* Africa. Blood diamond talks — 28 October: The World Diamond Council (WDC) is meeting in London to discuss moves to crack down on the illegal trade in gems mines in war zones — the so-called blood diamonds. The WDC‘s talks will focus on a proposed tracking scheme under which diamonds mined in conflict-free zones would be given a certificate of origin. Once the scheme — due to be formally launched next month — is implemented, every diamond offered for sale will have to be accompanied by a certificate to show it is conflict-free. The WDC‘s chairman, Eli Izhakoff says the support of governments is essential to the plan’s success. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 28 October 2002)

* Africa. Action against the Media — Liberia: On 29 October, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) welcomed President Taylor’s decision t free Hassan Bility, editor of the privately-owned weekly The Analyst, who has been held in a secret place for the past four months, but says it is concerned about the conditions for his release. Morocco:On 24 October, RSF protested to the authorities over their refusal to allow two journalists to leave the country. Sudan/UK: On 23 October, The Writers in Prison Committee issued an Action Alert over the imminent risk of deportation from the United Kingdom, faced by Sudanese author, Mende Nazer. She claims she was forced to work as a slave in the London house of a Sudanese diplomat after having being brought to the UK with false papers. She has written a book about her experiences. Zimbabwe: In an Alert Update on 23 October, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) said the proposed amendments to the Access to Information and Protection Act, will result in the Media and Information Commission being firmly put in the hands of the Minister of Information, and the strengthening of repressive clauses. — On 23 October, the police charged Geoff Nyarota, editor of the independent Daily News, with violating new security laws. — On 29 October, MISA said that two journalists with the Zimbabwe Independent and The Daily News have been threatened by police when they went to cover the funeral of an opposition member of parliament. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 29 October 2002)

* Africa. Human rights — Cameroon: On 25 October, Amnesty International urged the Cameroonian authorities to immediately release Albert Mukong, a former executive director of the Human Rights Group and a reputable human rights defender, who was arrested on 28 September by the gendarmerie at Ayukaba, in South West Province. Côte d’Ivoire: On 24 October, PANA reported that according to Amnesty International and other organisations, both security forces and insurgents have committed human rights abuses, including extra-judicial executions. — On 23 and 24 October, residents of a poor Abidjan neighbourhood were left homeless when their homes were demolished. Armed policemen stood guard as a bulldozer crashed into dwellings. — On 29 October, Amnesty International said that dozens of people have been killed in Daloa since the army recaptured it from rebels. Victims include people with Muslim names or citizens from neighbouring countries. Ethiopia: Ethiopia’s Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs said (on 24 October) that mass unemployment in Ethiopia is leading to an alarming rise in the illegal trafficking of women. —On 30 October, the UN‘s Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia called for the abolition of «collective punishments» imposed on farmers who cannot afford to repay fertiliser debts. Namibia: The Namibian Society for Human Rights has said (24 October) that comments made by Namibia’s Home Affairs Minister regarding alleged abuses by the paramilitary Police Special Force, has given further credence to calls that the unit be disbanded. Somalia: Medécins sans Frontières has condemned an attack (19 October) on one of its clinics in Adan Yabal, in the middle Shabelle Region of Central Somalia. It says it has suspended its activities in the area. Swaziland: On 23 October, the research director for the Swaziland branch of Women and Law for Southern Africa, said Women lawyers in Swaziland have embarked on a campaign to alert both genders to the need for women’s rights in a proposed new Constitution. Togo: On 22 October, Togolese officials told the UN Human Rights Committee that no executions had taken place in Togo in five years and that claims of other human rights abuses are not true. Tunisia:On 24 October, PANA reported that two members of the Tunisian Labour Communist Party, jailed for being members of a banned political party, have started an indefinite hunger strike to press their demand for immediate and unconditional release. Uganda: On 30 October, Human Rights Watch said that both the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and Ugandan government forces have stepped up abuses against civilians in recent months. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 30 October 2002)

