resumed contact to start direct talks under Libyan intervention. Born in 2007, the MNJ claims to be fighting to secure a more equitable share of the profits deriving from the exploitation of uranium (third largest uranium producer in the world) while the related revenue has not contributed to developing the northern areas, which are said to have been left isolated and subjected to pollution and environmental damage.
11 March 2009
A dissident group within the Touareg separatists of the Nigerines for Justice Movement (MNJ) has announced the birth of the patriotic Nigerine Front (FPN). “After months of talks and splits within the movement core, we have decided to distance ourselves from the bad management of the current leaders – said Aklou Sidisidi, presiden= of the FPN – to end the armed struggle in favor of the way of dialogue as often noted by president Mamadou Tandja”. Meanwhile, sources from the MNJ said that representatives from the government in Niamey and separatist elements have resumed contact to start direct talks under Libyan intervention. Born in 2007, the MNJ claims to be fighting to secure a more equitable share of the profits deriving from the exploitation of uranium (third largest uranium producer in the world) while the related revenue has not contributed to developing the northern areas, which are said to have been left isolated and subjected to pollution and environmental damage.
Gazprom to establish bank in Serbia.
Focus Information Agency
10 March 2009
Russia's Gazprom plans to set up its own bank in Serbia, under the name of Gazbrombanka, since the company intends to make investments of over EUR 700 mmillion in the country’s energy sector, The Novinar Daily reports, citing SEEbiz . One of the company’s projects is the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline. The Russian gas monopoly also plans to invest in new gas depots. According to representatives of Serbian business, the establishment of the Russian bank will improve the financial stability of the country. One Russian financial institution exists in Serbia already.
10 March 2009
Russia's Gazprom plans to set up its own bank in Serbia, under the name of Gazbrombanka, since the company intends to make investments of over EUR 700 mmillion in the country’s energy sector, The Novinar Daily reports, citing SEEbiz . One of the company’s projects is the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline. The Russian gas monopoly also plans to invest in new gas depots. According to representatives of Serbian business, the establishment of the Russian bank will improve the financial stability of the country. One Russian financial institution exists in Serbia already.
11 March, 2009
Sweden May Extradite Rwandan.
AFP
10 March 2009
Sweden's prosecutor-general urged that a man suspected of taking part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide be extradited from the country, according to a legal document sent to AFP on Tuesday.
Annette von Sydow wrote in the brief that the Supreme Court should rule in favour of extraditing Sylvere Ahorugeze, a 52-year-old Rwandan national.
"There is nothing in the (Swedish) extradition law or the European Convention blocking this extradition," von Sydow wrote, adding that there was "probable cause" for the suspicions against Ahorugeze.
Ahorugeze, who has been a refugee in Denmark since 2001, was arrested last July after he was recognised at the Rwandan embassy in neighbouring Sweden. Kigali demanded his extradition a month later.
Human rights groups such as Amnesty International have called on countries not to extradite suspects to Rwanda because they claim the accused will not receive a fair trial. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has also declined to send several suspects back to the country on the same grounds.
"The (Rwandan) justice system today is not so flawed that we cannot expect the person in question to receive a so-called fair trial," von Sydow claimed to Swedish public radio on Tuesday.
The head of Amnesty International's Swedish branch, Lise Bergh, disagrees.
"We see nothing new in the situation in Rwanda that would justify the prosecutor general's decision," she told AFP.
10 March 2009
Sweden's prosecutor-general urged that a man suspected of taking part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide be extradited from the country, according to a legal document sent to AFP on Tuesday.
Annette von Sydow wrote in the brief that the Supreme Court should rule in favour of extraditing Sylvere Ahorugeze, a 52-year-old Rwandan national.
"There is nothing in the (Swedish) extradition law or the European Convention blocking this extradition," von Sydow wrote, adding that there was "probable cause" for the suspicions against Ahorugeze.
Ahorugeze, who has been a refugee in Denmark since 2001, was arrested last July after he was recognised at the Rwandan embassy in neighbouring Sweden. Kigali demanded his extradition a month later.
Human rights groups such as Amnesty International have called on countries not to extradite suspects to Rwanda because they claim the accused will not receive a fair trial. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) has also declined to send several suspects back to the country on the same grounds.
"The (Rwandan) justice system today is not so flawed that we cannot expect the person in question to receive a so-called fair trial," von Sydow claimed to Swedish public radio on Tuesday.
The head of Amnesty International's Swedish branch, Lise Bergh, disagrees.
"We see nothing new in the situation in Rwanda that would justify the prosecutor general's decision," she told AFP.
10 March, 2009
Trans-Sahara Gas Project Will End Shortages in Europe -Yar'Adua.
This Day
10 March 2009
By Juliana Taiwo
President Umaru Yar'Adua said yesterday that Nigeria would be able to solve gas supply shortages experienced by the European Union by the time the trans-saharan gas pipline project being undertaken by Nigeria and Algeria, is completed.
Gas shortage was at the center of a recent dispute between European Union member states and its major supplier of gas, Russia.
Speaking while receiving President of Finland, Mrs Tarja Halonen, who was in Nigeria for bi-lateral talks between the two nations, Yar'Adua also sought investors from EU to help Nigeria tackle its power and energy challenges even as he maintained that that the establishment of the Niger Delta Ministry was occasioned by the need to confront development challenges of the region.
"In fact we are together with Algeria promoting a trans-Saharan gas pipe line project that will run from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria through the Sahara to Algeria across the Mediterranean to Europe. We are working together on the design and as soon as we conclude the design, we will market this project and this will provide great opportunity for Finland and indeed Europe to have access to gas apart from the gas from Russia . I think the opportunities in the energy sector are enormous".
"We are reforming the oil and gas sector, the gas sector in Nigeria is not yet developed, Nigeria is more of a gas nation than an oil nation. At least we have about 186 trillion cubic feet of reserves in terms of gas and this presents great opportunity for investments," he said.
On power and energy, he noted that, "One of the greatest challenges Nigeria has today is in power and energy sector and this presents a great opportunity for Finland and indeed other investors from the European Union to take the opportunity that abound."
Asked on how the creation of Niger Delta Ministry will address the unjust distribution of wealth and how will it solve the crisis in that region, Yar'Adua explained, "when you talk of something being unjust it means it is not being done according to law. The distribution of wealth in Nigeria and the income is being done according to law which is contained in the Nigerian constitution. So the issue that the distribution is being done according to law does not make it unjust so I want to make you understand and remove this notion from your thinking about the distribution.
"Yes, there are problems of development, of all the regions of Nigeria , it is the most difficult region to develop because of the terrain so that is why this administration established the ministry to tackle the problems of the Niger Delta region. Just like we have the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory, because the federal capital of the nation has to be developed, so we establish a ministry for it at a time it was established as a federal capital.
"Now the last federal capital we had before it was moved was Lagos, when Lagos was capital there was a Federal Ministry of Lagos Affairs at the federal level, and that is why this administration established a ministry for the Niger Delta region so that more resources outside the normal distribution and budget can be pumped for the development of the region and the ministry and government can now focus on the development of the region.
"So this is the reason why we set up the ministry and I am sure this strategy is bound to work just like it has worked in developing the former federal capital and the current federal capital. Now, it will take sometimes, Niger Delta is the most difficult region to develop in terms of infrastructure but with the establishment of the ministry I have no doubt in my mind that it will work", he said.
