* Egypt. Activist’s retrial tests USA-Egypt ties — Washington’s relations with Egypt, historically one of its closest allies in the Arab world, could be severely tested by the outcome of a court case that has become a running sore between the two sides. As the US builds up its forces for a possible invasion of Iraq, the highest court of appeal in Cairo is due on 4 February to start a retrial of Egypt’s most prominent civil society activist, Saad el-Din Ibrahim, who in 2001 was sentenced to seven years in prison on what are widely viewed as trumped-up charges. The flimsiness of the case against the ailing Mr Ibrahim, who has joint Egyptian- US citizenship, and the notoriety of Egypt’s state security courts, which sentenced him but where standards of evidence are notoriously lacking, has strained relations between the Egyptian regime and Washington. Among the charges of which Mr Ibrahim was found guilty were receiving funds from a foreign power without permission, defaming Egypt and embezzlement. Over the summer, the US administration let it be known that it would not be giving $150m in additional aid to Egypt specifically because of Mr Ibrahim. The case has also led some US commentators to question why a basic $2bn in civil and military assistance is given annually to Egypt, a country with such a poor human rights record. In response, government apologists in Cairo have lashed out against perceived foreign pressure and defended the independence of the Egyptian judiciary. The sensitivity of the hearing has been heightened because the abuse of human rights by Iraq has been a pillar of the US case in seeking to oust Saddam Hussein. But the retrial of Mr Ibrahim — two previous verdicts have been quashed only for the state to appeal — comes as the government of Hosni Mubarak, the president, has taken a number of steps over recent weeks signalling a more liberal bent. (Financial Times, UK, 3 February  2003)

* Eritrea/Ethiopia. Expulsion suffering lingers — In a report released on 30 January, Human Rights Watch said that citizens and residents expelled by both Ethiopia and Eritrea during their 1998-2000 border war should be offered repatriation and the restoration of citizenship. The 64-page report, entitled: «The Horn of Africa War: Mass Expulsions and the Nationality Issue», recounts the plight of almost one hundred thousand citizens and residents of both countries who were uprooted and deprived of their residence and nationality without a semblance of due process. It documents cases of mistreatment typical of the mass expulsions, including prolonged detention, lack of food, water, and medical care, beatings and other physical abuse. (HRW, 30 January 2003)

* Ghana. Ghana’s gold dilemma — The Ghanaian Government is agonizing over whether to grant licenses to six mining companies which are ready to invest over $2bn or preserve the forest and help save the earth. Over the past five years, only a handful of new mines have opened as against dozens in the early to mid 1990s. Five of the prospective mining companies are interested in mining for gold, but the ore is located inside forest reserves. One company, Newmont, which is based in Australia, would, alone, pump close to $500m into the ailing Ghanaian economy, even before mining starts, and create about 1,000 jobs directly. Newmont has found gold in two locations; but one of them falls inside a forest reserve. The company says it wants both concessions or nothing. A sixth company, called Bhp Billiton, a Dutch firm, wants to explore for bauxite, the mineral from which aluminium is derived. Billiton would invest about $1bn to establish an integrated mining and alumina processing industry. Since independence, Ghana has been looking desperately for exactly such an investor to mine and process the prodigious volumes of bauxite which, minerals experts say, exist at Kyebi in the Eastern Region and Nyinahin in Ashanti. But, again, the precious mineral lies buried inside forest reserves. Currently, there are two companies involved in the bauxite and alumina processing business: one exports the raw bauxite, the other imports it semi-processed from Jamaica. Last week, three ministers in charge of mines, forestry, and environment toured some of the reserves and met the local communities to help government to take a decision. The Minerals Commission which regulates mining activities in the country favours licensing the companies to mine. One official said small-scale artisans would invade the forest and mine, anyway, if the big companies, which are easier to identify, regulate, monitor and tax, are kept out. Many ordinary people in the prospective mining towns, which are desperate for amenities and secure jobs, also want the mines. But environmentalists say the forest reserves are too important for the survival of the earth and should not be  tampered with. (BBC News, UK, 4 February 2003)

