ANB-BIA - Av. Charles Woeste 184 - 1090 Bruxelles - Belgium
TEL **.32.2/420 34 36 fax /420 05 49 E-Mail: anb-bia@village.uunet.be
_____________________________________________________________
WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 22-11-2001

PART #2/4 - From CONGO RDC to LIBYA

* Congo (RDC). Déploiement de la Monuc — Le 14 novembre, le représentant de l’Onu en RDC, M. Amos Namanga Ngongi, a annoncé que la mission de l’Onu au Congo (Monuc) dépêchera une force de maintien de l’ordre à Kisangani après la démilitarisation décidée par les Nations unies. Cette présence onusienne n’y supprimera toutefois pas le contrôle administratif du mouvement rebelle RCD. La Monuc assurera que l’aéroport ne soit pas utilisé à des fins militaires. M. Ngongi a indiqué aussi que la phase III des opérations de la Monuc a déjà commencé, notamment avec l’envoi d’équipes à Kindu, où seront déployés près de 2.000 casques bleus. La présence effective des troupes de l’Onu dans cette ville est annoncée pour la mi-décembre. La Monuc compte aujourd’hui 3.352 casques bleus en RDC sur les 5.537 prévus. A Kisangani, la Monuc participera à la formation de centaines de policiers congolais nécessaires au maintien de la sécurité publique. Un petit noyau a déjà commencé ce même travail à Kinshasa. D’autre part, la Monuc a entrepris à la base militaire de Kamina (Katanga) le recrutement et l’identification des ex-combattants rwandais. - D’autre part, des sources diplomatiques à Kinshasa, citées par l’agence indépendante APA, rapportent que l’archevêque de Kisangani, Mgr Monsengwo, pourrait être désigné comme cofacilitateur du Dialogue intercongolais aux côtés du chef de l’Etat gabonais Omar Bongo, pour compléter l’équipe de l’ancien président du Botswana Ketumile Masire. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 17 novembre 2001)

* Congo (RDC)/Belgium. The Lumumba inquiry — Belgian government ministers bore «moral responsibility» for events leading to the murder of the Congolese independence leader, Patrice Lumumba in 1961, a parliamentary inquiry found on 16 November. In a messy, controversial end to 40 years of soul-searching about one of darkest chapters of the country’s colonial past, members of Parliament said that King Baudouin knew of the plans to get rid of the charismatic African leader, but did nothing to save him. (...). Dan Schalk, a Socialist MP called for a debate on the role of the royal family in the light of the inquiry. «Even if Belgium didn’t explicitly order Lumumba’s death in writing,» he said, «it refrained from asking for him to be kept alive when it knew exactly what awaited him». (The Guardian, UK, 17 November 2001)

* Congo (RDC). Délégation européenne — Une délégation européenne quittera Bruxelles le 20 novembre pour une visite dans six pays africains impliqués dans le conflit en RDC. Elle comprendra les ministres belge et espagnol des Affaires étrangères, MM. Michel et Piqué, ainsi que M. Solana, haut représentant de l’UE pour la politique extérieure, et M. Patten, commissaire européen chargé des relations extérieures. Du 20 au 26 novembre, elle se rendra en RDC, en Angola, au Zimbabwe, au Burundi, au Rwanda et en Ouganda. En RDC, elle se rendra à Kinshasa, Gbadolite, Goma et Kamina. (PANA, Sénégal, 19 novembre 2001)

* Congo (RDC). Le pillage continue — Le pillage du Congo-Kinshasa par ses voisins impliqués dans la guerre sur son sol “continue sans rémission, comme avant”, indique un groupe d’experts des Nations unies dans un rapport additionnel du 19 novembre. Les experts, qui relèvent l’implication d’un “grand nombre” de responsables gouvernementaux et “le prétexte de préoccupations sécuritaires” pour poursuivre la prédation, recommandent un embargo sur la vente des matières précieuses (diamants, or, bois...) en provenance de ces pays. Le rapport, soumis au Conseil de sécurité, accuse le Rwanda et l’Ouganda de chercher à “amasser autant de richesses que possible” en armant des “forces irrégulières” au Congo pour continuer à justifier leur présence militaire. Parmi les alliés du régime de Kinshasa, le Zimbabwe est cité comme le prédateur le plus actif. (Le Monde, France, 21 novembre 2001)

