Author: Database of Press Releases related to Africa

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, Sheila B. Keetharuth, today hailed the release of all Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers, some of whom had been held in detention for more than five years at the Nagad Police Academy in Djibouti.

Following joint efforts by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and civil society actors, the Djiboutian Government agreed on Sunday, 13 April 2014, to set free all Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers. The Eritrean Prisoners of War were not included under this measure.

“I welcome the Government of Djibouti’s decision to relocate 266 Eritreans to the UNHCR administered refugee camp in Ali Addeh in the south of the country, some of whom I met during my mission to Djibouti in 2013” Ms. Keetharuth said.

The Special Rapporteur expressed great concern about rampant human rights violations in Eritrea which caused hundreds of thousands to leave their country for an unknown and precarious future.

“I reiterate my call on the international community to grant at least temporary refuge or protection to the more than 300,000 Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers, in line with their obligations under international refugee and human rights law,” Ms. Keetharuth stressed.

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — On Monday, May 5, President Obama will host President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti at the White House. President Guelleh’s visit underscores the strength of the strategic partnership between the United States and Djibouti, including the important role Djibouti plays in preventing conflict, promoting regional stability, and countering extremism as host to the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa at Camp Lemonnier. The President looks forward to discussing a range of issues of mutual interest with President Guelleh, including security and counterterrorism, development, trade, and energy cooperation.

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Kenya’s transition to a green economy could produce major economic benefits – equivalent to an estimated USD 45 billion by 2030 – as well as greater food security, a cleaner environment and higher productivity of natural resources, according to a new study launched Tuesday by the Government of Kenya and the UN Environment Programme.

The Green Economy Assessment Report: Kenya finds that the transition to an inclusive, low emission , resource efficient green economy will result in stronger economic growth and increased wealth creation opportunities by 2021.

Under a green economy scenario, with an investment of two percent of GDP, national GDP would exceed a business-as-usual scenario by about 12 per cent, or KES 3.6 trillion (equivalent to USD 45 billion), by 2030. Per capita national income would nearly double from KES 39,897 (USD 498.70) to KES 69,702 (USD 871.30). Under a business-as-usual investment scenario and a two per cent investment, GDP would only increase to KES 53,146 (USD 664.30) over the same period of time.

As green economy measures mitigate the impact of climate change, the report finds the country’s aggregated Green House Gas Emissions measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent would be 9 per cent lower by 2030 under a green economy scenario with an investment of two per cent of GDP compared to a business-as-usual scenario and a two per cent investment.

In the agriculture sector, the report finds that green economy investments would increase the average agriculture yield by about 15 per cent from its current baseline. Agriculture accounts for approximately one quarter of Kenya’s national GDP annually and up to 65 per cent of its exports.

Kenya is already implementing policies and initiatives to move towards a green economy, and this approach is recognized in the country’s long-term development blueprint and in the government’s Second Medium Term Plan (2013-2017).

The report finds that further green energy investments could lead to about a two per cent reduction in energy consumption and an expanded supply of electricity from renewable sources compared to business-as-usual. For example, under a green economy scenario, renewable energy would double geothermal capacity by 2030, compared to business-as-usual, and other renewable energy resources would also grow during this period, contributing to 20 per cent of the total power supply.

To accelerate these efforts, the report urges the government to consider adopting targeted clean energy solutions for households and institutions, such as energy efficient lighting and appliances; and, making additional investments in renewable energy, such as geothermal, solar, wind and biofuel energy.

While Kenya’s manufacturing sector has continued to contribute about 10 per cent to the country’s GDP for over many years, it is still one of the largest in Sub-Sahara Africa and considered a key pillar for the country’s future growth. However, the report finds that to green this sector, more public policies are needed to encourage and incentivize investment in resource-efficient and clean production processes, recycling and eco-labelling, among other transformative strategies.

The country’s transport sector is also critical to its green economy goals. This sector is expected to triple between 2010 and 2030, and vehicles on the road have already doubled during the last decade. To better regulate this sector and reduce emission of harmful gaseous pollutants, the report suggests that the government needs to create incentives to lower the age of its passenger and freight fleet, as well as promote more mass transit and non-motorized transport .

UNEP supported a consortium of Kenyan institutions that formed the “Inter-Ministerial Committee on green economy” to lead the green economy in the country. The Committee comprised members from various government ministries and the private sector organizations.

