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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 31-01-2002

PART #2/4 - From COTE D'IVOIRE to  MALI

* Côte d’Ivoire. Police on strike — Two police officers have been wounded after shots were fired by their striking colleagues in Côte d’Ivoire’s capital, Abidjan. Although the government immediately ordered all police officers to return to barracks, the shooting continued during the night. The police are unhappy that the para-military gendarmes have been given pay rises, along with the other defence forces. The gendarmes were instrumental in bringing President Laurent Gbagbo to power following disputed elections in 2000. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 30 January 2002)

* Egypt. Alexandria Joint Declaration — The Jerusalem Post has reported that a dozen Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders have issued a joint declaration from Alexandria, declaring the killing of innocents to be a desecration of God’s name and a defamation of religion. The three-day gathering, organized by Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, was billed by him and Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior, another driving force behind the conference, as historic. The declaration, which Carey called the «First Alexandria Declaration of the Religious Leaders of the Holy Land,» included a seven-point pledge by the leaders to use their «religious and moral authority to work for an end to the violence and the resumption of the peace process.» The final draft of the declaration was sent to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat on the afternoon of 21 January, for his approval before the Palestinians in the delegation signed it. Although representatives of the three religions signed the document, different clauses in it are open to different interpretations. (Zenit, Italy, 23 January 2002)

* Egypte. Rencontre religieuse — Le 21 janvier à Alexandrie, des dignitaires religieux musulmans, juifs et chrétiens ont signé, au terme d’une conférence de deux jours, une déclaration commune condamnant les meurtres au nom de Dieu. Cette conférence, organisée à l’initiative de l’archevêque de Canterbury, George Carey, a été présidée par le cheick d’Al-Azhar, Mohamad Tantawi. Une délégation israélienne conduite par le grand rabbin sephrade Dorone et une délégation palestinienne y ont participé. (Al-Ahram Hebdo, Egypte, 23-29 janvier 2002)

* Egypte. Procès d’islamistes — Le parquet de la Haute Cour militaire du Caire a requis la peine maximale, 25 ans de prison, contre 22 membres du mouvement islamiste interdit des Frères musulmans. Le parquet, réuni le lundi soir 28 janvier, a retenu les accusations de “tentative de relance des activités du mouvement, de propagation des idées dans les milieux populaires, dans le but de s’emparer du pouvoir”. Le procès, qui s’est ouvert le 24 décembre, implique notamment neuf professeurs d’université, cinq médecins et trois ingénieurs. (La Croix, France, 30 janvier 2002)

* Ethiopia/Scotland. Sacred artefact returning home — A delegation of religious leaders from Ethiopia has travelled to Edinburgh to collect a sacred carving which was unearthed in a church cupboard. The holy wooden tabot, or tablet, is thought to be more than 400 years old. It is believed that it was taken from Ethiopia by British soldiers trying to free hostages from the home of Emperor Theodore the Second in 1868. Some 200 mules and 15 elephants were loaded with plunder after victorious British forces stormed the mountain fortress at Maqdala. The treasure — which included solid gold crowns — was bought up by many respected UK institutions, including the British Museum. The tabot was brought to the Princes Street church in Edinburgh by a soldier returning from the campaign. It was discovered by the Rev John McLuckie in a battered leather box while he was looking for a communion set in a cupboard at St John’s last October. Mr McLuckie recognised the carved piece of wood as he had worked in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and he recognised its religious significance. The tabot — a 6 inch square carved with an Ethiopian inscription — represents the ark of the covenant and is sacred to Ethiopia’s Orthodox Christians. (BBC News, UK, 27 January 2002)

* Gabon. Nouveau gouvernement — Le 25 janvier, le gouvernement gabonais a présenté sa démission au président Bongo, qui l’a acceptée, ouvrant la porte à la formation d’un “gouvernement d’ouverture” dans lequel devrait entrer le parti d’un opposant historique, Paul Mba Abessole. Cette démission intervient à la suite de la proclamation définitive des résultats des législatives de décembre dernier, remportées haut la main par le Parti démocratique gabonais du président Bongo. Le “Rassemblement national des bûcherons/Rassemblement pour le Gabon” du député-maire de Libreville, Paul Mba Abessole, est devenu le premier parti d’opposition, avec seulement huit élus. Ce parti est dominé par l’ethnie Fang, majoritaire, et fer de lance de l’opposition radicale gabonaise au début des années 90. Par ailleurs, le gouvernement gabonais, excédé par une grève illimitée des enseignants du supérieur, dont il affirme avoir satisfait les revendications, a ordonné, le 25 janvier, la fermeture et l’évacuation des deux pôles universitaires du Gabon. - Le 27 janvier, la composition du nouveau gouvernement a été annoncée par le Premier ministre Jean-François Ntoutoume Emane. Des opposants de longue date y ont fait leur entrée, mais les ministères-clés demeurent aux mains des proches du chef de l’Etat. Paul Mba Abessole a été nommé ministre d’Etat pour les droits de l’homme. Le nouveau gouvernement mettra l’accent sur la lutte contre la pauvreté et la corruption, et pour la réinsertion sociale. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 29 janvier 2002)

