MEMORANDUM Nº 58/2010 29/04/2010

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MEMORANDUM Nº 58/2010
29/04/2010
To all EBCAM Members
SUMMARY:
ONE)- ASHTON EXPECTS MEMBER STATES' BACKING ON NEW DIPLOMATIC CORPS – Page 2
TWO)- APPROVAL OF ASHTON'S EXTERNAL ACTION SERVICE LIKELY TO TAKE TIME - Page 2
THREE)- EC COMMISSIONER PIEBALGS AT G8 – Page 3
FOUR)- OUTCOME OF RE-LAUNCHED EU-US DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUE :TOWARDS JOINT
ACTION ON MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS, FOOD SECURITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE – Page 3
FIVE) - COURT VICTORY AGAINST “ANTI-COUNTERFEIT” AGENDA IN KENYA – Page 4
SIX)- SOUTH SUDAN ARMY KILLS 50 ARAB NOMADS IN BORDER WITH THE NORTH - Page 5
SEVEN)- SOUTHERN SUDAN POLICE KILL 2 OPPOSITION DEMONSTRATORS - Page 6
EIGHT)- GREEN AGRICULTURE GROWING IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS – Page 6
NINE)- NEW LAND TO PROMOTE LOCALS IN OIL INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA – Page 8
TEN)- SUDAN PRESIDENT WINS ELECTION – Page 9
ELEVEN)- KIIR WINS SOUTH SUDAN PRESIDENCY –Page 9
TWELVE) - EU OBSERVERS WORRIED ABOUT 'TRANSPARENCY' OF ELECTION RESULTS – Page 9
THIRTEEN)- ASHTON TO PUSH FOR PIRACY PROSECUTIONS IN AFRICA – Page 10
FOURTEEN)- WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS MEET IN ALGERIA – Page 10
FIFTEEN)- CHILDREN HELP TO ASSESS WATER HEALTH IN SOUTH AFRICA – Page 11
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ONE)- ASHTON EXPECTS MEMBER STATES' BACKING ON NEW DIPLOMATIC CORPS
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, was hoping Monday that the bloc's foreign
ministers would back her proposals for the establishment of a new diplomatic corps. The External Action
Service (EAS) is meant to project a unified foreign policy around the world. But its creation has been marred by
bitter turf wars between the bloc's different institutions. "I've got my fingers crossed for good news today,"
Ashton told reporters as she arrived in Luxembourg, where she is due to meet the EU's defence and foreign
affairs ministers. Member states were expected to give political backing to draft proposals presented by Ashton
on March 25, a diplomat told the German Press Agency dpa. But in exchange, ministers were likely to seek
guarantees over the size of the EAS, the number of member states' diplomats that are to be included in it, and
the time it would take to reach the targets. Ashton has already pledged to have one third of the EAS made of
national diplomats, with another third coming from the EU's executive, the European Commission, and a final
third from the Council, the EU's secretariat. But the launch of the diplomatic corps -expected to include several
thousand officials- is set to be delayed by the European Parliament, which has no formal say on the decision,
but can exercise veto on secondary financing and staffing regulations. Discussions are still ongoing over the
EAS' structure, with parliament insisting that Ashton's deputy should be a political figure, and not a bureaucrat.
Member states and the commission are also at odds over command lines, with the former insisting that the EU's
executive officials in the EAS should respond to Ashton, and not to the commission. The EU's foreign policy
supremo would not be drawn on whether the EAS would be ready by the summer, a target she had previously
aimed at. "Let's hope (the ministers) will back the proposals and then we move forwards... the sooner we get
going, the sooner we will do it," she said. Ministers were also expected to: discuss the situation in Afghanistan
with NATO's secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen; review the EU's military operations in Bosnia and
against piracy off the coast of Somalia; and adopt statements on Sudan, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan. Spain's
defence minister, Carme Chacon, said that, over dinner with her counterparts on Sunday, "a unanimous
agreement" was reached to formalize their meetings, given that the Lisbon treaty gives the EU more powers
over defence matters.
