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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 10-10-2002

  PART #3/4 - From  ETHIOPIA to SENEGAL   

* Ethiopia. Coffee prices bitter for Ethiopia — 3 October: The decline in world coffee prices has led to a crisis for growers in Ethiopia, who describe it as the birthplace of coffee. More than one million Ethiopian coffee farmers, accounting for nearly 15 million households, have been affected by the continuing fall in the price paid to coffee producers globally. The International Coffee Organisation (ICO) says world coffee prices have fallen by 70% since 1997. Some Ethiopian farmers are now looking at alternative crops as they can no longer support their families on the meagre income from coffee. Some farmers have turned to begging to survive. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 3 October 2002)

* Ethiopie. Crise humanitaire — Le 8 octobre, le PAM a appelé à une réaction immédiate afin de juguler la grave crise humanitaire qui se profile en Ethiopie. Selon l’agence onusienne, le nombre de personnes ayant besoin d’une aide alimentaire pourrait passer des 6 millions actuels à 10-14 millions l’année prochaine. Les récentes missions d’évaluations conjointes, effectuées dans tout le pays par le PAM, les donateurs et le gouvernement, révèlent d’importantes pertes en ce qui concerne les cultures de céréales et de sorgho, ainsi qu’un rétrécissement des aires  de pacage et la réduction des sources d’eau du fait de la sécheresse qui perdure. (PANA, Sénégal, 8 octobre 2002)

* Ghana. L’or brille à nouveau — Grâce à la hausse des cours de l’or sur les marchés internationaux et à des mesures de contrôle des dépenses et frais de production, Ashanti Goldfiels, le géant ghanéen de l’or, est en voie de récupération. En effet, Ashanti, qui en 1999 était au seuil de la banqueroute, vient d’annoncer un profit net de 18,8 millions de dollars pour le deuxième trimestre de cette année. Son avenir semble assuré. (Al Ahram Hebdo, Egypte, 2-8 octobre 2002)

* Kenya. Uhuru presents nomination papers — 7 October: The battle for the successor of the retiring President Moi took on a more serious complexion when his preferred choice, Uhuru Kenyatta, submitted his nomination papers to Kanu headquarters in Nairobi today. Escorted by a huge crowd to the Kenyatta International Conference Centre that houses the party offices, the Local Government minister called on his rivals in the Rainbow Alliance to back him for the presidency. The event was characterised by confusion as a number of pro-Kenyatta Cabinet ministers, MPs, other leaders and journalists were locked out the venue where the Kanu executive director Mbaria Maina received the papers. The latter certified the papers, saying the candidate had met the mandatory requirement. These include a national identity card, a Kanu life membership card, and evidence of support from at least 12 branches in five provinces. A notable absentee from the escort that included ten Cabinet ministers and seven assistants and thousands of supporters, was President Moi, who, at the time, was in Kakamega to promote the Uhuru-for-President Project that has met stiff opposition especially in parts of the Rift Valley Province and most of Western Kenya. Mr Kenyatta has been in most of presidential entourages that have controversially criss-crossed the country in Moi’s bid to market him. (Daily Nation, Kenya, 7 October 2002)

* Kenya. Meeting to decide on constitution reforms — 7 October: Constitution review commissioners and MPs start a crucial meeting today in Mombasa to decide whether the terms of Parliament and the President should be extended. The team will scrutinise each of the 299 clauses in the draft constitution and is expected to come up with recommendations to be put before Parliament. The members of the Ghai Commission and the Raila Odinga-led Parliamentary Select Committee will decide on whether to go into the General Election with minimum reforms or an entirely new constitution. The commission team will include  Secretary Patrick Lumumba, Prof Yash Pal Ghai, Prof Okoth-Ogendo and Attorney-General Amos Wako. «We will be taking them through the draft and how we arrived at it,» Mr Lumumba said. «If there is any other matter on the agenda, we will deal with as it comes.» The meeting is being held against a backdrop of pressure from various groups, including the Law Society of Kenya, which is locked in a tussle with two judges who went to court seeking orders to stop the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission and the public from debating the draft document. (Daily Nation, Kenya, 7 October 2002)