* Kenya. Kenyans worry for sick President — Kenya’s President Mwai Kibaki was back on his feet on 28 January, but he immediately limped into a gathering storm over his ill-health and misgivings about a rogue and accident-prone government that has been in power for only four weeks. He was released from hospital after receiving treatment for blood clots in his leg and high blood pressure caused by complications following a car crash two months ago. Leaning on a crutch, the 71-year-old leader was immediately whisked off to State House, instead of his private home in Nairobi’s posh and leafy suburb of Muthaiga — a move that underscored the urgency to rebuild a young but seemingly rudderless presidency. For a leader who has spent the best part of his presidency in a wheelchair, events that unfolded after his swearing in seemed rather cruel to a man who symbolised so much hope for many Kenyans. In his first weeks in office, Kenyans became accustomed to pictures of the president’s toe sticking out of his plastered leg while being wheeled around State House — whether swearing in his first cabinet or meeting foreign dignitaries. When he was wheeled back to hospital 10 days ago, most Kenyans welcomed updates of their president’s state of health — a novelty on a continent where leaders’ ailments are either state secrets or the people are made to believe their leaders never fall ill. But observers of Mr Kibaki’s government say soon his ill-health began to take its toll on the running of the infant government. They point out that the state opening of the new parliament had to be postponed until February owing largely to President Kibaki’s hospitalisation. Before long, he was joined at the Nairobi Hospital by four other ministers who survived a plane crash in western Kenya that left one minister dead. The ministers were returning to Nairobi from a victory bash. Newspaper cartoonists were quick to depict a wheelchair-bound President Kibaki surrounded by bed-ridden ministers chairing his cabinet in a hospital ward. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 30 January 2003)

* Kenya. Acting over corruption — A shake-up in the top ranks of Kenya’s administration is expected to herald further culls of senior figures in the public sector and security forces, in a reform drive by Mwai Kibaki, the country’s recently elected president. However, wide-ranging changes made at the weekend in senior ministry posts showed up potential strains within his National Rainbow Coalition, which five weeks ago swept away four decades of rule by the Kenya African National Union (Kanu). The head of the civil service and at least 10 other senior officials were dropped, and others moved to new posts. But the reshuffle fell short of a wholesale purge, and several cabinet ministers were reported to be unhappy with the new appointments —which included officials from the  old Kanu administration. Mr Kibaki, who has promised to end endemic corruption and revive east Africa’s largest economy, insisted the appointments were based on «merit and professionalism». The changes marked an assertion of authority by the 71-year-old president, who was discharged from hospital last week after suffering complications from a pre-election car accident. His government has begun a clean-out in state enterprises and semi-government bodies, sending three chief executives on compulsory leave. Other parts of the graft-ridden state sector, which includes power, ports, telecommunications and railways, are also likely to be targeted. (Financial Times, UK, 3 February 2003)

* Liberia. Nouvelle attaque rebelle — Le 31 janvier, le président libérien Charles Taylor a affirmé que les rebelles du mouvement des Libériens unis pour la réconciliation et la démocratie (LURD) avaient lancé, la veille, une nouvelle attaque contre les positions gouvernementales à Bopulu, au nord-ouest de Monrovia. Après avoir accusé des hommes politiques de l’opposition en exil d’avoir collecté des fonds pour soutenir la rébellion du LURD et que son gouvernement avait des preuves de ces allégations, il a invité les politiciens de l’opposition à condamner cette reprise des hostilités, compte tenu des efforts du gouvernement d’assurer la tenue des élections générales en octobre prochain. — Mardi 4 février, d’après les dépêches d’agence, le LURD avait pris le contrôle des grandes villes du Nord-Ouest et ses troupes se trouvaient à moins de 20 km de la capitale Monrovia. Les autorités ont reconnu avoir perdu le contrôle des principales localités du nord-ouest du pays. Le président du LURD, Sekou Damate Conneh, a donné une semaine au président libérien pour quitter la capitale. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 5 février 2003)

