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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 05-07-2001

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

* Côte d’Ivoire. Pour la réconciliation — Dans la nuit du 3 au 4 juillet à Abidjan, les chefs traditionnels ivoiriens ont décidé de sensibiliser les populations sur la réconciliation nationale. Ils estiment ainsi pouvoir contribuer à la réussite du “forum sur la réconciliation nationale dans le pays” qui était prévu pour le 9 juillet, mais a été reporté à une date ultérieure. Ils comptent se rendre dans les villages pour avoir les points de vue des habitants sur la question et connaître les problèmes qui méritent une solution immédiate, et ceux qui nécessitent une réponse à moyen et long termes. Ils rendront compte au président Gbagbo. (PANA, Sénégal, 4 juillet 2001)

* Côte d’Ivoire. Dockers strike — The main port in Côte d’Ivoire has been paralysed by a dock strike which is expected to last for a week. The action, the third this year, is in protest at poor wages and conditions for the 8,500 workers. The leader of the striking dockers, Mousa Fofana, likened the worker’s plight to that of slaves. They’re asking for a monthly salary instead of a daily wage, and also want more benefits, particularly regarding health. The strike is also targeted at the main trade union in the country which the dockers say has failed to represent them effectively. (BBC News, UK, 4 July 2001)

* Egypt. Nile nations funded to aid water sharing — Only a decade ago it seemed inconceivable that the 10 vastly different nations through which the rivers of the Nile basin wind their way from the heart of Africa to the Mediterranean could agree common goals on how best to use their water. But last week the Nile’s riparian states secured funding from the World Bank and donor governments for initial programmes designed to look at improving access and sharing the Nile waters. «Our story is going to be a success story, I am sure, for the many countries sharing water resources,» said Dr Mahmoud Abu Zeid, Egypt’s minister for water. «The spirit here is very good.» Kemal Ali Mohamed, Sudan’s minister for water resources, said the 10 «were determined both at the political and technical level to enhance co-operation». For years, increasing population pressures coupled with limited water access made conflict between Nile states a possibility. That threat is minimised with the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), launching seven feasibility studies backed by a $140m grant. It will also develop a parallel legal framework for shared water management. The NBI unites Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Democratic Republic of the Congo, with Eritrea’s membership pending. Initial studies under the NBI‘s «shared vision» will be followed by loans worth at least $3bn to finance the eventual projects, said Jean-Louis Sarbib, World Bank vice-president for North Africa. (Financial Times, UK, 3 July 2001)

* Gabon. Gulf of Guinea commission launched — The heads of state of Gabon, Nigeria, Congo-Brazzaville and Sao Tome and Principe have signed a treaty launching a Gulf of Guinea Commission. The ceremony took place in the Gabonese capital, Libreville. The commission will try to strengthen co-operation and prevent conflicts in the area of the Gulf of Guinea, a region rich in oil and maritime products. The accord was also signed by the interior minister of Angola (BBC News, UK, 4 July 2001)

* Ghana. Graves inondations à Accra — Les graves inondations survenues le 29 juin à Accra, la capitale ghanéenne, ont affecté quelque 139.000 personnes, dont 80.000 ont dû être déplacées. 23 ponts reliant Accra aux zones environnantes se sont effondrés et plusieurs routes ont été emportées par les eaux. Ces inondations, les pires que le pays ait connues depuis 1995, ont tué au moins sept personnes et causé des dégâts pour une valeur de plusieurs milliards de cédis, indiquent des sources officielles. (PANA, Sénégal, 29 juin 2001)

* Grands Lacs. Projets du bassin du Nil — La nouvelle organisation du Consortium international pour la coopération sur le Nil (CICN) a  tenu sa première réunion du 26 au 28 juin à Genève, rassemblant la communauté internationale des bailleurs de fonds et les ONG pour soutenir un programme de coopération visant à résoudre les problèmes de la pauvreté, de la dégradation de l’environnement et de l’instabilité. Le but de la réunion était aussi de favoriser le dialogue sur les options et les opportunités pour la gestion et le développement du bassin du Nil. Le consortium regroupe 10 pays se partageant le Nil: Burundi, Congo-RDC, Egypte, Erythrée, Ethiopie, Kenya, Rwanda, Soudan, Tanzanie et Ouganda. Les pays donateurs se sont engagés à un soutien financier initial d’au moins 140 millions de dollars pour financer l’ensemble du projet. (IRIN, Nairobi, 29 juin 2001)

