KABISSA-FAHAMU-SANGONET NEWSLETTER 34 * 7679 SUBSCRIBERS

Reacting to widespread criticism of a military tribunal in Likasi in the southern DRC province of Katanga, some 2,000 km away from the capital, where some 100 people have been charged of conspiracy against and an assassination attempt on former DRC President Laurent-Desire Kabila and current DRC President, Joseph Kabila, his son, authorities in Kinshasa have given assurances that the trial is fair and in conformity with the laws of the land, Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported on Thursday.

Christian Solidarity International (CSI) on Thursday, 6 September, reported that one of its research teams, recently returned from the Afro-Arab borderlands of Sudan, had found systematic of human rights abuses, as a manifestation of racism, among a group of "97 female slaves above the age of 12 who were recently liberated from bondage."

International non-governmental organisations (INGOs) have called on the international community "to recognise that there is an ongoing crisis in Liberia and the need for continued support to INGOs in emergency, reconstruction, and development activities".

A five-day seminar for military officers and public sector institutions has ended in Accra with the Deputy Minister of Defence, Mr. Eddie Akita presenting certificates to the participants.

For challenging policemen at a check-point who wanted to extort money from the driver of a commuter bus he boarded, Corporal Agboola was shot dead.

We don't think President Frederick Chiluba was serious when he declared at a parliamentary by-election campaign rally in Kabwata on Wednesday that he was ready to invite auditors "at any time" to prove his innocence - to prove that he is not a thief.

THE Federal Government and the United Nations yesterday signed an agreement for a joint effort to combat corruption and organised crimes in Nigeria.

The removal of Mr Swaleh Slim as the Kenya Anti-Corruption Authority's head of investigations drives the final nail into the squad's coffin.

A bill seeking reward and protection for persons with information leading to the recovery of looted public funds yesterday sailed through the second reading in the House of Representatives.

At the heart of your PC is the processor. It is often referred to as the brain of the machine. Computer programs send machine instructions to the processor where they are stored and executed. For example, when you save a file the processor executes those instructions and makes it happen. This short guide will explain what all the numbers and terms are which are used when processors are discussed and where to find more information - including a definition for "processor". It will also give you some information about the latest, fastest processor.

The Electronic Journal for Information Systems in Developing Countries (EJISDC) aims to link studies and research around applying the use of technology to solve problems in developing countries. The Journal can be downloaded for free and each article can be viewed separately. This month sees the publication of volume 5 which focuses on using ICTs to assist in health care.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) held a meeting in Montevideo, Uraguay this week. The behaviour and comments of some participants and of ICANN has sparked this interesting article.

Say hello to Daypop, a search engine which scours and indexes over 1000 news web sites and weblogs for current events - just for today. From the home page, enter a query. You can specify whether you want to search news sites, weblogs, or both. Search results include the title of a site, brief excerpt, and a cache link with the cache date. (Cache refers to a copy of the page being kept on the daypop server.)

Wireless networking seems to be the new way forward in developing countries. This technology is being used innovatively and excitingly to solve communication and information needs all over the world. This story provides more encouragement to those seeking to become part of a global digital network, yet lacking resources. A technology company in India has provided a cheap Internet and telecom network which could revolutionise communication penetration in rural areas.

The Computer Society of South Africa, in association with the Meta Group and ITWeb, is searching for candidates who have made significant contributions to the growth and development of the local IT industry over the past year. If you know of someone who deserves the prestigious IT Personality of the Year accolade, please submit your nomination today. Nominations must be submitted by Wednesday, 12 September.

Migrants from countries neighboring South Africa are being blamed for the slow improvement in the standard of living of Blacks since apartheid ended in 1994. Migrants have been harassed and attacked by South Africans, and police often do not intervene. Reports indicate that other African countries are taking steps to tighten migration controls.

Discussions on migrants' rights in relation to racist, discriminative or xenophobic practices against them coming to good terms. A special spokeswoman on migrants' rights at the World Conference Against Racism assessed the substantial progress made in the realm of migrant rights before the migrant caucus, where representatives from organisations from all around the world were present.

In a slowing global economy, one sector is bucking the trend. Each year, millions of individuals, the majority women and children, are tricked, sold, coerced or otherwise forced into situations of exploitation from which they cannot escape. They are the commodities in a multi-billion dollar global industry dominated by highly organized criminal groups operating with impunity.

