Democratic Republic of Congo Votes for President!

In July this year, the country went to voting to elect their president. Elections are significant for the country that has not seen elections for many years, since late president Mobutu took over power in a military coup.

He ruled the country killing his opponents in order to be able to remain power.

He was a popular man at the beginning of his rule. He was also a man the Americans loved in the continent.

He was later to be abandoned by the US, and that is when his troubles began. An uprising against his leadership was imminent in the North of the country, an uprising led by the late president Kabila, who was at the time leading revolting soldiers and guerilla fighters started to march to the capital city. Mobutu was shocked to learn that the US was not willing to assist him in his wishes to stop the march that was to take over the capital and the presidential palace.His only choiced was to run out of the country.

He was overthrown by Kabila, the late president , in a popular uprise.

The late president Kabila, murdered by one of his own aides did not rule the country for long after he seized power.

When he died, the army leaders supported the take over by his son, Joseph Kabila who is the incumbent president.

Joseph Kabila decided to talk with his opponents when he realised a new uprise to topple him was on the way.

The peace talks has led to the elections and it now seems the country might finally get a popular government.

It is however, something difficult to know before a winner is declared. Joseph Kabila, the incumbent president may decide, if he loses the election, to refuse to accept the results.

That will throw the country into a new civil war, a state of affairs that the congolese people do not want to live in once again.

In July, there was no clear winner and that necessitated a run-off.

BBC has reported that the voting has been peaceful and the election has been extended in some areas because of heavy rains.

According to the BBC, “Congolese hope the election will end years of conflict and abuse of power. Incumbent President Joseph Kabila faces ex-rebel Jean-Pierre Bemba.” and that “The run-off concludes DR Congo’s first fully democratic polls since independence in 1960 and is supposed to draw a line under a five-year conflict.”

By Korir, APN

africanpress@chello.no

Airplane Disaster kills many in Nigeria!

BBC has reported in breaking news that a Nigerian Sultan is among the dead in a plane crash today, Sunday in Nigeria. It is reported that he was the leader of Nigeria’s Muslims, travelling in a plane carrying about 100 passengers. The plane is reported to have taken off from Abuja, the capital of Nigeria and later crashed around the area.

BBC reports that Mohammadu Maccido a Sultan of Sokoto, his son, a senator and other dignitaries were on their way to Sokoto city onboard ADC airlines.

The plane crashed in a storm shortly after take-off, state radio said. Four people have reportedly survived.

The report indicate that there was a storm in the area.

It is further reported by BBC that “Sokoto State government spokesman Mustapha Sheu said that the northern state’s deputy governor, education commissioner and another senator were killed, along with the sultan and his son.”

By Korir, APN

africanpress@chello.no

Black Director of Immigration in Norway Removed!

A former Director of Immigration Services in Norway, Lawyer Manuella lost her job earlier this year because she has retained her French citizenship although she has lived for many years in the country and also held senior positions in the Norwegian public service.

She worked as deputy director for immigration for a number of years, and nobody bothered about her citizenship at the time because she served under a Norwegian citizen.

Earlier this year, she was appointment to take over as director, but was shortly criticised by a number of politicians because of her citizenship.

The government minister in-charge of immigration decided to let her go giving way to a Norwegian citizen to take over the directorship.

Mrs Manuella has lived in Norway for many years and is married to a wellknown Norwegian.

On losing her directorship appointment, top political personalities in Norway criticised her for accepting the job as director of immigration when she knew she is not a Norwegian citizen.

Her dismissal prompted the former Norwegian prime minister Mr Kåre Wiloch to react. He defended and complemented her as a very able worker who should not have been removed from her job simply because she has a French citizenship.

This makes us to raise the question on the appointment of Norwegian journalist Tom Kristiansen, a Norwegian citizen who has never lived in Southern Sudan, recently backed by Norway for an appointment to serve as adviser to President Kiir of South Sudan.

If the Norwegians could remove Manuella from her position, citing secrets of the state, it is questionable if secrets of the state of Norway is superior to secrets of state – Suthern Sudan.

The South Sudanese president should come out with a statement on the instructions and guidelines the journalist will work under and the type of clearance on State secrecy that he has been given, so that the secrets of Southern Sudan is not exposed to foreigners, policy Norway upholds when recruiting people to senior positions.

Korir, APN

africanpress@chello.no

Norwegian journalist hired as adviser for South Sudanese President!

The South Sudanese president, Mr Salva Kiir has hired Norwegian journalist Tom Kristiansen as his adviser, in the highest office in the land.

The hiring of the journalist to take over such high position in the office of the president where secrets of the country will be circulating at all times is not a wise idea.

