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WEEKLY NEWS - ISSUE of 12/09/96 -  PART 1/


* Afrique du Sud. Le rejet de la Constitution
Les 11 juges de la Cour constitutionnelle, en grande majorite des
Noirs proches du parti du president Mandela, ont rejete le projet
de Constitution du Parlement. Ces juges ont refuse les passages de
la Loi fondamentale qui mettaient a mal les ouvriers et leurs
syndicats. L'autre point de desaccord reside dans le pouvoir des
gouvernements provinciaux. Le nouvel Etat sud-africain devait etre
centralise pour l'ANC, federal pour les autres partis. Resultat: un
savant dosage que la Cour vient de casser en se prononcant pour la
centralisation. Les nouveaux supporters de la Cour
constitutionnelle se revelent etre le parti zoulou de Mangosuthu
Buthelezi, toujours en guerre avec l'ANC, et le Parti national
(majoritairement compose de Blancs) de l'ex-president Frederik De
Klerk. Ils ont applaudi des deux mains a la decision de rejet de la
Constitution. (D'apres A.D., La Croix, France, 10 septembre 1996)

* South Africa. What the papers say
30 August - 5 September's Mail and Guardian carries a heading:
"Amnesty fails South Africa's unforgiven". This refers to the Truth
Commission which says its first amnesty is imminent but old-guard
perpetrators are still reluctant to bare their souls. The same
issue carries a feature on Cuban doctors in South Africa. "Red-hot
tizz over Cuban doctors" -- foreign doctors say they are being
treated as slaves compared with Cuban doctors. The Sunday Times of
1 September has an article: "Killing was his business". It concerns
former security policeman Eugene de Kock who has been found guilty
of 89 charges including six of murder. The Southern Cross (18
August) comments on gangs and vigilantes. Archbishop Lawrence Henry
of Cape Town is of the view that the events in Salt River, Cape
Town, of 4 August which led to the death of Mr Rashaad Staggie,
reputed to be a drug gang leader, were an indication of the
profound breakdown of law and order in Cape Town. The Archbishop
says: "The actions of a small group of vigilantes are to be
condemned most strenuously, as is the gangsterism and organised
crime which they claim to be fighting". (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10
September 1996)

* Algerie. Conference de l'entente nationale
La "conference de l'entente nationale", qui doit rassembler les
autorites et la classe politique, se tiendra les 14 et 15
septembre. Le president Liamine Zeroual vient de lancer les
invitations aux dirigeants de partis, aux "personnalites
nationales", aux responsables d'associations et d'organisations qui
ont participe, depuis le printemps dernier, au dialogue politique,
a indique, jeudi 5 septembre, un communique de la presidence. Cette
conference devra fixer les regles des prochaines echeances
electorales --referendum sur la revision de la Constitution,
scrutins legislatif et communal -- et de la recherche d'un
consensus entre le pouvoir et l'opposition, tout en constituant
"une opportunite a la reconciliation nationale que le peuple
revendique", selon l'agence officielle de presse APS. Plusieurs
formations politiques ont deja annonce qu'elles boycotteraient la
conference, l'estimant incapable d'arreter les violences qui
dechirent le pays. (Le Monde, France, 7 septembre 1996)

* Botswana. Long-term vision for the nation
The President, Sir Ketumile Masire has decided to establish a
mechanism for defining a Long-term Vision for Botswana. To that
end, he has established a small Task Force of citizens to work
closely with him in consulting widely at all levels of society. The
purpose of these consultations is to mobilise Botswana towards
articulating a common purpose for long-term social and economic
development. It is envisaged that at the end of the national
consultative process involved in this exercise, a Long-Term Vision
for Botswana will emerge. (AFJN, Washington, 9 September 1996)

