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INSIDE AFRICA

U.S. Calls for More Sanctions on Sudan; Interview With Bono

Aired June 2, 2007 - 12:30:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FEMI OKE, HOST: Hello, I'm Femi Oke. This is INSIDE AFRICA, your weekly look at life and issues on the continent. This week, we're going to take a closer look at some of the stories making headlines. From U.S. calls for more sanctions against Sudan, to the British prime minister's last official trip to Africa. We'll also hear from Irish rocker Bono about the upcoming G-8 summit in Germany, and we head to Nigeria for the first-ever handover of power from one civilian government to another. It's going to be a packed show.
We begin with this week's U.S. initiative to try to stop what it calls genocide in Darfur. How much of a difference would it really make? Richard Roth has the story from the United Nations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The quest for peace in Darfur, Sudan seems to run through China. After President Bush announced new U.S. sanctions on Sudan and called for more international measures, the Chinese once again are opposed to a more aggressive approach.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that this might make the fragile situation a bit more complicated. So I think we're a bit concerned.

ROTH: China and Sudan have extensive and growing business ties. Sudan sells 60 percent of its oil to energy-hungry China. Typically, China opposes sanctions, believing they interfere in a country's internal affairs. In fact, China's newly appointed special envoy for Darfur says he thinks more economic aid instead of sanctions are what's needed now.

Still, the Chinese have not specifically stated they would veto a new U.S. sanctions resolutions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is strong Chinese relationship with the Sudanese government, in terms of variety of things. But our hope is that China will join us and others.

ROTH: But are there any teeth in the U.S. attempt to change Sudan's behavior? Only two people in the government would be placed under sanctions, prohibited from doing business in the U.S. or with U.S. companies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've really got to decide, are we going to go after the senior officials that are most responsible, and then do so through the United Nations Security Council? Once we put scarlet letters on shirts of those guys, we'll start to see a difference being made on the ground in Darfur.

ROTH: After 9/11, Sudan, a former home for Osama bin Laden, cooperated with the U.S. But Sudan has felt little fear of Washington in the years since the U.S. labeled Darfur violence a genocide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very worried about the fact that only the United States is the only country saying that what is happening in Darfur is a genocide. The other African countries have not, or the U.N. had not done or said the same thing. It is always in disregard of other opinions.

ROTH: And it looks like the U.S. disregarded the wishes of the U.N. secretary-general, who had appealed for a delay in American demands for international sanctions.

BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: But as far as I'm concerned, as I have just have begun my consultation with the Sudanese government in cross- coordination with African Union.

ROTH: Meanwhile, Sudan never got a chance to defend its position.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If things continue at this rate, half the population will be dependent on food aid. The things are deteriorating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no. I think, to cut all these things short, we have to accelerate the peace process.

ROTH: It's unlikely the Security Council will vote soon on the Sudan resolution. That's because Council ambassadors are likely to swing through Khartoum on an upcoming African trip. Previous visits to the Sudanese capital by U.N. diplomats have led nowhere on Darfur.

Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: The current crisis in Sudan's Darfur region is rooted primarily in ethnic differences. In Arabic, Sudan means "land of the blacks." Black Africans make up about 52 percent of the population, while Arab Muslims make up about 39 percent.

Two years ago, the groups ended a 20-year civil war that claimed more than a million lives. The current conflict in western Sudan began four years ago, when ethnic African tribes rebelled against the Arab-dominated government. The government stands accused of backing the Arab Janjaweed militia in unleashing a campaign of murder and rape.

The United Nations says around 200,000 have been killed, and more than 2 million have fled their homes.

Earlier, CNN's Becky Anderson spoke to the Sudanese ambassador to the United Kingdom about the U.S. call for sanctions and the issue of genocide. Here is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMER M.A. SIDDIG, SUDANESE AMB. TO THE UNITED KINGDOM: Well, I think that's a very unfortunate, uncalled for and unwarranted move. First of all, the problem cannot be solved by sanctions. Cooperation and positive interaction of the Sudanese government will solve the problem. The sanctions just declared now will be detrimental to the peace process and detrimental to the poor people of Darfur. The poor people of Darfur, they want peace.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I wonder what Khartoum finds, quote, "confusing" about the U.S. position, because that is how it's being described by Khartoum today. A situation that President Bush has said - described as genocide, the violent conflict in Darfur.

How would you characterize the situation in Darfur?

SIDDIG: It's definitely not genocide. Genocide has its - has its legal definition, and this legal definition is not applicable to the situation in Darfur.

The other thing is, the United Nations never called this problem as genocide. It's only for local use the United States call it genocide.

ANDERSON: How is it different from genocide, do you think?

SIDDIG: Genocide is - the definition is very clear in the international convention against the crime of genocide. There must be an intent to kill or to liquidate certain ethnic group.

ANDERSON: And what do you think is happening in Darfur then?

SIDDIG: It is a problem.

ANDERSON: If not that?

SIDDIG: It is a conflict, military conflict, unfortunately, and it's just military conflict, which is very unfortunate, and we're going to solve it.

