* Africa. Action against the Media — Congo (RDC): Journalist Gisèle Ossambia and publication director Kabeya Pindi Pasi, both with the Kinshasa-based bi-weekly newspaper Numerica, were ordered to appear before a Kinshasa/Gombe court on 10 January 2003 to answer charges of having directed «harmful accusations» and «insults» against Agathe Mulimbi, president of the National Bureau for the Promotion of Social Action (BNPS), a government department accountable to the president. The BNPS was created by former president Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Malawi: The chairperson of the Malawi Institute of Journalism’s (MIJ) radio station has accused it of bias and ordered that it not air any political programmes until the board reviews the station’s code of conduct. In an 8 January 2003 letter to MIJ Executive Director James Ngombe, Henry Chibwana alleged that the radio station acts as a mouthpiece for one political party. «Since reason does not seem to prevail, I ask you to desist from broadcasting any political message, news or advertisements until the code of ethics and/or the broadcasting licence is reviewed,» Chibwana states in his letter. However, Chibwana fell short of specifying which party the MIJ radio reportedly favoured. Ngombe said in an interview that his station would continue to air political items until Chibwana substantiates his allegations. Mauritania: On 14 January, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) denounced the Mauritanian government’s ban on the latest issue of the weekly Arabic-language newspaper Sahafa. The issue was censored because it contained a report on opposition activities abroad. «This ban demonstrates once again that the authorities will not tolerate the independent press giving a voice to opposition figures,» RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said in a letter to Interior Minister Lemrabott Sidi Mahmud Ould Sheikh Ahmed, while calling on him to reverse the ban. Uganda: On 8 January, RSF protested over the Ugandan government’s crackdown on live outdoor radio broadcasts of the views of ordinary Ugandans. «This is just a means of preventing people from debating national issues and making themselves heard,» RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said in a letter to Information Minister Basoga Nsadhu, while calling on him to allow the broadcasts to continue. On 2 January, Nsadhu specified that the licences allocated to radio stations only allow them to broadcast from their studios. The street broadcasts, known as «ebimeeza», sprung up two years ago, when some stations organised round-table discussions outdoors and broadcast the results live. The «people’s Parliaments», as they were nicknamed, have become very popular. Among the stations affected are Radio One, Central Broadcasting Service and Radio Simba. Zimbabwe: On 10 January, RSF said the state media and the government have accused Zimbabwean journalist Lewis Machipisa of spying for the BBC and SW Radio Africa, a London-based community radio station. In a  front-page lead story that appeared in the state-owned weekly The Sunday Mail on 22 December 2002, the paper said that Machipisa is now working for the BBC and SW Radio Africa «despite the fact that the government banned the BBC from operating in Zimbabwe after accusations that the station was peddling falsehoods.» The government has also labelled SW Radio Africa as a hostile station, which officials accuse of peddling «anti-Zimbabwe propaganda.» (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 14 January 2003)

* Africa. African media watch — Newspapers in Nigeria this week commented widely on the choice of the two main candidates for April’s presidential election. Incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo won the nomination of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Major General Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler from 1984 to 1985, will represent the opposition All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP). Many observers predict that voters will be divided along traditional social fault lines, a point not lost on the independent daily This Day. We must decide: «To be a nation, or not to be!» The two chosen candidates bring Nigeria to «another testy juncture», the paper says. «Because of where they hail from... they are likely to bring to the fore again the deep divides of the Nigerian project. Ethnicity and religion may leap to the centre stage again, creating noise and distortion in the electioneering process and, more importantly, pushing the country to the precipice,» the paper says. The «moment of truth has dawned for Nigeria», the independent Vanguard proclaims. «Most Nigerians abhor the truth, because they have lived, or been made to live a lie, but now, like Shakespeare’s Hamlet, we must decide: “To be a nation, or not to be!”» Some papers take an even more downbeat line. An editorial in the Guardian warns that «there is the genuine fear that history is about to repeat itself». It says there is suspicion that the country’s political atmosphere is polluted with «greed, bitterness, acrimony, vindictiveness». There is «a propensity to rig elections and to corrupt the process, a disposition towards violence and an inordinate exercise of the power of incumbency», the paper adds gloomily. The Daily Trust, a newspaper with wide circulation among the Muslims in the north, agrees. It says that Nigerians are faced with a «stark choice that plays up the fault lines binding the nation together». (BBC News, UK, 10 January 2003)

