Guiné Equatorial: Rumo à Commonwealth

Grand reception for the Head of State after the integration of Equatorial Guinea in the CPLP
After the success achieved with the integration into the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), the President of the Republic came to the city of Bata on the morning of July 25, accompanied by the President of Sao Tome and Principe. Awaiting him was a warm and massive popular reception. In his words, Obiang Nguema has left the door open for Equatorial Guinea's access into the Commonwealth.

The President of the Republic with the
President of Sao Tome.

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26/07/2014

Upon his arrival, President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo was received at the Bata International Airport by the country's main authorities, led by Second Vice President of the Republic, Teodoro Nguema Mangue; the Prime Minister, Vicente Ehate Tomi, and the Secretary General of Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE), Jeronimo Osa Osa, among others.

It was also attended by many representatives of the ruling party, companies and citizens, to congratulate the Head of State for the integration into the community of Portuguese language.

The President of the Republic, who has returned to the Nation accompanied by his counterpart from Sao Tome and Principe, Manuel Pinto da Costa, and the First Lady, Constancia Mangue de Obiang, offered a special press conference to the national and international media present for the occasion.

To begin, the President expressed his appreciation to Pinto da Costa for his presence in Equatorial Guinea, as well as the citizens of Bata for such a warm welcome. Then he highlighted the importance of our country now being a full member of the CPLP.

The Head of State also recalled other transcendent past events, such as the integration into the CEMAC and the establishment of a single currency, the CFA franc; two important steps that have led Equatorial Guinea to break the economic and political barriers.

Now with this new integration in the international political spectrum, H.E. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo also stated that the door is open to request entry into the Commonwealth of Nations, since Equatorial Guinea also has common historical roots with English-speaking countries.

H.E. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo did not hide the difficulties he found in this integration, and welcomed the unanimous support of the African Portuguese-speaking countries, thanking those who "have supported and have defended me in this petition."

As for the criticisms that have arisen in certain sectors, the Head of State was emphatic: "Equatorial Guinea receives many criticisms, but when the train passes, we ignore the barking of the dogs. We are making progress, and the greatness of a nation is not measured by the size or density of the population, but by the politics it carries out. Equatorial Guinea is a large country and we are now important in the international community."

Text: Javier Hernandez.
Photos: Javier Hernández and Miguel Ángel Andjimi.
Equatorial Guinea’s Press and Information Office.

Notice: Reproduction of all or part of this article or the images that accompany it must always be done mentioning its source (Equatorial Guinea's Press and Information Office).

 

A difícil sucessão de Robert Mugabe

The nomination of Grace Mugabe (foto) for the leadership of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front's Women's League has put the cat among the party pigeons. The bandwagon rolling behind Vice-President

Joice Mujuru, which seemed to have built up a healthy momentum, has for the time being shuddered to a halt and the opportunists riding it are now poised to jump. The camp of Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Justice Minister and Mujuru's chief rival to succeed President Robert Mugabe, also suffered. The real winners are those who believe that Mugabe's continued incumbency is the only way forward. ZANU-PF's elective congress – which should decide the succession – takes place in December but the Youth and the Women's Leagues will each hold theirs in August.
Africa Confidencial

Três anos de instabilidade na Líbia

Libya has been hit by instability since the overthrow of long-serving ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011. Numerous militias each govern their own patches of territory, with successive governments struggling to exercise control.

Who is in control of Libya?

No-one - that is the problem. There are lots of different armed groups - up to 1,700 - with many different goals. But money and power are the common denominators.

During the uprising, anyone with a gun could command respect and some do not want that to change. Instead, they seem more determined than ever to gain more territory and impose their will.

They are also ideologically divided - some of them are Islamists, others are secessionists and yet others are liberals. Furthermore, the militias are split along regional lines, making it a combustible mix. Some fear Libya could descend into civil war.

Guide to Libya's militias

Weren't they once allies?

They were united in their hatred for Col Gaddafi - but nothing more. There was no single group in charge of the rebellion. Militias were based in different cities, fighting their own battles.

Several felt they had paid a particularly high price during the conflict and should be rewarded. And after more than four decades of authoritarian rule, they had little understanding of democracy. So, they were unable to forge compromises and build a new state based on the rule of law. As a result, Libya has had five governments since the 2011 revolution. In June 2014, it held its second democratic election since Col Gaddafi's overthrow, but the poll has not helped achieve stability.

Hasn't Libya received outside help?
Very little. The US had pledged to help the new government recover weapons - especially anti-aircraft missiles that had gone missing when Col Gaddafi's government crumbled.

But Libya remains what some security analysts describe as an arms bazaar. It is awash with weapons which have also ended up in the hands of other armed groups in the region. There is no top-level mediation effort either - by Western powers or regional bodies like the Arab League and African Union (AU).

How toppling Gaddafi affected Mali

Why not?

The West and Arab League appear to be more concerned about the instability in Syria and Egypt. As for the the AU, it has little influence in Libya - it opposed the Nato-backed offensive to oust Col Gaddafi, and is viewed with deep suspicion by Libya's authorities.

Yet African countries are most concerned about the conflict, fearing it could worsen instability in countries such as Mali and Niger. Weapons from Col Gaddafi's looted arsenals are also said to have been smuggled to the Sinai, Gaza and even Syria.

The Libyan government says it is considering asking for international help to restore stability after fighting between rival militias forced the closure of the Tripoli international airport. But in an ominous sign the UN withdrew its staff from Libya because of concerns about their safety. It is not clear what outside assistance Libya might ask for - or which countries might agree to help.

Have foreigners been threatened?

Yes. There have been a spate of attacks on diplomats since 2012. They include the killing of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens in Benghazi, where the uprising against Col Gaddafi began, and the kidnapping of the Jordanian ambassador Fawaz al-Itan, who was released in exchange for a jihadist jailed in Jordan. There were also attacks on the Italian consulate in Benghazi, as well as the French and the Russian embassies in Tripoli.

The US appears to be carrying out covert operations in Libya to neutralise the threat. It responded to Mr Stevens' death by capturing al-Qaeda suspect Anas al-Liby in Tripoli in October 2013 and in June 2014, Ahmed Abu Khattala was seized near Benghazi.

Militias have also seized oil terminals, operated by Western firms. It has led to a huge fall in production, but has not had a major impact on the global oil market.

Why gunmen have turned off Libya's oil taps

Which are the main militias?

Ansar al-Sharia is said to be the most dangerous Islamist armed group in Libya, along with its ally, the 17 February Martyrs Brigade. Ansar al-Sharia was blamed for Mr Stevens' killing, and is said to have forged links with other Islamists groups. Some analysts say Ansar al-Sharia has men who fought in Syria, though there has been no independent confirmation of this.

The Islamist Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room has been involved in a battle with the Zintan militia for control of the Tripoli international airport, raising concern that the conflict in Libya is escalating.

General Khalifa Haftar also has a powerful militia, the Libya National Army (LNA). It was behind the 16 May air attack on an Islamist base in Benghazi while the allied Zintan militia launched an assault two days later on the parliamentary building in Tripoli. Gen Haftar says his objective is to defeat the Islamists, though government officials accuse him of being a renegade simply driven by a thirst for power.

Who is Gen Haftar?

