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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 11-09-1997      PART #1/  

     * South Africa. New scandal engulfs Winnie Mandela  -  5
September: The Winnie Madikizela-Mandela scandal is about to
erupt again with new allegations that she ordered the murder of
a Soweto doctor and was involved in a previous killing of a
teenager. One of two gunmen convicted of Dr Abu-Baker Asvat's
murder on 27 January 1989, now claims he was contracted to do it
by Mrs Mandela. Mrs Mandela is expected to be questioned by the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission on 25 September. Stompie
Seipei, aged 14, died after he and four youths were kidnapped
from a Methodist place of safety in Soweto, by members of the
"Mandela Football Club" -- a gang of thugs around Mrs Mandela. 
 (The Guardian, U.K., 5 September 1997)
     * Afrique du Sud. Winnie Mandela accusee  -  Winnie
Madikizela-Mandela, l'ex-femme de Nelson Mandela, se voit accusee
par deux temoins d'avoir commandite le meurtre de son medecin
personnel, Abou Bakr Asvat, abattu dans son cabinet de
consultation en janvier 1989. Celui-ci etait implique dans
l'enquete au sujet de la mort de Stompie Seipei -- un adolescent
de 14 ans, battu a mort par les gardes de Winnie -- et refusait
de souscrire a sa version des faits. Ces accusations
interviennent a trois mois de la conference de l'ANC, qui devait
marquer le retour en force sur la scene politique de l'ex-epouse
du president. Un autre temoin, Katiza Cebekhulu, qui vivait cache
a Londres apres avoir disparu mysterieusement d'Afrique du Sud,
a decide lui-aussi de rompre le silence et accuse Winnie Mandela
d'avoir elle-meme assassine Stompie Seipei. Il l'accuse egalement
du meurtre de deux autres militants noirs et d'avoir commandite
l'assassinat du docteur Asvat.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses,
11 septembre 1997)
     * South Africa. De Klerk quits politics  -  On 9 September,
F.W. de Klerk said his farewells to active politics amid rowdy
scenes in the Cape Town parliament. Marthinus van Schalkwyk, a
former military intelligence agent who has taken over as leader
of the National Party, was met with taunts from ANC Members of
Parliament, linking him with apartheid-era death squads.   (The
Guardian, U.K., 10 September 1997)
     * Afrique du Sud. Nouveau leader du NP  -  Le Parti national
(NP), au pouvoir en Afrique du Sud avant 1994, a elu le 9
septembre son nouveau president pour succeder a Frederik De
Klerk. Il s'agit de Marthinus van Schalkwijk, 37 ans, ancien
dirigeant du mouvement de jeunesse afrikaner Jeugdkrag, homme du
serail, qui etait jusqu'a present le directeur executif du parti
et repute proche de la branche conservatrice. De Klerk quitte la
scene politique sans avoir pu reformer son parti. On doute que
van Schalkwijk soit l'homme capable de rompre avec le passe,
d'entamer la revolution culturelle de son parti et d'eviter son
naufrage.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10 septembre 1997)
     * South Africa. Police admit to Biko cover-up  -  On 10
September, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission began trying
to lever the true story of the death in detention, 20 years ago,
of the black consciousness leader Steve Biko, as crowds outside
the hearing demanded justice. Police officers began testifying
to the Commission in an attempt to win amnesty for the killing,
but lawyers for the Biko family accused them of offering only a
modification of the original cover-up. Biko died on 12 September
1977, after being driven 750 miles -- naked, handcuffed and badly
injured -- in a police vehicle from Pretoria to Port Elizabeth. 
 (The Guardian, U.K., 11 September 1997)
     * South Africa. TRC  -  4 September: In a statement issued
by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the Commission
is issuing a public appeal for submissions to help it in
preparing for a hearing on the role of business in South Africa,
between the years 1960-1994. The deadline for submissions is 10
October this year. The hearing will take place in Johannesburg,
11-13 November 1997. Since announcing the hearing in July, the
Commission has approached major employer associations, union
federations and a few major corporations, as well as former anti-
apartheid groupings. 5 September: The Amnesty Commission of the
TRC denies amnesty to an Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) and
Orde Boerevolk (OB) leader who led an attack on a bus in which
seven passengers died in October 1990. Two other AWB and OB
followers who took part in the attack, are granted amnesty.  
(TRC, South Africa, 8 September 1997)

     * Algerie. La violence gagne Oran  -  Les attentats
continuent dans la capitale et au sud d'Alger, mais le 28 aout
une bombe a egalement explose dans un restaurant a Oran, la
metropole de l'ouest du pays, faisant un nombre indetermine de
morts (entre 5 et 10). Selon la presse algerienne, durant les
quatre premiers jours de septembre, on comptait deja au moins 69
tues dans le pays. Entre-temps, la junte algerienne se dechire
sur un dialogue avec les islamistes. Les partisants d'un
compromis pencheraient pour un accord avec Abassi Madani, l'un
des dirigeants historiques du FIS; d'autres s'opposent a tout
dialogue. D'autre part, le Parti du renouveau algerien annoncait,
le 5 septembre, que quatre de ses candidats aux elections locales
du 28 octobre ont ete assassines par des islamistes dans la
region de Saida (est). Le meme jour, au soir, plus de 80 victimes
ont ete egorgees et une soixantaine blessees a Beni Messous, aux
portes d'Alger, sans que les forces de securite interviennent.
Gagnes par la peur, les habitants d'Alger s'organisent en
"comites de vigilance". Par ailleurs, dans un communique publie
a Bonn le 9 septembre, les islamistes du FIS ont denonce "un
pouvoir qui persiste a refuser une solution politique juste" du
conflit et ont appele la population "a resister et a se defendre"
contre les "bandes criminelles" responsables des massacres. Le
FIS, visiblement soucieux de repondre a l'angoisse de la
population, semble vouloir montrer du doigt certains secteurs du
regime soupconnes de vouloir casser les tractations qui etaient
sur le point d'aboutir a la proclamation d'une treve par le
mouvement islamiste.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10
septembre 1997) * Angola/ Namibia. Angolans expelled from Namibia 
-  Some 750 Angolans who emigrated to Namibia clandestinely have
ben expelled from the country, the Angolan News Agency (ANGOP),
reported on 5 September. The agency said the migrants were
expelled from Namibia between January and August 1997, quoting
Angola's Director of Emigration and National Frontiers, Joao
Angelo. According to ANGOP, the Angolans were expelled because
they overstayed in the country whereas they were only granted
visas for short visits. Some of them were also accused of
falsifying immigration papers and other minor crimes. Angolan
immigration statistics show that nearly 500 Angolans are
currently seeking to emigrate to Namibia.   (PANA, 5 September
1997)