The report, which examines the economy-wide impacts of green investments under different scenarios, reveals that positive returns could be realized within seven to ten years.

It confirms that an overall green economy, resources efficiency and recycling policy framework is fundamental to underpin the success of these sector initiatives. Several areas where further government action is needed are identified, from improving regulatory compliance and developing national standards, resources efficiency and resource productivity targets ; to securing financial resources and introducing fiscal instruments like tax rebates on environment friendly technologies and innovations

Quotes:

• Cabinet Secretary of the Kenyan Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Judi Wakhungu, said:

“Green Economy driven by resource efficiency is the basis for sustainable development and poverty eradication. A green economy revolution is already taking place in Kenya, where the harvesting of geothermal energy from the East African Rift is just one of the many renewable energy projects underway across the country. By learning to more accurately value our own natural resources, Kenya will be able to better harness these strategies as it moves towards a holistic, inclusive green economy in the future.”

• UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said:

“The next wave of investment and innovation in Kenya will be driven by the need for new energy sources, wealth generation and job creation. Kenya is already demonstrating leadership by pioneering green economy approaches in the energy, urban and natural resources sectors as a vehicle to deliver its national development goals. This report confirms that the country can achieve even greater prosperity and well-being by scaling up its green investments in key sectors, while also factoring the conservation and efficient use of its natural capital into future decisions related to infrastructure, investment in the development of the energy, transport, agriculture and industry sectors.”

PARIS, France, April 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — FIDH and MBDHP welcome the decision of the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights in the affair concerning the assassination of the Burkinabe journalist, Norbert Zongo, and of three of his companions. Almost 16 years after these acts, the Court recognises the role of Burkina Faso in denying justice for the beneficiaries of these four murdered men.

In its ruling of 8 March 2014, the African Court found that Burkina “failed to act with due diligence in seeking, trying and judging the assassins of Norbert Zongo and his companions” [and as a result violated] “the rights of the Applicants to be heard by competent national courts” [in violation of Articles 7 and 1 of the African Charter). Moreover, the Court decided that Burkina Faso had violated the right of the freedom of expression of journalists (in violation of Article 9 of the African Charter and of 66.2 of the Revised Treaty of the ECOWAS), insofar of its “failure … in the investigation and prosecution of the murderers of Norbert Zongo, caused fear and worry in media circles”. The Court, which has not yet ruled on the demands for reparation, has given 30 days for the two parties to submit their arguments on the issue.

“The assassination of Norbert Zongo remains a dark point in our recent political history, and the State, for not having rapidly considered such a symbolic case, is responsible for the denial of justice suffered by victims’ families. The African Court has just reminded the authorities of this failure. This is a first victory for human rights defenders in Burkina, who have been demanding truth and justice for Norbert Zongo and his companions for the past 16 years. This is also a victory for regional justice in the fight against impunity,” said Chrysogone Zougmoré, MBDHP President.

On 13 December 1998, Norbert Zongo, an investigative journalist and editor of the weekly news journal The Independent, his younger brother Ernest Zongo, and colleagues Abdoulaye Nikiema and Blaise Ilboudo, were found burned in a car that was taking them to southern Burkina Faso. Both families of the victims and the MBDHP tied these murders to the investigations led by Norbert Zongo on several political scandals, both economic and social, affecting Burkina Faso at the time, and for which he had complained of having received threats.

After dealing with the many flaws of the investigative procedure (the plaintiffs were only interviewed shortly before the seven-year investigations was to end, 5 of the 6 identified suspects were never prosecuted, the only one implicated was awarded an order of dismissal, after which the authorities failed to pursue other avenues) the victims’ families and the MBDHP decided to file a complaint with the African Court in December 2011. The Court based its findings on the deficiencies of the national procedures, and noted the absence of an effective remedy in the Burkinabe judiciary.

“The Judgment of the Court in the case of Norbert Zongo has a particular importance as it relates to the question of the effectiveness of national justice and the freedom of expression of journalists, two issues that go beyond the borders of Burkina,” said Sheila Muwanga Nabachwa, FIDH Vice President and focal point for the East African region of the Coalition for the African Court. “This decision clearly emphasises the primary responsibility of States to ensure access to justice and to protect fundamental freedoms”, she added.

