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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 10-10-2002

PART #2/4 - From BURKINA FASO to ERITREA

* Burkina Faso. New lakes support rural fisheries — Burkina Faso is benefitting from a total of 2,100 dams in low-lying areas of the country to harvest rain run-off for use during the cropping season and provide fishery resources for local people. The dams have been built over the years since the devastating 1970-’73 Sahelian drought and famine under the Sustainable Fisheries Livelihood Programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization. «Participants [in the programme] learn to think in a more sophisticated, holistic way about all the community’s livelihoods assets: skills, infrastructure, savings and so on,» the FAO reported on 24 September. «The goal is to let people, in partnership with government, co-manage their own resources,» it said. The dams being built should provide a permanent source of water for farmers to cultivate larger fields of grain and vegetables. Rural communities will also have a chance to catch tilapia, catfish and other fish stocked in the dams. (IRIN, Kenya, 3 October 2002)

* Cameroon/Nigeria. Court to rule on border dispute — The governments of Nigeria and Cameroon are braced for a United Nations court decision on Thursday on a border dispute that risks destabilising the surrounding oil-rich Gulf of Guinea region. The office of Kofi Annan, UN secretary-general, said UN officials were working to ensure both sides respected a commitment to abide by the judgment. The court decision, which comes after military skirmishes between the two sides over the issue, will be watched for its impact on the security of a region attracting increasing US interest as a potential bulwark against problems with Middle East oil supplies. «We don’t know the attitude of the Nigerian government or what the Cameroonians will do,» said an executive from an oil multinational operating in Nigeria. The Hague-based International Court of Justice will rule on Cameroon’s 1994 claim for ownership of a 1,000 sq km strip of swampy land known as the Bakassi Peninsula. The ruling could affect maritime access to Calabar, the nearest big Nigerian port to the peninsula and the site of an export processing zone. (Financial Times, UK, 10 October 2002)

* Central Afr. Rep. Ex-minister acquitted in coup trial — 7 October: The former defence minister of the Central African Republic, Jean-Jacques Demafouth, has been acquitted of charges of conspiracy against the regime at the time of the attempted coup last year. Thirty of Mr Demafouth’s co-defendants, mostly former members of the armed forces, were handed down sentences ranging from one year in prison to 10 years’ hard labour. Another 48 were cleared with Mr Demafouth because, the judge said, there was not enough evidence against them. A total of 680 people were put on trial in August, most of them in their absence, in connection with the attempted coup which claimed at least 59 lives. Only 69 of those accused were present when the trial opened. Many people who were called before the tribunal had fled the country, claiming that the trial would not to be fair. Most of the accused were from the same Yakoma tribe as the presumed coup leader, a former president, Andre Kolingba, whose whereabouts are not known. Tens of thousands of Yakoma fled the capital following the coup attempt, after extra-judicial killings of members of their tribe. Mr Kolingba was sentenced to death in August, along with 21 other coup plotters, including three of Kolingba’s sons. About 600 other defendants were handed harsh sentences at the time. The court case was a result of a special inquiry committee into the coup established last year by the President Ange-Felix Patasse. The committee, which finished the investigation in December, proved controversial. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 7 October 2002)

* Centrafrique. Verdict modéré — Le 7 octobre, la cour criminelle de Bangui a rendu un verdict modéré dans le procès sur la tentative de coup d’Etat du 28 mai 2001, acquittant l’ancien ministre de la Défense Jean-Jacques Démafouth ainsi que 48 autres prévenus, et condamnant une trentaine d’autres accusés à des peines de un à dix ans. M. Démafouth a été acquitté “au bénéfice du doute”. Le 26 août dernier, quelque 615 accusés, jugés par contumace, avaient été condamnés à des lourdes peines, dont 24 condamnations à mort. Mais un grand nombre d’entre eux sont en fuite, dont l’ex-président Kolingba, accusé d’être le véritable instigateur du coup d’Etat. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 8 octobre 2002)

* Chad. Controversy over skull — Controversy has arisen over the nature of a skull and jaw fragments discovered in the Djurab Desret of northern Chad by a team led by Professor Brunet og Poitiers University, France, who said at the time of discovery that it had been the culmination of 25 years’ searching. Professor Brunet, backed by independent scientists, claimed that the skull and jaw fragments provided enough evidence to show that they belonged to the earliest hominid ever discovered. Today, another group of scientists, two based in France, two in the USA, present a point-by-point demolition of Professor Brunet’s case, arguing that there is no evidence to suggest that «Toumai» (the name given to the remains) was a hominid. «We believe Toumai was an ape», they conclude. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 10 October 2002)

