* Sénégal. Affrontements en Casamance — Quatre soldats ont été tués et 24 autres blessés au cours d’une opération de ratissage en Casamance, ont annoncé des responsables de l’armée sénégalaise. Les rebelles aussi ont subi de “lourdes pertes”, a assuré le colonel Geye, sans fournir davantage de précisions. Les combats entre armée et rebelles du Mouvement des forces démocratiques de Casamance (MFDC) ont eu lieu le 6 janvier dans la zone de Nyassia, vers la frontière bissau-guinéenne. L’opération de ratissage de l’armée est une riposte aux récentes campagnes menées par les rebelles sécessionistes pour placer des mines dans la région, a expliqué le colonel Geye. (AP et PANA, 7 janvier 2003)

* Senegal. Dozens killed in fighting — 8 January: Thirty rebels and four government soldiers have been killed in recent fighting in the troubled southern province of Casamance, an army source says. Heavy fighting was reported overnight near the main city of Ziguinchor and the resort of Cap Skirring, which is popular with French tourists. Traumatised holiday makers are now considering leaving. The fighting, which comes after a six month truce, started when the army launched an operation against the rebels after a soldier was killed by a landmine on 5 January. The Senegalese army says that in addition to the casualties, 24 soldiers have been seriously injured in the latest fighting. It says it is continuing its operation against the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) in the Nyassia area, 20km south-west of Ziguinchor. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 8 January 2003)

* Somalia. Puntland says Somaliland supporting dissident forces — The authorities in the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland have accused the neighbouring self-declared republic of Somaliland of supporting dissident forces, charges dismissed by Somaliland. Puntland is once again mired in clashes between forces loyal to Col Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad and those of his rival Jama Ali Jama, both of whom claim to be Puntland’s legitimate president. Abdishakur Mire Adan, the Puntland deputy information minister, said on 3 January that the Somaliland authorities were supporting Jama’s forces in order to destabilise Puntland. «We have evidence that the Dahir Riyaleh [Somaliland president] administration has given both financial and material support to the anti-Puntland forces,» Abdishakur said. He also accused the Somaliland authorities of providing Jama’s forces with bases inside Somaliland. «We know they [Jama forces] are in Erigavo, Aynabo, and Eil-Afweyn,» he said. Abdishakur accused the Somaliland authorities of «trying to destabilise Puntland using disgruntled elements to further their cause». However, he warned that this would only lead to instability in the region. «If you set your neighbour’s house on fire, it is likely that your house will also burn,» he said. He added that Puntland forces were currently deployed in the border area between the two regions and «will respond if attacked from Somaliland». (IRIN, Kenya, 3 January 2003)

* Somalia. Peace talks resume in Eldoret — The Somali national reconciliation conference resumed in the Kenyan town of Eldoret on 6 January after a two-week break. The talks, which opened on 15 October under the auspices of the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), adjourned for the Christmas holidays and the 27 December Kenyan elections. The talks would resume «in earnest following the departure of surplus delegates», said the source. The Somali parties have agreed to reduce the number of delegates from over 700 to 400. «There are people still insisting that they will stay, even though their names have been struck off the list of delegates,» the source said. According to an IGAD source, the organisers are keen to transport the surplus delegates home due to financial constraints. (IRIN, Kenya, 7 January 2003)

