* Africa. EU refuses to back GM food for Africa — On 22 August, the European Union rejected a plea by Washington to give assurances to drought-stricken southern African countries about the safety of genetically modified emergency food relief. The US State Department had urged the EU to assure African states that biotech food supplies were safe, and should be distributed immediately to the millions of hungry people in the region. The dispute has erupted on the eve of the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held in Johannesburg, which is expected to address southern Africa’s increasing vulnerability to famine as a top priority. But some non-governmental organisations believe the US is using Africa’s poverty to gain greater international acceptance for GM food. Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique have turned away food relief shipments of GM grain. They fear that if it finds its way into their agricultural systems it could blight their crop and livestock exports, particularly to the EU. They also believe the food may be harmful to their people. «We do not intend to get involved in what is a discussion between some of the countries of southern Africa and the US,» said European Commission spokesman Michael Curtis. «It is our position that they have to sort this out for themselves.» Commission officials say the US could have solved any problems by buying food-aid maize locally, as does the EU, to provide countries with non-GM maize, or by milling corn so it cannot take root. (Financial Times, UK, 23 August 2002)

* Africa. Children are the hardest hit by HIV and hunger — UNICEF will encourage pharmaceutical companies to help Africa slow the spread of HIV from mother to child and to make drug therapy affordable, executive director Carol Bellamy said on 25 August. Bellamy told Reuters at the start of a two-day visit to Zambia that millions of children in one of the world’s poorest regions would bear the brunt of the spreading HIV/AIDS pandemic, exacerbated by a food crisis and a shortage of clean water. «(Hunger) is exacerbated by the widespread presence of HIV/AIDS, poverty and the long-term effects of poor water levels,» Bellamy said. «We at UNICEF are trying to look at how we can help to provide clean water in schools and dig wells,» she said. (CNN, USA, 25 August 2002)

* Africa. The «McAfrika Burger» riles aid groups — Humanitarian groups have criticised McDonalds for a new sandwich called the McAfrika, saying the offering is poorly timed because millions of Africans are facing starvation. But on 26 August, aid officials  welcomed an agreement by the fast-food restaurant chain to inform customers about the potential famine in southern Africa and tell them how they can help, Tarje Wanvik of the group Norwegian Church Aid said on 26 August. McDonalds was stung by bad publicity in the Norwegian media last week when it announced that the new sandwich, made of beef and vegetables and wrapped in pita bread, will be sold in 15 restaurants in Oslo. The sandwich was advertised as being based on African recipes. «There was nothing wrong with the name. It was the timing,«Wanvik said. «They launched it just as a famine in Africa is starting». McDonalds Norway spokesperson said McDonalds was «very happy with the solution that was reached». (CNN, USA, 26 August 2002)

* Afrique. Le rapport de Transparency International — Pour la huitième année consécutive, l’organisation internationale non gouvernementale de lutte contre la corruption Transparency International a publié son indicateur de corruption, au terme d’une étude portant cette année sur le nombre record de 102 pays. Cet Indice de Perceptions de la Corruption 2002 révèle que 70% des Etats passés au crible obtiennent moins de 5 points, sur un score de 10 points. En d’autres termes, la corruption est perçue comme gangrenant la société dans plus des deux tiers des pays étudiés. Les situations les plus inquiétantes sont relevées en Indonésie, au Kenya, en Angola, à Madagascar, au Paraguay, au Nigeria et au Bangladesh, qui enregistrent moins de 2 points. A l’inverse, certains pays parmi les plus riches du monde, comme la Finlande, le Danemark, la Nouvelle-Zélande, Singapour ou encore la Suède, atteignent 9 points ou plus, témoignant de très bas niveaux perçus de corruption. Avant de partir pour le sommet de Johannesburg, le président de Transparency International, Peter Eigen, a souligné que “la corruption est extrêmement élevée dans les régions pauvres du monde, mais également dans beaucoup de pays dont les sociétés investissent dans les pays en voie de développement”. (Les Echos, France, 28 août 2002 -www.lesechos.fr)