TWO)- APPROVAL OF ASHTON'S EXTERNAL ACTION SERVICE LIKELY TO TAKE TIME
L'Union européenne s'est penchée lundi sur la mise en place de son nouveau service diplomatique, destiné à
porter la voix de l'Europe dans le monde et qui a de grandes chances d'être codirigé par un Français, mais le
parcours reste encore semé d'embûches. La chef de la diplomatie européenne, Catherine Ashton, a dit lundi
"croiser les doigts" pour obtenir un premier feu vert de principe à la création du "Service d'action extérieure" de
l'UE (SEAE), qui regroupera des milliers de fonctionnaires à Bruxelles et dans les 136 délégations européennes
de par le monde. "Plus tôt nous avancerons, plus tôt nous le mettrons en place", a souligné Mme Ashton à
l'occasion d'une réunion des ministres européens des Affaires étrangères à Luxembourg. Le projet, né du traité
de Lisbonne, fait l'objet d'intenses tractations en coulisses sur sa structure, son mode de fonctionnement et ses
principaux postes, entre les 27, la Commission de Bruxelles et le Parlement européen. Si le Français Bernard
Kouchner s'est dit "confiant (qu')il y aura un accord", trop d'inconnues demeurent, a relevé à son arrivée son
homologue italien Franco Frattini. "Je ne suis pas en mesure de donner un feu vert à la proposition parce que je
ne connais pas encore d'importants détails", a prévenu Frattini, citant pêle-mêle l'organigramme, la question
des nominations aux postes clés, ou celle des "chaînes de commandement" du dispositif inédit. Un autre haut
responsable européen a jugé que les chances d'accord étaient "autour de 50/50". THE TOP JOBS La direction
du service au-dessous de Mme Ashton notamment fait débat. Certains Etats souhaitent un secrétaire général
fort, dont la France qui milite pour que le poste revienne à son actuel ambassadeur à Washington, Pierre
Vimont. Mais Mme Ashton redoute d'être entourée de personnalités trop fortes, a estimé un diplomate
européen. Et depuis quelques jours, elle penche plutôt pour "une direction collégiale" de trois personnes, quitte
à ce que l'une d'entre elles reste une sorte de "primus inter pares", indique son entourage. Elle propose ainsi un
"secrétaire général exécutif" qui serait flanqué de "deux secrétaires généraux adjoints", selon des sources
diplomatiques. Un haut responsable de la Commission et un Polonais sont envisagés pour les postes
d'adjoints, précise-t-on de même source. Autre sujet d'inquiétude pour les Etats: la part que représenteront
leurs diplomates nationaux dans le SEAE. Alors qu'ils sont "très attachés" à fournir un tiers des effectifs du
SEAE, le nombre exact des personnels du Conseil et de la Commission reste encore flou, déplore un
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diplomate. En outre, "plusieurs ministres reprochent à Mme Ashton de ne pas assez prendre assez au sérieux
les objections du Parlement européen", souligne un autre diplomate. La semaine dernière, les chefs de trois
grands groupes politiques du Parlement (conservateur, socialiste et libéral) ont prévenu qu'ils n'acceptaient pas
le projet actuel. Tel qu'il est discuté à l'heure actuelle, le texte "consacre le retour à l'inter-gouvernementalisme"
en Europe, c'est-à-dire la gestion des affaires européennes par les Etats, ont-ils dénoncé. Or s'il n'est
formellement que consulté sur la structure du service, le Parlement a son mot à dire sur le budget et le statut de
ses personnels. Et il entend lier tous ces sujets en un paquet. Appelant à ne pas céder à des "combats
bureaucratiques", le Suédois Carl Bildt a dit "redouter que nous soyions trop longs" à décider alors qu'il y a
urgence pour l'Europe à parler d'une voix.
THREE)- EC COMMISSIONER PIEBALGS AT G8
Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs represented the European Commission at the G8
Development Ministerial meeting in Halifax from 26 to 28 April 2010. He promoted the EU action plan proposed
by the European Commission in support of the Millennium Development Goals ahead of the UN MDG Summit
in September. This G8 Development meeting takes place before the G8 of June when Heads of States will
discuss the way ahead to foster achievement of Millenium Development Goals. These high level political
meetings pave the way towards the UN Meeting on MDGs in September 2010.
Ahead of the G8 Head of States meeting in Muskoka (Canada) on June 25-26, the G8 Development Ministerial
is took place in Halifax from the 26th to the 28th of April. Development ministers will notably held debates on:
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Millennium Development Goals
Maternal and child health
Food security
Accountability and effectiveness of aid
Representatives from the UN organisations active in development field will also attend the G8.
Key outcomes of the G8 development meeting will exert a strong influence on the final shaping of the main
G8 process.
The European Commissioner for Development will take this opportunity to present the European
Commission's EU Action Plan to get back on track with the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) ahead of
the UN MDG Summit in September.
In order to get faster results for the MDGs, this action plan presents a set of targets and measures to be
taken by European member states and by partners from the developing and developed world.
FOUR)- OUTCOME OF RE-LAUNCHED EU-US DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUE :TOWARDS JOINT
ACTION ON MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS, FOOD SECURITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
The EU-US dialogue on development was relaunched in Washington. It provides a framework for
cooperation between the two largest donors in the world in their efforts to tackle poverty worldwide. This
initiative has been a priority for EU development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and USAID Administrator
Dr Rajiv Shah in the first few months since they both took up office. With five years remaining to achieve
the Millennium Development Goals, the relaunch is a sign of new political will to work together in the fight
against poverty.
Agreed joint roadmaps
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At the EU-US Summit in November 2009, leaders decided to re-launch the EU-US development dialogue
and cooperation process. Leaders also decided to hold annual meetings at ministerial level to advance and
guide transatlantic cooperation at policy level as well as the achievement of results in the field.
After an inactive period of more than a decade, the EU-US development ministerial (High Level
Consultative Group on Development) was re-launched today. It is the first political-level meeting in this
format since world leaders adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The initial focus areas of
this renewed dialogue are the MDGs, food security and climate change.
