GENERAL NEWS

Africa: Why We Need to Think About Peace and Security

OPINION

Source: The New Times (Rwanda)

By Alice Urusaro Karekezi

24 June 2015 - All eyes were on Omar al-Bashir. However, something less dramatic but equally important took place at the recent African Union meeting in South Africa. On the sidelines were discussions on the progress on implementing the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSCF) for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with many observing that the progress has been rather slow and that much still needs to be done to ensure that actions are able to follow agreed commitments.

The PSCF is a UN-brokered accord aimed at stabilizing the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region. It was signed in February 2013 by Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania and encompasses commitments at the national, regional and international levels to bring peace and stability to the eastern DRC and the region.

It has been 15 years since this has been agreed upon. As a result, the gathering in South Africa thinks that progress has been rather ‘slow.' Why? That is what we hope to find out on June 25 and 26 at an international gathering in Kigali, at Serena Hotel, of policymakers, non-government organizations, civil society, and educators, among other actors. The conference is being organized by the Centre for Conflict Management (CCM) of the University of Rwanda.

Participants will reflect together on what appears like indifference when it comes to implementing agreed principles that make up agreed regional frameworks for peace and security, a reflection on matters that have serious implications for human life.

At 70th anniversary of UN Charter, ideals are still out of reach

ANALYSIS

Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur

By Emoke Bebiak

New York, 23 June 2015 - The United Nations is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its inception this year starting with commemorating the signing of its founding document on Friday, however, crises looming around the world are a solemn reminder of the failures of the world body.

Signed on June 26, 1945, in San Francisco, California, the UN Charter set out "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" by making the maintenance of international peace and security its main priority.

However, 70 years after the historic document was signed, the organization has failed to fulfill this mandate on several occasions, most recently in Syria and Ukraine, largely because of political deadlock among the five veto-powers with permanent seats on the UN Security Council.

"I see the problems stemming from the use of the veto or the threat of the veto in the Security Council," said UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson in a recent interview with dpa.

"I think generally the fact that the Security Council has not been able to produce a formula on Syria has already hurt the Security Council and hurt the United Nations."

Paul Kennedy, a history professor at Yale University specializing in international relations, agreed with Eliasson's assessment saying the UN has lived up to its founding ideals "very poorly."

"National governments and national interests are the number one reason why the United Nations has such a limited effectiveness," Kennedy said.

He noted that the veto was meant to be used as a very selective tool by the five world powers - the US, Russia, China, Britain and France - when their vital national interests were threatened, however, it has become a political tool that often prevents the council from acting.

"Disasters occur because big men in big governments didn't see the need to act or were opposed to act," Kennedy said.

"The world organization's security measures have failed precisely because big powers refused to act. So who failed? It was the governments of the big powers who failed."

While the veto is not mentioned explicitly in the UN Charter, the document calls for agreement among the permanent members of the council, which was an innovation over the League of Nations, the predecessor of the UN, which was later disbanded because major powers weren't behind it.

"The UN Charter is a combination of idealism and realism," said Alan Henrikson, a professor of diplomatic history and the director of Diplomatic Studies at Tufts University's The Fletcher School.

"The big change ... was to recognize that great power consensus was indispensable."

While the veto was meant to motivate major powers to use the UN as a platform of dialogue and an instrument to stem conflicts, its repeated use in cases where no vital interests of the permanent members were involved has often rendered the council powerless.

The Israeli-Palestinian question, which has been on the UN's agenda since its inception, exemplifies this paralysis.

The State of Israel was created in 1947 under UN General Assembly resolution 181, which also called for the creation of a Palestinian state.

However, the Palestinian state never materialized mainly because of vetoes cast by the United States, which is an ally of Israel.

Riyad Mansour, Palestinian ambassador to the UN, said it was "very unique" of the UN to take upon itself the Palestinian question, which was thrust upon the world body by Britain as the country was set to end in 1948 its League of Nations mandate that had formalized its rule in the region.

"It is one of the biggest failures of the United Nations that it took upon itself to resolve a situation that existed in Palestine on the eve of the termination of the British mandate, and after 70 years it is still unable to bring it to a closure," Mansour said.

He noted that the UN should have rejected Britain's request to resolve the issue and should have called on Britain to give independence to Palestinians as it was the case with most territories that gained independence after colonial rule.

Another major failure of the council was the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Even though a UN observation force was on the ground, the UN troops didn't get the necessary backing from the council to stop the slaughter of an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

"If 400 French heavily armed troops had gone in, this would have been stopped," Kennedy said. "It was a failure at the very top."

While the UN has not lived up to its mandate on peace and security, UN agencies independent from the council have made strides in global development, aid and creating international guidelines.

The UN's millennial development goals, adopted in 2000, have called on governments to meet global benchmarks on development by 2015. Similar goals for the next 15 years are being formulated.

Guidelines, which Henrikson called "rules of the road," include international standards on aviation, health, refugees and atomic energy.

The UN is also playing a pivotal role in coordinating efforts towards an agreement to mitigate climate change.

"Various agencies deserve quite a good pat on the back, they have come quite a long way since 20 years ago or 70 years ago," Kennedy said.

Africa: UN Deputy Chief Urges Ramped-Up Support for Global Peacebuilding Efforts

NEWS STORY

Source: UN News Service

23 June 2015 - The international community must boost material and financial support for peacebuilding initiatives in order to better help countries emerging from conflict build a sustainable and peaceful future, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said today.

