ANB-BIA - Av. Charles Woeste 184 - 1090 Bruxelles - Belg TEL **.32.2/4203436 fax /4200549 E-Mail: anb-bia@village.uunet.be _____________________________________________________________ WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 17-02-2000 - PART #3/3 (Mali -> Zimbabwe) ====> (From Africa to Congo-RDC see 17a_02_2k) ====> (From Congo-RDC to Malawi see 17b_02_2k)) * Mali. PM resigns - 14 February: The Prime Minister, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, has resigned. Mali radio said President Alpha Oumar Konare accepted the resignation and paid tribute to Mr Keita's six- year term of office. Mr Keita was considered to be a possible successor to President Konare when his tenure expires in 2002. The Malian media has been calling for Mr Keita's resignation for several months on the grounds that he hadn't done enough to revitalise the economy. 15 February: The new Prime Minister is Mande Sidibe, a former official with the IMF. (BBC News, 14-15 February 2000) * Mali. Demission du Premier ministre - Le 14 fevrier, le Premier ministre malien Ibrahim Boubacar Keita et les parlementaires allies au gouvernement ont demissionne de leur fonction, a la suite d'appels lances en ce sens en raison des problemes economiques que connait le pays. Le president Konare a accepte les demissions, selon la radio d'Etat, et a remercie M. Keita pour ses six annees passees a la tete du gouvernement. Aucun autre detail n'a ete donne. Des medias avaient appele au depart du Premier ministre, accusant son gouvernement d'etre responsable de la mauvaise sante de l'economie nationale. - Le 15 fevrier, le president a nomme Mande Sidibe, economiste de formation age de 60 ans, au poste de Premier ministre. (AP, 15-16 fevrier 2000) * Maroc. Nouveau parti de gauche - Le Mouvement des democrates independants (MDI), nouveau parti de gauche au Maroc, qui tiendra son assemblee constitutive le 12 fevrier, lance un appel pour l'etablissement d'une veritable democratie parlementaire et le respect de l'Etat de droit. Ilyas El Omari, membre de la commission nationale du MDI, a souligne que le Maroc a besoin d'une separation effective des pouvoirs et d'instaurer une veritable democratie parlementaire dans l'avenir. Le parti MDI a invite quelque 400 congressistes representant toutes les regions du royaume, y compris le Sahara occidental. Le Maroc compte une douzaine de partis legalises, dont la moitie appartient au "mouvement national" (centre gauche) qui participa a la lutte pour l'independance du pays en 1956 et un parti islamiste modere. (Reuters, 11 fevrier 2000) * Maroc. L'avocat d'Adib se retire - Abderrahim Jamai, l'avocat du capitaine Adib, poursuivi pour avoir parle a la presse etrangere et denonce la corruption dans l'armee marocaine, s'est retire, le 14 fevrier, de l'audience, considerant que le tribunal militaire de Rabat avait "refuse de lui donner les moyens" de defendre son client. L'avocat avait depose, a huit clos, quatre demandes aupres du tribunal qui ont toutes ete rejetees. Le proces devait reprendre le lendemain. (Liberation, France, 15 fevrier 2000) * Mauritanie. Reduction de la dette - Le 10 fevrier, le FMI et la Banque mondiale ont annonce une reduction de la dette mauritanienne de 662 millions de dollars. La Mauritanie est le troisieme pays, apres la Bolivie et l'Ouganda, a beneficier d'une reduction massive de sa dette dans le cadre du programme de l'initiative renforcee d'allegement de la dette (HIPC). (Le Monde, France, 12 fevrier 2000) * Namibia/Angola. Worsening border situation - 14 February: Namibian President Sam Nujoma arrived in Angola on 14 February for talks with Angola's President Dos Santos, expected to focus on the worsening security situation along their countries borders. Namibia's northern border with Angola has become a war zone since December, when Nujoma allowed Angolan government troops to use Namibian bases to attack Angolan UNITA rebels. Since then, UNITA has staged cross-border raids and planted land mines inside Namibia, while Namibian troops have chased suspected rebel fighters across the frontier. The USA has advised volunteers working in northern Namibia to withdraw because of tension along the Angolan border. