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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 09-11-2000

PART #2/4 - From COTE D'IVOIRE to NIGER

* Côte d’Ivoire. Seeking reconciliation — 2 November: The Archbishop of Abidjan has called on the faithful to keep today as a special day of prayer for all those killed in last week’s ethnic and political violence, whatever their creed. The country’s religious leaders are seeking to foster national reconciliation. The new government bans the display of the President’s picture in hotels and airports. It says it is making a stand against the cult of personality which has marked the country’s media in the past. 3 November: Parliamentary elections will go ahead on 10 December as initially planned. The Govt. has declared 9 November as a day of national mourning for those killed in the 24-25 October demonstrations. 6 November: Candidates have begun registering for the parliamentary elections. 9 November: A mass funeral ceremony is due to take place in Côte d’Ivoire, today, for some of the people killed in last month’s unrest. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 November 2000)

* Côte d’Ivoire. Keep politics and religion separate — Catholics and Muslims in Côte d’Ivoire agree that mixing politics with religion is dangerous and they are bent on working together to avoid religious conflict. The Catholic Archbishop of Abidjan Bernard Agre has called on Christians to help rebuild mosques and Muslims to help rebuild churches destroyed during an outbreak of violence following the October 22 elections. The call was made during a Mass on November 2, celebrated in St Paul’s Cathedral, Abidjan, attended also by the new President, Laurent Gbagbo. The Archbishop criticized politicians for trying to exploit religion: «The mixing of religion with politics causes the violence we see in Algeria, Kosovo, Northern Ireland. Politics and religion must keep their fields separate, because if they are combined the result is a time-bomb». (FIDES, Vatican City, 9 November 2000)

* Egypt. Wives win travel rights — The High Court has ruled that an Interior Ministry decree that allows men to prevent their wives from travelling, is unconstitutional. The ruling has been welcomed by Mervat Tellawi, who heads Egypt’s high-powered Women’s Council set up earlier this year. She said it was a step in the right direction. Women activists have been fighting for the right to travel freely, for several years. (BBC News, 4 November 2000)

* Egypt. Parliamentary elections — Clashes among police, Islamic fundamentalists and others have left as many as five people dead during parliamentary elections held over the past two weeks, but the vote is being hailed as one of the freest in recent Egyptian history and a sign that chaotic efforts to bring about democratic reforms are working. Despite reports of a near siege by security forces in some areas where Islamic candidates mounted strong campaigns, there has been a marked decline in violence, vote-rigging and police interference compared with elections five years ago, when several dozen people died and irregularities were widespread. Several incumbents and leaders of President Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party (NDP) have lost their seats in the first two of three scheduled rounds of voting, and more than a dozen independent candidates allied with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood have won, but today the NDP was still on course for a majority. Of the 282 seats in the 454-seat parliament that have been decided, the National Democratic Party has won 224, Brotherhood-backed independents 15, other independents 33 and legal opposition parties 10. The rest of the seats, including representatives from Cairo, will be chosen Wednesday. The president appoints 10 members. (Washington Post, 6 November 2000)

* Egypte. Percée islamiste aux législatives — Le dimanche 5 novembre, les candidats islamistes ont confirmé leur percée en Egypte, aux deux tiers d’un marathon électoral pour le renouvellement de la chambre des députés qui annonce cependant une nette victoire du parti du président Moubarak. Neuf nouveaux membres du mouvement interdit, mais toléré par le pouvoir, des Frères musulmans ont été élus à l’Assemblée du peuple au cours de la deuxième phase de ces élections. Au total, depuis le début des élections le 18 octobre, ce sont 15 membres de la confrérie interdite, plus un islamiste indépendant, qui ont été élus. - Le 8 novembre, 247 personnes, dont de nombreux islamistes, ont été arrêtées par la police, tandis que se déroulait la dernière phase des élections législatives. Lors d’un incident électoral au sud du Caire, une personne a été tuée et quatre autres blessées. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 9 novembre 2000)

* Erythrée. Arrivée du commandant de la Minuee — Le nouveau commandant de la Mission des Nations unies en Ethiopie et en Erythrée (Minuee), le général néerlandais Patrick Cammaert, est arrivé ce week-end à Asmara. Il a déclaré que la force de maintien de la paix, comprenant 200 observateurs militaires et 4.000 soldats de 12 nationalités, serait bientôt déployée entre les deux pays, qui observent un cessez-le-feu depuis le mois de juin. (La Libre Belgique, 7 novembre 2000)

* Ethiopia. Haile Selassie buried — 5 November: Ethiopia’s last Emperor, Haile Selassie I, is being buried in Addis Ababa today, almost 25 years after he died. Organisers of the reburial ceremony say hundreds of thousands from Ethiopia and abroad are expected to attend the funeral ceremony. After a religious procession through the streets of the capital, the late Emperor will be laid to rest in Addis Ababa’s trinity Cathedral, where previous members of the Ethiopian Imperial family have been buried. In fact, only a few thousands supporters attend the ceremony. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 6 November 2000)