* South Africa. Self-defence killings divide S. Africa — South African police and legal experts have reassured citizens that under certain circumstances they have the right to kill criminals, following an outcry over the arrest of a couple who repeatedly stabbed a man who broke into their caravan. The couple from Carletonville, near Soweto, are in jail facing murder charges after killing an intruder who tried to rape the woman. It is the latest in a spate of killings considered excessive force by the police but seen as justifiable self-defence by vocal members of the public. Paula Nothnagel, a police spokeswoman, said people had the right to defend themselves using reasonable force and that the police were not carrying out a witch-hunt to arrest innocent people. «People need to employ the “reasonable man” principle when protecting themselves. Would a reasonable man stab another person several times?» According to radio phone-ins and newspaper letters pages, a reasonable man was entitled to stab an attacker many, many times, then bash him with the nearest heavy object before reaching for a revolver. «If my girlfriend was about to be raped before me, I would also stab the perpetrator repeatedly... Actually, I’d keep going until he stopped moving. I would not stab him once and then nicely ask him if he would like to fight some more,» one letter in the Johannesburg daily Star said. South Africa’s annual 21,000 murders and 55,000 rapes gives it one of the highest crime rates in the world, but even those figures are seen as an understatement. The police claim crime has stabilised but the perception that thieves and rapists act with impunity is widespread and there are calls for capital punishment, abolished after apartheid, to be brought back. A 16-year-old boy who beat a man to death with a cricket bat after the family farm near Pretoria was attacked by a gang armed with spades and knives, leaving eight people wounded, may be charged with murder. The police are also reportedly considering charging a woman who squeezed the testicles of a man who allegedly tried to rape her; he then lost consciousness and reportedly died of complications. Over Christmas, several shopkeepers were arrested for murder after shooting would-be robbers. (The Guardian, UK, 7 January 2003)

* South Africa. Road deaths hit record level — Nearly 1,210 people have died on South Africa’s roads since the start of the festive season on December 1 — a record toll. The number rose over last weekend as millions of people travelled back to the big cities from their rural villages or from coastal resorts after Christmas and New Year celebrations. The transport department reported last week that December’s death toll of 1,111 was 25 per cent higher than last year, when 839 people lost their lives. It is the highest number of deaths for 11 years and is an embarrassment for the department. The road death toll for the same period in Australia, where traffic volumes, weather and road conditions are comparable to South Africa’s, was 66. Drive Alive, a non-profit South African road safety organisation, last week described the number of deaths on the roads as a national disaster and urged the government to appoint a road safety minister. The high-profile «Arrive Alive» campaign, which focuses on speeding and drink driving, has had some success in recent years, but Drive Alive said there were not enough traffic officers and too many unroadworthy vehicles were being driven. They also allege many of the 8,000 traffic officers are inexperienced, insufficiently trained, and often corrupt and easily bribed because they are poorly paid. Dullah Omar, the transport minister, blamed drivers. «About half of the victims in our mortuaries have blood-alcohol levels that exceed the legal limit for drivers,» he said. He said this season’s figures were not higher but simply more reliable. In past years many fatal crashes had gone unreported, he said. (Financial Times, UK, 7 January 2003)

* Afrique du Sud. Collision ferroviaire — Le 7 janvier, un train de voyageurs et un convoi de marchandises sont entrés en collision dans la région du Cap, faisant onze morts et plusieurs blessés. L’accident s’est produit dans une zone rurale située à une cinquantaine de kilomètres de la ville du Cap. Selon un témoin, le train de voyageurs semblait s’être cassé en deux sous l’impact. Trois personnes grièvement blessées ont été extraites des débris. Une quarantaine de passagers ont reçu des soins pour blessures légères. (Reuters, 7 janvier 2003)

* South Africa. Train crash — 7 January: Eleven people are reported killed and at least 30 injured in a train crash near Cape Town. Five coaches were derailed when a commuter train collided with a freight train in the afternoon rush hour. South Africa’s commuter rail network has been hit by a series of accidents, but this was described as the worst in the Western Cape for 20 years by railway officials. The accident happened about 50km north east of Cape Town, between Kraaifontein and Muldersvlei at about 1700 (1500GMT). «It appears that a (Spoornet) goods train was standing on the line and the Metrorail train crashed into the back,» said South African Transport Minister Dullah Omar. Most of the fatalities occurred when people were thrown from the passenger train by the force of the impact, and then crushed when coaches derailed. 8 January: The South African transport minister, Dullah Omar, is coming under increasing pressure to resign after the train crash. Rail unions are now threatening a strike, describing the situation on the country’s railways as a time bomb which has not been addressed by the government. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 8 January 2003)

