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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 05-09-2002

PART #4/4 - From SUDAN to  ZIMBABWE

* Sudan. Sudan braces for more fighting — 2 September: President Omar al-Bashir, has launched a major military offensive in southern Sudan, ordering his army to act without restraint. Peace talks in the Kenyan town of Machakos collapsed today after the rebels seized a key garrison town. Only six weeks ago, both sides reached a framework deal aimed at ending Sudan’s 19-year civil war. The rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) is fighting for greater autonomy for the Christian and animist south from the Arab and Muslim dominated government in Khartoum. The government is furious at the rebels’ audacious seizure of the town of Torit at the weekend. Mr Bashir was quoted by a government-owned newspaper as declaring a general mobilisation of his forces. «The armed forces have been directed to move in all directions until Torit, Kapoeta and other areas are recaptured,» Al-Anbaa newspaper quoted him as saying. The fall of Torit is a serious blow to the government, as it is left with just one garrison town, Juba, in the south. 3 September: The SPLA denies that its recapture of Torit is the cause of a breakdown in peace negotiations. 4 September: Sudan’s Government has started airlifting troops to its stronghold of Juba in the rebel occupied south. The authorities are recruiting at universities and schools ahead of a major offensive. First Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha says the talks would not resume until the rebels stopped their offensive. 11,000 civilians have fled Torit and are making their way to Juba. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 4 September 2002)

* Sudan. Pro-opposition paper confiscated — Sudanese authorities confiscated the 4 September editions of a pro-opposition newspaper because it published an article they considered harmful to national unity, the paper’s editors said. Albino Okeny, editor of The Khartoum Monitor, said he and the papers’ managing editor were summoned by security officials who complained about the article, which touched on demands by residents of a town on the border between southern and northern Sudan to be part of a proposed referendum on whether southern Sudan should remain part of Sudan. Okeny told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that he and managing editor Nhial Bol were allowed to go free after questioning. The article, they said, contained excerpts of a letter sent by local leaders of Abyei asking that their town be considered part of southern Sudan and take part in the referendum proposed to take place in 2009 under a framework peace agreement signed July 20 between the government and southern rebels. Abyei is located on the border between southern Kordofan and Bahr el-Ghazal, a southern region. The government considers the town as part of northern Sudan, although Abyei’s inhabitants are mostly members of the southern Dinka tribe. «They accused us of encouraging secessionist tendencies and warned us against that,» said Okeny, the Monitor‘s editor. (CNN, USA, 4 September 2002)

* Tchad. Togoimi gravement blessé — Selon des sources locales, Youssouf Togoimi, leader du Mouvement pour la démocratie et la justice au Tchad (MDJC, rébellion du nord du pays), aurait perdu les deux jambes suite à l’explosion d’une mine dans la zone nord-ouest du Tchad, au pied du massif du Tibesti. Son état est critique. Toutefois, d’après des sources gouvernementales, ce grave accident pourrait avoir des retombées positives sur les possibilités d’un accord avec le mouvement rebelle. Togoimi représentait le plus important obstacle à la reprise des tractations pour arriver à la paix. L’année dernière, le gouvernement et les rebelles avaient signé un accord, mais à cause de divisions internes au mouvement l’entente était restée lettre morte. (Ndlr.: Selon les rebelles, M. Togoimi a été victime d’un attentat commandité par le pouvoir de N’Djamena). (D’après Misna, Italie, 31 août 2002)

* Togo. Loi sur la presse — Le 3 septembre, une nouvelle loi sur la presse et la communication a été approuvée au Togo. Le Parlement s’est prononcé à l’unanimité sur le texte de loi voulue par le président Eyadéma, introduisant de nouvelles sanctions pénales à l’encontre des journalistes et amplifiant le champ des délits de presse. Le chapitre relatif aux mesures contre qui se rend coupable d’offenses aux institutions de l’Etat est particulièrement sévère. Dorénavant, tout opérateur du secteur qui manquera de respect au président, encourt une peine allant de 1 à 5 ans de réclusion et des amendes supérieures à 7.600 euros. Le 21 août, quand le projet fut approuvé par le Conseil des ministres, Reporters sans frontières s’était érigé contre ces mesures visant à baillonner les journalistes et l’opposition. (Misna, Italie, 4 septembre 2002)