Addressing the opening of the Second Annual Session of the Peacebuilding Commission at UN Headquarters in New York, the Deputy Secretary-General emphasized the role of peacebuilding at "the core of UN activities in conflict-affected countries" but warned that financing efforts for peacebuilding still remained woefully insufficient.

"We do not know exactly how large the financing gap for peacebuilding is, since there are no global estimates of peacebuilding needs. But there are clear indications that allocations to peacebuilding and to institution-building - which is closely related - in conflict-affected countries are grossly inadequate," Mr. Eliasson confirmed.

The UN deputy head told those gathered that in a group of 31 conflict-affected countries, critical institution-building in the political, security and justice areas received less than 10 per cent of official development assistance (ODA) during the period 2002-2013. For the six countries on the agenda of the Peacebuilding Commission Burundi (Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Central African Republic), only 7 per cent of ODA was allocated to these areas.

"This shortfall affects our ability to build and consolidate peace with short term and targeted support to national processes and plans," he continued.

In addition to the funding shortfalls, Mr. Eliasson pointed out that existing funding mechanisms among donors remained "fragmented" as development, security, human rights and humanitarian activities are often funded from different budgets with separate decision-making processes.

On the recipient side, the funding mechanisms remain equally scattered across separate funds and "a multitude of plans and strategies on the part of governments, the UN system and other actors on the ground" which, he added, "do not contribute to coherence and a clear focus."

One option to countering such a piecemeal approach would be to enhance the UN Peacebuilding Fund, Mr. Eliasson said, citing the global pooled fund which had already played "a positive role in breaking down the silos" among UN missions and country teams in areas such as the Central African Republic.

However, compounding the problem related to fragmentation, the Deputy Secretary-General also noted the lack of robust tax and rule of law institutions in many countries emerging from conflict, cautioning that this only added to the burden facing an effective mobilization of domestic resources.

He suggested that this alone made the need for early and sustained investment in capacity building by the international community "even more critical."

"We need to make sure that the Peacebuilding Fund is placed on a solid footing," Mr. Eliasson concluded. "The Fund has a valuable role to play as a global pooled fund that brings together the political, security and development aspects of peacebuilding."

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DRC

Congo-Kinshasa: Malawi Soldier Shoots Himself Dead in DRC Peace-Keeping Mission

NEWS STORY

Source: Nyasa Times (Malawi)

By Cecilia Mawaya

24 June 2015 - Malawian soldier who was on peace-keeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) shot dead himself using a K2 rifle in the wee hours of Saturday, June 20, 2015, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

Corporal Lyson Manda who was working at Kamuzu Barracks, is understood to have discharged his own weapon on the chest while in his bed.

Military officials are investigating the circumstances of the accident.

Spokesman for Malawi Defence Force (MDF), Lieutenant Chimphwanya said “it is with deep regret that the Malawi Defence Force has to confirm the death of Corporal Lyson Manda who shot himself dead in DRC."

He said the army will come up with a statement regarding the death of Corporal Manda.

“The cause of his action will be known by the yet-to-be instituted investigation which will be available to the public soon", said Chimphwanya.

He said Manda's death is "a tragic blow" to everyone in the military and offered most sincere condolences, to the other soldiers and to his family.

The deceased, Manda, 35 years old hailed from Kayuni village, Traditional Authority Kyungu in the northern district of Karonga.

DR Congo president files anti-corruption case

NEWS STORY

Source: Xinhua

24 June 2015 - Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) President Joseph Kabila has filed a case at the public prosecutor's office against corruption, money laundering and financing of terrorism.

"The president has accomplished his responsibility. The judiciary should also play its part," said Luzolo Bambi, the presidential special advisor on good governance, on Tuesday.

The advisor said "corruption had become endemic in DR Congo."

He said the president had received numerous cases of embezzlement of public goods and corruption in almost all sectors of the economy.

The suspects are not known yet. However, sources following the case told Xinhua the president's case was targeting businessmen from Katanga, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

Bambi, a former justice minister, was in March this year named as the president's special adviser on matters of good governance, the fight against corruption, money laundering and funding of terrorism.

RDC-Corruption: la plainte de Joseph Kabila vise Katumbi, Kasanji, Alex Kande et Chissambo

ARTICLE

Source: Radio Okapi (RDC)

24 Juin 2015 - Quatre gouverneurs de province congolais et un ancien conseiller du président de la République démocratique du Congo sont visés dans une plainte pour corruption ou fraude déposée par le chef de l’État Joseph Kabila et que l’AFP a pu consulter mercredi. Le document d’une vingtaine de pages adressé mardi au procureur général de la république vise nommément quatre gouverneurs: Moïse Katumbi (Katanga, sud-est), Alphonse Ngoy Kasanji (Kasaï-Oriental, centre), Alex Kande (Kasaï-Occidental, centre) et Marcellin Chisambo (Sud-Kivu, est).

La plainte, adressée au nom de M. Kabila par son conseiller spécial pour la lutte contre la corruption, le blanchiment et le terrorisme, vise également l’ancien directeur de cabinet du président, Gustave Beya Siku et une quinzaine d’autres personnes, parmi lesquelles d’anciens hauts fonctionnaires.

La plainte dénonce des faits de « corruption », « fraudes » et « détournements ».

Elle demande au procureur général de la République d’enquêter sur des allégations de fraude douanière à l’encontre de M. Katumbi, et de corruption à l’encontre des trois autres gouverneurs.

Selon le document, M. Beya Siku, récemment remercié par M. Kabila, se voit reprocher d’avoir empoché des p