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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 22-03-2001

PART #4/4 - From SUDAN to ZIMBABWE

* Sudan. Pressure on Bildt over link to Sudan — Carl Bildt, the United Nations special envoy to the Balkans, is facing increasing pressure to re-examine his involvement with a company linked to allegations of human rights abuses in Sudan. Mr Bildt, a former Swedish prime minister, is on the board of the small independent Swedish oil company, Lundin Oil, one of a group exploring for oil in southern Sudan. Sudan has long been rocked by a long-running civil war. Human Rights groups and charities working in the area claim the oil companies’ presence has aggravated the situation. (Financial Times, UK, 19 March 2001)

* Soudan. Tourabi toujours en détention — L’ancien président du parlement soudanais, Hassan el Tourabi, est depuis presque un mois derrière les barreaux, sans que rien n’indique clairement quel sera son avenir politique. M. Tourabi a été emprisonné le 22 février quand son parti a signé un protocole d’accord avec le Mouvement populaire de libération du Soudan, dont la branche armée mène une guérilla contre les troupes gouvernementales. Depuis son incarcération dans la prison de Kober, peu d’informations ont filtré sur lui, bien qu’il continue à recevoir des hommes politiques de toutes tendances. Selon certaines sources, les faucons du gouvernement réclameraient sa condamnation, alors que les colombes prônent une certaine modération. (PANA, Sénégal, 19 mars 2001)

* Tanzania/Zanzibar. Political deal — Tanzania’s ruling party, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and the main opposition Civic United Front (CUF), which have been at loggerheads in the recent past, have now signed a joint declaration aimed at ending the political stand off. The deal was signed in Zanzibar on 9 March by the CCM‘s Secretary General, Phillip Mangula and his CUF counterpart, Seif Shariff Hamad, following a series of bilateral talks between the two camps. Among other things, the accord calls for respect for multi-partyism, an end to the animosities between the two parties and the restoration of a healthy political life in Zanzibar. The agreement is expected to patch up the island’s adversarial politics by reconciling the two parties which have been eyeing each other with mistrust and intolerance. Meanwhile, the accord has received mixed reactions from different sectors. Some CUF diehards say it’s a ruling party ploy to appease the donor community. They say some of the party’s top brass were not consulted and that it does not address the party’s key demands like the overhauling of Zanzibar’s electoral body and the re-run of the much disputed last October’s general election in Zanzibar. Some observers say the implementation of the agreement will be an uphill task since the deal is said to have no legal status. (M. Mzee Makame, ANB-BIA, Zanzibar, 13 March 2001)

* Tanzania. Situation in Zanzibar and Pemba — UNHCR officials who last week toured Pemba and Zanzibar islands for a first-hand assessment of the political and security situation there, say the climate is now conducive for the return of hundreds of Zanzibari refugees presently in Kenya. Zanzibar government Chief Minister Shamsi Vuai Nahodha intimated that fears expressed by the refugees were unfounded. «The situation is our islands is calm. We appeal to our compatriots in Kenya to return home and no one will be prosecuted», Nahodha assured the UNHCR delegation. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 20 March 2001)

* Tanzanie. Les réfugiés de Zanzibar — Les responsables du HCR qui se sont rendus la semaine dernière dans les îles de Pemba et de Zanzibar pour une évaluation sur place de la situation politique et sécuritaire dans ces îles, ont déclaré que le climat était désormais favorable au retour des centaines de réfugiés zanzibaris se trouvant actuellement au Kenya. A la suite des émeutes sanglantes du 27 janvier dernier, des centaines de résidents ont cherché refuge au Kenya voisin. La délégation du HCR a dit avoir “été encouragée par les signes évidents de bonne volonté exprimés par toutes les parties impliquées dans le conflit politique au Zanzibar”. Pour persuader les réfugiés de rentrer chez eux, le parti au pouvoir et le principal parti d’opposition ont signé une déclaration d’intention de mettre fin aux hostilités politiques entre eux. (PANA, Sénégal, 21 mars 2001)