This resource at Devshed provides a solution to keeping your scripting code separate from your presentation code. FastTemplate separates your presentation into "Templates" - reusable parts that have simple variables embedded in them. This makes maintenance a lot easier.

Myself and one of my students have been part of the ThinkQuest International Website Design Challenge 2001. I was the Coach to my student Siyabonga Dangwane. We teamed Siyabonga up with a Singaporean and a Dutch student and Coach. They have produced a website on Autism, which Siyabonga contributed artwork to. This team consists of very hard working pupils who have produced an exceptional website on a very difficult topic. It is a great resource, and a testament to their hard work. We urgently need as many hits as possible as part of the international judging process, so please could you visit it ASAP and refer as many other people to it as you can. The site is called "Being Different; Living with Autism".

Its nice to hear from you once again on very pertaining issues especially in our region. In Zambia we have a big problem where our MMD government is already rigging the elections before even starting the election campaigns. Radio Icengelo was burned down, withdrew the license of the most popular radio - Radio Phoenix, manipulation of funds and use of public funds for the MMD campaigns, denial of any use of the public media for any different view than the brainwashing government one, a shameful exercise of issuing new national registration ID cards and register of voter. Only 2 million voters registered out of 10 million population ... These and many others are clear indicators that our elections will be 'democratically' manipulated by the ruling party. Anyhow, we'll be here to do the little we can in giving an alternative view to our people till we are locked up or declared unwanted in Zambia. Would you be so kind and also send our newsletter to Fr. Umberto - a real fighter for the rights of the 'little man'.

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is once again offering the Betinho Communications Prize. The closing date for the $7,500 USD prize, which recognizes the use of the Internet for social justice, is September 24 2001.

This practical handbook has been written to enhance the capacity of scientists involved with HIV vaccine trials to develop useful collaborations with the media, and through them, other relevant groups and members of the public." From the back cover... "Vaccine trials are a vital component in the continuing development of scientific responses to the HIV epidemic. Successful vaccine trials require the support, understanding and goodwill of many different organisations and individuals.

These submissions are based on an analysis of the existing laws in Zimbabwe and the wide consultations done with journalists in Zimbabwe. MISA-Zimbabwe is a member-driven organisation and our membership, made up of mostly media people and organisations, have made known their concerns on the Public Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Bill.

Journalists, newspaper executives and free press advocates from 22 countries have met in Bilbao, Spain to discuss and condemn violence against media in the Basque region. Participants in the "Terrorism Against the Media" conference also heard testimony from journalists working in violent conditions in several other countries around the world.

Fair Election Monitoring Alliance call on the media to provide voters with balanced and accurate reports in order to help them make an informed choice on October 1st. In the current atmosphere of violence and conflict, the media can play a key role in providing information and analysis.

The public affairs section of the US embassy in Kigali will officially launch 24-hour broadcasting in Kinyarwanda, Swahili, French, and English on station 104.3 FM in Kigali on Friday, Rwanda News Agency (RNA) reported on Tuesday. Kigali becomes the second capital city in Africa to receive continuous FM broadcasts.

A three-day symposium on "Promoting Community Radios in the Horn of Africa" will take place in Addis Ababa from December 11 - 13, 2001. It aims at introducing and discussing the concepts and practices of community radios and their relevance to the Horn of Africa. The intent is to build on what is happening in areas of social development in the Horn and to reflect on the relevance of community radios in advancing social development initiatives. This will be accompanied by relevant experiences elsewhere in Africa that could provide learning opportunities to the Horn.

The government of Morocco has seized the 6 September 2001 issue of the Spanish newspaper "El Mundo," after the daily printed statements by the Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Josep Pique insinuating that the Moroccan police had ties to the (immigration) mafia, according to Reporters sans frontières (RSF). Sources told RSF that all 200 copies of the issue were confiscated at the Casablanca Airport. "Every time a foreign newspaper writes an article that displeases the Moroccan government, it gets banned," comments RSF.