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 15 February 2000) * Nigeria. Premier jugement selon la sharia - Le 12 fevrier, dans l'Etat de Zamfara au nord du Nigeria, quelque 500 personnes ont assiste a la premiere peine prononcee selon la loi islamique. Bashiru Sule a ete condamne a 80 coups de baton pour avoir bu de l'alcool en public. Zamfara a ete le premier Etat nigerian a introduire la sharia, le 27 janvier dernier; plusieurs autres Etats du nord se proposent de suivre son exemple. Les autorites de Zamfara ont declare que la sharia ne serait pas applicable aux chretiens. (D'apres De Standaard, Belgique, 14 fevrier 2000) * Nigeria. Sell-off plans - Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria's Vice- President, will unveil a blueprint of his government's privatisation plans as part of a week-long foreign investment drive in the UK and US starting in London today. It contains the 10- month-old administration's first commitment to a detailed timetable for selling off equity in 74 state-owned companies scheduled for part or total privatisation. Core investors would be selected for the power and communications utilities by March and November respectively next year, before public offers in June 2002 for NITEL, the telecoms company, and February 2003 for NEPA, the power authority. (Financial Times, UK, 14 February 2000) * Rwanda. Reprise de la cooperation avec le TPIR - La cooperation entre le Tribunal penal international pour le Rwanda (TPIR) et les autorites rwandaises va reprendre apres plus de trois mois de suspension, a annonce le vice-president rwandais, le general Paul Kagame, le 10 fevrier a Kigali. Le Rwanda avait suspendu sa collaboration avec le TPIR en novembre dernier, lorsque la chambre d'appel du tribunal avait ordonne, pour vice de procedure, la remise en liberte immediate de J.B. Barayagwiza, considere comme un des principaux organisateurs du genocide. Le nouveau procureur, Mme Carla Del Ponte, a deploye d'importants efforts pour remedier a cette situation. (La Libre Belgique, 11 fevrier 2000) * Rwanda. La chambre d'appel du TPIR a Arusha - Du 14 au 22 fevrier, la chambre d'appel du Tribunal penal international pour le Rwanda, normalement basee a La Haye (Pays-Bas), siegera a Arusha (Tanzanie) pour tenir un certain nombre d'audiences decisives. Son programme comprend notamment la demande de revision du cas J.B. Barayagwiza, et les appels interjetes par Omar Serushago, ancien leader milicien condamne a quinze ans, et par Laurent Semanza, ancien maire de Bicumbi qui declare son arrestation et sa detention illegales. (D'apres l'agence Hirondelle, Arusha, 13 fevrier 2000) * Rwanda. The International Tribunal - 10 February: Rwanda is reported to be prepared to resume cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) which is trying suspects from the 1994 genocide. Rwandan Vice-President and Defence Minister Paul Kagame made the announcement today. "There were some difficulties a couple of months back, but I think these can and have been overcome. 15 February: Two former Rwandan military officers have been arrested, the ICTR says. In a statement, the tribunal says that Francois-Xavier Nzuwonemeye was arrested in France and Innocent Sagahutu in Denmark.The ICTR says the two will be transferred to Arusha "as soon as the practical details of their transfer can be arranged". (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 16 February 2000) * Senegal. Leadup to presidential election - 10 February: The government and a coalition of 20 opposition parties have resolved a potentially explosive issue over a new voters' register produced in Israel, which, they said, is meant to facilitate victory for the ruling Socialist Party. Officials in Dakar said the government and the 20-party Front for Regular and Transparent Elections began discussions on 10 February on how to defuse the tension ahead of the 27 February presidential election in which eight candidates, including incumbent President Abdou Diouf, are contesting. 15 February: At least 10 people have been injured during clashes, prompting fears of further violence in the run-up to the presidential election. Gunfire breaks out in the northern town of St. Louis after President Diouf and his main rival, Abdoulaye Wade, arrive in the town almost simultaneously. Mr Wade's car was pelted with stones -- but Mr Wade's supporters soon launched a counter- offensive. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 17 February 2000) * Sierra Leone. Nouvelle liberation d'enfants - Le 9 fevrier, la Mission des Nations unies en Sierra Leone a negocie avec succes la liberation d'un nouveau groupe d'enfants detenus dans une region tenue par les rebelles. 11 garcons et 4 filles, dont certains n'avaient pas huit ans mais qui semblaient tous en bonne sante, ont ete liberes d'un site dans les Monts Occra, a quelque 110 km au nord-est de Freetown. Ils etaient tous retenus depuis plus d'un an. (IRIN, Abidjan, 11 fevrier 2000) * Sierra Leone. Sabotage of peace "foiled" - 13 February: The authorities in Sierra Leone say they've foiled an attempt by renegade members of one of the country's armed factions to undermine the peace process. A statement carried on state radio said a number of arrests have been made and an intensive manhunt launched for other suspected conspirators from the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council -- the former junta which ruled the country for eight months. At least 4 people are being held in prison in Freetown for questioning by the West African Intervention Force (ECOMOG). They're accused of plotting against Mr Koroma, because of his support for the disarmament process, and of smuggling arms into the capital. 