* Liberia. Rebels approach capital — 4 February: There are reports that rebels in Liberia have taken two key towns north of the capital, Monrovia. Defence Minister Daniel Chea confirmed rebels recaptured the iron-ore rich town of Bopolu on 3 February, situated approximately 100 kilometres north-west of the capital. The Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (Lurd) have been trying to overthrow the government of President Charles Taylor since 1999. Panic has gripped Monrovia, following news of the advances. In an interview on the Tubmanburg highway, Mr Chea said that government forces are being amassed to advance on the embattled town. Several vehicles, including jeeps loaded with armed men, some carrying calibre machine guns, were seen heading towards the area. When asked whether the rebels’ quick advance on the town confirms that other towns such as Bopolu and Sawmill, situated beyond Tubmanburg, have fallen to the rebels, Mr Chea replied «not necessarily».  5 February: The Liberian army is sending reinforcements to the front-line. Defence Minister Daniel Chea says the highway from Monrovia to the rebel-held town of Tubmanburg is now in government hands. President Charles Taylor has arrived back from the African Union meeting in Addis Ababa amid tight security at the airport but makes no comment on the latest fighting. — Liberia’s army holds off rebel attacks near a key bridge on the road to Monrovia. Liberia’s chief of staff General Kpenkpah Konah had earlier ordered all soldiers to report for duty as reinforcements speed overnight to stop insurgents crossing the Po River Bridge 12 km from Monrovia’s outskirts. With legs hanging over the side of pickup trucks and rifles across their laps, President Charles Taylor’s security forces head out of Monrovia to reinforce the line at the bridge. «Our men were able to push them... to nearby towns. What happened was our men were taken by surprise. We lost some men, about eight, and the rebels lost three,» a military source says adding the rebel death toll had climbed to nine as of today. The Po River bridge is as close to Monrovia as LURD rebelshave come since they launched the war in 2000 to oust Taylor. — MISNA reports that Archbishop Michael Francis of Monrovia has said: «There is widespread fear in Monrovia and there have been scenes of panic on the roads, the people fear a similar scenario to that of the past days. The only news we have for the moment is that the LURD rebels have captured Tubmanburg, but I really do not know if or when they will arrive in the capital». (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 5 February 2003)

* Libya. Gaddafi offers to mediate in Iraq crisis — Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is offering to mediate between U.S. President George W. Bush and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to try to halt the slide towards a new Gulf war. «I wish I could have the opportunity to talk to these two persons, to address them, President Bush and Saddam Hussein,» he said, while in Addis Ababa for the summit of the African Union. The United States, which regards Libya as a pariah state over its involvement in terror acts, was unlikely to take up Gaddafi’s offer. Gaddafi said there was no «rationale» for a US-led war on Iraq. Asked if he was offering himself as a mediator between the two he replied: «Why not? After all it is necessary. I would like to save international peace. I would like to get rid of mass destruction weapons not only in Iraq but in the whole region of the Middle East and then from the world all over. We can solve problems peacefully,» the Libyan leader said, adding that Saddam should allow the UN arms inspectors to get on with their work inside Iraq without hindrance. On 3 February, Gaddafi told reporters African leaders were categorical in their rejection of a conflict in the Gulf. Africa was united in its opposition to war in Iraq, and the United States would suffer if it acted against the will of the rest of the world, he said. (Financial Times, UK, 4 February 2003)

* Madagascar. AU may readmit Madagascar — On 4 February, the African Union yesterday recommended that Madagascar be readmitted to the 53-nation organisation in acknowledgement of the legitimacy of President Marc Ravalomanana’s government. The recommendation by the AU‘s conflict resolution body will be formally considered at a meeting of heads of state in Mozambique in July. South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki, the AU‘s chairman, had led a controversial decision not to recognise Mr Ravalomanana’s government. It established its control over Madagascar last year in a popular uprising after a disputed presidential election. The AU barred Madagascar in disapproval of the unorthodox way in which Mr Ravalomanana claimed his election victory and then consolidated his control with the use of force. (Financial Times, UK, 5 February 2003)

* Maroc/Espagne. Début de réconciliation — Le jeudi 30 janvier, le Maroc a annoncé qu’il allait renvoyer son ambassadeur en Espagne après une absence de plus d’un an, laissant ainsi entrevoir le règlement d’un différend bilatéral. La décision a été annoncée par le roi Mohammed VI à la fin de l’audience qu’il avait accordée à la ministre espagnole des Affaires étrangères, Ana Palacio, à Agadir. Quelques heures plus tard, Mme Palacio annonçait à son tour le retour de l’ambassadeur espagnol à Rabat. Pour Ana Palacio, c’est un premier pas, mais “il faut le temps nécessaire...” En effet, même si le climat entre les deux pays s’est détendu, il n’en reste pas moins que les principaux points de discorde demeurent, en particulier la délimitation des frontières maritimes, les villes-enclaves de Ceuta et Melilla, et le Sahara occidental. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 31 janvier 2003)

