* Rwanda. Avant-projet de Constitution — Le 18 février, le président de la Commission juridique et constitutionnelle, Tito Rutaremara, a remis au président Kagame l’avant-projet de la future Constitution pour examen et adoption en conseil des ministres avant sa transmission au Parlement, qui se fera d’ici à la fin de mars. Deux mois seront ensuite nécessaires pour vulgariser le projet adopté, avant de le soumettre au référendum qui est prévu en mai, a déclaré M. Rutaremara. Le texte prévoit un régime semi-présidentiel, un Parlement bicaméral, l’existence d’un Etat de droit, la gestion consensuelle du pouvoir. Il affirme des droits fondamentaux et l’égalité de tous les citoyens devant la loi. Le mandat présidentiel serait de 7 ans, renouvelable une fois. Cet avant-projet a nécessité deux ans de préparation. (PANA, Sénégal, 18 février 2003)

* Rwanda. Rwandan pastor on trial — 19 February: A verdict on the landmark case of a Rwandan clergyman and his son who are charged with committing genocide is expected today. The United Nations tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania, will decide whether Pastor Elizaphan Ntakirutmana is guilty of slaughtering Tutsis in 1994. A local leader of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Kibuye district, western Rwanda, he pleaded not guilty to all charges. Prosecutors contend that Pastor Ntakirutmana and his son actively participated in the mass slaughter in western Rwanda. In one notorious incident, Tutsis who had taken shelter in a church and hospital complex sent a letter to the pastor. It begged him as a man of God to help. «We wish to inform you», the letter said, that tomorrow, «we will be killed with our families.» Mr Ntakirutmana’s response allegedly was that the unarmed men, women and children should prepare for death. Soon after, Hutu militias attacked — accompanied, it is alleged, by the pastor and his son. Of the hundreds who had sought shelter, only a few survived. The pastor himself fled to the United States after the genocide. After an extended legal battle, he was eventually extradited to Arusha. He and his son deny all the charges. — Later in the day, Pastor Ntakirutmana and his son are both convicted of genocide, complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity. The Pastor is sentenced to ten years in prison and his son to twenty-five years. They will appeal. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 February 2003)

* Rwanda. 2 condamnations au TPIR — Le 19 février à Arusha, le Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda (TPIR) a condamné un pasteur adventiste rwandais et son fils à 10 et 25 ans de prison pour leur participation au génocide de 1994. Elizaphan Ntakirutimana, 78 ans, et son fils Gérard, un médecin de 45 ans, ont été reconnus coupables d’avoir “participé à des tueries et des attaques et d’avoir causé de graves blessures physiques et morales à un grand nombre d’hommes, de femmes et d’enfants qui avaient tenté de se réfugier dans les locaux de l’Eglise adventiste du septième jour à Mugonero, ainsi que dans la zone de Bisesero”, dans l’ouest du Rwanda. Depuis sa création, le TPIR n’a rendu que onze verdicts. Son quartier pénitentiaire abrite 54 personnes, dont 22 seulement sont en cours de procès. (Libération, France, 20 février 2003)

* South Africa. Wind changes for South Africa’s black brokers — The Johannesburg Securities Exchange dominates the African continent and is a glittering, high-technology symbol of South Africa’s economic maturity. Yet of the country’s 550 stockbrokers, only 10 are black. After eight years of majority rule, the country’s financial sector remains dominated by whites, prompting the government to pursue the tack taken in the mining sector: legislative intervention is necessary to encourage or even force change. The financial services empowerment charter, expected by mid-year, will set down the rules for the sector. Debate has already started and is likely to be heated but those in the industry hope it will create less controversy than the much-debated mining charter, which was preceded by a sell-off of mining stocks by overseas investors. «We are tired of waiting and it is clear that goodwill alone is not enough,» says Emmanuel Lediga, founder and chief executive of Legae Securities, the oldest black-owned stockbroking firm. «The charter offers hope. An enforcement mechanism is needed, with specific ownership quotas and precise timeframes. Now is the time to act decisively because there is a new momentum for change». «The sector will have to be more innovative because BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) has become a key strategic issue,» says Mark Anderson, director of African Harvest Capital. «There will be interesting developments this year.» (Financial Times, UK, 17 February 2003)

