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INSIDE AFRICA

U.S. Tries to Broker Peace in Somalia; A Look at Chrislam Herb

Aired June 17, 2006 - 12:30:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEMI OKE, HOST (voice-over): Today on INSIDE AFRICA: The United States jumps in the Somalia fray, trying now to broker peace for that embattled nation.

Plus, taking on malaria. New efforts to stop one of the most powerful killers on the continent.

And a minister on a mission to unify three major religions in Nigeria.

These stories and more on INSIDE AFRICA.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: Hello, I'm Femi Oke. Welcome to INSIDE AFRICA, our weekly look at news and life on the continent.

Now, the story of Somalia is complex. It's a country that has been without a central government for 15 years. There are Islamic rebels who now control most of the country, Somali warlords, who were fighting the rebels, and reportedly backed by the United States, and an interim government that works outside of the East African nation.

Saturday, things became more complex. There were reports that Ethiopian troops entered Somalia, supposedly in support of the transitional government. But Ethiopia denies these reports.

As the conflict continues, the United States offered up a meeting with hopes of bringing peace to Mogadishu. CNN's senior United Nations correspondent Richard Roth has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the country that has foundered without a central government for 15 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is now a place where people do not go to school, but where they become soldiers and terrorists at a scale which is just too scary.

ROTH: Welcome to the latest diplomatic effort on Somalia, the so- called International Contact Group. A group of nations led by the U.S. and Norway, met this week for the first time.

JENDAYI FRAZER, U.S. BUREAU OF AFRICAN AFFAIRS: Our immediate and most important message today is that there should be no fighting in Somalia. It has to end.

ROTH: The diplomats threw their support behind the weak interim government -- one of three groups that want to control Somalia. They also call for discussions with the latest victors in Somalia, the militia of the Union of the Islamic Court.

The recent victory of the Islamic groups over U.S.-backed warlords spurred the United States to support a new diplomatic initiative. Although never admitting it, Washington had backed warlords in Somalia, hoping they'd track down al Qaeda terrorists. That policy seemed to backfire, and this week the critics came out.

ELMI AHMED DUALEH, SOMALI AMBASSADOR TO U.N: Psychologically, people saw this as an invasion, or support to the warlords, to suppress Islam.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I wouldn't have supported the warlords.

JOHN PRENDERGAST, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: And we've actually empowered through our assistance the militant wing of this Islamic Court Union, and thus absolutely undermining all of our - both counter-terrorism and security and stability objectives in Somalia.

ROTH: The leader of the Islamic Court's militia says his group won't harbor terrorists. But experts warn of split between moderates and hard- liners.

PRENDERGARST: It's an attempt to whitewash the record, and it's good that they're trying to put a conciliatory tone out to the world, but we just need to be aware that - what lurks behind the scene - behind the words of some of their leaders.

ROTH: So, what's next for Somalia? This week, supporters of the Islamic groups demonstrated in the capital, Mogadishu, against regional peacekeepers, a proposal by neighboring countries on the interim Somali government.

SHARIF SHIEKH AHMED, CHMN, ISLAMIC COURT MILITIA (through translator): At the moment, we are not accepting any foreign troops in our country. Somali problem can only be solved by Somalis.

ROTH: Diplomats attending the meeting don't see a quick fix for Somalia. But they do say the goal is to start coordinating efforts to bring some stability to a country people feel has been a mess for far too long.

Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: Killer disease. Say that phrase on the continent, and most people will assume you're talking about AIDS. But malaria is one of the deadliest predators in Africa. Every 30 seconds, an African child dies of malaria. The United States has started a program called the President's Malaria Initiative, and the White House says it's working.

CNN's Elise Labott reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: Defeating malaria is an urgent calling.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Malaria is the number one killer of children in Africa. Nearly 3,000 people a day die from the disease, most of them children. Last year, the United States started a $1.2 billion program called the President's Malaria Initiative, to try and stamp out the disease in 15 of the hardest hit countries.

First lady Laura Bush is already claiming progress.

BUSH: By the end of September, through early PMI (ph) partnerships with the first three focus countries, aid from the American people will have reached about 6 million Africans.

LABOTT: In the first year of the program, the focus was on Angola, Tanzania and Uganda. This year, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda and Senegal will be added to the mix.

Timothy Ziemer is the coordinator of the President's Initiative on Malaria. Ziemer says it takes a concerted effort between the White House and international partners to make the program successful.

TIMOTHY ZIEMER, PRESIDENT'S MALARIA INITIATIVE: What's really exciting about the president's malaria initiative, it's not just a U.S. program. It brings in a government commitment, it brings in the for-profit and non-profit sectors, and then other international agencies, other countries, to bear for the single focus.

