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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 02-05-2002

PART #3/4 - From  LIBERIA to  RWANDA

* Liberia. Taylor bans political rallies — 29 April: President Charles Taylor has ordered the suspension of all mass political gatherings in  the country. He warned that anyone holding or attending a rally would be arrested. Mr Taylor said the ban was in line with the state of emergency declared in February. The government has faced an insurgency in northern Liberia since mid-2000, but the rebels have pushed towards the capital, Monrovia, in recent months. Mr Taylor said the state of emergency would be lifted once the rebels, known as Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (Lurd), had been defeated. The president said he was not closing down political parties, but the aim of the ban was to protect them. «We want to make sure that no political party is threatened in any way — nor do we want a member of a party hurt at a rally,» he said. If this happened, Mr Taylor added, «it would be said that the government encouraged it. Liberia should understand that these are not normal times for the country.» (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 30 April 2002)

* Liberia/Sierra Leone. Liberia war could spread — 1 May: The war in Liberia could threaten the fragile peace in neighbouring Sierra Leone and destabilise the whole west African region unless the international community moves to stop it, according to a new report by the lobby group Human Rights Watch. The report lays most blame for the upsurge in violence in Liberia on Liberian President Charles Taylor, who it accuses of remilitarising Liberian society. Over the past year tens of thousands of Liberians have fled a wave of fighting that has spread towards the capital Monrovia. The Liberian government blames this on rebels from the group Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, or LURD. The Human Rights Watch report condemns the LURD rebels’ actions. But it places most blame on uncontrolled Liberian government forces. They are said to have killed large numbers of civilians with impunity, by shooting them, burning them alive or cutting their throats. Sometimes because of suspicions that they were rebel sympathizers —sometimes with the aim of simply looting their villages. The report calls on the United Nations to rein in Liberian President Charles Taylor by continuing arms sanctions against his regime. While it says the sanctions should also be extended to the LURD rebels, the report clearly says Mr Taylor bears primary responsibility for the suffering in the region. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 2 May 2002)

* Madagascar. Sécession? — Le 26 avril, des élus et gouverneurs fidèles au président sortant, Didier Ratsiraka, ont brandi la menace de la sécession des provinces si la Haute Cour constitutionnelle (HCC), qui procède au recomptage des votes de la présidentielle du 16 décembre, déclare l’opposant Ravalomanana élu au premier tour. Le camp du président sortant “récuse” la composition de la HCC. Celle-ci avait été modifiée par M. Ratsiraka juste avant les élections; cette décision a été annulée récemment par la Cour suprême et les juges démis ont repris leur place et  décidé de reprendre le dépouillement. - Le 27 avril, M Ratsiraka est rentré à Madagascar et a rejeté l’accord qu’il avait signé au début de mois à Dakar pour mettre fin à la crise politique. Il s’oppose désormais au nouveau décompte des bulletins du premier tour. Il réclame la tenue du référendum, également prévu dans l’accord de Dakar. - 28 avril. Huit ministres africains des Affaires étrangères et un représentant de l’OUA ont engagé une série de consultations avec les protagonistes de la crise en vue de sauver l’accord de paix. - 29 avril. La HCC a déclaré M. Ravalomanana vainqueur du premier tour avec 51,46% des voix. Toutefois, trois de ses membres, plutôt pro-Ratsiraka, sur les neuf qui la composent, avaient refusé de participer aux travaux. Cette proclamation officielle n’a pas fait avancer le processus de réconciliation. Le même jour, Jean-Robert Gara, le gouverneur de la province d’Antsiranana, au nord de l’île, a déclaré sa province “indépendante”. Dans la nuit, le camp de Ratsiraka a fait sauter un troisième pont, cette fois-ci sur la route nationale menant au port de Manakara, dans le sud-ouest. L’objectif est de bloquer toute circulation permettant de ravitailler la capitale Antananarivo. - Le 30 avril, trois généraux ont annoncé que la partie de l’armée qui s’affirme “légaliste” depuis le début de la crise politique, reconnaîtra Marc Ravalomanana comme chef suprême de l’armée. Selon le général Rabarisoa, 80% des effectifs de l’armée malgache sont “légalistes”. - 1er mai. Le ministre des Forces armées de Ratsiraka s’est également déclaré en faveur de la légalité, précisant que “à mon sens, la HCC a rendu un arrêt fortement motivé”. D’autre part, le gouverneur de la province de Toamasina (est) a été le deuxième à proclamer l’indépendance de sa province, tout en précisant qu’il renoncerait à cette décision si Ravalomanana renonçait à son investiture, prévue le vendredi 3 mai. Celui-ci a déclaré qu’il n’était pas question pour lui de renoncer à la présidence, mais à la demande de l’OUA, il a décidé de reporter son investiture. Une délégation de ministres de l’OUA est attendue à Madagascar le 2 mai, pour tenter de faire appliquer l’accord de réconciliation signé le 18 avril à Dakar. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 2 mai 2002)

