AfricaDigest 10/8/10

[AfricaDigest Manager]

Thomas Lubanga: ICC trial of DR Congo warlord to resume

Thomas Lubanga is the first person to go on trial at the ICC at The
Hague

The International Criminal Court's appeals chamber has ruled that a
trial of a Congolese warlord should resume after a three-month
suspension.

In July, judges halted Thomas Lubanga's trial on war crimes charges
and ordered his release when prosecutors refused to hand information
to the defence.
Friday's ruling reversed the decision, but also rebuked Prosecutor
Luis Moreno Ocampo for flouting court orders.

Mr Lubanga has denied using child soldiers in eastern DR Congo in
2002-3.
His is the first trial to start at the ICC at The Hague but the case
has been plagued by legal challenges.

The 49 year old led the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC), an ethnic
Hema militia - one of six groups that fought for control of the gold-
rich Ituri region.
The land struggle turned into an inter-ethnic war in which an
estimated 50,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands were
left homeless.

'Binding orders'
Mr Lubanga's trial was suspended in July after Mr Moreno Ocampo
refused to confidentially disclose to the defence the identity of an
intermediary used by investigators to work with prosecution witnesses.

Thomas Lubanga
• Leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC), an ethnic Hema
militia
• Head of the UPC's military wing, the Patriotic Forces for the
Liberation of Congo (FPLC)
• Accused of recruiting children under 15 as soldiers
• Arrested in Kinshasa in March 2005
• Held by the ICC at The Hague since 2006
• Born in 1960, has a degree in psychology
• Congo trial starts road to justice
• Profile: Thomas Lubanga

The judges said his actions amounted to "a profound, unacceptable and
unjustified intrusion into the role of the judiciary".
They also ordered Mr Lubanga's release, saying it was "no longer fair"
to detain him.

On Friday, the appeals chamber reversed the decision, saying the trial
chamber had erred by resorting immediately to a stay of proceedings
without first imposing sanctions to force the prosecution to comply.
But presiding judge Sang-Hyun Song rejected the arguments of Mr Moreno
Ocampo that the trial chamber had wrongly found that he had refused to
comply with its orders, and had misconstrued his position with respect
to his duties of protecting victims and witnesses.

The "orders of the chambers are binding and should be treated as such
by all parties and participants unless and until they are suspended by
the appeals chamber", Judge Song added.
According to the ICC indictment, Mr Lubanga is accused of having
committed war crimes of enlisting and conscripting children under the
age of 15 years in the UPC's military wing, the Patriotic Forces for
the Liberation of Congo (FPLC), and of using them to participate in
hostilities.

His trial, which opened in 2009 after a seven-month delay over
disputed confidential evidence, has been hit by repeated legal
difficulties.
The first witness at the trial retracted his testimony after first
saying he had been recruited by FPLC fighters on his way home from
school.

One of the problems facing the court is that the Ituri region is still
unstable. This means the safety of witnesses cannot be guaranteed.
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Ghana 'U-turn' over President Atta Mills' jet condemned

President John Atta Mills said last year the country could not afford
two presidential jets
Ghana's government has been accused of double standards for
inaugurating a new presidential jet - after blocking the aircraft
order while in opposition.

The opposition NPP's Nana Obiri Boahen said he was shocked by the
unveiling fanfare, calling it a "U-turn".
But the vice-president said the $30m (£19m) jet would enable officials
to travel in safety and dignity.

John Atta Mills took over the presidency in January 2009 promising to
cut wasteful government spending.
In his first state of the nation address in February 2009, President
Atta Mills promised to impose "austerity measures" after replacing the
NPP (New Patriotic Party) in power.
"As part of these measures we will review the decision to purchase two
executive presidential aircrafts," he said in a speech to parliament.
"Ghana simply cannot afford the expenditure at this time and we
certainly do not need two presidential jets."

