Friday 31 May 2013

PICHA YA KWANZA YA SUPER STAR WA MWISHO KUWA NA MAREHEMU NGWAIR AKIWA HAI AKIFUNGUKA KUTOKA HOSPITALINI.

Hatimaye mtangazaji wa Clouds FM, Millard Ayo aliyepo jijini Johannesburg, Afrika Kusini amefanikiwa kuongea na M TO THE P ambaye amelazwa kwenye hospitali ya St. Helen jijini humo. Kulikuwepo na tetesi kuwa msanii huyo aliyekuwa pamoja na Mangwea naye alifariki.
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Akiongea kwa shida, M to the P amewaomba watanzania wamuombee. Amesema bado anasikia maumivu ya kichwa na sehemu za kifua

Talk to Your Armed Opposition, Tanzanian President Kikwete Tells Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and Joseph Kabila of DRC

by AfroAmerica Network on May 26, 2013
JayaKikweteTanzaniaThe United Nations Intervention Brigade is helpful in the short term but is not paramount for durable peace in the Great Lakes region. To have durable peace, a global dialogue is warranted. General  Paul Kagame needs to have direct talkswith the Rwandan armed rebel movementsop erating from the Congolese provinces of Kivus the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR).  Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni  needs to  hold similar talks with the rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces/National Army for the Liberation of Uganda [ADF-NALU] opposed to his government, and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila needs to jump start the peace talks with M23 Congolese rebels.
It is with these unusual terms that the Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has defined the roadmap for peace in the Great Lakes Region of Africa. He did not do it behind closed doors during a one-to-one meeting with each of the three presidents. He did it in front of more than 11 African presidents and heads of state and while celebrating the most important day for the African Continent: at the occasion of the 50thanniversary of the Organisation of African Unity celebrated this weekend in Addis Abeba over the week-end.
Jaya Kikwete advised the three African Presidents who are  among the  11 signatories of  the February 24, 2013 Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSCF) for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Region (see here)  during  a private meeting among the parties in the margin of the celebration of the 50th anniversary.
The content of the recommendation by the Tanzanian President Jaya Kikwete to the Rwandan, Ugandan, and DRC leaders is not surprising. After all, AfroAmerica Network and its contributors have underlined the same approach in several of our published articles, especially in our article of March 7, 201 3 titled UN Special Envoy in Great Lakes: Will Rwandan President Kagame Seize the Opportunity. The surprise is that these words come from the mouth one of the most influential leaders of the African continent. In fact, along with Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos and  South African President Jacob Zuma, Jaya Kikwete is perhaps the most important president of modern day Black Africa.  The three presidents have become the wise people the international community consults before any major action regarding Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. It may not be an accident that the June 26 to July 3, 2013 first trip of the US President Barack Obama since his started his second term will include a stay in both South Africa and Tanzania  with a short stop in Senegal (see here).
Hence, if Paul Kagame, Yoweri Museveni and Joseph Kabila are wise, they better listen to Jaya Kikwete.  Let us recall our question from our March 7, 2012  article UN Special Envoy in Great Lakes: Will Rwandan President Kagame Seize the Opportunity: “Is the Rwandan President Paul Kagame going to take this opportunity to resolve once for all the thorny problem of the Rwandan rebels by talking to his armed opposition, like other leaders in the region have done or are doing?”  With the recommendation from Tanzanian President Jaya Kikwete the question becomes as urgent as ever, not only for Paul Kagame of Rwanda, but also for Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, and Joseph Kabila of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
But is it going to happen? The immediate answers from or reaction of the three presidents to Jaya Kikwete’s recommendation does not augur an easy road ahead. The stoned silence of Paul Kagame, the elusive answer from Yoweri Museveni that “he only discusses only with those willing and isolates the others”, meaning that he choses who to discuss with and the submissive attitude of Joseph Kabila have shown what the international Community will have to deal with. But, regardless of what happens, the jar has been opened,the genie is out, and there may not be a way back.
©2013 AfroAmerica Network. All Rights Reserved.

