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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 23-03-2000 - PART #1/2 (Africa => Madagascar)
   ===> From Maroc to Zimbabwe see: 23b_03_2k  

* Africa. Action against the Media  -  Angola: The trial of free-
lance journalist, Rafael Marques, which was adjourned on 10
March, and resumed on 21 March, has now been re-adjourned to 23
March. Congo RDC: On 11 March, the private radio station Kin
Malebo was requisitioned by the State. Kenya: On 15 March,
Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) sent a letter to the Attorney-
General, calling for the release of Sam Aola, correspondent of
the Agence France-Presse news agency, and a journalist with the
private daily The People. He has been charged with "putting out
an alarmist report". Liberia: On 16 March, the USA protested
against the closure of two independent radio stations, Radio
Veritas and Star Radio on 15 March. A State Department spokesman
said the authorities should also return equipment confiscated
from the broadcasters. On 21 March, the independent media decided
to boycott government functions until Friday 24 March, in protest
at the closure of the radio stations. The government has now
lifted its ban on the radio stations. Sierra Leone: In its annual
report, the Committee To Protect Journalists cites Sierra Leone
as the deadliest assignment for journalists in 1999. Somalia: On
22 March, RSF called for the release of Mohamed Salad Ali, a
journalist with the private daily Qaran. He had been arrested on
14 March and taken to the Hariryale Islamic court jail in south
Mogadishu.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 23 March 2000)

* Africa/Water. Everyone's concern  -  22 March: The Second World
Water Forum held in The Netherlands comes to a conclusion today,
World Water Day. Over 4,000 participants came together to discuss
the global water crisis, but there are reservations as to whether
the proposals put forwards at the Forum will provide effective
solutions to the world's water problems. World Water Day will see
governments pledge their commitment to water security in the 21st
century. As the final touches are put to The Hague Declaration:
The former Soviet president, Mikhail Gorbachev, wants water
conflict resolution to be a priority; Mozambique wants
reassurance from a flood prevention programme; the World
Commission on Dams wants an end to the impasse between dam
builders and opponents; some small island states who feel
marginalised, want their funding needs addressed within six
months. As background to World Water Day, international aid
agencies in Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and Kenya say years of
low rainfall have lead to a severe drought, wiping out livestock
and damaging crops. An OXFAM official says the situation is
especially bad in south-eastern Ethiopia, where children and
elderly people are already reported to be dying. Forum
Conclusions: The Forum ends in confusion after ministers are
accused of failing to follow through key demands from delegates.
Prince Willem- Alexander, chairman of the Forum, said the
overwhelming majority of 4,6000 participants wanted recognition
of water as basic human right enshrined in the ministerial
declaration that closed the event. But when the statement came,
it acknowledged only that access to safe and sufficient water was
a basic need.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 23 March 2000)
* Monde. Forum mondial de l'eau  -  Le 17 mars, s'est ouvert a
La Haye (Pays-Bas) le 2e Forum mondial de l'eau, qui reunit
quelque 3.000 participants, acteurs publics et prives du secteur,
gouvernements, agences de l'Onu, bailleurs de fonds et ONG de
tous genres, qui debattront durant six jours. Le Forum vise a
sensibiliser l'opinion publique et les dirigeants de la planete
a la penurie croissante d'eau au 21e siecle. En Afrique, les
vingt dernieres annees, plus de 50 millions d'hectares de forets
tropicales ont ete detruits. D'ici a 2025, 26 pays seront
confrontes d'une facon ou de l'autre a des problemes d'eau. - 22
mars. Le Forum s'est cloture sans pouvoir definir une strategie
mondiale pour faire face a la penurie grandissante d'eau dans les
pays pauvres. Dans une "declaration sur la securite de l'eau au
21e siecle", quelque 150 pays ont cependant reconnu que "l'acces
de l'eau potable en quantite suffisante et l'assainissement sont
des besoins humains de base", mais le document ne contient aucun
engagement. Certains estiment toutefois que le simple fait que
cette reunion ait eu lieu et permis un echange sur toutes les
facettes du probleme est deja important. -- (Ndlr.: La revue
'Vivant Univers' - chaussee de Dinant 115, B-5000 Namur, Belgique
-  a consacre son numero 446, de mars-avril 2000, au theme de
L'eau douce).   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 23 mars 2000)

