Uganda Rural Community Support USA

A former Liberian faction leader has called for sincerity in the reconciliation process. Mr. Alhaji Kromah’s sincerity was a primary requirement for government’s reconciliation initiatives. He also called for respect for the rights of individuals and groups.

Mr. Kromah was the head of a rival faction to President Charles Taylor’s former militia. He was named head of the proposed National Reconciliation Commission by President Taylor late last year. In a dispatch from the United States to STAR radio Kromah said he accepts his appointment in good fai
th. Mr. Kromah further said he will be sending a proposal on the commission to President Taylor. The proposal will contain the structure, functions and membership of the commission. He said the proposal will also contain his observations on national issues since the elections. Mr. Kromah hoped Pre
sident Taylor will consider the proposal in the interest of peace. On the security situation in Liberia, Mr. Kromah expressed concerns about individual safety in the country. He said he’s been doing everything possible to resist what he called official provocations. He did not elaborate. Mr. Kroma
h left the country last year following the elections in which he came third place behind Taylor. He is now in the U.S. to complete a research work.

> President Charles Taylor says government is working hard to restore traditional ties with the United States. President Taylor says this is taking on both diplomatic and political levels. The President noted a decline in U.S.- Liberia relations. He was speaking yesterday at the Executive Mansi
on when he received a visiting delegation of American clergymen. President Taylor said the Liberian government is presently drawing attention to the Brooke amendment. Liberia is affected by the Brooke amendment. Under the Brooke amendment, a country failing to meet its debt obligations to the U.S.

is restricted from receiving U.S. aid. President Taylor further said government is interested more in private sector investment than direct aid. He said a current state department notice that Liberia is unsafe for travel is also posing problems. President Taylor added that the appointment and acc
reditation of an American Ambassador to Liberia will signify America’s goodwill to the country.

> A mini summit of West African Heads of State has been scheduled next Thursday. The meeting will center on the return of President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah to power. President Kabbah announced Thursday he would be returning to Sierra Leone on March ten. Reports says Nigerian Head of State Sani Abach
a and other African leaders will accompany Mr. Kabbah to re-instate him. Meanwhile, the West African Peace-keeping Force is appealing to international aid organizations for urgent assistance. ECOMOG says thousands of people in Sierra Leone’s second largest city Bo are at risk. The ECOMOG Commander

in the area said there is no food. He said hospitals are not functioning and businesses are at standstill. ECOMOG said it will guarantee the security of aid organizations in the city. Bo was taken by ECOMOG from remnants of the deposed military junta, early this week.

> The Ministry of Information has released revised guidelines for the registration of media institutions in Liberia. The revised guidelines provide that newspapers, radio and television stations pay a registration fee of five thousand Liberian dollars. Cinema and video operators are also requir
ed to pay the same amount. The revised guidelines empower the Ministry of Information to close down media institutions whose publications may cause chaos and disharmony in society. Briefing journalists yesterday, Assistant Information Minister for Public Affairs Jeff Mutada said the new regulation
s are not intended to muzzle the press. Mr. Mutada said government welcomes constructive criticisms that would help guide the society.

> School administrators are expressing skepticism over NFAA’s ability to oversee the school- feeding program. NFAA is the National Food Assistance Agency The agency monitored and implemented food distribution to Liberia schools. The administrators fear the agency’s dormancy for several years mi
ght render it incapable of distributing food to schools throughout the country. The educators expressed the doubt at a meeting at the agency’s headquarters in Monrovia. Yesterday’s meeting brought together nearly one hundred schools. At the meeting, NFAA Coordinator Aaron Dademahn said his agency
has been mandated by government to resume the school-feeding program. He said government will provide the necessary logistics to facilitate the implementation of the program. Food distribution in Liberia is currently sponsored by the World Food Program. The program is being implemented by several
non-governmental organizations. School administrators say the NGOs have been very effective in the distribution of food to their respective schools.

> The head of Liberia’s Petroleum Company has denied reports claiming that he failed to travel to London to attend a meeting of petroleum executives. Mr. Lewis Browne made the denial yesterday at a press conference. The Liberia Broadcasting Corporation in a report alleged Mr. Browne had receive
d nine thousand United States dollars to attend the meeting. It said Mr. Browne was however seen in Monrovia at the time the conference was taking place. In his reaction Mr. Browne dismissed the allegation as false. He displayed documents to prove he had traveled to London. He then challenged yout
hs to strive for excellence. He said youths should not allow themselves to be seen as mere drug addicts.

