Reporting on Conflict | Media Watch Blog

• News source:
• 7 December 2011
• Canadian Business
• By Michael Onyiego, Associated Press

China inserted itself into the fight over oil between Sudan and its former territory South Sudan on Wednesday, sending a special envoy to try to break a deadlock between two rivals who often appear on the brink of renewed conflict.

South Sudan’s Minister of Petroleum and Mining Stephen Dhieu Dau told The Associated Press that Chinese diplomat Liu Guijin arrived in Juba, South Sudan’s capital, on Wednesday. His arrival comes one week after China’s Foreign Ministry publicly asked Sudan and South Sudan to resolve the issue through “friendly consultations.”

China is a major buyer of and investor in Sudanese oil. It owns a stake in the two pipelines running through Sudan and has dozens of workers in the region’s oil fields. Guijin will be in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, on Thursday for more talks.

• News source:
• 7 December 2011
• Tibet Post International

Tokyo, Japan: – In a press release dated December 7, Tibetan and Support groups in Japan states that they have spearheaded a campaign of lobbying to Japanese members of parliament in the light of the recent crackdown in eastern Tibet. In a long day effort the groups have appealed to several Japanese officials and members of the Parliament urging the Japanese Government to exert diplomatic pressure on China.

• News source:
• 7 December 2011
• Winnipeg Sun

Habitat for Humanity plans to build new houses on Canada’s First Nations.

Aboriginal leaders announced the partnership Tuesday, as they gathered in Ottawa as part of the AFN Special Chiefs Assembly.

Habitat pledged to get more aboriginal people involved in builds, providing them with the skills to construct houses as well as directly adding to the housing stock on reserves.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief, Shawn A-in-chut Atleo said the partnership “will enhance First Nations’ ability to explore new options to satisfy its housing needs. It sends a clear message to the Canadian public and Government of Canada that we are open to engaging with other partners to satisfy our needs and priorities.”

• News source:
• 7 December 2011
• Independent
• By Melanie Newman, Oliver Wright

A public relations firm whose senior management has close links to the Liberal Democrats [UK] said they had created an internet “attack site” for the government of Rwanda over accusations it had been involved in genocide.

Mark Pursey, head of BTP Advisers, was secretly recorded saying that the site was targeted at people who “over-criticised” over “who did what in the genocide”. A 2009 report from the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative said Rwanda’s “excellent public relations machinery” had succeeded in hiding “the exclusionary and repressive nature of the regime”.

Mr Pursey, who was the voluntary head of the Liberal Democrats’ National Media Intelligence Unit during the 2010 election, suggested his firm could create a similar site for the Uzbeks – who were in fact undercover reporters working for the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Such a site, he added, could be “aggressive” in terms of putting across figures showing that things were “moving in the right direction”. Also at the meeting was Edward Lord, a member of the City of London Corporation, who attended at Mr Pursey’s request.

• News source:
• November-December 2011
• Peacemakers Trust

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