* Madagascar. A country in turmoil — 29 April: Madagascar’s High Constitutional Court (HCC) will publish the recounted results of the country’s presidential election, today, as part of a deal designed to end the country’s political and economic crisis. But incumbent President Didier Ratsiraka says that he will not accept the result, because he does not recognise the HCC as a legal body. Provincial governors who support him have threatened to split the country into a series of independent states if the challenger, Marc Ravalomanana, wins the recount. The Dakar accords signed by the two men calls for a recount and for all economic blockades to be lifted, but President Ratsiraka  has refused to lift the road-blocks isolating the capital and crippling the economy. He accused the HCC of being illegally reappointed and biased toward Mr Ravalomanana and has said he will not accept its decision. If Mr Ravalomanana receives more than 50% of the vote in a recount he will become president. If there is no clear majority a transitional government will lead the country to an internationally monitored referendum within six months. By refusing to accept the HCC‘s recount, President Ratsiraka is going against the deal, signed 10 days ago in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. He has also refused to lift blockades that have been isolating the capital for two months, something else the accord indicates should happen immediately. 29 April: Provincial leaders loyal to embattled President Didier Ratsiraka threaten to divide Madagascar into «independent states» after the HCC says results of a recount of the disputed December polls that show that Ravalomanana has won. Madagascar is already divided between the capital, Antananarivo, controlled by Ravalomanana, and sections of the provinces dominated by Ratsiraka loyalists. Governors say they are studying plans to break away from the government in the capital of the island of 15 million, and a section of army officers rallied behind the idea. «A new meeting between President Didier Ratsiraka and Marc Ravalomanana is necessary so they can study together the plan to... establish in Madagascar a confederation of six independent States,» Samuel Lahady, governor of Toamasina province, says at a news conference. The dispute has divided the military and created widespread uncertainty over who is in control. The HCC says Ravalomanana, won 51.46 percent of the vote, while Ratsiraka — 35.90 percent. 30 April: A delegation from the Organisation of African Unity is on its way to Madagascar to try to resolve the confrontation. 30 April: Another key bridge, the Andrainomaitso bridge, is blown up, destroying a vital link between the capital and the south-eastern coast. 1 May: Marc Ravalomanana, has agreed to delay his inauguration, in a move aimed at reducing tensions on the divided island. Mr Ravalomanana, who has been declared the winner of December’s election following a recount, was planning to be sworn in on 5 April. A spokesman for Mr Ravalomanana said he would postpone the ceremony at the request of the OAU — but added that Mr Ravalomanana was not giving up the presidency. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 2 May 2002)

* Malawi. «Plotters» sue government — Sudi Adak Sulaimana, who was cleared of treason charges in March, is suing the Malawi Government for wrongful detention. Fabiano Mzumara, Mr Sulaimana and three other suspects were arrested last year for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government of President Bakili Muluzi. But Malawi’s top state prosecutor, Director of Prosecutions Fahad Assani, dropped the charges against the alleged coup leaders saying they were not serious but only wanted to make an impression. However, Mr Sulaimana is not  taking it lying down. Fabiano Mzumara said Mr Sulaimana was suing for false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, defamation and loss of earnings. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 2 May 2002)

* Mali. Forest management project benefits women — At least 100 women’s organisations in Kita district, southwestern Mali have increased their incomes from forests under a project supported by the UN Development Fund (UNDP), through soap and charcoal production, beekeeping, farming and marketing shea nuts. The four-year project manages local forests. It oversees 110,000 hectares in seven protected forest areas, and supports land management plans for 15 villages. Wood from the forests is sold through 90 rural groups, in conjunction with Mali’s Ministry of Rural Development. The project helps people understand that sustainable management of forests can add to their income. Earnings from selling wood go to the local savings and loan association. Proceeds have also financed schools and health centres. The project supports training, conducted in the local Bambara language, in management, forestry, sustainable charcoal production, and soap making. Officials from local communities and the district have also been trained in public administration to promote decentralization and natural resources management. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 25 April 2002)