> An American Christian organization is to open a radio and television network in Liberia. The Rock International Church says the network will broadcast all-Christian programs. Rock International Broadcasting is expected to commence operation in two to three months time. The Church presently ha
s its Liberia branch along with a school in Paynesville. Church sources say they have purchased a parcel of land near Schefflin on the Monrovia-Robertsfield highway. They intend to build a community there to be known as “rock city”. Rock city will include homes, schools, medical and recreational f
acilities. Church sources say they are to take delivery of a planeload of drugs and medical supplies. The items were donated by American Television Evangelist Pat Robertson.

> A representative of the southern American city of Norfolk, says the city is seeking business links with Liberia. Bishop John Gimenez of the Norfolk-based Rock Church says members of that city’s business community want to establish link with Liberian counterparts. Bishop Gimenez was speaking y
esterday when he presented a proclamation from Norfolk city council to President Charles Taylor. The proclamation is signed by Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim. It expressed hope that beneficial ties would be established between citizen of Norfolk and Liberia. The proclamation further acknowledged that Li
beria’s first President, Joseph Jenkins Roberts, was born in Norfolk in the State of Virginia. President Taylor expressed optimism that Norfolk can enter into a sister city relationship with one of Liberia’s principal cities.

> The West African Peace-keeping Force is to begin deploying troops next week in the Sierra Leonean hinterland. ECOMOG Chief of Staff says this will ensure better control of the interior. Brigadier General Abdul-one Mohammed also said it is expected that all roads in the Bo area will soon be re
-opened. Bo, Sierra Leone’s second largest city, has reportedly been left in ruins. This followed widespread distribution by junta soldiers. A Roman Catholic Priest said up to one hundred people were killed during fighting between ECOMOG and junta forces for control of Bo. Reports from the country
side speak of skirmishes. AFRC and RUF soldiers are continuing a “campaign of terror” in the northern Tonkolili District. A Methodist pastor said they attacked Ma-thoi near Makeni and set homes on fire. The fighters looted the main hospital in Masanga and threatened doctors and nurses. This caused

patients to flee. Kamajor militias are also reported to have burnt down the former RUF stronghold in the eastern district of Moyamba. Meanwhile, ECOMOG has relaxed the nightlong curfew in Freetown for midnight to dawn.

NOTE FOR EDITORS: Star Radio is staffed by Liberian journalists and managed by the Swiss NGO Fondation Hirondelle with financing from the U.S. Agency for International Development through the International Foundation for Election Systems. Non commercial redistribution is allowed, providing that

the source is quoted and no editing other than reformatting is made.

Three-time world cross-country champion Paul Tergat and
Paul Koech will renew their rivalry in today’s Mombasa IAAF Cross
Challenge which starts at 7.00 am at the Mombasa Golf Club.

Over 50 athletes from six countries have entered the event which is
being staged in Mombasa for the first time. Tergat, also the world
10,000m record holder, has lost twice to Koech this year and is
understood to be going all out to avenge the defeats.

The two Armed Forces athletes were spotted on the run course training
individually and at different times, an indication that they are leaving
nothing to chance, taking into account that there will three things at
stake; earning a place in Kenya’s world cross-country team, scoring
points for the IAAF cross challenge series, and the cash reward.

Koech, last year won the national championships and the Cross
Challenge at Ngong Racecourse in Nairobi only to be floored by Tergat at
the World Cross Country championships in Turin, Italy.

“Tergat has had sleepless nights since he lost the national Cross
Country Championship to Koech and he is going all out for revenge,” said
an official of the Armed Forces side.

Tergat and Koech will face stiff challenge from, among others, South
Africa’s Meck Mothuli and Andries Khulu, Tanzania’s Bennedict Ako and
Zimbabwe’s Tendai Chimusase.

Other Kenyans expected to make an impression are Luka Cherono, Tom
Nyariki, Christopher Kelong, Wilson Boit, Mark Yatich, Robert Cheruiyot
and Isaac Chemwobo.

Tanzania’s squad includes Andrew Sambu, Neema Tuluway, Wilbroad
Axweso, Faustine Saktay and Ako while Zimbabwe will be banking their
hopes on Fungai Kapanyota and Chimusase.