* Kenya. La grève des enseignants — La grève des enseignants kényans entre dans sa troisième semaine, menaçant de perturber les examens nationaux prévus dans deux semaines. Le puissant syndicat national des enseignants (KNUT), fort de 240.000 membres, a appelé à la grève suite à un conflit salarial. Le conflit remonte à 1997, lorsque le gouvernement a accordé une hausse salariale de 150 à 200% à appliquer en cinq phases, mais seule la première phase a été exécutée. En vue d’assurer la tenue des examens comme prévu, le gouvernement réfléchit à des mesures alternatives, comme le rappel d’enseignants à la retraite, pour les superviser. Le 8 octobre, le ministre de l’Education a eu des discussions avec les responsables du KNUT, mais le ministre des Finances a affirmé avec force que les paiements réclamés par les enseignants rendraient le gouvernement à court de liquidités. (PANA, Sénégal, 9 octobre 2002)

* Kenya. Courts paralysed by strike — 9 October: Kenya’s court system has ground to a halt. Courts across the country have been paralysed after lawyers went on an unprecedented one-day strike. Hundreds of lawyers marched through the streets of Nairobi waving banners, and sporting yellow ribbons of protest. In downtown Nairobi, a large crowd gathered. It was a protest unlike any other. Many had on their long advocates’ robes, one or two wore their grey legal wigs. They waved placards emblazoned with the slogan: «Why Hire a Lawyer When You Can Buy a Judge?» The lawyers are protesting against legal moves to prevent constitutional reform of the judiciary. A new draft constitution recommended sweeping changes, including early retirement, and a tribunal to hear cases of judicial corruption. Not surprisingly, the proposals have not gone down well with the judges. Two of them have lodged a suit to block the changes. But most Kenyans support the reforms, believing their judges to be corrupt and open to bribes. The new draft constitution has been drawn up after months of painstaking public consultation. If the judges succeed in their case, the fear is that the entire constitutional review process will collapse. As the lawyers marched through the streets, members of the public shouted out: «Keep up the good work». (BBC News, UK, 9 October 2002)

* Libya/Lebanon. Shi’ite group threatens Gadhafi — A shadowy Lebanese Shi’ite Muslim group threatened vengeance on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and his country on 6 October over the disappearance of a charismatic cleric 24 years ago. Lebanese Shi’ites have long believed Libya kidnapped and killed Imam Musa al-Sadr, who organized Lebanon’s 1.2 million dispossessed Shi’ites, during a visit to Libya in 1978. Libya says Sadr, founder of the pro-Syrian Shi’ite Amal movement, left the country safely. But Lebanese Shi’ites have demanded that Tripoli explain his fate. The Shi’ite Sadr Brigades said proof of Libya’s involvement had reached them recently from Iran. «The killing of the leader imam and his companions was confirmed to us through reliable news that reached our brothers in Iran a long time ago and we were able to get a few weeks ago,» the statement said. «We shall avenge the blood of the martyred imam...in the appropriate way and at the appropriate time. We shall strike without mercy the interests of Gadhafi and his men in every place on the face of the earth in revenge,» it said. It called on Lebanon to sever diplomatic ties with Libya. Libya sent out a call in August for information on the fate of Sadr, after the issue resurfaced several months ago at an Arab summit in Beirut. Shi’ites had protested against allowing Gadhafi to attend the summit and the Sadr Brigades warned they would take unspecified action if he did. (CNN, USA, 6 October 2002)

* Malawi. New party created — 7 October: Several Malawian professionals and businessmen have formed a political movement which they say is aimed at institutionalising democracy and human development in the southern African nation. The Progressive People’s Movement (PPM) has since July this year been offering training to people at grassroots levels on democracy, human rights and good governance. Leading personalities associated with the group include Malawian lawyers Ralph Kasambara, Modecai Msiska, Temwa Nyirenda and Masauko Msungama. Malawi Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s president Jimmy Koreia - Mpatsa, prominent businessmen and professionals Patrick Khembo, Chokani Mhango, Saulosi Chilima and Martin Kansichi are also in the movement. (PANA, Senegal, 7 October 2002)