He helped Col Gaddafi seize power in 1969, and played a key role in Libya's military incursion into Chad in the 1980s. He later fell out with Col Gaddafi, and relocated to the US.

He resurfaced in Libya during the uprising against Col Gaddafi's rule, and built a militia that drew in other ex-Gaddafi loyalists. To many Libyans, he remains a shadowy figure who has caused much instability. His main base is in Benghazi, but he has shown his influence stretches to Tripoli.

Profile: Khalifa Haftar

Rogue general divides Libyans

How do Libyans feel?

Many of them live in fear - and have to move to safe places when fighting breaks out. They feel their dreams have been shattered - like many in neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia after their own popular uprisings.

But the situation in Libya is far more anarchic - that is because the army disintegrated after Col Gaddafi's fall, unlike in Egypt. Moreover, Libya has never had well-established political groups - like Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and Tunisia's Ennahda - to champion the interests of their constituents.

So, the government is at the mercy of the militias. In fact, it pays many of the militiamen, hoping they will switch loyalties and help build a new national army but there is little evidence of that happening. BBC

África, campeã das desigualdades

La récente étude du Wealth Report sur la multiplication des milliardaires africains et le nouveau rapport du PNUD sur les mauvais résultats du continent en terme de développement humain ne sont pas contradictoires. Ils démontrent chacun à leur manière que l’Afrique est devenu un champion mondial des inégalités.

Si l’économie africaine était une recette de cuisine, nul doute qu’elle appartiendrait au registre du sucré-salé, voire du sucré-amer. Car si la vie des crésus africains semble de plus en plus doucereuse, celle des "gens d’en bas" confine à une amertume fataliste. La récente étude du Wealth Report confirme le premier constat, tandis que le nouveau rapport du PNUD sur le développement humain démontre le deuxième volet de l’observation.
"Champagne pour tout le monde !", pourrait-on s’écrier en constatant que l’augmentation du nombre de milliardaires africains accompagne une croissance économique soutenue sur le continent. Comme l’indique la nouvelle étude du Wealth Report, réalisée chaque année par le cabinet immobilier Knight Frank, c’est en Afrique que le nombre de multimillionnaires va croître le plus. La cohorte des milliardaires africains devrait ainsi augmenter de 52% au cours de la prochaine décennie, connaissant ainsi la plus forte progression mondiale. Le cercle des très riches s’élargira notamment en Côte d’Ivoire, en Tanzanie, en Éthiopie, au Ghana et au Nigeria.
Cercle vertueux ?
Ne faut-il y voir que la prouesse d’happy few sur le dos des masses laborieuses ? Les sacro-saints experts de la macroéconomie se gargarisent, en dépeignant un cercle économique vertueux sur un continent traditionnellement cantonné au rôle de galérien du monde. L’incontournable FMI annonce une croissance subsaharienne de 5,7% par an jusqu'en 2018, performance qui devrait profiter d'un fort essor démographique. Destination attractive pour les investisseurs étrangers, l’Afrique devrait bénéficier, ici ou là, de booms dans l’immobilier, l’énergie, les télécoms ou le tourisme. Clou du feu d’artifice économique annoncé, le marché du luxe devrait croître en Afrique plus qu’ailleurs, les études démontrant que les fortunés africains sont les plus disposés à dépenser. C’est ainsi à la vitesse d’un supersonique que le continent serait en train de combler son retard en nombre de jets privés. Mais…

Dans le triste tableau du PNUD, l’Afrique tient le bas du pavé.

Mais "l’argent ne fait pas le bonheur des pauvres", disait l’humoriste français Coluche. C’est ce que tend à montrer le rapport sur le développement humain dans le monde rendu public, le 24 juillet, par le Programme des Nations unies pour le développement (PNUD). Si le document a chaque année un nouveau titre –en 2014 "Pérenniser le progrès humain : réduire les vulnérabilités et renforcer la résilience"–, il décline pratiquement les mêmes conclusions, quand bien même la planète s’approche de la date de la théorique réalisation des Objectifs du Millénaire. Le couperet mondial est encore tombé : 2,2 milliards de personnes vivent en situation de pauvreté dite "multidimensionnelle" et 1,2 milliard de personnes ne disposent que d’un revenu inférieur ou égal à 1,25 dollar par jour.
Richesses naturelles et pauvreté
Dans ce triste tableau, l’Afrique tient le bas du pavé. Alors que le rapport sur le développement humain 2014 classe 187 pays, les 18 derniers sont africains. En queue de peloton : la Sierra Leone, le Tchad, la République centrafricaine, la République démocratique du Congo et, bon dernier, le Niger pourtant riche de ses gisements d’uranium.
Faut-il s’étonner de la concomitance de ce mauvais classement onusien et des performances africaines en matière de "riches des riches ?" Pas tant que ça, si l’on en croit d’autres études de l’ONU qui s’intéressent au coefficient de Gini, indicateur qui établit la dispersion des revenus dans une population.
Ces rapports établissent que les pays qui connaissent les meilleures progressions en termes de revenus sont aussi ceux qui abritent les niveaux d’inégalité les plus élevés. La cohabitation entre croissance économique et pauvreté pourrait même perdurer en Afrique, notamment en Afrique australe. Parmi les champions de l’inégalité, la Namibie et l’Afrique du Sud se partagent régulièrement les places du podium avec Haïti.
L’apparition de nouveaux riches africains serait donc un phénomène qu'on pourrait décrire comme la cerise des uns, sur la galère des autres.

Damien Glez



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Tripoli está a arder

Un tir de roquette a provoqué dimanche l'incendie de vastes réservoirs de carburant près de Tripoli. Le gouvernement évoque une situation "très dangereuse", les pompiers ne parvenant pas à éteindre les flammes qui menacent la capitale libyenne.

Touché par un tir de roquette, un immense réservoir de 6 millions de litres de carburant a pris feu dimanche 27 juillet sur la route de l'aéroport de Tripoli. Les autorités libyennes ont rapidement appelé les habitants des environs à quitter la zone, par crainte d'une "explosion de grande ampleur". Lundi, en début d'après-midi, un deuxième réservoir était dévoré par les flammes et les pompiers déployés sur place ne parvenaient pas à maîtriser l'incendie.
Dans un communiqué, le gouvernement libyen a annoncé que la situation devenait "très dangereuse" et a mis en garde contre "une catastrophe humaine et environnementale". Il a aussi demandé une aide internationale, "plusieurs pays" ayant déjà annoncé "leur disposition à envoyer des avions".
"Les sapeurs-pompiers ont tenté durant des heures de venir à bout du feu, en vain. Finalement, ils ont épuisé leurs réserves d'eau et ont quitté les lieux", a déclaré Mohamed al-Hrari, porte-parole de la Compagnie nationale libyenne de pétrole (NOC), soulignant qu'il restait "l'option d'une intervention aérienne."
Risque d'explosion
Les deux réservoirs se situent sur la route de l'aéroport, où se déroulent depuis plus de deux semaines des combats entre milices rivales qui ont fait plus de 97 morts et 400 blessés. Lundi, premier jour de la fête musulmane du Fitr qui marque la fin du ramadan, des explosions étaient toujours entendues, alors que le pays est en proie à de graves violences.
À la mi-journée, une épaisse colonne de fumée noire s'élevait au dessus du site, à une dizaine de kilomètres de Tripoli. "Le danger le plus important serait une propagation des flammes aux réservoirs de gaz ménager, stockés sur le même site", a indiqué Mohamed al-Hrari, porte-parole de la Compagnie nationale de pétrole (NOC). Une grande explosion risquerait alors de se produire et provoquerait des dégâts sur un rayon de 3 à 5 km.
Pays extrêmement riche en pétrole, la Libye fait cependant face depuis plusieurs jours une pénurie de carburant, les stations services étant fermée à cause de l'insécurité qui règne dans le pays.
Les étrangers sur le départ
Le gouvernement libyen a appelé de nouveau vendredi à l'arrêt des combats, mettant en garde contre l'effondrement de l'État. Plusieurs pays européens, dont la France, le Royaume-Uni et l'Allemagne ont enjoint leurs ressortissants à quitter la Libye. Les États-Unis, dont l'ambassade est située sur la route de l'aéroport, ont évacué leur personnel diplomatique samedi par voie terrestre, protégés par une couverture aérienne. Certains pays, comme l'Italie ou Malte, ont affrété des avions pour évacuer leurs ressortissants. Plusieurs expatriés travaillant pour des compagnies occidentales ont également été évacués par la route, via la Tunisie voisine.
Ces départs risquent de paralyser davantage le pays. Le ministère de la Santé a déjà mis en garde contre une pénurie en personnel médical, notamment après l'annonce des Philippines de l'évacuation de leurs ressortissants, dont 3 000 médecins et infirmiers.
(Avec AFP)