* Horn of Africa. Anti-terror alliance — 13 January: The foreign ministers of Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen say they have established a regional alliance that will attempt to combat terrorism in the Horn of Africa. The announcement came at the end of a two-day meeting in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. The foreign minister of Sudan, Mustafa Ismail, said countries in the region needed to be coordinated to fight terrorism. The foreign ministers of the three countries said in a joint  statement they would urge their leaders to hold an annual summit. The ministers also said they would get together every six months and they confirmed their next meeting would be in mid-June in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 13 January 2003)

* Southern Africa. USA to negotiate trade deal — On 13 January, the USA announced the start of negotiations aimed at reaching a free trade agreement with five southern African countries by next year, saying it would go further than the European Union to remove barriers to trade with the region. The talks — the latest in a flurry of bilateral trade initiatives from Washington — will be held with the members of the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu). They are Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland. Robert Zoellick, the US trade representative, who met his counterparts from the five in Pretoria on 13 January, said negotiations would start on the understanding that no products would be excluded. «The FTA has the objective of covering all areas and all products and eliminating all barriers. Unlike the European Union, we offer totally free trade,» he said. The negotiations will aim for improved reciprocal market access in areas including agriculture, industrial products and financial services, as well as strengthened protection of intellectual property rights. The FTA aims to build on the US African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), which since 2001 has allowed duty and quota-free access to the US market for thousands of products and helped to create many jobs in the 38 eligible countries. Unlike Agoa, a unilateral US concession due to end by 2008, the FTA would provide certainty. «We hold the belief that the positive experience we have had with Agoa is something we should consolidate and make more permanent,» Alec Erwin, South Africa’s trade minister, said. (Financial Times, UK, 14 January 2003)

* Algeria. Resurgence of violence — 8 January: Mounting insecurity, and a deepening economic crisis, have pushed large numbers of Algerian young men to find ways of making the short hop across the Mediterranean to Europe. Some are just after employment and a better life, others are Islamist sympathizers fleeing repression by the security forces. And a third category include radicals involved in violent activities seeking a safe haven. «The inability of the Algerian state, and indeed the international community to resolve the problems in Algeria has contributed to the spread of these militant networks in Europe,» a European terrorism official said. He says, however, that not all of the Algerians who join illegal groups in Europe have a history of supporting Islamic militants in their own country. Some may have been radicalised by the repression in the Algeria, and others have become radical through the connections they make in Europe. 9 January:  Fifteen people have been killed by suspected Islamic militants in various parts of Algeria. One of the attacks took place in a mountainous area where the radical Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) is active. The Algerian Government says the group has links with the Al-Qaeda network. More than 100 people — most of them members of the security forces — have been killed since 4 January in attacks blamed on Islamic groups. Eight soldiers died when two home-made bombs were exploded as their convoy drove by in Sidi Ali Bounab, near Tizi Ouzou, in the Kabylie region, on 7 January. The same day, a family of five were killed in the province of Chlef, 200km west of Algiers. The family, including two young children, a woman and a disabled person, where shot dead at close range. In a separate attack, a soldier and an armed civilian were killed in Batna, southeast of Algiers. Never since the start of the Islamist insurgency in 1992 have so many security forces been killed in successive attacks. On 5 January, the press reported one of the worst attacks on the army, with more than 40 soldiers killed in an ambush blamed on Islamist rebels near Batna. The daily El-Watan said it was difficult to accept that an entire platoon of paratroopers could be decimated in such an easy way despite the government’s repeated assertions that it has won its war on terror. Many in Algeria blame the resurgence of violence on President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s policy of national reconciliation. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 9 January 2003)

