Category: Sub-Saharan Africa

‘Colonialism had effect on Rwanda’

İpek Yezdani – ipek.yezdani@hurriyet.com.tr

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

European colonial history was a major contributor to what eventually became genocide in Rwanda, according to the chief prosecutor of the International Rwanda Criminal Court.

“The Rwandan genocide that took place in 1994 clearly it has its roots in the colonial history,” Hassan Bubacar Jallow, who was in Istanbul to give a conference at Istanbul Bilgi University yesterday, said in an interview following the event.

“During the European colonization of the country, which [turned] this difference between Tutsis and Hutus into so-called positions of superiority and inferiority in the country, eventually led to the genocide,” Jallow said, adding both Belgium and France were “colonial powers of one type or another” in Rwanda.

When the genocide started in 1994, the world had the opportunity and the means to stop the killings but did not, Jallow said.

“Over a hundred days, thousands of people were killed every day until 1 million people were killed. It took the intervention of then-Rwandan rebels to bring the genocide to an end. The inability or reluctance of the world in intervening when the genocide was on was very unfortunate,” Jallow said.

Jallow said they were hoping to finish their work at the level of the International Criminal Court established by the United Nations by the end of 2014.

“By that time we won’t be prosecuting everybody because it is impossible to do that. Our focus has been prosecuting the leaders who were involved in the planning and the implementation of the genocide. By the end of 2014, we hope that we will be finishing the prosecution of the top 100 people,” Jallow said.

via ‘Colonialism had effect on Rwanda’ – Hurriyet Daily News.

October 16, 2011
Uganda: U.S. Troops To Help Fight Lord Resistance Army

By JASON STRAZIUSO

NAIROBI, Kenya — Why is the U.S. sending its troops to finish off a fractured band of bush fighters in the middle of Africa? Political payback for the quiet sacrifices of Uganda’s troops in Somalia could be one reason.

President Barack Obama announced Friday he is dispatching about 100 U.S. troops – mostly special operations forces – to central Africa to advise in the fight against the Lord’s Resistance Army – a guerrilla group accused of widespread atrocities across several countries. The first U.S. troops arrived Wednesday.

Long considered one of Africa’s most brutal rebel groups, the Lord’s Resistance Army began its attacks in Uganda more than 20 years ago. But the rebels are at their weakest point in 15 years. Their forces are fractured and scattered, and the Ugandan military estimated earlier this year that only 200 to 400 fighters remain. In 2003 the LRA had 3,000 armed troops and 2,000 people in support roles.

But capturing LRA leader Joseph Kony – a ruthless and brutal thug – remains the highest priority for Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, a 25-year-leader who has committed thousands of troops to the African Union force in Somalia to fight militants from al-Shabab, a group with ties from al-Qaida.

The U.S. has not had forces in Somalia since pulling out shortly after the 1993 Black Hawk Down battle in Mogadishu in which 18 American troops died.

Some experts believe that the U.S. military advisers sent to Uganda could be a reward for the U.S.-funded Ugandan troops service in Somalia.

“I’ve been hearing that. I don’t know if our group necessarily agrees with that, but it definitely would make sense,” said Matt Brown, a spokesman for the Enough Project, a U.S. group working to end genocide and crimes against humanity, especially in central Africa.

“The U.S. doesn’t have to fight al-Qaida-linked Shabab in Somalia, so we help Uganda take care of their domestic security problems, freeing them up to fight a more dangerous – or a more pressing, perhaps – issue in Somalia. I don’t know if we would necessarily say that but it’s surely a plausible theory,” Brown said.

Col. Felix Kulayigye, Uganda’s military spokesman, told The Associated Press previously that Ugandan forces have long received “invaluable” support from the U.S. military, including intelligence sharing, in the fight against the LRA.

That support got a huge boost this week.

Though the deployment of 100 troops is relatively small, it marks a possible sea-change for Washington in overcoming its reluctance to commit troops to Africa. Even the U.S. Africa Command, which oversees U.S. military operations on the continent, is based in Germany. The U.S. maintains a base in the tiny East African nation of Djibouti, but most troops there are not on combat missions.

The LRA poses no known security threat to the United States, and a report from the Enough Project last year said that Kony no longer has complete and direct command and control over each LRA unit.

