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An African story that deserves to be told

OPINION

Source: City Press via News24 (http://www.news24.com/Opinions/An-African-story-that-deserves-to-be-told...)

By Mercedes Sayagues

12 October 2015 - Forget Europe. When last did you hear about the lengths poor countries go to in welcoming the unfortunate multitudes fleeing war, asks Mercedes Sayagues

Al Jazeera, my favourite TV news channel, annoyed me last week. It ran a story gushing about a tented camp for 150 Afghan refugees built in a small village in Bavaria.

“Exemplary!” the reporter enthused. “Germany is showing the world how to do it.”

Really? Efficient camp-building ought to be expected from Europe’s wealthiest and most technologically advanced country. And camps, unlike cars, don’t have to meet noxious-emissions standards. No need to cheat.

Instead, the media could look at east and central Africa – yes, Africa’s dark heart and the frequent source of newscast horrors – for leadership in welcoming refugees.

In April, Burundi exploded in political violence against the (eventually successful) attempt of President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a third term, which violated the Constitution and the Arusha peace agreement of 2005 that ended a 12-year civil war. Street protests were met with heavy repression.

In four months, 193 000 Burundians, fearing another civil war, fled to neighbouring countries.

During the worst period, 3 000 of them were crossing daily into tiny Rwanda (with a population of 12 million).

Rwanda quickly set up three registration centres with cooking and sanitation facilities near the border, and built a camp, Mahama, with the capacity for 50 000 people. Today, 44 000 Burundian refugees live in Mahama’s neat rows of white tents, with water, latrines and basic health services, and 22 000 are in the country’s capital, Kigali.

Tanzania settled 95 000 Burundians in the Nyarugusu camp in the north, already home to 62 000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo. With Nyarugusu’s capacity exceeded by three, new camp sites are being built. (Note: the UK says it will take a paltry 20 000 Syrians over the next five years.)

Uganda doesn’t share a border with Burundi, but 14 000 Burundians made their way there – joining nearly half a million refugees from various countries. Uganda’s policy is to settle refugees, providing basic services, plots of land and farming tools. Accordingly, most Burundian refugees are hosted in 11 villages at Nakivale, in the southwest.

Nakivale, the world’s eighth-largest refugee settlement, shelters 82 000 refugees from 12 countries in 70 villages. Had you heard about this in the news? You might have seen a few stories about poor conditions and a cholera outbreak in Nyarugusu.

Yes, the camps are basic. There are no heated tents with desks and hot showers, and a monthly stipend of €143 (R2 160), as in Germany. But these are poor countries (see chart). Local resources are stretched and the humanitarian operation of the global refugee agency, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is badly underfunded.

Here is the cost of one power-hungry president’s folly: to assist Burundians inside and outside their country from September to December this year, the UNHCR appealed for $221 million (R3 billion). Only 25% of that has been pledged.

Civil war in South Sudan has pushed 225 000 refugees to Ethiopia, 168 000 to Uganda, 193 000 to Sudan and 46 000 into Kenya – more than the numbers who reached Fortress Europe this year. The UN humanitarian operation requires $779 million for this, but less than a third is covered.

There is a positive side to this misery inflicted upon civilians. Says the UNHCR: “The most significant achievement to date is the unhindered access refugees have had to neighbouring countries’ territories. Governments are aware of and honour their responsibilities under international law to provide asylum to refugees, and they all abide by the principle of non-refoulement [a cornerstone of customary international law, which protects refugees from being returned to places where their lives or freedom could be threatened]. Refugees were quickly registered on arrival and, where possible, transported to more suitable locations, where the delivery of assistance and more detailed individual registration and data gathering takes place.”

This is a story that deserves to be told.

Sayagues is a journalist based in Pretoria consulting for the UN Population Fund on regional refugee issues

Refugees in southern Africa

Southern Africa, too, has a proud history of welcoming war refugees. In the late 1980s, and for more than a decade, Malawi hosted 1.1 million Mozambican refugees fleeing civil war. That is the equivalent of 10% of Malawi’s population. Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Tanzania sheltered smaller numbers.

