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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 13-09-2001

PART #1/4 - From AFRICA to ANGOLA

* Africa. Durban Conference — the final days

6 September: South African mediators are making frantic last-minute efforts to prevent a United Nations global racism conference in Durban from ending in failure. The European Union is threatening to join America and Israel in walking out of the conference over Arab proposals for a statement on the Middle East. And there is still deadlock over African demands for reparations for the slave trade. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he regrets the lack of balanced discussion at the conference but still thinks consensus can be reached. A UN spokeswoman has suggested that talks may extend beyond midnight on 7 September. The UN would desperately like some sort of consensus document to emerge from this often fractious conference. More gloom was cast over proceedings this evening when Arab states rejected a compromise text on the Middle East aimed at preventing the European Union walk-out. A Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesman says the revised text marks real progress, although European delegates are still not entirely happy with it. 7 September: European and African countries have reportedly reached a compromise over the vexed issue of slavery. European countries are to apologise for slavery as a «crime against humanity» says a South African official. They will also offer a package of economic assistance to Africa says South African minister, Geraldine Frasier-Moleketi. EU spokesman Koen Vervaeke also says a deal had been reached, but declined to give details. Another South African official says the form of words would not imply any legal liability for slavery, so those making the apology would not be liable to pay reparations. But an agreement has yet to be reached on the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Amnesty International says that despite serious problems and disputes which have marred the event, the Conference has achieved some important successes. 8 September:The Conference continues into an unscheduled extra day, to allow delegates to reach a final agreement. Delegates finally manage to adopt a Declaration and action plan to combat racism and xenophobia.

(ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 September 2001)

* Africa. Durban Conference — Successes and failures

What has been achieved: The Conference: 1. Puts on record in an international document the full enormity of the slave trade, and confirms that the world owed the victims of that trade, support and help, to restore their dignity and repair the damage slavery did. — 2. Endorses the principles that cultural diversity should be valued and supported - that the children of minority groups should be educated in their own language and their own culture. — 3. Urges countries to tackle racism in their criminal justice systems. — 4 Addresses the question of migrants and asylum seekers, enshrining the principle that countries should not discriminate between them on grounds of race. Feelings of failure: 1. There was a last-minute wrangle between Arab countries and Europe over three paragraphs that mentioned colonisation by settlers and foreign occupation as a source of racism. — 2. Few people present in Durban are fully satisfied. The African group never got the clear apology for slavery it wanted from the descendants of those who profited. The Arab group did not get the platform they wanted to make their point about Israel. Europe did not quite escape the notion that it was up to them to make reparations for the past.

(ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 September 2001)

* Afrique. Conférence mondiale sur le racisme

Le 6 septembre, l’Afrique du Sud a soumis un nouveau projet de déclaration, dernier espoir pour sortir la conférence de l’impasse. Concernant le Proche-Orient, il rappelle que “l’holocauste ne doit jamais être oublié”; il reconnaît d’une part “le droit inaliénable du peuple palestinien à l’autodétermination et à l’établissement d’un Etat indépendant”, mais d’autre part “le droit à la sécurité de tous les Etats de la région, y compris Israël”. Quant à l’esclavage et le colonialisme, un nouveau texte de compromis a également été rédigé. Toutefois, si l’Union européenne se dit prête à intensifier sa collaboration avec l’Afrique dans le cadre d’une “nouvelle initiative pour l’Afrique”, certains pays européens craignent toujours que des “excuses” n’engendrent des conséquences juridiques. Tard dans la soirée, ces efforts pour sauver la conférence n’avaient toujours pas abouti. - 7 septembre. Le vendredi soir, les participants s’acheminaient toujours vers un accord minimal et l’adoption d’une déclaration finale était repoussée vers le samedi. Et le 8 septembre, un compromis a finalement été obtenu à l’arraché. Sur le Proche-Orient il mentionne le droit des Palestiniens à l’autodétermination, le droit au retour des réfugiés et à la sécurité de tous dans la région “y compris Israël”. Le sionisme n’est pas condamné. D’autre part, le texte “reconnaît que l’esclavage est un crime contre l’humanité”, mais les anciennes puissances coloniales ne présentent pas des “excuses”, mais seulement des “remords” et des “regrets”. L’accord ne comprend pas non plus le terme “réparations”, mais il encourage la communauté internationale à accroître l’aide au développement pour compenser les “injustices historiques”. La conférence condamne aussi le fait que l’esclavage et des pratiques analogues existent encore aujourd’hui et prie les Etats de prendre des “mesures immédiates” pour mettre fin à ces pratiques.

(ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10 septembre 2001)

* Africa. Poor care is «killing babies»

Eight babies in the first month of their lives die every minute world-wide, a report shows. The research by the charity Save The Children blames inadequate health care. It has called on governments to improve access to vaccinations, provide basic hygiene equipment and promote breastfeeding. Causes of new-born death Infections 32% Birth complications 29% Prematurity 24% Birth defects 10% Global child death rates have been reduced by 14% over the past decade. But Charles MacCormack, Save The Children‘s president, said new-born death rates remained «staggeringly high». The charity studied new-born babies in 163 countries. Its report is published a week before a United Nations Special Session on Children in New York. Since the last UN children’s meeting in 1990, deaths among children under five have been slashed by a third. But Save The Children hopes this year’s summit will focus on the four million new-born babies who die each year. Mortality rates vary hugely around the world. In the West African country of Mali, 60 new-born babies out of every 1,000 die, compared with only five in 1,000 in the United States. Part of the problem is that around 53 million women give birth each year without professional help. Save The Children has set up a project called Saving Newborn Lives which aims to help improve care for mothers before, during and after birth. The charity says all mothers should have access to a simple delivery kit that would help limit infection at the birth.

(BBC News, UK, 11 September 2001)

* Africa. Action against the Media

Congo RDC: On 6 September, Journalists in Danger (Kinshasa) said that Innocent Prospère Mbumba, provincial director of the weekly, L’Eveil, was arrested on 30 August and is being detained in one of the National Information Agency’s provincial bureau’s underground cells. He was released the same day. Guinea-Bissau: In a letter (11 September) to the Public Prosecutor, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) expressed concern over threats he made against journalists from the private radio station Radio Pidjiquiti. Kenya: On 4 September, a High Court in Kenya extended an interim injunction restraining Text Book Centre from further distributing the book «Rogue Ambassador», by former US Ambassador to Kenya, Smith Hemptstone. — On 7 September, the Network for the Defence of the Independent Media in Africa reported that on 4 September, prison authorities at King’ong’o prison in Nyeri District, had prevented journalists from covering the hearing of a case against the only survivor of an incident in which six inmates died. The visit to the prison came during the first anniversary of the incident which took place on 4 September 2000. Morocco: The government of Morocco seized the 6 September issue of the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. Swaziland: On 30 August, Swaziland senators lashed out against the Sunday edition of the Times of Swaziland, accusing it of publishing derogatory articles which incite the population to hate the monarchy. Sudan: On 11 September, the authorities ordered the temporary suspension of Sudan’s only English-language newspaper, the Khartoum Monitor, because of inflammatory articles published by the paper. Tanzania: On 4 September, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) reported that twelve journalists had been arrested by police in the Tarime District of Mara in the space of eight days for attempting to report on conflicts between two ethnic clans. The journalists have either now been released and their equipment confiscated or are out on bail. Tunisia: On 6 September, the World Association of Newspapers wrote to President Ben Ali, expressing serious concern at the authorities’ refusal to permit journalist Sihem Bensedrine from leaving the country. RSF has also protested against the travel ban. Zimbabwe: On 11 September, MISA reported that on 8 September, two Bulawayo-based journalists were arrested and detained for an hour for allegedly trespassing into a police station.

(ANB-BIA, Brussels, 12 September 2001)

* Afrique/Etats-Unis. Consternation

Les attentats survenus le 11 septembre à New York et Washington, ont provoqué une condamnation générale en Afrique de la part aussi bien des gouvernements que des citoyens ordinaires qui ont exprimé leur profonde consternation. La plupart des gouvernements, y compris la Libye, ont condamné cet acte sans réserves. Ainsi, le président sénégalais a exprimé sa consternation et son indignation; le colonel Kadhafi a qualifié l’attaque de “terrible” et a présenté ses condoléances; le secrétaire exécutif de la SADC a condamné tous les actes de terrorisme; le président ghanéen a exprimé sa sympathie au peuple américain; le président sud-africain a appelé la communauté internationale à s’unir contre le terrorisme international; la Tanzanie, le Nigeria, le Malawi, le Niger, le Mozambique, le Congo-Kinshasa, le Soudan, le Kenya, la Mauritanie, l’Algérie, le Maroc ont condamné les attentats terroristes. Dans divers pays, les dispositifs de sécurité ont été renforcés autour des ambassades américaines.