nalysis of Jakaya Kikwete’s suggestion about FDLR/Rwanda talks

29 mai 2013
Analysis of Jakaya Kikwete’s suggestion about FDLR/Rwanda talks hunted-rwandan-refugees-in-drc-19972-150x150
Animal-like hunted Rwandan refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997. The AFDL of Laurent-Desire Kabila marched to Kinshasa while the Rwandan allied forces of president Paul Kagame exterminate ethnic Hutu on the Congolese soil, UN Mapping report, October 2010
I find Kikwete’s comments a very strong signal that Kagame’s political honeymoon is long gone! It reveals a new regional political trend against Kagame. For the first time, a head of State is telling Kagame that the Hutu fighting him have legitimate political concerns. They are not criminals as Kagame had cheated the world to believe. 
It means Kagame’s major political tool has gone; by presenting the Hutu as evil under FDLR, Kagame had managed to knock out a very big potential and actual opposition block.If the Hutu make a come back into Rwanda’s political life as equal human beings not devils as he had managed to paint them, Kagame may consider himself gone.
Kikwete’s comment gives us an insight into the current political limbo in which Kagame finds himself. It fits well into the observation that Kagame does not have both political and military capacity to fight the UN brigade.
Once upon a time, Kagame had convinced everyone around that FDLR was evil incarnate! It was believed, and wrongly of course, that all the crimes committed in DRC were committed by FDLR.
Kagame exterminated people and blamed it all to FDLR. FDLR was called “negative force”. Now, Kikwete, a regional power, is telling Kagame to negotiate with FDLR! The problem is that, practically, FDLR does not exist!! Nobody knows who Kagame is going to negotiate with as FDLR because FDLR, for most part, is Kagame’s force!
FDLR in Rwandan politics is an ambiguous term. For outsiders it may be used to refer to the armed group fighting Kagame from DRC. However, for most Rwandans FDLR also means the Hutu as a group.
The Tanzanian diplomats I have spoken to in NY know this. I am sure Kikwete knows this as well. Is telling Kagame to negotiate with “FDLR” telling him to negotiate with the Hutu, his ethnic enemies?
Kikwete knows how much blood of the Tutsi Kagame has accumulated on his hands for his self-aggrandizement. All legitimate Tutsi opposition leaders have been branded “working with” FDLR. Now Kagame is being told to negotiate with FDLR. Then he’s being told to negotiate with the Tutsi political opposition. In general, the term FDLR in Kagame’s political paradigm means ” political opposition.”
In the last couples of years, several leaders of the FDLR based in Europe have been arrested and imprisoned at the instigation of the Rwandan government which branded their group as terrorist. Kagame’s image was then still bright and almost intact among western partners who were interested in pursuing their regional economic interests. As the strongman of the region, they required his complicit support to access DRC’s resources. However, despite a weakened but still disciplined FDLR, the group remains an inescapable force to have lasting peace in Eastern Congo.
charles-kambanda
Charles kambanda, judge in New york
By Charles Kambanda


The Unforgotten Charles - The last black soldier
Foreign Office Minister Mark Simmonds has paid tribute to UN peacekeeping personnel working around the world today.
Speaking today Foreign Office Minister for Conflict Issues Mark Simmonds, said:
Today marks the International Day of Peacekeepers. The UK pays tribute to over 100,000 UN personnel currently serving in 14 peacekeeping missions today. The British Government is proud to join others around the world to thank the men and women of UN peacekeeping for the essential role they play, and have played over the last 65 years since the establishment of the first UN peacekeeping mission, in protecting those most vulnerable across Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Asia and Europe. Without their presence, their dedication and determination, many more people would face displacement, sexual violence, destruction of their livelihoods and their communities, and other devastating impacts of violent conflict.
We also take time to remember the many sacrifices made by peacekeepers in the pursuit of peace, honouring those who have died protecting others and those who still bear the scars and memories of serving in some of the most challenging environments around the globe.
The UK is strongly committed to supporting the UN’s vital contribution to world peace and stability, and will remain steadfast in that support.
au_50yrs_white_bkgd_updated

