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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 25-04-2002

PART #4/4 - From SOMALIA to  ZIMBABWE

* Somalia. Concern over escalating violence in Gedo — 18 April: A group of NGOs, UN agencies and donor governments has expressed concern over what it describes as the deteriorating situation in Somalia’s Northern Gedo region. In a press release on 18 April, the Somalia Aid Coordination Body (SACB), said there had been an upsurge in violent fighting of late, which had caused death, injury and displacement to many Somalis. Furthermore, the insecurity was seriously impairing the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance to thousands of people «in increasingly desperate need. The SACB strongly condemns the assassination of Nur Muhammad Yusuf, a senior local staff member of an international NGO who was killed on 11 April as a result of the current fighting, and the deaths of other innocent civilians caught in crossfire,» the statement said. It added that reports of increasing weapons movements in the Gedo Region was causing particular concern as this indicated that preparations for further fighting were «ongoing». (IRIN, 18 April 2002)

* South Africa. Rugby players guilty of murder — 19 April: A South African court has found two white rugby players guilty of the murder of a young black man, but acquitted three others in a high-profile race trial. Riaan Botha and Ben Korff were found guilty of murdering 19-year-old Tshepo Matioha who had been hunting on Mr Botha’s farm in March last year. Kobus Joubert, Francois Velloen and Corne Kloppers were found not guilty. In a case that shocked the country, Mr Matioha’s body was tied to a metal gate and then dumped into the crocodile infested Arabie dam. The pair will be sentenced on 30 April. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 19 April 2002)

* Afrique du Sud. Traitements antisida — Le gouvernement sud-africain a annoncé une extension des traitements antirétroviraux aux victimes de  viol et aux femmes enceintes séropositives. Chaque année, 70.000 bébés naissent séropositifs et plus d’un million de viols seraient commis en Afrique du Sud. Le président Thabo Mbeki était jusqu’à présent hostile à ces traitements. (Libération, France, 19 avril 2002)

* South Africa. Mbeki signals AIDS policy shift — President Thabo Mbeki has delivered his strongest message yet on HIV/Aids, suggesting a change in the government’s approach to the disease. In an interview with the Star newspaper, Mr Mbeki promised to take the lead in fighting Aids. He has in the past been criticised for questioning the link between the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Aids and refusing wide access to anti-retroviral drugs, saying they are costly and toxic. The interview follows a cabinet meeting last week that resulted in a policy shift on Aids. In the interview on 23 April, Mr Mbeki promised to provide strong leadership on the pandemic. «Perhaps we are not communicating that (message) loud enough,» he said. The president told South Africans: «You can’t be going around having hugely promiscuous sex all over the place and hope that you won’t be affected by something or other.» Correspondents say Mr Mbeki’s stand suggests that the government has decided to step up its fight against HIV/Aids in a country where it affects almost five million people — over one South African in nine. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 24 April 2002)

* Sudan. Rebels help return kidnapped children — 18 April: Sudan said its main rebel group has facilitated the return of some 176 abducted children, as an international team on slavery continued its visit to the war-torn country, the newspaper al-Rai al-Aam reports. «"The rebel movement has started to cooperate with the government on the return of abducted children", says Ahmed al-Mufti, head of the state-appointed Committee for the Eradication of Abduction of Women and Children (CEAWC).» The rebels, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), have been fighting for autonomy for animist and Christian south Sudan from the Muslim, Arab north since 1983. A US-sponsored commission arrived in Khartoum on April 9 and has been visiting rebel-held and government-controlled areas to look into allegations of abduction and slavery. Khartoum and southern rebels agree there are abductions between tribes — often fuelled by economic hardship or power struggles — but there is no agreement on numbers or the existence of slavery. On a visit last year, US envoy John Danforth agreed with the government on a number of key issues to build confidence in Sudan and allow humanitarian assistance to reach the needy, as part of efforts to end the country’s 19-year-old civil war. One of the points was the ending of abductions of women and children and of servitude. Mufti  said tribes in western Sudan would hold a conference on peaceful coexistence in June. (CNN, USA, 18 April 2002)