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Camarões: Condenados elementos do Boko Haram

Quatorze islamistes du groupe armé nigérian Boko Haram ont été condamnés à des peines de prison ferme allant de 10 à 20 ans par la justice militaire camerounaise, a rapporté vendredi la radio-télévision d'Etat camerounaise (Crtv).

Au cours de "l'audience publique" qui s'est tenue jeudi au tribunal militaire de Maroua (Extrême-Nord), région frontalière où la secte nigériane est active, 14 personnes interpellées en mars lors de la découverte d'une cache d'armes "ont confessé leur appartenance à la secte Boko Haram", a affirmé la radio-télévision. Selon elle, les accusés ont reconnu les faits pour lesquels ils étaient jugés : "détention et port illégal d'armes et de munitions de guerre, préparatifs dangereux et insurrection".
"Chacun des 14 adeptes de la nébuleuse Boko Haram (a été) condamné à des peines comprises entre 10 et 20 ans", ajoute la radio. Ce verdict est "sans appel", selon la Crtv.
C'est la première fois qu'une "audience publique" visant des membres de Boko Haram est organisée dans le pays, a précisé la radio-télévision.
De nombreux membres du groupe armé nigérian ont été arrêtés ces dernières semaines dans l'Extrême-Nord du Cameroun, où cette secte multiplie des actions de harcèlement, défiant l'armée mobilisée pour la combattre : attaques de gendarmerie, enlèvements et meurtres.
Deux militaires camerounais tués
Deux militaires camerounais ont ainsi été tués jeudi soir dans la région de l'Extrême-Nord au cours d'un affrontement avec des combattants de Boko Haram qui attaquaient Balgaram, un village frontalier.
Le Cameroun, comme d'autres pays de la région, a renforcé récemment sa lutte contre les islamistes nigérians, après l'indignation internationale qui avait suivi l'enlèvement de plus de 200 lycéennes nigérianes le 14 avril.
Les islamistes de Boko Haram ont longtemps considéré cette région frontalière comme un refuge, une zone propice aux enlèvements d'étrangers, mais aussi un territoire de transit et d'approvisionnement en armes et explosifs.
Depuis 2009, les insurgés de Boko Haram mènent au Nigeria une sanglante insurrection qui a fait des milliers de morts (plus de 2.000 depuis début 2014) et déborde sur les pays voisins.

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Submarinos nucleares israelitas

Israel está equipando com armas nucleares submarinos produzidos na Alemanha e em parte financiados por este país. Segundo a revista Der Spiegel, a Marinha israelense já dispõe de três submarinos fabricados na Alemanha e outros três deverão ser entregues até 2017.Produzidos em Kiel pela Howaldtswerke, do grupo ThyssenKrupp, os submarinos possibilitam que Israel "reforce seu arsenal atômico flutuante", escreve a revista, baseada em consultas a ex-ministros, militares e fontes de inteligência da Alemanha, de Israel e dos Estados Unidos.
Ao ser questionado sobre o negócio, o governo alemão defendeu as exportações dos equipamentos. "Com a entrega dos submarinos, o governo alemão dá seguimento à política de gestões anteriores. A entrega foi feita sem armamentos. O governo da Alemanha não participa de qualquer especulação a respeito de um posterior armamento", afirmou o porta-voz Steffen Seibert.
A posse de armas atômicas nunca foi confirmada nem desmentida oficialmente pelo governo israelense. Em seu relatório anual de 2012 sobre armamento e desarmamento, o Instituto de Pesquisa da Paz, em Estocolmo, revela que Israel tem mais de 80 ogivas nucleares.
Oposição quer explicações
A notícia logo gerou reações políticas em Berlim. O líder do Partido Verde, Jürgen Trittin, acusa o governo da chanceler federal Angela Merkel de não verificar as próprias condições impostas para o negócio.
Uma delas seria a de "condicionar a entrega dos submarinos do tipo Dolphin a mudanças na política de assentamentos em Israel, possibilitar a construção de redes de coleta de esgoto na Faixa de Gaza e devolução de dinheiro às autoridades palestinas".
Israel, no entanto, só teria cumprido a terceira condição, disse Trittin ao jornal Die Welt. Para o político, se mesmo assim os equipamentos continuarem sendo entregues, o governo vai demonstrar "que suas próprias condições impostas não são importantes".
Também os social-democratas, de oposição, exigem explicações. "Até agora as entregas foram justificadas, entre outros motivos, pelo fato de os submarinos serem sistemas convencionais de intimidação", afirmou Rolf Mützenich, do SPD. "Agora é preciso esclarecer se as informações procedem e se os submarinos podem ser equipados com armas atômicas".
Já o porta-voz de política externa da coalizão que forma o governo de Merkel, Philipp Missfelder, cita a situação de ameaças por Israel. "Adversários agressivos na região fazem necessário que nossos amigos precisem ser protegidos. Por isso a Alemanha ajuda com razão, pois Israel é parte de nossa comunidade de valores e nós queremos proteger a única democracia pluralista no Oriente Médio", afirmou Missfelder à revista.
Tema sensível
As relações entre Alemanha e Israel são um tema historicamente sensível desde o fim da Segunda Guerra Mundial. A produção de armas destinadas aos israelenses teria começado em 1957, fazendo com que os alemães atuassem indiretamente na defesa do país.
"Os alemães podem ficar orgulhosos por terem assegurado por tantos anos a existência do Estado de Israel", afirmou o ministro israelense de Defesa, Ehud Barak, à revista alemã.
Em Maio, durante uma visita a Israel, o presidente alemão, Joachim Gauck, quebrou a tradição das visitas diplomáticas e criticou o governo israelense. Ele apelou para que Israel retome o processo de paz com os palestinos. Gauck enfatizou o compromisso da Alemanha com o país, mas sugeriu que uma solidariedade irrestrita pode se mostrar problemática.
Em abril deste ano, o Nobel de Literatura Günter Grass foi considerado "persona non grata" em Israel por conta da publicação de um poema, no qual o escritor alemão acusa os israelenses de ameaçar a paz mundial com seu poder nuclear. Com o episódio, Grass foi proibido de entrar em Israel.
MSB/dpa/afp/rtr

Sudão do Sul: uma independência infeliz

South Sudan's food crisis is the worst in the world, the UN Security Council has warned, calling for urgent action.