The chairman of the Armed Forces Amateur Athletic Association,
Bonaventure Wendo, said that his team was taking the Mombasa event
seriously as they would like to form the bulk of the Kenyan team for the
world championship.

At stake in the senior men’s race will be Sh.120,000 for the winner,
Sh.90,000 for the runner-up and Sh.60,000 for the third-placed runner.

The senior women’s race will be a battle between national champion
Jacqueline Maranga, defending champion, Jane Omoro and the world 10,000m
champion, Sally Barsosio who was placed fifth in last week’s national
championships while Omoro was second.

Among the foreign countries which will be represented are Uganda,
Tanzania, South Africa, Finland and Zimbabwe.

Finland’s 1995 world junior cross-country champion, Annemari Sandell
has vowed to upstage the Kenyans like he did in the Durham cross-country
after training with the Kenyan athletes at Embu.

Sandell will be teaming up with Rene Kaimer from South Africa to
check Kenya’s onlaught. Other Kenyan athletes to feature are Alice
Chelimo, Agnes Ngunjiri, Naomi Mugo, Lydia Cheromei and Isabella
Ochichi.

Uganda will enter Job Sikorai and Martin Toroitich in the junior
men’s category.

Among the top Kenyan junior men runners lined up against the Ugandans
are Kipchumba Mitei, Douglas Momanyi, Isaac Kimunge, Philip Munyau,
Richard Limo, James Gitanda, Kiyara Kamzee and Philip Manyim.

US President Bill Clinton’s five-nation African tour, the
first by a sitting US President, since Jimmy Carter heralds a new focus
on the continent.

The March 23 through April 2 visit is also seen by many Africans as a
diplomatic triumph for Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni whose
leadership style forms a nucleus of a new breed of African leaders.

To the global media networks, President Clinton’s tour of Africa will
for the first time devote attention to a continent long forgotten and
only remembered for its internal strife associated with wars, epidemics,
disasters and hunger.

To the ordinary American citizen, Africa will be brought closer to
their living rooms through modern technology in a more positive approach
as a viable partner for development and trade opportunities.

President Clinton’s entourage of Congressmen, business executives,
White House staffers, security personnel and a broad array of the US
media is a reflection of the interest shown by the Clinton
Administration in doing business with a continent of vast resources.

Advance teams are already in Kampala laying a firm foundation for the
visit. “The US wants a perfect system and see to it that everything is
fine”, an African diplomat said. Kampala city is also bracing for brisk
business as hotel accommodation becomes fully booked for the historic
visit.

The Genesis of the US-Uganda relations is the strategic economic and
security objectives of the US in this region that also shape
Washington’s foreign policy. President Museveni is emerging as a key
ally of the US, a kind of relationship that his critics see as a
dependency syndrome that characterised the bi-polarised world of the
cold-war era.

Both Ugandan and US officials say the Ugandan sector of the itinerary
is beneficial to both the country and the region as a whole. There is
also a likelihood that other leaders will converge in Kampala at that
time to present their point of view that Washington would like to hear
first hand.

The December 1997 tour of the region by US Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright was a pointer in advancing US interests with a new
generation of African leaders. Ms Albright’s tour from December 8
through December 15 took her to Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Angola, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

This high profile visit by a senior US official during the Clinton
administration’s second term, was also an opportunity for Washington to
voice its short and long term concerns particularly in the Great Lakes
region where a new crop of African leaders has emerged.

It also clearly demonstrates that Washington is not at odds with its
European allies over a new scramble for the region, as Ms Susan Rice,
the newly appointed US Secretary of State for African Affairs put it
during a recent WorldNet Dialogue with journalists from Addis Ababa,
Kampala and Harare. The US, she said has been in partnership with its
European partners (Britain and France) in developing the African Crisis
Response Initiative - a continental force designed to deal with
humanitarian and peace-keeping challenges.

Opinion writers in Kampala already think that President Clinton will
be more interested in addressing issues of terrorism, since Uganda’s
immediate neighbour in the north - Sudan has been shortlisted by the US
as one of the countries sponsoring terrorism and exporting Islamic
Fundamentalism.

That President Museveni’s profile in regional politics and affairs
will be elevated through close interaction and exchange of views with
the leader of the world’s strongest nation, will be another undoing of
his critics and opponents at home.

The crucial issues will be how the new partnership with the new crop
of leaders in this region will advance US interests.