President Halonen, who was accompanied by her husband, Dr. Pentti Arajärvi, said her delegation and that of Nigeria had discussed issues bothering on bilateral relations between Nigeria and Finland describing it as a very good one.
"But we want to develop them further. Finland will receive the Vice President of Nigeria in spring and we have also discussed not just the possibility of business relations but also international security in crisis management and all this is what we have expertise in. The subject that is of interest to both of us is that of environmental issues, we want to know what exists in both countries and how we could use the know how to meet the needs in order to solve them," he said.
10 March 2009
By Juliana Taiwo
President Umaru Yar'Adua said yesterday that Nigeria would be able to solve gas supply shortages experienced by the European Union by the time the trans-saharan gas pipline project being undertaken by Nigeria and Algeria, is completed.
Gas shortage was at the center of a recent dispute between European Union member states and its major supplier of gas, Russia.
Speaking while receiving President of Finland, Mrs Tarja Halonen, who was in Nigeria for bi-lateral talks between the two nations, Yar'Adua also sought investors from EU to help Nigeria tackle its power and energy challenges even as he maintained that that the establishment of the Niger Delta Ministry was occasioned by the need to confront development challenges of the region.
"In fact we are together with Algeria promoting a trans-Saharan gas pipe line project that will run from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria through the Sahara to Algeria across the Mediterranean to Europe. We are working together on the design and as soon as we conclude the design, we will market this project and this will provide great opportunity for Finland and indeed Europe to have access to gas apart from the gas from Russia . I think the opportunities in the energy sector are enormous".
"We are reforming the oil and gas sector, the gas sector in Nigeria is not yet developed, Nigeria is more of a gas nation than an oil nation. At least we have about 186 trillion cubic feet of reserves in terms of gas and this presents great opportunity for investments," he said.
On power and energy, he noted that, "One of the greatest challenges Nigeria has today is in power and energy sector and this presents a great opportunity for Finland and indeed other investors from the European Union to take the opportunity that abound."
Asked on how the creation of Niger Delta Ministry will address the unjust distribution of wealth and how will it solve the crisis in that region, Yar'Adua explained, "when you talk of something being unjust it means it is not being done according to law. The distribution of wealth in Nigeria and the income is being done according to law which is contained in the Nigerian constitution. So the issue that the distribution is being done according to law does not make it unjust so I want to make you understand and remove this notion from your thinking about the distribution.
"Yes, there are problems of development, of all the regions of Nigeria , it is the most difficult region to develop because of the terrain so that is why this administration established the ministry to tackle the problems of the Niger Delta region. Just like we have the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory, because the federal capital of the nation has to be developed, so we establish a ministry for it at a time it was established as a federal capital.
"Now the last federal capital we had before it was moved was Lagos, when Lagos was capital there was a Federal Ministry of Lagos Affairs at the federal level, and that is why this administration established a ministry for the Niger Delta region so that more resources outside the normal distribution and budget can be pumped for the development of the region and the ministry and government can now focus on the development of the region.
"So this is the reason why we set up the ministry and I am sure this strategy is bound to work just like it has worked in developing the former federal capital and the current federal capital. Now, it will take sometimes, Niger Delta is the most difficult region to develop in terms of infrastructure but with the establishment of the ministry I have no doubt in my mind that it will work", he said.
President Halonen, who was accompanied by her husband, Dr. Pentti Arajärvi, said her delegation and that of Nigeria had discussed issues bothering on bilateral relations between Nigeria and Finland describing it as a very good one.
"But we want to develop them further. Finland will receive the Vice President of Nigeria in spring and we have also discussed not just the possibility of business relations but also international security in crisis management and all this is what we have expertise in. The subject that is of interest to both of us is that of environmental issues, we want to know what exists in both countries and how we could use the know how to meet the needs in order to solve them," he said.
09 March, 2009
Uranium prospecting resumes in Gabon.
African Press Agency
9 March 2009
The French firm, Géotech, began on Monday its uranium prospecting flights in the Gabonese Haut-Ogooué province, 650km south-east of Libreville, the capital.
Mandated by AREVA, Géotech must perform its prospecting work for two months over an 1800 km area, a source said.
Helicopters are carrying out the operation by collecting geophysical information to identify uranium ore in the vicinity of Franceville, Moanda and Mounana, in Haut-Ogooué.
The Uranium Company of Franceville (COMUF), a former subsidiary of the AREVA group, exploited the Mounana uranium for more than three decades before ending its operations in 1998 due to ore exhaustion.
Despite stopping the exploitation of the uranium ore, AREVA never left the Mounana site where the COMUF old mines were located.
According to sources, AREVA remained there in order to restore an environment degraded by more than three decades of uranium exploitation, a dense radioactive mineral.
Former French and Gabonese COMUF employees have filed a complaint in France against the AREVA group in response to their deteriorating health.
At the height of the uranium exploitation, COMUF employed over 1000 staff, mostly from Gabon. The closure of this company caused a massive exodus of workers to other cities.
According to the AREVA unit in Mounana, research done years ago show that about 26,000 tons of uranium are usable in the area.
During his last visit to Mounana in January, AREVA executive board chairwoman Anne Lauvergeon said they need at least 30,000 tons to begin operations.
9 March 2009
The French firm, Géotech, began on Monday its uranium prospecting flights in the Gabonese Haut-Ogooué province, 650km south-east of Libreville, the capital.
Mandated by AREVA, Géotech must perform its prospecting work for two months over an 1800 km area, a source said.
Helicopters are carrying out the operation by collecting geophysical information to identify uranium ore in the vicinity of Franceville, Moanda and Mounana, in Haut-Ogooué.
The Uranium Company of Franceville (COMUF), a former subsidiary of the AREVA group, exploited the Mounana uranium for more than three decades before ending its operations in 1998 due to ore exhaustion.
Despite stopping the exploitation of the uranium ore, AREVA never left the Mounana site where the COMUF old mines were located.
According to sources, AREVA remained there in order to restore an environment degraded by more than three decades of uranium exploitation, a dense radioactive mineral.
Former French and Gabonese COMUF employees have filed a complaint in France against the AREVA group in response to their deteriorating health.
At the height of the uranium exploitation, COMUF employed over 1000 staff, mostly from Gabon. The closure of this company caused a massive exodus of workers to other cities.
According to the AREVA unit in Mounana, research done years ago show that about 26,000 tons of uranium are usable in the area.
During his last visit to Mounana in January, AREVA executive board chairwoman Anne Lauvergeon said they need at least 30,000 tons to begin operations.
Gambia NADD leader arrested.
AFP
9 March 2009
Halifa Sallah, leader of Gambia's main opposition National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) party, was arrested on Monday, sources in the police and his party said.
"Halifa was picked up from his house and currently detained at Yundum police station," around 35km from the capital Banjul, one police source told AFP.
Sam Sarr, one of Sallah's closest aides, said that the opposition leader had been picked up on his return from a visit out of the capital.
"He had been visiting people who have over the past few days complained to him about fundamental violations of rights and freedom taking place in their area," said Sarr.
Gambia, the smallest country on the African mainland, has been ruled by President Yahya Jammeh since he grabbed power in a bloodless coup in 1994.