For Mabassa Fall, FIDH Representative to the African Union, “this ruling proves once again that the African Court is an essential means of redress for victims of human rights violations that would not get justice before their national courts. Additionally, it shows that NGOs and individuals have a definite role to play in increasing the effectiveness of the regional judicial system.”

At the hearings before the African Court, Burkinabe authorities indicated the limitation period for the Zongo Affair by national courts is 31 August 2016. As such, FIDH and MBDHP call once again on Burkina Faso to take all necessary measures to shed light on the circumstances surrounding these killings, establish the identity of those responsible, and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights

Created in 1998 to ensure the protection of human rights on the African continent, the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights has jurisdiction over all cases and all disputes concerning the interpretation and application of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ rights and any other relevant human rights instrument ratified by the States concerned. In operation since 2006, its decisions are binding. To date, twenty seven (27) States have ratified the Protocol to the African Charter establishing the African Court, but only seven countries, including Burkina Faso, have made a special declaration under Article 34.6 of the Protocol which allows individuals and NGOs to appeal directly to the Court. The effectiveness of the Court is thus frequently called into question by the very low number of States allowing citizens to directly appeal to it.

For more information on the case Beneficiaries of the late Norbert Zongo, Abdoulaye Nikiema Ablasse, Ernest Zongo, and Blaise Ilboudo and the Burkinabe Movement for Human and Peoples’ Rights. v . Burkina Faso, please refer to the African Court, MBDHP and FIDH webpages.

DUBLIN, Ireland, April 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — His Excellency the Ambassador of Republic of Senegal presented its Letters of Credence to the President at Áras an Uachtaráin today.

H.E. Mr. Abdou Sourang, Ambassador of the Republic of Senegal, was accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Marieme Sourang, and by Mr. Sara Ndiaye, First Counsellor at the Embassy.

Ms. Jan O’Sullivan, T.D., Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, represented the Government at the ceremony.

The following were also present: Mr. Loughin Quinn, Deputy Secretary-General to the President; Mr. David Cooney, Secretary-General, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Mr. Joe Brennan, Ms. Marion O’Donnell and Mr. Shane Stephens, Protocol, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The Ambassador was escorted to and from Áras an Uachtaráin by an Escort of Honour consisting of a motorcycle detachment drawn from the 2nd Cavalry Squadron, Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin, under the command of Lieutenant Grattan O’Hagan.

A Guard of Honour was provided at Áras an Uachtaráin by the 7th Infantry Battalion, Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin, under the command of Lieutenant Finian Everard.

Captain Fergal Carroll conducted the Army No. 1 Band.

RABAT, Morocco, April 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — In the current global-security environment, one nation isn’t enough. After decades of overseas contingency operations, from the sands of Afghanistan to the jungles of Mali, coalitions are a clear indicator of partner nations’ commitment to worldwide stability and security.

Exercise African Lion is U.S. Africa Command’s flagship program in Northern Africa to build partner-nation capacity and interoperability. With more regional cooperation between North African nations, bringing more partners into the mix would increase expertise, capabilities and professionalism across the board.

“We are very keen to work together with [Moroccans]; they are great partners for us and we want to practice and exercise with them as much as possible,” said Italian Commander Fernando Cianci, STRIKFORNATO.

This year’s multilateral event wasn’t exclusively between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States; the three-week event hosted Geo-spatial intelligence professionals from the German Bundeswehr Geo-spatial Intelligence Office as well as members of Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, with representatives from the U.S., Portugal, Poland and Italy.

STRIKFORNATO is NATO’s premiere Maritime Battlestaff. One of their primary functions is to serve as a link for integrating U.S. Maritime Forces into NATO operations. The rapidly-deployable, maritime headquarters operates under a Memorandum of Understanding, signed between 11 nations, that “provides scalable command-and-control across a full spectrum of alliance fundamental security tasks,” according to its official webpage.

“It’s important because we have long-time friendships with these countries and we want to build a way to work together better,” said Cianci.

“When you work or exercise with other countries, you have to share; share the knowledge to do the jobs; we are showing them our ways to do jobs and they will show us their way and we find a good compromise for both of us to achieve the mission.”

The U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa-led engagement is one of the biggest of its kind on the continent and, during African Lion 14, hosted a multilateral event that included military observers from Mauritania, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, Spain, Senegal, Poland, Turkey, Italy and France.