Zimbabwe’s low cost housing programme, conceived six years ago, is in danger of collapse as an increasing number of intended beneficiaries fail to meet repayment costs due to all-round escalation of the cost of living.

The development is likely to influence financiers to withdraw future funding for similar schemes as returns are unpredictable and unstable.

The country’s low income, who constitute the bulk of the urban population, face the prospect of homelessness once again as they may be forced to surrender the houses.

Building Societies, which provide funding, are also in a quandary as they cannot keep mortgages below prevailing market rates.

Desperation set in recently when Harare and Mutare residents, now in several months arrears, took to the streets to highlight their inability to pay. Some even threatened to boycott payment until the mortgages are lowered.

But equally sympathetic Building Societies are talking tough - threatening to repossess properties, thereby defeating the original goal of catering for the low income.

“The law in this country is very clear. If they do not pay for what they bought we resort to legal action,” says Francis Nhema, managing director of Zimbabwe Building Society (ZBS).

The recent 15.5 percent to 18 percent hike in interest rates, municipal disposal charges, electricity, insurance cover and the 20 percent rise in the cost of living during the first two weeks of 1998 has put a strain on thousands of Zimbabweans.

Those affected are in the low income brackets of between 1,000 Zimdollars and 5,000 Zimdollars whose mortgage rates have shot up due to spiralling interest rates (17 Zimdollars=1 U.S. dollar).

ZBS, which is credited with spearheading the low cost schemes, appears to be the most affected. It is heavily involved in Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare, Masvingo, Chivhu, Victoria Falls, Marondera, Chegutu, Kadoma and Beitbridge towns.

The beneficiaries now complain that their mortgage rates have suddenly shot up from 400 Zimdollars per month to as much as 1,600 Zimdollars.

“This is as good as kicking us out of the houses whose quality does not match the increases,” complained Matthew Mhike, chairman of the Zimbabwe National Coalition for the Homeless and Housing Rights.

The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) has joined the fray, accusing ZBS of not respecting the terms of contract. It also condemns the small houses for heavy cracks and seepage of floors and walls within a few months of occupation.

It also accuses building societies, particularly ZBS, of arbitrarily changing the original contents of contracts which stated a maximum repayment figure of 400 Zimdollars per month for 25 years.

“The people should only pay on production of these contracts with the Zd 400 clause. Residents will revert to pay that amount until ZBS can prove to them what rate of increase they have been using over the past two years where repayments have shot from Zd 350 to Zd 1 600,” protested the Mutare
branch of CCZ.

But Nhema argues that the contract is standard and accuses CCZ and politicians of influencing the current stalemate. He says ZBS concentrated on low cost housing to offset the high cost of land charged by local authorities.

He adds that unless the issue of low salaries is revisited, there is no way people can afford bigger houses. He also says the option is to revert to the old system of rented flats.

“Organisations like the CCZ and others are influencing people yet they do not help them to get houses or understand the obligation and responsibility of mortgages,” he says.

ZBS, he says, has noticed that the moment people have houses their priorities change. “They go into expensive hire purchase furniture, extensions and walls, forgetting their mortgage responsibilities.”

Appealing to clients not to be swayed by mob psychology, Nhema says ZBS is willing to discuss grievances and give concessions where necessary.

“Demonstrations are not the best way,” he says. The danger is that sponsors of low income housing may get the wrong picture and pull out as they may not be willing to commit money into it and property ownership remains the preserve of the few elite as is the case.”

Foreign doctors attending a medical conference in Kampala have been disappointed with the poor turn out of Ugandans (The New Vision, Friday February 27, page 3).

The Kenya Association of Physicians has lamented Ugandan response to an exhibition organised at the Kampala Sheraton. The Kenyans observed that Ugandan apathy may benefit Kenya to the detriment of Uganda. This is true, indeed, and a shame on Ugandan professionals.

We are losing an opportunity to strengthen medicine in this country. Medic Africa, the organisers, are a pan-African body whose three day event included a conference where Kenya and Uganda were the main participants. There were private practitioners from various countries, while the main event,

the exhibition, had demonstrations from as wide a variety of nations like Zimbabwe and South Africa, Israel, Belgium and England. That the conference was closed several hours earlier than scheduled is embarrassing.

Of Uganda Medical Association’s 600 registered members, only 50 turned up. Uganda has over 1500 qualified doctors.