* Ethiopie. Le Négus reposera en paix — Le dimanche 5 novembre, les reliques d’Hailé Sélassié Ier, dernier empereur de l’Ethiopie, couronné il y a 70 ans, ont été publiquement déposées à l’Eglise de la Trinité à Addis Abeba, au cours d’une nouvelle cérémonie funéraire qui a traversé les principales artères de la capitale. Tout le synode de l’Eglise orthodoxe éthiopienne était présent, ainsi que les survivants de la famille impériale, mais seulement quelques milliers de personnes s’étaient déplacées pour rendre un dernier hommage à l’empereur, qui avait régné 45 ans, jusqu’en 1974. Les circonstances de son décès, à 82 ans, dans la nuit du 26 au 27 août 1975, restent encore non élucidées. Mort naturelle ou assassinat? Après un quart de siècle, plusieurs pistes concordantes accusent le régime du Derg, le Comité militaire dirigé par le colonel Mengistu, d’avoir ordonné son exécution. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 6 novembre 2000)

* Kenya. Biotech food revolution — In two basic greenhouses in Nairobi, a small forest of 10-inch genetically modified sweet potato seedlings are heralding the possible dawn of an agricultural revolution in Africa. Next week, if all goes well, they will enter their first field trials, marking the latest step for a technology that — depending on who you believe — could hold the key to ending the continent’s chromic food insecurity or introduce dangerous uncertitudes into an unprepared environment. The sweet potatoes have been bio-engineered by scientists from the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) — with the support of Monsanto life sciences company, private foundations and the US government — to resist the ravages of the feathery mottle virus, an aphod-born disease that can destroy up to 80% of any crop. (Financial Times, UK, 4 November 2000)

* Libya. Gaddafi promises to act against killings — President Gaddafi has promised to track down those responsible for killing black African migrant workers during a recent wave of vigilante attacks. The President has accused hidden forces of trying to derail his plans for a United Africa and said the trials of the killers would be open to the international press. There have been no reports of any arrests, so far. (BBC News, 6 November 2000)

* Libya. Kadhafi Shuns Islamic Conference — Libyan leader, Col. Moammar Kadhafi, will not take part in the summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), scheduled to be held in Qatar 12-14 November, official sources disclosed in Tripoli. Qatari Foreign Affairs Minister, Hamad Ben Jassen Al-Thani, arrived in Tripoli on 5 November in connection with the summit. He was received by a ranking member of the government, Gen. Mustapha Kharroubi, to whom he handed a message from the Emir of Qatar, Cheikh Hamad Ben Khalifa Al-Thani. The Libyan leader was quoted as saying in an interview on the Arab Middle East Broadcasting Corporation satellite television Friday, that he would not take part in the meeting. He said the summit, which would be similar to that of the Arab League held in Cairo in October, «will not lead to anything new». Libya, represented at the Arab League extraordinary summit by its permanent delegate to the Pan-Arab organisation, withdrew from the summit to protest against the final draft resolution which did not clearly call for the disruption of relations with Israel following the escalation of the Middle East crisis. The meeting was convened to examine the situation in Palestine following bloody confrontations between Israeli troops and Palestinian youths. (PANA, Dakar, 7 November 2000)

* Malawi. Missionary appointed Bishop of Dedza — Pope John Paul has appointed Rémi Ste-Marie (a Missionary of Africa) as the new Bishop of Dedza Diocese of central Malawi to replace Bishop Gervazio Chisendera who has resigned because of ill health. The Holy See has accepted his resignation. Bishop Ste-Marie was appointed auxiliary Bishop by the Pope about two years ago due to Bishop Chisendera’s poor health. Bishop Ste-Marie took possession of Dedza Diocese at a ceremony held at Bembeke Cathedral in Dedza. The ceremony was presided by the Chairman of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, Bishop Tarcisius Ziyaye of Lilongwe Diocese, and the Secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature, the Monsignor Christopher Kuhn. Mgr. Kuhn represented the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Orlando Antonini. The appointment of Bishop Ste-Marie took effect from 30 September, this year. A special Mass will be celebrated on 12 November at Bembeke Cathedral to mark the beginning of Ste-Marie’s apostolate as head of the diocese. (Brian Logomeka, ANB-BIA, Malawi, 6 November 2000)

* Mali. Croisade contre les armes légères — Des concertations nationales sur la prolifération des armes légères se sont ouvertes, le 7 novembre, à Bamako, pour dégager une politique nationale fiable de récupération de ce type d’armes qui font chaque année des nombreuses victimes parmi la population. La réunion, placée sous la présidence du ministre de la sécurité intérieure, regroupe des officiers supérieurs de l’armée, des représentants de la société civile, ainsi que des délégués en provenance du Canada, de la France et des pays voisins du Mali. Selon le Programme de coordination et d’assistance en matière de sécurité et de développement, huit millions de ces armes se trouveraient en Afrique de l’Ouest. Les conflits armés au Libéria, en Sierra Leone, et les rébellions touarègues au Mali et au Niger sont à l’origine de la prolifération des armes dans la sous-région. (PANA, 8 novembre 2000)