* Guinée. Négociations sous condition... — La rébellion armée guinéenne aux frontières du Libéria et de la Sierra Leone est disposée à la négociation, mais à condition essentielle que le président Lansana Conté quitte le pouvoir, a déclaré le 3 juillet à Dakar son chef du commandement unifié, N’Faly Kaba. On ne peut compter sur l’actuel chef de l’Etat pour développer le pays et l’engager dans un réel processus démocratique, a-t-il ajouté. (PANA, Sénégal, 3 juillet 2001)

* Guinea. Refugees subject to serious abuse — In a report entitled: «Refugees Still At Risk: Continuing Refugee Protection Concerns In Guinea», issued on 5 July, Human Rights Watch said that refugees in Guinea are vulnerable to serious human rights abuse at the hands of Guinean authorities and civilian vigilantes. Guinean security personnel and civilians regularly harass refugees near their camps or as they move through the country to safer areas. Checkpoints along the roads are particularly dangerous locations, where refugees are often subjected to arbitrary strip searches, beatings, sexual assault and extortion. (HRW, 5 July 2001)

* Guinée. Réfugiés victimes d’abus — Les réfugiés en Guinée demeurent exposés à de graves violations des droits de l’homme perpétrées par les autorités guinéennes et des vigiles civils, a déclaré Human Rights Watch dans un rapport publié le 5 juillet. Le personnel guinéen de sécurité et des civils harcèlent régulièrement les réfugiés, près de leurs camps ou lorsqu’ils se déplacent dans le pays en direction d’endroits plus sûrs. Les points de contrôle le long des routes sont des lieux particulièrement dangereux. Les réfugiés y sont soumis à des fouilles au corps, des coups, des agressions sexuelles et des extorsions d’argent. Certains auraient été battus à mort. Pendant dix ans, la Guinée a accueilli plusieurs centaines de milliers de réfugiés, fuyant les conflits au Libéria et en Sierra Leone, l’une des populations réfugiées les plus importantes d’Afrique. Mais de nombreux Guinéens rendent les réfugiés  responsables du conflit actuel à la frontière où, depuis septembre 2000, une alliance de rebelles sierra-léonais et de forces armées libériennes ont attaqué de façon répétée des villages, ainsi que des camps de réfugiés. (Voir le rapport à http://www.hrw.org/french/reports/guinee). (HRW, New York, 5 juillet 2001)

* Guinea. «The door is open for negotiations» — The leader of a rebel Guinean group fighting along the borders with Liberia and Sierra Leone, on 3 July stated that the resignation of President Lansana Conte was the main precondition for negotiations with authorities in Conakry. «We leave the door open for negotiations but we demand the resignation of General Lansana Conte. We shall not waver or compromise on this condition,» said N’Faly Kaba, alias «Fatoulaye», in an exclusive interview with PANA in Dakar. Kaba, who is President of the Union of the Forces for a New Guinea stated: «We can meet Conte, but before that we shall have to inform the mediators about the realities in Guinea.» The rebel leader stressed that his movement had desisted from unleashing total war because of its belief in dialogue. «We know the political mechanisms and combinations in the sub-region. We are wary of certain leaders but we also want to forge links with some of them to avert a tragedy in Guinea», said Kaba. He mentioned Presidents Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Omar Bongo of Gabon and Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia as African leaders who could help in the search for a negotiated settlement in Guinea. «They must not wait until the situation in Guinea deteriorates further before intervening. The solution does lie in the training of forces and sending them as peacekeepers in the Mano River region. Prevention is better,» he added. (PANA, Senegal 3 July 2001)

