* Somalia. Peace talks bogged down — 18 November: A leading Somali faction leader has walked out of the current reconciliation  conference in the Kenyan town of Eldoret, and returned to the capital, Mogadishu. Ali Mahdi Muhammad, who is a member of parliament in the current Transitional National Government (TNG), said the talks were «a waste of time», and making no progress. Mr Ali Mahdi blamed Ethiopia for attempting to rig the talks in favour of the factions it backs. The peace conference brought together delegates from the TNG and about 20 warring factions, in a bid to find a formula that would end the lawlessness and conflict that has characterised the country since the fall of President Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991. The groups have agreed a truce for the duration of the talks and are supposed to start detailed negotiations about a federal constitution on 19 November. But the talks have been bogged down in arguments about how to reduce the number of delegates in Eldoret. Donors budgeted for 350 delegates but more than 1,000 turned up. 20 November: Organisers of the peace talks have proposed a new formula to try and resolve a deadlock over the allocation of delegates’ seats. They propose that Somalia’s four main clans would get 84 seats each; minorities would get 42 seats while 22 will be kept as discretionary seats, making a total of 400. This is an increase on the 362 seats which had been announced. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 20 November 2002)

* South Africa. US commerce secretary visits sick children — US Secretary of Commerce Don Evans rocked a toddler on his lap on 14 November as he told South African parents that big business can help solve many of the problems plaguing developing nations. «The road to prosperity and peace is through commerce,» Evans said during a visit to the Shezi Children’s Clinic at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. Evans is leading 10 potential US investors on a mission to Morocco, Ghana and South Africa. African leaders have been lobbying for greater foreign investment, which many believe will help spur development. The commerce secretary visited the Soweto clinic to highlight his belief that US companies should be good corporate citizens, aides said. US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is providing the drug Diflucan free to government hospitals and clinics in South Africa for AIDS patients. Diflucan can be used to treat oral thrush, a painful fungal infection in the throat that makes it difficult to eat. Many AIDS patients suffer from the infection. Evans said that not only can big business improve the quality of people’s lives, but aggressive foreign investment will create jobs and stimulate economies in the developing world. (CNN, USA, 14 November 2002)

* Afrique du Sud. Missionnaire assassiné — Le 16 novembre, Don Declan Collins, 50 ans, salésien d’origine irlandaise, a été tué sur le pas de sa porte pour une somme d’argent dérisoire. Il travaillait depuis un an à la paroisse d’Ennerdale, à la périphérie de Johannesburg, un quartier où la violence règne en maître.  L’assassin a voulu lui voler son portefeuille, contenant 300 rands (une cinquantaine d’euros). Le père Collins était engagé dans la formation professionnelle des enfants de la rue. (D’après Misna, Italie, 19 novembre 2002)

* South Africa. Drive for HIV vaccine — South Africa has stepped up its commitment to develop a revolutionary vaccine against HIV, with the signing of a supply contract for the DNA that will form its core. The South African Aids Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI), a government-backed programme, has secured a cheap deal with Cobra Biomanufacturing of the UK to supply DNA for human trials of the vaccine.The tests are due to begin in 2004. Tim Tucker, director of SAAVI, said: “It is our hope that we will find this candidate HIV vaccine effective in inducing a vigorous immune response and eventually having a possible impact on the HIV pandemic.» There are dozens of drugs on the market to treat HIV and AIDS. But a vaccine that could prevent the spread of the disease is at least five years away. Thabo Mbeki, South Africa’s president, has spoken enthusiastically about developing an HIV vaccine. He has clashed with the big drugs groups over South Africa’s right to break patents and make generic copies of blockbuster anti-retroviral AIDS treatments but has shied away from a population-wide treatment programme, pushing responsibility on to employers. (Financial Times, UK, 20 November 2002)

* South Africa. Police find arms cache — 20 November: South African police investigating an alleged plot by white extremists to topple the government have found a cache of 26 bombs. The devices, similar to pipe bombs, were found in the farming area of Keimoes in Northern Cape province, along with other unnamed military material, the police have said. Twenty white men are due to stand trial on charges of treason next May. A shadowy right-wing group has claimed responsibility for last month’s series of bombings in the black township of Soweto, which killed one woman and injured her husband. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 20 November 2002)