* Congo (RDC)/Rwanda. Retrait des troupes — 4 octobre. Le retrait des troupes rwandaises du Nord et du Sud-Kivu s’achèvera totalement le samedi 5 octobre, annonce la presse kinoise ce vendredi, au moment où l’armée rwandaise poursuivait jeudi encore le repli de ses unités. Selon des sources rwandaises, une quarantaine de camions chargés d’environ 1.500 soldats venus de la ville d’Uvira ont franchi jeudi le poste frontière rwandais. A Uvira, un bataillon de la rébellion du RCD a pris le relais des Rwandais pour sécuriser la ville, mais de nombreux habitants disent craindre les pillages et des incidents entre le RCD et les milices tribales. D’autre part, au Rwanda, de nombreuses personnes affirment ne pas bien comprendre les raisons du “départ précipité” des troupes rwandaises du Congo et se disent inquiètes pour la sécurité du pays suite à ce retrait. Elles jugent la rébellion congolaise, alliée du Rwanda, incapable de tenir correctement les positions laissées par les militaires de Kigali, et croient que Kinshasa nourrirait le projet d’attaquer le Rwanda pour se venger des quatre années d’occupation. - D’autre part, le 4 octobre à Lubumbashi, 6.000 soldats zimbabwéens ont pris part à une cérémonie  marquant leur retrait du Congo; dans quelques semaines, 18.000 militaires zimbabwéens doivent quitter le territoire congolais. — 5 octobre. Les derniers soldats rwandais ont officiellement quitté le Congo, a assuré le chef d’état-major de l’armée rwandaise. Selon Kigali, 21.600 soldats ont quitté le pays en trois semaines. — 6 octobre. Des combats ont éclaté à Uvira entre les soldats du RCD, remplaçant l’armée rwandaise, et des milices tribales Maï-Maï. Depuis quelques jours, les milices Maï-Maï ont pris le contrôle de toutes les rives nord-ouest du lac Tanganyika, selon des sources concordantes de l’AFP_. Après la localité de Fizi, elles ont investi sans violence Baraka, après le départ des troupes du RCD. — 8 octobre. Selon l’agence PANA, de nombreux ressortissants de la RDC à l’étranger appellent à l’envoi d’une tierce partie pour se rendre compte de l’effectivité du retrait des troupes rwandaises, face aux informations faisant état du retour de ces dernières par des voies détournées. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 8 octobre 2002)

* Congo (RDC). The RCD‘s preliminary agreement with the Govt. — On-going fighting — 7 October: The rebel Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) says it has reached a preliminary agreement with the government on both the ceasefire and the country’s political future. The RCD says the deal outlines a power-sharing agreement and the formation of a transitional government of national unity. 8 October: MISNA reports that the Mayi-Mayi appear to be peparing to launch an offensive against Uvira, South Kivu, controlled by the Congolese Rally for Democracy-Goma (RCD-Goma. Two days ago, the combatants seized the port of Kalundu just 7km south of Uvira. 9 October: MISNA reports that hundreds of people have arrived in Rugomba, Burundi, just a few kilometres from the border with Congo RDC. They are mostly Burundian civilians from the area of Luvungi (halfway between Uvira and Bukavu). (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 9 October 2002)

* Congo (RDC). Concertations à Pretoria — Les concertations de Pretoria entre les opérateurs politiques et les membres de la société civile en vue de conclure un pré-accord global, se sont poursuivies le 8 octobre. Finalement, tous les participants se sont accordés sur le plan proposé par le président sud-africain: le schéma “1+4" (1 président secondé par 4 vice-présidents), comme architecture institutionnelle de la transition. Cet accord signifie une avancée significative. Les participants ont également tenté d’harmoniser les divers ministères du futur gouvernement. Dans la formule à 5 têtes, il n’est pas prévu de Premier ministre. Il reviendrait donc au président de la République de coordonner l’exécutif. (D’après Le Potentiel, Kinshasa, 9 octobre 2002)

* Congo (RDC). Kisangani: heurts avec étudiants — Dans la nuit du 8 au 9 octobre, un groupe de militaires du RCD-Goma s’est introduit dans la résidence du doyen de la faculté de Lettres de l’université de Kisangani, dérobant des objets de valeur. Le professeur ayant appelé à l’aide, des étudiants sont intervenus, mais ont été chassés par les tirs des militaires; un étudiant aurait été grièvement blessé à la jambe. A l’aube, la communauté étudiante a réagi, mais la police est intervenue pour disperser les manifestants. Ceux-ci ont alors attaqué un minibus transportant des observateurs des Nations unies et les soldats de la Monuc ont tiré en l’air pour les éloigner. (Ndlr. Selon d’autres sources, ils auraient tiré sur les manifestants pour se protéger et auraient blessé deux étudiants). Dans l’après-midi, le calme était revenu. (D’après Misna, Italie, 9 octobre 2002)

