* Africa. Action against the Media — Central African Republic: On 21 February, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) reported that Mathurin Momet, publications’ director of the private daily Le Confident, was arrested by plainclothes police officers at his newspaper’s offices on 20 February 2003. RSF condemns this unwarranted arrest. The organisation urges the authorities to do everything in their power to ensure that the journalist is released without delay and that those responsible for his arrest are punished. Congo RDC: On 18 February, the organisation, Journaliste en Danger, (JED) sent a letter to Vital Kamhere, commissioner-general in charge of the peace process in the Great Lakes region protesting the ban on journalists’ travel to Gbadolite. The letter stated: «You, personally, intervened to prevent four journalists from travelling to Gbadolite. The Mouvement de libération du Congo (MLC) rebel movement had invited the journalists to visit the city. According to information published in Kinshasa-based newspapers on 18 February, journalists Lolo Luasu, of the newspaper Le Révélateur, Rombaut Kasongo, of Mosaïque, Elali Ikoko, of La Tempête des tropiques, and Vicky Kazumba, of Canal Kin, had expected to travel to Gbadolite on a United Nations aircraft in order to cover the trial of 27 MLC officers who are accused of carrying out acts of cannibalism and war crimes in Ituri. Five minutes before takeoff, an otherwise unidentified National Intelligence Agency agent prohibited the journalists from travelling on the flight to Gbadolite. He said he was acting on your orders». — On 20 February, JED reported that in an official letter dated 17 December 2002, a copy of which was sent to Journaliste en danger (JED), Mr. Delphin Paluku, provincial director of the Congolese Intelligence Agency (ACR) the RCD/ML rebel movement’s intelligence services, based in Beni, North-Kivu province, announced the imposition of advance censorship of all newspapers. The letter states: «...we hereby inform you that as of this date, each new issue of your respective newspapers must be sent to the ACR North-Kivu Bureau prior to publication. The newspapers will be subject to advance censorship prior to their delivery to readers. Your failure to respect this order will lead to prosecution.» Three Congolese newspapers — Les Coulisses, Le Millénaire and La Colombe Plus, are printed in Kampala and distributed in Beni. — On 25 February, JED reported that Raymond Kabala, managing editor of Alerte Plus, remains imprisoned even though he finished serving his seven-month sentence on 19 February. Malawi: On 19 February, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) said that on 14 February, suspected members of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) party’s youth wing beat up vendors who were selling the Daily Times newspaper in the capital, Lilongwe. The Daily Times‘s 10 February edition reported that the Young Democrats, as members of the UDF‘s youth wing are known, allegedly responded to a call by a UDF Women’s Desk official and praise singer for President Bakili Muluzi, who was incensed by a Daily Times headline that read that the president would not push for another term in office. The newspaper based its story on a speech delivered by President Muluzi at a public rally in southern Malawi. In his speech, Muluzi criticised anti-third term campaigners and declared that he was «too senior a politician to be taught politics.» He further stated that the constitution was clear on the issue of presidential terms and there was no need for him to clarify his stand. Niger: On 25 February, RSF said that Abdoulaye Tiémogo, managing editor of the weekly newspaper Le Canard Déchaîné, was released from prison after completing his eight-month sentence. Rwanda: On 25 February, RSF protested against the unjustified detention for more than a month of Ismael Mboigaba, editor of the newspaper, Umuseso. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 25 February 2003)

* Afrique. Pour une alliance aérienne — A Maputo (Mozambique) se tient une réunion de l’Association des compagnies aériennes africaines (AFRAA, créée en 1968). Le directeur technique de l’association, Elijah Chinhosho, a demandé aux compagnies aériennes du continent de former une “alliance stratégique” afin de renforcer leur capacité à concurrencer les grandes compagnies internationales. 75% des transporteurs aériens qui opèrent en Afrique sont actuellement basés à l’extérieur du continent, a-t-il déclaré le 25 février, mais il est possible, pour les compagnies africaines, de réduire ce pourcentage et d’opérer de façon plus compétitive. Pour cela, elles doivent renforcer leur coopération. Treize pays africains prennent part à la réunion de Maputo, qui prendra fin le 28 février. (D’après PANA, Sénégal, 25 février 2003)