* Africa. Census time  -  Rwanda: Rwanda has started preparing
for its first population census since the 1994 genocide. The
exercise, scheduled to take place in July, is expected to cost
$7 million to be defrayed by the EU, the UN Fund for Population
Acctivities and the Dutch government. Uganda: A national
population and housing census supposed to be held this year has
been put off for at least two years because the Uganda government
has no money to fund it. An official from the Ministry of Fiance,
Planning and Economic Development, says: "This year we have the
referendum, the referendum campaigns, and the national halth and
emographic survey, all of which are going to cost a lot of money,
so we cannot also have the census."   (The East African, Kenya,
20-26 March 2000)

* Algeria. Israel to aid in terrorism battle  -  On 16 March,
Israeli officials said the government would provide technical and
military expertise to help Algeria build a counter-terrorism
unit, in what is seen as a significant strategic move by Israel
to improve ties with the Arab state. The agreement was forged
last week during a secret meeting in Italy between Danny Yatom,
chief political advisor to Ehud Baraka, Israeli prime minister,
and emissaries of Algerian President Bouteflika.   (Financial
Times, UK, 17 Match 2000)

* Algerie. Nouvel appel du president  -  Les massacres
continuent. Le 16 mars, onze personnes ont ete tuees a Chaiba (40
km a l'ouest d'Alger) par un groupe arme. Certains ont ete tues
par balles, d'autres egorges. L'intervention de civils armes a
empeche que ce massacre fasse plus de victimes, parmi lesquelles
figurent six enfants et une jeune fille. Le 17 mars, seize
islamistes armes ont ete tues par les forces de securite et un
repenti a ete assassine par ses anciens compagnons. Pres de 430
personnes, dont plus d'une centaine d'islamistes armes, ont ainsi
ete tuees en Algerie depuis la fin de l'application de la loi sur
la concorde civile, le 13 janvier. - Le 20 mars, ouvrant un
seminaire reunissant des oulemas d'une trentaine de pays sur le
theme "Islam et democratie", le president Bouteflika a lance un
appel, declarant que les islamistes toujours en lutte contre le
regime pouvaient encore deposer les armes. Selon les autorites
algeriennes, 80% des islamistes armes ont profite de l'offre
d'amnistie qui a pris fin il y a deux mois, mais celle-ci a ete
rejetee par les radicaux du GIA et le groupe dissident de Hassan
Hattab.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 22 mars 2000)

* Angola/Namibia. Human rights abuses in the border area  -  In
March 2000, Amnesty International published a Report stating that
since December 19999, reports of human rights violations and
abuses along the border between Angola and Namibia have markedly
increased. In December, the Namibian government permitted the
Angolan army to mount attacks from northern Namibia into Angola
against the UNITA forces. The human rights violations committed
by both Angolan and Namibian government forces in dealing with
the security situation, as well as abuses by UNITA, have
contributed to the violence. This is a volatile area where the
borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe almost
meet, where certain groups are seeking autonomy, where families
and ethnic communities are divided by frontiers and where
refugees fleeing from conflict and economic hardship, cross from
one country to another. On 22 March, Amnesty International
published a Press Release in which is stated that the spilling
over of the Angolan civil war into Namibia has led to a marked
escalation of human rights abuses in the volatile border area. 
 (Amnesty International, March 2000)