* Congo (RDC). 15 tués dans le nord-est — Le conflit ethnique entre Hema et Lendu semble recommencer. Selon l’agence DIA, un communiqué de la communauté hema a signalé le massacre de 15 personnes à Libi, chef-lieu de la collectivité des Walendu-Pitsi (100 km au nord de Bunia), le 16 novembre. Parmi les victimes, une religieuse congolaise, deux étudiants et un inspecteur du travail. Le document rappelle d’autres cas similaires qui ont eu lieu dans la même localité ou dans les environs. Il a lancé un appel en faveur de la paix: «La population, qui souffre des conséquences de la guerre entre les tribus que certains individus veulent imposer, demande l’intervention de toutes les instances». D’autres sources confirment une insécurité croissante dans la ville même de Bunia, où certains organismes humanitaires ont reçu des menaces ces derniers temps. (D’après DIA, Kinshasa, 21 novembre 2001)

* Congo (RDC). Foreign armies perpetuating warfare — Despite UN warnings, foreign armies are perpetuating warfare in the Congo so they can continue plundering the country’s gold, diamonds, timber, cobalt and other resources, a UN panel reported on 19 November. The initial motivation for Rwanda and Uganda to intervene in the central African nation was to secure its borders while Zimbabwean troops came at the request of the government. But over time the lure of natural resources became «the primary motive» for staying in many areas of the country and perpetuating warfare, the expert panel said. «This holds true for both government allies as well as rebel supporters,» it said in a 38-page report. The Congo’s civil war, which is gradually subsiding, saw Rwanda and Uganda supporting rebel groups trying to topple the Kinshasa government, which was propped up by troops from Zimbabwe as well as Angola and Namibia. The main parties have generally honoured a cease-fire since last April, but warfare continues among a variety of armed groups. The panel said Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe as well as the government apparently tolerated some of these conflicts as an excuse to maintain their armies and exploit resources. The five-member panel was established by the UN Security Council to investigate the relationship between the war and natural resources. It submitted its first report in April, criticized by some council members as being disjointed. The panel, with some changes in personnel, on 19 November produced a more organized, documented report, which came to similar conclusions about the heavy involvement of Rwanda and Uganda in carrying off the country’s riches. But it also elaborated on the role of Zimbabwe, the mainstay of government support, saying its joint ventures with Kinshasa appear to benefit Zimbabwean army and government officials as well as some Congolese rather than the general population in either country. The panel recommended a moratorium on the Congo’s coltan, diamond, gold, coper, cobalt, timber and coffee originating from areas where foreign troops are present as well as regions under control of the rebels. It said all concessions and contracts signed by the government of the late Laurent Kabila should be reviewed under UN Security Council supervision. (CNN, USA, 20 November 2001)

