What If Colonel Gaddafi Loses the Battle for Tripoli?

Nairobi — In January this year, an organisation calling itself the House of Traditional Elders of Kenya held court with Libyan strongman Col Muammar Gaddafi.
Led by its chairman, Mr Kamlesh Pattni of the Goldenberg infamy, they presented a Sh100-million proposal to the now embattled president.
It is, therefore, not surprising that the organisation's vice-chairman, Mr Riaga Ogallo, has condemned the ongoing bombardment of Gaddafi's forces by Western powers.

According to www.allafrica.com, when the organisation was formed in 2009, its other officials were Phares Ruteere (secretary general), Vincent Mwachiro (treasurer), former Ol Kejuado County Council chairman Daniel ole Muyaa (organising secretary), Haji Ahmed (deputy secretary), Peter Mumia (national coordinator), Julius Nyarotso (deputy treasurer), Mwangi Thuita (deputy organising secretary), and Sam Muumbi (deputy coordinator).
With rebels pushing towards Tripoli, thanks to an unrelenting bombardment of the loyalist troops by a coalition of European powers, arrangements such as the one Gaddafi has with the Kenya elders could go up in smoke. And that would be the case across the continent.
Corporate and individual fortunes could change drastically if the Western-backed rebels shoot their way into Tripoli and overthrow the colonel, who has been in power since 1969.
After the Arab League ignored Gaddafi's quest to lord it over them, the self-declared "emancipator of humanity" turned his attention and petrodollars to poverty-stricken sub-Saharan Africa.
In a bid to entrench Libya at the economic and political heartbeat of several African regions, the Libyan despot established several investment vehicles using the country's petroleum revenues.
Under the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), the country's sovereign wealth fund believed to be capitalised at approximately $65 billion (Sh5.5 trillion), the North African nation has established numerous subsidiaries whose tentacles embrace hotels, oil exploration, mining, tourism, agriculture, and infrastructure in at least 31 countries.

Subsidies under LIA include the Libyan Arab Foreign Bank (LAFB), the Libyan African Portfolio for Investments (LAP), the Libyan Arab African Investment Company (LAAICO), and Tamoil, whose African operations run under the OiLibya brand. According to a leaked US diplomatic cable, from 2010 the scale of investments in Africa is in the region of $5 billion (Sh415 billion.)
These companies avoid investing in labour-intensive processes and instead prefer putting their money in state assets undergoing privatisation. Where this rule is overstepped, the conglomerates enter into partnerships with local companies.
In Kenya, for example, what used to be Mobil is now OiLibya, while the hotel formerly known as Grand Regency is now Laico-Regency.
United States of Africa
Alongside the economic alignments, Muammar Gaddafi has been trying to push for a United States of Africa through the AU and later through a group of traditional leaders which he had assembled under the auspices of the Forum for African Traditional Leaders (FATL).
As part of his agenda, Gaddafi used to host members of FATL in the now rebel-held city of Benghazi every year, where he lavished them with gifts and promises of development funds.
As a vote of thanks, this congress of chiefs and tribal leaders crowned their flamboyant benefactor as the "King of the Kings of Africa" in 2008.
The prospect of losing access to Libyan oil dollars is perhaps the reason Toro kingdom Queen Mother and FATL secretary general, Best Kemigisa, is one of the most aggrieved women in Uganda.
Gaddafi spent millions of dollars in renovating the palace of Toro King Oyo Nyimba at Fort Portal. He is also said to have paid for the 19-year-old king's education at a prestigious London school.