* Angola/South Africa. Names of UNITA collaborators released  - 
The South African government has revealed the names of nine
influential residents who allegedly flouted United Nations
sanctions by engaging in illicit trade with the rebel National
Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). This comes
in the wake of a report which gives a comprehensive look at how
the rebel Angolan group has been successfully circumventing UN
sanctions by buying weapons, mainly from Bulgaria. These were
then shipped to friendly African countries and paid for with
funds from diamonds obtained from Unita controlled areas in
Angola. In an address to Parliament, Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz
Pahad said that although the explosive UN report cleared the
South African government of any involvement in supporting UNITA,
several of the people who were all fingered in the report include
South African diamond dealers. The men have been identified as
Joe de Decker, Johannes Pereira, Piet Hand, Victor Bout, Ronnie
Decker, David and Maurice Zollman, Hennie Steyn and Dennis
Coghlan. Pahad said some of the men are accused of smuggling
diamonds between Angola, South Africa and Europe's main diamond
centre in Antwerp, Belgium where about 80 percent of the world's
trade in rough diamonds passes. The deputy minister warned that
South Africa would deal harshly with people it found breaking the
sanctions, although he failed to specify what action would be
taken against the men named in the report. The report, which was
compiled by the Angola sanctions committee of the UN Security
Council, also found that Lanseria airport outside Johannesburg
is still used for smuggling activity which benefits UNITA.
"Typically, flights will leave from Lanseria declaring Zambia or
the Democratic Republic of Congo as their destination. Once they
cross into Zambian airspace, the planes divert to locations in
UNITA-controlled territory," said the report. The document named
three companies known to have been involved in smuggling from
Lanseria airport as Interstate Airways, Air Cess and Air Pass. 
 (PANA, Dakar, 16 March 2000)

* Angola. Children "crucified"  -  UNITA rebels are reported to
have stoned, then crucified six children for allegedly giving
information to the government armed forces. A spokesman for the
Angolan Christian Churches Council, Jaime Paulo, said the
children were killed on 21 March during an attack on the town of
Beu in the north of the country close to the border with Congo
RDC. The spokesman added that UNITA have killed more than 80
Christians on suspicion of providing the army with information
so far this year.   (BBC News, 22 March 2000)

* Burundi. Peace Talks continue  -  17 March: From South Africa,
Nelson Mandela is continuing his mediation efforts in the Burundi
peace talks. In the next few days he is meeting in Johannesburg
with representatives of those involved in the civil war,
including Burundi's Defence Minister, Colonel Cyrille Ndayirukiye
and various representatives of the Forces for the Defence of
Democracy (FDD). (Editor's note: The Arusha Peace Talks are set
to resume on 27 March).   (MISNA, Rome, 17 March 2000)

* Burundi. Buyoya sollicite l'aide de Chissano  -  Le president
Buyoya a indique, le 17 mars, qu'il esperait beneficier de
l'assistance de son homologue mozambicain Joaquim Chissano dans
le processus de paix burundais, et "apprendre de l'experience de
reconciliation du Mozambique" apres sa guerre civile. Buyoya a
par ailleurs estime que M. Nelson Mandela etait "un bon
mediateur" et que "tout le monde pense qu'il est en mesure de
propulser le processus de paix vers l'avant", en depit de
critiques emises par certaines parties. M. Mandela, lui, a repris
sa mediation en rencontrant, le 16 mars a Johannesburg, le
ministre burundais de la Defense. Il devrait se rendre en avril
a Arusha ou au Burundi pour une nouvelle session de pourparlers. 
 (D'apres l'Agence burundaise de Presse, 18 mars 2000)

* Burundi. Rebelles aux negociations  -  Le 20 mars, Jean-Bosco
Ndayikengurukiye, chef de l'organisation rebelle FDD (Forces pour
la defense de la democratie), s'est dit pret a participer aux
negociations de paix. Il a fait cette declaration lors d'une
conference de presse en presence du mediateur Nelson Mandela. Il
a toutefois souligne des conditions a sa participation, dont le
demantelement des camps de regroupement et la liberation des
prisonniers, ajoutant que "si la situation actuelle au Burundi
perdure et qu'on ne trouve pas de solution, nous ne pourrons que
continuer notre combat pour la liberte". M. Mandela devrait
rencontrer cette semaine a Johannesburg les representants
d'autres groupes armes burundais; la semaine derniere, il a
rencontre le ministre burundais de la Defense et quatre officiers
superieurs de l'armee. M. Mandela sera a Arusha du 27 mars au 1er
avril pour la reprise des negociations. Une premiere rencontre
visera a "galvaniser les questions pendantes", notamment la
reforme de l'armee, la gestion de la transition, le futur systeme
electoral et la question de l'amnistie. Ensuite, une nouvelle
commission, dont feront partie les chefs des 18 delegations et
qui sera chargee de l'application et des garanties de l'accord
de paix, se reunira pour etudier son ordre du jour et sa
methodologie de travail.   (ANB- BIA, de sources diverses, 21
mars 2000)

