Growing up in Nigeria, I always assumed that the ever present blue-green tinge that often appeared after it rained was common everywhere and came from oil and petrol everywhere. I assumed that the ever present natural gas flares visible near the coast where a staple of oil mining. I never once considered that it was a sign that my city Warri, was just the urban face of a continual multi-decade pollution business plan.

Most Americans remember the BP Oil spill last year, and the wave of public (American) outrage against BP, Britain and what they saw as an affront to their nation and a lack of ownership by the management of BP. In the coming weeks, the amount of scrutiny paid by the American media and news-watching public was severe and critical.

At first, I was equally as outraged, but also resigned. But then when I saw the wave of public indignation, and the fact that BP was taking responsibility for the spill, I became very outraged. In the Niger Delta, spills the size of BP’s spill occur multiple times every year.

Oil in Nigeria has always been an incredibly political issue, one that remains very dangerous to speak up about. In 1995, a peaceful activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, lead protests against the environmental degradation of his land—and he was promptly arrested and executed by hanging after a tribunal. It is incredibly naive to assume that the Oil companies and their close relationships with Nigerian politicians then, and now, had nothing to do with the execution. In fact, with the help of several human rights activists, the Wiwa family sued Royal Dutch Shell for human rights violations including: summary execution, crimes against humanity, torture, inhumane treatment and arbitrary arrest and detention. And….then days before the trial could begin, Shell paid the family $15.5 million while still denying any liability for his death

As I watched the news programs attacking BP, I thought about the three largest oil companies in Nigeria—Shell (a Dutch company), Exxon Mobil (an American company) and Chevron (also an American company)—and how they must be sitting in their tidy offices laughing at the powerless Africans they’ve trampled on for years. While the Americans raised their fists and raged against the British company—perhaps bringing up their inherited or adopted anti-Britain sentiments—they (and the media) remained firmly closed to the fact that their own American companies are doing the same things in places where a $15.5 million settlement is rarely if ever seen and thus justice could never really be brought.

But I refuse to the deny the parts that my own people have played in the environmental crises. I have written countlessly about the corruptness of the Nigerian government. In fact, the last Governor of Delta state was arrested for money laundering. These officials make deals for the betterments of their pockets and not with the consent or care of the people who supposedly elected them into office. This has led to widespread loss of livelihood with the destructions of numerous waterways and fish sources. The oil companies—Shell in particular—have also blamed the people for the spills, stating (and proving in some cases) that civilians cut into oil pipelines to siphon oil to sell on the black market. In fact, in my father’s village in 1998, an oil leak resulted in people attempting to siphon oil for later sale, however an explosion soon occurred, killing about 1000 people.

To add more intrigue to the Jesse fire, there have been several arguments and testimonies that the oil company and the government was to blame:

“The company and the government then sent a helicopter to the area. The officials in the helicopter warned the people in English to disperse or something would happen to them. Most of the crowd did not understand what was being said and the sight of the helicopter added more fun to the fetching of the liquid gold manna.

The officials followed up their threat with firing nerve gas at the crowd, which made it impossible for them to run. Those who attempted to run could not move their limps with agility. Then the horror came; the place was set on fire with the intention of killing everybody present and to prevent anybody from giving evidence.”

I personally have a complicated relationship with Shell. My mother used to work as a nurse in state government hospital, when she got a position with Shell that offered her over 3 times her salary as a public servant. She took the job, and I learned to swim in the Shell pool, I attended the summer camp for children of Shell employees, our house was built in part with money from bonuses given to my mother from her work with Shell. But I refuse to be grateful for them, and I would rather the whole world realized this and stood up and raised their voices and fists at Shell, Chevron and Mobil till they were forced to acknowledge that they were destroying lives.