The Queen Mother, who describes Gaddafi as a revolutionary pan-Africanist who has led from the front in financing development projects across the continent, is also appealing to African members of the FATL to support Gaddafi in crushing the rebellion.
"He needs us more than ever before. As cultural leaders we should not sit and just watch him being hurt," Kemigisa explained in an interview with Uganda's Sunday Vision. "He has always been there for us and supported cultural institutions. We need to do something to help him resolve the crisis."
Kingdom of Buganda
Gaddafi is also said to have close ties with the kingdom of Buganda, where he channelled his handouts through Prince Kassim Nakibinge.
Apart from money pumped in through the traditional leaders, Uganda is one of the countries in Africa that have benefited the most from Libyan largesse in recent years.
However, the fate of Uganda's relatively robust economy is in no way tied to Gaddafi's fate, in spite of sizable Libyan investments there.
From investments to philanthropy, Gaddafi's footprints are evident in Uganda. In March 2008, the Libyan leader visited Uganda amid huge fanfare to open a multi-billion dollar mosque, famed to be the second largest in Africa with a capacity to accommodate 15,000 worshippers. Of course, he had financed its construction.
Perched on Old Kampala Hill, Gaddafi Mosque remains one of the most poignant symbols of Libya's geo-politics in Uganda.
With the flamboyant leader having promised to finance the refurbishing and maintenance of the mosque for the next 10 years, there is uncertainty about what will happen if Tripoli falls.

"May Allah protect and help our brother (Gaddafi) emerge victorious because I don't know whether we shall be able to maintain the mosque without his support," Meddie Akhram, a worshipper, was quoted as lamenting.
According to the Sunday Vision, the Ugandan Muslim community says the construction of a Gaddafi-sponsored Islamic university was mooted after a committee headed by Dr Badru Kiggundu acquired land in Mukono. But with the current situation, the project does not seem to be feasible.
The paper estimates Libyan investments in Uganda at $375 million (Sh31 billion), and these have provided thousands of jobs for locals.Some of the companies in which Libya is said to own substantial shares include Uganda Telecom, Tropical Bank, Laico Lake Victoria Hotel, Tamoil East Africa, OiLibya, House of Dawda, Uganda Pharmaceuticals, and Lake Victoria Hotel Entebbe.
Oil pipeline
The Libyan government is also said to be laying the groundwork for the construction of a $300 million (Sh25 billion) oil pipeline from Mombasa to Kampala.
Libya also owns 60 per cent of Tristar, which exports garments from Uganda to the United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, as well as 49 per cent of Uganda's largest real-estate developer, National Housing and Construction Corporation.
Although Gaddafi's dalliance with traditional kingdoms and his push for a United States of Africa have created a rift between him and his Ugandan counterpart, President Yoweri Museveni has come out strongly in defence of his ally against the UN-sanctioned pummelling by American and European forces.
Gaddafi funded and armed the bloody Amin regime, but he later switched sides to support the rebel army that brought Museveni to power in 1986.

As a sign of their friendship, the two men have exchanged high-sounding honorific. While Gaddafi awarded Museveni the Al-Fatah medal -- the country's highest honour -- in 1988, Museveni reciprocated in 2004 by awarding Gaddafi the Order of Katonga, Uganda's highest military honour.
Ironically, Uganda was among the first countries to enact the UN sanctions against Libya. The Ugandan government announced its takeover of Uganda Telecom Limited in which Libya holds a 69 per cent stake; and Tropical Bank, where the Libyan Foreign Bank owns 99.7 per cent shares.
According to Kampala, the move was aimed at disconnecting Gaddafi from Libya Africa Investments, the umbrella under which the assets in Uganda falls.
Souce:http://allafrica.com

Gaddafi stars, cleaning up the Stain

Beyonce, Nelly Furtado and Mariah Carey have all tried to repair any damage that their links to the tainted regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi may have caused them.

On Monday, Furtado tweeted that she would give away the $1 million she earned for just 45 minutes performing before the clan in Italy in 2007. OK, it’s a start, but when, and to whom, and how will anyone know?

Then Beyonce issued a statement saying she had already donated her Gaddafi-stained fee to a Haiti charity. This is also problematic. Judging by comments which stories on this issue have prompted, some people want to know for sure that the money Beyonce so admirably gave to a good cause was the money she earned from the New Year’s Eve concert hosted by one of the Libyan leader’s sons. Otherwise, they argue, the singer is merely avoiding coughing up another million in addition to money she already decided to give.