Post-apartheid South Africa’s refugee situation is not comparable. The flow of asylum seekers and economic migrants is a constant trickle – not a huge, sudden wave of destitute people – and they don’t live in camps. In 2015, according to the UNHCR, 315 000 refugees are living in South Africa. Among them, 65 000 people have been granted recognised refugee status and 230 000 have pending applications, with a significant drop in the number of asylum seekers since 2013.

*Sources: World Bank 2014, Atlas method and UN Development Programme Human Development Report 2014

Africa Rising as a Competitive Continent

ANALYSIS

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201510131075.html

13 October 2015 - The World Economic Forum (WEF) last week announced the most globally competitive African nations in its 2015 Global Competitiveness Index. The Index, which looked at 140 countries, rates the top performing African countries as follows: Mauritius (46), South Africa (49), Rwanda (58), Botswana (71), Namibia (85), Côte d'Ivoire (91), Zambia (96), Seychelles (97), Kenya (99), and Gabon (103).

The WEF measures a nation's global competitiveness against 12 pillars, i.e. institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, labour market efficiency, financial market development, technological readiness, market size, business sophistication and innovation.

Each of the 10 best performing African countries have had mixed fortunes in the 2015 Index, with some moving up and others down in the ranks with each improving and declining according to the WEF's assessment pillars.

Two of Africa's 54 states, Mauritius and South Africa, are among the top 50 most competitive global nations with Rwanda following in third place. Rwanda's achievement is truly remarkable considering the tragedy experienced by that country only 21 years ago.

In addition to noting the improvements of individual countries the World Economic Forum's Africa Competitiveness Report 2015 observes the following about the African continent "... for five years, growth rates have averaged over 5%, and rapid population growth holds the promise of a large emerging consumer market as well as an unprecedented labour force that, if leveraged, can provide significant growth opportunities. Moreover, the expansion of innovative business models, such as mobile technology services, is indicative of the continent's growth potential."

The WEF report's observation with regards to technology, media and telecommunications is shared by the 2015 EY Africa Attractiveness Survey, which notes that these sectors are the most popular for investors and have attracted almost a fifth of all investment into the continent, followed by financial services in second place and consumer products and retail.

At the same time, the WEF report highlights persistent challenges in terms of socio-economic development: "Africa continues to be largely agrarian, with an economy that is underpinned by resource-driven growth and a large and expanding informal sector ... more than a decade of consistently high growth rates have not yet trickled down to significant parts of the population - nearly one out of two Africans continues to live in extreme poverty, and income inequality in the region remains among the highest in the world. What is more, across sectors--from agriculture to manufacturing and services--productivity levels remain low."

This assessment suggests that more needs to be done to unlock the areas which will help build competitive knowledge-intensive economies. The areas identified by WEF's 2015 Global Competitiveness Index are universal, good quality education; a healthy citizenry with access to medical care; the use of ICTs and the ability to absorb new technologies; the capacity to innovate; and the development of a sophisticated business environment that supports both domestic and international corporations.

According to the World Economic Forum, low levels of competitiveness have two direct consequences - they render regional economies, in the immediate term, vulnerable to important economic downside shocks which include a slowdown in emerging markets to repercussions of the four-year low in oil prices and lower prices for other commodities for the region's resource-rich economies. In the medium term, they raise questions about whether Africa will be able to leverage its demographic dividend: the over 1 billion people on the continent represent a large emerging consumer market and labour force that provides significant growth opportunities.

The continent, led by the African Union (AU), and its leaders have been conscious of the urgency for African countries to raise their socio-economic levels, to deliver on the aspirations of citizens and to overhaul traditional perceptions of Africa thus building a positive reputation. Agenda 2063 provides the continent's vision for socio-economic development. In its implementation, Agenda 2063 will enable the building of national and therefore continental competitiveness by addressing issues identified by African leaders as well as the WEF.

The AU has also placed emphasis on good governance and leadership which have a positive impact on socio-economic levels and further impacts positively on the reputations of both countries and the continent as a whole. This bodes well for the continent as there is a positive relationship between a country's reputation and key factors that contribute to its competitiveness such as the nation's ability to compete for the global pool of investment, tourism and skills.

Increased competitiveness is important to ensure social equity which contributes not only to national stability but also to a country's ability to attract investment. This is becoming even more crucial because, while Africa is still an attractive investment destination, EY's 2015 Africa Attractive Survey has found that the continent is now the fourth fastest growing in the world, having lost its number two spot.

