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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 14-05-1998   PART #1/ 

* Africa. Action against the Media - Cameroon: President Biya of
Cameroon, on a private visit to France, met with President Chirac
on 5 May. To mark this occasion, on 4 May, Reporters sans
Frontieres (RSF) delivered a letter to President Chirac, asking the
French President to intervene with President Biya in order to
obtain the release of Cameroon journalist, Pius Njawe. Congo RDC:
In a 6 May letter to President Kabila, RSF spoke out against the
imprisonment of four journalists and a ban on a radio station.
Djibouti: According to RSF on 5 May, Omar Ahmed Vincent and
Aboubaker Ahmed Aouled, respectively director of publication and
editor-in-chief of the weekly Le Populaire (an organ of the
opposition party Group for Democracy and the Republic), have been
arrested. Niger: On 4 May, Keita Suleiman, a BBC correspondent
based in Zinder was arrested by police. No reason was given for his
detention. The same day, Moussa Tchangari, publishing director of
the independent weekly Alternative, was arrested by presidential
guards, shortly after reading a statement on radio Anfani
condemning the regime's actions to intimidate and censor the press.
He was released without charge on 7 May. On 6 May, RSF expressed
its "great concern" over the fate of Niger's media, which have been
victims of multiple attacks recently. On 7 May, Mamane Abou, owner
of Niger's biggest printing company and editor of the Republican,
was picked up by the police on suspicion of arson and insurance
fraud. He is currently in police custody in Niamey. Nigeria: On 6
May, Femi Adeoti, editor of the Sunday Tribune, was arrested and
detained by State Security Services in Ibadan. On 8 May, Biodun
Ogunleye, a photojournalist for Vanguard, was brutalized by
security officers at the Lagos State military administrator's
residence in Lagos.  (IFEX, Canada, 7-11 May 1998)

* Africa. African women and economic development - On 1 May,
African leaders added their voice to call for concrete action to
ensure the full and equal participation of women in the continent's
economic development. The calls came at the close of a four-day
international conference organised by the Economic Commission for
Africa which ended in Addis Ababa on 1 May, on the theme: "African
Women and Economic Development: Investing in our future". At a
Forum of Heads of State and Government, the leaders -- President
Compaore of Burkina Faso, President Festus Mogae of Botswana,
Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Algeria's Prime Minister
Ahmed Ouyahia, Ghana's Vice-President John Atta-Mills, and Uganda's
Vice-President Wandira Specioza Kazibwe -- reiterated the need to
eradicate poverty in Africa with specific attention to women, who
bear the brunt of poverty on the continent.  (APIC, Washington, 8
May 1998)

* Afrique de l'Est. Nouvelles inondations - En Tanzanie, sept
personnes sont mortes et un millier se trouvent sans abris, a cause
des inondations qui ont balaye la ville de Dar es-Salaam, apres
deux jours de pluies diluviennes les 3 et 4 mai. Par ailleurs, 70
personnes sont mortes le 3 mai dans une riviere en crue, dans la
region de Tanga, lorsque leur bus a rate un pont immerge par les
eaux. --D'autre part, au Rwanda, de violentes pluies, suivies
d'inondations, ont provoque des glissements de terrains, qui ont
cause la fermeture de certains troncons de deux routes majeures. 
(IRIN, Nairobi, 8 mai 1998)

* Algerie. Le G8 veut une mission ONU - Le 9 mai, les ministres des
Affaires etrangeres du G8, les principales democraties mondiales,
ont pour la premiere fois exhorte Alger a autoriser l'envoi d'une
mission des Nations unies. "Des visites des rapporteurs speciaux
des NU, ainsi qu'un meilleur acces des journalistes et des ONG
permettraient plus de transparence et d'ouverture", ont-ils estime.
D'autre part, sur le terrain, les actes de violence sporadiques
semblent augmenter. L'armee poursuit ses operations, notamment dans
les regions de Tlemcen et de Dellys. Le 9 mai, la presse rapportait
une serie d'accrochages dans la region de Tlemcen et en Kabylie. 
(Liberation, France, 11 mai 1998)

* Algeria. Likely to end IMF programme - Algeria is unlikely to
extend the $1.5bn programme with the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), in spite of pleas by the IMF and the US, according to
Abdelkrim Harchaoui, the finance minister. The IMF has recommended
extending the programme which expires this month, because of the
fall of oil prices. An extension would reassure creditors and
investors and guarantee continuous rigorous management of public
finances.  (Financial Times, U.K., 11 May 1998)

* Algerie. Tueries - Dans la nuit du 7 au 8 mai, a Ouled Bouachra
dans la region de Medea (80 km au sud d'Alger), huit personnes ont
ete massacrees et quatre autres blessees par un groupe terroriste,
ont indique les services de securite. Le 10 mai, une bombe a
explose au passage d'un train de banlieue pres d'Alger. Deux
passagers ont peri dechiquetes et dix autres ont ete blesses.
Plusieurs personnes avaient deja ete blessees dans un attentat
contre un train, le 4 mai. Le 12 mai, les services de securite ont
annonce qu'un massacre perpetre a Ras el-Ain, a 20 km d'Oran, a
fait 22 victimes. Le meme jour, la presse d'Alger annoncait qu'une
dizaine d'islamistes avaient ete tues lors d'operations de l'armee
ces derniers jours a Alger, en Kabylie et dans le sud-ouest du
pays.  (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 13 mai 1998)

* Algeria. World urged to an anti-terrorism effort - On 13 May,
President Zeroual called for international cooperation to fight
terrorism. "The plague of terrorism does not hit one country
alone", he told a news conference after a three-day summit of the
G15 group of developing countries in Cairo. He said G15 members,
who now number 17, were determined to coordinate their efforts to
combat terrorism.  (InfoBeat, USA, 13 May 1998)

