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| AFRICA: Adapt or face
crisis, warn climate analysts NAIROBI, 8 November (IRIN) - Africa must learn to adapt to the world's changing climate if lives and livelihoods are to be saved, according to a report on the effects of global warming on the African continent. Many Africans could be facing severe hunger problems as extreme weather conditions on the continent deplete food production, says the new study focusing on climate change in the Horn of Africa and East Africa. According to Mario Herrero, co-author of the report titled 'Mapping Climate Vulnerability in Africa', farmers will need help in adapting to the frequent droughts and floods that are expected to hit the arid and semi-arid areas in the region. Speaking at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Nairobi, Kenya, Herrero said that smallholder pastoralists were the most vulnerable to the vagaries of changing weather patterns. "Africa appears to have some of the greatest burdens of climate change and is also generally limited in its ability to cope and adapt. Yet it has the lowest per capita emission of greenhouse gases," he said. The changing weather patterns and varying amounts of rainfall will also affect crop-livestock farming systems in Rwanda and Burundi, added the report commissioned by Britain's Department for International Development. "While a peasant farmer may not understand climate change, he appreciates that it is increasingly becoming difficult to time the planting seasons as rainfall is unpredictable," Beneah Daniel Odhiambo, a Geography professor at Kenya's Moi University, said. "As a result, there is high crop failure resulting in famine in many parts of Africa. Prolonged seasons of drought also cause the migration of people to other areas and is a potential source of conflict between communities competing for scarce resources," he added. According to Herrero, efforts to reduce greenhouse gases must be accompanied by a quest to help poor countries adapt. "People will experience great problems unless there is investment in adaptation options," he told IRIN, adding that water conservation projects in drought-prone areas could alleviate the problem. Andy Atkins, advocacy director of the development agency Tearfund, said governments must take into account the effects of climate change before implementing projects. "Before governments embark on major agriculture projects, they must understand how increasingly erratic rainfall will affect water supply and crop yields," Atkins said ahead of the launch of a report by Tearfund entitled 'Overcoming Barriers'. "By the end of the decade this climate-proofing of development must become the norm, not the exception. Without urgent action, billions of dollars of aid money could be wasted and many lives needlessly jeopardised," Atkins added. Pastoralist communities are being urged to diversify their farming activities to limit the effects of global warming. According to Herrero, farmers need to introduce drought-resistant food crops, and rely less on livestock which could be wiped out by disease. Adapting to climate change is high on the agenda at the UNFCCC which runs until 17 November. According to Yvo de Boer, who heads the conference: "The urgency of adaptation has increased because of the awareness of the problem." One of the topics under discussion is how to manage the UNFCCC's Adaptation Fund, designed to help developing countries adjust to the changing climate through changes in farming and water conservation. Projects already underway in East Africa include the building of dams to save water in southern Kenya, and crop diversification in Tanzania. A report published by the Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi, and the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), climate change could make it difficult for some developing countries to achieve the millennium development goals. Tom Owiyo, one of the authors of the ILRI report said: "Climate change presents a global ethical challenge as well as a development, scientific and organisational challenge in Africa." Separately, "LDC's [Least Developed Countries] development objectives cannot be separated from adaptation," said Lester Malgas of NGO Climate Action Network, South Africa. an-jn/jm |
| GLOBAL: Climate change
to hurt poor people most NAIROBI, 6 November (IRIN) - The effects of global warming threaten to reverse recent gains in the fight against extreme poverty in developing countries, Kenya's environment minister warned on Monday. Speaking at the opening of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Nairobi, Kivutha Kibwana said: "Climate change is rapidly emerging as one of the most serious threats that humanity may ever face." Kibwana, who is also president of the 6-17 November conference, added: "We face a genuine danger that recent gains in poverty reduction will be thrown into reverse in coming decades, particularly for the poorest communities on the continent of Africa." More than 6,000 delegates attending the conference are expected to discuss ways of limiting the effects of climate change, as well as helping countries, especially in the developing world, contain the harmful effects of global warming. "We expect countries to take decisions in Nairobi that will enhance action on adaptation on the ground," Yvo de Boer, the UNFCCC's Executive Secretary said. Speaking at the conference, Kenyan vice-president Moody Awori told delegates: "Climate change is threatening the livelihoods of billions of the world's poorest people. The sub-Saharan economies are the most susceptible to climate change due to their predominantly agrarian structure. More than 25 percent of the GDP of these countries is derived from agriculture [and] it is from this sector that we produce for export and feed our people." Awori added: "Climate change will adversely affect this sector and greatly reduce the gains made in recent poverty reduction programmes, particularly for the poor communities who depend entirely on agriculture. We must therefore resolve to protect our scarce resources. Reducing the vulnerability of those most at risk from the impacts of climate change will require substantial external financial resources." Among other issues, the management of a convention adaptation fund will be discussed. Established under the Kyoto Protocol, it is intended to finance climate change adaptation projects and programmes in developing countries. Parties to the protocol are committed to reduce economic activities that emit