And finally came Mariah Carey, who took to the web on Thursday with her own response. She, like Beyonce, has been embarrassed by her participation in Gaddafi-hosted New Year’s eve parties on the Caribbean island of St. Barts, a predicament her PR team described as “a slight pr problem”.

A statement on her website called Gaddafi a “vicious, crazy dictator”, but then went on to say that Carey’s involvement at the show was before Libya was in the news and the fact that it was now an issue was “sort of ridiculous”. Carey was described as “very philanthropic” and the statement went on to list her charitable ventures to date, including donating earnings from her song “Hero” to good causes. For good measure, Carey also said she would donate any proceeds from a new song called “Save the Day” “for human rights issues”.

Carey’s own statement read: “I was naive and unaware of who I was booked to perform for. I feel horrible and embarrassed to have participated in this mess. Going forward, this is a lesson for all artists to learn from. We need to be more aware and take more responsibility regardless of who books our shows. Ultimately we as artists are to be held accountable.”

Opinions on these various actions are mixed. Some readers praise the artists for facing up to the truth, and express some sympathy at the way world events have swung against them in recent weeks. Others don’t buy it. All three stars are accused of putting their paychecks before their principles, and some commentators doubt the sincerity of their response to the problem.

It will be interesting to see if this issue rumbles on, or whether life returns to normal for the stars who have sought to extract themselves from an awkward situation. There are other singers too who have been linked to Libya in one way or another — Usher (named by Carey), Lionel Richie and Spanish tenor Jose Carreras (who both sang in Tripoli in 2006) to name but three.

One lesson in all this must surely be — be careful who you sing for.

Source:http://blogs.reuters.com

Swiss ban financial transfers to Gaddafi clan

Switzerland ratcheted up pressure on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi by banning transfers of money that could end up in the hands of his family and associates.
   Switzerland is working hard to improve its image as a haven for ill-gotten assets and in February the Swiss government froze assets of 29 Libyans linked to Gaddafi. It has also frozen any assets belonging to oustedEgyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

"Switzerland wants to prevent any financial support of Muammar Gaddafi and his circle," the government said.

It will also be forbidden to give people linked to Gaddafi direct or indirect access to money or economic resources, it added.

The decision could affect Libyan oil company Tamoil, which operates a 72,000 barrel-per-day refinery in western Switzerland.

When asked about the measure's effect on Tamoil, government spokesman Andre Simonazzi said: "With each transaction for Tamoil the question gets raised -- where's the money going? It's got to be investigated who would profit."

But he said it was not up to the government to run checks on money movements. "It's up to the banks and financial institutions."

Tamoil spokesman Laurent Paoliello said on Friday the company would not be impacted by the new measures.

"The decision by the Federal Council confirmed that Tamoil Switzerland is a Swiss company like any other and we can continue to work normally," he said. "It showed that we were neither affected by the U.N. sanctions nor by the Swiss resolution."

Earlier this week Paoliello said that U.N. sanctions could affect the group's ability to source crude and that it was monitoring the impact.

The U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions on Saturday on Gaddafi and his family for his repression of a popular uprising in which possibly thousands have been killed.

Switzerland has not been alone in its moves against Gaddafi. On Friday, Austria widened an asset freeze list to include a top official at the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA), Libya's sovereign wealth fund.

Britain also extended a freeze on Gaddafi family assets to a further 20 members of his entourage and impounded around 100 million pounds of Libyan currency.

Relations between Switzerland and Libya soured in 2008 when Geneva police arrested a son of Gaddafi on charges -- later dropped -- of abusing two domestic employees.

Libya withdrew millions of dollars from Swiss banks, halted oil exports to Switzerland and barred two Swiss businessmen working in Libya from leaving the country.

Source:http://www.blogger.com

Anthony Giddens' trip to see Gaddafi vetted by Libyan intelligence chief

A trip to Libya in 2006 by Anthony Giddens, the former London School of Economics director and eminent sociologist, when he met Muammar Gaddafi in his tent, was first vetted by the Libyan leader's head of intelligence, leaked documents show.

