Pages From History: DuBois Submission to the 1900 Pan-AfricanConference in London

The 1900 Pan African Conference in London

Prof. DuBois, chairman of the Committee on Address to the Nations of the World, submitted the following, which was adopted and sent to the sovereigns in whose realms are subjects of African descent:

TO THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD

In the metropolis of the modern world, in this the closing year of the Nineteenth Century, there has been assembled a Congress of men and women of African blood, to deliberate solemnly upon the present situation and outlook of the darker races of mankind.

The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line, the question as to how far differences of race, which show themselves chiefly in the color of the skin and the texture of the hair, are going to be made, hereafter, the basis of denying to over half the world the right of sharing to their utmost ability the opportunities and privileges of modern civilization.

To be sure, the darker races are to-day the least advanced in culture according to European standards. This has not, however, always been the case in the past, and certainly the world’s history, both ancient and modern, has given many instances of no despicable ability and capacity among the blackest races of men.

In any case the modern world must needs remember that in this age, when the ends of the world are being brought so near together, the millions of black men in Africa, America and the islands of the sea, not to speak of the brown and yellow myriads elsewhere, are bound to have great influence upon the world in the future, by reason of sheer numbers and physical contact.

If now the world of culture bends itself upwards giving Negroes and other dark men the largest and broadest opportunity for education and self-development, then this contact and influence is bound to have a beneficial effect upon the world and hasten human progress.

But if, by reason of carelessness, prejudice, greed and injustice, the black world is to be exploited and ravished and degraded, the results must be deplorable, if not fatal, not simply to them but to the high ideals of justice, freedom, and culture which a thousand years of Christian civilization have held before Europe.

And now, therefore, to these ideals of civilization, to the broader humanity of the followers of the Prince of Peace, we, the men and women of Africa in World Congress assembled, do now solemnly appeal:

Let the world take no backward step in that slow but sure progress which has successively refused to let the spirit of class, of caste, of privilege, or of birth, debar from life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness a striving human soul.

Let not mere color or race be a feature of distinction drawn between white and black men, regardless of worth or ability.

Let not the natives of Africa be sacrificed to the greed of gold, their liberties taken away, their family life debauched, their just aspirations repressed, and avenues of advancement and culture taken from them.

Let not the cloak of Christian Missionary enterprise be allowed in the future, as so often in the past, to hide the ruthless economic exploitation and political downfall of less developed nations, whose chief fault has been reliance on the plighted faith of the Christian Church.

Let the British Nation, the first modern champion of Negro freedom, hasten to crown the work of Wilberforce, and Clarkson, and Buxton, and Sharpe, Bishop Colenso, and Livingstone, and give, as soon as practicable, the rights of responsible government to the Black Colonies of Africa and the West Indies.

Let not the spirit of Garrison, Phillips, and Douglas wholly die out in America; may the conscience of a great Nation rise and rebuke all dishonesty and unrighteous oppression toward the American Negro, and grant to him the right of franchise, security of person and property, and generous recognition of the great work he has accomplished in a generation toward raising nine millions of human beings from slavery to manhood.

Let the German Empire and the French Republic, true to their great past, remember that the true worth of Colonies lies in their prosperity and progress, and that justice, impartial alike to black and white, is the first element of prosperity.

Let the Congo Free State become a great central Negro State of the world, and let its prosperity he counted not simply in cash and commerce, but in the happiness and true advancement of its black people.

Let the Nations of the World respect the integrity and independence of the free Negro States of Abyssinia, Liberia, Hayti, etc., and let the inhabitants of these States, the independent tribes of Africa, the Negroes of the West Indies and America, and the black subjects of all Nations take courage, strive ceaselessly, and fight
bravely, that they may prove to the World their incontestable right to be counted among the great brotherhood of mankind.

Thus we appeal with boldness and confidence to the Great Powers of the civilized world, trusting in the wide spirit of humanity, and the deep sense of justice of our age, for a generous recognition of the righteousness of our cause.

I have received letters from several of the countries represented in the Pan-African Conference commending the address.