* Tunisie. Censure — 16 mars. Dans une lettre adressée au ministre tunisien de l’Intérieur, Reporters sans frontières a protesté contre l’interdiction de deux publications étrangères, El Mustaqilla et Salama. «Non content d’empêcher les journalistes tunisiens de s’exprimer librement dans leur pays, le pouvoir interdit toute publication étrangère qui ose aborder la question des droits de l’homme en Tunisie», a ajouté le secrétaire général de RSF, Robert Ménard, rappelant les nombreux journaux européens et maghrébins interdits. Le dernier numéro du bimestriel Salama, édité à Paris, a été interdit de vente en Tunisie; il contenait un article sur le statut des femmes, soulignant notamment “les limites à la liberté d’expression des Tunisiennes”. Le dernier numéro de l’hebdomadaire arabe El Mustaqilla, édité à Londres, a également été victime d’une censure; deux articles étaient consacrés à la question des droits de l’homme dans le pays. (RSF, Paris, 16 mars 2001)

* Tunisie. Fête de l’indépendance — A l’occasion du 45e anniversaire de l’indépendance, le 20 mars, le président Ben Ali a décidé de gracier un certain nombre de détenus. Dans son discours lors de la fête, il a souligné sa “détermination de continuer à aller de l’avant dans la voie de la démocratisation”. Il a indiqué les multiples mesures prises, notamment en faveur des partis d’opposition. Il a par ailleurs plaidé pour “le renforcement de la présence de la femme dans la vie publique”, ainsi que l’ouverture d’horizons plus larges pour les jeunes, auxquels il a consacré une bonne partie de son discours. - D’autre part, 48 heures avant la fête, un manifeste signé de 93 personnalités de la société civile tunisienne a été rendu public. Le texte dénonce la “dérive sans précédent” du régime, caractérisée par “un pouvoir personnel et absolu”, ainsi qu’un “étouffement de la société civile, annonciateur de tous les dangers”. En conclusion, les signataires rappellent que le président Ben Ali effectue en ce moment ce qui est en principe son dernier mandat. Un nouveau mandat (grâce à une modification de la Constitution) équivaudrait, estiment-ils, à lui ouvrir la voie de la présidence à vie. - Le 20 mars, plus de 250 personnalités (universitaires, avocats, médecins, syndicalistes) ont publié une pétition réclamant “des réformes audacieuses et radicales” avant des scrutins présidentiel et législatif prévus en 2004. Ils demandent aussi l’abrogation des “lois qui étouffent les libertés”. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 22 mars 2001)

* Ouganda. Besigye ne peut quitter le pays — Le 17 mars, les services de sécurité ont empêché l’ancien candidat à l’élection présidentielle, Kizza Besigye, de se rendre en Afrique du Sud, suggérant qu’il pourrait être lié aux trois attentats qui ont eu lieu la semaine dernière dans le pays. Deux explosions à Kampala et à environ 100 km au sud-ouest de la capitale ont fait deux morts et une dizaine de blessés, le 14 mars. Le 16 mars au soir, une femme a été tuée et quatre autres personnes blessées dans un attentat à la grenade dans le centre de Kampala. (La Libre Belgique, 19 mars 2001)

* Uganda. Elections outcome — 14 March: Yoweri Musveni is declared winner of the 12 March presidential elections. He was elected with 69.3% of the valid vote, compared to 27.8% for his main rival, Colonel Kizza Besigye, and a tiny percentage for the four other candidates. Besigye says he rejects the election results and calls for fresh elections. He hints at a legal challenge, citing «massive rigging and irregularities». 16 March: Amnesty International calls on president Museveni and opposition political leaders in Uganda to re-affirm their commitment to human rights. 20 March: Kizza Besigye is summoned to police headquarters to explain comments he had made, which were allegedly uttered with seditious intent. The summons is supposed to be the reason why Dr Besigye was prevented from travelling to South Africa on 17 March. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 21 March 2001)

