Prendergast's ENOUGH Project: Poker players Ante Up for Africa charity - Sudan, Uganda, Congo, Chad, and Somalia

Posted to YouTube by ENOUGH - Ante Up for Africa, June 25, 2008:

ENOUGH is the project to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Focusing on the crises in Sudan, Uganda, Congo, Chad, and Somalia, ENOUGH uses a 3Ps crisis response strategy: promoting peace, protecting civilians, and punishing the perpetrators.

This year ENOUGH again joined the benefit poker tournament Ante Up for Africa, hosted by Don Cheadle and Annie Duke.

To learn what you can do to join the fight against genocide, go to ENOUGH.

© Center for American Progress
Category: Nonprofits & Activism
Tags: Cheadle Prendergast genocide Sudan Khartoum Uganda Somalia ICC advocacy Gayle Smith Africa war ENOUGH Ante Up Poker charity benefit Hollywood

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From usaplayers.com Thursday, 13 August 2009 by Bruce:
Full Tilt Poker's "Ante up for Africa" Charity Tournament

As part of Full Tilt Poker's FTOPS XIII online poker series, they are holding a special charity poker tournament known as "Ante up for Africa". The tournament will be held at 3 p.m. on August 15th [2009], and it will raise money for the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. The tournament will be hosted by actor and avid poker player Don Cheadle. The buy in for the tournament will be $100+20. The twenty dollar tournament fee will be donated to the charity. This charity tournament will be part of the FTOPS VIII online poker championships, which will feature more than $16 million in prize money over various tournaments. The last of the tournaments is known as the main event, and it will be held on August 16th with a massive guaranteed prize pool of $2.5 million.

Back in 2007, Cheadle co founded an Ante up for Africa Poker Tournament with Norman Epstein and Annie Duke. At the recent 2009 World Series of Poker, the third annual Ante up for Africa charity tournament was held. The tournament attracted some of the top celebrities from both poker and entertainment. Some of the stars in attendance were actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, and they were joined by poker pros Erick Seidel and Jennifer Harmon. The tournament had a $5,000 entry fee, and the players were asked to donate 50% of their winnings to the charity. When the tournament was complete, over $600,000 was raised. Since the Ante up for Africa charity was formed a few years back, over $2 million dollars has been raised. The funds have been distributed to organizations such as "Not on Our Watch", "Enough Project", and "International Rescue Committee". The upcoming online charity tournament will help raise even more money for such a good cause.

The FTOPS XIII charity tournament will take place on a Saturday afternoon giving most players the opportunity to play and help raise money for a good cause. Even though the tournament is designed to raise money for the Ante up for Africa charity, there is plenty of money to be won as well. The tournament will have a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool, with the winner guaranteed to walk away with at least $22,500. Players can take that their shot at winning some serious cash, while raising money for a great organization. Along with the chance to play with many well known poker professionals, players who play in the tournament will also get to play alongside celebrities such as Matt Damon. This will be another opportunity for poker players to help raise money for the ongoing crisis in Darfur.

To discuss this and other Poker articles like it drop by our brand new forum at: www.usaplayers.com

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From PokerNews.com Wednesday, 12 August 2009 by Elaine Chaivarlis:
2009 WSOP Ante Up for Africa Recap

ESPN’s third week of 2009 WSOP coverage aired last night with the Ante Up for Africa event. Dozens of celebrities and poker pros showed up for this event. This was the first time that Ante Up for Africa was aired on television.

The event had a $5,000 buy-in and attracted 137 players. The total prize pool generated for the event was $665,820. It was suggested that players donate 50% of their winnings to the charity.

Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Sarah Silverman, Montel Williams, Nelly, Cedric the Entertainer, Herschel Walker, and Charles Barkley were among the notable celebrities at the event. Several poker pros played the event as well, including Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman, Howard Lederer, Mike Matusow, Peter Eastgate, and Dennis Phillips.

Let’s face it, there weren’t a lot of stellar players, or plays in this event, as the event was created more as a fun way to raise money and awareness for the Darfur region.

Charles Barkley and Herschel Walker were two celebrities that might be able to benefit a little from the PokerNews strategy section. They both made this event entertaining to watch with their interesting plays. In one hand, where he rivered trip queens, Walker doesn't even know what the minimum bet is, but was happy with the face time he got from his hollywooding. Charles Barkley got it all in post flop when he flopped a flush draw with his . He never got there and was eliminated.

Mike McDermott (or Matt Damon, whatever you like to call him) ended up at the feature table sitting next to Erik Seidel. This is significant, only in that because of the movie Rounders, Erik Seidel's second place finish to Johnny Chan in the 1988 WSOP has been seen millions of times. So maybe Seidel had it out for Damon a little. Damon, like every other celebrity in this event, didn't make it to the final table. Wonder what happened to all those tells he used to pick up on.

The final table was, not surprisingly, packed with poker pros. Jennifer Harman, Matt Kay, John Hennigan, Phil Gordon, Chris Ferguson, Erik Seidel, Rafe Furst, Adam Richardson, and Alex Bolotin all made the final table of the Ante Up for Africa event. Five of the players at the table, Harman, Hennigan, Ferguson, Seidel, and Furst hold a combined 18 WSOP bracelets.

With the super fast structure, the final table saw its players drop rather quickly with Adam Richardson all but out the door at one point when he was all in and went runner runner clubs to stay alive. Richardson ended up going heads up against the eventual winner, Alex Bolotin, who won $176,449 for his first place finish.

There have been numerous opinions about whether or not there should have been more events from the 2009 WSOP aired on television. We're sure the minds over at ESPN had a reason for the lack of other coverage. We're not sure, however, if this will be the trend next year. What we can say is, in regards to this event, people watch what their favorite celebrities are doing, and if their favorite celebrity is playing poker, then they’re watching them play poker, bringing a more mainstream audience to the game, and that much we like. No matter what the broadcast schedule is next year, we definitely hope this event will be in the mix.

Be sure to tune into ESPN every Tuesday night for continuing coverage of the WSOP, and don't forget to follow us on Twitter.

Good luck to all.



ENOUGH was conceived in 2006 by a small group of concerned policymakers and activists who wanted to transform their frustration about inaction into pragmatic solutions and hope. Co-founded by Africa experts Gayle Smith and John Prendergast, ENOUGH launched in early 2007 as a project of the Center for American Progress. John Norris is Enough’s Executive Director. Read more about ENOUGH at http://www.enoughproject.org/about.

