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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 22-06-2000

PART #3/3 - From SOMALIA/DJIB.  to ZIMBABWE

* Somalia/Djibouti. Two more weeks for debate — 26 June: Somali delegates attending the peace talks in Djibouti, won more time in which to agree on steps towards the selection of a new provisional government. The move came on 25 June, at a meeting between the steering committee elected by the conference delegates and the host of the Djibouti peace initiative on Somalia, President Ismail Omar Guelleh. It had been anticipated that the conference would move towards establishing such a structure this week. (IRIN, Central/Eastern Africa, 26 June 2000)

* Afrique du Sud. Marée noire — Une marée noire menace la côte sud-africaine, à la suite du naufrage d’un pétrolier à quelque 10 km du Cap. La nappe de pétrole fait environ 8 km sur 6. Elle ne constitue pas un danger immédiat pour les plages du littoral, a précisé le ministère de l’Environnement, mais elle met en péril Robben Island, l’ilôt rocheux où étaient détenus les prisonniers politiques sous le régime de l’apartheid et qui abrite une importante colonie d’oiseaux. Le pétrolier qui transportait quelque 1.300 tonnes de fuel et 130.000 tonnes de minerais, a coulé le 23 juin peu avant l’aube. Ses 29 membres d’équipage sont sains et saufs. (AP, 23 juin 2000)

* South Africa. «It’s not cricket» — Disgraced South African cricket captain, Hansie Cronje, has begged for forgiveness for his involvement in illicit gambling deals. In a statement published in the Cape Times newspaper, Cronje admitted full responsibility for his actions and apologised to the nation. «There is no excuse and I have let the United Cricket Board, the team, the fans and the game down», he said. «I am bitterly sorry for what I have done and the pain I have caused». Cronje said he drew some consolation from the fact he had never fixed a match and had always played to the best of his ability. (BBC News, 26 June 2000)

* South Africa. Oil spill worse than expected — 27 June: Cape Town: Their boots and overalls coated with a layer of shiny oil, workers waded into rocky pools, today, to grab blackened pieces of kelp. With more oil hitting the mainland with every tide, authorities predicted the ecological damage from the spill could get much worse. The large oil slick hit the mainland on 24 June, the day after the Panamanian-registered Treasure, went down carrying 1,300 tons of bunker oil and 90 tons of gas oil. So far, only small patches of oil have been washed up on Cape Town’s most popular beaches, but the Robben Island nature reserve has been badly hit. (AP, 27 June 2000)

* Sudan. Comboni College attacked — On 21 June, between 15-20 members of the Sudanese police stormed the Comboni College in Khartoum and ransacked the building, leaving a trail of destruction behind them. The invading police were divided into two groups: one entered the building while the other stood guard. The invaders forced their way to the Principal’s office and ransacked it, stealing his mobile phone, photographs, files and valuable documents. They plundered a second room belonging to a staff member and also an electrical store. Upon receiving the news, Archbishop Gabriel Zubeir Wako of Khartoum rushed to the scene accompanied by two lawyers. The group spent about an hour assessing the damage and attempting to establish the motive for the police action. (Zenit, Italy, 26 June 2000)

* Soudan. La guerre au sud — Les rebelles de l’Armée de libération des peuples du Soudan (SPLA, rébellion sudiste) ont pris la ville stratégique de Gogrial, dans la région du Bahr el-Ghazal, au sud du Soudan, a affirmé le 25 juin à Nairobi un porte-parole des rebelles. Le sud du Soudan est déchiré depuis 1983 par une guerre civile qui oppose le régime arabo-islamiste de Khartoum à la rébellion sudiste conduite par le colonel John Garang. (Le Monde, France, 27 juin 2000)

* Sudan. Al-Turabi to form rival party — 27 June: The former Speaker of the Sudanese parliament, Hassan al-Turabi, has declared he is forming a new party. Mr Turabi’s action follows his formal expulsion from the ruling National Congress Party, which he helped form and in which he served as secretary-general. Dr Turabi is far from being a spent force because he attracts a considerable following —especially among Muslim fundamentalists — and his group of supporters includes some wealthy individuals. (BBC News, 27 June 2000)