LABOTT: One of the weapons in the arsenal against malaria is insecticide-treated mosquito nets. They're the brainchild of a young Dane who has partnered with U.N. agencies, and says companies can make a profit by doing good.

MIKKEL VESTERGAARD FRANDSEN, CEO, VESTERGAARD FRANDSEN: It is a great achievement to see now that other companies, bigger companies are coming onboard, are joining this fight against malaria.

LABOTT: The U.S. approach is similar - a combination of public funds and company donations. The aim is to cut malaria deaths in half by the year 2010, using both prevention and treatment.

Treating the disease in Africa is at last on the right track, after a half-century of mistakes, according to the president's special coordinator on malaria.

ZIEMER: In 1955, there was a conference held in Uganda to look at the situation in Africa. At that point, a decision was made not to prevent but to treat. And I think at that point, we made a mistake. And while the rest of the world, the United States and then Europe, went forward and treated malaria in a very effective way, it wasn't done in Africa.

LABOTT: Now, Africa has a second chance to get grips with its biggest killer.

Elise Labott for INSIDE AFRICA, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: Almost a million Burundian people are in refugee camps, hovering on the edge of their own borders, for nearly 13 years. Now they're trekking back home after the end of a brutal civil war. Much of what they left behind has gone, but people are optimistic and looking forward to restarting their life at home. The U.N. is helping them rebuild. Some of the youngest ones have never seen their country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think there aren't so many problems in my country, and I think people are living together peacefully. And I believe that I won't have problems to find a new school.

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OKE: The civil war in Burundi started in 1993.

We're going to take a break here, but when we come back, we'll tell you about Chrislam (inaudible). Now, I know it sounds a bit like a recipe, but it's not that, it's a new way to mix and match the beliefs of three different faiths. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OKE: Hello there. Good to see you again.

In Nigeria, Christians and Muslims haven't always got along. They fought for decades before signing a peace deal just last year. And now it seems there is a new religion, where the two faiths are actually mixing together. It's called Chrislam Herb. And it fuses beliefs from the Islamic, Christian and native Nigerian faiths. Christian Purefoy dropped in on one on these non-traditional ceremonies to tell us what it's all about.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIAN PUREFOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A traditional religious setting for an untraditional ceremony: Running for deliverance. The Mission of the True Message has mixed the worship of the Muslim, Christian and traditional native faiths under the idea of what's called Chrislam Herb.

In the afternoon, Dr. Samusideen Saka, or the Man of God, preaches from both the Bible and Koran.

Where the state appears to have failed, with 70 percent of the population living in poverty, people have began to turn to churches and mosques for security, but above all hope.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I joined this mission, I was unemployed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I joined this mission, I was (inaudible) for 12 years. But then I found out (inaudible).

DR. F.A. BADRU, UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS: But don't forget, most of these churches and mosques required that you contribute.

PUREFOY: And Dr. Saka's unconventional church is no different. Money comes in from the sale of the blood of Jesus, miracle baby oil, and even claims that Dr. Saka can heal the blind.

But despite the bottled miracles, people's everyday lives have changed very little, and the frustration remains.

BADRU: (inaudible) is easily suggestible. When they ask him to stay from morning to night, he has no else to live, he has no food to eat. So if somebody who is a pastor or an imam says, look, you're going to do the night vigil, or you're going to (inaudible), most times that's new converts, that person that believes that (inaudible), there is a salvation, there's a miracle somewhere, may want to take hook, line and sinker from the suggestions or directives of the pastor or the imam.

PUREFOY: In the capital Abuja, both the national mosque and national church compete with each other and government buildings for dominance of the skyline. But as religious organizations take on more responsibility for the poor, there is a worry that religious leaders might be tempted to spend money on lavish buildings and other trappings of wealth.

But Dr. Saka sounds firm on his mission:

DR. SAMUSIDEEN SAKA: This is a message: If you (inaudible), if what I'm saying is real, you know your hearts. So whatever I'm saying, I'm saying it for those who see it the way I see it. Are you getting me? You don't just - you see - if God sends you a message, he knows how to do things. I'm not just a gambler.

PUREFOY: Dr. Saka is betting his unique combination of Islam and Christianity will pay off for his followers.

Meanwhile, he's building a new $1.5 million auditorium, wagering that thousands more Nigerians will invest their hopes and money in his promises of a better future.

