ALL AFRICA

With a tinge of sadness, Egyptians are waiting for the World Cup kick offs in South Africa in 2010, many wondering bitterly why Egypt's bid to host was unsuccessful. Not even Egypt's successful staging of the Under-20 World Cup in October can salve the wounds opened by Cairo's failure to host the first World Cup in Africa.

Egyptian fans realize that under FIFA's rotation schedule of staging the World Cup in different continents, there is little, if any, chance of them bidding again for another 20 years. Egypt's disappointment at losing out in the 2004 bidding process was even harder to bear because Cairo failed to win even a single vote, despite spending more than $7 million on chasing the honor.

Recalling the debacle, Mohamed Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation and a FIFA executive member since 1996, said Egypt never had a chance of staging the 2010 World Cup. "I advised them to retreat. It wasn't their time to apply for hosting it, but they never listen."

But even now, five years later, Egypt's former Youth and Sports Minister Alieddin Hilal, who was in charge of the bid, still believes a 'conspiracy' was behind Cairo's failure. "The reason Egypt didn't get any votes to host the 2010 World Cup was that we refused to bribe any of the FIFA executive board members," he said with certainty.

Egyptian football commentator Alaa Sadek backs the conspiracy theory, even though FIFA has firmly denied any suggestion of bribery in the bidding process. "Bribery is an essential part of the FIFA bidding process," Sadek said. "We had good relations with FIFA, good stadiums and infrastructure, but without bribery you cannot win," he added.

According to Hassan Saqr, president of the National Council for Youth and Sports, which staged the Under-20 World Cup, it is time for Egyptian football to forget the past and look instead to the present and future.

"We worked hard to regain our image by winning the right to stage the Under-20 tournament," he said. "We have proved with this tournament that our security is right, we are a country without diseases, and we have provided excellent stadiums," he added, "And we are the most developed country in Africa in terms of satellite communications."

He revealed that US$30 million was spent on building new stadiums and renovating and upgrading others. Saqr said "political reasons" - which he failed to specify - were behind Egypt's failure to win the 2010 bid. "It is not the time now to discuss such a thing. It is from the past," he added.

But Saqr forecasted that, "The next time Africa gets a chance to host the World Cup, I am sure Egypt will win it." Hany Abo Rida, president of the 2010 local organizing committee and a member of the FIFA executive committee, said that Egypt was unlikely to recoup major economic benefits from its staging of the Under-20 tournament. "But at least it gives us a chance to promote our abilities to host such big events and hopefully we will get to stage a World Cup in the future."

20100522
ALL AFRICA

Kampala — Top police officials from Rwanda and Uganda yesterday met in Kampala to discuss safety and security challenges likely to arise during the implementation of common market protocol that goes into force in July this year.

The Rwandan delegation, which was led by Commissioner General of Police, Emmanuel Gasana, acknowledged the significance of closer cooperation in preventing and combating terrorism, cross-border crimes and safety along the Northern Corridor which links Rwanda and Uganda to Mombasa Port in Kenya.

During an interview, Gasana reiterated the importance of such discussions, saying that they would help to track and deter any subversive activities between the two countries through information sharing.

"What we're doing here is establishing a security framework along our borders and on the Northern Corridor and by implication, we're talking about sharing information, collaboration in order to curb all the atrocities that our countries may face," Gasana asserted.

The meeting also aimed at reviewing the Memorandum of Understanding on police cooperation signed by the two countries in October 2006.

On the influx of Rwandans who are illegally crossing to Uganda from Rwanda, Gasana believes that through mutual understanding and information sharing between both countries, all refugees' issues would be resolved.

"If the influx of refugees has emerged, we shall actually interact and share with our counterparts to determine whoever might have illegally crossed the border."

Uganda's Inspector General of Police, Maj. General Kale Kayihura, called for the proper coordination of efforts between the two countries ahead of the enforcement of the common market protocol.

"The common market which will allow free movement of goods, people and services, presents many challenges to us in security. We need to collaborate and work together to ensure that the common market becomes successful by ensuring safety and security, both along the Northern Corridor as well as our borders," he said.

Both delegations agreed to share experience and develop good practices in the areas of community policing, prevention and combating Gender Based Violence and mutual assistance in tracking, arresting and repatriation of suspects.

Other areas of discussion included conducting Joint Training Programmes as well as collaborating in both natural and manmade disaster management.

