Burundi: We've played this scene before.

A statement from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.


UN experts call for determined Security Council action to prevent mass violence in the Great Lakes region


GENEVA (16 July 2015) – A group of United Nations human rights experts* today urged the Security Council to take immediate action to prevent Burundi from sliding back into violent conflict ahead of presidential elections, a crisis which will not leave the other countries in the region, including Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, unaffected. Thus far, 145,000 persons have fled to neighbouring countries in fear for their lives.

This is something that should scare the shit out of the whole world. Once again we are seeing the Great Lakes Region of Africa descend into chaos and once again the world is looking away. Six million lives have been lost in the DR Congo since 1998 and lets not forget the genocide in Rwanda and a further 800,000 lives. 


“The world is witnessing an escalating pattern of politically motivated violence in Burundi, enabled by the country’s decades-long tradition of impunity,” the experts warned. “The international community must not simply stand by and wait for mass atrocities to unfold, thereby risking a major conflict of regional proportions before it finally decides to act,” the Special Rapporteurs added, pointing to repeated cycles of mass violations that Burundi and the Great Lakes region have witnessed in recent history.

New Zealand is the currently president of the Security Council as we were when the Rwandan Genocide occurred and once again the Security Council is dithering. The difference being the last time we held the presidency we acted with honour.

" As the death count grew, our Ambassador, Colin Keating, pressed hard for the UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda to be strengthened, and for the Council to declare this atrocity as genocide.

As the Council’s President in April 1994, we even had to threaten to hold a public debate to shame certain countries for their refusal to acknowledge what was happening.

In the end, mainly because of the unwillingness of some of the Council’s permanent members, those efforts were unsuccessful and 800,000 innocent people were butchered – many with jungle knives."

For fucks sake our ( NZ ) official position is that we oppose the great power Security Council veto. Yes we failed Rwanda but we tried. We may fail again...we will certainly fail if we don't try. The world voted us onto the Security Council not the vested interests of the west.

The situation in Burundi has already involved serious human rights violations. “It is accumulating the well-known and visible marks of a society which previously suffered divisions leading to grave violence. This can escalate into major conflict through the use of outright repression against, and intimidation of, the population at large, the instrumentalization of the police, the closure of independent media, as well as the detention of the opposition and other civic leaders. We also witness efforts to coerce the judiciary, some of whose highest members have fled the country claiming their lives were at risk. In the meantime, armed militias, with the collaboration of authorities, exercise violence against civilians. In these circumstances, it is not surprising that the results of the 29 June elections have generally not been endorsed,” the experts raised alarm. 

In short we have all the ingredients for another ethnic conflict that like the rest will engulf the the Great Lakes Region with potential consequences that don't bare thinking about except that we will have to do a lot more than think about them if   when they come to pass.



“The absence of independent media and a climate of repression and fear to exercise civil rights and express opinions, notably by peacefully taking to the streets, have marred the recent elections and will also be defining the forthcoming presidential elections, now scheduled for 21 July. The postponement by six days of the presidential elections does not remedy this blatant deficiency,” the mandate-holders stated.

It might be time for the world as represented by the Security Council to remind certain African dictators of a supposedly African proverb popularised by American President Roosevelt.

" Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far,"  


“If the government persists in holding presidential elections under the current circumstances – something even the former first Vice-President objected to after also having fled the country – they will in no way confer any legitimacy on the to-be-elected authorities. On the contrary, the elections are highly likely to result in major instability and confrontations in Burundi, with the potential to spread to the region,” the experts warned.

The big and forever unanswered question being who will benefit from the instability ? Oh of course the West, instability is opportunity.... just look at the illegal exploitation of resources multi-nationals have achieved in the DR Congo....and the cost... six million Congolese lives.  


On 9 July, the situation on Burundi was most recently discussed by the Security Council. The seven independent experts strongly echoed the call made by the High Commissioner for Human Rights to immediately disarm the youth militia Imbonerakure which is spreading major violence and intimidation among the population. The experts join the High Commissioner in recalling that the people of Burundi “have a right to go about their lives peacefully, in freedom, equality and dignity; without fear, and with equitable access to their country's many resources and opportunities.”