* Burundi. War draws in Rwandan combatants  -  In a report
published on 23 March, Human Rights Watch said that the brutal
war in Burundi is increasingly involving other countries in
Central Africa, and the United Nations tribunal for Rwanda should
be expanded to include serious crimes being committed in Burundi.
The report offers the first detailed evidence of Rwandan Hutu
participating in the insurgency in Burundi, and suggests that
they represent almost half the combatants in some rebel units
operating around Bujumbura. Many of them are soldiers of the
former Rwandan government responsible for the 1994 genocide of
Tutsi in Rwanda. The previously close collaboration recently fell
apart in some units, however: the report describes how one
hundred Rwandans were slaughtered by their comrades in the FNL
(Forces Nationales de Liberation). The report also describes the
slaughter of more than two hundred civilians by the Burundian
armed forces, the FNL, and the CNDD-FDD (Conseil National pour
la Defense de la Democratie- Forces pour la Defense de la
Democratie; now more commonly called the FDD). The report gives
evidence of two recent insurgent attacks on humanitarian
agencies. In the most recent round of negotiations to end the
Burundian war, negotiators and foreign observers for the first
time talked openly of an amnesty for such crimes and for other
killings of tens of thousands of civilians during the six- year
old war. "An amnesty in Burundi is exactly the wrong direction
to take," said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the
Africa division of Human Rights Watch. "Many of the killings in
Burundi, whether perpetrated by Tutsi or by Hutu, were crimes
against humanity. A U.N. Commission has described some of them
as genocide. How can there be any hope of justice and order in
Burundi if crimes of this magnitude are left unpunished?" Human
Rights Watch urged the creation of a new division of the existing
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to prosecute crimes
committed in Burundi. It also recommended using foreign jurists
within Burundian courts to speed judging the thousands of persons
accused of ethnic killings and other attacks since 1993.   (HRW,
23 March 2000)

* Cameroun. Les ministres en charge de la securite limoges  - 
Le president camerounais Paul Biya a procede le samedi 18 mars
a un remaniement ministeriel de son 22e gouvernement, en fonction
depuis deux ans et un mois. Le fait saillant est le limogeage des
ministres en charge des questions de securite (gendarmerie,
police et interieur). Ils ont ete remplaces par des
septuagenaires sortis de la retraite (cas de Koungou Edima
Ferdinand pour l'Interieur, et de Milo'o Medjo pour la police).
Reputes pour leur poigne, leur principale mission pense-t-on a
Yaounde, est d'endiguer la vague d'insecurite qui deferle sur le
Cameroun. La presse camerounaise desapprouve ces choix. "Le
Messager" qualifie ces vieux de "revenants", tandis que
"Mutations" les qualifie des "fossiles" et "La Nouvelle
Expression" les assimile a des "morts ressuscites".   (JDM,
Report. Associes Cameroun, 23 mars 2000)

* Comores. Putsch avorte  -  La 19e tentative de coup d'Etat
militaire aux Comores -- en comptant celles reussies ou non --
depuis que l'archipel a pris son independance en 1975, a ete
dejouee par la junte militaire au pouvoir. Deux fils de l'ancien
president Ahmed Abdallah, assassine en 1989, ainsi qu'un Francais
originaire de l'ile de la Reunion ont ete arretes, accuses
d'avoir fomente la tentative de putsch. On ignore encore si ces
combats ont fait des victimes.   (Liberation, France, 23 mars
2000)

* Comoros. Coup attempt fails  -  21 March: The army says it has
prevented another coup attempt -- the 19th such attempt since
independence 25 years ago. Officials say they believed the
attempted coup has been led by two sons of the islands first
president, Ahmed Abdallah, who was himself assassinated in a coup
in 1989. A number of people have been arrested including one of
the sons, former agriculture minister Mahmoud Ahmed Abdallah.
"This is just a manoeuvre to destabilise the country", Comorian
Prime Minister Bianrifi Tarmidi", said. 22 March: The army
arrests more people, including Captain Abderemane Ahmed Abdallah,
the second son of the former president.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 23
March 2000)