C.A.R.: ICC granted the request of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo for interim release

International Criminal Court (ICC)
Pre-Trial Chamber II renders a decision on conditional release of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo

THE HAGUE, Netherland, August 14, 2009/APO
ICC-CPI-20090814-PR443
Situation: Central African Republic
Case: The Prosecutor v. Jean Pierre Bemba Gombo

Today, 14 August 2009, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court decided to grant the request of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo for interim release, albeit under conditions. The implementation of this decision is deferred pending a determination in which State Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo will be released and which set of conditions shall be imposed.

In conformity with article 60(3) of the Rome Statute and rule 118(3) of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, Pre-Trial Chamber II reviewed anew its previous ruling on the continued detention of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo dated 14 April 2009. Prior to today’s decision, Pre-Trial Chamber II held a hearing on 29 June 2009 with respect to any issue related to the pre-trial detention of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo.

Pre-Trial Chamber II found that changed circumstances since 14 April 2009 warranted the modification of its previous ruling on detention, as the requirements for continued detention pursuant to article 58(1)(a) and (b) of the Rome Statute were no longer met. In assessing all relevant factors of the case taken together and having balanced those factors, Pre-Trial Chamber II held that the continued detention of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo did not appear necessary (i) to ensure the appearance of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo at trial, (ii) to ensure that he does not obstruct or endanger the investigation or the court proceedings and (iii) to prevent Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo from continuing with the commission of the same or related crimes which arise out of the same circumstances in the present case.

Pre-Trial Chamber II invited those States, to which Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo requested to be released, to provide informative observations on the questions of his interim release onto their territory and any possible set of conditions restricting liberty to be imposed. The hearings are envisaged to take place between 7 and 14 September 2009.

14.08.2009 – Decision on the Interim Release of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo and Convening Hearings with the Kingdom of Belgium, the Republic of Portugal, the Republic of France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Italian Republic, and the Republic of South Africa

For further information please contact Ms Jelena Vukašinović, Associate Legal Outreach Officer at +31 (0)70 515-8094 or (0)6 50 29 57 38 or at jelena.vukasinovic@icc-cpi.int

SOURCE: International Criminal Court (ICC)

Translation into French:

Aujourd’hui 14 août 2009, la Chambre préliminaire II de la Cour pénale internationale a décidé de faire droit, sous condition, à la demande de mise en liberté provisoire de Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo.

L’exécution de cette décision est reportée dans l’attente de la détermination de l’Etat sur le territoire duquel Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo sera libéré et de la détermination des conditions qui lui seront imposées.

Conformément à l’article 60 (3) du Statut de Rome et à la règle 118 (3) du Règlement de procédure et de preuve, la Chambre préliminaire II a réexaminé sa décision précédente relative au maintien en détention de Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo du 14 avril 2009. Préalablement à la décision de ce jour, la Chambre préliminaire II avait tenu une audience le 29 juin 2009 sur toutes les questions relatives au maintien en détention de Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo avant son procès.

La Chambre préliminaire II a conclu que l’évolution des circonstances depuis le 14 avril 2009 justifiait la modification de sa décision précédente sur la détention, dans la mesure où les conditions pour un maintien en détention telles que prévues par l’article 58 (1) (a) et (b) du Statut de Rome n’étaient plus réunies. En effet, après avoir évalué tous les éléments pertinents de l’affaire dans leur globalité et après les avoir mis en perspective, la Chambre préliminaire II a conclu que le maintien en détention de Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo ne paraissait plus nécessaire pour garantir (i) la comparution de ce dernier, (ii) qu’il ne fera pas obstacle à l’enquête ou à la procédure devant la Cour, ni n’en compromettra le déroulement et (iii) qu’il ne poursuivra pas l’exécution du même crime ou d’un crime connexe relevant de la compétence de la Cour et se produisant dans les mêmes circonstances que dans la présente affaire.

La Chambre préliminaire II a invité tous les Etats sur le territoire desquels Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo a souhaité être libéré, à présenter leurs observations détaillées sur les questions relatives à sa mise en liberté provisoire ainsi que sur les conditions restrictives de liberté qui pourraient être imposées. Les audiences devraient avoir lieu entre le 7 et le 14 septembre 2009.

14.08.2009 – Decision on the Interim Release of Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo and Convening Hearings with the Kingdom of Belgium, the Republic of Portugal, the Republic of France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Italian Republic, and the Republic of South Africa

Pour de plus amples informations, veuillez vous mettre en rapport avec Mme Jelena Vukasinovic, juriste ajoint de 1re classe (tél. : +31 (0)70 515 8094 ou +31 (0)6 50 29 57 38 ; jelena.vukasinovic@icc-cpi.int)

SOURCE: International Criminal Court (ICC)

DR Congo: Goma, a major Ushahidi update!

Goma, a major Ushahidi update!

Originally published by Ushahidi 13 Aug 2009 .  Received via email 14 Aug 2009.  I have copied and pasted the email and hope that it appears OK to readers of this page.  Here is a copy of the email.

An Ushahidi tradition is to name all of our major releases after African cities that have had disturbances. Today we’re announcing the “Goma” release of the platfrom, version 0.9 – named after that oft-beleaguered town in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

We had three main areas that we focused on for this Goma; stability, speed and mobile apps. To introduce the release, here’s David Kobia:

Stability, Speed and Mobile Apps: Ushahidi's Goma Release from WhiteAfrican on Vimeo.

What’s in Goma?

It’s not possible to track all of the minor upgrades, changes and additions to the platform here, but here are some of the items that are important for everyone to know about.

• Caching – map and database queries have been slowing load times down considerably. All pages with maps now have caching built-in.
• Alerts – email and SMS proximity-based alerts are now fully functional.
• You can now watch incidents play chronologically on the main map using the “Play” button.
• Refined the submissions page, simplifying the location chooser, date/time and other minor features.
• On the detailed incident report page the map shows other incidents by proximity.
• Admins can import KML or GeoRSS feeds, and these can show up on the map as overlays on top of the normal Ushahidi data. (delayed for a couple days, working out some kinks…)
• Admins can now download a CSV file of all their data.
• Admins can now do a “mass upload” of data into the database.
• We’re trying to make it easier to get a fresh install of Ushahidi up on your own server. To this end, we’ve moved the config.php items into the admin area for easier modification by non-techies.
• Improved feedback form, residing in every instances footer, that makes it easy for end users to send feedback to the admin. This shows up in their admin panel.
• Sharing of data between instances of Ushahidi is fully functional now.
• Added a “Comments” tab into the admin area for moderation.
• Added a new feature to track veracity and trust of users by the admin

Find a bug? Submit it to bugs.ushahidi.com
Have a question? Ask it on the forums
Want to pitch in? Start on the wiki or download the code

Mobile phone applications

A small team of dedicated devs put a lot of time into creating the new Ushahidi mobile apps that are available for you to run on your phone. The basic functionality of all the mobile apps are to sync with an instance of Ushahidi. It allows you to send reports with images and location information as well as receive alerts from others who have sent in reports to the site. With this, you can track what is going on in an emergency, disaster or crisis anywhere in the world.