* Afrique du Sud. Découverte d’un stock d’armes — Le 20 novembre, la police sud-africaine a découvert une importante cache d’armes dans une ferme de la province du Cap qui appartiendrait à des racistes blancs d’extrême droite, selon les médias locaux. Les armes ont été trouvées dans une ferme de la ville de Kanoneiland, indique le quotidien belge Le Soir. Les enquêteurs avaient été alertés par des informations selon lesquelles des groupes d’extrême droite avaient l’intention de renverser le gouvernement. La cache d’armes contenait notamment des bonbonnes de gaz et d’autres matières explosives. L’AFP rapporte plusieurs autres saisies, dans différents endroits du pays, comportant des fusils d’assaut, des munitions, des bombes incendiaires et d’autres engins explosifs. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 21 novembre 2002)

* Sudan. University closed after riots — 14 November: The University of Khartoum in Sudan has been closed indefinitely after two days of clashes between rival groups of students. Supporters and opponents of the Sudanese Government fought battles at various places in the capital. Buildings were burnt and a number of people were taken to hospital. The trouble erupted after the university postponed student elections from September to January next year, arguing that so many students had gone to fight rebels in southern Sudan, the elections could not be fairly conducted. The trouble broke out at the faculty of education in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman and then spread to the faculty of Agriculture in Khartoum North. «The university administration has decided to close down the university immediately and indefinitely for the safety of the students and to safeguard the property,» Vice Chancellor Abdel Malik Mohammed Abdel Rahman said in a statement. Witnesses said student supporters of opposition parties blocked sympathizers of the ruling National Congress party from attending lectures on 13 November in an apparent attempt to force them to join a strike. Khartoum University, the oldest and most prestigious in Sudan, has been tense since police broke up a riot last month on one of its campuses. (BBC News, UK, 14 November 2002)

* Soudan. Fermeture de l’université de Khartoum — Le 14 novembre, l’université de Khartoum a décidé de fermer ses portes pour une durée indéterminée. Depuis fin octobre, l’université est le théâtre d’affrontements entre étudiants de tendances politiques opposées. Le 4 novembre, le gouvernement avait ordonné une enquête sur cette affaire, qui touche les facultés d’éducation et d’agriculture. Selon des sources estudiantines, la bagarre oppose les étudiants fidèles au Parti du congrès national, au pouvoir, à des sympathisants de certains partis d’opposition. Des témoins ont cité le rôle important joué par les étudiants appartenant au parti du leader emprisonné, Hassan Tourabi, mais aussi par d’autres fidèles au Parti communiste soudanais. Les étudiants accusent les autorités universitaires de refuser d’organiser des élections syndicales, par crainte que l’opposition ne remporte le scrutin. L’université de Khartoum compte quelque 25.000 étudiants. ( ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 15 novembre 2002)

* Sudan. Peace talks collapse — 17 November: Sudan’s warring factions fail to reach agreement on sharing power and wealth at talks in Kenya, today, and are given 48 hours to find a compromise, rebels say. The Khartoum government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), whose 19-year war has killed about two million people, have been meeting in the town of Machakos to try and build on a framework peace deal signed in July. The latest round of talks had  been due to end on 16 November, but spilled into 17 November after the two sides failed to agree on the details of a protocol. The SPLA said it was ready to sign a deal proposed by western mediators, but the government was not. The talks break off at around 1200 GMT on 17 November, and mediators from the regional conflict-resolution body IGAD tell delegates they have until 19 November to find a solution. 18 November: Representatives of the Sudanese Government and the SPLA rebels are meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in an attempt to save the peace process. They eventually fail to resolve their political differences. However, they have agreed to extend their truce until 31 March 2003, with talks resuming in early January. The sticking points remain the details about sharing power and wealth between north and south Sudan after a broad agreement was made in July. The two sides have not agreed on what percentage of civil servants and members of parliament would come from the south. The SPLA‘s Sampson Kwaje said that they wanted 40% of all posts reserved for southerners, while the government had offered between 20 and 25%. «We had thought that during five weeks of negotiations, we would have reached something tangible,» he said. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 18 November 2002)