The UN has been conducting research and writing a report to ascertain the causes of the leaks in the Niger Delta, especially in Ogoniland which was the subject of Ken Saro-Wiwa’s protests and later execution. At first, reports indicated that the UN intended to blame the people….and here I lose my objectivity and refrain from writing what I think, but you are welcome to use your imagination. This early reports were in 2010, but the UN was quick to recall and rebuke the early birds, stating that:

Media reports over the past days and weeks have indicated that it is UNEP’s determination that 90 per cent of oil spills are linked with so-called ‘bunkering’ and criminal activity. In referring to this data, UNEP clearly indicated that these figures represented official estimates of the Government of Nigeria, based in part on data supplied by the oil industry. They therefore do not represent nor reflect results of UNEP’s current assessment process which is still ongoing. To link this data with UNEP’s study or indeed any future attribution of responsibility is incorrect.

So basically upon facing public outcry, they quickly went back to the drawing board. This statement was released on August 23rd 2010. It was almost a year after that in August when the report was finally released. And here are some of the fun facts it contains:

In one community, at Nisisioken Ogale, in western Ogoniland, families are drinking water from wells that is contaminated with benzene- a known carcinogen-at levels over 900 times above World Health Organization guidelines. The site is close to a Nigerian National Petroleum Company pipeline.

UNEP scientists found an 8 cm layer of refined oil floating on the groundwater which serves the wells. This was reportedly linked to an oil spill which occurred more than six years ago.

Control and maintenance of oilfield infrastructure in Ogoniland has been and remains inadequate: the Shell Petroleum Development Company’s own procedures have not been applied, creating public health and safety issues.

The impact of oil on mangrove vegetation has been disastrous. Oil pollution in many intertidal creeks has left mangroves-nurseries for fish and natural pollution filters- denuded of leaves and stems with roots coated in a layer of bitumen-type substance sometimes one centimetre or more thick.

I write this article not to be self-righteous, or bash the American public for their lack of international knowledge. I write this to raise awareness, and to bash the American media for the creation of a circular and inclusive space in which while living in and watching the news in America, even the international news, all I end up hearing about is America and not the rest of the world—thus creating and upholding a double standard.

There: I’m done. (I would appreciate any comments that perhaps indicate my increased objectivity or lack thereof).

And by the way, the UN calls for an initial $1 billion dollar fund over a 30-year period to kick-start restoration of the Ogoniland alone. I am not even from the Ogoniland. The Ogoniland is only a small part of the Niger Delta. I have lost my objectivity, and I am proud to say it.

But there has been progress. Shell has admitted responsibility for an Oil Spill in the Bodo community in the Niger Delta (once again, only a small part of the Niger Delta). The oil spilled was 20% that in the BP spill, but spilled in a small creek which represented the livelihood of the Bodo community—a fishing community with no more fish. Shell was told of the spill about 6 weeks after it started, and the spill was not mended for another 4 weeks. So when pushed against the wall, Shell had to admit responsibility. But responsibility is simply not enough. Shell needs to no only pay up, but clean up.

Also, after the UN report, Shell is starting to take responsibility. So is there hope? Yes. But as long as there are Nigerian politicians, hope becomes a tiny sliver only seen through the eye of a needle.

References:

http://hqweb.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=2649&ArticleID=8827&l=en

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/08/un-report-on-ogoni-oil-pollution-fg-to-sanction-shell-if-%E2%80%A6-2/

http://hqweb.unep.org/dnc/Portals/155/countries/nigeria/press_release_ogoniland_en.pdf

http://www.unep.org/nigeria/

http://www.waado.org/Environment/IdjerheFire/CausesOfFireDisaster.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8090493.stm

http://wiwavshell.org/

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107200794.html

http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.Print.asp?DocumentID=646&ArticleID=6727&l=en

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/22/shell-niger-delta-un-investigation

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/aug/09/niger-delta-shell-oil-spills?INTCMP=SRCH

http://allafrica.com/stories/201108040967.html

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Distribution of Agent Orange in the Amazon Rainforest

The use of Agent Orange is still ongoing today, even with prior knowledge of both the health effects and detriments to the environment that it has caused. On July 6, around 450 acres of land in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest were cleared away by the use of Agent Orange. Though the forest is being cleared away to make room for cattle ranching or agricultural purposes, the chemicals being used to clear away the forest are being stored and distributed incorrectly. Authorities found over four tons of chemicals along the side of a trans-Amazon highway, and the chemicals were being distributed through the use of an aircraft. Spraying of the chemical by aircraft can lead to in accurate deployment of the herbicide, affecting areas that may not have initially been part of the intended target area.