Sallah, 56, who has been arrested on a number of occasions in the past, stood against Jammeh in the last presidential elections in 2006 which were won comfortably by the incumbent.
Members of his party said the latest arrest was "politically motivated" and demanded his immediate release.
Amnesty International published a report last November that said Jammeh's opponents are subjected to daily rights violations including torture and unlawful arrests. It also detailed a crackdown by authorities on the media.
Jammeh, a former wrestler, has brushed off criticism, saying in an Independence Day address last month that Gambia "has earned the respect and admiration of the world".
9 March 2009
Halifa Sallah, leader of Gambia's main opposition National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) party, was arrested on Monday, sources in the police and his party said.
"Halifa was picked up from his house and currently detained at Yundum police station," around 35km from the capital Banjul, one police source told AFP.
Sam Sarr, one of Sallah's closest aides, said that the opposition leader had been picked up on his return from a visit out of the capital.
"He had been visiting people who have over the past few days complained to him about fundamental violations of rights and freedom taking place in their area," said Sarr.
Gambia, the smallest country on the African mainland, has been ruled by President Yahya Jammeh since he grabbed power in a bloodless coup in 1994.
Sallah, 56, who has been arrested on a number of occasions in the past, stood against Jammeh in the last presidential elections in 2006 which were won comfortably by the incumbent.
Members of his party said the latest arrest was "politically motivated" and demanded his immediate release.
Amnesty International published a report last November that said Jammeh's opponents are subjected to daily rights violations including torture and unlawful arrests. It also detailed a crackdown by authorities on the media.
Jammeh, a former wrestler, has brushed off criticism, saying in an Independence Day address last month that Gambia "has earned the respect and admiration of the world".
Recovery Continues in Ugandan Plane Crash.
SAPA
9 March 2009
Recovery operations were still going on into the afternoon on Monday after a Russian-built plane crashed into Lake Victoria earlier in the day, with up to 11 persons feared dead, officials said.
"As we talk now, the rescue team has not fished out the bodies and the plane wreckage," Information Minister Kabakumba Matsiko said. "The mission is still going on."
The government said that among those feared dead int eh crash of the Ilyushin plane were the four Russian crew members, along with three Burundian army officers, a South African UN staff member, and an Indian and Ugandan national.
The cargo plane had taken off from Entebbe airport but then burst into flames and crashed into a fishing boat on the lake, 9km to the south, and sank. The fishermen survived the accident.
"The team is still investigating and looking out for options and theories until the truth is got. The names of the dead will not be released until their families are informed," Matsiko said.
9 March 2009
Recovery operations were still going on into the afternoon on Monday after a Russian-built plane crashed into Lake Victoria earlier in the day, with up to 11 persons feared dead, officials said.
"As we talk now, the rescue team has not fished out the bodies and the plane wreckage," Information Minister Kabakumba Matsiko said. "The mission is still going on."
The government said that among those feared dead int eh crash of the Ilyushin plane were the four Russian crew members, along with three Burundian army officers, a South African UN staff member, and an Indian and Ugandan national.
The cargo plane had taken off from Entebbe airport but then burst into flames and crashed into a fishing boat on the lake, 9km to the south, and sank. The fishermen survived the accident.
"The team is still investigating and looking out for options and theories until the truth is got. The names of the dead will not be released until their families are informed," Matsiko said.
Madagascan forces deny mutiny.
AFP
9 March 2009
Soldiers at a key army base in Madagascar who said they were defying orders to put down opposition protests denied on Monday that they had staged a mutiny.
"This is not a mutiny," their spokesperson Colonel Noel Rakotonandrasana told reporters a day after troops declared they would no longer cooperate with government repression of a three-month-old opposition movement.
Security forces had foiled several opposition rallies in Antananarivo and other towns since on Wednesday, leading to clashes that left at least four people dead.
"We cannot accept the repression of the civilian population," said the colonel.
He appealed to other members of the security forces to join his men's protest, adding that a number of army officers had already pledged their support.
It was unclear on Monday how many troops were involved in the campaign, but the base at which it has taken root, located around 6km from the centre of the capital, is one of the army's most important.
President Marc Ravalomanana, who has formally banned anti-government demonstrations that have roiled the Indian Ocean island since January, described the soldiers' protests as mutiny in a statement released by his office.
Around 50 troops left the camp early on Monday to arrest looters who were trashing a supermarket in the Tanjombato district of the capital, an AFP journalist said.
"We do not want to intervene against demonstrators, but we will act against looters," said one of the soldiers on condition of anonymity.
Around 5 000 anti-government demonstrators marched peacefully in the centre of the capital Antananarivo on Monday.
Opposition leader and former Antananarivo mayor Andry Rajoelina, who went into hiding after an attempt to arrest him at the weekend, did not attend the protest.
More than 100 people have been killed in clashes since Rajoelina began a campaign to unseat Ravalomanana three months ago, accusing him of running a dictatorship while his people starve.
9 March 2009
Soldiers at a key army base in Madagascar who said they were defying orders to put down opposition protests denied on Monday that they had staged a mutiny.
"This is not a mutiny," their spokesperson Colonel Noel Rakotonandrasana told reporters a day after troops declared they would no longer cooperate with government repression of a three-month-old opposition movement.
Security forces had foiled several opposition rallies in Antananarivo and other towns since on Wednesday, leading to clashes that left at least four people dead.
"We cannot accept the repression of the civilian population," said the colonel.
He appealed to other members of the security forces to join his men's protest, adding that a number of army officers had already pledged their support.
It was unclear on Monday how many troops were involved in the campaign, but the base at which it has taken root, located around 6km from the centre of the capital, is one of the army's most important.
President Marc Ravalomanana, who has formally banned anti-government demonstrations that have roiled the Indian Ocean island since January, described the soldiers' protests as mutiny in a statement released by his office.
Around 50 troops left the camp early on Monday to arrest looters who were trashing a supermarket in the Tanjombato district of the capital, an AFP journalist said.
"We do not want to intervene against demonstrators, but we will act against looters," said one of the soldiers on condition of anonymity.
Around 5 000 anti-government demonstrators marched peacefully in the centre of the capital Antananarivo on Monday.
Opposition leader and former Antananarivo mayor Andry Rajoelina, who went into hiding after an attempt to arrest him at the weekend, did not attend the protest.
More than 100 people have been killed in clashes since Rajoelina began a campaign to unseat Ravalomanana three months ago, accusing him of running a dictatorship while his people starve.
UN 'protecting' Madagascar rival.
BBC News
9 March 2009
United Nations staff in Madagascar say they are giving protection to opposition leader Andry Rajoelina.
Mr Rajoelina, a 34-year-old former DJ, said on Saturday he was in hiding after police tried to arrest him.
He has been involved in a fierce power struggle with President Marc Ravalomanana for several weeks.
Security forces are reported to have opened fire following widespread outbreaks of looting in southern parts of the capital Antananarivo.
The BBC's Christina Corbett in the city says this is the first time people have looted in broad daylight since the political crisis, which has left more than 100 people dead, began earlier this year.
"In line with efforts to resolve the Madagascan crisis, and preserve peace and stability, the United Nations decided to place Mr Rajoelina under its protection in a diplomatic residence," said UN envoy to Madagascar, Tiebile Drame.