harmful gases which lead to climate change. A representative from Greenpeace International, Steve Sawyer, said funding and technological transfer were essential if Africa was to adapt to climate change. With the impact of climate change being felt across the world, the emphasis should be on the prevention of environmental crises caused by climate change, and not fundraising in response to natural disasters related to global warming, according to Jesse Mugambi, a delegate from the University of Nairobi. A UN report released ahead of the conference noted that Africa was the region most affected by global warming, but is the least prepared to tackle the causes of climate change. Rising sea levels could destroy an estimated 30 percent of Africa's coastal infrastructure, according to the report, which warned that coastal settlements in the Gulf of Guinea, Senegal, Gambia and Egypt could be flooded. By 2080, global warming could lead to a 5 percent fall in the production of food crops several Africa countries the report said. Jn/aw/jm |
| AFRICA: Continent worst
hit by global warming, but least prepared to tackle climate change - UN NAIROBI, 5 November (IRIN) - Africa is the continent most affected by global warming, but is the least prepared to tackle the causes of climate change, experts said on Sunday ahead of a major international environment conference. International action to reduce the effects of global warming should include helping improve Africa's climate change monitoring capacity, Achim Steiner, executive director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), told a news conference in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. "The countries on the continent can better tailor their response in areas from agriculture to health care, and international donors can better understand Africa's needs now, and in the future," Steiner said. Rising sea levels could destroy an estimated 30 percent of Africa's coastal infrastructure, according to a new UN report on the impact of climate change on the continent. Coastal settlements in the Gulf of Guinea, Senegal, Gambia and Egypt could be flooded, according to the report produced by the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). By 2080, global warming could lead to a 5 percent fall in the production of food crops, such as sorghum in Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Zambia; maize in Ghana; millet in Sudan; and groundnuts in Gambia. Climate change could also lead to natural disasters in the form of severe droughts and devastating floods that would threaten the lives of Africa's 812 million inhabitants, the report added. Ironically, however, Africa produces the least amount of the greenhouse gases blamed for climate change. Other major concerns include the problem of water shortages, which could affect up to 480 million people. The report claims that between 25 percent and 40 percent of natural habitats in Africa could be lost by 2085. "Part of the action, part of the adaptation response, and part of this responsibility to Africa, must include significant improvements in Africa's climate and weather monitoring capabilities," Steiner said. An estimated 25 percent of global climate observation stations in East and Southern Africa are not functioning, while most of the remaining facilities are working in a less than an optimum manner, the UNFCCC report said. "Africa is the largest of all tropical landmasses and, at 30 million square km, is about a fifth of the world's total land area. Yet the climate observing system in Africa is in a far worse and deteriorating state than that of any other continent," Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation, said in a statement. "There are also major impacts in highly elevated areas like Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro whose glaciers, ice caps and run-off are important for water supplies. Overall it is estimated that Africa needs 200 automatic weather stations, a major effort to rescue historical data, and improved training and capacity building on climate and weather reporting," he added. The UN Climate Change Conference will coincide with the second session of the Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty committing signatories to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. More than 6,000 delegates from around the world are expected in Nairobi for the 6-17 November conference. The full UNFCCC report is available at: http://unfccc.int/2860.php jn/oss/eo/jm |
| COMOROS: New
government launches corruption probes JOHANNESBURG, 22 June (IRIN) - A probe into more than 30 senior former public officials accused of corruption is proof of the new Comoran government's commitment to tackling graft, Vice-President Idi Nadhoim told IRIN. Moderate Sunni Muslim religious leader Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, popularly known as "the Ayatollah", was elected president last month in the first peaceful change of power since the country's independence from France in 1975. Within three weeks of assuming office, his government has acted on claims of corruption around several former public officials, including ex-vice president Caabi El-Yachroutu Mohamed, who was a leading contender in the recent polls. Former departmental heads of public enterprises are also being investigated, said Nadhoim. "The difference between the new government and the old one is that the former government spoke a lot and acted little, while the new one speaks little but acts," said Nadhoim, who holds the tourism and telecommunications portfolio in the Sambi administration. Corruption has been a longstanding problem on the fractious archipelago. According to a US State Department report on human rights practices, the previous Comoran government had allegedly awarded contracts for constructing the airport and university to a local firm linked to the then president, Azali Assoumani. As to why Azali, a former military leader, was not a target of investigation, Nadhoim said the list "doesn't aim at political personalities" but people directly responsible for the management of public funds. To streamline public spending, the new administration has shrunk the cabinet to eight ministers down from 13, reduced the number of advisors to the president from 40 to seven and announced a commitment to keep the size of official delegations small and limit official trips. In an attempt to build trust between the three islands of Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli, the government has also reunified the army