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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 26-04-2001

PART #2/4 - From COTE D'IVOIRE - MAURITIUS

* Côte d’Ivoire/France. Coopération — Le 24 avril, Paris et Abidjan ont signé quatre conventions de coopération d’un montant total de 5,1 milliards de FCFA, destinés à des financements dans les secteurs de la santé, de l’agriculture et du développement social. Les fonds alloués viennent en aide à la société civile, aux collectivités locales et à l’Etat ivoirien dans leur lutte contre la pauvreté. La coopération franco-ivoirienne avait été interrompue en 1999 par Paris, au lendemain du coup d’Etat militaire qui a renversé le régime civil du président Bédié. Lors de la signature de ces conventions, le ministre français à la Coopération, M. Josselin, a mis l’accent sur les événements douloureux qu’a vécus la Côte d’Ivoire depuis le coup d’Etat. (PANA, Sénégal, 25 avril 2001)

* Côte d’Ivoire. Callebaut in dispute with Côte d’Ivoire Govt. — Callebaut, the world’s leading supplier of industrial chocolate, is embroiled in a multimillion dollar dispute with the government of Côte d’Ivoire, which has accused its Ivorian subsidiary, Saco-Chocodi, of systematic tax evasion and fraud. Saco has been served with a CFA Fr106.2bn ($146m) claim in back taxes, including CFA Fr44bn in fines. The company has until 28 April to counter government allegations that it has been undervaluing semi-manufactured cocoa exports from Côte d’Ivoire since 1998 to enhance the profits and share value of its parent company in Switzerland. The case has provoked anger in Côte d’Ivoire, which produces 42 per cent of the world’s cocoa, and whose former government granted Saco and other companies generous subsidies to promote local processing of beans. The aim was to bring the benefits of manufacturing capacity to up to half of the 1.1m-1.2m tonne annual crop in order to retain more cocoa industry jobs and value in Côte d’Ivoire. (Financial Times, UK, 25 April 2001)

* Egypt. Why Mubarak’s son will not lead Egypt — Gamal Mubarak, son of the Egyptian president, is as adamant as his father in denying suggestions that he is being groomed for succession. «I am not fixated on this and I am not positioning myself,» he says. «We have institutions and matters have to go through the executive channels.» His statements, in an interview with the Financial Times, echo recent comments by Hosni Mubarak, bluntly stating that his son would not be Egypt’s next president. Egypt, he told Newsweek magazine, was not Syria, where Bashar al-Assad, son of the late president, took over last year, creating the Arab world’s first «republican monarchy». But with the Egyptian president turning 73 next month, after 19 years of authoritarian rule, and no obvious successor in sight, diplomats say questions about the 37-year-old Gamal’s future role are likely to persist. The young Mubarak’s interest in politics and his increasingly higher profile have fed the rumour mill about his possible aspirations. And the president’s failure so far to name a vice-president has heightened speculation about his son. For now, the betting in Egypt remains on a transition to a senior military official or a civilian with a strong military or intelligence background, even if this model sits badly with the image of modernity Mr Mubarak has often sought to project. (Financial Times, UK, 24 April 2001)

* Erythrée/Ethiopie. Zone tampon — Le 19 avril, les Nations unies ont annoncé la création d’une zone temporaire de sécurité (TSZ) de 25 km de large entre les forces éthiopiennes et érythréennes le long de leur frontière commune, pour permettre aux soldats de la paix de superviser l’accord de cessez-le-feu convenu entre les deux parties en juin dernier. Dans un communiqué, la mission de l’Onu MNUEE a indiqué que la zone a été créée le 18 avril, après que l’Erythrée a informé la MNUEE, deux jours plus tôt, qu’elle avait terminé de repositionner ses forces armées hors de la zone prévue. Le communiqué déplore cependant que l’Ethiopie n’ait pas communiqué des informations détaillées concernant ses plans de redéploiement dans la zone d’Irob, à environ 30 km au sud-est de la ville frontalière éthiopienne de Zalambessa, que revendique l’Erythrée. (PANA, Sénégal, 19 avril 2001)