The UN official also said President Ravalomanana had pledged to guarantee the security of Mr Rajoelina, saying he could move freely without being arrested.
Security forces last week tried to arrest Mr Rajoelina after he walked out on direct talks with Mr Ravalomanana, accusing his rival of dismissing opposition grievances and pledging to revert to mass street action.
On Sunday, a group of military officers announced they would now only follow orders from Mr Rajoelina.
The opposition leader, who was sacked as the capital's mayor last month, has accused the president of being a dictator and declared himself president, announcing his own administration.
President Ravalomanana denies abusing power and says he will remain in power until the end of his mandate in 2011.
9 March 2009
United Nations staff in Madagascar say they are giving protection to opposition leader Andry Rajoelina.
Mr Rajoelina, a 34-year-old former DJ, said on Saturday he was in hiding after police tried to arrest him.
He has been involved in a fierce power struggle with President Marc Ravalomanana for several weeks.
Security forces are reported to have opened fire following widespread outbreaks of looting in southern parts of the capital Antananarivo.
The BBC's Christina Corbett in the city says this is the first time people have looted in broad daylight since the political crisis, which has left more than 100 people dead, began earlier this year.
"In line with efforts to resolve the Madagascan crisis, and preserve peace and stability, the United Nations decided to place Mr Rajoelina under its protection in a diplomatic residence," said UN envoy to Madagascar, Tiebile Drame.
The UN official also said President Ravalomanana had pledged to guarantee the security of Mr Rajoelina, saying he could move freely without being arrested.
Security forces last week tried to arrest Mr Rajoelina after he walked out on direct talks with Mr Ravalomanana, accusing his rival of dismissing opposition grievances and pledging to revert to mass street action.
On Sunday, a group of military officers announced they would now only follow orders from Mr Rajoelina.
The opposition leader, who was sacked as the capital's mayor last month, has accused the president of being a dictator and declared himself president, announcing his own administration.
President Ravalomanana denies abusing power and says he will remain in power until the end of his mandate in 2011.
H.E Mwai Kibaki to open the 4th east African petroleum conference in Mombasa.
African Press Organization - EAC Secretariat
9 March 2009
H.E. the President of the Republic of Kenya, Hon. Mwai Kibaki is to open the 4th East African Petroleum Conference (EAPC’09) scheduled on Wednesday 11 March 2009 at the Sarova White Sands Beach Resort & Spa in Mombasa, Kenya. The conference, whose theme is enhancing exploration and exploitation of oil and gas for social economic development, is being organized by the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with Kenya’s Ministries of EAC and Energy. The Prime Minister of Kenya, Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga is expected to close the Conference on 13 March 2009.
The conference has attracted over 600 delegates and officials responsible for petroleum and investment promotions and other players in the industry from the region and the countries neighboring EAC, namely Ethiopia, Sudan, DRC, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Somalia.
The 4th East African Petroleum Conference will be characterized by Country Presentations, mainly highlighting respective exploration activities with special focus on petroleum potential, discoveries, utilization, legal and fiscal regimes and current licensing status. Presentations will also be made on new exploration opportunities, evolving technologies and achievements in the search for new hydrocarbon reserves to supplement the existing and deleting fields. An exhibition and poster sessions will run concurrently with the conference and the EAC Secretariat, Partner States and a number of oil and service companies are to exhibit and showcase the region’s potential and other available investment opportunities. Pre-Conference excursions are to take place in Kenya and Rwanda while Post-Conference excursions are planned for Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
The 4th East African Petroleum Conference is taking place at a time when current global financial meltdown and marked reduction in oil prices have grossly impacted on the exploration financing base of many oil companies worldwide.
Background
The East African Petroleum Conference (EAPC’09) in Mombasa, Kenya is the fourth in a series of petroleum conferences held every two years in the East African Community (EAC) Partner States on rotational basis. The main aim of the conferences is to promote East Africa as a viable investment destination for petroleum exploration and development. The conferences are organized by the EAC Secretariat, with the venue Partner State as co-host.
The first of the conferences was held in Nairobi in 2003, the second in Kampala in 2005 and the third in Arusha, Tanzania in 2007. The Arusha Conference was opened by His Excellency Jakaya Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania.
High quality technical presentations, exhibitions and poster sessions covering a wide spectrum of issues of interest for the petroleum upstream sub-sector, which contribute to exchange of information and enhance dialogue among different stakeholders are the hallmarks of the Petroleum Conferences.
Status of Petroleum Exploration and Development in East Africa
Uganda has discovered oil and gas in the Albertine Graben and has an intention of constructing a top-up oil refinery to exploit some of the oil for local use. In Tanzania, natural gas has been found at Songo Songo and Mnazi Bay. Tanzania is already tapping the gas resources for generation of electricity and as fuel used in industry. Rwanda has methane gas that is generated annually in Lake Kivu. A pilot plant for tapping the methane gas has been constructed, with an aim of scaling up to a fully fledged power plant. In Burundi petroleum exploration is on-going in the Rusizi and Tanganyika Basins. Currently there are several International Oil Companies carrying out petroleum exploration in Kenya. Although 31 exploration wells have been drilled in the country, no commercial discoveries have yet been made.
Owora Richard Othieno
Ag. Principal Information and Public Relations Officer/Head,
Department of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
East African Community Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
9 March 2009
H.E. the President of the Republic of Kenya, Hon. Mwai Kibaki is to open the 4th East African Petroleum Conference (EAPC’09) scheduled on Wednesday 11 March 2009 at the Sarova White Sands Beach Resort & Spa in Mombasa, Kenya. The conference, whose theme is enhancing exploration and exploitation of oil and gas for social economic development, is being organized by the EAC Secretariat in collaboration with Kenya’s Ministries of EAC and Energy. The Prime Minister of Kenya, Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga is expected to close the Conference on 13 March 2009.
The conference has attracted over 600 delegates and officials responsible for petroleum and investment promotions and other players in the industry from the region and the countries neighboring EAC, namely Ethiopia, Sudan, DRC, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Somalia.
The 4th East African Petroleum Conference will be characterized by Country Presentations, mainly highlighting respective exploration activities with special focus on petroleum potential, discoveries, utilization, legal and fiscal regimes and current licensing status. Presentations will also be made on new exploration opportunities, evolving technologies and achievements in the search for new hydrocarbon reserves to supplement the existing and deleting fields. An exhibition and poster sessions will run concurrently with the conference and the EAC Secretariat, Partner States and a number of oil and service companies are to exhibit and showcase the region’s potential and other available investment opportunities. Pre-Conference excursions are to take place in Kenya and Rwanda while Post-Conference excursions are planned for Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
The 4th East African Petroleum Conference is taking place at a time when current global financial meltdown and marked reduction in oil prices have grossly impacted on the exploration financing base of many oil companies worldwide.
Background
The East African Petroleum Conference (EAPC’09) in Mombasa, Kenya is the fourth in a series of petroleum conferences held every two years in the East African Community (EAC) Partner States on rotational basis. The main aim of the conferences is to promote East Africa as a viable investment destination for petroleum exploration and development. The conferences are organized by the EAC Secretariat, with the venue Partner State as co-host.