However, it is our understanding that President Kiir had no choice but give into the pressure from the Norwegians, because they had participated in the peace process that brought stability between the christian south and the Muslim north. There is also a question of Norwegian development aid that the country receives.

While pushing the South Sudanese president to accept the Norwegian journalist, Norwegians must have used development aid as a pressure tool.

When interviewed recently by the media, the journalist stated that he had no doubts that the former minister for development Hilde Frafjord put some few words in his support for the job.

What is the difference between direct and indirect corruption?

Using tax payers money for aid in South Sudan is a good thing. But demanding jobs in exchange is blackmail and indirect corruption.

Sooner rather than later, we will not be surprised if the Norwegian journalist invites other Norwegians from Norway to join him in positions in president Kiir’s office.

The question is how much of state secrets a foreign journalist should get exposed to, while performing his duties as the president’s adviser.

We think the South Sudanese people should be aware of the fact that most journalists like writing books and some may, if exposed to state secrets use such information in their books in the future.

Africa is a large continent with experienced scholars. President Kiir, has educated people in the South that he could offer such a high sensitive position rather than giving it to a foreigner.

There is also a question of citizenship. In Norway, there are jobs in government a foreigner cannot be given because it may jeopardise state security. And to get such high positions in Norway, one must be a Norwegian citizen.

By Korir, African Press – Norway

africanpress@chello.no

Promoting self interests in conflict areas is selfish!

On Kenya and Norway: 

The new Kenya UN ambassador Mr  Zachary Muburi-Muita has told Kenya’s Daily Nation that Kenya is respected and influential at the United Nations.

The ambassador told the nation that Kenya is considered as an “honest broker.”

If this is the case, Kenya is expected to spearhead negotiations in conflict zones in the African continent.

Darfur is a burning issue. Many people are dying day by day, and Kenya should lead the way in the horn of Africa to force a solution to the problem.

If the international community considers a country to be a honest broker, that country has the responsibility to participate actively in searching for solutions that will help save lives in conflict zones.

According to the Daily Nation, the ambassador says  Kenya’s respect is because the country is “promoting peace in Somalia, Sudan and the Great lakes region” and he continues to say, “No one can accuse us of advancing our national interest in those situations. We work for the sake of peace of Somalis and Sudanese.”

We do not agree with the ambassador that a country has a right to promote their own interests while at the same time solving the conflict. Promoting self interests should not be a priority.

Many countries when involved in solving conflicts think very much of promoting their own interest as the case recently with Norway.

Norway helped in the peace process in Sudan. And as soon as the Southern Sudan and Khartoum signed a peace deal, Norwegians were quick to promote their interests in a selfish way.

The country worked very hard and forced through the hiring of a Norwegian journalist to become adviser to the President of Southern Sudan, who is also the Vice president of Sudan Mr Salva Kiir.

Such high office in the land deals with sensitive issues of the land and yet it engages a foreigner as adviser. Norwegians love to write books about what they have done in their lives. In this case, a foreign journalist advising a head of state of a foreign country will definitely want to write a book after he completes his term as adviser.

If we are not wrong, many journalist love to collect information and in future use them in books they release. We will not be surprised to read a lot of security information about Southern Sudan when the journalist is no longer the president’s adviser.

Peace in Sudan is young. The country has many educated Sudanese, some even who live in Norway, with no jobs and are politically active.

Could any of them take over as adviser to the Mr Kiir?

We say yes! But Mr Kiir must have been pressured to engage the Norwegian journalist as his adviser. Norway is one country that use money they give for development as a tool to pressure their way through to get whatever they want.

Southern Sudan needs money for development projects, and therefore not able to reject aid from Norway. Norwegians are aware of this weakness and may have decided, in this case, that Mr Kiir accepts the Norwegian as adviser in exchange of future aid.

Countries in the west have had conflicts. But you will not find them hiring a black African as advisor to their president.

Africa has many qualified men and women who can take over the role of adviser for an African president instead an African country importing a European to serve as adviser in the highest office in the land.

Raising this issue may easily be seen as discriminatory, but we feel it is not right for Mr Kiir to higher a Norwegian leaving his own educated country men and women jobless.

As we understand the Norwegians and the way they do things, the hired journalist will soon hire other Norwegians to work with him in Sudan. In Africa, we would start complaining that engaging people to work in that way is tribalism.

Therefore, we feel that countries that help bring peace in conflict areas do wrong when they give priority to their own interests and that is why we disagree with the UN Kenya ambassador on his statement of promoting interests.

By Korir, APN

africanpress@chello.no