Lord Giddens, guru of Labour's third way, twice met Gaddafi on trips in 2006 and 2007 organised by Monitor Group, a US lobbying firm. Leaked documents show at least one trip was disclosed in advance to Abd Allah al-Sanusi, blamed for atrocities in the present uprising.

Giddens, 73, was director of the LSE for six years until 2003, and is the author of at least 34 books and credited with devising the "third way" adopted by Tony Blair.

Monitor Group was paid more than £2m by the Libyan government in 2006 to conduct a "cleansing" campaign of its image, according to leaked documents.

Anthony Giddens says his trips were ‘an opportunity that had to be explored’ 

A letter sent in July 2006 by executives at Monitor Group to al-Sanusi, also known as Abdullah Senussi, is about targeting influential academics to emphasise the emergence of "the New Libya".

"We will create a network map to identify significant figures engaged or interested in Libya today ... We will identify and encourage journalists, academics and contemporary thinkers who will have interest in publishing papers and articles on Libya," the letter claims.

"We are delighted that after a number of conversations, Lord Giddens has now accepted our invitation to visit Libya in July," the letter adds. It ends by saying to al-Sanusi: "We very much look forward to hearing from you with any questions or comments that you may have."

There is no implication that Giddens knew al-Sanusi's approval was sought.

He is married to a sister of Gaddafi's wife, and is considered his most trusted aide. He is number two on an opposition list of wanted "war criminals" topped by Gaddafi. He has been blamed for killings of rebels in Benghazi, as well as recruiting the regime's mercenaries. Libyans hold him responsible for a 1996 massacre of 1,200 inmates at Abu Salim prison.

Described as head of military intelligence with the rank of general, he is part of Gaddafi's "ahl al-Khaimah" (people of the tent), his closest entourage.

Monitor also claimed in the letter that they were paying an "honorarium", and that they would help identify academics who had an interest in publishing articles on Libya. When given questions from the Guardian asking if he had been paid an honorarium, fees or expenses for attending events in connection with the Libyan government, Giddens did not respond.

Sir Howard Davies, who resigned as current director of the LSE on Thursday night, said that he had quit because of "two errors of judgment": to advise that a donation from Saif Gaddafi's foundation was acceptable, and the other was agreeing to act as an economic envoy to Libya.

Richard Sennett, LSE emeritus professor of sociology, blamed the crisis on a "desperate search for funds, [in which] the notion of having clear water between the desires of the donors and the standards of the university is just eroded".

Lord Desai, the Labour peer who set up the LSE centre for global governance, defends the LSE in the Guardian: "It was only after bullets started flying in Libya that Saif Gaddafi was found to have cheated. Nor had anyone until then objected that the LSE had received a donation from Saif Gaddafi's Foundation."

According to another document from Monitor, sent a year later, Giddens made two visits to Libya, the first in July 2006, resulting in bylined articles in the New Statesman, El País and La Repubblica. In the New Statesman, he said Libya had been transformed from the pariah state of old. "Gaddafi's 'conversion' may have been driven partly by the wish to escape sanctions, but I get the strong sense it is authentic and there is a lot of motive power behind it. Saif Gaddafi is a driving force behind the rehabilitation and potential modernisation of Libya. Gaddafi Sr, however, is authorising these processes."

His second trip organised by Monitor was an extraordinary public discussion hosted by Sir David Frost, the TV interviewer, with a panel of three "thinkers" – Giddens, Gaddafi and Benjamin Barber, author of Jihad vs McWorld. After this visit, he wrote an article for the Guardian.

In a statement, Giddens said that he had no involvement while the LSE's director; the objective of his visits in 2006 and 2007 was to encourage the emergence of a market-based economy and draw up a democratic constitution.

"Mr Gaddafi had by that date renounced his nuclear weapons programme. His stated intention was to move the country towards the west and open up to the wider world. It was an opportunity that certainly had to be explored and for a period did seem to lead to significant reforms. Mr Gaddafi's actions in the present are entirely abhorrent and I condemn them absolutely," he said.