under one command, said Nadhoim. In the May elections Comoran troops were confined to barracks after the African Union sent hundreds of mainly South African troops to help ensure a peaceful transition. Under the federal system, each island has a great deal of autonomy. During Azali's tenure, there was friction over the extent of the powers of the Union presidency, which rotates between the three islands, and in this election was reserved for an Anjouan national. "The new president is in perfect understanding with the autonomous island's presidents. The question of sharing of competencies will be dealt with an open mind," said Nadhoim. According to the International Monetary Fund, Comoros' poverty reduction efforts in the past have been hampered by fragile public finances, with the government on several occasions unable to pay salaries to its employees. Nadhoim said the situation was being addressed and civil servants who had not been paid since January this year had begun receiving their salaries. About 45 percent of the Comoran population lives below the poverty line. In a bid to ease hardships, the new government had also decreased the price of rice, Comorans' staple food, by about one-third, said Nadhoim. |
COMOROS: Presidential favourite clear –
by a landslide
|
| COMOROS:
Presidential favourite clear - by a landslide JOHANNESBURG, 15 May (IRIN) - With the votes in and counting underway, religious leader Ahmed Abdallah Sambi has been tipped to become the next president of the Union of Comoros. "The election has been a walkover for Sambi - he has taken between 70 and 75 percent of the votes on all three islands," a local diplomat commented. Comorans across the three-island Indian Ocean archipelago went to the polls on Sunday for the last round in a presidential race aimed at ending a history of corruption, coups and inter-island strife since independence from France in 1975. Sambi, known as 'The Ayatollah' among his supporters, stands to defeat his two rivals: retired French air force officer Mohamed Djaanfari, and long-time politician Ibrahim Halidi, whose candidacy was backed by outgoing Union President Azali Assoumani. "We have seen results from between 80 and 90 percent of the polling stations - 70 percent of the votes have gone to Sambi," Idi Nadhoin, vice-president of Sambi's Islamic National Front for Justice party, told IRIN. Campaigning by the three candidates was dominated by concerns over corruption, unemployment and poverty. Sambi pledged real reform, an end to years of government mismanagement and squandering of public funds, and the creation of new jobs and housing for the poor. "Sambi is expressing the will of the people. We are looking to start a 'state of law', to install equal justice for everyone, rich or poor. But we have no cash," Nadhoin said. "One priority is to try to get back the money [allegedly lost because of government graft]. You can not play with public money, so we will try to find it - getting back 100 percent is difficult but if we manage 10 to 20 percent we can get started," he remarked. Funding will be crucial: Sambi stands to inherit a civil service disgruntled by months of unpaid salaries. According to Nadhoin, "Teachers are on strike; we need to build good hospitals and repair roads, so there is an urgent need to get started." Polling stations on Moheli, Grande Comore and Anjouan opened at 07:00 and closed at 18:00 on Sunday, "giving the estimated 310,000 registered voters ample opportunity cast their vote" at a total of 624 sites, a spokesperson for the African Union Mission for Support to the Elections in the Comoros (AMISEC) told IRIN. Although AMISEC said voting generally went smoothly, the 462-strong mission - including military and police personnel - reportedly arrested a number of people for fraud, including a prominent member of the National Electoral Commission (CNEC). "He [the CNEC official] was taking advantage of his position, was arrested and has been handed over to the Comoran authorities," Francisco Madeira, AU special envoy to the Comoros and AMISEC chief told IRIN. The three islands each have a turn to hold the national presidency, which rotates every four years. If the Comoran Constitutional Court verifies the preliminary results on Wednesday, Assoumani is expected to pass the torch to Sambi at the official inauguration on 26 May, handing the union presidency from Grande Comore to Anjouan. Sambi topped the polls during primaries held in April, when the residents of Anjouan narrowed down their presidential hopefuls from 13 to three. Comoran security forces were confined to their barracks during the election phases. [ENDS] |
| COMOROS: Primary
elections show new constitution in action JOHANNESBURG, 21 April (IRIN) - An Islamic leader has topped the list of three candidates that will compete in May for the presidency of the Indian Ocean islands of Comoros. Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, popularly known as 'Ayatollah', won 23.7 percent of the votes, according to a spokesperson for the African Union Mission for Support to the Elections in the Comoros (AMISEC). Mohamed Djaanfari, a former officer in the French military, now local transport tycoon and vice-president of the national assembly, came second with 13.1 percent, followed by Halidi Abderemane Ibrahim, seen as the preferred candidate of the outgoing federal administration, with 10.37 percent. "These elections are very important, first of all because they are perceived to be a crucial step in a long process of national reconciliation, and this is the first election under the new constitution - after the election of 2002 - that really allows what was decided on the rotational presidency to be applied," said the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Comoros, Giuseppina Mazza. Aimed at breaking the cycle of coups and political strife that have characterised the political landscape of the three islands Union since they won independence from France in 1975, the elections are seen as Comoros' first real test of democracy. A fragile power-sharing agreement, brokered in 2001 by the African Union's (AU) predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, gave the individual islands of Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli their own semi-autonomous government and president, with a rotating presidency for the Union. The Union presidency now moves from Grand Comore to Anjouan, so first-round voting on Sunday was reserved for Anjouan's 117,000 voters, who narrowed down 13 presidential hopefuls to the three