Refugees threaten suicide

They accuse Botswana and UNHCR of arrogance
“We are not violating any international law” – Minister
Scores of refugees working in Gaborone and other parts of the country are expected to meet this week to complain formally to the Botswana Government over their “unfair treatment”.

Some of the refugees speaking in an interview with The Gazette threatened to commit suicide if their grievances were not listened to.
The refugees protest what they described as an “unbearable life” that has been imposed upon them by the authorities in Botswana.
“We would like to take action regarding the recent changes that affect our lives.  For instance there is a communiqué from the UNHCR that all refugees must be in Dukwi by 14th April,” said Sadiq Barakad from Somalia.
The refugees say they are not allowed to renew their residential and working permits and their movement will be restricted to the Dukwi Refugee Camp.
“We will do something drastic if the issue is not addressed. Remember that one of us committed suicide as a result of his unbearable life a few years ago,” Barakad said.
He was referring to the suicide of Ethiopian refugee, Barakad Emmanuel, in September 2001 after his application for political asylum had been turned down.
Another refugee, Dieudonne Uwamahoro from Burundi, accused the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) office and the Office of the President, of arrogance. He said while it is their right as refugees to engage in income generating activities anywhere in the country, they are denied the opportunity to work despite claims by the authorities that Dukwi Camp is the best in Africa.
“There are few projects at Dukwi and with the recent communiqué that our movement will be restricted to the Camp, our lives will be unbearable and that is why some of us will end up taking their own lives,” he said.
The Protection Officer at UNHCR, Madoda Nasha, declined to comment and referred The Gazette to the Office of the President.
The Minister of Justice Defence and Security, Mr. Dikgakgamatso Ramadeluka Seretse, said it is the government’s containment policy to put refugees in one place – at the Dukwi Refugee Camp.
“I’m sure the government is not violating any law or laws of any international organization by putting the refugees in one place,” said the Minister.
He added that there have been some discussions between the UNHRC office and the government regarding the refugees’ situation in the country.
“There is nothing wrong with what we are doing by putting the refugees at Dukwi. Let’s say for instance the issue of xenophobia arises here as was the case in South Africa, what would you do? Here it is better because we have a refugee camp taking care of them,” he said.
Seretse said government policy cannot please each and every individual and some people are bound to disagree with it.
He however noted that, “refugees can stay anywhere in the country, but it depends on the situation. Some of them were integrated into the society after staying at the Dukwi Camp for a long time. This was at government’s discretion; we are not mandated to do it.” 
On the suicide threat, he said: “If they want to commit suicide, it is unfortunate, but it is up to the individual to protect his/her own life,” he said.

Filed under: Africa, General

World leaders flock to Copenhagen

The Copenhagen climate summit will be one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in history – and that includes some colourful characters. Leaders from 119 countries, from Albania to Zimbabwe, will attend the summit’s crucial last day on Friday. Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s controversial 85-year-old president, will be there, along with Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is a thorn in the side of the western world for his nuclear ambitions and for his recent disputed re-election. Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez – an outspoken critic of western capitalism and dominance – has RSVP’d. The summit will bring together leaders from the Muslim world with Israeli president Shimon Peres. Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd is already in the Danish capital and has already met with British prime minister Gordon Brown. He will be rubbing shoulders with the world’s most powerful people – US president Barack Obama, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. The Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh have confirmed they’re coming. Other European leaders set to attend the summit include France’s Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. And, according to an unofficial list posted on the summit’s website, leaders from all over the developing world, from Africa to the Pacific islands, will be coming to the summit – many of them planning to push for stronger climate action from rich countries. There had been speculation some leaders would stay away as rich and poor countries fought each other over climate change at the troubled UN summit. But that appears not to have happened.

Filed under: Africa, Latest News, world

Africa to demand compensation at climate change summit

Africa will demand 50 billion U. S. dollars as compensation for carbon emission from developed countries at the ongoing climate change summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, sources have said.

    The sources said on Tuesday in Abuja that Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi would present the position on Dec. 18.

    ”Africa is the worst hit when it comes to global emission. We are going to Copenhagen with one voice; our position is that the developed countries should pay us 50 billion dollars in the short term,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the sources as saying.

    ”Our requisition also is that in 2015, the compensation should be increased to 250 billion dollars,” one of the sources added.

    They pointed out that Africa, which generated only 4 percent of the global carbon emission, was the hardest hit, and that is why the issue of compensation is justified.

    They disclosed that the decision to ask for compensation was part of the recommendations made by the AU Presidential Committee of 10, including Nigeria.

    According to the sources, the major challenges facing the continent included the adaptation and mitigation of the effects of climate change.

    ”Apart from funding, we are also seeking for technology transfer to enable us change from our obsolete technology,” another source said.

    Justifying Africa’s position, the source said the continent had suffered devastation in the past decades, adding that climate change would further compound the situation.