Improper use of these chemicals can lead to further detriment to the environment. The chemicals can seep into the groundwater and prove harmful to the organisms in the surrounding area. In addition, there has been an increase in deforestation activities in the Amazon Rainforest due to the reformation of environmental laws as well as increased product costs.

With a shift in mentality towards an increase in productivity and cost-effectiveness, it would seem that fundamental concerns such as the maintenance of the environment or the ecosystem are being prioritized less highly. The aftereffects of dioxin use during the Vietnam War still remain a blatantly obvious reminder of the reasons why this chemical should not be used despite its effectiveness in deforestation.

Source: http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0706-agent_orange_amazon.html

Karen Ngo

Toronto, ON

Team 5: International Health

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You might be surprised to learn that relief efforts are still continuing all over the southeast to help victims of the spill, both humans and animals. I was researching various non-profits that had done a lot of work during the months that followed the oil spill, and found massive lists of organizations. So many people have done so much, from picking up oil on the sand to cleaning oil off animals.

The Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF) stood out in my mind. They serve 13 parishes of New Orleans which were affected directly by the oil spill through inventing ways to improve the communities, finding donors to meet community needs, finding and funding non-profits, and strengthening the feeling of comradeship in the parishes. GNOF created the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund, so that people from all over the country can donate to the cause, and GNOF turns around and gives the money to various non-profit organizations who work directly in the 13 devastated parishes. They work on research as well: “We also work to address the long-term economic, environmental, and cultural effects of the disaster, while simultaneously focusing on strengthening coastal communities against future environmental catastrophes.”

The Greater New Orleans Foundation currently allocates most of their funds to approximately 15 non-profit organizations, including the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Market Umbrella, Louisiana Justice Institute, and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. These organizations do a variety of things for the New Orleans area, including improving water quality, providing legal assistance to affected fishermen and their families, and coordinating marine research and innovation among many other things.

Everything GNOF has done would not have been possible without donations from the public. If you were affected by the Oil Spill, GNOF would be one of the first umbrella organizations you should contact.

Interested in continuing the relief efforts for the oil spill? The Greater New Orleans Foundation has a way you can donate – either go online to the website at the bottom of the article or send your check to the following address.

Greater New Orleans Foundation
1055 St. Charles Ave, Ste 100
New Orleans, LA 70130

Please make your check payable to GNOF and write “Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund” on the memo line.

Sources: http://www.gnof.org/programs/gnof-oil-spill-fund/

Jenny Combs

Team 2: Servant Scholars

Grade 11

Alabaster, AL

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Factory farming is a practice that “views animals as commodities rather than living creatures,” says Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, an organization that works to protect farm animals and to raise awareness of factory farming. A business that engages in factory farming treats its livestock as expendable machines, packing thousands of animals into a small, cramped space for the sole purpose of producing high quantities of, say, eggs or dairy. For example, a hundred thousand hens might be packed into several rows of battery cages—tiny 16-inch-wide cells each containing four to eight hens—where there isn’t enough space for the birds to stretch their wings. “The birds are given less space than a sheet of paper,” says Baur.

Due to the lack of space, the hens often become aggressive and peck one another (the industry tries to prevent this by cutting off part of their beaks); also, they constantly rub against the wire walls of the cages and end up getting bruises and losing feathers. However, despite the poor conditions, each hen is forced to lay around 250 eggs in a year, through such manipulations as being put under constant light to encourage egg production and, after the laying cycle has been exhausted, depriving the hens of food and water to shock their bodies into producing more eggs. Once a hen becomes too fatigued to produce more eggs, it is slaughtered and its carcass is shredded to be used in low-grade meat products such as soups and pot pies.

Photo credit: Farm Sanctuary (farmsanctuary.org)

Why is factory farming a problem?

Factory farming is not just an issue of ethics. The cramming of thousands of animals into one small space creates a high risk of spreading infectious diseases (especially since some animals, like dairy cows, are forced to live in their own waste); to make matters worse, these animals’ immune systems are often compromised due to their constant work and the poor quality of their living conditions. These animals are often fed antibiotics in an effort to prevent the spread of disease, which creates more health problems for these animals as a side effect.