* Maroc. Appels à la censure — Cinéma, éducation, littérature, sexualité: les islamistes “modérés” du Parti de la justice et du développement (PJD) multiplient depuis plusieurs semaines les appels à la censure de ce qu’ils considèrent comme “contraire aux traditions et à la moralité” marocaines. Le PJD semble s’être engagé dans une véritable surenchère de dénonciation des incursions du “sionisme”, de la “dépravation” ou de “la laïcisation rampante” visant les fondements “arabo-musulmans” de la société marocaine. Le PJD est très influent dans les universités et fort de son récent succès électoral qui, avec ses 42 parlementaires, fait de lui l’un des poids lourds de la vie politique. Le caractère désormais quasi-systématique de ses campagnes et l’apparente faiblesse de la réaction des autorités, qui semblent soucieuses de ménager la puissante  mouvance islamiste, ont conduit quelques intellectuels et journalistes à tirer la sonnette d’alarme. (D’après AP, 3 février 2003)

* Mauritius. Cyber city — Mauritius, the paradise island of golden sand and five-star hotels in the middle of the Indian Ocean, is plunging head first into the high-tech world of information technology. The volcanic rock, famous for the extinct dodo that once naively welcomed foreign visitors and paid the price, is now using its foreign contacts to build on two decades of development and wants to become a «cyber island». A few kilometres outside the capital, Port Louis, the sugar cane plantations, which were the foundations of the island’s success, are being built upon and a «cyber city» is emerging amid the mountains. «Technologically speaking the cyber city is a state-of-the-art facility,» said Devendra Chaudhry, chief executive of Business Parks of Mauritius. «It will provide a world-class telecommunications network, through both satellite and the fibre-optic cable that links Portugal and Malaysia via South Africa and Mauritius. It will provide computing on demand, an internet data centre to back up data and servers for web-hosting, e-commerce and financial transactions.» (BBC News, UK, 4 February 2003)

* Mozambique. Les assassins de Cardoso: verdict — Le 31 janvier, le tribunal spécial pour juger les assassins de Carlos Cardoso a rendu public son verdict: les six prévenus ont été condamnés (dont un par contumace) à des peines comprises entre 23 et 28 ans de prison. Carlos Cardoso, directeur de Metical, a été assassiné le 22 novembre 2000 à Maputo. Avant sa mort, le journaliste enquêtait sur la disparition d’une somme équivalente à plusieurs millions d’euros à la Banque commerciale du Mozambique. (Ndlr - Le principal suspect, Anibal dos Santos, connu sous le nom d’Anibalzinho, en fuite depuis septembre dernier, a été arrêté en Afrique du Sud, quelques heures avant l’annonce du verdict). (RSF, France, 31 janvier 2003)

* Mozambique. Floods and drought impact negatively on children — Heavy flooding in 2000 and 2001 and a subsequent drought and food crisis have had an extraordinarily negative impact on children in Mozambique, Save the Children Fund (SCF) said in a new report. The fund said many children in Mozambique found themselves «trapped in a cycle of poverty with inadequate access to basic services», and with the impact of HIV/AIDS worsening their plight. In February 2000 Mozambique experienced the worst floods in half a century which particularly affected provinces in the south, including Inhambane. In February 2001 there was further flooding predominantly on the flood plains of the lower Zambezi River. In May 2001 it was reported that approximately 44,000 subsistence-farming families had been affected with the loss of 27,000 hectares of crops. Roads and bridges were washed away isolating people from much needed assistance. In 2002 Mozambique, along with five other southern African countries, was badly affected by drought and consequent food shortages. The latest Southern African Development Community (SADC) vulnerability assessment released on 30 January said «some 650,000 people (three percent of the population) will require an estimated 31,000 mt of emergency cereal food assistance through March 2003». SCF underlined the fact that children, who make up 50 percent of the population, were already «severely affected by the floods» prior to the drought. Some five million children live in poverty in Mozambique and almost half the country’s children are chronically malnourished. (IRIN, Kenya, 4 February 2003)

* Mozambique. President’s son to be questioned again — 5 February: MISNA says that the Public Prosecutor in the inquiry into the murder of Carlos Cardoso, has requested a second questioning of Nhyimpine Chissano. He will be called to appear once again before the High Court, to reply to charges of involvement in the journalist’s death. The decision was taken by Judge Augusto Paulino, who recently opened a new case in which the President’s son is indicated to be among the main suspects in the journalist’s murder. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 5 February 2003)

