Is it the U.S's fault re. Ethiopia?

Does the United States have direct responsibility for the downturn in Ethiopia? Read the op-ed from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette above.

No Compassion for Sierra Leone's Amputees

With the civil war having been over since five years ago, Sierra Leone's amputees were hoping to receive the help and care they needed. They were hoping to receive the compensations from the government they had been promised. They were waiting for the aid from the international health organisations. But this has not been the case. With the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, the government and the international community has forgotten about them. They have been told to take care of themselves.
With unemployment being one of the highest in the world, and health care being so disastrous, Sierra Leone's population is suffering. Many amputees never received the cares they needed in order to sure their wounds. But most of the time, though their physical wounds have cured, their psychological ones are still gaping open. Many children were targeted and are will now be victims of the harsh demands for labor and the lack of understanding for disabilities.
These amputees need help, they need to receive care for their wounds, prosthetics so as to give them an opportunity of finding work. They need support and motivation, they need the international community to react and give them hope. But are we willing to stretch out our hands to them? Are we willing to give them another chance?

Another Step Towards Peace in the Ivory Coast?

The changes in the Ivory Coast are moving along rapidly. Earlier this month, a new peace agreement was signed in Ouagadougou between the government and the rebel forces in the north (the Forces Nouvelle). On Tuesday, more progress was accomplished as the leader of the Forces Nouvelle, Guillaume Soro, was appointed prime minister. President Laurent Gbabgo has approved the appointment and will sign the decree in the next few days. Gbagbo even stated, "The war is finished. The crisis is finished. Soon we will have a new government." Although both the government's and the rebel force's spokespeople sound confident in the new arrangement, political scientist Francois Koassi reveals the skepticism that is likely to be found in many of the Ivory Coast's citizens. He points out that "this decision will not change much at all because it is only a deal between two people." He fears that a deal has been negotiated between the sides that might negatively impact the people. Will Soro's appointment lead to enduring peace in the Ivory Coast? It seems unlikely since the article points out many other rebel groups have complained about the new peace agreement. Some will refuse to disarm unless they are invited to talks about (and are allowed input about) the new government. Whether or not the hope of the leaders or the skepticism of the people will ultimately prove accurate remains to be seen. Unfortunately, the Ivory Coast may be a ticking bomb, just waiting for another rebel force to stir up violence.

Should Britian Formally Apologize for its Role in the Slave Trade?

Britain marked the 200th anniversary of the laws abolishing the British slave trade this past Sunday. The commemorative event was held in Ghana at the Elmina Castle, which was the first slave-trading post in sub-Saharan Africa. Prime Minister Tony Blair attended the event and remarked that the UK's role in the slave trade is a matter of "deep sorrow and regret." These comments come after the Archbishop of York. Dr. John Sentamu, has called on the UK to formally apologize for its role in the slave trade.

Although the president made a number of strong statements recognizing the inhumanity of the slave trade, many people believe that he did not go far enough. Sentamu agrees, arguing, "A nation of this quality should have the sense of saying we are very sorry." A spokes person for Blair responded to requests for a further apology, by stating, "We must now look to the future."

It is important to note on the 200th anniversary of the UK's Laws Abolishing the British Slave Trade, modern slavery still exists around the world. Human trafficking, forced labor and present day genocide, like the Transatlantic slave trade, are all crimes against humanity.

Is a formal apology for something that happened 200 years ago necessary? or, Is it time to concentrate on what we can do in future? Perhaps we should do both. It is time that we learn from our history and prevent these crimes from happening again.

Pressure Point on China

China plays a big role in the general deadlock the Darfur problem is experiencing. China is Sudan’s largest economic partner. It has also declared that it would veto any sanctions against Sudan. Therefore, in order to pressure Sudan, countries should pressure China.
What other way to do this than to suggest boycotting China’s upcoming Beijing Olympics? This is exactly what a French presidential candidate did at a pro-Darfur rally. China has invested colossal amounts of money for these games to be successful and Francois Bayrou knows just that.
France’s Olympic delegation is one of the biggest in the world and it would definitely send a strong message if they boycott the games. However, for this to work, more countries will have to use the same pressure point, something that even the official French government isn’t ready to do.
But I think that this presidential candidate brings up a very good point. If countries truly cared about the people in Darfur, they should all be taking such a radical stance. They should all demand that China stop protecting Sudan and start using some of its influence to solve the Darfur problem. Or else, they would hit China where it hurts, the Beijing Olympics.