* Soudan. Trêve reconduite — Le 18 novembre à Nairobi, le gouvernement soudanais et la rébellion du sud du pays, en guerre depuis 1983, sont convenus de prolonger une trêve signée en octobre dernier et de poursuivre jusqu’au 31 mars 2003 leurs pourparlers de paix sur les questions en suspens. Au terme d’un second protocole, relatif à la structure de gouvernement, les deux parties ont affirmé reconnaître la souveraineté nationale du Soudan, et la nécessité de donner une expression aux aspirations des populations du Sud-Soudan dans toutes les sphères du gouvernement. L’accord prévoit notamment la création d’un Parlement bicaméral et le partage des richesses nationales, mais il reste des détails à régler. Les deux parties ont également accepté d’accorder une autonomie régionale au sud du pays, mais ne sont pas d’accord sur la limite géographique du Sud. Le texte stipule cependant que les parties “sont parvenues à un accord sur le partage du pouvoir, l’appareil judiciare et les droits de l’homme”, et qu’elles s’accordent à “organiser des élections libres et justes” en une période intérimaire de six ans. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 19 novembre 2002)

* Sudan/Uganda. Ugandan army banned from Sudan — 19 November: Sudan has withdrawn its permission for Ugandan soldiers to use its territory to track down Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said the agreement had not been renewed because Uganda had not given a time limit for their presence or specified where they would be operating. The Ugandan army started «Operation Iron Fist» in March, after being authorised to enter Sudan to hunt LRA fighters. Previously, Sudan had backed the LRA, while Ugandan had supported Sudan’s SPLA rebels. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 November 2002)

* Tanzania. Uranium seized — 14 November: Police in Tanzania say they have seized 110kg of suspected uranium and arrested five people, including a national of Congo RDC. In its raw form —yellow powder — uranium can be used to make radioactive material for the nuclear industries. The suspected uranium, which was ready to be sold in four plastic containers, came from a neighbouring country, but investigators will name it only when an investigation has been completed. The containers were transported through three towns in south-western Tanzania, including Kigoma. One of the five people arrested, a Congolese national, has been named as Makambo Mayunga. The other four are all Tanzanians, including a woman who is an economist with the civil service. The Director of criminal investigations, Adadi Rajab, said that it was not yet clear if the find was linked to terrorism but thought «they were just doing business». He said that in recent months, five tanks of suspected uranium had been seized. Mr Rajab warned Tanzanians to beware of handling the hazardous material without taking proper safety precautions. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 14 November 2002)

* Tanzania. Muslims fight terror bill — 15 November: Muslims have held a special prayer in the capital of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, for all the people who prepared and passed a terrorism bill adopted by the parliament last week. The bill has been opposed by a number of people in Tanzania, especially Muslims, who say it will intimidate and oppress them. Today, the Mosque Council of Tanzania has warned President Benjamin Mkapa to be cautious when he signs the bill because, it said, some of its clauses will cause unrest in the country. The United States has also been accused of influencing the bill, which the US ambassador in Dar es Salaam has denied. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 November 2002)

* Tanzanie. 19 détenus asphyxiés — Le dimanche soir 17 novembre, dix-neuf pensionnaires d’une prison du centre de la Tanzanie ont péri asphyxiés dans une cellule bondée, a annoncé le ministre de l’Intérieur. Selon la police, 115 détenus avaient été entassés dans une cellule, prévue pour accueillir 30 personnes au maximum. Sept prisonniers seraient en outre dans un état grave. (Le Figaro, France, 20 novembre 2002)

* Tanzania. Prisoners die in cell — 19 November: Nineteen prisoners have suffocated to death in an overcrowded cell in south-western Tanzania. Fifteen others have been taken to hospital, including at least two who are in a critical condition. Up to 130 inmates had been packed into a cell supposed to hold only 30 people at Mbarali police station in Mbeya region. The victims were among 85 suspects who had been moved from a remand jail to the police station so that they could attend a hearing at a nearby district court on Monday. «Mbarali is a new district. There is a police station and a court, but it has no prison facilities and the police custody there has the capacity to accommodate only 30 people,» Dr Kajoka, Mbarali District Medical officer said. 20 November: Six police officers have been arrested in connection with the deaths. (BBC News, UK, 20 November 2002)

* Tunisie/France. Conventions de financement — Le 14 novembre, le ministre français des Affaires étrangères, M. de Villepin, était à Tunis pour une courte visite officielle. Les entretiens ont touché notamment la question de la lutte antiterroriste et surtout les relations économiques. M. de Villepin et son homologue tunisien M. Habib ben Yahia ont signé trois conventions d’un montant global de 7,4 millions d’euros. L’aide française concerne l’agriculture, l’enseignement du français et l’archéologie. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 15 novembre 2002)