* Africa. Africa and the Iraqi crisis — How is Africa responding to the current crisis? Mauritania: The private weekly Akhbar Nouakchott reports (26 February) that a delegation comprising representatives of several Mauritanian opposition parties has left Nouakchott for Baghdad on a solidarity visit to Iraq. Mauritius: On 25 February, Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth said that only the UN Security Council could authorise any military intervention in Iraq. South Africa: South African experts have met with Iraqi officials in Baghdad (25 February) in an attempt to avert war by sharing expertise from their own country’s disarmament programme. — President Thabo Mbeki joins leaders of the developing world in Malaysia to oppose war in Iraq and urge Baghdad to disarm itself. Sudan: On 26 February, thousands of Sudanese from all walks of life stage a peaceful march through Khartoum to condemn the US and British govts. in their desire to wage war on Iraq. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 26 February 2003)

* Africa. Bishops to meet in Lisbon — Catholic Bishops from Africa (Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar [SECAM]) and the European Union (Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community [COMEC]) will meet in Lisbon, Portugal, on 27-28 February 2003, to promote the human dimension of the Africa-Europe partnership. The seminar entitled: «Africa and the European Union — Partners in Solidarity: Contribution of the Church», will bring together over sixty Catholic bishops and lay experts from the two continents, to examine the challenges facing the Africa-Europe partnership, with high-level representatives from the political world. (SECAM/COMEC, 25 February 2003)

* Afrique centrale. Cri d’alarme des évêques — Le Conseil permanent de l’Association des Conférences épiscopales de la région d’Afrique centrale (ACERAC) s’est tenu il y a quelques jours à Brazzaville. A l’issue de cette rencontre, les membres du conseil ont lancé un cri d’alarme. “Nous sommes les témoins indignés de la situation de violences, de viols, de déplacements forcés, d’humiliations, qui prévaut dans les pays de notre région à cause des conflits armés”, écrivent les évêques, citant en particulier le Centrafrique, le Congo-Brazza et le Tchad. “Dans les autres pays, même s’il n’y a pas de conflits armés, existent tout de même des situations d’insécurité et des violations flagrantes des droits humains dans l’impunité la plus totale”, déplorent les signataires, qui constatent avec regret que “le dialogue ou la recherche de dialogue ne se fait pas dans la vérité et la sincérité, mais dans la duplicité, le mensonge et le sadisme”. (D’après Misna, Italie, 25 février 2003)

* Afrique/France. Sommet à Paris — 20 février. En ouvrant le 22e sommet franco-africain à Paris, le président français Jacques Chirac a mis en garde les dirigeants du continent africain en décrétant la “fin de l’impunité” pour ceux qui ne respecteraient pas les droits de l’homme. Les questions de paix et de sécurité (notamment au Burundi, en Centrafrique, en Somalie et au Congo) ont dominé la première journée de la réunion. Le secrétaire général de l’Onu, Kofi Annan, a exhorté “tous les Ivoiriens, en particulier le président Gbagbo, pour qu’ils fassent de l’accord qu’ils ont signé un premier pas concret vers la paix”. L’après-midi, les 52 pays africains représentés ont apporté leur soutien à la France sur le dossier irakien, publiant un communiqué affirmant qu’il existe une alternative à la guerre. Dans la soirée, M. Chirac a eu un entretien en tête-à-tête avec le président zimbabwéen, M. Mugabe. — 21 février. Le président Chirac a affirmé que les relations entre la France et l’Afrique étaient désormais sorties “du système de l’assistance pour entrer dans le système du partenariat”, lequel se définit, selon lui, par “une relation d’égal à égal”. Il a présenté un certain nombre de propositions destinées à soutenir le développement durable du continent, notamment en matière agricole. Il a proposé que les pays riches gèlent jusqu’en 2005 les subsides accordés à leurs exportations agricoles qui “déstabilisent” l’économie des pays africains. La France soumettra cette mesure au prochain sommet des G8 et aux négociations de l’OMC. Le sommet a également permis d’évoquer le combat contre le terrorisme et le crime organisé, ainsi que de revenir sur la pandémie du sida. Le prochain sommet se tiendra dans deux ans à Bamako, au Mali. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 22 février 2003)

