* Nigeria. Bad start for ID scheme — 20 February: Major problems have been reported on he first day of registration for the national identity scheme. Lack of equipment and publicity are blamed by some. Others say some centres do not have the equipment to register them. The identity cards will include fingerprints and photographs, as well as the name, address, occupation, state of origin and height of the bearer. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 20 February 2003)

* Nigeria. Oil strike halted — 20 February: Nigerian oil workers have called off a six day strike after talks with the government. Nigeria’s oil strike has not affected exports as replacement staff have been used to load supplies. But the government feared a long-running strike would damage the country’s economy. Oil exports account for more than 80% of Nigerian government revenue and more than 90% of foreign exchange earnings. Nigeria’s Department of Petroleum Resources said it had thrashed out a deal in Lagos with member of the senior staff union, Pengassan. Pengassan staff walked out on 22 February in support of demands including greater autonomy, higher pay, and payment of allowances arrears, some dating back to 2000. The union’s national secretary-general Kenneth Narebor said: «We have finished and worked on a communique which has been signed and we have agreed to suspend the action.» (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 20 February 2003)

* Nigeria. Delta: nouveaux affrontements — Le 25 février à Wari (Etat du Delta, au sud du Nigeria), au moins six personnes ont été tuées dans une nouvelle explosion de violence entre des membres des ethnies locales Itsekiri et Urhobo. D’après les autorités locales, un grand nombre de personnes ont été blessées et de très nombreuses habitations incendiées. Les heurts ont suivi une polémique liée aux contrats et aux travaux que les deux communautés cherchent à passer avec la compagnie pétrolière Royal Dutch/Shell qui opère dans la zone. Au début du mois de février, des affrontements entre les deux groupes avaient fait 20 morts. (Misna, Italie, 26 février 2003)

* Nigeria. Radioactive material missing — Nigeria has asked the world nuclear agency to help in tracking down radioactive material that has disappeared from the country’s oil industry. «We have... informed the International Atomic Energy Agency in case somebody stole it and wants to take it outside Nigeria,» Shams Elegba, the head of the country’s nuclear regulatory agency, said on 25 February. Mr Elegba gave no further details of the missing material or the circumstances behind its loss. But he said his agency was working hard to recover it. Nigeria alerted the public in a statement broadcast last week that an unidentified oil company had reported the loss of the radioactive material used in its operations in the southern Niger delta. It urged caution on the part of anyone who might have come into contact with the material, saying nausea or vomiting might be signs of radioactive poisoning. It was not clear what function the missing material played in oil production. Radioactive material used in the industry includes caesium-137, used in rock surveying equipment and other devices. Severe burns, and even death, can result from handling an industrial source of caesium-137, a US environmental protection agency warned in a factsheet. The Nigerian authorities are worried that the material could fall into the hands of terrorists and have put all the security agencies on the alert, according to Mr Elegba. Nigeria is the world’s sixth largest oil exporter, and nearly all of the oil comes from the impoverished Niger delta. But it has no known nuclear programme. Multinational oil companies’ facilities in the delta are the object of frequent attacks by saboteurs and thieves. Residents accuse the companies of polluting the land and returning little of their profits to the area. (The Guardian, UK, 26 February 2003)

* Nigeria. Petrol supply sabotage — The Nigerian Government has blamed recent petrol shortages on political sabotage. Information Minister Jerry Gana said it was no coincidence that traffic had been paralysed by a lack of petrol in the run-up to general elections in April. Petrol has become scarce in Lagos and some other parts of Nigeria, prompting a return to the long petrol queues common during the military rule, which ended in 1999. Correspondents say that President Olusegun Obasanjo had been citing the end of fuel queues as one of the key dividends of his rule during his re-election campaign. «For three years, we resolved the (fuel shortage) problem and then suddenly because we are now campaigning, some people thought they could make some subterranean moves just to discredit us,» Mr Gana said. Oil officials have provided a raft of other reasons for the sudden shortage of petrol: Panic-buying; Petrol hoarding; Striking oil workers; Broken-down refineries; Fears of war in Iraq; World oil markets. Nigeria is a major oil exporter but most petrol is imported. During the military era, corruption, smuggling and mismanagement led to massive petrol queues and some of those caught in Lagos traffic jams felt a sense of deja vu. «It is like the Abacha dark days are here again,» civil servant Celestine Orji said sadly, remembering the regime of late military ruler General Sani Abacha. (BBC News, UK, 27 February 2003)

