ANB-BIA - Av. Charles Woeste 184 - 1090 Bruxelles - Belg TEL **.32.2/420 34 36 fax /420 05 49 E-Mail: anb- bia@village.uunet.be _____________________________________________________________ WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 11-03-1999 PART #1/ * Africa. Action against the Media - Ethiopia: Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) says Yared Kemfe, the editor-in-chief of Beza newspaper, was arrested on 5 March in Harer. He was expected to appear in court on 11 March. Kenya: On 9 March, Johann Wandetto, a journalist with the People daily, and working in Kitale town in the Rift Valley Province, was charged in court with "writing an alarming story". The story in question referred to an incident in which 8 members of President Moi's security team travelling from Lodwar, were said to have been ambushed and their weapons stolen by militiamen in the West Pokot district. Mozambique: Fernando Quinova, Cabo Delgado province correspondent for the state-owned Mass Communications Institute, has been re-arrested in Cabo Delgado, after escaping in January 1999 from an illegal 23-day detention. Nigeria: On 4 March, in a letter addressed to the Governor of Edo State, RSF expressed its concern about the suspension of two journalists, Tenent Akenzua and Richard Amawo, respectively general manager and editor of Nigerian Observer. They are accused of publishing information about the criticism of North American and European observers during the February parliamentary elections. Zambia: On 3 March, police briefly detained 3 foreign journalists after residents of Lusaka's Chilenje township apprehended them for filming in the area. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10 March 1999) * Afrique de l'Est. Meningite - Une epidemie de meningite qui a fait au moins 262 morts au Soudan, risque de s'etendre a l'Erythree et a l'Ethiopie, a declare l'OMS. L'epidemie, venue de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (ou elle a fait 25.000 morts en 1996-97) par le Tchad, a deja touche 14 des 26 Etats du Soudan, ou l'on a denombre 2.293 cas, dont 262 mortels. La maladie s'est propagee l'an dernier vers le sud et l'est, atteignant l'Angola, la Namibie et le Zimbabwe. L'OMS s'inquiete aussi des risques de propagation a La Mecque. (La Libre Belgique, 11 mars 1999) * West Africa. Airline caught in rough patch - The opening on 3 March in Paris of a court case against Air Afrique, will once again turn the spotlight on the West African carrier, which was brought to the brink of collapse last year by a mountain of debt. The case is being brought by the airline's creditors, led by Credit Lyonnais, the French bank, to demand repayment of leasing arrears of about $200 million owed on four Airbus aircraft. The amount is the largest part of the group's total debt of about $300 million. the airlines principal owners -- 11 former French colonies and Air France (which has a stake of around 12%) failed at the weekend to appoint a new managing director. (Financial Times, UK, 4 February 1999) * Algerie. Flambees de violence - 4 mars. Les violences en Algerie, imputees aux islamistes armes, ont enregistre une brusque flambee, faisant au moins 39 morts en une semaine. Ces bilans ne comprennent pas les pertes totales des islamistes armes et des forces de securite lors des accrochages, qui ne sont pas revelees et qui sont difficilement verifiables. Sept personnes ont ete assassinees dans la nuit du 3 au 4 mars, sur la route de Sidi- Rached pres de Tipaza (ouest), selon les services de securite. Dans la nuit precedente, cinq jeunes gens avaient ete assassines a Skikda (est), tandis que deux voyageurs etaient tues et trois autres blesses a Larbatache, a 50 km a l'est d'Alger. Dix gardes communaux ont ete tues pres de Medea (sud), le 26 fevrier, et la nuit precedente, neuf personnes, dont quatre femmes et quatre enfants, dans la meme zone a Berbouche. Cette nouvelle flambee de violence survient a trois semaines du debut de la campagne electorale dont un des themes majeurs sera le retour a la paix. - 6 mars. Selon le Watan, les forces de securite auraient abattu pres de Tizi-Ouzou le meurtrier presume du chanteur berbere Matoub Lounes, assassine en juin dernier; la famille reste sceptique. Par ailleurs, le gouvernement a abroge le decret controverse sur les "victimes de la tragedie nationale" prevoyant la prise en charge des veuves et orphelins d'islamistes armes au meme titre que celles des victimes d'actes "terroristes". - Le 7 mars au matin, 16 militaires ont ete tues et 21 blesses dans une embuscade pres de Bouira, a 120 km au sud-est d'Alger. - Le 9 mars, trois personnes, dont un enfant, ont ete tuees et 31 blessees dans une explosion pres d'un college a El-Khemis (120 km d'Alger). (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 9 mars 1999) * Algeria. 14 soldiers die in ambush - 8 March: Newspapers report that 16 soldiers have been killed and 21 others wounded in an ambush by scores of Islamic insurgents. The dawn attack occurred on 7 March on a highway near Bouira, east of Algiers. Two groups of insurgents, made up of some 60 people, trapped a military convoy in crossfire, as it made its way down the highway. The insurgents, said to be members of the Armed Islamic Group, placed a body on the road to trick the soldiers into stopping. (AP, 8 March 1999) * Angola. Violents combats - Les rebelles angolais de l'Unita auraient inflige de lourdes pertes en hommes et en materiel aux forces gouvernementales angolaises au cours d'une grande bataille pres du quartier general du mouvement rebelle a Andulo, a annonce le secretaire general de l'Unita, Paolo Lukamba Gato, dans une declaration diffusee par la BBC le 4 mars. - Le 8 mars, l'Unita a repris ses bombardements de la ville de Malange, a 350 km a l'est de Luanda. Selon certaines sources locales, le bilan provisoire de ces bombardements, au cours des deux derniers mois, s'eleverait a plus de 700 morts et 1.000 blesses. Pendant ce temps, la situation humanitaire degenere. Le 5 mars a Geneve, le coordinateur de l'action humanitaire de l'ONU en Angola a lance un avertissement sur le danger d'une "nouvelle catastrophe humaine" pour les deplaces de ce pays, estimes a 1,5 million. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10 mars 1999) * Angola. Fierce fighting - 3 March: UNITA forces launch a large- scale attack on government forces defending Triunfo, 14 km from Andulo. 4 March: UNITA forces backed by tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery have forced government troops to pull back from positions just outside the strategic central Angolan town of Andulo. Radio Angola says fierce battles are now taking place near Andola and that military tension is now rising in central Angola. Also, the UN Humanitarian Coordination Unit reports that the entry into force of the Ottawa Treaty banning landmines, has not prevented people in Angola from losing their lives and limbs. 9 March: The number of displaced people in Angola has risen to 650,000 since fighting resumed in earnest in November. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10 March 1999) * Angola. Enlevements a Cabinda - Trois ressortissants etrangers, deux Portugais et un Francais, ont disparus le 10 mars dans l'enclave angolaise de Cabinda, rapporte l'agence de presse portugaise Lusa. D'apres les autorites, ils auraient ete enleves par des separatistes armes des Forces de liberation de l'enclave de Cabinda (FLEC). Les trois travaillaient pour le groupe francais Bouygues. Leur Jeep a ete retrouvee a l'aube a la lisiere de la capitale de ce minuscule territoire riche en petrole. (D'apres AP, EU, 10 mars 1999) * Benin. Trafiquants d'enfants - La police de Djougou, dans le district septentrional d'Atacora, a sauve 14 jeunes gens ages de 10 a 14 ans des mains de trafiquants d'enfants, a rapporte PANA le 5 mars. Les enfants se trouvaient dans un vehicule immatricule au Nigeria et ils ont ete places sous la surveillance de quatre adultes beninois. Les enfants ont declare aux policiers qu'on leur avait promis cassettes video, magnetophones et bicyclettes. Les trafiquants sont en garde a vue. (IRIN, Abidjan, 5 mars 1999) * Benin. Vers les elections - Les Beninois s'appretent a elire, le 30 mars prochain, le troisieme Parlement de l'ere du Renouveau democratique. 