* Congo (RDC). UN tries to encourage foreign investment in mines — The United Nations has approached investment banks to encourage international mining investment in Congo RDC after the withdrawal of foreign armies from the eastern part of the country. On 9 October, investment bankers said the UN was encouraging financiers to re-appraise mining projects in Congo in an attempt to drum up corporate interest in the mineral-rich country. The UN is anxious that assets relinquished by armies fighting in Congo’s four-year civil war are brought swiftly under the control of legitimate corporate entities, which had largely fled the country. Five neighbouring countries maintained a military presence in Congo during its civil war. Angola, Namibia and Zimbabwe backed the Kinshasa government, while Uganda and Rwanda supported rebel movements. (Financial Times, UK, 10 October 2002)

* Côte d’Ivoire. Fighting pushes up cocoa prices — On 7 October. Renewed fighting in Côte d’Ivoire gave cocoa a push higher. Mediation efforts between the Ivorian government and rebel forces were reported to have collapsed at the weekend. Renewed fighting helped push London December cocoa to a fresh 16-year high of £1,565 a tonne. Traders who had been betting on a political resolution sooner rather than later were buying cocoa to hedge their positions. The latest fighting has been concentrated on the city of Bouake, far north of the cocoa belt. But the rebels of the Patriotic Movement of Côte d’Ivoire have fighters some 150km from regions growing 40 per cent of the world’s cocoa. So far beans are reported to be reaching the ports, but there have  some disruptions. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 7 October 2002)

* Côte d’Ivoire. La trêve est rompue — 3 octobre. Le jeudi soir, les rebelles et le gouvernement se sont entendus pour signer un accord de cessez-le-feu le lendemain à Yamoussoukro. L’annonce est intervenue après des négociations entre le groupe de contact de la CEDEAO et des représentants des rebelles à Bouaké. Malgré cette annonce, la tension reste vive et chez les deux parties le ton reste martial. -4 octobre. Les deux camps semblent respecter le principe d’une trêve, mais les mutins ont tout de même abattu un commandant de brigade à Bouna (nord-est) et les forces loyalistes semblent profiter de l’arrêt des combats pour faire avancer leurs troupes. Dans la soirée, on attendait toujours la signature d’un cessez-le-feu. Annoncée pour l’après-midi, la signature a été retardée. Le texte soumis par la CEDEAO exige que les mutins déposent les armes et que “l’autorité du gouvernement soit rétablie sur tout le territoire”, ce qui revient à la capitulation des rebelles. — 5-6 octobre. Les médiateurs ont échoué dans leur tentative d’arriver à un accord de cessez-le-feu. Le président Gbagbo a refusé de signer cet accord. Dans la nuit du samedi au dimanche, le régime a envoyé des renforts disposant d’armements neufs dans la direction de Bouaké, où les combats ont repris. Des combats opposaient également gouvernementaux et rebelles à Sakassou (42 km au sud-ouest de Bouaké). A Korhogo, une colonne de troupes gouvernementales aurait été repoussée par les mutins. Le dimanche soir, la télévision ivoirienne a appelé à l’expulsion du pays des immigrés burkinabé “qui sont principalement à la base de nos malheurs”. — 7 octobre. La France a encore regretté que le président Gbagbo ait refusé de signer l’accord de cessez-le-feu, l’appelant à la réconciliation. D’autre part, le gouvernement du Burkina Faso a dénoncé les exactions dont sont victimes ses ressortissants en Côte d’Ivoire. Sur le terrain, les forces gouvernementales ont poursuivi leur offensive. Elles sont entrées dans le centre de Bouaké, où les combats à l’arme légère se poursuivaient dans l’après-midi. Les habitants restaient terrés chez eux ou tentaient de fuir la ville, terrorisés. On ignore le nombre de victimes. Dans la soirée, le ministre de la Défense a annoncé que “les terroristes qui occupaient Bouaké ont été mis en déroute”, provoquant la liesse à Abidjan. Mais plus tard, on apprenait que les gouvernementaux s’étaient retirés et que les rebelles étaient à nouveau maîtres de la ville. Ils se seraient également emparés de la ville de Vavoua, plus à l’ouest. — 8 octobre. La situation reste confuse. Un calme précaire semblait régner à Bouaké, où quelques tirs ont cependant été entendus dans l’après-midi. Les forces régulières se seraient retranchées à une vingtaine de kilomètres à l’est. Dans la soirée, le président Gbagbo s’est dit prêt à engager des discussions  avec les mutins, à condition toutefois qu’ils déposent les armes. Il a également annoncé la tenue prochaine d’un autre sommet de la CEDEAO sur la crise ivoirienne, sans en donner la date ni le lieu. Il a par ailleurs annoncé l’arrêt de la destruction des bidonvilles d’Abidjan, habités majoritairement par des immigrés, et un effort financier pour le reclassement de tous ceux qui ont été déplacés. — 9 octobre. Les rebelles, qui contrôlent toujours Bouaké, ont rejeté l’appel du président Gbagbo, refusant de déposer les armes parce qu’ils n’ont aucune confiance. Un porte-parole des mutins a toutefois affirmé qu’ils restaient “ouverts au dialogue”. D’autre part, le Ghana et le Niger ont décidé d’organiser l’évacuation de leurs citoyens de Côte d’Ivoire. Par ailleurs, selon des sources concordantes, quelque 4.000 ressortissants burkinabé ont été chassés dans la région de Duékoué (ouest). Leurs biens auraient été pillés et on compterait plusieurs tués et blessés graves. Le pape Jean-Paul II a appelé la communauté internationale à aider la Côte d’Ivoire à retrouver la paix. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 9 octobre 2002)