During the meeting, the EU and the US agreed on three roadmaps for cooperation in the next two years
covering:
 Millennium Development Goals: the EU and US agreed to focus efforts on those countries
most in need. They committed to work together in making aid more effective. The Commission
presented the proposed 12-point EU Action Plan to support developing countries in getting back
on track. The Dialogue will take forward cooperation in health, education and gender-related
MDGs in view of the UN High Level meeting on MDGs due to take place in New York in
September;
 Food security: both sides agreed to work together at global level, notably in reforming the
Committee on World Food Security and to ensure concrete follow up of G8 L’Aquila Summit; at
regional level, in particular in Africa; and at country level. Some pilot countries will be indentified
in the coming months in consultation with partner countries;
 Climate change. Following the Copenhagen Summit and in view of the Cancun Summit,
both sides stressed the importance of adaptation, of reducing emissions from deforestation, and
of mitigation The EU underlined the importance of ensuring the application of aid effectiveness
principles to any additional funding for climate change adaptation and mitigation work in
developing countries.
Finally, it was agreed that the next EU-US Development Dialogue would take place in Europe in 2011.
FIVE) - COURT VICTORY AGAINST “ANTI-COUNTERFEIT” AGENDA IN KENYA
The Constitutional Court in Kenya has barred the government from implementing the Anti-Counterfeit Act of
2008 as it applies to generic medicines until a verdict is delivered in a case filed by three people living with
HIV. Three petitioners in July 2009 filed a suit challenging sections two, 32 and 34 of the Anti-Counterfeit
Act which they argued are unconstitutional.
It was argued that the act endangers the petitioners’ lives as they will be arbitrarily denied access to
affordable and essential generic medication. The act is also criticised as failing to uphold the provision on
the right to life in section 70 and 71 of Kenya’s constitution. According to the petitioners, the act confuses
quality and intellectual property rights (IPR) issues, thereby defining legitimate generic drugs as
counterfeits.
The area of IPRs, including patents, trademarks, copyright and data protection, is clearly distinct from
quality control issues when related to medicines. The act in its current form confuses these issues in such a
manner that it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. As such, generic medicines may be erroneously
interpreted as counterfeits, argued the petitioners’ counsel, David Majanja. Furthermore, the law
contravenes sections of the Industrial Property Act of 2001, including section 58(2) providing for parallel
importation and section 80 on government use, according to the AIDS Law Project, a non-governmental
organisation defending access to adequate healthcare and treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS.
These sections have played an important role in the struggle to increase access to essential medicines in
Kenya.
The World Trade Organisation’s Doha Declaration confirmed the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual
Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement’s allowance of parallel importation to address public health problems.
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Parallel importation involves the importation of non-pirated goods without the permission of the copyright
holder. Section 80 on government use allows the government or its agents to exploit a patent in the public
interest. Delivering the ruling today (Apr 23), Justice Roselyn Wendoh said that the petitioners had an
arguable case and if the orders the petitioners wanted addressed were not met, they would suffer
irreparable damage. "The petitioners have met the threshold, (therefore) the court issues a conservatory
order as far as generics are concerned," she said.
The judge appreciated that the wording in the act was vague and would cause confusion between
counterfeit and generic medicines. The judge looked at a number of provisions of the Intellectual Property
Act and at international statutes on the right to life. Justice Wendoh also noted that women and children
would be the most affected if the act’s provisions regarding generic medicine came into force. Section 9 of
the Children’s Act guarantees children the right to health. The ruling suspends the Anti-Counterfeit
Agency’s powers to interfere with the importation and distribution of generic medicines in Kenya. Generic
medicines make up 90 percent of medicines consumed in Kenya.
Reacting to the victory, one of the petitioners, Patricia Asero, said that the judge understood the agony they
would undergo if the act was implemented: "We are happy that people living with HIV and AIDS will now
have access to drugs while we await the main ruling."
Health Action International (HAI) Africa also welcomed the ruling. HAI Africa is a network of organisations
and individuals involved in health and pharmaceutical issues that promote health as a fundamental human
right. "This ruling keeps the window of opportunity open for those in need of more affordable generic
medicines. While the constitutional court case is yet to be fully determined, this ruling has reinforced
people’s call that public interest and human rights must be carefully considered before enacting and
implementing any law," said Gichinga Ndirangu, regional coordinator at HAI Africa. Rose Kaberia,
coordinator of the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition in East Africa, said in a statement that
the "ruling recognises the potential danger posed to public health by the anti-counterfeit legislation and is a
significant step in the struggle for access to more affordable generic medicines for all Kenyans".
The act will still be applicable to other goods, such as soaps, detergents, food products, alcoholic
beverages and dry cell batteries. The Anti-Counterfeit Act 2008 does not distinguish medicines from other
goods.
SIX)- SOUTH SUDAN ARMY KILLS 50 ARAB NOMADS IN BORDER WITH THE NORTH
Clashes in Darfur between Arab nomads and south Sudan's army along the country's volatile north-south
border have left dozens dead and more wounded, Sudanese officials said Sunday. The violence comes
amid rising tensions between Arab nomads in the area and a growing contingent of soldiers from the
neighboring southern province, officials said. The area is particularly tense as much of Sudan's north-south
border has yet to be demarcated ahead of next year's crucial referendum when southerners will vote on
whether to secede from the Arab dominated north. Abdullah Massar, a presidential adviser from the tribe
involved in the clashes, said local tribal officials reported more than 50 Arab nomads were killed in the
fighting with soldiers from the southern Sudan's People Liberation Army. The fighting began Thursday and
was still going on Sunday, he said. Massar blamed a group of southern army troops that he called a
«militia.» He said southern soldiers have been mobilizing along the border areas and venturing into south
Darfur, harassing the local nomads from the Rezeigat tribe in the Balbala area. «The soldiers attacked a
local's house and a water well deep in southern Darfur,» he said. «The number of people killed is huge.