The mobile apps work in offline mode as well, so you can create reports and send them when you reconnect, or you can download and see the incidents that have been reported and still view them when you’re not connected.

Android – Henry Addo, our Ghanaian dev, has been part of the team since January, but he started fiddling around with Android well before that.

Windows Mobile - Dale Zak is an amazing Canadian mobile phone dev. He does a lot of cool stuff out there, and we were extremely happy when he volunteered to create the WinMo version of Ushahidi.

J2ME (Java) – Steve Mutinda is an outstanding Kenyan mobile app developer, he and his firm Shimba Mobile dedicated a lot of resources to see this app come into being. The J2ME app will work on any phone that runs Java, so it should work on the widest number of phones available.

This is their beta release, so there will be some bugs, submit them to bugs.ushahidi.com and they’ll be on them right away.

Major contributors

Projects like Ushahidi wouldn’t be where they are without the help of programmers who volunteer their time, brains and energy to solving some very difficult challenges. A BIG thanks goes out to all the devs who made this happen. Major contributors included:

• Jason Mule (Kenya)
• Brian Muita (Kenya)
• Soyapi Mumba (Malawi)
• Emmanuel Kala (Kenya)
• Henry Addo (Ghana)
• Steve Mutinda (Kenya)
• Dale Zak (Canada)

Rwanda: Top genocide suspect Gregoire Ndahimana captured in the eastern province of North Kivu, DR Congo

By The Nation (Kenya) 13 August 2009 -
Rwanda: Top genocide suspect captured

Nairobi (Kenya) — A top Rwanda genocide suspect accused of planning the massacre of at least 2,000 Rwandan Tutsis during the 1994 genocide, was captured and arrested late Tuesday evening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to Congolese officials, Gregoire Ndahimana, wanted for crimes of genocide and complicity in genocide, was arrested in the village of Gashuga at 10 pm by the country's armed forces. He was arrested after 15 years of hiding.

Ndahimana had been fighting with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) in eastern Congo, a rebel group made up of those responsible for the genocide, which is currently fighting the army and the United Nations in the country's troubled east.

However, Congolese officials said the fugitive had not been arrested in fighting, but rather during a civilian operation in which Ndahimana was caught by surprise.

"He was captured while he was coming to look for some food within the local population," Olivier Hamuli, a spokesperson for the national army, said via telephone.

"For now he is in the Intelligence Office in North Kivu, and we are still waiting for the political parts to come together."

Both Rwanda and Congo called it one of the largest achievements of the military operations against the Hutu rebels to date.

"We are happy for their service," said Eugene Munyakayanza, a chief diplomat in Rwanda's foreign ministry.

"He's one of the big ones," said Rwanda's justice minister Tharcisse Karugarama, adding that the arrest was the first of its kind in recent time. "But others are still out there."

Ndahimana is wanted by the United Nations specialised genocide courts in Arusha, Tanzania as a Category 1 suspect, a rank reserved for the chief planners and executers of the genocide that killed nearly 1 million ethnic Tutsi.

According to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Mr Ndahimana helped slaughter thousands holed up inside a church in the town of Kivumu. He allegedly bought, and then distributed gasoline that was used to burn down the church with the victims inside.

He was also responsible for organising a night-time circuit of dumping thousands bodies into mass graves.

Ndahimana fled Rwanda to Congo in 1994 as current president Paul Kagame's then-rebel force restored order to Rwanda and brought the genocide to an end. Ndahimana was one of the millions of Hutus who fled into eastern Congo, setting up the rebel group FDLR, whose mission has been to invade Rwanda and topple the current regime.

In May of 2008, the United States government put a bounty of $5 million on Ndahimana's head, along with any information on his, or other genocide suspects', whereabouts.

His arrest Tuesday night comes just after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the region, and as violence there has grown from bad to worse.

For over a decade, Rwanda and Congo have been at odds due to the peaceful existence of the FDLR members across the borders.

Rwanda has accused the Congo of supporting the group, and in turn the Congo had accused Rwanda of backing a myriad of militia that have rained destruction and pillage in return.

Both sides agreed in January to work together to solve the problem of the FDLR, but since then, the new operations have brought attention mostly for the carnage and horror it has brought to the Congo's civilian population.

Secretary Clinton's visit to the region highlighted some of the worst: thousands raped - women, men, children, then elderly - by both the rebels and the Congo's own army. Watchdog groups say 800,000 have been displaced in the east sine January, and nearly 1,000 killed as well.

Arrests like that of Ndahimana have been few and far between. The ICTR and Rwanda both claim that most of the remaining Category 1 suspects are hiding in the Congo.

One of the most sought-after suspects is Felicien Kabuga, a businessman accused of financing the genocide, thought to be hiding in Kenya.

The ICTR threatened in March to take the Kenyan government before the UN Security Council over its failure to help track down the fugitive. Kenya froze the kingpin's assets later in the year but the decision is now under appeal.

Source: http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/

Hat tip: www.afrika.no
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Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in 1994

From BBC News at 17:03 GMT, Wednesday, 12 August 2009 18:03 UK:
Genocide suspect found in Congo

A man accused of planning the massacre of Rwandans during the 1994 genocide has been arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials say.

A government statement named the suspect as Gregoire Ndahimana, who is wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

He was detained by Congolese soldiers in the eastern province of North Kivu.

They were taking part in UN-backed operations against ethnic Hutu rebels, many of whom fled to DR Congo in 1994.

Some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered in 100-day genocide.

Bulldozed church

"He was discovered by our units operating in North Kivu... He was hiding among the FDLR [Hutu rebels]," Congolese Information Minister Lambert Mende was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

According to his ICTR indictment, Mr Ndahimana is responsible for the deaths of at least 2,000 Tutsis, most of whom were killed when a church in which they had sought refuge was bulldozed.

The ICTR, which is based in Arusha, Tanzania, has completed 45 cases.

It was initially due to complete its prosecutions by the end of 2008, but the UN Security Council has given the court until the end of 2010 to finish the trials.

