<From Mohammed Legally-Cole) 

Discussions on the Rules of  Procedures of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights which was underway at the 4^th Extra-Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) at the Corinthia Atlantic Hotel Conference Hall in Banjul, The Gambia has just ended. The week-long closed door session kicked off on Sunday, February 17^th, 2008 was with the expectations to give the final consideration to the court’s rules of procedure and hopefully adopt them.

It could be recalled that the African Court, which came into existence in 2006, was established by the African Union following its adoption of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

According to the Chairperson of the African Commission, Justice Sanji Mmasenono Monageng, “The African Court is already quite advanced in the elaboration of its rules of procedure”. Regarding the African Commission, Justice Monageng said the original intention had been for the Commission to consider and adopt its rules of procedure during the 42nd ordinary session in Brazzaville, Congo, in November 2007, but its workload made it impossible.

 She said, “Hence the main reason for holding this extra-ordinary session is to finalize consideration of our rules of procedure and adopt them, so that they are ready in time for our rendezvous with the African Court later this year, to harmonize the rules of procedure of the two organs.” 

The extra-ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) ended in Banjul without concluding on all the items on their agenda. The commission was expected to finalize and consider the rules of procedure of the African Human Rights Court in this fourth extra-ordinary session, but the commission in a Communiqué’ said that it had postponed some of the unfinished work to a future date.

“The African Commission would also like to place on record that due to the intensity of the work involved in the consideration of the rules of procedure, it was able to consider only three of the items originally slated for this extra-ordinary session namely, the draft rules of procedure and the human rights situations in Kenya and Somalia,” the communiqué noted.

 The Commission’s Chairperson, Justice Sanji Monageng, expressed that the remaining issues will be tackled at the May ordinary session in Swaziland. We hope that the Commission would not be over overloaded again, thus hindering the time table in Swaziland.

The Commission has adopted two resolutions and it will send a fact-finding mission to Kenya and Somalia in due course to investigate allegations of human rights violation in the two neighbouring states, according to reports.

Marie Saine-Firdaus Secretary of State for Justice and Attorney General for The Gambia said she hopes that the rules of procedure for the African Court would serve the interest of all the people on the continent.

In his statement, the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Department of State for Justice, Alhaji Sainey Susso, on behalf of the Attorney General, said the session “is another milestone in the development of the African human rights system”.  Mr. Susso said that from establishing a commission twenty years ago, they have now seen the need for a human rights court which will consolidate the gains registered by the commission.

 He said: “The promotion and protection of human rights in Africa is the primary responsibility of all and sundry because it is only when our human rights are guaranteed, promoted, protected and fulfilled that peace and development will be realised in the continent.”

Published by API africanpress@getmail.no

< From Mohammed Legally-Cole) 

The United States Ambassador to The Gambia, Barry Wells has disclosed that the Ambassador Girls Scholarship Programme (AGSP) will provide more that 550, 000 scholarships for girls for the next four year period.

Ambassador Wells recently made these remarks at the AGSP/FAWEGAM lesson learning conference which was held at the Paradise Suite Hotel in Banjul, The Gambia. He also emphasised the importance of bringing together both men and women for a greater national development in The Gambia.

 “For a bird to fly it needs two wings. In the same way, for a country to develop, it needs all its children; men and women.” “Therefore, if the development of a country should take off, then the analogy of the bird flying truly applies,” he told the participants.He added that his analogy seeks to introduce the goal of AEI/AGSP, which is geared towards correcting gender inequity in education in Africa for sustainable development.
The US ambassador said girls represented 60 per cent of the 40 million children in Africa who had no access to education when AEI was passed in 2002.

 He further saluted the entire government and other partners for being supportive to AGSP’s efforts and activities, which is implemented through FAWEGAM. He said the programme has provided at least 300,000 scholarships in Africa and about a 100,000 in West Africa.For her part, Yadi Njie Eribo, the coordinator of Forum of African Women in Education, The Gambia (FAWEGAM), underscored the numerous benefits the AGSP has brought towards girls and women empowerment, especially in the areas of education and health. Ms Njie-Eribo added the AGSP has sponsored over 800 girls in the Western Region.