* Uganda/Congo (RDC). Ugandan troops withdraw in Congo — A battalion of Ugandan troops began to withdraw from north-western Congo on 21 March and their commander said more could follow once the United Nations deployed peacekeepers in the country. About 110 soldiers flew out of the town of Gemena on their way to Gulu in northern Uganda, with the rest of the battalion of about 750 men expected to leave over the next week. Another battalion is remaining behind to secure Gemena airport, but the Ugandan army said further withdrawals were possible in the coming months. «Once we see the footprint of the UN on the ground in those areas we consider of national security importance to us then the whole process will continue,» Edward Katumba-Wamala, commander of the Ugandan forces in the Congo, said. Uganda and Rwanda moved into Congo in 1998, backing rebel groups opposed to then president Laurent Kabila. Uganda said it was trying to eliminate the threat of the Allied Democratic Forces rebel group, which has bases in the Ruwenzori mountains along the Uganda/Congo border and which is allegedly supplied from airbases in northern Congo. The Congo war has also sucked in Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia on the government side. The ensuing conflict is thought to have led directly or indirectly to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Congolese civilians. A peace deal signed in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1999 failed to stop the war. But when Kabila was assassinated in January, his son Joseph took over as president and immediately began to extend the hand of peace to his enemies. Last month the UN demanded all troops in the Congo withdraw 15km from frontline positions. (Financial Times, UK, 22 March 2001)

