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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 23-01-2003

PART #1/4 - From AFRICA to BURUNDI

* Africa. NEPAD — This time last year, African leaders were unveiling a wide-ranging plan to Western governments. NEPAD — the New Partnership for African Development — was presented as an African solution to Africa’s problems, and was initially given a warm reception by governments of the G8. At its heart is the idea that Africa will improve standards of leadership, and in return the West will provide Africa with better terms of trade, more aid, and debt relief. But Nepad’s initial momentum has gone. There are at least four reasons for this. 1. When South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki, who has played a crucial role in NAPAD‘s formation, and other African leaders went to last year’s G8 summit in Canada, they didn’t get the financial backing they had hoped for. This made NEPAD harder to sell at the subsequent African Union summit, particularly to leaders, worried by the prospect of more interference in their domestic affairs. 2. Zimbabwe is driving a wedge between Africa and the West. For the West, Zimbabwe is an obvious example of bad governance and NEPAD‘s first big challenge. But African governments do not isolate President Robert Mugabe, they support him, in the face of, what they call, racist and disproportionate Western pressure. 3. Late last year, the South African Government was involved in a confusing debate about what NEPAD stands for. A minister said peer review, the mechanism by which African governments monitor each other, would concentrate on the economy, not governance. This sounded like Africa rowing back on commitments. 4. Terrorism, and a possible war with Iraq, have absorbed Western attention and resources, and forced Africa back to the margins of world affairs. Last month, President Bush cancelled what would have been his first trip in office to Africa, so that he could concentrate on Iraq. At the beginning of 2003, NEPAD has a web-site, and the beginnings of a functioning secretariat, but its usefulness is still unproven. (BBC News,16 January 2003)

* Africa. Bush makes Africa trade pledge — 16 January: President George W. Bush promises to ask the US Congress to extend the lifetime of legislation granting tariff-free trade to African countries. He makes the promise in a speech, transmitted by video link, to a forum of 38 African countries meeting in Mauritius. The US president had originally promised to attend the conference, but cancelled his trip to Africa during the Christmas holiday, a decision many commentators have linked to the threat of war in the Middle East. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which gives duty-free trade benefits, is due to expire in 2008. This has raised concerns that it would not succeed in promoting long-term investment in Africa as intended. Mr Bush reiterates US commitment to Africa, saying: «We look to the day when prosperity for Africa is built through trade and markets.» His promise to ask for an extension of AGOA has been welcomed by businesses and African countries. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 16 January 2003)

* Afrique. Tour d’Afrique cycliste — Le 18 janvier, le départ du premier Tour d’Afrique cycliste, qui conduira 60 coureurs du Caire au Cap (Afrique du Sud), a été donné au pied des pyramides de la capitale égyptienne. Les coureurs de nombreuses nationalités (Français, Italiens, Allemands, Suisses, Néerlandais, Américains, Canadiens, Sud-Africains) vont parcourir un périple de 10.000 km, qui les verra passer par le Soudan et huit pays en Afrique de l’Est et australe. En Egypte, le peloton ira jusqu’à la Mer rouge, rejoindra le Nil, passera aux temples des pharaons à Abou Simbel, avant de prendre un ferry pour gagner le Soudan le 31 janvier. L’Egypte espère que cette course deviendra annuelle. (AP, 18 janvier 2003)

* Afrique. Assistance accrue? — Le vice-président de la Banque mondiale pour l’Afrique, Callisto Madavo, a annoncé que les pays donateurs souhaitaient augmenter, l’année prochaine, leur assistance financière à l’Afrique, sans toutefois donner de chiffres. Il s’exprimait après le lancement de la 6ème phase du Partenariat stratégique pour l’Afrique (SPA) lors de la réunion plénière annuelle qui s’est tenue à Addis-Abeba du 16 au 17 janvier. Le SPA est un forum pour la mobilisation et la coordination de l’aide au niveau du continent depuis 1987. L’assistance des donateurs n’a pas augmenté depuis plus d’une décennie. Elle “est passée de 32 dollars par habitant en 1990 à environ 19 dollars en 2000”, a indiqué M. Madavo. Aucune date n’a été annoncée pour le déboursement des fonds. M. Madavo a aussi éludé une question sur l’allégement de la dette pour l’Afrique, déclarant que la question “n’avait pas été au centre des discussions”. (D’après PSénégal, 20 janvier 2003)

