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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 27-03-2002

PART #3/4 - From  MALAWI  to  SIERRA LEONE

* Malawi. Catholic Bishops’ Easter call — «We send you joyful Easter greetings for the resurrection of our Lord, but we appeal to Christians and all Malawians to share their fish and bread with those who have less or nothing». This is the call coming from an Easter Letter issued by the Catholic Bishops of Malawi entitled: «Rejoicing and Vigilantly living in Hope». While expressing gratitude for the Centenary Celebrations last year, and sending joyful Easter greetings for the resurrection of the Lord, the Bishops voice concern for «the impact on family and social life of the maize-shortage crisis, of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, violence, repeated police brutality and partiality, armed robbery and corruption». The Prelates call on the government to shoulder its responsibilities and overcome the present food crisis. They say «the nation expects the relevant government bodies to have sound policies on strategy for reserving grain, the authorization for the sale of maize and on the pricing of such essential commodities as maize. Families must exercise foresight and learn to plan and reserve enough maize for food consumption and seed». In their message, the Bishops thank the organizations which are helping the country in this crisis. They thank Pope John Paul in particular for his token donation of US $ 15,000, and they trust that Caritas Internationalis, which they have contacted, will «respond in a significant way». (Fides, Vatican City, 26 March 2002)

* Mali. War criminals stretch Mali’s hospitality — Although Mali lies a full 3,000 kilometres from the Great Lakes region, it, too, is among the countries affected by the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Last year six Rwandans were sent there to serve prison sentences, after they were convicted of crimes again humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Mali had originally agreed to take only five prisoners, but accepted the unexpected sixth arrival. At the central prison in Mali’s capital, Bamako, all six are now housed in special facilities prepared with UN financial aid. But they are proving burdensome guests, particularly as most are thought to be HIV positive. The prison is to be found in one of Bamako’s most squalid neighbourhoods — a brown, grimy building on a rutted, dusty road. The 3,300 Malian inmates are crammed into concrete chambers, 20 men per cell. They have to pay for their own keep by producing crafts or metal work. The Malian state, which can hardly look after its non-criminal population, has no budget for feeding or Malian prisoners or giving them medical treatment. At meal-times family members throng the prison to deliver bowls of food to their relatives locked up inside. The convicts serving out their sentences for their role in the Rwandan genocide have turned out to be an expense Mali can hardly afford. «Of the six prisoners, four are ill,» said the prison director, Mamourou Doumbia. «One of them is seriously ill — he has to be taken out all the time for medical consultations and we have one vehicle, but it’s very old.» The prison authorities feel that the UN and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania, should have informed the Malian government that the convicts were sick and made arrangements to cover those costs. (BBC News, UK, 21 March 2002)

* Maroc. Le mariage du roi — Le 21 mars, lors d’une discrète cérémonie au palais royal de Rabat, le roi Mohammed VI, 38 ans, a scellé son mariage devant les adouls (notaires religieux) avec Salma Bennani, une informaticienne de 24 ans. Ils fêteront officiellement leur union lors de cérémonies qui dureront trois jours à partir du 12 avril à Marrakech, en présence de plusieurs centaines de personnalités, dont des chefs d’Etat, invitées “à titre privé”. En annonçant publiquement son mariage, et en acceptant la diffusion de photos officielles de son couple, le roi rompt avec la coutume de totale discrétion entourant la vie privée des monarques chérifiens. De cette union devrait naître le futur héritier de Mohammed VI. En absence de descendant mâle du souverain, la succession du trône revient pour l’heure à son frère cadet, le prince Moulay Rachid. (D’après Le Figaro, France, 22 mars 2002)

* Morocco. King of Morocco weds — King Mohammed VI of Morocco has married a 24-year-old computer engineer in a break with tradition that is seen as a step towards modernising the country. It is the first time in Morocco that a royal wedding has been publicised, with the bride named and her photographs appearing in the media. Salma Bennani, the daughter of a university professor, is expected to have a high profile and to encourage women to take a more prominent role in public life. The marriage is being presented by the royal palace as a sign of its new, open and modern outlook. The private ceremony, held in Rabat’s royal palace on 21 March, is to be followed by three days of public festivities in the southern city of Marrakesh next month, parts of which will be televised. A palace statement issued by the official MAP news agency said: «The royal palace was delighted by the conclusion of the wedding of King Mohammed to the chaste pearl, Lalla (Lady) Salma, in conformity with divine teachings and the Prophet’s tradition.» The king’s new bride will not take the title of queen but will be known as royal highness. The main celebration will take place in Marrakesh in three weeks’ time. (BBC News, UK, 22 March 2002)