* Eritrea-Ethiopia. UN establishes buffer zone — An end to the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia has come a step closer with the announcement by the United Nations peacekeeping mission of the creation of a buffer zone on their bitterly contested border. The setting up of the temporary security zone (TSZ), which will keep Eritrean and Ethiopian soldiers at least 25km apart — maximum artillery range — had been delayed by disagreements over the zone’s scope. The delays had kept 4,200 UN soldiers posted to the region waiting anxiously and held up the return of up to 250,000 displaced Eritrean villagers. Joseph Legwaila, a special representative of the UN secretary-general, said the TSZ had been set up with immediate effect in spite of continuing differences over the southern boundary. «The establishment of the TSZ is a milestone... It is the penultimate step in the resolution of the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict,» he said. Hostilities exploded between landlocked Ethiopia and its much smaller neighbour in May 1998 when simmering tensions over an ill-defined colonial border degenerated into all-out war. The conflict destroyed a once close alliance between the two governments, which as former rebel movements had together toppled the regime of Mengistu Haile Mariam in Ethiopia in 1991 and guided Eritrea to independence in 1993. By June 2000 Ethiopian forces had advanced deep into Eritrea; but under intense international pressure both sides agreed to call a halt. Under a peace deal signed in Algiers, UN peacekeepers are to keep the two sides apart while a border commission assesses claims. Mr Legwaila said it would be up to the border commission to rule on an issue that had threatened to sabotage the TSZ: Ethiopia’s determination to keep troops stationed at Irob, an area north of the demilitarisation line originally agreed by the UN with the two governments. Eritrea’s economy, which enjoyed a brief post-independence boom, has stagnated as foreign investment has evaporated, agricultural output plummeted and trade with Ethiopia dried up. (Financial Times, UK, 20 April 2001)

* Eritrea. Land-mine danger — Hundreds of thousands of Eritreans, uprooted during a two-year war with Ethiopia, face great danger from landmines if they race home to plant crops in the next few weeks, the United Nations warned on 19 April. Jean-Marie Guehenno, the UN undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations, told the Security Council that Eritrea wanted some 300,000 homeless people to return to their villages within the next six to eight weeks. «Linked to these returns is the threat posed by large quantities of landmines and unexploded ordnance in the areas of return,» he said. The United Nations has asked Ethiopia and Eritrea to divulge where they laid mines and hopes to mark these areas so returnees avoid them. Time is of the essence because the Eritreans want to get back and plant their crops in time for the rainy season, easing a humanitarian crisis brought on by extended drought and the two-year border war between landlocked Ethiopia and the far smaller Eritrea on the Red Sea coast. The refugees’ return had been blocked by the two sides’ slowness to pull their soldiers back from the front lines, as agreed in a cease-fire signed last June. (CNN, USA, 19 April 2001)

* Ethiopie. Répression sanglante — Pendant deux jours, les 17 et 18 avril, Addis Abeba a connu des affrontements particulièrement violents entre forces de l’ordre et jeunes lycéens. Le 19 avril, le calme était revenu. Selon les chiffres officiels, les heurts ont fait 39 morts et 250 blessés par balles. Déjà le 11 avril, le campus universitaire avait été le théâtre d’affrontements entre forces de l’ordre et étudiants, qui réclament plus de liberté d’expression. C’était pour manifester leur soutien aux étudiants que les lycéens étaient descendus à leur tour dans les rues. La réaction des forces de l’ordre a été radicale; la police n’a pas hésité à traquer les jeunes manifestants dans les églises et les mosquées où ils avaient essayé de se réfugier. Le 19 avril, l’université a été fermée “pour une durée indéterminée”. - Le 20 avril, plus d’un millier de personnes, pour la plupart des étudiants, étaient toujours détenues par la police. (Libération, France, 20-21 avril 2001)

* Ethiopia. Dozens dead in Addis riots — 19 April: Hospital doctors say at least 39 people were killed and more than 250 people were injured on the second day of violent clashes in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. There were chaotic scenes on Wednesday as police clashed with young demonstrators who had come out in support of a student boycott of lectures. The clashes led to anarchy all over the city. In a BBC interview government advisor Kinfe Abraham defended the authorities’ handling of the demonstration. He said the police had to use force to stop the rioters. He added that dissident groups had taken advantage of the student protests to create confusion. The BBC correspondent in Addis Ababa said that the city was returning to normal by the 19 April, but there was still a heavy armed police presence on the streets. 21 April: The Ethiopian Human Rights Council denies that thousands of students being held in detention camps, had any role in the violence. Most have been taken to a police camp in the village of Sendafa, 38 km northeast of Addis Ababa. The authorities say the detainees are not being mistreated. (ANB-BIA News, Brussels, 23 April 2001)

* Gabon. La grève à l’université — Les enseignants et chercheurs de l’université Omar Bongo du Gabon, en grève depuis le 9 avril, se sont dit déterminés à poursuivre leur mouvement si leurs renvendications ne sont pas satisfaites. Celles-ci concernent entre autres la régularisation de leur situation administrative, le paiement des arriérés des mois de mars, avril et mai 2000, et l’octroi de parcelles de terrain. Selon le porte-parole du collectif, lors d’une conférence de presse le 22 avril, ceux qui doivent trouver les solutions semblent traîner le pas. “Nous revendiquons simplement nos conditions de travail”, a-t-il dit. (PANA, Sénégal, 23 avril 2001)