It said there was a "catastrophic food insecurity" in the country, urging donor nations who pledged $618m (£364m) in aid to make good on their promise.

The UN children's fund, Unicef, said some four million - a third of the population - could be affected.

It said that 50,000 children may die of hunger in the conflict-torn country unless international help increased.

More than a million people have fled their homes since fighting erupted between different factions of South Sudan's ruling party last December.

Thousands have now died in the conflict that started as a political dispute between President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar but has since escalated into ethnic violence.

Months of fighting have prevented farmers from planting or harvesting crops, causing food shortages nationwide.

The onset of the rainy season has added to the problem, dashing hopes that displaced farmers plant crops to feed themselves in the future, the BBC's Rob Broomby reports.

South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, topped the list of fragile states in this year's index released by The Fund for Peace, a leading US-based research institute.

BBC

Segundo Moscovo, Alemanha quer aderir aos BRICS!

A shocking new report prepared by the Ministry Of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) circulating in the Kremlin today states that Germany’s Federal Foreign Office (FFO) contacted Moscow this week requesting an accelerated membership course for their joining the BRICS economic community as they plan to leave the European Union (EU), a move Russian experts said would “spell doom” to the Obama regimes “dream of empire”.
BRICS is the acronym for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa and as of 2013, the five BRICS countries represent almost 3 billion people with a combined nominal GDP of US$16.039 trillion and an estimated US$4 trillion in combined foreign reserves.  As of 2014, the BRICS nations represented 18 percent of the world economy.
Opposing BRICS is a global financial system organized by the West and dominated by the US which forces nations to conduct their international business in the unstable US dollar, making their economies swing back and forth with the winds of policy crafted in Washington, D.C., and New York City.
The West has ceded influence in institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) only grudgingly, and to the BRICS, today’s financial system is out of touch with the changing times, and ill-suited to support the world’s up-and-coming economic titans.
According to this report, Germany became “alarmed” this week after the Obama regime ordered the EU to “ignore and not comment on” the evidence provided by Russia relating to the Malaysian Airlines 17 flight shot down over Ukraine last week proving it was a “deliberate action” ordered by Kiev officials with CIA involvement. 
German intelligence sources, this report continues, confirm their US counterpart’s assessment that Russia had no involvement in the downing of this aircraft and further confirm that the Obama regimes case using YouTube videos and Tweets to blame Russia is “unraveling like a cheap sweater” under the increasing realization that dubious social media-sourced evidence is essentially all there is.
Most damning about the Obama regime accusations against Russia relating to the downing of MH-17, this report says, were German intelligence confirmations that these same YouTube videos and Tweets seeking to prove Russian involvement have proven to be “manipulated” and, instead, prove Ukrainian military forces were to blame.
Important to note, MoFA experts in this report say, is that Germany in knowing of the coming showdown between the Obama regime and Russia, had secretly planned to join the BRICS nations economic bloc in 2011 when its Bundesbank (Central Bank of Germany) demanded a full repatriation of Germany's entire US$141 billion gold reserve from the US Federal Reserve where it was stored.
On 24 June 2014, this report continues, Germany was forced to give up on its plan to repatriate its gold from the US after being told by the Obama regime that it would only get its gold back in seven years, clearly showing that the US central banking cartel did something nefarious with the metal it had been entrusted to safeguard.
In countering the Obama regimes move, however, this report says, Germany withheld from being converted into Euros over US13 billion worth of its former currency Deutsche Marks, and since 2011 have had their printing presses working overtime printing more.
Making Germany’s move to BRICS and away from the Obama regime even more urgent, this report warns, are the Americans planned attack on the Bundesbank similar to their one on France’s largest bank BNP Paribas that was punished with a US$9 billion legal fee after France refused to cancel the Mistral warship shipment to Russia, and which promptly led Banque de France (French National Bank) head Christian Noyer to warn that “the days of the US Dollar as a reserve currency are numbered”.
Agreeing with Noyer, this report says, is Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff who stated last week at the start of the seventh summit of the BRICS nations that the five big emerging economies “are moving toward a new global architecture”; an economic structure Germany desperately needs as the “boomerang effect” of the Obama regimes sanctions on Russia are beginning to destroy the Germany economy.
Equally as critical behind Germany’s move to join BRICS, this report says, was the Obama regimes CIA spy ring uncovered spying on top German officials causing Germany to order the CIA station chief in Berlin to leave their country.
So alarmed has Germany become over the Obama regimes spying on them, Russian intelligence experts in this report say, their top government officials are now forced to store their smartphones and tablet computers when sensitive discussions take place, and typewriter sales are now surging in Germany too as CIA/NSA fears are forcing even of the most common of people to keep their secrets safe.
As to the American people themselves being aware of the catastrophically dangerous West-East struggle for global economic supremacy now ongoing, and with each passing day is leading to open conflict, this report doesn’t say.
However, in a recent poll conducted by Politico, it found that most Americans aren’t paying the least bit of attention to the war propaganda coming out of Washington…a deliberate ignorance they will surely pay for much sooner than later.
July 23, 2014 © EU and US all rights reserved. Permission to use this report in its entirety is granted under the condition it is linked back to its original source at WhatDoesItMean.Com. Freebase content licensed under CC-BY and GFDL.

Bissau: O que disse a CPLP

Os chefes de Estado e de Governo da CPLP defenderam, numa declaração conjunta, "a necessidade da reforma do setor de defesa e segurança e da justiça, enquanto elementos fundamentais de uma estratégia de estabilização eficaz e duradoura".

       

O Conselho também saudou a realização das eleições na Guiné-Bissau, a restauração da ordem constitucional e "a criação de condições essenciais para a consolidação da estabilidade política e governativa, do Estado de Direito, do desenvolvimento, da democracia e da justiça social".
Na declaração final da cimeira, os líderes lusófonos, fazem um apelo para que as novas autoridades do país prossigam "o diálogo político, como meio de alcançar o consenso político à volta das prioridades nacionais, nomeadamente a implementação de reformas do Estado, a consolidação da estabilidade, o do Estado de direito, a revitalização da economia e a coesão nacional".
Foi recomendada uma concertação com a Comunidade Económica dos Estados da África Ocidental (CEDEAO), procurando a estabilidade política, social e económica do país.
Os chefes de Estado e de Governo manifestaram a disponibilidade dos Estados membros da CPLP para estabelecer esforços na "assistência financeira ao Programa de Urgência do Governo guineense e apelar aos parceiros internacionais de desenvolvimento para concessão de ajuda ao país".
A direção da CPLP recomendou ao secretariado executivo do bloco lusófono e ao representante especial da organização em Bissau (o brasileiro Carlos de Alves Moura) "o acompanhamento regular da situação interna na Guiné-Bissau e a manutenção de um quadro de concertação e interação com o Governo e os parceiros internacionais e regionais sobre a assistência internacional ao processo de normalização política e institucional do país".
Na declaração final da X Cimeira de chefes de Estado e de governo do bloco lusófono, divulgada hoje, sublinhou-se também necessidade de acompanhamento regular pela CPLP da situação interna da Guiné-Bissau, com vista à normalização política e social do país.
Os chefes de Estado e de governo da CPLP congratularam-se com o retorno da Guiné-Bissau à organização e pela realização "das eleições gerais de 13 de abril e na segunda volta das eleições presidenciais de 18 de maio de 2014 e manifestaram satisfação pela contribuição da Missão de Observação Eleitoral da CPLP no acompanhamento do pleito".
Foi recomendado, na declaração final da Cimeira, a concertação da CPLP com a CEDEAO e da CEDEAO com as demais organizações internacionais para a estabilização da situação política, social e económica da Guiné-Bissau.