This crisis calls for action, not for more fancy words.

Lancastrians take conflict seriously

Deep in the heart of Lancaster, local businesses are doing their bit to prevent violent conlfict in Africa. Recently a number of jewelry have begun to question the origins of the diamonds they sell to their customers. As one local jeweloer stated, the money made on these illegal diamonds goes to fuel conflict and violence in Africa. By tracking the diamonds and ensuring that they are from a conflict-free zone, both the jeweler and the customer can be ensured that they are not supporting bloodshed in another country. It is heartening to see local businesses taking up a cause such as this. Only through increased awareness can the nature of conflict in the aAfrican continent be truly understood. And this helps, diamond by diamond.

Sierra Leone and its voting problems

Alas, as the elections come closer we realise that Sierra Leone's elections may yet again be frowned upon due to corruption and cheating. This article claims that Registration Officers are underpaid and under protected, and put into corrupt situations such as faulty cameras and no supervision otherwise.
In the past the elections were held with most of these officers belonging to the leading political parties and hence they would lose their respect and their guide lined job descriptions to become political activists changing votes and rigging the elections in favor of their party.
It was expected that the NEC would have worked out these kinks before the elections started preparing but it turns out this wasn't the case. There are hopes that now the NEC will do a better job at getting the population to vote, creating voting schools in useful places and keeping the elections clean.
If the NEC can do this it could prove a sense of sustainable peace in Sierra Leone. Wishful thinking maybe?

Stop Stereotyping Africa

In a recent opinion piece, a political commentator argues that the African continent is too often stereotyped as being filled with violence and poverty. He believes that most people are under the wrong impression about the current state of the continent and that the overall well-being of Africa is much better than people think. He further argues that Africa is ready for an economic boom, much like India and China. He points out how modern many African countries have become and that there are growing industries and productivity. Countries like Nigeria and Tanzania are doing well because of democracy and capitalism. The violence and poverty that we so often associate with Africa only is in a very small portion of the continent, according to the author.
This short opinion article offers a refreshing and optimistic viewpoint on the current state of Africa. But is the author being realistic? Are we under the wrong impression because we only hear about the negative aspects and events within the continent or is Africa as bad as it seems?

Mugabe's Very Own "War on Terror"...

Here’s [another] article about Robert Mugabe’s regime in Zimbabwe. Though already not known as a world-class humanitarian, his latest round of crackdowns is catching attention as extreme. His government maintains they are taking steps to ensure the safety of the public against a few “terrorists” who threaten the stability of the country. There are so many things wrong with that characterization that it’s hard to know where to start, but let’s take a crack at it, shall we?

For starters, appealing to the stability of Zimbabwe is absurd; the economy is locked into a downward spiral, inflation rates are something like 1,700%--leading most people to operate via barter and trade and circumvent the failed economy altogether—and life expectancy for a woman is about 35. Stability has left the building.

None of that means, of course, that such a country couldn’t be besieged with terrorists. But terrorists aren’t generally thought of as protestors who refuse violence and adhere to democratic principles. Leader of the Movement for Democratic Change: "We are going to do it by democratic means, by being beaten up and by being arrested – but we are going to do it."

So where is the rest of Africa on this one? Is no one paying attention? There seems to be a deeply rooted aversion on the continent to criticizing Mugabe, probably because he is thought of as the great liberator of Zimbabwe who lifted its people from colonial rule all those years ago. Gold Star. That was over thirty years ago, and it’s probably time to start revering a new liberator. The rest of Africa should stand up and help.

Cautious Optimism

The Ivory Coast government and the rebel movement inside the country have a long record of unsuccessful peace agreements that have been aimed at ending the civil war that has divided the country for a number of years. Earlier this month, two sides signed a new deal to form a power-sharing government and set up a joint army command within the country. The new integrated command center will be composed of and equal number of both government troops and the rebels. The agreement was made under the conditions that the two groups will work to demobilize militias from both sides. BBC reports that this joint army command structure is the “first and relatively painless sign that the two leaders intend to keep their word this time round.” Many believe that this peace accord has a better chance of succeeding where others have failed because the top leaders have been directly involved in the process. However, with such a long history of failed peace deals between politicians who are famous for not respecting their word, how can the Ivorian people be expected to be truly optimistic about the current agreement?