 

UNION AFRICAINE

 

UNIÃO AFRICANA

 
PRESS RELEASE N.42/21st AU SUMMIT
 
AUC Chairperson receives Newly Accredited Ambassadors of Lithuania and ACBF to the AU
 
IMG_0004Addis Ababa, 29 May 2013 – The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, today, Wednesday 29 May 2013, received in audience at the African Union (AU) headquarters Mrs. Asta Skaispiryte Liauskiene, newly accredited Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania in the United Kingdom, Ambassador Liauskiene presented her letter of credence to the AUC Chairperson and a letter of congratulations from the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania for the successful organization of the golden jubilee celebration of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) now the African Union (AU). The Ambassador expressed the wish for her country to  have an observer’s status in the AU.
 
The two personalities discussed among other things, the issue of women’s empowerment.
 
IMG_0018On the other hand, Dr. Dlamini Zuma also received in her office the newly accredited representative of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) to the AUC, Amb. Samuel Assefa.
 
The issue of agriculture among others was discussed, stressing on capacity building to be reinforced in this sector. 
 
The AUC Chairperson commended the work done so far by the Foundation, underscoring the need for all African countries to be involved in the ACBF projects.
 
Ambassador Assefa expressed the wish for the Commission to support agriculture activities in some pilot African countries with ACBF support.
 


 

UNION AFRICAINE

 

UNIÃO AFRICANA

 
PRESS RELEASE N.40/21st AU SUMMIT
 AU Liaison Office in Sudan Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the OAU/AU in Khartoum
 
 
IMG_1191Khartoum, 25 May 2013 - The African Union Liaison Office in Sudan (AULOS) kicked off celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of the OAU/AU with a round table discussion on 22 May 2013. The roundtable brought together a panel comprising of African Ambassadors accredited to The Sudan including the Ambassadors of Ethiopia, Tunisia and Zimbabwe, the Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sudan and the Dean of the Institute of African Studies and Research, Africa International University. Also in the Panel was Amb. Mahmoud Kane, Head of AU Liaison Office in Sudan.
The panelists discussed issues related to the role of the African Union, challenges facing the organization and its future prospects. The panelists unanimously agreed that unity of the continent of Africa is the key ingredient for fostering growth and development in Africa. Also discussed was the special relationship between the AU and Sudan from being a founding nation of the OAU to its commitment to AU processes, in particular the AUHIP negotiations. The roundtable discussion was televised on local television stations and covered by both Arabic and English Press.
IMG_1295On 25th May 2013, the AULOS together with the African Ambassadors Group hosted over seven-hundred guests including diplomats from all sectors of the diplomatic community in Sudan, government officials, religious leaders and members of the civil society, in an evening filled with a variety of activities at the Diplomatic Club in Khartoum. The programme began with a football match between African diplomatic group and Sudan which was won by the African Group after a penalty shootout, following a 2 all draw in regular time. This was followed by an exhibition of African Arts and crafts, textiles, agricultural products and tourism sites among others. The AULOS stand was the most popular with guests receiving AU memorabilia marking the 50 years.
 
The exhibition was followed by speeches by the Dean of the African group who is also the Moroccan Ambassador to Sudan, the Ambassador of Ethiopia to Sudan, the Director of International
 
 
IMG_1267Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sudan, and the Head of AU Liaison Office. This was preceded by the playing of the AU and Sudan anthems. Immediately after the speeches, the speakers led in the cutting of the 50th Anniversary cake to raptures applause of the guests setting the tone for the celebrations. Following this, guests were treated to an array of African cuisine from across the continent which was punctuated by a display of music and dance by various Sudanese artists.
 