* Africa. Action against the Media — Côte d’Ivoire: On 16 January, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) said it has written to all the delegations taking part in the peace talks being held in Linas-Marcoussis (south of Paris) between 15 and 24 January 2003, asking them to raise the issue of the media in Côte d’Ivoire. The organisation urges the political parties and rebel movements present to make a real commitment to establishing a freer and more responsible press in the country. They should, in particular, take measures to ensure the safety of all journalists — Ivorian or foreign — working in Côte d’Ivoire. The fact that journalists are regularly arrested, attacked or threatened is unacceptable. Ethiopia: On 21 January, the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists’ Association (EFJA), said that the right of citizens to freedom of expression has, for ages, been brutally suppressed in countries like Ethiopia, where democratic systems have not been established. On 15-17 January, the Ethiopian government, through the Ministry of Information, conducted a three-day national symposium discuss issues with the free press. The government’s purpose in organising the symposium is clear: it is a propaganda stunt designed to show to the world that the government is democratic. It is also a measure calculated to win the hearts and sympathies of donors and creditors. The agenda items of the symposium focused on the new press law being drafted exclusively by the Ministry of Information, the draft journalists’ and publishers’ code of ethics and regulations for the establishment of a press council. The agenda item on the problems facing the free press and their solutions was totally dropped. Malawi: The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) reported that on 19 January, police in Blantyre detained Maganizo Mazeze, an announcer from the Malawi Institute of Journalism’s radio station, MIJ 90.3 FM, on charges of «broadcasting material likely to cause public alarm and unrest». The police refused to release Mazeze on bail on 19 January, in the afternoon. He was expected to appear before a court on the morning of 20 January. Malawi’s government has often accused MIJ 90.3 FM of serving government opponents. On 8 January, MIJ‘s board chairperson stunned the country when he accused the station of being «a mouthpiece of one political party». Somalia: On 21 January, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned the attack on Somali radio and television station HornAfrik by armed militia, acting on orders of a businessman who was offended by a news report about a book mentioning connections between Somali businessmen and terrorism. According to IFJ‘s information, the militia forced the technicians and journalists to shut down the broadcast and leave the premises. They remained for several hours, and the station could only be reopened after negotiations. Tunisia: On 17 January, RSF said that imprisoned Internet journalist Zouhair Yahyaoui, founder of the website www.tunezine.com, has been suffering from a gum abscess and severe headaches since 10 January 2003, and the authorities have refused to provide him with medical attention. Yahyaoui began a hunger strike on 17 January in reaction to the very difficult conditions under which he is being detained. RSF is very concerned about the young man’s deteriorating health and has asked the Tunisian authorities to release him without delay. Uganda: On 17 January, RSF said that Vincent Matovu, managing editor of the local Luganda-language weekly Mazimahas been held on remand in Luzira prison since 6 January 2003, in connection with the publication of two articles concerning the war between rebel groups and government forces in the north of the country. «This case demonstrates once again that journalists are not free to publish their analyses of the conflict between the rebel groups and government forces,» RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard noted in a letter to Information Minister Basoga Nsadhu. Matovu is accused of sedition for having reported in two articles, published in October and November 2002, that Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels had killed thousands of Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) soldiers and taken over the Pader and Kapchorwa districts (in the north and the east of the country). After appearing before a Kampala court, where he denied the charges brought against him, Matovu was remanded in custody on 6 January. He is being held in Luzira prison, near Kampala. Zimbabwe: MISA reported that on 15 January, Nqobile Nyathi, editor-in-chief of the weekly Financial Gazette, was summoned to the Harare Central police station for questioning in connection with advertisements that appeared in the paper in 2002. Nyathi, who was accompanied by her lawyer Linda Cook, was charged with contravening Section 15 (a) and Section 16 (a) of the Public Order and Security Act (POSA). The charges arise from advertisements the newspaper ran in 2002, which made allegations against President Robert Mugabe in a mock trial conducted by the National Constitutional Assembly and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 21 January 2003)