* Congo (RDC). Efforts to stabilise the situation — 20 November: A delegation from the European Union led by Belgian Foreign minister Louis Michel, leaves Brussels, today, for a tour of six African countries involved in the Congolese conflict. Apart from Michel, the delegation includes Javier Solana who is EU senior representative for common foreign and security policy, EU foreign relations commissioner Chris Patten, and Spanish foreign minister Josep Pique. The delegation will from 20 to 26 November visit Congo RDC, Angola, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. In Congo RDC, the delegation will visit Kinshasa, Gbadolite, Goma and Kamina where it will assess the disarming of Rwandan fighters currently under the surveillance of the UN Observer Mission in Congo (MONUC). — President Joseph Kabila has signed a decree extending for six months the deadline for registering their political parties with the interior ministry. According to sources close to the ministry, that extension is an illustration of the regime’s desire to put all political parties on an equal footing, given the opposition parties’ traditional reluctance to submit to that regulation. The parties object to the new regulation on the pretext that they registered during the late President Mobutu Sese Seko’s regime. Registered during the failed democratic process in 1990, the opposition parties, led by the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) of Etienne Tshisekedi, believe that their official recognition was covered by the law of 18 July 1990. Meanwhile, the interior ministry has revealed that only 247 out of the 443 political parties registered with the various regimes have been given notice to resume their activities. — The Congo RDC Congo government has denounced and condemned the 16 November tragic acts that occurred in Wembo- Nyama (eastern Kasai) where a joint force of the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) and the Congolese Liberation Movement (MLC) killed four people and injured 17 others. The killings, the government said, were contrary to a resolution of the UN Security Council relating to disarmament, demobilisation, repatriation, relocation and the reintegration of armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 21 November 2001)

* Côte d’Ivoire. Médiations dans la crise — Le 20 novembre, Mme Diabaté, la secrétaire générale du Rassemblement des républicains (le parti d’Alassane Ouattara), a exprimé la disponibilité de son parti pour la réconciliation nationale en Côte d’Ivoire. Elle a fait cette déclaration à Dakar, où elle avait été reçue par le président Wade, qui conduirait une médiation entre les protagonistes de la crise ivoirienne. D’autre part, le 21 novembre, l’ancien président ivoirien, le général Robert Gueï, à l’issue d’un entretien avec le président togolais Eyadéma, a annoncé qu’il pourrait participer au forum national de réconciliation en cours. (D’après PANA, Sénégal, 20-21 novembre 2001)

* Côte d’Ivoire. RDR on the offensive — 20 November: An Ivorian opposition politician, Henriette Dagri Diabate, has given a positive assessment of the ongoing national reconciliation forum that opened 9 October in Cote d’Ivoire. «On the whole, we have seen the forum move towards reconciliation. We can say that there were highlights. Halfway, we cannot despair of the meeting», Diabate, secretary general of the Rally for Republicans (RDR) says. The forum is aimed to resolve the political and social crisis that developed in Côte d’Ivoire since the 24 December 1999 military overthrow of President Henri Konan Bedie. «Our demands are addressed to the government authorities for things to be done as simply as possible,» she says, noting that chairman Seydou Elimane Diarra of the forum, with whom her party has no qualms, is making concrete efforts for reconciliation. 21 November: The RDR announces it will take to the streets again with demands that its leader be rehabilitated. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 22 November 2001)

* Egypt. EU aid called for — Egypt has asked the European Union to help overcome its short term liquidity problems as its economy becomes a casualty of the war against terrorism. In a grim presentation of the impact on the Egyptian economy of the September 11 attacks, Atef Ebeid, the prime minister, told top officials from the EU at the weekend that the country was expected to lose up to $2.5bn in revenues this year. The EU delegation was led by Romano Prodi, the Commission president, Javier Solana, the EU‘s top foreign policy chief, and Guy Verhofstadt, prime minister of Belgium which holds the EU‘s rotating presidency. The group was on a packed three-day visit to the region. The main aim was to shore up support for the Mitchell Commission report, which set out a coherent path leading to an eventual resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. The report was fully endorsed by Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, and Yassir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, but has still to be implemented. Ahmed Maher, the Egyptian foreign minister, said it was «total nonsense» by Mr Sharon to insist on seven days of non-violence as a condition for putting in place a ceasefire. «We just can’t condition the peace process on a veto by the Israelis,» he said. During talks with Mr Ebeid, Mr Maher and President Hosni Mubarak, EU officials were briefed about Egypt’s economic problems. Egypt has now short-term liquidity problems, making it difficult to buy basic commodities such as wheat, grain, sugar and vegetable oil. It has asked the EU to provide some of these commodities. It has also asked the EU to speed up the disbursal of some E615m ($549m). This sum was earmarked by Brussels for helping to modernise the Egyptian economy. (Financial Times, UK, 19 November 2001)