* South Africa. Mbeki defuses provincial crisis — 6 January: President Thabo Mbeki is holding talks with senior officials in the governing ANC in an attempt to resolve a growing political crisis in the province of KwaZulu Natal. The ANC is strongly opposed to moves by the Inkatha Freedom Party to dissolve the provincial legislature and hold early elections. Fighting between supporters of the ANC and Inkatha in KwaZulu Natal in the 1980s and early 1990s left thousands of people dead. A bitter dispute between the ANC and Inkatha is threatening the political stability South Africa has enjoyed since the end of apartheid. The rivalry has raised memories of the low-level civil war the two parties once fought in the densely populated hills of KwaZulu Natal. It is control of this same province which is at the centre of a new dispute. Inkatha has governed KwaZulu Natal ever since 1994, but now its narrow majority is threatened by new legislation which allows elected representatives to swap parties in the middle of their terms. The ANC believes it has recruited enough defectors in the KwaZulu Natal provincial assembly to wrestle power from Inkatha. Inkatha is desperate to retain control of the province, its traditional stronghold, and is hoping to out-manoeuvre the ANC by dissolving the assembly and holding early elections. 8 January: The disagreement between the ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has been defused after a compromise is reached. The government has dropped its controversial plan to introduce the new law which would have allowed several IFP members to switch parties, effectively handing control of KwaZulu Natal to the ANC. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 8 January 2003)

* Afrique du Sud. Accord au KwaZulu-Natal — Le 8 janvier, le Congrès national africain (ANC) a évité des élections anticipées dans la province du KwaZulu-Natal en passant, à la dernière minute, un accord avec l’Inkhata Freedom Party (IFP). L’Afrique du Sud a un gouvernement national et neuf gouvernements provinciaux dirigés chacun par un Premier ministre. L’ANC et l’IFP semblaient aller droit à l’affrontement pour le contrôle de la province du KwaZulu-Natal. L’IFP, préoccupé par le fait qu’il pourrait perdre son assise politique dans le contexte d’une nouvelle législation qui autorise les législateurs à conserver leur siège même s’ils changent de parti, avait l’intention de dissoudre l’Assemblée législative du KwaZulu-Natal et d’obliger à une élection anticipée. Mais le parti a reçu des assurances écrites du président Mbeki sur le fait que l’"amendement controversé" sera retiré. (PANA, Sénégal, 8 janvier 2003)

* Soudan. Violations du cessez-le-feu — Les rebelles soudanais de l’Armée populaire de libération du Soudan (SPLA) ont tué trois ouvriers du bâtiment et blessé plusieurs soldats dans une attaque perpétrée le 31 décembre dans le sud du pays, a affirmé un porte-parole du gouvernement. L’attaque a été lancée sur une route entre Ler et Bentiu, une ville pétrolière sous contrôle gouvernemental, située dans la vallée du Nil à quelque 750 km au sud de Khartoum. De leur côté, les responsables de la SPLA avaient accusé les forces gouvernementales et leurs milices alliées de violer le cessez-le-feu (signé le 20 juillet) dans cette région en brûlant les villages et attaquant des maisons de civils. (AP, 2 janvier 2003)

* Sudan. Ceasefire hopes — 2 January: SPLA rebels and the Sudanese Government have accused each other of attacks in oil-producing areas in the south, breaking a truce signed last year. The temporary ceasefire is supposed to last while peace talks continue in neighbouring Kenya. The negotiations over issues such as sharing oil wealth and the distribution of jobs in the federal civil service are set to resume within the next two weeks. Some two million people have been killed in 19 years of war between the northern, Muslim government and rebels from the Christian and animist South. «Government forces supported by militias... are carrying out since 31 December a large-scale attack using tanks and helicopter gunships on our positions... in the Western Upper Nile region,» the SPLA said in a statement. 3 January: The rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) says it is expecting the next phase of talks aimed at ending their country’s 19-year civil war to resume on schedule, despite the recent hiccups, with the two warring sides accusing each other of breaking the terms of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) they signed in November. Samson Kwaje, the SPLM/A‘s senior spokesman in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, says he expects the negotiations, convened under the auspices of the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and adjourned in Kenya’s southern town of Machakos in November, to resume in mid-January as planned, even though the Khartoum government is «polluting the atmosphere» of the peace talks. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 3 January 2003)