* South Africa. Catholic Bishops reply to President’s State of the Nation Speech — On 17 February, the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACB) congratulated President Mbeki on his firm stand in favour of a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis. However, the Bishops expressed their disappointment with the President’s treatment of two issues of vital consequence for South and Southern Africa: the AIDS pandemic and the Zimbabwe crisis. On both counts, the SACB pleads with the State President that he take the nation into his confidence in an effort to formulate and implement clear and open policies, so that all sectors of society may become engaged in seeking just and equitable solutions. (SACB, 17 February 2003)

* South Africa. Arms experts being sent to Iraq — A team of South African experts on weapons disarmament will travel to Iraq by the end of the week to assist the country, South African President Thabo Mbeki said on 18 February. The group will «inform and advise» Iraqi President Saddam Hussein about how South Africa dismantled its nuclear weapons program in the early 1990s, he said. The group of seven men includes scientists and a member of a government office focusing on peace initiatives. «Between them they will be able to address all matters that relate to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, missile systems, nonproliferation and disarmament,» Mbeki told a session of Parliament in Cape Town. They have worked with the UN Conference on Disarmament and other international bodies responsible for the enforcement of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty and chemical and biological weapons conventions, he said. The UN‘s chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, mentioned in his report to the Security Council on 14 February that Baghdad had accepted the South African offer of disarmament consultation. @CITA_1 = (CNN, USA, 18 February 2003)

* South Africa, At centre of child sex trade — South Africa has become a market for children sold into prostitution from Africa, Europe and the Far East, a report to the UN commission on human rights said. Children from Angola, Mozambique, Senegal, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda, Eastern Europe, Thailand and China are being either lured or kidnapped to the country to become prostitutes on the streets of Johannesburg and Cape Town, a report by experts to the commission said. Angolan, Congolese and Nigerian criminal rings are responsible for much of the trafficking, but criminal elements from Bulgaria, Thailand, China and Russia are also said to be involved. The report was compiled by UN officials who visited South Africa last year to investigate the high incidents of abuse, rape and child prostitution. The hunger crisis in southern Africa, which is affecting about 15 million people, is contributing to an increase in trafficking of children, the report said. It also found that lack of public freedoms and equality under apartheid was often among the causes of abuse. «The traditional relations of family harmony were seriously damaged by decades of oppression and contempt, and their present manifestations in devious forms are shocking,» the report said. Some parents sell their own children into prostitution. Many who have been orphaned by Aids sell their bodies for sex in order to survive. Last year the South African human rights commission found that almost one-third of children in the country had been sexually abused. However, UN investigators found there was no framework for children who have been abused or are in need of treatment for Aids. (The Guardian, UK, 19 February 2003)

* South Africa. Moves on black ownership — On 18 February, the South African government said it would push ahead with reforms to widen black ownership of the economy in spite of investor doubts about how best it can be achieved. Alec Erwin, minister of trade and industry, told mining companies and international investors at an annual mining conference that his government had taken the first steps to transform South Africa’s formerly white-dominated economy, but that more were needed to reverse the effects of apartheid. «We cannot see an economy that can grow or be stable over time if there is one racial group not benefiting from that economy. We are not going to bring out a process that would detract from growth, but we are not going to do nothing about it [white dominance].» Bringing South Africa’s black majority into the mainstream economy is essential for the country’s long-term stability. But analysts fear that South African companies will lose value by having to sell assets off cheaply to achieve empowerment targets. Confidence in the South African mining sector was rocked last year by fears that the government wanted to take an aggressive, fast-track approach to boosting black participation in the sector. A draft mining charter proposing ambitious empowerment targets unnerved investors and sent local mining stocks spiralling downward. Confidence has since been restored by agreement between the government and mining companies on less ambitious equity ownership targets and a broad empowerment agenda covering employment equity, training and corporate social responsibility. (Financial Times, UK, 19 February 2003)

