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25 November 2004
South Africa's Mbeki on New Mission to Ivory Coast Next Week
'That forced praise of Gbagbo, when Mbeki knew very well that Gbagbo was obstructing the process, in fact showed Gbagbo what is expected of him,' said Richard Cornwell, researcher at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies. 'I think the pressure will now be on President Gbagbo to behave himself,' he added. 'There is the basis for some sort of broader-based government and once that's achieved then one can move forward and reunite the country,' Cornwell said.
'SADC Militaries Since Independence' Book Project
24 November 2004
A Shameful Thing: Sexual Abuse by UN Peacekeepers
The United Nations has been forced into damage control mode lately, with a sexual harassment scandal around High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers followed by new allegations of sexual abuse by international peacekeeping staff in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he's outraged. And he has every reason to be, says Vanessa Kent, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa, in this interview with Radio Netherlands.
Terrorism Cannot be Defeated Unilaterally - Mogae
Cooperation, collective will and communication with other stakeholders in combating terrorism would render southern Africa a terrorism-free zone, President Festus Mogae said yesterday. Speaking at the Gaborone International Conference Centre (GICC) at the three-day conference to enhance the understanding of Southern African law enforcement agencies and policy makers, Mogae urged southern African governments to take effective and coordinated steps against terrorism.
The conference with the theme: ‘Terrorism in Southern Africa, Reviewing the Threat, Assessing Vulnerabilities and Response Capacity and Considering the Way Forward’ is jointly organised by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Organisation (SARPCCO), the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) and the Botswana police.
Political Will Needed to Root Out Rot in the Police
A professional and well-resourced police force is far less likely to generate the disturbing instances of corruption, extortion, and abuse of power that are frequently reported. The recent National Victims of Crime Survey carried out by the Institute of Security Studies found that corruption in South Africa had increased significantly and that 19% of bribes were solicited by police officers (both metro and SAPS).
Africa, China Forging Link
'They [African leaders] see it as a welcome, alternative opportunity,' says Jakkie Cilliers, executive director of the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria. 'China comes and says we will help and help unquestioningly.'
23 November 2004
Gun Free Police Service
People who produce guns are less likely to get robbed, evidence from the Institute for Security Studies shows, but they are more likely to get killed...
...As Anton du Plessis puts it in the ISS Crime Quarterly: 'The principle is simple: the life of an attacker can only be taken in order to protect your or someone else's life or to prevent serious bodily harm - Your property is not worth the life of the person who is stealing it from you.'
China Flexes its Might in Africa
'China's role in Africa is a major emerging trend,' said analyst Jakkie Cilliers of South Africa's Institute for Security Studies. 'Everyone is watching.'
Thabo Mbeki Carves Role as Point Man for Peace in Africa
On a continent dominated by despots and beset by war, South African President Thabo Mbeki has emerged as the man increasingly called upon to stop the bloodletting...
...Getting Africa's political house in order is part of the doctrine,'' said Richard Cornwell, a senior researcher at South Africa's Institute for Security Studies.
22 November 2004
Landslide Victory for Pohamba in Namibia
Windhoek: Namibia's ruling Swapo party scored an overwhelming victory in election results yesterday, bolstering the former guerrilla movement as it grapples with sensitive issues such as land reform.
'This indicates a system where succession has been engineered from an old generation to a much younger generation,' said Chris Maroleng, a researcher at the Pretoria-based Institute for Strategic Studies.
'It does not indicate a real change but entrenches the idea of elites controlling transfers of power within the political organisation ... (it is) not clear if they reflect the will of the people,' he said.
Sudan Government and Southern Rebels Sign Peace Pledge Before Security Council
19 November 2004: The Government of Sudan and southern rebels today pledged to end two decades of war by 31 December, signing a memorandum in front of the United Nations Security Council which had convened in neighbouring Kenya in a rare session outside New York to press for peace in Africa's largest county.
Elite Scorpions Sting Far and Wide
'The impact of the Scorpions on the South African public's psyche after four years of operation cannot be underestimated,' said Jean Redpath, a freelance researcher specialising in criminal justice issues.
'But even their official name (DSO) ... draws blank looks,' she said in an analysis on the Scorpions, written for the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies.
Escaping Prisoners
Yesterday the Daily Dispatch published troubling figures of the numbers of prisoners who escape - a peak of more than 5000 four years ago, down to about 3438 last year. More revealing were the comparison of escapes from prisons as against escapes from police custody, and the reasons for the difference...
...Explained Institute for Security Studies senior researcher Makubetse Sekhonyane: 'Most escapes occur in police holding cells, the courts or when awaiting-trial detainees are transported between prison and the courts.'
Mozambique: Close Contest Between Frelimo and Renamo Expected
Political commentators say Mozambique's third multiparty elections pose a potentially close contest between the ruling Mozambican Liberation Front (Felimo) and opposition, the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo). Anna Leao, a political analyst from the Institute for Security Studies, says the new kid on the block, Raul Domingos, will not split the presidential votes between Frelimo and Renamo.
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