But the group’s tactics have been widely condemned as vicious. Few are expected to object to Obama’s move to help regional security forces eliminate a group that has slaughtered thousands of civilians and routinely kidnaps children to be child soldiers and sex slaves.

Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court for his group’s attacks, which now take place in South Sudan, Congo and the Central African Republic.

Still, Bill Roggio, the managing editor of The Long War Journal, called the Obama administration’s rationale for sending troops “puzzling,” especially since the LRA does not present a national security threat to the U.S. – “despite what President Obama said.”

“The timing of this deployment is odd, especially given the administration’s desire to disengage from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Roggio said. “It is unclear why the issue has resurfaced, but the administration may be rewarding Uganda” for its military contributions in Somalia, he said.

Obama said that although the U.S. troops will be combat equipped, they will not engage LRA forces unless it is in self-defense.

In recent months, the administration has stepped up its support for Uganda. In June, the Pentagon moved to send nearly $45 million in military equipment to Uganda and Burundi, another country contributing in Somalia. The aid included four small drones, body armor and night-vision and communications gear and is being used in the fight against al-Shabab.

Last November, the U.S. announced a new strategy to counter the LRA’s attacks on civilians. U.S. legislation passed last year with huge bipartisan support calling for the coordination of U.S. diplomatic, economic, intelligence and military efforts against the LRA. That’s one reason, Brown said, Obama may be sending in advisers. He said that regional stability is also good for U.S. interests.

“It really doesn’t take that many U.S. resources,” Brown said. “You’ve got 100 troops to go in and take care of the LRA problem once and for all.”

__

Jason Straziuso has been AP’s bureau chief in East Africa since 2009.

www.huffingtonpost.com, 15.10.2011

October 16, 2011
Turkey’s Erdogan writes article on Somalia in US magazine

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells the ongoing tragedy in Somalia in an article he wrote for Foreign Policy, one of the leading magazines of the U.S.

“Somalia is suffering from the most severe drought and famine in the last 60 years, which has already resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people and endangers the lives of 750,000 more Somalis,” begins Erdogan in his article titled “Tears of Somalia”.

He continues on writing: “This crisis tests the notion of civilization and our modern values. It reveals, once again, that it is a basic human obligation to pursue international cooperation and solidarity to provide solace for those suffering from natural and man-made disasters.”

“It is not realistic to consider Somalia’s plight as caused solely by a severe natural disaster. We cannot ignore the fact that, in addition to the drought, the international community’s decision to leave Somalia to its own fate is also an underlying factor causing this drama.

Twenty years of political and social instability, lawlessness, and chaos have added enormously to the problems in Somalia. The horrifying truck bombing of the Transitional Federal Government’s ministerial complex on October 4 is just the latest evidence of this. The international community must not respond to this act of terrorism by retreating from Somalia, but by redoubling its efforts to bring aid to its people.”

“Nobody with common sense and conscience can remain indifferent to such a drama, wherever on earth it may be and whichever people have to bear it. Our urgent intervention as responsible members of the international community can contribute to the alleviation of the Somali people’s distress. However, the establishment of lasting peace and stability will only be possible through long-term, far-reaching, and coordinated efforts.”

“Turkey mobilized last month to help end this suffering. We consider this solidarity a humanitarian obligation toward the people of Somalia, with whom we have deep historical relations. Many of our institutions, NGOs, and people of all ages have made an extraordinary effort to alleviate the suffering of women and children in Somalia.

We are proud of the sensitivity and cooperation displayed by the Turkish people during the holy month of Ramadan. In the last month alone, approximately 280 million USD worth of donations for Somalia were collected in Turkey. The Turkish people’s generosity has served as an example to other donor countries as well as the international community, offering hope for the resolution of the crisis in Somalia.”

“The Turkish government has also moved decisively to help alleviate this humanitarian crisis. Turkey took the initiative to hold an emergency meeting of the executive committee of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the ministerial level on August 17. At this meeting, which was attended by the president of Somalia and high-level representatives from 40 member countries of the OIC, 350 million USD was committed to help relieve the famine in Somalia, and the participants agreed to increase this amount to half a billion dollars. The Turkish Red Crescent is also standing shoulder to shoulder with international aid organizations and is working to meet the needs of those in all the camps in the Mogadishu region.”