* Soudan. Prisonniers politiques libérés — Un nombre non précisé de prisonniers politiques soudanais a été libéré à l’occasion de la fête musulmane de l’Aïd el Kébir, a-t-on appris à Khartoum dans la presse du samedi 15 février. Parmi eux figure Ibrahim Sanoussi, ancien gouverneur de l’Etat de Nord-Kordufan, une personnalité de premier plan du Parti populaire du Congrès national (PNCP) de Hassan el Tourabi. Deux autres personnalités du PNCP et trois leaders du mouvement étudiant du parti ont aussi retrouvé la liberté, mais onze de leurs militants sont encore derrière les barreaux. Le gouvernement a également libéré des militants d’autres partis de l’opposition. La détention sans procès a occupé une place importante dans les discussions avec une délégation d’Amnesty International qui était en visite au Soudan au début du mois de février. (PANA, Sénégal, 15 février 2003)

* Sudan. Can Africa bring peace to Sudan — In a Press Statement, Sudan Focal Point-Africa (SFP-A), an ecumenical peace and advocacy ministry of Sudanese and international Churches, said: «Following the recent visit to Khartoum by the South African Foreign Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, as Chair of the African Union, the Churches of both Sudan and South Africa will take a keen interest in the role of the African Union and the South African government in supporting the Sudanese peace process. The Churches and their international partners are holding the annual Assembly of the Sudan Ecumenical Forum in South Africa from 23-27 February, shortly before the Sudan peace negotiations resume in Nairobi. The Church has been the only consistent voice of Sudanese civil society at both the local and international level during the long-running conflict in Sudan. As more breaches of the cease-fire by the government of Sudan come to light, and as the international community focuses its attention on another potential war in Iraq, it is more important than ever that Africa should not forget the suffering Sudanese people. The theme of the Assembly is «The Role of the Church in the Peace-Building Process in Sudan». Amongst other topics, the delegates will reflect on post-conflict reconciliation, and relations between Christianity and Islam, in the light of the South African experience. On Sunday 23 February 2003 the Assembly will begin with a public ecumenical service in St Alban’s Anglican Cathedral in Pretoria at 6 pm. On 27 February the Assembly will conclude with a press conference and public briefing at the Methodist Central Church in Johannesburg at 10 am. (SFP-A, South Africa, 19 February 2003)

* Tanzania. Government seeks Chinese aid to modernise railway — Tanzania is seeking Chinese aid to modernise the 1,860.5-km Tazara railway linking Tanzania to landlocked Zambia at New Kapiri Mposhi, the New China News Agency, Xinhua, has reported. Xinhua, which is the official Chinese news agency, said on 11 February that Tanzanian Communication and Transport Minister Mark Mwandosya had expressed «the hope» while welcoming the chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Li Ruihuan, at Tazara’s Dar es Salaam terminus. «We seek your support in further strengthening the infrastructure, modernising the locomotive fleet, re-equipping workshops and strengthening the Tazara centre in Mpika,» the agency quoted Mwandosya as saying. China, it said, had helped with the feasibility studies, design and construction of the Arusha-Musoma railway line, which Mwandosya said was conducive to the peace and economic growth of the Great Lakes region. Tazara, or the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority, was completed and opened to traffic in July 1975, after five years of construction by Chinese, Tanzanian and Zambian engineers and workers. With 977.3 km of the line in Tanzania and 883.2 km in Zambia, it was built as an alternate lifeline to Zambia during the eras of apartheid in South Africa and the illegal minority government in Rhodesia, now independent Zimbabwe. (IRIN, Kenya, 12 February 2003)

* Tunisie. Gréviste de la faim en danger — L’état de santé d’un opposant tunisien islamiste emprisonné, Hammadi Jebali, “s’est considérablement dégradé, après plus d’un mois de grève de la faim”, s’alarme l’Association internationale de soutien aux prisonniers politiques. Selon l’AISPP (non autorisée à Tunis), Jebali a dû être transféré le 12 février aux urgences d’un hôpital de Bizerte, information démentie de source officielle. Jebali, 54 ans, a été condamné à plus de 17 ans de prison, en 1991 et 1992, pour appartenance au mouvement islamiste Ennadha (interdit), dont il était l’un des dirigeants. (Libération, France, 17 février 2003)

* Ouganda. Menace de famine dans le nord — L’Onu a lancé un cri d’alarme attirant l’attention sur la situation qui prévaut au nord de l’Ouganda où plus d’un million de personnes risque de manquer de nourriture et d’aide alimentaire en raison des hostilités persistantes entre les forces gouvernementales et les rebelles de l’Armée de résistance du Seigneur (LRA). La situation dans le nord est aggravée par les mauvaises récoltes entraînant une baisse des stocks alimentaires des ménages. Les combats ont également rendu difficile l’accès des personnes déplacées à leurs maisons et fermes afin de s’adonner à la culture durant la saison agricole qui doit commencer le mois prochain. La population est presque totalement isolée du reste du pays. Et le Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM) a dû réduire ses activités de 50%. (PANA, Sénégal, 13 février 2003)

