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UN and Africa
Programme Number: 073
Week of: Sunday, 6th November, 2005
Recording Date: Thursday, 10th November, 2005
Topical Issue(s):
LIBERIA: RESULTS TRICKLE IN AFTER
PRESIDENTIAL RUN-OFF
SOMALIA: PIRATES AND ALL
SOUTHERN AFRICAN FOOD CRISIS
Editor / Presenter: Ben Dotsei Malor
Producer: Derrick Mbatha
Production Assistant: Chuck Appel
Studio Engineer: Willie Correa
Duration: 15’00”
PRESENTER: Greetings from United Nations Radio in
New York.
Hello and welcome to UN and Africa, I’m Ben
Dotsei Malor.
*** SIG TUNE ***: (Bring Sig Tune up briefly, dip
and hold under)
PRESENTER:
Results from Liberia’s run-off presidential
election suggest Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf could soon
become the country’s next president, but the
other contender, who got the most votes in the first
round, former world football star George Oppong Weah
is alleging fraud. Does he have a case?
CLIP-1: UNMIL BOSS ALAN DOSS
“We have advised him that obviously we would
take such allegations seriously because I think we
all want to ensure that this election is not marred
by fraud, and we have advised him to ensure that his
party files their petition with the National Elections
Commission as soon as possible so that these claims
and allegations can be thoroughly investigated.”
PRESENTER:
That’s the head of the UN Peacekeeping Mission
in Liberia, Alan Doss. More from him in just a moment.
And, after recent high-profile assassination attempts
and nasty attacks by Somali pirates, Somalia’s
representatives at the UN call for urgent international
help.
CLIP-2: SOMALI PLEA FOR HELP
“Because we are building a security apparatus
to create law and order, and to make sure Somalia
does not become a haven of international terrorism,
that is where we need the assistance of the international
community, particularly the African Union and IGAD
to assist the government in terms of building a security
force, a police force, civilian police force, who
can bring law and order in Somalia.”
Somalia’s Deputy UN representative, Idd Beddel
Mohamed.
Plus, the food crisis looming over Southern Africa.
We have a special report.
Stay tuned to UN and Africa.
*** SIG TUNE *** (Bring up briefly, dip and hold
under until first sentence.)
LIBERIA: RESULTS TRICKLE IN BUT ONE CADIDATE ALLEGES
FRAUD
The final results from Liberia’s presidential
run-off election are yet to be declared but already
charges of fraud from one of the candidates are threatening
to mar what has so far been a smooth and peaceful
process.
The provisional results from most of the polling
stations so far suggest that former World Bank and
UN official, 66-year-old Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has
nearly sixty percent of the votes, and could soon
become Liberia’s - and indeed, Africa’s
- first elected female head of state.
But her opponent George Oppong Weah who won October’s
first round is alleging fraud and his angry supporters
have been chanting “No Weah, No Peace.”
Well, the UN’s top envoy in Liberia, Alan Doss,
has been monitoring developments very closely. He
has met and spoken with Mr Weah. On the line to Monrovia,
I asked him first about Mr Weah’s allegations
of fraud?
INTERVIEW WITH MR ALAN DOSS.
Doss: Mr. Weah has indeed made certain –
or his party – but he has also confirmed those
allegations of fraud. We have advised him that obviously
we would take such allegations seriously because I
think we all want to ensure that this election is
not marred by fraud, and we have advised him to ensure
that his party files their petition with the National
Elections Commission as soon as possible so that these
claims and allegations can be thoroughly investigated.
Ben: From whatever evidence he’s managed
to provide so far, does he have a case?
Doss: Well that’s not for me to say.
There’s a legal process prescribed by the law.
That process should be followed, and, as I say, we
have urged Mr. Weah to register his complaints with
the National Elections Commission, and I believe indeed
that they are doing so.
Ben: How is this affecting the post-election
mood in Monrovia, in Liberia as a whole?
Doss: Well things are calm here and we have
had no violence either immediately before, during
or so far after the elections, so obviously we hope
that that condition will continue to prevail.
Ben: And there are stories about Weah supporters
chanting, ‘no Weah, no peace.’ What advice
have you been giving supporters of George Weah and
others in Liberia right now?
Doss: Well, I think one cannot do better than
to reiterate the advice that Mr. George Weah himself
has given. He has publicly pledged as has Mrs. Johnson
Sirleaf to respect the peace process, and on several
occasions both of them urged their followers, their
campaign workers, to behave in a peaceful, responsible
manner, so I think he repeated that yesterday at one
of his press conferences, he himself has been in the
lead in trying to promote reconciliation in this country,
he has worked closely with ex-combatants for example,
so he has always been a messenger of peace and he
has repeated that several times. So we would simply
say to his supporters, again I mean workers and of
course to all others to follow the advice of your
candidates.