* Niger/UE. Coopération — La Commission européenne et le Niger ont signé, le 26 mars à Niamey, un nouveau programme de coopération d’un montant de 227 milliards de FCFA, au titre du 9ème Fonds européen de développement (FED) couvrant la période 2002-2007. Les fonds sont destinés à la réalisation d’objectifs prioritaires dans le domaine de la sécurité alimentaire, le transport, l’appui macro-économique et la bonne gouvernance. (PANA, Sénégal, 26 mars 2002)

* Nigeria. La charia anticonstitutionnelle — Le 21 mars, le gouvernement fédéral du Nigeria a déclaré contraire à la Constitution la loi islamique appliquée dans douze Etats du nord du pays. Cette déclaration, lourde d’implications politiques, devrait entraîner un malaise dans le nord, où l’application de la charia a provoqué des tensions au sein de la minorité chrétienne. Le ministre de la Justice a lancé un appel en direction de ces Etats afin qu’ils modifient leur législation. Cette lettre constitue la première condamnation sans équivoque par le gouvernement du président Obasanjo de l’application de la loi islamique depuis que celle-ci a été instaurée au début 2000. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 22 mars 2002)

* Nigeria. Forex trading ban for 16 banks — On 22 March, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said it was barring 16 banks from foreign currency dealing for a year, prompting fresh concern for the health of Nigeria’s financial sector. CBN officials said this followed an investigation into a total of 21 banks, of which 16 so far have been found to be involved in parallel market deals, which contravened regulations. Bankers confirmed that Diamond Bank and FSB International, both top tier Nigerian banks, were among those penalised. NBM bank, an affiliate of the Banque Belgolaise was also sanctioned. Bankers warned on 22 March that the CBN‘s drive to end a practice carried out by all but a handful of Nigeria’s 90-odd banks risked provoking a chaotic run on the banks. They added that in its sanctions the CBN had failed to distinguish between «round tripping», a criminal offence involving the fraudulent exploitation of gaps between parallel and official exchange rates, and «free funds» dealing where hard currency is sourced from outside the CBN. There are already concerns about the solvency of some of the smaller institutions and the level of exposure of First Bank, Nigeria’s biggest bank, to the expanding telecoms market. (Financial Times, UK, 23 March 2002)

* Nigeria. Obasanjo condemns lecturers strike — President Olusegun Obasanjo, has criticised a week-long strike of university teachers. According to local press reports, Mr Obasanjo said the work stoppages had brought the universities to a situation of near-paralysis and were damaging the reputation of the degrees they awarded. Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities called the nationwide strike in protest at the dismissal of several colleagues over a pay strike last year. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 24 March 2002)

* Nigeria. Safiya Husaini acquittée — Le 25 mars, Safiya Husaini, la Nigériane qui risquait d’être lapidée après avoir été condamnée pour adultère, a finalement été acquittée par la cour d’appel islamique de l’Etat de Sokoto, après une formidable campagne internationale. La cour d’appel a décrété que le cas ne pouvait pas être jugé en vertu de la charia, parce que les faits se sont produits avant l’entrée en vigueur de la loi islamique dans l’Etat de Sokoto. Mais le soulagement de ceux qui s’étaient mobilisés pour défendre Safiya, risque d’être de courte durée. Le même jour, on apprenait que le tribunal de Bakori, dans l’Etat de Katsina (nord du pays), avait condamné à mort, le 22 mars, une autre jeune femme, Amina Lawal, 35 ans, qui a avoué avoir eu un enfant alors qu’elle était déjà divorcée. Elle a trente jours pour faire appel, et les autorités nigérianes se préparent à faire face à une nouvelle vague de protestations. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 26 mars 2002)