Timor-Leste: Melhoria das ligações rodoviárias

The Road Climate Resilience Project for Timor-Leste is working to deliver climate resilient road infrastructure to communities between Dili-Ainaro and ensure roads are better protected against natural disasters. Reduced road closures will allow improved access to local and regional markets and towns. Additional Financing for the project will upgrade additional road segments linked to the Dili-Ainaro corridor.
Challenge
Due to geographical conditions, the road link between the south and north of the country is often not accessible, especially during periods of heavy rain when landslides and flooding are common. The Dili – Ainaro road is a vital link connecting Dili, Aileu, and Ainaro, districts where the population is mostly farmers. Managing the risks of erosion and improving drainage remains a challenge. In order to ensure that the roads can withstand rain and flooding, the technicians have conducted several studies along the road to ensure that the best possible road will be built to benefit the Timorese people.
Solution
The proposed World Bank financed project is supporting the core network development program by investing in the key 110 km north-south corridor: Dili-Ainaro. The road connects three districts – Dili, Aileu and Ainaro – which jointly account for 32 percent of country’s population. The improvements are being done in two phases, first focusing on urgent road repairs where it is most severely damaged, the second working on the overall road; bringing in improvements to pavement, drainage and other environmental protection measures. Consultations along the corridor were carried out and confirmed broad community support for the project.
Results

• The first step involved essential emergency works for seven (7) risks location for landslide, erosion and flooding along the road and these were completed in February 2013 and it help the transport movements during the rainy season.
• Additional Financing for the project was approved in October 2013 in the amount of a US$25 million IDA credit and a US$15 million IBRD loan. This allowed the scale up of the project to upgrade the entire 110km road corridor
• Activities commenced on mid-2014 on the whole road upgrade.

*Accessing the market in the capital Dili during the rainy season was a real hardship. Due to bad roads caused by landslides and flooding, people lack basic access. *
Tomas Soares
Local truck driver living in Ainaro

Timor-Leste: diminuem receitas do petróleo

A estabilidade política em Timor-Leste pode ficar ameaçada pelo previsível declínio nas receitas do petróleo e se o atual primeiro-ministro, Xanana Gusmão, deixar o poder no final do ano, avisa o Instituto de Análise Política dos Conflitos.
De acordo com este instituto, com sede em Jacarta, na Indonésia, uma das raízes da estabilidade política que se vive em Timor-Leste resulta da canalização das verbas do petróleo para pagar aos deslocados para voltarem para casa, comprar os desertores do Exército que fomentaram a violência em 2006, financiar as pensões para os veteranos da luta pela independência e garantir contratos de construção aos potenciais opositores políticos.
"Entre os observadores há uma tese geralmente aceite que diz que comprar a paz não é uma maneira aconselhável de criar estabilidade num país, e isso é verdade, principalmente em termos de sustentabilidade", defende o vice-presidente do instituto (IPAC, na sigla em inglês), em declarações citadas no IRIN, um site gerido pelo departamento das Nações Unidas para a Coordenação dos Assuntos Humanitários.
Cillian Nolan acrescenta, no entanto, que "de alguma forma isto resultou bem, não só porque conseguiu-se manter a paz, mas também porque isto mostrou uma forte independência face à influência estrangeira, porque realmente era dinheiro timorense a ir para as mãos de timorenses".
Depois da independência, em 2002, o país passou por vários conflitos internos em 2006 devido a dissidências dentro do Exército, que deixaram 150 mil pessoas desalojadas, o que resultou numa internvenção militar internacional, mas desde então tem havido um período de relativa estabilidade política.
De acordo com uma análise do Banco Mundial, as raízes da violência de 2006 assentaram no "falhanço em corresponder às altas expetativas pós-independência, particularmente para os veteranos da luta pela independência, altas taxas de pobreza e uma favoritismo percecionado na atribuição de cargos".
Para o Grupo Internacional de Crise (ICG, na sigla em inglês), são três os pilares da estabilidade no pequeno país habitado por 1,1 milhões de habitantes: "a autoridade do primeiro-ministro, as reformas no setor da segurança, e o fluxo de receitas petrolíferas do Mar de Timor".
Dois dos alicerces que sustentam a estabilidade política estão, no entanto, em risco, a começar pelo petróleo, cujas receitas vão começar a diminuir: "Timor-Leste tem cerca de sete anos até que a riqueza petrolífera desapareça", vaticina o investigador Charles Scheiner, do instituto de análise política timorense Lao Hamutuk.
Este instituto calcula que 90% das receitas estatais de Timor-Leste resultam do petróleo e gás. O Fundo Petrolífero detém cerca de 16 mil milhões de dólares, mas em 2025 estará vazio.
Por outro lado, a saída de Xanana, segundo os mesmos investigadores, criará o problema de como lidar com a previsível agitação social e política sem a liderança única do histórico resistente timorense.
*Este artigo foi escrito ao abrigo do novo acordo ortográfico aplicado pela agência Lusa

 

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EUA aterrados com hipóteses de terrorismo

The Middle East is in turmoil. Syria has collapsed, essentially transforming into a giant battlefield between Sunni Islamists and Iran-backed entities. U.S. gains are still tenuous in Afghanistan, which is subject to attack from assorted terror groups, and the scheduled withdrawal of U.S. troops from there could empower warring militias and terror organizations, as is happening in Iraq. Meanwhile, many parts of Libya are now controlled by Islamist warlords.
These groups threaten U.S. interests in the region and beyond. Take the Islamic State (formerly ISIS), which has seized control of parts of Syria and Iraq and is looking to extend its jihad to other countries. The further advance of its army could have severe repercussions for our national security, including disruptions of international trade, reductions in energy supplies, massive refugee influxes, uncontrolled weapons smuggling (possibly including arms that could threaten civilian airliners), attacks on U.S. military personnel abroad, and kidnappings of American expatriates.
Crucially, terror groups are increasingly controlling territory. This affords them safe havens for plotting international terror attacks like 9/11, which of course was conceived and organized in al-Qaeda’s then-sanctuary of Afghanistan. In these areas, there is no central government authority to provide us with intelligence and to assist our battle against terrorists, as there are, to a greater or lesser extent, in Yemen, Pakistan, and elsewhere.