* Sudan. War raging around southern oilfields — Serious military engagements are occurring between government of Sudan forces and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in western Upper Nile (or Unity/Wahdah State) and northern Bahr al-Ghazal, in the south of the country, according to humanitarian sources. The government recently lost control of Koch and was coming back with significant reinforcements, who had been stationed to defend the oil area around Bentiu in order to retake it, one aid worker said. The SPLA has accused government forces of having bombarded villages in western Upper Nile, especially around Koch, Bieh and Rier, over the previous three days, in contravention of a recent undertaking it gave the USA on protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure in the course of the civil war. In a statement released in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, the SPLA spokesman, Samson Kwaje, said the Sudanese army had meted out «unwarranted destruction» in western Upper Nile, where, he said, «the war is raging». (IRIN, 19 April 2002)

* Soudan/Ouganda. Nouvelle crise diplomatique — Une nouvelle crise diplomatique est née entre le Soudan et l’Ouganda, Khartoum n’ayant pas apprécié le vote ougandais favorable à la poursuite de l’enquête spéciale des Nations unies sur le respect des droits de l’homme au Soudan, indique l’agence Misna. Lors de la réunion annuelle de la Commission de l’Onu pour les droits de l’homme, le 19 avril à Genève, la mesure a été adoptée par 25 votes pour, 24 contre et 3 abstentions. La décision du représentant de l’Ouganda (seul pays africain à avoir voté contre Khartoum) a fait basculer le vote. Le gouvernement soudanais a demandé des explications immédiates à l’exécutif du président Museveni. La question est délicate, notamment à cause de la présence massive de troupes ougandaises dans le sud du Soudan pour traquer les rebelles ougandais du LRA. Toutefois, selon l’agence PANA, le 24 avril, le Soudan et l’Ouganda ont renouvelé pour un mois leur coopération militaire pour la lutte contre ces rebelles. D’autre part, les autorités militaires ougandaises ont affirmé que les rebelles en fuite ont abandonné des milliers d’otages, essentiellement des femmes et des enfants, dans le Sud-Soudan. L’armée ougandaise s’inquiète du fait que les rebelles en débandade emportent avec eux des milliers de civils vers des zones montagneuses. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 24 avril 2002)

* Sudan. USA sends mine clearance team — The United States has sent a mine clearance team to Sudan to prepare for a project in the Nuba Mountains, where a truce is in force between the Sudanese army and rebels, the State Department said on 23 April. The advance party left on April 19 and the main party — two groups of 10 people each and four detection dogs — is expected to arrive in about two weeks, it said in a statement. The Sudanese government estimates that, between 1989 and 2001, mines killed or injured 1,135 people in the Nuba Mountains, which has been contested between the army and the rebels of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, it said. After negotiations which the United States helped to mediate, the government and the rebels agreed to a cease-fire in January in the area, which straddles the border between the Arabized north of Sudan and the African south. The United States hopes the cease-fire can be a model for a truce across the war zone. (CNN, USA, 24 April 2002)

* Tanzania. Kofi Annan honours Julius Nyerere — The life and work of the late president of Tanzania, Julius K. Nyerere, was praised by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan at a tribute ceremony at UN headquarters in New York, on 15 April, with Annan describing him as «a true giant of Africa». Marking what would have been Nyerere’s 80th birthday (he died in October 1999), Annan said Nyerere had not only led Tanzania to nationhood but had also played a key role in independence struggles throughout southern Africa. Nyerere was one of the founders of the Organisation of African Unity and was also a key figure in establishing the Frontline States, a grouping of African states that coordinated African support in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa and for the liberation of southern Africa. The Southern African Development Community evolved from this grouping and he became its first chairman. Beyond being a nationalist hero, Nyerere —known in Tanzania by the Kiswahili honorific title Mwalimu, or «teacher» — was «an articulate and highly effective advocate who helped place the issues of poverty and development squarely on the international agenda», Annan said in a statement read on his behalf by Abdoulie Janney, Assistant Administrator of the UN Development Programme. Nyerere had championed the causes of debt relief, fairer international terms of trade for developing countries, and increased official development assistance, and had also contributed to peace efforts in Burundi. The late Tanzanian president was facilitator of the Arusha Peace Process on Burundi until his death, a process which laid the foundation for the transitional government established on 1 November 2001 and which mediators hope will restore peace to that country. (IRIN, 17 April 2002)

