Ndiho Media,LLC.

BY Paul Ndiho
June 3, 2010

A series of civil wars in Chad has led to thousands of children being caught up in the conflict, mainly in the country’s eastern region. Estimates put the number of child soldiers in the country at more than 10,000. Reporter Paul Ndiho looks at how some former child soldiers are trying to return to normal life.
Child soldiers in Africa have captured world attention. In Chad, thousands of children are kidnapped by armies and forced to fight. Many were already orphaned by years of civil war, and they find a new kind of family in the military. A new UN report says children are still being recruited and used in combat by Chad’s government and rebel forces. Some children are abducted — others join voluntarily. Anthony Lake is UNICEF’s executive director:
“Children forced into unimaginable servitude by adults who regard them not as human lives to be nurtured but as objects to be used for unspeakable purposes.”
In 2007, an agreement was signed between UNICEF and the government of Chad to step up efforts to get children out of armed groups and back into society.

“There is a proportion of these people who have actually been trained to kill. A proportion of them actually killed enemies. It’s very difficult to overcome the psycho- social aspect of this trauma and get them back to a normal life that was poor.”
Under the agreement, the National army now vets all recruits. Those identified as being under the age of 18 are sent to rehabilitation centers in the capital Ndjamena. There, these former child solders receive education and psychological care, and are taught new skills to help them integrate back into society. So far, more than 800 children have gone through this process. The former child solders carry the burden of separation from families and are often plagued by horrendous memories. Former child soldier Dowa Samna:
“During the six months we were tortured on the side of the road, I was hurt here and here and here and on my arm. I was also hurt and injured on my head.”
Nineteen year-old Souleymane Adoum Izak now works at a hotel in N’Djamena, a huge change from the seven years he spent fighting with a rebel group in eastern Chad. He says that when he first joined the armed group, most of the rebels were aged between 10 and 14. He has found his second home here at the rehabilitation center, but normal life remains a huge challenge.
“Because you’re young and you’re trained and you spend all your time with rebels, you still feel the need to fight all the time, even though you’re a civilian. You always feel the need to fight with people.”
Human rights activists say that returning to normal life is very difficult for former child soldiers. Souleymane and others like him now have a new take on life. Employment is key – being able to earn a living and take care of basic needs. But even as these former child soldiers attempt to fit back into society, social workers say their psychological return to normal life can be a far longer journey.

By Paul Ndiho
May 26, 2010
The race for president of Nigeria is generating a lot coverage in the media. With his new team in place, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is facing the challenges of electoral reforms and economic development in the West African nation. At least six politicians have expressed an interest in running for president, but analysts say Mr. Jonathan could prove a favorite in the 2011 elections. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has not officially declared he will be a candidate for president in 2011, but some prominent people say he will run. Under an unwritten agreement within the ruling People’s Democratic Party, Jonathan, cannot run for the top office because he is a southerner, and the late President Yar’Adua, a northerner, did not complete his eight-year rotation. Under the agreement, Jonathan’s deputy would become the PDP presidential candidate next year. But there is fierce infighting within the party, according to Abubakar Momoh, a professor at the Lagos University.
“The sad event of the demise of the former President, nobody can help it, it is natural process, but the question is the aftermath, what happens next after him? And that is what lots of factions and tendencies in the PDP have not agreed upon. For them some are saying that the PDP in principle has zoned this post to the north for the next eight years, and therefore the next incumbent must be somebody from the north and now the situation is there are all kinds of things.”
Several seasoned politicians, including former Military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, Donald Duke, a two-term State governor for Cross River State, have joined the race for president. Analysts say that as governor, Donald Duke excelled at improving basic services, tourism, information technology, and agriculture. Recently at fundraiser in Washington, D.C., Mr. Duke said that he wanted take his abilities to the national stage.
“We’re trying to get people involved in the process now; for too long we’ve been complacent, we’ve been ambivalent to our politics; let’s get involved and change our country.”
Voice of America reporter Chinedu Offor covers Nigeria and observes that Mr. Duke achieved quite a lot through his tourism initiative and today his state is the number one holiday destination in Nigeria.
“He has done so much in turning his state into a tourist attraction. This state that had little or no oil and this is a story he told because he came in and there was no resources and said well the best thing to do is to create a place where people can come and spend money and turned his state into a destination sport where Nigerians and foreigners would come and enjoy their money and has made a success of it.