35 partis (sur les 111 que compte le Benin!) -- ou coalitions de partis -- sont en lice pour les 83 sieges de l'Assemblee. Ce scrutin connait quelques innovations, notamment l'expression du vote par bulletin unique, contrairement aux scrutins anterieurs ou les bulletins etaient multiples et proportionnels au nombre de candidats ou de listes en competition. Cette nouveaute suscite cependant des reserves au sein de la classe politique, qui redoute que le bulletin unique ne soit une source de confusion pour l'electeur (80% du corps electoral est analphabete). Le bulletin se presente sous la forme d'une large fiche avec les logos des 35 partis ou coalitions en lice. L'electeur devra choisir le logo de son candidat. La Commission electorale nationale (CENA), chargee de l'organisation et de la supervision des elections, soutient, au contraire, que le bulletin unique est d'abord financierement plus interessant pour l'Etat; et, deuxiemement, qu'il est l'option qui offre le plus de transparence. Etant "unique", ce bulletin permettra de reduire le trafic de suffrages, toujours prosperant lors des consultations electorales. Le nouveau Parlement sera installe en avril. (A.L. Quenum, ANB-BIA, Benin, 11 mars 1999) * Botswana-Namibia. International relations - 3 March: The Namibian and Botswana governments believe the climate is "right" for Namibian refugees currently in Botswana to return home, The Namibian reported on 3 March. Both countries are convinced that the political environment in Namibia, specifically in the Caprivi region was conducive to the return of the Namibian nationals. 5 March: The International Court of Justice at The Hague says it will announce a verdict on the case of the Kasikili/Sedudu islands before the end of the year. The Courts says in a statement: "The Court's judgement will be delivered in the autumn. It will be read at a public hearing on a date to be announced in a forthcoming press release". (IRIN, Southern Africa, 3 & 8 March 1999) * Botswana-Uganda. Bishop in search of priests - Bishop Boniface Setlalekgosi of Gabarone, Botswana, has left for Uganda to find priests to work in Botswana. The Bishop's two-week-long quest is necessary as there are only 22 priests serving the parishes and outstations in the diocese. The rector of St. Charles Lwanga diocesan minor seminary in Gaborone, says that although his seminary is designed to accommodate 18 students, only six are admitted each year because of the stringent academic requirements to enter the regional major seminary at Chishawasha in Zimbabwe. He said that many of those interested in the priesthood just did not perform well enough for admission to the seminary in Zimbabwe. (The Southern Cross, South Africa, 7 March 1999) * Burundi. Arusha Peace Talks - 7 March: Peace negotiators, religious leaders and community groups are scheduled to meet on 8 March at Arusha in Tanzania for a seminar aimed at strengthening peace efforts in Burundi. The two-day gathering will be followed by a meeting of international committees seeking to help end the ethnic violence in Burundi. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 8 March 1999) * Burundi. Reprise des pourparlers - Le 8 mars, 92 delegues de 18 delegations se sont reunis a Arusha en Tanzanie pour preparer en commissions le 5e round des pourparlers de paix burundais, qui doivent se tenir au mois de juin. Ceux-ci devraient "apporter une solution definitive et la signature d'un accord de paix", a dit le ministre Niyonsaba, tout en ajoutant qu'un accord detaille, ainsi qu'un projet de nouvelle Constitution, ne semblaient pas realisables en ce laps de temps. L'ancien president Ntibantunganya, egalement present a Arusha, a plaide pour une reduction du nombre des groupes participants, afin d'accelerer le processus de paix. (D'apres De Standaard, Belgique, 9 mars 1999) * Congo-Brazza. L'armee repousse les rebelles - L'armee congolaise a annonce, le 5 mars, avoir repris la localite de Nganga-Lingolo a une vingtaine de km au sud-ouest de Brazzaville. Selon la radio officielle, les combats auraient fait 42 morts et de nombreux blesses dans les rangs des miliciens Ninjas et cinq blesses dans les rangs de l'armee. L'armee, appuyee par des troupes angolaises, a entrepris en fevrier de degager trois axes de communication menant a Brazzaville. Elle a repris Loumou (nord- ouest), puis Ngoma Tse-Tse et la gare de Kibossi (ouest). Les miliciens rebelles controlent la region allant de la peripherie ouest de la capitale a Dolisie, a 300 km a l'ouest de Brazzaville. (D'apres AFP, France, 5 mars 1999) * Congo-Brazza. Triste fete de la femme, pour les religieuses - Les superieures religieuses des congregations et des instituts feminins au CongoBrazza ont publie, le 8 mars, fete de la femme, un document dans lequel elles denoncent ce que leurs communautes ont subi a cause du conflit: on est sans nouvelles de 3 religieuses de Brazzaville, disparues depuis le 13 decembre; 49 communautes religieuses, sur 81, ont du fermer les portes; 29 communautes ont ete pillees: aucune d'entre elles n'a pu reprendre ses activites. Les superieures religieuses en appellent aux autorites pour que, a travers le dialogue, on mette un terme aux hostilites, que soit assure le respect des droits de l'homme, et que l'Eglise puisse continuer a oeuvrer dans la paix. (D'apres Fides, Rome, 10 mars 1999) * Congo (RDC). 45 civilians murdered in Kivu - Murders and violence continue in the eastern province of Kivu. According to information received by the press agency MISNA, in the first two months of 1999, 45 civilians were murdered for no reason. The murders were all committed at different times and in different circumstances. There are large numbers of missing people, always in the territory conquered by the Congolese Democratic Coalition (RCD) and controlled by the Rwandan or Ugandan troops, with a relative Banyamulenge presence. (MISNA, Italy, 4 March 1999) * Congo (RDC). Tueries quotidiennes au Kivu - Un groupe des droits de l'homme au Kivu envoie le message suivant. "Le monde entier eprouve encore des difficultes a se remettre de l'emotion provoqee par la tuerie barbare d'une dizaine de touristes occidentaux enleves par des ex-FAR/Interahamwe en Ouganda. Cependant, des tueries aussi barbares sont commises chaque jour contre la population civile, des villages sont incendies sous pretexte de lutte contre des resistants armes, des 'operations de nettoyage' envoient chaque jour a la mort des familles entieres. Il n'est pas possible de ne pas constater le contraste ahurissant entre l'attention que les medias occidentaux ont accorde, avec raison, a l'assassinat des touristes, et le silence qui accueille les massacres des populations civiles en territoire congolais". Suit une liste de 46 personnes assassinees les dernieres semaines au Kivu. -L'organisation humanitaire Human Rights Watch a publie un document allant dans le meme sens (http://www.hrw.org). (ANB-BIA, Bruxelles, 5 mars 1999) * Congo (RDC)-Zambia-Angola. Kabila in Zambia - On 5 March, President Kabila flew to Zambia for urgent talks, after Lusaka cut fuel supplies to southern parts of Congo RDC. In the latest escalation of regional tensions over the war in Angola, Mr Kabila went to Zambia's northern city of Ndola to meet President Chiluba to discuss the Zambian fuel cut and parallel move to curtail flights to Congo across its airspace. Zambia is the only route for petrol supplies to southern Congo, including the country's second city, Lubumbashi. Several sources said the city was facing fuel shortages. Angola, one of Mr Kabila's key allies in a war against rebels fighting the Kinshasa government, has accused Mr Chiluba of backing Angolan rebels fighting to overthrow the Luanda government. (Financial Times, UK, 6 March 1999) * Congo (RDC). Journee de la femme interdite au Sud-Kivu - Le Rassemblement Congolais pour la democratie (RCD) a interdit a Bukavu une marche des femmes a l'occasion de la Journee internationale de la Femme, le 8 mars. Celles-ci avaient voulu organiser une marche silencieuse et pacifique et presenter leurs principales revendications sur le theme "Les droits des femmes pendant les conflits armes". Des militaires armes etaient deployes sur les grandes arteres de la ville. Les femmes de Bukavu ont adresse aux responsables une vive protestation, declarant que cette Journee etait decretee par les Nations unies et reconnaissait a toutes les femmes du monde le droit de s'exprimer sur les conditions qui sont les leurs. (ANB-BIA, Bruxelles, 9 mars 1999) * Congo (RDC). Polio campaign - The warring sides in Congo RDC have agreed to hold a series of truces later this year for a UN and government-sponsored polio immunization campaign, a spokesman said. The initiative will target 10 million children under the age of five throughout the country, which has been wrecked by fighting since rebels took up arms in August to oust President Kabila. Working with UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, Congo's Ministry of Health is expected to hold three rounds of immunizations during three truces between July and September, spokesman Fred Eckhard said. Such "days of tranquillity", have allowed immunizations to be carried out in Afghanistan, Lebanon and El Salvador. The campaign is part of the WHO-led initiative to eliminate polio from the world by 2000. The highly infectious polio virus spreads to the spinal cord and brain, causing paralysis and sometimes death. National