Thursday, November 25, 2010

Business Community Concerned Over Upcoming Ugandan Elections

There is much concern in the business community over the upcoming elections to be held in Uganda. Members of the Ugandan government have been assuring foreigners with business interests in Uganda that there will be safety for the upcoming 2011 elections. Members of the Ugandan business community have formed BACU, Business Against Crime Uganda. This community has been formed in order to "cooperate with and support the police to create a safer environment for business operations." While members of election committees have been assuring citizens that there will not be violence, they have also been advising business members not to support any political agendas.

Mary Naset

Obama Plans End To LRA Violence

American President Barack Obama has presented a law he believes will work to disarm the Lord's Resistance Army. On Wednesday, Obama presented a plan to Congress that works in conjunction with the law passed by Congress earlier this year and calls for "the defection, disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of remaining LRA fighters." Members of international non-governmental organizations are calling for this plan to be implemented urgently, citing the challenges that are presented with this policy. While the plan put forth by Obama has been praised, many recognize that the challenge is to "turn this piece of paper into improvements on the ground."

Mary Naset

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

UN Reports Fewer HIV Infections

Fewer people in Africa are being infected with HIV, the precursor to AIDs, than at the epidemic's peak, according to the Wall Street Journal, by UNAIDS. A twenty percent decrease from the late 1990's means now only 2.9 million people became infected in 2009.

South Africa has seen encouraging rates of decrease as its presidency has changed and become more open to distributing AIDS medication.

Another source of pride for southern Africa? Giving pregnant or nursing women AIDS medication to prevent the infection of their children at birth or through breast milk.

That, in combination with a shift in the openess of talking about sexual matters between parents and children, and a signs of restraint among people in having only one partner, has meant a shift away from high rates of HIV infections.

In Senegal and Malawi, there has been a shift in relations with the gay community. Instead of jailing these men or pushing them underground, the governments are starting to reach out with condoms and education.

AIDS infection is up in Eastern Europe and Central Asia as heroin attracts more users and more dirty needles, but surprisingly, Iran's prisons have a comprehensive program to combat AIDS.

Michel Sidibe, the director of UNAIDS, accompanied a woman in a chador distributing condoms to the prisoners. And the prisons offer conjugal visits for five hours every three months to married men, with condoms.

However this is just a small step in AIDS control, as UNAIDS estimates for every 100 people who are treated, 200 become infected. The hope UNAIDS has stems from the fact that this ratio is down from a 100/250 ratio in its previous report.

By Margaret Nunne

Friday, November 19, 2010

Britain's Ideal Security Council

Britain is hoping for a "more representative U.N. Security Council." British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he would like to see India, Brazil, Germany, Japan and African representation at the security council. He is of course aware of the difficulty of this but remains highly enthusiastic. He believes that this will require a high degree of international consensus.

By: Ivana Miljic

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Madagascar Coup

In the midst of attempting to pass a referendum which would instate a new constitution to the island nation of Madagascar, an alleged military coup has occurred. Military officers are stating that all governmental organs have been dissolved and a military committee has been instated. According to the report, the basis of the coup is to secure national reconciliation and for political prisoners to be freed and for exiles to return to the country. According to those now in power, they were tired of the long political process and desired these results immediately. Additionally, this new power claims that due to the polarized and corrupt nature of old Madagascarian politics the people have been suffering. By instating themselves and dissolving the old powers the needs of the people will be met. Only time will tell if this is indeed the case.

megan smith

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Corruption Charges

The World Bank and the British government are pressuring Museveni to investigate charges of corruption amongst eight top government officials. There is currently a debate in parliament on the topic but the WB and British officials want the investigation to begin immediately. As it stands, the British are threatening to withdraw a lot (Shs27b???) of aid. Ugandan state officials however do not think it is in Museveni's best interest to make a decision on the issue before Parliament has concluded their debate. There is pressure within the government however to start investigating these charges before the international actors get involved. This would give Museveni some credibility in fighting corruption--an area in which he is greatly lacking right now. Uganda is reported to be amongst the weakest nations in the world in implementing anti-corruption laws.