* Soudan. Tourabi démis crée son parti — Le 26 juin, l’ancien président du Parlement, Hassan El-Tourabi, en délicatesse avec le chef de l’Etat, a été démis de sa fonction de secrétaire général du Congrès national (CN), le parti au pouvoir. M. Tourabi est remplacé par Ibrahim Ahmad Omar, ancien ministre de l’enseignement supérieur et de la recherche scientifique, dans l’attente de la tenue d’un congrès de parti. Le 27 juin, M. Tourabi a annoncé la création de son propre parti, le Congrès national du peuple (CNP). Deux ministres ont démissionné du gouvernement et adhéré au nouveau parti. La nouvelle formation a fait une demande de légalisation auprès des autorités. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 28 juin 2000)

* Sudan. UN delays lifting sanctions — At the request of the United States, the UN Security Council has delayed a decision on lifting sanctions against the Sudan until mid-November, after the US presidential elections, diplomats reported. All other 14 council members believe the Sudan has fulfilled the requirements to end the embargoes, imposed after Khartoum was accused of harbouring suspects in a 1995 attempted assassination of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak while he was attending a meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. But a vote at this stage would draw a US veto in the 15-member body, prompting council members to agree to the postponement in the expectation the Clinton administration would change its position, the envoys said on 28 June. Sudan for months has lined up international backing for lifting the sanctions, including Egypt, on whose behalf they were imposed, and Ethiopia, where the attack took place. France’s ambassador, Jean-David Levitte, this month’s council president, said that Sudan, during talks with the US diplomats at the United Nations, had agreed to the delay. «This agreement was registered and endorsed by the members of the Security Council without further discussion,» he said. The sanctions, which went into force in May 1996, require all states to reduce the number of Sudanese diplomatic personnel on their territory and to restrict the entry or transit of Sudanese government officials. The council then decided in August 1996 to impose bans on flights by Sudanese aircraft. But those measures did not go into effect because the council did not adopt a follow-up resolution setting a date for their entry into force. However, for Sudan the sanctions are symbolic and might prevent their vying for one of 10 rotating nonpermanent Security Council seats next year, a move diplomats say the United States is working hard to prevent by encouraging Mauritius to run instead as an African candidate. The 189-member General Assembly votes in October. In the interim, the United States has sent a team of security and counter-terrorism experts to Khartoum to talk about US allegations that the government supports what Washington calls terrorist groups. The team, the first of its kind to visit the country for some years, has been in Khartoum since at least June 22. (Reuters, 28 June 2000)

* Tanzania. Led-up to the elections — The Press has been reporting activity leading up to the 29 October general elections. 7 June: The Guardian — «The National Electoral Commission has directed that government and ruling party leaders are not allowed to use their positions or public facilities for political campaigns». 19 June: The East African — «The ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi has picked the incumbent, President Benjamin Mkapa, for the Tanzanian mainland, and Mr Amani Abeid Karume for Zanzibar». The Sunday News (11 June) had already reported «that Zanzibaris are happy with Karume as presidential candidate for Zanzibar. 17 June: The Guardian — «The Catholic Bishops call for the election of far-sighted leaders». 21 June: The Guardian — «No political party will be entitled to receive a monthly government subsidy after October’s general elections». (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 29 June 2000)

* Togo. Up to 45 leaders expected for OAU summit — Togo, host of July’s Organisation of African Unity (OAU) summit, expects as many as 45 presidents or heads of government to attend, including Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who is helping to fund the event. Togolese officials said that Angola’s President Dos Santos, who had called for a boycott over a UN report linking Togo to war diamonds and Angolan rebels, had been sent an invitation but had not responded. (CNN, 28 June 2000)

* Tunisie/Algérie. Visite de Bouteflika — Le président algérien Abdelaziz Bouteflika est arrivé le 28 juin à Tunis pour une visite d’Etat de trois jours en Tunisie, à l’invitation de son homologue Ben Ali. C’est la première visite de M. Bouteflika dans un pays maghrébin depuis son élection à la présidence en avril 1999. (PANA, 28 juin 2000)