* Africa/France. Franco-African Summit — 20 February: Leaders from 52 African countries have backed France’s opposition to a military intervention aimed at disarming Iraq. At their annual Franco-African summit in Paris, they endorsed a statement saying: «There is an alternative to war.» Three African states — Guinea, Cameroon and Angola — sit as non-permanent members on the 15-nation United Nations Security Council. The White House says the new resolution demanding the disarmament of Iraq will be offered for discussion by the Council next week. Correspondents say the votes of its three African members could prove decisive. «The use of force, which entails serious risks of destabilisation for the region, for Africa and for the world, should only be a last resort,» the summit said in a joint declaration. The document called for the continuation of UN weapons inspections as an alternative to war. «The disarmament of Iraq is the shared goal of the international community,» the declaration said. — President Chirac pledges to raise his concern over the deteriorating political situation in Zimbabwe, with President Mugabe, during a special meeting in the margins of the Summit. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chirac warns African leaders: «The days of impunity are over and violence must be denounced wherever it comes from». 21 February: In the run-up to the one-and-a-half day Franco-African summit, French officials were confidently predicting that — whatever the British press and politicians might say — the presence of Robert Mugabe in Paris would not spoil the party. Zimbabwe, after all, is largely seen in France as a post-colonial, British problem. The suffering of the expelled white farmers is viewed with pity, but not anger. But when he opened today’s edition of Le Monde, the French leader would have read an editorial that could have easily come from one of the more moderate sections of the British press. «Mugabe’s presence in Paris for this summit is an insult to all the victims of his regime. Did Jacques Chirac really think that ticking him off — in a corridor —about democracy and human rights, would really change the mind of this ageing autocrat?» And if the rest of the French media has been less explicit in its criticism of the president, it has been noticeable that most newspapers — including the pro-Chirac Le Figaro — have filed reports this week about human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. 22 February: The Summit has closed with a statement by President Chirac: «I will be the tireless lawyer of Africa». (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 22 February 2003)

* Afrique/France. Un clandestin tombé d’un avion — Le 25 février au matin, les policiers ont retrouvé le corps sans vie d’un Africain dans la véranda d’un pavillon à Groslay (Val d’Oise, France). L’homme, âgé de 20 à 25 ans, sans papiers d’identité, est tombé d’un avion. Les vols en provenance d’Afrique sont nombreux à arriver à l’aéroport de Roissy vers 6 heures. D’après les premiers éléments de l’enquête, l’homme se serait caché dans le train d’atterrissage et serait tombé au moment même où l’avion atterrissait. Deux ou trois corps sont ainsi retrouvés chaque année. Il s’agit de clandestins qui réussissent à embarquer depuis leur pays d’origine en se cachant. (La Croix, France, 26 février 2003)

* Africa/UK. UK‘s junior Foreign Minister on tour — On 25 February, Baroness Amos, the junior Foreign Office minister, embarked on a three-day African tour as part of an intensive US-British diplomatic drive to secure the votes of six wavering security council members. Washington has ordered its diplomatic corps to pull out all the stops, and the Foreign Office has followed suit. «The order from the White House was to use “all diplomatic means necessary”,» one US diplomat said. «And that really means everything.» A round of meetings and telephone calls by the US president, George Bush, and the prime minister, Tony Blair, are being replicated at the state department and the Foreign Office. Baroness Amos was dispatched from Britain hours before the new resolution was tabled on Monday and she was due to see the president of Guinea, Lansana Conté, last night. She is scheduled to hold talks today or tomorrow morning in Angola with the president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, and in Cameroon with the president, Paul Biya, tomorrow. All three countries are on the security council. The three, along with Pakistan, Mexico and Chile, are regarded by the US and Britain as persuadable. With the US, Britain, Spain and Bulgaria already supporting the resolution, they need only a further five to have the necessary majority on the 15-member council. Germany and France yesterday met the 10 non-permanent members of the security council, including the three African ones, in New York. The British and Americans are scheduled to hold a similar meeting today to make their case. (The Guardian, UK, 26 February 2003)