* Algérie. Embuscades et assassinats — Le mardi soir 7 janvier, lors d’une embuscade tendue par un groupe islamiste armé, huit militaires ont été tués dans la région de Tizi Ouzou en Kabylie (110 km à l’est d’Alger). Les militaires, qui menaient des opérations dans le maquis de Sid Ali Bounab, ont été surpris par l’explosion de deux bombes actionnées à distance. L’attaque est attribuée par la presse au Groupe salafiste pour la prédication et le combat (GSPC) d’Hassan Hattab. Elle se situe trois jours après une autre embuscade, attribuée au même groupe, qui a coûté la vie à plus de 40 militaires dans les Aurès. - Dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi, cinq personnes ont été assassinées par un groupe islamiste dans la région de Chlef (200 km à l’ouest d’Alger). Les victimes appartiennent à la même famille: la mère, ses deux enfants et leurs deux oncles. La région est réputée être une zone d’activité du Groupe islamique armé (GIA). - Le mercredi, sept islamistes armés ont été tués à Relizane (400 km au sud-ouest d’Alger) lors d’une opération de ratissage de l’armée dans les monts Ouancharis. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 11 janvier 2003)

* Algérie. Kabylie: fin de la grève de la faim — Le 13 janvier, les six délégués des âarchs  (coordination des comités de villages kabyles) en grève de la faim depuis le 3 décembre à la prison de Tizi Ouzou, en Grande Kabylie, ont annoncé la cessation de leur action, a rapporté l’agence algérienne APS. “Après 41 jours de grève de la faim, nous avons décidé de répondre favorablement aux multiples appels (...) en mettant fin à cette action”, ont expliqué ces délégués dans une déclaration. -D’autre part, le dimanche 12 janvier, la Kabylie avait fêté le nouvel an berbère sous les bombes lacrymogènes lancées lors d’affrontements entre jeunes manifestants et forces de l’ordre. Les manifestants voulaient marcher pour exiger la libération des délégués emprisonnés. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 14 janvier 2003)

* Angola. Airdrops for inaccessible areas — The World Food Programme (WFP) is to conduct airdrops of food aid to Angolans in inaccessible areas. Humanitarian agencies have been unable to reach many parts of the country, either because of the danger of landmines or poor road infrastructure. WFP spokesman in the capital Luanda, Marcelo Spina-Hering, says the agency was in the process of preparing for the airdrops. «There are many different areas throughout the country that are inaccessible...in three locations, in the north, south and centre of the country, there are 40,000 people isolated. That’s only in those three areas, we do not know the total number of people cut-off from aid,» he says. (IRIN, Kenya, 10 January 2003)

* Burundi. At least 10 killed in attack — 13 January: At least 10 people have been killed in Burundi during an attack on a convoy of vehicles travelling towards the capital, Bujumbura. The attack is reported to have taken place at Kangunzi, 55 kilometres north-west of the capital. Most of the vehicles were buses, and there are reports that many passengers were injured. The army say they have been chasing rebels of the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) in the area. The FDD signed a ceasefire with the government in December, but a spokesman has denied his group is responsible for the ambush. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 13 January 2003)

* Burundi. Army returns loot — 14 January: The army in Burundi has returned possessions that undisciplined soldiers looted last week during an operation in a suburb in the north-east of the capital Bujumbura. The move to return the looted property has been welcomed by locals but it has also been seen as proof that people in that part of the city had good reasons to distrust the army. It has been a long exercise trying to identify one’s belongings from a pile where the military had mixed up the objects that were looted from Taba, a location in the district of Kamenge, north-east of the capital, Bujumbura. But the people were respectful of  one another’s property and did not take belongings that were not theirs. Many, still, could not trace their possessions and asked the military authorities to continue the search in every area where they suspected the looters had hidden them. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 14 January 2003)