ANDERSON: How are you going to solve it?

SIDDIG: By political talks. We had - we already solved the problem in the - in the south, which continued for two decades, by political means, by negotiations, and this will be solved by political means.

ANDERSON: Do you think there is a will then in Darfur -- there's been awful lot of talk, isn't it, but not a lot of action, and people continue to die, murdered, raped and pillaged.

SIDDIG: That's not the case. Yes, there is violence in Darfur. But the problem is the rebel movements, which are now counting to 17 rebel armed groups. They're not united, and the government is willing to sit with them anytime, anywhere, to reach a political solution. We already have a political umbrella, the Darfur peace agreement. We hope they will join that agreement.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: And that was the Sudanese ambassador to the U.K., speaking to us earlier. Up next, on INSIDE AFRICA...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BONO, U2: I am Bono, and I'm sick of Bono.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKE: OK, so why is Bono sick of Bono? We'll talk more about that and what has the G-8 has really accomplished in Africa when we come back. See you soon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A new report says illegal ivory trade has risen in Namibia, in spite of international guidelines to stop it. Namibia is only allowed to export ivory if it is taken from elephants that have died naturally, and if it benefits local communities. The report, by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, says there is no evidence that illegal ivory trade is being controlled.

The Federal Bank of the Middle East has invested more than $1 million in a gold refinery plant in Tanzania. The bank says it will help the country's small-scale miners by cutting out the middlemen and improving the quality of their gold. The bank says it plans to buy, refine, and export 100 percent of the gold mineD in Tanzania. the country is Africa's third largest producer of gold.

And work has begun on the long-awaited Bujagali hydroelectric power plant along Uganda's Nile. The plant should help power a country where less than 10 percent of the population has access to electricity.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: Hello again. Good to see you. You're watching INSIDE AFRICA. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is set to step down later this month. This week, he made his last official trip to Africa, urging wealthier nations to keep the continent high on the global agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony Blair arrived in Pretoria on his farewell tour of Africa, six years after appealing to the world to help its poorest continent.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The state of Africa is a scar on the conscience of the world.

WHITFIELD: He met South Africa's elder statesmen, 88-year old Nelson Mandela.

NELSON MANDELA, FMR. SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: He has been a very good fiend of Africa as prime minister.

WHITFIELD: The British prime minister again challenged G-8 nations to keep the promise they made two years ago of billions of dollars in Africa aid and debt relief.

BLAIR: It is not only our duty, it's also in our self-interest to do what we can to bring about change for the better.

WHITFIELD: Three weeks before he leaves office, Blair's legacy in Africa is not universally admired. Ayesha Kajee is one of the doubters.

AYESHA KAJEE: There are people within Africa, particularly citizens on the ground, when you travel through the continent, who feel that this is yet another attempt by a Western government to deflect attention away from one of its errors, and therefore to use Africa as a - as a spin doctoring exercise.

WHITFIELD: Aid agencies agree that not everything promised has been delivered, but Blair says that under his leadership, British aid to Africa has nearly tripled. The debt of 18 countries, including Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, has been erased. And more help given to tackle malaria and HIV/AIDS.

CARDINAL UWISHAKA, ASST. SECY. GEN., CIVICUS: I think he's ...

WHITFIELD: Cardinal Uwishaka of CIVICUS, a civil rights organization, that overall gives Tony Blair good marks.

UWISHAKA: He has used his leadership position to get a commitment from the most developed nations to increase their funding for international aid.

WHITFIELD: Of the money promised by G-8 nations, the Africa Progress Panel, headed by the former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, says rich nations have met only 10 percent of the targeted goals. And adding insult to injury, many of the African nations enjoying full debt relief still fall short of plans to immunize, educate and feed the neediest.

Tony Blair may have been warmly greeted by South Africa's leaders. Others were not much impressed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know him. So I won't comment on that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's a waste of time. It's a waste of English taxpayers' money.

WHITFIELD: For 10 years, it was Tony Blair who urged the taxpayers of wealthy nations to support Africa. As he leaves office, Africa hopes his successor as prime minister will pick up the charge.

Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Pretoria, South Africa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: Mr. Blair's visit came just a week before the G-8 Summit in Germany. Among those watching it closely, U2 frontman Bono. The rocker says, most G-8 nations are not living up to the promises made under a 2005 Blair initiative. Earlier, CNN's Sanjay Gupta spoke to Bono about the G-8 progress in Africa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BONO: The good news is aid is really working on the ground, as huge breakthroughs have been made fighting the AIDS emergency and malaria -- breakthroughs led by the United States, I might add. But the bad news is, is that as a general compact with the poorest of the poor, the G-8 is way off.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How do you get people to really care about this, fundamentally, in their hearts?

BONO: We - we've got to put names and faces to these statistics. I mean, there's a report, here it is. You know, it's - it's hard science, it's - it's, you know, cold facts. But there is hot arguments going on about the lives that are being lost here. These are real people, like sisters, brothers, mothers.