Christian Purefoy, CNN, Nigeria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: The civil war ended in the Democratic Republic of Congo nearly three years ago, but since then has been a sharp increase in rape and assault against women in that country. As part of the peace deal, the various militia were integrated into the army, but a U.N. report found that physical violence against civilians by members of the security forces is reported wherever army and police are deployed. In the past year, in one eastern Congo province, officials found there were more than 4,000 reported rapes.

CNN's Africa correspondent Jeff Koinange recently visited some of the victims. One had been raped in front of her husbands and children. I sat down to talk to Jeff about the DRC when he stopped by the CNN Center this week. I began by asking him why he decided to focus on this particular story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, that story was so heartbreaking and gut-wrenching. I had read about it a while back, and I wanted to see for myself what it was about. Because we had women to this day, the war had been over three years, and to this day there were still reported cases of rape.

So we decided to go up to Bukavu in the east, a three-hour flight, and actually went to this one hospital where a lone doctor treats up to 500 rape and mutilation victims every single day. It's incredible. And he's alone with the - an army of nurses, but he's the only one.

And when we went there, Femi, I'll tell you, I've never, ever seen a story like that. And I've done a lot of stories where I can walk away and say I've done what I could, but this one is going to haunt me for a long time. The look in the women's faces, the fear, even despite the fact that this doctor was able to literally stitch them back together again. Going back home, they faced rejection, they faced HIV/AIDS, they faced all kinds of issues which are going to haunt them, and are going to haunt me for a long, long time.

OKE: On the lead-up to the elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, you were actually in the country for three weeks, a little bit more than three weeks. What was the feeling you got from the people about those forthcoming elections?

KOINANGE: Bottom line - euphoria. It's the first time this country is going through a democratic election in 40 plus years, believe it or not. So, three quarters of the population has never voted. Everyone I spoke to literally told me they had never voted. In fact, one gentleman, who was about 42 years old, good friend of ours, he says, I voted once in my life, but it was in South Africa. Imagine that.

So, the euphoria is incredible. Despite the fact that, believe it or not, the campaign hasn't begun. The actual campaign begins on June 30th, until July 30th. It's only four weeks long. And as you well know, a country the size of all of Western Europe with literally 500 miles of roads, logistics is going to be a nightmare. If you don't have your own plane or helicopter or a very good vehicle, campaigning will be a nightmare.

But having said that, 25 million registered voters. The country, you can tell, is ready for their election.

OKE: I know you're going to be heading out to do more coverage on the elections, so we'll be catching with you in a couple of weeks in the DRC.

Looking ahead of time as well, eye on Africa, we have a week of incredible stories all from the African continent. Yay!

KOINANGE: That's right.

OKE: Great news!

KOINANGE: Yeah.

OKE: That's going to happen in the middle of July. You're going to be in Nigeria. What are you going to be serving up for us?

KOINANGE: Great stories. And you will know this one, a lot of audience know this one: Nollywood, the equivalent of Hollywood and Bollywood. It's a $200 million industry. And, you know, they make 200 to 300 movies every single week. And you know the Nigerian movies -- the titles are simple, the movie making is even simpler. But the audience, Nigerians and also other Africans, love these Nigerian movies.

So, we went on set, on location with a crew and did all that, interviewed experts, actors, actresses - and found out why, why this movie industry is becoming so popular. And it's set to overtake Hollywood in maybe two, three, or five years' time, apparently.

And then another one we did. As you well know, Nigeria, corruption, a big, big story. President Obasanjo has been leading the campaign to fight corruption, and we actually spent a day with the man known as the anti- corruption tsar, Nuhu Ribadu, and he's leading a great campaign. Recovered so far over $5 billion. Great stories, positive stories.

OKE: And finally, Jeff Koinange and Femi Oke on the same billing for the African Journalist of the Year Award. You've done this many times.

KOINANGE: That's right.

OKE: What should I be looking for there?

KOINANGE: The CNN multi-choice African Journalist for the Year awards now in its 11th year, Femi. You're going to have a ball. It's great, good fun, a week of -- you know, of just being with these young and upcoming journalists. It's - it's going to be exciting. It's going to be Maputo, Mozambique. We've never been there before for these awards. So it's going to be a lot of fun, and believe it or not, Femi, you - you may want to stay a little while after that, because it's going to be that good.

OKE: I have the suit, I'm definitely going to be staying.

Jeff, I have to ask you to do something, just indulge me. Do that sign-off in that deep gravely voice you have.

KOINANGE: You'll have to pay me.

OKE: I'll (inaudible).

KOINANGE: Here you go.

OKE: Oh, yeah.

KOINANGE: This is CNN.

OKE: Jeff Koinange, CNN Center, Atlanta. Thanks, Jeff, good to talk to you.