* Afrique. Mondialisation: 2 Forums — Ce 23 janvier, s’ouvrent deux forums mondiaux. Le 33e Forum économique mondial se tient à Davos (Suisse) du 23 au 28 janvier sur le thème “Construire la confiance”. 2.500 invités y participeront, dont 29 chefs d’Etat ou de gouvernement, 81 ministres et un millier de dirigeants d’entreprise. Au même moment, du 23 au 27 janvier, se tient à Porto Alegre (Brésil) le 3e Forum social mondial. 100.000 personnes venant de 157 pays et appartenant à quelque 5.000 organisations se retrouveront autour de la devise “Un autre monde est possible”. Ils travailleront autour de cinq axes: développement démocratique et durable; principes et valeurs; médias, culture et contre-hégémonie; pouvoir politique et société civile; combat contre la militarisation et promotion de la paix. (D’après La Croix, France, 23 janvier 2003)

* West Africa. Baby milk marketing breaks rules — A study in the British Medical Journal says manufacturers of powdered baby milk substitutes are violating international codes when selling their product to West Africans. The research was carried out in Togo — a country without legislation on the marketing of breast milk substitutes — and also in Burkina Faso which has such legislation. The results show the marketing code is being ignored at similar levels in both countries. In 1982 the World Health Assembly adopted the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substances, which sets out a minimum standard to ensure the proper use of formula milk. This latest research looked at health facilities, sales outlets, distribution points and the media in parts of West Africa. The researchers found the code had been violated by 40 products, many made by national and international manufacturers. Some companies failed to include a statement about the health benefits of breastfeeding, or instructions for the appropriate preparation or storage of formula milk, or a warning against the health hazards of inappropriate use. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 17 January 2003)

* Afrique de l’Ouest. 8 millions d’armes illicites — “Environ 500 millions d’armes légères de type militaire circulent illicitement dans le monde, dont près de 8 millions en Afrique de l’Ouest. Elles alimentent de nombreux conflits armés et transforment en catastrophes sociales et économiques des divergences d’opinion qui auraient pu trouver d’autres solutions”. C’est le cri d’alarme lancé par le Mouvement contre les armes légères en Afrique de l’Ouest (Malao), de concert avec Open Society West Africa et la Commission sénégalaise de lutte contre la prolifération des armes légères. Il incite à nourrir quelques inquiétudes quant aux risques de contagion de la crise ivoirienne. (J.A.I., France, 19 janvier 2003)

* Afrique australe. Tournée de Poul Nielson — Le Commissaire européen pour la Coopération au développement et l’Aide humanitaire, Poul Nielson, se rendra du 23 au 29 janvier dans trois pays d’Afrique australe (Zambie, Angola et Afrique du Sud) pour ratifier des accords sur des stratégies de coopération. Il y visitera des projets financés par l’UE, tout en consultant des agences de développement de l’Onu, des représentants de la société civile et des institutions multilatérales. Sa tournée commencera par la Zambie, où il fera le point de la réaction de l’UE à la crise alimentaire dans ce pays. L’UE a déjà accordé à la Zambie 45.090 tonnes de maïs, alors qu’un apport supplémentaire de semences et d’engrais est prévu. (D’après PANA, Sénégal, 20 janvier 2003)

* Algérie. Ali Benflis à Paris — Les 16 et 17 janvier, le Premier ministre algérien, Ali Benflis, s’est rendu à Paris pour la première visite officielle depuis 1994 d’un chef de gouvernement algérien. Sa venue coïncide avec le lancement de l’Année de l’Algérie en France. Le président français Jacques Chirac devrait à son tour se rendre en Algérie au mois de mars prochain. Plusieurs facteurs expliquent le rapprochement entre les deux pays. Le climat politique a changé à Alger. Le recul des maquis islamistes et le retour de la sécurité dans les grandes villes ont permis une reprise progressive des échanges économiques. Les hommes d’affaires ont repris le chemin d’Alger, même si M. Benflis juge leur implication insuffisante. Selon lui, les entrepreneurs français pourraient jouer un rôle plus actif dans le domaine de l’industrie pharmaceutique, du bâtiment public et du tourisme notamment. A la fin de la visite, les deux chefs de gouvernement, MM. Raffarin et Benflis, ont appelé de leurs voeux une “refondation” des relations entre les deux pays. -L’"Année de l’Algérie" ne fait cependant pas que des heureux. Ainsi, la communauté berbère de France (quelque 2 millions d’individus) la considère comme une opération de propagande en faveur des autorités algériennes faisant peu de cas du caractère autocratique du pouvoir en place à Alger. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 18 janvier 2003)

