Board: Deny U.S. Residency to African

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — An African immigrant should be denied permanent U.S. residency because evidence shows he knew about the executions of 29 counterrevolutionaries in 1992 and continued to serve in the Sierra Leone government, an immigration appeals board ruled.

Samuel Komba Kambo, a legal immigrant, spent nearly a year in jail while fighting deportation as the government tried to revoke his visa. He was released from custody in October after a U.S. district judge ruled that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was violating his due process rights.

Kambo, 39, was part of a military government that took power in a bloodless coup in Sierra Leone in 1992. He has denied any involvement with the killings, which occurred after his government was in power.

The federal Board of Immigration Appeals said in a decision dated Wednesday that while Kambo may not have “directly participated in or actively assisted in” the 1992 killings, there is enough evidence to establish that he was “aware of these events and remained passive, continuing to serve in a leadership post” in the provisional government.

Kambo, a fuels analyst with a graduate degree from the University of Texas, has been living in Austin for the past 14 years with his wife and four U.S.-born children.

“While (Kambo’s) conduct during his residence in the United States may have been commendable, it is not sufficient to offset the egregiousness of the adverse factors he presents,” said the board of the Executive Office for Immigration Review.

The board heard the case on appeal from the Department of Homeland Security after an immigration judge granted Kambo’s application for permanent residency in June.

The board said the judge was wrong to grant Kambo’s application “in the exercise of discretion,” which involves balancing factors for and against an applicant.

The case was sent back to the immigration judge, Gary Burkholder, said Simon Azar-Farr, Kambo’s attorney. Azar-Farr, who said he received the decision Monday, said he will look at other possible ways for Kambo to get residency.

“Mr. Kambo can feel very proud that he was vindicated by the board of the accusation that he had participated in the extrajudicial killings,” Azar-Farr said. “In this regard the government’s accusation has failed.”

Messages left for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. attorney’s office in Texas that is handling the case were not returned Monday.

The Associated Press: Board: Deny U.S. Residency to African

Shake-up in Sierra Leone’s power company

Freetown, Sierra Leone – Sierra Leone’s Minister of Energy and Power, Haj a Afsatu Kabba, has sacked four top officials of the National Power Authority (N P A), as part of plans to re-position the agency to actualize government’s promise to restore electricity to Freetown 20 December.
The officials who were relieved of their jobs were General Manager Foday Mannah, Deputy Patrick Tarawally, Financial Controller Chrispin Wilson and Generation Engineer Alfred Vandy.

Sierra Leonean’s best friend!

Mannah was replaced by Dr. Subaru Ahmed Kaloko, holder of a doctorate degree in Economics and Finance who will serve as Acting General Manager, while Dennis Gav e , who was NPA’s Technical Director, now becomes Acting Deputy General Manager.
Speaking to journalists in Freetown, Kabbah said the decision to sack the offici als was taken to “bring back life” to the department.
“Employees have been going without salary for months, without medical attention, safety gear for months, while the managers live in luxury and comfort.
“Amidst this crisis, some security operatives were in collusion with some of the managers to divert thousands of gallons of black oil, diesel and engine oil out of the power house, while millions of dollars (in) donors’ fund have not been accounted for,” she said.
In addition, the Minister said, the management of the authority was unable to ma intain generation and distribution facilities or generate electricity and buy sp a re parts and equipment.
She said the development had led to frequent breakdown of power plants, while mo rale among workers had been low due to lack of professional development and refr e sher training.
State House sources said the Ministry of Energy and Power would keep a close eye on the performance of the new team, which will be assessed on a monthly basi s.
The Ministry of Energy and Power is under the direct supervision of President Er nest Bai Koroma.

Shake-up in Sierra Leone’s power company | Afrique – Actualité et informations africaines

For Women, War’s Over But Violence Goes On

Musu, 23, does not want more children. She has trouble feeding the three she already has. She has paid for this decision with regular beatings and rape by her 45-year-old husband.

“The man was beating me every day, forcing me to give sex every day,” Musu told IRIN from the Sierra Leonean capital Freetown, where she is staying with a distant relative after fleeing her husband.

“He wanted me to have more children. He beat me and beat me. I’m tired.”

Musu said the local chief disregarded her pleas about abuse by the man she was forced to marry at age 16. She has not gone to the police “because I don’t have any money… They always ask for money”. Despite recent laws aimed at boosting women’s legal status in Sierra Leone, powerlessness in the face of violence remains an everyday fact of life for countless women like Musu.