     * Burundi. Leaders review Burundi policy  -  4 September:
Six African presidents meet in Tanzania to review sanctions and
policy on Burundi, with strong signs that the hosts want firm
action against Major Pierre Buyoya's military regime. "The summit
is not a Tanzanian initiative. It is a regional initiative",
Cyprian Majengo, a senior Tanzanian official, said in Dar es
Salaam. "It will discuss what action to tackle against Burundi
to bring them back to negotiations". The presidents of Congo-RDC,
Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe, as well as
Zambia's vice-president and the mediator, Julius Nyerere are
meeting behind closed doors.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 5 September
1997)
     * Burundi. Disagreement over sanctions  -  Details emerged
on 5 September of a split at an African summit on Burundi, with
leaders divided over whether to maintain or lift sanctions. The
summit in the Tanzanian capital ended on 4 September with the
decision to keep in place the economic embargo imposed in July
1996, days after Burundi's mainly Tutsi army staged a coup and
handed power to retired major Pierre Buyoya. A senior African
diplomat who attended the more than eight hours of talks in Dar
es Salaam, said leaders were divided into two camps, with Kenya,
Zambia and Ethiopia spearheading calls for the embargo to be
lifted. They argued that the embargo had proved impossible to
police and had only hardened the position of minority Tutsis and
the military-appointed government in Burundi. "This was a motion
championed strongly by Ethiopa, Kenya and Zambia. They argued
that the sanctions had failed to work," said the diplomat, who
declined to be identified. He said another group made up of
Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda called for the sanctions to be
strengthened and for a strong secretariat to be set up to monitor
the embargo. "These ones argued that only tough talk and force
could bring Burundi into line," he added.   (Reuter, 5 September)
     * Burundi. Maintien des sanctions  -  Le sommet regional
consacre au Burundi a pris fin, le 4 septembre, sur un accord
prevoyant le maintien des sanctions contre le regime de
Bujumbura. Les six presidents africains presents ont egalement
confirme Julius Nyerere, l'ancien president tanzanien, dans son
role de mediateur de la crise burundaise. Ils ont invite la junte
au pouvoir a participer aux prochaines negociations qui devraient
se tenir a Arusha et ont menace d'adopter des mesures
additionnelles devant toute obstruction du processus de
negociation.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 6 septembre 1997)

     * Cameroon. IMF approves ESAF  -  Cameroon has never seen
an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme through in the
past, but officials and aid donors say they are convinced that
Cameroon is serious about economic restructuring this time. The
IMF approved a three-year Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility
(ESAF) for Cameroon on 20 August, bringing with it a loan for
$219 million. Finance Minister Edouard Akame Mfoumou welcomed the
agreement, saying Cameroon was determined to carry the programme
through to conclusion. "Cameroon is not in the business of
collecting IMF programmes," he said. Cameroon had four one-year
standby agreements with the IMF between 1988 and 1995, but the
government allowed them all to lapse after economic policies went
off track. One big difference this time, is the much improved
state of the economy. Depressed oil, cocoa and coffee prices
brought recession in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the
economy contracted by some four percent per year. But Cameroon,
like other countries in Africa's Franc Zone, turned the corner
with a 50 percent devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994.
Gross Domestic Product grew by 3.3 percent in the budget year to
end-June 1995, and five percent per year the following two years.
Inflation averaged 30.9 percent in 1994/95 after the devaluation
but was little more than four percent in 1996/97. The 1997/98
budget forecast GDP growth of 5.5 percent and inflation of just
three percent. IMF and World Bank officials in Yaounde were
enthusiastic about the chances of economic success, not least
because of the Cameroonian government's input into the agreed
programme.   (Reuter, 1 September 1997)