The frustrations of both the Ugandan and Kenyan medical bodies are warranted, but most ominous are the implications for the profession. Medicine is dynamic. In pharmacy, new drugs are ever being developed, while treatments are constantly upgraded. Disease-causing organisms do mutate and disease

itself becomes more complex with new strains.

New diseases do emerge occasionally in different circumstances, in various parts of the world. Ugandan medicine, as much as the rest of the world, faces these challenges.

There is, therefore, a need for our practitioners to be equally dynamic - to keep on top of developments. This will only be achieved through constant renewal with further education, participating in research and conferences and keeping abreast of developments through exhibitions like this week’
s. Being a relative backwater in medical facilitation and research, Uganda did, indeed, have a rare opportunity to make the most of this week’s conference/exhibition.

It was a chance that should have been seized with both hands. Conferences are where new ideas are discussed.

Experiences are shared, learning is enhanced and the professional individual’s qualities are developed. If it is true, as the UMA chairman said, that the low turn out was partly due to busy practitioners “making an extra coin” in their clinics, then we have we have a very big battle on our hand
s. Gong by the conference, very few Ugandan doctors will benefit from the fact that, in British laboratories alone, there are currently 200 potential new medicines being developed.

The strong British representation at the Sheraton this week would have received limited audience and would, justifiably, wonder whether their effort was worth it. As Uganda steadily turns her economic fortunes around, professions like medicine do not need to continue being the heavily commercia
lised ventures they had become. Ugandan medicine, too, can cure the malaise it had been afflicted with, by being more progressive and open to critical developments taking place in the field and by promoting true professionals.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), which seeks to eradicate polio from Africa by the year 2000, Saturday took its anti-polio campaign to millions of soccer fans worldwide who tuned to their television and radio to follow the final match of African Cup of Nat
ions between defending champions South Africa and Egypt.

About 40 children lined up at the centre of the August 4 Stadium minutes before the match to display a large banner which read: “Kick polio out of Africa.”

WHO officials said in a statement before the match that the ceremony had been organised in conjunction with Confederation of African Football and the organising committee of the 21st African Cup of Nations tournament.

Forty one African countries are to conduct anti-polio immunisation campaigns in 1998, targeting some 120 million children aged five and under.

According to the agency, thousands of children in Africa are each year prevented from becoming active sportsmen and women by the disease.

“Africa can get rid of this terrible crippling disease that prevents - every year - thousands of children from having an opportunity to become sports heroes of the continent,” it said.

Libya has welcomed Friday’s ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that two of its nationals suspected to have been involved in the bombing of an American jetliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988 be tried in a neutral country.

The country’s ambassador to the United Nations, Abuzed Omar Dorda, said with this ruling U.N. sanctions against Libya should now be lifted.

Libya went to the court in March 1992 to press its case for the application of the Montreal Convention.

But London and Washington wanted the two suspects to be tried in either Britain or the U.S. and went to the U.N. security council to demand for sanctions to be imposed on Libya.

Sanctions, including trade and air embargo, were subsequently imposed in April 1992 following Libya’s refusal to surrender the two suspects.

Libya insisted that it would allow the suspects to be tried in a neutral country in accordance with the Montreal Convention for the suppression of acts of violence against civil aviation.

Dorda told U.N. correspondents in New York Friday that with this ruling by the highest court of the U.N., “lifting these sanctions is the minimal possible action required from the security council.”

He also reiterated Libya’s position that the legal basis for dealing with the case is the Montreal Convention while ICJ is the sole place to handle the case and not the security council.

ON U.S. claims that it has evidence that the two Libyan suspects bombed the aircraft, Dorda said: “Libya has never received any evidence from anybody and I doubt if these countries have any evidence at all.”

He said the responsibility for the delay in the conclusion of this case lies with the governments of British and the U.S.

“The Libyan people are as much victims as the victims of the Lockerbie accident itself,” he said in reference to the U.S reprisal bombing of Tripoli and the continuing toll of sanctions on the Libyan population.

Dorda said in material terms, the sanctions have cost Libya about 25 billion U.S. dollars.

Libya, he said, would soon make a formal request to the security council to lift the sanctions.

The U.N. has launched a 550.5-million-U.S.-dollar appeal to the donor community to finance humanitarian programmes for countries of the Great Lakes region in 1998.