A permanent organization was formed and the following officers were elected to serve for two years: Bishop A. Walters, New Jersey, President; Rev. Henry B. Brown, London, Vice-President; Prof. W. E. B. DuBois, Georgia, Vice-President for America. (I have forgotten the names of the vice-presidents and secretaries of other countries.) Mr. H. Sylvester Williams, General Secretary; T. J. Calloway, Secretary for America; Dr. R. J. Colenzo, Treasurer. Executive Committee: S. Coleridge Taylor, John R. Archer, J. F. Loudin, Henry T. Downing, Mrs. J. Cobden Unwin, Miss Annie J. Cooper.

The constitution adopted was similar to that of the Afro-American Council.

The gathering proved advantageous to the colored American tourists who had gone abroad to visit England, the Paris Exposition and other places of interest on the continent, in that it brought them in social contact with a number of distinguished personages on the other side whom they would not have met except through the medium of an international and inter-racial gathering.

On Monday, the 23d of July, the conference was invited to a five o’clock tea given by the Reform Cobden Club of London in honor of the delegates, at its headquarters in the St. Ermin Hotel, one of the most elegant in the city. Several members of Parliament and other notables were present. A splendid repast was served, and for two hours the delegates were delightfully entertained by the members and friends of the club.

At 5 o’clock on Tuesday a tea was given in our honor by the late Dr. Creighton, Lord Bishop of London, at his stately palace at Fulham, which has been occupied by the Bishops of London since the fifteenth century. On our arrival at the palace we found his Lordship and one or two other Bishops, with their wives and daughters, waiting to greet us. After a magnificent repast had been served we were conducted through the extensive grounds which surround the palace. Prof. DuBois, M. Benito Sylvain, Messrs. Downing and Calloway, Miss Jones and others moved about the palace and grounds with an ease and elegance that was surprising; one would have thought they were “to the manor born.” We found the Lord Bishop not only a brilliant scholar and profound thinker, but an affable Christian gentleman. I am sure our visit to the palace will be long remembered by the delegates as one of the most pleasant in their history.

Through the kindness of Mr. Clark, a member of Parliament, we were invited to tea on Wednesday, at 5 o’clock, on the Terrace of Parliament. After the tea the male members of our party were admitted to the House of Commons, which is considered quite an honor; indeed, the visit to the House of Parliament and tea on the Terrace was the crowning honor of the series. Great credit is due our genial secretary, Mr. H. Sylvester Williams, for these social functions.

Miss Catherine Impey, of London, said she was glad to come in contact with the class of Negroes that composed the Pan-African Conference, and wished that the best and most cultured would visit England and meet her citizens of noble birth, that the adverse opinion which had been created against them in some quarters of late by their enemies might be changed.

I am glad that so many of our ministers, educators and other members of the professional classes are making annual visits to Europe. Such visits are helpful to our cause. The Pan-African Association and the Afro-American Council, if efficiently officered and wisely managed, can do much for the amelioration of the condition of persons of African descent throughout the world, provided that they are supported in their work by the better classes of our people. Without such co-operation they are sure to fail.

If political parties, capital and labor see the need of organization, surely, as a race, oppressed and moneyless, we ought to see the necessity of a great National and International organization. It is the aim and hope of the Pan-African Association, which is neither circumscribed by religious, social or political tests as a condition to the membership therein, to incorporate in its membership the ablest and most aggressive representatives of African descent in all lands.

We are not unmindful of the fact that it will require considerable time and labor to accomplish our object, but we have resolved to do all in our power to bring about the desired results.

The numerous letters I have received from different parts of the world commending the work of the Pan-African Association and the National Afro-American Council, the many local organizations which are being formed in various countries for the betterment of persons of African descent, the host of newspaper and magazine articles published by colored men in defense of the race, and the encouragement that is being given to our educational and financial development, are all evidences of a great awakening on the part of the Negroes to their own interests, and an abundant proof that the time is ripe for the inauguration of a great international as well as national organization.

Since these organizations have for their objects the encouragement of a feeling of unity and of friendly intercourse among all persons of African descent, the securing to them their civil and political rights, and the fostering of business enterprises among us, their growth in order to be permanent must necessarily be slow. But since great bodies move slowly, we need not be discouraged. As a race we have learned to laugh at opposition and to bravely overcome difficulties. Let us not be deterred by them in the future, but march steadily forward to the goal.

Ethiopian Rebel Defector Leads Government to Arms Store

Ethiopian rebel defector leads govt to arms store

Sat Oct 17, 2009 6:48pm GMT
By Barry Malone

ADDIS ABABA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Ethiopia has seized more than four tonnes of explosives from Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) rebels after a leader surrendered and led its military to an arms dump, the government said on Saturday.