Brianna Howell

Monday, November 15, 2010

Government told to reconsider resettlement process

Rebecca Kadaga, Uganda's Deputy Speaker of Parliament, has urged the Ugandan government to review the resettlement process in northern Uganda. She expressed the need to do more for those resettling in the north, and not leave all the work to NGOs. She also said the government needs to be placing more emphasis on healing instead of reconstruction. Recuperating the victims of the 20-year war against the LRA should be more important than building roads, according to Kadaga. She voiced her opinions during the review of Security Council Resolution 1325, which addresses women, peace and security during and after conflict. Kadaga called for increased women involvement in the healing process, such as taking jobs in a peacekeeping facility.

-Abbey Smith

Sunday, November 14, 2010

First Family 'Too Close' to Oil Sector

An anti-corruption watchdog group out of the UK released a report accusing Museveni of "conflict of interest" and "personalization" of oil reserves stating that he is using military and other forces to allow his family the economic advantage of the oil and gas reserves in the nation. These concerns were also echoed by a Ugandan-based group, Global Witness, that investigates the relation between natural resources and corruption worldwide. Their report states that two of Museveni's relatives are in charge of the military right now and are closely protecting the oil. The government generally denies all claims and states that military forces are surrounding oil wells in order to protect the natural resources, the countries greatest asset, from terrorists and others trying to steal the wealth of the nation. In response, an army spokesperson also stated, "Foreigners should stop interfering with the management of our natural resources. They should keep off our oil; we know how to manage it." Suprise.

Global Witness claims that this is a dangerous deviation from "democratic standards." This statement was especially alarming to be considering the debates we have recently had regarding Museveni's elimination of term limits despite democratic rule. I'm forcasting the "slippery slope" syndrome in the fact that small actions are slowly being made that are leading Uganda away from democracy, but not a drastic, overnight change that would bring about sudden alert. The more I study African politics, the more I am becoming convinced that term limits are necessary in creating a stable, democratic society.

by Brianna howell

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Uganda is the Front Line if Bioterrrorism Threat

The laboratories of Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture, Animals, Industries, and Fisheries in sleepy Entebbe are hiding a secret. At the end of a hallway there is a room. And in that room is a refrigerator. The refrigerator looks like any other. It isn't locked. It isn't under constant surveillance. But this refrigerator holds something dangerous. This refrigerator is where the anthrax is kept.

Senator Lugar (R), from Indiana, and several other pentagon officials visited the Ministry as well as Uganda Virus Research Institute, where another refrigerator says "restricted access" but according to the doctors there this hardly means it is protected.

The Pentagon officials consider this to be the front lines of bioterrorism threat, thus the officials want to tighten security in labs like these across East Africa. The militant Islamic group, Shabab, claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings in Uganda that claimed the lives of fans as they gathered to watch the World Cup. This has refocused Western efforts to maintain security in East Africa as a way of maintaining security.

Anthrax in Uganda has killed hundreds of hippopotamuses in recent years. A Dutch tourist died from Marbourg disease after visiting a cave in a national park in 2008. 20 people died in 2007 from an Ebola outbreak. This all stems from Uganda's warm, wet climate, making it a breeding ground for pathogens.

Ugandan officals claim that it is the decentralization of the government in recent years that has spread the bureaucracy thin and made it nearly impossible to track, protect, and secure all samples of deadly viruses.

By Margaret Nunne

Friday, November 12, 2010

Southern Sudanese flee Khartoum to vote

According to BBC, thousands of Sudanese are leaving northern Sudan in order to be in the south for the vote for independence in January. The southern government is organizing and paying for many of these returns, as the north has hinted that southern Sudanese will not be welcome if the south votes for independence. UN humanitarian workers are worried about this flight. Many southerners are leaving jobs in the north for an uncertain future in the south, including unemployment. The mass exodus is also clogging up transportation, leaving many to wait weeks for their bus trip south. However, the southern government wants as many southerners in voting areas protected by the south as possible, as they do not trust the north to count the votes fairly. Whether peaceful or violent, this voting process will greatly impact the countries surrounding Sudan.

