ADRAs julegavetips til ”den som har alt”: Hva med å gi en mulighet? Du får et gavekort som du kan gi til ”den som har alt” – ADRA får muligheten til å hjelpe folk ut av fattigdom! I år har vi flere spennende julegavetips: Hva med en bøffel (300 kr) eller en miljøvennlig ovn (200 kr)?

Bøffel (300 kr):

Da syklonen Nargis rammet Burma i mai 2008, omkom ca 140 000 mennesker og det ble store ødeleggelser på eiendommer, hus og infrastrukturer. Mange mennesker måtte flykte fra hjemmene sine, og syklonen ødela også livsgrunnlaget til de mange bøndene i området: høstede avlinger som var lagret ble ødelagt og risåkre ble oversvømt og skadet av det salte flomvannet. Til sammen døde over halvparten av bøflene i området i flommen som fulgte syklonen. Uten livsgrunnlaget som bøflene danner, må familiene bruke alt sin inntekt på mat. Kostnader til andre ting, som utdanning og helseutgifter, må spares inn på. Ved å starte en bøffelbank i de hardest rammede områdene, hjelper ADRA bøndene å få tilbake livsgrunnlaget sitt. Din gave gjør at familier får muligheten til å starte på nytt.

Miljøvennlig ovn (200 kr):

Ved å gi en miljøvennlig ovn, gjør du det mulig for ADRA å hjelpe familier i Peru, Sudan, Etiopia, Burma og Thailand. Inkludert i gaven er opplæring i bruk og vedlikehold. Din gave bidrar til at barn kan få gå på skolen fordi de ikke trenger å bruke hele dagen til å sanke ved. Noen steder er kriminaliteten av en slik karakter at kvinner og barn som går alene for å hente ved er sårbare for voldtekt. Ovnen er dermed en av flere tiltak for å senke risikoen for overgrep, og kvinnene får mer tid til å være hjemme, ta seg av familien og eventuelt delta i kurs og utdannelsestilbud. Ovnene er tilpasset ulike kulturer og vil variere fra land til land. De er designet for å være energibesparende og minske CO2-utslipp. I en miljøvennlig ovn varer veden lenger enn i bål og andre type ovner, og de er bedre for helsen fordi man unngår skadelig røyk i lungene.

Miljøvennlig ovn i Peru. Foto: ADRA/Frank Spangler.

Keep Girls Safe (250 kr)

Menneskehandel er en av de største illegale handlene i verden og kan handle om seksuell utnytting, slavearbeid i industri eller hjemme hos privatpersoner. Det er ikke uvanlig at prisen for et barn ligger på rundt 250 kroner.

ADRA vet at utdannelse, kunnskap og informasjon forebygger menneskehandel. Når et samfunn eller en familie får støtte til skolegang for barn og ungdom, når man gir undervisning om hva en risikerer ved å overgi barna sine i fremmedes varetekt, underviser om sykdommer og er med og veileder i samfunnsutviklingen, skapes håp. Denne gaven gir ADRA muligheten til å ta opp kampen mot menneskehandel i Thailand og Kambodsja.

Nødhjelpspakke (100 kr):

Når katastrofer som flom, sykloner, jordskjelv eller konflikter rammer, hender det at folk må flykte fra alt de eier for å redde seg selv. En nødhjelpspakke kan inneholde teppe, klær, vannkanne, såpe, matrasjoner og pressenninger. Denne gaven gir ADRA muligheten til å gi verdifull hjelp til mennesker i katastrofeområder.

En nødhjelpspakke kan bestå av mat, vannkanne, medisiner, hygieneartikler, kjøkkenutstyr, teppe, myggnetting og klær - noe som kommer godt med for familier som har mistet det de eier i katastrofer.

Til familiefaren (100 kr):

 Dette er en flott gave å gi til farsdag, til jul eller bursdag. Farsdagen (andre søndag i november) er en gylden anledning til å gi både far og bestefar en ekstra oppmerksomhet. Når du kjøper et farskort fra ADRA, støtter du fedre i fattige land slik at de kan forsørge familiene sine. Kortet symboliserer en gave som gjør det mulig for ADRA å yte hjelp til selvhjelp for fattige bønder i Asia og Afrika. Ved å undervise i effektive jordbruksmetoder får bøndene muligheten til å få økte inntekter, og dermed muligheten til å forsørge familiene sine bedre.

Lese- og skriveopplæring i Kambodsja (500 kr)

I Pursat-provinsen er det flere analfabeter enn i andre provinser i Kambodsja. Det er også høyere barnedødelighet. Tallet på analfabeter er spesielt høyt i distriktet Veal Veng der minst 30% av jentene i alderen 6-14 år aldri har gått på skolen. ADRA benytter en metode kalt REFLECT i leseopplæringsprogrammet. Det er en metode som legger vekt på dialog og skapende samarbeid. Opplæringen knyttet til lesing, helse og samfunn går hånd i hånd og gir en helhetlig undervisning hvor målet er bedret livskvalitet. Denne gaven gjør det mulig for 10 kvinner i Kambodsja å lære å lese og skrive.

Reflectgruppe i Kambodsja. De minste barna er gjerne med mens mødrene diskuterer sosiale temaer som helse, og lærer å lese og skrive.

Til de som trenger det mest (minimum 50 kr)

ADRA Norge er en del av et verdensomspennende nettverk og har samarbeidspartnere i mer enn 120 land.Vi hjelper fattige mennesker, uavhengig av alder, kjønn, etnisk bakgrunn, eller politisk og religiøs tilhørighet, slik at de kan bli i stand til å hjelpe seg selv. Prosjektene våre inkluderer utdanning for barn og voksne, sikker tilgang til mat og vann, helse, samt tiltak som remmer likestilling og fred. Du bestemmer selv beløpet, og fører dette på i gavekortet. ADRA bestemmer hvilket prosjekt pengene skal brukes i.