* Kenya. Réfugiés victimes du HCR — Le bureau des enquêtes internes des Nations unies vient de révéler un invraisemblable scandale qui éclabousse le Haut Commissariat aux réfugiés (HCR). A Nairobi, un réseau criminel de 70 personnes, dont des employés locaux du HCR, a extorqué des millions de dollars à des réfugiés. Lorsque, après des années, leurs agissements commencèrent à être connus, les malfaiteurs se livrèrent à des menaces physiques, préparèrent un attentat à la bombe et même le rapt d’une jeune fille d’un administrateur de haut rang du HCR pour réduire au silence tous ceux qui pourraient parler. Des employés du HCR s’arrangeaient pour fournir les signatures nécessaires à tous ceux qui avaient les moyens de payer, au détriment d’autres dossiers, en vue de recommander leur réinstallation en Australie, au Canada et aux Etats-Unis. (Libération, France, 28 janvier 2002)

* Liberia. Keeping a lid on unrest — Military unrest in northern Liberia is having a disastrous impact on the lives of tens of thousands of people who have been made homeless. The unrest involves claims and military counterclaims from the government and a shadowy rebel group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy. But its impact on ordinary people is severe. Rebels accused by the Liberian Government of being backed by  neighbouring Guinea claim to be active in northern Liberia, and the government has sent military reinforcements there to deal with them. But many of the rebel claims are unverifiable and the situation is also confused by a variety of pro-Liberian government militias in the region, some of which are reported to have clashed among themselves. Some 10,0000 refugees from the recent months of military unrest in north-western Liberia now live in makeshift camps around the village of Sawmill, about 100 km north of the capital, Monrovia. «But these 10,000 people are only a small proportion of the internally displaced», said Marie Noel Rodrigues of aid agency MSF. «There are also those who have come to swell the population of Monrovia and other groups of displaced in the north-east.» Meanwhile, the Liberian government has said that the United Nations sanctions imposed on it because of its involvement with rebels in the Sierra Leonean war, should be lifted. The sanction most keenly felt by the government is a travel ban on government ministers and senior officials. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 25 January 2002)

* Liberia. Combats et réfugiés — L’armée régulière a repris le contrôle de Sawmill, un petit centre à 80 km au nord de la capitale Monrovia, selon des sources indépendantes. Les rebelles du LURD (Libériens unis pour la réconciliation et la démocratie) ont été contraints au retrait. “Le village est complètement désert et en grande partie détruit”, rapporte un témoin oculaire. L’armée avance plus au nord et des combats sont signalés dans le village de Bopolu. En attendant, la situation d’urgence reste grave aux portes de Monrovia, où des personnes déplacées continuent à s’amasser. Près de 20.000 personnes y campent dans des conditions très précaires. Mais les militaires leur barrent la route pour empêcher l’afflux massif des réfugiés en ville. “Ce comportement est inquiétant”, a commenté un leader de la société civile. (Misna, Italie, 30 janvier 2002)

* Liberia. Refugees flee shooting — 27 January: Thousands of refugees are on the move towards the Liberian capital, Monrovia, following an outbreak of shooting near the camp where they had been staying. A senior aid worker said the movement of internally displaced Liberians from Sawmill, about 100 kilometres north of Monrovia, had panicked part of the local population. Some 20,000 destitute people had gathered at a road junction about 50 km north of the capital, according to Marie Noelle Rodrigues, a representative of the aid agency, Medecins Sans Frontieres. It is not clear who was responsible for the shooting near Sawmill.The refugees living there had fled earlier fighting in the far north of Liberia. For weeks the refugees in camps around the village of Sawmill have been saying they did not feel safe because of outbreaks of shooting in the forests around them. But the government of Liberia, reluctant to see a wave of panicking  people enter the capital, said they could not leave the Sawmill camps. On the night of 26 January, according to aid workers, there was more shooting near Sawmill and thousands of people simply fled southwards with or without permission from the government. The Liberian Government blames dissidents for the fighting and a rebel movement claims it is gaining ground. There may be some dissident activity, but well informed observers in Monrovia are sceptical about the rebel claims and say parts of the government army are prone to indiscipline and looting as well. 28 January: The Liberian army has erected barricades outside the capital, Monrovia, to prevent the thousands of refugees from entering the city. 29 January: Government troops have retaken sawmill from rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) forces. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 30 January 2002)