Immunization Days, as the campaigns are called, have been carried out in more than 120 countries, helping reduce polio by 90% since the initiative was launched in 1988. (CNN, 9 March 1999) * Congo (RDC). Renforts et enlisement - Le president Kabila s'est rendu en Zambie, le 5 mars, pour un entretien urgent avec son homologue Chiluba. La Zambie avait decide la veille d'interrompre la fourniture de carburant au sud du Congo et de limiter les vols aeriens vers le Congo au-dessus de son territoire. Ces mesures, ainsi que la prise de Pepa le 2 mars par les rebelles, avaient fait monter la tension a Lubumbashi. L'aeroport de Pepa servait a l'approvisionnement des soldats congolais au Katanga. D'autre part, de nouvelles troupes zimbabweennes sont arrivees ces derniers jours a Lubumbashi pour renforcer leur contingent en RDC qui se montait deja a 10.000 hommes. On releve aussi que de nouveaux armements sont arrives a Kinshasa et que les forces loyalistes ont repris la localite de Bolobo, au nord de Kinshasa, qui avait ete capturee recemment par un troisieme front de rebelles. Malgre cela, la plupart des observateurs estiment que la situation militaire est dans l'impasse et s'enlise. - Par ailleurs, une quarantaine d'anciens tenors congolais, dont l'ex-Premier ministre Kengo wa Dondo et Mgr. Monsengwo, ont ete invites en Afrique du Sud par une ONG specialisee dans la resolution des conflits (ACCORD), ou ils rencontreront des representants de la rebellion. Cette initiative a ete vivement critiquee a Kinshasa. Entre-temps, la situation de la population empire chaque jour. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10 mars 1999) * Congo (RDC). Britanniques et Americain arretes - Quatre fonctionnaires britanniques et un Americain ont ete places en etat d'arrestation dans un hotel de Kinshasa, peu apres leur arrivee dans la capitale congolaise. Le 10 mars, le gouvernement Blair a reclame leur liberation immediate, en rejetant "toute accusation d'espionnage". Selon un porte-parole du Foreign Office, les Britanniques sont "des fonctionnaires des ministeres britanniques de la Defense et des Affaires etrangeres" et l'Americain est un fonctionnaire du Departement d'Etat travaillant a Londres. Les cinq hommes se trouvaient a Kinshasa pour "revoir les procedures d'evacuation de l'ambassade et du consulat en cas d'urgence, une activite de routine". (La Libre Belgique, 11 mars 1999) * Congo (RDC). Row with Britain - On 10 March, Britain was embroiled in an intensifying diplomatic row with Congo RDC over the arrest of five British government officials on suspicion of spying. As ministers demanded the immediate release of the men, who have been detained in their hotel in Kinshasa since 7 March, the Congolese authorities responded by ordering the expulsion of a British diplomat they accuse of acting as the group's guide. According to local reports, the men -- one of whom is an American citizen -- were found on a military site carrying maps of the capital with circles drawn around the city's main airport and troop locations....The British Foreign Office strongly denied they had been spying, insisting that the team had been carrying out a "routine" review of the British embassy's emergency evacuation plans. The maps were being used to identify sites where aircraft could land and areas to be avoided in the event of an evacuation. (The Guardian, UK, 11 March 1999) * Congo(RDC). Combats a grande echelle dans l'est du pays - Les forces gouvernementales et les rebelles de la RDC ont engage de nouveau de violents combats dans l'est du pays, ou les deux camps affirment avoir pris l'avantage militairement. Ces nouveaux combats surviennent apres que les allies militaires de Kinshasa -- le Zimbabwe, l'Angola, le Tchad et la Namibie -- eurent accuse le 1er mars dernier le Rwanda et l'Ouganda de faire "avorter" toutes les tentatives d'accord de cessez-le-feu et menace Kigali et Kampala d'une nouvelle escalade militaire. Selon diverses sources, les affrontements les plus violents se deroulent sur les fronts sud- est, dans le nord du Katanga sur les rives du lac Tanganyika (1.600 km a l'est de Kinshasa), et a l'ouest de Kindu, la capitale de la province du Maniema (1.200 km a l'est de Kinshasa), prise le 12 octobre par la rebellion. Selon des sources fiables a Kinshasa, les forces gouvernementales ont lance une attaque sur le front central, avec notamment de violents bombardements aeriens zimbabweens sur des positions rebelles dans la zone de Tshofa (200 km au sud de Kindu). Des refugies arrives en Tanzanie et cites par le HCR ont egalement fait etat de violents combats dans la region de Kindu. La rebellion a toutefois dementi tout affrontement dans cette zone an affirmant progresser vers Mbuji-Mayi, et sur le front sud-est, a l'interieur du Katanga, dans la region de Moba, port lacustre sur le lac Tanganyika. Mercredi 10 mars, M. Kabila a affirme que les "forces populaires d'auto-defense", expression designant les Mai- Mai, "organisees et armees par le gouvernement" ont pris la ville de Mwenga, a environ 70 km au sud-ouest de la capitale du Sud-Kivu, Bukavu. (D'apres AFP, France, 11 mars 1999) * Cote d'Ivoire. Divergences avec le FMI - Les relations entre le FMI et le gouvernement ivoirien s'enveniment. Le 4 mars, le president Bedie s'en est pris vivement aux "commis" du FMI, s'engageant lui-meme dans la polemique. Dans un rapport confidentiel datant du mois de fevrier, le FMI reprochait a la Cote d'Ivoire des manquements dans la maitrise des finances publiques et mettait meme en doute la fiabilite de certains chiffres communiques par les autorites ivoiriennes. La Cote d'Ivoire, qui a signe en mars 1998 un programme d'ajustement structurel de trois ans, a deja recu un pret de 167 millions de dollars. Le FMI estime maintenant que "toutes les conditions ne sont pas encore reunies pour entamer les negociations sur le programme 1999". (D'apres AFP, France, 5 mars 1999) * Erythree/Ethiopie. Calme apparent - Le 5 mars, l'Erythree a confirme a une mission de l'OUA venue a Asmara, qu'elle etait prete a appliquer son plan de paix, alors que le Conseil de securite a lance un nouvel appel au cessez-le-feu. Asmara a fait etat, pour la deuxieme journee consecutive, d'accrochages sur le front ouest. Addis Abeba ne donne plus aucune information sur la situation a la frontiere depuis l'annonce de sa "victoire totale" il y a une semaine; mais la presse adopte un ton chaque jour plus belliqueux. Le dimanche 7 mars, la journee a ete calme sur tous les fronts. Pour certains observateurs, cette accalmie permet aux deux camps de renforcer leurs dispositifs militaires et pourrait etre le prelude a de nouveaux combats de grande envergure. Le 8 mars, l'Erythree a celebre la fete des femmes en rendant hommage aux combattantes deployees sur le front; un soldat sur quatre, place en premiere ligne, est une femme. D'autre part, Asmara a fait etat d'attaques ethiopiennes dans le secteur de Mereb-Setit, au front ouest. Le Premier ministre ethiopien s'est entretenu avec des representants de l'UE, de l'ONU et de l'OUA. 9 mars Une nouvelle operation d'urgence du PAM vient d'etre approuvee pour une aide alimentaire a quelque 272.000 Ethiopiens deplaces par le differend frontalier. (D'apres AFP, France, 5-10 mars 1999) * Eritrea-Ethiopia. Pope urges peace - 3 March: Pope John Paul II urges Ethiopia and Eritrea to accept an African proposal to end their border war, saying it is the only way to bring about peace. The Pope says that "after the sad news of the heavy fighting, both sides are reported to be ready to accept a peace proposal by the Organisation of African Unity. I applaud this wise decision, which I accompany with fervent prayers". 6 March: Ethiopia reacts sceptically to Eritrea's pledge to abide by the OAU peace proposal. The Ethiopian government says Eritrea is simply trying to buy time to reorganise its forces. The OAU plan calls for Eritrean troops to return to their pre-May 1998 positions. The next stage is for a ceasefire to be observed. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 8 March 1999) * Ethiopia. Border problems cause suffering - Hundreds of Ethiopian soldiers raided a Somali border town, kidnapping one person and looting stores and homes, a Somali elder told journalists by radio. The elder, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Ethiopians did not fire a shot as they broke into homes and stores in Balanballe Sunday (7 March) night. No information was available about the kidnapped resident. The elder claimed the soldiers told him they had crossed the border to chase a Muslim fundamentalist group that has been fighting to unite Ethiopia's eastern Ogaden region with Somalia. Most men fled Monday (8 March) to avoid being mistreated by the soldier, the elder said. Also, the World Food Programme has said it is launching a $24.4 million emergency operation to feed 272,000 Ethiopians driven from their homes by the border conflict with Eritrea. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 11 March 1999) * Ghana. Mourning "the mighty tree" - The Asante people of Ghana never say their king, the Asantehene is "dead". They say, instead, that "a mighty tree has been uprooted". As the sad message reverberated around Asante that Nana Opoku Ware II, King of the Ashantis had died on 25 February, aged 79, immense crowds of people poured into the capital, Kumasi, from all corners of the kingdom. He was born Jacob Matthew Poku. Educated at Adisadel College in Cape Coast, he read law in London and was called to the bar in the Middle Temple in 1962. Following the coup that overthrew Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, in 1966, Poku became Communications Minister. He had been due to take up an appointment as ambassador to Rome, when his maternal uncle, Nana Sir Osei Agyemang Prempeh II, died in 1970, and Poku succeeded him. The 15th Asantehene will be buried later this month. But there is still no word of a successor. He will be laid in state at the royal palace in Kumasi for four days beginning 21 March. He will be buried on 25 March after a service at St. Cyprians Anglican Church in Kumasi. Although the Asantehene does not figure officially in the political structure of modern Ghana, he is a major figure in Ghana. (ANB- BIA, Brussels, 11 March 1999) * Ghana. Visite historique - Les chefs des diplomaties francaise et britannique, Hubert Vedrine et Robin Cook, sont attendus mercredi soir, 10 mars, a Accra, puis le lendemain a Abidjan, pour la premiere visite conjointe effectuee en Afrique par ces deux anciennes puissances coloniales. Ce voyage historique se situe dans la ligne de la "declaration de Saint-Malo" (ouest de la France), signee en decembre dernier par le president francais Jacques Chirac et le Premier ministre britannique Tony Blair. Dans ce texte, les deux Etats promettaient de "rechercher l'harmonisation de leurs politiques a l'egard de l'Afrique et de poursuivre une cooperation etroite sur le terrain". A terme et toujours selon la declaration de Saint-Malo, Paris et Londres envisagent d'"intensifier l'echange d'informations sur la situation en Afrique", notamment dans les pays ou l'un ou l'autre des partenaires n'est pas represente. Pour cette premiere mission, les deux ministres ont choisi de se rendre dans deux pays voisins, dont les familles et ethnies communes furent jadis separees artificiellement par les colonisateurs: le Ghana, anglophone, et la Cote d'Ivoire, francophone. Depuis la sanglante invasion de la capitale de la SIerra Leone par les rebelles, qui a fait au moins 5.000 morts et des centaines de mutiles, la Grande-Bretagne a largement aide l'ECOMOG, en moyens logistiques et de communication notamment. La France est restee quant a elle loin de ce conflit, mais l'un de ses partenaires privilegies, la Cote d'Ivoire, ne cesse de plaider pour une solution negociee a la crise, critiquant a demi-mots "l'option militaire". (D'apres AFP, France, 10 mars 1999) * Guinee. Plus de defense pour Conde - L'avocat francais Pierre Olivier Sure, qui s'est constitue pour la defense d'Alpha Conde, a ete refoule le 19 fevrier a son arrivee a l'aeroport de Conakry et remis dans un avion pour Bamako. A Paris, le batonnier de l'ordre des avocats a proteste aupres des autorites guineennes contre "l'atteinte inadmissible aux droits de la defense". Le collectif des avocats d'Alpha Conde a quant a lui renonce a la defense de l'opposant en raison des "atteintes graves a l'etat de droit et a l'exercice de la profession d'avocat". Les avocats denoncent egalement l'absence d'independance des juges et le non respect de la confidentialite de l'entretien de l'avocat et son client. Ils ont egalement annonce que M. Conde avait entame une greve de la faim pour protester contre son maintien en detention, a rapporte l'agence Reuters le 8 mars. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 9 mars 1999) * Guinee-Bissau. Decrispation - 7 mars. Les premiers signes reels de decrispation sont apparus cette semaine a Bissau avec des operations de deminage, de desarmement et de cantonnement des troupes, apres neuf mois d'un conflit meurtrier. En outre, Francisco Fadul, nouveau Premier ministre d'un gouvernement d'union nationale, a annonce la reouverture prochaine de l'aeroport international de Bissau. La junte militaire a entame, le 4 mars, des operations de deminage dans les quartiers nord de la ville (le nombre de mines disseminees par les belligerants est estime a 11.500). D'autre part, une commission nationale, chargee du desarmement et du cantonnement des forces belligerantes, a commence a operer pour securiser un pays ou les armes continuent a circuler en grand nombre. (D'apres AFP, France, 7 mars 1999) * Guinee equatoriale. Elections - Le 7 mars, des elections legislatives dans la Republique de Guinee equatoriale ont eu lieu dans le calme, avec une large participation des electeurs. Ce petit pays de 28.051 kmę et de 450.000 habitants, est dirige depuis 1979 par le president Teodoro Obiang Nguema. Depuis quelques annees, on y exploite du petrole, qui est devenu la plus grande richesse du pays. Apres l'adoption du multipartisme en 1991, l'opposition avait boycotte les differentes elections en 1993, 1995 et 1996. A ces elections-ci, treize partis, y compris l'opposition radicale, se disputent les suffrages; mais le parti du president, le PDGE, semble assure de remporter une large majorite. (D'apres AFP, France, 5-7 mars 1999) * Equatorial Guinea. Parliamentary elections - 7 March: Election officials report a high turnout in the second parliamentary elections since multi-party politics were introduced six years ago. Officials have until 15 March to publish the results. 8 March: The Electoral Commission says the ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea appears certain to win the elections. 13 parties vied for seats in the 80-seat parliament. There are opposition charges of fraud. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 March 1999) * Kenya. "Constitutional mess" - The Churches in Kenya have cried out against the mess besetting the present Constitutional Review talks -- a mess which is completely casting doubts over the implementation of the said Constitution Review Act. The Constitutional Review process suffered a major blow on 18 February, after a consultative forum meeting called by the Attorney-General, Amos Wako, ended in disarray. Archbishop John Njenga of Mombasa said: "The Churches are giving serious thought to the political bickering in the Constitutional Review process. All Kenyans of goodwill want this process to go forward, and the religious organisations have said as much, and given their total support. But selfish motives, political interests and outright unwillingness to co-operate have been major blockages". (Mwananchi, Kenya, March 1999) * Kenya. Anti-Corruption Authority - The Kenya government is considering the recruitment of an expatriate to head the body charged with fighting corruption in the country. The possibility of appointing a foreigner as director of the Government-funded Kenya Anti-Corruption Authority, featured at meetings held last week between top government officials, and a delegation from the IMF. Sources said the Moi government formally requested the Bretton Woods institution to help it identify a non-Kenyan to head the controversial organisation, which was set up by an Act of Parliament to investigate and prosecute corruption cases. (The East African, Kenya, 1-7 March 1999) * Kenya. Cattle raid in northwest - On 5 March, two rival tribes in northwestern Kenya clashed in a cattle raid that killed more than 30 people. The clash occurred when Pokot raiders attacked a Turkana village to steal cattle. Among the dead were 14 raiders and 4 Turkana children. On 8 March, it was announced that security forces had been sent into the region. On 9 March, reports from northern Kenya said the death toll from the Turkana district has now risen to about 100. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10 March 1999) * Kenya-Tanzania. Military personnel in Canada - Senior military personnel from Kenya and Tanzania are among a contingent from 11 African countries undergoing training in peacekeeping operations in Canada. The Canadian-sponsored Military Training Programme which began in the middle of February, comes in the wake of a new diplomatic campaign in search of an elusive formula to end the war in Congo RDC. The programme also involves participants from Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Benin, Cameroon, Botswana, Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire. (The East African, Kenya, 1-7 March 1999) * Liberia. Commission Justice et Paix - La Commission catholique Justice et Paix (CJP) met en garde contre des troubles sociaux qui pourraient se produire au Liberia a cause d'une "economie stagnante et deprimee". Elle parle de l'economie comme d'un "patient dans le coma, vacillant entre la vie et la mort". Bien que les statistiques soient difficiles a obtenir, le chomage est generalement estime a plus de 75 %. "Un si grand nombre de gens, et notamment de jeunes, pose un probleme social dont la volatilite pourrait mener a une explosion de troubles sociaux violents, avec des consequences inimaginables pour le gouvernement et la societe civile", declare son communique. D'autre part, CJP, qui est poursuivie en justice de meme qu'une autre organisation des droits de l'homme, Focus, pour un rapport sur l'esclavage des enfants dans le sud-est du Liberia, a declare qu'elle maintenait les declarations contenues dans le rapport. (IRIN, Abidjan, 3 mars 1999) * Libya. Airliner bombings - 6 March: The most concerted attempt yet to resolve the long-running Lockerbie airliner bombing affair will take place in Egypt during a week-long visit by President Gaddafi of Libya. Before leaving for Egypt, President Gaddafi says that "a final agreement is expected" on a US-British plan under which the bombing suspects, at present under loose house arrest in Tripoli, would be tried under Scottish law in The Netherlands. 8 March: The trial of six Libyan intelligence agents, including a brother-in-law of President Gaddafi, accused of organising the 1989 bombing of a French airliner that killed all 170 people on board, opens in Paris. The suspects are not present for the trial. In 1996, Gaddafi promised President Chirac he would abide by the French court's ruling, though diplomats believe the most he is likely to do is pay some compensation. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 March 1999) * Libye. Proces a Paris - Le proces des six membres des services secrets libyens, accuses d'etre impliques dans l'attentat contre un DC-10 de la compagnie francaise UTA reliant Brazzaville a Paris, qui avait fait 170 morts le 19 septembre 1989, a commence le 8 mars devant la cour d'assises de Paris. En l'absence des six Libyens, poursuivis pour "assassinats en relation avec une entreprise terroriste", leur proces se deroule par contumace. Le 10 mars, les six ont ete condamnes a la prison a vie. Parmi eux, Abdallah Senoussi, l'ancien numero 2 des services secrets libyens, beau- frere du colonel Kadhafi. (La Libre Belgique, 10 mars 1999) * Malawi. Elections -- More questions than answers - The forthcoming elections scheduled for 18 May are overshadowed by more questions than answers, as the Electoral Commission (EC) has postponed registration of voters twice, claiming that delays in funding are affecting the electoral process. But the opposition Malawi Congress Party and the Alliance for Democracy, both represented in Parliament, accuse the Commission of being biased in favour of the ruling party. At issue is the redemarcation of constituency boundaries, to increase constituencies from the present 177 to 247. The EC report was twice rejected in Parliament, as opposition parties accused the United Democratic Front government of rigging the vote by increasing its own constituencies in areas which they lacked support. The International Federation for Election Systems and the UN also doubted the need for such increase, which the Commission claims had been based on geographical features, population and administrative reasons. Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika, president of the United Party and former secretary-general of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, says: "The Recent redemarcation of constituencies is irresponsible and abuse of power by the ruling UDF and the Electoral Commission. Wherever the UDF feared defeat, it has sub- divided the constituency." (Hobbs Gama, Malawi, 3 March 1999) * Malawi. "Walking together in Faith, Hope and Love" - On 14 February, the Bishops of Malawi issued a Pastoral Statement in view of the forthcoming Presidential and Parliamentary elections this May and Local Government elections later this year. The Bishops expressed concern that some citizens have decided not to vote, and so they urged all to "exercise your right and take up your Christian duty". The Bishops called for free and fair elections, urging citizens to refrain from violence, to practice tolerance and to accept the results. All are invited to pray for Malawi. On 10 March, the Electoral Commission postponed the elections until 25 May, to allow proper planning to take place. This Statement will be available as soon as possible and ANB-BIA will let you know how to obtain it. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 11 March 1999) * Mali. Local government elections - Preparations are underway for the local government elections that will involve 682 Malian municipalities. Though an official date has not yet been announced, the government says the elections will take place sometime in April, on alternate days, according to the area. This is because of the scarcity of human and material resources. The radical opposition parties which had decided not to participate in the elections are now "reviewing their positions". (MISNA, Italy, 2 March 1999) * Mali. Decrispation politique - Une partie de l'opposition a decide de participer aux prochaines elections en avril et en mai, ouvrant ainsi la voie a une solution de la crise politique que ce pays traverse depuis deux ans. Cette decrispation de la vie politique a ete favorisee par la tenue, en presence de plusieurs partis de l'opposition, d'un Forum national dont l'objectif etait de mettre a jour les textes fondamentaux de la 3e Republique malienne. Des lors, estiment les observateurs, les conditions paraissent reunies pour un retour a une vie politique normale au Mali. (AFP, France, 9 mars 1999) * Mali. Students protest - Thousands of Malian students have taken part in protests in the capital, Bamako, to press for the release of four students sentenced to five years hard labour for their part in violent demonstration last year. Riot police used tear-gas to disperse the students who burned tires and blocked roads. Students said several people had been arrested and some had suffered minor injuries. The protest follows a meeting between student leaders and President Konde, in which Mr.Konde said he was not in a position to free the four jailed students. (BBC News, 9 March 1999) * Mauritania. Opposition leader to stand trial - 7 March: Mauritania's leading opposition politician, Ahmed Ould Daddah, is to stand trial on charges of inciting intolerance and actions to disrupt public order. No date has been set for the trial. Ould Daddah was arrested on 16 December with two other activists after a meeting organised by the Opposition Parties Front, which includes his Union of Democratic Forces. They spend time under house arrest before being released in January. Mohamedu Ould Babbah, a senior UDF member, will stand trial on the same charges as Ould Daddah. An examining magistrate dropped charges against the third person arrested, lawyer Mohamedeu Ould Ichoudou. (CNN, 7 March 1999) * Morocco. Observatory opened - The most powerful observatory in North Africa has been opened in Morocco. State television says the observatory in Rabat is equipped with a telescope that can study galaxies three-hundred-and-fifty-million light years away. The building also has a planetarium that seats 40 people. (BBC News, 7 March 1999) * Maroc. Synagogue restauree par des musulmans - Classee par l'Unesco parmi le patrimoine universel, la synagogue Aben Danan de Fez vient de retrouver son charme du 17e siecle. Le monument a ete restaure apres plus d'un an de travaux finances par des descendants juifs du fondateur mais aussi par de nombreux musulmans. La refection a ete faite exclusivement par des ingenieurs, architectes et artisans musulmans, dans un pays ou l'islam est religion d'Etat. Cette refection est liee au souhait general de faire du lieu de culte essentiellement un musee pour symboliser la tolerance religieuse au Maroc. (CIP, Belgique, 11 mars 1999) * Mozambique. Aid for flood victims - The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) is to urgently airlift 350 mt of maize and beans to 70,000 flood victims in southern Mozambique. Most of the victims are from the cities of Vilankulo and Inhassorro, in Inhambane province which has had no access to food and basic health care since last week when the floods began. WFP said the emergency aid was enough to feed people for about 10 days. In a statement, WFP's Georgia Shaver said "It's virtually impossible to move food overland, because all road access into and out of Mozambique's southern province of Inhambane along the coast is completely cut off from the rest of the country". Mozambique is currently experiencing the worst flooding in 40 years. WFP said it needs about US$125,000 for the airlift operation and it had appealed to donors for funds. On 10 March, officials said the flooding has killed 12 people and stranded more than 200,000. South Africa has sent in military planes filled with emergency aid. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 11 March 1999) * Nigeria. Visite de M. Jackson - Le representant special du president americain, Jesse Jackson, est attendu le 6 mars au Nigeria pour une tournee de six jours. Il "mettra l'accent sur l'importance de la reconciliation, de l'unite nationale et de l'aboutissement de la transition au regime civil", a declare le porte-parole du departement d'Etat. M. Jackson compte rencontrer le dirigeant militaire, le general Abubakar, le president designe Obasanjo, et le chef de l'opposition M. Falae. Il doit aussi s'entretenir avec des representants des collectivites locales dans la region troublee du delta du Niger. (D'apres IRIN, Abidjan, 5 mars 1999) * Nigeria. Coup plotters freed - 4 March: Nigeria's outgoing military government has granted state pardons to scores of people jailed over alleged coup plots against the former leader, Gen. Sani Abacha. The most prominent of them is Gen. Abacha's former deputy, Lt.Gen. Oladipo Diya. A military official said those pardoned will be released immediately. Also, half a billion dollars retrieved from the family of the late Gen. Abacha, will be deposited in the nation's foreign exchange reserves. 8 March: General Abubakar says he is confident of his country's future as a democracy. He says: "I have no doubt democracy has come to stay, and my prayer is that Nigerians will give democracy a chance". (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 March 1999) * Rwanda. Reinstallation massive - Des centaines de milliers de personnes deplacees dans le Nord-Ouest du Rwanda ont quitte leurs camps surpeuples pour se regrouper dans des sites de reinstallation crees dans leur secteur d'origine, a fait savoir le Bureau de coordination humanitaire de l'Onu a Kigali dans son bulletin d'information de fevrier. Des quelque 650.000 personnes deplacees enregistrees en decembre dans les prefectures de Ruhengeri et Gisenyi, 478.735 se sont depuis lors regroupees dans 172 sites de reinstallation, appeles "umudugu". Cependant, selon d'autres sources, ces regroupements, contraires a l'habitat traditionnel, posent beaucoup de problemes. Les gens se plaignent notamment d'etre loin de leurs champs et doivent parcourir souvent de longues distances pour aller chercher de l'eau. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 9 mars 1999) * Rwanda. Genocide hearing in disarray - On 10 March, five former Rwandan politicians appeared before the International Tribunal for Rwanda, in Arusha, Tanzania, but the hearing ended abruptly amid confusion over documents. The hearing was adjourned to give prosecutors time to review the indictments and iron out the problems. The aborted session highlighted many of the logistical problems that have slowed progress at the UN court. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 11 March 1999) * Senegal. Electricity stake to be sold - 3 March: The Senegalese government is to sell 34% of SENELEC, the national electricity company, to Elyo, a subsidiary of the French utilities group Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux, and Hydro Quebec International, the Canadian utility. The $65 million deal, part of wider plans to liberalise Senegal's energy market, includes the possibility for the consortium to increase its stake to 49% in the next five years. (Financial Times, UK, 4 March 1999) * Sierra Leone. Appel au cessez-le-feu - Le 9 mars, le chef detenu de la rebellion, le caporal Foday Sankoh, a appele ses "ses combattants sur le terrain a observer un cessez-le-feu dans les 72 heures" et a liberer tous leurs otages. D'autre part, le 8 mars, le Conseil interreligieux de la Sierra Leone (regroupant les responsables musulmans, protestants et catholiques) a renouvele son invitation au dialogue, en reponse a un communique des rebelles qui avaient menace de reconquerir Freetown. Mais, tot le matin du 9 mars, les rebelles ont lance une nouvelle attaque dans le nord, contre la localite de Mambolo. Par ailleurs, le secretaire general de l'ONU, M. Annan, a recommande que le mandat de la Mission d'observation de l'ONU en Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) soit prolonge de trois mois, jusqu'au 13 juin prochain. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 10 mars 1999) * Sierra Leone. Movements for peace - 6 March: Rebels have released 31 abducted children as a goodwill gesture. The group of 16 boys and 15 girls arrived on 5 March at the Waterloo refugee camp near Freetown. They had walked alone the last few miles from rebel-held territory. The children were to be handed over to UNICEF officials after being debriefed by ECOMOG. 8 March: The UN special envoy for Sierra Leone recommends that the UN observer force and international organisations return to Freetown. Kofi Annan recommends extending the mandate of the UN Observer Mission in Sierra Leone (UNOMSIL) until 13 June. 8 March: The secretary- general of the influential Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone has a second meeting with Foday Sankoh. 9 March: The British government urges President Kabbah to sue for peace with the rebels. Kabbah says he has no option but to come to terms with the rebels who have brought the country to its knees. The same day, addressing reporters at ECOMOG's headquarters, Foday Sankoh calls on his commanders to observe a unilateral ceasefire and release all civilian hostages. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10 March 1999) * Sierra Leone. Rebel leader pledges attack - 10 March: A senior rebel commander, General Sam Bockarie, says he will ignore Foday Sankoh's call for a ceasefire, and threatens to launch another all- out attack on government forces. Gen. Bockarie says his soldiers will not listen to jailed rebel leader Foday Sankoh, who told rebels on 9 March to put down their arms. He also said he had not spoken to Sankoh for weeks. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 11 March 1999) * Somalia. Humanitarian crisis "very worrying" - The humanitarian crisis in central and southern Somalia remains serious after more coup failures and a severe water shortage, according to the latest update from the UN country team. The situation in southern Somalia is very worrying following the failure of the February secondary Deyr harvest and a widespread lack of water for human consumption. WFP distributed some 2,572 mt of food aid to affected people in Somalia during the month of February, according to the latest WFP weekly emergency report. It said that close to 70% of the food was distributed in the worst-hit Bay and Bakool regions. WFP planned to distribute a total of 3,200 mt of food in southern Somalia in March, it added. In a statement last week, US-based Refugees International urged donors to immediately make funds available for the purchase and distribution of seed to vulnerable populations. Some 1,600 mt of seed, including 50 mt to help displaced persons to go home, is needed before the onset of the planting season at the end of March. Some 34,000 people, most from Bay and Bakool, had been displaced while another 12,000 people had crossed into Ethiopia, the statement said. (IRIN, Nairobi, 9 March 1999) * South Africa. Combatting AIDS - Officials are making a train journey across the country as part of a new government campaign to combat the spread of AIDS. The officials will distribute information on the disease, as the train stops at stations between Pietersburg in Northern Province, and Cape Town in the south, where it is due to arrive on 8 March. South Africa now has the fastest rate in the world of new infections with HIV -- the virus which can lead to AIDS. Many of those being infected live in far-flung rural communities, and using the country's extensive rail network, the government hopes its message on the need to practice safe sex, will be heard in as many places as possible. Latest government figures suggest that more than 1,500 people in South Africa become newly- infected with HIV every day -- many of them teenage girls. (BBC News, 4 March 1999) * South Africa. Selling off state forests - On 4 March, South Africa announced plans to sell the rights to 332,000 hectares of commercial forest owned by the state for an estimated $240 million, signalling a renewed determination to push ahead with its privatisation programme after months of delays. "This transaction represents the largest offering of its kind that has taken place anywhere in the world", said a joint announcement from Stella Sicgau, minister of public enterprise, and Kader Asmal, minister of water affairs and forestry. (Financial Times, UK, 5 March 1999) * South Africa. ANC leaders denied amnesty - On 5 March, Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed support for the Amnesty Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), to deny amnesty to 27 senior leaders of the ruling ANC. The TRC made the decision on the grounds that the leaders could not apply for amnesty as a group. HRW urged the leaders of the ANC to take individual responsibility for their role in the human rights abuses committed during the anti-apartheid struggle. (HRW, 5 March 1999) * Afrique du Sud. Deux dirigeants abattus - Deux hommes politiques sud-africains, l'un de l'ANC au pouvoir, l'autre de l'UMD de l'opposition, ont ete tues par balles dans la region du Cap a quelques heures d'intervalle, le dimanche soir 7 mars, a la cloture de la derniere campagne d'inscription electorale. Seulement 16 millions de Sud-Africains se sont inscrits pour participer au scrutin prevu le 2 juin, selon les chiffres provisoires, alors qu'environ 19,5 millions de personnes avaient vote en 1994 pour les premieres elections democratiques. Ces dernieres semaines, la tension n'a cesse de croitre entre les differents partis politiques. Les violences ont conduit le president Mandela a lancer un appel a la paix pour les prochaines elections. (D'apres AFP, France, 8 mars 1999) * Afrique du Sud. Journaliste libere - Jean-Philippe Ceppi, journaliste pour la television suisse, a ete libere le 8 mars par la police sud-africaine apres trois jours de detention. Il lui etait reproche d'etre en possession de "documents militaires secrets". Ceppi enquetait sur la production d'armes chimiques et bacteriologiques pendant l'apartheid et sur les relations du regime sud-africain avec la Suisse. (Liberation, France, 9 mars 1999) * South Africa. Mandela slams white S.Africans - In the waning months of his presidency, Nelson Mandela is reprimanding white South Africans for perpetuating the system of white privilege. Mandela told a mostly white, upper-class crowd on 8 March that many whites refuse to share their resources with the previously disadvantaged majority. "The masses are telling us that the white minority still wants to defend its privilege," Mandela said in a speech at a primary school in the Johannesburg suburb of Houghton, where he has a house. He faulted whites for keeping the apartheid regime in power for 40 years, and now for "shunning" the African National Congress -- "the only party that can bring peace to the country". (AP, 9 March 1999) * South Africa. Final round of voter registration - On 5 March, South Africans began a final round of voter registration for the country's second democratic elections. The creation of the country's first national voter roll is seen as test of its new democracy, created in 1994 with the first all-race elections. The two previous rounds have registered just over 15 million South Africans for the national balloting, which, President Mandela announced earlier this week, will take place on 2 June. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has set a target of registering at least 70% of eligible voters. By 7 March, the IEC said it had reached its target of registering at least 70% of the country's eligible voters. People who had not yet registered can still do so at local electoral offices. A cut-off date for registration will be announced next week. Concern has been expressed because of the number of opposition supporters who have been shot in recent days. Since 7 March, four United Democratic Movement (UDM) supporters have been killed in a township outside Cape Town. The shootings follow the killing of a senior ANC activist in the Nyanga township over the weekend. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 10 March 1999) * Afrique du Sud. "Mandelarand" - Le secteur de l'or d'Afrique du Sud a propose de frapper un "Mandelarand", une monnaie a l'effigie du president sud-africain, pour remplacer le "Krugerrand" herite de l'apartheid et en pleine stagnation commerciale. Une societe de consultants a conclu que "le Krugerrand n'attire plus les acheteurs car il symbolise la vieille Afrique du Sud", a declare un porte- parole du Comite de crise de l'or, cree l'an dernier pour tenter de stopper les licenciements massifs dans le secteur minier. Les grandes compagnies minieres ont licencie environ 70.000 salaries l'annee derniere. (Liberation, France, 10 mars 1999) * Sudan. Dinka-Nuer peace conference - A report from the New Sudan Council of Churches dated 20 February 1999 describes how the New Sudan Council of Churches was due to facilitate a historic exchange of visits by Dinka and Nuer chiefs, and community leaders, on the west side of the Nile River in the Regions of Bahr el Ghazal and Western Upper Nile. The opening ceremonies were due to take place on 27 February and the following three days were scheduled to be times of storytelling between Dinka and Nuer, with the identification of key issues taking place within the context of the stories. Following that will be a period of working groups that design solutions for the identified issues. These proposals will then be worked by the whole conference to gain consensus on conclusions and resolutions. Efforts will be made by the conference to create new institutional arrangements that can build peace along the Dinka-Nuer border over an extended period of time. (APIC, Washington, 4 March 1999) * Soudan. Epidemie de meningite - Une epidemie de meningite a atteint des niveaux alarmants dans six provinces du Soudan; au moins 223 personnes sont deja mortes, a affirme le CICR le 4 mars. Selon les agences humanitaires, 1.762 cas de meningite ont ete recenses et, a moins d'une campagne de vaccination acceleree, l'epidemie s'etendra encore. L'epidemie a touche le sud du Soudan, ou les taux d'infection risquent d'etre extremement eleves en raison des mouvements de population continus, provoques par la guerre civile dans la region. (D'apres AP, USA, 5 mars 1999) * Sudan. Government moves to hijack Umma - 7 March: The government has moved to hijack Sudan's largest political group, the opposition Umma party, by registering it through a stooge of the regime, exiled party members say. Umma's nationally recognised leader is Al-Sadeq Al-Mahdi, who lives in exile in Cairo. He is a former democratically elected civilian prime minister who was deposed in the military coup that brought President al-Bashit to power in June 1989. Sudan's state television said on 6 March that the Umma Party had become the eight political party to be given official status in accordance with a new law reinstating a multi- party system. But Cairo-based Siddiq Boulad, a member of the party's political bureau said: "The Umma Party has nothing to do with the listing. Those who applied for it are part of the regime". Al-Nur Jadain, a little-known teaching assistant who carried out the registration, said an interim political office would lead the party until the general congress on 2 September. (CNN, 7 March 1999) * Sudan. Opposition blamed for US Embassy shooting - On 8 March, Bishop Gabriel Roric, state minister at the foreign ministry, told the privately-owned Al-Rai Al-Aam daily that the opposition plotted last week's shooting at the US embassy in Khartoum, with the aim of worsening fraught ties between Khartoum and Washington. Roric said the interior and foreign ministries have launched a joint effort to find out those who fired shots at the embassy on 4 March. (CNN, 8 March 1999) * Soudan. Accord dans le Sud - L'armee de liberation des peuples du Soudan (SPLA) de John Garang et les factions sudistes progouvermentales seraient parvenues a un accord. Selon un haut responsable du Front du salut democratique unifie, regroupant ces factions, l'accord avec la rebellion prevoit un cessez-le-feu dans le Sud en avril, date a laquelle Khartoum et le SPLA doivent se retrouver au Kenya pour negocier. (Liberation, France, 9 mars 1999) * Tchad. Nouvelle insurrection? - Le Mouvement pour la democratie et la justice au Tchad (MDJT) de l'ancien ministre de la Defense Youssouf Togoimi, dont N'Djamena vient de reconnaitre implicitement l'existence, se pose comme la principale formation de lutte contre le regime de president Deby. Nee en octobre 1998 dans les montagnes arides du Tibesti, cette rebellion, a composante essentiellement touboue et derniere venue sur la scene insurrectionnelle tchadienne, affirme desormais controler la quasi-totalite de la partie nord du Tchad. Seules les villes de Bardai et Faya-Largeau "echappent encore a notre controle, mais Bardai est assiegee par nos elements depuis debut fevrier", assure le representant du MDJT a Libreville. (AFP, France, 10 mars 1999) * Tunisia. Legal status to human rights group refused - On 8 March, in a letter to Tunisia's Interior Minister, Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the refusal to grant legal status to the National Council for Liberties in Tunisia, a new and independent human rights organisation formed by some of the country's most respected human rights figures. The decision came in a Ministry of the Interior's letter dated 2 March and received 6 March. (HRW, 8 March 1999) * Ouganda. Chasse aux miliciens - L'armee ougandaise a tue quinze rebelles extremistes hutus rwandais faisant partie du groupe qui a assassine huit touristes etrangers et quatre Ougandais au debut de la semaine, affirme le quotidien gouvernemental New Vision, le 4 mars. Un soldat ougandais a ete tue dans les combats, a ajoute le journal, citant des sources militaires dans la ville de Mbarara, a l'ouest de l'Ouganda. L'article ne precise pas la date ou les circonstances de cet affrontement entre l'armee et les rebelles rwandais. Le 7 mars, le journal The Monitor rapportait que l'armee ougandaise avait encore tue dix autres rebelles hutus soupconnes d'avoir ete impliques dans le massacre. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 8 mars 1999) * Uganda. Aftermath of tourist massacre - 4 March: A senior Ugandan CID officer says the investigation is going well and adds he is certain the rebels will soon be caught. The authorities have already arrested a Rwandan man whom they suspect of supplying the rebels with information about the location of the tourist camps and details of what they will find there. There is now a huge military presence in the game park. The same day, Human Rights Watch condemns the killings of civilians in Uganda. Rwandan and Ugandan forces continue the manhunt in the northeast of Congo RDC for the killers. Rwanda calls for an international crackdown on the Hutu rebels who murdered the tourists. 6 March: The New Vision gives the following developments -- a suspected Interahamwe collaborator has been arrested. The army has killed 15 Rwandan Interahamwe, believed to be part of the group that killed the tourists and park personnel. President Museveni has extended his condolences to the families of all the dead. 7 March: The government suspends trekking in two national parks. It will not be allowed for another month. 8 March: The army says it has killed another 10 of the Rwandan rebels responsible for the recent murders. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 March 1999) * Uganda. Kutesa censured - On 4 March, Parliament censured finance state minister Sam Kutesa for alleged misuse of office and influence-peddling. 152 Members voted for his censure, while 94 supported him. In an interview after the vote, Kutesa said he will not resign but would let the constitutional process take its course. The case against Kutesa centred on his alleged misconduct, influence-peddling and conflict of interest in the purchase of Uganda Airlines shares in the Entebbe handling services. (New Vision, Uganda, 5 March 1999) * Uganda. Bwindi massacre - Some reactions in the East African Press to the murder of the eight tourists and four Ugandans: "My heart goes out to the families of the eight tourists and four Ugandans who were murdered last week by Hutu Interahamwe militia. But friends in the tourist industry have over the years pleaded with government (Ugandan) officials to brief them about the security situation on the ground, so they could in turn inform their clientele" (The East African, Kenya, 8-14 March). "The 28 February murder of four Ugandans and eight toursists by suspected Interahamwe rebels from the Congo, has once again thrust Uganda into an unpleasant spotlight" (The Monitor, Uganda, 4 March). "Uganda and Rwanda face huge obstacles in trying to crack down on rebels on their western borders who abducted and killed eight tourists" (Daily Nation, Kenya, 5 March). "The murder of eight foreign tourists is a great tragedy. The tourists new nothing of the politics of the Great Lakes who had just gone to watch the guerrillas. They did not deserve to die. May their souls rest in peace" (New Vision, Uganda, 4 March). (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 11 March 1999) * Zambia. Bomb alert - The Zambian government has specially requested the government of the USA for assistance in examining and investigating the 14 bomb explosions that rocked Lusaka in recent days, killing one Angolan security embassy official and injuring another. Newstead Zimba, the chief government spokesman, who is also the Information Minister, announced that US bomb experts had been invited to come and evaluate the type of bombs used. (Editor's note: The FBI arrived on 4 March). Preliminary investigations by the Zambian police bomb disposal experts revealed that the bombs were of the same type. Police spokesman Alex Chilufya said more than five others were defused but confirmed the blasts had caused devastating damage to property right across the city. He said: "We want to continue to be an island of peace and builders of peace in the Southern African Development Community, and not to be merchants of death". Zimba described the bomb blasts as an act of aggression and warned: "Defence and security forces have been put on full alert to deal with any acts of terrorism, whether committed by Zambians or foreigners". The bombs destroyed electricity pylons and blew up the main water supply, causing severe power cuts and water shortages. President Frederick Chiluba convened an emergency cabinet meeting soon after his arrival from Kigali, Rwanda, where he had gone to consult with President Pasteur Bizimungu on a speedy solution to end the bloody civil war prevailing in Congo RDC. (Fred Chela, Zambia, 1 March 1999) * Zambia. Money laundering and drug trafficking - In addition to Zambia's other problems, the country's economy is threatened by the activities of the criminal fraternity, mainly those involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. However the deputy minister for Home Affairs, Edwin Hatembo, says the government is determined to put an end to these two evils. "Once appropriate legislation has gone through Parliament, offenders will be dealt with ruthlessly. The alarming levels reached by money laundering, has forced the government to start working out measures to urgently address the situation". Such a Bill would seek to provide for the disclosure of money laundering activities by the bank supervising authorities. It could result in people involved in such activities, having their property seized. (Gideon Thole, Zambia, 3 March 1999) * Zambia. Refugees - More than 4,000 refugees have fled from Congo RDC into northern Zambia. The refugees, who have been arriving over the past few days, say they have been the victims of indiscriminate rebel attacks on villages and settlements. They are now sheltering in schools and administrative buildings. The refugees include more than 600 Congolese troops and police, who have been disarmed by the Zambian authorities and separated from the others. Zambia's northern border adjoins an area which has been the focus of rapid advances by the rebel movement. The refugees arriving in Zambia are from the area around Lake Mweru and the eastern Congolese town of Puerto. (BBC News, 10 March 1999) * Zambia. Six journalists arrested - On 10 March, Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), protested against the detention of six journalists in Lusaka. "According to our information, Kelvin Shimo, Joe Kaunda, Amos Malupenga, Brighton Phiri, Lubasi Katunda, and Goodson Machona, all journalists with the daily The Post, were arrested by policemen on 9 and 10 March. They were taken to different police stations in Lusaka. These arrests followed a request by Members of Parliament, on 9 March, to punish The Post over an article entitled "Angola worries Zambia Army (ZAF)", in which staff reporters gave a general list of Zambian and Angolan weaponry and said the Zambian army would be unable to "withstand military attack by Angola"". Also, the International Press Institute, Vienna, the Zambia Independent Media Association, the Committee To Protect Journalists, New York, condemn the arrests. The Post's editor-in-chief, Fred M'membe, is reported to be in hiding. (ANB-BIA Brussels, 11 March 1999) * Zimbabwe. Potential foreign investment discouraged - The Netherlands-based Struik Holdings NV does not seem to be receiving much encouragement as it seeks to establish itself in Zimbabwe's industrial city of Bulawayo. Struik wants to set up a canning plant in Zimbabwe, to operate in addition to the already existing firm of Colcom Holdings Ltd, which is, however, old and nearly defunct. Struik specialises in canning pork and its by-products, and sees this as an ideal moment to invest in Zimbabwe, where local expertise and technology are becoming unavailable. The Netherlands firm would like to set up a canning plant but is presently discouraged because of board-room battles within Colcom Holdings, and attempts by Colcom to sell a 35% stake in Colcom to Struik were frustrated by the board. (Dumisani Khumalo, Zimbabwe, 10 March 1999)