* Sudan. Six die in tribal riots — Six people were killed in fresh tribal rioting in Sudan’s Red Sea town of Port Sudan, a day after officials imposed a state of emergency and curfew to halt clashes, newspapers said on 7 January. Demonstrations clogged the main streets of the port city on 6 January, and protesters besieged a university and attacked a hotel and a market, the daily Akhbar al-Youm reported. The clashes were sparked by the murder of the leader of the local Beni Amir tribe by a member of the rival Hadandawi tribe on Sunday. The governor of Red Sea state imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew, while federal ministers belonging to the two tribes appealed for calm. Three of those killed in the violence were members of the Beni Amir, while the other three were from the Hadandawi tribe. Authorities have arrested seven people, papers said. The governor, Hatim al-Wasila, said the violence had not affected shipping in Port Sudan, the country’s main port which is located some 700 km northwest of Khartoum, the daily al-Ayam reported. (CNN, USA, 8 January 2003)

* Swaziland. New lobby group calls for political reform — The Swazi government is on a collision course with the judiciary says an influential new organisation dedicated to good governance. At issue is the rule of law, or its alleged absence, in the kingdom. Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini, an appointee of absolute monarch King Mswati III, has ignored a high court order demanding that he provide an assurance that the government would adhere to court decisions. Instead, in a newspaper statement published today, Dlamini says: «Two recent appeal court judgments will be addressed through consultation between the government and its advisors, in addition to the head of state [King Mswati]. Legal experts will be included in the consultations.» An Mbabane attorney and member of Lawyers for Human Rights Swaziland has told IRIN: «Instead of honouring court decisions, government intends to debate them. This is not what the judges want to hear.» High court justices Josiah Matsebula, Stanley Maphalala and Thomas Masuku had indicated that if they were not satisfied with the government’s commitment to the rule of law, the court would no longer accept cases presented by the authorities. (IRIN, Kenya, 3 January 2003)

* Tanzanie. Un bateau disparaît — Un bateau transportant 40 personnes a disparu en début de semaine, alors qu’il faisait route entre Tanga, dans l’est de la Tanzanie, et l’île de Pemba, dans l’océan Indien, a-t-on appris le vendredi 3 janvier de source policière. La police de Tanga a déclaré qu’elle n’avait aucune certitude sur ce qui s’est passé, car aucun corps n’a été retrouvé. Mais les vents ont pu, selon elle, pousser le bateau au-delà des eaux tanzaniennes vers le Kenya. (Le Figaro, France, 4 janvier 2003)

* Tanzania. Fears rise for missing ferry — 3 January: At least 40 people are feared dead after a ferry disappeared off the coast of Tanzania. Most of the passengers on board the overloaded Shukuru ferry were returning from a wedding party on the mainland. The newly-married couple was also on the ship. The ferry left Tanga, on mainland Tanzania, for the island of Pemba, in the Zanzibar archipelago on Tuesday and has not been seen since. Police say they do not know what happened as no bodies have been found. The ferry may have been swept away towards Kenya or the Comoros islands. A relative of one of the passengers, Amour Nassor Omar, is quoted as saying that the ferry had capsized during a severe storm. Local facilities make it impossible to launch a search and rescue operation, police say. «We don’t have any boats to launch a rescue operation, so we can’t say exactly where the boat disappeared, or if anybody survived,» Pemba North police chief Ali Mbilikila says. 5 January: Fishermen off the Tanzanian coast have rescued two men from the sea four days after a boat carrying at least 40 people capsized, police say. Hopes are now fading that any other survivors will be found. The body of a man also believed to have been aboard the ferry was recovered. The two survivors were too weak to speak after four days in rough seas. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 5 January 2003)