* Guinée-Bissau. Rapport accablant de l’Onu — La situation politico-militaire en Guinée-Bissau reste encore “volatile et instable” et un nouveau conflit peut dégénérer à tout moment, a estimé dans un rapport daté du 22 juin le représentant spécial du secrétaire général de l’Onu dans ce pays, M. Nana Sinkam. Il est urgent de renforcer les fragiles institutions démocratiques afin de combattre la crise, souligne le rapport. Selon M. Sinkam, la situation est due à la dégradation économique qui s’aggrave de jour en jour. Le mécontentement des militaires est latent en raison du retard dans l’application du programme de démobilisation et de réinsertion des anciens combattants, ainsi qu’aux arriérés de salaire et aux divisions à caractère politique, ethnique ou religieux. Une autre source de malaise est le conflit en Casamance. - D’autre part, le gouvernement chinois a décidé d’éponger au profit de la Guinée-Bissau une dette de $15 millions, a-t-on annoncé de source officielle le 29 juin. (PANA, Sénégal, 28-29 juin 2001)

* Kenya. Projets de loi anti-corruption — Le Kenya, qui a été classé dans le récent rapport de l’observatoire anti-corruption Transparency International à la 5ème place des pays les plus corrompus dans le monde, prépare des lois pour réduire ce fléau. Pour le procureur général du Kenya, ce mal reste cependant un apport des pays développés et de leurs sociétés multinationales. Selon lui, les pays développés ont l’obligation de surveiller les multinationales qui se sont perfectionnées dans l’art de corrompre les leaders des pays pauvres pour obtenir des faveurs. (PANA, Sénégal, 29 juin 2001)

* Kenya. Kenya ponders HIV hanging call — A recent call by President Daniel arap Moi for those who knowingly infect others with HIV to be hanged is prompting a huge debate in Kenya. Several groups including religious figures have cautioned against capital punishment, but others including the Federation of Women Lawyers (Kenya) have come out in favour of President Moi’s suggestion. Speaking at the weekend after a landmark UN summit on AIDS, in New York, President Moi also suggested that rapists should get life imprisonment. «We have to make laws that restrict those who deliberately infect others because young girls cannot protect themselves from such criminals,» he said. «The time has come for those who deliberately infect others to die and those who rape to get life,» the Sunday Nation newspaper quoted the president as saying. (BBC News, UK, 2 July 2001)

* Kenya. Horn food conference opens in Nairobi — A conference opened in Nairobi on 2 July to discuss how to safeguard food supplies in the Horn of Africa. Officials from the World Bank, the United Nations, aid agencies and government representatives will hold three days of talks to discuss implementing a long-term food security plan for the region drawn up by the UN. The meeting follows one held in Rome in March and is being held under the auspices of the World Bank. The UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, asked the World Bank to take a leading role in planning how to mobilise food resources in the Horn of Africa. The meetings were set up after a major famine threatened to engulf large areas of the region following a long drought in 1999 and 2000. Disaster was averted through food distribution by the UN World Food Programme and other donors. (BBC News, UK, 2 July 2001)

* Malawi. Prisonniers graciés — Le 2 juillet, à la veille du 37e anniversaire de l’indépendance du pays (le 6 juillet), le président Muluzi a ordonné la libération de 880 prisonniers de la maison d’arrêt de Zomba. M. Muluzi a effectué une visite  surprise à cette prison, la plus grande du pays, pour se rendre compte des conditions de vie des détenus. Le chef de l’Etat a fait savoir que les prisonniers ayant une bonne conduite et ceux qui sont malades seraient les bénéficiaires de la mesure de grâce. La plupart des 7.000 prisonniers du Malawi, répartis dans diverses institutions carcérales, vivent dans des conditions épouvantables qui les exposent très souvent à des maladies contagieuses. (PANA, Sénégal, 2 juillet 2001)