* Africa. Tackling corruption — Corruption is worsening in many industrialised and developing countries, according to a closely-watched league table published today. This year’s corruption perceptions index, compiled by the Berlin-based watchdog Transparency International, shows that about 70 of the 102 countries listed scored fewer than five out of the possible 10 points allocated to «highly clean» countries. Last year 55 of the 91 countries listed scored fewer than five points. Peter Eigen, Transparency International chairman, said: «The picture of widespread corruption is continuing, with public officials misusing their power to corrupt ends.» Mr Eigen said several countries, including Slovenia and Russia, had improved their standing this year. «Slovenia is the leading European Union  membership candidate when it comes to tackling corruption,» he said, now outranking EU members Italy and Greece. Russia’s fight against corruption was welcomed, although Mr Eigen was cautious about reading too much into it until anti-money laundering and other laws became fully established. Bangladesh was listed as the most corrupt country, followed by Nigeria, Paraguay, Madagascar, Angola, and Kenya. Among developing countries, Botswana and Namibia had done well, he said. (Financial Times, UK, 28/29 August 2002)

* Afrique. Sommet de la Terre — Du 26 août au 4 septembre, se tient à Johannesburg (Afrique du Sud) le plus grand sommet de l’histoire des Nations unies, qui rassemblera 189 pays, représentés par plus de 100 chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement et quelque 7.000 ONG engagées dans un contre-sommet. L’ambition de Johannesburg: améliorer la qualité de la vie sur terre en tenant compte des trois dimensions économique, environnementale et sociale. Cette volonté englobe à la fois la mise en oeuvre des 2.500 recommandations de l’agenda 21 du sommet de Rio, des objectifs du Millénaire sur la réduction de la pauvreté et des cinq priorités fixées par les Nations unies (eau, énergie, agriculture, santé et biodiversité). Mais l’ébauche du plan demeure un catalogue d’intentions sans engagements précis. Les dernières négociations à Bali, en juin, se sont soldées par un échec. Et l’absence délibérée du président américain Bush est de mauvaise augure. De son côté, dans une note du 27 août, le correspondant du Monde souligne le coût du Sommet qui, estime-t-il, coûtera à l’Afrique du Sud 33 millions d’euros et à l’ONU 47 millions d’euros, soit au total 80 millions d’euros. Cette somme représente 67% des dépenses de santé du Mali (11 euros pour chacun des 11 millions d’habitants, selon la Banque mondiale), ou encore le raccordement à l’eau potable de 80.000 personnes dans une ville telle que La Paz (Bolivie) ou Manille (Philippines), selon la firme Ondeo. La partie sud-africaine des dépenses d’organisation de la conférence est assurée par une compagnie privée, la Johannesburg World Summit Company, qui a trouvé l’essentiel de ses fonds auprès de grandes entreprises locales comme Eskom, South African Airways ou la Standard Bank. — 27 août. Au lendemain de l’inauguration du sommet, on a abordé un des dossiers les plus brûlants des négociations: les subventions accordées par les pays riches, notamment à leurs agriculteurs. A quoi bon en effet, aider les pays en développement, si c’est pour neutraliser cette aide financière par des subventions agricoles, dont le montant total ($350 milliards) est six fois plus élevé? Combinées aux barrières douanières, ces mesures disqualifient les produits des pays pauvres. La disparition de ces subventions à l’échelle de la planète entraînerait, estime Oxfam, un afflux de 100 milliards de dollars vers les pays en développement. La question est particulièrement vitale pour  l’Afrique, puisque l’agriculture y représente entre une quart et les deux tiers de sa production. Mais ni les Etats-Unis, ni l’Union européenne ne semblent disposés à faire évoluer leurs positions. — 28 août. Le sommet a commencé par les discussions sur l’eau, dont un cinquième de l’humanité est encore privé. 1,3 milliard d’humains n’ont pas accès à l’eau potable. L’eau contaminée tue chaque année 5 millions d’habitants, davantage que le sida. Mais à l’instar de la plupart des grands dossiers mis sur la table des négociations, celui de l’eau est, sans surprise, loin de faire l’unanimité. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 29 août 2002)

