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THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE December 9-15, 2009 Page A-2
Global Village
Failed attempts on life
of Guinea’s strongman
An attempt has been made anyone under 18 or disabled. said HIV/AIDS and the high
on the life of the head of the People accused under this level of poverty have increased
military junta in Guinea Cona- clause would also be forced to the number of orphans and
kry in West Africa, Moussa undergo an HIV test. AIDS ac- other vulnerable children in
Dadis Camara. According to tivists say the bill would push Uganda.
newspaper reports, he sus- men who have sex with men
tained severe head injuries underground, making it even
“HIV/AIDS and poverty are
when shot by an aide de camp, harder for them to access HIV
the two leading drivers of vul-
Aboubacar Toumba Diakité. services.
nerability and this presents a
real development challenge to
Le Soleil of Dakar reports “I write to you to express the government,” Alupo said.
that the junta’s secretary of our views regarding two bills
state, Tiegboro Camara, con- being considered in your
The minister was address-
firmed in a radio broadcast country, which could impact
ing participants from western
that Diakité has been placed negatively on HIV prevention
Uganda in a one-day workshop
under arrest. But he refused efforts and services directed
organized by gender, labor
to give any reasons, saying at the most vulnerable popula-
and social affairs ministry at
they were considered “state tions,” the letter said. “Action
Leisuex Centre in Fort Portal
secrets.” by both government and indi-
town. She explained that HIV/
vidual leaders of stature like
AIDS had led to about 2.21
Stealing electricity and
Many witnesses to the
Sept. 28 massacre in Conakry,
yourself can create environ-
million orphans and 7.5 mil-
carried out by members of the
ments that promote HIV pre-
lion vulnerable children.
vention efforts and behaviour Alupo noted that the
natural gas is dangerous.
presidential guard when sup-
pressing protest against the
change.” scourge had also increased
military, singled out Abou-
child-headed families, street
bacar Toumba Diakité as the
commander who ordered the
There’s a better way.
shooting.
Fasozine newspaper of In these difficult economic times, some people are taking desperate
Ouagadougou reports that
although the reason for Diaki-
measures to save money – including stealing electricity and natural gas
té’s action remains uncertain,
many Guineans believe that
from DTE Energy. Not only is it illegal, it’s dangerous and can be deadly.
it is a result of Camara plac-
There’s a better way. Call DTE Energy now. We have a number of options
ing the blame for the Sept. 28
massacre on his shoulders.
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According to sources
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patched an emergency medi-
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the injured leader.
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injury remains unknown,
some sceptics believe reports
MOUSSA DADIS CAMARA is Guinea’s new military leader
of a shooting might be a ploy
on the part of the junta to
The president is the final
divert international attention
signatory on bills that have
children, school dropouts,
from the real issues.
been passed by parliament.
early marriages among girls
and vulnerability to HIV infec-
Fasozine also reports that
“We humbly ask that you tion. She said 31% of the popu-
since Sept. 28, considerable
take action to halt the harm- lation was poor and over 10%
dissent has emerged from
ful provisions in the draft bills lived in abject poverty.
within the junta and Dadis
cited in this letter, and by
Camara has lost much sup-
doing so, preserve the rights
“Children constitute the
port from former allies. The
of all Ugandans,” it added.
biggest percentage of the ex-
tremely poor and are more vul-
T h e P o w e r o f Y o u r C o m m u n i t y e = D T E
®
paper suggests Diakité might In a recent interview with nerable than adults. They are
be the junta’s first “sacrifi- Newsweek magazine, Eric at a greater risk of deprivation,
cial lamb” in an effort to avoid Goosby, head of the U.S. which jeopardizes their sur-
being blamed for the massacre President’s Emergency Plan vival and development,” Alupo
by the international commu- for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) ex- added.
nity. pressed concern over the anti-
The paper also questions
homosexuality bill.
The Kabarole chief ad-
ministrative officer, Juma
what will become of the nego- “I’m very concerned about Nyende, said the district was
tiations to end Guinea’s crisis any decision that any country overwhelmed with the influx
which are being facilitated would make to target a group of orphans and vulnerable
in Ouagadougou by Burkina that’s in the population, and children. He attributed the
Faso’s President Blaise Com- that’s always been in the popu- increase to civil wars, ethnic
paoré. lation, by excluding them from wrangles, HIV/AIDS and other
(Translated and adapted
a service or passes legislation diseases.
from the French by Michael
that criminalizes their behav-
Tantoh.)
iour,” he said. “Every time you
Nyende said the increase
do that, you push the behav-
of vulnerable children had af-
Pressure grows
iour underground. It never
fected service providers and
works. Rather than minimiz-
local governments, whose lim-
against Uganda
ing the spread of the virus, it
ited resources have been over-
actually amplifies it.”
stretched by the increasing
laws on gays
demands.
Local civil society organiza-
tions have welcomed the inter-
He explained that despite
Kampala — The UN Special
national support: “The letter
the intervention of external
Envoy on AIDS in Africa, Eliz-
from another president shows
agencies like UNICEF, World
abeth Mataka, has added her
that this issue is not only a
Vision and Save the Children,
voice to growing criticism of a
concern of the civil society in
the impact on the ground was
Ugandan bill that would crimi-
Uganda but it is also an inter-
too small.
nalize the deliberate transmis-
national concern,” said Lydia “Although the external
sion of HIV.
Mungherera, an HIV activist agencies render social, psy-
The draft HIV Prevention
working with national NGO, chological, education and
and Control Bill (2008) is in-
The AIDS Support Organisa- health services to the vulner-
tended to provide a legal frame-
tion. “Maybe the letter will able groups, such support has
work for the national response
help us have an effect on the remained unnoticed at the
to HIV, as well as protect the
decision President Museveni grassroots due to the over-
rights of individuals affected
takes.” whelming demands. They have
by HIV. However, certain pro-
Museveni has not com-
only managed to reach out to a
visions within the bill, such as
mented on either the letter
small portion,” Nyende said.
criminalizing the wilful trans-
from Mogae or the recommen- The workshop attracted
mission of HIV and punish-
dations by Mataka, but senior district officials from across
ing it with the death penalty,
government officials, includ- the region.
have been heavily criticized
ing health minister Stephen
by human rights activists who
Mallinga and Jesse Kagimba,
claim they would only serve to
senior presidential adviser
increase stigma and discrimi-
on HIV/AIDS, have expressed
THE MICHIGAN
nation against people living
their support for the bill.
with HIV. CHRONICLE
Kampala — Youth state
“I emphasise the impor-
minister Jessica Alupo has
tance of creating a social
PUBLISHING
environment conducive for
HIV prevention and to refrain
HOW TO
COMPANY
from laws that criminalize the
transmission of HIV and stig- CONTACT US:
Publication No.: USPS 344-820
matize certain groups in the
479 Ledyard Street
population,” Mataka told jour-
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
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Kampala, on Dec. 2. “These
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Her comments follow a
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MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
the prevention and control bill
corrections and cancellations, pre-
ceding the Wed nesday publica-
479 LEDYARD
and a draft Anti-Homosexual-
tion.
DETROIT, MI 48201
ity Bill (2009) from becoming
law.
Display: 12 p.m. Friday preced-
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Homosexuality is already
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Deadline is two weeks prior to
bill would create the crime of
event.
“aggravated homosexuality,”
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Weeks that contain holidays, dead-
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