* Ghana. Navrongo Health Research centre — From its humble beginnings in the late 1980s and housed in a single structure behind the War Memorial Hospital in Navrongo, Northern Ghana, the Navrongo Health Research Centre (NHRC) has grown into a centre of excellence in health research of international repute. It all started when, in the background of the War Memorial Hospital, a team of researchers from Ghana and abroad jointly set out to carry out health research. The team was composed of researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the UK, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, and the Ministry of Health, Ghana. Their agenda was to investigate the impact of large doses of Vitamin A on child survival in the Kassena Nankana District. The research station became known as the Vitamin A Supplement Trials. Upon successful completion of this study, the station was designated a Research Centre by the Ministry of Health and the name changed to the Navrongo Health Research Centre in 1992. Today the Centre’s research focuses on malaria, acute respiratory infections, cerebrospinal meningitis, diarrhoea, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, community based service delivery and family planning. (AfricaNews, April 2001)

* Guinée. Exécutions — Trois jeunes Guinéens condamnés à mort pour crimes et vols à main armée, ont été exécutés le week-end dernier. En février, cinq personnes condamnées en 1995 pour “crimes de sang” ont aussi été exécutées. Ce sont les premières exécutions depuis 1984, la peine de mort étant jusqu’à présent commuée en prison à perpétuité. (La Croix, France, 25 avril 2001)

* Kenya. Will the last of the «dream team» quit? — The remaining members of Kenya’s dream team are set to leave the government when their contracts expire in June. Sources told The East African that the three permanent secretaries —Prof. Shem Migot-Adhola, Dr. Wilfred Mwangi and Mr Mwaghazi Mwachofi — were unhappy with the government’s declared intention to pay them salaries at normal civil-service rates, and its seeming determination to force them to sever links with their multilateral employers. President Moi is own to demand the personal allegiance of both politicians and public servants serving under him and the three are likely to be seen as «owing allegiance elsewhere». (The East African, Kenya, 16-22 April 2001)

* Kenya. Father Kaiser suicide «likely» — 19 March: An investigation into the suspicious death in Kenya of a controversial American priest has found that it was probably suicide. Many Kenyans thought that Father John Kaiser had been murdered last August in a politically motivated attack. In 36 years of missionary service in Kenya, Father Kaiser made a name for himself as a tireless worker for the poor and marginalised and an outspoken critic of the government. But the American FBI, which was asked to look in to the death, said there was no evidence to support the murder charge. FBI Special Agent Thomas Carey said: «The manner of Father Kaiser’s death is most consistent with death resulting from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.» His body was found next to the road near his car about 65 km outside Nairobi. (BBC News, UK, 20 April 2001)

* Kenya. La mort du père Kaiser — La Conférence épiscopale du Kenya examinera, lors de sa prochaine assemblée, le rapport de la police américaine FBI sur la disparition du prêtre américain John Antony Kaiser, retrouvé mort, le 24 août 2000, la tête criblée de balles, sur la route de Naivasha vers Nakuru près de Nairobi. Le FBI a conclu au suicide du père Kaiser, membre de la société missionnaire de Mill Hill. Selon l’agence de presse catholique belge CIP, les évêques kényans ne croient pas à cette thèse du suicide et se sont dits “surpris et déçus” par le rapport. Le p. Kaiser était connu pour ses critiques ouvertes à l’égard du gouvernement kényan, pour sa défense de la justice, des pauvres et leurs terres. (DIA, Kinshasa, 25 avril 2001)

* Kenya. Crusading for cheap AIDS drugs — South Africa’s humiliation of the world’s biggest drug companies, forced to abandon a lawsuit that critics said was aimed at protecting profits at the expense of lives, has prompted Kenya to say it too will pass laws to permit the importation of cheaper medicines. The east African nation’s health minister, professor Sam Ongeri, said Kenya has drafted a bill to allow the government to buy anti-Aids drugs because patented medicines are protected by «unrealistic» property rights laws and are too expensive. Kenya’s decision is a direct result of the collapse of the legal attempt by 39 drug companies in the Pretoria high court to overturn a law permitting the South African government to bypass patents when there is deemed to be a health emergency or where drugs are declared «unaffordable». Prof Ongeri said 700 Kenyans die of Aids each day, and that 2.2m people in his country are infected with HIV. Half of Kenya’s hospital beds are occupied by AIDS patients. But South Africa’s legal victory has also had a wider if less immediately visible impact. It is forcing governments and the drug companies to discuss how they now confront a virus that infects 25m people in sub-Saharan Africa. Most countries cannot afford even the knocked-down prices of generic drugs, and the major pharmaceutical companies still stand to make large profits even selling their wares at a fraction of the price they now demand. (The Guardian, UK, 26 April 2001)

