Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 4 May 2006 — Page 44

Page 44 • The Muncie Times • May 4, 2006

AFRICAN BRIEFS

continued from page 43 Hamza was hospitalized with minor injuries. "I told them I was a judge, a head of a court, whack, they hit me," he said. ‘"To my surprise they took my trotjsers off," Judge HamzJtold the BBC Arabic service. Mubarak claims that the government has no intention of intervening in the judiciary system. Dutch timber executive faces Hague trial over Liberia war crimes By Braden Ruddy (GIN)—A Dutch timber executive is on trial in The Hague for war crimes, including massacres of women and children in Liberia and for violating a U.N. arms embargo. During the rule of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, Gus Kouwenhoven was the general manager of the Oriental Timber Co. B, Liberia's largest loggingcompany. In a U. N. report, Kouwenhoven was described as being responsible for the logistical aspects of many of the arms deals during Taylor's regime. The same report said Kouwenhoven was part of Taylor's "inner circle." "Militias formed by the Dutchman's timber companies are alleged to have

participated in mas- the need for internation- To revitalize educasacres of civilians, al mechanisms to curb tion, emphasis is being where even babies were the trade in conflict focused on recruiting not spared. The weapons resources," she said. qualified science and used by the militias to English teachers. Many

commit these war Namibia raises $65m schools have been

crimes are alleged to IlaiQ train skilled teach- churning out graduates have been supplied by ers, who cannot speak and the Dutchman," said a improve all education write English, which Dutch prosecutor at the was adopted as an offitime of his arrest. WINDHOEK, cial language at indeAttorney Alfred L. Namibia (IRIN)— pendence from South Brownell, president of Namibia has managed to Africa in 1990. Green Advocates, the raise almost U.S. $60 Shortage of class Association of million to address a crit- space has also been a

Environmental Lawyers ical shortage of skilled perennial problem, of Liberia, believes that teachers and classrooms Early this year thouKouwenhoven’s trial is a that has affected the sands of pupils were landmark case that quality of education. turned away from could set new prece- Private business and schools because they dents for the intersection Western donors 2 weeks had no room; there are of human rights and stepped forward to help also great resource disenvironmental protec- finance Namibia's parities between rural tion law in the develop- Education and Training and urban schools, ing world. Sector Improvement In February, the gov"The world has now Programme (ETSIP). ernment admitted its transcended the end of The funds will kickstart shortcomings saying it the era of impunity the program aimed at was a question of miswhere predatory busi- ensuring all Namibians placed priorities, ness entrepreneurs are have access to a decent Namibia, a middleawarded unrestricted education over the next income country with permits to leech on the 10 years. extreme income inequalblood of innocent poor "It is not enough to ity based on an rural inhabitants in the give our people basic lit- apartheid past, devotes name of profits," he eracy," said President one-third of its budget to said. Hifikepunye education,but most of it Natalie Ashworth, a Pohambahe. "We must goes towards salaries, campaigner at Global also endeavour to equip The government has Witness, shared them with skills, capaci- set aside $500,000 to be Brownell's view of the ties and competencies spent on ETSIP over the far-reaching signifi- through education and next 3 years, cance of the case. vocational skills train- "The time has indeed "This incredibly ing." come to move ETSIP important case will A low number of stu- from the desks of the highlight the devastating dents passing final specialists who designed role that the timber exams this year led to it, to the hands of the industry played in the renewed calls for reform specialists who will destruction of Liberia in of the education sector, operationalize it; mova war that cost over with tertiary institutions ing it from head offices 250,000 lives. The fail- complaining they were to the children of ure of the industry to being forced to admit Namibia, the very peotake a moral stand on under-qualified stu- pie whose lives it is this issue demonstrates dents. meant to improve," said

Deputy Prime Minister Libertina Amathila. SA prisoners on hunger strike in demand for AIDS drugs By Braden Ruddy (GIN) Hundreds of inmates at Westville Prison in Durban, South Africa, have gone on a hunger strike after prolonged negotiations with the government fell through. The prisoners are demanding that the health ministry and the department of correctional services provide them with life-prolong-ing antiretroviral drugs. Xolani Ncemu, the spokesman for the prisoners and chair of the HIV/AIDS support group at Westville Prison, said that the strike was scheduled to last 3 days but may be extended. "We are sick, we are sick," Ncemu said. "We want the minister to come and hear our demands." Inmates at Westville say that the drugs are being withheld by officials because they supposedly lack identification documents. Mark Heywood, director of the AIDS Law Project in Johannesburg, questioned the government's need for identification documents, saying that the prisoners had to already be identi-