20100522
ALL AFRICA

Lagos — Amnesty International yesterday called for the fair retrial of seven Nigerians convicted by a court in Equatorial Guinea for their alleged involvement in an attempted coup.

A court in the capital, Malabo had on April 5 last year, sentenced the six men and one woman to 12 years' imprisonment each, on the charges of attempting to assassinate President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo during an attack on the presidential palace last year.

According to reports the accused Nigerians pleaded 'not guilty' and claimed to be fishermen and traders who had been lost at sea and had drifted into Equatorial Guinea waters where they were arrested by the navy. A Nigerian woman also detained at sea has since died in custody.

"The Equatorial Guinean authorities must take action to make sure these men receive a fair trial," said Tawanda Hondora, Deputy Africa Director at Amnesty Interna-tional.

"They were denied access to proper legal representation and their complaints that they had been tortured in custody have not been investigated. Neither has the death in custody of one other Nigerian woman."

Gunmen in speedboats launched the attack on the presidential palace in Malabo in the early hours of 17 February 2009.

The government blamed Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta for the attack.

Later on the day of the attack, the Equatorial Guinean navy arrested the Nigerian men and women in a boat in Equatorial Guinea territorial waters.

The seven Nigerians - Marck Etim Marck, Eyoh Okon Ikara, Eyon Kun Jhon, Effiong Matew, Okokon Iyanam (aka Mintay), Isangadighi and Ekaette Eyo Okon, a woman - were tried between 17 and 22 March 2010 by the Tribunal de Apelación de Malabo (Malabo Court of Appeal).

They were not allowed access to a lawyer until a few days before the trial started and were thus denied the right to present an effective defence.

No weapons or other evidence was presented in court to sustain the charges against the Nigerian nationals.

Nevertheless, the court dismissed their claims that they were fishermen and traders and convicted them on the basis of weather reports for 16 and 17 February 2009.

According to the reports, the weather was good and therefore, visibility was good so they could not have been lost in fog and strayed into Equatorial Guinean waters.

In court, the defendants and their lawyers complained about the acts of torture, including the death in custody of a Nigerian woman, but were stopped by the president of the court who, according to reports, dismissed the claims as irrelevant to the proceedings.

The authorities also failed to provide the Nigerian nationals with assistance to lodge an appeal against their conviction and sentence.

"The authorities must grant the Nigerian detainees access to lawyers, consular personnel and any medical treatment they may require," said Tawanda Hondora

The three UP members, Santiago Asumu, Marcelino Nguema Esono and the party's former president, Faustino Ondó Ebang were all charged with attempting to assassinate the president. start of the trial

Amnesty International is concerned that six weeks after their acquittal and despite a formal written request from their lawyer to the president of the Appeal Court demanding their release, Santiago Asumu and Marcelino Nguema Esono remain in prison.

20100522
ALL AFRICA

Abuja — THERE are indications that the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP ahead of the release of its guidelines for its primaries, is set to dump its zoning arrangement at least to accommodate President Goodluck Jonathan.

However, as the debate on the PDP zoning arrangement, rages some leading Nigerians have criticised the policy if it exists.

According to the eminent citizens, including Third Republic Senator Uba Ahmed, leading scholars, Prof. Anya . Anya and Dr. Uma Eleazu, the zoning arrangement is irrelevant, undemocratic and meaningless.

Some of them, such as the Elder statesman Zikist Nationalist, Chief Mbazulike Amechi, went ahead to say that even if zoning presidency should be adopted, then the South East and South South geo-political zones that have not had a fair share in ruling the country should produce the person for the number one seat.

Third Republic Senator Uba Ahmed told Saturday Vanguard that the 1987 NPN zoning system, unlike the present arrangement, was not based on sectarianism as the North would have voted for any southerner.

What is happening today is part of the distortions of the Obasanjo era and it is the creation of Obasanjo himself. There was a misconstrued perception of what democracy is all about. In fact, what is happening is an abuse of the process of democracy.... Zoning does not mean sitting down in one place to just decide on one person.

There must be congress, primaries for a candidate to emerge. There was nothing like preferred candidate. Zoning is losing its substance. It was not the kind of zoning we had in our time that we have now. It has lost meaning and content., "he said.

But President General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue said that though President Goodluck Jonathan has not declared his intention to run for the 2011 elections, Nigerians, including the Igbo, should support him. However, the Igbo ethnic group, he went on, is fine tuning a strategy that would help it realise its political goals in the country.