* Malawi. President frees 880 prisoners — Malawian President Bakili Muluzi has released 880 prisoners as part of activities marking Malawian independence from Britain. There were emotional scenes late on the afternoon of 2 July at Malawi’s main prison, the Zomba Central Prison, where the President was a surprise visitor. The president had undertaken the surprise visit to see the conditions the prisoners were living under. Mr Muluzi said those to benefit from his clemency would be those who had shown good behaviour and those who were sick. Most of Malawi’s estimated 7,500 prisoners live in appalling conditions, often contracting contagious diseases like tuberculosis and scabies. Most live on bare floors. It was for these inmates that the President brought at least 2,000 blankets and donated $27,000 to look into the prisoners’ immediate needs. Soon after the prisoners learnt the country’s President was amongst them, a group of prisoners fell to their knees, chanting: «Forgive us, boss, we have repented, we won’t do it again.» The President stole the moment by ordering the immediate release of three women. One of them confessed to the President she was doing time for stealing a baby because she was barren, while the other two were in prison for beating up other women in fits of jealousy. Perhaps the most heart-rending moment was when the President cuddled a young baby who was born in the prison. The President ordered that the prisoners should be released by Thursday 5 July, in time for Friday’s Independence Day celebrations scheduled to take place in the northern city of Mzuzu. (BBC News, UK, 3 July 2001)

* Mali/Guinée. Conférence islamique — La 28e Conférence islamique des ministres des Affaires étrangères de l’Organisation de la conférence islamique (OCI), qui a pris fin le 27 juin à Bamako, a dans une de ses résolutions, dénoncé “l’agression dont est victime la Guinée”. Se disant préoccupés par la recrudescence des attaques armées contre la Guinée, les ministres se disent solidaires de la Guinée. Ils invitent l’OCI à “s’impliquer dans la recherche de solutions afin de mettre définitivement un terme à ces agressions”. - Les ministres se sont aussi félicités de la décision des pays du Sahel de mettre sur pied des commissions nationales de lutte contre la prolifération d’armes légères, et ont invité les Etats africains à renforcer leur coopération en vue d’éradiquer ce trafic illicite. (PANA, 28 juin 2001)

* Mali. President faces tough challenge — A former Malian prime minister has launched a new political party representing the stiffest challenge yet to President Alpha Oumar Konare in next year’s elections. Boubakar Keita’s new party, the Rally for Mali, is the 74th to register, and has caused a split in the ruling Adema party, of which Mr Keita was a member. Twenty thousand people attended the launch of Mr Keita’s party. Such was the state of excitement that Mr Keita’s bodyguards found it almost impossible to clear a path through the crowd for him to make his way to the podium. Mr Keita will doubtless be one of the most formidable presidential candidates in Mali’s elections, due in eight months time. The Rally for Mali is now the second most powerful party in the National Assembly, with about 30 parliamentary deputies leaving Adema to join the new party. The support for Mr Keita’s party comes almost exclusively from disaffected members of Adema. This is partly because his sphere of influence remains with the ruling party, given that he was so close to President Konare for so long. It is thought that the alliance between the two men crumbled after Mr Keita refused to support the president in his quest for a third term. Although Mr Konare has always denied that he wants to stand for a third term, there have been reports that he would like to, despite that fact that the constitution forbids it. (BBC News, UK, 3 July 2001)

* Mali. Trafic d’enfants passible de prison — Le Mali, un des premiers fournisseurs de main-d’oeuvre enfantine, vient d’adopter un texte punissant de cinq à vingt ans de prison les trafiquants. Des enfants, achetés à leur famille, travaillent dans les plantations de café ou de cacao des pays voisins plus riches (Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria) ou comme domestiques. (La Croix, France, 3 juillet 2001)