The Imbonerakure are targeting Tutsi communities and it would seem are predominantly a Hutu organisation.To quote Marrilion's Fish " You've played this scene before ".  


“The Security Council has a unique role for peace and security and for preventing conflicts worldwide. This is a crisis that is eminently preventable – everyone can see the risks. What is lacking is action,” underscored the independent experts. “Given the painful history of Burundi and the region, the long engagement of the United Nations in the country to re-build peace, the Security Council must be all the more alerted to the increasing potential of an escalation of massive violence,” the experts added.

And New Zealand as the current the president of the Security Council have failed enormously. We have failed our own legacy... even worse we have failed the trust the world mandated us with. 


“Burundians, who live in the world’s third poorest country must be spared another cycle of violence, with the misery and destruction that violence always leave on its wake. They look to the Security Council to live up to its unique role in the prevention of mass atrocities,” the experts urged.

I am ashamed to be a New Zealander today. John Key a new flag will not disassociate us from a genocide we did nothing to prevent. If our old brand has more honour than our new brand it would be better to abandon the exercise.

Burundi: More Bat shit crazy and New Zealand is once again chairing the Security Council.

Yet another African President who can't read the writing on the wall and thinks the presidency is a job for life.

 

Burundi: Power and opposition committed to continue dialogue despite differences

July 16, 2015 1:26 (Last updated July 16, 2015 1:30)

AA / Bujumbura / Jean Bosco / Rénovat Ndabashinze

After two days of consultations, conducted under the aegis of the new mediator of the crisis in Burundi, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, the Burundian parties agreed Wednesday to continue the dialogue that no compromise has yet been reached on the issue of the controversial third term of Pierre Nkurunziza.

That would have to be the stupidest mediator appointment in the history of stupid mediator appointments. A bit like putting a rabbit in charge of a lettuce patch.

In it, the author says, back in 1986: "The problem of Africa in general and Uganda in particular is not the people but leaders who want to overstay in power."

And who wrote it? The current president, Yoweri Museveni, who has been in the job for 25 years

The presidential camp, always hostile to the idea of ​​further postpone the date of the presidential elections (as advocated by the East African Community (EAC)), proposed to resume dialogue after the elections.

So the Presidents plan is to discuss with the opposition his third term in office after the election that he will corruptly win giving him a third term in office. Bat shit crazy springs to mind.

 "The government agrees on the principle of dialogue, but now the urgency is to organize the presidential election to avoid an institutional vacuum," said Alain-Aimé plenary Nyamitwe, Burundian Minister External relations.

You couldn't make this shit up nobody would believe you. 

Ugandan President had presented a set of proposals capable of resolving the crisis in the country since April 26, when the Burundian president Pierre Nkurunziza was invested by its candidate in the next presidential party, ruled unconstitutional by a candidacy civil society and the opposition.

Only Museveni could achieve a set of " proposals capable of resolving " such a crisis... even Rwanda's Kagame has recognised that you need to actually change the constitution first.   

One of the opposition leaders told Anadolu on condition of anonymity that "Yoweri Museveni, in particular, proposed the opposition to go to the presidential elections, to accept the results, let Nkurunziza still govern the country for two years with a transitional parliament and a national unity government even organize elections at the end of this period. "

Hilarious..the election hasn't actually happened yet but the result is clearly in and Nkurunziza has won.

A scenario that excludes the presidential clan. Willy Nyamitwe, Nkurunziza adviser, in charge of communication, notes in this in a press statement that "it is inconceivable that Burundi has already held elections in 2005 and 2010 to return to a transitional government, we are agree to a national unity government after the elections, and this is also recommended by our Constitution, "he has said Wednesday.

Coast of civil society is a mixture of satisfaction and anxiety prevailing at the corresponding Anadolu, present at the plenary meeting thereof held on Wednesday. 

If you can figure out what that means you are doing better than me although my guess is nothing at all.

Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, president of the association for human rights and the protection of detained persons (APRODH) said rather "reassured" about the outcome of the dialogue.

On the side of the opposition, Charles Nditije, the Coalition of Independents "Amizero y'Abarundi" (Hope Burundians), also said "confident".

I am pleased to hear that all are " reassured " and " confident ". I am not.