“We have perhaps one of the best landscapes anywhere in the country; we have historical sites, we have geological sites, we have great people and beauty and tremendous cultural values. So what we’ve tried to do in our state is put all of these together our sites, our culture, our history, make it a place people want to go to.”
The Governor says that during his early years in office, a large consignment of pineapple suckers was imported and given to farmers; today pineapple is harvested in commercial quantities in this state and has become an affordable fruit in virtually every home. Chinedu Offor says that looking at what he has done for his state; it’s possible for him to give President Goodluck Jonathan a run for his money.
“If he can replicate a little bit of what he has done for his state on a broader level I think that’s a good way to start in a since that you have supporting infrastructure like roads because Nigeria of course needs it, you have supporting infrastructure like power, electricity Nigeria needs it, you have supporting facilities like water people need it.
Some political analysts say that although Nigeria’s principle of rotating power is based on the PDP constitution, it is not written into Nigerian law. That means there is nothing to stop Goodluck Jonathan from running for the presidency next year, despite being a southerner.

By Paul Ndiho
May 19, 2010

Preparations for Ethiopia’s elections scheduled for Sunday May 23 have been dominated by accusations of intimidation and disruption by both the government and the opposition. The government says it’s looking forward to a democratic process, but opposition parties say chances of free and fair polls are very slim.
Ethiopians go to the polls this weekend for the first time since a government victory in 2005 was disputed by the opposition. More than 200 street protesters were killed by security forces and all the main opposition leaders imprisoned and charged with terrorism. Johnnie Carson, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs while testifying to the U.S. House Subcommittee on Africa said the Obama administration is watching very closely the upcoming elections in Ethiopia and called on the government to allow everyone to vote freely and fairly on Election Day and that it’s incumbent upon the government to do everything it possibly can ensure that the playing field is leveled.
“We are encouraging the government of Ethiopia, as well as the opposition parties to act responsively during the election campaign and the election itself. We do not want to see a repetition of the violence that followed the flood elections of 2005 in which the opposition felt that it had not been treated fairly, protested after the election and a number of opposition leaders were killed in the streets of Addis Ababa.”
Concerned Ethiopians are afraid to voice their doubts, the general feeling in the country is that polls will not be free or fair and that violence may erupt again. Here in the Washington D.C metro area some Ethiopians are worried that a repeat of the chaos seen in 2005 might carry the day. Alemayenu Abebe a Washington DC resident says the election campaigns have been dominated by intimidation and harassment from the government police are other security agencies.
There is no independent election workers the ruling party will use all necessary means to stop the opposition parties. You know they can put you in jail they don’t have equal landscape they don’t have a right to go to the demonstration in the capital city.”
However, Another D.C resident is hoping that this election will be free and fair to all Ethiopian people.
“I’ve lived here in the United States of America for a long time because I enjoy the freedom and i hope that our people will get that freedom one day. And I hope this government in power right now will treat the opposition party fairly stop intimidation so that we will have some members go to the parliament and fight further for the people of Ethiopia.”
The opposition says their candidates and voters are harassed and intimidated. The government, for its part, says the opposition plans to incite street violence and discredit the poll because it has no chance of winning.

One of the leading opposition leaders Merera Gudina while campaigning in and around his home area of Ambo, in the Oromia region, approximately 125 kilometres south of the capital Addis Ababa. The region is home to Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group which makes up 27 million of the country’s 80 million population also accused the government for intimidating in his people.
“Well, the police, the security, there’s the local administrators, they’re all going around telling people that the forum (Medrek) and the Oromo People’s Congress is not peaceful and all kinds of things. They are intimidating people.”
New-York based Human Rights Watch said the government has arrested and imprisoned opposition politicians for varying terms since the 2005 disputed polls. However, The National Election Board says measures are in place to make sure all parties follow strict guidelines for the elections.
“Almost all political parties, more than 65 political parties have agreed on a code of conduct so as to make the upcoming election free, fair, democratic, peaceful and credible. We have also prepared a media election reporting directives.”
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who is running for re-election was hailed by the west as one of a new generation of democratic African leaders in the 1990s but human rights groups have increasingly criticized him for cracking down on opposition and the independent media in sub-Saharan Africa’s second most populous nation. In 2005 his security forces opened live fire at un-armed civilians and killed more than 200 people.