* Burundi. Cessez-le-feu en danger — 10 janvier. Les espoirs suscités par la signature, le 3 décembre à Arusha, d’un accord de cessez-le-feu entre les protagonistes de la crise burundaise cèdent chaque jour davantage le pas à l’angoisse d’une “guerre totale” à laquelle l’opinion est de plus en plus préparée par les médias, rapporte l’agence PANA. Depuis trois jours, l’armée déploie ses meilleurs communicateurs devant les micros et les caméras des médias publics pour parler de “miracle” si on n’arrivait pas à une confrontation encore plus généralisée. On y retrouve aux accents belliqueux le colonel Léonidas Niyimbere, le propre conseiller personnel en matière de sécurité du chef de l’Etat et le principal négociateur d’Arusha. Il a égrené un véritable réquisitoire contre le principal mouvement rebelle des Forces pour la défense de la démocratie (FDD), qu’il accuse de violer “massivement et de manière flagrante” l’accord d’Arusha. — 11 janvier. Depuis hier, de violents affrontements sont signalés dans la commune de Moanda, à une dizaine de kilomètres au nord-ouest de Bujumbura. L’armée tenterait d’y déloger des éléments rebelles FDD qui sont sortis de leur zone de cantonnement dans la forêt de la Kibira à cause d’une situation alimentaire critique. Par ailleurs, au moins 16 personnes (13 soldats, 2 rebelles et un civil) ont été tuées et 16 autres blessées depuis le 8 janvier autour de Bujumbura dans des combats entre l’armée et les rebelles des Forces nationales de libération (FNL). — 13 janvier. Les affrontements entre armée et rebelles FFD se poursuivent dans la commune de Moanda (province de Bubanza). Quelque 10.000 personnes ont pris la fuite et se sont réfugiées dans les localités voisines. Les deux parties continuent à s’accuser mutuellement de violer la trêve. Dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi, quarante pirogues de pêche ont été attaquées et dépouillées par des rebelles, sur le lac Tanganyika, devant Kizuka, à 70 km au sud de Bujumbura. — 15 janvier. L’organe central du mécanisme de l’Union africaine (UA) pour la résolution des conflits a souligné “l’urgence” du déploiement de la Mission africaine (MA) chargée de superviser le cessez-le-feu au Burundi. Des experts de la médiation, de l’UA et de l’Onu se sont rencontrés les 14 et 15 janvier à Addis-Abeba pour discuter de la nature de cette mission et de son financement. L’Ethiopie, le Mozambique et l’Afrique du Sud ont donné leur accord pour envoyer des troupes dans le cadre de la MA. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 15 janvier 2003)

* Central Afr. Rep. Annan concerned about  situation — 8 January: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned that the armed rebellion in the north of the Central African Republic (CAR) and the deprivations local populations are suffering are «all destabilising factors» that raise tensions and hamper efforts to restore peace in the country. In his new report to the Security Council on the UN Peace-building Support Office in the CAR (BONUCA), Kofi Annan says that the overall security and military situation in the north has «deteriorated» along with the country’s political relations with neighbouring Chad. He says supporters of former army chief of staff, General François Bozize, have compromised the gradual easing of the tensions that emerged following their attack on the capital, Bangui, on 25 October 2002. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 8 January 2003)

* Central Afr. Rep. Consultations on national conference under way — The coordinator of the national reconciliation dialogue in the Central African Republic (CAR), Bishop Paulin Pomodino, has said that a committee is being set up to decide a date, venue and agenda for its meeting. He said that the committee would also decide on participants to the meeting. However, he said that the meeting should involve everyone, including representatives of President Ange-Felix Patasse’s main opponents. Pomodino also said «many partners and friendly countries» had already agreed to fund the meeting. He had approached the UN Peace-building Office in the CAR and the Chinese and French ambassadors in connection with preparations for the talks. No date has yet been set for the event. Patasse suggested the need for a national conference on reconciliation on 25 November 2002, and on 28 December appointed Pomodino to lead the effort. The UN Security Council has welcomed the development, Marie Okabe, the associate spokeswoman for the UN secretary-general, told reporters in New York on 8 January. (IRIN, Kenya, 9 January 2003)

* Central Afr. Rep. CAR «is diamond hub», says report — 13 January: Statistical anomalies suggest the Central African Republic (CAR) is being used to smuggle gems from rebel-held areas of neighbouring Congo RDC, a new report says. Trading in diamonds used to finance conflict is in violation of international guidelines which came into force at the beginning of this year. But the guidelines for an international certification scheme tracing the origin of rough diamonds are not independently monitored. The report highlighting the situation in central Africa is part of a campaign by the lobby group Partnership Africa-Canada to strengthen the guidelines. The quantity of diamonds Belgium imports  annually from the CAR is much higher than the African state officially exports, according to the report. «The Central African Republic exports officially $60m in diamonds. Belgium imports two to three times that,» Brussels-based researcher Chris Dietrich says. «Last year it was only $100m but the year before it was $160m.» The CAR Government says the explanation is that traders in diamonds from all over the world wrongly declare their origin as the CAR for tax or legal reasons. But the report notes links between arms dealers and diamond traders in both countries. (BBC News, UK, 13 January 2003)