-Abbey Smith

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Polio Outbreak Forces Central Africa to Immunize

Due to a recent polio outbreak in the Central African region where an approximated 100 people have died and hundreds more have been left paralyzed. In an attempt to quell the outbreak aid agencies are planning on immunizing three million people. The last documented outbreak of Polio was in 2000. The main countries involved in the outbreak are Congo-Brazzaville,Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. With the measures currently being taken, there is hope that this outbreak will not spread any farther.

megan smith

Human Rights Watch says Uganda is losing against LRA

In May of 2010, President Barrack Obama signed a law that would help to eradicate the security and stability challenges brought on by the Lord's Resistance Army. Although the policy President Obama signed is well intentioned, Human Rights Watch has announced that the Ugandan military and its US backers have failed in the fight against Joseph Kony and the LRA. This failure is due to Kony's exodous from Northern Uganda, which spread the LRA to neighboring countries. Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior African researcher at Human Rights Watch, said “the LRA’s top leaders can be found, but the current strategy of supporting Ugandan army operations is clearly not working." Van Woudenberg continued, stating that all operations must have a way to protect innocent civilians. The US State Department has held firm that the Ugandan army is the best force to handle the LRA, arguing that Kony's ability to attack the innocent has been severely degraded. With only an estimated 200-400 LRA rebels remaining, believes that the end is in sight, and has called upon the United Nations to send additional peace keepers to LRA affected areas.


-Caleb B. Ray

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

UN Staff Abducted in Darfur

This past Friday, three Latvian helicopter operators who had been contracted out to the WFP (World Food Program) were abducted in Nayla, located in Western Sudan. Though not taking immediate action, the UN is very concerned about the abductions stating that since 2009 there have been about 30 workers kidnapped. Valerie Amos, the UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief assures the global community that the UN is doing everything they can to prevent further incidences of kidnapping. Based on past kidnappings, it is highly likely that these men will be released in a few days time.

megan smith
Recently in California a trail of smoke was seen in the sky, many fearing it was some form of missile launch. This article describes how it was likely mispercieved and that it was actually smoke from a jet that had been flying in the area. However, the military at first would not make any statemnets regarding what was seen, and said there was no known launch of any of our missiles. I personally find the reaction to be quite pecuilar, I don't see why they just didn't say that in the begining.



http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/09/mystery-solved-missile-launch-jet-contrail/

Global Finacial Crisis and Developing Nations

(I focused on pg 10)

The global finacial crises will bring about an aproximate 1.3% increase in the world population which is considered at the poverty line. The least developed countires will suffer the most as exports and capital inflows decrease. Essentially, the best jobs in most developed countries are in the export industry which will substantailly decrease if not collapse as less developed nations purchase goods from the developing world. The only country which has not ben to heavily affected is thailand and it seems to only be because of an increase in government hiring.

http://www.pittsburghsummit.gov/documents/organization/129865.pdf

Monday, November 8, 2010

The President's Promise

The recent elections in Uganda has the current President potentially promising what he cannot keep. At a campaign rally, Museveni promised free education to science students in Northern Ugandan that were not already under government sponsorship. Although the Ministry of Education is surprisingly pleased about this new announcement, they admit that they don't know where the money will come from. The President has done similar programs in the past, where he would offer free education before election season. Another similarity between this promise and past campaign elections is that there is no room in the government budget for such programs and in the past, the promised programs had to rely on donations. Another problem that the program will encounter is the fact that although the student population will grow the room for them and the amount of teacher will not expanded to keep up.