     * Comoros. Heavy fighting on Anjouan  -  4 September: Heavy
fighting erupts in Mutsamudu, the main town on Anjouan, as
government troops meet fierce resistance from secessionists. By
afternoon, the government claims its forces have captured the
strategic points of Anjouan as well as Mutsamudu. President
Taki's government launched an assault on 3 September, to crush
the secessionist revolt. The troops attacked Domoni town and the
airport at Ouani, east of Mutsamudu before moving towards the
capital. 5 September: Secessionist forces regain control of
Mutsamudu. The government appeals to France for help in quelling
the rebellion.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 6 September 1997)
     * Comoros. France denies involvement  -  On 10 September,
France denied involvement in the latest crisis to hit its former
colony of Conmoros, saying the seccessionist movement on Anjouan
Island was an internal matter. The French Ambassador to Comoros
said that accusations against France from certain quarters (he
did not name), were untrue.   (InfoBeat, USA, 10 September 1997)
     * Comores. L'armee en deroute  -  4 septembre. Les
militaires comoriens debarques a Anjouan rencontrent une
resistance armee sanglante de la part des separatistes. Une
source locale a indique qu'au moins 30 soldats comoriens auraient
ete tues et que les combats se poursuivaient a Mutsamudu, la
capitale anjouane. Malgre cela, le gouvernement comorien
affirmait que ses forces maitrisaient "l'ensemble des points
strategiques de l'ile et de Mutsamudu". Deux des principaux
dirigeants separatistes anjouanais auraient echappe aux
militaires comoriens qui voulaient les arreter. 5 septembre. Un
responsable du Croissant rouge a annonce que les forces
separatistes ont repousse les soldats gouvernementaux apres des
combats meurtriers. "Les forces du gouvernement se sont retirees
de Mustamudu et se trouvent desormais a sept km de la ville"
autour de l'aeroport, a-t-il precise. L'envoye special de l'OUA,
Pierre Yere, a qualifie le debarquement de veritable "debacle",
indiquant que l'armee comorienne avait ete globalement defaite,
meme s'il restait quelques foyers de violence. Le bilan humain
risque d'etre lourd: on parle d'une centaine de morts, dont 30
ou 40 militaires. 6 septembre. L'armee comorienne s'est retiree
de l'ile d'Anjouan. Les separatistes auraient fait entre 60 et
100 prisonniers. Dans la capitale Moroni, une manifestation
reclamant la demission du president Taki Abdoulkarim a degenere
en emeutes. 7 septembre. M. Yere a quitte l'archipel sans etre
parvenu a retablir le contact entre le gouvernement et les
separatistes. Il s'est rendu a Addis Abeba pour rendre compte de
sa mission. 9 septembre. Le president Mohamed Abdoulkarim Taki
annonce qu'il assume les pleins pouvoirs, en attendant la
formation d'un gouvernement d'union nationale d'ici a trois
semaines. L'article 20 de la Constitution autoriserait ce geste
jusqu'a ce que la paix, la democratie et une vie normale
reviennent dans le pays. "Il faut eviter que les evenement
d'Anjouan ne se reproduisent", a estime le president Taki.  
(ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10 septembre 1997)

     * Congo-Brazzaville. Ingerences  -  L'assemblee nationale
congolaise a denonce les ingerences exterieures, dont celle de
la compagnie petroliere Elf-Congo, dans les affrontements. Des
proches du president Lissouba ont deplore l'attitude de la
France, qu'ils accusent de soutenir la rebellion de Nguesso.
Paris nie toute implication. D'autre part, le president gabonais
Omar Bongo a declare, le 4 septembre, que les belligerants
etaient "d'accord sur l'essentiel" d'un nouveau projet de paix.
Mais le lendemain, les partisans de Nguesso attaquerent la ville
d'Owando, a 600 km au nord de Brazzaville. En reponse, les 6 et
7 septembre, des tirs a l'arme lourde s'entendaient a nouveau a
Brazza et la mouvance presidentielle a recommande de rompre les
negociations de paix.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 8
septembre 1997)
     * Congo (Brazza). Lissouba names prime minister  - 
President Lissouba has named the mayor of Brazzaville, Bernard
Kolelas, as prime minister, in a bid to end three months of
warfare in the capital, state radio said. But on 9 September,
Lissouba's opponents denounced the move, saying it undermined
peace talks and amounted to a declaration of outright war in the
country. Fighting, meanwhile spread further in norther Congo,
with militia and alleged mercenary forces of Nguesso, attacking
the town of Owando.   (InfoBeat, USA, 9 September 1997)
     * Congo-Brazzaville. Kolelas premier ministre  -  Le
president Lissouba a nomme, le 8 septembre au soir, le maire de
Brazzaville Bernard Kolelas au poste de premier ministre d'un
gouvernement d'union nationale de transition. Cette designation
a ete interpretee par le camp de Nguesso comme "un choix de
guerre" et "un boycott de la mediation de Libreville". Kolelas,
qui dispose de sa propre milice, est reste neutre devant les
combats des derniers mois et preside meme un comite de mediation
nationale. Sur le terrain, les combats se sont etendus vers le
nord, ou les milices de Nguesso ont attaque la ville d'Owando.
Selon la radio officielle, elles seraient appuyes de mercenaires,
presumes venir du Tchad et des armees des regimes dechus du
Rwanda et du Zaire.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10 septembre
1997)