“It’s great training for the Marines and the Moroccans, but now we’d like to bring in some more participation and this was the first year we’ve had that opportunity with the Observer Program,” said Marine Brig. Gen. James S. O’Meara, deputy commander of Marine Forces Europe and Africa.

The African Lion 14 Observer Program was built to showcase the exercise to potential participants, setting the foundation for more robust military engagements in future iterations.

“So far it’s been very good, very positive,” said O’Meara. “It brings more of a coalition approach to help AFRICOM and Morocco, being a key player in Africa, this is a great exercise to do that.”

“Bringing in more of our partners from Africa and Europe will bring in different expertise, interoperability; it will help us work together in the future by helping different partners learn from each other. The more ‘multilateral’ we can make the exercise, the more we can each gain from it and, in the future when we need to come together for contingencies and crises.”

The observer program included an introduction about past iterations of African Lion exercises, the simulated scenarios, site visits to the Moroccan military and civilian ports, and a demonstration of stability operations by a contingent of military police officers from U.S. Marine, Army and Air Force personnel along with their counterparts. The Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response rapid-response capability was demonstrated with flight of two MV-22B Ospreys from Moron, Spain, directly to the northwest coast of Africa.

“It’s very important from a naval perspective; we say that no one can police the seas by themselves, so we have to do it together,” said Senegalese Commander Baye Khoule, an observer of African Lion 14. “For [the Economic Community of West African States], we have 15 countries and have sent troops for UN mandated operations – we can have the world to do that. Working with our partners will help us a lot to accomplish those missions.”

Regional partners working together in an exercise the magnitude of African Lion will provide familiarity when the time comes for real-world contingencies.

“If you work together, train together, you start to think more alike, and our equipment works well together, all of that will make the transition for a coalition a little easier from an ice-cold start of never working together,” said O’Meara.

The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade operated its capacity to integrate with partner-nation militaries and respond to contingencies if it were deployed to support contingencies with a scalable, joint task force of Marines and fellow U.S. service components.

“In a crisis, the first time you’re planning it, you don’t want the people you’re working with to be the first time you’ve ever seen them. This year, having the 2nd MEB and SP-MAGTF Crisis Response here, all that has added to the benefit of the exercise,” said O’Meara.

Next year’s scheduled iteration, African Lion 15, has already been slated as a more profound training engagement, with more servicemembers from more nations, robust live-fire engagements, and aerial tactics and training workshops with support from an international contingent of fighter-jet squadrons.

“If not for any other reason, to at least share the same concerns on a global perspective and try to find common solutions for common problems, there’s no better way with dealing with a problem or situation than knowing your partner, knowing where they’re strong, where they’re weak, so challenges can be easily overcome,” said Portuguese Navy Commander Manual A. Mota, STRIKFORNATO.

The engagement hopes to build more proficiency and maintain the partnerships it’s been built, progressing every year to work toward international integration of armed services sharing knowledge, tactics and procedures, especially those partners in the region.

“Any multinational coalition has this virtue, of bringing different ideas, different ways of doing the same business and bringing things into context and hopefully we, together, find the optimized solution for similar problems that each one individually would have to deal with.”

African Lion 14 concluded its ninth iteration April 5. The exercise hopes to bolster more robust participation to promote stability and security of the region by working with long-time partners and strategic friendships

DAKAR, Senegal, April 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for West Africa, Mr. Said Djinnit, met yesterday, in Monrovia, the President of Liberia, Ms. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

SRSG Djinnit discussed with the Liberian President the implementation of the Transborder Security Strategy adopted by the Mano River Union leaders in October 2013. They also discussed issues related to stability in West Africa as well as to drug trafficking and organized crime.

Mr. Djinnit had discussions on the same issues with the National Security Advisor, the Acting Minister of Justice and the heads of the country’s security in! stitutions including the Director of the Liberian National Police (LNP), the Head of Immigration Service and the Head of National Security Agency.

In his capacity as Chairman of the Policy Committee of the West Africa Coast Initiative (WACI), he visited the Transnational Crime Unit Headquarters in Monrovia, along with the Deputy SRSG for Rule of Law Mr. Tamrat Samuel of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), and held a working session with the Director of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Chief of the TCU.

Mr. Djinnit commended the authorities for their successful establishment of the Transnational Crime Unit (TCU) which is now operational. This initiative is part of the United Nations support to enhancing the implementation of the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan to Address the Growing problem of Illicit Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime, and Drug Abuse in West Africa.