candidates. They will stand in a national election scheduled for 14 May, when the total Comoros population of 670,000 will select one of them as the next Union president. The president will have a four-year mandate, after which the torch is passed to the island of Moheli in 2010. Results were delayed by the constitutional court - the highest electoral body - over contested results by a number of candidates who recommended that votes from 20 polling stations be withheld. The court has 72 hours to validate and announce the results. According to the AMISEC spokesman, "of the 221 polling stations, 213 were taken into account; seven were declared void; voter turnout was 54.87 percent". Francisco Madeira, the AU special envoy to the Comoros and AMISEC chief, noted that "there were terrible delays in Niumakele [on Anjouan] - in some places there, the elections could not start until one o'clock in the afternoon". "These [polling] stations were kept open longer, so everyone who wanted to vote should have been able to do so," the AMISEC spokesperson explained. Given the archipelago's history of political violence and instability, Comoran security forces were confined to their barracks and the AU sent a 462-strong force to oversee the electoral process. "There has always been a question of confidence between the islands [that make up the Comoros]. There is mistrust between the islands, so it is important to build legitimate security to ensure the electoral process goes well," an official at the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs told IRIN. Voting day proceeded peacefully and incidents were limited to allegations of ballot fraud, delays at some polling stations and one death: the result of a political discussion between friends that got out of hand. The two men "had known each other for a long time and were in an argument over the candidates they support - one of them beat the other to death," Madeira said. The Comoran civil service is perceived as being rife with corruption, and the candidate who wins the election on 14 May will inherit a legacy of mistrust of political figures. "I don't really care who wins, as long as things change - we need a new government that can stop corruption, look forward and bring real development for the people," one voter said as he waited in line to cast his ballot. "He will need to be a snake to weave through the different powers and interests in the political system." According to one political analyst, "with the political administration in the capital [Moroni, on Grande Comore] it will be very difficult for the new president to have 'real' power, because he is from another island. All the people in public administration and institutions are from Grande Comore - the new president will have to create more balance in the civil service, in terms of representation from all three islands". In the system of semi-autonomy for individual islands under a Union umbrella, Comoros does not only have four presidents, it has four systems of armed forces too. "Each island has its own armed security, and the Union armed forces are not accepted by all the islands. It is very difficult for them to do their job," he commented. Some analysts have noted that future stability will require curbing the military's power. But according to a local diplomat, "it's more a challenge of the Union security forces being recognised by the individual islands, because the tendency of independence [by the islands] has led to multiplication ... the question is how to bring them together". Another challenge, Mazza said, would be to implement and sustain the poverty reduction strategy presented to donors, the international community and the private sector at a conference in December last year, which attracted $200 million in pledges to support the action plans derived from the poverty reduction strategy. "This was a good sign, and shows the increasing confidence the international community has in the future of the Comoros. Now it is important to affirm the vision in the strategy; to translate it into operational programmes and mobilise the money that was promised, according to the priorities that were settled," Mazza remarked. "The country needs to invest in health, education, improve roads and general infrastructure, improve productivity in rural areas, etc," she said. "How to concretise this, how to further develop the programmes, enhance the national management capacity, and strengthen partnerships and build on a successful election to finally have the benefits, for the Comoros, of a long process - that is the challenge." In a message to the international donors' meeting, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted that "the presidential elections have the potential to be a true milestone in the country's transition from instability, provided they are conducted in an open, fair and democratic manner". [ENDS] |
| COMOROS: Court
decision may determine election result JOHANNESBURG, 19 April (IRIN) - Voters in the Comoros went to the polls on Sunday to select final-round candidates in the race to become President of the Union, but the constitutional court - the highest electoral body - could still determine the outcome. The ballot is aimed at breaking the cycle of coups and political strife that has plagued the three islands in the Comoros group since they won independence from France in 1975. "These elections are very important, first of all because they are perceived as almost a conclusive step in a long process of national reconciliation, and this is the first election under the new constitution - after the election of 2002 - that really tries to apply what was decided on the rotational presidency," said the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Comoros, Giuseppina Mazza. A 2001 power-sharing agreement, brokered by the African Union's (AU) predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, gave the individual islands of Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli their own semi-autonomous government and president, with a rotating presidency for the Union, which now moves from Grand Comore to Anjouan. The first-round poll on 16 April, reserved for Anjouan's 117,000 voters, narrowed down 13 presidential hopefuls to three. An official announcement is not expected before Thursday, but "preliminary results indicate that Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, Mohamed Djaanfari and Ibrahim Halidi will go to the next round. Caabi Elyachroutu Mohamed [previously one of the favourites] will not make it," Ali Said