* Algeria. Strike shuts down Algeria — 25 February: A 48-hour general strike has brought Algeria to a halt. The strike was called by the Algerian General Workers Union (UGTA) to protest against the privatisation of public enterprises and to denounce a wave of price hikes that have swept the country, as well as general economic mismanagement. Some 95% of workers were observing the action, a union representative said. The industrial zones of Oued Smar, Rouiba and Reghaia, in the east are silent. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 25 February 2003)

* Algérie. Assassinats — 21-22 février. Le terrorisme semble prendre pied aussi dans les régions du sud algérien. Quatre gardes communaux ont été égorgés vendredi soir, après avoir été arrêtés à un faux barrage dressé par un groupe armé dans la région de Ouargla (750 km au sud d’Alger), rapporte la presse algérienne. Par ailleurs, deux policiers ont été assassinés samedi par des islamistes armés en plein centre de Draâ El Mizan, dans la région de Tizi Ouzou (est d’Alger). Un civil a été grièvement blessé lors d’une fusillade qui a suivi cet attentat. — 25 février. Douze personnes ont été tuées et sept autres blessées mardi soir à un faux barrage sur une route près d’Hameur El Aïn (70 km à l’ouest d’Alger). Les forces de sécurité ont entrepris de vastes recherches pour trouver les agresseurs. Depuis le début de février, au moins 53 personnes, dont 24 civils, ont été tuées en Algérie dans des violences impliquant des islamistes armés. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 26 février 2003)

* Algérie. Grève générale de 2 jours — La puissante centrale syndicale de l’Union générale des travailleurs algériens (UGTA), hostile à la politique de privatisation du gouvernement, a lancé un mot d’ordre de grève générale qui risque de paralyser l’Algérie les 25 et 26 février. L’UGTA reproche au gouvernement le manque de transparence et de clarté dans sa politique de privatisation pour aboutir à l’instauration d’une économie du marché. Ces deux journées seront aussi l’occasion, selon la centrale, de dénoncer “la précarité” du système de Sécurité sociale et de retraite, ainsi que “la pauvreté grandissante des travailleurs et de leurs familles”. Le salaire minimum est de 120 euros par mois, et le chômage touche officiellement 30% de la population. — 25 février. La grève était largement suivie. Les transports, notamment aérien, étaient en grande partie paralysés, ainsi que le secteur bancaire, les lycées et les écoles. Dans les hôpitaux, un service minimal a été assuré. Le forage et l’acheminement du pétrole et gaz ne sont pas concernés par le mouvement. — Le 26 février, la grève a encore paralysé l’Algérie. Le secrétaire général de l’UGTA a indiqué que son organisation ne refusait pas le dialogue avec le gouvernement et ne s’opposait pas aux réformes, mais qu’il était contre le “bradage” des entreprises publiques. Le Premier ministre, M. Benflis, a indiqué qu’une “nouvelle bipartite” avec l’UGTA se tiendrait dans les prochains jours. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 27 février 2003)

* Algeria. Forced disappearances — On 27 February, Human Rights Watch said that Algerian security forces made «disappear at last 7,000 persons, more than the numbers recorded in any other country during the past decade except wartime Bosnia. To date, the Algerian authorities have utterly failed to investigate these «disappearances» or to provide families with answers about the fate of their loved ones. None of the missing have returned and no one has been held accountable for their «disappearance». (HRW, 27 February 2003)

* Algérie. HRW: “Disparitions forcées” — Les forces de l’ordre algériennes ont fait “disparaître” au moins 7.000 personnes, chiffre dépassant celui des disparitions recensées ces dix dernières années dans tout autre pays, à l’exception de la guerre en Bosnie, a déclaré Human Rights Watch dans un nouveau rapport publié le 27 février, intitulé “Disparitions forcées en Algérie: vérité et justice s’imposent”. Les autorités algériennes avaient promis de mener des enquêtes sur ces “disparitions” et de donner des réponses aux familles. Ils n’ont cependant pas tenu leur promesse, aucun disparu n’est rentré chez lui, et personne n’a dû rendre compte de ces “disparitions”. Le 2 mars, le président français Jacques Chirac débutera la première visite d’Etat d’un président français en Algérie depuis l’indépendance de ce pays. Dans une lettre envoyée le 21 février, HRW a vivement conseillé à M. Chirac d’exhorter le gouvernement algérien à créer une commission indépendante capable de résoudre le mystère entourant le sort de ces victimes. (HRW, New York, 27 février 2003)