* Libya/USA. Positive talks — Libya and the United States say they have held talks to mend relations between the two countries. The move comes after years of hostility between the two nations over what the Americans have termed Libya’s sponsorship of terrorism. Relations hit a low in 1986 when the US launched air attacks against the Libyan capital, Tripoli, after the bombing of a Berlin disco in which two American servicemen died. Two years later, in an event that Washington holds Libya responsible for, Pan Am Flight 103 was blown out of the sky above Scotland with the loss of 270 lives, most of them Americans. Libyan Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassouna Chaouch said on 24 January that the recent talks between the two countries had taken place at «several levels». He said: «Both Libya and the United States have a common willingness to rebuild their relations and help further security and peace in the world. It seems that the new US administration has shed the past negative policies.» (BBC News, UK, 24 January 2002)

* Libya. Lockerbie: A sour pill for Libya — 24 January: 2nd day of the appeal — The Lockerbie appeal has heard that the trial judges who convicted Abdelbaset ali Mohamed al-Megrahi of the bombing of the Pan Am plane, misunderstood and misinterpreted crucial evidence. The claim was made by the lead lawyer representing the accused. Lawyers for the accused are attempting to overturn the verdict and are focusing on legal precedents to support their case that there has been a miscarriage of justice. 28 January: The official Libyan media is paying only cursory attention to the Lockerbie appeal currently being heard at Camp Zeist. At best reports on the appeal come fourth on the news bulletins. Considering how outspoken he has been in the past about Lockerbie, Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s current silence is startling. This could be because the regime is not confident of a favourable outcome in the  appeal against the conviction of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi. Libya is hoping to draw the whole Lockerbie affair to a close. Tripoli is reported to have offered to pay billions of dollars in compensation to the families of the victims of the bombing, in return for closure on the issue. United States and British officials, reported to be negotiating a settlement with representatives of the Libyan regime, are said to be pressing Libya for a settlement before the appeal is concluded. Whichever way the appeal goes, Libya stands to lose financially and politically, or both. Like the government, most Libyans just want to see the Lockerbie affair concluded. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 29 January 2002)

* Madagascar. Deuxième tour - grève générale — Le 25 janvier, la Haute Cour constitutionnelle (HCC), seule habilitée à proclamer les résultats du premier tour de l’élection présidentielle, a finalement prononcé son verdict, en annonçant des chiffres presque identiques à ceux du ministère de l’Intérieur: 40,89% au président Ratsiraka, et 46,21% à son opposant Marc Ravalomanana. Un second tour est programmé entre les deux hommes dans les trente jours. Aussitôt, quelque 300.000 sympathisants de l’opposition sont descendus dans les rues de la capitale, où le maire avait recueilli quelque 78% des votes. Celui-ci a déclaré qu’il rejetait le verdict de la HCC. “Nous resterons ici jusqu’à ce que toutes nos demandes soient acceptées”, a-t-il lancé à la foule. Mais il a finalement remis au lendemain sa “vraie décision” d’accepter ou non un second tour. - Le samedi 26 janvier, M. Ravalomanana a rejeté les résultats officiels de la HCC et appelé ses partisans et sympathisants à une grève générale illimitée à partir de lundi. “Nous n’arrêterons pas avant la victoire”, a-t-il lancé, sans toutefois se prononcer sur sa participation ou non au deuxième tour, qui a été annoncé pour le 24 février. - Le 28 janvier au matin, au moins 300.000 manifestants se sont réunis à Antananarivo, où de nombreux magasins sont restés fermés, surtout par crainte de casseurs. Les vols internationaux et nationaux sont suspendus, les transports routiers de voyageurs et de marchandises sont à l’arrêt, et la compagnie nationale d’eau et d’électricité assure un service minimum. Durant la journée, environ un demi-million de Malgaches (AP parle d’un million) ont bravé un soleil de plomb pendant près de six heures dans la capitale, pour écouter durant un quart d’heure leur champion, M. Ravalomanana. Ils ont défilé devant son podium, dans la plus parfaite discipline, pour la plus grande manifestation de l’histoire de la Grande île, selon les commentaires unanimes. - Le 29 janvier au matin, les manifestants affluaient à nouveau au centre de la capitale. De nombreux secteurs restent paralysés par une grève générale qui entre dans son deuxième jour. (La plupart des employeurs ont permis à leurs salariés de manifester chaque matin, tout en annonçant qu’ils ne paieraient pas les  grévistes et que les heures d’absence devaient être rattrapées en soirée). Après une marche pacifique vers la radio-TV d’Etat, de 750.000 à un million de manifestants ont obtenu que M. Ravalomanana puisse s’exprimer en fin de journée sur les ondes, mais la soirée s’est écoulée sans qu’il le fasse. Il a été annoncé que le lendemain la radio consacrerait du temps aux manifestations et que Ravalomanana aurait l’occasion d’exposer ses points de vue. Par ailleurs, le bruit court à Madagascar que la fermeté de Ravalomanana s’expliquerait aussi par des raisons pécuniaires: bien que milliardaire, il n’aurait plus les moyens financiers pour un second tour. - D’autre part, la communauté internationale, par la voix du Conseil de sécurité de l’Onu, a exprimé sa préoccupation face à la crise que subit Madagascar et s’est prononcée pour la tenue d’un second tour “libre et transparente”. Les membres du Conseil ont exprimé leur “préoccupation face à l’agitation (...) et aux risques que celle-ci représente pour la paix et la stabilité dans la région”. Les Eglises malgaches ont, de leur côté, commencé une ultime médiation pour sortir le processus électoral de l’impasse. Elles veulent obtenir des garanties pour qu’un second tour de la présidentielle se déroule de façon transparente. Si les Eglises se trouvent dans une position ambiguë, après avoir accordé à Ravalomanana un soutien à peine voilé, leur influence reste importante. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 31 janvier 2202)