* Bénin. 2d tour des municipales — Le dimanche 19 janvier, ont eu lieu les opérations de vote du second tour des municipales et communales pour pourvoir les 343 sièges restés en ballottage au cours du scrutin du 15 décembre. La participation a été massive. Aucun incident majeur n’a été signalé. (PANA, Sénégal, 19 janvier 2003)

* Botswana. Foot-and-mouth outbreak stalls exports — The European Union (EU) followed South Africa’s lead on 16 January and banned imports of deboned meat from Botswana following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the country. The EU will re-evaluate its position within three months while neighbouring South Africa, which has just recovered from a similar outbreak and EU ban, has extended its ban to include live cloven hoofed animals, dairy products, meat products, hides and skins and other products, and posted special patrols at its border with Botswana. The outbreak was first reported on a communal farm in the Matsiloje extension area in the Francistown district to the northeast of the country on 11 January. It is the second outbreak in two years. (IRIN, Kenya, 16 January 2003)

* Burkina Faso. 100.000 rapatriés — Depuis le déclenchement de la crise ivoirienne, près de 100.000 Burkinabé ont été rapatriés de Côte d’Ivoire, a affirmé le 17 janvier le ministre chargé de la Coopération régionale, M. Somda. Les efforts déployés par le Burkina, a-t-il ajouté, vont se poursuivre en vue de rapatrier tous ceux qui le désirent. “Des études sont en cours pour l’élaboration d’une politique d’immigration conséquente et pour une réinsertion socio-professionnelle des rapatriés”, a précisé M. Somda. L’ambassadeur du Burkina en Côte d’Ivoire a, quant à lui, souligné la persistance des difficultés auxquelles les ressortissants burkinabé ont été confrontés dans leur pays d’accueil. (PANA, Sénégal, 17 janvier 2003)

* Burkina Faso. Success of satellite schools — An initiative which aims at achieving «maximum» enrolment of children in schools has so far enabled some 100,000 children to attend school in the 230 three-class satellite schools which have been built in the country since 1995, through the help of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The UNICEF satellite schools are contributing to increased girls’ schooling in the country —which is among the lowest in Africa. The satellite schools are expected to contribute to raise the current national schooling rate of 43 percent to 60 percent by 2005, and that of girls to 50 percent in the same period. «The satellite school bring schools nearer to the marginalized communities (have nots) and the schools,» Basic Education Minister Mathieu Ouedraogo has said. «There is a continuity with what he does at home and at the school that makes it possible for the child to complete primary school in five years instead of six years because they start with their mother tongue and end with French, and all the apprenticeship is in French». Most of the schools were built in the poorest areas of the country’s 14 provinces where the school attendance rate was very low at the request of the populations themselves. The schools are located at an average distance of four kilometres from the full cycle school. They are bilingual with children starting with their mother tongue and French. Performance evaluation has shown that in the average success rate in the satellite bilingual school is 85 percent versus 42 percent in regular schools. Satellite schools are made for those children who are too small to walk three to four kilometres to go to school and also for those who failed to attend the regular school and are aged between 8 to 10. They later transfer to the regular school at form four. (IRIN, Kenya, 17 January 2003)

* Burundi. All-party ceasefire urged before peacekeepers deploy — 15 January: A peace agreement signed by all the warring parties in Burundi would need to be in place before a proposed peacekeeping force could be sent, a South African security analyst says. On 14 January, South Africa’s Deputy President Jacob Zuma said that Ethiopia, Mozambique and South Africa had agreed to supply troops to support the ceasefire in Burundi until a UN peacekeeping force could be deployed, but the operation required urgent funding from the African Union (AU). But Henry Boschoff, an analyst with the Pretoria-based Institute of Security Studies says that while Zuma stresses the need for the deployment of a multinational force, the key stumbling block is that the rebel Parti de Liberation du Peuple Hutu-Forces Nationales de Liberation led by Agathon Rwasa remains outside the ceasefire agreement. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 January 2003)