* Burundi. Les voisins allegent l'embargo
Les sanctions imposees au Burundi, ou le major Pierre Buyoya a pris
le pouvoir le 25 juillet, seront assouplies pour "tenir compte de
vrais besoins humanitaires" a decide le comite des sanctions reuni
ce week-end a Arusha en Tanzanie, pour la premiere fois depuis
l'imposition de l'embargo, le 31 juillet. Le comite a reaffirme que
l'embargo sera "strictement maintenu". Seuls des aliments pour
nourrissons, des produits destines aux enfants et aux malades et du
materiel medical figurent parmi les importations autorisees. Au
Burundi, l'embargo regional se fait de plus en plus sentir. Les
vivres ont double ou triple de prix et le carburant ne s'obtient
que sur liste d'attente. (D'apres S.Sm., Liberation, France, 10
septembre 1996)

* Burundi. Continued concerns
21 August: Fourteen US relief and refugee-assistance agencies have
urged President Clinton to take additional steps to avoid
repetition in Burundi of the mass violence which took 500,000 to
1,000,000 lives in neighbouring Rwanda two years ago. The agencies
ask the President to press US allies to work more closely with
African governments to cut off the flow of arms to the region and
to stem cross border violence. The agencies also call for
contingency plans to protect potential victims should diplomacy
fail and more widespread violence erupt. 5 September: Burundi's
Tutsi-dominated army mount an assault on Hutu rebel forces, trying
to drive them from hills overlooking Bujumbura. Hutu peasants flee
from the hills to temporary camps on the outskirts of Bujumbura to
escape the third consecutive day of fighting. 7 September: Pierre
Buyoya says that Julius Nyerere is prepared to organise a Summit of
Eastern Africa Heads of State to discuss the sanctions against
Burundi. 9 September: Representatives from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda,
Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and the OAU say they are prepared to ease
sanctions against Burundi and allow in some humanitarian aid on
condition that the embargo's purpose is not undermined. The same
day, Human Rights Watch and the International Federation of Human
Rights League write to the UN Security Council urging the Council
to create an ad hoc international tribunal to prosecute those
charged with massive human rights violations in Burundi. 10
September: An army spokesman says that the army has received a
report that the Archbishop of Gitega, Joachim Ruhuna, was murdered
by armed bandits on 9 September. This report is later confirmed. A
nun and two other people are also murdered. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10
September 1996)

* Burundi. Statement from the American Catholic Bishops
"It is with profound sadness that we have received news of the
disappearance and presumed death of Archbishop Joachim Ruhuna,
Archbishop of Gitega, in the Central African country of Burundi.
The apparent murder of the Archbishop is a most serious sin against
God and a crime against humanity. The United States Catholic
Bishops, join with all people of good will, in condemning this act
against a man of God, a courageous pastor and an advocate of peace,
described as "someone who loved all of humanity". Archbishop
Ruhuna's disappearance is a heartbreaking reminder of the urgent
need for the continued pursuit of reconciliation and justice in
Burundi. We renew our support and solidarity with the Church and
people in Burundi at this tragic moment. We pray this terrible loss
will lead to new urgency and commitment in the pursuit of peace for
the suffering people of Burundi." (AFJN, Washington, 11 September
1996)