'Keep It Working' aims to be an instrument that field staff can use to support communities in managing their own water supply. The book will provide useful insights and practical guidance through fact sheets, tools and checklists. Eveline Bolt and Catarina Fonseca, Keep It Working: a field manual to support community management of rural water supplies, Delft, 2001, ISBN 90-6687-030-3, Euro 24.00

I have found your news letter very rewarding and quite rich in information. We have a fairly young resource center and the materials you have sent will definately benefit the range of readers we expect. In the near future we hope to make contributions to wards economic welfare and social justice of dissadvantaged communties where we are operating. Wishing you the best. – Elizabeth Okotchi

You may have read that in British Prime Minister's Tony Blair's second term of office in Downing Street, he wants to make Africa a personal priority. My colleague Lesley Abdela and I are therefore producing a short research paper for a United Kingdom Department of State in which we will put forward as many practical suggestions as possible on what could be done to - help reduce conflict in Africa; promote more equitable and sustainable development throughout the Continent. Both elements can benefit from fresh ('blue water') thinking and would significantly include the role of women in both conflict prevention/post-conflict reconstruction and in economic development. We have been asked to submit these new, fresh ideas quickly, and would therefore appreciate your views as soon as possible, and those of others you might forward this request to. Lesley Abdela and I will look forward to hearing from you/them. – Tim Symonds

Interested in how nonprofits are using email to reach stakeholders? The Gilbert Center surveyed 900 nonprofit organizations to find out.

I get to talk with a lot of you at conferences, in email, and on the phone, and something many of you have in common is: Information overload. Here's a tip from socialecology.org that can help you remain informed, yet sane.

The question dominating the news reporting of Tuesday’s attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon is "who". Who did it? Who is responsible? Some strategists and security experts are trying to answer "how"? But the central question is not being asked anywhere. This question is: WHY?

As the streets south of MediaChannel's Times Square offices are full of dust and debris, with silence broken by sirens, we present a special edition focused on the media's response to yesterday's attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.

Reporters without Borders (RSF-reporters sans Frontieres) has expressed concern about threats which, it said, were made by Guinea-Bissau's Attorney General, Caetano Intchama, against journalists from a private radio station. In a letter sent on 11 September to Intchama, who was appointed last week, RSF asked him to apologise to the newsroom of Radio Pidjiquiti and publicly declare his commitment to press freedom.

African Journal of AIDS Research (AJAR: ISSN 1608-5906) is a newly founded journal that publishes papers, which make an original contribution to understanding of the social dimensions of HIV/AIDS in African contexts. AJAR should be of interest to researchers in sociology, demography, epidemiology, psychology, anthropology, media, cultural studies, nursing, health promotion, social work, and economics. Papers on social theory and the politics of HIV/AIDS will also be considered for publication. AJAR will include research and review articles of 5 000 to 10 000 words. Space will also be reserved in each edition for concise (max. 2 000 word) articles, which are submitted
for rapid publication.

Date: - 19 - 23 November 2001, Venue: - Kenya College of Communications and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya. The Ministry of Health in January 2001 established a functional Department of Health Standards and Regulatory Services (DSRS) as provided for in the National Health Sector Strategic Plan. DSRS plans to organize the First National Congress on Quality Improvement in Health Care, Medical Research and Traditional Medicine with the following expected outputs: Consensus on assessment tools for Systematic Monitoring and Evaluation of Quality Improvement in Health Care; Definition of National Priority Medical Research Agenda; Consensus on Strategies for integration of Traditional Medicine
with Conventional Medicine; Health Sector Position paper for Constitutional Review Commission of Kenya.

Your chance to speak out on 'What Earth Summit 2002 should be trying to achieve?' Key writers and thinkers on sustainable development will start the debate. Everyone is encouraged to join in.

Rising death rates in South Africa due to HIV/AIDS have led to the creation of a makeshift funeral industry, Newsweek reports. Many "fly-by-night undertakers," who are unlicensed and operate out of storefronts, compete to make funeral arrangements and leave bodies to decompose while they search for the cheapest means of disposal, creating a health hazard and raising costs to the government.

Doctors Without Borders President Bernard Pecoul and Brazilian Health Minister Jose Serra yesterday signed a letter of intent stating that the not-for-profit group would work with Brazil to export the country's successful anti-AIDS model and its state-produced generic anti-AIDS drugs to other developing countries, Reuters/New York Times reports.

The Kenyan government announced yesterday that it does not have enough money to purchase antiretroviral drugs, even though the Kenyan Parliament recently passed legislation allowing the nation to import and manufacture cheaper generic drugs.