KOINANGE: Thank you, Femi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OKE: That was our Africa correspondent Jeff Koinange, who likes to be known as the king. We like to humor him from time to time. So that's what he 's coming out with in the next couple of weeks.

Also, some of the stories you can look forward to coming up on INSIDE AFRICA. Next week, the Chinese premier visits South Africa. There will also be a preview of the Sierra-Leone election. And we have an interview with opposition leader Ernest Koroma.

And coming up in July, a special edition of INSIDE AFRICA, all about education and children on the continent, coming to you from Maputo, Mozambique.

So, it's going to be a cracking couple of weeks.

There is more to come on INSIDE AFRICA. Just ahead, we'll have a live World Cup update from Germany, where the Black Stars one-nil to the Czech Republic. That is the latest report coming to you from Germany. And they're doing really well. More on that on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

OKE: Oh, yes. You're still watching INSIDE AFRICA, but World Cup football has fans all over the world glued to their TVs.

Last week, I was at the Accra airport with hundreds of hopeful Ghana fans flying out to support the Black Stars in Germany. Right now, the team is playing its second game against the Czech Republic, and our Mark McKay is covering the action.

The Czech Republic coach said that this game was going to be the biggest challenge so far. How are the Black Stars doing?

MARK MCKAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're certainly giving quite a challenge, Femi, to the Czech Republic, the second-ranked team in the world. You know, Ghana has plenty to be proud of. They're playing in one of the toughest groups. It involves the United States, the Czech Republic and Italy, but let me bring you up to date, and this might shock a lot of people -- certainly not the folks who are pulling for Ghana - they hold the lead on the Czech Republic as they are at halftime in the German city of Cologne. Asamoah Gyan made World Cup history for Ghana, netting their first ever goal in the finals.

So there you go, Femi. That's your update, with Ghana ahead.

OKE: That's a great surprise. Coming into the tournament, as far as African teams were concerned, a lot of talk about Ivory Coast. They're now out of the running, basically, but they did score against Holland, against Argentina. I wonder if this bodes well for building a team for 2010?

MCKAY: It certainly does, Femi. You know, it was thought that Ivory Coast would have perhaps the best chance of all the African sides of matching what Senegal did and moving into the quarterfinal round of this tournament at the last World Cup, but you know, two goals in their World Cup finals first appearance is very, very good indeed. Didier Drogba, he of course plays his club football for Chelsea of the English premiership, he was one of the goal scorers. And on Friday, Bakary Kone put one past the Netherlands. The Ivory Coast lost to the Netherlands, but they certainly put up quite a fight, Femi.

And as you said, with the World Cup coming to Africa in 2010, it bodes quite well for them.

OKE: Now, there are African teams still playing in the World Cup. We have Ghana playing right now. We have Angola, Togo, Tunisia. Technically they're all in with a chance to get through to the second round, but who's got the best shot, really?

MCKAY: Well, you know, you mentioned Angola, and I failed to mention that Angola actually scored the first point for the African sides in this tournament as they held Mexico to a goalless draw on Friday. But you've got to believe Tunisia, Femi, has the best chance to actually go through in this tournament. They are more experienced. They were able to draw against Saudi Arabia. Ukraine is also in this group, but the Ukraine side really suffered a devastating four-nil loss to the Spaniards. And so the Tunisian side really must feel that they can, in fact, go through as the second team. In fact, Femi, it is Tunisia against Spain on Monday. A lot of folks will be watching that one.

OKE: Bottom of the rankings as far as the teams are concerned is Togo. They're right down there at the bottom as far as FIFA is concerned, but they have some top gossip about their coach. What's the latest?

MCKAY: This is one of these interesting side stories, Femi, that we've followed really since the beginning of this tournament. A week ago, the coach of the Togo side, Otto Pfister, actually walked out. He left the team, and you know, this is a team making their World Cup debut. There is a pay dispute going on between the Togo players and the Togo national side. The players want to be paid a certain amount. The other side is saying, you know, we're not going to fess up and give you that money.

Well, the coach walked out, but he was able to get back on the pitch. They say that Pfister will remain with the team here at the World Cup. His future, we don't know, but it's been one of those interesting side notes that we've enjoyed here in Germany.

OKE: That's Mark McKay from "World Sport." He eats, he sleeps, he works from that spot in Berlin, Germany. You're doing a fantastic job. Thank you very much, Mark.

Now, we invite you to join in CNN's fan zone frenzy on the World Cup. So just log on to cnn.com, and you can email us your photos and comments on the cup at worldcup@cnn.com.

And that's it for this week's edition of INSIDE AFRICA. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Femi Oke at the CNN Center. Until the next time, take care.

END

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