* Burundi. L'archeveque de Gitega assassine
L'archeveque de Gitega, Mgr Joachim Ruhuna, 63 ans, a probablement
ete assassine lundi 9 septembre. A partir des informations recues
ces jours-ci, souvent contradictoires, nous avons essaye de
reconstruire les faits. En rentrant du seminaire de Burasira
(Gitega), Mgr Ruhuna s'etait arrete a Gitongo, pour saluer le
diacre de la paroisse. Dans la voiture avaient pris place sept
personnes: l'eveque, deux religieuses (Soeur Irene, du Centre de
spiritualite de Kiriri, gere par les jesuites de Bujumbura, et
Soeur Concesa, du Foyer de charite de Bujumbura), une dame
burundaise, le chauffeur et deux lyceennes. Peu apres le depart, on
entend des coups de feu. Le diacre, avec un ami, part en courant
sur la route et, apres quatre kilometres, il voit la voiture en
flammes. A l'interieur, il apercoit le corps de Monseigneur, crible
de balles, et une soeur blessee, qu'ils aident a sortir de la
voiture. Ils repartent au village chercher de l'aide et un moyen de
transport. Ne trouvant rien, ils reviennent sur place; mais le
corps de l'eveque a disparu et il n'y a pas de traces de la soeur.
Comme il fait deja noir, ils rentrent au village. Mardi matin, on
decouvre le cadavre de la soeur du Foyer de charite. Certaines
personnes, interrogees, disent avoir vu des personnes qu'on
transportait et d'autres qui marchaient vers les collines. On fait
toutes sortes d'hypotheses. En plus, il semblerait que les
militaires refusent de fouiller cette zone car, disent-ils, elle
est infestee de bandes armees hutu. Mercredi 11 septembre, apres-
midi, coup de theatre: on trouve 4 personnes vivantes: le
chauffeur, blesse, les deux lyceennes et la dame burundaise,
apparemment indemnes. Mais on ne sait pas encore ce qui s'est
reellement passe. Au moment d'ecrire ces lignes, nous n'avons pas
encore de nouvelles du corps de l'eveque ni de la soeur travaillant
au Centre de spiritualite. Dans l'oraison funebre prononcee le 23
juillet dernier, lors de l'enterrement des victimes de Bugendana,
Mgr Ruhuna avait affirme que les assassins des 330 victimes -- pour
la plupart des femmes et des enfants -- etaient en train "d'errer
comme des enfants maudits chasses de leur famille (...) Vos crimes
sont la honte de l'humanite". Mais il avait egalement appele chacun
a faire son examen de conscience "pour voir s'il ne participe pas
au crime, soit par ses propos, ses actes, soit par tout autre
comportement". Pour certains, cette oraison funebre aurait condamne
a mort l'eveque, qui avait deja echappe a une embuscade en
septembre 1995. On estime a 100.000 les personnes assassinees au
Burundi depuis le coup d'Etat et l'assassinat du president
librement elu, Mr. Ndadaye, en octobre 1993. Parmi elles, 1 eveque
burundais (Tutsi), 16 pretres (11 Hutu, 1 Tutsi, 2 Rwandais et 2
Italiens), 5 religieuses, et une volontaire laique italienne. Au
Rwanda voisin, 3 eveques, 108 pretres, 40 religieux, 80 religieuses
et 38 seminaristes ont trouve la mort depuis le debut du genocide
qui a fait entre 500.000 et 1 million de morts. (ANB-BIA, de
sources diverses, 12 septembre 1996)

* Burundi. Eglise et reconciliation
Bien que certains pretres analysent differemment la crise actuelle,
l'Eglise du Burundi s'est fortement investie pour le retablissement
de la paix dans le pays. La Conference episcopale, qui se reunit
regulierement, est par elle-meme un temoignage d'unite. Dans un
pays ou plus de 100.000 personnes ont ete assassinees depuis
octobre 1993, l'Eglise paye un lourd tribu a la guerre: un eveque
tue, 16 pretres tues (dont 4 etrangers), religieuses et religieux
tues, de nombreux catechistes tues, des assemblees chretiennes
attaquees pendant les offices..., sans parler des milliers et
milliers de refugies et de deplaces, dont plus de 20 pretres. Des
le debut de la crise, l'Eglise a joue un role tres actif dans les
pourparlers en vue de la Convention de gouvernement: deux des
quatre moderateurs etaient des eveques catholiques. Parce qu'elle
se veut impartiale dans le conflit, l'Eglise est l'objet de
frequentes attaques armees et d'incessantes critiques. Partout
presente sur le territoire, elle est un des rares temoins genants
des forfaits qui s'y commettent. La Conference episcopale ne cesse
d'envoyer des messages vigoureux au peuple burundais. La derniere
lettre, en particulier, denoncait sans menagement les causes de la
guerre civile et appelait toutes les parties en conflit a desirer
la paix et a entamer le dialogue. Mgr Joachim RUHUNA, 63 ans,
faisait partie de cette conference episcopale. Homme de Dieu et de
priere, homme de coeur, tres attentif au bien des personnes, il
etait douloureusement afflige par un conflit qui le depassait.
Homme de paix, il a toujours cru aux solutions pacifiques. Dans
l'oraison funebre prononcee lors de l'enterrement des victimes de
Bugendana, le 23 juillet dernier, Mgr Ruhuna avait affirme que les
assassins des 330 victimes -- la plupart des femmes et des enfants
--etaient en train "d'errer comme des enfants maudits chasses de
leur famille (...) Vos crimes sont la honte de l'humanite". Mais il
avait egalement appele chacun a faire son examen de conscience
"pour voir s'il ne participe pas au crime, soit par ses propos, ses
actes, soit par tout autre comportement". Pour certains, avec cette
oraison funebre, l'eveque --qui avait deja echappe a un attentat en
1995 -- aurait signe sa condamnation a mort. (ANB-BIA, de sources
diverses, 12 septembre 1996)