* Africa. World Summit on Sustainable Development — 23 August: Police in South Africa have arrested at least 77 people campaigning for landless people’s rights in the run-up to next week’s World Summit on Sustainable Development. In a related case, an American land rights campaigner was arrested when she tried to visit the detainees at a Johannesburg police station. The authorities say they intend to deport the woman — Ann Eveleth — for immigration offenses. The arrests followed a demonstration in the city on 21 August, attended by about two-thousand people. — About 20,000 delegates have registered to attend a week of briefings, debates and conferences, centred around sustainable development. Estimates are that at least 60,000 people will file through the Sandton Convention Centre, which will become UN territory on 25 August. Day One —26 August: The World Summit officially gets under way in Johannesburg today, with negotiators still said to be far apart on a plan of action to present to the heads of state and government arriving next week. Delegates are trying to settle major differences between rich and poor nations over issues such as trade, which environmentalists say are a distraction from the real business of the summit. The 10-day conference aims to reach agreement on reducing poverty in developing nations by fuelling environmentally friendly economic growth. South African President Thabo Mbeki welcomed guests yesterday after a musical extravaganza by comparing the gap between the rich and poor with the now-defunct apartheid regime in his own country. «Out of Johannesburg and out of Africa must emerge something new that takes the world forward away from the entrenchment of global apartheid to the realisation of goals of sustainable development,» he said. Mr Mbeki also played down pessimism about the summit’s chances of success, saying it was time for «hope, not despair». While clashes between police and demonstrators at the weekend did not spoil the inauguration party yesterday, there are fears of further unrest during the week. Today, President Thabo Mbeki calls for greater solidarity with the world’s poor. He tells the first session that «a global human society... characterised by islands of wealth, surrounded by a sea of poverty, is unsustainable». Day Two — 27 August: Agriculture heads the agenda  for the second day of debate. Intense negotiations, however, are continuing behind closed doors on several contentious issues, including the use of cleaner energy and access to clean water for the developing world. Summit delegates heard a call on Monday from South Africa’s President Mbeki for them to come up with practical ways of tackling poverty and ending a world order based on the «survival of the fittest». Debates on health and biodiversity also began on Monday for the 40,000 delegates set to stay in Johannesburg for another nine days. It is already apparent that the broad agenda of this summit is creating almost endless scope for disagreements and is also making consensus very difficult to achieve. Delegates from the European Union have complained that their American counterparts are not prepared to sign up to specific targets on issues such as energy and water, arguing that instead of new targets countries should try to keep to existing commitments. — Researchers at the science and technology forum at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg call for a new «cold war» on climate change. The call comes after delegates reached agreement on ways to tackle the world’s fisheries crisis. US researcher Berrien Moore said that political interests had dominated research agendas on climate change for too long. He added that the irreversible changes humans had wrought on the environment, including the felling of large swathes of forests, meant that policy makers could no longer ignore the dangers. The fisheries deal — the first substantial one reached at the summit — envisages restoring most of the major global fisheries to commercial health by 2015. Day Three — 28 August: Nelson Mandela urges politicians to make access to clean water a basic human right, and to put water and sanitation much higher up the political, economic and social agenda. The UN says the lack of fresh water and sanitation is the greatest obstacle to sustainable development and the most visible symbol of the growing gap between the rich and the poor. — World business leaders launch a programme to promote grater investment by multinationals in developing countries. Day Four — 29 August: Western Governments at the Summit are due to announce a series of partnerships with businesses and communities in developing countries. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 29 August 2002)

* Africa/USA. Bush to offer $4 billion in health and economic aid — The Bush administration, seeking to soften the blow of President George W. Bush’s decision to skip a global development meeting starting next week in South Africa, will propose spending more than $4 billion over the next several years to improve health and economic development in Africa, officials say. The money, much of it diverted from existing programs, is on top of a separate proposal to provide as much as $5 billion a year to developing countries that adopt sound economic policies and attack corruption. Officials said Wednesday that the new  proposals to reduce disease, provide clean water and conserve resources were part of a broader plan to work closely with developing nations to provide the foundation for greater prosperity. «We’ve begun a process months before in which we have placed a premium on partnerships; partnerships among governments, among governments and the private sector,» Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky said. Secretary of State Colin Powell will lead the US delegation to the UN-sponsored World Summit on Sustainable Development —though just for the last two days of the 10-day conference —before heading to Angola and Gabon. (Int. Herald Tribune, USA, 23 August 2002)

* Afrique australe. Malnutrition et famine — Le 27 août, des représentants de l’Onu et des responsables locaux ont lancé une sérieuse mise en garde contre la situation sanitaire inquiétante qui affecte le sud de l’Afrique. D’après eux, la malnutrition et la famine pourraient provoquer la mort de 300.000 personnes dans cette région au cours des six prochains mois. Au total, ce sont quelque 14 millions de personnes qui sont menacées de famine dans cette zone de l’Afrique, confrontée aux maladies et au déclin des services de santé. “Les pénuries alimentaires sont suivies de maladies. L’aide alimentaire doit être conjuguée avec les services sanitaires”, a plaidé Gro-Harlem Brundtland, responsable de l’OMS, lors d’une réunion à Harare au Zimbabwe. Dans le seul Etat du Zimbabwe, confronté à la plus grave crise économique depuis son indépendance, près de la moitié des 12,5 millions d’habitants ont un besoin immédiat d’aide alimentaire. Parmi eux, figurent 1,6 million d’enfants de moins de cinq ans. (AP, 27 août 2002)