By Paul Ndiho
May 10, 2010

Women are responsible for at least 70 percent of Africa’s food crop production. They also play important roles in food processing and marketing, and animal husbandry and making decisions on the farm.
In sub-Saharan Africa, most women work in agriculture. They spend much of their day performing field work, growing food and crops for their families in addition to caring for the children. Like many African women, Esther Winjero Njorogo is her family’s main food provider. But she struggles to farm her plot in Kenya due to unpredictable rains.
“It’s very difficult to get water. I have to wait for rain then I have to look for money to buy fertilizers and manure.”
During the dry season, Njorogo spends most her time pumping water to irrigate her crops. Feister Mumbi Kimuya, is another concerned Kenyan small-scale commercial farmer, who grows tomatoes and maize and raises chickens for eggs to sell in the markets.
“When we are farming we see that our crops are not doing very well because we don’t the technical expertise to farm those crops.”
Many African women farmers grow food on small patches of land, and Feister Kimuya says that most rural farmers use crop rotation to make the most of these plots. Her family farming business has grown steadily in the last few years.
Women farmers in Kenya are hungry for innovative, concrete business ideas according to David Kauck, with the International Center for Research on Women. He says that rural women in Kenya need more access to credit, training, fertilizer and seeds.
“In Africa we can’t talk about agriculture without talking about the role of women. Women are involved in every part of the production, in transforming food crops, processing, marketing and transporting the crops to the market.”
Rural women farmers in Ghana also do not have access to formal financial services. Speaking on Capitol Hill in Washington, Lydia Sasu, with Ghana’s Development Action Association says women in Ghana are not part of decision-making bodies that shape farming policy in their homeland.
“Rural women are doing a fantastic job. They produce about 80% of the food in the country, they take care of their children, educated them, take care of their produce and even market it. Looking at the roles they play, their voice need to be heard and we want them to be part of the decision making process.”
Agriculture experts say that hunger and the cycle of poverty in Africa are two of the most significant challenges that face the continent today. Studies show that improving agriculture is the most effective driver of growth in developing countries.

By Paul Ndiho
May 6, 2010
Over the last three decades, microfinance has spread to every continent and affected some 100 million families. And experts say microfinance can be an important liberating force in societies where women may struggle against social and economic conditions.
Millions of Africa’s rural poor people have no access to small loans, and as a result cannot begin a small business. The nonprofit Women’s Microfinance Initiative has been operating in Eastern Uganda for the last two years. The group has given out more than one thousand small loans in about 50 villages in Eastern Uganda and just expanded to Kenya. Robyn Nietert is president of the Initiative:
“These women are incredibly responsible, they are focused, they are enthusiastic and they are very committed to pay back their loans, and growing their businesses.”
Nietert says that her group’s goal is to empower rural women in East Africa.
“Listening to the women and making it a true grassroots operation. We listen to them and take a lead from them. That I think has been the most important aspect of this program and that’s why it has a 100% repayment program.”
The poor are often denied credit from commercial banks because the amounts they need to borrow are too small or they lack collateral to secure a loan. Nora O’ Connell is vice president of Women Thrive Worldwide, a non-profit organization shaping U.S. policy to help women in developing countries lift themselves out of poverty. She says many women in rural Africa also have limited access to education and land ownership.

“Rural women in Africa are the real backbone of taking care of their families. They are the ones that put the food on the table and are the ones that make sure their kids go to school.”
Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for championing microcredit. Yunus attended this year’s annual microcredit summit in Kenya, and he says women in Africa are good candidates for microfinance.
“African women are very active compared to any women anywhere in the world. If you compare the African women with the Asian women or Bangladeshi women, there is a world of difference.”
Studies indicate that women are more likely than men to reinvest their small business profits, or to use their additional income to meet household needs. However critics at a recent regional Microcredit Summit in Kenya’s capital Nairobi said that some microcredit lenders are scamming the poor, and in some countries micro-loan interest rates vary widely.

By Paul Ndiho

APIRL 27, 2010

After being declared the winner in April’s presidential elections that international observers, particularly the Carter Center and the European Union said were deeply flawed, earlier this week, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir joined party supporters and officials to celebrate and show the world that he has been elected president by majority of Sudanese in the first open elections in more than 20 years.
The celebrations were loud and boisterous. Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir — the only sitting head of state wanted by the International Criminal Court — won Sudan’s first multiparty elections in 24 years. The elections received a mixed assessment from political observers with the African Union declaring them “free and fair.” While the United States and others say the elections fell short of international standards. David Smock is vice president and director, Center for mediation and conflict resolution, Religion and Peacemaking program at the U.S Institute Of Peace in Washington
“There was minimal violence but it didn’t have a great deal of meaning because the international observers, particularly the Carter Center and the European Union said the elections were deeply flawed, most of the opposition candidates in the north running against Bashir had withdrawn and boycotted the election.”
A breakdown of the presidential vote shows great support for President Bashir in the north. While Salva Kiir, President of the semi-autonomous southern region, easily won re-election with 92.percent of the vote.
“I shall be the president of all southern Sudanese, without any distinction based on party allegiance, regional provenance, ethnic origin or religious faith, so please mark those words and let us move together.

