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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 06-20-2002

PART #4/4 - From SENEGAL to  ZIMBABWE

* Senegal. Senegal revels in World Cup win — 16 June: Sweden 1 — Senegal 2. «They all said we couldn’t do it, but you know what they say: Man proposes, God disposes and we are not finished yet.» Businessman Maktar Diop could barely make himself heard against a background of blaring car horns and screaming children. «Senegal qui gagne, Senegal qui gagne,» was the chant: «It’s Senegal that wins.»The slogan running across Senegalese television screens was slightly different:  «Senegal: winning for Africa.» While the biggest crowds once again descended on the presidential palace and the national television centre, every street had its own party or procession. Anyone not wearing the now obligatory red, green and yellow was singled out for attention. «Are you listening? We beat the French and now we can beat anyone. The Cup is coming here.» Fans thumped playfully on the backs of cars. Some demanded spare change. «You should be paying us road tolls today.» (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 16 June 2002)

* Sénégal. Quarts de finale — Dans la coupe mondiale du football, le Sénégal est la seule équipe africaine à avoir accédé aux huitièmes de finale. Le 16 juin, grâce à sa victoire contre la Suède, elle s’est qualifiée pour les quarts de finale. Parmi les pays africains, seul le Cameroun, en 1990, avait réussi un tel exploit. Le Sénégal jouera son match des quarts de finale le samedi 22 juin contre la Turquie. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 18 juin 2002)

* Sierra Leone. Amputees turn to art — «Amputee» and «Art» are not two words one might expect to find together. But in Sierra Leone, a country where the people have learnt the hard way that anything is possible, that is exactly what you will find. An afternoon visit to Aberdeen amputee camp satisfied my curiosity. In a rundown shack at the back of this makeshift village, I found the artists hard at work. One’s immediate impression is of how colourful this small, dusky room is. Colourful, not only in comparison with the dirty brown of the surrounding camp, but colourful because of the smiles. Not all the artists are amputees — many of them are children of amputees. But all of them are victims of war. During Sierra Leone’s 10-year civil war, thousands of innocent civilians had their limbs hacked off. The rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) were the main perpetrators, but many of those maimed by machetes will accuse government soldiers. Between fighting forces it was, the amputees say, like for like. But the end result is the same. There is an overwhelming feeling of depression in the camp. On previous visits numerous amputees had told me that they would rather be dead. «What use am I now?» they ask in frustration, waving a severed limb as if to illustrate the point. «How can I help my children grow up and have a decent life?» A very simple project has now brought some light into their lives. Some of the children, as well as their disabled parents, have found something to focus on. It all started out of guilt. «Guilt», because some United Nations staff who had been carrying out research with the amputees felt that it was all take and no give. They were looking for a way to give something back to the amputees. Then Hillary Ravenscroft arrived in Sierra Leone, joining her husband on a business trip. As a teacher and an artist she was able to take up the mantle for the frustrated UN staff, and started the art project. Its impact, she says, has been remarkable. The act of recreating  their memories as a shared image has become part of a healing process for the amputees. (Tom McKinley, BBC, 14 June 2002)

* Somalia. Rival militias clash — 17 June: Heavy fighting has flared up between rival militiamen in the fertile Middle Shabelle region of southern Somalia. Supporters of Dahir Dayah, the interior minister of the Transitional National Government, clashed with forces loyal to warlord Mohamed Dhere, who controls the regional capital of Jowhar, some 90 kilometres north of Mogadishu. According to eyewitnesses contacted on VHF radios in the Mahadday district, close to the fighting, the two sides started exchanging heavy gunfire outside the village of El-Baraf, about 150km north of Mogadishu, just after morning prayers. The eyewitnesses confirmed seeing more than 13 battle wagons and hundreds of heavily armed militiamen from both sides. At about noon,today, the fighting seemed to have spread close to the Mahadday district in the villages of Ali-Foldhere and Magurti. It is difficult to obtain exact figures about the casualties as the fighting is still raging. However, independent sources have confirmed that at least 19 people were killed and more than 30 others wounded from both sides. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 17 June 2002)

* Somalie. Appel à intervention — Le 17 juin, 19 personnes ont été tuées, quand des combats ont repris dans le village d’El-Baraf, à environ 90 km au nord de la capitale Mogadiscio, entre des milices loyales du ministre de l’Intérieur et celles de son rival Moahmed Omar Habeb, un chef de guerre somalien qui contrôle la région de Middle Shabelle. Des infirmations indiquent que la plupart des victimes étaient des civils et que leur nombre devrait augmenter puisque les combats se sont étendus aux villages voisins. - Par ailleurs, le 18 juin à l’Onu, le leader du Communities Party, Mohamed Haji Barako, a invité l’Onu, l’Union européenne et la communauté internationale à intervenir en Somalie, en vue de mettre fin aux guerres claniques. Il accuse les seigneurs de guerre somaliens de perpétuer le désordre pour assouvir leurs propres intérêts égoïstes. Selon lui, aucun gouvernement central ne peut survivre dans un pays où les seigneurs de guerre règnent en toute impunité. En dépit des sanctions de l’Onu, plusieurs factions somaliennes continuent de recevoir des armes de l’étranger, et le voisin éthiopien est accusé de soutenir ces chefs de guerre opposés au gouvernement intérimaire. (PANA, Sénégal, 18 juin 2002)