* Tanzanie/Rwanda. Rapatriement de réfugiés — Le rapatriement volontaire des réfugiés rwandais des camps du nord-est de la Tanzanie est terminé, alors qu’il reste environ 150 réfugiés rwandais dans le pays, selon Ivana Unluova, la porte-parole du HCR. Le nombre de réfugiés rapatriés en 2002 s’est élevé à 23.474, dont près de 19.000 sont revenus dans leurs foyers durant les mois de novembre et décembre. Cet effort de rapatriement s’est terminé le 27 décembre, quand 3.200 réfugiés sont retournés au Rwanda, selon Mme Unluova. L’opération a ainsi pu être achevée avant la date limite du 31 décembre, tel que convenu le 13 décembre lors d’une rencontre tripartite entre le HCR et les gouvernements du Rwanda et de la Tanzanie. (Ndlr.: Des sources locales mettent en doute le terme “volontaire” de ce rapatriement). (IRIN, Nairobi, 3 janvier 2003)

* Tanzania/Rwanda. Voluntary repatriation of Rwandan refugees from Tanzania complete — The voluntary repatriation of Rwandan refugees from camps in northwestern Tanzania has been completed, with only about 150 remaining in the country, according to Ivana Unluova, the spokeswoman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She says that the total number of refugees repatriated in 2002 had been 23,474, of whom almost 19,000 had gone home in November and December. Only around 100 refugees remained in the refugee camps in Tanzania at the beginning of 2003, and another 50 in various prisons in Kagera Region. The repatriation effort had ended on 27 December when about 3,200 refugees returned to Rwanda, Unluova says They were taken to a reception centre in Nyakarambi, southeastern Rwanda, and later transported to their places of origin. The operation was thus completed before the deadline of 31 December, as agreed on 13 December at a tripartite meeting between the UNHCR and the governments of Rwanda and Tanzania. A further meeting to discuss the remaining caseload is due to be held at the end of January, Unluova added. (IRIN, Kenya, 3 January 2003)

* Tchad. Pourparlers inter-tchadiens — Des pourparlers entre le gouvernement tchadien et l’Alliance nationale de la résistance (ANR, rébellion armée) ont débuté le dimanche 5 janvier à Libreville et pourraient se prolonger jusqu’au mardi ou mercredi. L’organisation d’une enquête internationale sur les exactions commises contre les populations de l’est du Tchad par les forces loyalistes et d’une table ronde impliquant toutes les composantes de la vie politique et sociale du Tchad constituent les principaux points de blocage. Les deux parties sont par contre d’accord pour une amnistie générale de tous les rebelles tchadiens et leurs leaders, ainsi que leur réintégration dans l’armée nationale. Les pourparlers se poursuivent dans un hôtel de la capitale gabonaise, dans le but de parvenir à un accord qui devrait décréter un cessez-le-feu sur le terrain. (D’après PANA, Sénégal, 7 janvier 2003)

* Togo. Présidence à vie — Le 30 décembre, le Parlement togolais a décidé de permettre au général-président Gnassingbè Eyadéma de briguer autant de mandats qu’il le voudra. A l’unanimité, les députés ont abrogé l’article 59 de la Constitution, qui limitait le nombre des mandats présidentiels à deux quinquennats successifs. Ils ont estimé que la limitation des mandats portait “atteinte à la liberté du peuple de choisir librement son président”. L’opposition, qui n’est pas représentée au Parlement, a appelé le peuple togolais à se mobiliser contre ce coup de force du président. (Le Monde, France, 1er janvier 2003)

* Tunisie. 3 islamistes condamnés — Le 2 janvier, trois islamistes présumés ont été condamnés par le tribunal de première instance de Gafsa (centre) chacun à 13 mois de prison ferme pour “appartenance à une organisation illégale et collecte de fonds sans autorisation”. L’organisation en question est le mouvement islamique tunisien interdit “Ennahdha”, dont plusieurs dirigeants ont été condamnés à de lourdes peines depuis 1992. Neuf personnes étaient jugées au cours de ce procès, dont six ont bénéficié d’un non-lieu. (AP, 2 janvier 2003)