* Algérie/Russie. Livraison d’armes — L’Algérie a demandé à être dotée d’une technologie de l’aviation de guerre, d’un système de défense aérienne et d’armes spécifiques pour sa Marine, a rapporté le quotidien algérien Al-Khabar le 23 février, en citant le président de la commission de coopération militaire et technique de la Fédération de Russie, Mikhaïl Dmitriev, qui animait une conférence de presse à Moscou. Les deux pays sont sur le point de parvenir à “des résultats concluants”, a-t-on précisé. Les déclarations du responsable russe interviennent au moment où est annoncé un projet d’avion algéro-russe, qui s’inscrit dans le cadre de l’accord stratégique ratifié entre les deux pays en avril 2001. Par ailleurs, le journal algérien a souligné que les préparatifs allaient bon train en Algérie pour la visite d’Etat que doit effectuer le président Poutine dans le pays au cours du premier trimestre de l’année en cours. (AP, 24 février 2003)

* Angola. Radio Ecclesia accusée — Le gouvernement angolais a accusé Radio Ecclesia d’être un instrument de propagande négative contre les citoyens angolais et les institutions du pays, a rapporté l’agence Cisa. Dans une déclaration du 14 février, le ministre de la Communication a reproché à la radio catholique de servir d’instrument d’offenses et de diffamation. Radio Ecclesia rejette ces accusations. Selon un journaliste angolais, M. Marques, la radio catholique est la seule station digne de foi où les Angolais ordinaires peuvent exprimer leurs opinions sur la transition politique du pays. Bien que ne disposant pas de ressources financières suffisantes, Radio Ecclesia a un avantage sur la station publique, indique le journaliste: elle permet d’émettre des critiques sur le gouvernement. En 2004, Radio Ecclesia commémorera son jubilé d’or. La station, qui appartient maintenant à la Conférence épiscopale d’Angola et de Sao Tomé, a vu le jour en 1954 et se veut aujourd’hui un outil de promotion de la paix et du développement. (DIA, Kinshasa, 24 février 2003)

* Angola. Frustration increases as ex-soldiers await govt assistance — Costa, a former soldier with the Angola’s former rebel group, UNITA, thought he was finally going home last December. Since the end of the civil war he had been living in the Madimbe gathering area in Zaire province. But the truck that fetched him from there deposited him at the Kituma transit centre, more than 250 km from his home town of Maquela do Zombo, in the north of Uige province. «When I arrived here I understood that in terms of the peace accord this was a transit area, and within two or three days I would be able to move on to my home area,» he told IRIN. Kituma is a collection of simple brick houses sprawling across a hillside on the edge of Uige city, and was originally built to house displaced people. Since late last year the population has grown to around 1,000 as increasing numbers of exUNITA soldiers and their families have arrived — and stayed. United Nations staff blame the situation on the failure of different provincial authorities to co-ordinate their operations. Trucking the soldiers from gathering areas to transit centres was the task of the authorities in the province where they had been living. But it is the authorities in the home province who are responsible for transporting people to hundreds of home villages scattered throughout the province. (IRIN, Kenya, 26 February 2003)