* Togo. New Media Bill — The Togolese parliament on 3 September passed a new media bill despite the concerns of lobby groups on media freedom that it would stifle the media in the West African country. The new bill, modifying several aspects of the existing press code, was adopted by the government on 21 August, according to news agency reports. The new Togolese bill increases the penalty for «insulting the Head of State» from six months imprisonment to a «one to five year jail term with no parole and a fine of one to five million CFA francs. It introduces penalties ranging from three months to two years in jail for those found guilty of «insulting the National Assembly speaker, the prime minister, parliamentarians, government members and constitutional institutions». The bill also includes a proposed three-year jail term for defamation of «courts, tribunals, the armed forces, security forces, constituent bodies, and the public administration». (IRIN, Kenya, 4 September 2002)

* Tunisie. Remaniement du gouvernement — Le 4 septembre, le président Ben Ali a opéré un important remaniement au sein du gouvernement. A caractère essentiellement technique, cette restructuration n’a toutefois pas touché les grands portefeuilles, tel le poste de Premier ministre qui reste aux mains de Mohamed Ghannouchi. Le remaniement semble dégager surtout un souci de rationalisation et d’austérité; plusieurs départements ont fusionné. Le nouveau gouvernement ne compte plus que 25 ministres, contre 29 auparavant; de même, les postes de secrétaires d’Etat ont été réduits de 24 à 19. (AP, USA, 4 septembre 2002)

* Tunisia. Communist leader freed — The head of the Communist Workers’ Party in Tunisia, Hamma Hammami, has been freed from prison only two days after losing an appeal against a three-year prison sentence. He had been accused of belonging to an illegal organisation and inciting rebellion. Officials said his release was on health grounds and was conditional. Human rights groups, who have been supporting Mr Hammami and other jailed members of the party, say this means he could be re-arrested at any time. Mr Hammami and two high-ranking colleagues were sentenced in February after several years in hiding. One of the others, Samir Taamallah, has also been freed on the same terms. (BBC News, UK, 4 September 2002)

* Tunisie. Hammami: condamné et libéré — Le 2 septembre, la justice tunisienne a rejeté le pourvoi en cassation de Hamma Hammami, confirmant ainsi la condamnation àtrois ans et deux mois ferme de cet opposant politique de 50 ans, jugé pour appartenance au Parti communiste des ouvriers de Tunisie. L’audience, à huis-clos, n’a duré que quelques minutes, en l’absence des avocats de la défense. Les jugements contre ses camarades Samir Tamallah (un an et 9 mois) et Abdeljabar Madouri (3 ans et 9 mois) ont également été maintenus. Leur procès avait été émaillé d’incidents et avait donné lieu à une grève générale des avocats en Tunisie. - Le 4 septembre, les autorités tunisiennes ont annoncé la libération de M. Hammami “pour des raisons de santé”. La même mesure s’applique à Samir Tamallah. Ce dernier a appelé à la libération de “tous les prisonniers politiques tunisiens”. Par contre, Abdeljabar Madouri devra purger 8 mois de prison ferme. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 5 septembre 2002)

* Uganda. Pressing on against rebels — The Ugandan army will continue its offensive against rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), President Yoweri Museveni has said. In a statement published in the state-owned New Vision newspaper, Mr Museveni said he would only accept a ceasefire declared by the rebels if they assemble in designated areas near the Uganda-Sudan border. The newspaper also reported that the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) had started a «massive operation» against rebels in the Lira district of northern Uganda. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 29 August 2002)

* Ouganda. Les missionnaires libérés — Les trois missionnaires comboniens, dont le directeur de l’agence Misna, arrêtés le 28 août alors qu’ils poursuivaient des pourparlers avec l’Armée de résistance du Seigneur (LRA) dans le nord de l’Ouganda, ont été libérés. “Je me trouve à Kampala et me porte bien, mais le drame de la population perdure”, faisait savoir le père Giulio Albanese de Misna, le 31 août. Les missionnaires avaient été incarcérés dans une caserne de Kitgum, avant d’être libérés vingt-quatre heures plus tard. Le porte-parole de l’armée a justifié l’arrestation et l’interrogatoire musclé des religieux en affirmant que l’armée ne savait pas ce qu’ils faisaient avec les rebelles. En réalité, ces négociations de paix avaient été annoncées par la presse nationale. L’arrestation semble donc motivée avant tout par le souci du gouvernement de faire taire toute opposition aux opérations militaires en cours. (Misna, It., et La Croix, Fr., 31/8-3/9 2002)

