* Centrafrique. Décès de David Dacko — L’ancien président de la République centrafricaine, David Dacko, est décédé le 20 novembre dans la capitale camerounaise, Yaoundé, où il était hospitalisé, a rapporté la radio d’Etat centrafricaine. Le président Dacko, 73 ans, s’était rendu au Cameroun à la suite de problèmes de santé; il était asthmatique. Le gouvernement n’a pas annoncé de funérailles ni de période de deuil. Dacko fut président de la République de 1959 à 1965 et de 1979 à 1981. En 1965, il fut renversé par Jean Bedel Bokassa, qui s’est proclamé président à vie, puis empereur. Sous le régime de Bokassa, Dacko avait été emprisonné pendant plusiers années. Au mois d’octobre dernier, dans son discours devant les délégués siégeant à la conférence nationale pour la réconciliation, M. Dacko avait dit souffrir d’asthme depuis ses années passées en prison où il dormait nu sur le sol. (IRIN, Bangui, 21 novembre 2003)

* Central African Rep. First President dies — 21 November: The man who led the Central African Republic to independence from France has died at a hospital in Cameroon. Seventy-six year old David Dacko suffered from chronic asthma and heart disease and had been taken to a Yaounde hospital last month. He was a key figure at last month’s national reconciliation talks aimed at ending the military and political crisis in the country. His death was announced by state-run Radio Centrafrique, this morning. The country’s former prime minister Jean-Paul Ngoupande hailed Dacko as «the father of democratic renewal. President Dacko re-established a multi-party system and organised free and transparent elections in 1981 having had the weighty responsibility of leading CAR to independence,» Mr Ngoupande said. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 21 November 2003)

* Congo-Brazza. 18 morts par l’Ebola — Selon un nouveau bilan, le virus Ebola a tué 18 personnes dans le nord-ouest du Congo, où cette maladie a déjà fait 120 morts cette année, rapporte la télévision d’Etat. 164 personnes ont été contaminées dans la région de Mbono (700 km au nord-ouest de la capitale), proche de la frontière avec le Gabon. Des équipes du ministère de la Santé, de l’OMS et de MSF sont sur place pour tenter d’enrayer la propagation du virus. Les chercheurs estiment que la présente épidémie d’Ebola, signalée ce mois-ci, a été causée par la consommation d’un singe contaminé. (Reuters, 25 novembre 2003)

* Congo (RDC). Key unpublished section of UN report — The BBC has obtained a key unpublished part of the latest United Nations report on the exploitation of Congolese resources, which had been intended for Security Council eyes only. In the covering letter, the chairman of the panel that wrote the report, Ambassador Mahmoud Kassem, says it «contains highly sensitive information» on those involved in plunder, and their role in «perpetuating the conflict». But speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Crossing Continents programme, he said the facts needed to be kept under wraps in an effort to protect the fragile peace process which depends on those named. He told the programme: «It could be used or misused.» However, Anneke Van Woudenberg of Human Rights Watch said: «It means the peace process will fail. There is no peace process in the world that has worked without dealing with the underlying problems. Exploitation is one of the things driving the war. We must not ignore it.» The report, for example, cites documents suggesting «a shift to a more centralized, state-sponsored policy» of militia funding and exploitation in Uganda. It also claims that the FAPC militia — which controls a resource-rich area of north-east Congo, on the border with Uganda — has remained a proxy militia for Uganda since Uganda pulled its forces out of Congo earlier this year. The FAPC leader is Jerome Kakwavu, who the UN panel claim is exploiting the gold reserves in his area and sharing them with Ugandan officers in exchange for arms. (...) (BBC News, UK, 20 November 2003)

