Congo RD, the monster created by Belgium

I’m publishing a letter I’ve received from Katia Rossi, international cooperator in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo DR).

Hello Bruno and everyone else.
I am in CONGO RD, in a remote village in Western Kasai. I saw the map with all the conflicts in the world, maybe you do not know that here we are still at war ... Or better guerrillas. In the Eastern region, the richest, although now the Congo is a whole mine of valuable minerals everywhere. At the end of January there was the signing of a peace agreement between the government and leaders of some factions in the fight. Behind the guerrilla there are economic reasons, as usual of course. Let's add that here the proximity with Rwanda plays a decisive role. This country has contributed men and means to the rise of Kabila father, whispers say that it has been behind his murder, and now fomenting the guerrillas. The adoptive son, Joseph Kabila, probably a Tanzanian, who succeeded his father, does not meet the "agreements". It seems that they concern the transfer of a part of Congo to Rwanda. Obviously mining areas ...

The Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, is one of the largest and most unfortunate states of Africa. At the moment of colonisation, after the Berlin Conference of 1885 the Congo was declared private property of King Leopold II of Belgium. The natives had to collect rubber for the king, a lot of rubber, because the market was growing for the growing demand for motor vehicles and their tires. This production made the fortune of Leopold and his heirs but working conditions were like a circle of hell. The practice of collective punishment and preventive mutilation (I cut a hand to one man to educate ten of them) were on the daily agenda.
Between 1885 and 1908, the mercenaries who worked for the king of Belgium murdered between 5 and 15 million Congolese (for comparison, it is estimated that in the carnage of the First World War 18 million people were killed).
The process of independence promoted by Émery Patrice Lumumba in the 1950s was obviously run by Belgium, which withdrew from Congo leaving a country half the size of Europe, multi-ethnic, socially and economically devastated, prey of the multinationals and absolutely empty of administrative and political human resources.
When Lumumba sought help from the Soviets to resolve the serious internal problems, the American and Belgian governments decided to get rid of him. Arrested by Colonel Mobutu, at the behest of the Belgian foreign minister he was handed over to the rebels from which he was tortured and killed. His body was dissolved in acid.
Mobutu renamed the country Zaire and established a pro-Western dictatorial regime until 1997, when he was overthrown by rebel Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who was in his turn assassinated in 2001. Succeeded by his son Joseph Kabila who in 2006 was reconfirmed the leadership of the country in the first democratic elections in the history of the Congo.
From 1997 to 2003 Congo RD has been the scene of two wars involving 8 African nations and killing more than 5 million people, mostly civilians (for comparison, it is estimated that in the carnage of Vietnam 2 million people died). Currently minor wars go on in Kivu, Katanga and Ituri, in total international disinterest.

The map shows the division of the country into areas controlled by various militias.

Bruno Picozzi (in translation)

Does anybody know where Abkhazia is?

Knowing and understanding are the first steps towards judgement.

Abkhazia is a de facto independent state in Europe.

Below is the letter issued by the President of the Republic of Abkhazia, Sergei Bagapsh, to the Secretary-General of NATO, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, just before the NATO summit in Bucharest, 2-4 April 2008. (Read the original letter published by UNPO)

Dear Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer,
The Bucharest Summit, which is going to review the issues of new members’ entry into NATO, may create serious problems in the Caucasus. For the preservation of peace and stability in our region and disperse fear and confrontation, it is necessary, to a greater extent, to consider present realities and opinions of all interested parties.
We are deeply concerned that on a background of political instability and unresolved conflicts, some prospective members of the Organization, in particular Georgia, still consider NATO as force to resolve conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Abkhazia repeatedly has been a victim of aggression by Georgia, which gives us reason to consider Georgia as a potential source of military provocations and illegitimate claims to Abkhazia.
Groundless recognition by the United Nations of the territorial integrity of Georgia within the borders of the former GSSR had indirectly acknowledged numerous violations of Human Rights and policy of discrimination of the Abkhaz people in the time of Stalin’s era. Moreover, the troops of newly adopted to the United Nations Democratic Republic of Georgia, had launched on the 14th of August 1992 a bloody war in Abkhazia, destroying peaceful population and monuments of Abkhaz culture and history. The Georgian-Abkhaz War had inevitably broken off the relations between Abkhazia and Georgia.
It is almost 15 years since Abkhazia id developing its own democratic political system, market economy, legislation, independent courts, civil society and human rights, in accordance with the international standards. Our National interests and external political priorities do significantly differ from those of Georgia.
Today’s Abkhazia is a state with sustainable development indicators. Abkhazia is able to incur obligations and play a full connecting role in the Caucasus. Considering the abovementioned, we appeal to You to take all possible measures to prevent reiteration of the mistakes of the past. While taking a decision on the Georgia’s membership in NATO, please consider valid opinion of Abkhazia.

Respectfully Yours,

PRESIDENT S. BAGAPSH

Does anybody know where Myanmar is?