* Africa. Summit on AIDS and Hunger — In the bleached shantytowns of southern Africa they call them the ugly sisters — a twin force of such devastation that from the wreckage it is seldom possible to distinguish one sibling’s impact from the other: AIDS and hunger have become inseparable. Relief agencies and governments will meet in South Africa next week to call for a new approach to a humanitarian crisis on a scale no one has quite seen before. Plague and famine have intertwined into a self-perpetuating phenomenon which could last for decades. The Johannesburg meeting will bring together UN agencies, the 14-member Southern African Development Community and non-governmental organisations to discuss new ways of tackling the economic, social and cultural nexus that is the result of the ugly sisters. (...) «The crisis within the crisis — the HIV/AIDS crisis — is enormous,» said James Morris, the head of the WFP. «This is a catastrophe in the world that in some respects is unprecedented.» That the countries worst hit by famine are among those worst hit by AIDS is no coincidence. Hunger breeds HIV and HIV breeds hunger. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation the disease is ravaging farmers. (The Guardian, UK, 30 October 2002)

* Africa. Humanitarian needs — Global: On 22 October, the UNHCR said it is facing a shortfall of US $80 million to enable it maintain at «least minimum standards for refugees». Angola: A recent UN study paints a grim picture of the country which has some of the worst living conditions in the world. More than 60% of the population are living below the poverty line. — On 25 October, the WFP said it was very concerned over a decision by the Angolan government to close all reception areas of former UNITA rebels and their families by the end of the year. Burundi: On 28 October, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that relief agencies have delivered much needed relief food to some 1,500 families of internally displaced persons whose camp was destroyed by fire on 27 September. Congo RDC: On 23 October, IRIN reported that another 500 people have fled South Kivu into northwestern Tanzania, bringing to 13,000, the number of Congolese seeking asylum in surrounding countries since fighting erupted again in Uvira last week. Liberia: On 28 October, the WFP expressed concern about the continuing increase in the number of internally displaced persons in camps in the suburbs of Monrovia. Sudan: On 28 October, the UNHCR said that about 17,000 Sudanese refugees were still in hiding, having fled ethnic violence last week in a refugee settlement in northeaster Congo RDC. Uganda: On 30 October, AFP said that Archbishop John Odama who has been attempting to end the conflict between the government and the Lord’s Resistance Army rebels, is reported to have said that recent atrocities are threatening to overwhelm the peace process. — On 31 October, the BBC reported that the more than 40,000 internally displaced people in overcrowded camps in the northern town of Lira, are facing acute food shortages and lack of proper medication. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 31 October 2002)

* Africa/USA. Human rights issue in focus — Picture postcards of the port of Lobito, in southern Angola, show gleaming white cruise ships moored in the harbour before the country’s civil war broke out almost 30 years ago. The conflict long ago stopped the liners coming but the tentative return of peace has attracted renewed international activity: Kellog Brown & Root, a US contractor, is to provide technical support for building an oil refinery that will tower over the harbour and process light crude suitable for consumption by American cars. The project is one of the tangible signs of growing US interest in western and central Africa, whose large oil reserves are seen by analysts and lobbyists as a bulwark against disruption to Middle East crude supplies. A series of visits to western Africa by senior US officials over the past few months has prompted questions about US intentions and the likely impact on a region notorious for corruption and poor governance. «In the short term, this part of the world is very strategic for the United States,» says Alex Vines, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch. «It’s the only really key focus of US policy in Africa.» The US government has talked of the «national strategic interest» represented by African oil, whose 15 per cent share of US crude imports is forecast to grow to 25 per cent by 2015. (Financial Times, UK, 29 October 2002)

* Horn of Africa. Aid plea — The World Food Programme (WFP) made a renewed plea to the over-stretched aid community yesterday for funds to feed up to 14 million people facing starvation in the Horn of Africa. It was the agency’s fourth appeal this month setting the plight of the drought-ravaged Horn against that of southern Africa. «The humanitarian system faces the prospect of being completely overwhelmed,» the WFP executive director, James Morris, said. «At least 10 million people will need food aid just in Ethiopia. But if this month’s rains stop early, up to 14 million people there will require urgent assistance. These figures are large and dramatic and the international community should take notice. Unless we come to grips with this problem very soon we face the real possibility of witnessing a devastating wave of human suffering and death as early as next year.» (The Guardian, UK, 29 October 2002)