* Uganda. Director of MISNA arrested — 29 August: A series of reports coming from the agency MISNA, indicates that its Director Father Giulio Albanese and two other Cobonian missionaries have been held in custody by the Ugandan armed forces since yesterday. Father Albanese had travelled to Uganda to gather first-hand accounts about the latest developments concerning a possible truce between the Ugandan authorities and the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. On 28 August, while the three Religious were meeting with a rebel delegation in the bush, the Ugandan army carried out a surprise attack. It should be remembered that the military authorities were previously informed about the missionaries’ initiative and had given their consent. According to military sources, the three Religious are being held in Kitgum accused of having distributed medicine to the rebels. They were detained for 24 hours. 4 September: In a message to MISNA readers, its Director, now back in Italy, re-affirms that: «We were all three engaged in talks with rebels of the LRA, as part of the long-awaited difficult peace process, when a sudden attack by government forces caused the Olum (“grass”, as the rebels are called in the Acholi language) to flee the area, leaving us under a shower of bullets and grenades»...At the moment in northern Uganda, the only sign of hope is epresented by the Acholi Religious Leaders’ Peace Initiative, a cartel of religious communities present in the Acholi districts. It is a group of people headed by Gulu’s Archbishop John Baptist Odama, that firmly believes in a non-violent solution to the armed crisis». (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 5 September 2002)

* Uganda/Congo RDC. Pulls out troops from Congo RDC — Uganda has officially withdrawn all its forces from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, except for two battalions which would remain to safeguard civilian security in the troubled city of Bunia, official Radio Uganda reported. Ugandan army spokesman Major Shaban Bantariza told the radio the battalions would stay in Bunia pending the arrival of the UN peacekeeping mission. The Ugandan government-owned New Vision newspaper reported that a total of 1,138 troops had returned from Congo. (IRIN, Kenya, 4 September, 2002)

* Zambia. Spending cuts — Zambia has angered unions by suspending food and travel expenses paid to some government staff. The spending cuts are in response to criticism from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). IMF officials raised concerns about a gap in the country’s budget during a recent visit to the country. The payments to low and middle-ranking civil servants will stop for a period of three months from the beginning of September. But unions have voiced their strong opposition to the move. In July, President Levy Mwanawasa expressed concern over «lavish spending». (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 29 August 2002)

* Zambie. Levée de l’immunité de Chiluba — Le 30 août, un tribunal zambien a autorisé la levée de l’immunité de l’ancien président Frederick Chiluba, afin qu’il puisse être poursuivi pour corruption. Chiluba est accusé de corruption et de vol des deniers de l’Etat, à hauteur de plusieurs millions de dollars, lors de la période où il était au pouvoir (1991-2001). Les avocats de Chiluba ont immédiatement annoncé qu’ils feraient appel à cette décision devant la Cour suprême. (Le Figaro, France, 31 août 2002)

* Zambia. Zambia refuses GM «poison» — Zambia’s president has refused to overturn his ban on genetically modified (GM) food aid despite the food crisis which is threatening up to 2.4 million people. Levy Mwanawasa said he would not allow Zambians to eat «poison». Up to 13 million people face famine across southern Africa, aid agencies have warned. But much of the food aid delivered so far has been GM maize from the United States. Zimbabwe has also banned GM aid in case it contaminates local crops. A deal was done with Zimbabwe, whereby GM food was milled before being distributed, so that it could not be planted. Similar arrangements have placated fears over GM food aid in Malawi and Mozambique. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 3 September 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Radio building blown up — A building housing an independent radio station in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, has been destroyed in an explosion. The building’s roof caved in after the blast. Staff at the Voice of the People station said they suspected that the building had been bombed —there has been no confirmation of this from the police. The incident occurs against a background of government action to control the independent media and criticisms by ministers that the media is conducting a campaign against the government. Journalists in Zimbabwe accuse the government of trying to muzzle the media. The Reuters news agency reported that a bomb had caused the blast. It says that two armed men confronted the security guard on duty at the privately-run radio station shortly after midnight and told him to leave. The agency says Takura Zhangasha, an advocate with the Media Institute of Southern Africa told them that the men «then hurled an explosive device into the one-storey building». The French agency, AFP, also reported that a bomb exploded early on the morning of 29 August at the Voice of the People offices. New media laws introduced in Zimbabwe in March restricted the activities of private radio stations. The Voice of the People recorded radio material which was sent to the Netherlands from where it was broadcast on short-wave to avoid breaking the media curbs. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 29 August 2001)