« View all web results for Gregoire Ndahimana

Daily Nation

Suspect in Rwandan Genocide Is Captured After 15 Years in Hiding

New York Times - Josh Kron - ‎9 hours ago‎

The fugitive, Grégoire Ndahimana, who is wanted for genocide and complicity in genocide, was arrested in North Kivu Province late Tuesday evening by ...

Rwanda: A Beacon of Hope in the Arrest of Genocide Fugitive in DRC AllAfrica.com

Rwandan genocide accused arrested in the DRC Legalbrief (subscription)

Rwandan fugitive arrested in eastern Congo eTaiwan News

BBC News - AFP

all 75 news articles »

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Today's other stories in brief

Irish Times - ‎10 hours ago‎

Grégoire Ndahimana was arrested by Congolese soldiers on Sunday during UN-backed operations to stamp out Hutu rebel group the Democratic Forces for the ...

la estrella

WORLD briefs

la estrella - ‎4 hours ago‎

Gregoire Ndahimana, the former mayor of the town of Kivumu is alleged to have played a role in the massacre of more than 1000 Tutsis who took refuge in the ...

World briefs

Dispatch Online - ‎10 hours ago‎

Gregoire Ndahimana was arrested Tuesday in a village in North Kivu province, said Rwandan government spokesperson Lambert Mende. Ndahimana faces charges ...

Le Point

Kashuga : recherché pour génocide Grégoire Ndahimana arrêté par ...

Radio Okapi - ‎15 hours ago‎

Grégoire Ndahimana, un ancien maire rwandais recherché pour son rôle présumé dans le génocide perpétré contre les Tutsis en 1994, a été arrêté mardi à ...

Génocide rwandais: arrestation en RD Congo d'un présumé ... AFP

Leterme satisfait de l'arrestation d'un Rwandais recherché par le TPIR 7sur7

Arrestation en RDC d'un homme accusé de génocide au Rwanda L'Express

Courrier International - nouvelobs.com

all 18 news articles »

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Ruanda soykırımında rolü olduğu gerekçesiyle aranan başkan yakalandı

Zaman - ‎Aug 12, 2009‎

Mahkeme kaynakları, Ruanda'nın batı kesiminde yer alan Kivumu'nun eski belediye başkanı Gregoire Ndahimana'nın, dün Kongo Demokratik Cumhuriyeti'nin ...

13.08.09 Belangrijke Rwandese genocidair opgepakt in Congo ...

CongoForum - ‎3 hours ago‎

KIGALI - De Rwandees Gregoire Ndahimana werd dinsdag gearresteerd in het oosten van Congo. De vroegere majoor uit het Rwandese leger en burgemeester van ...

VERANTWOORDELIJKE VOOR GRUWELIJKE PASSAGE UIT DE RWANDESE ... Kerknet

all 2 news articles »

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Detido presumível genocidio rwandês procurado pelo TPIR

AngolaPress - ‎22 hours ago‎

O antigo presidente da câmara municipal de Kivumu (oeste do Rwanda) "Grégoire Ndahimana foi detido terça-feira no leste da RDC. ...

Congo prende responsável por massacre de 1994 em Ruanda

Estadão - ‎19 hours ago‎

Gregoire Ndahimana foi preso por soldados congoleses no domingo durante uma operação das tropas da ONU para retirar o grupo rebelde Forças Democráticas para ...

Procurado por massacre de 2 mil em Ruanda é preso Destak Jornal

all 2 news articles »

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De Minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Yves Leterme verheugt zich over ...

Nieuwsbank (persbericht) (abonnement) - ‎1 hour ago‎

De Minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Yves Leterme verheugt zich over de aanhouding van de vermoedelijke genocidenpleger Grégoire Ndahimana, die gezocht werd ...

CECAFA U-17 football tournament: Eritrea v Rwanda (Medani, Sudan 5.30pm on 22 Aug 2009)

From Pana via Afrique en ligne, Wednesday, 12 August 2009:
Fixtures of Cecafa youth football tournament in Sudan

(Kenya) - Below are the fixtures for this month's Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) championships taking place in Sudan.

The regional event, known as the Cecafa U-17 tournament, is slated for 19-31 August in three Sudanese cities - Khartoum, Juba and Medani. It is being sponsored by Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir to the tune of US$ 700,000.

Aug. 19 - Ethiopia v Zanzibar (Juba 2.30pm); Kenya v Uganda (Juba 4.30pm).

Aug. 20 - Somalia v Nigeria (Khartoum 5.30pm); Sudan v Tanzania (Khartoum 9.30pm )

Aug. 21 - Zanzibar v Kenya (Juba 2.30pm); Uganda v Ethiopia (Juba 4.30pm).

Aug. 22 - Nigeria v Tanzania (Khartoum 5.30pm); Somalia v Sudan (Khartoum 9.30pm ),

Aug. 22 - Eritrea v Rwanda (Medani 5.30pm); Egypt v Burundi (Medani 9.30pm).

Aug. 23 - Kenya v Ethiopia (Juba 2.30pm); Zanzibar v Uganda (Juba 4.30pm).

Aug. 24 - Tanzania v Somalia (Khartoum 5.30pm); Sudan v Nigeria (Khartoum 9.30pm ).

Aug. 24 - Rwanda v Burundi (Medani 5.30pm); Eritrea v Egypt (Medani 9.30pm).

Aug. 25 - Rest Day.

Aug. 26 & 27 - Quarter finals

Aug. 28 & 29 - Semi finals (Khartoum).

Aug. 30 - Rest Day.

Aug. 31 - Third place play offs/Finals (Khartoum).

Cross posted from Sudan Watch on Wednesday 12 August 2009: Fixtures of CECAFA U-17 football tournament in Sudan 19-31 Aug 2009

Click on labels here below for related reports and updates.

MSF video report: LRA attacks villages, kidnaps children on Sudan-Congo border

Lord's Resistance Army Attacks Villages, Kidnaps Children On Sudan-Congo Border (VIDEO)
By Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) aka Doctors Without Borders
Monday, 10 August 2009 via The Huffington Post

With photography and video by photojournalist Brendan Bannon, Doctors Without Borders brings you the underreported story of hundreds of thousands of Congolese who are fleeing the violent attacks of Ugandan rebel group the Lord's Resistant Army (LRA).

Following a military offensive against them, the LRA has intensified attacks against civilians. During these attacks, entire Congolese villages are often looted and burned to the ground; people are hacked to death with machetes and women and children are abducted as sexual slaves, forced to carry looted goods or recruited to fight.