The first of the conferences was held in Nairobi in 2003, the second in Kampala in 2005 and the third in Arusha, Tanzania in 2007. The Arusha Conference was opened by His Excellency Jakaya Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania.
High quality technical presentations, exhibitions and poster sessions covering a wide spectrum of issues of interest for the petroleum upstream sub-sector, which contribute to exchange of information and enhance dialogue among different stakeholders are the hallmarks of the Petroleum Conferences.
Status of Petroleum Exploration and Development in East Africa
Uganda has discovered oil and gas in the Albertine Graben and has an intention of constructing a top-up oil refinery to exploit some of the oil for local use. In Tanzania, natural gas has been found at Songo Songo and Mnazi Bay. Tanzania is already tapping the gas resources for generation of electricity and as fuel used in industry. Rwanda has methane gas that is generated annually in Lake Kivu. A pilot plant for tapping the methane gas has been constructed, with an aim of scaling up to a fully fledged power plant. In Burundi petroleum exploration is on-going in the Rusizi and Tanganyika Basins. Currently there are several International Oil Companies carrying out petroleum exploration in Kenya. Although 31 exploration wells have been drilled in the country, no commercial discoveries have yet been made.
Owora Richard Othieno
Ag. Principal Information and Public Relations Officer/Head,
Department of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
East African Community Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
BMWU Accuses Debswana of Intimidation.
Mmegi
9 March 2009
By Ryder Gabathuse
Botswana Mining Workers Union (BMWU) has accused the mining giant Debswana Diamond Company of coercing workers to opt for unattractive early retirement packages.
"We have been informed that your management team at Orapa mine is using what can best be described as unscrupulous methods to force skeletal and essential service employees to take the so-called voluntary separation schemes," reads a hard-hitting letter authored by BMWU general secretary, Jack Tlhagale yesterday.
He alleges that specifically workers who are also BMWU members have been forced to take early retirement and special leave which pays 30 percent of one's basic salary.
Tlhagale accused the Orapa/Letlhakane mines general manager Matome Malema, who is also the chairman of the Joint Negotiation and Consultative (JNCC) Forum, of being at the centre of it all.
"It's alleged that Malema is part of the team conducting door-to-door campaigns, whose only purpose is to coerce employees to accept schemes which pay peanuts," thundered Tlhagale.
The trade unionist said it was strange that Debswana management should "go around the township with a mounted public address systems and send short messages (SMS) - through the Mascom network - and hold mass meetings threatening employees that they will lose benefits if they do not take schemes before deadline."
He said the fact that the management asked employees to complete forms as they left the meeting place amounts to intimidation and use of force.
"This is arm twisting. I hope you see that your schemes are no longer voluntary but compulsory when viewed by the methods you have elected to use," Tlhagale said In so far as the workers are concerned, Tlhagale is convinced the February 20 joint BMWU/management meeting gave workers sufficient information to make proper choices.
He does not see reason why the management should chose to trouble the workers behind the union's back when everybody else was away on the mine shutdown.
Tlhagale views the action of the mine management to be wrong and contrary to good corporate governance.
"They want to cause unnecessary confusion and fear on the part of the workers," he said and demanded, "the management should stop forcing employees to fire themselves."
The Debswana management was also urged "to desist and refrain from the use of any coercive tactics or method. Employees are in short not enticed by your schemes simply because the schemes pay very little."
Tlhagale has vowed to demand an explanation when the BMWU and Debswana management JNCC groups meet on March 11-12.
Defending the action of Debswana management in Orapa and Letlhakane mines yesterday, Debswana communications chief, Esther Kanaimba said: "As far as we are concerned, all the exit schemes the mine is offering are voluntary.
It's therefore, upon the workers to choose and I don't want to believe that if there was any information disseminated through the public address system in Orapa Township, it was meant to coerce people."
Kanaimba explained that it is Debswana's view to preserve jobs especially for the youthful employees.
She agreed that the SMS communication was done "calling workers, who are currently on leave following the mines shutdown, to attend meetings so that they can hear more on the exit schemes and ask questions where necessary."
The import of calling people to a meeting was basically to enable those interested to apply and not to force workers to make wrong decisions. "No one was forced to make any decision against his/her will.
The company will continue communicating with the workers so that those who are interested in the schemes can apply with full knowledge of what those schemes are offering and we are obliged to give them the right information all times," she said.
Debswana was recently was granted permission to suspend production at its Damtshaa Mine and Orapa Plant Number Two Plant for the remainder of 2009 by the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources.
It was also resolved to curtail production at both Jwaneng and Letlhakane mines as a result of the global economic recession.
About 345 mineworkers at Orapa Number Two Plant and Damtshaa Mine will be redeployed to other Debswana operations, whilst 235 will fall redundant and will have to take the voluntary exit scheme.
9 March 2009
By Ryder Gabathuse
Botswana Mining Workers Union (BMWU) has accused the mining giant Debswana Diamond Company of coercing workers to opt for unattractive early retirement packages.
"We have been informed that your management team at Orapa mine is using what can best be described as unscrupulous methods to force skeletal and essential service employees to take the so-called voluntary separation schemes," reads a hard-hitting letter authored by BMWU general secretary, Jack Tlhagale yesterday.
He alleges that specifically workers who are also BMWU members have been forced to take early retirement and special leave which pays 30 percent of one's basic salary.
Tlhagale accused the Orapa/Letlhakane mines general manager Matome Malema, who is also the chairman of the Joint Negotiation and Consultative (JNCC) Forum, of being at the centre of it all.
"It's alleged that Malema is part of the team conducting door-to-door campaigns, whose only purpose is to coerce employees to accept schemes which pay peanuts," thundered Tlhagale.
The trade unionist said it was strange that Debswana management should "go around the township with a mounted public address systems and send short messages (SMS) - through the Mascom network - and hold mass meetings threatening employees that they will lose benefits if they do not take schemes before deadline."
He said the fact that the management asked employees to complete forms as they left the meeting place amounts to intimidation and use of force.
"This is arm twisting. I hope you see that your schemes are no longer voluntary but compulsory when viewed by the methods you have elected to use," Tlhagale said In so far as the workers are concerned, Tlhagale is convinced the February 20 joint BMWU/management meeting gave workers sufficient information to make proper choices.
He does not see reason why the management should chose to trouble the workers behind the union's back when everybody else was away on the mine shutdown.
Tlhagale views the action of the mine management to be wrong and contrary to good corporate governance.
"They want to cause unnecessary confusion and fear on the part of the workers," he said and demanded, "the management should stop forcing employees to fire themselves."
The Debswana management was also urged "to desist and refrain from the use of any coercive tactics or method. Employees are in short not enticed by your schemes simply because the schemes pay very little."
Tlhagale has vowed to demand an explanation when the BMWU and Debswana management JNCC groups meet on March 11-12.
Defending the action of Debswana management in Orapa and Letlhakane mines yesterday, Debswana communications chief, Esther Kanaimba said: "As far as we are concerned, all the exit schemes the mine is offering are voluntary.
It's therefore, upon the workers to choose and I don't want to believe that if there was any information disseminated through the public address system in Orapa Township, it was meant to coerce people."
Kanaimba explained that it is Debswana's view to preserve jobs especially for the youthful employees.