Hvordan bestille gavekort fra ADRA:

Gavekortene kan bestilles på www.adranorge.no/gienmulighet, per e-post: post@adranorge.no eller på telefon 32 16 16 90.

Amazon's Global Kindle Reader

I heard that Amazon now has a global version of Kindle. I was disappointed to find this morning that the new version still will not work in my country.

Since I’ve wanted one for some time, but have been waiting until they got a version that would work in my country, I checked out their website this morning, only to be disappointed again. Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new Global Kindle for a Christmas gift this year, since the new version will only work in SOME countries, I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S., Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

Soon Sudan will cease to be the largest country in the continent. It won’t even be the second or third biggest. Soon the language of junubi, kaffirs and slaves in Sudan will die. Soon the newly baby born will be seen.  And soon, the much ignored, exploited and looked down at will take their future in their own hands. It’s just soon and very soon.

Recent rhetoric by the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, who’s also the Vice President of Sudan, that southern Sudanese have two choices come next elections-cum- referendums about the future of this biggest country in Africa. Mayardit offered his people two option for their good and peril, to vote for total freedom or to vote for being second class citizens in their own motherland. This can not be something to pooh pooh.

Mayardit was quoted as thus: “When you reach your ballot boxes the choice is yours: you want to vote for unity so that you become a second class in your own country, that is your choice,” Kiir said addressing worshippers Saturday at Juba cathedral. “If you want to vote for independence so that you are a free person in your independent state, that will be your own choice and we will respect the choice of the people.”

Mayardit aired this in South Sudan’s capital Juba recently, as his Government of South Sudan (GoSS) in it’s mission in Nairobi, spokesperson John Duku weighed in with more flavours saying categorically that they’ll boycott presidential elections. This is after the semi-Arab dominated government in Khartoum excluded countries from which Sudanese in diaspora would vote from. To make matter worse, many of these countries are neighbouring and strategical ones thanks to being neighbours hosting many southern Sudanese.

Logically, any and all sane people will vote for freedom. Mark my words. This will be followed to letters by southerners. For apart from being their leader’s vision, they are tired of thuggish and exploitative North. Though this might be seen as preemption of what is to come, the truth is, the South does not have any reason of solemnizing any marriage with the bullish and thuggish North.

However, Khartoum skeptics are wrongly thinking that if the South goes solo it will be orphaned. The fact of the matter is the South has a good partner in Kenya, even Uganda. Presently, the South is getting almost all supplies from and through Kenya. Thus, South Sudan will be more at home doing with a reliable and supportive partner than the suspicious and bully one.  Being a baby in making, the South has a very brighter future in the East African Community than in Khartoum. After all, Khartoum needs the South more than the South needs it, thanks to how it underdeveloped, degraded, neglected and exploited it for so long.

When the vulture is cornered it cries wolf. There is nothing that gears the North to support the re-unification of Sudan but the South’s resources, especially oil. But will the South allow itself to be bitten twice in the same hole?

Kenya has a big chance to spoil this though not by premeditation. For it hosted Southerners since the inception of the concept of emancipation. Nairobi was a hub and bastion for leaders of southern freedom fighters. So, warm and strong relationship with Kenya, that used to host John Garang and Riek Machar will greatly add up.

The other side of the matter revolves around stinking racism and huge ideological differences between North Africans that regard themselves as Arabs and their brethren in the South. Northerners segregate Southerners for two reasons. One, Southerners are either Christians or traditionalists and two, they’re blacker than they. But as the days go, the perception of colour, though artificially conceived (for even Northerners are Africans) and influence from Arab world, the hatred between the duo is likely to go even deeper. Northerners do not like Southerners. But given that the South is awash with oil, they’ve no way. What can they do whilst they are caught between the devil and the deep sea? So incorporating South Sudan in the East African Community should be done with all assurance and urgency that it has more to offer than Burundi and Rwanda put together.

Another thing that is likely to force Khartoum regime to its knees is the whole burden of Darfur. There are fears that Darfur may team up with the oil rich South so as to circle the North and assume power of the whole Sudan, thereby the used to be dominant Northerners would end up becoming subjects of their former subjects. This shocks Sudanese dictator Omar Bashir to the bone. As the days go by, his position is tested and weakened thanks to secession and the court order by ICC.

Though separation defeats the spirit of African unity, it is better than wasting time wrangling and scheming against one another. Hither we can borrow a leaf from Eritrea. Its secession from Ethiopia enhanced peace and tranquility in the region as it will be in this case in point.

On the one hand, some people are blaming Mayardit as being myopic and a separatist different from his predecessor, the late John Garang de Mabior Atem, who wanted to take Khartoum through ballot box. On the other hand, it must be appreciated that things have changed since the untimely demise of Garang. By then it was easy to take Khartoum by the way of referendum. But currently, it is easier to take Khartoum and re-unify Sudan by going solo, so as to team up with Darfur and reclaim it. Khartoum without oil will be nothing but a sitting duck. Though many fear that marriage of convenience with China can hamper its reclamation, this is hogwash. China , just like any other money maker, will bet on the winning horse.

This being the situation, it remains to be seen if going solo for South Sudan means gain or peril.

Nkwazi Mhango is a Tanzanian living in Canada. He writes regularly for “The African Executive” and also has a blog entitled “Free Thinking Unabii”. He is a regular contributor to AfroSpear.

Sudan on Sunday announced a six-day delay to long-awaited elections to make up for hold-ups in registering millions of voters in the oil-producing country.

Election officials have faced huge logistical challenges in rolling out the first multi-party polls in 24 years in Sudan, Africa’s largest country.

Sudan’s National Elections Commission said it was extending voter registration across the country by seven days to Dec. 7 because of a late start in some areas and appeals for an extension from some political parties.

As a result, the start of the ballot would be pushed to April 11, 2010 from April 5, said a statement from the Commission on state news agency Suna.