* Benin. Greve generale - Les fonctionnaires beninois ont entame
lundi 11 mai une greve generale de quatre jours, sur fond de crise
politique provoquee par la demission, vendredi 8, du Premier
ministre Adrien Houngbedji et de trois autres ministres du Parti du
renouveau democratique (PRD). Les cinq centrales syndicales du pays
ont lance ce mouvement pour reclamer le paiement des arrieres
d'augmentation de salaires, acquis en 1992, qui representent une
enveloppe de 5 milliards de FCFA (50 millions de FF). La demission
du Premier ministre avait ete provoquee par un remaniement
ministeriel: le chef de l'Etat, Mathieu Kerekou, desirait
redistribuer les cartes pour "satisfaire" d'autres partis parmi la
vingtaine de formations politiques qui l'avaient soutenu lors de sa
reelection en 1996. Selon des sources concordantes, M. Houngbedji,
un des poids lourds de la coalition avec 19 deputes au Parlement,
exigeait que le chef de l'Etat definisse clairement les
prerogatives du Premier ministre - un poste qui n'est pas prevu
dans la Constitution - et maintienne les quatre portefeuilles
attribues a son mouvement, le PRD.  (D'apres AFP, France, 11 mai
1998)<W0>

* Burundi. Pourparlers de paix? - Felix Mosha, l'emissaire de
l'ancien president tanzanien Julius Nyerere, a annonce le 6 mai a
Bujumbura que des pourparlers de paix visant a mettre fin a pres de
cinq ans de guerre civile devraient debuter le mois prochain a
Arusha, en Tanzanie. Le president burundais, Pierre Buyoya, a par
ailleurs saisi l'occasion de la visite, le 7 mai, du secretaire
general des Nations unies Kofi Annan, pour lui demander d'agir en
faveur de la levee de sanctions contre le Burundi et de
l'etablissement d'un tribunal international sur le Burundi.  (La
Libre Belgique, 8 mai 1998)

* Burundi. Appel a la justice internationale - Le Burundi, ou le
secretaire general des NU a passe quelques heures le 7 mai, en
appelle a la justice internationale pour l'aider a eviter de futurs
massacres. M. Buyoya a demande a Kofi Annan la creation d'un
Tribunal penal international pour le Burundi, a l'image de celui
cree pour le Rwanda. M. Annan a replique que cette question etait
"a l'etude". Le president de l'Assemblee nationale, Leonce
Ngendakumana, a demande pour sa part a M. Annan la mise en place
d'une "commission internationale d'enquete, avec mandat judiciaire,
sur les crimes contre l'humanite et les crimes de genocides commis
au Burundi depuis l'independance jusqu'a nos jours, afin d'etablir
les faits et les responsabilites individuelles".  (D'apres AFP,
France, 8 mai 1998)

* Burundi. Political "minefield" - 7 May: UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan enters the deadly minefield of ethnic politics in the Great
Lakes region, reminding Burundi's Hutus and Tutsis how much they
had lost through conflict. His scheduled five-hour stay in
Bujumbura for meetings with Pierre Buyoya and some of the country's
main politicians, sets the stage for his next and even trickier
visit to Rwanda. 11 May: Burundi's main rebel group, the National
Council for the Defense of Democracy and its armed wing, the Forces
for the Defence of Democracy says it has fired its founding leader,
Leonard Nyangoma, because of corruption, favouritism and a lack of
clear direction on talks with the military government. Colonel Jean
Bosco Ndayikengurukiye has been appointed as Nyangoma's successor.
12 May: Pierre Buyoya has been invited to a regional summit, to be
held in Congo RDC on 17 May, the first anniversary of the accession
to power of President Kabila.  (InfoBeat, USA, 7-12 May 1998)

* Comores. Naufrage - Plusieurs dizaines de Comoriens d'Anjouan
sont portes disparus a la suite d'une explosion dans une barque a
bord de laquelle ils tentaient de gagner Mayotte. Les tentatives de
boat-people comoriens, a la recherche de conditions de vie
meilleures dans l'ile francaise, sont frequentes et souvent
risquees, les embarcations etant depourvues de tout equipement de
securite.  (Liberation, France, 12 mai 1998)

* Comores. Troubles a Moroni - 11 mai -- Les fonctionnaires
comoriens se mettent en greve et paralysent Moroni, la capitale,
avec des barricades. Ils reclament le paiement de 15 mois
d'arrieres de salaire. 12 mai -- Le bras de fer entre
fonctionnaires en greve et chomeurs d'une part et militaires
comoriens de l'autre s'intensifie. Les revendications sociales
laissent peu a peu la place a un rejet du regime en place. Parmi
les protestataires, figurent aussi des jeunes qui manifestent
contre la fermeture de Tropic FM, une radio privee d'opposition. 13
mai -- L'armee reprend le controle des rues de Moroni; mais la
tension persiste et la ville reste soumise au couvre-feu. Outre les
tensions sociales, les autorites comoriennes sont aussi confrontees
a des mouvements separatistes sur les iles d'Anjouan et de Moheli
qui, toutes deux, ont declare unilateralement leur independance en
aout 1997.  (D'apres AFP, France, 11-13 mai 1998)<W0>

* Congo-Brazza et Congo (RDC). Amelioration des relations -
Kinshasa et Brazzaville ont decide, le 7 mai, de mettre en place
une commission destinee a "dissiper la suspicion" qui empoisonne le
climat entre les deux capitales, indique un communique publie a
l'issue de la visite du president Denis Sassou Nguesso a Kinshasa.
Les deux presidents ont demande a leurs gouvernements d'ameliorer
les rapports entre les deux pays qui s'accusent mutuellemment
d'abriter des bandes armees. Selon une source autorisee, une
centaine d'anciens miliciens et dignitaires du regime Lissouba sont
refugies a Kinshasa. D'autre part, M. Nguesso a dementi
formellement l'existence dans son pays de camps des ex-forces
armees zairoises et rwandaises, mais il a admis que son pays abrite
des refugies rwandais rassembles dans les camps de Kintele, pres de
Brazzaville, et de Loukolelas, a400 km au nord de la capitale. 
(D'apres AFP, France, 7 mai 1998)