* Burundi. Mission africaine de paix — Les principaux belligérants dans la guerre civile au Burundi ont accueilli favorablement l’idée de l’envoi dans le pays d’une mission africaine de maintien de la paix venant du Mozambique, d’Afrique du Sud et d’Ethiopie. Le porte-parole de l’armée a salué la venue de cette mission, prévue dans l’accord de paix de décembre dernier, soulignant aussi sa satisfaction que les pays de provenance sont éloignés de la zone du conflit. Une même satisfaction transparaît du côté du principal mouvement rebelle des Forces pour la défense de la démocratie (FDD), qui lance toutefois un appel aux autres pays africains pour qu’ils suivent l’exemple des trois Etats et donner plus de chances à la paix au Burundi. — D’autres voix cependant s’élèvent aussi pour rejeter le déploiement de cette force de maintien de la paix. C’est le cas notamment de l’Association de lutte contre le génocide (ACG, d’obédience tutsi), qui craint que “des militaires étrangers viennent désarmer les forces nationales de défense et de sécurité”. (D’après PANA, Sénégal, 16-22 janvier 2003)

* Burundi. Mediators at work whilst rebels and Govt. continue to fight — 20 January: MISNA reports that diplomatic efforts continue for a negotiable solution for the conflict in Burundi, whilst rebels and governmental forces continue to fight. South African Vice-President Jacob Zuma, who leads the international mediation, met with Pierre Nkurunziza, leader of the main Burundian rebel movement FDD (Forces for the Defence of Democracy) over the weekend in Pretoria (South Africa). Zuma and Nkurunziza held talks ahead of negotiations between the rebels and the Burundi government, aimed at implementing the peace process which commenced with a cease-fire agreement signed on 3 December 2002 in Arusha (Tanzania). A new round of talks were to have been held in Pretoria, today, but have now been postponed for a week and will be held on 26 January. Meanwhile, rebels and governmental forces continue to fight. 22 January: Tens of thousands of civilians are reported to be on the move in central Burundi, amid reports of heavy fighting between the army and ethnic Hutu rebels of the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD). There are reports of the army using heavy artillery in the central province of Gitega, and fierce battles in the east and the north-west. The fighting has escalated as a meeting between President Pierre Buyoya and FDD leader Pierre Nkurunziza approaches. Both sides are trying to capture as much territory as possible ahead of peace talks which are scheduled to resume in Pretoria. The violence has continued despite both sides signing a ceasefire last December. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 22 January 2003)

* Burundi. Attaques rebelles — Dans la nuit du jeudi au vendredi 17 janvier, à la suite d’une attaque attribuée aux rebelles FDD, au moins trois personnes ont trouvé la mort et quelque 45 habitations ont été pillées dans la localité de Kibogoye (province de Muramvya, centre). La même nuit a été ponctuée de tirs nourris à l’arme automatique dans la ville de Gitega, où il y a eu également des pillages. Entre 15.000 et 20.000 civils ont fui les affrontements. Par ailleurs, de violents combats persistent dans plusieurs localités de la province de Ruyigi (est), et la tension militaire est aussi à son comble dans la province de Bubanza (nord-ouest). Tous ces incidents ont lieu malgré un accord de cessation des hostilités. - 18-19 janvier. D’intenses combats étaient encore signalés dans plusieurs communes de la province de Ruyigi, notamment à Gisuru et Kinyinya. Dix soldats ont été tués dans une embuscade. Toute la population de Kinyinya a fui la zone de bataille. D’autre part, à la périphérie de Bujumbura, une attaque attribuée à l’autre mouvement rebelle, le Front national de libération (FNL), a fait deux blessés chez les militaires dans la zone de Kanyosha. - C’est dans ce contexte tendu que le chef de l’Etat, Pierre Boyoya, et le responsable politique des FDD, Pierre Nkurunziza, devaient se rencontrer les 20 et 21 janvier à Pretoria, sous les bons offices du vice-président sud-africain, M. Zuma, mais la rencontre a été reportée d’une semaine. Le 20 janvier, le gouvernement burundais a encore invité la rébellion armée à cesser ses offensives militaires en échange d’un dialogue sincère, car, a-t-il souligné, “il n’y a pas de solution à la guerre en dehors des négociations”. - Le 22 janvier, on notait près de 60.000 civils ayant fui leurs habitations au centre du Burundi en raison des affrontements entre armée et rebelles, principalement dans la province de Gitega. Ces déplacements se font dans des conditions dramatiques, sans vivres ni abris, en pleine saison des pluies. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 23 janvier 2003)