That’s why it’s more important than ever that the U.S. maintain strong intelligence capabilities throughout the world. But for the last year, various groups have sought to curtail our intelligence activities based on selectively presented, maliciously leaked documents about anti-terror programs that are widely misunderstood and whose effects have been wildly exaggerated.

These programs, which are subject to multiple levels of oversight by all three branches of government, have been crucial in stopping dozens of terror attacks, including plots against the New York Stock Exchange and the New York City subway system.
The House has now passed the USA Freedom Act, which will introduce new restrictions and safeguards for these programs. Because of the many layers of oversight that already exist, these reforms are largely unnecessary, but they should address all the concerns raised by press coverage of the Snowden leaks.
Of course, contrary to popular perception, the NSA is not — and never was — recording or listening to millions of Americans’ phone calls. In short, unless you’re talking to a foreign-based terrorist, the NSA is not monitoring you.
Yet the House of Representatives recently approved an amendment to a defense appropriations bill that would further hamstring our intelligence community, in some cases giving greater protections to terrorists than are afforded to everyday criminals. For example, if the NSA discovers that a terrorist in the Middle East is communicating with a U.S.-based person — whether an American citizen or not — the agency would be barred from searching many of its own databases for further information on that U.S.-based person. By contrast, if police investigators discover that a bank robber is communicating with a suspected accomplice, they would face no such restrictions in accessing other information they have about the accomplice.
These ill-conceived limitations will only benefit terrorists and our international rivals. Our intelligence community is in a constant struggle to stay one step ahead of our adversaries, and if we scale back our intelligence activities we can’t expect bad actors like Russia and China to respond in kind. Both these nations conduct wide-ranging spying operations that present a far bigger threat to U.S. citizens and U.S. businesses than do our own programs that counter them. For example, in February 2013 the cybersecurity firm Mandiant released a report exposing a major hacking and espionage operation, potentially comprising hundreds of accomplices and over 1,000 computer servers, that targeted at least 141 organizations across 20 major industries in the U.S. and other countries. Mandiant traced the operation to a Chinese military unit that’s one of more than 20 China-based groups known to conduct these kinds of activities.
We cannot allow erroneous reports about our intelligence programs to force us back into a pre-9/11 intel posture. Similar to the situation today, in the decade leading up to the 9/11 attacks, concerns about civil liberties spawned problematic restrictions on intelligence gathering.
For example, as a result of the regulatory wall preventing inter-agency information sharing, FBI agents investigating al-Qaeda member Khalid al-Mihdhar were taken off the case in late August 2001, at a time when he was inside the United States, because it was deemed to be an intelligence issue. One of these agents responded in an e-mail, “Whatever has happened to this — someday someone will die — and wall or not — the public will not understand why we were not more effective and throwing every resource we had at certain ‘problems.’” A few weeks later, on September 11, al-Mihdhar and four other hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon. Legal technicalities also prevented Minneapolis FBI agents from searching the hotel room and computer of 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui after they became convinced, shortly before September 11, that Moussaoui was involved in a plot to hijack U.S. aircraft.
We should keep that history in mind when we discuss whether we should once again handcuff our own intelligence community as they work to keep us safe.
— Devin Nunes represents California’s 22nd congressional district and is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence   (descendente de emigrantes da ilha de São Jorge)

Alguns apontamentos sobre Dili

Notes on Dili, East Timor

July 22, 2014 By James Clark

A little big city

Dili is the smallest capital city in Southeast Asia, and also the newest, having gained independence from Indonesia in 2002. While Dili is going to feel sedate after being in the other capital cities of the region, travel is a relative experience so your impression will depend on where you’re arriving from.
Coming from the two international connections of Darwin or Singapore, Dili will feel like a small country town. I arrived in Dili after travelling through Flores and West Timor, where most of the cities were dusty and rundown places. For me Dili felt modern and orderly with things to do like cinemas (one at least) and cafes.

[East Timor Government Building]
After being in places that offered little in entertainment, to be a city with bars and cafes was a welcome relief. Along the waterfront there are a number of sports bars and restaurants that sprung up to serve the UN and NGO crowds that were here after independence. Most of these organisations have since left and the places were quiet whenever I visited.

[One of the bars on the waterfront.]

Sticker Shock

While the most of the international workers have gone they have left inflated prices. Dili isn’t Australia expensive, but coming from Indonesia you will notice the price differences. East Timor use the USD as its currency and prices here are noticeably more expensive than in Indonesia.
Accommodation is expensive and there aren’t guesthouses here like you find across Southeast Asia. I stayed at the East Timor Backpackers which is a decent budget option and a good place to meet other travellers.

Proudly Independent

I arrived just after the 12 year anniversary of East Timor’s independence so I couldn’t tell if the flags that were out were for the day or if they are always out. Either way you get a sense that people are proud of their hard-won independence.
One thing I noticed here was that I stopped getting the “hello mister” greetings from the kids walking by. I’m not sure if this is a cultural thing where people are more conservative, or if the city is just burned out with foreigner fatigue after the days of the UN/NGO being here.

On The Waterfront

There is not a lot to do here but I enjoyed walking around this new capital city, especially along the waterfron. The waterfront has lots of potential to become a vibrant destination. Unfortunately there is a large stretch that has been taken over by embassies. There are some empty lots on the waterfront currently used as banana plantations, so it seems the embassies got in while the land was cheap and available. It’s shame that these international bunkers should take up prime real estate when the city could have made more money in the long term by putting apartments along here.

Cristo Rei of Dili

The most notable landmark of the city is the big Jesus that overlooks the harbour. When I first saw the statue in the distance I knew I was going to walk there. I didn’t consult a map but it looked like it was about an hour away. It turned out to be over 2 hours of walking.

[Jesus in the distance may be further than He appears.]
I was wearing flip-flops which were being eaten alive by the rough roads, but for some of the way you can break the walk up with stretches of beach like this.

The long walk turned out in my favour as I arrived close to sunset.

[Cristo Rei of Dili (Christ the King of Dili)]
From here it’s a spectacular view over the harbour and back toward the city.

I was tempted to get a taxi back but I had told myself I would walk there and back. I’m glad I did walk back otherwise I would have missed out on this sunset.

Nicholau Lobato Monument

Another statue worthy of a visit is the Nicholau Lobato monument which is located at the roundabout at the airport entry. If you are arriving by air or from West Timor by land this will be the first thing you see in the city.

Lobato was prime minister of East Timor during the brief period of Independence in 1975, between when the Portuguese left and Indonesia occupied. After fleeing to the hills as part of the resistance movement he was killed in combat in 1978.
The airport is now named in his honour, and if you are flying out it’s worth going to have a look. It’s a five minute walk from the terminal and there is nothing to do at the airport anyway.
Near the monument is this billboard of East Timorese heroes. Look how badass these guys are.

In the centre is José Manuel Ramos-Horta, who became the second president of East Timor in 2007. I don’t know if it made the news where you come from, but he became a household name in Australia when he was shot in an assassination attempt and was evacuated to a hospital in Darwin.
I had only seen recent pictures of him, from the time he was shot to now. Today he looks like a priest or distinguished professor (or Nobel Peace Prize winner). 70′s Ramos-Horta is looking like the Serpico of Timor-Leste.