* Nigeria. Sharia punishments — 21 March: The federal government of Nigeria has declared that the strict implementation of Sharia law is illegal under the country’s constitution. «A Muslim should not be subjected to a punishment more severe than would be imposed on other Nigerians for the same offence,» Justice Minister Godwin Agabi has written in a letter to northern states. The letter, which signals an important shift in government policy, makes no reference to any specific case. But it comes as Nigeria is gripped by the trial of a woman convicted of adultery and sentenced to death by stoning by an Islamic court. She is due to hear the outcome of her appeal next week. Mr Agabi’s letter, quoted in several Nigerian newspapers, says that any court «which imposes discriminatory punishment is deliberately flouting the constitution. The stability, unity and integrity of the nation are threatened by such action,» the minister said. Meanwhile, the governor of a northern Nigerian state which enforces Sharia law has defended Islamic punishments after they were criticised by the federal government. In an interview with the BBC, Governor Ahmed Sani of Zamfara said no non-Muslim had the right to determine Sharia’s legitimacy. He said that the punishments — which included stoning, amputation and flogging — were legal under the constitution and his administration had no plans to change its justice system. 25 March: A Nigerian appeal court gives its judgement in the case of Safiya Husaini, a Muslim woman convicted of adultery and sentenced to death by stoning. Safiya Husaini is the first woman to have been convicted of this crime under a strict Islamic legal system introduced in Nigeria’s majority-Muslim northern states two years ago. The Sharia court upholds Safiya’s appeal after the court said the original ruling was unsound. But as the verdict is announced, it emerges that a second woman has been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. A Sharia court at Bakori in Katsina State, has sentenced Amina Lawal to die after she confessed to having a child while divorced. 26 March: The Government is coming under increasing international pressure to amend the extreme Sharia laws in some northern Muslim areas. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 26 March 2002)

* Rwanda. Genocide suspects arrested — A former Rwandan priest has been arrested in Yaounde by the Cameroonian authorities on a warrant from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). Hormisdas Nsengimana, 47, is charged with genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and crimes against humanity in relation to the mass killing of Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 1994. He is alleged to have played a leading role in the killing of Tutsis in Butare province. The arrest came as a former defence investigator at the tribunal was transferred to the tribunal’s jail in Arusha, Tanzania, following a flight from Belgium. Joseph Nzabirinda, a former youth organiser in Butare province, was arrested last December in Belgium on a tribunal warrant. The arrival of Mr Nzabirinda brings the number of detainees at the tribunal to 55. He is the second investigator arrested in connection with the genocide. The tribunal’s spokesman, Kingsley Moghalu said that Mr Nzabirinda, 44, will appear before the court in the near future to face the charges and also for allegedly conspiring with Joseph Kanyabashi, former mayor of Ngoma, to kill Tutsis in south-western Rwanda. Mr Nzabirinda, who was also known as Birito, had worked in the defence team of another genocide suspect, Sylvain Nsabimana, the former governor of Butare. However, Mr Nzabirinda’s contract was terminated last November when he allegedly presented fake documents. (BBC News, UK, 21 March 2002)

* Rwanda. «One Hundred Days» — A Rwandan feature film — a love story set against the background of the genocide in 1994 — has been shown amid emotional scenes in the capital, Kigali. The film, «One Hundred Days» was directed by a Briton, Nick Hughes, who witnessed the massacres first-hand while working as a television cameraman. He describes the film as a testimony to the survivors of the three-month period in which an estimated 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by Hutu extremists. It was produced by a Rwandan, Eric Kabera. «One Hundred Days» has already been shown at film festivals around the world following its premier at the Toronto film festival. (BBC News, UK, 24 March 2002)

* Rwanda. Tribunal international — Le 21 mars, un nouvel homme d’Eglise rwandais, le prêtre catholique Hormidas Nsengimana, a été arrêté au Cameroun pour génocide, a annoncé le Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda (TPIR). Sont déjà détenus sous l’autorité du TPIR, indique l’agence Hirondelle: l’évêque anglican Samuel Musabyimana, le pasteur adventiste Elizaphan Ntakirutimana, et les prêtres catholiques Emmanuel Rukundo et Athanase Seromba. Hormidas Nsengimana, 48 ans, était directeur du collège du Christ-Roi à Nyanza en 1994. Il aurait joué un grand rôle dans les massacres de Tutsi dans la région de Butare. Il est le dixième Rwandais arrêté au Cameroun à la demande du TPIR. - D’autre part, à partir du 2 avril, quatre anciens hauts responsables militaires rwandais comparaîtront devant le TPIR, qui les accuse d’avoir participé à l’organisation du génocide en 1994. Parmi eux figure l’ancien directeur de cabinet du ministère de la Défense, l’ex-colonel Théoneste Bagosora, 61 ans, accusé d’avoir joué un rôle central dans le génocide anti-tutsi et les massacres de Hutu modérés, entre avril et juillet 1994. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 26 mars 2002)