State television displayed the explosives, which officials said could have been used to make 1,850 bombs, along with about 7,000 bullets.

“I can confirm the army has seized explosives and ammunition. They were taken from the Ogaden National Liberation Front rebels,” Bereket Simon, Ethiopian government head of information, told Reuters.

The state broadcaster said Abdi Mohammed Awhasen was an ONLF commander who had surrendered after refusing an order to cooperate with Somalia’s Islamist al Shabaab rebel group. He then led government troops to the ONLF arms dump, it said.

The ONLF wants independence for the Ogaden region whose population is ethnic Somali. It denies any links to the al Shabaab insurgents, who are waging a rebellion against Somalia’s U.N.-backed government. Washington says al Shabaab is al Qaeda’s proxy.

Ethiopian rebels accuse government forces of routinely killing civilians and burning villages in Ogaden, which borders Somalia.

The region is believed to contain mineral deposits and international oil and gas firms have been carrying out oil exploration in its fields. ONLF regularly warns foreign companies against prospecting there.

In 2007, the rebels attacked an oil exploration field owned by a subsidiary of Sinopec, China’s biggest petrochemicals producer.

The separatist cause has gained momentum due to a low level of development. Until Chinese engineers arrived in the remote region in 2007, the entire area had only 30 km (20 miles) of tarmac road in an area of about 200,000 sq kms, a fifth of the country. (Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Rethink Deployment in South Africa—M&G Editorial

Rethink deployment

Oct 16 2009 06:00
South African Mail & Guardian Editorial

An important lesson President Jacob Zuma is learning during the resurgence of service delivery protests is that a charm offensive can go only so far. At some point, you have to sit down and find ways to address the pressing grievances of people on the ground effectively.

Zuma has been in office for only five months, but the incidents of anger and destruction in the Standerton township of Sakhile, in Katlehong, east of Johannesburg and in Diepsloot, in the north of Johannesburg, this week have to be seen as a protest against 15 years of ANC rule.

Between burning tyres and shouting slogans, the township residents were adamant that they want to see the chief himself and show him how the ANC’s local leaders persist in defying the party’s official objectives and raiding the local government treasure chest to enrich themselves.

Zuma had just returned from a visit to North and South America, but Sakhile should have reminded him just how much he is needed at home.

He set an unfortunate precedent when he travelled to Balfour after service protests there, paying an unannounced visit to the unsuspecting mayor and township residents.

Being a man of the people has its price — he clearly will not be able to visit every township in every corner of South Africa where service delivery frustration has exploded on to the streets.

If he can’t be in many places at once, what should he do?

Take a long, hard look at the effect that the deployment policy of the ANC has had on standards of service delivery.

The people of Sakhile say their councillors are guilty of corruption and insist they want to be able to choose their own candidates for 2011’s local government elections, rather than being forced to vote for representatives chosen by party gatekeepers.

Zuma must face the fact that many leaders are part of the ANC because of the party’s mysterious deployment policy, which provides them with jobs. Little thought goes into what the job entails and whether they fit the bill.

In an Afrikaans poem in his new book, Ek Stoot die Trollies vir die Miesies, ANC treasurer general and former Mpumalanga premier Mathews Phosa is blunt about the expectations of ANC members who came from exile after apartheid: “Julle belowe/ons sal leiers wees/ons sal lekker lewe” (You promised/we will be leaders/we will live the good life).

These expectations were dealt with by dishing out government jobs to those who fought the good fight. Many of those who were rewarded in this way failed to deliver on township residents’ expectations, driving them on to the streets in protest.

Zuma created more job expectations when he gratefully accepted the support given by Cosatu and the South African Communist Party in his battle for the ANC’s top position. Now the left also wants a piece of the pie and is demanding seats on the national and provincial deployment committees which allocate posts. ANC nationalists are fighting a rearguard battle to keep the party for themselves.

Zuma cannot rush to every township riot to show that he is serious about service delivery and, in any event, schmoozing township residents will not cure the deep underlying ills in riot-torn areas.

But what he can do is rethink the policy of deployment, starting a new culture which rewards hard work and makes it clear that an ANC membership card is not an automatic ticket to the good life.