" In scenes reminiscent of Rwanda's 1994 genocide in which at least 800,000 people (mainly Tutsi and moderate Hutu) were killed, Burundian Tutsi refugees say local security forces have prevented a massacre after they dispersed members of the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the country's ruling party, who had threatened to kill them in their refugee camp, IBTimes UK has learned.

Burundi: Scenes of violent clashes between police and protesters in Bujumbura
Under Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza's CNDD-FDD party umbrella, the Imbonerakure (the Kirundi word for "those that see far") have been waging a campaign of intimidation and violence to help Nkurunziza win a controversial third term in the 26 June elections."

This is a very volatile situation..

"The findings made ​​in the presence of the facilitator provide a solid foundation on which we can resume dialogue which had been suspended moult times in the past," he said, recalling that two UN facilitators were dispatched to Burundi since the outbreak of this crisis, before being disqualified, respectively, the power and the opposition.


In other words they don't give a shit about the UN and international opinion is irrelevant. The irony from a New Zealand perspective being that we currently chair the Security Council. The last time we ( New Zealand ) chaired the Security Council the Rwandan genocide occurred and despite our best efforts the Security Council refused to act. I hope someone is awake in New York.

Since his arrival on Tuesday, Burundi, Yoweri Museveni, was, by turns, talks with Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza, representatives of opposition parties, the presidential party and movement, civil society, different faiths and with media and former Heads of State.

Museveni has failed to bring about a resolution.


" Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has left crisis talks between Burundi's rival political factions without a deal, but last-ditch efforts to end months of violence continue. "

Following these exchanges, the Ugandan president proposed Wednesday during a plenary session in Bujumbura, the various parties to immediately put around the negotiating table to find a compromise.

"Dialogue must resume immediately, under the facilitation of my defense minister" for his part urged the Ugandan mediator, announcing that it was his defense minister Crispus Kiyonga expected in Bujumbura on Thursday, which will relay the in the dialogue.

Museveni is no fool. He knows that there will be no glory for him here and has opted to get out of " Dodge ".

More than 100 people have been killed since the party in power has formalized Nkurunziza's candidacy in the presidential election of 2015, according to the main advocacy group Human Rights and Detained Persons.

Meeting on 6 July in Dar Essalalm, the Heads of State of the East African Community (EAC) had asked to postpone the presidential "in order to give time to the new Ombudsman, Yoweri Museveni, to conduct a dialogue with various parties ". The government then announced the postponement of the presidential election on July 15 to 21.

Watch this space.

CAR: " A blind man looks for a four leaf clover "

Radio France International reports

Chadian troops to be pulled out of Bangui

                                                                     A Chadian soldier in Bangui earlier this month

Chadian troops are to be pulled out of the Central African Republic's capital, Bangui, after clashes with demonstrators and Burundian soldiers. The Chadians, who are the largest contingent of the African peacekeeping force, Misca, will be redeployed to the north.

Chad is widely believed to be have been behind the Seleka rebellion and having troops from there is not all that smart. The feeling in the Christian community is that the peace keepers from Chad are actually protecting Muslim and particularly Seleka interests.

"The whole Chadian contingent will be sent to secure the north in the next few days," Misca spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ndong Toutoune told the AFP news agency.

I am not at all sure that is a good idea. I blogged a few days ago about an ABC report that contained this account from the streets of Bangui.

" Other signs had a hand drawn map of this nation located at the heart of Africa, but showed it split into two, with a Muslim homeland penciled in in the country's north."

It doesn't take a geopolitical genius to draw a line on map and I suspect that that is something that isn't too far from the front of President  Idriss Déby Itno's mind. Now the Chadian African Union peacekeeping troops are going to be stationed in the north. The plan being to secure the north which is a largely muslim part of the CAR. The UN in January 2012 reported

" BANGUI, 11 January 2012 (IRIN) - Among the most pressing security threats in the Central African Republic (CAR) is a Chadian armed group active in the north of the country, which allegedly continues to recruit and acquire weapons, despite having undertaken to return to Chad."

It would seem that they had a change of mind about returning Chad and instead came south with the Seleka rebels robbing, raping, killing and terrorising the largely christian population of the southern CAR.