* Congo-Brazza. Economic growth forecast  -  The Congolese
government has forecast a restoration of economic growth this
year, saying that its oil has favourable prospects in the
international market. In a statement, the national credit
committee said that the continuous steadiness of crude oil prices
and the on-going normalisation of the political situation were
some of the factors expected to jump-start economic recovery. The
future resumption of railway traffic on the Congo-Ocean railway
line linking Pointe- Noire to Brazzaville was also cited as a
major factor expected to contribute to the restoration of
economic growth. According to the projections, the gross domestic
product should amount to 1,603.3 billion CFA francs. The
projections put the growth rate in real terms to 6.5 percent
while the real income per capita would increase by 3.9 percent,
the statement said. It added that inflation should be under
control with only a 2-percent increase due to the effect of
consumer prices. It said the Congolese economy had quasi-
stagnated during 1999 in spite of increase in the world price of
crude oil, realising the current gross domestic product of 1,384
billion francs with a growth rate amounting to less than 0.7
percent against 3.6 percent in 1998. But inflation had remained
moderate in spite of the increase of consumer prices while the
monetary situation had slightly improved. The monetary market has
remained active with regards to the activities of the central
bank, the statement noted.   (PANA, Dakar, 16 March 2000)

* Congo-Brazza. Espoirs economiques  -  Apres un an de quasi-
stagnation economique en 1999, le gouvernement prevoit un retour
a la croissance cette annee, en raison des perspectives
favorables sur le front petrolier, de la reprise totale du trafic
ferroviaire et de la normalisation de la situation politique dans
le pays, indiquait le 16 mars l'agence PANA. Parallelement,
l'unite de renseignement economique Economist Intelligence Unit
(EIU) indiquait dans un rapport, la semaine derniere, que malgre
les destructions dues a la guerre civile, les performances
economiques du Congo seraient meilleures grace a l'augmentation
des revenus du secteur petrolier, qui a ete relativement peu
affecte par le conflit. Toutefois, l'EIU estime que l'accord de
cessez-le-feu signe par les dirigeants des milices, en decembre
dernier, ne represente qu'un reglement partiel du conflit,
puisqu'il n'inclut pas l'ancien president Lissouba et l'ancien
Premier ministre Kolelas. "Il est probable qu'un certain niveau
d'activite militaire se poursuivra", indique le rapport.  
(D'apres IRIN , Nairobi, 19 mars 2000)

* Congo (RDC). Press Statement from the US State Department  - 
The following is a Press Statement by James P. Rubin, US
Department of State Spokesman, concerning the forced exile of
Archbishop Kataliko: "On February 20 the Archbishop of Bukavu was
prevented from returning to his diocese. Despite protests from
the Vatican, the European Community and the United States,
Archbishop Kataliko continues to be confined to Butembo in North
Kivu province, unable to return to Bukavu in South Kivu near the
Rwanda border. This action serves to heighten emotions and
exacerbate tensions in opposition-controlled areas of eastern
Congo, particularly in South Kivu, and therefore works against
the cause of peace. As a leader of his church and civil society
in South Kivu province, Archbishop Kataliko can and should be a
catalyst for reconciliation among all the people of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. We have received reports of
extremist literature and radio broadcasts that advocate violence
and hate being disseminated in eastern Congo. This is a dangerous
development that further threatens peace efforts in the entire
region. The United States urges the rebel group RCD-Goma and the
Government of Rwanda to facilitate the return of the Archbishop
to Bukavu immediately. We call on all regional religious, civil
society, political, and private sector leaders to cease
provocative language and actions that may inflame inter-ethnic
tensions and to work for peace and intercommunal reconciliation
in the context of an overall peace settlement.   (US Department
of State, 15 March 2000)