(D’après PANA, Sénégal, 12 septembre 2001)

* Africa. Reactions to USA attacks

From the BBC News: Many Africans have condemned the attacks on the USA (11 September) but some Muslim groups in northern Nigeria have been celebrating. The BBC‘s Ibrahim Dosara in Zamfara says that groups opposed to the US policy in the Middle East say it is now paying the consequences. But Kenyans are being reminded of the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi and the BBC‘s Grey Phombeah says they have received the news with shock. Other Africans are concerned about friends and family who are now living in the USA. Sierra Leone‘s Information Minister told the BBC‘s Focus on Africa that: «People are flabbergasted.» He said that people are crowded around radio sets and televisions for the latest news. Kenya‘s President Daniel arap Moi said that terrorism can never be the basis for the solution of any conflict. But some Kenyans who feel that the USA should pay compensation for the injuries they suffered will watch closely how US victims are treated. «Maybe the Americans will now get a taste of what we went through,» said Consolata Wanjiru Mugo, who was injured in the Kenyan blast. «They will feel what it was like as innocent people to be attacked in this way. It will be quite interesting to see how they treat their own people, compared to the way they have treated us.» In recent years, South Africa has also been hit by terrorist attacks and South Africa Airways has responded by immediately cancelling all flights to the USA. The militant Muslim group, People Against Gangsterism and Drugs, PAGAD, which has been accused of responsibility for some of the bombings, declined to comment on the US attacks. Tanzania: The Foreign Minister says: «Having suffered terrorist attacks ourselves, we feel and understand what the Americans must be experiencing». Egypt: President Mubarak has sent his condolences to the American people, calling the attacks «horrific» and «unimaginable». The Governments of Ghana and Sierra Leone have also expressed their condolences. From Panapress: Libya‘s leader, President Gaddafi, has described the bombings in the USA as «terrifying». He has appealed to the entire world to put humanitarian ahead of political considerations during conflicts, and has called for the mobilisation of humanitarian assistance towards the bombing victims. President Wade of Senegal has expressed shock and indignation at the presumed terrorist strike in the USA. Congo RDC: President Kabila has sent a condolence message to President Bush. Burkina Faso: The Inter-Parliamentary Union currently meeting in Ouagadougou has expressed «consternation» following the terrorist attacks. Also President Compaore has condemned the terrorist attacks. Mozambique: Mozambique has strongly condemned the terrorist attack and offered its solidarity with the US and people, particularly with the victims and their families. Cape Verde, Sudan, Mali, Benin, Morocco and many other countries have offered their condolences.

(ANB-BIA, Brussels, 13 September 2001)

* Afrique. Sommet en octobre

Un sommet des quatre chefs d’Etat africains qui ont lancé la “Nouvelle initiative africaine” se tiendra à Bruxelles le 10 octobre prochain, a annoncé le porte-parole du ministère belge des Affaires étrangères le 12 septembre. Les présidents Obasanjo du Nigeria, Bouteflika d’Algérie, Mbeki d’Afrique du Sud, Wade du Sénégal, ainsi que Konaré du Mali (invité), devraient participer à la réunion organisée par la Belgique qui assure la présidence de l’Union européenne, à laquelle ils présenteront la nouvelle initiative. Le sommet aura lieu à la veille de la réunion ministérielle conjointe euro-africaine qui préparera le 2ème sommet Afrique-Europe en 2002 à Athènes. En juillet dernier, l’UE a décidé de soutenir cette Nouvelle initiative africaine.

(PANA, Sénégal, 12 septembre 2001)

* Afrique. Mines

Le 12 septembre, la Campagne internationale contre les mines (ICBL) a présenté son rapport annuel 2001, qui trace un bilan plutôt positif. Il relève des avancées considérables dans la lutte contre ces armes aveugles, notamment une diminution du nombre des victimes, le recul de l’utilisation des mines et une chute de leur production, ainsi qu’une augmentation constante des pays adhérents à la cause anti-mines. Il reste néanmoins des points noirs. Un certain nombre de pays sont montrés du doigt, et notamment en Afrique: l’Ouganda, le Congo-Kinshasa, l’Angola, l’Ethiopie, le Soudan, le Rwanda et le Burundi. Et seuls 28 des 120 pays adhérents ont transmis la convention d’interdiction des mines dans leur droit national.

(D’après La Libre Belgique, 13 septembre 2001)

* Algiers. Suspected fundamentalists kill 10 near Oran

Suspected Islamic fundamentalists on 8 September killed 10 people and wounded nine others, five of them seriously in Arzew near Oran, 450 km west of Algiers, Algerian security services disclosed on 9 September. According to these security services, the victims were performing wake prayers, when an armed group gunned them down at 8 PM GMT. More than 200 people have been killed during violent attacks in Algeria this year. A senior Algerian official predicted an upsurge of violence, in an article published Saturday by the local Quotidien d’Oran. According to him, Algeria will continue to experience the acts of violence perpetrated by «terrorist groups» just like Spain, Northern Ireland or the United States of America. The official estimated the number of «terrorists» still active in the country at between 600 and 800.