* Central Afr. Rep. UN agency trains refugee women — The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has launched a programme in the Central African Republic (CAR) to train 50 refugee women in professional skills and provide another 550 with income-generating possibilities. «The programme aims at helping refugee women become self-sufficient and be able to provide for their families,» Ali Mahamat, the UNHCR assistant programme officer, said. Of the 50 who are being trained in professional skills in Bangui’s Haute Ecole de Gestion et de Comptabilité, 15 are being trained in management and accountancy, 15 in computer science, 10 in finance and banking and 10 in marketing. Their courses will last two years, after which they will be awarded certificates. (IRIN, Kenya, 14 January 2003)

* Congo-Brazzaville. Many flee fighting — On 10 January, the United Nations said that tens of thousands have fled their homes in Congo because of fighting between Ninja militia rebels and government troops, adding to a humanitarian crisis. The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which warned last November of a looming catastrophe, urged donors to speed aid to Congo. «People in the Pool region, south of the capital, Brazzaville, had been driven out by bombing, banditry and attacks on villages, during November and December», it said. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 10 January 2003)

* Congo-Brazza. Pas de nouveau dialogue national — Le 11 janvier, le gouvernement congolais a rejeté la tenue d’un nouveau dialogue national “sans exclusive” exigé par le chef des miliciens ninjas, le pasteur Frédéric Bitsangou, alias Jean Ntumi, en vue de trouver une solution à la crise armée dans la région du Pool. Le porte-parole du gouvernement, le ministre de la Communication, a qualifié l’exigence de Ntumi de “diversion supplémentaire”, ajoutant que “le peuple a tranché à travers les élections. Il attend maintenant le  redressement économique”. En novembre, le président Nguesso avait invité les bandes armées à déposer les armes en échange d’une amnistie. Mais jusqu’à présent, seulement 371 miliciens ninjas se sont rendus. En raison des accrochages réguliers entre armée et rebelles, 60.000 habitants du Pool se sont réfugiés dans les régions voisines. — D’autre part, l’Assemblée nationale a désigné les membres du comité parlementaire mixte sur la situation sécuritaire dans la région du Pool, qui sera composé d’une vingtaine de députés et d’une dizaine de sénateurs, a-t-on appris le 13 janvier de source parlementaire. Mais certains membres de l’opposition ont refusé de faire partie de ce comité, jugeant peu convaincantes les dispositions de sécurité envisagées. (PANA, Sénégal, 12-13 janvier 2003)

* Congo-Brazza. Le poids de la dette — Un tiers du budget 2003 du Congo, adopté le 6 janvier par l’Assemblée nationale, est consacré au service de la dette. Celui-ci absorbera 369,739 milliards de francs CFA (près de $620 millions) du budget évalué à 828,272 milliards de FCFA. Ce poids est en hausse par rapport à 2002. La dette extérieure et intérieure du Congo est estimée à 5 milliards de dollars américains. (PANA, Sénégal, 15 janvier 2003)

* Congo (RDC)/Burundi. Thousands of Congolese flee to Burundi — 7 January: A new wave of at least 8,500 Congolese refugees has arrived in Burundi following renewed fighting in South Kivu Province in the east of Congo (RDC). The latest conflict erupted on 26 December between the Mayi-Mayi traditional militia and the Congolese Rally for Democracy-Goma (RCD-Goma) in rural areas of South Kivu. By 31 December, the fighting had engulfed the strategic town of Uvira on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, sending thousands of refugees across the border. It added that since 26 December, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Burundi had registered 7,386 refugees at a transit site in Rugombo in Cibitoke Province, and 1,200 at another site in Gatumba, Bujumbura Rural. Wartorn Burundi already shelters at least 12,000 Congolese refugees who had fled an outbreak of hostilities between the two rebel groups in October 2002, the UNHCR said. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 7 January 2003)

* Congo (RDC). Niasse reconduit — Le médiateur des Nations unies dans le processus de paix au Congo-RDC, M. Moustapha Niasse, dont la mission vient d’être prolongée pour une période indéterminée, devra réunir les parties en conflit pour résoudre les problèmes qui se poseraient encore. Selon les observateurs, M. Niasse et ses interlocuteurs devront se pencher concrètement sur les questions de l’armée et de la sécurité à Kinshasa en vue de rassurer les différents  leaders politiques qui doivent y revenir. M. Niasse devra également réunir le comité de rédaction de la Constitution pour la transition et définir avec les différentes parties un calendrier susceptible de conduire à l’installation d’un gouvernement de transition. La reconduction de M. Niasse semble signifier que le rôle du facilitateur du dialogue intercongolais, l’ex-président Ketumile Masire, est définitivement révolu. (PANA, Sénégal, 9 janvier 2003)

