DR CONGO: PAY ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY!

DR Congo (DRC) is on the headlines again and for the worst reasons. Rebels in eastern DRC have carried out one of the deadliest attacks against UN forces in recent years. At least 14 blue helmets and five congolese soldiers have been killed and 53 injured. The dead or injured blue helmets are for the most part from Tanzania. Scores of armed groups operate in this African country, especially in the largely lawless eastern Kivu and Kasai regions.

Monusco (United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo), established in 2010, is the largest peacekeeping operation in the world and aims to control the actions of various armed groups in conflict. It has 16,500 blue helmets and more than 1,350 policemen. The attack has not yet been claimed, but is believed to have been perpetrated by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), the rebel islamic group formed in the neighbouring Uganda back in the nineties which has been increasingly active over the past 6 months. However, there are suspicions that other groups are involved.

This country has never found peace in its recent history for many reasons: disputes over natural resources, territorial claims, ethnic and tribal rivalries, etc. Now with the dismantling of the Daesh in Syria and Iraq, small groups are forming and spreading everywhere, supporting terrorist groups already well established in some regions, as is the case of the ADF. It seems that we may have another explosive "ingredient" in the already tumultuous and perilous Central African country - Islamic extremism.

Therefore, more than the firmness and assertive words from the UN Secretary General, António Guterres condemning this attack that described it as a "war crime", a strategy is urgently needed and thus a more effective action in this region, and paying close attention to the type of organization (its main traits) Daesh is developing in other regions.

Miguel Verde - Senior Consultant, Professor of International Relations

BRAZIL: LULA, THE POLITICAL ANIMAL WITH EXTRA LIVES

The presidential elections will only take place next october, however, it is almost unquestionable that Brazil has never been as hostage to a good result for the benefit of its people as now.

Power-linked parties such as the PMDB, PT or the PSDB are increasingly discredited as they are all associated with corruption and money laundering schemes through some of their top exponents. As Geraldo Halckmin (Governor of the State of São Paulo and possible candidate for the presidency -PSDB) recently pointed out, "nobody will vote for parties that are worn out and fragile. Voters will vote for people. "

Yet, if we thought that we could lay aside of the electoral race all the politicians who are being accused of corruption and other crimes, , then we would be completely mistaken. The former President, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, despite running the risk of going to jail, is the candidate who is in the best position to win the elections.

Lula, who is making a tour on several Brazilian states, shows that he is not "dead", and has already announced that he will be a candidate, even though, according to him, he is suffering unjustly a relentless persecution from the Brazilian justice system, claiming to be victim of a plot.

According to the latest survey, Lula even strengthened the leadership in the presidential race, with deputy Jair Bolsonaro (by many considered a representative of the far right), in a relevant second place.

Considering some possible candidates, including Geraldo Halckmin, Henrique Meirelles (finance minister), or even the current President Michel Temer (no more than 1%), the scenario is considerably favourable for Lula da Silva in a first round in which he would reach 34%, or in any scenario of a second round, which would always be favourable to him.

The PT (Labour Party), is completely hostage to Lula’s popularity; a removal of him from the election would lead to a total eclipse of the party.

How can one understand Lula’s awkward "survival" and resilience? The secret of this political immortality may lie in the fact that Lula knows well what people want and like to hear, and thus manages to articulate this psychological factor with flair in the political game.

This gift of knowing how to charming people was supported by his past as a union leader, where he constantly sought to victimize the poor and the most disadvantaged workers, always waving an ideological flag on their behalf.

At the same time, he sought to distinguish himself from the far left, and to please the "lords of money." Indeed, Brazilian banking and many of the businessmen / politicians who until recently were the Brazilian elite never made so much money as during the period he was President.

Being able to agglutinate consensus, can also be seen in this diificult period. He says what the poor like to hear, victimize himself in relation to justice, and at the same time seeks to reach understandings with politicians and parties of other factions, who in fact are also committed to justice.

No one is more able to know how to play at the same time with several “decks” than Lula and make them understand that everyone wins. He knows what they like about each other, and his method is trying to please everyone. He is a master in the art of influencing, and by seeking to please everyone, reveals a great pragmatism.

Therefore, it can also be explained why Lula is already weaving electoral agreements with some of the most corrupt chieftains of the Brazilian right wing. During his presidency and that of Dilma Rousseff many of those now accused of corruption ruled with them.

Nowadays, Lula even claims to have forgiven the alleged coup leaders, who contributed to Dilma's impeachment. This unexpected approach with some of his opponents is not innocent. Convinced that the dispute in the judicial system is not favourable to him and that he will have to face several lawsuits and new convictions, Lula resorts to his former friends from the conservative parties, with whom he had already ruled, in order to get his party to re-emerge at the polls.

Lula, however, has an advantage over other politicians accused of corruption. He doesn’t need to seek much material evidence to defend himself against the judges’ accusations. More than seeking to present material evidence that he is innocent, he has described himself as a "political persecuted".