* South Africa. South Africa clears way to sell Telkom — The way has been cleared for South Africa’s biggest privatisation to date — the $1bn sell-off of the country’s mainly state-owned telephone operator Telkom. Recently Telkom and the industry regulator ICASA (Independent Communications Authority of South Africa) have  been arguing over Telkom’s increased charges to its customers. They have now reached an agreement, thereby clearing an obstacle to the government’s move. ICASA had wanted price rises limited to the rate of inflation, which is less than 1.5%. It said the rises were too steep and hampered the country’s attempts to spread phone access to the poor. Telekom has agreed that its price rises of 5.5% will be the last increase this year. It will also limit increases over the next two years — in effect foregoing income of around $32m. Telkom had agreed to lower the tariff for residential users. Furthermore, the company will not cut off customers who could not afford the higher tariff. «People are able to make emergency calls and they are also able to receive calls,» he said. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 14 June 2002)

* Afrique du Sud. Orphelins du sida — L’Afrique du Sud, l’un des pays les plus touchés par le VIH-SIDA avec 4,74 millions de séropositifs, pourrait compter, à l’horizon 2015, 5,7 millions d’orphelins à cause du SIDA. Selon un document du Medical Research Council, la plus haute autorité de recherche médicale en Afrique du Sud, ce nombre massif d’orphelins de moins de 18 ans sera atteint si aucun changement radical n’intervient d’ici là, en terme de traitement des malades ou de changement des comportements sexuels. Le MRC prône une combinaison de mesures à court terme, à savoir le traitement de tous les séropositifs par anti-rétroviraux, et à long terme sous forme de prévention, programmes d’éveil sur les comportements sexuels et de généralisation des préservatifs. (La Libre Belgique, 14 juin 2002)

* South Africa. Remembering the Soweto killings — 16 June: The people of South Africa are commemorating the anniversary of the Soweto uprising of 1976, one of the most emotive events in the country’s history. Dozens of black school children who refused to be taught in Afrikaans, the favoured language of the apartheid regime, were shot by the police on that day. Rioting then spread across South Africa and hundreds of people were killed. Now, 26 years later, a special museum commemorating the events of 16 June has been opened in Soweto. One of the first children to be killed was 13-year-old Hector Peterson. His agonizing death was captured forever in a famous photograph. Today, the government opens a Hector Peterson memorial museum, only yards from the spot where he was shot. The museum captures in video and photographs the momentous events which changed South Africa forever, as well as explaining the history of the vast Soweto township. The heroes of 16 June hope the museum will appeal to young people in Soweto for whom 1976 is distant history. Some South African commentators refer to today’s township youths as a lost generation who have little appreciation of the past and little hope for the future. In 1976 black leaders urged South African children to boycott schools in protest at apartheid. At today’s ceremony, speaker after speaker urged children to go to school so that they can build a better country. (BBC News, 16 June 2002)

* Soudan. Pourparlers de paix — Une nouvelle série de négociations de paix soudanaises s’ouvre le 17 juin à Nairobi (Kenya), sous les auspices de l’Autorité intergouvernementale est-africaine pour le développement (IGAD). Selon des informations reçues le 16 juin, les délégations du gouvernement et de l’Armée/Mouvement de libération du peuple soudanais (SPLM/A) vont reprendre leurs négociations sous la supervision de représentants des pays occidentaux. Ces pourparlers prévus pour durer jusqu’au 21 juillet, vont porter sur les questions de l’unité soudanaise, du partage du pouvoir et des richesses, et sur la question épineuse de la relation entre l’Etat et la religion. Le gouvernement et la SPLA ont déjà organisé six séries de négociations peu concluantes sous les auspices de l’IGAD. Une pierre d’achoppement est la sharia, appliquée dans le nord du pays. (PANA, Sénégal, 16 juin 2002)

* Sudan. Peace talks set to resume — 17 June: Peace talks between the Sudanese Government and southern rebels are due to resume in Nairobi, today. But the omens for this round of peace talks are not good. The negotiations are scheduled to last several weeks and are designed to address the root causes of the conflict. But observers say there are no fresh proposals on the negotiating table and no real pressure from the international community. For nearly two decades, rebels and the Christian south have been fighting the government of the Muslim Arabic north in a war fuelled by religion, ethnicity and oil. The American government recently stepped up its diplomatic efforts in Sudan. But the results have been limited. There is a ceasefire in the Nuba Mountains, but there has also been intense fighting elsewhere. The SPLA recently captured the garrison town of Kapoeta in the east, while the government has been on the offensive around the oil fields in Western Upper Nile. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 17 June 2002)