This is an army with modern weapons against nomads who graze their cattle in the area.» Massar said
tension has been building up for the past two years as the southern army tries to impose its control over the
area. South Darfur deputy governor Farah Mustafa confirmed the clashes but said a committee in the area
has yet to determine casualty figures. He said a meeting is scheduled Monday between tribal leaders to try
to resolve the dispute. «The problem is the area belongs to south Darfur,» Mustafa said. The referendum
on southern secession is a key feature of the 2005 north-south peace deal that ended more than 20 years
of civil war that left 2 million people dead, and many more displaced. The agreement also allowed the oilrich south to maintain a separate army, the SPLA. The violence comes as the country awaits final results
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from its first multiparty elections in 24 years, which were held earlier this month. The elections were also
part of the landmark peace deal. Sudanese officials said the clashes were unrelated to the elections,
although violence in southern Sudan has been reported following the voting. Sudan's northern army
spokesman Sawarmy Khaled said the clashes were reported between the Rezeigat and soldiers from the
SPLA along the border between south Darfur and the southern province of W estern Bahr el-Ghazal. He
denied northern army soldiers were present in the area.
SEVEN)- SOUTHERN SUDAN POLICE KILL 2 OPPOSITION DEMONSTRATORS
Security forces in south Sudan clashed with protesters upset with results from the country's recent
elections, leaving at least two people dead and wounding four more, a United Nations official said
Saturday. The violence comes amid fears that a flawed vote in Sudan's elections earlier this month _ the
country's first multiparty vote in decades _ could fuel violence in the conflict-strewn nation. The vote took
place on the presidential, parliamentary and local levels. The clashes erupted Friday after some 100
protesters took to the streets in Bentiu, the capital of the oil-rich Unity state, following an announcement by
local election officials that an independent candidate in the race for the state governor's post, Angelina
Teny, had lost, said David Gressly, the U.N. regional coordinator for south Sudan. Teny, a former federal
state minister in the Ministry of Energy and Mining, was beaten by Taban Deng Gai, the incumbent. Gressly
said the protesters were upset the results were announced locally instead of by national officials in
Khartoum, and «must have suspected that something was procedurally wrong.» Sudan's elections have
been marred by allegations of fraud and vote rigging, and international monitors have said the vote failed to
live up to international standards. Yohanis Pok, a spokesman for Teny's campaign, said Teny has appealed
to her supporters to remain calm and said she would not challenge the results in the courts, even though
she felt cheated. Gressly said authorities had deployed additional security forces to Bentiu and that the city
was calm Saturday. Voting in the elections began April 11, but was extended through to April 15 after
widespread complaints about the process. Election monitors say voting was delayed in some parts of the
country, particularly in the impoverished south. There were reports some polling stations had been moved
without notice, voter registries or other crucial equipment was missing and observers were not allowed in to
witness the process. The local, national and presidential elections were agreed to under a 2005 peace deal
that ended 21 years of a bloody north-south civil war. The vote was intended to bring to power a
democratically elected government for the impoverished country and prepare for a referendum next year on
independence for southern Sudan.
EIGHT)- GREEN AGRICULTURE GROWING IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS
Organic agriculture using natural farming methods rather than fertilisers and pesticides has made
significant gains in African countries – not just among farmers but among consumers too. Africa needs to
triple agricultural productivity by 2050 to keep pace with population growth.
It is difficult to say what the correct level for a country’s food security is, stated Hans Herren, a Swiss
agronomist, but if a country could ensure at least 50 percent of the calories its people need, it would be
doing well. Herren, former director of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe), was
participating in a round-table discussion organised by the Media 21 Global Journalism Network in Nairobi,
which ended on Friday Apr 16. Icipe is a research institute based in Mbita, Kenya, that studies insects as
they "often cause the loss of entire crops and destroy about half of all harvested food in storage". According
to Food and Agriculture Organisation research by 400 scientists and co-chaired by Herren, small farmers
and organic agriculture are the best way to ensure the continent’s food security.
The research report added that large-scale agriculture could help, provided it does not deplete the soil and
contribute to climate change. Moreover, trade must become the exception and not the rule.
Some 52 countries were in agreement and adopted the report, called the International Assessment of
Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), in 2008. The IAASTD seems
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to be largely forgotten, probably because it calls for a radical paradigm shift in agriculture. The report
maintains that the world needs a new "green revolution" completely different from the Asian one 40 years
ago that increased agricultural productivity with mechanisation, pesticides and fertilisers.
That pathway has proven unsustainable. "Agriculture is responsible for 32 percent of greenhouse
emissions," Herren pointed out. "Today, with climate change and soil depletion and erosion, we cannot
continue with business as usual. We need to turn to sustainable or organic agriculture."
Eustace Kiarii, CEO of the Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN), added that, "we must change the
export-led, free trade-based industrial agricultural model of large farms to instead develop sustainable local,
national and regional markets." KOAN is the national coordinating body for organic agricultural activities.