Approximately 250,000 people have been displaced from their land and livelihoods, many of them taking refuge in Southern Sudan. These are their stories:

- - -

From UN - Daily Press Briefing (7 August 2009) by Marie Okabe, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General - excerpt:

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR), meanwhile, says that an unprecedented 55 rebel attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have displaced some 12,500 civilians in the past month alone. This is a spike from 23 LRA attacks in May and 34 in June.

UNHCR says that the Ugandan rebels have murdered 1,273 civilians and abducted 655 children and 1,427 adults. A number of women were also raped and houses were looted and torched. Fleeing civilians have found shelter in public buildings including schools and churches. And the situation is made worse by a lack of basic medical supplies at local hospitals, while aid agencies have so far reached only half of the internally displaced persons. And that’s due to widespread insecurity in the region. You can read more about this upstairs.

Sudan

The World Food Programme (WFP) fears that the recent massacre of 161 people in Southern Sudan’s Jonglei State might lead to a spate of deadly retaliatory attacks. Some 700 people have been killed since March in the region while another 19,000 were displaced. WFP and its partners have called on the Government to put an end to inter-tribal fighting, which is endangering the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Full story

Cross posted to Sudan Watch 10 August 2009.

David Blair's report from Witto, Western Equatoria, S. Sudan: LRA targets children of Sudan

Here is a long awaited report from The Daily Telegraph's Africa correspondent David Blair. I have lost count of the number of times over the past year that I wondered about his lack of reporting on Africa and even worried that he might be ill.  So, it was a wonderful surprise for me a few minutes ago to find the following report filed from South Sudan's Western Equatoria! Fingers crossed that he remains in the region to report more on what is really going on. On Monday morning (10 August 2009) I published news at Sudan Watch about southern Sudan where a humanitarian disaster more serious than that in Darfur, western Sudan is unfolding.

From The Daily Telegraph
Lord's Resistance Army targets children of Sudan
By David Blair in Witto, Western Equatoria province, South Sudan
Published: 7:00AM BST Monday 10 Aug 2009

The Lord's Resistance Army, which specialises in abducting and murdering the young, has turned on a new and pitifully vulnerable target: the children of southern Sudan, one of Africa's most isolated and troubled regions.



Local people call LRA fighters the "ton-tong", meaning "machete", because this is their chosen weapon for murdering victims Photo: GETTY

The LRA, which emerged in neighbouring Uganda and has kidnapped tens of thousands of children during two decades of guerrilla war, is now striking across a vast area of bush and plain along Sudan's south-western frontier.

These raids on defenceless villages, usually mounted by small groups of rebels searching for children to abduct and food to steal, have forced more than 55,000 people to flee their homes. Western Equatoria province has been worst hit, with scores of villages abandoned and new refugee camps springing up.

Local people call LRA fighters the "ton-tong", meaning "machete", because this is their chosen weapon for murdering victims.

Mary Anja, who does not know her age but looks about 30, lived in Diko district until the LRA attacked her village. Knowing that the rebels were hunting for children, local people tried to evacuate as many as possible, along with their mothers, on two tractors.

Mrs Anja gathered her three infant sons and climbed onto one vehicle's trailer. Meanwhile, her daughter, Phoebe, who is about 12, boarded the second tractor.

But this tiny convoy drove straight into an LRA ambush. "The ton-tong fired bullets in the air, then they shot out the tyres of the tractor," said Mrs Anja. "When people tried to jump out, they shot at the people." As the terrified women and children tried to flee, one baby boy, less than a year old, was shot dead in the arms of his mother. Another woman was wounded in the leg, while a Sudanese soldier, who had tried to protect the convoy, died in a hail of bullets.

Mrs Anja managed to flee with her three sons. As she ran, she knew nothing of the fate of Phoebe, travelling on the second tractor. "I was thinking 'Phoebe is not here'. I started crying while I ran," said Mrs Anja.

By this time, Phoebe was already in the hands of the LRA. The guerrillas surrounded her tractor, firing in the air and singling out Phoebe along with five other girls and one boy. "They surrounded us. We couldn't run and then they said 'sit down'. One of the rebels tied us up," said Phoebe.

The captives were led away into the bush. For the next three days, Phoebe was forced to march for 18 hours at a time. "If you don't walk fast enough, you are beaten with sticks," she remembered. "I was thinking, 'I may be killed like those who have been killed by the ton-tong before'. And I asked myself 'what has happened to my mother and my brothers'?"

Phoebe could not have known that her family was safe. They had managed to reach another village, from where Mrs Anja and her sons were brought to a refugee camp at Witto, some 50 miles away.

Shortly before dawn on the fourth day of the march, Phoebe and three other girls managed to slip away as their captors slept. For the next 12 days, they walked through the bush, surviving on river water and wild berries, until they reached the town of Tore Wandi.

Phoebe, emaciated and dehydrated, was taken to hospital, where her mother eventually found her. Today, she has recovered and the family lives in Witto camp, where Oxfam provides sanitation and basic essentials for about 500 refugees.

They cannot understand why they have become the LRA's latest targets. This nihilist movement, which emerged in Northern Uganda more than 20 years ago, has no coherent aim. Its psychotic leader, Joseph Kony, claims to be a prophet and says that he wants to rule Uganda according to the Ten Commandments.

But Kony's rebellion has no purpose save murder, so no-one joins him voluntarily. Hence the LRA must abduct children, who are then brainwashed into becoming soldiers and sent to kidnap more young recruits. In this brutal fashion, the LRA constantly replenishes its ranks.

Uganda has managed to expel the rebels from its territory with a series of offensives. But the LRA has scattered across a new killing ground, covering Sudan's borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

No-one can tell how many children have disappeared in this vast area. Joseph Ngere Paciko, the deputy governor of Western Equatoria, has recorded 250 abductions in his province alone.

"There have also been cases in far-away villages, where we have no access, so the real number is certainly higher," he said. "Our people don't understand why this is happening. Why should the LRA come and kill our people every day?"

DR Congo: Hillary Clinton highlights Africa's potential but warns against corruption

Democracy cartoon: Obama comes to Africa



Source: Friday, July 10, 2009, Patrick Gathara, www.afrika.no
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US secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s tour of seven African nations ends on 13 August 2009 after visits to Kenya, South Africa, Angola, the DRC, Nigeria, Liberia and Cape Verde

From Sudan Radio Service, Friday 07 August 2009:
Clinton Highlights Africa's Potential but Warns Against Corruption

(Nairobi) – During her visit to Kenya earlier this week, the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton described Africa as having the potential and the resources to compete in the world economy.