The countries are Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The world body stated in an appeal document released in New York Friday that the appeal for Congo-Brazzaville will be presented to the donor community when the assessment of needs currently underway is com
pleted. The appeal intends to address the needs of refugees and returnees and internally displaced persons.

The U.N. noted that long standing conflicts in the region have weakened the people’s coping mechanisms and destroyed social and economic infrastructure to the extent that even people not displaced need humanitarian assistance.

On the whole, about five million people will need such assistance. But more than that, it said, natural disasters, including droughts and floods, have struck the region.

The humanitarian programmes being targeted in the operation aim at re-integrating returnees and displaced persons and rehabilitating their war-ravaged communities.

“This appeal attempts to address the humanitarian crisis of the region in the broadest possible sense, considering both its origin in conflicts and intolerance and its possible solution through the strengthening of communities,” the U.N. stated.

It said the appeal document is a result of regional and country-level consultative process involving U.N. agencies and the governments of the region.

The appeal, covering the operations of 14 humanitarian agencies, shows Rwanda with the highest funding requirement of 206.9 million dollars, followed by Burundi, 76.2 million dollars. The other fundings are 52.5 million dollars for the Democratic Republic of Congo, 36.6 million dollars for Ugan
da and 14.5 million dollars for Tanzania.

Prime Minister, Kintu Musoke has castigated the Chamber of Commerce for failing to attend a meeting on Thursday to discuss Uganda’s participation at the World Exhibition Forum in Portugal set for May this year.

“They are always appearing on UTV with garlands, opening branches in Masaka, Lira where, but now they are conspicuously missing on such important meeting?” a visibly irked Kintu Musoke said.

Present at the meeting at the Premier’s office was Minister of State, Prime Minister’s office, Dr. Kisamba Mugerwa and the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Peter Ucanda, who is also the Commissioner General Uganda at the show. “I thought this is the garland of chamber of commerce…where are they?” Kin
tu Musoke asked, banging the boardroom table with his fist.

Kintu Musoke who was also irked by the absence of Uganda Manufacturers Association, Uganda Investment Authority and Uganda Fish Exporters Association queried the role of private sector in steering the growth of the country’s economy. “What more environment do you want?…I am really disgusted,”

Kintu Musoke said.

“The engine of economic growth is the private sector but they are conspicuously missing…Bucanayandi” the Premier added.

Tres Bucanayandi is the Managing Director, Uganda Coffee Development Authority. Bucanayandi said the authority was ready for the exhibition but was delayed by the preparations. The Premier said, the absence of key players at the meeting indicates that there is no mobilisation for the forum goin
g on except the “talking”.

He directed Uchanda to organise a similar meeting today. Uchanda said UMA, UIA, fish exporters and a number of private sector executives were invited but could not explain reasons for their absence. Kisamba Mugerwa said at the meeting, that the biggest disappointment about the forum was inadequ
ate funding from government and that the situation was “pathetic”.

The visiting members of the British Parliament’s development committee have said peace talks should be sought with the rebels operating in northern Uganda. Speaking to reporters at the British High Commissioner’s residence in Kampala yesterday, the MPs expressed concern at the state o
f life of the people of northern Uganda.

They were in Gulu on February 24 and visited a protected village, Lacor Hospital and a local non-governmental organisation GUSCO, which cares for children rescued from captivity under abduction by Joseph Konys Lords’ Resistance Army. “We were very depressed by the state of life there, people ar
e in a poor state, and they need support of emergency nature,” said Bowen Wells, chairman of the delegation. Bernie Grant, MP for Tottenham, suggested that the South African President, Nelson Mandela, be called to mediate between government and the rebels.

“Someone like Nelson Mandela should be involved to get the the parties together,” he said. The International Development committee is the all-party committee of the House of Commmons charged with monitoring the British Government’s department for international development. The MPs have been her
e for five days and are expected to leave today for Kenya. They will also visit Rwanda.

While here, they held talks with various ministers and visited different British-funded projects. The team wondered why despite the large army and large sums of money being spent, the insurgency has not been brought to an end. The team expressed concern over corruption in the country, which the
y said is breaking down development.

Ms Oona King, Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Poplar, said corruption was a result of people not being clear about the rules. They, however, expressed satisfaction on the economic development. Andrew Rowe Conservative MP for Faversham and Mid Kent said: “I am impressed with the progress in Ugan
da, and we hope that Ugandans would soon be able to be self-sustaining.”