In this issue:

Mbeki Addresses South Africa's Civil Engineers

Formation of African Rapid Development Force

Anglo-Americans Claim Terrorists Pervade East Africa

African Intellectual: Terrorism Fight Is Not Ours

Secret Meeting at Oppenheimer Game Ranch: Scenario to Replace President Mugabe?

Nigeria: Mercenaries Used To 'Control' Unions

Tanzania To Produce Anti-Malaria Drugs Locally

Expanded Peace Force Needed in Democratic Republic of Congo

Uganda Serves the New Empire in Arming All Sides in Perpetual War

12,000 More Displaced Burundians

Zambia Gets India's Help in Becoming Food Self-Sufficient

U.S. Spook Operation in South Africa?

From Volume 2, Issue Number 20 of Electronic Intelligence Weekly, Published May 20, 2003
Africa News Digest

Mbeki Addresses South Africa's Civil Engineers

President Thabo Mbeki on May 8 spoke in Cape Town at an occasion to mark the centenary of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering, calling for "our own Leonardo da Vincis to now come into their own."

He continued: "You, who must build the new Africa, should not cease to work because another has decided that their task is to shoot and kill. You, who must renew our continent, should not be loath to create because another sits across the valley ready to destroy." Mbeki recounted that when Leonardo wrote to Ludovico il Moro, the Duke of Bari, in 1483, he proposed the building of infrastructure that would defeat the destructive fury of war, saving the Italian cities from the destruction his Latin ancestors had brought to the North African city of Carthage.

Mbeki added that Africa "is slowly succeeding to pluck itself from Carthage." "Our own Leonardo da Vincis must build for us bridges, and the means to conduct water from one place to another, the passages that pass underneath our rivers, the buildings both private and public, and the caves."

Mbeki mentioned statements by Professor Harry Seftel, "one of our leaders in the medical profession," on his interpretation of how life expectancy doubled in the Western world during the first half of the 20th century. "This," said Dr. Seftel, "had little to do with the efforts of the medical profession. The striking increase was mostly due to engineers whose technology produced a vast improvement in environmental and social hygiene." Mbeki acknowledged the horror of today's Africa, with respect to poverty, disease, and despair, but said the only way to respond to the challenge is through building.

"We should never be daunted by the challenge to bring peace to Africa, nor discouraged by the reverses and failures that come from trying. Neither should we be too embarrassed to dream of the seemingly impossible. Without dreams, we will cease to be human."

Formation of African Rapid Development Force

African defense experts—from 48 of the 53 African Union member countries—met May 12-14 in Addis Ababa to plan a continental rapid-reaction peacekeeping force. General Simpiwe Nyanda, Chief of Staff of the South African National Defense Forces, was elected chairman of the African Union-sponsored meeting.

Formation of what will be called the African Standby Force (ASF) was "encouraged by the international community outside Africa, which, for various reasons ranging from cost to politics, has been unable to intervene in Africa's myriad conflicts," claims a wire from Sapa-DPA. The wire adds that the rules governing the force will be submitted to the G-8 industrialized countries, "which are committed to supporting such a force under the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)."

The Addis meeting drafted rules and procedures by which the African Union's Peace and Security Council will govern the force; the rules were passed along to a meeting of defense chiefs of staff May 15-16. The results will go before the African Union heads-of-state summit in July. The force is expected to be functional by 2005.

The wire story adds, "The failure of the UN to intervene against the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives is often cited as a major impetus from within Africa for the force."

Anglo-Americans Claim Terrorists Pervade East Africa

The U.S. State Department warned May 15 of "high potential" for terror attacks against U.S. citizens and interests throughout East Africa, and particularly in Kenya. The announcement said: "The Department of State believes there is a credible threat of terrorist attacks in east Africa.... Supporters of al-Qaeda and other extremists are active in east Africa."

Similarly, Britain's Foreign Office claimed May 16 that there is a clear terrorist threat emanating not only from Kenya but from six neighboring East African countries. The Foreign Office advisory covered Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda, warning that "each is one of a number of countries in East Africa where there is a clear terrorist threat."

African countries have protested travel restrictions imposed by the UK because of these alleged threats.

African Intellectual: Terrorism Fight Is Not Ours

James N. Karioki, professor of International Relations in Johannesburg and current head of the African Renaissance Agency, warned that South Africa's Parliament should look very closely at the controversial Anti-Terrorism Bill now before that body—and not pass it. "Africa is not a core contestant in the terrorism fight," he wrote in an op ed in the widely read Johannesburg Sunday Times on May 11. Karioki cautioned: "The South African Parliament should be wary of the motive behind the U.S. pushing for anti-terrorism legislation around the world." It is noted that the South Africa bill is modelled on similar legislation that has been passed in the U.S., Canada, Britain, and Australia.