* Rwanda. Election des délégués administratifs — Le lundi matin 25 mars, les Rwandais se sont mobilisés en masse pour participer à l’élection des comités exécutifs de cellules, le plus petit échelon administratif du pays, a constaté l’AFP à Kigali. Les électeurs, en majorité des femmes et des jeunes, se sont rassemblés dès 8h dans les écoles, bâtiments administratifs et terrains de jeux, transformés pour l’occasion en centres de vote. Dimanche soir, dans un message à la Nation diffusé par les médias nationaux, le président Kagame avait exhorté ses concitoyens à participer massivement au scrutin et à “choisir des candidats méritants” qui devront “s’acquitter de leur mission dans la transparence et la vérité”. Le Rwanda compte 1.545 secteurs administratifs totalisant 9.189 cellules. Les électeurs votent sur tout le territoire pour désigner leurs représentants au comité de cellule. Les élus, dix par cellule, désigneront mardi en leur sein les représentants au niveau des secteurs administratifs. (La Libre Belgique, 26 mars 2002)

* Sahara occidental. Liberté de mouvement pour l’Onu — Le Front Polisario a décidé de rétablir la liberté de mouvement des observateurs militaires de l’Onu dans la région, a annoncé le 25 mars la Minurso, basée à El-Ayoun. Selon une source diplomatique à Rabat, le Polisario interdisait depuis janvier 2001 aux militaires des Nations unies de continuer à contrôler les positions de ses forces militaires. (Le Monde, France, 27 mars 2002)

* Sao Tome e Principe. Supreme Court confirms election results — 19 March: The Supreme Court declares the final results of the 3 March legislative elections. No party has got an absolute majority but the Sao Tome and Principe Liberation Movement (MLSTP) wins the poll with 39.6 percent of the votes cast, obtaining 24 seats in the 55 member assembly. The declaration opens the way for the formation of a new government. The MLSTP has agreed to form a coalition government with two other political groups, the Democratic Movement Force for Change/Party of Democratic Governance (MDFM/PCD) whose coalition won 23 seats (39.4 percent), and the Ue-Kedadji coalition that won eight seats (16.2 percent). The coalition has already begun negotiations with President Fradique de Menezes, a behind-the-scene patron of the MDFM/PCD, to select a prime minister from the MLSTP. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 20 March 2002)

* Sénégal. Attaque séparatiste en Casamance — Dans la nuit du 25 au 26 mars, une attaque attribuée aux indépendantistes a fait cinq morts et quatre blessés dans une station balnéaire de Casamance, zone du sud du Sénégal en proie depuis vingt ans à une rébellion. Selon une source militaire sénégalaise à Ziguinchor, 200 guérilleros du Mouvement des forces démocratiques de Casamance (MFDC, indépendantiste) ont fait irruption vers minuit à Kafountine, localité située sur la côte atlantique. Pendant quatre heures, ils ont pillé boutiques, concessions, campements touristiques et hôtels, avant de s’enfuir, surprenant par leur nombre le détachement militaire local. Durant l’attaque, cinq civils sénégalais ont été tués et trois autres blessés, ainsi qu’un Français installé dans la région. (Libération, France, 27 mars 2002)

* Sierra Leone. Rebels face UN court — 21 March: Sierra Leone rebels who violated international humanitarian law during the 10-year civil war will be prosecuted in a special court, the United Nations Security Council has said. The first judges and prosecutors could be appointed within the next few weeks. The UN said that the special court could be functioning by the third quarter of this year, with the first indictments handed down by the end of the year. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 21 March 2002)