The French-built Dassault Falcon replaces a 30-year-old aircraft.
On Thursday, the defence minister sought to play down the party point-
scoring.
"This plane goes beyond political party consideration as both the past
and present administrations worked hard to acquire it," Ghana's Daily
Guide paper quotes Joseph Smith as saying.
------------------
Parasite disease rises in Sudan

The sand-fly transmits leishmaniasis

The number of cases of a potentially fatal parasitic disease has
increased six-fold in southern Sudan.
Visceral leismaniasis- also known as kala-azar - is the most severe
form of the disease.
More than 6,000 people have been infected and over 300 have died in
the last year.

The World Health Organization and the Sudanese ministry of health are
leading the distribution of treatments and testing equipment to
affected areas.

Deadly form
Visceral leishmaniasis is caused by the Leishmania parasite and
transmitted via the bite of an infected sand fly.
It is the most dangerous form of the disease because the parasite
migrates into the spleen and liver.
It causes high fever, significant weight loss, enlargement of the
spleen and liver, and anaemia. If left untreated visceral
leishmaniasis is nearly always fatal.

The number of cases from September 2009 until now is more than six
times higher than in 2007-08.
The counties of Old Fangak and Ayod in the south of the country are
particularly affected.

Before the situation becomes uncontrollable, we must do something
about it”
End Quote Dr Abdi Aden WHO

Dr Abdi Aden, head of the WHO's office for Southern Sudan said "The
increased number of cases in Old Fangak, Ayod and surrounding areas is
very disturbing and it is becoming difficult to contain the outbreak.
"Before the situation becomes uncontrollable, we must do something
about it."

Funding needed
To keep responding to the outbreak over the next six months an
additional $700,000 is needed.
This will buy more treatments, diagnostic kits as well as food
supplies.
Kala-azar suppresses the immune system making patients vulnerable to
other infections like pneumonia and malaria. Those that are
malnourished are at particularly high risk of dying.

The disease is difficult to treat - daily injections for a month are
needed, so patients need to stay close to health f
facilities.
But many patients still cannot reach treatment centres due to
insecurity, flooding and distance.
Dr Mounir Christo Lado of the Sudanese ministry of health said the
kala-azar outbreak could worsen between now and next spring.
"Insecurity, flooding and the lack of health facilities across a vast
geographical area are all playing a part in limiting access to
treatment for this deadly disease
---------------------
Somalia's AU peace force 'gains ground in Mogadishu'

The African Union has appealed for funds to increase its presence in
Somalia to 20,000 troops
The African Union says its peacekeeping troops are now in control of
more than 40% of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
The AU envoy to Somalia, Wafula Wamunyinyi, told the BBC that the
force backing the government had moved into several new positions in
recent days.

Meanwhile deep splits have been reported in the main Islamist group.
But correspondents say that even though al-Shabab has been weakened by
the divisions, it is unlikely that AU forces control so much of the
city.

The 6,000-strong African Union force, deployed to back the weak UN-
backed interim government, previously controlled only a few areas
around the presidential palace, the harbour and the airport.
'Somalia? No'
But Mr Wamunyinyi said the AU had cut off Islamist insurgents from one
of their key bases in the city's main Bakara market.

The Islamists have used the busy market as a hiding place, shielding
themselves amongst civilian traders, and firing rockets at government
and AU positions.
BBC Africa analyst Mary Harper says a large number of Somali
militiamen have reportedly distanced themselves from al-Shabab's de
facto leader, Ahmed Godane, who has a significant following of foreign
fighters.
If he is sidelined, the more radical wing of the movement - which is
closely aligned to al-Qaeda - may have to move itself and its foreign
supporters outside Somalia, she says.
"They [the Islamists] are at their weakest. If we had sufficient troop
numbers we could move quickly," Mr Wamunyinyi said at press briefing
in neighbouring Nairobi, Reuters news agency reports.

The AU has appealed to the international community for more funds to
increase the force to 20,000 and asked its members to consider sending
troops to support the Ugandan and Burundian contingents in Mogadishu.
But at a separate briefing in Cape Town, South Africa's defence
secretary said her government was not going to send soldiers to
Mogadishu.
"The answer to Somalia is a simple 'No'," Mpumi Mpofu said.
Somalia has been wracked by conflict ever since President Siad Barre
was ousted in 1991.
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Cow farming program wins Apps 4 Africa competition

The competition had entrants from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania
An application which tracks the fertility of cows has won the first
ever Apps 4 Africa competition to find new talent as smartphones
become increasingly popular in AFrica.
Offering a prize fund of $5,000, the competition asked developers in
Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania to come up with a mobile
application that is widely accessible, easy to use and simple.