* Congo (RDC). Monnaies et devises  -  L'ancien president,
aujourd'hui retraite, de la First International Bank of Grenade,
A. Van Brink, a fait savoir qu'il travaillait sur le projet d'un
nouveau systeme de monnaie en RDC. Il a declare avoir signe des
accords avec des factions rebelles pour la construction de routes
et d'hopitaux, et avoir des contacts avec le RCD-ML d'Ernest
Wamba dia Wamba en vue de remplacer le franc congolais par une
autre monnaie. - D'autre part, le gouvernement de la RDC a annule
un decret interdisant l'utilisation de devises etrangeres dans
le pays. Un communique de la Banque centrale a annonce qu'il
etait maintenant possible d'effectuer des transactions
commerciales en utilisant des devises nationales et etrangeres
dans des zones designees d'echange libre, incluant les centres
commerciaux et les zones minieres.   (D'apres IRIN, Nairobi 16
mars 2000)

* Congo (RDC). Deplaces du Kivu  -  Environ 60.000 personnes ont
fui leurs villages dans la region du Sud-Kivu, dans l'est du
pays, en raison d'une recrudescence de la violence des trois
derniers mois, a indique le 17 mars une porte-parole du PAM. Ces
nouveaux deplaces s'ajoutent a 120.000 autres residents du Sud-
Kivu qui avaient fui les combats en 1998, et 20.000 autres encore
ont pris la fuite entre 1998 et la recente augmentation des
attaques. Au total, la seule province du Sud-Kivu compte 200.000
deplaces. Les agences de l'Onu estiment qu'au total, l'est de la
RDC pourrait compter un demi-million de deplaces et ce chiffre
continue d'augmenter. L'est de la RDC est sous le controle de la
rebellion congolaise.   (Le Monde, France, 19 mars 2000)

* Congo (RDC). Opposants arretes  -  L'opposition congolaise a
denonce l'arrestation de plusieurs centaines d'opposants par les
forces de securite de Kinshasa. Dans un communique diffuse le 18
mars, Eugene Diomi Ndongala, dirigeant du Front pour la survie
de la democratie, precise que des centaines de militants et lui-
meme ont ete places en detention, le 16 mars, pour avoir tente
d'organiser un rassemblement. La plupart ont ensuite ete liberes,
mais plusieurs seraient toujours sous les verrous. Cette
information intervient alors que le ministre congolais de
l'Interieur, Gaetan Kakudji, a promis la tenue "prochaine"
d'elections legislatives, sans toutefois preciser le calendrier. 
 (La Libre Belgique, 21 mars 2000)

* Congo (RDC). Mise en garde de Washington  -  Le 15 mars, les
Etats-Unis ont averti qu'ils avaient pris connaissance de
l'existence "de documents ecrits et de messages de radio
extremistes" pronant la haine et la violence a l'est du Congo.
Selon Washington il s'agit d'un "developpement dangeureux". Le
porte-parole du departement d'Etat, James Rubin, a appele tous
les chefs religieux, les dirigeants de la societe civile, les
leaders politiques et du secteur prive a mettre un terme a "tout
langage provocateur et aux actions qui pourraient enflammer les
tensions interethniques, et a travailler pour la paix et la
reconciliation nationale". M. Rubin a egalement reproche a la
faction rebelle RCD d'empecher l'eveque Mgr Kataliko de retourner
dans son diocese de Bukavu. Le sejour force et prolonge de Mgr
Kataliko a Butembo "sert a aiguiser les sentiments et a exacerber
les tensions", a poursuivi M. Rubin. Le 17 mars, le vicaire-
general de l'archidiocese de Bukavu a publie un communique a
l'adresse des fideles, affirmant avoir rencontre les autorites
du RCD a Goma, et precisant que "la presidence du RCD a donne son
accord de principe au retour de Mgr Kataliko a Bukavu". Les
representants des Eglises protestante et catholique et le Bureau
provincial de la societe civile ont decide de commun accord que
les ecoles reprendraient a partir du 23 mars. Cependant, le 20
mars, dans une declaration faite a la radio 'La voix de
l'Amerique', le porte-parole du RCD-Goma Kinkyey Mulumba a
declare que le retour de Mgr Kataliko etait irrealisable "dans
les prochains jours", sans pour autant exclure "l'hypothese" de
son retour "dans les prochains mois".   (ANB-BIA, de sources
diverses, 21 mars 2000)