The entertainment also included a recital of the poem “I am an African”, from former President Thabo Mbeki’s speech in 1996, by students from the University of Medical Science and Technology. The evening was concluded with a raffle where the prizes included two nights at the Corinthia hotel and two
 






FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Samba Mapangala & Orchestra Virunga U.S. Tour Dates Summer 2013

Virunga Management is delighted to announce live performance dates in June, July and August for East Africa's most-beloved singer Samba Mapangala.

JUNE 15 (SAT)
Songwriters and Poets 2013
Washington DC: Club Heaven, 2325 18th St. NW, Adams Morgan district
9-11 pm. $10 adv./$15 at door. Age 21 +

JUNE 29 (SAT)
Charleston West Virginia: Wine and All That Jazz Festival
University of Charleston, 2300 Maccorkle Ave SE, Charleston, WV

JULY 7 (SUN)
Detroit Michigan: Concert of Colors
Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit

AUGUST 23-25 (FRI-SUN)
Bangor, Maine: American Folk Festival
3 performances

July, August and September dates available: Contact Mel Puljic, Folklore Productions melp@folkloreproductions.com

For updates and news, please join Samba's Facebook fan page and Reverbnation fan list.

Thursday 30 May 2013

TANZIA   TANZIA
Ndugu zangu,

Jumuiya ya watanzania Reading inasikitika kutangaza kifo cha Mama yake Mbaruku Mzee, (mumewe Susan Mzee) kilichotokea nyumbani kwake Singida leo asubuhi 30 may 2013.

Msiba upo 2 Appleshaw Court, 2 School Road, tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire RG31 5AL. Kama mila na desturi yetu tufike tuwafariji wafiwa  kwa hali na mali.

Mipango inafanyika waweze kusafiri kwenda kwenye msiba soon.
Kwa maelezo zaidi piga nos.07867607112; 07404151936

Ukipata msg hii tafadhali wajulishe na wenzetu.

Called to Justice and Freedom: A celebration of the Life and Legacy of Archbishop Trevor Huddleston to mark the Centenary of his birth.

Archbishop Trevor was a great and inspirational leader of the Anti Apartheid Movement.

During the service Archbishop Trevor Huddleston’s Isitwalandwe medal awarded to him by the ANC during the Congress of the People in1955 will be handed by his religious order to His Excellency the South African High Commissioner and former member of the National Executive Council of the ANC, Dr Zola Skweyiya who will then hand this to a representative of the Trevor Huddleston Memorial Centre for the medal to be brought back to South Africa where it will be the centre of an exhibition about the life and legacy of Archbishop Trevor.

The service is open to all .It would be good and appropriate for members and supporters of the ANC in the UK to be at the service.
.
NB  for those who wish to attend the reception following the service it is important for logistical and security reasons they register in advance, by 21 June, by emailing info@actsa.org or tel ACTSA on 020 3263 2001. Failure to register in advance will mean they cannot attend the reception. Registrations will be acknowledged and confirmed.

Saturday 29 June, 11 am (doors open 10.30)
St Martins in the Fields, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JJ

Doors open at 10.30 for the service to start at 11 am. It is anticipated that the service will last approximately an hour and a quarter.

Enquire:

Tony Dykes
Director, ACTSA (Action for Southern Africa)
Tel W. +44 (0)20 3263 2001

Xolani Xala
Chairperson of the ANC London interim Branch
Tel: +44 7505798633
 





--
Jumuiya Ya Watanzania Reading-UK
Blog :http://www.tareading.blogspot.com/
Email:tzra2009@gmail.com
Tel No: +447865673756

UNIÃO AFRICANA








Directorate of Information and Communication

PRESS RELEASE N0. 34  /21 AU SUMMIT

African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Awards 2013

Description: Description: C:\Users\mine\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Word\DSC_0089.jpgAddis Ababa  27th May 2013 – The African Union Commission offers Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Awards 2013 to nationals of the African Union (AU) Member States who have made remarkable achievements and support  the use and development of science and technology in Africa.
This year’s awards ceremony took place on Sunday 26th May 2013, during the 21st Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of States and Governments, at the AU headquarters,  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 
The  Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Awards 2013 were presented on behalf of the assembly  by Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Chairperson of the African Union, to Prof. Nabil A. Ibrahim from Egyptrecipient of the Basic Sciences,Technology and Innovation Award and to Prof. Michael John Wingfield from South Africa, recipient of the Life and Earth Sciences Award.