By: Albie Braun

Ban Moon silent on human rights abuses in China

United Nations (UN) secretary general, Ban Moon was on an official visit to China last week. It is said that he lobbied the China’s vote as he campaign for a second term. However, this came with a critical cost. Human Rights activists are concerned that Mr. Ban failed to raise the question of human rights during a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao. Philippe Bolopion, U.N. advocacy director for Human Rights Watch said, “Ban’s failure to raise human rights issues, even in private, with the Chinese president was inexcusable.” On the other hand, UN officials dismissed the allegation, claiming that Moon discussed human rights with “other Chinese leaders.”

Etienne

Obama Backs India

This past weekend President Obama made a strong speech to the Indian Parliament supporting their desire for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Though this does not mean that India will be granted a seat immediately, it will be taken into strong consideration. Obama stated that India, as one of the strongest emerging nations both politically and economically would be the perfect addition to the Security Council. Obama also announced that the United States would begin a new 10 Billion dollars worth of trade with India in the coming months. This is a promising beginning to Obama's Asiatic trip where he will be next visiting Indonesia.

megan smith

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Problems Continue in Somalia

An emergency summit is being held this week in Ethiopia between leaders of the nations in the region surrounding Somalia. The meeting, referred to as the Inter-Government Authority on Development (IGAD), is being held in response to the reports that members of the Somali Transitional Federal Government are defecting to join al-Shabab. A diplomat is quoted as saying that this defection is due to the failure of the Transitional government, "There is no proper military command structure and as a result, some of the soldiers either opt to join al Shabaab or sell off their guns and desert." Uganda has a major stake in any crisis's that continue to occur in Somalia due to the large number of peacekeeping troops that Uganda provides. While this defection issue is just another incident in a series of problems in Somalia, this week the United States has called on other nations to provide funding to Somalia to prevent the country from "from slipping into a terrorism hotbed."

Mary Naset

Friday, November 5, 2010

Ugandan elections will determine oil procedures

There is now talk of Uganda launching a new oil licensing round in 2011, 2012 at the latest. The biggest factor of when this would happen is the upcoming elections in February. Everything will depend on the new officials sworn in. However, it seems highly improbable that the oil licensing will be left for long, no matter who gets elected. Uganda's economic growth is supposed to reach double digits by 2015, when this newly discovered oil will by then be in the process of being pumped.

-Abbey Smith

Top of the charts

Picking up on a story first posted by Margaret Nunne on October 25, 2010, President Yoweri Museveni has become a rap-superstar in Uganda. DJs in Kampala are expecting a slew of requests at clubs this weekend, all for "You Want Another Rap?" by the pop-star president. Some of the DJs have even refered to Museveni as "a big name artist." Although many are viewing the song as a political tool for the incumbent of 25 years, others disagree, stating "it's not political. It's just a song. I could play it even if there were opposition supporters here. I wouldn't worry." Museveni's opposition have been working on a rap-song of their own, with the title "Your Rap is Crap," although expectations for its success are low.



-Caleb B. Ray

HDI Index

The UN recently released this years Human Development Index (HDI) Report measuring the quality of life in nations across the globe on terms of wealth, poverty, health and education. This index is used as part of the United Nations Development Program. The top five countries with the highest HDI are Norway (first for the eighth consecutive year), Australia, New Zealand, United States and Ireland. The five countries with the lowest HDI are all in Africa which is not surprising considering all that we have learned, and most are directly in our (Uganda) region. The lowest ranked countries are Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Niger, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Overall, the UNDP has seen progress: average life expectancy rose from 59 to 70 years, primary school enrollment rose from 55% to 70%, and per capita incomes doubled to $10,000. However one the most devastating findings in this report is the back-tracking that many countries did this year, which is blamed on the global economic crisis, the AIDS epidemic, and political and economic mismanagement. The HDI levels of Zambia, Mozambique and the DRC have fallen to their lowest point since the report started being conducted in 1970. For the countries that have seen the largest degrees of growth, they have pursued the Goals by different means. Some countries chose to focus on education and health reform, while others have pursued rapid economic growth at the cost of environmental sustainability. Good to note.