* Kenya. Déficit budgétaire compromettant — Le Kenya est confronté à un déficit budgétaire sans précédent de plusieurs milliards de shillings, qui pourrait avoir un effet préjudiciable sur la relance économique du pays, estiment les observateurs. Le ministre des Finances, Chris Okema, a révélé, le 24 avril dans un communiqué, que le pays enregistrait un déficit budgétaire entre 6 et 10 milliards de shillings (1 dollar = 78 shillings). Il a attribué cette situation à plusieurs facteurs, particulièrement au non-déblocage des fonds promis par le FMI et la Banque mondiale. Une réduction de 50% des dépenses publiques n’avait pas réussi à renverser la situation. (PANA, Sénégal, 25 avril 2001)

* Kenya. New bank chief pledges tight fiscal policy — Nahashon Nyagah, Kenya’s new central bank governor, said he would maintain the country’s commitment to tight monetary policy and low inflation, that donors would resume funding by the beginning of July — and that God would help him do it. «I am aware of the arguments put forward by some critics that this monetary policy deprives the economy of the liquidity necessary for growth,» he said. «But allowing a little more inflation is the wrong strategy — in fact there is no quicker way to undermine the progress we have made so far.» His statement will be seen as encouraging in a country struggling to combat its worst economic crisis since independence, and whose backtracking on economic reforms has led to the temporary suspension of aid flows. But it coincides with fears that the replacement as governor of Micah Cheserem by Mr Nyagah reflects government efforts to curb independent criticism ahead of next year’s elections. Mr Cheserem had been seen by donors as a strong independent voice. Mr Nyagah assured journalists he would resist any pressure to print money —but would take account of concerns raised by government and other stakeholders in the economy. He also indicated there were plans to develop «longer-term debt instruments» to address the country’s Ks177bn ($2.3bn) domestic debt, and said he would encourage consolidation in the banking sector — currently saddled with a 38 per cent non-performing loan book. Mr Nyagah remained committed to market-determined interest rates. Finally, Kenyans should learn to trust in God. «The performance of this economy... is determined from high above," he said. “Divine intervention is key. I can tell you that. God is with us.» (Financial Times, UK, 25 April 2001)

* Kenya/Tanzania. Zanzibar refugees in stand-off — Zanzibari refugees in Kenya are resisting attempts to move them from their present camp in Shimoni on the Indian Ocean coast in the south-east of the country. Kenyan officials warned the 1,500 refugees that they will be forcibly moved if they continue to resist. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) is currently trying to negotiate with Kenyan officials over the resettlement. The refugees complain that the conditions in the new camp in Dadaab in the dessert area north-east of the country are too harsh. Kenyan authorities sent buses and policemen to Shimoni to transport the refugees to Dadaab. But the refugees have not boarded the buses. Dadaab is one of two official camps in Kenya where refugees are housed. The Kenyan Government has always said that the camp in Shimoni was a temporary base. The Zanzibaris say that they prefer to be by the coast and closer to Zanzibar rather than dropped in the middle of the country. If they do move, the Zanzibaris will join about 120,000 southern Sudanese and Somali refugees in Dadaab. (BBC News UK, 24 April 2001)

* Lesotho. Mbeki promises to help Lesotho develop — The President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, has promised to help develop the kingdom of Lesotho, the small mountain enclave in the southeast of South Africa. Mr Mbeki was speaking on a one-day visit aimed at improving relations between the two countries. Earlier, Mr Mbeki presented a cow to King Letsie the Third, as a fine incurred by the South African president for failing to attend the king’s wedding last year. King Letsie had the right to fine Mr Mbeki under tradition, because the President’s mother was born in the Kingdom. Opposition groups have said Mr Mbeki is unwelcome, because South Africa has not apologised for its part in a regional intervention in Lesotho in 1998. (BBC News, UK, 20 April 2001)

