Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 1 December 2005 — Page 45

The Muncie Times • December 1, 2005 • Page 45

AFRICAN BRIEFS

continued from page 44 Rights' group accuses South Africa of mistreating refugees (GIN)—South Africa country of last refuge for victims of abuse, war and chronic unemployment in neighboring countries, is mistreating these asylum seekers and refugees, according to a recently released 66-page Human Rights Watch report. The New York-based organization has called on the South African government to "show greater commitment in respecting the rights of asylum seekers and refugees”. South Africa hosts about 142.000 refugees and asylum seekers. Many of them have fled conflict areas and persecution in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe. The refugee reception office in Johannesburg handles 75.000 out of some 115 000 pending applications. countrywide "On paper, South Africa has exemplary laws to protect refugees and asylum seekers," said Georgette Gagnon, the deputy Africa director of Human Rights Watch. "But, in practice, the government is failing to provide protection to these vulnerable individuals." The refugee act, which came into force in 2000, states that refugees and asylum seekers have the right to fair and efficient registration and documentation. Yet obtaining official documents is an extraordinarily difficult process.

South Africa is party to most major international refugee and human rights conventions, and the refugees act legislates the rights of refugees to freedom from arbitrary detention and threat of deportation, and to health care, shelter and education. WWF: Europe benefits from illegal Third World timber exports (GIN)-Massive exports of illegal timber to buyers in European Union countries are destroying major forests in Africa, Asia and poorer countries, the conservation group WWF said in a report released Tuesday. Britain was "the biggest importer of illegal timber in Europe," according to‘ the World Wildlife Fund, and was responsible for the loss of 600,000 hectares of forest, more than twice the size of Luxembourg, each year in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Swiss-based body said the illegal logging that feeds the trade was depriving local communities of their livelihoods and could lead to the loss of major forests in Africa and Indonesia over the next 10 years. WWF forest experts produced their report after studying the trade between EU nations and countries in the Amazon Basin, the Congo Basin, East Africa, Indonesia and Russia. Illegal logging involves cutting down trees, often by rogue companies, in violation of national conservation measures and outside the control of gov-

ernments. "The EU must take much tougher action if it wants to make a difference in both conserving the world's most important forests and in helping alleviate poverty," said Duncan Pollard, head of WWF's European Forest Program. Opposition Brotherhood gainsseats, accuses Egyptian regime of election-eve violence By Penny Abeywardena (GIN) - The Muslim Brotherhood, banned in Egypt but still fielding candidates, is claiming victory in at least 13 seats in the second round of recent parliamentary elections. The Brotherhood is said to have more than doubled its number of seats in the first round. The group’s gains have yet to be confirmed by official results after a day of voting that was marred by violent clashes. The elections have been severely flawed by minor violence and, civil society groups say, widespread intimidation and voting irregularities. The Brotherhood alleges that supporters of longtime ruler President Hosni Mubarak's governing National Democratic Party (NDP) attacked its followers on Sunday. "The success recorded by the Brotherhood during the first phase sparked fear in the regime, which cannot bear the presence of opposition in parliament," said deputy leader Mohammed Habib. Mubarak's NDP is

expected to maintain its overwhelming majority in parliament. In a historic round of elections, Egypt is electing 454 members of parliament in three stages. Liberian yictory gives African women hope (GIN) —A victory party by supporters of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, honored the Harvard-educated economist who beatt her male rival with 59.4 percent of the vote cast in national elections on , Nov. 8. Activists hailed the presidential vote in favor of Johnson-Sirleaf, who held an unbeatable lead in the West African state of Liberia, tom by years of civil war. Liberian-born international soccer star George Weah, received 40.6 percent of the vote that was heavily young and male. a But women are the larger voting bloc and brought Johnson-Sirleaf the climactic win. "This shows that if we put our minds to things, we can get to the highest positions," said Tsitsi Matekaire, director of the Women in Politics Support Unit, a Zimbabwean group lobbying for increased participation of women in decision-making in politics. "We can actually fight and make it ... that's really tremendous." "Other African countries should learn from Liberia and give women responsible jobs," said Shamin Khan, Tanzania's deputy

minister for community development, gender and children. "With women in leadership position, Africa will see a difference instead of continuing conflict and wars during the rule of men." Marie-Madeleine Kalala, human rights minister in the transitional government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, another country recently gripped by civil war, said JohnsonSirleaf s victory is a cause of joy and pride to the women of Africa. Asha Ahmed Abdalla. a woman who once vied for power in yet another wartorn country, Somalia, said: "The world is a better place when run by a woman. Ugandan activist Sarah Mukasa of the NGO Akina Mama wa Afrika (African Mothers), called Johnson-Sirleafs victory a landmark fight for women in Africa. "She has endured a lot of abuse and ridicule just because she is a woman," Mukasa said. "I am happy that for the first time at the summit of African leaders one out of the 53 heads of state will be a woman." In Abidjan in Cote d'Ivoire — yet another strife-torn state — Salimata Porquet, of the International Forum of Women for Peace, Equality and Development, said: "We are convinced this woman will bring peace to Liberia because she is first of all a woman, then a mother, she has her woman's intuition and she's got brains."