* Algérie. Premier ministre chinois en visite — Le Premier ministre chinois Zhu Rongji est arrivé le 25 août à Alger. En exprimant la conviction que sa visite en Algérie “servira à approfondir” les relations bilatérales, il a souligné que “la Chine et l’Algérie ont à multiplier leurs échanges à différents niveaux, intensifier leur concertation et leur coordination sur les questions internationales et approfondir leurs relations d’amitié et de coopération”. Au terme de cette visite de trois jours, l’Algérie et la Chine ont signé quatre accords de coopération bilatérale dans les domaines économique, financier et culturel, et la Chine a accordé un crédit de six millions de dollars remboursales en 25 ans. M. Zhu s’est ensuite rendu au Maroc, puis au Cameroun, avant de regagner l’Afrique du Sud, où il prend part au Sommet de l’Onu. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 26 août 2002)

* Algérie. Intempéries: 30 morts — Le 26 août, dix enfants sont morts et six  portés disparus, emportés par un oued en crue à la suite d’un orage de grèle dans la région de Mila, à 350 km à l’est d’Alger. Sortis en groupe cueillir des fruits des bois, les enfants s’étaient abrités sous un pont dans le lit d’un oued, lorsqu’une crue brutale les a emportés. Deux d’entre eux ont pu être sauvés par des habitants, et la protection civile poursuit ses recherches pour retrouver les disparus. Le bilan des intempéries qui frappent l’Algérie depuis le 18 août s’établit à 30 morts et 9 disparus. (La Croix, France, 28 août 2002)

* Angola. Cabinda separatists call for an end to hostilities — On 21 August, separatist rebels in the oil-rich Cabinda enclave accused the Angolan government of stepping up a military offensive, and warned they would not participate in peace talks until hostilities ended. «To the outside world, the government says it is prepared to negotiate but all evidence points to a concerted effort to destroy the strongholds of the Cabinda Armed Forces», said Francoise Xavier Builo, a representative of the FLEC-FAC faction. Builo said that following the signing of the 4 April ceasefire between the government and UNITA, the Angolan Armed Forces had turned its attention to Cabinda. «The government continues to use its slash and burn strategy. Miconge, Belize, Buco-Zau and Dinge have all come under attack. Instead of negotiating, the Angolan government is intent on using force,» Builo said. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 21 August 2002)

* Angola. Angolan elite accused of squandering oil billions — As the threat of starvation sweeps across war-ravaged Angola, its secretive government is coming under pressure to explain how billions of pounds in oil revenues have gone missing. A fresh humanitarian crisis has hit Angola since fighting with Unita rebels ended in April. Three million people are on the edge of famine.Angola’s President, Eduardo dos Santos, has appealed for international help, pleading that his government is broke. But a swelling chorus of diplomats, campaigners and angry Angolans is asking why he is unable to pay his way out of trouble when his government earns billions of pounds from a burgeoning oil exploration business that will soon rival that of Nigeria as Africa’s largest. And while only a tiny amount is spent on helping suffering Angolans, every year a large chunk of the profits -– between 20 and 35 per cent -– mysteriously disappears. Last year, for example, the International Monetary Fund estimated the oil revenues at £2bn, of which £750m simply vanished. Campaigners such as the UK advocacy group Global Witness call it «wholesale state robbery». They say that Angola’s vast oil profits are disappearing into the pockets of the Futungo -– a secret, powerful élite linked to President dos Santos -– on a scale similar to the excesses of the notorious  kleptocrat Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire. Western oil companies such as BP, Shell and Chevron stand accused of refusing to reveal their annual payments to the Angolan government. Patrick Nicholson of CAFOD, a British aid agency involved in a «Publish What You Pay» campaign, said: «Billions of pounds have gone missing, money that should be used to buy food and medicine and reconstruct the country. Oil companies could play an important part in bringing the government to book.» (The Independent, UK, 23 August 2002)