* Malawi. Marking 100 Years of Evangelization — The Church in Malawi will hold a National Centenary Celebration in Lilongwe on July 28 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Church’s presence in this southern African country of 10.3 million people. The Holy Father’s special envoy for the occasion will be Cardinal Francis Arinze, who will arrive July 25. Montfort missionaries first arrived in Malawi on July 25, 1901. Other early missionaries included the White Fathers (now Missionaries for Africa), the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, Daughters of Wisdom, and the Xaverian and Marist Brothers. On March 24, a centenary pastoral letter was published, which expressed the theme of the centenary as a «time of thanksgiving for all the blessings we have received from God and His Church.» Moreover, the pastoral letter stated that it «is an occasion to correct our mistakes, a time for forgiveness, reconciliation and healing. Above all, it is a time of renewal and rededication.» On April 28, there will be a special celebration at Nzama, to commemorate the founding of the first mission station by the Montfort Missionaries. The Anglican and Catholic Churches in Zomba have planned joint Stations of the Cross, presided over by their respective bishops. (Zenith, Italy, 24 April 2001)

* Mali/Sénégal. Chemin de fer — La gestion de la voie ferrée reliant Dakar à Koulikoro (Mali) est en passe d’être confiée à une société concessionnaire, a-t-on appris le 19 avril à Bamako. Le Sénégal et le Mali avaient décidé en février de retenir le schéma de la concession globale de l’activité ferrovière sur l’axe Dakar-Bamako. Selon ce schéma, une société concessionnaire sera constituée avec la participation des deux Etats, du personnel, des privés nationaux et d’un privé étranger. Cette société sera chargée de l’exploitation technique et commerciale des services de transport des marchandises et voyageurs et de l’aménagement des infrastructures. (PANA, Sénégal, 19 avril 2001)

* Maroc. Prisonniers politiques — Le Maroc compte encore une soixantaine de prisonniers politiques issus de la mouvance islamiste ou sahraouie, a déclaré le 23 avril à Rabat, Pierre Sané, secrétaire général d’Amnesty International (AI). Au terme d’un séjour dans le royaume pour célébrer la naissance officielle de la section nationale marocaine d’AI, Pierre Sané a estimé que ces prisonniers avaient droit à un procès équitable et selon les normes du droit international. Selon les autorités marocaines, il n’existe plus aucun détenu politique dans les prisons du royaume depuis l’accession au trône de Mohammed VI en juillet 1999. Pierre Sané, qui a été reçu par le Premier ministre Abderrahmane Youssoufi, s’est par ailleurs félicité des relations apaisées qu’entretenait désormais AI avec le Maroc, en raison des “progrès remarquables” accomplis par ce pays depuis le début des années 90. (AP, 23 avril 2001)

* Morocco. Amnesty International consolidates its presence — In Press Release issued on 24 April, Amnesty International said that the acquisition by Amnesty International groups in Morocco of section status, is a recognition of the achievements of the organisation’s members in the field of protection and promotion of human rights. It will contribute to strengthening the already very active human rights movement in Morocco. (Amnesty International, 24 April 2001)

* Maroc. Dévaluation — Les autorités marocaines ont décidé de procéder, le 25 avril, à une dévaluation à effet immédiat de 5% de la devise nationale, a-t-on appris auprès d’un responsable du ministère des Finances. “Il a été décidé d’une dévaluation de 5% pour stimuler les exportations”, a-t-il déclaré. Le dirham s’était apprécié de près de 10% par rapport à l’euro depuis début 2000. La décision de la banque centrale marocaine entrainait les parités suivantes, le 25 avril au matin: 1 $US = 11,5 DH; 1 euro = 10,25 DH. (AP, 25 avril 2001)

* Morocco. EU abandons Morocco fish talks — The European Union and Morocco have abandoned hope of renewing a fisheries agreement after more than 15 months of talks. The agreement would have given about 400 mainly Spanish and Portuguese small boats the right to fish in Moroccan waters. Instead the EU will focus efforts on help for fishermen in the south of Spain and Portugal to restructure and find alternative jobs. EU boats fished in Moroccan waters for more than a decade in return for which Morocco received millions of dollars worth of EU aid. But the agreement expired at the end of 1999 and the two sides have made little progress since then, despite repeated meetings. Last month talks collapsed over the restrictions Rabat wanted to impose on EU boats and the amount of EU financial assistance Morocco should receive in return. (BBC News, UK, 25 April 2001)

* Mauritius. Torture complaints — In a Press Release dated 25 April, Amnesty International expressed concern over the continuing failure of the Mauritian government to investigate allegations of torture and ill-treatment during criminal investigation procedures. Ill-treatment of criminal suspects during interrogation has been reported in a number of cases in Mauritius in recent months, and has for many years been of concern to local and international human rights monitors. (Amnesty International, 25 April 2001)