"On the Horizon" is an electronic news capsule from the Horizons Program. Recent Horizon publications include: Prevention of Trafficking and the Care and Support of Trafficked Persons; Making a Difference for Children Affected by AIDS: Baseline Findings from OR in Uganda; Transitions to Adulthood in the Context of AIDS in South Africa: Report of Wave I; HIV and Partner Violence: Implications for HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing Programs in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; The Female Condom: Dynamics of Use in Urban Zimbabwe. Several of the longer publications are only available as PDF files on the web. If you are not able to open a PDF file and would like to receive a text file, please contact us (please specify which version of word or other format that you need).

The Bloomberg School of Public Health and Bioethics Institute, in collaboration with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Clinical Bioethics, are pleased to announce the availability of a one-year training program in research ethics for scientists from sub-Saharan Africa. The fellowship will provide funding for scientists to study bioethics and research ethics, and also to do an independent project in their home country related to research ethics. Application for 2002 fellows are due on October 1, 2001. Additional information and application material can be downloaded from The Johns Hopkins University Bioethics Institute website or by contacting Dr. Suzanne Maman.

Journalists Against AIDS (JAADS) Nigeria held a three-day workshop on the Science of HIV for journalists between August 30 and September 1 2001. The objectives of the workshop were: to expose Nigerian journalists to an understanding of the scientific basis of the HIV/AIDS epidemic; identify and discuss constraints facing journalists in reporting HIV science and equip journalists with the skills and tools to report effectively on the science of HIV/AIDS.

In the aftermath of Tuesday's terrorist attacks against the United States, the United Nations General Assembly today decided to postpone its upcoming special session on children.

Tagged under: 34, Contributor, Education, Resources

A global coalition of human rights groups on Wednesday described the terrorist attacks in the United States as "crimes against humanity," saying they proved the need for a strong international justice system.

Globalvision News Network presents worldwide reports and commentary on the implications of the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. What can we learn from the voices of the global media?

While America has been preparing to fight the last war, a war between nations, the next war has been violently thrust upon us. It's a war of symbols, impressions and ideas in which acts of mass murder jocky for mind share in the global media, and everyone with a television set, the world over, reacts viscerally.

For all their differences, the media in the Middle East - from Iraq to Israel - seem to be agreed on one thing: whoever was to blame for yesterday's carnage in the US, the attacks are the result of American policies.

The Information and Communication Network (ComNet) has just published the third publication of its capacity building guide series, Dealing with Advocacy – A Practical Guide, written by Ms. Joke van Kampen. It contains detailed chapters on the necessity of NGOs to deal with advocacy, how to develop an advocacy strategy, the advantages of forming coalitions and how to incorporate advocacy into your everyday work. All three guides are available online.

After Genoa, the next stop for the global protest caravan is the Bank and Fund annual meetings in Washington DC. Conservative estimates have put the number of expected protesters at 40,000 but with trade unions announcing their backing numbers could be far higher. The Bank, Fund and government delegations are changing their plans in response.

The G8's mandate has been seriously questioned in recent months, but this has not stopped G8 ministers setting new directions for the World Bank and IMF.

Economic growth can be positively influenced by improved nutrition, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today in a special section of its annual report, The State of Food and Agriculture 2001 (SOFA 2001). “The impact of nutrition on labour productivity, health and education ultimately filters through to higher levels of overall economic growth.”

The failure to build strong institutions is the main obstacle to eradicating poverty in developing countries, the World Bank has said.

CompassPoint Nonprofit Services and SmarterOrg announced the launch this week of their new nonprofit e-learning course, “Budgeting For Programs and Proposals”. The course, a collaboration between the nonprofit management support organization and the for-profit application service provider, is designed to provide nonprofit-focused financial management training to nonprofit organizations and grantmakers across the country.

There is an amazing and wonderful thing that happens in the darkest times. Right now, most of the people of the United States and many throughout the world are asking themselve the definitive question of all nonprofit work: How can I make a difference?

At eGrants, we believe that fundraising is about relationships. And online fundraising is about much more than a Donate Now! button. It's about using technology and online tools to build lasting relationships with stakeholders both on- and off-line. To that end, we supplement our online donation service by training nonprofits in the art of using technology to help build relationships.

