Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 31. Mars 2006 / Time Line March 31, 2006
Version 3.503/31/2006
UN AGENCY CONDEMNS FORCED RECRUITMENT OF SUDANESE REFUGEES IN
CHAD
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) today called for an end
to the forced conscription of Sudanese refugees in Chad, warning
that the practice is further evidence of mounting insecurity along
the volatile border area.
"UNHCR strongly condemns the forced recruitment of Sudanese
refugees from Darfur by various armed groups in some of our camps
in eastern Chad, breaching the civilian character of asylum and of
our camps," agency spokesman Ron Redmond told reporters in Geneva.
"We call upon all parties involved to put an end to these
activities in our camps."
Investigations by UNHCR teams and testimonies from refugees show
that recruiting took place between Friday afternoon, 17 March, and
Sunday, 19 March -- a weekend, when fewer humanitarian staff are
present in the camps. "Although we're unable at this stage to give
precise figures, initial assessments indicate that several hundred
men were recruited in Treguine, Breidjing and Farchana," Mr.
Redmond said.
While most of those targeted were aged 15 to 35, even younger boys
were also conscripted, he said. Most were recruited by force, but
some joined voluntarily.
While declining to speculate on who was responsible, Mr. Redmond
said the agency had been told by some refugees that they had been
brought to training bases across the border in Darfur.
"This activity is further evidence of the growing insecurity that
has now spread to both sides of the Chad-Sudan border -- something
High Commissioner António Guterres has been warning about
for months," Mr. Redmond said, noting that clashes continue to be
reported in eastern Chad.
In high-level meetings over the past week with Chadian authorities,
UNHCR officials "strongly stressed that the civilian character of
the refugee camps must be maintained at all times, and respected in
all circumstances," Mr. Redmond said. "During those meetings, we
reminded the government of Chad that it is primarily responsible
for ens security of refugee camps on its territory."
The Government has promised to increase the deployment of gendarmes
around the camps to prevent the entry of arms or armed individuals.
"We also asked the government for its support in ensuring the safe
return of recruited refugees," the spokesman said.
More than 200,000 refugees from Sudan's Darfur region are in 12
UNHCR-run camps along the border in eastern Chad.
03/31/2006
United States Government Accountability Office
DEFENSE ACQUISITIONS :
Assessments of Selected Major Weapon Programs
In the last 5 years, the Department of Defense (DOD) has doubled
its planned investments in new weapon systems from about $700
billion in 2001 to nearly $1.4 trillion in 2006. While the weapons
that DOD develops have no rival in superiority, weapon systems
acquisition remains a long-standing high risk area. GAO’s
reviews over the past 30 years have found consistent problems with
weapon acquisitions such as cost increases, schedule delays, and
performance shortfalls. In addition, DOD faces several budgetary
challenges that underscore the need to deliver its new weapon
programs within estimated costs and to obtain the most from these
investments.
See also: GAO: Defense
Acquisitions : Major Weapon Systems Continue to Experience
Cost and Schedule Problems under DOD's Revised Policy. April
2006.
CRS: The Cost of Iraq,
Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since
9/11
03/31/2006
US Classified Programmes Budget Hits Record Levels
By: Bill Sweetman, JANE'S DEFENCE WEEKLY
http://www.janes.com/press/articles/pc060331_1.shtml US budgets for
classified programmes, also know as black programmes, are likely to
be in excess of USD20 billion reveals Jane’s Defence
Weekly’s Aerospace and Technology Editor, Bill Sweetman,
following a close analysis of the US defence budget.
The budget reveals that from October 2006 (FY2007) classified
spending in US Air Force research and development alone will
increase to USD8.8 billion – more than double the systems
development and demonstration cost of the Joint Strike Fighter.
Jane’s Defence Weekly says that since 9/11 the US
administration has continued expanding black budgets, with now more
than 40 per cent of US Air Force procurement classified, along with
36 per cent of research and development.