“We are highly encouraged by the results achieved by the TCU in Liberia. T! he TCU model as an inter-agency task force establishing coordination among national law enforcement and intelligence bodies, does make a difference in fighting collaboratively organised crime”, said the SRSG Djinnit following his visit.

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg, April 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Council today established a civilian mission under the Common Security and Defence

Policy (CSDP) to support the internal security forces in Mali.

EUCAP Sahel Mali is an additional contribution to the EU’s overall support to stability, institutional reform and the full restoration of state authority throughout the country. The mission will support the Malian state to ensure constitutional and democratic order and the conditions for lasting peace as well as to maintain its authority throughout the entire territory.

The mission will deliver strategic advice and training for the three internal security forces in Mali, i.e. the police, Gendarmerie and Garde nationale, and coordinate with international partners.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said:”EUCAP Sahel Mali is a further demonstration of the EU’s commitment to supporting reform in Mali. The mission will complement our military training mission EUTM and the EU’s broader engagement in Mali. By assisting the Malian internal security forces with EU expertise, EUCAP will help build a lasting solution to Mali’s security challenges.”

The headquarters of the mission will be in the Malian capital Bamako. The mission’s mandate will initially last for two years, starting from its launch, which requires a separate legal act, to be adopted once the initial operational capacity of the mission is reached. For the start-up phase, designed to end at the latest on 14 January 2015, a budget of € 5.5 million has been allocated.

EUCAP Sahel Mali is embedded in the EU’s comprehensive approach to security and development in the Sahel and comes in addition to two existing CSDP actions in the region:

EUCAP Sahel Niger supports the fight against organised crime and terrorism in Niger while the EU training mission in Mali contributes to the restructuring and the reorganisation of the

Malian Armed Forces though training and advice.

LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg, April 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Council today extended the EU military training mission in Mali (EUTM Mali) by two years, i.e. until 18 May 2016.

EUTM Mali supports the training and reorganisation of the Malian Armed Forces. It aims to help improve the military capacity of the Malian Armed Forces in order to allow, under civilian authority, the restoration of the country’s territorial integrity.

The extension of the mandate will allow military training of four additional battalions of the Malian Armed Forces. At the same time, the Council approved additional activities for the mission. During the renewed mandate, the operation will establish two mobile training teams who will follow up on the battalions previously trained, once they have returned to their garrisons. In addition, “train the trainer” programmes will contribute to the sustainability of the mission’s efforts.

Brigadier General Marc Rudkiewicz has been Mission Commander since 1 April 2014 for around 560 staff at the mission’s headquarters in Bamako and its training camp in

Koulikoro. The common costs for the extension of the mission’s mandate are estimated at € 27.7 million.

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — IOM has received USD 1 million from Japan to support a project that aims to enhance community stabilization for mobile populations and communities that host them in Northern Kenya.

The project was launched yesterday (14/4) by Japanese Ambassador to Kenya Tatsushi Terada and will be implemented in close cooperation with the local (county) governments of Turkana, Marsabit, Uasin Gishu and Garissa.

Turkana County is currently grappling with drought and an influx of refugees from South Sudan. The targeted counties have also had to contend with severe flooding, landslides and recurrent inter-communal conflicts.

About 30 per cent of people in the region are dependent on food aid in the course of a normal year, and conflict and sudden changes in the environment can have an immediate and devastating effect on their lives and livelihoods.

This project will contribute towards building the resilience of vulnerable mobile communities through improved human security. This will be achieved by addressing their shelter needs and improving small-scale infrastructure, such as livestock markets and water treatment systems, to support their livelihood activities.

Speaking at the launch, Ambassador Terada underscored the need to improve the livelihoods of women and youth in the region.

“Kenya’s government is tackling inequality and poverty through (its) Kenya Vision 2030 (development blueprint). This project will support that effort by improving the resilience of pastoralists affected by natural disasters and conflicts, and providing emergency aid to improve human security. It will offer practical, appropriate and affordable help, but will also give local communities the knowledge that they need to improve their lives by themselves,” he said.

The project will also emphasize the importance of peace and livelihood creation opportunities will aim to reduce resource-based conflict. There will also be a focus on the special needs of women and young people.

Japan has funded IOM projects to enhance peace-building and livelihood opportunities for migrants and host communities affected by natural and man-made disasters in Kenya since 2009.