The elections — parliamentary, presidential and local — have been delayed twice before from their original date of July this year, set under the terms of a 2005 peace deal that ended more than two decades of civil war between north and south Sudan.

The timing of the poll has been a sensitive issue as any significant delay would push the vote into the start of the rainy season in May when large parts of Sudan are inaccessible.

Some southerners fear a long delay could encroach on a referendum on southern independence promised in January 2011 under the same peace accord.

North Sudan’s dominant National Congress Party (NCP) on Sunday said it supported the latest small delay, which would give voters more time to sign up.

“We are afraid that a large extension of the elections will take us to the rainy season. But six days will not do that … Most of the parties have asked for an extension. This is not going to be controversial,” senior NCP official Ibrahim Ghandour told Reuters.

No one was immediately available to comment from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the dominant party in the south.

The SPLM and opposition parties have previously said they would boycott the elections if a package of democratic laws they see as necessary for the vote was not drafted and passed by Nov. 30.

Delays in implementing the 2005 north-south peace deal have raised tensions with less than five months until the elections.

Texas in Africa looks at piracy in Somalia and argues that “the reason the response to the pirates has largely been effective is that piracy isn’t really the problem here. Young Somali men only become pirates because they don’t have other employment options.”

William Easterly and Laura Freschi ask whether Ethiopia is having a famine.

As often is the case, there are two forces pulling in opposite directions that make it hard to answer the question.

On the one hand, the authoritarian government wants to cover up any famine to mute criticism of its performance.  Ethiopia is due for elections next year, and the government is determined not to go the way of previous regimes toppled in part because of anger at famines in the 1970s and 1990s. The government’s solution? Prohibit journalists from entering the worst-off areas, and fight tooth and nail with aid agencies to repress or delay information on humanitarian needs.

Complicating the situation further is that the government army is operating against insurgents in the suspected famine areas in the South and cites security reasons for not allowing outsiders to enter, so nobody really knows what is happening there.

On the other hand, NGOs have a well known tendency to cry wolf and exaggerate—to see famine where there is no famine—perhaps in order to raise more money for their own organization (I am echoing here fierce accusations of exactly this from Ethiopians I talked to during my visit who were NOT allied with the government).

Reuters writes that the population of Africans in China hovers around a quarter of a million.

FP Passport flags an interview highlighting the SPLM’s views on Scott Gration. The same blog examines dynamics of aid and violence in Chad.

And finally, Kal critiques a recent Newsweek piece on terrorism in the Sahel. Definitely worth a read.

What are you reading today?

Hey guys, great news! Today we passed the $100 mark!

Daddy and I wanted to see what $100 would look like, so we Googled “100 dollars” and a picture of the $100 bill came up. Daddy told me that it was Benjamin Franklin’s picture on the bill. Then we decided to see if Benjamin Franklin had anything cool to say about education.

Guess what!? He did!!

“As an innocent child I was led like a sheep to be slaughtered…I was taken to a very dark room and undressed.  I was blindfolded and stripped naked.”

“I was then carried by four strong women to the site for the operation.  I was forced to lie flat on my back by four strong women, two holding tight to each leg.  Another woman sat on my chest to prevent my upper from moving”

“….The pain was terrible and unbearable…I was badly cut and lost blood.  All those who took part in the operation were half drunk….After the operation, no one was allowed to aid me to walk….”

“Each time I wanted to urinate, I was forced to stand upright.  The urine would spread over the wound and would cause fresh pain…Sometimes I had to force myself not to urinate for fear of the terrible pain.”

“I was not given any anesthetic…nor any antibiotics to fight against infection.  Afterwards I hemorrhaged and became anemic.  This was attributed to witchcraft.”

According to Amnesty International, 135 million girls and women have undergone genital mutilation similar to what Hannah Koroma of Sierra Leone just described and another 6,000 young girls are estimated to endure the procedure every day.

The problem is most serious in Sub-Saharan Africa where 90% of the girls in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sudan are estimated to have been mutilated.  There are fifteen more countries in Africa where 50% or more of their girls have been mutilated.

There are four types of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).  Sunna circumcision involves the removal of the tip of the clitoris and/or clitoral hood.  Clitoridectomy is the removal of the entire clitoris; sometimes the adjacent labia are also removed; this operation is known as excision.

The most gruesome type of FGM is called infibulation or Pharaonic circumcision, in which a clitoridectomy and excision are performed and the outer labia are cut “to create raw surfaces which are then stitched together to form a cover over the vagina.”  A small opening is left to allow urine and menstrual blood to pass.

An estimated 85% of mutilations performed in Africa are clitoridectomies or excisions; the remaining 15% are infibulations.  According to Amnesty International, FGM usually takes place between the ages of four and eight.  The procedure is typically carried out by an older woman – not medically trained – with scissors, razor blades, or knives.

The equipment is rarely sterilized and anesthesia is not commonly used.  The girl is simply held, by one or more older women, with her legs open.  Importantly, these operations are often done on a group of girls; the same instrument is often used on the entire group.

According to Amnesty International, the immediate effects of FGM include hemorrhage, shock, and pain.  These symptoms can and have led to death.  Because the instrument is often used on several girls and rarely sterilized, HIV can and has been transmitted through FGM.

More commonly, clitoridectomy can cause intermittent bleeding, chronic infections, abscesses, and small benign tumors.  Excision commonly causes discomfort and extreme pain.

According to Amnesty International, infibulation can cause “chronic urinary tract infections, stones in the bladder and urethra, kidney damage, reproductive tract infections resulting from obstructed menstrual flow, pelvic infections, infertility, excessive scar tissue, keloids (raised, irregularly shaped, progressively enlarging scars) and dermoid cysts.”

All types of genital mutilation can adversely affect sexual fulfillment and damage sometimes caused by FGM increases the risk of HIV transmission during sex.