     * Congo (RDC)/Rwanda. Safety of refugees  -  On 5 September,
Amnesty International, in a News Release, said that the
Governments of Congo (RDC) and Rwanda should issue immediate
orders to their soldiers, not to violate the rights of thousands
of Rwandese and Burundian refugees in Congo (RDC). This comes
amidst reports that several hundred refugees were forcibly
returned to Rwandan from Kisangani on 4 September.   (Amnesty
International, 5 September 1997)
     * Congo (RDC). Helping Congo  -  5 September: International
donors, seeking to help revive Congo's shattered economy, have
held a first meeting in Paris, stressing human rights and
democracy as a condition for aid. The talks, hosted by the World
bank, included two officials from Congo (RDC) as observers.
Potential donors agreed to meet again in the second half of
October.   (Andre M. Kapanga, 6 September 1997)
     * Congo (RDC)/Morocco. Mobutu dies  -  Morocco's official
news agency (MAP), said that the 66-year-old former president of
Zaire, Mobutu, had died at 9.30 p.m. on 7 September, at Mohammed
V military hospital, Rabat, "after a long illness". A diplomatic
source said that Mobutu, a Roman Catholic, was expected to be
buried in Rabat's Christian cemetery. However, a minister in
President Laurent Kabila's government in Kinshasa, did not rule
out burial for Mobutu in his home country. "Why shoudn't the body
be repatriated?" asked Information Minister Raphael Ghenda,
adding: "While he was alive, we said we were happy for him to
return". Just days earlier, Mobutu had undergone an operation for
"serious bleeding complications" in the civilian Avicennes
hospital in Agdal suburb of Rabat.   (Andre M. Kapanga, 8
September 1997)
     * Congo (RDC). Mort de Mobutu  -  L'ancien president du
Zaire Mobutu Sese Seko est mort dimanche soir, le 7 septembre,
a l'hopital Mohammed V de Rabat, au Maroc. Age de 66 ans, il
souffrait depuis plusieurs annees d'un cancer de la prostate.
Mobutu sera provisoirement inhume au cimetiere chretien de Rabat
et non a Lisala, ou il est ne. Le rapatriement de sa depouille
n'est pas exclu dans l'avenir. Le president Kabila a
personnellement declare qu'il n'y voyait pas d'objection.   (ANB-
BIA, 8 septembre 1997)
     * Congo (RDC). Tension croissante au Kivu  -  Selon le
journal La Libre Belgique du 6 septembre, qui dit avoir ses
informations d'un rapport redige par une equipe envoyee au Kivu
par le president Kabila, l'armee rwandaise, vue comme occupante
par les "autochtones", est entree dans un cycle infernal
d'assassinats-represailles. Deux camps se trouvent face a face:
d'un cote les Mai-Mai et Bangilima, qui acceptent une alliance
tactique et ponctuelle avec les Hutu rwandais armes; de l'autre
cote l'AFDL et l'armee rwandaise, dominee par les Tutsi. Le
rapport dresse le tableau d'une veritable guerre civile. Selon
l'Association congolaise de defense des droits de l'homme
(Azadho), 2.162 personnes ont deja ete tuees dans ces
affrontements depuis juillet. Par ailleurs, dans une depeche du
8 septembre, l'agence IRIN, basee a Nairobi (Kenya), signale un
accroissement de tension dans la region. A Goma, des tirs nourris
ont ete entendus les 6 et 7 septembre. Selon des sources
humanitaires, cela coincidait avec l'arrivee de troupes
congolaises de la 10e brigade devant remplacer les soldats
rwandais dans la region. Six personnes ont ete tuees depuis le
4 septembre. La situation etait egalement tres tendue dans la
region de Bukavu, ou les soldats ont installe de l'artillerie
lourde a Tshibanda, a 35 de Bukavu, sur la route vers Bunyakiri,
qui serait sous controle de rebelles. On rapporte des attaques
frequentes par des groupes de bandits sur la route Bukavu-Uvira.
Le commandant militaire de l'aeroport de Bukavu, ainsi que son
garde de corps, ont ete tues dans une embuscade. L'Agence
congolaise de presse rapporte que les autorites locales de Bukavu
ont recu, le 30 aout, une delegation de Mai-Mai qui leur a remis
une liste de doleances. Selon le journal Le Palmares, les milices
Mai-Mai ont lance une offensive contre les Rwandais dans la
region de Masisi.   ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 6 septembre
1997)
     * Congo (RDC). Refugies et enquete  -  3 septembre. Le
porte-parole du secretaire general de l'Onu fait savoir qu'on
attend toujours la lettre officielle donnant l'accord formel du
president Kabila a la commission d'enquete sur les massacres de
refugies dans l'ex-Zaire pour commencer son travail. 4 septembre.
L'armee congolaise expulse d'un camp de transit pres de Kisangani
700 refugies hutu, rwandais et burundais, qui demandaient l'asile
politique. Le Haut commissaire du HCR, Sadoko Ogata, proteste
aupres du president Kabila et condamne avec vehemence cette
"violation flagrante des traites internationaux concernant les
refugies". Elle demande au Rwanda que ses services puissent avoir
un acces libre a ce groupe de personnes. 5 septembre. Le Conseil
de securite fait savoir que "sa patience est a bout". 6
septembre. Le ministre des Affaires etrangeres annonce que la
mission d'enquete va "reprendre son travail a l'interieur du
pays". 8 septembre. L'agence AFP affirme le 8 septembre que
l'equipe d'experts de l'Onu se heurte toujours a de nombreux
obstacles sur place, malgre l'engagement ecrit du president
Kabila. 9 septembre. Le Haut commissaire de l'Onu aux refugies
annonce que l'Onu pourrait etre force de suspendre ses operations
de secours aux refugies au Congo si les Etats de la region
continuaient a violer les droits des refugies. 10 septembre. Mme
Sadoko Ogata confirme que les operations de rapatriement sont
effectivement suspendues. Il n'y a plus qu'environ 1.800 refugies
a attendre un avion pour le Rwanda, dans differents points de la
RDC. Mais le responsable du HCR estime que 20.000 personnes se
cachent ou vivent dans des villages non loin de Bukavu et de la
frontiere rwandaise. Par ailleurs, la commission d'enquete des
Nations unies sur les massacres des refugies dans l'est de l'ex-
Zaire a fait savoir qu'elle attendait "des garanties de securite
du gouvernement de Kabila pour se deployer sur le terrain".  
(ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 11 septembre 1997)
     * Congo (RDC). UNHCR to suspend Rwandan refugee operations 
-  On 9 September, Sadako Ogata, the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees said that she had to suspend operations in Congo (RDC)
because of its recent involuntary repatriation of Rwandan Hutu
refugees. But Ogata left the door open for activities in areas
other than Kisangani, in an apparent effort to persuade the
government of President Kabila to cooperate. Earlier this month,
Congo expelled 700 Hutus from Kisangani before the refugee agency
could complete evaluating those who refused to go home for valid
reasons. On 10 September, President Kabila said he welcomed the
UNHCR decision to suspend operations in Congo. He said that UNHCR
investigators are "detrimental to the freedom and well-being of
the Congolese people". (Editor's note: UN investigators looking
into allegations of mass killings during this year's civil war
in Congo, plan their first field mission for 13 September. The
UN spokesman refused to say where the team would visit,
apparently for security reasons.)   (InfoBeat, USA, 9-10
September 1997)
     * Congo (RDC). Membre de la SADC  -  Reunis au Malawi, les
douze pays de la Communaute de developpement de l'Afrique
australe (SADC) ont decide le 8 septembre, a l'unanimite,
d'accepter la Republique democratique du Congo (ex-Zaire) et les
Seychelles comme membres de l'organisation regionale. L'entree
de ces deux pays dans la SADC sera effective lors du prochain
sommet de l'organisation en 1998 a l'ile Maurice. Selon le
communique final, la RDC a "un immense potentiel qui pourra
beneficier a l'ensemble des pays membres".   (Le Monde, France,
10 septembre 1997)