Comparing Norway to Zimbabwe for contrasting purposes, the two areas with the largest differences are as follows:
Life Expectancy: Norway 81
Zimbabwe 47
Per Capita Income: Norway $58,810
Zimbabwe $176

By brianna howell

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Government to Arm Citizens

The Algerian Government has issued a statement outlining their intent to arm several rural communities in the northern region. This response was instigated by an outcry from these communities that their safety is in jeopardy from the North African factions of al-Qaeda. The Government is encouraging militias to form in these areas to further enhance the security of the citizens. This tactic of arming the public was instituted once before in Algeria in the 1900's when Islamic insurgents ran ramped in the country. The result was an approximated 150,000 killed. Hopefully this attempt will have a far less bloody result.


megan smith

Judge orders Ugandan paper to stop publishing "gay lists"

The order to Rolling Stone Magazine from Justice Musoke Kibukka came on Monday to temporarily stop publishing name or pictures of anyone "perceived by the respondents to be gay, lesbian, or homosexual in general." Persons at Sexual Minorities Uganda were very pleased and praised the decision of the judge. Frank Mugisha, Chairman of Sexual Minorities Uganda, said "this is a lession. At least the law has shown some intelligence. It shows the media cannot invade other peoples' rights and violate other peoples' privacy." The next hearing in this case is to going to be held on November 23. However the harassment of homosexuals in Uganda has not stopped, despite the order to stop all publications. Homosexuality is condemed and will continue to be regardless of pictures and names being published in a magazine. Gay Rights groups in Uganda have said that at least four people have already been attacked since the tabloid published the first list of people considered gay.

By: Ivana Miljic

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Eliminating Kony?

This article goes on to explain the tactical and twisted psychological advantage the LRA has in Africa. Much of the article goes over the history of the relations between the LRA, Sudan and the formation of the SPLA. What is interesting though is the articles description of the LRA cretaing an "art form" in its brutal methods in war, and the dfficulties of Ugandan or foriegn military forces capability in tracking them and being able to keep up. Brutal tactics as using LRA children masquerading as playing football as Ugandan forces pass by and then onece their backs are turned, shooting on them, not only shows an addtion to the twisted methods they use to be alusive, but also the diffcullties in how to deal with armed children.

From a political perspective, Joseph Kony's apparent ability to play on western nations need for peace and fear of further attacks is well documented. The U.S. and European Union offer finacial incentives and aid in the form of food in an attempt to have him come to the peace talks. However, Kony seems to always lack the necessary follow through. The most recent attempt made to capture and possibly kill Kony fell through when Ugandan and Congolese millitary failures at multiple levels prevented such from occuring.

Greg Voegtle
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/04/19/why_can_t_anyone_stop_the_lra?page=0,1

Yemen and the US Doreign Policy

This reminded me of our discussion, so I'd thought Id post..

After the Al-Queda threat was eliminated in Yemen, and yes literally by means of a bomb dropped from an unmanned drone, the political and social structures of the country would be next on the agenda for the nation. However, U.S. attention towrds the region dropped off for some time since the immediate threat of terrosim had been eliminated.

After an attack on a U.S. embassy in 2008 by men who were under the influence of bin laden teachings, the U.S. realized they had to return to the Yemen front to dispell andother set of heads created by Al-Queda members. The new group, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), poses a signifigant threat to the U.S. and Obama's Administration. For as we continue to taget them with unmanned drones, they use the bombing as propaganda agianst the UNited States.

This situation seems to parallel our involment in Afganistan in the 1980's, where the lack of the countries socio-economic and political infrastructures seems to creatre a miniture vacuum that works against Western nations.

Greg Voegtle


http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/10/31/ignoring_yemen_at_our_peril

Foreign Investment-Africa

The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) emphasizes the importance of private investment into African nations for long term economic development. The reliance on foriegn aid and borrowing prevents the th nations from developing prvate markets which are a necessary component to having both foriegn and private capital development.