15 February: The UN Special Representative to Sierra Leone, Oluyemi Adeniji, says he has threatened to use force against rebels who undermine the peace process. Mr Adeniji says he has held talks with former rebel leader, Foday Sankoh, about interference by his followers with the work of the UN peacekeeping force. (BBC News, 13-15 February 2000) * Afrique du Sud. Nouvelles propositions de l'UE - Les ministres des Affaires etrangeres des Quinze sont parvenus a un accord sur les denominations des spiritueux produits en Afrique du Sud qui, s'il est accepte par Pretoria, permettra l'entree en vigueur d'un accord de libre-echange avec l'Union europeenne. Tous les problemes ont ete regles, y compris ceux du porto et du sherry produits en Afrique du Sud, qui disposera de delais variables pour abandonner ces denominations, mais il reste a trouver une solution pour la grappa italienne et l'ouzo grecque. Les Quinze ont accepte que les producteurs sud-africains puissent utiliser ces denominations pendant cinq ans encore, le temps de trouver un arrangement entre les deux parties. Les negociateurs europeens vont se rendre en Afrique du Sud pour presenter ces propositions. (Reuters, 14 fevrier 2000) * South Africa. Racism and human rights - 14 February: The editors of two South African newspapers have been called before the country's independent Human Rights Commission to answer allegations of racism. The Sunday Times and the Mail and Guardian were singled out, following a survey by the Human Rights Commission last year, which alleged that the South African media in general exhibited widespread racism. President Mbeki said recently that he believed racism still marred the lives of millions of black South Africans, six years after the end of white minority rule. The American civil rights leader, the Rev. Jessie Jackson, who is in South Africa together with 21 American business leaders, says: "The struggle to achieve economic justice must be fought with the same gusto as the battle against apartheid and segregation. The basic infrastructure of apartheid remains today. Look at who owns the land and the mines and the hospitals -- who controls trade and commerce. We must not celebrate until we get to the end zone". 15 February: Three more newspaper editors have been summoned to testify before the Human Rights Commission. They are the editors of the Cape Argus, the Cape Times and the Die Burger. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 16 February 2000) * South Africa. Agreement with EU - On 16 February, South Africa agreed to a compromise with the European Union on the labelling of spirits, thereby putting the long-delayed bilateral free trade agreement back on track. South Africa has formally agreed to phase out names of spirits like "grappa" and "ouzo" within five years. (Financial Times, UK, 17 February 2000) * Sudan. Rebels free hostages - 10 February: Four UN workers kidnapped by rebels in southern Sudan a week ago have been released. A UN spokeswoman said the men were exhausted but well, and were being examined by doctors. They were freed in Fanjak, about 750km south of Khartoum, where they had been held captive since pro-government militia hijacked their aircraft on 3 February. According to the UN, the aircraft remains in Fanjak with mechanical problems. (BBC News, 11 February 2000) * Sudan Atrocity caught on film - 12 February: The BBC has obtained exclusive footage of a new atrocity in the civil war in Sudan. In the latest incident, 14 children were killed when government air force planes attacked a school in the rebel-held part of the remote Nuba mountains. A Sudanese student, using a battered camera with a broken microphone, captured the scene immediately after the bombing. One bomb fell close to a tree where a class was having an English lesson. Many of the pupils died along with the teacher. The cameraman, Stephen Amin, said all he could hear were screams. Three bombs are said to have fallen within the school compound and, afterwards, people had to flee because the aircraft apparently came back, perhaps to take a look. (BBC News, 12 February 2000) * Soudan. Ferme le siege d'une organisation integriste - La Conference islamique, une organisation integriste internationale, cherche un nouveau pays d'accueil, apres la decision du gouvernement soudanais de fermer son siege a Khartoum, a affirme son secretaire general adjoint, Ibrahim al-Sanoussi. L'organisation devra evacuer le batiment qu'elle occupe et perdra les facilites dont elle beneficiait, comme les exemptions fiscales et le droit d'accueillir des personnalites ou responsables etrangers. Creee en 1991 par le Front national islamique, deux ans apres le coup d'Etat du president Omar el-Bechir, la Conference islamique regroupe des organisations integristes du monde entier. (La Libre Belgique, 14 fevrier 2000) * Tanzania. Constitutional Review Process - 7 February: Parliament has introduced a new system under which civil society and other interested stakeholders can participate in the country's lawmaking process through public hearings. The Speaker of the National Assembly says that key legal experts and other civil society leaders have been invited as "witnesses" before the parliamentary Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee. The Clerk to the National Assembly says that the views of the "witnesses" will be crucial in rasing the awareness and understanding of the various legal provisions of the proposed Bill among Members of Parliament. 