Source:http://www.guardian.co.uk

West African Bank Replaces Head to Cut Off Ivory Coast Government

West African leaders have replaced the head of the region's central bank in a move to further isolate the incumbent president of Ivory Coast who is refusing to give up power to the internationally-recognized winner of November's vote.

West Africa's central bank last month announced it would sever incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo's access to Ivorian funds as part of an effort to drive him from power in favor of the man who most regional leaders say won the presidential election -former prime minister Alassane Ouattara.

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn (R) meets with Philippe Henri Dacoury-Tabley, governor of the BCEAO, the West African central bank, in Abidjan

Gbagbo's government continued to have access to state funds, chiefly because central bank governor Philippe Henri Dacoury-Tabley is a Gbagbo ally. So West African leaders forced Tabley to resign.

Soumaila Cisse, the president of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, says heads of state at an emergency meeting in Mali were concerned about the impact that Tabley not applying their decision would have on the stability of the regional economic and monetary union.

Cisse says the current vice-governor will take over until there is a permanent replacement for Tabley. A written statement from the meeting says Ouattara has been asked to nominate a candidate for that permanent replacement.

Ouattara's prime minister Guillaume Soro was at the meeting in Mali. He says the move is further evidence of Gbagbo's isolation.

Soro says the conclusion presented by heads of state in Mali is clear. The central bank governor has resigned and Ouattara will propose a new governor.

The European Union has frozen the assets of Ivory Coast's main cocoa ports, its state oil firm, its main energy utility, its national broadcaster, and three banks because European leaders say those firms are helping to fund what they call an illegitimate government.

The U.S. treasury has frozen Gbagbo's accounts and banned Americans from doing business with his government.

Gbagbo's government says those economic sanctions will hurt foreign businesses more than Ivorians because they can buy manufactured goods from Asia and South America but there is nowhere else in the world that has as much cocoa as Ivory Coast.

West African leaders are also considering a regional military force to remove Gbagbo. Ouattara says that force may now be necessary.

Sudan President Accused of Hiding Billions of Dollars

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor says he has evidence Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has stolen billions of dollars from his country.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo made the statement Saturday after the corruption allegation appeared in Britain's Guardian newspaper.  

The report was based on a U.S. diplomatic cable provided by the Wikileaks website.  The cable cites Moreno-Ocampo as saying Mr. Bashir has stashed away $9 billion, possibly in Lloyds Bank of London.

It says the prosecutor believes Mr. Bashir's popularity would suffer if the public learns of his alleged wealth.

Sudanese officials say Moreno-Ocampo's accusation is false and is part of an effort to discredit Mr. Bashir.  The ICC has charged the Sudanese leader with masterminding war crimes and genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.  

The court has issued international warrants for Mr. Bashir's arrest, which the Sudanese has flouted with repeated trips abroad.

Meanwhile, Lloyds Bank says it has "absolutely no evidence" to suggest it has a connection with Mr. Bashir.
Source:voanews.com

Uganda bombings overshadow African Union summit

By Samson Ntale, For CNN

Heads of 35 African nations observed two minutes of silence Sunday to honor more than 70 people killed in terrorist bomb blasts in Uganda earlier this month as the African Union summit opened.
"Our condolences go to the people of Uganda for the tragic loss of lives following that tragic incident," said Bingu Wa Mutharika, AU chairman and Malawian president.
"Terrorism has no place in Africa; it has no place in the developing world," he said. "Let us all condemn these acts."
The summit, which formally opened Sunday following a week of conferences, is being held at a resort hotel in Munyonyo, about 12 kilometers south of the Ugandan capital of Kampala on the shore of Lake Victoria. On July 11, three bombs at two sites in Kampala killed 76 people and injured more than 80. Many of the victims had gathered to watch the World Cup finals.

Survivors lie amid overturned furniture after a bombing in a Kampala, Uganda, restaurant on July 11.