A simple peace offering …

It’s seldom that people focus on the good news that comes out of Africa, so it’s wonderful that the world is abuzz this week with the news that one of our own, President-of-the-World Barack Obama, won the Nobel Peace Prize.

It is the only Nobel prize that’s handed over in Norway, instead of Sweden, which will be a relief to Swedes who are anticipating protests. There are sure to be people out there who will refuse to understand how the commander-in-chief of an army engaged in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq can be the poster boy for peace in our time.

Let’s ignore the nay-sayers. Of course, these are the same people who say it’s a little odd that Africans are so desperate to claim Obama as one of their own. After all, it’s hardly a cause for pride that many Africans have to leave their continent to get an education and a future and that their offspring have to make their mark by becoming Americans or Europeans.

And shouldn’t we feel just a little disappointed that our own Morgan Tsvangirai, an African-African (that’s an African-American who hasn’t got his Green Card yet) who was also in the running, lost to a man with a bigger marketing budget?

According to the Norwegian Nobel committee, Obama deserves the prize because “his diplomacy is founded on the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population”.

There’s no mention here of what happens to the bits of the world that don’t share the values of America, Norway and associated trading partners.

Possibly they’ll have peace inflicted upon them. To quote Gandhi, who never won the peace prize despite being nominated five times: “What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?”

Good question, Mahatma, good question.

Source: Mail & Guardian Online
Web Address: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-10-16-rethink-deployment

Organisations Demand Freedom for Cuban Five

Organisations demand freedom for Cuban Five

ACN

HAVANA–Several US organisations demanded on Wednesday the release of the five Cuban anti-terrorists imprisoned in that country, pointing out that they are innocent of the charges pressed against them.

The declaration, signed by the US National and International Free the Five Committees, the Marti Alliance, the Antonio Maceo Brigade, the Alliance of Workers of the Cuban Community, and the Jose Marti Association, assures that the case was considered a political issue since the beginning.

The statement underlines that the legal case against Antonio
Guerrero, Ramon Labañino, Rene Gonzalez, Gerardo Hernandez and Fernando Gonzalez never had anything to do with justice, hence the harsh and unjust sentences imposed on them, the Prensa Latina news agency reports.

The signatories committed themselves to maintain and strengthen their struggle for the immediate release of the Cuban patriots. The declaration also reads that, on Tuesday, October 13, the Court of Florida’s Southern District imposed an unjust sentence on Antonio Guerrero, when condemning him to 21 years and 10 months in prison.

That sentence, stronger than the one agreed on by the defence and the district attorney’s office for the re-sentencing hearing, was due to the fact that Miami judge Joan Lenard did not listen to the recommendations made by the government and the lawyers.

Tony had already been condemned by that same court to one life sentence plus 10 years in prison, which was later vacated by the Court of Appeals of Atlanta’s 11th Circuit, for considering it excessive and contrary to legal norms in force.

Fernando Gonzalez and Ramon Labañino are also waiting for their respective re-sentencing hearings which were postponed by the judge at the request of the defence.

In September, 2008, the Full Panel of the Court of Appeals of Atlanta’s 11th Circuit overturned the previous sentences of these three anti-terrorists for considering them incorrect, resultant from a biased legal process. —ACN.

ECOWAS Imposes Arms Embargo on Guinea

West Africa’s Ecowas imposes arms embargo on Guinea

October 17 2009, 5:07:00

West Africa’s regional bloc Ecowas today imposed an arms embargo against Guinea, accusing the ruling military junta for “mass human rights violations” during anti-government protests last month.

International pressure has increased for Guinea’s military leader, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara to step down after gunmen used live rounds against protesters in a stadium on September 28. More than 150 people died and thousands more wounded in the incident, according to a local rights group.

“In view of the atrocities that have been committed … the authority decides to impose an arms embargo on Guinea under the Ecowas Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons,” said the communique of the Economic Community of West African States.

The regional group, officially the Economic Community of West African States, also threatened to impose full sanctions against Niger if President Mamadou Tandja does not take immediate steps to resolve the country’s political crisis.

Tandja has faced widespread criticism for changing the uranium-rich nation’s constitution in August to extend his term in office and give himself broader powers under a fully presidential government.