* Congo (RDC). Démobilisation - Retour de réfugiés — Le 22 novembre, quelque 700 ex-combattants Maï-Maï ont été démobilisés à Kindu (est du pays) lors d’une opération conjointe de l’armée congolaise et de la Monuc (Mission de l’Onu). Sur un total de 2.000 ex-Maï-Maï rassemblés à Kindu, un tiers a opté pour la vie civile et ont remis leurs armes au commandement de la 7e région militaire. Deux tiers par contre ont souhaité intégrer la future armée nationale. Ils ont été conduits par la Monuc au camp de Lwama, où on devait établir la liste des enfants-soldats et des personnes ayant dépassé l’âge de servir dans l’armée. De nombreuses unités de Maï-Maï sont toujours cantonnées dans leurs localités respectives en attendant leur identification, indique la Monuc. — D’autre part, le représentant du HCR, David Kapia, vient d’informer le ministre congolais de l’Intérieur du prochain retour volontaire de 145.000 réfugiés congolais vivant en Tanzanie. L’opération pourra commencer après la saison des pluies, a-t-il indiqué. Par ailleurs, une réunion se tiendra cette semaine à Kinshasa pour mettre en marche le rapatriement volontaire de tous les Congolais réfugiés dans les pays voisins (Zambie, Tanzanie, Angola, Burundi, Soudan, Centrafrique et Congo-Brazzaville). (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 24 novembre 2003)

* Congo (RDC). Mobutu’s son returns to Congo — The eldest surviving son of former Congolese dictator Mobutu Sese Seko returned from exile on 23 November and a spokesman said his party would run in elections due in two years’ time. Manda, 43, who has lived in France, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa, is the second of Mobutu’s official sons to have returned since a peace deal was signed in April to end five years of war in Africa’s third-largest country. He fled Congo a few months before his late father was ousted in 1997 by rebels led by Laurent Kabila. About 200 supporters cheered Manda, who returned with sister Yanga, outside the airport in the capital Kinshasa. «We are putting ourselves up for elections in two years’ time,» Manda’s spokesman Francois Nzekuye told reporters. He did not say whether Manda, who created his party Rally while in exile in Paris, would himself run for president. The return of Mobutu’s family members as well as some politicians from his era has been encouraged by President Joseph Kabila, who came to power when his father Laurent was murdered in 2001. Kabila signed a peace deal with foreign-backed rebels this year that envisages multi-party elections by the end of 2005, Congo’s first democratic polls in four decades. Manda’s half-brother Nzanga, 33, returned in August, also hoping to gain a foothold in the post-war political scene. Mobutu, known as «The Leopard,» had 10 children — three of whom have died — from his two known wives and a number of unofficial offspring. (CNN, USA, 24 November 2003)

* Congo (RDC). Retour du fils aîné de Mobutu — Le fils aîné du maréchal Mobutu, Manda Mobutu, a regagné Kinshasa le dimanche 23 novembre, venant de Paris, après un exil de six ans au Maroc, en Côte d’Ivoire et en France. Le retour s’est fait dans une certaine discrétion. Il a été accueilli par un de ses frères, Nzanga Mobutu, à la tête d’une délégation d’anciens collaborateurs, d’ex-membres des services de sécurité de son père et des membres de son parti, le Rassemblement national populaire (RNP). Pour l’instant, Manda n’a fait aucune déclaration concernant une possible activité politique, bien que certains membres de son entourage aient fait savoir qu’il pourait se présenter aux élections de 2005 avec son parti. Lors de récentes interviews, Manda Mobutu avait annoncé son intention de faire rapatrier la dépouille de son père, mort en exil au Maroc. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 24 novembre 2003)

* Congo (RDC). Child soldiers disarmed in east — More than 400 child soldiers were disarmed in the anarchic east of Congo in the first large-scale demobilization of former Congolese rebels, the United Nations said on 24 November. UN officials said 850 tribal Mai Mai fighters, including 418 children, were demobilized on 22 November in the eastern town of Kindu in a joint exercise by the UN mission and the newly installed Congolese army high command. «We expect and hope a large number of other combatants will come in to demobilise,» Eliane Nabaa, a UN spokeswoman in Kindu, told Reuters by telephone. (CNN, USA, 25 November 2003)