* Zambia. Chiluba loses immunity appeal — 19 February: In a landmark decision, Zambia’s Supreme Court has ruled that parliament acted legally and properly last year in removing the immunity of former president Frederick Chiluba. This means that Mr Chiluba no longer enjoys protection from the law as guaranteed in the constitution and paves the way for an imminent arrest on charges of corruption. Mr Chiluba was stripped of his immunity after being accused by his successor, President Levy Mwanawasa, of misusing millions of dollars of government money. It is the first time such a decision has been made in Zambia and the Commonwealth and it will have massive ramifications for current and future Zambian presidents. Mr Chiluba denies all the allegations. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 February 2003)

* Zambie. Rejet de l’appel de Chiluba — Le 19 février, la Haute Cour a rejeté la demande d’appel de l’ex-président Fréderick Chiluba contre la levée de son immunité parlementaire, par laquelle il voulait éviter l’arrestation et le procès pour corruption. La Zambie est depuis plusieurs mois le théâtre d’une véritable lutte entre l’actuel président Mwanawasa et son prédécesseur. Le chef de l’Etat est accusé par Chiluba et par une partie de l’opposition d’avoir accédé à la présidence grâce à des fraudes électorales. En juillet dernier, Mwanawasa a répliqué en accusant Chiluba et une cinquantaine de ses plus proches collaborateurs de corruption. Ceci avait provoqué un véritable séisme politique suivi de démissions, d’échanges d’accusations et de menaces entre l’actuel gouvernement et Chiluba. L’ex-président et ses collaborateurs sont accusés d’avoir détourné l’équivalent de 80 millions de dollars en 10 ans de pouvoir. (Misna, Italie, 19 février 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Rift halts EU-Africa summit — Europe’s relations with Africa suffered a severe blow yesterday when a summit between leaders of the two continents was shelved in a dispute over EU efforts to isolate Zimbabwe’s elite. The meeting of European and African heads of government had been scheduled to take place in Lisbon in April, but has been postponed indefinitely after diplomats failed to persuade President Robert Mugabe to stay away. Southern African countries had defended Mr Mugabe’s right to attend and threatened a boycott if he was not invited. But Tony Blair and several EU leaders made clear that they would not share a platform with the Zimbabwean leader. European sanctions against Zimbabwe have become highly sensitive since France invited Mr Mugabe to a Franco-African summit in Paris next week. On 12 February, EU ambassadors agreed to renew for another year the visa ban, asset freeze and arms embargo against more than 70 members of the Zimbabwean government and their associates, which would have expired next week. In return for French agreement, the UK and other states withdrew their opposition to Mr Mugabe’s visit to Paris. Meanwhile it was revealed yesterday that a French aviation company is poised to help rescue Zimbabwe’s beleaguered national airline. ATR is in talks to lease three or more aircraft to Air Zimbabwe. The airline is heading for collapse amid deepening economic woes and acute shortages of hard currency. (The Independent, UK, 15 February 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Sommet Europe-Afrique reporté — Le 13 février, l’Union européenne a décidé de reporter sine die le sommet Europe-Afrique qui devait se tenir le 3 avril à Lisbonne. Le bras de fer entre le gouvernement britannique et le président zimbabwéen Robert Mugabe entraîne ainsi une nouvelle détérioration des relations euro-africaines. Londres souhaite prolonger et renforcer les sanctions contre le Zimbabwe (gel des avoirs des dirigeants zimbabwéens et refus de visas de voyage), alors que d’autres pays européens jugent que l’isolement total du Zimbabwe n’est pas constructif. Beaucoup de pays africains boycotteront Lisbonne si M. Mugabe y est refusé, tandis que cinq pays européens sont prêts à boycotter la réunion si le président zimbabwéen y est présent. On a donc décidé le report de la réunion. (D’après La Libre Belgique, 15 février 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Réfugiés rwandais — Le Zimbabwe connaît une recrudescence d’arrivées de demandeurs d’asile en provenance de la région des Grands Lacs, a annoncé, le 15 février à Harare, le porte-parole du Haut-Commissariat des Nations unies aux réfugiés (HCR). Quelque 300 demandeurs d’asile sont arrivés le mois dernier, contre une moyenne mensuelle de 50 auparavant. Selon le porte-parole du HCR, le principal camp de réfugiés, celui de Tongogara, dans l’est de pays, était submergé par les nouvelles arrivées, principalement des Rwandais fuyant la Tanzanie, dont le gouvernement procède à des rapatriements forcés. La plupart des Rwandais hésitent à rentrer chez eux en dépit des assurances qui leur sont données concernant leur sécurité, et choisissent de quitter la Tanzanie pour d’autres pays de la région. Avant ces nouvelles arrivées, le Zimbabwe comptait environ 10.000 réfugiés, dont la plupart proviennent de la région des Grands Lacs. (PANA, Sénégal, 16 février 2003)