* Maroc. Moralisation de la vie publique — Dix jours après les élections marquées par une poussée des islamistes “légaux”, une mesure touchant à la moralisation de la vie publique vient d’être annoncée. Le 7 octobre, seize cadres du Crédit immobilier et hôtelier (CIH, grand établissement  financier du secteur public), accusés de “détournement de deniers publics”, ont été écroués à Rabat après leur comparution devant la Cour spéciale de justice. Un rapport accablant sur la gestion du CIH avait été publié en janvier 2001 par la Chambre des représentants, révélant de “graves irrégularités” portant sur 1,34 milliard de dollars. Divers scandales financiers sur la gestion d’organismes publics et semi-publics ont été révélés en 1998. La semaine dernière, la même Cour avait écroué l’ex-PDG de la Banque populaire du Maroc et deux de ses collaborateurs soupçonnés de “détournement de fonds”. — Pendant ce temps, le champ politique au Maroc vit une véritable effervescence, avec des alliances et des regroupements entre formations politiques en prévision de la constitution de la future coalition gouvernementale, aucun parti ne disposant de la majorité requise pour gouverner seul. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 9 octobre 2002)

* Maroc. Nouveau Premier ministre — Le 9 octobre, on annonçait de source officielle à Marrakech que le roi Mohammed VI avait nommé Driss Jettou, actuel ministre de l’Intérieur, au poste de Premier ministre. La nomination de ce “technocrate” de 57 ans, sans appartenance politique, devrait être bien accueillie après que sa gestion des législatives a fait l’unanimité au Maroc. Elle met en outre fin à l’ère du consensus, souvent synonyme d’immobilisme, toute décision devant obtenir l’approbation de l’ensemble des partis de la  coalition. Mais surtout, l’arrivée d’un homme venu du privé et de l’économie, indique une volonté de donner la priorité au développement. Enfin, l’entrée des islamistes “légaux” du parti justice et développement (PJD) au gouvernement est désormais presque acquise, Driss Jettou n’ayant jamais caché la nécessité de “les confronter à la réalité”. (Libération, France, 10 octobre 2002)

* Mozambique. A decade of peace — 4 October: Celebrations are taking place across Mozambique to mark the 10th anniversary of the end of the civil war. The Renamo opposition party, formerly the rebels, decided to take part in the ceremonies when the government agreed to free 14 opposition supporters jailed two years ago for their part in anti-government riots. The war between Renamo, which was backed by white South Africa, and the then Marxist government, devastated the country but Mozambique has made a remarkable recovery since the peace treaty was signed. Mozambique now has one of the fastest growing economies in Southern Africa, although 70% of the people still live in absolute poverty — a situation made worse by the fact that the country is hit by a region-wide drought. President Chissano says he is convinced that life has improved for all, and that there are no grudges between former enemies. «No one asks who is who in markets, churches and the workplace, they are all working together. You can find clashes in parliament, of course, but it’s a natural thing.» Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama agrees Mozambique has changed for the better, but he believes it is because he fought for democracy. «Before we fought, Mozambique was a Marxist system, a communist one: the Cubans were here, the Russians, the East Germans,» he said. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 4 October 2002)

* Namibia. Major freight road to be upgraded — A Namibian government project to improve one of the country’s main transport routes received a boost on 3 October with a US $54 million loan from Germany. The rehabilitation of the 61 km road from Ondangwa to Oshikango was expected to improve the transportation of goods, services and people in the area and enhance trade between Namibia and Angola. Roads Authority Chief Executive Justin Runji said the surface of the road had been badly damaged in the more than 10 years since it was built. The project would involve the breaking up of the old road surface and the laying of a new asphalt-concrete layer which was expected to last at least 15 years, Runji said. «It is hoped that in the long run increased economic activities will lead to improved standards of living for our people, especially in the north. Some areas which are not serviced properly will now be reachable over a shorter period of time,» acting permanent secretary of the National Planning Commission, Master Kiiyala, said. (IRIN, Kenya, 3 October 2002)