Cinco polémicos dirigentes africanos

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is Africa’s longest serving ruler. He has ruled Equatorial Guinea, a tiny, oil-rich West African country, since August 1979 when he overthrew his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema, in a bloody coup d’état. Equatorial Guinea is one of the continent’s largest producers of oil and has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, but this doesn’t necessarily translate into prosperity for its people. The country ranks very poorly in the United Nations human development index; the vast majority of Equatorial Guineans hardly have access to clean drinking water. The country also has one of the world’s highest under-5 mortality rates: about 20% of its children die before the age of five. Many of the remaining 80% of the children don’t have access to quality educational and healthcare facilities. Meanwhile, the first son of the president, Teodorin Obiang (who is in line to succeed his father), spends millions of dollars of state funds financing his lavish lifestyle which includes luxurious property in Malibu, a Gulfstream jet, Michael Jackson memorabilia and a car collection that could easily make billionaires go green with envy.

José Eduardo dos Santos, President of Angola

 

José Eduardo dos Santos is Africa’s second longest serving president. He took the reins of power in September 1979 following the natural death of his predecessor Agostinho Neto. To his discredit, Jose Eduardo has always run his government like it’s his personal, privately-owned investment holding company. His cousin serves as the Angola’s vice president, and his daughter, Isabel Dos Santos is arguably the wealthiest woman in the country. Angola is extremely resource-rich. According to the United States Agency For International Development (USAID), the country is the second-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa and the seventh-largest supplier to the United States. Angola also has massive diamond deposits and occupies an enviable position as the world’s fourth largest producer of rough diamonds.
But for all its resource wealth, the vast majority of Angolans still live in the most horrid socio-economic conditions. 68% of the country’s total population lives below the poverty line of $1.7 a day, while 28% live on less than 30 cents. Education is free, but it’s practically worthless. Most of the schools are housed in dilapidated structures and there is a severe deficit of skilled and qualified teachers. According to the U.N. Children’s Fund, 30% of the country’s children are malnourished. The average life expectancy is about 41 years while child and maternal deaths are extremely high. Unemployment levels are very high. But José Eduardo dos Santos is unaffected. Rather than transforming Angola’s economic boom into social relief for its people, he has channeled his energies towards intimidating the local media and diverting state funds into his personal and family accounts.  Dos Santos’s family controls a huge chunk of Angola’s economy. His daughter, Isabel Dos Santos has amassed one of the Angola’s largest personal fortunes by using proceeds from her father’s alleged corruption to acquire substantial stakes in companies like Zon Multimedia, a Portuguese media conglomerate and in Portuguese banks Banco Espírito Santo and Banco Português de Investimento among others.

Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe

 

Many Zimbabweans seem to think Mugabe is doing a stellar job. The country is on an economic rebound after several years of decline. GDP growth in 2011 was over 7% and the Southern African state has experienced single-digit inflation since 2009. The country’s agricultural sector is fast recovering after years of food shortages fueled by disruptions caused by Mugabe’s infamous seizure of white-owned commercial farms. Mugabe’s government has also recorded significant achievements in education as a result of extensive teacher training and school expansion projects: At over 80%, the country has one of the highest literacy rates in Sub-Saharan Africa.
But Mugabe’s inadequacies overshadow his achievements. For one, he has failed to deal with the ever-present problem of employment. The country’s high literacy rate does not necessarily translate into employment opportunities for its people. Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate is the highest in sub-Saharan Africa: it’s over 60%.
Despite entering into a power-sharing agreement with the former opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Mugabe still wields almost total control over government institutions – a feat he has been able to achieve through his use of violence and subjugation. He remains reluctant to allocate substantial political powers to the MDC, and human rights abuses in the Southern African country are rife. The 87 year-old megalomaniac has vowed not to step down despite having ruled the Southern African state for over 24 years. He is seeking re-election in the country’s presidential polls slated for later in the year. Analysts expect the election to be besieged by fraud as the previous one.

King Mswati III, King of Swaziland

Sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch presides over a country which has one of the world’s highest HIV prevalence rates: ver 35 percent of adults. Its average life expectancy is the lowest in the world at 33 years; nearly 70 percent of the country’s citizens live on less than $1 a day and 40 percent are unemployed. But for all the suffering of the Swazi people, King Mswati has barely shown concern or interest. He lives lavishly, using his kingdom’s treasury to fund his expensive tastes in German automobiles, first-class leisure trips around the world and women. But his gross mismanagement of his country’s finances is now having dire economic consequences. Swaziland is going through a severe fiscal crisis. The kingdom’s economy is collapsing and pensions have been stopped. In June last year, the King begged for a financial bailout from South Africa, and the country is at a dead end, so badly that it recently announced its withdrawal from the 2013 Africans Nations Cup, citing lack of finances as the principal reason.

 

Omar Al-Bashir, President of Sudan

Sudan’s President seized power in 1989 in a bloodless military coup against the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi- a government which was democratically elected by the people of Sudan. Soon after seizing power, Al-Bashir dispersed all political parties in the country, disbanded the country’s parliament and shut down all privately-owned media outlets. His reign has been characterized by a civil war in which over one million have been killed, while several millions have been displaced. Al-Bashir is still wanted by the International Criminal Court for instigating crimes against humanity, particularly in directing and funding acts of violence against the Southern Sudan. Famously corrupt, a diplomatic wikileaks cable revealed that Al-Bashir likely siphoned some $9 billion of his country’s funds into his private bank accounts in the United Kingdom.  MFonobong Nsehe/Forbes

O Burkina-Faso nasceu há 30 anos

Il y a trente ans, le 4 août 1984, Thomas Sankara renommait l'ancienne Haute-Volta en Burkina-Faso, le "Pays des hommes intègres". Un changement de nom officiel et très symbolique, destiné à rompre avec le passé colonial et à concrétiser les objectifs de la révolution sankariste.

C'était il y a trente ans. En vertu d'une ordonnance du 2 août 1984, le capitaine Thomas Sankara, désireux de faire table rase du "passé réactionnaire et néocolonial", rebaptise la Haute-Volta en République démocratique et populaire du Bourkina Fâso (orthographe originelle). Le premier mot signifie "homme intègre" en langue mooré et le second "terre natale" en dioula, soit "le pays des hommes intègres". Ses sept millions d'habitants ne sont plus des Voltaïques mais des Bourkinabè.
Le drapeau de l'ancienne Haute-Volta, composé de trois bandes noire, blanche et rouge, est aussi remplacé. Le nouvel étendard national est désormais composé de deux bandes horizontales rouge et verte, frappées d'une étoile jaune à cinq branches. Le tout représentant respectivement les idéaux de révolution, de travail de la terre, et d'espérance. Autre transformation : l'hymne national. La chanson Volta laisse la place au Ditanie, ou "chant de la victoire". La devise nationale est elle aussi modifiée, passant de "Unité-travail-justice" à "La patrie ou la mort, nous vaincrons".
Sankara à la guitare
Ce changement de nom de l'ancienne colonie française est célébré deux jours plus tard, le 4 août, jour du premier anniversaire de la révolution de Thomas Sankara. Ce jour-là, le Conseil national révolutionnaire (CNR) organise des festivités dans tout le pays en l'honneur du nouveau Bourkina Fâso. Outre les cérémonies officielles, des matchs de football et de boxe, ainsi qu'une course cycliste, sont organisés.
À Ouagadougou, les festivités sont menées par le capitaine Sankara en personne. Le jeune leader de 36 ans, qui a pris le pouvoir avec un groupe d'officiers un an plus tôt, jubile. Au petit matin du 4 août, après une nuit de fête avec une vingtaine de proches dans son quartier général, il attrape une guitare dont il commence à gratter les cordes. Un de ses ministres et un sergent-chef lui emboîtent le pas. Le petit groupe tire l'assemblée de sa somnolence. Parmi les convives, un invité de marque : le président ghanéen John Jerry Rawlings, dont les grandes lunettes sombres ne masquent pas l'étonnement face aux talents cachés de son hôte. Comme l'écrit Mohamed Selhami, alors envoyé spécial de Jeune Afrique, "la révolution n'est pas seulement cette chose qui immobilise l'esprit, elle sait aussi l'égayer, surtout lorsque Thomas Sankara s'en occupe".