A conference, to be held in the Kruger National Park in October, will focus on international trends in agricultural research, modern methods of farming and available technologies, and the transformation and governance of higher education in South Africa.

Interactive Applications Group (iapps) is the leading choice of foundations, affinity groups and nonprofits seeking to strengthen their online presence. Whether you need a new public site to heighten your organization's visibility, or a private site to improve peer-to-peer collaboration, iapps will craft an Internet solution to achieve your goals.

An update of the Kellogg Foundation-sponsored report,"e-Philanthropy, Volunteerism, and Social Changemaking: A New Landscape of Resources, Issues and Opportunities," the first comprehensive survey of the rapidly evolving field of e-philanthropy. This update includes a comprehensive listing of active e-philanthropy sites arranged by category (e.g., auctions/events, donor services, fundraising services, volunteering, etc.).

Established in 1994 as a "virtual" organization, Internet Prospector is produced by a network of volunteers who "mine" the Internet for prospect research information that is published on its Web site and via a free monthly e-newsletter. The newsletter is available by subscription (http://www.internet-prospector.org/subscrib.html) and via PRSPCT-L, a moderate-to-high volume electronic distribution list created by and for prospect researchers.

Reels of bureaucratic red tape are hampering development innovations and open flows of trade and information in poor countries around the world, and particularly in Africa, according to a new World Bank report.

While diamonds are promoted as the latest 'must have' in the world of high fashion, the international diamond industry meet with governments and civil society groups in London next week to discuss the trade in conflict diamonds - diamond sales that fuel war and atrocity in Africa but adorn the bodies of the rich and beautiful in the western world.

The Angolan government hopes to re-integrate disabled people into the economy in an US$11,400 pilot project.

The show of unity between African leaders in Lusaka in July demands a response from external financial sources, says UNCTAD chief Rubens Ricupero in the organisation's 'Economic Development in Africa' report released last Tuesday. IRIN picks up on the story.

One-hundred-and-thirty HIV-positive activists have declared their status publicly at a gathering in the border town of Rundu, insisting it is Aids, not the border war with Unita rebels, that is the real threat to their survival. IRIN filed the report.

The African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) is an African, non-profit, regional health NGO whose mission is to empower disadvantaged people in Africa to enjoy better health. We have over five hundred employees throughout Africa, and Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, with country offices in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa and field offices in Ethiopia, and Mozambique and Somalia. We are searching for suitable candidates to fill the challenging position of Programme Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and Programme Development Officer in our Directorate of Programmes based at Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

Tagged under: 34, Contributor, Jobs, Resources

The UN's proposed International Year of the Mountains (IYM) 2002 has presented a unique opportunity to highlight the realities of life in the mountains and put women on the mountain agenda. In this context, ICIMOD and the Mountain Forum plan to hold a global conference, 'Celebrating Mountain Women' (CMW), to launch a long-term programme for mountain women at ICIMOD. This international conference is a chance to celebrate the drive, spirit and diversity of mountain women everywhere.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) says that the
Zimbabwean government needs to ensure that the new Bill does not serve the interests of the executive arm of government only.

Opposition party leaders facing defamation charges after calling Zambian President Frederick Chiluba a thief have presented their case in the Lusaka High Court. IRIN attended the proceedings.

Aga Khan Education Service, Kenya is a professionally managed and dynamic non-profit organization that operates thirteen independent schools in Kenya as well as facilitates outreach programmes for educational development. Currently AKES-K is looking for a suitable candidate to fill the position of Chief Executive Officer.

Tagged under: 34, Contributor, Jobs, Resources

More than 3,000 Angolan refugees who have fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the wake of a UNITA offensive, have made a two-day journey on foot to villages 50km from the Angolan/DRC border.

More than 3,000 Angolan refugees who have fled to the Democratic Republic of
Congo in the wake of a UNITA offensive, have made a two-day journey on foot to villages 50km from the Angolan/DRC border.

The Southern African Development Community says it will monitor the progress of national dialogue between Zimbabwe's government and opposition leaders aimed at ending 18-months of unrest. However incidents of violence are still being reported.

Publication of this week’s newsletter was delayed because of the tragedy that took place on Tuesday in US. All of us were deeply shocked by the loss of innocent lives by sickening acts of terrorism. Our thoughts are with the families and survivors of this tragedy whose pain and grief must be immense.