In a speech from the Kenyan capital Nairobi, Clinton urged African countries to create markets with each other rather than focus on trading with first world countries.

[Hillary Clinton]: “Africa is capable and is making economic progress. In fact, one doesn’t have to look far to see that Africa is ripe with opportunities. The single biggest opportunity that you have right now is to open up trade with each other. The market of the United States is 3 hundred million people; the market of Africa is 7 hundred million plus people. Nations of Africa trade the least with each other than any region of the world. That makes it very difficult to compete effectively.”

However, Hillary Clinton has attributed the lack of economic progress in Africa to the failure by various governments to attract investors through stability.

[Hillary Clinton]: “It's not just about good governance, this is about good business. Investors will be attracted to states that do this and they will not be attracted to states with failed or weak leadership, or crime and civil unrest, or corruption that taints every transaction and decision.”

Clinton called on African states to reform their countries by ending bad governance, corruption and impunity. She encouraged government to ensure that the private sector and civil society organizations abiding by the rule of law.

Clinton’s tour of seven African nations ends on August 13th after visits to Kenya, South Africa, Angola, the DRC, Nigeria, Liberia and Cape Verde.

Kenya Commercial Bank plans to increase the number of outlets in Rwanda to seven from one

Kenya Commercial Bank Ltd. (KNCB KN), the East African nation’s biggest lender by assets and outlets, climbed 3.6 percent, the most in six weeks, to 21.75 shillings.

The lender said July 30 first-half net income declined two percent to 2.41 billion shillings as expansion costs rose.

“Demand is coming from high net-worth individuals and institutional investors,” Snehal Shah, head of research at Nairobi-based Kestrel Capital East Africa Ltd. said in a phone interview. “They are discounting these results and looking ahead at future growth.”

The lender, which has 156 outlets in Kenya and 26 in four neighboring nations, plans to increase the number of outlets in Southern Sudan to nine from five and seven in Rwanda from one currently, it said July 30.

Source: Bloomberg, Friday 07 August 2009: Kenyan Stocks Climb: Kenya Commercial Bank, Standard Chartered

'New era' for DR Congo and Rwanda

Good news from BBC News 20:51 GMT, Thursday, 6 August 2009 21:51 UK:
'New era' for DR Congo and Rwanda

The leaders of Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo have pledged to boost economic and security ties, hailing an "all new era" after a rare meeting.

The talks took place 13 years after the neighbours broke diplomatic relations.

"It is the first giant step forward," Congo's President Joseph Kabila told reporters after the meeting near Goma.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame told his Congolese counterpart that Rwanda would never be a base for militias that could destabilise Congo.

They also agreed to develop projects to exploit natural gas reserves in Lake Kivu, which lies between the two countries, and to revive joint commissions that have lain dormant for years.

The meeting comes a month after both sides appointed ambassadors to their respective capitals and has been seen as a further sign of improving relations between the countries.

Military co-operation

In January, the two countries agreed to take joint action against the Hutu FDLR rebels in Congo.

Some of the FDLR leaders are accused of taking part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, before they fled to DR Congo.

The Rwandan forces have also arrested Congolese Tutsi rebel leader Laurent Nkunda, who is wanted in Congo, but has so far refused to extradite him over fears he may be executed.

But Mr Kagame sought to allay Congolese fears at the talks.

"I can give a very firm assurance that neither Laurent Nkunda nor [his group] the CNDP can base in Rwanda to cause any discomfort... or affect the stability created in DRC or between DRC and Rwanda," he said.

The two leaders are due to meet again in Kinshasa in October or November.

DR Congo: Microfinancing - Launch of new Mobile Money Transfer Directory will focus on Sub-Sahara Africa

A new Mobile Money Transfer Directory at http://creditsms.org launches in 2 wks focus on Sub-Saharan Africa (by @CreditSMS)

Source: White African Erik Hersman via Twitter 04 Aug. 2009
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Snippets from CreditSMS website:

In December 2009, CreditSMS will launch several pilots throughout Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Additional pilot requests have been submitted for Kenya, Sudan, and Sierra Leone. Uganda and DRC have 87% and 66% rural populations respectively, constituting a nascent market of as many as 76 million potential clients and consumers. By enabling MFIs [microfinance institutions] to reach and meet the demands of this market, CreditSMS will facilitate a form of 'bubble up' development whereby the income of microloan recipients will increase and the price of newly-available goods and services will trend toward market equilibrium. All pilot results will be made free and accessible via CreditSMS.org as they become available.
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The Beginning...
By Ben Lyon
Published: July 14, 2009

Formal banks were hesitant to give "the bottom billion" loans because they didn't have collateral. Today, microfinance institutions (MFIs) fill that void by providing collateral-free loans to micro-entrepreneurs. In order to compete with traditional moneylenders, however, those MFIs had to charge exorbitant interest rates, mostly to absorb the high transport cost of making weekly visits to rural areas to collect loan repayments. With teledensity penetration and mobile commerce growing faster by the day, one has to wonder: why are loan officers still making the trip? Read More...
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Increasing revenue and impact through technology
By Ben Lyon
Published: July 22, 2009
[article written for Project Diaspora]

Aaron Ewedafe wakes up every morning at least one hour before the sun rises. Donning his satchel full of client records and repayment schedules, he hails the nearest okada driver and races into the surrounding countryside to begin a long day of loan group meetings. The trip from headquarters in Oshogbo to the village of Ojudo and back can take all day. Aaron rarely makes it home before nightfall. Altogether, Aaron spends 112 hours and 5,000 naira a week to manage 350 microloan recipients. His profit is negligible. Read More...
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The 'Phone as Cow' Model
By Ben Lyon
Published: August 1, 2009

Mobile phones are quickly becoming the hottest topic in development. Everyday, waves of new innovations are rolled out to connect 'bottom of the pyramid' (BOP) entrepreneurs to markets and information. But many advocates and implementers seem to neglect a fundamental question: What good are mobile innovations if BOP entrepreneurs can't afford handsets? According to Iqbal Quadir of Grameenphone, the answer is to issue the handset as the first microloan. Read More...

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Follow Credit SMS on Twitter

Check out Mobile Money Africa - Africa's leading online resource for mobile financial inclusion: mobilemoneyafrica.com

DR Congo: Confronting rape as a weapon of war

In the rape capital of the world, some are seeking to curb sexual violence by focusing on men’s role in preventing it.