The Al-Shabaab militant group, which is currently battling the weak transitional government in war-torn Somalia, claimed responsibility for the bombings, saying they were in retaliation for Uganda's contribution of troops for peacekeeping operations in Somalia. About 6,000 Ugandan and Burundian troops were deployed for the peacekeeping mission more than two years ago in the Horn of Africa nation, which has been at war for more than a decade.
Mutharika, in his remarks, stopped short of making any commitment toward AU peacekeeping missions in Somali and the Darfur region of Sudan. However, AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping said on Friday that Guinea and Djibouti have battalions of soldiers ready to be be deployed to Somalia.
Forty-three heads of state have said they will attend the Summit. Thirty-five had arrived by Sunday, including Libya's Moammar Gadhafi and Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan.
"While people were enjoying the World Cup, Uganda was having the dark side of it," Jonathan told the conference. "Nigeria condemns that terrorist attack on innocent people in totality and we stand in solidarity with Uganda."
While the theme of the three-day summit is maternal, infant and child health, the subject has been overshadowed by the Ugandan attacks, the deteriorating security situation in Somalia and the attacks by Al-Shabaab.
"We find the terrorist bomb attacks in Kampala despicable," Ping told attendees Friday. "We welcome the pledges of other countries in providing the troops to Somalia, including from Djibouti, which already has a battalion ready."
Ping said he has been discussing the issue throughout the week with various African authorities and by the end of the summit, he expects more nations to pledge troops to Somalia peacekeeping efforts.
The attacks are cause for Africa to change its stance on terrorism, Adris Piebalgs, European Union commissioner for development, told reporters at the summit.
"The recent bombings in Kampala have changed things greatly. We have just witnessed AU leadership during the opening of the summit today paying more attention on terrorism coming (from) Somalia," Piebalgs said. "We are seeing real commitment, with more countries contributing to the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia." The EU will continue its support of the mission, he said, and urges more African nations to get involved and "deal with the problem."
Some 20 people have been arrested in connection with the Kampala blasts, Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni told the summit, and have been giving investigators "useful" information about terrorist operations.
"The organizers of these attacks have been arrested. Their interrogations are yielding useful information," Museveni said.
"I have great contempt for the authors of terrorism," he told the summit. "... They attack innocent people. I recommend (to) the AU leaders not to accept this terrorist arrogance."
Museveni told the summit the mandate of the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia should be changed, with troops able to beyond Mogadishu and hunt Al-Shabaab and other militant groups. Piebalgs said he would support a wider mandate for the mission from the United Nations Security Council, and urged AU leadership to seek it.
Somali insurgents reportedly killed two Ugandan peacekeepers this week in attacks on AU and government military positions in Somalia's battered capital, Mogadishu.
"How can these people dare attack the AU flag?" Museveni said. "These terrorists can be and should be defeated. Let us act in concert and sweep them out of Africa. Let them go back to Asia and the Middle East where they came from."
Source:http://edition.cnn.com

20 Arrested Over Attacks in Uganda

By JOSH KRON

KAMPALA, Uganda — The police have arrested a second batch of suspects in connection to last Sunday’s terrorist attacks in this capital that killed 76 people, and they said suicide bombers were probably involved in the attacks.

The Shabab, an Islamist insurgency in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the three bombs that struck two popular nightspots where soccer fans had gathered to watch the final match of the World Cup.

The police said that the latest suspects included people from Uganda, Somalia and Ethiopia.

Some of the suspects were been arrested while trying to leave the country and were caught near the borders with Sudan and Rwanda, the police said.

Local news media quoted the police as saying that at least 20 people had been arrested.

“I think the investigations are proceeding well,” said Judith Nabakooba, a police spokeswoman. “We are working in a dedicated way.”

The arrests come as Kampala is preparing to host the 15th African Union summit meeting this month; over 50 African heads of state are expected to attend.

Investigations and new security measures have continued in Kampala, where the mood is tense. More than 60 agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation are in Uganda, assisting in the investigations, according to the United States Embassy.
Source:http://www.nytimes.com

World celebrates Mandela Day

The world is marking the first Nelson Mandela International Day to commemorate the birthday of South Africa's first black president, who turns 92 on Sunday.