* Djibouti. President plans to rule until 1999
Djibouti's 80-year-old President said on 5 September that he had no
plans to step down as Head of State until 1999 and would remain
head of the ruling party until next March. President Hassan Gouled
Aptidon's statement at a central committee meeting of his ruling
people's Rally for Progress (RPP) was clearly aimed at ending
months of speculation that he was considering resigning because of
his age and health. Gouled is officially 80 but is widely believed
to be five years older. (AFJN, Washington, 9 September 1996)

* Ghana. Pastoral Congress
The Catholic Church in Ghana has launched a Pastoral Congress to
study and redefine its role in society towards the new millennium.
This will include education, health and other development areas.
The first ever National Catholic Pastoral Congress is also expected
to propose modalities for a genuine cooperation which should exist
between the Church and the State. The event is scheduled to take
place from 7-14 April 1997 in Cape Coast where it will draw up
action programmes that will "deepen the spirit of evangelisation"
throughout Ghana. The theme of the Congress is: "Ecclesia in Ghana:
The Church in Ghana and her Evangelising Mission in the Third
Millennium". The Assistant Secretary General of the National
Catholic Secretariat said the Congress was "inspired by and is a
celebration of the African Bishops' Synod held in Rome in April/May
1994". (APS, Accra, 2 September 1996)

* Kenya. Iran leader's visit
On 2 September, Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani arrived in
Nairobi to a colourful reception at the beginning of a four-day
State visit. Islamic chants rent the air at the Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport when President Rafsanjani steeped out of his
Iran Airline plane to be received by President Moi. President
Rafsanjani will tour various development projects and hold
bilateral and multilateral talks with President Moi. Iran's
President will also be visiting Uganda, South Africa, Zimbabwe,
Tanzania and Sudan. (Daily Nation, Kenya, 3 September 1996)

* Liberia. Aid reaches starving
On 8 September, a UN aid agency said that it would deliver on 9
September, the first food for eight months to the besieged town of
Tubmanburg in western Liberia, where relief workers have found
thousands of people starving. The World Food Programme (WFP) said
a team that reached the town on 7 September believed more than half
its estimated 35,000 inhabitants were suffering from extreme hunger
and hundreds of children were close to death. "It's a green hell,"
the WFP's Liberia country director, Tarek Elguindi, said after
visiting the town. Officials of the Rome-based WFP and other aid
agencies are taking advantage of a peace deal agreed by rival
factions to enter Tubmanburg, which has been cut off since
February. Mr Elguindi said one member of his team rated the
situation as "worse than in Somalia in terms of the concentration
of hungry people and the severity of the cases". He said
inhabitants had lived on soup from boiled tree leaves and eaten a
wild red flower. "I've never seen such a massive number of hungry
people", he said. (The Guardian, U.K., 9 September 1006)