* Rwanda. Kagame au sommet France-Afrique — Le président Rwandais Paul Kagame, venu assister pour la première fois à un sommet France-Afrique, est resté sur des aigreurs. Il a affirmé ne pas avoir été consulté au sujet de la déclaration sur l’Irak et en a profité pour expliquer qu’il était plutôt favorable à une guerre (un “moindre mal”) face à un Saddam Hussein possédant des armes de destruction massive. Quant à la réconciliation avec la France, il a eu ce commentaire: “On nous a donné des conseils pour nous réconcilier entre Rwandais. Nous espérons que les donneurs de leçons comprendront comment se réconcilier avec nous...”. (Le Monde, France, 23 février 2003)

* Rwanda. Détention d’un journaliste — Le 25 février, l’organisation Reporters sans frontières a protesté contre la détention abusive, depuis le 24 janvier, du directeur de publication d’un journal indépendant au Rwanda, Ismaël Mbonigaba, accusé d’“incitation à la division et à la discrimination”. Les autorités judiciaires rwandaises doivent statuer, le 27 février, sur le maintien ou non en prison de ce journaliste. Il lui est reproché la publication d’un article relatif à la prochaine élection présidentielle, prévue au cours du deuxième semestre de cette année. L’article était accompagné d’une caricature du chef de l’Etat, Paul Kagame. (Le Figaro, France, 26 février 2003)

* Sahara occidental. 100 Marocains libérés — Le 26 février, les cent prisonniers marocains que le Front Polisario avait décidé de libérer le 11 février, ont été rapatriés au Maroc par le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge. Le Front Polisario, qui revendique l’indépendance du Sahara occidental occupé et annexé par le Maroc en 1975, avait indiqué qu’il avait fait ce geste suite à l’intervention du Premier ministre espagnol José Maria Aznar, lors de la fête musulmane de l’Aïd el-Khébir. Selon Rabat, plus de 1.100 soldats marocains sont encore détenus par le mouvement indépendantiste. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 27 février 2003)

* Sierra Leone. Militaires britanniques — La Grande-Bretagne a dépêché 300 éléments de Ghurka pour soutenir l’armée sierra-léonaise suite à des actes de déstabilisation menés par des rebelles qui luttent contre le troupes gouvernementales. Selon un communiqué publié par le ministère de la Défense le lundi 24 février à Freetown, les soldats britanniques, arrivés durant le week-end, vont entreprendre une série d’exercices militaires avec les forces sierra-léonaises. Un navire de guerre britannique, l’Iron Duke, est attendu incessamment pour prendre part aux exercices. (PANA, Sénégal, 24 février 2003)

* Sierra Leone. UK strengthens force — 25 February: Three hundred Gurkha troops have been deployed in Sierra Leone to help counter insecurity in neighbouring Liberia, according to the British Defence Ministry. The recent arrival of the Nepali soldiers is the first time the British army has substantially reinforced its positions in Sierra Leone since it began reducing its presence two years ago. «Over the last few weeks there have been elements of rebel activity over the Liberian border which may destabilise the situation, but there was no specific or dramatic development last week itself to trigger the deployment,» an army spokesman said. Rebels in Liberia have recently been making advances against government troops. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 25 February 2003)

