Freedom for Thomas, Pierre and Al-Hassane

Thomas and Pierre are two French reporters. Al-Hassane was their driver. On Dec. 17th, they were arrested as they were heading back to Niamey, after a report they have shot clandestinely (a previous official application was rejected) on the Tuareg rebellion movement, called MNJ, in northern Niger.

As well as Moussa Kaka, the RFI correspondent in Niger arrested three months earlier, they spent Christmas in jail. Ibrahim Manzo Diallo, another local journalist, was arrested last October, also for reporting on the Tuareg rebels.

Thomas and Pierre were wharged for attempt to the State security -a crime in Niger, for which they could face death penalty.

You can follow up the case on pierre.thomas.alhassane.info/.

Support them!

Déby: Too much democracy destroys society

Chadian president Idriss Déby, who accessed to power in 1990 thanks to a coup ran by the French DGSE, and was recently “armoured” by France, is not precisely a friend of democracy, as he explains in this speech, reported by AFP (source here).

I would honestly be surprised to see any reaction to these words coming from the French governement. Actually very few people believed Sarkozy’s promises, as he was running for presidential elections, to renew the relationship between France and Africa.

Gloves are off, Chad president warns rebels

N’DJAMENA (AFP) — Chad president Idriss Deby Itno Thursday warned of an increasingly hardline response to the worst rebel attacks in the central African nation in nearly 20 years.

Deby, who imposed a state of emergency in the north and east of the country during fierce fighting in October, warned on state radio that rebels in the oil-rich nation would face a crackdown.

“The time has come to take a different approach,” he said. “Too much liberty kills freedom. Too much freedom and we collapse into disorder. Too much democracy destroys society.”

“I have forgiven a lot. I’ve let lots of things go in the name of liberty. (But) the time has now come for each individual to recognise the law and his duties,” he said.

Chad’s three main rebel groups last Friday announced a joint pact to topple Deby.

The so-called “National Alliance” pact groups the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD), the Rally of Forces for Change (RFC) and the UFDD-Fundamental.

Deby, a former soldier, appealed for a united front against the rebels.

“The whole country must stand together behind its government. Where (else) in the world have you seen a head of state jump into a Toyota pick-up and head off to war?

“Do you think it’s because I love power that I do it? Not at all, I went off because I don’t want Chad to plunge back into civil war.”

During the recent fighting which was the worst military challenge since he seized power in December 1990, Deby lost several members of his immediate entourage, according to military sources.

Accusing neighbouring Sudan of propping up the rebels, he added: “I am surprised to find today that the Chadian community harbours slaves for Sudan.

“Sudanese money circulates here, everyone sees and knows they are recruiting people from our territory.”

How do we help Iraqis ?

Years after years, it appears that the help delivered to Iraq is just… not helping.
A press release issued by the Multi-national force (US-lead coalition) provides another example of how irrelevant this aid can even be.

In this statement, we read that the Japanese governement donated as many as 600 powerful motorcycles to the Baghdad traffic police departement. Here is a picture of one of these bikes.

The US MP’s are very pleased to announce that, considering how busy are the streets in Iraq, this donation will help the Iraqi police to move quicker in the capital.

But has anyone considered teaching how to drive such a powerful vehicle to these policemen? Under Saddam’s regime, motorbikes were prohibited in Iraq. Only Udai, the rais beloved son, had some. But no one pays attention to what Iraq was before 2003…

Basically, what does it mean ? That, in the best case, most of these motorbikes will have accidents in the coming months or year. Knowing how people drive in Iraq, I can bet that a majority of them will be destroyed, and unfortunately some of their drivers injured or killed.

The Japanase tax payers will have contributed to a little extent to their national economy, by sending to Iraq home made products. But what will be the benefit to the Iraqi people? Will this help fighting powerty, rebuilding infrastructures, or even bring a little more peaceful environment?

This is just example among thousands of the very arrogant –and very ineffective, even counterproductive - way people often consider « helping » a country like Iraq.