From Christian Science Monitor
August 02, 2009
Congo: Confronting rape as a weapon of war
By Matthew Clark, Staff writer
Kanyola, Democratic Republic of Congo

First his wife, then his daughter. Five years ago, Hutu militiamen tied up Lwaboshi Bahati and forced him and his children to watch as they raped those nearest to his heart. Then they took everything he owned.

“I was so angry. Up until now, I can’t forget. I can’t express how bad I feel,” says Mr. Bahati, an unemployed former small-business owner.

But at his wife’s time of greatest need, he kicked her out of the house. She was defiled; damaged goods. Besides, she might give him the AIDS virus that she must have caught from the militiamen. At least that’s how he saw things back then.

“I didn’t hate my wife, but I didn’t appreciate what happened. I was afraid,” Bahati whispers, behind a bush, out of earshot of villagers. For them to know would bring ridicule upon him, the man who couldn’t protect his wife.

And Bahati is not alone. Hundreds of thousands of men in eastern Congo are in the same position: The stigma of rape compels them to hide what happened and shun their wives, compounding a horrible situation.

This is what war looks like in what has been called “the rape capital of the world,” where the weapon of sexual violence is so commonly used that people seem numb to it. Doctors and activists call it an “epidemic.” Five million people have died, and an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 women have been raped in the past decade of tangled conflict among ethnic militias and regional militaries fighting for Congo’s mineral riches.

“Even in a wartime setting, Congo is unusual and exceptional,” says Michael Van Rooyen, the director of Harvard’s Humanitarian Initiative and an emergency physician with experience in international disaster zones. And, he says, it appears that “rape is becoming part of the culture.”

Focus on men’s role in preventing rape

Because rape is so prevalent in the war-torn east, Congo is perhaps an ideal laboratory for testing the premise of a global trend in the fight against rape: a new focus on men’s role in preventing it. Historically, it’s been the after-the-fact symptom of the problem – the women victims – that have absorbed attention and resources.

That’s why Washington-based Women for Women International set up here to get respected men to show others how devastating rape is to society. That’s why Bahati can talk now – even if only in hushed tones – about changing his views and reclaiming his family from the effects of rape.

“While we are an organization that values investment in women, you have to engage larger communities,” says Lyric Thompson, policy analyst at Women for Women. “In many places we work, the community leaders are men, so we use men’s position of influence. Our program in Congo is a model for other programs. It involves a huge paradigm shift from approaching men as the perpetrators – the enemy – to engaging them as allies; as fathers, sons, brothers.”

This past year, thanks to the program, Bahati took his wife back after four years of shunning her. (She also tested negative for the AIDs virus.)

“Before, it was hard to be with her, but today we are friends. We are smiling,” says Bahati, explaining that local leaders trained by Women for Women taught him that the rape episode wasn’t his fault and that punishing his wife for it not only brought unnecessary suffering to his family, but to all of society as well.

He no longer needed to be complicit in letting rape destroy his people. “Now life is OK. We’ve gotten over what happened,” he says.



Photo: Lwaboshi Bahati (center), with some of his children, banished his wife from their home after she was raped by militiamen in Congo’s running ethnic conflict. But, through a reeducation program, he realized this made his family and society suffer, so he welcomed her back. (Mary Knox Merrill / Staff)

An epidemic of sexual abuse

In Eastern Congo, men rape for a variety of reasons.

In an empty room in the countryside, a former militiaman – now a colonel in Congo’s Army, who doesn’t want to be named – pulls his hat over his face and explains to the Monitor on video camera why he used to rape: “I did it because we were in the bush for many months at a time. It was rare to meet women.… We wanted to seize the opportunity.”

He “only” raped twice, he says, and doesn’t remember the details, because he was high on marijuana at the time. Drug use is common among militiamen, and getting high makes it easier to raid and pillage villages, he says.

Other rebels in his group raped to punish women whom they thought were spies. “I witnessed men raping to punish,” says the colonel. “We did it for revenge. It happens all the time.

“When we were going to fight, maybe 150 rebels would go with only 10 guns,” he says. “Sometimes 50 of us would be killed in one battle. So I could be happy that I raped, because I could tell the other militiamen: ‘At least I raped one of their women.’ “

It’s not just militias. Gov ernment soldiers rape, too – a lot, he says.

“Sometimes women were used to lure soldiers to fall in love with them, so they could pass intelligence to the rebels they were collaborating with,” says the colonel. “So Army men raped to discourage this.”

“We behaved like animals,” he mutters in apology.

But now, he adds, things are different: “Today we are sensitized by [organizations] like Women for Women. They’ve showed us that we must respect women and avoid abuse. We’ve learned that nothing can be done without women.” And, he adds that he regularly talks to public groups about his case: “I don’t fear to tell others how bad rape is.”

Women for Women has made a special effort to train top military and police officials, and these officials are getting smarter about how to prevent rape by those under their command.

The colonel says commanders now tell soldiers not to rape and that “to destroy a woman is to destroy our nation.”

Plus, he says, “Now we’re stationed in town, so we can have sex with our wives.”



Photo: A Congolese Army colonel, who admits to committing two rapes when he was a militia member, says the program has ‘sensitized’ him to the crime. (Mary Knox Merrill/Staff)

Challenges in enforcing the law

Part of the reason that encouraging a culture of social responsibility is important, local authorities say, is that it holds more power than the law.

Enforcement is problematic because police and soldiers aren’t paid for months. And when they are paid, standard monthly pay is only $25, says Maj. Honorine Munyole, head of a 30-person police battalion charged with protecting women and children. “We don’t even have paper to write tickets on,” laments Ms. Munyole from her ramshackle office in the city of Buvavu. They don’t have vehicles to go anywhere on Congo’s muddy roads. “A 9-year-old girl was raped by a soldier the other day, but we couldn’t get there,” she shrugs.

Still, 217 suspected rapists were arrested last year, and 20 so far this year: But most escape justice by paying off judges. And, Munyole says, each of them threatened her and her staff: “We can’t work after 6 p.m., when it starts getting dark. Sometimes they throw stones at us. They broke my glasses with a stone.”

Munyole had to transfer her daughter to a new school after she was threatened with rape because of her mom’s work. “The perpetrators need to be punished, but there are always calls to release them,” she says. “Where will all of this end up? I feel bad. It touches me very deeply.”