Ecowas is made up of 15 West African countries, founded in May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos. Its mission is to promote economic integration and achieve “collective self-sufficiency” for the member states by means of economic and monetary union creating a single large trading bloc.- Reuters

Friday, October 16, 2009
20:22 Mecca time, 17:22 GMT

Pressure mounts on Guinea leaders

Rights groups said more than 150 people were killed by presidential guard troops on September

African leaders are considering sanctions against Guinea’s military leadership, while France is calling on its citizens to leave the country because of detoriating security.

A French foreign ministry statement issued on Friday said there had been “an increase in acts of banditry and armed robberies” in the capital, Conkary, in the aftermath of a deadly crackdown on a September 28 opposition rally.

“There is no prospect of improvement in the short term,” the statement said.

According to the United Nations and rights groups, more than 150 people were killed when troops opened fire on demonstrators in September. The military government says 56 people died.

“The mood on the street is hardening against the junta,” Richard Moncrieff, the West Africa project director of the International Crisis Group, said in a press release.

“Worse trouble is likely unless combined domestic and international pressure is applied to force the soldiers from power.”

Possible sanctions

On Saturday, West African heads of state will meet to discuss sanctions and possibly call for an international inquiry into the September 28 bloodbath.

Meanwhile, a rally in support of Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, the country’s leader, was scheduled for Saturday.

Mamadi Kaba, a spokesman for the Guinean branch of African human rights watchdog Raddho, told the news agency AFP: “Tension prevails. There will be a rally Saturday in Conakry in support of the junta, as an act of defiance against the international community.”

“[The rally] is considered an insult by a part of the population. I am afraid the situation will get out of hand,” Kaba said.

Three ministers have resigned this week in protest against the bloody crackdown on the opposition.

Justin Morel, the information minister, said in his resignation letter: “My conscience has remained tormented, my heart disturbed, and my sense of reasoning has told me that I no longer have any reason to continue to head this ministry and neither do I have the moral force to be the spokesman of the government after these horrible killings.”

Camara seized power in a coup in December, hours after the death of Lansana Conte, the president. He vowed to hold elections and not stand for himself, but there have been widespread rumours that he is aiming to stay in power.

The African Union has given Camara’s government until midnight on Saturday to pledge in writing that it will not field a candidate for January’s presidential elections.

Source: Agencies

US Said to Be Planning Deeper Engagement With Sudan

US said to be planning deeper engagement with Sudan

Sat Oct 17, 2009 6:41pm GMT
By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The United States plans deeper engagement with Sudan’s government, rather than further isolating Khartoum as President Barack Obama advocated last year, a U.S. official said on Saturday.

The policy change envisages a mix of “incentives and pressures,” but there are no immediate plans to ease sanctions on Khartoum, which the United States has accused of genocide in the war-ravaged western Darfur region, the official said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was due to unveil the new approach on Monday but there could still be changes, said the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Some human rights groups, frustrated by the world’s failure to end the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, have expressed disappointment at Washington’s failure to take the tough line on Sudan that Obama supported during his campaign.

The United Nations estimates that as many as 300,000 people have died and more than two million have been driven from their homes in Darfur since 2003, when mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against the government. Khartoum puts the death toll closer to 10,000.

The planned policy change reflects the beliefs of Scott Gration, whom Obama appointed in March as a special envoy Sudan, the U.S. official said.

Gration has argued that Sudan’s many problems can only be resolved with the cooperation of the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. “His point has been that you are not going to be able to bring peace to Sudan unless you work with Bashir,” the official said.

In March, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Bashir for war crimes.

TEST FOR KHARTOUM

The U.S. official said he did not expect direct talks with Bashir, but that “my understanding is that the administration is not planning any immediate lifting of sanctions.”

The intent was to test Khartoum’s willingness to take steps to end the conflict in Darfur and implement a 2005 North-South peace agreement on a specific timeline before there is any move toward dropping sanctions, the official said.

“Getting off the terrorism list is something that could happen if and only if they have taken the right steps,” he said, referring to a U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

“The issue is not engagement or non-engagement, it is the terms of engagement,” said Jerry Fowler, President of the Save Darfur Coalition. “The burden of proof is on the government of Sudan. There must be concrete and lasting progress before relations can improve.”

During his campaign last year, Obama called the violence in Darfur genocide and a “collective stain on our national and human conscience.” He said he wanted stiffer sanctions on the Khartoum government.