Mdahoma, secretary of the National Electoral Commission, (Cnec) told IRIN. According to unofficial results published by the Comoran Press Agency (HZK), a 60 percent turnout at the 221 polling stations gave Sambi, a popular Islamic leader referred to as 'Ayatollah' by his supporters, 26 percent of the votes, putting him in first place. Djaanfari, a vice-president of the national assembly, and Halidi, seen as the candidate of the poor and the preferred candidate of the outgoing federal administration, both won around 14 percent. According to HZK, Caabi emerged with a mere 11 percent of the votes, a result barring him from standing in the presidential election on 14 May. He has reportedly contested the outcome in the constitutional court, citing irregularities. "Mr Caabi has sent an official recommendation to the constitutional court to withhold the votes from 20 polling stations, mainly from the region of Niumakele [on Anjouan]. If these polling stations are excluded, the preliminary results would change, and Caabi would go through. We are still investigating," said constitutional court director Mohamed Jaffar Abbas. The African Union (AU) sent a 462-strong force, known as the African Union Mission for Support to the Elections in the Comoros (AMISEC), to oversee the electoral process. Comoran security forces have been confined to their barracks. "No violence has been reported but there were terrible delays in Niumakele. In some places there, the elections could not start until one o'clock in the afternoon," Fransisco Madeira, the special AU representative and AMISEC chief, told IRIN. "This led to manoeuvres to annul the voting," Madeira said. "Now, the main problem is to see whether the decision made by the constitutional court will change the results and the order of the candidates, because this might cause havoc." The court has 72 hours after polls close to confirm the polls or declare them invalid. According to Abbas, "we will officially present the result tomorrow [Thursday]". [ENDS] |
| COMOROS: Presidential
campaigning kicks off JOHANNESBURG, 6 April (IRIN) - Campaigning for the presidential elections in Comoros is underway, testing the Indian Ocean islands' fragile power-sharing arrangement. "Everything is going well. Thirteen candidates have been approved by the court and campaigning has started," Ali Said Mdahoma, secretary of the National Elections Commission, told IRIN. Since independence from France in 1975, the Comoros have been plagued by coups - successful as well as attempted - and the more recent temporary secession of two of the three islands in the group: Anjouan and Moheli. The Comoros constitution was amended in an agreement brokered at the end of the 2001 by the African Union's (AU) predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, giving the individual islands of Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli their own semi-autonomous government and president. In March 2002, Assoumani Azali from Grand Comore, the largest island, was elected federal president of the new union. According to the agreement, the federal presidency rotates between the three islands and Azali is expected to stand down and hand over to a president from Anjouan. The first round of voting on 16 April, reserved for Anjouan's 270,000 inhabitants, will narrow down Anjouan's presidential hopefuls to three candidates, who will stand in a national election scheduled for 14 May, when the total Comoros population of 670,000 will vote in one of them as the Union president. In a message to an international donors' meeting in December 2005, where US $200 million was pledged to help the Indian Ocean archipelago overcome chronic poverty and instability, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted that "the presidential elections have the potential to be a true milestone in the country's transition from instability, provided they are conducted in an open, fair and democratic manner". South Africa, under the auspices of the AU, has sent 500 troops to ensure that they are. "There has always been a question of confidence between the islands [in the Comoros federation]. There is mistrust between the islands, so it is important to build legitimate security to ensure the electoral process goes well," an official at the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs told IRIN. In 2010 it will be the turn of the smallest island, Moheli, to hold the union presidency. [ENDS] |
| COMOROS: AU
military electoral observers for presidential election JOHANNESBURG, 17 March (IRIN) - At the request of the Comoran government, the African Union (AU) will send 500 troops to ensure the archipelago's upcoming elections are free and fair. Under the general leadership of South Africa, which will provide the bulk of the soldiers, with Mozambique, Rwanda and Madagascar also expected to contribute personnel. "The force will consist mainly of military electoral observers and a small police contingency," an official at the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs told IRIN. "Within the mandate of the AU, the Comoran government requested an international presence to oversee the elections; from the 19th [of March] onwards we will gradually start deploying military observers," the official commented. Presidential primaries are officially due on 16 April and the presidential election will be held on 14 May. "There has always been a question of confidence between the islands [that make up the Comoros]. There is mistrust between the islands so it is important to build legitimate security to ensure the electoral process goes well," he said. The history of Comoros has been plagued by successful and attempted coups, and the more recent temporary secession of two of the three islands - Anjouan and Moheli. In a power-sharing agreement brokered by the AU's predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, the Comoros constitution was amended at the end of the 2001 to give the individual islands of Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli their own semi-autonomous government and president. In March 2002, Assoumani Azali from Grand Comore, the largest island, was elected the federal president of the new union. According to the agreement, the presidency rotates between the three islands and Azali is expected to stand down in the coming elections. The presidency will now go to Anjouan, and the preliminary election on 16 April is reserved for its 270,000 inhabitants. They will elect three candidates to run for the Union presidency on 14 May, when the total Comoros population of 670,000 will vote. [ENDS] |