In a country where 99 percent of farmers own between a quarter and two hectares of land and cannot
afford to buy pesticides and fertilisers, organic agriculture seems to be the way out.
Prof. Zeyaur Khan, an Indian scientist from Icepe, believes this. To increase agricultural productivity he
developed the "push-pull technology", a technique to control pests. A plant called desmodium "pushes"
striga and stemborers outside the field where they are "pulled" (neutralised) by napier grass.
Explained Khan: "The green revolution in Africa will come through the adoption of low-cost technologies like
push-pull which exploit basic and applied science. These technologies will address food security and the
livelihoods of smallholders without requiring extra resources for hybrid seeds, crop protection and soil
improvement".
But others differ. The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), a nongovernmental organisation
funded by the Rockefeller and Bill Gates foundations, promotes fertilisers and seeds to produce more food
rapidly. "But if food production increases too quickly, in two years’ time we will have too much food and
prices will go down," argued Herren. "We need the opposite: for farmers to get enough income, the prices
of agricultural products must increase."
Khan believes that farmers must earn at least two dollars a day to stay in agriculture – revenue achievable
through the "push-pull" technique.
AGRA’s Joan Kagwanja confirmed that her organisation "wants to increase the use of fertilisers in Africa.
On this continent, farmers use eight kilograms of fertilisers per hectare compared to 300 to 500 kg per
hectare in Europe and North America. It is still very low".
Do they also promote genetically modified organisms (GMOs)? "I cannot say yes or no. We don’t promote
the use of GMOs but of evidence-based technology. We do support research to increase productivity. We
are not opposed to GMOs and we would help countries or organisations that ask for assistance in this
matter," she replied.
But United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) spokesperson in Nairobi, Nick Nuttall, warned against
a one size fits all approach in agriculture. "One doesn’t have to choose between small and big agriculture.
True, sustainable or organic agriculture employs more people than intensive agriculture. "In the past
organic agriculture was seen as a luxury, not as something for small-scale farmers. But productivity has
increased: in East Africa, yields have jumped by 128 percent. Organic farming allows better retention of
water and improves soil fertility. We have to be smart and not dump lots of chemicals in the fragile soils of
Africa."
Su Kahumbu, founder of Green Dream Ltd that promotes organic agriculture, added that "the demand for
organic products in Nairobi is growing. It allows better income for farmers. However, the challenge is to add
value to the products by transforming them into fruit juice or marmalades, for example." Does her
organisation target the foreign market? "Our primary responsibility is to feed the people in Kenya. Export
may come later," she replied.
African heads of state’s 2003 decision to allocate 10 percent of gross domestic product to agriculture has
only been implemented by four countries, concluded Herren.
"This issue is about governance, here and on the other side of the ocean." He believes that the main
problem is that the western world spends one billion dollars a day to subsidise agriculture.
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NINE)- NEW LAND TO PROMOTE LOCALS IN OIL INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA
"This bill seeks to address the compelling need for us as a nation to have indigenous participation in the
industry." With these words, Nigeria’s acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, signed the Nigerian Oil and
Gas Industry Content Development Bill into law.
The new law seeks to achieve greater indigenous participation in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry which in the
last five decades have been dominated by multinational companies. A wide range of services and products
which have been procured abroad must now be sourced locally. In addition, "all operators and service
providers must make provisions for targeted training and understudy programs to maximise utilisation of
Nigerian personnel in all areas of their operations. All operators must therefore submit detailed training
plans for each project and their operations," says the new law. The law has been welcomed as a positive
development in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
"We are very much in support of the law because we want the oil companies to provide jobs for Nigerians
and allow Nigerian companies do oil services related jobs," told Comrade Elija Okubudo of the National
Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers.
"I think the move is the correct one. The oil industry is one of the largest industries in the country but it does
not really touch the lives of ordinary Nigerians," told Afam Edozie, a Lagos based venture capital investor
with a wide range of interests including the oil industry. "Most of the high skilled workers come in from
overseas and all the operations take place in the creeks without much value creation. The oil industry
should not only be about extraction but it should also provide the opportunity for employment and profit for
Nigerians," he says.
The Niger Delta, source of billions of dollars of oil worth since production began there in 1957, is one of the
most underdeveloped parts of the country. To add insult to injury, lax environmental monitoring and profitseeking by multinational oil companies has led to widespread environmental damage that has robbed the
fishing and farming community of the productive resources they previously relied on.
Nonviolent protest of this situation reached a peak in the mid 1990s, but was answered by a brutal military
crackdown and the execution of nine leaders of the most prominent activist group, the Movement for the
Survival of Ogoni People.
Since then, militants have taken up armed struggle against the government, well-funded by the sale of
pirated oil: Nigeria's oil production has at times been severely reduced by insecurity and diversion of output.
In October 2009, the government and most militant groups agreed to an amnesty programme; thousands of
fighters came out of the creeks, but the government's implementation of a demobilisation and retraining
plan was slow.