Ben: Whoever emerges voted as President of
Liberia would face a lot of challenges. Would it be
expedient, would it be useful for Liberian leaders
to be thinking of an all-inclusive, maybe government
of national unity after the final results are out?
Doss: Well, obviously that is something for
the incoming President to decide, not for us to say.
I think we all agree, and again both parties have
stated this, that they would favor an inclusive approach
because it’s one thing to win an election, it’s
another I think to govern a nation, and there will
have to be a process of reconciliation that takes
on from where we are today, that builds on the relative
peace and security that the country has enjoyed in
recent months so that the big job ahead of reconstruction
and we hope the return to sustainable development
can get underway as soon as possible.
Ben: Finally Mr. Allan Doss in Monrovia, as
the top envoy on the ground there in Liberia, what
one-key message one key concern is dominating your
mind, your plans, your thoughts right now?
Doss: Well, obviously we want to ensure that
the results are announced as soon as feasible, that
the outcome of the election is respected by all concerned,
and that if there are complaints or allegations that
these are dealt with efficiently, quickly –
but by the manner prescribed by the electoral code
of Liberia.
The head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia,
Alan Doss.
STING/JINGLE
SOMALIA'S TOP TWO DIPLOMATS AT
THE UNITED NATIONS CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL HELP AFTER
RECENT ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS AND HEIGHTENED PIRATE
ACTIVITY
PRESENTER: The one-year-old transitional government
of Somalia is STILL struggling to restore law and
order in the country. And Somalia’s top two
envoys at the UN have just been appealing for more
international assistance to deal with the worsening
instability, which, they say, poses a risk to international
peace and security. UN Radio’s Bissera Kostova
reports.
FEATURE BY BISSERA KOSTOVA
NARR: Somalia’s UN representative Elmi
Ahmed Duale pointed to the attempted assassination
of the Prime Minister a few days ago, and the attack
by pirates on an American cruise ship off the Somali
Coast as signs of the deteriorating security situation
in the country. Two ships with food aid have also
been hijacked recently, hampering UN relief operations.
He said Somalia isn't getting the support it needs
as it struggles to re-establish a functioning government
and end the 15-year reign of rival warlords.
Duale 1: There are many problems in this world,
unfortunately, and Somalia being a small place in
a small corner, we believe we are not getting the
desired attention, that we should get after 15 years
of suffering, especially the common people are suffering.
The few who profit from this anarchy are the ones
who call the shots now, and we believe this is unacceptable
and should not be accepted by the international community.
NARR: Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi, who
is based in Jahwar, was visiting dissenting government
ministers in Mogadishu, on Sunday, when his convoy
was attacked by gunmen. Five people were killed and
others were injured. Ambassador Duale says the assailants
are unknown, but he suggested a link to the rival
government officials based in the capital.
Duale 2: I cannot say if they are the ones
who instigated the assassination attempt, but one
thing is there, when all this whole year, the killings
in Mogadishu were happening, they were there, and
now when all the kidnappings also were happening they
were there. And they refused to meet … the Prime
Minister, or the President, so now that the government
said – okay, we will come – if the mountain
does not go to Mohammed, Mohammed goes to the mountain.
So they said, okay, let me go to them and this is
what happened.
NARR: At the request of the Security Council
the UN Secretary-General has just re-established a
group that monitors the 1992 arms embargo against
Somalia. The Council cited dramatically increased
violations of the arms embargo in recent months. Ambassador
Duale acknowledged that there is cause for concern.
Duale 4: Somalia has been accused of harboring
dangerous elements from outside who have attacked
places, as far as Kenya, and as far as Tanzania we
are told. I can only say that this is possible, because
for 15 years there was no government, there was no
law and order and illegality prevailed.
NARR: But the Somali Ambassador said the indiscriminate
arms embargo is hampering the government in equipping
a police force to stand up to the warlords that continue
to rule the country.
Duale 3: The problem is that they have all
the arms now. The government has no arms. They have
the militias – young boys, young men, whose
only income is by the gun, and who are hired by anyone
now. Before, long time ago, it was on tribal basis,
but now it’s not. Now it is on who pays most
commands the hits. And they have the money.
NARR: Somalia’s Deputy UN representative,
Idd Beddel Mohamed, explained that the government
is not asking the Security Council to lift the arms
embargo right away, but is counting on the African
Union to present the Council with a plan to exempt
the transitional government from some of the restrictions.