     * Cote d'Ivoire. Cocoa warning  -  On 8 September, Cote
d'Ivoire, the world's biggest produced of cocoa beans, warned
that the developing El Ni¤o weather pattern (a periodic warming
of the Pacific Ocean by a few degrees that reverberates
globally), could push down its cocoa harvest by as much as 10%
from some earlier forecasts. In May-September this year, when the
main crop develops, there has been lower than average rainfall,
although not so little as to seriously damage the crop. The big
concern will come if El Ni¤o persists into 1998.   (Financial
Times, U.K., 9 September 1997)

     * Kenya. Civil servants' salaries  -  Kenya's government
will raise civil servants' salaries by up to 30 percent, despite
a $141 million shortfall in this year's budget caused by donors
halting aid. The head of the civil service in a statement on 28
August, that the government agreed to an increase of 30 percent
for lower grades, and 10 percent for higher grades, effective 1
July. The pay rises were announced one day after state-employed
air traffic controllers at Mombasa's main airport warned they
planned to close Kenya's airspace because their demands had not
been met. The statement said details were still being drawn up,
and gave no total cost but noted that Kenya's recent drought,
general elections this year, and the suspension of a key aid
package by the International Monetary Fund, meant resources were
scarce. "In spite of these difficulties, the government considers
the welfare of its employees to be of crucial importance," said
the statement, adding the government could not implement in one
go all of the recommendations made by a committee on civil
service pay.   (Reuter, 29 August 1997)
     * Kenya. Opposition in Kenya protest call  -  On 4
September, the Kenyan umbrella group pressing for constitutional
reforms before elections expected by the end of the year,
announced a new programme of mass action, aimed at stepping up
pressure on President Daniel arap Moi's government. The National
Convention Executive Council (NCEC), which embraces human rights
activists, religious leaders and lawyers, said it would hold a
rally in the western town of Kisumu on 7 September, followed by
nationwide strikes on 17-18 September and 8-9 October. (Editor's
note: Police stop the Kisumu rally)   (Financial Times, U.K., 5
September 1997)
     * Kenya. Reformes sans risque?  -  La police s'est deployee,
le 7 septembre, dans la ville de Kisumu, a l'ouest du Kenya, pour
empecher un rassemblement de l'opposition. Les chefs de file du
mouvement ont ete bloques a l'aeroport de la localite. Un
collectif soutenu par l'opposition avait appele a un
rassemblement dans le cadre de la campagne pour l'obtention de
reformes avant les elections presidentielles et legislatives
prevues cette annee. Le 27 aout, le president Arap Moi a pris
l'initiative de constituer un Groupe parlementaire inter-partis
(IPPG), au sein duquel des parlementaires du pouvoir et de
l'opposition vont dialoguer sur de possibles reformes, mais dont
le National Convention Executive Council ne pourra pas faire
partie (ses membres n'ayant pas de mandats electoraux). Cette
initiative essayera de convaincre ces deputes de l'opposition
d'endosser des reformes sans risque pour la reelection du
president Moi, contrairement a celles reclamees par le NCEC.  
(ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 8 septembre 1997)
     * Kenya. Amnesty calls for pressure to end abuses  -  On 10
September, Amnesty International urged its one million members
to put pressure on their governments to force Kenya to end human
rights abuses. Beatings by police, torture, deaths in custody,
excessive use of lethal force and conditions in prions are
worsening in the run-up to national elections, a spokeswoman
said. But it would seem that President Moi and KANU are regaining
some of the ground lost to the Opposition. Parliamentary talks
called by Moi, have put in the shade a strong coalition, backed
by the Catholic and Protestant Churches, which have been
demanding reforms.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 11 September 1997)

     * Land Mines. Southern Africa bans on land mines  -  The
Standing Committee of the Inter-Regional Meeting of Bishops of
Southern Africa (IMBISA) has issued a Press release on the
International Ban Of Land Mines. The Standing Committee welcomes
with gratitude the decision of the government of the region to
support the international campaign to ban land mines, and their
willingness to sign a comprehensive treaty to ban the production,
sale, stockpiling and use of all forms of anti-personnel land
mines and urges the national governments of the Southern African
region to remain firm in their resolve to resist any attempts to
weaken the terms of the treaty in any way (..)   (IMBISA,
Zimbabwe, 5 September 1997)
     * Land Mines. The Oslo Conference  -  What better way to
remember Diana, Princess of Wales, than diligent pursuit of one
of the causes she championed - the eradication of land mines and
help for their victims? That opportunity exists at a 100-nation
conference under way in Oslo, Norway, through September 19. The
goal of the conference: a completed treaty to ban the production
and use of antipersonnel mines, ready for signing in Ottawa this
December. The public's heightened awareness of Diana's commitment
to help land mine victims -- a commitment that included visits
to such scenes of carnage as Angola and Bosnia -- should give the
proposed ban momentum. The main hurdle facing the Oslo conferees
is Washington's insistence on certain exclusions. Most
controversially, the US wants the Korean peninsula excluded from
the ban.   (AFJN, Washington, 8 September 1997)