For Africa to reverse this regression and grow as a globally competitive investment destination, the implementation of Agenda 2063 is crucial along with each African nation making the right investments in growing the continent's human capital, particularly in knowledge areas that will be drivers of competitiveness in a global economy that is becoming more knowledge intensive.

The French Economist Thomas Piketty giving the Nelson Mandela Lecture said, "Africa is the future of the world". Moving with haste and with a collective determination to implement Agenda 2063, Piketty's words will soon be a reality.

Cameroon to host logistics base of AU Standby Force

NEWS STORY

Source: The East African

13 October 2015 - An African Union Standby Force (ASF) that would intervene to restore peace and security in member states will soon go operational.

Whereas it will come under the peace and security commission of the AU in Addis Ababa, its logistics headquarters will be based in the Cameroon port city of Douala, in the central African sub-region.

The basing agreement was signed in the Cameroon capital Yaounde on Monday by the AU peace and security commissioner Smail Chergui and Cameroon’s defence minister Joseph Beti Assomo.

“It is a very important moment, not only for Cameroon, but for the whole continent to really have it signed so that we can now implement it and have the force ready as fast as possible. And we are determined to do so,” Mr Chergui said.

The determination by the AU to get the standby force fully operational is coming at a time parts of the continent like the Lake Chad basin are facing serious security challenges posed by the Nigerian jihadist group, Boko Haram. No mention, though, was made on when the force will be activated.

The ASF will comprise military, police and civilian components drawn from all the five regional blocs of Africa: EASFCOM, ECCAS, ECOWAS, NARC and SADC.

Its operationalisation was initially meant for 2008, but was put off at least three times due to what observers described as political differences and disagreements between member states.

But given the state of insecurity especially the Lake Chad Basin, geopolitical strategists in the region are of the opinion that the force’s operationalisation should be soonest.

Disgruntled soldiers

Mr Chergui's visit to Yaounde coincided with the October 12 'deadline' which, according to local newspaper reports, was given the Cameroon government by a contingent of the country's soldiers who recently staged a public protest against unpaid allowances from the AU/UN peacekeeping mission in neighbouring Central African Republic.

A local tabloid, The Post, quoted an unnamed soldier as saying that they would “make ourselves heard in any other way that will be surprising to many” if the allowances were not paid by the Monday deadline.

Nonetheless, Mr Chergui told reporters that he had discussed the issue with the Cameroon defence minister at an earlier meeting prior to the signing of the ASF agreement.

"I informed him [the Cameroon minister] that this issue of paying the soldiers from Cameroon who helped us in the Central African Republic has now been finalised,” the AU commissioner said.

“We also took the occasion to review our common endeavour in combating terrorism especially Boko Haram in this region," he added.

Cameroon president Paul Biya had ordered the payment of the allowances from state coffers awaiting reimbursement from the AU.

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D.R. CONGO

Six killed in new DRCongo attacks blamed on Uganda rebels

NEWS STORY

Source: AFP World News

Goma, 13 October 2015 - Six civilians were killed on Monday in three separate attacks blamed on Ugandan rebels in the troubled east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, local authorities said.

The gun attacks happened within two hours of each other in the restive north of North Kivu province, from which many locals have been evacuated after a string of massacres blamed on the Ugandan Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

"We recorded six deaths yesterday," Amisi Kalonda, the administrator of the Beni area told AFP from the provincial capital Goma, blaming the ADF for the killings.

"Four civilians were killed at Tenambo, one at Mukoko and another at Linzo-Sisene," he added.

Army spokesman Lieutenant Mak Hazukay confirmed the shootings and also said the rebels were responsible.

The mainly-Muslim ADF are accused of slaughtering more than 400 villagers over the past year around Beni, mostly with machetes.

The group has been active in the region, which has been devastated by more than two decades of strife, since its fighters were driven out of their homeland in 1995.

In recent weeks they have switched to gun attacks mostly concentrated along National Road No. 4 which links Beni with Orientale province to the north, targeting drivers and passersby.

The leader of the rebels, Jamil Mukulu, was arrested in Tanzania in April and then extradited to Uganda three months later.

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