Activist Onengiya Erekosima fears the truce in the region is temporary because the government is not
sincere about the exercise. "You still have cases of kidnappings here and there, in spite of the amnesty
program; this is because many militants don’t trust the system." "My concern for now is not the new law but
how to bring about peace in the Niger Delta region. I have fears for the investors. When there is no safety,
when there is no peace, investments may be in vain.".
A spokesperson for the most prominent of the armed groups, the Movement for the Emancipation of the
Niger Delta (MEND) says the law does not go far enough. "The law has not addressed the core issues that
led to the violent agitation in the region," told Jomo Gbomo, spokesman for the group, told IPS via email.
MEND and other groups in the delta want local communities in the region to control the oil resources.
The group's senior commanders were among those who participated in the amnesty, but Gbomo insists it
still has the capacity for violence. MEND demonstrated in March when it detonated two car bombs in Warri,
the second largest city in the oil-producing region.
For local investors trying to gain a foothold in Nigeria’s oil industry, the insecurity will be just one of many
challenges to be addressed.
For all his enthusiasm about the changes, Edozie believes it will be a challenge to find the right calibre of
local staff to fill the positions the new law will create. "I think there would be initial problems in developing
the right staff," he told. "[But] this problem will be solved in a few years." Another problem is the issue of
transparency in the government’s allocation of oil blocks to local companies. The new law gives locals
priority over their foreign counterparts in the allocation of oil blocks. In the past some blocks were allocated
to local companies under controversial circumstances. Some were believed to have been corruptly
allocated while others were assigned to unqualified companies for reasons of political patronage.
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TEN)- SUDAN PRESIDENT WINS ELECTION
President Omar Hassan al-Bashir won Sudan's first open polls in 24 years, keeping him in office. "The first
(was) Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir. He was the candidate and won," said the chairman of Sudan's National
Elections Commission Abel Alier, adding Bashir won 68 percent of the vote. The elections take place as
Sudan heads toward a referendum in eight months that could lead south Sudan to split off and become
Africa's newest nation.
ELEVEN)- KIIR WINS SOUTH SUDAN PRESIDENCY
South Sudan has overwhelmingly elected Salva Kiir as president of the oil- producing region, which will vote
on independence in eight months, an elections official said on Monday. "The winner of the post of president of
the government of south Sudan is Salva Kiir Mayardit," said the chairman of Sudan's National Elections
Commission Abel Alier, adding Kiir won 92.99 percent of the southern vote. Kiir will also take the post of first
vice president of all of Sudan and form a north-south national coalition government. THE
PREACHER/COWBOY THAT WANTS TO TURN SOUTH SUDAN INTO A NEW TEXAS Salva Kiir, exrebelle sudiste reconduit lundi à la tête du gouvernement semi-autonome du Sud-Soudan, est un fervent
chrétien et un militaire respecté même s'il est dépourvu de charisme, qui rêve de faire de sa région pauvre au
potentiel énorme un pays à part entière. Eternel chapeau de cow-boy vissé sur le crâne et barbe de charbon,
Salva Kiir Mayardit, 59 ans, préside depuis près de cinq ans le Sud-Soudan, région de plus de 8,5 millions
d'habitants qui pourrait obtenir son indépendance dès janvier 2011 à l'issue d'un référendum. Ce géant
discret, qui prêche chaque dimanche dans la cathédrale de Juba, capitale champignon du Sud aux
infrastructures balbutiantes et à l'insécurité galopante, est considéré comme un ardent défenseur de
l'indépendance de cette région. Ce qui le différencie du leader historique de la rébellion sudiste, John Garang,
mort en 2005, chantre d'un Soudan fédéral uni, laïque et démocratique. "Salva", comme le nomment en
général les Soudanais, a fondé en 1983 avec John Garang l'Armée/Mouvement populaire de libération du
Soudan (SPLM/A) opposée au régime de Khartoum et ses politiques jugées trop centralisatrices. Après 21
ans d'une guerre civile continue à l'origine de deux millions de morts et de quatre millions de déplacés, le Nord
et le Sud du Soudan signent en janvier 2005 une paix historique qui prévoit des élections nationales -celles du
11 au 15 avril- et un référendum sur la sécession du Sud. Après la mort de Garang, le 31 juillet 2005, dans un
mystérieux accident d'hélicoptère de retour d'une visite en Ouganda, Salva Kiir devient le chef des branches
politique et militaire de l'ex-rébellion, président du gouvernement semi-autonome du Sud-Soudan et viceprésident du Soudan. Mais ce militaire de carrière, plus à l'aise en "Juba arabic" -langue arabe vernaculaire
du Sud-Soudan- qu'en anglais, subit le poids des comparaisons avec le charismatique Garang, intellectuel
autocrate qui a laissé un souvenir impérissable dans la mémoire des Soudanais, sudistes comme nordistes.
Kiir est originaire d'Akon, un village de la tribu Dinka -la plus importante du Sud-Soudan-, dans l'Etat de
Warrap, tout près de la frontière avec la région contestée d'Abyei. Son unique rival à la présidentielle du SudSoudan était Lam Akol, ancien chef de la diplomatie soudanaise (2005-2007) et ancien membre de la
rébellion sudiste qui a changé à maintes reprises son fusil d'épaule. Lam Akol est considéré dans certaines
régions du sud-Soudan comme un allié de Khartoum, ce qu'il a toujours nié.