Several billions of budgeted items appear to be hidden in plain
sight such as:
USD12.6 billion for ‘Selected Activities’ - listed
under Air Force procurement and tucked away in the same category as
cargo pallets and medical and dental equipment.
USD9.1 billion for ‘other programs’ – listed
under the defence-wide operations budget, is more than twice the
budget for Air Force primary combat forces. Other calculations by
Jane’s Defence Weekly reveals that line items listed under US
Air Force ‘missile procurement’ are some USD900 million
short of the total.
While some analysts suggest that much of the black budget funds the
operations of intelligence agencies, such as the CIA, Jane’s
Defence Weekly says the budget is large enough to support a range
of classified projects as well as funding US spy agencies.
Tangible evidence of heightened black programme activity is also
apparent, with Boeing 737s regularly commuting what could be more
than 1,000 people to testing bases such as Groom Lake.
However, there appears to be less reliable information than ever
before as to what kind of aircraft or spacecraft may have been
developed at Groom Lake, or elsewhere, with black-budget
funding.
03/31/2006
Britain's casualties of Iraq war total 6,700, MoD says
By Andy McSmith
Belfast Telegraph
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=684837
Almost 6,700 Britons have needed hospital treatment in Iraq since
the invasion three years ago - almost as many as the total number
of British troops still stationed there. About 4,000 were
sufficiently injured or ill to be sent home to Britain....
03/31/2006
Media and Communication in Conflict Prevention and
Peace-Building - Exploring Strategies for International and UN-led
Conflict Transformation
http://www.ruc.dk/komm/Arrangement/kommende/bent_noerby_bonde/
I en tid, da tegninger af Muhammed i en jysk avis har resulteret i
en global krise mellem den muslimske verden, Danmark og Europa,
forsvarer Bent Nørby Bonde sin Ph.d.-afhandling med
titlen:
Tid: Fredag den 31. marts kl. 13 - 16
Sted: Roskilde Universitetscenter (RUC) i Store Auditorium, bygning
00, Trekroner, Roskilde
Afhandlingen rammer midt ned i dagens aktuelle debat. Er det muligt
internationalt at støtte medierne, så de bidrager
konstruktivt til at nedtrappe konflikter og opbygge en fælles
fremtid for forskellige befolkningsgrupper, uden at pressefriheden
af den grund bliver krænket?
Bent Nørby Bonde analyserer i afhandlingen, hvordan medierne
aktivt blev brugt til at starte krigene i Balkan og
gennemføre folkemordet i Rwanda. Ud fra mediernes rolle
under konfliktoptrapningen udvikler forfatteren modeller for,
hvordan man internationalt kan arbejde med medier og kommunikation
i områder med væbnede konflikter, så man bidrager
til opbygningen af fred og forebygger fornyede konflikter.
Afhandlingens teoretiske fundament er en nyskabende kombination af
kommunikations-, konflikt- og socialpsykologiske teorier og
modeller. Bag Ph.d.-afhandlingen ligger videre Bent Nørby
Bondes ønske om at systematisere mere end 10 års
arbejde med medier i konfliktområder så forskellige som
Balkan, Mellemøsten, Afghanistan og Nigeria.
I forelæsningen gennemgår han afhandlingens modeller
for støtte til indhold i medierne, nye mediestrukturer og
udvikling af journalistisk etik. Bent Nørby Bonde slutter af
med at trække linierne fra den nuværende konflikt om
Muhammed-tegningerne til hans egen model for at løse
tilsvarende konflikter.
Opponenter er:
Lektor Karsten Fledelius, Københavns Universitet
Professor Cees Hamelink, Amsterdam Universitet
Lektor Iben Jensen, Roskilde Universitetscenter
Vejleder på Ph.d.-afhandlingen er:
Professor Thomas Tufte, Institut for Kommunikation, Journalistik og
Datalogi.
Pressen er velkommen til at overvære forsvaret.
Yderligere oplysninger hos Bent Nørby Bonde, tlf. 45 56 10
00 eller e-mail: bnb@ruc.dk.
 |
 |