Mohamed 1: The embargo outlaws any kind of
military equipment and because we are building a security
apparatus to create law and order, and to make sure
Somalia does not become a haven of international terrorism,
that is where we need the assistance of the international
community, particularly the African Union and IGAD
to assist the government in terms of building a security
force, and by the way, we are not talking about large
military, we are talking about a police force, civilian
police force, who can bring law and order in Somalia.
NARR: Mr. Mohamed cautioned that the government’s
inability to reign in the militants and to control
its borders and coastal waters is no longer just a
Somali problem.
Mohamed 2: The Somali government have only
limited capacity to handle this kind of problem, and
the international community, because of what happened
earlier, were quite reluctant to engage in Somalia.
It is very critical now for the international community
to step in and to assist our government, so it can
create law and order in Somalia but also outside Somalia.
Somalia’s Deputy UN representative, Idd Beddel
Mohamed, ending that report by Bissera Kostova.
STING/JINGLE
FOOD CRISIS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA:
Report from Yvette Morris in Geneva.
CUT: FOOD CRISIS INTRO …. DUR 15secs
"My story sadly is yet another humanitarian disaster
waiting to happen....."
PRESENTER: The World Food Programme's Regional Director
for Southern Africa Mike Sackett, who has just been
speaking in Geneva … From where Yvette Morris
provides more details.
FEATURE BY YVETTE MORRIS:
Millions of people in Southern Africa are struggling
to find food for even one meal a day. And the UN's
World Food Programme needs 157 million dollars to
help feed them before next April's harvest. WFP's
Regional Director for Southern Africa Mike Sackett
says if the money doesn't come soon, many people won't
receive help in time. 9.7 million people in Lesotho,
Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland,Zambia and Zimbabwe
are affected.
20 secs
What happened in Southern Africa is a combination
of rain failure in the early months of this year,
reduced availability of agricultural inputs, what
I would describe as chronic extreme poverty and the
on-going and ever-prevalent effects of HIV AIDS.
The World Food Programme says 4.3 million people
are in urgent need in Zimbabwe, 2.9 million in Malawi
and a million each in Mozambique and Zambia. In the
fourth consecutive year of food shortages, prices
of maize and other staple crops are skyrocketing and
the little food that is available is largely unaffordable.
In a region where life expectancy has fallen from
around 50 years in the seventies to less than 35 today
in many countries, the situation is critical.
14.40 Sackett:
Unquestionably, some people have already died. We've
had reports of people who had resorted to filling
their stomachs with poisonous tubers and their families
dying already. You also have to recognize that in
the six countries we estimated that 500,000 people
per annum are dying of HIV Aids Clearly infected people
are more vulnerable to the onset of symptoms if they
hungry or malnourished. So it's impossible to say
how many people have died of hunger or AIDS or malaria
or whatever. 15.32.
The World Food Programme is stepping up its
distribution programme throughout the affected countries
and is urging donors including those from the European
Community who don't usually support its programmes,
as well as oil rich nations to provide immediate assistance.
11.48.
Even if you have a good harvest, there are about one
and a half million people in the six countries who
don't have the purchasing power to access food that
is available in their countries, but in a bad year
and 2005 is bad year, that no mushrooms bto the 9.7
million I mentioned. There are some good news issues
around. Zambia is a country that has made considerable
progress with its agricultural policies and for the
past two years has had a food surplus. In fact WFP
has bout 201, 000 tonnes of food in Zambia since 2002.
That's 40 million dollars worth of food. So we are
not talking about countries that are necessarily problematic
year in year out. There is a need for long term action
and if good agricultural policies and practices can
be put in place in Zambia, they can be put in place
in other countries in the region. It will obviously
take some time. But until then we have short term
interventions that are required.
Mr. Sackett says the children of Southern Africa need
help now before their tiny emaciated bodies appear
on television screens.
INTERVIEW - TAPE TO COME
"We are already seeing increased numbers
of children attending rehabilitation centres, and
when you see severe malnutrition in children, it's
already too late. We want to avoid that and now is
the time to act."
The World Food Programme's Regional Director for
Southern Africa, Mike Sackett, ending that report
by our Geneva-based colleague, Yvette Morris.
And that’s for this edition of UN and Africa.
Thank you for listening. Visit our website www.un.org
slash UN AND AFRICA.
From me, Ben Dotsei Malor and the rest of the team
here Chuck Appel, Derrick Mbatha, and Willie Correa.
Good bye, till next week.
*** CLOSING MUSIC ***
(Please bring music up and play till the end.)
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