TWELVE) - EU OBSERVERS WORRIED ABOUT 'TRANSPARENCY' OF ELECTION RESULTS
Les observateurs européens ont reproché dimanche à la commission électorale soudanaise de compiler
"manuellement" les voix dans certaines régions du pays, ce qui ne permet pas d'assurer un décompte
"transparent" et risque de miner "l'intégrité" du scrutin. Les données fournies par les centres de vote aux
bureaux régionaux de vote sont souvent "incomplètes" ou "incorrectes", compliquant l'entrée des résultats
dans le système informatique, a souligné la mission d'observation de l'Union européenne dans un
communiqué. La commission électorale a ainsi demandé à différents bureaux régionaux de compiler
manuellement les votes, mais cela prive le décompte de mécanismes informatiques destinés à éviter la fraude
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ou des erreurs comptables. Les urnes doivent en théorie être transmises aux 25 commissions régionales avec
une fiche technique indiquant notamment la circonscription et le nombre d'électeurs. Or si cette fiche est
incomplète, les résultats sont compilés manuellement ce qui ne permet plus de les croiser avec les données
du système informatique doté de paramètres pouvant mettre en quarantaine des résultats douteux, par
exemple dans le cas où une urne compte plus de votes que d'électeurs inscrits. "Cela ne garantit pas
l'exactitude et la transparence du décompte et risque par conséquent de miner l'intégrité de l'ensemble du
processus électoral", ont indiqué les observateurs européens.
THIRTEEN)- ASHTON TO PUSH FOR PIRACY PROSECUTIONS IN AFRICA
The European Union's foreign affairs and security chief will visit Africa next month to press for more help in
prosecuting pirates arrested by European warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden, she told a meeting Monday.
Catherine Ashton wants to see the suspects on trial as close to home as possible instead of transported to
Europe for prosecution. An EU armada has detained scores of suspected pirates in recent months but only a
handful will ever wind up in court. The vast majority were disarmed and put back on their boats with enough
food and fuel to reach land. EU nations are reluctant to pay the cost of transporting them back to Europe for
trial and it is hard to successfully prosecute pirates unless they are caught red-handed hijacking or attacking a
ship. Compounding the problem, Kenya _one of only two African nations to sign an agreement with the EU to
take on piracy cases_ recently stopped accepting suspects, saying they put undue strain on the country's
congested justice system. Dutch Defense Minister Eimert van Middelkoop told The Associated Press on
Monday that Kenya's decision made Ashton's trip «highly relevant.» Van Middelkoop welcomed Ashton's
planned tour of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the Seychelles as a possible way of putting more piracy
suspects behind bars. «It is very unsatisfactory that we can't prosecute the pirates,» he told the AP on the
sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers. He said the Dutch frigate HMS Tromp that recently
served with the EU mission detained 83 pirates in two months and turned 73 loose. The remaining 10 were
arrested April 5 in a daring high-seas rescue mission after they hijacked a German container ship. The pirates
were flown back to the Netherlands where they are in jail awaiting transfer to Germany where they will be put
on trial. Six pirates who mistakenly tried to attack a French warship last week are still in custody aboard the
French boat BCR Somme, military spokesman Adm. Christophe Prazuck said Monday. They will be handed
over to judicial authorities, but the French have not yet determined where they will be prosecuted. While
getting piracy suspects into court remains a problem, the increasing international focus on protecting shipping
off the coast of lawless Somalia is paying dividends. The International Maritime Bureau says piracy attacks
worldwide fell by more than a third in the first quarter this year thanks to a decline in raids in the Gulf of Aden.
The IMB credited tougher anti-piracy action by international navies with reducing the number of attacks in the
Gulf of Aden from 41 a year ago to 17. The east and south coasts of Somalia recorded 18 incidents, down
from 21 a year ago.
FOURTEEN)- WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS MEET IN ALGERIA
La 1ère conférence ministérielle entre les pays du bassin occidental de la Méditerranée sur l'Environnement et
les énergies renouvelables s'est ouverte lundi à Oran (Ouest de l'Algérie) afin d'adopter des actions
communes contre les effets de la dégradation de l'environnement. Cette rencontre, coprésidée par l'Algérie et
l'Espagne, entre dans le cadre des rencontres du Forum 5+5 et a regroupé également la Libye, le Maroc, la
Mauritanie, la Tunisie, la France, l'Italie et le Portugal. Malte n'était pas représentée à cette conférence, selon
les organisateurs. Le ministre algérien Cherif Rahmani a indiqué, dans un discours d'ouverture, que son pays
plaidait pour la création d'un "Observatoire de la Méditerranée et du développement durable" que l'Algérie se
propose d'accueillir dans un parc de 40 ha sur le littoral d'Oran. M. Rahmani a également proposé la mise en
place d'"un cadre d'expression et de concertation informel entre les pays méditerranéens sur le climat" qui
devrait faciliter pour les pays membres du Dialogue "5+5" la négociation en matière "de partage d'une vision
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commune" en prévision notamment de la conférence de Cancun (Mexique), en décembre 2010. De son côté
la ministre espagnole de l'Environnement Helena Espinosa Mangana a estimé que la mise en place d'une
stratégie commune aux dix pays du bassin occidental de la Méditerranée est nécessaire" pour lutter contre la
dégradation de l'environnement et les effets des changements climatiques. "La Méditerranée est riche en
ressources naturelles mais c'est aussi une zone très vulnérable qui a besoin d'être protégée", a-t-elle dit. Les
participants à la Conférence doivent clore leur travaux en fin de journée par l'adoption d'une "Déclaration
d'Oran", qui devrait contenir une série d'action communes destinées à renforcer la coopération entre ces pays
membres du Dialogue 5+5 notamment. Le Forum 5+5, qui se veut une "enceinte de dialogue politique",
regroupe cinq pays du nord de la Méditerranée (Espagne, Portugal, France, Italie, Malte) et cinq du sud
(Maroc, Mauritanie, Algérie, Libye, Tunisie).