* Niger. Rentrée scolaire — Le gouvernement nigérien a mobilisé au total 3,566 milliards de FCFA pour créer les conditions d’une rentrée scolaire acceptable, effectuée le 1er octobre, a affirmé le ministre de l’Education de base. 2,450 milliards ont été investis au titre des fournitures et manuels scolaires. Les investissements ont permis de construire 1.029 classes neuves et de réhabiliter 150 autres. 476 volontaires de l’éducation ont été recrutés. Le nombre d’enseignants qualifiés est passé de 720 en 2000-2001, à 1.929 en 2001-2002, pour être porté à 2.500 pour l’année en cours. L’objectif est de former 3.000 enseignants par an. Le Niger a élaboré un programme décennal de développement de l’éducation (2002-2012), qui doit permettre d’assurer la promotion de la scolarisation et d’améliorer la qualité de l’enseignement. (PANA, Sénégal, 6 octobre 2002)

* Nigeria. Textile imports banned — 3 October: The government has banned imports of all printed fabrics in order to protect its own ailing industry. The number of local textile factories in Nigeria has fallen to just 40, a quarter of the number seen in the mid-1980s. The government said it took the decision in order to protect against dumping — when  exported goods are sold below their normal value. «It’s a matter of the survival of Nigeria,» said Information Minister Professor Jerry Gana. «This administration has the political will to sustain the fight,» he said, stressing the importance of the industry in terms of job creation. The government hopes to generate a yearly income of $1bn (£640m) from local textile production, according to Nigeria’s Guardian newspaper. (BBC News, UK, 3 October 2002)

* Nigeria/Angola. US military plans — Nigeria and Angola, Africa’s two biggest oil producers, are meeting in Luanda, Angola’s capital on 4 October to discuss shared concern over reports that the US is considering setting up a new military base in the region. Rilwanu Lukman, special adviser on oil to the Nigerian head of state and also president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, will meet José Eduardo dos Santos, the Angolan leader, and senior members of his administration, officials in Mr Lukman’s office said on 3 October. The two countries together produce 3m barrels of oil a day and have attracted billions of dollars in US investment in recent years. The region is increasingly regarded as a strategic energy reserve by a US administration anxious to diversify its sources for oil imports away from the Middle East. General Carlton Fulford, deputy commander-in-chief, US European Command, visited Sao Tomé & Principe, an island cluster in the Atlantic midway between Nigeria and Angola, in July in connection with the proposed base. He was welcomed by Fradique de Menezes, the country’s president, who said such a facility would help protect Sao Tomé, one of the poorest countries, which has ambitions to build its own oil industry. «This will be good for Sao Tomé as it will ensure the future of the country in relation to those that are ambitious and are looking to come to the country when oil is extracted from our waters,» said Mr Menezes. «It [the base] is at a pre- positioning stage. The aim would be [protection of] the Gulf of Guinea and oil interests. It would be handy to have a staging point,» said Richard Cornwell, an analyst at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies. (Financial Times, UK, 4 October 2002)

* Nigeria. Projet pétrochimique — Durant le week-end, le président Obasanjo a inauguré un projet pétrochimique de 2,5 milliards de dollars, déclarant que sa politique qui consiste à attirer des investissements étrangers massifs pour relancer une économie chancelante, commençait à porter ses fruits. Le projet est sponsorisé par Eurochem Technologies Corporation de Singapour et est situé dans la zone franche industrielle de Lekki, à Lagos. Le Nigeria dépend à plus de 90% de ses exportations de pétrole pour ses recettes en devises  étrangères, mais le président Obasanjo s’est engagé à diversifier la base financière du pays en attirant des investisseurs étrangers. (PANA, Sénégal, 6 octobre 2002)