The announcement came after exchanges of gunfire were reported in Bangui, which remains tense despite the presence of Misca and French troops.

Sustained gunfire erupted near the airport, where hundreds of people have taken refuge, and on Wednesday morning Burundian troops were patrolling the PK12 neighbourhood after overnight shooting and explosions.

Misca has launched an inquiry into incidents involving Chadian troops this week.

Misca (Support Mission to the Central African Republic ) at this point includes soldiers from Gabon, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Burundi and Cameroon with DR Congo sending a further battalion of 850 troops, which seems almost too much of a coincidence not to be commented on.

Chadian soldiers opened fire on stone-throwing Christian demonstrators on Monday, killing one and wounding 40.

And the head of the Burundian contingent said that on the same day Chadian soldiers threw a grenade and opened fire on some of his men.

Some Burundians returned fire, wounding three Chadians, he said.

It is interesting that just about everyone seems to be avoiding the obvious, this is now a full on sectarian conflict and the battle lines have been fairly much drawn up by Seleka " foreign mercenaries " read Chadian and Somali criminals. Sending the Chad soldiers to the north is an acknowledgement of that but for the territorial integrity of the CAR it would have been better to have sent them home. 

Chad has contributed 850 troops to the 3,700 Misca force but many Central Africans accuse it of meddling in their country's affairs with Christians accusing the Chadians of favouring the Muslim Séléka militias.

Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville, Burundi,   Cameroon and the DR Congo are largely Christian nations and they appear acceptable to the Christian majority but they spell the end of the interim regime of President Djotodia. 

Muslims demonstrated against the French on Tuesday, accusing them of failing to disarm Christian anti-balaka armed groups.

I suspect that the French might be the only foreign military power that will show any interest in defending the rights of the Muslim community in the not too distant future. Pissing them off is not a smart move.

At a Christmas Eve press conference interim President Michel Djotodia appealed for peace.

"Love each other," he begged his compatriots. "You can find that in the Bible and the Koran."

With the departure of the the Chadian troops "begging " is about all he can do. The anti-balaka groups are made up of former soldiers of the previous regime I blogged a few days ago .

" The anti-balaka are reputed to be former member of the CAR military that were displaced when Michel Djotodia the new interim President and his Seleka coalition forces displaced the previous regime in March."

Djotodia announced a ban on "all illegal marches" and accused deposed president François Bozizé of stirring up sectarian violence.

Rather than the Seleka rebels he no longer commands.

DR Congo,Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi: A hospital ship for Lake Tanganyika.

The Telegraph reports 

Meet Amy Lehman, the woman bringing a floating hospital to the Congo

Three years ago, Chicago doctor Amy Lehman was shipwrecked in Sub-Saharan Africa. Stranded for 36 hours on a remote beach on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, she made a decision.

"I decided to get a tattoo of the lake on my back, so I'd never get lost again," she laughs, putting down her cup of tea, throwing her waist-length salt and pepper hair over her shoulder and starting to unzip her polka dot dress in the middle of the London private members’ club where we meet.

"Would you like to see it?"

Lehman, it’s safe to say, is no wallflower. A former exotic dancer, her motto is purloined from fellow American and soul singer James Brown: "you gotta use what you got, to get what you want" – which she shouts across the table at me in a gravely voice.

Not often lost for words but I am at the moment.

What she wants is $30 million.

Saving the world

Five years ago, Lehman, 39, left her home in Chicago and moved to Tanzania. Her big idea? To provide adequate health care for three million people living on the shores of the longest lake in the world by raising enough money to build a fully functioning hospital. On a ship. It might sound bonkers. But this ambitious idea hasn't been developed in a whim.

It doesn't sound bonkers at all. Although I am starting to think Amy might be.

Lehman had been interested in Sub-Saharan Africa since her teens and saw Lake Tanganyika as a "mythical adventure designation in the heart of Africa." Then – while studying business and medicine at the University of Chicago (not to mention single-handedly raising her son) – a Tanzanian friend asked whether she'd like to go on holiday there.

It was the chance Lehman had been waiting for.

"I told him that I wanted to visit Lake Tanganyika," (pictured) she says. "He was like, 'What? No, I'm not going there. It's in the middle of nowhere!"'