* Liberia. Une ville ravagee par la faim
Des premiers secours (medicaments, haricots, huile et sucre) ont
ete achemines hier a Tubmanburg, une ville liberienne situee a 65
km au nord-ouest de la capitale Monrovia ou, samedi, une mission
d'exploration humanitaire, la premiere depuis cinq mois, avait
revele "une situation apocalyptique". Le representant du Programme
alimentaire mondial (PAM), Tarek Elguindi, evalue a "environ 4.000"
le nombre des enfants necessitant une aide d'urgence, dans une
ville qui compterait entre 30.000 et 35.000 habitants. Samedi, pour
la premiere fois depuis que Tubmanburg, le fief de la faction du
"general" Roosevelt Johnson, a ete coupe de Monrovia, a la suite de
combats en mars dernier entre cette faction et la Force ouest-
africaine d'interposition, plusieurs ONG et des organismes des
Nations unies sont parvenus sur place, apres avoir franchi de
nombreux barrages routiers montes par environ 150 combattants
juveniles, "entre 7 et 18 ans pour etre large et... en bonne sante,
visiblement drogues", temoigne Karin Michotte, responsable sur
place de l'ONG francaise Action contre la faim. Encercles par ces
boy soldiers, les habitants de Tubmanburg ne pouvaient plus aller
chercher de la nourriture en brousse, les femmes du marche, souvent
violees par eux, etant obligees de s'associer avec ces jeunes pour
subsister. (D'apres S.Sm., Liberation, France, 10 septembre 1996)

* Liberia. Tubmanburg -- a town's hunger
The skeletal, swollen-bellied children discovered in the western
Liberian town of Tubmanburg show some of the worst symptoms of
malnutrition seen in almost seven years of civil war, aid workers
say. The children, 150 of whom have been evacuated to special
feeding centre in Monrovia, were among thousands of starving
civilians discovered by aid workers in the town, which had been cut
off by the civil war since February. Food is now being shuttled in
by road. "This is the worst thing we have seen in the seven-year
history of the war in Liberia", one UNICEF worker said. The precise
death toll is unclear but locals speak of up to 16 people dying
each day before help arrived. Aid workers, who estimate that more
than 80% of the 35,000 population is seriously malnourished, say
hundreds of hungry civilians have emerged from the forest looking
for food as word of the relief operation has spread. Workers expect
to find more pockets of hunger in isolated parts of the country.
(The Guardian, U.K., 12 September 1996)

* Madagascar. Le president destitue
Le president malgache, Albert Zafy, elu en 1993 apres dix-sept ans
de regne du capitaine de vaisseau Didier Ratsiraka, a ete destitue
le 5 septembre par la Haute Cour constitutionnelle (HCC), qui a
confirme son empechement vote en juillet par l'Assemblee nationale.
Le 26 juillet, une large majorite parlementaire avait sanctionne le
president pour ne pas avoir procede aux reformes prevues dans la
Constitution, parmi lesquelles figure la creation d'un Senat.
"L'homme au chapeau de paille", porte au pouvoir par un vaste
mouvement de contestation, a cependant pris les devants en
annoncant sur les ondes nationales, juste avant que ne soit
officialise l'arbitrage de la Haute Cour, son depart du pouvoir, le
10 octobre. Ce qui devrait lui permettre de se representer a la
presidentielle anticipee. Dans un climat de confusion politique et
de marasme economique, la Haute Cour a designe le Premier ministre
N. Ratsirahonana comme successeur par interim. (ANB-BIA, Bruxelles,
6 septembre 1996)

* Madagascar. President ousted
5 September: President Albert Zafy announces his resignation after
a constitutional panel upholds a move by parliament to oust him.
President Zafy says he will step down on 10 October. 6 September:
The Supreme Court appoints Prime Minister Norbert Ratsirahonana as
chief executive in the interim. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 7 September
1996)

* Malawi. Tembo and Kadzamira released
On 3 September, more than 1,000 supporters of the Malawi Congress
Party (MCP), the country's main opposition, celebrated the release
of former president Kamuzu Banda's two closest associates. Mr
Banda's aide John Tembo (freed on bail of $1,300), his heir-
apparent as MCP leader; and Mr Banda's long-time companion Cecilia
Kadzamira were arrested on 2 September on charges of conspiracy and
attempted murder. They are charged with plotting to kill three
cabinet ministers last year and are alleged to have hired four men
to carry out the assassinations. (The Independent, U.K., 4 & 6
September 1996)