In a 1 November report Amnesty International said the legacy of the “unimaginable brutality” against women during the country’s 1991-2002 civil war feeds violence against them today. During the war, some 250,000 women and girls – about a third of the female population – were brutally raped, tortured and kept as sex slaves, the report said.

While experts in Sierra Leone say women are increasingly coming forth to report rape and domestic violence to the police, such crimes are rampant and usually go unpunished.

That is partly for lack of resources for pursuing offenders, but mostly it is custom, rights advocates say. Musu said she reported her situation but was shunned. “Whenever you talk to the chief he will say ‘the man is always right’,” she told IRIN. “That’s the custom.”

It remains the prevailing attitude, according to Jamesina King, chairperson of Sierra Leone’s Human Rights Commission. “It’s typical,” she said of the chief’s reaction to Musu. The rights commission was recently in the north to educate communities about violence against women, and members found that many people are still unaware of women’s rights or disregard their grievances.

Before running away to Freetown, Musu had fled several times to her parents’ home near where she lived with her husband – in the northern town of Kabala some 170km from the capital – but they reprimanded her and persuaded her to return home.

“It’s definitely a man’s world, it’s definitely a chief’s world,” Tania Bernath, Sierra Leone researcher with Amnesty International, told IRIN. She said that chiefs have considerable power and those eager to help bolster women’s rights are scarce.

Even in cases where a chief considers domestic violence or sexual assault charges, the approach is generally to mediate in what is considered a family dispute. “There is still this idea that cases should be kept in the family,” Bernath said.

In its recent report Amnesty said this only feeds the problem. “Mediation in rape cases contributes to impunity and facilitates state evasion of the obligation to ensure that violence against women is prosecuted.”

Sierra Leone is a signatory to a number of international conventions including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The gender bill passed in July was hailed as giving women unprecedented rights. But Sierra Leone has a long way to go before laws on paper translate into changes in women’s status.

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Sierra Leone is one of many countries around the world observing ‘16 days of activism’, beginning on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women until 10 December, International Human Rights Day.

Rights advocates say Sierra Leone is making some progress. Just the fact that communities are talking about violence against women as a problem to be addressed is a significant step forward, the Human Rights Commission’s King said.

allAfrica.com: Sierra Leone: For Women, War’s Over But Violence Goes On (Page 1 of 1)

Sierra Leone’s diplomatic community probes development hitches

Freetown, Sierra Leone – Members of the diplomatic community in Sierra Leone at the weekend embarked on a one-day field trip to two districts outside F reetown, in an effort to see first hand the problems affecting the growth of the districts.
The diplomats, from China, Germany, Ghana, Nigeria, Britain and the US, as well as the Commissioner of the European Union and the Special Representative of the U nited Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL), visited the southern B o district, some 272 kilometres from Freetown, and the Eastern Kenema District, 3 19 kilometers from the city.
According to United Nations Communications Officer Sheku Bakarr Kamara, the field trip enabled the diplomats to meet with provincial authorities, political parties, political parties registration commission, Sierra Leone Police, Office o f National Security, Civil Society Organizations and Paramount Chiefs to identif y the economic and social challenges being faced by the Southern and Eastern part s of the country.
A diplomat, who preferred anonymity, said two thirds of approved developmental p rojects costing tens of millions of US dollars were approved for the two areas.
“The trip will give us an opportunity to listen to what the people have to say t o us,” the diplomat said

Sierra Leone’s diplomatic community probes development hitches | Afrique – Actualité et informations africaines

UNDP DIRECTOR FOR CRISIS PREVENTION AND RECOVERY VISITS SIERRA LEONE

Freetown, Sierra Leone — Monday, 26 March 2007 — The Director of the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, Ms. Kathleen Cravero, arrives in Freetown today from New York, on a three-day visit to Sierra Leone.

While in-country she will meet with relevant senior Government officials, development partners and non-governmental organizations, to discuss emerging issues regarding recovery, crisis prevention and peacebuilding affecting Sierra Leone. The visit of the Director will also serve as an opportunity for her to understand how best UNDP can support national efforts to address these development challenges and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development goals (MDGs).

Ms. Cravero was appointed to the position of Director of UNDP Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) in April 2005. In this capacity she leads the Bureau in its efforts to mainstream crisis prevention and recovery at all levels of UNDP’s work. The Bureau supports UNDP in reducing the risk and impact of natural disasters, preventing armed conflicts, and assisting recovery from crisis when it occurs. Specifically, the Bureau’s role is to consolidate UNDP’s crisis prevention and recovery knowledge and experience; provide a bridge between humanitarian response and the development work of UNDP; and be an advocate for crisis sensitivity in the context of development policy

Watford manager backs player at asylum tribunal | News | Guardian Unlimited Football

Alhassan Bangura.