She agreed that the SMS communication was done "calling workers, who are currently on leave following the mines shutdown, to attend meetings so that they can hear more on the exit schemes and ask questions where necessary."
The import of calling people to a meeting was basically to enable those interested to apply and not to force workers to make wrong decisions. "No one was forced to make any decision against his/her will.
The company will continue communicating with the workers so that those who are interested in the schemes can apply with full knowledge of what those schemes are offering and we are obliged to give them the right information all times," she said.
Debswana was recently was granted permission to suspend production at its Damtshaa Mine and Orapa Plant Number Two Plant for the remainder of 2009 by the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources.
It was also resolved to curtail production at both Jwaneng and Letlhakane mines as a result of the global economic recession.
About 345 mineworkers at Orapa Number Two Plant and Damtshaa Mine will be redeployed to other Debswana operations, whilst 235 will fall redundant and will have to take the voluntary exit scheme.
UIC Warns Kenya over alleged border crossings.
Reuters
8 May 2009
Islamist insurgents controlling southern Somalia have accused Kenyan troops of crossing into their territory and warned the east African nation to stop troop movements along their common border.
"Kenya has been making false allegations of facing danger from the border and that is a great danger to the region's security and stability," the Islamists said.
"We believe that they intend to destroy the Islamic administration implemented in Somalia," said al Shabaab, a hardline Islamist group opposed to a new moderate president.
The group has been angry at Kenya since it helped capture Islamists trying to flee Ethiopian and Somali government troops in early 2007.
Kenya closed the 1,200km border after the Ethiopians chased the Islamic Courts Union from Mogadishu early in 2007, but the flow of refugees increased.
Kenya's foreign minister said earlier the government was on high alert and was increasing security at the border. He said the border would remain closed until there was stability in the failed state.
Al Shabaab's statement came as newly-elected President Sheikh Shariff Ahmed was due to begin his first official visit to Kenya since his election in Djibouti last month.
Ahmed will also visit Uganda and Burundi, which contribute troops to a 3 500 strong African Union peace force in Mogadishu.
8 May 2009
Islamist insurgents controlling southern Somalia have accused Kenyan troops of crossing into their territory and warned the east African nation to stop troop movements along their common border.
"Kenya has been making false allegations of facing danger from the border and that is a great danger to the region's security and stability," the Islamists said.
"We believe that they intend to destroy the Islamic administration implemented in Somalia," said al Shabaab, a hardline Islamist group opposed to a new moderate president.
The group has been angry at Kenya since it helped capture Islamists trying to flee Ethiopian and Somali government troops in early 2007.
Kenya closed the 1,200km border after the Ethiopians chased the Islamic Courts Union from Mogadishu early in 2007, but the flow of refugees increased.
Kenya's foreign minister said earlier the government was on high alert and was increasing security at the border. He said the border would remain closed until there was stability in the failed state.
Al Shabaab's statement came as newly-elected President Sheikh Shariff Ahmed was due to begin his first official visit to Kenya since his election in Djibouti last month.
Ahmed will also visit Uganda and Burundi, which contribute troops to a 3 500 strong African Union peace force in Mogadishu.
08 March, 2009
Ex-Sudanese official calls for export-ban on Gum Arabic to ICC supporting countries.
Sudan Tribune
8 March 2009
Sudan should stop all exports of Gum Arabic to countries which supported the International Criminal Court (ICC) decision against president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, a former official said today.
Mr. Esam Sideeg, who was Bashir’s former economic adviser, told official news agency (SUNA) that the Sudanese government should immediately order a ban on Gum Arabic exports to these countries.
Sideeg also said that Sudan “must implement the US imposed sanctions” by not allowing the US to receive any Gum Arabic.
The US, which buys about one-fourth of Sudan’s annual production of the commodity, has exempted it from its comprehensive economic sanctions that it imposed since 1997 for national security reasons.
The ex-official accused the ICC prosecutor of seeking to stop the flow of Arabic Gum to world countries “after it was recently discovered that it is a cure to contemporary diseases”.
He further said that Ocampo is doing this on behalf of multi-national food and drug companies.
In May 2007, the former Sudanese charge d’Affaires to Washington John Ukec Lueth made similar threats on preventing the US from receiving Gum Arabic exports.
“I want you to know that the gum Arabic which runs all the soft drinks all over the world, including the United States, mainly 80 percent is imported from my country” Lueth said after raising a bottle of Coca-Cola.
Gum Arabic is a resin that is used as an emulsifier in soft drinks, a thickener in candies and jellies, a binder in special-purpose inks and drugs, even a foam stabilizer in beer. Its name derives from the fact that the gum was shipped to Europe from Arabic ports.
8 March 2009
Sudan should stop all exports of Gum Arabic to countries which supported the International Criminal Court (ICC) decision against president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, a former official said today.
Mr. Esam Sideeg, who was Bashir’s former economic adviser, told official news agency (SUNA) that the Sudanese government should immediately order a ban on Gum Arabic exports to these countries.
Sideeg also said that Sudan “must implement the US imposed sanctions” by not allowing the US to receive any Gum Arabic.
The US, which buys about one-fourth of Sudan’s annual production of the commodity, has exempted it from its comprehensive economic sanctions that it imposed since 1997 for national security reasons.
The ex-official accused the ICC prosecutor of seeking to stop the flow of Arabic Gum to world countries “after it was recently discovered that it is a cure to contemporary diseases”.
He further said that Ocampo is doing this on behalf of multi-national food and drug companies.
In May 2007, the former Sudanese charge d’Affaires to Washington John Ukec Lueth made similar threats on preventing the US from receiving Gum Arabic exports.
“I want you to know that the gum Arabic which runs all the soft drinks all over the world, including the United States, mainly 80 percent is imported from my country” Lueth said after raising a bottle of Coca-Cola.
Gum Arabic is a resin that is used as an emulsifier in soft drinks, a thickener in candies and jellies, a binder in special-purpose inks and drugs, even a foam stabilizer in beer. Its name derives from the fact that the gum was shipped to Europe from Arabic ports.
Mutiny at Madagascar camp.
SAPA
8 March 2009
Soldiers in a large military camp outside the Madagascan capital Antananarivo mutinied on Sunday, claiming they would no longer take orders from the government, an AFP correspondent said.
Access roads to the camp in Soanierana district, about 6km from the city centre, were blocked by the soldiers.
"We no longer take orders from our hierarchy, we are following our hearts.
"We were trained to protect property and citizens, not to fire at people.
"We are with the people," said one of them, on condition of anonymity.
8 March 2009
Soldiers in a large military camp outside the Madagascan capital Antananarivo mutinied on Sunday, claiming they would no longer take orders from the government, an AFP correspondent said.
Access roads to the camp in Soanierana district, about 6km from the city centre, were blocked by the soldiers.
"We no longer take orders from our hierarchy, we are following our hearts.
"We were trained to protect property and citizens, not to fire at people.
"We are with the people," said one of them, on condition of anonymity.
Chad minister survives shooting.
News 24
8 March 09
Police in Chad said on Saturday that a government minister had been wounded in a shooting in the capital Ndjamena.
Interior Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir was in a stable condition after being shot on Friday as he left a hotel where he had been dining, police and his entourage said.
A police source said Mahamat Bachir had been shot in the thigh.