So she went alone.

What she found, was a vast and poverty-stricken community, cut off from the outside world. The lake is surrounded by four countries – Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi. There are 12 million people living in its basin and no basic healthcare or services.

That is not true (The healthcare bit ), I suspect Amy didn't say that. Journalistic licence is fine but don't mislead people. Never paint a picture that demeans. My daughter is Congolese and she has read the story and that pissed her off. It may come as a surprise to some, but Africa has schools, microwave ovens they even have computers.  

"During the trip I got stuck in a typhoon,” explains Lehman, "and the air strip where I was supposed to be picked up had been washed away.

"Sitting there, in the shadow of the Eastern Congolese mountains, it dawned on me that I was in a very interesting place; somewhere with lots of geopolitical significance and millions of people living in it – yet totally unknown to the rest of the world. I found that deeply intriguing."

The ignorance of the world about central Africa is quite astonishing. 

Lake Tanganyika: a 'biodiversity hotspot'

There can be no denying that Lake Tanganyika is intriguing. It contains a fifth of the world's entire supply of fresh water, as well as mineral rich oil and gas reserves. It's also a biodiversity hotspot with hundreds of unique species. Then there are the people: the percentage of refugees and internally displaced people is very high, thanks to 20 years of regional conflict and civil war.

"So when people say they don’t know where Lake Tanganyika is, it’s like there’s a huge gap in our understanding of the world,” shrugs Lehman.

To many, her decision to leave behind a comfortable life in Chicago to work in a deprived part of the world, under physically touch circumstances and – on occasion – under protection from armed bodyguards, might seem inexplicable. Self destructive, even. But Lehman is no stranger to overcoming adversity. As a child she suffered from an autoimmune condition which forced her to spend years in a wheelchair and left her with nerve damage in her right arm. This ultimately threatened her job as a surgeon.

Following a botched operation, Lehman was forced to reconsider her career. What else could she do? "All I could think about was going back to Lake Tanganyika," she says.

So, leaving behind friends and family – “they weren’t that shocked – I’ve never taken the well trodden path in my life” – she did just that.

Quality of life on Lake Tanganyika is a perfect storm. Malaria is still the number one killer. There's incredibly high maternal mortality. And the under five death rate is a staggering 25 per cent.

"If a quarter of the children in London died before the age of five, civil society as we understand it would come to a screeching halt," says Lehman, throwing her head back and roaring with laughter at the absurdity of it all (she does this a lot).

There is a lot of truth in that. I wouldn't describe it as absurd though, criminal maybe.

The list of life threatening conditions includes typhoid, malnutrition, cholera, and measles. The few health centres dotted around the lake offer only basic care and the lack of infrastructure makes referral to hospital impossible.

Lehman is working to change that – albeit under the gaze of various sceptics.
A hospital ... on a ship?

"People get fixated with the idea of a hospital on a ship – it seems so crazy to them," she admits. "But it's really just a case of rethinking access to one of the most remote places in the world."

Remote ? I certainly don't think of it like that.

When enough money has been raised for its construction, the ship will travel around the lake, stopping at each community for a couple of weeks and responding to emergencies with the help of an ambulance boat and radio system. It will also act as a teaching hospital, with rotations for local volunteers lasting for 4-6 weeks.

Although realising the boat is still some way off ("if somebody plonked the money in our laps today, it would take eighteen months to build"), Lehman and her dedicated team have started a number of outreach programmes.

It depends on the specs of the boat. One of the traps with projects like this is that things are over specced it is often better to use simple easy to fix technology, navigation and safety systems. In the South Pacific we have learnt this lesson the hard way. Hi tech seats often don't float but wooden seats do it can be that simple and it can be the difference between life and death. 

They've already succeeded where some larger organisations have failed – delivering drops of mosquito nets, vital supplies and footballs to small communities around the lake.

They've also tackled some of the problems experienced by the female population.

“Life for women on Lake Tanganyika is hard,” says Lehman. “The day consists of hauling water and fire wood. There's no access to family planning and the birth rate is high. Education levels are low in general, but even more so for women, as they’re busy running the home. The physical work a woman has to do on a daily basis is pretty astonishing."