    ”Take Nigeria for instance, which has nearly 150 million people majority of who depend on agriculture; the direct negative impact of climate change will further worsen the poverty situation in the country,” the source said.

    ”Once agriculture is affected, poverty will be intensified,” he added.

    Scientists have described the Copenhagen conference as the current most important event in the world.

    Nearly 15,000 delegates and 100 world leaders are expected at the summit, which started on Monday, over the next two weeks.

    The meeting is expected to come up with a deal that will supplant the Kyoto Protocol, signed in 1997, which sought to help developing countries deal with the negative effects of climate change.

    A delegation of 251 Nigerians, including journalists, is attending the summit.    

By Lin Huailin

Filed under: Africa, Latest News

EU ready to work with Mugabe as Zimbabwe’s president

Head of delegation of the European Union in Zimbabwe Xavier Marchal said on Thursday that his bloc was ready to work with Zimbabwe’s inclusive government with Robert Mugabe as president and Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister, adding that there was no regime change agenda as alleged.

    Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party have constantly accused Britain and her allies in the EU and the United States of harbouring a regime change agenda in Zimbabwe, meant to replace him with their “stooges”.

    Opening a seminar on Economic Partnership Agreements between the EU and ESA (Eastern and Southern Africa) in Harare, Marchal said the EU had in 2002 only applied a restricted policy towards Zimbabwe, which specifically excluded trade relations.

    ”There is no such thing as a regime change agenda. Rather, there is a readiness from the EU to reengage with an inclusive government with Robert Mugabe as President and Morgan Tsvangirai as Prime Minister, on the basis of an agreed methodology,” he said.

    His remarks came as Mugabe’s party entered the second day of its national congress, held once every five years, and which charts the way for the party in terms of policy direction and relations with the international community. Delegations from countries and organizations sympathetic to its cause will attend the congress’ official opening on Friday and deliver solidarity messages.

    As has become the norm, Mugabe will use the occasion to criticize the West, including the EU, of imposing an economic blockage on Zimbabwe. The issue of sanctions has also remained a sticky one in Zimbabwe’s Global Political Agreement, which led to the formation of the inclusive government.

    Mugabe wants Tsvangirai and his larger MDC faction to lobby for the removal of sanctions, arguing that they had played a part in their imposition. Arthur Mutambara of the smaller MDC faction is deputy prime minister in the inclusive government.

    Marchal admitted that relations between his organization and Zimbabwe soured in 2002, with his bloc restricting assistance to the African country following disagreements on governance issues.

    ”The EU and Zimbabwe have enjoyed a fruitful relationship from 1981 until 2002. In 2002, the EU partially suspended its government to government co-operation under the European Development Fund. This was a consequence of major disagreements over essential elements of the Cotonou Agreement ( Human Rights, Democratic principles, and the rule of law). The EU also adopted restrictive measures within the Common Foreign and Security Policy: prohibition of arms supply, travel ban and the freezing of assets against a number of persons or entities.

    ”In essence, partial suspension of co-operation translates as follows: no budget support, suspension of projects except those indirect support to the population, humanitarian assistance not affected, regional projects assessed on a case to case basis, trade not affected.”

    While these measures were imposed on Zimbabwe, the EU had between 2002 and 2009 committed more than 700 million Euros in Zimbabwe, which was not limited to emergency, and is not implemented only through non-governmental organizations, and was also channeled towards effective cooperation at technical level with the Government.

    ”The EU has led the donor community towards food security as a better alternative to food aid. It is providing this year 25 percent of fertilizers needed by small farmers. It has initiated a retention allowance scheme for health workers nationwide. It has continued to support basic education. It has made in recent years significant proposals to engage with the government on a number of issues in particular in relation to the land issue, the mother of all difficulties,” he said.

    Marchal said prospects for better relations between the EU and Zimbabwe were now high, emanating from the reality of the GPA.

    ”The EU backed the GPA, and confirmed its desire to normalize its relationship with Zimbabwe. The new Dispensation of Zimbabwe asked for a dialogue with the EU aimed at normalizing EU-Zimbabwe relations.

    Tsvangirai led a team comprising all the three parties in the inclusive government to Brussels in June, where dialogue for normalization of relations was formally launched with an EU ministerial troika.

    As a way forward, methodology of re-engagement process was agreed, in which Zimbabwe had to demonstrate GPA implementation through a road map, while the EU responded by its own road map.

    Marchal added that trade relations were not the subject of restrictions from the EU, which continued to be a major trading partner of Zimbabwe.

    ”Zimbabwe has benefited from preferences under the ACP-EU Cotonou Partnership Agreement. She can meet the existing beef export quota, and if she has not met it, it is due to foot and mouth disease, not sanctions. As a Sugar Protocol Country she is significantly benefiting from financial support for an adaptation strategy of the sugar industry,” he said.

Editor: Lin Zhi

Filed under: Africa, Latest News, Politics