Pressure Grows On U.S. Group To Cancel Lavish African Summit
Aug. 14 (GIN) – The Washington, DC-based Sullivan Foundation is under intense pressure from human rights groups to cancel its planned summit in Equatorial Guinea, West Africa, where the government has been cited for torturing its opponents and many other abuses.
The Foundation, named for the late U.S. civil rights leader, Leon Sullivan, scheduled the summit called “Africa Rising” in Malabo, the capital city. The venue is a five-star hotel with all the amenities while 60% of local citizens live on less than $1 a day, lack running water and have no electricity.
According to Human Rights Watch, the government tortures political opponents, censors media, steals elections, and other abuses. The President of the oil-rich country, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, is one of Africa’s richest men with a fortune of over $600 million, according to Forbes business magazine.
The summit runs from Aug. 20-24.
Thor Halvorssen, president of the Washington-based Human Rights Foundation, said: “The Sullivan Foundation is destroying the legacy of its namesake by working hand-in-hand with one of the most repressive, exploitative regimes in Africa’s history.”
Reacting to the controversy, Sullivan’s daughter and foundation president, Hope Sullivan Masters, disputed the critics but threw fuel on the flames in a series of Tweets she posted that were later deleted. One read: “Racism is alive and well. visit EG, don’t rant. Courage over cowardice.”
All expense paid trips to the summit were reportedly offered to such stars as Phylicia Rashad, Earl Monroe, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and Lou Gossett Jr. It is not known if any have accepted the offer. w/pix of Hope Masters, president of Sullivan Foundation
Final Assault On AL Shabab Dealt Major Blow
Aug. 14 (GIN) – Plans for a final assault on the al-Shabab militants hunkered down in the port city of Kismayo, Somalia, are in tatters after three of four Ugandan attack helicopters went down in a remote area of Kenya.
Rescue teams spotted the bodies of two of the Ugandan airmen at the wreckage of one of the three missing Russian-made helicopters early Tuesday. Military officials warned it was unlikely the 10 Ugandan air force officers on board could have survived the accident.
A third helicopter on the same mission also crashed in thick forests in Mount Kenya – Africa’s second highest peak - late Sunday, but all seven Ugandan servicemen on board were rescued Monday, after they managed to radio for help. Bad weather on Mt. Kenya is being blamed as heavy clouds and wind are common this time of year.
The loss of the aircraft is a significant setback for the Ugandan-led forces, or Amison, who form the bulk of the nearly 17,000-strong African Union force in Somalia, where they are supporting the UN-backed Somali government.
Although it has lost ground in the past year, al-Shabab, which has joined al-Qaeda, still controls many southern and central areas.
Over the past 20 years, there have been numerous attempts to bring peace to Somalia by force. The U.S. failed, culminating in the now-infamous 1993 incident in the battle for Mogadishu dubbed "Black Hawk Down".
Officially, the explanation for Uganda’s major role in AU forces is to ensure stability in the region. But Ugandan journalist, John Njoroge, in a press interview, offered a different view.
"After almost 26 years in power, (Pres. Yoweri) Museveni’s popularity is waning. Military officers are already getting restless. From the government's point of view, (it’s) better for them to be fighting in Somalia."
Commanders organizing the operation have been recalled to the Kenyan capital Nairobi where they are said to be rethinking plans for the long-awaited attack. w/pix of downed helicopter
Peace Prize Winners Slam ‘Stars Earn Stripes’ For Glorifying War
Aug. 14 (GIN) – Seven Nobel Peace Prize winners, including Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu of South Africa, are protesting the new NBC reality show “Stars Earn Stripes,” which, they say, glorifies war and armed violence.
In a letter to NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt, the Nobel laureates said, “it is our belief that this program ... continues and expands on an inglorious tradition of glorifying war and armed violence… Preparing for war is neither amusing nor entertaining.”
The letter calls for NBC to stop airing the show.
The series pairs eight celebrities including singer Nick Lachey, actor Dean Cain, Olympic gold medalist Picabo Street and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's husband, Todd Palin, with former members of the Marines, Green Berets and other armed forces to compete for a cash prize (going to the charity of the winners choosing).
The contestants go through military-style training including firing weapons and jumping out of helicopters. The program is hosted by retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark.
NBC, responding to the charges, said that "Stars Earn Stripes" is "about thanking the young Americans who are in harm's way every day." "This show is not a glorification of war, but a glorification of service," NBC said in a statement.
Besides Tutu, signers of the letter are Jody Williams, Mairead Maguire, Shirin Ebadi, Jose Ramos-Horta, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Oscar Arias Sanchez, Rigoberta Menchu Tum and Betty Williams. w/pix of Archbishop D. Tutu
Malawi Passes Discriminatory Law Against Chinese
Aug. 14 (GIN) – On the heels of a visit by U.S. Secy of State Hillary Clinton, Malawi is moving against Chinese businesses that operate outside of the country’s four major cities. Under the new law, foreigners are barred from doing business in Malawi’s outlying and rural areas.
The anti-Asian law which went into effect on July 31, has been condemned by rights organizations who say it's xenophobic.
The Centre for Development of People and the Centre for Human Rights Rehabilitation (CHRR) accused the Malawian government of encouraging the victimization of foreign traders.
“We are worried about the increasing xenophobic sentiments and attacks on foreign nationals who are doing legal business across the country,” Undule Mwakasungula of the CHRR told the Inter Press Service news agency.
“Malawi should not be perpetrating xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals under the pretext of protecting the interests of local businesses.”
In her recent Africa trip, Mrs. Clinton frequently referred negatively to Chinese investors, saying they were not as interested in human rights as the U.S. is.
The new legislation has dismayed local Chinese entrepreneurs. In one reported case, a restaurateur was forced to close his eatery on June 30.
Fu-han Chao complained to a reporter: “The local traders don’t work as hard as we do. We open our shops much earlier and close them much later. We even open on Sundays when most businesses are closed, and we are hated for that. We have been treated very unfairly and I feel really angry about this."
“We are contributing a lot to this country… Maybe I will go back to China, but it is also tough to run a business back there because the population is high and the competition is also high,” he said.
Malawi's Minister of Trade, John Bande said: "The new law clearly outlines what kind of businesses foreign investors will be allowed to get involved in. We will not accept foreigners to come all the way from places like China and open small businesses and shops in the rural areas of this country and compete with local traders." w/pix of Pres. Joyce Banda and Chinese Amb. Pan Heijin in better days