The allegations against Lula are serious, very likely will get a prison sentence and eventually imprisoned. But, as it has been observed, we can still witness a “blow” to the Brazilian judicial system through the Federal Supreme Court – it can suspend the condemnation and let Lula appeal several times.

Lula may be going through the most fragile moment of his political career, but his ability to turn around adverse situations, with the ability to be himself in one day, and his opposite the next day, makes us realize he may still be far from the end of his political career.

Miguel Verde - Senior Consultant, Professor of International Relations

TANZANIA: PECULIARITIES, BIZARRENESS AND OTHER THINGS

Tanzania, unlike many other African countries, has been spared internal strife and civil wars that have devastated many African states. This aspect contributes to some internal stability, which, however, did not translate into economic prosperity for the country. Although in the last decade the country has progressed economically with average growth rates of 6-7% a year, the number of Tanzanians living in extreme poverty remains very high. Its main economic activities are linked to agriculture, industry and construction, not forgetting tourism that is closely linked to the diversity and richness of Tanzania's forestry and wildlife land.

Current president, John Magufuli (2015), nicknamed “bulldozer”, has sought to redraw public spending by betting on development, reducing recurrent spending significantly and mobilizing efforts to mobilize domestic revenue.

The country's current challenges in terms of economic development are largely associated with the creation of a good investment climate in infrastructure, agriculture and workforce, as the number of young people entering the labour force each year is very important for this country. It has also gradually opened the doors to the private sector.

Not everything has been peaceful for Magufuli since taking office. He has gained fame because of some controversial decisions. Despite winning praise for his anti-corruption stance, he has received a lot of criticism from human rights groups because of the strong crackdown on his ideas by the opposition parties and the media.

Tanzania may even have a “bulldozer” running the country, with all its exceptionalities, beauties, weaknesses and limitations, but what makes me take more account of this East African country are some of its peculiarities or even eccentricities that swarm and are not visible to everybody.

A - Tanzania President has disclosed his salary on TV. It should be noted that the current Vice President Samia Suluhu was chosen by Magufuli and is the first woman to take on such a high office in government.

B - "Liemba", formerly known as Graf Von Goetzen, was a German warship, built in 1913, going through several phases and periods and it was even dismantled, until the English turned it into a ferryboat in 1926, this being the function which it plays down to the present day. It carries cargo and people (mostly merchants) between Kigoma and Mpulungu in Zambia and has even been responsible for the rescue of thousands of refugees. It turns out to be the major enabler of Lake Tanganyika's trade (the world's largest lake), and is a vital link for people living around the Great Lakes area.

C - Drones help fight malaria in Tanzania. Malaria, transmitted by mosquitoes, is one of the largest plights that has ever devastated the African continent. Millions of mosquito nets have been distributed across sub-Saharan Africa to combat this disease.

Now, Aberystwyth University of Wales, in partnership with Zanzibar's Malaria Elimination program, is combating malaria prevention with the use of drones to capture images of large areas of still water used by mosquitoes to reproduce. The main goal is creating accurate maps of potential habitats so that they can be treated with larvicides. The researchers also plan to incorporate the drone images into smartphones to aid larvicide spraying teams and better tracking progress.

D - In parts of Africa, albinos are being hunted and harvested for their body parts.

In Tanzania alone, at least 75 albinos have been killed since 2000. Unfortunately, their life expectancy is not high, because the lack of melanin in albino skin makes them particularly wary of the sun in Africa.

The Amnesty International recently enhanced that "the macabre trade is also fueled by a belief that people with albinism contain gold, and another belief is that a person with albinism can cure HIV." Witch doctors are revered by many in the rural communities. Some spread the belief that albino body parts can bring luck and fortune. Some albinos choose to live in isolated protectorates and also because they are ashamed of their children.

Witchcraft is taking very seriously. A few months ago, Tanzanian court charged 32 people with murder after five women suspected of witchcraft were beaten to death, and their corpses burned. Hundreds of suspected witches are murdered in the east African country each year.

E - According to a report of the Human Right Watch, Tanzanian migrant domestic workers in Oman and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) face excessive working hours, unpaid salaries, and physical and sexual abuse. The abuses include beatings, and exploitation of all kind. Some of the cases that were denounced, amount to slavery or labour trafficking. This situation is facilitated mainly by abusive visa-sponsorship rules in Oman and the UAE and loopholes in the employment laws of the Tanzanian government.

F - The country has designated 25% of its land to wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. It is among the highest in the world, and the total area is greater than the size of Germany. As a consequence, tourism is one of the greatest assets.

Recently, Tanzania's largest park, Ruaha, has been named one of the 21 best places to visit in the world by National Geographic.

G - Zanzibar has the cloves as its greatest exlibris. The main foreign export of Zanzibar is cloves. Also known as the Spice Islands, it is the largest producer of cloves in the world.

Miguel Verde - Senior Consultant, Professor of International Relations