With the elctions now behind them, Sudan begins to focus on next year’s referendum on independence for the south, a vote President Bashir has pledged to respect. But David Smock says the government in Khartoum faces many challenges including Darfur, an issue complicated by Mr. Bashir’s international indictment for alleged war crimes in Darfur.
There have been on again off again negotiations in Doha, particularly between the Bashir government and the Gem, one of the major rebel groups and some discussions with some of the other rebel groups, but while there has been an agreement on a ceasefire, with the Gem, the details of what a peace agreement would look like have not really been worked out in any significant way, so they definitely need progress on that front for Sudan to be able to go forward.” He said.
And forward means continuing the implementation of the 2005 peace deal that ended the Sudanese civil war.

By Paul Ndiho
April 23, 2010

Studies show that a child born to an educated mother is twice as likely to survive to the age of five as a child born to an uneducated mother. But many children in the Sub-Saharan Africa are denied even the chance to attend primary school.
Experts say that educating children helps reduce poverty, promotes gender equality and more. New U.S. legislation, led by New York Congresswoman Nita Lowey, calls on the United States to support an international Global Fund for Education for developing countries. The fund aims to achieve basic education for every child in the world by 2015.
“Access to quality education brings promise of a better life. No country has sustainable economic growth without achieving mere universal primary education and investing in girls education increases women’s income, delays the start of sexual activity, reduces infant mortality rates and increases women’s political participation.”
Educated girls are likely to marry later and have fewer children, who in turn will be more likely to be better nourished and educated. In sub-Saharan Africa, school and school related-fees are keeping children out of classrooms, as the fees can consume nearly a quarter of a poor family’s income. Actress Jessica Alba has just returned from Africa, where she observed how U.S. funding for global education is changing lives.
“Last month I visited Ghana, Senegal and South Africa and I saw myself the potential and impact of education. The parents I met were full of hope for their children’s future and wanted more than nothing for their children to go to school.”
Quality education can be a way out of poverty, but Jessica Alba says millions of Africa’s children receive little or no education.
“72 million children worldwide don’t have access to education. 60% of these kids live in Africa and most of them are girls.”
Research shows that HIV/AIDS infection rates are halved among young people who finish primary school. And estimates are that If every girl and boy received a complete primary education, at least 700,000 new cases of HIV could be prevented in a decade – another compelling reason to get Africa’s children into classrooms.

By Paul Ndiho
April 20, 2010

Across the continent, African religions play significant roles in communities where government services may be sparse or absent. VOA’S Paul Ndiho looks at how religion and politics are intertwined in Africa.
Africa’s religious communities broadly reflect moderation, though pockets of religion-based extremism are evident across the region.
Peter Lewis, Director, African Studies, School of Advanced International Studies or SAIS says that religion and politics are intertwined in Africa and there is a need to understand how they interact.
“Religion plays multiple roles, completed roles, and often multi-faceted roles in some situations where some religious communities and religious figures can be sources of extremism and confrontation. Others maybe sources of moderation and mediation and others still maybe largely separated from politics.”
In many parts of Africa, religious institutions deliver social services, build hospitals, schools, and provide employment and in places where government has failed. In Somalia, Islam may be a vehicle to mobilize people against the government or to protest against foreign invasion. In 2006, Islamic courts governed in much of Somalia until they were driven out by Ethiopia’s military. Timothy Longman, Boston University says that religion cuts across African political identities.
“Religious groups are very much caught up in conflict in a variety of ways. What I want to focus on are the two very contradictory tendencies that you find within Christian churches in the region and that is churches are getting embroiled in conflict, being involved in supporting conflict, and on the other hand, churches playing a peaceful role for a conflict resolution role.”
In Nigeria, analysts say religion can fuel Christian-Muslim violence. In the recent past, clashes have taken place between Christians and Muslims in Kano, northern Nigeria, a region which is governed by sharia law. In Jos, hundreds of people lost their lives because of an election that Peter Lewis says took on unusual religious divisions.
“In most of Nigeria, Christians and Muslims have managed to co-exist. We hope that with the improvement in governance, economic opportunities and reduced inequalities that different communities in Nigeria would be better able to get a long.”
A recent study by the Washington, D.C.-based Pew Forum on Religion and public life reveals that most people in sub-Saharan Africa are deeply committed to Christianity or Islam; they continue to practice elements of more traditional African religion. The study says that while many Muslims and Christians describe members of the other faith as tolerant, there are signs of tensions between the faiths.