* Nigeria. Political violence increasing before elections — In a Briefing Paper released on 29 January, Human Rights Watch says the Nigerian government is doing far too little to prevent a wave of violence in the pre-election period. In April and early May, Nigeria is planning to hold elections for national and state office, hoping for the first successful civilian-to-civilian transfer of power since independence in 1960. (HRW, 29 January 2003)

* Nigeria. HRW dénonce la violence politique — Le gouvernement nigérian ne fait pas assez d’efforts pour prévenir la vague de violence politique qui perturbe la période préélectorale, constate l’organisation Human Rights Watch dans son dernier rapport, basé en partie sur des recherches effectuées en décembre 2002. Les autorités nigérianes ont fixé la période des élections aux mois d’avril/mai 2003. Le document rend compte de la manière dont les politiciens de ce pays ont eu recours à la violence pour obtenir ou conserver des appuis politiques, des richesses et de l’influence. Ainsi par exemple, selon le rapport, “de nombreux politiciens ont profité de la pauvreté et du chômage endémiques pour recruter des jeunes hommes qui intimident et même tuent leurs adversaires ou les militants  de leurs adversaires”. Des assassinats à motivation politique se sont produits dans de nombreuses régions. “Dans les Etats du centre et du nord, certains politiciens ont utilisé la religion et les différences ethniques à des fins politiques, suscitant ainsi des sentiments qui pourraient aggraver les violences communautaires”. HRW a exhorté les gouvernements étrangers et les organisations internationales à mobiliser des délégations d’observateurs plusieurs semaines avant les élections afin de contrôler les opérations de la période préélectorale. (D’après PANA, Sénégal, 30 janvier 2003)

* Nigeria. Curfew imposed in Warri — 4 February: The authorities in the oil rich Delta region of Nigeria have imposed a curfew in the town of Warri in an attempt to reduce tensions in the area. The move follows violence sparked by rows in the run up to general elections in April. Youths went on the rampage on the night of 2 February in Warri, killing at least 10 people and burning dozens of buildings. Up to a quarter of Warri’s population has fled following clashes between ethnic Urhobos and Itsekiris. A spokesman for Delta State, Abel Oshevire, said the dusk-to-dawn curfew would be in effect in Warri until calm returns. Two police officers were killed in the violence, and a police station was gutted by fire. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 4 February 2003)

* Nigeria. Lagos explosion — 4 February: An explosion is the business district of Lagos is now known to have killed at least 40 people and injured 100. Rescue-workers are using heavy lifting equipment to clear rubble at the scene in Lagos but there is little hope of finding further survivors, only bodies. Officials are ruling out terrorism as the cause of the explosion on Lagos Island. 5 February: Debris from explosive devices have been found at the scene of the deadly explosion which ripped through the business district of Lagos on 2 February, according to Nigerian police. Officials say the find could suggest that an illegal cache of explosives caught fire, triggering the blast in which at least 33 people were killed. But police are not ruling out that a bomb may have been planted. Today, three more bodies are recovered from the wreckage of the apartment blocks. Hospitals are still treating 43 people, eight of them in critical condition, the Red Cross said. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 5 February 2003)

* Nigeria. Explosion meurtrière à Lagos — Le dimanche 2 février, une explosion d’origine indéterminée a détruit trois immeubles et en a endommagé plusieurs autres dans le centre de Lagos, causant la mort d’au moins 20 personnes. Des cadavres ont été retirés des décombres d’une banque et de deux immeubles de quatre étages abritant des commerces et des résidants dans une île au coeur de Lagos. Le porte-parole de la police  a annoncé que celle-ci tentait encore de découvrir la cause du sinistre. Des témoins ont évoqué une succession rapide d’explosions, et l’un d’entre eux affirme avoir vu de la fumée s’échapper d’un des bâtiments avant la déflagration. -Une dépêche du 6 février de l’Associated Press rapporte que des bombes sont à l’origine de l’explosion. Des fragments de bombes et des explosifs ont été retrouvés sur les lieux de l’explosion. Le dernier bilan, lundi, faisait état de 44 victimes. Il n’a pas été possible d’obtenir de nouveaux chiffres pour le moment. (La Libre Belgique et AP, 3-6 février 2003)