| COMOROS: AU pre-election
mission reports back JOHANNESBURG, 6 February (IRIN) - As the Comoros prepare for upcoming elections that will test their new power-sharing arrangement, South Africa is gearing up to do its part in ensuring the April elections are free and fair. Following a one-week fact-finding mission to assess the archipelago's readiness and requirements for the elections, a South African technical delegation presented their findings to the African Union's (AU) Peace and Security Committee. "South Africa has an interest in the stability of the Comoros - it would do anything in its power and contribute all necessary resources - but under the AU flag, not unilaterally," Vincent Hlongwane, a South African Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told IRIN. He said the mission delegation, which had "a strong defence and security component", had met with government representatives of the Union and the three autonomous islands in the archipelago. The history of Comoros has been plagued by successful and attempted coups, and the more recent temporary secession of two of the three islands. In a power-sharing agreement brokered by the AU's predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, the Comoros constitution was amended at the end of the 2001 to give each of the islands its own semi-autonomous government with its own president, and changed the country's name to the Union of Comoros. In March 2002, Assoumani Azali from Grand Comore, the largest island, was elected the federal president of the new union. He is expected to stand down in the coming elections when the presidency, according to the agreement, should go to one of the smaller islands, either Moheli or Anjouan. South Africa has played an important role in mediating the long-running secessionist crisis. "It is an AU initiative, but South Africa has been involved in the dispute for quite some time and has an obligation. This is part of the process of ensuring that elections are free and fair," Hlongwane remarked. The South African government has reportedly said it was willing to deploy military observers from its own security forces if the AU were to ask it to do so. [ENDS] |
| COMOROS: World
vanilla prices torpedo economic growth prospects JOHANNESBURG, 16 January (IRIN) - Bleak vanilla price forecasts on the world market are translating into equally bleak prospects for the impoverished Comoros, as the island nation is economically dependant on the commodity. In its latest country briefing the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) considered the official Comoran forecast of 2.8 percent real growth in GDP for 2005 "over-optimistic". According to the report, "low prices for vanilla are expected to have an adverse effect on overall real GDP growth - it seems increasingly likely that economic growth for 2005 will be closer to 1.3 percent, if not slightly lower." In a document published in mid-September 2005, the Central Bank of Comoros (BCC) attributed a 50 percent fall in the value of the country's exports to "poor international prices for vanilla, the country's main export crop". Vanilla prices dropped from over US $300 per kilogramme in 2003 to less than $50 in 2005. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, the commodity accounts for more than 50 percent of the island nation's exports. Price forecasts are not encouraging. "Now, supplies from India, Indonesia and Vietnam are coming onto the world market, pushing down international prices," the report noted, while "at the same time, major users of vanilla, such as food producers, are increasingly turning to lower-cost synthetic flavours, where supply is less likely to be affected by natural disasters". According to the EIU, some analysts suggest prices will remain depressed, and predict that global supply will exceed demand by up to 50 percent during the next few years. Political tensions over the upcoming elections and riots following a petrol price hike in September last year have also had a negative impact on economic activity, the report commented. Since gaining independence from France in 1975, the archipelago has endured a number of political and economic crises, including around 20 coups. Grande Comore, the main island in the group, recently experienced a volcanic eruption that left 120,000 people without drinking water. [ENDS] |
| COMOROS-MADAGASCAR:
EU commits aid to "invisible victims"
JOHANNESBURG, 27 December (IRIN) - The Indian Ocean Islands of the
Comoros and Madagascar are to receive Euro 1.1 million (US $1.3 million)
in relief aid from the European Union (EU). |
| AFRICA: EU creates
new fund for African crises
AMSTERDAM, 27 December (IRIN) - The EU approved 165.7 million euros
(US $196.4 million) on Monday for relief efforts in 10 African countries
with humanitarian crises. |
| COMOROS: Donor
conference attracts $200 million in pledges
JOHANNESBURG, 9 December (IRIN) - The Comoran
government has attracted pledges worth US $300 million over the next four
years after presenting its poverty reduction strategy to more than 100
international community representatives. |
| COMOROS: Poverty
reduction strategy to be launched
JOHANNESBURG, 7 December (IRIN) - Representatives from more than 100
countries, international organisations and the private sector will be
asked for financial support to help the government of Comoros improve the
living standards of its people. [ENDS] |
| COMOROS: Rain and
aid agencies bring relief
JOHANNESBURG, 5 December (IRIN) - As the first rain since Mount
Karthala erupted brings desperately needed relief and the extent of the
damage becomes clearer, aid agencies are scrambling to help authorities
cope with the fallout. |
| AFRICA: Beyond ABC