* Mali. Presidential election — 25 April: About 15,000 Malians living in Burkina Faso will vote at 28 polling stations during the 28 April presidential election. 28. Presidential elections. 29 April: The voting is over, and the counting of ballots from 12,004 polling stations is under way in Mali.The Ministry of the Interior, which organised the presidential elections, hints that very preliminary and partial results from the capital, Bamako, indicate a close race between two candidates. If no candidate in the field of 24 wins over 50% of the votes, Malians will head back to the polls on 12 May for a second round with the two top candidates. Counting began immediately after polls closed on the evening of 28 April, and will continue through the night and through Monday at least.Results are slow coming in from remote regions in Mali’s desert north, where there are no telephones or fax machines for transmitting results to the central counting office in Bamako. In those remote regions, many of the polling booths were «itinerant» — 4-wheel drive vehicles or even camels transported ballot boxes to sparse and inaccessible nomadic peoples. It will also take time for the 100 international and 900 Malian election observers to pool their findings on the polling. Many ventured into the hinterland - to Timbuktu and beyond — to monitor voting. 29 April: Preliminary election results suggest the two main contenders are running neck and neck. A government spokesperson said it was a close race between former President Amadou Toumani Toure and former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. It looks as though they will go through to a second round of ballot. If — as appears  likely — no candidate in the field of 24 wins over 50% of the votes, Malians will head back to the polls on 12 May for run-off between the two top candidates. 30 April: The announcement of the election results has been suspended after a computer technician had a car accident. he is the only person with the password to access the election centre’s computers. He is currently recovering in hospital. 1 May: The results of Mali’s presidential election are still not known — more than two days after the polls closed. The Interior Ministry had promised the counting would finish by Tuesday evening, but so far only 10% of the votes have been processed. Former head of state General Amadou Toumani Toure is currently in the lead with just under 30% of the votes which have been counted. Former Finance Minister Soumali Cisse is second with 25%. International election observers have agreed not to make an official statement until a final result is declared. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 1 May 2002)

* Mali. Election présidentielle — Le vendredi 26 avril, la campagne électorale a pris fin avec de grands rassemblements des principaux candidats à Bamako. 24 candidats se présentent à cette élection pour succéder à Alpha Oumar Konaré, qui achève son second et dernier mandat. Ce nombre entraînera vraisemblablement un second tour. Néanmoins, seuls trois d’entre eux font figure de poids lourds: Soumaïla Cissé, candidat officiel du parti au pouvoir, l’Adema; Ibrahima Boubacar Keïta, ex-Premier ministre et dissident de l’Adema; et le favori (soutenu par 22 petits partis), Amadou Toumani Touré, qui renversa en 1991 la dictature de Moussa Traoré et remit le pouvoir aux civils en 1992. - Le dimanche 28 avril, l’élection présidentielle s’est bien déroulée, sans problème d’organisation majeur, ont indiqué les autorités. On a cependant constaté certains retards et de petits cafouillages. L’affluence aurait été relativement faible. Les résultats ne devraient pas être connus avant le mardi soir. - 1er mai. La lenteur du processus de dépouillement du scrutin provoque le mécontentement de l’opposition. Le 30 avril au matin, les autorités électorales avaient suspendu le dépouillement, le seul technicien qui connaissait le mot de passe des ordinateurs du centre électoral ayant été victime d’un grave accident de la route. Toutefois, les premiers résultats du 1er tour de la présidentielle placent en tête l’ancien général Amadou Toumani Touré (26,56%), mais rendent de plus en plus probable l’organisation d’un ballotage le 12 mai. Sur un peu plus du quart des bulletins, Soumalia Cissé arrive deuxième avec 23,1% des suffrages, devant Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta avec 21,7%. Le 1er mai au soir, les résultats partiels portant sur 70% des suffrages donnaient à Touré 28,32%, à Cissé 26,10% et à Keïta 19,44%. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 2 mai 2002)

