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| December 30, 2008 |
Congo massacre death count rising
The Catholic aid agency said it believes 400 people were killed in massacres carried out in Congo by Ugandan rebels on Christmas Day.
Another Massacre in eastern Congo
Eastern Congo: As many as two hundred people, mostly women and children, were hacked to death as they sought refuge in a Catholic church. Witnesses identified their attackers as members of Joseph Kony's brutal Lords Resistance Army (LRA).An LRA spokesman claimed the Ugandan Army (UPFD) is responsible, but witnesses said they spoke the Acholi language, had dreadlocked hair and there were number of young boys in their ranks-all consistent with the LRA.
Either way, innocent civilians were slaughtered. A witness, Abel Longo told AP, " I hid in the bush and heard people wailing as they were being cut by machetes. The scene at the church was horrendous. On the floor were dead bodies of mostly women and children cut in pieces."
| December 23, 2008 |
CNN International - USA
By Mia Farrow
JEM rebels say attack on cities is "imminent"
The Sudan Tribune just released an article saying the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) " would attack very soon the positions of the Sudanese government."In a press release today, the JEM deputy general commander, Suleiman Sandal, urged the Sudanese to remain away from all military positions in Sudanese cities and to stay at home because "our attack against these cities is imminent."
They have called on the Sudanese soldiers to join the rebel movement adding "you are not our enemies."
It is not clear whether the rebel movement intends to attack the capital Khartoum or other cities. However, Sandal in his statement said "our warning extends to all diplomatic missions and embassies" to take the necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of their employees and properties.
| December 21, 2008 |
On the outskirts of a camp for 65,000 displaced people, MSF (Doctors Without Borders) set up two tents where they are treating cholera victims.Labels: Cholera-epidemic-in-North-Kivu
300-400 cases of cholera are being diagnosed every week in the Goma area of Congo. Aid workers are struggling to contain the disease but this is difficult as people are continually on the move as fighting errupts.Labels: Cholera-epidemic-in-North-Kivu
KINSHASA, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Congolese Tutsi rebels threatened on Sunday to advance into UN-monitored buffer zones in eastern Congo-
| December 20, 2008 |
Another fine article by Lydia Polgreen.
After years of reading her beautifully written pieces in the NYT and treasuring my email relationship with the intrepid Lydia Polgreen, we finally met in Goma. We were staying at the same hotel. Through breakfasts and dinners, she was writing on the laptop, meeting deadlines.. One day I spotted her on a motor bike zipping through the outskirts of Goma, perhaps researching this piece. I feel I made a new friend.Congo Warlord Linked to Abuses Seeks Bigger Stage <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/
New York Times - United States
By LYDIA POLGREEN.
BUNAGANA, Congo. At the entrance to this bustling border town is a most unusual sight:
Check out the International Crisis Group's new multimedia presentation, "Congo Re-erupts," which features a video interview as well as a conflict timeline, background and a "who's who" of the various actors involved.
| December 18, 2008 |
Crucial moment for Eritrea
Jendaye Frazer, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, has been pushing very hard to designate Eritrea as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. This would effectively push Eritrea towards radicalism with Iran and Saudi Arabia at a time when they anticipate better relations with the United States and have pledged a new approach when Obama arrives. It also could potentially strengthen Eritrean president Isaias by permitting him to wrap himself in the flag against the "evil US-Ethiopian alliance" at a time when a crumbling economy might organically bring an end to his dictatorship.The transition team must work diligently to prevent this catastrophically bad decision that actually works against stated US goals and interests in this region. Labeling governments does not achieve any useful ends. Working with them and talking to them does. That should be one of the lessons of the last eight years.
| December 16, 2008 |
KiwandjaPeople here are on the run. Some people I've spoken with have fled more than 10 times.
Armed groups are everywhere; the Congolese army is drunk and in disarray; two local rebel groups called Maimai ( support the government); there is the notorious Rwandan backed Tutsi rebel group led by Laurent Nkundu; and the beyond-brutal Hutu rebel group of former genocidaires. All are rampaging through North Kivu attacking each other, abducting, raping, and slaughtering people as they go.