- The challenge of prevention [The following article is part of an IRIN Web Special on the Controversy of Female Genital Mutilation. The Web Special, Razor's Edge, is available at: http://www.irinnews.org/webspecials/FGM/default.asp]JOHANNESBURG, 28 November (IRIN) - OVERVIEW In theory, preventing HIV/AIDS seems simple enough: give people information on how the disease is spread, and the desire for self-preservation will, naturally, make them adopt safer sexual behaviour. The reality has proved much more complex. Almost 30 years after it was first diagnosed, ignorance about HIV/AIDS still persists. Even more challenging is the realisation that some of those who are aware of the message are ignoring it, or are powerless to negotiate safer sex. According to the UNAIDS Epidemic Update for 2005, http://www.unaids.org "there is new evidence that prevention programmes initiated some time ago are currently helping to bring down HIV prevalence in Kenya and Zimbabwe" but, overall, prevention efforts have a poor track record, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to two-thirds of all people living with HIV. Much of the continent has initiated treatment programmes, but experts warn that unless the incidence of HIV/AIDS is sharply reduced, treatment will not be able to keep pace with the number of people needing therapy. HIV prevention opens a Pandora's box of issues, such as sex and sexuality, and forces people to re-evaluate societal and individual factors that may be contributing to the epidemic. The cost of failure is clear. The Global HIV Prevention Working Group http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ estimates that if existing prevention interventions were brought to scale, nearly two-thirds of the 45 million new infections projected to occur between 2002 and 2010 could be averted. BARRIERS TO HIV PREVENTION Some AIDS researchers maintain that the inability to induce long-term behavioural change lies in the nature of the messages: top-down, fear-inducing lectures on safe sex by national AIDS bodies do not acknowledge that sex is about desire, love, the irrational and the illicit; cultural contexts, gender roles, and the influence of peers confound a "one size fits all" approach to awareness and motivating people to take change their ways. 'Facing the Future Together', a study by the UN Secretary-General's Task Force on Women, Girls and HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa, www.unicef.org called for a departure from the orthodox prevention approach, pointing out that the ABC strategy - abstain, be faithful and use a condom - did not fit the needs of women and girls. "The messages have been missing the mark," the report observed. One reason was the "not only widespread, but widely accepted and endorsed" prevalence of rape and sexual violence against women and girls. In a context where men grow up believing masculinity means having plenty of sexual partners, being faithful to your husband does not prevent infection: using a condom requires a willing partner, and in a region where one in five women is physically abused, fear can undermine insistence on protection. If prevention activities were to succeed, the task force said, they needed to be coupled with efforts, such as legal reform and the promotion of women's rights, to address and reduce violence against them. Men have to play a role - societal norms about masculinity also make them vulnerable to HIV infection, as they are encouraged to engage in risk-taking behaviour. Amy Kaler, a sociologist who conducted research into men and behaviour change in Malawi, found that "skin-to-skin ejaculation is the marker of a real man - one who uses condoms is being cheated out of his right to a high-grade sexual experience, or may even be the subject of gossip or ridicule". Prevention messages emphasising safe behaviour and not taking chances did not resonate with masculine sub-cultures, she pointed out. "Playing safe is not really what you want to do as a young man", which needed to be taken on board when designing interventions. Culture was another barrier, and UNAIDS admitted in its policy position paper on HIV prevention that "while culture can function as a vehicle for promoting HIV infection, it must be recognised that it can also constitute a barrier against HIV prevention". MOVING BEYOND ABC The success of Uganda's fight against AIDS has been largely attributed to its president, Yoweri Museveni, who took the bold decision to speak out publicly about what was considered a shameful disease and tell people how to combat it. Prevention strategies, including the promotion of condoms, were central to the achievement. But in recent years the Ugandan and US governments have shown increasing interest in promoting abstinence and fidelity in marriage, with condoms given only to those who cannot manage either. Activists argue that while abstinence until marriage and fidelity inside marriage are admirable, human weakness, transactional sex, existing gender roles and the difficulty of changing behaviour dictate that condom use must be at least as well promoted, and condoms must be easily available. In an article in the British Medical Journal http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/, Daniel Halperin, a prevention expert with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and his colleagues pointed out that behaviour change programmes to prevent HIV transmission have mainly promoted condom use or abstinence, while the 'be faithful', or partner reduction, component of ABC had been neglected. "We have a public health responsibility to help people understand the strengths and limitations of each component, and not promote one to the detriment of another. For example, although abstinence may be a viable option for many young people, for others it may be an unrealistic expectation. Likewise, even though prospective studies have shown that condoms reduce risk by about 80 to 90 percent when always used, in real life they are often used incorrectly or inconsistently," the article commented. Changing human behaviour is not an overnight process. In the meantime, technologies old and new, from diaphragms to vaccines, are being investigated, in the hope that science will succeed where attempts to alter human behaviour have not done as well as anticipated. A recent study in South Africa found that circumcised men were at least 60 percent less likely to become infected than those who were uncircumcised. Two similar trials are underway in Uganda and Kenya, with results expected later this year. If they support the Johannesburg study, male circumcision is likely to be added to the cocktail of prevention mechanisms. Professor Alan Whiteside, director of the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, observed that strategies had neglected to address the distinct prevention needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, and warned that this not only posed a threat to people living with AIDS, but also to future generations. "We have to consider the dangers of re-infection among HIV-positive people, as well as the possible emergence of new strains of HIV. This would also raise huge concerns about the ability of current treatments to fight a new and possibly stronger version of the HI virus," he noted. "The issue of prevention, however, should not rest solely on the shoulders of government," Whiteside said, "as it has a great deal to do with individual choice." [ENDS] |