In addition, agribusinesses that practice factory farming are notorious for their mismanagement in terms of the waste disposal process. The waste produced by these animals is stored in man-made lagoons, which leak bacteria and contaminants into groundwater and waterways; this, in turn, disrupts the nearby ecosystem.

What can be done to help curb the practice of factory farming?

Baur recommends shopping at farmers’ markets and supporting more local, sustainable farms by participating in programs such as Community Supported Agriculture (in which consumers can buy produce, eggs, meat, dairy, and other farm products directly from a local farmer). “People should get closer to their food sources,” he says.

In addition, Baur, who follows a vegan diet, recommends that people limit the amount of animal products they consume. Baur realizes that not everyone is willing to go vegan, but he encourages others to eat more plant foods, as opposed to a diet concentrating mostly on meat.

For the would-be activist, getting involved in the political process is key. “Be engaged,” says Baur. “E-mail your state legislators to let them know [your concerns about] factory farming.” There are several campaigns that Farm Sanctuary is currently running against agribusiness practices that promote animal cruelty; more information can be found at http://www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/campaigns/.

Where can I learn more about factory farming?

Farm Sanctuary’s website (http://www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/factoryfarming/) offers a plethora of information about various aspects of the factory farming issue. It also features ways to help fight against the employment of factory farming, such as rescuing discarded farm animals from dumpsters or campaigning for legislation to curb factory farming. Other good websites to browse are Food & Water Watch (http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/factoryfarms/) and Sustainable Table (http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/factoryfarming/).

Nicole Tai

Grade 12, California, Youth Outreach & Social Marketing Team

This article was first published in Zooey Magazine.

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My love for the mountains started when a man named Rod Taylor visited my middle school and gave a presentation about his experience climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Even though I must have been about twelve years old, I remembered looking around the audience and wondering if other students were as amazed as I was. His narrative of friendship and betrayal on the Roof of Africa was illustrated photos from his grueling climb. Taylor was critically wounded and felt betrayed as his climbing partner Henry Barber left Taylor on the mountain to return to the United States for a promotional event. The main message of his presentation to us was to choose our friends wisely. Some reviews of Taylor’s book are here: http://www.amazon.com/Breach-Kilimanjaro-Conquest-Self/dp/0963018809

I have just graduated from college and am evaluating the friendships that I have made, how wisely did I choose those friendships? While only time may give an answer to that question, I feel confident in the quality of the friendships that I have instead of the typical emphasis on the quantity.

But back to mountain trekking, Taylor’s speech when I was young probably sparked my interest. At the end of my study abroad in China in January 2010, two of my friends and I embarked on an ambitious trip throughout China. My favorite place was Huangshan, not only during this trip, but out of any other place that I have ever been to. We woke up early to see the sun rise after a night on the top of the series of mountains (we took the lift up the mountain). But the 8-hour hike down involved climbing even higher in order to ultimately go down. The wind howled loudly around us, and my fear of heights quickly came back to me. But around one corner, the sight took my breath away. It was soon after the break of dawn and the view over the mist of the mountains was unbelievably gorgeous. I’ll never forget it, and it was the most beautiful sight of my life.

I have already started to plan some other mountain treks. Today, I watched a documentary called “Summit on the Summit.”  A group of celebrities including Lupe Fiasco and Jessica Biel climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with a team of cameramen and Tanzanian porters to raise awareness for clean water. Every 15 seconds, a child dies of a water-borne illness. Water is taken for granted by us in the developed world. Creating clean water is not difficult; the technology for it has already been developed. The documentary showed some powder that was placed into the water and after 30 minutes, the dirt and bacteria coagulated at the bottom of the cup and the top at the top of the cup was safe and clean water.

I think that combining my growing passion for climbing with a worthy cause is an inspiring and meaningful idea. It is how marathon runners fundraise and it also motivates them to keep pushing themselves physically even when they are exhausted during the race. During the documentary “Summit on the Summit,” the celebrities were clearly exhausted but wanted to push forward because they believed in the struggle for clean water and had a huge team of supporters behind them.

http://summitonthesummit.com/

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charity: water is a non-profit organization that brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. In 4 years, charity: water has raised more than $20 million and funded 3,196 water projects.

so why water?

health and sanitation.