L'article de Mohamed Selhami, paru dans le Jeune Afrique n°1232-1233, paru entre le 15 et le 22 août 1984.

"Il fallait prendre des initiatives audacieuses et radicales"
Muni de son inséparable revolver incrusté d'argent et d'ivoire, le capitaine anti-impérialiste expliquera à notre ancien collaborateur avoir changé le nom de son pays "pour mieux appliquer notre conception révolutionnaire". Selon lui, "il fallait prendre des initiatives audacieuses et radicales, entre autres effacer les traces du colonialisme. À commencer par l'appellation donnée par celui-ci à notre pays. Le nom Haute-Volta ne répondait ni à des critères géographiques ni à des critères sociologiques ou culturels".
Trente ans plus tard, le Burkina Faso reste connu dans le monde entier comme le "Pays des hommes intègres". Le capitaine Thomas Sankara, assassiné le 15 octobre 1987 dans des circonstances troubles, est lui devenu une légende, adulé bien au delà des frontières de l'ancien berceau de la révolution sankariste.
___
Benjamin Roger


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Jornal de Angola em defesa de Obiang

O Jornal de Angola volta hoje a criticar Portugal, pela segunda vez em três dias, e novamente sobre a Guiné Equatorial, acusando os portugueses de darem "lições de democracia" quando no país "há crianças a morrer de fome". Em causa está a adesão daquele país, antiga colónia espanhola em África, à Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa (CPLP), concretizada quarta-feira na Cimeira de Díli, em Timor-Leste, apesar das dúvidas lançadas a partir de Portugal.

"Os portugueses têm um grande orgulho na expansão marítima da qual resultou o seu império. Mas agora há países e povos que guardam a memória desse passado comum e querem pertencer à CPLP. Alguns renegam esse passado e opõem-se ao alargamento da organização. São demasiado pequenos para a grandeza da Língua Portuguesa", afirma o editorial.

No editorial, intitulado "A grandeza da língua", o diário estatal recorda que parte do território da Guiné Equatorial "já foi colónia portuguesa" e que a ilha de Fernando Pó [atual Bioko] recebeu o nome do navegador português, o mesmo acontecendo com a ilha de Ano-Bom. "Mas na pequena ilha [Ano-Bom] está um tesouro da lusofonia: fala-se crioulo [fá d'ambô] que tem por base o português arcaico e que chegou quase incólume aos nossos dias", diz o jornal.

Afirma que "está provado" que aquelas ilhas da "foram povoadas por escravos angolanos" e que Angola pretende "ir lá render homenagem" aos antepassados. "Agora que Fernando Pó e Ano-Bom fazem parte da CPLP, mais facilmente podemos cumprir esse dever. Mas sem a companhia das elites estrábicas, que nem sequer foram capazes de defender a dulcíssima língua portuguesa do Acordo Ortográfico", lê-se.

Sobre as dúvidas em torno da adesão da Guiné Equatorial, o Jornal de Angola já tinha criticado Portugal no editorial de terça-feira, o mesmo dia em que o vice-primeiro-ministro Paulo Portas foi recebido em Luanda pelo Presidente angolano José Eduardo dos Santos.

Hoje é a vez de o ministro da Economia, António Pires de Lima, visitar a capital angolana. "Os angolanos querem saber mais sobre a Língua Portuguesa (...) Os portugueses deviam ter o mesmo interesse, mas pelos vistos só estão interessados em dar lições de democracia, quando dentro das suas portas há crianças a morrer de fome", diz o editorial.

O matutino volta a referir-se às "elites portuguesas ignorantes e corruptas", afirmando que com a introdução do português como língua oficial no país "esse argumento deixou de valer".

Num dos artigos mais críticos de Portugal dos últimos meses, aquele jornal diz que "em Lisboa surgiram numerosas vozes contra a adesão" mas que "nunca chegarão aos céus", provenientes de "políticos e líderes de opinião". "O que revela uma contradição insanável eivada de ignorância e uma tendência inquietante para criar um 'apartheid' nas relações internacionais", escreve o matutino. Diz por isso que não se "compreende" a "soberba" com que em Portugal "tratam a Guiné Equatorial e o Presidente Obiang".

Classifica o tema da pena de morte, invocado por Lisboa, como "muito débil", tendo em conta que os Estados Unidos "executam todos os dias condenados à pena capital" e que "nem por isso os porta-vozes dessas elites querem expulsar o seu aliado da OTAN [NATO]". "Pelo contrário, quando Washington anunciou que ia sair da Ilha Terceira por já não ter interesse na Base das Lajes, todos se puseram de joelhos, implorando que a base aérea continue", crítica, em editorial, o Jornal de Angola. Lusa

Aumentam as tensões em muitas partes do mundo

The last twelve months has seen a notable rise in tensions in many parts of the world. Thailand is back under military rule, China has become more aggressive with Japan and its other maritime neighbours, Russia invaded Ukraine, and existing conflicts in Syria, Gaza and Iraq all intensified.

While these conflicts have caused immense human and political dislocation, financial markets have been rather sanguine. The Russian stock market, for example, is down only around 5% from twelve months ago. Markets are betting that economic relationships are going to trump political ones, a point that caused some disruption in the Indian parliament this week. For my part, I'm worried that markets are underpricing political risk in a desperate search for some returns.

The Economist

Mais de 800 palestinianos mortos

Israel's security cabinet has rejected a Gaza ceasefire proposal put forward by US Secretary of State John Kerry, officials say.

Mr Kerry has been pushing for a halt to 18 days of fighting between Israel and Islamist group Hamas.

An Israeli official told Reuters that the cabinet wanted changes to the agreement before ending the offensive.

More than 800 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 36 Israelis have died since the start of the conflict.

Desapareceu um Boeing argelino

An Air Algerie flight travelling from Burkina Faso to Algiers has disappeared from the radar, apparently while flying above the Malian airspace.
The aircraft, believed to be a Boeing 737-600, lost contact 50 minutes after the takeoff.
"Air navigation services have lost contact with an Air Algerie plane Thursday flying from Ouagadougou to Algiers, 50 minutes after takeoff," said the airlines.
Flight AH 5017 was not visible on Flightradar24, a live-tracking website for all the planes across the world.

O aparelho deveria ter partido da capital do Burkina Faso às 00h45 e era aguardado em Argel às 05h40.