But we also feel a deep sense of unease that the horrors of war and of state sponsored terror in the south, and especially in Africa, that claim millions of lives each year, somehow do not register in the same way. Is the overwhelming response to the current tragedy, then, an expression of shock that such an event could take place at the heart of the most powerful state in the world? Or is it that different values are given to human lives depending on their geography and closeness to capital?

Terrorism always plays into the hands of the Right. It justifies hysteria, prejudice, bigotry and even the use of terror against sections of humanity in the name of vengeance rather than justice. The shock, horror and anger at the attacks in the US is understandable. There is equal anger and despair amongst the survivors of massacres in Africa – only they are denied the voice to make their anguish heard.

What is frightening about the reaction in the USA is that these acts of terror are being used to justify vengeance against the ‘perceived’ perpetrators. It took less than a millisecond to point the finger at Islam. As we go to press, there is still no clarity about who the perpetrators were. A climate is growing where very soon anyone “who is, or ever has been, a member of” an Islamic organisation will be viewed with suspicion and fear. Such prejudice will be given a boost if it turns out that Bin Laden or some other extremist Islamic terrorist group was responsible for the attacks in the USA. Somehow that is seen as “understandable”. But why is it anymore understandable than writing off all whites or Christians as potential terrorists after the Oklahoma bombing?

The US and NATO have declared the attack on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon as acts of war. The response, in their view, should be retaliation, not bringing the perpetrators to justice. But will bombings or invasions of Afghanistan or Iraq or Sudan or wherever really diminish the potentials of further acts of terrorism against the US and its allies? Will “taking out” what the US believes to be “rogue states” really diminish the risks? Or will they only fuel the already burning fires. Can terrorism be countered by state-sponsored terror without leading to a vicious spiral?

Outside of the US, few are really surprised that the US has become the target of terrorist attacks. For many, the real rogue state is the US. American foreign policy, its collusion with and financing despotic and totalitarian regimes and dictators, its disregard for international treaties, and, through the international financial and trade institutions, its profiteering at the expense of the poor – these are really the real causes of the latest round of attacks on the US. If America is serious about declaring war that will minimise the threat of further terrorism, then it is against these causes that it must act. There are severe consequences of US retaliation that could lead to general destabilisation, especially in the Middle East, with implications for north Africa and the horn of Africa. The impending global recession could have serious implications for developing economies; and further degeneration of international relations. This could be an opportunity for the west to begin to attend to the causes of such acts, but are they likely to take it up?

The last decade has seen the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. While the average income of the top 20% of the world's population was 30 times that of the bottom 20% in 1960, by 1990 it was 60 times, and by 1997, 74 times that of the lowest fifth. By the late 1990s, 20% of the world’s population had 86% of the world GDP, while the bottom 20% had 1% “The assets of the top 3 billionaires are more than the combined GNP of all least developed countries and their 600 million people.” Nearly one quarter of the world's people have an income that is less than $1 a day - a proportion that is rising. The UN Development Programme calculates each year the human poverty index based on a series of measures including the prevalence of illiteracy, life expectancy, degree of malnourishment, and access to health services and safe water. In 1996 over a billion people fell below this measure, the position worsening in 30 countries - the worst figures since UNDP began calculating the index in 1990. Unless concerted action is taken against the growing impoverishment of the majority, then desperation and frustration will inevitably result in violent reactions such as US has witnessed these last couple of days.

Terrorism in all its forms must be opposed. But that applies as much to state-sponsored terrorism as it does to terrorism of armed groups. Last week saw the conclusion of the World Conference Against Racism that spawned its own set of contradictions. Why, for example, should the genocidal terror carried out by Europe during the Slave Trade during which tens of millions of African were uprooted or killed be viewed as acceptable just because the perpetrators declare that the act was “legal” at the time? The whole Colonial ravage of Africa was little other than legitimised terrorism. Why was it so difficult at the World Conference on Racism to declare outrage and condemnation of these vast acts of terrorism in Africa, but so easy to find our humanity when the act is carried out in New York and Washington?

Does terrorism have the effect of revealing not only the barbarism of the perpetrators but also of our own value systems?