I want to thank you for lending your innovate spirit and creativity to
the enterprise of building a better future for your communities.”
End Quote Hillary Clinton US Secretary of State

The competition, funded by the United States government, hoped to
unite the brightest African developers with people who could benefit
most from innovate mobile technology.
Launched back in July in Nairobi, the competition attracted 20
entrants - each offering a unique approach to improving life in the
region.

Moo-bile innovation
The winner, announced this week, was iCow - an application that helps
cow farmers maximise breeding potential by tracking the fertility
cycle of their animals.
"It's a voice-based application, meaning they don't have to have a
special smart-phone," explained Charles Kithika, the app's creator.
"[They] just need an ordinary phone and then dial in a toll-free
number."

Mr Kithika said the rise in popularity of mobile apps in Africa is
partly down to M-PESA, software which facilitates the transfer of
money.
Runner-up in the competition was Kleptocracy Fighters, an app which
helps users combat instances of government corruption.
Features include the ability to upload audio, video and text to the
web quickly - acting as evidence of bribery or other wrong-doing.

All the competition entrants were praised by US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, who said that the apps "solved real problems".
"The ideas generated from this competition will help doctors monitor
the growth and nutrition of young patients, will help expand trade by
translating prices and quantities into local languages, will hold
public officials accountable by reporting election violations and
tracking public expenditures.
"I want to thank you for lending your innovative spirit and creativity
to the enterprise of building a better future for your communities."
--------------------
Initiative aims to supply millions of mobiles to women

A woman living in sub-Saharan Africa is 23% less likely than a man to
own a mobile phone, according to research.
This figure rises to 24% in the Middle East and increases again to 37%
for a woman living in South Asia, found the study by the GSM
Association.
In total, it found, 300 million fewer women than men in developing
countries owned a mobile.

An initiative called mWomen proposes to halve this "gender gap" within
three years.
The programme, championed by Cherie Blair, the wife of former British
Prime Minister Tony Blair, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
aims to provide 150 million women around the world with access to
mobile phone technology.

It's really difficult to do business without a mobile phone”
End Quote Samanthi Small business owner in Sri Lanka

Mrs Blair said there were many benefits a mobile phone could bring to
women.
"There is so much you can do with a mobile phone," she told the BBC
World Service.
"It can help with literacy. It can help with health programmes and
projects and it's a way of helping women develop small businesses and
get financial independence."
'Essential item'

As part of the initiative, there will be tariffs created especially
for women as well as the development of a female-specific handset. It
will also create projects to educate men about the positive aspects of
women owning a mobile phone.
Seventeen global mobile phone operators have already signed up to the
mWomen programme, pledging more than $10m (£6.2m) between them.

According to a survey by the GSMA, more than half of all female
business owners in poor countries reported earning more money because
of their mobile phone.
One such woman is Samanthi, who lives in Kandy, Sri Lanka, and has a
small business selling charcoal stoves.
"It's really difficult to do business without a mobile phone," she
said.
"A phone is an essential item. My customers can contact me anytime,
from any place."

'Transformational effect'
Mrs Blair said it was not just the women who would benefit from the
initiative.
"If you help a woman set up a business, you're not just helping her,
you're helping her children and her family. That has a ripple effect
on the wider community," she said.
Samanthi in Sri Lanka agrees- she said that the money she earned could
go towards her children's education.

The potential benefits are not solely financial. Reports suggest 93%
of women feel safer because of their mobile phone; 85% say they feel
more independent.
Mrs Blair was confident the initiative could achieve results.
"If we can reach 150 million women across the world and you multiply
the effect of those women reinvesting in their family and in their
local community, we are talking a potential transformational effect in
development."
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Humankind cannot stand very much reality.
T. S. Eliot
British (US-born) critic, dramatist & poet (1888 - 1965)
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