* Morocco. On the charm offensive in Western Saharan — Morocco is on a charm offensive in the Western  Sahara, the vast swathe of desert it occupied when Spain’s colonial forces left the territory in 1975. On 29 April, the seemingly endless search for a political solution to the dispute over its sovereignty will once again reach the United Nation’s Security Council. So far, the UN‘s 11-year effort to organise a referendum allowing self-determination to the territory’s native Sahrawi people has amounted to little more than an expensive failure. While there has been no armed conflict since the mid-1970s, and a ceasefire was signed between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front in 1991, the battle of wits between the two sides has been frustrating for UN diplomats, debilitating for Sahrawi refugees in neighbouring countries, and a danger to Morocco’s traditionally strained relations with Algeria. Early hopes of a fair resolution initiated by Mohamed VI, the young Moroccan young king who has attempted to resolve many of the problematic human rights and political issues he inherited on the death of his father Hassan II in 2000, now appear to have been premature. Even so, Hamid Chabar, a senior Moroccan civil servant, argues passionately that under King Mohammed, «we are determined to establish real democracy, to be a model for the Arab countries, and we want economic development that is viable». (Financial Times, UK, 29 April 2002)

* Nigeria. Obasanjo to run again — 25 April: President Olusegun Obasanjo announces he intens to run for a second term in office in elections due next year. He says: «I have decided that it is best that I make myself available as a presidential candidate in the 2003 elections.» Although a Christian southerner, mr Obasanjo has significant support amongst northern Muslims, an achievement which won him the presidency. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 25 April 2002)

* Nigeria. Obasanjo candidat à sa réélection — Le président nigérian Olusegun Obasanjo, dont l’élection en 1999 avait mis fin à quinze années de dictature militaire, a annoncé, le 25 avril, qu’il briguerait un nouveau mandat, lors de l’élection présidentielle prévue en 2003. L’élection, qui doit se tenir durant le premier semestre 2003, aura sans doute lieu en avril, mais aucune date n’a été fixée. Ancien chef d’Etat militaire dans les années 1970, Obasanjo, 65 ans, tentera avec son Parti démocratique du peuple (PDP), de réitérer le succès de la dernière présidentielle en février 1999. Ses opposants lui reprochent d’avoir échoué à combattre la corruption et les atteintes aux droits de l’homme, et d’avoir laissé l’économie sombrer dans le marasme. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 26 avril 2002)

* Nigeria. Oil hostages freed — 25 April: Nigerian youths holding oil workers on an rig off southern Nigeria have freed their last 43 remaining hostages, the oil company ChevronTexaco says.  The company says the youths left the platform on the morning of 25 April and none of its employees was harmed. However, ChevronTexaco declined to say whether it had met the youths’ demand that they be given jobs by the firm. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 26 April 2002)

* Nigeria. Sharia law reaches Nigeria’s south — 1 May: Muslim leaders in Nigeria say they have introduced Islamic Sharia law in a southern state for the first time. In defiance of the authorities in Oyo State, the Supreme Council of Sharia says it has carried out a ceremony in Ibadan’s central mosque to inaugurate a panel to rule on civil matters in the region. The leaders say the panel will be empowered to decide on matters such as marriage, divorce and land disputes. The secretary general of Nigeria’s Supreme Council for Sharia, Alhaj Nachu Baba Ahmed, was among Muslim leaders from northern Nigeria who attended the Ibadan ceremony. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 2 May 2002)

* Rwanda. Micro-Credit Cash a boost to Rwanda — Small loans of between $50 and $150 are changing the lives of many women in Rwanda who have enroled for micro-credit schemes. With loans from micro credit schemes like the one run by World Relief, women have been able to set up businesses which help them support their families and pay school fees. These include salons, groceries, charcoal kiosks, and selling soap and toiletries in market stalls. Others are selling cassava and cassava flour, necklaces, dolls and embroidered tablecloths. (The East African, Kenya, 22-28 April 2002)

* Rwanda. Kagamé demande la censure d’un livre — Le 29 avril, les avocats du président rwandais, Paul Kagamé, ont demandé au tribunal de Paris la censure d’un livre dans lequel il est accusé d’avoir organisé l’attentat, le 6 avril 1994, contre son prédécesseur Juvénal Habyarimana, un crime qui a déclenché le génocide. Le tribunal a mis sa décision en délibéré au 3 juin. Dans le livre intitulé “Les secrets du génocide rwandais”, l’auteur, Charles Onana, assure que ce sont les militaires du Front patriotique rwandais, la rébellion alors commandée par Kagamé, qui ont abattu à Kigali l’avion du président Habyarimana, tuant aussi le président burundais Cyprien Ntariamira. Il affirme aussi que Kagamé, parvenu au pouvoir, a également fait assassiner plusieurs autres personnes, dont deux gendarmes français. (La Libre Belgique, 30 avril 2002)