UN Radio

UN and Africa
Programme Number: 187
Week of: Sunday, 13th January, 2007
Recording Date: Thursday, 17th January, 2008
Topical Issue(s):

" Government representatives, local leaders as well as warring rebel and militia factions in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo have been meeting in Goma for more than a week to discuss how to bring peace to the conflict-torn province. The spokesman for the UN Mission in the DR Congo, Kemal Saiki, says the talks have gone well.

" As the humanitarian crisis continues in Kenya, the UN has launched an emergency appeal for $40 million to help thousands of people who have been displaced by the post-election violence in the country. On the ground relief agencies continue to provide shelter and other basic needs to the displaced people.

" Floods are devastating countries in southern Africa, as seasonal rains have caused the Zambezi River to overflow its bank killing several people and displacing thousands more. Fernanda Teixeira of the Red Cross talks about relief efforts in Mozambique, the country worst-affected by the floods.

Producer/presenter: Derrick Mbatha
Editor: Donn Bobb
Production Assistant: Florence Poblete-Enriquez
Studio Engineer: Zach Prewitt
Duration: 15'00"

PRESENTER: This is United Nations Radio in New York.

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PRESENTER: Hello and welcome to UN and Africa. I am Derrick Mbatha.

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PRESENTER: In today's programme, the people of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo put their heads together in search of peace. Is that cause for optimism?

CLIP 1: Kemal Saiki
"There is always cause for optimism when the weapons stop talking and people start talking. Winston Churchill said, "Joe, Joe, Joe is better than war, war war"

PRESENTER: You will hear more on that in a moment. Also in this edition, the United Nations launches an appeal to assist Kenyans displaced by the post-election violence.

CLIP 2: John Holmes
"Food aid is the single largest part of the appeal, just over $10 million for this. And this is particularly designed to meet the food needs of 250,000 people over the next three months."

And later in the programme, floods kill several people and cause enormous destruction in Southern Africa, particularly Mozambique.

PRESENTER: So, stay tuned to UN and Africa.

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People of Eastern DR Congo Conclude Peace Conference

PRESENTER: For almost two weeks, representatives of various sectors of the people in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been meeting in Goma to find ways to bring peace to their troubled region. The Conference on Peace, Security and Development in the Kivu provinces, brought together representatives of the government, the church, civil society, local leaders as well as armed rebel groups and militias. The highlight of for the meeting this week was the attendance of President Joseph Kabila and the new envoy of the United Nations in Congo-Kinshasa, Alan Doss. To find out more about the conference, I called Kemal Saiki, the spokesman for the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who told me that the meeting reached what he described as "cruising speed" this week.

SAIKI: Commissions that are supposed to work on specific issues, namely security, development, humanitarian issues, peace, have been set up and the workshops have started their work.

MBATHA: And the new head of the UN mission in the DR Congo, Alan Doss, attended the conference.

SAIKI: Yes he did.

MBATHA: What message did he bring to the participants in the conference?

SAIKI: Well, he emphasized the historic value of the conference. He did encourage the participants to pursue the cause of peace and to do so relentlessly. He took the opportunity to congratulate the government of the DRC for organizing this event and he also conveyed the encouragement of the Secretary-General and the fact that the Secretary-General was closely following what is transpiring in Goma. He called also on all armed groups to refrain from recruiting children and violating women. As you know, it is very important and very dramatic issue there. He also mentioned that MONUC will continue to provide military and logistic assistance to advance the cause of peace in the Kivus.

MBATHA: And I also understand that President Kabila participated in the conference. How important was this?

SAIKI: What is important to note is that he made the travel to Goma. It was a highly symbolic presence, to express concretely the support of the authorities, of the president to the process which is happening in Goma.

MBATHA: And, of course, as you will agree, the forces of General Laurent Nkunda will have to sign in for peace to come to the eastern part of the DR Congo. What are Nkunda's supporters saying about this?

SAIKI: The forces of Laurent Nkunda are represented as a political movement as well as other belligerents to the conflict. And again, I think what is important here is to realize that there seems to be a will, determination to come together, to sit at the same table and start discussing issues. Remember, some of the participants at the conference few weeks ago did not communicate in any other way than through machine guns. So there might be some cause for cautious optimism.

MBATHA: Are you optimistic that peace will eventually come to the eastern part of the DR Congo?

SAIKI: We indeed have to be optimistic, but at the same time we have to be realistic. The cause for optimism is that, there is always cause for optimism when the weapons stop talking and people start talking. Winston Churchill said, "Joe, Joe, Joe is better than war, war war" and I would like to submit that this is the same case. But we have to be also realistic. It's not a single conference that is going to erase in ten, fifteen or twenty days ten years of conflict, ten years of bloodshed, chaos, instability and deeply rooted resentment. That's a good start.

PRESENTER: That was Kemal Saiki, the spokesman for the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, speaking with me there on a not so good line from Kinshasa.

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UN Launches Emergency Appeal for Kenya

PRESENTER: Kenya is hosting thousands of refugees displaced by conflicts in neighbouring countries: Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda and Sudan. But the violence that has followed the contested presidential election results has displaced thousands of Kenyans themselves who now depend on relief agencies to survive. Other Kenyans have become refugees in neighbouring Uganda. UN Radio's Gail Bindley Taylor-Sainte reports.

NARRATOR: To help alleviate the situation of the Kenyans, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes on Wednesday launched an emergency appeal for close to $42 million. Mr. Holmes said the appeal will cover the needs of some 500,000 people affected by the violence. Half of those are believed to be internally displaced people.