Description: Description: C:\Users\mine\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Word\DSC_0103.jpgIn her remarks at the occasion, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini ZumaAUC Chairperson, said that the Commission has generated tremendous momentum in deploying science as a tool for development in Africa. She added that, with the support of its development partners, the Commission has launched a number of programs including the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Awards, “as a way to strengthen science and technology capacities; to popularize science among our citizens; to empower those who are engaged in research; to celebrate their achievements and excellence; and to promote all efforts to transform scientific research into sustainable development of the continent” she added. (Please find full speech of the Chairperson on the AU website www.au.int)

Speaking on behalf of the awardees, Prof. Michael John Wingfield urged Africa to commit to build the continent’s capacities. We call upon the leaders of Africa, to join forces and to seriously commit to building capacity in science and technology”. He said what is needed is sustained support over a long period. “A key issue in developing science and technology is clearly education, not only education at the tertiary level but at every level from grade school and upwards”.



Natural resources can fuel Africa’s economic transformation; Sustainable development rests on diversification and investments in human capital 

Marrakesh, 27 May 2013 – Africa’s agricultural, mining and energy resources could boost the continent’s economic growth and pave the way for a breakthrough in human development, according to the African Economic Outlook 2013, released here today.

The report is produced annually by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the OECD Development Centre, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

The continent’s economic outlook for 2013 and 2014 is promising, confirming its healthy resilience to internal and external shocks and its role as a growth pole in an ailing global economy. Africa’s economy is projected to grow by 4.8% in 2013 and accelerate further to 5.3% in 2014.

The report shows this growth has been accompanied by insufficient poverty reduction, persisting unemployment, increased income inequalities and in some countries, deteriorating levels of health and education.

“Now is the time to step up the tempo of economic transformation, so that African economies become more competitive and create more gainful jobs”, say the authors of the report, adding that “widening the sources of economic activity is fundamental to meeting this challenge.”

The report argues that African countries must tap into their natural resource wealth to accelerate the pace of growth and ensure the process can benefit ordinary Africans.

“Growth is not enough”, said Mario Pezzini, Director at the OECD Development Centre. “African countries must provide the right conditions for turning natural resources into jobs, optimise their resource revenues through smart taxation and help investors and locals to make the most of linkages.”

According to the report, four key elements are needed to achieve that objective. Firstly, African countries should create the right conditions for such a transformation to take place, including infrastructure, education and the creation of larger and more competitive markets.

“Access to markets is fundamental to structural transformation based on natural resources: regional integration and better access to the markets of large partners could open new opportunities for all,” said Abdalla Hamdok, Deputy Executive Secretary, ECA.

In the second instance, the primary sectors require sound land management, balanced and effective tax systems and the right mechanisms and incentives to cause an acceleration and diversification of the sources of growth.

In the agricultural sector for instance, transport, fertilizers and more resistant seeds are required for an increase in productivity. Africa has 24 per cent of the world’s agricultural land, but accounts for only 9 per cent of its production.

Thirdly, governments and investors must ensure that a fair share of the proceeds from natural resources and extractive industries accrue to society: for example, they should be invested in people’s capacities to take up new jobs in promising sectors.

Finally, the report suggests that African countries can foster change and economic diversification actively, for example through corridors of development around power, transport and communication lines. Stable and transparent use of budgets is key to achieving that goal.