* Madagascar. Election turmoil — 24 January: Another large crowd of protesters has gathered in Madagascar’s capital a day ahead of the expected announcement of the presidential election result Up to 100,000 people packed the streets of Antananarivo, today, calling for opposition candidate Marc Ravalomanana be declared the winner of December’s presidential poll. Since early January, Mr Ravalomanana’s supporters have packed the streets of the capital most days in largely peaceful protests. Mr Ravalomanana, the city’s mayor, disputes the preliminary results which show neither he nor rival President Didier Ratsiraka won an outright majority, necessitating a second round of voting. They suspended temporarily demonstrations ahead of a decision by the High Constitutional Court to hold a recount of presidential elections. The court said the electoral commission would recount the first round of voting. But the opposition then resumed street protests demanding that the court itself hold the recount and a public hearing to compare the differing tallies of all political parties. Mr Ravalomanana has also said he would be satisfied if President Ratsiraka was disqualified for foul play in the polls. The NEC will report back to the court, which will announce the definitive first round results at 1000 on 25 January. 25 January: The High Constitutional Court has ordered a run-off second round of voting. Opposition candidate Marc Ravalomanana immediately rejects  the ruling, reiterating his claim that he has garnered enough votes in the first round, for all-out victory. 28 January: At leats half a million supporters of Marc Ravalomanana hold a street protest in the capital. This follows the call for a general strike. 29 January: An enormous demonstration of Marc Ravalomanana’s supporters who march on the island’s state television building. Reports say soldiers, apparently sympathetic to the demonstrators, are deployed on the roof of the TV station. In a speech to demonstrators, Mr Ravalomanana urges members of the armed forces and the police «to come and swell the ranks of the demonstrators». It is also reported that many generals have been in touch with Mr Ravalomanana. — Madagascar’s influential Council of Churches has offered to mediate between government and opposition leaders. 30 January: Hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters have returned to the streets of the capital, as the general strike enters its third day. However, correspondents are saying it remains unclear whether opposition protests in the capital have been mirrored elsewhere in the country. President Ratsiraka has remained largely silent. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 31 January 2002)

* Mali/Liberia. Weah’s last stand — Liberian legend George Weah made his final exit from the international football stage, saying he had achieved everything he possibly could. But despite helping to put Liberia on the world football map, Weah, 35, has vowed not to return to his country unless there is a change of government. «I have discovered that I’m a wanted man back home in Liberia because the government there doesn’t like me,» Weah told journalists. The Lone Star’s influential captain and former World Footballer of the year was mobbed by fans after his side’s 1-0 defeat by Nigeria in an African Cup of Nations match on the evening of 28 January. The defeat meant that Liberia were knocked out of the tournament. Weah had always said he would retire from international football after the Cup of Nations and, as he did so, he took a swipe at his government. He claimed the country’s leaders were jealous of his popularity and success. «I did everything in my life to make Liberia a great country through football,» Weah said in an emotional farewell speech. «But I cannot understand why the Liberian government should be hounding me. So I will not return to Liberia until there is a change of government.» Weah, who now plays his club football in the United Arab Emirates, said as well as it being his last game for Liberia it would also be the last time he would coach the national side. «Now I want to concentrate on playing for my club and give time to my family,» he said. «But this doesn’t mean I won’t be useful to the Liberian players. Many of them are my friends and we have had a fantastic time all these years. I will be most happy to help the players get contracts for clubs but it’s definitely over for me  after helping Liberia to play in two Nations Cup finals.» (BBC News, UK, 29 January 2002)