CUT 1: John Holmes
Food aid is the single largest part of the appeal, just over $10 million for this. And this is particularly designed to meet the food needs of 250,000 people over the next three months. As you probably know, the World Food Programme has already been heavily engaged in providing food to the victims of this violence, to those who fled and others, and indeed, they have been already feeding almost quarter million people in the last week or two.

NARRATOR: Mr. Holmes said other significant areas to be covered by the appeal are emergency shelter such as basic tents and plastic sheeting and other items including cooking equipment, mosquito nets, soap and other sanitary items for up to 100,000 people for the next six months. According to the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, the appeal will also cover early recovery projects.

CUT 2: John Holmes
And a particular focus here is on to trying and make sure that those who have been displaced have the means to continue their own livelihoods, in particular, for example, the provision of seeds and tools and basic equipment to farmer to enable them to resume their farming activities either where they were before where their crops have been destroyed or perhaps new places if they have had to go to new places, but also to provide income support for IDPs who are trying to find some income-generating activities.

NARRATOR: The appeal also includes protection of civilians, treatment of victims of sexual violence, water, sanitation, health, as well as camp coordination and management. On the ground in Kenya, United Nations agencies and their partners continue to do their best to help those affected the violence. The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, this week began a second distribution of basic commodities to approximately 3,000 displaced people in the town of Narok in south-east Nairobi. UNHCR is also putting together family kits of non-food items such as plastic sheeting and cooking utensils to help 16,000 people. The agency has also sent emergency staff to Nairobi to assist the local staff who have been dealing primarily with refugees. Ron Redmond is the UNHCR spokesman

CUT 3: Ron Redmond
We are now focusing on getting help to many of the estimated 200,000 IDPs in Kenya. As calm returns to some parts of the country, the government estimates that IDP numbers in sites and community centres across Kenya have dropped by nearly 50,000 - from 255,000 at the beginning of last week to an estimated 203,000 by end close of last week. The government estimates there are approximately 500 internal displacement sites scattered mainly in the Rift Valley, Western Nyanza and Nairobi provinces.

NARRATOR: One of the areas worst affected by the post-election violence in Kenya is Eldoret. Jemini Pandya of the International Organization for Migration says that her agency is working with the Kenyan Red Cross to plan and establish two new camps for internally displaced people in the outskirts of the town at Burnt Forest and Noigam.

CUT 4: Jemini Pandya
Approximately 20,000 people are currently thought to be at Burnt Forest and another 14,000 at Noigam. Burnt Forest is about 30 minutes from Eldoret and the camp there will host approximately three to four thousand people initially, and if needed will be able to host more. At Noigam where the demarcation work is already beginning and housing plots will be expected to be ready in a couple of days, the camp there is likely to host about 6,000.

NARRATOR: As relief agencies continue to help victims of violence in Kenya, there seems to be no political solution in sight. Those concerned about this situation are crossing their fingers that ongoing opposition protests against the presidential election results do not lead to the level of violence that followed the immediate announcement of the election results. For UN and Africa, Radio, I'm Gail Bindley Taylor-Sainte.

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Floods Bring Death and Destruction to Mozambique

PRESENTER: Floods are devastating countries in southern Africa, as seasonal rains have caused the Zambezi River to overflow its banks killing several people and displacing thousands more. UN Radio's Patrick Maigua spoke to Fernanda Teixeira of the Red Cross in Mozambique, the worst-affected country, about her agency's efforts to help the victims of the floods.

TEIXEIRA: We are supporting the rescue operations with some boats and volunteers, integrating the UNAPROC. UNAPROC is the National Unity for Civil Protection. We are also with our volunteers supporting the shelters, putting up tents. And the other thing that we are also doing is supporting the health activities, health prevention and also water and sanitation, with chlorination of water and opening latrines and all that water and sanitation work.

MAIGUA: Now you've said more rain is expected. Are you urging people who are in areas that are prone to floods to leave the areas?

TEIXEIRA: Yes. The mobilization of people that are living in risk areas is still being done. And the rescue is still going on, and also the evacuation of communities that are living in lower lands are being mobilized to go to the uplands until the National Institute declares the end of the red alert.

MAIGUA: Has there been any deaths reported as a resulted of the latest floods?

TEIXEIRA: Official, it was announced three deaths as far as I know. Some people talk about six deaths. But we confirmed I think three deaths directly because of the floods.

MAIGUA: Now we do understand that these floods could be worse than those that occurred in 2000-2002. And there are indications that the effect could be less. Is it that you've been well prepared for the latest disaster?

TEXEIRA: Yes, it's true. I also believe that these floods will be much worse than 2001. In some areas I can talk, for example about Mutarara, some places that have been considered more or less safe are not anymore starting to be safe. So the level of the Zambezi River is really going up. What I can say is maybe in terms of preparedness was much better this time because we did a lot of work last year in terms of trying to mobilize people to go to the new resettlement areas. So I think the preparedness is much better this year. NDC is doing I think in my opinion, a fantastic job: The National Institute for Disaster Management. And they are really leading very well the operation. And with the idea of more long-term solutions instead of just doing emergency response.

MAIGUA: And what kind of support would you like to see coming in?

TEIXEIRA: From the Red Cross side, for the moment we are still with some stocks. But I think we will need very soon more support in terms of shelter, health and water and sanitation materials. The other thing is support for the logistics. This is a huge area. For many cases we need to transport goods by helicopters or by airplanes, but mainly by helicopter, and the costs of these kinds of operations are very, very high. .

PRESENTER: Fernanda Teixeira, Secretary-General of the Mozambique Red Cross, speaking with UN Radio's Patrick Maigua.

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PRESENTER: And that's all for this edition of UN and Africa. Our Production Assistant was Florence Poblete Enriquez and our sound engineer was Zach Prewit. I am Derrick Mbatha saying, bye bye.

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