* Congo (RDC). Archbishop Kataliko's return may take some time 
-  20 March: According to reports from the press agency MISNA,
the return of Archbishop Emmanuel Kataliko to his Archdiocese of
Bukavu may be a "question of months". After a recent agreement
to consent to the imminent return of the prelate to the
administrative centre of South Kivu, the Congolese Rally for
Democracy (RCD), based in Goma, today spoke of the "hypothesis"
of the Archbishop's return "within the next few months". The
declaration was released this morning to Voice of America by an
RCD-spokesman. He said that the RCD "cannot accept that the
Church, whose mission is to pray, should declare a prayer strike
or any other kind". MISNA also reports that a decision taken in
the last few days by the leaders of the Catholic and Protestant
Churches, in agreement with the civil society -- means that all
schools will reopen in Bukavu and the Province of South Kivu on
23 March.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 22 March 2000)

* Congo (RDC). La fin du cessez-le-feu?  -  Le 21 mars, le
principal mouvement de rebellion, le RCD, a estime dans un
communique que l'accord de cessez-le-feu n'etait plus en vigueur.
Signe par l'etat-major militaire du RCD, le texte annonce que
"les combats ont repris de maniere tres violente sur tous les
fronts (...), faisant depuis le 10 mars au moins 200 morts dans
les deux camps". Au cours d'une conference de presse, le
president du mouvement, Emile Ilunga, a egalement estime que
"nous ne sommes plus en situation de cessez-le-feu, nous sommes
en etat de guerre". Le communique de l'etat-major ajoutait: "Nous
nous attendons a une reprise generale des combats sur tous les
fronts dans les prochaines semaines", affirmant que les soldats
du RCD "sont aux portes de la province de Bandundu, a une
centaine de kilometres d'Idiofa, sur la voie vers Kikwit". - Le
22 mars, le Conseil de securite de l'Onu a exclu de deployer une
force de 5.500 hommes en RDC tant que les hostilites se
poursuivaient. Le president du Conseil, l'ambassadeur du
Bangladesh Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, a affirme que le Conseil
etait "consterne par la nouvelle offensive dans la province du
Kasai et la chute d'Idumbe". L'Onu avait fait du strict respect
de l'accord de cessez-le-feu une condition au deploiement de ses
observateurs et de la force de la paix.   (ANB- BIA, de sources
diverses, 23 mars 2000)

* Congo (RDC). Fresh fighting causes concern  -  22 March: One
of the main rebel factions, the Rwandan-backed Congolese Rally
for Democracy (RCD-Goma) says it will return to full-scale civil
war unless the international community halts a fresh offensive
by government troops. The RCD-Goma says that President Kabila's
government is ignoring the ceasefire and they are prepared to
retaliate in a similar manner. According to an RCD-Goma
statement, released in Kigali, the government began "a violent
offensive on all fronts" in the past 10 days. The UN Security
Council warns that continued fighting could jeopardize deployment
of the UN peacekeeping force there.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 23
March 2000)

* Ethiopie. Feux de foret maitrises  -  Les feux de foret qui ont
eclate le mois dernier au sud-est de l'Ethiopie, dans les regions
de Bale et Borena de l'Etat d'Oromiya, auraient fini par etre
maitrises. Un porte-parole du ministere de l'Agriculture a
indique que meme s'il restait quelques feux dans certaines zones,
"il y a une grande difference par rapport a ce qu'il en etait
encore la semaine derniere. Les feux ont ete maitrises grace a
des experts qui ont apporte a la population locale les techniques
adequates pour les eteindre".   (IRIN, Nairobi, 17 mars 2000)

* Ghana. Ioder le sel  -  Quelque 50 producteurs et importateurs
de sel de 24 pays africains se rencontreront pour la premiere
fois du 3 au 5 avril a Accra pour trouver les moyens d'ioder le
mineral. L'iodisation du sel dans le monde est l'une des
decisions adoptees lors du Sommet mondial de l'Enfant en 1990 a
New York. Les carences en iode affectent la sante des enfants et
des meres.   (IRIN, Abidjan, 22 mars 2000)