Infibulation also requires further operations after the girl is wed.  In order to have sex, the opening left after mutilation must be gradually dilated; this process is very painful.  Worse yet, in many cases cutting is necessary, in which case women may be damaged further by “unskillful cutting.”

Childbirth poses further risks as infibulated women have cesarean sections at higher rates.  For a vaginal birth the woman may have to be cut again or the baby may tear open the vaginal covering.  Often the woman is “reinfibulated to make them ‘tight’ for their husbands.”  According to religious tolerance.org, women may also be reinfibulated if their husband plans to be away for an extended period of time to prevent infidelity.

Female Genital Mutilation is commonly, and incorrectly, linked with Islam in many people’s minds.  FGM is a cultural practice.  While the practice does take place in some Muslim countries, it originated in Africa and predates Islam.  Furthermore, Islamic teachings forbid most types of FGM.

There are many reasons given for FGM, ranging from specious claims of health benefits to assertions that the practice enhances femininity (marked by docility and obedience) and the rather blunt reality that it “reduces a woman’s desire for sex, therefore reducing the chance of sex outside marriage.”  The most common reasons given are references to custom and tradition.  Older women subject young girls to mutilation because their mothers mutilated them.

Though the reasons for practicing FGM are well documented – if misguided – the original intent of the practice is not known.  Common sense would seem to suggest an attempt to control a woman’s sexuality or reproduction.  The nature of infibulation, in particular, seems to support this view.

Some, however, have drawn parallels between FGM and male circumcision.  They would argue that it is a cultural practice akin to face shaving, tattooing, foot-binding or other cultural practices associated with attracting a partner – but how many people die from shaving?

Regardless of why FGM originally emerged, it is a serious problem.  Young girls are, in essence, being tortured and permanently damaged against their will.  Not only is FGM an appalling violation of these girls’ human rights, it is a sickening reminder of the failure of the U.S. and other rich, industrialized countries’ unwillingness to protect them.

FGM is a tragic physical representation of the poverty and ignorance more than one billion people live with every day.  It is a reminder that, rather than be a powerful positive force in the world, build schools or economies, or fund rural education programs that could actually stop FGM, the United States consistently acts in the interest of immediate security concerns and maximization of American corporate profits.

Republic of  The SUDAN

stamp: 55 millemes

year: 1962

mammal: catlle

Every year, Transparency International makes a list of the most corrupt countries in the world. I searched through the blogs to find out more about each one, from a travelers’ perspective.

1. Somalia

Hardiek at the border of Somalia

“For those of you who don’t know (almost everybody, including me up until a few weeks ago) the once unified country of Somalia is now effectively divided into three, the rump Somalia surrounding dangerous Mogadishu, the country of Puntland from which all the ship piracy of recent fame takes place, and Somaliland, relatively peaceful and open for business, connected by land to the also relatively peaceful states of Djibouti and Ethiopia.” – Hardiek

2. Afghanistan

Samcato telling home base about an explosion in Afghanistan

“From ‘grease my palm’ to ‘oil-fill my bellybutton’: corruption has penetrated the political, economic, judicial and social systems so thoroughly that it has ceased to be a deviation from the norm and become the norm itself. Corruption had existed ever since the Taliban regime was toppled, but it has reached a historically record breaking level. Ordinary Afghans are well aware of this, the majority of the country is sorry, not because it existed but they are not in a position to benefit from bribery. Corruption has become so endemic that it is perceived as normal. Nothing is possible at the same time, everything is possible. When a job comes to a standstill it doesn’t mean there is a problem with the job, it is time to grease up some bellybuttons. If one is prepared to pay as much as needed then anything could be done. Shortcuts are introduced if one is willing to compromise. I could have thought of any word as synonyms for bribery but not compromise, Farsi and Pashto languages are rich with euphemisms for bribe. My favorite and all time fresh is ‘Shirini’, the sweetener. It is generally used when you got something done. In other words shirini is post bribery bribe. Don’t be surprised. At least I had something done, these days ordinary citizens pay bribes as much to be left alone as to get something done. They call it ‘Kharcha’, ‘paeesi chai’, ‘jawani’ and many more which are basically *bribe of survival*. Exactly this has changed everything; everyone attempts to be in a position to take a bribe as oppose to a sucker. Bribe takers are at the highest rank of the society where everybody inspires to be.” – Samcato

3. Myanmar

Markl's tour guide "Stella" spoke about the corruption in her country

“Stella was forthcoming about the current regime and it’s appalling corruption. They have moved the capital inland and have created an insane, artificial compound where the military and civil servants live in pampered luxury. They are building a zoo, of all things there, and transporting the animals from Yangon zoo to fill it. So the people in the capital get a few old camels and the rest get shipped 300 miles inland. Civil service pensions are no better, her mother receives 100 Kyat or $0,10 a day. Stella’s bitterness was mainly reserved for the treatment of the poor who seem to have been mainly abandoned by the political rulers. The stories of aid for rural people post Cyclone Nargis in 2009 were terrifying.” – Markl

4. Sudan

Bonthorn on the road in Sudan

“You have two choices when you come to a roadblock. You can play Mr./Mrs. Nice Guy/Gal and greet the officer as if you’ve known him your whole life, shake hands amicably and ask about his health, his family, their health, etc. Calling him ‘my friend’ and patting him on the back is also a good tactic (although never try this if you are female). After all the formalities are completed, he might just let you off the hook and wish you a “Good Journey”. The second option is to play dumb and pretend you have no idea what the officer is saying, although it’s blatantly obvious. Keep jabbering in English in a tone that is neither offensive nor accusing, and sooner or later, he will hopefully tire of you and your feigned stupidity and wave you on. So far, these are the two choices we’ve attempted, both at pretty successful rates. But the key is to pick one and stick to it BEFORE your car is stopped and you’re face to face with him and his gun.” – Bonthorn