“Following the emergency meeting of the OIC executive committee, I — along with a number of Turkish ministers, some members of parliament, bureaucrats, business people, artists, and families — visited the country on August 19 to tell the people of Somalia that they are not alone. We visited the camps. We tried to give hope and encourage people who live in very different conditions from ours. We took note of the lack of such a high-level visit from outside of Africa to Somalia for the last 20 years, and informed the international community of this fact.”

“Turkey has decided to launch a major humanitarian effort to help restore normalcy to Mogadishu. To this end, we are preparing to provide assistance in the fields of health, education, and transportation. We will inaugurate a 400-bed hospital, provide garbage trucks for the streets of Mogadishu, build a waste-disposal facility to burn the accumulated garbage in the streets, pave the road between Mogadishu’s airport and the city center, renovate the parliament and other government buildings, dig water wells, and develop organized agricultural and livestock areas. Our embassy, which will be opened in Mogadishu shortly and headed by an ambassador who is experienced in the field of humanitarian aid and familiar to the region, will coordinate these activities.”

“By supporting the restoration of peace and stability efforts, we will work with the Transitional Federal Government and other institutions in Somalia in order to launch the development process of this shattered country. To this end, we expect all Somali authorities to demonstrate an extraordinary effort in unity, integrity, and harmony.”

“The success of aid operations is directly linked to the establishment of security. The withdrawal from Mogadishu of armed elements in the al-Shabab organization is clearly a positive development for security in the region. But this is not sufficient. Moving the Somali-related U.N. offices currently located in Nairobi to Mogadishu will be a positive step to support this process and one that should be taken without delay.”

“Neighboring countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya bear a special responsibility regarding the restoration of peace and stability in Somalia. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the African Union will also share this responsibility, and Turkey supports them in their tasks. In line with the Djibouti peace process, Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government should intensify efforts at reconciliation by maintaining dialogue with all fighting groups and pledge prosperity, brotherhood, order, and prosperity in return for peace.”

“The military contribution provided by Uganda and Burundi within the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to prevent chaos and terror deserves appreciation. With this opportunity, I would like to issue a call to all neighboring countries, including Eritrea, to increase their existing efforts for the establishment of peace and security in Somalia and to enhance long-term regional stability.”

“In Turkish culture, it is believed that something good will come out of all bad experiences. In Somalia, too, this disaster can mark the beginning of a new process by focusing international humanitarian efforts and global attention on the plight of the region. However, this situation will only be sustainable if we continue to be sensitive to the needs of the Somali people.”

“The tears that are now running from Somalia’s golden sands into the Indian Ocean must stop. They should be replaced by hopeful voices of a country where people do not lose their lives because of starvation and where they express their eagerness to develop and restore peace and stability. Regardless of which culture we come from or where we live, I am confident that our common heritage as human beings will motivate us to ease the suffering of Somalia.”

AA

October 12, 2011
My First Impression of Secular Turkey

Betty Caplan

As I was packing to come to Istanbul, Turkey, my friends urged me to leave jeans, shorts, and skimpy tops at home. One brought me a little modest outfit that covered my arms and shoulders. Imagine then when I arrived here in 30 degree heat, finding that the dress code is like that of the beach resorts in Mombasa! I have seen more burkhas and head scarves in London and Nairobi than I have here.

The founder of the modern Turkish state, the greatly revered Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, decreed that it should be a secular state and the smart young girls in this up-market suburb have taken him literally. It has always been a lynchpin. After the disasters of the First World War in 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne saw foreign powers off and the new modern borders of the Turkish state were established. Not for nothing was he called Father of the Turks.

He changed the Arabic script into Roman, modernised the language, instituted the Gregorian calendar, banned the fez, promoted universal suffrage and set up institutions of democracy, never allowing opposition to get in his way. The long rule of the Ottoman Empire was well and truly over, though Ataturk’s insistence that the country be thoroughly Turkish still has repercussions in some regions today.

Istanbul is the only city to be divided by two continents: Europe and Asia. It retains a gracious culture from old times where a politeness reigns except on the roads. Ramadhan is observed here and there but when it comes to Bayram, everyone participates whether they have fasted or not. Families plan their gatherings for days before, and women are busy buying up the best and the freshest. The finest cuisine is to be found – as in most countries with their own tradition- in the home. In my first week in a city where virtually no English is spoken, by luck I came across a professor of comparative literature who had lived in the USA and the UK and who was more than glad to have a literary conversation in a newly-opened bookshop.