“Now is the time”, said Mthuli Ncube, Chief Economist and Vice-President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), “After ten years of improved stability, sound macroeconomic policies and blossoming trade links, growth has made African nations freer than ever to choose their own development paths and implement active policies for economic transformation.”

Ultimately, transformation means opening opportunities so people can find jobs, create businesses, as well as invest in health, education and food security. In turn, higher levels of human development for all, including the most vulnerable, can accelerate the pace of economic transformation, leading to a virtuous cycle of growth and development.

“Among many other benefits, human development can help drive Africa’s structural transformation by speeding both the rate of innovation and uptake of new technologies,” said Pedro Conceição, Chief Economist at UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa. “But for this to happen, more attention should be paid to improving access to and quality of education and healthcare systems, transforming agriculture and fostering job creation in order to narrow income inequalities.”

******
Information about the report:The annual African Economic Outlook covers economic, social and political development in 53 of the continent’s 54 countries. It is published with financial support from the European Union and the Committee of African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP).
For the whole report, including statistics and specific country performance, please visit
http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org

Wednesday 29 May 2013

ECA should promote cross-country experiences sharing and learning for accelerated Africa’s agric transformation – Ethiopian Minister 
 
Addis Ababa, 26 May 2013 (ECA) - Ethiopia’s State Minister for Agriculture, Mr Wondirad Mandefro has praised ECA for its transformative system wide and prospective approach that has contributed to the success story of some MDGs in Africa, while encouraging the Commission to capitalize on cross-country learning for the continent’s agricultural and rural transformation. Mr Mandefro addressed officials from ECA, the NEPAD Agency, several Ethiopian ministries, the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) and other partners who gathered in Addis Ababa last 16 May, to validate the Ethiopia case study of a continent-wide enquiry into the pillars and drivers on which to ground successfully  Africa’s Agricultural and Rural Transformation. To measure progress towards tangible structural transformative changes, the participants called for an index of successful agricultural transformation cases. 
The study, which is part of ECA’s support to the NEPAD Agency, underscores the need for countries such as Ethiopia to industrialize their huge agricultural sector in order to create more jobs and accelerate its on-going economic transformation. 
Agriculture should be the propeller of Africa’s industrialization and overall economic development, Mr Mandefro told participants at the workshop, adding that any strategy for its transformation should target small scale farmers in order to move their production systems from the level of subsistence to that of a more market oriented one. 
Similar country case-studies have been completed in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Botswana and Mauritius, while more of them are underway elsewhere on the continent. The study’s theme of rethinking agricultural and rural transformation in Africa is a key area of focus at activities to mark 50 years of the African Union. 
Issued by: 

Tuesday 28 May 2013



Labour.org.uk

Press release
Monday 27th May 2013

***Embargoed until 00.01, Tuesday 28 May***

Labour’s Policy Review explores new ideas on the private rented sector to drive standards up and bad landlords out.
With new figures released today showing that up to half a million families and 100,000 pensioners live in homes with poor conditions in the private rented sector, Labour publishes a document which sets out proposals to drive standards up and bad landlords out.

The document explores a range of measures at the national and local level to ensure we have a private rented sector that works for all, including a national register of private landlords, a new national private rented property standard, greater powers for local authorities and tougher sanctions for bad landlords, including the potential to strike off criminal landlords.

With thousands of families with children and pensioners living in homes with potentially serious hazards, damp and mould and having to rely on portable heaters, the Labour Policy Review is focused on making the private rented sector work for all.

Click here to read Labour's Policy Review document.

Jack Dromey MP, Labour’s Shadow Housing Minister, said:

"The private rented sector has an important role in meeting housing need. But too many tenants are in poor and sometimes dangerous homes.

"That’s why Labour has set out proposals to drive standards up and bad landlords out. Bad housing harms health and dangerous housing can kill.

"We want to see all families enjoying a decent home, at a price they can afford. While the majority of landlords are responsible, there can be no place in future for homes that are damp, cold and unfit to bring children up, holding them back at school.