The United Nations had last year agreed to commemorate Mandela's birthday every year  to recognise the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's contribution to resolving conflicts and promoting race relations, human rights and reconciliation.

Ninety-two children aged from six to 12 from southern South Africa were flown courtesy of the national carrier to visit the ailing icon at his Johannesburg home on the eve of his birthday. They sang him a birthday song.

The increasingly frail Mandela will spend his birthday with his family in Johannesburg [AFP]

In a statement, Mandela's office quotes him as saying, "I like being with young children".

Revered figure

Mandela was jailed for 27 years by the country's white minority government for resisting apartheid rule.
On his release in 1990, he led negotiations with apartheid rulers, a process that culminated in his election as the country's first black president in 1994.

He stepped down as president in 1999, after serving one term in office and is still revered around the world for promoting peace and fighting against racism and HIV/Aids.

South Africa celebrated the 20th anniversary of Mandela's release from prison on February 11, a day credited with shaping the history of the country.

Jacob Zuma, the president of South Africa, is expected to address thousands of villagers at Mandela's birthplace Mvezo on Sunday.

"Mandela's 67 years of uninterrupted and selfless service to the people of South Africa and the world culminated in the birth of a new South Africa, united in diversity," Zuma said in a statement.

People around the globe have been urged to devote 67 minutes on Sunday to public service, to honour Mandela's 67 years of service.
Source:http://english.aljazeera.net

Why FG restored Ribadu’s AIG rank –Minister

By Olusola Fabiyi

The Federal Government has expressed its willingness to review the cases of 139 police officers who were demoted from their ranks in 2008 alongside the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.


FG‘s readiness to take a second look at the circumstances that led to their demotions and in some cases, retirement, followed Monday‘s restoration of Ribadu‘s rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police and the conversion of his dismissal to retirement.


There had been insinuations that the FG was rehabilitating Ribadu because the President Goodluck Jonathan administration was considering to offer him another public office.


But speaking with newsmen in his office on Thursday, the Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Adamu Waziri, said the government reviewed Ribadu‘s demotion and dismissal based on a petition he wrote to the Police Service Commission and copied the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, and his ministry.


Waziri said the PSC, the IGP and the police affairs ministry were ready to look into the case of the 139 other officers who were demoted with the former EFCC chairman.


He explained that Ribadu‘s case was singled out with his rank restored on Monday because he was the only one that appealed to the PSC, asking the commission to restore his rank.


The PSC had restored Ribadu‘s AIG rank on Monday and consequently retired him after he contested his demotion to the rank of a deputy commissioner


The former EFCC chairman had refused to report at Benin, Edo State where he was transferred to as the DCP in charge of the zone.


Apart from Ribadu, others who were demoted from the rank of commissioners to deputy commissioners were Solomon Arase, Amodu Ali, Columbus Okaro, Olayinka Balogun, Adebayo Ajileye and the late Force Public Relations Officer and then Commissioner in charge of Kaduna State Police Command, Mr. Haz Iwendi.


Iwendi‘s rank was later restored following public outcry that greeted the government‘s action, which was taken on April 5, 2008.


The police affairs minister said that there was no way government would have considered the remaining officers while restoring Ribadu‘s rank because they did not formally complain through the official channels.


He said it was also wrong to assume that the PSC took the action alone, adding that the office of the IGP and his (Waziri‘s) ministry were consulted.


Waziri said, ”In the case of the restoration of Ribadu‘s rank, it was not a sole decision of the PSC; the office of the IGP and this ministry were consulted.


”Concerning the cases of 139 others, well, government will not force them to make their own submissions.


”He (Ribadu) was the only one that appealed against his demotion. And let me tell you that government will look into the cases of others if they choose to contest it.


”There is no way you will review the cases of those who did not complain. Let them complain and government will consider it. But I cannot tell you what the outcome will be because the merit of each case will determine its outcome.”


On the alleged collection of money by the police before releasing suspects on bail, the minister said it was wrong and appealed to Nigerians not to accede to the demand of such officers.


He also said that bail could be delayed based on the case involved, but called on the citizens to always help the police.