BY PAUL NDIHO

APRIL 15, 2010

After Sudan’s comprehensive peace deal was signed in 2005, neighboring business people rushed to Southern Sudan, hoping to cash in on opportunities there following two decades of war. But now, some of those same people are fleeing the country, fearing violence following disputed elections, similar to what happened in Kenya in 2008.
Foreign entrepreneurs in Southern Sudan have started closing up their shops in anticipation of post-election violence. Many business people are heading home to home countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. John Muturi has been selling second-hand clothes in Juba with his wife since arriving from Kenya.
“We are afraid because we’ve seen elections are never predictable. That’s why we’re selling the stock we already have and finishing it and we can keep our money. But we are not bringing in any more things from outside. We have to sell what we have because we don’t know what is going to happen.”

Sudanese people started voting earlier this week in the first multi-party elections in more than 24 years that will test the fragile unity of Africa’s biggest country. Jonathan Temin at the United States Institute of Peace says that there might be violence in some areas of the country.

“It is possible. And they are being cautious and conservative in their outlook and what might happen. But it also depends on what part of the country we are talking about. We have to remember that Sudan is the largest country in Africa and what might happen in Khartoum is different from what might happen in Juba or Darfur and other places in between.”

Juba became a budding area of commerce following the 2005 peace deal. Ezekiel Gathuoth, head of Mission, Government of Southern Sudan, says that there is no cause for alarm and reassures business people that they can in Juba.

“Business should continue as usual because this is something that you can do and go back to your business. The elections should not affect any function of business. We are appealing to all the people not to worry and for the last three days everything has been peaceful.”

But clothing trader John Muturi says that many businessmen have already left Southern Sudan and only those with the biggest shops remain. But some foreigners are not looking to leave. Eritrean Hatawi Abraham works in a Juba hotel and says, like many Sudanese, he hopes the elections will have a positive impact rather than lead it back to conflict.

“Actually I have been here for one year and until now, thank God, nothing has happened, security is quite okay especially with elections. Everyone was speculating that something could happen, like violence and something but thank God nothing has happened.”

The election looks likely to extend the 21-year rule of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the head of state wanted by the International Criminal Court to face charges of war crimes in Darfur.

BY PAUL NDIHO
APRIL 11, 2010

Although Washington DC has a significant number Sudanese people very few
were registered to vote in this landmark election, a handful voted at the Sudanese Consulate in Washington dc. A small number of Voters from the Washington area came early to cast their ballots in this historic election. The three-day election is a key indicator of whether Sudan can fend off renewed conflict and humanitarian crisis as it heads toward a 2011 referendum that could split apart this oil-producing nation and bring independence for south Sudan. The Sudanese Ambassador to the United States said this was a significant milestone in the history of Sudan.

“This election is confirming one of the mandates of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement or the (CPA) that is to hold elections as a fulfillment of the CPA and to prepare for the referendum.”
Mayom Ball Achuku said that this election is a new hope for Sudan.
“This election means chances of freedom are coming to Sudan. I was the first person to vote and I think that I’m doing it not only for
generations that were not able to vote and for myself. It also means that the suffering of the people in Southern Sudan will come to an end. That’s the main reason I voted.”
In Sudan, thousands of police were deployed to make sure things go
smoothly for the first multi-party poll in 24 years.
Greeted by supporters shouting “Allah hu-Akbar” President Omar al-Bashir arrived at a polling station in Khartoum to cast his ballot.
Analysts say he is expected to win but this comes as leading opposition figures accuse him of manipulating the vote. However former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, leading a team of observers, says his foundation hasn’t spotted any major irregularities.
“We have 30 teams out from the Carter Center in all the states and so far they have determined that everything is find and orderly – no problems with violence or intimidation and almost all of our teams have reported that all materials have been on site at the polling stations which they visited in preliminary state.”

Voters in the south were also excited to be voting for the first time since the deadly north – south civil war. Meanwhile in the south of the country, Southern Sudan president Salva Kiir said he was hopeful for the future.

“Well I have never voted in my life, this is my first time to vote and it is a good beginning that Sudan’s going back to democracy and I hope it will be the foundation for future democracy in our country so that power is transferred from person to person by peaceful means instead of military coup.

Elsewhere, Opposition groups and activists complained of vote-rigging, fuelling doubts about the credibility of the election.
There were reports of delays, ballot paper mix-ups and names missing from voters’ lists in some areas of the country.