11 February: Opposition parties in Tanzania say they are planning legal action to try to overturn changes to the country's Constitution which were passed by the National Assembly on 11 February. The leader of the opposition, Fatma Maghimbi, said that they particularly objected to a clause allowing a presidential candidate to win by simple majority rather than over 50%, and to another clause allowing the President to appoint 10 members of parliament. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 12 February 2000) * Tchad. La guerre du Tibesti dans l'impasse - La guerre de communiques entre l'armee tchadienne et les rebelles du Tibesti (Nord) apparait plus que jamais dans l'impasse, apres l'echec, mardi 15 fevrier, d'une tentative de negociation du president Idriss Deby et un nouvel accrochage survenu lundi. Mardi matin, le president tchadien a invite Youssouf Togoimi, chef du Mouvement pour la democratie et la justice au Tchad (MDJT -opposition armee) a venir a N'Djamena "creer son propre parti politique". Le MDJT, qui harcele depuis octobre 1998 les forces gouvernementales dans la region montagneuse et quasi-desertique du Tibesti, a la frontiere libyenne, a decline cette offre. Denoncant, dans un communique transmis a l'AFP a Libreville, le manque de "processus democratique avec Deby", le mouvement rebelle a affirme sa volonte de "resister jusqu'au bout face a un dictateur sanguinaire et sans scrupules". Apres ce dialogue de sourds, le gouvernement tchadien et le MDJT ont fait tour a tour etat, mardi apres-midi, d'un nouvel accrochage survenu lundi a Guizendou, pres de la localite d'Oumou, dont ils se sont mutuellement attribue la responsabilite. - Notons d'autre part que, selon un communique de Radio France Internationale du 11 fevrier, trois groupes rebelles tchadiens ont conclu une alliance politique et militaire: le MJDT, le Mouvement pour l'unite et la Republique et le Conseil democratique et revolutionnaire. (ANB- BIA, de sources diverses, 15 fevrier 2000) * Togo. Census of government workers - 10 February: A census of all Togolese civil servants and other state agents begins countrywide. The head count has been approved by the government to facilitate management of the wage bill and the compilation of an accurate register of public workers. All civil servants have been asked to report at the counting centre with their letters of appointment, as well as their last pay slip, among other documents. In 1997, Togo conducted a general census of public service workers. (PANA, Dakar, 10 February 2000) * Uganda. Education for the referendum starts - The nationwide civic education programme for the forthcoming referendum on political systems was launched in Kamala on 1 February. A total of 6,5000 civic educators will be deployed to educate the people on the referendum. A pamphlet has been issued by the Electoral Commission, entitled: "Questions and Answers About the Referendum - - 2000 June/July". The pamphlet gives information on: What is a referendum? What is the difference between a referendum and an election? What is the justification for holding a referendum? Is the referendum on political systems really necessary? What if I do not vote? etc. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10 February 2000) * Ouganda. L'Ouganda deploie des renforts en RDC - L'Ouganda a deploye des renforts de troupes en Republique democratique du Congo pour retablir la loi et l'ordre dans la region d'Ituri, dans le nord-est du pays, ou des milliers de personnes ont ete tuees dans des affrontements ethniques depuis septembre, a annonce l'armee dans un communique. Les autorites ougandaises ont accuse le regime de Kinshasa d'avoir profite des affrontements qui durent depuis huit mois entre les ethnies "hema" et "lendu" pour developper une propagande contre l'Ouganda. Selon le communique de l'armee, le deploiement de troupes vise a desarmer les protagonistes et a arreter le flux d'armes. On souligne qu'entre 5.000 et 7.000 personnes auraient ete tuees dans les affrontements, et les soldats ougandais ont ete accuses de n'avoir rien fait pour les arreter et d'etre impliques dans le conflit. (D'apres PANA, 16 fevrier 2000) * Zimbabwe. "Non" au referendum - Les Zimbabweens se sont rendus aux urnes, les 12 et 13 fevrier, pour se prononcer sur un projet de nouvelle Constitution. La redaction d'une nouvelle Constitution, demandee par l'opposition, a ete confiee a un comite compose majoritairement de membres du parti au pouvoir. Les pouvoirs du president y ont encore ete amplifies. Ce projet suscite une forte opposition, qui s'est exprimee notamment dans les rues puisque la television officielle refuse de laisser les opposants s'exprimer. Pour influencer les electeurs, le president Mugabe et les medias gouvernementaux insistent sur le fait que la Constitution permettra de saisir les terres des Blancs sans indemnisation. Des elections legislatives sont programmees pour avril. Par ailleurs, la situation economique du pays est catastrophique. La compagnie nationale de petrole a fait faillite et l'essence est rationnee. 