A football star facing deportation to his native Sierra Leone has appealed against the decision at an asylum and immigration tribunal.

Watford FC midfield player Al Bangura appeared at an appeal hearing in Hatton Cross today, backed by his manager, Adrian Boothroyd.

Boothroyd told the tribunal that deportation would spell professional disaster for the talented player and likened the move to Frank Sinatra singing at Batley Frontier Club in West Yorkshire.

He said: “If he were to go back there it would be an absolute disaster for him professionally.

“Al is a very, very big talent, apart from being a decent young man. “Playing at that level would be a massive backward step … unrecoverable, in my opinion.

“He would go there and never be heard of again.”

The 19-year-old came to the UK from Africa seeking asylum almost four years ago and was granted limited discretionary leave to remain.

It was claimed that Bangura, who has captained Watford, had fled witchcraft and threats to mutilate him in Sierra Leone. He then escaped his human traffickers while in London.

A further application to regularise his status was rejected, however.

Watford Labour MP Claire Ward is backing his case. Asked about the possibility of Bangura obtaining a work permit, Boothroyd later said it was a lot easier to get players into the system if you were one of the “top four” clubs – Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea.

He said he wondered if “we would all be sat here” if a different club were involved. Boothroyd said of Bangura: “He tells the truth. He’s got no reason not to tell the truth.

“He’s an honourable guy. I think that we should give him the justice that he deserves.”

He described Bangura as a hungry player with an infectious smile and enthusiasm for the game. Bangura, who earns a six-figure salary with the club, is expecting a baby with his girlfriend. They live together in a large Hertfordshire home.

Bangura escaped trafficking, witchcraft and threats to mutilate him in Sierra Leone before he found success at football in the UK.

He told the hearing that he had undergone therapy for nightmares about people chasing him and trying to “do something bad to me”.

He said he had not contacted his family in Sierra Leone since his arrival in the UK.

“I have tried to but I don’t really know how to get hold of them,” he said.

But Nicholas Jariwalla, cross-examining, accused Bangura of lying about having contact with his family.

He was also accused of offering different accounts of how he arrived in the UK.

The hearing was told that one account involved two men trying to assault him but in an interview he said he had met an uncle named Eric in Paris. Bangura told the court that the man was not his uncle, adding: “That was my first interview. It was a really sad moment and embarrassing moment for me, that’s all I can say.”

Sanjay Lal, representing Bangura, said it was accepted that he had been trafficked to the UK. Bangura’s girlfriend, 21-year-old Yabom Foona, came to the UK from Sierra Leone herself when she was seven-years-old.

She said she would not return there with the footballer if he had to go and she is applying for British citizenship.

“I have got a son to consider – my baby,” she told the hearing. “Sierra Leone is not a place I would want to take my son.”

Iain Moody, football operations manager for Watford FC, said the player was “clearly popular” with fans who had dedicated songs and websites to him.

He said Bangura carried out a lot of community work and that if he could legally be permitted to remain in the UK, the club would seek to retain his registration. Watford has already offered the player a contract until 2009.

Senior Immigration Judge Michael Clements reserved judgment and said a decision would be sent out within next 28 days.

The judge said he was not a follower of Watford or any other football club. He told the hearing: “You have enlightened me to football. I might watch a match. I might not. You never know.”

After the hearing, Bangura’s legal team said his case was “truly exceptional” and sent a message to children who had been trafficked.

His spokesman said: “He has established a family life. He is a talented footballer and taxpayer.”

Watford manager backs player at asylum tribunal | News | Guardian Unlimited Football

Sierra Leone Plans Beneficiation Legislation

Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma announced plans to introduce legislation that will ensure that most of the country’s diamonds are cut and polished locally before being exported.
According to a report by Reuters, Koroma said the new policy would be tabled in Parliament “as soon as possible.”
“We have not benefited as much as we should have from our mineral resources and that is why we are going to … put in place a mining policy that will ensure that we move away from having low returns,” Reuters cited Koroma as saying.
Koroma added that the new policy would not only add value to Sierra Leone’s diamond exports, but also enhance employment opportunities.
Koroma was elected president in September 2007 on an anti-corruption ticket, pledging to lift poverty levels in the country. The new government is looking to rebuild its image in the mining – and particularly the diamond – sector, given the role “blood diamonds” played in financing the decade-long civil war in Sierra Leone, and given the industry’s potential to boost the country’s economy.
Sierra Leone produced 603,566 carats of diamonds valued at $125.3 million in 2006, of which all was exported, according to Kimberley Process statistics.