* Congo (RDC )/Congo-Brazza. Brazzaville's former mayor arrested -
On 11 May, the former mayor of Brazzaville, Dieudonne Bukaka, was
arrested in Kinshasa. he was arrested at a residence in a popular
area of the DRC capital, along with a group of about 15 "Ninja"
militiamen. About 100 Ninja militiamen fled to Kinshasa with
Bernard Kolelas, the former prime minister under President Pascal
Lissouba, whose regime was overthrown in October 1997 by Denis
Sassou-Nguesso. The arrest of the former mayor and the militiamen
came four days after Sassou-Nguesso's visit to Kinshasa, during
which the two Congos signed security agreements. The Kinshasa
authorities have been accusing the militiamen of "shady activities"
aimed at destabilising the regime of Sassou-Nguesso.  (PANA, Dakar,
12 May 1998)

* Congo (RDC). Kabila urges Mobutu generals to return home - On 6
May, President Kabila urged three top generals who served under
Mobutu, to return home. Kabila said that to his knowledge, no
formal charge had been brought against the three, who faced
expulsion from Cote d'Ivoire. "It's very simple, they have only to
come back home to participate in the reconstruction of the country
they have destroyed. There will be no revenge", Kabila said. "They
are not fleeing because they were Mobutu allies. They are
afraid...They stole state money before leaving".  (InfoBeat, USA,
7 May 1998)

* Congo (RDC). Normalisation dans l'Est? - Le 7 mai a Kinshasa, le
president Kabila a affirme que "la situation (etait) totalement
maitrisee dans le Nord-Kivu", ajoutant que ses forces avaient
reussi a couper tout lien de ravitaillement en armes des milices
hutu et ex-forces armees rwandaises et des rebelles ougandais. Il
a aussi reitere ses critiques contre les organisations humanitaires
internationales, les accusant d'aider les groupes armes dans le
Nord-Kivu. D'autres informations cependant, provenant de sources
independantes ou de l'opposition, indiquent que la situation est
loin d'etre apaisee a l'est de la RDC. Certains evoquent aussi les
exactions commises par la police d'intervention rapide.  (La Libre
Belgique, 9 mai 1998)

* Congo (RDC). Partis legalises avant les elections - Dans une
longue interview a RFI, diffusee le 11 mai, le president Kabila a
notamment declare que l'interdiction sur les partis politiques
serait levee six mois avant les elections generales. Il a ajoute
que la suspension temporaire des partis etait necessaire afin de
sauvegarder les libertes civiles apres le chaos laisse par le
precedent regime. - D'autre part, M. Kabila, arrive le 11 mai a
Bangui, a signe avec son homologue centrafricain un accord
concernant la defense, incluant une assistance mutuelle et une
serie de consultations. Les deux dirigeants ont egalement discute
de la presence d'ex-officiers zairois en RCA.  (IRIN, Nairobi, 13
mai 1998)

* Congo (RDC). Epidemie de cholera - Une nouvelle epidemie de
cholera a fait au moins 228 morts en un mois dans l'est de la R.D.
du Congo, a annonce le 13 mai la representation a Kinshasa de
l'OMS. Un precedent bilan etabli par le ministere congolais de la
Sante faisait etat d'au moins 100 morts sur 2.000 cas recenses. 
(Liberation, France, 14 mai 1998)

* Egypt. IMF warns on growth - Huge improvements in efficiency are
vital if Egypt's economic growth is to achieve the 7% minimum level
essential to sustaining the growing population, a study by the
International Monetary Fund has shown. Despite 5% current annual
economic growth, the Egyptian economy is unlikely to reach this
level within three years unless production methods can be
streamlined and technology use widened. Failure to improve
efficiency will increase GDP growth by a mere 0.1% annually over
the next five years, the report calculates.  (Financial Times,
U.K., 12 May 1998)

* Egypt. G15 Summit - Members of the G15 group of developing
countries are struggling at their annual summit in Cairo, to find
a common voice with which to fight for their interests. While
leaders at the groups eighth summit called on each other this week
to co-ordinate efforts to increase their share of world trade,
little was agreed that would channel those efforts into action.
Officially, the aims of the G15's members -- in fact they total 16
-- are to increase trade among themselves from the current 3% of
their total $800 billion global share, and to function credibly as
the global voice of leading developing economies.  (Financial
Times, U.K., 13 May 1998)

* Egypte. Le sommet du G15 - Les pays en developpement du G15,
traumatises par la crise asiatique, ont reclame lundi 11 mai un
dialogue avec les pays riches pour partager les benefices de la
mondialisation de l'economie. A l'ouverture du huitieme sommet du
G15 au Caire, qui regroupe 16 pays en voie de developpement, le
president indonesien Suharto a souligne que "le processus de
mondialisation doit etre gere pour eviter ses possibles
repercussions negatives et assurer un partage plus equitable de ses
benefices". Hote du sommet, le president egyptien Hosni Moubarak a
appele a "un dialogue structure" avec les pays industrialises, pour
ameliorer "la gestion des economies mondiales". "L'Afrique ne peut
rester a l'ecart des transformations radicales de l'economie
mondiale", a pour sa part declare, au nom du continent africain, le
president algerien Liamine Zeroual. "Nous devons prendre part
activement aux decisions au niveau mondial pour ne pas etre
marginalises", a-t-il ajoute. Fonde en 1989 pour faire pendant a ce
qui etait alors le G7 (devenu le G8 avec l'arrivee de la Russie),
le G15 a ete rejoint en novembre dernier par le Kenya.  (D'apres
AFP, France, 11 mai 1998)<W0>