Karioki says the USA has a "grand scheme" based on "imperial logic," and insists that South Africa cannot be forced out of its position of neutrality. He notes that "one consequence of the Iraqi war is an enhanced public awareness of the imperial logic.... Quite a few Africans, including our own President Thabo Mbeki, are now convinced that African states are 'game' for U.S. military adventures." He adds that "Africa is, for historical reasons, highly sensitive to the imperial rationale." Parliament must keep these issues foremost in mind.

Noting various terrorist incidents, Karioki says that global terrorism has inflicted significant harm on Africa, but only as "collateral damage"—that Africa has been caught in the crossfire. His view is that Kenya was hit (1998) because the country "is perceived to be too 'cozy' with the U.S. and Israel and this is what has made it the preferred target for international terrorism."

Counterterrorism presumes that "you are either with us or you are against us; a proposition that rejects neutrality as a legitimate stance and contains coercion.... It is imperative that Africa remains neutral and appears to be so." The bill now before Parliament is not neutral, and should not be passed, says Karioki.

Secret Meeting at Oppenheimer Game Ranch: Scenario to Replace President Mugabe?

High-ranking British, American, and South African government and military officials and academics held a secret meeting with "prominent personalities from Zimbabwe" in Botswana's Kalahari Desert last week, according to an exclusive story in the May 11 Sunday Mirror (Harare), a newspaper opposed to British policy toward Zimbabwe.

The meeting, which included Baroness Lynda Chalker, formerly of the Foreign Office, was held at the Oppenheimer Game Ranch. An unnamed U.S. official, a British general, and a World Bank official were listed as present, as were Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni; the Zimbabwe businessman who heads Econet Wireless, Strive Masiyiwa; and South Africa's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Aziz Pahad. The meeting was reportedly hosted by Moeletsi Mbeki and Greg Mills, both of the British-steered South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). Apparently this is not the SAIIA's first such meeting on Zimbabwe.

Details of the meeting at the Oppenheimer Ranch are hazy, says the Mirror. But it does note that Baroness Chalker now heads an organization called Africa Matters, which lends political and financial support to a number of causes in Africa. Although her plan to mobilize international financial institutions—through Africa Matters—for a new political party was reported by the Mirror in January of this year, and Masiyiwa also supports the initiative, the Mirror account omits mention of it.

The Mirror adds, "It was not clear whether Museveni's presence at the meeting had anything to do with Zimbabwe, but sources disclosed that he had to leave early for London, where he held British-brokered talks with his erstwhile adversary and Rwandan strongman Paul Kagame."

"The Kalahari meeting coincided with the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Walter Kansteiner's visit to Botswana," says the Mirror, but it is not clear if Kansteiner attended. The Mirror does cite a report from the Financial Times of London "that Kansteiner promised massive U.S. economic aid if the African initiative to bring an end to the political deadlock in Zimbabwe produced a 'credible blueprint for political change.' " The Bush Administration has targetted the assets of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and his top officials.

Nigeria: Mercenaries Used To 'Control' Unions

The striking oil workers' standoff in Nigeria was resolved May 2 when the oil companies brought in mercenary military services through the Anglo-American company Northbridge Services group, according to the U.K. director of the company, Andrew Williams. Williams, in a lengthy interview with Reuters, gave the Nigeria example as just one way such operations can be used. He said that on May 2, Northbridge flew two planeloads of former special service operatives from an undisclosed British airfield to a secret location on a contract to rescue foreign expatriate workers held hostage on Nigerian oil rigs. He said the operation was short and sweet. "We brought in a representative of the hostage takers and showed him the guys and their equipment waiting to go in. He got the message," Williams said.

Williams said the contract had been issued by an "independent company" acting on behalf of one of the governments involved, but would not name the company or the government. Williams did make it clear that Northbridge is developing close ties to the U.S., through increasingly close working ties with MPRI, a U.S. private company whose only contracts are with the U.S. government. "With MPRI, we aim to be the world's dominant force in PMCs."

Tanzania To Produce Anti-Malaria Drugs Locally

The World Health Organization announced May 9 that it will provide technical support for the development and commercial production of a dihydro-artemisinin plant in Tanzania. An earlier study, by Tanzania's Institute for Medical Research, made a strong case that development and commercial production of dihydro-artemisinin, an anti-malaria drug, if produced locally, could be sold for an affordable $2 per dose in Tanzania and other parts of Africa. "This year, WHO plans to provide the government of Tanzania with the process technology for the local production of the medicine," Dr. Ebrahim Samba, WHO Regional Director for Africa is quoted.

Presently, artemisia annua grown in Tanzania is exported to Europe, where it is processed into anti-malarial medicines which are imported by African countries and sold for $6-7 per dose. Experts noted that dihydro-artemisinin is the only known anti-malarial medicine to which the deadly malaria parasite has not yet developed resistance. A WHO team on a visit to Tanzania reported that the indigenous variety of artemisia annua in Tanzania was 10 to 15 times more potent than the varieties found in China and Thailand.