* Côte d’Ivoire. Peace denied — 3 October: Relief agencies that have reached rebel-held areas, have found that access to food, water and medicine are of critical concern. 4 October: Rebels are due to meet government officials in the capital, Yamoussoukro, to sign an immediate ceasefire, halting a 16-day revolt which has plunged the region into turmoil. A group of mediators from neighbouring West African countries secured the agreement after a day of discussions with the mutineers in the city of Bouake. «We have achieved an important first step to the process of dialogue and negotiating an end to the crisis,» chief mediator Mohamed ibn Chambas said afterwards. Hundreds have been killed and thousands displaced by the uprising against the authority of President Laurent Gbagbo which began on 19 September. Troops from the former colonial power, France, have been protecting the capital from a rebel advance. The signing ceremony is due to take place at 1600 (1600 GMT) and rebel chief Tuo Fozie said the talks aimed at bringing about a peaceful resolution to the crisis will continue after the ceremony. «We want a stable Côte d’Ivoire in which everybody is Ivorian and everybody is equal,» Mr Fozie said. Many of the rebels come from the largely Muslim north of the country and have long complained of discrimination by Christian southerners. The rebels are calling for the overthrow of Mr Gbagbo and for fresh elections in which all political parties would be allowed to participate. 5 October: Negotiators say an agreement will be signed by rebels and government officials, today. A signing of a ceasefire deal had been due to take places between the two sides in the capital, Yamoussoukro, yesterday. But both questioned the wording of the agreement and the truce ceremony has now been shifted to the front-line town of  Tiebissou. 7 October: Fighting has broken out between rebels and government forces after the failure of talks to achieve a ceasefire. Explosions and gunfire were heard in the city of Bouake — the country’s second city and a stronghold of soldiers who mutinied more than two weeks ago. The clashes are believed to have occurred in the east of the city, where French military observers say hundreds of government troops have been deployed. The fighting started after President Laurent Gbagbo refused to sign a ceasefire with the rebel forces which control about half the country. The West African mediators who tried to arrange a ceasefire between the government and mutineers over the past three days are now returning home. The mediators said Ivorian government wanted the rebels to disarm before agreeing a ceasefire. 8 October: Rebel fighters are planning to launch a counter offensive after managing to hold on to the centre of Bouake. Troops loyal to the Ivorian Government were forced to retreat to the outskirts of the city late yesterday afternoon after heavy fighting with the rebels. Residents in Bouake, the country’s second largest city, say the fighting has died down but it remains unclear who really has control of the city. Earlier an army spokesman said that the rebels fled northwards during a government offensive, and soldiers are no longer meeting any resistance. But one of the rebel leaders Sergeant Sherif Usman said it is they who are in charge. «The loyalists have fled and it is we who control Bouake,» he said. «They entered the city, then retreated because they took major casualties,» he added. For more than two weeks the city has been in the hands of rebels from the Patriotic Movement who now control about half of the country. «We are preparing an offensive, it’s the strategy we shall adopt from now on,» Sergeant Usman said. He said the rebel fighters would head south «with vehicles and heavy weapons». — The same day, MISNA reports that yesterday, armed men took control of Vavoua. There has been no confirmation as yet regarding victims of this action. — President Laurent Gbagbo makes a speech on national television, urging people not to attack foreigners. In his second national address since the rebellion began nearly three weeks ago Mr Gbagbo spoke of an increase in xenophobia. Almost a third of the people Côte d’Ivoire are of foreign origin, but recently homes of immigrant workers have been burned down and many foreigners have been robbed and assaulted. In his speech, the President also addresses the rebels for the first time, saying that if they lay down their arms, the government is prepared to negotiate with them. 9 October: The rebels reject a call by President Gbagbo to disarm ahead of negotiations. Bouake’s rebel commander, Warrant Officer Tuo Fozie says: «He is playing games and I don’t trust what he says. We’re not going to lay down our weapons before negotiations». — Pope John Paul II launches an appeal for the opening of the reconciliation process between the government and rebels. He says: «I invite you to join me in prayer, for the Lord to inspire all efforts towards reconciliation, and to support  efforts of the international community, particularly those from the African Union, aimed at favouring dialogue». (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 10 October 2002)