Diamonds.net News – Sierra Leone Plans Beneficiation Legislation

Commonwealth issues climate plan

The Commonwealth represents two billion people globally

Leaders of Commonwealth states have drawn up an “action plan” to tackle climate change that falls short of any binding agreement.

The text, released after the second day of their summit in Uganda, is designed as a strong statement ahead of next month’s UN climate talks.

But the 53-member group could not reach a consensus on binding emission cuts.

Meanwhile, India’s Kamalesh Sharma has been appointed secretary general. He replaces New Zealand’s Don McKinnon.

Mr McKinnon is stepping down at the end of his four-year term.

On Saturday, the Commonwealth leaders are working at a retreat on Lake Victoria, away from media attention.

Officials had said the summit would try to iron out differences between member states on climate change.

Divisions

Many Commonwealth nations, led by Britain, wanted an influential statement before next month’s UN talks in Bali, which will discuss a new agreement to replace the Kyoto protocol, which expires in 2012.

But Canada had insisted that any statement should refer to the need for contributions from the world’s major polluters, including the United States, which has so far resisted any binding targets.

Australia is also a major CO2 emitter. Like the US, its outgoing government has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

“There are clearly some (Commonwealth leaders) who are clearly not ready to use the term binding at this stage,” Mr McKinnon said following Saturday’s talks.

“The objective was to make a very strong political statement without getting caught up in too many technicalities ahead of Bali,” he said, according to the AFP news agency.

A Commonwealth statement announced a shared goal “to achieve a comprehensive post-2012 global agreement that strengthens, broadens, and deepens current arrangements”, AFP reported.

“This should include a long-term aspirational goal for emissions reduction to which all countries would contribute,” the statement said.

The first day of the summit was marred by clashes between protesters and police in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.

Protesters denounced Britain’s Queen Elizabeth for meeting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who they say abuses rights.

The three-day summit on Friday suspended Pakistan for civil rights violations under its emergency rule.

Brown optimism

A new global trade agreement is also on the summit’s agenda.

It is one of the most divisive issues for the Commonwealth, which includes some of the world’s wealthiest nations as well as some of the poorest.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Saturday expressed optimism that a new deal could be reached in the next few weeks.

The talks have repeatedly stalled since their inception in Qatar’s capital, Doha, in 2001.

BBC NEWS | Africa | Commonwealth issues climate plan

Diplomats investigate underdevelopment in parts of Sierra Leone

Members of the diplomatic corps in Sierra Leone left here Sunday for a day’s visit to the southern and eastern parts of the coun t ry to investigate the gross underdevelopment there, according to a PANA report.
The diplomats are from the Chinese, German, Ghanaian, Nigerian, British and Am erican Embassies and High Commissions, and the EU Commission as well as the Spec i al Representative of the United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOS I L).
Theyn will be visiting the southern Bo district, some 272 kilometres away, and the eastern Kenema District, about 319 kilometers from here.
According to the United Nations communications officer Sheku Bakarr Kamara, th e diplomats will meet with provincial authorities, political party officials, el e ctoral commission officials and other stakeholders like paramount chiefs to iden t ify the economic and social challenges facing those parts of the country.
A member of the diplomatic community who preferred anonymity said two thirds o f the developmental projects, costing tens of millions of US Dollars, had been a p proved for these two areas to enhance development.

Diplomats investigate underdevelopment in parts of Sierra Leone | Afrique – Actualité et informations africaines

Getting away from it all in world’s most inhospitable locations

HOLIDAYS in remote, untamed areas of the world are more than a minority pursuit.

The extremes of the two poles and their relatively untamed landscapes are increasingly attracting tourists.

Despite the relative expense of the holidays, last year more than 30,000 travellers visited Antarctica and its waters, either on cruises or to get involved in researching the area. The Arctic is proving even more popular, with almost 100,000 people travelling to the islands in the area.

However, concerns have been raised that this growing number of trips will damage areas already under pressure from global warming.

The Falkland Islands are already gearing up for a massive increase in the number of cruise ships visiting their shores in the coming year. According to the Lloyd’s List maritime newspaper, it is expecting more than 81,000 passengers, up nearly 60 per cent on last year.

But with tastes for the exotic developing, the challenge of an untamed landscape is not enough for some.

Despite government advice, troubled, war-torn regions such as Sierra Leone and Chechnya are now being touted as viable resorts for the adventurous tourist.

Scotsman.com News – UK – Getting away from it all in world’s most inhospitable locations