* Sierra Leone. Diamond struggle — Sierra Leone has virtually no control over the illicit mining of diamonds in its country, according to the country’s finance minister, despite international efforts to clamp down on so-called conflict or «blood» diamonds. «We can’t control it, they’re mined everywhere,» Sierra Leone’s finance minister Peter Kuyembeh has said. «I sometimes find myself defeated when I want to find an answer to the diamond problem.» The admission came as an international conference in Canada to establish controls over the diamonds trade again failed to reach an agreement. The three-day meeting was part of the Kimberley Process set up two years ago to end the trade in diamonds in war-torn countries like Angola and Sierra Leone, where rebel forces use the proceeds to buy weapons. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 22 March 2002)

* Sierra Leone. Improving the quality of governance — For ministers in the world’s wealthy nations, improving the quality of governance in poor countries is a technical consideration in disbursing aid. For Kadi Sesay, development minister of Sierra Leone, it means ensuring that her house is never again ransacked by armed thugs during a military coup. Her lucid and intense contributions at last week’s United Nations aid conference in Monterrey, Mexico, established her as one of the meeting’s more weighty figures, giving strongly felt critiques of the consensus on aid. In 1996, Sierra Leoneans elected a new government, despite the barbaric civil war raging in much of the country in which atrocities against civilians were widespread. Ms Sesay was in Ghana in her role as head of Sierra Leone’s Commission for Democracy and Human Rights in 1997 when a military coup ousted the government. Soldiers raided her house and took everything movable, threatening her mother and son. She left, first going to London and then to Ghana, where she joined the government in exile. It was there that she saw the importance of international support in helping a country establish democracy. Now, having returned to Sierra Leone as development minister, she struggles with the difficulties of bringing together a shattered country. The daily challenge is to draw former rebel soldiers into civilian life. «We are being very careful to retain the balance between the reintegration available to ex-combatants and making sure that the victims of the war also have services,» she says. «If we don’t retain that balance, it will look in the eyes of the victims as though we are rewarding the perpetrators, and punishing further the victims.» (Financial Times, UK, 25 March 2002)

* Sierra Leone. Sankoh toujours vivant — Le 22 mars, le gouvernement sierra-léonais a vivement démenti les rumeurs faisant état de la mort du leader du Front révolutionnaire uni (RUF), le caporal Foday Sankoh. “Sankoh est en pleine forme”, a déclaré à la presse à Freetown le ministre de la Justice et procureur général, Solomon Berewa. La réaction de M. Berewa fait suite aux rumeurs persistantes véhiculées dans la ville de Freetown par des personnels de l’administration carcérale et quelques membres des forces de sécurité sur le décès en prison du leader rebelle. Les tentatives de PANA, pour joindre le porte-parole du RUF en vue d’avoir sa version sur ces rumeurs, ont été vaines. - 26 mars. Le procès contre Sankoh et 49 anciens rebelles pour le massacre de 21 personnes en mai 2000, a été ajourné au 2 avril, à la demande du procureur général M. Berewa, parce qu’on ne trouve pas d’avocats pour défendre la cause des anciens rebelles. Foday Sankoh est défendu par un avocat nigérian, Edo Akanya, qui a dû s’inscrire temporairement à l’ordre des avocats local. (PANA et Misna, 22-26 mars 2002)

* Sierra Leone. Sankoh declares innocence — Sierra Leone’s former rebel leader, Foday Sankoh, has told a Freetown court that he is innocent of murder. But the trial of Mr Sankoh and 49 other members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was postponed as the government cannot find a lawyer to represent them. The RUF was responsible for widespread atrocities during the country’s long civil war. But these will be dealt with by a special United Nations war crimes tribunal. The on-going murder trial relates to an incident in May 2000, when Mr Sankoh’s supporters allegedly killed 21 protesters after a peace deal had been signed. The charges were brought earlier this month, after a state of emergency was lifted, meaning the government could not otherwise extend Mr Sankoh’s 22-month detention. «I am totally innocent of all the charges and I am asking the court to get me out of here,» said Mr Sankoh said, dressed in dark green prison clothes. He has not yet been formally asked to plead but was answering a question from presiding judge Mange Deen Tarawallie. (BBC News, UK, 25 March 2002)