* Togo. Lomé sous la menace d’une inondation — Les pluies diluviennes qui s’abattent depuis plus d’un mois sur le sud du Togo ont transformé la capitale, Lomé, en cité lacustre, empêchant pour la plupart l’accès à des quartiers et la circulation sur certaines rues. Le sud du Togo, entré depuis deux mois dans la saison des pluies, a connu ces dernières semaines des pluies diluviennes qui ont entraîné dans la capitale Lomé pas mal de dégâts, créant des milliers de sans abris et des populations déplacées, victimes soit de l’écroulement de leurs maisons ou de l’inondation de leurs concessions. Les quartiers des bas-fonds, habituellement inondés en période de pluie, ont cette fois été surclassés par ceux de la banlieue nord. Plusieurs de ces quartiers sont sous la menace réelle de l’inondation. La situation s’est aggravée par une panne de  la station de pompage construite depuis 1975 et qui permet d’évacuer l’eau de la lagune dans la mer en cas de débordement. Il y a plus de vingt ans, selon les statistiques, que Lomé n’a plus connu cette intensité de pluie. Cette pluie, tant attendue après les cinq longs mois de saison sèche, inquiète sérieusement les Loméens qui ne sont pas encore au bout de leurs peines. (G. Mario, RFI-actualité, France, 19 juin 2002)

* Tunisie. Forte baisse du tourisme — Le nombre de touristes européens ayant visité la Tunisie en avril 2002, début de la haute saison touristique, a baissé de 38,9% par rapport à la même période de l’an dernier, selon un bilan officiel. La baisse a concerné en premier lieu l’Allemagne, le nombre de visiteurs allemands ayant chuté de 52,4%, de 31,1% pour les Italiens et de 30,8% pour les Français. L’Allemagne fournissait à la Tunisie le plus gros contingent de touristes européens, près d’un million sur 5 millions de visiteurs par an. (Le Figaro, France, 17 juin 2002)

* Uganda. Donors tell World Bank to block dam in Uganda — The fate of Africa’s biggest commercial investment hung in the balance on 17 June, after the World Bank postponed a decision on whether to fill a massive funding shortfall left by the withdrawal of sceptical financiers. Construction of Uganda’s controversial $550m Bujagali hydroelectricity project, a 200-megawatt dam on the Victoria Nile, was due to start early this year, but was halted after Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish export credit agencies withdrew guarantees worth more than $200m. The Scandinavian agencies were apparently worried that the Ugandan government would be unable to repay the hefty project costs to AES Corp, the US power giant contracted to build the plant. Local civic groups and international environmentalists have questioned the economic viability of the project and say it could drive Uganda further into debt, just as it is starting to pull out of a vicious debt spiral. The World Bank board was due to meet in Washington today to approve a $215m guarantee to fill the funding shortfall. The meeting was postponed at the last minute after the board examined a stinging report that raised serious questions about the project. A World Bank spokesman said there would be «further discussion with the sponsors over the coming weeks». The investigation, by an independent panel, found that Bujagali breached five internal World Bank guidelines, lacked transparency and ignored potential risks that could result in electricity costs doubling in Uganda within seven years. The postponement was a victory for civic groups in Uganda and international environmentalists, who say the project may hold hidden dangers for Uganda. (The Independent, UK, 19 June 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Arrestations — Le 16 juin, environ 80 jeunes militants du Mouvement pour le changement démocratique (opposition) ont été arrêtés à Harare pour “troubles à l’ordre public”, alors qu’ils avaient l’intention de manifester. D’autre part, selon The Herald, quotidien proche du pouvoir, l’ambassadeur britannique, Brian Donnelly, accusé de vouloir “miner” l’autorité du gouvernement du président Mugabe, a été placé sous la surveillance d’agents de la sécurité. Londres a démenti ces accusations. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 17 juin 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Fees demanded from Media — 16 June: The Government announces that all media organisations and journalists must pay a fee to be recognised and accredited under its new media law. Also, all media organisations, including international news agencies and local newspapers, must divulge detailed financial information about their operations, and pay 0.5% of the audited annual gross turnover of their local operations to a state-controlled media fund. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 17 June 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Anti-government demonstrations repressed — 17 June: The main opposition party in Zimbabwe has warned President Robert Mugabe that it will organise more protests, after police cracked down on opposition militants in two cities at the weekend. The leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, Morgan Tsvangirai, said that the government should brace itself for more demonstrations. A rally by MDC supporters was dispersed by police in the capital, Harare, on 16 May. Police say at least 80 MDC youths and officials have been arrested and will be charged for violating the law on security and order. They are expected to appear in court tomorrow. Last week, state-run media reported that President Mugabe had put security forces on high alert to crush any mass demonstrations calling for a re-run of the March presidential elections. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 17 June 2002)