* Congo (RDC). Naufrage: “nombreux disparus” — Le mardi soir 25 novembre, deux ferries surchargés transportant des commerçants sont entrés en collision sur le fleuve Congo, faisant “de nombreux disparus”, ont annoncé les autorités du Congo-Kinshasa le mercredi. L’accident a eu lieu près d’Inongo (450 km au nord de Kinshasa). Le bilan des victimes est incertain. L’agence AP cite un commerçant d’Inongo contacté par téléphone, qui affirme que “près de 150 corps ont déjà été enterrés”, mais il y aurait au moins 56 autres cadavres. Selon l’agence AFP, le gouverneur de la province a annoncé le jeudi matin que “jusqu’ici, 103 corps ont été repêchés, dont 12 enfants et 91 adultes”. Il parle du naufrage d’une baleinière, dû au mauvais temps, survenu sur le lac Maindombe, dans le Bandundu. Quelque 400 passagers auraient pris place sur l’embarcation. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 27 novembre 2003)

* Congo (RDC)/Zambia. Ferry tragedies — Congo (RDC): On 27 November, news emerged that more than 100 people are feared dead after a boat accident on Lake Mayi Ndombe, about 400 kms north-east of Kinshasa. Several hundred people are missing. Conflicting reports say that either the boat capsized in a storm or two ferries collided. — Zambia: On 25 November, it was reported that a boat has capsized after being hit by high winds on Lake Mweru. The accident happened on 24 November. To-date, more than 20 bodies have already been recovered and eleven survivors have been found, Reports say that the wooden boat was overloaded with fishermen and traders. News of the accident has only just reached Lusaka. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 27 November 2003)

* Côte d’Ivoire. No breakthrough in Accra talks — Two days of top-level consultations in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, appear to have failed to find any consensus amongst the main opposing forces in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire. Cote d’Ivoire’s Prime Minister, Seydou Diarra, and the leader of the rebel forces, now known as the «New Forces», Guillaume Soro, arrived in Accra on 18 November as guests of Ghanaian President John Kufuor, who is also chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas). A Ghanaian government statement said the talks were aimed at «breaking the current impasse in the Ivorian peace process and creating the appropriate conditions for the return of the Ministers of the New Forces into the government of National Reconciliation». The consultations finished on 20 November with a brief statement from President Kufuor’s office which simply «expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the consultations» and «thanked Diarra and Soro for their commitment and determination to work to advance the peace process in Côte d’Ivoire». (IRIN, Kenya, 20 November 2003)

* Côte d’Ivoire. UN to hold talks — 24 November: The United Nations Security Council is to hold talks today, on Côte d’Ivoire, as part of increasingly intense diplomatic efforts to prevent a breakdown of the peace process between the governments and rebel groups. President Laurent Gbagbo is due to visit leaders in neighbouring West African countries this week amid deepening international concern that the crisis could further destabilise the troubled surrounding region. Côte d’Ivoire’s nine-month civil war was officially declared over in July but since then both sides have accused each other of bad faith and the rebels have withdrawn from a government of national unity set up under a French-brokered peace agreement. The Security Council talks come after a UN committee set up to monitor implementation of the agreement urged rebels last week to rejoin the government, adding to similar recent appeals from west African leaders and Romano Prodi, European Commission president. The UN has given its mandate to a 5,000-strong peacekeeping force from France and west African countries, but rebels and the government disagree over whether the UN should send its own force. (Financial Times, UK, 24 November 2003)