* Tanzania. Bridge collapses — A bridge has collapsed in Tanzania, cutting one of the main routes inland from the main city, Dar es Salaam. It happened when a truck crashed through the wall of the bridge, which police said had already been weakened by the swollen river running beneath it. At least three people were killed in the crash; hundreds of others travelling along the road were left stranded. The accident took place at Mkwazi, 130 kilometres west of Dar es Salaam. (BBC News, UK, 21 April 2002)

* Tchad. Elections législatives — Le dimanche 21 avril, quelque 4 millions de Tchadiens étaient appelés aux urnes pour élire les 115 députés de l’Assemblée nationale, à l’issue d’une campagne électorale dominée par les questions de la hausse de l’insécurité, du chômage et de la place des femmes dans la société et le monde politique. Près de 450 candidats briguaient les suffrages des électeurs dans 116 circonscriptions. Deux partis d’opposition ont boycotté le scrutin, qui s’est déroulé dans le calme, mais sans affluence notable. La participation aurait été inférieure à 50%. Les élections étaient supervisées par des observateurs nationaux et internationaux. Les résultats du scrutin sont attendus d’ici le 1er mai. Une cinquantaine de sièges sont acquis d’avance au parti au pouvoir, le Mouvement patriotique de salut (MPS), qui était le seul à se présenter dans toutes les circonscriptions du pays. L’an dernier, le président Déby a été réélu avec 63% des voix. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 22 avril 2002)

* Chad. Chadians go to the polls — 21 April: Chadians vote today for representatives in the National Assembly in elections in which rising crime, unemployment and the role of women in politics and society are expected to be the main issues. Residents begin queuing early in some parts of the capital, while in other areas polling stations were quiet as people went to church before voting. Some residents don’t think it is worth voting. «I cannot see any candidate who deserves my vote,» says Mahamat Issa, a civil servant in N’Djamena. At least 40 parties are fielding 427 candidates, including 35 women, but President Idriss Deby’s ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement is expected to retain control of the legislature in which it currently holds 65 of the 125 seats. In this election, the assembly is being enlarged to 155 seats. Nomads in the country’s sparsely populated northern desert began voting earlier in the week, but some 8,000 polls in the capital, N’Djamena, and the centre and south opened at 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) on 21 April. They are scheduled to close at 6 p.m. (1700 GMT). Some 4.1 million of Chad’s 8.4 million people have registered to vote, and the main issue in N’Djamena is increasing banditry in the capital’s neighbourhoods, much of it carried out by soldiers. During the last week of campaigning, several women’s associations urged women voters to cast ballots for women candidates and also to think hard before voting for men who have promised greater rights for women in the past but have failed to deliver. The constitution of Chad provides for equal rights for all citizens, but cultural practices in the north central African nation maintain women in a status subordinate to men. Official results are expected on 1 May. 22 April: the results of Chad’s elections are expected to leave President Deby with a tighter grip on the nation. The outcome of the poll is of particular interest to  the World Bank and ExxonMobil, which are involved in the $3.7 billion Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline, the largest US investment project in Africa. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 23 April 2002)

* Chad. Arrests over political killing — The authorities in Chad say they have made a series of arrests in connection with the killing on 21 April of a senior opposition leader, Mahamat Gueti. Reports say Mr Gueti, the leader of the African Democratic Party, died when his car was blown up by a landmine on the road to Faya-Largeau airport in the north of the country. Parliamentary elections took place on 21 April and he had been travelling between polling stations. The north of Chad is peppered with unexploded landmines dating from the 1973-94 border conflict between Chad and Libya. The government has not said how many people were arrested or why Mr Mahamat may have been killed. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 24 April 2002)

* Tunisia/Germany. The Djerba attack was terrorist — 22 April: Germany and Tunisia are now certain that this month’s explosion outside a synagogue on Djerba, Tunisia, was a deliberate attack, the German Interior Minister has said. After talks with President Ben Ali, the German minister, Otto Schilly, said that the two countries are «now 100% sure it was a terrorist crime. Our certainty comes from information and technical proof». At least 16 people, including 11 German tourists died in the 11 April blast. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 22 April 2002)