* G8. Annual Summit -- 1998 - 8 May: Finance ministers meet ahead
of next weeks G8 summit in Birmingham, U.K. At a meeting of the G7
countries (minus Russia), Michael Camdessus, head of the IMF, puts
forward radical proposals to reform the annual summit of the Group
of Eight leading industrial nations, and make them more
representative of the world economy as a whole. He suggests that
every two years, G8 heads of government should meet their
counterparts from the other 16 countries that hold seats on the IMF
and World Bank boards. 12 May: President Boris Yelstin of Russia
makes a bid to host a future G8 summit -- that of the year 2000. 
(ANB-BIA, Brussels, 13 May 1998)

* Kenya. On target for record tea harvest - Kenya is on target for
a record tea harvest in 1998 on the basis of the crop from the
first three months of this year, which shows a rise of more than
96% above the same period in 1997. According to the country's Tea
Brokers Association, the first quarter's figures -- estimated at
86.5 kg by the Mombasa-based company Africa Tea Brokers -- is a
record. If this level is sustained, 1998 could outstrip the
previous annual record of 257m kg, produced in 1996.  (Financial
Times, U.K., 12 May 1998)

* Libye/Tchad. Visite de Kadhafi - Le colonel Kadhafi a regagne
Tripoli le 4 mai, au terme d'une visite de cinq jours au Tchad. Il
s'agissait de la premiere visite de M. Kadhafi au Tchad depuis 17
ans, ce qui a scelle la "reconciliation definitive des deux pays"
apres un conflit territorial de plus de 20 ans sur la bande
d'Aouzou.  (Marches Tropicaux, France, 8 mai 1998)

* Maroc. Magistrats accuses - Le Conseil superieur de la
magistrature a engage des procedures disciplinaires contre 50
magistrats, principalement pour corruption, a rapporte le 6 mai le
journal marocain "Liberation". Selon le responsable du ministere de
la Justice, ces mesures font partie d'une vaste reforme de
l'appareil juridico-judiciaire. Les dossiers les plus graves,
poursuit "Liberation", sont recenses dans le nord du pays ou se
concentre l'essentiel du trafic de la drogue.  (Le Monde, France,
8 mai 1998)

* Mauritania. Plane crash kills army band - A Mauritanian military
transport plane has crashed in the east of the country killing 39
people, including 22 members of the President's ceremonial army
band. Mauritanian Air Force sources said the Chinese-built Y7
crashed after take-off on the night of 12 May from the town of
Nema, President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya's stronghold near the
border with Mali. The cause of the accident was not clear. The dead
included 32 soldiers and seven civilians. two soldiers survived. 
(InfoBeat, USA, 13 May 1998)

* Niger. Flambee de repression contre les medias - Dans un
communique de presse du 6 mai, l'organisation Reporters sans
frontieres a exprime sa "vive inquietude" quant au sort reserve aux
medias nigeriens, victimes de multiples attaques ces derniers
jours. Depuis le 15 avril, deux journalistes ont ete arretes pour
avoir evoque les activites de l'opposition; deux autres ont ete
hospitalises apres avoir ete agresses; quatre radios se sont vu
imposer un silence total sur les declarations des chefs de
l'opposition; et la principale imprimerie du pays, qui edite la
plupart des journaux de l'opposition, a ete l'objet d'une tentative
d'incendie.  (D'apres RSF, France, 11 mai 1998)

* Nigeria. Soutien a Abacha - La presse nigeriane rapporte que les
parlementaires ont ete convoques a une reunion le 7 mai a Abuja
pour adopter une resolution sur la candidature unique du general
Abacha a la presidence du pays, alors que celui-ci continue a
garder un silence total sur ses intentions. La convocation emane de
l'Udern, une nouvelle organisation mise sur pied par M. Nzeribe,
une personnalite connue pour son soutien aux militaires. Apres
avoir signe la resolution, les participants iront la presenter au
general. Pendant ce temps, les arrestations se poursuivent au sein
de l'opposition.  (Marches Tropicaux, France, 8 mai 1998)
* Nigeria. G8 has words for Nigeria - 8 May: Nigeria's military
regime faces condemnation when the foreign ministers of the world's
wealthiest states meet in London today to discuss international
crises. Western concern about Nigeria has increased since last
month, when five officially sanctioned political parties all
adopted General Abacha as their candidate for the 1 August
presidential election, meaning he can win unopposed and that talk
of returning to democracy is a sham.  (The Guardian, U.K., 8 May
1998)

* Nigeria. Dissident seized - A Nigerian opposition leader was
arrested at Lagos airport on 8 May after arriving back from a trip
abroad, colleagues said. Olisa Agbakoba is president of the United
Action for Democracy coalition, which groups 26 pro-democracy and
human rights organisations. The group has organised a series of
protests against the military junta of General Sani Abacha. On 9
May, his colleagues said that Agbakoba is now on hunger strike
until his detention conditions are improved. On 12 May, Human
Rights Watch calls for the immediate release of all those detained
in Nigeria for exercising their rights to free speech and
association.  (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 13 May 1998)

* Rwanda. Visite mouvementee de Kofi Annan - Le secretaire general
de l'ONU est arrive le 7 mai a Kigali, etape la plus delicate de sa
tournee africaine. La veille, l'association des rescapes du
genocide, Ibuka, avait diffuse une lettre ouverte a M. Annan,
accusant les Nations unies de porter "la lourde responsabilite" du
genocide de 1994. Devant l'Assemblee nationale de transition, M.
Annan a affirme que le monde a manque a ses devoirs envers le
Rwanda lors du genocide et doit "profondement se repentir". "Je
suis venu au Rwanda en mission de conciliation, pour aider a guerir
les blessures et les divisions qui tourmentent encore votre pays",
a-t-il declare. Kofi Annan a enfin souligne l'importance du
chatiment des responsables du genocide. Ses declarations ont
pourtant ete jugees insuffisantes par les dirigeants rwandais: le
soir, le president Bizimungu, le vice-president Kagame et le
Premier ministre Rwigema ont boycotte le diner officiel en
l'honneur du secretaire general pour "protester contre son
arrogance". Le 8 mai, a Mwulire, M. Annan a rencontre des
survivants du genocide dans une atmosphere orageuse. A son depart
du Rwanda, le president Bizimungu a declare que "le Rwanda n'a pas
besoin de l'ONU pour regler ses problemes". Le 10 mai, a Kampala en
Ouganda, M. Annan a fait un compte-rendu desabuse de son etape
rwandaise. "Je crois que nous sommes arrives a un point ou nous
devrons faire des choix et ne travailler qu'avec les gouvernements
qui sont prets a cooperer avec nous", a-t-il declare.  (ANB-BIA, de
sources diverses, 11 mai 1998)