* Uganda. Huge cost of AIDS to Uganda — Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said the effects of HIV/AIDS and malaria are costing his country more than $1bn a year. He said the direct health costs of treatment, together with lost wealth as a result of reduced manpower, are the main reasons for the huge losses. «We lose an estimated $702m to the AIDS epidemic and another $348m to malaria,» he told a five-day conference of Commonwealth health ministers from eastern, central and southern Africa. «Comparing it with how much we earn from coffee, this loss is several times bigger,» President Museveni said. Uganda’s gross domestic product is only about $6 billion a year. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 November 2002)

* Ouganda. Affrontements dans le nord — Le lundi soir, 18 novembre, des combats entre l’armée et les rebelles de l’Armée de résistance du Seigneur (LRA) ont fait 32 morts dans les deux camps dans le nord du pays. Au moins 28 rebelles et 4 soldats ont été tués dans de violents combats dans le village de Kamon-Ogwii, à 75 km à l’est de la ville de Pader, a annoncé un porte-parole de l’armée. Sept autres soldats ont été sérieusement blessés. D’autre part, les forces gouvernementales ont libéré, dimanche, 58 civils retenus en captivité par la LRA dans le district de Kitgum. La LRA aurait aussi perdu deux commandants dans des accrochages dans le comté d’Alero. Depuis 1986, la LRA est plongée dans une guerre interminable contre le gouvernement. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 20 novembre 2002)

* Zambia. $50m famine aid — 20 November: Zambia is to receive $50m  in emergency assistance from the World Bank, to help it deal with the effects of the famine devastating Southern Africa. The money — $20m of which comes as a grant, with the rest as a loan — is intended to fund critical imports of goods needed to stave off the worst effects of the drought affecting the entire region. The urban poor, who in normal years spend up to 60% of their income on food, can scarcely afford to pay today’s higher prices High on the list of priorities are farming equipment, livestock, medicines, construction supplies and vehicles. The aim is to shore up the country’s tattered infrastructure and keep emergency supplies running to the 2.9 million Zambians — more than a quarter of the population — who need direct assistance as a result of the drought. (BBC News, UK, 20 November 2002)

* Zambia/Zimbabwe. Farmers ousted by Mugabe scratch a living in Zambia — Graham Rae was among the most productive white farmers in Zimbabwe and employed hundreds of black workers before he was branded an «economic saboteur» by supporters of Robert Mugabe and thrown off his land. Today, as with other once-prosperous farmers who suffered the same fate, Mr Rae has had to start again from scratch in neighbouring Zambia, going cap in hand to investors at a time when he should have been preparing for retirement. Mr Rae and his colleagues were, not so long ago, among the wealthiest of Zimbabweans. But, because of President Mugabe’s violent confiscation of their land, many white farmers are now forced to make a living selling hamburgers in Europe while others have become shopkeepers, waiters and waitresses in countries as far afield as Australia and America. Mr Rae is among those who accepted offers of huge tracts of land in neighbouring countries. Mr Mugabe has banned them from taking their equipment and has refused to compensate them for equipment left behind as required by law. He has also ignored calls from the Zambian government to allow the farmers to recover their goods. The British Government has steadfastly refused to help the farmers, arguing that to do so would amount to bankrolling Mr Mugabe’s chaotic land reforms. (Independent, UK, 15 November 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Black market curbs — 14 November: Zimbabwe is planning a crackdown on the black-market currency business by closing every bureau de change in the country. The plan, which will go into force by the end of November, is intended to rein in a parallel market in which a single US dollar is worth as many as 1,500 Zimbabwe dollars. The official rate — at which all export earnings must be exchanged — is just Zim $55 to the US dollar. The announcement formed part of the 2003 Budget statement, during which Finance Minister Herbert Murerwa admitted that the country’s economy would contract by 11.9% this year, after shrinking by 7.3% in 2001. Mr Murerwa’s announcement undercut even economists’ most doleful predictions of a 10% contraction. The problem,  he told parliament in Harare, was the drought afflicting most of southern Africa — coupled with «the necessary uncertainties associated with the land reform programme». (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 14 November 2002)