* Tunisie. Les autorités reconnaissent l’attentat — Le 22 avril, onze jours après les faits, les autorités tunisiennes ont reconnu que l’explosion qui a visé la synagogue de la Ghriba, sur l’île de Djerba, était un attentat. “Cet acte criminel prémédité a été perpétré par un Tunisien, Nizar Ben Mohamed Nasr Nawar, en complicité avec l’un de ses parents résidant en Tunisie”, a indiqué un communiqué officiel tunisien. L’attentat qui a visé la plus vieille synagogue d’Afrique, a fait 16 morts. L’auteur de l’attaque, qui conduisait le camion chargé d’explosifs, est mort carbonisé. Sa famille réside à Lyon. (Le Figaro, France, 23 avril 2002)

* Uganda. Ugandan troops extend stay in Sudan — 24 April: Sudan has given Uganda permission to continue military operations against Ugandan rebels on Sudanese territory for another month. «We have secured an extension of our military presence in Sudan for one month effective from April 19, 2002,» a diplomat at the Ugandan embassy in Khartoum says. Following a thaw in their once icy relations, Sudan agreed in March to allow Uganda to send troops onto its soil to destroy bases of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the south of the country. (CNN, USA, 24 April 2002)

* Zambia. Sortir du “tout cuivre” — Un responsable de la Banque mondiale (BM) a annoncé, le 24 avril à Lusaka, que l’institution financière  internationale allait aider la Zambie à sortir de la dépendance du cuivre, dont les prix se sont effondrés sur le marché mondial. Ce métal, qui a longtemps représenté plus de 50% du Produit intérieur brut de la Zambie, ne compte plus désormais que pour moins de 10% à la suite de la chute des cours sur le marché mondial. “La Zambie doit se restructurer pour sortir de la dépendance des mines de cuivre”, a déclaré à la presse Lawrence Clarke, représentant permanent de la BM en Zambie. “Il faut des projets remplaçant les mines de cuivre, telles que des usines” dans le secteur agroalimentaire, a-t-il dit. (La Libre Belgique, 25 avril 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Mugabe hails 22 years of democracy — 18 April: President Robert Mugabe accuses Western powers on Thursday of seeking to destabilise his country after last month’s controversial elections, but says he will bow to no one but God. Addressing thousands of people at a ceremony to celebrate Zimbabwe’s 22 years of independence from Britain, Mugabe says he will defend his position and his country’s sovereignty. Mugabe vows to allow nobody to overturn his victory, branded as «daylight robbery» by his main rival Morgan Tsvangirai and rejected by many Western powers. «There is an imperial bid by hostile countries of the West to erode our electoral democracy and qualify our independence,» he says, without naming any country. (CNN, USA 18 April 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Mugabe’s airline must pay $28m or lose its planes — Robert Mugabe faces losing his treasured state airline for failing to pay debts of over $26 million to an American bank. The Zimbabwean President has often been accused of using the state-owned fleet as his own private airline to fly him, his new young wife Grace and their cronies on overseas jaunts. Increasingly strapped for cash, the Government has now received a final demand from the US government-owned Export-Import Bank of the United States (Exim) to settle the bill for two Boeing 767 aircraft or the planes will be seized. Air Zimbabwe has not paid the instalments on its leasing deal with Exim since December 2000 and, with fines for late payment, now owes the US Government nearly $28 million. (The Times, UK, 20 April 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe escapes UN censure — 19 April: African countries have joined forces to block an attempt by the European Union to investigate and censure Zimbabwe for alleged human rights abuses. The United Nations Human Rights Commission, at its annual meeting in Geneva, voted 26 to 24 not to take action on a draft resolution that urged Zimbabwe to invite UN human rights experts into the country. The draft, presented by EU countries, had also expressed concern at «violations of human rights by the government of Zimbabwe». (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 20 April 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Poursuite de la réforme agraire — Le 18 avril, à l’occasion de la fête de l’indépendance, le président Mugabe a promis de poursuivre sa politique controversée de réforme agraire. Dans son discours, le président a affirmé que le gouvernement poursuivra ce programme malgré l’imposition de sanctions contre lui-même et son pays. Il a déclaré que le gouvernement souhaite utiliser les réformes foncières pour redonner de la vigueur à l’économie zimbabwéenne, actuellement à bout de souffle et qui a subi de graves agressions au cours des trois dernières années suite aux sanctions internationales. Mugabe a cependant reconnu que la distribution des terres ne saurait, à elle seule, instaurer la prospérité économique, sans d’importants investissements de la part du gouvernement dans la création d’infrastructures agricoles. Le président Mugabe a encore remercié les Zimbabwéens pour lui avoir renouvelé leur confiance lors du dernier scrutin présidentiel et a affirmé que cela avait permis de défendre l’indépendance et la souveraineté du pays contre les tentatives des pays occidentaux de reprendre le contrôle du pays. - Le ministre de l’Agriculture, John Made, a annoncé au journal dominical The Mail on Sunday que le gouvernement a interdit aux fermiers blancs d’exporter le matériel qu’ils utilisent sur des exploitations désignées pour être distribuées à des Noirs sans terres. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 23 avril 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Facing further economic difficulties — 21 April: International aid officials have warned that Zimbabwe could face another drought in the coming year because of a possible lack of rainfall during the rainy season beginning in November. A United States-based aid agency, the Famine Early Warning System Network said warm sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, usually associated with poor rainfall in Southern Africa, were beginning to develop. Zimbabwe is already struggling to cope with a critical food shortage and has been importing grain. The agency warned that the number of people relying on outside food aid could increase from just over 500,000 to 2.5m in the next few months. The United Nations Food Programme blames the food shortages in Zimbabwe on a combination of factors, including the effects of the government’s land reform programme, economic hardship, and drought in key areas. 23 April: The Zimbabwean government raises the retail price of bread by 25 per cent from Z$48.50 (US$0.88 )to Z$60.44 per loaf to ward off opposition to price controls from the local food industry. The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) has lobbied President Robert Mugabe’s government to review its price controls introduced to protect Zimbabweans from spiralling inflation last October. Inflation is running at about 113 per cent. Food producers have complained that their costs exceed the retail price of basic foodstuffs set by the state. Although many basic commodities find their way  on to the black market, producers have warned that the state’s price controls could lead to the closure of bakeries. The cost of bread — at official prices has trebled since the beginning of last year. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 24 April 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Riot police break up Harare march — 23 April: A march by civil rights groups has been broken up by heavily armed riot police in Harare. About 200 marchers, some singing «Down with Mugabe», were dispersed by police officers using batons. The police had declared the march illegal and on Monday arrested three activists from the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), including its leader, as they planned the protests. The NCA is a coalition of church groups, students and trade unions campaigning for a reduction in the powers of President Robert Mugabe. The protests come as the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says that one of its activists was beheaded in front of her children. Brandina Tadyanemhandu, 53, was attacked by a group of 20 supporters of Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party, who also burnt down her home in the north-western town of Magunje, says the MDC. Mrs Tadyanemhandu’s son was killed last year, reportedly because he supported the opposition. Similar marches were broken up by riot police in the cities of Bulawayo and Gweru, said the NCA. The group’s leader, law professor Lovemore Madhuku, was arrested on 22 April and has not been seen since, said the group’s spokesman. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 24 April 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Vets threaten Asian-owned land grab — 24 April: Independence war veterans say they have warned the country’s Asian businessmen to surrender some their commercial land holdings to blacks and to improve their workers’ conditions. War veterans leader Andrew Ndlovu confirms a story in the official Herald newspaper, today, which says veterans from President Robert Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF party have started telling «Indians» to start backing the government’s black empowerment program. «Indian» is the generic term used by many black Zimbabweans for people of Indian or Pakistani origin. «That is what we have said, and we are especially angry that some of these Indians are racist and seem bent on grabbing land and buildings in almost every town,» Ndlovu says. «Their greed is threatening us the indigenous people, and we in the war veterans association see it as economic sabotage.» He says that under the political programme dubbed «Operation Liberation,» the veterans would target Indians and order them to «surrender a certain percentage of their commercial land and improve conditions for their workers.» (CNN, USA, 25 April 2002)