* Angola. Annan pledges support for new Angola — 25 August: The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has arrived in Angola, pledging the UN‘s continued support for the peace process there. In the coming months, the UN is expected to play a role in supervising some remaining aspects of the peace plan agreed by the government and the former Unita rebels which has already made substantial progress. The UN is also expected to play a role in monitoring human rights and will continue to provide humanitarian and development assistance to the country. Kofi Annan has arrived into an Angola where a peace plan devised with minimal participation from the international community has made rapid progress. Speaking on arrival in Luanda, Mr Annan said the UN wished to work with the government, with Unita and with the people of Angola to consolidate peace and help with post-war development. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 25 August 2002)

* Benin. Shrine of Our Lady of Peace Is Consecrated — More than 20,000 pilgrims from West Africa attended the consecration of the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace at Dassa-Zoume, Benin. On 25 August, Benin’s Cardinal Bernardin Gantin on Sunday presided over the Mass which attracted the president of Benin, members of the government, and other high state officials. At the start of the Mass, characterized by typical Benin dances and songs accompanied by drums, a message was read sent by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, on behalf of John Paul II. In the text, the Holy Father said that he hopes «this shrine, dedicated to the Mother of God, Virgin of Peace, will be for all Christians a call to live more profoundly the gift received at baptism to be each day living stones of the Church.» In his homily, Cardinal Gantin urged Catholics of his country to live the mystery of the Eucharist and to imitate the charity of the Blessed Virgin. (Zenit, Italy, 26 August 2002)

* Burundi. Government now understands repatriation regulations — A senior UNHCR official in Burundi, Guillermo Bettocchi, has said that government officials in the war-torn country now understand better the agency’s  rules governing the repatriation of refugees to areas deemed unsafe. His assessment was the result of a two-day UNHCR-organised workshop in Bujumbura for non-governmental organisations and government officials, which ended on 13 August. «We explained how and why the UNHCR gets involved in refugee repatriation, Bettocchi said. Under international law, he said, repatriation «should be voluntary, durable and it should take place under conditions of security and dignity». The agency has been criticised in Burundi for its refusal to locate returning refugees in the south and other areas where there is fighting between rebels and government troops. Local authorities in Tanzania have also been pressuring the refugees from, some 345,926 of them (as at 30 June), to return home. Since February, UNHCR has been facilitating returnees willing to go to the north of the country where it is safe and 80,000 Burundians have so far registered for this voluntary return programme. (IRIN, Kenya, 22 August 2002)

* Burundi. Les négociations se poursuivent — La deuxième semaine de pourparlers sur le cessez-le-feu entre les protagonistes burundais réunis à Dar es-Salaam s’est déroulée dans un bon climat, selon le chef de la délégation du gouvernement, Ambroise Niyonsaba. Ces discussions, débutées le 12 août, réunissent pendant trois semaines les représentants du gouvernement, les deux ailes du Conseil national pour la défense et la démocratie-Forces pour la défense de la démocratie (CNDD-FDD) de Pierre Nkurunziza et de Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurukiye, et les Forces nationales de libération (FNL). Chacune des trois composantes de la rébellion hutu s’assied tour à tour à la table de négociations face aux représentants du gouvernement. La première semaine, avec l’aile de Nkurunziza, s’est achevée sur un blocage. La deuxième fut plus détendue, selon l’ambassadeur burundais, mais il est difficile de parler d’avancées des pourparlers, très peu d’informations ayant filtré. La troisième semaine reste très incertaine. Elle devrait accueillir les FNL, mais des doutes persistent sur l’arrivée de leurs représentants. La seule information disponible actuellement concerne le nom de l’éventuel représentant du FNL: Alain Mugabarabona, qui a récemment annoncé avoir limogé son chef, Agathon Rwasa. Mais ce dernier affirme être toujours le coordinateur général du mouvement. (Ndlr - Lundi 26 août, le vice-président sud-africain Jacob Zuma, médiateur de ces pourparlers, annonçait que Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurukiye et Ambroise Niyonsaba avait signé un mémorandum d’accord pour un cessez-le-feu. D’autre part, les pourparlers entre le gouvernement et l’aile minoritaire des FNL ont été reportés par la médiation). (Agence Hirondelle, Arusha, 25 août 2002)