* Rwanda. HRFOR suspendu - Le 8 mai, la mission du Haut
Commissariat aux droits de l'homme au Rwanda (HRFOR) -- la plus
importante de ce type dans le monde, avec 80 personnes -- a ete
officiellement suspendue pour deux semaines par le gouvernement
rwandais, a la fin de la visite de Kofi Annan au Rwanda. Le
gouvernement a notifie sa decision par une lettre a Mary Robinson,
Haut Commissaire aux droits de l'homme de l'ONU. La veille, le
porte-parole du HRFOR, Jose-Luis Herero, avait recu une
notification d'expulsion des autorites pour atteinte a la surete de
l'Etat. On lui reproche de s'etre entretenu avec la presse
etrangere lors des executions publiques du 24 avril dernier. Le
chef de la mission, Gerard Fischer, a indique que Mme Robinson
renegocierait un nouvel accord de fonctionnement.  (d'apres Le
Soir, Belgique, 11 mai 1998)

* Rwanda. UN gets the cold shoulder - 7 May: A fierce attack on the
UN by Rwanda's government greets the UN Secretary-General, Kofi
Annan, when he faces the country's national assembly on 7 May, to
hear the world body accused of failing to stop the 1994 genocide.
Mr Annan speaks to the parliament of the need for "life even after
genocide" and "love after hate". But Rwanda's foreign minister,
Anastase Gasana, accuses the UN of having overlooked successive
pogroms against Tutsis in 1959, 1963 and 1973, and failing to
anticipate the slaughter in 1994. "It wasn't a lack of information
which handicapped you, it was a lack of political will", Mr Gasana
says. 8 May: Annan meets with President Pasteur Bizimungu, Vice-
President Paul Kagame and Prime Minister Celestin Rwigema. Speaking
to journalists at the end of his visit, he said the mission "was
not easy, but I was able to do all I planned to do". 10 May: Rwanda
appears to be attempting to defuse its relations with the UN after
recent events. A Rwandan senior official says there has been a
misunderstanding about the closure of the UN human rights mission
in his country.  (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 12 May 1998)

* Rwanda. Sida - Selon une enquete realisee par le ministere
rwandais de la Sante entre septembre et novembre 1997, 11,1% de la
population rwandaise est contaminee par le virus du sida. La classe
d'age la plus touchee est celle des adultes entre 20 et 50 ans,
avec un taux culminant a 18,7% pour les 45-49 ans.  (Le Monde,
France, 13 mai 1998)

* Sahara occidental. Referendum retarde? - Le referendum d'auto-
determination sur le Sahara occidental, officiellement prevu pour
le 7 decembre, sera tres probablement retarde de plusieurs mois,
estime-t-on dans les milieux proches de la Minurso, la mission des
NU chargee d'organiser ce vote. De nombreux diplomates en poste a
Rabat, estiment meme que ce referendum n'aura jamais lieu. La
mauvaise foi des deux parties en conflit devrait se traduire par
toute une serie de litiges, au moment de la publication officielle
des listes d'electeurs identifies, qui ne feront que retarder
encore la tenue de cet hypothetique scrutin.  (D'apres AFP, France,
7 mai 1998)

* Senegal. Campagne pour les legislatives - La campagne pour les
elections legislatives du 24 mai s'est ouverte le 3 mai dans une
atmosphere sereine pour les 18 partis et coalitions qui se
disputeront les 140 sieges de l'Assemblee nationale. Avant
l'ouverture, la plupart des responsables politiques ont tente
d'obtenir le soutien des chefs des grandes confreries musulmanes,
mais aucun de ceux-ci n'a voulu prendre position. Deux generaux a
la retraite ont ete nommes a la tete du ministere de l'Interieur et
a l'Onel (organisme independant charge du controle du scrutin) pour
que les elections soient transparentes et battre en breche toute
contestation post-electorale. Ni le Parti socialiste (PS, au
pouvoir), ni les principaux partis d'opposition, n'ont encore
trouve "leurs marques" dans cette campagne qui se veut "civilisee",
mais qui est jugee terne et sans passion, ne reussissant pas a
susciter l'enthousiasme ni a drainer les grandes foules.  (Marches
Tropicaux et AFP, France, 8-11 mai 1998)

* Senegal. Campus turmoil spreads - On 12 May, campus turmoil
spread in Senegal with rampaging students burning government cars
and attacking a cabinet minister's home in Dakar. Police and
witnesses said nine youths were arrested in Dakar, one of two
cities where violence flared as students took to the streets to
protest police handling of unrest in Saint Louis, Senegal's second
city, 155 miles north of the capital. The students said they were
acting in solidarity with fellow students at Saint Louis who were
wounded in campus violence on 5 May.  (InfoBeat, USA, 13 May 1998)