     * Liberia. Taylor accuses former rival  -  Liberian
President Charles Taylor has accused his former guerrilla rivals
of assembling in neighbouring Sierra Leone with the ultimate aim
of destabilising his fledgling government. In a national radio
address on 31 August, Taylor said elements of the disbanded
ULIMO-K rebel group of former warlord Alhaji Kromah were fighting
alongside a hunters' militia in Sierra Leone known as Kamajors.
"We see it as a covert attempt to rearm and destabilise the
government of Liberia and put our people into more discord," said
Taylor who won presidential elections in July marking the end of
seven years of civil war. "The situation in Sierra Leone
threatens the stability of our fledgling democracy. Elements of
the former ULIMO-K faction are involved in military activities,
with an illegal armed group known as the Kamajors in Sierra
Leone," Taylor charged. The Kamajors are fighting the
unrecognised military junta in Sierra Leone which seized power
on May 25 in a coup that ousted elected president Ahmad Tejan
Kabbah.   (Reuter, 2 September 1997)
     * Liberia. Firestone workers on strike  -  More than 2,000
labourers on Liberia's Japanese-owned Firestone Rubber Plantation
went on strike on 6 September, demanding back pay, insurance and
resettlement benefits, workers' representatives said. The strike
paralysed the plantation, which began shipping unprocessed rubber
again in February after suffering heavy losses during seven years
of civil war. Workers representatives said they would not resume
work until Firestone Plantations Company met their demands in
full. The company is a 100 percent unit of Nashville-based
Bridgestone/Firestone Inc, itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Japan's Bridgestone Corp (5108.T)tyre company. "We worked for
Firestone up to 1992 when ECOMOG took control of the farm," Frank
Doah, a spokesman for the strikers, said. "When we returned last
year, management refused to pay us our two-year back wages,
insurance and resettlement benefits as stipulated in our
contractual agreement". The workers besieged the main
administrative office, chanting that they wanted to see President
Charles Taylor, who launched the war in 1989 and whose forces
later seized control of the huge plantation.   (Reuter, 6
September 1997)

     * Malawi. Southern African Human Rights NGO Network  -  On
5 September the Southern African Human Rights NGO Network
(SAHRINGON) concluded their meeting with a Declaration to the
Southern African Development Community (ADC) Heads of State.
SAHRINGON continues to ask SADC Heads of State to put human
rights on to the agenda of their annual summit, to be held this
year in Malawi.   (SAHRINGON, Malawi, 5 September 1997)

     * Mali. Essor des ecoles coraniques  -  Un ouvrage, publie
dernierement par un sociologue de l'Institut francais de
recherche scientifique pour le developpement en cooperation,
oppose au declin de l'ecole publique l'essor des "medersa (ecole
coranique). L'auteur, qui s'est appuye sur une enquete dans
l'arrondissement malinke du Baya, estime que la premiere raison
du discredit de l'ecole publique provient de son manque
d'efficacite, symbolise par les 12.000 diplomes sans emploi: au
Mali, le chomage est plus visible dans les milieux qui ont recu
une formation scolaire. Un deuxieme facteur reside dans les frais
de scolarisation: les cotisations de chaque eleve varient, selon
les ecoles, entre 200 et 500 francs CFA par mois. D'autres
facteurs sont aussi soulignes: l'enfant est une des bases de
l'organisation du travail familial; les renvois des eleves sont
frequents; etc. Finalement, il apparait que l'ecole publique
n'est pas completement integree a la culture du pays, ses
programmes etant ressentis comme trop occidentaux et une menace
contre l'ordre etabli sur la suprematie des ancetres. A
l'inverse, le nombre des medersa a quadruple en dix ans. Cela
correspond naturellement a une islamisation croissante de la
societe malienne, ou l'islam est un facteur primordial de
cohesion. De plus, les principes moraux qui y sont enseignes sont
coherents avec la societe: respect des aines, union des
individus, soumission de la femme, etc.   (D'apres Marches
Tropicaux, France, 5 septembre 1997)
     * Mali. Move to release detainees  -  4 September: Lawyers
acting for 10 detained leaders of Mali's radical opposition have
begun legal moves to secure their release on bail, court sources
said. The 10, members of an 18-party alliance, have been held
since August 10, one day after the killing of a policeman at an
opposition rally in the capital Bamako. The lawyers demanded the
release of Seydou Badian Kouyate and Yssouf Traore at a hearing
on 3 September at Koulikoro where they being are held, 59 km (40
miles) from Bamako. The lawyers plan to travel to other areas to
make similar petitions in court concerning the other eight
leaders. The 10 stand accused of inciting violence and causing
unrest resulting in death, charges carrying jail terms.
Supporters of the 10 have, meanwhile, begun a series a foreign
tours to explain their side of a bitter dispute focusing on this
year's second round of multi-party elections. Electoral violence
has dented the former French colony's image as a model democracy
after a successful 1992 transition from Moussa Traore's
dictatorship. The radical opposition boycotted presidential and
parliamentary elections this year, denouncing a lack of proper
preparation. They are demanding that the polls be rerun.
President Alpha Oumar Konare, a historian, won reelection in May.
His Alliance for Democracy in Mali won a landslide in
parliamentary elections in July and August. It has 130 of the 147
seats. Moderate opposition parties shared the rest.   (Reuter,
4 September 1997)

     * Mauritanie. Visite de Chirac  -  Le president francais,
Jacques Chirac, a fait une visite officielle de 24 heures en
Mauritanie, qui s'est achevee le 6 septembre au soir. Il a
affirme que "la France conserve sa vocation africaine", mais que
"ce qui etait politiquement possible et admis il y a vingt ans
ne l'est plus aujourd'hui, l'ingerence etant ressentie comme
telle". D'autre part, il a apporte un soutien sans faille au
president Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya. L'ensemble de l'opposition
mauritanienne, qui denonce la fraude electorale des precedents
scrutins et boycottera la presidentielle du 12 decembre, s'est
declaree "tres decue de la politique africaine de la France,
notamment en matiere de democratisation".   (Liberation, France,
8 septembre 1997)