Watch the video

It was called Burma, now it is Myanmar by the will of the military junta in power since 1988. The junta has written a new constitution for the country that is called "a farce" by independent observers. Soon they will ask for a referendum for approval from the population.
Trying to understand the situation a little better I found two stories: one of them is a joke, it's fun and describes the situation in Myanmar. The other is not a joke and it's not funny, but also describes the situation in Myanmar.
Guess which is the joke.

First story
Three guys were arguing as to what race Adam and Eve were. The Myanmar Christian guy said they must be Myanmar Christians as they are so good looking. The Burmese Chinese guy said that they must be Burmese Chinese as they are so calm even with a snake. The Burmese Indian guy said that they must be Burmese Indian as they have no shelter, no clothes, no money, share one apple, and are advised by a snake who told them that they are living in paradise!
Read the complete article on San Oo Aung’s Weblog (in English)

Second story
A captain and three soldiers armed and in uniform came to Man Yong, a village near An, and gathered all the inhabitants of six villages. Each village had to send a representative to a meeting. At this meeting the establishment of a group to punish those who will vote no in the referendum was announced. "We want to see only votes in favour, otherwise the villages and their inhabitants will pay for this."
Read the complete article on Articolo 21 (in Italian)

Bruno Picozzi (in translation)

Nuclear-Weapon-Free Italy

Watch at the trailer of Aviano Italia (half in English)

In Italy, everybody knows that there are ninety nuclear warheads, in violation of the spirit of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signed by Italy, but almost no one worries.
They are not ours, we can not decide what to do with them. We can only accept the presence, the benefits (there are those who feel more secure with a nuclear bomb in the back yard ...) and the consequences.

In Caravana di Pace you can read the text of a draft law of a popular initiative to declare Italy "Nuclear Weapon Free Zone".
On 26 March it was announced that the fifty thousand signatures necessary to present the law have been collected, the result of a campaign that has worked in silence, thanks to small local groups. Political parties or large-membership international organizations refused to be involved. Small associations, fair trade shops, parishes and smaller unions have supported the initiative.

On 22 December 2005, a committee of citizens called the Government of the United States in the Civil Court of Pordenone requesting that the 50 atomic bombs present at Aviano be removed from Italian territory.

Bruno Picozzi (in translation)

The first post-Kyoto negotiations

Press release - Monday, 31 March 2008, at 11:03 am

Climate: The first post-Kyoto talks begin.

The first round of official negotiations for a post-Kyoto agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions began in Bangkok this morning. "The world awaits a solution that is long-term and economically practicable," the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon warned in a video message to a thousand delegates from 163 countries, signatories to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (CNUCC). The objective of the five day negotiation is to mitigate the differences at the Conference in Bali last December that prevented agreement for laying the foundations for a new global protocol by next year. The Kyoto Protocol, signed by 37 countries (and not by the USA), expires in 2012. There is disagreement, however, about a possible new understanding among the major emerging economies such as China and India.

Two notes aside.
Firstly, we learn that the Conference in Bali in December 2007 failed, despite the widely proclaimed last-minute agreement and the wide smiles of all our politicians.
Secondly, I have not seen great attention from the newspapers to this story. Perhaps it is not interesting.
Who knows if they will al least tell us how it ends?

Bruno Picozzi (in translation)

The Water Wars in Cochabamba

Watch the movie on the Water Wars in Cochabamba (in Italian)

Just do a simple search on google 'cochabamba water' and you will find plenty of information on this incredible story. All environmental activists throughout the world know it.

Shame shame shame on all entrepreneurs and all the politicians who are pushing for the privatization of water wherever they are in the world!
Water is essential to life. Without water you die in three days.
Water is a fundamental right of all human beings like air and freedom: nobody can own it.

If the wars of this century were fought over oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over water

Ismail Serageldin, vicepresident of the World Bank

Bruno Picozzi (in translation)

Education to peace for dinner

Yesterday I, as did millions of people, participated in the Earth Hour sponsored by the WWF. I turned off all the lights I could and we had dinner by candlelight, I, an Italian atheist EVS, a German Protestant student and a Muslim Pakistani researcher.
What was achieved by turning off three bulbs?
We asked ouselves this and we talked about the importance of this symbolic gesture that does not in itself create a significant savings of resources but creates awareness of the need to save resources and cut 30% of greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2020.
Sentence after sentence, between a glass of red and a chicken, among abstemious and vegetarians, we spoke of some of the unethically sourced products we buy, such as bananas or chocolate, cultivated by slaves in the south of the world. We talked about the Pakistani cotton and fair trade in Europe, labour law in developing countries, the chain of commerce liberal-style and of that ring, the last in the chain, the consumer choice, where each of us has power to act.
We came from different cultures and lifestyles but we were able to find similar words to define the society in which we live and that we contribute to forming every day with our choices.
It was only a dinner among friends and it turned into a wonderful opportunity for the affirmation of a culture of peace.

Bruno Picozzi (in translation)