Most serious among the health issues affecting them is Obstetric fistula; an injury that occurs after obstructed childbirth. With no access to appropriate medical care, they are often left with permanent tears, which – to put it delicately – cause embarrassing symptoms that damage their quality of life.

Often very young (the average age of first motherhood is around 13) they are then shunned by the community – seen as shameful and hidden away. More often than not, their husbands abandon them, too. Their lives effectively come to an end.

“Think about it,” says Lehman, shaking her head. “You’re a young woman – sometimes not even a woman yet – you’re pregnant and your baby gets stuck. It’s painful and awful. There’s no help. 99 per cent of the time your baby dies. Then you’re left with terrible injuries. And no one has even explained to you what’s happened.”

She arranged for some of the women to travel to Tanzania for surgery.

All but one was operated on successfully. But, explains Lehman, this 19-year-old Congolese woman was actually the person who taught her the greatest lesson.

'Emotional repair'

“After the crushing disappointment of not being able to do the surgery, we had to find a way to help her," says Lehman. "We didn’t want her to sink back into the dark recesses of her hut.

“I realised she had information and experience that could help others. I spoke to the Relais Communautaire – a group of women from the southern Congo who teach basic health care – and asked whether she could join them. And so, in the space of a week, we watched the transformation of this girl into a leader. Although we couldn’t physically heal her, she had undergone emotional repair. It just goes to show that a pill or an operation isn’t the whole story.”

Where Lehman's own story ends is anyone's guess. She's devoted her life to raising funds for the floating clinic and is determined to see the project through ("I made that choice and I've no one to blame but myself").

Her fundraising takes her all over the world – she currently only spends about 40 per cent of her time on Lake Tanganyika – and has brought her to the attention of the press. In 2011, she was named by American magazine Newsweek as one of '150 Women Who Shake the World' and by Elle magazine as one of nine women who are 'fixing the world'.

How does she feel about being heralded as a role model?

"It's not why I do it," she says. "But I'm humbled and proud. I hope I can demonstrate something that can lead people in interesting directions in their own lives."

Any advice for budding social entrepreneurs?

She pauses. "Having a big idea is the first part of a very long path. You need the passion and inspiration to get people to believe in you. But you have to be ready for a slog. It takes discipline and flexibility. You've also got to be prepared for constant learning. I've had a lot of education and gone to good schools, but I don't feel like I know it all."

Throwing down the gauntlet

There can be little doubt that Lehman is constantly learning. From tackling the language barrier to winning over officials from all four countries that border the lake and facing issues such as shipping, customs and immigration – she's thrown herself headlong into understanding a different culture. Not to mention the arduous journey just to travel to the lake itself – which can take days, aboard a series of uncomfortable modes of transport.

All things considered, it's no wonder this brave woman is more than happy – indeed, proud and delighted – to show off the detailed tattoo of rocky headlands, rippling water and sea creatures that run from the base of her neck, across her shoulders and down to her hips. It took 18 hours to complete and, to Lehman, represents more than just a way of overcoming further shipwrecks.

"It's a pledge of how important the region is to me," she says. "I carry it on my back, wherever I go. It's me throwing down the gauntlet. I'm the one who has to live with whether I'm successful or not."

Somehow, it's hard to imagine her hospital won't be up and floating before too long.

Good luck and safe passage.

Great Lakes Region: Remembering the millions that have been killed in the last 30 years.

Rising Continent blogs

Dying in the Great Lakes – A Living Portrait

The event will take place in London on Saturday 14th 2013. 

That is September.

What is it?

It is a public spectacle against the indifference of the West to the suffering of Africans.

The truth of that statement should make us all stop and think. The Western world has for centuries nicked everything we could get our thieving hands on in Africa, including at our worst its people. From slavery in the past to Coltan today we have been complicit in the deaths of millions of Africans. It is not a question of blame, we today are not to blame for the slave raiders of  previous centuries but make no mistake we are responsible for that exploitation. The wealth that we enjoy in the first world was accumulated through centuries of colonial exploitation. That we now turn away from engaging with the people of Africa and demanding that they are afforded human rights, food security, political freedom and education is an indictment on us. 