* Guinée. Plébiscite contesté — Selon les résultats officiels, 98,36% des Guinéens ont répondu “oui” au référendum du 11 novembre, supprimant la limitation du nombre de mandats présidentiels. Plus de 87% des électeurs auraient participé au scrutin, ce que conteste vivement l’opposition qui avait appelé au boycottage. Cet amendement de la Constitution ouvre la voie à une “présidence à vie” pour Lansana Conté. (Libération, France, 16 novembre 2001)

* Kenya. Ethnic dispute flares up — Tribal clashes sparked by a land dispute in southern Kenya have left 14 people dead and 13 seriously injured, according to the police. Violence erupted on 18 November in the Tana River district when armed cattle herders of the Orma community attacked Pokomo tribespeople, who are mainly farmers. Police spokesman Peter Kimanthi said among the dead, eight were from the Pokomo tribe and six were Orma herdsmen. Almost 200 people fled their homes to escape the fighting and were hiding in a local church in Tarasaa. More than 50 heavily armed police officers were sent to the district to restore calm. The situation was reportedly brought under control, and police were searching for those responsible, but there have as yet been no arrests. (BBC News, UK, 19 November 2001)

* Kenya. Violences à Tana — Le bilan des heurts survenus les 18 et 19 novembre dans le district du fleuve Tana (centre-est du Kenya) fait état d’au moins 14 morts. Selon la presse locale, des “bandis armés” ont rasé plusieurs villages. Les blessés seraient nombreux. Les auteurs de l’agression appartiendraient au groupe ethnique Pokomo, des agriculteurs. Depuis le début de l’année, des querelles au sujet de pâturages et de points d’eau ont été la source de nombreuses explosions de violence dans cette zone. (D’après Misna, Italie, 21 novembre 2001)

* Kenya. Kenyatta’s son in cabinet — Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi has awarded a cabinet seat to the son of founding president Jomo Kenyatta. Uhuru Kenyatta was named local government minister in a cabinet reshuffle amid intensifying political manoeuvring ahead of next year’s elections. In the other significant cabinet change, Chris Okemo was replaced in the Treasury by Chris Obure from Foreign Affairs. Correspondents see the move as an attempt by President Moi to get a more diplomatic minister to front negotiations with the World Bank and IMF in a bid to convince them to release funds that they have been withholding for the past 10 years. Mr Kenyatta, 40, is widely viewed as one of the so-called «Young Turks» vying for leadership of Moi’s ruling Kenya African National Union (Kanu) party. Observers say President Moi is aiming to rejuvenate Kanu before he is obliged to step down and make way for polls by the end of 2002. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 21 November 2001)

* Libya. Gaddafi suggests a committee of «wise men» — President Gaddafi has suggested a committee of «wise men» from around the world — he recommended Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev — to help and guide the United Nations. He has conveyed his suggestions to Kofi Annan and has expressed hope that «the committee starts its work soon, because of the world’s troubled circumstances». (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 20 November 2001)

* Libye. Le beau-frère de Kadhafi en résidence surveillée — Le n.2 du service des renseignements libyen, Abdallah Senoussi, qui est également le beau-frère de Mouammar Kadhafi, a été placé récemment en “résidence surveillée, ainsi que plusieurs responsables du service des renseignements libyen”, a affirmé le 20 novembre le quotidien arabe Al-Hayat édité à Londres. M. Senoussi avait été condamné par contumace, ainsi que cinq agents secrets et diplomates libyens, à la réclusion criminelle à perpétuité par la Cour d’assises de Paris en mars 1999 pour implication dans l’attentat contre le DC-10 d’UTA qui avait fait 170 morts en 1989. Al-Hayat n’explique pas les raisons de cette mesure, mais affirme que “cette décision coïncide avec une amorce de coopération dans la lutte antiterroriste entre la Libye et les Etats-Unis”. (La Libre Belgique, 21 novembre 2001)