Author : Mtachaamambhi (IP: 80.239.46.194 , 80.239.46.194)
E-mail : matacha@yahoo.com
Commentary:

Killary !!

As her chance of being America ‘s first woman president swiftly recedes, Hillary Clinton’s campaign stands accused of using dirty tricks to scupper the chances of Barack Obama becoming America’s first black president.
 
A manipulated photo of Obama in traditional dress on a trip to Somalia has started doing the rounds on the web. How did it get there?
Obama’s camp accuses Hillary’s flunkies of putting it there. The fight for the Democratic nomination is getting dirtier than Monica Lewinsky’s laundry.

And this is not the first time a Clinton has jumped on anything in a dress.

Take it easy Killary !!

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<Justice minister Martha Karua- a hardliner in Kibaki’s government is now faced with problems of her own.

Here, Karua displays her passport to journalists in Nairobi yesterday, a passport that has a Swiss visa. Yes, that may be true but the reality is different. She knows the truth.�The minister got her visa in Nairobi, a visa that was not going to be respected at the entry point if she had travelled to Switzerland.

The Swiss foreign ministry today confirms to have informed Martha Karua that she was not going to be allowed entry into the country even with the visa from the embassy in Nairobi. The decision was taken by the Swiss ministry of�foreign affairs after the intervention of the country’s minister for foreign affairs says official. “Our minister decided that the minister should not be allowed entry into the country. “Having been a stumbling block during mediation talks, we asked Martha Karua, Kenyan Justice minister not to travel to our country”, the official has said.

�The embassy had given her a visa in� Nairobi without consultation with the foreign ministry. The ministry decided that instead of waiting until she arrived at the entry point, it was better to let her know in advance.

Details coming out from the foreign ministry in the Swiss capital confirm that the UK officials contacted the Swiss authorities on realising that the minister had already been given a visa in Nairobi.

It is now clear how things took turn. It is confirmed that a former UK High Commissioner who was based in Kenya was informed by a�Swiss Embassy official�that Karua had applied and was issued with a visa. On getting the information tha former UK High Commissioner contacted the present UK High Commissioner in Nairobi�requesting for action to stop the minister from entering Switzerland. The UK High Commissioner Mr Wood contacted the Swiss embassy in Nairobi and together with the German Ambassador met over dinner and discussed Karuaa’s fate.

The three diplomats, the UK, The German and the Swiss were all of the opinion that Karua was a stumbling block in the Kenya Annan talks and must be punished at all costs.

The three diplomats agreed that the Swiss government was to be contacted and made to understand that by refusing Karua entery despite the fact that she already had the visa was important for the ongoing talks. The Swiss ambassador agreed to contact the ministery of foreign affairs back home and inform them on the UK concerns. Although the UK concern had come from a former High Commissioner and not the British government, the decision was, however, taken and Karua got word through some source and managed to avoid getting embarrassed at the entry point into Switzerland.

We can also reveal that Germany and the UK are impossing a ban on the minister in an effort to force President Kibaki to releave her from her duties as a government minister.

Unless Kibaki intervenes and reason with the British, the Germans and the Swiss Karua will now have a difficult time and will not be easy for her to enter any country in the west.

Related articles:

• Kenya�s Justice Minister Martha Karua denied visa by the Swiss�government
• Breaking news: USA releases list of banned Kenyan top politicians and businessmen

Published by Korir, API africanpress@getmail.no

From  DICKENS WASONGA

Conakry (Guinea) The residents of the N’Zérékoré town, located about 1,000 km away from the capital, Conakry, have been urged to help integrate Liberian, Sierra Leonian and Ivorian refugees that have resolved to live in the region after living there for more than a decade.

To facilitate the integration, the N’Zérékoré authorities have taken advantage of a UNHCR programme to identify all the concerned refugees in the various neighbourhoods of the area.

Official sources say several hundreds of the refugees live in the area.

Following an awareness campaign the prefect of N’Zérékoré, Bremé Condé told APA: “We have invited the host populations to welcome these refugees who want to become Guineans and to give them plots of farmland if possible,” Condé said.

He said development partners were also contributing to the process by building health centres, schools and roads.

The prefect said a social integration office has also been opened to handle all the issues relating to the reintegration of the refugees.

Published by Korir, API africanpress@getmail.no source.apa