* Congo (RDC). Procès Kabila: appels à la clémence — Le cardinal Frédéric Etsou, archevêque de Kinshasa et président de la conférence épiscopale, a demandé au président Joseph Kabila d’accorder la grâce aux 30 personnes condamnées à mort lors du procès des assassins de son père Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Le 9 janvier, il a eu un long entretien avec le chef de l’Etat au palais présidentiel de Kinshasa. Selon Mgr Etsou, M. Kabila ne serait pas formellement opposé à cette proposition. - Le président Kabila est d’ailleurs soumis à d’autres nombreuses pressions, lui demandant la grâce des condamnés. Pour avoir osé dire que toute la lumière n’avait pas été faite et que le procès avait été truqué, M. Chebeya, président de la Voix des sans voix, a été obligé, suite aux menaces, de vivre dans la clandestinité, et Paul N’Sapu, président de la Ligue des électeurs, craint également pour sa sécurité. D’autres cependant saluent le verdict comme une victoire, soulignant que c’est le premier après tant d’assassinats restés impunis. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 11 janvier 2003)

* Congo (RDC). Tensions à Bunia (Ituri) — La tension monte en Ituri depuis que le mouvement du UPC de Thomas Lubanga s’est allié au RCD-Goma et au Rwanda. Lubanga a ainsi délaissé Kampala, qui l’avait installé au pouvoir. Déjà, les Ougandais étaient mécontents de la présence toujours grandissante de militaires rwandais dans la région. Selon des sources locales, l’armée ougandaise a amené ces derniers jours d’importants renforts militaires à Bunia. Le 9 janvier, ceux-ci auraient refusé l’atterrissage de l’avion ramenant Lubanga de Goma. (Il est cependant arrivé à Bunia le lendemain, après un détour par Kampala). On s’attend à ce qu’un de ces jours, les Ougandais neutralisent les éléments de l’UPC. Selon ces mêmes sources, le climat se gâte aussi entre l’UPC et les opérateurs économiques, en majorité des Hema qui ont financé ce mouvement, en raison de tracasseries concernant le taux de change du dollar et le prix du carburant. Plusieurs commerçants ont été arrêtés. (ANB-BIA, Bruxelles, 13 janvier 2003)

* Congo (RDC). Peace talks facilitator arrives — 12 January: The facilitator for the inter-Congolese dialogue, Ketumile Masire, arrives in Kinshasa to make preparations for the final session of national peace and reconciliation talks. Shortly after arriving, he tells reporters that he will begin the visit by consulting with the parties to the talks to fix the date and venue of this final session. Masire says once agreement has been reached it will be for the UN Mission in Congo (MONUC) and the all-inclusive government to ensure observance of its provisions. Masire’s visit comes at the invitation of President Joseph Kabila and follows the accord signed on 17 December 2002 in Pretoria, South Africa, by all parties to the dialogue. — The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello also arrives. 14 January: Masire has discussed with President Kabila, the final stages of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue. — De Mello, has appealed for the speedy implementation of the power-sharing accord signed in Congo on 17 December 2002. Since his arrival, he has met with President Joseph Kabila, the head of the UN Mission in Congo, armed forces representatives, human rights activists, students and politicians. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 14 January 2003)

* Congo (RDC). Détente à Kindu — Un geste de “bonne volonté” signale une détente entre les Maï-Maï et le RCD-Goma à Kindu (province du Maniema). Après de durs affrontements, la population a accueilli avec soulagement la décision d’une cinquantaine de Maï-Maï d’abandonner la forêt pour rentrer pacifiquement dans la localité, accompagnés de leurs familles. Selon radio Okapi, l’émetteur de l’Onu, ce serait le fruit d’un long travail de la part des diverses confessions religieuses, en particulier de l’évêque catholique de Kindu, Mgr Mambe Mukanga. (Misna, Italie, 14 janvier 2003)