* Equatorial Guinea. Ethnic Bubi prisoners face uncertain future 
-   In a Press release dated 20 March, Amnesty International says
the transfer of some 50 ethnic Bubi prisoners from Malabo, the
capital, to an unknown destination, is likely to further their
physical and mental well-being, which in some cases is already
critical. The prisoners, including many prisoners of conscience,
-- who were detained at the beginning of 19998 and sentenced to
prison terms in May after an unfair military trial for alleged
involvement in attacks on government military barracks -- were
transferred by boat, on 3 March 2000, from their prison in
Malabo, on Biolo Island, to the continental region of the
country. No official confirmation of their whereabouts has yet
been given but eyewitnesses are reported to have seen them in
Evinayong prison, some 500 kilometres east of Malabo.   (Amnesty
International, 20 March 2000)

* Kenya. Famine dans le nord  -  Ces 4 dernieres semaines, des
centaines de personnes sont mortes de faim dans le district
desertique de Wajir (nord du Kenya), frontalier avec la Somalie,
rapportent les journaux kenyans le 20 mars. L'administration
locale parle de 85 morts, mais reconnait qu'il est difficile
d'etablir un bilan exact des victimes a cause du nomadisme des
eleveurs. Des centaines de tetes de betail ont aussi ete
decimees. Le depute de Wajir, M. Keynan, a demande au
gouvernement de declarer le district zone sinistree pour
permettre aux agences humanitaires d'y envoyer une aide
alimentaire d'urgence.   (D'apres PANA, 20 mars 2000)

* Kenya. "Life-threatening issues facing Africa".  -  21 March:
Life-threatening issues facing Africa, as well as signs of hope
on the Continent, are the focus of a joint meeting of African
members of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches
(WCC) and General Committee members of the All Africa Conference
of Churches (AACC). The meeting, held in Nairobi 20-21 March, is
the first of its kind, and was planned jointly by the AACC and
the WCC Africa Task Force. 22 March: The meeting ends with a
strong commitment to work closely in the future. The more than
50 delegates identified the following priority issues for joint
future attention from the two ecumenical bodies: Economic justice
and good governance; Conflict resolution, peace building and
reconciliation; Health and education; Spirituality, identity and
unity.   (WCC, 22 March 2000)

* Madagascar. More helicopters needed  -  Madagascar's government
and the World Food Programme (WFP) are appealing for more
helicopters and aircraft to bring food and supplies to people
isolated by floods. While sufficient international food aid and
supplies have been brought to the Indian Ocean island nation,
landslides and floodwaters have made it difficult to reach the
neediest people, said Lucile Randrianarivelo, permanent secretary
of the national disaster committee. "Madagascar doesn't have
enough aircraft to reach the worst-hit areas", she said in
comments broadcast on national television on 15 March. "We are
urgently appealing for more helicopters," WFP spokesman Wagdi
Othman said on 16 March, adding that the WFP needs at least two
more helicopters and a small plane for aerial surveys as soon as
possible. The WFP estimates that more than 43,000 people have
lost their homes or crops. At least 130 people have died from the
storms, and much of the cropland has been damaged. The floods
have also worsened a cholera epidemic that has killed more than
1,350 people in one year. However, the destruction is thought to
be less severe than that in Madagascar's western neighbour,
Mozambique.   (CNN, 16 March 2000)

* Madagascar. Les victimes des inondations  -  Madagascar manque
dramatiquement d'helicopteres pour apporter des vivres aux
victimes des inondations. Seul un tiers des 435 tonnes de
nourriture apportees par l'aide humanitaire est ainsi arrive
jusqu'a ceux qui en ont besoin, a annonce le 17 mars la
commission nationale en charge des catastrophes. Les inondations
ont en effet rendu la plupart des routes impraticables.
L'ambassade americaine a annonce qu'elle demanderait une
assistance militaire des Etats-Unis. La Federation internationale
de la Croix Rouge a lance un appel a la communaute
internationale, estimant que Madagascar avait besoin de quelque
3 millions de dollars d'aide supplementaire.   (AP, 17 mars 2000)

WEEKLY NEWS 23-03-2000 END OF PART #1/2 (Africa => Madagascar)
                 ===> From Maroc to Zimbabwe see: 23b_03_2k