50% de la population sont au chomage. A la veille du referendum, le president sud-africain Thabo Mbeki s'est rendu d'urgence a Harare pour offrir un credit de 800 millions de rands (pres de 820 millions de FF), destine a donner un peu d'oxygene a une economie au bord du naufrage. -Le vote s'est deroule dans le calme. Au deuxieme jour du referendum, neuf opposants, membres du groupe Assemblee nationale constitutionnelle (NCA), ont ete arretes; ils s'etaient rendus a Highfield, une banlieue populaire de Harare, pour faire campagne pour le "non". La NCA s'est declaree extremement preoccupee par la possibilite de fraudes en faveur du "oui". - Le 15 fevrier, les resultats definitifs ont ete rendus publics: avec une participation de 26%, 55% des votants ont dit non aux propositions qui auraient permis a M. Mugabe de renforcer son pouvoir. Les partis d'opposition visent desormais la victoire aux legislatives d'avril prochain. Mais leur division pourrait permettre au ZANU-PF (Union nationale africaine du Zimbabwe, 147 des 150 sieges au Parlement) de se maintenir au pouvoir. (ANB- BIA, de sources diverses, 16 fevrier 2000) * Zimbabwe. Referendum on the Constitution - 10 February: Against a background of deepening economic crisis, Zimbabweans go to the polls at the weekend to vote on a new Constitution that critics suspect will, if approved, consolidate President Mugabe in power. 48 hours before the polls were due to open, the precise wording of the referendum question had still not been published in the official gazette. The government, campaigning for a "yes" vote, has focused on the emotive and highly politicised issue of land ownership. It wants to make Britain, as the former colonial power, responsible for paying compensation for land compulsorily acquired -- mainly white-owned estates. The British government rejects any responsibility for this. Zimbabwe appears to be sliding towards a state of emergency after police claimed to have evidence of a "masterplan of violence" drafted by the Opposition and aimed at disrupting the referendum. The Commissioner of Police says that all attempts to disrupt political meetings, intimidate voters and engage in acts of violence will be "suppressed triumphantly". 11 February: President Mbeki of South Africa arrives for talks with President Mugabe over Zimbabwe's collapsed economy. The visit signals South Africa's acute anxiety over its northern neighbour. Ian Smith, the former Rhodesian prime minister, describes the referendum as a "monstrous fraud". 12 February: Ist day of voting in the Referendum on the Constitution. Voting gets off to a slow start. 13 February: 2nd day of voting which begins slowly. Fears of vote rigging have been raised. The National Constitutional Assembly, the opposition grouping, calls for the count to begin immediately voting ends, to eliminate the chance of ballot boxes being tampered with overnight. Police arrest 8 opposition activists as they campaign in Harare. 14 February: Election officials say bad weather has prevented the counting of votes. Heavy rain has hindered the transportation of ballot boxes from polling stations to counting centres in some areas. Early official results show a clear majority against the new Constitution. With nearly half the votes counted 58% of Zimbabweans have voted against the draft document. But the initial results show a split between urban areas, where the vote was overwhelmingly "no", and rural areas, where the "yes" vote dominated. 15 February: President Mugabe accepts defeat in the referendum. He says: "The government accepts the results and accepts the will of the people". Opponents of the President secured 697,000 votes, while the President's supporters garnered only 578,000. 16 February: President Mugabe calls an emergency session of the ruling ZANU-PF politburo to try to salvage his government's prospects in the general election due in April. A court acquits the 8 opposition activists arrested during the referendum. The magistrates says they have no case to answer. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 17 February 2000) PART #3/3 (Africa -> Congo-RDC = 17c_02_2k) ====> (From Africa to Congo-RDC see 17a_02_2k) ====> (From Congo-RDC to Malawi see 17b_02_2k))