* Zimbabwe. «No peaceful end to crisis» — Zimbabwe’s leading opposition figure has dismissed the chances of a peaceful solution to the country’s political and economic impasse. In the midst of fierce international controversy over how to deal with President Robert Mugabe’s regime, Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, said repression and economic collapse were pushing the country towards a popular upheaval. «I’m quite certain that we are not going to see a peaceful resolution of the crisis,» he told the Financial Times. Last month Mr Tsvangirai confirmed that indirect contacts had taken place involving senior regime members aimed at substituting Mr Mugabe. But he said he opposed this plan. He argued that Mr Mugabe, in power since the end of white rule 23 years ago, would try to hang on to his authority but would be unable to contain the pressure mounting against him. «I think it’s going to build up until the general population takes the necessary courage to confront the regime,» he said. (Financial Times, UK, 18 February 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Living in fear of Mugabe’s green bombers — On 18 February, human rights activists called on the Commonwealth to investigate the abuses perpetrated by a growing number of state-sponsored youth gangs in Zimbabwe. Investigations by the Guardian reveal that President Robert Mugabe’s youth militia are increasingly well-trained in torture techniques that are then used on civilians. Police take virtually no action against the forces, widely known as «green bombers» for the colour of their military-style uniforms and for their reputation for violence. The trauma is evident on the face of Jameson Gadzirai, 23, three weeks after he and three others were abducted by the Zanu-PF youth militia. He had gone to Kuwadzana township in Harare as part of a residents’ association team. «They were “green bombers”. I could tell from the uniforms,» Mr Gadzirai said. «They started beating us. They suspended us in the air and whipped our backs and our backsides. They beat the soles of our feet. They were organised, very systematic. And they kept asking us questions. Who did we work for? Who was paying us? Who were we spying for?» Mr Gadzirai added: «They seized our cell phones and when they found the numbers of lawyers and [Harare’s] Mayor Elias Mudzuri, they said that proved we were spies.» When they were released after a few hours they could hardly walk because of their swollen feet, and they could not sit down. Medical tests confirmed that the injuries were consistent with Mr Gadzirai’s account. When they reported the incident to the police, they were arrested. No action has been taken against their attackers. Thirty similar reports in Kuwadzana were documented by the Human Rights Forum in January. (The Guardian, UK, 19 February 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Exchange rate adjusted — 19 February: Zimbabwe has adjusted the exchange rate for its currency, moving it closer to rates paid on the black market. Today, the government set the rate for exporters at 800 Zimbabwe dollars to the US dollar. Since August 2000, the Zimbabwe dollar had been artificially fixed at 55 units to the US dollar while on the black market the US dollar was worth up to 1,500 Zimbabwe dollars. Zimbabwe’s business community has long wanted to change the country’s chaotic foreign exchange policies. Companies are forced to pay black market rates for foreign currency needed to buy supplies but are forced to change export earnings at the official rate. Zimbabwe Finance Minister Herbert Murerwa admitted today that the economy was in dire straits. «The country is facing severe socio-economic challenges, amid a hostile external and domestic environment,» he says. «This has resulted in a sharp decline in foreign exchange supplies and rising inflationary pressures.» The minister also announced measures to boost agriculture and manufacturing and to fight corruption. By doing this, the government hopes to improve production and «guarantee the availability and affordability» of goods and services. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 February 2003)