 

It is a claim to Western governments about their responsibilities in the plight of the victims of political and military leaders in the Great Lakes region they support.

There is no shortage of Crocodiles in the region. Kabila, Kagame, Museveni lead the list but there are many others.

                                                          Radio Netherlands Worldwide

It is an act of raising consciousness among the victims and their supporters to show that change depends on the determination of people.

It is a small scale visual representation of the tragedy that millions of Africans in Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi experience since the 80s until today.

That the West is largely ignorant of this history tells of the need for this it should not be just limited to London though.

It is a testimony about one sad and revolting picture of the chains of production of electronic devices [iPad, iPhone, mobile, laptop, play station, etc] that the Western world cherishes and cannot live without.

It is a way of honouring and remembering the millions of people who died in Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo since that the Ugandan president Joweri Museveni started his bush war in that country in 1981.

It is a bit of a stretch to blame Museveni  for everything. That is actually one of the problems with Rising Continent, they see thing in black and white when there are always shades of grey. I certainly don't think to many Ugandans look back nostalgically at the " reign " of Idi Amin. And yes I realise that the Bush War is post Amin.

Script on the day

The event will bring together as many people as possible in a square in London to be indicated a few days before 14/09/13. We will play the dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo in particular, but also Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. Participants will lie down on the floor with blood-stained clothes for 30 to 40 minutes, when others will be watching the scenery while being blindfolded. While all this takes place in silence, four people will speak out alternatively the names of the missing ones. A flyer will be distributed to passers-by asking people to write down on a scale of 1 to 10 how indifferent they can be to message of the spectacle.

That is a good idea.

Encrypted by history

This action will be filmed by two Swiss journalists who are trying to make a film about our regional struggle with a particular emphasis on the issue of raw materials in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

I get the feeling that this protest would get a better response if it wasn't so political from an African perspective.

How to get involved

We ask you [if you are in London or can travel there] 40 minutes of your time to support the millions of Congolese, Rwandans, Ugandans and Burundians whose leaders are responsible of their death with different levels of responsibilities. Provided the significance of the initiative, we ask people who intend to get involved only to register on the facebook event page – [type DYING IN THE GREAT LAKES on your facebook page] if they are effectively committed. Honoring our dead requires some seriousness in our commitment.

Thank you in advance if you plan to get involved.

I think the organisers need to think more about what their objective is. Western indifference or African domestic injustice both are I concede linked but in 2010 the voter turnout in the British General Election was 65.1% focus I suggest on the victims and make it clear to the West that it is also our responsibility to halt the violence in the Great Lakes Region. 

" There will be no rescue, no intervention for us. We can only save ourselves. Many of you know influential people abroad, you must call these people. You must tell them what will happen to us... say goodbye. But when you say goodbye, say it as if you are reaching through the phone and holding their hand. Let them know that if they let go of that hand, you will die. We must shame them into sending help."  
Paul Rusesabagina Hotel Rwanda

Burundi : Joining the Batshit Crazy Club

Radio Neatherlands Worldwide reports

Burundi's new media law keeps Dutch ambassador vigilant
 

Dutch ambassador to Burundi Jolke Oppewal, a former journalist

Burundi’s new media law continues to cause unrest among the international community. It certainly doesn’t please the Dutch ambassador to Burundi, Jolke Oppewal. Once a journalist himself and someone who remains passionate about his past profession, Oppewal recently spoke with principal Burundian newspaper IWACU.

Being a good diplomat, Oppewal begins by talking about the good relations between his country and Burundi.

“We have an engagement, a partnership, with Burundi. We are funding projects to help the country develop and become more stable. Our partnership has already produced good results in terms of security and economic development,” he explains.

The adoption of the new media law doesn’t call into question his country’s engagement, he says. But the Dutch have a reputation for being direct and, addressing the media law, the ambassador is frank. 

Burundi’s new media law forces journalists to reveal sources and forbids stories deemed to undermine national security. The law bans the media from publishing stories about national defence, public safety, state security and the local currency. Those who break the law face fines between 1,500 and 4,500 euros.

“The Netherlands regrets this law. It’s obvious. Burundi needs open platforms. Reporters should have the freedom to express themselves regarding what’s happening in the country,” he says.