* Zimbabwe. Mugabe se défend à Johannesburg — Le président zimbabwéen Robert Mugabe, de plus en plus contesté pour sa réforme agraire et ses atteintes aux droits de l’homme, a profité du Sommet de la Terre à Johannesburg pour justifier sa politique au nom du développement durable. Son discours a été applaudi par de nombreux délégués de pays du Sud. “Nous, au Zimbabwe, comprenons trop bien que le développement durable n’est pas possible sans réforme agraire”, a-t-il affirmé. Les violences contre les fermiers et leurs ouvriers noirs ont fortement perturbé la production et contribué à l’aggravation de la situation économique du Zimbabwe, où la moitié de la population est menacée de famine dans les mois à venir. Le Premier ministre britannique, Tony Blair, a vivement réagi, dénonçant “ces foutaises sur le néocolonialisme” qui servent “à camoufler un régime corrompu et désastreux”. (Libération, France, 4 septembre 2002)

* Zimbabwe. «We must help Zimbabwe’s hungry» — Clare Short, the UK‘s minister for international development, on 4 September appealed to the donor community not to let misgivings about President Robert Mugabe’s regime blunt the generosity of food relief efforts for Zimbabwe. Only 23 per cent of the 450,000 tonnes of food aid needed in the country have so far been pledged by international donors, and Ms Short’s call followed a sharp divergence of views this week between Mr Mugabe and Tony Blair, UK prime minister, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. About 6m people face severe food shortages in Zimbabwe as a result of a drought. But a controversial land reform scheme to resettle landless blacks on white-owned land, which has disrupted farming, has intensified the threat of widespread starvation. A dispute over genetically modified (GM) food aid from the US has meanwhile left maize stranded in the region’s ports. «We can’t allow the people of Zimbabwe to starve because the government is misbehaving,» said Ms Short. (Financial Times, UK, 5 September 2002)

* Zimbabawe/Mozambique. Zimbabwe’s loss, Mozambique’s gain — The chaos in Zimbabwe’s farm sector is exacerbating the effects of drought in the region. The consequences are still unfolding but could be catastrophic. And the region is losing one of Africa’s scarcest resources: a group of people who, whatever their shortcomings in terms of vision and tact, are technically qualified, experienced and dedicated. The reality, however, is that Mr Blair still has cards he could play. The problem is that he may not realise he holds them in his hand. For a start, in Joaquim Chissano, president of Mozambique, and Thabo Mbeki, South Africa’s leader, Mr Blair has two important allies in southern Africa. He should draw on the respect and influence they command in the region. But he should not ask them to apply sanctions: Zimbabwe’s tourism, once the leading foreign exchange earner, has dwindled to near insignificance, agriculture is in rapid decline, inflation is in three figures and the currency is grossly overvalued. These problems are pushing Zimbabwe ever closer to collapse and the two men fear that any additional measures could precipitate the crisis they want to avoid. Over the border in Mozambique, there is land available and, more importantly, the government has a pragmatism born of experience: it is still coming to terms with the economic effects of the exodus of its white minority in the tumultuous months that marked independence from Portugal in 1975. One result of that pragmatism is that the government has made land available for purchase, or long-term lease, to the commercial farmers of Zimbabwe. So far, no more than a handful of them have taken it up. Most of the 3,000 who are being evicted do not have the capital; what they have is tied up in Zimbabwe, in the near-worthless local currency. And even if they do have the capital, life is tough in Mozambique: there is only rudimentary infrastructure in much of the country. (Ironically, that was destroyed in the 1970s by white Rhodesia’s armed forces and their local allies, but that is another story.) (Financial Times, UK, 5 September 2002)