The minister was immediately taken to a French military hospital, where the bullet was removed. The assailant, identified as a tax official, was arrested on Friday.
Spokesperson for Mahamat Bachir claims he did not know the attacker.
The minister is the closest ally of Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno.
8 March 09
Police in Chad said on Saturday that a government minister had been wounded in a shooting in the capital Ndjamena.
Interior Minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir was in a stable condition after being shot on Friday as he left a hotel where he had been dining, police and his entourage said.
A police source said Mahamat Bachir had been shot in the thigh.
The minister was immediately taken to a French military hospital, where the bullet was removed. The assailant, identified as a tax official, was arrested on Friday.
Spokesperson for Mahamat Bachir claims he did not know the attacker.
The minister is the closest ally of Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno.
Guinea Bissau: Thai Link Claimed in Assassinations.
This Day
8 March 2009
By Paul Ibe
Fresh facts are now emerging on the killing of the Guinea-Bissau Army Chief, Brig. Gen. Batiste Tagme na Waie, which later triggered the assassination of President Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira.
Waie was killed last Sunday when a bomb planted by unknown persons exploded in his office. A reprisal attack less than 24 hours later by elements within the army led to the tragic killing of Vieira.
In compliance with the constitution, the former Speaker of the parliament (the Assembleia Nacional Popular), Raimundo Pereira, was last Tuesday sworn-in as Interim President.
But the bomb that terminated the life of Waie has been linked to the Southeast Asian country of Thailand. The Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau, Carlos Gomes, Junior, and Minister of Defence, Marciano Silva Barbeiro, made the revelation at separate meetings with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Ministerial delegation to the former Portuguese colony.
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua had on Tuesday despatched a delegation comprising the foreign ministers of Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, and Senegal, accompanied by the President of ECOWAS Commission, to Guinea-Bissau where they engaged all Guinean stakeholders in an effort to restore confidence among the political actors, civil society and security services, and return the country to constitutional normalcy.
"It is very important to find out who made and bought this bomb (that killed the Army Chief) in Thailand," Gomes had told the delegation led by Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe.
The Defence Minister and his service chiefs were in no doubt as to where the bomb came from: Thailand. In fact, the Minister of Defence showed what seemed to be a component of the bomb to the ECOWAS delegation. "The debris from the blast was so much that it took us about one hour to get the corpse of Waie out of the rubble that was his own office wing of the army building," Barbeiro said.
Although, Guinea-Bissau has been hailed for its smooth transition to an interim government, the situation in this land of Amilcar Cabra remains tenuous. "Ours is still a very fragile country and the international community knows that. I am not safe myself because there is no guarantee that there are no hidden bombs in my office," Gomes said, adding, "Gambia, Senegal, Guinea Conakry," and, indeed, the sub-region, "will not be safe if bombs are here."
Analysts say that Guinea-Bissau has become the soft underbelly of the sub-region. An admixture of factors has made Guinea-Bissau an attractive transit point for hard drugs bound for Europe and other parts of the world: pervasive poverty, unemployment, and $3 billion budget deficit compounded by $30 million in salary arrears.
There is a near absence of infrastructure to sustain any form of economic development. There is hardly any public power, with generators having to run round the clock, no potable water, and the few roads that have asphalt overlay have had them washed away over time. Ironically, the road bearing the name of the legendary Amilcar Cabra, the man who gave his all to wage a liberation struggle against the Portuguese, has never seen coal tar: it is an earth road.
The nation's economy is minute and driven largely by cashew, fish, and peanut exports. What this means is that even a small influx of drug money can have a major impact.
That is exactly what has happened.
Drug money is now the driver of the Guinea-Bissau economy. Last month, the United States State Department warned that the "degeneration of Guinea-Bissau into a narco-state is a real possibility."
The United Nations estimates that the cocaine transiting through Guinea-Bissau is worth more than a billion dollars a year, which is several times higher than the paltry national budget.
It is, perhaps, no coincidence that the bomb is being linked to Thailand. The Southeast Asian country has become a major hub for the production and shipment of hard drugs, especially cocaine.
The question on the minds of many after last week's killings of Waie and Vieira is, could it be fifth columnists (drug barons) are at work to create further divisions between the military and civilian authorities while they continue with their illicit trade unabated or it is a battle for the control of the spoils of the trade?
This is not the first time that Guinea-Bissau's Army Chief will be assassinated. In 2004, not long after elections had been successfully conducted, the then Armed Forces Chief of Staff was eliminated in similar Gestapo style.
Indeed, the killings of Vieira and Waie have been linked to a battle over the control of the illicit trade in drugs. The top military brass have been accused of taking bribes to allow drug planes to land and to turn a blind eye to drug activity.
Meanwhile, the Judicial Police, responsible for investigating the narcotics trade, are unarmed, equipped with mere typewriters, and the targets of anonymous death threats.
THISDAY observed parked at the Aeroporto International Osvaldo Vieira Airport, Bissau, a seized plane said to be linked to the trade in narcotics. Such seizures, it is gathered, are something of a rarity.
"What we have in our hands is a time bomb akin to the conflagration in Mexico. ECOWAS has to do something about this situation, else we will all be consumed in the impending inferno," Foreign Minister of The Gambia, Dr. Omar Touray, told THISDAY shortly after the ECOWAS delegation had visited the bombed-out office wing of the Army Chief on Wednesday.
Gomes was, perhaps, echoing the position of Touray when he said that the tragic killing of the President and Army Chief were "an attempt against ECOWAS, African Union, and all organisations and structures in the sub-region." He also told the delegation that the country did not have the wherewithal to wage a successful war against the drug traffickers.
The fear is that drug warlords operating out of Guinea-Bissau will accelerate the failure of the state. With a foothold in the former Portuguese colony, these mercenaries could unleash a war of attrition in other countries and pose serious security risk to the sub-region. It was in recognition of this that ECOWAS planned to work with the Guinean authorities and development partners to get to the bottom of the killings.
"You are not alone; we will stand by you all the way and provide experts that will work with you to find the culprits in this dastardly act," President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, assured the Guinea-Bissau leadership. But it remains to be seen how this could be achieved, given the complicity of the military and other high-ranking state officials in the narcotic trade.
Nonetheless, one of the issues that the extra-ordinary summit of Foreign Ministers of ECOWAS and the International Contact Group will be focusing on when it convenes in the next one or two weeks in Bissau, is defence and security reform, which is related to the fight against drug trafficking. Training and retraining of soldiers, especially of the top echelon of the military, is key to sustaining peace and security in the country and the sub-region, Air Vice Marshall Bala Golgak Danbaba, Chief of Policy and Plans at the Defence Headquarters and member of the Nigerian delegation to the solidarity visit, said.
The interim government of Pereira has limited powers and only 60 days to conduct fresh election. In a normal situation, this will present some challenge, but in a broken country like Guinea-Bissau, it would be a near-miracle if the feat is achieved.
ECOWAS and the International Contact Group on Guinea-Bissau, comprising the European Union, Africa Union, United Nations, CPLP (group of Portuguese speaking nations), and other stakeholders have pledged assistance to the country. But Cuban Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau, Pedro Dona Santana, said the pledge to offer assistance is an old refrain. "There have been efforts to bring aid and development to Guinea-Bissau. Most of these projects and programmes did not produce results, as the financial pledges were not redeemed," he said.