* Sierra Leone. Unpublished news - 15 April: Former President Major
General Saidu Momoh and thirteen others are among the more than
1,000 alleged military junta collaborators detained at the maximum
security prison, at Pademba Road Prisons. They made their first
appearance before principal magistrate Claudia Taylor, on 14 April.
The Attorney General said that the accused instilled terror in the
minds of Sierra Leoneans, mounted a propaganda campaign and acted
as advisors to the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) junta.
17 April: The UN special envoy to Sierra Leone confirms that the
Security Council has agreed to send observers to oversee the
disarmament, demobilisation and encampment of armed groups, by the
ECOMOG forces.20 April: The bodies of twenty dead Nigerian ECOMOG
soldiers are flown home to Nigeria for burial. The Nigerians are
keeping tight-lipped about the fact that they are suffering many
casualties in their efforts to defeat the remnants of the military
junta in the provinces. The deaths are thought to have occurred in
rebel ambushes and road accidents. According to the Chief
Pathologist, Dr Arthur Williams, twelve of the deceased were killed
in separate ambushes along the Kono-Makeni highway. The other eight
died from injuries sustained from accidents along the Freetown-
Peninsula highway in the past two weeks. Obviously, this is not
doing much to help the morale of the Nigerian troops. 22 April: The
Minister of Information, Mr Julius Spencer, announces press
censorship on all war reporting in Sierra Leone. All journalists,
including foreign correspondents must first clear all material
relating to military activities to the ECOMOG Press Officer at
Wilberforce Barracks, south of Freetown.  (Cyphas Williams, Sierra
Leone, 20 April-11 May 1998)

* Sierra Leone. Mounting atrocities - 8 May: Amnesty International
has just received horrifying information that hundreds of unarmed
civilians in Sierra Leone are being brutally killed and mutilated
by forces of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the
armed opposition Revolutionary United Front (RUF) -- which were
forced from power by West African troops in mid-February. "Victims
have reported women and children being rounded up, locked in a
house which was then set alight. Women have been raped and suffered
other forms of sexual assault. Men who refused to rape members of
their own family were reported to have had their arms hacked off",
Amnesty International said today. In the last few days, another 13
victims from Kono District in the east of the country have been
admitted to Connaught Hospital in the centre of Freetown. They
include a 60-year-old woman whose arm had been deliberately
amputated, and three men who had both arms cut off and others who
had one arm cut off..."There is an urgent need to protect civilians
from these atrocities", the organisation said. "The international
community should establish a human rights presence in Sierra Leone
which would be able to independently monitor human rights
violations and make its findings and recommendations public". 
(Amnesty International, 8 May 1998)

* Sierra Leone. "Arms-to-Africa" - 8 May: The British Foreign
Secretary, Robin Cook, is under intense pressure to explain the
government's role in the "arms-to-Africa" controversy, after
Sandline International released details of alleged meetings with
government officials about a weapons shipment to Sierra Leone.
Sandline International publishes a letter addressed to Mr Cook
detailing an arms shipment, and a series of meetings and telephone
calls with government officials. The letter, dated 24 April 1998,
claims the operation in March to restore President Ahmed Tejan
Kabbah, ousted in a military coup on May 1997, was both initiated
and approved by Peter Penfold, Britain's High Commissioner in
Sierra Leone. The letter names four Foreign Office officials said
to have been bribed by the company.  (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 May
1998)

* Sierra Leone. Lourd bilan - Quelque 150 combattants de l'ex-junte
sierra-leonaise ont ete tues dans une attaque menee par la force
ouest-africaine Ecomog et des milices loyalistes dans deux villes
de l'extreme est du pays, a annonce une radio independante, le 12
mai, a Freetown. L'Ecomog, qui a lance son assaut depuis la
frontiere guineenne, a egalement capture 30 partisans de la junte
parmi lesquels des rebelles du Front revolutionnaire uni (RUF),
mouvement qui avait lance une guerre civile devastatrice en 1991
avant de se rallier a la junte, apres sa prise de pouvoir en mai
1997.  (Le Soir, Belgique, 13 mai 1998)

* Sierra Leone. Battle for final junta stronghold - ECOMOG forces
are fighting a fierce battle for the Sierra Leonean market town of
Kailahun, the last major stronghold of the ousted military junta
and its rebel allies, a force spokesman said on 13 May. Scores of
fighters, most of them rebels and junta loyalists, had been killed
in the battle for the eastern town near the border with Guinea. 
(InfoBeat, USA, 13 May 1998)

* Sierra Leone. La tragedie s'amplifie - Les admissions de civils
atrocement mutiles par les troupes de l'ex-junte en deroute ne
cessent de croitre dans les hopitaux de Sierra Leone, gagnee par la
"pire vague de violence que ce pays ait jamais connue", selon des
organisations humanitaires presentes a Freetown. Plus de 50.000
refugies, dont de nombreux blesses ou souffrant de malnutrition ont
egalement fui leur pays pour rejoindre les camps du sud-est de la
Guinee, depuis que le regime militaire a ete renverse le 12 fevrier
par l'offensive du contingent nigerian de l'ECOMOG, la force ouest-
africaine. Les fuyards de l'ex-junte, aux abois, brulent des
villages entiers, mutilent, violent et tuent sans distinction, dans
un deferlement de violence sans precedent, selon les organisations
humanitaires sur place. Au moins 260 civils, hospitalises en Sierra
Leone, ont deja ete mutiles a vie, mains, bras, jambes ou oreilles
coupes par des soldats dans les villages du sud, de l'est et du
nord du pays, a declare a l'AFP le president d'une association
d'aide aux handicapes et amputes, Joseph Jakka. Mais, pour un
representant des Nations unies, "il s'agit la de la partie visible
de l'iceberg. Beaucoup meurent avant d'atteindre les centres de
sante. D'autres sont perdus dans la brousse". Submerges par le
nombre de mutiles, les hopitaux manquent de medicaments, de
materiel chirurgical. Dans les campagnes, la malnutrition regne et
va encore s'aggraver avec la saison des pluies qui approche.
L'association d'aide aux mutiles a lance un appel a la communaute
internationale pour qu'elle vienne en aide aux victimes des
atrocites.  (D'apres AFP, France, 13 mai 1998)<W0>