* Algeria/France. Controversial French Algerian war general dies — A French paratroop general criticised for his repressive methods during the Algerian war of independence has died at his home near Paris at the age of 94. General Jacques Massu led the French forces to victory during the Battle of Algiers in 1957, but two years ago he publicly admitted that Algerian prisoners had suffered widespread torture and summary execution. General Massu expressed regret for such actions and said the eventual institutionalisation of torture within the French army had been wrong and unnecessary. President Jacques Chirac praised the general, in a statement following his death, as a great soldier who’d conducted himself with «dignity, courage and honesty» since making his admissions. (BBC News, UK, 27 October 2002)

* Algérie. Prêt de la Banque mondiale — Le 29 octobre, l’Algérie et la Banque mondiale (BM) ont signé un accord de prêt de 94 millions de dollars destinés à réduire la vulnérabilité des zones urbaines aux catastrophes naturelles et à développer le crédit hypothécaire. Au total, la BM a accordé à l’Algérie $880 millions pour 14 projets. Le directeur de la zone Maghreb à la BM, Théodore Haller, a estimé, lors de la signature de l’accord, que son institution compte “mieux cibler à l’avenir les projets à financer, pour répondre aux priorités du gouvernement algérien”. (PANA, Sénégal, 30 octobre 2002)

* Algérie. Islamistes armés — Dans la nuit du 24 au 25 octobre, des islamistes présumés ont tué 21 personnes, dont un enfant de trois mois, à Ouled Abdallah, dans la province de Chlef, à quelque 170 km à l’ouest d’Alger, a annoncé l’agence officielle APS citant les services de sécurité. Les victimes, appartenant à une même famille, ont été tuées par balles et à l’arme blanche. Et dans la nuit du 29 au 30 octobre, huit personnes ont été assassinées par un groupe terroriste à Sid-Bou Aissa, dans la préfecture de Chlef. Depuis le début du mois, une centaine de personnes ont été tuées en Algérie dans des violences impliquant des islamistes armés; et ces neuf derniers mois, un millier d’Algériens ont été tués par des rebelles ou lors d’opérations militaires des forces de sécurité. — Selon un article paru dans Le Monde du 31 octobre, les islamistes armés en Algérie se sont restructurés en trois formations. Le plus connu et le mieux organisé serait le Groupement salafiste pour la prédication et le combat (GSPC) de Hassan Hattab, implanté dans le centre du pays (notamment autour de Boumerdès et Bouira) ainsi qu’en Kabylie. Il disposerait d’environ 350 hommes. Le deuxième groupe serait celui des Protecteurs de la prédication salafiste, fort d’environ 450 membres, qui sévissent dans l’ouest du pays, ainsi que dans les secteurs de Chlef, Tiaret, Tissemsilt et Relizane. Le troisième est celui d’Abdel Khader Souane, qui compterait une centaine d’hommes et opère dans la préfecture de Médéa et au sud de l’Algérie. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 31 octobre 2002)

* Angola. The Catholic Church — Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples is in Angola for a five day pastoral visit 25-29 October, during which he will meet Bishops, clergy, Religious men and women, seminarians and formation staff, as well as the local Catholic community and the authorities. On Sunday 27 October at Luanda Cathedral the Cardinal will preside together with all the Bishops of Angola, a solemn Mass of thanksgiving for restored peace in the country. The Cardinal will also visit some of the many internally displaced persons still confined to camps. Angola has a population of 14,000,000. Catholics are about 47% of the population, other Christians 15%-20%. There is a deep desire to turn a new page in Angola’s history, and to improve the country’s economic and social situation. In this new era in the life of the country, the Church is working to promote reconciliation. (Fides, Vatican City, 25 October 2002)

* Angola. Cabinda rebel base captured — 30 October: The Angolan army says it has captured the military headquarters of a rebel group fighting for the independence of the oil-rich enclave of Cabinda, which lies to the north of Angola. The army says its forces have overrun the remote jungle base at Kungo-Shonzo, about 100 km north-east of Cabinda city. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 30 October 2002)