In January, Clinton said the Obama administration was considering the creation of no-fly zones and other sanctions. But in July, Gration told lawmakers in Congress that sanctions against Sudan were counterproductive and that he did not know of any intelligence to justify Sudan remaining on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. (Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed; editing by Chris Wilson)

Cuban First Vice President Receives Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau

Havana. October 13, 2009

Machado Ventura receives Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau

FIRST Vice President José Ramón Machado Ventura received Prime Minister Carlos Gomes of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau on Monday morning, as the latter began an official visit to our country.

In a cordial and friendly environment, the two sides reviewed the development of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their interest in expanding and strengthening current ties between the two countries, as well as boosting cooperation in several sectors. Likewise, they discussed other regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Both leaders recalled the historic ties that are the basis of relations between Africa and Cuba, forged in the struggles against colonialism and the apartheid regime.

Prime Minister Gomes noted Cuba’s unlimited support for his country’s liberation struggle, and thanked the island for educating in its schools hundreds of professionals who are now contributing to his nation’s progress. First Vice President Machado, for his part, paid tribute to the historic African leader Amílcar Cabral and thanked the fraternal people of Guinea-Bissau for their solidarity with our fight to end the blockade and to free the Cuban Five, the anti-terrorists locked up in U.S. prisons.

Gomes was accompanied by Maria Adiatu Djaló Nandigna, minister of foreign affairs, cooperation and communities; Arístides Ocante da Silva, minister of national education, culture and science; Camilo Simoes Pereira, minister of public health; and Abel Coelho, ambassador of Guinea-Bissau in Cuba, among others.

First Vice President Machado was accompanied by José Ramón Balaguer Cabrera, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party and minister of health; Jorge Martí Martínez, head of the Central Committee’s Department of International Relations; Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla and Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, ministers of foreign affairs and foreign trade and investment, respectively; Pedro Doña, Cuban ambassador in Guinea Bissau, and other officials from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Translated by Granma International

Botswana’s Ruling Party Claims Election Victory

Botswana’s ruling party claims election victory

By WENE OWINO, NATION Correspondent in GABORONE and REUTERS
Posted Saturday, October 17 2009 at 18:49

Botswana’s ruling party claimed victory in the country’s general election on Saturday extending President Ian Khama’s rule over the world’s largest diamond producer for another five years.

Khama’s Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), in power since independence from Britain in 1966, said it had secured a majority of the parliamentary constituencies. “We have reached the 29 out of the 57,” Langston Motsete, a member of the BDP’s election committee, told Reuters.

Independent Electoral Commission spokesman Oscar Maroba said he expected final results to be announced later on Saturday. The BDP had been expected to retain control over the southern African nation in the parliamentary and presidential elections held on Friday, despite frustration over a recession and infighting in the party.

The country has been hit hard as a global economic slowdown cuts demand for diamonds, which account for close to 40 per cent of the economy. The crisis has plunged the landlocked country into debt and gross domestic product is forecast to shrink 10 percent.

However, investors regard Botswana as one of Africa’s best-run countries with a history of budget surpluses and the region’s strongest currency, a sharp contrast to neighbouring Zimbabwe, which is crippled by political and economic turmoil.

The BDP has been dogged by internal squabbles which has seen some of its support wane. It lost a main constituency stronghold to the opposition Botswana National Front (BNF) in the capital Gaborone.

Khama, son of the country’s first president, has been in heated arguments with the BDP’s chairman and suspended its secretary-general, Gomolemo Motswaledi, for allegedly undermining his authority.

The row has intensified charges of autocracy and populism against Khama, a British-trained army lieutenant-general who has said politics was never his first choice of career. He has dismissed suggestions that infighting could hurt his party.

The BDP won 77.2 per cent of the vote in the last election in 2004. From the look of things, Botswana Congress Party (BCP) is likely to eclipse BNF as the main opposition party.

Counting in Botswana’s general elections started on Saturday morning after a peaceful voting exercise on Friday. Voters in some constituencies complained about long queues and delays as others had trouble with identification documents, double registration or missing names.

The candidate whose party produces the majority of MPs is declared the winner of the presidential race. The returning officer for presidential elections in Botswana is the chief justice.

The three presidential candidates voted in their respective constituencies and expressed confidence of winning. President Khama voted in Serowe North where his younger brother Tshekedi is defending his seat.

Leader of the official opposition, Mr Otsweleste Moupo, voted in Gaborone West North while BCP’s Gilson Saleshando cast his ballot in Selebi-Phikwe West.