"That’s why we’re setting out our proposals so the sector works for all."

Government and Mining Companies Should Remedy Problems, Add Protections
MAY 23, 2013
These multi-billion-dollar investments are supposed to drive development in one of the poorest countries in the world, yet they have actually made life harder for many people. Mozambique’s government should work with Vale and Rio Tinto to make sure the resettled farmers have productive land by the next farming season and appropriate and timely compensation for shortcomings in the resettlement process.
Nisha Varia, senior researcher
(Maputo) – Many of the 1,429 households resettled to make way for Vale and Rio Tinto’s international coal mining operations in Tete province, Mozambique have faced serious disruptions in their access to food, water, and work, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Mozambican government’s speed in approving mining licenses and inviting billions of dollars in investment has outstripped the creation of adequate safeguards to protect directly affected populations.

The 122-page report, “‘What is a House without Food?’ Mozambique’s Coal Mining Boom and Resettlements,” examines how serious shortcomings in government policy and mining companies’ implementation uprooted largely self-sufficient farming communities and resettled them to arid land far from rivers and markets. These communities have experienced periods of food insecurity or, when available, dependence on short-term food assistance financed by Vale and Rio Tinto.

“These multi-billion-dollar investments are supposed to drive development in one of the poorest countries in the world, yet they have actually made life harder for many people,” saidNisha Varia, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Mozambique’s government should work with Vale and Rio Tinto to make sure the resettled farmers have productive land by the next farming season and appropriate and timely compensation for shortcomings in the resettlement process.”

Tete province has an estimated 23 billion tons of mostly untapped coal reserves and is at the early stages of an enormous natural resource boom. According to 2012 government data, approved mining concessions and exploration licenses cover approximately 3.4 million hectares, or 34 percent of Tete province’s area. Coal mining accounts for roughly one-third of these.


This figure jumps to roughly six million hectares, or approximately 60 percent of Tete province’s area, when licenses pending approval are included. Not all exploration activity leads to mining projects, but the high concentration of land designated for mining licenses contributes to conflicts over land use.

“The staggering concentration of land allocated for mining activities has profoundly limited the availability of good farmland and viable resettlement sites for communities slated for relocation,” Varia said. “The government should consider calling a halt to additional licenses until adequate protections are in place.”

During 2009 and 2010, Vale resettled 1,365 households to a newly-constructed village, Cateme, and to an urban neighborhood, 25 de Setembro, in the district capital Moatize. Rio Tinto acquired the Australian mining company Riversdale and its holdings in Mozambique in 2011. Riversdale and Rio Tinto resettled 71 and 13 households respectively to a newly constructed village, Mwaladzi, in 2011, and Rio Tinto is resettling an additional 388 households this year. Jindal Steel and Power Limited also has coal mining operations in Tete province and is planning to resettle 484 families.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 79 residents of Cateme, 25 de Setembro, Mwaladzi, Capanga, and Cassoca who were resettled or soon-to-be resettled to make way for these mining projects as well as 50 government officials, civil society activists, and international donors.

“We tell them the rights and needs of the people and then they just go away and never return with a response,” said Malosa C., a woman who was resettled. “We don’t have food, we don’t have any money to buy food, our situation remains the same.”

Human Rights Watch has also communicated extensively with Vale, Rio Tinto, and Jindal Steel and Power representatives about these issues, including more than 35 meetings, telephone conversations, and written communications.

Vale representatives have acknowledged that the land in the resettlement sites is arid and requires irrigation to improve its fertility, and a Rio Tinto communication to Human Rights Watch noted that it is “aware that the carrying capacity of the land in Mwaladzi is very marginal without irrigation schemes.” But as of April 2013, there were no widely accessible irrigation schemes in place. The relocation sites’ long distance from markets and residents’ limited transportation options have also reduced communities’ ability to earn non-farming income.

Resettled farmers in the Vale resettlement village Cateme have experienced delays in receiving their full promised compensation. As of early May, all resettled households in Cateme were still waiting for the provincial government to allocate a second hectare of farmland promised in their original compensation package in 2009.