* Côte d’Ivoire. Appels internationaux — Le vendredi soir 21 novembre, le ministre français des Affaires étrangères, Dominique de Villepin, est arrivé à Libreville (Gabon), où il a eu une rencontre avec le président ivoirien Laurent Gbagbo, lors d’un strict tête-à-tête. L’entretien qui a duré deux heures, s’est déroulé de façon positive, a-t-on fait savoir, mais les autorités françaises gardaient un silence prudent sur les suites. Ces discussions, les premières entre le chef de la diplomatie française et le chef d’Etat ivoirien depuis la signature des accords de Marcoussis en janvier, devaient porter sur les façons de débloquer le processus de réconciliation au point mort en Côte d’Ivoire. Selon le président gabonais Omar Bongo, hôte de la rencontre, M. Gbagbo “regagne son pays pour s’adresser à son peuple”, sans indiquer l’échéance de cette adresse à la nation. Le président ivoirien est attendu, en début de semaine, au Burkina Faso et au Mali, deux pays directement concernés par le conflit en Côte d’Ivoire. — 24 novembre. Une délégation de la CEDEAO a appelé les Nations unies à assumer le travail de maintien de la paix en Côte d’Ivoire pour éviter une nouvelle montée des tensions. Il s’agit de la première demande officielle de la CEDEAO auprès du Conseil de sécurité. Actuellement, 1.200 soldats ouest-africains assurent le maintien de la paix en Côte d’Ivoire; la CEDEAO souhaite qu’ils soient remplacés par des Casques bleus. Le leader des Forces nouvelles (ex-rébellion), Guillaume Soro, a également souhaité que la crise ivoirienne soit internationalisée pour relancer le processus de paix. Pour sa part, le secrétaire général des Nations unies, Kofi Annan, a estimé que la Côte d’Ivoire risquait de replonger dans la guerre civile si le gouvernement et les rebelles ne résolvaient pas rapidement la crise du gouvernement d’unité nationale. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 25 novembre 2003)

* Egypt. Egypt accused of torture — 20 November: Torture in Egyptian detention centres remains widespread and systematic, according to a report by Amnesty International. The report claims there were at least seven cases in which detainees were allegedly tortured to death last year. It says refugees and people held by the security services because of their sexual orientation are most at risk. Torture can include electric shocks and beatings, as well as suspending detainees by the wrists or ankles. «Torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment continue to be practised systematically in detention centres,» a statement by Amnesty International said. The human rights organisation says it has appealed to the Egyptian authorities for years to end torture, and urged them to take immediate and decisive steps to prevent further ill-treatment. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 20 November 2003)

* Egypt. Arsenal FC sets up shop in Cairo — Think of Arsenal FC‘s links with Africa, and the names Kanu and Koulo Toure spring to mind. The club’s links with Egypt, however, are a little less obvious. There is of course reserve goal keeper Rami Shaban, but there is another link between the London U.K. club and the land of the Pharaohs: a soccer school in Cairo. The Wadi Degla Club on the outskirts of Cairo is like a small oasis with desert on one side and a sprawling mass of half finished buildings on the other. As well as the soccer school, the club has swimming pools, tennis courts, a horse riding arena, squash courts and a gym. And more recently, links have been established with the British Horse Association as well as other international sporting bodies. The soccer school has had links with the English premiership club, Arsenal, for the last six months. Arsenal’s business development manager, Paul Shipwright, explains: «We provide the coaching syllabus for the school by helping to train the existing coaches at the Wadi Degla club. Our coaches come over to Egypt every six to eight weeks and spend four or five days with the trainers who then pass on the lessons they have learnt to the children at the club». In return, Arsenal are paid a royalty fee from the money raised from those attending the school. Paul Shipwright is keen to point out that the club is not just interested in the money-making side of such a venture or limiting the school to a privileged few. He says: «This link to Wadi Degla is the first commercial one we have done in Africa. But we have got community-based projects in Soweto, South Africa, and in Nigeria where we provide similar support but completely free of charge. Part of our agreement with the Wadi Degla club is that a community project will be set up so that less fortunate children will be able to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of Arsenal». (BBC News, UK, 24 November 2003)

* Egypt. Film pioneer dies — 25 November: Egyptian film pioneer and actress Mary Queeny dies at the age of 90 in Cairo. Born in Lebanon, she went to Cairo in 1933 with her film producer aunt, taking Egyptian citizenship. She acted in or produced more thn 45 films and her production company, set up in 1944, established Egypt as the centre of the Arab film industry. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 25 November 2003)