* Somalia. Key issue is «survival» — The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says that the survival and protection of children and women will remain key issues in Somalia over the next five years. In a press statement, it says UNICEF will also continue to support basic health education and water services. «This is essential to ensuring that children grow up in a society where they will be able to reap the long-term benefits of development initiatives whose foundations are currently being laid. UNICEF-Somalia Representative Jesper Morch says the programme will continue to be guided by basic human rights principles, chief among which is that of non-discrimination. «UNICEF-Somalia’s goal is to build on progress achieved over the last few years to uplift the status of women and children. In this, UNICEF will continue to fulfil its mandate to enhance the survival needs of children and women, and at the same time will assist in preparing for a future in which civil conflict will no longer prevail.» (IRIN, Kenya, 20 February 2003)

* Somalie. Négociations en difficulté — L’Alliance de la Vallée de Jubba (JVA) s’est retirée de la conférence sur la réconciliation en Somalie, actuellement en cours à Nairobi, soulignant le manque de sincérité de certains membres de l’Autorité inter-gouvernementale pour le développement (IGAD) qui parraine les négociations. Le dirigeant de la JVA, le colonel Barre Hilale et son entourage ont quitté Nairobi ce week-end, pour rejoindre leur base de Kismayo au sud de la Somalie. Ce retrait est le second après celui d’une autre faction, le Congrès uni de Somalie, dirigé par Musa Yalahow. Selon le porte-parole de la JVA, certains membres de l’IGAD, en raison d’intérêts personnels, ne tiennent pas au retour de la paix en Somalie. Il a cité l’Ethiopie et Djibouti, et a averti que les négociations ne progresseraient pas tant que ces deux pays ne seraient pas considérés comme de simples observateurs. (PANA, Sénégal, 24 février 2003)

* Somalia. Talks in crisis — 25 February: The Transitional National Government (TNG) delegation from Mogadishu has decided not to participate in the second phase of the Somali peace talks which have opened in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. The delegation says it will however remain at the deliberations. It says that it was not consulted nor has their delegation been given adequate accommodation for the talks. The talks were moved earlier this month from the north-western town of Eldoret to the outskirts of Nairobi after mediators complained that delegates had run up huge hotel bills. The venue was then switched again when delegates complained about wild pigs running about at the proposed venue. Warlords allied to the TNG have protested in recent days over the influence wielded by Ethiopia which is one of the mediators. Many key warlords have already pulled out prompting speculation that the talks are near collapse. Of those who signed a ceasefire accord in October, fewer than half were present at today’s session. But Kenyan mediator Bethwell Kiplagat is remaining upbeat. «We are here to establish a united Somalia, a peaceful and prosperous nation through reconciliation,» he told the opening session of the conference. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 25 February 2003)

* South Africa. Pensioner freed after FBI bungle — 26 February: A British pensioner freed from a South African police cell after a case of mistaken identity has said he is glad his ordeal is over and now just wants to return home. Derek Bond, 72, was held at Durban police station under FBI orders for nearly three weeks after being arrested at gunpoint while on holiday with his wife. Today, the FBI concedes the Bristol grandfather and Rotarian is not the man they had been seeking, wanted fugitive and fraud suspect Derek Sykes. A man believed to be the real Derek Sykes, also known as Derek Bond, was arrested in Las Vegas on the previous evening and officials say it is a case of identity theft. Speaking after his release, Mr Bond says: «It’s an enormous relief to be freed and under such circumstances. It came right out of the blue and was against the way things seemed to be going. Though I protested my innocence from the beginning this seems to have had little impact on the FBI. I was really getting very despondent.» Earlier, today, John Lewis from the US Attorney’s office in Texas, says: «We got the wrong man, Mr Bond is owed an apology.» (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 26 February 2003)