I visited a camp where 65,000 people have gathered . Women told me they are attacked every afternoon by "military" who rape women and girls as young as one year old. This encampment is very near the front lines. I saw UNHCR trucks moving them to a 'safer' site - at a rate of 400 a day. The most vulnerable first.
One unforgettable, wrenching image - 5,000-10,000 people pressed against the walls of the UN Peacekeeping (MONUC) compound for protection. Little kids are starving to death.
This is the town where a massacre of 150 people occurred on Nov 4-5th. It seems quite today but everyone believes the CNDP (Tutsi) is preparing another attack. Who knows. And all this set in the most spectacularly beautiful countryside imaginable.
Armed groups are everywhere; the Congolese army is drunk and in disarray; two local rebel groups called Maimai ( support the government); there is the notorious Rwandan backed Tutsi rebel group led by Laurent Nkundu; and the beyond-brutal Hutu rebel group of former genocidaires. All are rampaging through North Kivu attacking each other, abducting, raping, and slaughtering people as they go.
I visited a camp where 65,000 people have gathered . Women told me they are attacked every afternoon by "military" who rape women and girls as young as one year old. This encampment is very near the front lines. I saw UNHCR trucks moving them to a 'safer' site - at a rate of 400 a day. The most vulnerable first.
One unforgettable, wrenching image - 5,000-10,000 people pressed against the walls of the UN Peacekeeping (MONUC) compound for protection. Little kids are starving to death.
This is the town where a massacre of 150 people occurred on Nov 4-5th. It seems quite today but everyone believes the CNDP (Tutsi) is preparing another attack. Who knows. And all this set in the most spectacularly beautiful countryside imaginable.
Labels: starving-boy
| December 11, 2008 |
I am in Congo
Dear FriendsI am writing this blog from Congo. Since 2006, at least 5 million people have perished here as a result of the unstemmed violence.
On November 4th and 5th, in Kiwanja, a town I visited today, ( very near Goma where I am right now) there was a massacre in which 150 civilians were slaughtered, execution style by Tutsi rebels led by Laurent Nkunda.
People here are tense, even here in Goma, as the fighting -between Nkunda's rebel ground and Congolese government forces- took place at the very edge of the city. Outside the city people told me they are terrified-loved ones disappear in the night. They awaken to the sound of gunfire. (The children are to afraid even to go to school as they fear they will be abducted by rebel militia or raped). This is a failed state if ever there was one-a lawless place torn apart by violence. At the gates of UN peacekeepers' barracks, thousands of people
are clustered in a makeshift camp. Although the peacekeeping operation (MONUC) has not provided adequate security, their presence is all there is for this traumatized population. Outside the gates I saw children literally starving to death.
I will send blogs when possible.
New York Times - United States
In January, President Bush said this about Darfur: "My administration called this genocide. Once you label it genocide, you obviously have to do something .
| December 8, 2008 |
According to a report of the United Nations, hunger causes the death of about 25,000 people everyday. The number of children is greater than that of adults. Consider several facts of income disparity between rich and poor nations to measure the cleavage between the haves and the haves not. The combined income of the world’s richest individuals leaves far behind that of the poorest 416 million. 982 million out of 4.8 billion people in the developing world live on $1 a day. Another 2.5 billion live on below $2 a day. 40% of the poorest population made up 5% of world income while 20% of the richest population made up 75% of global income in 2005.
A country with a GDP per capita of $765 dollars or less is defined as a low-income or poor country. You may wonder why poor countries remain poor. Some interrelated factors like geography, industrialization, colonialism, education, resources, infrastructure, overpopulation, investment, government and debt make poor countries remain the heavy foot of poverty.
10. Ethiopia (GDP - per capita: $700)
Ethiopia ranks 170 out of 177 the poorest countries on the Human Development Index (UNDP HDI 2006). Half of its GDP depends on agricultural activity. The agricultural sector suffers lowdown because of poor cultivation techniques and frequent drought. 50% of its population 74.7 million bears the burden of poverty and 80% lives on bread line. 47% of males and 31% of females are literate. Some parts of Ethiopia run a high risk of hepatitis A, hepatitis E, typhoid fever, malaria, rabies, meningococcal meningitis and schistosomiasis.