US rallies the west for attack on Afghanistan

U.S. Bent on Revenge for Terror Attacks

Reaction from Africa: AllAfrica.com
http://allafrica.com/specials/wtc/index.html
Africa's sorrow over US terror attacks

Christians and Muslims Clash in Nigeria
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,551103,00.html
Jubilation in Nigeria on US
http://allafrica.com/stories/200109120127.html
They can't see why they are hated
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,551036,00.html
The best defence is justice
http://www.guardian.co.uk/wtccrash/story/0,1300,550464,00.html
OneWorld Special reports: after the US terror
http://www.oneworld.net/specialreports/terrorism/front.shtml

Tagged under: 34, Features, Firoze Manji, Governance

A leading human rights activist in Liberia surrendered to police on Thursday, days after they had launched a search for him for criticising the country's Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU), media organisations reported.

At least 50 people have been killed and several thousands forced from their homes in three days of clashes between Hausa-Fulani Muslims and indigenous Christians in Jos, central Nigeria, residents said on Monday.

Economic watchers have long blamed Zambia’s inability to feed itself on an agricultural marketing system that shuns highly productive but often remote and inaccessible rural areas as risky and unprofitable.

The loss of three straight by-elections by President Frederick Chiluba’s Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) should be cause for concern for the ruling party in the run-up to general elections possibly later this year, political analysts told IRIN this week.

Some 129,500 people have been affected by floods in Chad, and 100 are reported dead or missing, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report dated 11 September.

Both government and rebel forces in Sudan are continuing to use antipersonnel mines despite claiming to adhere to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, the International Campaign to Ban Land Mines (ICBL) said on Wednesday.

The Kenyan government on Thursday appointed the head of the police department's new anti-corruption squad, the 'Daily Nation' reported.

Some 15 people have been killed after Karamojong pastoralists attacked a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Katakwi District, Ugandan radio reported on Friday.

The former prime minister of the western Kingdom of Toro, John Sanyu Katuramu, was sentenced to death by the High Court in Kampala on Wednesday for the murder of Toro's Prince Happy Kijanangoma, 'The New Vision' government-owned newspaper reported.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has warned three of his political rivals to abandon their plans to make war against Uganda.

The Sudanese government on Tuesday condemned the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, news agencies reported.

According to a global report released Wednesday by the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), there is “a strong possibility of use of anti-personnel mines in the DRC in June 2000” by Uganda, which is a party to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty that outlaws any use, production, transfer or stockpiling of anti-personnel mines.

There will be a food gap of close to 22,000 mt in southern Somalia over the next 12 months. In its monthly food security report, the European Union-funded and FAO-implemented Food Security Analysis Unit (FSAU) estimates that according to data collected during the August harvest more than 400,000 people will be affected by the shortfall.

National reconciliation in Angola should not just involve the MPLA government and the UNITA rebel movement, the war-torn country’s traditional authorities said in Luanda on Thursday.

Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party and the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were engaged in secret talks to find a common plan to steer the country away from the current crisis over land, the economy and political violence, the ‘Financial Gazette’ reported on Thursday.

European countries are stipulating their support for punishing those responsible for the Tuesday terrorist attacks in New York and Washington upon respect for international law and human rights.

The xenophobic reaction to the terrorist attacks against New York and Washington Tuesday are threatening communities of Arab immigrants found throughout the world.

With the Arab-American Institute in the US recording over 300 voice messages of verbal abuse or taunting, Arab and North African students are being urged to stay home and stay safe.

We stare at TV screens and try to comprehend the suffering in the aftermath of terrorism. Much of what we see is ghastly and all too real; terrible anguish and sorrow. At the same time, we're witnessing an onslaught of media deception.

Amnesty International today reiterated its deepest sympathy for the victims of the heinous attacks in the USA and called upon the leaders of governments and community groups around the world to ensure respect for human rights in their wake.

An event of this magnitude was not only unimagined, it was unimaginable. Yet long before George Bush became president with his forceful in-your-face, take-it-or-leave-it attitude to the world outside on issues as diverse as global warming and anti-missile defences, America has been turning in on itself, to the point of self-destructiveness.

The United States never was very good at listening to Muslim voices. After Tuesday's savage and unjustifiable slaughter of thousands of innocent civilians in New York and Washington, it may give up trying altogether.

One distinguished traditional ruler, Okyenhene or King of Akyem Abuakwa, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin is championing biodiversity conservation to sustain and broaden exemplary tradition left by his forefathers and extend its benefits to all communities in Ghana.

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