* Mozambique. Arms destroyed
The authorities in Mozambique have destroyed a large consignment of
arms in the southern province of Maputo. A report by Radio
Mozambique said that 57 rifles of various sizes, 26 mortar rockets
and hundreds of rounds of ammunition for AK-47 assault rifles have
been destroyed in Matutuine district. In a related development,
police in the southern province of Inhambe seized 770 weapons and
recovered a large number of stolen goods in the past 12 months.
(AFJN, Washington, 4 September 1996)

* Ouganda. Lettres des eveques
Dans une lettre ouverte publiee le 30 aout, les eveques catholiques
ougandais ont appele le gouvernement a chercher une solution
politique a la rebellion de la Lord'a resistance Army (LRA) dans le
Nord afin de preserver des vies humaines. Cet appel intervient
alors que le president Yoweri Museveni refuse toujours de negocier
avec ce mouvement d'opposition arme de l'ancien catechiste Joseph
Kony, et a renforce la presence de l'armee dans le Nord. Par
ailleurs, dans une autre lettre, adressee aux pays voisins du
Burundi et communiquee a la presse, les eveques ougandais ont
denonce la domination de l'ethnie tutsi au sein de l'armee
burundaise, responsable selon eux de "l'instabilite et de la
violence" dans ce pays. Denoncant "les meurtres d'innocents qui se
poursuivent au Burundi", ils ont egalement appele a une "solution
pacifique rapide et reelle" dans ce pays, seule susceptible selon
eux d'empecher "un nouveau genocide honteux". Ils ont enfin demande
aux chretiens et a la communaute internationale d'appuyer l'embargo
decrete par les pays de la region a l'encontre du Burundi pour
obtenir un retour a "l'ordre constitutionnel" dans le pays.
(Marches Tropicaux, France, 6 septembre 1996)

* Rwanda. Killing of civilians
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has issued a
status report (as at 28 August 1996) on the killing of civilians in
Rwanda. The report states: "Between 6-9 August, at least 111 people
were killed during military search operations by the Rwandese
Patriotic Army (RPA) in Cyabingo, Mukingo, Nkuli, Nyakinama and
Nyamutera Communes in western Ruhengeri Prefecture. Some of those
killed were allegedly former members of the Rwandese Armed Forces
of the previous government, the Interahamwe militia or other
infiltrators or insurgents who have engaged in violent opposition
to the Government of Rwanda and in the killing of civilians, but
many of those killed are reported to have been unarmed civilians".
(IRIN, Nairobi, Kenya, 6 September 1996

* Rwanda/Uganda. Training Rwanda's police
A contingent of Uganda police instructors is in Rwanda to train the
country's fledging police force. "I can tell you that we are here
to impart professional police skills and mould the enlisted
officers into a competent force," Asan Kasingye, head of the
Ugandan contingent said. Kasingye who heads the Community Policing
Department in the Uganda Police Force, and his six man team are
based in Gisale Police Academy, 20 km East of Kigali. Rwanda's
Patriotic Army spokesman, Major Emmanuel Ndahiro, confirmed that
Uganda was training his country's police force. He also disclosed
that the training is sponsored by the United States Agency for
International development (USAID) under a project to rehabilitate
the justice system in Rwanda. (The Monitor, Uganda, 30 August-2
September 1996)

* Sierra Leone. Handling the crime menace
In 1984, retired Major Abu Noah, who has spent 10 years in jail for
allegedly attempting a coup, set up Sierra Leone's first security
agency called Mount Everest Security Agency. Recently, several
other security firms, some of them owned by foreigners, have sprung
up. However, they are not as well established as Mount Everest
which operates nationwide. Even though these security agencies now
complement the role of the usual law-enforcement officers, by
providing loss prevention services, Sierra Leone's crime rate,
especially in Freetown, continues to soar. Arms are finding their
way into the wrong hands. Abu Noah says that his company has now
embarked on training guards. (Alpha R. Jalloh, Sierra Leone,
September, 1996)