* Ouganda. Référendum sur le Mouvement — Le 29 juin, les Ougandais sont appelés à se prononcer sur le maintien du système du Mouvement, une “démocratie sans parti”, ou son remplacement par le multipartisme. Le Mouvement instauré par Museveni a été entériné par la Constitution en 1995. Il gère le pays à tous les échelons administratifs. Tout Ougandais en est automatiquement membre et est théoriquement libre de se présenter, à titre indépendant, à toutes les fonctions publiques. Les partis politiques ont le droit d’exister mais ne peuvent organiser des rassemblements ni soutenir des candidats. Les deux principaux partis d’opposition, qui considèrent le système comme un simulacre de démocratie, boycottent le référendum, affirmant que les partisans du système actuel ont des moyens démesurés pour obtenir la victoire. Lors d’une consultation précédente, les Ougandais, traumatisés par le souvenir de la guerre civile et qui craignent le multipartisme ou un multi-ethnisme générateur de conflits, s’étaient prononcés pour le maintien du système en vigueur. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 28 juin 2000)

* Uganda. Referendum on the future political system — 27 June: The electoral commission has announced final arrangements for the 29 June referendum on the country’s future political system. Ugandans will decide whether to continue with the no party administration under the National Resistance Movement (NRM) of President Museveni, or opt for a multi-party system. The chairman of the electoral commission, Azir Kashuja, says nearly ten million people have registered to vote at more than sixteen thousand polling centres. He says four electoral officers will staff each polling centre. An OAU team has gone to Uganda to observe the referendum. 29 June: Referendum. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 29 June 2000)

* Ouganda. Retrait partiel de la RDCplain D — 22 juin. L’armée ougandaise se prépare à retirer cinq bataillons de la RDC, où sont stationnés quelque 10.000 soldats ougandais. Selon le porte-parole de l’armée, cinq bataillons de 670 hommes chacun environ seraient rappelés dans les prochains jours de divers points du territoire congolais avec armes et équipements. L’annonce survient au lendemain d’une résolution du Parlement ougandais en faveur d’un retrait du Congo-Kinshasa et d’un accord de paix régional. La porte-parole de la présidence, Mme Kivengere, a annoncé que les observateurs de l’Onu superviseraient le retrait des forces ougandaises dans la région de Kisangani, mais n’a pas précisé quand elles quitteront la RDC. - 28 juin. Dans une interview à l’AFP, le président Museveni a annoncé que le général James Kazini, chef des opérations de l’armée ougandaise au Congo, allait être bientôt remplacé à ce poste. Le général Kazini est considéré comme très impliqué dans les combats à Kisangani, ainsi que dans le pillage des ressources naturelles congolaises, en particulier le diamant. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 29 juin 2000)

* Zambia/Angola. Defence officials meet — Defence and security officials from Angola and Zambia started meeting in Lusaka on 28 June in an effort to reduce tension between the two countries. The tension had deepened following recent military attacks on Zambian villages by suspected Angolan government forces. The meeting, which is also being attended by border officials, is expected to discuss alleged incursions into Zambia’s northwestern and western provinces which have resulted in the displacement of over 3,000 Zambians. (PANA, Dakar, 28 June 2000)

* Zimbabwe. Celebrating African books — From 26 July to 6 August this year, writers, critics, journalists and ordinary people will descend on Zimbabwe to celebrate African Books during the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF 2000). On such an occasion, it’s important to reflect on what forms the basis of African literature. African literature draws its inspiration from social life. It has answered and continues to answer questions like: Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? African literature is both oral and written. It is an artistic depiction of the socio-economic, political, historical and ideological struggles that the African people been involved in, in order to have a fuller control of their lives. (Percy F. Makombe, ANB-BIA, Zimbabwe, 28 June 2000)