* Somalie. Combats a Kismayo - Les combats pour le controle du port
de Kismayo continuent. Le 8 mai, au moins 25 personnes ont ete
tuees et 28 autres blessees dans des combats entre deux clans,
Marehan et Majertein. Ces derniers accusent Hussein Aidid d'appuyer
les Marehan, ce que celui-ci denie. Le 5 mai, six aides sanitaires,
proba-blement les derniers humanitaires etrangers, ont ete evacues
de Kismayo.  (De Standaard, Belgique, 9 mai 1998)

* Somalia. Fighting cuts key bridge - The road bridge linking
Mogadishu and the southern port of Kismayu has been cut in clan
fighting, causing thousands to flee. The Majertein fighters cut the
Kamsuma bridge, 56 miles north of Kismayu on 11 May. The same
forces then took up defensive positions south of the wreckage of
the bridge, the only tarmac road linking Somalia's two main towns, 
(InfoBeat, USA, 12 May 1998)

* Afrique du Sud. Reecrire l'histoire - Le Congres national
africain (ANC) a confie, le 6 mai, au jeune historien Nhanhla
Ndebele la charge de reecrire l'histoire de quatre decennies
d'apartheid en Afrique du Sud. Pour mener a bien sa tache, Ndebele
dispose de trois ans et aura acces aux archives completes de l'ANC.
De nouveaux manuels d'histoire seront mis en service d'ici a l'an
2000.  (Liberation, France, 7 mai 1998)

* South Africa. Rugby faces renewed boycott - 7 May: South African
rugby faces a return to international isolation after the governing
body of the country's most unreconstructed white sport failed to
resolve a dispute centred on claims of continued racism and
mismanagement. At a meeting of the South African Rugby Football
Union (SARFU) executive, its four black members resigned and its
president, Louis Luyt, clung to power despite a majority call for
him to quit. The crisis -- which arose out of government moves to
investigate SARFU's finances and apparent continued racial bias in
the sport -- could lead to a call today from South Africa's sports
council for an international boycott. Ireland, Wales and England
are all due to tour South Africa soon. 8 May: The Sports Council
asks Ireland, Wales and England not to send teams to South Africa.
9-10 May: Louis Luyt announces that he will resign to stave off the
international boycott. He says he is standing down because he does
not want to leave Australia and New Zealand in the lurch, and
because he wishes to save South African rugby from further damage. 
(ANB-BIA, Brussels, 11 May 1998)

* South Africa. Court quashes amnesty for ANC leaders - 8 May.
South Africa's High Court overturned a block amnesty granted by the
statutory Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) for 37 leaders
of the ruling African National Congress, including Deputy President
Mbeki. "There is granted an order reviewing and setting aside the
decisions made by the committee on amnesty", said Judge Conradie,
in setting aside the amnesty for apartheid-era human rights abuses
that had been granted to the 37 ANC leaders by the TRC. Conradie
also ordered the TRC's independent amnesty committee to consider
afresh the application for amnesty.  (InfoBeat, USA, 8 May 1998)

* Afrique du Sud. Pas d'amnistie pour l'ANC - La Haute Cour de
justice sud-africaine a rejete une amnistie totale pour le sommet
de l'ANC. Le jugement concerne 37 hauts membres de l'ANC, dont le
vice-president Thabo Mbeki et 5 ministres. En novembre dernier, le
comite d'amnistie de la Commission verite et reconciliation (TRC)
avait degage les 37 accuses de poursuites judiciaires. L'opposition
avait accuse la TRC de prejuges, et Mgr Tutu, le president de la
TRC, avait demande a la Haute Cour d'annuler l'amnistie.  (De
Standaard, Belgique, 11 mai 1998)

* Sudan. Arrival of additional aircraft - 7 May: The World Food
Programme announced the start-up of the first additional C-130
aircraft which began airdropping emergency food supplies today to
50,000 hungry southern Sudanese in the towns of Ajak and Akon, in
the crisis-hit province of Bahr El Ghazal. This follows on the
government of Sudan's agreement on 3 May, to allow the UN to begin
using three additional C-130s in its operation, bringing the total
amount of authorized C-130s to five.  (IRIN, Nairobi, 7 May 1998)

* Sudan. Talks get mixed reception - A partial agreement reached by
the Sudanese government and southern rebels in Nairobi, won a mixed
reception in Khartoum on 7 May. After two days of talks that ended
on 6 May, the Sudanese government and the SPLA agreed to an
internationally supervised vote on self-determination for the
south. But they disagreed on the region's boundaries and the issue
of religion and state.  (InfoBeat, USA, 7 May 1998)

* Soudan. Confusion sur les resultats du sommet - Le 7 mai, le
porte-parole de la SPLA, M. Yasser Arman, a affirme au Caire que la
derniere session de negociations que la rebellion avait eue avec le
gouvernement islamiste soudanais avait echoue, contrairement a ce
qu'en dit Khartoum. La veille, on avait annonce que les deux
parties avaient accepte le principe d'un referendum
d'autodetermination au Sud-Soudan. D'ailleurs, le 7 mai, le
ministre soudanais des Affaires etrangeres a indique qu'il serait
heureux de voir le Sud acceder au rang d'Etat souverain.  (ANB-BIA,
de sources diverses, 8 mai 1998)

* Sudan. Modern day slavery continues - More than 1,000 children
have been seized as war booty by Muslim militants in southern
Sudan, along with 10,000 head of cattle and other goods sacked
during their recent clashes with the SPLA rebel forces. The boys
and girls, aged from 4 to 12 years, will be sold to Arab merchants
who run a brisk slave trade in the Middle East. Most of these
slaves are used as farm hands or keepers of livestock. The "owners"
have reportedly sexually abused many of the children. The cry of
alarm was raised by the Vatican News Agency FIDES after hearing
testimony from missionaries in southern and central Sudan who
encountered a massive exodus of captive children near Abyei, in the
border town of Bar el-Ghazal.  (ZENIT, Rome, 7 May 1998)