* Nigeria. No respite for couple sentenced to death by stoning — 8 October: A Nigerian couple is to remain in jail, convicted of adultery and sentenced to death by stoning. A bail hearing today is adjourned at which their lawyers were hoping to get Fatima Usman and her alleged lover, Ahmadu Ibrahim, released pending an appeal. The couple was not brought from jail in the northern state of Niger for the hearing, nor are they aware of the severe punishment they are facing. This is the latest in a series of judgments handed out by Islamic or Sharia courts in Nigeria and which have provoked concern amongst human rights groups around the world. This case involves a couple originally imprisoned for the offence of adultery. But at an appeal hearing, the judge imposed the death sentence, arguing that the earlier court had used the wrong penal code to try the case. The woman, Fatima Usman, has a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, allegedly fathered by the man, Ahmed Ibrahim, outside marriage. Both are currently in jail serving the earlier five-year sentence. The court has set a new date of 22 October for the bail hearing. (BBC News, UK, 8 October 2002)

* Rwanda/Zimbabwe. Troop withdrawals — 5 October: Rwanda has withdrawn the last of its troops from neighbouring Congo RDC, four years after they went in to support Congolese rebels against the government of Laurent Kabila. The last 1,000 soldiers, deployed around the border town of Goma, marched across the frontier into Rwanda, today. The withdrawal was agreed under a deal signed in July by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Congolese counterpart Joseph Kabila. Rwandan army chief Major General James Kabarebe said in return for the withdrawal, his country now expected the UN and the Congolese government to disarm Rwandan Hutu extremists still hiding in Congo. — The same day, Zimbabwe says it has completed troop withdrawals from the diamond city of Mbuji Mayi in Congo, where some of the fiercest battles took place. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 5 October 2002)

* Sao Tome e Principe. USA builds links with Sao Tome — A high-ranking US official met leaders of the tiny West African nation of Sao Tome and Principe on 8 October to discuss oil and military ties. The US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Walther Kansteiner, met President Fradique de Menezes and Prime Minister Maria das Neves. The assistant secretary told the leaders that US companies were  interested in searching for oil off the coasts of the two-island nation. The visit underscores America’s interest in West Africa’s increasingly important oil region. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 8 October 2002)

* Senegal. Overloading blamed for ferry disaster — 3 October: Two official investigations into last week’s Senegalese ferry disaster have concluded that overloading, failure to observe safety procedures and bad weather conditions caused the vessel to capsize. The two separate reports, ordered by Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, said the ferry, the Joola, was built for 550 passengers but carried about twice that amount. It capsized when hundreds of people on the top deck rushed to one side to take cover from a sudden gale. The reports say the crew was taken by surprise and unable to release rescue equipment. Only 64 of more than 1,000 passengers survived. Hundreds of bodies have been found, but only 32 could be identified because so many or the victims’ corpses had decomposed. Hundreds more bodies remain trapped inside the ferry. President Wade has accepted the resignations of his transport and armed forces chiefs. The Senegal authorities have put up a website about the Joola disaster, which includes lists of passengers and survivors. The army-operated vessel was on a regular route to Senegal’s capital Dakar from the southern province of Casamance when it overturned. Corpses of victims have been washing ashore while a salvage effort to recover bodies from the upturned hull has been abandoned. The government, which has accepted blame for the tragedy, is now considering whether to sink the ferry with its dead inside. In an address to the nation on 1 October, the president gave a strong message of condolence and a firm promise to find out exactly what happened to the ferry. Abdoulaye Wade said that it was one thing to talk of destiny and the work of the almighty, but God also gave people the freedom to act and the responsibility to go with it. He promised a full technical inquiry involving a French maritime expert and relatives of the victims. 4 October: Interior Minister Mamadou Niang says the ferry will be brought ashore in order to recover a number of bodies thought to be inside it and give them a proper burial. Mr Niang says that so far about 500 bodies have been recovered. 8 October: Experts from the United States and The Netherlands are due, today, to give the Senegalese Government their assessment of plans to tow ashore the ferry. On 7 October, the three maritime specialists visited the site off the Gambian coast where the Joola capsized on 26 September. Senegalese Interior Minister Mamadou Niang has said the ship is stuck on a sandbank by its mast and smokestacks. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 8 October 2002)