* Zambia. Debt burden «intolerable» — 2 January: Zambia may have find an extra $100m to service its foreign debt this year, putting an «intolerable» burden on the country’s economy, according to the country’s president. «The debt is what is going to undermine our development efforts, the debt burden is now intolerable,» President Levy Mwanawasa warned in his New Year’s address. Zambia is saddled with $6bn of external debt. The warning comes after the International Monetary Fund said Zambia will not receive about $1bn in debt relief under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative if it does not follow an agreed privatisation programme. Most of Zambia’s 11 million people live on less than $1 a day, and about a quarter face famine because of a regional food shortage. «Each year we have to find an excess of $200m just to service the debt. This year the figure may exceed $300m, something has to be done,» Mr Mwanawasa said. He has warned that Zambia might suspend privatisation programmes, saying they cause hefty job losses while bringing few benefits to rural areas. Under HIPC, the sell-off of the state Zambia National Commercial Bank (Zanaco), along with power utility Zesco and telecoms firm Zamtel, are key to qualifying for the debt relief. Anti-poverty campaigners have suggested that HIPC countries suspend all debt servicing and payments, and use the money instead to feed their populations and provide health care. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 2 January 2003)

* Zambia. Opposition creating Zambian food crisis — 3 January: A government minister has accused political opponents of hoarding stocks of staple crops in famine-hit Zambia. Acting Home Affairs Minister Ludwig Sondashi says two unnamed parties are trying to force up prices, engineer shortages and cause unrest in a bid to topple the government. The allegations have been dismissed by opposition parties. They say the government wants to use them as scapegoats to shift the blame for the food crisis. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 3 January 2003)