| COMOROS: Grand
Comore reeling in aftermath of eruption
JOHANNESBURG, 29 November (IRIN) - Seismic activity continues on
Grand Comore as the island struggles to come to grips with the aftermath
of Mount Karthala's eruption last week, blanketed by volcanic debris that
is threatening public health. |
| COMOROS: Health
concerns grow as volcanic ash rains down
JOHANNESBURG, 25 November (IRIN) - Thick
volcanic ash blanketed the greater part of the island of Grand Comore on
Friday after Mount Karthala erupted for the second time this year. |
| COMOROS:
Remittances - funding luxuries rather than development
JOHANNESBURG, 18 May (IRIN) - Remittances from
Comorans living abroad are seen as a lifeline for impoverished communities
at home, where there is little hope that the government will be able to
meet their daily needs. |
|
INDIAN OCEAN: New body to promote responsible fishing JOHANNESBURG, 5
May 2005 (IRIN) - Declining fish stocks in the
southwest Indian Ocean have prompted the UN's Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) to set up a panel to promote the development of fishery
resources in the region. |
| INDIAN OCEAN:
Conference contributes to global study on child rights
JOHANNESBURG, 26 April (IRIN) - Delegates
meeting in Madagascar this week are expected to tackle the often-neglected
issue of child rights in western Indian Ocean island countries. |
| COMOROS:
Controversial draft bill withdrawn
JOHANNESBURG, 25 April (IRIN) - Political analysts and rights
activists in the Comoros have applauded the withdrawal of a draft law
allowing Union President Azali Assoumani to vie for a second four-year
term in elections next year. |
| COMOROS: Affected
villages get water JOHANNESBURG, 21
April (IRIN) - About 36 villages affected by ash from the Karthala
volcano on the main island of Grand Comore began receiving water on
Thursday, a senior UN official told IRIN. |
| COMOROS: Emergency
teams on standy as volcano rumbles
JOHANNESBURG, 18 April (IRIN) - Emergency
teams were on standby in the Comoros after the Karthala volcano on the
island of Grand Comore began spewing ash and smoke at the weekend. |
| COMOROS: Govt
outlines be austerity measures to IMF
JOHANNESBURG, 18 April (IRIN) - Comoran
authorities are hoping that a series of belt-tightening measures will
strengthen the economy and boost investor confidence. |
| U N I T E D N A T
I O N S Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information Network SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 226 for 9-15 April 2005 COMOROS: Assoumani seeks second term in office
Parliamentarians in the Comoros have expressed their
dissatisfaction with a draft law that allows Union President Azali
Assoumani to sidestep a constitutional provision requiring the federal
presidency to rotate between the islands, and vie for a second four-year
term in elections next year. [ENDS] |
| INDIAN OCEAN: Need
for coordinated response to disasters, says UNRC [This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
JOHANNESBURG, 14 April (IRIN) - Preventing
loss of life and minimising shocks to fragile economies were key
motivators in racheting up the early warning, disaster preparedness and
response systems in Indian Ocean islands, the United Nations Resident
Coordinator (UNRC) for Mauritius and Seychelles told IRIN. |
| INDIAN OCEAN:
Nations meet to discuss tsunami warning system
JOHANNESBURG, 13 April (IRIN) - An upcoming
international meeting in Mauritius this week is expected to fine-tune
plans for the establishment of a tsunami early warning system in the
Indian Ocean. |
| COMOROS: Assoumani
seeks second term in office
JOHANNESBURG, 12 April (IRIN) -
Parliamentarians in the Comoros have expressed their dissatisfaction with
a draft law that allows Union President Azali Assoumani to sidestep a
constitutional provision requiring the federal presidency to rotate
between the islands, and vie for a second four-year term in elections next
year. |
| U N I T E D N A T
I O N S Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information Network SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 224 for 26 March - 1 April 2005 COMOROS: Chronic poverty pushes Anjouanese to risk their lives
In a desperate attempt to escape grinding poverty,
thousands of Anjouanese continue to risk everything to make the perilous
journey from the Comoros to the nearby island of Mayotte. [ENDS] |
| INDIAN OCEAN:
Concerns over tsunami readiness persists
JOHANNESBURG, 29 March (IRIN) - Although
Mauritius, Madagascar and the Seychelles have called off tsunami alerts
issued after a powerful earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Sumatra,
concerns remain over the preparedness of Africa's Indian Ocean island
countries to handle large-scale disasters. |
| U N I T E D N A T
I O N S Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information Network SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 223 for 19-25 March 2005 COMOROS: Strong-arm tactics threaten political stability
Human rights activists on the Comoran island of
Anjouan have accused the government of riding roughshod over basic civil
liberties, which has contributed to growing hostility between the state
and the local population. [ENDS] |
| U N I T E D N A T
I O N S Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information Network SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 220 for 26 February - 4 March 2005 COMOROS: Curfew imposed after demonstration leaves two dead
A curfew was imposed on the Comoran island of Anjouan
on Tuesday after clashes between police and striking teachers led to the
reported death of two high school students. [ENDS] |
| COMOROS: Curfew
imposed after demonstration leaves two dead
JOHANNESBURG, 1 March (IRIN) - A curfew has
been imposed on the Comoran island of Anjouan following clashes between
police and striking teachers led to the reported death of two high school
students. |
| COMOROS:
Expectation of aid as president visits France
JOHANNESBURG, 31 January (IRIN) - A stronger
flow of development aid from France to the Comoros is anticipated as the
coup-prone Indian Ocean island settles down after years of political
instability. |
| COMOROS: Students
barricade streets over teachers' strike
JOHANNESBURG, 25 January (IRIN) - Scores of
students in Moroni, the capital of the Comoros Islands, took to the
streets on Tuesday, demanding government action to end a teachers' strike
that has closed schools. |