At least 83 families in Cateme effectively have had no access to farmland because the first plots they received were filled with rocks or were reclaimed by their original users. As of April, Vale said it had not yet provided these households with any additional assistance for their extra hardship in the three years since they were resettled.

While Vale and Rio Tinto have carried out the resettlements, the Mozambican government is ultimately responsible for approving and allocating resettlement sites as well as monitoring the outcome.

There has also been insufficient communication between the government and the mining companies with resettled communities, Human Rights Watch found. Neither the companies nor the government have provided adequately accessible and responsive mechanisms for residents to participate in decision-making, lodge complaints, and seek and get redress for their grievances.

Frustrated by the lack of response to their situation, an estimated 500 residents from the Vale resettlement village Cateme protested on January 10, 2012, blocking the railroad linking Vale’s coal mine with the port in Beira. Brick-makers, many of whom have not been resettled but whose livelihoods were disrupted by the Vale coal mine, staged additional protests in April and May 2013 to complain about their compensation.

Both Vale and Rio Tinto have made private and public commitments to improve resettled communities’ standard of living. By early 2013, both had carried out projects to improve water supply and storage for domestic use and were pursuing ways to enhance availability of water for irrigating agricultural plots. They have initiated livelihood projects such as chicken cooperatives and instruction in new farming techniques. However, some of these initiatives may take years to come to fruition.

Mozambique’s government has taken steps to strengthen its legal framework, including adopting a decree in August 2012 regulating resettlements due to economic projects. The decree helps fill a critical gap and sets out basic requirements on housing and social service infrastructure. However, it falls short of providing key protections, relating, for example, to land quality, livelihoods, access to health care, and grievance mechanisms. Mozambique’s government should revise the resettlement decree with broad consultation with people affected by the mining projects, civil society, mining companies, and donors, Human Rights Watch said.

Governments such as AustraliaBrazilIndia, and the United Kingdom should monitor the human rights conduct of domestic mining companies operating in Mozambique, including requiring those companies to report publicly on human rights impacts of their operations. Private companies have a responsibility to respect human rights, including through monitoring to prevent human rights abuses through their operations and mitigating them if they occur.

“The Vale and Rio Tinto projects in Tete province are just the first in many large projects and resettlements likely to take place over the next few decades in Mozambique, making the lessons they have to offer vitally important,” Varia said. “The government should put effective protections in place as a priority so that people affected by new projects won’t suffer the hardships faced by people resettled so far. New resettlements, including those planned by Jindal Steel and Power Limited and Rio Tinto, will provide an important test of the effectiveness of evolving safeguards.”


Selected Accounts from “What is a House without Food?”

“I used to grow sorghum, enough to fill the storehouse, probably about five or six sacks. We had a full kitchen of maize. We used to buy food when there was a problem, but usually we didn’t have to. The farming land we received [upon resettlement] is red, not black like we had before. I tried to grow maize and it died. Sorghum also failed. The new house is just a house. I am not that satisfied. What I can say is, what is a house without food? I cannot eat my house.” – Maria C., resettled farmer, Mwaladzi, Rio Tinto resettlement village, October 5, 2012

“Sometimes they say the pipe is broken. Sometimes the tanks have a problem. Then we have to go with pots and go to other neighborhoods for water. In the place where we used to live, there was no problem with water. If no water was in the pump we could go to the river. Here you can spend two or three days without a bath because there is not enough water.” – Senolia S., resettled farmer, Cateme, May 17, 2012

“We tell them the rights and needs of the people and then they just go away and never return with a response. Last month we had a meeting … they just write down the things that we complain about … but they never come back with the answer to our complaints. So it means that we keep suffering the same problems that we have. We don’t have food, we don’t have any money to buy food, our situation remains the same.” – Malosa C., resettled woman, Mwaladzi, October 3, 2012