     * Mozambique. Imports worth $497.7 million  -  South Africa
is still the leader of countries exporting to Mozambique,
followed by Portugal, according to statistics during the January-
June period. During this period, Mozambique imported goods worth
$497.7 million, 39.3 percent from South Africa with $196 million,
and 7.7 percent from Portugal, representing about $38.8 million,
according to the Industry, Commerce, and Tourism Ministry.
Portugal is followed by Japan with $23.8 million, the United
States, $19.7 million, India with $19.4 million, followed by
France, Pakistan, Germany, United Kingdom, among others. The
figures refer to imports licensed by the Industry, Commerce, and
Tourism Ministry and do not include donations. In 1996 Mozambique
imported goods estimated at $1.033 million, 37 percent from South
Africa and 13 percent from Portugal. Japan (9 percent), India (5
percent), United States and France (4 percent), Zimbabwe, German,
and Italy (3 percent), and Sweden (2 percent). It is believed
that a considerable amount of goods entered the country
unregistered. Most of these goods feed the gross informal market
spread all over the country.   (AFJN, Washington, 2 September
1997)
     * Mozambique. International conference on Peace  -  A four-
day international conference on Culture of Peace and Good
Governance ended on 4 September in Maputo, with a declaration to
defend education for tolerance, human rights and democracy. The
document, known as the Maputo Declaration, emphasized the need
for reconciliation after conflicts and the daily practice of
democratic principles. The Maputo meeting, jointly organized by
the government of Mozambique and UNESCO, drew participants and
observers from Africa, Asia and Latin America, who exchanged
views on how to avoid conflicts and heal wounds after the end of
conflicts. They appealed to the leaders and people of Africa to
initiate appropriate and rapid transition toward the culture of
peace, especially by paying particular attention to vulnerable
war victims. They also recommended the revision of curricula to
reinforce civic and moral education programmes and encourage the
expansion of UNESCO clubs. When the meeting opened on 1
September, Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano stressed the
importance of peace without which, he said, democracy and
development cannot be stable. There must be coexistence among the
society. We should encourage tolerance and reconciliation. We
need moral commitment to peace, he told the participants.  
(AFJN, Washington, 4 September 1997)

     * Nigeria. General Abacha Reelected ECOWAS Chairman   -  30
August: The head of state, General Sani Abacha, has been
reelected chairman of the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) for a second term. The election was announced at
the closing session of the ECOWAS summit. The highpoint of the
summit was the signing of protocols on decisions made at the
summit. The ECOWAS leaders individually and collectively
expressed delight and appreciation to the government and people
of Nigeria for the excellent facilities, arrangements, and
hospitality put at their disposal during the summit.   (AFJN,
Washington, 30 August 1997)

     * Rwanda. Une eglise devient monument du genocide  -  Le
gouvernement rwandais a decide de s'approprier l'eglise
catholique de Nyamata, dans l'archidiocese de Kigali, pour en
faire un monument commemoratif du genocide. L'eglise sera
officiellement transformee en monument national le 14 de ce mois.
La decision en a ete communiquee le 2 septembre a l'archeveque,
Mgr. Ntihinyurwa. Celui-ci a proteste, au nom de tous les
eveques, contre cette violation du droit international sur la
liberte religieuse. Selon les eveques rwandais, l'eglise doit
rester un lieu de priere et de rencontre de la communaute,
comprenant toutes les ethnies. Initialement, le gouvernement
avait voulu nationaliser 10 eglises, mais devant la nette
opposition des eveques il s'est contente d'exiger que ces eglises
portent des signes commemoratifs du genocide, dont une crypte
contenant les ossements des victimes.   (d'apres Fides, Rome, 9
septembre 1997)
     * Rwanda-R.D. Congo. Relance de la cooperation  -  Le Rwanda
et la Republique democratique du Congo (ex-Zaire) ont decide de
relancer leur cooperation en matiere de securite et de defense,
a-t-on appris le 10 septembre de source officielle. Au terme
d'une visite de deux jours au Rwanda du president Kabila, les
deux pays ont declare vouloir mettre un terme a la contrebande
et toutes autres pratiques illicites autour de leur frontiere
commune.   (La Libre Belgique, 11 septembre 1997)

     * Senegal. New election law  -  On 29 August, Senegal's
parliament passed a new election law, setting up a supervisory
National Observatory for Elections (ONEL) to make elections more
transparent, officials said. An overwhelming majority of 98 of
parliament's 120 members voted for the new independent body, they
said. Only three members voted against. Political parties will
be able to nominate candidates, who must be Senegalese nationals
and well known for their moral standing, intellectual honesty,
neutrality and impartiality. The president of the republic will
choose the nine members. During last November's local elections,
the opposition accused the state administration of siding with
the ruling Socialist Party. The administration will continue to
run elections. Senegal has set parliamentary elections for May
next year.   (AFJN, Washington, 4 September 1997)
     * Senegal. The Government favours dialogue  -  The Senegal
government, facing mounting violence in its separatist Casamance
Province, said on 4 September that it favoured a peaceful
solution as long as this did not include independence for the
region. Information Minister Seringe Diop told a news conference
that President Abdou Diouf still preferred dialogue, despite
domestic pressure for military action after the killing of 25
soldiers in the tourist and farming province last month. "The
head of state has resolutely chosen dialogue and a peaceful
option for Casamance," said Diop, who is also the government's
spokesman. "There is only one thing unacceptable to the
government. The independence of Casamance is not negotiable," he
added. The news conference was the first official reaction to a
flareup in violence in Casamance in which scores of people have
died. In a brutal twist to the rebellion that has been simmering
since 1982, suspected guerrillas on Sunday killed a woman and
three children by slitting their throats. Rebels of the
Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) took up arms in 1982 to
fight for autonomy, alleging neglect by the Dakar government.  
(Reuter, 4 September 1997)