5. Iraq

Rebecca.mcneal went through several checkpoints in Iraq

“After passing through numerous checkpoints, Iraqi, Pesmerga and Awakening Council fighter types we neared Mosul. Mosul was the only place that was worrisome. We passed by a truck bomb site that had killed 250 people in the recent past. We were not allowed to photograph checkpoints which were all manned with machine guns.” – Rebecca.mcneal

6. Chad

Kevandsian picked up some unexpected hitchhikers in Chad

“Crossing into Chad was surprisingly hassle free, the police in this country have a bad reputation for being corrupt and subtracting bribes and ‘tolls’ at every opportunity. We took a hitch hiker at the request of the police and also transported a soldier to the next village. We then gave another 5 police and military personnel lifts to neighboring towns 55 kms away,becoming the essential local transport as the first truck to pass through in 6-7 days. We decided this might help avoid searches and bribes at police stops and ease our journey. They did help at one small town where the police demanded a 16 dollar fee per person for registering and stamping our passports which was eventually avoided successfully.” – Kevandsian

7. Uzbekistan

Crowdywendy's tour guide in Uzbekistan, Behruz

Our first morning in Bukhara introduced us to the entrenched police and official corruption in Uzbekistan. It was our first introduction to “bakeesh” or bribes to officials. At the first Bukhara bank we were told that we were not allowed in. “Why not?” we asked. It was a very large bank and there were numerous tellers open everywhere. Well, we just couldn’t. The police were stationed at the entrance of the bank and would not let people in. Well, of course with a little bribe they would… But we resisted and moved on to yet another bank, and another. Later that evening while talking with other hotel guests, we were told that it is not uncommon for locals to have to try ten or so different banks before they would be allowed entry. The young local people were openly disgusted with the practice.

Similarly, bakeesh is a common practice with the police. There are frequent road blocks throughout Uzbekistan. While we had no problems thanks to Naim calling out “tourists!” at every point we were told over and over again by locals about the road police. Apparently being a police officer on the roads is a much sought after profession. Although they are dreadfully underpaid they certainly make up for it in bribes or bakeesh.” – Crowdywendy

8. Turkmenistan

Ricka leaving the "ferry from hell" in Turkmenistan

We loaded on-board after a trainload of freight was stowed and we were squeezed in between the carriages and the crew started to hassle us for “Security Fees”. We all had the sense to tell them to get lost! We were on at last! Another trip back into the customs hall to get our final clearance and it was back on board, passports handed over to a dodgy looking guy along with $90 and then a stagger up to the deck with our luggage. We wondered why there were loads of crewmembers smiling and laughing at us, little did we know!
The dodgy guy we gave our passports and cash to started to try to explain that if we wanted a cabin they were $100. We said no thanks, at that price we could manage the 12 hour crossing on the deck. I had a suspicion that things may not go to plan so I followed a crew down into the ship to have a look at a cabin. He showed me two of the filthyest, run-down excuses for cabins I had ever seen, with the “bathrooms” being even worse. I haggled with the guy anyway as I knew this was a “take it or leave it” situation and I settled on twenty bucks per cabin – I thought we would be needing them!” – Ricka

9. Iran

Jimsim at Persepolis in Shiraz, Iran

“While Sim took a few snaps of the mosque I chatted to a local soldier who was visiting the mosque. He was very young, and was very upbeat about Iran’s prospects for the future. While not stating a preference for either the hardline or more moderate of Iran’s leaders he seemed to believe that by keeping the right (positive) attitude the people of Iran would pull the country in the right direction. It was hard not to be caught up in his enthusiasm. He was also extremely helpful while we were there, happily answering the barrage of questions I had about Shiraz and it’s major attractions.” – Jimsim

10. Haiti

Mim301 on her first day volunteering in Haiti

“It is so hard to believe that so many people in Haiti live in poverty because of such a corrupt government, but that the beaches and mountains are so beautiful. I guess that this is just another one of life’s great mysteries.” – Mim301

Millionaire Doncaster businessman and total wanker, Andrew Jackson, has been jailed for selling former military vehicles to a war-torn African country. Jackson is the owner of  L Jackson and Co Ltd, who are based at Misson, near Bawtry. They supply military vehicles to, er…, well, anyone with money really.

In fact Andrew Jackson ended up in the nick because he greedily ignored repeated official warnings not to export the 15 amphibious personnel carriers to Sudan. He chose to ship £322,000-worth of 15 Hagglund BV206s to Africa even though he had been refused an export license.

After his arrest Jackson complained that trade restrictions were crippling his business. Which is a bit rich when you consider that his ‘business’ is the arms trade – scum like Jackson literally cripple people on a daily basis!

We’re not fans of the prison system, but it’s nice to see that a real criminal has been sent to jail for a change (*just a shame it wasn’t a lot more of the scumbags and for a lot longer).

If you want to know more about the arms trade then visit CAAT.

If you want to tell L Jackson and Co Ltd exactly what you think about their business practices…

L Jackson and Co Ltd

The Rocket Site
Misson
Nr. Bawtry
Doncaster
DN10 6ET
United Kingdom

Sales / Customer Service:
09.00 – 17.00 hrs Monday – Friday
Tel: +44 (0)1302 770485
Fax: +44 (0)1302 770050
Not available on Saturday’s or Sunday’s

E-Mail:    sales@ljacksonandco.com | matthew@ljacksonandco.com | duncan@ljacksonandco.com

Burundi, Kenya, Rwana, Tanzania, and Uganda “signed a common market protocol on Friday that they hope will boost commerce between their five countries when it comes into effect in July 2010.”

China and Senegal plan to increase military cooperation.

A few news items on Somalia: the BBC asks whether Somali pirates can be defeated; the Christian Science Monitor says that al Shabab “now controls much of the country, and it has made viable threats against neighbors Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Kenya.”

The UN says Chad is “moving to a calmer phase” as political stability increases and refugees return. However, Sudan says Chad is dragging its feet on normalizing bilateral relations between the two countries.