FIFTEEN)- CHILDREN HELP TO ASSESS WATER HEALTH IN SOUTH AFRICA
Miss, Miss, there are tiny creatures here in the water!" a Grade 7 pupil shouts excitedly, trying to draw
attention to his water sample. At first, the liquid looks clear, but upon closer examination, one can make out
a tiny aquatic invertebrate. The 13-year-old boy is part of a conservation education project that his school,
Sid G Rule Primary from Grassy Park, conducts in collaboration with the Rondevlei Nature Reserve,
located about 20 kilometres outside of Cape Town. The creatures he counts and identifies help assessing
the water’s health.
The project’s goal is twofold: the pupils learn about ecosystems, biodiversity and conversation, while
helping to collect important environmental data that the City of Cape Town can use to assess water health
throughout the municipal area.
It is also part of a bigger vision developed by Dr Mark Graham, aquatic ecologist and director of
environmental consultancy Ground Truth, aimed at mobilising communities to better look after their rivers
and other water resources. "Due to increased utilisation of water sources, our rivers are more and more
under pressure in terms of pollution. Our water quality shows fairly concerning statistics," Graham said.
To protect water resources, municipalities usually implement a range of initiatives, such as improving their
solid waste management and sewerage systems as well as investing in wetland rehabilitation and
conversation. But without community involvement, water conservation schemes will never be completely
successful, believes Graham.
He therefore came up with the idea of asking schools to adopt a section of a river that they monitor on a
regular basis. The data the pupils collect could be fed to the water affairs department of the municipality in
which the school is located. If all schools would commit to testing a certain stretch of river, an entire river
system could be monitored and this information could inform a municipality’s water management strategy,
Graham suggests.
"Kids learn something and get directly involved in conserving the environment. It’s a great opportunity for
behaviour change, much more effective then just saying ‘don’t litter’," argued Graham. "The initiative builds
up environmental champions at community level. It makes citizens realise what role they can play."
Bronwen Foster, nature conservation officer at the Rondevlei Nature Reserve, which is managed by the
City of Cape Town, agrees: "For the children, the project is an important platform for awareness. Most
parents don't expose their children to nature. But once the kids appreciate the environment, they think twice
before they litter." Some school groups already practice community river health monitoring using the Mini
South African Scoring System, or "Mini SASS", which is a is a simplified method of measuring water quality
and health that can be used by laypeople. Based on the scientifically tried and tested SASS technique
commonly applied by ecologists, Mini SASS doesn't directly measure the contamination of the river as it is
not a water test. Instead, it tests the sensitivity of various animals to water quality.
The children look for invertebrates in different habitats at a river site, collect insects in small nets in the
water and rinse mud out of the net to find tiny bugs.
"It’s a low tech tool to test water quality in rural and urban areas that can be used by everyone. Through
this simple method, you can get an accurate reading of the river. If the river is in reasonable condition, you
should have several hundred individual insects in the sample," said Graham.
In the Rondevlei Nature Reserve, the cooperation between schools and the City’s scientific department is
still in its very early stages. It takes some time to gear the children up for environmental activism, Foster
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says. "It would be a great idea for schools to each adopt a section of a river and collect data that could be
used by the City," she reckoned.
For now, the children are handed charts that help them to identify plants, birds, insects and small aquatic
creatures. Enthusiastically, they climb up the watchtowers, take position in the viewing sheds and carefully
walk among the reeds and along the water’s edge to find the animals they see on their charts.
"Based on these different elements of the ecosystem, they learn to assess its health by recognising the
basic indicators that show that something is wrong with the water, mainly by what noting is not there, what
is missing, like frogs, for example," explained Foster.
The positive results of the nature conservation project are noticeable almost immediately. "If there is
pollution in the water, what needs to happen?" Foster asks the group of 36 pupils at the end of the day’s
expedition. "We have to do something about it!" the children shout without hesitation. All of them seem
keen to tell their friends and family about what they have learnt that day and implement some of this
knowledge in their communities.
"We want the children to observe nature and see it in real life, so that they don’t only learn out of
textbooks," confirmed the primary school’s Grade 7 teacher Peter Botha the importance of the project.
"They grow up to be more aware and pass on this information to their parents and so on. We are amazed
at the amount of info they absorb." Botha says his pupils are now able to make the link between the
pollution they observe in their communities with the impact this has on their immediate environment and
nature conservation.
Fernando Matos Rosa
Brussels
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