Expanded Peace Force Needed in Democratic Republic of Congo

Thousands of ethnic Lendu and Hema militiamen and others battled in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the second week of May for control of Bunia in the eastern province of Ituri. The fighting came in the wake of the withdrawal of 7,000 Ugandan troops, part of the UN-brokered agreement to get foreign armies out of the country. After the fighting broke out on May 7, South African President Thabo Mbeki, who had helped to broker this peace deal, petitioned UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to allow the UN troops in the DRC to open fire on militia attacking the civilians. Congo's ambassador to South Africa, Bene M'Poko, said the UN troops were proving to be "useless." He said his government wanted the UN Security Council to strengthen the UN force's mandate. "The people know that they [UN troops] cannot shoot to kill and that is why they continue fighting. If our own police force is properly trained and equipped, it can enforce peace."

Congo President Joseph Kabila reportedly would prefer that the UN force, known as MONUC, be withdrawn altogether, so that an integrated national force, supported by other African troops, can defend his country.

Pope John Paul II, some UN officials, and others warn that the Eastern Congo could be on the verge of the kind of genocide witnessed in Rwanda in 1994. There are currently 600 MONUC soldiers in Bunia who are hopelessly outnumbered by some 25,000 militiamen with sophisticated weaponry.

The refugee crisis is deepening. It was estimated that as of May 14, there were between 30,000 and 60,000 people streaming along the road from the town of Bunia to Beni, 1,000 miles to the southwest.

Uganda Serves the New Empire in Arming All Sides in Perpetual War

The Ugandan Army supplied weapons to several of the opposing ethnic militias in Bunia up to the day it pulled out of the DRC, according to UN sources and Western diplomatic sources in Kinshasa, the Financial Times of London reported May 15.

General Mountaga Diallo, commander of the small UN peacekeeping operation, MONUC, said that the opposing ethnic groups—the Lendu and the Hema—now have heavy weaponry and anti-aircraft guns. MONUC officials blamed the UN Security Council for failing to prevent the fighting that erupted as the Ugandans withdrew. "We have been reporting to New York [the UN] for months that Uganda has been constantly interfering in Ituri, arming different sides," a senior MONUC source reportedly told the Financial Times. "The problem is that the permanent members on the Security Council do not agree on what to do," the source said.

The FT's sources in Kinshasa believe the reason the Ugandan military supplied both sides was connected to its desire to keep control of DR Congo's gold reserves and other commercial interests. But the sources, or some of them, thought divisions in the Ugandan Army might also have played a role.

12,000 More Displaced Burundians

In Burundi, more than 12,000 people have reportedly fled the Northwestern Province of Bubanza since May 8, when the Army reportedly launched an offensive against the rebel Forces pour la Defence de la Democratie (FDD). "Approximately 2,500 households, that is, more than 12,000 people, have been forced to flee, following heavy clashes between the Army and FDD rebels at Ruce and Muyebe localities last week; the majority fled towards Rugazi and Musigati communes in Bubanza," said Helena Mazarro, a humanitarian affairs officer in the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Mazarro told IRIN that the displaced had yet to receive aid from humanitarian agencies. Aid agencies are going into Bubanza May 19, she said, to evaluate the needs of the population.

Zambia Gets India's Help in Becoming Food Self-Sufficient

Agreements on agriculture and trade were signed April 28 in New Delhi, the last day of Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa's five-day visit to India. The purpose of the trip, Mwanawasa consistently told the Indian leaders, was to learn how India had become food self-sufficient. One agreement was for cooperation in agriculture to allow for the exchange of information and technology between the two countries. The agreement on trade will help to enhance business and promote bilateral cooperation in trade and industry. Mwanawasa said technology transfer from India, particularly in areas of irrigation and small-scale farming equipment, would accelerate Zambia's agricultural development. At the conclusion of the official talks, the communiqué announced that India had extended a line of credit to Zambia valued at US$10 million for buying of machinery and equipment from India. India also gave Zambia a grant of US$500,000 for buying agricultural machinery.

India also made a grant of $100,000 for the purchase of anti-retroviral drugs and donated 10,000 tons of rice for food relief.

Another big boost to Zambia came the first week in May when Germany agreed to cancel 100% of Zambia's debt, amounting to 187 million euros. German Ambassador to Zambia Erich Kristof May 8 said the amount represented 100% cancellation of both principal and interest. "It is our sincere hope and expectation as well, that the Zambian government will use this money to implement poverty reduction projects as laid down in the national Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper," Kristof said.

U.S. Spook Operation in South Africa?

The South African daily Mail & Guardian on May 9 quoted from detailed documents that are said to show that there were plans afoot in the spring of 2002 for U.S. and South African "spooks" to smuggle out of South Africa remnants of the apartheid-era biological weapons research program, and deliver same to the United States. The plan was to have been carried out by two veteran U.S. operatives working closely with the FBI, Don Mayes and Bob Zlockie, and a South African former CIA agent Tai Minnaari. The documents do not make clear why the FBI decided at the last minute to abort the alleged project. Allegedly, the project was expressly designed to be carried out without the knowledge of the South African authorities.

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