* Morocco/France. Moroccan dissident’s murder exposed — Revelations have been emerging in France and Morocco about a political intrigue that has remained unresolved since the mid 1960s. The story involves the unexplained disappearance of the Moroccan opposition leader, Mehdi Ben Barka, while he was in exile in Paris. The French newspaper, Le Monde, and a Moroccan magazine, Le Journal, have jointly published evidence suggesting that French and Moroccan intelligence hid details of Mr Ben Barka’s apparent murder and the subsequent disposal of his body in a bath full of acid. A leftist opposition leader, Mr Ben Barka was a thorn in the side of the Moroccan government in the 1960s at a time when the country was politically repressive and the new king, Hassan II, was trying to assert his authority. Mr Ben Barka fled to France, whereupon a Moroccan court sentenced him in absentia to death. Mr Ben Barka seemed set to live his life in exile, and then  suddenly, in October 1965, he was abducted in broad daylight from a Paris cafe. He was never seen again, and his fate has been the subject of much speculation ever since. The French newspaper, Le Monde, has just published the results of an exhaustive enquiry in which, for the first time, both senior Moroccan and French intelligence officials have corroborated key details. They make startling reading. The paper concludes that Moroccan intelligence hatched a plot to kidnap Mr Ben Barka, but that things got out of hand. Mr Ben Barka is said to have been tortured to death in a French hideaway at the hands of the Moroccan security chief, General Oufkir. With French official connivance, the body was flown to Rabat, where officials are quoted as confirming that it was disposed of in a bath of acid. (BBC News, UK, 1 July 2001)

* Maroc. Commissaire européen en visite — Le commissaire européen au Commerce Pascal Lamy est arrivé le 28 juin au Maroc pour une visite de travail de trois jours destinée notamment à exprimer “l’appui constant” de l’Union européenne à un pays considéré comme “partenaire privilégié”. Le Maroc et l’UE sont liés depuis mars 2000 par un accord d’association qui prévoit un démantèlement douanier progressif et la création d’une zone de libre-échange à l’horizon 2010. L’UE est le premier et principal partenaire commercial du Royaume dont elle absorbe 70% des exportations et fournit 60% de ses importations. Selon le quotidien casablancais l’Economiste, M. Lamy souhaite promouvoir les investissements européens qu’il juge insuffisants, favoriser la suppression des nombreuses entraves administratives au Maroc, et relancer un processus euro-méditerranéen qui “bouge dans le bon sens mais pas assez vite”. (AP, 28 juin 2001)

* Morocco. 134 million dollars raised against drought — The Moroccan government has mobilised about 134 million US dollars to fight the effects of drought in the country, State television has announced. The amount comes under the third phase of a national programme set up by the government to help farmers severely affected by drought. The credits will finance investment and employment in the agricultural sector, water supply to villages and the protection of forests against degradation, the Television quoted Agriculture Minister Ismail Alaoui as saying. Alaoui said the government has also released 1.2 billion dirhams to alleviate the farmers’ debt burden. (11 dirhams=1USD). (PANA, Senegal, 3 July 2001)

* Mozambique. Overhauling Mozambique’s health system — The Sant’Egidio Community of Rome has initiated a plan to combat AIDS in Mozambique, entailing an overhaul of the country’s health system. Launched in December with an investment of more than $1 million, the project provides for European doctors, members of Sant’Egidio, to work in Mozambique. Leonardo Palombi,  associate professor of epidemiology at Rome’s Tor Vergata University, is collaborating in the project. He said: «AIDS is literally mowing down the young African generations, the continent’s new forces. In the sub-Saharan area, there are 15 million people who are sick. In Mozambique, we have 1.25 million out of a population of 18 million.» To keep down the costs, the project uses medicines with the same active ingredients as those of the best-known AIDS medicines, following an initiative carried out on a large scale in Brazil and India. The project also has financed the restructuring of the country’s three main pharmaceutical laboratories, in the cities of Maputo, Beira and Nampula, especially in order to offer accurate blood analyses. Health personnel will be trained, and hospital equipment modernized. Improvements will also be made in maternity departments. Each year, almost 25,000 of the country’s 800,000 newborns are seropositive. (Zenit, Italy, 2 July 2001)

* Mozambique. Aide japonaise — Le Japon a annoncé le 28 juin qu’il allait débloquer 2,8 milliards de yens (environ $26,6 millions) pour des projets de développement dans le centre et le sud du Mozambique. La subvention servira à la construction ou la rénovation d’écoles, et à la réhabilitation d’un vaste programme d’irrigation. (PANA, Sénégal, 29 juin 2001)