PDP Set to put aside zoning for Jonathan

Meanwhile, the National Auditor of the PDP and member of the National Working Committee, NWC, Dr. Samuel Ortom who noted that though there is zoning formula in PDP's Constitution, it is not rigid as it may be subject to change when the need arises, adding that it was a flexible arrangement by the founding fathers of the party.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the PDP National Auditor stressed that since the inception of the party and when conventions were held, no one from any zone had ever been excluded from vying for positions, especially, the most exalted one which is the president of the country. He said that former Vice President, Alex Ekwueme, Chief Barnabas Gemade, late Abubakar Rimi had contested for the presidency, even when the party zoned it to the West during ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo.

"So, I am calling on Nigerians to put this thing to rest, that at no time did we as the National Working Committee discuss and zoned the position of presidency. What the National Chairman said last time was just a clarification on what was done before in the past regime and not during our current tenure.

"The whole thing is flexible and President Jonathan is a Nigerian, and by all standards and qualifications that the party and the constitution require, he is free to contest the election.

"It has become imperative for me to make this clarification. Though there is position of zoning in PDP's constitution, it is not a rigid arrangement. It is a flexible arrangement made for the forefathers of this party who wrote this constitution.

"But I want to let the public know that since 1999 when this party came into existence and started election and appointment of political offices, there has never been a time that anyone has been excluded who is interested in vying for any position in this party, whether you are from the South or East or from the North or West.

"From 1999, you will recall that the election was keenly contested by Ekwueme and Obasanjo who come from different zones and in 2003, the election was keenly contested by the incumbent president, Chief Obasanjo and Barnabas Gemade who was from the North Central and at no time did the PDP screen them out.

"They were allowed to participate. They went through the process as enshrined in the constitution and the guidelines and a candidate emerged at the end of the day and we jointly worked together for the success of our party.

"So, I want to make it very clear that the controversy about 2011 zoning or no zoning, Article 7.2 (c) of the PDP constitution talks about rotation and zoning but it is not rigid. And so, President Goodluck Jonathan is free to contest election if he so wishes or desires at any time. If he decides to contest, nobody can stop him. He is free to do that; the constitution allows him because the constitution of our party is subject to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

"Though there can be zoning arrangement in the PDP constitution, which is an internal arrangement, the most important and ultimate thing is the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which allows every Nigerian the freedom to associate and the freedom to express himself and so, every Nigerian is free to contest not minding the zone he is from. Zone is not going to stop anybody from contesting.

"So, those who are heating the polity unnecessarily about zoning or no zoning should stop and allow Mr. President to face the challenges that we have in this country. I think that instead of wasting energy talking about zoning, we need to jointly put our hands together and pray and support the President to ensure that he brings dividends of democracy to the Nigerian people.

Uwechue, Anya, Amechi, Eleazu, Obi kick

For former university don, Prof. Anya O. Anya, said zoning is undemocratic. The competition should be thrown open so that the best candidate will emerge. Even the zoning arrangement that is being done in PDP, he said, was a gentleman's agreement and did not have the backing of the people.

Former Zikist Leader, Chief Mbazulike Amechi said if the presidency must be zoned, the South East and the South South should produce the next president come 2011. Senator Ben Obi advised the PDP to reconsider its zoning formula if it is no longer is no relevant. But another scholar, Dr. Uma Eleazu, wrote off zoning, preferring instead, a federalism based on the ethnic nationalities.

20100522
PRESS TV

Dozens of heavily armed al-Shabab fighters have stormed an independent radio station in the Somali capital Mogadishu, journalists and witnesses say.

The armed group took FM transmitters and a number of computers from the premises of Somaliweyn radio in northern Mogadishu on Friday, following a brief fighting with government forces, who previously controlled the neighborhood.

"Al-Shabab fighters came into our premises and took the FM transmitter and three computers with them. They gave us no reason for the raid and we don't know why they targeted us," a journalist with the radio told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"We already complied with their regulations to no longer broadcast songs and music," he went on to say.

Mogadishu-based radios stopped airing music in mid-April after another group, Hizb al-Islam, ordered them to do so.

"Dozens of heavily armed al-Shabab fighters drove an armed vehicle into the premises and made off with some equipment. I'm not sure what exactly I saw. I think I saw some computers," Ali Mohamed, a resident in the area said.

Hizb al-Islam and al-Shabab control much of Mogadishu, which is the scene of almost daily clashes between the fighters and Somalia's fragile government forces.