* South Africa. Spending increased in budget — 26 February: South Africa has cut its growth forecast because of the threat of war on Iraq, but is still offering tax cuts and higher spending on health and crime-fighting in the budget for the coming year. Finance Minister Trevor Manuel unveiled the 334bn rand ($41.3bn) budget in Cape Town, today. He revised growth forecasts for 2003 to 3.3% from the 3.5% set in October, after the economy grew by a robust 3% in 2002. «Despite a bleak global environment our economy registered improved growth last year,» he said. «Our projections indicate that over the next three years we will continue to experience growth and see progress with employment creation,» he added. Mr Manuel announced a 13.3bn rand tax break for middle to low income earners, thanks to higher tax receipts last year, and lowered the tax on pensioners’ retirement funds from 25% to 18%. More than 3.3bn rand will be spent on AIDS prevention and care for the estimated 4.7 million South Africans — about 11% of the population — who are infected with HIV. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 26 February 2003)

* Sudan. Urgent humanitarian needs in Southern Blue Nile — Humanitarian agencies in Sudan have identified pressing humanitarian needs in the Southern Blue Nile region of southern Sudan, where thousands of people are threatened by a combination of insecurity, water and food shortages. The agencies, which operate under the «Operation Lifeline Sudan» (OLS) umbrella, said insecurity had displaced 30,000 people who now resided in camps. In a report released on 20 February, OLS said a recent UN assessment revealed that the displaced camps were insecure and the priority was to move the population to safer areas. The assessment also found high rates of malnutrition and acute water shortages in the camps.»The shortage of water became critical following lower than normal rainfall last year,» the report noted. (IRIN, Kenya, 21 February 2003)

* Swaziland. AIDS ravages Swazi society — BBC News has harrowing new evidence of the extent of the AIDS catastrophe in southern Africa. According to the United Nations, several countries could be near collapse. They all face one major obstacle: a shortage of affordable drug treatment. The AIDS epidemic is sweeping across large parts of the African continent. Around 30 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are now living with HIV. Two and a half million people lost their lives in 2001 and it’s getting worse. Swaziland is one of the countries most severely affected. Four in every 10 people are HIV positive and life A decade ago life expectancy was 61. Now it is just 37. Soon it will be 30. By the end of next year it is thought a third of all children will be without parents. A generation is going to its grave long before its time, leaving its children orphans and carrying the seeds of their own destruction. Over half of the patients in the country’s hospitals now have AIDS. They’re wasting away from the disease and dozens of other cruel infections they can’t resist. 50,000 have died already and the wave of deaths has barely begun. (BBC News, UK, 20 February 2003)

* Tanzania. Forgers beat Tanzania’s banks — Just weeks after the launch of Tanzania’s new bank notes, forgeries have started to appear, despite assurances the bills could not be copied. When the new shilling notes were introduced at the beginning of this month, the governor of the Tanzania Central Bank confidently announced they couldn’t be forged. The bank said even the most sophisticated new technology would be unable to copy the notes. But, with the ink barely dry on the new bills, fake banknotes are circulating in the country’s largest city, Dar-es-salaam. New shilling notes were launched at the beginning of February in a blitz of publicity. As part of an awareness campaign, the central bank ran a series of television programmes showing the bank notes going through the minting process. New intricate notes were needed to beat fraudsters. But apparently some criminals have caught on. Bank officials will not comment as to why they spent huge sums of money to change bank bills, only to be beaten so easily by fraudsters. The notes, made of stronger paper so as to withstand the heat and sweat longer, have replaced ragged old notes. Old notes can be exchanged at any bank before May. After that, anyone with old notes will have to go to the central bank to change them. This could be a long journey for some. A large amount of Tanzanian currency is circulating in neighbouring countries, especially Kenya, where it is easy to exchange it for local currency. Tanzania also has a large number of refugees from Central Africa who frequently cross borders, carrying their belongings and money with them. All those tempted to exchange old notes for new should take care, just in case the new crisp one is a fake. (BBC News, UK, 21 February 2003)