* Burundi. Négociations et affrontements — Les entretiens préliminaires à des négociations de cessez-le-feu au Burundi entre la médiation, le gouvernement et l’un des deux principaux mouvements rebelles hutu ont débuté le samedi 26 octobre. Le président Buyoya et Pierre Nkurunziza, chef du CNDD-FDD  (Conseil national pour la défense de la démocratie-Force pour la défense de la démocratie), se sont rencontrés le samedi, et ont eu, le dimanche, des entretiens séparés avec la médiation. Ces entretiens préliminaires devaient être suivis, lundi, des pourparlers de cessez-le-feu proprement dits entre les délégations au complet du gouvernement, du CNDD-FDD et de l’autre grand mouvement rebelle, le FNL (Force nationale de libération) d’Agathon Rwasa. Mais selon la médiation, aucune avancée n’a été enregistrée. Les discussions ont achoppé sur le fait de savoir si une trêve devait être signée avant un accord de cessez-le-feu. Malgré ces réunions au sommet, la réalité sur le terrain n’a pas changé. Le 28 octobre, la périphérie nord du Bujumbura a été le théâtre de violents affrontements entre troupes gouvernementales et FNL, qui ont fait fuir des milliers de civils. Depuis plusieurs jours également, les provinces de Rutana et de Ruyigi sont le théâtre de combats. Mais le 29 octobre, le CNDD-FDD a déclaré une trêve unilatérale, suspendant ses hostilités contre le gouvernement à partir du 3 novembre, tout en se réservant le droit de se défendre s’il était attaqué par l’armée. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 30 octobre 2002)

* Burundi. Negotiations resume — 25 October: Negotiations between Burundi’s main rebel groups and the government are set to resume in Dar es Salaam tomorrow, but it is far from certain that nine years of fighting will finally be brought to an end. The Hutu rebels insist that President Pierre Buyoya attend in person, to guarantee that any deal will be respected. 29 October: MISNA reports that the talks in Dar es Salaam are continuing in a climate of distrust and suspicion. 30 October: A combined commission is instituted to study practical procedures for the continuation of negotiations. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 30 October 2002)

* Cameroon/Nigeria. Dismay at Nigeria’s Bakassi stand — 24 October: Cameroonians are reacting with disappointment to Nigeria’s refusal to hand over the disputed oil-rich Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon, as ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Diplomats have also expressed dismay at the long awaited Nigerian statement, saying President Olusegun Obasanjo appeared to be going back on his earlier promise to respect the ruling. Both Cameroon and Nigeria have had thousands of troops stationed in the disputed region and there have been several clashes over the peninsula. Cameroon referred the dispute to The Hague in 1994. In Cameroon, shock and anger have greeted Nigeria’s announcement. The private daily newspaper, Mutations, said it was not right for President Obasanjo to say he would accept the verdict only to turn around and change his position when he did not like the decision. Cameroon’s Communications Minister says the ball is in the United Nations court following Nigeria’s rejection of the ICJ‘s ruling. Nigeria has communicated to the UN its decision. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 24 October 2002)

* Central Afr. Rep. Coup attempt — 25 October: Heavy shooting in Bangui, the CAR‘s capital. Troops loyal to former chief-of-staff General François Bozize have been repulsed from the airport by Libyan troops, backing President Ange-Felix Patasse. The fighting began in the north of Bangui at 14.30 local time, and heavy guns, rockets, mortars and automatic rifles are being used. The authorities have not yet made any public statement about the shooting. 27 October: The CAR government has launched an offensive in northern districts of the capital, Bangui, in an effort to dislodge rebels who control a third of the city. The government also urged the rebels to surrender. The warning, issued by Communication Minister Gabriel Jean Edouard Koyambounou over state radio and TV, was the first statement by the government since the uprising began. Mr Koyambounou also said loyalist forces had killed a number of rebels, some of them fighters from neighbouring Chad. Bangui residents reported seeing plumes of smoke early today, as two military aircraft attacked northern districts of the city. Fighting was also reported near the official residence of President Ange-Felix Patasse, which is protected by both government forces and Libyan troops. «The Central African armed forces have already surrounded the aggressors, who are ordered to surrender or be neutralised,» Mr Koyambounou said. He said most of the dead rebels were Chadian, and that «convincing papers» had been found on them. However, the situation on the ground is unclear, and rebels forces seem to be advancing on the presidential palace. 28 October: Fighting has intensified in Bangui, with Libyan military planes shelling the rebel-held north of the capital. The rebels hold about a third of the capital. 29 October: Rebels are closing in on the presidential palace. They are now only two streets away from President Patasse’s residence. Calm had returned in the morning but Libyan planes could still be seen hovering over he capital. The President has not been seen since fighting broke out on 25 October. The whereabouts of General Bozize is not clear either. The same day, MISNA says the President has reportedly left the presidential palace and taken refuge in an embassy. 30 October: Government forces have retaken all areas in Bangui. The army, with the support of Libyan troops, launched its offensive yesterday. Officials say the rebels are now moving north, but are not being pursued by the army. — A specialized US military assessment team of about half a dozen personnel has landed in the CAR. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 30 October 2002)