09. Niger (GDP - per capita: $700)
Niger with a population of 12.5 million is one of the ten poorest countries in the world. Drought is a common natural calamity in Niger. It often undergoes a phase of severe food crisis. 63% of its total population lives on below $1 a day. Adult literacy rate is as low as 15%. Life expectancy spans up to 46 years. A number of people die of hepatitis A, diarrhea, malaria, meningococcal meningitis and typhoid fever.
08. Central African Republic (GDP - per capita: $700)
The Central African Republic ranks 171 as a poor country. Agriculture is the backbone of its unstable economy. Life expectancy of its meager population 4.3 ranges from 43.46 to 43.62 years. 13.5% of its population is at risk of AIDS. Destruction in the north-west
07. Guinea-Bissau (GDP - per capita: $600)
The rank of Guinea Bissau as a poor country is 172. Farming and fishing are the only pillars of its economy. The level of income is not even in all parts of the country. About 10% of its adult population is at risk of HIV.
06. Union of the Comoros. Population density at a rate of 1000 per square km in agriculture zones may result in an environmental crisis. Agricultural contribution to its GDP is 40%. The low level of education has raised the level of labor force. Economy mainly depends on foreign grants.
05. Republic of Somalia (GDP - per capita: $600)
“Sixteen million people in eastern Africa are in need of emergency food aid and the threat of starvation is severe, according to FAO’s latest report on the Food Supply Situation and Crop Prospects in sub-Saharan Africa.
Agriculture is the base of the economy of Republic of Somalia in the Horn of Africa. Nomads and semi-nomads comprise a major part of the population. Rearing livestock is the primary source of livelihood for them. The small agricultural industry contributes 10% to its GDP.
Mogadishu. October 2004. View of Mogadishu north. Mogadishu is the place where effects of the conflict are more striking. There are around 400.000 internally displaced persons. Access to health structures is quite impossible for the danger to circulate in the streets where combats are on-going and all type infrastructures have disapeared: water, sanitation, schools… The absence of state during more than 13 years has made impossible any investment in public structures. It is estimated that around 72% of Somalia’s population lacks access to basic healthcare services and the healthcare system is in ruins.” - abdisalla
04. The Solomon Islands (GDP - per capita: $600)
The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia. Fishing holds its domestic economy. Above 75% of the labor class, is involved in fishing. Timber was the main product for export until 1998. Palm oil and copra are important cash crops for export. The Solomon Islands are rich in mineral resources like zinc, lead, gold and nickel.
03. Zimbabwe (GDP - per capita: $500)
A beautiful country ruined because of one mans greed.
Republic of Zimbabwe is located between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers in the south of Africa. Its economy suffers a slowdown due to supply shortage, soaring inflation and foreign exchange shortage. Zimbabwe’s involvement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo left its economy fragile. The worst consequence of the knelt-down economy is unemployment that is as high as 80%.
The Zimbabwean currency tumbled to a record 25 million dollars for a single US dollar”
02. Liberia (GDP - per capita: $500)
Republic of Liberia on the west coast of Africa is one of the ten poorest economies across the globe. A decline in the export of commodities, the flight of many investors from the country, the unjust exploitation of the country’s diamond resource, looting and war profiteering during the civil war in 1990 brought the economy of the country to its knees. External debt of the country is more than its GDP. Liberia’s decade-long civil war was fuelled by weapons imported in to the country in violation of a UN arms embargo. Shipments over three months in 2002 from a Serbian security company, for example, brought in enough bullets to kill the entire population of Liberia.”
01. Republic of the Congo (GDP - per capita: $300)
Republic of the Congo in Central Africa is the last at the bottom of the economic heaps. Depreciation of Franc Zone currencies, incredibly high levels of inflation in 1994, eruption of the civil war, and continuation of armed conflict and slumping oil price in 1998 broke down the economy of the country.
| December 2, 2008 |