* Uganda. Guns and drought in Karamoja — There are two immediate signs that all is not well in Karamoja. The landscape is dry, dusty and cropless after a lack of rain last year. And all vehicles travel on the dirt roads at hair-raising speeds. I caught a ride in a Land Rover — but with an Italian priest behind the wheel it soon took on the characteristics of a Ferrari. In Karamoja speed is a major tactic to avoid being shot. These days the word «akoro» is heard everywhere — «akoro» means hunger. Near the town of Kabong in Kotido district a young Dodoth herder, Lotuk Longole, showed me the skull and bones of a young woman in her 20s. Dressed in a bright red sheet known as an asuka, he told me the woman had collapsed and died through hunger after returning from town in search of food. In much of Karamoja if someone dies outside the home they are simply left there — it is believed that by carrying the corpse home you are bringing further problems on the family. Kabong is built among giant rocky outcrops and, gathered under a tree near the market, 50 elderly women pleaded with the chair of the town council for assistance. They held out the food they have been forced to survive on; leaves, berries and the residue from the locally made sorghum beer. Even collecting the leaves is no easy task. (BBC News, UK, 18 February 2003)

* Uganda. Set for political change? — 21 February: President Yoweri Museveni has said he is in favour of returning the country to a multi-party political system, according to press reports. Since coming to power in 1986, President Museveni has refused to allow parties to operate, ruling through a non-party political system, known as the «Movement». But pressure has been growing both from within and outside the country for a return to multi-party politics, despite fears that this could reopen divisions along tribal and religious lines. A committee of the Movement was given responsibility for considering what political system Uganda should adopt in December last year. Ugandan newspapers say President Yoweri Museveni has been pushing it to recommend the opening up of multi-party politics. A senior Movement official, Dr Crispus Kiyonga, is quoted as saying President Museveni will address a meeting of the Movement before the end of February, to discuss the issue. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 21 February 2003)

* Zambia. Chiluba arrested — 21 February: Frederick Chiluba has been released after a day of interrogation by Zambian anti-corruption police. The former president was questioned in relation to alleged corruption during his time in office and may soon be arrested. He was given a warned and cautioned statement, which is the next step to being charged. Mr Chiluba was stripped of his immunity after being accused by his successor, President Levy Mwanawasa, of misusing millions of dollars of government money. Mr Chiluba, 59, denies all the allegations. He was summoned to Lusaka’s central police station just a day after the Supreme Court confirmed that his immunity could be lifted. A crowd of some 200 people gathered outside as news of his detention spread. «We suspect they may arrest him tomorrow (21 February,» said one of Mr Chiluba’s lawyers, Shifumu Banda. «Chiluba has been picked up for interrogation and we are going to lay charges against him once we complete this interrogation,» said Betty Mumba, a spokeswoman for the police Anti-Corruption Task Force. He was questioned in relation to allegations made by Mr Mwanawasa about a deal to buy $20m worth of weapons, which never arrived. 24 February: Zambia’s former President Frederick Chiluba has been arrested by police and is being formally charged. At the end of last week, the former leader was questioned in relation to alleged corruption during his time in office. Mr Chiluba was stripped of his immunity after being accused by his successor, President Levy Mwanawasa, of misusing millions of dollars of government money. Mr Chiluba, 59, denies all the allegations. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 24 February 2003)