* Centrafrique. Nouvelle tentative de putsch — Le vendredi 25 octobre, des tirs d’arme lourde et d’armes automatiques ont été entendus dans plusieurs quartiers de la capitale Bangui. Des combats se dérouleraient simultanément dans le nord du pays. Des soldats centrafricains insurgés, qui seraient au nombre d’une centaine, sont partis de Bogangolo, à 170 km au nord de Bangui, pour gagner très vite la limite nord de la capitale. - 26 octobre. La population quittait massivement les quartiers nord de Bangui. Après une accalmie durant la nuit, les affrontements ont repris, les rebelles lançant une offensive pour tenter de prendre l’aéroport. L’ancien chef d’état-major, le général François Bozizé, exilé en France, a déclaré être l’instigateur du coup d’Etat. (Rappelons que depuis 1996, les coups d’Etat contre le président Ange-Félix Patassé se succèdent en Centrafrique). -27 octobre. Le dimanche, avec l’aide d’un contingent d’au moins 200 militaires libyens, les loyalistes ont lancé une contre-offensive. Pour déloger les insurgés, ils ont pilonné le nord de la capitale. Selon le ministre de la Communication, les forces armées centrafricaines ont “encerclé les agresseurs, qui sont condamnés à se rendre ou à être réduits”. Cependant, les rebelles occupent toujours l’aéroport, empêchant un éventuel départ du chef de l’Etat. Des témoins ont fait état d’au moins vingt morts. D’autre part, le général Bozizé a effectué un voyage inopiné au Tchad, ce qui ne peut que renforcer les soupçons de Bangui que l’opération a été menée avec un appui tchadien, les rebelles disposant d’armement lourd. - Le lundi 28 octobre, les combats se poursuivaient pour la quatrième journée consécutive. Le crépitement d’armes automatiques a résonné à la périphérie d’un quartier tenu par les rebelles depuis vendredi. Cela tendrait à indiquer qu’aucun camp n’a gagné véritablement du terrain malgré les pilonnages effectués par les loyalistes durant le week-end. Toutefois, selon certains témoignages, les rebelles auraient progressé à proximité de l’assemblée nationale. Des éléments venus du Congo-RDC ont appuyé les forces gouvernementales. - 29 octobre. Dans la nuit, le général Bozizé est rentré à Paris à la demande des autorités tchadiennes qui ont jugé sa présence inopportune à N’Djamena. D’autre part, le gouvernement tchadien a démenti dans un communiqué “toute implication du Tchad” dans les affrontements en cours. Sur le terrain, loyalistes et rebelles ont mis à profit le calme qui a prévalu à Bangui pour renforcer leurs positions. Les insurgés se seraient encore rapprochés de la résidence du président Patassé, qui aurait quitté le palais. Selon le HCR, un nombre inconnu de personnes fuyaient le pays pour se rendre à Zongo (Congo-RDC). - 30 octobre. Depuis le début de l’après-midi, les quartiers nord de Bangui étaient contrôlés par les forces loyalistes, selon des témoins. Dans la soirée, les loyalistes avaient repris le contrôle de l’ensemble de la capitale. Les rebelles, probablement décontenancés par la disproportions des forces, ont lâché prise quasiment sans combattre. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 31 octobre 2002)