     * Sierra Leone. Communique  -  30 August. The following are
extracts from the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS)þ communique on Sierra Leone. "Heads of State and
Government, recalling the ECOWAS Declaration of Political
Principles which they adopted at Abuja in July 1991, reiterated
their unwavering commitment to the establishment and smooth
functioning of democratic institutions in each ECOWAS member
state. The Authority expressed its unreserved condemnation of the
violent and unconstitutional overthrow of the democratically
elected government of the Republic of Sierra Leone on 25 May
1997. Heads of state and government deplored the looting, loss
of life and property that accompanied the coup d'etat, and the
subsequent complete disruption of life in Sierra Leone. The
Authority warmly congratulated the ECOWAS Committee of Four on
Sierra Leone, and fully endorsed the objectives set out by the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs with regards to Sierra Leone, which
had also received the approval of the United Nations Security
Council, namely: (i) the early reinstatement of the legitimate
government of President Tejan Kabbah; (ii) the return of peace
and security; and; (iii) the resolution of the issues of refugees
and displaced persons. The Authority expressed its determination
to deploy all efforts towards the peaceful resolution of the
Sierra Leone crisis, and called for the cooperation and
understanding of all the parties concerned. The Authority, deeply
concerned about the breakdown of negotiations in Abidjan on 30
July 1997 between the Committee of Four and the illegal regime
in Sierra Leone, and in view of the intransigence of the illegal
regime, approved a package of sanctions and blockade as a further
measure to ensure the restoration of the legitimate government
of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. Heads of state and government
mandated ECOMOG to specifically monitor the ceasefire, enforce
sanctions and embargo and secure the peace in Sierra Leone. The
Authority decided to enlarge the membership of the committee
responsible for the monitoring of the situation in Sierra Leone
to five countries, by including the Republic of Liberia. It also
decided to raise the status of the committee to the level of
heads of state and government.   (Reuter, 30 August 1997)
     * Sierra Leone. Bombardement  -  Trente et une personnes ont
ete tuees et environ 80 blessees, le 4 septembre a Freetown,
lorsque l'armee nigeriane a bombarde des navires qui tentaient
de decharger leur cargaison, violant l'embargo decrete par les
chefs d'Etat de la Cedeao la semaine derniere. Le chef des
putschistes a accuse les troupes nigerianes d'avoir vise
deliberement des quartiers residentiels. Le commandant nigerian
de la force ouest-africaine de paix, l'Ecomog, a toutefois nie
avoir tire sur des civils.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 5
septembre 1997)

     * Somaliland. Egal turns down invitation  -  On 1 September,
the leader of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in
northwest Somalia turned down an official invitation to visit
Egypt for talks. "President" Mohamed Ibrahim Egal received a
five-man Egyptian delegation in the Somaliland capital Hargeisa
on 1 September, but said he believed a visit by him to Cairo
would not achieve anything. Egal has campaigned in vain for
international recognition, since Somaliland proclaimed itself a
separate state in 1991 and has refused to attend Somali peace
talks in November called by 26 factions. "We are not seeking
recognition by force from anyone. We have existed without
recognition and can do that for the next decade if it becomes
imperative," Egal was quoted by a spokesman as saying.   (AFJN,
Washington, 4 September 1997)

     * Tchad/Cameroun. Projet d'oleoduc  -  Un oleoduc de 1.050
km, dont 800 sur le territtoire camerounais, va etre construit
pour evacuer le petrole brut tchadien vers la mer. La campagne
d'information et de sensibilisation en a ete lancee a Yaounde le
22 aout. Il est acquis que 300 puits seront fores dans la region
de Kome, dans le sud du Tchad, et que le terminal sera situe au
large de la ville camerounaise de Kribi. L'ensemble du projet
necessitera un investissement de plus de $ 3 milliards. Le
calendrier previsionnel du projet prevoit le premier chargement
de brut en 2001, apres trois annees de travaux de construction. 
 (d'apres Marches Tropicaux, France, 5 septembre 1997)

     * Western Sahara. New talks  -  4 September: It is announced
that new round of UN-sponsored negotiations on the problem of
Western Sahara, will be held in Houston from 14-16 September. The
negotiations are under the auspices of former US Secretary of
State James Baker. These latest talks, the fourth round in a
monthly series since June, will take place at the Baker Institute
for Public Policy.   (InfoBeat, USA, 4 September 1997)

     * Zambia. Church leaders launch move  -  On 4 September,
several prominent Zambian church leaders launched a movement to
identify and promote "morally upright" citizens to take over the
country's leadership in the next election due in the year 2001.
Headed by Pentecostal evangelist Nevers Mumba, the National
Christian Coalition said Frederick Chiluba's government had
betrayed the aspirations of the people and failed to curb
corruption. "The key to a healed nation lies in the team chosen
to handle the instruments of government. The team must be
patriotic, selfless and of strong moral character," Mumba said.
"Our objectives shall be to sensitise, encourage and train people
with morals anchored in the fear of God to take up leadership and
to create a platform for wider participation of citizens in
affairs of the nation," he added. Mumba insisted the coalition
was not a political party. "We are not an opposition, we are a
proposition of new ideas," he said.   (Reuter, 4 September 1997)

     * Zimbabwe. Arms shipment vanishes  -  A ship carrying
32,400 mortar bombs from Zimbabwe to Sri Lanka has disappeared,
the Zimbabwe Financial Gazette reported on 4 September. The
vessel was last seen on 2 July in Madagascar, and Interpol is
investigating its disappearance. On 4 September, Interpol issued
an international alert for the Stillus Limmasul, which was flying
the Greek flag when it picked up its cargo from the Mozambique
port of Beira on 21 May. The mortars were manufactured by the
state-run Zimbabwe Defence Industries.   (The Guardian, U.K., 5
September 1997)

=========> ARTICLES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
1. MALAWI
Title: Declaration Subitted by the Southern African Human Rights
NGO Network to the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Heads of State, Blantyre, Malawi, 5 September 1997.
Description: The SADC Heads of State are due to hold their annual
summit in Malawi this year. The Declaration asks the SADC Heads
of State to put human rights on the agenda of their summit.
-----> (Available only by ordinary mail)

2. RWANDA/CONGO-RDC
Title: Safety of Refugees in Congo (RDC)
Source: Amnesty International, 5 September 1997
Description: In a News Release, Amnesty International asks the
Governments of Congo (RDC) and Rwanda, to issue immediate orders
to their soldiers, not to violate the rights of thousands of
Rwandese and Burundian refugees in Congo (RDC).
----> available by e-mail; 
----> ask for: RWANDA/RDC REFUGEES, AMN.INTERN. AFR 0509