Raul Castro meets African leaders

Raul Castro meets African leaders

Jav online

AFRICA / 30 September 2016, 10:39am
Raimundo Urrechaga






Havana - Cuban President Raul Castro on Thursday met with leaders of Lesotho and Namibia to boost relations and cooperation with the African nations, according to a government statement.





Castro met with Prime Minister of Lesotho Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili at the presidential palace where they exchanged views on bilateral relations and expressed their will to strengthen ties with further co-operation in areas such as health, education and sports.




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During his-four day visit to Cuba, Mosisili met with various government officials, signed a number of cooperation agreements and visited students from his nation studying in the island country.





More than 50 students from Lesotho are studying in Cuba now, while Havana currently has medical and educational advisors in the African nation. Cuba established diplomatic relations in 1979 with Lesotho, a landlocked small country completely surrounded by South Africa.





Castro also held talks with Sam Nujoma, the first president of Namibia and an anti-apartheid activist, who is also visiting the island to further strengthen relations between the two countries.





Nujoma was a founding member and the first president of the South-West Africa People's Organization and played an important role as leader of the national liberation movement in campaigning for Namibia's independence from South African rule.

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Xinhua

Africa finds its voice at CITES

Africa finds its voice at CITES

Jav

AFRICA / 30 September 2016, 11:27am
Cara Bouwer


The South African Environmental Affairs stand at the CoP17 exhibition at the Sandton Convention centre. Picture: Kim Ludbrook




Johannesburg - As host nation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and flora (CITES) CoP17 conference, South Africa has prioritised its national agenda: issues around lion, rhino and elephant.





These are 'sexier' discussions than the under-threat Rosewood and African cherry trees, or the ancient pangolin, Director: Division of Environmental Law and Conventions at the United Nations Environment Programme Elizabeth Mrema said.


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They also highlight both a friction in intra-African interests and increased collaboration.





At the CoP17 South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia jointly called to sell ivory stockpiles, one-off permission which Mrema explains was previously given in 1989 and in 1997, under extremely tight regulation.





The proposal was rejected, however, with West and Central African countries, in particular, objecting that "any sort of trade opens up to illegal trafficking and trade".





While Africa may not see eye-to-eye on ivory trade, Mrema said the continent was increasingly taking a longer-term, regional view.





Ahead of CITES, African countries met to discuss on which they agreed and disagreed, she said. Sticking points were elephants and rhino. Common ground was the need to manage wildlife sustainably.





There are issues Africa needs to deal with together, said Kenya-based Mrema. These include issues of enforcement, monitoring and local communities. The latter is being pushed at CoP17 by Africa, which proposed the establishment of a permanent committee under CITES to deal with local community issues.





The proposal was rejected for reasons around finance and fears of diluting CITES' focus on species.





"South Africa, and the whole of the Southern Africa Development Community, has been very vocal on the role of local communities [and] how we support local communities so they also support us in the management of wildlife," said Mrema.

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"All agree that local communities have a role. Yes, they are important, but outside CITES."