* Botswana. Bushmen’s land exploited — Botswana is letting mining companies explore for diamonds in parts of the Kalahari desert from which San Bushmen were recently evicted, renewing the accusation that the country’s oldest ethnic group is the victim of a plot by the government and multinational companies. Sections of the central Kalahari game reserve, which the government said would not be touched, have been opened only months after an assurances that relocating the Bushmen had nothing to do with diamonds. Concessions to explore have been granted and one company, Kalahari Diamonds Limited, has got $2m from the World Bank to fly a surveillance plane over territory thought to be rich in kimberlite, one of the volcanic rocks associated with diamonds. The London advocacy group Survival International, which opposed the Bushmen’s removal, said on 19 February that it had been vindicated in linking it to diamonds. «There has been a complete explosion in the number of concessions given out, and this funding for the exploration is further proof that there is a link,» its spokeswoman Sophie Thomas said. But mining companies and a Botswanan group representing the dwindling number of Bushmen said they were moved for other reasons. The 15-year programme to move them from bleached scrub closer to settled areas ended in February last year. The authorities said they moved voluntarily to benefit from better healthcare and resources, but critics said they had been coerced. Self-sufficient communities had had their water supplies cut off before being dumped in bleak settlements with derisory compensation. (The Guardian, UK, 20 February 2003

* Botswana. Boys’ bleak future — A 15-year-old boy living in Botswana has a 90% chance of dying of HIV/AIDS during his lifetime, according to new analysis of World Health Organisation statistics. «This is a chilling statistic,» says Professor Rodney Phillips of Oxford University, who carried out the analysis. Botswana has the highest instance of HIV infection in the world. Over one in three of the population is infected. The countries in the rest of southern Africa are not much better off. In Zimbabwe and South Africa the statistics are nearly as high. Hopes of finding an effective vaccine in the near future are fading, says Professor Phillips. (BBC News, UK, 27 February 2003)

* Burkina Faso. Meningitis kills 401 since October — Meningitis has killed 401 people out of 2433 cases in Burkina Faso since the beginning of the 2002-2003 meningitis season in late October, Souleymane Sanou, head of meningitis control in the health ministry said on 20 February. Sanou, speaking in an interview on the national radio, said analyses of the cases show persistence of the new W135 meningitis strain which was first reported a year ago. Before that time, Burkina Faso was only affected by the A and C strains. Five health districts out of 53 in the country, had been declared meningitis epidemic areas, the official said. These included Batie in the South west, Manga, Po in the south Pama and Diapaga in the east. Each of these districts had reported 10 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. «They are epidemic spots and we are undertaking in the next days a reactive vaccination of people in affected areas,» Sanou said. Some 150,000 doses of the 500,000 trivalent (A,C,W135) vaccine doses sent last week by the World Health Organization (WHO) to contain the epidemic would be allocated to these areas, he added. (IRIN, Kenya, 21 February 2003)

* Burkina Faso. FESPACO  2003 — 21 February: Moroccan director Ayouch Nabil has lashed out at the organisers of Africa’s biggest film festival, Fespaco, on the eve of its opening. Speaking from Paris, he says that Fespaco is «disorganised» and «lacks respect for the film makers.» Nabil, who scooped Fespaco’s top prize in 2001, adds that he had become disillusioned with the event. «People from the ministry are taking care of this festival and they don’t know about cinema and they don’t have the respect. If they don’t respect me I don’t see why I should respect them,» he says. Nabil says he is angry with the treatment given to directors by the organisers. Nabil is now refusing to enter his latest film, entitled «A Minute Less Sunshine», into the race for a prize this year. Attracting thousands of visitors, Fespaco, the Pan-African film and television festival, is the biggest regular cultural event on the continent. This year, FESPACO runs from 22 February to 1 March and is being held in the capital, Ouagadoudou. 25 February: Controversy has struck Africa’s top film festival, Fespaco, again after Ivorian movie fans boycotted the event. The source of their anger is the exclusion of the film «Roues Libre», directed by Sidiki Sijiri Bakaba. Some Ivorians believe the film has been deliberately rejected as part of the wider picture of political antipathy between the two countries. It had been included in an earlier shortlist for the long feature films competition, but failed to make the final 16. But Fespaco Director Baba Hama defended the exclusion of the film, adding that there was nothing unusual about Bakaba’s film not making it through to the final shortlist. «It’s normal for a film-maker to be sad because they all want to be in the competition,» Hama said. But it’s impossible to enter everybody. So there’s not any explanation to give. It’s just the result of the work done by the selection committee. That is all.» Newspapers in Burkina Faso have alleged that Ivorians have not travelled because the authorities in Abidjan advised them that their lives would be at risk in Ouagadougou. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 25 February 2003)