VOA reports that for some US officials, terrorism in the Sahel is “an increasing concern.” However, Newsweek writes that America should not “expand the War on Terror to North Africa.”

What do you think?

By Michael MacLeod

AN evil child rapist twice slipped through cops’ fingers during a near decade-long reign of abuse when he was caught drink driving.

Vile Mutasim Al Mutasim, 35, was caught drunk behind the wheel of his car twice in the midst of horror attacks on primary school children.

He was stopped first in September 2006 at the capital’s Duddingston Road West and later again January 2007 at Hay Avenue, where cops found him well over three times the drink-drive limit.

But police said last night they had no way of knowing he and his brother, Eldirdeery, 24, were sexually abusing girls as young as five.

It wasn’t until April 2008 that detectives snared the Sudanese dish-washer for horrific child sex offences which were described by one judge as “beyond the understanding of a caring and civilised society”.

And a police insider revealed last night that if wasn’t for his brother getting reported over the rapes; Al Mutasim could have slipped through the net completely.

“No way of knowing”

They said: “We had no way of knowing he was a rapist when we got him for drink driving.

“In fact it was when Eldirdeery was being interviewed that the spotlight turned onto his older brother, Mutasim.”

Al Mutasim, 35, is now serving five years behind bars for a campaign of abuse on two Edinburgh girls aged five and ten.

Today (Friday) the Sudanese dish-washer was told he will be banned from the roads for eight years on his release from prison, and had a month added to his sentence.

Handcuffed to a prison guard throughout his appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday, Al Mutasim hung his head as details of his chaotic driving were read out.

He admitted both offences – something he refused to do during the rape trial at the High Court in Kilmarnock earlier this month.

He and his brother Eldirdeery were convicted of a string of charges following a trial and put on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Judge Lord Turnbull slammed the older brother’s “disgraceful” dominance over the five year-old girl in particular.

“most despicable”

Al Mutasim raped her after she came to him for protection from his brother, who was ultimately jailed for ten years.

The pair, who have a Scottish mother and had been living in Edinburgh, were found guilty of repeated attacks in Edinburgh between July 1999 and April 2008.

They insisted throughout the trial that their victims made the abuse claims up in revenge for an unpaid debt.

Judge Lord Turnbull commented: “You used the dominance that provided to perpetrate the most disgraceful breach of trust.

“Not only did you have regular intercourse with both young girls but in the most despicable turn of events you raped one of them after she had come to you seeking protection from her other abuser.”

And when the drink driving charges emerged yesterday, Sheriff Isabella McColl extended Al Mutasim’s jail term and disqualified him from driving for eight years.

Speaking through an Arabic interpreter she said she would have fined him £500, but instead added a month onto his sentence as he was already being held in custody.

A spokesperson for Lothian and Borders Police confirmed there had not been any reports of sexual abuse at the time of Al Mutasim’s drink driving offences. 

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

Egypt V Algeria from The Huffington Post

I was told by my professor, somebody I consider my mentor, that I would be getting an ‘F’ if I decided to join the protests in front of the Algerian embassy last in Zamalek.

He said I would be failing my profession and turning my back on everything he has taught me – Journalism is coverage and not participation.

I am a journalist in training, but I am also a human being and an Egyptian. My sense of morality tells me that I should not remain silent when I witness such brutality practiced against other human beings, let alone my own countrymen.

On Wednesday night, Nov 18th 2009, Algeria “beat” Egypt 1-0 on alleged neutral ground–Khartoum, Sudan. But, right after the match, the Algerian hooligans committed a major crime by attacking the Egyptian crowds, right after the Algerian team had won. Without any premise or justification, the crowds stormed the Egyptian buses and violated their sovereignty. I was one of millions of angry people, praying for action to be taken, I wanted to go out and join the protestors, overcome with emotion, with anger but what good would that have done…? To the protestors and to myself? I had to put my emotions aside and think with rationality, think of how we can get justice without doing anything stupid that would take away every right we might have had.

The Algerian team won the game but it was not a clean or fair one. They left proud, dignified and did not look back… didn’t ask for anything in return. But, they got attacked and that opens up a whole set of issues. First, that FIFA needs to investigate. Second, the Algerian crowds that committed these crimes need to be identified and punished for their mistakes. Third, the Egyptian government needs to be reproached for the lack of care and respect they showed their people–as impossible as that may sound.

Life is all about choices, and I made my choice. I chose journalism because I believe in the power and ethics of this profession, it is my job to witness what people do and then cover it, expose it to the rest of the world, let them know that the Egyptians will not sit by and let their rights be violated in such ways. Of course I am angry, and writing these words now requires a lot of self control on my part, despite the fact that I have stated my opinion, that I do say ‘No it is not fair.’

The Algerian team does not deserve to go to the world cup in 2010 because no respectable team would play by their standards and in such aggressiveness. These are my words, my objective and controlled words. Words of an observer, and a human. This should not go by unnoticed. The screams of the people over the phone are my evidence.

There are a lot of blogs, tweets, and articles attacking the Egyptians, saying they destroyed the Algerian bus in Egypt, saying we attacked first, and making unsubstantiated claims…Let us answer to that, with pride and objectivity… let’s not be rash, but let’s fight back, without the cheapness that they have so courteously saved just for us. If this would have happened with a different team, one of the European teams, nobody would have let is pass quietly.

I am no sportsperson and I am at all familiar with the rules and regulations of football, but I do know wrong when I see it. What happened on the field was wrong, what happened after was wrong. It was against human rights to say the least, simple, basic human rights, and that I know all about.

I will report, write, and speak about this because it is my job as a person and a journalist, and those are my weapons.

One of my closest friends, and also my editor-in-chief on the AUC paper was given the same talk, but she also channeled her anger into something more productive. She wrote an article on last night’s protests. She covered it, she exposed our voices and she allowed them to be heard. She told the truth.