(PANA, Senegal, 9 September 2001)

* Algérie. Les tueries se suivent

Les tueries se suivent dans les grandes villes algériennes. Le samedi soir 8 septembre, 11 personnes ont été assassinées et 8 autres blessées par un groupe armé dans une cité à la périphérie d’Arzew, un port pétrolier proche d’Oran. Elles ont été surprises au cours de la prière lors d’une veillée funèbre. Ce carnage est l’un des plus importants qu’ait connu la préfecture d’Oran ces dernières années. Attribuées officiellement aux islamistes, les violences actuelles, qui ont aussi touché Alger pour la première fois depuis deux ans, ont fait plus de 170 morts en trois semaines. La presse hostile à la concorde civile du chef de l’Etat accuse cette loi d’être à l’origine des violences, car elle conduit “les services de sécurité et la population à relâcher leur vigilance”. - Le dimanche, le ministre de l’Intérieur, Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni, qui s’est rendu a Arzew, a évalué de 500 à 600 le nombre d’islamistes armés encore en activité en Algérie, tout en affirmant que ces derniers “n’ont pas d’autres solutions que de se rendre ou de se suicider”. Selon lui, les groupes terroristes tentent de cacher leurs faiblesses en s’adonnant à des actes spectaculaires pour créer une psychose chez la population. Il a toutefois reconnu qu’il n’est pas aisé de localiser ces groupes. - Le lundi 10 septembre, huit personnes ont encore été tuées dans des violences attribuées aux groupes islamistes, six près de Jijel, sur la côte est d’Alger, et deux en Kabylie. D’autre part, selon Le Quotidien d’Oran, une vingtaine de bombes auraient été désamorcées la semaine dernière à Alger, où près de 80 alertes à la bombe ont été enregistrées.

(ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 13 septembre 2001)

* Angola. Menace de famine

Au moins un million d’Angolais sont menacés de famine et de malnutrition dans les mois qui viennent si des donations de nourriture ne sont pas faites rapidement, a annoncé le 7 septembre le Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM). La guerre civile a contraint des milliers de personnes à quitter leurs maisons et a limité l’accès à des zones situées en dehors des capitales provinciales, a déclaré le directeur du PAM en Angola. Les Etats-Unis se sont engagés la semaine dernière à envoyer 24.000 tonnes de maïs, mais ce n’est pas suffisant pour répondre aux besoins actuels, a-t-il affirmé. Il a lancé un appel à d’autres pays pour envoyer de la nourriture.

(AP, 7 septembre 2001)

* Angola. Food warning

The World Food Programme (WFP) says that at least one million Angolans face the prospect of serious malnutrition in the coming months unless donors pledge more food aid within the next four weeks. About one million people displaced by war are dependent on food supplied by the United Nations agency. Continuing instability is forcing more and more Angolans to leave their farms and seek emergency assistance. The WFP‘s country director for Angola, Ronald Sibanda, said the UN food agency was battling every month to secure enough food to prevent people from going hungry. He warned of a massive hole in the WFP‘s food supply line which would hit hard in January next year. Last week the United States said it was donating more than 20,000 tonnes of corn for distribution in Angola. But the WFP said that this was not enough to meet the current needs of its operation and hoped other countries would also make donations.

(BBC News, UK, 7 September 2001)

* Angola. Offensive rebelle

6 septembre. Une importante offensive a été lancée ces derniers jours par les rebelles de l’Unita dans les zones centrales du pays, indique l’agence Misna. Selon des sources locales, le nombre des victimes n’a pas encore été précisé, mais risque d’être dramatique. De nombreuses personnes ont disparu. Les attaques sont concentrées dans les zones de Benguela (450 km au sud de Luanda) et de Biè (plus de 600 km au sud-ouest de la capitale). Mais les rebelles ont aussi attaqué des zones à quelques dizaines de km de Luanda. La situation empire de jour en jour, et les rebelles terrorisent la population sans être entravés. L’armée gouvernementale reste étrangement passive. - Le 11 septembre, 24 personnes ont été tuées et 27 blessées dans une attaque attribuée aux rebelles de l’Unita contre le village de Longonjo, dans la province de Huambo (sud), selon la radio catholique Ecclesia.

(ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 13 septembre 2001)

* Angola/Zimbabwe. Usines d’armement?

Le week-end dernier, 8-9 septembre, l’Angola et le Zimbabwe se sont prononcé à Luanda pour la création d’entreprises communes d’armement, a indiqué une source militaire angolaise à l’AFP sous le couvert de l’anonymat. Les concertations vont se poursuivre. L’Angola et le Zimbabwe soutiennent militairement le régime de Kinshasa dans la guerre congolaise. L’Angola est en outre en guerre depuis 1975 contre les rebelles de l’Unita.

(La Libre Belgique, 11 septembre 2001)