But the Dean of Ambassadors in Guinea-Bissau warned that not keeping to pledges to help the country through its trying times is an invitation to anarchy. "The priority here is the 60 days for the election. If we don't give support for this effort, it will be an invitation to further crisis," he said.
Going by the constitution, the interim presidency of Pereira has just 53 days, as at tomorrow, to conduct the election.
8 March 2009
By Paul Ibe
Fresh facts are now emerging on the killing of the Guinea-Bissau Army Chief, Brig. Gen. Batiste Tagme na Waie, which later triggered the assassination of President Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira.
Waie was killed last Sunday when a bomb planted by unknown persons exploded in his office. A reprisal attack less than 24 hours later by elements within the army led to the tragic killing of Vieira.
In compliance with the constitution, the former Speaker of the parliament (the Assembleia Nacional Popular), Raimundo Pereira, was last Tuesday sworn-in as Interim President.
But the bomb that terminated the life of Waie has been linked to the Southeast Asian country of Thailand. The Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau, Carlos Gomes, Junior, and Minister of Defence, Marciano Silva Barbeiro, made the revelation at separate meetings with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Ministerial delegation to the former Portuguese colony.
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua had on Tuesday despatched a delegation comprising the foreign ministers of Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, and Senegal, accompanied by the President of ECOWAS Commission, to Guinea-Bissau where they engaged all Guinean stakeholders in an effort to restore confidence among the political actors, civil society and security services, and return the country to constitutional normalcy.
"It is very important to find out who made and bought this bomb (that killed the Army Chief) in Thailand," Gomes had told the delegation led by Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe.
The Defence Minister and his service chiefs were in no doubt as to where the bomb came from: Thailand. In fact, the Minister of Defence showed what seemed to be a component of the bomb to the ECOWAS delegation. "The debris from the blast was so much that it took us about one hour to get the corpse of Waie out of the rubble that was his own office wing of the army building," Barbeiro said.
Although, Guinea-Bissau has been hailed for its smooth transition to an interim government, the situation in this land of Amilcar Cabra remains tenuous. "Ours is still a very fragile country and the international community knows that. I am not safe myself because there is no guarantee that there are no hidden bombs in my office," Gomes said, adding, "Gambia, Senegal, Guinea Conakry," and, indeed, the sub-region, "will not be safe if bombs are here."
Analysts say that Guinea-Bissau has become the soft underbelly of the sub-region. An admixture of factors has made Guinea-Bissau an attractive transit point for hard drugs bound for Europe and other parts of the world: pervasive poverty, unemployment, and $3 billion budget deficit compounded by $30 million in salary arrears.
There is a near absence of infrastructure to sustain any form of economic development. There is hardly any public power, with generators having to run round the clock, no potable water, and the few roads that have asphalt overlay have had them washed away over time. Ironically, the road bearing the name of the legendary Amilcar Cabra, the man who gave his all to wage a liberation struggle against the Portuguese, has never seen coal tar: it is an earth road.
The nation's economy is minute and driven largely by cashew, fish, and peanut exports. What this means is that even a small influx of drug money can have a major impact.
That is exactly what has happened.
Drug money is now the driver of the Guinea-Bissau economy. Last month, the United States State Department warned that the "degeneration of Guinea-Bissau into a narco-state is a real possibility."
The United Nations estimates that the cocaine transiting through Guinea-Bissau is worth more than a billion dollars a year, which is several times higher than the paltry national budget.
It is, perhaps, no coincidence that the bomb is being linked to Thailand. The Southeast Asian country has become a major hub for the production and shipment of hard drugs, especially cocaine.
The question on the minds of many after last week's killings of Waie and Vieira is, could it be fifth columnists (drug barons) are at work to create further divisions between the military and civilian authorities while they continue with their illicit trade unabated or it is a battle for the control of the spoils of the trade?
This is not the first time that Guinea-Bissau's Army Chief will be assassinated. In 2004, not long after elections had been successfully conducted, the then Armed Forces Chief of Staff was eliminated in similar Gestapo style.
Indeed, the killings of Vieira and Waie have been linked to a battle over the control of the illicit trade in drugs. The top military brass have been accused of taking bribes to allow drug planes to land and to turn a blind eye to drug activity.
Meanwhile, the Judicial Police, responsible for investigating the narcotics trade, are unarmed, equipped with mere typewriters, and the targets of anonymous death threats.
THISDAY observed parked at the Aeroporto International Osvaldo Vieira Airport, Bissau, a seized plane said to be linked to the trade in narcotics. Such seizures, it is gathered, are something of a rarity.
"What we have in our hands is a time bomb akin to the conflagration in Mexico. ECOWAS has to do something about this situation, else we will all be consumed in the impending inferno," Foreign Minister of The Gambia, Dr. Omar Touray, told THISDAY shortly after the ECOWAS delegation had visited the bombed-out office wing of the Army Chief on Wednesday.
Gomes was, perhaps, echoing the position of Touray when he said that the tragic killing of the President and Army Chief were "an attempt against ECOWAS, African Union, and all organisations and structures in the sub-region." He also told the delegation that the country did not have the wherewithal to wage a successful war against the drug traffickers.
The fear is that drug warlords operating out of Guinea-Bissau will accelerate the failure of the state. With a foothold in the former Portuguese colony, these mercenaries could unleash a war of attrition in other countries and pose serious security risk to the sub-region. It was in recognition of this that ECOWAS planned to work with the Guinean authorities and development partners to get to the bottom of the killings.
"You are not alone; we will stand by you all the way and provide experts that will work with you to find the culprits in this dastardly act," President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, assured the Guinea-Bissau leadership. But it remains to be seen how this could be achieved, given the complicity of the military and other high-ranking state officials in the narcotic trade.
Nonetheless, one of the issues that the extra-ordinary summit of Foreign Ministers of ECOWAS and the International Contact Group will be focusing on when it convenes in the next one or two weeks in Bissau, is defence and security reform, which is related to the fight against drug trafficking. Training and retraining of soldiers, especially of the top echelon of the military, is key to sustaining peace and security in the country and the sub-region, Air Vice Marshall Bala Golgak Danbaba, Chief of Policy and Plans at the Defence Headquarters and member of the Nigerian delegation to the solidarity visit, said.
The interim government of Pereira has limited powers and only 60 days to conduct fresh election. In a normal situation, this will present some challenge, but in a broken country like Guinea-Bissau, it would be a near-miracle if the feat is achieved.
ECOWAS and the International Contact Group on Guinea-Bissau, comprising the European Union, Africa Union, United Nations, CPLP (group of Portuguese speaking nations), and other stakeholders have pledged assistance to the country. But Cuban Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau, Pedro Dona Santana, said the pledge to offer assistance is an old refrain. "There have been efforts to bring aid and development to Guinea-Bissau. Most of these projects and programmes did not produce results, as the financial pledges were not redeemed," he said.
But the Dean of Ambassadors in Guinea-Bissau warned that not keeping to pledges to help the country through its trying times is an invitation to anarchy. "The priority here is the 60 days for the election. If we don't give support for this effort, it will be an invitation to further crisis," he said.
Going by the constitution, the interim presidency of Pereira has just 53 days, as at tomorrow, to conduct the election.
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