* Côte d’Ivoire. Inside Bouake — 8 October: A local source has told the Fides Service (Vatican City) that the «situation in Bouake is one of confusion. There are reports of fighting between government troops and rebels but it is difficult to ascertain the truth. What we know for certain is that the missionaries are still there with the people. We have been told that a few have left the eastern part of the city where there are more rebel troops, but the Cathedral is still open thanks to the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) who have remained at their post. All the missionaries are fully involved in helping the thousands of displaced persons». — 9 October: MISNA has received reports of massacres conducted in at least two neighbourhoods of Bouake. During a temporary retreat, some rebels were attacked and in some cases even burned alive by local citizens. In a few hours, the rebels had regained control of the zones and unleashed all their fury on the residents, indiscriminately killing and beating them and devastating homes. After the uncertainty of the past days, it is clear that Bouake is firmly held by the rebels and the humanitarian situation is giving rise to serious concerns. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 10 October 2002)

* Egypte. Frères musulmans libérés — Le 8 octobre, douze membres des Frères musulmans, un groupe islamiste interdit, ont été libérés après une décision de justice faisant jurisprudence, donnant aux prisonniers politiques la même chance de libération anticipée que les autres détenus. En Egypte, les détenus peuvent bénéficier d’une libération anticipée pour bonne conduite après avoir purgé trois-quarts de leur peine. Les douze hommes avaient été condamnés en novembre 2000 à trois ans de prison pour leur appartenance aux Frères musulmans. Parmi les personnes relâchées, figure l’un des chefs du mouvement, Mokhtar Nouh, ancien membre du Parlement et membre du conseil consultatif des Frères musulmans. (AP, 9 octobre 2002)

* Egypt. USA accused of rewriting the rule book — On 8 October, Egypt accused the US of rewriting the rule book to make it more difficult for Iraq to comply with United Nations demands. Ahmed Mahar, Egyptian foreign minister, called for UN weapons inspectors to be sent back into Iraq as soon as possible and for Saddam Hussein’s defiance of UN demands to be resolved peacefully. But he warned that the inspectors’ return should not be «impeded» by US-led efforts to impose tougher conditions on Iraq. Egypt’s support for any military action against Iraq by an American-led force will be essential if action is to have  any chance of wider backing across the Middle East, but President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s leader, remains opposed. Mr Mahar criticised a speech by George W Bush, US president on 7 October, in which he appeared to set out wider conditions for Saddam Hussein. Rewriting the rules in the middle of the game may not be the best solution,» he said in Cairo after meeting Jack Straw, Britain’s foreign secretary. (Financial Times, UK, 9 October 2002)

* Erythrée. Menace de crise alimentaire — Plus d’un million d’Erythréens sont menacés par une crise alimentaire provoquée par la sécheresse prolongée dans leur pays. Tel est le signal d’alarme lancé par la FAO et le PAM dans un rapport conjoint publié cette semaine. Selon les deux agences, la récolte céréalière de cette année ne couvre qu’environ 15% des besoins alimentaires de l’Erythrée, au lieu des 40 à 50% dans une année normale. La communauté des donateurs devrait prévoir une aide de l’ordre de 280.000 tonnes de vivres pour combler le déficit. Cette crise survient alors que le pays se remet lentement de sa guerre avec l’Ethiopie: de nombreux agriculteurs se trouvent encore déplacés dans le pays et les opérations de rapatriement des réfugiés grèvent les ressources du pays. (Centre des nouvelles de l’Onu, 3 octobre 2002)