* Zambia. Chiluba’s third term bid — Zambia’s ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) national secretary Michael Sata is under pressure to convene a National Executive Committee meeting to decide on the proposal to allow President Frederick Chiluba seek a third mandate later this year. The pressure is coming from party members who want the NEC to deliberate among other issues, on the resolutions of the just ended MMD provincial conferences. Seven out of the nine provinces endorsed a resolution to allow Chiluba run for a third term of office. Only Lusaka and Southern provinces opposed the third term bid. MMD party official Michael Bwalya was on 20 March quoted by the local media as saying that members in Lusaka wanted the NEC to meet and resolve all issues raised at provincial conferences. These include the call to amend both the party and Republican Constitutions to allow President Chiluba to run for a third term of office. Bwalya who is also Kafue district administrator warned that any delay in the NEC to resolve on-going emotive issues could derail party programmes. (Editor’s update: 22 March — A fourth minister who has spoken out against a possible third term of office for President Chiluba has been sacked. Tourism Minister William Harrington was dismissed just a few days before a key meeting on the issue). (PANA, Senegal, 20 March 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Airlines plan for fares — International airlines have announced an effective 32% devaluation in the exchange rate they use to compute air fares out of Zimbabwe. Amid talk of a devaluation of the Zimbabwean dollar in the next few weeks, airlines will convert US dollar air fares to local currency at a rate of 85 to US $1, compared to 58 at present. (Financial Times, UK, 15 March 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Catholic Church leaders say the people live in fear — Catholic Church leaders have said in a statement, that people live in abject fear of violence and that the rule of law is no longer respected. They say that the fast-track land redistribution programme is inflicting untold misery on farm labourers who are made redundant and that even those people who are resettled, face great hardships and appear to be pawns in a political power game. (IRIN, Southern Africa, 19 March 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Réforme agraire: résultats positifs — Après un an de travail sur de nouvelles parcelles de cinq hectares prises sur une vaste ferme de 4.000 hectares qui appartenait auparavant à un fermier blanc, 70 paysans nouvellement implantés dans le district de Gutu (sud-est du pays) ont eu une bonne récolte de maïs, de coton et d’arachides, malgré les pluies torrentielles qui ont dévasté la plupart des régions du pays. Ces 70 nouveaux colons font partie des plus de 70.000 familles réinstallées par le gouvernement depuis l’année dernière. A travers tout le pays, les paysans nouvellement installés ont produit de bonnes récoltes même pour le tabac qui est cultivé principalement par les gros exploitants. Cette performance a pu être réalisée grâce à une meilleure exploitation des terres, ainsi qu’à une assistance financière et technique fournie aux paysans noirs par le gouvernement. Les nouveaux colons ont reçu des semences, des engrais, des tracteurs pour labourer la terre, et des conseillers agricoles d’Agritex, une agence d’exploitation agricole dirigée par le gouvernement, ont été déployés sur les parcelles redistribuées pour superviser les opérations. (PANA, Sénégal, 20 mars 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Un groupe minier ferme — L’une des plus grandes sociétés zimbabwéennes de prospection minière, Falgod, a annoncé qu’elle cessait ses activités pour une durée indéterminée, du fait d’un environnement difficile. L’escalade des coûts de l’énergie, la rareté du carburant, la forte inflation et la dépression prolongée des cours de l’or ne lui avaient pas laissé d’autre choix que la fermeture, a-t-elle indiqué. Falgod est la dernière société minière à annoncer sa fermeture en raison de la constante dégradation de la situation économique du pays. Plusieurs autres ont déjà suspendu ou cessé leurs opérations. Le Zimbabwe est plongé dans une grave crise économique, la plupart des produits importés, comme le carburant et l’énergie électrique, étant rationnés et le gouvernement ne disposant pas d’assez de devises pour les importer en quantité suffisante. (PANA, Sénégal, 20 mars 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Commonwealth to send mission to Zimbabwe — Commonwealth foreign ministers on 20 March agreed to send a fact-finding delegation to Zimbabwe in a move described by Robin Cook, UK foreign secretary, as «a very serious statement of our concern that will be seen as such in Zimbabwe». But the Harare government was quick to reject the plan, with Stan Mudenge, foreign minister, insisting Zimbabwe would not comply with «the British diktat». It was «an unwarranted attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of a member state». The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which has a limited mandate to advise heads of state on progress towards the restoration of democracy in member states under military rule, said foreign ministers from Australia, Nigeria and Barbados would «conduct consultations with the Zimbabwe government, convey its concerns and offer any appropriate Commonwealth assistance». Commonwealth ministers had called on Zimbabwe to co-operate with the mission to help it complete its work in time for the organisation’s summit in Brisbane later this year. The vehemence of Mr Mudenge’s response underlines Harare’s alarm at this latest development. Earlier, government officials appeared confident that a majority of CMAG members would veto the plan to send the mission, and the foreign minister was clearly dismayed and angry at Zimbabwe’s growing isolation. Meanwhile, in Harare a group of «rebel» white farmers belonging to the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU) is seeking to oust the existing leadership, replacing it with less «confrontational» officers. (Financial Times, UK, 21 March 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Concerned IMF refuses new aid — The International Monetary Fund has refused Zimbabwe any new financial assistance, officials said on 21 March at the end of a two-week mission to the country. In a statement, the IMF expressed concern at the deteriorating economic crisis, pointing to escalating inflation, a build-up of external payment arrears of several hundred million dollars on foreign loans and shortages of fuel and other basic goods. If Zimbabwe fails to meet a scheduled $73.6m payment later this year it could be suspended from the fund. The mission said it had left behind suggestions for resolving the economic crisis and «creating the basis for sustained recovery». It applauded the government’s medium-term budget plans, but warned that these needed to be supported by «stronger and more balanced policies» in other macroeconomic areas. The IMF avoided direct comment on the government’s controversial proposals for compulsory redistribution of land held by the country’s predominantly white commercial farmers. Instead it repeated calls for «an orderly land reform process tailored to absorption capacity and resource availability». The fund also said it would stay in contact with Harare regarding progress on policy issues and «prospects for eventual IMF support». The statement comes amid growing speculation of an early devaluation of the Zimbabwe dollar and the tightening of exchange controls. The shortage of foreign currency in the formal sector has helped to encourage a flourishing parallel market, operating at close to double the official rate of Z$55 to the US dollar. (Financial Times, 22 March 2001)