* Sudan. Voting on new Islamic constitution - 8 May. Sudanese
voters went to the polls in most of the country's 26 states, in a
referendum on a draft constitution that would enforce Islamic
Sharia law as the main source for legislation. Voting in the
capital Khartoum, which has about 20% of Sudan's 10 million voters,
is due to start on 9 May. The government has set up 36 polling
centres in Khartoum and its governor, Mazjoub al-Khalifa, expects
a heavy turnout. Government troops have been fighting rebels from
the Sudan People's Liberation Army, which is trying to win autonomy
for southern Sudan, since 1983.  (InfoBeat, USA, 8 May 1998)

* Sudan. UN assessment mission to Nuba Mountains - 13 May: The UN
today warmly welcomed the announcement from the Government of Sudan
that it would, for the first time, grant access to rebel-held areas
of the Nuba Mountains next week, so that an assessmrnt of
humanitarian needs in the area can be made. The announcement was
made during the visit of the Netherlands Minister for Development
Cooperation, and followed interventions by the UN Secretary-
General, on a stop-over in Khartoum on 9 May, and by high level
representatives from the UN Office of the Coordination for
Humanitarian Affairs earlier this month. The announcement came
after repeated attempts by the UN over the last ten years, to gain
access to one of the most forgotten, destitute popuylations of
Sudan.  (IRIN, Nairobi, 13 May 1998)

* Chad. Rebels agree peace deal - 8 May. According to state-radio,
Chad's government and a rebel group in the oil-rich south of the
country have signed a peace deal. The deal, initiated on the 7 May,
calls for a truce in Logone occidental and Logone Oriental
provinces and an amnesty for Laoukein Barde and his Armed Forces
For A Federal Republic (FARF) rebels. A government source said a
special envoy from President Deby signed the deal with Barde's
chief-of-staff. Barde himself stayed away citing security concerns.
The two sides first signed a peace deal in April 1997. It broke
down in October with each side blaming the other.  (InfoBeat, USA,
8 May 1998)

* Uganda. Roundup of news - The 4-10 May issue of The East African
(Kenya), gives the following roundup of news from Uganda. On 18
April, a Christian FM radio that seeks to become a moral
counterweight to a crowded field of popular culture FM stations,
went on air in Kampala -- Uganda's aviation industry has registered
remarkable growth over the past five years, with the number of
daily scheduled flights from Entebbe International Airport
increasing from 8 to 17 -- A Guyana-based gold-mining company,
International Roraima Gold Corporation, says there is a high chance
of finding a large quantity of gold deposits in Uganda to warrant
commercial mining -- Failure by Uganda's Ministry of Fiance to
remit an estimated $3.8 million in import commissions to the Uganda
Tourist Board over the past two years, is hampering the development
of tourism in the country.  (The East African, Kenya, 4-10 May
1998)

* Ouganda. 20.000 deplaces - Pres de 20.000 personnes se retrouvent
"deplacees" dans le district de Bundibugyo, a l'ouest de l'Ouganda,
a cause des affrontements entre l'armee et les rebelles de l'ADF,
a dit le porte-parole de l'armee, le 7 mai. Les deplaces vivent
dans des "villages proteges", gardes par l'armee, pour les proteger
contre des attaques et des enlevements par les rebelles. Le porte-
parole a insiste sur le fait que l'armee manquait de moyens
logistiques pour assurer nourriture et soins medicaux, et demandait
l'aide du gouvernement et des ONG.  (IRIN, Nairobi, 8 mai 1998)

* Zambie. Human Rights Watch condamne - Le 11 mai, Human Rights
Watch a publie un rapport de 57 pages, intitule Zambie - No Model
for Democracy: continuing human rights violations, qui fait etat de
violations graves commises par le gouvernement zambien, telles que
brutalites policieres et tortures a l'encontre des prisonniers. HRW
demande aux bailleurs de fonds bilateraux et multilateraux de
maintenir la suspension de l'aide apportee a la balance de
paiements. Reunis a Paris ce meme jour dans le cadre du Groupe
consultatif de la Banque mondiale sur la Zambie, les bailleurs de
fonds dresseront le bilan de la situation dans ce pays. L'aide
apportee a ete suspendue par plusieurs gouvernements en 1996, suite
aux violations des droits de l'homme commises par le gouvernement
zambien.  (Human Rights Watch, New-York, 11 mai 1998)

* Zambia. Continuing Human Rights Violations - Human Rights Watch
has published a lengthy and detailed report entitled: "Zambia, No
Model for Democracy", dealing with continuing human rights
violations in Zambia. The research and writing for the report is
based upon visits made to Zambia in November 1997, also in March
and April 1998. The report documents serious abuses by the Zambian
government such as police brutality and torture of detainees. In a
news release (11 May), Amnesty International urges donors who
gather today at a World Bank-hosted meeting, to demand concrete,
effective human rights reforms in Zambia.  (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 13
May 1998)

* Zambia. Mines privatisation essential - Without a last minute
deal to privatise its two main copper mines -- Nchanga and Nkana --
Zambia will be lucky indeed to secure the $165 million in fresh aid
pledges it hopes to get at today's donor consultative meeting in
Paris. While copper privatisation may not be a formal condition for
support from some donors, there is a keen awareness that without
it, promising developments in the Zambian economy will be reversed
with dire consequences for the country's 10 million people, with a
GDP per head of a meagre $140 a year.  (Financial Times, U.K., 12
May 1998)

* Zambia. Warning over human rights - On 13 May, international
donors warned Zambia it needed to take "swift and decisive action"
on alleged human rights violations, and called for more rapid
progress in privatising remaining assets of the state-owned mining
conglomerates. Donors at the World Bank chaired meeting in Paris,
pledged $530 million to Zambia for this year, but delegates made
clear that support was linked to continued economic reforms and
better governance.  (Financial Times, U.K., 14 May 1998)