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of diseases and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Children are especially vulnerable, as their bodies aren’t strong enough to fight diarrhea, dysentery and other illnesses

women and children.

In Africa alone, people spend 40 billion hours every year just walking for water. Women and children usually bear the burden of water collection, walking miles to the nearest source, which is unprotected and likely to make them sick.

Time spent walking and resulting diseases keep them from school, work and taking care of their families.

Along their long walk, they’re subjected to a greater risk of harassment and sexual assault. Hauling cans of water for long distances takes a toll on the spine and many women experience back pain early in life.

With safe water nearby, women are free to pursue new opportunities and improve their families’ lives. Kids can earn their education and build the future of their communities.

economies / communities.

In Africa alone, the overall economic loss due to lack of safe water and sanitation is $28 billion, or about 5% of GDP. In areas where gathering water is impossible, small-scale private water distributors charge full market prices, forcing the poorest households to spend up to 11% of their income on life’s most basic need. Even this water is most likely contaminated if it has been collected from unprotected rivers or ponds.

To learn more about how you help fundraise for or donate to this non-profit, please go to their website or their blog to follow their updates and new projects.

Think about this,

Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s one in eight of us.

So don’t waste water.

Quyen N.

Team EVSS 5 – int’l health

Mar 23 2011

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According to the website, which is worldwaterday.org, this year the issues at hand would be:

• the growing urban water and sanitation demand,
• increased pollution from municipal and industrial discharges,
• climate change and its unforeseen risks and challenges,
• overexploitation of available water resources, and
• better targeting of the urban poor.

You could go here to check out the campaign’s really cool posters, desktop campaigns, t-shirt templates!

Here’s one of the posters, it’s like a really well-made collage. Very artsy

Find out more about WWD on their website and try to save some H2O, not just for today but for everyday for the rest of their lives because remember, there’re people dying out there for a bucket of water when we neglect our running faucet while watching the new Glee episode.

Quyen Nguyen

EVSS Team 5 – int’l health

March 22 2011

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As I turn on the faucet to get warm, free-flowing water, I let the heat grow a little longer, wasting about 3 cups of water, as I wash my muddy fingers in the water, then wipe them, as the water continues to run, and then splash my face once, and then soap it, then rinse. Finally, after drying my face, I turn off the faucet. And nevertheless, I am ignorant of the fact that 1 in 8 human beings are suffering without water. That right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water.
Water. Why is it important? Obviously, because it is vital to the growth and maintenance of life, and necessary for almost any action to occur. Around the world, water is found in dangerous areas and in unsanitary conditions, meaning it comes in a package along with drugs, chemicals, and other toxins, which will direly affect the body. In fact, lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of diseases and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Water contains various bacteria and viruses including e coli, Hepatitis A, salmonella typhi, and others dangerous creatures.
Charity: Water gives back to the community through means of water, and they work to not only improve people’s health but also the country’s economy. They donate $100 of their profits, and “in regions prone to natural disasters, water infrastructure has proven to be a smart investment, sometimes reducing flood damage or disease rates among survivors. Clean water transforms lives, communities and generations — and at a surprisingly low cost. $20 can provide clean water for one person.” Africa lost $28 billion just because of unsafe water damage to the housing and the people. The organization hopes to teach a village how to stay hygienic, by building hand washing stations and lavatories. They can save time and send children to schooling, so they can have a brighter future. On their website, they describe, “Almost everywhere charity: water builds a freshwater well, we also require sanitation training. In some communities, we build latrines; at the very least, we promote simple hand-washing stations made with readily-available materials. Charity: water is committed to using water as a gateway to sanitary living.”

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Did you know that 80% of deaths in the whole world are caused by unsafe water and sanitation? That’s more than war! 42,000 people die every week because they don’t have access to a clean water source. 90% of those deaths are children under five years old who are especially susceptible to diseases such as dysentery. In Africa, people spend over 40 million hours a year lugging water in containers to and from their villages. Most of these hours are spent by women and children, who as a result are missing school and are more vulnerable to diseases. They are also extremely likely to endure some sort of sexual assault.