Photo: Police Maj. Honorine Munyole (l.) has been threatened for trying to enforce rape laws in eastern Congo. She talks with Christine Karumba, who runs a Women for Women program that enlists men as allies against rape. (Mary Knox Merrill/Staff)

‘If men are not involved it will not change’

Women for Women is expanding its Men’s Leadership Program to a provincial capital, Goma. In a concrete hall, program director Cyprien Walupakah is giving a rousing speech on women’s rights to a select crowd of male leaders: priests, businessmen, teachers, government officials, soldiers, police. “Let’s talk about rape,” he thunders into a microphone. “Sex abuse is defined as anything against her will.”

After he reels off specific examples of bad behavior toward women, the heads of provincial police and military give reports, and explain the difficulty of enforcing rape laws. A priest stands to say that he’s happy the Army chiefs are present so he can tell them how military officials pull rank and release rapists from police custody.

The meeting gets lively when one man grabs the mike and dresses down the police and Army officials present, accusing them of taking second “wives” against their will when deployed in remote areas. The crowd breaks into raucous applause.

“We have a crisis of leadership [in Congo],” says Mr. Walupakah in an interview after the training session, adding that it’s rare to see military and police officers speak to a crowd and be held accountable. “If men are not involved [in preventing rape], it will not change.

“It’s a step-by-step process,” he says, explaining that each man trained is supposed to train five others.

Since the program started in June 2006, 1,600 men have taken it. It’s hard to measure how many have trained others, says Walupakah, cautioning that success over time will depend on what men bring back to their villages. At present, he estimates that only one-third of those who attend training remain active in their villages. Walupakah hopes to bring that rate up through continued visits and training. He admits that the group has a long way to go before rape rates go down, but he’s happy with the start: “If we resuscitate the leaders, we can really form a new generation.”

The next stage in the fight against rape

Women to Women has programs in Nigeria and Afghanistan. And groups in the US are focusing on men’s role in tackling rape. Men Can Stop Rape began in 1997 after men in Washington neighborhoods noticed little focus on men’s role in this “women’s issue.”

Now the group puts on 16-week “Men of Strength” workshops in high schools and middle schools in the United States and in the military. They’re set to open an office in Uganda next year and are considering one in Brazil. They’re even talking with Johns Hopkins and Howard universities to develop the first master’s program in prevention of violence toward women.

The group’s CEO, Stephen Glaude, says that the focus on men is the next stage in the evolution of the fight against rape – after treating rape victims and helping women reduce the risk of rape. “We are the next leg of the movement.”

Getting to the root of the problem isn’t easy. And explaining how men can stop rape is still a tough sell.

Back in Congo, Women for Women country director Christine Karumba says that it’s difficult to secure funding for the Men’s Leadership Training program compared with the group’s many other initiatives. “Most donors want to get involved in the relief services [for rape victims],” she says. “Many people think it’s not the right time [to focus on men]. We strongly believe it’s the right time. Men have to be part of the solution.”

Hat tip: Goatmilk

Britain funds pioneer land scheme to deter conflict in Rwanda

Millions of poor Rwandans will for the first time be given papers to prove they own their land under a pioneering British-funded scheme aimed at ending dangerous disputes.

From The Daily Telegraph, UK
Britain funds pioneer land scheme to deter conflict in Rwanda
By Mike Pflanz in Nairobi, 05 Aug 2009

The five-year project, funded with £20 million of British money, will create the country's first national database of land ownership in the east African country.

Currently, farmers cannot raise loans for fertiliser, equipment or seeds because they have no collateral to offer banks.

Disputes have erupted regularly over who owned what land in the country, the most densely populated nation in Africa with 10.1 million people living in a territory a little larger than Israel.

Pressures over land are believed to have played an underlying role in the Rwandan genocide of 1994 when an estimated 800,000 people were killed over 100-days of tribal bloodletting.

Following a successful three year trial, Britain's Department for International Development will fund Rwandan teams to travel to every town and village to recruit volunteer committees to investigate local land claims.

Using satellite imagery and speaking directly to the landowners, they will draw up comprehensive land tenure maps for the whole country.

Drafts will be posted in villages for people to see. Any concerns can be raised locally and public hearings will be held to resolve grievances.

"Many Rwandans have no way to prove what they own, making it too easy for others to take land away from them," said Mike Foster, the International Development minister.

"For the first time, men and women in Rwanda will be able to defend their land rights through the law courts, giving them the peace of mind to invest in their farms and build their businesses."

Among the greatest beneficiaries will be women, who have until now struggled to enforce their statutory rights under Rwandan law.

Land titles will be drawn up in the name of both husband and wife.

Clerics criticise Chissano’s stand on LRA rebels

From Daily Monitor Friday, July 24, 2009:
Clerics criticise Chissano’s stand on LRA rebels
By PAUL AMORU & JAMES ERIKU

(Gulu) - A statement by Mr Joachim Chissano, the outgoing UN Secretary General’s envoy for the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) affected areas, recommending that both the peaceful and military option be pursued to end the conflict in northern Uganda has received round condemnation from a local religious group.

The Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) yesterday released a press statement signed by its chairperson, Arch Bishop John Baptist Odama and his vice Alhajji Musa Khelil, saying the military option still being recommended by Mr Chissano failed to bring peace for over two decades.

“We respect the final recommendations which Mr Chissano presented to the Security Council however, as religious leaders, we always stand upon the principles of non-violence and dialogue to resolve conflicts,” ARLPI said in the statement.

The former Mozambique President briefed the UN Security Council on his final observations and recommendations regarding the state of the peace process between the government of Uganda and the LRA on July 15.

In the statement, the members said, while they appreciate the multiple consultations Chissano and his team conducted throughout the region, they do not want the region to recede to another war.
“We do not have the confidence that any military action will bring security to the region but instead will only further destabilise the relative calm which we are experiencing,” the statement adds.

The clerics urged all the stakeholders to put more efforts on building trust and confidence between the parties so that dialogue can continue to lead to the final signing of the peace agreement.

They further cautioned that military action could put in danger the lives of innocent civilians abducted by the LRA in Uganda, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Central African Republic.

The Acholi religious Leaders Initiative has been at the fore front of pushing for peaceful resolution of the conflict in the north since its inception in the early 1990’s though the government believed that the military option was the best way of achieving peace in northern Uganda.

The Final Peace Agreement was negotiated between the government and the LRA, but the LRA’s leader Joseph Kony has repeatedly failed to sign the deal, citing indictments and arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as obstacles.

But the Security Council last week urged the LRA rebels to sign a peace agreement which seeks to end its decades-long conflict with the government.

(Hat tip: http://DRC.Ushahidi.com)