… in pictures

Check it out here

TRT’de yakın tarih belgeseli;

Irak’ta İngilizleri nasıl yenmiştik?

Birinci Dünya savaşında Çanakkale kadar önemli bir zafer daha kazanmıştık. Irak’ta Kutul Amare’de, Halil Paşa komutasındaki Türk ordusu İngilizleri yenmiş ve İngiliz ordu komutanı General Towshend başta olmak üzere 13 bin kişilik İngiliz askerini esir almıştı.

Fazla bilinmeyen bu büyük zafer, TRT için hazırlanan bir belgeselle ekranlara geliyor.

Irak cephesi komutanı ve Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa’nın ilk başkanı Süleyman Askeri’nin Şueybe ormanlarındaki harekatı, Kutul Amare zaferi ve hayatı boyunca Türk dostu olan Irak’ın en büyük aşiret liderlerinden şeyh Uceymi Sadun Paşa’nın da anlatıldığı belgesel, 11 kasım Pazar akşamı TRT 2 ekranlarında yayına girecek.

Sencer Film tarafından hazırlanan “Yakın tarihin izinde anılar ve duygular” isimli 13 bölümlük belgesel program Osmanlı’nın Ortadoğu’dan çekiliş öykülerini anlatıyor.

Programın diğer bölümlerinde her biri ilk defa bir belgesel konusu olarak ele alınan yakın tarihimizin çok önemli sayfaları anatılıyor. Medine Müdafaası ve Fahrettin paşa, Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa reisi Kuşçubaşı Eşref Bey’in Hayber’deki mücadelesi, Türk ordusunun Kudüs müdafaası, Ürdün’de Mustafa Kemal’in kendisini misafir eden Mahmud Humud’a hediye ettiği koldüğmeleri, Türk ordusunun Suriye, Lübnan ve Filistinden çekilişi, Mısır’da kör edilen esir Türk askerleri, Mehmet Akif Ersoy’un Mısır yılları, Yemende Türkler, Sudan ve zenci Musa’nın öyküsü, Libya’da Trablusgarp direnişi, Cezayir ve Tunus’taki Türk izleri ve İran’da Mirza Küçük Han’a Osmanlı desteği ve Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa gerillası Ömer Naci’nin İran’daki faaliyetleri, diğer bölümlerin konuları arasında.

Süleyman Askeri Şeyh Uceymi Sadun Paşa

Ahmet Özcan, Dr. Ramazan Yıldırım ve Selim Aytekin yönetiminde bir yıllık hazırlık süresiyle ve yüzlerce kitap ve arşiv kaynaklarından faydalanılarak hazırlanan belgeselde, Prof. Ekmelettin İhsanoğlu, Prof. Ahmet Davutoğlu Prof. Mim Kemal Öke, Prof. Ahmet Kavas, Prof. Ali Fuat Bilkan Doç.Nesime Ceyhan, Doç. Ömer Osman Umar, Dr. Mehmet Niyazi Özdemir ve Orhan Koloğlu gibi uzman isimlerle, 13 ülkeden tarihçi ve akademisyenle, Fahrettin Paşa, Uceymi Sadun Paşa gibi dönemim önemli kahraman isimlerinin yaşayan yakınlarıyla tarihe ışık tutan söyleşiler de yer alıyor.

“Yakın tarihin izinde/ anılar ve duygular” belgeseli, Osmanlı-Türk ordularının 1. Dünya savaşında Ortadoğu’dan çekilirken kaybettiğimiz yüzbinlerce şehidimizin aziz hatıralarını, şehit düştükleri topraklarda bize bıraktıkları mirası anlatıyor.

If this banner doesn’t display the ultimate in hypocrisy and ignorance; Muslims telling the western world to be civilized, what a farce!!! The most backward people on earth (barring Amazonian headhunters) telling the west to be civilized and to stop disgracing Mohammad (Muhammad)!

Hey, you Muslim fundamentalist morons, if you’re an example of what Mohammad stood for, he must have been a real loser. Beginning with Mohammad and continuing to your present-day  Osama bin Laden,  you’re nothing but a bunch of cave-dwelling rats. Your claim to fame is to degrade women, build bombs and blow yourselves up (the only good thing you’ve done in the last thousand years).

Since you’re all so civilized and have such deep-rooted beliefs, why not start a colossal bonfire in Mecca and jump in so you can have a rendezvous with your “virgins.” Just leave the rest of us alone already. You’re all obsessed with the west which you supposedly hate; seems more like envy to me.  TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

GENEVA – Four years after cartoons of the prophet Muhammad set off violent protests across the Muslim world, Islamic nations are mounting a campaign for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery — essentially a ban on blasphemy that would put them on a collision course with free speech laws in the West.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that Algeria and Pakistan have taken the lead in lobbying to eventually bring the proposal to a vote in the U.N. General Assembly.

If ratified in countries that enshrine freedom of expression as a fundamental right, such a treaty would require them to limit free speech if it risks seriously offending religious believers. The process, though, will take years and no showdown is imminent.

The proposal faces stiff resistance from Western countries, including the United States, which in the past has brushed aside other U.N. treaties, such as one on the protection of migrant workers.

Experts say the bid stands some chance of eventual success if Muslim countries persist. And whatever the outcome, the campaign risks reigniting tensions between Muslims and the West that President Barack Obama has pledged to heal, reviving fears of a “clash of civilizations.”

Four years ago, a Danish newspaper published cartoons lampooning the prophet Muhammad, prompting angry mobs to attack Western embassies in Muslim countries, including Lebanon, Iran and Indonesia. In a countermovement, several European newspapers reprinted the images.

The countries that form the 56-member Organization of the Islamic Conference are now lobbying a little-known Geneva-based U.N. committee to agree that a treaty protecting religions is necessary.