* Zambie. Chiluba interpellé — 20 février. Accusé de corruption, l’ex-président zambien Fréderick Chiluba a été interrogé pendant environ huit heures par la police à Lusaka, en présence de deux de ses avocats. Il a pu ensuite renter chez lui. Le nouveau président, Levy Mwanawasa, l’accuse d’avoir pillé les ressources nationales pour plusieurs millions de dollars pendant ses dix ans de pouvoir (1991-2001). Chiluba avait été débouté, la veille, de sa plainte en appel devant la Cour suprême du pays, celle-ci ayant confirmé la levée de son immunité parlementaire. — Le 24 février, M. Chiluba a été à nouveau arrêté et inculpé “d’abus de pouvoir”. Il a été ensuite remis en liberté moyennant une caution de 300.000 euros. Une soixantaine de chefs d’inculpation lui ont été signifiés, dont certains sont également reprochés à son ancien chef des services de renseignement, en prison depuis six mois. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 25 février 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Officials abused farm policy — A member of President Robert Mugabe’s family, several high-ranking Zimbabwean officials and a senior company executive have grabbed farms and forcibly evicted peasants under a controversial land reform programme, according to a report ordered by the Zimbabwean president. The «land reform and resettlement programme national audit interim report», which was completed this month, was obtained by Africa Confidential, the London-based newsletter. The report, prepared by the office of Joseph Msika, the vice-president, names a close relative of Mr Mugabe’s, two cabinet ministers and a leading businessman — all close associates of Mr Mugabe — as breaking the «one man, one farm» principle on which the land reform process has been based. This principle prohibits any one individual owning more than one farm. The report also says that a senior military officer was allocated a farm «at the expense of 96 families» who had already settled on the land. Another minister had hired thugs to drive off youths who had been allocated a farm as part of an agricultural skills training programme, the report says. Their farms are also much larger than stipulated under the policy, which was designed to break up white-owned commercial farms into smaller holdings. Some of those accused of irregularities told Africa Confidential the allegations are false and politically motivated by rivals within the ruling party. Attempts by the Financial Times to contact those named were unsuccessful. In December, Mr Mugabe announced he would act on the findings of the report, which he commissioned six months ago after grassroots protests at the way in which land policy was being managed. The report concludes: «It is very important to take urgent corrective measures particularly where the leadership is the perpetrator of anomalies as the general public is restive where such cases exist and a multitude of people are still on the waiting list.» (Financial Times, UK, 21 February 2003)

* Zimbabwe/France. Plainte contre Mugabe classée — Le jeudi 20 février, le parquet de Paris a classé sans suite une plainte pour “torture” déposée le mercredi par des défenseurs des droits de l’homme conte le président Mugabe. La plainte n’a pas été examinée sur le fond, le procureur ayant seulement invoqué le principe selon lequel tout chef d’Etat en exercice bénéficie d’une immunité. Robert Mugabe a participé jeudi et vendredi au 22e sommet franco-africain. La plainte avait été déposée par le militant britannique des droits de l’homme Peter Tatcheil et deux victimes présumées de la torture par des hommes du régime Mugabe. (AP, 21 février 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Opposition despair — 21 February: Zimbabweans are today a people paralysed by fear of their own regime. In the cities people are scared of openly criticising President Robert Mugabe, because it might mean instant arrest. In the rural areas they stay silent and do whatever it takes to access the food they need to keep their families alive. Three years of overt violence, suppression of dissent, and the arrest and torture of opposition political supporters under draconian security legislation has left the president’s Zanu- -PF party in a stronger position, claims political analyst and chairman of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Committee, Brian Raftopolous. He believes that Zimbabwe’s worsening economic crisis is not sufficient to spur a popular uprising. «I think people are angry. But they’re also despondent, they’re scared. For an action to come, there’d have to be a lot more organisation on the part of civic groups. Given the increased impoverishment, there’s been a disempowerment of most people,» he said. 24 February: The Anglican Bishop of Manicaland Diocese, Dr. Sebastian Bakare, has expressed sadness over repressive laws, such as the draconian Public Order and Security Act that is hindering communities from gathering together and discussing development issues. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 24 February 2003)

* Zimbabwe. UN blames Mugabe for crisis — The United Nations Food Agency has said that the Zimbabwe Government is largely responsible for the humanitarian crisis there. The Zimbabwe crisis was «almost beyond comprehension» and could easily have been avoided, said James Morris, head of the World Food Programme (WFP). He pointed to President Mugabe’s land distribution programme, which has left thousands of normally productive farms lying idle. My Morris says he has had six meeting with the President in the past six months, but has failed to persuade him to alter his economic policies or remove bureaucratic obstacles to food production or aid distribution. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 26 February 2003)