* Zimbabwe. ONG menacées — Le 14 novembre, le ministre zimbabwéen du Travail, du service public et du bien-être social, July Moyo, a menacé d’arrestations les responsables d’organisations non gouvernementales, accusées d’opérer illégalement dans le pays. L’une d’elles, Amani Trust, qui vient en aide aux victimes de violences politiques, est particulièrement visée. (La Croix, France, 15 novembre 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Prices frozen — 15 November: The impact of the fast-track land reform programme has rippled through the economy, but it is recognised that the country’s once robust agro-industries have been the hardest hit. The Minister of Finance admits the economy requires urgent corrective action to avert further deterioration. 16 November: The Zimbabwean Government has announced sweeping price freezes on a wide range of goods in a move to tackle the country’s deepening economic crisis. The freeze applies to products such as food, fuel, medicines, electrical appliances, agricultural machinery, fertilisers and school textbooks, according to the state-owned Herald newspaper. Inflation in Zimbabwe is running at a record level of 135% and nearly half the country’s 12 million inhabitants are facing starvation. In his budget speech on 14 November, Finance Minister Herbert Murerwa said price controls imposed earlier on some staple goods were not working. Business leaders say the measures have led to increased shortages and more black market trading. According to The Herald, the latest price freeze has been imposed to stop manufacturers evading price controls «by re-branding and reducing the size of some products to those not controlled». (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 16 November 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Gestures at Mugabe banned — The government has banned swearing or making offensive gestures at President Robert Mugabe’s motorcade in what critics say is a sign of his growing unpopularity. The government, grappling with food shortages and a collapsing economy, said it had amended road traffic rules to make it illegal for people to behave in an untoward manner towards a state motorcade. «On the approach and during the passing of a state motorcade, a driver shall not make any gesture or statement within the view or hearing of the state motorcade with the intention of insulting any person travelling with an escort or any member of the escort,» a government notice said. The 78-year-old Mugabe, in power for 22 years, normally travels in a convoy of over 20 cars and motorcycle outriders, forcing grumbling motorists and pedestrians to give way. Opponents say the new traffic laws posed a serious threat to democracy and follow harsh new media and security laws signed into law earlier this year. Two weeks ago, police arrested a man for carrying a poster in a Harare township saying God would punish Mugabe for «evils done» to the people. The man was detained under a tough security law that forbids people from denigrating the president. «We are getting a real dictatorship now where people are not allowed to express themselves, where everyone is expected to pretend that he has no grievances against the state,» said Lovemore Madhuku, chairman of the National Constitutional Assembly, a coalition of civic groups campaigning for a new constitution. Members of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change say the motorcade is an unnecessary expense in a country struggling through its worst economic crisis since Mugabe led the country to independence from Britain in 1980. (CNN, USA, 18 November 2002)

* Zimbabwe. Fin des expropriations? — Coup de théâtre au Zimbabwe: les fermiers blancs qui n’ont pas encore fait leurs valises pourraient bien être autorisés à rester sur leurs propriétés, indique l’hebdomadaire Jeune Afrique/L’Intelligent le 18 novembre. C’est en tous cas ce qu’a laissé entendre, le 11 novembre à Pretoria, Joseph Made, ministre zimbabwéen de l’Agriculture, lors de la tenue de la première commission conjointe Afrique du Sud-Zimbabwe depuis 1996. “Le programme des acquisitions est terminé, a-t-il assuré. Nous ne souhaitons plus que ceux qui veulent des terres se livrent à de nouvelles occupations”. Une déclaration qui mettrait un terme aux expulsions brutales orchestrées depuis le 8 août dans le cadre de la réforme agraire du président Mugabe. -D’autre part, le 18 novembre, lors d’une réunion avec les représentants des diverses confessions religieuses, le ministre des Affaires spéciales de la présidence, John Nkomo, a appelé les Eglises à aider le gouvernement à trouver des solutions aux tensions et aux craintes grandissantes de la société, rapporte l’agence Misna. Au cours de la même réunion, M. Made a rassuré les participants au sujet de l’avenir des exploitations agricoles qui dépendent des Eglises locales, inclues dans la liste des expropriations. Ces fermes ont été déclassées, a-t-il spécifié. Le gouvernement a pris cette décision pour permettre que ces structures puissent continuer à aider la population. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 19 novembre 2002)