* Zimbabwe. Elections législatives — Etalées sur 48 heures, les 24 et 25 juin, les élections législatives au Zimbabwe se sont déroulées dans un calme qui a tranché avec la violence à la veille du scrutin et ont été marquées par un fort taux de participation. Au total, quelque 5,1 millions d’électeurs étaient appelés aux urnes. La forte participation est de bonne augure pour le parti d’opposition, le MDC, qui menacerait la suprématie absolue du régime de Mugabe. Mais déjà, la ZANU-PF, parti au pouvoir, a fait savoir qu’elle formera le prochain gouvernement “quel que soit le vainqueur”. Selon la Constitution, le président Mugabe n’est pas obligé de nommer un gouvernement issu de la majorité. Les observateurs de l’Union européenne ont assuré qu’en raison des violences qui avaient marqué la campagne électorale, les élections n’avaient été ni libres ni honnêtes. Robin Cook, le chef de la diplomatie britannique, n’a pas hésité à les qualifier de truquées, dénonçant notamment le recours à la violence pour décourager les électeurs de voter et le trucage des listes électorales. -27 juin. Résultats des élections: sur les 120 sièges soumis au scrutin (30 autres sont attribués par le président), 62 reviennent au ZANU-PF et 58 à l’opposition, dont 57 au MDC et 1 à un petit parti indépendant. L’opposition a surtout obtenu la victoire dans les villes, remportant les 19 sièges de Harare, la capitale, et les 8 de Bulawayo, la deuxième ville du pays. Dans la chambre précédente, l’opposition ne détenait que 3 sièges. A noter encore que quatre Blancs font leur entrée au Parlement. Par sa victoire relative, le MDC pourra au moins bloquer des amendements constitutionnels qui exigent les deux tiers de l’Assemblée nationale. Le MDC entend contester les résultats dans une vingtaine de circonscriptions et a annoncé qu’il demandera un nouveau dépouillement ou ira en justice. A la radio, le président Mugabe a déclaré que “les résultats nous obligent à nous unir tous, qu’on soit gagnants ou perdants” et a appelé à “l’unité de toutes les races, tribus et groupes ethniques”. - 28 juin. Le gouvernement zimbabwéen a déclaré qu’il poursuivra son plan de redistribution de terres aux plus démunis. Le ministre de l’Information a précisé que la procédure engagée par le gouvernement pour l’acquisition et la redistribution de 804 fermes appartenant à des Blancs pourrait commencer dans “quelques semaines”. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 29 juin 2000)

* Zimbabwe. Election count — 26 June: There’s been a delay in the counting of votes in the general election. By 14.00, the count was reported to have begun several hours ago, but the electoral authorities say officials have been overwhelmed by the size of the turn-out and are still engaged in the process of verifying the votes. They say an actual count has begun in only one constituency. 27 June: ZANU-PF has retained its parliamentary majority while suffering serious losses for the first time in its two decades in power. By 6.00 A.M. (GMT), with most of the votes counted, officials announce that ZANU-PF has won 52 of the 120 seats voted on. The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has taken 48 seats so far, but its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, fails to win in his rural constituency. He has declared his intention to stand against Mr Mugabe in the 2002 presidential election. By 11.00 (GMT) no fewer than seven ministers have lost their seats, also Margaret Dongo, an opposition candidate. Chenjerai Hunzvi, the veterans leader has been elected. By 13.00 (GMT), the MDC says it is going to challenge the results in 20 constituencies which it lost by less than 500 votes. ZANU-PF has now won 62 seats and the MDC 57. There is 1 independent. All this means that the MDC will now be able to block important parliamentary bills such as the budget, and if ZANU-PF wants to introduce major legislative changes, it will have to strike a deal with the MDC first. Senior ZANU-PF officials indicate that the government will press ahead with the seizure of white-owned farms. President Mugabe calls for national reconciliation. 28 June: Zimbabwe’s governing and main opposition parties are expected to hold separate top-level meetings today, to discuss the election results. The Opposition denounces President Mugabe’s economic policies, his decision to send troops to Congo RDC and his threats to seize white-owned farms. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 29 June 2000)