* Egypt. Anxiety over Mubarak’s health — 21 November: President Mubarak has cancelled an important public appearance on grounds of «severe flu and fever». The cancellation came a day after Hosni Mubarak, 75, stopped in the middle of a keynote televised address and walked out for 40 minutes. State TV said that Mr Mubarak, who is the West’s key ally in the Arab world, had «suffered a health crisis». State media were later reporting that the leader was in «good» health before news of the cancellation emerged. Mr Mubarak had been due to attend the annual Muslim celebration Lailat al-Qadr on 20 November. During the ceremony, the president traditionally awards prizes to people who have shown excellence in reciting the Koran. However, a parliamentary official announced that Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Ebeid would stand in for the president after doctors advised Mr Mubarak to rest. 25 November: President Mubarak makes his first public appearance since his illness. State television showed him praying ina mosque in the Red Sea resport of Sharm-el-Sheikh. His return to the public eye comes at a ceremony to mark the Muslim fest of Eid al-Fitr. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 25 November 2003)

* Egypte. L’après-Moubarak? — Le malaise du président Hosni Moubarak, la semaine dernière, a relancé les rumeurs sur sa succession, pas encore réglée. Contrairement à ses prédécesseurs, M. Moubarak (75 ans) s’est toujours refusé à nommer un vice-président, tremplin idéal pour un successeur. Depuis deux ans, tout en s’en défendant, il a cependant encouragé la mise sur orbite politique de son fils cadet, Gamal, un banquier quadragénaire, qui a connu une ascension fulgurante au sein du Parti national démocrate dont il dirige le comité chargé des réformes. Mais les Egyptiens affirment refuser un scénario de “république héréditaire”. Au sein de l’armée qui reste la garante du pouvoir en Egypte, un nom sort du lot: celui d’Omar Suleiman (64 ans), omnipotent chef des redoutés Moukhabarat, les services de renseignement. Mais Moubarak en fera-t-il son dauphin désigné? Le raïs affirme être en pleine forme, et semble loin de vouloir passer la main. (D’après Libération, France, 27 novembre 2003)

* Eritrea. Ambassador recalled from the AU — 20 November: Eritrea has recalled its ambassador from the African Union. In a strong worded statement it accused the organisation of abdicating its responsibilities and remaining deafeningly silent over the border dispute with Ethiopia. As one of the guarantors of the Algiers Peace Agreement — Eritrea says they expected the AU to take stronger measures against Ethiopia. Two months ago Ethiopia rejected the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission’s decision that Badme was Eritrean. Since then there has been no progress in persuading Addis Ababa to accept the decision and start the border demarcation. Patience with the international community in Asmara is now running thin. A short statement from Eritrea’s Foreign Ministry accused Ethiopia of being in serious breach of the Algiers Agreement and also violating the AU‘s principle of the sanctity of colonial boundaries. «Despite these gross violations,» the statement reads, «the African Union remains deafeningly silent». (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 20 November 2003)

* Eritrea. UN assesses security — 24 November: The UN has launched a security assessment of its operations in the far west of Eritrea after two bombs exploded destroying aid trucks. No organisation has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks —though previous attacks in the area have been blamed on a Jihad terrorist group. The bombs went off on 21 November evening underneath two trucks carrying World Food Programme aid. Five minutes after the drivers left their vehicles, devices detonated under each vehicle. Both were extensively damaged and a large amount of the food destroyed. (BBC News, UK, 24 November 2003)

* Gabon. Jeunes volontaires japonais — Le Gabon s’apprête à accueillir, pour la première fois, un contingent de jeunes coopérants en provenance du Japon, dans le cadre du renforcement des relations entre les deux pays, a-t-on appris le 20 novembre à Libreville de source officielle. Un document a été paraphé permettant au Gabon de bénéficier des compétences techniques de volontaires regroupés au sein de la Japanese Overseas Volonteers Cooperation. Le programme, assez vaste, couvre les domaines de l’agriculture, de la santé publique, de la foresterie et de la pêche, mais aussi de la maintenance, du sport, etc. (PANA, Sénégal, 20 novembre 2003)