The following week, I sat at sunset in her home listening to the lapping of the waves of the Bosphorus, and watching those unique shapes of the grande mosques across the water disappear into twinkling lights. The apartment was large and spacious, and the eating area set on the balcony for who could ever resist such a view? My companion is now retired but still attends conferences all over the world. Her American husband, much older, was not to be seen. “That’s a story for another day,” she said. But she is scathing about Turkish men who trade in their partners regularly for more recent models.

Never did I imagine I would praise colonialism, or realise how much we take English for granted in Kenya! (Not that it is altogether a good thing of course.) I have some inkling now of what it must feel like to be deaf-mute. I feel for all those refugees and immigrants who cannot communicate, and unlike Australia, for example, there aren’t translators on hand to assist. We arrogant English speakers expect the world to know our language but in Turkey I sense a slight muttering under the breath when I ask a shopkeeper if they speak English.

“Hmph!” I imagine them saying to another customer. “What do we need their language for?” It is taught in school for only a few hours a week, but things are changing which is why I am here. With the possibility of joining the EU, and with increased trade prospects there is suddenly a need for more English speakers.

Relevant Links

* East Africa

* Kenya

* Middle East and Africa

* Governance

My landlady and I communicate by mime or Google Translate. She is a retired schoolteacher, and having done her 25 or so years’ service, she is now forced to be idle. So she smokes and watches TV all day. Arm-in-arm we go off to the bazaar together where all the selling is done by men. Why? That is not womens’ work in a Muslim country. I think of the thousands of African women sitting on the ground with their piles of oranges and tomatoes who keep their families going seven days a week, 365 days a year. One I knew in Thika sent her four children to university on her meagre earnings. God only knows how.

So far my students at the school are top level company managers. They work for a Swiss pharma firm and are accustomed to teleconferences each week – in English. They are down-to-earth and need the basics. “No reading- no time!” they insist. Ahmet (not his real name) knows that he would earn far more doing the same job in Switzerland but first he must know English. I teach them in-house but back at the school there is the same rush to learn quickly.

We must have covered so much by the end of October. But however fast you teach, it doesn’t mean your students will learn quickly especially when there is little in English in their immediate environment to encourage them.

via allAfrica.com: Kenya: My First Impression of Secular Turkey.

September 28, 2011
Somali militants in key port ‘attacked by US drones’

US has been launching unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, in an escalating campaign against Islamist militants

The United States has launched a series of attacks by unmanned drones on the Somali Islamist group al-Shabab, local residents say.

At least three targets were hit around Kismayo, the southern port which is under the control of the militants.

One reconnaissance drone is reported to have crashed.

Meanwhile, there have been clashes between Somali government troops and the militants in the Gedo region, further north.

Residents of Kismayo say there were explosions around the city, with at least three targets being hit.

It is reported that al-Shabab are patrolling the streets, preventing locals from using the hospital, which is treating their wounded.

Kismayo is a key asset for the militants, allowing supplies to reach areas under their control and providing taxes for their operations.

In the Gedo region, there has been fighting around the town of Garbahare between al-Shabaab and government troops backed by local militia.

A local MP, Mahmood Sayid, told the BBC that 120,000 people had fled to the town to escape the famine, but that there was nothing to give them.

Deaths are being recorded every day, he said.

www.bbc.co.uk, 25 September 2011

September 26, 2011
Turkey to restore biggest mosque in Somalia

Turkish teams will renovate the Central Mosque, which was damaged due to civil war, in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

Turkish Religious Affairs Foundation (TDV) will restore the biggest mosque in Somalia.

Turkish teams will renovate the Central Mosque, which was damaged due to civil war, in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

“There are 200 mosques that needed restoration in Somalia,” TDV’s international relations director Mustafa Tutkun told AA correspondent on Sunday.

Tutkun said Somali executives asked Turkey to restore mosques, donate Korans and religious books, rehabilitate theological institutions, and educate Somali students.

“We will restore the Central Mosque in line with its original shape,” Tutkun said.

Tutkun said the foundation was planning to take 100 students to Turkey for education.

“The students will first go to Koran courses and also learn the language, and then they will be sent to imam hatip schools (giving theological education),” he said.

Tutkun also said the number of Somali students to be taken to Turkey would be raised to 250 by the end of this year.

AA

September 19, 2011