The move would be a first step toward drafting an international protocol that would eventually be put before the General Assembly — a process that could take a decade or more.

The proposal may have some support in the General Assembly. For several years the Islamic Conference has successfully passed a nonbinding resolution at the General Assembly condemning “defamation of religions.”

If the treaty was approved, any of the U.N.’s 192 member states that ratified it would be bound by its provisions. Other countries could face criticism for refusing to join.

Just last month, the Obama administration came out strongly against efforts by Islamic nations to bar the defamation of religions, saying the moves would restrict free speech.

“Some claim that the best way to protect the freedom of religion is to implement so-called anti-defamation policies that would restrict freedom of expression and the freedom of religion,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said. “I strongly disagree.”

But there are signs the U.S. is worried by the Islamic Conference campaign. Behind the scenes it has been lobbying hard to quash the proposal, dispatching a senior U.S. diplomat to Geneva last month for talks described as akin to trench warfare.

“The U.S. presence can be significant in determining the whole destiny of the process,” said Lukas Machon, who represents the International Commission of Jurists at the U.N.

From a legal point of view, “the whole exercise is dangerous from A-Z because it’s a departure from the practice and concept of human rights,” Machon said. “It adds only restrictions.”

In a letter obtained by the AP, Pakistan said insults against religion were on the increase.

The Islamic Conference “believes that the attack on sacredly held beliefs and the defamation of religions, religious symbols, personalities and dogmas impinge on the enjoyment of human rights of followers of those religions,” the letter said. It was sent last month to members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Complementary Standards, a temporary committee created to consider a previous anti-racism treaty.

In a separate submission to the committee, Pakistan proposed extending the treaty against racism to require signatories to “prohibit by law the uttering of matters that are grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion.”

It’s not clear who would decide what is considered grossly abusive, but each country’s criminal courts would likely have initial jurisdiction over that decision, according to Marghoob Saleem Butt, a Pakistani diplomat in Geneva who confirmed the campaign’s existence and has lobbied for the ban.

“There has to be a balance between freedom of expression and respect for others,” Butt said in a telephone interview.

“Taking the symbol of a whole religion and portraying him as a terrorist,” said Butt, referring to the Muhammad cartoons, “that is where we draw the line.”

One American expert with more than 20 years experience of the U.N. human rights system said the treaty could have far-reaching implications.

“It would, in essence, advance a global blasphemy law,” said Felice Gaer, a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The independent, congressionally mandated panel issued a report last week warning that existing laws against blasphemy, including in Pakistan, “often have resulted in gross human rights violations.”

In Egypt, blasphemy laws have been used to suppress dissidents, said Moataz el-Fegiery, executive director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies. Abdel Kareem Nabil, a blogger, was sentenced in February 2007 to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

He said reformists who reinterpret traditional Islamic texts have also become the target of blasphemy accusations.

More broadly, introducing laws to protect religions from criticism would weaken the whole notion of human rights, said Sweden’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Hans Dahlgren.

“Religions as such do not have rights — it’s people who have rights,” he said, adding that the European Union, whose presidency Sweden currently holds, would oppose attempts to limit freedom of speech.

The treaty goes against the grain of recent efforts by Western and Muslim countries to find common ground on human rights.

Only last month a joint U.S.-Egyptian resolution on freedom of expression won unanimous support in the U.N. Human Rights Council, much to the surprise of seasoned observers. “We will engage, and we’re going to keep engaging,” said Michael Parmly, spokesman for the U.S. Mission in Geneva.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, the Ad Hoc Committee’s chairman, Algerian Ambassador Idriss Jazairy, said concerns the treaty could stifle free speech have been “whipped up into a bugaboo.”

Failure to agree on a treaty would boost extremists in the Arab world, said Jazairy, a former envoy to Washington now considered a key player in the U.N.’s human rights forum.

“If we keep hitting this glass wall and say there’s nothing you can do about Islamophobia — you can do something about anti-Semitism but Islamophobia is out of bounds — you give an ideal platform for recruitment of suicide bombers,” he said.

Here I am meeting Manute Bol. There are alot of things that I remember about that night.

The first thing I remember is that even though he was sitting in a wheelchair, he was still taller than me. I especially noticed how long his legs and feet were. Daddy and I talked about how he probably would have to duck down if he was in my room!!

The next thing I remember is watching a video about his basketball career. I remember that he played basketball for the Sixers, Nuggets and Warriors. We watched him block alot of shots and score alot of points!

It was hard to understand what he said because he was from another country. But I do remember hearing him talk about building a school in Sudan. He was doing it because there were 300 kids in his village, but no schools. I thought that was sad because children can’t learn when they don’t have schools. Then he asked us all to help.

I asked him what I could do since I was only six years old. He laughed. He wasn’t sure how to answer. How could he?

These days I was at a very interesting congress on child soldiers in Colombia’s capital Bogotá. One of the nice things was that some of the speakers were from other countries that are at war and that live(d) atrocities very much like those that the Colombian people had/have to suffer as well.There were two former child soldiers from Africa, one from Uganda and one from Sudan. They explained the circumstances of war and the attitude of the government – for example that the Ugandan government doesn’t want to stap fighting against the terrifying Lord’s Resistance Army although there is pressure to negotiate (what’s new?). I couldn’t help thinking of what I have often thought.

Colombians are so convinced that their war is the most horrible of all wars and the most unresolvable etc etc and no one is able to understand it, except the Colombians themselves. I think that’s why it never stops. They should look at experiences abroad, go there and talk to governments and NGO’s and learn, and especially be aware that their war  is as stupid and cruel as other wars. And that the reason is the same in Uganda, in Sudan, in Liberia, in Sierra Leone and in Congo and in Colombia: inequality and lack of opportunities for the poor. Whose children are by the way therefore easily recruited as child soldiers.

17 wars are raging on at the moment, a Unicef representative said, in which child soldiers are fighting.