What can we do to stop this? A nonprofit called charity: water ( charitywater.org ) has a pretty good idea. They have begun funding projects around the globe to install fresh water wells into villages. They’ve funded over 3,000 projects and have saved countless lives. As soon as someone donates to charity: water, their money goes to good use. The long walk for water that could have taken hours takes mere minutes. Hygiene workers show the villagers how to wash their hands while promoting sanitation. Women are empowered and given leadership positions by overseeing the well. Using the water from the new well, people are able to start growing things in gardens in their own back yards, which help to feed their families. Children can go to school and get an education to be productive members of society. Maybe a village nearby will notice the success of wells in other villages and want to jump on board, and so the process begins again until every village has a fresh water source.

Lack of fresh water is an absolutely terrible epidemic. Personally, I had no idea the problem existed in such mass quantities. My heart broke for the women and children who had to lug heavy buckets of water from remote, unsanitary water sources. Every time I drink out of my water bottle, or fill the bathtub with water, I think about all the people around the globe who would die to have what I have. And they do die. They die in droves.

Charity: water has made it possible for people to make a difference in the lives of others. By donating $20, you can give someone clean water for a lifetime. $20 saves a life. You can hardly put a price on that. You can also get involved by starting a clean water campaign, and getting others to donate. $5,000 builds a well in a village. $5,000 dollars saves the lives of many.

Sources:

Charitywater.org

Jenny Combs

Team 2: Servant Scholars

Grade 11

Alabaster, AL

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The solutions the Nigerian government gave to prevent the spread of cholera were lukewarm at best and highly inefficient for sustainable prevention of further outbreaks. While chlorinating wells and water supply does halt the current outbreak, the effects of chlorine are temporary. Unless other measures are implemented, there is a very high probability that another outbreak will occur within the next decade.

The conundrum that I found while looking for solutions to purifying water is this: most nations and regions that have problems with clean water are also financially less well-off. Therefore, the complicated filter systems developed for already established plumbing systems are not applicable in developing countries. The continuous chlorination of wells is not a feasible or sustainable method. Heating every drop of water before use is just not doable. So what exactly is a sustainable, cheap and accessible way of providing clean water?

I asked and found an answer in new technology recently developed in South Africa.

A group of researchers in South Africa has developed a filter that can purify water straight from the bottle. It sits inside a tube that can be fitted on top of a bottle and purifies water as it is poured on a cup…the filter is only as big as an ordinary tea bag…cost-effective and easy to use. (BBC News)

So we have a solution that appears to resolve all the previously mentioned issues with cost (about 10 cents per liter), portability and degree of difficulty to use. In fact, the filter also kills the bacteria it traps, so that any leaks that occur are not detrimental to the purity of the water. It fits into the neck of a bottle and can quickly purify drinking water. But in occasions like this, finding a solution is still only less than half of the effort needed to solve the problem.

One of those problems should be intrinsically solved by the products portability and economical access, but it isn’t. And that problem is getting the solution to those that actually need it most. And as usual, the stumbling block for this goal is the government-the people who are responsible for ensuring clean water.

“While NGOs can usually get aid to communities the quickest, governments offer their own advantages, Levine said. ‘Government ministries can be heavy, and take a long time to work,’ Levine said. ‘But they offer a large-scale distribution basis that is difficult to replicate with NGOs.’” (All Africa)

So here I offer a solution, but that is all I can do as an individual-Offer a Solution. But it is up to governments and citizens to decide to utilize given solutions. But to the government of Nigeria I offer this solution: tea bag filters to prevent further cholera epidemics.

And to you reader, do you have any suggestions or know of any technology useful in solving the water crisis? What steps do you suggest to the government and citizens to take to ensuring that they do get access to clean water? After all, technology is only the first small step towards an actual solution.

-Onome U. Chicago IL, International Health Team, College Sophomore.

References

http://allafrica.com/stories/201008310057.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11156031

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