* Burundi. Further fighting erupts — 23 August: The Burundi army says it  has killed 20 Hutu rebels in fresh fighting inside the country. This comes a week after the government began talks with the rebels in neighbouring Tanzania to end a conflict that has killed an estimated 200,000 people. Fierce fighting is reported in the central region, and south of the capital Bujumbura, where thousands of people are on the move. A new government which aims to share power between Hutus and Tutsis was inaugurated last November. 25 August: Twenty-four Hutu rebels have been killed in an attack on a north-eastern district of the Burundian capital Bujumbura, according to the army. Three police officers were injured in the attack on Gikungu, and other reports said four civilians were also wounded. «The rebel attack has been repulsed and our troops have launched a pursuit operation against the enemy,» army spokesman Colonel Augustin Nzabampema said. The assault came as representatives of the warring parties in the Burundian civil war continue their peace talks in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam. Today’s attack was carried out by the hardline wing of the National Liberation Front, or FNL, a rebel group led by Agathon Rwasa. The attack seems to have been motivated by the move on the part of the Burundian Government and mediators in the Burundi peace talks to negotiate with the leader of a breakaway faction within the FNL. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 25 August 2002)

* Burundi. Accord avec le FMI — Le gouvernement burundais devrait prochainement bénéficier d’un crédit post-conflit du FMI pour un montant global de $25 millions, a-t-on appris le 26 août de source officielle à Bujumbura. Le dossier en cours devrait aboutir au décaissement d’une première tranche au début du mois d’octobre pour un montant de $12,5 millions. Rappelons par ailleurs qu’un accord sur un programme post-conflit en faveur du Burundi est attendu par le reste des bailleurs de fonds internationaux: une table ronde tenue en décembre 2001 avait permis de lever près de $900 millions en faveur du Burundi. (PANA, Sénégal, 26 août 2002)

* Burundi. Attaque rebelle à Bujumbura — Le dimanche 25 août, des tirs d’arme automatique et des explosions de grenades ont réveillé Bujumbura: des rebelles des Forces nationales de libération (FNL) avaient attaqué un quartier nord-est de la capitale. Repoussés par l’armée, une partie des rebelles s’étaient réfugiés dans les collines avoisinantes. Selon des sources gouvernementales, il y aurait eu au moins 30 tués chez les assaillants, 8 civils et 2 soldats. Quatre soldats et un civil burundais ont été blessés par balles, et deux soldats du contingent sud-africain sur place l’ont été par des obus de mortier. Mais, estimait lundi 26 le ministre de l’Intérieur, «ce chiffre va certainement s’agrandir au fur et à mesure de nos investigations». Depuis une semaine, des sources rebelles évoquaient une possible attaque d’envergure par les hommes d’Agathon Rwasa “qui veut  démontrer que c’est lui le véritable patron (des FNL) et que rien ne peut se faire sans lui”. Les FNL sont en proie à de profondes divisions internes. C’est avec une branche apparemment minoritaire de ce groupe que le gouvernement burundais entame, ce 26 août en Tanzanie, des pourparlers de cessez-le-feu. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 27 août 2002)

* Burundi. Réactions au protocole d’accord — Le 26 août à Dar es-Salaam, le gouvernement transitoire et la faction du CNDD-FDD dirigée par JB Ndayikengurukiye ont signé un “protocole d’accord”. Il reste cependant à clarifier ce que cet accord signifie dans le cadre du processus de paix. Selon le chef de la délégation gouvernementale, il s’agit d’une étape vers l’adoption du texte de cessez-le-feu et que l’accord ne serait pas signé avant le sommet régional prévu prochainement sur le Burundi. Mais les réactions au sein de la classe politique burundaise sont dans l’ensemble au scepticisme. Pour l’ex-chef de l’Etat burundais Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, l’accord ne serait qu’un “coup d’épée dans l’eau”, car il n’a été conclu qu’avec le plus faible des trois chefs en guerre ouverte pour le contrôle des FDD. (Il s’agit d’une aile rebelle marginale peu active dans le pays, dont les 5.000 combattants opèrent depuis le Congo). Pour sa part, Deo Nyabenda, cadre dirigeant du FNL, a estimé que si “signer un accord partiel avec l’un ou l’autre groupe armé n’est pas une mauvaise chose en soi”, il fallait garder cet accord secret en attendant que le reste des parties belligérantes le signent à leur tour. Il a indiqué qu’il soupçonne le gouvernement de vouloir se satisfaire de cet accord et marginaliser le reste des mouvements rebelles. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 27 août 2002)