* Somalia. Better crops
Officials from the World Food Programme (WFP) say this year's crops
in Somalia will be 50% better than last year's. But they add that
food shortages will remain a problem in cities and in some parts of
the countryside. In the Southwestern Bay region, traditionally
Somalia's breadbasket, crop yields actually tripled as farmers
planted as much land as possible, and pests such as insects and
birds were kept in check. Farmers in Northwestern Somalia also grew
three times as much food as last year. But while overall crop
production went up, Somalis in some parts of the country are still
not benefitting from the food increase. In the main cities such as
Mogadishu and Kismayu, more children are turning up at feeding
centres. And the urban unemployed cannot afford to buy food in the
market. Getting food to the cities is hard because of continuing
insecurity. (Voice of America, 9 September 1996)

* Tanzanie. Bukoba: on y voit plus clair
Vendredi, le ministre tanzanien des Transports et des
Communications a rendu publiques les conclusions de la commission
gouvernementale qui avait ete mise sur pied en Tanzanie pour
determiner les responsabilites a l'origine du naufrage du ferry
tanzanien Bukoba, qui avait fait plus de 500 morts. Ce rapport
reproche au constructeur belge du ferry d'avoir sciemment vendu a
la Tanzanie un navire defectueux. Il blame le gouvernement
tanzanien pour s'etre engage dans une relation contractuelle
"deraisonnable" avec ce fournisseur et n'avoir pas respecte les
procedures habituelles lors de telles transactions. Il denonce
enfin les operations navales de la compagnie tanzanienne des
chemins de fer, "qui ont ete marquees par de grossieres
negligences, de la corruption et d'autres dysfonctionnements".
(D'apres B.DL., La Libre Belgique, 10 septembre 1996)

* Tanzania. World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches' (WCC) Plenary Commission on Faith
and Order met in Moshi from 10-24 August. At the opening session,
Tanzania's President Benjamin Mkapa urged participants to carry
their commitment to Christian unity further into the challenges of
the wider human family, both nationally and internationally, and to
be the "moral crusaders for the unity and universality of humankind
in its entirety". The President's speech of welcome became the
keynote address for the entire meeting. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9
September 1996)

* Tanzania. State-owned media companies
Tanzania's information minister says that state-owned media
companies will not be privatised. Kingunge Ngombale-Mwiru, minister
of state for information said the government would not sell its
holdings in Tanzania Standard Newspapers, publishers of the
English-language Daily News and the Sunday News. he said: "The
government has a role to educate the people, a role that cannot be
fully left for the private media". (Reuter, 6 September 1996)

* Uganda. Continuing war in the north
On 30 August, The Monitor reported that Uganda's Catholic Bishops
have called for a political solution to the war in the north. The
Sunday Vision (1 September) announces that another 2,000
demobilised soldiers will be recalled to join troops fighting
Joseph Kony (Lord's Resistance Army) in the north. Major-General
Salim Saleh disclosed: "I have not yet informed the relevant
authorities about my plan, But I will definitely need another 2,000
veterans whom I have planned to recall in september to boost our
forces in the north. And, I think, no one will reject my request".
The East African Chronicle of 6 September says that grisly tales of
indiscriminate human rights violations are coming from the north in
the current drive by the Uganda government to flush out Joseph
Kony's rebels in the north. Both the army and the rebels are
blamed. (Editor's note: A further development was reported on 11
September. Sudan and Uganda have agreed to a clampdown on rebel
activity around their mutual borders and to set up a team of
foreign observers to monitor the situation.) (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 11
September 1996)