* Maroc. Directeur de l’AFP expulsé — Les autorités marocaines ont décidé d’expulser le directeur du bureau de l’Agence France-Presse à Rabat, Claude Juvénal, et lui ont donné jusqu’au lundi soir 6 novembre pour quitter le pays. Dans une brève lettre adressée au PDG de l’AFP, Bertrand Eveno, le ministère marocain de la Culture et de la Communication a notifié à l’agence la décision de retirer l’accréditation de Claude Juvénal, 56 ans. Aucune précision n’a été fournie. Une “source autorisée” au ministère a justifié cette décision en affirmant, sans autre précision, que M. Juvénal “s’est écarté de l’éthique et de la déontologie de la profession en prenant des initiatives à caractère hostile au Maroc et à ses institutions”. (La Libre Belgique, 6 novembre 2000)

* Maroc. Juifs marocains protégés — Le roi Mohammed VI a affirmé, le 6 novembre à Marrakech, que les intérêts des citoyens juifs marocains seraient préservés malgré la fermeture le 23 octobre des bureaux de liaison avec Israël. “Quiconque menace les intérêts des citoyens marocains, quelle que soit leur religion, sera puni conformément à la loi”, a notamment déclaré le souverain marocain dans un discours télévisé à l’occasion du 25e anniversaire de la “Marche verte”, organisée par le roi Hassan II. (Le Monde, France, 8 novembre 2000)

* Mauritania. Excessive use of force — In a Press Release, Amnesty International condemns what appears to be excessive use of force by the Mauritanian security forces and is concerned for the safety of those taking part in further demonstrations anticipated in the coming days. Several people have been injured and one woman has died after security forces used tear gas and batons to break up opposition demonstrations in the past week in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania. Scores of opponents have been briefly detained and many beaten and kicked while held at the Direction de la Sûrete de l’Etat, State Security Headquarters. Amnesty International urges the Mauritanian authorities to immediately end the use of arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment to suppress political opposition and to order an independent and impartial investigation into the death of Aminetou Mint Eleyat and allegations of beatings of opponents. Since the beginning of October, political tension has increased in Mauritania as a result of the renewed fighting in Israel and the Occupied Territories. Several opposition demonstrations in support of the Palestinians have been forbidden and violently suppressed. Peaceful opponents have been arbitrarily arrested. Tension has been exacerbated by the government’s decision on 28 October to dissolve l’Union des forces democratiques/Ere nouvelle (UFD/EN), Union of Democratic Forces-New Era, a coalition of opposition parties. On 4 November Aminetou Mint Eleyat died after the security forces used tear gas to suppress a peaceful high school student demonstration in Teyaret-arret bis, on the outskirts of Nouakchott. She was on her way to the market when she was caught up in the demonstration. Reports suggest that her death was related to the use of tear gas. Three days earlier on 1 November scores of opponents were arrested by the police and briefly detained in the capital. Mohamed Ould Moloud, a leading member of the UFD/EN, was arbitrarily arrested with two other opposition supporters, Cheikh Ould Sidaty and Mohamed Ould Rabah. The three were hit with batons at the time of the arrest. Beatings continued while they were being taken to the Direction de la Sûrete de l’Etat in a police vehicle. The three were released in the evening after being questioned about their political affiliation. (Amnesty International, 6 November 2000)

* Mozambique. Crainte de nouvelles inondations — Selon l’Institut météorologique du Mozambique, le pays pourrait à nouveau être touché par des inondations, certainement moins graves toutefois que celles qui, en février et mars dernier, firent plusieurs centaines de morts. En Afrique australe, la saison des pluies a à peine commencé et on ne prévoit pas de précipitations particulièrement intenses pour l’instant. Cependant, les autorités de Maputo craignent pour les populations qui résident près des cours d’eau. Le sol est en effet encore imprégné de l’eau des dernières inondations et dans de telles conditions, le grossissement des fleuves risque de constituer un danger. (Misna, Italie, 2 novembre 2000)

* Niger. Islamistes contre un défilé de mode — Le 8 novembre, de violents heurts, faisant de nombreux blessés dont trois grièvement, ont opposé à Niamey la police à des manifestants qui protestaient contre l’organisation d’un défilé de mode, qualifié de “satanique”. Un demi-millier d’islamistes s’opposait à la tenue du Festival international de mode africaine, qui doit réunir des couturiers européens et africains dans la capitale du Niger. “Pour vendre un pagne, on n’a pas besoin de déshabiller les femmes”, affirmait un manifestant. Selon un des dirigeants islamistes, le Niger “ne peut tolérer” ce festival “qui souille l’islam”. (Libération, France, 9 novembre 2000)