Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 3 December 2009 — Page 16

Page 16 • The Muncie Times • December 3, 2009

AFEICAN BRIEFS

Libyan leader denounces Afica new land grab (GIN) - Libya’s Col. Muammar Gaddafi has called for an end to the buying and selling of African farmland by food-importing nations. Speaking at a UN hunger summit, he described it as “new feudalism” which could spread to Lafin America as well. “Rich countries are now buying the land in Africa. They are cheating African people out of their rights. This is also going to happen in Latin America... ” he told the meeting at the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, Italy. Gaddafi's call was disputed by U.N. officials, "ft is wrong to call them land grabs,” said Kanayo Nwanze, who heads the U.N. International Fund for Agricultural Development. "These are investments in farmland like investments in oil exploration We can have win-win situations." But French Farm Minister Bruno Le Maire was quoted by the Reuters news agency agreeing with the Libyan colonel - that "predatory" farmland acquisitions in poor countries should be halted. In the past two years, various non-African countries - China, India, South Korea, Britain and the Arab Gulf states leading the pack - have picked up huge tracts of farmland in Africa by lease or purchase, to produce food or biofuels for their own use. In Sudan, South Korea has acquired 1.7 million acres of land to grow wheat. The United Arab Emirates, which already has 74,000 acres

hectares in Sudan, is investing in another 959,000 acres to grow com, alfalfa, wheat, potatoes and beans. In Tanzania, S; seekins 1.21 Most of the land by foreign acquisition was already in use by local people. “We should fight against this new feudalism, we should put an end to this land grab in African countries,” Libyan President Gaddafi declared. Silence persists over African

role in the

World Wars (GIN) - Special services held last week across Europe and the U.S. marked.the end of a world war and gave honor to

veterans.

But as in previous gatherings, Africans remained unmentioned, writes Chege Mtibiru of the Kenyan paper Daily Nation. Yet Britain, France and Germany used Africans in World War I in ways resembling slavery. All but Germany, then wallowing in Aryan race superiority, used Africans in World War II. In both wars, three categories of Africans existed: Blacks, Arabs, and white South Africans. Historians estimate close to a million geographical Africans fought in World War I. A book on the topic “Fighting for Britain: African Soldiers in the Second Word War” will be released next year and a documentary video called “Africa's Forgotten Soldiers” - first hand accounts from African troops who fought in World War II - can be viewed on the website of

the BBC.

*Photo of Jagama Kello of Ethiopia - left home at 15 to fight Italian invaders /from BBC website Troops enforce calm in worlds largest cocoa grower Nov. 17 (GIN) - The government of the Ivory Coast has deployed troops onto the streets of the capital city, Abidjan, in a move to secure the world's top cocoa grower after new election delays were announced. Troops are mounted at strategic points of the port city, including main road junctions and outside the building of the state broadcaster, according to a witness for the Reuters news agency. Rising tensions are linked to the much-delayed national elections - reminiscent of events in neighboring Guinea. The target date had been Nov. 29 but preparations fell behind schedule and an indefinite postponement was announced this week. Challenges to the eligibility of some one million voters are expected - fallout from the civil war that divided the country in 2002, sparked by the divisive issue of “pure nationality” or “Ivorite” raised by President Laurent Gbagbo. His appeal to “pure Ivoirians” stirred resentment and ultimately violence against togtime residents of the Ivory Coast from neighboring

states.

Observers and

imise his chances of winning, an accusation he rejects.

citizens to return home and fight on the side of the U.S.backed central government

Kenyan youth get training for which is being overwhelmed war in Somalia by fundamentalist armies

such as Al-Shabaab. Foreign

(GIN) - Kenyan officials have Affairs minister Moses have confirmed that Kenyan Wetang'ula is later expected to youtitof Somali , origin are appear before the committee secretly being neauited and to explain the source of fundtrained to fight on behalf of ing for the training,

the Transitional Federation I Government of Somalia, in another sign of the regionalization of troubles in the

African Horn.

One senior government but stressed that it would be I official said he learned that 42 against the agreement to train youths from his district had Kenyans. “We cannot train been recruited but were inter- Kenyan youth to go fight in cepted before reaching boot Somalia. That would be camp for training. against the agreement we Sharmarke Abdi, one have with their government, recruited Kenyan youth, in a Ideally, we should have taken press interview, said he them to court,” he said, escaped after two weeks of training alongside hundreds *Habiba Kosar said her son of youths from both Kenya was taken in the middle of the and Somalia. night "We were told that the United

According to Internal Security secretary Francis Kimemia, more than 2,000 youths had been trained by Kenya on behalf of Somalia,

Lisa Vives Executive Director Global Information Network 146 West 29th Street Suite

!7E

New York, NY 10001 www.globalinfo.org

Nations was supporting the recruitment We were transported in government vehicles. We began training immediately. Some of the trainers were from Somalia,"

he said.

Kom t one off 212-244-3123 (voice) numerous parents in north- 212-244-3522 (fax)

eastern Kenya raising the alarm, said her 18-year-old son, Mohammed, was reemited and is being trained as a soldier at a Kenyan govern-

ment security facility.

GLOBAL INFORMATION NETWORK distributes news and feature articles on Africa and the developing world to mainstream, alternative, eth-

"My son was picked in the nic and minority-owned outmiddle of the night He is lets in the U.S. and Canada being trained for Somalia We Our goal is to increase the perver seen Somalia and spectives available to readers

early 2010 as a powrtrnew date for the election. Rivals of incumbent President Gbagbo accuse him of manipulating the timing of the poll to max-

have no connection with the in North America and to bring country. I just want my son into their view information

back," she said. Government

about global issues that are officials overlooked or under-reported

acknowledge training Somali by mainstream media.