* Zaire. Affrontements dans l'est
Des combats ont eu lieu, debut septembre, dans la region d'Uvira
(est du Zaire), entre des miliciens tutsi et l'armee zairoise,
alertee par la population locale d'infiltrations de miliciens tutsi
"provenant du Rwanda". Le bilan fait etat de plusieurs morts et
blesses des deux cotes. Vendredi 6 septembre, les soldats, ayant
recu l'ordre d'isoler et de perquisitionner les communautes de
pretres, religieux et religieuses, ont fouille l'eveche, l'economat
general, le siege de la Caritas, la paroisse de la cathedrale et
plusieurs maisons de religieuses. Ils ont saisi plusieurs vehicules
du diocese ainsi que du materiel de communication legalement
utilise par le diocese. Deux pretres diocesains, d'origine tutsi,
Joseph Sibomana et Andre Semusambi, ont ete arretes et jetes au
cachot. Le meme sort a touche deux seminaristes rwandais, d'origine
hutu, Jeremie Habyarimana et Pierre Claver Nzeyimana, etudiants en
theologie pour le compte du diocese de Kabgayi (Rwanda). Quelques
religieuses ont ete frappees et deux arretees et puis relachees le
meme jour. Le 9 septembre, a eu lieu une "marche de denonciation",
pour exiger le depart des Banyamulenge, les anciens immigrants
rwandais d'ethnie tutsi qui vivent dans les hauts plateaux d'Uvira,
Fizi et Itombwe. La population locale les accuse de collaborer avec
les Tutsi qui ont pris le pouvoir au Rwanda. On cite un milicien
capture selon qui les Banyamulenge serait bien armes, entraines a
la guerre et epaules par des techniciens de guerre. (D'apres
Caritas-Info, Uvira, 11 septembre 1996)

* Zambia. New farmers' party
A new political party has been added to the seemingly endless list
of Zambia's opposition parties. The National Lima (Agriculture)
Party (NLP) now brings the number of registered opposition parties
to 36. It is lead by two co-chairmen: former Agricultural Minister
Dr Guy Scott and former Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU)
president Ben Kapita. The two chairmen said their party is not
interested in taking over the presidency of the republic. "Our aim
in the NLP is to make sure that many Zambian farmers take part in
the politics of their country, and this can be achieved if they
know their rights", said Dr. Scott. Ben Kapita said: "Our party
will bring light to all farmers who have been reduced to becoming
beggars by the current government. It is the NLP's objective to
champion the cause of farmers. All politicians have turned a blind
eye to the farmers' plight". (Gideon Thole, Zambia, September 1996)

* Zambia. AIDS test controversy
A three-year-old boy at Mazabuka District Rural Health centre has
been tested HIV negative after having been previously tested
positive. The Director of Madiya Musuma Centre -- an orphanage for
children of AIDS victims said: "This boy (previously tested HIV
positive) was brought to the centre when he was 18 months old. Over
the past three months he has received intensive care and
medication. Recently he has been retested and he is now HIV
negative". A World Health organisation (WHO) representative in
Zambia, Dr Wilfred Boayve says: "Some HIV testing kits cannot
always be relied on. We have had cases of people tested positive in
one laboratory and negative in another. It is important that we
address the whole issue of HIV in Africa scientifically. There is
a major problem". (Gideon Thole, Zambia, September 1996)

* Zimbabwe. Strike ended
On 4 September, a 16-day strike by Zimbabwe's government workers
appeared over, with civil servants returning to their jobs but
threatening to walk out again if their demands were ignored.
According to the state news agency, the strike cost the government
at least 1 billion Zimbabwe dollars in uncollected revenue. (The
Independent, U.K., 5 September 1996)


===> NOUS VOUS SIGNALONS... -- ARTICLES AVAILABLE
--* THE GREAT LAKES
Title: African leaders take a stand
Author: James C. McKinley, The New York Times, 9 September 1996
Source: IRIN, 10 September 1996 (Please quote when ordering)
Description: African governments are often criticized for doing
little to halt disasters in their midst. Now, in East Africa,
regional leaders are making a serious effort to confront the
leaders of the recent coup in Burundi.
--* BURUNDI
Title: The UN Security Council calls on the Burundi Regime to
restore constitutional order, and demands unconditional
negotiations towards a political settlement (30 August 1996)
Description: This is a Press Release distributed via the UN
Department of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information
network. (Please quote: IRIN 5 Sept 1996 when ordering)
--* LIBERIA
Title: A Statement by the Catholic Bishops of Liberia, 1 August
1996.
Description: In early August, Liberia's Catholic Bishops issued a
statement in which they condemned "in no uncertain terms" all the
warring factions and their leaders.