The need for such investment is due to African nations desire to reach the Millenium Development goals, most of which rewuire a raise in standard of living. Such goals would require the the continents overall GDP to raise to 6-8% each year, and they are currently average at 3.5%.

Before foreign investment can occur four key areas the articlestates must become developed, or revamped:

"corruption and bureaucratic red-tape, weak legal systems, poor infrastructure, shortages of skilled labour"

The political instability and lack of rules and corporate regulation also keeps many investing nations ou of Africa.

Greg Voegtle


http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol17no2/172inv1.htm

LRA Numbers Down

The Associated Press reports that the number of fighters in the LRA has declined to an all-time low of 200-400 members. This information has come from the Enough Project, which is a set of interviews with more than 60 former LRA members. The decline is seen as a result of the "Operation Lightning Thunder"-- a movement launched by the Ugandan government. This operation has caused the LRA to spread out throughout Sudan, DRC and the Central African Republic, taking away Kony's ability to provide centralized orders. This report states that the United States has provided invaluable help in the matter, and a recent reported that the US Military is providing intelligence sharing through wiretapping LRA members. However, the US typically passes on the information 24 hours after the calls, giving the LRA members time to "evade pursuing forces." I'm not entirely sure what that's all about.

As expected, this article references the LRA and Kony an especially negative manner. After learning so much about the current situation, I find it mildly troublesome that the West has blanketed the issue in our typical good vs. bad fashion, however I really can expect nothing less. The article provided no background about the LRA other than the violent raids, which are absolutely important but do not come close to revealing the complexity of the situation. I find myself almost sympathizing with the LRA only to the point where the article refers to the soldiers cutting off peoples' lips and ears. These images were burned into my mind after the film clips we watched and these alone discredit the LRA and seem to me to completely unjustified in all ways.

By Brianna Howell

Monday, November 1, 2010

Japan Loans Uganda Money to Build Bridge

The Japanese government has loaned the Ugandan government close to one billion dollars to build a bridge across the Nile River. This bridge will connect the Kenyan port of Mombasa with much of rural east Africa. The $99.3 million will be allocated to replace the older Owens Falls Dam bridge. Owens Falls dam provides the majority of hydroelectricity to the country, but was built in 1954, and after sixty six years, is beginning to show wear and tear. Fears about the bridge collapsing may have prompted Japanese generosity, as a collapsed bridge would paralyse the economies of not only Uganda, but Rwanda, eastern portions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan. Although construction won't begin until 2012, it could provide a boon to Museveni as a candidate in offering it as an example of running the state well. Taking six years to complete this bridge will give plenty of time for corruption and money to miraculously disappear, but at this point the project is a hopeful symbol for a lagging Ugandan economy that might be spurred by an improvement in the bridge's efficiency. Since most trade is transported by trucks throughout the country, a better bridge may provide faster shipment times and cheaper shipping overall. Japan is one of Uganda's major creditors for it's infrastructural development in areas like energy, water, and roads for the country.

By Margaret Nunne

Museveni sued over bid for fourth term

President Yoweri Museveni is putting in his bid for a fourth term as the President of Uganda, however he is facing legal challenges from his rival, Maguru Ruhinda, who is willing to go to the high court to prevent Museveni from further control of Uganda. Ruhinda is a former army captain and a lawyer and wants the high court in east Africa to reject Museveni's nomination. "I obtained the high court summons yesterday and both the party secretary general and Museveni have 14 days to file their defence and then hearings will commence," Ruhinda said. A Political analysts says that Museveni's vote had died down each of the last three elections as allegations of Museveni and his actions increase.

By: Ivana Miljic


Court orders newspaper to stop "outing" gays

Uganda’s Rolling Stone has been ordered by a Ugandan court to stop publishing names and photographs of gay people. This happened following a campaign for a legal injunction by the Ugandan gay community. The gay community is concerned that such a publication will result into an increase in hate crimes.

Etienne