My Daily Kona

The U.N nominates Zimbabwe(Rhodesia) president as a symbol of tourism...?  lessee the same Robert Mugabe that has seized most of the white owned farms from the owners, and passed them off to the veterans of his army.  The same person that has turned the breadbasket of Africa into the basket case?  The same person that has thrown his political enemies in prison or killed them is awarded the international tourism award?  The same person that has nationalized the industries in Zimbabwe and turned them over to his political cronies...?   This amply demonstrated the utter ineptness of the U.N among other examples....



The United Nations’ new international envoy for tourism is none other than Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, The Guardian reports.
Mugabe has been accused of ethnic cleansing, strictly controlling elections and the press, and ruining Zimbabwe’s economy.
The Zimbabwe president is an unlikely choice for the post of UN ambassador, which normally is reserved for high-profile, do-gooder celebrities such as David Beckham and Ricky Martin. Mugabe is also currently subject to UN sanctions that include a travel ban, making the decision to honor him as a “leader for tourism” even more confusing.
The post involves hosting the UN World Tourism Organization’s general assembly next August and fostering the growth of tourism in Zimbabwe and around the world.
The UN’s World Tourism Organization honored Mugabe’s ally, Zambian president Michael Sata, at the same time. Because the Zimbabwean president is not allowed to leave his country, Mugabe signed an agreement with the UN World Tourism Organization, UNWTO secretary general Taleb Rifai, and fellow ambassador Zambian president Michael Sata at the shared border of Zambia and Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls.
Several human rights group have expressed their outrage at the appointment, including the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition and Movement for Democratic Change. British MP Kate Hoey, the chair of a parliamentary group on Zimbabwe, called the announcement “an affront to the people of Zimbabwe” and “disgraceful.”
Mugabe and his political party, Zanu-PF, insisted the leader’s appointment was proof of the progress being made in Zimbabwe.
“The situation on the ground in Zimbabwe is not as bad as portrayed,” Rugare Gumbo, a Mugabe spokesman claimed. The UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, seems to agree, and is urging countries to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe in order to help the nation’s poor.
The UNWTO states that there is no official ambassador program and that Mugabe has received an open letter from the UNWTO urging him to support tourism and sustainable development for the benefit of the Zimbabwean people

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/05/30/zimbabwean-president-mugabe-named-un-international-envoy-for-tourism/#ixzz1wUYlFnzo

When Libya's dictator for more than four decades fell victim to the Arab Spring, Col. Moammar Gadhafi's influence didn't end.  It is now contributing to increased attacks by rebel groups, the arming of terrorists and a hunger crisis in other parts of Africa. "This is a setback for the international community which has invested so much money in the past decade in democracy, peace, and security in Africa," said Dr. Mehari Taddele Maru at the Institute for Security Studies based in Pretoria, South Africa.
After Gadhafi's fall, thousands of his soldiers left the country with stockpiles of weapons, including machine guns, ammunition, and shoulder-fired missiles.  Maru says at least 2,000 of them were mercenaries who returned to their native countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Mali, Niger, Mauritania, and Nigeria. .  Many have already returned to fighting.