* Zambia. Mwanawasa to speed up graft probe — President Levy Mwanawasa complained on 6 January that a probe into corruption in his country was proceeding too slowly and said he plans to announce measures soon to speed up the investigation. Mwanawasa, who took power from former president Frederick Chiluba after controversial elections in 2001, said he was concerned that an anti-corruption task force he appointed last year was taking a long time to bring suspects to trial. The president has billed his crackdown, the most visible move against corruption since Zambia’s independence from Britain in 1964, as key to maintaining public confidence in the government. «It is unfortunate that investigations are moving slowly. Property has been seized (by the task force) but now we are told they are still investigating,» Mwanawasa said on the sidelines of a meeting with labour leaders. «We do not need further evidence for people who have expensive mansions. You just need to take them to court, show the value of the property seized against their income and the onus will be on the owners to prove how they acquired it.» The investigation, launched last March, appears focused on Chiluba’s 10 years in office. At least four members of Chiluba’s administration — two former ministers, a former security chief and the former president’s press and public affairs secretary — have been charged with corruption. Parliament in July lifted Chiluba’s immunity after Mwanawasa told lawmakers that the former president was directly or indirectly behind a series of «questionable» deals. (CNN, USA, 7 January 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Food riots — 4 January: Thirty-four people have been arrested as police used tear-gas to break up a riot at a grain depot in Zimbabwe’s second largest city, Bulawayo, state media reports. A report in the state-run Bulawayo Chronicle newspaper says those arrested had been protesting over what they said was the unfair distribution of food. The state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation reported that residents had accused grain board officials of corruptly supplying maize to unscrupulous millers, who then sold it on at exorbitant prices. Correspondents say that millions of people in Zimbabwe are threatened by famine as the result of the continuing drought and the disruption caused by government’s seizure of white-owned farms. A report in the UK‘s Daily Telegraph says that President Mugabe’s war veterans were responsible for the food riots. The paper says that the riot in Bulawayo began when Jabulani Sibanda, the provincial chairman of Mr Mugabe’s ZANU-PF whipped up his supporters to march on the Grain Marketing Board to complain at the way grain was being allocated only to chosen millers. 5 January: Four police officers have been injured in a dormitory town near Harare, when youths attack people queuing for food. About 200 people were queuing up for mealie-meal, when a group of youths attacked the police who were controlling the crowd. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 5 January 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Emeutes de la faim — L’aggravation des pénuries alimentaires au Zimbabwe suscite ces derniers jours des manifestations de plus en plus violentes qui pourraient se terminer par une confrontation générale entre le régime de Mugabe et la population. Plus de la moitié des 12 millions de Zimbabwéens sont en effet menacés par la famine. La semaine dernière, devant un dépôt de l’organisme d’Etat chargé de la commercialisation des céréales à Bulawayo, la deuxième ville du pays, des centaines de manifestants ont protesté contre la distribution injuste du maïs: 39 ont été arrêtés et présentés, le 6 janvier, devant la justice. L’aide alimentaire n’est en effet bien souvent délivrée que contre la présentation d’une carte de membre du parti au pouvoir, la ZANU-PF. Le 5 janvier, quatre policiers chargés de maintenir l’ordre dans une file d’attente qui s’était formée devant un magasin vendant de la farine de maïs, la nourriture de base, ont été blessés à Chitungwiza, principale commune de la capitale Harare. (Libération, France, 7 janvier 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Mugabe loyalists to run opposition strongholds — Unelected governors will be installed to run two cities in Zimbabwe where anti-government protests have intensified in the past week, the government said on 6 January. President Robert Mugabe was immediately accused of trying to usurp mayors from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in Harare, the capital, and Bulawayo. The move was announced on 6 January in the state-owned Herald newspaper, which quoted the local government minister, Ignatius Chombo. Mr Chombo denied that the new governors would take on the role of the mayors, but local observers disagreed. «The Mugabe government has already made it impossible for the two mayors to do their jobs properly and it is putting in place officials who will tell the mayors what to do,» said John Makumbe, chairman of Transparency International Zimbabwe. «Mugabe and his party, ZANU-PF, are control freaks and they are trying to take back any power or responsibility the opposition has won.» Bulawayo and Harare have experienced food riots in the past week. People are unhappy with food shortages, inflation at 175% and unemployment at more than 60%. «The battle lines have been drawn,» said Mr Makumbe, who is also a lecturer in political science at the University of Zimbabwe. However it was not clear when Mr Mugabe would appoint the new governors. (ANB-BIA‘s update: On 8 January, opposition supporters planned to march in Harare in support of Mayor Elias Mudzuri. The police banned the march and arrested those who turned up). (The Guardian, UK, 7 January 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Cricket boycott calls grow — 3 January: Politicians in Australia and New Zealand have called on international cricket chiefs to move World Cup matches away from Zimbabwe. The new demands by the governments to the International Cricket Council add to pressure for a boycott to protest against the regime of President Robert Mugabe. Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported that Australian Prime Minister John Howard is heading a lobbying effort for national cricket boards to ask World Cup organisers to reschedule games. Mugabe supporters accuse Australia and Britain of wanting to keep cricket «white». But individual country organisations, including the England and Wales Cricket Board, could face fines and point penalties if they fail to fulfil fixtures in the competition next month. Australia and Britain have asked their teams to consider not playing in Zimbabwe — where Mr Mugabe’s government is accused of human rights abuses against political opponents. 5 January: Peter Hain, the British cabinet minister who rose to fame by campaigning against sporting links with South Africa during its apartheid years, has urged international cricket authorities not to stage matches in Zimbabwe. 9 January: Senior English cricket officials are to meet British ministers, today, to discuss British Government objections to their planned World Cup match in Zimbabwe. If there is a boycott, the team will forfeit two points in the World Cup and are also likly to face a £1 million pound fine imposed by the International Cricket Council for not fulfilling the fixture in Harare. On top of that, there is the possibility Zimbabwe will retaliate by pulling out of a tour of England scheduled for later this year, causing the loss of millions of pounds in income. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 9 January 2003)