Oppewal notes that the law has “several vague articles”, which he also finds regrettable.

“Because of this vagueness, it’s very difficult for Burundian journalists to know when they are violating the law,” he says

Journalists not perfect
The diplomat also emphasizes that journalists are not perfect.

“They have to continue to improve, to train to become high-quality journalists,” Oppewal says.

Burundi’s media law is now in effect, but he believes that legal redress is still possible.

“If an appeal is made, the constitutional court will have to rule whether the law is constitutional,” he points out.
Meanwhile, according to the diplomat: “The Netherlands will remain vigilant as to how it is enforced.”
The ambassador’s advice to journalists is simple: work professionally, according to journalistic ethics. And if the democratic space closes as a result of this law?

Oppewal thinks for a moment and then responds in a soft but firm voice: “The Netherlands has had an excellent partnership with Burundi for the past few years. If this law leads to a closure of the democratic space, the nature of our partnership could change.”

Museveni and Kagame drop of the map

The Daily Monitor reports

East African Community gets new headquarters

From left: President Kibaki, Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete and The Aga Khan, founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, are shown the amenities of the new East African Community headquarters in Arusha on November 28, 2012. This was during the opening of the two buildings. PHOTO/STEPHEN MUDIARI   NATION MEDIA GROUP

KAMPALA

The East Africa Community now has a permanent place to call home following yesterday’s grand opening of an ultra-modern office complex in Arusha, Tanzania.

Presidents Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi officiated at the ceremony in the city that has cemented its traditional place as the regional body’s seat of power.

All very nice and about as interesting as watching grass grow. However then we have this. 

Rwandan leader Paul Kagame and President Museveni of Uganda who had earlier been expected to join their counterparts in launching the EAC headquarters, did not show up despite an hour delay to await their arrival.

OK I might be putting a western interpretation on this but usually Presidents show up to appointments that they are guests of honour at certainly they have people who contact functionaries and tell them to deputise something that clearly didn't happen here.

Rwandan Premier Pierre Habumuremyi finally stepped in for his leader as did Ugandan minister of State for East African Affairs Shem Bagaine who represented Mr Museveni. It was not immediately stated why the two skipped the meeting even though their names remained ingrained in the plague designed for the ceremony.

That leaves one very big question where were they. Why did they both drop of the face of the earth at the same time. I don't believe in coincidence as a rule and certainly not in a situation such as this. There seems to be no major new crisis being reported other than the utterably predictable Goma situstion. My guess is something has happened and I wouldn't bet against it being DR Congo related.

However, that did not dampen the joyous spirit among the hundreds of jubilant nationals of the five EAC member countries who braved a chilly morning to witness the event described by speakers as a turning point in pursuit of a fully integrated region.

The apparent significance of the Euros 18.8m office complex fully funded by the German government was also underlined by the attendance of other high ranking dignitaries from the diplomatic community as well as those among the business and civil society communities.

Among those who cheered on as the three Presidents unveiled the plague and cut the tape to usher in the new era included the host country’s’ Vice President Mohammed Ghalib Bilal, Premier Mizengo Pinda and His Highness the Aga Khan, the chairman of Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).

As part of the celebrations, the EAC Secretary General, Mr Richard Sezibera, signed two three-year bilateral agreements with Germany worth Euros 26m for Tax Administration and Investment Promotion reforms and another one with USAID for digitalization of data exchange among the different revenue authorities that could save up to $50m in costs at the border posts.

That is significant amounts of coin. Most governments would think hard about stuffing around doners with such a casual attitude towards attendence.

The signed agreements add up to a growing list of bilateral and multilateral development partners eyeing to ride on the EAC market of more than 150 million people to establish and grow their business presence in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda.

President Kibaki, who is the current chairman of the Heads of State Summit, said EAC citizens should be proud of the achievements of EAC integration process and appealed that the new complex should be an impetus for deepening success. “Today is a truly special day for us all. We have opened a project that will serve as a symbol for unity and renewal of the integration process,” said President Kibaki. The Kenyan president called for free movement of goods, services and people.

Boring though this may be it is a bloody good idea from an Eastern Africa economic development perspective and that is something that would not have been lost on either Kagame or Museveni. That makes the no show even more perplexing.