He also called on Nigerians not to believe in the Amnesty International‘s report which alleged torture and extra-judicial killings by the police.


Waziri revealed that paucity of fund was affecting the implementation of the 2010 budget as it affects his ministry‘s activities.

Source: http://www.punchng.com

Malawi's president: pardon and release gay couple

By RAPHAEL TENTHANI, Associated Press Writer

BLANTYRE, Malawi – Malawi's president on Saturday pardoned and ordered the release of a gay couple sentenced to 14 years in prison, but said that homosexuality remains illegal in this conservative southern African nation.

Activists were searching for a safe house for the couple, fearing they could be attacked upon release.

Malawi has faced international condemnation for the conviction and harsh sentencing of Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza.President Bingu wa Mutharika announced the pardon, saying it was on "humanitarian grounds only," during a press conference with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Lilongwe, the capital.

Earlier in the week, the top U.N. AIDS official and the head of an international donor organization met Mutharika in Malawi and expressed concern that criminalizing homosexuality would keep a vulnerable group from seeking HIV/AIDS counseling and treatment.

Joseph Amon of Human Rights Watch said the president was no doubt responding to the international outcry over the case.

"I hope that other leaders of African countries with anti-gay laws see that this is just not acceptable in the international community," Amon told The Associated Press by telephone from New York.

Malawi is among 37 African countries with anti-gay laws.

In Senegal police have rounded up men suspected of being homosexual and beaten them, and a mob last year pulled the corpse of a gay man from his grave, spat on it and dumped it at the home of his elderly parents.

In Zimbabwe this month, two employees of a gay organization spent six days in jail on allegations of possessing indecent material and displaying a placard seen as insulting to President Robert Mugabe, an outspoken critic of homosexuality.

In Uganda, a proposed law would impose the death penalty for some gays.

Even in South Africa, the only country that recognizes gay rights, lesbians have been gang-raped.

In Malawi, a judge convicted and sentenced Chimbalanga and Monjeza earlier this month on charges of unnatural acts and gross indecency, both colonial-era laws. They were arrested in December, a day after they celebrated their engagement.

Crowds of Malawians had heckled the two during court hearings, with some saying after they were sentenced to 14 years at hard labor — the harshest possible sentence — that they should be imprisoned longer.

Undule Mwakasungure, a gay rights activist in Malawi, told The AP Saturday he was concerned about the couple's safety, and working with other activists to find a safe house for them and possible arrange for them to leave the country at least temporarily.

"There is homophobic sentiment. I think they might be harmed," Mwakasungure said.

Edi Phiri, who fled Malawi for Britain five years ago after being beaten because he was gay, said the two might need to seek asylum outside of Malawi.

"They will be out of prison, but what will happen next?" Phiri said. "The community will see them as outcasts. I don't think they will be safe in Malawi."

A cousin of Chimbalanga, Maxwell Manda, told The AP earlier in the week that Chimbalanga wanted to leave Malawi upon his release.

Mwakasungure and Phiri said the pardon was welcome and could fuel campaigns to overturn Malawi's anti-gaylegislation and try to change attitudes.

"The public needs to appreciate that the world is changing," Mwakasungure said. "It won't be easy. But I think that as time goes, people will start to appreciate. We're not talking about changing the law today or tomorrow. But we have to start the process."

Mutharika's comments Saturday underlined the challenge activists face.

"These boys committed a crime against our culture, against our religion, and against our laws," Mutharika said. "However, as head of state, I hereby pardon them and therefore order their immediate release without any conditions."

But he added, "We don't condone marriages of this nature. It's unheard of in Malawi and it's illegal."

Ban praised Mutharika's decision but said, "It is unfortunate that laws criminalize people based on sexuality. Laws that criminalize sexuality should be repealed."

While the order was immediate, a prison spokesman told The AP they had not received notification to release the two men by Saturday afternoon.

Mwakasungure, the activist, said he hoped the release would be delayed until Monday or Tuesday, to give him time to prepare a safe house.

Source:http://news.yahoo.com