This is a mother who can't afford the 20-cent drug, Nevirapine, that will stop spreading HIV/AIDS to her - to her daughter. This is the daughter who'll be involved in transactional sex because she has no alternative; she can't get into school. This is the man begging for his life, for two pills a day, or if to save them from AIDS. Or a family, you know, we're looking for bed nets. I mean, it's an extraordinary thing that in the 21st century, malaria, death bite, mosquito bite is one of the biggest killers on the planet, and it's mostly children. 3,000 African children will die today of a mosquito bite. And I think when we get that message out, I think people start to realize, this is madness.

GUPTA: Do you ever worry about Bono fatigue? I mean, either in rock-n- roll, or in your initiatives, or all the other stuff you're trying to do? You ever worry about that?

BONO: Look, I'm Bono and I'm sick of Bono. And I fully understand - I don't know why there's many more boos, catcalls and hisses when I walk down the street. People are, you know, jump for their wallets, you know, politicians close their blinds, oh, God, here he is again.

I really do understand that. And I look forward to a time when I'm not such a pest and a self-righteous rock-star. Who needs one? And you know, that time is coming soon. When the social movements and grow and are at the strength, I can see it happening in the United States and elsewhere. They won't need a rock star to represent them. The people's voice will be so loud, they won't need my loud hailer (ph). And - and I can just get back to being in a band, and, you know, getting on - what did you say earlier -- my private jets and living the life of rock star, which I think I do quite well as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: And that was Irish rocker Bono, speaking to Sanjay Gupta earlier. Now, let's have a look at what some Africans said on the issue of aid and celebrities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: Former Zambian agriculture minister, Guy Scott: "NGOs flatter themselves into thinking that they save lives. It is arrogant of the West to think that without whites, without pop stars, Africans would all be dead."

And Nigerian analyst Thomson Ayadele (ph): "The continent has become a laboratory for various donors and development theories. The irony is that aid does not trickle down to those who really need it. Instead, it provides incentives for misgovernance, dictators, and corruption."

There are more headlines from around the continent when we come back. And a new leadership for Nigeria. What can Nigerians really expect this time around?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OKE: Here is a look at some of the stories in the headlines this week. A farewell ceremony was held in Sudan's capital this week, to pay tribute to the first U.N. peacekeeper killed in the Darfur region. The Egyptian soldier was shot by unidentified gunmen during a robbery last week. He was part of a small U.N. contingent to support the African Union force.

There's been mixed reaction in Africa to the U.S. decision to nominate Robert Zoellick as head of the World Bank following Paul Wolfowitz. Critics say the job should have gone to someone in a developing country, not to the former U.S. trade envoy. Others say Zoellick's years of experience negotiating trade with developing countries could be beneficial. Zoellick's nomination is expected to be approved by the bank's board.

The Ethiopia embassy in Somalia has reopened for the first time since the two countries fought a war some 30 years ago. It's the latest sign of the two nations' strengthening of ties. Ethiopian troops are currently in Somalia to help support the fragile government against an Islamic insurgency.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: In the news on the continent this week was the inauguration of Nigeria's new leader. After eight years of Olusegun Obasanjo at the helm, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua now has this turn. Christian Purefoy was at the inauguration and filed this report for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIAN PUREFOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nigeria's first civilian transfer of power in its 46-year history.

Nigeria's democratic progress has been littered with military coups and even an annulled election. But despite this recent election being widely regarded as rigged, many here want to focus on the positive steps Nigeria is making.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first government that's (inaudible) civilian to military. But this time around, we're going from one civilian to another civilian.

PUREFOY: Outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo has been credited with implementing necessary economic reforms, but problems with corruption remain. Also, attacks and kidnappings against the oil industry by local militias, demanding a greater share of oil revenues from the Niger Delta region, have only grown worse. Highlighting the international importance of this 56-year-old's inauguration, oil prices plunged by over $2, with markets banking that Mr. Umaru Yar'Adua will bring stability to the Niger Delta.

PRES. UMARU YAR'ADUA, NIGERIA: The crisis in the Niger Delta commands our urgent attention. And it is a matter of strategic importance to our country.

PUREFOY: President Yar'Adua will not have time for false starts as he tries to balance the demands of 135 million people from 250 ethnic groups.

But just how different will his approach be? And Yar'Adua will need to pull a lot of strings to change the status quo in Nigeria. With some 70 percent of Nigerians living on less than a dollar a day, many feel there is little to celebrate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Democracy in Nigeria, no, we are just (inaudible). And the other thing I believe is that Rome was not built in a day. We are in the process and we are (inaudible). But with what we're seeing now, it's not - it's no good.

PUREFOY: But for now, opposition against Yar'Adua's election has been minimal, and it appears Nigerians are willing to give him his four years to prove himself.

Christian Purerfoy, CNN, Abuja, Nigeria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: Good luck, Nigeria. Thank you, Christian, for that report.

Thank you for watching. That's it for this week's program, but there's so much more to come. Next week, it's going to be a good show. I'm working on it at the moment, as too is the team. We hope that you will let this show be your window to the continent.

I'm Femi Oke. Until next time, take care.

END

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